Vol 40 issue 8

maine

township

high

s cWb o I

south

11 S. DEE ROAD-PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS 60068

DECEMBER 19,2003

VOL. 40, NO. 8

O n w a r d to D.C. 1^

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7/jf Constitution Team poses after the judges have declared them state champions. The competition ihey participated in was held at the Dirksen Federal Building downtown on Friday. December 5.

In This Issue:

NEWS:

COMMENTARY:

Constitution Team

Defining success

FEATURES:

College football

SPORTS:

Football reflection

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SOUTHWORDS'DECEMBER 19. 20(MÂťVOL. 40. NO. 8

Yet another All-State'

by Sara Wolski Before the volleyball and football teams acquired their well-deserved fame, and long before the AP Hawks achieved their victory, a team of Fine Arts faculty and students also earned All-State honors.

Every year, the Illinois Theatre Festival (ITF) is held for several days in early January to promote and celebrate theatre performance in Illinois high schools. The festival is made up of hundreds of workshops that cover every aspect of theatre and countless plays that selected high schools perform down state. However, the main attraction of the festival is the All-State play, which results from a collaborative effort of gifted students and faculty across the state. Never before performed in a high school setting, this year's chosen play will be Mary Zimmerman's The Arabian Nights.

The competition involved in the All-State play is fierce. Every high school in the state is allowed to send five actors and five technicians to audition or interview during three weekends. Of these applicants, ten males and ten females will ultimately make up the cast and 23 technicians will be chosen

for the crew. Maine South actors in this year's production are Will Schmidt and Sara Wolski, and crew qualifiers are Matt Smart and Jamie Sapieka.

"All-State is unique from shows at Maine South," says All-State Costume Crew-Head Matt Smart, "because it allows students from diverse high school theatre backgrounds to work on one show that literally unifies the whole state."

Not only is Maine South well represented by its students involved in the

All-State production, but also drama teacher Mr. Muszynski is the All-State Director, assisted by Maine South Technical Director Mr. Sanchez. Also, Maine South's Mrs. McCleneghan, currently directing the winter play at South, is in charge of costuming The Arabian Nights. These faculty members have been planning, designing, and devotedly preparing for this show since early last year.

"My hope in selecting Mary Zimmerman's The Arabian Nights is to expose our students and audiences to a theatrical experience beyond those that we explore in our own schools. The play is fresh and innovative, incorporating shadow play, audience participation, and improvisation," says Director Mr. Muszynski.

The Arabian Nights promises to be a thrilling theatrical event, pushing everj limit of traditional theatre. It is sure to b ^ the highlight of this year's festival and its participants' high school experiences, adding more All-State champions to Maine South's proud retinue.

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December 19, 1732 - Ben Franklin, under the name Richard Saunders, began the publication of "Poor Richard's Almanack.'^ December 19, 1843 -Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was published in England.

December 19, 1891 - T h e first African American Catholic priest in the U.S. was ordained in Baltimore.

December 19, 1918 - Robert Ripley began his '"Believe It or Nof column in the New York Globe.

December 19. 1941 - Hitler toi>k complete command of the German Army.

December 19, 1972 -Apollo 17. the last of the Apollo Moon landing series, returned to Earth.

3 Constitution Team reigns over State

SOUTHWORDS'DECEMBER 19. 2003'VOL. 40, NO. 8

by Matt Perille The entire team was silent that fateful Friday in December. In just a few short moments, the state champion for Constitution Team would be decided. Mr. States nervously clenched his hands and muttered, "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!" under his breath. Finally, the announcement was made-Maine South had won state! After a brief period of celebration, the team members realized they were rejoicing over an academic accomplishment, quickly became ashamed, and stopped. As the "CTeam" looked around, they realized that everyone else was staring at them hatefully.

Some of them, no doubt, had spent years preparing for this endeavor, pouring over history books on the weekends. Coach States had told them that they would not

receive warm congratulations from their competitors. After all, Maine South has won the state competition for the past ten years.

"Don't make any sudden movements, boys and girls," warned Daniel P. States.

"Let's just get our plaque and get up out of here." Unfortunately, the bus could not come to pick them up for another hour, so the team engaged in lively constitutional discussion as they roamed the streets of Chicago. "1 was so nervous before the questioning started," said member Katie Waller, "but then I realized, hey, I love the Constitution. I'm going to be just fine!"

All six units performed to the best of their ability, giving solid presentations and responding well to six intense minutes of questioning by some of the most renowned.

constitutional authorities in Illinois. They kept their emotions in check until the job was done, even though the fans got quite rowdy at times. The team has now earned a trip to Washington D.C. for a shot at the national title, and more importantly, a solid three month break. Member Markus George Zei sleeps with a copy of The Federalist Papers under his pillow, dreaming of the next competition. Regardless, the "C-Team" has done their job thus far, and they now look to turn some heads at nationals. It is difficult to support them unless you take a fan bus to D.C. in May and silently watch them debate the Constitution, but just know that the Constitution Team exists and they are keeping the tradition of excellence alive.

Here connes a fun winter break

by Bridget Cameron Teenagers in Park Ridge never stop Complaining about the lack of things to do, one reason being that we just don't know where to look. To save us the trouble of "looking," the magazine Chicago has published a list of 101 things to do this holiday season in their December issue. To those people who enjoy getting out there and engaging in different activities, their options are endless. Here are a few things to try.

One thing the season brings is cold weather and snow. Chicago's newest Millennium Park provides a great place to skate while admiring the beautiful Chicago skyline. If snow is irresistible, however, Palos Park's Swallow Cliff Woods provides some of Chicago's highest toboggan slides (Route 83 west of Mannheim Rd.. Palos Park). Of course, if staying local is more appealing. Centennial Hill always offers good fun with a sled.

If feeling the spirit of giving this season, try to visit the Chicago Resource Network's website to find out where one can volunteer during the break at

of an unique purse can check out 1154 Lill Studio and create a personally original handbag (2523 N. Hoisted St.). After creating the purse, head on over to The Aroma Workshop and find a combination from their 240-plus perfume oils to create a signature scent (2050 N. Hoisted St.).

If in desire of more physical activity, perfect your golf swing at the year-round driving range at Diversey Parkway (Ml W. Diversey Pkwy.). Those interested in practicing another type of swing can visit The Flying Gaonas Gym in Broadway Armory Park. At this gym, p)eople have the outlandish opportunity to swing or "fly" on its full-size flying trapeze rig (Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway.)

If interested in getting the blood flowing in a different way, find time to visit the Chicago Indoor Racing [301 Hastings Dr, Buffalo Grove] facility and take a spin around the track in a go-kart. The kart will seem as though it's going flying past 30 mph.

Chicago's museums are a great place to start a winter break as well. There's always ^www.chicagovolunteer.net. something going on at The Field Museum.

Those who are more creative can visit The Art Institute. The Museum of Science Home Depot and take part in their free one- and Industry. the Adler Planetarium, and hour weekend classes. Check their website the Shedd Aquarium. The zoos are great to find out the class schedule at too. Besides the animals, Lincoln Park Zoo www.homedepot.com. Creative girls in search hosts its annual Zoo Lights, where you can

walk throughout the zoo and see it decorated with lights. Another museum worth seeing is the Volo Auto Museum (27582 W. Volo Village Rd., Volo). Located here are several famous cars from movies like Back to the Future, Batman. The Blues Brothers, and not-to-mention some of the industry's most beautiful and expensive cars.

Making Chicago's list of must-sees during winter break. Park Ridge's own Living Sea Aquarium is another place to check out. If anyone hasn't been there as a kid and bought a goldfish, stopping in wouldn't be a bad idea (S/7 W. Devon Ave.).

If in the mood for a Saturday Night Live experience in Chicago. Second City always guarantees an entertaining night (1616 N. Wells St.). Also, a fun night could be spent watching amateur comedians waiting for their big break at The Lyons Den. Mondays here are open mike nights (1934 W. Irving Park Rd.).

Having procrastinated on holiday shopping. Chicago's famous "Magnificent Mile" awaits. Shop on Michigan Avenue, while admiring the decorations and architecture. State Street is another shopping option, where stories are told by holiday window at Marshall Fields.

With all this to do, don't sit at home this holiday break doing nothing. Check out Chicago magazine for details and have fun.

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SOUTHWORDS'DEC 19. 2(X)3ÂŤVOL.40. NO. 8

— Student Opinion

Fashion update: the lowdown Not only is the holiday season upon us, but in a mere thirteen days it will be New Year's Day. The weeks leading up to the holidays are stereotypically filled with excitement and anticipation. People exude happiness and cheer, and I know I'm not the only one who is glad to be apart of this stereotype. Everyone wants a reason to be happy and excited and the holidays give us this chance.

However, for some reason, this year's holiday season has not brought the same excitement to people. Instead of hearing.

"I'm so excited it's almost Christmas," and "Don't you just love this. I'm just in such a great mood," the halls are filled with tired bodies dragging themselves through their day asking, "When is this day going to be over?" The entire Maine South community, students, and staff alike, are too busy trying to make up for the one week we all lost with Thanksgiving coming so late this year, to think about anything other than the work that still needs to be done. Our Thanksgiving dinners weren't even eaten yet, but those holiday decorations needed to go up. Simply put, this year, the holidays seem rushed.

Our busy schedules are not the only things that have gotten in the way of the realization that the holidays are here. The weather has also been a factor in our lack of holiday spirit. The most snow the Chicagoland area has seen is a few simple flurries. All of the lights are hung outside our houses, yet they don't feel the same without the white snow to reflect the illuminations.

Another excuse for the lack of spirit is for my fellow seniors who have applied early decision to their dream school. This has been the week of acceptances and rejections, which leaves little room for anticipation of anything other than the mail.

Whether it's the rushing, the weather, or other circumstances, they all need to be forgotten, because the holidays are nothing without the holiday spirit.

^v Veronica Kat: Few understand the fashion dilemma that teenage girls face every day. For some, it is the tedious task of leafing through their closet and asking herself "Should I wear the butt-bearing jeans with the pink crop top or the powder blue?"

An inner debate ensues. Finally, a decision is made, and the Cher Horowitz of the twenty-first century is ready for school. She enters the hallway, scoping the scene with her smoldering, masked eyes. Upon arriving to class, she takes her seat, revealing a healthy portion of butt cleavage to the student behind her. Luckily, though, her admirably trendy jeans are

conservative enough to cover approximately up to one inch above her crotch. Stylish, indeed. Not to mention very Britney-esque.

Some might wonder how such attire could be acceptable at school, but 1 wonder how they stay up. Is it the double sided toupee tape that J. Lo introduced to mainstream the fashion for more sparse ensembles? Or is it sheer luck?

'What happened to last year's thongs that at least filled in the (ahem) cracks of such outfits?

CosmoGirl Magazine recently reported that Brittney prefers to wear designer boy-cut undies underneath her scandalously low jeans. F o i ^ ^ once, it may be advisable for girls to folloN^^P her example.

Bathrooms for the homeless

By Joe Blanski There are many people who complain about how city streets are full of homeless people and the smell of urine. I'm sure you've heard it before, "OH MAN, what's that smell? That's nasty! Stupid homeless people!" So what do we do about this foul problem? We can't give each and every homeless person a job, and it would be too hard to clean the streets all the time.

I propose a new plan. I think that the homeless should be allowed to use public restrooms. Often these unfortunate people are not allowed to even enter, say, a Starbucks. They are forced to defecate on the streets, producing that awful, putrid, and absolutely undeniably nasty stench.

It is an easy plan that requires only three simple steps: first, to make a committee/ group that stands behind this belief Second, make a draft of the law stating that all public restrooms MUST allow the homeless to use them. Third, send the draft along with a petition to your informant inside the government. It's as easy as one, two, three!

There is a simple way to cleaning up our streets. Three simple steps that lead us on the way to nicer air and happier homeless.

Public restrooms should be open to all the public.

But what does this absurd manifesto have to do with us high school students who live in a clean, fairly wealthy suburb? Why have you even spent some of your precious time reading this?

1 mean you could be instead studying for that big test next period.. .yeah right. I'll keep it simple, absolutely nothing. All it is a diversion from our usual lame complaints that only repeat the same topics week after week or complain about previous commentaries. That's what this is; a break.

A break you deserve. Move on, expand your thoughts beyond yourself. There is a world beyond this high school and I think we should give some thought to where i ^ ^ ^ its crazy vastness we will fit. ^ ^ Let's wake up and start caring. By the way, don't forget the homeless, they're people too.

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SOUTHWORDS'DECEMBER 19. 2003«VOL. 40. NO. 8

Student Opinion

Capturing the joys of high school

by Elizabeth Chao "Get involved; get involved. Get involved!" "Try out for the team! Join every club!" "Keep your grades up, or you'll regret it!" "Make an impact on your high school campus!" The slogans that teachers, parents, and upperclassmen so ardently paraded in front of me when I was a freshman still ring dizzily in my head.

I listened from my assigned seat in the auditorium that first day of high school, awed by the inspiring stories of seniors with fifty extra-curricular activities—thirty-five of which they were presidents—with which to impress prospective colleges.

And like the obedient child that 1 was, 1 dutifully followed their wise advice. 1 cheerfully signed my name on every clipboard that enthusiastic club presidents and teacher sponsors shoved in my face even ones that I knew I'd never actually [join). Everyday after school there were at least three hours of dance practices, piano lessons, and youth groups to endure before even glancing at my bulging Chandler.

1 studied until at least two o'clock in the m o r n i n g , meticulously completing every English essay and math assignment, in pursuit of that coveted "A".

1 felt like if I didn't become student council president, varsity captain, and valedictorian, I'd be a failure. Success in the oh-soimportant arena of high school became an obsession, a measure of my value not simply as a student, but as a person.

Because popularity, athletic prowess, and GPA are the ways we gauge a person's uccess, aren't they? # ' But imagine for just a moment that those weren't the standards for success. I wonder if things would be any different if how many hours of sleep you got, rather than how

many boy/girlfriends you'd had, determined popularity. Or if the depth of your relationships with your mom and dad, instead of the breadth of your extracurricular activities, were what counted.

If the number of championship trophies you'd racked up for the Maine South display cases were replaced by the amount of time you'd spent pondering the meaning of life and appreciating a really good cup of hot chocolate.

1 think back to that first day of school assembly, and our teachers, parents, and even peers who bought into its messages so entirely. They extolled the virtues of "successful" students: those with 5.0 GPAs, astounding athletic records, four years of starring in musicals, and peppy personalities to boot. But, really, how different is setting up those ultra-involved super-students as realistic role models from Mattel idealizing Barbie as the perfect woman?

I'm not saying that extra-curricular activities are evil, or that we should all drop out of them and sit around eating Cheetos and watching Full House reruns instead.

Being involved has helped me discover my talents and interests, as well as friends who share them.

But a thousand awards next to the word "accomplishments" on a college application won't ever make up for the millions of moments missed to achieve them.

I'm wondering how I should end this article, and thinking that perhaps an inspiring call to action would fit in nicely.

Something like. "Break out of the crusty mold of others' expectations and dare to be an individual."

Nah. That'd take too much energy, and, after all, I'm only writing this because "'Southwards contributor" looks mighty impressive on my resume.

Someone who finishes what they start.

Anna Biondo. '05

o (D OH

a o o

Someone who has made something of him or herself without having to flaunt it.

Samantha Aiossa. "05

^ Someone who uses what they O have to the best of his ability. >^ Mike Helfgol, '04

O

o X A person who is willing to put in all the time for what they want.

Kyle Schreines. 06

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SOUTHWORDS'DECEMBER 19. 2(X).^ÂŤVOL. 40. NO. 8

Student Opinion

Another sleepless sob story

by Stephanie Righeiniei As I walk through the halls of Maine South today. I will undoubtedly hear at least one student whine, ""I have so much homework. I have to go someplace after school today and the earliest that I will get home to start it is at six o'clock. I'll never get to sleep."

I'm sure all of us have heard this type fo complaint, if not launched it ourselves, at some point in time. My point is that whining about it is not going to help your situation, and your complaint certainly will not be the highlight of anyone's boring day.

As students, most of us are aware of the same old high school sob story. And for the few of you who were temporarily living under a rock (or your pile of books), Southwords has kept you well informed.

Perhaps, even too informed?

And I know I am not the only one who has noticed.

In the October ?> 1"' issue of Southwords. there was an article in which a survey done by psychology students proved that homework was the main cause of sleep deprivation among Maine South students.

The author kept her article short, informative, and to the point.

However, three weeks later, the November 2 1 " issue of Southwords included not one, but four more articles regarding too much homework and not enough sleep. Boohoo! Who cares? We all get the point, and we all get annoyed

with it. but if you quit thinking and complaining about it. the problem will not seem as bad.

I am not trying to sound like I am perfect, because believe me, I am not. At some point during my freshman year, though, I realized that complaining got me nowhere.

Everyone gets homework and loses sleep, so what made me think that anyone (including my best friend) needed or wanted to hear about mine? I realized that I should not expect people to care or listen to me when I complain about such minute problems because we all have them. And besides, there are far worse things in life than too much homework.

Without a doubt, I would bet that Friday is everyone's favorite day. There is always the weekend to look forward to, with (hopefully) less homework and more sleep, and every few weeks we can also look forward to an issue of Southwords to read in between classes, or (gasp) during them.

I know it's something I look forward to.

But imagine my disappointment as I opened and skimmed our school paper on the morning of November 21'" to find four articles, all of which could be classified under the generic heading of "Same Old Sleepless Sob Story". I know I was not the only disappointed reader.

Nobody enjoys listening to others complain, and reading complaints is not any different. I understand that "Action" Ridge

is not the most exciting town, and that it may be difficult to find a common topic of interest to write about among Maine South students.

I also understand that it was the Editors of Southwords who published these four articles in one paper. Judging by their decision. I am assuming that Southwords is either lacking submissions, or variety among them, because they published not one. but four of these sob stories.

Who enjoys hearing others complain?

Who enjoys reading these complaints? Who enjoys writing these complaints? Obviously the authors of these four articles were not too concerned with the topics of their complaining. If they were so overloaded with homework and in such desperate need of sleep, why were they so willing to lose even more of their precious dreamtime in^ order to write these articles? That's what i really do not understand.

This article is my opinion, and as my opinion. I do not expect everyone to agree with it. But I also wrote this article knowing that I was not the only reader left disappointed and unsatisfied with the overdose of articles relating to sleep.

And to the authors of those articles, please do not waste anymore of your precious sleep writing articles that nobody wants to read, and please also understand that I only mean to criticize the overuse of a topic, and not your actual writing ability.

Maine South classrooms: are they really open-minded?

by Mark Milazzo Participate, participate, and participate.

This one word has been driven into our heads multiple times, but can we really obey it? Expressing our inner most opinions is something that teachers here at Maine South have come to expect, making this issue well worth exploring.

As we make our way to our challenging classes each day. a mountain of questions is almost certainly awaiting us. Some of the answers to those questions being open to blatant criticism. And. while teachers might very well try their best to create positive and

open classroom settings, this task can be nearly impossible. It may feel as if everything one says is under a microscope, being pricked and prodded at by anyone willing.

Fear from this can cause important questions to be very easily overlooked, or just not asked. I also find it funny how a question seems to receive more attention when a loud or outgoing person asks them.

This problem of prejudiced classroom environment can cause a host of problems, the chief being the hurt self-esteem of those who have been scrutinized. Even when teachers say that anything said in the class-

room will not be judged, they can't control that.

But by all means, I'm not saying that everyone should just become a zombie all period, I'm just reporting that many feel this problem in their student lives, interfering with learning.

The difficult task of having everyone sharing their own opinions on everything i ^ ^ something we should all strive for, but t h c ^ ^ ^ doesn't like it's going to happen any time in the near future. To help make that future come quicker is up to each and every one of us.

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SOUTHWORDS'DECEMBER 19, 2003ÂŤVOL. 40. NO. 8

•College bowl season hy Brendan Farrell The time between December 16 and January 4 is a time in which college football fans feast on excitement. This period of time is known as bowl season. The times have changed greatly and the amount of bowls has rose from a small few to 28 major bowl games.

It all started in 1901 with the Parade of Roses in Pasadena adding a football game to the list of New Year's Day activities and it has since grown to a major attraction. Soon after the success of the Rose Bowl, other games such as the Orange Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Sun Bowl and the Sugar Bowl were founded.

The bowl games used to e played for the most part on o New Years Day. They weren't counted during the season, rather they were charity games set up as exhibitions to raise money.

The new wave of bowls began to grow after the television stations began covering the games. With the new bowls came a wave of commercialization.

This new trend was not met with much welcome especially from die-hard fans.

"There was a much adverse reaction," said one writer at hickoksports.com. The major bowls became ads for companies such as FedEx, Nokia and Tostitos.

With the great popularization of these games, the stakes rose greatly. These games now represent the success of a team and impact which teams will play in the national champion game. Every college team now strives to get invited to a bowl game each year.

In the mid to late 1990's. the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was formed as a way to decisively decide a national thampion. as well as the top teams in the country. The bowl games include the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. The championship bowl is rotated between these four every year.

The BCS has a computer system that analyzes each team and decides their rank.

There has been much controversy as of late as to how the BCS determines who goes to each bowl. A team's record can not be the determining factor, because many teams complete the season with identical records.

The 6 C 5

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championship. There is no doubt that after this season's latest BCS fiasco that the BCS will undergo harsh criticism this coming spring and in years to come. If no changes are made to the system, we can expect much more controversy in the future.

Also, it seems that too many teams are invited to bowls. With 28 bowls 56 teams advance to play in a bowl game. This allows mediocre teams such as the 6-6 Northwestern Wildcats to attend the Motor City Bowl. Many believe that bowls like this one are pointless and dampen the excitement and intensity of the college bowl season.

Nevertheless, the bowl season goes ahead with much excitement providing college football fans with something else to debate and critique throughout the offseason.

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SOUTHWORDS A student-produced newspaper of:

A few years ago. Nebraska played for the natinal championship although they did not win their own conference. It created much controversy and the season ended with co-champions.

This year is a great example of some of the controversy the BCS brings. Oklahoma, u s e , and LSU all have identical records, u s e was ranked number one by the two major polls and will not play in the BCS championship game. Instead, Oklahoma, a team that didn't even win its own conference title and lost in a blow out to Kansas State, will face off against LSU for the championship. The college football season looks to end with co-champions; if u s e wins, they will be considered by many as the champions but the winner of Oklahoma and LSU would also be considered a champion.

This latest controversy may prove to be the end of the BCS. People across the country, not only USC fans, agree that the BCS system lacks common sense and is not a good system for the college football

Maine South High School 1111 South Dee Road Park Ridge, IL 60068 Signed letters to the editor should he deliv' ered to room V-131 or given to a member of the editorial staff. SoUTHWORDS reserves | the right to edit material for daritj 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 Mitchel' Katie Wallc E^oduction Editors Bobby Crismyre Kris Johnson Core Photographers Kiley Borowski Kathleen Pinter Core Staff Artist Joyce Ann Santos Advisor T.R. Kerth

8 Hit it, dude: teenagers and weed* SOUTHWORDS'DECEMBER 19. 2003ÂŤVOL. 40. NO. 8

By Joanne Narrido and Nick Reid In the sixties and seventies smoking "pot" was the thing to do for young people who wanted to either rebel against society or just get high. Today, fortynine of the ninety surveyed suburban high school students have smoked weed. This startling number suggests that the trend has carried over to the adolescents of today's generation.

Has the early drug education that many teenagers experienced actually influenced their decision to do drugs like marijuana? According to SMART. D.A.R.E., and S.RE.C.D.A.. "Efforts in an early drug education program has influenced the use of drugs in elementary and junior high school."

To test this theory, they conducted a study of non-D.A.R.E. educated students and D.A.R.E. educated students and discovered that the nonD.A.R.E. students had lower grades and a higher percentage of drug use than the D.A.R.E. educated students.

This information was provided by War on Drugs: Opposing Viewpoints.

A separate study in which students at Maine South were surveyed found major differences between male and female drug use. Out of 41 males surveyed. 26 have tried drugs at least once, while only 18 of 49 females have done illegal drugs. It is also interesting to find that of the 26 males who claim to have tried drugs, 17 say that they have smoked "pot" 25 times or more. The female number is significantly smaller as only 7 claim the same fact.

Although the difference of drug use between males and females is very notable, the number of female high school students who think about drugs during their everyday lives is shocking. Among the 18 females who have used weed. 67 percent say that they think about using during the day. Even among the males, 42 percent think about drugs daily.

This same survey also showed that males spend more money monthly on marijuana than females. Thirty-nine percent of males spend five to ten dollars a month and 27 percent spend 25 dollars or more on "pot".

Among the females surveyed. 17 percent spend between five and ten dollars a month

and 11 percent spend over 25 dollars a month on these drugs.

Today, since marijuana is illegal, the money that is spent by these suburban teenagers is placed in the hands of drug

dealers who increase crime in the area.

According to Raul Tovares in his book War on Drugs, if marijuana were to be legalized, crime would decrease.

"Grievances between buyers and sellers can only be settled by violence, because there is no mediating body [police] to who either can go to for assistance."

Thirty-two percent of the students who use marijuana surveyed are at risk of getting into violent disputes with drug dealers when they purchase drugs.

Most non-sfnokers say, "I don't need it to have fun. It is just disgusting.

Plus, none of my friends do it."

On the other hand, one who says that he does "smoke-up" occasionally says, "I do it because it is fun and relaxing. When you're doing it with friends you laugh a lot. It also relieves a lot of my built-up stress and h e l p ^ ^ me sleep better." ^^^ According to this survey people shouldn't expect drug use to decline soon. Fifty-five percent of those who said that they smoke now believe that they will continue to smoke.

The majority of the students surveyed know of the effects marijuana use can have on the body. These teenagers know what they are doing and they do it anyway. With all of this startling information, the number of high school smokers is sure to continue to rise.

BAG-CVAHIKIN

Another Day at the Airport

SOUTHWORDS'DECEMBER 19. 200.^ÂťVOL. 40. NO. 8

9

Hb smoke or not to smoke?

By John Kurtz and John Gonzalez The corporate media organizations like TRUTH have portrayed a recent picture of an interesting trend of smoking in the general public. To say whether this is a fact or not, a survey was conducted in Maine South of both students and faculty. Roughly 100 people were interviewed in the course of the survey. These surveys were conducted randomly to ensure that the results provide a true representation of Maine South.

In this group that was surveyed, sixty percent did not smoke, while the other forty percent either smoked cigarettes or cigars.

Of the smokers, males outnumbered the females two to one. This is not surprising because in the movies today close to three times as many men are seen smoking than women, which sends a subliminal message to people that more men should smoke than women.

Cigarettes are not the only tobacco ijiroduct that the people of Maine South are Tsing. Four percent of smokers also use chewing tobacco and nineteen percent of the entire survey smoked cigars. In fact, five

percent of all the people surveyed smoke only cigars- not cigarettes.

According to Tobacco: People Profits and Public Health, there are 1.1 billion smokers worldwide. Of these, 46.3 million are Americans. Globally forty-seven percent of all men smoke while only twelve percent of all women smoke.

This ratio of men to women smokers in the world is even higher in the real world than at Maine South. The median age to start smoking is 15 worldwide, but according to our survey at Maine South it is 17. Out of all the smokers surveyed, close to fifty percent have done other drugs in the past, mostly marijuana. This proves that a smoker is more likely to do drugs than other nonsmokers.

When smokers were asked why they smoked, the responses varied. Some are addicted and others wish to look cool, like James Dean. Surprisingly the majority of students found that there was nothing wrong with smoking tobacco, except it can be an expensive habit.

One senior at Maine South says. "1 have been smoking for four years and I can now feel the effects." He slowly takes a drag of his Marlboro #27. "T smoke cigars occasionally and I also chew dip." This bad habit has been taking a toll on this student, "I have tried to quit in the past, cold turkey, but I found that it was extremely difficult. I have cut down a little though." The student, just like fifty percent of the smokers here has had alcohol or tried other drugs. When asked what he does during the school day he responded, "Every addicted smoker knows that during a long day at school a cigarette is nice, and sometimes during the long school day I just need one. I usually have to go to the bathroom, but it would be nicer if there was a smoking area."

The trend of smokers in this country is actually decreasing due to the efforts of antismoking campaigns such as TRUTH. The trend at Maine South is that smokers are increasing, but people who do not smoke are opposed to smoking and the harmful effects that it has on the body.

A deadly anniversary

By Matt Sergot The centennial anniversary of the deadliest fire in Chicago history will be recognized on December 30. The Iroquois Theatre fire killed over 600 theatergoers and one performer.

The theatre was relatively new and due to an asbestos curtain, it was called "Absolutely Fireproof." If there were to be a fire on stage, the curtain would ride down a wooden track and separate the fire from the audience; at least that was what it was supposed to do.

It was a chilly Chicago day and several families headed down to 28 W. Randolph to see a performance of "Mr. Bluebeard. Jr." The theatre's maximum occupancy was A ,724 patrons; there were over 1,900 people In attendance occupying standing room only. Not only that, the shows cast was over 500 people.

The performance sailed through the first act with the audience laughing jovially at

Eddie Foy, who was ridiculously dressed in drag. After a short intermission, the second act began at 3:15 pm.

What the audience couldn't see was thousands of square feet of scenery hanging dangerously near hot stage lamps. As one of the scenery pieces was being lowered on to the stage, it brushed against one of the lights. It caught fire immediately and spread to the rest of the scenery.

As flames rained down onto the performers, they rushed of stage. Only Eddie Foy remained and yelled to the audience to stay seated. As he was doing this, the asbestos curtain was being lowered, but it got caught in its poorly made wooden tracks.

When the cast backstage saw that they were in direct danger, they ran out emergency doors that led to the chilly streets. This caused a draft of cool air to rush into the theatre, which pushed the fire

under the half lowered curtain into the audience.

The people in the audience ran to the twenty-seven exits, finding that only eleven of them were unlocked. What's worse was that the doors opened inwards, and with the masses of people pushing against them, they were impossible to open.

When the fire subsided, firemen entered the building, finding bodies stacked ten high in the doorways. Two hundred of the dead were found still seated in their seats on the orchestra floor.

Six hundred audience members died, but out of the five hundred cast members, only the tightrope walker perished.

So, with six hundred and one casualties, the Iroquois Theatre Fire is the deadliest fire in Chicago history. This fire's deth toll far surpassed the two hundred and fifty that were killed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

10 Promising freshmen inspire new hopes for South swimmers SOUTHWORDS'DECEMBER 19. 2003»VOL. 40. N0.8

by Jesse Kramer After last year's successes at the conference, sectional, and state meets, the Maine South 2003-2004 boys" swim team faced tragedy as thirteen of its eighteen varsity athletes graduated. The future of boys' swimming at Maine South appeared bleak, and few expected the same success of last year when practice began.

Yet. fortune smiled on this seemingly overlooked team in the form of eighteen new freshmen, one new sophomore, and two new junior athletes. This influx of swimmers has brought new hope to an unexpectant group of returning core swimmers.

"They have really brought new life to this team," says the boys" varsity coach Mr. Deger. "We can expect great success from this group.'"

Last Monday, the Hawks took the first chance to test the skill of their new teammates in a time trial.

Senior Mark Kruk. sophomore Marc Sarran. and freshman Mark Szpak led the way with impressive times in nearly all eight events. Also rounding out the top spots were great returning varsity members Rob Riddle. Frank Macino, and Jesse Kramer, as well as juniors Kyle Thompson.

Kevin Kane, and sophomore Chris DiFranco.

However, this is not all. On the junior varsity level, the Hawks experienced similar successes with impressive swims from freshmen as well as returning members.

Juniors Billy Potratz and Mickey Mangan led the squad, each with impressive swims in key events. Freshmen Rick Macino, Mitch Thorsen. Dan Wolski, and David Oulvey followed thier lead and also had strong performances.

Along with Friday night, the Hawks were brought their first challengers to the

pristine Maine South swimming and diving facilities—a state caliber team from St. Patrick High School.

Despite an outstanding performance by all of the guys on the team, including captain Mark Kruk. the mighty Hawks fell to the Shamrocks with a score of 113-71.

Unscathed by their loss, the Hawks now look to their future meets against Leyden and Maine West, becaust they know this will truly be a time to prove their value.

Although some may overlook the value of the 2003-2004 Hawk swimmers, the boys know that with their continued efforts, their names will soon be echoing through the halls of Maine South.

Behind the strength of returning members, surprising new members, t h ^ ^ chime tutelage of varsity coach Chris D e g a ^ ^ and the iron fist of junior varsity coach Don Kura, one thing is certain: the Hawks will have another successful season.

Hawk Highlights ""^^^^Ss

12/19

12/20

12/22

12/23

12/24

Boys' Basketball Boys'Swimming

Boys'Wrestling

©York

Girls' Basketball

@CHBC

@CHBC

Girls'Gymnastics

Girls' Indoor Track < Boys' Indoor Track J

11

SOUTHWORDS'DECEMBER 19, 2003ÂŤVOL. 40. NO. 8

*A trip to Galesburg

by Katie Waller Booming laughter, fizzles of pop cans opening, warm scents of mostaccoli and garlic bread all filled the Maine South halls the night of December 5. Were the teachers throwing a party you ask? Of course not!

It was the Maine South varsity and sophomore girls" basketball teams filling up on carbohydrates in the faculty lounge before their four-hour drive down to Galesburg, Illinois.

After a shortened practice, the girls hit the showers, and then hurried to the faculty lounge for their traditional pasta party.

Before sitting down to eat. senior captain Claire Forde was heard saying, "Every other year we go down to Galesburg to play the Silver Streaks. The last time we went was when I was a sophomore, and fortunately I get the opportunity to travel down there again as a senior. It's been a tradition to pve a pasta party before we head to Galesburg, and the food is amazing! Salad.

pasta, bread, cookies, pies...you name it!"

With the help of some generous parents, the pasta party was again a huge success, and the girls were able to stuff their faces to the max.

Rolling out of the faculty lounge, the girls then headed to their luxurious coach bus to start the journey. Laughter and excitement again filled the air surrounding the two teams. Ashley Tomzik almost couldn't contain her enthusiasm, while she pushed to be first on the bus saying. "I can't wait! This is going to be so much fun!"

After arriving at the Fairfield Inn in Galesburg, the girls had a quick meeting, and were off to their rooms for a good night's rest with visions of basketball dancing in their heads. The team awoke refreshed, ready to seize the day and hand the Streaks their first lose of the year. The Hawks were off to a good start, competing head to head with Galesburg. Despite their

South Stats 2

18

Place of boy's football team in state.

Number of freshmen on the boys' varsity swimming team.

1800 Number of snowmen scarves hand-colored

by Sout/?ivorofs staff.

confidence and hustle, the girls were unable to push ahead and defeat the Streaks. "It was a tough loss, but I think we played well, and we can only go up from here." stated sophomore Christina Solari after the game.

The spirits of the Hawks were lifted soon after the game, while engaging in another traditionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a pizza party with the Galesburg team. Although the game was competitive and physical, the girls were all able to sit down. eat. and engage in lively conversation. Both teams exchanged stories and laughs, including one of the players from Galesburg saying, "Do you guys really think we drive tractors down the street, because we don't; that's not true!"

After facing the challenging Galesburg Silver Streaks, the Maine South Hawks hopped on their bus and headed back home.

It was a trying weekend, but the girls rode home with their heads held high, anxiously awaiting their next opponents.

/-/ey You! Souttiwords \s looking for a writer to cover wrestling stories.

Whether you are on the team, or just a dedicated fan, please let us know if you'd like to write these articles.

Talk to Greg Mitchell of Katie Waller for more details. Thank you!

SoniniiJimS

2003 SPORTS Boys' Basketball • Girls' Basketball • Indoor Track • Boys' Swimming • Girls' Gymnastics • Wrestling

Bittersweet season

by Steve Contomo It's tough to be proud of second place when all season you worked hard with one goal on your mind. I t s tough to accept being second best to a team that on paper you were better than. And it"s tough to enjoy second place when you play with a group of winners. Where do you start so you can be proud of it and accept it and enjoy it?

It's not easy, and it won't be for any of the 72 Hawks. Sitting in the locker room five minutes after the game, not a single person could enjoy being runner-up. But after twenty minutes or so. people started to realize that second place was pretty good, considering the great season, and great memories, up until that last quarter. Like when the "nobody" Hawks of Somewhere, Illinois beat nationally ranked teams to win the U of I 7on7 Passing Tournament and how Maratea thought he left his wallefon the field so half hour into the trip, the team had to turn around only to find it on the bus when it returned home. Or when the team

had to wait in the cold for over an hour because the bus got in an accident in the parking lot after the Conference Championship was won in Waukegan.

Even the little moments, the personal struggles faced as a team. How Kevin Collins badly hurt his ankle in the Lincoln Way East game, but came back on defense and to punt. Or when Mike Bello took the second team offense down the field to their first (and only) score of the season. And how every practice the scout team defense would face Sean Price and the starting offense and Coach Manning got so excited, he had to "leave" practice.

In a sport where teamwork is everything, each player worked off each other to become better and to make the team better than it already was. It seemed like every player was a brother to each other. Steve Truty was like the older brother, the leader, who always had some advice for another teammate. Don Durbin, was the older brother, almost a year wiser and more in touch with God than

everyone. The 12 sophomore little brothers that joined us late, just in time to carry the balls. The scout boys like Frank Pagone, Dan Csuk. and Matt Blair who were the pesty brothers that were always getting in the way but were a crucial part of the team.

Every player had a role on the team, no one more important than the other, and all together accomplished so many feats: U of I 7 on 7 Champs. CSL South Conference Champs, CSL Player of the Year (Price) Tribune Athlete of the Month (Price), Suntimes Athlete of the Year (Price), CSL Lineman of the Year (Colletti), CSL Top Defensive Player (Durbin) 10 ^^^ Conference Athletes, 4 All State A t h l e l ^ ^ (Price, DeCicco, Labus, Durbin). and to top it off, Illinois 8A State Runner-up.

It's still going to be tough for each player, each coach, and many students and supporters to finally accept runner-up.

Runner-up should not be seen as failure but only as success gone so far. But next year, we eot some unfinished business.

Turn/no th/ngs around

by John Pomagier This year's boys' varsity basketball team hopes to turn things around from last year's 5-23 season. With two new coaches this year, the Hawks are hoping to do just that.

The varsity assistant coach is Mr. Young, while the head coach is Mr. Lavarato.

Coach Lavarato is a great addition to the 2003-2004 team this year. Over at Stagg, he turned around the whole basketball program. The boys are hoping he can do the same with their team.

The varsity boys don't have a whole lot of size, but they do have 6'7" Joe Lebree.

He'll be crashing the boards a lot this year.

The other guys who'll have to step it up in the paint are Vonesh, Paz, Fillipini, and yes.

Alex "too nice" Tone. The defense will be a key factor this year. With Conrad Craig.

oiin O'Malley cuts to the basket hv Kllev Borowski\

Mike Madsen. John Pomagier flying all over the court, the defense should be much improved from last year. On offense there's Collin O'Malley who just makes one great move after another. Collin Wehmen also adds depth at the point. Mike Clark is a nice three point threat, and Mix can shoot ninety percent from the field on any given day.

With Northfell, the guys never know when he is going to miss a shot. Last, but not least, is Mark Duric. The team will be counting on him to provide a physical presence insidj isid^ This year's boys varsity basketball tear deep and optimistic. Coach's philosophy' )hy T^ I.C.E.—Intensity, Concentration, and Enthusiasm. If the Hawks do all three of those, come March, they may be the upset of the year.