Vol. 60, Issue 6

PHOTO

NATALIE COLLETTI

Illinois considers having students take ACT

Bartosz Dabkowski News Writer

Maine South juniors might be required to take the ACT starting next year. The state of Illinois is currently in the process of awarding a contract to either ACT Inc. or the College Board, which administers the SAT.

“As required by state procurement law, ISBE issued a competitive procurement for the future administration of a high school accountability assessment beginning in the 202425 school year,” State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders said in a press release.

If ACT Inc. wins the contract, the ACT would replace the SAT as the required college entrance exam to earn a high school diploma. The SAT has been a requirement to graduate from Illinois schools since 2016. The College Board’s current contract to administer the SAT expires June 30, 2024.

Both tests could still be taken by students, regardless of which organization wins, but the exam cost of the test that wasn’t chosen would not be covered by the state and the student would need to find a testing location outside of school.

Although the SAT and ACT are both accepted by most colleges in the U.S., they are both structured and taken differently.

Both the ACT and SAT test your skills in reading, writing and math. However, the ACT also has an optional essay and a science section. Additionally, the scoring is different for each test, with the ACT being out of 36 and the SAT out of 1600.

This possible switch to the ACT for the Illinois state test comes as the SAT, PSAT, and other College Board exams transition to being administered in a digital format. The ACT can still be taken traditionally on paper, something that some Maine South students prefer.

“I took my first ACT in December because I prefer paper-pencil tests,” junior Elizabeth Bordini said. “Now that the SAT is all digital, that is no longer an option. I prefer the paper tests because it is easier to keep track of my work and annotate passages when necessary.”

Go-Green cleanup event returns

Samara Lefler News Editor

The semi-annual Forest and Woodland Clean-Up hosted by Go-Green Park Ridge is happening for the fourth year this spring. The event invites the community to meet up and clean the forest preserve, either as part of a group or as individuals.

“It’s a nice opportunity to get out in the forest preserve, kind of experience it in a way you normally don’t because you are exploring different parts of it and doing good while you’re at it by picking up any garbage that has been left behind,” Go-Green Park Ridge President Mr. Mark Kleinschmit said.

Many people and groups have participated in the past years.

“It varies, but we’ve had upwards of 200 people on some of the events,” Mr. Kleinschmit said. “We do reach out across a bunch of organizations: church groups, Cub Scouts, Wilderness Princesses, and high school clubs.”

In addition to these organizations, many community members participate on their own.

“The cleanups are always very chill,” senior Elliott Natura said.

CLEANUP CREW

Dozens of trash bags were filled by community members at the Forest and Woodland Clean-Up in April of 2023. The event occurs in the spring and fall. The event will occur on April 27 from 1-3 p.m. in the forest preserve across from Maine South. To participate, email Go-Green Park Ridge Committee Chair & Event Coordinator Mr. Andrew Dordek at adordek@icloud.com.

“Sometimes you’ll run into a big volunteer group, but often it’s just families and friends getting out there. If you focus on what you’re doing, you can usually pick up twothree bags of trash in a couple hours just on your own.”

English Honor Society created

Alanna Gu News Writer

The English Honor Society made its official debut earlier this year, offering students the opportunity to express their passion for literature through philanthropy.

Maine South has honor societies catering to various interests, from science and business to world languages. The absence of an English Honors Society caught the attention of sophomore Katie Johnston.

“It’s a core subject, it’s the only subject at Maine South you have to do all four years, and we didn’t have an honor society,” Johnston said.

Johnston collaborated with English Department Chair Ms. Julianna Cucci and English Teachers Ms. Johanna Abend and Ms. Laura Kirshner to create an organization for students to connect over their shared enthusiasm for English while giving back to the community.

“The biggest memorable moment is just seeing the resolve that

Katie has had to get this started,” Ms. Abend said. “The other thing is just being really happy at how many students applied and were interested in something like this.”

To join the society, applicants filled out a form that shared their previous English grades and submitted samples of their past work.

Since its inception, the English Honors Society has had two meetings, where they discussed logistics, elected officers through a voting process, and brainstormed for future activities.

“The plan is to reach out and provide outside support to spread literacy throughout different, perhaps underprivileged, areas or even just elementary areas,” Ms. Abend said.

The society has ambitious goals to organize book drives, hold fundraisers, volunteer at local book banks, and get involved with literacy programs.

Additionally, there have been discussions to partner with The BASE Chicago, an organization that sup-

ports underprivileged individuals on the West side of Chicago, to promote English education.

The English Honor Society fosters camaraderie through shared academic interests and community engagement, which allows students to feel accomplished.

“[The society] benefits me by making me able to learn more about what I can do within the English community,” junior Larissa Kurtovic, a member of the English Honor Society, said.

While other honor societies are reserved for upperclassmen, the English Honor Society welcomes sophomores, allowing students to get involved earlier in their high school journey.

The organization aims to achieve national recognition next year, extending its reach to make a wider impact.

“I think [the society] will provide [students] an opportunity to make a difference in a way that Maine South has never seen before,” Johnston said.

PHOTO COURTESY MARK KLEINSCHMIT

Potential ban could leave TikTok out of time

Charlotte Chapman News Editor

Recent legislative efforts from the House of Representatives have threatened the presence of the popular social media app, TikTok. On March 13, the House voted on a bill that aims to force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell TikTok to a United States-based company. If they refuse to do so within six months, then the app would lose access to U.S. consumers.

Despite the overwhelming majority of representatives who voted in favor of the bill, many students are skeptical about the ban actually becoming a reality.

“I don’t think TikTok is actually going to get banned,” junior Abigail Kladis said. “They’ve been saying it will be banned every single year, and it’s never happened.”

Since TikTok’s initial launch in 2016, it has gained massive popularity, especially among younger generations. Many students have integrated TikTok into their daily routines.

“I use TikTok every day,” junior Makayla Waters said. “Usually just after track practice at night before I

do my homework.”

If banned, many students would be left with additional free time, which they once spent scrolling through their “For You Page” (FYP).

“It’s so easy to just open the app and scroll—it’s so addicting,” sophomore David Jimenez said. “I open the app maybe 10 or 20 times a day.”

 FANS OF THE “FYP”

Banning TikTok would have a significantly negative impact on Gen Z and society as a whole.

See page 5

On top of watching the algorithm-based “FYP,” which collects videos based on user interests, many also follow specific content creators on TikTok. Compared to other platforms, TikTok offers a more authentic glimpse into the lives of these creators.

“[On TikTok] I’ve found a lot of nice people to follow, like influencers, because it’s easier for people to be real about their everyday life,” Waters said. “I’ve found a lot of influencers that seem genuine.”

Despite TikTok’s current advantage of authenticity, many students

plan on turning to Instagram if the ban took place.

“I think everyone would just move to another platform and I’d probably follow too,” Kladis said. “I think I’d go to Instagram.”

Even with TikTok’s greater popularity, some would not mind the shift to Instagram.

“I have my phases where I prefer Instagram to TikTok,” Jimenez said. “Instagram was before TikTok, and a lot of people still use it.”

On top of its large user-base, Instagram’s “Reels” feature provides a similar experience to TikTok, allowing users to post short videos with added sounds and filters. This part of the app would make it a near substitute for TikTok in the event of a ban.

“I would go on Instagram Reels,” Waters said. “I already do go on Reels a bit. It’s good, just not as good as TikTok.”

While there are still many factors that will determine if the ban is enforced, many students have already come to terms with the removal of TikTok from their everyday lives.

“I think if TikTok was banned I would be upset at first, but I’d move

on pretty quickly,” Kladis said.

“I used to post a lot but I don’t anymore,” Jiminez said. “It’s so addicting and I don’t need it, so I think I would be fine.”

Others believe it would even lead to an improvement in their quality of life.

“I kind of hope TikTok gets banned because I honestly spend too much time on it,” Waters said.

Updated hall policy attempts to curb vandalism

Samara Lefler News Editor

Withthe start of fourth quarter, Maine South has implemented a new system for hall passes. Every classroom has been provided one colored lanyard pass, and students walking in the hallways during class periods are required to have this pass.

“The largest change is that students will be provided a hall pass anytime they need to leave the classroom,”

Associate Principal of Student Experiences Mr. Michael Edwards said. “Additionally, we are asking students to help us by waiting 10 minutes into the period to ensure the halls are clear before teachers release you to bathrooms, study areas, or any other places outside of the classroom.”

While these are school-wide

changes, they will not greatly affect students during their free periods.

“If you have a free period, you can’t be in the A-wing or the Bwing or CTE, but you can be in the cafeteria, the library, and the commons without a pass,” Associate Principal for Human Resources and Instructional Operations Dr. Iris Smith said.

This policy idea began in the staff council, an advisory board with a member from each department.

“A group of teachers representing every department felt like we needed to try some new interventions, and worked with admin to develop this policy to close out the year, given how bad vandalism has been,” Mr. Edwards said.

The system aims to reduce both the number of students in the hallways during class periods and the amount of vandalism occurring.

“This [policy] helps to lessen the

number of students in the hallways, but also supports security and staff in clearing bathrooms and managing the vandalism that has been occurring,” Mr. Edwards said.

Since the policy has been implemented, some have found issues with the changes.

“I understand the idea behind [the policy] and it’s good that the school is trying to get the bathrooms under control,” junior Naomi Nishi said. “However, I think the policy is

 YOU SHALL NOT PASS

The Southwords editorial board weighs in on the latest Maine South policy change: hall passes.

See page 4

hurting innocent people a lot more than those causing the issues.”

Many students are struggling to believe that the updates will eliminate the vandalism issues.

“I think that the new policy might cut down on people skipping class or vandalizing school property, but not completely get rid of it,”

sophomore Brooke Henning said.

However, teachers and administrators have been more optimistic.

“I think the policy is a step in the right direction,” science teacher Mr. Dave Fermanich said. “At any given moment, there are too many students in the hall. This will at least help identify where students are coming from or should be.”

For the implementation of these changes to be successful, there will need to be a cohesive, school-wide engagement.

“It’s an all-in thing like we’ve already done with the phone pouches,” Dr. Smith said. “It’s an all-in effort by staff, by students, by everybody; we’re all going to participate and use the phone pouch. With the hall pass, it’s the same mentality to get everybody on board.”

The hall pass policy will continue next school year with any needed changes after the fourth quarter trial.

“I think as the year finishes, and if we begin the new school year with this policy, it will become more of the norm,” Mr. Fermanich said.

ILLUSTRATION BY ROHAN CHAM

ONE AT A TIME, KID...

STAFF EDITORIAL

There are nine student bathrooms scattered through the halls of Maine South, serving roughly 2,500 students. In the wake of a spate of vandalism, the school has created new hall policies which have drastically increased the limitations on student restroom use. With color-coordinated lanyards in every classroom, students now have less freedom and less bodily autonomy.

Vandalism at Maine South is nothing new; however, the degree to which it is occurring has changed. No longer is the school only faced with the occasional message on stall doors, but now more significant damage is done to the property itself. This has led the school to go from the simple hall passes to limiting the bathroom passes to one per class and making it visible whether a student has traveled beyond the general wing they came from.

This new policy also restricts the use of restrooms within the first 10 minutes so that a “hall sweep” can occur during this time. Unfortunately, this leaves students no option but to leave class during the “meat” of class, not just attendance and introduction time.

While vandalism is seemingly the most pressing cause of these new policies, it isn’t the only thing targeted

by the change. Students have begun to congregate in the bathrooms to either “hang out” or pass around vapes in the accessible stall. This not only increases the wait time and causes students to lose class time, but it also leads many to wander around the school during each period to find an open restroom, adding more time that they're away from class.

With the flexibility of the previous policy, students had the ability to wander around the school with no intention of using the bathroom, but just to socialize or escape their class. Needing a quick break during an 80-minute class period is understandable; however, extending that to upwards of 20 minutes at a time is excessive and negatively impacts ones learning.

The more restrictive policy may be targeting some of this negative behavior and limiting it; however, by taking a less direct approach to a solution, it is affecting every other student as well. Having only one pass may limit the amount of traffic in the bathrooms, but it does not stop students from abusing their time away from class, meeting students from other classes, and preventing others from using the bathroom.

To truly address these issues without limiting every student, targeted

measures would be more effective. Instead of focusing on multiple students within one class using the restrooms simultaneously, supervising the halls and bathrooms, is necessary.

With additional security guards, or available teachers, stationed near every bathroom during every period, it would be easy for them to hear any aggressive behavior within the restrooms and would work to prevent social activities. This may also help to limit the traffic in the bathrooms, allowing students to return to class more efficiently.

Monitoring the bathroom areas not only helps with the physical acts occurring but also eliminates the need for an unsanitary reusable pass. Monitoring the bathrooms removes any need for wing-associated passes.

Individualized passes distributed by the teachers are just as effective to indicate a student using the restroom and can be a more sanitary, disposable option.

Restricting the bathroom privileges of every student, despite the good intentions, does more harm than good to those who do not abuse their privileges. Honing in more directly on the issues, rather than limiting access, will more successfully prevent negative behavior, while keeping innocent students out of the line of fire.

TikTok is a vital part of modern-day society

On Wednesday, March 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to ban the popular social media app TikTok by a vote of 352-65.

According to NPR, the bipartisan bill enforced that either TikTok would need to be sold to the United States from their current Chinese owners, or the app would be banned in the US.

Despite the ongoing concerns about safety and security in the U.S. since the beginning of the pandemic, there is still no concrete information and evidence that supports the House’s argument that TikTok users’ information is being stolen.

However, even if this bill were to go through the Senate and ultimately be enacted into law, taking it away would cause additional issues, as TikTok and other social media platforms are a vital part of many people’s lives, especially for Generation Z.

For example, I spend multiple hours on TikTok every week simply because of the diverse videos on my “For You” page.

The algorithm could fluctuate between a video of someone doing a TikTok dance to information about the latest news on the Israeli-Hamas War.

The broad assortment of these videos provides an informative, yet fun, experience on TikTok because some videos could be strictly for entertainment, while others also use the platform to advocate and speak out for important issues.

With fewer people watching the daily news these days due to changes in news consumption habits, declining trust of the media, and high levels of news fatigue, according to a Pew Research Center analysis, apps and sources like TikTok provide an easily accessible way to get important news and be educated without intentionally looking for information.

Many influencers and small shop owners make a large portion of their money from TikTok, thus risking the shutdown of many businesses if TikTok were to be banned.

Furthermore, the TikTok ban would result in a social media exodus to other platforms, such as YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or even Snapchat Spotlight. However, the diversity of content would not be the same.

On all of these platforms, the algorithm is based on your interests and past videos that you have “liked.”

“With the multitude of other issues going on in the country at the moment, TikTok is not the biggest problem.”

For example, on Instagram, if you watch and “like” multiple cooking videos, your feed and Instagram Reels page will be filled with food content, yet on TikTok, it would be intertwined with food and other random videos to broaden your interests and your attention span on different topics.

platform, making money on Instagram is much harder than on TikTok through the Creator Fund.

Through the Creator Fund, you simply need to have 10,000+ followers and a consistent viewing audience to be accepted and begin making money, while on Instagram, brand deals are required, involving contracts, posts, and stories, while also typically needing a higher following than on TikTok.

With Tiktok’s Creator Fund, creators can make money on posts promoting products, but can also make money by having a video go viral if they use a popular filter.

The Creator Fund ultimately allows for more transparency and easy accessibility when it comes to making money.

If the Senate decides to enact this bill, it will cause many problems with how social media functions, as TikTok has many benefits compared to other social media platforms, such as Facebook and X, which have their own recent problems with identity and information theft.

Additionally, TikTok has a new feature called “TikTok Shop” in which people can purchase items for low costs, supporting small and growing businesses.

This TikTok algorithm also allows audiences to be exposed to multiple forms of entertainment.

Even though social media is a great way to make money regardless of the

With the multitude of other issues going on in the country at the moment, TikTok is not the biggest problem and ultimately deserves a place to stay in our society.

The new and harmful priorities in high school sports

For as long as organized civilization has existed, so have sports. From the beginnings of wrestling in Ancient Egypt to the start of the Olympic games in Ancient Greece, sports have always been an integral part of human culture.

Yet, while the appreciation for sports has been continuous, the culture of those sports is changing more now than ever.

Playing a sport in a competitive environment is no longer something someone can do simply because they enjoy the game.

For many athletes, parents, and coaches, the goal is a college scholarship. This desire for collegiate sports has overtaken all other aspects of the game.

It’s safe to say that my sport takes up a lot of my time, and ever since I started high school, much of that time has been taken up by deciding where my future with softball lies.

Since the beginning of my high school career, I have noticed more and more athletes focusing on getting the attention of college coaches from across the country.

Whether it be sending email after email to coaches or posting highlight reels on social media hoping that you go viral, kids are doing anything to get recruited. This constant pressure to perform is beginning to make playing seem like a chore.

When our parents were kids, competitive travel sports were not ubiquitous. They had little league and that was pretty much it.

Now, kids have no shortage of club teams that are more than willing to charge thousands of dollars so that young athletes can play at a high level.

Many teen athletes spend their

I have been playing travel softball for many years, and I am a member of the varsity team here at Maine South.

entire year at game after game—constantly exhausting themselves in order to keep playing.

As a society, we have become so obsessed with this idea of being the best and playing at the highest level possible that we are willing to sacrifice other important things like our academics.

Having to choose between going to a school because they have a great program for what I want to major in and going to a school to play softball is proving to be one of the toughest things for me to figure out.

I thoroughly enjoy playing my sport, and I would love to continue playing in college—but not if it means

sacrificing my academics. Unfortunately, not all teen athletes think this way.

I am not saying that athletes shouldn’t strive to continue playing their sport at a collegiate level; however, that should not be the only reason they play.

When we were younger, playing sports was about making new friends and getting better. There was no crazed competitiveness or talk of college.

If we as a society continue to push the narrative that playing college sports is the only way to prove your worth, then there might not be any athletes left to play them.

Jacob Mascort

Emery Yates

ILLUSTRATION BY ANASTASIA MUSYAKEVICH

Equal opportunity locked away in girls’ locker room

traverse the locker room with heavy equipment, and damp environments are more susceptible to mold.

Eliza Goldwasser Commentary Editor

With the increased attention devoted to the NCAA Women’s March Madness Tournament, there has been surge in viewership and investment in women’s sports. This phenomenon has extended to the high school level, with increased attendance at Maine South girls’ games.

However, while there is more attention being paid to girls’ sports, the place female athletes spend a lot of time, the locker room, has not received the same level of support.

The girls’ locker room is a source of much grievance and flat out disgust to the nearly half of Maine South’s population who have to use it. There exist numerous problems within the girls’ locker room—some of which having to do with sanitation and safety.

On an average day, you will find buckets filled with murky water that is dripping from the ceiling. Sometimes, there will simply be puddles on the floor, often in high-traffic areas.

This could be hazardous in a multitude of ways; the water makes the floors slippery, which is dangerous for female athletes who are trying to

Furthermore, perhaps because of dry drain traps under the floors, there is often a sewage smell present in the locker room. Students frequently note how unpleasant it is to spend time in the locker room when it smells like rotten eggs.

In addition to these problems, the facilities provided for female athletes do not meet student needs. Sports like softball utilize lots of bulky equipment, and the lockers in the girls’ locker room are simply not big enough to store the equipment.

One student I spoke to said that her face mask was damaged because she could not easily fit all of her softball gear in her locker.

While these issues are irritating in and of themselves, the most frustrating part of this situation is that these problems are not reported as issues in the boys’ locker room.

Southwords editors measured the locker rooms (excluding bathrooms, showers, and hallways), and we found that the boys’ locker room is approximately 1,500 sq. ft. larger than the girls’ locker room.

Moreover, the largest athletic lockers in the boys’ locker room are 70” by 17” by 13”, while the largest lockers in the girls’ locker room are 57” by 15” by 13”. However, the majority of the athletic lockers in the girls’ locker

MEASURING UP Not only is there less square footage in the girls’ locker room, but the lockers themselves are also significantly smaller. The left locker is the largest girls' locker, available and the right locker is the largest boys’ locker. There is a difference in height of 13” between the two lockers.

room are actually 35” by 15” by 13”.

There are four sports at Maine South that during the 2023-2024 school year had no male counterpart: cheerleading, badminton, gymnastics, and Hawkettes. Despite this, the boys’ locker room has more space and better locker accommodations.

There have been many efforts to uplift and promote girls’ sports, yet, we are not providing female athletes with a comfortable and sanitary environment to prepare for their practices and games. Are we truly supporting girls’ sports if we are not investing in adequate and equivalent facilities for female athletes?

There exist numerous possibilities for improving the conditions in the girls’ locker room. For example, there could be a committee created within the Hawk Athletic Boosters organization that is dedicated to updating the girls’ locker room.

We could conduct a survey of female students at Maine South to determine which aspects of the girls’ locker room are the most harmful, and therefore which ones need the most immediate attention.

This would help get the broader Maine South community involved in the effort to better the facilities we

provide our female athletes.

The girls who play sports at our school deserve a space where they can safely prepare themselves and store their equipment. In our commitment to advancing girls’ sports, we must consider all aspects of the female athlete’s experience and work to make them all the best they can be.

Learning how to let go of worries and enjoy high school

Elizabeth Handley Editor-in-Chief

Aswe enter the final stretch of the school year, I find myself losing sight of what’s around me as time flies by. As a senior, it feels as though everyone is constantly running countdowns for event after event, but my goal for right now is to soak in every present moment.

Peers in my class consistently finding something new for us to look forward to often made me feel like I was running out of time.

Whether it was tracking the days to senior Six Flags, tailgate, breakfast, prom, and eventually graduation, I truly felt as though time was slipping

through my fingers.

This would often give me a sense of dread that I was wasting the precious time I had left living in my childhood home with my hometown friends.

Ironically, these same fears were actually what was holding me back from making the most out of the moments I had left and were the reason I was wasting time.

Learning to let go of anxiety regarding my future and things out of my control starts with grasping every good moment and person in my life currently.

This starts with the seemingly only consistent thing in my life right now: my friends and family.

One thing that I have cherished the most the past few weeks and throughout my entire high school career is quality time with my loved

ones. However, I wasn’t always able to find time to see them as much as I would’ve liked to, or I found myself too stressed to truly enjoy the moment.

One of the hardest things I have had to decide during my time at school was choosing to quit the water polo team. The sport was no longer something I enjoyed participating in and rather turned into something I dreaded.

I came to the realization midway through my season that it was not worth my stress, especially in my final months of the year. While I was initially saddened by this choice, I realized in the end how much free time it provided me and how much happier I was.

Now that I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel for this semester, my priority is to spend my last month

in high school with my friends as much as possible.

Whether it’s going to the library, out to eat, shopping, on quick coffee runs, or anything in between, these simple hang outs are what allow me to slow down and realize how lucky I am to surround myself with such good people.

In your years of high school, you will find yourself surrounded by upcoming assignments, tests, deadlines, and more. My advice would be to take each of these worries one step at a time and find more time for yourself.

Whether that time means being with others or by yourself doing something that is personal to you, disconnecting yourself from elements out of your control and reminding yourself of what you actually can take charge of is important.

Courses, curricula, calendars

How Maine South’s education has changed in recent decades

Emma Militaru Features Writer

Many things have affected how teaching styles have changed over the decades. Technology and the world have evolved since current teachers were in school.

One topic that is heavily debated is the difficulty of school and whether it is harder for current students or for those in previous generations.

However, there are many factors to be considered when assessing the difficulty level of one’s education compared to people such as parents or even teachers.

Math teacher Ms. Julia Heyden has been teaching for 30 years. Throughout her time here, the math department has undergone many changes.

“Until 2019-2020, math grades were based on the district standard 100 point system (90-80-7060), and F’s figured into the grade point average,” Ms. Heyden said. “Roughly around 2015, retakes were instituted, the “40%” rule came into play, and F’s, although resulting in no credit for the class, did not impact the GPA. In 2019, the math program was redesigned—instruction, a new curriculum, and a new grading system.”

Although the math curriculum is graded currently by the standard-based grading system, numerous other grading systems have gone through Maine South.

“The grading system has gone through six versions, starting with competency-based grading, and is currently mostly a standard-based grading structure,” Ms. Heyden said.

The amount of homework assigned stayed the same, but the percentage of students doing it decreased.

“In 2019, when the math program was redesigned, homework was no longer counted as part

of the grade,” Ms. Heyden said. “Regardless of how much is assigned, since then, less homework has been completed.”

Although the question of difficulty still looms, there are many aspects to consider when it comes to AP classes since they are considered the most challenging.

“Content-wise, the AP classes have little to no flexibility and have not changed in difficulty,” Ms. Heyden said. “However, the amount of class time decreased substantially when AP classes went from being a period and a half every day (roughly 70 minutes per day) to an 80-minute block every other day, making learning the same content more difficult to do.”

English teacher and Eyrie adviser, Dr. Richard Jones has been teaching for 33 years. He taught at Naperville North, Maine West, and, of course, Maine South. As an English teacher with years of experience, he has faced many changes in a variety of different districts.

Over the years, the English department has seen a significant increase in the number of APs offered.

“There are many many, more AP classes now than when I first started teaching,” Dr. Jones said. “When I first started teaching, there wasn’t even an AP English class for juniors, only a senior AP class was available. This was expanded to include AP Language.”

Just like the math department, the English department also experienced a change in its grading system.

“When I first started teaching in the early ‘90s that’s when we started to move to rubrics and have writing be less about the content and the mechanics and more about argument, flow, and organization,” Dr. Jones said. “This is similar to what we have now, but in most English classes, teachers have adopted the standard-based grading scale, but you are graded on different components of your writing.”

Chemistry teacher, Ms. Christina Sayre has been teaching for 30 years.

She has had lots of experience with different teaching methods and has dealt with many changes here at Maine South.

“I think the accessibility [of classes] are the same but in different ways,” Ms. Sayre said. “Back in the day, you could only qualify for the higher courses depending on your math, while now, some of those math restrictions are gone. However, with how the math program is set up, some students aren’t allowed to get into qualifying math classes because they don’t have enough math to get to that point.”

Maine South as a whole has seen many changes in its schedule, how each class was structured, and how long each class was.

“When I first started we had something called ‘flaps,’” Ms. Sayre said. “We would meet for 70 minutes every day. Some students had something called a flap where they stayed before school 20 minutes or stayed later 20 minutes. After that, we had the nineperiod day. This allowed for more classes to be taken for students. Next was hybrid which was three days of the week and would be a regular eight-day period while the last two would be block schedules. This allowed you to see your teachers four times a week. Lastly, was our block schedule which we have now.”

Besides the changes directly in the school curriculum, over the past few decades, social media has rapidly advanced, and now many students use social media daily, impacting learning in ways many don’t realize.

“I don’t think school was any easier or harder,” Dr. Jones said. “I think culture is harder on kids. I think social media has done horrible things to young people’s psychology. I think it has created anxiety and weariness for many kids. Our lives are amplified by social media and pre-social media; this didn’t happen.”

The power of the Pistols

Ava Jurek Features Editor

Many high school sports teams are successful due to their close-knit relationships that are formed through frequent team bonding such as pasta parties. However, the Maine South Varsity Girls Softball team’s immense success is likely because the starting nine seniors on the 2024 Varsity Maine South Girls Softball have bonded more than any high school team—over the course of 10 years beginning when they joined the Park Ridge Pistols team. Each teammate of the Park Ridge Pistols team has a unique story of why they chose softball and when their journey began.

Captain of the Varsity Maine South softball team Jessica Hoffman has been playing softball for the last 13 years, starting when she was just five years old, and has been on the Pistols team for the past nine years.

“I started playing softball because both of my older sisters played the sport before me,” Hoffman said. “They enjoyed it a lot and were very successful.”

Ashley Gricius also began playing softball when she was five, starting with tee-ball, and then joined the Park Ridge Pistols at 11—playing for seven seasons.

“My mom played softball her whole life and wanted my sister and me to follow in her steps. She helped coach my sister and me, and we both loved it,” Gricius said.

Maeve Lawlor has been playing softball for over 10 years.

“I started playing [softball] when I moved to

IN IT TO WIN IT

Park Ridge and joined the house league teams,” Lawlor said. “My sister and I decided to try out for the Park Ridge Pistols because the head coach reached out to my dad asking us to try out. I have been on the Pistols team for six seasons.”

Although each teammate has different beginnings, since playing together, they have had a widely successful travel softball career.

“We, as a team, have collectively won 21 championships, well over 380 wins, and competed in top-level tournaments, winning the Space Coast World Series in Florida in 2022, winning NAFA Midwest nationals twice, and making it far in other competitive tournaments,” Lawlor said.

However, their success isn’t just handed to them; they work for it.

“Our practice schedule can be pretty intense during our travel season,” Hoffman said. “During the summer, we have a tournament almost every weekend for seven weeks, as well as practice during the week and additional games. During fall, we usually play in a fall league and practice several times during the week. Finally, in the winter, we have our midnight tournaments.”

One of the Park Ridge Pistols’ current 18U team’s biggest accomplishments is their multiple Nationals wins.

“For us, Nationals began like any other tournament,” Hoffman said. “We entered the tournament more than nervous as there were teams from all over the nation that were both older and had better records than us. We played our absolute best in pool play so we would be seated well in bracket play. It was more stressful the farther into the tournament we got, but we all had a lot of trust in each other to do our best and that helped us win each of the nationals when things seemed impossible.”

Another major tournament that the Park Ridge Pistols compete in is the midnight tournament in

Rosemont. These tournaments force players to not only perform their best but also face a unique challenge: games begin at midnight.

“It was quite challenging having three games past midnight after having a full day of school, but we all came together and played our best, even when we were exhausted,” Hoffman said. “I think because we are so close, we were able to encourage each other to keep going and playing even during the times we wanted to give up.”

Although this may seem like a daunting task, for the players it is a fun team-bonding experience.

“Around 2 a.m., we all start to get random bursts of energy and not only play good, but start to have a lot of fun, even with the coaches too,” Gricius said.

Through experiences like the midnight tournaments, the team has created an inseparable bond.

“I never had to question my teammates’ dedication, and when we played, I always knew they were there to support me,” Hoffman said. “I also never have to be fearful of making mistakes as I know my teammates will never think poorly of me and believe in me no matter what.”

Their close relationship with each other allows them to have success both on and off the field.

“We all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we can tell when each of us needs to be picked up,” Gricius said. “We know each other so well and know what kind of plays will work in situations and which ones won’t.”

The best teams are not filled with the naturally gifted players, but with teammates who put in their all and create rapport.

“This is not your normal travel softball team,” Lawlor said. “We were not an ultra-competitive team that brought in girls from across the country to play at elite levels. We were a handful of girls living in Park Ridge who worked tirelessly to get to the level we played and succeeded at.”

In the summer of 2017, the Park Ridge Pistols won their entire summer league: the Power League. This victory paved the way for the numerous national championships that they would go on to win.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS The 18U Park Ridge Pistols team celebrate their win this past summer at the 2023 NAFA Midwest National Championship. Despite facing challenges along the way, they came out as a more tightly knit team than ever before.

PHOTO COURTESY MAEVE LAWLOR PHOTO COURTESY MAEVE LAWLOR

Music

Lilien Schirazi Features Editor

Many people listen to music as an outlet for emotion and creativity. Junior Nick Sipich, however, takes it a step further than just listening to music. Not only does he create music in the Maine South Band as an alto saxophone player, among other instruments, such as the piano, clarinet, alto recorder, french horn, and mellophone, but he has been both writing and conducting his own music as well.

“I wrote [music] a little bit in 8th grade, but I didn’t get really into writing until my freshmen year when I started to understand the inner workings of all different kinds of music and really needed an outlet to express the musical ideas I have learned,” Sipich said. “As I got better at the piano and teaching myself, I started to just sit down at a piano and just improvise stuff on the spot according to my mood.”

Sipich primarly kept the piano as the instrument that he continued to use to write and create more music, continuously working to improve.

The songs he created were a reflection of the mood or emotions Sipich was feeling in the moment which were captured through the piano.

“The process and instruments vary from song to song, but for most of my pieces, it starts at the piano,” Sipich said. “If an idea I get that is good enough or just strikes the right chord in me—no pun intended—I will start to see how I can put that into a larger arrangement and what kind of ensemble fits the mood, image, or feeling I’m trying to capture.”

Aside from writing his own music, Sipich has also picked up conducting as well and learned the different ways of conducting based on the style of music.

“As to conducting, I taught myself how to conduct at first just by watching Mr. Hutter rehearse and conduct the band, and then taking notice of how different conductors in different styles conduct,” Sipich said.

Through these many conducting sessions with Band Director Mr. David Hutter and also being a part of the Maine South Band, Mr. Hutter and Sipich have worked closely together, allowing them to build a strong relationship.

“Nick is an incredible musician— he has the sought-after but rarely found

ears TO HIS

combination of natural intuition and work ethic that creates amazing music,” Mr. Hutter said. “His primary instrument is alto saxophone in the Maine South Band, but he is well versed in many other instruments.”

While Sipich began by creating smaller works of music to play himself, he eventually took on the task of creating a piece for the entire Maine South Wind Ensemble to play during the Maine South Spring Concert.

“Nick has written and arranged a completely original piece which the Maine South Wind Ensemble has been rehearsing, and we will perform it live for the first time ever at the Maine South Spring Concert,” senior trombonist Will Dolan said. “After rehearsing this piece many times and being a musician myself, I can say I am very impressed with the quality of this piece and I know many others agree.”

Sipich’s talent and ambition does not stop with the Maine South Band. He has only continued to play and grow his passion for music by creating a jazz band, called the Swingin’ Scholars, made up of other Maine South Band members, where they all share the same love for music.

They even created an Instagram account (@swinginscholarsjazz) where they post videos and photos of the band playing together.

“I’ve always wanted to be in a band with Nick as he’s one of the most gifted musicians I’ve met—whether that be in school or out of school—and the [Swingin’] Scholars provided a great opportunity for that,” sophomore bass player Charles Rzany said. “Nick has been a valued asset to the Scholars, especially in his incredibly gifted so-

loing abilities. He provides an aspect of technicality that we wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Being a part of a band with others means that everyone must contribute and do their role so that the entire band can succeed as a whole.

In the Swingin’ Scholars, Sipich and the other band members all play their part to help each other develop as musicians as well.

“Since I first met Nick, I have always seen a musical passion burning inside him,” Dolan said. “I knew that he was working on arranging music, as he has been working on arranging a piece for us to play later this year. When you have someone who knows music as well as he does, it really helps us all focus more on the music, and we are all able to learn and get better from someone who is truly dedicated to what we are doing.”

Not only does Sipich contribute excellent musical talent to the Swingin’ Scholars band, but his passion to learn and create all kinds of music has inspired and pushed other members of the band to explore and enhance various areas of their musical abilities.

“Nick is an extremely talented player and gives great feedback,” freshman tenor saxophone player Reed Maurer said. “He is extremely good at soloing and is a big inspiration to all of us to sound better. Every single time he solos, he does something new that always sounds amazing and motivates me to use his playing for inspiration.”

As Sipich is still only a junior, he is not completely sure which career path he would like to follow; however, he knows that he hopes to continue to build his skills as a musician and create

THE

more music for others to hear.

“I am unsure of where I want to go career wise, but I know I want it to be in music, whether it be a professional saxophone player, film composer, or contemporary music composer,” Sipich said. “I do know that no matter what I do, even if there’s a slim chance it ends up being outside of music, I will keep creating music for myself and others to enjoy.”

Sipich’s unmistakable musical talent and ambition has not gone unnoticed by his peers, bandmates, and teachers.

“Nick brings a professional-level sense of musicianship to our ensemble,” Mr. Hutter said. “As the saying goes, ‘A rising tide raises all ships.’ His skill and effort raise the level of everyone around him and make our entire band better.”

FISH FRY PERFORMANCE The Swingin’ Scholars (from left to right), Charles Rzany (‘26), Reed Maurer (‘27), Joseph Habison (‘24), Nick Sipich (‘25), Brennan Dolan (‘26), Will Dolan (‘24), Lawrence Foster (‘26), Oliver Poole (‘26), Paul Sunken (‘24), Alex Dolubizno (‘25), play at the St. Paul of the Cross’s annual Fish Fry on March 15, 2024. The Swingin’ Scholars continue to play at events such as this regularly.

TAKING

STAGE Junior Nick Sipich, along with the rest of the Swingin’ Scholars perform at Cucina Biagio. This performance was on March 2, 2024, in front of Cucina Biagio customers.

PHOTO COURTESY NICK SIPICH

PHOTO COURTESY NICK SIPICH

Circus takes center stage in Spring Musical

Emily Fudali Entertainment Writer

The Maine South spring musical “Pippin” begins its run this weekend, featuring unique components such as acrobatics and circus tricks as well as Fosse style dancing.

Members of the cast, crew, and pit have been busy preparing for the show’s opening since February.

“Crew has been hard at work creating set pieces and the cast has been learning choreography and their lines,” senior stage manager Emmy Buckley said. “Seeing everything come to life has been exciting.”

One of the more unique features of “Pippin” is that it’s is a show within a show, which has provided a unique challenge for the cast as they learn to act under this scenario.

“In a typical show, you are playing a character and portraying their real story for the first time, and your character isn’t aware that there is an audience watching them,” senior Courtney Miller, who plays Berthe, said. “In this production, however, the entire company is written to be aware of the show that is going on. We know that there is an audience, and we lean into that. This effect makes the show different from anything you’ve ever seen before. The performance is showy and exciting.”

Throughout the rehearsal process, the actors have been hard at work learning how best to portray their characters.

“It’s interesting playing a character that is so different from myself,” Miller said. “Berthe has posed to be a challenge because she is a lot older than I am and has lived a lot more life than I have. I’ve been exploring a lot with different kinds of movement and physical leading points. Watching videos and movies with elderly characters has been a key resource for me in exploring movement and behavior as well.”

Director Mr. Joey Fitzpatrick has found that his favorite parts of the rehearsal process have been working through the difficult moments and scenes.

“I really loved working on the finale because it was really challenging,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said. “There’s a lot happening in it, and as a director, when something

looks really challenging on paper, it actually gets me really excited. I have to think really creatively about how to solve it.”

The cast has been rehearsing daily after school and on Saturdays for six to seven hours. Though these rehearsals can be long, they are necessary in preparing the show.

“They’re really rewarding because between the beginning of the day and end of the day, you can clearly see the process and how you’ve progressed, and how the whole cast has progressed,” junior George Spiegel, who plays Pippin, said.

Spiegel plays an important part of

the show as one of the leading roles, but has also enjoyed working with a young actor playing Theo.

“In this show, there is a fifth grader who is joining us,” Spiegel said. “When I was in fifth and sixth grade, I did shows at Maine East, so it’s been really fun to have that full circle moment of being a child in Maine Township Theatre.”

Unlike most musicals, “Pippin” features unique circus elements and acrobatic stunts.

“We have been working with staff members at the Actor’s Gymnasium to learn acrobatic work safety,” Miller said. “Throughout our show we

have acts of lyra, silks, spanish web, juggling, and tumbling.”

Originally written in 1972, the show is set during the Middle Ages, starring Pippin, the son of King Charlemagne and the heir to the throne. He is searching for his life’s purpose as he explores different areas including war, politics, and love.

The musical presents this plot through comical and dark elements that deal with the overwhelming question, ‘where do I belong?’

The company finds that some of the distinctness and darker themes in “Pippin” are particularly relatable to high schoolers as they’re figuring out their life beyond high school.

“There are darker elements that I think can resonate deeper with high schoolers because when you’re caught off guard by something, it has a stronger ability to affect you,” Spiegel said. “The messages of ‘Pippin’ are very much about selfdiscovery, growing up, and figuring out where you belong and finding your purpose in life.”

The musical portrays timeless themes through the perspective of people living during the Middle Ages.

“[The show] speaks to every young person and their journey to find out who they are,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said. “It does so through a medieval story framework but the lessons that are learned are so timely and universal to anybody at any time.”

The unique aspects of the show require dedicated work from the company to bring the story to life.

“It challenges them, [the cast] to be the ultimate performer in some ways,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said.

The company of the show hopes to reach as many students and families as possible to get them to experience the new Maine South production this spring.

“It’s going to be a great show,” Buckley said. “There are a lot of moving parts, fun songs, and a lot of energy. People should come see the show because it’s exciting, there’s crowd involvement, and to support the arts.”

The tickets for “Pippin” are currently being sold for $15 each at mainesouth.seatyourself.biz.

The show will be played April 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27 at 7:30 p.m., and April 21 at 2:00 p.m.

SEW CUTE Junior Kenna Garcia sews costumes for the upcoming Spring Musical, “Pippin.” The costumes are representative of the Medieval time period during which the production is set.

CIRCUS CHALLENGES Junior George Spiegel, who plays Pippin, and the rest of ensemble rehearse the finale of “Pippin,” which has proven to be challenging to translate from paper to the stage. Students and community members can see Pippin on April 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27 at 7:30 p.m., and April 21 at 2:00 p.m.

PHOTO BY NATALIE COLLETTI

PHOTO BY NATALIE COLLETTI

WHAT’S THE

Triple Scoop’d Ice Cream

Cosmic Cookie Ice Cream ($4.75)

801 Devon Ave., Park Ridge, IL 60068

The Cosmic Cookie ice cream from Triple Scoop’d is the kind of ice cream Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster would order: blue ice cream with cookie dough and brownie bits mixed throughout. The mix-ins were absolutely delicious—something you would want to eat even without the ice cream. However, besides its vibrant color, the blue ice cream itself was a bit off. It tasted like it was trying to be vanilla ice cream but the flavor was just not there. Despite this flaw, the cookie dough and brownie bits made this scoop quite enjoyable.

Andy’s Frozen Custard

With summer just around the corner, our mouths are already watering at the thought of a refreshing frozen treat.

SC P?

Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

Mango/Vanilla Gelati ($5.39)

Snowmonster Concrete ($6.49)

205 E Rand Rd., Mt Prospect, IL 60056

Andy’s Snowmonster concrete is a chocolatecovered strawberry lover’s dream. It’s impossible to take just one bite of this creamy vanilla frozen custard blended with frozen strawberries and melted chocolate chip. The frozen strawberries were perfectly bite-sized and tasted fresh, which paired well with the sweet custard. The melted chocolate chip was thin and flaky, which gave the treat a light crunch that complimented the frozen strawberries. Despite being on the pricey side, the “small” at Andy’s is a generous portion.

Rita’s Italian Ice is known for its unlikely combination of frozen custard and Italian ice called Gelati. According to junior employee Johnny Amabile and Rita’s official website, mango is the most popular Italian ice flavor, and it was incredibly refreshing—the ideal mango flavor. Layered with Mango Italian ice as well as a thick, creamy vanilla custard, the Gelati was unique and refreshing. At times, it felt like the wateriness of the ice and thick consistency of the custard were contrasting too much, but overall this was easily enjoyable and would make the perfect summer afternoon dessert.

Village Creamery

Purple Yam Ice Cream ($4.95)

Southwords is giving the inside scoop on which places are worth a try this summer.

Grace Halpert & Caitlin Vengazo Entertainment Editors

Oberweis Ice Cream & Dairy Store

Chocolate Milkshake ($6.99)

Despite having a wide range of ice cream flavors, Oberweis’s most popular item, according to their manager, is a chocolate milkshake, and, for the most part, it met expectations. Served with whipped cream and a chocolate-filled rolled wafer, the chocolate milkshake had a satisfyingly smooth and creamy texture. The chocolate flavor was good but not necessarily anything special. For reference, it tasted almost exactly like Hershey’s chocolate sauce, which is delicious in its own respect, but just not unique enough to be considered impressive.

Dairy Queen

Oreo Blizzard ($5.19)

8000 Waukegan Rd., Niles, IL 60714 2 Devon Ave., Park Ridge, IL 60068

Village Creamery’s Purple Yam ice cream came highly recommended by the staff, but unfortunately its flavor and texture missed the mark. The ice cream had a chalky, grainy, and even foamy texture that one wouldn’t expect from something frozen. Its flavor was reminiscent of taro boba with notes of vanilla; however, it just wasn’t sweet enough to fully enjoy. Overall, someone who likes taro boba might enjoy this ice cream, but its texture is enough for Southwords to recommend trying a different flavor from Village Creamery.

Dairy Queen recently opened for the season and their blizzards are a staple frozen treat that are even more refreshing in the summer. The ice cream in the Oreo Blizzard is a classic vanilla flavor that is less creamy but slightly sweeter than that of Andy’s concretes. The bits of Oreo cookies were good bite-sized pieces that were mixed all the way through the Blizzard, and they weren’t frozen, which made for a delightful crunch. Dairy Queen’s Oreo Blizzard is well worth the less than $6.

‘Cowboy Carter’ lacks Beyoncé’s signature style

Karly Georgiopoulos Entertainment Writer

Beyoncé’s new album “Cowboy Carter,” released on March 27, is a departure from her usual R&B/ Pop music genre. This one-hour-and18-minute-long album incorporates a country and pop blend that is creatively curated in each of the 27 songs.

Compared to her 2022 album release, “Renaissance,” the songs have more of a folky and twangy sound to them rather than her usual upbeat and soulful songs.

Additionally, some tracks on the album serve as brief segues to the next song, just like you’d hear on a radio. For example, “Smoke Hour Willie Nelson” and “Smoke Hour II” feature American singer and guitarist Willie Nelson as a mock radio host of “KNTRY Radio, Texas” as he introduces “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “Just for Fun.” While these interludes help set a throwback country tone for the album, longtime fans of Beyoncé may find this to be too unfamiliar to their ears.

Along with Willie Nelson, Beyoncé features many other artists, which is not very typical for her based off of her previous releases. Dolly Parton, Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, Rumi Carter, and many more are featured on “Cowboy Carter.”

Artists like Miley Cyrus and Post Malone are also featured and veer from their typical pop styles to conform to the country influence on songs like “Levii’s Jeans” and “II Most Wanted.”

Although they are strong artists on their own, their contributions

to Beyoncé’s country genre were a disappointment. These songs sound awkward, and the classic country aesthetic seemed forced, especially from Post Malone.

On the contrary, the inclusion of artists that are already in the country genre helped to improve Beyoncé’s songs on this album by providing some much needed authenticity.

On social media platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, the lead single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” is the most popular song out of the whole album. This upbeat and twangy meld of both string instruments and percussion influenced the creation of a TikTok dance. This dance includes outfits and moves that encapsulate the fun and friendly vibe of country music. For example, many participants wear cowboy hats and boots as well as mimic throwing a lasso, square dancing, and tipping their hats.

There are plentiful allusions to Black history and culture in this album. These touches make the album more personal and meaningful, as there are not many Black artists in the country music genre.

Linda Martell was one of the earliest and most prominent Black women in the country music genre, and she is honored in the song “The Linda Martell Show.”

Nonetheless, the rest of the album is a bit of a disappointment because it didn’t live up to the groundbreaking work of her previous albums. Her new country identity seemed to add to the genre’s increasing reputation of being oversaturated and tacky.

This album is a let down since it did not incorporate more of her iconic musical touches that are integrated in her past songs. Ranked among her most well-known albums, including “Lemonade,” “Renaissance,” and “Beyoncé,” “Cowboy Carter” would place last. The attempt to diversify her portfolio by releasing country music has failed to add to Beyoncé’s impressive discography, and ultimately, the album feels like it’s trying to be something it’s not.

To maintain her authenticity and appeal as a musician, Beyoncé should lean in to her iconic, and already beloved, style as she ventures into new genres rather than conforming to the traditional and overdone approaches. FEB

“Cowboy Carter” by Beyoncé

Girls’ soccer team wins big with young roster this season

Julia Van Roeyen Sports Writer

As of April 5, the girls’ soccer team was 6-2-1, after a winning 3-1 against Niles West and tying that game against Niles North.

The girls’ soccer program is one of the most populous at the school, with 77 team members. The program consists of four teams: freshman, JV2, JV and varsity. These teams, aside from the freshman team, typically consist of players from multiple age groups. This aspect provides the teams with a wide range of experience.

This year’s varsity team consists of 20 girls, including five underclassmen.

“We have more underclassmen than usual, but it has been great to get to know everyone on the team,” junior Ava Kontuly said. “I think our different ages can be used to our advantage.”

Kontuly’s sister, freshman Lila Kontuly, is also on the team.

“It is definitely exciting to be able to play with [Lila],” she said. “She is a large contributor to our team, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to play together.”

Ava and Lila play on opposite sides of the field, Ava playing defense, and Lila playing attack.

In soccer, teamwork and connection are two of the most important aspects of the game. The field is split into four positions—attack, midfield, defense and goalie—all of which require consistent communication in order to become successful.

“Soccer is definitely very teamoriented,” junior Kelsey Rouse said. Communication from all players is essential, especially from girls who aren’t near the ball.

Senior Hanna Peterson, who plays goalie, is able to see the entire field from where she stands.

“From where my position is, I can see everything and I don’t hesitate to direct my teammates as best I can around the field,” she said.

Communication is a key role in the game, but it is only made possible by the friendships and trust established between the players.

“I love playing on the team because of the camaraderie,” Kontuly said. “I have been really fortunate to be able to play with a great group of girls, and I always have fun with my team.”

Many of the girls first played the sport at a very young age, which provided them with years of experience.

Rouse, for one, began playing when she was six years old.

“I just remember all my friends playing soccer, so I wanted to play, too.”

Looking forward, the team has many goals, one of which is to do well in the Body Armor Sports Series Tournament.

“We are hoping to make it to the final,” Kontuly said. “We compete in Body Armor every year, and last year we came a little short of our goal, so I hope we can make it farther this time.”

The season only ramps up in intensity going forward. Their upcoming schedule is filled with games against

conference opponents such as Evanston and Deerfield on April 16 and 18, respectively.

“We definitely have higher expectations for this year’s team, whether that’s ranking higher in conference, or winning more tournaments,” Rouse said.

Despite changing their outlook, one thing remains the same—the team is set on constantly outdoing themselves.

Boys’ lacrosse uses tough practices to become stronger team

Kyra Demeros Sports Writer

The lacrosse team is off to a running start this season after a number of close games. The team’s grit was especially evident in their game against Wheaton Warrenville South on March 18, where junior Andrew Mullen stepped up with four goals and three assists, helping the Hawks secure their win, with a score of 11-9.

“The energy and the plays were electric,” Mullen said. “The game came down to the wire.”

The team is attributing their recent success to the structure of their practices, specifically ground ball practices. During ground ball practices there are no referees, no penalties, and no fouls.

“We use this drill to make ourselves stronger and succeed in the largest areas of weakness,” senior Jake Showalter said. “The physicality and trash talk that happens within the team and practices not only provides a fun but hard work ethic for our team to work throughout.”

The team continues to show up and work hard during practice, constantly being competitive with one another, and helping each other improve.

“We look for high intensity, and competition in a fast paced environment that focuses on odd-man/

situational game-like opportunities,” Coach Camerin Staffel said.

Switching up practices to unconventional drills helps change the pace of practice and offers athletes a chance to play without the restrictions that would typically be enforced during

“A goal for our team this year is to exceed all expectations and stay consistent with our training,” Peterson said. a game.

“One high was a week of practice where we just did one-on-one ground balls and hitting each other, and it was really fun,” Mullen said

A large amount of the players have faced injuries at some point in the season. Because of this, these practices have been helpful to prepare other players to fill the spots of those who were injured. They are confident that it will only make them stronger.

“The team has shown great progress and improvement throughout the season so far. We have to continue to grow and not get complacent,” Coach Staffel said.

The team continued to improve after spring break when they beat Glenbrook South 7-6 on April 2, although they lost by the same score against Elgin on April 6. Going forward, the team will face off within the CSL more.

“We know we have the talent and we just need to cross the bridge of rising to that next level,” Showalter said. “The plethora of adversity we face from injuries makes our team even stronger.”

LOCKED IN Sophomore Liv Carr sprints with the ball in the April 4 game against Niles North, which ended in a 1-1 tie. The varsity team has a historically high number of younger players, which team members consider an advantage.

QUICK STICK Junior Gavin Smith looks to pass as Glenbrook South players attempt to defend in the game on April 2. Using their aggressive practice routine to their advantage, the Hawks went on to win 7-6, and their record is now 4-3.

PHOTO BY ASHTON DASE

PHOTO BY ASHTON DASE

Boys’ water polo equipped to exceed expectations

Thomas Hurley Sports Editor

The boys’ water polo team is driven to find even more success than they did last year, with a 13-3-1 record and a group of motivated players.

Before games officially started, the team had two weeks to refresh their skills.

“The practices consisted of a lot of conditioning, passing, and shooting,” junior Ben Przekota said. “Two days before our first game, we started scrimmaging and working on plays.”

After their initial conditioning, the team was quick to notice that although last year’s team was one of the most successful in school history, this year’s group could have the capacity to reach similar heights.

“The biggest achievement last year was being the second team to ever make it to the Sectional final in school history,” Przekota said. “The team sees this happening again, but the path there will be much harder.”

“The goal is to prove that we are just as good of a team as we were last year, if not better,” junior Stellen Karkazis said.

It was during the first few weeks of practice that they noticed they had the potential to actually surpass what they’ve accomplished before.

“In past years, we haven’t been as fast, so our coach had to change his plays and adapt to the style of play Maine South has grown into,” Przekota said. “It has exceeded my expectations and this team can be the best Maine South team ever by the end of the season.”

One of the biggest obstacles that the program had to overcome was their lack of players last season. Even with the adversity’s they faced last seasons, the athletes have high hopes for this season’s state tournament.

“I think this team has the best chance to get to the state tournament in program history,” Coach Lyons said. “If they keep showing improvement, they might just accomplish that goal.

Badminton creates effective support system

Brianna Giustino Sports Editor

The badminton team has started their season with consistent practices and optimistic attitudes. The team has a current doubles record of 2-3 with senior Jillian Rothenberger leading the team as a captain.

“Our team is really competitive, and we all work hard in practice so that we feel prepared on game day,” junior Annamarie Milazzo said.

The girls also have the opportunity to compete in singles. The team lost their most recent match against

Glenbrook North, coming up short in several close games.

The girls train hard in practice by playing matches against one another. While the team is in season, they have intense practices for several hours every week. Their practice schedule makes it clear that they are all determined.

“Practices are a lot of fun because we get to pick up games with one another while also improving our skills,” Rothenberger said. “Game days are really enjoyable because we get to be competitive with other schools.”

The team supports each other

on and off the court. When girls on the team aren’t competing, you can catch them right next to the court cheering on their teammates. They find it crucial to support one another in singles matches so they can be equally supportive as teammates during the more communicative doubles matches.

“I am super lucky to be on such a supportive team,” Rothenberger said. “We are able to work together so well because of our support for each other. I enjoy team hangouts together because I feel like that helps us to get to know each other more which only helps us on the court.”

Softball dominates in first several games

Thomas Hurley Sports Editor

The girls’ softball team was quick to make a statement when they defeated Hoffman Estates in only their second game this season with a score of 17-0 on April 1.

“We were all very excited to get back into our groove after Spring Break and I think right from the first inning we were ready to go,” senior Ava Amelio said. “In the first inning alone, we put up nine runs. When a team shows the slightest bit of vulnerability, we know to take advantage of that immediately. We like to score early and lock down our defense to uphold that lead.”

On April 1, the team went on to score three runs in the second inning and five in the fifth, preventing Hoffman Estates from appearing on the scoreboard through all seven.

The game kicked off a packed season with multiple games each week, making competition a substantial part of the players’ schedules.

“It can be a lot at the beginning of the season to find the time to keep up with everything, but after about a week or so, we get into a routine where we are able to work on what we need to on and off the softball field,” senior Hannah Hoffman said. “We always manage to find the time to practice.”

Although the routine can seem demanding, everyone has prior experience with a similar workload. Each player has immense familiarity with the sport, which allows them to move forward as a unit.

“Each girl on this team has played softball for the majority of their lives, meaning we are all very experienced,” Amelio said. “In travel softball, five to seven games per

weekend is normal. This experience has prepared each player for this type of rigorous schedule.”

The girls’ extensive backgrounds are also helpful in being able to work together cohesively.

“I already knew everyone on the team after the final roster was announced, and we had played together over the years and had already made connections with one another,” Hoffman said. “We were already comfortable with one another and the new additions to the team fit right in.”

The players’ ability to support one and another has contributed to their success.

“We have been practicing since the end of February and right away we could tell we had a special group,” Amelio said. “Right off the bat everyone was getting along, cheering each other on, and getting into each practice we’ve had so far.”

BYE BYE BIRDIE Junior Selah Kim prepares to return the birdie in her match against Glenbrook South on April 4. The Hawks are optimistic about the rest of the season and hope to continue improving in practices and games.

Boys’ tennis prepares for an exciting new season

Katie Johnston Sports Writer

It may be early in the boys’ tennis season, but they started with an ace—winning the Palatine Invitational aon April 6. Senior Giona Maccaferri and freshman Nicholas Marhoff won first place at #1 doubles, and junior Walter Szulczewski placed second at #1 singles

“We want to improve every day,” Head Coach Gerald Smith said.

They plan on winning many matches despite strong competition.

“We will be playing in the toughest conference in the state,” said Coach Smith.

The boys have many goals for this upcoming season.

“One of the main goals for our team is destroying New Trier,” senior Giona Maccaferri said. “It will be our biggest test, and it will be our biggest result.”

While tennis can be a very lonely game, the boys’ team makes sure that no one is alone. They have created a strong bond with one another.

“At the end of the day, you still

have to win as a team,” senior Anthony Benbenek said.

Coach Smith’s hope for the program is, rather than having separate players, he would like to see a full team on the courts.

“We need to bond and work together like a full unit,” Coach Smith said.

Teamwork is a big part of tennis, just as it is any other sport. In tennis, however, trust in your partner and in yourself is an important part of a player’s game.

“As someone who has played primarily doubles throughout high school, getting to know your partner and having a trusting friendship is very important,” Maccaferri said.

Being able to keep a good mindset and having confidence on the court helps the team win the matches without straining themselves.

“My mindset going into this year is to give it my all,” Benbenek said. “I’m always trying to focus on what I can do to win or what I can do differently.”

This year, there are many new players to the team.

“We have been growing the program,” Coach Smith said.

With this younger group, the seniors are able to use their experience to take up leadership positions to help the new players.

“It is my last year, and above all, I want to create new friendships and maintain previous ones,” Maccaferri said.

As the season starts, the program looks forward to play more games and improve as a team.

“We are excited to get going,” Coach Smith said.

With the weather warming up, the team continues to develop.

“We want to improve everyday and we do that through practice,” Coach Smith said.

Girls’ lacrosse plans to make mark on CSL ‘together’

Audrey Becker Sports Writer

The girls’ lacrosse team started their season undefeated, taking home wins in their first six games, including their home opener against Warren Township, and their most recent 19-7 win over Vernon Hills on April 8.

Last year, the team lost to Warren in their opening game, but this year they came back stronger and pulled out a 15-10 win.

Positivity, hard work and a tightknit team seem to be the leading factors guiding the team to their recent successes.

The team’s motto for this year is “together.” Each letter in this word represents a value that the team holds, like “teamwork” or “grace.” As a whole, this acronym demonstrates the qualities that the team wants each player to possess on the field.

“Our goal is to always get one more in every drill or game,” freshman Olivia Fogarty said.

“One more” is yet another important phrase to the team. In other words, it means “going the extra mile” or just giving maximum effort.

Each week, there are three awards given to a player on each team: the Game Player of the Week, the Practice

Player of the Week, and the One More Player of the Week.

Each award honors the efforts the players put in during their game or practice. Also, one player is recognized after each game for their work.

“Recognizing new players each week pushes me to work harder to try and win an award,” sophomore Sarah Toomey said. “I think it’s important to celebrate every accomplishment, no matter how minor they are, and all of the Player of the Week awards do just that.”

Recognizing hard work is clearly an important thing for the team to do.

“At the end of each game and practice, five or more people go around and say good things they saw and compliment the player,” Fogarty said.

One final thing that the team prides themselves on is the close bond between teammates. The team has a combination of all grade levels, but this doesn’t stop them from being a tight-knit team.

“Something interesting so far this season is how close everyone is with

each other after only being a team for a short amount of time,” Fogarty said.

Even though only a month of the season has gone by, the team has done many team bonding activities, like program trips to the Northwestern women’s lacrosse game or team breakfasts, are just some of the ways the girls have become closer outside of their games or practices.

They also find ways to bond as they gear up for their games on the bus rides.

“The bus rides I feel are what bonds the team most when everyone gets to talk to each other and listens to music together,” freshman Lucy Sacor said.

They are going to need to find more success in order to continue winning this season. The CSL Conference is known to be challenging, with teams like New Trier (ranked third in Illinois last year) in it.

By working “together” and by celebrating every achievement, the girls’ lacrosse team has created an environment where athletes can thrive with one another’s support.

“The low of the season so far has to be the cold games and practices,” [add name, will ask Audrey] said. “But the high is the amazing and supportive players Maine South lacrosse has.”

LOOK OUT Senior Hanna Brozell looks to find open teammates as she runs towards the goal. The Hawks win 12-9 against Mother McAuley High School.

SERVE’S UP Senior Dexter Kelleher (right) serves in a doubles match at the Palatine High School invite on April 6. Senior Anthony Benbenek (left) prepares to hit the return after the serve.

PHOTO BY KATIE JOHNSTON

PHOTO BY KATIE JOHNSTON