Downloading - The Charger
Transcription
Downloading - The Charger
Volume 6, Number 2 It was a sad day for Peacock Middle School B Y K Y L E P. SPORTS EDITOR This year’s eighth grade trip to the state capital, Springfield, did not go smoothly. Altogether, there were about sixty-five hours worth of detentions and suspensions handed out in the wake of the trip. One hundred and ten students attended and at least ten were punished for actions ranging from lack of respect for the bus drivers and tour guides to bad behavior at certain sites. Because of the misbehavior, the eighth grade class lost all of Because of the their privileges to go on other field trips misbehavior, and attend dances. the eighth To gain those grade class lost privileges back, the all of their eighth graders have privileges to go signed a letter of on other field apology that has trips and attend been sent to Capitol officials and staff, dances. (see Op-Ed, pages 8-9). Student council president and vice president Kaitlyn Linsner and Shannon Powers came up with the idea for the apology, and drafted the letter for their classmates to sign. In addition, every eighth grade student had to submit to Dr. Nickisch a formal account of their behavior on September 13, 2002, apologizing if necessary. Despite the problems, the eighth graders did tour Springfield and see the historical and governmental sites. See Springfield Page 4 O CTOBER 2002 www.thecharger.org Itasca remembers 9-11 BY AMY E. September 11, 2001 is a day Americans will never forget. Itasca, along with most other towns and cities, did many things to remember and honor the men and women who were killed that day. On the first anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a very large crowd of people, many from Itasca and some from nearby towns, gathered in Usher Park at 7:30 p.m. Many different people made speeches that night. The service began with Boy Scout Troop 409 distributing candles to everyone. First to speak was Alva J. Kreutzer, Itasca’s Character Counts Coordinator. Shortly after, the North DuPage Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) presented the flags and played the bagpipes. The crowd then recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem led by resident Carl Presto, with Carl Presto Jr. playing bagpipes and Robert Haney playing drums. Mayor Gigi Gruber reflected on the events of September 11th. The Itasca fire chaplain, Steven Fox, and police chief, Mike McDonald, spoke, followed by a moment of silence and the singing of Amazing Grace. The color guard then retired the flags, but before they left, Ken Palicki of the VFW requested that the crowd recite the Pledge of Allegiance a second time because of how much the pledge meant to him. Robert Gosanko and Harry Volkman of the VFW participated in the September 11th Candlelight Vigil in Usher Park. (photo by Amy E.) Inside Council makes changes - p. 2 Demise of spring play - p. 3 Opinions - p. 5 Eighth grade apology - p. 8 Features - p. 10 See 9-11 Page 4 All this and more! 2 T HE C HARGER N EWS O CTOBER 2002 Council makes changes that affect students BY MICHELLE M. Many students are probably wondering what the new student council president and vice-president, Kaitlyn L. and Shannon P., are able to do to improve student life. As far as dances are concerned, they would like to hire a D.J. who plays the music that the students like. They also would like to have themes for the dances. Many students and teachers complain Students are about how the pep now allowed rallies need more to chew gum spunk and excitement. Kaitlyn and Shannon in all but would like to improve restricted them by having the areas, such whole student council as the gym. help with decorations. They would also like to get more participation from the student body. They have even suggested throwing beach balls around in the crowd to make things a little more exciting. When interviewed, Kaitlyn and Shannon commented, “We would like to have better New advisor for student council BY JESSICA L. Student council president, Kaitlyn L. and vice-president Shannon P. conduct a student council meeting. hot lunches with tastier food, and also have the cafeteria decorated to make it look cooler. During the month we would also like to include blizzard days.” The officers added that they plan to have more spirit days during the month as well. The also said that they would like to get students involved in fund raising projects that are good for the community. See New gum policy Page 3 Peer mediators are here to help Kaitlyn’s classmate Dave Keyworth agreed that it was fun helping people resolve their problems. The mediators’ training includes a whole With the new school day of listening, asking year, there are four new questions, and role-playing peer mediators along with The mediators’ short stories and afterwards the original eight: eighth training includes a mediating them. graders Dave K., Kaitlyn whole day of listening, Other students, Dr. West, L., Andrew K., Nicole D., asking questions, and teachers, and Dr. Nickisch can Lara P., Suzie S., Danny R., refer students to mediation. A role-playing short and Steve G.; seventh typical mediation is between graders Derek S., Nick P., stories and afterwards two or more arguing students mediating them. Claire Z., Jessica D. and two mediators. Kaitlyn L. explained that Each person tells his side of “peer mediators resolve conflicts. I’m a peer the story and they both think of a solution to mediator because I like resolving problems the problem. If the students have some and helping people. Since I’m a mediator I trouble finding a solution, the peer mediators can’t get in fights, and I also have to set an are happy to try and help them find one. example. I do enjoy being a mediator because it’s a lot of fun.” BY STEVE G. NEWS EDITOR Mrs. Laughlin counsels the council Peacock has a new student council advisor, sixth grade English teacher, Mrs. Laughlin. Seventh grade social studies teacher, Mr. Peel, who had served as the council’s advisor for many years, resigned at the end of last year. Mrs. Laughlin took his place because she thought it would be fun to work with students from different grade levels. Mrs. Laughlin hopes that the student council will become active in many areas of operation. “The student council has some outstanding officers this year,” said Mrs. Laughlin, “I think that together we can make a difference.” Dr. Nickisch commented that he would like the student council to become more active in the governing of the school. Student council president and vice president, Kaitlyn L. and Shannon P., are attending the meetings of the faculty leadership council this year. They will be offering their opinions and the opinions of the students at Peacock on various issues. Mrs. Laughlin commented, “I would like to see Kaitlyn and Shannon become participating members of the leadership council. I think they will listen to the student body and be fair to everyone here at Peacock.” Mrs. Laughlin hopes that the student council will become active in many areas of operation. She also stated, “We hope to have a positive effect on the entire Itasca community.” T HE C HARGER N EWS O CTOBER 2002 Learn about East Asian cuisine and art Teachers and students prepare for annual luncheon BY JACKIE S. E N T E R TA I N M E N T E D I T O R This year’s Senior Citizen’s Luncheon features an East Asian theme. Students in Mrs. Mann’s eighth grade family and consumer science classes will be cooking up a storm for about 200 senior citizens. This event will take place on October 18. About thirty students are working on the luncheon. It will take about four full weeks to prepare. The menu will be cucumber salad, chicken teriyaki and a “glorious” cheesecake. The students will cook and serve the meal. Peacock parent, Mrs. Saito, teaches Some servers will dress in kimonos, a Japanese FACS students how to conduct a robe, and others will wear red and white, the Japanese tea ceremony. colors on the Japanese flag. “Sounds cool, because you The students will design get to learn about Japanese table decorations and “I think the theme culture.” centerpieces. is different, and it “I like it a lot and look They are also learning to will be fun to cook forward to the luncheon.” perform a Japanese tea this kind of food. ” “I can’t wait until we cook ceremony for their guests. the food.” Some students had the “I’m looking forward to being a waiter following comments on the luncheon: because I can’t cook.” “I think the theme is different, and it will While Mrs. Mann is in the kitchen, art be fun to cook this kind of food.” teacher, Mrs. Dengler will be in the hall hanging up her students’ Asian artwork for the senior citizens to admire when they arrive. Mrs. Dengler’s sixth grade students will Continued from page 2 make a Japanese ink value painting that involves lines, called a sumi-e. They will also The biggest issue at Peacock at the learn some Chinese calligraphy to write in their moment is gum chewing. Kaitlyn and sumi-e books. Shannon have worked with Dr. Nickisch Along with sumi-e books, the seventh to set up a new policy. Students are now grade students are making Japanese and allowed to chew gum in all but restricted Korean style ceramics. Most students are areas, such as the gym. making a fish, which is a significant animal in They will also be allowed to have water Asian art and culture. bottles sold by the student council on their Mrs. Dengler will also select two desks. photographers to take pictures at the More ideas will come to mind during luncheon. student council meetings. If students have Mrs. Mann, Mrs. Dengler, and all the any other ideas, they should talk to Kaitlyn students interviewed were very excited about and Shannon first—they want to hear your the luncheon. They hope that everything will suggestions. go smoothly. New gum policy 3 Demise of spring play upsets many BY JESSICA L. F E AT U R E S E D I T O R Last year, the director of Peacock’s musical productions, Mr. Travis, decided that with a new baby at home, he didn’t have the many hours that it takes to organize a musical. Therefore, as of now, there will be neither an eighth grade musical nor an all-school spring musical this year. “I have a family now and Just one musical I cannot spend production costs four days a nearly $4000 for week at school royalties, from 7:00 a.m. costumes, makeuntil 6:00 p.m. and then go up and sets. home and do more work on the productions,” stated Mr. Travis. Mr. Travis added that his decision had “absolutely nothing” to do with Mr. Cousineau leaving. “Mr. Cousineau was slowly shying away from being as involved as he had been because he also had a new baby at home. I did nearly everything last year.” According to Mr. Travis, Dr. Nickisch was shocked to hear that he would no longer direct the musicals. When asked about the possibility of a future production, Mr. Travis did comment that he thought that it was a good idea for the student body to pull together and put on a play this year, if they wanted to. It won’t be easy though. Just one musical production costs nearly $4000 for royalties, costumes, make-up and sets. Many eighth grade students are quite upset with Mr. Travis’s decision. Carly L. said, “I can see why Mr. Travis can’t do it this year, but our grade deserves something, whether it be just the eighth grade or the whole school, we should keep the theatrical spirit alive at Peacock.” See Musical Page 5 4 Spanish Club T HE C HARGER N EWS O CTOBER 2002 Newscast nearer to premier New advisor plans holiday celebrations Late November targeted for first show BY JULIA N. BY MEGAN L. C I R C U L AT I O N EDITOR ¡Holà Como Esta? That is what you might hear if you walk into a Spanish Club meeting, which is held in Miss Okon’s room every other Wednesday. According to Miss Okon, the Spanish Club is “for all students interested in expanding their knowledge of the Spanish language and culture.” The Spanish Club isn’t just about learning a new language. Members say that they have a lot of fun as well. For example, they celebrate some Hispanic holidays. These include Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Navajo Sing, and Coya Rayni. Another popular club project is making Piñatas. The Spanish Club is open to anyone who wants to participate. Stop by Mr. Okon’s room after school for more information. Springfield Continued from page 1 Their day started at 6:00 A.M., when their bus left Peacock. During a quick rest stop about two hours into the trip, a student was injured in a playground accident. The first tourist site visited was New Salem Village near Springfield. New Salem shows what a village looked like in the days of Illinois’ most famous citizen, Abraham Lincoln (18091865). Next, the students headed to Springfield. In Springfield, they visited Abraham Lincoln’s Tomb, the new and old State Capitol Buildings, Lincoln’s Home, The Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, and of course the gift shops. The last stop was Old Country Buffet, where the students had dinner and soon after proceeded back home. Most of the students had a great time on the trip, but some were unaware of the consequences they would have to face on Monday morning. Unfortunately, only the bad behaviors were noticed. Many people were very upset about the decisions that were made upon the punishments given. According to media center director, Mrs. Bernahl, there are several goals for the planned news program. First, it will help students learn to communicate through a news program. It will also teach them how to present what they are learning and doing in clubs and other fun activities. Overall, the newscasts will show and Seventh grader Rosa A. and eighth grader Mariana D. celebrate what students monitor the control panel in the broadcast studio. do in and out of class. The video club uses the studio Friday mornings before school, as comes in may choose to create programs, such well as on Mondays after school. as book talks, debates, skits, Spanish programs, Mrs. Bernahl will also arrange a time for or fashion shows. students to use the studio if they cannot make Mrs. Bernahl would like to film a lot of the regular meetings. school events. She hopes to post clips from The news show will begin later in the fall. the shows on the district web site. When that happens, there will be Monday, Eventually, Mrs. Bernahl even hopes to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday enter student work in scholastic video groups for the news. competitions. Mrs. Bernahl said that every group who 9-11 in Itasca Continued from page 1 The audience joined him, but recited the pledge with much more feeling this time. The flag was then retired and the VFW exited. The vigil ended with a very exciting moment when the audience spontaneously broke out in God Bless America. Throughout the ceremony, music was played from the “United We Stand” CD created by the students of Itasca. Itasca resident, Alice Beine said, “The memorial is very sad and heartbreaking, and very emotional. It seems to make you think you’re doing what you can do for the ones who have passed away.” Major Gruber commented, “It’s a time for rebuilding for the nation. It’s a time for recovery and reflection. It’s a time for people to make peace within themselves, to come to terms with what happened and to be able to move forward with what they might not have accepted before.” Deputy Chief Police Rusty Votava, said, “This day has changed the way we all think and live and is something that will be with us forever. Everyone should deal with their feelings in whatever way they can.” All the residents interviewed agreed that this year’s Candlelight Vigil was a moving event that helped to bring people closer together. T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002 5 Editorial & Opinion News Editors Not this year Are we going to let one of the greatest traditions of Peacock go? B Y C A R LY L . OP-ED EDITOR Peacock is a small town school with a lot of history. And with history comes tradition. Over the past two years I have seen, and a few times have participated in, some of these to fight for. This is the chance we’ve been traditions: our sports teams, band programs, waiting for to prove to ourselves and everyone before and after school programs and clubs, else that we can do some good in this school. our excellence in academia, our fine arts We can’t just let this chance programs and to be pass us by. Instead of standing even more specific, the Something that so many on the sidelines, this is our annual school musical. Peacock alumni, so many chance to get in the game. Most of you know This is not just for the friends and maybe even the musical has been eighth graders, but for every family members have cancelled. Now we’re student who will eventually left here standing in participated in, is being walk through the doors of taken away from us. awe. Peacock. Do we really want to What do we do? leave this place with no legacy, Are we just going to stand here and let this no memories? happen? Something that so many Peacock I’m not. I promised my self that I would alumni, so many friends and maybe even not leave here without one true family members have participated in is being accomplishment, my legacy. What about you? taken away from us. Some may think this a I ask you, please don’t give up. It’s not a lost bad thing. I do too, but instead of looking at cause. this as hopeless I see it as a blessing in disguise. This is the chance to stand up for what we believe in. Something to work for; something Steve G. Agnes Z. Op-Ed Editor Carly L. Features Editor Jessica L. Creative Writing Editor Rachel W. Entertainment Editors Caitlyn C. Jackie S. Sports Editor Kyle P. Art Editors Alexandra B. Acaisha B. Graphics Editor Chris W. Layout Editor Paul P. Finishing Editor Joanna M. Assistant Eric A. Advertisement Editor Trisha H. Assistant Nicole M. Circulation Editors Megan L. Rena W. Faculty Advisor, Mr. Travis The Charger is published six times a year: September, October, November, February, March and May by Peacock Middle School, located at 301 E. North Street, Itasca, IL 60143. Phone: (630)773-0335 Email: [email protected] Web:http://thecharger.org Write the editorial board with questions, comments and complaints. Correspondence must be signed. Future of spring musical Continued from page 3 A committee of concerned students has been formed to keep this Peacock tradition alive. It consists of Kristen Maros, Jessica Lema, Carly LeVan, Christy Gianneschi, Agnes Zdzichowski and Kaitlyn Linsner. The committee has been brainstorming on how to overcome the situation and soon plan to address the issue with Dr. Nickisch. For now, all they can do is wait and see how the problem unravels. BY DAN B. 6 T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002 Choices, Welcome to sixth grade choices 16 or 18? BY ACHAISHA B. ART EDITOR BY CARMEN Z. There are rumors that the state government is trying to change the age at which drivers’ licenses are issued. Some lawmakers believe that if they change the driving age from sixteen to eighteen, young drivers will cause fewer accidents. Changing the driving age to eighteen is a bad idea. For one thing, most sixteen year olds have jobs, and their parents or other older adults would have to drive them. Also, if they need to go to somewhere like the store, 7-11, library, or to dances, someone would have to drive them. Although changing the driving age might prevent some accidents at first, starting driving earlier will give young drivers more practive overall. In the end, drivers will have more skills and experience if they start driving at sixteen. BY ALEX S. T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002 7 Eighth grade Springfield trip “I didn’t like it; the bus was the only fun part.” Innocent fun, or uncivil disrespectful “If I would chaos? have known the consequences of what happened, I wouldn’t have gone because it stunk.” On September 13, 2002 about 110 eighth grade students went to Springfield. Teachers said that it was an unprofessional group, so basically they said that we misbehaved. But let’s see what the students feel about the trip. “I thought that the Springfield Trip was pretty fun except for the fact that a lot of people got in trouble” - Shannon T. “It was pretty fun, but some places, like the Capital Building, people were doing things that they weren’t suppose to - Kyle P. “I think it was really fun, except the part where we got in trouble.” - Paige P. “I think it was HORRIBLE, the class’s actions disgusted me” - Brendon T. that got us in trouble” - Eric S. “If I knew that what happened was going to happen I wouldn’t of gone in the first place.” - Radvile R. “I think that it was plain terrible.” “It was fun, but we got in trouble” - Angela W. - Lauren S. - Mike W. “I think that it was ok and that the teachers are over-reacting and they’re punishing us too hard.” - Renimol M. 8 T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002 T HE C HARGER O P -E D O CTOBER 2002 I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y A L E X A N D R A B . ART EDITOR 9 T HE C HARGER F EATURES O CTOBER 2002 10 The Book Nook Dog owner loses out B Y B R I T TA N Y O . Shiloh is a story about a boy named Marty and a dog named Shiloh. Marty lives near the town of Friendly, West Virginia. While walking across the Shiloh Bridge, Marty finds a beagle, whom he brings home and names Shiloh. When Marty comes home with Shiloh, his parents say that he has to take the dog back to his owner. Shiloh’s owner is Judd, a very cruel man who beats his dogs. Marty brings Shiloh back to Judd, but Shiloh keeps running back to Marty’s house. So Marty decides to work for Judd to keep Shiloh. Marty will do anything to keep Shiloh. On a scale of 1 to 5, I rate Shilo as a 4. I New seventh grader thinks teachers are helpful BY PAM R. would recommend this book to my classmates because it’s exciting and it teaches you that if you really want something, you should work hard to get it. Written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers (1992) There is almost always at least one new student in each grade. This year, the seventh grade has three. One of those students is Alex C. Alex moved to Itasca from Chicago. He went to St. Luke’s Lutheran school in Itasca before he started coming here. Alex said that he likes Peacock better than St. Luke’s because the teachers are more helpful. He has also made many new friends at Peacock. Alex’s favorite subject is math because he likes algebra. Alex is in the choir. He enjoys listening to rap and Eminem. The last book he read was the fourth book in the Harry Potter series. So far, Alex has had a good school year, and hopefully the rest of the year will be enjoyable for him too. DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR OR A WELL-KNOWN ARTIST Submit your creative writing and artwork for The Charger’s annual literary and art magazine pullout. ALL SUBMISSIONS DUE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 4PM T HE C HARGER F EATURES O CTOBER 2002 11 Foods and recipes How did it go, Cuppy? BY CARMEN Z. I made my cream cheese cupcakes and overall, the process went well. First, I got out my ingredients for the chocolate batter. After sifting the chocolate batter ingredients, I got my ingredients for the cheese batter and blended it with a mixer. I added my final ingredients to the chocolate batter then mixed it together. To the muffin pans! I filled the cups about half-way with the chocolate, then added the cheese on top. I baked two batches of twelve and they turned out to be pretty well. Now that I have finished making my favorite food, cream cheese cupcakes, I wish that some things went better. I think that if I’d had more chocolate batter (which I was short on due to measurements) I would have been able to fill the muffin cups higher. Then, when I put them in the oven, they would have turned out puffier, like the ones at Jewel. Overall, my Cream Cheese Cupcakes turned out to be what I expected--quite tasty. Cream Cheese Cupcakes Chocolate Batter 1 1/2 cups flour 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup cocoa 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt Sift together the chocolate batter and put aside Cheese Batter 1 8oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese 1 egg 1/3 cup sugar Pinch of salt (about 1/4 tsp) 1 cup chocolate chips Combine the cheese batter w/ mixer STEPS First, add 1 cup water, 1/3 cup cooking oil, and 1 tbsp vinegar to the chocolate batter. Next, fill the paper muffin cups about 1/3 to about 1/2 full of the chocolate batter. After that, place about 1 tsp of the cheese batter on top. Finally, bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Ken Majkowicz Touch of Beauty Carpeting Cleaning & Installation 410 Catalpa Itasca, IL 60143 Pager: 708 817 7229 Cell Phone: 630 772 4836 September 2002 Caring Samantha D. Pedro M. Amanda P. Derek S. Citizenship Nicole D. Responsibility Ashley C. Blaise M. Respect Kyle P. Maggie P. SPANISH CLUB MEETING DATES WEDNESDAYS 3:00-4:00 October 16, 30 November 20 December 4, 18 January 15, 29 February 12, 26 March 12, 26 April 16, 30 May 14, 28 12 T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002 Chabba’s Noodles “weird” but good BY SARAH B. I decided to go to a Thai restaurant, Chabaa’s Noodles, located at 1047 Rohlwing Road in Elk Grove Village. I took two of my friends with me, Laura and Briana. We walked in and were greeted by a smiling hostess. Chabaa’s is a small restaurant with very bright yellow walls and many pictures. Of the many appetizers offered, we ordered the baby egg rolls for $3.50. We were very disappointed when it turned out there were only six baby eggs rolls the size of my little finger and a small dish of sweet & sour sauce. Our disappointment did not last very long, however. The baby egg rolls were very, very good! They were stuffed with chicken, shrimp, black mushrooms, and bean thread noodle, whatever that is! There were so many choices that it took us at least ten minutes to decide what to order. Briana chose the sauteed chicken, baby corn, onions, peapods and straw mushrooms in a mild gravy on a bed of rice. Laura got the crispy wide rice noodles topped with stir-fried assorted vegetables and chicken. I ordered the pad woonsen, stir-fried glass noodles with shrimp, chicken, and broccoli. It took about five or ten minutes for our food to come. Briana said that the sauteed chicked smelled “weird” but tasted good. Laura enjoyed the stir fried chicken. My pad woonsen was delicious. The entree portions were very large for $5.95, so we took some home. Food: 4 Atmosphere: 4 Service:3 Cleanliness: 5 Value for Money: 3 Kid Friendliness: 2 Overall Experience: 4 Linette’s serves up spicy food Hot food in cool atmosphere B Y P A U L P. L AY O U T E D I T O R Linette’s Jamaicans Kitchen, 7366 North Clark Street in Chicago, is a small restaurant that serves excellent Jamaican food. The menu has everything from the usual, jerk pork and chicken, to the unusual, things like oxtail and goat meat. Other dishes on the menu include tangy pepper shrimp and meat patties. Linette’s serves exotic drinks such as coconut water and ginger beer, as well as conventional drinks like Snapple. See Jamaican page 13 $2.00 OFF $3.00 OFF any order over $10.00 any order over $15.00 expires November 21, 2002 expires November 21, 2002 The Charger, Peacock Middle School $4.00 OFF any order over $20.00 expires November 21, 2002 The Charger, Peacock Middle School The Charger, Peacock Middle School Buy a large or Xtra Large Pizza and get a Small Cheese Pizza FREE expires November 21, 2002 The Charger, Peacock Middle School T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002 Jamaican restaurant not for the timid Continued from page 12 All of your food is prepared and served quickly. The floor and tables are pretty clean. The food is fair-priced at about six dollars per entrée. Some kids may enjoy the experience of dining at Linette’s, others may not. The muscular concert promoters and dreadlocked old men who walk in and out and try to make conversation with you may intimidate fearful people who don’t usually leave the suburbs. I think that the atmosphere makes the restaurant. It’s pretty cool to eat hot food in a restaurant located between two Hispanic grocery stores while Jamaican immigrants walk in and out handing you concert fliers. Overall, Linette’s Jamaican Kitchen is an excellent restaurant. Food: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Service: 5 Cleanliness: 4 Value for Money: 4 Kid Friendliness: Depends on the Kid Overall Experience: 5 Place your “shout-out” here! $2 per square stop by the music room for more information [email protected] Advertise in The Charger! www.thecharger.org/ advertise.htm [email protected] 13 Avril Lavigne shows what singing is all about BY CASSANDRA D. The new album Let Go by Avril Lavigne is really good. She sings pop music. Most of the songs are good to dance to. There are only a few slow songs. The lyrics to her songs are all about “being yourself.” That is pretty cool because it seems that most popstars don’t really care about that kind of thing. Let Go includes her two hit songs “Complicated” and Sk8ter Boi.” Lavigne’s style of music is different than most popstars. It is still really good. On a scale of 1-5, I would rate Let Go a 4.5. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to dance! Good Charlotte plays pop-punk Band plays punk or pop, depending on who you ask BY MONICA M. Good what? Who? That’s what I get when I ask or tell people about Good Charlotte. Good Charlotte started off with five friends from Waldorf, Maryland. The original Good Charlotte consisted of twin brothers, Joel (lead singer), and Benji (backup singer/ guitarist), Billy (guitarist), Paul (bass), and last, but not least, Aaron (drums). A year or so ago, Aaron quit the band to join his own brother’s band. The rest of the band found a replacement (Dusty), but he didn’t last long. They are still searching, but until they find the one, they have drummers from other bands fill in. Good Charlotte released their debut selftitled album in 2000. It is filled with catchy, funny, and self reflecting lyrics. On the album, Joel and Benji sing about their bad luck, girl troubles, how their dad left them, and much more. Their genre of music is pop-punk according to critics, but most people say it’s only pop. I think it’s pop with a twist of rock and rap, but, hey, what do I know? Unlike many other artists, Good Charlotte keeps you interested in their music. Their album is not the kind where all or many of the songs are about the same thing or with the same kind of rhythm. To sum it up, Good Charlotte’s album certainly is worth your time and money. I would rate this album, from a scale from one to five, as a five, and I stick firmly to my rating! I would definitely recommend this incredible album to you. 14 T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002 Gilmore Girls New Hip The comical drama with unpredictable Hop arrives events heads into its third season BY CHRIS R. Underground hip hop is not the hip hop that you hear on the radio such as Ja Rule, Nelly, Jay-Z, etc. Underground Hip hop means that not everyone knows these rappers. Some underground rappers don’t want to be famous. Underground rappers don’t rap about jewelry or money, they rap about street life, or about a regular day, and they still make it interesting. Two of underground hip hop’s finest are probably Atmosphere and Sage Francis. If you like popular hip hop artists such as N.O.R.E , Nas, and Wu-Tang-Clan then you will like this type of hip hop. Atmosphere’s new album, God Loves Ugly, talks mostly about their childhood and school. It has outstanding beats and good lyrics. Sage Francis’s new album is Personal Journals. This album mostly talks about when he was in “depression” and how tough it was to get out of it. Francis’s style of rapping is not very different from Atmosphere’s. These styles are not slow, but not fast at all. This music is worth listening to if you are tired of listening to rappers rap about the same old shallow subjects. If you listen to underground hip hop you can probably learn from it. But Rory always knows how to stand up for herself. What would life be like if you were smart, When Rory first got into Chilton, Lorelai sixteen, and your mom was young enough and went back to her parents and asked if they cool enough to be your would help with the best friend? You might tuition. Grandma be like Rory Gilmore. Gilmore accepted Gilmore Girls is a on one condition: WB television series, Lorelai and Rory seen on WGN-TV, had to come to their Channel 9. On Hartford home for Tuesday, Sept. 24th at dinner every Friday. 7:00 PM, it started its The scenes third season. between Lorelai and If you watch her very proper Gilmore Girls, you will parents are some of meet Rory and her mother, Lorelai (LORE- the funniest in each episode. a-lie). Lorelai grew up with two very rich Rory and Lorelai have a lot in common: parents, Richard and Emily Gilmore. clothes, movies, music, junk food, and perhaps When she turned sixteen, she dropped out most importantly, coffee. of high school because Every morning, they go to Luke’s she was pregnant with Diner right in the center of Stars Rory and Lorelai Rory. Hollow, to get coffee. have a lot in She ran away from Luke is a great character; he’s Hartford, Connecticut to common: clothes, crabby, but he also can be very sweet Stars Hollow, a town so movies, music, junk to Rory and Lorelai. I don’t know small that everyone food, and perhaps what Lorelai or Rory would do if most importantly, knows each other. Luke wasn’t there to give them their Lorelai got a job as a coffee. coffee. maid at a local inn. She Last season, Luke caused quite a works with her best stir in Stars Hollow when he brought friend, Sookie, the clumsy chef, and with his nephew, Jess, the bad boy of the family, to Michel, her stuck-up French assistant. live with him. Meanwhile, Rory attends Chilton, a private If you want to get into Gilmore Girls but school in Hartford, Connecticut. Her biggest need to catch up on the first two seasons, you dream is to go to Harvard. have two options. At Chilton, some of the other students seem to dedicate their extra time to making See Gilmore Girls Rory’s life difficult – especially Paris Geller. Page 17 B Y E M I LY W . BY ANDY K. T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002 And the nominees are... BY VERONICA M. On August 29, 2002, the MTV video music awards were on every young music fan’s mind. There were many performances and special appearances by singers and groups including Avril Lavine, Justin Timberlake and Shakira. Many different prizes were awarded that night, such as best female and male videos, and best hip hop or R&B videos. Fans voted on the viewers choice award, which pop star Michelle Branch won. Pop sensation Avril Lavigne took best new artist. Rap star Eminem won the most categories overall. Peacock sixth grader Cristal H. commented that she really enjoyed the live performances: “They were much better than last year.” A big fan of Eminem, Cristal was happy that he won the most awards. Cristal added that Michelle Branch was her favorite female singer, so she was thrilled that Branch won the viewers choice poll. Cristal’s classmate, Dulce R., commented that this years VMAs were better than last year’s. She particularly enjoyed pop star Shakira’s performance. As far as the awards were concerned, Dulce was disappointed that Britney Spear’s didn’t win anything. Dulce also mentioned that she hated Cristina Aguilera’s outfit and that she thought that Eminem was really cute! As far as these two music fans were concerned, the 2002 MTV video music award show was a great night of entertainment. 15 Inklink Hit game on popular website BY ERIC A. A S S I S TA N T F I N I S H I N G E D I T O R Knowing that Shockwave.com is one of the best-known gaming websites, I was looking for its best-known game. I asked people in Shockwave’s chatroom what game they would recommend. Four out of ten people recommended Inklink. To play the game, Inklink, http:// w w w. s h o ck wave. c o m / s w / c o n t e n t s / inklink15, you need to download the flashplug-in card, which is easy. Learning to play is also pretty simple. Inklink is like playing pictionary, except that there are more options. You try to guess what one of the players is drawing. After a few seconds, a letter pops up to give you a clue. See Inklink Page 16 16 T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002 Run and hide Here comes the teacher’s funny side B Y S A M A N T H A M . A N D N I C O L E M . , A S S I S TA N T A D V E R T I S E M E N T EDITOR Have you ever thought that your teachers were so boring that they didn’t even have a sense of humor? Well, this will prove you wrong, or maybe even prove you right. Here are a few jokes from the teachers of Peacock Middle School. Mr. Peel: Which state is like a baby rodent? Which state? New Hamster Mr. Travis: Knock, Knock Who’s there? Interrupting cow! Interrupting co MOOOO… Mr. Poremba: Why did the monkey cross the road? Why? Because he was stapled to the chicken. Mr. Larsen: If it’s really warm out, and you happen to see a heat wave, should you wave back? Dr. Nickisch: There was a fourth grade student by the name of Johnny. Everyday he would go up to his teacher’s desk and hand her some raisins. This went on for weeks and weeks and weeks. Then finally one day he stopped going up to her desk. She called him up to her desk and asked, “Where are my raisins?” and Johnny said, “MY RABBIT DIED!” Mr. Loest: How do you keep your trumpet from getting stolen? How? You put it in a trombone case. Mrs. Laughlin: What do you get when you cross a Rotweiler and a Collie? What? A dog that bites off your arm and then runs for help. See Jokes Page 17 Continued from page 15 You compete with anywhere from three to nine people and against the clock. The person with the most points wins. You can talk to the other players if you click on the whisper option. If you become a member of Shockwave.com, you can try to kick someone out of the game by booting that person if he is causing a problem. If you get four boots, you are out of the game. There are many different Inklink rooms from which to choose. Inklink is really a good game to tell friends about. It’s is a good way to pass time and meet new buddies on the net. Overall ratings 5 (highest) to 1 (lowest) Graphics- 3 Downloading speed- 2 Sound- 3 Challenging- 4 Fits most system requirements- 5 Overall rating- 4 Halloween Teen Dance Friday, October 25 7:00-9:30 p.m. Itasca Recreation Center 773-2257 $5 DJ & Concessions Available *Bring School ID & Parent Permission Slip T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002 Do teachers have funny bones? Continued from page 16 Mrs. Mann: Knock, Knock Who’s there? Ya Ya who? Yahoo it’s the weekend! Mr. Behrendt: How do you keep a student in suspense? How? Mr. Anderson: What do you call a blind deer? What? I have no I deer! Mr. Koenig: Why does a zebra have stripes? Why? Because a bucket of paint fell on him Mrs. Krefetz: Why did the monkey fall out of the tree? Why? Because he was dead! Miss Okon: How do you make a tissue dance? How? Put a little boogie into it! Mrs. Engel: Why did the cow cross the road? Why? To go to the mooovies! 17 Let us know what you think Fill out the form below and return it to the suggestion return box located in Mr. Travis’ room. Joke Opinions: The best joke was Gilmore Girls gets two thumbs up I liked it because Continued from page 14 HarperCollins is now publishing a series of Gilmore Girls paperbacks. One of the best parts of this show is its fast and funny dialogue, and the books are very faithful to the show’s scripts. Secondly, you can tune into the WB on Sundays at 6:00 pm for Gilmore Girls: Beginnings, which is a re-showing of the first season. Gilmore Girls is great because it shows a wonderful mother-daughter relationship. It is one of those shows that manages to be both a drama and a comedy. The characters feel very real, and Stars Hollow is a great place to visit. Gilmore Girls gets two thumbs up! I think is the funniest teacher BY JOSE M. ADVERTISMENT S TA F F OCTOBER 2002 TRISHA H. NICOLE M. CARMEN Z. BY ACAISHA B., ART EDITOR 18 T HE C HARGER E NTERTAINMENT O CTOBER 2002 Beware the Signs! Well, maybe. Horoscopes for fun BY ALEXANDRA B. ART EDITOR Here are the mysterious horoscope fortunes for October. Beware the Signs! Aries, the Ram March 21-April 20 You’d better get that assignment done on time, Aries! Lately, you’ve been too lazy to notice some things around you, including your friends and your attitude. Also, you’d better watch out. Santa’s not too pleased about your behavior to a sibling or at least your cousins. Taurus, the Bull April 21-May 21 Something bad is in your future, Taurus. Whether this is a fight with a friend, or maybe something else, you still have time to change it! It might’ve been caused by a black cat crossing your path on Friday the thirteenth, but who knows? Gemini, the Twins May 22-June 21 Steady there, Gemini! You’re getting clumsy, and your family’s been noticing it too. Make sure it doesn’t get out of hand, or you’ll find yourself tripping over people and causing a ruckus. Cancer the Crab June 22-July 23 Lucky you, Cancer! You’re getting POPULAR! Or at least more people are noticing you. That’s still a good thing, but make sure you don’t make it a bad one by spreading a rumor about anyone, or your luck might come back to bite you, like when Scorpio found out too late about his mistake! Don’t end up like him! Leo the Lion July 24-August 23 “What? Why is everyone ignoring me?!?” Hmm, tough luck Leo. Someone doesn’t like you very much and has started telling lies about you. Fortunately, you’ve decided to ignore this fact and have continued on with your life. Good for you! Soon he/ she’ll give up, don’t worry, and you’ll be back to normal. Virgo, the Virgin August 24-September 23 Yay! MY sign! Virgos will have a **REALLY REALLY** great day, a boy or girl will ask you out and the birds will sing - ok, you caught me, I was making that one up. All’s the norm for Virgos, but we’d better make sure to notice someone we may have been leaving behind lately. Watch out for the forgotten one’s vengeance! Libra, the Scales September 24-October 23 Quite the math whiz, Libra! You’re doing better than you think. Skip the study time and go to that sleepover your friend’s been nagging you about on the weekend. You deserve it. Just don’t get cocky, or you’ll lose your advantage over the class! And you love that no-homework-Friday, don’t you? Yes, I thought so. Scorpio, the Scorpion October 24-November 22 Oh no...Watch out, Scorpio!!! Someone’s gotten SO, so, so mad they just can’t take it anymore! They’ve made a voodoo doll and have begun to curse you with evil magic! Forget school, forget the school newspaper in your hand, RUN!!! Eheheh, just kidding Mr. Travis. No, I’m not encouraging hooky... Sagittarius, the Archer November 23-December 21 Whew, just typing your sign name has given me the willies. Sagittarius...you will have an overall good day, because YOU’RE THE ONE cursing Scorpio, huh, aren’t you!? Confess!!! If you haven’t made a voodoo doll, you have been mad at someone. Chill out before someone finds out! It’s not like you to be mad! Capricorn, the Goat December 22-January 20 You, Capricorn, are starting to imagine yourself surrounded by a zoo full of animals. Go over this with your parents. They might let you get a fish if you ask nicely enough, or maybe you’re lucky and WILL be surrounded by hundreds of pets. That’s sure the way you’d like it - threatening your parents with a pet crocodile, hehe. Aquarius, the Water Bearer January 21-February 19 Wow, Aquarius, you have a very strange hidden talent. So strange, in fact, that certain people out there enjoy making fun of you. Don’t worry, you will soon excel in your secret skill and will be extremely proud of an accomplishment. You also have a lot of really good friends to back you up, so relax and have some fun! Pisces, the Fish February 20-March20 Eheheheh...guess what Pisces..I have learned your secret! You watched a really dumb scary movie and you’re still scared! And now you’re embarrassed because you think everyone will find out! Don’t worry, no one knows. Just make sure not to spill the beans to anyone. Especially your best friend. He/she’s gonna tell! B Y B I L L W . A N D R A C H E L W . , C R E AT I V E WRITING EDITOR T HE C HARGER S PORTS O CTOBER 2002 19 Lake Park Lancers volleyball The inside story from a Peacock graduate set before each game, learning techniques, and being with my team,” she explained. Practices consist of running six laps around the gym. They go into stretching afterwards. Then the girls start serving, spiking, and BY NICOLE D. setting. My sister, Dana, practices and works very After practice, players run penalty laps for hard as a member of the Lancers volleyball how many times they missed the ball, didn’t team at Lake Park High School. call the ball, or goofed off. Did you ever wonder how hard high school Dana is one of three captains for the A volleyball was? I watched Lake Park’s matches and B volleyball teams. The captains give the against the Barlett Hawks on September 19, rest of the girls an inspirational and and I can testify that at the high motivational speech after school level, the competition is each practice. They also tough and the games get According to Dana, cheer and put away the “the best moments in volleyball equipment before intense. According to Dana, “the the games are when they leave. best moments in the games are members of the team Dana thinks that her when members of the team sacrifice their bodies to team needs to work on sacrifice their bodies to save the save the ball from passing, but otherwise she ball from hitting the ground.” hitting the ground.” would rate them as highly Lake Park volleyball competitive. consists of two teams; the A Dana added that she and the B team. You can play with either team wanted to thank Peacock coaches, Mrs. Engel depending on how hard you work. and Ms. Heppeler for all their help last year. The Lancers practice for two hours and She felt that they really helped her improve. forty-five minutes a day, even on Saturdays. Dana advised next year’s freshmen to go Dana would do anything for volleyball. out for as many sports as they wanted to. “I enjoy practicing hard, achieving a goal I Which way are the Bears going? BY PETER D. A few years ago, the Bears hit rock bottom. Last year, they started a rollercoaster ride going up up up. But this year, the rollercoaster is going down again. The Bears started the season with two straight wins, but have now lost three But, if there straight games. are any more On the injuries it will offensive side, the be a long year Bears are doing and we will be well. Jim Miller, Anthony Thomas, looking forward to the and a gang of wide are Cubs and Sox receivers putting points on playing the board. The baseball offence could instead. score of lot of points. On the defensive side, the Bears have lost four starters to injuries including tackle Ted Washington. The only bright spot is Brian Urlacher. Urlacher is a very young player still learning his position, and yet, he is already one of the best linebackers in pro football today. Overall, however, the defense is giving up a lot of points and they don’t seem to be able to stop teams the way they did last year. On special teams, the Bears are still looking for the right combination with kick returners. They do have Paul Edinger and Bryan Maynard, their veteran kickers. Last year, the Bears had a great season. This year the team isn’t playing as well. If the Bears defense can get healthy again and stay strong, and the offense performs as well as last year, it will be a fun season. Playoffs again! But, if there are any more injuries it will be a long year and we will be looking forward to the Cubs and Sox playing baseball instead. Lake Park freshmen, Dana D. and Elizabeth I., are members of the Lancers volleyball team. Cross Country Continued from page 20 “I was able to come back a little bit, but I had fallen too far behind to finish in the top three,” said Pat. “In the next race I paced myself,” he explained, “but I made my move too late. That’s just something I’m going to have to be able to get down to do better.” When asked, Mrs. Engel said she was thrilled with the performance of the team. “Everyone is an outstanding runner. They all have worked hard and have done really well.” The Chargers competed in the Conference Championship meet on Tuesday, October 8 at Lake Park High School. The girls won it all, withColleen Moran and Kaitlyn Linsner again taking first and second. The sixth and seventh grade boys finished the meet in...place, and finished the season...in the conference. The eighth grade boys took the...spot in the championship and finished...overall. The team celebrated their great season with a party on Wednesday evening. T HE C HARGER S PORTS O CTOBER 2002 20 Charger girls go undefeated Cross Country team members compete at the Medinah meet,Tuesday, October 1. Clockwise from left, David K., eighth grade, Art P., eighth grade, sixth and seventh grade boys team, Frank C., seventh grade, eighth grade boys team, Kaitlyn L., eighth grade. (photos by Shannon P.) Colleen has been on the Cross Country team all three of her years at Peacock. She It’s that time of year again, cross country also participates in basketball, volleyball, and season, and Peacock is off to a strong start. track. On Thursday, September 26, 2002, the Eighth grader Art P. finished third at Chargers competed at Roselle in three close Roselle and second at Medinah. and exciting races. The girls finished first. So Seventh grader Frank C. (finishing with did the eighth grade boys. The sixth 9:56 & 9:16) finished fifth at and seventh grade boys took “Running sprints Roselle and eighth at second. Medinah. during practice In another close race, on “The races were tiring. Tuesday, October 1, at Medinah, really helped me.” They felt short too.” Frank the Charger girls again won. The said. eighth grade boys took second, and the sixth “Running sprints during practice really and seventh grade boys placed third. helped me.” “At the end of the race on In both races, the competition was fierce. Tuesday [at Medinah], I came around the Eighth graders Colleen M. (10:16 & 9:16) and corner and sprinted full speed and passed Kaitlyn L. (10:18 & 9:20) took first and second three people,” he added. place in both meets. Sixth grader Patrick P. also did well. At “The race on Tuesday seemed longer than Roselle, he was the first sixth grader to finish the race on Thursday,” said Colleen. “I just (ninth overall) and on Tuesday at Medinah, kept pushing myself in both races and he was the first sixth grader from Peacock to finish (thirteenth overall). concentrated on finishing.” B Y S H A N N O N P. Patrick commented, “In the first race, I was competing with another runner for first place. I was concentrating on getting ahead and lost all of my energy. I forgot to pace myself, and with less than half a mile to go, I ran out of gas and fell behind. See Cross Country Continued on page 19 Inside Lake Park volleyball- p. 19 Horoscopes - p. 18 Gilmore Girls - p. 14 Music reviews - p. 13 All this and more!
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