Vol 29 issue 7

\ iiluim- 1'). issue 7 D i i i n i h e r 18. 1<;92

South wordS

Maine South U.S. Park Rid<;e. II.

Christmas comes to South

By Joel Gregie and Lizz Wilk During the past few weeks, Maine South has been anticipating and preparing for the Christmas season. The school's numerous clubs and organizations have been holding Christmas parties and other special activities, along with their many annual events, such as the ChrisUTias Concert, the Christmas Card exchange. Project Santa, and the Holly Hop dance.

Last Sunday, December 13th, the Maine South Music Department held its annual Christmas concert. Performances were held in the Auditorium at 2:00P.M. andalsoat4:30 P.M. A wide range of musical groups performed their Christmas music. As in the past, poinsettias were sold after the concert, with proceeds going to the Music Department.

The groups singing and playing included: the Concert Chior, Girls Glee, Mixed Chorus, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Concert Orchestra, Brass Chior, and Chamber Orchestra. The Choral groups were directed by Mr. Danckwart, while Mr. Pressler directed the Brass Choir, and Mrs. Kremers-Smith directed the orchestras.

The various groups sang songs ranging from a medley of traditional Christmas carols such as "Joy to the World" and "O Come All Ye Faithful", to other, less known Christmas classics such as "Masters in this Hall" and "Fum Fum Fum." Once again. Student Council's Christmas Card exchange provied students with a convienient and economical way to send hohday greetings to their friends at Maine South.

Collection boxes for the Christmas cards were located in the library and in the bookstore from Thursday, December 10th, until Monday, December 14th. Over the last couple of days, students have been receiving their Christmas cards in homeroom.

Hundreds of cards were distributed, so it seems as if a good number of students took advantage of this great opportunity to spread the holiday cheer.

The card exchange was not the only activthat Student Council was involved in this year. Another holiday activity was the S.H.A.R.E. '92 (Studednts Helping and Reaching Everyone) food drive, which was

Mr. Cliff Adamo, Mr. Ken Reese, Dr. Ralph Borowiak, and Mrs. Shirley Baudek get into the holiday spirit while trimming a Christmas tree.

Photo by Yasmine Kiss. held at the end of November. A grand total of while others cut out catalog pictures and S3,500 was raised, and for the second year in prices. a row, the Class of '94 raised the most money.

Many organization around the school have The juniors raised $1216.30, and deservedly, been holding their own sf)ecial events. For they were awarded the Spirit Trophy. The instance, French and Italian club held a money was donated to the Park Ridge Human Christmas party complete with cultural food Needs Task Force, the Marillac House, and, and music. Also the Thespian club sold forthe Little Sisters of the Poor. tune cookies, and dehved them, complete According to Linda Hermes, the food drive with a fortune to students, yesterday. chairperson, the three organizations were Yet another event that helped students "very grateful," for the donations. jump into the Christmas spirit was the Holly "Although we did not raise as much money Hop dance. It was held last weekend, after the as last year," she added, "we were still happy basketball game, and to the enjoyment of all, with the results and the response from the the V-show bands performed live. students."

Finally, the members of Southwords.

Another way that Maine South students are would like to wish eveyone a safe and happy helping to make Christmas brighter for others, holiday season and a festive winter break. is by participating in Project Santa. English students in Mrs. Constantine's, Mrs. Higgins', Ms. Wright's, and Mrs. O'Neil's Composition classes took part in the project, which is in its third year. Two mailboxes were • A holiday "gi"^eting" located in Park Ridge, in which children were from cartoonist Tim able to deposit their letters to Santa Claus.

Over the last couple of weeks, the English Biedron. students have answered the childrens' letters, showing kids that there really is a Santa Claus.

• Winter Sports recap.

Students responed to many interesting ...and much, much more! letters. Some included drawings to Santa,

• WhaVs Inside?

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Commentary I

Christmas in Somalia

What about the undiscovered country?

by Dan Berko You will die. I will die. Your cat will die.

Your brothers and sisters will die. While it's not something to worry about now, we've all got to remember that we are mortal, and we can be hurt and even die.

This sad, yet necessary realization came to me on the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Swimming practice started that day, and I had been looking forward to it for quite some time. A couple of us were putting the lane lines in to control traffic. The lane lines were on a big spool, and I grabbed the end of one, the end with a hook, and jumped in, thinking the spool would unroll, much like it had in the past.

When I hit the water, I felt a peculiar pulling sensation on my hand and a feeling like I scratched my hand on something. I did a double take when I looked at my hand and noticed a rather large bleeding hole between my thumb and index finger.

I dropped the lane line, got out of the pool, and went to the trainer's room where I sat until my mom came to take me to the emergency room where I waited for another hour.

As the doctor numbed my hand and poked and prodded inside it, he told me that if I had ripped the hand any deeper, I would have been in surgery. As it was, I needed nine stitches in my hand. As if that was not enough, I wouldn't be able to get in the pool for two weeks.

I couldn't believe it. I would not be practicing for two weeks. I felt I was letting the coach and the rest of the team down by not being there, not practicing, not swimming in the first meet, and then not being up to par for the next two.

I also realized something else, something bigger: I was mortal. No matter how psyched up I was, no matter how much I thought nothing would happen to me, I could be hurt and put out of commission for a while.

It made me realize that even though a lot of things probably aren't going to happen to me, something really annoying and unexpected will, and when I least need it.

This is neither a perfect nor a fair world we live in. Some incidents are minor: a swimmer in Park Ridge gets stitches. Others are major: a child in Somalia starves. These things are inevitable, so when they happen, take it in stride and learn to deal with it.

Become comfortable with yourself and others, because you never know when the last time you do something will be.

by Sean Denham It's around that that time of year again. It's the time when most children spend their time in grave anticipation of whether or not Mommy or Daddy got them what they asked for. Alas, as it has always been, there are more pressing issues in the world than Betsy geting a doll that wets its diapers. There is a problem in Somalia.

The situation in Somalia is different fromthe problems we normally perceive in "countries like that." In other words, countries that most people couldn't even find on a map.

These problems include revolutions, coup d'etats, and so on. Basically, there is a masive food shortage. Relief convoys of food and medicine are sent daily, but they meet a much larger problem once they arrive.

The Somalians have turned against each other. Gangs of them attack the relief trucks and supply lines of relief products. These gangs want to stop the food and medicine from getting to the places where it is most direly needed not only so they can have it for themselves, but also so they can sell it for a huge profit.

Now the United States, savior of the free world, hasfinallyoffered to send thirty thousand troops to help out. Their job would strictly be to protect the relief efforts. They would guard the points where food is received, the routes of the supply trucks and the distribution areas. They would not be aggressors in any confrontations with gangs, but they would be authorized to return fire.

Can U.S. troops be of enough assistance to change the situation? Well, there is no question that any force of the Somalians would either flee from or be beaten by our troops. But will !X?WNiR HEEDS ID MAKE

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we hold the vicious Somalian gangs at bay for long? No. Eventually they will get desperate enough to attack the American forces. In such a case, it is almost guaranteed that at least one American will die. But will Americans be willing for our troops to be over there when they start dying?

Yet all our other options, such as airlifting supplies to major areas of distribution, would not work. The people in remote areas, who have no way of reaching any large towns, would be left to die. There really aren't any other routes to take if the U.S. is intent on helping the Somalians.

So will American troops solve the problem ? Even if our men get the food and supplies distributed to those who need it, will they become self-sufficient? If a person is getting something for free, what incentive will he have to work to provide it for himself?

It's not that I don't support aid to Somalia.

I believe very much that we should send food, clothing, and even some troops. But if we send troops, we have to be smart about it. We must set a specific amount of time, from six monthfj^^ to a year, during which we will supply them^^ with food and supplies for free. And after that period, we should work with a voucher system; for a certain amount of work a Somalian will receive a certain amount of food. This system, ideally, could be the foundation of a new monetary system. We must also set a plan to educate the people. If this goes well, the system would naturally be switched over to the Somalian government.

Right now, all we can do is hope and pray for the Somalians. And maybe, give them a thought or two in this Christmas season.

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Commentary

Holiday spirit wanes with age

by Charity Trelease At five years of age, I was a vivacious girl of unlimited energy - especially on Christmas Eve. I can remember lying wide awake in my bed, anticipating the arrival of the jovial fellow in red. After a quick two hour night's sleep, I scurried out of my room, flew down the stairs, and to my delight, beheld a fully-assembled Barbie swimming pool. I was so ecstatic that I ran back up the stairs to wake up my poor mother, who, of course, would share my happiness. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite as excited, as it was six o'clock in the morning.

Last Christmas, one whole decade later, my Christmas was drastically different. After a month of hectic shopping and actually purchasing presents myself instead of having my parents buy items for "me" to give others, I settled into bed on the night before Christmas.

I had just returned from midnight service at my church and was ready for some big-time sleep. I no longer lay awake for hours, waiting for Santa, and when I woke at nine o'clock, I slept in for another hour before lethargically dragging myself out of bed. No Barbie swimming pools greeted me as I approached the tree. Instead, there were clothes, compact discs and videos.

Christmas felt much larger to me when I was a little kid. It seemed as if thousands of decorations suddenly magically appeared around town. At the malls, hundreds of kids gathered to talk to some big fat red guy.

People just seemed jollier. I didn't quite understand it, but I knew that after Christmas Day, I'd have to wait a whole year for the fun to return.

As I grow older, every year seems to grow shorter and shorter. Christmas is no longer special; it seems almost routine. It's just ex-

pected that decorations will go up. I know "Santa" will be at Golf Mill accommodating anxious children. To top it all off, most of the gifts I receive aren't surprises. Instead of making a list, I go shopping with my father and he buys me what I want. Then he wraps it up and throws it under a tree. Why bother concealing the gift under paper if it's not even a surprise?

Perhaps if one can retain a child's view of Christmas, it would not become as blase so quickly. A very wise friend of mine told me that Christmas is not a time or a place, but rather, a feeling. So, why not try to remember how you felt as a child, and use that feeling to enhance your Christmas this year. Go caroling, have a snowball fight, ask your parents to surprise you with gifts not on your list. Christmas is the most wonderful holiday we have.

Cherish it with a childlike joy.

Letter to editor defends Hawks in Harmony Dear Editor, We are writing in response to the article published in the last edition of Southwords, "'Hawks in Harmony' offers little entertainment, lots of disappointment," which criticized our "Hawks in Harmony" program. The author looked down on our attempt to make an enjoyable musical evening by saying that the many changes made in the concert yielded a negative effect. Unfortunately, he was uninformed on almost every criticism he made of our program.

First of all, anyone at "Hawks in Harmony" looking for "comic relief was there for the wrong reason. We put together a concert, not a circus. This was not the lime to pull a stunt like pouring newspaper shreds, glitter, or silly string (something that caused Gordon McLean to nearly pass out two years ago,) all over our conductor's head. The senior band staff made the choice not to carry on a tradition started 29 years ago. How would it have felt for Mr. Pressler, the band director, as well as everyone else pulling the prank, to do something previously done only to Mr. McLean in front of hundreds of people, one of whom is Mr. McLean himself!

The author also referred to the absence

of entertainment during the dinner portion of the program. There were three reasons for this. One: Groups performing felt very unappreciated by an audience eating their dinner and talking to friends instead of listening to the music. Two: People attending "Band-0-Rama" in the past complained that the music was distracting at times.

Three: This time is much better spent giving the singers, instrumentalists, and directors a time to get ready for their main concert in the gym.

Moving on.

In regard to the lessening of the role the band played in the concert, there were several explanations for this as well. In case the author didn' t notice, the band was very busy at that time of year working on marching tunes and drills for the football playoffs. My, how much we expect from a band of only eighty people. After marching out in freezing weather supporting our football team, you want us to get a sit down performance arranged? As it was, we only played marching tunesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; a sit down program takes a long time to get polished. We had tired band members, tired drum majors, and a tired director. There was no time to work on anything else. Also, the

choir was going to be taking a trip to Europe over Spring Break. By including the choir and orchestra, we drew a larger audience and also brought in more money.

The article stated: "Even though change is healthy, too much change, regardless of its intentions, can have a negative effect." Well, the only negative effect we can see coming from our concert was this article. It made a performance we were proud of seem like a performance to forget.

Everyone did a great job; there was great music filling our gym that night, Itis time to turn the page.Let's move on and create some traditions of our own, like support and appreciation for dedication and hard work.

Respectfully, Brad Haak & Andrea Rundblad Southwords encourages all students and staff to express their opinions on issues ofinterest to them. Letters should be delivered to V-130 or given to Mr. Kerth or any Southwords editor. Letters may be editedfor length orfor suitability of publication in a student newspaper. Deadline for letters is ten days prior to publication in Southwords.

Features

Discovering ttie trutti behiind

by Tom Carlson Throughout my early childhood, I spent every Christmas Eve trying not to fall asleep while waiting for the "Sleighful of toys and St. Nick too." The one year I managed to actually stay awake until the presents came made me wish I hadn't.

For a few years, I tried waiting in the second-floor bedroom, next to the chimney. I listened intently for the sound of the reindeer on my roof and the big fat guy sliding down my chimney. I thought this was pretty cunning, myself, but Santa outsmarted me.

I was lying peacefully at my post when I heard the pitter-patter of hooves on the roof.

The adrenaline pumped through me as I ran downstairs to become one of the lucky few to ever see Santa! He was already gone. I figured that the noises I had heard were those he made on the way out. He must have tip-toed in the front door.

In the next years, I decided that I was not going to fall for that again. In future Christmases I would wait on the couch in front of the fireplace. My father discouraged this action due to the fact that he had tried to outsmart the elusive Mr. Claus himself. As a matter of fact, he used to wait under his couch, but still never caught the guy in action. But, being a kid, I was determined to see him, and no childhood

story of my dad's was going to stop me.

The next Christmas rolled around and I took my post on the living room sofa. I managed to keep myself awake for several hours, but soon the night began a game of tug-of-war with my eyelids. My eyelids lost, and I woke up to see all four stockings hanging to the floor, loaded with presents. At the time, I was too excited about the presents to remember the real meaning of Christmas—to see Santa!

The next year, I was more determined than ever to catch a glimpse of old S t. Nick. Instead of lying down in the quiet, dark room, I sat up erect on the couch, turned on the tree lights, and played A Johnny Mathis Christmas, Christmas on Sesame Street, and Anne Murray's Christmas Album to keep me awake.

As I waited into the wee hours of the morning, my dad came into the room.

"You've got to go into your bedroom for fifteen minutes. I need to wrap some presents for your mother." I strongly protested but was powerless against my father. He promised to call me if Santa came.

I went in my room for exactly fifteen minutes—my eyes never left the clock.

After the nearly unbearable wait, I ran back into the living room to find my Dad sitting on the floor among a mountain of presents.

"Dad!" I cried.

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He tried to save himself by creating a feeble excuse. "Santa came, but he was in a rush. He asked me to put these in the right stocking for him."

Needless to say, I didn't buy it. I was furious. What ticked me off the most was that I had held out on the idea of Santa for so long.

I felt like such a fool. Out of all the children in my family, it took me the longest to figure out the truth. I used to say, "Okay, I know there's no Tooth Fairy, and of course the Easter Bunny is fake, but there is a Santa Claus.

There's no way our parents could afford to buy so many presents."

A few weeks later I was thinking about that Christmas. I realized that I would never again try to wait up all night, hoping for that rare glimpse of the jolly guy in red. Christmas would never be the same, AND IT WAS ALL MY DAD'S FAULT! Then I thought some more.

Suddenly, it hit me like a brick. For all these years, my parents had been spending hundreds of dollars of their hard-earned money on me without praise or thanks. We had been thanking some fat guy who doesn't even exist for all the love our parents had for us.

I realized that maybe I was correct when 1 said the real meaning of Christmas is to find out who Santa is.

Hoiiday images from the dari< side of Southwords artist Tim Biedron

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Cashing in by turning off your TV

by Jennifer Johnson Would you give up watching television forever in return for one million dollars?

That was the question TV Guide magazine asked in a national poll conducted this past summer: "Would you give up TV for a million bucks?"

Peter D. Hart Associates, the company that conducted the poll, found that 46% of Americans said they wouldn't part with their soaps, sitcoms, and series shows for anything under one million, while 25% said they wouldn't give up viewing even if they were paid one million in full.

Recently, a poll was conducted here at South, asking students questions similar to those asked in the TV Guide poll, as well as some different questions. Of the students polled, 33% said they too would never permanently turn their TV knobs off for one million dollars, although the other 67% were eager to do so in exchange for cash in their pockets.

"With a million dollars, I wouldn't need to watch TV for entertainment," commented senior Frank Frigo.

"TV is only one form of entertainment," Larissa Dudycz noted. "If I had a million dollars, I'd surely find another."

Even so, some students found that they would fare better with a television set at hand.

One student didn't have faith in a cash exchange because "the money probably wouldn't last that long and I really like to watch TV when I have the time."

Has television molded some of us in a ways that make us believe that vegging out in front of the TV is more important than going on a million dollar shopping spree? And what about family—do they rate high up with TV watching?

Luckily, it seems that they do. According to TV Guide, 93% of the people polled said that if they were stranded on a desert island for 12 months, they 'd rather have a loved on with them than a TV set. The other seven percent chose a TV set to accompany them for their year-long island adventure instead.

It's not too surprising that all of the students polled own at least one television set at home, which shows justhow much TV affects us. Ninety-eight percent of these students own VCR's—some admitted to owning more than two—and only two percent do without them.

Other results of the poll show that half of 5outh's students watch zero to six hours of television per week, that they would prefer watching television over reading a book or cleaning their rooms if they were stuck inside on a rainy day, and that more than half of the students polled like watching situation come-

dies than any other type of television program.

Answers to the question "What is your favorite TV show?" varied from Star Trek to Home Improvement and from Ren and Stimpy to Who's the Boss? However, the most votes went to Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Quantum Leap, and the "no favorite show" category.

As the years go by, it seems that watching television becomes more and more important in American life. A main contrubutor to this fact is the Nielsen Ratings System,which depends on American viewership to rate which shows are the best and which are the worst.

Recently, a new device called a "people meter" was introduced by the A.C. Nielsen Company. "People meters" are used to note who is watching television, who isn't, and what programs are being viewed.

The Nielsen Company feels that "people meters" are necessary to chart viewer ratings because the accuracy of past statistics of TV watching have been questioned. Nielsen families used to fill out diaries of their viewing or identify themselves by pushing buttons on special consoles.

Since they were introduced in Canada, "people meters" showed an increase in the television audience, but that they tend to

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switch from channel to channel more often than once thought.

Each year, the Nielsen ratings system rates the best and the worst shows according to the results shown by Nielsen households. Last year's prime-time TV season ranked 60 Minutes, Roseanne, Murphy Brown, Cheers, and Home Improvement as the five best shows and Sunday Comics, Get a Life, Hidden Videos, Hidden Videos, and Charlie Hoover as the worst five.

Network averages have shown that more people watch CBS than NBC, ABC, or FOX, and cable ranked HBO, USA, TBS, ESPN, and TNT as the top five prime-time cable networks with the largest audiences.

It's not hard to see that TV plays a big role in all of our lives. Whether we like it or hate it, TV is there, always changing and always leaving a mark in history. It's what causes the two very different views on whether giving up TV measures up with one million dollars.

Whatever answers are given to this question, on thing will always be certain: TV will always remain in our lives as new and ingenious ways come about to get more viewers and to boost ratings.

Unfortunately, a million-dollar exchange is not one of them.

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Nommensennamed N O V e m b e r South's top leader Senior Anna Nommensen has recently been named Maine South's top Shell Centurv'Three Leader accordind to principal Dr. Thomas Cachur Anna will now be able to compete with other state winners for one of two 51,500 college scholarships and an allexpcnse-paid trip to the Shell Century Three Leaders National Meeting which will be held in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia next March. Once there, the Slate delegates will be able to compete for the national winner's prize, a S10,000 scholarship.

The Shell Century Three Leaders program was made to recognize the student leaders who demonstrate their strong leader abilities and show an interest for the future of America, The basis on which Anna was judged included leadership skiUs, academic success, school and community involvement, and a current events examination.

Anna has held leadership positions in many activities here at South, In thecommunity Anna has been active in her church youth group and the choir and a representative for Worship Committee,

December 18,1992

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the Month recognized The following are the Students of the Month for November: Science: Tina Pompilio, Andrea Armour, Jason Wellner, JoAnna Fisher, Rebecca Ryan, Timothy Ryan, Steve Weitzner, Steven Chiagouris, Melanie Johnson, Ginette Slaiher, Susan White, Mathew Magnuson, Peter Vlahos, Mark Plucinski, Magdalena Sadowicz, Christopher Kiepura.

Foreign Language: Nicole Baier, Ryan Carhno, Argie Dafnis, Mohammed Dajani, Michael Gillespie, Jennifer Manzi, Lizette Mroz, Michael Sieczkowski.

English: Ray Albin, Sandy Anselmini, Karyn Blake, Dave Casty, Cheryl Bratu, Regina Grummon, Paul Guercio, Melissa Hagenauer, Tanja Jukic, Sarah Kaufman, Dawn LaBrose, Mary Loise, Rebecca Marinau, Rebecca Ryan, John Schacke, Heidi Swarbrick, Jessica Talaga, Kara Wipf.

Social Science: Suzanne Barsellotti, Matthew D. Fontaine, Melissa Hack, Audrey Howard, Marc Mazzuca, Aleksandra Merchut, Kathleen Sandrick, Deborah Stoltz.

Math: Katherine Sikara, Maureen Jamieson, Rebecca Whamond, Aimee Kiefer, Claire Pawlowski, Steve Paschos, Martin

Kulak, Mohammed Dajani, Matthew Magnuson, Emanuel Marinau, Diane Kanatselis, Kate Wietzema.

Driver Education: Ray Albin, Melissa Hack, Andrew Patras, Kelly Moczamy.

Physical Education: Tracy Stankiewicz, Danylo Berko, Wesley Crampton, Kevin Kelly, Brett Thunberg, Christine Bora, Timothy Paschke.

Business: Lindsay Bertolino, Daniel Bohlman, Jeanine Gerambia, Erin Fitzgerald, Tony Feiter, Christine Thomas.

Art: Colleen Tedor, Sharon Huelva Sharon Huelva, Michelle Rhoton, Denise A. Marshall.

Fine Arts: ChikaSaeki, Leslie Halls, Brant Palmquist.

Speech/Drama: Heather Dolan, Brian Harrity, Jeffrey Clark.

Applied Technology: Scott Surman, Joseph Rodino, Elizabeth Gallinger, Matthew T. Maier, Lawrence Chan.

Health: Karen Goelkel, Patrycja Nykiel.

Home Economics: Sabrina Rorkiewicz, Elizabeth Zom, Anthony Feiter, Carrie Schwemin, Rebecca Marinau, Kathleen Lyons.

South's State Scholars announced

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) recently announced the 1993-94 Illinois State Scholars. Of this year's Scholars, 89 of them are Maine South students. Although program participation by high schools is voluntary, nearly all of Illinois' top students elect to have test scores and high school class ranks sent to ISAC for consideration in the program. About 10% of Illinois' high school seniors are designated State Scholars and receive a Certificate of Achievement for the accomphshment.

In order to enter the competition, high school students must take the ACT or the SAT examination between September 1 and June 30of their junior year of high school, and have the scores sent to ISAC. Selection of Scholars is based on a combination of students' test scores and class rank at the end of the junior year.

The Illinois State Scholars from Maine South are: Jean Bax, Alison Begor, Danylo Berko, Andrea Berthold, Erika Bondarowicz, Grace Bozek, Cheryl Bratu, Jill Buckley, John Byrne, Julie Campion, Kristine Cassin, Lainie Castle, Tarak Chokshi, Margret

Ciprian, Christine Cline, Steve Currey, Sean Denham, Ann Ethridge, Scott Fischer, Vincent Fisher, Bridget Ford, Jeanine Gerambia, Georgia Giakoumis, Ann Gortner, Joel Gregie, Matthew Hachigan, Melissa Hagenauer, Leslie Halls, Brian Hameder.

Amy Hanson, Paul Henderson, Linda Hermes, Joan Hoffman, Mark Hohimer, Jared Jacobson, Steven Johnson, Sarah Kaufman, Melanie Keller, Renata Kesala, Yasmine Kiss, Jennifer Kostolansky, Timothy Krahl, Matthew La Bonar, Christian Larsen, Megan Lennon, Michele Manning, Marc Mazzuca, Kathryn Michal, Meggan Miller, Vanesa Miller, Christine Mytko, Kristen Neisler, Anna Nommensen, Maureen Nugent, Brant Palmquist, Thomas Papahronis, Theodore Pappas, Keryn Pasch, James Pellegrini.

Gregory Peter, Christa Poskozim, Jean Prochaska, Kelli Reaney, Kate Reynolds, Brenda Saavedra, Lidia Sabljic, Chika Saeki, Jamie Schmidt, Allen Sears, Christopher Semel, Hyun Shin, Steven Silarski, Kira Simonian, Ryan Sipkovsky, Megan Sliwa, Matthew Smolka, James Spindler, Matthew Staniec, Richard Stasiek, Bradley Thompson, Sharon Tucker, Alyssa Vassos, Irene Walsh,

Sean Watkins, Kyung Yoo, Margret Young, Joseph Zacharias, Elizabeth Zom.

SouthwordS Soulhvords is the student-produced n(r»»'spapcr of Maine South HiRh School, l i l t S. Dee Rd.. l'arl< Ridge, IL (60068). Letters to the editor shouid be delivered to room V-130 or given to a member of the editorial staff. Southwards reserves the right to edit obscene or libelous material, Editors-in-Chicf.

Dar» Berko .Marc Mazzuca

News editors.

Joel Gregie LizzWik Commentar) editors Ann Ethridge Brenda Saavedra Features editors...^ Katie Burns ,\nn Gortner Sports editors Katherine Nelson Todd Ofenloch Distribution editor Delrorah Chan Photographers..._„ Yasmine Kiss Andrea Berthold Artlsts..„ .Tim BIcdron Brad Haak Adviser — T. R. Kcrth

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SportsI

MS wrestling flexes its muscles

by Devon Dillenbeck The Maine South wrestling team has gotten off to a great start this year widi a record of 4-1.

The Hawks have marked wins against St. Joseph (38-29), Niles North (43-16), Riverside-Brookfield (66-6), and Hales (75-0).

These wins are a start to a season with a lot of potential.

Unfortunately though, the Hawks did lose one match. The team's only recorded loss was to St. Pats (25-39).

On the 5th of December, the Varsity team wresded at the Holy Cross Tournament, where Trent Vensas took 4th at the 112 lb. bracket, Mark Helma took 3rd at the 135 lb. bracket, Mike Como took 2nd at the 103 lb bracket, and Marty Dula took a stunning 1 st at the 171 lb. bracket.

This tournament championship for Dula is only a highlight to what looks to be an excep-

tional season. Dula has an undefeated record so far in this season.

Looking to the year ahead, the Hawks have a meet scheduled against Waukegan tonight, begining at 6:00.

Tomorrow the Hawks will wrestie in a quad-meet at Glenbard East, and on Dec. 26 the Hawks will wresUe at the Waukeegan-Bay Tournament.

Individually, a number of the Hawks have undefeated or near undefeated records.

These Hawks include Marty Dula (171 lb.,8-0). Marc Helma (135 lb., 8-1), Mike Como (102 lb., 7-1), Sam Amirante (135 lb., 3-1), Alex Barton (189 lb., 5-2), Tony Espana (125 lb., 5-2), Kevin Libby (160 lb., 3-2), Matt Rioch (HWT, 3-2), Tony Feiter (119 lb., 5-3), ar;d Trent Vensas (112 lb., 5-3).

Soon to be making a comeback is last year's state qualifyer Clint Faldetta.

Faldetta, who wrestles in the heavyweight

class, has been unable to wrestle this season due to a knee injury sustained during the Maine South football team's second round playoff game against Gordon Tech.

He should be back in January, leading the Hawks in the upper weight classes.

The wresding team this year features many new faces in the coaching staff.

In addition to veteran coaches Dennis McCann, Al Kolar, and Craig FalUco, the Hawks have included two new coaches on the staff to give an added dimension to the team.

These coaches are Mr. Kusembob and Mr. Lindy, both former Maine Township High School South wrestlers.

The wrestling team has had great success to this point in the season. Not only has this success resulted from hard work and experienced coaching, but from the spectacular crowd support that the team recieves at their home meets.

B-ball starts season with a 2-3 record

by Todd Ofenloch The Maine South boys' basketball team has gotten off to a slow start in the 1992-93 season, losing their first two regular season games.

But before die regular season began, the Hawks took part in the Schaumburg Thanksgiving Tournament.

In the first game, the Hawks met host Schaumburg, losing 51-46.

Yet the team did maintain its composure, coming back to beat Holy Cross and then the team from Holy Trinity, earning a third place overall finish.

Mike Kostrzewa led the Hawks in die losing cause against Schaumburg, scoring 18 points.

Others who contributed to the victory were Steve Johnson and Mark Sroka, who each added 10 points.

In the victory against Holy Cross, Johnson

had 22 points, with help from Mark Kufner (14 points), and Sroka (12 points), giving the Hawks the 61-52 victory.

The final game of die tournament for the Hawks against Holy Trinity was highlighted by four players who scored in the doubledigits, giving Maine South die 56-51 win.

Johnson (14 points), Kufner (13 points), Chris Semel (12 points), and Kostrzewa (10 points), all played major roles in the victory.

Following the tournament, the team seemed ready for the first game of the regular season, which pitted Maine South against rival Maine West.

The Warriors were heavily favored to win the game, but the Hawks put up a good fight," and for a time looked as if they would take the contest.

In a game that saw die lead switch hands on numerous occasions, the Hawks were beaten soundly by a strong Warrior performance in

die fourth quarter. The Hawks were unable to move the ball against the Warrior defense, while the Warrior offense had no problem scoring.

The game was tied at 31-31 at the end of die third, but the Warriors won the fourth quarter by die score of 20-3, giving them die victory, 51-34.

Johnson and Kostrzewa led the Hawks with 10 points each, and Kufner added 8 points.

In their first Central Suburban League contest, Maine South was put up against the 30 New Trier Trevians.

The Trevians defeated die Hawks, winning the contest 45-39, and maintaining their unblemished record for the season.

The varsity team at this point in the season seems a bit sluggish, but once the young team gets in the swing of playing together, the results are sure to improve.

Swim team opens 92-93 season with loss

by Richard Mills The Maine South swim team started off its 1992-93 season widi a 122-64 loss to Schaumburg.

The score, however, does not reflect the individual performances that took place. The awks took four first places and six second lace finishes. More depth was the determining factor diat gave Schaumburg the victory.

This year's swim team is led by All-conference co-captains Kurt Kuever and Jamie Mills, each of whom recorded victories against Schaumburg.

Odier key varsity members include seniors Dan Berko, who recently returned from a hand injury, Brian Hameder, and Mark Hohimer.

Juniors Kevin Gillespie, one of the odier individual winner at Schaumburg, Dan Barker, and Pat Roche should also contribute greaUy to die team.

The Hawks are also looking for key points from newcomers Andy Knapick and Joe Diethn.

TheFrosh-Soph team is coached by Marcia Berke, who is new to Maine South this year.

The team also lost to Schaumburg, but is

looking for improvement in upcoming meets.

Even though the Hawks aren't as powerful as they have been the past two years, they are hoping for strong individual performances in die upcoming meets.

Coach Deger is hoping for a .500 or better season. "At diis point we are looking at diree possible All-conference swimmers. We need more improvement at depdi, but the majority of the team is new. We're hoping for a relay or two to also head downstate aside from several individual qualifiers."

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Girls' b-ball opens with second place finish

by Katherine Nelson girls'basketball The girls' basketball season is now under way and is full steam ahead. With a second place plaque from a tournament already under their belts, the Lady Hawk's season is sure to be a good one.

The tournament took place over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was sponsored by Buffalo Grove, Lake Park, and Maine South.

The Hawks started out the tournament on a bad note by losing to Downers Grove South.

The top scorer for the Hawks was Junior Trisha Melendy with ten points for the game.

Lake Park was the next opponent for the Hawks. This time the Hawks were victorious, 43-31. Sophomore Sue Sroka led the varsity to their victory by sinking 16 baskets.

Against Crystal Lak.e the Hawks were once again the winners, 36-21. Sue Sroka, for a second time, was the top scorer for the Hawks; however, this time she was kept to

only eight points.

The coaches of the particapating teams determined what team outof theleamswilha2l record for the tournament, would advance to the championship round. The team with the highest free-throw percentage at the end of the first three games would advance to the first place competition.

After the first three games, Maine South had the highest free-throw percentage out of the five teams that paricapated in the Thanksgiving holiday tournament. Maine South's free-throw percentage was sixty percent.

So Maine South advanced to the championship round to play Buffalo Grove for the title. The Hawks had the home court advantage. At halftime, the Hawks were losing 2517. Due to third quarter mistakes, the Hawks were not awarded the first place plaque. The Hawks lost 50-36. Out of those 36 points Sue Sroka sunk 18 of them for the game high.

Players from the Hawks were named u to the all-tournament team. These players w were; Lisette Mroz, Darcy Smith, and Sue Sroka.

After their second place finish in the tournament, the Hawks were ready to play New Trier, named by the Chicago Tribune as an "up and coming team". The Hawks were defeated by the Trevians 57-35. High scorers for the game were Sue Sroka and Lisette Mroz, both with 11 points.

Mr. Deines, head coach of the girls' basketball team commented,"Out of the six teams we have played, five of those team have been ranked in the top twenty in state. Those first six games have prepared us for the next six games before the Christmas holidays."

This evening, before Maine South's annual "Pack the Place" dance, the Lady Hawks will be hosting the Maine West Warriors. This cross-township rival match-up guarantees to be an exciting game.

Gymnasts begin season with two wins

by Katherine Nelson "This year the girls' gymnastics team has a lot of talent and has hopes to be successful throughout the season." commented Miss Cain, the Head coach of the girls' gymnastics team.

With a record of two wins and one tie, the gymnasts are woiicing to improve their 5-5 record from the previous season by the time the '92-'93 season comes to a conclusion. So far the gymnastics team's season appears promising.

Consisting of all returning members, except one member lost to graduation, the varsity has a lot of experience. However, the team is quite young. Seniors Kristen Neisler

and Monica Huettinger; Juniors Tamara Borck, Tracy Haas, and Amy Lyons; Sophomores Joanne Dicola, Heather Anichini, Jane Quaiver and Holly Hameder; and Freshman Italia Cordaro are this season's varsity members.

Senior Monica Huettinger, who was named to both the all-conference and the allamerican teams at the end of the previous season, might not be able to particapate this season due to a shoulder injury.

Huettinger injuried her shoulder this past summer during a daily practice at gymnactics camp. Monica's first day back to practice was last Monday.

Hawk highlights m Sport

Fri 12/18

^ii^P^I home contest

Sat 12/19 /^on 12/21 Tue 12/22 Wed 12/23

Gymnastics Boys' Basketball Girls' Basketball Swimming Wrestling Boys' Track Girls' Track

Waukegan S/V 6/7:30

Waukegan F/JV-9:30

Maine West F/JV/V-6/7,*30 Deerfield JV/V-5:30

Maine West F-8:00

Waukegan F/S/J/\'-6:00

Glenbard E. V/JV-9:00

Niles Nort i Tournamentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Varsity

Practices begin Janua y 19 Practices begin Janua y 19

The team's first competition was against Niles West. Maine South won with a score of| 124.0 to 101.6. Some highlightsof the competition against Niles West were by Kristen Neisler, who was honored to both the all-conference and all-american teams at the conclusion of the previous season. Neisler received an 8.2 on the uneven bars, an 8.4 on the vault, and an 8.2 on the floor exercise. Freshman, Italia Cordaro received an 8.2 on the uneven bars, an 8.9 in the vault, an 8.9 on the balance beam, and an 8.8 on the floor exercise. In the all-around competition Itaha scored 34.8 points.

A rarity in gymnastics occured whenthe Maine South gymnastic's team went up against Highland Park. The two teams tied with 113.2 points. During the meet Kristen Neisler performed an 8.5 on the balance beam.

The Hawks next opponent was Regina.The team defeated their opponent, 116.8 to 96.5.

Senior Neisler racked up 34.1 points to win the all-around competition for the meet. Neisler scored an 8.5 on the uneven bars, an 8.7 on the balance beam, an 8.6 on the vault, and an 8.3 on the floor exercise. Junior Tamara Borck received an 8.0 on the vault. Sophomore, Holly Hameder jumped to an 8.4 on t h ^ ^ vault, and scored an 8.0 on the uneven b a r s . ^ ^ Coach Cain commented,"If the team stays healthly and there are no injuries, the team has the potential to put up a tough fight, against teams that have posed a threat in previous years."