SOUTHWORDS 10 South His;
, Issue 16
Koail • Park Riilszc.
May |y. 2(KK)
Graduate makes Maine South proud NEWS Pulitzer prize winner: Patricia Callahan -p.2 Constitution team - p.3 Science Olympiad-p.3
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Broadcasting awards-p.3 -
COMMENTARY
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Mother-p.4 Seinfeld; two years later-p.4 Voices in my head-p.5 End of the year blues-p.6 FEATURES Focusing on excellence-p.7 Focus: Steve Natali-p. 7 Truth and justice-p.8 Social science quiz-p-9 SPORTS Boys tennis and baseball-p.lO South stats -p. 10 Boys track -p. 11 Girls badmiton-p. 11 Boys volleyball and girls track p. 12
Mr Deines with students Ms. Chris Albright and Ms. Patricia Callahan, who graduated in 1989. photo courtesy of Eyrie by Meghan McCall Recently, a graduate from Maine South was involved in a project that was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for breaking-news reporting of their coverage of the Columbine High School tragedy. She is Trish Callahan, who has been working at the Denver Post for four and a half years, and one of her articles was among ten that were sent in with the application for the award. Before taking this position, she attended the Northwestern Medill School of Journalism and graduated with highest hon-
ors in 1993. After she graduated, she won a fellowship with the Henry Luce Foundation. The foundation was started by the man who founded Time Magazine. Every year the foundation chooses fourteen professionals under the age of thirty to work in Asia for a year, and Trish was the only journalist chosen that year. Trish first worked as a joumahst in Thailand. She then worked in several interships at prestigious publications, mcluding the Chicago Tribune for one year as a resident and then she made her move Continued on page 2
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H a w k wins Pulitzer Prize into her current position at the Denver Post Ms. Callahan usually writes in-depth and investigative stories, but since this was such a big event everyone on staff helped out. She was one of the first reporters from her paper to leave for Columbine the day of the shootings. She says that it was incredibly "It was a short sleeve day, the kind when the sun bathes pansies and tulips in a way that makes colors seems unreal." hard being there and watching the pain of the parents of the children who were not found amidst the screams of joy for those who were. She recounts a story of the day of the shooting, which she feels was one of the most difficult scenes to watch. The students were sent away firom the high school on yellow school buses to a nearby elemen"Senior Seth Houyfinishedlunch and decided to go to the library to leaf through magazines and hang out with his sister... a teacher ran into the library. She had blood on her shoulder. There's a guy with a gun. Everyone get down!"... Houy tucked his sister's head ar>d her friends under his body, covering them like a shield underneath the table." tary school. There, parents were literally standing on top of fences to try to spot their ^
children. Some of them found their children, but when the last students got off the buses others were left standing there with no one seeing their nearly unbearable pain. It was only increased by the fact that no one actually knew how many children were trapped inside alive, and how many were dead. Later, news came that there were twelve students and one teacher who hand been killed before the gunmen committed suicide. The story that Ms. Callahan wrote about this day, that was included in those for which the PuUtzer was awarded, was composed mostly from interviews she did at this elementary school, and there are various quotes from it throughout this article. After that tragic day, Ms. Callahan followed the story for the rest of 1999. She "The trench coat walked up and shot the boy point blank in the back," Frank {a boy from Columbine) said, "He was just totally calm about everything."'
focused specifically on the healing of the victims and their families. She says that she became very close to one family, the Mausers, whose son was killed at Columbine. She also visited other famiUes who had been victims of school violence in Kentucky and Arkansas. Ms. Callahan says that her experiences here at Maine South, with Mr. Deines, Mr. Kerr, Ms. Clarke, and Mr. Hunt prepared her not only for college but also instilled in her
TODAY m
a love of writing that she still has today. Mr. Deines got Ms. Callahan her first job at the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate and encour'They heard voices approaching the library: This is for all the people who have made fun of us ail these years." From underneath a table, sophomore Brittany Bollerud could see only the gunmen's combat boots and the bottoms of their coats. They were laughing as they shot at students." aged her to attend Northwestern. Ms. Clarke was the sponsor of the speech team Ms. Callahan participated on. She also would like to mention Maine South English teacher Chris Albright, who has been one of her closest friends since high school. She says that Ms. Albright has encouraged her through all of the challenges she's faced in her career thus far, and is a talented writer who has offered her valuable advice throughout thi There was a dead girl at the top of the staircase. She had a ponytail and still had her backpack on." years. Ms. Callahan loves her career, and encourages anyone who loves writing to consider making a career out of it. She says, "I know a lot of people say it's impossible to change the world. They are wrong. Through their stories, journalists around the country are prompting change both small and large." ^
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May 19,1588- The Spanish Armada sets sail for England. May 19,1906- The Boys' Club of America is organized for the first time, providing a place for boys to tiecome men. May 19,1964- The bugging of the US embassy in Moscow is announced.
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May 19,1989- The Dow Jones Average passes the 2,500 mark for the first time in history and closes at 2,501.1.
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News 3
Constitution team at Nationals
by Maura Collins On Friday May 5, the Maine South AP Hawk Constitution Team departed for what would be the trip of their lives. Arriving in Washington around noon, the team was quickly shuttled over to the White House where there was a visit with First Lady Hillary Clinton and a tour of the building scheduled. The tour of the East Wing, which includes the Red Room, the Blue room, was first on the agenda. Later Mrs. Clinton, a graduate herself of Maine South, met with the team and posed for a photo with them on the back lawn. Perhaps the most memorable part of the White House visit however was the guided tour of the West Wing. The West Wing includes such rooms as the Oval Office, the Press Room, and of course Monica Lewensky's former office, and is normally closed to the public. For the next two days, the team competed in the 'We the People, the Citizen and the Constitution' National competition. For the past several months, the members of the team as well as coaches Mr. Pat Feichter ^jid Mrs. Nancy Canova, have worked hard T)reparing four minute responses to questions issued by the Center for Civic Educa-
tion, the group that is in charge of the competition. The team is divided into six units, each focusing on a slightly different aspect of American Government. The most difficult part of the conmpetition is studying for a greuling six minutes of free response questions. At the competition, each unit, comprised of four to five people, presents its prepared answer. Then judges hammer the unit with questions that pertain to the topic. After the second day of competition, there is a dance at which the top ten teams are announced. While Maine South was not one of the top ten teams, they performed extremely well and received many compliments from the judges. One unit received a uiut award for being the best Unit 2 in the country. Members of this Unit are Sarah Anderson, Steve Chung, Som Dalai, Brian Fee and Rita Veron. The team is comprised of 29 Senior AP Government students, Sarah Anderson, Lauren Brinati, Steve Chung, Maura Collins, Michael-Mary Conlon, Som Dalai, Brian Fee, Tracy Foltz, Sarah Hansen, Bill Heerman, Erika Kronborg-Mogil, Paul
Science Olympiad among Illinois' best by Nick Disabato and Anthony Gaddini As any informed hawk knows, the Maine South Science Olympiad team, which consisits of fifteen individuals who compete in various scientific projects and test-based events, has had a quite successful year. The team came in fifth in the regional, earning a trip to the state science olympiad meet for the first time in five years. The goal of this year's most popular event. Tower Building, is to construct the lightest tower possible out of wood that supports the most weight. Led by Anthony Gaddini and Alan Zarychta, Maine South received third place statewide for a tower weighing only 8.52 grams that supported twenty-two kilograms of weight. Other successful events included 'The Scrambler" - a car powered by the gravita^onal pull of a one kilogram mass suspended Dne meter above the ground. The car must travel a specified distance, go over obstacles such as speed bumps, and stop in as little time as possible; all while carrying an egg
that must not break. Led by Nick Disabato and Scott Tagge, the team took seventh place statewide. Among a slew of other events, Joe Brutto and Paulina Rabaczak led the team while working with bottle rockets. The most amazing feat of all was that of those who used only their brains. Liz Kruesi, Jon Di Maggie, Allison Montgomery, Paul Drasba, Steph Kawka, Anthony Perozzi, Nick Disabato, and Sean Cassidy all participated in many test-based events, evaluating their scientific knowledge and expertise. Maine South placed fifteenth overall out of twenty four teams competing. The team thrives under the leadership of science teachers Mrs. Sagmeister, Mr. Egan, and Mr. Deipes. Science Olympiad continues to look for members willing to dedicate their time to science. Next year's season begins next November. If you're interested in joining the team, see Mrs. Sagmeister or Mr. Depies for more information.
Lewis, Elizabeth Lovero, Elizabeth Maratea, Meghan McHugh, Kathleen Meyer, Julia Mix, Kevin Moot. Elizabeth Ori, Dan Ostalowski, Jeff Percak, Addrienne Pontarelli, Luke Pyzowski, Natalie Selk, Chris Schutt, Katherine Skwarczek, Edward Uliassi, Grant Ullrich and Rita Veron. The group earned rights to the trip to Washington after placing first in the state competition last December. Fifty-one other teams competed in the National Competition in Washington D.C. as teams from all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia competed. The Constitution Team has always been a successful program at Maine South. Since the first Illinois state competition in 1989, the Hawks have gone to nationals nine out oftentimes. For the remaining two days of the trip the team toured the capital, visiting such landmarks as the Viemam Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. Finally, the group met with state senator Peter Fitzgerald and visited the room where the impeachment hearings for both Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon took place.
Broadcasting shines Recently, the Maine South Broadcasting Department made quite a showing at this years Chicagoland High School Video Festival. Those receiving awards were: Seniors, Dan Haas, Mike Nyman, Bill McClusky, and Mark Bransen, for the production of their video. Hurricane, received the First Place Award for Music Video. This continued Maine South's four year sweep of the award. Juniors, Tim Barabas and Tony ADegretti were also the recepients of two out of five scholarships awarded by Columbia College. They will be attending Columbia's High School Summer Institue, free of tuition. Maine South came home with several others as well. They received five platinum awards, six gold awards, seven silver awards, and one bronze.
iximLentar^i P r o p e r t y ot
The Editors Jerry, come back by Michael DePilla This month marks the two-year anniversary since Seinfeld, television's top-rated comedy and most clever sitcom, decided to call it quits at the peak of a wildly successful nine-year run. It seems like just yesterday that Thursday nights were built around the 8:0 to 8:30 do-not-disturb Seinfeld time, and the Friday morning buzz concerned characters affectionately referred to as Mulva, the Soup Nazi, and the Bubble boy. Since then the water-cooler talk has degenerated to "Did you see that guy blow the $500,000 question last night? What a moron, even I could have gotten that one!" Where have America's former icons been hiding for the past two years? Jerry, totally out of character, picked up a wife, and all George and Elaine have to show for their two years are a couple of lame commercials. In the meantime, sitcom television has plummeted to the point where America has embraced "Is that your final answer?" as a bona-fide catch phrase and reasoned that 50/50 never really works on harder questions because the two most likely answers are always left in the end anyway. Seinfeld's crafty writing and subtle, sophisticated approach to humor are sorely missed, especially in a new age where coarse, offensive comedy is more the norm. The way the writers were able to tiptoe around touchy subjects with vague descriptions and phrases like "master of your domain" or "not that there's anything wrong with that" was quite an art. Equally shrewd was the way all the seemingly unrelated and sometimes outrageous plot lines of each separate character tied together perfectly at the end. Comedic genius like this When I watch TV now, which has become an infrequent occurrence, in the back of my mind I still hope to see Kramer skid through Jerry's apartment door and dig into the fridge with his bare hands. SeinfeldrnzAc such a lasting mark on our pop culture that all comedy before the Seinfeldian age should be labeled "B.S." although those initials best describe posl-Seinfeld sitcoms. So Jerry, I'm asking you, please come back. Even if it's only for a couple episodes, America needs you. Besides, Regis as TV's primetime king... What's the deal with that?
AP Constitutional by JeffPercak Tears flowed freely from the eyes of the AP Hawks Constitution Team the night of Sunday May 7 in Washington, D.C. Assembled in Mrs. Canova's hotel room after the announcement of the ten teams that would compete for the national title in the We The People Competition, the AP Hawks cried and spoke from their hearts in the most emotional display I have witnessed in my four years of high school. After the initial shock of not being named one of the top ten teams had subsided, my teammates and I completely and unreservedly revealed to each other some of the things that Constitution Team has meant to us. First we noted that we had indeed accomplished what the competition desired of us; we learned more about the Constitution and our role in the course of our country. We accomplished what Dr. Cachur, Mr. Feichter, and Mrs. Canova asked of us; we gave all that we had and could be proud of our performance. Next, we acknowledged the emotional effects that Constitution Team has had on us. The "existential beauty" of the team was observed; the love for our fellow unit members and teammates was expressed; and the deepest appreciation for our teachers given. It was acknowledged that neither a plaque nor medals around our necks were necessary to understand everything else we have accomplished. I became best friends with thirty other people that night. The AP Hawks Constitution Team proved to me, among many lessons, the theory "Anything worth doing is worth doing right." I have never devoted myself so totally to a single organization in my life, and it was not until that Sunday night that I knew what it was like to be in a group where everyone had made the same sacrifices, and cared equally. I challenge every Maine South student and teacher to do the same: find an interest, and create a passion; find a group and make a team; find a teacher and make a firiend. Thank you Ted, Kevin, Kathy M., Grant, Kathy S., Som, Sarah A, Brian, Rita, Steve, Maura, Bill, Chris, Lauren, Tracy, Luke, Paul, Mi, Megan, Natalie, Sarah H., Liz L., Julia, Erika, Liz O., Adrianne, Liz M., Dan, Nancy, and Patton for sharing this all with me.
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S OUTPTWORDS A student-produced newspaper of:
Maine South Higfr^School n i l South Dee Road ,, I ^ k Ridge, d 6006^ Letters^the edieorshpiuld be deBvered to room V-13i ofri^veiH&ainemberof the editorial staP^SOBTHWORDS' reserves the right to etBtOTtterial for clarity and brevity and to r^Kt::srjgscene or libelous submis'
Michael DePilla Maura Collins News Editors Megan Gibbons Meghan McCall Commentary Editors Britt Frederiksen Lauren Hurley Features Editors Lindsey Krukowski Nicole Penn Sports Editors Sam Fuller Ellen Gartner Production Editors Ted Kocher Som Dalai Brian Anderson Dan Qyne Core Cartoonists Susan Wilson Core Photographers Eileen Collins Megan Price Core Staff Artist Monica Haak Staff Heads Nicole Kline Advisor T. R. Kerth Editors-in-Chief
Coiximeiitary
Voices in my h e a d :
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Wet yearbooks and flaming marshmallows "Than it's settled. Delia, you are going with on this pedestal, and I am left down here
by Lauren Hurley Considering the fact that I am not a seniw, I will not have anymore articles featured in Southwords for the 1999-2000 school year. This is because the Senior Issue is reserved for graduating writers and their sob stories and some sarcastic sojourns at South. What does this mean? It means that this is the very last Voices in My Head of the year, and its success (or failure) will determine placement (or lack thereof) for the section next year! Scene setting: Lauren's backyard in the twilight. The assembled Motley Crew (Myself, Justin Case, Delia Evergreen, Guy Preston, Celeste Knight, Jake Montana, Mae Stone, and Todd Remington) was gathered around the outdoor fireplace armed with flaming marshmallows. Fifty-feet behind us, several other party guests were trying their hardest to play soccer by moonlight in Woodland Park. The night's ambiance was gilted by Greenday's "Time of Your Life" booming from the radio. The last time someone spoke was fifteen ^ ^ n i i nutes ago when Jake Montana said," Ooh, look at the fire...pretty..." Since then, all of us pyromaniacs were completely absorbed into the hypnotic flames. Luckily, a guy named Bruce, one of the seniors who was previously on the soccer field, came over to join us. He turned down the stereo. "Can I have everyone's attention please?" he demanded. The firewatchers came out of their trance, the soccer players came to a halt, and the trampoline jumpers wobbled into each other. "First if all, I would like to thank our hostess for the final Thespian party of the year." I blushed as the guests exploded with cheers. Half of them had no idea who I was. They probably read "thespians" on the flyer and misinterpreted it. Bruce started up again, "Secondly, Prom is just a few days away, and I still do not have a date. So, how many of you think that I should take Miss Delia Evergreen?" Once they realized what was going on, the party guests reacted in a deafening collective roar. "All those opposed?" ome smart aleck in the back shouted out Me!" Thrown off by that last comment, Bruce look a recount. "Okay, so all those in favor?" A wave of "Ayes!" flooded the backyard. "All those opposed?" Silence.. .finally.
me to Prom." The crowd voiced an aggregated "Aw..." Deha turned pink. Through a thousandwatt smile she managed to remark, "Nothing like that has ever happened to me before." Mae coyly retorted, "Actually, that's how one of my boyfriends first asked me out." "Which boyfriend?" Justin asked. "Oh, the Finish boyfriend. He's you know, like, from Finland," she answered. That's our Mae: a one woman USO. Delia went off to speak with Bruce, and at the same time Celeste bolted in the opposite direction. Following my friend-in-need radar, I told Justin that I would be right back and ran after her. The soccer field was barren with the small exception of a trembling figure leaning on the goal post. As I approached, Celeste looked up. I was certain of two things: she had begun to cry and Bruce was definitely the cause. I sat down in front of her. "I know that I should not be hurt. I knew that he was flirting with both Delia and me, but still.. .1 wish I never went to that dance with him...He lead me on. I thought he was going to ask me, not Delia. Was I just being blind..." She carried on in a series of unanswerable questions. I felt so useless, but I wanted to help. Finally it came to me. Finally, the right quote came to me. I looked her in the eyes, "No boy is worth crying over.. .and the one who is won't make you cry." After a few minutes in a Zena Warrior Princess mindset, we returned back to the backyard. Guy put in the Armageddon soundtrack on the stereo, proceeded to steal my yearbook, and sat down on the hammock. Justin asked me to dance. Perhaps it was because it was the last party of the year, or maybe it was because the stars were reflecting in his eyes, but for some reason, I had to ask, "What happened this year? Why did we never go out on an official date?" He pondered the question for an eon. Finally, he replied, "For the last seven months, I was in heaven in your company, but I never made a move because of Guy." "What does Guy Preston have to do with us?" "I see the way you look at him, and you are always talking about how great he is for expanding his horizons.. .You hold him up
witness to it all." I took a glance at Guy. He was joined by two girls on the trampoline- they were jumping. He was sitting and attempting desperately to continue his yearbook message to me. I laughed, "Guy is something else. He is out there. Sure I put him on a pedestal but that is because he is an enigma. I can't figure him out...you better shape up. 'Cause I need a man, and my heart is set on you...to my heart I must be true." He smirked. Ah, "Grease": the great equalizer." I remember the first time I knew you were going to mean a lot to me," I added, "I was in first grade, and across the hall you were in a second grade classroom. You saw me, smiled, and waved. That was it for me. Since then, there has been no one else." I freaked myself out, I had kept that a secret for ten years, but considering he was leaving for the University of Colorado in the morning, I lost all inhibition. He seemed relatively pleased with the news. Track seven of the Armageddon Soundtrack started to play. Justin started to sing along, "All my bags are packed. I'm ready to go. I'm standing here outside your door. I'd hate to wak you up to say 'Goodbye.'" Fate is a vindictive siren. Tomorrow, Justin would leave on a "jet plane" to Colorado, and of course, we just had to be listening to a song by John Denver. I think what struck me hardest about that night was that we were finally going to be going our own ways, and I do not mean Justin and me specifically. I mean, seniors and imderclassmen in general. We have this bond with the upperclassmen because for three years, we looked up to them, admired them, aspired to be them. Now, that was all going to end. Next year, we will have juniors looking up to us, I suppose, but it is not the same. We will humor them the way the class of 2000 himiored us. I guess we all have to grow up sometime. "fVe go together like rama lama lama kiddickidy dingy dong. Remembered forever as shoo op shoo waddle waddle yippidy boom de boom. Chang chang changity chang shoo bop, that's the way it should be ...wah wah wah wah!" Class of 2000, I'll miss you more than you'll ever know.
End of the year blues by Britt Frederiksen The end of the year is always accompanied by a slippery cover of tears above a sugary base, like a cake made for someone's retirement. I get the feeling that I could not be more happy that I will not have to come into the Southwords office after school to write, I will not have to reduce trigonometry problems and I will not study European History ever again. Summer months mean sleeping in and days that pass with no definition or difference. Days that flow in and out, like water in between the pores of a sponge. By August the sponge is filled however, tanned, spent, and worn out. I am tired of summer by August. By September I long again for the summer months, winter vacation, anything. I welcome challenges that are placed under my nose, challenges I have to conquer and those I never seem to be able to. I try to jump over every hurdle I come across and if I miss I find my way back over the black and white striped bars behind me to make them up. The school year is recorded and set in stone, in datebooks, chandlers, calenders and lesson plans. Different people remember different things, the yearbook copies major events down, the newspaper captures moments in the school's daily life. Summer, however, is recorded on film or not at all, and parties become the same. The day of the week does not matter in the summer, the date has no meaning... Summer is attactive because it is not set in a rigid schedule for most. We want to escape life at school because we think it will be an improvement. It starts out that way. With school gone, there are no worries, no plans, and staying out late is not reserved for Fridays and Saturdays. By the end, however, we are again searching for something new. We get tired of life too easily. When the long days on the beach with wind pulling at our hair and our heads, and hours, no, months infi^ontof the television allowing rays of color and sound to pollute our minds are over, we are numb people, and dead. We do not want to return to school, but we do. We need something new. As I write this article, in the walled in Southwords office, I close my eyes and remember sailing on lakes in Wisconsin last
summer and lying out on canoes talking about nothing for hours on end. I can still feel the sand beneath my feet; the cold leather courch in my basement sticking to me after watching the same movie for the fourth time on HBO. The same pictures pass through my head during first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighths periods. Every time I bhnk I see the summer. The days before finals are like a plague, contagious, overhang-
STO'S
Pl^oAA S U I T
AFIHI^ A FEW
P^\Ho^
ing and always there, driving us home. The buzz of school starting again will hit again in August, and then we will need vacation again in September. The months of the year seem to oscilate between the need for work and the need for play. I can only hope that what drives me to do work until June 10th does not quit before then. School is hard, and it has been a hard year. This is the end. We can all take a deep breath now.
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FlMALUV bOKJE ALT-E^ATiOklS.
'eatures 7
Focusing on excellence at Maine South by Lindsey Krukowski On page 7 of every issue of Southwards a section called "Focus on Student Excellence" honors a student who has demonstrated worthiness of being a model of excellence. People often wonder how a person gets selected to receive this honor. This is not an honor bestowed by Southwards staff. The Features Editors distribute nomination fonns at the beginning of the each semester. The forms list the criteria a student should demonstrate in order to receive this honor. If a teacher feels that a student demonstrates the four specific criteria, they nominate the student by returning the form to Southwards and providing a quote stating why the student is worthy of the honor. Each issue, a student is selected from those nominated to appear in the "Focus on Student Excellence" section, along with a hst of activities and picture provided by the student. While the students chosen tend to be seniors, this is certainly not a requirement for nomination, nor are underclassmen disqualified |or this honor. The first criterion for nomination is that the student demonstrates leadership in the classroom, on the playing field, or in an extra-curricular activity. Secondly, the student should demonstrate the qualities of a caring, mature, and moral individual. Also, the student should perform above and beyond the "call of duty." The final and most important criterion is that the student should be self-motivated, goal-oriented, and committed to excellence. Since this is the last regular issue of this schoolyear, the Southwords editors would like to recognize those students who were
nominated but were not able to be featured due to the overwhelming presence of outstanding nominations. Seniors: Jennifer Caccomo, Dushan Pavichevich, Patrick Dorsey, and Lindsey Krukowski. Juniors: Heidi Libner, Anthony Skaczylo, Eric Sapp, Dave Gillespie, Molly O'Keefe, Shannon Joyce, and Ryan Grob. Sophomores: M a r c e 11i n 0 Rivera and Tina Lukas.
tors would like to congratulate all of the students nominated for displaying such great qualities; we wish we could have recognized everyone. The Southwards editors would like to encourage everyone to continue putting forth the extra effort, and we hope that everyone will receive recognition for the excellence they have displayed. Congratulations again!
Freshmen: Breanna Dolan and Katie Solari. The Features Editors would like to thank all of the teachers for taking the time to nominate students this year, and we regret that we were unable to publish all of your excellent nominations. Staff members provided wonderful quotes explaining why the above mentioned students and those already featured display Hawk excellence. Also, the edi-
Senior Activities: • Varsity Football • M-Club • Italian Qub • Gennan Club • National Honor Society • High Honor RoU • mixtois State Scholar •Scholar Athlete
'Old Man and the Flies'
oc
Steve Natali
Focus on Student Excellence
Teacher's Comments: "Steve stands as a highly motivated person, student, and athlete. His work ethic and abilites allow him to reach his fuEest potential. Most importantly, he always makes time for his family, teamm^es, and friends. His positive example for our underclass students is exceptional. He epitomizes the Hawk PRIDE standards and challenges himself to acheive great accomplishments." —Mr. William Milano
18 Features
Truth a n d justice for s o m e
by Dan Clyne and Ryan Slattery "A court cannot make an innocent man guilty. Any ruling founded on injustice is not justice. The righteous fight for life, liberty, and justice can only continue." These are the words of one of the most controversial inmates in the history of death row. His followers and supporters are outspoken and devoted to their cause. His detractors are enraged that such a man could possibly con so many people into believing him. He has been called a murderer, a liar, and a manipulator. He's also been called a victim, and to some, a hero. He just likes to be called Mumia. Mumia Abu-Jamal still waits on death row. Every day that passes brings him closer and closer to his fate. Technically, he should have been dead already. His death sentence was set for August of this year, but the continuous inflow of support for Mimiia and outrage at the Philadelphia police department caused the governor to hand down a stay of execution. Who is Mumia Abu-Jamal and wby has he become such a public figure? Why are his trial and death sentence so closely scrutinized? To understand Mumia's case, <Mie must understand its origin. In 1981, Abu-Jamal stopped his c ^ when he saw a Philadelphia police officer beating a young black man on the street. When AbuJamal tried to intervene, he saw that the young black man was his brother. What happened next is subject to many debates. It is a fact that both Abu-Jamal and the officer, Daniel Faulkner, were shot However, according to witnesses, Faulkner shot Abu-Jamal in the chest, whereupon an unknown assailant appeared fi^om out of an alleyway, shot Faulkner in the head, and fled. The story seems far-fetched, but a balhstics test later conducted showed that AbuJamal's pistol was a .38 caliber. The bullet found in officer Faulkner's brain was fi-om a .44 caliber. When police arrived on the scene, they took turns brutally beating Abu-Jamal on the street for 45 minutes until finally allowing him into the ambulance. When he arrived at the hospital, he received more unjust treatment. As several doctors meticulously worked on Officer Faulkner, Abu-Jamal lay unattended. Dr. Anthony Colletta remembers seeing Abu-Jamal laying unattended
and gasping for air. Colletta left Officer Faulkner and tried to resuscitate Abu-Jamal. No other doctors joined him. The events of that night hve on in infamy, but the trial that would follow brings infamy to a new level. The judge appointed to the case was Albert F. Sabo. He was known around the city as "a defendant's nightmare." Prosecutors joked that a case heard by Sabo was "a small vacation." Sabo has sentenced over 40 people to death, more than twice the number of any other judge in the nation. Of all of the people he has sentenced, only two were not African-American. When Abu-Jamal, an accomplished journalist with great knowledge of the law, motioned to represent himself. Judge Sabo refused, citing that the defendant's dreadlocks would make the jurors "nervous." The attorney appointed to Abu-Jamal by the state did a less-than-satisfactory job of defending him, to say the least. His crossexamination was vague and did not shed any light on the mystery surrounding the case. In fact, several years after the trial, the attorney filed an affidavit in Abu-Jamal's defense telling of his incompetence. As far as the prosecutor, he was later reprimanded for withholding evidence in a different trial. When Abu-Jamal was finally allowed to represent himself in the trial, he was given only $150 to interview witnesses. The witnesses' testimonies are another interesting aspect of the trial. Several police witnesses on the night the shooting occurred testified that Abu-Jamal had confessed, however the records of the arresting officer did not mention a confession. A confession is a very significant part of a police report, and an omission is highly unlikely. The arresting officer was on vacation during the trial. Although his testimony was essential. Judge Sabo refused to postpone the proceedings until his return. The police interviewed over 125 witnesses, but could find only two who fingered Abu-Jamal as the killer. The first witness, Cynthia White, changed her story several times before accusing Abu-Jamal of the crime. The other witness, Robert Chobert, initially reported that the assailant was around 225 pounds and "ran away" from the crime scene. Years later, the reason for the change in his story t>ecame evident. At the time that the shooting took place, he was driving a taxi
without a license while on probation for felony arson. At the time this information came out, Chobert was still driving illegally, without any trouble from the police. Four other witnesses testified to seeing a man other than Mumia Abu-Jamal commit the crime. One witness for the defense, Veronica Jones, testified that the police guaranteed her and another woman that they could continue to be prostitutes without interference from the police if they would just say they saw Abu-Jamal kill Faulkner. Judge Sabo ordered her testimony stricken from the record, without offering an explanation. It is no surprise that Judge Albert Sabo had no trouble sentencing another man to his doom, despite the evidence and shaky wimesses for the prosecution. Since the trial, Mumia Abu-Jamal has filed several appeals, none of them accepted. In a 1990 appeal, the Supreme Court allowed Mumia's past affiliation with the Black Panther I^ity to be used against him. Seventeen montfis later however, the Supreme Court overturned a Delaware man's^ death sentence after a fascist and racist institution that has been spreading violence and fear for many years. In a 1996 appeal, Veronica Jones came forward to testify that she was pressured to lie by police at the time of the uial. When she took the stand. Judge Sabo threatened to sentence her to seven years in prison for perjury is she gave two conflicting stories. Despite the threat, she went ahead and testified. When she was finished, an enraged Judge Sabo called two officers to arrest her for having missed a two-year-old court date. Mumia has since gotten a new defense lawyer, Leonard Weinglass. "For more than 15 years, Mumia, who has lived in the shadow of death, has asserted his innocence," says Weinglass. "The new information brought in the last two years.. .supports that claim." So Mumia Abu-Jamal continues to wait in his jail cell. His execution has been delayed, but if his appeals continue to be denied, there is no avoiding his death. Mumia however, still has hope. "Still we can't forget the old saying that truth can set you free," he says, "I still believe that. I'd be a fool not to."
'eatures 9
Counter-terrorists \A/in
by Ted Kocher At the Combat Cyber Cafe (CCC) in Park Ridge, you are likely to see and hear a lot of serious expressions. People mad with rage jump from their stations and yell quite loudly (no cursing is permitted). Drop in the cafe, located at 83 W. Devon, right next to Dairy Queen, and you are guaranteed to hear players saying "Where is he?" and teammates saying "He's in the tunnel, with an Arctic!"
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Gamers play Counter-Strike. The CCC opened last August. The owner, a friendly, knowlegable ex-marine, Icomes everybody and anybody who uld like to use the cafe. ÂŤ
The cafe seems to attract mostly teen-aged gamers, but many people use the CCC for its high-speed internet connection. Many people use the internet connection to download large files and bum them on a CD to take home (Yes, the CCC has several CD-RW devices). The computer systems are completely stateof-the-art in every way possible: serious graphics cards for gamers, and tweaked speed for the internet users. Even though the game collection at the CCC rivals that of Best Buy, there is definitely a most popular game. Counter-Strike, which is a modification for the popular "HalfLife," is the most popular game played. And the experience is much better when you can sit next to seven teammates and take on internet playersfi-omall over the world. However, take this warning: \ playing Counter-Strike is highly addictive. It may interfere with a normal lifestyle. But it is highly recommended, especially at the price for "newbies." If you have not been in before, you get fifteen minutes of
game time absolutely free, which will lead to addiction.
The Combat Cyber Cafe is open Tuesday-Thursday, 5PM- 10PM, Friday 5PM to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight, and Sunday noon to 10PM. The CCC is closed on Mondays.
Social science quiz stumps South by Kevin Moot and Dan Haas Who drafted the Declaration of Independence? Who won the Civil War? These seemingly simple questions proved too difficult for many Maine South students. In an elementary social science quiz, consisting of 10 questions, only 6% of students were able to pass with a score of 7 or better. This follows a national trend for students across America. According to the latest survey pubUshed by the National Center for Education Statistics, American students are lagging behind Europeans in the field of Social Science. In fact, American students on average scored 17% lower than the average European in a test pertaining to geography, history, and current events. The National Center of Social Studies # â&#x20AC;˘ nd other disturbing results, finding that the average American teenager cannot answer such a question as, "What is Bill Clinton's party affiliation?" Only 78% of
those surveyed were able to answer, and that was after being given the options Democratic, Republican, or Independent. These statistics, though hard to beheve, were nearly mirrored by Maine South students in a recent survey. Of the 107 students surveyed, only
Only 23% were
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able to identify all three of JFK's ... 1 1, 1J mitials...all c o u l d identify w h a t
to answer that Dennis Hasten is the current Speaker of the H^use. Furthermore, only 23%
KFC stood for.
7^^^^'le to
identify all three of JFK's initials, and what they stood for However, all of those questioned were able to identify what the initials of the food chain KFC stood for It would be safe to assume, in accordance with the statistics above, that John Fitzgerald Kennedy doesn't mean as much to American
teens as fried chicken. When presented with the question, "Who shot Abraham Lincoln," senior Michael Nyman responded, "I don't know. Lee Harvey Oswald? Or did he shoot Reagan?" This could be a simple mix up of historical figures. On the other hand, 86% of those who could not answer John Wilkes Booth as being the assassin of Lincoln were able to identify Jerry Seinfeld's 3 best friends on the TV sitcom Seinfeld. Michael Caldwell, a student teacher in the social science department at Maine South, gave his opinion regarding the results. "It doesn't surprise me. In a nation with such diverse cultural backgrounds as the United States, there just doesn't exist the same amount of national pride evident in the European countries." Mr. Caldwell believes that Europeans feel more in touch with their national history because of a stronger cultural bond.
Sports-
S\A/inging
s\A/iftly
by Alec Sipkovsky After a spectacular beginning of the season where the Hawks found themselves undefeated for the first two weeks, the team has hit a bit of a rough patch. Defeats at the Maine South Quad and two tough dual meets against Glenbrook South and New Trier have set the team back a little bit, but they are looking forward to continuing their progress through the conference meet, sectional meet, and God-willing, the State meet as well. Varsity players Luke Lasota and Scott Roebuck are trying to continue their out-
standing seasons by keeping their conference records perfect through the regular season and into the final meets of the season. However, at this point of the season, all of the players must look past their individual goals and records, and look at the goals of the team. Sometimes people forget that tennis is a team competition where everyone on the team must pull together and forget their records, winning percentages, and so on. The entire team is looking forward to seeing at least some of the Maine South population at their end of the year meets.
Boys' baseball z e r o e s in on state by Dan Kamatz and Ed Schillinger
The Hawks are getting more impressive as the season moves on. After completing over half of the conference schedule they are on top of the CSL south, trailing New Trier by only one game. Way back in April the Hawks traveled to Waukegan and came out on top in the subzero weather. Coach Jason Marsicano so gracefully stated, "We got production from spots in our lineup that to this point had been barren." He was speaking of seniors Peter Krol, Bob Westman, and Nick Giovaimelli. The final score was 10-7. The Hawks got a wonderful pitching performance from Mark Ori in the first game against Evanston. The sophomore hurler tossed a seven inning no-hitter allowing only one Wildkit to reach base. Evanston traveled all the way to Park Ridge in the Hawks next game only to be disappointed. Adam Resales roped a ground ball up the middle to win in the bottom of the seventh. Not only did they walk away with a 7-6 victory but also a valuable lesson in timeout taking. After blowing away Clemente, the Hawks had a feast on Maine East. They came through with solid team efforts beating Clemente 13-3 and Maine East 5-1. The Hawks faced the biggest challenge of their season in their next two games against New Trier. In the first game the ball was handed to Ori. Despite some spectacu-
lar defensive efforts by Dan Kamatz at third and Chris Schutt in center the Hawks could not whip up enough offense and lost 7-1. Thursday the Hawks had much more exciting things to come. Senior captain Chris Schutt showed his dominance on the mound striking out eleven Trevians. Resales hit a two run homer, sprang around the bases, and lept into the big strong arms of Craig Murray as he approached the plate. The final score was 11-3 bringing the Hawks within one game of the conference lead. The Hawks ended a triumphant week with a 12-3 trouncing of Deerfield. The Hawks put the game away with a nine run eighth inning. No one was surprised when Adam Roasales and Pete Krol clubbed home rims. On the other hand everyone was surprised when Ed Schillinger showed signs of power. He smacked two doubles in one inning and three on the day. The second game of the double header was a similar story with Brian Cassidy putting his weight behind a homer, and Craig Murray using those big strong arms to club a home run. The Hawks ended a perfect day with a 15-2 enilation. Adam Resales spoke for everyone when he emotionally stated, "Dude, we can totally win out this season. Dude." Yes, this team is for real. So as the season comes to a close, come out and cheer on the Hawks as they zero in on a state title nm.
South Stats Number of combined goals and Junior Prom Queen crowns tallied by Claire Sharkey on Saturday, April 28.
1,936,156,953 Projected number of kills Garrett Fechner will have for the Boys' volleyball team by the end of the season.
125 Number of kiUs Garrett Fechner has thus far through 25 games. This astounding compostie is a new record for a right side hitter
Number of concussions the Maine South Girls' soccer team has suffered, all in the same week.
Number of All-Conference athletes at the Girls' CSL South track meet; Kell ^ Âť Haas and Susie Logsdon.
Sports 11 Headin' down the home stretch by Dan Tomassi Maine South boys' track team continues show improvement as the season is comiig to a close. At the Morton Invitational meet, the Hawks blew away the competition to take the first of six teams. Brad Seberhagen not only set a meet record for the 300IM hurdles, but also broke the Maine South school record, lowering the mark to 40.3 seconds (previously 41.1). At the Glenbrook North Spartan Relays, the previous night, the Hawks took third of ten teams, a result that the team was happy to improve. At the Conant Cougar Relays, Maine South took fifth of twelve teams, an impressive finish in this very competitive meet.
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Recent additions to the school's all time Top Time Records include Dave Skiba in the 110 m high hurdles, John Giaccomino in the 100 m dash, and the Hawks 800 m relay, composed of Will Dushek, Corey Norman, Tony Skaczylo, Dan Tomassi. The team, as strong as ever, is anticipating promising results for the upcoming conference and sectional meets. The team is also hoping to be represented at the state meet by several athletes, including Brad Seberhagen and Corey Norman in the pole vault, Brian Fee and Sean Story in the shot and discus, and hopefully one or more relay squads. Come out and make some noise in support of the Hawks.
Coach Verber imparts some of his infinite wisdom on his team.
HuM^k 5/19 Boys' Tennis
Sectionals
Outdoor Track
Girls' @IHSA State Meet
5/20
photo by Sam Fuller
by Kira Ho As the season comes to an end, the badminton Hawks look back on their successful season with satisfaction. For the past two months, Maine South's badminton team has practiced hard and played tough. All of this hard work eventually paid off when they went into conference. The varsity team placed fourth overall and the JV finished fifth. Helping with the number of wins were Maggie Witek placing second in number one singles, Sonja Mirsky and Amanda Jasinowski placing third in number five doubles, Adrianne Pontarelli placing third in number seven singles, and Sonja Mirsky placing third in number eight singles. After conference the Hawks still had a major task in front of them at sectionals. Last week, six members of the varsity team played at Evanston attempting to qualify for state. Out of these six, Maggie Witek, placing first for singles, Liz Sutter and Kira Ho, placing fourth, qualified for state. A sf)ecial congratualtions should be given to these three players for making Maine South proud. Come out and support the team this weekend at New Trier!
Highlights 5/22
5/23
IHSA Regionals Begin Season Over
Boys' Volleyball
J\ @ New Trier Invite 5 PM
Girls' Badminton
Season Over
Girls' Softball
@ Barrington Quad 4:30 PM
Girls' Soccer
Regionals Begin
5/24 Frosh Maine East Invite 4:30 PM
Boys' Baseball Boys' Gymnastics
Ending with a smash
JV @ New Trier Invite 9 AM
IHSA Sectional Begins
IHSA Regionals Begin
UL^Pring
SOUTHWORDS iii>>
S m w r • B;iNcb;ill • Vollcvb;ill
• l^nilniiiitoii • 'ronnis • Civmn;islii-s • Ihick & l-ickl • .SoUbiill
Volleyball big in tournament play by Joe Jarosch and John Vigna After a dismal 2-7 start, the Hawks volleyball has made a complete turn around. In the last 10 games, the Hawks have racked up a 9-1 record, including wins against Stagg, Liberyville, Niles North, and a second place finish in the Waukegan Tournament. The Hawks have been fueled by the relentless play of Mark Wojteczko. With the addition of his unamed comer shot, and his season high 21 kill game, he has led the Hawks to their first winning record of the year. Another bright spot has been the strong play of Garrett Fechner, the sixth option, who is second on the team in kills. Other surprises for the Hawks have been the increasingly smart play of Eric Sapp and Greg Feiereisel. The continued strong play from John Vigna, who for the second year leads the team in digs and aces, has greatly contributed to the Hawks late season run. Setters John Jacobsen and Joe Jarosch have made great contributions to the team, and are on pace to break their assist totals from last year.
Garrett Fechner perfects his volleyball skills at a recent practice. photo by Megan Price
Girls' track soars at conference by Meg Dwyer Longer . . higher . . faster. . . stronger This has been the ultimate focus of the girls' track team over the past several months. Our hard work recently paid off with several awesome performances at the Conference meet, held at Niles West on Friday, May 5. The team faced several of the toughest teams in the state including New Trier and Evanston, placing fourth overall. Proving that Hawks can soar, the jumpers had several outstanding performances. Lydia Liu took fourth place in the high jump, clearing a height of 4' 08.00" Suzie Logsdon took fourth place in both the long jump (16' 05.50") and the triple jump (35' 06.50").
Lina Liu took sixth place in the long jump (15'05.00") as well as in the triple jump (33' 09.25"). In a display of Hawk strength, several individual performances proved to be among the top. Theresa Weritz took fifth place in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.8 seconds, and Natalie Rubino ran the 400 meter dash (1:03.8), earning sixth place. Morgan Sokes took fifth place in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:29.2. Kelly Haas placed in both the one mile (sixth place) and the two mile (second place), with a mile time of 5:37.5 andatwo mile time of 12:12.0. Ann Kielar earned sixth place in the 300 meter low hurdles with a time of 54.8 seconds, and Bea Ceccherini took sixth place in the shot
put with a throw of 30'09.75." The Hawks combined efforts on a number of outstanding relays. Theresa Weritz, Suzie Logsdon, Katrina Kloess, and Linda Lazar took third place in the 400 meter relay with a time of 50.9 seconds. Weritz, Logsdon, Ann Niski, and Kloess combined in the 800 meter relay for a time of 1:53.6, placing third. In the mile relay, Niski, Natalie Rubino, Joanna Ortega, and Kloess finished with a fourth place time of 4:21.3. The Hawks now only concentrate on the future. They are now hoping for an even stronger performance at the upcoming State , meet, where they will have the chance to prove that the Maine South Hawks do more than fly.. .they soar.