The Mathtangs dominate competition She loves the spring musical

Features
Prom fever sweeps
the senior class
Hoof Beat
The
March 2010 | thehoofbeat.com | Northside College Preparatory High School | thehoofbeatstaff@gmail.com | Vol. 11 No. 6
She loves the spring musical
Northside
presents its
annual spring
musical “She
Loves Me”
by Faique Moqeet
As the curtains closed and the
audience began its standing ovation,
this year’s spring musical, “She Loves
Me,” came to a conclusion. Ending
with a kiss between the two main
characters, the musical aired a total
of four times, starting on Thursday,
March 18 and ending with a matinee
on Sunday, March 21.
“She Loves Me” is based off a
1940’s Hungarian play by Mr. Miklos Laszlo. The original Broadway
production appeared in 1963 and
1964 later reappeared in the 1990’s.
It was highly successful in its Broadway productions.
The musical revolves around the
story of Georg Nowak, played by
Matthew Brennan, Adv. 010, and
Amalia Balash, played by Zoey
Bergstrom, Adv. 102. The two are
employees at a perfumery and consistently engage in arguments, only
to find out that they are secret lovers
through letters they have been writing to one another.
Some audience members enjoyed
the play, often describing it as posi-
tive for a great variety of reasons.
One was the chemistry and ability
of the two star antgonists, Georg
and Amlia.
“I think the relationship between
Georg and Amalia worked so well
because the two seemed to have
good chemistry on stage,” Paulina
Kulka, Adv. 205, said. “I was really
surprised at how funny it was. Some
of the scenes were excellent.”
The two write letters referring to
one another as ‘Dear Friend,’ unaware that they know each other.
Later Georg finds out and falls in
love with Amalia as she too falls in
love with him. In the culminating
scenes, Georg reveals to Amalia that
he is actually ‘dear friend’ and they
kiss as the curtains close.
“I thought it was a cute story, and
the actors were all really talented
too,” Maura Illing, Adv. 200, said.
Other major characters include
Mr. Maraczek, the middle aged owner of the perfumery played by Alejandro Hansen, Adv. 010, who provides major obstacles for Georg. A
friend of Georg’s and fellow employee at the perfumery, Ladisov Sipos,
played by Neal Cappas, Adv. 010,
serves as an advisor, encouraging
Georg to go and meet ‘dear friend’.
Next is boy wonder Arpad Laszlo,
played by Benjamin Sullivan-Knoff,
Adv.108, who is a delivery boy who
later scores a job at the perfumery.
Finally, there is an on-and-off couple
who work at the store: Ilona Ritter,
played by, Zoe Netter, Adv. 108, and
NCP Latin dominates at IJCL 2 | “Alice in Wonderland” falls short of hype 11
Steve Kodaly, played by Magellan
Yadao, Adv. 016.
These characters manage to either make Georg and Amalia’s affair difficult like Mr. Maraczek, who
makes him stay late at work the day
of his date with ‘Dear Friend’.
“Mr. Maraczek always yelled at
Georg for no reason,” Eamon McInerney, Adv. 209, said. “It was comical because he was picking on him
because he thought his wife had a
non-existant affair, which is something that happens in reality too.”
On the other hand, Ladisov often
saves or helps Georg, once by knocking over a stack of cigarette boxes
when Georg is about to be fired and
again by forcing him to go meet
‘Dear Friend’ at a restaurant.
“Benjamin [Arpad] was so entertaining because his personality matched the character,” Sawsan
Al-Ali, Adv. 101, said. “At multiple
points, he made the audience roar
with laughter. He enriched the show
big time. Mr. Kodaly was funny, too,
with his flirtatious attitude.”
The musical was directed and
organized by Ms. Nythia Martinez,
fine arts department, who received
high praise from many of the actors.
"Ms. Martinez was the magic
behind the show," Mary Mussman,
Adv. 109, said. "Her direction would
come from everything to how to interact between dialogue to these brilliant moments of insight where she
would change something just so, and
it would make the scene that much
better."
Similarly, there was an orchestra
pit lead by Mr. Michael Lil, fine arts
department. Of the student musicians, Lena Vidulich, Adv. 205,
served as the concertmaster and had
a walk in violin performance during
the restaurant scene. The orchestra
crew spent large amounts of time
after school practicing alongside the
actors.
“At first the practices were until
5:00 or 5:30, but as it got nearer, they
lasted longer. Eventually they lasted
until 9:30,” Eleanor Dollear, Adv.
201, said. “Also, Lena practiced a lot
for her solo as concertmaster.”
The musical was generally considered to be a success by the actors,
musicians and the applause of the
audiences.
“This year’s show was a great
success,” Brennan said, having partaken in musicals for the past four
years. “I don’t think it was necessarily better or worse than any other
show we have done in the past four
years. Each show has unique challenges, but we make sure we overcome those challenges to put on a
great show every year.”
by Timothy Suh
Wake up in the morning feeling
like a certain Jerry, grab my pencil,
I’m out the door, I’m gotta get some
glory…. A tune somewhere along
those lines played in the heads of
Northside Math Team members as
they forced themselves to get up at
7 a.m. But, they were up to the task
when they participated in the Illinois
Council of Teachers of Mathematics
(ICTM) Regional Math Contest at
Concordia University on February
20, 2010. In a vast array of events,
the self-named “Mathtangs” applied all the practice they had done
throughout the year. Events included
the four standard tests of almost all
math competitions: Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II and Trigonometry,
and Pre-Calculus. However, one of
the staple traits of the ICTM math
contest is the list of non-traditional
math competitions, such as a Freshman-Sophomore 8-Person contest,
a special calculator contest, and
an oral contest on a predetermined
mathematical topic.
The ICTM math contest is important for the Northside Math
Team because it marks the major
statewide, out-of-school competition
on the calendar. Prior to this event,
the team focused mainly on the City
of Chicago Math League (CCML)
competitions held at Lane Tech and
the Illinois Math League (IML) tests
taken at Northside, both which occur every couple weeks and are a
cumulative rather than a “one-shot”
competition. However, ICTM is an
annual event; schools participate in
a regional competition and, if they
accumulate a certain number of
points according to test scores, can
qualify for the state competition held
at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
The statewide ICTM contest
does pose a greater challenge than
the citywide CCML contest, where
Northside has traditionally battled
for the top spot. Nevertheless, the
Mathtangs’ results were strong at
ICTM this year as well. Northside is
placed in Division 3AA, the section
for schools with 1000-1999 students.
Within this division, Northside finished fifth with a total of 642, 58
points behind the leader, Walter
Payton College Prep. At the regional
competition, Northside placed second to Fenwick High School, which
had a total of 698 points. It is a continuation of a strong legacy by the
team, which has consistently placed
in the top 10 schools in the state in
their division.
Despite all the numbers and figures that flood the competition,
ICTM has always been a memorable
and fun experience for the math
team members, whether for the love
of competition or other intangibles.
“ICTM was a time for competition, but when we were away from
our calculators and pencils, it was
just time to hang out and have some
fun with the math team buddies,”
Vivian Lei, Adv. 201, said. “We sat
around, jammed on the piano, and
watched movies on the laptop. It was
fun both when it meant business and
when we had time to kill.”
The Mathtangs have resumed
practices after a short break and now
have set their sights on for the ICTM
state finals. The finals will include
an additional event: the FreshmanSophomore Relay. Finals will be
held on May 1 at U of I in an all-day
event. Team members hope that the
positive experiences will continue.
“I think ICTM is a great time to
bond with the team,” Jayce Feiger,
Adv. 204, said. “[It] was a lot of fun,
the food was delicious, and I’m really looking forward to state.”
A&E | pages 10-11
Sports | pages 15-16
Mathtangs dominate competition
Math team
participates in
ICTM regionals
David Jaffe, Adv. 206, practices for math competitions regularly after
school. Photo by Timothy Suh.
News | pages 1 - 3
• Chemistry scandal rocks school
• Athletes earn Word Sport Chicago scholars honors
Connections | page 4
• Chicago celebrates its 173rd
birthday in style
• Polish Chicagoans dominate city
Features | pages 6 - 7
• Debate over the art requirement
• Seniors fall victim to senioritis
• Prom proposals get creative
Centerfold | pages 8 - 9
• Stereotypes defined
• Identity struggles force people
to confront their true selves
Matt Brennan, Adv. 010, and Zoey Bergstrom, Adv. 102, lead the play at
the start of the show . Photo by Faique Moqeet.
• Lil Wayne has No Ceilings
•Oh Henry! LOLs at TFLN, FML,
MLIA, and the new social media
Editorials | pages 12-14
• CTA cuts plague commuters
•The growth of performanceenhancing drugs
• Cheerleaders celebrate the class
of 2010 with Senior Day
• Men’s volleyball falls to lane
Online | TheHoofBeat.com
• Take a trip to Italia
• How the fast food industry made
America rounder
page 7
Northside’s
favorite computer scientist
takes a trip
back to high
school
News
The Hoof Beat
Northside College Prep H.S.
5501 N. Kedzie
Chicago, IL 60625
Tel: (773) 534-3954
Principal
Mr. Barry Rodgers
Assistant Principal
Dr. Margaret Murphy
Advisor
Mr. Chester Tylinski
Editor-In-Chief
Caitlin Swieca
Web Editors-in-Chief
Matt Glodz
Olutoye Adegboro
Broadcast Editors-in-Chief
Evan Rogers
Sarah Schoonhoven
Managing Editors
Evan Rogers, Design
Alice Henry, Content
Business Manager
Matt Glodz
News Editor
Evan Rogers
Connections Editor
Timothy Suh
Features Editor
Melissa España
Centerfold Editor
Alice Henry
Diversions Editor
Sonya Dekhtyar
Entertainment Editor
Sarah Schoonhoven
Editorial Editor
Dylan Nugent
Sports Editor
Sony Kassam
Copy Editors
Jeffrey Joseph
Andriana Mitrakos
Photo Editor
Zobia Chunara
Chief Photographer
Alejandro Valdivieso
Art Editor
Maira Egan
Staff Reporters
Diana Obracaj, John Gonzalez, Lyanne Alfaro, Alida
Pecanin, Ed Heffernan, David
Chang, Bjanka Mujicic, San
Prestigiacomo, Jamilah
Alsharif, Nelson Ogbuagu,
Krystn Collins, Zobia Chunara, Jeffrey Joseph, John
Mederich, Tess Thompson,
Pooja Agarwal, Andriana
Mitrakos, Will Riley, Sarah
Capungan, Eghe Obaseki,
Adira Levine, Faique Moqeet,
Daniel Washelesky
Art Work
The Centerfold images in this
issue were drawn by Alice
Henry.
Submissions
The Hoof Beat welcomes opinion editorials from its readers.
Letters to the Editor and Oped submissions may be sent
to hoofbeat.editorials@gmail.
com. Submissions should not
exceed two pages.
Contact
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@gmail.
com or the Editors in Chief at
thehoofbeatstaff@gmail.com.
Final exams plagued by cheating scandal
Chemistry
cheating
controversy
stirs student
reactions
by Will Riley and Caitlin Swieca
The usual transition from first
semester to second semester was
marked by scandal this year as a
number of students were caught
cheating on an Honors Chemistry
final exam. The involved students
had viewed a copy of the exam that
had been illicitly obtained and sold
to those who were willing to risk
being caught. The administration’s
investigation into the cheating incident resulted in several punishments
for involved students, primarily
sophomores, which were decided
on an individual basis by Mr. Louis
Correa, Dean of Students, and Dr.
Peggy Murphy, Assistant Principal.
Involved students asked to not be
named for purposes of this article.
Several members of Northside’s
faculty and staff were upset by the
lapse of academic integrity during
finals week.
“Mr. Rodgers and the entire
school community were really disappointed with the actions of some
of our students,” Dr. Murphy said.
“It’s not all of our students – it’s only
some of our students – and although
one action does not define who they
are, it is a terrible breach of our honesty and integrity code.”
For his or her actions, the instigator of the scandal received a 10-day
suspension, a ban from athletics, and
an expulsion hearing that was later
dropped.
“I thought the suspension was a
reasonable punishment, but the expulsion hearing and the ban from
athletics were kind of harsh,” the
student said. “[Athletics are] something that have kept me grounded.”
Other students expressed regret
over their actions.
“I cheated because I wanted
straight A's and I was sure I was
going to fail the chem final,” one
involved student, who received a 3day suspension and a ban from extracurriculars, said. “I regret it very
deeply.”
Some students were concerned
with the scope of the punishments.
“I felt it was unfair that me and
some other students got kicked off
of sports that weren’t even in season
[when the cheating occurred],” another involved student said. “Other
people got in trouble that resulted in
a suspension, yet they still could play
spring sports, which isn’t fair at all.”
Non-involved sophomores reiterated their reasons for not cheating.
“I didn't cheat because I know
cheating on tests, especially the final
exams, could mean bad things for
me and my friends,” Andrew Hague,
Adv. 201, said.
A number of teachers expressed
their disappointment at the violation
of trust on behalf of the students.
“It grieves me to think that this is
taking place,” Mr. Steve Arnam, science department, said. “When you
lose trust with students, you start
looking at other students and wondering if they are not trustworthy
either.”
Due to the cheating scandal,
some teachers made changes in testing policy to avoid further bouts of
academic dishonesty. For example,
Mr. Mike Coy, science department,
implemented new practices in his
classroom, including collecting
worksheets immediately at the beginning of class and forcing students
to clear their calculator memory
before tests or borrow a calculator,
among other things. Mr. Coy said
he had received no formal mandate
from CPS on new academic integrity policies for his department, yet
is seeking to eliminate the likelihood
of dishonesty among students.
“The students at Northside aren’t
trying to do bad things,” Mr. Coy
said. “However, if they are tempted,
they might fall victim to that, so I
think that we as teachers are going
to try to remove temptation and not
give them as many opportunities to
fall into a situation where they might
be tempted to cheat.”
Murphy said it is the administration’s position that cheating should
be taken extremely seriously and it is
not representative of who Northsiders truly are.
“We worked with the teachers
and our law department to follow
the student discipline code,” Murphy said. “We just followed their
suggestions and worked with the
students.”
Qui Sumus? Who are we? Qui sumus? NCP
Northside Prep
Latin repeats at
state champions
by Jeffrey Joseph
Picture hundreds of Latin students’ from schools all around Illinois dressed costumes and yelling
cheers all about a supposedly dead
language. That was the scene at the
51st Illinois Junior Classical League
Convention held in Tinley Park, Illinois at the Holiday Inn Convention
Center. Northside Latin students
participated in the convention from
February 25 - February 27.
At the convention, Northside
Latin students from all grade levels
and students from other CPS schools
such as Kenwood High School and
suburban schools like Lincoln Way
Central High School participated
in a range of competitions. These
included creative arts contests such
as Latin oratories to academic tests
on subjects such as Latin Vocabulary and Mottoes, Quotations and
Abbreviations. Some students also
participated in graphic arts competitions, where students were judged
on artwork, including paintings and
models related to classical culture
that they created.
At the convention, students receive points for placing in the various competitions that they entered.
In order to calculate which high
school wins the competition overall, the points of all the students of
each school were added up. Overall,
Northside students, including Latin students Neel Patel, Adv. 103, and Erik Zuehlke, Adv. 108, take tests in Roman history, Latin derivatives, and various other subjects. Photo by Timothy Suh.
Northside students accumulated
1450 points, making them first in the
state, with second place school Barrington High School trailing behind
with only 950 sweepstakes points.
In addition to the Northside’s
success as a whole, students also
shone individually with six Northside students placing in the top 10
in academic tests. Elizabeth Jay,
Adv.014, won the Lois Dion Academic Award for getting the most
points in the academic tests at the
convention. Northside students also
did well in the creative arts, taking
the top 9 places in these competitions. The best student overall in the
creative arts was Mary Mussman,
Adv 109.
“Northside did much better than
my expectations and did better than
the previous year,” Mr. Chester Ty-
linski, world language department,
said “We won by quite a bit, but nowhere near the number of points we
used to win by. In the past, we would
often get half or more of the awards
at the competition, and we no longer
do that.”
Another contest in which Northside did well was certamen, a Latin
quiz bowl competition in which students answer questions related to
Latin grammar and culture. Northside teams won first place on the
Novice and Advanced levels and
won second place on the Lower
level.
Northside’s Latin teacher Mr.
Tylinski was selected as the Illinois
Senior Classical League Teacher of
the Year. This was the second time
that he received this award.
“I was very very surprised to win
this because from my understanding,
no one has ever won it twice and so
it was really quite surprising, and I
certainly thank all those who were
involved in the selection,” Mr. Tylinski said. “It’s quite an honor, I have
been fortunate enough to be honored
quite often with the successes of our
students. Certainly it is the amazing job that our students have done
at the various competitions which is
why I get honored.”
In addition to Northside’s various academic successes, the delegation was also awarded the Friendly
Hand of JCL award for the numerous service projects which it performed; these projects included trick
or treating for UNICEF in the community surrounding Northside and
its participation in the Penny Wars
to benefit Haiti.
new poets with varying levels of experience. One of these was first time
slammer and the only Northside
senior participaent Josh Hoffman,
Adv. 011.
Once formed, the team spent
months preparing and writing in
anticipation of Chicago’s annual
spoken word poetry event, Louder
Than A Bomb. New to the structure
of the team for this year was the addition of a student coach, previous
member Elisha Miles, Adv. 110, and
apprentice Ben Winick, Adv. 208,
as well as the collaboration with
student editors interested in helping
the team. During this time, they also
hosted a well received open mic and
met with poet Robbie Q. Telfer, the
coordinator of the Louder than a
Bomb competition.
The effort was not in vain.
The competition consisted of four
rounds, which included two preliminaries, a semi-final, and a final
round. Northside’s slam team won
second in the first preliminary and
first in the second. They then moved
on to get first in the semi-finals and
finally third at the final round.
“The results didn’t seem to matter so much. There were times where
many of us were perturbed by scores
that some participants received, but
what mattered most to us was to see
all the kids from across the Chicagoland area writing such amazing
poems. There were too many performances that I was blown away by
to even give examples of; it was just
phenomenal.” Josh Hoffman, Adv.
011 , said.
Besides their success at the competition, these poets came away with
a growing appreciation for slam poetry and how teens from all walks of
life can use it to connect on meaningful levels.
“Personally, slam poetry has been
highly self-affirming. It allows you to
go onstage in front of a full audience
of strangers and really pour out your
soul and know that they will only
embrace it. There’s a community that
is formed across schools and teams,
across the whole city, that you don’t
find anywhere else.” Benjamin Sullivan-Knoff, Adv.108 , said.
Since most of the team had never
been part of slam before, the experience offered them new ways to grow
and express themselves through poetry in a positive and constructive
environment, thanks to teamwork
and the guidance of their coach.
“This year’s slam team absolutely
floored me. For the second year in a
row, we have had a team of mostly
first-timers, and for the second year
in a row they lit rooms on fire. I’m
not impressed by their scores; I’m
impressed by their guts, and their tenacity, and their strength,” Flanagan
said. “These poets get up in front of
hundreds of people at a time, share
what are often the most painful
slices of their lives, and then they let
complete strangers slap a score on it.
I don’t know many adults with the
resolve to go through that once, let
alone repeatedly. And when they’re
up on the stage, I’m twisting in my
chair, heart pounding, chewing on
a knuckle, nervous and excited and
terrified right along with them. It’s
awesome, and exhausting. I love
it.”
Raising voices together in front of the crowd
Slam Team
reflects on a
successful year
by Samantha Prestigiacomo
Poetry has long been used as a
way to connect with others when
other means of communication fall
short. Northside’s own slam poetry
team understands the importance
this calculated communication carries for the individual and their audience. Each of the members of this
years team are certainly individual,
made up by a mixture of experienced
members and first time poets, each
with their own unique background
and voice.
Hopeful poets tried out for their
coach, Mrs. Nora Flanagan, English
department, towards the end of first
semester, competing for six spots
on the team. Tryouts were open to
the entire student population. This
year’s lineup consisted of two members from the previous year and four
March 2010
News
First Amendment
fighters gather to
create change
McCormick
Freedom
Foundation hosts
conference for
student media
censorship
protocol
Kendall Elue, Adv. 300, and Monique Llorens, Adv. 208, act out a scene as Ed Heffernan, Adv. 105, and Will
Riley, Adv. 107, film them. Photo by Melissa España.
“This year, it’s going to be spicy”
Film Club
prepares for its
second annual
Film Fest
by Melissa L. España
“Northside’s Film Fest is fast
becoming a tradition like Battle
of the Bands, Homecoming, [and]
all the various things that happen
throughout our school year,” Will
Riley, Adv. 107, co-president of
Northside’s Film Club, said. “It is
something that will hopefully be
a hallmark for a while, and I think
it’s part of the tradition. More than
that, I think it’s a unique expression
of Northside talent that is really not
expressed anywhere else.”
Film Club is currently preparing
for their second annual Film Fest,
which will be held in the auditorium
on Friday, June 11. Last year, the
event fell short of the club’s expectations, and they are expecting bigger
and better things this year.
Last year, the club did not get as
many film submissions as they had
hoped for and attendance was low.
“What we’re really trying to do is
expand on what we did last year,” Ed
Heffernan, Adv. 105, co-president of
Film Club said, “which I think was
a mild success. This year I think it’s
going to be spicy.”
The purpose of Film Fest is to
help students explore the medium
of film because it is something that
few students in high school get a
chance to explore. Although students at Northside are frequently
seen throughout the halls filming
other students for class projects,
rarely is there a time when they do
more than just that. Film Fest helps
students interested in film to expand
on that.
Since they were not satistfied
with the way things turned out last
year, this time Film Club has expanded on advertising and have utilized Northside’s resources to organize the event.
Getting ready for the event only
takes about two months, but creating
the actual films for the festival is a
yearlong process.
“Filmmaking can be very hard,”
Heffernan said, “and making good
films takes a lot longer than people
expect. But generally it can be really
fun. It’s a great experience, and it’s
collaboration between of a lot of
people.”
Unlike other forms of Northside
talent, such as art, film can not just
be shown around the school and
displayed on the walls. Part of the
reason why Film Club started hosting the festival was to showcase the
work that Northside’s filmmakers
have done.
“The hardest thing about film
and film club is showing the world
what we've done,” Chad Massura,
Adv. 302, vice president of Film
Club, said. “We can't just post it up
in the hallway; it's just not that easy.
Especially with the CPS limits on
YouTube, this is really the only way
we as a club can show the films we
made.”
Film Club is encouraging every
Northside student to participate
in the festival, be it by submitting
films—which can be submitted to
Film Club up until Friday, May 18—
or by simply attending the event.
Every film that gets entered has a
chance for winning “Best Picture.”
Northside talent is constantly being highlighted around the school
through events such as dance showcases, art shows, and music concerts. Film Fest is another way for
talented Northside students to have
their talent shown to everyone in the
school. Although their art of choice
is uncommon among Northsiders, members of Film Club cherish
the thrill that comes with their own
showcase.
“To go from screenplay, to final
edit, to having it shown in front of
an audience is like no other experience out there,” Massura said. “It's
thrilling.”
Smart, athletic, and scholarly
Northside
students become
World Sport
Chicago scholars
by Sarah Capungan
Northside Prep may have a large
focus on academics but that is not to
say that its students do not excel at
sports. In February, eight Northside
student athletes were chosen to be
World Sport Chicago Scholars. Kelly
Buchanan, Adv. 110, Clara Hofman,
Adv. 107 , Konrad Kubicki, Adv.
106, Adv. 107, Vera Iwankiv, Adv.
109, Petrina LaFaire, Adv. 106, Michael Meyer, Adv. 106, Julio Monarrez, Adv. 104, and Caeleigh Renkosiak, Adv. 105 were chosen for the
program to represent their sports of
water polo, swimming, synchronized
swimming, volleyball, and tennis.
“I haven’t really gotten a feel for
the program yet,” Kubicki said. “But
I’m sure it was worth applying for.”
Academics and athletics go
hand-in-hand at World Sport Chicago (WSC), a non-profit organization that is designed to help student-athletes prepare for college and
promote sports to Chicago teens. In
2009 the WSC began planning the
WSC Scholars Program to which
hundreds of athletic and intelligent
Chicago teens applied for as well as
the eight Northsiders.
“It feels great to be to be recognized for my accomplishments this
far in high school,” Buchanan, a
swimmer, said.
In 2010 the WSC named 56 Chicago student athletes as the inaugural class of WSC Scholars. The
WSC scholars come from 27 Chicago schools, both private and public. Each of the scholars is an athlete
that competes in one of 15 different
Olympic sports. Northside’s WSC
Scholars applied to this program in
the beginning of the school year and
were chosen based on their strong
athletic record, academic record,
and commitment to the Olympic
values of excellence, respect, and
friendship.
“I’m really grateful I was selected,” Kubicki said. “I’m sure it will
make the college transition and application process smoother.”
To apply to the program, students had to fill out an application
that listed their personal and academic information as well as information about their extra-curricular
and co-curricular activities. They
also needed to send an unofficial
transcript as well as obtain a letter of
recommendation from both a coach
and a teacher. Students were also
required to write an essay on which
of the three Olympic values was the
most important to them, another essay on why that Olympic value was
so important, and another essay on
which Olympic athlete they admire
the most.
The students on the WSC Scholars Program will spread Olympic
and educational values to young
children in the Chicago community
by sharing their stories as studentathletes. They will also participate
in the Chicago Scholars Mentoring
Program, receive free ACT tutoring,
and visit several different colleges.
16 of the 56 WSC scholars will also
be selected to receive a $10,000 annual college scholarship provided for
WSC by the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation.
“I think WSC is an excellent program,” Buchanan said. “The opportunities will definitely make applying
to colleges and getting into colleges a
little easier and will definitely affect
my life for the better.”
Academic and athletic achievements may be difficult to gain as students have to balance both their academic and athletic interests. Aside
from the academic benefits the WSC
offers, the WSC Scholars also have
the satisfaction of being awarded for
their effort.
by Caitlin Swieca
As the journalism-minded crowd
at Cantigny Park settled into its
chairs and prepared to get to work
on what it hoped would be a productive conference, the speaker at
the front of the room was far from
thrilled to be there.
“I wish I wasn’t here today,” Ms.
Barb Thill, former advisor of the
Stevenson High School Statesman,
said. “I wish these students weren’t
here today. I wish we were back in
school, in room 2712, making the
paper like we had for the last two or
three years.”
The conference, officially dubbed
the Protocol for Free and Responsible Students News Media, brought
dozens of journalism students,
newspaper advisors, school administrators, and First Amendment lawyers and activists from all around
the nation to Wheaton, Illinois on
February 8 and 9. The Protocol
conference was intended to bring
administrators and students together
to make an attempt at crafting a set
of guidelines and procedures to foster better relationships between student newspapers and administrators,
which often find themselves at odds
over the nature of newspaper coverage. Mr. Randy Swikle, the director
of the Illinois chapter of the Journalism Education Association, announced that he would be drafting a
document based on the discussions
held at the Student Press conference
that could then be distributed to educators across the state.
The conference was coordinated
by the McCormick Freedom Foundation, an organization that was
founded to help educate the people
of Illinois on the five freedoms of
the First Amendment after studies
showed that the knowledge of these
rights is waning among the general public. In 2009, the foundation
hosted a conference that produced
a guide entitled “Creating a Civic
Blueprint for Illinois High Schools,”
which focused on how the educational system can better impart concepts
of American democracy to students.
According to Shawn Healy, Managing Director of the project, focusing
on student newspapers was the next
logical step towards giving students
a sense of their First Amendment
rights.
The conference was prompted
in part by situations across the state
and nation that arose from disagreements between high school newspapers and their administrators as far
as the rights of students to publish
certain material. The most prominent local case has been Stevenson
High School in Lincolnshire, where
censorship controversy over the past
two years prompted all but four of
the newspaper’s editors to quit the
staff. Two former editors joined Ms.
Thill at the conference and spoke of
the need to foster relations between
students and administrators.
Over the conference’s two days,
participants took part in panels,
breakout sessions, and other collaborative activities that addressed
questions having to do with the nature of student newspapers. While
working to decide on factors that
add or detract from the quality of a
student newspaper and the best ways
to resolve conflicts revolving around
them, those at the conference also
generated ideas for the Protocol
document.
Although some participants were
school board members or administrators seeking a better approach for
handling relationships with student
newspapers, the majority of participants were advocates of the rights of
student press, and many elaborated
on the benefits of a healthy newspaper environment to a school. As noted by Ms. Candace Perkins Bowen,
the Director of the Center for Scholastic Journalism at Kent State University, journalism teaches students
self-direction and effective communication, helping them to become
cooperative workers in working with
their peers. Journalism students are
also more likely to be technology
users and community contributors,
as they often have a higher news literacy than the average teenager. By
teaching students these skills in high
school, she argued, schools make
them better prepared to move into
the adult world and succeed in college.
“Students aren’t going to graduate and then, suddenly, at 18, get it,”
Ms. Bowen said.
Participants also delved into
the legal side of things as they discussed the constraints set in 1988 by
the landmark court case Hazelwood
v. Kuhlmier. Legal experts on hand
commented on the nature of student
press conflicts in the 21st century.
“[By banning a controversial article,] you are not quelling that controversy,” Mr. Frank LoMonte, Director of the Student Press Law Center,
said. “You are just relocating it to the
Internet, where students won’t have
any coaching or mentoring from a
good journalism teacher.”
LoMonte also cited research
that showed that the vast majority
of lawsuits involving student press
stem from a school’s censorship of
an article, not because of the content
of an article itself. LoMonte felt that
school boards should not be looking
to give students the absolute legal
minimum when it comes to their
rights.
To cap off the first night of the
conference, Sam Chaltain, the National Director of the Forum for
Education and Democracy, spoke
to the need for reform in the way
that schools are teaching students,
particularly when it comes to civic
education. He noted that because of
the amount of focus put on the visible aspects of a school, such as test
scores or athletic successes, the invisible aspects such as the atmosphere
of the school and the rights of students are often pushed aside.
“The central challenge as a
school culture is striking the balance
between freedom and structure,” Mr.
Chaltain said.
By the end of the conference,
the students and professionals had
covered a broad spectrum of issues
that plague student journalists, from
ensuring that student newspapers
can operate in a positive environment to the ever-present threat of
prior review by administrators. Not
all of the conference’s participants,
however, were optimistic about the
outcomes of the conference.
“I don’t have complete faith in
the Protocol,” Mrs. Thill said. “For
those of you who believe in the First
Amendment, [the Protocol] will be
beautiful…. It’s been my experience
that people who believe in students
also believe in the First Amendment.”
At the end of the conference,
though, many of its leaders were
pleased with the progress that had
been made and were eager to begin
the next writing of the project.
“We’re all in this together,” Mr.
Swikle said, “and we’re all still
works in progress, so we need to get
together and work together. We can
reach scenarios where everyone can
live with these issues in a way that
doesn’t violate their ethics.”
Connections
The Hoof Beat
Paint the town green
Celebrations of
Irish-American
contributions
cover the city
by Evan Rogers
Green filled the school’s hallways
on St. Patrick’s Day as Northsiders,
whether Irish or not, celebrated the
contributions of Irish-Americans to
Chicago. The day marks the death
of St. Patrick, an Irish patron saint,
on March 17. Various events commemorated the day in the city.
To celebrate Chicago’s Irish
cultural background, the City of
Chicago has hosted two annual St.
Patrick’s Day parades: the South
Side and the Downtown Chicago
Parade. This year, the downtown parade landed on March 13th. The parade occurs the Saturday before St.
Patrick’s Day to avoid conflict with
school or work schedules. The parade has consistently been the largest parade in the city. Thousands of
Chicagoans, regardless of their heritage, parade down the street along
with colorful floats, marching bands,
bagpipers, and politicians, such as
Irish Mayor Richard M. Daley.
To further celebrate the event, the
Chicago River has been dyed an em-
Blending of Chicago and Irish cultures appears in many mediums.
Image courtesy of amazon.com.
erald shade of Irish green annually
since 1962. The recipe for the green
color is a closely guarded Chicago
secret, with only a handful of people
knowing the recipe. Even if there are
environmental fears of pollution,
year after year, the dyed river has
been proven environmentally safe by
independent chemists.
The South Side St. Patrick’s Day
parade began in 1979 with families
marching around their residential
block and ran through 2009. After
the 2009 celebration, organizers
canceled the South Side St. Patrick’s
Day parade because it had become
more and more raucous through the
years. The neighborhood had trouble accommodating the estimated
300,000 people who participated in
the parade yearly. The police also
had difficulty controlling the thousands of revelers because many of
them were often intoxicated.
Many organizations continue to
celebrate the contributions of the
Irish in Chicago after St. Patrick’s
Day ends. The Irish American Heritage Center hosts various events
throughout the year that invite all
Irish Americans to learn about their
native land. Additionally, the Irish
American Heritage Center provides
classes for elementary and high
school students to learn the Irish
history, literature, and Gaelic language. The Irish American Heritage
Center also hosts an Irish library full
of books by Irish authors as well as
books about Ireland and the Irish
in Chicago. The library also boasts
a rare collection of books written
in Irish Gaelic, something seldom
found in the United States.
Irish Americans have long remained at the forefront of the city.
The Irish have eveb influenced the
culture of Northside. with many
Northsiders of Irish heritage, including Assistant Principal Dr. Margaret Murphy; Ms. Nora Flanagan,
English department; and Mr. Tim
Devine, social science department.
Happy birthday, dear Chicago
What Northsiders
think about the
momentous
occasion
by John Gonzalez
Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
the thirty-second U.S. president,
was sworn into office, the eleventh
amendment was passed into the US
constitution, Bill Clinton banned
federally funded human cloning research, and Chicago became a city
in Illinois. According to thepeoplehistory.com, all of these events hold
something in common: they all occurred on March 4th. The founding
of Chicago seems somewhat trivial
when compared to the eleventh
amendment of the constitution or
Roosevelt’s inauguration. Ignoring
for a moment March 4th, the significance of the a place’s “birthday” is
very large. An example of a people
giving relevance to a place’s founding is Northside College Prep. As
such, on the one hand, when compared to the list of what happened
on March 4th, Chicago’s birthday is
relatively of little importance. However, the day can serve as a commemoration of what the city has
accomplished so far, similar to how
Northside celebrates its own founding and identity.
On August 12th, 1833, the city
of Chicago had 350 residents and
thus was officially incorporated as a
town. Then, around four years later,
on March 4th, it became a city, electing its first mayor, William Butler
Ogden. The population at that time
was only 4,170 people. The city was
first a military outpost at the base
of the Chicago River that fought
against Native Americans, progressing into a town, then a city. Finally,
in 1870, it was officially recognized
as a populated urban center and
Celebrate Polonia in the city
Where to
experience
Chicago’s
Polish culture
by Matt Glodz
On Monday, March 1, the
Chicago Public Schools were
closed in honor of Casmir
Pulaski, a Revolutionary War
hero from Poland who served
under George Washington.
Chicago is one of the few cities in the country to celebrate
the holiday, largely due to its
sizeable Polish population.
With Polish Club returning to
Northside under the leadership of Natalia Szczur, Adv.
308, and Polish Constitution
Day coming up on May 3,
Northsiders took the opportunity to share their favorite Polish gems in the city.
Alexandra’s Pierogi, 3300
N. Central Ave., is arguably
the best place to buy pierogi,
dumplings, blintzes, and other delicious, carb-laden Polish foods. All of Alexandra’s
products come frozen for
quick, convenient preparation,
and the pierogi are available in
15 flavors, ranging from potato
and cheese to sauerkraut and
mushroom to strawberry.
“Sometimes when I went
there, the line was out the
door,” Szczur said. “We usually get [pierogi] at least once
a week and have them for dinner, especially during Lent
when we can't eat meat on Fridays. Never have I opened my
freezer and there weren’t any
pierogi or kopytka [dumplings]
in there. They're amazing and
not expensive at all.”
Pol-Mart, 7141 W. Addison
St., is the classic Polish grocery
store. Everyone there speaks
Polish and kiełbasy hang behind the deli counter where
shoppers buy Polish deli meats
to eat with their freshly baked
Polish bread.
“I like the smell when
you walk in,” Peter Podlipni,
Adv. 110, said. “It smells like
a smokehouse… like good,
hearty Polish food. I like going
to the deli because it reminds
me of when I was in Poland you pick up your daily groceries and you’re good for the day.
When I go there, it really feels
like a smaller experience. It’s
more comfortable compared
to Jewel or some huge grocery
store like Costco.”
Polonia Bookstore, 4732 N.
Milwaukee Ave., is reportedly
the largest Polish bookstore in
the country. Its Jefferson Park
location houses Polish literature, magazines, music, and
films, some available in their
English translation. A piano
and fireplace add to its cozy
atmosphere.
“[Polonia] is friendly, very
homey, and laid back,” Chris
Szmurlo, Adv. 108, said. “It’s
not like a boring library, but a
place where people can talk,
witness, and be one with Polonia.”
Oak Mill Bakery, 5753 W.
Belmont Ave., is located near
the intersection of Belmont
and Austin, along with several
other Polish shops. The family
owned bakery has six stores in
the Chicagoland area, baking
up gourmet European cakes
and pastries.
“Ever since I can remember we’ve been having Polish
cakes from Oak Mill,” Karolina Leja, Adv. 013, said. “I
like their Polish baked goods
like pączki z różą [pączki with
rose]. It’s one of the most famous Polish bakeries that everyone knows about. Their
pastries are always fresh, and
I always see people I know
there.”
Szalas, located near Midway Airport at 5214 S. Archer
Ave., is one of Chicago’s finest upscale Polish restaurants.
Its interior and ambiance are
reminiscent of Poland’s highlander region, with servers in
folk dress, live music, wooden
engravings, and other regional
artifacts that add to the mood
for diners. Potato pancakes,
pierogi, borsch, and cabbage
rolls are among the classic Polish foods served up here to exspectant palates.
“I like the cultured food
and the gorgeous decorations
showcasing the southern Polish lifestyle,” Klaudia Leja,
Adv. 014, said. “I feel like I’m
Polonia Bookstores and several back in my small hometown,
because the atmosphere feels
notable Belmont stores are a
like you step into Poland ....
few of many Polish establishIt’s a great way to learn about
ments that flock the city of
Chicago. Photo by Evan Rogers. the culture .
Northside students differ on whether Chicago’s birthday truly deserves a
huge celebration. Artwork by Timothy Suh.
grew to become the nation’s second but it is interesting that Chicago has
largest city.
gotten pretty old. A lot of the infraThe birthday of Chicago was structure is as old as the city.”
celebrated at the Chicago History
Puccini represents the other specCenter at 1601 N. Clark Ave. from trum of people who don’t know
11 a.m. to 12: 30 p.m. The Bleeding about the relevance of March 4th,
Heart Bakery had provided a cake, or don’t even know when the day acaccording to explorechicago.com.
tually is. However, people like PucHowever, feelings range over the cini recognize other things that have
importance of March 4th. Some feel made Chicago great, such as how
that it is important, while others see certain architecture, like the Water
it as holding little relevance.
Tower, have survived through even
“I might go to downtown [on the Great Chicago Fire.
March 4th],” Alex Palk, Adv. 301,
Although not many people recsaid. “I feel happy [for Chicago] ognize the day as a national holisince I was born here.”
day, it is worth taking the day to
He represents the spectrum of remember the history of the city of
people who would consider celebrat- Chicago through its ups and downs.
ing the day, but still respect the day Chicago is already 173 years old;
since they are Chicagoans.
much may still happen in another 30
“I see no significance; let’s check years or even 100 years. Regardless,
back in 7 years, [Chicago’s 180th it is worth noting that the city that so
birthday],” Nathaniel Puccini, Adv. many people call home is commem018, said. “It is not a special year, orating the day it became a city.
Features
The Hoof Beat
Making a case for creativity
Should Northside
keep its art
and music
requirements?
by Samantha Prestigiacomo
There are all sorts of students
walking the halls of Northside Prep.
Sometimes it is apparent from the
outside which groups they might
identify with. Groups can share common interests, lifestyles, or ethnicities. In other cases, you would never
be able to tell where somebody’s interests lie. For a lot of teenagers, perhaps they do not know these things
themselves.
Northside requires that every
student take one studio arts and one
music class before graduation. This
has generally caused debate over
how necessary that requirement is.
Students who don’t agree with the
policy commonly argue that without
an interest in art, the classes are unnecessary.
“Classes should be used for college preparation,” Chris Kuprianczyk, Adv. 109, said, “and it would be
better to have an extra math or social
science class instead.”
Students who are not inclined to
the arts tend to share this opinion.
These people raise the question of
whether or not students should be
forced to take classes they genuinely
are not interested in. While not everybody is passionate about math or
science, it can be argued that these
classes are valuable preparation for
college and work. Of course, students who are intent on pursuing
creative careers will most likely say
the same thing about their art classes. This fact, however, still doesn’t
settle the debate about requiring art.
Instead, support for keeping the
requirement mostly comes from
people who did not know they were
interested in studio art or music until they were “forced” to add in the
class to their schedules.
“I feel that the music and art requirements are not necessary,” DaSeul Kim, Adv. 208, said, “but offer
a great opportunity to students. A
“Bobby didn’t understand why chemistry was needed to go to art
school.” Artwork by Samantha Prestigiacomo.
student might take an art or music
class one year just because they have
to and they want to get it over with,
but they might find that they actually
really enjoy the class and might want
to continue it. I think it gives students
a good experience and opportunity
to discover other talents they might
not have known they had.”
At this age, students are still
finding out who they are, and even
though “art kids” will take advantage of the class selection regardless,
many students who didn’t know they
had an interest in art discovered it
through the requirement.
“Speaking from personal experience,” Zoey Bergstrom, Adv. 102,
said, “I never realized I liked art
until I had to take it, and now it’s
something I really love. Although I
already knew I loved music and will
have been in choir all four years, music and art are two things that people
often don’t realize are really amazing and interesting ways to express
themselves, so it’s awesome to get
the kind of exposure to them that
Northside can provide.”
For the students who wind up
gaining something important from
classes that they did not want to
take, an important lesson is the importance of self-expression. For
some people, self-expression can be
just as relevant and important to
success as math and science, creating the varied, enriching atmosphere
that Northside is supposed to be
proud of.
“Our department aims to teach a
way of problem-solving and thinking
that is different from other subjects,”
Christopher Santiago, Fine Arts,
said. “One of the visions of NCPHS
is that in order to be a well rounded
student and person, one should be
a student of all. I have never been
under the impression that NCPHS’
goal is to create followers and just
more cogs in the system, but to ready
future leaders and innovators. The
other reason that these requirements
should exist is that I don’t believe
students should be allowed to only
take things they are already good at
and feel safe taking. The only way
to grow is to explore and expand
one’s range of knowledge.”
Jae Lee, Adv. 017, sets up posters to ask Yujia Hu, Adv. 013, to prom.
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Huynh, Adv. 102.
“You? Me? Prom?”
Seniors try
asking their
significant others
to prom by Jamilah Alsharif
As students spend their school
day anticipating the bell at the end
of each class and counting down the
days until graduation, seniors are
rushing to come up with interesting ways of asking their potential
dates to prom. Hoping to win free
prom tickets, offered by the Prom
Committee to the cutest Northside
couple, seniors are meeting one of
the conditions in order to get them
by making their proposals public.
Many Northside seniors are excited
to carry out their prom plans or see
what ideas their special ones have.
Some seniors had unique ideas
for extravagant proposals.
“It would be really cool if someone did some type of skywriting
message,” Dana Westley, Adv. 013,
said.
Other seniors hope to see similar
proposals but focus more on the effort that is put in.
“I would like something in
front of everyone and elaborately
planned,” Maddy Huerta, Adv. 016,
said.
One proposal that many students
found very creative was the one
Fanny Lau, Adv. 014, planned. Lau
asked her boyfriend Alex Gutierrez,
Adv. 018, to prom through a cheerleading routine during halftime at a
basketball game. Lau’s nerves came
not from her fear of rejection, but
from a fear of losing her balance in
the routine.
“It was not that I was worried
about him turning me down,” Lau
said. “I was worried because I had
never [been a flyer] before and there
were no mats.”
All of the effort paid off when
Gutierrez accepted the proposal.
“I was surprised…and a tad manipulated,” Gutierrez said.
Although some seniors may not
worry about making a public proposal, many are held back by their
nerves. Some seniors believe that going without a significant other will
take pressure off of them.
“It takes pressure off of prom
when you go with someone that is
your friend,” Bryan Mejia-Sosa,
Adv. 013, said.
However, Mejia-Sosa is planning
a proposal for someone. Many seniors, wondering how their proposals will go, find it better to worry less
about how their date will respond to
them and focus more on having fun
at this special event.
Yes, senioritis is in you
Senioritis makes
its return as the
class of 2010
gets ready for
graduation
by Olutoye Adegboro
Since the dawn of time, it has
been regarded as one of the scariest
and most rampant diseases known
to man. Though many have attempted to understand and cure it, no one
person has ever been successful, and
it continues to affect millions of high
school seniors across the country.
Common symptoms include a lack
of care for any academic project or
endeavor, a fall in course grades, and
a lack of participation in the classroom. This horrible, college-induced
disease goes by one name - senioritis.
Though it takes many shapes and
forms, senioritis can be defined as a
decreased interest in academics as
June comes closer and colleges send
out their acceptance letters. It seems
to affect virtually every high school
senior in the nation, and Northside
is no stranger to senioritis’s wary
effects. As spring approaches, it is
not uncommon to find Northside
seniors coming to class after passing period music stops, exchanging
blank and distant stares during class
discussions, and moving through the
halls at a one mile per hour speed.
It seems that senioritis befalls every
senior in one way or another.
“I say everybody, if we get into
our dream school or not, gets affected by senioritis,” Bryan Mejia-Sosa,
Adv. 013, said. “It’s something that
affects all of us.”
One of the most common symptoms of senioritis is the lack of attention paid in class by seniors. Though
September begins with a bundle of
optimism as seniors hope to make
their final year memorable and earn
good grades and amazing AP test
scores, March and April arrive and
replace that optimism with distraction as seniors anxiously await their
acceptance letters and stress over
financial aid for college. With such
worries and knowledge on the mind,
drifting off in class can become
easier and easier to do, and soon
enough, senioritis can grip a senior
completely.
“I did all my applications early
action,” Christine Alvarado, Adv.
014, said, “so I’ve known everything
since December …. [It has] been a
little hard to wake up in the morning
and come to school.”
Senioritis does not just affect a senior mentally, but physically as well.
Seniors suffering from senioritis
are usually a little more tired, worn
out, or even drained after months
of filling out college applications
and rushing to meet deadlines while
still keeping up with the fast pace
of classes at Northside. Senioritis’s
physical manifestation often leads
seniors to think about one thing over
and over again: graduating and moving onto college.
“I’m just ready to go to college,”
Bridget Illing, Adv. 013, said. “ …
It’s like I physically can’t do as much
work as I did before.”
A lucky few, however, have found
that senioritis has actually worked
to their advantage. Either that or
a handful of seniors have actually
found the cure to the disease and
have not yet told their peers.
“I’m actually doing better this
“He can’t come in today, he’s in bed with Senioritus...”Artwork by Samantha Prestigiacomo.
quarter than I did last time,” Laura
Rincon, Adv. 018, said.
The few that are able to escape
senioritis’s usually deadly grip are
among the lucky, as most seniors
afflicted with senioritis have found
themselves unable find the motivation to push themselves further in
their studies. Though many suffer
from senioritis, it seems that a majority of seniors wish to continue to
do well in their studies and can be
attributed to the possibility that seniors do not feel as much pressure to
succeed, knowing that college is a
couple of months away, and graduation is even sooner.
“I personally care about my
grades and I don’t want to get anything lower than a B,” Samantha
Celmer, Adv. 015, said. “Like last
semester, I tried really hard to get all
A’s, but this semester if I get a B, it
doesn’t matter.”
Though the senioritis epidemic
has come back to Northside and
entered into full swing, it seems that
the Class of 2010 hopes to prevent
it from coming back next year, and
hopefully break the cycle that seems
to consume each year’s senior class.
“Last year, I would talk to my senior friends, and they would be like
‘senioritis is so awful, it’s so awful,’
and I thought they were joking,” Alvarado said, “…but it’s really real.”
March 2010
Concerning the college craze throughout Northside
Seniors and
juniors fret over
college
by Krystn Collins
As the third quarter of the school
year begins to wind down and the
fourth quarter sets in, the conversations of students begin to turn to
college.
“[College] is all my friends are
talking about,” Jessica Tapia, Adv.
010, said. “I can’t remember the last
time I went a day without mentioning it once.”
Seniors, naturally, are the hardest hit by college-mindedness as that
their four years here at Northside are
nearly finished and that their applications to their desired colleges have
been submitted.
Most senior students seem to
agree on one point: namely, that the
application process is difficult, but
that the waiting is the worst part.
“When I was waiting to get my
acceptance letter, it was 4:59 and
it was supposed to come by 5:00,”
Alex Kamysz, Adv. 013, said. “It
was the longest minute of my life. I
got in, of course, but I was still pretty
nervous.”
However, it seems that seniors
are not the only ones affected by the
dread of college applications. Even
juniors are already beginning to feel
the pressure of college apps.
“I think [applying to college]
is the scariest thing in the world,”
Alyssa Joseph, Adv. 108, said. “I
can’t even imagine how stressful that
is. I’m definitely not looking forward
to doing it next year.”
This viewpoint is largely shared
amongst both seniors and juniors.
“Ask me what I have to say about
acceptance letters on April 1,” Nohemi Fernandez, Adv. 016, said.
“That’s when all my colleges have to
get back to me by.”
On the other hand, some juniors
are taking a different approach in
terms of thinking about their upcoming college applications and
how they will prepare for them.
“I’m starting to think about it in
my daily life, but not too intensely,”
Martina Bright, Adv. 103, said.
“There’s still time for me to do college stuff, so it’s all good.”
More than one junior is looking
at the college application process in
such a way and has adopted the old
adage, “out of sight, out of mind.”
“College applications are hell,
but since I’m not a senior, yet, I’m
not really worrying about it, yet,”
John Dorf, Adv. 103, said. “Next
year, I’ll be dealing with it, but I’m
not so worried right now.”
Seniors have expressed a bit of
concern at this manner of thinking
in their junior counterparts.
“I don’t really know if [not thinking about it] is such a good idea,”
Fernandez said. “That’s how I was
last year, and I think things might
have been easier for me now if I’d
been more interested in college applications as a junior.”
This viewpoint is largely agreed
and identified with amongst the
Class of 2010, and numerous seniors
find it a better idea to start early
when it comes to college apps.
“I think it’s right that the school
preps you for college applications in
junior year,” Tapia said. “You might
not like it then, but what they tell
you does actually help when the application due date comes around.”
Whether or not current juniors
choose to heed the words of the seniors on the issue of college applications, one thing remains certain.
“Today, going to college is really
important if you want to get a good
job,” Lauren Casapao, Adv. 105,
said. “Application stuff might not
be really interesting, but if it helps
me get a leg up on my competition
Features
A common book used by juniors
and seniors during their college
process. Image courtesy of Amazon.com.
for the school I want to go to, I don’t
mind taking it as a necessary evil.”
Cracking codes and breaking down expectations
Mr. Jeff Solin,
back in the day
by Sony Kassam
Mr. Jeff Solin, computer science
department, has been a vegetarian
for 27 years, ever since the young
age of eight. He has lived in numerous locations, such as Switzerland,
England, New Jersey, Michigan,
and Ohio. Twice a year, he emcees
at Hell City, one of the largest tattoo
conventions, which has hosts about
eight to 10 thousand people. Seaside
Heights, where the first season of
Jersey Shore was filmed, used to be
a frequent hang out site for him and
his buddies. Back in the day, during
his high school years, he was known
as the “band dork.” Today, he is
known as Northside’s tattoo clad
computer geek, Mr. Solin.
Mr. Solin attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
near Princeton, New Jersey. He
partook in several band related extracurricular activities, including Pit
Band, Symphonic Orchestra, Brass
Choir Band, Jazz Band, and Marching Band, of which he was the Vice
President.
“High school was all about music,” Mr. Solin said. “It was a big part
of it. A friend of mine played drums
and was better than me. We motivated each other to improve as much as
possible. When we were seniors, we
wrote a snare drum trio that ended
up getting published. That was awesome. We would write all the drum
line stuff for marching band and so-
los too. Probably the coolest musicrelated thing was when we won best
percussion in the Quad State Championships. I was very dedicated to all
things music.”
Mr. Solin remembered himself as
a teen who was “pretty well known
in high school...not popular, but
known” due to his prolific involvement with music. Even with such
recognition, Mr. Solin maintained
a close-knit friendship with a small
group of friends.
“My high school was outside of
New York City, so my friends and
I would, on the weekends, take the
train up to Manhattan,” Mr. Solin
said. “We were also close to Philly,
so we could go to Philadelphia and
hang out there too. It was pretty cool
to be that close. Where I was in New
Jersey was kinda fun ‘cause we were
about an hour from the Jersey Shore,
about an hour from New York City,
and about an hour from Philadelphia. So there were a lot of cool
places to go.”
During his freshmen year, Mr.
Solin broke out of the mold and got
his first tattoo. He was the only kid in
school to have one. Because having
a tattoo was not considered part of
the norm at the time, Mr. Solin’s tattoo was news amid students. Among
many other tattoos, Mr. Solin has his
birthday tattooed in binary down his
spine, a time-based mural in progress on each leg (one for each of his
kids), and the word “cheese” written
inside his lower lip paying homage
to his favorite food.
“[My first tattoo is] supposed to
be the Japanese symbol for music,
Mr. Solin in his senior protrait, back when he had a full head of hair.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Jeff Solin, computer science department.
which is very cliché because tons
of people get those kinds of tattoos
now. But it doesn’t mean that at all,”
Mr. Solin said. “I’ve asked numerous people that speak Japanese, but
nobody knows. It was poorly done
by a guy who had no idea what he
was doing, and it was kind of a dirty
tattoo shop in New Jersey. I learned
my lesson the hard way on why it is
so important to find a respectable,
talented artist at a clean shop to do
my work.”
West Windsor-Plainsboro High
School South entailed a completely
different high school experience than
what students at Northside or any
other Chicago public high school are
used to.
“The high school I went to was
architecturally different,” Mr. Solin
said. “It was called a California
style school. So basically there were
no individual classrooms, just big
open spaces with groups of about 30
seats and sometimes a little bulletin
board on wheels or something like
that as a divider. There was the math
area with a bunch of math classes
going on at the same time, but all in
the same space. It was really loud. I
think it helped me to focus during
any kind of noise.”
Aside from architectural differences between Mr. Solin’s high
school and Northside, other major
distinctions between the high school
life style of the two time periods include the heightened technological
environment and the improved dedication of teachers.
“Nobody obviously had a cell
phone or the internet at all,” Mr. Solin said. “It was a different kind of
social environment; a lot of phone
calls and just hanging out at places
or going to people’s houses. I used
to skate a lot when I was in high
school. We skated a lot in an area of
Princeton called "the fountain"…So
yea, technology stuff wasn’t there,
that sort of changed things a lot….
Another way [high school] was different was that I don’t remember
having the kind of relationship with
my teachers that I have now with
my students. I feel connected to my
students now in a way that I didn’t
feel connected to my teachers when
I was in high school.”
Mr. Solin also mentioned a surprising, or perhaps not so surprising
to some, information regarding a
teacher from his high school to illustrate what has changed.
“I had some awesome teachers
and I had some crappy teachers,”
Mr. Solin said. “I know one of the
teachers in my high school married a
girl from my class, so we were pretty
sure that there was some sort of an
affair happening, and I guess that
kind of confirmed it since they got
married. I don’t know when they got
married. I don’t know if they’re still
married.”
Although Mr. Solin has grown up
and has transformed in terms of his
appearance – he’s gotten “hairier,”
has “a bigger beard”, unintentionally has “less hair on top of [his]
Mr. Solin and his date at Senior Prom. Photo courtesy of Mr. Jeff Solin.
head than in high school,” and has
gotten “a lot more tattoos” – he has
remained true to himself thus far by
maintaining his unique outlook on
life.
“I guess in high school and still
now I don’t tend to fit the mold of
what people expect,” Mr. Solin said.
“If I say I’m a teacher, or a computer
scientist, people are usually shocked
because they are making assumptions based on my appearance. If you
go by stereotypes, I probably don’t
look like a stereotypical computer
scientist or a stereotypical geek. But
I’ve always had fun with that. I think
a lot of people look at me and think
that I’m uneducated. I think having
my tattoos helps break the ice with
my students, and helps the kids get
to know me better. But I’ve always
been that way. Like in high school,
I’ve always been sort of a – I don’t
want to say nonconformist because
it’s really kind of an overplayed term
since everybody’s a nonconformist,
and if we’re all nonconformists then
we’re all kinda conforming in a way
to nonconformity. I think, I just kind
of march to a different drum.”
Based on his high school and life
experiences, Mr. Solin would give
students the advice to be his or herself no matter what people think and
to continue having the same interests
or beliefs even if those interests or
beliefs are less popular than others.
“I grew up with Science as my
religion and have been an atheist
my whole life. In our culture, atheism is shunned a lot,” Mr. Solin
said. “People could talk about how
Christian they were or how Catholic
they were and nobody would think
twice about it. But when someone
says that they’re a nonbeliever, some
people get all freaked out about it.
I've even had people go so far as saying, ‘how could you damage your
children like that?’ It’s something
that’s always been an important part
of me, and something I'm proud of.
Be who you are and keep being who
you are. I guess a one liner would be,
‘take what’s expected and do the opposite.’”
Centerfold
The Hoof Beat
Establishing a place in the world while growing and defining
The causes and
solutions of
identity issues
facing teens as
they grow up
by Tess Thompson
As human beings, people are constantly changing and adapting to fit
new surroundings and understandings
of the world. Some of the changes
viewed by many as the most important in life are those undergone when
a person learns about themselves and
who they truly are. This process is
commonly known as finding yourself, but its connotations, effects, and
causes are not always completely clear
in general use.
“The phrase ‘finding yourself ’
would be about getting in touch with
your authentic self, who you truly
are on a deeper level,” Joyce Marter,
a psychotherapist and cofounder of
the counseling group practice Urban
Balance, www.urbanbalance.org, said.
“We all have false selves or facades
that we put on in various roles in our
lives, and our authentic self is a deeper, more consistent, more true version
of ourselves.”
For teens, there can be many reasons for fabricating a false self.
“Sometimes the desire to please
others, whether it is parents or teachers
or friends, [can cause teens to] behave
or think in a way that they believe will
gain approval from others, rather than
being true to how they are really feeling on their own,” Marter said.
However, pressure from people
close to a teen can also cause positive
effects that may aid a teen in self understanding.
“When I was a freshman, I was really shy and reserved, and I was really
afraid to try new things,” Karen Li,
Adv. 018, said. “But I started making
friends and they encouraged me to try
new things and I tried new things with
them, and I discovered that I have really good leadership abilities that I
kept building on. I am definitely more
confident now.”
Society can also play a role in dis-
suading teens from remaining true to
their authentic selves.
“There are expectations that are
placed by our culture and media and
community that may give teens an
idea of how they should be,” Marter
said.
Even so, outside influences might
not be able to completely alter who a
person becomes.
“I think you naturally have a set of
morals and you are not going to lose
them,” Andreas Kavouras, Adv. 012,
said, “and if you have certain interests
and certain likes, you are not going to
lose them [either].”
The feedback a teen gets from
people who are close to them can also
affect how true they remain to themselves.
“Part of how we all figure out who
we are is by people who are close to us
mirroring back to us how they see us
and understand us,” Marter said.
The presence or absence of this
feedback can change how a teen aware
they are of themselves.
“If a teen has parents or friends or
family or teachers who are positively
mirroring back to them how they see
them, and what they see that their
strengths are, that is going to help the
teen develop a better sense of identity,” Marter said. “If a teen is lacking
that, then they may struggle to try to
figure out what they are good at, what
their personality style is.”
However, Marter does not believe
that the teenage years are the most difficult to deal with when attempting to
understand oneself.
“In the mid 20’s, I think that is a
time where people are assuming more
responsibility,” Marter said. “They
may have finished college, they may
be working their first nine-to-five real
job, they may be dealing with financial responsibility and having to manage more aspects of their daily life,
like paying bills, and doing laundry,
and having real adult relationships.
So I would say that perhaps that time
might be a really challenging time.”
Still, the teenage years of one’s life
do play an important role in self discovery.
An article on social.jrank.org describes this role and how it relates
to the other developmental stages of
identity. In the adolescent years, it
says, there are changes and opportunities that allow teens to think about
their future and develop an identity
that will be a basis for the rest of their
lives.
Lack of a fully developed understanding of one’s self can lead to difficulties in every aspect of life.
“Say, for example, if [people who
do not fully understand themselves]
are going off to college and they have
to pick a major, they might not know
what they are good at or know what
they like or know what they want to
do when they are older,” Marter said.
According to Marter, the remedy
to an insufficient understanding of
oneself is to develop a better vision
of one’s life and make any necessary
changes so that it is congruent with
one’s true self. Northside students,
as well as all other teens, must understand that nobody is perfect and everyone is a work in progress.
“A person who does not understand themselves well, it is just because they have not had enough time
yet, because it [self understanding] all
just grows through time and experience,” Kavouras said.
finding
your identity
March 2010
Centerfold
Northside’s Guide to Stereotypes
Cheerleaders a.k.a. ditsy girls that are always popular and awfully peppy.
Partiers a.k.a. druggies and drunks that don’t know when enough is enough and like a “good time.”
Jocks a.k.a. guys and girls fond of sweats, sweating, and socks with sandals.
Nerds a.k.a. skinny, pale kids wielding inch thick glasses, a calculator and Magic card decks.
The “Artsies” a.k.a. those mismatching, paint-smeared kids with the questionably dangerous tools.
Orch dorks/Band geeks a.k.a. the musicians seemingly married to their instruments and concerts.
Drama freaks a.k.a. the kids who tend to project their voices, spontaneously sing, and use accents.
Formulated by The Hoof Beat staff which, in no way, encourages following or using stereotypes that often could be false.
“In a Relationship” with Facebook and peeving on Myspace
Online profiles
define high school
personalities
by Evan Rogers
If you are not listed as “In a Relationship” on Facebook, you are not
really dating.
Social networking websites like
Facebook have boomed to an unprecedented level of prominence in recent
years. Not only do they allow for easier communication among peers, but
they also publicize many of the most
intimate details of their users’ lives.
The way that this information is
publicized has changed throughout the
evolution of social networking sites.
In the glory days of the now unpopular Myspace, users controlled virtually
all content they released about themselves. Users would begin by creating
a username for themselves that most
represented their desired persona.
These ranged from one’s first name,
although rarely used, all the way to
more stylized names like “sw33t-
mizry903” and “xxb34tlfuluvxx,”
highlighting one aspect of the user’s
personality. From there, users created
unique layouts that further depicted
their personality via creative use of
HTML code. Users could reach out to
their Myspace friends by sending out
“banners,” messages that showed up
in every one of their Myspace friends’
inboxes, or by directly commenting on
a friend’s page or pictures. The disconnection from one’s true identity created via a fake username allowed people
to twist their identities – to develop
whatever persona they desired to take
on. This freedom allowed people to
take on roles that differed from reality.
Students were able to pose as adults,
and preteens were able to pose as high
school students.
Identity became more connected to
online profiles as Facebook began to
grow in popularity among the members of the Northside community
during the 2006-2007 school year. Unlike the not always recognizable usernames of Myspace, Facebook called
for users to enter their full, real name.
Additionally, users were expected
to join networks, groups organized
around geographical or educational
connections among users. These features made friends significantly easier
to find, as users no longer had to sift
through the xXxfireplayer523xXx and
sxeqtbbs of Myspace in order to find
their newest acquaintances. As the
majority of Northside users shifted
their focus from Myspace comments
to Facebook wall posts, it became
significantly easier for all students to
know what was happening in all of
their classmates’ lives.
It is quite possible for the Facebook
community to know about a couple’s
break up before a dumped member
finds out. Updating one’s relationship
status almost always immediately sets
off a firestorm of comments and interest in the now defunct relationship.
Within and outside of relationships,
Facebook feuds via wall posts have
become easily watchable for any procrastinating Northside student, as the
Wall-to-Wall feature clearly organizes
the argument for reading ease. Key
moments of a Northsider’s life, like
discovering that a student has been
accepted into one of their favorite colleges, have become public events as
“UCHICAGO 2014” style statuses
celebrate a senior’s accomplishment,
inviting all of their friends to comment with congratulations. Students
can use Facebook to draw attention
to not only themselves but also their
events or clubs. Although Facebook
does not allow for creatively hand-designed profiles, it does offer a level of
direct personal communication and
representation not commonly found
on Myspace. The user is allowed
to develop a unique Facebook profile, reputation, and social presence
throughout the site while reaching out
to friends. And with over 400 million
users, it makes keeping in touch with
old friends – and finding out whether
or not that student chose to go to the
University of Chicago after all – easier.
Programs like Second Life allowed
a similar, yet more fully developed,
level of fantasy that went beyond the
typical social networking sites. Users
created completely virtual lives for
themselves, often imitating their ideal
reality. However, one’s virtual identity
and true identity occasionally collide.
Notably, the Second Life community
faced a dramatic uproar when Second
Life avatar Lupe Sparta’s identity was
widely revealed. Sparta was a notable
staple of the Second Life culture, and
had posed as a Swedish 20 year old,
complete with a “Real Life” portrait
of herself. However, a faction of users banded together to reveal that
Sparta was indeed not who her picture
showed. The faction spread photos of
the real Sparta, a 60-year-old woman,
throughout the community. Sparta reported that they demanded payment
of $2,000 in exchange for privacy, as
the faction threatened to reveal even
more photos, including some of her
family. Soon after, Sparta vanished
from the Second Life scene. Similar
cases have lead users to become more
protective of their real identity and, in
turn, become more deeply committed
to maintaining their virtual personas.
Users can represent themselves in
the light they most desire to be seen
in. A user can post statuses about their
crazy weekends to seem fun and hardcore or quote Shakespeare to seem
intellectual and deep, all the while revealing intimate details of their social
life to all of their friends.
expanded on his theory, organizing
the stage into various different categories.
According to researcher James
Marcia and his colleagues, in order for
someone to establish a secure identity,
he must first make a commitment to
this identity. The time that it takes to
develop such a commitment is often
the time that the person feels confused
and longs to establish a comfortable
identity. Marcia divided this time into
four stages, using an interview method to identify which status a person in
identity crisis may belong to. This interview method looks at three areas of
functioning: occupational role, beliefs
and values, and sexuality (psychology.
about.com).
The four statuses developed by
Marcia are identity achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and identity diffusion. Identity achievement is when
an individual has explored many
different identities and finally made
a commitment to one. Moratorium
is the status of a person who is currently seeking an identity. Foreclosure
is when a person has committed to an
identity without further exploration.
Identity diffusion occurs when there
is neither an identity crisis nor a commitment. Through these four statuses,
psychologists can track the progress
of an individual trying to develop an
identity.
According to Erikson, the identity
crisis often occurs during the teenage
years, as teenagers often go through
periods of defiance against parents
and other authority figures. This stage
is often called the identity vs. role
confusion (psychology.about.com).
Although the teenager’s resistance
to parental guidance is not the best
choice, it is a sign of deep self-exploration by the teenager in understanding
his own beliefs and views as he enters
adulthood. This time during the teenage years is often a volatile time, especially for parents. It seems dangerous
to parents as disobedience can lead
to dangerous choices. However, most
teenagers simply undergo this passage
in finding a unique identity that prepares them to enter an independent
adult world (wisegeek.com).
With most being teenagers, the
targeted age group for identity crises,
a few Northside students input their
opinions about how identity crises affect them.
“I’ve had those times when I think
‘Wow, am I really me?’” Judeliza
Yranela, Adv. 202, said. “I just feel
like a blank slate at times. I think almost everybody goes through times
like that.”
However, others have questioned
whether all teenagers undergo an
“identity crisis.”
“I sort of feel like certain people
are more predisposed to it,” Hannah
Doruelo, Adv. 204, said. “Maybe people who are really concerned about
their future and not just ‘living in the
moment,’ like most teenagers, supposedly do.”
Since Erikson first synthesized this
theory, there have been a few deviations from the original definition of
identity crisis. Researchers today generally agree that identity crisis is not
limited to teenagers but can happen at
anytime an individual doubts his own
beliefs. In addition, some psychologists associate another psychological
phenomenon, the “midlife crisis,”
with the identity crisis (wisegeek.
com). According to most researchers, it is important for an individual to
make a strong commitment to an identity before interacting with the outside
world. Studies have found that people
who have found a comfortable identity tend to be happier and healthier
than those currently in identity diffusion (psychology.about.com).
However, as with many other psychological theories, it is difficult to pin
an exact definition and symptoms list
of the identity crisis. For the majority,
the identity crisis is mostly a result of
the soul-searching and purpose-seeking part of every person. However,
whether it is a specific psychological
stage or an overarching feeling of the
blues and loneliness, people can agree
that many are always looking for that
little bit of acceptance as well as discovering who they really are as a person.
I don’t know who I am anymore so who will, or can, I be?
The all real
phenomenon of
identity crises
by Timothy Suh
When facing a time of duress,
teenagers often say, “I’m undergoing
an identity crisis; I just don’t know
who I am anymore,” or some complaint under these lines. When using
the words “identity crisis,” they are
describing a brief time of stress during
which they question some belief about
themselves, something that is resolved
in a couple of days. However, many
people fail to realize that an “identity
crisis” is defined as an actual stage of
psychological development, identified
and named by sociologist Erik Erikson. According to Erikson, an identity
crisis is “a time of intensive analysis
and exploration of different ways
of looking at oneself ” (psychology.
about.com). Since Erikson’s coinage
of the phrase, other researchers have
10
A&E
The Hoof Beat
Oh Henry!
A new media form: TFLN, FML, MLIA
“Texts From Last Night,” along
with other sites such as “F My Life”
and “My Life is Average,” have
taken over the Internet. Whether
these sites are just purely entertaining or a sad look into society as it
exists now is unsure. Admittedly,
these sites constantly bring up funny
scenarios, whether they are true or
not, and deliver some good laughs.
However, whether alcoholism and
promiscuity should be laughed at
and legitimized by these sites is up
for question.
The first of the sites to pop up
was F My Life, or FML. The site
started a revolution in colloquial
speaking, as people began using the
format of stories posted on the site
in their own conversations. It goes
something like this: “Today, this and
this and this happened. This is why
that sucks. FML.” It was a form of
entertainment not to be equaled; everyday people were the comedians.
The entertainment, and the stories,
just never ended.
In response to the crazy scenarios up on FML, My Life Is Average,
or MLIA, was created. The fact that
such a site, a sarcastic response to
FML, was created in the first place
was funny enough. Here there were
situations that were either just funny
in themselves, but not a disastrous
scenario, or there were situations
that could go horribly wrong (like
what you would see on FML), but
were then resolved, and thus not a
big deal.
The last to emerge was Texts
From Last Night, or TFLN. This
site took the idea of funny things
happening in everyday lives, but
conveyed them through the texts
that people send each other. They
have even created a book with what
were considered to be some of the
best texts, as well as a flickr component where pictures from last night
can be posted as well. Although
entertaining, this site often focuses
on the party lives of America’s “capable” college students. While there
may be the occasional text without
any substance-related or wanton
leanings, it is a rare case.
There are good and bad ways to
look at the internet phenomenon.
People have learned to take what
could be bad situations and find humor in them. Even at the worst point
in someone’s life, there is room for
laughter and hope at the least, even
if it is their fault. The resiliency of
people is apparent, because even in
the face of shame, they can laugh at
themselves. However, there are apparent ways that people are dealing
with these situations as well, such
as consuming copious amounts of
alcohol on a regular basis or dealing with other human beings like
demeaned objects. While a singular
person might be maintaining hope,
they also exhibit self destructive
behavior, as well as apathy towards
the treatment of others.
What is also up for questioning
is how posts are picked. While it
seems that many people get published on these websites, it is not
even close to the amount of people
who try to get their posts up. This
calls into question those that run the
sites; it seems odd that such lewd
posts show up with such frequency.
However, perhaps they get even
worse submissions, or the more appropriate ones are not as funny.
It is debatable whether these sites
should legitimize the scandalous or
stupid acts people do. Regardless,
the sites are entertaining and provide a constant feed of stories and
situations to keep someone with a
more sensible lifestyle, or just someone who can relate all too well,
laughing or shocked.
Although there are, of course,
more
constructive activities to take
up one’s time,
such as exercising, crafts,
and redecorating, these sites serve as an outlet
for those with no motivation to do
any self improvement whatsoever,
and even further, provide a forum
for those with even less motivation
to then publicize their screw-ups.
When Facebook can provide no further distraction from everyday lives
(unless you get totally hooked on
Farmville or MobWars), these are
the back-up plans. All in all, everyone benefits, except, of course, those
who will suffer from the hangovers,
confusion, and monetary debt from
the need for Plan B to the necessity
of aspirin while they go out on such
excursions as those that are posted
on TFLN, FML, and MLIA.
“I am the best rapper alive”
Lil Wayne’s
new mix tape
impresses
“The Iron King” is a perfect example of solid fantasy writing.
Image courtesy of amazon.com.
Venturing into fantasy
“Iron King”
vitalizes fantasy
fiction world
by Eghe Obaseki
Ever since J.K. Rowling burst
onto the writing scene in 1999, the
fantasy fiction genre has been teeming with activity. With each new
year, the public is introduced to a
number of new series, dynamic characters, and mysterious adventure
lands. 2010 has been no exception.
This year, Julie Kagawa has released
the first of yet another fantasy fiction
series, called “Iron King.” Kagawa
has taken a different approach to the
fantasy fiction by choosing to assign
the most dominant roles in the novel
to members of the fey and not the
usual choices of vampires, witches,
and wizards. The substitution of
traditional roles with faeries as well
as Kagawa’s fast paced plot development and the story’s connection to
the real world make this novel an interesting read for fans and non-fans
of this genre alike.
To those not familiar with the
fantasy fiction world, the fey might
seem like an odd choice for a leading
role since they are essentially fairies,
spelled faeries. However, the fey are
not the average band of Tinker Belllike fairies from childhood favorites
like Peter Pan. The fey are presented
as a proud band of majestic creatures that rule over their subjects
with grace but tolerate no nonsense.
The entire novel speaks through
the main character, Meaghan Chase,
who discovers her connection to a
world she and most humans never
knew existed. Readers rely completely on Meaghan’s observations,
plunging into her thoughts, dreams,
and emotions. Kagawa’s work centers on the fact that Nevernever,
the land of the fey, is slowly fading
away. The culprit is technology. Nev-
ernever was subconsciously created
from the imaginations, hopes, and
dreams of humans. As technology
consumes the lives of humans, the
Nevernever has less imagination to
fuel itself. It becomes Meagan’s duty
to try and save the Nevernever.
Despite the book being a work
of fantasy, Kagawa did not disappoint in the romance department.
Along her quest, Meaghan falls in
love with the one person destined
to kill her, giving the story a classic
Romeo and Juliet-type feel of forbidden love. They are both heirs to their
respective fey kingdoms, and hatred
runs deep between their two families. Nevertheless, the two families
tolerate each other for the sake of
Nevernever, but any type of union
between the two would be frowned
upon, to say the least. The novel’s
ending presents an unpredictable future for the two, but whatever is in
store will be well worth waiting for.
This can be attested to the fact that
there is never a dull moment in the
development of the story.
As the novel works to demonstrate the effects of technology on
Nevernever, it also functions as a parody to the disastrous effects industrialism has had on our environment.
In this way, Kagawa has ingeniously
entwined the rising environmental
problems of today with the fatal environmental dilemma of an imaginary world. The connection between
the two worlds is subtle enough that
it does not defer the reader’s attention from the plot of the story, which
is juicy enough in itself.
Kagawa has burst onto the writing scene with a bang. With her first
novel, she has introduced new types
of characters as well as presented environmental issues in a thought-provoking way. Distinguishing herself
from other authors right off the bat,
she is sure to bring new meaning to
the fantasy fiction genre. The book’s
less than fairy tale ending increases
the anticipation of the next installment of Kagawa’s work.
by Nelson Ogbuagu
Dwayne Michael Carter, commonly referred to by his hip-hop
alias, Lil Wayne or Weezy F. Baby,
wanted to leave his fans with a parting gift before beginning his prison
sentence on account of drug and
gun possessions. This present was
the “No Ceilings” mix tape. Taking
some of the hottest beats created by
other rappers, a common attribute
of hip-hop mix tapes, from D.O.A.
by Jay-Z to Ice Cream Paint Job by
Dorrough, Lil Wayne puts his own
style or “swag” on each and every
record, usually doing more justice
to the beat than that the original rappers themselves did.
On each new track, Lil Wayne
comes off as an entirely new artist.
He is able to switch up his flows to
fit any beat he is handed, something
in which he takes absolute pride in.
He tackles beats on every scale of
the spectrum, ranging from some
as upbeat and strong as Fabuolous’s
“Throw it in the bag” to others as
soft as Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams.”
Some are very fast-paced like F.L.Y’s
“Swag Surfin” and others are as
slow as Twista’s “Rain on Me,” but
Lil Wayne still is able to mold his
voice to the track, maintaining the
unique style that he has based his
career upon.
A topic often discussed concerning when debating whether or not
one is a good rapper is the use of
metaphorical lyrics. Lil Wayne is
a clever metaphorical and comical
hip-hop artist, taking completely different things and somehow uniquely
relating them to the topic at hand,
which his fans adore and his opposers frown upon. On this mix tape,
that vital quality of Lil Wayne’s rap
prowess is present in each and every
song. He says clever, yet very explicit
phrases to get his point across saying humorous lines like “I’m colder
than br, add another 3 r’s watch me
like DVD-VCR…” His lyrics often
consist of a flurry of similar lyrical
devices such as this, targeting whatever topic is at hand.
Lil Wayne’s ability to put two
and two together to equal whatever
he wants it to be has set him apart
from other rappers and has helped
him climb his way up to becoming
one of the world’s largest artists. His
previous album, “The Carter 3” sold
over one million copies in its first
week of release, a feat that no rapper
of his time has yet matched.
Lil Wayne’s talent is unquestionable. His lyrical prowess is unrivalled. However, if it were not for
these attributes, the unfortunate
fact that he usually raps about the
same topics on every song that he
makes would most certainly be his
downfall. On the track “Run This
Town,” Lil Wayne says, “I’m proud
of me,” which he should be. However, he should not take pride in the
very few things he has the ability to
really rhyme about. These consist
of money, drugs, women, and, of
course, himself. The only time Lil
Wayne deviates from these topics
is when he features on a track with
another artist. Otherwise, expect to
hear about how his money stacks to
the ceilings, alluding to the fact that
his money will never stop growing
because, as the mix tape explains,
there are no ceilings. Also expect to
hear of how he overdoses on drugs
and medicine, how he’s “got more
bi***** than a pageant,” which he
stated on the track “I Think I Love
her,” and why he is the best rapper
alive. This mix tape kept true to the
typical Lil Wayne swag. He often
spends three to five minutes per song
belittling women, as he did in tracks
like “Single,” and about he gets high
enough to hit his head on clouds.
The truth of the matter is that Lil
Wayne can say what he wants and do
what he wants to do. Why? Because
he does it so cleverly, so artistically,
so amazingly, that many of his listeners, rather than scolding Lil Wayne
for his raunchy lyrics, sing along to
them. And he also takes advantage
of the fact that such topics sell. This
mix tape is classic Lil Wayne music
on beats of other popular rappers. It
is filled with creative and clever lyrics, catchy beats, and that signature
Lil Wayne laugh that he tends to do
in every song that he produces. For
Lil Wayne, the sky is the limit. This
mix tape title is fitting for where his
career is headed, and ceilings can
only get in the way.
No Ceilings is Lil Wayne’s parting gift to fans before an upcoming prison sentence.
Image courtesy of amazon.com.
March 2010
A&E
Missing the wonder in Underland The new first lady of
Young Money
“Alice” does not
meet the hype
by Lyanne Alfaro
Months of “Alice in Wonderland” promotion, ranging from limited edition Urban Decay palettes at
Sephora to trailer kickoffs in Super
Bowl advertisements, and it all came
down to the debut of the film in
early March. Excitement lingered in
the air after Tim Burton’s “9,” leaving fanatics salivating for more. The
makeup and animation was worthy
of a standing ovation, and the acting
was better in some places than others. However, the plot for the grown
20-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska)
back in Wonderland — renamed as
Underland — was not captivating.
Makeup and special effects were
undoubtedly some of the most recognizable features in “Alice in Wonderland.” The half-animation and
half-real features of the film gave the
magical world a touch of harsh reality. The fact that the film was not
completely animated helped viewers
connect Underland to Alice’s world
above. The makeup really did the
job for the Mad Hatter, as the viewer
could hardly recognize Johnny Depp
behind his mask.
The locations created for Underland were enthralling, although
some had a hint of déjà vu. Some of
the best included the castles of the
White Queen’s (Anne Hathaway)
castle, a heaven-like location, and
the Red Queen’s (Helena Bonham
Carter) castle, displaying similar
features to the Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry from the
“Harry Potter” series. Another was
the checkerboard battlefield where
the confrontation between the White
and Red Queen’s empires took place,
not visually far from the chessboard
battle scene in “Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone.”
Although Tim Burton’s latest
production may have been “9,” in
the mind of a Roald Dahl reader,
the last film one would remember
is “James and the Giant Peach.”
Not only was the film more childfriendly than slightly darker movies
like “9,” but was also heartwarming
and effortlessly touching. Acting in
“Alice” was not nearly as moving.
Wasikowska may have played the
role of the main character, but she
seemed to be the co-star, as Depp
was putting on the real show. Even
characters with animals for bodies,
such as the defiant Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), had more emotion in
their acting than Alice herself.
Furthermore, for a darker “Alice”
traveling to Underland over a decade
after her first visit as a child, the
movie’s plot was not as eye-opening as trailers suggested it would be.
Whether it was Burton’s fear of parents claiming the film inappropriate
for children or simply a time crunch,
the screenwriting was plain mediocre and, frankly, cliché. The crown
returning to the hands of the White
Queen was predictable, while Alice’s
hesitation and eventual reluctance
to slay the Jabberwocky (a nasty,
dragon-like creature) leaned towards
annoying rather than to a sense of
completion and success. The viewer
also could have done without Alice’s
little spiel, letting each of the characters in her world know her real opinion about them based upon lessons
learned in Underland. The speech
deviated from the film’s attempt at
approaching “Alice” realistically.
Whether it was because Burton’s adult audience watched Clyde
Geronimi’s version of “Alice” from
1951 and fell in love with it or because they found a new favorite
from the various recreations of the
film following shortly after into the
21st century, but Burton’s “Alice in
Wonderland” did not do the trick. It
is too bad Burton forgot his film was
intended for audiences over 13 only.
“Alice” felt incomplete at fault of
Burton’s frivolous attempt to make
younger audiences feel satisfied and
his half-Disneyed ending.
Anne Hathaway played the White Queen in “Alice in Wonderland.” Image courtesy of amazon.com.
The rise of hiphop artist Nicki
Minaj
by Nelson Ogbuagu
Known as “the New York nightmare” for striking fear into the minds
of her opposers and “The Harajuku
Barbie” for her flawless, plastic-enhanced physique, Nicki Minaj has
made her footprint on the ground of
hip-hop. She started off as a singer,
performing as back-up for bigger and
more famous artists. Like many other
aspiring artists looking for that ticket
to stardom, she posted her music
on MySpace, which may have been
the most significant move that she
has made in her music career. Dirty
Money Entertainment president,
Fendi, noticed Nicki Minaj on the
site and was immediately amazed by
her musical prowess. Fendi alerted
rap mogul Lil Wayne, who also saw
potential in Minaj. Shortly after, she
was signed to Young Money Entertainment Records, a leading hip-hop
enterprise, led by multi-platinum
selling artist Lil Wayne. Nicki Minaj,
“The Young Money First Lady,” is
an artist of originality, confidence,
and an overall presence that continues to captivate her fans.
Since her debut as the self proclaimed “First Lady of Young Money,” Nicki Minaj has released several
mixtapes and has collaborated with
many top artists. She has teamed up
with artists such as Usher and fellow
Young Money artist Drake. Her mixtapes feature some of today’s hottest
hip-hop beats, like Kanye West’s
“Go Hard,” V.I.C.’s “Get Silly”,
and T.I’s “My Swag”. Nicki Minaj’s
style is as diverse as the many races
she represents. Being of African
American, Jamaican, and Indonesian decent, she is often criticized by
competing female artists about her
honesty on her tracks. This, however, only gives her more fuel to fire
her career, taking such criticisms and
attacking them head on through her
music, as she did with her hit song,
“Still I Rise.”
Nicki Minaj epitomizes the
theme of that song. She was raised
in a troubled home. Her father was
on drugs and her mother struggled
as a single parent. Despite her hec-
tic environment, Minaj went on
to graduate from LaGuardia High
School in Manhattan, where she
went on to study singing and acting
(Nicki-Minaj.org).
Her music, as unique as it is, is
often compared to other hip-hop
divas, such as Lil Kim, Trina, and
Shawna. Her apparent resemblance
to these rappers vocally has caused
many critics to question her motives for using autotune on her music. Her style is separate from them
however, thanks to her personality
and lyrical form. She has a rough
lyrical style, emphasizing her topic
through strong metaphors and raunchy lyrics like, “He say I’m bad, he
prob’ly right, he pressin’ me like button downs on a Friday night.” She
enjoys spending three to five minutes
on a track talking about men and
women, money, and, especially, her
role as “hip-hop’s baddest b****” as
she did on the Biggie Small’s remake
of “Warning.” Even with her induction as a member of Young Money,
multi-platinum rap group started by
hip-hop mogul Lil Wayne, her persona still strives to maintain its originality. Her music is “Young Money”
but still maintains the Nicki Minaj
style that her fans have fallen in love
with. Even though Young Money
is a top hip-hop label, the trait that
Nicki Minaj based her career upon,
originality, only continues to flourish.
Minaj has seen tremendous success throughout her career, from
becoming the first female rapper on
Young Money to sold out shows and
millions of cd’s sold, without a record, Nicki continues to make her
name known all over America. Her
song “I Get Crazy,” featuring her
mentor Lil Wayne, played on major
radio stations such as B96 and Kiss
Fm. She joined Drake on a remix of
his hit single “Best I Ever Had.” She
has been compared to major hiphop divas before even putting out
her own individual album. Minaj,
regardless of what has been said of
her, is still continuing to rise in the
hip hop game, even saying in one
of her mixtape tracks “Go Hard,”
“I am, I will, I’ve got to go hard.”
She still sees herself as the leading
female rapper and sends a message
to all of the others that want to reach
her magnitude of success, “Step your
game up.”
reasonably comes for $20, including
drinks. The restaurant offers many
different dishes and is definitely a
good fit for those who have a zesty
craving for some Moroccan and
Middle Eastern food. Main dishes
come for seven to nine dollars and
drinks come for one to three dollars
each. The convenience, free parking,
and reasonable prices all are reasons
why people keep coming back for
more.
This West Rogers Park restaurant
is open 6 days a week and is great for
anyone who wants to take a day off
and not cook at home. It is not an
average five star restaurant at all, but
instead a place anyone can go to in
just jeans and a t-shirt. There is no
pressure, and if a dish is not to one’s
standard, they will make it the way
the diners like it because it is made
fresh and hot. Just walk-in, go up to
the chipped counter and order. Take
a seat, watch some T.V., and wait
from 10 to 15 minutes for the order
before walking out. Anyone would
be pleasently surprised.
In the mood for something mouth watering?
Bismillah
Restaurant
serves up
spicy and hot
Pakistani and
Indian cuisine
by Zobia Chunara
Bismillah Restaurant, located in
Rogers Park on 6301 N. Ridge Avenue, is a no-frills restaurant, but it is
one that makes anyone feel at home
and comfortable. Any day of the
week, customers can walk in, give
their orders, and grab a seat. The
informal restaurant is open to everyone, and many people call ahead to
come and pick up a take-out order.
Overall, this restaurant is not newly
renovated which gives it that homey
atmosphere where one does not have
to worry about what he wears. Moreover, it has great food that is served
up at a reasonable rate.
One of the restaurant’s everyday specialties is chicken biryani,
or flavored rice with cilantro, red
and green chilies, masalas, and then
layered with chicken. The dish is
not that spicy, but it will suit novices
who are used to bland food.
The menu varies from day to day,
so the chefs ask customers to call
ahead for the specials of the day.
The weekend specials include Bihari
Kabab, a dish made of skewered
strips of meat marinated in yogurt
and spices and is only served on the
weekends. This is a dish made for a
meat eater who loves to have grilled
and fiery meat.
Nihari is a dish comprised of
beef shanks that are simmered in a
thick curry sauce of a special blend
of spices. This dish is also for meat
lovers who want a bit more than
just the meat. This dish is extremely
strong and spicy, and if it does not
get a customer crying, nothing will.
There are a number of grilled
dishes that they make in front of customers when they are ordered. These
dishes include chicken frontier and
chicken boti, which is marinated in
a tomato sauce with jalapeños and
onions and cooked on the grill.
The sauce that it is cooked in
cools down the tangy taste and tastes
great with fried bread, or paratha.
The heavier foods include paya and
nihari, which come with breads like
naan, chapatti, and paratha.
Bismillah
Restaurant’s
well
known naan is also made and served
up with curries and most beef, goat,
or grilled dishes. Naan is made in
front of the customer’s eyes. The
chef makes the knots into flat, circular breads and places them on the
insides of a tandoor, a very hot gas
burner that can fit up to 13 or 14
naans at a time. Sometimes, the naan
can be soft, but if a customer asks
them to heat it longer, they will.
For dessert, one can get milk,
rice, pistachio, and almonds, all in
one serving of kheer. This sweet desert is eaten at the end of a meal and
is very heavy. The milk is boiled into
a thick pudding, the rice is grounded, and it is topped off with almonds
and pistachios.
Similar to many other Indian or
Pakistani restaurants, chai is one of
the drinks offered. Another drink
anyone can grab as they walk by on
a hot summer day is Lassi, - a yogurt drink that comes either sweet or
salty.
A standard dinner for two people
11
Bismillah Restaurant serves up tasty meals for affordable prices. Photo by Zobia Chunara.
12
Editorials
The Hoof Beat
Athletic integrity fails to ring a bell
Performanceenhancing drugs
are for floozies
by David Chang
Using performance-enhancing
drugs is like drinking poison from
a bottle. It is foolish, unwise, and
disrespectful to others. Drug abuse
will implant a “malignant tumor”
within the lives of consumers and
will ultimately devour and butcher
them from the inside out. Anabolic
steroids, diuretics, and other medicaments literally eat away at the user’s
health and have proven to splinter
the lives of many.
Jose Canseco, a professional
baseball player, was a former outfielder and designated hitter for the
Oakland Athletics. He achieved
great success with the long ball and
racked up numerous awards for his
stellar play. Unfortunately, many
fans and spectators became highly
suspicious of his accomplishments,
and, later in 2005, he admitted to using steroids with former teammates.
Canseco, once an athlete on the way
to the baseball Hall of Fame, has
now lost his house, his wife, and the
world’s veneration.
On the other side of the spectrum, there is a man named Albert
Pujols. Currently a first baseman for
the St. Louis Cardinals, he is known
for his all-around ability to hit with
immense power, intelligent base-running and fielding excellence. Now
on track to beat the all-time record
for home runs in a baseball career,
Pujols is the most dominant player
in baseball today and has never been
charged for the use of anabolic steroids. Clearly, a sharp contrast can
be drawn between these two ath-
letes.
It is a shame that many high
school students are taking the same
road as Canseco in this modern age.
Many high school athletes look up
to the superstars of the sport they
play. They simply want to emulate
and copy their style of play. A handful of student-athletes today believe
in the idea that these performanceenhancing drugs – drugs like anabolic steroids, beta-2 agonists, and
diuretics – are the key to emulating
these professionals. High school athletes today are trying to get bigger,
stronger, and faster through these illadvised actions.
In response, the Illinois High
School Association (IHSA) has approved random steroid testing that
is subject to all student-athletes, and
this has become routine ever since
the start of this current school year.
According to cbs2chicago.com, 70%
of school administrators around the
state have favored the testing because
it would create an environment of
integrity and honesty. According to
the IHSA Steroid Testing Policy, if
a student were to test positive, severe
penalties would be applied to both
the student and also to the athlete’s
team, as determined by the Executive Director on a case-by-case basis.
Furthermore, performance enhancing drugs serve as an impediment to living a long and healthy
life. These drugs are especially dangerous for teens because their bodies
are still in full development. Take,
for example, Gregg Valentino, who
is in the Guinness Book of Records
as the man who once had the biggest
biceps in the world at a staggering
circumference of 28 inches. After
years of steroid injections, Valentino’s arms were like pin-cushions and
he became careless, reusing needles
and failing to ensure their sterility.
He eventually got an infection in his
arm. This caused a fever and the arm
blew up like a balloon filled with pus.
To make matters worse, he decided
to drain the hematoma by himself
and ended up in emergency surgery.
All his body-building efforts disappeared in an instant, under the surgeon’s knife, and steroids ultimately
destroyed his body. Although these
are extreme circumstances, teens
who do choose to use these performance enhancing substances may
experience other health problems
like nausea, stomach pains, muscle
cramps, and, in the future, serious
kidney, liver, and heart troubles. It
is brainless for these high school student-athletes to value winning over
their health and reputation. Student-athletes should aim to have an
honest and solid career like Pujols,
and not Canseco, who serves as the
poster-child of what athletes should
not do.
From many informal interviews
with Northside students, there is no
sign of performance enhancing substances at Northside. In order to join
a sports team at Northside, every
student must sign a form that allows
random steroid testing and, thankfully, students here do not have time
to “juice” themselves up for a game
because they are too preoccupied
with academics. The only performance enhancing drug that is present in the student body is caffeine,
which enables the students to endure
long nights of homework and studying. Student-athletes at Northside
value their relationships with other
teammates, respect their coaches,
and respect the game to which they
are dedicated. Ultimately, they are
pressing on toward the goal of winning with integrity and truthfulness,
which the world is in need of.
The science of cheating
Placing the
blame for
sophomore
scandal
easy way out. However one must realize that the potential consequences
outweigh the benefits ten to one. It
is also unlikely that a final would be
designed to guarantee failure. After
all, the material on the test is material students should already know.
One might receive a C, but that C is
not likely to undue an entire semester’s worth of work. An A would be
nice, but not at the risk of receiving
a zero. The students involved were
aware of the consequences. This
can be attested to the fact that most
teachers explain the consequences of
cheating at the beginning of the year.
All students have heard a teacher
say, “Remember to keep your eyes
on your own paper.” However, these
students were willing to risk it. One
would be foolish to think a student
would take such risks if they had
never cheated before.
Asking a friend for answers on
an assignment, occasionally copying a friend’s homework, and rarely
whispering answers during a test
are all examples of cheating but
on a smaller scale. Once a student
does this enough times, they naturally build immunity to the guilt
of cheating. As an effect, cheating
on a semester exam seems harmless. Fortunately, this is not true for
everyone. Students were in no way
correct in their actions. Nonetheless,
partial blame has to be assigned to
the teachers. If teachers pay more attention to smaller forms of cheating
and enforce consequences less leniently, students would refrain from
cheating.
The simple fact is that students
felt comfortable enough to cheat
on a semester exam. Who knows
how many more students cheated
that were fortunate enough not to
get caught? Measures need to be
taken to prevent this from happening again. Teachers need to provide
better supervision during exams, and
students would benefit from time
management sessions. As a community we need to care more about
education and less about grades. After all, no one is going to remember
a failed test 20 years from now.
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H
by Eghe Obaseki
The integrity of the sophomore
class has been tainted. Drawn in by
the lure of a good grade, a handful of
sophomores, led by one resourceful
senior, ignored their better judgment
and decided to cheat on the chemistry final. First off, cheating on any
test is frowned upon, but cheating
on a semester final is outright idiocy. The details as to how this little
scheme was discovered are foggy, to
say the least. According to the administration, the students involved
were suspended, banned from their
extracurricular activities, and received zeros on their finals. The
ringleaders suffered a slightly more
severe punishment, which consisted
of a few more days of suspension
and an expulsion hearing that never
followed.
Of course, many students feel
that the administration acted too
harshly in reprimanding students.
Some argue that they did not deserve as harsh a punishment as others did because they merely glanced
at the test. Yet this mere glance was
one more glance than the other test
takers had. Realistically speaking,
the administration could not be expected to differentiate between levels
of guilt. The only basis they would
have to judge this would be the student’s testimony, which could not be
verified with hard facts.
Research done by the Center of
Academic Integrity revealed that
cheating rates have skyrocketed in
general society while the stigma of
cheating has plummeted. In other
words, as more and more people
cheat, less and less people care. This
is extremely dangerous on many levels. Creativity is stifled, corruption
flourishes, and most importantly,
integrity fades away. One must ask
why cheating has become so commonplace and specifically why
Northside students felt the need to
cheat in the first place.
It is easy to say that the pressure
of finals week, especially at Northside, prompts students to take the
Make your
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Faique: my life
Slap, shoe, or stick,
just give them a
good healthy beating
by Faique
Moqeet
“If you
ever
do
that again,
I will beat
you with
the bottom
of
this shoe.”
I grew
up hearing this line repeatedly. When
my mother said that, she meant
it. Subsequently, whatever I was
being scolded for did not happen
again. Call it ruling with an iron
fist or being Hitler, but it worked
exceptionally well. I might adopt
it to discipline my own kids one
day too.
When I was eight or so, I remember crying on the Jewel Osco
floor refusing to leave without
a candy bar; in return, my mom
picked me up and refused to buy
the candy bar. At that point, my
mother was still using her pacifist
ways, but because I would not listen, I actually got the candy bar.
Along with it, I got a nice big slap.
It was a lesson well-learned. After
that, I never dared to act so immature over a candy bar unless I had
built up an appetite for a slap.
To understand why it is important to spank your kids, you have
to understand what happens if
you do not do it. If you do not give
them friendly reminders of their
place, they will become disobedient. You might end up eligible to
appear on Dr. Phil, responding to
the advertisement on drphil.com
asking, “Are you living a parenting
nightmare?” That is what might
happen when you do not give
your children a good whipping
every once in a while. Spanking
kids every once in a while is just
an inconvenient necessity in order to raise disciplined kids. Also,
grounding hardly ever works as it
fails to recognize the millions of
billions of trillions of ways teenagers can get around it. Ask any
teenager who while grounded really needs to go somewhere. This
is where the creativity department
works best for teenagers.
Kids should be constantly reminded of what is right and what
is wrong. When they constantly
break these rules, it is an indication that it might be the right time
to pull out that shoe or stick.
By spanking them, your aim is
not to meaninglessly beat the child
till he is traumatized, setting them
up to be a future domestic abuser.
Rather, the spanking is a symbolic
gesture of “do not do that again,
or else.” For example, my mother
never hit me on my head; I only
received slaps that hurt for a maximum of half an hour. If there had
to be a strict rule to it, it should
be that the parent cannot hit the
child out of anger; they must be in
complete control. Additionally, if
any scarring occurs, then all limits
have been crossed. This scarring
includes physical obviously but
emotional too. That is, the child
should be dealth with extreme
love and care once he or she realizes his mistake. If it comes down
to aimlessly beating a child, then
this number might be helpful: 1(800)-4-A-CHILD. Then press
one to talk to a National Child
Abuse Hotline counselor.
With that in mind, only one
parent should do the spanking;
the other parent should support
the first parent’s decision. In my
house, my dad has never laid a
hand on any of us, but my mom
is ready to slap us silly if the need
arises. My dad never protected us
from our mom’s wrath, and so
we were not able to run and hide
behind our dad. It worked out superbly. Having almost grown up
now, I do not get hit because I do
not do the things that would cause
me to receive a good ’ole beating.
According to The Natural
Child Project, a program aimed to
eliminate child abuse, hitting your
kids can have a wide range of
negative effects. They claim that
bad behavior in children is simply
the only way children know how
to react, which can be attributed
to a lack of experience in life matters by the child. Essentially, you
cannot spank kids because they
are only doing what is natural to
them. However, if the argument is
that kids do not have the logic to
respond in a good behavior, then
why is logic endorsed as the solution? If a child is being bad and
not listening, then maybe a rational “sit down, let’s talk” solution
is not appropriate. Parents who
ground their children are oblivious to the truth. They wonder why
their kids are so disobedient and
why their kids think they understand everything. They consider
every possibility, even that they
may have been too harsh. Amusingly, they never realize that, had
they once slapped their child back
into place, they would not have to
see this day. Of course, I’m not
claiming that grounding never
works, but there is a secret to it:
it must be effective grounding. By
that, I mean the kids must not be
able to circumvent around their
parents’ restrictions, which happens too often.
My pro-grounding counterparts might argue that violence
is never a good option. However,
what really is the big difference
between grounding and a good
whipping? In essence, when you
grould your children you are taking away luxuries, something that
the child can afford to lose. On
the other hand, by spanking them,
you take away their security and
replace it with fear of the consequences of their actions. This fear
is actually real as opposed to the
horror-striking, dreadful fright of
not being able to watch “Lost.”
Basically, giving your child a
healthy beating is a stronger ‘do
not do that again’ than grounding
them.
Maybe these pro-grounding
parents should watch, “Picture
This,” an ABC Original Family Movie, with Ashley Tisdale.
At one point, she gets in trouble
when her dad finds out that she
accepted some boy’s invitation
to his party. She is grounded but
ends up lying and sneaking out to
party by telling her father she will
be studying at her friend’s house.
I know that this happens in real
life. Go ahead and ground your
kids, but be prepared to find out
they outwitted your grounding. If
your children are becoming more
and more disobedient even as you
ground them more harshly, they
are possibly finding ways around
it. It is not uncommon to hear
friends talking about how their
parents are so stupid.
Now, years after the last time I
got a spanking, I think I turned out
well. My parents do not complain
about me being disobedient, nor
do I hate my parents. For spanking me, thank you, mom and dad.
I see the wisdom in your parenting policy. I see how powerful the
slap, shoe, or stick truly is, and I
respect and admire it. Meanwhile,
I laugh at the parents who ground
their children — I wonder when
March 2010
Editorials
Beam me up, space shuttle program that will not exist
Space
exploration
must continue
despite the end
of the Space
Transportation
System
by Olutoye Adegboro
Over 40 years ago, Americans
lived in an era of rabbit-eared televisions, sock hop dances, and Dick
Clark’s “American Bandstand.” The
1960s was a decade synonymous
with the struggle for civil rights, the
fears of the Cold War, and the possibilities of the future. The decade
was also important because of the
massive achievement that was made
in its final year. The moon landing
of 1969 launched scientific study of
the universe into a full throttle mode.
It seemed that outer space became a
mystery that mankind could finally
understand within the span of a single lifetime. However, this mystery
will most likely remain a mystery
for a much longer time if both past
and current developments regarding
space exploration indicate anything
about its future.
Back in 2006, CBS News and
the Associated Press reported that
the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) would shut
down the Atlantis space shuttle because of a lengthy estimated repair
time. Though the end of one shuttle
seemed a tragic, but understandable
occurrence, Atlantis’s closing was
followed by more bad news: NASA’s
space shuttle program would shut
down entirely by the end of 2010.
According to Associated Content’s
Kirby Warden, NASA’s space shuttle program, more formally known
as the Space Transportation System
(STS), began in 1972 and has since
launched a number of shuttles into
outer space in the program’s nearly
40 year lifespan.
Now that 2010 has arrived, it
means that the space shuttle program’s end is right around the corner, and with its end begins a period in American history where our
understanding of the universe will
not expand, but stay at a standstill.
Yes, NASA still plans to continue
to launch missions according to the
organization’s mission calendar, and
CBS and CNN reported that new
shuttles will premiere by September
2014, but the end of STS will mean
that the program that contributed to
the space exploration race will end.
With this end, in a sense, comes the
end of the race to understand the
universe as well.
It is no secret that people will
always want to understand more
about the universe that they live in,
but the end of STS seems to indicate
that the interest to understand the
Milky Way and all of its “cosmic
cousins” is waning. Granted, there
have been some astronomical news
stories that have sparked conversation, the most obvious being Pluto’s
declassification as a planet several
years ago, but Pluto’s news story is
an anomaly, as discussion of the universe seems almost nonexistent at
times. Society’s interest in the study
of the universe has declined most
likely because people’s understanding of it is limited to the point where
we know enough about it to be satisfied. In the past, people did not
understand what the universe held,
and this sense of mystery most likely
propelled them to investigate its outer boundaries, whether that investigation was through the fiction of
television shows such as “Star Trek”
or through expeditions such as that
historic moon landing in 1969.
The end of STS is not the only
development that could challenge
the future of space exploration. According to BBC News’s Science Cor-
respondent Jonathan Amos, President Barack Obama has pulled back
funding for Project Constellation, a
NASA project that hoped to put astronauts on the moon once more in
the next ten years. Obama has been a
proponent of both scientific achievements and advancements, and the
current economic crisis the country
is facing does not help make funding
for any government project easier,
but the thought that a project that
dealt with space exploration is being
cancelled is somewhat frightening.
Yes, Project Constellation planned
to put men back on the moon, and
as White House Office of Science
and Technology Policy Chief of
Staff Jim Kohlenberger pointed out,
this feat was achieved in 1969. However, new technologies could mean
that the moon could have potentially
been explored in ways that could reveal new meanings about Earth and
the universe.
Though Obama does hope that
funding for future space exploration
will continue someday, some of this
hope depends on private companies
helping to bring new advancements
in future space exploration methods, according to BBC News. Funding for space exploration is good in
any regard, but space exploration
should continue to be carried out
with NASA. The universe is a com-
13
mon good that no one company
should have complete control over
through astronomical research, and
continuing space exploration with
NASA would ensure that this stays
the case.
Warden also pointed out that
when STS does end, it will take
with it a slew of memories and
iconic bits of history, including the
Hubble Telescope and a handful of
astronauts who broke down social
barriers when they became the first
minorities to enter space. The Hubble Telescope was something that
almost did not happen because of a
lack of federal funding, according to
NASA’s History Division, yet it has
displayed the beauty of the universe
in ways people could have never
imagined and, according to NASA,
would not have been possible if STS
missions did not repair the telescope.
When trailblazers such as Dr. Mae
Jemison, the first African-American
woman in space, broke down social
barriers and ventured into space, the
world realized that the study of the
universe was truly a global effort.
So hopefully the public will realize that space exploration is needed
not to only learn more about the
world, but because what was once a
mystery only 40 years ago could become the great discovery of the century and this generation’s lifetime.
Cutting back on sanity
Cuts take a toll
on customers,
driving CTA down
a hole
Speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno races into a turn at the Vancouver Olympics. Image courtesy of Amazon.com.
Skating: cheaters sometimes win
Speed-skating
conduct is less
than cordial
at Vancouver
Olympics
by Krystn Collins
The Olympics are meant to be
something that inspires nationalism,
an occasion that should call to mind
athleticism and sportsmanship.
When such a time rolls around, people should feel pride in their country
and their country’s athletes and root
them on to give their very best performance and hopefully bring home
a medal.
However, when cheating is involved, it is more difficult to feel
proud of an athlete. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics began on February
12, and the men’s 1000 meter short
track speedskating event took place
on February 20. Among the competitors in this event were athletes J.R.
Celski and Sung Si-Bak of America
and Korea respectively.
Celski, it was noted, cut off fellow competitor, Francois Hamelin
of Canada and caused him to crash
into a wall. The crash was deemed
Celski’s fault, and he was consequently disqualified from the event.
Sung, too, engaged in questionable behavior during the same event
and grabbed the shoulder of Hamelin’s brother Charles, also competing for Canada, in an attempting to
get ahead of him. Unlike in Celski’s
case, the attempt was unsuccessful
and Sung was not disqualified from
the event.
Far be it from anyone to condone
the actions of Celski and say that it
is alright to get ahead by cheating.
However, it would seem only fair
that when any individual cheats,
they ought to be disqualified or penalized in some way, something that
Sung was not.
Rules are in place for a reason: to
keep order and to make certain that
all competitors earn their placing in
an event fair and square. When these
rules are broken, sportsmanship is
removed from the situation and the
meaning of the games is cheapened.
It was certainly unsportsmanlike
to cut another athlete off in a racing
event, all the more so when that cutoff results in the crash and potential
injury of said other athlete. It makes
a mockery of the nobler intention
behind the Olympics and inspires
shame in the American people whom
Celski was meant to represent.
It makes it even worse for those
Americans when another athlete engages in unsportsmanlike conduct
and is not penalized as much for his
actions. The feelings of indignation
join the shame that has already been
instilled in them and leads them to
be upset and perhaps even suspect favoritism along the mindset of, “our
athlete did something bad and was
disqualified, but their athlete did
something bad and got away with it.”
Events as such can lead to unfriendly
rivalry as opposed to the friendly rivalry the Olympics are meant to inspire and belittles the original object
of competition to test the skills of
athletes from around the world.
Sung, because of his actions in attempting to cheat, should have been
disqualified from the short track
speedskating event on moral grounds
alone. The fact that he did not gain
an advantage because of the attempt
to cheat as Celski did should not
mean anything, as a student caught
trying to look off of a classmate’s
paper would be punished even if he
had not been able to see anything.
It is not the result of the cheating,
the unfair advantage, that makes it
wrong, it is the thought process behind it. This thought-process, when
boiled down, is something to the effect of, “I cannot be the best on my
skills alone, so I will use someone
else to succeed.”
This is not the sort of mindset
with which a person can truly accomplish anything in life, and it
is certainly not the sort of mindset
people should advocate to others
through examples such as Celski’s
and Sung’s, in which they failed to
compete fairly and only one of them
was punished for it.
Cheaters never win, and one
would think this should be true when
applied to Olympic competitors.
by Lyanne Alfaro
Hoping the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) mess of a transportation system will end my misery in
the 20 degree weather, I step off the
sidewalk into the middle of the street
to find that, after a 45-minute wait,
the Grand bus is finally chugging its
way down to my stop.
You know that warm feeling you
should get when you see the bus and
realize you will not have to freeze
to death standing outside in a snow
storm?
I was not getting that.
At all.
As a matter of fact, my toes
were throbbing as my fingertips
disappeared into the Antarctic cold
weather. Hopping on the bus, I find
that I am already 15 minutes late
to my meeting, meaning that I can
expect interrogative questions from
irritable security guards to greet me
upon my arrival.
That is, if I ever got there.
CTA, I bet you’re really proud
of your new Harassment Ads and
the half thousand surveillance cameras you recently added to the Green
Line. Here is a bright idea. How
about you try keeping your customers first before you worry about
keeping them safe?
As quickly as my body temperature had stabilized, the bus decided
to skid past a few bus stops, leaving
a couple of clients clueless, and run
the stop light at the intersection of
Ogden and Grand. According to the
bus driver, something went wrong
with the brakes. That meant that everyone had to get off and wait for the
next bus “for our own safety.”
Personally, I could have cared
less about my safety. I just wanted
to get to my destination. However,
while it was still worth my $2.25
fare, I decided to see if the cursed
route would bring about a life saver
bus any time soon.
During the long 30-minute wait
for another bus to arrive, CTA lost
a total of three customers to a more
proficient taxi company. Since two
buses had driven by in the opposite
direction since the last bus broke
down, I decided that it would be fair
to just catch the next bus on Grand.
Getting from one end of the
brutally chilly city to the other just
earned an R rating for ridiculous
Image courtesy of Amazon.com.
from my fellow clientele.
In turn, I ended up taking the bus
back home. The remaining seven
stranded passengers watched longingly as I crossed the street and took
the bus back to Point One. I may
have not made it to the meeting,
but at least I made it home without
having to go through the embarrassment of getting there at least a half
an hour late.
You know, I was hoping not to be
one of those cranky customers who
would complain about everything
CTA-related promptly after February 7. The first day after the declared
CTA cuts, my travel from school
home went rather smoothly. I did
not experience any major difficulties
until the second week afterwards.
The waits from then on just seemed
to take a hike for the worse.
According to Mayor Richard M.
Daley, CTA cuts are better than fare
hikes. That said, more than 1,000
CTA employees were laid off and
119 rail and bus routes began to run
less frequently on CTA’s D-day due
to its $300 million deficiency.
Oh, CTA, you should know better
than to think clever Chicagoans will
rely on you no matter the circumstances. We would rather take the
fare hikes instead of deleted routes
and deteriorated service. Spring will
approach in a blink of an eye, meaning that by then your customers will
find other sources of transportation
such as biking, walking, or just taking a cab.
As American novelist Tom Robbins said, “Stay committed to your
decisions, but stay flexible in your
approach.”
We will find alternatives to getting to our destinations. CTA, you
earned a place as the city’s top transportation company. Yet, that place
may easily get competition over the
summer if the cuts continue. Keep
in mind that you heavily depend on
your customers. Put on a good show
and you get a full house. Without
your audience there is no show.
14
Editorials
The Hoof Beat
Staff Editorial: To the rulebreakers of Northside Prep
Dear Northside druggies, drunks,
cheaters, and immodestly dressed
women,
Get it together and stop ruining
the Northside experience for the rest
of us.
You deserve every minute of that
suspension, if not more, and every
privilege that was revoked from you,
so stop complaining. The rest of us
have no reason to deal with the inconvenience of spending $12 on a
new see-through coffee mug at Starbucks or test taking policies that treat
us as if we did something wrong.
Common sense is something that
comes naturally to most people, but
since some Northsiders are clearly
lacking in this area, we would like to
point a few things out.
1) Anything involving school and
alcohol is a bad idea.
In America, alcohol is illegal for
all those under 21, so it should come
as no surprise you will be punished
for bringing it to school. Although
The Hoof Beat does not condone
underage drinking whatsoever, it
might be a bright idea to drink after
the dance or after school, when you
are much less likely to be caught.
The level of intoxication exhibited by some individuals at Northside
dances makes even Zero Gravity
look classy. There, people show up
to dance and have fun – dry. If you
cannot have fun without alcohol, do
something else, or better yet, seek
therapy. We are too young to be al-
coholics.
2) The same applies to drugs.
3) Garments that are sold at
Lover’s Lane should not be worn to
school.
Keep it classy. Northsiders should
strive to be America’s future CEOs,
not office hoes. Think of how awkward it would be if a teacher wore
a mini skirt to class. They feel the
same way about you. Even more so,
put some pants on if it’s 30 degrees
out. Donning booty shorts in such
weather will cause your level of respectability to plummet.
4) If you must fulfill your (or your
lover’s) fantasies, do it off camera.
AP Biology students know that
the primary purpose of life on earth
is to reproduce. They also understand
that humans, unlike other mammals,
have the ability to control their urges. If you cannot do so, at least keep
your sexual escapades to yourself.
That is, unless you are in fact preparing for a future career at Playboy
Enterprises. Photos and video travel
fast. Know that they may eventually
get around to your mother.
5) Don’t cheat.
As Northsiders, we are offered
some of the best educational experiences in the state of Illinois, if not
the country. Do yourself a favor and
take advantage of them. Pay attention in class, participate, and study
for your tests. There are too many
kids out there who would kill to be
in your position. Cheating will not
do you any good in the long run, and
even if you don’t get caught, your
moral compass takes a stab.
Please don’t compare Northside
to any other high school, because
we’re not like any other high school.
Our reputation gains us instant respect in our communities, in our job
hunts, and in college admissions.
More importantly, the culture radiating throughout Northside is defined
by our actions. The adults at our
school have given us privileges that
kids at other schools do not have, if
we cannot keep their trust, expect
that they will continue to slip away.
With good intentions,
the Hoof Beat Editorial Staff
March 2010
15
Sports
The Cait’s Meow
Staying out of Tiger’s den
lete. But by no means is he alone in
his idiocy. On a monthly basis, the
sports world generally finds itself a
new controversy to fixate on, from
Michael Vick’s secret dog fighting
ring to the murder of former quarterback Steve McNair by his mentally unstable mistress.
At this point, no one is honestly
surprised when they see athletes
behaving badly, because the reason
behind their misbehavior is obvious.
The mistakes that athletes make are
magnified because they live by a different set of rules than average people, and we as a society allow them
to do that. America is a nation fascinated by its sports teams, and we
place athletes on a pedestal where
they feel that they can get away
with anything. Like Woods said in
his apology, athletes feel entitled to
enjoy the perks of being famous,
rich, and good looking. Many superstars have been playing the game
their entire lives, labeled as prodigies, placed above their peers, and
made to feel as though they can do
no wrong. When a child’s handlers
let him get away with anything, he
will push the limits, and those tendencies carry over into adulthood
for America’s athletes.
No, the actual mistakes are never too fascinating, save for the ten
minutes after we hear about them
and say, “Can you believe this guy?”
The fascinating part is watching the
athletes try to crawl back to respect-
ability and seeing how their former
admirers receive their efforts.
That is the reason that Tiger
Woods’ private life has captivated
America’s sports fans. He was one
of the most famous, revered athletes
in the world, the undisputed greatest golfer on the PGA tour, and a
man that the public saw little of
outside his matches. He never connected with fans, and his interviews
made him seem like a cyborg. For
all we knew, he might have been a
robot programmed to hit golf balls,
dominating tournament after tournament. As the face of golf, he had
the farthest to fall, and he fell hard
on front of the entire nation. When
his seemingly quiet, private life exploded all over the tabloids, it was
the literal and figurative car crash
that we collectively could not look
away from.
So when Tiger made his first public appearance since the Thanksgiving altercation with his wife, America watched to see how he would
try to regain the country’s respect,
many shrugging off his prepared response as insincere. Some are never
convinced by athletes who say they
have learned from their mistakes,
because they often do it with the
help of a public relations team and
are constantly under the watch of
those handling their images.
The question that every sports
fan must ask him or herself is
whether they let an athlete’s private
by Melissa L. España
It is a Friday afternoon,
and women’s lacrosse practice has
ended earlier than usual. Instead of
going straight home to take a break
from the stressful week, Jeselle Obina, Adv. 014, walks straight to the
gymnasium, the pool, and the soccer field to see if there is any type of
home game going on. To her, being
on a sports team in a school where
school spirit is less than extraordinary has shown her how important it
is to be as supportive to the school’s
teams as possible.
“I make sure to watch at
least one game from each of our
school's fantastic teams,” Obina
said. “It started as a means to occupy myself during my underclassmen years when I was waiting for a
ride [home], but it grew into an appreciation of Northside athletics in
for
error is far
slimmer
than that
of
an
average
person.
I am not expecting athletes to be
model citizens, but, as adults, they
should be mature enough to avoid
such costly mistakes.
To be fair, though, not all offenders are equal in the heinousness
of their crime, and not every embarrassment is a permanent black
mark on an athlete’s career in my
eyes. For example, Patrick Kane of
the Blackhawks was arrested after
an altercation with a cab driver last
summer, and, as a Hawks fan, I lost
some of my respect for him. During
the season, though, Kane seemed to
tone down his usual cocky act. He
improved his play, became an offensive leader, and humbled himself to
ask forgiveness from his fans. For
the most part, he has stayed out of
trouble since then. Kane is young,
his offense was relatively mild, and
he quietly tried to make up for it
on the ice. If more athletes were to
follow this model, they will still be
heckled on the road, but they might
at least gain their respect back from
their own fans. As Tiger will hopefully soon learn, improving oneself
as a person is far more effective than
a press conference and muttering a
few robotic sorry’s.
general.”
Obina is currently a senior and has spent the majority of
her time at Northside dedicated to
sports. During her freshman and
sophomore year, she took her childhood passion of basketball into high
school, as she played for the women’s basketball team. But her true
talent was discovered during her
sophomore year when she decided
to try a new sport.
“Originally, I joined lacrosse to
be in better shape for basketball, [because] it was a struggle to condition
on my own,” Obina said, “but I say I
adapted to lacrosse better.”
Prior to joining women’s lacrosse,
Obina did not have any experience in
the sport. Since it was only a means
of preparing herself for upcoming
basketball seasons, Obina did not
expect to be that good of a player.
However, despite not knowing anything about lacrosse prior to her
tryout, she made it onto the varsity
team during her sophomore year.
“When I found out that I was
on varsity, I thought ‘oh, I’m doing pretty well,’” Obina said, “so I
decided to stick to my guns and do
what I’m better at.”
Her choice to stick with playing
lacrosse paid off because at the end
of the following season, Obina was
dubbed team captain.
“When I starting playing lacrosse,
during conditioning, I just spoke up
and did whatever I had to,” she said,
“and I tried not to goof off. And I
guess that played a major factor into
how I became captain. I felt like I
deserved it, but then I was still surprised, because I was a junior and it
was only my second year [playing].”
Her years on lacrosse have
brought Obina closer to people on
the team. She considers her current
coach, Lynn Merrill, to be one of
the most inspirational people to her.
Compared to lacrosse coaches she
has had in the past, Coach Merrill
was the one she connected with the
most. Obina states that Merrill gets
to know the team not just as players,
but as individual people.
“She gets involved in our lives
enough to know that we’re doing
well in school,” Obina said. “She
makes sure we’re getting to practice,
doing what we need to, and that we
get our bonding time in as well.”
Because of her love for the sport,
Obina has taken lacrosse into con-
sideration for choosing a college.
“It wasn’t the major thing
that I was looking for,” she said,
“but when I looked at the info
for colleges, I was like ‘do they
have a lax team?’ and then, if I
was on the fence about them,
and they didn’t have a lacrosse
team, 90 times of out 100, I’d
say no,”
Although it is not set in
stone whether or not she will
play lacrosse in college, Obina
has already thought ahead
about the future of her lacrosse
career.
“If, God forbid, I get injured, or I get too old to play or
too fat to play, I want to coach
[lacrosse],” Obina said. “Being
involved in lacrosse is a major
thing in my life now.”
Obina is proud of the
amount of time she has put
into her sport, and the amount
of time she has dedicated to
participating in school spirit
events. She has displayed such
dedication that her friends have
even taken notice.
“One day in lunch, I was
surveying amongst my friends
who is going to the 7 o’clock
men's varsity basketball game,”
Obina said. “Maria Jolly [Adv.
012] was there and said, ‘Jeselle, you sure do have a lot of
school spirit.’ The smart aleck
in me retorted, ‘dude, I bleed
maroon and silver.’”
Obina is grateful for the
time she has spent at Northside, and for everything she has
done during her time here.
“I think if I went anywhere
else, I would definitely be a
different person,” Obina said.
“I wouldn’t focus as much because of the academic competitiveness of Northside. If I went
to Lane Tech or Von, I would
probably focus more on sports
or going to the next party instead of going home and doing
pre-calc [homework].”
In terms of college, Obina
has applied to schools all over
the country. Her top choices
include big schools, which might
take some getting used to, due to the
small student population at Northside.
thehoofbeat.com
Jeselle Obina brings her cheerful spirit and passion into the lacrosse games. Photo by Melissa L. España.
HBONLINE
“Dude, I bleed maroon and silver”
Jeselle Obina
combines school
spirit with great
sportsmanship
endeavors affect the way that they
view their athletic performance.
While many were outraged at Tiger
and felt that he would never recover,
many sports analysts predicted that
he would return to golf within a
year, perhaps without a ring on his
finger, and continue his complete
dominance of the sport. Of course,
some cases, such as an athlete using
steroids, are different because they
overlap into how the athlete played
the game. But how are sports supposed to feel when we find out that
an athlete has cheated on his wife,
abused his girlfriend, or pulled out
a gun on a friend? Once a fan has
invested enough of himself into an
athlete, it is difficult to view that
person without a big blemish on
what you formerly saw as perfection.
While many sports fans care
more about how many green jackets
Tiger can win before he’s done than
how many affairs he has had on his
wife, I cannot count myself as one
of them. Once I know that an athlete has done something absolutely
disgraceful, I can rarely forget it.
Sure, those are personal problems,
and many would say they should
stay between Tiger and his family
and friends. Athletes, however, are
in the public eye. Kids look up to
them, and adults pay tons of their
hard-earned cash to buy tickets to
go support them. Once an athlete is
in the spotlight, his or her margin
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by Caitlin Swieca
On the evening of February 22,
ESPN and other sports programs
changed up their top stories. Today, rather than showing highlights
from thrilling matchups or making
playoff predictions across the various leagues, they were broadcasting a somber press conference. Behind the podium, an athlete with a
monotone voice read off of a prewritten statement, looking classy in
a button-down shirt and blazer. To
most of America, the conference
was little more than a joke.
On that day, Tiger Woods was
the portrait of a disgraced athlete,
and all of the news stations were
leading off their broadcasts with
reports on his public apology. After
Thanksgiving, when news of Tiger’s
serial infidelity spread, the greatest
golfer in the world was nowhere
to be found, issuing only a brief,
vague apology on his web site. For
a while, TigerGate ’09 dominated
ESPN, and the man who had been
so mysterious had been exposed to
the world as a cheater. So Woods
waited until things died down, until he felt that he could start to take
control of the situation, and called
an apologetic press conference to
begin the road to recovering his image.
At the moment, Woods is America’s freshest and, in some ways,
most pathetic example of a fall
from grace on the part of an ath-
Get all the latest
Northside news
and talk as it
happens.
16
Sports
The Hoof Beat
Cheering for seniors
The cheerleading
team celebrates
its graduating
members on
senior day
by Tess Thompson
As the school year draws slowly
towards its close, seniors begin to realize what they will be leaving behind
when they graduate. For some, the
saddest part of leaving may be parting with friends. For others, parting
with a sports team may be hardest.
For those who are cheerleaders, a
large part of what they leave behind
is not only friends or a team, but also
a family. On February 23, the cheerleading team recognized this loss
with their senior day.
Before the start of the basketball
game on their senior day, there was a
ceremony for the eight seniors on the
cheerleading team. Coach Katherine
Smith announced where each of the
senior team members is planning
on attending college, how long they
participated in cheerleading, and
what activities they participated in
apart from cheerleading. Along with
a special announcement, the senior
cheerleaders also received memorandums from the other team members,
such as t-shirts and dolls dressed
in cheerleading uniforms with the
receiver’s name on the neck, as well
as their matching hair and eye color,
from Coach Smith’s mother.
With Coach Smith’s announcement in mind, the girls who are leaving for college will miss several aspects of the cheerleading team.
“[I will miss] the sense of working towards a goal that you all share,”
Lia Chan, Adv. 013, said. “Just the
fact that we work so hard, and a lot
of times, when we finally reach what
our goals are, it brings a new sense to
the word teamwork.”
Other seniors on the team commented on how they will miss the
sisterhood and familial relationship.
“People always say you cannot
see a cheerleader in the hallway
without another cheerleader,” Jamie
Zysko, team captain, Adv. 011, said,
“because we all stick together,”
For some, it is even time that they
could not spend cheering that is sad
to leave behind.
“Since the opportunity to do
cheerleading did not really present itself until my senior year, I’m
especially disappointed to be leaving,” Courtney Quigley, Adv. 010,
said, “because I had a lot of fun,
but I only had a short time to pursue
cheerleading.”
Alhough leaving the team may be
difficult, there is still an upside.
“[Leaving] will be hard, but at the
same time, college is on the way, and
I kind of feel like that is something to
look forward to,” Chan said. “We’re
sad about moving on, but there are
definitely some happy parts about it
too.”
Maria Jolly, Adv. 012; Alexis Kalady, Adv. 011; Lia Chan, Adv. 013; Fanny Lau, Adv. 014; rejoice over their senior day gifts. Photo by Melissa L. España.
While thinking about having
to leave the team for good, many
girls recalled fond memories of past
cheerleading events that helped them
grow.
“Two weeks before the [City]
Competition [last year], our flier
Lisa [Wendt, Adv. 203] sprained her
ankle, and I had to fill in,” Maria Jolly, Adv. 012, said, “and I had never
flown before, so it was terrifying at
first, but I got it, and I stuck the stunt
well at the competition and we won
first.”
Some members reflected more on
the time spent together aside from
practices and competitions.
“One special memory [was] when
we had to do our hair in tight curls
for a competition,” Quigley said. “I
had never done it before so it was
kind of a bonding experience.”
However, no matter what the
cheerleading team bonded over or
accomplished, the girls overall had
an enjoyable time together.
“We work really well together,”
Zysko said, “so we know what to
do and we know when to work and
when to just play around. I feel like
we have fun no matter what we’re
doing, whether it is conditioning or
actually practicing.”
Overall, the time and the effort
that the members put into the team
was worth every bit for the seniors.
“Just being on the team for my
senior year was time well spent,”
Quigley said.
Niles North...We got pretty badly
beat, but when we lost against a super strong opponent, we went down
to face a not-so-strong opponent and
most of the stress went away and we
ended up playing really well.”
After the first round, teams paired
up and played against schools of the
same rank in the competition.
“You always play against another
team that has the same record as you
in the tournament, except for the
very first round where coaches get
together and decide how to see the
teams for the initial round,” Coach
Caldwell said. “After we lost the
first round, we played another team
that lost the first round, and then
when we won one, so we played
another team that had won one and
lost one.”
The Northside squad played
games simultaneously against a
squad from an opposing school, and
many of the squad members agreed
that the last round against St. Ignatius was the moment of highest tension, during which they fell behind
by merely a few points.
With a huge audience and a large
array of tournaments simultaneously
being played, the Peoria Civic Center stood as an intimidating building
for members of the chess team.
“The arena itself was probably
bigger than Northside,” Ansari said.
”There were probably 3,000 people there, and it was just gigantic.
Finding your way around was just,
wow.”
Last year, Northside placed 65th,
so chess team members who placed
30th in the competition this year met
their expectations and felt that the
competition went well.
“[We hoped we would place]
higher than 65th,” Chengliang Luo,
Adv. 301, said, “as long as we did
better than last year, we were pretty
happy.”
Although the championships
have ended, the team continues to
gain strength throughout the year
through practices and team meetings. Members challenge themselves
by playing together or online and
studying useful materials and chess
moves.
“The two main plans for continuing to strengthen the chess team are,
one, to get chess sets down in the
café more often and inviting people
to play chess on any occasion which
they have got time to play chess,”
Coach Caldwell said. “And two, to
encourage current competitive team
members to continue competing and
playing in tournaments through the
off season of chess, during which
time they could build their skills and
come back even stronger next year.”
Regardless of the where the team
placed as a squad, Coach Caldwell
finds inspiration in the team’s motivation, strength and teamwork.
“I feel really excited about chess
now, and the last time I really
played chess was when I was in junior high,” Coach Caldwell said. “I
hadn’t thought much about it until I
took on this role, but the players and
the amount of work they put in and
the fight they put up in these tournaments is so inspiring to me that I
myself am more excited about chess
than I have been in the past forty
years.”
“My move...checkmate” rings through state championships
Chess team
places 30th
in the State
Championship
by Andriana Mitrakos
The Northside Chess Team travelled to Peoria, Illinois for a weekend to compete in the two day State
Championships that took place on
Friday and Saturday, February 12
and 13. The competition squad of
eight consisted of all but four other
actively involved team members.
The State Championships were held
at the Peoria Civic Center, where approximately 130 invited schools participated in the event.
“The State Championships are an
enormous tournament,” Mr. Daniel
Caldwell, Chess Team Coach, said.
“I know of no other competitive
high school event that pits 130 different schools against one another in
a single tournament weekend.”
The chess team began the season
of competitions in mid-November
with a one-on-one match between
Northside and Von Steuben. Many
students on the chess team have participated in championship games
with the Northside team before and
freshman team members now held
the opportunity to show off skills at
the state level.
“This was our first time [at a state
championship],” Aamir Ansari, Adv.
303, said. “We haven’t been to any
state championships, but we have
been in a lot of tournaments.”
The championship consisted of
seven rounds, each lasting about two
hours. Northside drew the strongest team in the competition, Niles
North, who won the state champion
title previously. Though Northside
got a tough challenge early in the
competition, the team turned around
and finished the first day of tournaments with a record of three wins to
one loss.
“Going up against really strong
schools was pretty stressing,” Ansari
said. “Our first round was against
The mighty Mustangs get tamed
Men’s varsity
volleyball team
experiences déjà
vu as they lose to
Lane Tech
by David Chang
After their first win against Lake
Zurich High School, the Northside Men’s Varsity Volleyball Team
hoped to improve its record to two
wins and zero losses against their division rival, the Lane Tech Indians.
Remembering their disappointing
loss against Lane Tech in last season’s Chicago Public School (CPS)
playoffs, the men’s volleyball team
endeavored to seek some muchneeded revenge. Unfortunately, they
lost their momentum in the second
and third game, and the Indians ultimately prevailed.
The Thursday evening match
consisted of a variety of many plays
such as sets, hammer-like hits, and
digs. The Northside Mustangs won
the first game, with the final score
standing at 25 to 19. In the second
game, Northside had a match point,
but after a couple mistakes on offense, the tide changed rapidly. The
Indians stormed back and took the
second game by a score of 24 to 26.
From then on, Lane Tech dominated
the match. Northside did not seem
to regain momentum and eventually the team lost the match in three
games.
In the following practice, after
discussing the disappointing loss, the
members of the men’s varsity volleyball team worked on the areas that
needed improvement.
“That first loss really shined
light on what we need to work on,”
Brandon Garcia, Adv. 101, said. “It
showed us that we as a team, including myself, need to work on our positioning, whether it’s on offense or
on defense. In practice, we worked
on our serve-receive and improved
our communication.”
Coach Nicole Flores, Head Volleyball Coach, stressed the importance of verbal interaction on the
court.
“People say that volleyball is 80
percent mental and 20 percent physical,” Coach Flores, said. “If there is
no verbal interaction between our
players during game time, we will
not be successful. At the end of the
day, the team that talks more will al-
ways win. I have great expectations
for this group of young men.”
This year’s roster, which consists
of three sophomores and eleven
juniors, gives the team a chance to
make some noise in the gold division
over the next couple of years.
“Our team is like no other at
Northside, because we don’t have any
seniors,” Despot Djuric, Adv. 104,
said. “Most of us have been in the
volleyball program since freshmen
year and we have built life-lasting
relationships on and off the court.
Our team chemistry is unmatchable
and we are like a band of brothers. If
someone messes with one of us, they
mess with all of us.”
When it comes to athletic dedication and a zealous work ethic, the
men’s volleyball team says that they
top other teams in the school and in
the city.
“We have practice every day
for three hours,” Nikko Simon,
Adv. 100, said. “As committed student-athletes, we know when to
joke around and when not to joke
around. Sure, we mess around before
practice and after practice, but when
practice starts, our focus and mentality changes. All of us realize that if
we want to win a city championship,
we have to simulate practices into
Lukasz Sobieraj, Adv. 100, leaps into the air for a spike against Lane
Tech. Photo courtesy of Hersh Perlmutter.
real game scenarios. For us, practice
time is of the essence.”
Although the team experienced
a disappointing non-conference loss
against Lane, this has made them
hungrier than ever.
“Our team goals are pretty
straightforward this year,” Nikolai
Nodal, Adv. 201, said. “We want
to win the gold division season title,
the [CPS] city championship, and
maybe even a regional or sectional
championship. More importantly,
we want to come together as one,
have a great time, and build experience for next season.”
The Northside Men’s Varsity Volleyball Team highly encourages the
student body to come out and support them at home games.