April 2013 - Bremen High School District 228

Upcoming Events
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15203 S. Pulaski Rd. Midlothian, Illinois 60445
April 20: Jazz Night
April 22: NHS Buy a Brain
April 23-24: PSAE
May 1: Activities Banquet
May 7: Honors Assembly
Open Mic Night
Volume 59, Issue 5
April 4, 2013
Students continue to prepare for PSAE
by Hope Liddell
Editor in Chief
With the PSAE test days
quickly approaching, students are
prepping themselves more and
more for success. The PSAE, formally known as the Prairie State
Achievement Examination, is a
two day exam (day 1, ACT and day
2, Workkeys) that tests students’
achievement on the amount of information they have obtained up to
11th grade. Each test broken down
focuses mainly on the reading, math
and science portions. Additionally,
there are a number of helpful programs and prep classes for students
to help prepare them for the exam.
“We offer additional support through a plethora of test prep
programs we have outside of the
classroom, like the ACT prep class,
the Workkeys program, the Math
Boosters Club, and Braves Have
Pride Day,” says Assistant Principal, Dr. Joseph Simone.
For the most part, students
are preparing themselves for the
PSAE through working persistently
in the classroom. Such tasks include
learning concepts and skills as well
as asking for clarification about
questions when they do not under-
Junior Josh Wick prepares for the PSAE in his American Literature class. Around Bremen, teachers are helping students develop
test-taking strategies for the April 23-24 exams.
stand something. Some students
have found prep programs like
the ACT Prep Class to be helpful.
“I have taken the ACT Prep class,
which has increased my score from
the first practice test. I also attended
the Braves Have Pride day, which
allowed me to get one on one help,”
Junior Wuraola Sosina stated.
Along with receiving assistance and benefiting from the prep
programs, come strategies students
are encouraged to use when taking
the test. Pacing yourself is a significant factor because you want
to know the amount of time left
throughout each test. Also, never
leave a question blank because
those that are not answered will
certainly count against you. Always
make an educated guess when you
are unsure about a question.
The reading tests have four
passages, which gives a student
about 8 ½ minutes to read each passage. For time restraints, practice
previewing the question stems on
the reading passages before reading them; then answer the questions. Moreover, this will give you
an idea as to what the content of the
passage is about.
“Timing myself and learning how to read each question carefully are skills that I found most
helpful in regard to helping me prepare for the test,” says Junior Morgan Hampton. Students that learn
how to prep on their own time for
the PSAE find it equally helpful to
taking the prep programs.
Furthermore, it is very important to take the test seriously as
well as do the best as possible. Students can be exempted from finals
their Senior year if they manage to
meet or exceed the test standards.
“Not just on this test, but with anything in life, when your name is
attached to it, you want to do your
very best because the product or end
result is a reflection of your time
and effort,” stated Dr. Simone. Students will take the PSAE on April
23rd and 24th. Remember come
prepared, get a goodnight sleep and
eat a healthy breakfast as part of a
way to ensure your success.
Diversity team steps toward Nationals
The Bremen Diversity Step Team
took 2nd place at the Illinois Step
League State Championships in
Oswego. The steppers won a bid
to the National Championships
in Tennessee. Steppers include:
Imani Clark, Shamyra Fitzpatrick, Kori German, Erykah GradyCohen, Shavon Harden, Morgan
Hampton, Damisha Hills, Cynthia
Holder, Khadijah Ibrahim , Linda
Kimbrough Takesha, Langston,
Destiny Mainor, Dejah Martin,
LaTrice Montgomery, Adrienne
Moore, Tianna Standberry. Managers: Kourtney Harris and Tyreanna Martin. Coaches: ChrisTina
Scott and Desiree Thigpen.
Page 2
News
Bremen High School
Blood drive another success
by Nancy Avalos
Echo reporter
Bremen High School
15203 S. Pulaski
Midlothian, IL 60445
(708) 371-3600
ext. 3240
[email protected]
Editors in Chief
Tamar Carter
Hope Liddell
Staff
Larry Acevedo
Nancy Avalos
Rosaysela Bravo
Johnny Crim
Max Feregrino
Jemilyn Hernandez
Jayneisha Marshall
Quinn Nguyen
Na’Taija Watson
Advisers
Ms. Jen Intihar
Ms. Jen Dwyer
Editor Policy
The opinions expressed do
not necessarily represent
the views of the faculty,
staff, or administration
of Bremen Community
High School. Letters to the
editor can be emailed to
[email protected]
and are subject to editing
for length.
The blood drive started
10 years ago thanks to Bremen’s
Key Club. The drive is held every
year by Mr. Dyke, and every year
the number of students donating
blood seems to exceed the last
drive’s numbers.
It’s a great way to help
those who are in need and it is
also for a good cause. The recent
blood drive was held at Bremen
High School on March 8th in the
lower gym. This year over 200
students donated blood.
Donating blood is a great
way to help people. Many teenagers and adults may not know it,
but it is an easy and caring way of
helping others. With each student
donating one pint of blood, they
are saving three lives!
Bremen High School is
made of caring students and those
caring students are everyday heroes. They roll up their sleeve and
donate blood to a person who they
most likely will never meet.
photo by Rosie Bravo
Junior Gabriela Gomez donates blood at the Key Club’s spring
Blood Drive. Bremen students, staff and community members
donated more than 200 pints of blood.
Senior Yajaira Rodriguez
was happy to take part in the
drive. Rodriguez knows that it’s
not every day you can help save
someone’s life. After donating
blood, she stated that the drive
was “a good opportunity to help;
it was a different way to help.”
Many students appreciated
being part of such a great cause.
“It was a good experience and it
made me feel better about myself
for helping others,” exclaimed
student Tony Gallardo.
don’t know the answers to. In a
normal test setting this wouldn’t
be allowed, however, this was a
great way to prepare for the normal test setting.
Students did not just appreciate the Braves Have Pride
gathering, the teachers could see
the benefits as well.
Calculus teacher Ms. McNeeley stated that “It was nice
that the students had access to all
of the teachers in the building.”
“It was a good opportunity for students to try real act
problems and have opportunity to
ask teachers about it, stated math
teacher, Mr. Cichon.
Although many teachers could see the benefit of such
preparation, many knew that
more students should have taken
advantage of this preparation.
“I was saddened that there
weren’t many students there.” said
English teacher, Ms. Evbuoma.
History teacher, Mr. Hasso, stated that “It was a good idea,
but not well attended.”
But,
some
teachers
thought it was better that way.
Science teacher Mr. Vivian liked
that fact that it was smaller. He
felt that students could ask more
questions and get more answers
from the teachers, if they needed
to do so.
Test preparation strategies are very helpful; and many of
them aren’t covered in the classrooms in the same way that they
were covered in this setting.
English teacher Mr. McKinnon knows that students could
truly benefit from this type of test
preparation as he stated, “Test
prep can be important since we
are teaching the skills during the
instruction. Teaching skills supersedes teaching strategies, I don’t
have time to teach both.”
After everyone was done
with the test, you got a booklet
with all of the answers and some
sheets that contained some more
testing preparation strategies.
The teachers at Brave
Have Pride Day encouraged all
participants to look at the websites that were that were given to
them so that you could get a better
score when it came to test day.
Hopefully there will be
more students that attend next
year, so that many more student
can take advantage of Braves
Have Pride Day.
Braves have Pride for PSAE prep
by Johnny Crim
Echo reporter
Braves Have Pride Day
was on February 20th; it was a
special gathering for students to
prepare for the ACT and PSAE.
Any junior who wanted to
attend could do so as it was scheduled on a school improvement
half-day purposely. As students
were dismissed halfway through
the day, other students who understood the benefits of this gathering made their way down to the
cafeteria and enjoyed a few slices
of pizza before going onto the
testing area.
Before students could begin a practice test, they were given a little slip with a certain color
and number. Based on that color,
juniors were divided into certain
groups.
The different studentgroups then proceeded into the
classrooms and started on the
Mathematics portion of a practice
test.
After that, students took
the Reading and Science portions.
A nice thing about this was that
you could ask the teachers about
questions you are stuck on, or just
April 4, 2013
Honors With Distinction
Seniors
Juan Carrillo
Tamar Carter
Eduardo Cerda
Vanessa Cortez
Jermone Daniels
Jovani Diaz Vargas
Ariana Gallardo
Elizabeth Gonzalez
Cheyenne Hushka
Bria Marley
Allison Milen
Mariana Orozco
Kara O’Sullivan
Jasmine Sparrock-Cook
Arielle Tyus
Juniors
Eduardo Aceves
Aurora Aguilar
Jason Arvanites
Karina Barban
Tyler Barnes
Brittney Black
Bernardino Carrera
Emily Gerhardt
Gabriela Gomez
Lauren Kroner
Jillian Lee
Ashley Leib
Alexandra Lemke
Benjamin Loza
Brandon Luong
Jonathan Mayoros
Yesenia Mejia
Sonia Melchor
Ramon Mosqueda
Hanah Nelson
Daniele Posch
Karla Quiroga
Halle Rudd
Nicholas Scarpinato
Wuraola Sosina
Jacob Widstrom
Jacob Zarobsky
Sophomores
Nicole Ames
Jaime Bazan
James Christ
Paul Deanda
Zachary Esposito
Staci Ficht
Veronica Garcia
Edward Gross
Edwin Guzman
Stephanie Jones
Taylor Knispel
Ben McClerklin
Carolina Mejia
Andrew Milen
Quinn Nguyen
Meghan Pruett
Israel Rodriguez
Madeline Schaal
Julian Spear
Pablo Villar
Timothy Wooten
Freshmen
Esmeralda Aguilar
Diego Alvarado
China Bailey
Miguel Calderon
Delfino Gomez
Marquelle Johnson
Sterlen Johnson
Mercedes Lee
Clarissa Maloney
Jeremiah McEwen
Demetrius Phillips
Jason Rodriguez
Michael Smith
Jessica Stewart
Arshad Vahora
Anibal Varga
High Honors
Seniors
Jesus Aguilar
Noemi Aguirre
Alexander Alvarez
Apdiel Arellano
Marielisa Avalos
Kelseanna Barnes
Terry Bereta
George Bravo
3rd Quarter Honor Roll
Darren Cabrera
Reyna Cavazos
Caitlin Christ
Adriana Corpus
Zachary Crim
Ludibina Delarosa
Lucio Duarte
Jamie Duckwall
Jennifer Escobedo
Ariel Feregrino
Juan Garciavalle
Michael Gosnell
Dominique Guzzonato
Marcus Hubbard
Tre Vion Jackson
Quinn Johnson
Jason Jones
Kristopher Marroquin
Jayneisha Marshall
Timothy McDowell
Luis Mercado
Marco Montes
Daniel Munoz
Alexandra Ortiz
Rushhil Patel
Francinet Perez
Ken Shena Pierce
Stefanie Posch
Gina Pusateri
Daniel Rivera
Esperanza Salgado
Selena Sandoval
Savannah Schofield
Matthew Sessions
Raven Standfield
Devon Taylor
Alejandra Tehandon
Jacqueline Tieri
Luisa Torres
Jael Vega
Berenice Villagomez
Viviana Villegas
Dorian Williams
Kiarra Williams
Asia Winters
Juniors
Larry Acevedo
Luis Ahumada
Kaitlin Alton
Melissa Alvarado
Alexis Alzona
Rosaura Amezcua
Kaprice Anderson
King Assaf
Megan Banasiak
Tyler Banovich
Mark Barr
Reagan Battles
Latiana Bell
Jesus Benitez-Gorostieta
Michelle Borgman
Tiara Brazier
Luke Bullard
Cayden Colyer
Jeravon Cotten
Fatima Delarosa
Luis Delgadillo-Silva
Christopher Diaz
Lindsey Dudek
David Estrada
Angelica Figueroa
Emmanuel Flores
Laura Flores
Emanuel Gelfo Sanchez
Jeremy Green
Morgan Hampton
Bridget Hayes
Jared Housman
Marco Kirkwood
Austin Lopez
Daisy Lozano
Jessica Marquez
Magdalena Martinez
Matthew Martinez
Alliyah Mason
Melissa Master
Alejandro Mendez
Latrice Montgomery
Alicia Olik-Egner
Luis Pacheco
Kishan Patel
Pedro Perez
Kaitlyn Pfeiffer
Michael Pilny
Sarah Powers
Nicole Quitman
Santiago Realmo
Jesus Reynoso
Luis Rodriguez
Cecilia Sandoval
Sulema Serna
Jasmine Silva
Christyle Smith
Kaylie Standfield
Violeta Torres
Isaiah Trella
Noemi Vaca
Melanie Vazquez
Lorena Villanueva
Nicholas Watkins
Ariel Wilcopolski
Sophomores
Jose Ambrosio
Sarah Anderson
Salvador Ayala
Alondra Carrillo-Perez
Kimberly Clifford
Brittany Condon
Corey Conner
Celeste Dean
Omar Delafuente
Millicent Derro
Jasmine Escamilla
Abigail Ferguson
Cricelia Flores
Ada Garcia
Alec Gentry
Jamar Griffin
Vanessa Guerrero
Richard Gutierrez
Brianna Hardy
Kathryn Hayes
Haley Henschel
Randy Jasien
Brett Kolacki
Carlos Lopez
Natalia Loza
Abel Lozano
Brian Luong
Brianna Martinez
Karina Mejia
Rafael Mejia
Dalia Montes
Ericka Moore
Christopher Munoz
Brianna Ochoa
Johnnie Oliver
Star Ortega
Abraham Ramirez
Kayla Rivera
Brenda Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez
Joshua Rooney
Robert Scott
Taylor Smith
Desire Sosa
Javier Soto
David Strom
Ian Tang Wee
Lilydian Tolbert
Na Taija Watson
Freshmen
Adenike Adekahunsi
Janet Avila
Olivia Burbatt
Olivia Butt
Matthew Calich
Samantha Carrano
Imani Clark
Nathaniel Cordova
Javier Covarrubias
Jose Mari Delos Reyes
Coral Diaz
Maria Dorado
Arnoldo Duran Alcala
Georgina Ellis
Shamyra Fitzpatrick
Suhayb Froukh
Julissa Garcia
Jenna Gaskin
Erykah Grady Cohen
Jesse Gross
Ricardo Gutierrez
Tywond Hamilton
Wayne Huffman
Diana Ismail
Mustafa Ismail
Magdalene Janisse
Zoe Janisse
Lauren Jermolowicz
Emily Jurgovan
Brandon Kim
Linda Kimbrough
Marissa Licea
Adam Mariscal
Alyssa Marshall
Dejah Martin
Tania Martinez
Miguel Mejia
Jazmin Mercado
Athena Michel
Itzel Murillo
Danielle Nevin
Tess Novick
Raymond Perez
Chloe Popilchak
Casey Rodriguez
Daejah Sally
Giselle Saucedo
Eric Schmidt
Karina Simanis
Sarah Smith
Abrial Suarez
Kathryn Tieri
Veronica Torres
Eduardo Valadez
Arbaz Vhora
Arsil Vohra
Jessica Walsh
Honors
Seniors
Kiara Alfred
Kassandra Alvarado
Todd Andrews
Lindsey Baker
Ceanna Barnes
Silvia Bernard
Casey Bohannon Davis
Sydni Boyd
Shaunacy Brazier
Joshua Burgess
David Burrell
Viviana Chavez
Joshua Cloud
Ashley Conner
Bryan Costello
Courtney Curtis
Christopher Cuthbert
Leah Dandurand
Michelle Donald
Jesus Dorado
Donald Dreher
Raul Esparza
Katelyn Feltz
Rigo Ferreira
Jessie Fiedler
Roger Franklin
Jaelah Fuller
Gustavo Gaytan
Marcus Geralds
Margaret Hayes
Cynthia Holder
Khadijah Ibrahim
Erik Jaime
Alexis Jannotta
Najeeda Jones
Joey Josephson
Eric King
Nasser Labadi
Otis Lane
Hope Liddell
Alex Lord
Melissa Macias
Tyreanna Martin
Nicholas Master
Jacob Matthys
Leanna McCarthy
Mercury Miller
Anita Mitchell
John Mundell
Johnathan Oldham
Brandon Orozco
Elliot Peralta
Victoria Quinn
Victor Ramirez
Michelle Raygoza-Leandro
Kelly Regan
Mario Rivera
Sydni Swain
Aliyah Tureaud
Eric West
Maria Zambrano
Juniors
Victoria Alvarez
Cynthia Arriaga
Nancy Avalos
David Beckberger
Erica Branch
Christian Burton
Omarr Bush
Nelly Campos
Alexis Cerrito
Johnathan Crim
Emerald Dee
Amanda Demario
Elizabeth Deyoung
Rebecca Dryan
Julie Faltisek
Chaya Flassig
Angel Garcia
Katherine Garza
Kylee Gazdziak
Valter Gonzalez
Sean Grant
Shelby Gunaka
Shavon Harden
Khayla Hargis
Genaro Hernandez
Jemilyn Hernandez
Peter Herrera
Dijon Holmes
Contrell Jackson
Travon Jackson
Danijah Johnson
Zackery Karczewski
Taylor Lewis
Kaitlin Lovrich
Raquel Magana
Francisco Melgoza
Diego Mendoza
Kenneth Moore
Jaquelyn Murillo
Ariana Neiheisel
Melissa Nunez
Briana Olson
Juan Pantoja
Jose Perez
Takia Reese
Justin Richman
Alex Savala
Syndel Serratos
Ceira Smith
Nicholas Strache
Dakota Szudy
Jeremy Taylor
Nakya Wallace
Markel Wells
Josh Wick
Darnell Willis
Cynthia Woods
Sophomores
Dulce Alvarez
Rhobert Bato
Adam Batton
James Beaver
Ezequiel Benavente
John Betts
Maria Bonales
Rosaysela Bravo
Samantha Bravo
Stephon Broaden
T Mar Bunch
Kayla Burns
Taron Burton
Samantha Cazares
Elva Chavez
Vita Chavez
Noelle Ciemny
Diamond Couch
Ashley Davis
Cody Deems
Russell Deer
Patrick Doran
Bailey Erffmeyer
Kevin Espinosa
Rachel Fuentes
Abdon Garza
Wesley Graniczny
Gabriele Grutzius
Cheyenne Harmon
Ellyn Hedrick
Christen Henderson
K’yairra Henry
Roxxana Hernandez Zuno
Kevin Jackson
Martez Jackson
Jason Jenicek
Sierra Jett
Koren Johnson
Mark Johnson
Raymond Juarez
Taylor Kanofsky
Craig Krygowski
Julissa Leal
Berenice Martinez
Miguel Martinez
Mariah Milner
Christopher Misner
Jonathan Montes
Krystal Moore
Christopher Mora
Rachel Mosqueda
Claudia Pacheco
Roberto Pacheco
Thomas Parchem
Christian Paredes
Lorena Raigoza
Page 3
Sierra Ramirez
Brianney Reyes
Michelle Ritz
Carlos Rivera
Jabria Rucker
Jonathan Sanchez
Haley Sanders
Dahlia Shelton
Rachel Stalter
Nicholas Stoffle
Houston Weatherly
Jessica Zayas
Freshmen
Jaret Ahern
Faith Alfrejd
Jennifer Ayala
Jerome Baker
Damian Behymer
Isaias Bravo
Joshua Brooks
Aaliyah Brown
Jacob Chicoine
Kendall Coleman
Dylan Crisman
Verdarius Davis
Makayla Denson
Jessica Dominguez
Samantha Duffy
Nicole Durden
Michael Elrod
Cody Esparza
Matthew Esparza
Jose Estrada
Joshua Flores-Arias
Eduardo Garcia
Martin Garcia
Michelle Genta
Jasmine Gomez
Lorena Gomez
Samuel Grutzius
Nia Harden
Kelsey Hargis
Yulisa Hernandez
Jasmin Herrera
Mayrena Herrera
Annie Holder
Mayte Holmes
Lavell Hughes
Jade Jenkins
Gabriel Jeronimo
Kayla Jones
Daquan Jordan
Chloe Kaleta
Michael Lake
Ariana Ledesma Rosales
Gianna Lococo
Ambar Lopez
Felipe Lopez
Mireya Lopez
Claude Martinez
Jalisa Mauldin
Rebecca Maynard
Jordin McKean
Michael Meckler
Daniela Meza
Rebecca Misner
Kaylynn Morris
Jessica Muhr
Manuel Navarette
Aaron Norman
Ethan O’Connell
Jocelyn Ortega
Diana Pacheco
William Patton
Brooke Pisciotto
Teresa Pompa
Samantha Posch
Philip Powers
Jennifer Prado
Precious Quintero
Miranda Ramirez
Caila Katrina Requierme
Diamond Rich
Winter Rudd
Jamilex Salas
Ana Sanchez
Stacey Shelton
Marquis Stephens
Brianna Szudy
Elisa Talis
Kathleen Traynor
Christopher Valladares
Karen Vargas
Jose Vazquez
Jennifer West
Abbie Wick
Matthew Woods
Marco Zendejas
Page 4
News
Bremen High School
District Festival displays student Spring play
talent in the fine arts department puts the
by Tamar Carter
Editor in Chief
If you are a student at
Bremen, than it is highly probable that you are aware of the
artistic talent that many of the
students possess.
This is especially true
if you notice the impressive
artwork that is oftentimes on
display in the hallway near the
main gym. But, have you ever
really taken the time to take in
the beauty and intricate details
of each piece? If not, then attending the 39th annual District
228 Fine Arts Festival was your
chance to do so.
If you missed out, here’s
some information on what it was
all about- The Fine Arts Festival
is a yearly event. The purpose
of this event is to showcase the
visually artistic and musical talents of the district’s students.
The work of the artists is displayed and the band and choir
perform as well.
This year’s event certainly wasn’t a disappointment
due to the number of community members who stopped by the
fest.
“It was the best turn out
I’ve seen at another school [besides Bremen],” expressed Bremen art teacher Mrs. Reid.
Reid has made it her goal
to ensure that the AP Studio Art
students aren’t the only ones
who get noticed.
“I wanted everyone who
takes an art class to be in the
show,” Reid said.
So even if you’re in Art
1, your hard work will still be
seen by the public as well.
In order to decide how
many pieces are presented by
each student, Reid decided that
the number of entries will be
determined by the class level of
the student. For example, Art
1 students get to present one
piece, while AP Studio Art students choose four pieces. If you
are in more than one art course,
you can enter work for both!
Exhibiting the notable
skills of young artists is not the
only purpose of the festival; at
the show, the winner of the Eleanor Ferraro Memorial Fine Arts
Scholarship is also announced.
The scholarship fund was founded by the family of the late Eleanor Ferraro who served on the
District 228 Board of Education
in the 1970s and 80s.
Originally, the scholarship was only for the visual
arts, but it was then expanded
to include musical talent, too.
Multiple $500 scholarships are
awarded to students and the
grand prize of a $1,500 scholarship is given to one talented
student. All winners must have
plans to pursue an area of fine
arts in college.
This year’s recipient of
the grand prize is our fellow
Brave, senior Alexis Jannotta!
Jannotta is one of Bremen’s
most gifted art students, and her
diligent work is absolutely paying off.
When asked if earning
the scholarship was one of her
long-term goals, she excitedly
stated, “Oh, definitely yes. I’m
going after as many scholarships as I can because I need the
money and it’s nice to have the
title knowing, ‘Yeah, I won!’”
Jannotta is well-deserving of the award, but she’s also
humble about her gift. She
stressed that keeping fine arts
programs in schools is important, not just for aspiring artists.
“Fine arts [aren’t] just for
artists in general; fine arts [are]
for everyone. If you can draw
a stick-man or if you can draw
something like Michelangelo, it
doesn’t matter,” stated Jannotta.
So even if you aren’t the
next Picasso, taking a chance
and enrolling in an art course
can awaken a creative side that
even you are unaware of.
drama in
dramatic
by Quinn Nyugen
Echo reporter
“Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And gave her mother 40
whacks.
And when she saw what she had
done,
She gave her father 41.”
The Bremen Theatre is
proud to present a play that is
like no other. This play is a mysterious and very dramatic one Lizzie Borden of Fall River!
In this play, a girl,
Lizzie, is accused of killing her
father and step-mother, and she
has people around her trying to
prove her innocence. This play
is based upon a true story, and
the killer was never determined.
This play will feature
Bremen’s finest. The lead role,
Lizzie, will be played by Alaina
Anton. The sister, Emma, will
be played by Karen Vargas.
Aunt Vinnie, will be Jayneisha
Marshalls.
The step-mother, Abbie,
will be played by Rachel Stalter. The father, Andrew, will be
played by Nicholas Scarpinato.
...and there are many more talented characters that are scheduled to participate.
“The play is good... I
think once you get your head
wrapped around the story, it
starts to unfold. You start to appreciate the story more, and it
gets entertaining,” says male
lead, Nicholas Scarpinato.
Mr. Andy Rybarczyk is
the director of this thriller and
the assistant director will be Mr.
Ted Bailey. The technical director will be Mr. Ben Salgado.
The cast and crew have
Recently, 18 music students from Bremen High School were named SSC All-Conference in Band and Choir. They performed at the All-Conference Music Festival on Wednesday, March 6, 2013 been putting in many hours of
at Reavis High School with top music students from throughout the SSC Conference. Pictured practice as they work toward
left to right is: Dakari Bass, Celeste Dean, Maggie Martinez, Daniel Munoz, Jasmine Escamilla, opening night.
This play will be preEsperanza Salgado, Jovani Diaz, Diego Mendoza, Alexis Alzona, Quinn Nguyen, Alaina Anton, sented
to the Bremen commuEduardo Aceves, Samantha Bravo, Max Feregrino, Raven Standfield, Denise Hernandez, Nick
nity on May 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
Scarpinato, and Jayneisha Marshall.
Stay tuned, and follow the Bremen Theater’s twitter page, @
Bremen Theatre
SSC All-Conference - Band and Choir
April 4, 2013
News
Page 5
Schools review Winter Honors Assembly 2013
safety, security
procedures
by Tamar Carter
Editor in Chief
It is unfortunate that the number of shooting escapades in schools—including elementary,
high schools, and colleges—has increased over
the years. In spite of the grief, it is important for
schools to realize the reality of this situation and
have a crisis plan in place to keep students and
staff safe in such an event.
Well, there really is no need to worry
about your safety at BHS because the safety of
everyone in the building is definitely a chief priority of the administration. “We work with the
Midlothian Fire and Police Departments yearly
to make sure that our plans are up to par,” assured Associate Principal Paul Rybarczyk. The
administration also strives to keep “a line of
communication” with the state so that all plans
are approved.
Moreover, Bremen does have a Technology and Safety Committee that consists of
a member of each teaching department. Mr.
Paul Rybarczyk is also part of the Technology
and Safety Committee as well. The committee meets on a regular basis to discuss matters
at the school, including crisis drills and safety
concerns.
Even with the recent shooting incidents at schools, it is comforting to know that
Bremen’s crisis plans were already so efficient
that only a few more safety measurements were
added—the removal of doorstops on classroom
doors and mandating that all classroom doors be
closed and locked at all times. Additionally, the
administration also asked the “school resource
officers to be more visible” in the main entrance
and to continue to patrol around the school as
well.
Major precautions that the school has recently emphasized are the crisis drills that assist
in preparing for a situation where an intruder is
posing danger to the school. During the Level
One Crisis Drill no one should be in the hallways
and teachers should continue to teach; basically,
Level One is “business as usual.” A Level Two
drill will go into effect when a more serious situation is occurring, such as an “intruder in the
building . . . [or] a situation outside that can affect us,” explained Rybarczyk.
During a Level Two procedure, everyone
should go the safest corner in the classroom that
is out of visible sight from the door, the lights
should be turned off, and the blinds should be
closed. The most important thing to remember
in any situation is to take it seriously but to remain calm. After all, panicking will only cause
more problems.
It is evident that the Bremen administration is taking the necessary steps to try to
keep both the students and staff safe at all times.
Hopefully you now feel a little more secure
coming to the place where you learn five days a
week. School, in any case, should always be a
safe haven for all students.
photo by Jemilyn Hernandez
Bremen students are recognized for their high achievement within the math department
at the February Honors Assembly. Students also were recognized for their participation
in winter activities and athletics.
by Nancy Avalos and Jemilyn Hernandez
honored. In addition, the Speech Team was also
Echo reporters
highlighted for their outstanding performance
this year. At the honors assmbly the spectators
The winter honors assembly took place learned many unique facts about the clubs. For
at Bremen High School in March. At these as- instance, “In chess there is a lot to learn- Students
semblies, many young students are honored who learn from others to visualize the situations and
represents Bremen in an excellent manner. Stu- play by the rules,” stated Mr. Carlson, Chess addents are honored for their performance and their visor at Bremen High School.
achievements. Many students try their best in the “This year Mathletes had 38 members
classroom and the honors assembly is one way come and join; they took 3rd in conference this
for these excellent students to shine.
year,” said Ms. McNeeley, Mathletes sponsor.
Students that perform to their peek in “The speech team had 19 events and took
Mathematics, Social Studies, Spanish and French 6th place in the regional finals,” said Mr. Rybarcwere honored at the recent assembly. Teachers zyk, Speech Leader at Bremen High School.
and parents stood proudly and cheered for these In the assembly, recognition was also
honorable students. As the students walked down given to the students who recceived the Service
the aisle they were admired for the hard work and Medal of Honor. These students have done 100
dedication they put forth in their studies.
hours or more of community service on their
Some extra curricular teams were also own. Helping the community around them has
recognized as the current Chess Team, Scho- given them many opportunities and opened doors
lastic Bowl Team, and Mathletes Team were all in life that they may not even be aware of yet.
Love gods visit Bremen
Freshmen Ricardo
Gutierrez, Magdalene Janisse and
Tywond Hamilton
pose as love gods.
The students participated in Mrs.
Evbuoma’s annual
competition in her
Studies in English
class.
Spotlights
Page 6
Bremen High School
spotlights by Rosie Bravo and Na’Taija Watson
Jaret Blake Aharn
Nickname: Jerbear
Year in School: Freshman
Birthday: January 3, 1998
Birthplace: Little Company of
Mary Hospital
Current Hometown: Midlothian
Family: Dad(Bob), Mom(Julie),
Sister(Emma), Brothers(Ryan
and Andrew)
Job: Waiter
Activities/Sports: Soccer and
Baseball
Hobbies/Special Talent: Soccer,
Baseball and Volleyball
Career Goals: Endocrinologist
Hero and Why: Mom because
she pushes me to do my best
Plans After High School:
Graduate Arizona State with
Soccer, Education and Baseball
Scholarship
Best Advice Received: Always
strive to do your best
If you could give anyone advice, what would it be?: Work
Hard in School
Something Unique about Yourself: I’m diabetic
Favorite Class and Why? Science. You can actually do experiments and make crazy chemicals
Favorite Singer: VIC
Favorite TV Show: Family Guy
Favorite Sport to Play: Soccer
Keyaira Tolbert
Nickname: Key
Year in school: Sophomore
Birthday/Sign: June 22nd,
1997/Cancer
Birthplace: Ingalls
Current hometown: Markham
Family: 7 Siblings
Hobbies/special talents: Dance
Career goals: Heart Surgeon
Hero and why: Grandma because she’s independent and the
rock of my family
Plans after high school: College & Making Money
Best advice you ever received:
Be a leader not a follower...
except on twitter
If you could give anyone advice, what would it be? Don’t
ever try to fit in
Something unique about
yourself: I have 7 tattoos,
pretty light skin and my cousin
is my twin
Favorite class and why: 8th
period because I enjoy World
History and I get to go home
afterward
Favorite group/singer/song:
Future
Favorite TV Show: Bad Girls
Club
Favorite sport/sports figure:
Football
Favorite sport to play: Football
Jada Jordan Figgins
Nickname: Chief Twigz
Year in school: Junior
Birthday/Sign: Feb. 29th/Pisces
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Current hometown: Markham
Family: 2 Sisters and 1 Brother
Activities/Sports: Basketball
Hobbies/special talents: Eating, I
LOVE FOOD!
Career goals: WNBA or Computer Engineer
Hero and why: Michael Jordan
because he is the greatest in the
game of basketball
Plans after high school: College ,
Making Money , Computer Engineer and Playing Basketball
Best advice you ever received:
You miss 100% of the shots you
don’t take
If you could give anyone advice,
what would it be? Strive for the
best; the only person that can stop
you from achieving that goal is
YOURSELF!
Something unique about yourself: I’m only 4 years old
Favorite class and why: Culinary
Arts because not only do you
learn about different foods, but
you get a hands on experience and
get to taste them!
Favorite group/singer/song:
Drake, Lil Wayne and Tyga
Favorite TV Show: Jerry Springer and Cheaters
Favorite sport/sports figure:
Taylor Schippers plays for Butler
Favorite sport to play: Basketball
Tyreanna Martin
Nickname: Ty
Year in school: Senior
Birthday/Sign: March 21/Aries
Birthplace: Harvey
Current hometown: Markham
Family: 2 Sisters
Job: Midlothian Park District
Activities/Sports: Diversity
Club
Hobbies/special talents: Taking Pictures
Career goals: Model
Hero and why: Beyoncé because I love her she’s my
favorite singer and a great role
model
Plans after high school: College
Best advice you ever received:
Never let someone tell me what
I can’t do
If you could give anyone
advice, what would it be? Be
yourself
Something unique about
yourself: I’m tall and beautiful
Favorite class and why: FCCLA because it’s fun and a
good experience
Favorite group/singer/song:
Beyoncé
Favorite TV Show: Pretty
Little Liars
Favorite sport/sports figure:
Basketball
Favorite sport to play: Track
Kindle vs. Book: Which one is for you?
by Johnny Crim
Echo reporter
Kindle Pros
 Can hold a lot of books
 Switch between
It’s finally springtime...the
multiple books
perfect season to cuddle up
with a good book outside un-  Cloud Storage
der a tree. ...but would you
 Approx. 8 Gb memory
prefer to ditch the book and
and 8- hour battery
use a kindle instead?
Read the following and see
which you think you would
prefer.
Kindle Cons
 Expensive
 Eye strain
 Spilling beverages can
cause damage




Book Pros
Physically feel it
Easily obtainable
Cheap
No eye strain
Book Cons
 Only 1 book
 Can be bulky and
heavy
 Need light source
 Notes leave imprints
If you like that nostalgic
feeling, than pick up your
favorite paperback, or
hardcover book and sit by
a fireplace. If you are in
with that new technology,
the kindle is for you! There
is no right or wrong in this
argument, there are pros
and cons to both sides. It’s
based on what you like best,
so go and read on what you
like best!
April 4, 2013
News
Page 7
Baseball team looks to capitalize Varsity
on offseason workout program
Softball
prepares
for play
by Tamar Carter
Editor in Chief
Yes, it is that time again
. . . baseball season! There’s
nothing like sitting outside on
a nice spring day basking in the
fresh hotdog scented air cheering on your fellow Braves. If
you’re a big fan, you should be
happy to know that this year’s
team has been working hard to
prepare for an awesome season.
Although it may be difficult to jump right back into such
a physically-demanding sport,
these guys have been getting
ready ever since the last season
ended.
“Our offseason workout program is the best it’s ever
been. The conditioning is the
most rigorous it’s ever been,”
stated Coach Mike Cline.
The coaches ensure that
the practices are tough in order
to prevent players from getting
hurt during games- especially
injuries that cause ineligibility.
After practicing so diligently,
the Braves want each player to
be able to put forth his best effort in every game without an
injury holding him back.
Furthermore, a major focus at Bremen is to make sure
that student-athletes are students
first. The baseball team has certainly kept this tradition going,
while boasting Academic AllState recognition for four years.
This great accomplishment can
be accredited to the team’s academic study program designed
to keep the boys on top of their
studies.
Speaking of accomplishments, Cline hopes that the team
can meet or exceed each of their
goals this season. The guys are
aiming to be Conference and Regional champs, but the ultimate
goal is to be state champions.
“If that’s not your goal,
you’re not striving for the best,”
the coach said.
The experienced athletes
who can help the team reach
those goals are the returning
starters. Not only is Cline expecting “a wealth of experience”
from these young men, but also
positive attitudes, leadership,
and the ability to cope with adversity. These are expectations
that each member of the team
should strive to surpass.
Clearly, the Braves are
psyched for another wonderful
season full of successes. Even
if you aren’t a fan of baseball,
there is a great ambience at the
games with music, concessions
and an overall good vibe.
“Baseball is a great game
to watch and we look forward to
seeing as many Bremen fans out
there to watch us play,” Cline
said.
So, don’t hesitate to show
your support and enjoy one of
America’s favorite pastimes.
Senior Faculty Basketball 2013
photo by Rosie Bravo
The Guy Cheer team performs a stunt at halftime of the annual Senior/Faculty Basketball
game. This event raises money for the senior class, who in turn uses it toward their senior
gift left to Bremen. This year’s game saw the faculty team win over the seniors.
by Hope Liddell
Editor in Chief
Expect to see a much competitive side from the Varsity Braves
Softball team as they prepare for
this upcoming season! Along with
countless number of hours of getting themselves ready to take the
field, the team is determined to
start, as well as finish, their season
off strong.
“The kids have been working really hard on improving their
skills,” says Head Coach Jim Hassel. Furthermore, with a combination of fierce talent and experience,
the team is looking to aim high for
success throughout the season.
With many goals and expectations in mind, the team hopes
to accomplish as much as possible
during their competitive season as
well.
“I expect the team to have a
chance to compete for a conference
title,” says Senior Maggie Hayes.
Some of the notable teams
that plan to give the Braves a run
for their win this season include:
Oak Forest, Lemont and Tinley
Park High Schools. There are other
competitive teams the Braves must
knock off their list as well in hope
of making it to regionals as well as
state.
“I hope we can accomplish
our goal to become regional champions. As a senior, I want to go out
with a bang,” Senior Kara O’ Sullivan stated.
Fans can definitely look
forward to many intense and dominating games from the Softball
team in the future. With much of
dedication as well as hard work, the
team’s skill level shows they are
more than enough ready to knock
their competition out of the way.
“We have six returning
starters and the kids that have come
up this year will contribute in a big
way,” says Coach Hassel.
Come out to support the
Braves Softball team as they open
the spring season with home-run
hitters!
Track team sets sights on long-term goals
by Jemilyn Hernandez and Nancy Avalos
Echo reporters
Track season has started and our
girls are getting prepared for their first meet
on Tuesday, March 26. These girls are ready
and motivated to try their best. Some of these
girls have been conditioning since before
winter break started. These girls aren’t playing around when it comes to their sport. They
spend as much time as they need so that when
the meets are here they can give 100% in the
field. It doesn’t matter if is snowing, raining,
or there is strong winds these girls still practice in order for them to reach their goal.
Seniors this year aren’t giving up
without a fight until their goals have been met.
Since is there last year running track for Bremen high school they want to give it their best
leaving no regrets this year. Last year some of
the girls made it to sectionals and state. The
2013 Girls Track Team are trying to surpass
last year’s accomplishments.
Coaches try their best every day to
help the girls improve in what they need. This
sport is one of the hardest sports you can ever
be in as it is not necessarily up to the coaches
to tell you what’s the ‘play of the day; it is
all a mental game within each individual track
team member. Coach K, Coach Blackwell,
Coach Urban and Coach Curtin work hard every day to motivate the team so that the girls
can each have a positive and strong mindset.
These excellent coaches word hard to make
the girls better runners.
Senior Yajaira Rodriguez
practices for the spring
track season. Following
a successful 2012 season
that saw some members
of the team qualifying
for sectionals and state,
this year’s team is training hard to build upon
and surpass the goals and
accomplishments of last
year’s team. The team is
scheduled to participate
in the Andrew Invitational on Saturday, April 6.
photo by Larry Acevedo
Running takes passion, dedication and
motivation. Bremen track girls have something many girls don’t have. They are willing
to fight, work and sweat to beat their time even
by a second. Even if they’re sore and tired,
they will come back the next day to their field
and run faster than they did yesterday. These
girls will give it their all to reach their goals
this year and will not let anyone or anything
hold them back. These girls cannot wait for
their season to officially start next week. They
can’t believe that it’s right around the corner.
They have positive attitudes about their season
this year and are really excited to show others
how hard practice actually works in trying to
achieve goals.
Wrestling team experiences another state-qualifying season
by Johnny Crim
Echo reporter
The wrestling team had a
very successful year. This amazing team had 5 players go all the
way to the State Championship
this year.
The players that went to
state are, Michael Gurrero, Ryan
Foster, Ricky Olsen, BJ Noble
and Javier Soto.
The entire team was exhilarated by their success this season.
“Last season we had 4
state qualifiers, this year we had
5 with a returning qualifier from
last year, Ricky Olsen.,” said
Coach Collins.
For the first time in 25
years the wrestlers won regionals
as a team.
“It was a great team accomplishment to win regionals
for the 1st time in 25 years and to
compete in the team sectionals;
hopefully the returning wrestlers
will stay hungry and continue the
team success,: expressed Coach
Collins.
The accomplishments of
the Bremen wrestlers this year
were astounding! The most im-
proved players on varsity are Javier Soto, Tony Gallegos, and
Valter Gonzoles. The wrestling
team had an amazing season, and
only hope for an even better one
next year.