spokesmanWheeling High School 900 S. Elmhurst Rd. Wheeling, Ill. 60090

Volume 49 Issue 4

Thrown-out food wastes resources, pg. 7

Dec. 21, 2012

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news: What is Op-eration Beautiful?a&e: Band plays at annual Holiday Extravaganzasports: Basketball teams compete at Hardwood Classic

Showcase focuses on collaboration, pg. 3

indexnews 1-2

arts 3feature 4-5

focus 6-7la voz 8

entertainment 9forum 10

sports 11-12 Follow us on t @WHSSpokesman

Gymnastics season starts strongpg. 11

WPAC reaches out through Shave for the Shore

Wheeling Political Ac-tion Club (WPAC) hosted “Shave for the Shore” on Dec. 7, an event to raise funds for Habitat for Hu-manity, which will be used to help rebuild homes that were ruined by Hurricane Sandy.

“Shave for the Shore is awesome. It shows their (WPAC’s) compassion and willingness to show people what matters. It’s an op-portunity to be creative and think of the best way

to raise money,” Sandra Chico, WPAC adviser, said.

With the help of WPAC and seven teachers, WHS gave back to those affected by Hurricane Sandy as they raised $549.16 in “Shave for the Shore.”

“The best part of it was knowing that a small group of people made such a big difference somewhere else,” Alexandra Daggett, sopho-more WPAC member, said.

To raise money, students in WPAC sold Cinnabons and walked around during the school day with jars for donations.

After raising the money, seven teachers volunteered their heads to be shaved by Giuseppe Briguglio, father of Angela Hawkins, Italian teacher.

Jeff Bott, Project Lead the Way teacher, thought that “Shave for the Shore” was a creative way to raise money.

Even though he says that it is colder with no hair, Mr. Bott does not regret shaving his head.

“It’s hair; it grows back. It also takes a lot less time in the morning to get ready,” Mr. Bott said.

Megan Provost staff reporter

Paige McCoy staff reporter

Water fountains, other measures save plastic, costs

Within the past month, environmentally-friendly water fountains have been installed around the school in the math wing, athlet-ics hallway and commons area.

The idea for the fountains began with suggestions from the staff after seeing them while working out in the YMCA. The prod-uct was then researched to ensure that they were compatible with the water systems at school. Afterwards, the three fountains were ordered and installed.

“The water fountains were an easy deci-sion because not only are they environmen-tally friendly, but they save so much money, they’ve already payed for themselves,” Kate Kraft, associate principal, said. “Every time a student fills their water bottle, it takes away the need to buy one.”

According to Ms. Kraft, students and staff have responded positively to the new

fountains.“I think the students are more motivated

to hang on to their water bottles through-out the day and drink more water in gen-eral,” Ms. Kraft said.

According to Lisa Del Muro, AP environ-mental science teacher and environmental club sponsor, the new fountains are not only environmentally-friendly but cost and health-friendly as well.

“Students are carrying around these plastic water bottles when it’s actually cheaper, easier and safer to just get it out of the tap,” Ms. Del Muro said.

Environmental topics and concerns with-in the schools are discussed on the District 214 board Energy and Environment.

In addition to the new fountains, start-ing this spring, WHS will use compost made at Field Elementary School for planting in the gardens.

Read more at <wheelingspokesman.com>

Sandra Chico, WPAC sponsor, asks Donald Rowley, social studies teacher, how his family will react to having his head shaved for Shave for the Shore on Dec. 7. Maggie Evans and Tyler Levy, seniors, watched with gifts for the participating teachers. Giuseppe Briguglio, father of Angela Hawkins, Italian teacher, gave free haircuts to the seven teachers whose heads were shaved. According to Mr. Rowley, he was prepared for the shave because his hair used to be short, so he knew what to expect. He participated because he believes that you should always help other people. “(With my head shaved) I am more arrow dynamic. I look tougher and much cooler,” Mr. Rowley said. Inset Photo: Mr. Rowley receives a buzz cut.

Photos by Megan Jones

Hurricane Sandy: the AftermathDeaths: Hurricane Sandy caused the deaths of at least 125 people in the U.S. and 71 people in the Caribbean. Damage: Hurricane Sandy caused about $62 billion in damage, mostly in New York and New Jersey. This number could increase. Sandy is the second-costliest storm in American history after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.Disaster Aid: New York seeks $42 billion in federal aid, including about $9 billion for projects to reduce damage in future storms. New Jersey seeks about $37 billion in aid, including $7.4 billion for future projects. Magnitude: Tropical force winds extended 820 miles at their widest. It reached 5.8 on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 0 to 6 scale. Infographic by Rosalie Chan

Information from The Huffington Post

Screen that counts how many bottles have been saved

Sensor for water bottle

Water spout

for bottle

New Water Fountain FeaturesBottles saved as of Dec. 9: 10,000

Other “green” measures:*The lights have been altered to use F-32 25-watt light bulbs to reduce electrical energy waste.*Recycling bins were placed in the stadium last year.

Infographic and photo by Rosalie ChanWater Bottle Graphic by Nycole Garcia

H20

2Dec. 21, 2012

spokesman

news

newsflash

For more news, like ‘WHS Spokesman Online’ on fand follow @WHSSpokesman on t

The Holiday As-sembly will take place today. Stu-dents must report to their third period or Block B classes, and they can then go with their class to the assembly.

Latino Club will sell hot chocolate from Jan. 17 to 18 to fundraise for senior scholarships.

Finals will take place Jan. 17 and Jan. 18.

The Activity Fair for the Class of 2017 will take place at 6 p.m. on Jan. 15. Students can promote the extra-curricular activities they participate in to incoming fresh-man.

Orchestra, Choir Solo and Ensemble will perform at 5 p.m. on Jan. 14.

Former principal Dr. Shirley passes away, leaves legacy

With the legacy of working as principal for 25 years, Dr. Tom Shirley, former prin-cipal, passed away on Dec. 2 at age 82.

In 1956, Dr. Shirley started teaching math at Arlington High School. He became assistant principal at WHS when it opened in 1964. In 1965, he started working as principal, a position he held until he retired in 1990.

“He really made Wheeling High School what it was for the first 25 years of its ex-istence. He was actually principal longer than all the rest of us combined,” Dr. Laza-ro Lopez, principal, said.

Dr. Shirley’s legacy also includes WHS becoming the first suburban school in 1969 to start a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, as well as the creation of the school library, which was named in hon-or of him in 2001.

Neal Weiner, physical education teacher and wrestling coach, was hired by Dr. Shir-ley in 1987, and he recalls Dr. Shirley’s sup-port of Wildcat athletics.

“He really supported the Wheeling ath-letics and came to the wrestling matches,” Mr. Weiner said. “He hired me, so I owe him some gratitude to coach for the district. I could not have found a better school.”

After Dr. Shirley retired, he still attended events, such as the Hometown Celebration and Hall of Fame Nights. He will be induct-ed in the Athletic Hall of Fame on Jan. 25.

“I’m sure he would’ve been proud he would be inducted,” Dr. Steve May, associ-ate principal of student activities, said. “His life for all those years was Wheeling High School.”

Top: During the 1978 Homecom-ing week, Dr. Tom Shirley, former principal, is driven in the Homecom-ing Parade, a tradition WHS used to hold.Left: Dr. Shir-ley’s portrait from 1978.

Photos from Lair 1979, Volume 15.

Rosalie Chanweb editor

Sophomores can buy parking tags

Erik Hernandezstaff reporter

Rosalie Chanweb editor

Snapchat and Ins-tagram have been banned on District 214 devices, such as iPads.

The Hardwood Classic basketball tournament will take place at 9 a.m. each day from Dec. 26 to Dec. 29 at home.

Band Solo and Ensemble will per-form at 5 p.m. on Jan. 10.

Speech team will compete on Jan. 12 at the Schaumburg and Buffalo Grove Mitten Tournament.

There will also be early dismissal at 1:50 p.m. because of the start of win-ter break. School resumes Jan. 7.

There will be non-attendance days on Jan. 21 and Jan. 22, because of Mar-tin Luther King, Jr. Day and an institute day, respectively. Second semester will begin Jan. 23.

Since the parking lot no longer has an overcrowding problem, WHS will now al-low sophomores who have their driver’s licenses to purchase park-ing tags.

A c c o r d i n g to Ramon Wil-liams, dean, another factor for this adminis-trative decision was that in or-der for students to receive their driver’s licenses, they must have had driving ex-perience with their permit for nine months.

“For sophomores in the past, we always said no because it was about over-crowding and responsibility and safe driving,” Dr. Ken Stiff, dean, said. “Safe driv-ing is a skill, and it takes maturity. We really decided that since overcrowding is no longer an issue, we would be able to extend the opportunity to sopho-mores.”

According to Dr. Stiff, sophomores who purchase parking tags must act re-sponsibly because if they do not, the administration may rethink this opportunity.

“Well, my hope: number one, is that sophomores will recognize this as an op-

portunity to demonstrate their readiness for this ad-ditional responsibility,” Dr. Stiff said. “I also hope that kids who drive will do so in a way that does not lead to increased tardiness

or increased acci-dents.”

Max Chung and Bryan Sar-gent, sopho-mores, both have their driv-ing permits and hope to pur-chase parking tags when they get their license.

Chung also added that he would want to go out for lunch if he buys a parking tag.“I’m actually

pretty happy about that,” Sargent said. “Some ad-vantages are I can come to school in a car, and I don’t have to take a bus.”

Parking tags cost $185.In order for a student to purchase a parking tag, he or she must have a driver’s license.

In addition, the car has to be insured, registered and owned by the student, parent or guardian, and a parent or guardian must sign the form.

“It’s pretty empty back there (in the parking lot), so we have plenty of spots,” Dean Williams said. “The expectations are that they organize safe driving on the lot and on the street.”

Last year, the idea of competing in “Moody’s Math Challenge” came to the mind of Victor Gonzalez, math teacher; however, there was not a sufficient amount of students willing to join. This year Mr. Gonzalez is ready for the challenge by pre-paring four students for the competition.

These students include Kat Dobrowski, Omar Joya, Chris Knill and Sina Ith, se-niors. The team is currently still recruiting students to participate.

“We have very, very talented and well-rounded students,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

On March 2 and 3, the team will receive a real world problem, which they will then download to solve. These problems can range from a census issue to an economic stimulus plan. The team has from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. to research and analyze the problem. Judges will decide the winners based on a presentation about the topics.

“They gain knowledge in areas such as working for the city, science, business and government,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

According to Mr. Gonzalez, the goal of WHS participating in this challenge is to gain real world experience.

“It’s a good way for us to practice our skills in mathematics, research and other stuff,” Ith said.

The program awards $115,000 in schol-arship money to winning teams. Schools win scholarship money according to the place they get in the competition. Thou-sands of juniors and seniors from 29 states will be participating in the challenge.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Knill said. “I’m in a good team and I feel prepared.”

Team recruits, prepares for math challenge

“The temptation to leave campus in the car will be a test of respon-sibility for some people.

Dr. Ken Stiff, dean

arts 3Dec. 21, 2012spokesman

$25 off any driver ed program at the Buffalo Grove or River Woods location now through 5/10/13 WHS students can recieve a discount by

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Students receive recognition at Harper Art Show

Harper Community College hosted its annual art show on Nov. 30 where District 211, 214 and Barrington High School all participate by entering 2-D and 3-D artwork to be judged by faculty.

Jess Musto, senior, received first, second and third place in the WHS 3-D artwork cat-egory.

“I was caught off guard and wasn’t ex-pecting to win because only two students get the award,” Musto said. “This is my first year of taking art classes, so I didn’t think my chances were favorable.”

Musto is the first student from WHS to win this award. She also received the Harp-er faculty art award.

“This is a huge achievement for the art department and for Wheeling High School,” Kent Dyer, art teacher, said.

Musto will receive a free three-credit hour class at Harper College.

“Jess entered, and she actually has a very distinguished role in the show this year. Jess’s piece was chosen as the best for the 3-D, so she beat Districts 211, 214 and Bar-rington, so it’s a big deal,” Rebeccah Silver, art teacher, said.

Out of the 40 students who participated, WHS received first, second and third place for both 2-D and 3-D, as well as six honor-able mentions. Alexis Counts, junior, won first place in 2-D. and Klaudia Leniart, se-nior, won second place in 2-D.

“It’s a chance for students and faculty to not just see the Harper campus, but to have the opportunity to really share student work with each other. and I think it’s a phe-nomenal opportunity for our students,” Ms. Silver said.

Top: Michael Konyar, freshman, Jess Musto, Katlyn O’Donnell, Klaudia Leniart, seniors, Alexis Counts, junior, Stephanie Rivo, senior, and Liam Gonzalez, sophomore, hold their awards won during the Harper Art Show. Bottom Left: Musto stands with Dr. Lazaro Lopez, principal, during the reception. Bottom Right: Photographed is Musto’s first place 3-D piece, which features X-Acto knives.

Orchesis celebrates Alumni through Winter Showcase

After their performance in Dance Chi-cago’s Future Stars concert, WHS’s Orche-sis program announced it’s annual Winter Showcase. The main theme of the Winter Showcase was to show how WHS alumni were continuing their careers in dance.

“There’s a lot of alumni out there do-ing pretty cool stuff and continuing careers in dance,” Diane Rawlinson, Orchesis di-rector, said. “And so this year, I decided I

Top left: Chelsie Coren, senior, performs alongside eight others in Brandon Dicriscio’s, guest choreographer, piece, “Fio-Fio Floetta”. The piece was fea-tured at Dance Chicago.Top right: Iliana Rivera, senior, performs in “La-La,” a piece choreographed by Coren.Bottom right: Kaitlyn Nielsen, senior, performs her solo in a student choreographed piece, “Fatal Omniscience.”

Orchestra members play at wedding

After countless hours of rehearsal, Or-chestra members Asher Crawley, Jami Kahn, Katrina Gustafson, and Connor Leuck, seniors, took their musical knowl-edge beyond the Orchestra room of WHS and performed at a local wedding on Dec. 15, 2012.

According to Gustafson, the members practiced, “about thirty minutes to an hour a week since October.”

Aside from the amount of practice the Orchestra members received, Kahn felt that the job was a growing experience.

“We were actually pretty indepen-dent. We ended up having to arrange the wedding march ourselves because we weren’t able to get a copy for three violas and a cello,” Kahn said. “We really did as much for ourselves as we could.”

The quartet consisted of a two song set list and was met with critical appraise by attendants of the wedding ceremony.

“We performed Pachelbel’s Canon and Here Comes the Bride,” Crawley said. “Everyone loved the performance. It was scary because a number of people in the bridal party were musicians, but we got really positive reviews.”

Crawley came across the opportunity through her mother’s co-worker. All four members agreed that the experience was “rewarding.”

“It was a step into the real world. Taking everything we’ve learned since the fourth grade and being able to apply what we’ve been working on is really ful-filling,” Kahn said.

Robert Perales a&e editor

Megan Joneseditor-in-chief

Used with permission from Kent Dyer

Chris Nushstaff reporter

wanted to celebrate a number of things our alumni are doing.”

The showcase was dedicated to Scott Bartell, a guest choreographer for Orche-sis. He was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed away in December 2012, at the age of 26.

Bartell was a close friend of the WHS Orchesis program. He came out as a guest artist three of the last four years and also taught master classes to all of the dance students.

“He was a very young, up and coming artist, choreographer and teacher that we had a really neat relationship with here, not just at Wheeling but personally,” Ms. Raw-linson said. “You hate to see a young per-son pass away, and then you’ve got such a young talented dancer who was on his way to making a big difference.”

WHS also shared the stage with York High School’s dance program, directed by WHS alumni, Anna Sapozhnikov, ‘94 graduate.

The following night, the WHS Orchesis held its annual Children’s workshop where children age 3-13 were able to participate in afternoon workshops with Orchesis mem-bers. There were 13 different workshops for children to work on. The children then performed at the evening Showcase concert after practicing for two and a half hours.

“The kids really like it because they get to create something really special to them,” Harlan Rosen, senior, said.

The showcase concert featured current WHS Orchesis members, the Children’s Workshop participants, WHS alumni danc-ers and students currently enrolled in dance classes.

Photos by Megan Jones

4Dec. 21, 2012

spokesman

feature

While many may travel during summer vacations, spend time with friends, or sleep more, Charles Guest, freshman, will travel to Romania in order to provide families in need with medical and school supplies.

Assisting Romanian familiesC. Guest, along with other religious mis-

sionaries, helps plan trips to Romania that will provide disadvantaged families with supplies, food and anything they need.

“The plan is to help kids, so they go to the school for free and they get two meals a day there, they get good teachers, and they get an education, which normally they couldn’t get. Usually the two meals they get that day are the only two meals they’re go-ing to get that day,” C. Guest said.

At Community Presbyterian Church (CPS) of Mount Prospect, C. Guest helps plan annual trips to rural areas in Romania, which take place during the summer.

Richard Corso, grandfather of C. Guest, has travelled to Romania and will take C. Guest along with church missionaries.

“They originally started at different plac-es, and then they kind of just went to Roma-nia by itself; Romania is in general a good place since they came out of a dictatorship,” C. Guest said.

Debra Guest, mother of C. Guest, also participated in this community project while in high school.

“They always like to bring younger faces because whenever they go, it’s always older people, and the little kids don’t really get to see a young American boy or girl; its usually what they enjoy seeing,” C. Guest said.

Brian Guest, father of C. Guest, appreci-ates his son’s dedication towards reaching out to the community.

“We’re really proud of him; any parent would be happy to see their son or daugh-ter, you know, put other people’s needs in

front of their own; even if only temporar-ily...it kind of validates that as a parent that we’re doing the right thing,” B. Guest said.

Planning TripsCurrently, C. Guest helps the church

members by spreading awareness about this cause and encouraging people to donate.

According to C. Guest, sometimes a doctor comes along with the church mis-sionaries.

“Before they go, I usually help them make sure they have everything they need to go, money...transla-tion...supplies; gener-al medicine,” C. Guest said.

The trip lasts two to three weeks, and companies, along with other churches give donations and sup-plies to members of the CPC.

“They’ve built a school from scratch, so they’ve done mis-sion trips to give them medical supplies. They’ve brought doc-tors over, and they help the more needing families with sometimes just chores,” C. Guest said.

Community WorkSince sixth grade, C. Guest has cleaned

Palatine road at least three times a year.C. Guest has worked on over eight Eagle

Scout, church and out-of-school service projects, such as cleaning out rivers.

C. Guest wanted to become an Eagle Scout before age 18 and has worked on this

goal since first grade.“Not everything is that bad; it’s just you

have to think that eventually, if you work hard enough it’ll be good. I felt like if I had a goal and stuck to that goal, anything’s possible, and it worked, and the hard thing is that other people have not stuck to those

goals, so they take more of their time,” C. Guest said.

Family SupportCorso plays an impor-

tant role in his life and provides him with sup-port.

“He’s helped me throughout my whole scouting career. He’s taught me important lessons, even though he might be a little nutty at times. He’s going to camp with me, even though he’s over the age of 60. He’s hiked a mountain and he’s just there; he helps,” C. Guest said.

Because Corso has diabetes, Guest takes care of him whenever his grandmother is not present; this has helped

create a bond between them.

“Whenever he comes by us, I have to take care of him, make sure he’s okay be-cause whenever I come, my grandma’s not there, so it’s my job. Sure I’d like to be like him; I’d like to have his personality. It’s not like it’s abnormal. Everyone should have a bond like that with their grandparents; they’re family,” C. Guest said.

According to C. Guest, he would not have accomplished everything he has so far without his grandfather.

“I wouldn’t be an Eagle Scout; I wouldn’t be doing any of the things I’ve done. I’d just be someone in a game of life that doesn’t re-ally do anything,” C. Guest said.

C. Guest’s parents have always taught him to “do the right thing,” which has influ-enced his desire to help others.

“His mother and I have both told him it’s very important to support other people and to help other people because he’s definitely benefited from a lot of things that other peo-ple don’t get that he’s taken for granted, but instead of that, he’s helping other people out,” B. Guest said.

B. Guest feels content about that family bond because he also had a similar relation-ship with his own grandfather.

Spending time with his grandparents has positively influenced C. Guest, accord-ing to B Guest.

“I was very close to my grandfather so I’m very happy that his grandfather is in-volved and doing stuff that I may not have the time to do or may not have the ability to do as well as he does,” B. Guest said.

World perspective “Once you go to a place that has less than

you, it turns everything you think around; it makes you feel like the little things that you think are small, it makes them bigger for you. You enjoy the little things more because you see that they don’t have those little things,” C. Guest said.

C. Guest wants to learn more about the Romanian language and culture.

“I feel like it’s a lot better than being in a culture class and reading out of a textbook about the culture. I feel like if you’re go-ing to learn about it, you should feel it,” C. Guest said.

When asked if he could only take one thing with him, C. Guest said, “something that has pictures to show because I feel like if I show a kid that is not in Romania that may not be as fortunate as I am, they can see some of the great things you can do.”

Freshman Eagle Scout reaches out to communityFrida Valdés

feature editor

“Some of these kids have nev-

er seen an American person. They’ve never seen what they would call rich, even though we can be considered low or middle class in another country. They’ve never seen that, they’re not used to it. They think we dress weird, we talk weird. It’s just a new experi-ence for them to see something different they don’t always see.”

Charles Guest, freshman

Piatek discovers passion for drums, plays in numerous bands

Left: Timothy Piatek, English teacher, plays the drums at the age of three in his living room. “My parents knew I had a passion when I was young,” Mr. Piatek said. “Lucky for me, they agreed to pay for my first full drumset when I was in 5th grade. They were always supportive. Both my mom and dad paid for drumset lessons when I was in middle school.” Right: Mr. Piatek plays the drums at JJ’s Primetime in North Aurora.

“Everyone has their own hob-bies whether it’s book club or knitting, but my hobby is playing sweet music,” Timothy Piatek, English teacher, said. “When ev-eryone on Saturday is off doing their own things, I like to get into my own world, close my eyes and get into the music.”

Mr. Piatek does not spend his Saturday nights grading WREN assignments. Instead, he is out playing in the Oswego-area in his band, The After 5 Band.

“What I like most is when you can get people moving on the dance floor and having a good

time,” Mr. Piatek said. “When the drummer hits that solid beat, ev-erything seems to fall into place. The drummer holds an important responsibility because if his tim-ing is off, the wheels start to fall off. I like having that added re-sponsibility on my shoulders and making sure everything is in the right place.”

During fifth grade, Mr. Piatek began playing the snare drum and by eighth grade, he could play on the full drum set. He first be-gan playing with the Charleston Sound Machine, which currently only plays once a year. He also plays for his church once a month.

“I’ve seen him play over many years when he plays in Arlington

Heights,” Sandra Gruen, English teacher, said. “Normally it be-comes a Wheeling event because a lot of teachers go to the show. It’s a nice way to get to know teachers outside of the building, while sup-porting a colleague as well.”

According to Mr. Piatek, he has always had a sense of and been at-tracted to rhythm.

“Some of my earliest memories of life are pulling out pots and pans and banging on them,” Mr. Piatek said. “I have an uncle and grandpa who play as well, so it kind of runs in the family.”

Mr. Piatek practices with The After 5 Band once a week.

“It is not very time consum-ing,” Mr. Piatek said.

According to Adam Mosier, The After 5 Band’s keyboard player, Mr. Piatek is an excellent drummer and brings a whole new level or entertainment.

“Whether he is drumming or singing, he brings a whole new element,” Mosier said. “He gets really technical with timing and beat, but he is also able to just en-joy and feel the music while play-ing, which is something not many can do.”

The After 5 Band is a rock and roll cover band, covering music ranging from the 70’s to what is on the radio today. According to Mr. Piatek, they always try to have a little something for everyone.

“I started playing for the

Charleston Sound Machine and we played in many famous clubs in Chicago,” Mr. Piatek said. “Once, we played at the Taste of Chicago which was an amazing experience. We used to play much more, but a lot of the members are now set-tling down with kids and families.”

Once The Charleston Sound Machine started dying down, Mr. Piatek decided to join The After 5 Band which he has been playing in for seven years now.

“I met the guys while playing foozeball. It was great timing be-cause we were both finishing up with our current bands. It made sense to start a new one,” Mr. Pi-atek said.

Megan Joneseditor-in-chief

Used with permission from Timothy Piatek

Plans missionary trip to Romania while gaining world perspective

David Rodriguez, senior, wakes up at dawn to go to work, yet he manages to bal-ance working the night shift with school and his partici-pation in varsity wrestling.

Rodriguez first started working at 5 Aces Delivery in the summer, but now during the school year, he works the night shift be-tween 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. He works there for an average of three hours, and he deliv-ers Chicago Tribune news-papers.

“I started working there because my mom worked there,” Rodriguez said. “The first week was kind of tough. After the first week I got used to it because it’s my schedule...I’ve worked there before but not really at night and never during school.”

In order to wake up early for work, Rodriguez goes to sleep at around 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.

“I take sacrifices,” Ro-

driguez said. “I go to sleep early, and I try to conserve my energy, so I can get enough for throughout my week. During school, I feel tired because I take a nap sometimes before school and after work.”

Eric Kaplan, junior, worked with Rodriguez over the summer at 5 Aces Delivery.

“(The hardest part is) waking up early so you can do stuff the next day,” Ka-plan said.

According to Rodriguez, he becomes more tired in the afternoon. However, Tim McIntire, science teacher, said he felt “im-pressed” that Rodriguez can balance school, work and sports.

“When I met him, he told me he had a night shift job he would work a few days a week,” Mr. McIntire said. “He’s got some days where he’s more tired, but he’s able to do the work in class.”

Although Rodriguez said he often feels tired due to

his work and sleep sched-ule, he feels more active af-ter physical education, and he also dedicates time to wrestling.

“David actually supports himself and helps support his family. The fact that he’s having a successful wrestling season, I respect him for that,” Neil Wein-er, wrestling coach, said. “When you’re on a sports team, you have a family. In such a competitive sport, coaches and members be-come very close. It draws everyone together because of the training.”

Rodriguez has partici-pated in wrestling since freshman year. Recently, Rodriguez placed second at the Wildcat Invitational on Dec. 8.

“He’ll be successful be-cause of the adversity he had in his life. He’s over-come a lot,” Coach Weiner said. “The fact that he’s suc-cessful in school, work and life, he will be successful as an adult.”

feature 5Dec. 21, 2012spokesman

Students are selected at random by drawing student ID numbers.

Name:Grade:ID:

Oleksandyr RybakSophomore

415??

Who’s in the halls?Rodriguez works nightsBalances school, work, wrestling Rosalie Chan

web editor Participates in:Wrestling and volleyball

Motivated by:“I feel the future and all the things I can do with it motivates me.”

Philosophy in life:“I feel that in life, you should do what makes you happy, and your life will be good.”

Something many may not know:He does volunteer work at an animal shelter.

Dream job:Doctor

Passionate about:Helping others

If he won the lottery:“I would probably save it (money) for my future education and donate what I don’t need”

Favorite subject:Chemistry, because “it’s interesting how the world works and what makes our everyday life possible.”

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910 McHenry Road Wheeling, IL 60090

Many people have wondered about the predictions of December 21, 2012. Will there be a major natural disaster? Will a new disease take over the world? Or will global warming strike?

There are many theories about the “doomsday” and one of the most popular is that Earth will collide with the mysterious Planet X discovered in the 1980’s. Another theory is the disruption of gravity by the same Planet X. The planet will not collide with Earth but will come really close causing gravity disruption and massive global disasters.

According to <www.history.com> the Mayans created a mathematical system about the solar solstice, and Dec. 21 is when the calendar ends and when a solar solstice will occur.

Want to find out more? Go on history.com or scan this barcode. Don’t have the scanner? Download RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner.

Doomed predictions?Information gathered by Mark Tannous

“I can’t contemplate existence, without me in it,”Michael Burke, English teacher, said.

Information gathered by Katia Bryhadyr

Plans missionary trip to Romania while gaining world perspective

6Dec. 21, 2012

spokesman

focus

Wasted

By

The

Crumb

First Lady sets nutritional standards for schools

WHS witnessed first-hand changes to the school cafeteria program as stu-dents were told “You need another serving of fruit.”

At the beginning of the year, all schools in District 214 adjusted to new nutri-tional standards set by Mi-chelle Obama, first lady.

While previously stu-dents could choose to decline taking fruit and vegetable portions, they now must take at least one serving when purchasing a lunch meal.

Students that are pur-chasing from the a la carte line do not need to meet these standards.

The lunch lines began seeing more variety of op-tions with fruit, such as ap-ples, bananas and carrots.

The changes were imple-mented due to the National School Lunch program ini-tiative to prepare healthier meals. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP), created in 1946, is a feder-ally assisted meal program operating in public and non-profit private schools.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture adopted new standards to limit the amount of calories, fat, salt and sugar that food can obtain. Schools across the state and nation that participate in the National School Lunch Program must comply with these new standards.

These changes to school meals are the first in 15 years and were encouraged through the Healthy, Hun-ger-Free Kids Act signed by President Barack Obama and M. Obama.

Different organizations fight against hungerRotary Club, various partners restock local food pantries

“I had a woman with me a few weeks ago, and I asked if she liked soup. She asked me ‘Is it food?’ I said ‘Of course...’ and she said ‘Then it’s not a question of whether I like it or not. It’s that I need it,” Jim Brad-ley, community service coordinator for the Wheeling Food Pantry, said.

Open for just about one year and three months, the Wheeling Food Pantry has handed out more than 23,000 pounds of food to people in need. Over 530 families are signed up to receive food, and 1,531 indi-viduals have come to the pantry.

The Wheeling Food Pantry is run by donations and volunteers. They receive money through a grant

fund by the Wheeling Rotary Club and discounted food through the Greater Chicago Food Depository agency.

The food pantry is open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday.

“With the opening of the pantry, the need for food rose quickly. We have now stabilized our numbers, but more good is given out every week,” Bradley said.

Families can come into the pan-try once a month and get a bag full of nonperishable food items to last them four or five days.

Other volunteers that help out at the pantry include WHS, OMNI Youth Services, St. Joseph the Work-er Church and Wheeling Township Elementary District 21.

Above: Paulina Stolarska, freshman, works as a bagger for her team at the Nicaragua station on Dec. 11 for Feed My Starving Children. Stolarska and other students went on a field trip with the Talent Development Program to help out. Feed My Starving Children is a nonprofit organization that feeds children worldwide.Right: Members of Student Council load the Community Economic Development Association’s (CEDA) truck to be delivered to a food pantry in Mount Prospect on Nov. 14. Stu-dent Council hosted a canned food drive in November. The club promoted an in-school drive, as well as collecting food from the community by dropping flyers off on Nov. 3 and col-lecting food on Nov. 10. With the help of the Rotary Club and students from Jack London Middle School, Student Council collected enough food to feed 300 families this year 30 of which were WHS families.

Megan Joneseditor-in-chief

Megan Joneseditor-in-chief

Throughout the week of Dec. 3 to 7, Spokesman investigated the federal school lunch policies and observed students who threw out whole pieces of food and cartons of milk during fifth period lunch.

Megan Provost

Solinna Chong

Infographic by Nycole Garcia

Information gathered by Megan Jones from the Washington Times and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

• Michelle Obama, first lady, initiated the Healthy, Hunger-Free Act (HHFK) in 2010

• HHFK bans foods like whole and 2 percent milk and ra-tioned others like potatoes

• HHFK limits the calorie count of school lunches to 850

• The federal government spends about $11 billion on the national school lunch pro-gram

• Taxpayers pay up to 39 per-cent of the money going to-wards school lunches

focus7Dec. 21, 2012spokesman

PotatoChipsPotatoChipsPotatoChipsPotatoChips

PotatoChipsPotatoChipsPotatoChipsAnimal

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FruitSnacksFruitSnacksFruitSnacks

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WHS

date

12/3

12/4

12/5

12/6

12/7

total for the day

25

10

30

14

16

food thrownaway

fruit-6milk-4

fruit-7vegetables-5

milk-7roll-6

fruit-8vegetables-7

milk-7rice-8

fruit-3milk-7

burrito bowl-4

fruit-5vegetables-3

milk-8

Total for the week-95 pieces of food

keira’s kartoons

Do you appreciate the healthy options that the cafeteria of-fers and why?

“I like that not all of it is sugar and that there is actual fruit now.”Zach Washack, senior

“I greatly appreciate it. I love being able to get hummus or the protein platter.” Wendy Relich, Eng-lish teacher

“We should all be eating healthy; everyone should be.”Jessie Cenobio, sophomore

“I appreciate healthy food in gen-eral. Because of this, I choose to bring my own lunch for more va-riety. I always appreciate healthy food.”Alexis Counts, junior

“There really aren’t any healthy options because it’s a few apples and oranges. The pizza is really greasy, and there are a bunch of carbs. The vegetarian pizza isn’t even vegetarian.”Erica Uyenbat, freshman

Photo Opinion by Kristina Piamonte

1. Is the school doing well with providing healthy options to eat? What is the importance of eating healthy?

2. While monitoring the cafeteria, do you see students throw out whole fruits, bread rolls or milk?

3. Why do you think students take but do not eat fruits, bread rolls or milk?

4. As part of their lunch, students are required to take fruit and milk. Should students be required to do so?

5. To prevent further wasteful actions of food, what should students and/or the administration do?

Interview by Solinna Chong

Q&Awith Annette Ambrus, security guard, about the status of wasteful actions toward food

“The cafeteria is serving partially healthy options, but more kids are choosing unhealthy options. It seems to be the same menu everyday: pizza and cheese sticks.”

“Yes, I think it’s terrible. Our taxpayers’ money is going down the drain. Kids are forced to take fruit and milk because of the government.”

“Because they are forced to do so. I usually stay by the garbage cans and ask if kids are gonna throw stuff out, and if so, I take it and give it to someone else.”

“No because they just throw it (whole pieces of food) out. It’s so wasteful. It’s a shame that all this food is going to waste.”

“The cafeteria should have better options, unlike having fruit that is not ripe. They (cafeteria super-visers) should give students more options of fruit snacks, fresh fruit or even juices.”

Infographics by Nycole Garcia

Unhealthy

Okay

HealthyThe vending machines at school are on a sticker system: red means unhealthy, yellow means okay, and green means healthy. In WHS’s vending machines, there are 38 red dots, 12 yellow dots

and seven green dots.

Food thrown out during 5th period lunch

During the week of Dec. 3 to 7, students were observed during fifth period on the amount of whole pieces of food they were

throwing out.

Red means go?

8dic. 21, 2012

spokesman

la voz

R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y

A P P L Y T O D A Y !The early application

deadline is November 15.

D O W N L O A D R M U ' S A P P O N Y O U R A N D R O I D A N D I P H O N E : R M U

800.762.5960 • robertmorris.edu

Discover the leader in you!

Cada año en el Cerrito de Tepeyác, Des plaines, Il-linois, se celebra el cumplea-ños de la virgen santísima como en ningún otro lado. Des plaines tiene una ré-plica de la escena donde la milagrosa virgen se apare-ció al frente de Juan Diego por la primera vez.

“No solamente en Méxi-co, pero gente afuera de otros países, centroamérica del sur, y de Europa vienen a ver, porque la virgen no es sólo de México, sino que creo, no hace un año, el papa Juan Pablo II la declaró ‘La virgen de las Américas,’” Manuel Valdespino, maestro de español, dijo.

Diferentes culturas tienen diferentes tradicio-nes. En México y en E.E.U.U se celebran de una manera distinta. Ambos países cele-bran con una misa en iglesia y le cantan a la “Patrona” de México las mañanitas.

Según Bertha Sanchez, defensora de estudiantes, La leyenda de como la vir-gen de Guadalupe se fue a conocer cuando el indígena Juan Diego levantó, estando en el cerro, de repente vio ante él la imagen de la Vir-gen. La Virgen le reveló a

Ingredientes:• manzana

• pera

• guayaba

• tamarindo

• agua

• flor de jamaica

• azúcar

• caña

• canela

Receta Navidena

Él 12 de diciembre, miles de católicos se congregaron en el Cerrito de Tepeyác an Des Plains, Illinois para albar a la Virgen de Guadalupe. La gente se arrimó al altar para rezarle y ver las danzas dedicadas a la Virgen.

Antonia Arismendis

Antonia Arismendisstaff reporter

Rossy Peraltastaff reporter

Juan Diego sus deseos de tener un templo.

La virgen le dijo a Juan Diego que fuera a la casa del obispo de México y le dijiera todo lo que la virgen le dijo. Juan Diego fue a ver al obispo, pero el obispo se reía de él y la Virgen le dijo que volviera a la casa del obispo, y juan diego cumplio sus de-seos, y esta vez el obis-po pidió una señal.

Juan Diego no podía cumplir este encargo porque un tío suyo, lla-mado Juan Bernardino estaba enfermo. La Vir-gen le dijo, “Sube, hijo mío el más pequeño, a la cumbre donde me viste y hallarás que hay dife-rentes flores; córtalas, recogelas y en seguida baja y tráelas a mi pres-encia”.

El día 12 su tío se recuperó, vio a la vir-

gen y él le rogó que lo dejara ir a ver al obispo. Es por eso que cada 12 de diciembre se celebra la aparición de la Virgen de Guadalupe.

Miles de peregrinos caminan desde todo el país para ver a la Vir-gen. Cuando llegan al Cerrito son bienvenidos por el padre.

Antes de celebrar la misa se le canta las mañanitas a la virgen a

la medianoche. La misa también es celebrada a diferentes horas du-rante el día. En la misa, grupos de baile y ban-das presentan para hac-erle un homenaje a la virgen.

La virgen es un sím-bolo muy importante es-pecialmente por los que creen en ella.

“La fe se siente y se lleva en el corazón,” el Sr. Valdespino dijo.

Licencias sin docu-mentación

Confusión sobre las licencias para indocumentados

Actualmente, no existe nuingún tipo de licencia para inmigrantes ilegales. Lo que existe es la Licen-sia de Manejar Temporaria para Visitantes (TVDL). Esta licensia es para los inmigrantes que vienen al país con Visa temporal. Inmigran-tes indocumentados no pueden solicitar una TVDL. El proyecto de ley SB 957 permitirá que los inmigrantes ilegales también pu-edan solicitar una TVDL.

TVDL Actualmente:• Imigrantes legales sin seguro

social pueden solicitar una TVDL

• no funciona como identifi-cación

TVDL con SB 957:• Pasó el senado con un voto

de 41-14-1 el 29 de noviem-bre de este año

• Llegará a la camara de repre-sentantes el 3 de enero, 2013

• Con SB 957, inmigrantes sin documentos podrán solicitar una TVDL

Católicos festejan Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe

Ponche

Instrucciones:

• Pon a hervir agua con canela por 20 minutos en fuego mediano.

• Agrega la caña y el tejocote y ya que el tejocote este co-cido, se agrega las otras frutas como la manzana, pera, guayaba y tamarindo.

• El ponche se coze de 45 minutos a una hora en total.• Si quieren se le puede poner también unas flores de jamai-

ca y por ultimo azucar al gusto.

Es un ponche rico de frutas naturales. Es una bebida mexicana típica de la temporada nadvideña. Se cocina y se consume más que nada en navidad.

Erik Hernandez

for parties and other social gatherings, a ka-raoke room and a full bar.

Also, the prices of the foods and drinks are not as pricy as one would expect for su-shi. Prices range from $4 for an a la carte sushi roll to $55 for a plateful of Sashimi and Nigiri (raw entrees).

The last meal I had there only cost me $11 for two entrees.

I would highly recom-mend the Phila-delphia roll to those who have never tried su-shi before. The rolls consist of sliced avocado, raw tuna and creamy original Ph i l ade lph ia cream cheese, all wrapped in a blanket of sea-weed roll and rice.

This entree is perfect for those who love sushi but not the fishy taste, since the avo-cado and cream cheese mask the taste of the tuna.

Another spectacular choice at the res-taurant is the Two Guys Lonely Sashimi. This entree consists of all raw fish, tuna and salmon. This meal is perfect for veterans of sushi, like myself, who can handle raw foods. Also, the presentation of the meal is

so intricate that one does not want to eat right away.

All meals ordered at the restaurant are accompanied by a common Japanese soup called miso soup, salad with a citrus dressing, caramelized potato rolls and if you’re lucky, free dessert.

I highly recom-mend all sushi lov-ers and lovers of great food to try Hakuya Sushi. The hospitality for the guests and passion for making sushi is why it is successful

to this day.To set up a reservation or learn more

about the restaurant, go to <http://hakuyasushi.net/> or visit their Facebook page, “Hakuya Sushi.”

entertainment9Dec. 21, 2012spokesman

Want to make a difference?

HandsOn Suburban Chicago can help!

www.volunteerinfo.net

Volunteer tutor/mentors are needed M-Th at Holmes, London

and Cooper Middle Schools. Flexible schedule!

Environment Food pantry

To get involved, contact Emily Mihalcean, Youth Program Manager (847) 288-1320x106 emily.mihalcean@volunteerinfo.net

Resale shop Visiting seniors

Assisting disabled persons And more!

Other opportunities include:

Top: Hakuya Sushi offers a wide array of items on their menu, and it is located on 161 W. Dundee Rd in Buffalo Grove, Ill. Right: Spider Rolls include Deep-fried soft shell crab, cucumber and avocado.

Hakuya Sushi thrives despite competitive market

With the struggling economy, new businesses are hard to come by and hard to keep afloat, espe-cially young resturants look-

ing to survive the economic world.

On March 26, a sushi restaurant called Hakuya Sushi opened on Dundee Road.

The newly found res-turant stood out from all other sushi bars in the area due to its rich family back-ground and passion to make sushi.

As a young boy, Chuck Yong, restaurant owner, be-gan to take interest in mak-ing sushi and the Japanese culture due to his grandfa-ther.

Although Yong’s fam-ily was of South Korean descent, Yong’s grandfa-ther was heavily influenced by Japanese culture, from which he became interested in making sushi.

Hakuya Sushi is not just another restaurant where the waiters seat you and never come back again. In-stead, the owner himself greets his guests as soon as they walk in and seats them himself.

The restaurant has tables and booths to seat guests comfortably, a private room

‘The Hobbit’ best film of year

Whether or not you have read the book, Peter Jack-son’s “The Hobbit” is easily one of the best movies of the year.

The movie is the first in-stallment of a trilogy that tells the tale of Bilbo Bag-gins, a home-loving hobbit from the Shire going on an adventure with 13 dwarves and Gandolf the Grey, a wiz-ard, to restore the lost city of the dwarves, Erebor.

Right from the begin-ning, you will notice how captivating the scenery and characters are. You feel like you’re in the scenes, not just viewing them.

What was really well done with this movie was how the characters grew throughout. It was interest-ing to see the bravery of Bil-bo grow, or his friendship with the king of the dwarves, Thorin Okenshield. A great connection can be felt with the characters as they show

moral lessons of courage, trust and friendship.

The actors who por-trayed the characters were indeed excellent. Martin Freeman as Bilbo was sim-ply a delight.

Sci-fi movie characters are often difficult to relate to; however, that is not the case with Bilbo. As Bilbo goes on the journey and faces many challenges, he develops into a strong, relat-able character.

The biggest comedic fac-tor to the movie was the 13 d w a r v e s . From see-ing the clumsiness of Stephen H u n t e r portraying Bombur to the mute W i l l i a m Kircher as Bifur, each one of them b r o u g h t emotion to the movie.

O n e c h a r a c t e r was especially unique: Ian Mickellen as Gandolf. In the “Lord Of The Rings,” Gan-dolf didn’t have as much screen time as in “The Hob-bit,” so it was nice to see his origins.

“The Hobbit” ran at 48 frames per second which

takes some getting used to as it seems that scenes are in a sense fast forwarding, but at about 20 minutes your vision adjusts.

Another technical ad-vancement in the movie is the computer graphics. For the first time, Gollum looked real. In the past, he looked gritty and obviously fake, but in “The Hobbit” the makers did a brilliant job of creating and display-ing the character.

The environment also looked real. It brought more

of a colorful tone to the movie. The cre-ators of the film utilized their technology to its best extent.

H o w e v e r , the longevity of some scenes left a negative effect on the movie.

Despite the repetitiveness of the movie, “The Hobbit” is spectacular.

The characters and environ-ment felt real, and the new technology implemented in the movie made it feel re-freshing.

Overall, this movie is a must-see, whether or not you have read the book.

Solinna Chong

Kristina Piamonte

Erik Hernandez

Menu Two Guys Sashimi......................................................$11.95+ Philadelphia Roll.......................................................$6.95 Spider Roll...............................................................$6.95 Dragon Roll..............................................................$12.95 Spicy Tuna Roll........................................................$5.95

+ means that prices may vary depending on number of pieces ordered

The

Hobbit

Thumbs Up...

Thumbs Down...

10Dec. 21, 2012

spokesman

forum

To the amount of inter-est students showed during the AP Showcase. Students are willing to challenge themselves by choosing more rigorous courses.

To all the people who donated to Shave for the Shore, and the teachers who shaved their heads. They sacrificed some change and a bit of their precious locks for some-thing bigger.

To Operation Beautiful for posting positive notes on the bathroom mirror and around the school. What a great way to lighten up someone’s day.

To yogurt parfaits at school being the same price as 2 McDoubles at McDonalds. We sure have to pay the price to eat healthy.

To no more feminine hy-giene products available in the school.

What goes on after school once we leave? The lights are shut down, and “save” is written on the white-board for tomorrow’s class an-nouncements; however, as the life of WHS shuts down, the custodi-ans’ night begins.

At approximately 7:50 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 10, custodians were alerted that water was flowing near the entrance to the pool. Roel Ace-vedo, lead maintenance, and su-pervisors reported to the building around 8:30 p.m. to find the water flowing across the softball field and the southeast drive.

A water main broke outside the pool facility, which almost canceled the next school day.

The third shift custodians worked past their typical protocol

and through the night with service technicians to fix the water main.

Mr. Acevedo, Doug Dietrich, building and grounds supervisor and Ted Birren, custodians, stayed at WHS on their own time to make sure the problem was fixed in a timely manner.

The leak was located around 2 a.m. A pipe sleeve, designed for water main repair, was placed over the split in the pipe and bolted into place.

The hole was filled back in, the area was cleaned and about an hour later, swimmers were able to use the pool again.

Did you know that we almost did not have school on Tuesday, Dec.

11? Many students did not hear about the incident. The custodians work in a “behind the scenes” fash-ion that many do not see and there-fore shed respect to.

While some students might have been upset that their “free day off”

had not come, Spokesman would like to thank the maintenance and custodial staff for their hard work.

Staying until 4 a.m. went above and beyond

their duties. Spokesman staff encour-

ages students and staff to thank the custodians for their hard ef-forts. The wrappers we leave on the floor do not magically vanish.

Custodians are one of the many “unsung heroes” at WHS, and our

days would not function smoothly without them.

“This situation is a perfect ex-ample of how they pitch in and lead us in a way that might never be oth-erwise seen,” Kate Kraft, associate principal, said. “I am sure (espe-cially in the middle of the night), it would have been a lot easier to shut off the water and close the pool for a period of time. One of the best aspects of Wheeling High School is how seriously the professionals in the building take on their responsi-bilities.”

So while you are sitting at the holiday assembly today, just take a minute and think about the prepa-ration that had to be done by cus-todians just for one event. In the hallways, thank them.

editorialCustodians deserve more recognition

8 out of 8 members of the editorial board agree.

keira’s kartoons

To all the people who donated blood at the Blood Drive. With the holiday season near, it’s thoughtful to give.

Spokesman Staff 2012-2013This is the official student

newspaper of Wheeling High School, 900 S. Elmhurst Road, Wheeling, Ill. 60090. Written, edited and distributed 8 times a year by advanced journalism classes, independent studies and other interested and qualified students. Produced by using desktop publishing and is print-ed by Son’s Enterprises, Inc., Skokie Ill. Mailed subscription $15 per year.

Letters- Spokesman is a lim-ited public forum and welcomes a free exchange of ideas from all readers. Readers are encour-

aged to contribute letters to the staff in room 137 or mail them in care of WHS. All letters must be signed. Letters may be edited for length, style, possible libel, clar-ity, and adherence to our pub-lication policies. Spokesman’s mission is to report the news ob-jectively and truthfully. We will print any known errors here in the issue following our gaining knowledge of the error.

Advertising- For infor-mation, call (847) 718-7114 Monday-Friday 7:25 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Corrections-Matthew Browne is a sophomore, not a junior on Page 3. Bryan Marban’s name is mis-spelled on Page 3. Maggie Scanlan’s name is misspelled in the cutline on Page 5.The Rotary Club was mis-identified on Page 7.

*Staff members with asteriks are on the editorial board.

Editor-in-Chief*Megan Jones

Web Editor*Rosalie Chan

Associate Editor*Solinna Chong

News EditorRosalie Chan

A&E Editor*Robert Perales

Feature Editor*Frida Valdés

Focus EditorSolinna Chong

La Voz Editor*Perla Jimenez

Forum EditorMegan Jones

Sports EditorMegan Jones

Photo Editor*Kristina Piamonte

Broadcast Editor*Mark Tannous

Advertising ManagerMegan Jones

Staff ArtistKeira Skenandore

Staff ReportersAntonia ArismendisChris NushErik HernandezKatia Bryhadyr Kelly McKewinMegan BrezkaMike PinkMegan Provost Paige McCoyRossy Peralta

Graphic DesignersHenry GonzalezNycole Garcia

AdviserJohn Uhrik

When many of us think of school, we think of detentions, early mornings and homework. We focus on the negative aspects of school rather than on the good.

This week, our nation has been heartbroken by the tragic event at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. As of press time, there have been 28 confirmed deaths, including the shooter and his mother. Unfortunately, there were 27 innocent people who woke

up hoping for another fun-filled day of school, yet they were tragically silenced.

School is supposed to be a safe haven for students and teachers alike. It is a place where you know you are safe and surrounded by peo-ple who love you.

My little brother, currently in the third grade, wakes up every morn-ing at 6:30 a.m. just to have break-fast with me. He gets so excited in the morning talking about school and meeting all of his friends and teachers. My little brother partici-pates in the school’s math team, cre-ative writing club and school band. As young as he is, I can definitely see him growing up to be a talented person. Children love school, and they should not be stripped of that privilege. To think that there are certain individuals willing to attack a child’s haven is beyond my belief.

On that note, 20 young kids were taken from us that day, but let us

not forget the seven faculty mem-bers who were also taken away. These remarkable people protected the 700 other students who could have suffered the same fate, but did not thanks to the educators’ brave actions.

I remember reading a story from the Daily Times about a first grade teacher named Victoria Soto who hid her students in the closet and cabinets to keep them safe. The shooter approached her, and she lied and said her kids were in the gym. Soto sacrificed her life for the sake of her students.

Another heroic story was of a janitor who ran up and down the halls yelling, “Lock your doors!” and even led some students to the safety. These are just two stories of the remarkable teachers and people there that day, and there are prob-ably many more.

Although tragic, we should not forget the heroism exhibited that

day. It is hard to see goodness out of an event like this, but be proud of those who risked lives.

Sadly, what happened at Sandy Hook is not the first time our nation has seen such vile actions.

After Columbine in Littleton, Colo., you would think people would learn: nothing good comes from hateful violence. President Barack Obama expressed this mes-sage through a special report aired on almost all local television sta-tions.

Although there is little I can do now except send my prayers, my at-titude toward school has changed.

After this tragic event, let what happened at Sandy Hook be a les-son to all students.

Let school be an honor to attend rather than an obligation. Let Mon-days be enjoyed rather than hated on. Let tests be taken with confi-dence rather than with anxiety. Let us not forget.

Value of school emerges through Sandy shooting

Solinna Chong

To WPAC and Student Council for sponsoring the signing of cards to be sent to Newtown to show Wildcat support.

sports 11Dec. 21, 2012spokesman

Gymnastics places, starts strong

The girls basketball team experienced injuries this season resulting in a loss of four players, which caused the team to broaden their experiences with new roles.

Jessi Zuba, senior and three-year varsity player, is one of those four.

During the first 41 sec-onds of their first game, Zuba was driving the ball to the basket, and an opposing team member stepped on her foot.

Hailey Dammeier, soph-omore and two-year varsity

player, could relate. Dam-meier fractured her tibia while playing defense at the fifth game.

They both still attend practice and do the same stretches, but they are in re-hab to gain more strength.

Julissa Hernandez, math teacher and girls var-sity basketball coach, said it was unfortunate to lose these players. According to Hernandez, these “season ending injuries” made game plan changes.

“It brings our numbers down; losing two starters out of five definitely makes a difference,” Coach Her-

nandez said.Although Dammeier and

Zuba miss playing, it pro-vides the other players an opportunity to experience different positions.

“I can’t say one person plays my position now, but since there’s multiple peo-ple injured, everyone on the team has had to step up and take on new roles,” said Zuba.

The team currently has a record of 4-7.

“The team adjusted well with different players in dif-ferent roles. I think we’re doing a good job,” Coach Hernandez said.

Antonia Arismendisstaff reporter

Basketball loses players to injuries

Jessi Zuba, senior, and Hailey Dammeier, sophomore, complete physical therapy training in the training room. “I could wear a brace and try to play, but I was told my season was over,” Zuba said. She decided to take the brace, which she received Dec. 10. Until then, she can not play until her trainer says so.

Kristina Piamonte

Every day, the six girls on the varsity gymnastics team practice, condition, and work on routines and tricks, hoping that their efforts will pay off when it comes time for their meets. This season, it appears their “hard work” has.

This year, the team won the first home meet, and Anne Janulis, junior, received first place in the all-around at a meet against Rolling Meadows High School. Other girls have placed individually in the dual meets.

“We keep improving at every meet. My hope for the team is to get at least ninth place in conference at the end of the year,” Alyssa Pink, senior, said.

According to Nicole Maila, math teacher and gymnastics coach, getting ninth place in conference would be great for the team.

“I think it’s a possibility,” Malia said, “And I think it would be a great accomplish-ment.”

There have been eight meets so far, and the teammates aim to continue improving their record and meeting all of their per-sonal goals. Their conference record is 1-2.

“Over winter break the team tries to get more skills and improve. We’re going to be practicing everyday,” Pink said.

It is Ms. Maila’s first year coaching, tak-ing over for Bob Esposito, previous coach. In terms of points, Ms. Maila believes that this year lives up to previous standards, and she hopes that the team becomes even bet-ter.

“We’re working on improving our skills, improving our routines and having our overall score increase. We’re going for over-all improvement,” Ms. Maila said.

Pink, who has been in gymnastics for 13 years, hopes to achieve her personal goals this season; she wants to get a 32 all-around score and is working on new tricks, such as a full.

Yesenia Martinez, junior, practices her floor routine during practice. She believes that this year has been a learning experience for her. “I learned a new floor routine and I tumble now. I also learned a lot of new things on the bars,” Martinez said. “I hope to advance in bars, that the team wins more meets and to have fun with it this year.”

Kristina Piamonte

Kelly McKewinstaff reporter

sportsVolume 49 Issue 4 Dec. 21, 2012

Girls Basketball; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at Elk Grove High School

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Boys Basketball; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at home

Gymnastics; 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at Maine West Invite

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Zuunbayan impresses team despite freshman status

Tulga Zuunbayan, freshman, has been deemed as an “amazing wrestler” by the se-nior members. Zuunbayan, in weight class 138, currently has a record of 17-6.

According to Neil Weiner, wrestling coach, he is the leading scorer and has the best record on the team so far.

“He has improved tremendously over the course of the season,” Coach Weiner said.

Zuunbayan recently arrived to WHS from California, and he placed third in the Wildcat Invitational on Dec. 8.

The Wildcat Invitational is a well-regard-ed tournament, according to Coach Weiner. WHS placed ninth overall.

It is easy to tell where the “freshman prodigy” gets his “talent” from; his father wrestled in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and in the 2001 World Championships.

“I used to think it was nothing (his dad going to the olympics), but now I think its really cool,” Zuunbayan said.

According to Sal Dominguez, senior, in the future, he thinks Zuunbayan will be a state qualifier and “hopefully a state medal-ist.”

“I think Tulga is a really good wrestler, and he always comes through in the clutch, giving us a lot of points,” Dominguez said.

Zuunbayan has already set a goal of mak-ing it to State as a freshman.

“He’s a talented individual that over time, has a great future, and I can’t wait until he’s a senior to see his full potential.” Jacob Del Toro, senior, said.

The next wrestling meet, the Carmel Quad, will take place on Thursday, Dec. 27 at Carmel Catholic High School.

“The meets are always exciting, espe-cially when they are close,” Zuunbayan said.

Mark Tannousbroadcast editor

Kristina PiamonteTulga Zuunbayan (left), freshman varsity wrestler, practices in the balcony against David Gonzalez, sophomore, for agility and strength. “Wrestling Tulga in practice is awesome because he is so good and so fun to wrestle against,” Ricky Muro, sophomore, said. “It’s really a chal-lenge when it comes to wrestling him. The practice is intense; the coaches expect more out of you.” According to Zuunbayan, having wrestling partners like Gonzalez and Muro have made fitting into the team very easy.

Nowry recognized in Sports Illustrated

Max Nowry, ‘08 gradu-ate, is not a well known name like Jay Cutler, Der-rick Rose or Patrick Kane, but the 5’2” 121 pound se-nior at Northern Michigan University is definitely on his way.

Nowry recently won a gold medal at the Greco-Roman wrestling University World Championships on Oct. 5 in Finland.

After Nowry won that medal, he was chosen to be in the “Faces in the Crowd” section in Sports Illustrated. The “Faces in the Crowd” section is a page where Sports Illustrated picks the best eight to ten high school

or collegiate athletes of the month around the United States.

To understand how much of an accomplishment this is, some athletes who have made it into this sec-tion of Sports Illustrated in-clude Emmit Smith (1986), Tiger Woods (1990), Vince Carter (1995), Paul Pierce (1995), Ben Roethlisberger (1999), Joe Mauer (2000), Michelle Wie (2001), Jen-nie Finch (2002) and Tim Tebow (2004).

The acceptance into the “Faces in the Crowd” sec-tion is expected to increase national attention for the sport itself.

After Nowry graduated WHS in 2008 with a couple of state championships in his back pocket, he decided

to further his education at the U.S Olympic Education Center.

While at NMU, he has not only done well in wres-tling, but also academically by making it onto the dean’s list.

Nowry wrestled when he attended WHS, but his ac-complishments grew during college.

“His technique was re-ally good,” Derrick Wiase, senior, said. “The power that he had for his size was amazing.”

Nowry came in first two times in the Junior World Team Trials and the Junior Nationals while finishing first only once in the Univer-sity World Team Trials, and the 2010 and 2011 Univer-sity nationals.

Mike Pinkstaff reporter

Baseball:Bren Spillane, sophomore - University of Illinois-Urbana Cham-paign, University of Illinois ChicagoBubba Bendewald, senior - Dominican University, Beloit College, Elmhurst CollegeDavid Shapiro, senior - Augustana College, Beloit College, Elmhurst CollegeIan Gilliam, senior- Trinity International (Signed)Nick Ricciardi, senior - Elmhurst College, Monmouth College

Boys Basketball:Chris Pierro, junior - North Park UniversityJeremy Stephani, junior - Aurora University, Washington University in St. Louis, West Point,

Girls basketball:Deanna Kuzmanic, sophomore - Indiana University, University of Iowa, Princeton UniversityJessie Zuba, senior - Hamline

University, Macalester College, North Central College

Football:Henry Gonzalez, senior - Aurora University, Concordia University, Cornell CollegeJesus Gonzalez, senior - Minnesota State UniversitySal Dominguez, senior - Cornell College

Softball:Sara Kern, senior - University of Missouri - St.Louis (Signed)

Soccer:Alfredo Jimenez, senior - Aurora University (Signed)

Golf:Jack Ferguson, senior - Illinois Wesleyan University (Signed)

Swimming:Bryce Maczko, junior - University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin

Information gathered by Mike Pink

SEEN IN PRINT: Max Nowry, ‘08 graduate, was featured in the “Faces in the Crowd” section of Sports Illustrated. He was chosen after winning the gold medal at the Greco-Roman wres-tling competition in Finland.

Wrestling Statistics as of 12/14Sam Blair Won 5 Lost 9Joe Brezniak Won 0 Lost 3Johny Carvajal Won 9 Lost 12James Cooke Won 13 Lost 7Jose Cruz Won 4 Lost 12Jacob Del Toro Won 10 Lost 6Sal Dominguez Won 7 Lost 6

Alex Gonzalez Won 1 Lost 10David Gonzalez Won 6 Lost 7Brandon Harris Won 7 Lost 11Juan Hernandez Won 5 Lost 4Ed Levine Won 1 Lost 2Steven Montesinos Won 4 Lost 10Ricky Muro Won 8 Lost 8

David Rodriguez Won 12 Lost 7Jesus Rodriguez Won 5 Lost 6Ricky Sotello Won 0 Lost 1Tulga Zuunbayan Won 17 Lost 6Varsity Level Won 114 Lost 127

Information gathered by Mike Pink

Listed below are the Wheeling athletes who are being recruited to play a specific sport in college. If it says “(Signed)” next to their name, they have signed a letter of intent to officially play that sport at the school.

WHS Recruited Athletes