Volume 46 Issue 7- February 14 by The Correspondent

Orchesis ‘Ignites’ in upcoming show PAGE 8

Gymnastics sticks their season PAGE 11

THE

Correspondent

Jazz band prepares for competitions ONLINE

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Volume 46 Issue 7 February 14, 2014•John Hersey High School• 1900 E. Thomas St.• Arlington Heights, IL 60004 • @Hersey_Corre www.correspondentlive.com

in the Halls

Love Bus allows students to share smiles

Brian Loomis

Six spirit busses filled with students are traveling around the area spreading love to senior citizens. “We go around handing out flowers and Valentine’s Day hearts and perform,” a Service Over Self (S.O.S) Love Bus coordinator, senior Maya Moyal said. This is the 44th annual Love Bus, and has six different clubs in attendance this year. A number of students packing the busses are going on the Love Bus for their first time. “I’ve never been, but I’ve heard a lot about it and am excited to spread the love especially because I’m in the class,” senior Lenna Fotos said. The busses stop at a variety of locations including the Lutheran Home. Some perform for the senior citizens, and others just share time with the elderly. Orchesis is one of the clubs that will be performing. “I’m excited to brighten their day,” freshman Angelina Caponigro said. Other clubs going on the trip included baseball, show choir, poms, cheerleading, and S.O.S.. Those who attend the event every year already know their favorite part of being on the bus. “I love seeing the oldies smile,” senior Maggie Petri said. Being able to converse and share with the people at each place they stop gives riders a chance to learn from the elderly, even while sharing their smiles.

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uncovering the cold Temperature freeze school activities Nicole Cecala Matt Stadnicki Although the Chicago area is known for its varying temperature and weather, students rarely have to deal with the extremely low temperatures this year has brought. “Normally, I enjoy the cold because you can always put on more layers, but I think I’ve had enough of it this year,” senior Kelsey Panfil said. However, all schools in the district were closed to protect students from wind chills approaching -30 degrees on Jan. 26 and 27. Just two weeks before that, school was cancelled similarly due to predicted low temperatures. With four days of cancelled school so far this year, students might wonder how the school district decides to cancel school. Many factors are taken into account by the school district in order to cancel school. In deciding whether to cancel school, superintendent Dr. David Schuler gets in contact with weather services in order to get a prediction on the weather. They focus their attention on what the weather looks like during that early morning time period when transportation is taking place, from six a.m to eight a.m. In order to cancel school, the cutoff for the temperature, including wind chill, is typically around -25 degrees Fahrenheit. After contacting local weather services, Schuler also contacts, “local villages to make sure we have all the information.” He uses their input on what they believe should be done, as well as the local bus companies. “[We’re] focused on early morning bus takers,” Schuler said. The district and Schuler would

find out whether buses can operate in the weather safely and that students would not be in danger while on the buses or waiting for them. If the weather is too strong for buses to operate safely and correctly, then the district takes it into serious consideration. District 214 has five built in emergency days at the end of the year in case of instances like this. With only one emergency day remaining, and the rough cold and snow still continuing, many have wondered what happens if we exceed the five built in emergency days. According to Schuler, the district has two options that it can take. The first is to simply add on extra days to the school year, making up the ones missed. The other would be to have a non- attendance day for students, but the consequence to that would be the school would lose state funding. Also of concern is what happens with the seniors and their early graduation date. Schuler has confirmed that if the district chooses to add days onto the end of the school year to make-up lost days, seniors would not have to attend them. The district will in fact lose state funding due to low attendance, but seniors cannot be forced to attend after they have graduated. Although students might have celebrated the extra days off, having no classes for four days has had some consequences. Losing days of school can be hard on academics. Many students and teachers felt

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rushed, especially with the earlier cold days being right before finals. “The first two days reduced preparation time for finals, so I felt -25˚ with windshill

slightly less prepared for them,” senior John Pham said. “You have a schedule and when you cannot stay on it, it makes it tough,” gym teacher Mason Vernon said. In addition, with AP tests coming up in many classes, staying on schedule is crucial. Test dates won’t change because of bad weather, and teachers must cover a certain amount of material by May. Although losing four days of teaching might not seem like much, AP classes have little time to spare. “I think it created more stress for the teachers than us,” senior Mary Casagrande said.

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News News

The Correspondent

Did You

Know

College cups create cover

The biggest danger on college campuses is being eliminated through the efforts of DrinkSavvy cups. These cups detect the presence of date rape drugs such as GHB, Rohypnol, and Ketamine. Mashable states, “In 90 percent of sexual assault cases that occur on college campuses, alcohol is involved and, sometimes, more than just alcohol.” “This would give me a peace of mind while going about my daily activities, and I’m sure my parents would be much less worried as well,” senior Katie Krebs said. These cups are still under the testing phase of development and are soon to hit the market. This would be a great way to bring in new customers who were originally scared of getting drugged, and sexual assault would be dramatically decreased. DrinkSavvy claims, “You get 100 percent effortless and continuous monitoring of your drink throughout the night.

February 14, 2014

Cold causes chaotic changes •Continued from page 1 In addition, losing school for four days also had an impact on many clubs and activities. Due to having no school, many academic teams weren’t able to meet after school like they normally do. This resulted in some negative consequences. “Math team practices were canceled constantly, so our last meet didn’t go so well,” Pham said. Although some athletic practices weren’t cancelled on Jan. 26 and 27, many teams were affected negatively by the weather. If the cold presented a problem in going to practice, students were encouraged to stay home and wouldn’t suffer penalties from not g o i n g to practice. Many teams have tried their best to push through the interference the cold has presented in their training. “For running, it definitely was an obstacle. The days where it was below negative 10 were really hard to run in, so we had to reduce running those days. It’s important that I still got some running in though,” junior Kevin Ziegenhorn said.

However, some athletes were unable to practice on those days. “The only activities allowed to practice [on the cold days] were people who had a competition that week,” assistant principal of student activities John Novak said. In addition to some being unable to practice on the cold days, some competitions were moved. “We had to reschedule the Tuesday night [basketball] game for Wednesday night,” Novak said. In order to reschedule a game or event, many of the smaller details have to be taken care of, and many groups have to be contacted. In order to cancel or reschedule a game, Novak must “contact people working [the game], newspapers, concessions, the cheerleaders, and the band.” Getting extra time off didn’t have only negative effects on athletes. Many took advantage of the extra days off to rest or get in extra practice time. The optional practices in some ways, worked in favor of some athletes. “We were still able to have a short optional practice on the two most recent cold days, so it didn’t really have an affect on our play. They may actually have helped us out by giving us more time to rest,” senior Morgan Har-

ris said for the girls basketball team. “S ome prac t ices were moved but only if the school w a s o p e n and we were allowed to practice. None of the meets were moved. Performance wise, I think the cold days didn’t affect us that much. The days we had practices we worked our hardest to get back into it and get new skills for any upcoming meets,” senior Marisa Cussen said on girls gymnastics. The overall effect the snow days have in rescheduling the game is a lot of work. “There’s a lot of phone calls. The hard part is getting the word out to coaches and sponsors,” Novak said. Despite all the work in cancelling athletics and school, the freezing cold makes it worth it. “Student safety is always a top priority,” Novak said. Cramming and stress aside, no one can complain about being granted a few extra days to sleep, catch up on homework, and spend the day in the warmth.

•George Vladimirov

Protests in Ukraine produce problems

Yet another country is grappling with mass protest and instability, as Ukraine has been in a state of turmoil for several weeks. The origins of the outrage stem from Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s rejection of integrating the Ukrainian economy into the European Union. “The protests are a clear example of how even though the Cold War is over, Russia is still at ends with much of the western world,” senior Ben Goldberg said. On the heels of this development, Russian President Vladimir Putin is encouraging Ukraine to have closer ties to Russia, its former ruling power during the days of the Soviet Union. Thousands of protesters, angry at the president and desiring a more pro-western agenda, have taken to the streets of the capital Kiev, meeting heavily armed riot police in altercations that often end in violence. Though the government’s reactionary anti-protest laws have recently been repealed, no end seems to be in sight for the controversy. •Michael Miller

Nagle honored for ‘Heart of Gold’ Isabella Murray Junior Cait Nagle won the Young Champion Heart of Gold award which was presented on Feb. 8. The award recognizes a middle school or high school student who goes beyond what is expected to have a positive effect on our community, according to Arlington Hearts of Gold Award Categories. The program, sponsored by the village’s Special Events Commission, recognizes people who live or work in the village for contributions that have positively affected the lives of others. “I am so honored to have received the reward. Hersey is filled with so many hearts of gold and there are so many students who make the school and community an awesome place to be, who are equally deserving of the award,” Nagle said. Other Hearts of Gold Award categories include: Mentor, Beautification/Environmental, Best Neighbor, Educator, Young at Heart, Volunteer, Community Spirit, Pam Stocking Heart of Gold, Business Leadership, and Heroic. The ceremony was distinguished with audience members that included the mayor and town board members.

Nagle, who was nominated by Nicole Shwab, a Special Olympics coach, also got a letter of recommendation from Novak. “I just think Cait is a very caring person and her concern and willingness to help others shows a maturity beyond her years,” Novak said. S t u d e n t Council sponsor Jackie Ballarini attended the a w a r d s ceremony in support of Nagle. “It was a lovely ceremony and Cait did a great •Courtesy of Caitlin NaGLE job in her speech. It was very moving. The speaker behind unior Cait Nagle presents her ac- her even said it was a hard act ceptance speech on Feb. 8 after to follow,” Ballarini said. she recieved the Young Champion “The award is great, Heart of Gold award. however, the real award “Having her at the ceremony is knowing showcases the type of kids we have that my contriat this school,” assistant principal butions have John Novak said. made a posiHeavily involved in Special tive impact on the Olympics and student council, Na- community,” Nagle gle also devotes her time to tutor- said. ing and numerous other volunteer “It’s inspiring how much of activities. herself she gives to others,” Balla“She does everything. She always rini said. puts everyone before herself. She definitely has a heart of gold,” Special Olympics coach and student council sponsor John Dyer said.

The Correspondent 3 News Drivers struggle to stay awake February 14, 2014

Sleep deprivations causes danger on roads Michelle Bielecki Recently, in the Chicago-land area a truck driver crashed into a squad car on the night of Jan. 27. Reports state that he had slept for a total of three and a half hours during a 37 hour shift. The accident killed a toll way worker and hospitalized a state trooper. Students stay up late during the night completing homework and studying. Students are expected to be in class when the bell rings sharply at 7:30 a.m. “Sometimes the sun is not even up, but I am on the roads driving,” senior Joanna Gebis said. This winter has been a very snowy and slippery one, to which many drivers tried to avoid being on the roads. If driving conditions are not at their peak during the middle of the day, then they most likely are not their best in the morning. Driving in the snow requires a good amount of attention and alertness, but in the morning a driver’s alertness may not be very strong. “Sleep is definitely important because I just recently got bumped in the morning and people haven’t even woken up fully. So how can they be alert?” Gebis said. The amount of sleep drivers get will affect their driving. “People should not drive when they are sleep deprived because they can put other people in danger,” senior Kasia Bodzon said.

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at least 100,00 crashes occur each year due to drowsy driving. The National Sleep Foundation states that sleeping for six hour or less per night were all related to drowsy driving. “If I don’t get enough sleep, I can’t focus on the road and it risks my safety,” junior Tori Lesak said. “I get up about an hour or so before driving, and drink a big •Francesca Hernandez cup of coffee to wake me up,” Gebis said beenior Sean Hlavin feels the weight of the school day as he fore getting up in the leaves the parking lot after school. Many students are efmorning. fected with driving while not fully awake at the wheel. Whether Drowsy driving hurt the effects are lack of sleep at night or stress from school, being an average of 40,000 drowsy at the wheel is proving to be extremely dangerous. people and resulted in 1,500 deaths, accord“To help stay awake after school, I blast music ing to National Sleep and sing along,” senior Sarah Jaffe said. Foundation. Once a driver starts to feel drowsy, a good To prevent such dangerous accidents, drivers prevention would be to pull off the road and should make sure they get a good night’s sleep avoid medications. before heading onto the roads.

Opinions

The Correspondent Selfie couples promote change

February 14, 2014

A new trend started at Prospect High School has made its way into almost all other District 214 schools. It’s called “Selfie Couples” (#SelfieCouples on Twitter) and aims to eliminate the public display of affection (PDA) shown by students in relationships at school. The idea of the trend is to take a picture in front of a couple showing PDA and to post it on Twitter. Within two weeks of the first Selfie couple, dozens of pictures have been posted under the hashtag. While some people, (especially targeted couples), may find this trend to be immature or invading privacy, I find it hilarious. The pictures are awkward and substantially more funny when the couple realizes someone is taking a picture with them. I’m not sure this trend will stop It is the time of year when seniors stop PDA entirely, but it’s a good, humorous effort simply started by a student with caring, and everyone else is emotionally exan idea for change. hausted. Whether it is the winter blues or the fact that no one can see to the end of the tunnel, the lack of effort that most students carry is minimal. •Mackenzie Francis Of course, I come home sometimes and watch Netflix until I realize it is midnight, but I still care about my education. This school is one of the best public schools in the country, so wasting this education is so foolish. Kids sit in Africa eager to learn, even if every day they have to walk four miles. We have the opportunity to learn so much, yet half the time we rush through homework so we can play “Flappy Bird” for two hours. Not that “Flappy Bird” isn’t addictive, but it is a huge time waster. Understandably, sometimes science class can be boring, but so many kids would love the chance to walk in our shoes, so we should not waste this opportunity we get everyday. Pay attention and give all effort.

Give 100 percent, not 50

Speak

•Jessica Lynk

Video issin’ games are art, mobile & games are ishin’ trash

Let me just get this out of the way and say mobile games are bad. Mobile games are very bad. I’m basing this off this old 8-bit generic handheld I had when I was 7. It was named something stupid, like the Game Man Pro, and it played 8 games. All these popular mobile games I see on everyone’s phones could realistically have been on that Game Man Pro. That’s not good. Those games should be upgraded for today’s use, and that hasn’t been the case. The biggest offender has been “Flappy Bird”. It’s infuriating to see something like that become popular. There is no game play. It’s tapping the same spot on a screen 50 times. And the pipes are crudely copy and pasted from Super Mario. That’s not a criticism, that’s a fact. All the creator had to do was make a overly simple bird and that’s the graphics. It could have been made in ten minutes. Does it stop at being a bad game? Of course not, that’s crazy talk. The creator of the game had trouble falling asleep because he created the greatest stress-inducer since the atom bomb. I’m glad he pulled it. I’m not glad at the copycats that instantly spawned after he pulled it. Oh wait, there are obviously no breaks on the mobile game train wreck. Here’s a little fact about “Candy Crush”: they are trying to copyright the words in the title of their game. So people looking up ‘candy,’ ‘crush’ or ‘saga’ will only get their game. If it was the

phrase ‘candy crush’ or ‘candy crush saga,’ I’d understand. But to copyright fairly often used words for the sake of safeguarding a precious mobile game is ridiculous. And then there’s the game company known as EA. “Plants vs Zombies 2” and Madden both have the usual “paying to win isn’t mandatory, it just takes a month to advance into the game” mind set. That’s not too bad. What’s bad is the newer version of “Dungeon Keeper”. “Dungeon Keeper” is a mobile game that’s sole purpose is to make people pay money to not play a good game. It’s one giant cash grab. In-game purchases are the only way to beat the game and create dungeons. Games can’t be completed if it takes 10 hours for one block in the dungeon to be chipped. EA has said they haven’t seen anything wrong with the game, seeing how it’s doing well in the app reviews. Well, those app reviews are skewed. There’s two options: give the game five stars out of five, or give it one-to-four stars, which actually sends the reviewer to a feedback form they have to fill out. Here’s my pledge. I’m taking off all the mobile games I have on my iPad and phone that are pay-to-win, poorly made with minimal game play, or made by EA. And so should everyone. And if we badly need games to play, don’t worry. I have a Game Man Pro emulator.

are underrated. Without them, we wouldn’t only have wasps. Everybody should be watching Rick and Morty. If I see someone using Bing, I get physically ill. Joakim Noah’s hair is fantastic.

I can’t wait for Michael Jordan to come back and star in Space Jam 2: The Revenge. Bees

Dino Ljubijankic

Dirty beaks and angry tweets Twitter newbie experiences media culture Drew Snelson

What started out as a simple comment quickly expanded, as everyone even remotely involved just had to get their two cents in. This created problems, as people began to take their megaphones and fruit punch into rooms that I didn’t even know existed. Before I even knew what was happening, I was searching for tweets scattered throughout various accounts, trying to piece together what happened last night. It was like the internet’s version of “The Hangover.” Actually, it was more like “The Hangover Part II” because it was kind of sad to watch. The point here is that Twitter fights aren’t just two people fighting it out, as I had previously a s sumed.

Being just a humble neophyte on Twitter, having joined just five months ago, I am still acclimating myself to the world of twitter. I have yet to “subtweet,” let alone find out what it means. Being new to twitter does have its advantages, though, as I can observe the absurdity of its native species through a more objective lens. In my studies, I have discovered three important observations. First, no one is the same. If I had to make a terrible analogy to explain how Twitter works, I would say that it is esFrom sentially a crowded room, what I someone spiked the saw, these fruit punch with things get the truth serum, and whole neighborhood ineveryone has a megaphone. volved, with the subject I know it will take too long to matter changing randecipher that (refer to terrible analogy) so allow me to ex- •Graphic by jackson hargett domly at any given time. plain. Everyone gets a say. EvFrom what eryone. Anything and everything I’ve said so far, Twitter sounds like a will show up on the time line. Being behind a screen really terrible, terrible thing. These things amplifies someone’s thoughts and that I’ve described, though, are just beliefs, so expect to see many peo- small drops in a sea of tweets. While it is expected to encounter ple constantly spouting their bethese things once every blue moon, liefs wherever they see fit. When beliefs clash, though, the main bulk of this virtual place that is truly a beautiful sight to be- is, often times, a beautiful stream of hold. Which brings me to my next comedy,with each joke lasting no more than 140 characters. point... And the beauty of it is that evTwitter fights are a community eryone gets to contribute to it. Like thing. I recently witnessed my first a giant public joke book, everyone Twitter fight not but a week ago. I can write whatever they want. It’s important to remember don’t really have a frame of reference, but it was a doozy. It’s evolu- these observations as they are often tion was beautiful, like a caterpil- encountered in the Twitter jungle. lar becoming a butterfly.

Opinions

February 14, 2014

((

Correspondent

Staff Speaks

Ditch materials, spread the love

The day of love has slowly turned to the day of complaining. Although students may not have a boyfriend/ girlfriend. The day is still a great way to remind us to be grateful to the ones we love. On Valentine’s Day we get in the rut of buying chocolates, flowers, and the easy things that are sold at Target. Taking the extra minute can let the ones we love know we truly appreciate them. What we do: Complain. Students complain about how our other half didn’t buy them the big box of chocolates. Students complain about how they don’t have an other half to buy them the big box of chocolates. What we should do: No matter what, we won’t get the picture perfect Valentine’s Day. It isn’t possible. We should take the time to thank the ones we do have in our lives whether it be by note or in person. What we do: Buy chocolates and teddy bears, want chocolates and teddy bears. Although most people will eat chocolate, anyone can run across the street to Target. A thought is not involved. What we should do: Think about the person. Give out compliments. Make a

((( Students

homemade Valentine with a thoughtful poem. Give someone a hug. Make someone dinner. Make someone feel loved. Write ‘I love you’ in the snow in food coloring. If a person is there for a student everyday, he should take the time to put some thought into a gift. What we do: Forget our parents. After all, they’re the reason we have all we do. What we should do: Fill the car with gas. Clean the kitchen. Show them all their hard work is worth it. W h a t we do: We waste a lot of time planning what to do on Valentine’s day. •Graphic by: Jessica lynk We waste a lot of time worrying about a perfect Valentine’s Day. We waste a lot of money on unnecessary objects that end up being forgotten. What we should do: Stay in and watch movies. Enjoy each others company. Go to a cheap diner. Write a colorful message in the snow. Students should spend the night with the people they love. In reality, it is one day. One day out of 365. Instead of focusing on the material things, focus on the idea of Valentine’s Day. The ones’ a student loves should know.

The Correspondent

Speak

What would you want on a holiday that isn’t a material gift? SOPHOMORE ASHLEY HOFFMAN

“Love has more value than material presents.” JUNIOR CASSIDY ANDRACKI

“Peace. Everyone’s problems can be solved. There would be no stress.” JUNIOR JOVAN JOVANOVIC

“Friendliness. People can get to know each other and become friends.” SENIOR JACOB KOMENDA

“HAPPINESS. THERE’S NO BETTER FEELING THAN BEING HAPPY”

Students should grasp the art of video games Michael Miller In a couple of weeks, The Oscars will celebrate the year’s best movies in the grandest style. Everyone in the film industry will come together to recognize the power movies can have to inspire and pro-

voke thought. In stark contrast to the positive coverage of The Oscars, widespread appreciation of video games is practically non-existent. In fact, its seems that they’re just as likely to be questioned for causing violence as to be ignored all together by the mass media. Of course, a group like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which puts on the Oscars, would surely say that this is how it should be. Why else would they put the word “art” in their name? Paintings are art. Music is art. Movies are art. Video games aren’t. End of story. For all the age-old wisdom this frame of mind satisfies, it’s just not fair to exclude video games from the artistic realm. It’s unfair because video games can create beautiful, detailed settings ripe for exploration. Game series “Assassin’s Creed”, for example, takes place in various historical cities, from Middle Ages Jerusalem to Renaissance Florence to Constantinople at its height. Players can truly immerse themselves in a

world rich with culture and history. Why should a painting of the Roman Coliseum be considered art and not its virtual counterpart, especially when it’s so fun to climb? It’s unfair because video games can have complex narratives that elicit genuine emotions. Critically-acclaimed “The Last of Us” displays both to a point rarely found in any kind of media. Set in post-pandemic, zombie wasteland America, the game follows gruff, middle-aged Joel and his unlikely counterpart, an independent, teenage Ellie, in their journey across the country forced by circumstance and furthered by hope. Not just one, but two scenes in particular even made me and countless other gamers shed an actual tear or two, changing our idea of what a video game can do. Of course, some video games fall short of art, just like some movies and music. But above all, it’s unfair because the video games that deserve recognition far too often don’t receive it. Students should defend the belittlement of video games instead of letting it go by. Unfortunately, no illustrious academy exists to promote video games to the public. So too do they often require more time and money than some people prefer to invest. Even so, it’s a shame that a lack of understanding and exposure, rather than a lack of merits, is what prevents video games from even entering the artistic discussion.

The Correspondent

is published 10 times a year by the journalism students of John Hersey High School, 1900 East Thomas Street, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004. Subscription rate is $15 a year. Call for advertising rates. Phone (847) 718-4945. The Correspondent welcomes a free exchange of ideas. Letters to the editor may be sent to correspondent@d214.org. Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of The Correspondent is determined by, and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself, its student editorial board and responsible student staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication. The Correspondent will not publish any material determined by student editors or the student editorial board to be unprotected, that is, material that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive to the educational process, and unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright or a promotion of products or services unlawful (illegal) as to minors as defined by state or federal law. All unsigned editorial area the opinion of The Correspondent staff. Materials in this newspaper are the property of The Correspondent 2013-2014. The Correspondent is a member of numerous press associations. Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/KRT Campus High School Newspaper Service. Two thousand copies are made each issue to be distributed to students during their second hour classes. Two hundred are printed and mailed to subscribing parents.

Editors-in-Chief Brian Loomis Jessica Lynk

Managing Editor

Jackson Hargett

Editorial Board Brian Boyle Nicole Cecala Mackenzie Francis Isabella Murray Mili Pandya

News Editors

Tim Griffin Matt Stadnicki

In-Depth Edtors Kenzie Killam Caitlin Strozewski Julia Hapanowicz

Entertainment Editors

Colette Tangney Drew Snelson

Sports Editors Scott Bakal Michael Miller

Opinion Editor

Dino Ljubijankic

Feature Editor Julia Kedzior

Photographer Francesca Hernandez

Multimedia Editor Robert Kraybill

Adviser

Janet Barker Levin MJE

The Correspondent Would a place’s stance prevent you from going there?

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February 14, 2014

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February 14, 2014

Indepth

The Correspondent

Believe...

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s t e r c se g n i k c o h s t u o h s i d s e i r a t n e m u c Do

. It retreated was e r a s l a at w anim k about wh ted,” o h n o i n thi crea tent e me d was d o a o f m e ally how th alinski said. arg into n i la o Chw g a a veget e c i d e d e t C d y p a r o M ve een ad Nicole also b r rom e r, a senior e who have f e v e a m h u Peopl iefs co ce, a teache e ifestyle g to o al bel n egan l ms, bringin ur v in t p r e a o c c a Person amily influe ian als f eally y fil r b m . f i n y d n a r e a A c a c t n nt rs er yLynk where. ing tha ocume iety influe n the horro d farms ev h d t •Jessica ne a n s i O r o n i a . t a n v k n o e o e i e s bo att larg tent house docum over a someone’s ne’s at ghter he depular u t a o l e someo se can range s p o d t s a band he off ones atche ders m e. Now, t from a local certain and wher or Gabi Saun n diet based dent w d, Inc.” u t t u B s c . a k, ‘Vece oo eg Seni of topi perien aid on ve a v ary “F er thin ered. t s a x w e s h e s r i l a e o v a t d w n e le. v s. t person ake th ey just disco Size cision ve,” Sau vegan lifesty t clusion k one day i her i m l n t o e c ly l l n a d h t r o tt pe can re live an d of her own ries are ou her ow ted to thin og in on wha entar y is “Su d e n . h o g r e t i t a t o s t a c d enta ve d’ an y m e in“I s take a people r docu Spurlock pro on a bout m ty of gucate tless docum that can b a a l w t u o h p h g o The gs ou rie an Ap as Coun weird g thin nbelievable. nd I th w from a va n a e Morg cDonalds h i ’t r , s s e n o e o h i p r w x w o u n e Me,” count ts M tion. c and here, e t meat y that peopl e effec pets t dibly horrifi osure and ac person n this If people ea a d l s w o o o h t h negativ e s a ’s cre are exp n hous id. r , what hanges s were . it in ources ting commo Saunders sa d intentions cumentar y c ittle healthie person t all student ife, whether s t s l a ,” s a l e o e f s a o d r e m i t i p g r a m e a r l u A Wh How end centu t in th as eatin s reaffi tafriend. exe poin n uple of ers ha s slight e changing. a e ting a b at som class or by a y is evidently in a co time, Saund ing docume n ca e lif boycot step ,” b d , d n t h e h r t a o e c lt e i a t c b a v a c d O a he by w to the “Vegu ular or they ng a new re the nan do t was to eat her actions y all a ti g n e e t p e r h n o me c . t a d e e , r m e w food c t A l r t os e docu uran e g th e me h the fi m n a t n d t a m i n a s e g d i e w e h p n r m t o d v a o l ] e l t e s s, fo pos certain ht direction dopt a e rie cumentar y ssarily r Size M who a he journey rig e o l s. “[Supe t didn’t nece , it just mad d p o a e t in the tention ,” nd ng p ld’s . I n g i a i r a t n e a n i s e i t e o k u h a e r t e lt D t e w Mc hea mea hen taries for six oing to ices w tal efn e estyle f i from g e better cho d. m l i r t ak sai o on. ntar y any de sed by the me m ariah Ureta ocume od they g e are so m au d c t y n r -veg“Fo nme ior M Ther osito s o “ n r a p i ju x v w e e er non n i s e h t t z t e r n o a n e e h t d h h d e ings w o K tu an Anot ngst s r y explores tr y, fects t ion of meat bout th t I s by: aitiln a o g t m n u a i n r t u a s C w not a roduc popula s document s food indu ndly, b •Dra liam and zewski i lth p products. I’m entally frie an’t just n a o o e Th i t r h Kil a .” t t n c S c os nm In an ur people enviro the m that n in o hat are erstand why goes o ng some of ting tactics t ri nd us uncove e and disg consumers. don’t u t a m m o y worris n hidden fro rought to m ee ly b have b c.’ real n I , d o “’Fo

Students serve values through support Jessica Lynk Support. It is a word that students come into contact with daily. Friends, family, even shoes, support students on the regular. Although every student supports the ones they love, some support organizations that they truly believe in. Some express those beliefs by volunteering, others by supporting a cause. Throughout high school, the influence of others’ beliefs on a student can cause some to wonder whether it is just a trend or truly a belief. Northwestern University’s football team stood up for what they believed in forming a union for themselves. “I think it’s good for them to get the benfits they deserve,” senior Chris Collins said. For senior Erin Moody, she supports organizations that help out other people that she believes truly need help. “I’ve really been supporting coat drives because of the cold weather,” Moody said. Although Moody supports organizations based on the time of year, she does not think all students support people for

the right reasons. “I’d like to think it’s for the cause, but mostly likely it’s because other people do it,” Moody said. Other students disagree. “Some people genuinely want to spend their time volunteering and helping others, at least I do,” senior Jenny Kannookaden said. Kannookaden has been a volunteer at Northwest Community Hospital for a year now. Others have sentimental meaning for why they support what they do. Junior Kevin Messer and his family supported St. Baldrick’s Day last year by shaving their heads for cancer. His family decided to support the foundation after Messer’s grandfather passed away from lung cancer. “It is something to do for others, not just ourselves. Many are fortunate enough to not have to go through something as terrible as cancer,” Messer said. Senior Max Zoia is a supporter of the

American Civil Liberties Union because it upholds his beliefs. “An individual’s rights are too easily repressed by the government and corporation, and I believe that liberty must be constantly protected,” Zoia said. “I’m sure the way my parents raised me had a large impact, but mostly I think I came to that conclusion on my own via empathy,” Zoia said. Some students believe that all of these experiences are for the betterment of students. “They need something to be a part of that makes them feel good for helping out and to have their own views on things,” Moody said. “If somebody has a strong opinion or belief, that means that they clearly have thought deeply about something,” Zoia said. “Well informed beliefs cause change for the better. If nobody had any beliefs, the relatively few people with true authority could have free reign over everyone.” Zoia said.

The Correspondent

Entertainment

February 14, 2014

Orchesis ‘ignites’ for winter show

The opening piece entitled “A Little Party,” choreographed by Mc C lu ske y and Maddy Mik lautsch and Abby Wendell, all juniors, features all of the girls in a “Great Gatsby’-themed •Francesca Hernandez jazz routine. rchesis will perform in their show “Ignite” on Feb. 20-22. “I would encourage stu“Choreodents to come to the show because we put a lot of effort into all of the dances graphing the this year and were excited to be able to show the school how we have improved opening piece and pushed ourselves to create great dances,” junior Emily McCluskey said. was great but Isabella Murray really pushed ourselves out of our stressful. It’s hard keeping a room Mili Pandya comfort zone,” senior Kathryn Kofull of 28 girls focused. I loved how wols said. it came together though,” Wendell The theme of this year’s show, Orchesis will take the stage next week between Feb. 20-22 to per- “Ignite,” was chosen to correspond said. The group brought in guest choform their annual show, which will with some specific dances in the reographers for this show, with showcase 22 dances with a variety show. dance styles ranging from stomp to “There’s a lot of powerful dances of styles. Tickets can be purchased African. at the door for $6 for students and this year, especially opening and “Each choreographer is different closing, and it [the theme] repre$7 for adults. and has a different style of dance, “This year we really tried to ex- sents the costumes and dancing so it’s cool to try different things. A pand on our choreography and we well,” junior Emily McCluskey said.

lot of times it’s challenging because they make difficult dances, but it’s really eye-opening to see what kinds of dancers and choreographers there are in the dance world,” sophomore Casey Gunther said. The piece entitled “Welcome to the Dog Pound,” choreographed by guest artist Tanisha Brewer, has the girls stomping, clapping, and even yelling for most of the song. “It was interesting to get to learn a new style that none of us had done before, and Tanisha kept rehearsals fun,” McCluskey said. Some of the girls were able to work with guest choreographer Sarita Smiths Childs on an African dance. “Moving my body that fast with the music was hard, but it was a lot of fun,” senior Megan McKee said. The Giordano Dance Company will again be involved in the production, with choreographer Sean Rozanski behind the moves of “Easy as Life,” a jazz piece. “We had to work hard to keep the moves soft and pretty in the beginning and really attack the choreography at the end and make it sharp and strong,” Kowols said.

Teacher reflects on Grammy experience Drew Snelson The Grammy Awards is a massive celebration of the music industry, bringing together many musicians and craftsmen to recognize special individuals for their contributions. Watched by thousands, the event has become something of a concert, with some of the biggest names in music being the ones in the crowd, so when a teacher attends the Grammys, ears perk up. Such is the case for Spanish teacher Diane Smith, who has attended the awards ceremony for the past four years. “My husband is in the music industry; he’s a recording engineer. He’s a voting member of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences), which means he gets to vote on certain nominations,” Smith said. Smith, her husband, and her daughter got the idea to attend while watching the awards one year.

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“We were watching the show and Jennifer [daughter] said, ‘What if we could go?’ and my husband was like, ‘Yeah I could get tickets anytime I want.’” This small side comment led to Smith and her family traveling to Los Angeles for one weekend for the next four years to see some of the greatest names in music receive awards and perform on stage. Having seen a countless number of musicians, Smith believes that the best performance of Grammys this year was the Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar collaboration, but she enjoyed all the performances, new and old. “They try to hip-up the performances to make more people watch. They try to pair up older, more traditional singers with newer ones.” The most exciting parts of the night, however, are when Smith is the most active. During the walking of the red carpet, when all the celebrities and artists are

showing off their latest dresses and giving interviews, Smith and her daughter are moving in for pictures. This is easier said than done, though, as these musicians are separated from the non-nominees onto a different red carpet. Because of this, Smith must use some clever maneuvering to get her pictures. “We’re very sneaky. We strategize because when we’re at one end of the carpet, and Jennifer’s friends at home are watching it on TV, they text her who’s coming up so we can get ready to jump in and take a picture.” The second year she attended, Smith and her family ended up on the nominee side of the red carpet and were treated to a whole new experience, including standing only a couple feet away from stars like Beyoncé. “People thought my husband was nominated for something and tried to escort him to the different TV interviewers that were there,” Smith said.

•Courtesy of Diane Smith eacher Diane Smith attended the Grammys, seeing big names like Imagine Dragons, Kendrick Lamar, and Metallica.

When watching the Grammys from a TV, the cameramen get to decide what the public sees. For Smith and her family, nobody gets to decide what they see.

Reviews

February 14, 2014

The Correspondent

Building memories

Lego movie inspires nostalgia Robert Kraybill The “Lego Movie” is the story of Emmet, voiced by “Parks and Recreation’s Chris Pratt, a totally average, unknown, unimportant Lego person who, during an average day as a construction worker, finds himself in the midst of the greatest adventure he has never dreamed of. He finds the Piece of Resistance, thrusting him into the responsibility of the chosen one, who’s destined is to stop Lord Business (Will Ferrell), from using his doomsday device. Emmet teams up with master builders Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett), Vitrovius (Morgan Freeman), and Benny (Charlie Day), to take down Lord Business. I grew up with Legos, so, of course, I had to go see it. After the lights turned down and the horrible parents yelled at their kids to shut up, I was ready for awesomeness, and I was not disappointed. The opening shot alone is amazing and exciting in itself. It’s still mind boggling how the creators of this film made this entire world, or worlds, I should say. This film had both the kids and their parents laughing the whole time. “The Lego Movie”

with Brian Boyle

Elementary, my dear reader!

•Courtesy of thelegomovie.com eleased on Feb. 7, “The Lego Movie” contains many famous actors, such as Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, and Will Arnett.

pulled me right into the world that I once imagined as a kid, with 3-D only adding to the immersion. I wanted a blast from the past, and “The Lego Movie” delivered on it. It’s funny, exciting, and nostalgic. Appealing to the average Lego builder, it left me with a feeling to burn my last paycheck at the nearest Lego store.

Ultra Foods lives up to name Julia Kedzior Looking for a place that’s within walking distance to eat during lunch isn’t always the most exciting thing. Over the years, not much has changed about the available options. Ultra Foods, the new grocery store by Dairy Queen, is changing that. When I think “grocery store,” I usually don’t think “cool place to eat lunch,” but Ultra Foods gives several reasons for why it can be exactly that. At first glance, it resembles a stereotypical supermarket, with vending machines between the sliding doors and arrays of shopping carts. It doesn’t take long, however, to realize that this store is something new. First of all, it has a wide variety of delicious

Take it

U2 single shines A band that revolutionized rock n’ roll and has made history for over 40 years, recently made some more. U2 teamed up with RED and Bank Of America and allowed their new single “Invisible” to be free to download on Feb. 2. U2 raised over 3 million dollars for the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in only 36 hours. U2 stayed true to their roots and kept a sound that is fairly typical for them. Bono passionately belted out the inspirational lyrics that were perfectly complimented by The Edge’s unique and infamous guitar. U2 took The Police’s song “Invisible Sun” and turned it into their own masterpiece in order to raise more funds. Trust me, U2 succeeded, but not only with the donations, with their new song as well. •Nate Horne

Brain’s World

lunch options available, ranging from a salad bar with unique, healthy options to a hot foods bar with anything from good old mac n’ cheese to Asian-style spicy chicken. If that wasn’t enough, the aisles offer hundreds of different and great beverages. With a new and clean dining area available, visitors can overlook the whole store. Those who choose to eat there can either take stairs or an elevator to find a large area filled with comfortable booths and cute tables. The environment is extremely friendly, with helpful employees, reasonable prices, a selfcheckout, and generous samples. Overall, this place seems very original and authentic- they even sell their own guacamole. When looking for a quick yet tasty meal, Ultra Foods is the place to go.

Frankenstein fails

“I, Frankenstein” is a modern day take on the story of the famous monster brought back to life. It had monstrous stars, like Aaron Eckhart from the “Batman” series, but a good cast doesn’t always make a good movie. Unfortunately, this film fails to capture the audience, with a ridiculous plot and an obviously low budget. With hardly any ties to the actual “Frankenstein” story, this film’s tedious narrative leaves viewers in a state of confusion. The script was boring, the acting was shallow, and it just seemed like a bad episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Although the special effects were decent, the rest of this film felt dead, just like Frankenstein’s monster. •Eric Wingeard

Leave it

January is a notoriously bad month for movies, when week in and week out, studios dump the worst of the worst in hoping to make a quick buck. During this time, it’s all but necessary to divert attention to other forms of media in order to retain any sense of sanity. Thankfully, BBC’s brilliant miniseries “Sherlock” returned to TV for a third season this year, filling any void left from unsatisfying films. Taking Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic sleuthing-stories and re-imagining them in modern day London, “Sherlock” continues to be a delightful treat with each episode. Here, Sherlock Holmes is a self-described “high-functioning socio-path,” working as a “consulting-investigator”as he tries to takedown the organized crime and terrorist circles threatening the UK’s homeland security. It may sound like a dark, gritty, modern day reboot along the lines of Chris Nolan’s “Dark Knight Trilogy” or the Daniel Craig “James Bond” films, but “Sherlock” manages to subvert these genre tropes by instead offering plenty of pulpy adventure and humor. Benedict Cumberbatch, who appeared in a massive amounts of films last year including “12 Year’s a Slave” and “Star Trek Into Darkness,” continues to give brilliant performances as the neurotic, near-robotic detective, while Martin “The Hobbit” Freeman continues to provide a solid, human anchor to ground the otherwise over the top elements as the Dr. John Watson. The duo provides perfect yet comical chemistry as crime-solving partners/ best friends. The most notable difference between “Sherlock” and fellow TV dramas, though, is its unique format. Ditching the traditional 44-minute episode, 13 to 22 episode per season formula, “Sherlock” only delivers three episodes per season. However, each outing clocks in at 90 glorious, uninterrupted minutes. The expanded format allows for each episode to act as both a cohesive standalone story and a serviceable piece to the over-arching narrative puzzle. Each episode also contains considerable production values giving the show a far more cinematic-feeling overall. In past seasons, each episode typically pertained to a single case or investigation. While season three doesn’t shake the “Sherlock” formula too much, the new episodes often push mysteries to the periphery and instead devote more attention to deliver intriguing character development. In the first episode, “The Empty Hearse,” Holme’s returns home after a prolonged, mysterious absence. The second episode, “The Sign of Three,” centers on Watson’s marriage and the consequences it holds on the pair’s uncertain crime-solving future. In the third and final episode, “His Last Vow,” dark secrets unravel as Holme’s and Watson match wits with their most dangerous enemy yet. All three episodes feature superb writing that is alternately funny and thrilling. The directing is tight and flashy, often showcasing the cinematic prowress. The acting, especially from the leads, is top-notch for TV and film standards. Be sure to check “Sherlock” out on both Netflix and PBS, Sunday nights.

10 The Correspondent

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Musical inspires silly sequel

With the cast of the spring musical, “Legally Blonde,” recently selected, students and cast members hopefully anticipate it. As a more popular musical with a movie adaptation, the students are familiar with the plot and can easily make light of the theme. Junior Amanda Moy tweeted this contradictory tweet with humor. “I wanted my followers to get a good laugh and think of the name of the musical in a different way,” Moy said. •Isabella Murray

Addictive apps intrigue students

Whether it’s on their phones or iPads, students are playing the hottest new game and catching up on their favorite TV shows. Junior Joe Caputo is one of these students, who has to juggle his time between Flappy Bird, which to many students’ dismay has been removed from the App Store, and Netflix. “I’m more addicted to Flappy Bird because it offers more of a challenge than watching Netflix,” Caputo said. •Mili Pandya

Frigid weather frustrates senior

The recent sub-zero weather brought on several negative reactions. Almost recordbreaking temperatures had senior Kenny Mleko shivering and tweeting. “It was really cold outside, and I looked at the temperature in my fridge,” Mleko said. “It was like 38 in my fridge and only 4 outside.” With more cold to come, students might have to bundle up to get through these freezing times. •Julia Kedzior

Features

February 14, 2014

Seeing the halls two ways

Height differences separate students Julia Kedzior Mackenzie Francis Two feet one inch separate the heights of senior James Leach and freshman Nick O’Keefe. Towering over the heads of hundreds of teenagers, senior Leach stands at 6 foot 8 inches. His height comes in handy on an everyday basis. “It’s good to see over everyone’s heads and see what’s coming up,” Leach said. “There are really no disadvantages to being tall at this school.” Leach’s height runs in the family. Although his parents aren’t as tall as he is, they are 6 foot 1 inch and 6 foot 4 inches. This unique trait often catches the attention of passerby. Leach says people come up to him and ask him about his height. “All the younger kids are like, ‘Can I get a picture with you?’ The first few times I was like ‘Oh my God’ but now I’m used to it,” Leach said. Despite the small distractions, he loves being tall. Given a choice to change his height, he wouldn’t take it. “I would love to keep my height,” Leach said. “It’s just how I am.” On the opposite side of the spectrum, O’Keefe stands at 4 foot 7 inches. Like Leach, he inherits his height from his parents, and O’Keefe also likes his height, although being on the shorter side. Since he is among the shortest students at school, he also receives a lot of attention— sometimes from strangers. “People come up to me and ask me how tall I am,” O’Keefe said. “Sometimes they’ll say, ‘That kid is so short.’ ” Aside from the attention, he sees other perks of being on the shorter side. One of those is being able to maneuver through the crowded, busy hallways faster. Thanks to his height, O’Keefe has had some fun experiences in high school. At the first home football game he went to with his friends, his friends came up with a funny idea.

“They decided to crowd surf me, and I just went with it,” O’Keefe said. O’Keefe appreciates his height and how it helps him stand out. “I kinda like it,” O’Keefe said. “It’s different.” Both Leach and O’Keefe view their height as part of their personality. Whether exceptionally tall or especially short, extreme heights can give some fun and interesting qualities to life.

6’8”

4’7”

•Graphic by Jackson Hargett and Francesca Hernandez

Students use technology for love Colette Tangney Teenage perception of dating has taken a whirlwind of a turn with the new era of technology; what was once was known as ‘going steady’ and required father consent has become a text message abbreviated as “Wanna go out?” and multiple heart emojis. Along with all of the new technological innovations, the concept of love in the eyes of teens has changed from face-to-face contact to screen-to-screen contact. With as much as about four in five teens who already have relationship experience by the age of 16, we must ask ourselves what the definition of ‘dating’ truly is. The addition of advances in technology like video chatting, texting, and social media has changed relationships, so students can virtually be with their boyfriend or girlfriend 24/7. However, is it a good thing to have constant tabs on the other person? “I think it’s positive; it allows people to talk when they aren’t able to be together, which I think strengthens a relationship,” junior Paul Hoffman said. The ability to communicate constantly despite distance has increased the number of students dating someone from different schools and even states. Students can now go weeks to months without seeing each other and still be perfectly updated on every aspect of the other’s life.

These innovations have made longdistance relationships stronger and have created what used to be thought as impossible to obtain as easy as a simple click of a send button. “My friend dated this boy from North Carolina she met on vacation, and they were able to keep in contact all the time. He even ended up buying her a Wii for her birthday,” sophomore Olivia Bordenet said. A large portion of the student population seems to be reliant on tools such as ‘snapchatting’ to fulfill actual human contact with one another. “I think technology makes it harder to establish personal relationships with people because it definitely lets them hide behind a computer screen,” senior Nora Barnes said. Along with the fading meaning of boyfriend or girlfriend, another aspect that’s significance has been tattered is the use of romantic, substantial words. Students toss around “I love you” as if it were everyday context when they are shielded by a phone screen. “I think that people say a lot of things over text rather than in person, but when you do see each other it’s sometimes awkward,” sophomore Kamil Jackowski said. Teenage romance has transformed from love notes passed back and forth in class to Instagram couple collages with sappy captions, and the idea of dating is continuing to morph into digitized affection in the new era of technology.

Sports

february 14, 2014

The Correspondent

Girls use combined efforts to dominate Scott Bakal Mark Milligan The basketball team is seeded fourth in the Waukegan regional and they have a bye for the first round and will face the winner of the Hoffman Estates versus Palatine game, which is scheduled for Feb. 18. They tipoff at 6:00 p.m. on Feb. 19 at Waukegan. The team is currently 23-4 and has won both the Hoffman Estates and Wheaton North tournaments. The girls are dominating their opponents, winning by an average of 14 points per game. Senior Morgan Harris said the team plans to, “work hard, play smart and make as far of a playoff run as possible.” The level of success has come as a pleasant surprise for some of the team. “It is way better than I expected because our team chemistry is awesome,” sophomore Delaney Parker said. The girls played for the first time without senior Renee Poulos, on Tuesday, who is dealing with a wrist injury. The girls picked up a win at Conant in the team’s attempt to fill the void left by Poulos. Freshman Kelly Weyhrich started in her place. Weyhrich hit two threes and snatched five rebounds to help the girls win 58-44. The team’s losses have come from tough competition. On Feb. 8, the girls took a 73-47 loss against Rolling Meadows. Though the girls were disappointed, the loss was to a team that finished second in state last year. The girls played rival Buffalo Grove on senior night on Feb. 6. The girls handled BG with ease which allowed all four seniors to be on the floor.

The team has seen major contributions from seniors. Alysia Zaucha, Sarah Thompson, Renee Poulos, and Harris have been huge contributors to the basketball program over their last four seasons. The team is lead by captains Harris and Poulos. “They make sure everyone knows their place and what role everyone plays on the team. They set good examples for us to follow and really make sure we are comfortable.” Parker said. All grades have contributed to the team’s success. Freshmen Claire Gritt and Weyhrich have seen significant playing time. “Both of the freshmen are experienced players, and they blend into the team really well. Our team is really deep and every girl can play strong basketball,” junior Juliette Vainisi said. •Francesca Hernandez The girls have also benefitted from outstanding individual perforunior Juliette Vainisi protects the ball from her Bufmances. Junior Juliette Vainisi tied falo Grove opponent on Feb. 4. Vainisi tied the the steals record after she recorded school record for steals in a game after completing 10 steals and helped the team beat 10 in the girls match-up against Elk Grove on Jan. 29. Elk Grove. “I just worked hard on defense. It many more steals I needed before I had the regot everyone going and brought a lot of energy cord,” Vainisi said. to the court,” Vainisi said. Even with the help of her teammates it took Vainisi’s teammates played a role in her acevery minute of the game to get the record. “My complishment. Besides the girls playing great last steal was helped by a teammate with about team defense, they made sure Vainisi knew what 10 seconds left in the game,” Vainisi said. she could potentially accomplish. “People on the bench kept telling me how

Gymnastics ends successful season Kelly McCarthy The gymnastics team’s season ended after sending four girls to sectionals on Monday. Senior Annie Johson, sophomore Alyssa Zurlo and freshmen Maggie Barton and Alexandra Heidrich qualified for the meet in bars, all-around, and floor, respectively. “This season has been the best one yet out of my three years of gymnastics at Hersey,” junior Kelly Haines said. The team had freshman talent in Barton, Heidrich, and Tori Schmidt, who all competed at the varsity level this season. “Everyone has been working so hard and has come such a long way. I know that we will only get stronger,” Haines said. The team put all of their effort into the season, but the competition was tough. “In both the East and West con-

ference Fremd is definitely our toughest competition. In just the East, Prospect is the team we want to beat, and we aren’t too far behind,” Johnson said. The team did their best to rise to the top of conference. “We really have been focusing on getting our beam and bar routines as strong as vault and floor,” Johnson said. “We need to improve on beam and be more consistent,” freshman Alexandra Heidrich said. After placing seventh at conference on Jan. 31, the girls pulled through and took third place at regionals on Feb. 5. At their own Candy Cane Invitational, the team proved more successful than in years past. “We won the invite for the first time since 2002, so that was a big accomplishment for us,” Johnson said.

k Bowling c i Qu hes strikes c through t a C old records After a record breaking season, the bowling team is heading to sectionals tomorrow at Sunset Lanes in Waukegan. The team has had a successful season coming off of regionals. “We have made great strides this year to compete at the top of our conference and make people turn heads and see Hersey is doing great things,” junior Delanie Steinweg said. At the Buffalo Grove Regional last Saturday, the team placed fourth with 5385 points after making key improvements throughout the season. “At the beginning of the year, I struggled to get back into the swing of things since I was going

from one sport to another and also had to balance new equipment on top of that,” Steinweg said. “Despite that, I always felt the team was there for me and for each other,” Steinweg said. After the team placed fifth in conference, they broke the school’s highest game record. They also broke the school’s three game series and the six game series throughout their season. “I’ve felt good about how far we have come already and what we can being in the future,” Steinweg said. •Jessica Lynk

uniors Delanie Steinweg, J Marissa Allen, and Kaitlyn Roscoe wait for their scores

to show on the screen. They placed fourth at the regionals meet on Saturday. The team qualified for sectionals at Sunset Lanes in Waukegan tomorrow morning. •Francesca Hernandez

12 The Correspondent

SPORTS

february 14, 2014

The wrestling team placed third overall at the IHSA regional at Glenbrook South on Saturday. op Left: Junior Steven Psaradellis faces his opponent Psaradellis. He placed fourth in his 195 weight class. ottom Left: Senior Tom Somenek pins his opponent to the ground to take second place in the 152 weight class. iddle: Senior Frank Sherman placed fourth in the 170 weight class. op right: Senior Dean Simmons holds his opponent to the mat. Simmons placed third in the 160 weight class. thers who qualify for sectionals tomorrow at Barrington are senior Anthony O’Brien, junior Tyler Cooke, sophomore Mitch MacTavish, sophomore Grant Warner, and freshman Jaylen Shaw. •All photos by francesca hernandez

M T O

Conference competition drives swimmers Mili Pandya

As the swim team prepares for conference tomorrow, they’re keeping their eyes on the competition. “Our biggest competition would definitely have to be Prospect, Rolling Meadows, and Wheeling, since we had some super close match-ups with them this season,” junior David Kuntz said. The boys went head to head against Prospect on Jan. 30 with one thing on their mind-- the MSL East title. Despite some wins in the 50 yard free and 100 yard free by senior Connor Reynolds and team wins in the 200 yard medley and 200 yard free relays, they fell short in the end. “We’ve put it past us and are

GAMeN PLA

keeping our focus on sectionals now,” senior Jack Carroll said. Throughout the season, the team has overcome challenges within and outside of the team to keep an undefeated record until late in the season. “Some minor setbacks included the days where we couldn’t have practice due to the weather,” junior Paul Kim said. “As a team we faced the challenge of filling the spots of last year’s seniors. They were crucial, but everyone stepped up and was willing to come out of their comfort zone to make up for the loss,” Kim said. Although the team lost keys swimmers, they have made up for those who were lost. “The guys really stepped it up

THE

this year, and didn’t give up, even when hope seemed gone,” Kuntz said. Despite these difficulties throughout the season, the team has worked together to produce a successful season with some down-to-the-wire wins. Kuntz’s performance in the 400 free relay against Rolling Meadows on Jan. 23 secured a win for the team. “We went into that meet without Paul Kim, who is one of our top guys. Even with him, it would’ve been a close meet, but we pulled through and ended up winning,” senior Michael Buffa said. The swimmers took on Wheeling on Dec. 19, winning the meet 105-81. In order to maintain focus on their goals for the remaining

What’s the game plan? swimming

basketball

Senior Jimmy schumann “I need to keep my muscles loose, eat right, and go to practice.”

Junior max heeren “we need to keep playing team basketball and play with good intensity.”

track Senior Mariana Morales “We need to think positive and stay confident throughout the meet.”

season, the team has been putting in all their effort at practice. “It’s been a season long process. From the beginning of the season, we all what we wanted and put in the work. The training is the hardest part. The meet is just a culmination of our season long efforts,” Kim said. The team believes all of its efforts will pay off in the future. “Our goals will be achieved through all the hard work we’ve put in this season. Coach’s workouts have definitely whipped us into shape and prepared us for the highest of competition,” Kuntz said. “Our next challenge is the championship season, and we’re all geared up for battle,” Kuntz said.

track SENIOR Matt dini “running in the frigid temperatures has helped us build the mental toughness we need to deal with any situations.”