WHS Spokesman Issue #8 2009-2010

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May 7, 2010 Volume 46 Issue 8

On the Web

WPAC sets up fundraiser for teachers to ‘Go bald for Haiti’

www.wheelingspokesman.com

Dan Malsom

Kevin Lennon, business teacher, gets his head shaved by Bruce and Ellyese Hausfeld, barbers from Rockstyle Salon. Mr. Lennon was the first of four teachers to have his head shaved. Ricky Garcia, senior, represented Mr. Lennon during Going Bald for Haiti. Garcia raised $152 for Haiti, the most money donated by one person.

Jes Martinez

Brian Lichtenberger, associate principal

first teacher to lose his hair. Dan Weidner, science teacher, Staff Reporter Brain Lichtenberger, associate principal, and Ed Uhrik, As the song “Hair” from math teacher, followed. “Hair” began to “I love it play, four staff “I think this (the idea to raise members’ lost I give is just another money). their hair at 8 up my hair and opportunity help out people a.m. Thursday, April 21. for us to help in Haiti. It’s well T h e it,” said out somebody worth Wheeling a hair-free Mr. Political Action Weidner. in need.” Club conducted According a raffle all to Bruce throughout and Ellyese lunch periods Hausfeld, the for a week and took donations barbers from RockStyle in an effort to help out Salon, the fund-raiser was a Haiti. WPAC raised $2,000 great idea. altogether. “It was for Haiti, so it was Ricky Garcia, senior, a great cause,” B. Hausfeld said raised the most money, $152. at the end of the assembly. Since Garcia represented According to the New Kevin Lennon, business York Times, Haiti is one teacher. Mr. Lennon was the of the poorest and least

developed countries in the world. The earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12 was the worst earthquake that the region had experienced in over 200 years. Since the economy in Haiti was already undeveloped, according to the New York Times, the earthquake worsened things. The cost to rebuild everything destroyed could be between $7.2 billion and $13.2 billion dollars. Darren Llewellyn, World history teacher, offered to shave his hair only if the goal of $10,000 was reached. “My religious beliefs dictate that it’s a responsibility to help. We have the resources in our country to help. Even our poorest people live like kings compared to those in Haiti, ” Mr. Llewellyn said. The money has been given to the Red Cross foundation.

Before and

ld a b g i n i o G Hait for

Infographic by Oscar Najera

After

Jes Martinez

Ryan Griesmeyer

Amount of money raised

whs

Infographic by Jocelyn Torres

The Hot Mollies p 5

Brian Lichtenberger, associate principal, loses his hair during the Gold seminar on April 21. Mr. Lichtenberger was the third out of four staff members to get his head shaved. The other three teachers to have their heads shaved were Kevin Lennon, business teacher, Dan Weidner, science teacher and Ed Uhrik, math teacher. According to Mr. Lichtenberger, he saw this as an opportunity to help out somebody in aid. “My ears get cold and I hear better (because I am bald),” Mr. Lichtenberger said.

Prom changes location this year p2

Girls Soccer p 11

Torres continues with Backbones fund-raiser p8

INSIDE

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Wheeling High School 900 S. Elmhurst Road Wheeling, IL 60090 <www.wheelingspokesman.com>

POKESMAN

Athlete of the Week McDaniel sets the bar for boys water polo. Weekly Photos Check out photos taken throughout the week of May 3 to May 7


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May 7, 2010

News

Seniors design house, win architecture contest

Used with permission from Jeffrey Bott

All rooms on the first floor center around the kitchen, main point of the house. The house also includes storage space above the garage, which can be converted into living space. “Our main focus was to make small look big...The house has an open feel. Right when you open the door, you can see all the way to the back of the house,” McDaniel said.

Staff Reporter Tim McDaniel and Aaron Weksler, seniors, won the District Architectural Design Contest after presenting their house design on March 17. As a result, they met with an architect to go over their designs and will have it built over the 2010-11 school year. “It’s not really like any other house. It’s custom made by high school students. I hope a family can come in

(the new house) and say, ‘I can live here,’” McDaniel said. “I can drive past the house and say, ‘I designed it.’” Judges chose the winning entries from 12 original designs. After judges chose the top six houses, the designers of those houses presented their designs at Forest View. McDaniel and Weksler found out they won the contest on March 20. On April 26, McDaniel and Weksler worked with Steven Klumpp, architect, to go over their plans for the

house and made any necessary changes. According to McDaniel and Weksler, most of their plan stayed the same, but the architect revised some parts, which included making the house bigger. The Practical Architectural Construction (PAC), a district construction program, will build the house on an empty lot on Edward Street near Wheeling Animal Hospital. The PAC will excavate the lot this summer. Construction for the house will begin August 2010 and

Daniel Brount Focus Editor

Front view of house designed by Tim McDaniel and Aaron Weksler, seniors.

Rosalie Chan

Principal receives doctoral degree

should be finished by June 2011. “I’m excited to see it (the house) in the process of getting built and for the family that will be moving into the house,” Weksler said. “I thought all the hard work we put into it paid off.” Mr. Klumpp will get a permit for the lot. When the house is complete, District 214 will put the house on market and sell it. McDaniel and Weksler both plan on going into architecture in the future.

After attending Illinois State University for his bachelor’s degree and Roosevelt University for his master’s degree, Dr. Lázaro López, principal, recently earned his doctorate of education curriculum and instruction at Aurora University. “I decided to get it in part to see if I could do it. It certainly gives me background in order for me to do the best I can in this school,” Dr. López said. Dr. López worked on getting the doctoral degree for five years. The first three years involved coursework and the last two years focused on his dissertation, studying one topic and presenting it to a chair of people. Dr. López’s dissertation, focused on secondary reading and how to improve the reading level of those who do not read at their grade level. He said he hopes that the background knowledge will be just one of many benefits from getting his doctorate. “I certainly want to dedicate resources to address that specific concern,” Dr. López said. Ronald Banaszak, professor at Aurora University, not only advised and taught Dr. López, but Mr. Banaszak also acted as the chair of Dr. López’s dissertation committee. “He (Dr. López) regularly went beyond what was

asked of him. Completing the dissertation takes considerable dedication since those working on one must keep working on it without the structure of class sessions. It is very easy to put off work on the dissertation when other events can distract,” Mr. Banaszak said in an e-mail interview. Mr. Banaszak has worked with many principals attempting to get their doctoral degree. Students like Jatziri Olmos, junior, are happy for Dr. López. “It (Dr. López getting his doctoral degree) shows that he cares and if he wants to do it, why not go for it?” Olmos said. Despite having to work on the doctorate for about five years, Dr. López’s work schedule did not change much. “Dr. López’s schedule is always pretty full, so we do our best making sure to schedule the needs that have to be scheduled,” Marjorie Stoltman, Dr. López’s secretary, said. By balancing his schedule at WHS and his schedule for school, Dr. López did not face problems in getting his doctorate. “I hope it (getting my doctorate) serves as an inspiration for any student that they can reach whatever they are willing to commit themselves to. I certainly never thought I could get a doctorate. I am the first in my family to finish college,” Dr. López said.

Prom location changes to Marriott, price rises Katie Kalmes

Web Editor This year, prom will take place at 6:30 p.m. on June 4 at the Marriott Lincolnshire Hotel in their Grand Marquee Tent. “They (the Marriott Hotel) gave us a great deal that beat last year’s,” Janet Mercer, junior class board adviser, said.

According to Ms. Mercer, the environment of this year’s prom will be very different from that of past years. “Their Marquee tent is outside and features a garden setting with those white twinkly lights all around. It’s very elegant,” Ms. Mercer said. This year’s theme is Picture Perfect, the song is “Smile” by Uncle Kracker and the colors are royal blue, silver and black. “Prom at the Cotillion felt

like a wedding. It will be cool to change it up a bit,” Jenny Belcher, senior, said. Because of the change in location, tickets will cost $50 per person, a $5 increase from last year’s price. Although the cost of the venue was cheaper, the price increased because of the DJ and party favors. “It’s still a great deal and is cheaper than most schools,” Ms. Mercer said.

Physics trip canceled due to economic, academic issues Megan Jones Staff Reporter Since the 1981-82 school year, physics classes have had an annual trip to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Ill. each May. This year, they will no longer host the trip for economic and academic reasons. The field trip to Six Flags cost each student $40 last year, which paid for the bus and ticket. “The cost of the trip is a problem especially when families are struggling already in this economy. I would hate for students to get excluded from the trip because a $40 field trip is too expensive. It’s just hard to balance fun and academics at Six Flags,” Dan Weidner, physics teacher, said. Pete Ogilvie, former physics teacher, created the field trip to Six Flags. “I am sad to see an old tradition come to an end. It was where kids were able to have fun and could put their physics skills to use. Even

if students couldn’t afford a ticket we would still find a way to fit them in and work out the budget,” Mr. Ogilvie said. According to Nancy Heintz, division head of math and science, going to Six Flags in the future does not seem likely. If the payoff involving academics and learning physics was bigger, then it would be more important. According to Ms. Heintz, they will replace the trip by doing labs in class. “It really stinks. I understand some reasons for not going, but this was like our reward for going through an AP Physics and coming out alive,” Ken Sabol, senior, said. In the past, students would receive a packet which they took with them to Six Flags and would fill out physics problems using roller coasters as real life examples. “I understand students may be frustrated and disappointed. I was impressed at their maturity level when I told them. They realize some families just have higher priorities with their money right now,” Mr. Weidner said.


Forum

Web Editor Katie Kalmes Asst. Web Editor Brianna Bitout News Editor Krista Sanford Forum Editor Jon Tracey Feature Editor Stevi Anderson Asst. Feature Editor Mallorie Bromer Focus Editor Daniel Brount La Voz Editor Gaby Najera A&E/Photo Editors Jennie Alcantar Bety Camino Sports Editor Ryan Griesmeyer Graphics Reporter Jocelyn Torres Staff Reporters Rosalie Chan Megan Jones Jes Martinez Jess Musto Karen Rodriguez Chris Schwarz Staff Artist David Kajmowicz Adviser Karen Barrett, MJE This is the official student newspaper of Wheeling High School, 900 S. Elmhurst Road, Wheeling, Ill. 60090. Written, edited and distributed 9 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. Advertising- For information call (847) 718-7114 MondayFriday 7:25 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. 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 not print any errors knowingly. Editors will print corrections of printed errors here in the issue following our gaining knowledge of the error. Corrections- The Science Olympiad state competition was held at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, not Chicago on pg 2. The column on pg 3 misrepresented the AP Psychology homework and timeline over spring break. Students had more time than just over break to complete the reading, The photograph on pg 4 was taken by Bety Camino. An optical professional is not technically a doctor on pg 6. The infographic on pg 8 was designed by Jocelyn Torres. Jivko Simeonov’s name was misspelled on pg 12.

Dave’s Doodles

Stevi Anderson Feature Editor

That time of year has arrived again. I sit in my counselor's office with a carefully laid out blueprint of my senior year schedule in my lap. I have spent a great deal of time choosing classes based on a mixture of art electives, such as choir to support my current interests, and new courses such as AP English, Creative Writing, and Sports and Entertainment Marketing to help me focus on my future career goals of communications. From the moment that students step into high school, they hear countless times that these four years are their prime opportunity to explore different subjects and activities in order to discover their interests and passions. Their teachers encourage them to take every chance that they have to experience something new, leaving every door open to them. “That's what high school should be,” Joyce Brewer, counselor, said. “You should (use the time to) figure out what you want.” Some students, such as Dianne Pressley, junior, share my interest in choosing classes based on a future career goal. “I would love to take a class like art or something, but I want to be a dentist so AP Chemistry will benefit me more,” Pressley said. However, students spend so much time tapping our feet impatiently as we wait to leave high school that our entire high school career becomes a four-year planning period for our lives after high school has ended. Don't get me wrong--planning for the future is very important, and if you have already found a path that you want to follow, I salute you wholeheartedly. But not every student knows exactly what he wants to do after high school when he begins freshman year. Students need to take advantage of the multitude of subjects that they have open to them before their opportunity is suddenly gone. There are many activities in high school that I will not have a chance to participate in once I have left high school, and more than anything, I do not want to leave on graduation day with a list of things that I wish I had done. What makes high school a memorable experience is doing things while we still have the chance and making memories that we never thought we would make. Our lives after high school are exactly that: after high school. I cannot look only toward my future and miss out on what I may enjoy right now in place of things that I will experience in a few years anyway. By doing that, I just might lose sight of something that could have changed my life.

David Kajmowicz

Editors-in-Chief Dan Malsom Oscar Najera

High school should prove full experience

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Teens’ texting interferes with face-to-face conversation Mallorie Bromer Feature Editor

According to the Pew Research Center, one third of teenagers age 12 to 17 send and receive more than 3,000 text messages per month. The amount of excessive texting done by teenagers today shocks and frightens me. According to the Pew Research Center’s survey released on April 20, 2010 polling 800 teens ages 12 to 17 and their parents, 75 percent of teenagers own cell phones and 54 percent of teenagers text daily, with 15 percent of teen texters sending more than 200 texts per day. I cannot fathom how anyone can send 200 texts per day. That means a person will have to send more than eight texts per hour, but if an average person is awake 14 hours per day, then that person will have to send about 14 texts per hour. The obsessive need to text develops habits that harm relationships and have unseen consequences. Texting does have its appropriate moments. Personally, I use texting to ask my mom for a

ride home from school or to ask a friend what time practice starts. I also use texting to ask multiple friends if they want to go see a movie, but when it comes to big problems, I either call or talk face-to-face. Instead of texting, why not just talk faceto-face? When someone needs advice about a relationship or school issues, a face-toface conversation will serve better. That way people can decipher emotions and expressions without confusion. The intimacy of a face-toface conversation becomes better on almost all accounts. Some text conversations can get pretty long, so solving urgent personal problems with a phone call works much better. A major problem with texting includes texting during class. 43 percent of teens who bring their cell phones to school text at a minimum of once per day. Classes can get boring; I understand that. I do not understand why students would risk getting their phones taken away and more importantly why students would risk not paying attention in class resulting in bad grades and disappointed parents. The texting issue is getting very out of hand. Teens need to realize that texting cannot replace a personal friendship and a romance between two people. We need to learn that texting is not the solution for everything and enjoy the close conversations with good friends over good food.

Infographic by Jon Tracey

2009-2010 Spokesman Staff

May 7, 2010

Editorial

STEM places too little focus on English In the 21st century economy, most jobs lay within the fields of science and math. So logically WHS should focus on these professions. But where does that leave the arts and English at WHS? Recently, WHS unveiled a new photo lab for photography classes. This purchase falls within the scope of STEM. It is technology that future photographers would need familiarity with. This extremely helpful purchase will assist these photography students in pursuing the creative arts. However, this remains one purchase while the broader implications of STEM still focus on career development. Spokesman believes that STEM may place too much emphasis on career exploration. Although WHS can have some stronger focus toward these fields, Spokesman cautions that while this shift occurs, administration should not ignore traditional English and reading education. Aptitude for technology can only go so far in a creative

profession where it can go much farther in a science or mathrelated field. STEM will benefit students looking toward a future in math and science by providing classes like engineering more than STEM could benefit a student involved in English and the arts, even if these English and art students will be helped some. A larger part of developing a career in the arts relies not on technological savvy, but upon teaching students traditional artistic values and traits. Therefore, by teaching students how to use technology, although we will benefit these artistic students, unless administration is careful, they will hurt these students by focusing less on the necessary training to become an artist. Beyond artistic troubles STEM might pose, Spokesman also expresses concern over the status of the English education program in relation to STEM. Principal López mentioned in an interview that, when speaking about STEM, one

speaks about literacy, specifically communication literacy. Although Spokesman sees some connection between STEM and literacy, we draw a clear distinction between “literacy” and “communication literacy.” Technology does find some importance in communicating ideas in the 21st century, but the focus while still in high school should remain on communicating ideas in the traditional sense, making sure students read and write fluently first. While math scores have risen at WHS, reading scores remain at a district low of just 53.9 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards on PSAE testing, where Prospect High School boasts an 80.5 percent, according to the Chicago Tribune. Spokesman suggests that administration put a larger emphasis on English and reading education, especially since WHS’ scores in these areas remain so low. Administration should not completely ignore math, science and technology, and in fact can

continue to provide new classes in these areas and new technology for WHS’ labs. They should merely practice caution as they do so to prevent reading scores from plummeting further downward. Although WHS will not add “STEM school” to its official title, the focus will still prevail. According to Principal López, the school will market itself differently by adding “a comprehensive school with a STEM focus,” to some school brochures. While WHS remains a comprehensive high school, by visibly and publicly shifting the focus toward STEM, we shift it away from English and reading. This will deter the growth of those subjects and is especially dangerous to WHS as those subjects remain the areas in which WHS needs the most growth. STEM will have a great deal of positive impacts on WHS, but Spokesman warns that if it puts too much focus on math, science and career development, the shift will harm students most interested in English and the arts.


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May 7, 2010

Feature

Students experience mixed consequences from video games Martino’s parents limit video game privleges

La Palombella plays video games competitively online La Voz Editor “I played since fourth grade and I love guns. I like to be in a new world where the laws of universe don’t affect it. It’s like my imagination coming to life,” Gianluca La Palombella, sophomore, said. La Palombella has played videogames competitively since March 18, 2008. He now ranks 788 out of millions that play competitively. The rank is a general one on <gamebattles.com> and is mostly based on Call of Duty 4. “I use to play a lot, but now I don’t play as much or compete as much,” La Palombella said, “I’m getting back into it for the Halo and Gears of War 3

Do you think you are obsessed with video games? -90 percent of students answered “no.” -10 percent of students answered “yes.” 100 students sureyed

players from school and has been able to finish an entire video game in a day. La Voz Editor Anthony Garing, I v a n sophomore, M a r t i n o’s , only plays for “ (I) yelled at two hours sophomore, e ver yday a day on my dad for conversations weekdays, interrupting but for more revolve around gaming. He than seven (me) when plays three times hours a day (I was) in a week for about on weekends. the middle of eight hours a “It is a big day. However, distraction a game. We his days are when it started to yell comes to limited to only weekends. at each other.” work ethics “I wasn’t and social allowed to life,” Garing play during said. weekdays,” Martino said Garing does not see about the consequences his gaming as much of an issue parents enforced, “I still can’t.” though, he has learned to put Martino plays with other people before video games.

(competitions).” La Palombella, has only competed in the online games and has won $50. “Gaming is also very hard to be consistent at and it’s really a sport. It takes skill, practice, teamwork and it even has a pro league, (they are) like gods,” La Palombella said. La Palombella also plays with other players around the U.S. When playing against other teams, the players “trash talk” each other. The teams he plays with consists of four players. He has not gotten in trouble with his parents because of his gaming. They don’t tell him anything unless he doesn’t keep an A or B average on his grades at school.

Gaby Najera

Ivan Martino, sophomore

Gaby Najera

infographic by Jocelyn Torres

How many hours do you spend playing video games a day?

Have you ever gotten in trouble for playing video games? -80 percent of students answered “no.” -20 percent of students answered “yes.”

Information gathered by Gaby Najera and Krista Sanford

Infographic by Mallorie Bromer and Stevi Anderson

Nush goes shoeless in school Brianna Bitout Asst. Web Editor After receiving compliments for not wearing shoes on Yoko Ono’s, artist and wife of John Lennon, birthday and after looking further into barefoot living, Clancy Nush, freshman, decided to continue not wearing shoes as well. According to the Society for Barefoot Living <barefooters.org>, barefoot living is a “group of people who love going barefoot pretty much everywhere, all the time, as a lifestyle choice.” However, Eileen Hart, division head, said she had “health concerns” about Nush going barefoot, so she talked with Nush multiple times, requesting that she wear shoes. After Nush continued to attend school barefoot, Ms. Hart felt that Nush’s insubordination warranted a detention. “In general...(it’s a) reasonable request to have a student wear shoes or an appropriate shirt,” Ms. Hart said. After looking at the Society for Barefoot Living site, Nush saw nothing wrong with attending school barefoot. “I found it odd because I knew all these things about how going barefoot was healthy,” Nush said.

On the site, Nush found professional studies about how barefoot living was healthier than wearing shoes. The student handbook does not have a specific rule for whether or not students must wear shoes to school. Although Nush had looked in the student handbook and on the website, she “got scared” when Ms. Hart pulled her out of class to talk to her about not wearing shoes. “I felt angry (at first). Then I got scared and nervous, so I didn’t tell her (Ms. Hart) why (I went barefoot),” Nush said. According to Ramon Williams, dean of students, students should listen to their teachers when asked to comply with a “reasonable request.” “We can adopt rules as time goes along and as situations change,” Dean Williams said. Originally, Ms. Hart asked Nush to wear shoes to school because of an Illinois health code that she had learned about through her studies. However, the Society for Barefoot Living states that it is not against the law to walk into any establishment without shoes. Spokesman also could not find a law to corroborate Ms. Hart’s information. According to Anne Martin, social studies teacher, Ms. Hart asked her to write

Nush up for not wearing shoes and for insubordination after she continued to refuse to wear shoes. Although Ms. Martin did not plan to write Nush up before Ms. Hart requested her to do so, she thought that “it was a reasonable request.” “I didn’t plan for it to be anything more than that (a reasonable request). It’s a health and safety concern,” Ms. Martin said. Kathy Konyar, science teacher, asked Nush to put shoes on during a lab they had been doing in biology, and according to Ms. Konyar, Nush complied. Ms. Konyar asked Nush out of safety because there had been many accidents involving broken glass. “I do not clean the floor, and the maintenance doesn’t wash my floor; they dry mop it and so shoes are the only protection,” Ms. Konyar said. Since Nush’s detention, she wears shoes to school so that she will not receive more detentions. According to Nush, however, she observes barefoot living out of school and would like to be able to also continue this lifestyle in school. “It’s (barefoot living) a part of me that I want to express, but I’m not allowed to. It’s never good to have to give something up about yourself,” Nush said.


Feature 5 Hot Mollies come together to prepare for future shows May 7, 2010

Oscar Najera Editor in Chief

The Hot Mollies will perform at Rock the Run, which takes place during all P.E. periods on May 28. “Anyone who wants to come can come , but everyone is forced to go (since everyone has to go to their P.E. period),” Ber said. The Hot Mollies will also perform at Relay for Life on May 22. The band was also planning to play at Display of Cultures. As of May 3, The Hot Mollies were no longer part of the Display of Cultures show. A panel of judges chose the acts that were going to be able to perform at the show. Joanne Amador-Zapata and Bertha Sanchez, Display of Cultures organizers, had no comment regarding the decision. “Everyone deserves a right to privacy and talking about people who didn’t make the show doesn’t seem right,” Ms. Amador-Zapata said.

Oscar Najera

Oscar Najera

“We are Americans and we knew we were going to do America,” Steven Majkowski, senior, said. Majkowski stands in his dim basement, where he and his two other band mates, Jeremy Ber and Joe McGuire, seniors, practice. “Because America is the best culture of all time,” Ber added. “We are cold blooded Americans,” Majkowski said. “Damn straight,” Ber replied. “You don’t say stuff like that...c’mon let’s be a little bit serious for once in a while... act normal,” Joe McGuire, senior, said. A large, black rug covers the floor, with McGuire’s acoustic and electric guitar, Majkowski’s bass guitar and

Ber’s percussion set laying on top of it. The Hot Mollies have just finished an hour and a half rehearsal. “The style of music we play is American so...if it wasn’t for some certain American s o n g s . . . i n n o v a t i o n s ,w e wouldn’t be playing rock and roll,” McGuire said. Although The Hot Mollies just formed this year, Ber, Majkowski and McGuire have been playing at school shows since their sophomore year with other bands. “We’ve been together for a while...just in...different bands,” Majkowski said. “And eventually those ones fell apart so we just kind of took the remnants of that, and we made the Hot Mollies,” McGuire said. “It just came down to us three,” Majkowski said. “So it’s like a hot dog, we make something good out of crap,” Ber said.

Left: Jeremy Ber, senior, practices the song “Mississippi Boll Weevil,” which The Hot Mollies were originally going to perform during Display of Cultures. They are currently attempting to branch out to play at more local shows. The band plans to continue to stay together next year despite all three of them going away to college. They plan to practice during their breaks. Top: Joe McGuire finishes playing, “Think hard,” a song that he wrote himself. McGuire writes the songs on his own, then the band practices them when McGuire sees it as presentable enough. According to McGuire, the band then makes the songs enjoyable and fun. “We try to have a good time. Some bands don’t understand that music should be fun for at least one person,” McGuire said. “If you don’t have fun playing music, what’s the point of playing it?”

Suchojad sells self-designed shirts “MY FAVORITE T-SHIRT IS THE OXYGEN ONE. IT’S AT A REASONABLE PRICE (OF $10) AND I JUST LOVE THE QUOTE,” LIZ CASTILLO, FRESHMAN, SAID.

Gretchen Shelby, freshman, models one of Kasia Suchojad’s T-shirt designs.

Used with permission by Kasia Suchojad

“I CAME ACROSS THIS QUOTE, AND WHEN I SAW THAT NO ONE ELSE HAD USED IT I DECIDED TO PUT IT ON A T-SHIRT,” KASIA SUCHOJAD, FRESHMAN, SAID.

Megan Jones Staff Reporter After attending Warped Tour 2009 and seeing the merchandise sold there, Kasia Suchojad, freshman, had the idea to create her own online store called Corrupt Dream, <http://www.corruptdream.com/>. After paying $20 to set up the site, she used it to sell T-shirts for $10 with the designs of her favorite quotes and phrases. “The style of my clothes is catered to teens. Whatever quotes or designs people come up with I will put on the T-shirt. I used to have a Myspace called Kasia Corrupt and while brainstorming store names that just came up in my head,” Suchojad said. Suchojad orders the T-shirts from a company called District Lines. According to Suchojad, they had the best price she had come across, and have handled major brands such as NeverShoutNever . Suchojad’s parents help her by paying $350 for the T-shirts to get printed, and the price of T-shirts was set at $10. “I get my inspiration from Pete Wentz, the guitarist from Fall Out Boy, who has his own online store, so I thought I could try it too. There’s also a store called Nothing Personal with all of this original stuff and I liked that,” Suchojad said. It took Suchojad over two months to create the online store. She went through the whole process on her own. “My parents do not speak much English, so it’s my own thing. They are glad to help me

with it, but they are not really a part of it. They were mostly there for the support and to pay for the shirts,” Suchojad said. For now Suchojad only sells T-shirts, but as money comes in, she plans to expand to accessories. “I plan on making bracelets, sort of like the Livestrong bracelets with phrases and quotes on them just like my T-shirts,” Suchojad said. Both Liz Castillo and Gretchen Shelby, freshmen, purchased T-shirts from Suchojad, becoming her first two customers. “I saw her site from her Facebook and looked at it. I immediately wanted a T-shirt then,” Castillo said. Photos of Shelby modeling are currently on Suchojad’s blog. Suchojad snapped photos of Shelby wearing her T-shirt at WHS next to the lockers. “She (Suchojad) came up to me and asked me if I wanted to model for her. I love her oxygen T-shirt which is what I modeled. I think the T-shirts are really creative, and it’s good that she is trying to get stuff together for herself in the future,” Shelby said. Suchojad uses a Facebook group as well as word of mouth as a way of advertising. “It felt amazing when the first person bought the shirt. It gave me hope that if one person liked it, a lot more would,” Suchojad said. According to Suchojad, helping other people was also something she always wanted to do. Suchojad plans to help local families, but lack of money has kept her from doing this. Once she begins to make a profit she hopes to help other those in need.


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Fo

May 7, 2010

STEM changes over time - Before 2007-2008 year: Dr. Lázaro López, principal meets with an administrator team . - 2007-current: Enrollment declines.

The school expects to have 1600 or less by the 2013-2014 school year. Enrollment has been a major problem since Dr. López was hired.

- 1 1/2 to 2 years ago: Reading introduction lab put in place to help bring students to the proper reading level. - Summer 2009: Renovations

-- Built fabrication lab in tech hallway -- Split room 190 into architecture lab and media tech room, also used for computer repair -- ”The upgrades in that area definitely increased the STEM capacity, now we have two rooms for Project Lead the Way, plus the fabrication lab, and that will give students education to go directly into work world or college level tech courses,” Brian Lichtenberger, associate principal, said. -- Upgraded Room 174 (art room) to use for digital photography --- New Concessions stand added to cafeteria - ”Not for STEM necessarily, but we had the money to do it and that’s what we chose to do with it. STEM isn’t meant to be stand-alone for certain things, the point of it is to be integrated throughout,” Mr. Lichtenberger said.

- Race to the Top program: career-based choices rather than graduation-based - January 2010: First amount of money given for Race To the Top education program. - January 21: District board meeting where David Schuler said he wanted to keep the names of the district schools consistant - March 9: Fermilab's Diversity Office sponsors talk about shortage of women in science fields - Summer 2010: Renovations

-- Changing Room 208 into a 1st and 2nd health career and sports medicine classroom, originally taught by .Julie Levine, science teacher in Room 213 -- Room 225 and 227 will be combined into a math and science office, while math office (Room 230) will be a math classroom

- Aug. 9: WHS will host a STEM for All Conference and the school will be rededicated, but the name will not be changed. Information by Stevi Anderson

Q & A Dr. Lázaro López, principal Interview by Dan Malsom Q. What is STEM education, and what does it encompass? A. STEM really represents the broader identification that many people have used, that as an acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and the fact that that represents a focus both from an educational perspective as well as from a global business perspective in America, because that is where most economists and even many of our leaders, political leaders and otherwise, have identified as where the most opportunities and resources are being invested in in the future. Q. So, would STEM then have a lot to do with career preparation? A. STEM at Wheeling High School really is an organizing framework for us to access 21st century skills and emphasize careers— you say career preparation—but emphasize the broad range of careers that are available from a STEM perspective. And again I don’t do that because I think science technology engineering and math is any better or worse than fine arts—I’m an English teacher—or some other career pathway. I do that because it is my responsibility to provide as many real opportunities for students as possible. Q. What will be the official name of WHS next year? A. For the future we’re not going to officially have any kind of byline. We’ll still just be Wheeling High School. What we’ve done is in some of our marketing of the school and in some of the publications of the school, we’ll add “a comprehensive school with a STEM focus.” We may simply say that our new logo, our new academic logo, lists Math, Science and Technology. Again, that’s just so that people, when they think about Wheeling High School, they think about kids that are really prepared for the future.

Q. When did the idea of bringing STEM to WHS first come up? A. Well the reality is that right before I became principal, I met with the administrative team, and there were some significant concerns ahead for us. And one of those significant concerns was our projected enrollment. By 2013-2014 it’s going to be close to 1600 students, or less. Now I talked to the staff about this and I talked to you as a reporter before, that for every 20 students we lose, I lose a teacher. And it was our analysis that part of what contributed to that was an inaccurate perception of Wheeling High School within our district. When I was hired, what I heard over and over again was that Wheeling High School is the best kept secret in the district, and the reality is I felt that was part of the problem. Why are we a secret? We don’t need to be a secret. People need to know about us. Q. Students have noticed more banners up around the school. How does that fit into all of this? A. It feeds into the idea that we were a bestkept secret. We can’t be a secret. We’ve got to let people know. That’s what successful organizations do. While we are a school, you can’t ignore the fact that there has to be value in the organization for your community. Q. Math has seen an upturn, but Reading and English standardized test scores have consistently been at the bottom of the district. How are you going to address that problem in the years to come? A. We have been addressing that extensively over the last three years. I am very disappointed in the sense that the hard work that our teachers are doing and that our students are doing aren’t reflected in those scores yet, but I think that they will be. That is why we’ve done things for example in the Rintro Lab. If you take a look down there, that Rintro Lab is a double room and we have three teachers in there, two teachers and an instructional assistant, and their entire focus is to help students that are coming in here not reading at grade level to read at grade level. That program has only been in place really for two years, a year and a half. So we have yet to see all of the things that we put in place actually reflected in any of those scores.

Q. What are some new features of the school that have come because of the STEM transition? A. Lots of them. I’m very excited about them. The main one that we’ve talked about before is the advanced manufacturing facility. The digital photo lab. This summer, we are going to create a new health careers lab. There will be hospital beds and there will be all sorts of equipment. It will look like a little mini hospital lab, the Health Careers Lab we’re calling that, which I’m very excited about. Q. One of the main things you have been talking about is the STEM for All Initiative. Can you explain that a little bit? A. If you take a look around, there are lots of schools that have a math science focus in the country, and there are two in the state. However, the majority of them are focused on the elite, on the top student, on that small slice. You know, IMSA (Illinois Math and Science Academy) only has about 600 students and they don’t start until sophomore year, and they take the best students from across the state. And so I didn’t want to create a program that was exclusive for just this small group of our kids. It was important to us that, if were going to focus on STEM, that it’s opportunity for kids at every ability level, from kids who are struggling in math to our top kids. Q. (WHS will be rededicated on) Aug. 9. What’s the rededication going to be like? A. Really, what it is is an opportunity to add our voice to the national and statewide conversation about STEM, and really we’re defining it. STEM for All is really sort of our creation, because when you talk to educators from outside of our school, many of them don’t understand what that means and if that’s even possible....We are expecting to have about 350 educators here from around the state—to talk about STEM for All. *Some answers were edited due to space constraints.

School budget changes from last year to this year “As much as I can, I try to keep everyone’s supply budget as stable as possible and take it out of other areas like transportation,”

Brian Lichtenberger, associate prinipal Infographic by Dan Malsom

*Grand total includes more than what is shown

Survey exposes mixed student views on STEM

352 students surveyed

Opinion when they first heard of STEM

152 100

Current Opinion of STEM

50 I am against it

I support it

I have mixed feelings

I have no opinion

Infographic by Daniel Brount


7

ocus

Stevi Anderson Feature Editor On Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17, students from the Project Lead the Way class competed in the dirtrict’s first ever Battle Bots competition. The competition included all the schools from District 214, with the exception of Rolling Meadows High School. “It was by far the coolest thing I’ve done in high school,” Matt Rosen, junior, said. The district has held an annual Battle Bots competition for over 10 years. The Hersey High School Blackbox Theater housed the competition. Mike Geist, engineering teacher, hopes to host the competition in the WHS field house next year. Before holding the competition locally, teams used to fly to Miami, Fla. to compete nationally. However, the district opted to build an arena and compete locally in order to save money. Now, other districts, such as District 211, have shown interest in holding their own competitions. Students have worked on their robots since November, creating three robots altogether. One robot took about three to four months to work on. “We designed the bots, used the computers to make protypes, and then we cut it from the wood and made the mills from aluminum. Ours was one of the first groups to finish making our metal frame so we have a lot of

time to fix things, like mounting motors and adding different things to make it stronger,” John Gertie, junior, said. WHS took the largest team, which had 30 students, to the competition. “I wanted to keep it small because I’m still learning too, so I kept it internal (with only Project Lead the Way students) and our class did a lot of the manufacturing, but now that we’re comfortable with it, I’d like to open it up to the entire school next year,” Mr. Geist said. The Project Lead the Way class set aside time during their class to work on the robots, but next year they will do more of the work after school. Three females, Jessica Peterson and Jen Nixon, seniors, and Cassi Rothbart, sophomore, competed with the WHS team. All other teams in the district were male-only teams. “I took Mr. Geist’s IEM (Introduction to Engineering Mechanics) class last year, and he told us then that we would be making Battle Bots (this year)...it was cool to get a good background of the technology, plus I learned a lot about wiring electrics,” Rothbart said. A crowd of aproximately 200 spectators came to watch the event. Many parents, grandparents and friends of the competing students attended. “It was a really nice arena and a nice setup. It was kind of rough because we lost the first few (rounds), but we ended up winning in the end and it was pretty cool,” Gertie said.

Photo Courtesy of Mike Geist

Students build robots for first district Battle Bots competition

Sam Mo, junior, and Matt Levine, senior, fix one of the Battle Bot’s chains that came off during one of the matches. “The neat thing about it was that ...we got to the point where even the losing teams couldn’t wait to get into the arena and fight,” Mike Geist, engineering teacher, said.

STEM camp to offer classes for young students Daniel Brount Focus Editor During the week of June 14, WHS will hold its first Summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Camp for students in first to eighth grade. Nancy Heintz, math and science division head, said that the program will help increase future student interest in STEM subjects and allow students to take part in different activities such as graphing or making food. WHS teachers came up with ideas for classes to teach. The 23 different classes range from “You Can’t Taste a Pickle With Your Ear!” led by Shannon Chambers, science teacher, to “Science of Food,” led by Matt Padron and Francisco Caballero, science teachers.

In “You Can’t Taste a Pickle With Your Ear,” second and third graders will learn about the five senses and in “Science of Food,” seventh and eighth graders will be able to make food and learn about the science involved. “I think they (camp courses) will make science less scary. They’ll show that science is everywhere around you and the more you work with science, the more things you can do,” Mr. Padron said. According to Ms. Heintz, these classes are not only meant to expose younger students to STEM subjects, but they will also give an opportunity to see the high school that these students will eventually attend. “They get to see the high school and that it isn’t a place to be afraid of... I think it’s going to be very fun, and it’s good to have a lot of learning going on,” Ms. Heintz said.

Kevin Lennon, business teacher, will lead a class for second and third grade students that will use a program called Pockets to add and count. Students will have an activity where they count how many pockets they have each day and graph how many to see the number increase and decrease over the course of the week. “It’s actually a project my mom does. She is a teacher and she does the same project, and the kids really get excited with it,” Mr. Lennon said. Lisa Del Muro, science teacher, will lead “Crave the Wave,” which combines learning about waves with Adobe Photoshop. “I think we have a good group of people working on it. When you get to choose what to do, it’ll be fun,” Ms. Del Muro said.

Student Survey

Photo Opinion

352 students surveyed

Do you think STEM will benefit the school?

Do you understand what STEM’s purpose is?

Not sure: 130

“No, Principal Lopez only told us what STEM stands for and that’s it,”

Yes: 114

No: 108

Jessica Livingston, freshman

Do you feel WHS is doing enough to be a STEM school?

Not sure: 129

“It’ll bring in more funding to the Project Lead the Way, ”

Tyler Cochrane, senior

No: 83

Yes: 153

No: 69

Do you think STEM will harm other programs?

Yes: 84 Not sure: 174

If students are interested in assistant teaching the classes, they can speak to Ms. Heintz or one of the teachers involved. “I would do it (assistant teach) because it would be fun and a good experience, and a lot of people need a community service opportunity,” Lidiya Gryniv, junior, said. In order to continue the camp for future years, it will need to be successful the first time. Ms. Heintz said she hopes for it to succeed and expand for future years. “It’s a great chance to showcase WHS and show important learning, the dedicated staff and the wonderful students,” Ms. Heintz said. Ms. Heintz said that people began registering not long after the brochure was added to the WHS website and registration opened. Registration for the program ends on May 21.

“Absolutely. I’m in the medical program and it’s doing so much already and it’s not even the focus, ”

Joanna Stankowicz, sophomore

Not sure: 143

Yes: 123

No: 86

“STEM makes kids participating in fine arts look like they’re worth nothing, ”

J. T. Teichert, junior


8

7 de mayo, 2010

La Voz

Backbones une comunidad para recuardar fondos, apoyan Reveca Torres, coordinadora de Backbones, tiene sueños, sueños que son comunes para cualquier persona comun. Aspira ser exitosa y hace todo lo posible para realizar sus aspiraciones. La unica diferencia entre ella y nosotros es que ella es descapacitada. La palabra “descapacitada” es muy general ya que hay muchas generalizaciones y esteriotipos entre este grupo de personas. Por esta razón, ha creado la organizacion Backbones que se centra en conectar personas con lesión de la medula espinal. “Quiero que se conecten y que aprendan unos de otros y dar ayuda mutualmente para que tambien motiven a los demás, asi sentiran más confianza, “ Torres, dijo. Backbones trata de hacer recaudadores de fondos para dar becas para personas que estan en una silla de ruedas. Este dinero sera usado para que estas personas realizen sus sueños en hacer cualquier deporte que quieran sin importar que la aseguranza no lo cubra ó cualquier profesión que quieren persuadir. Sin embargo, Torres no está haciendo todo por su cuenta. Su mano derecha, Patricia Gonzalez Mikicic, assistente del director de Backbones, contribuye mucho al exíto de Backbones y ella le da todo el credito a su

Izquierda: Al oir el trueno de la pistola, los corredores comienzan la carrera de cinco kilometros. Derecha: Adam Torres, el hermano mayor de Reveca Torres, acaba la carrera de cinco kilometros de Backbones en Prospect Heights con una gran sonrisa.

Jocelyn Torres

Graphics Reporter

amiga, Torres. “Creo que mi amistad con Becky realmente me ha hecho una mejor persona porque ella nunca ha permitido que su lesión le impide crecer como persona, viajar, aprender y hacer lo que quiere. Esto realmente me enseña a trabajar a mi máximo potencial, sin darme por vencido o frustrarme; mi amor por Becky como una amiga me ha hecho desear que todo el mundo tuviera nuestra amistad. Ella me inspira cada día,” Gonzalez Mikicicdijo. Algunas cosas que hacen son bowl-a-thons, cata de vinos, juegos de futbol y recientemente, Run-Walk-and-Roll. Todas estas cosas le benefician a la organizacion pero el Run-Walkand-Roll conecta a WHS y esta organizacion asi como la comunidad entera. Run-Walk-and Roll es un maraton de 5k que da apoyo a los descapacitados. Torres promovió el maratón de varias maneras. Fue mencionada en 103.5 KISS FM y entrevistada en 95.5 MEGA FM. Pero WHS también hizo su parte para esta causa. Julissa Hernandez, profesora de matemáticas, trató de involucrar a sus estudiantes. “Quería llamar la atención de mis alumnos a esta causa y la mejor manera de captar la atención de un estudiante es decir ‘crédito extra’ sin importar para qué y cuánto,” Hernandez dijo. Este maratón tomó lugar a las 8:30 a.m. el 25 de Abril en la ciudad de Prospect Heights.

Jocelyn Torres

Jocelyn Torres

Jennie Dice: Primordial

prioridad debe ser educación

Jennie Alcantar A&E Editor

En mi vida, he tenido varios encuentros con parejas que toman su relación con su querido ó querida muy seriamente, ó sin importancia. Tengo unos amigos que son asi. Por ejemplo, una de mis amigas tiene expectativas muy altas cuando se trata de novios. Ella piensa mucho en tener el novio perfecto y estar en la relación perfecta. No entiende que sus expectativas son demasiado buenas para ser verdad. Aveces se enoja cuando su pareja habla con otras chicas que son simplemente sus amigas de él. Piensa que todas las chicas con quien él habla, estan tratando de lastimar su relación. Luego, tengo un amigo que cada vez que lo veo esta con una chica diferente. Me hace dudar si en realidad tiene morales. Entiendo que le gustan las chicas pero no quiere entender que hay niñas que tienen normas. No se si es porque ellos sienten que en realidad necesitan alguien, o si es solo porque piensan que lo que hacen es verdaderamente correcto. Aunque no esté de acuerdo con lo que estos dos de mis amigos hacen, no estoy diciendo que los jovenes no deben participar en relaciones ya que esto es inevitable. Lo unico que quiero dar a entender es que

los jovenes de nuestro tiempo aumentan la presión sobre ellos mismos cuando intentan buscar a la pareja ideal como en las pelicúlas Las relaciones de la secundaria deberían empezar por conocerse el uno al otro. No se deberian aferrar a su pareja de la secundaria porque ellos también todavia estan tratando de encontrar lo que a ellos le llaman “la atención.” Las relaciones son simplemente inmaduras. Las parejas parecen que no pueden estar sin su el otro ni siquiera por un segundo. Es como si los dos vivieran el uno por el otro. Lo que deberían estar haciendo es enfocarse en sus materias de la escuela. Claro, se que sueño como mi mamá cuando me esta hablando de chicos pero soy suficientemente sensata para saber que lo que dice es correcto. Si en verdad quisieran a su pareja, los dos estarian enfocados en la escuela para poder tener un futuro mejor con el uno al otro. Las parejas que se enfocan en la escuela ahorita son las parejas maduras que entienden como poner sus prioridades primero. También hay veces que toman decisiones inapropiadas. Son decisiones que a veces son adequadas para alguien con su vida ya planeada ya, no para jovenes que ni si quiera son responsables de entregar tarea. Algunas de estas parejas se enojan cuando no toman su relación en serio. Pero uno no los puede tomar en serio cuando tienen su boda y todavia pelean cada otro dia. La experiencia de la secundaria debería ser sobre amigos, las materias y las actividades extraescolar. Los jovenes tienen que entender que todavia tienen tiempo para encontrarse con personas que podrian ser su signigicado otro. Por ahora, los jovenes deberían hacer amigos que siempre estaran allí por ellos.


A&

May 7, 2010

Rosalie Chan Staff Reporter

On April 20, WHS students received recognition and free framing for their art pieces that were accepted to the LISA show, which took place at a framing store called The Great Frame Up on Buffalo Grove Road. “Our long standing tradition of taking part in The Great Frame Up shows goes back a decade,” Rebeccah Silver, art teacher, said. “David Klitzky (owner of The Great Frame Up) makes a point of recognizing every single student. I don’t know of any show that gives attention to the individual student.” Mr. Klitzky goes to every art show in each of the seven Great Frame Up stores. All students who submitted work to the LISA show received a certificate of recognition. Amy Lee, senior, attended the show and presented a chalk drawing of a self-

portrait she submitted. “Everyone could see my artwork. Friends and other people I don’t know see them,” Lee said. “I liked how he (Mr. Klitzky) presented our work and how we got to speak about our work. I looked at other people’s artwork to see how I could improve myself.” The Great Frame Up has held the art show, which used to be called the Creative SelfExpression Show, since 1995. The store renamed it the LISA (Life Is Simply Art) Show in 2003 in memory of the owners’ daughter, Lisa Klitzky, an artist who died of cancer in 2002. “It’s phenomenal. He (Mr. Klitzky) takes time out of the day to respect his daughter’s wishes and his passion for art,” Ms. Silver said. “I’m so impressed with the generosity David and Marlowe (wife of Mr. Klitzky) Klitzky provide not just to Wheeling High School, but to the Chicago community.” Twenty-four students submitted art in various

categories, but not every student attended the show as expected. “Even though a child’s piece may not win best of the best, they should be proud because they made it this far (having art displayed at the LISA Show),” Claudia Elfter, frame consultant at The Great Frame Up, said. “We didn’t have the turnout we typically do at (WHS), probably because Ms. Silver, was on maternity leave.” Julie Bale, art teacher at Buffalo Grove High School, judged WHS’ art for the LISA show. Kelsie Jurik, senior, won best of show for photography; Bety Camino, senior, won for graphic communications; Julio Hernandez, senior, won for drawing; Steven Yfantis, senior, won for sculpture and Nataliya Chaykivska, junior, won for painting. The Great Frame Up exhibited art from Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Lake Zurich and Stevenson High Schools from April 19 to May 3.

Rosalie Chan

Artists recognized for pieces in LISA Show

9

Ashley Greenberg, sophomore, presented her artwork at the LISA show on April 20. Greenberg submitted a sculpture to the show. “I like to be in it (the LISA Show) because I want to be an art teacher,” Greenberg said. “It shows I’m doing something with my talent and that I can go somewhere with it.”

Jason’s Deli satisfies customer with healthy alternatives Bety Camino Photo Editor

The moment I stepped in the door to Jason’s Deli, located on North Rand Road in Palatine, a bath of bright summer colors washed over me. I’m cheerfully greeted with a kind “hello,” by the cashier and I walk forward admiring the yellow, orange, red and green walls. I could hardly choose what to get the first

YouTopia

time. The menu offered an enticing assortment of meals such as sandwiches and pastas and I didn’t feel the guilt I feel when I walk into a fast food joint. With one quick glance I noticed my options were actually pretty healthy. One look at their website and it’s easy to tell that Jason’s Deli really pushes healthy eating. Conveniently, the nutritional information for everything from the dressings available at the salad bar to their specialty, Po’boys, can be found on their web page, portion sizes and all. For those truly watching their calorie intake there’s the “Real Choices” section of the menu, which lists the calories, sodium and sugars in the meal. I wanted to test this section out to see if making healthier choices meant sacrificing

Dan Malsom

Jon Tracey

Editor-In-Chief

Forum Editor

Top Pick In the world of cinema, a couple of special qualities make the difference between an average movie and one that goes on to win eight Academy Awards in one year. This video takes the essence of all Academy Award winning movies and melts it down to one three-minute movie trailer. Given the chance, this movie could outshine “Titanic,” “Forrest Gump” and “The Dark Knight.” No doubt about it.

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spinach wrap could beat my fulfilling side. Nonetheless, I went on and unraveled the thick brown paper surrounding the wholewheat tortilla. With one bite I was completely convinced that dieters could find peace in the options offered at Jason’s Deli as I enjoyed my spinach wrap. Though I was completely stuffed at the end, the overall enjoyment of my meal left me wanting more. The following dinner trips to Jason’s Deli allowed me to finally eat inside. After trying out Jason’s Deli’s french onion soup, grilled portobello wrapini, and vegetarian pasta alfredo I can easily say Jason’s Deli has become my fast-food alternative.

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taste so I ordered a Spinach Veggie wrap, which boasted organic spinach, organic tomatoes, homemade pico de gallo and guacamole. Next, I was asked what I’d like on the side. Instead of hearing the typical “Would you like fries with that?” I was surprised with options such as steamed veggies, blue corn chips and homemade salsa or a pickle; I chose the steamed veggies. I instantly developed an obsession with steamed veggies because of Jason’s Deli. Up until that point, I was used to the tasteless dissatisfaction synonymous with steamed veggies, but Jason’s Deli completely changed that. Fresh, crisp and steamed just right, I was almost convinced that there was no way my

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10

May 7, 2010

‘Shattered’ lacks lasting impact Krista Sanford News Editor

Music. Strength. Love. Sorrow. These characteristics all sum up the book “Shattered” by Kathi Baron. “Shattered”, overall, was well-written at some points, but horribly-written at others. Baron did a great job in describing the thoughts of the main character, but there were parts in the book where the scenery or the actions of other characters were not described all the way. When Cassie’s dad destroys her valuable violin, she decides to run away. The first night away from home, she meets a boy named Nick. Throughout the book, Cassie must rely on her friends and family to help her deal with the issues in her life. While the main idea of the book was great, Baron cut some of the actions short. For example, her time away from home only lasts about 75 pages, less than a third of the book. I liked that Baron had Cassie live in a homeless shelter while she ran away, but that only took up about 10 pages, even though it was described as a much longer time in the author’s summary of the book. Cassie’s experiences of running away should have at least taken up a good amount of the book, considering it was talked about in the author’s summary. Before I read the book, I thought I would be reading about her life away from home, because that was how Baron described the book. I was disappointed, and confused, when the summary did not describe the actual plot of the book. Although Cassie was away from home, she had a cell phone which she checked throughout her time away from home. She constantly had messages from people who loved her saying how much they wanted her to come back home: her mother, her violin teacher and her best friend Winnie.

I liked how Baron made Cassie have a lot of loved ones who care about her. Cassie’s mother was calling her cell phone 24/7 and Winnie kept telling Cassie that Winnie and Winnie’s dad would drop everything they were doing and go pick up Cassie, whereever she was. It contrasted with her own father breaking her violin. A part that confused me though was Cassie’s hatred towards her mother while away. She refuses to call her by her name and blames all the family problems on her. I wish that Baron could have explained why Cassie would think this. Towards the end, I had to piece together what I had learned from the book in order to start to understand how Cassie could blame her mother. While music lovers, especially those in orchestra, would love this book, I think anyone would enjoy reading “Shattered”. Baron uses music terms to describe people like how in the beginning of the book, she describes Cassie’s mom’s heels tapping “in staccato on the wooden hallway.” The little music terms throug hout the book made me laugh, me being in orchestra and all. Of course, no book would ever be complete without the love interest. Cassie and Nick were written well because Baron had both of them have cracks in their family. Cassie has to deal with her father and Nick has to deal with a painful divorce that his parents went through. I thought Baron did a nice job tying the love connection with them in the story. Nick was the first person Cassie met the night she ran away, and every day Nick would call to make sure she was okay. As much as I would like to explain what I am trying to say, I cannot do that without spoiling the book. “Shattered” is a book for all readers--especially those who do not know much about music. All readers will be able to relate to one side of Cassie, whether it is the musical side or the family issues side. People can connect to the book in all different ways. The reccuring themes of love and music make the book interesting, but easy to put down when needed to be.

A& E

“Picture Perfect” Promotion

Left: During the Prom Fashion Show held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, Julian Hammar, junior, and Joel Rangel, senior, model different styles of prom attire. Hammar created her own dress to model, something she does on her own as a hobby. “It was really fun. It’s a great way for people to get ideas on what to wear for prom,” Hammar said. David’s Bridal, Black Tie Tuxedos and A L’Amour Bridal Shop also provided dresses and tuxedos. Bottom: Dana Nast, senior, models a dress by A L’Amour. Photos used with permission from Roger Mattingly

Above Standing alongside her partner, Guadalupe Garcia, junior, smiles as Omar Lopez, junior, presents her. “I received a pass recommending me to participate, so I went ahead and talked to the teachers in charge (Ms. Mattingly and Ms. Faber).” said Guadalupe Garcia, junior. The Dress Garcia modeled was from David’s Bridal.

Dundee offers affordable dining Dan Malsom Editor-In-Chief A new restaurant opened its doors this February on Milwaukee Road’s Restaurant Row in Wheeling. Area residents noticed, and they flocked to that new Superdawg restaurant as soon as it started taking orders. I followed suit, and I discovered that Superdawg had found its place on Restaurant Row, even as a fast food joint. The hot dog, topped with all the fixin’s, easily beat the one’s offered on two-for-one Tuesdays at school. Superdawg also beckoned with the novelty of a 1950s-style drive in restaurant, which fit in with other restaurants

like Benihana and Bob Chinns. All three provide an atmosphere to accompany the food they serve. Before I received my meal, though, I remembered the problem that I had with Restaurant Row as a stingy yet hungry high school student. The hot dog and a sparse helping of fries that cost me $4.95, hardly filled me up. Fewer than three miles west of Milwaukee, however, stands a different type of restaurant row. This row, on the corner of Dundee and Buffalo Grove Roads, receives little recognition maybe because of the plain exterior. But this row also lacks the four-digit prices of Restaurant Row, and it definitely does not lack in food quality. That, if not anything else, deserves recognition. Grande Jakes, at 205 W. Dundee Road, knows how to make a meal for a high school stomach—and wallet. The Mexican grill

offers both authentic Latin American cuisine and the traditional American hamburgers and fries. When I first ate there, I could taste the freshness of the vegetables through the tortilla of my burrito. And with unlimited warm and crispy tortilla chips accompanying a salsa bar with 10 varieties of salsa, the junior size burrito can become a full meal in itself. The freshness and flavor costs only $4.25. Next door, the recently refurbished Dengeos Restaurant provides a different food selection for about the same price. Both the gyros plate and Greek and Caesar salads cost under $10 and provide more than enough food for one person. Their pita bread, garlic bread and buttery, lemony Greek potatoes all serve as enticing alternatives to typical French fries. Across the street, both The Continental Restaurant (788

S. Buffalo Grove Road) and Las Palmas (86 W. Dundee Road), provide a more peaceful and more traditional ‘sit down and enjoy the meal’ atmosphere. Accordingly, they cost more than traditional fast food places, but still pale in comparison to some of the higher-end restaurant row prices. Beyond these restaurants, curious and hungry customers will find pizza, Vietnamese, Chinese, more Greek and other flavors sprinkled around the intersection: the variety of Restaurant Row without the prices. Instead of wandering down Restaurant Row in the search for a satifying meal consider Restaurant Corner on Dundee and Buffalo Grove Roads to fulfill food needs. The servers may not bring food to the car or cook it at the table, but eating good food affordably counts for something too.


Chris Schwarz Staff Reporter The boys varsity water polo team, led by Andy Eiter, junior starting wing, with four goals and Tim McDaniel, senior starting wing, with three, closed out the regular season with a 9-8 victory over John Hersey High School. With the regular season over the team prepares for its first sectional game against Deer Park High School on May 12. “We’re expecting them to come out hard because it’s Sectionals. It should be a good game,” Chris Prelletz, junior driver, said. According to Eiter, the team plans to utilize their

time and space during the week before Sectionals in order to prepare for the game. “The week before Sectionals we don’t have games and we have morning practices without JV in the pool so we can get a lot more done,” Eiter said. The team started out slow with a 13-5 loss to Conant, but was able to turn its season around and end with a 13-7 record and take third place in the East Mid-Suburban League, the best record the team has ever had. “Lots of practice geared toward specific areas like communication and passing helped us turn our season around,” Eiter said. The sectional game will be held on May 12 at Vernon Hills High School.

Varsity loses four ‘impactual’ seniors Karen Rodriguez Staff Reporter On April 26, the girls varsity soccer team lost to the Rolling Meadows Mustangs with a score of 2-0. The team lost four “impactual” seniors who had played since they were little. “It cut us down in terms of numbers, “Darren Llewelyn, head coach, said. However, even with the loss of four seniors, the team received three incoming freshmen who played in clubs. Others like Gina Mazzetta, sophomore, do club in the summer to help improve possession drills. According to Mazzetta the girls that they play against are huge, which is why she

has trouble possessing the ball. According to Coach Llewelyn the expectations the team has are unrealistic with only six winning games as a record. Even with the Wildcats taking the title of best team in conference last year, “it is still the hardest in the state,” Mazzetta said. According to Coach Llewelyn some of the games they have played have been amazing, however, being in the Mid-Suburban League already tough as it is. For Anna Macqueen, senior, speaking up during a game is what she needs to work on. “They (the girls) commit themselves to be the best they can be,” Coach Llewelyn said.

11

May 7, 2010

Brianna Bitout

13-7 season leads Varsity to Sectionals

Sports

Mitch Lewis, senior, receives the ball during the Senior Night game Tuesday, May 7, against the Rolling Meadows Mustangs. After a hard spike from Lewis that won the team a point, his team members swarmed him. The Cats won the first match 2725 but lost the game.

Basketball teams welcome old coaches to new positions Ryan Griesmeyer Sports Editor Both boys and girls varsity basketball teams will welcome two Daily Herald All-Area guards from high school to their head coaching staff next season: John Clancy, P.E. teacher, and Julissa Hernandez, math teacher. After a decade of coaching the boys varsity basketball, Lou Wool, boys varsity coach, told Coach Clancy of his withdrawal himself. “I knew that I had made a good relationship with the guys on the team, and though some people might think that I am inexperienced, I believed I had a shot as good as anyone,” Coach Clancy said. Mr. Wool said he believed that Coach Clancy is the man for the job. “Coach Clancy will do a great job. He is enthusiastic about basketball and brings a lot of energy and commitment to coaching. He is very young and that

Junior varsity tennis accepts ‘challenge’ of playing varsity

is a pro because he will be able to relate to the high school players, and will have the energy that a younger coach brings to the job,” Mr. Wool said in an e-mail interview. “He will learn on the job as different situations develop.” According to Coach Clancy, he brings knowledge of the game and feels very passionate about the game. He sees himself as a “player’s coach.” “I want us to be a basketball family from the starting player to the last player picked on the freshman team. I want them to take a pride in WHS basketball,” Coach Clancy said. Along with Mr. Wool, Shelly Wiegel, former girls varsity coach, said she sees the passion Coach Hernandez feels about the game. “I think Coach Hernandez will be a great coach. She knows how to get the most out of them and push them to achieve more,” Ms. Wiegel said. “The only con is that some people will question her a bit because of her youth. But I know she will handle it well, and

isa C/V

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will gain experience as she learns on the job.” Coach Hernandez played basketball in high school and two years in college. “I think I’m going to do a lot more yelling,” Coach Hernandez said. For next year, Coach Hernandez doesn’t want to lose the team’s goal or success that is expected of them. “As a team, we’d have to come up with one (a goal), but I don’t want us to lose expectations that have already been implemented in the program,” Coach Hernandez said. The former head coaches are not done with basketball, though they’ve stepped down from the positions. Mr. Wool plans to coach freshman boys basketball and Ms. Wiegel plans to coach again once her family is settled down. “I knew it would be a big commitment to start a family, and I wanted to make sure I could handle everything,” Ms. Wiegel said. “I think I will coach again in the future, but likely at an underlevel ... at least five years down the road.”

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Connor Leuck, freshman and junior varsity player, practices outside on the tennis court after school. “Sometimes we (look at kids and) think ‘if they’d come out freshman year,’” Paul Dzien, varsity coach, said. Leuck was among the number of freshmen that tried out for the 2010 year.

Jennie Alcantar A&E Editor As the boys’ tennis team its their season, a low number of students tried out. “Enrollment has gone down (at WHS) and that affects the number that tryout, with less freshmen coming in, there are less kids (joining tennis),” Paul Dzien, varsity coach, said. With a lacking number of students, the players struggle to keep their current ranks. “I had to be pushed down to fourth (doubles) after someone quit,” Joey Serna, varsity player and senior, said. The varsity team has exactly 11 players on

the team, meaning they can’t have absences or injuries. Consequently, when varsity players get injured, JV kids get pushed to a higher rank that they aren’t always comfortable with. Korber plays first singles for JV, but gets pulled up to third singles for varsity. He said he enjoys playing for varsity because “it’s a challenge.” “Varsity is more mental preparation and JV I can get by with making mistakes, I couldn’t in varsity matches,” Adam Korber, JV player and freshman, said. According to Coach Dzien, players need to be athletic, have good reflexes and have tennis IQ .

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May 7, 2010 Volume 46 Issue 8

Upcoming Events

Wildcat boxers prepare for this year’s Fight Night Jon Tracey

Forum Editor

Softball 4:30 p.m. Today Home vs. Buffalo Grove Baseball 4:30 p.m. Today at Hoffman Estates Girls Track 4:30 p.m. Today at Palatine Tennis 9 am, Saturday at Lake Park HS

Dan Malsom

Soccer 4:30 p.m. May 11 Home Crossover game

Jhovani Diaz, junior, practices jabs and hooks on a punching bag during a practice on April 26 after school. Practices involve 10 minutes of running, three sets of sit-ups, three sets of flutter kicks, jumping jacks and more. Other stations include double end bags, “tubes,” and medicine balls.

Last year, WHS Boxing Club, supervised by Michael Burke, English teacher, raised over $400 towards the Make A Wish Foundation. This year, the second Fight Night will take place on Friday, June 11 in the WHS gymnasium. According to Mr. Burke, the first year “Fight Night” drew over 500 spectators watching 17 fights. “(This year) we’re hoping to have at least 20 fights,” Mr. Burke said. “and we’ll be kicking in over $1,000.” Mr. Burke originally targeted at-risk, low-income middle school students to keep them off the streets and away from drugs and gang violence. According to Mr. Burke, the idea of the club came from the Prospect Heights Police Department. Many WHS students requested a boxing program after seeing the younger students box. Sam Calderon, senior, returns after fighting in Fight Night last year. Calderon never boxed before joining the club. She uses it to get in shape and try a new experience. “It’s hard to keep

Badminton players bring in professional Krista Sanford Asst. News Editor

Oscar Najera

With the title of MSL East Champions under its belt for the second year in a row, the girls water polo team looks to further its success by making it to State. According to Robert Savitt, head coach, the team has had one goal since day one. “...Winning the MSL East (was) great, but more importantly it’s part of the process to reaching our ultimate goal of going to State,” Coach Savitt said. The team beat Hersey High School 9-3. With this win, the team earned the MSL East title. The team faced Fremd High School yesterday for the MSL title. Results were not available by press time. Coach Savitt said that the team’s success comes from the intensity of the practices. “We work really, really hard in and out of the water. We do a lot of swimming and leg work in the water for conditioning, and we do dry land work twice a week to improve our strength,” Coach Savitt said. To make it to State, the team must overcome some challenges first, both within the team and being able to beat

other teams like Mundelein High School, which Amy Wilson, senior, sees as their biggest competition. “(We can make it to State) by playing a good game against Mundelein. Everything has to go right for us to make it to State,” Wilson said. Playoffs start on May 14. Last year, the girls ended their season with a loss to Mundelein in the second round of Sectionals.

Coach Savitt said that as long as the team continues to work as a family, they will continue with their success. “... Coming together as a family has been the one big factor in our success, “ Coach Savitt said. “We have such a talented bunch of girls, who individually are great, but playing together as a team, and caring for one another, is what will ultimately take us to State.”

“The biggest challenge of the season would have to be focusing 100 percent of the time during a match.”

“The biggest challenge of this season would have to be trying to place in every meet.”

Bikram Chohan Senior, Volleyball

Question

whs

Emily Sullivan, senior D-hole and in the white cap, a Prospect High School O-hole. The Lady Wildcats lost for the first time in conference play on April 20, 9-8 against the Knights.

At the start of the badminton season, varsity members welcomed back Karen Chin, volunteer coach and professional player. According to Coach Chin, after coaching the badminton team in ‘07, she was unable to coach the next year. When this year came, she wanted to start coaching at Wheeling again. “I contacted the current head coach, Gabriela Medina, to see if there were any openings. I was lucky to take on a volunteer position,” Coach Chin said. Coach Medina thought Coach Chin volunteering at Wheeling was good for the badminton team. According to Shannen Chechang, senior, having a professional Badminton player as a coach makes it helpful for times when Coach Medina is unavailable to be at practice. “Our head coach, (when) she’s busy with school ...can’t be here, it’s nice to have someone else (coach),” Chechang said. Coach Chin played badminton for 10 years. She was introduced to badminton in her eighth grade physical education class. In high school, Coach Chin joined the badminton camp at Buffalo Grove High School. While at the camp, she met the head coach. He convinced Coach Chin to try out for the spring season. “I’ve always been athletic and with badminton being something I enjoyed and wanted to improve in, I continued to find gyms and teams to join and play where it brought greater competition in an open circuit,” Coach Chin said. Coach Chin hopes to volunteer in Badminton next year. “It gives me happiness to know that I can make a difference in a player by giving them my insight, sharing my experiences and being able to relate to them,” Coach Chin said.

What has been the biggest challenge this season?

Maritza Arteaga Junior, Track

Jess Musto

Editor-in-Chief

S

POR TS

Girls polo team takes MSL title, sets sights on State

motivated,” Calderon said. “You’ve got to really think about the long-run of it.” After starting the club last year, the number of new students continues to grow. Although most members have never boxed before, Kevin Aguilar, senior, has. According to Aguilar, he joined boxing outside of school his freshman year because of bullies. “I’ll probably make a profession of it when I graduate,” Aguilar said. Aguilar does not mind the workouts. “It’s perfect for high school,” Aguilar said. “but for those who’ve already been in the sport, it’s like a cakewalk.” One speculation about Boxing Club at WHS revolved around students getting hurt. Mr. Burke understood the consequences if someone did get hurt and understood there would need to be precautions. “If we had a serious injury it was over,” Mr. Burke said. “What they (administration) don’t realize is the safety precautions we take with amateurs.” Coaches do not hesitate to call off fights if one boxer gets injured, and they ensure that boxers are prepared for a fight before Fight Night arrives.


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