January 28, 2015

Peace Pipe Chatter
Minooka Community High School, Minooka, Ill. Volume 100 Edition 6 Jan. 28, 2015
PAGE 3
New Principal Relay For Life
Stuart Scott
Movie Reviews
Senior Athletes page 2
page 3
page 7
page 8
page 10
2
S chool N ews
Jan. 28, 2015
Designed by Sara Dobbyn
Step in time for Mary Poppins
By Meghan Blenck
Staff Photographer
On the last day of first semester finals on Dec. 19, most students came to
school anxious to get out and start winter break. The theater kids, however,
came into school anxious about something completely different. They were
able to see who got casted this years
school musical, Mary Poppins.
“Chris Garcia and I were the first
ones to see the list at South Campus,
and we were both ecstatic. There are
few words to describe the excitement
of seeing a cast list,” Tyler Richart,
sophomore, said.
Richart will play Valentine and is
a principal dancer, and Garcia is Michael Banks Almost all students were
pleased with their parts right away.
“I’m very happy with my part. My
goal was to make the cast, and I did,”
Mary Mason, senior, said.
Others took time adjusting to their
parts, and suffered from mild disappointments.
“I had my heart set for Bert and I
was devastated when I wasn’t him, but
I realized that every part is only what
you make it. Plus, George is more fun
to play anyway,” Nate Garner, sopho-
more, said.
Members are looking forward to
spending time with each other and putting on an unforgettable show.
“The cast was cast perfectly. Each
person was given the role they would
play best and its been an all star cast
ever since,” Garner, said.
Senior Megan Coleman takes the
lead as Mary Poppins in her final musical at MCHS. She performed in How to
succeed in business without really trying, and in last years West Side Story.
Although she is nervous about taking
such a large role, she is confident with
help from her friends and family she
will be able to succeed.
“When I saw my name right next
to Mary Poppins I was so surprised. I
stood back and actually started to cry.
It was an incredible moment! I’m honored to be chosen for the role,” Coleman said. The part of Bert goes to sophomore
Ben Dow. Dow played Tony in West
Side Story for last years musical.
“I’m beyond excited to be Bert, just
the fact I worked really, really, really
hard to get this part, and then now I get
to put more effort than I did for the audition. I’m over the moon. It’s great,”
Ben Dow, sophomore,said.
Mary Poppins was first released as
a series of books published through
1934-1988. The books were wrote by
P.L. Travers. All the books had to do
with a magical nanny named Mary
Poppins. She flies into London to take
care of the Banks unruly kids, Jane
and Michael. The three go on adventures featuring many different people
including a chimney sweep, and shopkeepers until the nanny has to leave.
The books were later adapted into
a Disney movie in 1964 featuring Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) and Dick
Van Dyke (Bert). Eventually, in 2003,
Disney Theatrical and Cameron Mackintosh turned Mary Poppins into a
stage play. In 2006, it began playing
on Broadway. Now it has made its way
into Minooka.
Broadway kept most of the original
tracks of the movie, such as “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Step in time,” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” The
musical also features some new songs
and some alternations of the old songs
to make them fit the musical more.
“I’m looking forward to ‘Anything
can happen.’ It’s a really epic song and
the words are very inspiring. A lot of
the cast members are in it too,” Kathy
Patino, sophomore, said.
Something that makes Mary Poppins different than other musicals Minooka has put on in the past is the use
of more high-tech stage equipment.
“One challenge we face with Mary
Poppins is with the fly system, which
will bring the show to life as characters fly around the stage. None of us
have worked with one before, but we
have trained professionals coming to
teach us how to operate such high-tech
equipment,” Gillian Ruggeri, junior,
said.
Ms. Glenda Smith, Mr. Anthony Babich, Mr. Randy Benware and
Ms. Patricia Grawey-Beeler are helping
with making this production a hit.
“As always I am looking forward to
spending the next three months working with an amazing group of the most
talented and hard-working MCHS
students. I am also looking forward
to producing a relatively new musical
(the rights for high schools to do this
show were just released in Oct. 2014)
that brings a beloved Disney movie to
life on stage,” Smith, director, said.
The dates for the show are Friday,
March 19 and Saturday, March 20.
Both shows are at the Central Campus
Performing Arts Center and will start
at 7 p.m.
Meeting MCHS’s next principal
“This was a place that we had
looked at as one of those dream jobs
that if they ever came open, this would
be a place that we would want to be.
When that opportunity came about,
we jumped right at it,” Mr. Ronald Kiesewetter said.
At the Jan. 15 school boarding
meeting, Mr. Ronald Kiesewetter was
named principal for the 2015-2016
school year.
Currently principal of Yorkville
High School, Kiesewetter, with over 23
years of in-state experience, will begin
his tenure on June 1.
Kiesewetter shared his finding of
the Minooka’s need for a principal.
“There was a place called AppliTrack. It’s in the Regional Office of
Education. But from here I heard it
word of mouth from some colleagues
of mine, and they said that there was
going to be an opening here. It was a
great opportunity, so I looked into it
and found it to be a great place,” Kiesewetter said.
�������������������������������
He continued expressing his excitement in becoming principal.
“What I really enjoy about learning about Minooka is their dedication
to educating the entire student. They
are interested in learning about what
everyone likes, what everyone is interested in, what their niche is, and they
have program for those things. I’m
looking forward to helping develop
that as well,” Kiesewetter said.
The Peace Pipe Chatter
Minooka Community High School
301 S. Wabena Avenue, Minooka, IL 60447
mthomas@mchs.net peacepipechatter.com
@peacepipechattr
Editors-in-Chief
Sara Dobbyn and Tara Schumal
School News
Editors: Sheila Angus and Alexa Aspan
News
Editor: Mckenna Guertin and Jake Pena
Features
Editor: Bri Bouchard and Danyelle Meyers
A&E
Editor: Will Roberts
Expressing excitement,
he looks forward to knowing
Minooka and all of its moving parts. “I want to get to know
the students, I want to get
to know the staff and learn
about what works here:
what they hold near and
dear to the tradition of what
makes Minooka. Then we’ll
go from there. We’ll see
what challenges we have Mr. R0n Kiesewetter, the next MCHS princiand learn what direction we pal, will be starting June 1.
want to go together. Once
we have decided what those
Mr. Matt Wikoff has served as inthings are, then we’ll forge a plan to- terim principal during this school year.
gether and move in that direction. I’m
In other news, the board voted to
looking forward to just getting here,” raise student driver’s education fees to
Kiesewetter said.
$325.
Opinion
Editor: Gabrielle Taylor
Sports
Editors: Sydney Monroe and Ryan Sartori
Copy Editors
Jake Pena, William Roberts
Photography
Head: Meghan Blenck
Editorial Board:
Sara Dobbyn, Mckenna Guertin, Jake Pena, Tara
Schumal and Gigi Taylor
Journalism I
Isabella Alberico, Brandon Ambriz, Maxwell
Christiano, Emily Cooper, Lauren Dylik, Collin
Johnson, Natalie Lakmiak, Angelica Leal, Chaney Lehr,
Kyle Markiel, Jaclynne Martinez, Alexis Przybylski,
Riley Rivara, Brooke Robson, Amara Rousonelos, Alec
Courtesy of Mr. Dave DiLorenzo
By Will Roberts
Copy Editor
Salomoun, Kacie Sims, Caitlyn Stabile, Gregory Staggs,
Stephanie Stathos-Patrick, Calvin Stiteley, Thomas
Virgl, Kimberly Zamora
Submission Policy:
The Peace Pipe Chatter strongly encourages suggestions and/or responses to material printed on its page.
Letters to the Editor should be submitted to Mr. Thomas’s mailbox or to a Peace Pipe Chatter editor.
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Mission Statement:
We strive to produce a newspaper that reflects the
entire student body and staff at MCHS. We want to
communicate essential information through responsible
journalism, connect people through common interests,
and promote thinking by sharing opinions and ideas.
Jan. 28, 2015
3
S chool N ews
Designed by Danyelle Myers
Pokémon Club catches Minooka
Gotta catch’em all! Pokéfans the
world over have responded to the call,
and now MCHS has created a spot for
its own “trainers” to meet up and test
their strength. The Pokémon Club welcomes all trainers, new and old, to join
up for a fun, easy-going club.
Senior Jose Lopez, the club’s president, created the club in the hopes to
teach more people about competitive
battling, a hobby in which players battle their best teams according to certain
rules. There’s a lot of strategy that goes
into it that some players never even realize, and so the club could be a place
to teach all sorts of fans.
“I was really surprised to see so
many people the first meeting,” Lopez
said.
The first meeting did have a lot of
Meghan Blenck/PPC
By GiGi Taylor
Opinion Editor
Senior Michael Geyer and another student from the club battle each other in
Pokémon. They meet up in the Central Campus library every Wednesday.
Pokéfans, around 30 attending the
meeting in total. They meet in the Central Campus library every Wednesday,
excluding those days that have faculty
meetings, so the best option is to listen
for morning announcements. On its
second meeting, the club had downsized considerably, only about half
of the members returning, although
many attributed this to confusion
about the date.
The club currently focuses simply
on having fun and “training,” a process
by which players battle their Pokémon
to make them stronger. It’s fairly laid
back and would seem to a passerby as
though they did nothing, but for many
members this is a serious hobby that
many have been involved in since they
were old enough to hold a Nintendo
GameBoy.
“I’ve been a fan ever since I was little,” Thommy Elliot, sophomore, said,
holding an old GameBoy Color with a
special edition Pikachu version game.
As for the club’s future, many hope
that they can bring in episodes or movies of the game’s TV show to watch during the club, or even plan for a trip to a
tournament next year.
As Lopez is a senior, some were concerned about how to pick a future president. The general consensus? Make the
candidates compete in a tournament to
decide who is the most qualified.
Relay For Life shows cancer who’s boss
“We all realized that cancer has impacted almost every family. If it’s not
someone in your family who’s been impacted by cancer, it’s a neighbor, friend
or teacher. So to be able to make a difference and however small of a way
and know we are impacting lives and
honoring lives within our families and
within our friends family, I think that’s
the best part,” Ms. Donna Engel, sponsor of NHS, said.
On Jan. 18, from noon to 9, NHS
put together Minooka’s third mini
Relay for Life. The students in NHS
decorated Central Campus’s hallways
in a number of different themes. They
worked with the American Cancer Society to create an unforgettable event.
To kick it off, cancer survivors did a
lap around the school with supporters.
NHS stood by the walls clapping as the
survivors walked passed.
One of the survivors is science
teacher Samuel Pavelka, he has fought
cancer twice. He is now considered
cancer free. He describes how much
this event means to him.
“Just how thankful I am to be apart
of this school and community. I can’t
put it into words how much this event
means to me,” Pavelka said.
The events kept participants busy
throughout the day. The drama club
performed some improv activities.
“I felt like there was a lot of people
there watching and a lot people enjoyed it because we put on a little show
for them,” Nora Russell, junior, said.
Around 2 p.m., a dodge ball tournament took place in the large gymnasium to keep students entertained.“I
think it’s an interesting way to have a
laugh during Relay for Life,” Sydney
Arlis, junior, said.
One of the most humorous events
was for the breast cancer awareness
hallway where a small number of male
students put on dresses and crowns
and asked people for money.
“I never would’ve guessed that I
would wear a green tutu and a blue
crown and ask for money to fight cancer,” Thomas Rodely, sophomore, said.
Carrie Robinetce works with Relay
for Life. Her motivation to become a
part of this was it 1996 when her niece
was born with cancer. She went from
working a corporate job to focusing
on helping with the American Cancer
Society and Relay for Life. She hoped
students learned a lot from this event.
“Hopefully people feel empowered
in the fight against cancer that there is
something they can do. By being here
supporting others, supporting the cancer survivors as they make their lap.
Hopefully they will gain knowledge
from information that students have in
halls that are decorated, and items that
we have available for education. They’ll
know that the American Cancer foundation is resource with free services,”
Robinetce said.
The event ended up collecting
around $13,600.
I joined the musical because of it. And
then that got me into singing in general. So I decided to join choir and do
Essence this year,” Nate Garner, sophomore, said.
Many members are looking forward
to these groups starting.
“It’s actually one of my favorite activities at school,” Ben Dow, sophomore, said, “I’m really excited for it to
start.”
The music performed by Essence is
more challenging to learn then in choir
classes. Some of the music is also better known than songs in regular choir.
“There’s a lot of weird chords and
progressions in the actual music itself,
and if everything doesn’t work together it doesn’t sound right. So it’s just
coming together which makes it sound
cool,” Dow said.
The groups get along, and most
know each other from other activities.
Some members can be competitive
though.
“Everyone in the group is amazingly
talented.
There’s always that slight bit of
competition to do their best, but sometimes people let it get to their heads.
Other than that they’re a talented
group of people and they are all nice,”
Garner said.
Benware enjoys working with all
of his students and is looking forward
to a great season. He looks forward to
seeing his students succeed in practice
and on stage.
“The music that we’re working on
and the fact that it’s closer and closer
to being ready to perform every day.
So hearing the progress is pretty cool.
Just seeing the window open larger
and larger as the music gets more and
more accomplished is very rewarding,”
Benware said.
Essence and Jazz Transit have many
events to attend. Some of the events
include concerts here at MCHS. They
will perform at a senior citizen prom
and at a state competition. At the end
of the year they will be doing a tour in
Los Angeles.
“Support the group because it’s really hard stuff that they’re doing, and
they do an awesome job,” Benware
said. “We have great groups this year.”
Meghan Blenck/PPC
By Meghan Blenck
Staff Photographer
Teachers from MCHS honor the National Honor Society honor Megan with
a poster during Relay for Life here at Minooka. This is the 3rd annual Relay
for Life event Minooka has participated in.
Essence, Jazz Transit choir seasons begin
By Meghan Blenck
Staff Photographer
Some people might say that jazz
music and groups are a dying talent,
but Minooka Jazz Choirs are proof that
this is not true.
“We have two vocal jazz groups. The
two vocal jazz groups are called Jazz
Transit and Essence. Essence meets
on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
and Jazz Transit meets on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and some Fridays after
school. Jazz Transit usually meets for
an hour; Essence usually meets for an
hour or hour and a half,”Mr. Randy
Benware, choir director, said.
They meet from January to May.
“I was always into acting, and then
Jan. 28, 2015
N ews
‘Je suis Charlie’
France
By McKenna Guertin
News Editor
1/7/15 a.mIslamic gunmen dressed in all
black arrived to Charlie Hebdo, a
French satirical weekly newspaper
which features cartoons and political
jokes which are strongly left-winged.
After gaining access to the building,
they yelled “Allahu akbar,” translating to “God is great,” and proceeded
to shoot 12 people including cartoonists Stéphane Charbonnier,
Philippe Honoré, Jean Cabut,
Bernard Verlhac, Georges Wolinski, economist Bernard Maris, and
two policemen. It is believed that
they gunmen chose that specific
magazine because of their politically controversial
Cartoons published in the magazine, One cartoon in particular, a satirical piece about the
Prophet Mohammed have
angered muslims in recent
years.
1/7/15 p.m.Thousands of parisians gathered in
Designed by McKenna Guertin & Jake Pena
New ancient discoveries
Paris and held
a vigil for the victims. The attack
went viral around the world on social
media with the saying “Je suis Charlie”
or I am Charlie.
Wednesday
night
18-year-old
Hamyd Mourad turned himself in to
the authorities. Police throughout
France were looking for two suspect
brothers, Cherif Kouachi and Said
Kouachi.
1/8/2015 a.m.A gunman dressed the same
way as in the Charlie Hebdo shooting,
shot a policewoman in the Paris suburb of Montrouge.
The Kouachi brothers, the main
suspects in the Hebdo shooting, stole
food from a French gas station in Villers-Cotterets, leading to a massive
manhunt in the northern suburb.
1/9/2015 a.m.Another gunman, also dressed
the same as in the Hebdo shootings, entered a grocery store
in Porte de Vincennes, and
took six people hostage. This
is believed to be one of the
people who participated in
the Hebdo shooting.
Egypt
By Jake Pena
News Editor
King Tutankhamun’s mummified
remains tell only part of the story of
a young ancient Egyptian king who
died under obscure circumstances.
According to CNN, a new “virtual
autopsy” of King Tut’s body has given historians a clearer picture of the
young man’s life and death.
Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2010 showed that King
Tut might have died from malaria,
possibly after suffering an infection
in his broken leg. As seen in the new
virtual autopsy photo in December,
Tutankhamun’s left foot was also severely deformed. The inward angle
suggests that he had a clubfoot. Researchers believe the boy king had
Kohler disease, an uncommon bone
disorder.
Courtesy of Mohamed El-dakhakhny
4
Scientists used CT scans to recreate the first life-size image of Tutankhamun, one of the last rulers
of the 18th Dynasty. King Tut ruled
from 1333 B.C. until about 1323 B.C.
Historians put his age at death at
about 19.
“Scientists could probably be
working on stuff for now and the future but this is really cool. Learning
about how people lived long before
us is weird to think about but I really
like it,” senior Nicole Segatto stated.
More than 100 walking sticks
were found in Tut’s tomb. Historians originally thought they represented his power, but it’s more likely
Tut used them to get around.
Originally, many experts assumed that he was brutally murdered or fell from his chariot but
tests disproved those theories because damage to his skull occurred
during the mummification process.
A recreation of Tut’s tomb can
be found at the Natural History Museum in London.
Transgender teen suicide will not be left unheard
Ohio
By Danyelle Myers
Features Editor
“I was completely alone for 5
months. No friends, no support, no
love. Just my parent’s disappointment
and the cruelty of loneliness.”
All throughout her life Leelah Alcorn
felt alone. She was born male, but she
feared she would never be the woman
she felt like inside.
In death, the transgender 17-yearold born Josh Alcorn wanted to make
sure others never felt the same way she
did.
“My death needs to mean something,” Leelah posted on her Twitter
page, which she scheduled to post the
day after her death.
Leelah left a note that was programmed to publish on her Tumblr account after her death. On Dec. 28 she
walked in front of a tractor-trailer on
Interstate 71 at around 2:15 a.m., about
four miles from where she lived in the
tiny town of Kings Mills, northeast of
Cincinnati. No charges have been filed,
and the State Highway Patrol continues to investigate. Her body was sent
to the Montgomery County Coroner
for an autopsy, which will take several
weeks to complete.
Leelah suffered from both gender
dysphoria and depression. Her suicide
note tells the blame for her pain on
those in society who reject the assumptions of people that have gender confusion. Leelah felt like a girl trapped in a
boy’s body.
“I think the fact that a beautiful
young girl has to take her own life just
because of living the life she wanted
to live makes me sick to my stomach.
She endured a very hard and stressful
battle against bullying and it ended up
getting to her. I personally think that
this needs to stop, people shouldn’t
have to take their own lives because
they aren’t living them the way society
wants them to live it,” Fredy Alanis,
sophomore, said.
In the note she stated, “the only
way I will rest in peace is if transgender people aren’t treated the way I was,
they’re treated like humans, with valid
feelings and human rights.” She wrote
that her parents wanted her to be a
“perfect little straight Christian boy.”
When Leelah Alcorn, born Josh Alcorn, voiced a desire to live as a girl,
the Ohio teenager’s parents said they
wouldn’t stand for that. Leelah was
particularly upset that her parents did
not support his decision to start “transitioning.” But perhaps Leelah could
have been wrong. Maybe her parents
motivated her by love which was standing firm for the truth that she was biologically a boy.
“It’s one of those things that people
will judge someone for when it has no
effect whatsoever towards them,” Brianna Campbell, sophomore, said.
Leelah learned that she wanted to
be a transgender when she was 14.
She cried of happiness because after
10 years of confusion she felt like she
finally knew who she was. She immediately told her parents and they reacted
extremely negatively, telling her that it
was a phase, that she would never truly
be a girl, and that God doesn’t make
mistakes.
“When I was 16 I realized that my
parents would never come around,
and that I would have to wait until I
was 18 to start any sort of transitioning treatment, which absolutely broke
my heart. On my 16th birthday, when I
didn’t receive consent from my parents
to start transitioning, I cried myself to
sleep. I felt hopeless, that I was just going to look like a man in drag for the
rest of my life,” Leelah said.
According to CNN News, after she
told her parents, her mom started taking her to therapists who all told her
that she was selfish and she should
look to God for help. After that her
parents took her out of public school,
took away her laptop and phone, and
forbade her of getting on any sort of
social media, completely isolating her
from her friends.
“I think that everyone is given a
body and that they are meant to be who
they are, but on the other hand it’s your
right and your body to do what you
please. If no one feels that they can’t be
themselves in the body they are given
that can change it, whether it’s moral
or immoral it is up to the individual.
It’s nobody’s place to tell someone
that’s wrong to do,” Ellie Rivera, sophomore, said.
She stated in her note that she wanted 100 percent of the things that she
legally owned to be sold and the money
she had saved in the bank to be given
to civil rights movements and support
groups.
She said gender rights needs to be
taught in schools, and that her death
needs to be counted in the number of
transgender people who commit suicide this year.
Leelah’s suicide and her note has
become apart of a national conversation. The teenager’s death has ignited
intensely emotional reactions across
social media.
Leelah’s last words were, “Fix society. Please.”
Jan. 28, 2015
O pinion
5
Designed by Gigi Taylor
Gender identity gap:
Could school reduce teen suicides through education?
Editorial Board
41 percent of transgender people
in the United States have attempted
to commit suicide according to livescience.com, an online news site.
Transgender
people are people who identify as separate
from their biological sex, such
as Leelah Alcorn, whose recent suicide has
brought the issue
of a school’s part
in teaching about
such things to
the public’s attention. Gender
Identity should
be taught in
United
States
schools to clarify
some common
misconceptions.
Many
are
fearful of schools
teaching such a
sensitive topic; however, the issue lies
with the fact that many parents won’t
teach it themselves. Either the parents don’t know much about it, or they
don’t feel it’s something they need to
talk about. In addition, often transgender kids don’t receive support from
their parents, making guardians a poor
choice for teaching this subject.
First one must know the difference
between gender and sex. Sex is, in
America and many other countries, defined by the “gender binary,” or the idea
that sex is made up only of male and
female types, and it is determined at
birth by the biological existence of hormones and genitalia, whereas gender
is how a person identifies regardless of
their physical sex. Someone who identifies as a gender different from their
biologic sex are called transgender. In
addition, sexual and romantic preferences are different; one may have little
interest in intercourse but still enjoy
dia sites such as Tumblr rather than
actual LGBT websites, leading to what
some LGBT members call the “special
snowflake” genders. These are genders
that confused, uneducated teenagers
simply made up because they did not
romantic relationships. Gender identity is made up of a person’s gender (not
sex), his or her romantic preferences,
and his or her sexual preferences.
Gender identity is as much a part of
a person as the rest of his or her identity, a mere fact of his or her existence.
Denying people’s identities invalidates
their very life, and without support
many become depressed or even suicidal.
Many teens are confused about who
they are as people, and with the Internet as accessible as it is, finding the difference between fact and fiction can be
hard. The Internet can be a very poor
source of information for such things,
as often teenagers turn to blogs on me-
know the proper way to identify themselves, or because, on occasion, teens
simply want to seem “special.” This is
both harmful and disrespectful, as the
ones who are honestly trying to find
identities become confused and even
attacked by other community members who mistake them for the attention-seekers.
Confusion of gender identity causes
one to feel lost and separated. This
may be resolved by educating in health
class.
According to the Human Rights
Campaign, 42 percent of LGBT youth
feel unaccepted by their community.
By informing students on this issue,
we are validating the reality of it and
making the topic less taboo. Confused
or bullied students may be more likely
to approach teachers to ask about the
subject or get help rather than relying on his/herself or the web for info
and support. This might help some
at-risk teens get help
and would validate
their existence if they
aren’t receiving home
support. The phrase
“just a phase” is very
harmful for all LGBT
members, as it seems
unsupportive and denies the person’s very
being.
Schools would also
be teaching respect.
It is important for
peers to learn to use
the proper pronouns
for transgender teens,
whether it’s he/his/
him,
she/hers/her,
or the neutral xe/xir/
xim. Using a person’s
preferred pronouns
is respectful and validating, and can mean
a world of support to a transgendered
individual. By not acknowledging xir
transition, peers and even friends could
be causing serious emotional harm to a
trans person, making them feel invalid
and unimportant. They may feel as
though people are intentionally ignoring who they are, sometimes leading
to suicide. It may seem small, but to
people who are often told who they are
or aren’t it means the world.
By teaching about gender identity objectively, schools could be saving lives and validating students who
aren’t receiving support from peers or
family. It needs to be covered in health
class in the same way that safe sex and
puberty are taught.
New Year, new disappointment?
How helpful are New Year’s resolutions really?
By Meghan Blenck
Staff Photographer
A new year brings many people
hopes into creating a brand new image
of themselves. Most people begin the
year with the term,“It’s a new year, a
new me!”
People have many different resolutions. According to USA. gov, the most
common resolutions are to lose weight,
volunteer to help more, and to be a nicer person in general.
Unfortunately, according to bulletproofexec.com, 92 percent of people
fail to keep their New Year Resolutions.
Although it is never a bad thing to
want to be a better person and set goals
for yourself, doing so on New Year’s
will likely set you up for failure.
People tend to make an unrealistic
goal, that is
almost impossible to
reach. For
instance,
while losing weight
people expect to see
c h a n g e
in a blink
of an eye
when it actually takes time. The min-
ute the goal slips up people often don’t
try again. According to Huffpost, not
meeting these goals can do serious
harm on our self worth.
People have
the
wrong
mindset starting their resolutions. People go
into resolutions
without having
proper motivational reasons.
I usually go into
the New Year
thinking everything will change and I’ll magically
‘Not meeting these
goals can do serious harm to our self
worth.’
wake up wanting to work out, when in
reality the only thing that has changed
is the number on the calendar. It takes
time to build up motivation — motivation is usually not perfected in one
single night.
Lastly, some people make the mistake of making too many goals. Having
too many goals may slow you down and
put too much pressure on your mind to
actually succeed. It is better to make
one very specific goal, then make two
or three vague ones.
Once again, setting goals for yourself is never a bad thing, but you don’t
have to make them on New Year’s to be
successful.
6
Jan. 28, 2015
Features
Designed by Tara Schumal
Courtesy of Alyssa Mayfield
Students take trip to Haiti
By Sydney Monroe
Sports Editor
From Jan. 1-8, six students from
MCHS traveled to Haiti, an islandcountry in the Caribbean Sea, to aid
families affected by the nation’s massive poverty.
Deeply destroyed by the 2010, 7.0
magnitude earthquake and corrupt
government, the students hoped to aid
the people of the country spiritually,
as well as providing services, such as
medical and labor that they might not
get or receive correctly without missionaries like them.
Freshman Mikayla Nelson; sophomore Alyssa Mayfield; juniors Jordan
Nelson and Katie Shelton; and seniors
Aly Gagnon and Tara Pentoney truly
got a life-changing and eye-opening
experience in just one week.
This 2015 trip was not Mayfield,
Jordan Nelson and Shelton’s first. Also
part of the 2014 team, the three of
them knew what to expect.
“The first time I went really hit hard
with how unfair this world was as far as
wealth,” Jordan Nelson said. “The second time I wasn’t as surprised by the
things I saw and I could keep my cool
in situations that would’ve freaked me
out last year.”
Going back was a breeze for Mayfield.
In the week spent in 2013, Mayfield
developed an incredible bond with a
Students and two helpers sit in the back of truck heading somewhere to start
off their day in Haiti.
young orphan named Placide.
“She is truly an amazing little girl
and I look forward to seeing her time
and time again. Going back and seeing
Art Club picks up paint brushes
By Caitlyn Stabile
Journalism I
Courtesy of Caitlyn Stabile
A hallway at Walnut Trails Elementary school in Shorewood is a little
brighter thanks to art club.
Art club is an organization run by
Ms. Chris Listello, and any students in
any grade level who love art can join.
The members came to the school
over winter break to paint a mural of
the alphabet in the kindergarten hallway. Each letter had an animal to go
along with it. The elementary school
asks art club to paint them a new mural
every school year, and the mural painted goes along with what the students in
that hallway are learning about.
The kindergarteners voted on which
sketch they liked the best prior to the
painting. The winning sketch was by
MCHS junior Haley Holtsclaw.
For one art club member, this was
their favorite part of the process.
“(My favorite part was) drawing the
letters before we painted them because
it was fun to see the kids vote on their
favorite design,” Alexis Carlson, junior,
said.
Like Carlson, the volunteers enjoyed
doing something that would spark a
positive response from the kids.
“It’s something that’ll make the kids
happy,” Kaitlin Waldoch, senior said.
Not only is the mural something the
kids will enjoy, but it was a positive experience for the volunteers.
“I felt like I picked up on some
new skills because I’m not much of a
painter. Experimenting with the paint
helped me,” Jacqueline Sartore, junior,
said, “I did make new friends.”
The mural-painting for art club was
a bonding experience.
“I enjoyed doing something for the
kids, and also spending time with my
friends while doing it,” Lauren Grzywa,
junior, said.
The Art Club painted an alphabet mural in Walnut Trails Elementary
School.
her this year was one of the greatest
moments,” Mayfield said.
Despite the overwhelming poverty
seen, the team was able to make the
dark places and times a little brighter.
“A lot of the kids don’t really get
to celebrate their birthday so we took
them to the beach and ate cake,” Gagnon said. “It was like a little birthday
party and the kids loved it.”
Traveling to one of the most dangerous parts really opened the eyes of
the team. City Soleil is a very poor city
heavily run by gangs where people are
constantly worried about their safety.
Seeing conditions people live in was
almost unbearable. With confidence,
however, the team was able to make
strides into the city by bringing in a
medical team and opening a kids program, free to any child interested in
coming.
“Knowing that God is still reaching
out to them impacted me a lot,” Gagnon said.
Although leaving a missions trip is
always hard, people on the team knew
doors for another will open in the future.
“I do missions because of God,” Gagnon said. “I am a Christian who loves
Jesus with all my heart and I want to
share that with others.”
“The biggest thing I was able to take
home was the absolutely great feeling
of knowing that you did good. I left
Haiti knowing what I did was in God’s
plan for me, and I couldn’t be more
thrilled than to be one of the chosen for
God’s work,” Jordan Nelson said.
Jan. 28, 2015
Features
7
Designed by Meghan Blenck
Remembering Stuart Scott
By Ryan Sartori
Sports Editor
“When you die, you don’t lose to
cancer. You beat cancer by how you
live, why you live, and in the manner of
which you live.”
Those are the powerful words of the
late great Stuart Scott that he spoke in
his acceptance speech for the Jim Valvano Perseverance Award during the
ESPYS on June 26, 2014.
After a long and hard battle with
cancer Stuart Scott passed away at the
age of 49 on Jan. 4.
Born and raised in North Carolina,
he graduated from Chapel Hill.
He began his career working for
many local news stations in the south.
In 1993, Stuart joined ESPN as a
host for the launch of ESPN2.
He came to ESPN at a time when everything was cut and dry. There were
certain morals to a good sports newscast, and Scott broke all the molds.
The following quotes are from ES-
Snow-day fun
The favorite snow-day
activites of students and
teachers
By Alexa Aspan
School News Editor
Alexa Aspan/PPC
“My favorite snow-day
activity would probably be staying home,
watching Netflix and
relaxing,” Abby Kokalj,
freshmansaid.
“Mine would probably be being able to
sleep in and then go
sledding,” Brennan
Loughran, sophomore,
said.
PN’s tribute video to Scott.
“He was like a ball of fire walking in
here, I had never met anyone like Stuart Scott,” said Mark Gross from SVP
Productions and Remote Events, a former co-worker of Scott’s. “I thought
it was pretty obvious he was going to
play a big part here after doing “Sports
Night” we needed more diversity, and
definitely provided that.
From the beginning, Scott’s style
was not completely welcomed by viewers when he first came on air.
But Scott was persistent on who he
was going to be.
“Not one time did he ever think that
he should be someone but himself,”
former co-host Rich Eisen said.
In his time at ESPN Scott coined
phrases like “cooler than the other side
of the pillow” and “BOOYAH.”
“He didn’t just push the envelope,
he full out bulldozed it” said current
radio host and former ESPN anchor
Dan Patrick
Scott became so popular on ESPN,
Saturday Night Live did a skit about
him featuring Don Cheadle.
At time went on, Scott’s role on
ESPN grew larger. While still maintaining his role as an anchor, he was
hired to also host Monday Night
Countdown and the NBA Finals.
During his time with ESPN he sat
down for one-on-one interviews with
the likes of Barack Obama and Bill
Clinton, and some of the biggest names
in sports like Shaq, Tiger, and Michael
Jordan.
“His presence catapulted that show,
himself, and ESPN into another stratosphere with sports fans” Norby Williamson, EVP Production and program
scheduling and development, said.
While covering a Monday Night
Football game on Nov. 26, 2007 he was
rushed to the hospital to have an emergency appendectomy that revealed a
malignancy that required further surgery to remove possible cancerous tissue.
After a flurry of chemotherapy Scott
believed he had conquered his cancer.
Until four years later, in 2011, when
the cancer struck back.
With each passing day things slowly
got worse, but Scott continued to persevere and fight harder.
By his side through all of his struggle
his two daughters, Taelor and Sydni,
were his source of inspiration to never
give up.
“He didn’t care what stage he was at
1, 2, 3, 4. He just wanted to live his life
like anyone else. He wanted to experience the joys, the ups, the downs” said
Vince Doria, SVP & director of news.
The path he blazed not only for African-American sports broadcasters, but
for the world of sports reporting will be
remembered forever.
The creativity and passion brought
to the table has set the precedent for
sports reporters, forever.
“You beat cancer by why you live,
how you live, and in the manner in
which you live.”
Stuart Scott won.
Fear the beard:Manuary
By Sara Dobbyn
Editor-in-Cheif
Manuary is the same thing as NoShave November, but it just takes
place in January. At the end of the
month, the teachers are able to shave
off their hairy, scratchy, and discolored beards.
When this first started, the object
was to shave the beard at the end to
look like a United States president or
a war veteran.
Slowly that ball has started to
curve, and now the teachers are doing
it without having to look like a president or veteran.
“My favorite part about Manuary
is the competition at the end because
it is interesting to see what everybody
looks like. Everybody who is involved
in it right now hopes that more of the
staff will get involved as well,” Mr.
Mark Brown, social studies, said.
Manuary is not just something that
happens in school, it also happens
around the nation for many different
causes. Eventually the plan is to get
everyone staff related involved. . It is
just a time of when teachers get together to have some type of fun.
According to www.manuary.ca,
there is a charity to raise money for
Head and Neck Cancer Research and
Awareness called the $5 challenge.
It takes place in five locations with
5,000 people gathering money to raise
awareness.
“Right now I feel good about Manuary, I didn’t know what to expect because I always shaved, this is the first
time I stopped shaving in my life,” Mr.
Dennis Grosskopf, social studies, said.
Some of the teachers who are involved in it are new to the program.
Most of them are not used to growing
facial hair, but they are slowly getting
used to it. It is a great decrease of time
to get ready in the morning.
“My favorite part is I spend less
time in the bathroom in the morning.
Being bald and growing a beard requires little grooming times,” Grosskopf said.
For the teachers who are participating in Manuary, it is a great experience
to see that their facial hair matches the
rest of the hair that they have. It is like
Christmas to them.
“I feel lucky that my beard hair is
matching what is left of my head hair
and it is coming in full. I should have
done Manuary when I was in college because I had a full head of hair
and it was all dark. Now, as the days
pass, I am not sure how to trim it and
shape it. And I am left with the question should I shave it off and go back
to shaving? So to sum up, it has been
a fun adventure to me and it goes on,”
Grosskopf stated.
“I like to hang out with
my friends, go sledding, and then go back
to one of our houses
and drink hot chocolate,” Sydney Arlis,
junior, said.
“I like to go over to my
friends’ house on snowdays,” Jake Snider,
senior, said.
“I just like to put on
comfy clothes, like
fuzzy socks, make a
tasty snack, and watch
a movie while I cuddle
with my cat,” Ms. Lisa
Fraticola, Spanish, said.
Mr. Mark Brown,social studies, shows the growth of his
beard. Each picture was taken
four days apart, with the most
recent photo first.
Photos by Sara Dobbyn/PPC
8
jan.
28, 2015
Arts & Entertainment
Designed by Alexa Aspan
Against all odds, Louis Zamperini is unbroken
I was nervous before seeing Unbroken. I ended up loving it but my personal experiences with the subject had
me concerned.
On my first day of summer running
freshman year, I sat criss-crossed
surrounded by nearly 50 other teammates listening to Coach Kevin Gummerson tell the story of this season’s
theme: Louis Zamperini. The name
itself just intrigued me for some reason, but the story was even better. By
the time he finished discussing what
the theme would mean to us, we were
all in awe hoping we could be just like
the legend-not in the sense of following his footsteps, but having the mindframe he portrayed.
This year, I’m scrolling through
Twitter and find myself stopping on a
Tweet promoting the new movie Unbroken. I’m excited beyond belief but
there’s a part of me worried. With a
No. 1 best seller book published back
in 2010, I knew it would be hard to
portray such a story.
But the moment you see the first
two minutes of the film, such worries
fade away. The film is pretty close to
the book, in which it grabs the main
details. It takes you through the life of
a young boy turning out to be a 1936 sense that it revolves around the inOlympian, plane crash survivor, pris- spirational quote that has stuck with
oner of war, and WWII survivor. The Zamperini through all his life. “If you
only downside is that there’s a few part can make it, you can make it.”
missing
Y o u
in
the
d o n ’ t
movie
necessarthat’s inily
have
to
have
cluded in
crossed a
the book,
finish line
but to be
in a race
honest
before to
with you,
retain the
it’s pretoverall
ty darn
message
close.
of his stoT h e
ry.
He’s
film itself
simply
takes you The poster for Unbroken potrays the main chart h r o u g h acter, Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), from the telling you
to not give
the flash- moving scenes in the Japanese P.O.W camp.
up. Maybe
backs of
Zamperini as a child finding himself in you won’t ever come close to witnesstrouble often at home to the moment ing the life changing events that he
his plane, the Green Hornet, malfunc- had to deal with, but you will be faced
tions and crashes in the sea during a with hard times. But that doesn’t
mission. While his parents at mean you can’t take it and make it.
All his life, he was hit with adverhome are being told he’s dead, Zamperini and his mates are stranded at sity. Whether it be his race because he
sea until they are caught ashore in belonged to the only Italian family in
Japan many days later and are set as town and he was not one to listen to
prisoners of war fighting to make it the kids pick on him without putting
up a fight, fighting through his race
through the end and all the torture.
The movie appeals to all in the in the Olympics, or simply taking the
Courtesy of Legendary Pictures
By Tara Schumal
Editor-in-Chief
No imitation here
The expectations reflect the execution of The Imitation Game
Courtesy of Black Bear Pictures
By Gigi Taylor
childhood and adult life provide back
Opinion Editor
story for Turing’s anti-social demeanWar movies are a dime a dozen. or without taking too much time from
There is a fascination with the horror the rest of the movie. These scenes
and tragedy of battle, but what about and their cinematography stitch the
the other side of war? This side has movie together wonderfully. The casta couple people in one room making ing was outstanding as well: Benedict
tactical decisions; hardly the excite- Cumberbatch, known for his portrayment of battle, but suspenseful none- al of Sherlock Holmes in the BBC’s
theless. The Imitation Game is not Sherlock, plays an excellent Turing,
your traditional war movie, focusing showing a both genius and troubled
on a race against time rather than mind. Kierra Knightly plays the fea fight to the
male supporting
death.
lead,
excelling
The
Oscaras a strong and
nominated movunderstanding
ie is based off of
woman and one
the life of Alan
of Turing’s best
Turing, a math
friends.
Both
professor
who
Knightly
and
helped crack the
Cumberbatch
German
code
have earned Oscalled
enigma
car nominations
during
World
for their perforWar II. Turing,
mances. It’s an
in trying to break The poster for The Imitation Game
interesting type
that shows Benedict Cumberbatch
the code, develof war story, not
as the lead.
oped the bluefull of armies and
prints for the
bullets but five
first computer, before being persecut- men and one woman in a room desed for being gay. By breaking Enigma, perately racing against time.
this first computer, originally known
The overall movie is outstanding,
as a Turing machine, shortened the earning nine out of ten stars. It is abwar by two years and saved an esti- solutely worth seeing, from the heart
mated 14 million lives.
of the actors to the history of its story.
The movie does an interesting job It’s solemn and suspenseful, and it
of portraying Turing’s life. Scenes portrays the heaviness of decisions
switch between scenes of Turing as and war without needing to resort to
a bullied school boy and the colder scenes of violence. It’s a little slow goadult Turing as he tries to invent the ing, but the story told is one that decomputer. The juxtaposition of his serves to be heard.
torture from the Japanese, Zamperini
knew he could go take it.
It’s the mental mindframe he
has when everyone else around him
doesn’t want to live on as the Japanese
continue to throw obsessive heavy
labor and unbearable conditions at
them that keeps you amazed.
Through everything he has gone
through in his life, he didn’t break. He
didn’t simply speak of false information to make the U.S. look bad when
the guards and upper official of the enemies wanted him to.
Zamperini is inspirational in a way
like none other; he didn’t take the easy
way out.
As most human beings would do
whatever it takes to save their butt,
he did the right thing no matter what
the punishment or outcome was. He
shows you that even though he was
in such a bad position at the time, he
kept moving forward with hope. He
believed in himself that he could get
through anything; that anything was
possible.
That’s why the movie brought in
so much money in simply the first
week. It hits the ground running with
a new perspective on how to persevere
through life. You can’t necessarily be
the best at everything, but you can be
unbroken.
The symphonic cinema
Disney’s new musical, Into the Woods
By Alexa Aspan
School News Editor
It seems, now, Disney has had a recurring theme. Most of their movies
have song and dance, that’s a fact. But
the producers at Disney have seemingly been leaning towards live-action
movies, specifically musicals. With old
hits like Enchanted, High School Musical, and Camp Rock, they now have
their newest movie, Into the Woods,
directed by Rob Marshall.
When writers commit to a theme of
a story, they do their best to stick to it.
And with Into the Woods, it seemed
that they stuck to their musical theme
too well. While it is a good movie that
blends many different storylines together, the movie is nothing but singing. It would have been more enjoyable if they had had more breaks in
between the musical numbers.
Marshall did an extraordinary
thing, however, he was able to make
stories that wouldn’t work together
coexist in one movie that was actually
rather enjoyable. Cinderella (Anna
Kendrick), Jack and the Beanstalk’s
Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), Little Red
Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) and Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy), all have a
reason for being in the Woods. They all
with different lives, and different stories. But they all come together when
the Baker (James Corden) and his
wife (Emily Blunt) find out they have
a curse placed upon them by the witch
(Meryl Streep).
The Baker and his wife then set out
on a journey into the woods, needing
to collect four items for the witch so
that she will undo their curse. As the
events unfold, they bring the stories
together. And just when it is thought
that the movie will end, they even
show what happens after everyone’s
happily-ever-afters.
The visual effects were executed
very well. The scenes where the witch
appears and disappears are done flawlessly. And the one scene in particular, where Cinderella is on the steps
on the palace, everything else freezes
besides her was done very well. There
are also the scenes with the giant, and
the destruction that comes along with
it, which were very realistic and fit well
into the rest of the movie.
Into the Woods is a great movie for
anyone, with catchy songs like “On
the Steps of the Palace,” “Agony,” and
“Into the Woods.” The evenness of the
acting, and the notable visual effect
makes the film entertaining despite
the rather excess of singing.
It’s quite intriguing that Disney is
able to create so many movies with so
many original songs. But with their
surplus of writers its not hard to see
how they do it. Into the Woods was not
one of their film flops, not that they
have ever had any, in any aspect of the
movie. We can only hope now, since
Disney seems to be swaying towards
redoing their classic animated films as
live-action films, that they don’t mess
up their upcoming film, Cinderella.
Jan. 28, 2015
Arts & Entertainment
Break is over: Returning TV shows
By Alexa Aspan
School News Editor
Around the beginning or middle of
December, TV shows take their “Winter Break,” but many of their fans call
it the “I-don’t-know-what-I’m-goingto-do-now-that-I-have-to-wait-sixweeks-for-my-show-to-come-back-on
Break.” … Okay, maybe that isn’t what
they call it, but it’s definitely what they
think.
People have become attached to
characters and the shows they are on,
and that’s why it’s so difficult for them
to have to wait to see what happens
next on their shows.
Now here they are, weeks after their
shows have taken their break, waiting for their much-anticipated return.
More popular shows, such as American Horror Story: Freak Show, Pretty
Little Liars, The Walking Dead, How
to Get Away With Murder, Grey’s
Anatomy, and many more had midseason finales that left their audiences
wanting more of their show.
The fans can finally be at ease as
their shows return. And some, like
Pretty Little Liars, have already made
their comeback, and with their midseason finale ending with Mona (Janel
Parrish) being killed off. The fans can
expect lots of things as A continues to
mess with the girls.
“I was really excited about it coming back on. I hate how they make us
wait to find out what happens,” Lauren
Heafey, sophomore, said.
Others, like American Horror Story, who ended the first half of the sea-
son with Jimmy (Evan Peters) in jail,
are also coming back with new actors.
Fans of Neil Patrick Harris have been
buzzing about his upcoming role in the
show.
“I think the mid-season finale was
one of the best episodes of the season,”
Matt Robins, sophomore, said.
The Walking Dead fans, however,
have to wait until February to discover
the gang of zombie slayers’ future after
Beth (Emily Kinney) dies. Now everyone continues to search for a safe place
to survive, if one even exists anymore.
Grey’s Anatomy, which has always
been a popular show, has had rumors
going around that this season may or
may not be their last. And soon their
fans will find out what happens to April
(Sarah Drew) and Jackson’s (Jesse
Williams) baby, and if Derek (Patrick
Dempsey) actually leaves for Washington D.C.
“I’m currently not caught up with
the new season, but I know that whatever they pull out will be great,” Miranda Sharp, sophomore, said.
One of the newest TV hits is How
to Get Away With Murder. They cut
through their season leaving their fans
with the information that Michaela
(Aja Naomi King) and Wes (Alfred
Enoch) had a hand in killing Sam (Tom
Veronica). What will happen next is
still yet to be determined as the how
doesn’t return until late February.
No matter what shows are being
watched, January and February are
well-awaited months for TV lovers and
show addicts as their favorite TV shows
return.
9
Designed by Will Roberts
Interstellar: Science-fiction dystopia
By Gigi Taylor
Opinion Editor
With tough scientific concepts and
uniquely split storytelling, Interstellar is a huge cinematic undertaking.
The idea is good and the theories are
sound, but does the movie live up to
its vision?
Set in the near future, the Earth is
slowly turning into a giant dust bowl,
crops failing year by year. Cooper
(played by Matthew McConaughey) is
an astronaut turned reluctant farmer.
Due to a gravitational disturbance in
his daughter Murphy’s room, Cooper
accidentally stumbles upon what’s left
of NASA and is asked to pilot a spacecraft meant to find a life-sustaining
planet beyond a new wormhole. His
daughter is upset at his choice to go,
and the two part angrily.
The mission proves to be a test of
strength, both mental and physical,
as the crew finds themselves making
tough choices based on supplies and
available information while life on
Earth gets progressively more difficult. The movie is long and emotional,
captivating its audience and portraying its characters’ struggles in almost
three hours of suspense that will leave
you on the edge of your seat.
McConaughey’s performance is
realistic and heartfelt, his character’s regret and isolation portrayed
wonderfully as the movie progresses.
Michael Cain, portraying the head
NASA scientist Professor Brand, and
Jessica Chastain, the adult Murphy,
act off each other wonderfully as their
characters struggle desperately to find
hope for humanity.
Few movies are scientifically accurate. Fewer still are credited with
causing scientific discoveries; Interstellar may be the first movie to boast
this.
The movie’s stunning visuals were
created by director Christopher Nolan and astrophysicist Kip Thorne.
Nolan wanted a scientifically feasible
movie; Thorne wanted to explain the
idea of relativity to the public. Thorne
worked with the visual effects workers
to create the most accurate graphics
possible, using hundreds of formulas
in different rendering engines to portray wormholes and black holes.
With thousands of computers, a
team of 30 people and a year’s worth
of calculations created the single most
accurate visual of a black hole ever
generated. That much effort is laudable, especially for Hollywood.
In addition to this scientific discovery, the movie also took interviews
from the 2012 documentary “The
Dust Bowl” of real people speaking
about their actual experiences from
that environmental disaster.
The movie is dedicated, interviewing survivors and scientists that add
to the realism of the movie. The visuals are not only accurate but absolutely stunning as well, and the movie
wraps its audience in its story.
I would give it an eight and a half
out of ten stars, as Nolan’s twists and
the arid hopelessness of it can lose
the audience, but it is a phenomenal
movie that is worthwhile.
Cyberterrorists attack Sony 3D printers now printing food
By Will Roberts
A&E Editor
On Nov. 24, 2014, a group that
calls themselves ‘Guardians of Peace’
informed Sony that they stole over
100 terabytes of data from them.
From this hack, the ‘Guardians of
Peace’ threatened Sony, warning that
if the movie The Interview—a comedy
about two entertainment journalists—
was released, they would continue to
leak sensitive information and even
bomb theatres airing the movie.
The ‘Guardians of Peace’ threats
were done in a fashion that left trails
of evidence that was found by the FBI.
“The Guardians of Peace, Comey explained, generally used proxy servers
that would disguise the locations of
their computer when contacting Sony
Pictures and posting their statements
online. But, he said, they sometimes
‘got sloppy.’” FBI Director James B.
Comey said.
The hackers “got sloppy” as they
forgot to cover their IP addresses
when communicating with Sony’s
computers. The FBI was able to extract the IP addresses and they were
similar to North Korean addresses.
For these reasons, it is believed
that North Korea was behind the initial hack and the United States responded by shutting down the North
Korean internet.
Although the statement of the IP
addresses does provide substantial
evidence, and the code within the
hack was written in Korean, many
still believe that North Korea was not
behind the attacks: including MCHS
students.
“I don’t think that they had enough
evidence. It seems obvious to blame
North Korea, however we need to look
into it more before blindly pointing a
finger,” Ryan Yedinak, senior, said.
Experienced hackers such as former
anonymous member Hector Monsegur doubt the allegations.
“Look at the bandwidth going into
North Korea. I mean, the pipelines,
the pipes going in, handling data, they
only have one major ISP across their
entire nation. That kind of information flowing at one time would have
shut down North Korean Internet
completely,” Monsegur said.
Whether further action will be taken or not is still to be determined as
many details of the issue still remain
classified.
This cold war-like situation still
has much that is left to be revealed.
By Danyelle Meyers
Feature Editor
It is proven that you can now 3Dprint pretty much anything, even food.
A company called Natural Machines
has introduced a 3D printer for food.
This food-making machine goes by the
name “Foodini,” which isn’t too different from a regular 3D printer. Instead
of printing plastics, it prints edible
ingredients squeezed out of stainless
steel capsules.
It’s the same technology, but with
plastics there’s just one melting point,
whereas with food it’s different temperatures, consistencies, and textures.
“I think that would be so cool but
I hope that what happened in Cloudy
with a Chance of Meatballs doesn’t
happen to us,” Brianna Campbell,
sophomore, said.
Most people think the Foodini
sounds like the ultimate laziness aid.
But what Natural Machines is quick to
point out that it’s designed to only take
care of the difficult and time-consuming parts of food preparation that discourage people from cooking at home,
and that it promotes healthy eating by
using inputing fresh ingredients before
printing.
“I think it is a pretty lazy machine.
The world is starting to rely on technology too much these days. People
should just do it the old-fashioned way
and cook the food on the stove or in the
oven,” Ellie Rivera, sophomore, said.
Other than being capable of creating
complex designs, such as very detailed
cake decorations or food arranged in
unusual shapes.
the Foodini can be useful for recipes that require precision and finesse,
like homemade pizza or filled pasta, or
other compicated dishes.
The only downfall of the machine is
the printing process is slow, although
faster than regular 3D printing. Currently, the device only prints the food,
which must be then cooked as usual.
But a future model will also cook the
preparation and produce it ready to
eat.
The company is completing a round
of financing and plans to begin mass
manufacturing in the second half
of 2015 at a projected retail price of
around $1,000, that is if people don’t
have concerns about eating printed
food.
“I think most people will be scared
to try the food printer because they
think the food isn’t real or they think
it won’t be cooked all the way,” Fredy
Alanis, sophomore, said.
10
Jan. 28, 2015
S ports
Designed by Ryan Sartori
Chicago Bulls:
No hibernation for Bears
By Ryan Sartori
Sports Editor/Headline Editor
By Calvin Stiteley
Journalism 1
As the NBA All-Star break approaches,
the contenders and the pretenders for the
championship are starting to reveal themselves.
The splash brothers of Golden State are
showing they are primed for a run into the
playoffs.
The Atlanta Hawks are proving they are
no joke either, with Kyle Kover shooting 51
percent from behind the three-point arc. But the team that many people thought
had the strongest chance of winning the title
this year is starting to find their footing.
The Bulls are finding themselves as a team
with chemistry and maturity.
As of Jan. 13, the Bulls sit at 26-14 and
are a game and a half back of the Washington Wizards for second place in the Eastern
Conference.
They’ve won huge games against the
Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and
division rival Toronto Raptors.
What’s helped the Bulls come to this
point is the emergence of players like Jimmy
Butler (20.9 PPG) and Nikola Mirotic (42%
FG%) and the resurgence of Derrick Rose
(17.0 PPG/ 40.2 FG%) and Pau Gasol (19.0
PPG/48.6 FG%).
Butler really has come out of the blue and
showed night in and night out that he was
the right pick in 2011. He puts up consistent numbers every night on both sides of
the floor, all while often times being put up
against the opposing team’s best player. His
play has put him in conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, the NBA’s All-Defensive team, Most Improved Player, and some
have even mentioned him in the MVP race.
Mirotic dominated the Euro League last
year, winning the MVP of that league. This
year he struggled to find his way in the NBA,
until recently, for the month of December
Mirotic was named the NBA’S Rookie of the
Month posting 9.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 41.2%
from the three-point arc.
DRose as well all know has been basically a non-factor for the Bulls the past two
years playing just 10 out of 164 games. But
this year, with two surgically repaired knees,
Derrick Rose is back in action. He is showing that he can’t still attack the basket with
the same reckless abandonment as before
and that he has more confidence in his shot
ability.
Pasettled for. But he has proved everyone
wrong to this point in the season. He’s showing u Gasol was the key free agent pickup for
the Bulls the off-season that everyone said
they flashes of his younger days as he posted
posted a career high 48 points in a Jan. 10
match-up against Milwaukee, and is poised
to make his 5th All-Star game appearance.
Excellent contribution from the “Bench
Mob” has also helped the Bulls excel to their
current spot.
What scary about this is that the Bulls
have yet to hit their peak.
There is still room for improvement on
the defensive side of the ball. The Bulls rank
14th in opponents PPG allowing an average
of 99.1 points. With defensive expert Tom
Thibodeau at the helm, I can definitely see
these defensive woes fleeing promptly.
For the Bulls it’s just a matter of becoming
healthy and putting their defense back together before they really take over the NBA.
Prior to the start of this year’s
football season, Chicago Bears fans
had high hopes for their team to
hopefully finish with a winning record and make the playoffs. Oh how
things change. The Bears actually
did the complete opposite, finishing
the season with an absolutely brutal
5-11 record, last in the NFC North.
The Bears’ main problems came
once again on the defensive side of
the ball, where the Bears had the
30th ranked defense in the NFL. The
defensive line was possibly the only
bright spot, with players such as
Stephen Paea, Jeremiah Ratliff, and
Willie Young having good seasons.
“They played a few good games,
but for most of the season they were
horrendous. One of the only spots
was the emergence of Willie Young
and (Kyle) Fuller having a decent
rookie year,” Nathan Przybylski,
freshman, said.
Other fans shared thoughts
about what the biggest issue was
on defense.
The defense gave up a mindboggling 6,033 total yards this past
year. They allowed a brutal 27.6
points per game to opposing teams.
Worst of all, the Bears allowed
50-plus points in two consecutive
games this year. The last team to do
that was the Rochester Jeffersons in
1923.
“We can see that the defense is
not as good as it was a few years
ago. One of the biggest issues this
year was not stopping opponents on
third and fourth downs. The defensive line should have been able to get
more pressure,” Hunter Nicoletti,
freshman, said.
Due to the defensive struggles,
many fans expected QB Jay Cutler
and the offense to pick up the slack,
and hopefully repeat as the NFC’s
top-ranked offense. The offense
also did the opposite, as they were
ranked 21st in the NFL compared
to last years’ 2nd ranked attack. The
Bears offense was “inept” as former
head coach Marc Trestman called it.
Wide receivers Brandon Marshall
and Alshon Jeffery took a step back
from last season, as Marshall only
had 721 yards receiving and Jeffery
had 1,133 (Last year Marshall had
1,295 yards and Jeffery had 1,421.) It
did not help that Marshall was battling injury the entire season, which
affected his play noticeably.
Cutler, who had just signed his
big contract extension for seven
years, worth $126 million was one
of the main factors in the offensive
struggles. Cutler led the league in interceptions, throwing a league-worst
18 picks, and fumbling the ball 12
times.
“I was far from happy with Cutler’s performance. The Bears organization need to make some significant
moves if they have any intentions of
making a Super Bowl appearance.
Cutler just doesn’t have the winning
Finding their stride
mentality,” Tyler Vessel, freshman,
said.
Cutler was not necessarily the
source for all of the Bears problems,
but he definitely took most of the
blame. Cutler’s inability to throw
the ball accurately once again made
many Bears fans angry with him.
“He has amazing talent around
him, but doesn’t throw the ball well
enough to them,” said Nicoletti.
In addition, fans also felt that
Cutler didn’t play well enough to deserve the starting job.
“He played mediocre at best. He
definitely didn’t deserve the starting
position for as long as Trestman gave
him the opportunity to. I don’t think
he deserves to be the starter next year,
especially if he plays like he did this
year,” Eli Mondrella, freshman, said.
When it came to positive stats, Cutler threw for 3,812 yards, and a career high 28 touchdowns, which actually is not a terrible stat line. The
‘For most of the season
they were horendous’
–Nathan Przybylski,
Freshman
30 total turnovers just overlooked
the positives.
Aside from Cutler, the offensive
line also brought problems, allowing the quarterback to be sacked 41
times. The line was beat up, with all
five starters missing time at least
once. Kyle Long was one of the only
outstanding linemen. He will be going to the Pro Bowl later this month.
The offensive play call was also
one of the biggest problems. Screen
passes and runs up the middle on
3rd and long situations made Bears’
fans scratch their heads.
“The Bears had some of the worst
play selection I’ve seen in a while.
He (Trestman) would run some of
the same plays over and over again
in unnecessary situations,” said
Mondrella.
Matt Forte was perhaps the only
offensive contributor statistics-wise,
as he rushed for 1,038 yards and had
808 receiving yards. He most likely
would have been able to rush for
more yards, but with a pass-first offense, he really did not get a chance.
As the Bears’ season ended on
Dec. 28, 2014, there was almost
a sense of relief, as fans would not
have to witness their team’s struggles any longer. The Bears did not in
any way go out with a bang, as they
lost 9-13 to the Minnesota Vikings.
With the season over, there were
many questions that needed to be
answered.
One very large question was answered on New Years’ Day: Trestman was fired. Some thought that
he deserved another chance but
most thought that he needed to go.
Trestman was expected to fix some
of Cutler’s problems, but instead he
practically lost all confidence in his
team and Cutler, who was benched
in week 16 against the Lions.
“Trestman’s job rested on Jay
Cutler’s production, and we all know
how that panned out. I don’t know
if we were expecting too much as
Trestman was considered an ‘offensive guru,’ but I do stand by the
Bears and their decision to get rid of
him,” said Vessel.
In addition to Trestman being
fired, Aaron Kromer and General
Manager Phil Emery were also fired.
Emery had allowed some questionable contract extensions, such as the
Cutler signing, which took out much
of the Bears’ cap space.
“He made questionable decisions
in the draft, and deserved to be fired
after the Cutler signing. With Cutler,
I would try to trade him, but with a
contract that big, few teams are willing to take that big of a contract for a
player that isn’t worth it,” said Przybylski.
The Bears have already found
another GM in Ryan Pace, who was
previously the Director of Player Personnel for the New Orleans Saints.
There is some concern with his age,
at age 37 he is now the youngest
GM in the NFL. Pace’s main objective was to find a new head coach,
one that can hopefully improve the
defense, and he did. He found John
Fox, the former head coach of the
Denver Broncos.
Fox and the Broncos parted ways
after a playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional round. It
came as a bit of a shock, as he had
an impressive resume, winning 46
games in 4 seasons, and a Super
Bowl appearance with Denver. This
season the Broncos went 12-4, but
began to fall off on the offensive side
of the ball later in the year.
Believe it or not, Fox actually
brings a solid defensive presence
to the Bears, something this team
desperately needs. This past season
Fox and the Broncos had one of the
stronger defenses in the league this
past season, only allowing 4,883 total yards of offense.
Fox also knows how to utilize offensive weapons when they are given. In Denver, he had a plethora of
talent on offense Peyton Manning at
quarterback, C.J. Anderson at running back, and Demaryius Thomas
and Emmanuel Sanders at wide receiver.
In Chicago, he will have another
opportunity to make things happen
on offense, as the Bears also have
many different weapons. Although
some Bears fans are unsure about
the hire, some are very pleased.
“I feel like it was a smart move.
The way he coached the Broncos offense and used the weapons for advantages will be a big factor. I feel
that the Bears are going to have a
great offense next year,” said Mondrella.
The Bears should be able to see
improvement next year, mainly
depending on how well Cutler performs, how well they draft, and who
they sign as a defensive coordinator.
11
S ports
Flying to the top Senior Moments
Designed by Sheila Angus
Jan. 28, 2015
By Sheila Angus
School News Editor/ Sports Editor
Courtesy of Marisa Williams
the team and are thankful to be apart
of a true family.
Even though the team is having
MCHS cheer squad has cheered
great success, there is always room for
for countless basketball and football
improvement whether it be in their
games, but this season they are the
routine or as an individual cheerones who deserve the cheers.
leader.
The varsity girls earned first place
“I plan to continue to improve by
at their Oswego
continuing to praccompetition that
tice and tumble,”
qualified them for
Diemer said.
ICCA State. The
The girls comsuccess didn’t stop
peted at conference
there, however, the
and place third
girls went to the
overall. Also, Marisa
ICCA State comWilliams, Natalie
petition and came
Wold, Kacie Sims,
second overall.
and Amanda GardThis momentum
ner competed for
is giving the team
the best of the best
confidence for the
stunt group and
remainder of the
won first place.
season.
“Although we
“My favorite part
didn’t place how
From left: Amanda Gardner,
is getting close to
we had hoped to
Marisa Williams, Natalie Wold,
my teammates,”
at conference, we
and Kacie Sims pose for a photo
Megan Diemer,
know what we
with their 1st place medals for
sophomore, said.
are capable of. In
best-of-the-best stunt group.
A large part of
fact, the day after
their success is
conference, we took
this team’s ability to work together.
second place with a perfect routine
All teams have rough patches, but the
and got the highest score we’ve ever
girls do their best to put aside differgotten. We beat some of the top teams
ences and work hard for their comin the state and we are excited to give
mon goals.
our all again at sectionals in hopes to
Much of the team has said that they return to state for the second year in a
have made such good friends through
row!” said Williams, sophomore.
JV cheerleaders
keep momentum
By Meghan Blenck
Staff Photographer
JV cheerleaders took 3rd at ICCA
state on Sunday, January 3 in the
Prairie Capital Convention Center
in Springfield. They competed as JV
large.
“It felt so good knowing that my
team and I did our best, and I was so
happy,” Shannon McIntyre, junior,
said.
First place went to Carl Sandburg
High School, and the second went to
Marist High School. The team knew
going in that these schools were hard
competition.
The team is coached by Lisa
Resner. Resner couldn’t be more
proud of her team accomplishments
this year.
“Carl Sandburg and Marist are
powerhouse cheer schools and it is
amazing that we are able to place 3rd
to these teams. They are very disciplined and throw clean, solid routines
almost every time. It just shows how
good our cheer program is becoming,” Resner, head coach, said.
“This JV Cheer season has been
one of the best yet. We have placed
in the top five at each competition
we have competed at so far. I could
not be more proud to be the coach of
these ladies this year,” Resner said.
Unlike some routines in the past,
this year’s routine does not have a
specific theme. It does feature music
that allows the crowd to get into it.
Such as the song “Pump Up the Jam”
by Technotronic.
“The hardest part of the routine is
probably the cheer part saying all the
words,” Mckienzie Singer, freshman,
said, “By the time we get to it we are
all worn out.”
The girl’s are using this victory to
bound, and focus more on being a
team. Many of them feel like they are
like family.
“I think all of them are really nice
people. I love them all. They are like
family,” Singer said.
The girls competitive season is
slowly coming to an end, but there
are two more competitions coming
up. They will be competing for the
conference title on Sat. Jan. 17 at
Plainfield North High School.
Their last competition will be Sun.
Jan. 18 at Northern Illinois University. The cheerleaders and coaches
are willing to put in extra work to end
the season with success.
“To improve our performance for
future events, we will continue to
strive for clean, solid, and deduction
free routines at practice. Our difficulty and tumbling is at a high level this
year,” Resner said, “ The team just has
to come together and fight for those
first place finishes.” Spring athletes set goals
Ashleigh Wilson,
track
Miguel Ruiz,
baseball
Looking forward to: Having another season with the
team and being a senior to
lead them.
Looking forward to: Positive season, winning record.
Team goal: Place at state.
Team goal: Win the WJOL
tournament and go further
into the state tournament.
Individual goal: Want to
run at state.
Individual goals: Have zero
losses as a pitcher.
Indian Legacy: Try to win
a state event and get an “Illinois” plaque.
Indian Legacy: Leave the
school knowing I played to
the best of my ability and
went out with a bang.
Alexa Zito,
softball
Liam Cuerton,
tennis
Looking forward to: We
want to repeat being conference champs.
Looking forward to: Having fun, and helping the new
recruits.
Individual and team goals:
I want to be the defensive
player that my pitcher
needs.
Team and Individual: Place in
the top 3 or 4 in conference.
Indian Legacy: Being a
leader, someone the team
can count on, and a great
teammate.
Indian Legacy: Make the tennis team better.
Meghan Blenck and Will Roberts/PPC
12
S ports
Girls basketball to roar into regionals
Jan. 28, 2015
Designed by Sydney Monroe
By Will Roberts
A&E Editor
In late February, the
varsity girls’ basketball
team will compete at regionals to surpass last
year’s performance and
set the bar for next year’s
team.
After losing 35 to 50 to
Normal Community High
School the previous year,
the team plans on a victory this season.
“Our goal for this year
is to execute well and play
as a team so that we can win
this year,” Emily Knaub, senior, said.
Knaub feels that the team
has a strong chance in winning regionals.
“I think the team has a
great chance and is very
strong. We have a lot of returning players and great
chemistry. Any person can
step up on any given night,
and we have a lot of scoring
ability in addition to great
defense,” Knaub said.
Head coach Ray Liberatore aims high and
executes practice in the
spirit of improvement.
“Two goals that we
have are to win conference and regionals,” Liberatore said.
Whatever team wins
regionals proceeds to
sectionals. Winning sectionals secures the team
at super-sectionals. The
victor of super-sectionals
continues to the state
tournament. Bowlers ready to strike in postseason
Tara Schumal/PPC
By Tara Schumal
Editor-In-Chief
Ask anyone their season expectations and the idea of state suddenly
pops into their brain. Within seconds
they’re rambling about how the odds
are of their team making it “all the
way.” Ask Lexi Jones, senior on the
girl’s bowling team, what her season
expectations are and you will get more
depth than another strong state finish.
Jones has been part of the bowling
team since freshman year has been to
state every year. On January 17, she
bowled a 289, just missing a perfect
score in the last frame and came in second in the Morris Tournament.
“I’ve personally been on a statequalifying year the past three years
and don’t get me wrong, I would love
to make state this year, but if I didn’t,
I wouldn’t be less proud of our team,”
Jones said.
But what she says next, is exactly
what she’s looking for in her final high
school bowling season.
“What many people don’t understand is the sport is about communication and awareness of one another. We
all know how to strike, but the most
significant thing is to feed off each
which means everyone has to try and
be positive. Without a doubt this has
been proved difficult, but now not only
do our 6 varsity girls carry it out well,
but the JV girls too. With doing this
comes truly knowing each other and be
one. I feel as if we have come together
and the titles of varsity and JV don’t
well did you bowl.
“It’s so easy for us to get caught
up in the score-board and forget how
those marks even get up there. The
fundamentals and the mental game is
“We are Minooka, and that’s
all that needs to be said for
what’s coming next.”
– Senior Lexi Jones
mean a fraction of what they used to.”
The main focus for girl’s bowling
this season is to not only pace themselves but find the correct time to peak.
With coaches help, they’re doing just
that.
“Coach Frank Yudzentis and Coach
Michael Resner are working hard (and
succeeding) and making us one unit,
Minooka Girls Bowling Team, putting
the least emphasis on solely the individual. They are also working hard emphasizing what we call ‘the process.’”
The process, as they call it, is focusing on the task at hand as a team. More
as a one group unit and less of how
what matters. Some days it’s a rough
shot and the scores don’t reflect our
well the team really bowled.”
And a new perspective of the team is
going exactly as planned. The Indians
have found themselves winning often
with a first place finish at the Palatine
Invite on Dec. 6, a fourth place finish
at the Plainfield North Strikefest Invitational on Dec. 13, and third place at
the Prospect Knights New Year Bowling Invite on Jan. 10. Their SPC Conference meet this season will be held
on Jan. 31 at Romeoville.
What really was said to be a moment to remember was the Palatine
Invite however.
“I saw what we can really do at the
Palatine Invite. We were doing decent
but needed to move up some spots and
we had a team huddle. The plan was to
play the other teams game, be as loud
as they were. The first shot thrown after the new plan was set was me and
when I came back to five girls screaming their lungs out for my performance,
the other teams faces were priceless. It
got into their heads and we won. That’s
what we can do as Minooka. We can
come together at the flip of a switch
and be one unit.”
As a senior on the bowling team,
she has mixed feelings for this season
coming to an end soon but at the same
time, she wouldn’t have it any other
way.
“Being my senior year, I couldn’t
be more proud of my team. The season may be coming be wrapping up in
some ways, but it’s really neat to see
the intimidation on other teams faces
or through their words. We are Minooka and that’s all that needs to be said
for what’s coming next.”
But Jones has no doubt in her mind
that this season will end up like none
other.
“We have peaked yet and other
teams are beginning to think the coast
is clear, but they don’t know what’s to
come!”