Vol 49 issue 7

March 21, 2013

1111 S. Dee Road • Park Ridge, Illinois 60068

Vol. 49, No. 7

NIGHT HAWKS

What goes on after the sun goes down. see page 7

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MATT ANDERSON

Centennial Pool Spring Clothes Local pool undergoes major renovations Page 4

A guide to this spring’s fashions Page 5

Kleptomania

MS Superfans

Steps need to be taken to Student spirit at games on stop theft at Maine South the rise Page 12 Page 16

NEWS

| March 21, 2013

REPRESENT

PHOTO BY MR. BEERY

Rep. Moylan (second from left) poses for a picture with Mr. Messmer (left), Social Science department chairman Mr. Gaughan (second from right), and teacher Mr. Scott (right). During his tour of the school, he spoke with a few government classes and met with Mr. Messmer to discuss issues at Maine South.

Rep. Moylan serves as “principal for the day” “When I went to the Chicago Met- Rep. Moylan said. “And many peoro History Fair, I saw the creativity of ple asked, how did I do that? Even the students from Maine South,” he though something sometimes is unsaid. “You give them a subject and popular, you have to work hard, and see how they see it. It’s quite exciting it’s worth it to get a result that is fain my mind to see how they advance, vorable to the community.” do their research, investigate, and The information he gathered in make something out of a topic.” talking with Maine South students Rep. Moylan also spoke to a few of and Mr. Messmer is going to aid Rep. Dora Bialy the Government classes about his ex- Moylan in making beneficial deciNews Editor n an effort to learn more about the periences as Alderman, Mayor, and sions in terms of education for his schools in his legislative district, State Representative. He also held a legislative district.

Illinois State Representative Martin question and answer session with the “When I go back to Springfield, Moylan visited Maine South on Friday, Feb. 15 as “principal for the day.”

He is traveling to all three schools in his district, Elk Grove, Maine West, and Maine South, to hear from educators and students about the issues that matter to them.

“I’m on a listening and learning —Representative Moylan tour,” said Rep. Moylan. “And that’s what I’m doing all over the district.

I’ve listened to your principal and students, which gave them a chance and when we talk about issues, I’m your teachers. I’m seeing how I can to ask him about anything. going to talk about how I have great “When I was there, I was explain- schools in my district. How can we educate myself on what Maine South ing how one person can make a make sure they have the proper does.”

Rep. Moylan started his day by difference. There are many issues I funding? How we can make sure that visiting the Chicago Metro History took on when they weren’t popular, they’re safe? How can I, as a State Fair that was taking place in the LRC. and I had to generate public opinion Representative, ensure that these isHe was impressed by the exhibits the on my side to get a course change, sues are addressed? When speaking to get a board to change its views,” to the students and the principals, U.S. History students put together.

State Rep. Marty Moylan visits Maine South as part of his districtwide “listening and learning” tour

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“Even though something sometimes is unpopular, you have to work hard, and it’s worth it to get a result that is favorable to the community.”

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I listen and learn and see what they need, and then I go to Springfield and try to bring back positive results.”

Rep. Moylan discussed his involvement with other community members in the district, and how he takes their input into account at the Springfield committee meetings.

“People sometimes think politicians talk a lot; I don’t,” he said. “I try to mention a subject, and then I want to hear what the students, or the principal, or the caretakers have to say about it. The other day I met with the first responders, which is police and fire. We talked about the many issues affecting them. Now when I go to Springfield, I use this information when I go to committee meetings.

At the committee meetings about education, I will use what I learned from the students, from the principal, and from the [board] president of District 207.”

Rep. Moylan was impressed not only with Maine South as a whole, but with its students and the quality of education they are receiving.

“When you graduate from Maine South, you have a great chance to get into a top college. And that’s what it’s all about: getting our kids educated.”

March 21, 2013

| NEWS

Jonathan Zamaites

Staff Writer n the past few weeks, a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack caused problems for the Internet connection at Maine South. Because of this attack, the Internet was down sporadically between Feb. 25 and March 8 and, as a result, affected students’ and teachers’ daily activities.

A DDoS attack consists of alreadyinfected computers attacking a host of Internet connections and trying to temporarily cut off the Internet connections from its servers.

“In order for someone to target an Internet host, the attackers need an IP address,” said senior Peter Hadlaw, a member of the Tech Genius program. “An IP address is like a geographical address except it’s for a unique address of a specific computer or set of computers on the web. Any computer connected to the internet has one and District 207 shares one across all three schools.”

“The second part that all DDoS attacks share in common is the actual attack itself. A DDoS attack is

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an attack made by a group of computers that overloads the receiving computer with bogus requests. Although they sometimes can, these excessive requests do not specifically try to crash the computer, but rather occupy it with these fake requests, thus blocking, or denying, the real requests made by students like us to access the Internet.”

“It’s just like if someone, all of the sudden, sent you millions of emails to your inbox and you’re trying to find that one email,” said Hadlaw.

According to Hadlaw, these attacks are usually done for sport or spite. They generally aren’t used for security breaches, so personal data isn’t at risk.

Many students have expressed frustration over the Internet issues.

“Half of my classes need, in some way, shape, or form, Internet capabilities in order to work,” said senior Justin Demme. “I’m behind on engineering projects, backed up with journalism work, and was unable to access my Government project from Google Docs. It’s inconvenienced me

PHOTO BY HANNAH SIMPSON

DDoS attack causes Internet problems

UNDER ATTACK

When the Internet was down, students and teachers were confronted with the screen seen above whenever they opened a browser. This Internet connection problem was due to a DDoS attack that disabled Internet access at school.

terribly.”

This frustration with the lack of an Internet connection was compounded on Mar. 4 when AT&T reported a Chicagoland Internet outage. This caused Maine South to be without the Internet for the day as well.

Hadlaw offered advice to students dealing with the connection issues.

“Don’t panic. You can’t do much about the Internet at school so just come prepared. Some smartphones have features that allow you to save for offline use, and when the new Chromebooks come into play, contrary to belief, after an initial setup they can be quite functional even without an internet connection.”

to the appropriate administrator, he system, troubleshoot, and train staff or she will respond to the message and students. promptly and take necessary action.

Since “Talk About It” began, many Most messages sent through the students have taken the opportunity system will remain confidential unless to test it out, and the program’s there is a threat of physical harm, abilities have been put to use. Despite possible damage to the school or a few hoax messages, a good number other property, of students in t he dist r ic t or abuse of the “Talk About It” have already begun to use system. the system D r. H a n k Thiele, Chief p r o p e r l y, and staff has Te c h n o l o g y Officer, worked been able to respond as to assemble the system and quickly as get it ready for possible to all situations use as soon as LET’S CHAT The image above is the possible. logo for the new “Talk About It” program. This i n w h i c h students “ I t w a s program gives students the opportunity to get relatively easy help for their problems anonymously. expressed a to [set up ‘Talk legitimate About It’] since it is tied to the system issue. we use for emergency phone calls,” Most people throughout the said Dr. Thiele. “We already had school have reacted positively to a technical relationship with the this new system and agree that it is company and had a good history of beneficial for all students.

“I believe that this program is a getting projects done with them.”

It took about a total of two months good step toward preventing violence, to work out all the details of the bullying, and even depression,”

freshman Christ Anastos said. “The system is always there for students to use, whether it’s ever needed or not.”

Mr. Scotellaro and the entire District 207 administration want to make sure students remember that this system is always there for them to use and is for their protection.

“As administrators, we hope our students use the system to help them stay healthy and prevent any issues or events that might hurt any of our students,” said Mr. Scotellaro. “The thought of any of our children or young adults living in jeopardy due to any kind of threat or situation that might be harmful, whether it be related to physical or mental health, generates strong feelings of concern and a desire to protect.”

Even if students don’t use this system, the administration hopes that they will go to a trusted adult or seek out help in any way they can.

“We need to take care of ourselves, and each other,” said Mr. Scotellaro.

“It’s what caring people do. It’s what Hawks do. When needed, we want students to get help, either through Talk About It, a parent, or a school staff member.”

Maine South launches anonymous-help program Elizabeth Stocchetti

Staff Writer t the end of February, District 207 launched a new program called “Talk About It” as a method to prevent bullying, abuse, and other threats of violence.

The district established the program to protect all students and give them a place to share their concerns. The administration researched methods of prevention that have been proven to work at other schools. Their searches led them to “Talk About It.” “Because of the success that other districts were experiencing with ‘Talk About It,’ making the decision to allow students to confidentially express concerns was a natural direction to take,” said Mr. Scotellaro, Director of Student Personnel Services at Maine South and one of the proponents of the program.

The system itself is a part of SchoolMessenger, the auto dialer company that Maine South uses.

Students can log on to “Talk About It” using their Gmail accounts and report any issues they may be having at school. After the message is sent

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| March 21, 2013 PHOTO COURTESY PARK RIDGE PARK DISTRICT

NEWS

SUPER SOAKER

This rendering shows the design for the new water park, which is scheduled to open in July 2014.

The pool will be completely revamped with water slides, a new diving board, and a zero-depth entry to the main pool.

Centennial Pool to undergo renovation

Caryn Clark Staff Writer

T

he Park Ridge Park Board of Commissioners and Staff recently approved a proposal to renovate Centennial Pool into a water park.

Construction will begin on Aug. 1, 2013 and the park will re-open on July 4, 2014.

A $7.1 million project, this water park will have two water slides, a three-lane pool area for water basketball and volleyball, a six lane/25yard competition pool with a drop slide and diving board, and a new mechanical room.

Like the Des Plaines water park Mystic Waters, it will also have a zero-depth pool entry with geysers and play features. According to the Park District, the plan includes an expanded parking lot with bigger spaces and the addition of 80 new spaces.

Decked out with fancy umbrella structures, a concession stand, a new walking path, and a new playground on the south side of the Senior center (to replace the current one which resides next to the Community Center), this water park will be a major upgrade from the original pool. The

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only structures that will remain untouched are the wading pool, which was replaced in 2008, and the locker rooms, which were updated in 1997.

Built in 1954, the current pool has been servicing the Park Ridge community for 58 years. In a midwestern climate, the life expectancy of a community pool is 30-40 years.

Over the past several years, the Park Ridge Board of Commissioners and Staff has analyzed the condition of each of the community’s pools through different methods. Both the 2005 and the 2011 Comprehensive Pool Analysis showed that significant damage exists in both of the Centennial Pools. The pool shells, gutter, and piping have significantly deteriorated, the pools are leaking water in some areas, there are stress fractures in the steel pool shells (meaning the bottom of the pool will eventually collapse), and there is serious damage in the main drain piping.

Evidently, simply repairing the Centennial Pool would cost about 1.4 million. According to local statistics, the recommended bather load for a community the size of Park Ridge’s is from 1,593-1,727 people. The combined bather capacity of all the com-

munity’s pools—Centennial, Hinkley, the South Park Wading Pool, and the Community Center Pool—is 1,612 bathers. Centennial accounts for 57 percent of that total capacity and without it, the community pool capacity would drop to only 695 bathers. This, topped with sufficient evidence that the replacement of the Centennial Pool was a high priority to Park Ridge residents (according to a community-wide survey in 2011), has enabled the District to earmark $800,000 in funds for this project already.

The project will not actually increase property taxes for Park Ridge homeowners because it is within the District’s spending limits. The Park District will issue $6.3 million in general obligation funds from its non-referendum bonding capacity as well as use surplus funds and seek grant funding to cover the remaining costs of this project.

Extensive research went into making sure this project suited the community’s desires. The three-year planning process began in 2011. The professional pool design firm Stantec gathered public input on the developmental plans and provided cost

consideration in order to formulate the optimal design for the park. An “aquatic task force” surveyed several local area pools to see what designs would best suit the community and gathered more public input from community surveys.

Many Park Ridge residents have inquired why Oakton Pool didn’t undergo such renovations. The Park Ridge Centennial Pool is the most centrally-located of all the Park District’s pools and has consistently had the highest attendance. In fact, prior to the Oakton Pool closing, the Centennial Pool was used about five times more than Oakton.

The community-wide survey and the master plan revealed that the Centennial Pool is the preferred location for this project, especially since the water park the community wanted would not fit into the allotted space provided by the Oakton site.

As Park Ridge continues to move forward with plans to renovate Centennial Pool, Park Ridge residents will vote on April 9 on whether or not to renovate the Youth Campus.

Because these renovations would be so costly, they would result in higher property taxes for residents.

March 21, 2013

| NEWS

Rube Goldberg teams have all the bells and whistles

Matthew Anderson Production Head

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ou r Rub e G ol db e rg te ams competed at the annual Rube Goldberg Competition in the Maine South boardroom on Feb. 20. The prize for the two winning teams was a chance to compete at Argonne National Laboratory for a regional title, and then possibly move on the national competition.

The two groups chosen to compete at Argonne this year were ROYalty (seniors Tim Sheehan, Ryan Walek, Jeremy Piech, Jonathan Piech, Kevin James, Wilson Ngai, Pat Daleidan, Mark Abtahi, Mike Martino, Anthony DiCristofano, and Mike Mcgovern) and the Strong Men (seniors Norbie Kosinski, Ben Cercavschi, Matt Anderson, and junior Karl Sissman).

Both teams created complex machines that incorporated lessons they had learned in their physics classes at Maine South.

“My favorite way to brainstorm for Rube is to just sit in front of a pile of junk until I have an idea,” said Kosinski.

Both teams feel that the competition has allowed team members to grow closer to each other.

“The entire team has learned more about each other and we have grown closer, not just as friends, but as coworkers,” said Ngai. “We trust each other more and we know each others’ strengths and weaknesses.”

A task is created by the Rube Goldberg Committee, and is then passed on to the competing schools to begin forming an idea. Each team must create a machine that completes a series of tasks to accomplish the main goal. The teams then take their machine to compete at their school, and the winners are selected to move on to a regional competition. Those who participate in the competition and perform well have the opportunity to advance to the national level.

The possibilities that the challenge presents and the creativity of the students makes it difficult to have a uniform criteria for the entire

4STRONG AND STEADY

One of Maine South’s Rube Goldberg teams, the Strong Men, composed of seniors and juniors, exhibit their machine involving string, wooden boards and coffee cans. The task was to hammer a nail. The participants created elaborate steps such as rolling targets down a slope to complete this simple task. The Strongman Machine Placed third.

PHOTOS BY MATT ANDERSON

Maine South Rube Goldberg teams place at competition and advance to Regionals at Argonne

3ROYAL TREATMENT Team

ROYalty’s machine involving miniature train tracks, a bowling ball and the laws of physics, left, at the Annual Rube Goldberg Competiton gave the team a secondplace trophy.

The theme of the contraption was the City of Chicago.

Both Maine South teams competed at the Argonne National Labratory for a regional title later in the year.

competition.

“I decided on many different levels,” explained competition judge Mr. Downing. “By how well the machine runs, how many steps it has, what kind of unique steps it has, whether or not it has a theme, whether the theme incorporates into the steps -those are the kind of things we look for.”

Both Maine South teams competed against other schools in Illinois for their shot to advance to the National

Competition in Wisconsin. The teams competing at the event had rosters that contained some of the most promising young engineers in the state.

Both teams from Maine South had thematic machines. ROYalty’s machine was based on the city of Chicago, and the Strong Man’s machine came straight from the carnival.

B o t h t e a m s p l a c e d at t h e competition.

“Winning Regionals would justify

the time spent working on the project,” said Ngai. “It’s something that we feel we should earn.”

“The amount of work required to design, build, test, and run a 6 feet x 6 feet x 6 feet is probably measured in hundreds of hours,” said Mr. Downing, Rube Goldberg judge and MS team sponsor. “I am so proud of the individuals that created these two machines as this is an incredible display of craftsmanship, persistence, and teamwork.”

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FEATURES | March 21, 2013

School over sickness for MS students Katie Kaminsky Staff Writer

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least 24 hours before you come back to school,” said Ms. Lynch. “I don’t know if anybody follows that, though.”

Fevers are nothing to mess around with, yet the student body tends to ignore them, and go about their daily lives without being cautious about germs. Seemingly harmless acts can lead to consequences—in the form of illness.

“The thing I see the most is kids sharing water bottles,” said Ms. Lynch.

“I really wish students would not do this.”

In addition, “Cover your cough,” said Ms. Lynch. “You’d be surprised how many germs get spread by not doing this.”

Ms. Lynch also encourages students to wash their hands, as it is important in protecting sickness.

For the busy students of Maine South, it is hard to even miss a second of school. This reluctance to be absent, can be seen in the rates of student absences this school year.

“I know that the number of students at any stage of the Attendance Review Board process was lower first semester of the 2012-2013 school year than it was first semester of the 20112012 school year,” said Ms. Bohr.

Worrying about missing too many days of school and getting in trouble is another reason why students come to school sick.

According to the Attendance Re vie w B o ard p olic y, “Maine S outh District 207 limits the

number of class absences, without formal consequences, to seven per semester. Once a student has accumulated eight absences in a semester, he/she will be considered excessively absent. Strict formal consequences, including, but not limited to, withdrawal from the course and loss of credit, may be imposed on students deemed as excessively absent from a class.”

For students involved in athletics, fine arts, or other after school clubs, it is especially difficult to miss school.

It is doubtful that any athlete would sacrifice participating in the sectional game against New Trier just because he or she is under the weather. After all, if Michael Jordan played one of the best games of his career when he was sick, why can’t a Hawk? There are students at Maine South that can handle the challenge.

Sometimes, students need to put the health of themselves and others before school.

“Usu a l ly I’ l l g ive t hem an ultimatium,” said Ms. Lynch. “They know what they’re feeling and I can’t necessarily tell them they have to stay in school with whatever symptom they’re experiencing. I try to make them understand the difference between a small headache and a fever because in the real world you can’t just call in sick whenever you feel the slightest bit of discomfort. Save those days for when you are really feeling under the weather.”

What home remedy do you use to cure an illness?

ith the ups and downs in the weather this year, it seems that everyone at Maine South is getting sick.

“There has been a lot of flu, a lot of upper respiratory system [illnesses], and a lot of kids with fevers,” said school nurse Ms. Lynch.

But many sick students have still been showing up at school.

“I come to school no matter what,” said sophomore Alyssa Darlak. “If I am sick, I put my hair in a ponytail and pull on sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

I bring coffee and cough drops, and I get myself through the day.”

Students dread the loads of homework and make-up tests that await them if they miss even a day of school, so they often stick it out, ignore their runny noses and sore throats, and come to school. But is sticking it out really the right thing to do?

“I think a lot of students feel a responsibility to be in school and want to be in their classes even when they are not feeling well in order to avoid missing anything or getting behind, very similar to the reasons an adult would go to work when they were feeling under the weather,” said Ms. Bohr, Attendance Review Board coordinator.

In certain cases though, coming to school with different ailments can be a hazard to others.

“If a student is running a 101 degree fever, they need to go home so they’re not infecting anyone else,” said Ms. Lynch, “Different things [bacteria or viruses] can live on desks for a couple of hours.”

As students are constantly touching desks, doors, and computers, it is quite easy for germs to spread.

Students don’t realize how sick they really are and how this sickness can be contagious.

In the winter time, Maine South becomes an epicenter of disease. The cold weather brings with it the flu and outbreaks of respiratory infections.

Coincidentally, first semester finals are in the winter. Testing rooms become symphonies of sniffles. Unfortunately, there isn’t much students can do.

The last few weeks before finals are mandatory for a student’s survival.

“They tell you to be fever free for at

ILLUSTRATION BY CECILIA CORTÉS

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“Greek tea. It’s supposed to soothe your throat. ” -Ioannis Avgerinos ‘13

“A humidifier for a cold.”

- Diandre Strickland‘14

“Turmeric with honey for a sore throat.”

- Neiv Hans ‘15

“Onions, sugar, and honey for a sore throat.”

-Clara Dylewski ‘16

March 21, 2013

| FEATURES

Amanda Svachula & Des Mustafa Features Editors

D

uring a typical day at Maine South, the halls flood with students rushing to get to class. The day is summed up in one word: busy. But the one characteristic of Maine South that students often don’t know is that the school is just as lively at night as it is during the day. “[At night at Maine South there are] sporting events, meetings, and banquets—basically, this place never closes,” said Mr. Rizzo, second shift custodial supervisor. “Night school goes on every night. There are ACT practice tests. There’s never a night where there’s nothing going on around here.”

There are people working at Maine South 24 hours a day throughout the school week. The pulsing energy of Maine South begins to flow through the halls in the morning, when the first shift of custodians arrive at 7:00 a.m. This shift goes until 3:00 p.m. The second shift of workers starts at 2:30 p.m. This shift stays at Maine South until 11:00 p.m. while the third shift starts at 10:30 p.m. and

PHOTO BY HANNAH SIMPSON

ON THE JOB

After most students have left, Mr. Rizzo, the second shift custodial supervisor, drives this “hallway zamboni” to clean the floors. He also helps coordinate setup for nighttime activities including sporting events, meetings, and banquets.

goes until 7:00 a.m.

“There are people working here seven days a week,” said Mr. Rizzo. “There are high-pressure boilers and pipes that could bust, so there has to be somewhere here to monitor them.”

At night, there is a continuous cycle of activities, but one of the most important jobs besides monitoring the boilers, is cleaning the school. “[The biggest job on second and third shifts] is cleaning the entire school, basically getting everything ready and cleaned for the next day,” said Mr. Rizzo.

This cleaning is accomplished through organization, teamwork, and communication. All workers have walkie-talkies to communicate with their colleagues, and they are each assigned a different area of the school to maintain.

“There are 12 or 14 of us every night,” said Mr. Rizzo. “Everyone has their own area and I’m the supervisor.”

For example, custodian Mr. Tony Mitchell, is in charge of the English area.

“Each person is assigned a certain area,” said Mr. Mitchell. “I get the English area. If one person isn’t there we team up and cover their area.”

When each area is cleaned it depends on what else is going on in the school at night. The schedule is flexible because of a number of activities such as meetings, sporting events, banquets, and night school, and also because of small unexpected events, such as spills in the hall, that may occur.

“We get requisitions and emails saying what people need and I pass it out to the guys,” said Mr. Rizzo. “I give them what they need so they know what they need to do for the night.

Despite the fact that the schedule is flexible and constantly changing, there are a few things that occur at specific times each week. One of these is the cleaning of the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms.

“Because of sporting events that may go late into the night, both the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms get cleaned on third shift,” said Mr. Rizzo Another one of these late night activities is night school. “[Night school] is for high school students who can’t complete school during the day,” said Mr. Ellefson, Assistant Direct of the Alliance for Lifelong Learning Evening High School. “It is provided through Oakton Community College. It’s four days a week, Monday through Thursday, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the A-wing.”

There are also workers at Maine South during the summer. This is when some of the major

PHOTO BY CECILIA CORTES

ILLUSTRATION BY CECILIA CORTÉS

clean up occurs.

“During the summer, the whole school gets a cleaning. Lockers and classrooms are cleaned, gum is scraped from the desks, and graffiti is washed off of walls,” said custodian Mr. Joe Monno. “We’re always busy because there’s always something to be taken care of.”

Maine South is a school that never truly sleeps, even after students have left.

“It’s busier here at night sometimes than during the day. Little things pop up. It’s always different every night, never the same thing,” said Mr. Rizzo.

“I’ve been here for 20 years, so I’ve about seen it all.”

Not only are there custodial shifts that run through the night, but many students are here late for sports practices, games, play rehersals, and clubs that go for a long period of time.

“The track practices are only supposed to last until 5:30, but sometimes they’ll go until 6:00 or 7:00,” said senior Kevin Dolan. “It usually depends on what we’re doing. If we have a meet the day after we’ll do an easy workout, so practices are usually a bit shorter. If we’re doing hard workouts we probably won’t get out until 7:00. Sometimes the meets go on for a while because of all the events as well.”

Sophomore JV Hawkette Clarissa Coy also agrees, “Practices go to 6:00. The only time we’re here until after that is when we’re training for sectionals, then we’re here until 7:00, sometimes 8:00.”

After spending eight and a half hours in various classes and then heading to whatever extracurricular activity for many hours, Maine South has become a second home for most students and staff.

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ENTERTAINMENT | March 21, 2013

Danielle Kirincich Staff Writer

T

he 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” tells the story of Dorothy Gale’s adventure through the Land of Oz. She struggles to find her way back home to Kansas to reunite with her family and escape the Wicked Witch of the West by seeking help from Glinda the Good Witch of the North and the Wizard of Oz. While the novel “Wicked” tells the backstory of the rivalry between the two witches, “Oz the Great and Powerful” tells the story of how the Wizard of Oz came to be. “Oz the Great and Powerful” serves as a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” and relates the story of how Oscar “Oz” Diggs became the Wizard of Oz years before Dorothy ventured there herself.

The highly-anticipated film starts off with Oscar Diggs, whom everyone refers to as Oz, as a Kansas carnival magician in the year 1905. He stirs up trouble at the carnival and flees in a hot air balloon. Flying up high where no one can touch him seems like the perfect getaway plan, until he realizes he’s headed straight for a tornado.

He is sucked in and ends up in the Land of Oz where he meets the witch Theodora for the first time.

She believes he is the wizard rumored to one day arrive in Oz to kill her sister, Glinda, the “Wicked Witch,” who is rumored to have killed their father the king of Oz. Oz lies and confirms that he is the wizard in order to earn the riches he is promised to receive if he fulfills the prophecy. Being the ladies’ man that he is, Theodora falls in love with him upon arriving.

When Oz later meets her sister Glinda and realizes she is the good witch and was not the sister who killed the king of Oz, he agrees to help her save the Land of Oz by using the magic and tricks he learned from his job as a magician to fight against the Wicked Witches. Theodora feels betrayed and evolves into the Wicked Witch of the West. It becomes a war between three sisters: Theodora and Evanora against Glinda. Oz’s heroism at the end earns him the title as the Wizard of Oz. The filmmakers did a great job casting the actors to play the various

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characters of Oz. James Franco plays Oz, a con artist looking to became something great and powerful in life. His constant flirting with women gets him into trouble throughout the movie. His acting ability truly stands out in this movie from any of his previous work. He is one of few actors that can make his character seem like a jerk at first, but then get everyone in the audience to love him by the end of the movie, while still remaining true to the character’s persona.

Mila Kunis plays Theodora, the flighty sister of the three witches, who becomes a nasty, wicked witch like her sister Evanora and is out to get Oz back for breaking her heart. Mila Kunis did a great job transitioning from an innocent, good-hearted witch to an evil, bitter one. The makeup crew was successful in altering Kunis’ delicate appearance into that of an evil, menacing witch.

Rachel Weisz plays Evanora who wants to take over Oz and falsely blames Glinda for killing their father who once ruled the Land of Oz. Rachel Weisz can make anyone watching the movie hate her character. Her hunger for attention and power are highlighted to make the audience hate her and give the effect the writers were going for.

Glinda is the good witch played

by Michelle Williams who is seeking to save the Land of Oz from falling under the rule of Evanora. She brings out Oz’s good side and ultimately wins his love.

Oz is accompanied throughout his journey by Finley, a flying monkey voiced by Zach Braff, and China Girl, a porcelain doll voiced by Joey King who are sure to provide comic relief even in the most dramatic moments of the film. This strong group of actors brought the characters to life and made the audience fall in love with them.

“Oz the Great and Powerful” has many similarities to “The Wizard of Oz.” Both movies begin in black-andwhite in an isolated area of Kansas.

The principle characters are brought to the Land of Oz when they are caught in a terrible tornado. The movies then switch to color once the characters arrive to the Land of Oz. The film also cleverly makes references to “The Wizard of Oz.” The Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz is referenced by the several scarecrows made by the townspeople to trick the Wicked Witches into thinking

ILLUSTRATION BY CECILIA CORTÉS

‘Oz’: from con to ‘the Great and Powerful’

they are an army of real people. The Cowardly Lion and Oz come face to face in the scene where Finley and Oz meet for the first time. Oz scares the Cowardly Lion away with a smoke bomb when he tries to attack Finley who was tied up in vines. The Tin Man’s father is briefly introduced in the movie as well.

Later, when Theodora feels heartbroken by Oz, she runs to her room and cries. The traces of tears that run down her face leave burn marks showing her sensitivity to water. In another short scene, Oz walks past a group of gated-in horses that are rainbow colored like the horse that pulled Dorothy’s carriage when she was on her way to meet the Wizard.

The last reference was Glinda’s mention of a man who had the last name Gale, which is Dorothy’s last name. The link of an ancestor connected to the Land of Oz explains why Dorothy was destined to make a trip there. These references are very subtle, but true “Wizard of Oz” fans will be able to pick up on them with ease.

There are also future “Wizard

of Oz”-based projects in the works.

Mila Kunis confirmed to E! News on March 7 that all of the actors are signed to do a sequel to “Oz the Great and Powerful.” For the “Wizard of Oz” fans who have not yet quenched their thirst, there’s still more to come.

Overall, the movie does a fantastic job staying true to the original “Wizard of Oz.” However, there are no musical numbers in the film, which is what made the original “The Wizard of Oz” draw such wide-spread attention.

The special effects make up for that though; Academy Award winner Scott Stokdyk was the visual effects supervisor and has done other films such as the “Spiderman” trilogy and “Stuart Little.” This film was by far the most technologically advanced that he has displayed thus far.

It is hard to say whether or not those who don’t know of or have not seen “The Wizard of Oz” would enjoy this movie. However, for those who have seen and adore the classic, this movie definitely satisfies. This movie answers the many questions left after watching “The Wizard of Oz,” and is a must for fans of the original.

March 21, 2013

| ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment

on the go Maggie Lynch

Entertainment Editor

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pring break is here, and while that means beautiful beaches, sun, and new experiences, it also means long drives and cramped plane rides. Southwords has come up with entertaining time-killers for those traveling—twiddling thumbs not included.

For those headed to exotic locations via plane, good music is a key to keeping cool and collected for the entire flight.

“I love to listen to my iPod on the plane,” senior Aley Hyslop said. “Sometimes I have little sing-offs with my sister, but I usually just listen to a lot of music.”

Anything that reminds a traveler of summer and happy days of relaxation is good, but if travelers are new to summer playlists, Matt Costa and The Lumineers are a good place to start.

The Lumineers are relaxing—definitely not as calming as meditation tapes, but they’re entertaining because of their folk-like style of music. The rhythms and lyrics in their music are nice to focus on when the baby in the third row won’t stop crying.

In-flight snacks aren’t just for traveling with youngsters. Granola bars and all-natural fruit snacks are much better options than the Cinnabon outside the gate. Just remember to mind your fellow passengers and choose nut-free options.

Once the plane has reached cruising altitude and the iPod’s battery has dwindled to the red bar of danger, it’s time to crack open the spine of a good book.

The key to reading on planes is to read something that’s not trite. It has to be intriguing enough to keep travelers on the edges of their plane seats even when the seat belt light comes on. A couple well-written page turners are “The Faults in Our Stars” and “A Million Little Pieces.”

Coloring books, suduko, and crosswords are the ultimate travel activities. A few crayons and a blank coloring page can make the time fly by. By the time a traveler finishes a few pages, the pilot is announcing it’s time to land.

If the seat belt light does come on, or the ride is long enough, movies are the next best thing to staring out the window.

Some suggestions; “Bridesmaids” (do not at-

tempt to reenact the hilarious downplane scene though), “Finding Nemo” load audio GRAP HIC B Y SAR (just keep flying, just keep flying), and “Sound books onto any mobile AH HA NDS City.” device for just $14.95 a month.

“Sound City” is an indie documentary centerOnce Audible is downloaded onto travelers’ ing on a small recording studio in Los Angeles, mobile devices, they can download some page “Sound City.” For music—loving travelers or any- turners. “Divergent” is a really great option, as one looking to be entertained, this movie is per- well as “Life of Pi.” fect.

If the book ends and the drive continues, it’s A car ride can be even more draining than a time to shift from page to screen. Keep the movies plane ride. The lifeless view of corn fields can only light and humorous for car rides though; tearjerkbe tolerated for a short period of time. To prevent ers and highways just aren’t a good mix. boredom, one should close their eyes and turn up Try “Pitch Perfect” or “Clueless” to keep pastheir jams. sengers entertained the entire way there.

Car travelers benefit from loud classic rock Spring break can still be enjoyed if one is stuck and roll and anything upbeat. Seniors Tyler at home. There’s nothing quite as relaxing as hangGooding and Austin Righeimer agree that Dave ing on the couch with a bowl of Froot Loops and Matthews Band is best for long drives. Tyler stated catching up on old TV series. that specifically the song “Ants Marching” is great Most networks play continuous streams of old for driving. Senior Tim Prinz, prefers “Meatloaf... school classics on weekdays, like “Gilmore Girls,” the singer.”

“One Tree Hill,” “Full House,” and, if you’re lucky, Other artists good for drives, include The old-school Nickelodeon.

Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Police, and anyWhen cabin fever hits, it’s time to switch off thing that suits a traveler’s fancy and allows for the television, put down the books, and close the sing alongs. laptop the take in some fresh Chicago air.

Candy is just the ticket on the fourth hour of Take a day trip into the city—the “L” will only a drive, but avoid Twizzlers or Chex Mix—really cost a mere $5.50 round-trip. Chinatown, Little salty, sugary, or rich foods often lead to drinking Italy, and Greektown are just a few “L” stops away a lot of soft drinks. More soft drinks cause more and encourage a culture of exotic locations just pit stops and lengthen the drive. Head for healthy within the city limits. treats like dried cherries and chocolate covered If hunger pangs strike during the last episode almonds. of “All That,” smoothies are a delicious way of fakDue to headaches and motion sickness, books ing the tropics. Blend any fruit, juice, yogurt, or and cars don’t mix for most. Audio books are the even ice cream and pour into a festive glass with solution. Books on tape were all the rage when we a cool straw. were younger, but now there’s Audible.

If all else fails on spring break, enjoy the comAudible is a monthly subscription company, pany of other travelers—or if you’re still at home, linked with Amazon, which allows listeners to other couch sitters.

SouthwordS 9

ENTERTAINMENT | March 21, 2013

Lizzie Porter Staff Writer

Wardrobe warm-up: spring fashion A

s of yesterday, it’s officially spring. To Chicagoans this doesn’t mean much. Yes, it means the gradual decline of glistening white snow to meager black piles of slush, but until May we usually don’t expect actual warm temperatures.

However, without balmy temperatures, there is one spring thing we can indulge ourselves in: Spring Fashion. Though our pale legs and unpainted toe nails may not be ready, we eagerly look to update our spring wardrobes.

Designers this year strayed from the obvious, although the classic black and white will be a big hit this spring.

From color blocking a pink shirt with a blue skirt, to contrasting a color scheme, the options are endless.

Most of us own at least one black item and one white item, so fitting the trend won’t be an issue, but styling it will be. When in doubt, just grab your favorite black leggings, a sheer white blouse, and numerous accessories, and you can’t go wrong.

This next trend is one we see almost every other season, but designers always have a new way to spin it. Whether horizontal or vertical, thick or thin, stripes have made their appearance once more for spring 2013. Find some delightfully striped jeans to go perfectly with your favorite Sperry’s or Oxfords for those cool spring nights.

Also, don’t hesitate to mix your stripes with polka dots, different direction stripes, and especially florals. As long as you keep it within the same color scheme, you’ll look just the right amount of spontaneous. Although you might have tons of stripes in your closet, this spring will give you many new choices in the stripe department. From light tank dresses to high waisted shorts, you’ll be hardpressed to find something without stripes.

A continuation of last spring and this fall’s trends, cut outs are sticking around. When the weather begins to get hot, we’ll all be yearning for open back shirts, cut out shoulders, and sheer Pac-Sun Besides their regularly casual summer wear; be sure to stop by to peek at the Kendall and Kylie collection. They put the C in colorful, and they have one of the better light-washed denim skirts you can find.

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SouthwordS

2013

panels.

Keep an eye out for laser cut collars with a “papel picado” inspiration, and chiffon maxi skirts with slits for optimum ease and temperature control.

Another surprise for spring is the emergence of tailored and structured pieces. With everything from a lightweight blazer to a corset style tank, there are many great choices for every temperature and style. Urban Outfitters and American Apparel have some phenominal options.

For spring 2013, denim lives on. Denim has manifested itself from the simple pants we all love to flirty skirts, easy dresses, and bohemian vests.

Denim this season is probably the easiest trend to find considering every store has been showcasing dozens of varieties of denim. Especially for summer or spring break, ombre denim will give you an edgier look while still maintaining a relaxed and nonchalant vibe.

Of course, we can’t abandon our beloved pastels or whites. Adorn your outfits with canary yellow, neon pink, and turquoise—it’s finally time to ditch those winter blues.

Find the perfect white sundress for the beach, the blinding white jeans to brighten the inevitable rainy days, or a dazzling statement necklace. By just adding a chunky, colorful necklace, a basic shirt and a pair of high-wasted shorts, any outfit can look trendy. Cast aside the grays, the blacks, browns, and blues, and open your drawers to limes, purples, and tangerines.

Lastly, we can’t forget about peplum. A unique twist on it for this season? Peplum shorts. All the elegance of a skirt without the constrictions, and just the ease you need. However, don’t lose the peplum shirts, skirts, and dresses. Find the perfect sleeveless shirt to couple with cuffed jeans as you prepare for the warmer season.

Many affordable stores are releasing their spring collections and lookbooks, so keep an eye out for these trends—they often sell out quickly.

Madewell If you are looking for that perfect striped item, look no further. Also, they have perfectly light sweaters that just happen to mix the right amount of polka dots and stripes.

Junior Maria Beniaris shows off her polka-dot scarf, blazer, and striped shirt.

Junior Paige Garbarini rocks the classic black and white. She pairs a casual black shirt with floral patterned jeans for spunk, tying the outfit together with a white scarf.

Junior Summer O’Gradney displays her sheer blouse, cardigan, and Oxfords for a cool spring day.

American Apparel/ Urban Outfitters As mentioned before, Urban Outfitters’ selection is unmatched in variety and price.

American Apparel also has the perfect chambray (light denim) shirt for layering.

PHOTOS BY ALEX KORZYNSKI

March 21, 2013

| COMMENTARY

Maintaining Chicago’s pizza integrity Sarah Hands Editor-in-Chief

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hen I was in elementary school, we had something called “Pizza Day” every Tuesday. Kids waited in a ridiculously long line to get a twodollar piece of ketchup-slathered bread topped with powdered cheese.

Yeah, it was disgusting, but a hot lunch was a hot lunch in second grade—no elementary school has a cafeteria. Peanut butter and jelly gets old after a while.

What I will never understand is

why people will order something like Dominos or Pizza Hut by choice, especially when we live so close to the city of Chicago. Chicago is known for its pizza—the fact that places like Dominos even exist within a fifty-mile radius of the city shows that there’s a disturbing number of people in the suburbs who don’t really understand what pizza is.

While I doubt that some column in a high school newspaper will be able to inspire any sort of mass culinary reform, there are a few things I would like to set straight.

It’s very easy to de-pizzafy (don’t look it up—it’s a word) a perfectly good pizza by tainting it with certain ingredients. These include, but are not limited to the following: barbeque chicken, pineapple, macaroni and cheese, tofu, and organic thai peanut

stir fry bean sprouts from the Narnian alps.

Pizza is not meant to be a base for your grilled fruit or chicken slathered in brown-sugar sauce. One of the things that makes pizza so wonderful is the contrast between sweet and savory ingredients. The sweetness should come from the tomato sauce— any additional sweetness will upset the delicate flavor balance by which this dish is defined.

Another way to easily de-pizzafy a perfectly good pizza is to fold it. Thin crust pizza is a valid type of pizza—it is inherently inferior to Chicago-style deep dish pizza, but it’s still pizza. As soon as you fold it, however, it’s just nasty. Sorry, you’re not from New York.

Pizza with cheese made from powder isn’t pizza, either. The cheese

should be elastic enough to melt over the edges when you pull a piece out of the box—it should not sit like a stubborn piece of rubber on top of the unnaturally-colored ketchup sauce.

Look, you can argue that barbeque chicken pizza is delicious. You can say that you like Dominos or Pizza Hut because of some sick nostalgia for your culinarily-deprived childhood.

You can even fold your thin-crust pizza like the pizza heathen your parents brought you up to be. Your twisted preferences do not make it “pizza”—it’s just flatbread with tomato sauce, cheese, and pineapple.

We live right outside of Chicago, so there is no reason for you to be going to California Pizza Kitchen.

Next time you order pizza, ditch the Dominos for deep dish and take some pride in your Chicagoan heritage.

number that has continued to grow each year.

Some of you will say, “Where’s the problem in that? You work a little harder in high school, you pass out of general requirements. If I’m a Chinese major, why should I have to take biology? If I want to major in astrophysics, why should I be forced to take a history class?” While these are worthy arguments, it’s important to understand the nature of a college course.

There’s no doubt that in both AP European History and European History 101 you’ll cover the 30 Years War in depth. However, the environments and focuses of the two classrooms differ so completely that there is no way that one could stand in for the other.

AP classes are often pushed to adhere to a specific curriculum standardized by the College Board, and have to forgo focusing on specific issues in order to make sure they cover all the material.

College professors do not have the same standards of breadth, and therefore have the freedom to assign more involved projects and add depth to discussions. Since they do not have an AP-mandated curriculum, they often spend less time stressing the specifics and work on developing patterns of thought and understanding so that students can understand overall trends. A greater portion of their teaching is based

therefore not on things to show up on a standardized test, but on skills that develop the whole student.

Why do these skills matter?

Because even if you are a Chinese major in a biology class, the patterns of thought might transition to your main area of study in ways that you wouldn’t imagine. By being exposed to different disciplines at the college level, you have more problem solving techniques at your disposal and you are more likely to be more successful in mastering target subject.

In addition, by taking a wide variety of post-secondary classes, you develop into a more well-rounded person, and a more enlightened citizen.

Still, the idea of retaking APUSH just so that you can learn how to look at primary sources again is not appealing.

“It’s mostly the same material in AP and college level courses,” said Mr. McArthur-Self, AP European History teacher. “Retaking the same course would be redundant.”

So what is the solution? Many colleges have switched from awarding credit to allowing students to pass immediately into higher levels of that core subject. For example, if you score very well on the AP Spanish test, you might not pass out of your foreign language requirement, but you would be allowed to take it at a higher level in college. This way you continue learning without repeating material.

This alternative is not popular among all students, especially those who complain that since they put all the work into a class, they should at least get some credit. But whatever happened to learning just to learn or learning to challenge yourself?

Unfortunately, among the majority of students, this is not the case.

Ms. Maksimyu, Maine South’s college and career counselor, saw this trend of students opting out of AP classes at South when an increasing number of colleges began only to accept one AP English course for credit.

“I began to hear things like ‘Why would I take AP English 3 if I’m not even going to get credit for it?’ It was very disappointing to see,” said Maksimyu.

Even though you might not receive college credit for the class, colleges will appreciate the challenge students choose to take.

According to a widespread survey in 2010, AP teachers admitted close to 90% of their students took their class to make their college application look better.

Colleges are making the change, so it is time students do too. Students should no longer feel obligated to take an AP class just to make their transcripts look better. If they do take an AP class it should be because they want to and find an interest and benefit of the knowledge learned in the long run.

High school classes should not earn college credit

Sarah Householder Staff Writer

D

artmouth announced earlier this year that starting with the class of 2018, they will no longer be offering college credit for AP classes. They are part of a growing trend of colleges, including McAlister and Boston College, who have decided that some AP classes are not equivalent to introductory level college courses.

While many high schoolers, parents and administrators were furious with their decision, I think they have the right idea. Students should not receive college credit for the work they do in high school.

Now before you chuck this article in the nearest recycling bin, hear me out. Exceptional students motivated to learn at a higher level can enroll in an AP class, promised to be at a collegiate level. To ensure the student has soaked in a sufficient level of learning, every spring, the College Board administers a test with the promise that if a student scores high enough, they’ll receive college credit and may even have the opportunity to graduate early.

This idea is enticing both to those eager to appeal to college admissions boards and to those who want to save a little money in tuition later down the road. According to the College Board, in 2012, 3.7 million exams were taken by more than 2 million students — a

SouthwordS 11

COMMENTARY

| March 21, 2013

STAFF EDITORIAL

Security cameras would cut down on theft, crime enerally, when people think about day-to-day worries at Maine South, the concern for their things being stolen isn’t at the top of the list. In the past few months, however, reports of electronics, smartphones and money being stolen from unlocked gym lockers and backpacks have cast a shadow of doubt on that sense of security.

According to Officer Luehr, a theft occurs at Maine South about once per day. While 50 to 80 percent of these are either recovered or reimbursed by the offender, it’s just safer to prevent it in the first place. The most common item to be stolen is smart phones, since they are small and easy to quickly conceal.

These thefts can happen in locker rooms when you set your phone down to put your things away, or in class when you walk away for a second to talk to a friend. Often it’s due to people’s carelessness presenting an easy opportunity to steal as opposed to a premeditated idea.

Some of these crimes could be solved by improving Maine South’s security. How much easier would it be to catch thieves if there were security cameras in the hallways or classrooms? Someone could easily look through the video tapes from the period when the theft occurred, and find the culprit. Furthermore, the mere presence of cameras would deter many from stealing in the first place.

Added security cameras could really aid Maine South in a number of ways besides theft prevention.

Hard evidence of a fight or vandalism could simplify the process of holding people accountable for what they do at Maine South.

We wouldn’t even need someone monitoring the camera feeds at all times. When an incident takes place, someone could refer to the tapes to see what really happened. Nobody would be watching you on a monitor; it would just be an option when something happens.

It should be made clear that any change in security policy has potential to disrupt a student’s normal routine.

For example, locking the external A-Wing doors during passing periods helps to prevent a non-student from entering the building, but it also

12 SouthwordS

interferes with students trying to get to class on time.

While a better solution for students would be to have adults watching the doors instead, that would obviously require more security personnel.

Having security cameras would allow one person to watch all of the entrances. This would create the same level of protection from unwanted intruders without holding up lawabiding students.

An improved security presence would keep the rate of theft down, without interfering with the day to day business of students. It would hold people accountable, without being a concern for the vast majority of people who feel no need to steal.

Another way to maintain awareness within the student body would be to create a Maine South blotter. Basically, anytime something is stolen, it should go in a certain section of the website for people to see. If people were aware of how often things go missing, they

might be more inclined to keep better track of their possessions.

Theft prevention shouldn’t come solely from the threat of cameras, or extra security, however. Students need to take responsibility for their belongings.

If you’re waving an expensive phone around, or carrying large amounts of cash, you should be wary of the possibility of theft. Don’t put your phone in your backpack’s outside pocket, especially if it’s still visible to others. It may be more convenient to keep your phone in there, especially if your pants don’t have pockets, but that’s the place from which it’s most likely to be stolen.

A number of people have had smart phones stolen from the pockets of their backpacks as they walk from class to class. This is not to say the halls of Maine South are like the streets of Rome, but be realistic. You can’t feel your backpack, which makes it that much more susceptible to theft.

Signed letters to the editor should be delivered to LRC1, given to a member of the editorial staff, or e-mailed to southwords@ maine207.org. Southwords reserves the right to edit material for clarity and brevity and to reject obscene/libelous submissions.

Scan this QR code to e-mail Southwords Editors-in-Chief

Sarah Hands Soren Ramsey

Production Editors Matt Anderson Hannah Simpson News Editors

Dora Bialy Caroline Borowski Kristen VanTine

ILLUSTRATION BY CECILIA CORTÉS

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Maine South High School 1111 South Dee Road Park Ridge, IL 60068

Entertainment Editors Alex Korzynski Anna Laskaris Margaret Lynch Yavor Todorov Features Editors

Katie Krall Des Mustafa Amanda Svachula

Commentary Editors Gianna Carrozza Lauren Smith Sports Editors

Hope Allchin Alex Ellyin Kay Thursby

Photography Editor Jessica Gronke Adviser

Mr. Stathakis

March 21, 2013

| COMMENTARY

The benefits of being busy Marisa Sclafani & Lauren Smith

Staff Writer & Commentary Editor

IA CO CECIL HIC BY GRAP

ll our lives we’ve been told about the importance of being involved in extracurricular activities. Remember those busy childhood afternoons when our parents rushed us to piano lessons, soccer tournaments, or art classes? Playing with friends at the park seemed much more enjoyable, and we often begged to skip our commitments.

Still the words “hard work pays off ” continued to ring in our heads.

To become the well-rounded student colleges are looking to accept, it is necessary to work on activities beyond academics.

Not only will participating in commitments other than schoolwork help develop social skills, it will help develop personality traits that will help Hawks become successful beyond Maine South.

“Adolescence is a time for making meaningful connections outside of family,” said Mr. Deger, a psychology teacher and coach at Maine South. “[Extracurriculars are] a way to invest extra time that most kids have into something that might be personally and developmentally helpful to an individual.”

Because of the competitive nature of the admissions process, colleges are looking beyond GPA. Look in any college preparation book and you will see that concentrating on achieving a high grade-point average and disregarding extracurriculars is a dangerous way to go through high school.

“Colleges are looking for well-rounded students who care about more than just grades,” said Mr. Milano, a counselor and coach at Maine South.

“They want students that can multitask and be good in all areas.”

In high school, it is important to manage academics along with extracurricular activities.

Balancing different commitments teaches us valuable skills such as time management and organization.

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While there are horror stories of students getting less than 20 hours of sleep in a school week because of homework overload, this shouldn’t scare students away from participating in extracurriculars. The benefits outweigh the drawbacks of being involved in these activities.

Learning how to effectively budget time and prevent loss of beauty sleep is a plus when involving oneself in extracurricular activities. Not only are you enjoying an activity outside of school, you are actually helping yourself develop diligence and organizational skills.

“You learn life skills through these experiences, such as collaboration skills and managing priorities, which not only colleges look at, but employers too,” said Milano.

What do

“I am more productive during weeks when I am involved with extracurricular activities,” said sophomore Mark Tamvakis, a participant in Maine South soccer and fine arts programs.

“I am able to focus more easily despite being under an increased amount of physical and mental stress.”

According to statistics taken in 2012, 71 percent of all high school students claim to experience moderate to severe stress levels.

These high levels can lead to fatigue, anxiety, depression, drug dependence, social withdrawal, and so much more. It is not healthy for anyone to experience such debilitating symptoms, let alone developing teenagers who rely on their health to be successful in school.

Extracurricular activities, to most students, are efficient in relieving some of the pressure. Participating in activities you enjoy eases the strain of school.

“If I have a lot of softball and band that week, along with a lot of homework, it can be mentally and physically exhausting,” said junior Megan Donnelly. “Still, it’s worth it. They give me a positive outlet. If I’m ever having a bad day, I can go to either of those to help me release some stress.

Having these activities motivates me to really focus and get my schoolwork done, because free time to do it is really limited.”

Don’t load your wallet with five dollar bills and rush to the bookstore to sign up for every club in the school—balance is important.

A few strong commitments is much more enjoyable than spreading yourself thin trying to stuff your college applications.

High school is a time for teenagers to reach out and expand their horizons. Maine South offers hundreds of different activities that can provide fulfilling experiences to its students. All you have to do is take a chance and pick one.

YOU think?

Submit article ideas or write a letter to the editors!

Deliver signed letters to LRC1 or scan the QR code on the top of page 12 to e-mail southwords@maine207.org

SouthwordS 13

SPORTS

| March 21, 2013

Tj Zajac Staff Writer

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he Maine Hockey team has had a successful season, posting a record of 30-6-8. The team finished the regular season as the runner up in their conference, after losing a hardfought battle in a three-game series against Buffalo Grove High School.

The Maine team, which consists of students from Maine South, Maine West, and Maine East, had its most successful season this winter.

“Through the four years I’ve been here, this has been the best season Maine Hockey has posted,” said senior defenseman Erik Wagner.

Both the personnel and the coaching techniques have contributed to the season’s success. But for the players, one of the biggest factors is the bond they share with their teammates.

“We look forward to coming to practice and seeing each other every practice,” Wagner added. “It’s fun, and we know we are there to work.”

It all started last spring when the team realized they had the heart and determination to go as far as they wanted in this season.

“Coach Kilcoyne brought an army mentality to the team where they all knew that they were there to work,”

said Coach Karavos.

“We knew we had the hard work and determination we just needed to put it together,” said junior forward Danny Kasch.

Also during the spring they started their pregame ritual by playing the song “Wagon Wheel.” They noticed that when they played that song before the game, they would go out and win most of the time, and that ritual has stuck with throughout the season.

This brought the team together because everyone on the team knew all the lyrics as they would sing before games to get ready.

“At the start of the season, we were all goofballs that thought it was funny to mess around, but we quickly realized that we needed to grow up to send the seniors out on top,” said Kasch.

This year’s team prides itself on being especially close to each other, and the members believe that they have formed an unforgettable team bond.

“It is remarkable to be on this team,” said Wagner. “I will remember this season forever.”

The team lost in the playoffs to Buffalo Grove, ending the 2012-2013 season. The final score of their last game was 4-3.

photO BY JESSiCA GRONKE

Unbreakable bonds formed on ice

SKATING SOLO

Senior Cameron Kurtz skates down the ice in the Maine hockey game against Buffalo Grove. The team lost this game 4-3.

The team made bracelets that were inspired by Coach Kilcoyne that say #ftb on them, an acronym that means “for the boys.” They created these to give out to teammates that were seen to have done something for the betterment of the team, like blocking shots, standing up for a teammate or

scoring a big goal.

Although the team lost its state playoff game against Fox Valley on March 11 with a score of 1-0, the program still feels that the players’ preparation and commitment to one another have contributed to the great success they achieved this season.

West and Maine South boys have to take buses every day to Maine East for practices.

“Unfortunately, we have funding issues,” said Mroz. “We don’t get the simple luxuries that other schools do like having a facility to practice in everyday, and a lot of the equipment we use is older. But I think that it ultimately makes us much more determined and dedicated.”

With some of the setbacks that the team has to face, they have still had a successful start to the season.

The squad lost their first two meets to Fremd and Conant, but came close to winning in each. The team will compete against Niles North, Niles West, Leyden, Glenbrook North, and Glenbrook South over the course of the regular season.

“We are doing well as a team right

now, and a couple of our gymnasts are really standing out with the skills they are acquiring,” said Mroz. “Our main goal is always improvement because there is so much to learn and just improving what we already know can raise our individual scores and help the team as a whole.”

The team intends to use this year to focus on developing the skills necessary to build up the team for next season.

While the squad is an underdog in its conference, there are individuals who have a strong chance of placing at Conference, and maybe even Sectionals.

Schulze has led the team in their meets so far. “Based on Charley’s performances so far, we have potential to be a great team this year,” stated Lung.

Boys’ gymnastics embraces setbacks Kay Thursby

Sports Editor lthough the Maine South boys’ gymnastics season has just begun, they are already overcoming obstacles.

The team only has eleven gymnasts on it, and not all have uniforms yet.

Senior Charley Schulze wears his wrestling singlet, and other boys on the team wear uniforms from past seasons.

“We were able to persuade someone to purchase new uniforms, so we won’t have to deal with old uniforms or wrestling singlets for much longer,” said junior Jimmy Mroz.

The team has not yet voted on captains, but the team is coached by head coach Erik Noriega and assistant coaches Tony Roman and Neil Adamson.

The eleven-member squad is made

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up of seniors Brandon Lung, Mike Mularczyk, and Charley Schulze, juniors Carlos Amaya, Richie Groh, Jimmy Mroz, Dan O’Connell, Ruari Stewart, and Richie Teresi, along with sophomores Claudio Debon and Steve Mei. The team is composed mostly of returning members, with no freshman this season.

“At the Niles North meet, kids had to step up to fill empty spots on the Maine South team because this year Maine 207 separated into East, West, and South,” said Lung. “First year seniors Mularczyk and I were able to put up good scores in order to help beat Maine East and West, but unfortunately we came short to Niles North.”

The team practices with Maine East and Maine West students, all under the same coaches. The Maine

March 21, 2013 | SPORTS

Girls’ track moves outdoors Sports Writer lacing in all three of the invites so far, the 2013 girls’ track and field season is off to a strong start. The team placed third at the Wheeling Invite, tied for the win at the Hawk Invite, and won the Hawk Relays most recently.

The victory at the Hawk relays was one of their more impressive performances.

“To win the Hawk relays, you have to have a lot of talent in the field, as well as on the track,” said Coach Downing.

So far, this season is favoring the distance runners.

“I would definitely have to say that the majority of our ability is in the distance runners right now,” continued Coach Downing.

Emily Leonard, a junior distance runner, has set high hopes and goals for this season.

“My goal for indoors is, at conference I want to run an 11:15 or under for the 3200,” said Leonard.

“My outdoor goal is to qualify for state in both the 1600 and 3200, and get all-state in the 3200 and beating my personal record from last year,.”

Last year, Leonard ran a 10:58 for the 3200 meter race, which is her personal record.

Another distance runner, junior Cailin Eckhart, has been having a successful season. She broke her personal record in the 1600 meter race with a time of 5:28.

“My goal is to keep running well and to stay healthy so I can make it through the season injury free,” said Eckhart. “If all goes well I hope to qualify for state, most likely in the 3200.”

Maine South distance running is hoping for an even stronger team with the possible return of three of its top runners: senior Megan Lemersal with a healing back injury, senior Emma Ropski recovering from health issues, and junior Mirae Mastrolonardo recuperating from a lingering injury.

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“I would love to qualify in the 4x800 for the fourth year in a row, and hopefully, if my injury heals itself, to qualify for state again in the 1600,” said Lemersal.

There is talent in the field events as well. Junior Olivia Cattau currently holds the record for the 50 yard high hurdles with a time of 7.5 seconds.

“She’s got a real good shot,” said Coach Downing. “She’s running real well.”

Last year, Cattau qualified for state in both the 300 meter hurdles and the 4x400 meter relay. While competing down state, she hit a hurdle hard while racing and injured both of her legs.

“I’m feeling pretty good about hurdles this season,” said Cattau. “The goal is to do well at state.”

“At this point in time, the best chance in the field would be Nicole Allegretti with pole vault,” said Coach Downing.

Allegretti, a senior, has placed second at the Wheeling Invite and first at both of the Maine South meets. She has been consistently clearing her personal record of 8’6’’.

“I’ve been amping up my technique and speed,” said Allegretti. “I’m getting close to clearing 9’ and I want to do that soon.”

Right now, the top high jumper is junior, Sarah Otis. She broke her personal record with jumping 4’10. The top long jumper currently is sophomore Colleen Katkus. She has broken her personal record with 15’4.

“I really like both of those two, as leaders, and also as good kids to count on,” said Downing about his top high and long jumpers. “They always work their tails off. If there’s a shot, they’re going to make it happen.”

“The goals always are to try to do as well in the invites as we can, then go after conference championship, then on to sectionals and qualify as many people downstate as possible,” concluded Coach Downing.

Boys’ track earns invitational wins

Claire Raphael

Sports Writer he boys’ track team wrapped up their indoor season with the CSL South Invite at Evanston on March 15.

The squad is off to a strong start with approximately 110 athletes participating across all three levels.

“We lost several key seniors last season, including our state champion 800 meter runner Mihal Filipczak, now running at Duke University,” stated Coach Sutschek. “However, we feel our team will be stronger overall with a good group of returning seniors and an excellent junior class.”

The team is led by the following state qualifiers from last year: senior distance runners Robbie Taylor, Jon Vaccaro, Sam Steinfels, and Kevin Dolan; senior pole vaulter Joey Yonkoff; and senior sprinter Griffin Kasznia.

The throwers are led by senior Mike Rubino and

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the sprint crew is headed by senior Eddie Mendoza and junior John Hader.

“So far our season is looking promising,” said Taylor. “We should do well at the indoor conference meet. We have some work to do, but the only time that really counts is our team in May. We expect to get a good number of kids downstate from all events.”

The varsity team is 4-1 in dual meets as of March 13 and participated in two invitationals. They won the six-team Niles North Invite and placed second at the 11-team Niles West Invite.

“We’re doing pretty well,” said Dolan. “In conference, we look strong and I believe we can win. For outdoor season, we look to see serious improvement in times and distances so that we can have a larger group of kids downstate. We will just have to wait and see.”

“We are looking forward to the weather breaking and getting outside,” said Coach Sutschek.

Mr. Tumilty, P.E. Department

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r. Tumilty was a three-sport athlete at Augustana College and was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. His illustrious career included earning 10 varsity letters from football, baseball, and track and field.

He is the leading rusher and scorer in school history for football, holds the school record for innings pitched and wins, and was part of the sprint relay team that set a meet record at the Viking Olympics.

One of Mr. Tumilty’s greatest honors was being named the NCAA Division III Male Athlete of the Year in 1996 by College Sports Magazine. He was also an All-American in football and track and field.

However, for Mr. Tumilty, the college experience was worth more than all the records he set. His college journey included meeting his wife, while also being on the baseball team with Mr. Smith.

“Sports were fun to play and they helped me stay focused on keeping my grades up and managing my time.”

Mr. Tumilty attributes the success he had to his parents and coaches.

“My parents always put the responsibility on us which I appreciate even more now. I listened to my coaches and teachers at the youth, high school, and college level.”

Being dedicated was something Mr. Tumilty prided himself on.

“I would compete hard in practice, was focused, and would push myself,” he said. “I set goals and that would help focus my energy. We didn’t always get first on every team but the most fun was to compete and be part of a team.”

Currently, Mr. Tumilty is the head freshman football coach and also coaches his children’s teams in Villa Park.

PHOTO COURTESY MR. Tumilty

Angelina Plaza

Mr. Tumility was a three-sport athlete at Augustana College where he developed dedication and focus.

At Maine South, he encourages his students though daily motivational quotes.

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BASEBALL | BADMINTON | LACROSSE | BOYS’GYMNASTICS | GIRLS’SOCCER | TRACK | BOYS’TENNIS | SOFTBALL | WATER POLO | BOYS’VOLLEYBALL

School spirit soars to new heights Alex Ellyin

Sports Editor othing energizes a high school sports team more than a dedicated and positive student section. This year’s boys’ basketball team was given exactly that.

Sophomore point guard Caleb Demarigny felt the impact of the crowd during the game.

“It makes you feel like you are playing for more than your teammates, but also for your school,” said Demarigny. “It puts a good vibe in the gym and makes us play more loose and free. We get to have more fun and there is not as much pressure on us.”

“I believe the environment that has been created by the student body at our home boys’ basketball games over this past year definitely influences our team and creates a sense of excitement and ‘buzz’ in the gym,” said assistant coach Mr. Nee. “It is a constant reminder of who and what they are playing for: their school, community, family, each other, and for themselves.”

At each basketball game, a few students inspire the crowd by leading cheers.

Sophomore Jack Carey does the Ray Lewis dance before games and before the second half.

“I started doing this before our football games last year,” said Carey. “It got all of my teammates pumped up, and ever since, people have fallen in love with it. Everyone seems to enjoy it and get inspired, and I love it.”

Senior Pat Maloney sings a “call and response” chant to the student section during games called “Shout”

by The Temptations. Maloney also does this chant for his football team after victories.

Maloney learned this cheer from a former football teammate of his, Connor Klein (‘11).

After the team’s state semifinal victory at Loyola Academy in 2011, Klein led the team in the chant on the field after the game, while the student section stormed from the stands to the fifty yard line.

“Everyone took part in Connor’s version of ‘Shout’ and it was a really

PHOTO by jessica gronke

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BLACK OUT

The Maine South student section cheers as the boys’ basketball team takes on New Trier. The boys took home the CSL South Championship for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

fun, special experience for everyone,” Maloney exclaimed. “I asked his permission to keep the chant going after he left and he was all for it.”

Game by game this season, the student section expanded and the environment grew more to be more energetic.

Much of this change in atmosphere was sparked by the Facebook page “MotherHawkers.” The page was created to help “amp” up student sections at school sporting events. It now has more than 1,000 members.

“The themes advanced from the straight colors of black, red, and white,” said senior Ben Wilson, creator of the Facebook page. “They became distinguishable and uniform and helped to create an awesome atmosphere.”

Before each basketball game, students that are a part of the group suggest ideas for themes of the game.

After a vote, the winning theme is decided.

The regional championship game against Niles West was “Hawaiian”

inspired, with students sporting beach gear as well.

The sectional semifinal game against Niles North was “USA” day. Miniature flags were passed around to the students prior to the game.

“I wore a United States Ryder Cup hat with two miniature flags in the back of my hat, while being draped in a large U.S. flag,” said sophomore Thomas Janowski, describing the sectional semifinal game. “I could not have been more satisfied following the game knowing everyone representing Maine South gave it their best effort.”

“The student section was so fun to be a part of this year,” stated Maloney.

“It will always be a great high school memory of mine.”

“The themes were always fun for the team to look into the crowd and see,” added Wilson. “I honestly think MotherHawkers and our home crowd played a role in the basketball team’s success at home this season. And even when we traveled to nearby schools, we were there cheering them on.”

Coach Nee couldn’t agree more.

Although all of the spirit does not make shots go in the basket, coach Nee knows the impact is crucial.

“It gives our kids the added energy and adrenaline to perform,” he noted.

Especially when the games came down to the last possession, the student section kept the team relaxed and calm.

“It is significant when students spend their free time and energy encouraging and supporting other Hawks,” said Mr. Kirshner, the assistant athletic director.

“The collective spirit of all the students who showed up to the games in my opinion really put Maine South basketball back on the map, and changed the face of the program in the school and around the community,” said Maloney.

“I think a strong following from our students not only provides memories for our players that they will never forget, but also plants the seeds in the grade school and middle school basketball players in the community that attend the games,” said coach Nee, looking at the bigger picture of things.

“They are able to have exciting and fun experiences at our games, and more importantly are able to see the success and traditions of the basketball program at Maine South.”

“I was just so glad to see everyone coming out for the games and bringing so much school spirit back to our bleachers,” said Wilson.

Wilson felt the student section has never been larger in his Maine South life and hopes it continues to grow into the future.

This school spirit is not only a boon for athletics, but also an asset to the Maine South community, something of which we can all be proud.

Maine South was recently nominated to participate in Comcast’s “Battle of the Fans Madness Tournament.”

The fan section was chosen based on enthusiasm displayed on the CN 100 Game of the Week, which was the conference championship against New Trier. The winner will be announced on March 25.