Vol 20 issue 7

twentieth 1964

i anniversary

•

SOUTHWORClS

Vol. 20, No. 7

1984

Maine South High School, Park Ridge, IL

Jan. 13, 1984

New law sets requirements

by Maura McKenna A new Illinois law has been passed creating several educational requirements in high schools.

This new law requires students to take one year of math, one year of science, two years of social studies and three years of language arts, in order to graduate.

Language arts classes include: health, consumers education, physical educa'ion, and drivers' education. Only the safety classroom phase of drivers' education is required for

graduation. Students are not required to take the other segment of drivers' education, but schools are required to offer the course.

According to Guidence Director James Bonney, these new mandatory classes are very controversial, as the classes are very expensive.

Aid from the state as well as local taxes will pay the majority of the cost for the classes. A percentage of the state drivers' liscense fees are contributed to the drivers' education courses.

In the future, there may be more mandates for academic courses, especially with more required math and science subjects. However, these changes will leave less room for electives, which causes concern with students inolved in traditionally elective courses, such as music or art classes.

Mr. Bonney said, "A lot of local officials would like to have fewer mandates to reduce school costs and many people feel that if the state mandates something, they ought to pay for it."

Pep Council raises SouW spirit pj^ais schedule

by Maura McKenna Today marks the last day of Pep Council's Spirit Week.

Each day this week, pictures of five fall athletes were displayed. Students voted for the basketball player with the "knobbiest knees," ^the wrestler with the "foxiest physique," the liwimmer with the "shapliest shoulders," and the fencer with the "wackiest wrist."

Five of the girls' service clubs, including Pep Club, GRA, Cheerleading, Hawkettes and Wres'tlerettes, nominated a senior girl who will compete for Spirit Queen.

At yesterday's Spirit Assembly, which was sponsored by Student Council, the queen candidates were presented to the student body.

Students were asked to vote for queen during their lunch periods.

The winner will be announced at halftime of tonight's basketball game.

The purpose of Spirit Week, according to Pep Club President Maureen Boyle, is to allow students to become acquainted with members of the sports teams and to promote interest in the winter sports.

First semester finals are as follows; Wed., Jan 18: finals for periods 3, 2 and 6.

Thurs., Jan 19, periods 1, 7 and 5 Fri., Jan 20, periods 8, 4 and 9.

Finals for classes meeting for a period and a half will be scheduled in the time allotted for the full class period. For example, a class meeting 2b-3 would take the final during the time allotted for third period.

There will be no school Mon., Jan 23.

Congratulations to the Maine South Marching Band on their trip to the 1984 Cotton Bowl Parade in Dallas!!

Point of View

Smoking stinks? Choose yourself

by Dimitra DeFotis Cigarette smoking among teenagers has become an accepted pasttime. For many teenagers, smoking has gone beyond a cool thing to do once in a while, and has become a "habit." The problem here is this: some people have become so addicted to cigarettes that they need one at every available time during the school day. The bathrooms are the hotspot for smoking as everyone knows, and many nonsmokers find this quite offensive.

I am not opposed to people smoking. That is a choice some people make—my habit is chewing gum, their habit is smoking cigarettes. But what bothers me is those who smoke in the school bathrooms and on the buses to and from school. 1 have to use the buses some mornings to get to school because sometimes 1 don't have any other alternative. 1 resent going on a public bus and smelling like an ashtray when I leave, and I also resent sneezing for the rest of the day. If smoking were allowed on the bus, 1 wouldn't complain; but clearly posted at the front of every bus is a sign reading "No

Smoking Permitted." 1 think those who smoke people won't even move. on the bus are infringing on other's rights to be 1 find it hard to believe that most kids re able to go to homeroom without a stuffy nose, quire a cigarette between classes in order, to go' not to mention the danger of fire on the bus. on with their lives. All it takes is a little self discipline—no one is asking you to quit!

Another problem is the smoking in the What can be done about this problem? The bathroom. Some days certain bathrooms have a monitor present, and no one gets away with administration has ultimate control of what smoking. Other times, the bathroom is like a goes on in the bathrooms and partial control foggy battlefield from MacBeth. 1 don't have over what happens on the buses. Can't more any choice in what bathroom 1 can use. If I monitors be assigned to the bathrooms? Do could avoid the smokers, again, I would not teachers care enough to spend their free time complain. But why should I have to use a dif- monitoring these places? Monitoring half of ferent bathroom just becuase smokers occupy the bathrooms half of the time is not enough.

I find it quite hypocritical, by the way, that the one I want to use? And how can I when I Maine South was host to a group who showed have to get to class? the program The Chemical People. Not only If this is not bad enough, some girls was there a poor parent/student attendance, (especially those in the bathroom outside but even worse was the teacher/school official V-106 before third period) sit in the stalls with attendance. Maine South obviously supports the door open, smoking to their heart's con- this anti-substance program, but in the very tent. One has to ask these people to get out of a same school kids are smoking and are not bestall in order for one to use the stall for what it ing stopped. is intended. Pardon me! And sometimes those For those of us who do not smoke, it is very hard to squeal on our peers. Contrary to what smokers might think, we nonsmokers do want you as friends, and we don't want to be called the preppy prohibitionists. All 1 would ask is some of this time meeting our district represen- that smokers consider the feelings of other tatives. We also sat in on committee meetings nonsmokers. Just as you don't want our antismoking morals infringed upon you, we and went sight-seeing. nonsmokers don't want to be forced to endure During the evenings, the participants were smoke and rudeness on the buses and in t h e _ assigned to a committee to write bills, which bathrooms. Do you have to be asked to s t o p ^ ^ smoking in school? Or do you have to wait u n - ^ ^ we approved in committee. On the last eventil you are caught by officals, written up, and ing, a mock congress was called, and we sent to the deans? The greatest accomplishdebated and voted on the bills. The procedures ment would be if smokers would lake it upon themselves to stop infringing on other's used paralelled real congressional activities.

1 highly recommend this program to in- rights... and just out of the kindness of their hearts, stop smoking on the buses and in terested juniors. school. You can smoke anywhere else you Kathy Humm '84 want to!

Juniors challenged in D. C. Last summer, Paula Fischer and I participated in the Washington Workshop program, which is sponsored by the Social Science department and the Park Ridge Kiwanis club.

We spent one week in Washington, D.C., learning about the federal government through daily exposure on Capitol Hill.

During the four days we spent on Capitol Hill, much of our time was scheduled for conferences with representatives of Congress.

After a short opening speech, the Representative gave us time to ask him questions about his job, his opinions or current events. Between these sessions, we were free to explore Capitol Hill on our own. Paula and 1 spent

Elementary grade system questioned Why is the five-letter grading system necessary at the elementary school level?

In this state, a child is learning to think and learn. This takes time and encouragement, as children do not learn at the same pace and often learn from mistakes. However, most children do not receive credit for late comprehension.

Granted, at this time, the teacher, in most cases, will use the Excellent-Very Good-GoodFair-Poor system. However, this system still implies to the child that he is not making sufficient progress. This may lead in some cases to a feeling of hopelessness and the child may develop a "Why-try-I'll-just-fail-again" attitude.

Also,the more successful students will learn that they can "get through" the system by doing just enough work to pass, and may not develop the right learning and studying skills page 2

necessary in school. The general attitude of many of these kind of students is "Why should 1? What's the point?"

What is the purpose of the five-letter scale anyway. It has some legitimate uses. It may be an indicator as to how hard a student works, his/her ability to comprehend materials, talent of potential, ability to reason, discipline and progress.

The system was a nice idea, but the consequences of such a systen far outweigh the benefits.

A better system might be Mastery. In this system, the only grade is Mastery. When a child shows sufficient knowledge, comprehension or skill in a unity, he/she is acknowledged by receiving Mastery credit.

The child now has the chance to learn from mistakes and redeem him/her self and gain necessary self-assurance that is needed in to-

day's society.

Under the Mastery system, the child wouldn't have to worry about GPAs and wouldn't have to get upset when that one test brings the grade down. The goal of that Perfect " A " would be replaced by the goal of learning. The child that might have gotten a " D " does not develop an inferiority complex, and is now free to ask questions and now be referred to as a "dummy."

Granted that GPA, College Test scores and the like are necessary for purposes of university admissions, not many school look to prehigh school scores and case history. Therelore, there is no need for thefive-gradesystem prior to high school. Some schools in the countrv have adopted the Mastery system, and the conr cept is one that deserves more serious thoughf and attention.

,„.

Ed Torgerson 84

Ants invasion—Adam's back!

by Tim Soper

Remember when rock n' rollers performed to satisfy their audiences? Adam Ant doesn't.

This entrepreneurial conductor is back again I for his second solo disc. Strip. More infamous than famous, the Antdom expands in plausibility, if not in popularity. A brief view of Mr. Ant and his "insect nation" will possibly illuminate this ego-ignited climb to success.

The hardware behind Antmania is found in Adam's five albums. From the days of A'/>7.g5 ofihe Wild Frontier, the snap and simplicity of dual drummers and tribal rhythms have been infectious. Add the trademark guitar of Marco Piorroni and the clandestine bass of Adam Ant, and instrumental Antmusic is underway.

Since the creation of the now defunct Ants, the creative interphasing of the intense percussion and driving guitar has been the brainchild of Adam and Marco. Both prefer to write, produce, and direct the musical aspects of Antdom. Friend or Foe has proven that the two can stand alone on the merits of their talents and creativity. Not only are the duo stable, but their latest efforts have shown their adaptability towards a horn section in leiu of the Ants.

Antmusic is not complete without mention of Adam's lyrics. Often regarded as silly ballads, spiced with chants, whistles, and whines, they serve as the primary vehicle to the

.Antmovement. Amongst the allusions to bondage, sexuality, Clint Eastwood, and insects is

the history of Mr. Ant. As for the former, their childish and obscene connotations are not dubious attempts at cheap thrills. Rather they convey to his fans an unveiled view of those things which have affected the entertainer. As for the latter, the Ant-hems symbolize Adam's theology and thesis. He celebrates the Antmovement and is vehement in his decadence towards the critics of .Antmusic. (Lately the chief Ant has taken an offensive stance towards his image and ideals in cuts such as "Goody Two Shoes" and "Desperate But Not Serious.")

To compliment his musical goods, Adam has developed numerous Antmusic personalities. His phases include American Indians, Pirates, and HighwaymenCall fascinations, not disguises, developed over his career.

Each persona is the original concept of Adam, and each directs the attitude of Antmania. His concepts include his designing of his costumes, and his personal choreography of his and his band's onstage act. As for the firing of the Ants, .Adam also pulled the strings after what he termed a "lackadaisical" Prince Charming revue. Adam's future plans are undecided, but one thing is sureCAdam controls his own destiny.

V-Day messages taken Southwards will be publishing Valentine's Day messages in its Feb. 10 issue.

Messages will cost one cent a word; however, for bookkeeping purposes, the cost will be rounded up to the nearest five cents.

Staff members will be in the cafeteria accepting messages on the following days: Wed., Jan 25 during fourth period; Thurs., Jan 26, fifth period; Fri., Jan 27, during all lunch periods; Mon., Jan 30, sixth period.

Also, messages can be submitted in V-106

before 8 a.m. or after eighth period, provided they are given to a member of the editorial board.

January 30 is the absolute deadline for all messages.

Southwards reserves the right to edit, or delete, all messages containing libelous or obscene material. The Southwards Editorial Board will make all decisions concerning messages' suitability for printing, and all decisions of the Board are final.

"Vit< Tun UA/e CifrffC-

With music constantly changing, his peers may have the final laugh. Nothing but record sales can distinguish him from a Shaun Cassidy. Adam, however, has a trump card.

Mr. Ant does not need the support of the public as other glam-rock heroes have.' His ants invasion is no longer a trial, and the entertainer is now established. One can now only wonder whether his ego or talent will keep him alive in the music scene.

Southwards is the studentproduced newspaper of Maine South High School, Park Ridge, IL. Letters to the Editor should be delivered to V-106 and given to a member of the Editorial Board.

Southwards reserves the right to edit letters containing obscene or libelous material.

Editor-in-Chief Sasha Pisarski News Editor Dan Gayford Commentary Editor...Kim Wochinski Features Editor Kris Falzone Sports Editor Maureen Smith Photo Editor John Danile Art Editor Nancy Humm Adivser Mr. Ken Beatty Staff: Ami Albright, Cris Carmody, Sonia Chartouni, Elizabeth Cicinelli, Maggie Conlon, Dimitra DeFotIs, Jeff Devlin, Andy Duerkop, Tom Duffy, Mark Filip, Cathy Flynn, Karen Frank, Tom Fox, Kathy Humm, Todd Jackson, Sarah Langdon, Shelly Main, Laura Marti, Maura McKenna, Audrey Port, Liz Roch, Nick Roder, Tim Soper, Mike Viola, Lisa Williams, Kathie Yoo.

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page 3

Guys b-ball to play cross-town rival

by Todd Jackson

Tonight, the Maine South varsity basketball team will play arch-rival Maine East away at 7:30. Tomorrow, they will travel to Winnetka to play New Trier.

These two games look to be the two toughest conference games this year. New Trier was last year's conference champions and they are always very tough to beat on their own court.

Maine East is always a tough game becuase of the great rivalry between the two teams. The Maine South-Maine East game is always tough because it decides the Park Ridge champions.

"The Maine East and New Trier games should be our toughest," commented senior Nick Roder. "Maine East is always an exciting game."

Over winter break, the team played in the East Aurora Holiday Tournament.

In the first game, Maine South played

Kocktord East. In the game, center John Djonlich and Pat Siffermann fouled out, but Marc Mazzeri picked up the slack and scored 30 points. Mazzeri's scoring lead the Hawks to an 82-79 victory.

In the second game, the Hawks played East Aurora. Because the game was on East Aurora's home court, they were very tough.

"Their speed was just too much for us," commented Nick Roder. The final score wasa 84-69. In the third quarter, some excitement was produced by John Djonlich when he slamdunked for the first time this season.

The third and last game of the tournament, Maine South played the DeLaSalle Meteors.

Maine South rolled on to an early 27-point victory. This victory gave the Hawks a third place finish. This was the second year in a row that Maine South has taken third in the Holiday Tournament.

Basketball team improving with time

by Maureen Smith

The Maine South girls' basketball team takes on New Trier at home tonight at 6:30.

New Trier is one of three teams in the conference "race," according to head coach Mike Deines.

New 1 rier has a taller starting line-up than the Hawks'. Deines stated, "Because of size, rebounding will be important. I think we have more speed and a stronger defense."

Both teams have several returning letterwinners.

The Hawks play Maine East Jan. 14. This far into the season, Maine East does not have a winning record. "Traditionally, Maine East begins their season slowly and at mid-season, they peak," coach Deines continued.

Maine East has lost all but one returning starter, and therefore, the team lacks experience.

When Maine South plays Maine East and New Trier, both games will count in the conference standings. The Hawks are currently 0-1 in conference after a 41-27 loss to Maine West.

On Dec. 29 and 30, Maine South competed in the Evanston Invitational and placed third behind Regina and Fremd.

In the first game of the tournament, Maine South beat Libertyville, a team ranked seventh in state. The team went on to beat Evanston in a close game. Sophomore Mary Carroll scored 15 points and made the winning basket in the last four seconds.

"Laurie Kladis and Lisa DiGiacoma played very well on defense, holding an all-state for-

ward to three points. Everyone made a good contribution," Deines said.

In the semi-final round, the Hawks lost to Fremd 41-39. Leading scorer Kim Spychala did not play in the game, which affected the Hawks' play.

Coach Deines remarked about the season, "We're maturing at the rate I expected. We're still relatively young. We've been in e v e r ] ^ ^ game we've played, which shows that we c a n ^ r play with anybody. We've had the toughest early season ever."

Kim Spychala said, "Improving as a team will help us throughout the season."

1 think the season is going pretty well. We're playing more as a team rather than as individuals. If we keep it up, we'll finish with a good record," concluded Lisa DiGiacomo.

Teams review progress, problems

by Maureen Smith

The varsity swimming team is 5-1. The Hawks have beaten Highland Park, Notre Dame, Waukegan West and Prospect. They have lost to Evanston. Maine South placed fourth in the Barrington Relays.

Coach John Doherty said, "Our times have been good this early. I think we'll have a number of state qualifiers. We're doing well."

Brian Loll said, "With Mr. Doherty behind us, how can we lose?"

The varsity fencing team has a record of 3-3.

The team has beated Maine West, Catholic Memorial and Wauwatosa. Varsity has suffered loses to New Trier, Culver and Gordon Tech. The Hawks took second place in the High Scholl Invitational in Waukisha, Wisconsin. page 4

Walt Cwik said, "We've fenced against a lot The girls' varsity gymnastic is 5-1. The of tough competition. I think thesecind half of Hawks have beaten Waukegan East, Niles our season will be easier and we'll have a better West, Deerfield and Maine East. The Hawks record." lost a close meet to Glenbrook South.

Sue Zachary said, "Our upcoming meets This far into the season, the wrestling team will be tough. If we can handle the pressure, is 3-4. Maine South has beaten Ridgewood, we can beat teams of equal ability."

Glenbrook South and Forest View. The Hawks have lost to Waukegan West, Highland Park, Rolling Meadows and Evanston.

The M-Club and Varsity Club will play the Noteworthy accomplishments of the team faculty in their annual contest Wed., Jan 25 at were placing fifth in the Holy Cross Tournament and taking first place in the Ridgewood 7 p.m. The M-Club will play coaches of the boys' teams in volleyball and basketball, both Tournament.

M-Club and Varsity Club members will play a Senior John Johnson commented, "We got co-ed team of coaches, and Varsity Club will off to a slow start but the quality of our team compete with the girls' coaches in volleyball.^ has improved. We hope to place several people Tickets will be available at the door for on.| in state this year." dollar, or can be purchased from an M-Club or'' The junior varsity team is 2-3.

Varsity Club member.