Downloading - The Charger

Volume 6, Number 2
It was a sad day
for Peacock
Middle School
B Y K Y L E P.
SPORTS EDITOR
This year’s eighth grade trip to the state
capital, Springfield, did not go smoothly.
Altogether, there were about sixty-five hours
worth of detentions and suspensions handed
out in the wake of the trip.
One hundred and ten students attended
and at least ten were punished for actions
ranging from lack of respect for the bus
drivers and tour guides to bad behavior at
certain sites.
Because of the misbehavior, the eighth
grade class lost all of
Because of the their privileges to go
on other field trips
misbehavior,
and attend dances.
the eighth
To gain those
grade class lost privileges back, the
all of their
eighth graders have
privileges to go signed a letter of
on other field
apology that has
trips and attend been sent to Capitol
officials and staff,
dances.
(see Op-Ed, pages
8-9).
Student council president and vice
president Kaitlyn Linsner and Shannon
Powers came up with the idea for the apology,
and drafted the letter for their classmates to
sign.
In addition, every eighth grade student had
to submit to Dr. Nickisch a formal account
of their behavior on September 13, 2002,
apologizing if necessary.
Despite the problems, the eighth graders
did tour Springfield and see the historical and
governmental sites.
See Springfield
Page 4
O CTOBER 2002
www.thecharger.org
Itasca remembers 9-11
BY AMY E.
September 11, 2001 is a day
Americans will never forget. Itasca, along
with most other towns and cities, did
many things to remember and honor the
men and women who were killed that
day.
On the first anniversary of the
September 11th attacks, a very large
crowd of people, many from Itasca and
some from nearby towns, gathered in
Usher Park at 7:30 p.m. Many different
people made speeches that night.
The service began with Boy Scout
Troop 409 distributing candles to
everyone.
First to speak was Alva J. Kreutzer,
Itasca’s Character Counts Coordinator.
Shortly after, the North DuPage
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
presented the flags and played the
bagpipes.
The crowd then recited the Pledge
of Allegiance and sang the National
Anthem led by resident Carl Presto, with
Carl Presto Jr. playing bagpipes and
Robert Haney playing drums.
Mayor Gigi Gruber reflected on the
events of September 11th.
The Itasca fire chaplain, Steven Fox,
and police chief, Mike McDonald, spoke,
followed by a moment of silence and
the singing of Amazing Grace.
The color guard then retired the flags,
but before they left, Ken Palicki of the
VFW requested that the crowd recite the
Pledge of Allegiance a second time
because of how much the pledge meant
to him.
Robert Gosanko and Harry Volkman of the
VFW participated in the September 11th
Candlelight Vigil in Usher Park. (photo by Amy E.)
Inside
Council makes changes - p. 2
Demise of spring play - p. 3
Opinions - p. 5
Eighth grade apology - p. 8
Features - p. 10
See 9-11
Page 4
All this and more!
2
T HE C HARGER N EWS O CTOBER 2002
Council makes changes that
affect students
BY MICHELLE M.
Many students are probably wondering
what the new student council president and
vice-president, Kaitlyn L. and Shannon P., are
able to do to improve student life.
As far as dances are concerned, they would
like to hire a D.J. who plays the music that the
students like. They also would like to have
themes for the dances.
Many students and
teachers complain
Students are about how the pep
now allowed rallies need more
to chew gum spunk and excitement.
Kaitlyn and Shannon
in all but
would like to improve
restricted
them by having the
areas, such
whole student council
as the gym.
help with decorations.
They would also
like to get more participation from the student
body. They have even suggested throwing
beach balls around in the crowd to make
things a little more exciting.
When interviewed, Kaitlyn and Shannon
commented, “We would like to have better
New advisor for
student council
BY JESSICA L.
Student council president, Kaitlyn L.
and vice-president Shannon P. conduct
a student council meeting.
hot lunches with tastier food, and also have
the cafeteria decorated to make it look cooler.
During the month we would also like to
include blizzard days.”
The officers added that they plan to have
more spirit days during the month as well.
The also said that they would like to get
students involved in fund raising projects that
are good for the community.
See New gum policy
Page 3
Peer mediators are here to help
Kaitlyn’s classmate Dave Keyworth agreed
that it was fun helping people resolve their
problems.
The mediators’ training includes a whole
With the new school
day of listening, asking
year, there are four new
questions, and role-playing
peer mediators along with The mediators’
short stories and afterwards
the original eight: eighth training includes a
mediating them.
graders Dave K., Kaitlyn whole day of listening,
Other students, Dr. West,
L., Andrew K., Nicole D., asking questions, and
teachers, and Dr. Nickisch can
Lara P., Suzie S., Danny R.,
refer students to mediation. A
role-playing short
and Steve G.; seventh
typical mediation is between
graders Derek S., Nick P., stories and afterwards
two or more arguing students
mediating them.
Claire Z., Jessica D.
and two mediators.
Kaitlyn L. explained that
Each person tells his side of
“peer mediators resolve conflicts. I’m a peer
the story and they both think of a solution to
mediator because I like resolving problems
the problem. If the students have some
and helping people. Since I’m a mediator I
trouble finding a solution, the peer mediators
can’t get in fights, and I also have to set an
are happy to try and help them find one.
example. I do enjoy being a mediator because
it’s a lot of fun.”
BY STEVE G.
NEWS EDITOR
Mrs. Laughlin
counsels the
council
Peacock has a new student council
advisor, sixth grade English teacher,
Mrs. Laughlin.
Seventh grade social studies
teacher, Mr. Peel, who had served as
the council’s advisor for many years,
resigned at the end of last year.
Mrs. Laughlin took his place
because she thought it would be fun
to work with students from different
grade levels.
Mrs. Laughlin hopes
that the student council
will become active in
many areas of
operation.
“The student council has some
outstanding officers this year,” said
Mrs. Laughlin, “I think that together
we can make a difference.”
Dr. Nickisch commented that he
would like the student council to
become more active in the governing
of the school.
Student council president and vice
president, Kaitlyn L. and Shannon P.,
are attending the meetings of the
faculty leadership council this year.
They will be offering their opinions
and the opinions of the students at
Peacock on various issues.
Mrs. Laughlin commented, “I
would like to see Kaitlyn and Shannon
become participating members of the
leadership council. I think they will
listen to the student body and be fair
to everyone here at Peacock.”
Mrs. Laughlin hopes that the
student council will become active in
many areas of operation.
She also stated, “We hope to have
a positive effect on the entire Itasca
community.”
T HE C HARGER N EWS O CTOBER 2002
Learn about East Asian
cuisine and art
Teachers and
students prepare
for annual luncheon
BY JACKIE S.
E N T E R TA I N M E N T E D I T O R
This year’s Senior Citizen’s Luncheon
features an East Asian theme. Students in Mrs.
Mann’s eighth grade family and consumer
science classes will be cooking up a storm for
about 200 senior citizens. This event will take
place on October 18.
About thirty students are working on the
luncheon. It will take about four full weeks to
prepare. The menu will be cucumber salad,
chicken teriyaki and a “glorious” cheesecake.
The students will cook and serve the meal. Peacock parent, Mrs. Saito, teaches
Some servers will dress in kimonos, a Japanese FACS students how to conduct a
robe, and others will wear red and white, the Japanese tea ceremony.
colors on the Japanese flag.
“Sounds cool, because you
The students will design
get
to learn about Japanese
table
decorations
and
“I think the theme
culture.”
centerpieces.
is different, and it
“I like it a lot and look
They are also learning to
will
be
fun
to
cook
forward
to the luncheon.”
perform a Japanese tea
this
kind
of
food.
”
“I
can’t
wait until we cook
ceremony for their guests.
the
food.”
Some students had the
“I’m looking forward to being a waiter
following comments on the luncheon:
because
I can’t cook.”
“I think the theme is different, and it will
While
Mrs. Mann is in the kitchen, art
be fun to cook this kind of food.”
teacher, Mrs. Dengler will be in the hall
hanging up her students’ Asian artwork for
the senior citizens to admire when they arrive.
Mrs. Dengler’s sixth grade students will
Continued from page 2
make a Japanese ink value painting that
involves lines, called a sumi-e. They will also
The biggest issue at Peacock at the
learn some Chinese calligraphy to write in their
moment is gum chewing. Kaitlyn and
sumi-e books.
Shannon have worked with Dr. Nickisch
Along with sumi-e books, the seventh
to set up a new policy. Students are now
grade students are making Japanese and
allowed to chew gum in all but restricted
Korean style ceramics. Most students are
areas, such as the gym.
making a fish, which is a significant animal in
They will also be allowed to have water
Asian art and culture.
bottles sold by the student council on their
Mrs. Dengler will also select two
desks.
photographers to take pictures at the
More ideas will come to mind during
luncheon.
student council meetings. If students have
Mrs. Mann, Mrs. Dengler, and all the
any other ideas, they should talk to Kaitlyn
students interviewed were very excited about
and Shannon first—they want to hear your
the luncheon. They hope that everything will
suggestions.
go smoothly.
New gum policy
3
Demise of
spring play
upsets many
BY JESSICA L.
F E AT U R E S E D I T O R
Last year, the director of Peacock’s musical
productions, Mr. Travis, decided that with a
new baby at home, he didn’t have the many
hours that it takes to organize a musical.
Therefore, as of now, there will be neither
an eighth grade musical nor an all-school
spring musical this year.
“I have a
family now and
Just one musical
I cannot spend
production costs
four days a
nearly $4000 for
week at school
royalties,
from 7:00 a.m.
costumes, makeuntil 6:00 p.m.
and then go
up and sets.
home and do
more work on the productions,” stated Mr.
Travis.
Mr. Travis added that his decision had
“absolutely nothing” to do with Mr.
Cousineau leaving. “Mr. Cousineau was slowly
shying away from being as involved as he had
been because he also had a new baby at home.
I did nearly everything last year.”
According to Mr. Travis, Dr. Nickisch was
shocked to hear that he would no longer direct
the musicals.
When asked about the possibility of a
future production, Mr. Travis did comment
that he thought that it was a good idea for the
student body to pull together and put on a
play this year, if they wanted to.
It won’t be easy though. Just one musical
production costs nearly $4000 for royalties,
costumes, make-up and sets.
Many eighth grade students are quite upset
with Mr. Travis’s decision. Carly L. said, “I
can see why Mr. Travis can’t do it this year,
but our grade deserves something, whether it
be just the eighth grade or the whole school,
we should keep the theatrical spirit alive at
Peacock.”
See Musical
Page 5
4
Spanish Club
T HE C HARGER N EWS O CTOBER 2002
Newscast nearer to premier
New advisor plans
holiday celebrations
Late November targeted for first show
BY JULIA N.
BY MEGAN L.
C I R C U L AT I O N
EDITOR
¡Holà Como Esta? That is what you might
hear if you walk into a Spanish Club meeting,
which is held in Miss Okon’s room every other
Wednesday.
According to Miss Okon, the Spanish Club is
“for all students interested in expanding their
knowledge of the Spanish language and culture.”
The Spanish Club isn’t just about learning a
new language. Members say that they have a lot
of fun as well. For example, they celebrate some
Hispanic holidays. These include Indigenous
Peoples’ Day, Navajo Sing, and Coya Rayni.
Another popular club project is making
Piñatas.
The Spanish Club is open to anyone who
wants to participate. Stop by Mr. Okon’s room
after school for more information.
Springfield
Continued from page 1
Their day started at 6:00 A.M., when their
bus left Peacock.
During a quick rest stop about two hours
into the trip, a student was injured in a
playground accident.
The first tourist site visited was New Salem
Village near Springfield. New Salem shows
what a village looked like in the days of Illinois’
most famous citizen, Abraham Lincoln (18091865).
Next, the students headed to Springfield.
In Springfield, they visited Abraham Lincoln’s
Tomb, the new and old State Capitol
Buildings, Lincoln’s Home, The Vietnam and
Korean War Memorials, and of course the gift
shops.
The last stop was Old Country Buffet,
where the students had dinner and soon after
proceeded back home.
Most of the students had a great time on
the trip, but some were unaware of the
consequences they would have to face on
Monday morning.
Unfortunately, only the bad behaviors were
noticed. Many people were very upset about
the decisions that were made upon the
punishments given.
According to media
center director, Mrs.
Bernahl, there are
several goals for the
planned news program.
First, it will help
students learn to
communicate through a
news program.
It will also teach
them how to present
what they are learning
and doing in clubs and
other fun activities.
Overall, the
newscasts will show and
Seventh grader Rosa A. and eighth grader Mariana D.
celebrate what students monitor the control panel in the broadcast studio.
do in and out of class.
The video club uses
the studio Friday mornings before school, as
comes in may choose to create programs, such
well as on Mondays after school.
as book talks, debates, skits, Spanish programs,
Mrs. Bernahl will also arrange a time for
or fashion shows.
students to use the studio if they cannot make
Mrs. Bernahl would like to film a lot of
the regular meetings.
school events. She hopes to post clips from
The news show will begin later in the fall.
the shows on the district web site.
When that happens, there will be Monday,
Eventually, Mrs. Bernahl even hopes to
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
enter student work in scholastic video
groups for the news.
competitions.
Mrs. Bernahl said that every group who
9-11 in Itasca
Continued from page 1
The audience joined him, but recited the
pledge with much more feeling this time. The
flag was then retired and the VFW exited.
The vigil ended with a very exciting
moment when the audience spontaneously
broke out in God Bless America.
Throughout the ceremony, music was
played from the “United We Stand” CD
created by the students of Itasca.
Itasca resident, Alice Beine said, “The
memorial is very sad and heartbreaking, and
very emotional. It seems to make you think
you’re doing what you can do for the ones
who have passed away.”
Major Gruber commented, “It’s a time for
rebuilding for the nation. It’s a time for
recovery and reflection. It’s a time for people
to make peace within themselves, to come to
terms with what happened and to be able to
move forward with what they might not have
accepted before.”
Deputy Chief Police Rusty Votava, said,
“This day has changed the way we all think
and live and is something that will be with us
forever. Everyone should deal with their
feelings in whatever way they can.”
All the residents interviewed agreed that
this year’s Candlelight Vigil was a moving
event that helped to bring people closer
together.
T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002
5
Editorial & Opinion
News Editors
Not this year
Are we going to
let one of the
greatest traditions
of Peacock go?
B Y C A R LY L .
OP-ED EDITOR
Peacock is a small town school with a lot
of history. And with history comes tradition.
Over the past two years I have seen, and a
few times have participated in, some of these to fight for. This is the chance we’ve been
traditions: our sports teams, band programs, waiting for to prove to ourselves and everyone
before and after school programs and clubs, else that we can do some good in this school.
our excellence in academia, our fine arts
We can’t just let this chance
programs and to be
pass us by. Instead of standing
even more specific, the Something that so many
on the sidelines, this is our
annual school musical. Peacock alumni, so many chance to get in the game.
Most of you know
This is not just for the
friends and maybe even
the musical has been
eighth
graders, but for every
family members have
cancelled. Now we’re
student who will eventually
left here standing in participated in, is being
walk through the doors of
taken away from us.
awe.
Peacock. Do we really want to
What do we do?
leave this place with no legacy,
Are we just going to stand here and let this no memories?
happen? Something that so many Peacock
I’m not. I promised my self that I would
alumni, so many friends and maybe even not leave here without one true
family members have participated in is being accomplishment, my legacy. What about you?
taken away from us. Some may think this a I ask you, please don’t give up. It’s not a lost
bad thing. I do too, but instead of looking at cause.
this as hopeless I see it as a blessing in disguise.
This is the chance to stand up for what we
believe in. Something to work for; something
Steve G.
Agnes Z.
Op-Ed Editor
Carly L.
Features Editor Jessica L.
Creative Writing Editor
Rachel W.
Entertainment Editors
Caitlyn C.
Jackie S.
Sports Editor Kyle P.
Art Editors
Alexandra B.
Acaisha B.
Graphics Editor Chris W.
Layout Editor Paul P.
Finishing Editor Joanna M.
Assistant
Eric A.
Advertisement Editor
Trisha H.
Assistant
Nicole M.
Circulation Editors
Megan L.
Rena W.
Faculty Advisor, Mr. Travis
The Charger is published six times
a year: September, October,
November, February, March and May
by Peacock Middle School, located at
301 E. North Street, Itasca, IL 60143.
Phone: (630)773-0335
Email: staff@thecharger.org
Web:http://thecharger.org
Write the editorial board with
questions,
comments
and
complaints. Correspondence must
be signed.
Future of spring musical
Continued from page 3
A committee of concerned students has been formed to keep this
Peacock tradition alive. It consists of Kristen Maros, Jessica Lema,
Carly LeVan, Christy Gianneschi, Agnes Zdzichowski and Kaitlyn
Linsner.
The committee has been brainstorming on how to overcome the
situation and soon plan to address the issue with Dr. Nickisch. For
now, all they can do is wait and see how the problem unravels.
BY DAN B.
6
T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002
Choices, Welcome to sixth grade
choices
16 or 18?
BY ACHAISHA B.
ART EDITOR
BY CARMEN Z.
There are rumors that the
state government is trying to
change the age at which
drivers’ licenses are issued.
Some lawmakers believe
that if they change the driving
age from sixteen to eighteen,
young drivers will cause fewer
accidents.
Changing the driving age
to eighteen is a bad idea. For
one thing, most sixteen year
olds have jobs, and their
parents or other older adults
would have to drive them.
Also, if they need to go to
somewhere like the store, 7-11,
library, or to dances, someone
would have to drive them.
Although changing the
driving age might prevent
some accidents at first, starting
driving earlier will give young
drivers more practive overall.
In the end, drivers will have
more skills and experience if
they start driving at sixteen.
BY ALEX S.
T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002
7
Eighth grade Springfield trip
“I didn’t like
it; the bus was
the only fun
part.”
Innocent fun, or uncivil disrespectful
“If I would
chaos?
have known
the
consequences
of what
happened, I
wouldn’t have
gone because
it stunk.”
On September 13, 2002 about 110 eighth
grade students went to Springfield. Teachers
said that it was an unprofessional group, so
basically they said that we misbehaved. But
let’s see what the students feel about the trip.
“I thought
that the
Springfield
Trip was
pretty fun
except for the
fact that a lot
of people got
in trouble”
- Shannon T.
“It was pretty
fun, but some
places, like the
Capital
Building,
people were
doing things
that they
weren’t
suppose to
- Kyle P.
“I think it
was really fun,
except the
part where we
got in
trouble.”
- Paige P.
“I think it was
HORRIBLE,
the class’s
actions
disgusted me”
- Brendon T.
that got us in trouble”
- Eric S.
“If I knew
that what
happened was
going to
happen I
wouldn’t of
gone in the
first place.”
- Radvile R.
“I think that it
was plain
terrible.”
“It was fun,
but we got in
trouble”
- Angela W.
- Lauren S.
- Mike W.
“I think that it
was ok and
that the
teachers are
over-reacting
and they’re
punishing us
too hard.”
- Renimol M.
8
T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002
T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y A L E X A N D R A B .
ART EDITOR
9
T HE C HARGER F EATURES O CTOBER 2002
10
The Book Nook
Dog owner loses out
B Y B R I T TA N Y O .
Shiloh is a story about a boy named Marty
and a dog named Shiloh. Marty lives near the
town of Friendly, West Virginia.
While walking across the Shiloh Bridge,
Marty finds a beagle, whom he brings home
and names Shiloh.
When Marty
comes home
with Shiloh, his
parents say that
he has to take
the dog back to
his owner.
Shiloh’s
owner is Judd, a
very cruel man
who beats his
dogs.
Marty brings Shiloh back to Judd, but
Shiloh keeps running back to Marty’s house.
So Marty decides to work for Judd to keep
Shiloh.
Marty will do anything to keep Shiloh.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I rate Shilo as a 4. I
New seventh
grader thinks
teachers are
helpful
BY PAM R.
would recommend this book to my classmates
because it’s exciting and it teaches you that if
you really want something, you should work
hard to get it.
Written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young
Readers (1992)
There is almost always at least one new
student in each grade. This year, the seventh
grade has three. One of those students is Alex
C.
Alex moved to Itasca from Chicago. He
went to St. Luke’s Lutheran school in Itasca
before he started coming here.
Alex said that he likes Peacock better than
St. Luke’s because the teachers are more
helpful.
He has also made many new friends at
Peacock. Alex’s favorite subject is math
because he likes algebra.
Alex is in the choir. He enjoys listening to
rap and Eminem. The last book he read was
the fourth book in the Harry Potter series.
So far, Alex has had a good school year,
and hopefully the rest of the year will be
enjoyable for him too.
DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO BECOME A PUBLISHED
AUTHOR OR A WELL-KNOWN ARTIST
Submit your creative writing and
artwork for The Charger’s annual
literary and art magazine pullout.
ALL SUBMISSIONS DUE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 4PM
T HE C HARGER F EATURES O CTOBER 2002
11
Foods and recipes
How did it go, Cuppy?
BY CARMEN Z.
I made my cream cheese cupcakes and
overall, the process went well.
First, I got out my ingredients for the
chocolate batter.
After sifting the chocolate batter
ingredients, I got my ingredients for the cheese
batter and blended it with a mixer.
I added my final ingredients to the
chocolate batter then mixed it together.
To the muffin pans! I filled the cups about
half-way with the chocolate, then added the
cheese on top.
I baked two batches of twelve and they
turned out to be pretty well.
Now that I have finished making my
favorite food, cream cheese cupcakes, I wish
that some things went better.
I think that if I’d had more chocolate batter
(which I was short on due to measurements)
I would have been able to fill the muffin cups
higher. Then, when I put them in the oven,
they would have turned out puffier, like the
ones at Jewel.
Overall, my Cream Cheese Cupcakes
turned out to be what I expected--quite tasty.
Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Chocolate Batter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Sift together the chocolate batter and put aside
Cheese Batter
1 8oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt (about 1/4 tsp)
1 cup chocolate chips
Combine the cheese batter w/ mixer
STEPS
First, add 1 cup water, 1/3 cup cooking oil,
and 1 tbsp vinegar to the chocolate batter.
Next, fill the paper muffin cups about
1/3 to about 1/2 full of the chocolate batter.
After that, place about 1 tsp of the cheese
batter on top.
Finally, bake at 350 degrees for about 30
minutes.
Ken Majkowicz
Touch of Beauty Carpeting
Cleaning & Installation
410 Catalpa
Itasca, IL 60143
Pager: 708 817 7229
Cell Phone: 630 772 4836
September 2002
Caring
Samantha D.
Pedro M.
Amanda P.
Derek S.
Citizenship
Nicole D.
Responsibility
Ashley C.
Blaise M.
Respect
Kyle P.
Maggie P.
SPANISH CLUB
MEETING
DATES
WEDNESDAYS 3:00-4:00
October 16, 30
November 20
December 4, 18
January 15, 29
February 12, 26
March 12, 26
April 16, 30
May 14, 28
12
T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002
Chabba’s Noodles “weird” but good
BY SARAH B.
I decided to go to a Thai restaurant,
Chabaa’s Noodles, located at 1047 Rohlwing
Road in Elk Grove Village. I took two of my
friends with me, Laura and Briana.
We walked in and were greeted by a smiling
hostess. Chabaa’s is a small restaurant with
very bright yellow walls and many pictures.
Of the many appetizers offered, we
ordered the baby egg rolls for $3.50. We were
very disappointed when it turned out there
were only six baby eggs rolls the size of my
little finger and a small dish of sweet & sour
sauce.
Our disappointment did not last very long,
however. The baby egg rolls were very, very
good! They were stuffed with chicken, shrimp,
black mushrooms, and bean thread noodle,
whatever that is!
There were so many choices that it took
us at least ten minutes to decide what to order.
Briana chose the sauteed chicken, baby corn,
onions, peapods and straw mushrooms in a
mild gravy on a bed of rice.
Laura got the crispy wide rice noodles
topped with stir-fried assorted vegetables and
chicken.
I ordered the pad woonsen, stir-fried glass
noodles with shrimp, chicken, and broccoli.
It took about five or ten minutes for our
food to come.
Briana said that the sauteed chicked
smelled “weird” but tasted good.
Laura enjoyed the stir fried chicken. My
pad woonsen was delicious. The entree
portions were very large for $5.95, so we took
some home.
Food: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Service:3
Cleanliness: 5
Value for Money: 3
Kid Friendliness: 2
Overall Experience: 4
Linette’s
serves up
spicy food
Hot food in cool
atmosphere
B Y P A U L P.
L AY O U T E D I T O R
Linette’s Jamaicans Kitchen, 7366 North
Clark Street in Chicago, is a small restaurant
that serves excellent Jamaican food.
The menu has everything from the usual,
jerk pork and chicken, to the unusual, things
like oxtail and goat meat.
Other dishes on the menu include tangy
pepper shrimp and meat patties.
Linette’s serves exotic drinks such as
coconut water and ginger beer, as well as
conventional drinks like Snapple.
See Jamaican
page 13
$2.00
OFF
$3.00
OFF
any order over
$10.00
any order over
$15.00
expires November 21, 2002
expires November 21, 2002
The Charger, Peacock Middle School
$4.00
OFF
any order over
$20.00
expires November 21, 2002
The Charger, Peacock Middle School
The Charger, Peacock Middle School
Buy a large or Xtra
Large Pizza and get
a Small Cheese
Pizza FREE
expires November 21, 2002
The Charger, Peacock Middle School
T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002
Jamaican
restaurant not
for the timid
Continued from page 12
All of your food is prepared and served
quickly. The floor and tables are pretty clean.
The food is fair-priced at about six dollars
per entrée.
Some kids may enjoy the experience of
dining at Linette’s, others may not. The
muscular concert promoters and dreadlocked
old men who walk in and out and try to make
conversation with you may intimidate fearful
people who don’t usually leave the suburbs.
I think that the atmosphere makes the
restaurant. It’s pretty cool to eat hot food in a
restaurant located between two Hispanic
grocery stores while Jamaican immigrants
walk in and out handing you concert fliers.
Overall, Linette’s Jamaican Kitchen is an
excellent restaurant.
Food: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Cleanliness: 4
Value for Money: 4
Kid Friendliness: Depends on the Kid
Overall Experience: 5
Place your
“shout-out” here!
$2 per square
stop by the music room
for more information
staff@thecharger.org
Advertise in
The Charger!
www.thecharger.org/
advertise.htm
staff@thecharger.org
13
Avril Lavigne shows
what singing is all about
BY CASSANDRA D.
The new album Let Go by Avril Lavigne is
really good. She sings pop music. Most of the
songs are good to dance to.
There are only a few slow songs. The lyrics
to her songs are all about “being yourself.”
That is pretty cool because it seems that most
popstars don’t really care about that kind of
thing.
Let Go includes her two hit songs
“Complicated” and Sk8ter Boi.”
Lavigne’s style of music is different than
most popstars. It is still really good.
On a scale of 1-5, I would rate Let Go a
4.5. I would definitely recommend it to anyone
who likes to dance!
Good Charlotte plays pop-punk
Band plays punk or pop, depending on
who you ask
BY MONICA M.
Good what? Who? That’s what I get when
I ask or tell people about Good Charlotte.
Good Charlotte started off with five
friends from Waldorf,
Maryland. The original
Good Charlotte consisted
of twin brothers, Joel
(lead singer), and Benji
(backup singer/ guitarist),
Billy (guitarist), Paul
(bass), and last, but not
least, Aaron (drums).
A year or so ago, Aaron
quit the band to join his
own brother’s band. The
rest of the band found a
replacement (Dusty), but
he didn’t last long.
They are still
searching, but until they find the one, they
have drummers from other bands fill in.
Good Charlotte released their debut selftitled album in 2000. It is filled with catchy,
funny, and self reflecting lyrics.
On the album, Joel and Benji sing about
their bad luck, girl troubles, how their dad left
them, and much more.
Their genre of music is pop-punk
according to critics, but most people say it’s
only pop.
I think it’s pop
with a twist of rock
and rap, but, hey, what
do I know?
Unlike many other
artists,
Good
Charlotte keeps you
interested in their
music.
Their album is not
the kind where all or
many of the songs are
about the same thing
or with the same kind
of rhythm.
To sum it up,
Good Charlotte’s album certainly is worth
your time and money.
I would rate this album, from a scale from
one to five, as a five, and I stick firmly to my
rating! I would definitely recommend this
incredible album to you.
14
T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002
Gilmore Girls
New Hip
The comical drama with unpredictable
Hop arrives events heads into its third season
BY CHRIS R.
Underground hip hop is not the hip hop
that you hear on the radio such as Ja Rule,
Nelly, Jay-Z, etc. Underground Hip hop means
that not everyone knows these rappers.
Some underground rappers don’t want to
be famous.
Underground rappers don’t rap about
jewelry or money, they rap about street life,
or about a regular day, and they still make it
interesting.
Two of underground hip hop’s finest are
probably Atmosphere and Sage Francis. If you
like popular hip hop artists such as N.O.R.E ,
Nas, and Wu-Tang-Clan then you will like this
type of hip hop.
Atmosphere’s new album, God Loves Ugly,
talks mostly about their childhood and school.
It has outstanding beats and good lyrics.
Sage Francis’s new album is Personal
Journals. This album mostly talks about when
he was in “depression” and how tough it was
to get out of it.
Francis’s style of rapping is not very
different from Atmosphere’s. These styles are
not slow, but not fast at all.
This music is worth
listening to if you are tired
of listening to rappers rap
about the same old
shallow subjects.
If you listen to
underground hip hop you
can probably learn from it.
But Rory always knows how to stand up for
herself.
What would life be like if you were smart,
When Rory first got into Chilton, Lorelai
sixteen, and your mom was young enough and went back to her parents and asked if they
cool enough to be your
would help with the
best friend? You might
tuition. Grandma
be like Rory Gilmore.
Gilmore accepted
Gilmore Girls is a
on one condition:
WB television series,
Lorelai and Rory
seen on WGN-TV,
had to come to their
Channel 9. On
Hartford home for
Tuesday, Sept. 24th at
dinner every Friday.
7:00 PM, it started its
The scenes
third season.
between Lorelai and
If you watch
her very proper
Gilmore Girls, you will
parents are some of
meet Rory and her mother, Lorelai (LORE- the funniest in each episode.
a-lie). Lorelai grew up with two very rich
Rory and Lorelai have a lot in common:
parents, Richard and Emily Gilmore.
clothes, movies, music, junk food, and perhaps
When she turned sixteen, she dropped out most importantly, coffee.
of high school because
Every morning, they go to Luke’s
she was pregnant with
Diner right in the center of Stars
Rory and Lorelai
Rory.
Hollow, to get coffee.
have a lot in
She ran away from
Luke is a great character; he’s
Hartford, Connecticut to common: clothes,
crabby, but he also can be very sweet
Stars Hollow, a town so movies, music, junk to Rory and Lorelai. I don’t know
small that everyone food, and perhaps
what Lorelai or Rory would do if
most importantly,
knows each other.
Luke wasn’t there to give them their
Lorelai got a job as a coffee.
coffee.
maid at a local inn. She
Last season, Luke caused quite a
works with her best
stir in Stars Hollow when he brought
friend, Sookie, the clumsy chef, and with his nephew, Jess, the bad boy of the family, to
Michel, her stuck-up French assistant.
live with him.
Meanwhile, Rory attends Chilton, a private
If you want to get into Gilmore Girls but
school in Hartford, Connecticut. Her biggest need to catch up on the first two seasons, you
dream is to go to Harvard.
have two options.
At Chilton, some of the other students
seem to dedicate their extra time to making
See Gilmore Girls
Rory’s life difficult – especially Paris Geller.
Page 17
B Y E M I LY W .
BY ANDY K.
T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002
And the nominees are...
BY VERONICA M.
On August 29, 2002, the MTV video music
awards were on every young music fan’s mind.
There were many performances and
special appearances by singers and groups
including Avril Lavine, Justin Timberlake and
Shakira.
Many different prizes
were awarded that night,
such as best female and
male videos, and best hip
hop or R&B videos.
Fans voted on the
viewers choice award, which
pop star Michelle Branch
won. Pop sensation Avril
Lavigne took best new
artist.
Rap star Eminem won
the most categories overall.
Peacock sixth grader Cristal H.
commented that she really enjoyed the live
performances: “They were much better than
last year.”
A big fan of Eminem, Cristal was happy
that he won the most awards.
Cristal added that Michelle Branch was her
favorite female singer, so she was thrilled that
Branch won the viewers choice poll.
Cristal’s classmate, Dulce R., commented
that this years VMAs were
better than last year’s. She
particularly enjoyed pop star
Shakira’s performance.
As far as the awards were
concerned, Dulce was
disappointed that Britney
Spear’s didn’t win anything.
Dulce also mentioned that
she hated Cristina Aguilera’s
outfit and that she thought that
Eminem was really cute!
As far as these two music
fans were concerned, the 2002
MTV video music award show was a great
night of entertainment.
15
Inklink
Hit game on
popular website
BY ERIC A.
A S S I S TA N T F I N I S H I N G E D I T O R
Knowing that Shockwave.com is one of
the best-known gaming websites, I was
looking for its best-known game.
I asked people in Shockwave’s chatroom
what game they would recommend. Four out
of ten people recommended Inklink.
To play the game, Inklink, http://
w w w. s h o ck wave. c o m / s w / c o n t e n t s /
inklink15, you need to download the flashplug-in card, which is easy. Learning to play is
also pretty simple.
Inklink is like playing pictionary, except
that there are more options. You try to guess
what one of the players is drawing. After a
few seconds, a letter pops up to give you a
clue.
See Inklink
Page 16
16
T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002
Run and hide
Here comes the teacher’s funny side
B Y S A M A N T H A M . A N D N I C O L E M . , A S S I S TA N T A D V E R T I S E M E N T
EDITOR
Have you ever thought that your teachers
were so boring that they didn’t even have a
sense of humor? Well, this will prove you
wrong, or maybe even prove you right. Here
are a few jokes from the teachers of Peacock
Middle School.
Mr. Peel: Which state is like a baby rodent?
Which state?
New Hamster
Mr. Travis: Knock, Knock
Who’s there?
Interrupting cow!
Interrupting co MOOOO…
Mr. Poremba: Why did the monkey cross the
road?
Why?
Because he was stapled to the chicken.
Mr. Larsen: If it’s really warm out, and you
happen to see a heat wave, should you wave
back?
Dr. Nickisch: There was a fourth grade
student by the name of Johnny. Everyday he
would go up to his teacher’s desk and hand
her some raisins. This went on for weeks and
weeks and weeks. Then finally one day he
stopped going up to her desk. She called him
up to her desk and asked, “Where are my
raisins?” and Johnny said, “MY RABBIT
DIED!”
Mr. Loest: How do you keep your trumpet
from getting stolen?
How?
You put it in a trombone case.
Mrs. Laughlin: What do you get when you
cross a Rotweiler and a Collie?
What?
A dog that bites off your arm and then runs
for help.
See Jokes
Page 17
Continued from page 15
You compete with anywhere from three
to nine people and against the clock. The
person with the most points wins.
You can talk to the other players if you
click on the whisper option.
If you become a member of
Shockwave.com, you can try to kick someone
out of the game by booting that person if he
is causing a problem. If you get four boots,
you are out of the game.
There are many different Inklink rooms
from which to choose.
Inklink is really a good game to tell friends
about. It’s is a good way to pass time and meet
new buddies on the net.
Overall ratings 5 (highest) to 1 (lowest)
Graphics- 3
Downloading speed- 2
Sound- 3
Challenging- 4
Fits most system requirements- 5
Overall rating- 4
Halloween Teen Dance
Friday, October 25
7:00-9:30 p.m.
Itasca Recreation Center
773-2257
$5
DJ & Concessions Available
*Bring School ID & Parent Permission Slip
T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002
Do teachers have funny bones?
Continued from page 16
Mrs. Mann: Knock, Knock
Who’s there?
Ya
Ya who?
Yahoo it’s the weekend!
Mr. Behrendt: How do you keep a student
in suspense?
How?
Mr. Anderson: What do you call a blind deer?
What?
I have no I deer!
Mr. Koenig: Why does a zebra have stripes?
Why?
Because a bucket of paint fell on him
Mrs. Krefetz: Why did the monkey fall out
of the tree?
Why?
Because he was dead!
Miss Okon: How do you make a tissue dance?
How?
Put a little boogie into it!
Mrs. Engel: Why did the cow cross the road?
Why?
To go to the mooovies!
17
Let us know
what you think
Fill out the form below
and return it to the
suggestion return box
located in Mr. Travis’
room.
Joke Opinions:
The best joke was
Gilmore Girls gets two thumbs up
I liked it because
Continued from page 14
HarperCollins is now publishing a series
of Gilmore Girls paperbacks. One of the best
parts of this show is its fast and funny
dialogue, and the books are very faithful to
the show’s scripts.
Secondly, you can tune into the WB on
Sundays at 6:00 pm for Gilmore Girls:
Beginnings, which is a re-showing of the first
season.
Gilmore Girls is great because it shows a
wonderful mother-daughter relationship. It is
one of those shows that manages to be both
a drama and a comedy. The characters feel
very real, and Stars Hollow is a great place to
visit. Gilmore Girls gets two thumbs up!
I think
is the funniest teacher
BY JOSE M.
ADVERTISMENT
S TA F F
OCTOBER
2002
TRISHA
H.
NICOLE
M.
CARMEN
Z.
BY ACAISHA B., ART EDITOR
18
T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002
Beware the Signs! Well, maybe. Horoscopes for fun
BY ALEXANDRA B.
ART EDITOR
Here are the mysterious horoscope
fortunes for October. Beware the
Signs!
Aries, the Ram
March 21-April 20
You’d better get that assignment
done on time, Aries! Lately, you’ve been too
lazy to notice some things around you,
including your friends and your attitude. Also,
you’d better watch out. Santa’s not too pleased
about your behavior to a sibling or at least your cousins.
Taurus, the Bull
April 21-May 21
Something bad is in your future,
Taurus. Whether this is a fight
with a friend, or maybe something else, you
still have time to change it! It might’ve been
caused by a black cat crossing your path on
Friday the thirteenth, but who
knows?
Gemini, the Twins
May 22-June 21
Steady there, Gemini! You’re
getting clumsy, and your family’s been noticing
it too. Make sure it doesn’t get out of hand,
or you’ll find yourself tripping
over people and causing a ruckus.
Cancer the Crab
June 22-July 23
Lucky you, Cancer! You’re getting
POPULAR! Or at least more people are
noticing you. That’s still a good thing, but
make sure you don’t make it a bad one by
spreading a rumor about anyone, or your luck
might come back to bite you, like when
Scorpio found out too late about
his mistake! Don’t end up like
him!
Leo the Lion
July 24-August 23
“What? Why is everyone ignoring
me?!?” Hmm, tough luck Leo. Someone
doesn’t like you very much and has started
telling lies about you. Fortunately, you’ve
decided to ignore this fact and have continued
on with your life. Good for you! Soon he/
she’ll give up, don’t worry, and you’ll be back
to normal.
Virgo, the Virgin
August 24-September 23
Yay! MY sign! Virgos will have a
**REALLY REALLY** great
day, a boy or girl will ask you out
and the birds will sing - ok, you caught me, I
was making that one up. All’s the norm for
Virgos, but we’d better make sure to notice
someone we may have been leaving behind
lately. Watch out for the forgotten one’s
vengeance!
Libra, the Scales
September 24-October 23
Quite the math whiz, Libra!
You’re doing better than you
think. Skip the study time and go
to that sleepover your friend’s been nagging
you about on the weekend. You deserve it.
Just don’t get cocky, or you’ll lose your
advantage over the class! And you love that
no-homework-Friday, don’t you? Yes, I
thought so.
Scorpio, the Scorpion
October 24-November 22
Oh no...Watch out, Scorpio!!!
Someone’s gotten SO, so, so
mad they just can’t take it anymore! They’ve
made a voodoo doll and have begun to curse
you with evil magic! Forget school, forget the
school newspaper in your hand, RUN!!!
Eheheh, just kidding Mr. Travis. No, I’m not
encouraging hooky...
Sagittarius, the Archer
November 23-December 21
Whew, just typing your sign name
has given me the willies.
Sagittarius...you will have an
overall good day, because YOU’RE THE
ONE cursing Scorpio, huh, aren’t you!?
Confess!!! If you haven’t made a voodoo doll,
you have been mad at someone. Chill out
before someone finds out! It’s not like you to
be mad!
Capricorn, the Goat
December 22-January 20
You, Capricorn, are starting to
imagine yourself surrounded by
a zoo full of animals. Go over
this with your parents. They might let you get
a fish if you ask nicely enough, or maybe
you’re lucky and WILL be surrounded by
hundreds of pets. That’s sure the way you’d
like it - threatening your parents with a pet
crocodile, hehe.
Aquarius, the Water Bearer
January 21-February 19
Wow, Aquarius, you have a very
strange hidden talent. So strange,
in fact, that certain people out
there enjoy making fun of you. Don’t worry,
you will soon excel in your secret skill and
will be extremely proud of an
accomplishment. You also have a lot of really
good friends to back you up, so relax and have
some fun!
Pisces, the Fish
February 20-March20
Eheheheh...guess what Pisces..I
have learned your secret! You
watched a really dumb scary
movie and you’re still scared! And now you’re
embarrassed because you think everyone will
find out! Don’t worry, no one knows. Just
make sure not to spill the beans to anyone.
Especially your best friend. He/she’s gonna
tell!
B Y B I L L W . A N D R A C H E L W . , C R E AT I V E
WRITING EDITOR
T HE C HARGER S PORTS O CTOBER 2002
19
Lake Park Lancers volleyball
The inside story from
a Peacock graduate
set before each game, learning techniques, and
being with my team,” she explained.
Practices consist of running six laps around
the gym. They go into stretching afterwards.
Then the girls start serving, spiking, and
BY NICOLE D.
setting.
My sister, Dana, practices and works very
After practice, players run penalty laps for
hard as a member of the Lancers volleyball how many times they missed the ball, didn’t
team at Lake Park High School.
call the ball, or goofed off.
Did you ever wonder how hard high school
Dana is one of three captains for the A
volleyball was? I watched Lake Park’s matches and B volleyball teams. The captains give the
against the Barlett Hawks on September 19, rest of the girls an inspirational and
and I can testify that at the high
motivational speech after
school level, the competition is
each practice. They also
tough and the games get According to Dana,
cheer and put away the
“the best moments in volleyball equipment before
intense.
According to Dana, “the the games are when
they leave.
best moments in the games are members of the team
Dana thinks that her
when members of the team sacrifice their bodies to team needs to work on
sacrifice their bodies to save the save the ball from
passing, but otherwise she
ball from hitting the ground.” hitting the ground.”
would rate them as highly
Lake Park volleyball
competitive.
consists of two teams; the A
Dana added that she
and the B team. You can play with either team wanted to thank Peacock coaches, Mrs. Engel
depending on how hard you work.
and Ms. Heppeler for all their help last year.
The Lancers practice for two hours and She felt that they really helped her improve.
forty-five minutes a day, even on Saturdays.
Dana advised next year’s freshmen to go
Dana would do anything for volleyball.
out for as many sports as they wanted to.
“I enjoy practicing hard, achieving a goal I
Which way are the Bears going?
BY PETER D.
A few years ago, the Bears hit rock
bottom. Last year, they started a
rollercoaster ride going up up up. But this
year, the rollercoaster is going down again.
The Bears started the season with two
straight wins, but
have now lost three
But, if there
straight games.
are any more
On the
injuries it will offensive side, the
be a long year Bears are doing
and we will be well. Jim Miller,
Anthony Thomas,
looking
forward to the and a gang of wide
are
Cubs and Sox receivers
putting
points
on
playing
the board. The
baseball
offence
could
instead.
score of lot of
points.
On the defensive side, the Bears have lost
four starters to injuries including tackle Ted
Washington. The only bright spot is Brian
Urlacher.
Urlacher is a very young player still learning
his position, and yet, he is already one of the
best linebackers in pro football today.
Overall, however, the defense is giving up
a lot of points and they don’t seem to be able
to stop teams the way they did last year.
On special teams, the Bears are still looking
for the right combination with kick returners.
They do have Paul Edinger and Bryan
Maynard, their veteran kickers.
Last year, the Bears had a great season. This
year the team isn’t playing as well. If the Bears
defense can get healthy again and stay strong,
and the offense performs as well as last year,
it will be a fun season. Playoffs again!
But, if there are any more injuries it will be
a long year and we will be looking forward to
the Cubs and Sox playing baseball instead.
Lake Park freshmen, Dana D. and
Elizabeth I., are members of the
Lancers volleyball team.
Cross Country
Continued from page 20
“I was able to come back a little bit,
but I had fallen too far behind to finish in
the top three,” said Pat.
“In the next race I paced myself,” he
explained, “but I made my move too late.
That’s just something I’m going to have
to be able to get down to do better.”
When asked, Mrs. Engel said she was
thrilled with the performance of the team.
“Everyone is an outstanding runner.
They all have worked hard and have done
really well.”
The Chargers competed in the
Conference Championship meet on
Tuesday, October 8 at Lake Park High
School. The girls won it all, withColleen
Moran and Kaitlyn Linsner again taking
first and second.
The sixth and seventh grade boys
finished the meet in...place, and finished
the season...in the conference.
The eighth grade boys took the...spot
in the championship and finished...overall.
The team celebrated their great season
with a party on Wednesday evening.
T HE C HARGER S PORTS O CTOBER 2002
20
Charger girls go undefeated
Cross Country team members compete at the Medinah meet,Tuesday, October 1. Clockwise from left, David K., eighth
grade, Art P., eighth grade, sixth and seventh grade boys team, Frank C., seventh grade, eighth grade boys team, Kaitlyn L.,
eighth grade. (photos by Shannon P.)
Colleen has been on the Cross Country
team all three of her years at Peacock. She
It’s that time of year again, cross country also participates in basketball, volleyball, and
season, and Peacock is off to a strong start.
track.
On Thursday, September 26, 2002, the
Eighth grader Art P. finished third at
Chargers competed at Roselle in three close Roselle and second at Medinah.
and exciting races. The girls finished first. So
Seventh grader Frank C. (finishing with
did the eighth grade boys. The sixth
9:56 & 9:16) finished fifth at
and seventh grade boys took “Running sprints
Roselle and eighth at
second.
Medinah.
during practice
In another close race, on
“The races were tiring.
Tuesday, October 1, at Medinah, really helped me.” They felt short too.” Frank
the Charger girls again won. The
said.
eighth grade boys took second, and the sixth
“Running sprints during practice really
and seventh grade boys placed third.
helped me.” “At the end of the race on
In both races, the competition was fierce. Tuesday [at Medinah], I came around the
Eighth graders Colleen M. (10:16 & 9:16) and corner and sprinted full speed and passed
Kaitlyn L. (10:18 & 9:20) took first and second three people,” he added.
place in both meets.
Sixth grader Patrick P. also did well. At
“The race on Tuesday seemed longer than Roselle, he was the first sixth grader to finish
the race on Thursday,” said Colleen. “I just (ninth overall) and on Tuesday at Medinah,
kept pushing myself in both races and he was the first sixth grader from Peacock to
finish (thirteenth overall).
concentrated on finishing.”
B Y S H A N N O N P.
Patrick commented, “In the first race, I was
competing with another runner for first place.
I was concentrating on getting ahead and lost
all of my energy. I forgot to pace myself, and
with less than half a mile to go, I ran out of
gas and fell behind.
See Cross Country
Continued on page 19
Inside
Lake Park volleyball- p. 19
Horoscopes - p. 18
Gilmore Girls - p. 14
Music reviews - p. 13
All this and more!