Vol 50 Issue 9

, Issue 9

Maine South High School • 1111 S. Dee Road • Park Ridge, IL 60068

School-wide

success

May 16, 2014

With the help of numerous clubs and activities, Maine South raised $19,403 for the Wright-Way Animal Rescue.

See pages 8 & 9

PHOTO BY HANNAH SIMPSON

Vol.

PAWS UP Representatives from Wright-Way brought two rescue dogs to Hawkfest on April 17. Both dogs, Colby (left) and Connelly (right), were a big hit with students.

8th in Nation

C-Team celebrates its best finish since 1999 Page 5

Forget Lolla

Alternatives to Chicago’s most popular music festival Page 11

No biggie

Under the radar

Junior Prom is more drama Baseball moves forward than it needs to be with an impressive record Page 13 Page 15

50TH ANNIVERSARY

| May 16, 2014 HERE’S THE HAWK

years of

The 2006 flag, featured on this issue, brought the hawk logo back to the cover of Southwords. This flag is the predecessor to the current one, which was introduced in the spring of 2009.

Southwords ◄BEEP BEEP

Volume 40, Issue 3 ● Oct. 3, 2003

In an effort to boost spirit and enthusiasm for Hawk Pride, advisors of the program drove in a Mini-Cooper during a 2003 assembly. The car was borrowed from a Schaumburg dealership that allowed Maine South to use it at its convenience. Called “the new mascot of Hawk Pride,” the red, white, and black vehicle was meant to incite school spirit and bring excitement back into the Hawk Pride program.

This brings up the interesting question: where is this car now, and why has it been replaced with a red couch?

►UP IN FLAMES

Volume 41, Issue 9 ● Feb. 11, 2005

While Maine South thespians are well versed in tragedy, not even William Shakespeare himself could have prepared them for a fire in the auditorium.

The flames were a result of the main curtain catching fire due to a faulty stage light. As a result, the jazz band concert was canceled, and the winter musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” was relocated to Maine West’s auditorium.

Overall, it was quite a harrowing experience—but the show must go on.

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May 16, 2014

| NEWS

All D207 schools make ‘Most Challenging’ list Chris Brendza Staff Writer

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aine South, Maine East and Maine West all have ranked on the Washington Post’s 2014 list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools.

Maine South is ranked 50th on Illinois’ top challenging schools list.

Maine East is ranked 24th and Maine West is ranked 58th.

This list, which was compiled by Washington Post columnist Jay Matthews, uses an index formula to determine the schools nationwide that, according to Matthews, “have done the best job in persuading average students to take college-level courses and tests.”

Both District 207 and Maine South have taken pride in being placed on this top high school list.

“This is the first time in district history that all three District 207 schools have made one of the top high school lists at the same time,” superintendent Dr. Ken Wallace said

in a press release.

“The U.S. Public School System is performing better than ever in history. District 207 has three of the nation’s top high schools, and we have worked hard to not only to make that a reality today, but to also insure that we continue to improve in order to meet student needs in the future.”

Principal Shawn Messmer also expressed pride in Maine South earning a spot on this list.

“We have a really good crop of students here, and we are in a community that really cares about education, so that helps set Maine South apart academically from the nation,” he said.

“We have really great teachers who can build on that. When we have really great students walking in the door, and really great teachers, we get great results. Those two things are really the combination that makes South the place that it is.”

Matthews’ method to determine the most challenging schools takes

the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given during the school year and divides that by the number of seniors who graduate in May or June.

“No really, what do you actually want to do?” his grandmother asked.

Lyga then explained that there are two things he has learned that he wishes he could have told himself at a younger age.

“I swear to God I’m going to try not to sound like your parents,” said Lyga, “But here are the two things: follow your bliss, and hard is easy and easy is hard.” “ Fo l l o w y o u r b l i s s ,” Ly g a explained, was a philosophy coined

by Sarah Lawrence College professor Joseph Campbell. The idea came from Campbell’s realization that all stories and myths are made up of the same components and problems, and because of this, they all have the same solutions.

Lyga shared one of Campbell’s quotes: “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.”

Lyga’s takeaway is that to follow your bliss, you need a certain form of self-confidence.

He shared the fears he had early in life when, despite having the desire to write, he was too scared of failing, and wrote on the side while having a “real

career” as a safety net. He said that he had found his bliss as an author because writing is what he loved to do.

Along with committing to what you really want to be, he also believed in the mantra that “hard is easy and easy is hard.”

“Beyoncé did not come out of the womb singing and dancing,” said Lyga, “It doesn’t work that way.”

He explained that you have to put in a lot of hard work to get the easy life you want and to go where you want to go.

The final piece of advice Lyga gave to his audience was to always aim to make a difference.

“You don’t have to be just a passive consumer and observer in your world.

You can build the world you live in, you can create the world you live in.”

Many students who heard Lyga speak enjoyed the experience and what he had to say.

“I liked that his advice wasn’t over the top,” said junior Mara Cameron.

“This really made me realize how important it is to actually enjoy your job, and not to just pick something because it pays well,” said junior Sabrina Tamas.

“I Hu nt K i l l e r s” t e l l s t h e story of Jazz, a teenager whose

LEGITIMATE OR NOT? Southwords editors discuss if the formula used to rank the nation’s most challenging schools is valid.

See page 14 The schools that achieved a ratio of at least 1.00, which signifies that numbers of tests given and the number of graduating seniors were equal to each other, earned a spot on the list.

Maine South’s given ratio, 1.693, signifies that for every graduating student, nearly two AP tests were taken by the entire student body.

This ratio of tests given to seniors graduating is what Matthews refers to as his “challenge index.”

Of the roughly 22,000 public high

schools in the United States, only nine percent of those schools were calculated to have the required 1.00 ratio to make the list.

Questions have risen over the validity of this rating system, particularly over Matthews’ decision not to take into account the grades the students receive on the exam, but Matthews defends the reasoning behind this.

“I decided not to count passing rates in this way because I found that many high schools kept those rates artificially high by allowing only top students to take the courses,” he states.

Matthews also believes that test scores might be more of a measurement of the affluence of the school’s parents, not necessarily the skills and energy of the school’s teachers.

“This list celebrates which schools work hardest to challenge average students,” he concluded, “Not which schools have the highest parent incomes.”

Best-selling author visits Maine South Staff Writer ew York Times and U.S.A. Today best-selling author Barry Lyga visited Maine South on April 11 to talk to students about his career as a writer.

Lyga has written 13 books, the most popular of which is the New York Times best seller, “I Hunt Killers.”

Lyga’s lecture described his early life and how he became an author. He then opened up the floor to questions from the audience.

He spoke about his life as a high schooler, and how most of his time was spent in the library and his money was spent on books and “thankfully not on crack.”

His publisher thought it would be a good idea to sell his books to the high schoolers that he spoke to.

“Money is cool, I’m not going to lie, but the first time I tried to sell some books, I felt like a commercial,” he said. “I’m not going to stand up here and try to sell you anything.”

After showing a childhood photo and a picture of him as an adolescent, Lyga said that he always knew he wanted to be a writer. After telling this to his grandmother though, Lyga received an unexpected reaction.

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father is a notorious serial killer.

“I Hunt Killers” is the first book in a trilogy, with a prequel titled “Game” and the final installment, “Blood of My Blood” coming out this September.

PHOTO BY DON LAW

Kaitlin Valentine

THE EYE OF THE LYGA

Author Barry Lyga spoke to students about what he wished he’d known when he was younger. Lyga is the best-selling author of “I Hunt Killers.”

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NEWS

| May 16, 2014

Celebration provides safe after-party for promgoers Alex Moderhock

Staff Writer aine South Celebration 2014, also known as “after prom,” is a parent and community sponsored, chaperoned, substance-free postprom event designed to provide a safe and fun alternative to other private parties. The event is making a comeback after a three-year absence.

Maine South seniors and their dates who attend the prom, as well as seniors who choose not to attend the prom, are invited.

Many seniors sometimes plan on going to lake houses or some other after-party event that has the potential to get out of hand. Celebration is intended to provide an after-party for prom-goers that eliminates this risk.

The after-prom event this year will be hosted on a cruise ship, the Spirit of Chicago, on Lake Michigan.

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There will be music, food, and dancing at the event.

There will be a bus to take students to the cruise after prom, as well as a bus to take students back to school when it is finished.

“Individuals going to after prom will be picked up at the conclusion of prom and will be driven in trolleys to Navy Pier,” said Mr. Dave Berendt, the assistant principal for students.

“They will board the Spirit of Chicago and will go on a two and a half hour cruise on beautiful Lake Michigan. The price for the After Prom has not been determined but will not be any more than $85 a ticket. I think it is a great and safe plan for an After Prom celebration.”

Some students are excited about the school-sponsored after-prom celebration.

“I think it’s a really good idea,” said senior class council member

Hayley Miller, “It is a great way to make memories with friends as well as classmates after prom. It’s a good way for students to make good decisions after prom, and I hope it continues throughout the years.”

Other students are skeptical of whether or not the event will be successful.

“I personally think it’s a good idea, but it’s ultimately up to the students whether they decide to go after prom or not,” said junior Derek Rice.

“Depending on how many students there are, it may be seen as a waste of money if there are not enough students to make up for the amount of money that was spent on funding the event in the first place.”

Some students worry that the cost of the event is excessive.

“I don’t agree with the cruise ship,” said junior Kenny Martens. “If only a few people sign up, it will be a

waste of the school’s money. Instead of being wasted, the money could be put into other, more worthy causes than some cruise ship after-party.

However, I do think the school’s intentions are good and that the idea is pretty cool. But if not enough people sign up, then it will be a waste.”

Those who are attending Celebration are looking forward to a memorable night to end their high school careers.

“I think Celebration is a great way for high school students to celebrate their last big hurrah together,” said senior and Celebration attendee Carolyn Perry. “This is a night to remember and a night to be with the people you’ve spent four years of high school with. It’s a fun way to enjoy after prom. Nothing beats spending the night on a cruise in the middle of Lake Michigan with the people you love.”

friendly place to be.”

On May 8, the club began creating community gardens around the school.

Planting a butterfly and native plant garden in the center courtyard is Go Green’s first project.

With its members and support growing, the club also has its sights set on creating gardens along the walkway between the A-Wing and C-Wing, around the circle drive flagpole area.

“Although nothing is confirmed, we’re dreaming of a green roof over the glass hallway,” said Deverman.

Planting dates will be announced to students and can count towards service hours.

However, a L.E.E.D. certification is not all about flowery aesthetics. It is based on a system of points awarded for what the institution does towards energy efficiency, waste management, and green innovation; the process of certification encompasses everything from creating sustainable landscaping to utilizing alternative energy sources.

With this, the efforts will be both beneficial to the environment and cost effective. Since their certification, Stevenson has posted that they have “7% lower electricity use, and 5% less natural gas consumption, saving the school over $100,000 annually.”

While full certification takes

years and many renovations, the little things do add up. Besides the gardens, Go Green M.S. plans to petition for a more efficient recycling system, organic lawn treatment, and cafeteria composting.

“This club has bigger aspirations than just hugging trees,” said Deverman.

“I’ve been waiting for a few years for students to take the reins and make going green a grassroots movement—not having another teacher telling students ‘do this’ or ‘don’t do that,’” said the club’s sponsor, AP Environmental Science teacher, Mr. Walter. “I’m genuinely

excited for this group and the potential we have to change some of the culture here at Maine South and beyond.”

The members of GGPR are optimistic about the work they are doing and hope it will expand in the future.

“I plan to work with Go Green for the rest of high school,” said Benuzzi. “Hopefully more kids can get involved and we can get more ideas to make Park Ridge a more green environment. I know we have all been told a million times that we need to make the world a greener place, but in reality, we need to start at one spot. Why not Maine South?”

Melis Ozkan

Staff Writer new club has sprouted at Maine South. As an affiliate of the city-wide environmental group, Go Green Park Ridge, Go Green Maine South plans to lead an environmental initiative towards “Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design,” or L.E.E.D., certification.

The school’s efforts follow those of Stevenson High School, who started a similar movement three years ago.

Attaining this L.E.E.D. certification signifies the recognition of green design and sustainability in building function and practice in schools and businesses.

Stevenson High School was the first school in the nation to be L.E.E.D. certified. Since then, 21 schools have achieved certification, and many more are in the process.

“As members of GGPR’s Junior Advisory Board, myself and four other Maine South students, [sophomores] Anna Bennuzi, Brittany Handley, Lauren Amabile, and Maggie Grabowski, were tasked with starting a ‘go-green’ initiative at Maine South,” said senior Michael Deverman.

“In creating this club, we hope to raise awareness about our environmental impact and get students involved in making this school a more beautiful and environmentally-

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PHOTO BY HANNAH SIMPSON

Maine South aspires to ‘go green’ with ecology club

PLANTING THE SEED Mr. Walter, the club’s sponsor, plants flowers in the school courtyard. The club’s future plans include creating more gardens around the school.

May 16, 2014

| NEWS

Constitution team places 8th in the nation Meagan Sodaro Staff Writer

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“For Unit 5 specifically, preparation consisted of memorizing court cases and discussing potential questions,” said senior Alex Campbell.

“What helped the most was actually arguing about the issues, which broadened our understanding immensely.”

Although the team has been preparing for months, the last few weeks leading up to the competition are particularly important.

“It’s important to remember that you never win anything the day of the competition,” continued Campbell. “You win it in the weeks and months before when you’re practicing.”

“We were preparing every day with our units,” said senior Lily Elderkin.

“Intensive preparation probably started three weeks before, it was like 30 hours, it was overwhelming beforehand, because we prepped way more than we actually needed for the competition.”

Once in DC, the team spent almost every spare moment at the hotel meeting in units and preparing for the upcoming days of competition.

“We spent a lot of time meeting as a unit and researching [the questions] months before nationals, but then at nationals, we spent all our free time doing last minute speech run-throughs and free response cramming,” said senior Jordan

Helms. “We basically gave up sleep at nationals.”

The team had to get up early each morning to prepare for competition.

However, they also had the opportunity to experience D.C. and visit some of the historical sites in the city, such as the Supreme Court, the White House Garden, the Lincoln Memorial, and the National Archives. They also had the opportunity to meet Illinois Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

For the past 20 years, the Maine South Constitution team has won the Center for Civic Education’s We the People competition in Illinois.

The pressure of living up to that standard must have been difficult, but the team upheld the streak.

“State was kind of a trial run,” said senior Megan Boyce. “None of us really knew what it would be like, but there’s an expectation that we win.

Going to nationals was awesome because we were comfortable with the competition aspect and got to focus more on what we knew about the actual material.”

Each year, the team sets the difficult objective of ranking in the Top Ten at Nationals.

“Making the Top Ten was always the goal,” said senior Brian Johnson.

“When we heard them announce Illinois, everybody went crazy. It was a year of hard work finally paying off.”

After the first two days of competition, teams who achieve this

distinction qualify to compete for a third day, but this time on Capitol Hill instead of at George Mason University.

Maine South used the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee room.

“There was so much significance in the room,” said senior Ryan Dysart. “I was sitting in the same spot in which the most important people in recent history have talked before Congress. It just gave you this feeling of importance, like what we’re doing actually matters.”

This year, the team placed eighth, which is not only the best finish since 1999, but also the best under Mr. Trenkle’s leadership.

“What makes finishing eighth this year so impressive is how many of the teams are just like us, with AP level students, future Ivy league students and all that,” said Mr. Trenkle.

“I hope what sets us apart is our preparation for all possible free response questions that could be asked, as well as our willingness to truly work as a team with all 30 students contributing.

“They were easily the most consistent and poised group I have seen in some time. I always try to take lessons I have learned and play them forward, so any future success will be somewhat due to what this team taught me. I was really proud to see how they came together over the course of the year.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGAN BOYCE

n Friday, April 25, the Maine South Constitution Team, led

by Coach Andrew Trenkle, boarded a plane to Washington D.C. after months of preparation for the national We The People Competition.

After winning the state competition for the 20th year in a row, Maine South, now competing as Team Illinois, placed 8th out of the 56 teams at nationals.

The annual nationals competition is the summation of the hard work done throughout the year by the 30 seniors composing the 201314 team.

Although all the students compete under the banner of Maine South and Illinois, the team is divided in September into six units of five people with whom they work for the duration of the year.

Each unit has a different focus, like the framing of the Constitution, the structure of the government, or current applications.

The We the People competition is intended to emulate a Congressional hearing, with the members testifying before a committee, in this case three judges, and is broken into two parts.

Each unit performs a memorized speech in front of three highly-qualified judges on a set of questions released in February. Although known beforehand, the questions are not asked in a predetermined order.

The speech is then followed by six minutes of free response questioning by the panel of judges. Once qualifying for Top Ten, the free response period increases to eleven minutes.

“The difficulty just lies in the fact that for all of our preparation the judges know this material and do it for a living,” said Mr. Trenkle.

“The most difficult judge is a retired Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, Sue Leeson. She treats the students like lawyers arguing a case and challenges their statements and arguments directly. This can be quite intense even for practicing attorneys, let alone high school students.”

The team members prepared for the free response section by memorizing court cases, federalist papers, sections of the Constitution, speeches, and quotes and worked on apply- MAINE SOUTH’S NATIONAL TREASURE The Constitution Team poses for a picture after the final day of competition. After qualifying for top ten, the team had the opportunity to compete in the House of Representatives Reform ing them to possible questions the and Government Oversight Committee room on Capitol Hill. judges could ask.

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NEWS | May 16, 2014

PHOTO BY ALEX KORZYNSKI

CTEC trio comes home victorious

SUCCESSFUL SENIORS

Gehrig Parker (left), Gary Serbekian (middle), and Nico Spatola (right) earned first place for their commercial at the annual CTEC competition. This marks the second time the trio has won an award at the festival.

Yavor Todorov

Entertainment Editor aine South’s broadcasting department came home from Neuqua Valley High School victorious after seniors Gehrig Parker, Gary Serbekian, and Nico Spatola won first place in the Chicagoland Television Educators Council video festival on April 15.

This marks the 11th time Maine South has brought home an award from the festival as well as the second year in a row that Parker, Serbekian, and Spatola have won a first place award at the festival, making them the broadcasting department’s first back-to-back winners.

The two-time champions’ promotional, commercial category video, “Birthday Surprise,” was filmed to be a promotional video for Apple’s iPhone 5S and proved to be, as Parker put it, “a very hard, yet very exciting project” for the trio.

“Birthday Surprise” featured Gary Serbekian, the main character, being upset that his mother couldn’t make it to town to celebrate his birthday.

Thanks to FaceTime, his friends were at least able to video message him, and sing him Happy Birthday through their iPhones, bringing the main character to tears.

“Birthday Surprise focused on

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emotion that was deeper than anything that we had previously done for the class,” said Spatola. “We tried to reach out to people’s hearts and into their soft spots, and I think the judges really enjoyed it because I feel like it hit home for them as well.”

“Hitting home” for the judges was no easy task because a new judging system was put in place this year which now incorporates student opinions along with those of the professionals.

“Industry professionals usually volunteer to be judges [for CTEC],” said Maine South Advanced Radio/ TV teacher Mr. Strom. “Their votes and critiques count for 75% of the vote, and for the first time this year, the schools actually had a vote as well.

We [as well as other schools] were assigned categories that we weren’t competing in, and our vote accounted for 25% of the total judging.”

Maine South seniors Dora Bialy and Ryan Dysart also ended up placing in the top six videos in their respective categories. Bialy placed in the music video category with a music video for “Fake You Out” by Twenty One Pilots that incorporated unique stop motion techniques and a creative design. Dysart placed in the top six of the commercial category

with a Nike “spoof ” titled “Nike: Just do it. Even if you’re that guy.”

The Advanced Radio/TV classes produced 27 different videos that were submitted to the festival, an increase of 15 submissions over the previous years’ submission, which totaled only 12.

There were 15 possible entry categories for the projects ranging from an animated stop-motion film to a talk show. However, the most popular type of project submitted by Maine South students this year fell under the commercial category.

This was Mr. Strom’s first year teaching at Maine South High School.

He spent the previous year at Oak Park River Forest High School, and is happy about not only how much his students learned from him over the course of this school year, but also how much he has learned from his students.

Mr. Strom is very enthusiastic about the future of the broadcasting department and is eager to implement ambitious reform into the program.

“Right now, the top schools are Glenbrook South and Barrington,” said Mr. Strom. “Those are the schools that took home the most prizes this year and took home the

most last year. They have really highly-evolved programs. They received some generous funding, and they have a lot of equipment as well as teachers who have been in the industry for a long time. We’re striving to have programs like the ones at Glenbrook South and Barrington envy us, not the other way around.”

Despite the fact that Mr. Strom has been a Hawk for a very short while, he is already enacting reform in the Broadcasting Department.

“Even just in the short seven months that I’ve been here, I think we’re making some pretty exciting improvements. We’ve upgraded everything to HD and we’re going to see some updates to the studio and radio broadcasting room over the summer.” “[CTEC] is a really cool experience to be a part of because some of the kids who go are extremely talented at filming,” said senior Kelly Kons. “It’s interesting to see what high school students can do with a camera and an editing program.”

Like Kons, senior Mike Massari, was glad for the opportunity.

“I liked the CTEC competition because you get to see other school’s projects,” said Massari. “It’s was a fun experience for me and a lot of the Maine South kids.”

May 16, 2014

| FEATURES

From Mexico to Mount Everest: around the world with Ms. Priest Sarah Asson Staff Writer

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CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN

Ms. Priest (second from right) stands in front of Mount Everest in Gorek Shep, Nepal. While she has ridden elephants and zip lined over waterfalls, Ms. Priest’s favorite part of her travels have been the eclectic people she has met on her adventures.

zip lined over waterfalls, and hiked to the base camp of Mount Everest, but what made these experiences so amazing, according to Ms. Priest, was the people.

“I think it’s really important to travel with the desire to know people and how they live and how they’re different from us,” said Ms. Priest.

“Where there are beautiful places, there are beautiful people.”

Throughout her travels, Ms. Priest strove to learn about the people’s culture and their language—even if it was just a few phrases.

“I wanted to be able to connect to the people and relate to them,” she said. “I always had a little notebook and a pen, and I would write down common phrases like ‘The food is delicious’ and ‘It’s a beautiful day.’ I think traveling is the best way to study a language because you’re learning things that you would naturally want to say, instead of the textbook vocabulary that’s taught in classes.”

After her travels through Southeast Asia, Ms. Priest returned to the U.S. and taught Spanish bilingual education in Glenview. She didn’t take a permanent position, though, because she had plans to spend two months backpacking through Central America.

“My brother and I went from Nicaragua up to Mexico,” Ms. Priest said. “During the trip, similar to all my other trips, I lowered my cost of living to that of the people who live there. I also tried to stay with locals as much as possible. There’s a program called CouchSurfing that I use to

PHOTOS COURTESY MS. PRIEST

any people have traveled the world, but very few truly delve into the culture of the countries that they visit. Ms. Kelli Priest (‘05), a substitute teacher and Maine South alumna, has combined her worldly experiences with her passion for education.

After graduating from high school, Ms. Priest went to Northern Arizona University to major in Spanish.

“I decided the only way I could become fluent would be to totally immerse myself in the culture and language,” Ms. Priest said.

During her undergraduate years, Ms. Priest spent a summer in Mexico, a semester in Costa Rica, and a semester in Puerto Rico.

“I was able to learn and travel and meet new people,” said Ms. Priest. “In Puerto Rico, I lived with nine students from different Latin American countries. It helped to have conversations with people my own age, but all in Spanish.”

After her time abroad, Ms. Priest returned to Arizona to take elementary education classes to become a teacher. She completed her student teaching at a military base in Germany, and during her six months there she traveled to Sweden, Austria, and Spain.

Ms. Priest loved Europe so much that when she finished her student teaching, she decided to take some time off to go backpacking.

“I just spent a few days in each country,” she said. “It wasn’t planned and it wasn’t with a group, because I don’t like schedules. I want to be free.”

During her travels, Ms. Priest stayed in people’s homes, camped on beaches, and slept in mountain villages.

Ms. Priest finished her Spanish degree at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain. After all of her time in Europe, she came back to the states for a year. She lived in a tiny Colorado mountain town called Telluride, and she worked in special education.

But Ms. Priest didn’t stay in the U.S. for long. She moved to Taiwan for a year and taught English at a school.

Then she and her brother spent six months backpacking around India, Nepal, Thailand, and Cambodia.

They rode elephants and camels,

WORLD TRAVELER

Ms. Priest rides a camel in Jaisalmer, India. Her travels have taken her to numerous continents and countries and her passion for knowledge has grown with each new adventure.

find people who open their homes to travelers.”

Now that she’s home, Ms. Priest is a host for other travelers through the Chicago CouchSurfing program.

She has had guests from France, Italy, Estonia, and South Korea.

“So many homes during my time abroad were open to me, so when I came back I felt that I had to open up my home to others,” said Ms. Priest.

“One of my favorite things to do is show people around Chicago.”

Originally, her plan was to travel forever, but she decided to spend more time at home with her family.

Her priorities shifted, and she realized that being involved in the lives of her family members would be more fulfilling than traveling the world.

“Deciding to stay here in Park Ridge has been one of the most important decisions I’ve made in my life,” Ms. Priest said.

However, being home hasn’t diminished her adventurous spirit.

“A lot of people have come here to visit me, and I’ve been able to share my home, my heart, and my country with them,” Ms. Priest said.

Ms. Priest says she wants to inspire students to approach their studies with a sense of purpose.

“Invest your hear t in your education so you can go out and enjoy the world, its people, and its cultures,” she said. “The world is such an amazing place, but you have to have the desire to want to learn and experience more.”

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FEATURES

| May 16, 2014

Maine South

raises funds and s Amanda Svachula & Des Mustafa

amazing,” said freshman Sonali Kumar. “I loved the puppies.”

One dog, a chocolate lab named Colby, was adopted by Wright-Way Rescue a few years ago. aine South’s recent school-wide fundraiser, The other dog, an Australian Shepherd mix named comprised of two weeks of activities collecting Connelly, was up for adoption at the time of Hawkfest money for Wright-Way Rescue, succeeded in fostering but has since been adopted. two forms of Hawk Pride—not only visible school “We were so impressed with the Maine South spirit, but inherent, heart-felt spirit. student body and how polite everyone was at “I think that spirit isn’t how crazy you can be at Hawkfest,” said Kathy Anderson, the Manager of an assembly, although I love that,” Assistant Principal Adoption at Wright-Way. “The teachers were so Dave Berendt said. “I think the way I would define friendly and everything was so positive.” spirit is, ‘Are you proud to be a Maine South Three teachers, Mrs. Kirshner, Mrs. Hawk?’ I think that this kind of [fundraiser] O’Halloran, and Mrs. Scorza, were co-chairs where this school gets involved and does on the Events Committee of the fundraiser, something cool for somebody else is and were vital in organizing activities to awesome.” collect money.

Junior Kirsti Zimmerman, Bo ub ys’ l “I decided to help out because who played a role in helping with C Vo when Mr. Berendt sent out the the fundraiser, agrees with Mr. lley an initial email with information, Berendt. m er k Club l CEC ball l a I knew it would be a beneficial “When I saw the amount of G b Club o et and rewarding experience for money that we as a community Bo s’ Bask Choir our students and staff,” said Mrs. broug ht toget her, I had Girl lub Orch estra Kirshner. “After hearing about goose-bumps because I was Irish C Chinese Club so stunned by how much Junior Class Council the ideas for Pizza Madness & Hawkfest, I knew they would we made,” said Zimmerman. b Yoga Club H20 Clu d B take a lot of planning and effort “It is amazing how Maine o ys’ W pia b to make them successful, so I South came together to help B a m t a er Po Gr seba Oly t Clu A wanted to contribute. While the contribute to this charity.” l o e Pr eek ll en C nc fundraiser was primarily about S t u d e n t , t e a c h e r, a n d ecie estm DE Clu S S giving back, the events that the community participation in the v ch b In students and staff organized to benefit fundraiser ultimately raised a total oo l it became a way to have some fun or try of $19,403 for Wright-Way. This is a something new. To me, that’s what high huge step up from last year’s all-school school is all about.” fundraiser, which raised about $2,000 for Both students and locals enjoyed their time the Red Cross. The money raised for Wright at Pizza Madness. Ten neighborhood pizza places -Way will help with the purchase of medical donated pizzas to contribute to the fundraiser. Those supplies for animals and will eventually contribute to who wanted to taste test pizzas were charged an entry the opening of a new Wright-Way Rescue Adoption fee of five dollars. center.

“I thought the Pizza Madness was really fun,” “Our main goal is to keep our mission going— turned out to be a great event,” said senior Krissy which is to save as many animals’ lives as possible,” Coppin. “I was especially happy about getting Dairy said senior Nicole Hassman. “There were about 10 vendors and participants got a slice from each one. We said Cathy Anderson, Manager of Adoption at Queen Blizzards in school.”

Sophomore Jaimee Zajac agrees with Coppin on played music and a lot of people came in and out. It Wright-Way. was mostly sports teams, but there were also families The two weeks of activities kicked off on Friday the success of the event.

“I loved the obstacle course during Hawkfest,” said and other community members along with faculty April 11, with the presence of Beaver’s Coffee and members and their families.”

Donut Truck, a food truck run by Maine South Zajac. “It was insane how much money we raised.”

A highlight of the event was Wright-Way Rescue’s Along with Pizza Madness, there were a multitude alumni. In the two weeks following, businesses such as Jamba Juice visited Maine South in order to help appearance. The shelter brought several dogs that of other fundraising events including the P.E students were able to interact with. department’s ‘Donate to Meditate’, the ‘Miracle raise money.

“Hawkfest helped me realize that Maine South is Minute’ held in all classes at South on April 22, and a The first ever “Hawkfest” was held on April 17,

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which turned out to be a warm spring day, ideal for festivities. At the fest, held in the area outside of the Maine South cafeteria, many clubs offered different activities ranging from Yoga Club’s henna tattoos to German Club’s blow-up obstacle course. Dairy Queen sold its traditional Blizzards, and there were also raffle tickets for sale, offering prizes such as tickets to senior and junior prom.

“Hawkfest was held on the perfect day and it

Features Editors

May 16, 2014 | FEATURES

▼BOUNCING BONANZA

TATTED UP At

Hawkfest, yoga club set up a table for students to get henna tattoos by fellow Maine South students. This henna station was one of the most popular attractions.

spirit and excitement at South.”

In the end, almost fifty Maine South organizations, ranging from sports teams to language clubs, contributed to the fundraiser.

“It was awesome to see so much of the school pull together and work as a team to raise money for a good cause,” said Mrs. O’Halloran. “Clubs, sports teams, classrooms, individual teachers and students all pitched in and accomplished an amazing feat.”

◄RED COUCH CHILLIN’

During Hawkfest, Harley the Hawk and the Easter Bunny, senior Michael Deverman, interacted with students in the courtyard, spreading school spirit.

PHOTO BY DON LAW

fundraiser at Potbelly’s on April 24.

The two weeks of fundraising came to an end with an assembly, where the collected money was presented to representatives from Wright Way. “I was there at the assembly,” said Anderson. “We were in shock and teary eyed. We were amazed.”

Because of the fundraiser, Wright Way will name a part of its new shelter in honor of Maine South.

“All areas of the new shelter are going to be sponsored,” said Anderson. “Above one of the dog habitats it will say ‘Sponsored by Maine South.’”

Students and teachers alike were impressed by the activities during the two week charity event and are even more impressed by the results.

“It was a brilliant idea by Mr. Berendt,” said Junior Tom Janowski. “The whole two weeks were brilliant.”

Junior Marissa Oshana was satisfied by the extent of activities offered throughout the two weeks.

“The two weeks were a lot of fun and it was nice that there was something different every day, so if you forgot money one day, there was always the next,” said Oshana.

Mrs. Scorza was impressed by the school spirit shown by students, and sees this as a stepping stone for the future.

“Many students talked about the variety of opportunities that the school presented for them to take part in, and I know the participation can only grow from here,” said Mrs. Scorza. “Watching the student reaction to the amount of money we raised was priceless. I hope this was just a starting point for what we can do as a school. It was nice to see so much

Wright-Way Rescue animals Colby and Connelly play with Harley the Hawk during Hawkfest.

German club was one of the many clubs that sponsored an activity during Hawkfest. The club was in charage of an inflatable obstacle course for students.

PHOTOS BY HANNAH SIMPSON

spirit

▼PAWSITIVELY PICTURESQUE

ROLLING IN THE DOUGH After two weeks of fundraising, Maine South students presented the total amount collected for Wright-Way Rescue, a local animal shelter, at an all-school assembly held on April 25. A group of Maine South preschoolers helped with the presentation.

SouthwordS 9

ENTERTAINMENT

| May 16, 2014

‘Amazing Spiderman 2’ casts web on viewers Matt Weiss Staff Writer

A

lthough it may seem like a classic superhero movie, “The Amazing Spiderman 2” differs from the rest with a more realistic approach and allows viewers to escape into an alternate world for a two and a half hours—perhaps a half hour longer than we would want to, though.

The movie opens with a seemingly unimportant scene depicting the death of Peter Parker’s mother and father. Spiderman fanatics will appreciate this scene, as it ties the movie together well.

However, it confuses audience members who are watching Spiderman for the first time.

One aspect of the movie that makes it so complicated are all the sub-plots that occur in tandem. As always, Peter Parker, played by Andrew Garfield, has to navigate the life after college while also saving New York City from crime. As with any Marvel character movie, Stan Lee, creator of the original Marvel comic books, is seen in a cameo at the commencement ceremony.

Another recurring theme throughout the movie is Peter Parker’s conscience. He is in love with classmate and Valedictorian Gwen Stacy, who is played by Emma Stone. In the first movie, Gwen’s father, Captain Stacy, makes Peter promise to keep his distance from Gwen. The promise comes back to haunt Parker—but it is necessary to see the first movie to fully understand what is going on here. The main pitfall of this movie is its over-reliance on references to the first movie.

Max Dillon, played by Jamie Foxx, is just a

regular technician at Oscorp Inc. when the movie begins. He promptly falls into a pool of electric eels and becomes the villain Electro. Electro continues to harass Spiderman throughout the movie, while also cutting out power to all of Manhattan.

The movie incorporates a bit of real history with a scene containing an abandoned subway car. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had “Track 61” constructed underneath the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. From there, he could discreetly enter and leave Manhattan without letting voters know about his debilitating po-

lio. It was a unique detail that made the film more interesting.

While the movie does a good job with pacing the action and romantic scenes, the fact remains that the movie is far too long. Even the most exciting aspects of the movie fade away by the time the credits roll. The directors could have trimmed off unnecessary backstory to make this movie shorter.

Perhaps the most confusing aspect of the Spiderman franchise is not the movies themselves, but the variation in story lines and directions the two different Spiderman movies take. Also, both the “Spiderman” and “The Amazing Spiderman” series are filmed by Sony, but are directed by different people. While Sam Raimi directs the original “Spiderman,” Marc Webb directs the newer series “The Amazing Spiderman.”

Another increasingly more obnoxious aspect of this movie is Sony’s product placement. We get that you own the franchise, Sony, but the product placement is almost obnoxious enough to prevent me from seeing the next Sony “Spiderman.” Sony does, however, do a wonderful job hinting about the sequel. Halfway through the credits, there is a small teaser that shows the upcoming movie. Do not bother staying until the end, though, as there are no more teasers afterwards.

“The Amazing Spiderman 2” overall proves how remakes of popular, timeless superhero movies can succeed. It assumes that the audience knows more about the series than it should and will ultimately confuse many unseasoned Spiderman fans. Following the plot is difficult, but if one can get past the sub-plot confusion, this movie is definitely worth watching.

Science, suspense, and drama fill ‘Exposure’ Anastasia Dalianis Staff Writer

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n 2008, K a t h y Reichs, a forensic anthropologist and mystery writer who produces the TV show “Bones” did the impossible: she took her knowledge of science and crime and combined them into the young adult series “Virals.” In “Exposure,” the riveting penultimate novel to the series, Reichs takes the action and adventure found in all the “Virals” novels to an entirely new level, complete with shocking plot twists

10 SouthwordS

and a dramatic cliffhanger ending.

Taking place after the last book left off, “Exposure” follows the continuing adventures of 15-year-old Tory Brennan and her three best friends. When twin students at Tory’s private school are kidnapped, she can’t help but want to investigate.

As usual, her friends are dragged in the undertow. However, they have an advantage that police officers and detectives don’t—wolflike sensory abilities that they inherited as a result of a disastrous medical experiment. Over the course of the novel, they realize that every gift comes with a price, and as their abilities grow wilder and more powerful, the bonds that brought them together in the first place could break right before their eyes.

Many things change for Tory in this novel, especially her relation-

ships with her family and friends. It’s safe to say that Tory’s family situation is different than most.

After the sudden death of her mother, she moved in with her father, who was previously not aware of her existence. Following the events of the third book in the series, “Code,” her father’s girlfriend Whitney now lives with them as well. In the past three books, Tory had an incredibly strained relationship with her father and Whitney. She felt that her father didn’t spend enough time with her and didn’t appreciate Whitney’s desire to turn her into a debutante.

However, in “Exposure,” Tory comes to accept her father’s and Whitney’s positions in her life. She realizes that no matter how much she wants things to change, they probably won’t, so she figures out how to make the most of her situation.

Tory’s relationships with her friends change as well. When an event toward the end of the book causes her to break, she starts to learn that she needs people. It’s the first time in the series that the reader sees a vulnerable side of Tory.

This book is incredibly well-written and combines the right level of science, suspense, drama, and teen angst. It contains complicated scientific descriptions that can be confusing at times, but ultimately do contribute to the overall plot.

Reichs is especially good at plot twists and cliffhanger endings. Almost every chapter has an unresolved ending, and the end of the book is a completely unexpected twist.

This book is by far the best novel in the Virals series, adding new levels of excitement with every page turn.

May 16, 2014 | ENTERTAINMENT

There is no need to fret about not winning the “Lolla Lottery” or snagging the Early Birds in time—there are plenty of other amazing music festivals outside of Grant Park. Southwords explores the worthy alternatives to Lolla that are coming this summer.

Greta Ramsey Staff Writer

To kick off summer, the three-day Spring Awakening Music Festival at Soldier Field features more than 80 EDM artists, including Pretty Lights, Diplo, Knife Party, and Kaskade. Running June 13, 14, and 15, Spring Awakening is an allages festival that turns more into a huge party than anything. Over 75,000 people attended “Chicago’s Premiere Electronic Dance Music Festival” in 2013 alone, its second year of operation. Singleday and three-day passes are still on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

Around 75 miles north of Maine South, in Milwaukee, is the world’s largest music festival, Summerfest. The 11-day festival spans from June 25-29 and July 1-6 and occurs at 11 stages in Henry Maier Festival Park. Summerfest draws between 800,000 and 1,000,000 people total and showcases more than 130 artists. With 11-day passes at $70, single-day general admission tickets at $17, and various other ticket options, Summerfest is the one festival this summer to get an amazing street feel as well as incredible music. Bruno Mars will headline this year’s events, but so many more will be joining him, including Lady Gaga, the Arctic Monkeys, REO Speedwagon, A Great Big World, Pentatonix, Usher, and Outkast, just to name a few.

Almost one month following Spring Awakening comes the Vans Warped Tour 2014 at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater in Tinley Park. On July 19, indie, hip-hop, punk, ska, and folk come together for one day only for an incredible festival experience. Bands such as Anberlin, Mayday Parade, The Ready Set, We the Kings, and Bowling for Soup will play for audiences of thousands around America throughout the summer. What’s unique about Warped Tour, however, is their partnership with Music Saves Lives. The first 100 ticket holders in line at the MSL tent at the festival may donate blood to earn a backstage wristband.

Tickets for Warped Tour start at $50 on LiveNation.com.

On the first Friday of the 2014-2015 school year—August 29—101WKQX will be hosting Piqniq festival. While more bands are yet to be announced, headliners Linkin Park, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and AFI have already sparked excitement among listeners of the alternative station. Unlike Spring Awakening or Lollapalooza, Piqniq has fewer bands than one might expect from a music festival, but features more popular bands such as those played on 101WKQX. Held at the same amphitheater as the Vans Warped Tour, Piqniq will be able to hold 28,000 spectators for a full day of music and events. Tickets start at $45 for lawn seats on the 101WKQX website.

In Chicago’s Union Park, the same weekend as the Warped Tour, is Pitchfork Music Festival.

From July 18-20, legendary artists such as Beck, Kendrick Lamar, and Giorgio Moroder will grace the two main stages for a crowd of 50,000 people from 45 states and 26 countries. Pitchfork offers more than just incredible musicians, however.

Union Park will be home to 50 food vendors, various specialty fairs, and supporters of the Chicago arts community for the duration of the three-day festival. Although the three-day passes are already sold out, single-days are still available at PitchForkMusicFestival.com.

Starting the same Friday as Piqniq, North Coast music festival in Union Park downtown will run from Aug. 29-31 and feature various hip hop and EDM artists such as Snoop Dogg, Zed’s Dead, and Kid Cudi. With a capacity of 20,000, North Coast draws crowds from all around the Chicago area and the entire Midwest. North Coast is similar to Spring Awakening in the sense that many people are there just for pure enjoyment rather than the actual bands, but it is a bit more toned down on the electronica and has a more traditional music festival feel. Three-day passes are available at northcoastfestival.com and start at $149.

SouthwordS 11

COMMENTARY

| May 16, 2014

Senioritis isn’t always a bad thing Hope Allchin

Editor-in-Chief t’s true. Senioritis does exist. If you’re a junior, and you think you have it, you’ve been misdiagnosed, because full-fledged senioritis is something only a graduating student can understand and sympathize with.

Trust me, I know. I, too, was that junior who swore that I was done at the end of the year. But that is nothing compared to what I’m experiencing now.

As hard as I’ve tried to keep from contracting it, I will finally admit that I’ve failed. It starts when you finish applying for college, and then becomes exponentially more influential as the May 1 deadline to commit comes around.

In recent weeks, I’ve found myself coming home from school and other activities and instead of immediately beginning my homework, I spend a good 30 minutes convincing myself

I

that no, I really don’t need a nap. And then I sometimes take one anyway.

I go to sleep at midnight no matter how much homework or studying I have left, except on very rare occasions. There was even a point where I hadn’t done my math homework for a full two weeks.

But despite all that, I still think that senioritis has not had a negative influence on me.

When I come home from school, there are commitments that prevent me from succumbing to a nap and motivate me to stay up past midnight.

Instead of becoming lazy, I have become better at prioritizing. I now know what’s important to me.

For the weeks leading up to Constitution Team nationals, I met with my unit every single day, and then I would go home and do more research. Did I have more pressing homework assignments? Probably.

Did I care? Not really. Same goes for Southwords. Paste-up until 11? Worth it. Someone at work needs a sub? Sure, I’ll take the shift.

Senior year is finally giving me some perspective. In four months, I’m

going to wish I went to Starbucks with a friend on a random Tuesday night and made the most of my C-Team experience rather than went home and studied for hours.

When looking at the big picture, accepting a B in physics and failing to earn a 5 on every single AP test will most likely not be the end of the world. It may be the end of the perfectionist high-school world I’ve lived in for the last four years, but I’m about to lose that, regardless.

The purpose of the final months of senior year is to help us transition into college or the workplace. For the most part, grades don’t matter like they used to. A small decline in academic performance in the last semester is an acceptable concession for seniors who have been dedicated for the past few years and have earned the ability to make their own choices.

Senioritis shouldn’t be about giving up, but rather changing your focus. And right now, my focus is on making the most of my high school experience before I graduate. And if that means getting a B in physics, so what?

your own devices next year, and leave your Chromebook at home? That would be called a BYOD (Bring your own device) Program.

We have an infrastructure set up right now that supports all kinds of devices. Google apps and digital textbooks are available on most Laptops and Tablets. If your device is internetaccessible, it can access the resources that you use in class. This would make for less daily frustration with Chromebooks. Of the underclassman surveyed, 53% noted having operating problems daily.

Hapara is the monitoring software used by educators that is installed on all of your Chromebooks. There is always a chance that you’re being watched without your knowledge. If Maine South had a bring your own device program, monitoring software would be nonexistent because they are your devices. (Even though Chromebooks are “technically” yours.)

I have spent over two years advocating for the use of other devices in District 207 and District 64.

Sadly, District 64 has embarked on the same troubling path as District 207. It was a heavily debated

issue, and many community members weighed in on the recommended initiative, which proposed the use of 1:1 Chromebooks for all students in grades 3-8. The Board voted to push the initiative through, after a nail biting 4:3 vote (4 in favor, 3 opposed).

It was troubling for me to see so many parents, teachers, and students express concern with the initiative moving forward this quickly, only to have members of the Board somewhat disregard these genuine concerns.

They don’t seem to understand that Chromebooks are not very durable, and the technology powering them is a step backwards compared to what they currently have in place.

I hope you will join me in this fight to end the mandated Chomebooks. Students who find themselves complaining, direct your energy to the people who make these decisions like the Board of Education and your parents.

We live in America, and we are lucky enough to have the right to voice our opinions. Let’s make our voices heard.

— James Dombro, ‘15

Letter to the Editors Maine South needs device diversity in 1:1 Initiative

Chromebooks: the “required device” we all love to hate. Half of us use them daily, whether we like it or not.

In an online survey I conducted, only 113 of 540 freshman and sophomore students at Maine South expressed satisfaction with their Chromebooks this year.

These devices were forced upon us.

We didn’t have a choice or a voice in this decision and personally, I believe this is wrong.

We are the first generation to grow up completely immersed in technology. Unfortunately, the decision to use Chromebooks is not ours. I see it rather unfair that the people who mandated Chromebook usage do not have to use them everyday.

Calling all Chromebook users!

Let’s unite and make a change. Now is the time to show the administration how we feel. We are down to the final weeks of the school year and have had months of experience with this device.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to bring

12 SouthwordS

Maine South High School 1111 South Dee Road Park Ridge, IL 60068 http://www.southwords.org

Signed letters to the editor should be delivered to LRC1, given to a member of the editorial staff, or e-mailed to southwords@maine207.org.

Southwords reserves the right to edit material for clarity and brevity and to reject obscene/libelous submissions.

Scan this QR code to e-mail Southwords Editors-in-Chief

Hope Allchin Dora Bialy

Production Editors Michael Deverman Hannah Simpson News Editors

Chloe Bryniarski Jake Kay Lizzie Porter

Entertainment Editors Alex Korzynski Anna Laskaris Yavor Todorov Features Editors

Katie Krall Des Mustafa Amanda Svachula

Commentary Editors

Annie Krall

Marisa Sclafani

Lauren Smith Sports Editors

Alex Ellyin Brendan Ploen Stephen Sakowicz Kay Thursby

Art/Production Team Anna Campbell Basia Chruscinski-Ramos Cecelia Cortés Josh Larragoity Adviser

Mr. Stathakis

May 16, 2014 | COMMENTARY

Don’t dance where you eat Annie Krall & Dan Wierzchowski

Commentary Editor & Staff Writer uniors are practically experts on stressful events by this point in their high school career. With the trials and tribulations of ACT testing and the first tastes of AP Exams, the celebration that marks the end of the year should be special. My fellow classmates and I are not expecting a parade for our accomplishments; we just would like a chance to celebrate with friends in a formal setting.

Junior prom is that opportunity.

However, it seems ironic that hundreds of dollars are spent on prom attire, only to wear such fancy clothes in the school cafeteria. Sure, the venue is less expensive, but students are still likely to use countless paychecks solely for a single night.

Aside from the financial commitment, numerous hours are spent organizing details, from pictures to carpooling to the postprom festivities. The amount of time spent planning this night should be justified by the location.

The ability of some girls to withstand endless dress selections and hairdo options just for one night, I will never understand. But it does emphasize the value placed on this occasion. Essentially, junior prom is the culminating social experience of the year. Hosting the event in the cafeteria is not suitable for such an important celebration.

Dancing in the same room in which we all eat lunch (or sometimes breakfast), dilutes the significance of the event. For many, junior prom isn’t taken seriously.

For example, junior Michael John Siwek said that having junior prom’s venue in the cafeteria was a definite drawback—so much so that the location has encouraged many juniors, including Siwek, to not attend.

Next time you visit the cafeteria,

GRAPHIC BY ANNA CAMPBELL

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take note of the great natural lighting.

It is a brightly lit environment with many windows. If anything leads to a negative dancing experience, it’s surely bright sunlight shining down onto you and the rest of the crowd.

All the other school dances are held in the spec gym, a well-sealed location which can provide a dark, dancing environment.

Furthermore, gyms are associated with dances, while the cafeteria is associated with trash and lunchtime drama. If a smaller venue is desired, I recommend the school take the dance to the back gym instead, which works both on the smaller scale and does not allow excess light to flood in.

What do

The unappealing location of the dance only serves to detract juniors from attending. Junior prom has a smaller attendance rate since it is a one-class celebration, with the occasional dates from other grades.

Still, an equal among of effort should be directed towards finding a suitable location.

The school should choose to put the dance in a location which will attract the most attendees.

Understandably, many students don’t go to the dance solely to revel in the venue accommodations. But that doesn’t mean that having a unique atmosphere is unwarranted.

I give a lot of credit to the junior

class council members who plan this special night for their classmates.

With the limitations of a school budget, no one is expecting them to work miracles. A slight increase in junior prom ticket prices could possibly lead to greater flexibility in the venue decision.

Ultimately, the cafeteria is not a place of celebration. It is where I meet up with friends and share some mozzarella sticks. In order to make the experience of junior prom one of the highlights of junior year, the location must be changed.

Unfortunately for us, at least until senior prom, the cafeteria is as good as it’s going to get.

YOU think?

Submit article ideas or write a letter to the editors!

Deliver signed letters to LRC1 or scan the QR code on the top of page 12 to e-mail southwords@maine207.org SouthwordS

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COMMENTARY

| May 16, 2014

STAFF EDITORIAL

Challenge is not an objective quality he Washington Post recently released its list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools. For the first time, all three school in District 207 were on the list, with Maine South ranking 50th in the state. And while it’s nice to be honored with this distinction, this award has relatively little significance.

Unfortunately, there is a flawed formula behind this ranking system.

A high school’s Challenge Index is determined by taking the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year and dividing by the number of seniors who graduated in May or June. In order to be ranked, a school must have an index of at least one or higher. Maine South earned a 1.693.

This single statistic, however, is misleading. First of all, this index number implies that seniors at Maine South are taking between one and two AP tests, when in reality, many are taking none, while others are taking as many as seven. Interestingly, the AP tests from all students are taken

into account, but only the size of the graduating class is used as the dividing number.

It would be more accurate if the index were based on the percentage of seniors who are taking AP tests, rather than merely counting the number of tests themselves.

This statistic also doesn’t measure how well students perform on these tests, only if they take them. It hardly seems fair to label a school as challenging when its students fail to earn passing scores on an exam.

The author of the list, Jay Matthews, argues that test results should not be included because some schools keep their results artificially high by allowing only top students to take the test. But without scores, it’s hard to tell whether the students are even being challenged in the first place, or merely taking a class for which they are set up for failure.

Furthermore, the number of AP tests taken at a school can be distorted. Some states reimburse school districts based on the number of AP tests their students take, while other states, like Indiana and New

York, subsidize the tests themselves.

On the other hand, some schools actually restrict the number of AP classes a student may enroll in with the intention of not pressuring students to create unmanageable academic schedules.

At t h e heart of this issue is not the inaccuracy of this statistic, but rather in the definition of challenge. Does the number of AP tests the average senior at a school takes indicate the amount of challenge a student is encountering?

No, it does not. Although AP and IB classes are indeed challenging, they are not the only way that a student is challenged in high school. Without even considering performance, it’s impossible to accurately measure the amount of challenge a student is truly receiving.

Challenge itself is a subjective quality that is hard to represent with an objective number. If we must

measure challenge in a statistical way, then there should be some way of including performance and/or other means of challenge besides only AP and IB tests.

The index should show what percentage of the class is being challenged, rather than letting a few students represent many. But if we can get past this need for distinctions, we may recognize that challenge itself is incredibly difficult to measure, and one number is not a proper way to rank a high school.

action, but rather value individual thought and time alone whereas extroverts are at their peak mental activity while in a social setting.

Most contemporary psychologists believe that introversion and extroversion can exist together, although one is almost always more dominant than the other. But there is a third category, a sort of combination of the two: ambiversion.

Ambiverts fall in the middle of the spectrum, exhibiting qualities of both extroverts and introverts consistently. In a society that values introvert ideas and extrovert charisma, it is important to embrace your own personality, but also learn the values of the other. Or more concisely, you need to understand how to fake ambiversion.

You should not forsake your true self to conform to the norms and personality traits praised by our culture. Rather we should all recognize not only who we are, but the merits of both types in order to maximize our potential.

It’s possible to learn to step outside your comfort zone, whether that be by being loud or being quiet. Ambiverts are not the only ones who can display both sides of this coin.

There is a personality phenomenon that says we adopt the personality traits that we see as most valuable in our lives, a result of society’s stress on people conforming to traits that are seen as more beneficial. We, as a culture, value extroverts, especially in leadership positions, because they have charastics like confidence and charisma that we typically associate with power and influence.

But that assumption is wrong.

As personality expert Susan Cain argues, introverts can be just as successful leaders as extroverts, but only if they are willing to accept attention-receiving positions. We can see this in historical examples like Eleanor Roosevelt and Ghandi.

Both introversion and extroversion are valuable traits, but they are even more powerful when blended together. Although we typically con-

sider our personalities to be fixed, it’s possible to appreciate even the characteristics that we often don’t associate with ourselves.

But we shouldn’t have to change our personality style. We need to stop emphasizing traditional leading styles and start accepting that people of all personalities can be successful.

Even here at Maine South, with programs like Junior Leaders, we tend to choose the most extroverted students for leadership positions, when in reality both types are uniquely qualified for the role.

Until society accepts that both extroverts and introverts can reach the same level of achievement, we all need to take a step closer to the middle, a step closer to ambiversion.

Extroverts can try working independently instead of automatically joining a group. Introverts can try working with others instead of avoiding the sharing of their ideas. Sometimes it’s a good thing to discover your inner ambivert and to work outside of your personality comfort zone.

ILLUSTRATION BY BASIA CHRUSCINSKI-RAMOS

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No competition between personalities Hope Allchin

Editor-in-Chief nyone with a basic understanding of personality theory or trait psychology has probably heard of the terms “introversion” and “extroversion.” First introduced by Carl Jung, they have come to mean shy and outgoing, respectively. But that is our first mistake in understanding personality. We have collectively misinterpreted the meaning of these terms.

Extroverts crave stimulation, particularly social stimulation. They typically are outgoing, energetic, and assertive, seeking out interaction. Introverts, however, are not always shy, although they can be. Most are reserved and analytical, and they often find solitary activities more rewarding than group activities.

Introverts don’t fear social inter-

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14 SouthwordS

Sports Editor he Maine South baseball team has largely flown under the radar this season and is starting to soar at just the right time of the year. The Hawks have been one of the more consistent teams in the area, compiling a 15-3 start to the season, and find themselves ranked number 16 in state. Last season, they were only one win away from advancing to the State semi-finals, but this year, with another solid rotation, the Hawks look to get over the hump and head to the final four.

The Hawks offense is led by the Parker brothers, Butler-bound senior Gehrig, and junior catcher, Zach. They are both hitting over .300 and each have over 15 RBIs, while Gehrig leads the home run category with four.

Just like last year’s Super Sectional team, this year’s squad has another impressive pitching rotation.

Senior ace Bobby Pennington is 7-0 on the season and has an earned run average of 0.64, with 34 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched. Junior Hank Schau has also been steady on the mound at 2-0 with many nodecisions.

Gehrig Parker has also been as impressive on the mound as at the plate. He owns an even lower ERA at 0.61 and has only walked three batters in 20 innings of work.

Zach Parker has been impressed by his brother’s pitching performance so far this season.

“Growing up, we often played

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LEADING OFF

Senior pitcher Bobby Pennington goes to bat against Evanston on May 5. On the mound, Pennington is 7-0 with a 0.64 ERA on the year.

against each other in the front yard,” Parker said. “I’ve been playing with him all my life so I know his strengths and weaknesses. For the most part, I call the pitches for him. The chemistry that my brother and I have is unreal. There’s no greater feeling than catching for your brother.”

“Our pitching remains outstanding,” said Mr. Milano. “We have team ERA below 3.00. Pitching coach Jamie Friel, (‘03), continues to stress the importance of working ahead and throwing strikes.”

The chemistry of this year’s team is positive and upbeat, which has been a major attribute to their success.

“This school is lucky enough to breed talent,” said Zach Parker. “At times our hitting lacks, but all in all, this team works very well together by picking each other up and taking care of business.”

That never-say-die attitude helped the Hawks mount an impressive 7th-inning comeback to defeat

Deerfield on April 21, winning 6-5.

They have also had key victories against Niles North, Evanston, and Hinsdale Central.

In order for the Hawks to win back-to-back conference championships, they have to go through Glenbrook South and New Trier.

“All the CSL opponents are tough,” said Mr. Milano. “They are excellent teams and New Trier and GBS will be good measuring sticks for our squad before the state tournament begins.”

The team is eager to see their hard work pay off in the playoffs. For the seniors, especially, it is a chance to make it down state for the second time in school history since 1965.

“We went far last year and fell short,” said Pennington. “It felt terrible to lose. Having the experience of last year, we were able to see what it takes to make it that far and learn from our experiences. This is a talented team and we are hungry. Other teams better take notice.”

better.”

Last year, the team graduated four seniors, while this year, six seniors will be leaving.

“We understood we needed to change some things [this year] to get better,” Coach Pasier said. “If we did not work harder in practice, there was no way we would do better in games.”

The team must have taken that to heart because it has definitely shown in their recent wins against tough competitors such as Glenbrook South and Niles West.

New members who played on junior varsity last season were brought up to varsity this year.

“The overall varsity game is so much faster than the other levels,” said junior Elizabeth Skoronski. “I

think the move to varsity has helped me definitely improve on my hitting.”

With the new practice routine implemented, many players have significantly improved. One of the most noticeable is senior Emilie McGuire.

She has been a big part of the Hawks offense, leading the team in home runs with three. Two came in a nailbitting 6-5 victory against GBS and her third was a few days later against Evanston.

With the way the team has been playing in conference, the Hawks look to extend their good run in the playoffs.

“The post season is what we have been working for all year,” said Coach Pasier. “If we play the way we have been and stay focused, the sky is the limit for this team.”

Softball starts strong in conference Katherine Miles

Staff Writer he old saying “practice makes perfect” has hit home for the Maine South girls’ softball team.

The Hawks are 11-10-1 right now, and five of those wins are conference wins. In the CSL, they’re ranked second, with their only loss to New Trier.

“We definitely have the ability to go far in the playoffs,” junior Emily Suwanski said. “This [year’s team] is by far the hardest working.”

The team’s chemistry has been important to their successful 5-1 start in CSL play.

“I think what I love most about this team is that everyone gets along really well,” senior Megan Donnelly said. “It makes the season so much

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Hawk grad pitches way into majors The Sports Editors

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rian Schlitter, 2003 graduate of Maine South, is among a handful of alumni who have competed in Major League Baseball. He is a current relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.

Schlitter won his first game for the Cubs on May 4 when they played the St. Louis Cardinals.

Schlitter was a three-year varsity starter under Coach Bill Milano and Coach Jason Marsicano.

“My high school experience was a valuable one,” Schlitter said.

“I learned a lot from both coaches.

Each of them had their own unique coaching style and lessons that I would apply to the field.”

After graduating from Maine South, the right-hander went on to play for the College of Charleston in South Carolina before being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2007 Amateur Draft in the 16th Round. He was also selected in the 2005 Amateur Draft.

“Playing for the Cubs is an added bonus, and I will always be a Cubs fan regardless if I’m playing for another team,” he said.

Schlitter earned a spot on the Cubs’ opening-day roster this season after breaking into the Major Leagues four years ago, also with the Cubs.

This was an added bonus considering Schlitter has and always will be a fan of the team.

“After making it to Chicago in 2010 and having to have elbow surgery, it’s been a long road to get back here,” he said. “Although it was tough to make it back, I know that everything I had to go through was worth doing.”

Schlitter is the sixth Hawk to make it to the major leagues. Dave Bergman (‘71), Adam Rosales (‘01), Jim Rushford (‘91) Jim Walewander (‘80), and Joe Zdeb (‘71), are the other Maine South alumni who made it to the big leagues.

Schlitter was thankful for the opportunity to be a Hawk.

“Maine South has always had a good baseball program and I enjoyed playing there.”

At press time, Schlitter had pitched in 10 innings with a 3.60 earned run average. The Cubs are currently in last place in the National League Central.

SouthwordS 15

PHOYO BY HANNAH SIMPSON

Brendan Ploen

PHOTO BY HANNAH SIMPSON

Impressive pitching leads to impressive start

May 16, 2014 | SPORTS

BASEBALL | BADMINTON | LACROSSE | BOYS’GYMNASTICS | GIRLS’SOCCER | TRACK | BOYS’TENNIS | SOFTBALL | WATER POLO | BOYS’VOLLEYBALL

Boys’ volleyball set up for success

and if they do not perform as well, there is always a quality player behind them that can come in and make the difference,” said Coach Granell.

They handled Evanston in two sets, defeated Niles West, and beat Waukegan twice. As the season winds down, they take on Glenbrook South and New Trier at home, and although they lost both matches earlier in the season, the offensive firepower is always a threat in important matches.

This season, the Hawks find themselves leaning on their numberone passer, Mizdrak.

“Even though our offense has been solid, it has also been inconsistent,” said senior outside hitter John Palucki. “We need to focus more on our passing and getting the ball to Tim, because then we have all three of our hitting options.” “[Mizdrak] is a staple of this team, and he has been our setter for the past two seasons,” said Coach Granell. “We

are nothing without him; he really gets our offense rolling.”

When Mizdrak sets the ball, he goes for two main options: two-year starters Palucki and Evan Walsh, who have proven to be dangerous in the past and have had consistent games.

“Coach Granell trusts us to do our job and get a key point when we need to,” said Palucki.

The Hawks look to remain in the hunt for a conference championship and to continue the tradition of volleyball excellence at Maine South.

“We know what the history has been, and we want to be a part of it this year,” said Mizdrak.

Junior libero Zac Jaconetti agreed and also noted that they had to be more aggressive.

“We want to play scrappy and gutsy because that is how you win volleyball games in the playoffs,” said Jaconetti.

The Hawks look to make another exciting playoff run just like last year, when they stunned New Trier in the regional finals.

“We have to get hot at the right time,” said Granell. “The team that won the state championship didn’t have the best record, but we got hot at the end and went all the way.”

practice and everything else works.”

“We have had a good time keeping our team focused and motivated to do their best,” said Kiotis. “We stay together well as a team and make sure everyone knows how important their role on the team is.”

The years of varsity experience on the 2014 team have also helped develop strong team chemistry among the players. “[The team chemistry] gets better and better with each game. The more we understand each other as people, the easier it is for us to adapt to a higher game of skill,” said Kiotis.

One of the major advantages of the experience on the varsity team is the depth that it provides the team.

Through their previous years on varsity soccer, a few of the girls have learned to play multiple positions at a high skill level.

Senior Leslie Hannon has been a player that the girls can count on to fill in any role on the team.

“Leslie has played so many positions for this team and you can always count on her to step up to the plate when needed,” said Bruce.

The team has defeated conference foes such as Deerfield, Highland Park, and Waukegan, and a big reason why they won was because of the seniors.

“Our seniors are a big push towards success, as far as confidence goes for carrying the team,” said Kiotis. “Britt Bruce, our goalie and Iowa State recruit Emily O’Grady, and Kay Thursby have been leading our team with a lot of optimism and strength.

As a whole, our entire senior class works well as a team by conjoining all of our strengths.”

With playoffs in the near future, the team is looking to continue to im-

prove upon their current level.

“Our goals are to play stronger, more confident, and smarter with every game, and also making sure that everyone has a good experience while playing for this program,” said Kiotis.

The Hawks hope to carry this strength with them into the playoffs and top last year’s regional win.

“We have many important games coming up and we’ve been working really hard to be able to compete at the same level as these teams,” said Bruce. “It took us a while to get used to one another, but we’re starting to figure it out. We had a lot of big shoes to fill, but a lot of people have stepped up. The mind-set is always pretty much to grow as a team and get better each day.”

With optimism, confidence, and experience, the future looks promising for the Hawks.

Brendan Ploen & Cole Nelson

Sports Editor & Guest Writer

PHOTO BY HANNA

n almost every team, there seems to be a catalyst from which much of the success comes. The Maine South boys’ volleyball team returns three key starters from last season’s regional championship team including their catalyst, setter Tim Mizdrak. The Hawks offense has been in sync and has led them to a 17-9 record thus far.

Coach Gar y Granell has been impressed with the way that this team has overcome the loss of five graduating seniors and the experience gained by the new players at the varsity level.

“It has been a tough adjustment,” said Granell, “but guys that were juniors last year and didn’t get as much playing time still gained a lot of experience and are contributing greatly this season, such as seniors Charlie Majewski, Danny Perry, and Kevin Nugent.”

The team has become familiar with each other and they understand their roles on the team. With stiff competition at each position, the players have to perform to the best of their abilities to not only help the team win, but to also increase chemistry.

“They understand the expectations,

PHOTO BY HANNAH SIMPSON

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TIMELY TEAMWORK Evan Walsh and Kevin Nugent go up for a block against Waukegan on April 30. The Hawks are 17-9 on the season and 4-3 in conference.

Girls’ soccer team loaded with experience Julia Sirvinskas Staff Writer

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ith nine seniors, many of whom have multiple years of varsity experience, the 2014 varsity girls’ soccer team knows what is in store for them this season. Coached by Mr. Crawford and Ms. Marcus, the girls are 9-8-1 and looking to improve with each new game.

Senior captains Lexi Kiotis, Britt Bruce, and Kay Thursby agree that the leadership of the seniors and returning players has made a significant impact on the team.

“A lot of the seniors have been on the team for three years,” said Bruce.

“They know the ins and outs of the team, which really helped bring the team together. All returning players have helped motivate the new girls and get them up to speed with the way