TheMash: for you, about you, by you

Vol. 10 No. 1
Northside College Preparatory High School September 2008
HoofBeat
The
News
pages 1-3
•Freshman Snake Road trip
•Is Chicago too expensive?
Features page 4
•New fall fashion styles
•Survival tips for the new
school year
Centerfold pages 6-7
• Where to go after school
•The Mr. Rodgers
administration: year two
Arts & Entertainment pages 9
• Oh Henry:What’s wrong
with Hollywood?
Editorials page 11
• New editorial cartoon
• Melange- Remembering
September 11
Sports
page 12
• Cross country’s new
season
• Women’s Swim Team
Page 4
Page 8
Andrew
Mayer, the
new Athletic
Director
The Batman
Returns to
the big screen
“TheMash: for you, about you, by you”
Chicago Tribune generates a paper written by and for
CPS high school students
by Lyanne Alfaro
perience, so it will help me
more.
TheMash, a newspaper
decide what I want to do
“TheMash turned out
written by and for Chicaas my career,” Ward, Adv.
to be better than I expected.
goan teens, will launch its
903, said. “It will develop
It was more relevant and
first edition on September
my writing skills and help
official than I expected it to
4, 2008. The paper will be
me build connections. It’s a
be. It’s amazing to see that
distributed to all the Chicago public high schools
on the Thursday of each
week and will include teen
issues, current events, and
entertainment.
“TheMash’s mission
statement is to inform,
inspire, entertain, and
connect Chicago Public
School (CPS) high
school students,” Tran
Ha, editor-in-chief of
the Mash said.
Ha became in
charge of the paper
when she was involved
in RedEye, and the
Chicago Tribune
decided to take on
a project to make a
newspaper that was
all about high school
life. Promoters gathered applicants from
public high schools
throughout Chicago
and selected forty
Look forwar
student-contributors
d to seeing
such issues
Courtesy of T
as journalists.
weekly.
heMash.com
TheMash editors
chose their staff based on
really
the strength of the appligood opportunity that most
our
cants’ essays, the quality of
high school students don’t
newspaper is making a
their work, and application, get.”
mark on Chicago,” she
according to Ha.
Ward signed up for
said.
One of those accepted
TheMash expecting an
Staff members not only
as a student-contributor for
opportunity to take a peek
consist of writers and the
TheMash was Northside
into the journalism industry editor-in-chief, Ha, but
student, Rebekah Ward.
and decide if it was somealso assistant editors, and
“Working on TheMash
thing she was interested in,
promoters.
will give me journalism exbut says she is getting much
Erinn Hutkin, a current assistant editor at
TheMash, worked as a
journalist in Virginia writing feature stories about
teenagers and edited a teen
page. She became involved
in TheMash at
a journalism
conference in
Phoenix, where
she met RedEye’s
design editor,
Chris Courtney,
who was promoting TheMash in
search of staff.
“Afterwards,
I started emailing
people here at RedEye and sent them
my resume and they
offered me the job,”
Hutkin said.
Maggie Wartik,
head promoter for
TheMash, will be in
charge of spreading
word about the paper.
She and VIP promoters also chosen from
CPS high schools will
try to make the paper
more known to students in their schools.
Shirts, pencils, and
pens are among the tools
that will be used to promote
TheMash.
Since TheMash will be
a weekly paper, the studentcontributor staff was split
into four groups: A, B,
C, and D, each of which
will release its own issue
monthly.
“As of now, there are
ten people in each group.
But it’s going to grow once
school starts,” Hutkin said.
Throughout the beginning of this school year,
more students will be able
to apply as VIP promoters
and student-contributors for
TheMash from schools that
do not have student representatives already. Students
can access these applications and other information
about the paper at www.
themash.com, a website
that will also develop
throughout the school year.
Blogs from student-contributors, shoutouts, and
the ability for students to
upload photos are all additions that TheMash staff
plans to make to the site.
“I think all of the
sections in TheMash are interesting in their own way.
Specifically, I’m excited for
the review section because
it gives high school students
a chance to review books
and movies and tell their
peers about them,” Ward
said.
TheMash staff notes
that although it is exciting
starting a new paper, it will
also have its challenges.
“We want to hear the
good and bad of TheMash.
Of course there will be
some people that decide
immediately they don’t like
it and that’s okay,” Hutkin
said. “Not every single
person out there is going to
like TheMash, but we can
use good and bad criticisms
to help change it.”
“The Award of A Lifetime”
’08 graduate appears on “Chicago Tonight”
by Caitlin Swieca
The students of Northside College Prep (NCP) are no strangers
to academic accolades and awards.
As the Class of 2008 left the halls
of Northside behind, they received
all sorts of recognition for the hard
work that they put into their studies during their four years in high
school. This year, John Mussman,
Adv. 806, was honored with two
prestigious titles as he moved on to
college. The first was Valedictorian
of NCP’s class of 2008. The second
was National Presidential Scholar,
an honor given to a handful of high
school graduates every year.
According to the website of the
U.S. Department of Education at
ed.gov/programs/psp, the sponsor
of this award, students must meet
certain criteria to be eligible to
apply for the award based on their
SAT or ACT. Applicants must also
be U.S. residents and graduate during the 2008 school year. This year,
four Northside students were eligible to submit application materials
to the program. 500 students were
named as semifinalists in March,
and in April, 121 students were
named as Presidential Scholars.
One boy and one girl are chosen
from each state, and up to 15 other
students are chosen at large.
This year, only two students in
Illinois were honored by the Presidential Scholars Progaram: Mussman and Hinsdale Central graduate
Faye Cheng. These two students
appeared on WTTW’s program
“Chicago Tonight” in July, where
host Phil Ponce interviewed them
about their awards and experiences
in Washington, D.C.
Mussman began by outlining the program, describing it as
being a little more selective than
the more widely known National
Merit Scholars. Ponce and the two
scholars then looked back upon
their experiences in Washington,
D.C., where the Scholars visited the
White House. Ponce also admired
the medals that were given to the
scholars and joked with Mussman
about wearing the medal to class.
Cheng also told the story of the
Scholars’ brush with President
George W. Bush.
Ponce asked Mussman why he
believed that he had been chosen
for the award. Mussman gave an
answer that would make NCP’s
Service Learning Program proud.
“I can only imagine it has
something to do with my community service,” Mussman said. “Any
number of people I know could
have been picked: from my school,
from my community.”
Mussman went on to praise
Northside and the environment
that he learned in for four years.
“It’s been such a wonderful,
vibrant learning environment at
Northside,” Mussman said.
Joining the scholars on the program was Mr. Chester Tylinski of
NCP’s Language Department. Mr.
Tylinski appeared on “Chicago Tonight” because as Ponce explained,
each
Presidential
Scholar
was
asked to
name one
educator
that had
been influential in
their life.
Mussman
chose Mr.
Tylinski,
his Latin
teacher.
On the
show,
Ponce
asked Mr.
TylinMussman and Mr. Tylinski appear on Chicago Tonight
to discuss his prestigious award.
ski what
the honor Courtesy of Chicago Tonight
meant to
and was able to pass into Latin II
him.
with flying colors despite Mr. Tylin“It’s quite an honor being
ski not thinking that it was possible.
picked by someone like John,” Mr.
Mussman then returned the favor
Tylinski said. “John is an incredible with praise for his teacher, saying
young man. Not only his academic
that he chose Mr. Tylinski because
achievements, but also character.”
he is “one of those teachers who
Mr. Tylinski went on to
that is always there for his studescribe some of John’s persuits
dents.” To add proof to Mussman’s
that helped lead him to the award,
statement, Ponce mentioned that
including involvement in communi- Mr. Tylinski paid his own way to
ty service, in-school activities, and
Washington D.C. to accompany
extra-curriculars. Mr. Tylinski even
Mussman to the ceremony.
told a story of Mussman’s comMussman will continue his
mitment to academics, telling how
studies in Cambridge, MassachuMussman had studied Latin over
setts, where he will persue his interthe summer after his freshman year
est in science at Harvard College.
Page 2 Senior Orientation
News The Hoof Beat
Northside College
Prep High School
No worries here
by Yonas Zewdie
all about giving general advice large part due to a familiarity
I think we handled ourselves
If a casual passerby had
about taking academic risks
with the orientation process.
well.”
dropped by Senior Orientaand working hard,” Linda
Indeed some seniors seemed
Since the students were
tion on August 18, they
Phan, Adv. 900, said. “This
to recognize that trust was
essentially in charge of superwouldn’t have seen any
year was far more specific in
bestowed upon them, and
vising themselves and getting
anxious faces. They wouldn’t
directions towards applying
they were pleased by it.
their own materials, many
have seen pre-pubescent stuto college and the like. They
“It was a little different
students were in and out of
dents looking left and right,
didn’t really waste our time
but in a good way,” Ben Garorientation in less than an
wide-eyed at all the
hour, though many opted
commotion around
to stay and catch up with
them, with a look
friends, and make plans for
of utter confusion.
post-orientation get-togethInstead, they would
ers.
have seen a group
“What can I say,”
of calm, collected,
Ortseweyinmi Jemine,
mature-looking inAdv. 903, said, “ it was a
dividuals, sporting
quick and easy process. It
tans, and amicably
seemed to go by a lot faster,
greeting each other
even though the line for fee
while comparing
payment was kind of long.
schedules for the
I was done pretty quickly,
oncoming year.
and after that I just hung
Yes, the seniors.
around and talked with
Senior Orientapeople.”
tion kicked off in
Alas, senior orientation
the usual fashion
came to a close and the
with the opening
students began dispersing
lecture and a welinto their various cliques to
come back speech
enjoy the rest of that sumin the auditorium.
mer day. Though some of
This year, howthe seniors may have been
ever, the theme
frightened by the looming
Ziyad Asrar, Adv. 903, gets ready for the new school year by checking college applications, or
and focus on the
speech was directed out books during his final orientation at Northside.
displeased with their schedfar more towards the Photo by Zlatana Alibegovic
ules, many of them walked
college application
out of school on orientation
by giving us obvious advice;
cia, Adv. 909, said. “It was
process. Justifiably so, in fact,
day with confidence and a
it was actually targeted and
more relaxed, laid back. We
given that most of the seniors
smile on their face; a smile
helpful.”
knew what we had to do and
will be heading off to college
that conveyed no worries, and
In general, seniors felt
we really didn’t have to follow
in the following year.
a “let the good times roll”
that the orientation was less
a specific order. The teach"I noticed that whereas in
mentality. The class of ’09
structured than in previous
ers and staff trusted us to get
the previous years, the openlooks forward to begin their
years, and less of a hassle
everything done. It was nice
ing speech at orientation was
final year at Northside.
to get through, perhaps in
to be treated like adults, and
Summer fun?
Students take advantage
of summer math classes
by Melissa Jordan
Northside offered Algebra and
Pre-Calculus math courses over a
six week period during the summer vacation. These courses were
available for honors credit, with a
letter grade that would appear on
the student’s transcript.
The Pre-Calculus, or Interactive Mathematics Program 4 (IMP
4), course was taken primarily
by incoming seniors who needed
an IMP 4 credit to take an AP
Calculus course. The Algebra,
or IMP 1, course was exclusively
for incoming freshmen who will
enroll in the Geometry, or IMP2,
course this autumn.
“Northside started offering
the classes to provide an equitable
access to higher level classes,”
Ms. Martha Mulligan, Northside Mathematics Department,
said. “That is, some students do
not have the opportunity to take
a high-quality Algebra class in
eighth grade and others do. By
offering this class to incoming
freshmen, we hope to level the
playing field for them. The same
is true for the Pre-Calculus course.
It was originally intended for
students who wouldn’t have otherwise been able to take Calculus in
high school.”
“I’m taking the Algebra IMP
1 course,” Grace Oczon, Adv.
205, said. “I want to get a head
start on the math program and
take IMP 2 next year. I already
have some knowledge of algebra,
so I don’t think learning a year
of information in 6 weeks is a
problem.”
While the six week long
courses cover the material meant
for a nine month course, students
remained positive about the fast
pace.
“The algebra class is very fast
paced,” Mark Jao, Adv. 206, said.
“However, it’s not too much to
learn in a short time because the
teachers are very capable.”
“It is very accelerated,”
Jeremy Quinones, Adv. 204, said,
“but it’s nothing I can’t handle.
Everyone seems to be handling it
pretty well.”
“It goes really fast,” Ms.
Thuy Ngo, Northside Mathematics Department, said. “Six weeks
of the summer course covers nine
months of material. Students have
to really push themselves and ask
questions so they can understand
everything.”
“We try to limit the summer
course to students who can keep
up with the pace of the course,”
Mr. Andrew Stroup, Northside
Mathematics Department, said.
“There is one section of Algebra
and one of Pre-Calc each with
less than 30 students, so less than
a fourth of the students participate in the course.”
Rising freshmen taking the
summer course have positive reactions to the IMP format, and feel
more confident about taking the
IMP 2 course during the school
year.
“I’m able to handle this summer course,” Alex Tran, Adv. 200,
said. “I will be able to handle the
IMP program during the school
year, and IMP won’t seem like
such a new way to do math.”
“If I can take this fast course,”
Quinones said, “the regular
school year math class shouldn’t
be so hard.”
For others, the summer class
pointed to minor weaknesses in
study habits.
“I do feel ready for the
school year’s math class,” Gibran
Mendez, Adv. 205, said, but I also
don’t feel ready because I need to
learn not to procrastinate and to
organize my work.”
The $100 classes have been
available since the first summer
Northside has been open and
seem to have become a staple of
the math program at Northside as
they continue to allow Northside
students to grow in their quest for
math knowledge.
Freshman
Snake Road
by Mariam Bawany
Before ordering a double scoop of the new ice
cream flavor, customers tend to order a sample of what
they will soon be eating. This sample gives them a heads
up on what to expect and assures personal satisfaction,
much like the Snake Road Adventure Center. This overnight trip, held August 20 through August 22, in Lake
Geneva, Wisconsin, encourages incoming freshmen to
bond and create friendships that will last through high
school.
The trip begins with an approximately two-hour bus
drive. Students, Senior Leaders and teachers arrived at
Northside at 8:00 a.m. to begin their journey. The bus
took off after attendance was taken. For many students,
this was the first opportunity to mingle with their new
classmates.
“I remember getting to Snake Road took forever my
freshman year,” Maria Torres, Adv. 902, said. “During
this time I really got to talk to people and learn that they
were both as excited and nervous about high school as
I was.”
After arriving, students played an “ice-breaker”
game. The freshmen were split up into smaller groups.
Many became especially close to this group because of
extra time with them.
“I met many people during the trip but became good
friends with those who were in my group,” GeBron
Mendez, Adv. 205, said. “We were together most of the
time which allowed us to get to know each other.”
Following the formation of groups, a series of team
building activities took place. The highlights included
the trust walk, the low ropes, the climbing tower, and
the campfire.
“I’d say I enjoyed the zip line the most,” Qonain
Bawany, Adv. 201, said. “It felt like I was flying and it
was rewarding after having to climb the wall.”
“I really liked the zip line,” Mendez said. “Another
thing that I liked was the climbing tower. There were
many obstacle courses like the tires and swings.”
Later that day, the freshmen were free to choose
their own sleeping arrangements. Beds were available,
but much like dorm rooms, students had to provide their
own linen.
“We stayed up pretty late and just talked about how
everyone felt so far about the trip,” Jessica Mendoza,
Adv. 900, said. “We joked around and found we had a
lot to talk about. I would definitely do the whole trip
over again if I could.”
“I am going into senior year,” Sam Corfman, Adv.
900, said, “and I’ve stayed friends with the people I met
at Snake Road. In fact, I became friends with some of
my best friends that weekend.”
Years later, freshmen agree.
“The whole trip was about teamwork,” Bawany
said. “We had discussions about it after every activity. I
would recommend Snake Road to the class of 2013.”
5501 N. Kedzie
Chicago, IL 60625
Tel: (773) 534-3954
Fax: (773) 534-3964
Principal: Mr. Barry Rodgers
Assistant Principal:
Dr. Margaret Murphy
Advisor: Mr. Chester Tylinski
Editors-In-Chief: Zlatana Alibegovic, Vasiliki Mitrakos
Managing Editor: Andrea Ljevar
Web Editor: Molly McAndrew,
Riaz Shaikh
News Editor: Tyler Johnson
Global Connections Editor: Olutoye Adegboro
Features Editor: Andrea Ljevar
Centerfold Editor: Evan Rogers
Diversions Editors: Sonya Dekhytar
Editorial Editor: Yonas Zewdie
Arts and Entertainment Editor:
Matt Glodz
Sports Editor: Caitlin Swieca
Cartoonist: Gigi Lee
Photo/Art Editor: Alejandro Vadivieso
Reporters: Olutoye Adegboro,
Subhan Ali, Lyanne Alfaro,
Mariam Bawany, Derika Benton,
Brittany Brown, Melissa Espana,
Zosia Holden, Matt Glodz,
Sarish Hassan, Alice Henry, Tyler
Johnson, Melissa Jordan, Sarah
Jose, Sony Kassam, Bhumi Patel,
Evan Rogers, Riaz Shaikh, Dilraj
Shekhon, Sarah Schoonhoven,
Elizabeth Sobenes, Caitlin Swieca,
Thuy Tran, Sika Yeboah-Sampong,
Yonas Zewdie.
Contributors: Rory Coursey
The Hoof Beat is a monthly publication
produced by the Northside Prep Journalism
Class. As a student-run newspaper, your
opinions are important to us. If you have
any comments, corrections, critiques, or
questions, please e-mail Mr. Chester Tylinski
at ctylinski@northsideprep.org or the editors
in chief at thehoofbeatstaff@gmail.com.
September 2008
Global Connection
Olympic Excitement Spans
the Globe
2008 Beijing Olympics start as Chicago
hopes to host 2016 games
by Olutoye Adegboro
Chicagoans celebrated as the
International Olympic Committee
(IOC) announced the four possible
host cities for the 2016 Olympic and
Paralympic Games on June 4, 2008
in Athens, Greece. Chicago, among
those cities, became the bid for the
United States in April 2007 when the
United States Olympic Committee
(USOC) announced that Chicago
had beat Los Angeles in the race for
the United States candidate city.
The announcement prompted a
myriad of reactions from residents of
the city.
“I felt pretty good [about the
announcement],” John Dorf, Adv.
103, said.
“I thought it was really cool,”
Michelle Payes, Adv. 102, said,
“but at the same time I was worried
because if [Chicago] gets picked,
there’s going to be a lot of traffic [in
the city].”
Chicago, if chosen to host the
2016 Olympics, would be the fifth
city in North America to host the
games since its revival in 1896.
Chicagoans celebrated the announcement of the bid at a rally held
in Daley Plaza. Presidential Nominee Barack Obama gave his support
for the bid at Daley Plaza.
“Bringing the Olympics to
Chicago will be a capstone of the
success that we’ve had over the past
couple decades in transforming
Chicago to become not just a great
American city,” Senator Obama said,
“but a great world city.”
Many across the city share
Senator Obama’s hope for what the
Olympics could do for Chicago.
“I think it would bring a lot of
tourists,” Jessica Schapiro, Adv. 100,
said.
Since the IOC’s June 4 announcement, Chicago has held
several events to encourage support
for the 2016 Olympic bid.
One of these events included
“Chicago Believes,” a celebration to
encourage the bid
and draw attention
to the possibility
of a 2016 Chicago
Olympics. The
event was held in
Millennium Park
on July 14.
CEO and
Chairman of the
2016 Olympic bid
Patrick G. Ryan
stated that celebration demonstrated
Chicago’s spirit and
its support for the
Olympic Games.
Chicago’s
excitement for the
2016 Olympics is
also fueled by the
upcoming Olympics held in Beijing
this year. After
competing with
Istanbul, Osaka,
Paris, and Toronto,
Beijing was chosen
as the host city for
the 2008 Olympics
in 2001. The 2008 A local bus shelter displays an ad showcasing
Chicago’s desire to host the 2016 Olympic
Beijing Olympics
Games.
hosted a range
Photo by Olutoye Adegboro
of sports which
three gold medals at the Olympics
included archery, diving, rowing,
and broke world records becoming
swimming, tennis, and volleyball.
the first Olympian since American
“My favorite sport was diving,”
runner Carl Lewis to win both the
Payes said. “I thought it was so
100 meter and 200 meter event
cool.”
at one Olympic game. Gymnasts
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics,
Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin
958 medals were awarded, with the
brought home a collective nine medUnited States leading the medal
als, two of them gold for wins in the
count with 110 medals, however,
all-around and balance beam event.
China received 51 gold medals, the
The Olympics began with openmost of any country at this year’s
ing ceremonies on August 8, 2008
Olympics. American swimmer Miand concluded with closing ceremochael Phelps made Olympic history
nies on the 24. The magnitude of
by winning an unprecedented eight
the events at Beijing is something
gold medals at one Olympic game,
Chicagoans model and aspire to be.
becoming the most decorated Olym“I hope the Chicago Olympics
pian of all time, breaking several
can be as great as the Beijing ones
world records doing so. Jamaican
were,” Izzy Cairns, Adv. 904, said.
track and field star, Usain Bolt won
Is Chicago too expensive?
How recent hikes in taxes and gas are
affecting students
by Sarah Schoonhoven
The American Public Transportation Association indicatAs of this summer, Chicago’s sales tax is at 10.25%,
ed that the number of people using public transportation
the highest in the nation. While it may seem probable
in the year 2007 was the highest number seen since the
to travel to other cities to make purchases, the rising gas
1950s.
prices can make the trip cost more than it is actually
Higher taxes have caused many families to cut down
worth.
on the amount of luxury items they purchased. Those
In late August 2007,
who want to buy an item,
the average gas price in
such as a car, in Cook CounChicago was around
ty will have to pay a sales tax
$3.10. Just one year later,
of at least ten percent. This
the average gas price has
means that the sales tax for a
increased by a dollar,
$20,000 car would be $2,000,
according to Chicagogasor $2,050 in Chicago.
prices.com.
According to the CleveMany teenagers don’t
land Metro, due to rises in
realize the financial burden
gas prices, there has been a
of rising gas prices. 18.7
sudden surge in the numpercent of teenagers across
ber of people taking buses,
the country are unemcausing overcrowding. Some
ployed, and this is a rising
have considered an alternapandemic as the rate grew
tive route of transportation.
two percent just from last
“I’m considering just
year, according to Etruth.
taking a bike [to school],”
com.
Jesus Bruno, Adv. 106, said.
Many teenage students
“It benefits the world and
are driven to school and
me.”
other locations by their
Conscientious students
parents or guardians. Yet,
can limit their use of cars
soaring gas prices are keepand monitor what they buy.
ing families off the roads
But many wonder whether
more and more. Accordthat will be enough? Will
The price of gasoline at a local gas stations
have soared, causing drivers to find different
ing to the Department of
Americans, and Chicagoans
Transportation, Americans methods of transportation.
in particular, take a stand
drove 11 billion miles less Photo by Olutoye Adgeboro
about this situation?
in March of 2008 than in
Bruno believes that the gas price would have to rise
March of last year.
substantially to make a difference.
To combat the high gas prices, many parents are also
“I am surprised [Americans] haven’t seen what’s been
encouraging their children to walk, ride their bikes, or use happening to this world because of cars and oil,” Bruno
public transportation as alternative methods of traveling.
said, “and stopped using cars because of that.”
Page 3
A taste of what
Chicago offers
The Taste of Chicago
by Vasiliki Mitrakos
The intense aroma emerging from the colorful tents; the finger
licking samplers, and the throngs of visitors filled Grant Park from
June 27 to July 6 at the annual Taste of Chicago, often referred to as
The Taste, presented by the city of Chicago and US Cellular. Vendors
offered some of Chicago’s most popular cuisines to millions of visitors: ice cream, oversized turkey legs, pork tacos, and mustard-fried
catfish were just some of the dishes.
“The funnel cake and ice cream is sensational,” John Cywinski, a
returning visitor, said. “As for the sauteed goat, that was weird.”
Not all agreed with Cywinski. First time taster, Serafina Ha, Adv.
903, left the event with a different perspective and slight disappointment.
“The sparkles disappeared when I actually experienced it,” Ha
said. “I expected a great day of fun, but the streets and booths were
crowded, the food was overpriced, and security was very tight trying
to keep control.”
Besides the 65 restaurants and food vendors, this year’s The Taste
featured top chefs and cookbook authors who shared recipes and
techniques at various stands. Most people were not afraid to sample
the many different kinds of food that were on display.
“We’re just going to eat everything,” Lauren Hvorick, attending
The Taste with a group of friends, said.
Among other attractions, a ten-story high Ferris Wheel, an
old-fashioned carousel, and an inflatable jumping jack pleased the
younger crowd.
“They got a lot of kids stuff this year,” Tajuaena Berry, mother,
said.
In addition to the multitude of family-oriented events, including
ten new activities, The Taste also provided visitors with an extravagant
display of fireworks on July 3 and a joint fireworks show with Navy
Pier on Independence Day.
Street magicians, performers, and music concerts were available.
The free concerts featured artists like Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt,
Plain White T’s, Aly and Aj, Joss Stone, Fantasia, and Alejandro
Escovedo throughout the festival. Members of the Jersey Boys and
Wicked, two productions native to Chicago, were shown in a concert
on June 30, along with various other Broadway features.
The taste impressed visitors with its size and diversity of attendees.
“The Taste of Chicago is a signature event in Grant Park that
brings people together from all over the world,” Juan Sanchez, attendee, said.
In its 27 year of establishment, the ten day food fest attracts nearly
3.5 million people annually from all over the Chicagoland area, according to the Chicago Sun Times
“[The Taste] was really good,” Sanchez noted, “but don’t go over
the weekend, it is too crowded.”
Although admission was free, food and beverages could only be
purchased with food tickets sold in strips of 12 for eight dollars each,
including a two dollar charge for event services.
While coinciding with the general inflation and increase in commodities prices, the 2008 The Taste was a little more expensive than
in previous years. According to the Chicago Sun Times, in 2007, 11
tickets sold for seven dollars and a 1.50 dollar service charge. This
reflects a 33 percent increase in the amenities charge.
Though some may have felt the pinch in their pockets, 2008’s
ticket price increase did not stop millions from attending and sampling as much as they could eat.
Molly Morettes, an attendee, thought this year’s prices and food
portions were reasonable, after spending 20 dollars at the event. Yet
others who attended were displeased with the pricing.
“I liked the variety of the food that was offered, but for a public
event that so many people come to each year, [the prices were] too
high,” Ha said.
The Taste also offered a unique summer job opportunity for high
school students with wages ranging from eight to 12 dollars.
Since its debut in 1980 as a one-day Fourth of July celebration,
The Taste has blossomed into a Chicago trademark event, according
to the cities website, while promoting the diverse culinary culture of
the city and providing a variety of entertainment, activities, and, not
to mention, food. The Taste of Chicago came to a close at six p.m.
on July 6, but everyone will be welcomed back next year from June 26
to July 5, 2009.
Letter from the Editor
Dear Readers,
Welcome to The Hoofbeat’s newest addition:
The Global Connection. This section will provide
news that go beyond the halls of Northside College
Prep. Things happen outside of Northside’s walls
that have a significant impact on our student body
and change the way we behave. Therefore, we look
forward to informing you about Chicago Public
Schools, our community, our city, and other things
that are happening all around the world.
Please offer us any feedback you have by
contacting Hoofbeat.Comments@gmail.com
anytime and we will cater to your needs. Enjoy the
reading!
Page 4
4 Features
Features
Surviving the new school
year
Tips all students can take to have a
successful year
by Andrea Ljevar
from missing summer.
say goodbye to summer graceAs the 2008-2009 school
“I think the best way I am
fully.
year starts, Northside students
able to adjust into school from
“I think you need to look
have to begin to get into the
summer is to just avoid thinking on the bright side at the end of
swing of getting up early, sitting
about how much I miss sumsummer,” Ana Aguilera, Adv.
through 100 minute classes, and mer,” Kristine Ciruelas, Adv.
904 said. “When you come
having to trade in their days of
904 said. “I focus on tennis
back to school you get to see
tanning by the pool for sitting
and trying to stay on top of
all your friends who you might
at a desk and doing homework.
my game in all my classes. It’s
not have had a chance to see
While students look upon this
really easy to forget about sumover the summer. Also if you’re
time with sadness, it is possible
mer when you realize you have
in a bad mood because you
to make a smooth transition
homework to last you a whole
don’t want to be in school it’ll
into having a successful school
week.”
just ruin it for you. Complainyear and still having fun.
Students can find the
ing won’t solve anything. You
Some returning Northtransition easiest when they
got to deal. I’m sure they’ll be
side students have decided
find a club or a sport that they
something fun going on during
to employ
the school year.
strategies that
Plus there are
they’ve used
other summers to
for previous
come.”
years to get
Am effective
adjust to the
way for students
return back
to get ready for
to school.
the long months
“I think
of school ahead
the best way
of them is to simfor students
ply prepare. Into transition
stead of pushing
back into
school thoughts
school is to
out of the way
go to bed
they should be
early,” Tiftackled. Buy
fany Moran,
school supplies.
Adv. 901,
Get the school
said. “If I go Best way to prepare for the first day of school is to go to
wardrobe ready.
to bed early, I orientation.
Finish the sumknow I’ll get Photo by Andrea Ljevar
mer assignments.
up on time.
That way when
particularly like and can invest a school starts students will have
Honestly, you’ll have a much
lot of time in it.
better day if you aren’t rushing
already completed some tasks
“Since Sabor Latino starts
out of your house and running
and feel better about the coming
in the beginning of the year and school year.
to school. Coming to school
the Poms starts I have many
late just sets a precedent that it
“If I have a good first day it
distractions when school starts,” sets the standards for the rest of
won’t be a good day.”
Karla Ortiz, Adv. 902, said.
Aside from getting a good
the school year,” Ciruelas said.
“I’ve been dancing during the
night’s rest students shouldn’t
“Therefore I make sure I’m
summer so it’s actually really
fret about losing their summer.
completely ready for the first
exciting to apply what I learned
As the school year gets underday of school. If I survive that
to new routines and dances.”
way many clubs and sports will
day then I know I can tackle
The most important tip is
be taking places so that students
the rest of the school year. It’s
to think positive. By being in a
can occupy their time. Delving
a hopeful feeling. I feel like I’m
good mood, one can learn to
into the recreational activities
ready for whatever comes my
enjoy the new school year and
helps keep students minds away
way.”
Back to school fashion
The
TheHoof
Hoof Beat
Beat
From a security guard
to a sportslover
Andrew Mayer shares a bit of
his Northside experiences
by Olutoye Adegboro
Since Northside’s inception in 1999,
Andrew Mayer has been a member of
Northside’s staff. He initially started at
Northside as a sports team coach, and
then became a security guard in the fall
of 2000. He has more recently become
the school’s athletic director, but to many
he is still “Andrew, the hilarious security
guard who’s willing to help anyone in
trouble.”
“You know me as the security
guard,” Mr. Mayer said. “I’ve been working here forever.”
Mr. Mayer’s background in security
began at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he worked with student patrol. He came to Northside as the coach
for the Junior Varsity Soccer Team. Since
beginning his journey at Northside nine
years ago, he has recently received a new
title.
“I’m also the athletic director,” Mr.
Mayer said.
Mr. Mayer brings a knowledge and
love of sports with him to the job.
“I love to play soccer, tennis, and
most other sports too,” Mr. Mayer said.
After almost a decade of being at
Northside, one of the things Mr. Mayer’s
appreciates the most about Northside is
its environment.
“One of the things I’m most proud
about Northside is the great atmosphere
created by our students who are very
intelligent but just simply nice people,”
Mr. Mayer said.
Mr. Mayer considers his interaction
with the students to be the most rewarding aspect of working at Northside.
“Coming to the school and just
seeing the kids smiling every morning,”
Mr. Mayer said, “[is] an unbelievable
feeling.”
Those who know Mr. Mayer would
describe him as a humble person, someone always available to the student body.
“[I’m] just a nice guy,” Mr. Mayer
said, “simply somebody you can count
on.”
Andrew Mayer,Northside’s new athletic director, prepares for a busy
new school year.
Photo by Olutoye Adegboro
What you may see in Northside’s hallways
by Andrea Ljevar
With the new school year signifying the
start of autumn, the colder weather will also
bring the expected exchange of tank tops for
cardigans, shorts for pants, and bathing suits
for jackets. Though the halls of Northside
are hardly the catwalks in Paris, the Fall 2008
fashions are such that they can be found at this
school. The new season brings upon trends
that are comfortable, affordable, and will make
students stand out.
With September bringing in the autumn
breezes and shorter days, students may need a
light jacket as they commute from the school
to their cars or buses. This year, plaid and
fatigue jackets will make their mark. For girls,
the perfect black and white plaid jacket can be
found at billbong.com for $70. For girls who
prefer a more feminine look, large buttons are
also a must-have this fall season. For guys, a
fatigue jacket will be warm and not to flashy.
Urbanoutfitters.com offers a large assortment
of jackets for boys looking for a slick look.
Most notably, the All-Son Fatigue Jacket, costing $69.00, and coming three different colors
- black, khaki, and dark green, is sure to stand
out this season.
While the fall months may banish legbearing attire, for girls, skirts are still a perfect
autumn outfit. This season longer skirts and
bolder prints will be most noticeable. At forever21.com girls can find various styles, colors,
and prints like the Kasha floral skirt in blue for
$19.80.
“I really like that skirts can still be warm in
the fall,” Karla Ortiz, Adv. 904, said. “Thankfully they’re longer than what I wear in the
summer, so I won’t freeze to death in and out
of school. I think they’d be really nice with a
pair of really cool tights.”
Taking Ortiz’s suggestion, girls can accessorize their skirts with colorful tights, a wide
assortment of which can be found at any
Target or Forever 21.
As students get used to sitting in Northside’s very cold classrooms, they may find
it necessary to carry a sweater or cardigan
around with them. American Eagle Outfitters offers comfortable, V-necked cardigans
for girls in five different colors at $39.50. The
sweaters are comfortable and simple enough
that they can be worn with any outfit or over
any sweater. Guys can find a full-zip hoodie
at American Eagle Outfitters as well for only
$29.50.
“I’m not that into wearing jackets or coats
during fall,” Samuel Cacique, Adv. 902, said.
“The only thing I would be interesting in
buying are hoodies, be it pullover or zip-up.
I think they are the most comfortable and
convenient.”
A final autumn trend is bright jeans.
While this look may seem a little extreme
for some, if paired with a simple cardigan or
sweater, it can be a simple outfit without being
too flashy. Silverjeans.com offers orange pair
boot-cut cords at $69.00 while Delias.com
offers a neon blue pair of those jeans for just
$48.50.
“I think jeans are a great look for school,”
Ana Aguilera, Adv. 903, said. “I mean they
are really comfortable, and they still look cute.
Plus as I’m rushing from one class to another,
it’s really a matter of comfort over fashion,
and jeans do both, so that’s really nice.”
The fall 2008 fashion season provides students with options that they can both afford
and wear to school and going out.
“I really like how I can wear some of this
stuff to school and then wear it when I go
out,” Aguilera said. “I can just dress whatever
I’m wearing up or down with a cardigan or a Caryssa Perez, Adv. 101, shows off her comfortable fashion preferences for
hoodie. I think this season’s clothes are really the new school year.
Photo by Andrea Ljevar
versatile.”
Medical research shows spending time with animals
lowers blood pressure and anxiety. That’s why our
patients can receive visits from a crew of specially
trained dogs during their stay. Nice doggie.
How would you fill in the blank?
Tell us at whatmakesyoufeelbetter.com
October
2006
Page 6 Centerfold
Editorial
Page
7 Hoof Beat
The
A maze of Northside’s clubs
Northside’s clubs in the new year
by Sony Kassam
With the beginning
of each new school year,
students, especially freshmen, anticipate their first
club meetings. From the
vast selection of studentrun clubs that Northside
offers, there is almost
always at least one club
for every student’s interest. Even then, it may
be difficult to settle on
one, two, three, or maybe
even four clubs out of
the 46 total.
Among the wide
variety of clubs students
can look to join the to
express their cultural
pride or experience a
new heritage are the
Indian-Pakistani Desi
Club, Polish Club,
African-American Club,
Latino Club, or the
ever-popular Asian Club.
Students interested in
learning more about a
religion can join Jewish
Student Union (JSU) to
discuss about Judaism
and Israel, Jama’ah Club
to learn about Islamic
topics, or All For Christ
(AFC) to discuss Christianity.
For students that
would rather join a
club that helps keep the
planet green, joining
Community for Alternative Sources of Energy
(CASE) colloquium
or the Recycling Club
is a common route.
Northsiders interested in
taking their involvement
a step further by volunteering and lending a
hand to their community
or, perhaps, even other
countries can become a
part of Global Initiative
or Key Club, Northside’s
community service clubs.
Students interested
in showing off their
dance moves can sign
up for hip-hop dance
groups like Xclusive and
Hypnotik or the Latinostyle dance group Sabor
Latino.
For students interested in the theatrical
arts, Drama Club, where
members participate in
improvisation, is available. Students who like
the theatre but prefer the
behind the scenes action
may go for Stage Crew
instead.
Northside scholars
who want to be smart
as Einstein, or already
think they are, may
join the Chess Team,
Academic Decathlon, or
the Math Team, where
members compete in
academic contests and
competitions.
Moreover, those
who are interested in
the political field can
join Model UN, where
students take the roles
of countries from
United Nations to debate
current issues on the
organization’s agenda.
Members of Model UN
also attend conferences
where they role play like
mentioned above, but
with students from all
around the country.
Students want to
pursue a writing career
can join Journalism,
which can be either be
taken as a club or a class.
Journalism members
write monthly articles
for Northside’s school
paper, The Hoof Beat.
Those who are interested
in photography can join
The Stampede, which
is Northside’s yearbook
club.
Those who feel
like just sitting back,
relaxing, and watching
movies and television or
listening to music may
find their place in Star
Wars Club, Anime Club,
or Beatles Club.
Students uninterested by the aforementioned clubs may consider joining other clubs
such as the American
Red Cross Club, which
is devoted to raising the
awareness throughout
our school and community concerning a variety
of Red Cross related
topics; the Gay-Straight
Alliance Club (GSA),
in which members fight
against orientation discrimination; and Debate
Club, also
available
as a class,
where
students
put their
speaking
skills and
argument
ability to the
test at tournaments
against the
countries
top debate
teams
Furthermore,
there is also Knitting
Club, Ski & Snowboard Club, Ping-Pong
Club, and Poetry Slam,
in which members
recite poetry in
such a way that
it incorporates
movement and
emotion, competing against other
Poetry Slam
teams.
Students
unimpressed
by Northside’s
current clubs
lineup may take the
initiative to form a new
club with like-minded
students.
“Wherever three
or more are gathered
with a moderator there is
a club,” a popular Northside expression says.
Hotspots around Northside
Local attractions that keep students coming
back for more
by Molly McAndrew
Northside is nationally known for
its courses, test scores, and national
ranking. However, that also brings
much added pressure for students to
perform well, and they often need to
get away from the stress of school to
relax with friends. Luckily, the area
around Northside offers plenty of
options for retreats after school or on
colloquium days.
Foster Avenue is a restaurant
heaven for students looking for food.
McDonald’s and Charcoal Delights
are both located at the intersection of
Foster and Kedzie. Charcoal Delights
sells foods ranging from hot dogs
and hamburgers to cheese fries and
milkshakes. Further down Foster,
just west of Kedzie, Subway, Starbucks, and Jimmy Johns fill hungry
stomachs. Starbuck and Jimmy Johns
were opened during the 2007-2008
school year and have been overwhelmingly successful. Jimmy Johns
is the favorite Northside delivery
chain, offering “super fast subs.”
Students who find those choices
unappealing may want to head in the
opposite direction of school over to
Peterson. At the corner of Peterson
and Jersey is another McDonald’s.
This McDonalds, unlike the one on
Foster, sells the same food and offers
a play place for teens looking to let
out their inner child.
Further down Peterson, at Peterson and Kimball, is a brand new
KFC. The former home of Rancho
Luna was renovated over the summer
to sell fried chicken.
The outside shopping center at
the cross section of McCormick and
Devon is swarming with options. It
is the home to Panera, a Northside
favorite, Quizznoes, and another Star-
bucks. Aside from food, the shopping
area also offers a movie theater, a
bank, Famous Footwear, and a giant
Borders.
Near the shopping center is a new
Panda Express. The restaurant has
been open since the 2007-2008 school
year and is a good place to get cheap
Chinese food.
For those who don’t want to
travel too far from school, Sergio’s, a
local pizza and Mexican restaurant,
is located just down Bryn Mawr. The
gas station next to Northside can also
cure the munchies in a timely fashion. Although the gas is expensive,
the inside merchandise is relatively
cheap.
So whether students are looking
for Mexican or Chinese, hamburgers
or sub-sandwiches, a chicken meal or
just a latte, the area around Northside
is sure to cater to everyone’s needs.
Area surrounding Northside College Prep
KEY
A. Northside College Prep
B. McDonald’s
C. Charcoal Delights
D. Subway
E. Starbucks
F. Jimmy John’s
G. McDonald’s
H. KFC
I. Sergio’s Pizza
Taking the road less
new perspective
The new administration’s sec
by Vasiliki Mitrakos
This time last year, Northside transitioned power from Dr.
James Lalley, former Northside
principal, to the current administration headed by Mr. Barry
Rodgers. Despite the difficulties
the new administration anticipated, according to Mr. Rodgers,
they kept a positive attitude.
The new administration
faced several obstacles while still
having to maintain responsibility for the health, safety, and
furthermore, privacy of hundreds
of students.
“One of the challenges was
dealing with the implementation
of a new student information
management system, which at
times made many employees’
jobs more difficult,” Mr. Rodgers
said.
The current administration
was also concerned with the acceptance and trust from faculty
members, parents, and students
alike.
“Another challenge was
ensuring that individuals in our
school community have an accurate understanding of what is
occurring in the school and the
efforts of the administration,
student council, faculty, and our
parent groups,” Mr. Rodgers said.
At the beginning of last year,
according to Mr. Rodgers, many
of Northside’s characteristic programs, for instance the tutoring
program, colloquium, extra-curricular activities, and sports, were
threatened by the tighter budget
and lack of funding. However,
the Rodgers administration finished its first year, tackling issues
like the statewide budget cuts
while pushing for educational
improvements.
“Through the efforts of our
entire school community, we are
now able to continue to provide
the wide variety of experiences
that engage and support students,” Mr. Rodgers said.
In the midst of all the challenges, Northside managed to
keep one of the things that make
it so unique: colloquium. Last
year was the revival of a tradition
that gives students the opportunity to experience themed allschool colloquia, following last
year’s colloquium theme of “A
World of Possibilities.”
“The kindness that our
school community demonstrated
has been inspiring,” Mr. Rodgers said. “Some prime examples
were providing housing in Guatemala, providing aid to Darfur,
students supporting the Chinese
victims of the earthquake, raising
funds for pediatric cancer, and
the service work of our clubs and
individuals making a difference
in our world.”
Mr. Rodgers also commended
the improved communication
between faculty and students
through the student network and
the SUCCESS program, which
supported students who were
struggling academically, socially,
or emotionally. Mr. Rodgers also
noted the teachers’ continued
attempts to enhance their own
professional development. Likewise, Northside’s athletic teams
continued to maintain the same
high level of camaraderie on the
field as well as in the classroom.
In addition to the positive
experiences, the challenges the
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September 2008
Centerfold
Page 7
Things not to do at Northside
Advice from a mustang for a mustang
by Matt Glodz
Welcome (back) to
Northside. Whether you are
an incoming freshman or
a returning student, here
are some pieces of
advice that will keep
you from failing at life
and, in general, getting
on everyone’s nerves.
Northside is truly
a great place to go to
school, but an effort
has to be put in to get
the most out of it. Most
students join clubs, sports,
and other extracurricular
activities. Of course, this is
one of the best ways to get
involved, but there are many
students who take part in
these organizations for
the wrong reasons.
Yes, joining
certain clubs will
look good on a
college application.
However,
if a
traveled with a
cond running year
current administration faced
ast year have served as practical lessons and chances to grow.
Northsiders can expect a myriad
of advancements throughout
he upcoming school year that
will benefit both the students
and faculty while creating better
elationships among the two.
“We are looking at many
ways to improve our communicaion,” Mr. Rodgers said. “This
ncludes a new website for the
chool, better use of the email
ystem, and a column in the
Hoof Beat for Student Council.”
Enhancing spirit week is
one of the many improvements
awaiting students in the fall and
part of administration’s efforts to
encourage a positive atmosphere.
Students can also except a
new system designed to accelerate the admissions process with
electronic transcripts for college.
As a result of last year’s
negative reaction to an updated
athletic contract from students
and faculty alike, this year Northiders can expect a new and
mproved version that is more in
ine with the Northside spirit.
According to Mr. Rodgers,
budget deficits will continue to
plague the Northside community
his school year. The adminisration and Northside’s Parent
Network are working hard to
assure this does not detrimentally
affect Northside.
“We are committed to ensurng that cuts do not negatively
affect our school,” Mr. Rodgers
aid. “Therefore we will continue
collaborating with our parent
group and external partners to
aise the needed funds for our
school.”
In previous years, the colloquium program has been jeopardized by budget cuts; however,
with the administration’s efforts
and help from the Parent Network, colloquium will continue
to provide students with educational creativity. The administration hopes to ensure that this
year will not lack the fervor and
excitement of last year’s colloquium theme.
“Our colloquium theme will
be ‘Sharing the U.S. Experience.’
We will focus our lens on our
nation and our identity,” Mr.
Rodgers said. “We will have
all-school colloquia that celebrate
our stories and an American Music Festival featuring a variety of
musical genres including blues,
rock, bluegrass, hip hop, jazz,
country, and R&B.”
Likewise faculty and students
will have more efficient access to
technology to improve classroom
learning.
“We will continue to sustain
all that is wonderful about Northside while continuing to evolve
and improve our programs,” Mr.
Rodgers said.
The current administration
will continue to focus on maintaining Northside’s character
while establishing new traditions
and progress.
“What is wonderful about
Northside is that our students
and faculty do not rest on their
laurels,” Mr. Rodgers said. “Every year we continue to improve
as we meet new challenges that
are put before us. We continue
to grow as individuals and as a
community.”
student is not interested in the
activity and is simply doing it
for his or her resume, then the
activity can simply be considered a waste of life.
High school is a time for
students to explore their interests and find their passion.
Thus, students should not join
any organizations or take any
classes that they are not interested in just to impress college
admissions officers or because
their friends are joining. Rather, it is important that students
take part in activities that they
are passionate about, as this
will allow them to shine most.
In other words, it is possible to
get into a college like Harvard
by enjoying school. Students
should also keep in mind that
colleges like to see passion and
consistency. If a student does
nothing until junior or senior
year comes around, college admissions officers will assume
that it was done just to beef up
the application.
Most Northsiders know
that attending Northside
comes along with its advantages as well as its disadvantages.
Outside of Northside students
find kids who make fun of
them for attending “Nerdside,”
but often times these kids are
part of the 96% that got rejected. Still, as bad as this may
sound, flaunting the Northside
name and reputation in the
right situations can certainly
be a big help. The Northside
name has helped students get
jobs, internships, and admission into various pre-college
programs that many kids at
other schools do not get. After
all, Northside’s acceptance
rate is Harvard’s.
Northside students are the
best of the best, and responsible Mustangs put forth an honest effort to avoid procrastination. Colloquium is meant to
be a midweek break and a day
for catching up on homework,
not a day to slack off. Students
should avoid waiting until
Wednesday night to complete
their assignments, but do them
as they are assigned so that
Wednesday really is a free day.
Now for some advice on
how to behave in the building:
First off, students should
not clog the hallways like
a bunch of cows grazing
in a pasture. Everyone can
socialize with their wonderful
friends by the lockers, so as to
prevent traffic jams. Also, it is
worth noting that walking on
the right side of the hallway
helps prevent accidents.
Secondly, students should
put forth an effort to respect
the building. Northside is
arguably the nicest high school
in the city, and it would be
nice if it stayed that way.
Students who hang out in
the atriums after school
should remember to clean
up after themselves and leave
everything the way it was.
Couches around the school,
among other things, are a
privilege, not a right, and
students should respect that.
Finally, students should
keep their hands (and
mouths) to themselves. This
rule applies for feelings of
both anger and lust. Freshman hazing is thankfully not
one of Northside’s traditions
and current Mustangs should
welcome the new pack into
the Northside family. Also,
kissing, fondling, and any
other questionable activities should stay confined to
outside the building. Teachers and other students do
not need to, and usually do
not want to, see this kind of
behavior. (For more extensive information on this
topic please refer to Patricia
Radkowski’s “Radtrocity”
column in the February 2007
issue of The Hoof Beat.)
As we all know, Robert
Frost once wrote, “Two roads
diverged in a wood, and I— I
took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the
difference.” Take this poem to
heart. Take the road less traveled, find your own path, and
enjoy the rest of your Northside experience.
A salad bowl of diversity
filled with uneven ingredients
Race and culture at Northside
by Evan Rogers
When weighed against most other
public schools in the city of Chicago,
Northside is commonly cited as having
an overwhelmingly larger Caucasian
and Asian presence in comparison to
other racial groups. Students occasionally comment that they could count the
number of African-American students
in their classes on only two hands, an
understandable claim when the racial
breakdown of the school is considered.
In fact, of the 1,039 students at Northside during the 2006-2007 school year,
thirty-six percent of Northsiders regarded themselves to be white non-Hispanic
and twenty-eight percent as Asian/Pacific Islander, adding up to sixty-eight
percent of Northside’s population.
Seven percent of Northsiders would call
themselves black non-Hispanic, while
only one percent of Northside associates with the American Indian race.
Northside’s ethnic breakdown does
not fall in line with that of the general population of all Chicago Public
Schools (CPS). In 2007, the University
of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago
School Research found that fifty-five
percent of CPS students regard themselves as African-American, while only
eleven percent considered themselves
white. Within the whole city of Chicago, the African-American population
and the white is equal, with a combined 76 percent share of Chicago’s
racial breakdown. Despite lacking
large Hispanic, Asian, and other racial
groups in its racial pie chart, Chicago is
often noted as having diverse cultures,
commonly found in its ethnic enclaves
such as Chinatown, Little India, and
Greektown.
Similar to the city, Northside is
commonly recognized for its widespread cultural celebrations.
“I’ve learned a lot about a lot of
different cultures at Northside,” Rosie
Pahl-Donaldson, Adv. 107, said. “For
example, I never really knew that much
about all the cultural dances until I
went to I-Nite, or the music of different
nations until the World of Music colloquium.”
Throughout the 2007-2008 school
year, Northside honored and celebrated
a variety of cultures and ethnic backgrounds through numerous school
events, following the ‘World of Possibilities’ theme. School-wide colloquia, such
as the Black History Month colloquium,
featured insights into
multiple cultures and
areas, commonly
unexplored within
Northside’s curriculum. Other windows
to areas of the world
include the cultural
dance festival International Night and the
eight language classes
offered at school.
“I’ve learned a
lot about the German
culture from my
German class,” PahlDonaldson said. “On
top of that, I participated in an exchange
program in June, and
I was able to actually go to Germany,
so I got a chance to
be fully emerged in
the culture of the
country.”
Languages often
serve as a pathway
to understanding the
cultures of the various languages’ places
of origin. However,
Northside lacks any
African, Middle Eastern, or South Asian
language classes,
following in line with
the decreased presence of each of these
races in comparison
to the European, East
Asian, and Hispanic
majorities. Nevertheless, Northside hosts
a wealth of ethnic
clubs, such as Desi
Club and AfricanAmerican Club,
which embody the
cultures and traditions of the less represented racial groups.
“Northside may not have much in
terms of diversity,” Pahl-Donaldson
said, “but we make up for it by really
celebrating all the cultures we can.”
Page 8
Arts and Entertainment
The Hoof Beat
Batman should have stayed hidden in the shadows
This summer’s blockbuster, “The Dark Knight,” swoops into theatres
by Evan Rogers
Debuting as one of the most
hyped movies of the year, "The
Dark Knight" opens with a bankrobbery, intricately planned so that
only one person receives the money
at the end of the heist. The interesting opening hinted at a movie that
would keep the audience on the
edge of their seats. As the movie
went on, however, the robbery
turned out to quite possibly be the
most action-packed moment of the
movie.
The movie carried on slowly for
the next hour and a half, with little
happening beyond Bruce Wayne's
overdramatic musing over Rachel
Dawes that was filled with angst
and little development throughout
the movie. The relationship was
extremely inconsistent as Dawes
continuously swore off Wayne
(Christian Bale) and then embraced
him, successfully fulfilling the stereotypical role of the woman torn
between two men, with little deviation from the cliché. Katie Holmes
opted not to reprise her role as
Dawes and was thus replaced by
Maggie Gyllenhaal, who lacked the
chemistry Holmes had with Wayne,
despite her far superior acting abilities. The climax of the unnecessary
romance came as a relief, as the
overdone story finally came to a
close. The love triangle's third mate,
Harvey Dent, served as a disruptive
force in every aspect of Batman's
life, perhaps serving as more of
a foil to Batman than the Joker,
despite his lack of cool minions.
The Joker serves more as
a psychological threat than a
physical threat, relying mainly on
nameless followers to do his dirty
work. Heath Ledger's portrayal of
the Joker was thrilling, adding a
new twist to an already interesting character as he fills the place
of the always hard to follow Jack
Nicholson. The Joker was one of
Batman and the general population of Gotham City rather than
destroying buildings with massive
octopus tentacles. The Joker's most
awe-inspiring threat produces a
psychological question of life or
of the film, came in the form of an
intriguing social experiment, one
that very well could have warranted
its own film.
Still, the film took far too long
to reach its fascinating climax. The
Heath Ledger delivers a thrilling portrayal of the Joker in “The Dark Knight.”
Image courtesy of Amazon.com
the most original villains in the
past few years' influx of superhero
movies, playing mind games with
death, examining human selfishness and desire for self-preservation. The threat, featured at the end
film suffered from terrible plot progression, featuring needless setup
and far too much complaining on
behalf of Wayne. A large part of
the film was spent on the mob subplot of the film, which was meant
to put the crime-stopping talent of
Harvey Dent on display. However,
the international journey was completely pointless, as Dent’s abilities
as district attorney could have been
proven on a much smaller scale,
instead lending the time spent on
the unnecessary plotline to further
development of the true villain
of the film, the Joker. The film’s
choppy plot movement, filled with
unnecessary subplots and scenes of
Wayne brooding over an obvious
choice he must make, drastically
decreased the quality of an otherwise interesting main plot.
Despite delving into far too
much detail within the subplots,
the film fails to supply interesting
details within the main plot. One
of the most intriguing aspects of
the film was the Joker’s stories of
the origin of his facial scar that
changed every time he told the tale.
However, he only told it twice. This
detail would have been completed
with at least one more telling of
another possible story of his scarring. However, the story seemed to
get sloppy as the writers attempted
to jam-pack as many plotlines into
the lengthy two and half hours,
seemingly forgetting the details of
the main plot.
Although it has many interesting features that have won the
praise of many audience members,
the movie fails to develop a clear
focus. As a movie that would have
been better had it been two movies,
the film packs too much action into
too little time, leaving the audience
feeling full on an empty stomach.
So it’s about the birds and the bees? Not so much.
Relient K’s “The Bird and the Bee Sides”
by Matt Glodz
leaving their listeners with much to ponder on. Still, the more
An album title like “The Bird and the Bee Sides” leaves
shallow population that prefers to just listen and sing along
one to assume that it is about, well, the birds and the bees. In
can enjoy “Nothing Without You.” Its message is by no doubt
reality, however, Relient K is a group of good Christian boys
deep, but the fast paced song will appeal to a broad range of
who will most likely avoid any activities related to the birds
listeners whether or not they choose to explore the lyrics.
and the bees, until marriage at least. The
album is a collection of unreleased recordings that, while they did not make it onto
Relient K’s previous records, are not in the
least bit sub-par.
“Scene and Herd” is the song to
rock out to on the album. Like many
good songs, it comes with catchy and
meaningful lyrics. In the song, Relient K
tells us that they want to stay away from
the “scene,” or mainstream media, and
“herd,” the mainstream artists. Rather,
“As long as I’m staying true to myself…
I can sleep at night without your help…
Cause I’m havin’ a good time,” Matt
Thiessen, vocalist, sings. Staying true
to themselves is obviously important to
Relient K, and this vision is prevalent
throughout their album.
Most of Relient K’s songs have religious undertones, but none of them are
quite as explicit as those of “The Last,
The Lost, The Least.” The song is packed
with energetic rock beats, yet it manages
to carry across a powerful message; it
claims that everyone wears dignity and
resembles Christ himself. “His image
shown/ when we give our lives, our time,
our own,” they sing. The song is a definite
mood booster, both in its sound and in its
message.
Relient K provides Northsiders who
wish to do a little bit of analysis on their
lyrics with some good material as well.
In “Nothing Without You,” they claim,
“we’re nothing without you.” But does the
“you” refer to God or a girl? “When me
and you/ subtract the latter/ equals nothing really matters,” they sing, and confuse. Relient K’s newest album is deep and stays away from mainstream content.
It seems that to a Christian band nothing Image courtesy of Amazon.com
would really matter without God, but
when in love, life seems pointless without
“The Lining is Silver” starts off a bit slow, but it too beone’s lover, so which is it? Relient K’s songs are usually deep,
comes lively and optimistic. “Isn’t it nice to know, that we’re
golden,” they sing. With its contagious energy and inspiring lyrics, this is without question the song to listen to when
depressed.
“Curl Up and Die,” though, has the potential to lead to
depression. The song is one of the only slow songs on the
album, and rather than being uplifting, it is
heavy and dark. On this track, Thiessen sings
about how he feels fine, but will curl up and
die with his girl, for she is not. Most people
will agree that suicide is not a good thing,
and according to Dante’s “Inferno,” it would
place him in the seventh circle of Hell where
he would be turned into a twig and tormented
by the Harpies. Punishment in Hell is not fitting for a Christian band, and thus the song is
not fitting for the album.
Relient K’s “The Bird and the Bee Sides”
also features six mini-songs, so to speak, the
longest of which clocks in at a minute and 40
seconds.
The mini-song, “Bee Your Man,” provides a rodeo-style introduction to the album.
“Five Iron Frenzy is Either Dead or
Dying” is a 30-second tribute to Five Iron
Frenzy, a Christian rock band from Denver
that broke up in 2003 and was apparently “really, really good.” So good, in fact, that they
got two versions of the mini-song.
“Beaming,” which lasts about a minute,
sounds like a Hawaiian luau in which the
band reflects on how they are, yes, beaming.
And as can be inferred from its title,
“You’ll Always Be My Best Friend,” the final
mini-song, is an ode to their best friends. It is
simply too cheesy to be a real song, but apparently Relient K is willing to go that far for
their BFFs.
The birds and the bees? No. Still, it is
refreshing to see a band that stays true to who
they are rather than conforming to the ideals
of today’s sex-crazed society. Relient K probably realizes that their Christian lyrics will not
get them as much money or success as say,
singing, “Now if she moves like this, will you
move her like that?” but they do realize that
there are more important things in life, and as
they say, when people are doing what they love, money is the
least of their concerns.
September 2008
Arts and Entertainment
Keeping Cute on “Rotation”
Page 9
Oh Henry!
Sophomore album is anything but a slump. Movie MADness
by Alice Henry
could show the world in an all too
I am mad at the movie busitrue way. However, the world isn’t
ness. In large part it is due to
purely evil. If these moviemakers
by Andrea Ljevar
This song, easily the most
band; rather it confirms
and role on the music
the manufacturing of the drama
don’t realize that, they must be
Emerging amidst
provocative on the album,
that they have perfected
scene. Hacikyan sings,
genre movies that are simply not
spending their time in bad places.
the emo-pop stampede
the lead singer Shaant
their emo-pop sound. As
“Take me back to the age
appealing. In fact, I have been
It isn’t always explicit that
of 2006, “Cute Is What
Hacikyan sings, “Navigate the song states, the past
of innocence…/ Singers
regularly turning off the TB before these movies are affecting our culWe Aim For” may have
me through your body/
two years have been good
wrote songs instead of
movies are finished because of the ture negatively, but the image of
seemed like another wanNavigate me through your practice for their second
hooks/ When the value
atrocious characters and their lack
business as greedy power mongers
nabe band that only plays
body/ I love/ the way/
album.
wasn’t in the price.” With
of mere human emotion. Screenis a result of the ever-changing
for the girls and
the music scene thrivwriters have been creating people
movie business. In fact, one of
the fame. Yet, Cute
ing on the catchiness
that are not likeable. The original
the largest fractions of American
proves they want
of a hook as opposed
dislikeable characters, such as
employment, as taken down by
more than groupto the talent of the
Macbeth from Shakespeare, were
the American Bureau of Labor
ies and dollar bills
artist singing it, Cute
those who evolved with sociopath
Statistics, is the business, sales,
with their impressive
is being a little hypotendencies: the ability to appear
and management jobs. However,
sophomore album,
critical by condemngood but do so much evil. I am
most businessmen did not dream
“Rotation.”
ing those who make
tired of wincing and pressing the
of trading stock as children; most
When Cute
catchy hooks, especial- stop button during a movie that
dreamt of becoming an astronaut,
released their debut
ly since it is the main
was supposed to be good, because
cowboy or cowgirl, ballerina,
album, ‘The Same
reason the band has
of a main character who shows no teacher, or doctor and making the
Old Blood with a
been successful. As
history of ever being so.
world a better place.
New Touch,” in
the album stays within
There have long been characIt is in human nature to
2006, they were just
their original sound,
ters with purely evil intentions and do good things. The first study
another skinny jean
it is obvious Cute is
persuasions; however, in the past,
mentioned in the book “Freakowearing, awkward
sticking to their comthere was normally a counterpart,
nomics” referenced a situation
hair-rocking band,
fort zone and what
a protagonist, somewhere in the
where economists monitored ten
practically disappearmade them successful
movie. Recently, movies have
different day-care centers for late
ing among the variin the first place. A
begun to portray darker aspects
pick-ups in Haifa, Israel. When
ous other “Fall Out
band should not make
of human life including the truly
the day-cares started to charge a
Boy’s” and “Panic!
fun of something they
ill intentioned human beings.
fee for late pick-ups, the amount
at the Disco’s” on
do themselves.
There are no indications that these of parents arriving late increased.
the scene. With
The rest of the
people once had some good in
The reasoning behind this was
songs like “There’s
album rides on the
them or at least intended to do
thought to be that the parents
a Class for This”
same wave of songs
good things. The darkly inclined
felt better being late if they could
and “The Curse
that will leave the auhumans appear to have no conrepay the day-care for having
of Curves,” Cute
dience humming and
science for the hurt they are doing
inconvenienced them, thus showmanaged to create a “Cute has proved that they are capable of creating a
dancing in their seats.
or any regret for it either.
ing that humans feel better if they
substantial, catchy second record.”
respectable fan-base,
It
is
with
the
final
song,
The
movie
“The
Squid
and
the
could make up for doing wrong.
Image courtesy of Amazon.com
but a band cannot be
“Time,” that they slow
Whale” depicts a family ripped
It was a fine that was supposed to
completely judged
you tug on top of me.”
In “Do What
things down a little bit.
apart by divorce. While divorce
alter the amount of late pick-ups
based on their first album.
With most CDs nowadays You Do” Cute reaches out “Time” is a cute song
is a messy and upsetting ordeal,
with a financial incentive that
It is often the second
very high on the sexual
to their teenage fan base,
that their female fans and
this movie shows the individual
backfired into offering a moral
album that determines if
content, Cute is able to
singing “No one is telling
listeners may fantasize
members of the family becoming
incentive to pick up your kids
the band has staying abilcreate a tasteful, fun song
me the speed I should be
about. The song is a fitting horrible people who become selflate: the chance to make up for
ity or if they are going to
that does not cross the line traveling/ So watch me
end to the album, closing
ish and cruel. Many praised the
your mistake. In general a moral
fall into the past like other
into raunchy and inapprotake the lead,” an obviwith a sweet melody and
movie for having amazing writing
incentive convinces a person from
one-hit wonders. Fortupriate.
ous attempt at trying to
a nice after-taste for the
and direction, while my family
doing an act by having that act
nately, Cute has proven
The album starts
promote independence
listener.
stopped the movie after a few
appear as something they would
that they are capable of
off with the first single,
and self-assurance. Yet, as
Cute will not find
minutes. My dad had been previconsider wrong. Most humans do
creating a substantial,
“Practice Makes Perfect,”
with the rest of the album, many new fans with “Roously married, and my sister is
have a conscience and undercatchy second record.
which sounds much like
they do it tastefully and
tation,” but they will be
really my half-sister. The message
stand a difference between right
A standout on
“The Curse of Curves”
without conveying the
able to keep the fans that
that divorcees and their children
and wrong. I think most humans
“Rotation” is the third
and opens the album
impression that they are
made them the emo-pop
have ruined the lives of their new
prefer to do right, and most of the
track, “Navigate Me.”
with their original sound
shoving advice down your
sensation that they are.
families by entering inappropriate
humans I have met do. So it is an
This song has the best
that fans are used to. The
throat.
As more and more bands
sexual affairs did not sit well with
interesting coincidence that such
hook on the album, staysong does not do much
It is in “Holcome onto the scene, it
this divorcee’s family. Divorce is
a large amount of movies could
ing with the listener even
to impress those who
lywood” that the band
is the best that they can
not a happy subject, and someportray humans with much worse
after the album finishes.
have already heard the
evaluates its artistic nature ask for.
times the results of divorce are sad persuasions.
and maddening, but that is why
Mean people in mean schemes
you do not make a movie out of
is not entertainment. People are
it. Divorce in its worst form is not
just not, for the most part, cruelly
entertainment, while a movie in
inclined. Businessmen, the neighall its aspects is striving for just
bor with a sly look next door, and
that.
the ex are not necessarily evil. A
Critics often rave about
part of what makes movies interby Caitlin Swieca
for most of the concert, venturing
The setlist was not flawless;
movies
because
of
the
message
esting and entertaining is seeing
Since he burst onto the music
into jam sessions to end many of
there were times when many of the
that they are communicating. If
the story behind each character's
scene in 2002 as a scrawny, acoushis songs, which, although brilliant,
crowd had taken their seats after
a
movie
has
good
actors
and
a
front. The story as to why a chartic-guitar toting balladeer from
seemed to bore the crowd at times.
being bored by his seemingly endless
“deep, moving message,” it will
acter has become so twisted and
Connecticut, John Mayer has transHe kept the flow of the concert with
departures into guitar solos, espeget
good
reviews.
While
reading
evil, or at least a hint of the story,
formed his style, surprising those
small talk between selections. Howcially on the slow, unknown track
movie reviews, I cannot help but
is needed for an antagonist to be
who still know him as the timid
ever, most fans past the expensive
“Wheel” and “Crossroads.” The
think
movie
critics
love
to
see
a
entertaining while pulling off horkid who crooned “Your Body Is A
100 level seats could hear nothing
show might have benefited from an
rible schemes.
Wonderland” to masses of delighted but slurred gibberish.
extra Mayer song in place of a cover, movie with a dark reality that
teenage girls. In 2007, after releasing
Despite the sound issues,
since “Daughters,” “Your Body Is A
a live blues-rock CD with the John
Mayer’s songs sounded good. Mayer Wonderland,” and “Dreaming With
Mayer Trio and his hit record Conchanged guitars nearly every song,
A Broken Heart”, among other top
tinuum, Mayer graced the cover of
playing each with ease and passion.
hits, were left out of the show.
“Rolling Stone” magazine as one of
He added in a healthy dose of songs
The concert, however, was an
“The New Guitar Gods,” dubbing
from his latest disc, “Continuum”,
overall success, giving Mayer a
him Slowhand Jr., a reference to
as well as the bluesy “Good Love Is
chance to flex his musical muscles.
Eric Clapton, one of Mayer’s influOn The Way,” which he performed
He noted that he always feels at
ences. Mayer’s new title came with
on his disc “Try!” with the John
home in Chicago, a city that apprecihigh expectations, and he did his
Mayer Trio. Some of the set’s most
ates the blues as much as he does. It
best to live up to those expectations
thrilling moments came when Mayremains to be seen if Mayer’s legacy
when he brought his Summer Tour
er ventured into the work of other
will be as great as those who preto the First Midwest Bank Amphiartists to complement his own work.
ceded him. He is certainly no Jimi
theatre in Tinley Park on Friday,
Mayer sang an acoustic version of
Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan yet,
July 18.
the classic “Free Fallin” by Tom
but it will be interesting to see where
Despite awful sound in the
Petty, a song he had covered on his
Mayer’s music will take him next.
venue and a setlist that seemed selfnew live disc, “Where The Light Is.”
The solid concert could have
indulgent at times, Mayer delivHe played Cream’s “Crossroads” as
done without Mayer’s two opening
ered, mixing some of his hits with
a nod to the Crossroads 2007 Guitar
acts, which did nothing interesting
lesser-known tracks and throwing in
Festival in Chicago, where Mayer
or unique to engage the crowd. Brett
a healthy dose of cover songs. The
played alongside a lineup of Guitar
Dennen opened with an entirely
atmosphere was electric as Mayer
Gods.
forgettable set, while Colbie Caillat’s
launched into his set with a unique
Mayer’s most electrifying
set was boring, with the exception
version of “Sweet Home Chicago”
cover, by far, came at the open of his of her crowd-pleasing hits “Bubbly”
that transformed into “Bigger Than
encore, when he romped out onto
and “Realize.” Although she threw
My Body.” He kept the crowd happy the stage shirtless to play a cover of
in an interesting version of the Jackas he sang “Belief ” and followed up
Van Halen’s “Panama,” complete
son 5’s “I Want You Back,” it could
with a medley of some of his best
with a replica Eddie Van Halen
not save the set, and it did nothing
early work, with “No Such Thing”
Guitar. He played an awe-inspiring
besides pass the time until Mayer’s
“The Squid and the Whale” got praise from critics,
blending into the introspective
version of “Gravity” (with lines of
stage debut. Of course, Mayer’s set
but it was not an accurate representation of a real“Why Georgia” and bits of “Man In the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”
was good enough to stand alone
world divorce.
A Suitcase” by the Police.
throw in) and ended with his song
and justified the price of admission
Image courtesy of Amazon.com
Mayer kept up the atmosphere
“Say” from “The Bucket List.”
ticket.
John Mayer rocks Tinley Park
Page 10
What about us?
Events around Northside: back
to school
by Vasiliki Mitrakos
September 2 – First day
of school. Student fees are
due during the first week
of school if they were not
paid during orientation.
Student forms are also due
on the first day. Colloquium will not be observed
on Wednesday for the first
week. Summer homework
for certain AP and Englishclasses is also due on the
first day of class.
September 9 – Back to
school night. This event
provides parents with the
chance to experience the
block schedule with a
mini run-through of their
students’ classes. The
night starts off at 7:00 p.m.
and lasts until 9:00 p.m.
During the mini class sessions parents will visit the
classrooms and have the
opportunity to ask teachers
about the courses. After
the mini sessions of all
seven classes, parents are
welcomed to enjoy refreshments and snacks in the
lunchroom. This event is
especially useful for parents
of freshmen who want to
gain better insight on how
the block schedule works
and to speak with teachers.
September 9 – Registration deadline for SAT and
SAT Subject tests. Testing
date is October 4.
September 12 – College Applications are due.
Applications for both
college and scholarships
are due to the counseling office if the deadline
for the student is between
October 1 and October 31.
Applications will be accepted in accordance to the
deadline of the college and
are generally required by
the counseling office one
month in advance. There
are a few restrictions as to
when students can send
in their applications to the
counseling office. Contact
your counselor for more
information.
September 13 – ACT
testing for pre-registered
students.
September 26 – Registration deadline for SAT
and SAT Subject tests. Testing date is November 1.
To our readers
Dear readers,
Welcome back to Northside, as we prepare for another
successful school year (and to the incoming freshmen – welcome to high school!)!
We urge you to join us every month for a calendar rundown of the month’s most important social, cultural, and
academic events around our school, in our community, and
in our beautiful city. We hope that you can find the time to set
aside the bounties of homework you’ll surely be getting and
join your classmates for the school’s programs and concerts
and for our city’s amazing array of cultural events.
Our Diversions page offers a section with a brief monthly
calendar of the school’s most important happenings; a Sudoku for you to work on when you’re not doing homework (not
in class!); and a section with some of the city’s most important events that fit into
a monthly theme.
We look forward
to providing you with
the necessary information to keep you tuned
in to all the current
events and must-see
shows. Should you
ever encounter any
problems or concerns,
or simply have comments to share with
or questions to ask
us, we urge you to
contact us at Hoofbeat.Dekhtyar@gmail.
com, where we will
be happy to offer any
help we can.
Thank you for joining us!
Vasiliki Mitrakos and
Sonya Dekhtyar
Enjoy the city while there’s time!
Photo by Sonya Dekhtyar
Diversions The Hoof Beat
Try your hand at Sudoku!
Courtesy of www.dailysudoku.com. This image is copyrighted by
DailySudoku Ltd., 2006
Around town
While we can…
by Sonya Dekhtyar
Another school year has
begun, and, while some of us
may be contemplating how
to best handle the load of
homework already received or
the multiple projects already
assigned, it might be best not
to start overworking oneself
right away. Why start panicking at the very beginning of the
school year, when there’s going
to be another eight months to
do that? Instead, calm down,
take a deep breath, schedule
out your work appropriately,
and, while the time still exists
and the weather is still welcoming, go out and enjoy the
wonderful city.
MILLENIUM PARK
SUMMER WORKOUTS
Millenium Park
Great Lawn of the Jay
Pritzker Pavillion
September 4 – 27
This free monthly workshop is available for anyone
and everyone. Even though
you may not think you have the
time or willpower to go out Saturday mornings for an hour’s
worth of yoga, Pilates, or
dance workouts, it’s definitely
worth it. The soft, comfortable grass of the Great Lawn,
along with a towel, blanket, or
mat that you are encouraged
to bring along, is an excellent
place to stretch out those deskcramped legs and tired-of-typing hands. So, free up your
September Saturdays, grab a
mat and a water bottle, put on
some comfortable fitness
clothing, and
head on out for an hour or
more of exercising. Yoga starts
at 8:00 a.m., followed by an
hour of Pilates, and finally, at
10:00 a.m. is a dance class. For
more information, as well as
to see other available workout
hours, visit www.millenniumpark.org/documents/workout_
final.pdf.
FULL MOON MEDITATION NIGHT
Inner Metamorphosis
University (I.M.U.)
1418 West Howard Street,
at Sheridan Road
September 15
As ridiculous as it may
sound, this event occurs the day
of each full moon, lasting all
day from 9:00 a.m. to midnight. This experience is based
on the idea that the full moon
makes more energy available to
a person; this is a great opportunity to regain all the energy
lost poring over homework.
Therefore, people are invited to
three cycles, 45 minutes each,
of silent sitting meditation,
alternated with three cycles of
dance meditation. This meditation will initially be guided,
and everyone is welcome to
join these cycles for as long as
possible. Although the event
is free, donations are greatly
appreciated.
ELI’S CHEESECAKE FESTIVAL
6701
West Forest
Preserve Drive
September 20
– 21
Although
this isn’t quite “The
Chocolate Factory”,
it still promises to be
tasty. The famous
cheesecake factory
presents its annual
festival, displaying
and selling all sorts
and tastes of its cheesecakes. Not only will you be
able to indulge in a variety
of excellent cheesecakes, but
the money you spend on the
food (the event itself is free)
will benefit the New Horizon
Center for the Developmentally
Disabled. In addition, you’ll
be able to listen to live music
while you’re there. Although
the location is a bit far, it is
rather accessible by highway,
so take some time out that
weekend and take a trip down
to the tasty fest.
September is, in some ways,
a rather strange month. It is the
month in which school starts,
summer changes to fall, and
the days get shorter, while the
nights get longer. But while
the day lasts and school hasn’t
flung us into chaos, take some
time out to enjoy the eventfulness of our beautiful city.
September 2008
Op-Ed
Editorials
Asking the right questions to get the right answers
by Rory Coursey
You can tell a lot about the state of a
society by its questions, more, I’d venture,
than from its answers. The questions
reveal, and often shape, our modes of
thought and thus presuppose the answers.
Judging by the questions we ask of the
men hoping to be endowed with the trust
of a nation, we’re in trouble. Rick Warren,
in a nationally-broadcasted forum hosting
both presidential candidates, made evil into
a multiple choice question unfit for even
a sophomore philosophy test: “Does evil
exist, and if it does, do we ignore it, do we
negotiate with it, do we contain it or do we
defeat it?” Is this the best we can come up
with for the hopeful leaders of our nation?
Can it be responsible to ask a question that
allows a candidate a three-word answer on
any subject, much less one as complex as
what to do about evil?
Take another question, asked of Joe
Biden in the primary debates in South
Carolina, "what three nations, other than
Iraq, represent, to you, the biggest threat
to the United States?" This question invites
fearmongering and the kind of bellicose
bluster that has no place on the world
stage, especially not from the person who'll
be in charge of the negotiations to reduce
the threat from these "enemies." The mentality that gave us this question also gave
us the "axis of evil" that has done such
wonders for US soft power over the last
eight years.
The questions tightening the poll
numbers these days have a lot to do with
energy, and that seems to mean oil. It is the
oil that shackles us to dictators the likes of
which caused a revolt in the country 2 centuries ago. The oil is killing our planet, our
home, inch by inch, barrel by barrel. With
all these problems and the skyrocketing
prices throttling our economy, you’d hope
that the questions posed to our presumptive nominees would be on how to move
off of oil. But no, the question dominating
the public’s attention is, “How do we get
more oil?” Does one even have to ask this
question aloud; doesn’t it already presuppose just one, destructive solution?
With eyes glued to MSNBC, I feel
compelled to throw something and ask this
question: just how stupid are we? What
kind of pseudo-masochistic tendencies
have been imbued into our brains that we
allow, if not force, the men we endow with
the responsibility of this nation to lead us
Mélange
A note on
September 11
rememberance
by Melissa Jordan
down these paths of self-destruction? I’m
not sure this question has an answer, but it
has to be asked nonetheless. So I ask you,
when you watch the presidential coverage,
to pay attention to questions more than the
answers. The answers are important, but
these candidates will be with us for eight
years, while the mindset that produces
these questions will control our country’s
fate for decades. So pay attention.
Fun with Della and Señor Conejo
Page 11
Are we allowed to forget?
We were children on September 11, 2001,
the day when thousands of people died during an attack on American soil. What do you
remember about that day, and was it a comedy?
Last year, the pilot for the television series,
“Aliens in America” was shown to Northside
students on September 11. This comedy pushed
blatant political correctness, thereby sacrificing
artistry that it could have achieved for politicalization. It depicted an unpopular but intelligent
student and his Wisconsin family requesting a
British exchange student in order to make the
hopeless son more popular among his peers.
The exchange student turned out to be a British
Muslim, to the shock and ensuing protest of the
mother. At school, his entire middle America
class and teachers – stereotypically modeled after the “racist hick” - were constantly portrayed
making insensitive remarks about Islam.
This is not the case with real middle America, whose students are not ignorant, but rather
are capable of serious intellectual thought and
remembrance of September 11. Some of those
middle America states top the charts with highest ranking high schools, as per “Newsweek’s
America’s Top High Schools.” The 2008 list
included Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, North
and South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia,
Washington, and Wisconsin; hardly an honor
to be given to stereotypes of rural “racist hicks,”
whom the media reflects as residents of these
areas. The choice to show “Aliens in America,”
especially on September 11, was an obtuse
insensitivity and salt on the wound for middle
Americans everywhere, especially as small town
and rural Whites over represent their segment of
the population in the military and in the war in
Afghanistan, which was provoked by the attacks
on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The screening of “Aliens in America,” a
show produced out of the arrogant mindset of
the liberal media, indicates that our memories
have lapsed. On a day that ought to be spent in
compassionate memory for those who have lost
their lives in these attacks and ensuing conflict,
it is entirely unacceptable to view a comedy of
such caliber. Moreover, this show distracted
from the solemnity of the day. The positive
response from students at the time illustrated
that, perhaps, we as a school are forgetting that
tragedy too soon. We may need a megaphone
to get through our thick skulls the reminder that
September 11 is no day for comedy. It was not
funny to travelers, police officers, fire fighters, New Yorkers, Pentagon staff, or any other
Americans who still have their screws in tight
enough.
Screening and viewing a comedy is not
remembering. A simple enough way to remember is to iterate the events of that disastrous day,
to reflect on what it means to us as Americans,
and to try to understand what it means to the
rest of the world. During the school day this can
be as simple as a whole hearted reflection about
September 11 over the public address system accompanied by moments of contemplation, or a
sympathetic reading from the writings of eyewitnesses or survivors. Remembrance doesn’t have
to be complicated. It doesn’t require a comedy
fraught with a political agenda in every word of
dialogue. Remembering simply requires us to be
compassionate humans: knowledge of the facts,
a willingness to understand, and the ability to
sympathize.
By advocating a day of solemnity and
remembrance I am by no means advocating for
Middle East warmongering, conservative agendas, or thoughtless interpretations of September
11. I simply advocate for the human response of
remembering. Forever.
Page 12
A bonus
with
Yonas
Michael Phelps:
The Best Ever?
by Yonas Zewdie
We are all familiar with the slightly goofy looking,
but otherwise completely friendly face of Michael
Phelps, the swimming prodigy who has been winning gold medals and breaking world records, most
set by him. During the Athens Games, this young
all-star took six gold medals and turned many heads
in the process. Rumors spread quickly naming him
the leader of the coming generation of swimmers.
Fast forward four years, and Phelps claims eight gold
medals in Beijing, more than any other Olympian in
a single Olympics has won. The rumors were true. It
is clear that Phelps has talent, and with his amazing
athleticism and swimming prowess, he has come to
be known by some as the best Olympian of all time.
He is great and can certainly be acknowledged as the
best swimmer of all time. However, to call him “best
Olympian ever” is inaccurate for several reasons.
One of the biggest faults with his title is its ambiguity. The “best ever” could refer to the best athlete
of all time, the most dominant Olympian in a specific
sport or event, the Olympian with the highest gold
medal count, and countless other interpretations. It
is impossible to quantify athleticism, especially with
Olympic athletes. Aside from many of them being
in amazing physical fitness, there is a difference in
the levels of fitness required for each sport or the
type of physical perks each sport contributes to the
athlete. For instance in an event like the 100 meter
dash, speed is key, but because the Olympic 100 meter
sprinters are faster than all the other Olympians, does
that mean that they are better athletes? There are
numerous similar examples of sport specific athletic
attributes throughout the Olympics and with so many
athletes having different levels of particular components of athleticism (reaction time, body control,
speed, explosiveness, vertical leap, strength, etc.) it is
difficult to objectively evaluate which athlete is more
athletic than another.
If the definition of “best” is the most dominant
Olympian in a specific sport, then certain sports don’t
require much athleticism. There are certain sports
in the Olympics such as Archery or Equestrian that
do not necessarily require a high degree, or at least
not as high of a degree of athleticism as some other
events such as gymnastics, swimming, soccer, etc. The
person who may claim best Olympian ever may not
even be extremely athletic, even though many people
equate Olympics with extremely talented athletes.
Furthermore, it is difficult to classify an athlete
who competes in multiple sports. For instance, if
you had a person who competed in Judo and Greco
Roman Wrestling, if that person was a phenomenal
judoka and beat all the competition in record time by
record margins, but was absolutely dominated in wrestling, he would be difficult to classify.
Phelps won eight gold medals - more than any
other athlete in history during a single Olympic
Games before. As great as it may sound, this can only
happen in the sport of swimming. There are enough
events to justify that number of gold medals. Nastia
Liukin, American gymnast, won gold for all around
Gymnastics, but gymnastics didn’t offer eight gold
medals for her to win. Phelps, a worthy contender,
cannot merely be judged by the number of medals
hanging from his neck, but rather by a wide variety of
features specific to an athlete.
Phelps is truly a force to be reckoned with in
swimming, and while it is debatable, if you were to
say he is the most dominant Olympian in his specific
sport’s field, you could fairly easily provide substantial
evidence for that assumption. For instance, his medals
and world record times each attest to his dominance.
However, to say that Phelps is the best Olympian ever,
or to say that of any athlete, is based upon faulty logic
that is overly assumptive. Especially in a sport like
swimming, where there are so many medals to be won
for all the various events, it would be unfair to allocate
the title of best ever based upon a gold medal count.
While Phelps is currently the most dominant Olympic
swimmer, he is by no means the best athlete of all
time as some crazed fans, sponsors and pundits have
portrayed him to be.
Sports
The Hoof Beat
Cross Country crosses limits
by Zahra Lalani
Each year, some hundred
of Northside’s most versatile
athletes spend the summer
preparing for a grueling season
of cross-country. The team has
had tremendous successes in
the past few years and intended
on continuing the streak in the
coming year. Team practices
began mid-June in preparation
for a speedy year.
The cross-country team
draws a significant group
of freshmen each year; and
consequently, coaches have
developed a system whereby
athletes who miss more than
nine practices are removed
from the team. These team
rules are indifferent to ability,
as the coaches’ value hard
work over natural talent. This
assures that the team maintains
an interested group of students
each year.
Summer preparation
involved a lot of conditioning
for returning and new runners.
On July 9, three athletes broke
the Northside record number
of pull-ups: Simon Vecchioni,
Adv. 905, Brandon Cooper,
Adv. 907, each reached 30
and close to the top seven and
the season and prepare for the
pull-ups while Ian Reeves, Adv. stick with it the whole year.”
St. Patrick invitational, the
207, a freshman, reached 32
To celebrate the start of
cross-country team is holdpull-ups.
ing a Team Pasta
On August 13, incomParty September
ing freshmen, as well as
2 after practice in
other Northside students,
the Northside Cafwere encouraged to try
eteria. Later that
out for the team regardless
week, on Septemof previous experience.
ber 6, Northside
They were encouraged
will be competwith examples of athletes
ing at Kenosha,
who had made imprints
Wisconsin in the
in the cross-country world
Rebel Invitational.
without ever having had
According to
experience, while returning
the coaches, this
members were expected to
invitational is
have conditioned over the
considered to be
summer.
the most comTheir goal this year is
petitive meet in
to place in State Champithe Midwest. The
onships. More information
course is located
about the progress of their
at the University
season and past accomof Wisconsin and
plishments can be found
is considered the
on their website, mustanglargest race course
sxc.com.
in the country.
“I hope we win City
“I want to go
Championships, go to
fast,” Rosenfeld
State, win State, this year,”
said. “I want to
Spencer Rosenfeld, Adv.
be first because
909, said. “My personal goal Cuitlahuac Pineda-Youniss, Adv. 014, runs in a
if you’re not first,
Cross-Country race during the 2007 season.
is to be in the in the Top 12 Photo courtesy of mustangsxc.com
you’re last.”
Diving right into the new season
Women’s Seastangs look for strong start
to promising season
by Caitlin Swieca
Fenwick High School and the varsity team
one at a time, evaluate each swimmer
In high school sports, it is often difwill compete in Highland Park. As with
after each meet to see in which events they
ficult to carry success from one season to
all fall sports, the team will continue their
would be most successful at and where
the next as team leaders head off to college training into the school year with daily
they would be more helpful to the team,”
and new, inexperienced athletes replace
two-hour practices following each school
Ceja said. “We try to keep all the swimthem.
day. Varsity members will also be required
mers in their best events, but sometime it
“This [losing Seniors] is something
to swim before school three times a week.
is necessary to move swimmers around to
we deal with every year. The only thing
The intense practice schedule of the
keep the team whole.”
we can do is make changes to fill in those
Seastangs makes should help them endure
The team is anticipating the return of
gaps,” Coach Carlos Ceja, the Women’s
a season that spans over three months and
some young stars next year. Last year, AlSwimming and Diving Head Coach, said.
thirteen meets before the teams participate
exa Chavez, Adv. 108, set varsity records
As Northside’s Women’s Seastangs
in their respective competitions for the
in the 100, 200, and 500-yard Freestyle
dove into Northside’s pool on August 13,
City Championships. Last year, the sophoevents, as well as the 100-yard Backstroke.
it began what its members and coaches
more team captured a City Championship, With three years left as a Seastang, the
hope will be a successful season which
while the varsity came up short with rival
promising swimmer can look to improve
will add on to the triumphs of 2007, a
Lane Tech taking the title. This year, the
on her previous times. Chavez and her
season in which Northside took home the
team hopes to duplicate the success that
teammates Mary Mussman, Adv. 109 ,
Sophomore Level City Championship and
they had in 2007 while looking to obtain
Monica Pinkus, Adv. 018, and graduate
a Relay City Championship and posted
more banners to decorate the natatorium.
Megan Grant, Adv. 806, set a City-wide
several record-breaking performances.
“This year we are setting our goals a
record in the 200 Medley Relay. Chavez
As always, the members of Women’s
little higher,” Coach Ceja said. “We coach- wasn’t varsity’s only young swimmer:
Swimming and Diving
in 2007, the
began their season
team had a
before the first days of
total of four
the school year. Freshunderclassmen were encouraged
men, two of
to try out for the team
whom become
in a letter to incoming
juniors this
students sent out by
year. Coach
Northside’s AquatCeja planned
ics Director and head
to have at
coach of the swim
least three
team, Carlos Ceja. The
underclassmen
letter congratulated the
on this year’s
new students on their
varsity squad.
acceptance to NorthCoach
side and listed some
Ceja hopes
benefits of joining the
that the girls
swim team, ranging
will become
from help in time mancomfortable
agement to making
around one
new friends.
another as the
“The friends you
season begins,
make here swimallowing them
ming…will be your
to perform betfriends for the rest of
ter as a team.
your life,” Coach Ceja
Northside’s Varsity Swim Team poses for a photo after finishing second in the
“It is the
City Championships in 2007.
wrote in the letter.
camaraderie
Although the sum- Photo courtesy of Brian Quigley
and the bonds
mer sun was still hot
the swimmers
es have plans to sweep the 3 city meets,
in the sky, the returning swimmers and
build
that
keep
each
other
going
through
defend our conference championship,
incoming freshmen dove into Northside’s
practices and the season,” Coach Ceja
move up in the rankings at the sectional
pool five days a week after holding their
said. “And regardless of their personal
meet and get at least 2 to 4 swimmers in
first practice. The entire team practiced
success and abilities, not one person on
the state meet.”
in the mornings, swimming from 8:00
this team can achieve her goals without the
Swimmers for the team agreed with
a.m.until 10:30 a.m. The members of the
help of the others.”
Ceja’s remarks while expressing excitevarsity team were required to practice for
In total, twelve of 2007’s varsity
ment and awaiting the upcoming season.
an additional session each day from 1:00
swimmers will return to the team for this
“I’m really looking forward to this seap.m. to 3:30 p.m. The team members also
season, many of which have been on the
son,” Courtney Quigley, Adv. 010, a threeattended a total of four “swim clinics” that year varsity member, said. “The Varsity
varsity level since their freshman year. The
helped them hone their techniques during
experience of the team makes the SeastCity Title is still, as always, a long-term
their summer practice season.
angs feel confident going into this season.
goal we hope to achieve this year.”
Northside’s swimmers hope that all of
“With the very promising freshmen on
Coach Ceja thinks his approach to
their practice will pay off once the season
our team this season and the swimmers
each meet will give the team an advantage
begins on Saturday, September 13, when
moving up from JV to varsity, things are
as it makes way through its long schedule.
the frosh/soph will compete in relays at
looking very good,” Quigley said.
“We are going to approach each meet