Volume 56, Issue 6

Spokesman Wheeling High School

900 S Elmhurst Rd., Wheeling, IL 60090

Page 4 Virtual reality meets classrooms

Volume 56

Issue 6

Page 6-7 Dive into Black history

February 28, 2020 Website: see QR code, page 2

Page 9 Best Picture winner Parasite review

Page 12

WHS basketball season in review

Speech team revamped, placed at sectionals Kamila Walus

Associate Editor-In-Chief

WHS speech team students lead the team to the final round in sectionals this past February, despite revamping the program just this year. Many students who were already involved in other activities in the fine arts department, such as school musicals, plays and choir, were introduced to the program for the first time.

“When I first started at Wheeling, I had no idea there was a speech team,” Stephanie Mayer, junior, said.

Competitive speech consists of competitors choosing up to two out of 13 events. Half of the events are public speaking events, where students can memorize a piece written by someone else, like a TED talk, or write an original speech.

Other examples include radio events, where a competitor cuts a radio script the morning of and has five minutes to mimic a radio segment.

The other half of the events are acting events ranging from seven to eight minutes.

Competitors can choose from humorous acts, dramatic acts, or original comedy acts where they write their standup routine.

“They’re getting a skill that not a lot of high school kids have, to be able to get up in front of a room and speak comfortably for eight minutes,” Stephen Colella, head

speech coach, said.

Competitors draw inspiration from personal experiences, their backgrounds, or famous speakers. Valencia Smith, senior, drew inspiration for her poetry reading from black activists Angela Davis, Jennifer Lewis and Etheridge Knight.

“I really love bringing awareness to the black community and so I knew I wanted to do it on black culture and so I decided to narrow it down to focusing on the richness of my race as a whole,” Smith said.

“My performances weren’t just based on acting. It was based of experiences and past meetings I have had with others. I was able to put myself into my poem and tell others the story of my past and other

Photo courtesy of Stephen Colella

people’s past. I told a story that every black person knows- the story of racial profiling, misunderstanding, racism, pain, and triumph in an eight-minute poem,” Smith continued.

Competition days begin with students going to three different rounds the morning of the competition. There, judges rank the competitors six to one. Six being the lowest score, one being the best.

If a competitor lands a position among the top six, they go to a final round at the end of the day, where three judges give awards for the overall top six competitors of the day.

“It takes a lot of preparation and practice to get the success and feedback that you

Students surprise staff with snowman Kamila Walus

Associate Editor-In-Chief

Photo taken by Tyler Feldheim, Daniel Sandler, Jesse Carrillo and Yesenia Diaz.

On Thursday, Feb. 13, students and staff were greeted by a large snowman built alongside Wildcat Way made the previous night by WHS students. Seniors Will Snarksi and Austin Hembd started building the snowman, then they were joined by juniors Pabbi Chahal and Gavin Schroeder leaving the library and seeing their classmates build the snowman. Later in the afternoon, after attending an SAT preparation class, juniors Ryan Tinsley and Sergio Galvan joined to help build the snowman.

Equipped with brooms for arms and a ‘W’ sprawled across the lower half, the snowman was a result of late-night boredom.

“We were bored hanging out at home and it started snowing. We were like ‘let’s go build a snowman’, and what better place to do it than WHS?” Snarski said.

Students and staff reacted positively to the snowman, much to the student’s surprise.

“We didn’t think it would have that much of an impact on people, like [Jerry] Cook made it his profile picture, and a bunch of people were sharing it,” Hembd said.

The snowman also got a stamp of approval from principal Jerry Cook.

“I thought it was pretty cool. Something that doesn’t harm anyone, that doesn’t make us look bad, doesn’t get us in the newspaper, I don’t have a problem with. When kids are creative and they want to show school spirit, I’m fine with that,” Cook said.

want. It was hard at first to get into the season because many of us had never been on a speech team before, but after the first weekend competing at Hersey, I think everyone locked in. It definitely took some time to understand how speech works and how each competition works, but it all worked out in the end,” Mayer said.

After tackling regionals, the team was able to qualify for state with six events. At sectionals, five events competed in the final round.

“We arguably have one of the hardest sectionals in the state, and we took six events to sectionals, five out of the six made to finals. I could not be prouder on how we approached the year,” Colella said.

“I did not expect to make it as far only because it was my first year and I began knowing absolutely nothing. I think that we have very talented people at Wheeling, and we know that we can make it so far. But, we also know that we have to put in the work to make sure that we keep improving. I think that’s why we were able to do so well in our first year or rebuilding the program,” Nicole Golden, junior, said.

As for the future, the speech team has intentions to grow as a team and keep competing.

“We can’t wait to move into next year ready to work and, hopefully, with some new recruits who want to be a part of this amazing family,” Kazu Quigley, junior, said.

Debate wins third at state Kamila Walus

Associate Editor-In-Chief

From left to right: Geneve Halfman, Syeda Khan, Amber Akhter, Kelly McInerney. Photo courtesy of Adriana Soto.

The WHS congressional debate team competed at a state-level this past weekend on Feb. 22, at the annual ICDA competition held at Harper College. The National Congressional Debate Association (ICDA) allows students to argue against or for different pieces of legislation through speeches and debates.

WHS placed third, lead by their four top debaters: Seniors Kelly McInerney and Amber Atkher, and juniors Syeda Khan and Geneve Halfman.

“We were really hoping to get first, I’m honestly incredibly proud of how hard our top four debaters worked in order to get us to compete in State and end up winning third place. I know it was hard for some of the debaters because we didn’t win first, but the fact that we got third is no small fee,” Adriana Soto, debate coach, said.

Story continued on page five.

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News

Spokesman Staff 2019-2020 Editor-in-Chief Santiago Cuevas* Associate Editor-in-Chief Kamila Walus* News Editor Kamila Walus Arts Editor Ana Cozariuc Feature Editor Santiago Cuevas Focus Editor Jasmine Yusef* La Voz Editors America Munoz* Jesse Carrillo* Entertainment Editor Rachel Lawson* Forum Editor Ana Malagon* Sports Editor Ethan Polak* Assistant Sports Editors Matthew Posner* Mitchell Fister* Copy Editor Ana Cozariuc* Social Media Manager Kaidence Katz Web Manager Ethan Polak Advertising Manager Jasmine Yusef Staff Reporters Chrissy Makris Victoria Benavides Jasmine Bautista Melanie Aguilar Cecilia Herrera Ben Williams Yesenia Diaz Iran Teran Aria Giacomino Daniel Sandler Daniel Aguiniga Daniel Barraza Adviser John Uhrik *Staff members with asterisks are members of the Editorial Board

Visit our website:

Ne ws throughout bl a c k h istor y 1857

Photo via Wikipedia Dred Scott

The Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857 was a lawsuit brought to the Supreme Court

by Dred Scott who argued that his residence in Illinois, a free state, allowed him to be free when he moved to Missouri, a slave state. In a 7-2 ruling, the court decided that having lived in a free state and territory did not entitle a slave to their freedom. The decision argued that slaves were not citizens and could not sue in a federal court.

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.

1909

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in New York by black and white progressivists, led by W.E.B. Du Bois. This became one of the country’s most influential black civil rights organizations that was dedicated to political equality and social justice.

They launched a journal, The Crisis, in 1910. The purpose of the journal was

to encourage the public to challenge issues that continue to affect black people and other minority groups.

Photo via NAACP of San Jose W.E.B Du Bois

1920 1954 The Brown v. Board of Education case of 1954 is a famous landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court where it was ruled that establishing racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. This ruling applied to all schools, even if the segregated schools were equal in quality.

Sowing by William Johnson, 1937

The Harlem Renaissance developed in the Harlem neighborhood in New York City in the early 1920s. This served as an explosion of black culture through the development of music, art literature and stage performances done by black artists.

Photo via Wikipedia

1963

1955

American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington. He called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States in his speech, speaking in front of 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

In Dec. 1955, Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to give up her seat at the front of the of the bus for a white passenger.

In response to her arrest, a large portion of Montgomery’s black population launched a successful year-long bus boycott. This led to the 1956 desegregation of Montogomery’s buses.

Photo via Encyclopedia of Alabama Rosa Parks

Photo via ABC News

1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law on July 2. The act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. It prohibited racial segregation in schools, employment, unequal application of voter registration requirements and public accommodations.

2008 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.

February 28, 2020

On Nov. 4, 2008, senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeated senator John McCain in the election to become the 44th president of the United States, becoming the first black president elected to the White House.

He garnered 365 electoral votes and 53 percent of the popular vote, while John Mccain garnered 173 electoral votes and approximately 45 percent of the popular vote.

Photo via Wikipedia

1992

The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that followed the aqcuittation of four Los Angeles police for officers for the use of excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King.

King’s arrest had been videotaped and widely broadcasted on television.

The rioting spread throughout the L.A metropolitan area, as thousands of people rioted for six days following the announcement of the verdict. The California Army National Guard, the United States military and several federal law enforcement agencies had to intervene to keep order and peace

within the county.

At the end of six days, 63 people were killed, and 2,383 people were left injured, with more than 12,000 arrests, and estimates of property damage were over $1 billion.

Photo via NPR

2014

Photo via Wikipedia Left: Michael Brown, Right: Eric Garner

On Aug. 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed, black 18-year-old was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri, by white police officer, Darren Wilson. When the jury announced the decision not to indict Wilson on Nov. 24, protests sparked in Ferguson and cities across the U.S. The protests continued to spread throughout the country after a Staten Island jury decided in Dec. of 2014 not to indict police officer Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who choked in the death of Eric Garner earlier in July.

Arts

February 28, 2020

3 Upcoming Art Events

Artist of the month: Madelyn Zussman Chrissy Makris Staff Reporter

The Artist Of The Month for March goes to Madelyn Zussman, Senior whose talent doesn’t start with a paintbrush in hand, but a camera. Zussman’s passion for photography makes her the perfect choice for Artist Of The Month.

“Madeline has shown a tremendous amount of growth and autonomy in her work. She focuses on an idea and explores it from many different angles.

Madeline is enrolled in AP Studio Art this year and her sustained investigation focuses on the concept of change and transformation. It’s really hard to take an idea and, instead of thinking about it in the abstract, systematically work through and apply that idea in reality. This process takes hard work and perseverance.

Madeline was stuck on what to do, but has taken the time to do the mental and actual work required to be successful with her idea,” Rebeccah Silver, arts teacher, says.

Out of all of Zussman’s pieces she’s taken, Silver describes her favorite, “There are so many great pieces by her, but I am especially loving a recent piece she made with a mirror being wiped away. This is an excellent example of transformation and change found in everyday life. The angle, focus and repetition of the piece make it so strong. The colors in this piece really make it pop as well,” Silver says.

When it comes to what stands out the most about

Zussman’s work, “A good artist will find things that are relevant and interesting in their own life, and the world around them and find a way to visually comment and reflect on them. This is exactly what Madeline does. This is such a great example of how we see transformation and change everyday,” Silver says.

Zussman describes her love for the art of photography by explaining that her passion for it started at a very young age.

“Personally, I believe that my passion for art, specifically photography, comes from my dad. Ever since I was little, he took pictures of everything. The moment that I was able to take a class in photography, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about it. I found my passion for it and I realized how much I love to take pictures, seeing what I can do with those pictures and just experimenting with many different things,” Zussman, said.

“I think my favorite piece that I’ve done so far wasn’t really a project just more of exploring and taking pictures in the city. It was after it had rained and there were puddles on the ground and I had already seen this online of people who take pictures upside down in the water. I had tried it. It came out so clear and [Zussman] just instantly fell in love with that picture,” Zussman said.

Although Zussman will not be a photographer for her professional career, it is something she hopes to continue in the future as a hobby. Her passion and creativity has impressed many, and it’s no doubt her work will be remembered for years to come at WHS.

Febuary • Sat. 29: Jazz in the Meadows- Rolling Meadows High School- All day

March • Sun. 1: Dance for Life/ Next GenerationWHS Theatre- 5:00 p.m.

• Tue. 3: D214 Honors Music Festival- Forest View Education Center- All day • Fri. 6: Gospel to Chicagoland- John Hersy High School- 6:00 p.m.

• Tue. 10: Early Spring Orchestra ConcertWHS Theatre- 7:00 p.m.

• Tue. 10: Concert Band Festival- Buffalo Grove High School- 7:00 p.m.

• Fri. 13: D214 Comedy Sportz- Forest View Education Center- 7:00 p.m.

• Sat. 14: Music for all National FestivalIndianapolis, Indiana.- All day • Mon.16- D214 Spotlight ShowcaseMetropolis Theater- 7:00 p.m.

• Tue. 17- D214 Honors Dance-John Hersy High School - 7:00 p.m.

April • Thu. 2- WHS Music Dept. Honors RecitalWHS Band Room- 7:00 p.m.

Gospel choir Black History Cecilia Herrera Staff Reporter

WHS has recently started a gospel choir, and it has already taken off. On Jan. 31, the WHS Gospel Choir went to Peoria, Illinois for state in order to perform in front of many prestigious educators and directors.

This conference was called IMEA, and it stands for Illinois Music Educators Association. This year, our very own WHS choir was one of the top 10 to be chosen to participate. In order to be able to do this is an incredibly high honor.

Now this performance is not a competition, it is more of a festival. Not only were they the first gospel choir that IMEA had in 15 to 20 years, but they were also the only ones that brought a band with them.

The Saxophone in this band was played by Andrea Moreno, a senior, and the bass was played

by Vince Ray, one of the security guards here at WHS. Rather than wearing dull, boring colors and gowns, they chose to show off their gospel colors and

show off their individuality.

The performance was held in a cathedral, and the gospel choir sang with upbeat tunes and different types of music.

“The trip was a fun bonding experience for the team and we got to perform in a fancy church, it was really cool and I’m glad we got to attend this,” Natalia Nedland, senior, said.

Two years ago, WHS had nothing but a concert choir like every other high school has, but now, with dramatic changes made by Stephen Colella, director of vocal program and fine arts coordinator, WHS has a legit gospel choir. This conference is not for choirs to get placed since it is a win in and of itself just being able to be on stage.

“It’s a lot of fun, something i’ve always wanted to do and it’s such an honor to perform in front of such prestigious directors around illinois,” Cristian Esparza, junior, said.

Stay tuned for gospels choir performance at the House of Blues in Chicago this spring.

“We’re going to be performing on the same stage [as] countless rock stars and famous singers have. It’s going to be awesome,” Colella said.

The gospel choir has been a great opportunity for students to have fun and sing music that has not been promoted very much.

Month: Q-Tip Mitchell Fister Sports Editor

Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is a 49 rapper who started his music career when he was 15. He is also a producer who is best known for founding the hip-hop group called A Tribe Called Quest with his friends Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi W h i t e .

Together, they released Five albums and 16 singles.

During his music career, Q-Tip pushed hip-hop in a new direction that had been boring up until that point. Instead of sampling from very common artists such as James Brown or Par liament-Funk adelic, Q-Tip searched for the most obscure records possible to build beats off of.

Most of these records ended up being jazz music, so the creation of the genre “Jazz Rap” is often heavily attributed to Q-Tip. Jazz and hip-hop have always been tied together, although the connection has been slow. Hip-hop artists have been fascinated by jazz because of the grooves,

funky breaks, horn and bass sounds that made it sound unique and interesting. Jazz Rap was a return to a more minimalist style of beat making. Because of this, artists ended up trying to

create the most insightful, poetic or overall unique lines possible in order to give their songs substance.

Besides his own work, Q-Tip was also a highly sought after producer, and he ended up working on classic albums such as Nas’s “Illmatic” and Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous”. Q-Tip also had an influence culturally, in that Afrocentrism and positivity were large aspects of his musical movement.

His ideas became a message to African Americans around the country to start to look above the negativity toward their race and instead celebrate their roots from the diverse continent of Africa.

WHS Wind Sy mphony : Music for a l l Mitchell Fister

Sports Editor

The WHS Wind Symphony will be traveling to Indianapolis, Indiana from Mar. 12 to Mar. 14 in order to participate in the 2020 Music For All (MFA) National Festival.

M a d e l y n Zussman, senior, explained the process by which they were able to enter.

“It’s just like how we would usually try out for Superstate, but it’s for MFA,’’ Zussman said. “We sent in a recording last year and we heard back that we had gotten in.”

The MFA National Festival differs from the Superstate competition in that it is a non- competitive atmosphere, and it is a celebration of the skill of the bands and the work they’ve put in. Bands at NFA aren’t competing for rankings or honors, unlike the Superstate competition.

Directors are able to select whatever music they want for their repertoire, which encourages them to challenge their bands with more difficult or

unorthodox music, rather than playing it safe as one might at a competition.

“There are different stages or locations where the schools would play at this convention, and WHS was chosen for the top, or most prestigious, so we perform a 45 minute show,’’ Zussman said.

Explaining more about how the festival works, Zussman said that since they had to put together a program of 45 minutes in length, the band had to start very early in their preparations, and practice often.

“We had practice altogether over winter break, and we have a lot of rehearsals during school, and wednesday nights from seven until nine. Also, we have to meet with our sections once a week before or after school,” Jorge Gutierrez, junior, said.

Despite all of the hard work, the MFA National Festival seems to be a point of pride among members of the band.

“I am very excited to go because we are one of 15 bands in the whole country to be a part of this opportunity,” said Gutierrez.

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Feature

February 28, 2020

Virtual reality, a new classroom experience Santiago Cuevas Editor-in-Chief

Daniel Aguiniga Staff Reporter

Here at WHS, students are now able to experience class in a different type of environment, the virtual environment. Virtual reality is technology that helps users set foot in a computer generated world via VR headsets. Depending on where the students decide to go inside of the virtual world, different things can be experienced.

Currently, VR is being used to explore various different countries in classes like spanish or simply to have fun during a flex day session. They are also being used to visit colleges throughout the country without actually having to leave the state for it.

VR headsets can be used in various ways, but the most beneficial is allowing students to travel for free and explore areas of the world otherwise not accessible to them otherwise either because of financial reasons or simply not being able to travel because of prior commitments.

Kyle Perkins, technology help desk support, said,

“The benefits that we are finding really depend on what aspect we’re using them for but overall the benefits of them are students are getting an opportunity to see parts of the world whether it’s college tours or for instance since it’s a Spanish class they went to Guatemala, you can go to parts where you already seen before or haven’t seen to re-visit.”

Lisbeth Arreola-Nunez, Spanish teacher, was one of the first few teachers to request to use the VR headsets in her classroom. Since the spanish curriculum revolves around discussing various different spanish speaking countries, Arreola-Nunez saw this as an opportunity to allow her students to learn in a different way.

“The students definently loved it and it’s funny because in one of my classes the bell rung and students were still here and I had to kick them out because alright time for you guys to leave. They were really into it,” Arreola-Nunez said.

Erin Pedersen, Spanish teacher, was another teacher who used the VR headsets in her classroom.

“It was more incredible than I could ever imagine, you literally forget where you’re standing it was so cool and I was also watching my students who were moving around the room and didn’t realize they were bumping into things, the kids really enjoyed it even the kids who usually wouldn’t participate,” Pedersen said.

Although the VR headsets are currently limited to only

suppervised student usage, Perkins still sees them as extremely advantegeous in regards to allowing students to explore the world either in a classroom setting or during a flex day session.

“Right now as far as we know they’re going to be used as part of a flex day session or if a teacher wants to use them for a class, and students will be able to take advantage of them by taking class tours, college tours or anything like that,” Perkins said.

Technology is changing, and education is closely following behind. There are so many usages for a VR world in a classroom setting that the possibilities are endless. Not only do they excite students to participate but also allows for more student involvement in the lesson.

“I know that other classes have started using them so I think you can basically use them for any class, it’s like an extra thing that we as teachers can use to get students more excited about learning,” Arreola-Nunez said.

The virtual world can change the way students are taught, allow for exploration that otherwise couldn’t have occured, and allow for students to better engage with the lesson. It’s just a matter of trying to figure out how to properly integrate them in the classroom.

“They’re so many cool things to do on them but right now we’re still trying to figure out how teachers can use them and the different uses for them,” Perkins said.

Cartoon by Muskan Naqvi

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Spokesman interviews members of the Little Wildcat preschool class

C a r me l l a C

L i t tle Wi l d ca ts

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Q1: Who was your valentine?

Lorelai

Mommy

Elsa

Q2: What do you like to do after school?

Eat a snack

Play

Go to the DJ store

Silly face

Q3: What’s your favorite word?

Hug my mom

Yum Yum

An Anna doll

John

Mommy

Information collected by Iran Teran and Jasmine Bautista

Feature

February 28, 2020

5

Save money, W H S d e b a t o r s p l a c e 3 rd , live better, 2 8 t h t i m e p l a c i n g a t I C D A reasons why to be a part of the autos pathway Daniel Barraza Staff Reporter

Ana Cozariuc Copy Editor

If you have a car you know how expensive it is to keep it running. Any strange noise in the engine can mean disaster, either for your car or your money. This is why there are many benefits for joining the auto classes here at WHS. The benefits of taking an autos class is that you can learn the ways of a mechanic without being one.

You get to learn how to replace things, add things and fix things in a car.

“There are four different levels of autos which are automotive system, automotive diagnostics, vocational auto and engine performance. The first level is [the] automotive system, which students will learn everything to keep their car maintained.

Level two is called automotive diagnostic. In automotive diagnostic students learn how to know what are the things wrong with their car like why is this part not working. The third level for autos is called vocational auto in which students will be working with staff cars. Students will also be graded on the amount of work they have done.

The last level which students will be taking is engine performance. Engine performance is not very common for students simply because not many students can commit to autos all four years.

Students learn how to take an engine and put it back in,” Kurt Fennel, engineering teacher, said.

There are many reasons why you should join Autos, but the number one is that most likely everyone will get their license at some point, and you need to know what to do if something goes wrong.

“Students should take autos because they will learn real life skills. Students can also learn things that can save them money for the future, and for the students who want to become a mechanic you can get a paid career without going to college,” Eric Race, engineering teacher, said.

Students agree that taking autos is helpful for their daily lives because you can learn how to fix your own car, change your car’s oil and take your own fuel.

This is a good class because it’s one of the few classes that you can take when you are in the middle of a serious situation and you just don’t know what to do. Imagine having your car break down. When this happens, most people don’t even know, especially when you are in the middle of nowhere with no help at all. However, with the skills that a student can learn from taking Autos you can survive with no help at all.

@ Adriana_S0t0

Here WHS debaters claim their award at the ICDA competition after placing.

Santiago Cuevas Editor-In-Chief

Matthew Posner Assistant Sports Editor

Through hard work and dedication, the WHS debate team was able to place 3rd in their Illinois Congresional Debate Association (ICDA) tournament, making it the 28th time in the last 32 years that the team has placed in the top three at the state tournament and was the only school in district 214 to place in the top three this year. Not only did they place in the competetion but Geneve Halfman, junior, was also nominated to be part of the all-state team. This is a gross accomplishment as only 10 competetitors are nominated to be part of the all-state team via judged nominations.

Adrianna Soto, head coach, was proud of the results despite hoping to win the competition.

“I was really hoping for first place and that is only because all of Wheeling’s debaters

Photo taken by Spokesman

Geneve Halfman,junior, receives one on one coaching from Chad Scoggins

that were competing are achievement,” Halfman said. so talented and strong in The team’s greatest their categories. They put achivements throughout in 100% effort and worked the season stem from their so incredibly hard. I truly determination and grit. thought 1st was a possibility. This bolstered their success Even still, which allowed finishing in 3rd them to win “I thought it various awards was still really was incredible individually and great,” Soto c o n s i d e r i n g as a collective. said. wheeling has such a Despite not “As a team small team compared our winning the biggest to other schools. accomplishment competition, We showed up with is every award d e b a t e six students. The we won whether members are competition is really it was as a team still happy with about team prep, so or the outcome, individual, accomplishing such because especially our rigor despite our success depends going in as small team size is a on each other underdogs due to their team great achievement,” and with such size. a small team it Geneve “I thought it can be difficult, was incredible but we pulled Halfman, considering through with junior said. wheeling has multiple 1st such a small place team team compared trophies and tons to other schools. We showed of individual awards,” Kelly up with six students. The Mcinerney, senior, said. competition is really about Being a debator requires team prep, so accomplishing commitment and time such rigor despite our management. Preparation small team size is a great for the state competition

escalated the workload the debators needed to tackle. Their efforts did not go unnoticed, for they were selected among a select number of schools to participate in the prestige competition.

“We practiced everyday after school for two hours on top of countless hours of research so it felt really good to come out with a place. We did everything in our power and were vying for first but we beat out 450 other kids so third is great,” Amber Akter, junior said.

While the ICDA competition has now passed, their season has yet to end.

Debators are continuing to hone their skills in order to best prepare for the IHSA state tournament in the upcoming month.

“We are going to compete at the IHSA state tournament on March 20 and March 21.

We are also going to try and qualify our debaters for nationals. Hopefully multiple debaters qualify,” Chad Scoggins, assistant coach, said.

Who knows you best!?

The Best Friend

The Person

The Boyfriend

Madelynn Zussman

Nicolina O’Sullivan

Anthony Cruz

Winner!

Aries

Strawberry Acai

6

Zodiac sign?

Leo

Starbucks order?

Iced Coffee

Shoe size?

6.5

Leo

Strawberry Acai

6 Information collected by Iran Teran and Jasmine Bautista

Focus Focus

6

February January 24, 28, 2020 2020

Black history month: 500 tumu Who do you believe is/was the most influential African American in history?

Students

Jasmine Yusef Focus editor

Initiated by Gerald Ford, black history month is a commemoration and celebration of the journey African Americans travelled, the pivotal events that hurled Civil Rights forward the unrelenting determination of black activists fighting for political, social, and economic equality.

1500s

The first slave ship carrying 20 African slaves arrives in Jamestown, Virginia.

1619

1777

1793 Congress passes the first Fugitive Slave Act, which made the harboring or protection from capture of an escaped slave a crime.

The U.S. supreme court declared slavery constitutional in free and slave states with its ruling on Dred Scott v. Sandford. The decision magnified the divisiveness between the morally conflicted north and south, edging the states toward civil war.

1865

“Barak Obama because he was the first African American to be president. He proved that the color of your skin does not define or stop your goals,” Arli Coli, sophomore, said.

Rosa Parks, a member of the NAACP, refuses to surrender her seat when directed by a local bus driver, leading to the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56.

“Barack Obama because he is the only black American to become president, which is a massive change in our political history,” Kyle Young, junior, said.

A sit-in movement was initiated in Greensboro, N.C. when black college students insisted on service at a segregated local restaurant.

“Nina Turner, an Ohio state senator, and surrogate of the Bernie Sanders campaign is influential because she doesn’t let the establishment put her into a box of who she is supposed to be as a woman of color,” Christopher Fink, senior, said.

Guion Steward Bluford Jr. is the first African American in space. In the same decade, Mae Jemison becomes the first African-American woman astronaut, spending more than a week orbiting Earth in the space shuttle Endeavour.

Colin Powell becomes the first African American to hold office as Secretary of State.

1955

In the 1900s, the Harlem Renaissance uprooted a black cultural revival and celebration of African American freedom.

They endured centuries of slavery and following the abolition of slavery struggled for equality despite persisting views of white supremacy.

1955 A white woman, alleged that 14 year old boy Emmett Till made lewd advances and grabbed her. The husband of the woman and owner of the store, Roy Bryant, heard of the incident and beat the boy to death.

1960

1965

Proposed by President John F. Kennedy, but signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 legislatively ended segregation in public places and made employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin unconstitutional.

1967

Thurgood Marshall is the first African American to be appointed to the Supreme Court. He played a pivotal role in eliminating legal segregation during the Civil Rights Movement through his success in the landmark 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education.

1983

Carol Moseley-Braun becomes the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, representing Illinois.

2001

2008

Photo opinion collected by Jasmine Yusef

The Civil War ends and Republican Reconstruction begins. In the same year, congress passes the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, known as the Civil War amendments, to the constitution, which were designed to create a passage towards equality for emancipated slaves.

1954

1964

Signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson, the voting rights act of 1965 aimed to eliminate poll taxes and bar southern states from minimizing African American voting. Guaranteed under the 15th amendment the Voting rights act of 1965 reasserted African American suffrage.

On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves of the Confederate states in rebellion against the Union. The president’s motive for signing the emancipation proclamation was less about recognizing African Americans as equals and more about the fight to mending the union. Even still, the proclamation resulted in nearly 180,000 black soldier recruitments for the Union to enlist in the remainder of the war.

1903

1920

In May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v.

Board of Education of Topeka that the previously constitutional concept of “separate but equal” racial segregation in public schools violates the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Frederick Douglass begins publication of the North Star, an antislavery newspaper. As a former slave, Douglass quickly became a spokesman for the abolition movement through his sophistication in speech and in writing.

1857

1863

W.E.B. DuBois publishes The Souls of Black Folk, which declared “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line,” and highlights the double identity of black Americans.

He was one of the forerunners of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Booker T. Washington, another civil rights activist in the early 1900s, stressed the need for education for blacks over the push for political or social equality and contradicted DuBois.

Vermont becomes the first state in the U.S. to abolish slavery.

1793

1847

“Martin Luther King Jr. because he spread awareness of inequality and impacted a lot of people,” Andrea Castrejon, freshman, said.

Spaniards begin importing slaves from Africa to substitute Indian Americans who died from diseases brought from settlers and also from strenuous working conditions.

Barack Obama becomes the 44th president of the United States.

Focus

February 28, 2020

7

ltuous years of progress Unsung heroes of the Civil Rights movement Rachel Lawson

Entertainment editor

The American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s is one defined by a number of events, acts of legislation and well-known leaders. While famous activists like Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and Malcom X made it possible for progress to be made towards desegregation and equal rights for black Americans, many of the other important voices who contributed to the movement were lost over time and never garnered recognition for their work. Claudette Colvin, just 15 at the time of her arrest in March 1995, was a young activist who, like Rosa Parks, refused to give her seat up to a white woman on a public segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Colvin’s arrest occurred nine months prior to the incident that Parks is known for, but her activism was not heavily publicized due to her age and circumstances. Colvin became pregnant shortly after her arrest and was not married to the child’s father, a much older man, which

contributed to negative opinions of her in the media. Even Parks herself has commented on the way that the situation transpired, saying that the press would “call her a bad girl, and her case wouldn’t have a chance.” When choosing who was going to be the face of the Civil Rights movement, Colvin was overlooked by event organizers and leaders, and while the decision was understandable at the time due to her circumstances, Colvin deserves the same praise and legacy as her more well-known counterparts.

Bayard Rustin was another seldom recognized leader of the Civil Rights movement. Rustin’s main role was his involvement in organizing many of the most important events during the movement, including the March on Washington in 1963. Seeing as he worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rustin was a proponent of nonviolence, influenced by his being a Quaker.

Most of Rustin’s work was unseen by the general public, as he worked to organize both large-scale events and unions and founded many organizations for the advancement of equal rights. Aside from the fact

that his work was mainly behind the scenes, Rustin was rarely spoken about in the press due to his being openly homosexual and his previous affiliation with the Socialist Party. In the 1960s, around the height of homophobia and the Cold War, being both a homosexual and a socialist did not bode well for Rustin. On the rare occasion that his name or work was publicized, both were often accompanied by attacks from journalists targeting his sexuality and political ideology rather than focusing on his work in the Civil Rights movement. It’s likely that much of the progress made during the 1950s and 60s would not have been possible without Rustin’s activism, and he is another unsung hero who should be much more widely known.

It’s important to recognize those excluded from the history books, especially when their exclusion was based on arbitrary reasons.

The efforts made by Colvin and Rustin may have gone unnoticed during the time of the Civil Rights movement, but it’s not too late to praise them for all the progress they helped make for black Americans.

Who do you believe is/was the most influential African American in history?

Staff

“W.E.B. DuBois is a forerunner of what got African Americans where they are today with his book, “The Souls of Black Folk” and his concept of double consciousness. I think it gave a lot of African Americans then and now...to think about and help guide us to be successful,” Orin Xavier, English teacher, said.

Top photo; Claudette Colivn, a young african woman who refused to give up her seat to a white person on the bus, as Rosa Parks did. Bottom photo; Bayard Rustin, friend and associate of MLK, was an outspoken gay black activist.

Controversial black and African American deaths since 1990 Rodney King, 1991 Malice Wayne Green, 1992 Abner Louima, 1997 Amadou Diallo, 1999

Jasmine Yusef Focus editor

Education

Criminal Justice system

Labor force

Sean Bell, 2006 Oscar Grant, 2009 Kelly Thomas, 2011 Eric Garner, 2014

Michael Brown, 2014 Walter Scott, 2015 Freddie Gray, 2015 Laquan McDonald, 2015

Then

Philando Castile, 2016 Terence Crutcher, 2016 Antwon Rose II, 2018 O’Shae Terry, 2018

For more information on the data gathered here and on other unmentioned lives lost, visit cnn.com

“Martin Luther King Jr. because his movement altered the trajectory of civil rights in the United States,” Elyse Hoffman, French teacher, said.

Now

Before the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of education, in 1954, the concept of “separate but equal” warranted the institutional inferiority of black only schools in comparison to white only schools.

Even though segregation was declared unconstitutional in 1954, the effects of the past have set back education for black Americans and other minorities into the present.

Over 90% of African Americans (ages 2529) have graduated from high school. The sizable increase in graduation rates for African Americans has edged the rate between white and black Americans and nearly closed the gap with white high school graduation rates. They are more than twice as likely to have a college degree than in 1968, but are half as likely to have a college degree in comparison to young white Americans.

The 13th amendment of the constitution made it unconstitutional for anyone to be held as a slave, with the exception of criminals. The abolishment of slavery in 1865 freed over four million African Americans, but the exception of institutionalized slavery led to the flooding of the imprisonment of African Americans.

Slavery took on a new form: incarceration.

The Nixon administration began the cycle of criminalizing African Americans coping with drug addiction.

The Jim Crow era following Republican reconstruction kept the country rife with and accustomed to racism, which led to years of efforts to undo the racist bias that is deeply ingrained in the prison system, the majority of them unsuccessful. The American prison system today, black people comprise 37% of the incarcerated population but make up only 14% of the total U.S. population, whereas whites make up around the same percentage of the imprisoned and total populations, both hovering around 60%.

In 1944, roughly 5% of black men in the U.S. worked in white collar jobs. The majority were underemployed and held manual jobs few whites would want. 60% of African American women were household servants who often worked 12 hour days for low wages due to economic necessity. Rather than in urban centers, African Americans in rural communities suffered great amounts of poverty.

In 1968, the poverty rate for black Americans was 34.7%.

Today, 60% of African Americans hold white collar jobs with higher wages and the percentage of household servitude, such as cooking and cleaning, has dwindled down to 2.2%. The black unemployment rate rose from 6.7 % in 1968 to 7.5 % in 2017 and is now double the white unemployment rate. The inflation-adjusted hourly wage of a black worker rose 30.5 % between 1968 and 2016. Over 40 percent of blacks consider themselves in the middle class, and 42% of African Americans in the U.S own homes.

“Toni Morrison is a brilliant American author. She wrote some of the most deeply affecting books of her generation, or any generation.

If someone asked me for a recommendation for one American author I’d start with Toni Morrison,” Chad Scoggins, English teacher, said.

“Ida B. Wells fought against lynching in the Jim Crow South while facing death threats.

She was eventually forced to flee the South. In Chicago, she continued to fight for a national anti-lynching law, suffrage for women, and anti-discrimination reforms,” Elizabeth Lennon, U.S. history teacher, said.

8

La Voz

Febrero 28, 2020

El Superbowl da vida a nuestros Hispanos Yesenia Diaz Reporteras

Alicia Ibarra Reporteras

El show de medio tiempo del Super Bowl es una tradición muy preciada para los fanáticos del fútbol americano. Cada año el país entero anticipa ansiosamente cuál celebridad le toca entretener a los Estados Unidos en el show de medio tiempo. Este año, por primera vez en la historia del evento el reparto fue lleno de puras figuras de descendencia hispana.

El juego abrió con Los Tigres Del Norte, el himno nacional fue cantado por Demi Lovato, y el show de medio tiempo fue un popurrí de canciones cantadas por Shakira, Jennifer López, y la apariencia de artistas de reggaetón J Balvin y Bad Bunny.

Aunque el hecho de que los presentadores son latinos es grandioso,

lo que le dio vida a este show fue el uso del simbolismo. En la porción de Shakira, ella incorporó bailables afrocolombianos, raza que aún batalla para ser reconocida por sociedad. Al igual, incorporó danza de vientre en representación de sus raíces libanesas.

También incluyó un movimiento con su lengua que rápidamente se convirtió en un meme en la media social. Sin embargo, ese movimiento es un canto de celebración conocido como el “zaghrouta” en Arabia, representando inmensa felicidad.

Además de la gran representación de minoridades que nos dio Shakira, Jennifer López también incorporó algunos detalles también. Para empezar, abrió con la canción Jenny from the block, donde habla sobre su orgullo de sus raíces humildes, seguida por su hit Get Right, y luego una breve promoción para la película que hizo “Hustlers” donde intentaba enfatizar que bailar en tubo requiere mucha agilidad y fuerza.

Después lo siguió con su hit waiting for tonight, donde después entró J Balvin con la canción “mi gente”, canción que invita a gente de todas culturas a celebrar unidos. Finalmente, lo que más resaltó de esta presentación fue la pequeña protesta para los niños en los campos de la frontera, dirigida por la hija de JLo cantando “ born in the USA”, donde después entró Jennifer López con una capa doble, reflejando la bandera puertorriqueña de un lado y la bandera estadounidense del otro, representado que los puertorriqueños también son americanos.

Aunque este show fue lleno de detalles diversos y políticos, Este medio tiempo fue más para los adultos y la NFL lo atraccion sexualmente con Shakira y Jennifer Lopez. Mucha gente no está de acuerdo que fue apropiado para la audiencia más joven, por el uso de ropa enseñando mucha piel y el estilo de baile que eligieron, pero al fin del día cada quien reserva el derecho su opinión.

Pero fue una presentación inolvidable.

Las oportunidades para los estudiantes de Los Estados Unidos Alicia Ibarra Reportera

Anteriormente en Los Estados Unidos, los estudiantes indocumentados no eran elegibles para recibir ayuda financiera del gobierno. Sin embargo, por la primera vez en el 2020, el estado de Illinois está ofreciendo una aplicación de FAFSA (solicitud gratuita de ayuda federal para estudiantes) alternativa llamada la “RISE (solicitud gratuita de ayuda federal para estudiantes) act. Esta aplicación ofrece a estudiantes sin un seguro social la oportunidad de recibir ayuda financiera para continuar estudiando más allá de la high school. Para ser elegibles, los estudiantes deben vivir con un padre/ guardián durante sus años en la high school, obtener un diploma, asistir una escuela en Illinois por mínimo tres años seguidos y prometer que en cuanto sea posible aplicarán para hacerse residentes, y

DACA (acción diferida para los llegados en la infancia) no es requisito, así que si un estudiante no alcanzó a aplicar aún tiene esta opción. Aparte de abrir puertas para estudiantes indocumentados, también es una opción alternativa para estudiantes transexuales. Como FAFSA requiere que uno aplique bajo el nombre que está el la tarjeta del seguro social, a veces obliga a que estudiantes apliquen bajo un nombre con el que no se identifican. Aunque estudiantes legales que son transexuales permanecen con el derecho de aplicar a FAFSA, la aplicación del RISE act les permite continuar con sus estudios sin tener que rechazar su identidad.

La aplicación está disponible en línea. Sii uno busca “RISE act”, el vínculo con Isaac.org es el oficial. Al estar en la página principal una debe leer las instrucciones y verificar si es elegible o no. En la esquina derecha hay una opción que

ofrece la información en español si alguien la prefiere. Al llegar a la aplicación es recomendable, pero no obligatorio, que los estudiantes la llenen con un padre/ guardián presente. También es recomendable que los estudiantes tengan los taxes del 2018 disponibles para llenar la porción del estado económico y poder estimar cuánto les puede ofrecer el estado. Si tienen preguntas o están batallando, la Wheeling High School ofrece ayuda. Simplemente vayan al cuarto 107 o contacten a la Sra. Amador-Zapata, y con gusto les ayudarán.

Esta es una oportunidad increíble para los estudiantes que desean expandir sus sueños y dejar su marca en el mundo. Con tantos cambios ocurriendo en el mundo, hay esperanza para aquellos que luchan por sus sueños.

Información de isac.org

February 28, 2020

Entertainment

9

Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite”: Making history, breaking barriers worldwide At the 92nd Academy Awards on Entertainment Editor Feb. 9 in Los Angeles, California, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” made history by becoming the first foreignlanguage film to win Best Picture in Oscar history. The film, starring Song Kang-ho, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park So-dam, and Choi Woo-shik, among others, focuses on a poor family in South Korea who take advantage of an upper-class family by each being individually hired by them and pretending to be unrelated. The film takes a dark turn towards the end, and it serves as commentary on the growing wealth gap and intensifying classism around the world and in South Korea specifically. “Parasite” was the first South Korean film to win or be nominated in any category at the Academy Awards, and it took home four of the six awards that it was nominated for, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay a n d re ce i v i n g Rachel Lawson

nominations for Best Production design and Best Film Editing.

The movie’s success at the Oscars was not only emotional and inspiring to international filmmakers, but it was also a complete surprise. While the film performed extraordinarily well at box offices worldwide, there was skepticism from both fans and critics that “Parasite” would be judged fairly alongside its English counterparts at the award show, especially in the high-profile categories such as Best Picture and Best Director.

The Academy, however, proved to be unbiased, and the response from audience members to the “Parasite” Oscars sweep was overwhelmingly positive.

Of course, there was controversy surrounding the film’s success, mainly from Americans upset that a foreign film garnered m o r e recognition than any U.S. made film at

An Editor’s Queue: Black History Month Edition Entertainment Editor Rachel Lawson has compiled nine of her favorite songs by black artists in celebration of Black History Month.

an “American award ceremony”, although for Best Foreign Language Film at the nowhere in the history of the Oscars has the Golden Globes in Jan. 2020, Bong Joonshow self-identified as American. Another ho’s translator, Sharon Choi, delivered a exception to the film’s positive powerful statement from the response was President director: “Once you overcome the Donald Trump, who said at one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, a rally “How bad were the “Once you you will be introduced to so many Academy Awards this year?... overcome more amazing films.” With the And the winner is a movie from the one-inchAcademy gradually becoming South Korea. What the hell tall barrier was that all about?” The main more open to recognizing films of subtitles, distributor of “Parasite”, NEON, you will be not in English, the possibility introduced to replied to a tweet containing of being nominated for or even so many more the video of Trump’s statement, winning high-profile awards like films” – Bong saying “Understandable, he can’t Best Picture is now within reach Joon-ho read.” The exchange ended there for international filmmakers. but entertained fans of the Bong Joon-ho’s success with film on Twitter nonetheless.

“Parasite” in 2019 and with his Aside from the controversy brought on by the film’s Oscars success, films “Okja” in 2017 and “The Host” in 2006 “Parasite” winning Best Picture has large- also opened doors for filmmakers in South scale implications for both the future Korea, drawing international attention to the of foreign-language films during award nation and proving that film is a profitable season in American and Europe as well industry there. Many of Bong Joon-ho’s as the future of the South Korean film films, along with other “New Korean Cinema” industry. Many of the U.S. and and Europebased award shows familiar to Americans, films, released during an era spanning from though they claim to be international and the late 1990s until today, have financially recognize films from any country, end up revitalized the film industry in South Korea.

Overall, the success of “Parasite” during being extremely whitewashed year after year. As previously stated, “Parasite” made the 2020 award season has contributed history by winning Best Picture, as every to a constantly evolving dialogue about film to win prior to the 2020 awards was the importance of international films in English. During his acceptance speech that any cinema fan should be a part of.

Justin Bieber’s return to the music industry

After four years, Justin Bieber is back and better than ever, dropping his album “Changes” on Feb. 14, a feature-length documentary, new merch and announcing his 2020 Changes tour. Bieber recently returned to social media healthy, married and in a good state of mind ready to be on stage and play music, as he had taken a break for over almost four years, disappearing from social media and no longer making music. He was also dealing with recovery from his addiction to drugs and was diagnosed with Lyme disease in January. In an announcement around New Years, Bieber said that he was back and started to post short video clips of songs off of his new album. He began the year off by first dropping “Yummy”. The song wasn’t much of a hit, and many fans were Melanie Aguilar disappointed with Bieber’s making a song where half of the lyrics were just Staff Reporter “yummy”. Personally, I’ve been a “Belieber” since I was eight years old, and I was a little disappointed. Since his last album “Purpose” was so good, “Yummy” just couldn’t compare.

Dropping “Changes” meant “making a new beginnings a more focused, settled life. Never thought I could ever be loyal to someone other than myself,” Bieber said in an Apple Music interview. But it was easy for him to be back, and the turning point came when he performed with Ariana Grande at the 2019 Coachella music festival.

Upon seeing fan reactions to his performance, Bieber said “This is what I do. This is what I’m good at.” He also discusses and shows the process on how he started to change, got married, made the album, and discusses his depression in his documentary “Seasons”.

His documentary isn’t just about him but the emotional journey he went on with his whole team and his wife, Hailey Bieber, who has been there since day one. Bieber discussed the process of making the “Changes” album from the very beginning to now having it out for the world to consume. The majority of the album is acoustic, romantic, and spiritual. His album also hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Photo via billboard.com. chart. I’m sure that every Belieber has this album on repeat right now.

Once Upon A Time...WHS Spokesman delivered a six month late movie review “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood” is a 2019 film by Quentin Tarantino that follows the fictional actor Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and the story of how he rose to fame after starring Staff Reporter in a 1950’s television western but struggled to find any meaningful work in Hollywood afterwards.

Dalton spends most of his time with his stunt double and best friend, Clint Booth, played by Brad Pitt, drinking and keeping each other company. The film also focuses on Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, who is one of the few real characters in the cast. Tarantino uses this film to put his own spin on the real life story of Sharon Tate. In the movie, Tarantino almost rewrites history by creating an ending to the film that is not consistent with the events that actually happened.

This film had quite the star-studded main cast, consisting of actors such as Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margaret Qualley Photo via americamagazine.com and Margot Robbie. Even though this movie came out last year, it has been receiving a lot of attention recently because actor Brad Pitt won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood.” This film was very interesting for numerous reasons, one of them being that there has really been no other film like this ever made before. Combining real life people with fictional characters and events was a completely new film concept that I think Tarantino portrayed brilliantly. It was something new, something that would be considered “out there” nowadays in the film industry. I really enjoyed the experience of watching “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”; it brought a twist that most other films will have a hard time competing with.

Aria Giacomino

2020 Academy Awards fashion: Cecilia’s personal favorite looks from the red carpet

The Oscars, the biggest ceremony of the year for film, now in its 92nd year, was held in Los Angeles, California on Feb. 9. Every year, the award show comes with high expectations and anticipation as to who the winners Staff Reporter will be, as well as being the place where all the year’s most dramatic designer gowns and suits make an appearance. Hundreds of A-list celebrities attend the Oscars red carpet, and their fashion sense comes alive for the whole world to judge. Although these stars are in hope of taking home one of the most prestigious awards in Hollywood, it doesn’t hurt for them to try and be best dressed as well. Here are my favorites from the red carpet. Coming in first with the best gown is Natalie Portman, an actress and filmmaker. She walked the red carpet in a custom black and gold Dior gown and cape that took more than 900 man hours to make. Her gown and cape caused a bit of a stir, though, because when up close, viewers could see that the cape was embroidered with the names of many female directors who did not receive nominations at this year’s Oscars.

All five of the Best Director nominees were male for the ninth year in a row. Who doesn’t love fashion and feminist statements all in one? Now for one of the best dressed males: 24-year-old actor Timothée Chalamet who proved that he and his wardrobe are anything from basic. While the red carpet is full of men wearing classic but dull black tuxedo suits, Chalamet walked in wearing a navy Prada zip-up over a white tee and tie along with matching navy joggers and a Cartier brooch. Although he did become a target for jokes on Twitter due to his slicked back hair and the fact that his jumpsuit unintentionally made him look like a mechanic or a valet driver, it didn’t matter to me. If anyone can pull off that gas station look, it’s him.

The Oscars are truly a time when we get to see all of the A-list celebrities’ glamour and fashion sense, and I’m already looking forward to next year.

Cecilia Herrera

Timothée Chalamet in Prada and Natalie Portman in Dior.

Photos via Insider.com.

10

Forum

February 28, 2020

Should Valentines Day be considered a holiday?

“Yes, because couples can celebrate thier affection and love” Diana Torralba, freshman, said.

“Yes, because you are able to get your creative juices out,” Brandon Roman, sophomore, said.

“Yes, because it’s a day to celebrate the people you love,” Joe Placensia, junior, said

“I like the idea of valentines day.I like going on dates with my boyfriend,” Nicolina O’Sullivan, senior, said.

Information collected by Ana Malagon and Kaidance Katz

Students have had enough of standardized tests

Victoria Benavides Staff Reporter

Standardized testing. The word alone is enough to cause uneasiness in anybody. It’s the horrible thing that

comes around every year with the same horrible feelings- guilt, stress, and panic.

While the SAT or ACT may be built up to seem as if its some “end all, be all” decision-maker for everybody’s future, it’s just a test and a deeply flawed one at that.

The test that all Wheeling students take is the SAT and its origin story isn’t too positive. The SAT was first taken in 1926 and created by Carl Birghman, who was part of a eugenics group. Eugenics is the science of “improving” a human population by taking the most favorable traits and increasing the chances of inheriting the traits. This was used against minority groups to deem them as inferior and promote white supremacy.

In simple terms, the SAT has a horribly racist backstory.

While the SAT and ACT are aimed at being a sort of equalizer for students, they’re actually one of the greatest disparities of the college application process. The key to the test isn’t just being good at reading and math, but it also takes test strategies and test prep to get the best score. Unfortunately, all tests and all students are not made equal. The issue with the standardized test system is that it benefits students that have better access to resources such as tutoring and the financial means to pay for said resources. The higher up a student is on the socio-economic spectrum the more likely they are to do well on the test. It doesn’t take complex math to figure that out. Students who can afford costly test prep services perform better than students who can’t afford said services.

This completely changes the significance of the SAT. It becomes a competition that highlights the differences between wealthy and lowerincome students. It becomes more about how many resources you have access to and not what skills you have.

The test that was meant to equalize and compare students’ skills has become a disenfranchisement to them. That’s not to say that everyone who scores well is wealthy and everyone who scores lower is poor, but rather it’s pointing out that oftentimes the amount of wealth you have influenced the type of score you get.

Overall, standardized testing is a flawed institution that highlights the inequality of resource access between privileged and impoverished students.

End the “Witch Hunt” Longer passing periods

Ben Williams Staff reporter

On Feb. 5, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Despite a personal distaste for the President, I believe this was the right choice.

Since the day the news broke that Trump would be the next President of the United States, Democrats have been searching for dirt on Trump significant enough to get him impeached and removed from office.

It seemed their reason to impeach him changed with the seasons. It was Russia, then it was sexual assault, then it was his taxes, then

it was Russia again and then the Mueller report killed the Russia theory.

Finally, a whistleblower reported that Trump was holding back aid to Ukraine until they investigated Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and the Democrats filed an impeachment inquiry.

Now, if we ignore who Joe Biden is to Trump, this action wouldn’t seem irregular for a president. A wealthy American businessman was on a board of directors for a Ukrainian company that engaged in corruption and money-laundering, and the President of the United States wants to pressure Ukraine into investigating the matter. Now, Trump obviously had ulterior motives and wanted to use the investigation to discredit Joe Biden, who he perceived to be his most threatening opponent in the 2020 election. However, if Hunter Biden were found to be involved in the scandal, Trump’s motive would be irrelevant; a criminal is a criminal. As the Democrats pushing for impeachment have said, “No one is above the law.”

We can’t talk about

Editorial:

A prominent struggle for high school students is integrating common decency into their everyday lives. Decency can be defined as polite, honest and moral behavior. Students today seem to lack it.

The common use of racial slurs, swear words, insults towards others and PDA that occurs around

motives without mentioning the Democrats’ reasoning behind impeachment. I’ll give the Democrats the benefit of the doubt and, for the sake of the argument, agree that Trump is an evil man who did evil things.

Even if he is, the Democrats knew that Trump would be acquitted. The Democrats would need to convince 13 Republicans to turn against Trump. That would be like winning the lottery 13 times.

Nevertheless, they carried on. Because it was worth a try? Probably not. Because it would tarnish Trump’s reputation, rally Democratic voters and fill their pockets with sweet taxpayer cash for doing nothing? Likely.

To put it simply, tax dollars, media coverage and our precious time were wasted on a political publicity stunt, and it wasn’t even a good one either.

Since his acquittal, Trump’s approval rating has been sitting at an all-time high of 49%. So please, Democratic Party, I beg of you to end the “witch hunt”. And don’t start another one. Just pick a good candidate and oust Trump the old-fashioned way: winning the election.

WHS not only makes students look bad; but also causes their peers and teachers to lose respect for them. It’s not hard to refrain from using words like the n-word or to take up space in the hallway in order to have a make out session with one’s partner. It’s just a matter of having the self respect to not do it. There’s a place for affection and improper language, but the WHS hallway is not one of them. In terms of the n-word, the word should not be as extensively used as it currently is. The history behind it makes it one of the worst words one can use,and perhaps in the future,

Daniel Sandler

Staff Reporter

While some students focus on getting to class on time, others like to socialize with their friends and do other leisure activities during passing periods.

Before class students have to access their lockers which can be located on the complete other side of school, and sometimes students have to use the restroom which doesn’t give them enough time to get to class.

Here at WHS, passing periods are four minutes long, which is not enough.

Students are constantly tardy because they don’t have enough time to

get to where they need to be. Students have to walk from far places and then they have to rush to class to avoid being late.

Also, students that have gym barely have time to change into their regular clothes and get to class.

Students that have to use the bathroom feel rushed, trying their best to make it on time. In addition, the short passing periods don’t give students time to engage with their friends after sitting in a class for 45 minutes. Students should be able to have a few extra minutes to communicate with their peers and teachers.

For most students, being tardy causes a lot of worry, so getting to class on time causes a lot of stress.

Students already have to worry about their tests, homework, and quizzes in relation to their grades.

Having stress added from worrying about tardies, overwhelms students and can even cause worse academic performance. As well as an increase of stress, short passing periods also play a role in getting

there will be extreme backlash for those caught using it.

The things students do today can have a greater impact later on in their life. Take, for example, all the recent politicians being exposed for their college mistakes. If they would have had a sense of decency and not done things like painting their face black or calling someone a racial slur, then maybe their careers wouldn’t be at stake now.

That’s why Spokesman believes that students should practice common decency in the school

students in trouble. Even though in most instances a tardy is the students fault, sometimes being late is inevitable due to the short length of passing periods.

Increasing periods can result in less students getting in trouble and overall increasing the relationship between students and teachers.

A possible solution to help out students would be to increase the time of passing periods to six minutes. This would give the students of WHS the time to get to class, while being able to do things like go to the bathroom or visit their lockers, and to allow students to take a small break between classes, where they can either visit the vending machines or spend some more time with their friends. These additional two minutes could allow students to get to class without having to rush to beat the bell.

Increasing the time of the passing periods would help WHS students dramatically and could improve their experiences in school.

environment in order to prepare for the future when all the restrictions are gone.

No one can predict the future, but at least by having decency a sense of decency in one’s everyday life, one can take control of the present and stop it from affecting the future.

10 out of 10 editorial members agree

Sports

February 28, 2020

11

Black History Month: Remembering Jackie Robinson Ethan Polak Sports Editor

Black History Month is a time to pay respects to those who paved the future for the African Americans. For sports there is always one player that comes to mind: Jackie Robinson. Robinson was the first ever African American to ever play in Major League Baseball while at the same time becoming one of the best players to ever step foot into the batter’s box.

Robinson’s story started in a little home in Cairo, Georgia on Jan. 31, 1919, when he was born. As soon as he was born, his parents believed he would become something great.

It didn’t take long for their dreams to become a reality as Robinson would become an extremely talented athlete.

In high school, he played five sports: football, basketball, baseball, tennis and track. Robinson chose to stick with his passion for baseball as in 1945 he would accept an offer to play shortstop in the Negro Leagues for the Kansas City Monarchs. The Negro Leagues were a professional baseball league for African Americans only since the Major League Baseball did not allow any person of color to play.

Although, it was during his time on the Monarchs when MLB teams began to scout the Negro League for players.

Many of the MLB managers thought it would be a cool idea, but were afraid of doing so due to the racial problems

they may take on. This applied to all the managers except for one guy whose name was Branch Rickey. Rickey was the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers and after many years of struggling to make the playoffs he knew he needed help. He decided he would hold a tryout for those in the Negro Leagues. Robinson’s grit and ability to never back down stood out to Rickey, so he decied to give Robinson a contract in 1946 to play for the Montreal Royals which was a minor league farm team to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Two weeks later, he stepped onto the plate for the first time at Roosevelt Stadium against the Jersey City Giants. In his first at bat he grounded out, but redeemed himself after hitting a three-run homerun on for his first ever hit. Robinson’s hot streak would not end there as he would eventually be named the Most Valuable Player.

After this stellar season by Robsinson, Rickey took notice and in 1947 he called him up to the majors for the Brooklyn Dodgers. This caused mixed emotions across America.

Thousands of African Americans fled to the Dodgers games to witness their new idol while many white players in the MLB including those on the Dodgers threatened to strike.

However, Ford Frick, the president of the MLB, struck back saying that any player that went on strike would be suspended. Despite Frick’s actions to try creste equality, some players targeted Robinson. Many players and

More football af ter the Super Bowl?

Tyler Feldhiem Staff Reporter

In 2001 a football league known as the XFL was launched with minimal success. It was essentially football mixed with WWE. That league only lasted one season with many injuries due to the rules or lack thereof and inability to make money. 19 years later the XFL is making its comeback. A new, reworked version of the XFL was announced in January 2018 and it’s first season would start in February 2020. Week One of the XFL was entertaining to say the least, with onfield projectile vomiting, replay officials using XBox controllers, a drunk streaker and that doesn’t even include football!

Just last year another league known as the Alliance of American Football started and ended in 2019 when the owner filed for Chapter Seven bankruptcy after losing millions. This example along with many other failed attempts at making a second professional football league have led to many critics pointing out how the XFL will not be any different. But the XFL is currently on week three and running

strong with fan attendance being higher than expected.

The XFL’s main goal is not to compete directly with the NFL, but to fill the void NFL leaves after the super bowl. Many fans are happy that there is football to watch in the spring, even if the level of play is not as good as the NFL. While most of the teams are located in large markets such as New York, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay there are also cities such as St. Louis where there are no NFL teams.

Many fans in St. Louis are excited to have a football team to root for after the Rams left four years ago.

The XFL also gives players that may not be good enough to play in the NFL an opportunity to showcase their skills. It gives players that played college football and had a short visit in the NFL such as Landry Jones, quarterback of the Dallas Renegades, a chance to shine. These opportunities have been a huge part of the XFL because it has attracted more talent. If the XFL looks to continue this success in the future, allowing individual players to shine will be one of their main objectives.

To learn more about the XFL or sports in general scan the QR Code to the weekly sports podcast led by Ethan Polak and Matthew Posner

coaches shouted racial slurs at him whenever he went up to bat and one player by the name of Enos Slaughter even slid into Robinson giving him a seven inch gash. All this hate would only make him stronger as he would finish that season leading the league in stolen bases and sacrifice hits along with the MLB Rookie of the Year. His stardom would not end there as two seasons later in the 1949 season, Robinson would win the Most Valuable Player Award from the National League and get voted to be the starting second baseman in the 1949 All-Star Game, which was the first time any African American has ever done so. Although he had such an outstanding season, his Dodgers came up short in the World Series against the New York Yankees. This would be a trend as they would once continue to come up short each year until in 1955 when they finally beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. From there on, Robinson would retire the next season soldifying his legacy as one of the greatest players that MLB has ever had.

Robinson’s courage to stand up to the segretaion in the MLB has since opened the doors for many players of all colors to have an opportunity to make it big. In 1997, the MLB decided to retire Robinson’s jersey number 42 for every team across the league. They have also created “Jackie Robinson Day ‘’ where all the players wear the number 42 to pay respect to the man who forever changed baseball.

Athlete of the Month Bowling Jasmine Bautista Staff Reporter

After a strong season of bowling at WHS, one athlete made a strong impact on her team. Darya Tsialehina, sophomore, made a jump in her second year in bowling, which was also her first on the varsity team.

Tsialehina consistently showed how strong of a leader she could be throughout the year.

In total the bowling team had around eighteen games in the winter season where Tsialehina had participated in.

“Darya is a sophomore and only her second year bowling. This year, she led the team with the highest average throughout the season, conference playoffs, regionals and sectionals. Darya is a competitor.

She enjoys competition and rises to that challenge,” Catherine Zaworski, varsity coach, said. “Her best moment in bowling would be at Regionals. Darya placed 2nd out of all individuals that could advance in the tournament. She averaged 184 points over a six-game series, which qualified her for Sectionals,” Zaworski said. These achievements are impressive for someone who is only in her second year in high school.

“I’m surprised that I won Athlete Of The Month; I didn’t expect that,” Tsialehima said.

“My six games at regionals were definitely

Darya Tsialehina

my biggest achievement of the season.

First of all, I got my highest score of the season. My average was really high for me. I got second place in regionals, so I was really proud of myself,” Tsialehina said. Tsialehina also provided some advice for varsity athletes of all sports: “Take your coach’s advice. It helps a lot when you see other people look at what their coach has to say and see that it actually works. Listening to your coach is really beneficial. Sometimes people try to do their own thing, but it’s better to listen to what the coach has to say instead of doing something of your own,” she said. Gabriella Lowrey, junior, was one of Tsialehina’s teammates this year. “She is always very lively and ready to improve herself and help others. She is really good at bowling and often leads us to victories, all while smiling and laughing,” Lowery said. “I try to cheer up my teammates a lot.

Especially, when they’re upset about their score or however they are doing on that day. I’m probably gonna cheer them up because you don’t want them to be more upset with their game,” Tsialehina said.

Tsialehina had a strong year, and the future is only brighter for the young varsity athlete. “I am excited to see with her continued dedication and efforts she will continue to grow. I hope with more confidence and experience she can advance further in playoffs,” Zaworski said.

NHS Red Out fundraiser deemed a success Ethan Polak Sports Editor

Matthew Posner Assistant Sports Editor

Photo taken

by Ethan Polak Joe Jordan, junior goes up for one-handed floater over the Hersey defender as the WHS fans all dressed in red get ready to erupt.

On Feb. 7, the Wheeling boys varsity basketball team held the annual Red Out game against the cross-town rival Hersey Huskies. The Red Out event is a fundraiser led by members of the National Honor Society (NHS) to spread awareness about heart diseases. All proceeds were given to the American Heart Association to help fund cardiovascular research and provide cardiac care to those in need. This event was also a way to honor Jennifer Zorn, who passed away last year after a long

battle with cancer. Red T-shirts were sold as part of the fundraiser and used to create awareness and to celebrate the life of Zorn. Members of the NHS did whatever they could to get sales.

“The students even tried doing dances trying to bring in the business,” Meredith Silverman, english teacher and leader of the NHS, stated. The dances seemed to pay off as the student section at the start of the game was a sea of red.

The students weren’t the only ones showing up because before in this game, three stars got inducted into the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

That was hands-down the best home crowd we had all season. The energy was incredible,” Michael

O’Keeffe, head basketball coach, said.

The large crowd was a major factor during the game as they would get into the Huskies’ heads leading to an early Wheeling lead. Jaden Terrell, junior, would go three of four from beyond the arc. However, Hersey came into the second half guns blazing scoring 15 straight points. Wheeling could not respond to that in the fourth quarter as Hersey would continue to pull away, and eventually won 57-49. Terrell finished with a team high 18 points along with 11 points from Christian McLaughlin, senior.

“Even though we didn’t win, the event was a great way to build school spirit and honor Mrs. Zorn,” O’Keeffe said.

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@wheelingspokesman February 28, 2020

Upcoming: 2/29/20 - Girls Track Wildcat Relays 2/29/20 - Boys Track @ Honnenegah 3/16/20 - Varsity Baseball Vs. Northridge Prep 3/18/20 - Varsity Softball Vs. Elgin 3/18/20 - Girls Water Polo Vs. Prospect

Posner’s post-season prose: victory and experience

Photo taken by Ethan Polak Christian McLaughlin, senior, jumps for a layup over a defender during the 2020 NHS Red Out against Hersey.

Matthew Posner Assistant Sports Editor

It has been a rollercoaster of a season for the boys varsity basketball team. Large winning streaks and large losing streaks have been the key stories to an eventful season. As of Feb. 20, the Wheeling Wildcats are 13-16 with an excellent nonconference record. However, their play in the MSL this year against teams such as Rolling Meadows and Buffalo Grove has been subpar. “We got off to a really good start at Thanksgiving and won our first tournament of the year. After that, we were a little up and down through the next month of the season. We had a nice win against Elk Grove in December and had a big win against Ridgewood

in the Hardwood Classic. However, after that, we went on a 7-game losing streak,” Michael O’Keeffe, varsity coach, said. The drought was their largest of the season, and spanned from Dec. 27, 2019 to Jan. 18, 2020. “The game against St. Pat’s (which was on Jan. 18) was our turning point from that drought. We may not have won the game, but we played our hearts out and have since won 7 of our past 11. Things are starting to click on the court, and we’re starting to consistently pick up wins,” O’Keeffe said. The varsity team has been led by Javen Reid, senior, who leads the team in points with 11.4 points per game (PPG). Reid tends to come off the bench as their spark plug, or their “Lou Williams” type player. Joe Jordan, junior, and Aima Igiehon, sophomore, have been crashing the glass as of late as well. Jordan averages 7.2 rebounds per game (RPG) and Igiehon averages approximately 4.1 RPG. Solomon Hudson, sophomore, is averaging 3.1 assists per game (APG), but acknowledged that his offensive game needs some improvement. “I think I’ve done alright this season running the show at point guard, but I need to start shooting free throws and three-pointers with more consistency and more success to further improve my offensive game,” Hudson said. Christian McLaughlin, senior, is averaging 9.4 PPG

Photo taken by Ethan Polak Naomi Metellus, senior, takes the ball down the court while looking for an opportunity to pass or shoot the ball.

and has shot the ball well of late, but that wasn’t the story early in the season. “I definitely improved in the second half of the season. I’ve been hitting shots with far more consistency than I was in the first half of the season and contributing more offensively. On defense, I simply need to keep hustling,” McLaughlin said. The season is quickly coming to an end, and the time is now for O’Keeffe’s team to put the foot on the gas pedal.

First it was five guards. Then Morgan Collar (senior) made her return from a torn ACL suffered in February 2019. After that, a roller coaster finish to the season had the girls basketball team thriving offensively at the end of the season. Although the record may not look great on paper (6-26), the girls basketball team fought hard all year with some excellent play by Chloe Drozdz, senior. Drozdz averaged 14.4 points per game (PPG) as well as 1.6 steals per game (SPG). Sophia Stanke, senior, also had a strong year, finishing with 7.7 PPG and 5.7 rebounds per game (RPG).

Collar also had a strong year, finishing with 5.9 PPG and 5.6 RPG. Matt Weber, girls varsity coach, experienced the highs and lows of the season while watching and teaching from the sideline. “Although the record was overall disappointing for most, I thought that the team set a standard

for working hard, executing game plans, working together as a team, and putting in maximum effort in clutch situations,” Weber said. It was an interesting start to the year while Collar was still recovering from the knee injury. At one point, the girls team had to start five guards, which is unheard of in today’s game. Nikki Niznik, sophomore, played all 32 games this season in her second year on varsity. “This year as a team was honestly pretty tough.

But individually, I felt like I’ve grown as both a person and a player,” Niznik said.

“Even though the season didn’t turn out how most of us wanted it to, I have become a better basketball player along the way.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to play alongside the seniors; they’ve taught me some important lessons about the game. I can’t wait to see what the future holds and how the future varsity team strengthens,” Niznik said. The girls’ varsity team had their season ended by Libertyville on Feb. 18 in the second round of the regionals.

Drozdz gave it everything she had in her final game on varsity, scoring 17 of the team’s 31 points. Of all the things that could be said about the season, Niznik may have said it best of all. The outcome may not have been what they hoped for, but everyone grew, both as players and as people.

WHS varsity winter cheer overcomes various obstacles through unity and hard work Iran Teran Staff Reporter

As we progress in to spring sports, we look back at the successes of our winter sports, specifically, WHS varsity cheer. Of course, like many teams and seasons, there’s always obstacles to overcome in the pursuit of victory.

“I think this season was one of the toughest but also the best that varsity cheer has had in a long time. We faced a lot of struggles after losing some teammates right before competitions were rolling up but we managed to put together a really good routine and it only bonded

us more”, Natalia Nedland, technique, creativity and level of skills. senior, said.

At the end, top 10 teams If you are not involved or are named and know about “We faced a lot of awarded and the world of struggles after losing only top 5 in cheer you some teammates right sectionals go may not before competitions to state. know how were rolling up but “Personally competitions we managed to put I think our work.

Our together a really good scores should WHS varsity routine and it only have been cheerleaders bonded us more,” ranked higher travel to with the v a r i o u s per formance schools to Natalia and difficulty compete Nedland, senior, we had and are then compared judged based said. to the other on stunts, schools but at j u m p s , dance and voices and scored the end of the day it’s about based on timing, execution, what the judges think but I

definitely think we should have gone to state,” Cristian Esparza, junior, says.

Through interviewing, he expresses his thanks to his captain, Natalia Nedland for always pushing him to try a stunt and cheering him on and illustrated how close everybody on the team is.

When asked who Ashley Mandujano, freshman, could rely on the most in the team she said, “Honestly I could rely on anyone on the team, I know they’ll always give advice and help if I need it.”

Mandujano expressed how nice it is to be on a team that always cheers each other on.

Photo courtesy of LifeTouch

Varsity cheer puts up a stunt during halftime of a basketball game.