Vol 59, Issue 4 Southwords

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Maddie Beyer stars as Alice

Sycamore in the Winter Play, “You Can’t Take It With You.”

See page 10.

Junior C-Team students learn from seniors.

Thespians visit Illinois Theatre Festival.

Students recognize Maine South staff.

Hawkettes take first place at Sectionals.

PHOTO BY CEYLAN YILDIZ

Constitution Team looks towards a bright future

Olivia Das Gupta News Editor

Thisyear, the Constitution Team has made it to Nationals, and there have been some changes to improve the team and better prepare incoming seniors for the task ahead of them.

The C-Team is a unique class and extracurricular that consists only of seniors, meaning that each year begins with an entirely new lineup as the previous team graduates.

One feature recently added to the program to better ease this transition is the junior exhibition team.

“The junior exhibition team is the juniors who have made C-team for next year and are competing at the state hearing to get experience for next year’s hearings,” junior exhibition team member Jimmy Johnston, said.

This year, the junior team travelled with the senior team to the state competition. This was C-Team’s first in-person competition in three years.

“For junior exhibitions, we compete on the same day and in the same place as the regular Maine south team,” junior exhibition team member Charlotte King said. “We compete in different rooms, but we have the same judges as the rest of the teams.”

Because the junior team cannot be formed until after they are approved to enroll in the next year’s class, there are some adjustments that have to be made with the timing of preparation.

“We got the questions about three weeks before, and [the senior team] had since August to work on theirs, essentially,” King said. “So, for us, it’s just a quicker turnaround.”

The junior team acts mainly as practice for the upcoming year, and all

work is done outside of the classroom. Their scores at state are not counted towards the overall school score, but the experience itself has proved to be important to have for many participants.

“The people on the team for next year are all amazing, smart individuals who just know so much,” Johnston said. “I’m so excited to be able to work with all of them and learn stuff from them. Being able to do junior exhibitions this year was just a lot of fun.”

These exhibitions began last year, but were not widely practiced.

“We really have not reaped the benefits of it yet,” Mr. Andrew Trenkle, a Constitution Team coach, said. “A couple people did it last year,

but it was more extensive this year.”

While the future of these students is not yet known, the team is optimistic.

“They have the experience of what it’s like, which I think will pay off next year,” Mr. Trenkle said.

Another recent addition to the team is their new coach, Ms. Leah Politi.

“It’s been a fun way to get involved,” Ms. Politi said. “Only teaching Psychology, I meet a pretty small group of students. So it’s good to get a different angle on the school.”

While the experience has been largely positive, it does not come without its share of challenges.

“Sometimes at State, there will be state government questions the

kids want to tackle, and because I took civics in Ohio, I wasn’t quite as familiar with the Illinois State Constitution details,” Ms. Politi said.

However, challenges can be met with support from the other coaches.

“Not having the answers, I think, is difficult, but having Mr. Hansen and Mr. Trenkle who have been doing this for decades is really nice because they know everything,” Ms. Politi said.

The team continues to do well, and will be going to Nationals this April.

“I’m proud of this year’s group and how much they have grown in different ways, academically, interpersonally, and in speaking,” Mr. Trenkle said. “I think they have grown as much as any other team I’ve coached.”

Honoring Black History Month in school

Samara Lefler News Writer

Black History Month is observed during February, and the school plans to honor this tradition in both familiar and new ways this year with the help of the administration, the Black Empowerment Union, and the Social Science Department.

Similar to previous years, the school will provide new information to students every day this month.

“As always, I plan to share important facts about the month

and the community as a whole during announcements,” Mr. Michael Edwards, Associate Principal of Student Experiences, said.

The screens in the commons will also have facts related to the month. While previous years have seen people and activists recognized, this year, the facts will go beyond historical figures.

“On the screens, I am considering [displaying] some important laws and events that align with the theme of Black History Month 2023,” Mr. Edwards said.

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is the national organization that organizes Black History Month, including choosing an official theme. This year’s theme is “Black Resistance,” which explores the resistance of African Americans to oppression not just in the United States, but around the world.

In addition to this national theme, music is another topic Maine South might explore throughout the month.

“We will spend time focusing

on Black musicians and other artists in displays or morning music,” says Edwards.

In every way that this month is celebrated, the school hopes to create support within the community.

“As with any year, I think it is crucial to emphasize that Black history is American history,” Mr. Edwards said. “I hope our students and school community can spend the month in unity while celebrating a part of our wider community that is so crucial to the success of America.”

THE NEXT GENERATION Mr. Trenkle and Ms. Politi hold aloft Sherman, the team “mascot.” Sherman became a member of the team after a joke told in class, and is “parented” by two Constitution Team members.

PHOTO COURTESY KATRINA HASSMAN

Trial of digital SATs deemed a success

Sayde Feeley

News Editor

For the first time in Maine South history, students were given the opportunity to take the Digital SAT. College Board conducted a free trial on Sept. 24, 2022, to oversee the administration of the test digitally. All Maine South seniors who had signed up for Aug. 27 or Oct. 8 SATs were given the opportunity. As incentive for contributing, not only could students choose to submit their digital score in college applications, they could choose between a $50 gift card or a full refund on their last SAT.

Participants were sent to Glenbrook South where they were instructed to bring their own Chromebook or personal computer for testing. There, students needed to log in with their own information and be individually checked by administrators.

“The process leading up to the test took awhile because we had some tech issues, but because it was a pilot, it was meant for College Board to work out

those issues,” senior Macy Muellner, a participant in the trial, said.

Students also had to download an app on which to take the exam, causing more problems.

“It was hard to download the software device onto my Chromebook and a lot of other kids had to be given a secondary device in order for it to work,” Muellner said.

College Board continues to work through these complications and will be introducing the role of a technology coordinator at future testing sites.

Once all students had successfully started the exam, the process went much more smoothly. The Digital SAT was composed of a Reading and Math section, with a short break in between, similar to the original paper and pencil test. Students only had to click an answer,

though, instead of physically bubbling in a letter.

“The test went by a lot quicker for me,” senior Sara Mietus, another test participant, said. “For Reading, I usually go right up to the deadline, but I actually had extra time, and for Math, I had almost every question finished halfway through.”

This extra time students had to go over earlier questions or organize their thoughts caused many to feel less pressure during the exam, too.

“A big part of that extra time was I didn’t have to bubble in answers,” Mietus said. “It made me more confident in my answers because sometimes I worry that I mis-bubbled or that there were too many C’s or B’s in a row. With the ESAT, though, you just click and move on.”

Some students also felt that the online test’s overall material was slightly easier than the paper and pencil form, especially in the Math section. All these benefits have caused Digital SAT scores to trend slightly higher than paper exams for many participants.

After the success of similar trials nationwide, College Board hopes to make a full transition to the Digital SAT. Students have mixed feelings about this development though.

“Although I would choose to take the ESAT again, I think they should definitely keep the option to take both, just because some people prefer taking notes on paper,” Muellner said.

Starting in the fall of 2023, all PSATs will be given online to familiarize students with the digital testing experience. Afterwards, all SATs will be administered on computers by 2024. Original paper and pencil tests will still be offered to test takers, but only for specific circumstances or needs.

Interactive Pop-Up Art exhibition recognizes artists

Anthony Sotto

News Editor

Artwork created by Fine Arts students were put up on display in the Commons for a Pop-Up Art Show on Jan. 19. A broad variety of artwork was submitted from over a hundred students from different art classes. Some of the art shown included paperdrawn sketches, pottery sculptures, and photography compositions.

Students were invited to participate in the art show through a submission process that took place in their art classes.

“They were encouraged to pin up a work of art that they wanted to display,” art teacher Ms. Mary Lee Moore said. The art show aimed to be a school event that provided a place where artists can display their best work without competition.

“It wasn’t a contest, it was so we could highlight the successes of our students so far this year,” Ms. Moore said.

In addition, viewers of the art show were able to send appreciation and compliments by writing messages for artists on sticky notes.

“We had this interactive element of it where students, teachers, faculty

and administrators were encouraged to leave notes to the artists about their work,” Ms. Moore said. “I think it really brought a sense of pride to us as teachers and to the students themselves.”

Ms. Moore and Ms. Tymkiw organized this art exhibition to give students an opportunity to celebrate their successes during the semester as well as attain a sense of pride by

highlighting their work in a setting that helps give some congratulatory recognition to each individual artist.

Senior Kea Tovson, who submitted two pieces of art for the exhibition, had positive feelings about the event.

“It felt good putting up pieces I was proud of in the art show,” Tovson said. “It was a nice opportunity to show some of my work.”

The teacher duo stressed

the importance of a viewer-artist interaction. Showcasing art in the Commons, which students pass through every day, allowed for more to connect with the work.

The exhibition also helped beautify and add life to a space where many students congregate and enter the building.

Senior Darko Peric thought that the art show was a great way to show off his skills to his peers.

“I was really proud of my work and how I did it,” Peric said.

Furthermore, artists’ friends and teachers were also able to view and appreciate the work more conveniently and more effectively.

Senior Sofia Costa, an art student, expressed her admiration of the show.

“I was proud of my friends that got their art shown and other people got to see it,” Costa said. “I feel like people’s art was seen by a bigger audience than if it was just hung out in the hallway.”

Due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback, the art department has upcoming plans to create more events similar to this that showcase student’s artwork through public exhibitions.

“I would definitely do it if they decided to do it again,” Peric said.

EYE-CATCHING Two display walls were set up in the Commons to show off some of the artists’ photography and artwork. Along a table, they also presented sculptured works.

PHOTO BY CEYLAN YILDIZ

“Sometimes I worry that I mis-bubbled or that there were too many C’s or B’s in a row. With the ESAT though, you just click and move on.

-

Sara Mietus (‘23)

what college is your ai going to?

Academic dishonesty in the form of AI STAFF EDITORIAL

Cheating the system is nothing new for high school students. Overstressed, overworked, and/or unmotivated students have always looked for shortcuts to complete their work in hopes of saving time and effort. However, while plagiarism has existed in a variety of forms, there are new tools that take it one step further.

ChatGPT, an AI writing service, can produce a multiple-paragraph essay following parameters set by the user within seconds.

This tool was not created with the intention of helping students cheat their way through an essay; however, that is what has given it its recognition.

This service may offer students an easy out, but at what cost? Yes, it can produce an essay loosely responding to a prompt provided and mark an assignment as “turned in,” but that’s about all.

There are many possible reasons why a student might choose this shortcut but the way students view school is the main issue.

Attending school is required by law, often making it feel like a chore

to many students.

On top of the possible distaste some students may have for attending school itself, there is the pressure of upholding one’s grades and GPA. This can lead students who may already have too much going on in their life to look past the real intention of school and assignments and only worry that everything is submitted, even if it was created by AI.

Students taking this route deprive themselves of learning critical thinking and communications skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Instead of finding better ways to learn, they look for other, easier, ways to get the grade they want. For some, they land on routes of academic dishonesty and cheating.

This problem has always been apparent, even when a school’s purpose is to educate its students and provide them with the information they may need to be successful later in their life, benefitting the students themselves. However, with all of the attention that is focused on grades, students lose sight of this.

Under all of the pressure tied to assignments and grades, students often ignore the abundance of resources Maine South offers that would actually help them learn.

Instead of turning to services like ChatGPT, which entirely cancel out the benefits of the assignment, students may learn that visiting the Academic Resource Center and talking through the assignment with a teacher is more helpful, even if it takes more time and thought. However, it is up to the students to acknowledge the benefits of these resources and to set aside time now to help them in the future.

Teachers also further engaging their students by making assignments more personal and flexible or giving students more freedom would encourage students to be more involved and motivated in school.

Encouraging and motivating students to actually see the benefits of doing their assignments and writings is crucial, because sources like ChatGPT aren’t going anywhere, and neither is writing, communicating, and reading.

Maine South High School 1111 South Dee Road

Park Ridge, IL 60068

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Southwords is a student-run 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.

Student participation in the newspaper, whether through readership, submitting articles, or voicing comments or concerns, is encouraged.

Signed letters to the editor can be 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

Madison Basquin

Elizabeth Handley

News Editors

Olivia Das Gupta

Sayde Feeley

Anthony Sotto

Commentary Editors

Jacob Mascort

Campbell Micek

Andjela Trkulja

Features Editors

Ava Jurek

Lilien Schirazi

Sofia Sclafani

Entertainment Editors

Maggie Hershey

Caitlin Vengazo

Maggie Woods

Sports Editors

Declan Colleran

Kyra Demeros

Thomas Hurley

Production Editors

Natalia Kowalewska

Cathy Tserendavaa

Ceylan Yildiz

Adviser

Mr. Stathakis

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY NATALIA KOWALEWSKA

Quizlet+ deserves to be a school-provided resource

successful learning.

Ferraro Commentary Writer

Throughout most of my schooling, when I’ve needed to find a way to study effectively, I have looked to Quizlet for help.

However, Quizlet has recently changed its user privileges from a free-to-use website to one requiring a subscription for all of the materials that were previously available for free.

As a free member, you are only able to access the flashcards and matching sections of the website, as well as a couple of free rounds of the “learn” tool.

Additionally, while you are able to play the games offered unlimitedly, you are only able to complete one practice test.

For $36 per year, you can become a Quizlet+ member and gain access to all helpful aids and easy learning tools that Quizlet previously offered for free before the changes.

Although it is frustrating that Quizlet is no longer free, it has always been, and still is, a useful tool for

According to an article published by the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, the two studying strategies that prove to be the most successful in students are retrieval practice and the Leitner system.

Retrieval practice consolidates the use of flashcards and the act of writing to improve memory recollection successfully.

Instead of flipping through the flashcards, you are required to write your reply to the flashcard down before being revealed the correct answer, thus committing the answer to memory through the usage of repeated writing.

Quizlet utilizes this study technique in their learn section in an easy-to-use system that has proven to be helpful for kids using the website.

The second study technique is labeled the Leitner system. When practicing with flashcards the Leitner system uses three boxes to separate the known from the unknown.

The flashcards all start in the first box, and then once successfully

memorized, the flashcards move to the second box.

Eventually, all the flashcards end up in the second box, requiring you to go through them once more to put them into the third “mastery” box.

This system helps to reinforce your recognition by giving you the same cards over and over until it is ingrained in your mind. With regular Quizlet, this process does not work, as your attempts are limited.

Quizlet has a similar system built into its practice tools to allow users to separate what they know from what they don’t.

It repeatedly shows you the same few questions and once you have consistently answered them correctly the flashcard will be removed accordingly. This setting allows students to go back and practice the terms that they do not know as well.

Quizlet not only allows you to create your own study sets, but also to access public study sets.

Gaining full access to Quizlet’s features would give students an

advantage when studying for all assignments, allowing them to explore study sets beyond their own.

In past years, teachers have used Quizlet as a way to prepare test materials for their students.

Since Quizlet has the ability to create folders with designated names, it can become an asset for years to come for students when locating study materials.

However, currently, when teachers post links to their Quizlets, they aren’t 100% accessible to all students, requiring each student to purchase Quizlet+ in order to gain full access.

Some staff members have recognized the remaining need for access to this tool, and have gone as far as paying out of their personal pockets for the additional features.

Our school has already shown that they are willing to pay for learning programs such as Pearson or buy Princeton Review books for the betterment of students; Quizlet+ should be no different.

Given that the school has a responsibility to offer students resources to help them succeed, purchasing a subscription for the school to have access to all that Quizlet+ can offer will improve student learning.

Finding the beauty in making yourself proud

grades and took a mental toll on me. I ended up finishing the year strong through support from my parents and friends, but it wasn’t a year I would choose to relive.

terrified of taking became less of a burden and more of a challenge to me. I wanted to prove to myself how much I was capable of and the person I could be.

Elizabeth Handley Editor-In-Chief

Throughout my life, something I’ve always heard from adults is the importance of a positive mindset. Whether it’s with trying new endeavors or simply completing a routine task, the mindset you have walking into a situation will set the stage for success. Though I never thought much about the advice, I had no idea how much it affected my daily life until I put this year into perspective.

Sophomore year was a tough year for me with it essentially being my first real year of high school without COVID. School became less of something that inspired me and turned into a daunting chore. I didn’t put my best effort forth with my schoolwork which affected my

This past summer, I made a promise to myself that I would hold myself to the high standards I held myself to before COVID. I wanted to reinvent myself and choose a different approach to the school year.

Starting before the first day of school had even begun, I chose to quit swimming and join the diving team. This was already a great first step in becoming the best version of myself as it helped me gain confidence in applying myself and meeting new people.

Once school started, I took extra steps and opportunities to get to know my teachers personally and prioritize my education. If I wasn’t in the pool for practice, I was in the library or office hours. I studied in every spare moment and did countless hours of work to get ahead. All the classes I was previously

Being inducted into the National Honor Society in the fall and living out my first year as Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper were indicators of my dedication.

Even with small changes like waking up earlier in the morning to take time just for myself to get ready for the day and going to the gym in my free time, I became happier and my new lifestyle made me excited for each new day.

My future is something that I take extremely seriously; following in the footsteps of my older sisters and parents is not an easy role to take on. For the longest time, I’ve worked hard to make the people around me proud and exceed the expectations of others, but I never considered the importance of my own self satisfaction.

Learning to live life for myself is a

feeling that I can’t get enough of. Feeling academic and athletic validation is good—but it’s incomparable to when you know you’ve earned it.

While not every day was perfect, and I still faced hardships like any other high schooler, realizing the positive effects that my change in attitude had upon my social and school life made all the effort worth it. If I could go back to last year, I wouldn’t change the course of events, but rather tell myself that there is so much more to life when you imagine things like high school put into the bigger picture of your future.

These lessons are ones I will be carrying into second semester, and I encourage everyone to do the same. Some key foundations of this mentality started with learning to accept failures and shift my perspective on uncomfortable situations.

Even if you have to force the smile and outlook at first, eventually, you won’t have to fake it, and your genuine passion will surface.

“Our school has already shown that they are willing to pay for learning programs...Quizlet should be no different.”

Kathryn

Is test optional really optional in the admission’s process?

cepted scores of the schools I was applying to were very high and diminished my hope of being admitted.

While there are many free, accessible study tools available, I went the tutoring route. I met with a private tutor once a week. In total, I took three ACTs and two SATs.

Standardized testing is a notoriously feared subject. Typically taken during your junior year of high school, the ACT and SAT offer an additional data point to colleges when reviewing your application.

In the past, it was mandatory for students to submit their SAT/ACT scores to most colleges. In recent years, however, many schools have allowed students to apply without SAT and ACT scores being mandatory in their application.

The test-optional movement began in 1969; however, test-optional admissions proliferated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the majority have stuck since.

While schools may not look at test scores, many worry about its effect on the admissions process.

I took my first practice ACT the summer going into my junior year, and like many, I was disappointed with my initial score.

When creating the list of schools I wanted to apply to, I researched their average standardized testing scores.

To my surprise, the average ac-

While the tests differed slightly, the SAT being more math-heavy, and the ACT predominantly reading, I decided to focus my tutoring on the ACT. My score went up 10 points on the ACT, and while expensive, tutoring made a huge difference in the outcome of my score.

Unfortunately, paying for tutoring isn’t an option for all students. So, who is test optional favoring?

The majority of people submitting their scores are submitting the scores they feel proud of. Being test-optional is a bit of a grey area.

It can ultimately paint an inaccurate picture of admitted students if not everyone is submitting scores, therefore making applicants, like myself, insecure about applying to certain schools.

While I was happy with the outcome of my score, I didn’t actually submit my score to all the places that I applied to.

At a more prestigious school, I felt that my score may not have been good enough, but at a school where I felt that my scores would make a positive

difference in the application process, I submitted them.

I am a perfect example of the pitfalls of the test-optional movement, picking and choosing where I submit my test scores, causing schools’ average accepted test scores to rise, and yield rates to potentially be inaccurate.

While many schools have stated that there is no difference between submitting test scores or not, I discovered firsthand that there is at least one difference.

When applying for scholarships, I generally had to meet certain criteria with both my GPA and test score to qualify, ultimately discriminating against those who were not submitting, as they didn’t have an opportunity to be considered.

Rumors have spread about what that data point really adds to an application, but there seems to be no consistent answer.

Instead, colleges should establish a uniform test-blind policy, in which no one person would be hindered.

As a result, school admissions would be required to view applications with a more holistic view. It’s more important to focus on a student’s grades and extracurricular activities over the course of four years, rather than a test score that carries with it a host of confounding factors.

By creating a unified test blind policy, colleges can level the playing field for all applicants and judge students on characteristics that demonstrate college readiness, like their academic performance and school involvement.

Early decision is financially unfair to students

counselors always recommend students apply for, if available.

For the class of 2023, worries about college decisions loom over our heads for most of second semester.

Many are still awaiting college decisions, and even those who have received admission to some schools are now faced with the challenge of choosing which college is the best fit for their futures.

However, those who applied via early decision and were accepted now know what college they were admitted to and will be attending this fall.

Early action (EA) and early decision (ED) are two college admission plans that are often confusing to those who are not in the application process.

EA is the admission plan that

With this option, a student applies to college by a November deadline and receives a decision before those who didn’t apply early action. This also gives students priorities for scholarships.

On the other hand, ED is an admission plan where if accepted, you are required to commit to that school.

ED may seem like a dream come true to those who are applying to a competitive college that they know is the school they want to go to; however, the biggest drawback for many students and families is the inability to compare financial packages once accepted to a school ED.

ED is a much more serious commitment than EA. This also means that each student can only apply ED to one school—requiring students to be confident in their decision.

This admission plan has the added benefit of improving ones chances of getting into elite colleges.

For those applying to highly competitive schools or colleges with an acceptance rate of less than 10%, applying ED can be the difference between an admission or a rejection.

In some cases, the percentage of students admitted during ED round one can be more than double the school’s overall acceptance rate for regular decision applicants.

The financial burden of elite colleges is quite large. If the college isn’t need-blind and the financial package is not as large as you had hoped, it may make it unrealistic for your family to be able to afford the school that you are now committed to.

As many of us in class of 2023 are discovering, if you are middle class, FAFSA won’t help you much.

This is a major barrier for middle

and lower class students who want to attend prestigious schools with higher tuitions.

It is a risk to say that you are willing to accept the financial package they give you if you are not in the position to do so. Although there may be ways to back out of an ED agreement because of financials, the uncertainty with the consequences of leaving the agreement is often one that lower and middle class students do not want to risk.

ED benefits those who already had many of the resources to help them be admitted to elite colleges, including those whose parents had the money for SAT/ACT prep classes and/or tutoring.

ED gives an advantage to those who were already given advantages as children, and makes it unfair for those who didn’t grow up with those opportunities.

STANDARDIZED SUCCESS The school library offers SAT and ACT preparation books available to students who are planning to take these standardized tests. These prep books include practice tests, study tricks, and practice to prepare for the exams.

Campbell Micek Commentary Editor

Maggie Hershey

Entertainment Editor

‘Maine South’s Finest’ showcases students’ appreciation

Margaret Sheehan

Features Writer

During high school, many students become so caught up in the whirlwind of friends, sports, and homework, that they forget to appreciate a group of very important people in their lives: teachers and staff. From staying after school to assist students, to long days spent planning the next lesson, teachers and staff deserve students’ appreciation. This year, two Maine South students started a project to show just how grateful students are for their amazing staff.

Junior Dylan Sarsany and senior Gaetano Iannotta began the “Maine South’s Finest” project last year. The project involves creating massive posters featuring staff members, which are then given to the teachers to display in their classrooms.

“I started the ‘Maine South’s Finest’ project last year to honor the teachers at Maine South,” Iannotta said. “One day, I was looking at baseball cards and thought that it would be fun to showcase some of Maine South’s teachers in a unique and artistic way.”

The posters started on standard sheets of printer paper, but as the project grew, so did the posters. Iannotta and Sarsany used their design skills to show how much they value the Maine South staff.

“I created the design for the Finest cards in Photoshop and I make them with that base design,” Iannotta said. “Our Finest committee determines who is recognized as The Finest by nominating people we believe to be the ones at Maine South that are above and beyond in helping students become their best selves.”

Sarsany and Ionnatta created a system to successfully capture each teacher’s unique characteristics through the posters.

“Once we determine who will be in the latest round of The Finest, we visit the teacher, take their photos, and I make the design,” Iannotta said. “Every teacher at Maine South has their own specific flair and personal elements they put into teaching, and I make sure we are able to highlight that in their card.”

Sarsany and Iannotta are pleased with the impact their project has made. They have over 200 followers on their Instagram, @mshsfinest.

“To think that a small and particularly unknown project has turned into what it is today for me is mind-boggling, and I’m honored to be one of the co-founders of it,” Sarsany said.

Ms. Melinda Nees, science teacher and recipient of a poster, expressed just how much of an influence students’ appreciation can have.

“I was flattered to receive a poster, and I am very grateful for the token of appreciation,” Ms. Nees said. “Any time a teacher receives any kind of thank you, whether it be an email, card, or teacher appreciation week note, it is so meaningful. I save all the notes and emails that students have sent me, and I look at them when I’m not feeling confident or when I’m having a bad day.”

French teacher Ms. Emily Delehanty also received a poster that brightened her day and her classroom.

“I think it’s a great initiative to show appreciation for all the hard work teachers and staff do,” Ms. Delehanty said. “It really means a lot and reminds me that what I’m doing makes a difference.”

Teachers and staff impact students’ lives daily, often without praise or material rewards. They teach and create connections with their students that can change the course of students’ lives.

School Resource Officer, Mr. Carlos Panizo, notes that student appreciation reminds him of why he chose his career.

“I think that people who work in public service, like first responders or educators, didn’t choose those careers with the need to be recognized,” Officer Panizo said. “I think one truly just wants to make a positive impact on the lives of others. The occasional gesture of appreciation given to those public servants does go a long way toward validating that initial decision to serve, and can inspire them to continue doing great work.”

Although Sarsany and Iannotta went above and beyond in showing their appreciation towards the

staff, students can show gratitude through small acts of kindness as well.

“I appreciate the small things that students do, like saying ‘merci’ at the end of class or sharing moments where they used French outside of the classroom,” Ms. Delehanty said. “Appreciation can go a long way in boosting teacher morale during tough times.”

Sarsany and Iannotta’s project has touched teachers and staff throughout the school, and they aim to continue their appreciation efforts. Maine South’s Finest serves as a reminder to students to express their gratitude for teachers and staff who impact their lives every day.

“The reason why we make these posters is to establish and foster a necessary appreciation for our teachers and staff and spread a level of happiness and geniality for Maine South as a whole,” Sarsany said. “I am honored to help our school accomplish this.”

CAUGHT IN ACTION Junior Dylan Sarsany (left) and senior Gaetano Ionnatta (right) pose with Assistant Principal Mr. Michael Edwards as they gift their first-ever Maine South’s Finest Project poster. This project has now grown to 25 posters, and recipients continue to be added.

THREE OF THE FINEST Ms. Emily Delehanty, Ms. Melinda Nees, and Officer Carlos Panizo (left to right) pose with the personalized Maine South’s Finest posters they were presented. Their new classroom decor has sparked conversation and joy throughout the school.

PHOTO COURTESY DYLAN SARSANY

PHOTO COURTESY DYLAN SARSANY PHOTO COURTESY DYLAN SARSANY

Essays on the edge of extinction?

Marita Hornsberger & Lilly Sabres-Battaglia Features Writers

Stuck in between the cross hairs of bustling social lives and schoolwork, students are in constant search of ways to keep their grades high and stress levels low.

In a world where technology is advancing at a rapid pace, it’s no surprise that we are seeing breakthroughs in AI programs.

One such breakthrough is the development of ChatGPT, a state-ofthe-art language model developed by OpenAI. This powerful technology is quickly gaining popularity in various industries, including the education system.

While some may doubt the writing abilities of AI, it is surprisingly natural. In fact, the previous paragraph was written entirely by AI.

Some are finding this technology to be a lifesaving tool to relieve their daily assigned work; teachers, however, are concerned and looking for solutions to help eliminate the use of AI.

English teacher and Eyrie advisor Dr. Richard Jones learned of ChatGPT in December and made other teachers aware of AI and its functions.

“It is not that harmful to senior writing courses because we spend so much time working with kids on the writing exercises—there is a lot of writing process conversation,” Dr. Jones said. “Really, where this is harmful is take-home tests, openinternet-based tests and short answer. From my perspective, it really would be more harmful in social science than it would in English.”

Dr. Jones went on to say that this is a problem resting on both the shoulders of students and staff.

“I think both sides contribute to this problem,” he said. “I’m going to put it on us [teachers], because if you catch kids doing this repeatedly, you need to think about what kinds of questions you are asking. But, if students are so lazy that they are not able to manage good classroom thinking, they shouldn’t be replacing their work with AI.”

English department chair, Ms. Julianna Cucci agrees and compares ChatGPT to Wikipedia. She believes students shouldn’t use Wikipedia as a source for a paper, but they can use

it to get base information on a topic.

“We will think about showing students how it can help you become a better writer, or how it could help you to do something, but it certainly shouldn’t be a substitute for your own thinking or writing,” Ms. Cucci said.

Students who have tried their hand at ChatGPT, however, have not all received successful results.

A student who wished to remain anonymous has used ChatGPT for English class, and claims that the website is useful in a pinch with assignments that are low in points.

“I think it’s useful when there’s a short deadline and I feel overwhelmed with my work,” the student said. “It’s not an everyday tool when I use it; it’s more to just get it done rather than to get a good grade. It’s better than nothing.”

This anonymous student had remained a straight-A student all throughout the semester, but the grade received on the AI-written assignment brought them down to a low B.

Regardless of the grade that was received, the student will probably be using the website again.

“Yeah, honestly, ChatGPT is just a super simple way to get projects—that usually take a long time—done in less than five minutes,” the student said. “Teachers don’t always realize the pressure of the workload they put onto their students.”

Many conversations floating amongst the school teachers have been in regards to students and their usage of ChatGPT, and how the staff can combat it.

Dr. Jones believes that the issue of students abusing the website will resolve itself by the end of the year.

“I’m not really concerned about students using ChatGPT—I think it’ll get to the point where it [Turnitin. com] will mark that stuff,” Dr. Jones said. “We’re probably really close to having it banned on the school network, so it’d only be for homework…And honestly, I think this will sort itself out before the end of the school year.”

Several programs have been and are being developed to counteract the plagiarism, but as of right now, the school has yet to put them in use. Turnitin.com does not currently detect AI-work, but it has developed the technology to do so and will be rolling it out soon.

There will also be many new ways to detect AI-writing in the future.

“They are working on a digital watermark which would be hidden code inside the text that would indicate it came from the chatbot,” Jones said. “There is also a Princeton computer science student [Edward Tian] that created an app that can detect the patterns.”

For students, the workload is seemingly impossible and time consuming, and with the weight of responsibility increasing seismically with each year, it leaves many feeling stressed and anxious.

Even though many think AIwritten work is undetectable, teachers are catching on.

“I think you see a pattern [in ChatGPT],” Dr. Jones said. “If you read enough, like any English teacher does, you get used to these very typical patterns. The AI can’t form opinions and it can’t make an argument. If you were to ask it about anything such as gun control or abortion, it would not make an argument.”

What does AI writing look like, anyway?

ChatGPT prompt: Analyze the uses of ChatGPT in 50 words:

“Chat GPT is a large language model that can be used for a variety of natural language processing tasks, such as language translation, text summarization, text completion, and chatbot development. It can be integrated into various applications to improve the user experience and automate repetitive tasks.

ChatGPT prompt: Explain Romeo and Juliet’s love story:

“Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is a tragic love story about two young lovers from feuding families, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, who fall deeply in love but are unable to be together due to their families’ ongoing feud. Despite the obstacles they face, Romeo and Juliet secretly marry, but their happiness is short-lived as a series of tragic events leads to the deaths of both of them. The play ends with the reconciliation of their families, who are finally brought together by the tragic end of the young lovers. Overall, the story illustrates the theme of love versus hate and the destructive power of feuds.”

ChatGPT prompt: Write a five-sentence paragraph on the evolution of dinosaurs:

“Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles that first appeared around 230 million years ago during the Triassic period. They were the dominant land animals for about 135 million years, through the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Dinosaurs evolved into a wide variety of forms, from small, agile predators, to large herbivorous sauropods. Some dinosaurs, such as Velociraptor, were warm-blooded and had feathers, while others, such as Triceratops, were coldblooded and had scaly skin. The last dinosaurs died out around 65 million years ago, possibly as a result of a mass extinction caused by an asteroid impact.”

Here are three examples of prompts and the responses that ChatGPT produced.

FACE BEHIND THE SCREEN ChatGPT creator, Sam Altman, appears at TechCrunch San Francisco in 2019. Since then, he has become a billionaire as ChatGPT continues to be on the rise.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

30 South students attend Illinois Theatre Festival

Lyn Brush Entertainment Writer

For the first time in three years, the Maine South Thespian Society brought students to the Illinois Theatre Festival (ITF) to meet other thespians, attend helpful workshops, and see what other schools in the state are performing. This year, ITF was held at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“It was just so wonderful to see all of the students together at the festival again,” theater director Ms. Carrie Saurer said. “Having close to 5,000 theater students, faculty, and professionals all on one campus together was electric.”

Every year, the ITF puts on an AllState production, which involves top actors, musicians, and crew members from schools across the state. This year, the performance was “Shrek the Musical,” which featured two actors, seniors Maren Nazar and Finley Pullano, and one crew member, senior Maggie Hershey.

“The All-State musical is a highlight of the festival,” Ms. Saurer said.

Unfortunately, before this show began, a tragedy occurred. One cast member, Daniel Moshi, a senior at Leyden High School, passed out while rehearsing for choir in the weeks

leading up to the performance and passed away later that day.

“He was incredibly talented and so valued by all of us, and an allaround amazing person and friend,” Nazar said. “Continuing the show without him was difficult because he will always be part of our company.”

In the wake of this tragedy, it was the support amongst the ITF community that allowed the cast to persevere and put on a successful show.

“All of the adults and students involved were constantly supportive and always pushed us to be the best we can be, on stage and off,” Nazar said.

Students also benefited from the collaborative nature of ITF.

“It was very interesting to see how different high schools are in Illinois, and all of the differences were celebrated in each and every performance,” sophomore Liz Bordini said.

Illinois is home to hundreds of fine arts departments, all of whom bring something unique to the table.

“There’s a wide difference in spaces, techniques used, and abilities all across the state,” technical director Mr. Patrick Sanchez said. “It is great to help others with questions and pass around ideas.”

In addition to performing and collaborating, ITF participants enjoyed the opportunity to participate in workshops.

“Throughout the festival, students were able to work with high school faculty, college faculty, and theater professionals from around the country in a variety of master classes on various topics of theater, including acting, directing, design, technical work, dance, directing, and theory,” Ms. Saurer said. “Because the workshops covered a variety of topics, students were able to tailor the experience to their interests and create a festival experience that is

unique.”

ITF exposed students to new experiences, theater expertise, and lessons they may not have learned in a classroom setting.

“It’s an amazing experience for any fine arts student,” Mr. Sanchez said. “It isn’t just seeing plays—it’s going to workshops on art, music, anything in the Fine Arts area.”

The festival was a memorable experience for all involved.

“[ITF] taught me the meaning of hard work and good friends,” Nazar said. “This process helped build up my confidence in myself and made me feel more proud of who I am.”

Students honored by Illinois Music Education Association

Grace Halpert Entertainment Writer

Seven music students performed at the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) festival last week from Jan 25-28. Performers included sophomore Mia Buchheister and senior Alex Wille in band; sophomore Lucy Hassman and seniors Kyungsoo Chon and Tim Nelson in orchestra; and seniors Finley Pullano and Maren Nazar in choir.

“ILMEA is a large music teacher conference and performance festival that thousands of people from around the country attend,” orchestra director Mr. Matthew Nix said. The festival concludes with a performance from each group.

The ILMEA festival honors students who excel in orchestra, choir, and band. Students auditioned in the fall, and selected students attended their respective concerts this past November. The top players from the November concert were then invited to travel to Peoria in January.

Students were given music over the summer and uploaded their audition videos for the ILMEA festival to Youtube, minimizing the stress of the audition process.

Even with a seamless audition process, musicians still had to put in many hours of work to prepare for their auditions.

“Since it is such a competitive audition process, students practiced their scales and excerpts for months,” Mr. Nix said. “Students refined their performances and submitted the best video auditions possible.”

The ILMEA Festival on Nov. 12 was an educational experience that gave students the opportunity to work with talented musicians and accomplished directors.

“I feel that we were all pushed to be the best musicians we could be that day,” Buchheister said. “There was so much effort put into this one day and

it was amazing. Everyone felt so connected and got a deeper appreciation for music.”

The best players from the November Festival— typically the first rows of players from each district in Illinois—are invited to participate in one of the All-State ensembles.

“After the November Concert, the strongest players from the orchestra are selected for the ILMEA All-State Orchestras,” orchestra director Mr. Matthew Nix said. “There are two State Orchestras: the All-State Orchestra and the Honors Orchestra.” The state band and choirs follow a similar format.

All members of ILMEA All-State ensembles rehearse and perform together as part of the ILMEA festival. Selected All-State students will meet skilled musicians and bring back new musical knowledge.

“It’s not every day that you can gather up all the best high school musicians in the state and spend three days making music,” Buchheister said.

Students were grateful to partake in such a unique experience.

“At the ILMEA District Festival, we got to meet students, musicians, and conductors from across the district,” Chon said. “[ILMEA] was a great opportunity to learn from them and improve my own skills.”

LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLY Senior Bella Zagotta, junior Courtney Miller, junior Annie McDonough, and senior Brielle Bates (left to right) prepare to see the AllState performance of “Shrek the Musical.” They hold flags to wave during one of the closing numbers, “Freak Flag,” which celebrates each person’s uniqueness and differences.

PHOTO COURTESY MS. CARRIE SAURER

BEST OF THE BEST Members of the AllState orchestra rehearse music in preparation for the concert on Saturday, Jan. 28. Senior Kyungsoo Chon performs as first chair of the second violin section.

PHOTO COURTESY MR. MATTHEW NIX

Winter Play breaks the fourth wall

Josephine Hennes Entertainment Writer

Thisyear’s Winter Play, “You Can’t Take it With You,” is a comedic and interactive experience for audiences.

The show is brought to life through the ensemble, who will break the fourth wall with the audience.

“We have a small ensemble of Federal Agents who will act as security from the moment you walk into the theater,” student director junior Courtney Miller said. “They’ll be stationed around the lobby and the theater, making an interesting and immersive pre-show experience.”

Besides interactive elements, the props used in this production will make it one to remember.

“We have everything from snakes, to fireworks, to police batons, to peppermints handed out,” Director Mr. Nico Mugnolo said.

The show follows Alice Sycamore and Tony Kirby as they fall in love. However, Alice’s eccentric family may clash with Tony’s traditional background when invited to an important dinner party.

Alice’s family has a large assortment of amateur hobbies including ballet dancing, candy making, snake hunting, and firework making.

“My favorite part of the process is creating the small quirks of my character and figuring out what little things they would do instead of the big things we are given in the script,” said senior Maddie Beyer who plays Alice Sycamore.

This play explores a variety of different relationships, which makes the performance relatable to viewers.

“ There are issues and conflicts between children, parents, and grandparents,” Mr. Mugnolo said.

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With Valentines Day around the corner, we sampled Russel Stover’s cheapest chocolate box ($1.29) so you know which ones to eat and which to toss when you receive—or gift yourself—this staple treat!

Dark Chocolate Coconut

“What lies at the core of the play is relationships, and that’s something that relates to all of us in one way or another.”

The show is a famous 1930s play which was later adapted into a movie and is known as a theater classic.

“‘You Can’t Take it With You’ is a timeless, realistic show, portraying an imperfect family in the 1930s in New York City,” Miller said. “It has something for everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you like; there is something you will connect to in this show.”

The cast of “You Can’t Take it With You” have been working since December to prepare for the show.

“It’s been challenging to work in a fairly small time frame; however, with our cast and crew, you could never tell,” senior Kelly Croke, Stage Manager, said.

Behind the scenes, there are many moving parts of the show to organize before it can be performed in front of an audience.

“Between managing rehearsals, reading over the script, making notes for blocking, organizing the posters,

as well as getting the programs, there’s a lot of production aspects that are scattered throughout the time we have at rehearsal,” Mr. Mugnolo said.

The show explores the true meaning of life, love, and happiness.

“ The family isn’t worried about money; they are worried about their own happiness and their happiness together,” Miller said.

“I think we all can get caught up in the intense stress of life, and this show is a reminder that sometimes, you just need to relax.”

Created near the end of the Great Depression, “You Can’t Take it With You” portrays the resilience of families during this time.

“It shows you just how important it is to connect with the people around you,” Beyer said.

There are a variety of people involved in the production. Each member brings their own insight and experiences to the process.

“For me it’s exciting, enjoyable, hilarious, and surprising to see different sides of the students come out that I don’t see either in the classroom or when they are performing as their stage character,” Mr. Mugnolo said. “This world of theater allows us to live different lives and take on different roles, and it’s that take on various sides of kids that I don’t always get to see.”

“This is a kooky show with a variety of characters that are guaranteed to appeal to an audience of all ages,” Croke said. “There’s so much flare, but it also has a powerful message about being happy with who you are.”

“You Can’t Take it With You” runs Feb. 9, 10, and 11 in the Watson Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door for $10 for general admission or $7 for students.

This dark chocolate with coconut filling had potential, but unfortunately missed the mark. Although we appreciate the attempt to diversify the chocolate box flavors, this was not exactly what we were hoping for. That being said, if you’re a coconut lover, this may be right up your alley!

Milk Chocolate Caramel

Don’t be fooled by the decorative caramel stripes; it is not much better than the other flavors. Although this milk chocolate with caramel looks appetizing, it simply tasted like a thick Milky Way. Less caramel and a pinch of salt would have improved its rating.

Chocolate Vanilla Cream

The vanilla cream chocolates left much to be desired. Upon biting into it, we were overwhelmed by its marshmallow-like flavoring and overpowering sweetness. This, coupled with its oddly mushy texture, has resulted in this vanilla bomb being our least favorite flavor.

METADRAMA MANICS Sophomore George Spiegel, juniors Alexander Konwal and Isa Frede, senior Finley Pullano, and junior Seamus Lynch (left to right) rehearse the second act. Frede portrays an actress, and Pullano’s character is trying to persuade her to act in a play she wrote.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER Freshman Sam Hill (left) and junior Kristina Gancheva (right) build window frames for the set. The show will take place in the family room of the Sycamore-Vanderhoff house.

PHOTO BY CATHY TSERENDAVAA

PHOTO BY CATHY TSERENDAVAA

Ticketmaster has ‘bad blood’ with fans after failed presale

Charlotte Chapman

Entertainment Writer

Millions of Taylor Swift fans flocked to Ticketmaster in hopes of purchasing tickets to her upcoming “Eras” tour this past November, but most were left emptyhanded and frustrated.

Promoted as a journey through Swift’s entire career, the show will be her first tour since the 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour. At the announcement of Swift’s return to the stage, many fans began to anticipate the intense competition that ticket sales would bring.

The process of securing tickets included a “Verified Fan Presale.” This is a fairly common system that gives fans the chance to be selected for an opportunity to purchase tickets before they are released to the general public.

This presale, while claiming to be for “verified fans,” was actually open to anyone who simply has a Ticketmaster account. Anyone could sign up for a presale code, whether they were a fan

Due to the staggering number of users who signed up for presale,

NATKOWALEWSKA

Song of the Year

Album of the Year

many fans did not receive a code, with 2 million fans being left on a waitlist. To ensure these codes went to serious fans of Swift, the system should have included a screening process.

During Swift’s “Reputation” tour, fans were able to stream music, watch music videos, or buy albums to boost their spot in the presale queue. If fans were willing to spend more time and effort supporting Swift’s music, they would increase their chances of securing tickets.

A similar process could have been used again to ensure the presale codes went to real fans of Swift, as opposed to scalpers and bots. This would not only have benefitted Swift’s most dedicated supporters but also reduced the number of users on Ticketmaster’s website at the time of ticket sales.

The overwhelming number of users on Ticketmaster is what ultimately ruined the ticket-purchasing process. While in the presale queue, many fans were left in a line that wouldn’t move. The few supporters who were able to get to the ticket page couldn’t check out, often experiencing glitches before being kicked off the site.

The sheer number of users in the queue overburdened Ticketmaster. This issue could have been avoided with more preparation and organiza-

tion on Ticketmaster’s part.

Tickets for every date of the tour went on sale at the same time; however, if shows in different regions went on sale at different times, the number of users on the Ticketmaster site could have been greatly reduced.

Additionally, the queue to access the presale did not require the verification code to be entered upon arrival at the website. Instead, users could wait until reaching the front of the line to enter their presale code.

Many customers who didn’t receive presale codes still entered the queue, even though they would not be able to purchase tickets. This created an unexpected influx of users on their site, thus overwhelming their system.

To prevent this, Ticketmaster should have required users to enter a presale verification code prior to entering the queue.

At the end of this chaotic presale,

many fans were left discouraged, but some clung to the hope that the general public sale would provide them another opportunity to secure tickets.

This hope was quickly shattered when the general public sale was canceled due to a shortage of tickets left over after the presale.

While disappointing, this inefficient sale has led to one positive outcome: a cry for change in the ticket-purchasing process.

A judicial committee hearing regarding Ticketmaster is currently being held. This will hopefully shed light on the misconduct of Ticketmaster and break-up their monopoly within the ticket-selling industry.

At the very least, this scandal should provide motivation for artists to find alternative ticket sellers and for Ticketmaster to address and improve their flawed system.

Southwords’ picks for the 65th Annual Grammys

Caitlin Vengazo

Entertainment Editor

With the 65th Annual Grammy Awards coming up on Feb. 5, Southwords chooses the worthiest contenders in each major category.

Taylor Swift’s undeniable lyrical talent is taken to another level on her 10-minute version of “All Too Well.” This version further alludes to her alleged former relationship with Jake Gyllanhaal, adding new lyrics in the verses and bridge. It is more upbeat than the original release and delves deeper into the heartbreak of the lyrics. The track was an instant hit and broke the record for longest #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, formerly held by Don McLean’s “American Pie” (8 minutes and 42 seconds). Swift also wrote and directed an accompanying short film for the song, which is also nominated for a Grammy in the Best Music Video category. Swift currently boasts a collection of 11 Grammys and is nominated in four categories this year.

2022 seemed to be the year of Harry Styles, and his third studio album is an obvious choice for Album of the Year. “Harry’s House” debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in May, and all 13 tracks on the album charted in the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, with “As it Was” at the top of the list for 15 weeks in a row. The album features upbeat songs such as “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” and “Late Night Talking,” as well as tracks with deeper lyrics, including “Matilda” and “Little Freak.” Styles is currently on his second world tour, “Love on Tour,” which sold approximately 2.6 million tickets in total. Winning Album of the Year would be Styles’ second Grammy, adding to his award for Best Solo Pop Performance from two years ago.

Best New Artist Record of the Year

In a wonderful blend of R&B, pop, and alternative melodies, Steve Lacy’s vocals and funky lyrics on “Bad Habit” have captivated millions of listeners since its release in July. The catchy tune caught traction on Tik Tok, and the sped-up version quickly went viral over the summer across social media platforms. The record was 24-year-old Lacy’s first song to top the Billboard charts in October, and winning this category would be his first Grammy award. Even with many worthy contenders nominated for this category, including Harry Styles’s “As It Was” and Adele’s “Easy On Me,” Lacy deserves the award for his creativity and groovy melody on “Bad Habit.”

Latto has been pursuing her music career since 2016, when she won the first season of Lifetime’s “The Rap Game.” Her most popular track, “Big Energy,” was released in November of 2021 and is her highest-charting song thus far, hitting #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April. Latto has collaborated with many notable artists, including Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage, and Childish Gambino. Latto, DJ Khalid, and Mariah Carey released a remix of “Big Energy” which featuring Carey’s hit “Fantasy.” The mash-up reached #1 on the US iTunes chart and was popular over the summer. Latto looks to have a bright future in the music industry based on her rap background and popular hits, and winning this category would be her first Grammy.

Hawkettes strive to continue winning streak at Sectionals

Elizabeth Drakontaidis Sports Writer

The Hawkettes recently competed at Sectionals and placed first in the competition. After this win, the team’s next step is to compete at State and Nationals.

Last season, they placed in the top five for IHSA State and won a National Title.

“Coming off of winning last year, we have a reputation to uphold, and I think that’s what’s keeping us going is that drive and feeling of hard work that paid off,” junior captain Payton Cassidy said. “This team definitely has it in them and I’m excited to see our end product. ”

This season, to prepare for the upcoming competitions, the Hawkettes have been practicing five days a week, for 3-4 hours each day. Practicing allows the Hawkettes to perfect their routines so they can be at their best for competitions.

“We practice for a reason, and practice helps us get closer to our goals,” sophomore Brianna Giustino said.

The Hawkettes have put in lots of effort, but the next steps are focusing on the tiny details that can make a big difference at competitions.

“Focusing on the little details, in the end, is more important than

anything,” Giustino added.

“We have been nitpicking each routine and going down to each and every count to make sure everything looks clean,” sophomore Kasia Szul said.

The team is working hard this season to make sure that each time they perform, it is their best performance.

“Although sometimes practices can be hard, we always push through and improve in the end, helping us improve more for our competitions ahead,” Giustino said. “Practicing helps us get our nerves out and make sure we can hit everything before we go to our competitions.”

As the State and National competitions draw nearer, the Hawkettes are excited to compete against some of the most elite teams in not only Illinois, but the whole nation.

“It is hard to realize that it is almost over, but we really have been trying to do our best and push at these final moments to make it all worth it,” Szul said.

Because the end of the season is coming soon, the team is even more focused on their goals.

“We work really well as a team, so I am ready to give it my all one more time this season to make sure this team gets the recognition we’ve been working for,” Giustino said.

Cheerleading team gears up for state competition

Brianna Giustino Sports Writer

Astheir season winds down, the varsity cheerleaders aren’t losing any momentum.

The team competed at the Sectional competition at Buffalo Grove on Jan. 28. The team took fourth, qualifying them for the state tournament today, Feb. 3.

“This season has been like no other,” senior Madison Walker said. “One of our goals was making it to State, and we have been getting the highest scores Maine South has ever seen. I’m so excited for what State has to bring and for closing out my senior year like this.”

The team hit a milestone this season, by scoring a 91.65 at the Fremd invite. This is the highest competitive cheer score in Maine South history.

Cheer season is split into two parts: sideline and competition season.

During the sideline season, cheerleaders encourage the football team and crowd during games, while they perform routines and stunts.

The team then makes the transition into competition cheer

soon after football season ends.

During this transition, practices start getting more rigorous as the performances have more pressure, but the team environment is what keeps the cheerleaders going.

“At practice, the environment is very encouraging and motivating,” junior Maddie Parrino said. “We all try to cheer each other on to motivate and push one another as best we can. Keeping a strong work ethic in the practice environment is what helps us succeed.”

On Dec. 17, the varsity cheer team participated in their first competition, earning third out of 18 teams at the invite.

The girls knew what they had to do to succeed, and they look to maintain this focus as they compete in the state tournament.

“Our biggest goal this season was to make it to the second day at State,” Parrino said.

To attend the second day of State, the cheerleaders will need to place in the top ten.

At State, the team will compete against over 20 other high schools.

RISING TO NEW HEIGHTS Freshman Gianna Santella (left) and freshman Melanya Stefaniuk (right) were two of the team’s flyers at Conference, which was held at Glenbrook North on Feb. 12. At Conference, the team placed second.

SECTIONAL CHAMPS The Hawkettes placed first at Sectionals on Jan. 21. The next steps for this team are State, then Nationals in Orlando, Florida.

PHOTO BY LILY GIAMBARBEREE

PHOTO COURTESY SOFIA SCLAFANI

New practice techniques help boys’ swim team find success

Ava Kontuly Sports Writer

Theboys’ varsity swim team, led by Coach Donald Kura, is currently ranked fifth in the state and has won four out of the five invites they have participated in. This includes firstplace finishes at the Barrington Quad Meet, the Homewood Flossmoor Pentathlon, and the Maine South Hawk Relays.

Another accomplishment they attained was a third-place finish at the Rolling Meadows Mustang Jamboree. They also beat Prospect, Vernon Hills, and Evanston to secure a win in their recent dual meets.

One significant challenge the team has faced is keeping up with the demanding schedule.

“Our conference is always tough, but this year is probably the deepest I can remember in my time at Maine South,” Coach Donald Kura said.

Four teams in the conference are ranked top fifteen in the State. Maine South will also face tough match ups against Glenbrook South and Evanston, who have historically been ranked top 20 every year.

To continue finding success

during their tough winter season, the team has been enduring a very intensive practice schedule. They lift for an hour three days a week and have a two-hour swim practice every day, Monday through Saturday.

Coach Kura has implemented a new strategy focusing on highintensity race-pace training.

Boys’ hockey aims to defend Conference title; sends three athletes to All-Conference team

Sofia Rossi & Thomas Hurley Sports Writer & Sports Editor

Theboys’ hockey team is looking to expand on last year’s very successful season. After winning the conference championship last year, they plan to defend that title, but also win State.

The high energy and excitement from the fans allow the team to play at the next level.

“When we have students at the game the environment is much better,” senior forward Ryan Belz said.

He also believes that the team works well together because most teammates have been playing together for many years.

“We have practices twice a week which helps us get ready for our games,” Belz said.

Working well as a team, Maine Township also shows individual strength — three team members were

recently announced as part of the AllConference team.

“We are going to play a game against another All-Conference team sometime in March,” senior defense man Aidan Costigan said.

Joined by fellow senior hockey players Ryan Belz and Peter Koepke, Costigan is excited to be a part of this team.

“It feels great to represent Maine South alongside my friends,” Costigan said.

“Representing Maine South at this level is important to me because I have been playing with Maine Hockey since I was a freshman,” Belz said, Not only do they play for Maine South, they are playing for the entire school district.

“Even being from Maine South, I think it’s cool to play for the students of Maine West and East,” Costigan said “I have been playing with Peter and Ryan for as long as I can

“We also have reemphasized kicking as part of our training,” Coach Kura said. “At least two to three days per week, we are doing grueling kick sets.”

Despite being clearly effective, the practice schedule has proved difficult for students to keep up with.

“It’s challenging to balance the

amount of practice with school and sleep,” junior Dominic Mazurek said.

As they continue the season, the team is looking to qualify as many individuals and relays during the state preliminary meet as possible.

“Some goals for the team are to win Sectionals, and hopefully a top five finish at State,” Mazurek said.

remember, so I’m happy we can be a part of it together... We all train together to be the best.”

Despite athletes attending different schools, they have all managed to build a sense of community with

each other.

“I’ve known [Belz and Costigan] since I started playing hockey, and the sport has forged a strong bond...I’ve always had a goal to play for this team,” senior Peter Koepke said.

PHOTO BY JAKE SNYDER

MAKING A SPLASH Senior Joshua Torres-Jackson swims the backstroke in the home Dual Meet vs. GBS on Jan. 20. The Hawks went on to win at both the varsity and JV levels.

STICK ‘EM At their senior night game vs. Oak Park-River Forest on January 14, Maine Township and OPRF compete for the puck in a face-off. Maine Hockey team won Conference last year and intends to retain onto that title.

PHOTO BY LILY GIAMBAREREE

PHOTO BY CATHY TSERENDAVAA

Girls’ hockey looks to finish season strong

Maeve Strotman Sports Writer

With their league season drawing to a close, the Maine girls’ hockey team is looking to finish their season on a high note. The districtwide team, which is composed of players from each of the three Maine Township high schools, earned a place in the playoffs with a winning league record.

For the players, the experience playing Maine Hockey is quite different from the other sports at Maine South. Most notably, not all of the players attend the same school.

“It is great to get to know girls you do not see every day,” junior Livia Jolineau said.

Though playing for Maine hockey allows players to meet new people, playing on a club team does present unique challenges.

For one, the girls’ hockey program holds practices less frequently than IHSA programs directly funded by Maine South. Thus, much of the ice time afforded to the team has to be devoted to games.

Despite these scheduling issues, the team started off strong in the fall.

“The season started off really

well,” senior Morgan Beyer said. “We played good hockey, and we were only defeated by teams within the ranks of Loyola and such. We are the top team in the bottom tier.”

As the team played more games, they became more comfortable with each other on the ice.

“We absolutely have improved isince the beginning of the season,” Beyer said. “Our communication on the ice is continuing to improve every day.”

The improved communication on the ice culminated in a comeback win against Glenbrook North.

“We started to trust each other, which helped us play well,” Jolineau said. “This trust was displayed when our team played Glenbrook North. We were down 2-0 with 3 minutes left; when we got a breakaway and scored. Then, a minute later, we got another breakaway and tied it up. Everyone went crazy.”

The season also saw many players have individual success.

“My highlight of the season so far has been playing in an all-star game,” Beyer said. “It was ridiculously fun, and was an experience I’ll carry with me for many years to come.”

As the season draws to a close, the team’s attention has turned to their first playoff game. No matter their opponent, the team’s main objective will be to enjoy their time together on the ice.

Girls’ gymnastics overcomes key setbacks

Thomas Hurley Sports Editor

In a season filled with ups and downs, the girls’ gymnastics team has found ways to be successful, and build a strong chemistry in the process.

The varsity team’s primary triumph came at the Niles North Invite, where they took home first place. The JV team had similar success, winning meets at New Trier and Niles West.

In addition to impressive results throughout the season, the team has been able to maintain a consistently positive outlook.

“Being able to have fun at meets has led to our success this season,” junior Madelyn Rutherford shared.

Coach Heidi Bowbin has particularly appreciated the team’s positivity through the season.

“Through it all, we have stayed positive, motivated, and supported

one another in and out of the gym,” Ms. Bowbin said.

“No matter what happens—if we are having a bad day; attitudes are down—we always find a way to bring each other up and end with a good meet,” junior Eleni Gritsonis said.

Gritsonis suffered a devastating leg injury 14 months ago, but her commitment to the recovery process has allowed her to make a return this season.

At the Jan. 12 meet vs. Evanston, she competed for the first time since the injury, performing a routine on the balance beam. Her team considers her recovery a highlight of the season.

“It was very exciting and emotional for everyone, as she has been working so hard to come back in some capacity,” Bowbin said. “We are all so truly proud of her and excited for her all at the same time.”

Not only did Gritsonis finally get a chance to compete, she placed first

in her competition.

“Overcoming an injury as a gymnast is very difficult due to the extreme stress the sport puts on your body,” Rutherford said. “She worked so hard to be able to compete again. Her determination is admirable.”

Freshman Katie Saviski has also played a key role on the team this season.

“She is on the varsity team as a freshman,” Coach Bowbin said. “[Saviski is] an extremely beneficial addition to our varsity lineup.”

Saviski is not the only young member of the varsity squad, however. Many of the gymnasts are juniors who will be able to build on experience from this year.

“Being a young varsity team gives us a great head start on the next season,” Rutherford said.

Heading into their Regional match on Jan. 30 (results not available at press time), the team was confident

“Our main goal is and always will be to have fun,” Beyer said. “It’s super important that you’re enjoying the sport you’re playing. If you aren’t having fun, you aren’t really playing the game.” in their skills.

“We are getting better at perfecting our routines and getting harder skills,” Gritsonis said.

Mental fortitude has also been important for the gymnasts.

“In gymnastics you need both strong physical strength and mental strength,” Rutherford said. “Being able to get up after a fall and compete in the next event in the midst of holding back tears is definitely not an easy task.”

As the season draws to a close, the team will have to time to reflect on the year as a whole. For the gymnasts returning next winter, they will look to emulate the strong team bond forged during this season.

“The girls work together and truly want to see each and every teammate succeed,” Bowbin said. “They truly want the best for each other, and when one falls, everyone is there to pick them up.”

BREAKAWAY Freshman Sadie Ruman skates with the puck in the attacking zone against Warren Township High School on Jan. 25. Maine won the game 8-1.

PHOTO BY CATHY TSERENDAVAA

What does it take to be on the Southwords staff?

The back page of this newspaper is the application for the 20232024 Southwords staff. Please look below for a job description for each position on staff.

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

It is necessary for editors to have strong proofreading and collaboration skills. Editors must always be approachable and never condescending. Editors will develop proficiency with the Adobe software suite. As part of the Southwords editorial board, editors will come to a consensus on a topic in one well-written opinion piece that represents the newspaper’s view as a whole.

Editors must be enrolled in Newspaper Practicum for the entire year, because this is where the paper is created. Other staff members are NOT enrolled in this class.

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

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

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

Editor-in-chief

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

InDesign and Photoshop.

This position is also responsible for writing “Property of the Editors,” a column in Commentary section. The editor-in-chief is also responsible for designing the cover page, so they must be familiar with the published content in all sections of the paper.

The editor-in-chief must be in attendance at all extra paste-up hours and offer assistance in any way possible.

News

The News section covers developing stories about timely issues that directly affect students, both inside and outside the school.

News writers need to be informed about school and national issues. Additionally, they must be able to develop interview questions and be comfortable interviewing people. Editors must also be able to write objectively and with finesse, as well as fact-check articles.

News editors must be organized and demonstrate flexibility, as news frequently occurs right before publication.

Features

The Features section contains the widest variety of articles. Features focuses on issues of student interest, both inside and outside of school. Features articles are usually longer in nature, and delve more deeply into topics than news articles would. Furthermore, these articles are less reliant on timeliness and instead focus on relevance and interest.

Features writers must be inventive; finding an interesting topic to report about can sometimes be challenging, as the most interesting topics are often ones that have not been previously covered.

Features editors must be wellrounded and able to create interesting angles for stories. Fact-checking is necessary, but the most emphasis is placed on relevance.

Entertainment

The Entertainment section contains reviews and articles related to art, music, video games, literature,

restaurants, and anything else that might be considered entertainment.

Entertainment writers must be well-informed of the school’s fine art events. Unique to the entertainment section, writers specializing in a specific genre (music, TV, etc.) are welcome.

Entertainment editors need to be knowledgeable about popular events and recreational activities (including restaurants, concerts, festivals, etc.) and open to writing and reading about different topics.

Commentary

The Commentary section is the voice of the students at Maine South.

Commentary writers need to be creative and opinionated. They must be able to present an issue about which they are passionate, avoiding ranting and remaining professional.

Commentary editors must be extremely thoughtful, because editing opinions can be problematic. Editors must also be open-minded, because a wide variety of opinions will always exist in their section.

Sports

The Sports section covers all sports at Maine South.

Sports writers need to be aware of all sports at Maine South. Sports writers should be creative in their reporting on events. Accurate reporting is crucial.

Sports editors are responsible for making sure that each sport is covered once during its season.

Sports editors must be aware of varsity sports news, as well as other sports included at school. A deep knowledge of sports—both within the school and outside of the school—is a necessary component of being an editor for the Sports section.

Production

To help with the technical aspects of putting together a newspaper, a production editor must be wellversed in the operation of PC computers, a Windows operating system, as well as InDesign and Photoshop. Most importantly, production editors must be willing to learn to use these programs more proficiently

and offer help whenever necessary. The production editors should attend every paste-up—when the final components of the paper are added together—to provide the editors with technical assistance.

Graphic Designers

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

Artists/Cartoonists

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

Photographers

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

Photographers must also have flexible schedules, since they may have to attend events that take place outside school. Owning a digital camera is preferred but not required.

If you or anyone you know is interested in joining Southwords, visit http://apply.southwords.org

Then, if you are a new staff member or would like to be an editor, sign up for an interview at tinyurl.com/SouthwordsSignUp by Monday, February 6.

Interviews begin Monday, February. 6 in the Southwords office, C28 (around the corner from the bookstore in the cafeteria).

ALL STAFF MUST SUBMIT AN APPLICATION Application

PLEASE NOTE: See the reverse side of this sheet for job descriptions, and feel free to contact Mr. Stathakis or any current editors with any questions.

ONLINE: APPLICATION

Staff positions:

Please visit http://apply.southwords.org or scan the QR code to the right. Your application will not be processed until you have also signed up for an interview at https://tinyurl.com/SouthwordsSignUp.

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

Open to current and prospective staff members. Use this worksheet to rank your interest in the following positions:

_____News writer

_____Features writer

_____Entertainment writer

_____Commentary writer

_____Sports writer

_____Photographer*

_____Artist/Cartoonist*

_____Graphic Design team*

*Please bring portfolio/samples to interview

Editorial positions:

Open to current and prospective staff members. ALL editors must take Newspaper Practicum (likely 6th period), which will earn you an elective English credit.

_____News editor

_____Features editor _____Entertainment editor _____Commentary editor

_____Sports editor _____Production/Design editor

_____Editor-in-Chief*

*For returning staff members only. All Editorin-Chief candidates must contact Mr. Stathakis.

CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER: SOUTHWORDS EDITION!

If you have any questions, please see Mr. Stathakis in C28 (the Southwords office).

TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION, YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR AN INTERVIEW at https://tinyurl.com/SouthwordsSignUp by MON., FEB. 6