Spokesman Wheeling High School
900 S Elmhurst Rd., Wheeling, IL 60090
Page 5 Best and worst jobs
Volume 56
Page 6-7 Decades Recap
Issue 4
December 13, 2019
Page 9 The late Juice Wrld: photo opinion
website coming soon ;)
Page 12
Basketball begins with an explosive start
Students and staff split on foyer after school Kamila Walus
Associate Editor-In-Chief
On Nov. 19, students and parents received an email announcing that starting Dec. 2 there will be a new policy at Wheeling High School requiring all students to leave the building by 3:30 pm. Any students waiting for their ride home are expected to wait by the back and front doors while the foyer is closed. One cause for the new policy is that despite there being adult supervision from before school until late in the afternoon, the school lacks staff for the constant supervision needed to deter poor student behavior. “The reality is, we now have supervision from 6:30 in the morning, until 7:30 at night. The reality also is that we don’t have the staff to supervise the entire building,” Tom Scotese, dean, said. Other justification to close the foyer pertains to unfortunate and disrespectful behaviours and even racist language used by students. Alex Perez, security guard, commented on how disappointed he is with how students loudly use inappropriate language in the foyer: “As a Latino, I don’t like the
‘n-word’. But, the kids here use it like a punchline,” Perez said. In addition to the loitering and language, students have already defaced and damaged the new furniture in the foyer by drawing graffiti on it, jumping from the new furniture, leaving trash on
“As a Latino, I don’t like the ‘n-word’. But, the kids here use it like a punchline,” Perez said. the ground and tables, punching holes in the murals, purposefully clogging toilets, and ripping soap dispensers off of the walls in the bathrooms. Students have shared mixed reactions to this new policy. Brianna Eloiza, sophomore, recognizes the logic behind the policy: “I’ve heard complaints that are along the lines of ‘If these people don’t want to be at
school in the first place, why do they choose to stay after school?’ At our last few rehearsals for the musical, we had a couple disruptions by some kids messing around by the theater doors. So I think that rules like this prevent those disruptions from happening,” Eloiza said. Elizabeth Olmos, junior, said “If they care about us, they should let us stay. What’s the point of getting new furniture?” “It just came down to being a disturbance. They don’t have anything to do. I don’t have a problem with kids staying here, because sometimes you don’t know what’s going on at home. We don’t know what’s going on in the streets. I’d rather the kids stay here, but do some work. Be proactive,” Perez said. In the past, the Lit Lab had been available to students after school, but then later that was closed by administration as the tutoring lab wasn’t being exercised enough after school. “Now that there isn’t really a need for students to be in the building, other than their after school activities, the expectation is that students need to get to their clubs or sports with someone who can supervise them,” Jacqueline Meo, dean, said.
Study hall stand off Ana Cozariuc
Copy Editor
Open and closed study halls seem to have two completely different meanings, but they are not really that different. The purpose of a closed study hall is so that students who need a quiet place to do their homework without any distractions around them could work in peace. Students are not typically let out of their closed study hall without a pass from a teacher, Lit Lab referral or they just need to use the bathroom. It seems like some of these rules are coming to open study halls as well. While closed study halls are meant to be kept quiet, open study halls usually are more lenient. Students are allowed to walk around and talk to one another, but they only allowed to stay inside the cafeteria, unless they have a pass. “We should be able to go to the lit lab without a pass because why have the lit lab there. The teachers and administrators expect us to do our best in class yet on our free time we can’t go get help or get our papers edited. No one is at fault it’s just sort of unfair in a sense,” Raymond Petzold, junior, said. “They are taking out lockers and putting in some areas like that (benched spaces replacing lockers) so that it could be like a group learning or people are in blended learning they can do that, but the reality is you have people in study halls. So you have people who are in the halls now and they are blending, but then you also have study halls that are going all over the place, too,” Tom Scotese, dean, said. Recently, students have been skipping class and walking around the school, trying to blend in with the students in the foyer or blended learning classes. “Students that are supposed to be in their study halls and the cafeteria tend to wander into, like, the commons area or say they are going somewhere and they just don’t make it to whatever location they are supposed to go to, and so that needs to stop,” Jacqueline Meo, dean, said.
Security staff has decreased this year and so there are not enough to keep people where they are supposed to be. As a result, deans are cutting down on where students are allowed to go during their study halls. Without a pass from a teacher, students may not leave their classes, unless it is an emergency or they have a reason. “Most of us believe that we don’t need a pass for every place that we need to go to. For example when we need to make up tests we can’t just go to the makeup room. We need a pass from the teacher an order to leave the room,” Gaby Plascencia, Sophomore, said. Passes let the teacher know where you are going and where you are supposed to be. Some teachers, however, do not give their students hall passes to the lit lab because they think they are being tricked into a free pass.
Students using the new furniture dedicated to blended space to work.
Annette Ambrus, security guard, ushers students to leave the foyer after the last bell rings.
CyberPatriot By Kamila Walus Hersey and Wheeling students gather at Wheeling High School on Dec. 6 to compete together against other teams all over the country in the state round of the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. The competition being organized by CyberPatriot, a youth cyber education program, is designed for students to act as IT professionals, and tasks them with finding cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the system. “Normal users mess things up. They don’t have the current updates. They have passwords mistaken, they don’t give the right people administrative access, there’s ports open, maybe there’s a virus installed. [The students’] job is to find those things, and remove them. Every time they fix a problem, they gain points. The computer makes a sound, and their score gets updated in the live scoreboard on the website,” Tom Polak, cyber security teacher, said. Given a Windows machine, a Windows server machine, and a LynxOS operating system, the students practice life skills with a team and a time limit. “The goal here is, one, work through a real world situation; this is problem solving. Two, these are teams of five or six kids, so they have to work together. You can’t have one kid do everything, it’s impossible. So, they have to spread the wealth, they have to delegate, someone’s got to take charge. And the best part is, they can use anything freely available to them. They have to use ‘soft skills’: they have to be able to communicate, to work together, use their resources, use their search skills to find the answers to the problem being presented to them, and they have only 6 hours to do it,” Polak said. Evin Bayer, a junior at Hersey High School, on how the competition surprised him, said, “It’s a lot of researching on the spot, and figuring stuff out as you go.” “It’s a lot of learning on your feet. I definitely do a lot of googling during these,” Eleanor Sherrett, said, on how she deals with the pressure of communicating properly.
David Nesterenko, junior and Eleanor Sherrett, senior work alongside eachother throughout the competition.
2
News
Spokesman Staff 2019-2020
December 13, 2019
Recap: News Through the 2010s
by kamila walus
Editor-in-Chief Santiago Cuevas* Associate Editor-in-Chief Kamila Walus* News Editor Kamila Walus Arts Editor Erica Hayden* Assitant Arts Editor Ana Cozariuc Feature Editor Santiago Cuevas Assistant Feature Editor Daniel Aguiniga Focus Editor Jasmine Yusef* La Voz Editors America Munoz* Jesse Carrillo* Entertainment Editor Rachel Lawson* Forum Editor Ana Malagon* Assistant Sports Editors Matthew Posner* Jared Freeman* Mitchell Fister* Copy Editor Ana Cozariuc* Social Media Manager Kaidence Katz
2010 Photo via Barack Obama archives
Photo via Christian Science Monitor
Photo via Wikimedia
Adviser John Uhrik
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr., an 18 year old black man, was fatally shot by white police officer Darren Wilson in the city of Ferguson, Missouri. Brown’s death caused unrest in Ferguson as he was seen as a victim of police brutality. Peaceful protests along with riots broke out the day following the incident, and lasted for several days after. As crowds became unruly, local police stations accumulated 150 police officers to guard the protests in riot gear. The term “Hands up, don’t shoot” became common throughout these protests, and would later become popular across future Black Lives Matter protests.
Photo via Flickr
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.
On Jun. 12, 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 58 others in a mass shooting at the nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida. After a three hour standoff with Orlando police, Mateen was killed after the police crashed into the building with stun grenades and an armored vehicle. The attack became the deadliest single gunman mass shooting in United States history at the time, and was the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in U.S. history.
Photo via Flickr
Photo via Flickr
Terrorists attacked the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 by detonating two bombs at the finishing line of the race, killing three and injuring 283 runners and spectators, including 16 who lost limbs. Soon after, suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were involved in a high-speed chase with Boston police, killing one officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police and Dzhokhar was detained the day after.
2015 Photo via CNN
In the case of Obergefell vs. Hoges, decided on Jun. 26, 2015 in a 5-4 decision, Obergefell requires all states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize same-sex marriages in professional practices. States that had already legalized samesex marriage prior to the case included Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, and Washington, but this law held all state same-sex marriage bans to be unconstitutional and legalized samesex marriage in all remaining states.
2017 Photo via The Seattle Times
2018 President Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court on July 9, 2018, to fill the position of retiring Anthony Kennedy. When Kavanaugh was nominated for the Supreme Court position, psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford came forward with accusations that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh denied accusations, but the Senate Judiciary Committee held a supplemental hearing over Ford’s allegations. After they voted, it advanced the confirmation to a full Senate vote. The Senate confirmed Kavanaugh’s nomination by a vote of 50–48 on October 6, 2018.
The founder and first leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden was shot to the death after a raid on his compund in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2, 2011. The United States Navy Seals worked on Operation Neptune Spear to end a nearly ten year long search for Laden after his contribution in the Sep. 11 attacks.
2013
2016
*Staff members with asteriks are members of the Editorial Board.
Advertising- For information, call (847) 718-7114 Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:19 p.m.
On Oct. 19, 2012, a tropical wave formed in the Carribbeans, then quickly developed into a tropical storm in the next six hours. Tearing through the Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba, hurricane Sandy killed 75 people before heading north towards the East Coast. Once it hit the east coast, New York and New Jersey experienced record-setting waves. The category one hurricane left the east coast with an estimated $36.8 billion in damages, 7.5 million people without power, and at least 125 deaths in the United States.
2014
Advertising Manager Jasmine Yusef
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.
Photo via Rand Corporation
2012
Web Manager Ethan Polak
Staff Reporters Chrissy Makris Jessica Bezkhlebetskiy Kristin Dawson Jasmine Bautista Melanie Aguilar Cecilia Herrera Ben Williams Iran Teran Alanna Chavez Aria Giacomino
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Mar. 23, 2010. The primary goals of the comprehensive reform law were to make healthcare more affordable for all citizens and expand the Medicaid program to include all low-income adults.
2011
On Oct. 1, 2017, 64 year old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of people attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival from his window on the 32nd floor of the across the street. He shot more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition, causing a total of 58 fatalities and 413 injuries by gunfire. Police found Paddock dead in his suite from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. With an unknown motive, this attack remains the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States.
2019 Photo via Flickr
The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, initiated an impeachment inquiry against president Donald Trump on September 24, 2019. A whistleblower claimed that Trump allegedly abused his power as President by purposefully withholding military aid from Ukraine in hopes that newley elected president, Volodymyr Zelensky, will perform favors for the United States to benefit Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign.
Arts
December 13, 2019
3
Upcoming art events: • December 14~ Orchesis concert; WHS Theatre; 4:00 p.m. • December 16~ Holiday Hoopla; ST. Edna’s Church; 7:00 p.m. • January 9~ Band solo/ ensemble; WHS; 5:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. • January 12~ Jazz Band 1 performance; Hey Nonny, A.H.; 5:00 p.m.
• January 16-17~Variety Show; WHS Theatre; 7:00 p.m. • January 18~ Northshore Jazz Festival; Glenbrook South HS; 1:00 p.m. • January 21~ Choir/ Orchestra solo/ ensemble; WHS; 1:00 p.m. • January 29-31~Gospel Choir- IMEC; Peoria; 5:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Orchesis and Children’s Workshop Ana Malagon
Ana Malagon Yorleni Ramos, Francesca Anduray and Xiomara Aguirreh pose while performing.
Evie Poulianov, Victoria Lypka, Hanna Gajek, Yorleni Ramos and Francesca Anduray are practicing their dance.
Ana Malagon Hanna Gajek and Francesca Anduray carry Yorleni Ramos.
kids to come in and learn a dance or two; they will also get to perform it that same night for their parents and anyone else in On Thursday, Dec. 12, orchesis danced attendance. Kids from ages 3-13 will able to and yoga classes perform in the winter learn and perform a variety of dance styles. Check in for these kids starts at 12:30 p.m. showcase. There were dances that ranged from and the actual workshops are from 1:00 pm contemporary to Latin to Hip-Hop. These to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $30, and this includes dancers have been working very hard to a free concert ticket admission for the child, put on a show for their peers, teachers and one adult concert ticket, a certificate and a T-shirt. family to see. Some workshops differ on what age the Orchesis performed their very own choreographed dances. This round of child is. Ages three to five uses movement choreographers are Pamela Montegrande, and action to make a story come alive and grades Kindergarten to sophomore, Jojo Stepek, four can take Ballet; grades sophomore, Evie two to six can take Musical Poulianov, freshman, Theatre and Kindergarten Jason Lopez, senior, Ana Malagon to third and fourth to and Katelyn Seiler, eighth can take a Co-ed freshman. Montegrande Evie Poulianov, Victoria Lypka, Hanna Gajek and Yorleni Ramos practice their Hip-Hop class; grades has choreographed a four through eight take performance. Hip-Hop piece, Poulianov Contemporary Dance and a lyrical piece, Lopez kindergarten to eighth can a latin piece, Stepek a take Visual Arts; grades hiphop piece and Seiler a four to eight can take contemporary piece. Latin Dance and grades Not only will kindergarten to third or orchesis perform in the fourth to eighth can take showcase but the dance classes join as well. Dance Scan this QR code in order to sign Jazz and Poms. “As someone who 1 performs what Diane up for the Children’s workshop. wants to become a teacher Rawlisnson, dance I admire the opportunity instructor, has prepared for them. Dance 2 and 3 have the liberty to create their own to learn and recognizing how to take care dance using movements they’ve learned in of children. What they like and enjoy it’s amazing to see those big bright smiles as class. “I love having the dance classes involved their dancing,” Francesca Anduray, senior, because they you can see what they do said. The workshop is a great opportunity for and how it’s different from what we do,” both children participation and the orchesis Xiomara Aguirreh, junior, says. In addition to the winter showcase members. The Orchesis member gets a there will be the 24th annual children’s great opportunity to teach kids and the workshop on Dec. 14. This workshop allows children get to learn a dance style that they haven’t before. Ana Malagon Opinion Editor
Art Showcase
Artwork from Kathering Ambrose, senior, and Jarexy Garcia, senior.
Jarexy Garcia
Katherine Ambrose
Jarexy Garcia
Katherine Ambrose
Jarexy Garcia
Katherine Ambrose
Katherine Ambrose
4
Feature
The development of flex days
school,” Emily Van, senior, said. These restrictions on choice seem to go against the original point of Flex Days: to give students the opportunity As the end of first semester to do what they personally need to do. approaches, WHS has held three of For some students, that means taking its new special schedule Flex Days. a break from the rigor of their classes Having never done them before, Flex and chilling for that one day a month by Day organizer Rebecca Kinnee and the doing a fun activity or seeing a teacher rest of the staff are looking for student they like. feedback after each Flex Day so they Not all students are concerned with can make changes. Longer lunches the excess of academic sessions, though. and shorter office hours were notable Others are concerned with a lack of changes made before the October them. Flex Day thanks to student feedback. “In the first Flex Day, I signed up for However, students have noticed another a Physics Pumpkin Launch Lab. I learned change affecting schedules more subtly nothing. The academic sessions are across the three Flex Days: a shift from definitely increasing, but I don’t think more creative and “fun” sessions to they’re any more helpful,” Gio Tamayo, academic-based sessions. junior, said. Due to this shift, The students who some students have don’t enjoy the fun felt their choices are sessions and don’t being restricted. feel their academic “I think the options needs are met are “I’ve definitely been seeing a lot should be expanded. probably the biggest more academic-based contributor to the With pathsessions compared monumentally low to previous Flex Days. attendance for Flex specific options, For the November Days. it discourages me Flex Day, I found that There’s also concern I had to rush to sign from taking classes about the diversity up for the fun sessions and availability of from a different before they fill up; I academic sessions. In didn’t have to worry as pathway. I can only the September Flex much for the first Flex Day, students were sign up for sessions unrestricted in which Day because there were a lot more fun sessions they could based on classes I’m and laid-back sessions sign up for. This created currently in. available,” Valencia some problems, with Smith, senior said. students who needed Sessions like help in a class they’re Jackson Schmitt, in losing their spot to long-term substitute teacher Bradley students not in the sophomore said. MacDonald’s coffee class or sometimes session filled up in not even in the right just a couple minutes. grade level. This issue 8:30 A.M coffee and was remedied by only karaoke proved to be allowing students more popular than taking a class to sign up for sessions for Algebra review sessions or exploring said class, but this solution has been a student interests through Khan double-edged sword. Academy. With lack of enthusiasm for Jackson Schmitt, sophomore, is academics being common for students, frustrated by being unable to explore these results should come as no surprise. different career pathways on Flex Days. However, some students; simply “I think the options should be do not need help in the classes they’re expanded. With path-specific options, taking and would rather use their it discourages me from taking classes choices to let loose and have some fun. from a different pathway. I can only “Seniors aren’t as worried about sign up for sessions based on classes I’m grades and academics, as they’re already currently in. I’m limited to the careers I sending in their transcripts for college was interested in when I signed up for applications. With that said, the only classes, and I feel like the freedom I had things seniors are trying to fill up are at the beginning is getting limited.” college application sessions. If they’re Students can continue to provide not doing those, they’re probably feedback to improve Flex Days through rushing in to the fun sessions to make the surveys at the end of each month’s the most out of their last year of high Flex Day. Benjamin Williams Staff Reporter
Editor-In-Chief
On Nov. 26, senior students were able to teach fellow students though Senior Teach Day. Senior students like Billal Thawani, Isabelle Valles, Amber Akhter, and many more decided to partake in this event. Throughout the day, students shadowed some of their favorite teachers and led lessons that they themselves planned out with assistance from the sponsoring teacher. This not only allowed for students to take a leadership role among their peers, but also allowed them to see how a teachers day might look like. “It gives the kid who is doing it an opportunity to take a leadership role, understand what a teacher does, and gives them an opportunity to take responsibility because they have to plan a lesson and I also thinks it’s good for the kids in the class because they have one of their own peers teaching them the material,” Lou Wool, law Teacher, said. Adrianna Soto, English teacher, allowed one of her debate members to take over her classroom. “Honestly, I was really proud to have Amber
Kamila Walus Isabelle Valles, senior, helps instruct the little wildcats on senior teach day.
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Kamila Walus Amber Akhter, senior, introduces a new unit in John Uhrik’s APLAC class.
Wy a t t O l s
uila
lead my class, she is one of our co-captains in debate and I’ve known her for four years. I watched her grow not only as a student and a debater but as a person. It was really cool to see her lead my students into the dark romanticism unit. She knew how to work with kids and help them work on their essay, it was overall an amazing experience for me and I hope for Amber as well,” Soto said. Students were able to take away a lot of positive things from their experiences like time management and communication skills. They were also able to learn a lot about what it’s like to be a teacher. “I think we learn how to organize our time and plan thought provoking lessons to engage students. We become the teachers and really get to see what it feels like to be at the front of the classroom!!,” Valles said. Looking into next year, the students who partook in the event this year would highly reccommend for the younger classes to step up and participate in this event. “I would definitely recommend senior teaching to underclassmen, the experience is amazing and getting closer to your teacher is also really great, on top of this having your friends in the classroom is really fun,” Tharwani said.
Santiago Cuevas
R e e g a n Hy
Ag
Seniors takeover the classroom
Emme t Do t
Spokesman interviews members of the Little Wildcat preschool class
Va l e n t i n a
Lit t le Wil dca ts
December 15, 2019
Q1: What’s your favorite activity during break?
Play dolly
Play with monster trucks, crush station
Play with fire truck and dump truck
Q2: What’s your favorite holiday cookie?
Princess
One with frosting
The ginger boys
Circle ones
Q3: What is your favorite thing about Santa?
Toys
He brings me presents
To see Santa at the mall
Train under the christmas tree
Play with trains
Information collected by Kaidence Katz, Jared Freeman, Ana Cozariuc
December 15, 2019
Feature
5
Students share winter job experiences and reccomendations Jasmine Bautista Staff Reporter
If you’re the age of 16 and up you probably have a job or know at least someone who has one. As holidays come up, so do the sales and customer service is also a hassle during these times, but if you are in need of money what jobs around here are the best? Asking around, four wheeling students were willing to share their experience.
Armando Herrera Senior
Kyle Viray Junior
Starting wage
$11
Work enviornment
Nice, friendly coworkers but annoying customers at times.
Very small store.during work there at least three or four people who are really friendly.
Feelings over job
Alright, but if working later at night customers start to be more annoying and think they’re entitled to everything.
I’m pretty satisfied with working there.
Recommendation
It’s a good job during the holidays because not many people come out because it’s too cold and they’re lazier.
Yes, it’s a pretty easy job, but of course sometimes it gets busy which gets pretty hard.
$9.50
Jessica Avalos
Yoselin Reyna
Sophomore
Junior
$8.25
$12
It’s a restaurant with lots of food, but the environment around here is good.
It’s okay. There’s not that many people that you can interact with because there’s just not a lot of interaction
I like my job because, fortunately, my manager is like one of my closest friends and a great role model.
I feel okay about the job because you don’t do anything. You just watch kids and monitor them
Being a host can be stressful at times but it’s not a difficult job. I would recommend.
I don’t really recommend it because you don’t get that much money, unless you just want to earn a bit of cash.
Photos and information gathed by Jasmine Bautista
A look into the world largest Starbucks Melanie Aguilar Staff Reporter
Cecelia Herera Staff Reporter
Along Michigan Avenue one of the worlds largest Starbucks was opened on Nov 15. This roastery has five floors, can roast up to 200,000 pounds of coffee and includes 200 employees to happily assist you. It continues to grow in popularity with lines out the door. Thousands of people from all over the country waited in freezing cold temperatures to be the first paying customers, some even got there as early as 4:30 in the morning. This 35,000 square foot space reached its capacity just minutes after opening. Each floor has a different theme and are all very different. Floor one is a Reserve Coffee Bar: You’ll find coffees to go, coffee beans, breakfast pastries, and merchandise. Floor two is a Princi Bakery & Café: You’ll find croissants, breads, pastries, pizza, and sandwiches along with gelato and coffees. Floor three is an Experiential Coffee Bar: This is where Starbucks serves its rare
Melanie Aguilar
coffees. Pour overs take more of a theatrical aspect here. Floor four is a Arriviamo Cocktail Bar: Starbucks teamed with a trio of well-known Chicago cocktail builders to develop their famous drinks. Most of the space is open seating. Floor five is a Roof Terrace: Starbucks officials wouldn’t let anyone get a peek of the space, which will open during spring and summer. Despite it being a Starbucks its menu is a lot different and it’s more limited than what you see at every day Starbucks. “I went on the first day and the line was crazy! From what I saw it went on for blocks. Something I liked was that they had coffee tubes where all the coffee goes through the walls but the drinks and merchandise are very pricey,” Keven Ayala, senior, said Jessica Porras, senior who went on the second day of the grand opening, said, “I waited an hour almost two in line and it was really full but I got to meet a lot of new friends from other countries like a Korean lady.” Although the wait was filled with thousands of people in cold temperatures it is definitely worth it for those Starbucks fanatics. Even if you’re not that into coffee it has dozens of pastries up for grabs.
Melanie Aguilar
Focus
6
December 13, 2019
D i g g i n6g d e e p i n t o t h e Boston marathon bombing killed three and wounded more than 200 individuals Jersey Shore gains the attention of millenials and climbs the charts in realtiy tv show rankings.
The death of Osama Bin Laden
Launch of PS4 and Xbox One
A grade 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan and injured thousands.
2011
Global population reaches 7 billion
2012
Apple debuts the revolutionary upbringing of the iPad.
2010
2013
2014 The theory of the end of the world in 2012 debunked as 2013 persists.
Lady Gaga performs at the MTV award show in a meat dress
The Halem Shake dance sweeps the world and leads to several millions of videos of individuals acting out the dance.
The walking dead, an apocolyptic tv series, was the most watched show on cable for the majority of the decade.
i s
“Phones, cell phone technology, the phones have grown at a very quick rate and they’re changing every year, getting more advanced and we’re going from 3G to 4G to 5G all in this decade,” Vernon Van Vleet, math teacher said.
Ferguson: Shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer sparks controversy and social outcry.
Cinnamon Challenge
Despite having a Republican House of Representatives and a Democratic Senate, congress was able to pass a bill concerning healthcare reform known as ObamaCare.
W h a t
Uruguay becomes the first nation to allow legislation of cannabis.
t h e
The Avengers hit showtime theaters
The Hunger Games movie derived from the book series came into the entertainment industry and introduced Jennifer Lawerence to the world.
f i r s t
t h i n g
“I think of my kids because the decade has been all about my kids. They’ve grown up from being babies to now being ten years older. Cynthia Carro, English teacher, said.
t h a t
c o m e s
“When I think about this past decade, the first thing I think about is that you guys are going to be the leaders for the next decade that will hopefully make it much better than the way it currently is,” Victor Gonzalez, math teacher, said.
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“Snapchat and Instagram have taken off more and while twitter already existed before that, but the world has become more interconnected because of social media. education too,”Mara Leane, social studies, teacher.
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Focus
December 13 , 2019
7
o the Decade of 2010
m i n d
Trump declares an executive order to place a Muslim Ban for several middle eastern countries.
United States and Cuba look to form diplomatic relations
First self regulating artificial heart
College administrative scandal finds several celebrities bribing administrators to get their children into elite universities.
Hamilton musical
Thought up in 2010, gender reveal parties gain popularity.
Charlottesville sheds light on the racial divide in the country.
2015
Google glasses launch to the public
Mueller Report released Trump orders troops to withdraw from Syria.
Snapchat is the most popular social media app.
Republican resurgence: Republicans gain control of the senate
2017
2018
2016
Polio eradicated .
Kneeling protests during the national anthem
Donald Trump elected as President of the United States
2019
Beyonce is the first African American woman to headline Coachella Drug created to prevent obesity
Streaming kills video star. Blockbuster out of business.
o f
w h e n
Microchipping all dogs in England to make finding lost dogs more efficient.
y o u
“The evolution of shoes, the styles that came out, some new styles like the really tight fitting shoes and the sock like shoes have become really popular and dad shoes have too,”Brandon Lopez, freshman, said.
t h i n k
o f
“To me, I think about my childhood so about tv shows like teletubbies or spongebob or something like that. I feel like then they were more creative and now they’re just strange,” Martha Szczepanski, sophomore, said.
t h e
d e c a d e
“I would say Tesla, the old truck designs are better than the new ones because they don’t even have rear view mirrors. Overall trucks have turned for the worse,”Swun Tun, Junior, said.
o f
2 0 1 0 ?
“I think of the music from the time compared to now. Back then, it was all about love, but now songs are just about drugs and profanity,” Monzerat Hernandez, senior, said.
Photos and information collected by Iran Teran
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La Voz
13 de Diciembre de 2019
Siempre Recordaremos Los Terremotos de 2017 America Munoz La Voz Editor
En el año del 2017 ocurrió una tragedia en el pais de Mexico. En el lapso de un mes dos terremotos azotaron el centro de México. El primer terremoto golpeó el 8 de Septiembre con una magnitud de 8.1, que fue aproximadamente a 650 kilómetros del segundo terremoto. El segundo terremoto golpeó el 19 de septiembre y tuvo una magnitud de 7.1. México se encuentra en lugares vulnerables para terremotos, por eso es más probable que un terremoto golpee México. El seísmo terremoto que golpeó el 18 de septiembre provocó el colapso de 20 edificios con personas atrapadas dentro de ellas. Siguiendo la próximo mañana se encontraron 225 muertos al resultado del terremoto. El segundo terremoto golpeó en el aniversario de uno de los peores terremotos de hace 10 años que mató a más de 10,000 personas. Aunque los expertos dicen que fue solo una coincidencia. “Mi madre estaba realmente preocupada por su familia porque la parte de México donde vivimos o donde vive mi familia está más lejos del centro del terremoto, pero aún así los efectos se sintieron allí y estaba realmente preocupada por su familia,” dijo estudiante del tercer año Allyson Lara. Los terremotos no solo afectaron a las personas en México, sino que también afectaron a sus familias aquí en los Estados Unidos. Lucharon con la preocupación de no saber si sus familias estaban bien. “Todavía es importante para las personas que todavía están reconstruyendo y recuperándose de los terremotos y para aquellos que perdieron personas en el desastre,” dijo estudiante del cuarto año Carlos Sánchez.
Es tan importante que recordemos lo que sucedió, porque esto fue un gran impacto para México. “Golpeó donde vive mi familia y es importante porque cuando se enteró mi madre le llamó a mi tía y se aseguró de que estuvieran bien,” dijo estudiante del segundo año Brianna Ruiz. La noticia golpeó a México y a los Estados Unidos, dejando un gran impacto en cualquier persona relacionada con el desastre. Las escuelas cerraron y el hospital se inundó de víctimas del terremoto. Se establecieron nuevas leyes de reconstrucción. Los terremotos tuvieron un gran impacto en México, lo que lo hizo unificado. Fue una tragedia que no debe ser nebulizada. Debemos recordar a los que perdieron su vida y siempre honrarlos.
Information and pictures gathered from CNN News, Pbs.org, and The New York Times.
Días Festivos Con Latinos Melanie Aguilar Staff Reporter
Cuando ya se viene diciembre es unos de los meses más importantes para los latinos. Ya que para los latinos celebran los días festivos que vienen en grande y con familia. Como por ejemplo la navidad, y el año nuevo. También si tu familia es religiosa se celebra el día que nació Jesús y el cumpleaños de la virgen, y se hacen posadas en grande. Durante una posada, los niños y las familias recrean la historia de María y José, desfilan por su vecindario y se detienen en diferentes casas para pedir refugio. La tradición fue iniciada por sacerdotes españoles. Después hay comida, dulces, y música. También es muy conocido que para la navidad muchos latinos la celebran el 24 de diciembre en la “nochebuena” y no el 25 de diciembre. Giovanni Montes, estudiante de cuarto año, dice “ mi familia se junta desde el 24 de diciembre y haces la comida ese día y también abrimos regalos en la noche el 25 las 12:00am.” Julio Franco, estudiante de cuarto año, dice “ mi familia celebra el 24 de diciembre en la noche se hace la comida y regalos y el 25 no hacemos nada nomás hay recalentado pero todavía está toda la familia junta.” Tradicionalmente en los Estados Unidos se celebra el 25 en la mañana y todo el día. Pero para latinos no ellos desde nochebuena empieza la navidad. También las comidas son muy diferentes para latinos se hacen tamales, pozole, tacos dorados, ponche, champurrado, mole. También todos traen algo y luego se reúnen juntos para comer el 24 en la noche. Jacke Rufino, estudiante de cuarto año, dice “mi familia trata de hacer comida Americana pero nunca funciona,
una de las comidas que nunca falta es tamales.” En mi opinión muchos de los latinos hacen lo mismo y lo celebran el 24 de diciembre y lo hacen en grande. También opinión que es una de los días festivos que muchos latinos les gusta. Simplemente considéralo como uno de los muchos beneficios de ser latino: ¡podemos celebrar la Navidad dos días seguidos!
Para esta navidad que es lo que mas deseas como regalo?
“Yeezys porque me gustan y quiero mas,’ dijo estudiante del segundo ano Angel Rodriguez.
“Quiero que mi familia se Reúna y que mi tio Venga de California para celebrar la navidad juntos,” dijo estudiante del segundo ano Emily Flores.
“Una camara, porque me gusta tomar fotos de lo que veo,” dijo estuiante del tercer ano Marco Daniel Santana.
“Doc martens, porque son unas botas muy Bonitas,” dijo el estudiante del quarto ano Angelica Vences. Photo Opinion by Iran Teran
Entertainment
December 13, 2019
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Disney+: Worth the cost or not?
When Disney+ was announced back in Nov. 2018, people were a bit confused. Staff Reporter There are already so many streaming services out there like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc. The list goes on and on. So what could Disney bring to the table that these other providers couldn’t? Fans got their answer when Disney+ launched on Nov. 12, 2019. After a year of waiting, I decided to see for myself what the service had in store. Disney+’s first unique feature that caught my eye was the wide variety of different movies and television shows that were available. The service has everything from old-school, animated classic films to “Star Wars” to “Wizards of Waverly Place”. Seeing all of these films took me back to my own
Aria Giacomino
childhood. When logging into the platform, you can immediately see that the Disney magic has clearly been included in the service. Something else that’s interesting about Disney+ is that it gives young kids the chance to watch the same shows that today’s high-schoolers grew up on. In the future, kids of our generation and kids a lot younger than us might have in common a love for the same shows, which is actually pretty cool. The negative side of the platform is that even though they have all of these amazing films, it feels like after a few movie nights you would run out of films that you actually want to watch or that you haven’t already seen. But since the service just recently launched, it’s likely that in the future more and more films will slowly be added. But if you’re looking for movies for hanging out with friends, staying in with family during the holidays or even looking for a film that will make those nostalgic feelings come back around the new year, then you should definitely consider signing up for Disney+.
Remembering Juice WRLD
On Saturday, Dec. 8, the world woke up to the news that Juice WRLD had died. The Entertainment Editor Chicago-born musician, real name Jarad Higgins, was only 21 years old and was in the midst of a successful rap career when he suffered a seizure at Midway International Airport. Higgins allegedly began convulsing after getting off of a private jet and swallowing multiple unknown pills. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in Oak Lawn where he was pronounced dead. Higgins’ death certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. The loss was felt around the world. Millions of fans and countless celebrities have taken to social media, posting in remembrance of his music and his legacy. A candlelight vigil was held at Grant Park on Monday in his name. Fans who attended brought flowers and played Higgins’ music to honor him. Photo via
Rachel Lawson
An Editor’s Queue: December Edition Entertainment Editor Rachel Lawson has crafted a holiday-themed playlist perfect for the frigid Chicago weather that we all know and love.
Photo via Flipboard
Daniel Aguiniga Staff Reporter
Rap through the decade
S a y goodbye to the 2010s and hello to the 20s. A new decade is upon us. From 2010 to 2019, it’s been a wild ride. For most of us, this decade was the time of transforming from little kids to young adults. We’ve all grown and changed over the years, and we’ve also seen some of the world’s best moments in music. Millions of songs. albums, and EPs have been released between 2010 and today. Some artists have climbed the charts, and some artists have fallen down. The landscape of music has changed a lot since 2010, too, from the beats and instrumentals to the way the lyrics are written. A lot of new artists have debuted during the 2010s, especially within the rap scene, and some would say that these new voices changed the rap game forever. During this decade, rap culture has taken a shift in terms of the way that music sounds. Some say rap music has gotten worse and some say rap music has evolved. Throughout this decade there have been so many albums from a lot of different artists. Spokesman staff asked Manny Orozco, senior, which album he thought was the best of the decade. “I think it’s ‘2014 Forest Hills
Drive’ by J. Cole because of the story behind it and the meaning. A lot of other artists make albums just because. This album was more about his childhood and being able to relate to a lot of different people. It talked about how he struggled to get to where he is now,” he said. There’s different types of rap; there’s lyrical rap and mumble rap. Mumble rap is mainly focused on beat production and not as much thought is put into the lyrics. Then there’s lyrical rap, which is considered to be “real rap music” by most people. Lyrical rap focuses more, as the name suggests, on the lyrical content of the song. Music has changed an incredible amount throughout this decade. There’s a lot of variety and so many songs, albums, and artists to choose from. Each artist’s music has a different meaning to it, and every artist impacts the world in a different way.
Photo via Amazon
Harry Styles promotes new single in a strange way Rachel Lawson
Entertainment Editor
On Nov. 20, a lengthy thread about a seemingly nonexistent island started circulating and gaining attention on Twitter. Social media users were getting advertisements for this place on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. After a few days of deep digging and some clues from the account of the
Still from the “Adore You” music video
Jasmine Bautista Staff Reporter
Six years after the release of Disney’s incredibly successful 2013 film, “Frozen,” Disney decided it was finally time to give the world a sequel. “Frozen II” hit theaters on Nov. 22 and filled seats in no time, attracting both children with their parents and older kids who were fans of the original film back in 2013. After watching the first trailer earlier this year, I was already intrigued about how the movie was going to play out, as most of the scenes in the teaser seemed dark and gloomy. The writers really focused on various character
alleged island called Eroda, the internet discovered what the island really was: an elaborate creation from none other than musician Harry Styles to promote a new single off of his upcoming album, “Fine Line”. Once the connection to Styles was drawn, fans quickly started making guesses regarding other parts of the mystery — the island’s name, Eroda, is “adore” backwards, and a track from Styles’ upcoming record is titled “Adore You.” Soon, posters announcing the single’s Dec. 6 release were spotted in New York City, Los Angeles, Paris and Japan. After the announcement was made, all there was left to do was wait. The single was
released at midnight on Dec. 6, and the music video came out at 8:00 the same morning. The video included both the song “Adore You” and an extra four minutes of footage that moved along the plot, wherein Styles is an outcast on the island of Eroda, finds a fish while he’s trying to kill himself, becomes best friends with the fish and finally sets it free in the ocean. The oddly charming video and accompanying song earned positive reception from fans. Today, the wait for the rest of the record is finally over – Styles’ sophomore album “Fine Line” is available as of Dec. 13 for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Frozen II review: Does it live up to the original? developments in the movie, especially with the two sisters, Elsa and Anna. When the characters split up in the movie, the audience is able to see how vulnerable the sisters are after being left alone to face situations that could potentially hurt them. Mariam Dkhuka, junior, said that overall the movie was better than the original because the music was even better and she liked the story more in general. I would have to agree because while the first movie had very iconic songs like “Let It Go,” which was sung by Elsa, the music production of the second film was a little bit better. “I prefer the second movie
over the first one because I really liked how we got questions answered about Elsa and her parents,” Ailyn Reyes, junior, said. Her favorite part of the movie was “when Olaf was describing the plot of the first movie to the people...it was so funny to see him acting it out and the reaction of the people that were there.” The concept of the whole movie was really beautiful and showed how the bond between Elsa and Anna grew from the first movie to the second. “Frozen 2” definitely lived up to the hype, and I think that it’s actually better than the first one.
Photo via wdwnt.com
December 13, 2019
Cheer getting a fresh new look
Sports 11 Athlete of the Month
Cecilia Herrera
Sw im m in g
Staff Reporter
When thinking of cheer uniforms, images of bedazzled, bright school colors and tight fitted skirts and shirts come to mind. For many years, this wasn’t the case for the WHS winter cheerleaders. For years on end, they competed against other high schools with plain skirts and shirts while the other schools had all-star like uniforms. “The schools we competed against had more all star cheer looks, meaning they were more fitted, connected in a single piece, which is a lot more convenient. Overall they were more attention grabbing than ours. Which is exactly what we wanted and needed,” Vanessa Solano, senior, said. Coaches Rude, Ryan and Fier knew they needed a change, so after five years, on Nov. 1st of 2019, they came out and made brand new designs. Although the team did not get to choose the design themselves, the team member who drew the new uniform closest to the actual design got to model it to the rest of the cheerleaders. “These were such an upgrade compared to last year. Although the old ones weren’t too bad they were too simple for us. The new uniforms are a lot flashier and snug but in the best way possible . They make us look a lot more legit when performing,” Natalia Nedland, senior said In addition Cristian Esparza, junior, being the only boy on the team for 2019 got to break in the new male uniform. “I like the new uniform,they have a lot more detail and gives the wow effect we needed. I wish mine had more detail to the pants but overall it’s perfect, Esparza said. With these new and improved uniforms, the WHS winter cheerleaders not only feel better but look better for their competitions.
Jared Freeman
Assistant Sports Editor
Boys swimming is in full swing and members of the team are already committed to morning swim practice every Monday and Wednesday from 6:10 to 7:15 as well as practice every day after school. The commitment may be hard to handle, but it resulted in a 2nd place finish out of 6 teams at the Maine East Invitational only losing to Hoffman Estates by two points. Many members of the team achieved personal bests or close to it “I got 24.55 seconds swimming free in the 200-meter relay which is a personal best,” Jackson Schmitt, sophomore, said. This is a main reason why Schmitt is named Athlete of the Month. Peter Schwager, swimming coach, said that Schmitt has surprised him the most so far this season. “He had a couple of very great finishes and was able to come from behind and pull off a win,” Schwager said.
Jackson Schmitt Schmitt’s performance during the relay hyped up his teammates who were watching. “Mark Zmojdzin, sophomore, was cheering during the 400-meter relay and he started screeching at Jackson who was catching up in the last leg of the race, which led to Zmojdzin losing his voice,” Mason Hergert, sophomore, said. Schmitt credits the success at the meet to his team’s morale and the team’s efforts to improve since last season. He expects and is confident that the team will do well throughout the rest of the season. “I swam club which was a key component for success and I also worked worked hard all offseason as well as working my butt off so far this season,” Schmitt said. The swim season isn’t close to over and Schwager expects that his young team will continue to improve and he thinks the team could get a good division placement by the end of the season. The commitment that the team has shown so far this season has resulted in success and Schmitt expects nothing less for the future of the team.
Photo via WHS Swimming Twitter The boys varisty swimming team including Jackson Schmitt, third from the right, pose with the second place plaque and medals after the Maine East invitaional.
Reliving the Chicago championships from the decade Ethan Polak
Assistant Sports Editor and Web Editor
Starting off with the most successful of the teams, the Chicago Blackhawks. Coming into the new decade the Blackhawks were looking like favorites to finally win their first Stanley Cup since 1961, which was the longest streak in the NHL at the time. The Hawks had great young talents like Patrick Kane, left wing, and their captain Jonathon Toews, center. After making it to the Western Conference Finals in 2019, the Hawks would rebound in the 2010 season and set a franchise record 52 wins in a season and would use all the momentum to reach the Stanley Cup Finals where they squared off against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Hawks led the series 3-2 and headed into a game six where it would eventually go to overtime. In overtime, Kane would eventually score an unbelievable backhanded goal to win the Stanley Cup. Around two million Hawks fans showed up to the championship parade celebrating the end to their championship drought. What these fans didn’t know was that this was the start of a whole new dynasty. The Hawks would make the playoffs the next two years, but would get eliminated in the early rounds. Then 2013 came rolling around as the Blackhawks were looking to make another long run at the cup after finishing with the best record in the entire league. The Hawks cruised their way all the way into another Stanley Cup final, where
they faced off against the Boston Bruins. The Hawks led the series 3-2, and they were headed to game six in Boston. Hawks were down 2-1 in the final minutes of the third intermission when Bryan Bickell, left winger, was able to tie the game up with 1:16 minutes remaining. This game looked like it would head to overtime until only 17 seconds later, Dave Bolland, center, scored. This would end up being the game winner as the Hawks would go on to win their second Stanley Cup in three years. Their success would hit a minor speed bump in 2014 after getting eliminated by the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Finals. However, one season later the Hawks were back in the Stanley Cup finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. For the third time in a row, the Hawks held a 3-2 lead and a game six although compared to the other game sixes, the Hawks controlled the Lightning and Corey Crawford, goalie, getting a shutout in a 2-0 win. With three championships in five years this dynasty didn’t look like it was ever going to end, but after a major reconstruction in the roster in the 2015-2016 offseason, the Hawks were unable to find the same success during years prior. This would ultimately be the falling point in the dynasty as ever since then, the farthest the Hawks have made it was the Western Conference Finals in 2017. The era of Kane and Toews is slowly coming to a close, so the Hawks will look to make a few more pushes for the cup before their time is up.
Photo via NHL
Chicago Blackhawks players, Jonathon Toews, middle, and Patrick Kane, right, smile for a picture after winning the Stanley Cup in 2013.
Photo via Chicago Tribune
Cubs players like Anthony Rizzo, first baseman, and Kris Bryant, third baseman, celebrate by jumping for joy after winning the 2016 World Series
Now the Blackhawks weren’t the only team to bring home a championship to Chicago because the Chicago Cubs were able to do it in 2016. After failing to make it to the NLDS in the last decade, the Cubs as an organization decided it in 2010 it was time to begin a full rebuild. This meant the Cubs were going to trade all their stars away and slowly develop in the minor leagues. This is exactly what happened to the Cubs as from 2010-2014 the Cubs didn’t finish with a single winning record. However, it was during these four years where the Cubs were able to find key players drafting players like Kris Bryant, third baseman, in 2013, trading for star pitcher Jake Arrieta in 2014, and slowly developing young players in the minor leagues like Anthony Rizzo, first baseman. Although, it was the signing of Joe Maddon, manager, on Dec. 10, 2014 that put the cherry on top because in his first season with them, they ended up with their first winning record since 2009. They finished with the third best record in the MLB, but were swept out in the NLDS by the Mets. In that offseason the Cubs spent a lot of money in free agency to pick up players like Ben Zobrist, second baseman. It didn’t take long for the Cubs to become the best team in the MLB finishing with a league best 103 wins. No team was close to being on the level of the Cubs and this was demonstrated when they coasted through to playoffs
until they reached the World Series for the first time since 1945. The Cubs were met by the Cleveland Indians. The Indians quickly went up 3-1 on the Cubs. All seemed lost for the Cubs until they were able to rally the next two games and headed into the game 7. After the Indians forced extra innings in the top of the 10th, Zobrist hits an RBI double to put the Cubs up 7-6 and one batter later Miguel Montero, catcher, add onto that lead to make it 8-6. This would prove to be enough in the bottom of the 10th Cubs pitcher Mike Montgomery, pitcher, got the Indians to groundout with two outs thus winning them the World Series. The 108 year long drought in all of sports has finally come to an end. A few weeks later and the Cubs would hold their championship parade where an estimated five million people came to celebrate that the drought was over. As great as winning the championship was, the Cubs have been unable to recreate the same success for the rest of the decade. Injuries to Rizzo and Bryant and the loss Arrieta seemed to haunt them. These failures to reach the World Series ultimately caused Maddon to lose his job in 2019. Yet, the Cubs are still a very young team with a lot of stars on the team, so they will look to strive for another World Series victory with David Ross, new head coach and former teammate, in the upcoming decade.
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@wheelingspokesman December 13, 2019
Upcoming: 12/13/19-Basketball vs Rolling Meadows 12/13/19-Swimming vs Hersey 12/13/19-Gymnastics at GBN 12/14/19-Wrestling at Hoffman Estates 12/16/19-Bowling vs Palatine
A high velocity start for boys basketball Matthew Posner Assistant Sports Editor
Boys varsity basketball couldn’t have envisioned a better start to the season than this one. Two weeks after their tournament victory at Northridge Prep, the boys basketball team is 4-1 (as of Dec. 9) after beating Sullivan, Northridge Prep, Holy Trinity, then Vernon Hills in the championship game. Their only loss is against Buffalo Grove, which was their first game after their tournament victory. Players like Jaden Terrell, junior, and Joe Jordan, junior, are showcasing their talents, as Terrell is averaging a team high 14.0 points per game, while Jordan is loading the stat sheet, averaging 10.2 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game. Terrell and Jordan both made the All-Tournament team for the first time as varsity players, and their efforts did not go unnoticed.
Photo taken by Mitch Fister
Robert Bucko, junior, takes advantage of a free throw after being fouled.
“Overall, the tournament went great. Walking away with the championship was an awesome feeling,” Solomon Hudson, junior, said. “Joe Jordan has been a rebounding machine, and that really helps our team,” Hudson added. “We knew heading in that it was a tournament we can win, and we executed perfectly. Jaden [Terrell] and Joe [Jordan] really stepped up and they impressed me for sure,” Robert Bucko, sophomore, said. Bucko scored 11 points off the bench in their big win against Northridge Prep. “I think my defense can really boost the team and offensively I’ve shot a lot of threes. I don’t know if you can classify me as a three and D Player, but I think I fit that mold,” Bucko said. Friday, Dec. 6 was their first defeat, losing by seven to the Buffalo Grove Bison. Javen Reid, junior, exploded for 29
points and 5 3-pointers, both career highs for the starting forward. Although they put forth a high scoring effort, Wheeling had trouble defending Kam Craft, sophomore guard for Buffalo Grove, as he tacked on 24 points, 19 of which were in the first half alone. Stopping primary scorers like Craft and Max Christie, junior guard for Rolling Meadows, is a top priority for Joe Jordan, who is the team’s starting center. “Looking at our upcoming schedule, we’ve got to limit scoring production and our defense has to step up as well. Christie is one of the best players in the state, so if we can limit his touches and open shots, we are in great position to beat Meadows,” Jordan said. An interesting part of the team this year is that only three of their players are seniors, which means that most of their players will return next season. “The potential is extremely high for this team. We’re young, skilled, and excited to
get out there every game,” Hudson said. Hudson is making a strong contribution to the team as the starting point guard, averaging 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. Looking back on the young season so far, there are many positives to take away from it, with players like Jaden Terrell, Joe Jordan, and Javen Reid showing major signs of improvement from last year, and that’s not discounting the work of Solomon Hudson and Christian McLaughlin, senior, who have both contributed heavily so far this season. Hudson may have put it the best way possible: “We may have won the tournament, but we have a lot of little things that we can do that will make us a better and more dangerous team in the MSL.” Their next games are against Rolling Meadows and rising star Christie on Dec. 13 and on Dec. 17 against Crystal Lake Central.
Photo taken by Mitch Fister
Solomon Hudson, junior, looks to his offense as he is double teamed by defenders while bringing the ball down court.
Photo taken by Mitch Fister
Javen Reid, senior, shoots a three pointer over a Buffalo Grove defender.
Girls basketball adapts to a young team Remembering the Matthew Posner Assistant Sports Editor
The story early on in the season for the girls varsity basketball team has been about replacing the old with the new. After multiple seniors graduated from last year’s team, players this year, including Chloe Drozdz, senior, and Naomi Metellus, senior, have had to step up and take on bigger roles. On Nov. 21 against Hoffman Estates, it was clear that growth was needed, but signs of promise were definitely shown. Drozdz scored 19 points in a losing effort, while Metellus scored 16. They shot 24 threepointers (37 total) while making only 13 total shots. “I think It’s been my best year so far. I’ve been doing a great job scoring and supporting the team. I’m doing the best I can so that the team can succeed,” Drozdz said.
“Our quickness on the court is our biggest strength. We may be shorter than most teams, but we’re really quick and athletic,” Drozdz added. To give some context as to what Drozdz means by shorter than most, the team is starting five guards while Morgan Collar, senior, continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered near the end of last season. Upon her return, Coller is expected to be their starting center. Drozdz offered up a suggestion to her fellow teammates: “Communicating as a team, both on and off the court so we can be more cohesive and closer as a team, is the thing we need to work on most. Communication is key, especially in a team sport,” Drozdz said. The girls varsity team is 1-6 as of Dec. 9. Their next games are against Photo taken by Ethan Polak Rolling Meadows on Dec. 13 and then on Dec. Chloe Drozdz, senior, drives to the basket, taking advantage of the pick set by 16 against Grant. Lauryn Webb, senior.
2013 Gatos Mitch Fister
Assistant Sports Editor
In recognition of the end of the decade, the sports editorial staff discussed Wheeling’s most impressive athletic accomplishment from 2010 to 2019. The decision was unanimous in favor of the 2013 boys soccer team, which finished second place in the IHSA State tournament. Going into Sept. the boys had a record of 8-0-1. From there, the momentum continued to build with help from the student body, as seen with the blue “Vamos Gatos” shirts. According to the original story run in 2013, the school sold out of 300 of the shirts in 10 minutes, then sold 300 more the day of the State semifinal game. The combined efforts came to a culmination at the State Final game on Nov. 9, 2013. Wheeling was defeated 2-1 by Edwardsville, leaving the school without the desired outcome. However, the team finished with a record of 23-2-2, still allowing them to accomplish a trip to state with a second place finish.