Vol 40 issue 6 by Southwords

SOUTH maine

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NOVEMBER 21, 2003

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1111 S. DEE ROAD^PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS 60068

VOL. 40, NO. 6

Footlighters Get the Party Started

Footlighters Mt'i^aii Buckley, Laura Pagliari, Axie Russell, and hi imn /.in;^Mu im nuuce enthusiastically during a rehearsal. Every year, the Footlighters perform the opening act of the V-show to excite the audience.

In This Issue:

V-show

CoMWyENTARY:

FEATURES:

SPORTS:

Sleep issues

Thanksgiving football

Girls' volleyball

2 News

SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21, 2003'VOL. 40, NO. 6

Advanced dance beyond the studio* by Carly Calkins Here at Maine South there seems to be a manifest distinction between the Hawkettes and Orchesis. Both groups of dancers embody different styles and exist for different purposes. However, there is an opportunity for the members of each group and anyone else interested to put all labels aside and come together to do what they love: dance. This merger can be found nowhere else but in the Maine South dance studio during 6th period. Counted as a gym credit for participating members, the class is known as Advanced Dance and is taught by Ms. Sinclair. Because it is an advanced class, it is not open to everybody. Those that do participate in the unique opportunity have to tryout in the spring of the previous school year. This year's advanced dance class of 30 girls was asked to partake in a unique project with a smaller dance group from Paso Robles High School in California. The collaboration took place on October 30th through November 1 st when the girls from California traveled here to team up. On October 30th the two groups gave an early morning performance at the Niles Senior Center. There, the Paso Robles dancers

performed three different numbers including a tap piece, a lyrical piece to Etta James' At Last, and a contemporary piece to music by Tori Amos. Following Paso Robles's routine, Maine South's dancers

performed several dances that incorporated a creative Halloween theme. After the mini-recital, both groups gathered to answer any questions that the seniors had. Leaving the Senior Center, the group returned to the Maine South dance studio and participated in a master class taught by Ms. Sinclair in which they learned a hip-

hop dance that included several break dancing moves. Later that day, the dancers took a break from performing for others and watched a performance themselves. Located at the Briar Street Theatre, the dancers viewed the ever-entertaining Blue Man Group. During this break from their hobby, both groups were able to bond and learn a little bit about the goings-on of each others' high school across the country. Nearing the end of their time together, the dancers participated in one last collaborating experience. Together they traveled to the Joel Hall Dance Studio to take a lesson on jazz and ballet technique. The class provided a professional atmosphere for the girls that a high school studio could not. This successful endeavor by the two dance teams instilled in the girls some culture, experience, and a peek into t ^ ^ professional world of dance. Maine S o u ^ ^ ^ can see the advanced dance class's next public appearance in the V-show. They will be performing a dance that they created in August and September and have since mastered.

Jorisy Jii Jjjcfor^

November 21.1794 - The Honolulu Harbor was discovered. November 21, 1824 - The first Jewish Reform Congregation formed in Charleston, SC. November 21, 1935 - The first commercial flight over the Pacific Ocean took place by the China Clipper. November 21, 1938 - Nazi forces occupied western Czechoslovakia and declared them German citizens. November 21, 1979 - A crowd in Islamabad, Pakistain, atlaojced the U.S. embassy. One person was killed. \

SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21, 2003ÂťVOL. 40, NO. 6

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News3 Mooth

September Applied Technology: Robert Antosh, Francesca PorcelUi, Jeffrey Wear, Edward Wolfe Art: Carly Derec, Amy Fink, Lauren Lakomek, Caroline Magnuson, Vera Skocen Audio/Visual: Yoana Azmanova, Patrick Christl, Kaitlin Doherty, EUyn Michalak, Elena Tinaglia Business: John AUegretti, Daniel Gaynor, Unal Uysalbas Driver Education: Mario Lupo, Allison Mueller English: Atra Asdou, Charlie Aufmann, Laura Baker, Nick Bianchi, Alex Biardo, Nick Cosgrove, Brittney de Paola, Jessica Diffendal, Tara Downes, Joe Gatti, Katherine Hapeman, Mike Hayden. Jasun Kamer, Courtney Keenan, Rick Muelling, Colleen Muszynski, Joe Overhuls, Chris

Santee, Kristen Unti, Caitlin Wilde, Ricky Wurglitz Family and Consumer Sciences: Colleen King, Karen Magiera, Kaitlin Moran Foreign Language: Kathy Bratko, Julia Brenner. Kristin Elizabeth Burke, Kathleen Conway. Taylor Crowley, Laura Garofalo, Jasun Kamer, Kelsey Keith, Karen McCann, Sarah Nicholus Health: Brittney DePaola Math: Kristin Allen, Julia Brenner, Nicholas Cosgrove, Dariusz Dzien, Brian Enders, Katherine Holmes, Kristin Kardas, Kennther Kohlndorfer, Sarah Nicholus, Joanna Parypinski, Elizabeth Sak, Hayley Wolfcale Music: Liz Bozek, Amanda Brooks, Dan Hogan, Emily Mott Physical Education: Alexander Gersch, Conrad Kania, Scott Kardas, Veronica Katz, Glenn Lorentz. Piotr Matejcyk, Christine

Get the Party Started by Sara Wolski The 2004 V-show extravaganza just happens to be the Maine South V-show's 40th anniversary. "Get the Party Started" incorporates over 300 students, some that have been devoting enormous time and effort since last August. "V-Show is unique from every other production at Maine South," says Mr. Muszynski, "in that it is an entirely studentrun production, made possible by extremely motivated and dedicated students." Mr. Muszynski emphasized the huge group effort V-Show is and the diversity of involved students from every area of the school. Footlighters. the first upbeat-song-anddance act in the show, has had tremendous success under the direction of Junior and ^Senior Directors, Christie Verhelst, Jack Montgomery, Alex Gillett, Matt Smart, Sara Wolski, and Dan Archer, along with Supervisor Mrs. Rieger. Footlighters are the energetic group of students whom love

to sing, dance, and perform, which is open to everyone at Maine South. Behind the scenes, crew for V-show is different from every other Maine South production. They become fast change artists working to make everyone look and sound their best. Often changing complete sets acoustically and visually in a matter of seconds, the V-show crew has the hardest and most thankless job. The crew has been working wonderfully under the direction of Stage Manager Colleen Montgomery and Technical Director Mr. Sanchez. V-show offers every student at Maine South to be involved one way or another, which brings the Maine South community together in a true effort of teamwork and cooperation. The dedication, passion, and commitment put into this show will be evident as the curtain rises. Performances are on November 20, 21. and 22 at 7:30p.m. in the Watson Auditorium. Tickets are $5.

Oleksiuk. Matthew Saccomanno, Corydon Storer Science: Margaret Archer, Jonathan Cianfaglione, Daniel Feiereisel. Diane Heller, Kevin Joyce, Kelsey Keith, Benjamin Nelson, Gary Nickele. Frank Pagone. Nora Roche, John Sherlock, Christina Solari, Tod Toter, Kristen Unti, Michael Verre, Garry Voskresensky, Kelly Warchol, Jeffrey Wear, Anna Wolonciej Social Science: Christina Fourkas, Michael Helfgot, Madeline Kiem, Jess Kuhr, Stephan Mahoney, Christine Oleksiuk, Tiffany Ann Pontrelli, Jacquelyn Psaltis, Michael Ross, Christopher Santee, Kelly Schlitter, Courtney Waller, Kat Winogradzki

JFK'S

Assassination by Ashley Rezaeizadeh This year will commemorate the 40th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. His limousine was driving past the Texas School Book Depository building and the street was filled with thousands of people waiting to view him. Suddenly a shot was fired and JFK was killed. To this day. according to the Warren Commission, the suspected murderer is Lee Harvey Oswald, who was assassinated as well. The last verdict of JFK's assassination stated by the United States House of Representatives Select Cornmittee believes that the murder was a conspiracy.

SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21, 2003ÂťVOL. 40, NO. 6

Student Opinion

[mc cdiiors To the fatigued jfpropertyf-jof

By Kristi Katz J They are taking over the airwaves. No, I'm not talking about extraterrestrials; I'm talking about reality television shows. They are all over. With Joe Millionaire and Fear Factor on Monday, Real World on Tuesday, The Bachelor on Wednesday, Survivor and Extreme Makeovers on Thursday, how much better can it get? And who could forget the days of American Moll The traditional television programming of comedies and dramas have quickly been replaced by reality TV programs in the past couple of years. MTV's Real World was one of the first pioneers into the reality TV market, and while the show was marketed toward an exclusively young demographic, the shows proved to be very popular, seeing as this season's Real World: Paris is the show's 13"' season. The real craze, however, did not come until Survivor And now, Survivor is known as the grandfather of reality TV. But why all of a sudden, a fascination with these shows? Why is it that Americans plop themselves in front of the television night after night to watch 'average joes' trying to win money or love in some wacky way? Reality TV gets us hooked in a way that the sitcoms and dramas cannot. Sure, everyone wanted Rachel and Joey to get together on Friends, but it is during The Bachelor that everyone finds themselves screaming at the TV during the 'allimportant and crucial' rose ceremonies. Like many others, I find that I get so hooked on these shows because these are actually people's lives and not just some script with characters. The choices people make can be quite interesting. But then again, many times, reality TV isn't really reality, with the producers and creators creating the drama we so love to watch. But with the finality of many television shows, such as Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond, drawing near, one has to think how much is too much when it comes to reality TV. Networks will keep on pumping them out, no matter how ridiculous or idiotic the idea is. because of their inexpensive costs.

by Mark Milazzo Our world has come to a point where the phrases "Hello" and "How are you?" have become obtrusive and irritating. We have come to a place where we force our bodies to do things for which they were never intended to do. For all we have accomplished, we have forgotten one of nature's most simple yet crucial laws; SLEER What will become of us if our society continues to abuse its supposedly most precious gift? Somewhere along the line, it seems that unarguable priorities like sleep have become skewed with ambitions. Jobs, social events, family affairs, the list cascades on forever only to bringing you back to where you startedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;tired. The problem is that people don't always have choices when dealing with giving

themselves an adequate amount of sleep. If one has to choose between sleeping and supporting their households, then sleep will undoubtedly be shoved aside. But where will it end? "I have to watch TV" is a popular idea among teenagers who are so packed with homework and extracurricular activities, that they seem to think enjoyable sitcoms are more important than getting some Zzzz's. Teenhealthcentre.com reports that teens only get approximately 6 to 7 hours of sleep a night, compared to the 8 to 9 they should be getting. These bad habits can lead to health problems and disrupt healthy adult habits in the future. This American sleep pattern cannot be changed overnight. Though if we alii reevaluate our own individual lives, we* might be able to do away with depriving our bodies of the forgotten magic of sleep.

It's time to focus on sleep Amanda Swanson All students know the typical high school sob story. "I got home at 7:30 because I had a game, and I had so much homework that I was up until 12:30 finishing it." Lifestyles with insufficient sleep are evident throughout the classrooms of our school and schools across the nation. This lack of sleep is injuring the health of many students. Teenagers must learn to make time in their schedules to take care of their well being by getting enough sleep each night. Everywhere, students sit in class with a dazed looks on their faces because they're over working themselves and, therefore, losing sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need 8.5-9 hours of sleep each night. In reality, 25 percent of teens get less than seven hours. It may not seem important to these smdents that they get enough sleep, but this is not true. When anyone tries to function in class after not getting enough rest, they

will find difficulty paying attention, concentrating on tests, or participating in class, which harms good grades. So, while these students think they're helping their grades by staying up late completing homework, they're really harming their ability to do well. Now, this doesn't mean students should stop finishing all of their schoolwork to get to bed on time. It means they should make a conscious effort to monitor their sleep habits. If they are up late one night, they should get to bed on time the next. They could also take a short 30-minute nap after getting home. This would provide the students with a small amount of rest, and maybe enough energy to do schoolwork more efficiently and quickly. So, next time you find yourself nodding off in c l a s s ^ ^ consider how much sleep you have beei^^B getting. When you realize that you haven't had enough for a long time, discover why, and try to fix the problem. Take care of your health and your grades. Get enough rest.

SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21, 2003«VOL. 40, NO. 6

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Student Opinion

•^entary 5

Homework overloads students by Lauren Boysen Students spend seven hours of the day at school and then are forced to go home to do up to three hours of homework. This adds up to be about ten hours of school work each day. This seems to be too much. If students want to participate in any other activities, eat, sleep, or have any downtime at all, the amount of homework given needs to be decreased. Students often stay up all night writing papers and doing projects. This cuts down on the amount of sleep that they receive each night. A lack of sleep can cause students to have trouble concentrating during class or remembering what is being taught. This causes decreased performance in school. Another downside of a lack sleep is that it may cause one to become ill. When students are sick, they miss more school, giving them more homework. The cycle continues until students are burnt out.

Another disadvantage of having too much homework is that it prevents students from being fully involved in extra-curricular activities. On the very first day of freshman year here at Maine South, everyone was told that the most important thing is to get involved. Most of these activities require daily practices that can go until 6:00 in the evening. Other days there may be games, meets, or performances that go even later. This is a longer day than most adults spend at work. At least after a hard day at work, adults can relax and not have to worry about three more hours of work. This excessive amount of homework needs to stop. Teachers should only assign fifteen minutes of homework each night or give long-term assignments, which would allow for more flexibility. If indeed this can be enforced, kids will be better rested, more involved and overall less stressed. It is time that teachers work together with the students in order to accomplish this goal.

memory problems, hallucinations, paranoia, psychosis, and panic attacks. If you are undaunted by the above results of using cocaine, consider using the drug affects not only you, but everyone close to you. Cocaine addicts not only lose interest in their families and loved ones, but neglect and mistreat them, lying and manipulating to support their habit. It is immensely painful to deal with someone who used to be loving and kind and is suddenly cruel and deceitful. If you're not convinced to not use cocaine for your interests, think of those you love. There are very obvious solutions to this problem: simply do not use cocaine. If you haven't tried it yet, don't. If you already use it, get help. If you know someone who uses, convince them to go to a program such as Cocaine Anonymous at www.ca.org. You'll be saving a life— someone you love, or your own.

Alex Petkofski '04

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Cocaine isn't only bad for the user by Grace Elderkin The most common drug reported in emergency room episodes is not ecstasy, heroin, LSD, PCP, or crystal meth. It is cocaine. Cocaine is a very dangerous, scary drug that is used by an alarming number of teens. It is especially relative to us because the fastest growing groups of users are teenagers and middle class suburbanites. Cocaine is highly addictive; only one use can leave you hooked, or even dead. Usage can incur not only physical but also psychological effects. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, the effects include convulsions, chronic bronchitis, and damaged lungs and I nasal tissues. Possibly more frightening are the psychological effects, which occur with more intensity and frequency with continued use. Common effects are aggressive or violent behavior, anxiety, depression.

Go home. Cowboy! Don't come back!

With the shape of the economy with all the lost jobs, I think he needs to be out of office. Bring in someone who cares about the workin' man. Steve Telkamp '05

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I think that with the situations he faced he did a good job juggling public opinion and our safety as a nation. Mary Pat Rooney '04

He's the man. Kevin Collins '04

SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21, 2003ÂťVOL. 40 NO. 6

Student Opinion

A right to love: gays deserve it by Janelle Santos The United States is a melting pot. This country has gone through thick and thin to protect its diversity. First, it was for African Americans, then, for women. However, a person is not safe if their sexual preference is not that of the norm. All those people who are either homosexual or bisexual cannot express themselves publicly unless they want to be ridiculed in front of the heterosexual population. Japanese culture has become poplar throughout the United States. With the oncoming of manga and anime, Japanese animation, comes the acceptance of shonen-ai and shojo-aiboy love and girl love, respectively. On fanfiction.net, a person can find stories about these relationships and how wonderful they are. The United States,

however, cannot accept the fact that love comes in many different forms, whether it

be the love of someone of the different sex or the same. This country should support the rights of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, just like their

neighbors. If not, it's a very hypocritical country. If a person loves someone, they should be able to get married to express those feelings. If not, they would both be in anguish. Their love would seem false and unrealistic. Also, hate groups against the rights of homosexuals and bisexuals are hurtful, inflicting both emotional and physical pain, violating the basic human rights. Finally, the Christian church is losing ministers because of their limited views. The controversy involving the gay priest could have been avoided if they had welcomed him instead of shunned him for his sexuality. The United States should declare the rights of homosexuals and bisexuals. To do that, its people needi to be more accepting of an^ individual's sexual preferences. If a realization of this can be achieved at Maine South, it can expand into a movement that could result in the recognition of their rights. Everyone deserves to love whom they want, giving their love to their beloved freely without scorn.

Cheer up and smile, South By Jessica Kunke In today's society, cheerfulness and optimism are often scorned and brushed aside for being too "corny," too "unrealistic." However, a positive outlook on life can be more realistic and very beneficial. A positive approach to life helps one to drop the drama often created by focusing on the negatives. Being positive helps one appreciate life instead of fighting it. So often people let the little things get to them, creating anger and resentment against a world which they perceive to be against them, and everything becomes an obstacle, another mountain to scale. Enthusiasm doesn't require a person to

ignore the unpleasant or blindly believe that everything is for the good; and a positive person isn't perpetually happy. However, enthusiasm allieviates stress by encouraging tolerance and acceptance of life's displeasing aspects. Also, approaching things with a positive, open mind helps one to understand and assess people and concepts better; fault-finding often gives a person an incomplete or distorted view of reality. Having a positive perspective also makes one more fun to be around. No one wants to sit around a complainer, who has nothing better, it seems, to talk about than what's wrong with everything. Not only does

negative chatter make the person seem to be an ingrate, but since the person focuses on what is wrong in the world the way he or she sees it, his or her constant quibbling rarely ends up revolving around anything but himself Since approaching life with a positive frame of mind filters out these dramatic fixations, positive people are free to discuss other topics more important to them, and one generally holds others' interests more when that person speaks^ about something of interest. So to those people who recognize the' complainers as themselves, please, drop the drama and start to appreciate some of the good in life.

SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21, 2003ÂťVOL. 40, NO. 6

â&#x20AC;˘A man who dreams of music by Tom Drazba The moon is setting beneath the horizon as the sun is lighting up a blue sky. Mr Matter steps out of his Toyota, which was bought after trading in a Ford Mustang, and slowly walks towards the school. He takes out his keys quickly, already knowing that the doors will be locked. He walks down a dimly lit hallway towards where his office is located, opens the door, turns on the light, and looks up to see a picture of the Marching Band he played with when he attended Illinois State University. He takes a few steps towards his desk, stumbling over different instruments, which he keeps huddled over in the corner. He approaches his desk, looking up at pictures of students and friends while dreaming of owning his dad's yellow corvette. Finally, he sits down and turns on his laptop computer.

"My eighth grade history teacher said that I should be a teacher and my junior high music teacher said that I should pursue my music career. So I decided to be a band director." That is exactly what Mr Matter did. He attended Illinois State University in Normal, IL and became a drum major in the marching band. "I didn't have to pay for my college. My parents paid for it. I was overloaded with classes because music majors are the busiest students on campus." After having countless music related jobs, such as playing in jazz band at Walt Disney World, teaching at Lincoln Middle School in Schiller Park and teaching private lessons, he was hired by Mr. Pressler to teach at Maine South High School. Everyday, Mr. Matter has a smile on his face because he loves to be in a good

atmosphere. He enjoys teaching students that want to learn and also tries to teach those that are distracted by others in the rehearsal. It's late in the evening, around 8:30 or 9:00, when the sun is long gone and the moon is radiating above and it's still possible see Mr. Matter sitting in his office grading papers or practicing on his trombone. As it becomes later into the night, Mr Matter turns off his computer, makes sure he has everything that he wants to take with him and closes his door. He walks down the dim hallway, past the doors that lead to the outer world, and begins to walk to his car He opens the car door, and looks back at the school, thinking that he has made a difference in someone's life today, and he slowly sits down in his car.

'The young and the sleepless

S OUTH^VORDS

by Claire Gilpin and Courtney Stevens A recent survey conducted by the many wake up as early as 5:30 a.m. in order National Sleep Foundation found that only to arrive at school on time. This only leaves 15 percent of teenagers receive the 6.5 hours to sleep each night. recommended 8.5 hours of sleep that they At Maine South the majority of the need every night. In fact, statistics show that students don't seem to be getting enough more than one-quarter of American sleep. Out of the 30 students polled, almost teenagers sleep less than 7 hours a night, two thirds receive between five and six almost two hours below the recommended hours each night, which means that they are amount. functioning on two to three hours below the Sleep experts agree that sleep deprivation recommended amount. is more than just a minor inconvenience; it Another factor in sleep loss is is a dangerous trend that is afflicting school work. In today's ultra-competitive America's youth. society, students are willing to compromise Obesity, ADD-like symptoms, sleep for homework. Many students believe depression, and other behavioral problems that if they can plug in a couple of hours of are just some of the medical ailments linked more homework, their grades will benefit to sleep deprivation. from the extra effort. Ironically, a student Another startling statistic is the rate at lacking sleep is less likely to perform at their which teens are involved in car accidents best and therefore less able to excel in the due to drowsiness or sleep deprivation. classroom. About 100,000 car crashes are caused by Sleep deprivation can harm people, fatigue every year and drivers under the age esjjecially teenagers, in countless ways. This of 25 are involved in more than half of them. sleep deprivation epidemic is a major Many blame the early schedules students ailment facing teenagers today and are forced to endure. Teenagers are naturally unfortunately, this problem has no easy inclined to stay up until at least 11 p.m. and cure.

A student-produced newspaper of:

Maine South High School n i l South Dec Road j^ark Ridge, IL 60068 Letters to the editor should be delivered to room V-131 or given to a member of the editorial staff. SOITHWORDS reserves the right to edit material for clarity and brevity and to reject obKcene/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 Core Staff Artist Joyce Ann Santos Advisor T.R. Kerth

8 Features

SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21, 2003ÂŤVOL. 40, NO. 6

A Thanksgiving tradition by Jorge Bustamante What do Jason Garret. Barry Sanders and Jerome Bettis all have in common? They all played a big part in three of the most memorable games on Thanksgiving Day. Since 1920. National Football League games have been a part of every American's turkey celebration. It has become just as accustomed for families across the country to watch the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys battle divisional rivals as it is to stuff the turkey and eat pumpkin pie every Thanksgiving "Every year, we go to my brother-in-law's house to celebrate Thanksgiving and we really enjoy watching the games together as a big family," said Dennis Mazur of Norridge, Illinois "Unless of course the Bears are getting killed by Detroit. Then, it's not too fun." The Lions started the tradition in 1934 as they took on the defending champions the Chicago Bears. According to ESPN.com, the Bears ended up winning the game and the championship later that year, but playing on Thanksgiving Day became a new part of the Lions' organization. The Cowboys decided to get in on the fun as they defeated the Cleveland Browns 26-14 in 1966 and have now been playing on Thanksgiving every year since. John Madden, who has been announcing the Thanksgiving Day games for over 20 years, summed it all up well: "Thanksgiving is a traditional day. Most traditions are being with the family, but for 21 years we've been together every Thanksgiving. So our tradition is being together, on television, at a football game." That may be true, but it doesn't mean that the players don't come ready to play

on this special holiday. In fact, some of the most memorable games have been played on Thanksgiving Day. From the scoreless tie in 1920 between the Canton Bulldogs and Akron Pros to Dallas' thrashing of the Redskins last year, memorable games are inevitable on the fourth Thursday of November.

In 1994, b a c k u p quarterback Jason Garret came in for the injured Troy Aikman with the Cowboys trailing 17-3 and helped Dallas storm back to defeat the Packers 31-20. "If this isn't a fairy tale, so be it," said the humble Garrett. "Guys played really well around me." Barry Sanders trounced the Bears in 1997 for 167 yards rushing and three touchdowns as the Detroit Lions rolled to a 55-20 victory. "I knew Barry was a great back, but I didn't know how great," said then Lions coach Bobby Ross. "I don't know what else he can accomplish. The guys love him. They love to block for him. It's just perfect. It really is." A year later, 1998, the most memorable coin toss in any professional sporting event occurred on Thanksgiving. Jerome Bettis of

the Pittsburgh Steelers called tails on the flip, but the referee thought that he had said heads. The Lions ended up receiving the kickoff and marched down the field, which led to the game-winning field goal by Jason Hanson and a Steelers defeat. "When Luckett went to flip the coin, it almost hit him, so he jumped away from it. I have to believe that caused him to forget what I said, but I said tails as clear as day," Bettis would say to reporters after the game. "To me it sounded like one guy called heads and one guy called tails," said Detroit Lions cornerback Robert Bailey in response to Bettis, "that way,i no matter what happens, you can argue. It's an old trick." This rich holiday tradition will continue this year as the struggling Detroit Lions take on their longtime division rivals, the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are sure to make it an entertaining game. The Miami Dolphins will travel to Dallas in what should be a good match up against the Cowboys. Both teams are off to impressive starts and have some great players leading the teams. Football has become a great Thanksgiving tradition across the contry. Even if one does not particularly like watching football this rich tradition can be appreciated. One just can't lose with Thanksgiving day football. Whether it is by a last minute play, a record setting day, a coin flip fiasco, or^ something that no one has ever seen before! it is assured that this year's Thanksgiving Day games will be like all of the previous games from years past: something to remember forever.

SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21, 2003ÂťVOL. 40, NO. 6 j;

â&#x20AC;˘Behind the scenes by Tara Delaney

As you gaze at the office wall, your eyes are met with theater books, props, and pictures: lots of pictures. You see frames labeled The Sound ofMusic, Joseph, Titanic, Annie, and underneath are photographs of students with smiling or goofy faces glued on to colored construction paper. Pictures of a little red-haired boy lying in various poses line Mr. Sanchez's desk. After school you will find Mr. Sanchez, or "Sanch" as the students call him, in his office which is filled with students asking for the day's to-do list, or just hanging out before their after school activities begin. But as soon as it's 3:20 everyone gets to work. "I never planned on working with high school students or even being a teacher," says Sanchez, "Actually, when I was growing up I wanted to be a priest, but that lidn't happen, as you can see, so I went into theatre." Mr. Sanchez has been Maine South's Technical Director for the past 16 years.

"Before Maine South, I was working at the Candle Light Theatre, and one day a friend of mine called up and said a high school was looking for a technical director. So I sent my application in on a Saturday, interviewed on Thursday, and started work on Friday," he says while laughing, "It was crazy how fast it happened." "When I first came to Maine South, they hadn't had a technical director for a year, and crew had already been going on for two weeks. Those students on that first show were surprised by how much they had to do." Sanchez is not only the school's technical director for the plays and musicals; he also teaches a Tech Theatre class during the second semester of every year. "It's a lot of work," he admits, "but if I didn' t like my job, I wouldn't have been here for 16 years." To most of the student population Sanchez is just another teacher instructing them to put on their IDs, but to a lucky few, he becomes much more: mentor, leader.

boss, and friend. "He has a lot of passion for what he does, and he wants each show to be perfect and professional, not just a high school play," said Matt Sergot, an actor in many of the school shows. "To a lot of people who don't know him Sanchez can be very intimidating, but really, he is a great person, it's just when you don't work he can get mad at you," says Tara Delaney, who has been on crew for the past three years. "Students are the most memorable things, not the shows. If it weren't for the students, none of this would be possible," he says, "It's all about you guys." Watching students grow from "immature" freshmen to "decent young adults" is what gives Sanchez the greatest pleasure. The students with whom he works cover his wall: faces of people from the past, friends that still keep in touch. He might not always talk a lot about the shows he has done but the pictures on the wall can tell it all.

Who is that crazy girl? by Stephanie Righeimer You may not know her by name, but you would certainly know her when you see her. Her name is Megan Liggett, and she sports a different pair of pajama pants every day. Sometimes you'll see her wearing ratty old Scooby Doo slippers as well, held together only by duct tape. Upon passing Megan in the hallway, one girl commented, "I love this crazy girl and the way she dresses. She's so weird; it's great!" However, Megan's wardrobe does change slightly throughout the week. She gives a certain name and theme to every day, but she alters them every year. So, ^what's the story with these days and what Started them? Megan, now a senior, says it all began freshman year. "One Tuesday, I was wearing glasses and someone asked, 'Why are you wearing glasses?' I just said,

'Because it's Glasses Tuesday.' Then on Thursday, I wore some slippers and someone asked why, and I answered, 'Today is Slippers Thursday.' Somebody finally asked what the rest of the days were, and I made them up off the top of my head." Ever since freshman year, Megan has been dressing for her theme days, and every year she has kept "Glasses Tuesday" and "Slippers Thursday" on her schedule. This year, .she has added "Robe Monday," "Cartoon Friday," and, possibly the strangest of all, "Turtle Wednesday." Turtles are Megan's favorite animals. After high school, she has even considered majoring in Marine Biology. "1 thought I wanted to, but then I started thinking, what am I going to do with it?" With college just around the comer, many seniors can relate to Megan, as they repeatedly question their college and career choices and plans.

Aside from her unique style of dress, Megan's life is similar to that of most teens who reside in "Action Ridge." She spends time with friends, "We'll go to the Barnes & Noble and read, watch a movie at somebody's house, or we'll play in the mud." After school she likes to come home and sleep or watch TV. Her favorite program is "The Brendan Leonard Show." She likes to draw and color and practice playing her guitar. Someday, she says, "I want to be a rockstar." Megan wants to be a rockstar, but right now she's just another teen like the rest of us. At least her wardrobe stands out in a hallway of 'blah' clothing. Megan may be different or even a little weird, but she brightens up our school just by being herself. Honestly, who wouldn't love this girl and her crazy clothes?

lOSports

SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21. 2003»VOL. 40. NO. 6

Finishing strong Hey You:i by Emma Sarran What, may you ask, have the girls swimmers been doing lately? Unlike several other teams, their season is only now beginning to wind down; some girls are done—their legs shaved, their times recorded, and their hair chlorine free, but others are in the prime of post dual meet season competition. The team rounded off their dual meet season swimming against a variety of competitors ranging from defending state runner-up New Trier and highly ranked Evanston, to smaller teams such as Waukegan. This past Saturday, the varsity team traveled to New Trier for the CSL Conference meet, where they placed 5th in the 100 Breastroke. Top 12 finishers included Colleen Muszynski in the 200 IM (11). Emma Sarran in the

200 IM (12), Lauren Zillmer in the 50 and 100 Freestyle (8 and 9). Stacy Vucich in the 500 Freestyle (12), Laura Boy sen in the 100 Butterfly (9), Helen Sapieka in the 100 Butterfly (12), Hannah Artwick in the 200 and 500 Freestyle (12 and 11), and Leeann Olson in the 100 Backstroke (12). Many swimmers achieved personal bests, and several finished in higher places than they were ranked, out-swimming girls from many different teams. This Saturday, some of the girls will make the trip out to Glenbrook North to compete at 1 p.m. in the Sectional competition. Freshly shaven, tapered, and prepared for anything; there is no doubt that the Hawks will make an amazing showing versus both the competing teams as well as the clock.

A few ca/one-burning Interested in burning a few calories? Here are the number of calories you will bum per pound per minute of exercise. To determine your exact calorie output, simply multiply the numbers by your

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Winter sports arc starting, and Southwords is looking for writers to write for each varsity team. If you would like to write these articles for Southwords, please talk to either Greg Mitchell or Katie Waller, or drop your signed articles off in V131 in the sports bin. Thank you!

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SOUTHWORDS'NOVEMBER 21, 2003ÂŤVOL. 40. NO. 6

9Hawks squeeze through second round by Steve Contomo The game couldn't have started out better for the Hawks. It was the second round of the playoffs against Stevenson and a strong start could put the Patriots out of the contest early. The defense forced Stevenson to punt right away, and the Hawks got the ball inside the fifty yard line. After a few quick passes from Sean Price, CSL South Player of the Year, to his receivers, and a great sideline catch by Alberto DeCicco to keep the drive alive, the Hawks were on the one yard line where running hack Andy Cupp punched it in. The next Patriot drive Matt Blair rushed a punt, forced the punter to fumble and it was picked up by Sean Durbin setting up a one yard Price TD run. Quickly after that, the ball was again in the Hawk's hands and Cupp took a tipped screen pass all 36 yards for a score. Halfway through the first, it was already 21 to nothing.

But momentum quickly changed after Stevenson returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. It didn't seem like a big deal until on the next series Stevenson blocked a Kevin Collins punt and scored on the next play. Suddenly it was a game, but only because of crucial mistakes: receivers were dropping balls, linemen were missing their blocks. The defense was the only reliable force, who despite the deceiving score, was at the top of their game. Led by All-Conference player Don Durbin, who had several sacks, pressures and tackles for a loss, the defense forced 4 turnovers including two interceptions by all conference safety Mike Bello and one by cornerback Lewis Borsellino. The Hawks headed into the locker room only up seven points. After a few words

from Coach Inserra. the Hawks came out reenergized and scored on a Price pass to another All-Conference Hawk, Mike Labus. Ten more points were added in the fourth quarter after Price, who finished 15 of 41 for 276 yards, hit Brian Schlitter for a 54 yard TD and sophomore Tyler Knight kicked a 33 yard field goal after missing one in the first half. The Patriots went on to score once more, making the final score 38 to 20, the closest game since week one. In the later rounds of the playoffs, the Hawks offense and special teams cannot make so many mistakes. Cornerback and receiver Alberto DeCicco agrees. "In order to achieve our number one goal, playing good on only one side of the ball will not get it done. Offense, defense and special teams need to be dominant."

Running until the end South Stats 2 by Kara Collins The Hawks overcame the numerous obstacles in their way to make their journey through the grueling cross-country postseason. On October 25, the girls' cross-country team headed to the Wheeling Regional at Heritage Park. Again they were without their number one runner Kim Coppin. The Hawks suffered another blow when they realized that another one of their top runners, Claire Forde, would have to take the ACT on the day of the regional. As usual, the girls were ready to handle it. Katie Coppin and Annie Eriksson gave outstanding performances placing 12th with a time of 19:09 and 19th with a time of 19:29. Stephanie Righeimer gave the best performance of her career. She had a personal best of 19:56 for the three mile course and earned a 31 st place finish. Freshmen Laura McGuiness and Jacklyn niol, sophomore Jessica Diffendal, senior atie Lukas also contributed greatly to the Hawk's score. Unfortunately, the great efforts by everyone weren't enough to qualify the team to the sectional meet, but

Katie Coppin and Annie Eriksson performed well enough to represent the Hawks. Those two made their way to the Basse Woods for the Schaumburg Sectional along with a large group of people to cheer them on. Again both girls gave outstanding efforts as Katie placed 55th with a time of 19:35 and Annie finished 71st with a time of 19:49. Their places don't show the quality of their performances as the Schaumburg Sectional was by far the hardest in all of Illinois. The top two teams in the sectional were also the top two teams in the state, so Annie and Katie really gave amazing performances. Although the team was disappointed when they didn't qualify for the sectional meet, the season was a great success. The team captured first place at the prestigious Downers Grove Invite and finished well at the Peoria Invite. All of the girls ran hard until the end. The seniors will always have the amazing memories, and the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are looking forward to another great season next year.

Number of Maine South teams playing New Trier in playoff competition

5 Number of Maine South fall sports that had teams or individuals ranked in the state's top ten

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2U(,»3 SPORTS Cross Country • Golf • Football* Girls' Tennis • Boys' Soccer • Girls' Swimming • Girls' Volleyball

We're

by Adrianna Stasiuk Downstate, not streaking. Yes, that's right. Bet you thought that we had a flashback to 1979, but you'd be wrong. A Maine South girls' volleyball team has not made it this far since 1979. These girls are making history. After a very successful season, the Hawks rode into the state playoffs with confidence and faith in their teammates. The girls won five matches, beating Fenton, Resurrection, Fremd, Hersey, and finally Lake Zurich. Coach Patti Iverson told the team to focus on these five important matches, and the girls treated it like a countdown. Senior Ellie Marquis was very excited after winning the third match versus Resurrection, waiting to celebrate going downstate. Unfortunately, the team knew

going... they had two more games they would have to play before State. The team's last two matches against Hersey and Lake Zurich were the toughest, as both went to three games. Senior captain and middle hitter Gina Heiderman was overheard before both matches saying, "I thought 1 was just really hungry and needed a sandwich, but then 1 realized it was no normal appetite, instead one for Huskies and Bears." Mmmm, and boy did those teams taste good. After swallowing the Lake Zurich Bears, the Hawks celebrated with fans from the stands including Maine South's principal, Mr. Claypool. Junior Megan Polston had to ice her head after the joyful student pileup, when a hungry fan tried to take a bite out of her forehead or something like that.

Once the team qualified for the state playoffs in Redbird Arena, they began to practice harder and louder. In order to simulate the loud and often nerve-wrecking Redbird Stadium, the girls played music at max volume from five different stereos at a time. One tape, made by Coach Iverson, was a recording of heckling noises, simulating the nasty cheers from opposing teams' fans. The tape included quotes like, "Nice spandex!" and other assorted inappropriate comments. As the girls prepared to play their first opponent downstate. New Trier, they took a record of 35-3 into the game. Having split with the Trevians earlier in the season, the Hawks traveled to ISU looking to expa| on the winning column.

Reflection on a season

by Matt Perille I did not want to write this article at all, not even a little. The loss was too recent, the pain too real. I had barely come to grips with the fact that my teammates and I had reached the end of our soccer careers at Maine South, and then I had to turn around and write about it. Yet the more I thought about the season, the more I remembered the good things. I remember the heart and hard work that went into off-season training, the anticipation of great things to come, the bonding at the Bradley summer camp. I will never forget the brutal tryouts, the inside jokes, the friendships, the camaraderie. And then there was the soccer itself In our second game of the season, we tied top-ranked Barrington 0-0 in front of one of the rowdiest soccer crowds ever. We took off on an 11-game winning streak in which we handed defending state champion Sandburg its first loss in 64

games, knocked off #4 ranked New Trier, and allowed only 5 goals throughout the entire stretch. We climbed to #6 in both the

Brandon Simmon.s punts the ball photo by Kiley Bonmski

Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun Times and were the first Maine South team to be ranked regionally. Jeff Weiner found himself second on the list for goals in a seson with 16. Brandon Simmons and his defense posted 10 shutouts, a remarkable accomplishment for any team in the state. We won our second Regional Championship in a long time. I have to say that we were "D". Although the season-ending loss to Evanston was truly heart-breaking, I have realized that we cannot dwell on it. We must rather remember the many fun times and amazing accomplishments of the season. I would like to thank the other 18 seniors, young men I have been playing with since I was 9 years old. It has been quite a run, but all good things must come to an end. The 2003 boys' soccer team overcame adversity to enjoy success, had a lot of fun in t j ^ ^ process, and set an example for the p r o g r ^ ^ for years to come. I can live with that.