Volume 46 - Issue 5 (Feb. 2012)

VIATOR VOICE
February 2012
Volume 46 Issue 5
Lions leap to victory
Varsity boys basketball team leads a positive season this
year with a new coach and all-grade representation.
Weisz
Snow Words:
Fight:
Hobo
Makeon
Some
the Loose:
Noise: Look
the Window:
ShoutOut
Heard
’Round
two advice
upcoming
Mr.
Band
Nall
hosts
shares
its fihis
rst Expanded
of TheNew
the World:coverage
a recap of
column
tackles
White
movies
experiences,
State of theviews
Art
world
in new Snow
thepolitics
last year’s
college
facesearches
off
section
debut
competition
on teaching
political
revolutions
Photos by Colleen Dempsey, Katie Kerstetter, Jack Lakowske, Angelina Manola, Abby Moynihan, Chris Santucci, Kyong
Yoo
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
News
VIATOR VOICE
Closing the 50th
S A I N T V I ATO R H I G H S C H O O L
EDITORIAL STAFF
Grace Donnelly
Madeleine Ptacin
News Editor
Paul Lewis
Opinion Editor
Jake Soprych
Features Editor
Erin Nelson
Entertainment Editor Libby Donnelly
Sports Editor
Anthony Di Silvestro
Graphics Editor
Chris Santucci
Copy Editors
Jackie Cruz
Bit Meehan
Business Managers
Joe Bansfield
Jimmy Ganas
Faculty Advisor
Mr. Chris Paolelli
The Saint Viator community welcomed Bishop
Rassas for the January all
school Mass to close the
50th year celebrations.
See page 6
Editors-in-Chief
STAFF WRITERS
Sean Culm
Mike DeStefano
Ciara Gaffney
Noelle Jay
Annie Lambesis
Joseph Lorenzini
Ray O’Hara
Ben Paolelli
Nick Principi
Vinitha Raj
Kim Romano
Carly Simonaitis
Erica Weiszmann
Jenny Brandt
Brad Bublitz
Alex Thomas
Peter Glinos
Blake Hensley
Caroline Young
Brian Wilhite
Nick Curran
Marilyn Stephen
Shalayne Pulia
GRAPHICS STAFF
Alyssa Abay
Matt Lanus
Anthony Bartell
Angelina Manola
Colleen Dempsey
Abby Moynihan
Margaret DeZelar
Katie Novak
MacKenzie Durkin
Lara Sladek
Peter Glinos
Carson Soch
Emily Jagmin
Thomas Southall
Katie Kerstetter
Kyong Yoo
Jack Lakowske
LAYOUT STAFF
Ben Paolelli
Cover Photo by Jack Lakowske
Photo byc Chris Santucci
News
State of the Art comes to Viator ..................................... 4
Winter Pep Rally raises student spirits ............................. 4
Viator students put their blood to good use .................... 5
Catholic school pride ...................................................... 6
Look out the Window
Arab Spring revolutions deliver hope of freedom ............. 7
Opinion
Playoffs vs. BCS .............................................................. 9
Should college athletes be paid? ..................................... 10
Death of the movie theater ............................................ 10
The legacy of Nietzche ................................................... 11
And with your spirit? ..................................................... 12
Generational music transformations .............................. 12
Features
Turnabout: Sadie’s dance is the ladies’ chance ................ 13
LIONS SPEAK: Turnabout ........................................... 13
The halls are alive with ‘The Sound of Music’ ................ 14
Teacher Feature: Fr. Van Wiel ........................................ 16
Testing tips .................................................................... 17
Words from the Weisz: Advice for All ............................ 17
Entertainment
CRITICS’ CORNER...............................................18-20
Oscar and friends are back............................................. 21
The perks of keeping ‘Wallflower’ a wallflower............... 22
Sports
Basketball Update ........................................................ 23
DUWP makes a splash .................................................. 24
Hockey update .............................................................. 24
Winter wonder workouts............................................... 25
Cahill Crazies promote school spirit .............................. 26
The Viator Voice is a student-produced newspaper published by Saint Viator High School. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily the
views of the Viator Voice editorial staff or the Saint Viator administration. Students, parents, faculty and staff are welcome to submit letters to the editor
via e-mail to [email protected]. The Viator Voice reserves the right to reject or edit letters for length or content. All letters must be signed. The staff
will only publish legally protected speech following legal definitions of libel, obscenity, and invasion of privacy. The Viator Voice accepts paid advertising. For
an advertising contract, call (847) 392-4050 x287, or e-mail [email protected]. Advertising contracts must be signed and mailed to the school, ATTN:
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1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
[email protected]
FEBRUARY 2012
NEWS
4
Battle of the Catholic school bands
Band prepares to host State of the Art competition
Vinitha Raj
Staff Writer
P
resident’s Day weekend is more
than just a four day weekend to
band students. It is a weekend of
competition and showing off all their
hard work. On Feb. 18, Saint Viator will
host the State of the Art Band Competition. Bands from various Catholic
schools across the area compete in this
competition. Organizing this is no easy
task.
“A lot of details go into organizing,”
said band director Mr. Tom Seaman.
Band parent Sheryl Tully is helping
organize this huge event. Mr. Seaman
has to communicate with the other high
schools’ band directors and the judges
for the competition. The three judges
are college band directors, including
Dr. Ken Dye of the University of Notre
Dame. Mr. Seaman is happy that the
school has a chance to host this event.
“Hosting State of the Art has been a
goal of mine. I wanted the bands to get
to perform in an auditorium instead of
gyms, like they have to at many other
schools,” said Mr. Seaman.
The band students are excited to show
all their hard work.
Freshman Taylor Puccini said she is excited to be “competing again because I
haven’t done it since grade school,” and
“a little friendly competition is always
fun.”
The band also has high expectations.
Mr. Seaman said that in the past 20 years
the band has brought home sixteen
awards.
“With all the practice we should place
pretty well,” believes freshman Tyler
Muich.
Mr. Seaman just expects his students to
“perform the best they can.”
This is also the first year that the concert band, made up of freshmen and
sophomores, will be performing separately.
Mr. Seaman “loves the fact that concert
band is performing separately.” He said
it makes them “step up and be leaders
instead of relying on the seniors.”
The concert band will be playing “Valley Forge” (a march) and “Highland Legend” (a dramatic piece). The symphonic
band will be playing “Pas Redouble” (a
march) and “Concord” (medley of Revolutionary War tunes).
Sophomore Mary Gerbatsch thinks
the music is “good, but we [the concert
band] have some challenging parts.”
Through all the practice and effort, the
band feels ready for the competition.
Winter pep rallies back after absence
Paul Lewis
News Editor
O
n Jan. 25, a winter pep rally
brought a roaring end to the
winter season. The pep rally
included a drum line, donut eating contest, the musical megamix, Jesse White
Tumblers, and the return of a Saint Viator alumni.
Students were pleased with the return
of a winter pep rally.
“I am glad there are more pep rallies
now,” said sophomore Michael Kicinski.
Mr. Seaman directed the drum line
as they began with using their hands to
clap for sound which elevated into the
roaring beat of cans and boxes.
Next up was the announcing of the
many achievements of the winter sports
teams, which was followed by a donut
eating competiotion. Though the competition was steep, the winners were the
varsity swim team captains.
Then was the musical’s megamix for
the students. Though the costumes were
absent from the dance, the humor and
excitement was still present and students had positive views about it.
Students were then pleasantly sur“The megamix was pretty good,” said
prised at the return of last year’s Blackjunior Rachel Lee.
The megamix was followed by a per- hawk Alumni Scholarship and Erdmann
Award winner
formance by
Frank Avino.
the cheerleadHe started out
ers who perby
presenting
formed some
the spirit stick
stunts in front
to the class that
of the school.
possessed
the
As the afmost
enthuternoon prosiasm, the segressed,
it
niors. He then
reached
a
proceeded
to
climax as the
share some of
Jesse White
his memories of
Tu m b l e r s
Jesse White stands on his head as a Tumbler
Saint Viator.
came
out
jump over him.
The purpose
to
perform
Photo by Chris Santucci of the pep rally
which caused
was to raise spirits among students and
great excitement among the students.
“I felt tremors down my spine as the celebrate the achievements of the winter
Jesse White Tumblers threw themselves sports teams. This view is best expressed
in the air,” said senior Jimmy Sexton.
by sophomore Parker Simonaitis.
A great surprise was when Jesse White
“I thought the pep rally was a great
himself participated in the performance. way for the school to get together and
“I was like OMG, Jesse White can stand celebrate our achievements in activities
on his head,” said senior Patrick Wallen- and celebrate that we are a community
berg.
of believers,” Simonaitis said.
FEBRUARY 2012
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
NEWS
5
Students donate blood for good cause
LifeSource returns for a record breaking blood drive
Francis, who explained that fewer students and faculty members were deferred due to sickness, medications, or
n Tuesday, Jan. 24, Mahoney
low iron levels than in past years.
Court was filled with volunteers
“Viator has hosted a blood drive for 15
and vials.
years or more,” Mrs. Francis said, “It’s
Beginning at 8 AM, both students
been kind of an annual thing that stuand teachers were excused from class to
dent council sponsors.”
meet staff members of LifeSource to doOn top of the fact that fewer students
nate their blood.
and
faculty members were deferred this
LifeSource is “Chicagoland’s Blood
year,
more donors were initially signed
Center”, a non-profit corporation that
up to participate than previous years.
bases its objec“I wanted to take
tive on the mission
time out of my day
statement of the Into do something
stitute for Transfugood for the comsion Medicine: “to
munity and save
engage [its] blood
a life. I think it’s
donor community,
a great cause and
advance transfusion
a lot more people
science, and touch
should do it bemore patients with
cause it can help
[its] clinical expersomebody in need.
tise”.
According
if you were in need
to John Allworth,
you’d want somea LifeSource volbody to do it for
unteer, LifeSource
you,” said sophohosts blood drives
more donor Parker
at numerous area
Simonaitis.
high schools.
Each donation
“I work basically
does not only save
in the high school
one life, but three.
drives,”
Allworth
This is because the
said. “It’s been a
Stepheno
Izzy’s
blood
donation
will
help
save
the
lives
of
three
people.
blood is separated
very rewarding expePhoto
by
Colleen
Dempsey
into
different comrience working with
ponents: red cells,
the kids.”
Hansen also said that people who are which help trauma victims in accidents;
Patty Haskins, another volunteer, likewise admitted to taking a special interest not able to donate their blood are still platelets, which help patients with canable to help the cause by organizing or cer and disease; and plasma, which goes
within the high school sphere of drives.
“It’s easy to do, and it is for a great volunteering at drives, recruiting friends to burn victims.
“I think that it’s cool that just by taking
or family members to donate, and educause,” said Haskins.
10
minutes out of your day to donate you
cating
people
about
how
important
it
is
“One thing I like about having Lifecan
save three people’s lives,” said Kathto
donate
blood.
source run our blood drive is that all of
“A blood transfusion is needed every erine Petrovich, senior donor.
the blood stays in the Chicago area. I like
Overall, a large impact results from a
that concept”, said Mrs. Joanne Francis, three seconds,” Hansen declared, also
adding that donations are nowhere near single five-minute donation.
Director of Student Affairs.
“Blood donation is especially imporAlthough a drive was held at Saint fulfilling patients’ needs, with only 5%
tant because there is no blood substiViator, the entire student body was not of the US population donating blood.
According to Mrs. Francis, 99 units of tute,” Hansen re-emphasized.
eligible to donate blood. Students had
More information on donation locablood
were collected from the donors at
to have satisfied important criteria in
tions
and opportunities to get involved
Saint
Viator.
order to contribute: to weigh at least 110
“This is an all-time record,” said Mrs. can be found at LifeSource.org.
pounds and also be at least 16 years of
Erin Primdahl
Staff Writer
O
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
age. Barbara Hansen, the Collection Supervisor, revealed that US law prevents
anyone under the age of 16 is not permitted to donate for safety reasons.
“One donation is 500 milliliters, or one
pint.” Hansen said, “The average person
has 8 pints of blood in their body. One
pint is a safe enough amount of blood to
give without risk for the donor. If someone does not weigh enough, an unsafe
amount of blood will be taken from their
body”.
[email protected]
FEBRUARY 2012
NEWS
Campus ministry outdoes itself with Catholic Schools Week
Students celebrate our Catholic heritage to wrap up jubilee year
6
their love and appreciation for their past
Catholic grade schools.
On Thursday, the French club sold
crepes at lunch. The treats were a hit,
and the crepe table was packed with students getting their plates filled with the
chocolate pastry.
To end the spiritual and festive week,
Campus Ministry put together the traditional pancake breakfast. The panatholic Schools Week is a week
cakes, sausages, and orange juice were
spent expressing our faith as well
devoured by the majority of the stuas our love for others and ourdent body. Thanks to the cafeteria staff,
selves through music, food, spirit wear,
Campus
Ministry, and student ministry
and prayer. This year Catholic
team, the pancake breakfast
School’s Week was from Monday,
was a success.
Jan. 30 to Friday, Feb. 3. Saint Via“I really like the pantor planned new activities as well
cakes
and I had six of them.
as brought back last year’s rituals.
Yummy
in my tummy,” said
Thanks to campus ministry, we
sophomore
Julia Aubé.
had a successful week of activities
To
conclude,
this year’s
such as Mass, Catholic School’s
Catholic
School’s
Week
spirit wear day, pancake breakwas
a
success.
From
mass
fast, and some new additions as
with
Bishop
Rassas,
to
the
well.
annual
pancake
breakfast,
“This year we wanted to make
students and staff were able
Catholic Schools Week more ento connect with themselves,
joyable by asking Bishop Rassas
others, and most importo come say mass for us, as well
tantly, God. The students
as having the Mix radio station
wore Catholic School sweatcome DJ during lunch hours,
shirts, and listened to the
and selling crepes in honor of Students take time to enjoy their Catholic school shirts.
Mix during the day. Overthe Viatorians who originated in
Photo by Angelina Manola
all, this was a great year,
France,” said Campus Minister
“They
were
yummy
and
scrumptious.
and
also
had
a balance of fun, prayer,
Ms. Betsy Fons. “Students make big sacHaving
four
wasn’t
enough,”
said
sophoand
history
all
packed into one week
rifices and a week like this is a fun way to
more
Kristen
Strand.
of
celebration.
But
we know, as a Saint
vocally celebrate and appreciate our love
Campus
Ministry
thought
selling
Viator
community,
that
the celebration
for God.”
crepes
during
Catholic
Schools
Week
is
always
with
us.
Students
feelings are
To start off Catholic Schools Week,
was
a
good
idea
and
a
fun
reminder
for
best
expressed
by
junior
Kendall
Lavelle,
Saint Viator had an all school mass to
the
students
to
remember
our
Saint
“Overall
Catholic
schools
week
was a
thank God for everything we have, and
Viator
history.
Since
the
Viatorian
order
great
experience
and
I
am
proud
to
atcome together as a community to celstarted
in
Lyon,
France.
tend
a
Catholic
school.”
ebrate our love for our faith. To help celebrate the special week, Bishop Rassas
came and led Mass.
“I really enjoyed the bishop’s homily. It
reflected the Saint Viator Community,”
said junior Micaela Lonigro.
On Wednesday, 101.9 the Mix came to
all lunch periods. This was the first year
the Mix came during Catholic Schools
Week.
Another tradition continued this year
was our appreciation for all Catholic
schools. Along with having the Mix radio station at school, all the faculty and
students were able to wear their favorite Catholic school’s spirit wear. Sweatshirts, t-shirts, and long sleeve shirts
were worn by students who expressed
Jenny Brandt
Staff Writer
C
FEBRUARY 2012
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
LOOK OUT THE WINDOW...
7
THE REVOLUTIONS
Beginnings of Arab Spring and effects it had on victims
Joseph Lorenzini
Staff Writer
s 2012 begins, many countries
are recovering from Arab
Spring, the name given to the
revolutionary actitivy in Arabian
countries which took place last
spring, while others are still
facing massive uprisings, and
still others continue to oppress
their own people. The world’s
newest country, South Sudan,
became independent as of July 9,
2011, but it still faces many issues
from its former mother country.
Because the South Sudan capital
of Juba has not issued passports
yet, people from the country
cannot cross the border and
visit their counterparts in the
north. Its economy is based on the
exportation of oil, but North Sudan,
still angered by the loss of its oil fields
after South Sudan’s independence,
demands a large percentage of oil
sails in exchange for the use of its
oil lines and sea ports to ship the oil.
Landlocked South Sudan depends
on the cooperation of its neighbors
to ship its oil and it has threatened
to use violence. It has come to an
agreement with Kenya to build a
pipeline through its boundaries to
the Indian Sea for shipping. As the
pipeline is being built, however,
South Sudan faces economic
troubles, a threat to its new found
independence.
Egypt and Libya are both trying to
adapt to new organization after the
toppling of long standing dictators.
Egypt’s new leader, Field Marshal
Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, relies
on U.S. aid for a stable regime,
A
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
but President Obama has recently
threatened to cut off aid in order to
replace his military regime with a
democratic one. The famous Tahrir
Square protestors remain as a sign
of the dissatisfaction with the newly
pressure of the uprisings.
North Korea seemed to have
the smoothest transition between
governments, for little has changed
from the death of Kim Jong-Il to the
inheritance of Kim Jong-Un. Little
is actually known about the
successor: whether Kim JongUn had control of the country
long before his father’s death,
or if he now still has no power
and is subject to the will of
his party. Despite the blatant
poverty of the North Koreans,
propaganda and massive
party control keep the people
at bay, and rebellion seems
unlikely.
As the turmoil of 2011 ends,
Photo provided by Getty Images and new horizons for 2012
dawn, look for the toppling of
formed government. Libya remains more dictatorships, and be wary of
no better off as the militia leaders who the possibility of the rise of repressive
took down Muammar el-Qaddafi regimes among the young, unsteady
refuse to disarm, proving a major governments.
threat to the official government, Sources:
which is still unstable since its NYTimes.com: “North Korea
creation. Once more, many pro- News,” “Syria Protests – 2011,”
Qaddafi forces remain in isolated “Libya – Revolution and Aftertowns and continue to fight any
math,” “Egypt News – Revoluresistance, displaying the fragility of
tion and Aftermath,” “Egypt
the country’s security.
Unlike Egypt or Libya, Syria is still bars Sam LaHood from leavfacing the Arab Spring uprisings as ing,”
President Bashar al-Assad remains
Reuters.com: “Arab League susin power. He violently puts down
any efforts of revolt, and, as a result, pends Syria mission as violence
Syria has been kicked out of the Arab rages,” “Libya commander says
League. When the United Nations will retake Bani Walid,” “Sudan
called for an end to the violence, to treat southerners as foreignboth sides pointed to the atrocities ers from April,” “S.Sudan halves
of the other. As of now, Syria has few oil output, signs pipeline deal”
remaining allies, and its government
seems ready to crack soon under the
[email protected]
FEBRUARY 2012
8
LOOK OUT THE WINDOW...
HEARD AROUND THE WORLD
Social networking central for Arab Spring’s future
Erin Primdahl
Staff Writer
hroughout the year 2011 and its
entirety, various rebellions ensued across the globe. A single
connection can be drawn between
the distinct revolutions in countries including Egypt, Sudan, and
Libya: social media had a hand in
choreographing the revolution.
According to BBC News, the
Egyptian revolution began on
January 25, 2011-- the Day of Revolt, which happened shortly
after turmoil in Tunisia. As reported by All Facebook, an unofficial Facebook information
blog, social networking was a
central location for dispatching
information that revealed the
locations of protests and government snipers as well as footage of happenings in the streets
and more during the Tunisian
overthrow of President Ben Ali.
As stated in the Huffington Post,
the protests in Egypt were based
against poverty, unemployment, and
government corruption. Protestors
targeted President Hosni Mubarak.
Pursuant to the BBC News, tens of
thousands of protestors collected at
Tahrir Square in Cairo to challenge
President Mubarak’s administration.
At the same time, demonstrations
were also held in other Egyptian
cities, including Ismailiya, Alexandria and Suez. Over the course of
the next few days, protests became
more turbulent as police forces fired
rubber bullets and used water cannons against demonstrators. The
Egyptian government also enforced
a curfew, deployed the army, and
omitted mass communication—
the internet as well as text messag-
T
ing—in an effort to declare that
it would not tolerate any rioting.
The duration of the Egyptian uproar lasted 18 days—from January
25 until February 11, 2011. Egyptians
finally erupted against President
Mubarak due to the Tunisian revolution and general anger against President Mubarak’s corrupt Parliamen-
between North and South Sudan.
All Facebook affirmed that social media sites were used in the
Sudanese anti-government protests planned for January 30.
The United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) reported that
the Government of Sudan and the
SPLM/A signed the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement (CPA) in January
2005. Among other guidelines, the
CPA declared that the South would
have autonomy until 2011, which
was the planned date of the Referendum over the secession of the south.
BBC News stated that election
officials confirmed that nearly
99% of voters in January’s Referendum were pro-secession. The
official declaration of independence was made on July 9, 2011.
Inspired by the success of its
neighbors,
Libya fought a battle of
Photo provided by UNHCR
its own against its leader of 40 years,
Muammar Gaddafi. Based on the
tary elections. News of Mubarak’s reports of BBC News, the uprising
resignation was conveyed to the began in February of 2011 with the
Egyptian people by Mubarak’s first- arrest of a human rights campaignever Vice President, Omar Sulei- er and originated from high unemman. Intense celebrations followed. ployment and corrupt government.
According to the New York
Just South of Egypt, the people of
Sudan also began to revolt against a Times, after 6 months of procalamitous leader: Omar al-Bashir. tests, the Libyans’ efforts were
According to Save Darfur, an inter- acknowledged in August of 2011
national anti-genocide organiza- when Gaddafi was removed from
tion, the conflict in Sudan began in power and later killed in October.
This domino-effect of uprisings
2003 when two opposing groups,
the Sudan Liberation Movement was ushered throughout Africa as a
(SLM) and the Justice and Equality result of social networking. The conMovement (JEM), launched attacks stant communication and spread of
against government military troops. information between cities, states,
At the time, the Sudanese Govern- and countries surged an energy of
ment was involved in negotiations defiance between dissimilar people
with the Sudan People’s Liberation that connected them to a common
Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in hopes cause: to overcome the oppressor.
of ending a decades long civil war
FEBRUARY 2012
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
OPINION
9
Playoffs? You wanna talk about playoffs?
College football’s much-needed transition from bowl games to playoffs
Brad Bublitz
Staff Writer
T
he brackets, the buzzer beaters,
the upsets, the heartbreaks, the
passion, the intensity all leading
to the most exciting time of the year:
March Madness. For sports fans all
around the country, this college basketball playoff tournament provides a riveting three-week scramble in which the
National Champion is crowned. Some
argue that there is simply no spectacle
more intriguing or a post-season system
more accurate than this 68-team tournament every March.
Outside the pageantry of college basketball lingers another debate, a debate
about the most widely talked about playoff system in sports—the Bowl Championship Series. For college football fans
across the nation, the BCS instantly
conjures strong emotions on the fairness and overall accuracy of crowning a
National Champion in college football
based on the current BCS system.
The current BCS system is based on
a computer ranking that takes into account the weekly college football polls.
Implemented in 1998, this BCS postseason consists of four BCS games—the
Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl and
Fiesta Bowl—in which one of the top
eight BCS ranked teams is pitted against
another top eight team. Finally there is
the National Championship game, in
which the top two BCS-ranked teams
face off for a chance at the title.
This past season, the Louisiana State
University Tigers were the only team to
finish the entire regular season at 13-0.
The Alabama Crimson Tide and Oklahoma State Cowboys finished the season with identical records at 12-1. Widespread debate ensued about which team
would be the more capable opponent
and which match-up would most accurately produce a true champion. Due
to many different factors, including the
fact that the Tide’s only loss was to LSU
earlier in the season, Alabama was na-
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
tionally ranked second behind the Tigers letes and put the athletes at higher risk
and consequentially played them for the of injury by playing such a prolonged
National Championship. The Crimson season. The most logical playoff system,
Tide won the game 21-0.
then, would include a simple Final Four
Year after year, this instance of teams in which even NCAA President Mark
with identical records competing for Emmert has openly supported.
a single spot in the title game has left
This four-team playoff would leave the
teams feeling bitter and snubbed at their other sponsored non-BCS bowl games
chance to become the champion. In alone, which would continue to be a
2009, the Utah Utes were the only team revenue source for smaller conference
to finish the regular season undefeated universities. The bracket proposal would
but due to the lack of competition in only touch the current BCS system and
their conference, the Mountain West, take the top four teams to compete in a
they were left to play in the Sugar Bowl March Madness-type Final Four deteragainst the Alabama Crimson Tide, from mining a National Champion.
the seemingly more powerful SEC. The
While selecting these “Final Four”
Utes won the game 31-17 and without a would absolutely conjure emotion
doubt felt they could compete for a Na- around the college football communitional Title against another “top” confer- ty, it is simply harder to get four teams
ence team.
“wrong” than the current system in
This apparently unfair and flawed sys- which it is always debated that the sectem has collected national criticism and ond best team is “wrong.” As exciting as
even prompted action from congress to a last second Orange Bowl field goal or a
to draft legislation invalidating the BCS Fiesta Bowl hail mary is, apart from the
on the grounds that it misdirects com- million dollars in monetary reward for
merce.
winning, these BCS bowl games do not
The current BCS system does in fact mean anything.
provide winners of BCS bowl games with
A more exciting, passionate, intrigua feeling of success, but teams do not ing and accurate system, this new playdream of winning the Orange Bowl or off should definitely be considered and
Fiesta Bowl—they dream of winning a hopefully adopted in the future to the
National Championship. Supporters of delight and enjoyment of a nation rivthe current system argue that the regular eted by underdogs, favorites, comebacks
season now is like a playoff. But with the and true champions.
schedule arrangements including eight
conference
games,
the competition is too
direct and not variably engaging towards
teams from other conferences.
While many proplayoff supporters are
in favor of an eight- or
even 16- team bracket
system, the overall
length of this tournament would take
Chris Meehan, Ben Paolelli, and Joe Orecchio show their
away too much time
from the student ath- support for their ranking system.
[email protected]
Photo by Matt Lanus
FEBRUARY 2012
OPINION
10
College athletes should be paid to play
Alex Thomas and Ciara Gaffney
Staff Writers
C
ollege athletes should be paid to
play for many reasons. First of all,
college athletes aren’t allowed to
work. How are they going to pay for all
the necessary expenses throughout their
college life if they are not bringing in an
income? Historically, this has led to players accepting money, cars, and clothes
from illegal donors. Most of the athletes who have the opportunity to leave
school and become professional athletes
do so because of the financial benefits
that professional sports provide.
Since college athletes are not allowed to
work even if they have the extra time to
do so, they have to sacrifice meals, new
clothes, and other necessary items in order to save money for their future. Most
college athletes don’t turn professional,
so this work ban leaves most college athletes without any work experience when
they get into the real world. This gives
the non-athlete graduates an advantage
in the working world over athlete graduates.
College athletics is a multimillion dollar industry for universities through sale
of merchandise and games, of which
athletes receive no profit. For example,
the University of Miami received about
eight million dollars for the Miami Hurricanes playing in the Nokia Sugar Bowl.
Athletic apparel brings in large amounts
of money to the athletic department by
selling hats, footballs, and jerseys.
To put the amount of money colleges
make from athletics in perspective; the
Orange Bowl is hosted annually at Sun
Life Stadium and holds over 75,000
people with tickets costing an average of
$168 each. This amounts to $12.6 million
a portion of which players should receive because without them, the schools
wouldn’t be receiving any of this money
and popularity.
The few athletes that could turn pro-
fessional before they graduate often do
so because they are unable to afford the
other college costs. If college athletes
could receive a salary, there would be
more athletes graduating because they
would be able to afford these extra costs.
Paying athletes would encourage education instead of forcing athletes to concentrate only on sports.
Art by Alyssa Abay
The downfall of American cinema
Sean Culm
Staff Writer
T
he other day out of curiosity, I decided to check where the nearest
drive-in movie theater was, I live
in Arlington Heights, and was sorely disappointed. The closest place to pull up
a car and watch a great film was in Fox
Lake, and probably not worth the drive.
There’s no question that the drive-in
movie theater is an almost extinct industry, but could the same happen to real
movie theaters?
In AMC’s annual report, the company
lost $123 million as of March 2011. That is
defiantly not a positive figure for movie
theater owners. In today’s world there
are plenty of reasons not to go to the
movies. Well for one there is Netflix, the
Internet sensation that provides the service of streaming movies instantly from
their own home. With today’s economy
certainly not as great as it was 10 years
ago, people want to save their money. If
that means waiting three months for a
new movie to be released on DVD, many
will. Then again DVD’s have seen the
same decline in popularity from their
creation in the early 2000’s. Why store
all those discs when you can just download the movie on that trusty iPod of
yours!
In the end it comes down to the fact
that people don’t just
go to the movies to see
a movie. I bet that isn’t
even half the reason. If
you’re going to go see
a movie, you of course
invite a friend, or maybe a few if they have
the time. The movies
offer a great place to
hang out and socialize.
The movie theater is
a different experience
every time and it allows us to escape from
everyday life. There’s
no substitute to watching a movie on a megascreen and makes the
FEBRUARY 2012
movie drastically more entertaining
than viewing it on a 5 inch phone right?
Bottom line, the movie theater is an industry that won’t be as popular as it was
decades ago, but the unique experience
will keep it alive for many years to come.
Art by Alyssa Abay
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
OPINION
11
A taste of Nietzsche for modern thinkers
German philosopher Nietzche describes the search for truth
Peter Glinos
Staff Writer
W
hat then is truth? A mobile
army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms—in short, a sum of human
relations, which have been enhanced,
transposed, and embellished poetically
and rhetorically, and which after long
use seem firm, canonical,
and obligatory to a people:
truths are illusions about
which one has forgotten that is what they are;
metaphors which are worn
out and without sensuous
power; coins which have
lost their pictures and now
matter only as metal, no longer as coins.”
(‘On truth and lie in an extra-moral
sense,’ The Viking Portable Nietzsche,
p.46-7, Walter Kaufmann transl.)
Friedrich Nietzsche had a goal in mind
his entire life which he pursued with
unprecedented diligence. His goal was
deconstruct, build on, evaluate, analyses, and come to completely understand
a word we overlook almost every day
of our lives. Nietzsche sought truth. It
through his understandings of truth we
can begin to understand humanity as we
know it.
He began to look at concepts, what
they were in themselves. We use them
every day. When one speaks, each linguistic pronunciation represents a single
concept. They start from simple connections our mind makes with reality
like when one thinks, “What should I
call that thing with fur and four paws...
Hmm… Oh! Why yes! I’ll call it a dog!”
Humans build on such minor connections until more complicated concepts
are conceived like love, hate, time, or
truth. He believed just as the bird builds
a nest from twigs, man builds his home,
reality in concepts. Nietzsche considered, thus, that maybe truth could be
derived from language. But the further
he explored this concept the more he be-
gan to notice “flaws” in language.
For example, the use of calling certain
words masculine and others feminine.
Even our mathematical language is
flawed! For instance, we can all agree
that 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3 is 1. We can all agree
that 1/3 is .33333333 repeating right? Well
then well then shouldn’t .33333333333…
+ .333333333… and .333333333… be 1 and
not.99999999999 repeating? All of this
been worn down like “coins which have
lost their pictures and now matter only
as metal..?” Does your mind ever swell
with questions? Do you ever find yourself longing, wondering to know the
truth behind human purpose? The truth
behind love? The truth behind why man
does what he does, why he is what he is?
Do you seek human truth?
We must know why we seek such
truths. We must know
that when we are sitting in English class,
reading some story, in
some random time, we
are reading it to disccover ethics, human
ttruth. When we sit in
our sciencee classes,
classe doing some lab, we
are simply attempting to unveil a perception man has on the universe, human
truth. When we are in our math classes,
watching a bombardment of equations,
we are discovering man’s observation of
mathematical principles, human truth.
When we are in history, reading story after story on man’s past, we read it to understand his tendencies, to understand
his truth.
“ NNietzsche wondered if man knew
truth, but was only able to explain
it through his flawed language.
[email protected]
“
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
caused Nietzsche to begin to believe that
because languages were flawed, they
were not a haven for complete truth.
Nietzsche wondered if man knew truth,
but was only able to explain it through
his flawed language. When we are in our
Literature classes, reviewing our stories
for themes, do we mix these moral to
mold we feel is truth, human truth? Is
truth a reality to all? Was it something
man has known for so long that it has
Art by Carson Soch
FEBRUARY 2012
OPINION
12
Consubstantial changes result in mixed reaction
Parishioners young and old experience verbal confusion during Mass
Raymond O’Hara
Staff Writer
T
his November marked the first
changes in the Roman Catholic
Missal since the mass switched
from Latin to English during Vatican
II. Saint Viator students were able to
experience this change as a community
during the school’s annual Advent mass.
Students who were normally able to recite the mass word for word found themselves searching through the booklet to
find the new translation of the Mass.
Church officials have claimed this
change was to create a more literal
translation to the original Latin Mass.
It seems as if the person with the Latinto-English dictionary at Vatican II may
have missed a few key words. Well, key
enough in the church’s mind to make
the changes after more than forty-five
years to the missal most devote Catholics know word for word.
When I first saw the changes printed in
my Parish’s newsletter, it did not seem
like a big deal. However, when I went
to the first mass after the changes were
implemented I found myself and others around me lost at some points. It
created awkward moments as half the
church still responded with “And also
with you.” Then the Nicene Creed came
along with even more changes in it. My
first thought was “Can they do that?” I
mean it is a declaration of our faith.
The church seems to be playing a
game of semantics. Sure the words may
not literally translate back to Latin, but
they still have the same meaning. And
then they threw in some extra words
in miscellaneous spots which seem to
serve little purpose except confuse the
congregation. I’m all for an expanding
vocabulary, but I can’t see “consubstantial” coming up in a conversation anytime soon.
So while the next year may be a readjustment year for the Catholic Church,
the best news we can hope for is that
there won’t be more changes for another
forty-five years. It always could be worse.
The priest could stand with his back to
the congregation and say the mass in a
foreign language. Maybe this is God’s
hint to have everyone pay a little more
attention during mass instead of dozing
off into a nap.
Art by MacKenzie Durkin
Hip-twisting, face-melting and other musical transformations
How will our generation’s music fare with other defining decades’ genres?
Nick Principi
Staff Writer
C
ompare the music of the most recent Grammy’s to the music of our
parent’s generation, and similarities would probably be the hard to come
by. Overall, tolerances, phrasings, and
styles have changed. Lyrics today can
be explicit about basically anything because the radio promises to edit out the
actual swearing. While back in the 60’s,
The Rolling Stones were asked to change
a song title from “Let’s Spend The Night
Together” to “Let’s Spend Some Time
Together” because of how suggestive it
was. This tolerance for more and more
explicit music expands past the actual
words used to the phrasing and bluntness of the lyrics. Although “spending a
night together” is suggestive, there’s no
single word that would have to be censored in the presence of children or your
grandmother. Use your imagination to
think of more recent phrases in songs
that are edited for radio play.
I’d wager that the lyrics today are more
explicit, more violent, or a combination
of the two. No matter which words are
put to the tune, the tunes themselves
have obviously had the biggest change.
Live music used to be a band plugging
in to their amps, turning it up to 11, and
jamming until their fingers bled, arms
locked up, and voices lost. Many of today’s artists can’t perform live without
the use of electronic sounds in their music or computerized alterations to their
voice. It’s not that they don’t have the
talent or the voice, but the way their
FEBRUARY 2012
voice’s are used has changed dramatically.
On the farthest end of the spectrum,
screaming made a large appearance in
music in the past decade. From Elvis
dancing with his microphone, to the
original singer of Slipknot swallowing
half of it, music has been changed in almost every way.
We all have a preference of style, of
artist and of subject. So whether music
makes you wag your finger or punch and
kick the people around you, understand
that today’s music will someday be on
the oldie’s channel, and we’ll have to explain our generation’s music preferences
to our children. That’s an issue which
will pose an even greater challenge than
explaining to your parents why Skrillex,
Jay-Z, or Lady Gaga are cool.
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
FEATURES
13
Laying the odds on a good time
Looking into the history behind Turnabout dances
Carly Simonaitis
Staff Writer
T
THE
he idea of a girl-asks-guy dance
has been seen as a way to create equality among students in
comparison towards the boy-asks-girl
dances. Turnabout’s creation of equality
gives girls the lucky chance to ask that
boy who they wished had asked them
at Homecoming. Schools all across the
country host Turnabout dances, but did
most know that Turnabout dances originated from a comic strip?
The cartoon-turned-musical Li’l Abner illustrated the “homeliest girl in all
them hills” as character little Miss Sadie
Hawkins who fatefully skipped into town
in search of a bachelor to marry. The
perpetually single Sadie gained popularity, and a day of celebration was created
in her honor. Schools loved the quirky
idea of girls asking boys and started to
host the dances since 1937. The dance
originally occurred the Saturday after
November 9, but today the celebrations
are held anywhere from November to
February.
This year’s “Sadie Hawkins’” dance
theme is. . . Casino Night! Cahill gym
will be dressed up with giant dice, bal- you want?”
The junior class council is to thank for
loon arches, and a pseudo wall of slot
machines. The common area will have planning the entire event. Their goal is
to bring great entertables set up with
tainment to instinon-gambling card
gate people to have
games like poker
fun filled night. Mrs.
and 21.
Anzalone is anticiTristan Blus, jupating a memorable
nior, finds the card
night, saying, “I’d like
playing a little unstudents to attend the
usual, but he is exwinter ball regardless
cited for the games,
if they have a date
saying, “Sounds like
or not because this
it could be a good
should be a fun and
idea.”
relaxing environment
To keep the fun
to create a memorarolling, there will
ble high school expeeven be a picture
rience.”
cut-out for guests to
So wear your sesnap some humorquins and bright colous candid shots
ors to celebrate Casiwith friends. But if
no Night on February
you prefer the professional route, be
Art by Margaret DeZelar 25! Tickets available
during lunch Tuesday,
assured that a phoFeb. 21—Thursday, Feb. 23. $26 for coutographer will be available.
All the talk about Turnabout gets ju- ples and $13 for single. Hurry to get your
nior Emily Maul excited, saying, “Dress- tickets on time to avoid a $5 surcharge
es, dates, and dancing, what more could per person on Friday Feb. 25!
LIONS SPEAK:
—Anthony Schulget,
Freshman
I’m going because I thought Homecoming
was fun.
—Maria Zivoli,
Junior
YES. I love dancing! I’m a junior and I
only have so many high school experiences
left to make memories!
Are you going
to Turnabout?
—Clare Hulsebosch,
Senior
Maybe. If I don’t it’s because I want to save
for my prom dress!
Reported by Lauren Prazuch
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
[email protected]
FEBRUARY 2012
FEATURES
14
Musical is one of our favorite things
Cast, pit, crew bond over Rodgers and Hammerstein classic
Blake Hensley
Staff Writer
L
et’s start at the very beginning, it’s
a very good place to start,” and so
the Sound of Music follows the
lyrical journey of Maria, a woman ready
to take her vows to become a nun. Her
life takes an unexpected turn when
Mother Abbess sends her to care for the
seven Von Trapp children headed
by their stern father, Captain Von
Trapp. Maria ultimately changes
the Von Trapp family forever as she
cares for the children, teaches them
the joy of song, and transforms the
Captain into a loving family man.
It is a truly heartwarming musical
that combines the romance of
the characters and of one’s home
country.
Director Kate Costello decided to
choose this year’s musical because
it was the 50th anniversary of former
sister school Sacred Heart of Mary.
Former all boys school Saint Viator and
all girl school SHM would integrate
every winter for the musical, and
performances would be held at Saint
Viator’s auditorium.
Costello also commented that she
believed the show would be a success
with the reoccurring talent from last
year’s Fiddler on the Roof. She stated that
the show is running “very well. The kids
are very enthusiastic. They are dedicated
and take their parts seriously and they
are a great group.” She continued her
enthusiasm with the cast as she said,
“[They were] very strong from the start.
They have a great deal of talent; they
embrace their roles whole-heartedly,
and [they] take directions very well.”
Assistant director Tony Calzaretta
reaffirmed the faith in the selected cast
by “hoping that the people in it now will
perform in the show next year and that
they should tell their friends to come out
and audition!”
In the spirit of musical, everyone
has become one big family, spending
also commented on his love for this
particular musical stating that “it’s a
show I grew up watching and there’s a
lot to learn from it seeing that it is a true
story.”
Sophomore trumpet player Nathan
Abay, a newcomer to the orchestra, said
that the experience has been fun and
that he has “never done anything like it
before – it’s a new experience.”
Violinist Vanessa López, junior,
added that “We have inside jokes
and encourage each other. It’s a
fun, interesting group to be in.”
The musical, however, would
not have its fantastic scenery if it
wasn’t for tech crew. Sophomore
Anthony Bartell said, “The show
is coming along really well, the
sound is awesome, we have
new freshmen. Mr. McManus
is a great tech director and
Nick [Principi] is a good floor
Photo by Chris Santucci manager.” He also added that
on its actors, but on the pit orchestra there “haven’t been any major setbacks
and tech crew as well. Tom Seaman, – it’s been a great show.”
The hours that the cast and crew have
the conductor of Viator’s pit orchestra,
also shares his feelings of the crew he put into the musical are countless; the
selected. “They work hard, they help cast had been rehearsing since early
each other out, and they’re just a lot November, pit orchestra since December,
of fun to be around. They’re doing a and the tech crew always has a very busy
really good job this year,” he said. He schedule.
countless hours with each other through
all the laughs and tears. Sara Fecko,
junior, who plays the role of Liesel Von
Trapp, expressed that she looks forward
to musical every day. “It’s what gets me
through school,” said Fecko. She even
joked that she sees her cast members
more than her own family now a days.
The Sound of Music not only relies
FEBRUARY 2012
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
FEATURES
15
Photo collage by Chris Santucci
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
[email protected]
FEBRUARY 2012
FEATURES
16
Fr. John Van Wiel
T
FEATURE
A
C
H
E
R
What hobbies do you have?
JV: I am an avid fisherman. I particularly like to fly fish and
have fished many times in Colorado. I have also fished in Montana, Oregon, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Canada. I also do water
color paintings, and walk a lot with our dog.
Did you always teach at St. Viator?
JV: First of all, we finished up college, and then we went to the
seminary, and then after I finished the seminary, my first assignment was at St. Viator, but I was only here for three or four
months. In those days we got letters of obedience, so around
Christmas time I got a letter of obedience telling me I was to go
to Bishop McNamara High School in Kankakee, and I was going
to be dean of discipline and whatever teaching assignments the
principal wanted me to do. I was at Bishop McNamara for 6 and
a half years and the last year I was principal. Then I went to Alleman High School in Rock Island, and I was principal there for
eleven years. Then I went to Sacred Heart-Griffin High School
in Springfield for two years. The year after St. Viator went coed
(1988), Father Bolser asked me to come here, and that’s when I
came here to stay.
Interview by Ben Paolelli
Why did you become a priest?
JV: Well it was just a thought I could never get out of my
mind, even when I was a small child; we had some really
great parish priests. When I was little I used to say I wanted
to be a priest, then I kind of didn’t say that for a while, but
as time went on the thought just came back and came back
and came back, so it seems like no matter what I did it still
came back to that thought. So finally I decided I had to give
it a shot.
Why did you become a teacher?
JV: Well one of the things was that’s what Viatorians did. I
had Viatorian teachers in high school. I knew I didn’t want
to be a diocesan priest, and the Viatorians always seemed
to be outgoing and friendly, and it seemed to me like they
had it together. So if I wanted to go in the priesthood, and
I didn’t want to go into parish work, the Viatorians was really the only religious community that I was well acquainted
with, and that’s what they did. So when I became a Viatorian I also became a teacher.
What is it like to live on the Third Floor of the high
school?
JV: Living on the third floor is not much different from
living in any big house. It is convenient in terms of being
able to do school work or to set up labs. I don’t have to worry about the weather making it difficult to get to school on
time.
FEBRUARY 2012
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned throughout your teaching career?
JV: Well the thing that I always try to do, and I’ve done this
since I started teaching, was remember what it’s like to be a student. So many of the things I didn’t like when I was a student
I try not to do when I’m a teacher. But I think you have to keep
in mind what the students are going through, what problems
they may be having, and that they have a life in addition to what
you’re trying to teach them, so I just try to keep that in mind
and be conscious of their needs and what they’re going through.
Have you always taught chemistry?
JV: I’ve also taught, on occasion, religion, earth science, physical science, math, but my major is in chemistry. Before I came
to the community I was going to be a chemical engineer, so I
started off with two years of engineering, but when I came to
the community we didn’t really need engineers so my major
shifted to chemistry.
What is the most important lesson that you try to impart
to your students?
JV: I don’t really know if I have a certain thing that I try to
impart to my students. My goal is to prepare them well in the
field of chemistry if that is a career they choose, they’ll have the
background to succeed in college and subsequently in anything
that follows.
Photo by Chris Santucci
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
FEATURES
17
Never fear, advice is here
Tips and tricks on how to prepare for your next big test
that time. Freshman Athena Baldo said
that she started studying two weeks beear, frenzy, finals? Finals can be fore finals.
Regrets. Many students have regrets
very stressful. Even taking tests in
following
an exam. I wish I would’ve
general can be a problem for some.
studied
more.
Why did I procrastinate?
Everyone gets nervous about one test or
Baldo
and
Duszynski
said that they wish
another. Whether it’s algebra or English,
they
would
have
asked
teachers for help.
everyone has their strong subjects and
Koehler
and
Wendling
said that they
their weak ones. The same goes for study
wished
they
would
have
studied more.
habits. Everyone has a different way of
Anderson
said
that
in
order
to not have
approaching a test. Some students cram
regrets,
you
should
make
study
guides
the night before and others start studyearly,
you
shouldn’t
cram
and
you
should
ing a week in advance. You have to find
ask teachers for help. Hopefully you will
which study habits suit you the best.
Study methods are a big concern when be well prepared.
You can learn from your mistakes afpreparing for the tests you may be worter
each test. First, you should make a
rying about. How should I study? What
plan
of how to study for your next test.
should I study? How can I remember
You
must
prepare for a test to do well in
things we did weeks or even months
a
class
and
keep your grade point average
ago? These are just a few of the many
high.
Religion
teacher Mrs. Nicholas said
thoughts running through a student’s
that
when
preparing
for tests you should
mind before a test. Freshman Sabrina
fi
ll
out
your study guides
Wendling said
and
keep
everything orthat she studganized.
English
teacher
ies with a friend
Mrs.
Kieff
er
said
that
so they could
you
should
always
put
quiz each other.
a
date
on
papers,
keep
Freshman David
organized and complete
Duszynski said
all of your study guides.
that he reviewed
Kieffer also stated that if
his notes, went
you are ever absent, you
through quizzes
should check with your
and tests and
teacher to get notes and
then reviewed
make sure you have all of
his notes again.
the materials.
Some students
Finals and tests can be
prefer to study
a
touchy subject with
alone, while othArt
by
Anthony
Bartell
some
students. Others indicate that
ers
don’t
fret
at
all
and
study the night
studying with a friend was beneficial.
before
and
ace
it.
It
all
depends
on how
The next question you may ask yourself
your
brain
works
and
what
kind
of peris when should I start studying? These
son
you
are.
Sometimes
studying
a week
answers would apply more to those who
in
advance
just
gives
those
students
who
stress out about finals. Senior Katie Anare
nervous
peace
of
mind.
All
you
have
derson said that it’s good to start studying a few weeks before. Many freshmen, to do is find which study habit works
who took finals for their first time this best for you. Then you will have nothing
past January, did start studying around to worry about.
Noelle Jay
Staff Writer
F
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
[email protected]
words
from the
weisz
Hey guys! Erica Weiszmann here.
I’ve decided to keep the legacy of my
last name alive and provide some wisdom in the form of an advice column. I
thought you all would be a good audience for this so here goes nothing. To
begin, I will address the difficult decision of selecting a university of your
choice.
Seniors, I know you are tired of being
preached to about college. Juniors, I
know it’s difficult to wrap your heads
around the overwhelming “college
hunt”. I offer merely some humble tips
to consider while choosing a college:
Location. That quaint farm town
might look cute on the cover of the
university brochure with the beaming Southern belle praising its glory,
but no do forget to consider the allure
of the exhilarating night life of a city
school. Chances are, you will be at this
school for four years, so make sure you
will not grow tired of your surroundings.
Student population. If the thought
of sitting in a lecture hall with 400+
students has you wishing you could
run back to your dorm to watch reruns of Spongebob, look into schools
with smaller class sizes or a generally
smaller student body.
Possible majors. Because most high
school juniors and seniors do not know
what they want to do after college or
even what they want to thoroughly
study while in college, apply to or research schools with a diverse range of
majors so you have plenty of options
when you get there. Whatever you are
passionate about, be open to schools
with programs for you. Don’t forget
that changing your major is what most
college students do.
FEBRUARY 2012
ENTERTAINMENT
18
Critics’ Corner: February
‘Two and a Half Men’: Winning without Charlie Sheen?
Mike DeStefano
Staff Writer
T
he CBS hit sitcom Two and a Half
Men has entered its ninth season
on television—but only its first
without star Charlie Sheen. The show
introduced the post-Sheen era by killing
off their star character and bringing in a
replacement: Walden Schmidt, a heartbroken billionaire who seems to never
have grown up, played by a bearded Ashton Kutcher. Some admire the new direction of the show, but others miss the
comedic genius and train-wreck Charlie
Sheen. The mixed reviews raise a lingering question: Is Two and a Half Men
still “winning” without Charlie Sheen?
Many fans of the show do not like the
childish antics of Kutcher’s character,
Schmidt, while even more do not enjoy
the increased sexual humor. More simply miss the humor of Sheen, a natural
in mimicking his own life on screen.
However, recent statistics show unprecedented ratings and viewer counts, a
sign that the sitcom has still garnered
new fans and kept plenty of old ones.
“I think Two and a Half Men without
Charlie Sheen has surprisingly still been
funny. “ said senior, and long-time Two
and a Half Men enthusiast,Andrew
Weber, “I give a lot of credit to the
writers for sticking with the show.”
Nielsen, the television rating system,
“sweeps” has shown that the ninth season averaged 17.69 million viewers per
episode; the second-highest average
number of viewers per Two and a Half
Men episode was 16.45 million, which
the show achieved during its second
season. The show also ranked fourth
in the Nielsen ratings during this past
season. Previously, its highest rating
had been tenth, which it achieved during Season 6. These achievements are
a stark contrast to 2010 and 2011’s Season 8, which drew a record-low 12.73
million viewers per episode and ranked
17th—the show’s second-lowest ranking—in that year’s Nielsen sweep.
Although Two and a Half Men’s shortened eighth season underperformed
in the midst of Charlie Sheen’s departure and meltdown, it came back with
a vengeance in its ninth season. Arguably the best episode of the season was
the eighth episode, which takes some
jabs—and then some hard hits—at
Sheen. The episode begins with Walden
playing some of Charlie’s old jingles on
his piano, which Walden decides to get
rid of later on. Jon Cryer’s character
Alan then begins to lament the loss of
his late brother and mimics his mannerisms little by little. He progressively
talks, acts, and dresses like Charlie, even
giving his son, Jake, Charlie-style dating tips and drinking straight scotch
like the legend himself. After becoming a walking copy of Charlie, Alan is
dropped off by Walden at a mental hospital, which he mistakes for an upscale
club. While Alan is sitting in his hospital bed in the “VIP room,” he wears a
cheeky grin and ends the episode with
Sheen’s most famous saying: “Winning.”
Two and a Half Men is still #Winning.
‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’: Surviving 9/11
Annie Lambesis
Staff Writer
A
fter the ten-year anniversary of
the 9/11 attacks last fall, there
have been a fair share of stories
told by the survivors and families of
the tragedy. But Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is told from a very unique
point of view. Oskar Schell, played by
Thomas Horn, is a young boy trying
to make sense of something his father
(played by Tom Hanks) left behind before he died on what Oskar calls “the
worst day.” The film follows Oskar’s
adventure in the year following his father’s death on September 11, 2001.
Oskar travels around New York City’s
every nook and cranny, trying to find
some answers about what his father left
behind. His adventures are carefully
organized and mapped out and take
place over a few months. The people
Oskar meets and the places he travels
to help him shape his quirky personality. Thomas Horn truly holds his own
while portraying such a strong character.
With a small but mighty cast including Sandra Bullock and Viola Davis,
Extremly Loud and Incredibly Close
surprises audiences by focusing on the
aftermath of 9/11 rather than the day
itself. Oskar’s haracter is socially challenged but lovable because of his cleverness and refusal to give up on his father. In the scenes before “the worst
day,” viewers get a glimpse of their re-
FEBRUARY 2012
lationship. Sadly, it might look familiar
to moviegoers. Dozens of children like
Oskar lost their fathers that day, and
Extremlt loud Incredibly Close is a perfect symbol for the love that was lost.
The film is based on the novel of the
same name by Jonathan Safran Foer. Oscar buzz started when the film had a limited release on December 25. The official
announcements confirmed the rumors,
with nominations for Best Picture and
Best Supporting Actor for Max von Sydow.
Oskar’s story is worth being heard,
so catch Extremely Loud and Incredibly
Close in theaters now.
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
ENTERTAINMENT
19
Critics’ Corner: February
Actors change media, from silver screen to stage
Kim Romano
Staff Writer
D
aniel Radcliffe, Darren Criss,
and Nick Jonas. What do these
three people all have in common? Aside from their obvious superstar status, these celebrities are
just a few of the many who have taken on “The City that Never Sleeps”
by appearing in Broadway shows.
Radcliffe, Criss, and Jonas have recently taken to the stage as J. Pierrepont
Finch in the musical How to Succeed in
Business without Really Trying. While
Broadway was a relatively new experience for Criss, Jonas is a veteran of the
big stage, having previously appeared
in The Sound of Music, Beauty and the
Beast, and Les Miserables. How to Succeed also marked Radcliffe’s return to the
Big Apple. In 2008, the Harry Potter star
appeared in the play Equus. Fellow Brits
Jude Law and Hugh Jackman also graced
Broadway with their presence. Law appeared in Hamlet in 2009 and Jackman
made his Broadway debut in 2003 in The
Boy from Oz and is currently starring in
Hugh Jackman – Back on Broadway for a
10-week stint. Broadway has also had its
share of Hollywood-bred leading ladies.
In 2009, Scarlet Johansson starred in Ar-
thur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, and
won a Tony for her performance. Claire
Danes and Katie Holmes were welcomed
to Broadway for their roles in the plays
Pygmalion and All My Sons, respectively.
The high volume of Hollywood celebrities raises the question of whether
or not these well-known stars deserve
to be there. Some die-hard Broadway
fanatics criticize movie stars for tarnishing the theater’s renowned reputation. Senior Janelle Knippen agrees with
such critics, stating “I think it’s unfair
because Hollywood stars take the spot
of other people who deserve the roles
more than the celebrities. Actors from
Hollywood get to Broadway based on
their star status rather than their talent.”
Stars often find the world of Broadway to be too different from the glamorous L.A. environment and keep their
runs short and sweet, unlike reviews
from theater critics. In 2008, Morgan
Freeman received a number of negative reviews for his role in The Country Girl. Just a few years before, Sean P.
“Diddy” Combs appeared in A Raisin in
the Sun, and was greatly overshadowed
by his experienced Broadway co-stars.
On the other hand, it can also be argued that Hollywood stars contribute
to Broadway’s reputation. Celebrities
such as Antonio Banderas have been
received with open arms on Broadway.
Critics and fans alike praised Banderas
for his 2003 role in the musical Nine.
Junior Vanessa Parise said “I don’t mind
when Hollywood actors go to Broadway.
Some possess amazing talents that positively contribute to shows and bring good
publicity and different audiences to the
theater.” Another Cinderella Story’s Drew
Seeley did just that when he brought
flocks of fans to NYC during his 2009
run as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid.
Whether you enjoy the idea of seeing your favorite stars on stage or take a
more traditional approach to the Broadway casting protocol, there is no doubt
that Hollywood celebrities will continue
the trend of transitioning from the big
screen to the big stage.
Art by Thomas Southall
‘Woman in Black’: Radcliffe moving beyond the lightning bolt
Madeleine Ptacin
Co-Editor-in-Chief
I
f you hate creepy toys, demonic children, and jump scares,
then the “Woman in Black” is for
you. If you love climactic plot twists
and main characters that are inconstant, life threatening danger, then
the “Woman in Black” is not for you.
In his first post-Potter movie, Daniel Radcliffe plays a lawyer who must
settle an estate that is located in a
small town, both of which are haunted by “the woman in black.” The ghost
terrorizes the town by manipulating its children into committing suicide, a factor that becomes rather un1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
comfortable and gruesome to watch.
Even though the movie is frightful
thanks to its ominous settings and images—the abandoned mansion, collection of rickety dolls and loitering, shadowy figures—its main thrills come from
its many jump scares. Going into the
movie, one needs to know that whenever there is a window or mirror in view, a
face or body will appear a moment later.
On a positive note, this movie is unusual in the fact that it shows thought
and complexity in its plot’s mystery.
All in all, the movie can primarily be
seen as a business move as Radcliffe
tries to break away from Harry Potter and start a new, promising career.
[email protected]
This movie was not the best choice,
unfortunately. While his fans will always
adore him, Radcliffe must start acting
in roles that stray from the usual angst
and paranormal settings and into roles
that show him in a new and different
light. The easiest way to distance himself from his moody typecast is by starring in the opposite genre: comedies.
He’s already shown his comedic talents
in “How to Succeed in Business Without
Really Trying” and Saturday Night Live.
To survive post-Potter, Radcliffe needs
to diversify his images. If he doesn’t, he
may run the risk of never leaveing that
lighting bolt scar behind.
FEBRUARY 2012
ENTERTAINMENT
20
Critics’ Corner: February
‘Pretty Little Liars’: Lies, lipstick and loveliness
Shalayne Pulia
Staff Writer
M
urder, mayhem, and high
heels? Never has secret-keeping attracted such a stylish audience. Pretty Little Liars starts a new
trend in modern TV programming by
attempting to create a full length series out of a planned 12 books written
by Sara Shepard. Rowling did it with
movies why not a whole TV series?
Like any new frontier, the concept
has its challenges. For example, how to
draw out a planned 12 books to a seasonal series successfully. “The series is
too drawn out and repetitive. Once ‘A’
is revealed the show will be over and
they’re dragging it out too long,” said
Junior Liz Graff. Substance may be lacking, but teens still flock to the series for
their weekly dose of scandal, suspense
and relatively predictable cli angers.
Expectations were high for the series
before it even started as devout Sara
Shepard fans squealed at the news of a
series. Unfortunately, the series cannot
hold on much longer without revealing “A,” the psychotic killer rampaging
the darling town of Rosewood. Little do
these TV fans know, Shepard has quite
a few more tricks up her sleeve in the
upcoming episodes—all culminating in
one shocking ending. Whether or not
fans will have to uncover Ally’s secret
on television or through the traditional novel medium remains a question.
How does the series stack up, to its
written counterpart? Though their images may not match those described by
Shepard in her novels, the characters
Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna maintain the personalities
with
which fans originally connected.
The character’s
images were not
the only changes
producers were
forced to make
for their vision to come to
life on screen.
“The books were
a lot better. There
was a lot more
detail and the author explained what
was going on more clearly than the show
does,” said Freshman Rosella Presta .
Offering up a new perspective, “As
with all movies/series that come out of
novels, it’s never the same thing...you
change a lot of the story through making it a series, but I think through all
the changes it become its own story that
many people follow religiously,” said senior Alex Byskosh.
An interesting point, could the series
The Fame Machine
Chicago Events
Produces: Grouplove
“Grouplove” is an indie band that began in 2009 by Hannah Hooper,
Christian Zucconi, Sean Gadd, Andrew Wessen and Ryan Rabin.
Since then, they’ve released a chart topping album, gone on tour with Florence + the
Machine, and have had music in movies and commercials.
Fame Fast Facts
Origin: Los Angeles, California
Inspired by: Their hometown of Los Angeles
Albums: Never Trust a Happy Song
Top Singles: “Colours,” “Tongue Tied”
Music Featured In: The iPod Touch TV commercial, “Share
the Fun,” the soundtrack for Madden NFL 12 and FIFA 12.
For the Fans of: Foster the People, Cage the Elephant
FEBRUARY 2012
survive even if it diverges from the original text? Countless other movies produced in modern times seem to create
a new and interesting way to look at an
old novel series. Most devout readers see
this as sacrilegious, choosing to remain
loyal to their books. Fortunately, teens
of modern day
tend to opt for
the more fast
paced of the
two
options:
simply watching a television
show,
letting
the events unfold before their
eyes instead of
in their heads.
Yet, apparently interest still
Art by Emily Jagmin thrives for Pretty Little Liars and their devious ways.
Only time will tell if pretty little girls
caught up in ugly little things will continue to attract the modern teen female
audience. “My favorite part of the series
is not knowing who ‘A’ is, it’s so suspenseful,” said sophomore Alicia Leja.
Pretty Little Liars continues to offer
suspense-loving females a teen murder
mystery story with glamorous twists.
How long can the show run on its high
heels? We shall see ladies, we shall see.
-Erin Nelson
2/17 – Jellies Exhibit @ Shedd
2/ 19 – Oscars
2/20 – Presidents’ Day
3/17 - St. Paddy’s Day
Feb-April – A Midsummer
Night’s Dream play @
Chicago Shakespeare
Theatre
Feb–March – Jersey Shore
the Musical @ Studio BE
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
ENTERTAINMENT
21
Cameras, statues, dresses and glam
Nominations for Oscars are out and raising some questions
Joe Lorenzini
Staff Writer
I
t is typical in today’s culture to expect
the best films to be the one with the
most special effects and explosions.
These typical movies are usually awarded
with an Oscar. However, the current Best
Picture
frontrunner,
The Artist, could be the
first silent, black-andwhite movie to win Best
Picture since the first
winner, Wings, in 1927.
Best Actor nominee
Jean Dujardin plays
a silent film star who
helps Best Supporting
Actress
nominee
Berenice Bejo become
a star, but then he is
subsequently disposed
as films turn to “talkies”.
The film is nominated
for ten Oscars total,
including
Best
Director for Michel
Hazanavicius, and it
has strong support
after emerging from
the Golden Globes with
both Best Picture and
Actor in a Comedy or
Musical.
The only other
movie
with
more
nominations is Martin
Scorsese’s Hugo, a
story about an orphan
living in a train station in
Paris, with eleven nominations. It has
strong contention to win Best Picture
by receiving nominations in other
major categories including Director
and Adapted Screenplay. Its lack of
acting nominations, however puts it at
a disadvantage.
The major rival to The Artist is Alexander
Payne’s The Descendants, starring
George Clooney as a father who tries
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
to reconnect with his children after his
wife suffers a major accident. Although
it picked up only five nominations, it
scored them in the major categories i
Best Picture, Directing , Actor, Adapted
Screenplay, and Editing, with an
expected win for Clooney.
The critical hit of The Help was seen
The Help lost much of its momentum
after it failed to receive a Best Director
nomination. The last film to win Best
Picture without a Best Director nod was
Driving Miss Daisy in 1989.
The other films nominated for Best
Picture are Extremely Loud & Incredibly
Close, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The
Tree of Life, and War
Horse.
Overall, this year’s
nominees
are
a
disappointment to both
critics and fans alike.
Critical darlings of The
Tree of Life and Drive
were snubbed in some
major categories and are
odds out of winning, and
the box office success
Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows: Part 2
received no nominations
outside of technical
categories.
The Best Animated
Feature at the Golden
Globes, The Adventures
of Tintin, did not even
receive a nomination
for that category at the
Oscars, leaving Rango as
the clear frontrunner.
In Best Song, the
bare minimum of two
nominations
were
allotted to “Man or
Art by Margaret DeZelar
Muppet”
from
The
Muppets and “Real in Rio”
as a major contender for Best Picture for from Rio.
its memorable performances, and it did
These oddities and lack of support
pick up Viola Davis for Best Actress and for other films like The Girl with the
Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain Dragon Tattoo and Bridesmaids by the
for Best Supporting Actress. Spencer Academy leaves “Oscarologists” baffled.
has the odds to win her race, but Davis The confusion ultimately reflects the
has tough competition from Meryl fact that this year’s academy award
Streep in The Iron Lady—Streep has had nominations are definitly questionable.
seventeen Oscar nominations in her
career, winning two.
[email protected]
FEBRUARY 2012
ENTERTAINMENT
22
Perks of reading this book
‘Wallflower’ movie should not happen
Erin Nelson
Features Editor
F
ew people have heard about the
novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and it should stay that way.
This book should not be known to everybody. A movie makes stories available
to everyone. With this in mind, the idea
that this book will be released as a movie
later this year becomes a terrible idea.
The novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a made-up composition of
letters from a high school freshman,
Charlie. These letters are a personal
insight into his troublesome, heartbreaking life. They beautifully portray his experiences as a troubled teen.
Charlie comes to face with many experiences that most people do not have
to deal with, or would never hope to.
These experiences have directed the
book to a certain audience. This audience is not judgmental, biased, or superficial. Many people in today’s society
would frown upon this book. Unfortunately, Hollywood producers forgot to
take this into account when they decided to convert the book into a movie.
If the wrong people—those who don’t
like the movie or its content—see “The
Perks of Being a Wallflower” movie,
the “stereotypes” portrayed in the
movie, will be judged in real life. People are going to get their feelings hurt.
To be admitted into the movie, you
should have to show your copy of the book
instead of showing your ticket. When
this story, which has touched its rightful
audience, becomes available to anybody,
the meaning of the story will be lost.
When “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” becomes a movie, the meaningful effect of reading these letters will be
lost. Instead, the story will just become
a source of entertainment. Moviegoers won’t have time to reflect on each
letter. The reader will get more from
the story than the viewer will. This is
supposed to be a sentimental “coming of age” story, but now, nobody
will think about the story this way.
Also, the characters and events
should be left to the readers’ imaginations. Hollywood has no right to set
the image of these people and places
in stone. The big name actors in the
movie will make audiences think of the
celebrities in public or their characters in other movies. Moviegoers must
go see this movie with an open mind.
And, as hard as they might try, viewers
will not be able to rid these predetermined images from their subconscious.
Furthermore, to keep the movie rated
at least PG-13, the director will have to
cut some of the book’s content out. This
will further demolish the meaning in the
book. Although some of the events are
“risqué,” it’s not a bad thing. They might
startle the reader, but it would only be
for a second. The reader would be able to
FEBRUARY 2012
move past the initial shock and see the
significance, and even beauty, behind
it. Those who see the movie will not
even realize these events happened if
they have to cut out these experiences.
Or, they will judge them and get the
idea that they made the movie “wrong.”
This article was not intended to insult
anyone. It is merely an observation of
how people have reacted to similar stories in the past. However, this article
was intended to make you think. What
if your favorite thing—musician, movie,
etc.—was going to be exploited. You
know it’s going to lose its purpose. What
if you knew other people were going to
find out about it and judge it or judge
you for liking it? That’s how the fans of
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” book
feel. So if you don’t have an open mind,
don’t see this movie. Or at least if you are
determined to see the movie, read the
book before you go. Then maybe you’ll
share my point of view.
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
SPORTS
23
February madness
Basketball breaks into another great season
Brian Wilhite
Staff Writer
his year’s Varsity Basketball team
is off to a roaring start. At 19-3 as
of February 13 and landing first
place in conference after a huge win
against two-time defending ESCC champions Benet (17-5), first year head coach
Mike Howland has everything going for
him. “I love this group,” said Howland.
“I think it’s the most talented and deepest group we have ever had. We are also
the fastest team I’ve ever coached which
caters well to the style I like to play. They
T
play hard and very unselfishly, which
makes us a very difficult team to beat.”
The Lions are returning four of their
five starters, along with adding key
sophomore forward Ore Arogundade.
The Lions also have a set of solid juniors
this year, including Ore’s brother Mayo
Arogundade, Kevin Hammarlund, Chris
Strzalka, Mike McNamara, Hugh Masterson, Pat Martin, Bobby Muench, and
Adam Clark. On the freshman level,
Mark Falotico adds diversity to the lineup. “We have all come together no matter what grade level,” said senior forward
Danny Forde, “Our
team rule is ‘ELE’—
Everybody
Loves
Everybody—and we
follow it on and off
the court.”
Led by captains
D.J. Morris, Kevin
Walsh, and Chris
Myjak, the Lions
have a good mixture of experience
in their seniors, and
youth in their sophomore and freshman.
Myjak, the
three year starter, is
set and ready for another title run since
the last super-sectional appearance in
2010. “Chris Myjak is our anchor. When
he gets the ball down low, we win. Plain
and simple,” said senior guard Frank
Laterza, who is out with a torn ACL and
has done a great job of keeping the team
motivated from the sideline.
Besides Chris, the Lions are armed
with sharp-shooting Kevin Walsh, who
is fourth in the conference in points
scored, and the quick, assist-heavy DJ
Morris. DJ has the job of leading the
floor in the point guard position, and
he feels that the team has come together more this past year. “Our chemistry
has improved a lot this year from on the
court, to team dinners, and all the way to
nights at Sports Page,” said Morris.
Whether it’s the inspiring new coach,
return of key seniors, or the spicy hot
wings at Sports Page, the Lions have it
all going for them as they look for a deep
run in the ESCC playoffs. “We want to
be playing our best basketball come
March,” says Howland. “If we are, I believe we can beat anyone in the state.
There is no limit to what this team can
achieve. I’d love to end it in Peoria (state
finals); I hear the weather is nice down
there in March.”
Senior Chris Myjak goes up for the shot over a defender.
Photo by Jack Lakowske
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
[email protected]
FEBRUARY 2012
SPORTS
24
Jumping from pool to pool
DUWP league makes water polo a year-round sport
Marilyn Stephen
Staff Writer
W
ith the approaching water
polo season, many players
have spent time in the weight
room doing assigned workouts. Others,
however, have joined DUWP, District
Unified Water Polo. DUWP is a local
water polo league that keeps players in
shape and ready to start the season right.
“When athletes spend the time to do
work during the offseason, the benefits
are very apparent during the regular
high school season,” said girls water polo
coach Adam Clementi.
Aside from Saint Viator, students from
District 214 high schools like Hersey,
Wheeling, Mount Prospect, and Rolling Meadows form the DUWP teams
and practice every weekend. Along with
regular practices, the club team also participates in tournaments throughout the
winter to sharpen their techniques.
Senior water polo player Sara Heunisch said, “I think DUWP is great and
if I wasn’t so busy with musical this
year, I would definitely do it.”
What also makes the league helpful is
the variety of level and skill set among
players. More experienced players can
prepare for the upcoming season in
scrimmages and tournaments, while
those who may not be as familiar with
water polo can learn the basics and develop a feel for the game while still gaining competitive experience.
“There are a bunch of kids who have
never played before and they learn just
by playing at DUWP,” said senior captain
Libby Burkman.
Introducing new players to water polo
before the season kicks into gear benefits both player and team ultimately.
Senior water polo player Robert Heck
said, “Since it is difficult to play water
polo by myself out of season, DUWP is
a great way to sharpen my skills from
last year as well as master new skills for
the year to come.”
Athletes can walk into the beginning
of the season already settled into a routine consisting of water polo.
Freshman DUWP player, Bridget
Hulsebosch, said “I feel more experienced even though I’ve never played
before.”
Giving athletes this type of experience
provides an effective transition for the
water polo teams as they head toward
the new 2012 spring season.
Skating toward successful season
Hockey team adds to a great year, wins Blackhawks tournament
Jenny Brandt
Staff Writer
he varsity hockey team has
reached a new high and are sliding
to the playoffs with their best foot
forward after another successful season.
After ranking second in state and first in
last month’s Blackhawks tournament,
the team is preparing for the upcoming
month as they get ready to compete in
the playoffs. With
new head coach,
Chris Lappin, the
team’s record have
jumped to a 46-14-4
record as of February 8. Unlike many
coaches,
Lappin
has a different outlook on the game.
“I teach my players
quiet arrogance, and
not to question if we
will win or lose. I tell
them to get it done
and win or lose with
The team celebrates after beating over Hinsdale Central.
pride.”
Lappin also adds
Photo by Katie Kerstetter
T
FEBRUARY 2012
that he teaches his players that speed
and unity can make you stronger on the
stick. With coach Lappin and assistant
coach Tony Aiello teaching the team hard
work and willingness, the practices have
become more vigorous. “Playoffs are just
one week away, and coach is drilling us
with more intense drills at practice,” said
senior captain Jeremy Linzing. “Playoffs
have the hardest competition, and we
have to play our best every game.”
Though positive about the month
ahead, Jeremy knows that a loss during
playoffs means they’re done. Hopefully
injured players David Kellner and Jeremy can recover fast to help out the team.
The coaches and players are very hopeful
for the upcoming games, and are proud
they made it this far. “We went from
not knowing each other, to being close
friends,” said senior Rob Schmidt, also
varsity captain and team goalie, about
the constructive chemistry on the team.
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com
SPORTS
25
Offseason obligations
Practicing for a purpose
Nick Curran
Staff Writer
bout 80 percent of Saint Viator’s
population is involved in a sport,
and the remaining students have
definitely seen people change to lift or
work out downstairs. But why do so
many people devote their time to running in circles, bringing up their feet
in strange patterns, and lifting weights
after school? Each day, Coach Saey fills
white boards with numerous exercises
for the various number of sports out of
season. Are athletes forced by coaches?
Or driven by their own will?
For some sports, coaches require athletes to workout, sometimes in replacement of practice. During the winter
and spring seasons, football players attend both speed training sessions before
school, intense early morning workouts.
Some players are eager to wake up and
improve their abilities, while others
would much rather catch an extra hour
of sleep. Football is not alone. Junior
Jimmy Ganas said, “Athletes should be
allowed to pursue many other activities
in the offseason. that’s why they call it
the off season.”
Other athletes might agree with Jimmy,
feeling restrained by the reach of out-ofseason sports.
However, just as many athletes might
not. A large number of students who
excercise out of season believe the extra effort improves performance during a sport’s season. Stronger muscles,
faster speeds, conditioned bodies all
add up to a more effective athlete. Soccer players can run and squat to improve
leg strength and cardiovascular health.
Football players can lift weights to gain
and strengthen muscles. Cross country
runners can sprint on treadmills and do
plyometrics for muscular endurance.
Senior varsity soccer player Katherine
Petrovich said, “[offseason workouts]
A
1213 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, IL
help you and prepare you physically for the season. When the
season arrives, you are already
conditioned and have more time
to focus on the technical aspects
of the sport.”
Whenever one season begins,
another season ends and the offseason practices begin. Since the
gym is open year-round, student
athletes and teams often find
themselves choosing to take a trip
downstairs to the gym to challenge
themselves with rigorous workouts to prepare for their upcoming
season.
Parker Simonaitis lifts dumbbells during a rigorous workout in the gym.
Photo by Peter Glinos
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FEBRUARY 2012
SPORTS
26
Students go crazy with Cahill Crazies
Student cheering section promotes school spirit
Caroline Young
Staff Writer
W
here can you ride a rollercoaster, go bananas, and be
part of the Red Sea all in one
night? At any Saint Viator sports event
where the Cahill Crazies are. If you have
ever been in the student section for a
big Viator sport’s game, then you know
what it’s like to be a member of the Cahill Crazies.
The Cahill Crazies is a way for students
to support Viator Athletics, even if they
do not play any sports. Officially, the Cahill Crazies is “a group of students that
go to the games and cheer on the different sports teams,” said senior Crazies copresident Kevin Patzke, who leads the
Crazies along with senior co-president
Jack Corrigan and senior Vice President
Sean Carney. And how do you become a
member? According to Patzke, you join
the Cahill Crazies just by being a student at Saint Viator. “Anyone that goes is
welcome to come to the games and sit in
the student section,” said Patzke.
The Cahill Crazies are all about getting people to games and supporting the
sports teams at Viator. “The coolest part
is getting as many people as possible
out to the games,” said Patzke. And it
doesn’t end after the basketball season
is over. “Hopefully we can get students to
continue to go to spring sports games.”
The presence of the Crazies and a big
crowd helps athletes during games, according to junior Mayo Arogundade,
who is on the varsity basketball team.
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“When the Crazies get into the game and
are jumping and screaming and making chants, it gets us pumped and gives
us energy to do what we do,” said Mayo
Arogundade. “The Cahill Crazies are the
‘sixth man’ of the Saint Viator basketball
team and we love what they do.”
Not only do the Cahill Crazies attend
the sports games, start chants, and lead
the student section, but they also make
shirts for students to buy at the beginning of each school year and choose
the themes for games. Some popular
themes this football season were white
out and the red sea. “My favorite theme
was clash because you can look crazy
without anybody saying anything,” said
junior Ally Rinka. “I’m going to be sad
next year because it’ll be my last football
season at Viator.”
The toga theme was also popular, according to junior Emma Hogaboom. “I
really liked the toga theme because I’ve
never seen that at a high school sporting
event before,” Hogaboom said.
Corrigan said the Crazies go to “football and basketball games mainly, but
[they’re] trying to add some smaller
sports like water polo, lacrosse, and
baseball.”
This would be appreciated by many
students who wish the Crazies attended other sporting events as well, so the
athletes would get more recognition
for what they do. Junior wrestler Ethan
Jedziniak said, “Cahill Crazies should
come to wrestling meets because it
would boost the amount of people who
join the wrestling team at the beginning
of the season.”
The Cahill Crazies are nothing new
to Saint Viator High School. “It’s been
around since the days when it was an allboys school,” said Mrs. Francis.
And with many important games sure
to come as the winter seasons finish up
and spring sports begin, the Crazies will
have a full schedule leading Saint Viator
fans for the rest of this year.
Saint Viator High School
www.saintviator.com