The performing arts live on Northsiders make their mark

Northside College Preparatory High School
September 2006
HoofBeat
Vol. 8 No. 9
The
News
pages 1-3
• Musicians recognized
• Spring choral concert
Features pages 4-6
• Northside’s Chinese
visitors
• Class of 2010: the
breakdown
Editorial pages 8-9
• Markowski: One Fine
Summer Day
•CPS budget crisis
Centerfold pages 10-11
• Senior goodbyes
• Clubbing at Northside
Arts & Entertainment page 12-13
• Beresilicious: My Little List
• The Da Vinci Code
• Loosen up with Nelly
Sports
pages 14-16
• Tennis Season Wrap-Up
• Women’s Volleyball Begins
Page 4
Page 8
Seniors
Remember
Elephants with
Riders
The performing arts live on
Northside’s auditorium is dedicated to Mr. Hampton
by Zainab Bilfaqi
May 26, 2006 was a day full of
celebration, happiness, and memories of a loved and honored member
of the Northside community: Cedric
L. Hampton. Mr. Hampton, of the
music department, passed away
in January of last year. Teachers,
family, students and friends gathered
in the auditorium at 1:00 p.m. to
commemorate him. The auditorium
was named “The Cedric L. Hampton Center for the Performing Arts”
because of his passion for art and
theater.
“Mr. Hampton was really driven
and passionate about the fine arts. I
think it’s an honor well deserved,”
said Mr. Chris Pellikan of the Special Education Department.
The afternoon began with Dr.
James Lalley, Northside’s principal,
welcoming everyone and speaking briefly about Mr. Hampton
and his contributions to Northside.
Then, Mr. Leo Park of the Fine
Arts Department spoke about his
relationship with Mr. Hampton as
a student, co-worker, and friend.
Mr. Park also touched upon Cedric
Hampton’s passion, dedication and
vast knowledge of music. He then
conducted Northside’s Chamber
Orchestra in Gymnopedies No.1 by
Erik Satie. The relaxing ambiance
was created by the string ensemble
with a combination of violinist and
a harpist.
“Looking at his life being
projected brought back memories.
Listening to Mr. Park and the
orchestra playing Erik Satie’s song
Gymnopedies was just beautiful,”
said Dr. Lalley.
“The sound and melody of this
song was so beautiful that it left
me thinking ‘Wow’,” said Bianca
Cuyun, Adv. 804.
Following the orchestra performance, Northside’s Advanced Choir
filed on stage dressed in matching
maroon T-shirts. With Ms. Nythia
Rivera of the Fine Arts Department
conducting, the choir performed
Wondrous Love by Robert Shaw
and Alice Parker.
Dr. Lalley and Ms. Hampton unveil the plaque that honors Mr. Hampton’s accomplishments outside
the Cedric L. Hampton Auditorium.
Photo by Kana Yoo
Andrew Wang, a Northside
parent and friend of Mr. Hampton,
followed the choir performance.
Mr. Wang, an architect, worked
with Mr. Hampton to develop the
colloquium program and in later
years assisted Mr. Hampton with
his Living Structures Colloquium,
which was about the architectural
structures of Africa and Asia. After Mr. Wang’s speech, Ms.
Rivera, Mr. Park, and Mr. Mike
Lill, also of the Fine Arts Department, performed Come Sunday by
Duke Ellington. Ms. Rivera sang,
Mr. Lill played the cornet and Mr.
Park played the bass. Paul Balik,
Adv. 604, accompanied the trio on
the piano. Ms. Rivera first spoke a
few words about Mr. Hampton’s
complete dedication and love for
music
“The piece with Duke Ellington
was chosen because the first piece I
performed with Mr. Hampton was
a Duke Ellington song,” said Ms.
Nythia Rivera. “Also, the text was
appropriate because bad times were
Continued as “Hampton” on pg. 2
Northsiders make their mark
Cambodian Genocide curriculum, Lifetime Service award
by Abir Usman
Northside offers many different
curriculums in which students can participate. Throughout the past two years,
Northside’s Future Leaders colloquium,
in collaboration with Mr. Tim Devine’s
World Studies class of 2004-2005, has
been working on creating a curriculum
for other schools on the topic of the Cambodian Genocide.
The Cambodian Genocide occurred
between 1975 and 1979. A group of
communists, also known as the Khmer
Rouge, took power over Cambodia on
April 17, 1975. Their goal was to instill
fear in Cambodian people who would
then be willing to do anything the Khmer
Rouge wanted. Their reign ended on December 25, 1978, when Vietnam invaded
Cambodia. About 1.7 million people lost
their lives during the time of the genocide—about 20% of their population. Mr.
Leon Lim, Northside’s head programmer and Chairman of the Cambodian
Museum, is a genocide survivor.
“Within days, the Khmer Rouge was
Ms. Christine Olsen holding her Lifetime Service
taking people out of their homes,” says Mr. Award.
Lim.
Photo from Northside’s archives
“I showed the Future Leaders colloa local reporter, uncovers the grueling tragedies of
quium “The Killing Fields” and after they
war. Many, if not all of the students, had never even
saw it, all of them were touched by what
known about the genocide until the film was showed
had happened,” said Ms. Olsen. “They all
in class. This is where the idea began. Ms. Olsen
wanted to do something about it.”
partnered with Mr. Lim to create awareness of these
“The Killing Fields” is a 1984 film about
tragic events.
a New York Times journalist who covers
About one hundred and thirty students worked tothe genocide. The journalist, along with
gether to create a curriculum that could be taught at
schools on the genocide. Once completed, a few of
the students went to the 17th Annual National Service-Learning Conference in Philadelphia to present
their curriculum between March 22nd and the 25th
of 2006. James Kurisunkal, Adv. 710, Matthew
Cohen, Adv. 710, and Jessica Galang, Adv. 708, presented the curriculum on the March 23rd. A copy
of the curriculum was given to all of the service
presenters and to any schools that requested one. It
is currently being field tested at various schools.
Ms. Christine Olsen played a key role in creating the curriculum for the Cambodian Genocide.
Through creating this, as well as aiding many
other programs at Northside, Ms. Olsen has been
a pioneer in service learning. Recently, Ms. Olsen
received the CPS Lifetime Service Award on May
17, 2006.
Matthew Cohen presented a speech at the
awards ceremony talking about his first encounters
with Ms. Olsen and how he became involved with
the genocide project.
“Ms. Olsen was the compass for all of the
students involved with the Cambodian Genocide
Curriculum Project,” said Cohen in his speech. “Mr.
Lim along with Ms. Olsen helped build a community that could foster a triangle of community service
between the Cambodian Museum and Killing Fields
Memorial, the Cambodian Association of Illinois,
and Northside College Preparatory High School.”
The Northside community is very proud of all
of the students who have participated in the project
as well as the teachers who led it.
“It is a great way for our newer generations to
learn about the past” said Mr. Lim.
Page 2 News
The Hoof Beat
Singing their hearts out “Hampton” Northside College
Spring Choral Concert
by April Nwatah
On Friday, May 19th at 7 p.m.,
Northside’s choral groups performed
their annual spring concert. Directed by
Ms. Nythia Rivera, Northside’s choruses
presented a classical, multilingual performance including works in Latin, French,
German, Italian, and English.
“I don’t think singing in different
languages was hard,” said De’Monicka
Burton, Adv. 806. “It’s all about making
sure each vowel was sung correctly.”
The concert consisted of performances from the beginning boys’ chorus, the
beginning girls’ chorus, the concert choir,
and solos performed by Marisa Buchheit,
Adv. 701, Rana Marks, Adv. 810, Amy
Perez, Adv. 708, and Elly Kakacek, Adv.
601. Each chorus had intense practices
prior to the performance.
“[The beginning girls’ choir] had combined chorus for a few weeks before the
concert,” said Margaret Jodlowski, Adv.
800. “All of the chorus groups performed
together during the colloquium before the
concert.”
Marisa Buchheit, Adv. 701, opened
the show with an Italian solo titled “Se Tu
M’ami, Se Sospiri.” The male ensemble
performed “Ready,” “Prayer of the
Children,” and “The Awakening.” Rana
Marks performed a German solo titled
“Bist Du Bei Mir.” The female ensemble
performed “Beau Soir,” “Die Nacht,”
“With a Song in My Heart,” and “Nachtelle.” Amy Perez performed another Italian solo titled “Tu Lo Sai.” The concert
choir performed “The Heavens Are Telling,” “Wondrous Love,” “Alleluia,” and
“I’ll Make the Difference.” The beginning girls chorus performed “Pentatonic
Alleluia,” “Hashivenu,” “Deo Dicamus
Gratias,” and “I Dream a World.” In addition, “Wondrous Love” was sung with
members of the Grant Park Symphony
Chorus.
Overall, the singers felt positive about
their performance, and the audience
responded with enthusiasm.
“I think we did excellent,” says Burton. “It was our last performance and we
had a blast!”
“I thought the performance were
really good,” said Elmor Pineda, Adv.
803, an audience member. “[The singers]
sounded like angels – even the guys!”
“This concert was a bit different from
the winter performance,” said Jodlowski.
“At the winter one, we were always on the
risers, so for this one we moved around a
bit more. I definitely think we did a good
job.”
“The concert was awesome,” said
Tim Ng, Adv. 809, a member of the stage
crew. “It was much better than the winter
concert.”
“It’s fun in class learning the songs,
but it’s hard work and practices that make
us sound so good,” said Larry Trice,
Adv. 811, a member of the concert choir.
“Overall, I think we did great, but there is
always room to make it even better.”
“The concert went really well,” said
Jennie Ceisel, Adv. 800, a member of the
girls’ ensemble. “We sang more melodic
pieces this time and had guest soloists and
pianists.”
Continued from front page
temporary and good times were coming and that focused on the positive aspect
as opposed to the negative.”
The ceremony ended with a pictorial
presentation by Mr. Jorge Lucero and Mr.
Chris Santiago of the Fine Arts Department. The pictures were of Mr. Hampton
throughout the years: from his high school
years with an afro to his vacation in
China. Afterwards, Mr. Hampton’s family
was led outside of the auditorium for an
unveiling of a plaque honoring Mr. Hampton. The plaque contains a short description of Mr. Hampton’s accomplishments
and life. There are also 24 un-engraved
plates on the plaque that are reserved for
the Cedric L. Hampton Award for Music.
This award is given to a graduating senior
who demonstrates an outstanding level
of commitment and sincere dedication to
music.
The day ended with refreshments and
music provided by pianist Steve Solomon,
Adv. 810. Students, teachers, family and
friends gathered together and discussed
various memories of Mr. Hampton from
educational advice to jokes he said which
left some teary-eyed.
“The part that really affected me was
when his mother touched the plaque and
began to cry,” said Carlos Rivas, Adv. 801.
“It made me sad because it’s difficult for a
parent to lose a child, especially someone who was as devoted to music as Mr.
Hampton.”
Northside’s musicians receive
recognition
First annual Music Awards Dinner
by Kana Yoo
For the first time in Northside’s seven-year existence, students an announcement of the MAAAD Committee’s previous acin advanced level band, orchestra, and chorus were specially
complishments, like insuring a two-page spread in the yearbook
honored at an awards dinner on Thursday, May 31.
featuring the concert-level groups. The lack of official represenAll members of the concert level performance groups received tation in the yearbook was one of the reasons that Mr. Solomon
Participation Awards, but twenty students in particular were
originally met with Dr. James Lalley, Northside’s principal, over
given special
dinner in the
awards in eight
summer to disdifferent categocuss the idea
ries. The winners
for the awards
of the highest four
ceremony.
awards were Elisa“As a
beth Graham,
group of
Adv. 704, for the
parents -- we
“National School
felt collectively
of Orchestra
that music
Award”, Paul
wasn’t as much
Balik, Adv. 604,
a part of the
for the “Louis
culture of our
Armstrong Jazz
school that
Award”, Elyse
many other
Kakacek, Adv.
groups were
601, for the
like sports and
“National School
the clubs,” said
Choral Award”,
Mr. Solomon.
and Sarah Shier,
During the
Adv. 600, for the
ceremony, a
“John Phillip Souspecial video
sa Band Award”.
presentation
The winners of
composed by
these highest
Mr. Solomon
honors received
featured
large trophies
students from
and their names Mr. Leo Park presents Paul Balik, a Northside Alumni, with an award that represents
the advanced
his musical talent.
on the plaques
classes
Photo by Kana Yoo
created for each
introducing
award. They
themselves
were acknowledged for their exceptional dedication, passion, and and stating their reason for liking their music class. Mr. Solomusicianship.
mon made the video so that all student musicians could see the
“I guess it felt pretty good because I’ve been playing in the
shared enthusiasm between groups. However, not all featured
school’s Jazz Band for all four years,” said Balik. “I haven’t been
students felt the intended effect.
playing the piano or trombone for very long so I’ve had to work
“I thought it was pretty entertaining because it seemed like
hard to get where I am.”
his sole intent was to embarrass the people he was interviewing,”
The Music Advocacy and Awards Dinner Committee
said Nick Florence, Adv. 601. “It was charmingly awkward.”
(MAAAD), in collaboration with the Music Department, put the
The evening was made especially possible by Mr. Solomon,
evening together to excite students about participating in music.
graphic designer Mr. Lance Rutter, and Ms. Imelda Bennett,
“In sports the school really makes playing for a varsity team
Music Awards Dinner Co-Chairman. In addition to designing
exciting, so usually, as a younger player, your goal is to work your the invitations and posters for the event, Mr. Rutter designed the
way up to the varsity team,” said Mr. Bob Solomon, Northside
school’s new Music Department logo, which is “ncphs” with the
parent and MAAAD Committee Chairman. “That’s what we’re
c written as a treble clef.
trying to do with music: to get beginning level students more moDr. Lalley summed up the reason for celebrating the evening
tivated to stay in the music program and improve to a level where in his speech at the beginning of the ceremony.
they can get into the concert level performing groups. The awards
“Tonight we honor those who make music, those who know
dinner is one very important way of obtaining this goal.”
that the real challenge for all of us is to displace the chaos, ugliAfter a buffet dinner, which lasted from 6 to 7 p.m., Mr.
ness and destruction in the world with balance, harmony, and
Solomon welcomed the 302 guests who attended, 101 of whom
beauty,” said Dr. Lalley. “Tonight we salute those who create the
were concert level musicians. Included in the introduction was
sounds that make us cry and laugh, think and love.”
Prep High School
5501 N. Kedzie
Chicago, IL 60625
Tel: (773) 534-3954
Fax: (773) 534-3964
Principal: Dr. James Lalley
Assistant Principal:
Ms. Lisa Moreno
Advisor: Mr. Chester Tylinski
Editors-In-Chief: Damon Beres,
Aliy Markowski
Copy Editors: Maxwell Brown,
Natalia Emanuel
Managing Editor: Kana Yoo
Assistant Managing Editor: Rachel
Hautzinger
News Editor: Ashraf Abbas
Features Editor: Elizabeth Jose
Centerfold Editor: Abir Usman
Editorial Editor: Aliy Markowski
Satire: Ashraf Abbas, Damon Beres
Arts and Entertainment Editor:
Patricia Radkowski
Sports Editor: Salim Patel
Photo Editors: Neha Alam,
Zenobia Gonsalves
Art Editor: Vasiliki Mitrakos
Reporters: Shoaib Ali, Zainab
Bilfaqi, Sejla Dizdarevc, Puja
Gopal, Mohammad Khaleelulah,
Karolina Maslanka, Martyna
Michalak, April Nwatah, Patricia
Radkowski, Nadir Rashid,
Elizabeth Sobenes, Michelle
Zacarias
Junior Reporters: Adaora Achufusi, Zlatana Alibegovic, Rhiannon
Koehler, Andrea Ljevar, Mohammad Rahman, Riaz Shaikh
The Hoof Beat is a monthly publication
produced by the Northside Prep Journalism
Class. As a student-run newspaper, your
opinions are important to us. If you have
any comments, corrections, critiques, or
questions, please e-mail Mr. Chester Tylinski
at [email protected].
September 2006
Features
Page 3
Going out with a bang
Senior project crescendos to a grand finale
by Monica Wojcik
The guitars on
stage may have outnumbered the guys,
but the senior concert
on Tuesday, May
23rd was no small
feat as alumni Nick
Florence, Paul Balik,
and Kevin Kilgallon
performed for an
audience of friends,
family members,
and curious onlookers. With its smooth
blend of jazz, blues,
and pop, the evening
served up a tasty
acoustic treat, complete with the sweat
and tears of several
months’ hard work.
The idea for the
project was born
when Florence, Balik,
and Kilgallon were
juniors, and had been
over a year and a
Paul Balik, Adv. 604, Kevin Kilgallon, Adv. 606, and Seth, Adv. 601, stand and chat after
half in the making.
the music performance.
Aspiring musicians,
Photo by Kana Yoo
the trio decided to
take advantage of
“It’s hard to say ‘I have 100 minutes, I’ll write a song’,”
Northside’s Senior Project option to write and perform their
said Balik. “It tends to be one of the processes that comes to
own music.
you.”
“We were into writing our own music and we realized we
“You can’t keep working on something straight,” said
wouldn’t have enough time to start a band given the hours at
Florence.
“Creativity is exhausting. It’s fun but a different kind
Northside,” said Florence. “We needed time during school.”
of fun.”
“Especially if we wanted to write more complicated things
“Masochistic fun,” added Balik.
and sheet music,” added Balik.
The creative process, however, was also very rewarding. “I
“I was talking to Nick in biology, we wrote the proposal,
had
a great time,” said Balik. “Once I came up with the song
and decided our final thing would be a performance,” said
hearing other people bring it to life, there’s something pretty
Kilgallon.
cool about that.”
Throughout the year, the guys got a taste of what it is
The easy group dynamic certainly had much to do with
like to write, produce, and perform music, and sometimes,
the
success
of the final result. Their harmony was reflected in
especially when it concerned the creative process the going
the way they were able to combine three different genres and
was tough.
seamlessly integrate them into the performance. Kilgallon’s
contribution was blues songs, Balik’s expertise fell with jazz,
while Florence focused on pop tunes. Guest starring in the
concert were six string players as well as members of the
Northside College Prep Jazz Band.
“I used technology, and synthesized the drum beat with
Fruity Loops software. [It was] very modern sounding,” said
Florence. “Paul and I each wrote orchestra music, and Paul
wrote music for the jazz band to play.”
Inspiration for the songs came from personal musical influences as well as simply random events of daily life offering
insightful opportunities.
“The ones I wrote were blues,” said Kilgallon. “That’s the
music I’m most into and the one I know best, I know how it
works.”
“The one I wrote for the jazz band, it was last summer
and it was raining outside, and I thought of the melody,” said
Balik. “It was a great rainstorm outside.”
Living rock star lives all year may have had its ups and
downs, but for the three musicians, everything came down to
the evening concert. Before the show, the three were nervous
but confident in the previous months’ work. After guest band
‘Splosions opened, comprised of Simon Schwartzman and
Adrienne Marshall, both recent alumni, the Last Crescendo
got underway. Within the first few notes, the worries were
swept away as the trio rocked out with professional stature
and quiet humor. Shifting from quiet jazz to loud blues, the
audience was taken on a musical roller coaster, and within a
few songs, left wanting more. Balik, Florence, and Kilgallon
obliged with an impromptu encore, which brought the night to
a crescendoing close.
“Once I started, I wasn’t nervous at all,” said Kilgallon
after the show. “I felt like the concert went really well, everything flowed pretty well.”
“We practiced a lot and we put in the time,” said Florence.
The end of the show also inspired reflections about the
year and the experience, which is one of the goals of the
senior project curriculum. The concert was a testament to
Northside’s unique environment of fostering such creativity.
“It was a good experience and I definitely feel like I got
something out of it,” said Kilgallon.
“The senior project was a great learning experience, especially to see the capabilities of putting on something like this,”
said Florence. We learned very quickly what our limitations
were. Something like this is hard without professional experience, but we pulled through at the end.”
Hitting those books
NCP students and their AP
summer assignments
by April Nwatah
Although summer is traditionally a time
to relax with your friends and forget about
school, many of Northside’s AP classes assigned summer homework. Towards the end
of last year, most students were informed
which AP classes they got into, out of the
ones they selected. Most students were then
invited to an informational meeting hosted by
their future teachers to receive their textbooks
and summer assignments.
As the weather got warmer and attention
spans got shorter, Northside students still had
the reminder of summer homework hanging over their heads. Over the years, many
students have questioned the necessity of AP
summer assignments.
“I was in AP US History last year, and
the summer homework was pretty irrelevant,”
said Annie Tran, Adv. 810. “Most of it was
pointless, and I don’t see why we needed to
do it.”
Many teachers have responded to this
speculation by stating its relevance when
it comes to getting students prepared for
the rigorous course. With the majority of
Northside’s students taking one or more AP
courses, summer homework is a common and
reoccurring duty.
The concept of summer assignments
received mixed reviews from Northside students. While some students view AP summer
work as pointless, others think differently;
many believe that summer homework will
prepare them for the course.
“For AP French, my summer assignment was basically just another homework
assignment; it’s nothing complicated,” said
Carla Padvoiskis, Adv. 809. “I think summer
assignments make sense because you need
something to keep you in touch with school
over the summer and to prepare you for the
upcoming year.”
Other
students do
not really see the
point in summer
assignments, but
are willing to do
them anyways.
“My
summer assignment for AP
Government
was to read the
newspaper,
recharge my
academic
mojo, and
write a brief
biography
of myself
for Mr.
Devine,”
said
Nick
Blumberg, Adv. 709. “I don’t really
mind summer assignments, although they are
not my favorite thing to do over the summer.”
“The only summer homework I
received was from AP Government,” said
Rana Marks, Adv. 810. “The summer work is
“For AP Biology, I have to learn a whole
unit and be prepared for a test the first week,”
said De’Monicka Burton, Adv. 806. “I don’t
like it because I want to work the summer and
make money. Also, I don’t want to have to
worry about school work [over the summer],
but if it’s best for me, then I guess it’s okay.”
For some students it was not merely one
class that they had to prepare for, but several.
The stress was great but there was a general
willingness to do their work.
“I received summer homework from
AP Lit, Psychology, and Bio,” said Tatiana
Karpouzian, Adv. 801. “It’s pretty manageable, but in AP Bio there may be a test on
the first day for a unit. Homework like that is
pretty tough, but I think when you take an AP
class, it is expected.”
“Over the summer I have to define
a list of vocabulary words and read a few
chapters,” said Vicki Levin, Adv. 801. “I
don’t really like doing it, but if they think it
will prepare me for the class then I guess it is
okay.”
Although opinions vary slightly, the
common thought amid Northside students is
apparent – although AP homework may not
exactly be the ideal way to spend the summer,
in the long run it is necessary and useful.
mild and should
be somewhat enjoyable. I don’t think reading
half of a textbook for the summer is a fair
assignment, but a small assignment to prepare
for the first day of class is not too much to
ask.”
Page 4 Features The Hoof Beat
中國交換學生
Chinese Exchange Students
by Elizabeth Jose
Heads turned to observe and
welcome the newcomers to Northside. They were spotted occasionally during passing periods and
during some classes. Some students
watched in awe as they played almost flawless games of badminton
and basketball. These newcomers
were the foreign exchange students
from China.
They came from Northside’s
sister school in Beijing. On May 19,
2006, Northside was recognized for
this sister school program by Mayor
Daley and others when CBS 2
news featured it in their 10:00 p.m.
session. The news team and some
political leaders, such as Mayor
Daley, feel that creating such international relationships will not only
allow Chicago to be a more global
city but will open business opportunities and the like between the two
cities. Although there are always
these economic and political aspects
to such programs, for the students
participating in the exchange, the
cultural value and the chance for
adventure are what truly appeal to
them.
“It [the exchange program] is
an eye-opening experience for the
students,” said Dr. Haiyan Fu of
previous trips to China. “This is
such an experience for both the
Chinese students who come here
and for the Chicagoan students who
go to China.”
Dr. Fu says that earlier when
she took a group to China the students were surprised and amused by
numerous things, such as signs that
were improperly translated [into
English] and the age at which some
people started to work in order to
support their families. This year the
responsibility of organizing the exchange has been the duty of Senor
Robert Blease.
Since Northside students
The Chinese exchange teachers pose in front of Buckingham fountain with Mayor Daley whom they
happened to meet there.
Photo Courtesy of Senor Robert Blease
visited China during December,
six students and two teachers from
the Beijing N.57 Schools came to
Chicago recently for four weeks.
The students stayed for the full four
weeks, from April 20, 2006 to May
16, 2006. The teachers, however,
had to leave on May 4, 2006. These
students and teachers were able to
experience all the fun that accompanies a trip to Chicago—particularly
the tourist attractions. Although
they did have to come to school,
they were also able to participate
from a spectator’s point of view.
The touring was very extensive and
left little time to feel bored.
“They absolutely loved it,”
said Senor Blease of the students
and teachers reaction to Chicago’s
sights.
They went to Six Flags
Great America, Navy Pier
several times, walked the
magnificent mile, went
to the Illinois Institute of
Technology, Soldier Field,
China Town, and played
basketball at the neighborhood parks. Furthermore,
their favorite places to shop,
according to Senor Blease,
were Target and Wal-Mart.
One of their trips became
an extremely memorable
experience. This happened
when they took a trip to
the Buckingham Fountain
and Mayor Daley happened
to be there. However, this
was certainly not their only
memorable occasion.
“One time I gave them
[the Chinese Exchange
students and teachers] exact
directions and let them go
on the train alone,” said
Senor Blease. “It was their
most scary experience.”
The guests were, according to Senor Blease,
often exhausted after getting
through an overwhelming
schedule, but thoroughly enjoyed themselves. There are
plans of continuing the foreign exchange program between China and the United
States in the future and
also with other countries.
Senor Blease has already
begun the search for more
host students to take in the
group from Korea that will
be coming to Northside in
October 2007. The foreign exchange
program at Northside is not only a
learning experience, but a time to
kick back and reap the benefits of
taking a language class.
Art-iculate
Elephant with Riders: Falling in Love
by Karolina Maslanka
Many young children, such as this one,
enjoyed playing on the mini-golf set.
Photo by Kana Yoo
The Elephant with Riders art show was a success for its
fourth year in a row. The show combined the artistic talents
of numerous students within Northside as well as those from
Chicago Public elementary schools. This year’s Elephant with
Riders event included many exhibits, workshops, and even
a mini golf course. The programs, available for free, enticed
a large crowd to get out of bed early on Saturday, May 13th,
and participate in this school event. Created by high school
students, the show was enjoyed by every age group.
The main feature of this year’s Elephant with Riders was
the mini golf course. Originally, the idea for the course was
proposed to Ms. Joanne Minyo by Mr. Chris Santiago.
“I hopped onto the wagon,” said Ms. Minyo.
Ms. Minyo’s and Mr. Santiago’s classes started working
on this project several months ago. In March, the two teachers
presented their students with images of mini golf courses,
which provided them with ideas for their projects. Then
groups of about seven people were created, and each group
chose a letter. Once they chose a letter, they had to think of
a theme and create their section of the mini golf course that
would contain certain elements, such as different levels, electronics, water traps, ramps, or monumental objects.
The mini golf course contained a total of 27 holes: one
for each one of the 26 letters of the alphabet, and one for a
punctuation mark. One hole, “Kanga’s Kitchen,” made by
students in Ms. Minyo’s class, contained tile floors, kitchen appliances, cereal boxes, pans, fruits, and other accessories that
fit its theme. This hole also contained a kangaroo with a baby
in its pouch. Another hole was “A Disney Par” also created by
students in Ms. Minyo’s class. It contained Disney characters
such as Ariel, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, and his monkey
Abu. Other holes also contained music, such as Elmo singing
in the Sesame Street hole, or even electronics that moved
objects.
“This project took a lot of effort,” said Lilianna Leon,
Adv. 804. “I am very happy that people actually came and
enjoyed it.”
The school was bustling with people who came to the Elephant with Riders event. Many of them were attracted to the
mini golf course, which was enjoyed not only by the students
that worked on the project for many hours a day, but also by
entire families.
“This mini golf course is a very practical and fun use
of art,” said Mr. Tim Devine of Northside’s Social Science
Department. “Art that can be played with, especially for
kindergartners.”Mr. Devine, like many other parents, brought
his child along. In addition to the mini golf course, Elephant
with Riders contained many other activities and presentations.
There were workshops available to the public including a Kid
Studio at hand for the younger children. Kids could create
paintings, drawings, sock puppets, and paper masks. They
could also have their faces painted. In the encaustic workshop
people were able to create paintings using hot wax. Younger
children eagerly worked on their Mother’s Day paintings.
Visitors also had the opportunity to attend either the ceramics
workshop or the photogram workshop.
“It’s a little overwhelming at first, but it’s also really nice
that so many people showed up,” stated Carla Padvoiskis,
Adv. 809. “I think that more people showed up this year than
last year.”
Many students like Padvoiskis helped out during Elephant
with Riders. While some took part in Elephant with Riders
because of an interest in art and school events, service hours
and extra credit were the incentives for many others.
Elephant with Riders also displayed a great variety of
paintings, drawings, sketches and photographs showcasing a
large variety of styles. Many skeleton sculptures and ceramics
were also showcased during the event.
Student-made films were also shown at this art event. Liz
A young girl and her mother try out a hole
created by Art I students.
Photo by Kana Yoo
Born, Adv. 710, shared two of her short cartoons, “Orange
Crush,” and “Lightning Strike.” Other films conveyed the
theme of love in a humorous way, including “Love at First
Bite” created by Michael Wojcik, Adv. 907. In this short film
Kenji Tran, Adv. 904, who played the main role, fell in love
with a candy bar.
Elephant with Riders: Falling in Love allowed the
Northside Community to gather and admire not only art, but
also the spirit and hard work of Northside students.
September 2006
Features
Page 5
Freshmen’s Pearls of wisdom from Northside’s
first taste of class of ’06
Northside
by Puja Gopal
Freshman
orientation
and trip to
Snake Road
Adventure
Center
by Rachel Hautzinger
At Northside College Prep, the
administrators don’t agree with
“throwing the frying pan into the fire.”
The first time the incoming freshman
walked through the front doors as a
class was not the first day of school:
they were given Freshman Orientation.
Orientation enabled them to figure out
those confusing block schedules, get
all of their books together, take their
photo IDs, and get a little taste of the
Northside lifestyle.
They were given a further chance
to bond at Snake Road Adventure
Center, where they came together as a
class to tackle team building activities
and individual confidence boosters.
Freshman Orientation took place on
August 22nd, and the two Snake Road
sessions took place on August 23rd to
the 24th, and the second on August 24th
to the 25th.
“Snake Road is a very popular program,” said Ms. Angela Lekkas. “The
kids get the chance to bond with each
other before school starts, making it a
very positive experience.”
“Freshman Orientation really
helped me out when I was a freshman,” said Christine Swisher, Adv.
802. “You get oriented and I met some
friends there. You get all your books
and get settled for freshman year.”
Each year, at freshman orientation, the freshmen are given the basic
guidelines about the Northside day and
are given all they need to begin their
first year of high school. Ms. Medina,
a counselor, sets up the day’s schedule.
“First thing in the morning we
have an introduction by Dr. Lalley,
Ms. Moreno, and me about what they
[students] are doing during the course
of the morning,” said Ms. Medina.
“We also have a guest speaker who
gives a motivational talk about making
the best out of your high school experience, and then they go on to their
rotations, in which they take their ID
pictures, get their books, and pay their
fees.”
“I think Freshman Orientation is
good because you get familiar with
the school, where to go, and what you
have to do,” said Erin McMannon, an
incoming freshman. “You also get to
meet people.”
Snake Road Adventure Center,
located in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin,
has hosted Northside freshman for
two years. Northside freshman are
first given the chance to do some team
building activities. This was done in
order to bond the freshman class before
they even enter school. After that,
the students are given access to the
high ropes course, which encourages
them to push the limits and gain more
confidence.
“Snake Road was extremely fun,”
said Elza Casas, Adv. 802. “It was
beneficial because you didn’t feel so
awkward coming to Northside.”
“It was awesome,” said Jesse Speth,
Adv. 906. “It’s a couple of days to hang
out with the kids you’re going to go to
school with for the next four years.”
“I signed up for Snake Road so I
can meet people before school starts,”
said McMannon. “It was a good and
fun experience.”
As Northside’s seniors prepare for graduation and college they leave valuable advice
for underclassmen and next year’s seniors.
For many of the seniors, high school has
been an unforgettable journey consisting of
AP classes, sleep-deprived school days, and
complaints of ‘too much homework’, but it
has also been filled with experience, memories, and laughter. High school experiences
have molded these students into mature
individuals and
prepared them for
their future colleges, while teaching
valuable lessons
along the way.
After four
years of Northside, the seniors
have figured out
all the tricks of
the trade for doing well in school.
They shared some
of this advice.
“Get plenty
of sleep but not in
class,” said Ryan
Keleher, Adv.
604.
“Care about
school more than
others want you
to care. It will
affect your habits
in college,” said
Jason Tran, Adv.
606.
“Make it a
priority to get
as organized as
possible,” said
Michael Kennedy,
Adv. 600.
“Love the college you will be attending,
get outside as much as possible and enjoy
your last times with your class at the best
place to be. Don’t worry too much!” said
Stefanie Couchman, Adv. 600.
After a hard year of college applications,
essays and interviews the seniors can relax
and share their experiences.
“Start looking at colleges early,” said
Michael Kharouta, Adv. 605.
“Start college applications in the summer
or as soon as possible especially college essays,” said Maximilian Swiatlowski, Adv 603.
“Don’t worry too much about what looks
good on a college transcript but what you
enjoy,” said Bonnie Vu, Adv. 606.
According to this year’s seniors, however,
studying should not be all encompassing.
“Have a life outside of school,” said
Genet Tesfamichael, Adv. 604.
“Enjoy Northside and don’t be quick to
leave. The time here is important,” said Katy
Hintzen, Adv. 603.
“If you procrastinate get good at it,” said
Paul Koukouvanis, Adv. 600.
“Think about what you want to major in
before going to college,” said Joel Perez, Adv.
604.
Though college applications were time
consuming students should not forget about
their high school studies.
“Don’t slack off second semester, look at
Ms. Kato’s scholarship emails, and make sure
to give your teachers the recommendations
early,” said Jonathon Nagatani, Adv. 605.
“Don’t slack off or you’re screwed,” said
Monica Guerrero, Adv. 606.
“Do your homework,” said Daniella
Romero, Adv. 601.
“Get an easy
class on each day,”
said Jason Williams,
Adv. 604.
“Don’t wait till
a week before to pay
fees,” said Lauren
Akainyah, Adv. 601.
For many
students, college is
expensive but high
school has its share
of problems.
“Apply for scholarships, the odds
aren’t against you,”
said Riscarte Bayon,
Adv. 606.
“Don’t graduate
early, you’ll miss too
many things,” said
Colin Byrne, Adv.
607.
“Get to know
your teachers. They
are very understanding. Open the mail
you receive at home
from colleges and
don’t overload on
AP courses. Spend
your time wisely in
the counseling office,
during lunch and after school,” said Tatianna
Atkinson, Adv. 601.
“Be prepared to spend a lot of money
during senior year,” said Gaby Deguzman,
Adv. 606.
“Apply for scholarships because your parents are not as rich as they may seem,” said
Tracey Fredricks, Adv. 607.
Fresh Faces
The Class of 2010
by Joanna Chromik
Many people harbor the misconception that the incoming freshman class will
be much larger than any previous one, but
the latest statistics prove
otherwise.
For the most
part, besides
the fact that
the class will
be slightly
smaller, the
only major
difference
is that the
gender ratio
is further
apart, giving
girls the upper hand.
Statistics were obtained from Mr. Jeff
Grey, who manages Chicago’s college prep
school admittances and is responsible for
releasing CPS admissions statistics. Last
October 5th, 5,635 eighth graders bubbled
in Northside as one of their selective
enrollment choices. Out of the 5, 635
applicants only 5.093%, or 287 students,
were chosen. The 2009 graduating class
had 6,119 students apply and only 4.886%,
or 299 people, actually got in. It seems
that the amount of freshmen accepted has
decreased.
“I think that a large number of students
who do not choose to attend Northside go
to Catholic or private schools,” said Ms.
Moreno, Northside’s Vice Principal.
What has to be taken into consideration is that Northside actually invites more
students than the number of those who
attend. According to Ms. Moreno, North-
side should be accepting an average of 300
students per freshman class.
“We realize that Northside is a prize
for many students, so when we choose our
students,
we have
to remain
mindful
that very
few will
reject our
offer of
admission,” Ms.
Moreno
commented.
A
gender gap
becomes
apparent in the entering freshmen. The 2010
class will have 38.8% of its 287 students be
boys while the girls make up 61.2% of the
incoming students. When asked
why so many more girls than boys
have been accepted into Northside
Ms. Moreno noted that girls score
higher—it may be that they are
more serious about adolescence.
Popular opinion suggests that girls
may be more focused and may
not easily be distracted from their
educational goals. Of the current
freshman class, 41.5% are boys and
58.5% are girls. In this year’s senior
class the number of boys and girls
attending Northside is, for the most
part, evenly balanced.
The future freshman class will consist of
35.9% whites, 5.6% blacks, 2.1% American
Indians, 30.7% Asia and Pacific Islanders,
25.4% Hispanics and 0.3% people from the
Other category.
The 2009 class, for comparison, is composed of 32.8% white students, 14% black
students, 0.3% American Indians, 31.1%
Asian/Pacific Islanders, and 21.7% Hispanic.
According to the Chicago Public Schools
Policy manual, available at <http://policy.
cps.k12.il.us/documents/602.2.pdf >, the
Chicago Public Magnet Schools, or schools
which have 35% reading scores at or above
the national TAP score level, must, abiding
by the requirements of the U.S. v. Board of
Education of the City of Chicago ruling,
admit 65-85 minority students and 15-35
white students. Among the minority are
students who are Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, or American Indian/Alaskan
Native.
Heta Panchal of Adv. 906., a current
freshman commenting on what she thinks
of the incoming class, said, “I guess it will
be more diverse.” The 2010 freshmen, just
like the classes before them, are sure to bring
to Northside their own unique, individual,
atmosphere.
Page 6 Centerfold The Hoof Beat
Go clubbing
Publish yourself!
by Damon Beres
Northside’s various publications eagerly
anticipate new staff members for the coming
school year. The Stampede, Northside’s yearbook, Verve, Northside’s literary magazine,
and The Hoofbeat, Northside’s newspaper,
are all student-produced works that require
hours upon hours of work. Each publication
has at least one faculty mentor but is generally
birthed and nurtured by the students.
Ms. Dianne Malueg heads The Stampede. Dedicated editors and contributing staff
work year-round to create the annual yearbook, a treasure of the year for Northside
students. Of all the various publications at Northside, the yearbook
is the most costly and requires
an equally robust amount
of work.
“What makes
it hard is that yearbook is responsible for covering
as many events
and activities
as possible
throughout the
year,” said Kana
Yoo, Adv. 707,
yearbook photography editor
and prospective
co-editor-in-chief
for the 2006-2007
school year. “I
feel like I have
to be everywhere
all the time to take
pictures.”
Though The
Stampede does call for
an intense work ethic, it’s
also rewarding and the most anticipated publication of the year, as evidenced by the days of
yearbook signings that occur after its release.
Those interested in joining for the 2006-2007
school year must be dedicated workers, have
at least some knowledge of photography, and
should contact Ms. Malueg.
The school literary magazine, Verve,
is headed both by Ms. Malueg and Mr. Alan
Hennagir. Editors for the 2005-2006 school
year were Jake Baskin, who was a graduating
senior, Damon Beres, Adv. 706, and Anjalee
Verma, Adv. 701. Unlike the other publications, Verve is not constantly pressured by
harsh deadlines and has a more laid back
atmosphere.
The staff meets once a week to review and
workshop student submissions, which may
include works in poetry and prose, non-fiction
or fiction. All students at Northside are free
to submit their pieces via Ms. Malueg or Mr.
Hennagir even if they aren’t on Verve’s staff.
The value of being on the staff, then, comes
from being able to make decisions as to which
pieces are ultimately printed in the magazine.
Students that submit work are encouraged to
meet with the staff and discuss their work
to allow for revisions, though this “workshop” aspect is not a requirement.
Verve is eager to accept
new members
that are interested in writing
as well as layout.
Contact Ms.
Malueg or Mr.
Hennagir for more
information.
Last but not
least is Northside’s
newspaper, The
Hoofbeat. Mr. Chester
Tylinski is the faculty advisor, but its
student staff, which
is led by co-editors-inchief Damon Beres
and Aliy Markowski,
Adv. 700, runs the
publication for the
most part.
The Hoofbeat is actually
a product of
Mr. Tylinski’s
journalism
class, which meets
twice a week after school
for a full block. During class
time, students discuss how to
improve their work and the news- paper,
and also work on their articles, which often requires tracking down peers or faculty members
for interviews.
Working on The Hoofbeat requires
dedication and a strong interest in writing,
not to mention a flexible schedule that can be
twisted by approaching deadlines or interview
appointments. With its monthly releases, the
newspaper requires a large amount of work,
and those interested should note that commitment and responsibility are requirements. For
more information, contact Mr. Tylinski.
Service groups pervade
by Natalia Emanuel
It is fairly well known at Northside that
community service is an important aspect of
student life. Student e-mail accounts regularly
receive notices of service opportunities. Often
times, Northside's homepage sports information about upcoming service walks or other
ways of helping. Indeed, twenty hours of
service are required as a minimum for each
student in order to graduate. At Northside,
there are a number of groups that help sponsor these service activities, such as National
Honor Society (NHS), Key Club, and Recycling Club.
NHS, is, as the name suggests, a larger,
national organization which was started in
1921. Northside's branch was started in 2001
and is currently sponsored by Ms. Anna
Lisa Searcy, a Social Science teacher, and
Ms. Lidia Ortiz, a science teacher. NHS is a
selective organization, open by application
to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. In its
applicants, NHS looks for a demonstration of
scholarship, leadership, service, and character.
One of the purposes of NHS, according
to its Constitution, is to "stimulate a desire to
render service." NHS carries out this mission by sponsoring fun service projects that
are also beneficial. For instance, last year,
NHS sponsored a Car Wash in order to raise
money for HIV-AIDS awareness in Rwanda.
NHS also sponsored Winter Wonderland
where Northside's clubs set up booths to
explain missions and activities.
Key Club is another service oriented
organization. Its mission, as
stated by
Nancy
Cheng,
Key
Club's Vice President
of the 2005-2006
school year and
Northside Alumnus,
is to allow "young
people, namely high
schoolers, to service the
community in a variety of
ways. Not only does it allow
members to give back to
those in the community who
are most in need, but it [Key
Club] also cultivates the next
generation of young leaders
and volunteers."
Key Club pursues this
mission via running fundraising projects and sponsoring
drives. For instance, in the last
academic year, it sponsored
the March of Dimes, where
students brought in change to
benefit prematurely born babies,
and also a number of drives such
as the Toy Drive and the Book
Drive. In addition, Key Club members
also volunteer to benefit the community
with manual labor, such as working at the
Food Depository.
Recycling Club is slightly different than
either NHS or Key Club in that instead of
facilitating service, it focuses upon one aspect
of the school. The club was founded in 2002
and is currently sponsored by Mr. Johan Tabora and Dr. Anna Maria Vites, both science
teachers. Recycling Club is the group that allows for Northside to sport the blue trash bins
in classrooms which welcome paper.
Recycling Club members devote ten to
15 minutes of their lunch periods to sort
through such bins and collect paper from
around the school to be recycled. Recycling
Club identifies and removes materials that
cannot be recycled when going on their
rounds. Such materials include gum, post it
notes, staples, etc. Along with paper, batteries
and cell phone recycling is also organized by
Recycling Club. Cell phones and batteries can
easily be recycled via the green boxes set out
by Recycling Club in the library and security
desk.
“When you have the option of letting it
all go to waste, on the one hand, or being efficient, on the other hand, it is an easy choice,”
says Harold Jaffe, Adv. 802, a member of
Recycling Club.
As the new academic year begins, all
Northside students have a new chance to
benefit the community via their service.
Page 7 Centerfold
g at Northside
The Hoof Beat
For all your special interests
by Sejla Dizdarevic
As the new school beings, a wide variety
of special interest clubs provide after-school
activities for Northsiders. These clubs are
available to everyone and are a fun way
to express one’s self. Special interest
clubs include The 20 Minute Dance
Club, Hypnotic, Disney Club, Pep
Club, Beatles Club, Mahjongg,
G.E.E.K, Anime, Sewing Club,
AKA, French Club, Music Appreciation Club, Martial Arts Club,
Photography Club, Ceramics Club,
Know Your Heritage, Academic
Decathlon, Socratic Circle Society,
Computer Club, Poetry Slam Team,
and Drama Club.
The 20 Minute Dance
Club, sponsored by Mrs. Julie Healy
of the Social Science department, is
a great place to dance for 20 minutes
to a themed mix CD one day a week.
Miriam Dolnick, Adv. 603, and Claire
Rabkin, Adv. 705, are the leaders of this
club and they try to make it as fun as possible.
“Twenty Minute Dance Party
Club is very fun,” said Emily Sher, Adv. 800.
“Especially when there is a good theme.”
“Twenty minutes of boogie is the perfect way to kick off the weekend,” said Samantha
Schmidt, Adv. 708.
Another fun club to join is the Disney Club,
sponsored by Ms. Nicole Flores of the Mathematics department. Bonnie Mark, Adv. 804, and
Ashley Rivera, Adv. 811, lead this club in which
members talk about Disney movies, music, TV
shows, etc.
“Disney Club, when we actually had meetings, was a huge success,” said Bonnie Mark, Adv.
804. “It will be back next year with more meetings
and movies.”
One of the bigger clubs at Northside is the
Pep Club, sponsored by Mr. Michael Heavy of the
Physical Education Department. Pep Club members
focus on increasing school spirit by attending sporting events and alerting the rest of the student body of
important games and matches.
“Pep Club’s main purpose is to get people
excited about sports at our school,” said last year’s
president Patty Duffy, Adv. 601. “As you know,
school spirit at times dwindles, but it is Pep Club’s
job to stop that. We want people to have pride in
Northside’s teams and just have an amazing time all
around.”
As a selective enrollment school, Northside
sometimes struggles with the reputation of poor
sports programs and minimal school spirit. Pep Club
members make efforts to change this reputation by
increasing Northside school spirit.
“Have pride in your school because there is no
better one anywhere else on this planet,” said Patty
Duffy. “So show people we are more than just kids
with books.”
Mahjongg Club, sponsored by Mr. Greg
DiFrancesco of the Science department and headed
by Theresa Lean, Adv. 604, is another club that can
fulfill ones interests. Anyone interested in playing
and mastering mahjongg, a traditional Chinese game
compared to Solitaire, is welcome.
“Mahjongg is a fun game that we can all
play together and learn from each other,” said Tom
Skawski, Adv. 805.
G.E.E.K. Club is another club available at
Northside. Headed by Sean Kung, Adv. 807, and
sponsored by Mr. Nathan Harada of the Science
department, G.E.E.K. is a great place to just hang
out after school and play video games.
“Come by and play,” said Sean Kung. “If you
play DDR [Dance Dance Revolution], I will take you
down.”
Anyone interested in the The Beatles should
definitely join The Beatles Club. Members of the
club, headed by Kalinka Borkiewicz, Adv.807, and
sponsored by Mr. Jorge Lucero of the Fine Arts
department, listen to music, watch movies, do art
projects, and have birthday parties for The Beatles.
“Every Beatles Club meeting last year was a
blast!” said Kalinka Borkiewicz. “The most memorable was John Lennon’s 65th birthday party, with
food, games, prizes, and trivia. We really accomplished a lot last year, and I hope this year will be just
as productive.”
Since many seniors have graduated, the club will
be under new management.
“I hope we will get many new members,” said
Borkiewicz. “As the Beatles said ‘a splendid time is
guaranteed for all!’”
Hypnotic Club, sponsored by Ms. Martha
Mulligan of the Mathematics department, embraces
the art of dance. This club, headed by Kristine Pol.
Adv. 804, and Marilyn Botero, Adv. 804, creates
dances for talent shows, school dance shows, and
outside performances.
“Hypnotic has gone through a lot this year, but
we pulled it through together, especially for the talent
show,” said Hypnotic member Kristina Mascarenas,
Adv. 806. “We’re a bunch of dedicated dancers who
perform our hearts out to show our talent.”
In Anime Club, sponsored by Ms. Park of the
Language Department, and led by Tipa Limson, Adv.
802, students learn about the Japanese culture and
watch Japanese movies.
“It’s fun and exciting because we have fun
while we learn,” said Adriane Quan, Adv.811. “We
even learn Japanese.”
These are just some of the clubs available at
our school. Anybody interested with extra time on
their hands should attend the annual club fair to learn
more about the vast array of clubs Northside offers.
There are many ways to express one’s self and joining one of the aforementioned special interest clubs
or any other Northside group is a great place to start.
In action and behind the scenes
by Zainab Bilfaqi
While Drama Club performs and
acts to the best of their ability, Stage Crew
works behind the scenes with lighting,
props, and creating the set that is crucial
to an excellent performance.
“Drama Club recruits people to
support Northside’s drama productions
throughout the year,” said Alexia Williz,
the social activities coordinator.
Drama club is for those who have
a passion of acting, patience, and a certain
level of maturity which will get them
through any of the more difficult duties that
they will have to perform. Members unite to
publicize theatrical productions and expand
their skills in certain areas such as directing or
acting.
Drama club members improve their skills
through intensive yet fun workshops geared to assist
them in specific areas of need. Furthermore, many of
the students incorporated within drama club also participate
in the plays that they publicize.
The various plays offer another way for Northsiders to connect with their dramatic side. One of the ways
for Northsiders to uncover their thespian
side can be getting involved in
the upcoming fall play. As the
name suggests, this a play held
in the fall of the school year.
People who want to perform
go through auditions that are
held and those students that
are casted for roles are required
to attend rehearsals. The final
performances have always been
highly applauded by Northside
audiences. This is a great way to
make new friends, especially incoming freshmen, and a fantastic
opportunity for drama-oriented or
interested students to express their
talents.
Behind the scenes exists a working organization of students, stage crew.
Stage Crew’s mission is to deal with everything in a production besides the actors—props,
lighting, audio, scenery, curtains, etc. The stage crew deals
with lighting tools such as dimmers, which dim the lights in
the auditorium to the performer’s request, to the complex
work required to run the channels sub-master, which fades
the lights at a certain, cued time. Stage crew also deals with
the audio during the performances.
Besides the technical aspect of being a member of
stage crew, there is also a physical role involved. Stage crew
members put a vast amount of time into creating scenery
and props. They assemble the sets and create the scenery.
Commitment is necessary to be a stage crew
member. Although most members are not required at every
performance, they have to be available regardless. Maturity
is also required to be a member in stage crew. Members
have to deal with all sorts of authorities and it’s necessary
to know how to react to certain sorts of people. To join,
newcomers need to fill out an application which can be
found on the Northside website, receive a teacher recommendation, and maintain a C average. No prior experience
is necessary and newcomers will be trained. Stage crew
members are also paid for outside performances that they
assist with. For example this year, members were paid for
assisting in the Lake Shore Symphony concert.
Stage Crew and Drama club are two activities
which, by many, seem to be a great opportunity for people
interested in the theatrical arts. Both require dedication, yet
they are fun-filled and fulfilling.
Page 8 Centerfold Johanna Gutierrez, Adv. 602,
attending University of Chicago
“I want to thank all of my friends who
were always there throughout high school,
and to all the teachers who helped me
acquire all the knowledge I have. 06!”
The Hoof Beat
As they go on..
Katie Adams, Adv. 602, attending DePaul University
“I loved this school so much, and I’ll miss it!”
Alexia Jeaná Willis, Adv. 606, attending Wheaton
College
“I’m a Wheatie now (and a mustang forever). Most of
my thanks has got to go to Mr. McRaith, and the slam team
(Northside’s 2006 slam team). To Jesse, Adam, Natalia, Annie, and Minnie, thanks so much for just being your awesome,
talented, creative selves. I learned a lot from you. To Ms.
Price, I miss you. Thank you for your continued devotion
to us. To Mr. McRaith, thank you for believing in me- form
English to slam to words to life.”
Stella Elizabeth Martin, Adv. 607, attending Evergreen
State College (Go Greeners!)
“Most of the teachers I’ve had at this school are incredible people, willing to look at us for who we are as people
and not just as students or grades in a book. I want to thank
those teachers: people who have taught me things that can’t be
found in our textbooks.”
Kristy Dumlao, Adv. 607, attending University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
“I love you all my little underclassmen! And all terminated
friendships are void.”
Candy Le, Adv. 603, attending Loyola University
“I want to thank all of my friends and teachers for a wonderful four years of high school.”
Riscarte Bayon, Adv. 606, attending DePaul University
“Keep up those grades; apply early for college and scholarships. Have fun and get crazy enjoying the best years of your
Jillian Bertagna, Adv. 604, attending University of
Chicago
“It’s been fun. I’m just sad I didn’t get a chance to become
friends with everyone I wanted to become friends with. Good
Luck guys!”
Chris Field, Adv. 606, attending University of Illinois
“Cop didn’t see it? You didn’t do it! He did? That’s why
you take track.”
Cesilia Esquivel, Adv. 602, attending University of
Illinois
“I am glad to get out but I am thankful for the knowledge
I gained.”
Cassie Boykin, Adv. 603, attending Digipen Institute of
Technology
“I forgot to put a quote for the yearbook, but I figure out
Milliways it’ll all be behind me. Milliways, you know the restaurant at the end of the universe. OK, maybe you don’t know,
but I’ll find this hilarious later.”
Natalia Dudziuslae, Adv. 607, attending Loyola
University Chicago
“It was good while it lasted, and I’m just happy that I
managed to get through these last four years. Good luck in the
future to all the seniors and thanks a lot to all my friends, who
for four years have made my experience at NCP a bit more
bearable. I will miss you guys.”
Eileen Keleghan, Adv. 606, attending Northwestern
University
“Goodbye, goodbye forever.”
Vanja Tesnjak, Adv. 605, attending DePaul University
“My time at Northside has been unforgettable but now it
is time for me to move on and experience new things.”
Katie Thomas, Adv. 606, attending University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
“Cheerleaders I’ll miss you guys so much. You mean the
world to me and I lave each of you so much. I’ll visit you guys
next year and see you guys compete. I know you guys will do
great. Come visit me at U of I next year!”
Carolina Vargas, Adv. 607, attending Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
“What can I say? These last four years were tough but I
met amazing people and made great lifelong friends. My advice to underclassmen would be this… work hard but always
take some time to appreciate your school, your friends, and
the high school experience while it lasts- because after a blink,
it’s gone.”
Nancy Cheng, Adv. 601, attending University of
Chicago
“Students, some of you probably cannot wait to graduate
or get out of this school via some other means, but know that
Northside privileges you with luxuries many other high school
students are deprived of, so savor it while you have it.”
Asma Ahmad, Adv. 601, attending Northwestern
University
“Mr. Yanek, you rock.”
Bobby Ziegler, Adv. 603, attending Alaska Pacific
University
“Be excellent to each other and party on dudes!”
Jacqueline Pfeil, Adv. 607, attending University of
Illinois Urbana-Champaign
“I had a fun time at Northside! I will always remember my
experiences here, and all the good friends I made throughout
these four years. Thanks for everything.”
Vanessa Hernandez, Adv. 607, attending University of
Illinois
“I enjoyed my four years at Northside. The friends I made
were amazing. I’ll always remember this place.”
Patty Duffy, Adv. 601, attending St. Mary’s College
“THANKS for an AMAZING 4 years.”
Joseph Rodriguez, Adv. 604, attending University of
Illinois Urbana-Champaign: College of Engineering
“Peace Out Northside!”
Stephanie Gonzales, Adv. 606, attending Loyola
University
“The best thing about Northside is the people I had the
honor of meeting. I believe the students and all Staff members
make Northside what it is. I am so happy to have met such
wonderful people that helped me get this far. I want to thank
all my friends for being there whenever I needed them and for
making me a better person.”
Glenna Reyes, Adv. 602, attending Loyola University
Chicago
“Don’t let life get you down… keep on truckin’. I LOVE
YOU FU LAOSHI.”
Barbara Moy, Adv. 607, attending Cleveland Institute of
Art
“Awesome.”
September 2006
Centerfold
Page 9
they remember...
Chelli Zanotti, Adv. 602, attending University of
Illinois
“The classic: Goodbye, Good luck, and I’ll miss
you! PS- Cheerleaders I L-O-V-E you guys. Take city
beetches!”
Dagmara Uredowska, Adv. 607, attending DePaul
University
“Yay for me!”
Alexandra Maties, Adv. 607, attending DePaul
University
“College should hopefully be fun!”
Cory Craig, Adv. 606, attending University of Illinois
Champaign
“No other high school in the world is quite like Northside,
it was awesome!”
Cory Craig, Adv. 606, attending University of Illinois
Champaign
“No other high school in the world is quite like Northside, it was awesome!”
Michael Kennedy, Adv. 600, attending Macalester
College
“Northsiders, my brothers of the pen. I’d rather study
beside you than any school of thousands. No man knows how
menacing we are, we are lions! Do you know what lies beyond
graduation, immortality! Take it, it’s yours!”
Adolfo Luna, Adv. 603, attending University of Chicago.
“It’s not ‘good bye’, more like ‘see you later’.”
Amy Pak, Adv. 602, attending Wright College
“High School has been fun for the most part. Northside
seems like a very unique school and I hope the school will
continue to be special in its own way. Thank you to all of the
great teachers I’ve had (including those who are no longer
here at Northside) and Good Luck to everyone!”
Anthony Vu, Adv. 607, attending University of Central
Florida
“Senioritis is highly contagious… be warned.”
Colia Byrne, Adv. 607, attending Carthage College
“Going to Northside was a very good choice, because I
was able to meet a group of friends with qualities I would
have a very hard time finding anywhere else.”
Dylan Bailey, Adv. 602, attending Roosevelt University
“The LP (Lily Pads) is stronger than ever. All the sks who
aren’t seniors need to continue carrying out tactical espionage
missions and continue providing protection to the Northsiders who are unable to handle the hostel environment we go to
school in. You know your missions, Good Luck.
Goodbye time
Departing seniors
share high school
experiences
by Martyna Michalak
Tracey Fredricus, Adv. 607, attending University of
Michigan
“Although at times this place may seem a bit overwhelming, my four years at Northside have been quite
enjoyable and memorable. I have developed friendships,
and had moments that I will never forget. Thanks Homeskillets for 160 WKS of Good Times.”
Mariben Lyn Gopez Escalona, Adv. 605, attending
University of Illinois Chicago
“Cherish and make the best of your high school years, it
went by just way too fast.”
Katie Regal, Adv. 607, attending University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
“It was an awesome four years. Thank you everyone for
the amazing memories we will have forever.”
Sandy Guttman, Adv. 603, attending Knox College
“Peace out.”
Samantha Ghanayem, Adv. 606, attending University of
Illinois Urbana-Champaign
“No more busy work.”
Jordan Stacey,Adv. 600, attending Cornell College
“Thank you, teachers and thank you, Dr. Lalley. May
the future of Northside bring hard work during the last
weeks of school! I wish the budget wasn’t so systematically unfortunate.”
Michael Kharouta, Adv. 605, attending
Northwestern University
“Don’t wait until someone’s dead to give them flowers.”
Bouan Mendoza, Adv. 606, attending University of
Illinois
“Play videogames everyday.”
Kelsey Koon, Adv. 602, attending Queen’s University of
Kingston, Ontario
“Thank you to all the teachers for helping us grow and
mature (for the most part!) and for putting up with us for 4
craaazy years! Thank you to the juniors and sophomores and
freshmen we know for continuing our legacy next year! Shoutouts to: Alex K., Danielle F. and Meggie H., French was awesome! Shout-outs to Kavinda W., Smokey, Max S., Michael
P. and Kevin K., you made an awesome Certamen team and
I was so proud to win 4 straight championships alongside you
guys! Here’s to all the graduating seniors; we made it! We’re
going to totally rock the world!”
Hiromi-Anne Usui, Adv. 602 attending University of
Illinois Chicago
“Muhaha! jk. I’ll miss school. Mr. Benincasa and Ms.
Rivera were awesome teachers. Don’t forget, He-row-me!
Shout out to Aimee Morakes! I’ll be back! Don’t forget to call
my cell.”
With graduation just around the corner and college
decisions finally made, Northside’s seniors are reminiscing
over their past four years of high school. Students remember
good as well as bad experiences. It is evident that seniors are
happy to continue their lives past high school and cannot
wait for what life brings them. On the other hand, seniors will
always remember their years spent at Northside.
“The best part about high school is the memories
formed with your peers,” said Dagmara Urzedowska, Adv.
607.
“I have enjoyed these past four years both academically
and socially, but I am ready to move on into a new environment and experience the college atmosphere,” said Vanja
Tesnjak, Adv. 605.
Students remember both social and academic aspects of
high school. Many students have participated in sports ranging
from soccer to chess, clubs, fine arts productions and showed
great academic achievement overall.
Students feel relieved that they are finally able to
leave and enjoy a new life outside school.
“It’s been a long four years; I’m glad it’s finally over,” said
Joe Rodriguez, Adv. 604.
Seniors came to this school four years ago with big hopes
and preconceptions of what high school might be.
“High school seemed very scary at first, but now it seems
like nothing,” said Ryan Powers, Adv. 602. “Now college
seems scary, but it [high school] has been fun. It’s good to go
on to bigger, better things.”
Seniors are going into college life with hopes and dreams
of achieving something by using the information learned
at Northside. Students will be choosing their paths of life
whether it be medicine, law, or any other field and Northside
is in no way the finish line.
“I am very glad I came to this school,” said Joseph Carrozza, Adv. 601. “I am glad I chose to go to a tougher school
because it has helped me in the long run. I achieved a better
education than I would have elsewhere.”
Seniors came to this school even though they might not
have wanted to at first, but there was something that drew
students to the environment of challenging work and tough
classes.
“My favorite thing coming to this school was that I felt
safe and I knew that whatever I would learn here I would
use,” said Candice Gant, Adv. 602.
“Learning at Northside has been really exciting,” said Joe
Buchheit, Adv. 607. “There is no other high school that can
offer what Northside does.”
Whatever the high school experience, students think that
people should enjoy the most out of it.
“Enjoy every moment because high school will go by really fast,” said Dao Nguyen, Adv. 604.
Page 10
The Hoof Beat
September 2006
Editorial Page 11
Mark My Words
One Fine Summer Day
by Aliy Markowski
Finals are over. In fact, I really only had
two finals to begin with, thanks to a handful of AP classes with teachers who luckily chose not to re-assess us only a month
after the mad AP rush in early May. As I sit
trapped in an overly air-conditioned classroom on the final few days of mandatory
attendance, inevitably my mind wanders to
the sunshine outside, to the seemingly endless
summer days that lie ahead, to the clock that
reads 8:53 a.m., a time I hope to see only
sporadically over the next three months.
I daydream about what I’d be doing this
very moment if I could be liberated to the
outdoors, soaking in the summer heat without a worry in the world. So for this month
I have chosen to stray from my normal
heavier column topics, and to do a twist
on the Chicago Tribune’s rotating column
“One Fine Day,” in which Tribune writers
detail their ideal weekend days from start
to finish. Let’s consider, instead, a perfect
summer day. This column will find most of
you in September, struggling to become
re-accustomed to life within Northside’s
walls. Let it serve as a reminder of the
magic of summer. Take a moment to
reminisce about your own fond memories
of the last three months, about your finest
summer day.
Morning
My day begins at the fine hour of
10:00 in the morning. I wake without
an obnoxious alarm or frustrating parental
demands, but instead on my own accord,
when nature tells me it’s time to get up. I eat
a simple breakfast, a bowl of cereal most
likely, while watching whatever morning television happens to be filling the airwaves. And
I enjoy it, too—even the semi-trashy shows
like “Passions” or “Days of Our Lives”, simply because of their forbidden fruit appeal.
They’re shows I certainly cannot see during
the school year, so I must seize the opportunity to watch daytime television when I
can. After finishing breakfast and an exciting
episode of “The Price is Right,” I slowly
make my way down to the hammock in the
backyard, where I lie under the trees enjoying
the mild morning temperatures while becoming enchanted in a novel, perhaps the latest
Harry Potter book or some other equally light
summer reading material.
About an hour later, a friend who lives
nearby appears. We decide to go on a bike
ride. We mount our bikes and head to the
lakefront bike path, which begins about a
mile away from my house. We ride down
the path and watch varied people of all
ages fill the beaches. I feel the warm peaceful wind as we zoom by the rollerbladers
and weave around the slightly annoying
pedestrians blocking our way. We ride until
we reach Montrose Beach, stopping only to
buy popsicles from one of the many vendors
stationed along the path. Once we reach the
beach, we spread our towels (of course we
came prepared: towels, swimsuits, sunscreen
and all) on the sand, scorchingly hot to our
feet at first. By this time, the
beach is teeming
with people. We breathe in the rush of summer excitement in the air.
About a half hour of soaking in rays is
about all we can take before becoming too
hot and needing to jump into the cold Lake
Michigan water. We expect the worst, the
coldest of the cold, dipping only our toes into
the crashing waves at first. Praise the gods of
summer, the lake has reached its mild August
temperature, refreshing yet tolerable. I dive
into the waves right away, always wanting to
be the first to go under. After another half an
hour splashing around, we leave the water
oasis and return to our towels where we bask
under the sun for a little while longer until
we’re dry enough to get back on our bikes.
We ride the four miles back somewhat tired
but content from our beach stay.
Afternoon
After returning home, showering, and
preparing myself for the rest of the day, I
drive to pick up a friend from her house and
together we cruise down Lake Shore Drive,
windows down, wind streaming through
our hair, and music blasting. We scream the
lyrics as loud as we possibly can, with no
worry about judgment, partially since you
can barely hear us over the radio, but mostly
because we both know neither of us can sing
anyway. At North Michigan Avenue, we pull
off the Drive and onto the shopping tourist-filled main drag of our city. Magically,
we find a metered parking spot just a few
blocks away from Water Tower
Place. What luck! We
walk down Michigan
Avenue, browsing through stores and buying
as we please, since on this perfect day money
is no object.
While sifting through the racks at Nordstrom, I start to feel slight pangs of hunger
shooting through my stomach. My friend
agrees that she, too, is hungry, so we head to
“The Lo Cal Corner,” a small healthy food
joint on Maple Street between Dearborn and
Rush, to satisfy our cravings. There, we buy
angel food cake-flavored frozen yogurt –
delicious and only ten calories an ounce.
We sit outside on the small restaurant’s patio,
watching yuppies stream by and visitors
shop.
Evening
By the time we finish our yogurt, it’s past
six o’clock. We head over to Navy Pier where
we meet five of our friends. We ride the
swing attraction three times in a row, until
the rush of flying begins to make the Lo-Cal
churning in my stomach slightly uneasy. A
switch to the snail-slow Ferris wheel is in or-
Hoof Beat Student Newspaper
The CPS budget crisis and Northside
As the 2005-2006 school year draws to a close,
so do the negotiations on the Chicago Public School
2006-2007 budget. Stories of the 328 million dollar shortfall have been in the news since October,
when the deficit was projected at 175 million dollars.
Schools across the city will be forced to cut back on
their education staffing, which amounts to the largest portion of the CPS bill. At one point this meant
Northside was to go from sixty teachers to forty-nine;
four counselors to one; six special education teachers
to three; ten special education aides to three. Every
teacher surviving the cutback would have to take up
the slack. Department heads would be required to
teach one more class, and class sizes would be increased. Northside’s beloved AP classes, averaging at
about twenty students per class, would swell to twentyeight (though AP Calculus would number at thirtyseven). The variety of classes would also decrease,
with the only P.E. classes available becoming P.E. I
and II (goodbye, Lifetime Activities), and there would
be one less fine arts teacher. Every counselor would
be responsible for at least one hundred more students.
Every special education teacher would have the
overwhelming task of taking care of entire classrooms
of children without help. In short, the Northside Prep
its students so dearly treasure for its personal classes,
free environment, and diverse teaching body would be
gravely altered.
Fortunately for Northsiders, there is a knight in
shining armor within their midst, prepared to do
everything in his power to save the school from the
realization of this upsetting scenario. While he may
no longer be able to gallop across Northside’s prairie
on any white horse, Dr. James Lalley is certainly able
enough to navigate the vast maze that is the CPS
bureaucracy. Through a series of memos, phone calls,
and visits to City hall, and in a process he describes as
a “whittling away,” he was first able to have all of the
special education and aid positions reinstated. Then
with a bit more arguing, a few teacher positions were
saved. Finally, Dr. Lalley negotiated Northside’s way
back up to four counselors, and up a few more teachers. In the closing weeks of this school year, he will
continue to haggle for the positions of the rest of the
school’s teaching body.
2005-2006 is not the first year, nor will it be the
last, that CPS has faced negative numbers. This means
that the 2006-2007 year will pose the same questions
and bargaining tactics, the same worry, and the same
potential loss of teachers. The problem is not going to
go away. Reform is needed, if not of the general funding and money-raising practices of City Hall, then at
least in its equations for determining how many educators each school is to have. Accordingly, high schools
receive funding for one teacher per thirty-two students,
and one counselor for every three-hundred and fifty
students – which certainly does not make sense for a
school where nearly every student goes on to college.
Public School authorities, as Dr. Lalley said, need to
make decisions about the future of public selective
enrollment schools like Northside. If they truly want
these schools to compete in a city once dominated by
the notion that private schools are always preferable
over the shoddy public education system, they must
rework their thinking on how to keep them going.
This will save many teachers the heartache of being
told their positions have been closed, and at least one
knight from the telling.
The previous article is an editorial written by
a member of the Hoof Beat staff. Letters to the
editor are welcome. Please e-mail questions or
comments to [email protected].
der. After growing tired of the rides, we walk
to the end of the pier and back laughing and
talking while watching the boats and vendors
along the water. Outside the main gates, we
run through the fountain to cool ourselves
from the summer heat. Even at eight o’clock
at night, it’s over eighty degrees outside.
We hop on the free trolley, the blue line
to be exact, and make our way over to Grant
Park, the central site for Chicago’s Movies in
the Park each week. I help my friend reserve
our spot by setting out our blankets, several
layers to cushion us from the uneven grass
below, while the rest of the group stops by
Chipotle to retrieve our picnic dinner. All
of us enjoy our Americanized yet delectable
burritos while gazing at the stars above and
waiting for the movie to begin. Once the
film does start, an old black and white classic to the middle-aged, a slow moving story
with low quality resolution to us, we hardly
pay attention. Instead, we talk quietly and
play hearts and gin, glancing up only occasionally to look at the big screen.
Night
When the movie ends, squished masses
of people flow out of Grant Park, hurrying
to get home to rest for tomorrow’s day of
work. Not us—on this perfect day we are
responsibility free: no rush, no curfew, no
need to hurry. We stroll toward Millennium
Park, where we walk through the gardens
and take in the lights of the city’s night skyline. Someone suggests we head to the beach.
All in complete agreement, we drive to Ardmore Beach, a hidden gem at the north end
of Lakeshore Drive, stretching for blocks and
blocks along the lake yet largely undiscovered
by most Chicagoans.
Late Night
We run around on the cool sand, no longer boiling at night without the beating summer sun, throwing a glow-in-the-dark Frisbee
along the shore. We move to the water and
run through the calm waves. We splash
around, still throwing the Frisbee while dunking each other under the water. We have the
whole beach to ourselves as no one can claim
during the daylight hours. After an hour of
swimming under the stars, our limbs grow
tired and cold. We slowly trudge out of the
water, sand sticking to every inch of skin. We
brush off our feet, pile into the car, and drive
to a friend’s apartment, where we lie on the
roof laughing and story-telling until we all
fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning.
Ah, one fine summer day.
Aliy’s Sudoku
Created by Aliy Markowski
Instructions: Fill in the puzzle so that every row
of 9 numbers includes all digits 1 through 9 in any
order, every column of 9 numbers includes all digits 1
through 9 in any order and every 3 by 3 subsection of
the 9 by 9 square includes all digits 1 through 9.
Page 12
Arts and Entertainment
Stick It lands upright
An adolescent success
The Hoof Beat
by Mohammad Khaleelullah
Summer season is starting at the box office and with so
many big name flicks around the corner, Stick It is the perfect
way to begin the hottest movie season.
Stick It is a humorous teenage comedy that somehow turns
overplayed clichés into a delightful and emotional movie.
The story follows a washed up gymnast trying to overcome
her past after walking out and earning a disqualification in
the biggest event of her life. Haley Graham, played by Missy
Peregrym, plays the role of an obedient and potential-filled
gymnast gone south. She finds herself spending hours in her
neighborhood in Plano, Texas doing extreme tricks on her bike
and skateboard, all while hanging out with her two best guy
friends. One day, after crashing her bike into a building and
causing an immense amount of damage, Haley finds herself
in court. The judge declares that Haley is to attend Vickerman
Gymnastics Academy, notoriously known as VGA. After joining the academy Haley endures much bickering with Coach
Vickerman, played by Jeff Bridges. Bridges plays a troubled
coach who blatantly lies to all his clients and ends up producing less elite gymnasts and more hospital stricken athletes.
In the end, however, Haley finally settles down and
returns to competition mode. As she sets to meet her archrival
gymnast, tension builds among the gymnasts present at the
competition. After a judging fiasco caused by a bra strap that
peaks through a gymnasts leotard results in an unfair deduction, the athletes become disgusted and decide to fire back.
The plot is very recognizable as the washed-up pro being
overshadowed by the new rook plays out to an emotion filled
twist to an otherwise predictable movie. Furthermore, involving a sport that has gone mostly unused in previous films
bolsters the film’s appeal.
Written and directed by Jessica Bendinger, Stick It creates
a bond between the characters and the audience by relaying
common emotions on the screen. Bendinger, who in the past
has written about other young athletes in the spicy flick Bring
It On, creates a memorable set, vivid with color that provides
a lasting of visual mastery and expression. Each scene is vibrantly staged in order to bring out the film and help overlook
some of the movie’s shabby dialogue. However, before Stick
It can go on to stardom, glitches in the dialogue certainly do
need to be mended. Characters sometimes seem to be speaking robotically as they lack expression and wit.
Missy Peregrym does wonders with her role as an outcast
gymnast among a group of gymnasts. The opportunity to
emotionally connect with her role provides the audience
with a chance to relate and feel the pain and pressure the she
endures from the judges.
Ultimately, with the audience being able to relate to both
the set and the characters, and the film creating a memorable
and vivid image in the viewer’s minds, Stick It is on its way to
becoming a small time favorite.
The Da Vinci Code, a code in itself
Promotional Poster for Stick It
Image courtesy of www.amazon.com
by Patricia Radkowski
Whether The Da Vinci Code is fact or
fiction can be left to theologians to decide.
Treated solely as a work of fiction, The Da
Vinci Code is a dramatic thriller that is sure
to captivate most viewers. It is difficult not
to be intrigued by the wild chases through
Europe, the shocking revelations accompanied by sinister music, the constant chaos
as new clues are found, and the overall
mysterious atmosphere stemming from
the combination of faith and mystery.
Yet, it is quite simple to grow bored of the
repetitiveness of the plot. There are only
so many times that one can be frightened
by a psychotic albino, and this movie certainly abuses the element of surprise.
For those unfamiliar with the best-selling book, it is suggested that undivided
attention be paid. Spacing out for just
one line could cause the viewer to miss
the entire plot, so going to the bathroom
is impossible during this film. A moment
of daydreaming could cost the wandering mind to miss a significant detail that
will cause much confusion. However, the
tangled web of plot is intricately woven
and is a welcome relief from the shallow
stories Hollywood has been spewing out
recently.
Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a Harvard symbologist lecturing in Paris, is asked
by Inspector Fache (Jean Reno) to survey the
murder scene of the Louvre museum curator, Jacques Sauniere (Jean-Pierre Marielle).
Sauniere was shot at night inside the Louvre,
Promotional Poster for The Da Vinci Code
Image courtesy of www.amazon.com
but before he passed away he left his supposed
granddaughter Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) a scavenger hunt made up of clues.
While Langdon and Fache inspect Sauni-
ere’s mutilated body, which is covered
by symbols written in his own blood and
arranged into a meaningful pose, Neveu
interrupts to warn Langdon that he is in
danger. The two join forces to uncover
the first clues that Marielle left at the
Louvre and escape from the French police. The pair continues their journey of
ambiguity by visiting a bank. The action
then becomes a whirlwind of people and
places as the pair becomes a quartet at
the villa of Langdon’s friend, Sir Leigh
Teabing (Ian McKellen). Teabing and
his “servant” join Neveu and Langdon
as they travel to several churches to pick
up yet more clues. All this time, the
French police are hot on their track.
Aside from being chased by the law,
Langdon and Neveu are also followed
by Silas (Paul Bettany), an albino fanatic
who works for the Teacher. The Teacher,
whose identity is another mystery, is
working with the Opus Dei, a society
of Catholics who supposedly wish to
conceal the truth behind the Holy Grail.
Amidst all these conspiracies and secrets
are Catholic cardinals who are also trying to conceal the existence of the Holy
Grail.
The hunt for the clues is long, but
interesting. The betrayals and the escapes
are entertaining and add to the already
messy plot. On top of that, around every
other corner lurks Silas, whose casting increases the film’s fear factor. The viewer soon
involuntarily embarks on a game of “Where’s
Silas?” especially when there is too much
silence or the music becomes tense. There is
just something extra scary about a tall, skinny
albino popping out of nowhere to kill people
in the name of God. Better yet is his practice
of chastising himself through whippings and
various other bloody methods that are sure to
send shivers up the spine. For such reasons,
younger siblings are best left at home.
With the plot aside, The Da Vinci Code is
marvelously made. Ron Howard’s adaptation of the book is religiously true to Dan
Brown’s novel, leaving the work only a few
times. Howard’s filming style, however, gives
the text a special magic touch. The interesting shots from various directions offer a fresh
way to view a movie. Although not the first
director to put an original spin on a published
story, Howard does this with skill and grace.
Especially nifty is his choice to show how
Langdon notices patterns and taps into the
secrets of the past. Howard mimics Langdon’s
thought-process by highlighting the numbers,
letters, or symbols that Langdon is focusing
on. Those pieces of the puzzle are then rearranged to form some coherent message.
The Da Vinci Code is sure to keep viewers
on the edge of their seats. The constant action, broken only by times of reflection during
which clues are put together, will definitely
keep the audience engaged. In the end, it is
worth it to solve the ancient mystery of the
Holy Grail, whether it is true or not.
A real ship wreck: Poseidon sinks at the box office
by Mohammad Khaleelullah
The clock ticks closer to midnight
on New Year’s Eve, as a marvelous
party is underway in the ballroom of
a new luxury cruise liner, the Poseidon, where over 2000 passengers are
on board. Dancing, drinking, and
celebrating their way into the New
Year, the passengers are oblivious to
what is going to happen while the
somersaulting ocean waves have an
idea of their own. Tremendous waves,
known as rogue waves, rile up and
crash into the ship just as the New
Year rings in, causing massive damage
to the ship and eventually turning it
over. The new technology of the near
future allows for the ship to remain
considerably afloat until rescue workers are able to come to assistance. But
as the limited survivors worry about
their own lives, they become anxious
after realizing they must quickly reach
safety by themselves. Whether they are
able to configure their way out in time
before other dangers arise becomes the
question, as time is not on their side.
Wolfgang Petersen directs Poseidon with experience from
previous water based films such as Das Boot (1981) and The
Perfect Storm (2000). Peterson takes a weak $140 million dollar
budget film, provides a weak script, and generates detrimentlike waves that audiences have seen only nine years back in the
Titanic. Shouldn’t technology and visual effects have progressed since the 1972 edgy classic? With a $140 million dollar
Promotional Poster for Poseidon
Image courtesy of www.amazon.com
budget one would expect them to hire a writer who could do
more than just produce ill-witted and robotic lines.
The ship’s captain, (Andre Braugher) asks for everyone to
remain calm and stay together in the ballroom until help ar-
rives. But as former mayor of New York
City, Robert Ramsay (Kurt Russell) decides to lead the charge of survivors out
of the ship, many new obstacles rise.
Russell, the lone actor to shine in his
role, takes over as the new captain and
uses his old managerial skills to bring
everyone to safety while keeping an eye
on his daughter’s every move. The mayor, however, is sometimes affected by
this filial relationship, altering the way
he leads the rest of the group, watering
down most of the scenes with his lame
style of over-parenting. Along with new
dangers that arise, the audience is left to
witness sometimes unreal events, leaving to question the believability. Should
they feel for these actors? Should they
celebrate the survival of one character
even though he dies in the next scene?
As the plot goes on, it is obvious
that not everyone will make it and that
it is only a matter of time before the
next cast member dies off. This effect
can be predicted from the very beginning and it not that hard to realize
who will be killed next. Poseidon gives
a 1980s feeling to a 2006 flick. Viewers are a little used to that
theme by now.
With a cheap action plot and mediocre and overused special effects, Poseidon fails to thrill the audience as the original
had done decades ago. Audiences are over the stage of predicting the next cast member’s death and watching the same ef-
September 2006
X-Men at number one
One ‘Last Stand’ at the box office
by Kana Yoo
The X-Men Trilogy is now complete
with the release of
the third installment on May 26th.
Though its script may
be lacking, its great
special effects, breathtaking action, and
unexpected plot turns
make X-Men: The Last
Stand a fun and truly
entertaining movie.
Appropriately
titled, the final battle
between Homo sapiens, X-men, and
Magneto’s force of
mutants takes place
in the third movie
when Magneto bands
a group of mutants
together to fight the
“cure” that is created
to repress the mutants’ DNA. Along
with original characters like Wolverine
and Storm, the final
movie also introduces
new mutants, like the
Juggernaut, Beast,
and Angel, meaning
a whole new slew of
powers. The second
X-Men movie, X-Men
United, ended with
Jean Grey sacrificing
herself during a dam
explosion to save
the others. She then
returns in the third
movie as the Phoenix, her super powerful alter ego, which
Professor Xavier
was able to control
for many years. This
new, volatile character adds suspense to
the story since she is
a threat to everyone.
Like the previous two movies, X3
does not disappoint
in the special effects
Promotional Poster for X-Men: The Last Stand
department. As always,
Mystique’s morphing
audience wants to support fellow humans in
ability is flawlessly realistic, like a reptile
the fight against the “bad-guy” mutants, it is
gracefully shedding its scales. It seems that all also heart wrenching to see mutants drained
the characters have improved powers: Storm
of their ability by the serum shot from the
twirls effortlessly through the air, and Magarmy’s cannons.
neto, in one brain tingling scene, repositions
At its core, X-Men: The Last Stand is a
the Golden Gate Bridge, wrenching it apart,
sci-fi, action movie. And, like many action
cars and all, to then bring it down to its new
movies, large explosions and fighting overlocation.
rides character development and dialogue.
The battle scenes are just as exciting and
What’s worse is that X-Men tries to go deeper
stimulating to the senses; Wolverine against
into its characters but falls short. The love
the Juggernaut, Storm against Callisto (a
woes of Rogue and Iceman seem trivial and
super speed mutant), and of course, the Iceout of place, as if The OC crossed over with
man against Pyro. The final stand off between 24. Jean Grey and Wolverine’s love is slightly
Magneto’s mutants and the X-men along with more mature but just as shallow. Wolverine’s
the soldiers makes the viewing of the whole
physical lust for Dr. Grey suddenly becomes
movie worthwhile. It’s like playing an intense a genuine, heart-felt “I would die for you”
fighting video game where each second is
passion. The “true love will save you” story
heart pounding and tense. Although the
line has been done before and is getting a bit
Get “Loose” with Nelly
by Shoaib Ali
Nelly Furtado, the female underdog of the pop music
industry, makes her voice heard with her instant hit, “Promiscuous.” Since its release in late April, it has topped the pop
charts consistently. The album's first single debuted at number
64 on the Billboard's Hot 100. She ended her five-year absence
from the charts with her highest-debuting single of her career.
It is bound to be one of the greatest hits this summer as radio
play continues to soar.
With a Portuguese ethnic background, Furtado was born
and raised in British Colombia, Canada. Her musical talent
was revealed as early as nine years of age when she grasped
the opportunity to master the ukulele and the trombone. By
her early adolescent years, Furtado was composing her own
work. After her high school graduation she moved to Toronto,
where she began to pursue her musical dreams. Fortunately,
she caught the interest of Dreamworks Records, and her 2000
debut album, Whoa Nelly! was released.
This album is definitely worth buying. Furtado’s vocals
and rhythm will never let you down. Timbaland’s production on the album also enhances the pop artist’s image as one
who can collaborate with a variety of styles to effectively give
your ears something worthwhile to listen to. Other producers
include Pharrell Williams and Scott Storch. There is no doubt
that Furtado’s background has had a definite influence on her
Arts and Entertainment
tired.
A complete lack
of care is shown for
the characters as seen
from how some major
characters are killed.
Their deaths are unexpected and jarring
and then pushed to
the back of the movie.
One death in particular goes for the most
part unexplained and
seems unnecessary
to the overall plot. It
serves no purpose but
to torture fans of the
character. In addition, though the new
characters provide a
good opportunity to
show off more special
effects, the brief
acknowledgement of
such characters may
upset true X-men fans.
Fans should also be
prepared to adjust to a
rather inaccurate portrayal of the original
characters from the
comic books.
Some overdramatic lines are
cringe-worthy, giving
the whole movie a
cheesy, artificial feel.
For example, Angel
and his father have a
potentially interesting
relationship that the
movie, unfortunately,
has no time for, showing only flashes of the
father-son interaction.
In this brief time, the
writers manage to
squeeze in one of the
most cliché exchanges
that can occur between father and son.
When father Warren
Worthington, Sr. says,
“Warren, it’s a better
life. It’s what we all
want.” Warren shoots
back with angst on full blast, “No, it’s what
you want.” He then runs and crashes through
the window of a high story building and
swoops over the city with his massive white
angel wings. Once again, action and special
effects save the movie from crumbling.
To give the writers some credit, there are
amusing lines that actually had the intention
of being funny. For those familiar with the Juggernaut, there is a humorous treat waiting in a
scene between him and Shadow Cat, a young
mutant who can go through walls.
If one is hoping for intellectual dialogue
and perplexing, complex characters, this may
not be the ideal movie. But, for those who are
looking for nearly two hours of sheer aesthetic
entertainment at its best, X-Men: The Last Stand
is the perfect choice. The special effects are a
showcase of advanced technology and the action sequences are enough to make the movie
worth all the money and time.
upcoming release. She says her 2 ½ year-old daughter was one
of the greatest inspirations for this CD. “This album wouldn’t
have existed if I wasn’t a mother,”
she said.
In addition, two songs from the
track listing, No Hay Igual and Te
Busque, feature Spanish rhythms and
sounds. The casual studio recording
also added to the leisurely production. This ultimately did not implement any pressure on the album, as a
range from folklore and hip-hop bass
beats were able to be incorporated
simultaneously. Yet, the album will
still follow Furtado’s conceptual direction for her latest music to be full
of youthful energy.
Intended to be released on June Album Art for Loose
20th, 2006, Loose is bound to earn
Image courtesy of www.amazon.com
Certified Gold, which means that
it will sell at least 500,000 copies of
the album. The new single, “Promiscuous,” is a fresh sound
from the pop artist. . She will contribute to the industry like no
other current artist.
Page 13
Beresilicious
My little list
by Damon Beres
We’ve put out nine
papers before this one, and
yet I feel like the contents
of this column have been
limited to two things: how
much I enjoy talking about
sex and how much I enjoy
talking about video games.
A worthy combination in my mind.
Yet, I am not an adolescent Howard
Stern with an affinity for the gaming arts,
and as such it seems as though I owe my
readership something more. Variety is, after
all, the spice of life. Though my column
has certainly been spicy in the past, we
can all probably agree that a little kick is in
order. So here it is: a short list of Beresilicious thoughts that should carry you well
into the summer. Think of it as a parting
gift from me to you. These thoughts might
have been ideas for potential columns over
the course of the year that never saw the
light of day for one reason or another, or
they might be random little nuggets that
seem appropriate for this column. Without
further ado, I bring you my little list of
Beresilicious thoughts.
Beresilicious thought #1: Headphones
will be the death of our society. We’re
beginning to see this now as multitudes of
teenagers wear them 24/7, abandoning all
semblances of social life and toning out the
orders of their mothers. They’re turning us
all into isolated vegetables, but aside from
that, they’re making us deaf. Deaf, I tell
ya! Invest in hearing aid companies now,
because they’ll be huge by the time we’re
50. Mark my words.
Beresilicious thought #2: CPS internet
blocks are limiting our freedom. Let’s be
reasonable: am I saying that 18-year-old
students at Northside should be able to
look at pornographic content on school
computers if they so please? Yes, that’s
exactly what I’m saying. It’s not illegal in
the real world, why should it be illegal in
ours? Because of the potential increase in
spyware and viruses? Suck it up and buy a
better Norton plan. Students can be responsible in computer classes if they so please,
and blocking off certain websites (including lyric websites for crying out loud) isn’t
making us more productive. Beyond that,
blocking websites like Xanga (a popular
blogging website) just discourages student
creativity, if anything.
Beresilicious thought #3: Anime is
garbage and you know it. Don’t get me
wrong: I love me some anime, and several
of my favorite films of all time are Japanese animation (not to mention my love
for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop,
Furi Kuri, Excel Saga, Azumanga Daioh, and
a multitude of other anime shows). It just
gets me all riled up whenever someone
from an anime club insists that Japanese
animation is the pinnacle of humanity’s
achievements and that it’s some glorious
art form that requires a mature mind to
appreciate it. Tell you what: go watch some
Love Hina and tell me it doesn’t make you
lose a hojillion brain cells. Aside from that,
it’s hardly even accurate to call it animation
in most instances since a lot of it consists
of still frames replicated over and over
again with the slightest of changes to create
motion. You want some real animation?
Watch some pre-anime invasion American
cartoons.
Beresilicious thought #4: Just as the
Macarena should never have been translated into English, the Star-Spangled
Banner shouldn’t have to be translated into
Spanish. Keeping in mind that this is an
Arts and Entertainment column, and thus
pushing aside the heap of politics driving
such a statement, is it so wrong to be a
music purist and not want to experience a
song in an incorrect form? It doesn’t seem
right to mess with the lyrical poetry of any
song, and maybe more people should pay
that some mind.
Beresilicious thought #6: The role of
sexuality in Hollywood is something of a
paradox. So much is invested into being as sexy as possible, and yet there’s an
inch thick layer of paranoia surrounding
anything too explicit. Jessica Alba played
a stripper in Sin City, yet we saw about as
much skin there as we do walking through
the second floor atrium during a passing
period. I think the only way to describe it
is “Prudish slutism” and I don’t like it one
bit.
So there you have it! See you in the
Editorials section next month!
Page 14
Features
Chalik on the
Sidewalk
A Farewell
and a
Greeting
by Ilya Chalik
I sincerely love Northside. It
has been my home for four wonderful years of my life,
where I have gained much knowledge and made many
friends. Here, in this magnificent place, I learned how to
swim, speak Japanese, write eloquently, and do Calculus.
Sure, there were many late nights and early mornings spent
on homework, but in the end all my hard work paid off. To
Northside I owe a large part of my success – I was challenged, inspired, counseled, and in the end, commended.
And I’m one of a great many alumni who have made
Northside a place of academic excellence, which for some
years has been its number one attribute.
Yet Northside would certainly not be the place it has
been without the majestic leadership of Dr. James Lalley,
our principal, who will soon be culminating his reign at
Northside. Thank you, Dr. Lalley, as through your hard
work and dedication you have enriched our lives immensely. Nonetheless, change is in the air. For several years many
notable members of our faculty and staff have departed
from Northside. And so has a lot of major funding from
CPS and other sources, which we must constantly protest
and battle. This is why Northside needs urgent support
The Hoof Beat
from students, faculty, parents and administrators, so that it
involved, dedicated and hardworking.
can maintain its superior quality of educational experience.
So as I veer off from my journey on the Northside track to
Let the golden years of Northside continue for many years to
a different and wider path, I want to wish farewell to all those
come, because who knows how many bright leaders, scientists, people that I have met here during my four years – friends,
artists, professionals it can cultivate. Northside, with its superb fellow students, teachers, parents and staff – I wish you all the
facilities, rigorous academic program, and exciting extracurbest. Keep our school bright, cheery and successful for the furicular activities has the potential to shine for many years to
ture generations of Northsiders that are replacing the Class of
come.
2006 and every previous graduate. And to the incoming freshAs a recent graduate I can verify that four years at Northmen (as well as sophomores, juniors and seniors) I just want
side go by quickly. There will be no more extended advisory
to say: make us proud, work hard, try your hand at sports
for me on Wednesdays, or colloquium, which actually is
and clubs, create masterpieces, respect one another, and serve
in great danger of disappearing from our wonderful block
Northside to your greatest capacity. If you do, the rewards
schedule. No more Aimee’s Mochas from the Pig in the Sideare endless and our fine school will continue to prosper and
walk Café, no more NHS car washes, no more lectures from
develop brilliant minds and intelligent, capable human beings.
Mr. Chester Tylinski, no more of Mr. Greg DiFrancesco’s
inane jokes and tangents off the important subject of
chemistry. For me there are no more math competitions and swimming meets, IMP portfolios or Critical
Reading Journals, Open Mics or band concerts, morning announcements, or music during passing periods.
These four years have not only been productive and
eventful, but exhilarating and memorable.
And of course I’m no longer coeditor-in-chief of
the printed Hoof Beat, a position that has passed on to
Aliy Markowski, Adv. 700, and Damon Beres, Adv.
706; I wish both the print and web newspapers continued success and improvement. As the newspaper
nurtures writers and artists, I encourage Northsiders
with these qualities to join its ranks and show what
they are made of.
I will miss my high school. But after four years
at Northside, I still procrastinate my assignments. As
I write my last column, the layout for this issue of
the Hoof Beat is being finalized. I guess some habits
just stick, but thankfully I have not paid dearly for
Ilya Chalik gleefully ends his high school life.
it. I cannot believe that I have come so far, and that
Photo by Kana Yoo
my determination and perfectionism has led me to
a place like Harvard. So for anyone who thinks that
they cannot get into a top college, all you have to do is be
A presentation of the arts
Northside’s 5th Annual Film Festival
by Kana Yoo
After a year of planning, directing, and editing, students of the “From
Script to Screen” Filmmaking Colloquium
presented their work at Northside’s 5th Annual Film Festival on Tuesday, June 6 at 7
pm.
“I thought [the films] were good and
I liked that there were a lot of them,” said
Daniel Kittaka, Adv. 603, a Northside
alum. “I went sophomore year and I definitely think that the quality has improved
since the last time I came.”
The festival, which lasted approximately three hours, showed a wide variety of
films that ranged from horror to comedy,
from animation to live-action. All films
were entirely student produced.
“It was a lot of time management,”
said Calvin Lam, Adv. 906, executive
producer of a zombie horror movie called
The 11th Hour. “It was challenging. It took a
lot of time and effort and money.”
The 11th Hour, a 19-minute film, was
co-created by John Mejia, Adv. 900, and
starred several Northside students as the
teen heroes and zombies. Special effects
included blasted brains, slit throats, and
torn abdomens.
“The films are exponentially better
than those in previous years. I’m very
happy with the turnout,” said Mr. Chris
Santiago of the Fine Arts Department,
who co-teaches the colloquium.
In this year’s colloquium, unlike
before, the curriculum allowed students
to work on several smaller projects
rather than to focus on one large project.
Students in the colloquium then voted on
which films would be screened.
Another change to the colloquium was
that Mr. Barry McRaith of the English
Department and Mr. Santiago alternated
their teaching times of class so that they
rotated by class rather than by semester.
This allowed the teachers to feed and build
off each other more directly. An additional Mr. Santiago holds the microphone out for students to introduce themselves and their films during the Q&A session that took
improvement to this year’s colloquium was place after the festival.
that it received $1500 in grant money from
Photo by Kana Yoo
“The Oppenheimer Family Foundation,”
making it possible to get more equipment.
tual. He also plans to open up the festival to accept submishim when it comes to narrative and when it comes to teaching
Mr. Santiago has even more changes
sions from the entire school; the films will then undergo a jury
and getting kids to think about their stories and reasoning and
planned for next year.
process.
all those great literary things that he does. A great loss.”
“One of the problems that we’ve faced is that we have
The biggest change under which the colloquium will go is
these great films but the crowds are so small. We’re going
the departure of Mr. McRaith from Northside.
to try to work on promoting them,” said Mr. Santiago.
“Losing Mr. McRaith is quite a great loss,” said Mr. SantiMr. Santiago’s plans also include having significantly
ago. “I’m going to try to apply all the things I’ve learned from
more videos that are more performance based and concep-
September 2006
Sports
Page 15
For the love of tennis
Women’s tennis season begins
by April Nwatah
Although the year has just begun, the
Northside Tennis Team has been already
working their way towards success. Divided
into a Junior Varsity and a Varsity team, team
captains Amanda Kaiser, Adv. 706, and Rana
Marks, Adv. 810, have been preparing their
team since last year. Last year, the captains
hosted an informational meeting for all those
interested in joining tennis. At the meeting,
the prospective members were informed on
what they would be required to do.
They learned that practices would be
held Monday through Friday for a five week
season starting August 15th, two weeks before
school started (tryouts were held the first
week of practice). Members were told to be
at practice everyday. The potential tennis
members were also recommended to partake
in tennis programs throughout the summer
to improve or maintain their game. The team
gained many future members, all of which
were enthusiastic about joining tennis.
“I’m so excited for the season to start,”
said Annie Tran, Adv. 810. “I hope to develop a strong love for the sport and a great
bonding with the team.”
Last year, both teams proved to be
extremely successful. Both the junior varsity
and the varsity team made it to the final 4
teams in the city. Varsity won 4th place in the
city. In addition, Northside’s doubles team
won 1st place in the city. Also, Rana Marks
came in 2nd place for singles in the city.
The team coaches have a lot in store for
this year. They have many plans to improve
what they believe to have gone wrong the previous year. One main problem was practice
started when school started. In
order to improve this problem,
the coaches are starting practice
two weeks before school begins.
In addition, both of the coaches
from the previous year were unavailable to coach, so the captains
had to find a new coach.
“Last year was a bit disappointing,” said Marks. “This
year will be much more fun and
organized. [The captains] plan
to take it into our own hands.
It’s hard to have team spirit with
tennis, because it is basically an
individual sport. People should
come out and watch us, because
they never do.”
The new players had an
overall enthusiastic reaction towards the upcoming season. The
informational meeting caused
excitement amongst the future
players. Many of the players were
excited to start playing and were
determined to improve their tennis skills.
“I’ve never played tennis
before, but I just started playing
with some friends and I really
like it,” said Raisa Santiago, Adv.
800. “I want to get better and
improve…. I know it’ll be fun to
play everyday.”
“I expect that next season
will be great,” said Wing Chan,
Adv. 807. “It seems to be more
organized than last year, so I look forward to
it. Since we play during the summer, I also
can’t wait to see everyone from last year and
meet new people. I think we’re
going to have a great season and I
can’t wait!”
“I am really excited to do
tennis,” said newcomer Gabrielle Gulledge, Adv. 809. “I’ve
already started taking lessons and
this summer, I am going to take
lessons with my friends at the
Bally’s Total Fitness by my house.
I’m looking forward to the team
atmosphere and being able to
participate in a sport I really love
playing. I expect it to be fun but
competitive at the same time.”
“I’m definitely excited
because it seems like a fun time,”
said Vicki Levin, Adv. 801. “I’m
going to prepare by practicing
with friends and possibly signing
up for a couple private sessions.”
“Tennis is a really great sport
that can travel with you from
high school competitively to old
age leisurely,” said newcomer
Rhianna Jones, Adv. 810. I would
have done tennis from freshman
year on, but cheerleading started
early and my schedule did not
work out right. I am really excited
because it is a fun sport. I am
friends with most of the people
already on the team, so it should
be a lot of fun. Also, the shortness of the season itself will make
it go really fast. I can’t wait for the
season to unveil!”
Finishing off the season hard
Women’s Softball season wrap-up
by Sejla Dizdarevic
The Northside’s Women’s Softball Team concluded a
successful three month season this May, suffering only a few
losses along the way. The Varsity Women’s Softball Team
made it to the state playoffs this year where they competed
against New Trier Township High School. The girls lost the
game 10 to 0, a loss which eliminated the team from the
playoffs.
“We all wanted to give our seniors a good season and,
of course, win city and beat Lane Tech College Prep High
School. With a little more guidance, I think our team would
have done even better, but we still had a really fun season,”
said Christiana Prucnal, Adv. 805.
“Even though it took a while, at the end of the year our
team really pulled together and showed great improvement,
even though our record didn’t show that,” said Rhianna Rey,
Adv. 809.
“It was difficult to win without any coaching, but we really ended the season strongly,” said Lena Guerriero, Adv. 810.
Throughout the season, Northside’s players suffered
many injuries. Those who thought they would not play as
much this season ended up filling the positions of those who
were injured and managed to do an outstanding job.
Last year’s junior varsity team placed third in the city.
This year, the junior varsity girls hoped to follow in their
footsteps. The team made the playoffs and succeeded in
winning the first round, yet in the second round they were
eliminated after a 12-1 loss to Taft High School. After elimination, Northside’s team members still felt they got a lot out
of the season.
“Although we didn’t get first in city this year, we all got
something just a little better than city championships: we all
got to make new friends with our teammates,” said Chyei
Vinluan, Adv. 908. “Next year, I hope we go all the way
taking the city championships and creating an even stronger
bond with new and old players.”
“Playing on the JV team this year was a privilege for me
because I had the opportunity to become friends with 18
great ladies and 2 amazing coaches,” said Margot DiMuzio,
Adv. 807. “This team was all about commitment and discipline and whether on the field or on the bench, we continually supported each other and stayed focused. The bonds
created, the skills learned, and the friendships we will carry
with us for the rest of our high school experience.”
“Whenever you see a good team, you see very skilled,
talented players, with rich schools and being all serious, but
for us, we got improvement, team chemistry, and had fun,”
said Rosalind Dumlao, Adv. 802.
“When we first started out this year, I was quick to doubt
the team and the talent we had. As the year progressed
though, they proved me wrong and we ended up being a
really strong team,” said Amanda Perez, Adv. 801. “Yes, we
had flaws and made many mental errors, but no matter what,
we always kept our heads in the game.”
Team manager Liliana Leon, Adv. 804, saw the Mustangs’ improvement first-hand.
“Seeing these girls improve was the greatest thing ever,”
said Liliana Leon. “Some of these girls were strangers to
each other, and they ended up becoming not just teammates,
but friends as well. Their season was great, and I’m going to
miss losing my voice after every game.”
Page 16
Sports
The Hoof Beat
Khan-Ya A disappointing ending
Hear Me? Men’s Varsity Tennis fall short against private schools
The ending
to a magical
ride
by Asrar Khan
Graduation has come
and gone, yet I
am being told
to write a final
“farewell” column by my former
journalism classmates. Yet I ask
myself, why say farewell to freshmen who will never know I even
existed? This is why I am devising a rule for this column. If you
are freshman, you cannot read
this column. Put it down, turn it
over, and go do freshman things.
Go talk to random people you
don’t know just to make it seem
like you have friends. Go get lost
within the atriums. Show up to the
wrong class. I don’t care what you
do—just do not read this column.
This farewell is not for your young,
fourteen year old eyes. So please
look away.
Now that those little rascals are
gone, let’s proceed to the farewell.
As you’re reading this, hopefully
on the first day of school (unless
our handpicked editors stink and
up and delay the paper), you must
be feeling some sort of anxiety. If
you’re a sophomore, you might be
concerned about some teachers
you have. If you’re a junior, you
might be concerned that this year
is your make it or break it year.
If you’re a senior, you may be
anxious over those tough college
decisions. During my four years
at Northside, I experienced all
these things. Things don’t always
go as planned, and things may not
always happen in the ideal way.
But I lived through it, and I’m
absolutely certain 98% will live
through it too. Enjoy your time
here at this wonderful school, a
school I hope stays wonderful for
the years to come. Cherish every
moment, because high school does
not repeat itself.
You might ask yourself, why is
this guy not talking about sports?
Isn’t this the sports column? Well
my friends, I must tell you, though
sports is something we should all
cherish and enjoy, we must realize
that sports is simply an illusion.
An illusion of false reality. When
we play or watch sports, we are
caught up in something that will be
insiginificant in the long run (unless you’re freaking Saif Rahman,
the best baller Northside’s ever
seen not named Eschmann, Burke,
Kinsler, Rivers, and the entire JV
team). Sports is something we
should all enjoy, all have a stake in,
but in the end, we should realize
that sports helps sway a person
from reality, if only briefly.
However, sports in general
are significant to us. We should
all cherish the teams here at
Northside, because they allow us
to—even if only temporarily—
sway away from reality into a state
of excitement and fantasy. So my
advice: go to the games. Support
your teams. Yes, even you, freshmen. That’s right. I know all.
by Salim Patel
The season for the Men’s
Varsity Tennis Team has
come to an end and the
Mustangs didn’t finish off as
strong as they had hoped. In
division play the Mustangs
lost only two matches and
finished with an impressive
8-2 record. After winning
their conference they moved
on to the city championship.
Placing third in the city championships was the highlight
of their success this season.
However, at the Sectional
Tournament the Mustangs
didn’t perform up to their
expectations.
On Friday, May 19, the
tennis team was dismissed
from their classes so that they
could make their way to the
Lakeshore Tennis Courts.
There, the Mustangs competed against teams from both
the public and the private
division. The fact that the private schools and schools from
the red division took part in
the tournament played an interesting role in the success of
the Mustangs. Private schools
including The Latin School of
Chicago participated and had
an apparent advantage over
the public schools that took
part in the tournament.
“The guy that I played
was a beast,” said first place
public division city champion,
Tony Casado Adv. 800. “I
ended up loosing 6-0, 6-0 and
I think that this was the hardest match I have ever had.”
Anthony Casado, Adv. 800, sets up for a forehand winner. Anthony placed
Tony played the first
seeded player from The Latin first in the city individual championship. School, a private school. The Photo by Salim Patel
coach had believed that Tony
would perform better, but ultithe Public City Individual Chamwas a disappointing surprise that he
mately Tony was playing a superior
pionship mainly because only the
did not win the Citywide Individual
player. He had performed so well in public schools had participated. It
Championship with competition
including both public and private
school players. The Northside’s
doubles team was no more successful, losing 6-1, 6-2 against the
Lincoln Park Lions.
“I honestly thought that my
partner and I would get pretty far
in the tournament,” said doubles
member John White, Adv. 705.
“The guys that we played were sick
and even though we were playing
some of our best tennis, we ended
up losing badly.”
From the four first round
matches that the Mustangs took
part in, only one advanced to the
second round. Marshall Kaufman
Adv. 600, was the only Mustang
to advance to the next round and
met the Latin #1 singles player
in the second.Marshall faced the
#1 singles player from Mather
High School, who Marshall had
previously faced in division play.
However, Marshall suffered a disappointing defeat.
The Mustangs did not perform as well as they expected, and
one can say that it might have to
do with the fact that they are a
Chicago Public School. The private
schools had the upper hand mainly
because they had more skill. The
Chicago Public Schools are at a
disadvantage because the private
schools have more funding to utilize in improving the skills of their
players. Also, the private schools
take part in twice as many matches
in their seasons and thus have more
match play experience. The CPS
tennis teams will need access to the
same resources to compete with
the private schools in the future.
Though the season is over, hopefully the team will strive to get their
hands on some of these resources
which will serve as means for the
Mustang tennis players to excel on
the tennis courts.
Serve, Set, and Spike!
Northside’s Volleyball Team
by Martyna Michalak
Northside’s women’s volleyball season
begins when the summer sun still shines. The
girls dedicate their time to practice starting
August 14. Matches begin after the first couple of days of tryouts. The first game of the
season usually occurs at the end of August. In
a regular season the girls have 15 matches and
3 tournaments.
Last season, Northside had three teams,
junior varsity, varsity, and freshmen. The varsity team was coached by Ms. Nicole Flores,
a Northside math teacher. The junior varsity
team was coached by Ms. Nicole Hebson,
and the freshmen team was coached by Ms.
Wendy Lombie. Both women are teachers
that come to coach from outside schools. In
total with all the teams combined, there were
44-45 girls playing. The volleyball teams this
season can accept up to 16 girls from the
freshmen class.
Last year’s season was very successful
with the JV and freshmen teams making it all
the way to the semi-finals of the city playoffs.
The varsity team won regionals and came
second in city.
“Last season was very successful and we
plan to continue last year’s programs,” said
Ms. Flores.
The teams are going to be reinforced and
much stronger this year with 8 seniors returning to play. Other players are hopeful that this
season will be the better than last year.
“We had a really strong season last year,”
said Maggie O’Connell, Adv. 807, a varsity
volleyball player. “The juniors provided a
strong core for the team, and so we really
hope with them returning as seniors this
season, we will do even better.”
The volleyball players compete against
many tough schools both within the city and
outside the city but their toughest competitor
is Whitney Young High School. It is not surprising though; Whitney Young was the high
school that came in first in city championships last year, bumping the Northside Varsity
team down to second place.
“We play tough suburban schools but they
are not in our conference,”
said Courtney Konow, Adv.
801, a varsity volleyball player. “Within the city, I would
say the toughest competitor
is Whitney Young.”
Throughout the season
the players grow close to
each other. The teams have
a lot of team spirit and support for each other.
“During the season,
we basically eat, sleep, and
breathe together because we
are always together,” said
O’ Connell. “We also have
bonding trips.”
This closeness is best
explained when every year
the girls show their appreciation for their senior players
by having “Senior Day.”
Different sports have different ways of honoring their
players; the volleyball team
makes t-shirts and does other
things as well.
“Every year we make tshirts to honor our seniors,”
said Konow. “Last year, we
put cool quotes on the back
of the t-shirts for each of the
players and got them quirky
little gifts that match their
personality.”
The Northside students’
dedication to volleyball is
best described by the amount
of hours they spend every-
day during the season practicing. Thus, hard
work, their strong positive minds, and team
spirit pay off and lead them to win many
games.