Page 9: “Andi Mack” character comes out as gay
WHS
Page 4/5: Miller shares skydiving story
Page 3: Speech team performs at first tournament
Spokesman
Volume 54 Issue 3
November 17, 2017
Page 6/7: A day in the life of disabled D214 students
Wheeling High School
900 S. Elmhurst Road
Wheeling, Ill. 60090
D214 expands pathways with planned aviation courses Ursala Urban Forum Editor Starting at the beginning of the 20182019 school year, D214 will be offering a new aviation pathway program in partnership with Lewis University. The idea of the program existed for a while, but began when Dr. Lazaro Lopez, Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning ,was brought to attention that there is “a significant need for aviation pilots and maintenance.” The implementation of
this aviation program will provide another opportunity for students to explore a possible career option that is guaranteed to be available by the time the students graduate from college. D214 is trying to expand opportunities for students to get ahead or explore different career pathways, helping students to determine a possible career before they graduate from high school. With certain pathways already in place, such as the current pathway for a teaching career, a student can prepare themselves for college. The aviation program is currently trying
to target upcoming seniors in the hope that at least 25 students from across the district will be interested, especially those who are curious about aviation maintenance or piloting. “My hope is that students who would be interested in aviation will learn more about the field,” Dr. Lopez said. With the aviation program and partnership with Lewis University, a student can earn 16 credits, or a semester’s worth of credits in college, aiding the student in possibly saving money by shaving off one semester of college and gain an advantage
over other future applicants of the some job market if the student completes the course, which consists of three sequences. On November 27th, there will be a parent/student meeting at Forest View for those who are interested in the program. If the meeting reaches at least 25 interested individuals, the program can be finalized. Currently, D214 is looking for partners to host the classes. This is important for the program because while the first sequence can be taught at the respective D214 schools, the other two sequences of the program require an airplane.
NJORTC cybersecurity Locker room security
@jercook73
NJROTC students display their certificates with Jerry Cook, principal, displaying their completion of the cybersecurity course.
Max Piasecki Editor-In-Chief During the summer, several members of the naval junior reserve officer training corps (NJROTC) participated in a 40-hour cybersecurity program in Virginia and gained certification. The course, which took place in July, was hosted at the Randolph-Macon Academy, located in Front Royal, Virginia. The program was hosted by Romeoville high school and their marine JROTC program. WHS had previously helped Romeoville with developing a cybersecurity program of their own. In response, the school offered seven spots to students who could go to the camp for free. Jennifer Medina, senior, was one of the students who attended the camp in Virginia. Medina had previous experience with cybersecurity through her involvement in “CyberPatriot”, an Air Force Association
program focused on directing students towards careers in cybersecurity and STEM areas. Medina explained that she decided to go to the camp because it was a chance to gain new experiences. “I decided to attend due to the fact that it was in a different state and I wouldn’t have to pay for the trip. Plus, I would gain more knowledge about cybersecurity,” Medina said. The course lasted for a week and students participated in three to four classes that each lasted approximately three hours. There, students learned skills about topics such decryption, creating websites and hacking, while developing skills such as securing a computer and using code to control a robot’s movements. Medina said while she doesn’t think she will apply this knowledge now, she does plan on using them in the future. “I’m planning a receiving a minor in cybersecurity since I find the information is interesting and helpful,” Medina said.
Aaron Bernacho
Max Piasecki
Male students enter the locker rooms to change and get ready for their respective activities. The locker rooms are closed in-between passing periods for security reasons.
Amanda Talalaj Focus Editor The boys and girls locker room doors are being locked from their outside entrances near enough non-stop as periods commence and end throughout the day. Students such as Julie Garcia, junior, feel that the issue of locking the doors could have been done sooner. “They could have (locked the doors) when it was more prevalent. I feel like now the issue has been done with...I don’t think it’s necessary,” Garcia said. Some students share Garcia’s viewpoint, however others see that the locker room doors are locked for the security and safety of student possessions. With continuous student reports of their clothing, shoes, phone, money and merchandise being stolen while they were in gym class, locking the locker room doors at all times seemed to be the most probable solution.
Julie Fiore, senior, explained that one of the reasons student possesions are stolen is because of how much students carry with them. “It’s frustrating because I can’t always fit my backup into the locker,” Fiore said. This has lead to students leaving their possesions out in the open and unsecured. WHS security measures resolve to keep the locker room doors continually locked, as it is expected to rectify at least a part of the school student theft problem. However, students seem to be having trouble making it from their class period to their gym period in enough time. This problem worsens for students who are not able to reach the locker rooms within the shorter four minute passing periods. Teachers have to write passes for students who don’t have enough time to walk to the other entrance of the locker rooms, get changed, and be in line for the calling of gym attendance.
2
News
November 17, 2017
Parking lot procedures Beverage tax repeal return to normal with set to commence in construction completed December of 2017 Amanda Talalaj Focus Editor The controversial Cook County beverage tax on sweetened drinks has been voted to undergo a repeal, commencing on December 1st 2017. The 15-2 vote on the Cook County board established the abolition of the tax, only months after it was created in August of 2017. Due to the life of this tax bill being entrenched with lawsuits and complaints of businesses from their plummeting beverage sales, the Cook County board thought it better for the tax to be discontinued altogether. The beverage tax applied to the sale of soda, sports drinks, iced tea, lemonade, and all other artificially sweetened beverages in the Cook County area. A tax such as this was not only developed to raise revenue for the area, but also justified in that it would cause citizens to shy away from consuming unhealthy beverages. This would result in less cases of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity for Illinois citizens that can primarily be caused by overconsumption of sugary liquids. Although for a positive cause, citizens of Cook County that particularly live in the suburbs have been traveling outside of the area in order to buy cases of soda and other drinks, as opposed to just paying the extra tax on beverages in their area. The Cook County tax is $0.01 for every ounce
Maz Piasecki
news to know The front parking lot is now open, with traffic returning to how it used to be, and buses dropping off and picking up students by the rear enterance. WHS’ basketball team is currently fundraising to raise money for the program. Donations can be made through edbacker.com The school musical, “A Chorus Line” will be performing at Forest View from November 16-18th. Tickets will be $10 for the general public and $5 for students with an I.D.
Maz Piasecki
of liquid, or a penny per ounce of liquid. Without exception, vending machines in WHS underwent the tax application as well. The prices of sugary beverages heightened in the machines, resulting in students to buy less and less of them over time. An avid unpopularity of the tax resulted in the overall decision of the commissionars to revoke the tax. A poll taken by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association showed around 87% of Cook County residents opposed to the beverage tax. “As I noted last month, the difficult fight for this revenue has focused me on what matters most: doing the hard work necessary to build a healthier, safer and more efficient Cook County,” Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President, said.
Beverage tax limited to the Cook County area, where all artifically sweetened beverages were placed with a $0.01 per ounce more tax.
3
Arts
November 17, 2017
Speech season starts Band awaits Extravaganza Faviola Gutierrez student success Assistant A&E Editor Santi Cuevas Assistant Feature Editor
The speech team here at WHS has started off to a great start with their first tournament on Saturday Nov. 4. The tournament consisted of new JV members presenting their perfected pieces for the first time. Speech team is an after school club where students act and practice their presentation skills. They compete in a wide variety of events such as radio speaking and poetry reading in tournaments. Varsity speech team member Meghna Shukla, junior said wants to “try my best, have fun and get to know more people. It is always fun to win medals, place (in competition) and go to finals, but for me it’s always been more about having fun.” Although Shukla did not compete in the WHS JV tournament, she volunteered to assist Jessica Maciejewski and Jay Cha, speech coaches, in running the tournament smoothly. Her varsity teammates Aaron Bernacho, Max Piasecki, Lesly Gonzalez, and Josie Levin, seniors, all also assisted in managing. After the season kicked off, Shukla said “We have a lot of seniors this year, but we have newcomers who i can tell have a lot of potential. I feel like we’re gonna have a great time this season.” “I think it went pretty well,” Camey Zussman, senior, who performed her prose piece for the first time at the WHS JV tournament, said. “I’ve never done this before and I’ve never really acted before, but I went up there and I did the best that I could. I had a lot a fun with it,” she continued. She has a goal to be ranked at least 3rd in her rounds this season. She joined the speech season because”I really like the ability to act. I was in debate but I never really had much time to express my emotions. I went to go
watch (my friend) in a competition and I just laughed watching him,” Zussman said. Zussman wasn’t the only new member to speech this season. Mr. Cha is a first year speech coach, as well. “In high school unfortunately I wasn’t involved in speech and so I thought this would be a good chance for me to kinda learn more
about it, and any opportunity for me to interact and build relationships with students I’m all for it. So I gave it a try and so far I’m in love with it.” Mr. Cha said. He also loves the idea of being able to work alongside students and seeing them work diligently to master their pieces. “It’s been really awesome to see their Max Piasecki transformations to where they started to see the end product of how much they’ve grown.” He continued, “I know that the students prepared a lot and worked very diligently in order for them to get ready for the tournament.” Those transformations are more apparent because of the change from group to individual rehearsals. Mr. Cha’s fellow coach Ms. Maciejewski said “ I love that because I get to know the kids even better and really focus on stuff in rehearsals, instead of having it be a big group of people with less focus on seeing each other.” She said, “I really like the in depth conversations about theme and connectivity and character and stuff.” Ms. Maciejewski said “We have more returning varsity kids than ever and the kids that are graduating this year are more than half of our team. Most of them have been here for almost three to four years and they’re trying new events which is really awesome for most of them.”
As Winter approaches, WHS gets ready for the annual band extravaganza. Band instructor, Michael Malek, is away on paternity leave, and his long term sub, Ed Jacobi, is preparing the band for this performance. “I am preparing the concert bands and Jazz Band 1 for the music they will be performing and assisting students in whatever needs they have. It should be a very fun two-day event,” Mr. Jacobi said. With the band room closed, band students are practicing in the theater before school, after school, and during all lunch periods. “We have to be in the theater while practicing the music daily for the past few weeks,” Fernando Moreno, junior, said. That will change soon, however.
“In order to prepare for this year’s Holiday Extravaganza, the band has to transition into the new fine arts division wing to start preparing,” Moreno said. Although it may be challenging for both the music director and the students, they want to make this show a success. “I’m excited about the Extravaganza. I think it will be a real crowd and community pleaser. As a music director, the music always comes first” Mr. Jacobi said, “my hope is the music will produce some wow moments and will connect with the audience.’ The students are also looking forward to putting their hardwork on display. “I am looking forward for the show, to not only spread the joy of the holidays, but to celebrate the hard work that we have been putting into the preparation,” Moreno said. This is an annual event that takes place Thursday, Dec. 7, at Holmes Middle School and London Middle School and Friday, Dec. 8, at MacArthur Middle School.
Orchesis learns the ropes with aerial silk workshop
Courtesy of Diane Rawlinson
Orchesis has reached new heights. Two weeks ago, members of the WHS dance group had the opportunity to raise themselves above the crowd, literally. In an aerial silk workshop, Diane Rawlinson, Orchesis director and dance teacher, asked her students to to participate in this course. Aerial silk is a performance form where dancers suspend themselves from lines of fabric hanging from the ceiling. Although they were suspended above mats, orchesis members counted on their own skills to keep them in the air. Bruno Salgado, senior, said “I thought (using aerial silk) was going to be hard and it was actually really hard to do.” Liliana Geati, junior, also had her reservations. “Going into the workshop I thought it was going to be hard and require a lot of body strength,” she said. However Geati also believed the workshop would ”still (be) a lot of fun,” and afterwards she said “it definitely lived up to the expectations.” “I found the experience very valuable because it was something that I have always wanted to try and now I know that I can do it and have the ability to learn more,” Geati said, “I hope to take more aerial classes because it was such a fun and empowering experience.”
Art Club activities open pathways for student creation Alina Wojcik Staff Reporter Art club is just one of the many clubs students can participate in here at WHS. Many art club projects are creative and intricate. It is very hard to create these wonderful pieces that the class comes up with. Currently, the art club is working on the butterfly project. This project did not just come to mind, they had a little inspiration. The inspiration came from an artist named Tasha Louis who creates cyanotype murals of butterflies. Cyanotype is a type of printmaking involving photography. According to Julie Bale, art teacher and club sponsor, the cyanotype process “helps
butterflies that students create by cutting out cyanotype images, the club will create “butterfly bombings” around the school by sticking the magnetic butterflies up on walls. They are creating a piece of artwork and bringing life into this bland area of tile. The art club is also getting the community involved in this project and giving back to the Lesly Gonzalez school by creating these Students decorate a sugar skull during a thursday after school art art pieces. club meeting in celebration of Dia de Los Muertos. Another very important bring life and beauty to mundane objects, component about this or objects that aren’t necessarily pretty.” project is they are selling butterflies during By adding a plethora of magnetized lunch periods for people to purchase, and
that money will go towards art scholarships. Also whoever buys a butterfly gets to be a part of the art project and add their butterfly to the mural. Besides the butterfly project they have other projects in the works. The club is trying to get more art pieces up around the school but in a different way and for the most part they’re keeping these projects a surprise. They will also introduce new projects meant for the students for them to try for example, they will be working on a t-shirt project. These students will learn how to screen print onto t-shirts and learn how to dye them in more complex ways. Students can also present different techniques that they know or they specialize in to the class. The class will then try to perfect that technique or they will work harder to do a project using that technique.
4
Feature
November 17, 2017
A dream begins and a passion ensues Santi Cuevas Assistant Feature Editor With the loss of old faces here at WHS due to retirement we have been introduced to many new teachers with lots to offer. A few of these teachers are Catherine Zaworski, art teacher and Erin Pedersen, world languages teacher. Ms. Zaworski first started of working at a graphics art company. She later moved on to coaching at Hersey High School and going back to school to get her teacher’s certificate after realizing that she wanted to get closer to the kids and show them her passion. “I just really like working with the kids and I wanted to share my passion with art with the kids not just the passion with sports,” Zaworski said. Since coming to WHS she’s felt welcomed and respected. “WHS is a very welcoming high school, the kids are great, they’re very respectful. There’s also a lot resources that I could use. I never feel like i’m scrounging around for anything,” she said. Her colleague,Ms. Pedersen, has also
accomplished her dream of becoming a teacher and also be able to major in spanish. Ever since she was little, she had always known that she wanted to teach others.Throughout her college career she started to care more for spanish and the vast majority of cultures tied to it. “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. However I to college to become a psychology teacher and I went to go talk to my counselor all i ever cared about was ‘Am I in pace for my spanish minor?’ and she said ‘have you ever thought of being spanish teacher?’ and I changed my major right there and then.” Pederson, said. Many students have positive reactions about new teachers coming to WHS. One of them being Margarita Mendez-Hernandez, junior. “I think that they’ll be more open minded about how we’re dealing with school work and social media. They might actually try and relate to us and teach us things that are going to help us,” Mendez-Hernandez said. Although this year we are are losing many staff members that have become memorable faces in the hallways and in the classrooms, we are gaining many new staff members that can relate to us and our current struggles.
Santi Cuevas
Erin Pedersen, new spanish teacher, teaches her honors spanish 3 class a lesson using technology.
APLAC teacher, Burke, takes his final swing
“The best word I have is conflicted, I am sad to see him go and his presence, his tutelage will be missed. I am privileged to sit in on his classes Jackson Gross and converse about teaching. Even though he is leaving, his teachings will Staff Reporter live on through me, each APLAC will be different but it will be grounded in his ideas.” Mr. Uhrik said. Mr. Uhrik has cited that he is more grateful The longest tenured teachers, at some point have to retire like, Michael for everything Mr. Burke has done than he will ever know. Burke, English teacher. After 23 year of working at WHS, he is retiring Many of his current students will miss their APLAC teacher, “It’s pretty this year. sad because he is a great teacher and I feel like everyone should be able to Before he was known to students as the APLAC teacher, he started have him and have the experience with him,” Jackie Mejia, junior, said. off as an activities administrator. During his time as an activities Others also think very highly of him and his teaching. administrator, he usually dealt with parents’ concerns, but wanted to work “I think he is a very good teacher because he gets very in depth about with students. He, eventually, started teaching when his children came to the discussions (we have)... I’m sad (he is retiring) because (other) people WHS in order to be able to go to their respective events. won’t get to experience how good of a teacher he is in this class,” Jimmy “I also missed teaching and interacting with students. Sometimes Oropeza, junior, said. adults can be a pain in the derrière.” said Mr. Burke. Whether it was the staff or students Mr. Burke will truly be missed by He will be truly missed, especially by one of his colleagues John Uhrik, all. Mr. Burke hopes to write during his retirement years. English teacher.
Spokesman interviews members of the Little Wildcat preschool class! Q1: What’s your favorite thanksgiving food?
Q2: What does your family do on Jumpthanksgiving? really really
lack widow
Tyler Hartung
Q1:Pizza with sauce, veggies on the side and pie.
highQ2: Give hugs
Jenna Perricone
Q1: Turkey
Q2: Eat dinner together at my house
Conrad Klimek
Q1: Pie
Q2: Give people toys
Hope Monola
Q1: Turkey and mashed potatoes
Q2: Family dinner Information and photos collected by Jordyn Rogers
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Feature
November 17, 2017
Where are they now? A look back at old clubs
Courtesy of Lair
The Ski Club circa 1998. The club was lead by Robert Kupon, social science teacher and the club enjoyed taking trips during spring break.
The ski club began during the 1980s and ended in the early 2000s as the district became concerned with injuries and insurance problems. However, while the club was still on the slopes, the club met once a week to plan their day trip as well as their week-long trips for spring break. “Our very first trip was to Winter Park and we took a train out there which was fun- it was just a great time and then the second trip we had we went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and then we went to steamboat and we went to Aspen and we usually had 20 kids that would go on the trip,” Robert Kupon, English teacher, said. In the dull months of winter, the club got students to get out and enjoy the weather. “It was just to have the students get involved because usually during winter, nobody wants to do anything, (students) just wanna stay at home,” Mr. Kupon said. Unfortunately, the club isn’t available anymore, but for those who are still interested in learning how to ski, Mr. Kupon advises to not have someone teach you and to physically take lessons “Because a person who wants to teach you is more interested in going for themselves than they are taking care of you”.
Boxing club was exclusive to WHS and started with a group of students, avidly asking Michael Burke, English teacher, if he would be interested in running the club. The club was a success, earning over 100 student participants in a span of four years. “We had four fight nights. We would raise money for charity$10,000 for charity. We gave it to Countryside Association and Make-A-Wish Foundation,” Mr. Burke said. Countryside Association is a home for people that are out of high school and are mentally impaired. Mr. Kupon cited that the club brought out a different side of students. “I liked it because there were students I had in class that I never knew they had that interest in boxing. They were always the quiet individuals that didn’t look like they could be a boxer and all of a sudden, I saw them and it’s like whoa,” Mr. Kupon said. The club eventually ended in 2011 due to insurance reasons and fear over the concussion protocol.
Courtesy of Lair
The boxing club ended in 2011, but were able to raise $10,000 for charity like Countryside Association and Make a Wish foundation. Information collected by Shailah Magallon
Don’t jump to conclusions about skydiving Hana Miller Staff Reporter My white knuckles cling to the edge of the plane as I stare down at the tiny world below me. I don’t really have much time to think about what could possibly happen as my tandem, Eric, pushes us out into the blue sky. All of a sudden, I’m not scared anymore. Although I can’t really breathe, I’m able to mumble a few words as Eric asks me how I’m feeling. Everything was so peaceful in the clouds. The wind was so powerful that my cheeks were up to my eyes. In that moment all my worries were gone and all I could think about was how beautiful everything looks from 18,000 feet in the air. After about a minute of free falling, Eric pulls the cord that unleashes the parachute and we glide to the ground. When I walked into the Skydive Midwest building, I wasn’t sure what to expect. This skydive center was offered on Groupon, so we chose to drive here. Apparently jumping out of a plane is very expensive. I had to fill out a billion different forms asking for my birthday, full name, and consent that if anything goes wrong, I won’t sue them. After this long process, we watched a 10 minute informational video on how to position our bodies as we are skydiving. I thought this part would have taken a long time but it was very quick and immediately after they sent us to gear up. I had to put on a harness and special goggles. Most people would think that the harness is very intricate because they don’t want you to die, but it slipped right on and I was ready to go. Every skydiver had their own cameraman that followed them around during the process. Mine asked me questions about why I was skydiving, if I was scared, and if I want to say any last words (haha). I told him that I didn’t really have any fears and I felt that this is a thing people do when they aren’t scared of anything. I also explained that my best friend and I have dreamed of going skydiving since we were in middle school, and have been counting down the days until we turned 18! My last words were, “Bye
mom!!” because she was never fond of this idea. After the short interview, we lined up to board the plane. The plane was very small and had two benches on the inside. Everyone had to sit in front of their tandem jumper and cram together. There were no seat belts or any type of equipment to keep you safe in the plane either. Before I knew it, we were in the air and getting ready to jump. 10 minutes later the pilot yelled, “Get Ready!” and my heart stops. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for for four years. After I jumped, I realized that skydiving is a once in a lifetime experience that I had the chance to experience. By going skydiving, I was able to learn how to take a leap of faith. I am one of the few people who can say they got the opportunity to fly. Don’t jump to conclusions about skydiving!
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Focus NOT ALL DISIBILITIES November 17, 2017
Spokesman shadows disabled students a
Disabled student teaches others value of social interaction David Ruvinskiy Web Editor Upon entering Prospect High School on November 3, 2017 tasked with shadowing Anna Indelli, Prospect Senior, my expectations included seeing similarities between our school days. Since we both have Cerebral Palsy (CP), a neurological disorder that according to CerebralPalsy. org, “affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance,” I expected us to need the same accommodations and endure the same challenges. However, as the school day progressed, I realized that although we lead similar lives, not all disabilities are created equal. One of my unique characteristics is my inability to use a writing utensil. That’s right, I can’t utilize the object needed to put words on paper. When starting my day with A. Indelli, I expected her to endure the same challenge. However, an in class essay during AP European History shattered my preconceived notion. As she took out her paper and started to answer the prompt, I began to question whether I cannot write because of my disability or because I lacked the perseverance needed to practice and master the skill as a child. I also began to realize that I should use my iPad and computer more instead of relying on my 1:1 aide, Jason Wieder, to scribe for me. Nevertheless, seeing A. Indelli put pencil to paper was one of my first steps in realizing that we may not be as similar as I thought we were. Although she can use a pencil and I can’t, that doesn’t mean that our minds aren’t sharp. A. Indelli takes a creative writing class with Teresa Buczinsky, Prospect English teacher, and AP Literature with Karen Kruse, Prospect English teacher. Similarly, I take AP Lit with Linhhai Nguyen, English teacher. Because of A. Indelli’s talent for writing, Ms. Buczinsky explained that she loves having her in class. “The very first story that she turned in, I was like, my jaw just kind of dropped.
She’s so imaginative, and she can recreate experiences for people when they are reading in a way that’s really unusual for a high school student,” Ms. Buczinsky said. Colleen Crosby, Prospect senior and one of A. Indelli’s friends also confirmed that her strength is writing. “She is very good at reading, writing, and history. Those are definitely her strengths. She’s always putting her best effort forward even if something seems really hard. I think those are really good qualities for her to have,” Crosby said. While I do not take a creative writing class, I can relate to A. Indelli’s talent for writing. Whenever I write an essay for my English class or an article for Spokesman, I find myself maliciously hunting for the right words to convey my ideas in a clear and concise manner. Although we take similar English classes, our schedules differ when it comes to physical education. While I take a modified PE class, A. Indelli takes a strategies for learning class, which she uses as a study hall. When I first learned that A. Indelli does not have a PE class, I was jealous because of my laziness and belief that I should not have to work out. However, I later learned that A. Indelli does not take the class because her counselor and case manager believe that following her schedule is a sufficient workout that suits her needs. After considering that A. Indelli physically cannot take a PE class, I realized that I take
my ability to workout for granted. Since my PE teacher wants me to increase my endurance for college next year, learning about A. Indelli’s circumstances helped me realize that I should appreciate my ability to work out, instead of letting my laziness prevent me from increasing my health. Despite our different circumstances when it comes to physical education, A. Indelli and I do not face many challenges during our school days. A. Indelli explained that since she has a specific desk in most of her classes and is allowed to leave early or be late to class, she only struggles if the hallways are crowded, the elevator does not work, or if she cannot reach something. “For the most part, I’m able to do what I need to get it done by myself, and I’ll alway have someone there, like a friend or a classmate, if I do need help. So it’s not as bad as it could be,” A. Indelli said. Mandi Hall, Prospect senior and one of A. Indelli’s friends, commented on the assistance she provides A. Indelli. “I help her after second hour. I take her to her next class because it’s kind of on the way to mine. So I am always late to 3rd period, but my teacher, I kind of have a permanent late pass to that class, so he doesn’t take attendance until I get there, and I’m just a couple of minutes late everyday. So it’s not that much of a big deal. It’s just something I do to help her,” Hall said. Grace Indelli, Prospect senior and A.
Indelli’s twin sister also explained how she helps A. Indelli at school. “I help her get her bag inside at the beginning of the day, and if I have classes with her, we’ll leave early, and I’ll help her to the class that I go with her to,” G. Indelli said. Although I also do not face many obstacles on a daily basis, the biggest difference between me and A. Indelli is that we overcome our limited challenges in different ways. While A. Indelli asks her peers and twin sister for assistance, I find myself relying on Mr. Wieder. After spending the day with A. Indelli, I realized that I never considered asking anyone else for help. After seeing Indell’s friends treat her like a regular person, instead of focusing on her disability, I realized that I need to attempt to make a stronger connection with my peers and not fear asking them for assistance. For example, if my papers fall on the ground, I can ask the student sitting next to me to help me pick them up. By remembering that my disability doesn’t define the way others perceive me, I can become more socially active through interactions with people my age. Shadowing A. Indelli allowed me to see our differences and to learn from them. By allowing me to observe her as she used a writing utensil, avoided taking a PE class, and asked her peers for assistance, she assisted me in changing my perspective on the way I perceive myself and my disability.
Cartoons by Josie Levin
What do you want other people to know about living with a disability? “We’re not all super helpless or people you have to pity or take care of. A lot of us are able to do everything you’re able to do perfectly fine as long as you are willing to accomodate what we need accommodated and go with it when it needs to change. Unless you have a disability or you know someone who has a disability, you don’t really get it or try to understand how some things might be difficult for someone else,” Anna Indelli, Prospect senior, said.
“Blind people are, with some slight exceptions, pretty much just like any other person. They’re able to do pretty much anything that you throw at them whether it be doing their work or playing a sport, - ” Jack Falejczyk, Elk Grove senior, said.
Focus ARE CREATED EQUAL November 17, 2017
7
at Prospect and Elk Grove High Schools
Elk Grove student positive additude compensates for blindness David Ruvinskiy Web Editor
“Positive mental attitude.” This is the phrase that comes to mind when I think of Jack Falejczyk, Elk Grove senior. Although Falejczyk is blind, he does not allow his disability to affect his view of life. Instead, he uses comedy as a way to compensate for the challenges he faces and the activities he cannot do. Because Falejczyk is blind and I have Cerebral Palsy, shadowing him provided me with insight into the challenges that others living with a disability endure and the steps they, their teachers, and their peers take to help them succeed. Although Falejczyk cannot see the material in his classes, his spunk and positive attitude allows him to engage in each of his classes. For example, when shadowing him during his AP Literature class, he raised his hand almost every time his teacher, Mary Larsen, asked a question. Ms. Larson explained that while Falejczyk loves to participate, she cannot always call on him because other students also need to speak. “He is really good about volunteering. In fact, lots of times I say, ‘Jack, I see your hand. I can’t call on you right now because
there are like 7 other people who need to participate.’ That’s his strength. He loves to share his ideas,” Ms. Larsen said. Although Falejczyk enjoys participating in Ms. Larsen’s class, she has to adapt her normally visual lectures to ensure that he understands what she is describing. “I use my body and facial expressions to add meaning to my lectures. So I have to say what I’m doing because he’s not going to get it, and the class is chuckling, and I don’t want him to feel like he’s being left out,” Ms. Larsen said. Along with listening to his teachers lecture, Falejczyk also needs to access written materials for his classes. Before, his aid would use a braille machine to translate his work into braille. However, as Falejczyk grew older and technology became more readily available, he transitioned to using digital braille and scanning his materials on his own. “Year after year, I am starting to be more in the driver’s seat and all that help is starting to get to me,” Falejczyk said. Although Falejczyk strives to be as independent as he can, he sometimes receives assistance in his math classes due to the use of graphics and in his science classes during experiments. Along with helping him in his math and science classes, Katie White, NSSEO Teacher of the Vision Impaired and Mary Rogers, Elk Grove instructional assistant make sure that Falejczyk has everything he
needs to be successful inside and outside of high school. “We both just make sure he has all the materials he needs for class in an accessible format, whether that’s braille, or electronically sent to him. Making sure that we talk to teachers to make sure he’s accessing all the activities in class independently and that he’s not missing out on any visual information that the class is getting,” Ms. White said. Ms. Rogers also commented on her goal of making Falejczyk independent. “We not only like to work on independence inside the building, we also like to work on independence outside the building to try to make him independent in his life and teach him life skills,” Ms. Rogers said. Since Falejczyk needs time during his school day to learn how to live independently after graduating from high school, his regular classes end after lunch. For the rest of the day, Ms. White and Ms. Rogers work with Falejczyk in his resource room or in the community and teach him the skills necessary to achieve this goal. For example, during Falejczyk’s freshman and sophomore year, Ms. Rogers taught Falejczyk how to buy lunch at school without risking losing his money. During my time with Falejczyk, I also had the opportunity to watch Ms. White teach Falejczyk how to cook chicken using a crock pot.
Although Falejczyk relies on Ms. White and Ms. Rogers to prepare him for life outside of high school, he also has friends in high school. One of his friends, Josey Foster, Elk Grove junior, commented on her relationship with Falejczyk and explains that she sometimes forgets that he is blind. “I really don’t care if you have something that’s different. If you’re a nice person, you’re automatically going to be one of my friends. If you’re a nice person overall, that’s all I can ask. Anyone who thinks otherwise just doesn’t deserve to be your (Jack’s) friend,” Foster said. Stephanie Garcia, Elk Grove junior and another one of Falejczyk’s friends explained that she likes Falejczyk’s personality. “Being friends with Jack is amazing because he’s a really good person. He has a really good personality especially with technology and stuff. I like how he creates stuff, and he is very intelligent and smart,” Garcia said. Overall, after shadowing Falejczyk, I can agree with Falejczyk’s statement about his personality. Since Falejczyk is blind and I have Cerebral Palsy, shadowing him and hearing his jokes, including one about zeroing in on numbers during a lesson on binary, provided me with insight into the life of other students with disabilities. By seeing that Falejczyk and his friends focus on his positivity, instead of paying attention to his eyesight, I realized that a positive mindset can go a long way when
Pictures by jason Weider
Jack Falejczyk, Elk Grove senior, left: cooking chicken in a crockpot, middle: coding in his app development class, right: playing theviolin in orchestra.
How do you think students with disabilities are viewed at your school? “I think they are mostly treated with respect... Anna can be walking through and people see the walker and step to the side,” Mandi Hall, Prospect senior, said.
“Generally the people here are very aceepting of people with disabilities and anyone who is different,” Colleen Crosby, Prospect senior , said.
“I think everyone is very nice, accomendating and helpful,” Katie White, NSSEO* Teacher of the Vision Impared, said. Photo Opinion by David Ruvinskiy
* Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization
8
La Voz
17 de noviembre, 2017
Reconocimiento de Estudiantes de Wheeling ellas mismas han hecho el esfuerzo de enfocarse en sus estudios y participar en Faviola Gutierrez organizaciones dentro de la escuela. Ellas han formado relaciones positivas con Assistant A&E Editor muchos maestros que en cuanto le pedí a la facultad por nominaciones -- el trabajo Todos los estudiantes sueñan con fue fácil encontrar candidatas. Como recibir algún tipo de reconocimiento dicen en inglés, mientras están en la escuela. hard work pays off, Este año, cuatro estudiantes “Como dicen en ingles, y estas chicas están de nuestra escuela tuvieron viendo el fruto hard work pays off, el privilegio de recibir la de sus esfuerzos,” beca y reconocimiento, y estas chicas estan Joanne Zapata, Reflejos 2017 Award, dijo. viendo el fruto de sus consejera, por haber participado en La estudiantes se muchas organizaciones esfuerzos,” esforzaron mucho de nuestra escuela. La para tener este tipo alumna, Stephanie Flores, de agradecimiento. senior, dijo, “Me siento Joanne Zapata, Esto es algo muy bien contenta ser honrada importante para Consejera con el premio porque la señora Zapata nunca crei que yo pudiera a lado de las 4 ganar o ser nominada alumnas ya que para algo así.” Estas alumnas, Stephanie fueron 4 de los 6 estudiantes que ganaron Flores, Nancy Escobar, Leslie Diaz, y esta beca. “Al principio yo no tenia idea Jennifer Medina, tuvieron esta gran que me iban a dar este premio entonces oportunidad de obtener este gran premio fue una sorpresa pero cuando recibí el que les puede ayudar a salir adelante premio recibí una carta que decía el resto con cualquier carrera que gusten. “En de la información que tenemos que seguir realidad no puedo tomar crédito para y con eso señora Castro ha tomado su la preparación de estas estudiantes,
Courtesy of Joanne Zapata De izquierda a derecha: Director Cook, Stephanie Flores, Jennifer Medina y Nancy Escobar posando para una foto con sus becas de el programa de Reflejos awards.
tiempo para ayudarnos escribir el papel que tenemos que escribir,” Stephanie dijo. Fue un gran privilegio para nuestra escuela haber sido parte de algo tan importante para muchos alumnos. La señora Zapata dijo que “tuve el privilegio de enseñar a 3 de las 4 ganadoras cuando era maestra de español y sé que son talentosas - me dio mucho gusto de que
hubieran ganado. Me siento muy contenta por ellas y sus familias. Estos premios que ganaron no solamente enorgullecen a las personas que las conocen pero deben enorgullecer a los alumnos de Wheeling y la comunidad total. Saber que 4 de los 6 ganadores de las becas este año son de la Wheeling es algo realmente increíble. Es algo que sirve como una fuente de
Festejando el Dia de Los Muertos en WHS
Leslie Hernandez La Voz Editor El Dia de los Muertos es un dia que es celebrado el primero de noviembre. Es más celebrado en México que en otros países de Latino América. En Wheeling, hay muchos estudiantes que son hispanos, también tenemos unas cuantas clases de español en la cual están aprendiendo sobre el Día de Los Muertos. Srta. Arreola, maestra de español, dijo, “La significancia de el Día de Los Muertos creo que es una celebración para celebrar las personas de nuestra familia que han fallecido y es un tiempo en cuál realmente podemos celebrar su vida y cómo eran.
Faviola Gutierrez No necesariamente son días de tristeza y nostalgia sino días para celebrar el tipo de persona que realmente eran.” Es tradición para Wheeling High School que decoren los pasillos de lenguaje con decoraciones y altares tradicionales de el Día de Los Muertos. Srta. Arreola, dijo, “Creo que este año queríamos que la cultura de nosotros realmente fuera representada y Día de Los Muertos es unos de esos días importantes en nuestra cultura y es una tradición que ha estado presente desde hace siglos.” Unos alumnos de Wheeling High School celebran el Dia de Los Muertos en casa. Estudiante, Claudia Chan, junior, dijo, “Disfrute el Día de Los Muertos porque cuando falleció mi abuelo hicimos algo muy grande cuando vino el Día de Los Muertos y era un día muy especial para mi familia.”
Cartoon by Aaron Bernacho
9
Entertainment
Leslie Hernandez La Voz Editor
Stranger Things 2 came out on Netflix on October 27, 2017. The first season left off on Will being found and Eleven disappearing into the Upside Down. The second season we think was far better produced than the first season. The outfits, the soundtrack, the new characters, it was all absolutely iconic. It was definitely more mysterious and scarier than the first season.
November 17, 2017
Faviola Gutierrez Assitant A&E Editor Three new characters we got this season are Max, who is the same age as the boys and is now friends with them. Billy, a racist and abusive jerk, and Bob, who was Joyce’s supportive boyfriend. Will suffered a lot this season and he deserved way better, hopefully he will be left alone next season. Mike was a supportive friend to Will throughout the whole season. Noah Schnapp’s acting was phenomenal this season. Throughout the season Will is
possessed by a demon that wants to take over the world and kill everyone and everyone in town has to find a way to get rid of the demon. I think that the story line developed perfectly. It is separate from the first season. This show is not only about surviving demons, but it also has some romance into the mix- the main one being Mike and Eleven. I hope in the future seasons, their relationship progresses. Overall, the season was a great season since it brought in some different genres into it. Cartoon by Josie Levin
Andi Mack gay character: Disney takes first step out of the closet
Leslie Hernandez La Voz Editor Andi Mack is a new Disney TV show that premiered on April 7, 2017. The series follows 13 year old girl Andi Mack’s average teen life along with the lives of her two best friends, Cyrus Goodman and Buffy Driscoll. Recently, on season 2, Cyrus began to question his sexuality as he, too, started crushing on Jonah Beck like Andi. Cyrus came out to Buffy at a party in a restaurant booth. The way he came out was he told Buffy he was jealous of Andi and Jonah because they were talking, Buffy asked if he likes Andi and he denied it and Buffy realized he likes Jonah. Cyrus says he feels weird and
Online game is not numero UNO
different to which Buffy reassures him that he’s always been weird but he’s no different. This gay storyline being included is very big step for Disney, seeing as they have never had a gay character in any of their shows which brings me back to why now? I would’ve loved for there to be a Disney tv show with a gay character when I watched Disney as a tween with no idea about what her sexuality could possibly be. There was so many good chances for them to have included characters that are in the LGBT community in other TV shows. For example, Girl Meets World had the opportunity for a few of their characters to be a part of the LGBT community. Maybe it is just my wishful gay thinking but Riley and Maya could’ve definitely been a thing. But, now it is cancelled and there goes a beautiful LGBT couple that could’ve been. Don’t get me wrong though, I still think all of this is very progressive and it makes me extremely happy because it shows kids, that are maybe questioning, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay and that it is a perfectly normal thing.
Faviola Gutierrez Assitant A&E Editor The new “trend” that has been going around is UNO, only it is not the old classic card game, it’s an iPad online version of it. With new game app releases come along the ones that makes students want to try out and experience. Many students got the app and it is taking over their life; not literally. This makes students get excited to go to lunch or study hall just to play with their friends. In this app, you get the chance to either play multiplayer which connects
with your friends or people around you that are online on this app or you can play the singular version. The biggest downfall of the app, though, is that you have to pay for most of the features of the game. Generally speaking, you can only play a certain number of games per day and if you want to play you need to pay coins. The game also brings in some unfair moves and in order to gain coins, you have to wait a long time. Although, most of the students love this game, many dislike it since it is unfair and it is very time consuming regarding the coin wait, it also has an unfair move called “shield” and that means that even though you use certain coins, they are “protected” from a draw card. Many students and people on the internet say that this app is not as good as others say it is.
10
Forum
November 17, 2017
The good stuff-ing of the prospective 2018 Ursala Urban Forum Editor Natural disasters, human atrocities, increased violence, increased divisiveness in the United States, sexual allegations against many Hollywood stars... So many negative things have happened this year, I think it’s time we start looking at the positives. I speak from experience when I say that spending too much time reflecting on the negatives of life bode ill for a future perspective. Thanksgiving is around the corner and
Editorial: Since WHS transitioned to its new schedule, several of its facilities have been affected as well. Namely, this includes the library and the test make-up center, areas that are commonly utilized by students for their academic improvement and advancement. Previously, both areas had relatively more open times of operation. The library was open nearly an hour after school, and the test make-up center was open everyday and every lunch period. Now, the library only remains open for 40 minutes after
I believe that’s it’s a great time to try to change a negative mindset. Think of something to be grateful for and say it or write it down. Being grateful for the small things always add up to bigger rewards in the end. One will find himself starting to have a more optimistic view onlife, have more motivation to overcome obstacles, maybe even have some faith in humanity restored. Gratefulness can come from anywhere. It can be from the small things like finishing homework or that essay earlier than expected with down time to the big things like having loving friends surrounding oneself that will always be there for support. Changing a mindset from something as simple as believing a unit in school is hard and one will never succeed to believing the subject is hard, but with determination and outside help, one will succeed in the subject. Believing everything is horrible, believing there is no way out of a horrible situation, is a toxic mindset to have.
school, and test make-up center is on an alternating schedule that is limited to certain periods. This has limited student access to resources that have helped to improve their overall academic performance and proficiency in their classes. Students this year have an increased workload due to the larger amount of academic classes in their schedules, which has caused students to voice their stress over the situation. While aids exists such as the AP student support group and the tutors, more support could be offered to students.
I’m not saying the bad things should be ignored, they should definitely be acknowledged, but what I am saying is that dwelling on the bad and essentially ignoring the good in favor of the bad is a guaranteed setup for failure.I will admit that myself is fairly pessimistic, with a dash of realistic, just ask anyone I know, but even I know when to be optimistic about a situation. With the way this year has been, I’ve been trying my best to be less pessimistic because I know that the people surrounding me need to have good things to think about, as I myself do. Being optimistic is never a bad thing; it doesn’t, in any way whatsoever, decrease credibility. With only about a month and a half left of 2017, it’s not too late to look on the bright side. Ending with a positive outlook this year will help setup positive vibes for next year. So, enjoy the turkey and stuffing that will adorn the tables! Or not--I mean, I don’t dictate anyone’s life. But I hope your Thanksgiving is abundant with hope and optimism!
Many upperclassmen aren’t adjusted to the quicker pace, and as a result are falling behind at a pace that is unusual for them. Restricting access to resources that are important to student success only hinders overall progress. While concerns over security have been raised throughout the school, especially over areas like the locker rooms and hallways, an area like the library has always been there to help foster academia and provide a safe space for students who don’t have the same privileges or environments as others.
That’s why Spokesman believes that areas such as the test make-up center and library should have a more open schedule that can be accessed by more students. Accessing such important resources shouldn’t be an obstacle, especially when students are adjusting to a hectic schedule that demands so much of them.
10 out of 10 members of the editorial board agree
Bieber and Cyrus: good or bad? Claudia Chan Staff Reporter After years of getting constantly lost and obtaining a bad reputation, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus have turned over a new page. With paparazzi everywhere--invading their life since a very young age--getting tired of being famous is a possibility. They have felt judged for any mistake they make. In the case of Bieber and Cyrus, many started to criticize the way they expressed themselves, whether being “rude” or “too crazy”. Justin shouldn’t be defined as the man that got arrested and doesn’t like to getting his picture taken, but a caring
man. He has helped over 20 charities out of the kindness of his heart and recently donated 25 thousand dollars to help out Texas because of the destruction left behind from hurricane Harvey. Also, a few months ago, Justin showed his support to the black community by posting a picture that said “BLACK LIVES MATTER”. His caption stated, “I will never know what it feels like to be and African American but…I am willing to use my voice to shine light on racism, because it’s a real thing and more prevalent now than I have ever seen in my lifetime... we are ALL EQUAL.” Racism has risen since the presidential elections, many nonwhite races feel unwelcome and Bieber brings his opinion to his followers on instagram, hoping for some unity. Miley Cyrus took a different turn in her life and people even started to question her sanity. The Disney channel star that used to do crazy performances and drugs does not define the Miley we know today. Today Cyrus is seen as the beautiful, talented singer that has had a crazy journey
finding her true self. Last week Miley posted an opinion on instagram demanding for her fans to become united because of all the horrible things going on in our country. Cyrus began by talking about how enraged she was about what happened in Las Vegas and concludes with a call to action when she states, “I am sick and tired of starting everyday with tears and in mourning! Let’s unite! Trump never needed to build a wall for us, we’ve done it ourselves! Love!” Bringing a broken nation together is an inspiration. Miley isn’t the careless teen she was, but more of a woman who wants a change in this world. Bieber and Cyrus aren’t what you think they are. In my opinion, they are the most talented young celebrities I have ever come to know about. Sure they have made mistakes in the past but it does not define who they truly are. Many people judge them because of what they see and hear through social media but the media never tells you about all the good things they have done. Justin and Miley are a huge inspiration to me and millions of other fans.
Spokesman Staff 2017-2018 Assisstant Feature Editor Copy Editor Santi Cuevas Jordyn Rogers*
Editor-in-Chief Max Piasecki*
Forum Editor Ursala Urban*
News Editor Max Piasecki
Assisstant A&E Editor Sports Editor Giuliana Geati* Faviola Gutierrez
Asst. News Editor David Ruvinskiy*
Assisstant Sports Editor MJ Hurley Photo Editor Serena Schnekenburger*
Staff Reporters Claudia Chan Jackson Gross Hana Miller Megan Murphy Kamila Walus Alina Wojcik
Web Editor David Ruvinskiy
Adviser John Uhrik
A&E Editor Josie Levin* Feature Editor Shailah Magallon* Focus Editor Amanda Talalaj*
Cartoonists Aaron Bernacho Josie Levin La Voz Editor Leslie Hernandez-Barajas* *Staff members with asteriks are members of the Editorial Board
This is the official student newspaper of Wheeling High School, 900 S. Elmhurst Road, Wheeling, Ill. 60090. Written, edited and distributed 8 times a year by advanced journalism classes, independent studies and other interested and qualified students. Produced by using desktop publishing and is printed by Son’s Enterprises, Inc., Skokie Ill. Mailed subscription $15 per year. Letters- Spokesman is a limited public forum and welcomes a free exchange of ideas from all readers. Readers are encouraged to contribute letters to the staff in room 137 or mail them in care of WHS. All letters must
be signed. Letters may be edited for length, style, possible libel, clarity, and adherence to our publication policies. Spokesman’s mission is to report the news objectively and truthfully. We will print any known errors here in the issue following our gaining knowledge of the error. Advertising- For information, call (847) 718-7114 Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:19 p.m.
Corrections-
11
Sports
November 17, 2017
How would you describe your coach in one word? Wrestling
Girls Basketball
Gymnastics
Boys Swimming
“Passionate”
“Focused”
“Helpful”
“Inspiring”
Chloe Drozdz
Julia Bachorski
Nick Konstantos
Ryan Tinsley Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Information gathered by Megan Murphy and Hana Miller
Boys cross country develops team for future Giuliana Geati Sports Editor After 23 years, Wildcat boys cross country uses their strength of having 41 athletes to advance the team for future development. Although the Cats didn’t qualify to sectionals as a team, they did have some players qualify as individuals along with some who were All Conference athletes. “I’m excited for the development potential of next year due to all our of new athletes that are improving immensely,” Tom Polak, head boys cross country coach, said. Individual athletes such as Tyler Polak, junior, and Ben Karp, junior, placed for sectionals with their own times of 15.49 and 16.25. “Coming short from sectionals was a major learning experience for everyone because of the intensity and pressure it put on us. It made us all learn for next year of what we have to do to get there,” Jackson Gross, junior, said. “I worked all summer long and all through the season to get stronger and faster for the end of the season,” Tyler Polak
said. At the first meet, Coach Polak didn’t allow to runners to get a jersey until they finished a race. He wanted the jersey to be earned by the runners. After finishing races, Coach Polak made team shirts saying, “Ben’s Army” on the back to represent Karp. “We are Ben’s Army. He has a heart of a monster. He’s never satisfied. He’s always asking what he can do to be faster, stronger and better as an athlete. Why wouldn’t you rally around someone like that,” Coach Polak said. Teammates of Karp think similarly to Coach Polak. “Ben was someone we all rallied around because regardless of how he was feeling, he would be ready to run through brick walls and we all supported him for that,” Gross said. After a season of development and growth of athletes, runners and coaches believe the next season will be a strength for the entire team considering all the effort they put in throughout the season. “If you’re not willing to work hard, than why are you here? I’m excited for the development and potential for next year,” Coach Polak said.
New pool, No eyebrows Kamila Walus Staff Reporter Practicing hard can be difficult when the practice ground isn’t in a less than satisfactory condition. For the girls swimming and diving program, this directs towards the chemical imbalances in the pool water that cause their eyebrows to fall out and hair to be bleached. After recent construction of the WHS pool, practice everyday after school had been moved to other D214 schools. After several practices without being at their own pool, the swimmers were eager to come back after construction. The athletes quickly noticed that something was wrong with the new pool. “Well I was excited for it to be opened again, but I wasn’t sure if it would compare to the other pools we had practiced at,” Alina Wojcik, freshman, said. On the first day of practice, Stephanie Tadda, freshman, also noticed the distinct difference in the pool water. To Tadda, her tongue turned black from the chlorine and her skin was burned and felt itchy. “It got to the point that when I’d lick my lips, a small layer of skin would come off,” Katerina Papaioannou, junior, said. The excessive amount of chlorine also caused rashes for some of the swimmers. Samantha Martin, freshman, noticed rashes from the water after practice. “They were small, like dime size, but there were a lot, oval, and pink. The rashes were on my upper thighs, stomach, and chest,” Martin said. The biggest affect the chlorine had on the
swimmers was the bleaching of hair. Many students reported fading eyebrows and missing arm hair. According to Wojcik, her eyebrow hairs fell out along with other members of the team. “It made my eyebrows mostly disappear as well as my arm hair and leg hair. It also made any of my hair that wasn’t covered by my cap turn blonde,” Papaioannou said. For some, the accidental taste of the water was the worst part. “Sometimes it was hard to breathe and the water tasted like paint,” Meghan Hergert, junior, said. There are safety precautions that are associated with the amount chlorine that should be in a pool. For instance, the amount of chlorine in the water determines the water’s Ph level. The students aren’t allowed to swim in anything over 7, but it turned out that the ph level of the water was 14, double the safe amount.
Photos courtesty of Katerina Papaioannou
The girls swim team lose their eyebrows due to the chemical imbalances in the pool. Katerina Papaioannou’s, junior, hair gets bleached from her swim cap not covering the bottom of her hair.
Courtesty of Lair
Boys varsity cross country huddle together before the meet to talk about the expectations of the race and what they needed to do to preform well as a team.
Umansky puts in the
Graphic by David Gonzalez
MJ Hurley Assistant Sports Editor
Eagerness to improve skills is a quality most coaches look for when selecting athletes for their team. Ben Umansky, junior, was selected by the head coach of Wildcat wrestling as the one competitor that exemplifies the type of athlete Charles Curran, head varsity wrestling coach, wants others to follow in on the team. “He has been the most consistent face in our wrestling free plays in the spring and fall. He asks great questions, and shows the staff that he wants to improve his skills,” Curran said. Wrestling is a sport not only of power but of skill and technique that must be mastered to an extreme level for an athlete to be able to execute the moves in a split second decision during a match over the opponent. Umansky has shown a level of dedication to learning and mastering those moves that his coach finds ideal for the team. According to Curran, Eric Le, senior, is a leader of the team that also believes Umansky has a positive influence on the rest of the athletes. “Ben is a great athlete, he has improved so much since last year and he goes to every one of our practices.
He’s probably one of the hardest working guys on our team right now and we can see from how he’s been wrestling,” Le said. Many times athletes can work hard and seem dedicated, but Umansky has shown to his coach and team his drive to improve his skills on and off the mat. Curran also thinks Umansky holds the extreme level of perseverance in order to improve as an athlete. “Ben works on a maneuver and he doesn’t get it the first day, or the second, or the third; but he never stops working on it and then one day it clicks. It was awesome as an athlete to have those moments, but it has been even better as a coach to see guys persevere the way Ben has over the last year,” Curran said.
Courtesty of Ben Umansky
Ben Umansky, junior, gets ready to pin his opponent just before the match is about to start.
Sports Volume 54 Issue 3
Upcoming Events Boys Varsity Basketball Game: Monday, November 20, at 5:30 p.m. vs Maine East Varsity Wrestling Invitational: Saturday, November 25, at 9:00 a.m. at Antioch Girls Varsity Bowling Match: Monday, November 27, at 4:30 p.m. vs Fremd
November 17, 2017
Boys soccer end season as regional champions Jackson Gross Staff Reporter
Courtesty of Phil Bucko
Wildcat boys varsity soccer celebrate a victory over Buffalo Grove Bison to claim Regional Championship.
As the final seconds ticked down on the clock scoreboard, the Wildcats already knew that they had become the Lincolnshire Regional Champions. They had already defeated their rival, the Buffalo Grove Bison, 2-0. This was the 4th regional title in school history for Wildcat boys varsity soccer. “This title felt so different than the one in 2013… the expectations were higher and we expected to be here,” Kevin Lennon, head boys varsity soccer coach, said. The team to won it’s first regional title since 2013. The Cats had been in the same spot in regionals the past four years, but they were never able to claim the Regional Champions title. “It meant a lot even though we have been there. It felt great to finally get over the hump,” Jonathan Ayala, senior, said.
According to the players, the game will live on within the players’ minds and it will be a place of strength for them. “It is something to be proud of… it is the best moment for me,” Jorge Cervajas, senior, said. According to some of the players including Cervajas, the championship allowed bragging rights over some of their rivals. “It felt great to get revenge on BG,” Randall Pietrowski, senior, said. Coach Lennon hopes the high expectations will continue to carry on into new seasons of Wildcat boys soccer. “Now that we have done this well it is the expectation to make it this far each year,” Coach Lennon said. Since the team is hoping to build off of one another for future games, they hope to continue to rewrite the scorebooks as regional champions at Wheeling and continue to make school history as a team.
Photos courtesty of Victory Views
Wildcats prepare for winter season to begin. Upcoming sports include boys and girls basketball, boys swimming and diving, wrestling, bowling, gymnastics, cheerleading and competetitve dance.
Girls volleyball reaches new heights in playoffs in on the court, but the team bonding and close knit Assistant Sports Editor environment created by the leaders on the team. “The biggest key to Although the girls varsity team success was that there volleyball team came up was absolutely no drama. short of regional title, they We succeeded when we all were able to make history clicked and worked as one by having 20 wins and 18 unit and then we had a losses this season, including lot of fun doing it,” Remy a dominant victory over Jankowski, senior, said. number 3 seed Loyola Because volleyball is Academy in the Regional a team sport that relies Semifinals. on communication and a The success for Wildcat unified game plan, the ability girls volleyball this year came for the team to work together not only from the work put play to their top performance
MJ Hurley
allowed the Cats to succeed. Jazmyn Veloso, junior, expanded on the impact of not only a drama free team, but being supportive of all her teammates. “When someone was down the other people cheered them up and we absolutely never gave up on each other,” Veloso said. Jason Kopkowski, head girls varsity volleyball coach, was extremely proud of his team this fall season in their performance on and off the court in addition to their attitudes about playing even
through discouragement. “This season was an absolute pleasure to be apart of due to the fact that all of the girls respected each other and believed in a common goal of approaching the game the right way and working their butts off. Even in times of individuals slumping and spirits discouraged, the girls always were ready to work through it. I could not have asked for a better group of girls to coach,” Kopkowski said. Like most successful teams, Wildcat girls
volleyball was lead by five key leaders who were able to accomplish on the court this season. According to Kopkowski, Jessica Janowski, senior, was all-conference, all-area and was elected a team captain and team MVP. Kamila Staniszewski, junior, was also all-conference and allarea, and led the offense for the girls. Veloso was an allarea honorable mention and was the other team captain who lead the defense. Nosa Igiehon, junior, was named as the key intimidator on
the court. Nicole Nguyen, junior, was created as the emotional leader of the team. While the girls volleyball team fell short of regional championships this year, Veloso sees great potential for the future that the team can build upon. “I believe what we can build upon is our motives to keep playing and just have fun. All of us are staying positive and it’s incredible, our mantra attitude and effort, we have that and that’s why I can’t wait till next year,” Veloso said.
Photos courtesty of Victory Views
Girls varsity volleyball build off of each other for teamwork on the court, focus during the close matches and perfecting their serves in order to claim victories as a team.