Vol 40 issue 3

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OCTOBER 3, 2003

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<; n VOL. i j t h40. NO. ^ ^ -3^

National Merit Semifinalists

The eight National Merit Semifinalists pose for their accomplishment.

In This Issue:

NEWS:

COMMENTARY:

Red Ribbon Week

Parking Pernnits I

Ston- on page 3

FEATURES:

Foreign Exchange Students

SPORTS:

Boys' Soccer

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SOUTHWORDS'October 3. 2003ÂťVOL. 40. NO. 3

A shiny new addition to Maine Souths

by Anna Gartner Hawk pride is now a driving force at Maine South. On Friday, September 19, 2003, a majority of Maine South's population was introduced to the new mascot of Hawk Pride, a red Mini-Cooper.

Driven by Mr. Scott, and accompanied by senior Megan DuPont. people were in awe as they watched the vehicle drive around the track.

When walking out of the assembly, questions were buzzing as to how Maine South received this car. These questions were answered by Dr. Sorensen.

"When I saw a red, white, and black Mini-Cooper on the road I realized that this car was made for Maine South, and it would be a great way to generate enthusiasm," Sorensen said, "so I called Patrick MiniCooper in Schaumburg."

"I talked to the sales manager at great lengths about Hawk Pride and what Hawk Pride represents. He was very excited about the program and to my surprise said that he would do whatever he could to get us a car," Sorensen said. However, Maine South does not own the car. The Mini was purchased from the manufacturer by the dealership as a demo and for Maine South to use at its convenience.

"The car is an exciting symbol of Hawk Pride." Dr. Sorensen also said, "Another important reason for getting the car was to get the community involved and interested in Maine South and our Hawk Pride." He was thrilled to see all the enthusiasm he

received when driving around Park Ridge after the assembly. People would shout, "Go Hawks," and "Go Hawk Pride," from the street.

Dr. Sorensen also said that "the car will not be used specifically for Hawk Pride because Hawk Pride is not a club, but really our school culture. The car will be used at Maine South for many school functions to generate enthusiasm and pride." He was hoping that the student body would feel excited and enthusiastic when they saw the new addition.

When people were asked about the new car, responses were mixed. Senior Jenny Heffernan said, "1 don't understand the purpose, and it didn't really feel effective when they brought it out. Too many people were wondering how they got the car." On the contrary, senior Mary Pat Rooney said. "It was an attention grabber and it got people to notice and become aware of Hawk Pride. 1 feel it will benefit the Hawk Pride feeling, considering it is new and original. No other activities or clubs at Maine South have a car to represent them."

Hawk Pride is a revived program at Maine South, meant to improve the environment for the individual, the staff, and the students. It is also meant to help the student body develop a sense of ownership at Maine South and_ the addition to our school, the Mini-Coopi^Hb will assist in this effort. Lead by D ^ ^ Sorensen and Mr. Scott, leaders will come to first period classes and teach important and inspirational lessons to the students one Wednesday a month. All lessons will relate to pride within yourself, your school, and your fellow peers and will be part of an ongoing project throughout the year.

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J.orjay J.n Jirr^Lory October 3,1920 - The first ganfe^ffR^T^iojpn Football League were played. *

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October 3, 1974 - Pele, arguably thdii(ifc.socq|r player of all time, retired. lal Watergate trials began.

October 3, 1974 - The F|)litidyiy iticsjly ' v ^ contipven ,, j j r

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October 3, 1990 - East Germany'^pi4Jii(i^iaLi^riTfany merged to become Germany.

October 3, 1994 - OJ Simson was acquitted of the brutal murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Smith, and friend, Ron Goldman.

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S 0 U T H W 0 R D S < X : T 0 B E R ?,. 200.^ÂŤVOL. 40. NO. 3

Red Ribbon Week festivities

by Ashley Rezaeizadeh In late October, Maine South will celebrate Red Ribbon Week (October 20 through October 24). Red Ribbon Week was founded upon the death of the Drug Enforcement Agent, Enrique "Kiki'" Camerena. who died due to fighting the battle against drugs. In 1985. he was captured by drug traffickers in Mexico and brutally beaten, tortured and killed for w o r k i n g undercover. This event man inspired the idea of Red Ribbon weak to fight ^^ against drugs and have people unite for the good of the cause, so this would be less frequent in our ^corrupt world.

This year.

Red Ribbon Week has many activities planned for Maine South that are to be fun and educational promoting the awareness of the hazards of drugs and alcohol. With the help of the Drug Free Schools Committee, sponsored by Mrs. Hamrin. there will be a variety of festivities for students to take part in. Before Red Ribbon Week, there will be a poster contest on October 15"'-17'" depicting the theme "Most Kids Don't".

The theme of "Most Kids Don't" reflects the ideas that not everyone is involved with alcohol or drugs, and in fact, most aren't.

Most Maine South students choose to stay healthy! Students interested in making posters can come to CI47A to make the posters or make them at home and drop them off there. As a bonus to the promotion f Red Ribbon Week's posters, the contest winners will receive a gift certificate to Best Buy. Red ribbons this year will be available outside the cafeteria during lunch periods

for 25 cents starting October 20"'. Buy one to show your support for the education of anti-drug beliefs! Also, on the front window, there will be handprints of students and staff members under the sign "We choose not to use" to further implement the unity of the community and support of Red Ribbon Week.

Maine Township's Youth Coalition is sponsoring the signing of a pledge card (available at a table outside the cafeteria on October 23"'). in (r?:.

I-' -^^ which students will pledge to have a healthy, drug free lifestyle.

The reward? A free cookie will be given to those that choose to make good choices for the future. Be extra nice to people on October 24 because you might just get "caught in the act of caring" and be rewarded something sweet.

Also on October 24, Red Ribbon Week is asking students and staff to wear red to show support. As usual, the Physical Education department will also be exercising the Walk/Run for Red Ribbon Week. The class that ends up with the most completed laps will win a pizza party.

On November 14, Drug Free Schools and Health Unlimited will sponsor the annual Red Ribbon Celebration night from 7:0010:00 p.m. filled with fun including the climbing wall, badminton, bingo, music, prizes, free food and much more.

If you are interested in participating in such activities like the Red Ribbon Week celebration, prospective students should join the Drug Free Schools committee to continue their support for drug awareness.

Anyone interested should see Mrs. Hamrin in her office in A321, where there will be a sign up sheet posted on the door.

National Merit Scholars

by Nicole Calabrese Maine South is proud to have eight national merit semifinalists this year. The semifinalists are Kevin Aumiller. Claire Elderkin, Andrea Farnham. Kristina Johnson, Matthew Lucas, Michael McCortney, Nick Noble, and Matthew Perille. You may be asking yourself, what is a national merit semifinalist and how does one become an actual National Merit finalist? In 1955, the National Merit Program was created and conducted by a non-profit organization called the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Every year, the NMSC underwrites a generous number of Merit scholarship awards with its own funds.

Around 550 independent organizations and institutions that sponsor this program will support a majority of the scholarships. The actions to become a National Merit semifinalist begin with signing up for the PSAT/ NMSQT test in the fall and then taking it on that one Saturday morning of junior year. Then one must score in the top 1 % of the state in order to qualify to be a semifinalist. The qualifying score changes from year to year, but this year the national score happened to be at least a 214. Out of 53.728 students who took the test nationally, only 726 students qualified. Needless to say, this is an amazing achievement. Now, these eight semifinalists will begin the application process. They will fill out an application, which includes things such as GPA and course selection. Out of the 726 semifinalists, approximately half will be become National Merit finalists. All eight of our semifinalists have excellent chances of achieving this prestigious award. Maine South is very lucky to have some of the brightest and gifted students in the whole country. Good luck to all the semifinalists!

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SOUTHWORDS'OCTOBER 3. 2003ÂťVOL. 40. NO. 3

Student Opinion

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by Moiiika Hysiccki During my first year here, the mighty Hawks went down state to UrbanaChampaign and returned proud with a first place trophy in their hands. When looking into the stands, one could see an ocean of red. moving like waves in doing peppy cheers and dances. Approximately 700 students made the three hour treck to support the victorious team. The success was the topic of Maine South conversation for weeks to come, shouts of "'Go Hawks" could be heard regularly throughout the halls.

Unfortunately, the team lost the following year, outraging many students and parents who argued that thick fog accounted for a crucial time discrepancy.

After that disappointing loss, which excluded the Hawks from the state finals, the school spirit of the Maine South body plummeted towards the nonexistent. For the next two years, the level of spirit stayed stagnant. For the next two years, the lack of spirit remained evident. The assemblies turned into power points, and the ocean of red turned into a sad rainbow of colors. Cries of "Go Hawks" were muted and replaced by moans about school policy.

And. as we began this new year. I expected the morale to be low again.

Although school spirit received a boost

by Claypool's active participation in Maine South classes and extracurriculars.

But. to my surprise, I began to notice changes around the time of Homecoming.

Most students attended the assembly despite the fact that attendance wasn't taken. And Claypool's dedication along with the creative assembly presentation, the introduction of the Mini Cooper, and bribes of food gave Maine South a glimmer of spirit. After the Hawk Pride day, the atmosphere of Maine South seemed a little more pleasant. All I could do was smirk. It might have taken the bribery of cotton candy and munchkins. but for the first time in three years, students seemed to care about the school.

Cemetery blues

by Alexandra Theofani.

It is well known that a parking permit is not available to juniors. Parking by the cemetery has been quoted by paraprofessionals to be a safe, common place for Juniors to park. Trusting their word, day in and day out, people park their cars, old and new, along that very spot.

After school on September 23, 2003. I was walking through the football field with Katie O'Connor, who also parks her car by the cemetery, when a friend of mine, Karol Wesolowski, ran up to us and, between gasps, muttered that someone had broken into her best friend's, Anna Latocha, car. I looked around suspiciously at the glass on the fioor as she went on to explain that they broke the back of Anna's window, and ripped out her new car system, which cost Anna a lot of time and money to buy.

I looked over to see Anna muttering quickly into her cell phone, requesting police assistance. Karol's eyes grew wide as she continued, saying that another girl also had her car broken into, that over seventy CD's were stolen. I walked along the street, spotting glass all along the cement floor. Katie and I fearfully looked in the direction of her car, which seemed

unharmed, as we walked quickly up to it, desperately searching for any damage. We sighed with relief as we drove up to the side of Anna's car and we asked them more about what happened.

Anna had first broken into tears when she had first seen the damage to her car and the car system she had worked for with her own money, then was filled with anger.

How could this happen? A place we were promised was safe, with houses feet away from the very spot where her car was smashed. The people who caused such damage truly disgust me, and deserve to be punished. Although the incident may seem unavoidable, it could have been easily prevented.

I remember when my sister was a junior at Maine South in 2001: juniors were allowed to acquire a parking permit along with seniors. Seniors, of course, got prioritv but many juniors still obtained a perm! themselves.

I think a new system should definitely be devised. Vacant areas, which seem to be in no use at all, could be made into parking spots for the ever growing amount of juniors with automobiles of their own.

Student Profile What is your name? Michelle Fischer What grade are you in? 11th What's important to you ?

School, family, and friends.

If you could be any animal, what would you be?

A human, top of the food chain rocks.

What's the best thing that happened to you today?

I ate a cookie.

Is swearing necessary?

Swearing is the devil.

What's yourfavorite type ofweather? Sunny days, sweepin' the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet.

What's the most important thing you look for in a friend?

He / she is a sox fan.

What do you think of sleep?

Best thing ever invented.

Are you happy? Vm content.

Do you talk to yourself?

No, she talks to me!

Do you believe in heaven or hell? Heaven Do you play sports? As best I can.

What's your favorite song?

3x5 , John Mayer What's your favorite quote? "Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten."

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

Less France, More England What's your favorite holiday?

The last day of school.

Is the glass half empty or half full?

Depends on if it's milk or water.

Do you like rain ? In the summer.

Are you nice to telemarketers".

Telemarketers are the devil.

Do you like small children?

Only when they're asleep.

SOUTHWORDSÂťOctober 3, 2003-VOL. 40. NO. 3

I I LCI

Student Opinion

5

No parking

by Rory- Hand and Jenna Kelly The first sensation you experience is utter denial. There must be some mistake; you should have received a parking permit.

That feeling of denial twists around your stomach as you franticly scan the list of ID numbers. Fate it seems is stacked against you. The summation of your senior year anticipation is crushed at the realization that the privilege to drive to school is no longer yours. You are a senior, head of the school.

You've waited three long years for this privilege and now it has been denied to you.

The indignation that so many seniors have felt recently at having been passed over for a parking spot is truly a travesty. The administration has decided to throw aside any tools of reason in determining parking privileges, allowing Lady Luck to pick her favorites instead. Rather than use their university-level educations to ensure that |everyone needing a permit received one, our Deans decided to simply throw our names in a hat, regardless of the facts. The sad

U]WflT'5 0^J

youR (JlfODSMIEiD 'and disturbing fact is that students living within sight of Maine South are given permits, while some who reside as far away as Niles are denied them.

This same conflict is relived the fall of

each passing school year, and yet despite the consistent outcry, there have been no changes in school policy. Along with the dozens of snubbed students who feel a change in policy is in order, many members of the faculty feel a new plan should be set in place as well. Mr. Deger, a social science teacher here at Maine South, believes that there need to be more stringent qualifications. "Our main priority should be special needs students, the remaining spots should be distributed in order of students living the greatest radius from the school."

Mr. Deger also commented "it doesn't make a bit of sense for students living so close to school receive permits, let alone those who do not even have vehicles available to them." Another factor not taken into account by the Dean's is the issue of carpooling; a single student may be expecting to drive up to six other students for the school year. If this student does not receive a permit, not only are they affected, but their family and six other families are placed at an incredible inconvenience as well.

This entire conflict could be resolved very quickly and efficiently if only the administration was willing to listen to the viable concerns of its students.

It's incomprehensible that a student who lives next to Hamlin Gate could receive a permit, while one who resides in Niles cannot, yet this is the system that the school stands behind. The benefits of a system devoted to these stricter qualifications are obvious: no more endless lotteries or crowds of enraged students and parents planning to lynch the Dean's office secretaries, and a righteous selection criteria. Let us hope that the new administration will act with all deliberate speed to right this injustice.

Yes, because the only place to park is the cemetery and CI. that's very far.

Becky Novothy, '05

OH

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The seniors that want parking passes should have them, but the opportunity should also be open to underclassmen.

Jessica Wagner, '06

on No, because .seniors should

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have the first pick and there aren't enough spots for everyone anyway.

KiK-v n,-r/., '07

I think juniors should get CO them, but sophomores shouldn't because not all of them have licenses.

Matt Annes. '05

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SOUTHWORDS'OCTOBER ?,. 2(X)3ÂŤVOL. 40. NO. 2

Student Opinion

A breathtaking experience

hy Kate Fitnkhousei Some people would call it sad that the first Maine South dance I attended was during my junior year. Other people would call it sad that I ended my record of not attending school functions. Either way. 1 went, for the first time.

I didn't know what to expect entering the doors. So, when I walked in and was told to stand against the locker room wall. 1 thought nothing of it. When 1 was told not to move from my wall. I thought there was something weird. People before and after me were all entering the spec gym without problemâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; what was wrong? I began to try and think of why 1 wasn't being allowed in.

Was it because my dress didn't have straps?

No, there were freshman allowed to enter wearing less clothing than I wear while I'm naked. Was it because I didn't have my ID? Nope, my ID was in hand, horrible-picturethat-makes-me-look-like-a-man-orbarnyard-animal and all.

By now, there were two or three other people being told to stand against the wall with me and my date. We all looked mildly unnerved and confused, so I asked the deans around us why we were there. "I don't know," two of them told us, with innocent shrugs. Couldn't they have figured it out? I did. We were going to have to take the Breathalyzer.

At least, 1 thought we would have to take the breathalyzer. A part of me was annoyed, but a part of me was curious. I thought it would be really ftinny if the dean of students called home to tell my mom that 1 was being tested. I had never seen a breathalyzer before.

To this day, I still haven't. During the ten or so minutes that I waited, only boys were tested. I figured I must have missed the day in Health where they taught us that only boys could get drunk. They wouldn't let the girls leave without their dates, so 1 stood there, nervously waiting. 1 thought about how sexist the entire policy seemed.

Girls weren't even allowed to enter the spec gym until their dates had been tested.

My date came back, his blood alcohol content officially 0.00. The deans didn't apologize, but they were pleasant. As we walked into the gym, we passed a group of

girls who had come with the other two people that were detained for testing. One girl nervously said that there was no way the boy would turn out sober. Another mentioned that she, too, noticed the lack of girls being tested. "S***," she said, "I'm coming to Girls' Choice smashed!"

date wore a hat or because the people after us reeked of liquor, but 1 guess gum could have alarmed someone as well.

There were only seven people given the Breathalyzer Saturday night. Even though I didn't see any girls be tested, one girl was, and she had something to drnk before coming to the dance. Out of the seven people, two turned up positive and were asked to leave.

The Breathalyzer only tests someone for his or her blood alcohol content, not other drugs. The school cannot force a student to take the Breathalyzer. However, if a student refuses to take the Breathalyzer, the school will assume that he or she is drunk. That means that the student will get suspended for ten days, and it will appear on his record.

I found that the Breathalyzer is accuratfi^ but not perfect. It measures not only t h ^ amount of ethyl alcohol in your breath, but also things with a similar molecular structure to that of alcohol. Acetone can be mistaken for ethyl alcohol. Diabetics have thousands of times as much acetone in their blood as normal people, so their Breathalyzer results may be inaccurate.

The University of New York reports that some alcohol-free people can generate a BAC of .05 or higher from eating certain types of bread. Other things that might give a false positive include blood, tobacco smoke, and interference from a cell phone or radios.

The experience was annoying, and it was kind of embarrassing to have to stand in line and feel everyone watch me. The more I think about it, though, the more I would have chosen to wait against a brick wall over having my car smashed by somebody completely drunk in the Maine South parking lot. There's no way students will ever stop coming to the dances drunk, so I doubt the Breathalyzer is going to go awa\ I suppose the moral of the story is not show up to the dances drunk, and not to chew gum while entering the building. I wonder if this could become one of our Hawk Pride lessons?

There were only seven people given the Breathalyzer on Saturday night.

Great job, Maine South.

Monday morning, I stood outside the door of the Deans' offices. 1 checked to make sure I was wearing okay clothes and my current Maine South ID, and entered.

Dean Thetard agreed to talk to me during my lunch.

I introduced myself and said that I had been stopped at the door. The dean remembered my date, and said that he understood if I was upset or offended. He was friendly and polite, but firm in that testing was the right thing.

Students are tested, he said, so that if they are in car accidents after the dance, the school won't be held liable. The school could then, among other things, be found liable for damages in court. If someone tests positive, positive being 0.01, because of the zero tolerance policy for people under twenty-one, his or her parents are called.

The school has the right to call the police, but they usually don't.

A student will be banned from all other dances, and receive a ten day suspension.

Five of these days can be "bought back" if the student attends a program about alcohol abuse.

Dates aren't allowed to leave until the student is tested because if there is alcohol in the car, everyone who rode will have to deal with possession chargesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; even if the the other people in the car weren't drinking.

I was told that we were picked to be tested because we entered the building chewing gum, and it might have smelled strange. I'm blaming it on the fact that my

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SOUTHWORDS'OCTOBER 3, 2003»VOL. 40, NO. 3

Speak the speech

by Sara Wolski

Speech team is a unique outlet for extemporaneous speaking, and activities dramatic and oratory creativity. Students that require strong oratory skills. Original participate in many of the various aspects oratory is an event in which students create of speech and acting including dramatic their own persuasive speeches before interpretation, humorous interpretation, delivering them before judges to be duet acting, prose reading, verse reading, evaluated. oratorical declamation, original comedy, Two of the most innovative and original oratory, radio speaking, special interesting events are radio speaking and occasion speaking, and original comedy. In extemporaneous radio speaking, / speaking. contestants write their ^»^;:-, <. ; i.

All of these speech ', -V •<.<•. ' .^7;'- own news casts and team events are included commercials before in a typical Saturday delivering them. The morning meet with as judges must evaluate many as ten different their achievements only high schools competing by listening to the / broadcasts over speaker simultaneously. Led by • \ •, ^>,.-^ the coaches Mrs. systems, the way a radio Metzinger, Mr. broadcast would Guccione, and Mrs. realistically be heard.

Rieger, along with coOriginal comedy is a captains Adam Shalzi and Katie unique stand-up comedy routine that centers Funkhouser, Speech Team is preparing for on a situation or scene. These routines are their upcoming events and competitions this exciting to watch and perform. year.

During the meets, Maine South Speech Dramatic interpretation is a solo event Team members are exposed to multiple that involves the participant selecting a different high schools at the same time. scene from a dramatic play and performing While it is a competitive setting, the all of the characters through personal experience allows students to meet people interpretation without the assistance of like them from several different locations props and costumes. This means that the in the area. Co-President Adam Shalzi actor does not need to run across the room enjoys Speech Team because of the to distinguish between characters, but rather opportunity to perform such varied events he or she will choose subtle but defined and the challenge of performing against character movements or positions, as well multiple other schools at the same time. as various vocal qualities, to represent the Adam says, "Speech team is the only fine different characters. Needless to say, arts activity at Maine South that involves dramatic interpretation is a challenging tough competition and awards while also speech team event but also one that is very motivating you to strive for improvement. stimulating and rewarding.

It opens you up to other schools and lets Prose and verse readings allow the you compare them to the programs at Maine performer to interpret the text of a work of South. Like certain sporting events, at a literature or poetry through performing single day speech team meet you can see techniques. This event motivates students ten other high schools and their to delve deeper into the meaning and competition." emotion of a work of literature, causing the The judges that assess performers are student to act as a vessel through which other high school acting and speech teachers words are given life. from the area. At the end of each meet, the Speech team also incorporates activities participants receive the judges" comments that require improvisation, such as and scores which allow them to improve . : "

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their event material for upcoming meets.

Also at the end of each meet awards are presented to the top performers and performing groups. Over the past years Maine South has accumulated several of these awards and has moved on to Regionals. After Regionals talented performers have the ability to move to Sectionals, and lastly, the State level.

Speech team featured over thirty talented members last year and is looking forward to an increased attendance this year. They work diligently with their dedicated coaches during individual appointments which are often flexible with other busy extracurricular and academic schedules. If any Maine South student is interested in any aspect of the Speech Team, the student is encouraged contact coaches Mrs. Metzinger and Mrs. Rieger in the Fine Arts Department or Mr. Guccione in the Math Department. ^

SOUTHV/ORDS

A student-produced newspaper of:

Maine South High School 1111 South Dee Road Park Ridge, IL 60068 Letters to the editor should he delivered to room V-131 or given to a member of the editorial staff. SOUTHWORDS reserves the right to edit material for clarity and brevity and to reject obscene/libelous submissions.

Editors-in-Chief

Monika Bysiecki Kristi Katz News Editors Carly Calkins Ashley Rezaeizadeh Commentary Editors Annie Berndtson Kate Funkhouser Features Editors Kara Collins Corinne Ullrich Sports Editors Greg Mitchell Katie Waller Production Editors Bobby Crismyre Kris Johnson Core Photographers Kiley Borowski Kathleen Pinter Joyce Ann Santos Core Staff Artist Advisor T.R. Kerth

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SOUTHWORDS'OCTOBER 3, 2003ÂťVOL. 40. NO. 3

Foreign exchange students'

by Kara Collins

Thailand-

Interesting Facts about Deaw:

Chonthicha Inthamat is a foreign exchange student here at Maine South this year. Deaw. as she is known hy her friends, is originally from Thailand and Favorite color: Violet was the recipient of a scholarship which Favorite number: 10 allowed her to come here to America for a year to study. Thai is her first language, Favorite Movie: 13 so it is a huge change for her to come here and only speak English.

Deaw is 16 years old and a junior here Chileat Maine South. Although the school year Constanza Lea is also a foreign exchange just started, she already loves it here. '"The student this year at Maine South. She likes students here are very nice."

Her old school was very different "Maine South is much bigger and here you study the same subjects everyday." Also, at her school in Thailand, she didn't have to walk to go to her classes.

She is takiny many classes including Physics and English and hopes to become a tour guide one day.

She is only going to be here for one year, but that is a Connie Lea (left) and Deaw Inthamat (right) long time for anyone to be away from their family. She is an only child and misses her to be called Connie and is originally from parents greatly.

Chile, or as she would say, "the end of the In her free time, Deaw likes to play world!" She wanted to come to America to basketball and skateboard. She also enjoys MTV and music by her favorite artist.

Avril Lavigne. Pop Rock is her favorite type of music. It also isn't surprising that her favorite type of food is Thai food, but she also likes Italian food.

While she is here, she hopes to learn Favorite color: Blue more about America and how our culture Favorite number: 2 is different from that of Thailand."I also hope to make a lot of new friends while Favorite Movie: The Others I am here."

Interesting Facts about Connie:

find out why we are so proud of our country. In Chile she speaks Spanish, which is her first language, but she also speaks English very well.

Connie just turned 18 recently and is at Maine South for her senior year. So far. her favorite part about Maine South is that "everybody has been very nice to me." "I also love the school spirit and spirit week. I have never worn my pajamas to school before!" At her school in Chile she had to wear a uniform, so it is nice for her to not have to wear one. Also, here at Maine South, she is able to pick her own classes, something that she wasn't able to do in Chile.

Connie, however, was not required to wear an ID at her old school. Shei hopes to become psychologist.

Connie is also going to be staying here for one year, until next summer. She has three sisters who are in Chile and misses her family very much.

However, she feels like she has two new sisters and a new brother in her host family here.

Connie is just a normal teenager and loves to watch her favorite TV show, "Friends." She also enjoys both playing and watching sports, especially volleyball and soccer. Her favorite food is entraiias.

Connie also hopes to make many new friends while she is here, but says, "It is hard to meet people when I have different classmates every period and have such a short time to talk." She also believes that a country is not about business oi government, but rather about the people.

Therefore, she hopes to learn a lot about the people here in America and is very excited to spend a year of her life here.

SOUTHWORDS'OCTOBER 3, 2003ÂťVOL. 40, NO. 3

â&#x20AC;˘Wurtzel's words on

America

According to estimates from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health among people of ages 12 and older: 120 million Americans were current alcohol users, 75.1 million were current tobacco users, and 19.5 million were current illicit drug users. An estimated 22 million Americans were classified as dependant or abusing alcohol, illicit drug or, in some cases, both. According to this same survey, 47 percent of all illicit drug users in America fall in the age group of 12 to 25 years old.

Engulfed in a "black wave" and feeling like the "walking, waking dead," Wurtzel. like so many other young adults in America, turned to drugs in order to escape from herself and the rest of the world.

She was wrapped up with the use of drugs, including ecstasy, speed, cocaine, alcohol and Ritalin. Although she was in the midst of a promising education at Harvard University and had recognized literary talents, she was fired from every magazine job she ever held.

In Prozac Nation, Wurtzel uses brutally honest descriptions of emotions and reality to portray two of the most difficult diseases to depict: depression and addiction. The nihilistic tone of the novel matches the callousness of depression, and gives readers a glimpse into a severely depressed mind.

She wanted to "write a book that felt as bad as it feels to feel this bad... to be true to the experience of depression."

Prozac Nation picks up momentum right away, preceded by Wurtzel's account of her initial experimentation with cocaine followed by a ruthless depressive episode.

The rest of the book covers a span of Wurtzel's life stretching from age 11, when she still was "full of promise" through the "sudden disaster" when depression hit her and up until her senior year in college.

Many teenagers and young adults follow a similar storyline in their own lives and the road is a dark and lonely one. Statistics show that one in eight adolescents in America may suffer from depression and only an estimated 30% receive any sort of treatment. To make matters worse, these numbers are constantly rising.

Even while so many clinically depressed people remain untreated. some psychologists are calling America an "overmedicated society," and they may not be wrong. "As many as 75 percent of patients are on antidepressants for mildeven trivial- conditions." Wurtzel addresses this pertinent issue in Prozac Nation, portraying the pros and cons of antidepressants, namely Prozac, through her personal experiences.

Considering the prominence of depression, divorce and drug use that afflicts the young population of this nation, Wurtzel's words can be very interesting and guiding for anyone who wants to listen to someone who really understands.

by Amy Fink Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of best-selling novel Prozac Nation, will be making an appearance in the Chicagoland area at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 16"' at Harper College in Palatine. There she will talk about her groundbreaking memoir of depression.

Although Prozac Nation was originally published nine years ago, the subject matter of the book is still very relevant. The issues expressed through Wurtzel's experiences are all strongly universal at their core.

Prozac Nation is for all the outcasts, children of divorced parents, drug addicts, chronically depressed and/or suicidal people of this nation.

These issues in Prozac Nation, which will also be the topics of Wurtzel's speech on October 16"', are relevant for people of all ages, but the utmost aim is targeted towards teenagers and college students.

These issues may hit very close to home for many Maine South students because I although Park Ridge may seem closed off from the rest of the world at times, depression and drug use are just as much issues here as anywhere else. In fact, we may even have a greater issue here than in some of our neighboring communities.

Many people have come to realize that Maine South, probably the highest acclaimed school in the district, may also have the highest drug and alcohol use rate in the district.

H e y Y o u f â&#x20AC;˘

^

If you would like to write for Southwards, here is your chance. The Features section wants your articles. They can be about anything, ranging from a school club or activity to something interesting that a student or teacher has accomplished. Please submit your articles to V-131 {Southwords room) anytime.

H e y Y o u f

10 Flying past the competition* SOUTHWORDS'OCTOBER 3. 2003«VOL. 40. NO. 3

hy Kara Collins The girls" cross-country team is in the midst of a very successful season. After an outstanding finish of 14"' at the Peoria invite, including a top 10 finish by Kim Coppin, the Hawks were flying high.

The girls" returned home and promptly defeated Evanston in the conference opener.

Then, on homecoming Saturday, the Hawks headed to Downers Grove South for a 14 team invite. Again the girls" proved that they were the best. Kim and Katie Coppin flew past all of the other runners, finishing in

first and second place for the fourth time this season. Their strong efforts along with those of Annie Erickson, Claire Forde and Stephanie Righeimer proved to be enough as the Hawks captured first place team honors against some very tough competition.

The Hawks then set their sights on Waukegan and New Trier. Again the Hawks were successful knocking off Waukegan and finishing a close second to New Trier.

Kim Coppin again ran an excellent race,

finishing in first place yet again. Katie Coppin also fared well finishing fourth overall. Again Annie Erickson. Claire Forde and Stephanie Righeimer had excellent races.

Last Tuesday the Hawks had their final home meet of the season against Niles West.

Tomorrow they head out to Wheaton for an invitational to face some very tough competition, but there is no doubt that these girls will handle it and fly right past the competition.

Exceding expectations

M Kristi Katz hv Kristi Kat: The Maine South girls' golf team is on fire. TTiey have accomplished more program firsts in the past month than they have in the entire history of the program.

The girls sarted their amazing streak at the Plainfield South Invitational at Wedgewood Golf Club in Joliet. The team captured the first team trophy in the history of the program with third place, shooting 404. Top ten individuals included Kristi Katz taking second with a round of 80. and

Vi^ I program record was broken on when the Hawks played the Lady Dukes from York.

The team counted a 38, 41,42, and 45 for a collective team score of 166. The icing to the cake came during Homecoming weekend, when the Hawks competed in the prestigious Highland Park Giant Invitational at Fort Sheridan. The team shot a collective 351, 30 strokes lower than the team"s previous 18-hole team score. The 351 came from a 78, shot by Kristi Katz, Miller's 86, Katie Katz's 89. and Meredith Wisniewski's

98. Kristi Katz came in with another top ten finish by placing fourth.

The girls are very excited about their recent successess, because they feel that they are peaking at the perfect time. Next week, the team will be competing in the highly competitive CSL Conference match. Jusw days after that, the team will head tc" Glenview Golf Club to compete for a spot at sectionals at the regional meet. The girls know that the next two weeks will be intense, but thev are ready for the challenge. \

HayA/k Highlights ""^'•'^//X^

10/3

10/4

Cross Country

10/6

10/7

Football

fe New Trier 7:.30pm

Girls'Golf

@ Regionals @ Highland Park 4:45pm

Boys' Soccer

@ GBS 5 pm

Girls'Volleyball

Boys'Golf

(s> New Trier Tnmt.

1 lam

Girls'Tennis Girls'Swimming

10/8

@GBS 4:30pm

@ Nequa Valley 10am

@ Regionals (S Niles West 4:30pm

• @ CSL/New Trier 9/lpm

SOUTHWORDS'MAY 31, 2003ÂŤVOL. 39, NO. 10

Just

call

me

n Sally

by Adriamia Stasiuk The Maine South girls" volleyball team to warm up before matches. "We play some some free t-shirts. "We were difinitely wonis seeing success in the present. dering what was going on. The and foreseeing success in the fuloudest cheering came during ture. Junior outside hitter Katic timeouts when playing had Kloess says she "can read stopped and t-shirts were being people's minds and sees the futhrown out." said confused Ellie ture" among many other things, Marquis. and has foreseen the success of Then during homecoming the girls' team to come. The girls weekend, the Hawks blazed rely on more than crazy superstithrough the Maine East tournations and fortunes and are workment, becoming champions "for ing very hard, just ask junior thefirsttime in Maine South hisbackrow specialist Danielle tory," according to old-school Janero: "Yeah, working hard is guru Coach Jim Lonergan. "I definitely a priority for Coach. 1 didn't care what happened, I just come home drained but we all wanted Waller's birthday to be come back for more." a special one," said senior captain standout Gina Heiderman.

That hard work has translated Hawks rally together. photo by Kathleen Pinte And the girls made their into a good starting record for the teammate's birthday a special one Hawks, who are currently 13-1, after finishing first in the competitive Maine East intense games of Sally Walker." by taking home the hardware.

Invitational Tournament. I think we can Previewing the past week, the girls beat So come to our home games, even if you credit some of our sucess to our pregame both Waukegan and Glenbrook South at know nothing about volleyball, because hey, rituals," said junior middle hitter Veronica home, where it was questionable whether you can get a free t-shirt. How can you turn Allen when asked about what the girls did fans came to watch good volleyball or to get that down?

Pushing dy Emma Sarran

Surely, the plaguing question on every Maine South student's mind is, "How the heck is the awesome Lady Hawks swim team doing?" To appease the anxious students, we have an answer: fantastically!

They have been in the water morning, noon, and night practicing and homing their skills since August 19, and have shown the fruits of their labor in their past few meets.

Although the first two meets against Prospect and Maine West did not go too well, the team has since proved that they are no group to be reckoned with. The girls traveled to Maine East on Friday.

September 12 and had an amazing turnout, .winning all but two events.

Claiming individual victories were Jenny LeBeau in diving, Hannah Artwick in the 200 and 500 freestyle, Lauren Zillmer in the 200 and 100 breaststroke, Helen Sapieka in 50 and 100 freestyle, and Colleen

their

Muszynski in 100 butterfly. The 200 medley relay led by Karolyn Schultz, Lauren Zillmer, Laura Boysen, and Helen Sapieka also took first place.

Tired, but pumped up nonetheless, the varsity team took a trip to the Hoffman Estates Hawk Invite the next morning.

While the feeling of swimming in meters rather than yards caught the girls a bit off guard, they still managed to finish in an impressive third place.

The following Friday, the Maine South Hawks hosted a competition against Leyden. Unbelievably, the girls finished with an even more impressive showing, taking first in every event and finishing that meet with a final score of 136. while Leyden was only able to pull out a 49. First places in this meet came from the amazing 200 medley relay girls, including. Leeann Olson.

Colleen Muszynski, Laura Boysen, and

limits Lauren Zillmer. Other first place finishers were Hannah Artwick (200 and 500 freestyle). Emma Sarran (200 IM), Lauren Zillmer (50 and 100 freestyle), Jenny LeBeau (diving). Laura Boysen(100 butterfly). Colleen Muszynski, Vucich.

Sapieka, and Zillmer (200 freestyle relay), Olson (100 backstroke), Muszynski (100 breaststroke), and Artwick, Schultz, Sapieka. and Boysen (400 freestyle relay).

Clearly, it was a very successful evening for the girls swim and diving teams.

In the coming weeks, the girls will continue to push their limits during practice, along with laughing at the bikini-clad volleyball team after practice, and of course racking up first places and personal bests at meets.

The next competition will be at South against the highly ranked team. Evanston, today at 5:30, Fans are always welcome!

2Q03 SPORTS Cross Country • Golf • Football* Girls' Tennis • Boys' Soccer • Girls' Swimming • Girls' Volleyball

Defense defends and offense conquers

by Steve Contonio Homecoming week was full of hype for pass to DeCicco that was taken 83 yards to nam. Madden punched in a 7 yard TD run in the Hawks. The dance, the huge crowds, all the end zone. Price also tied a school record the 2nd quarter. The starting defense, labeled the Black Hole by punter/defensive end the press surrounding Jon Fixler. the quar- with 6 touchdown passes.

While the running game was not domi- Kevin Collins, has yet to give up a touchterback of 3-0 Deerfield, could keep the down. Only 2 yards were gained on the Hawks from getting the job done. Coach ground by Deerfield. Bello picked off Inserra said it would be up to the players one of Fixler's passes after Don Durbin's to keep focused on the game. pass rush forced a bad throw.

Although the Hawks started out slow, Cornerback Tony Zuhr was the leading the pre-season All-State quarterback tackier for the Hawks with 6. Stefan Fixler was picked off by safety Steve Zecevic had 2 tackles behind the line and Truty on his first pass attempt. The ofthe linebackers. Rick Loera and Frank fense took over, and Hawk quarterback Simoncelli.

Sean Price found receiver Derek Walsh By the end of the game, the Hawks in the end zone to give the Hawks an early had forced the high school slotter-rule lead. The offense broke a few school with a final score of 49-14. Fixler was passing records, including most passing only able to throw two insignificant yards in a game for Price (460) and havtouchdown passes. All the fans knew by ing three receivers, Walsh, Schlitter, and the end of the game who had the beti DeCicco, with 119, 117, and 150 yards quarterback and which team had the l' receiving, respectively. All three scored Photo b\ Kilex Borowski chance of playing in November.. at least one touchdown, including a short °rice looks to throw:

Boys' soccer bx Matt

tops top-ranked

Sandburg

and New Trier

Perille

Something big had to happen. Everyone on the team knew it. With a record of 1-22, the varsity soccer team was not off to the best of starts. They had several bad breaks and some team strife, but they were playing hard and knew good things would come.

Maine South first beat Hersey 1-0 off of Roberto Barbanante's goal in an exciting match at the booster barbeque. The Hawks than exploded on Niles North for five goals as they came out with a big victory. Jay Ziols started the scoring with a header in the first half and finished another opportunity later. Jeff Weiner and Jay Zukanovic contributed with two goals and one goal, respectively. Then they steamrolled over Maine East 6-0, as Jeff Weiner netted four goals, a single game record at South. The other two goals were scored by Jay Zukanovic and Mike Palermo.

With some convincing wins behind them, the Hawks were ready for one of their biggest challenges of the season thus far; facing #1 Sandburg. The Eagles, winners of the past two state titles, were unbeaten in

regulation in their last 64 games. The Hawks traveled to Orland Park and dominated Sandburg on their home field. With a few minutes left in the first half, Jeff Weiner finished a beautifully placed free kick by Scott Gerrits with a diving header past the helpless goalie.

That single goal was enough for the strong Hawk defense as goalie Brandon Simmons notched his sixth shutout of the season. While the Maine South squad created plenty of quality opportunities to score, Sandburg was frustrated into only two shots on goal. The first was a shot off of the post, calmly kicked away by defender Kevin Aumiller. and the second was a header cleared off the goal line by midfielder Matt Bochenek. The Hawks controlled the entire match, confirming that they can play with any team in the state.

The boys again proved this Wednesday, September 24, when they took on the #2 New Trier Trevians. Jeff Weiner started the Hawks in the right direction with their first goal of the night. Then, it was Jay

Zukanovic who sealed the deal for the Hawks with 30-yard cross set up from Ken Dollaske to Roberto Barbanente with 6:33 left to play in the game. This was Zukanovic's fourth goal of the season.

New Trier, with a record of 7-1 -4, entered the game having lost only once in their last twenty-five games. The win over the Trevians was was the Hawks' second victory over a top ranked opponent The team has known they have the opportunity to do great things this year, and they are now headed in the right direction: The defense has been rock solid, the midfield has been playing extremely well, and the forwards have been finding the back of the net.

The varsity squad will continue to play hard and come together as the season goes on. They have welcomed two new playa Jorge Bustamante and Chris Blanksha with open arms. The Maine South boys' varsity soccer team will take on the #1 Nequa Valley squad tomorrow, at home. It is a game you won't want to miss.