September 14, 2005 - Minooka Community High School District #111

Chatter
Peace Pipe
September 14, 2005
Vol. 91, Edition 1
Minooka Community High School
FYI on gas
prices
First day as
a freshmen
Lose a guy
in 1 date
Sports
scoreboard
Page 5
Page 7
Page 8
Page 12
Books for class, no lockers for books
Julie Schenck
PPC Sports Editor
It’s that time of year again.
Summer’s over, fall is just
beginning, and school is just
getting started. This year, like
others, is pretty much same
old, same old...except for one
little thing- there are over 1,800
students attending a high school
that can comfortably holds only
1,500 kids, and the hallways are
so over-crowded that an entire
grade level of students weren’t
issued lockers. Why does it seem
that the class of 2006 is always
getting the short end of the stick?
Let’s go back to the 200203 school year, when the now
seniors, were then freshman.
This was the year that the new
cafetorium was built, which
Cause: overpopulated school
Effect: some seniors lockerless
isn’t a bad thing, except for the
fact that when a window would
break, so would the school bank
account. The next two years
came along bringing a whole
new attitude towards school -we all received our beloved I.D.
cards, trailers were parked in the
front yard, and we lost one of
the greatest football coaches to
grace Minooka high school, not
to mention parking went up 75
dollars. But now the seniors have
to endure something that no other
upperclassman has ever endured,
not having a locker. Some would
say it isn’t a big deal, but it does
beg the question- where does it
stop?
Now students of MCHS are
finding themselves outside of the
building in order to pass to their
next class (this of course avoids
over-crowding in the halls). But
another technique to “keep the
flow” in the halls is placing the
seniors lockers in the orange
room. If you haven’t already seen
the newly constructed eyesores
yet, seniors you can locate your
lockers in between the fish bowl
and a coke machine.
Why the orange area you ask?
Principal Bob Williams answered
in an interview that the only space
available was either in front of
the senior murals, or in the orange
room. Not wanting to cover up
what past seniors had left behind,
the orange area was the best
get your things, you have to fight
the crowds to make it on time.
“School overcrowding is bad
because its hard to get to class on
time,” said Lauren
Ziemann, sopho
more.
The answer to
overcrowding
is obvious:
more
space.
Unfortunately, it
takes about
two years to
build a new
school, and since
the referendum didnt pass, it will
be quite sometime before we
actually get a new, bigger school.
“I think they should have known
that the school was going to be
overcrowded, sooner or later,”
said Megan Maines, sophomore.
Some people believe
they should build a
freshman center to
alleviate the rest of
the school. “The
school sucks,
they need a
freshman
center,
and they
should get
beat there,” said
Blake Issa, junior.
The prediction
for the 2006-2007
school year is about 2,111-2,130
people. The 2007-2008 school
year will grow even larger to about
2,270-2,365 people. 1,500 people
possible decision. These lockers
of course are only temporary, and
next year could bring something
completely different.
Fortunately, some seniors
already have lockers. A letter
was sent out to the class of ‘06, a
week or so before school started,
that stated if a locker was needed,
one could be provided. Several
seniors did request a locker due to
a full schedule,
“I got a locker because I have
a book for each class except my
gym class,” said Eric Wicklatz,
senior.
Other upperclassmen
requested a locker to make things
“Lockers” Continued on
page 10
Chaos means going to class
Kristen Neville
PPC Staff Writer
There are massive bodies of
people fighting their way down the
sweaty, humid hallways. Does this
sound familiar? This is what 1,831
people experience when they walk
through the doors of Minooka
Community High School. Chaos!
In the morning it is absolute
gridlock traffic at the stop sign in
front of the school, only to be cut
off by soccer moms in mini-vans.
When you finally make it into
school, you are met by a large
group of people, standing right in
front of your locker. Positioned
just so you cant reach it. Then
after your repeatedly nice attempts
to get them to move, you start
getting a bit impatient. When you
would be a normal class size
(this would equal to about 21-26
students per teacher). The MCHS
class has over 1,800 people, which
is why our individual class sizes
are so large. This overwhelms the
teacher, so the teacher cant really
give every student the personal
attention he or she needs.
The traffic in the parking lot is
ridiculous, the one way in and out
doesn’t help, it just creates more
traffic. Mr. Williams and other
staff are educating students on
traffic patterns, although it doesnt
seem like it is helping a whole lot.
Another problem is we have no
police directing traffic, or at least
doing something productive.
This school is growing,
and something needs to be done
about it. Not in the future…now.
2
School News
Peace Pipe Chatter
Fresh Faces in Minooka
Kelley Hernandez
Co-Editor-In-Chief
With each year at MCHS new
faces arrive, both students and
teachers. With the growing population of students, new teachers
became a necessity.
MCHS met this demand with
17 new teachers. Some of the staff
had been upgraded from part time
to full time and many replacements
were made.
Overall, eight replace
Mrs. Jaskoviak joins the MCHS staff
as a new music teacher. Photo by
Mike Speek, PPC Photo Editor
Mrs. Puckett keeps students in line as a new dean of students. Photo by Toni Bryant, PPC Photo Editor
ments were made within staffing
positions and nine new positions
were made available.
Although there are new faces,
students can also see past teachers
with different titles. For example,
our past Athletic director, Mr.
Bob Williams, is now Minookaʼs
principal.
Mr. Williams, who is now
the man in charge, stated that he
is very trusting in the wealth of
knowledge that each new teacher
possesses.
“Weʼre fortunate to have an extremely talented staff and instructional leaders,” said Mr. Williams.
In addition, Mr. Tyrell has
New Teachers
Jennifer Benson
Christopher Ferko
Jaime Fulmer
Anthony Babich
Adrianna Martinez
Monica Gulczynski
Michael Resner
Kevin Murphy
Christine Listello
Lori Dunn-Reier
Linda Jaskoviak
Hillary Hyland
Sharon Sanford
Joseph Host
Nicholas Lundin
Jenna Worst
Marianne Fleming
Christina Countryman
Kimberly Puckett
moved from a Dean of Students to
becoming an Athletic Director. The
new Deans this year include Mr.
Ruetigger, Mr. Wendlick, and Mrs.
Puckett.
With new staff and new positions adapting is a must according
to Mr. Williams.
“We need to learn about our
climate and culture and adopt their
[the staff] teaching styles,” said
Mr. Williams.
Hopefully this year MCHS will
achieve another successful year
and with a new and fresh staff only
the best can be expected. In the
past years the hard work and dedication has shown from students
and staff.
Position
Math
PE/Health/Drivers Ed
Social Studies
Science
Foreign Language
Science
Math
Social Studies
Fine Arts
English
Music
PE/Health
Social Studies
PE/Health/Drivers Ed
PE/Health/Drivers Ed
GSCE
GSCE
GSCE
Dean
September 14, 2005
Peace Pipe Chatter
Minooka Community High School
301 S. Wabena Avenue
Minooka, IL 60447
(815) 467-2140 Voicemail: ext. 264
ppc@mchs.net
Co-Editors-in-Chief:
Zach Pisut and Kelly Hernandez
Front Page Editors:
Chandell Pet and Cassie Carlson
Features Editor:
Krystal Moya and Angie Wiatrowski
Sports Editors:
Jeff Beguin and Julie Schenck
News Editors:
Brittany Pendry and Eric Engel
Arts & Entertainment Editors:
Eric Reynolds and Jessica Pieszchala
Copy Editors:
Chandell Pet and Taylor Bowen
Photo Editors:
Toni Bryant and Mike Speek
Secretary/Business Managers:
Stacy Kelley
Advisors:
Mr. Matt Thomas and Mrs. Julia Riedmaier
Staff Writers:
Nick Condotti
Steven Kelly
Kristen Neville
Jessica Larkin
Journalism I
Amanda Alexander
Angela Mateo
Ashlee Barnett
Megan McEvilly
Anna Bertrand
Zachary Meyer
Rocco DeCristofaro
Samantha Miller
Tommy Fincher
Caitlin Oretelli
Brandon Johnson
Allison Papp
Michael Kashuda
Mark Photakis
Lauren Keers
Sarah Silverman
Ryan Kelley
Michelle Speckman
Samantha Kelley
Samantha Surges
Ryan Kelsey
Carissa Weyer
Kristi Lawrence
Colin Whittle
Submission Policy:
The Peace Pipe Chatter strongly encourages suggestions and/or
responses to material printed on its pages. Letters to the Editor should be
submitted to Mr. Thomasʼs mailbox or to a Peace Pipe Chatter editor.
While submission does not guarantee publication, PPC staff
members will do their best to respond to all admissions. Submissions will
not be returned. All submissions are subject to editing and will not be
printed if they are considered to be inappropriate. They must be signed but
may be printed anonymously upon request.
Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/KRT
Campus High School Newspaper Sevice.
Editorials
3
Relatively new electronic music genre
revives popular ‘80s revolution
Peace Pipe Chatter
____________________________
Zach Pisut
PPC Co-Editor-In-Chief
Trends, especially those
within the musical category, are
constantly referred to as being objects of a continuous cycle. These
trends seem to enjoy the peak of
popularity for a decade or less,
then slowly decrease in fame once
the movements are globally recognized. After a trend has completely
phased out of popular culture, it can
work its way around the cycle once
again. This second cycle is what
ʻ80s synth-pop music seems to be
progressing into.
Whether or not many listeners can identify this specific
genre does not change the fact that
almost everyone has heard this type
of music. Pet Shop Boys, Soft Cell,
Dead or Alive, and Berlin are all
musical groups whose music have
become the definitive examples of
synth-pop from the ʻ80s. However,
these bands are not making triumphant returns from their indefinite
hibernation that began in the midʼ90s. Rather, new bands are taking
over where the ʻ80s veterans left
off, creating an updated version of
ʻ80s synth-pop called electroclash
music. This new endeavor signifies
the rebirth of synth-pop, for it seems
nothing more than an enhanced
form of the old genre, with thicker,
more distinct bass drum loops and
acidic bass lines, but with the clas-
sic ʻ80s synth lines. Some of the
most popular artists and bands include: Ladytron, Freezepop, Miss
Kittin, Felix Da Housecat, and The
Faint.
Even though to some it
is just a modernization of a fruitless
foundation in music, electroclash is
working its way into popular culture through many different media.
It is being played in addition to
the previously popular dance music genres at clubs and even some
raves. Also, compilations like Larry Teeʼs Electroclash Mix and This
Is Electroclash from well-known
dance music labels have been released, which feature some of the
best electroclash artists/groups on
the market. Through this adver-
September 14, 2005
tisement, the artists and groups
have gained more fans and fame
nationwide. Movies are also being infused with electroclash. The
motion picture soundtrack to Party
Monster, a movie about the rise and
fall of the famous Limelight club
in New York City, mainly encompasses electroclash as well as ʻ80s
synth-pop music, which is how I
was first introduced to the musical
genre.
Although many dance
music listeners are holding their
favorite by-gone genres tight to
their hearts, I am very approving
of the electroclash movement. It is
very fascinating to experience this
evolved form of synth-pop, and to
witness the musical cycle in mo-
tion. I also find its structure to be
innovative, for the electroclash vocal style seems to be something so
tactfully tweaked by a vocoder that
the voices of singers sound so futuristically superb in the final tracks.
The fashion of an electroclash song
is so familiar yet original with that
crucial element of the perfect voice
alterations.
At any rate, fans and nonfans of synth-pop cannot deny the
new movement that is electroclash.
Do not be surprised if this new
trend overtakes the punk and emo
phenomenon in the near future.
Background photo of multiple CD
compilation This Is Electroclash by
PPC Photo Editor Toni Bryant.
Good luck class of ‘06
no regrets
Leaving junior high and
stepping onto the big playground
known as high school was a large
step, but imagining stepping onto
a campus and seeing thousands of
new faces is unreal.
College life seems so unreachable starting senior year; however I know it will catch up fast.
I dread going to school
each day, who doesnʼt? I am constantly thinking of life after high
school and how fun it will be to be
indepedent, but the more it comes
down to it the more i know i will
miss the familiarities and comforts
of home and school.
In my opinion the goal in
life is to have no regrets and live
life to the fullest. I think as a senior
this is the perfect opportunity to experience new people and try new
things because everything we do
from here on out is our last.
It will be our last football
games, homecoming, and prom. No
more SSR on Wednesdays and no
more detentions from here on out.
The amount of stress experienced as a junior makes any
senior cringe, but this is not the
year to be overwhelmed and
aggravated.
At this point it
should be smooth sailing and
for those college bound students,
the hard work ahead is inevitable.
Not to mention the fact that we will
be held responsible for ourselves
and our actions, for once.
Looking back on the past
few years I realize Iʼve lost touch
with good friends
met new people,
but I know the
journey will
continue.
and
touch with good friends and make
new ones. Thatʼs what life is about,
playing the cards youʼre dealt.
With each chapter in life
Iʼll have a beginning and an
end. I end high school
only to be anxiously
waiting to begin
college.
Conclus i v e l y,
try not to
think of this
senior year as
the last year of
high school but the
first time we get to
be the class ruling the
school.
Take your classes seriously, but not too seriously. Donʼt
forget that this experience is not
just about learning, but about grow-
Se
n
-- io
-- rs
‘0 -6
____________________________
Kelly Hernandez
PPC Co-Editor-In-Chief
The
cycle
will only
repeat
in
college, Iʼll lose
ing as a person.
Senior year is the time to
live it up and enjoy what you have
left before going to college and becoming a freshman all over again.
To all the seniors my one
token of advice is to take this year
and do what you want to do, look
back on this year without having
any regrets. Look forward to making great memories with unbelievable friends.
Senior Kim Mason might
have said it best:
“I donʼt want to look back
in a few years and wish that I did
something different, talked to different people, hung out with a different crowd, or tried a little harder.
I want to make sure that I donʼt
waste this year being stressed and
frustrated... I just want to have fun.
Itʼs the last year, why waste it?”
4
News
Peace Pipe Chatter
Erin Engel
PPC News Editor
Gas has been really the topic
of choice among politicians lately.
Not just the bodily function kind,
but the car function kind. It appears
that more often than not students at
MCHS are feeling the squeeze. On
average, MCHS juniors are paying
$2.75 a gallon. (Note: survey was
taken before the effects of Hurricane Katrina) According to a report
done by CNN, roughly two months
ago Americans were paying $2.25
a gallon. Nearly a $0.50 difference
within two months tells us something. What is really causing this
jump in gas prices?
President Bush has even had to
step in with ideas to help lower gas
prices. His suggestion has been enacted to have US go to their natural
gas reserves in order to temporarily
satisfy this nationʼs hunger for gas.
Another report done by CNN.com,
on average, 19% of that $2.75 per
gallon is just in state and governmental taxes. That really is $0.52
of the amount per gallon, leaving
you with $2.23. Then from the
same study 55% of the $2.23 remaining goes directly to that cost
of crude oil suppliers. You do the
math. This leaves you with $1.22.
Now after adding in all the other
taxes like marketing at 8% and refining the gas at 18%, you end up
with just over $0.17.
September 14, 2005
Gas: No Laughing Matter
“Itʼs not right or fair because gas
isnʼt (really) worth that much,”
stated junior Lauren Ruther.
Due to the changing prices and
inflation in this country the prices
are bound to go up even more before consumers see any change.
Especially due to the effects from
Hurricane Katrina.
“They can (raise) the prices
and we have no choice but to pay
them,” said junior Paul Doyle. Itʼs
true though; supply is extremely
down, while the demand for gas has
grown even higher. Especially with
one of the main factors being from
Hurricane Katrina.
“They know people will pay for
it, even (if) it increases so much,”
said Danielle Auth, a senior who
seems to agree with Doyle.
Many do agree with her and
along with supply and demand,
many students that drive, consider
the war in Iraq to be a main factor
in the raise of gas. Actually 76% of
the seniors believe the war to be really the blame for gas prices. While
12% said no, one must ask themselves, if this is to be true?
“They arenʼt giving (the) U.S
any, and they have too much,” adds
junior Ashley Paxson. You may
agree with her, but the truth is the
really blame is due to the price of
crude oil and inflation, both going
up this summer.
Now if you still are not convinced that prices are higher than
they were last summer look at this.
The average senior that drives here
at MCHS pays roughly $25-$35
when they fill their tanks. Some
are even as high as $60.00. Some
things that scare students are that
prices will not fall and go
down to $2.00 again.
-“I don’t have that
kind of money
even with
my job”Senior Nick Carrescia
These studentsʼ worst fears about
the gas have seemed to one true,
for as Wednesday August 31, 2005
Minooka, Joliet, Shorewood, Channahon, and Morris saw prices well
above $3.00. Pilot off of Ridge
Road off of I-80 was reported to
have been under $3.00 before 5:00
pm Wednesday August 31, and then
by 8:00 pm it was $3.29. The most
anywhere near MCHS has ever
seen and much is due to the hurricane that attacked the southeast
of the country. According to ABC
Nightly News, the oil refineries that
are located in that part of the country make up for 10% of the countryʼs oil refinery systems, causing,
in some areas of the country, for
prices to be almost $4.00 a gallon.
A study was done by howtospend-
forless.com and it should that last
summer the American home that
had two drivers with two cars paid
$2,000 last year in gas. This year it
is $3,000 for the same family.
Some students even fear that
never ending pinch is here to say. Is
no one doing anything about this?
Are you saying to yourself, “I donʼt
have that kind of money, even with
my job” like senior Nick
Carrescia.
Tips from to Edmunds.com and
spendless.com, could have you saving some mullah at the pump. Seriously though, here are some tips to
save you some cash.
-Get gas in the morning r evening
hours. Gas tends to dense up then
and you maybe able to get amore
for your money.
-Keep your car in good shape.
-Compare prices between gas
stations
-Apply for their preferred cards.
You could save $0.03-$0.05 per
gallon.
Now for those of you whom
play The Fast and the Furious, you
might want to think again and swear
off drag racing if you want to save
some gas and save the horsepower
for the farm. Or even try carpooling
to and from school. Maybe even,
heaven forbid, riding the school bus
to school!
Then for those Friday night runs
to the theater, trying staying in one
lane, because by changing lanes
contently, you are wasting gas that
you could be using to take your
girlfriend out on a date with. For all
of you out there that like to race the
lights, you might want to consider
looking ahead and slowing down
before you slam on your brakes.
Not only does slowing down hand
save you break pads, but also precious gas. The price of gas really
does seem to affect our everyday
lives now, thus look for the cheapest day to get gas on.
For consumers living in Minooka, the Caseyʼs on Mondamin and
the Pilot right off of I-80 and Ridge
Road have their cheapest gas days
usually on their Saturdays. The BP
Amoco on Ridge Road, the best day
to buy gas are Thursdays.
Now consumers living in Shorewood might want to try Jewel Express on Route 52 and Highway
59 along withSpeedway on Black
Road and 59 having their lowest
prices being on Mondays or Thursdays. Citgo on Plainfield Road, the
cheapest day is usually a Monday.
Consumers in Channahon might
want to get gas atCaseyʼs on Route
6 or the BP Amaco off of 55 on
Thursdays because of them seeming
to be lower that day. Also consumers must take it upon themselves to
watch the prices and to compare before they buy. From recent stories
in the news and the media it appears
that now relief is in sight as of now
for the pinch at the pump.
Rising Gas Prices: Rising Food Prices
Steven Kelly
PPC News Editorr
As a studentʼs lunch bell is about
to ring, the sense of a hyena attacking its victim comes to mind.
With Minooka, it takes a great deal
of food to get the studentsʼ body
fired up. Ranging from the usual
non-healthy teenagers favorite of
fries, pizza, and hamburgers, to the
healthier styles such as salads, subs,
and gelatin, there is a great variety
of food. This year that feeling is not
the same and the once loved lunch
is now firing up studentsʼ tempers,
because of the raising prices of the
food.
“They are absolutely horrible!”
stated junior Ashley Quinn, in pertaining to the raise of the schoolʼs
lunch prices. “They are way to
high. Compared to last yearʼs prices, we pay more and get less. It just
doesnʼt make any sense to me.”
Others just do not care.
“The raising of the lunch prices
actually havenʼt affected me in anyway, because I get all of my food for
lunch from the vending machines,”
laughed junior Nikki Burns.
The chicken baskets that once
held three pieces of chicken, now
only hold two pieces and yet they
cost the same. Why is this? Could
it be the school just wanting to take
more money out of the growing student bodyʼs pocket?
The answer to all is simply no.
For the school to be involved in
these decisions is not possible. The
prices are made from the Cafeteriaʼs supplier, Fox Company, who
is the company that ships out the
food, and are the ones who charge
the cafeteria at a certain price.
“The school has nothing to do
with us. We are run by Arbor Man-
agement. That is the name on our
paychecks,” explained head of the
cafeteria, Mrs. Hilderbrant.
Because of the rising gas prices,
Fox Company now asks for more
money to do to the shipping, which
in the end, leaves no choice but to
raise the prices. With recent prices,
we can only expect them to go up.
“We charge more to the students
because we are charged more. We
could have sold a cheaper quality of
the chicken and have the students
get the same amount as last year,
and pay the same,” explained Hilderbrath, “but the quality and taste
of the chicken seems to be what the
kids love.”
Prices of pizza since last year have
gone from $1.85 up to $2.15, candy
has gone up only $0.05 from $0.75
to $0.80. Prices of pop, cheeseburgers, and many more have gone
up as well. Prices may go up in the
future or go down.
“It all depends on the prices of
gas. If they go up, then our lunch
prices go up. If they go down, then
we make them go down. However,
once the prices are set for the year,
we canʼt change them,” finished
Hilderbrant.
News
Peace Pipe Chatter
the “test” years
Taylor Bowen
PPC Copy Editor
“Junior high was a learning experience, where we got
used to growing up, where we
learned to get along with a lot of
people, where we got ready for
high school. Now weʼre here. Now
weʼre getting ready to go out into
the real world, and getting ready
for college. This is where we get
down to business,” said Maggie
Raynor, freshman.
Do you remember what it was
like to be in junior high? Do you
remember how
different it was
compared to how
things are now?
Did you have
totally different
friends, were
you more or less
popular, did you
look different,
and did people
treat you differently? How have
things changed
since then?
“High
school has too
much drama. Too
– much - drama.
But itʼs more fun for me. Iʼve got
more friends and I do like it more.
But too much drama. Definitely,”
exclaimed Jeremy Sladetz, sophomore.
Paul Coriell, sophomore, agreed.
“The drama increased along with
the freedom we enjoy such as being able to drive, friends, and their
women. Iʼve gotten nicer over the
change and became more popular.”
There are a lot of students
that think that high school has way
more freedom than junior high
school, which is probably true.
Parents and teachers trust you with
more and let you go out on your
own even more. Many people get
their licenses during high school,
which is a whole new step to
freedom. Many of students whose
friends get their licenses also get
more freedom, because they can
get rides to places without involving their parents. There are more
activities that students can get
involved in, and many more parties
people throw. There is a whole new
world of responsibility.
Not everything about high
school is good, though. There is a
lot more peer pressure to do drugs,
a lot more drinking, a lot more
situations to make the right or
wrong choices. Many students here
at MCHS are nervous about what
will happen when it is their turn to
make a good decision.
Many of the students
here made
a lot of new
friends when
they entered
MCHS. “In
high school I do
have a lot more
friends, but
not much else
has changed,”
commented Rosalynn Ehteshami-Afshar,
sophomore.
The first
couple years
of high school
are just sort of
“test years.” You
learn who your real friends are,
and how high school goes. “Freshman year was so different than last
year and this year. Each summer
I changed so much. In freshman
year I looked totally different, and
I was so young then. I didnʼt know
a lot of the things I know now, and
didnʼt have any of the experiences
that Iʼve got now. I have way more
friends now and I almost know
everybody. Freshman year I knew
like three people. It definitely gets
better as you go,” said Tim Salazar,
senior.
Junior high was like the
“test” high school, or the “junior”
high, so to speak. There is way
more freedom, way more fun, way
more friends. “I canʼt wait for this
year to really start. Itʼs going to
be amazing,” commented Mitch
Pursel, freshman.
You start to
learn who
your real
friends are.
F.Y.I
Where to search
for the lowest
gas prices
Channahon
*Casey’s at 25258 W.
Eames St.
* BP at 25350 W.
Eames St.
* Speedway at23901
W. Eames St.
Crest Hill
*Thornton’s off of
Weber and Renwick
Joliet
*Citgo at 4100
Jefferson St.
*Phillips 66 4303 W.
Jefferson St
*Thornton’s at
Jefferson St. and
Infantry Dr.
*Shell at 4230 W.
Jefferson St.
Minooka
*Pilot off of Ridge
Road by I-80
*BP Amoco off of
Ridge and Minooka
Rd.
Shorewood
*Dominick’s at Rt. 59
and Black Road
*Gas City at R 59
and Black Road
Speeday at Rt. 59
and Black Rd.
gasbuddy.com
September 14, 2005
Krystal Moya
PPC Features Editor
Since the incidents of
September 11, it has been an
increasing worldly concern about
air-flight safety and the threats of
terrorism to our airports across the
globe. The height of fear in the
seats of planes has considerably
increased, but so have the safety
precautions to minimize terrorist
threats. However, since September
11, several plane crashes have occurred due to problematic systems
or simply weather concerns that
should not have been overlooked.
The increased fear of a bomb being
on the plane or an suspected Iraqi
insurgent may have caused airline
officials to overlook normal policy
checks that would have immediately been recognized.
On August 2, a plane
landed in a Toronto airport because
of storm dangers. The land, being
unplanned and poorly piloted, was
one of consideration. Since the
runway was wet, the plane had
skidded off the slick pavement
and careened into a forest just
barely missing Canadaʼs busiest
highway, 401. The plane broke
into pieces and came to a halt in a
ravine where Torontoʼs emergency
officials rushed to the scene. There
was no immediate word on casualties, but when a passenger airliner
breaks into pieces while carrying
309 passengers, it was able to assumed casualties where at hand.
However, miraculously,
5
all 309 passengers escaped the
wreckage unharmed and then, minutes later, the wreckage exploded.
The Air France passenger jet was
no more due to a weather infraction that should not have occurred.
“Could you imagine,
walking off something as horrific as that, and then watching it
explode behind you. I would be
devastated to know that the pilot
was at fault or something as simple
as the weather could have been
avoided,” stated a worried Amy
Cyplick, senior.
“I wouldnʼt set foot on
a plane again, and I would have
everyone fired who made the
mistakes they made,” commented
sophomore Victoria Moya.
It seems that plane fear
has caused another irrational
problem that should have never
occurred in the first place. Could
the irrational fears of the world and
airline officials possibly be blinding them from things that should
never be overlooked even by an
amateur pilot?
“Gosh! It makes you
think, all the money theyʼre putting
into airline safety and they still
canʼt figure out donʼt fly a plane
in a bad storm,” said Christi Hoin,
senior.
Since the plane crash in
Toronto, an investigation has been
dispersed to determine the fault
and the preventions that could
avoid this problem in the future.
309 passengers
survive plane crash
6
Features
Peace Pipe Chatter
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Fashion at MCHS is more than what you wear, it is a statement of you.
Students make their
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Bryant.
A night out with your friends, priceless...or close to
Cassie Carlson
PPC Front Page Editor
Another Friday night, no
money, so clearly no plans, right?
As high school students, in most
cases, money is not flowing our
way as often as needed.
Between clothes, gas money,
food, and all the other little expenses that add up throughout the week,
we end up scrounging around for
cash for our big weekend plans.
“I hate having to ask my parents for money just so I can have
a good time, but I hate having to
sit around even more,” said Julia
Moauro, sophomore.
Itʼs often said that living in the
Minooka-Channahon area there is
nothing to do, and anything in the
neighboring towns that could be a
good time, costs big bucks.
Luckily, some Minooka students have found a way out of this
pickle.
“Usually my friends and I will
go out for coffee or get some food
at Sarahʼs Place, you get a lot for a
little, and your always bound to run
into people you know there,” said
Anna Raft, junior.
Sarahʼs Place has become a
popular place for teens around the
area, with free re-fills on coffee,
and the low prices for good food,
thereʼs not much more to ask for in
a restaurant.
“I meet up with friends constantly at Sarahʼs, and we all go
and hang out afterwards. I love
being able to eat and hang out with
friends for a low price,” said senior
Katie Kuzma.
Another common Friday night
out for Minooka High School
students is the Friday night football
games.
Students enjoy being able to
cheer on their fellow classmates
while hanging out with others, and
all this with free admission.
“Almost every home game I
like to see the football team play
and hang out with my friends, and
it doesnʼt hurt that itʼs free,” said
TJ Bulthuis, sophomore.
Lately the talk around school
has revolved around fest after fest.
The Cornfest is coming at the end
of September to Morris.
The festivals attract a lot of
teenagers, and while they are having a good time, spending money
isnʼt necessary.
“On nights out, I love going
to fests with my friends. You can
meet a lot of people and just have
a good time,” said sophomore,
Natalie Scheidt.
Joliet becomes full of teens on
the weekends. The mall, Barnes &
Nobles, the movie theater, Steak
& Shake, and Target all are a walk
away from each other for students
who can or can not drive are able
to spend a lot of time at different
places without worrying about
spending much money.
“On a cheap night, out my
friends and I usually go to the mall,
and go to the Super Saver movies,
and then eat in the food court. The
whole night only cost about $7.00
and is always such a good time,”
said Lizz Celmer, freshman.
This Friday, money or lack of,
the only question you should be
asking yourself is “which place?”
rather then how much.
Features
Peace Pipe Chatter
September 14, 2005
A new taste in studying, and man
is it good!
Angie Wiatrowski
PPC Features Editor
Sitting on the couch or a bed, the
TV or radio blaring and nearly
falling asleep is how most students
study these days. Why be cooped
up in the house when there are
plenty of relaxing places to go
and study? The library may be the
first thing that pops up into many
peopleʼs heads when it comes to
studying. However, the library
can be just as boring as sitting in
school. Go have a cup of coffee,
stay awake, sit in a relaxing chair
and actually study at a local coffee
house or café.
There are many options
from Panera in Plainfield, Starbucks in Joliet, and Bean Encounters in Minooka. These days,
places like Starbucks are packed
with laptops and people buried
deep into their textbooks. Not
only high school students, but also
college students take advantage
of these opportunities as well. For
example, Jenn Hughs, junior in
college, explains, “I get up at six oʼ
clock every morning and study at
Starbucks because it is my second
home. It is my get away where I
can actually concentrate and relax.
Itʼs not as stressing.”
Senior Erin Kaylus states,
“I usually study at work because
itʼs my second home, but I plan
to study at starbucks when Iʼm in
college. It will become my third
home.”
Places like Starbucks,
Bean Encounters and Panera
usually stay open until at least
10:00 pm for students who like to
procrastinate and take advantage
of these opportunities. Finding alternative places to study is a good
way to give up procrastinating and
get work done. When studying at
A student chooses to study for that big test at a local Starbucks, among the
other places that have treats and study havens. Photo by Angie Wiatrowski
home in front of the TV or computer, students are more than likely
going to ignore their homework for
their favorite TV show, or to check
their Xanga on the computer, or IM
some one. Senior Lindsey Hugenburg states, “I like to get out and
study because after awhile I get
sick of sitting at home. Itʼs harder
for me to concentrate.”
People tend to be more
comfortable in a coffee house
atmosphere knowing that they
have their comfort in coffee and
that they will get their work done
before they leave. They can sit in a
comfortable chair, have their scone
or cookie, and their white mocha
at their side and look forward to
going back every day. Itʼs not as
quiet and definitely not as boring
as a library, but it is not as distracting as staying at home can be.
Studying at home can also increase
procrastination.
Not into coffee? Try a
café. Places like panera offer a
wide variety of things if students
want to catch dinner and their
studies at the same time. They
also have a relaxing atmosphere
with comfortable couches and
chairs where students can sit, have
their soup or sandwich and read a
book thatʼs due soon or study for
a final. Stacey Dwyer, sophomore
at JJC agrees, “ I usually study at
Starbucks if I need to during the
weekend, but I like studying at
Panera during the week. The good
food helps me get through the
tough homework.”
Studying at home is not
necessarily bad however, and if
transportation is not available,
itʼs no problem. Many students
may prefer studying at home or
just donʼt have cars to go to other
places. But if you need to study
at home, it is more effective to be
somewhere comfortable and have
no distractions. Senior Sara Burns
says, “If I do my homework, I do it
in my basement. Its very cool and
relaxing down there.”
Junior Kasi Jorgenson
agrees, “I like to study in my room
because Iʼm comfortable there and
can get a lot of work done.”
Students study different ways
and in different places, but if the
location is not right, local coffee
houses or cafes offer a relaxing
environment and atmosphere to
get some work done and prepare
7
for the college days. It is a way to
sit in a stress free environment,
enjoy a frappuccino or mocha, and
concentrate on that next homework
assignment. Local places include
Bean Encounters in Minooka,
Starbucks on Rte 59 and Theodore
in Joliet, and Panera on Rte 59 and
Caton Farm road. So grab your
backpack or a good book and get
a kick-start on you homework by
heading to your local coffee house
or café.
Yea, I’m a freshman.
Angela Mateo
PPC Staffwriter
The first day of school is kind
of like one big blur. As an incoming freshman the school seemed
huge and confusing. On the way
to my first class I got lost. What
a way to start off the next four
years of my life, right?
Crowded hallways and shoulder to shoulder with complete
strangers filled up my time in
between classes.
Not only in the hallways, but
also in my classes there were
complete strangers. It was a good
thing we didnʼt have lunch or
else I might have felt even more
lonely and afraid.
Having no friends in your
class isnʼt too bad, but when I
never saw them, it was. It was
like I was separated from all my
friends everywhere I look. Even
though going to school isnʼt
about seeing your friends, they
help make it fun.
As I went to all my classes I
realized something. My A days
consisted of all the classes that
I enjoy. It isnʼt that I donʼt like
the classes on my B day, itʼs just
theyʼre not my favorite subjects. I
wonder how such an odd thing
like that happened.
Some of my classes have no
air-conditioning whatsoever.
Thereʼs just annoying fans all
over the room. They go back and
forth blowing hot air into your
face and your papers off your
desk. That makes it an extremely
uncomfortable learning environment.
Going through the school
made me wonder if there were
any aerial pictures of schoolʼs
main hallways. If so, they might
look like the Roman numeral two.
If school wasnʼt already
awkward, the bus ride was even
worse. On the way to school we
couldnʼt even pick everyone up
because it was so crowded. After
trying to fit everyone on the bus
over the maximum limit, most
kids simply got off and walked
home. It still wasnʼt until an hour
later when I got home.
When I got home I reflected
on my day. I liked it despite everything that didnʼt go smoothly.
Iʼm not going to base the next
four years on my first impression,
Iʼll simply learn from it.
8
Peace Pipe Chatter
Arts & Entertainment
September 14, 2005
How to Lose a Guy in One Date: Avoid these mistakes!
Brittany Pendry
PPC News Editor
We’ve all had them, and if
you haven’t, you will. Sometimes
it’s like one of those nightmares
where you’re running from a guy
who’s trying to kill you, and you
want so badly to wake up but you
can’t. Dating can be just like that.
Those annoying little things you
just can’t stand, and you want it to
over before its barley begun. Don’t
worry though you’re not alone.
This is for the guys and girls
who think they know everything
about the opposite sex. Both sides
are here to tell you what they hate
and what you’re doing wrong. So
the next time you decide to swoop
in on a girl in a short mini skirt,
don’t say something you’re going
to regret later.
1. Pick up lines don’t work
“I’ve been at the movies before
and a guy came up to me and
used a cheesy pick up line, I can’t
stand that!” said Kara Mcpherson,
sophomore. Girls don’t want to be
treated like just another girl; they
want to be the only girl.
2. Third wheel
“If a guy asks me out on a date,
I expect it to be only the two of us.
Not meeting up with a bunch of
girls, or even going with another please! There are some things that “wow he’s a great dresser,” they’ll
group of guys. Tonight I don’t want guys need to take care of, and some be thinking “oh my God! I feel like
to be just your friend. If a girl wants things that girls need to take care I’m dating my best girl friend”.
to be just friends, she’ll drop a hint. of. This is one of those things,”
Alright, it’s time to stop ripping
If she starts talking about what girls said Maddie Capodice, sophomore. on the guys. As much as girls hate
she’s going to invite to join you
to admit it, they mess up too.
two, then it’s not a date,” said
6. Flirt with the right person
Rachel Pucel, sophomore.
“I hate it when girls ignore
3. Keep eyes to your date
you and flirt with other guys.
“Don’t check out the
It’s like, you’re here with me,
waitress, it’s just rude,” said
not him,” said Matt Bannon,
Alyssa LoBue, junior. Come
sophomore. It’s true ladies, just
on guys, the last thing a girl
as guys have the tendency to
wants to see is you looking at
want to flirt, so do girls. Focus
another girl’s goodies. If you
on why you’re with that guy,
want to do that with your guy
there has to be a reason or else
friends it’s a little tacky, but
you wouldn’t be there with him.
it still isn’t as bad as actually
So when you’re flirting with
doing it on a date!
another guy, think how you’d
4. Spend a little money
feel if he was doing that with
Now we all know that girls
another girl.
can be high maintenance, but
7. The Ex
the one thing that shows a girl
The biggest mistake in all of
Joel Johnson, class of 2004, sneaks a look at
that you actually like her is a Hooters waitress while his girlfriend Ryan
dating history is, “mentioning
if you pay for her when you Kelsey, sophomore, is not looking. Looking at a
your ex. It only makes us mad
go on a date. Trust me, they waitress can get any guy in trouble. Photo by:
and sends us signals saying
appreciate it, and it shows that PPC Photo Editor Toni Bryant.
that you’re still not over him,”
you want to be there with her. It
said Nick Mancini, sophomore.
pays off in the end.
Obviously you were with
“If you go to a movie and a guy Going on a date and talking about your ex for a reason, but there’s
doesn’t pay for your stuff, that’s how you had the hardest time also a reason he’s called your EXstupid. It’s like why am I going?” choosing what to wear, couldn’t boyfriend. You’re no longer with
said Erin Schneider, junior.
find anything, so you went out and him, so forget about him and give
5. Don’t be such a girl
bought a new outfit, probably not a this guy a chance.
“Don’t obsess about your shoes, good choice. Girls wont be thinking,
Everyone has unattractive
qualities. What are some of the
girls?
8. Watch what you say
“Don’t try to be cool by swearing,
it’s a big turn-off. All we can think
about is, ‘Can you actually have
a real conversation?’” said Tim
Ghilain, sophomore. Some other
unattractive qualities are a bit more
noticeable.
9. Looking like a man when
you’re a girl: definitely unattractive
“You can’t be hairy, like
Chewbacca,” said Doug Gregory,
junior. There are some things girls
can’t control, most of them they can.
So if you haven’t shaved your legs
for a week and you have a date that
night, take ten minutes out of your
time to clean up a little bit. You can
look like a Bay watch lifeguard, but
if you look like you’re half woman
half wolf, I’m sure he won’t care.
Everyone makes mistakes on
a date, so don’t worry if a really
embarrassing story slips out,
you’re date has got some too. For
every great date, there’s going to
be hundreds of bad ones. Some
dates are going to be so bad you’ll
wonder how you survived three
minutes let alone three hours. Most
importantly though, remember to
shave your legs.
Willy Wonka vs. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Eric Reynolds
PPC A&E Editor
Overall, this summer seemed to
provide us with one of the biggest
box office slumps in history. Many
films, although critically acclaimed
and well reviewed, failed to attract
larger crowds of audiences this
summer. However, one that was
destined to spark controversy from
its preview days was “Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory.”
Many recalled the wildly
popular “Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory” (1971) and
automatically labeled Tim Burton’s
attempt at the story a “remake.”
Although many believed this,
“Charlie” was not a remake of
the original “Willy Wonka,” but
simply, another attempt at attracting
Roald Dahl’s story to theaters.
“I didn’t bother comparing
the two. I knew that this year’s
version was also based off of
the book and was not a remake,”
said freshman Amy Strohman.
Knowing that the two films
were to be treated in their
own respective fashions,
there was still a difference
in opinion as to which
of the two was more
enjoyable. Prior to the
film, the general populous
was excited for the premiere
of “Charlie,” but wondered
how accurately the futuristic feel
would depict the original story.
“Even though it was futuristic,
the character backgrounds and
descriptions were very accurate,”
stated sophomore Mia McConaughy.
“I liked the end of the movie and
how it
showed what happened to all of
the kids and Charlie’s family.
The first movie didn’t have that.”
“In the older film, I hated Gene
Wilder (Willy Wonka), he was
really obnoxious and annoying,
but Johnny Depp was really
funny. The actors and
actresses did a
better job playing
their
roles,”
said Stephanie
Adamkiewicz,
sophomore.
The one
difference
that
many
disliked were the
infamous Oompa
Loompas
and
their
“I liked the
techno-like dance
breaks for each character”
- Amy Strohman
memorable rhymes. However,
others liked the new songs
correlating with each character.
“I liked the techno-like dance breaks
for each character,” said Strohman.
One thing that still seemed to
question many was what possessed
Tim Burton to digitally multiply just
one actor, Deep Roy, and leave him
as the only credited Oompa Loompa.
“I think they did it that way
just to make it easier on the
choreography,” said McConaughy.
Surprisingly, the new feature
actually pleased the majority of
its viewers. Even though it was
different from the other film,
it was, overall, the same story,
give or take some special effects.
Arts & Entertainment
Peace Pipe Chatter
September 14, 2005
The enemy attempts to enlighten chicagoland
Jessica Pieszchala
PPC A&E Editor
There is something about
Chicagoland that is just so…
artistic. Unfortunately, most people
do not know much about the art
community in Chicagoland, if
anything at all. This does include
music. Of course, most people
know the basics: there’s the
Art Institute, the Museum
of Contemporary
Art, the Museum
of Contemporary
Photography, and
more, as well as music
venues all around.
However, not
everyone has the
chance to go out to any
art museum regularly,
downtown or not, and check
out the wonderful things they
have to offer. That is what a couple
of Minooka students are trying to
help.
There’s a simple magazine on
the internet (so technically, it’s an
e-zine), called The Enemy. The
URL is http://www.enemyzine.
com. The Enemy staff has been
“I hope everyone
reads our stuff; the
Chicagoland area
has such a colorful and diverse art
community.”
-Meghan Forajter
together for about four months
now. It was started by two
Minooka high school students
looking for something to do;
they are sophomores Brittany
Sowacke and this reporter, Jessica
Pieszchala. Within those four
months, they have recruited a staff
that includes six more people.
Vince Aguilar and Nick Stablein,
sophomores, and Meghan
Forajter, senior, are among
the staff, and attend MCHS
as well.
“The Enemy
looks promising and
interesting, to say the
least,” commented
Aguilar, a staff writer for
The Enemy.
Hopefully no one gets
confused. The “staff” of The
Enemy doesn’t get paid. They
do this all to open people up to
new opportunities.
“I hope everyone reads our
stuff; the Chicagoland area has
such a colorful and diverse art
community,” said Forajter, The
Enemy’s Arts Editor.
Meghan Forajter and Brittany Sowacke work in the MCHS Cybrary
after school. Photo by Mike Speek,
PPC Photto Editor
It’d be rather pointless without
an audience to listen to them. They
have so many opinions and would
9
love to enlighten people.
“I started writing for The
Enemy as a way to voice my
opinions,” explained Tom Novak, a
staff writer from another area.
“Mostly my audience would
be anyone who likes music, since
I’m the music editor,” said Brittany
Sowacke.
They all have hopes to reach
different audiences though.
“I expect the kids who like
bands and indie music. This will
appeal to them immensely,” told
Forajter, “I hate to have us stay in
such a confined audience, but what
can you do?”
All in all, they’re putting so
much time into this. So far, their
site has moved to having it’s
second issue out, and a third issue
September 19th. If you’d like to see
all their hard work, The Enemy can
be found at http://www.enemyzine.
com.
Movie Review: The Brothers Grimm
Jessica Larkin
PPC Staff Writer
Written by Ehren Kruger
and directed by Terry Gilliam,
the Brothers Grimm is set in the
mid 1800’s. The brothers, Will
Grimm, played by Matt Damon,
and Jacob Grimm, starred by Heath
Ledger, have made a career out of
scheming. They trick the public
into giving them money to rid
themselves of what people fear
most- the supernatural.
Using different techniques of
pulleys and rope, the Brothers
and their “unnatural beings” have
become famous and well known.
The sweet life soon ends when
they are forced to rid a small town
of actual witchcraft, and bring back
missing girls who disappeared
without a trace. Meeting a disray
of characters that help the Brothers
Grimm uncover an unnatural
The movie is based upon the book;
it can be found in the MCHS library.
Photo by Mike Speek, PPC Photo
Editor
fairytale, such as Angelika
(Lena Headey), the beautiful
woodsman, whose knowledge
and techniques of the forest is
impressive, while entertaining. She
helps the Brothers keep their lie,
unintentionally, from spilling out
by showing them things that prove
her own theory correct.
Will Grimm (Damon) the
bolder brother of the two runs the
business and is the ladies man who
holds no remorse for the career
they have chosen, while Jake
Grimm (Ledger) is shy, and feels
regret for the life they have chosen.
He holds a backbone to his brother
until his brother mentions the
words that freeze his tongue. Being
together their entire life, Jacob
must learn to fend for himself and
over come the unreal foe. If he
fails, not only his life will be on
the line.
The movie held some very
entertaining sequences while it had
some that were just corny. Such as
when Will (Damon) licks the back
“Watching Damon lick the
toad will make
you think
twice of
where Damon’s mouth
has been.”
of a toad and promises to kiss the
toad if he shows him a way out of
the forest. Watching Damon lick
the toad will make you think twice
of where Damon’s mouth has been.
The movie referenced all of
the favorite fairytales throughout
the movie that just made it more
intriguing, but an extremely corny
part of the movie is when Will
figures out where the missing girls
are and watches a man lay one of
the missing girls into a tomb and
immediately after he lets go, glass
slippers appear on her feet and she
starts clicking them together by the
heels. Later on the movie makes up
for it, but a few scenes did hurt it
minorly.
Overall, on a scale 1-10, I rate
the movie a 6. Definitely worth
seeing for its creativity, laughs
and stars, but probably not worth
buying on DVD or video. Although
it may not seem as appealing as
other movies that are currently in
theaters, the movie is worth seeing,
if only once.
10
Lockers
Peace Pipe Chatter
Continuing the Chatter
cont. from page 1
a little easier on themselves,
“I requested a locker because I
didnʼt want to carry all my books
around,” stated Joe Alexander,
senior.
Well seniors, locker or no locker
we have one year left to tough it
out and then weʼre gone, so having
to make due is just part of our high
school experience.
School pictures!
Sept. 15-16
Cafetorium
Get your picture taken for
your school memories.
September 14, 2005
Pick up your Yearbook!
Yearbook distribution in MCHS
cafetorium
Sept. 15, 16, 19
7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Must have school ID to pick up
Sports
Peace Pipe Chatter
__________________________
Jeff Beguin
PPC Sports Editor
Fantasy football, a game
of statistics and strategy, is the
ever-so-popular fad that intrigues
the minds of every sports fan in
America. It gives a sense of being
a general manager of a team while
sitting comfortably in a computer
chair. Sports fans all share one
thing in common: they all play
fantasy sports and enjoy it.
Sometimes known as
a water cooler game, fantasy
football is played in office pools,
by students, or just by someone
wanting to experience a public
league on their own. For those
of you maybe wondering what
fantasy football is, think of it like
this: Every fantasy football owner
is like a general manager of his or
her own team. Each owner drafts
National Football League players
for their team, and then plays them
by position. An owner drafts their
team in the preseason against 10
or 12 other owners, and then can
make trades, add or drop players,
or simply keep their team the way
September 14, 2005
Fantasy or reality?
it is. Then, when the NFL season
begins, an owner is awarded points
for how the players on their team
perform.
While some people
criticize fantasy football, stating
that it looks boring, sophomore
and multiyear fantasy football
owner Brian Papp disagrees,
“Fantasy football is an intense
adrenaline rush that I love
more than anything.” Some
people, like Papp, have been
playing for numerous years
and are not thinking about
stopping anytime soon. “It’s
almost like an addiction,” said
Papp, “It ranks up there with
Cubs games or an Apple Bees
burger.”
Others, like freshman
Andy Supergan, play not only
for the fun, but also for the
bragging rights. “I love the
competitiveness and the feeling of
beating one of your friends,” said
Supergan. “My team is always the
best so I always win.”
Most sites offer headto-head style scoring where a
person simply tries to score more
than their opponent, while other
leagues, like Yahoo, offer rotisserie
style scoring. In a rotisserie
league, there are categories for
scoring like rushing touchdowns
whoever has the most rushing
touchdowns then receives however
many points there are teams in the
league. For instance, say there are
10 teams and an owner is leading
week.
However, before an owner
can get to opening day, he or she
must go through the draft. While
some sites offer pre-rank drafts,
where an owner makes a list of
players they would like to pick,
and the computer goes through
each list to pick the best available
players. The most popular
amongst fantasy owners is
the live draft. The live draft
is exactly what it sounds
like, it’s live. All the owners
in the league sign on and
pick their players in order
of a draft. Once the draft is
over all the players are left
with their teams trying to
make trades and put together
the best possible team that
they can.
Though the draft
is definitely an important
part in having a successful team,
it is not the most strategic aspect
of fantasy football. Certain
players are obviously better to
have on your team like the NFL
stars, Peyton Manning, Donavon
McNabb, Shaun Alexander, or
Curtis Martin, but doing research
“It’s almost like an
addiction,” said Brian
Papp, “It ranks up there
with Cubs games or an
Apple Bees burger.”
in rushing yards and is second in
rushing touchdowns, he or she
would then be awarded 10 points
for being first in rushing yards
and be given nine points for being
second in rushing touchdowns.
Each owner competes against
everyone else in the league every
11
and finding the players you think
will be successful can make the
game of fantasy football that more
interesting. If an owner goes into
a league and simply just drafts and
then never makes any changes,
that owner’s team will not be
as successful as someone who
offers trades or adds and drops
their bench players according to
certain bye weeks. It can be a
long process to make a thriving
team. A good owner does all his
or her research before the season
begins so when opening day
comes around, and the Oakland
Raiders are facing off against the
Super bowl winning New England
Patriots, your team is set and ready
to win.
Whether a person has
had success in fantasy football, or
maybe they have failed miserably,
the competition and the strategy
of the game usually makes it
a worthwhile experience. So
log onto a computer, and try
out the game that the sports
lovers everywhere are getting so
competitive about, fantasy football.
Hyland takes volleyball team to high grounds
____________________________
Chandell Pet
PPC Front Page Editor
New coachesʼ new way of
doing things
“When she first walked
into the GLC [where summer
league took place], she was very
shy. It kind of worried me,” said
Julie Findley, junior.
It is a new school year
and a new season for sports. Volleyball has new coaches replacing
Coach Craig Ebel. Ms. Hillary
Hyland, head varsity coach, and
Ms. Countrymen, assistant coach.
“When I first met some of
the girls at their summer workout, I
could tell who was willing to put in
the extra time to better themselves
this year. We all thought this year
of the teams senior year. Things
for the season,” said Coach Hillary would be the best because it most
definitely changed and this season
Hyland.
will never be forgotThings were
ten!”
very different
“We did a lot
for the first
of conditioning, so I
few weeks of
guess weʼll never be
practice. A diftired at the end of a
ferent way to
game. I think it helped
warm up, new
a lot in our games,”
drills and techsaid Lauren Luther,
niques, and a
junior.
whole different
A lot of time
outlook on the
and effort has come
season opened
into play this season
many eyes this
already with only one
year.
goal in mind- going to
“We all had to
state. From all levels,
make some huge adjustNew coach Hillary Hyland talks to team during game. teams had to give up part of
their weekends for practices.
ments,” stated senior Emily Photo by Chandell Pet PPC Front Page Editor
Helin, “Everything changed
“With the practices on the
weekends, it never really bothered
me because we had to do it last
year too,” said senior Rachel Frantini.
When having 19 girls on
the team, itʼs hard to make everyone come together.
“At the start of the season,
I knew there was a lot of talent on
the team,” said Hyland, “the girls
are still working on team fundamentals. Everyone has their good
days and their bad days.”
All in all, the future of
this season cannot be predicted,
but there is a lot of sweat and hard
work going into this season.
“It will be hard, but I know we
can have a memorial season,” said
Morgan Bucciferro, senior.
Sports
Peace Pipe Chatter
Sports Editorial:
Spirit fingers anyone?
____________________________
Julie Schenck
PPC Sports Editor
Where can drums, cowboy
hats, face painters, themed games,
and hysterical fans be found? The
answer is not Minooka.
Not too long ago the varsity
girlʼs volleyball team played an
away game at JCA. Unfortunately
for the players, little support was
seen, and heard, from the Minooka
side of the gym. The embarrassing
chant of “whereʼs your fans” will
haunt the girls for the rest of their
lives…unless Minooka steps up
and does something about it.
This should be a wake up
call to all the fans, supporters, and
even players of any team. This
high school needs to gather up
some school spirit and attend more
of Minookaʼs team games, home or
away. There is nothing worse then
seeing the JCA students rubbing in
their overly recognized team with
that gong of shame (p.s. they want
it back). That game was the only
time the volleyball team plays JCA
this season, and it was the last time
for the seniors, so the only way to
make this right is to attend as many
games, volleyball or any other
sport, as humanly possible.
Maybe youʼre thinking
you donʼt have school spirit, so
why should you attend? Of course
every student in this school has
complained about one thing or
another (read the front page) but
that is no reason to abandon a team
who fights to win respect for your
school through their sport.
These athletes spend six
days a week training to win for
this high school. They take time
out of their lives to play a sport
they love, when they could be
at home sleeping or eating or
watching Laguna Beach, but they
arenʼt. These athletes are out on
the courts, fields, and gyms of this
high school to gain respect from
other schools. The least you can do
is watch them play for an hour or
so.
So please the next time you
are free and notice that the cross
country team has a meet or the
tennis team has a match, check it
out…for the playersʼ sake.
Rookie dies on field
____________________________
Nicholas Condotti
PPC Staff Writer
The 2005-06 NFL season
is right around the corner. Preseason games and practices have
begun, but everything came to a
screeching halt for the Sanfransico
49ers team.
On Tuesday August 9th
2005, 23-year-old NFL rookie
Thamos Herrion collapsed in the
locker room and died just minutes
after his team played the Denver
Broncos in a pre-season game. It
was right after the head coach
Mike Ivolan finished talking with
the team.
“We didnʼt see anything
happen, I sat by my locker and
prayed for him.” Marques Douglas,
defensive linemen, according to
CBS News.
Herrion was immediately
rushed to the hospital. Three hours
later Aaron Salkin, 49ers spokesmen, confirmed that Herrion had
died. The cause of Herrions death
is under investigation, through
toxicology tests.
“This is a colossal tragedy
for the 49ers and the entire NFL
family, we still donʼt know all the
details, our thoughts and prayers
are with the Herrion family,” CBS
News.
September 14, 2005
12
MCHS SCOREBOARD
Scores as of September 8
Varsity Football
Rock Island 21 Minooka 7
Cole Tyrell threw for 180 yards ad
one touchdown.
Alex Lindgren had 85 yards
recieving
Pat Chmielewski made a key
fumble recovery i the end zone.
Varisty Volleyball
Minooka Beats Geneva
Minooka 25-18-25
Geneva 22-25-14
Varsity Cross Country
Both Varsity Boys and Girls
took first at the Kankakee
Bishop McNamara Conditioner
Varsity Soccer
Lemont 2 Minooka 1
Varsity Girls Tennis
Beats Bourbannais 6 to 0.
Singles Winners were Amanda
Gosmire and Corine Lutz.
Doubles Winners were Shannon
Kenny and Stephanie Moretti,
Megan Geyer and Michelle Pillar,
Stacy Heap and Jinger Walrath.
Varsity Girls Golf
Mallory Carr shot a 42
Brittany Poole shot a 46
Amanda Lynch shot a 48
Kileen Wheeler shot a 55