The Student Newspaper of Northside College Prep HSJune 2011, Volume 12, Number 9

Online at thehoofbeat.com

CLASS OF 2011SHOUT OUT

NCP News • June 2011 • The Hoof Beat2

NCP NEWSEVENTS

Daley comes to NorthsideFormer Mayor Daley visits Northside Prep to plant trees on Arbor Day.

EVENTS

First student-run fashion showGeneration Y has fashion show hosted sponsored by Akira.

by Carly Jackson

It has been ten years since the idea of the Celestial Garden was created by Mr. Neil Ko-reman, a former science teacher at Northside, in 2001. His goal was to create an outdoor ce-lestial observatory and classroom. Since then, the garden has become a project that North-side teachers and students have worked on during colloquiums.

“It’s really exciting to see [the garden benches] finally going up,” Joanne Minyo, art department chair, said. “These pieces of mosaic that have been covered by years and years of plastic are finally seeing the light of day again.”

Mr. Timothy Devine, social science de-partment, planned the Celestial Garden with Minyo.

“The Celestial Garden can certainly be used as an outdoor classroom,” Devine said.“We think the Celestial Garden and the other projects in backyard will draw more people outside, which is certainly a good thing for any school.”

The Celestial Garden features an obelisk circled by cement benches featuring mosa-ics. One path through the garden aligns with true north and in the winter and summer sol-stices, respectively, the obelisk’s shadow will align with the other two paths. The plan also includes a themed garden behind each bench.

“One garden theme is plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s writing,” Devine said. “More possible themes are a tactile or color garden that could be used by Mr. Pelikan’s special ed-ucation classes and a medicinal garden, where plants could be used for herbal remedies or in science classes.”

The students working with Minyo and Devine researched myths that referenced the celestial bodies and translated them into the bench mosaics.

“Hopefully, when you look at it you see the progression from day to night and back again,” Minyo said. “In the night sky por-tion you see constellations and in the day sky portion you see the rising red sun. Run-ning through the seat portions there are two quotes about constellations, one from Edgar Allen Poe and the other from a Pawnee song.”

Minyo and Devine encountered many obstacles while designing and creating the Celestial Garden. Some of these were related to raising funds, other issues arose from the construction of the mosaic itself.

Students in Devine and Minyo’s Celes-tial Garden colloquium over the past 10 years have helped with almost every phase of the project.

“During the final stretch of the project I checked the little pieces of mosaic and made sure they were weren’t any missing ones or that none of them were too close to each other or too spaced out,” Michelle Bozenda, Adv. 309, said. Bozenda was in the Celestial Garden colloquium in the second semester of her freshman year.

Additionally, Devine and Minyo take the students camping each year, to visit limestone canyons and study the night skies.

“When I first agreed to this I didn’t know it would take 10 years,” Minyo said. “My hope is that since it is in a public place that people will respect it.”

The Celestial Garden continues to evolveInternational Day

more successful than Rebecca Black’s hitby Kelly Buchanan

Energy and excitement filled the gym as the performance groups combatted last min-ute clothing malfunctions, while gym hosts Michael Loftus, Adv. 102, Asher Perlmutter, Adv. 100, and Daniel Sobor, Adv. 109, sang their rendition of Rebecca Black’s hit “Fri-day.”

The Samulnori drum act was the first of many performances to occur in the gym. A long line of students walked in an organized formation while pounding on large, loud drums and cymbals in unison.

The next two performances to occur in the gym both brought something new to the table. Ballroom Dancing made its I-Day debut, and Sabor Latino, Northside’s Latin dancing group, spiced it up with both boys’ and girls’ solos in addition to the familiar couples’ rou-tines.

Martial Arts, or as the hosts called it, “the international cat fight” after Sobor confused it with “Marital” Arts, was a crowd favorite. This act was a display of athleticism complete with flying kicks and sophomore, Luis Granja, Adv. 306, performing extreme acrobatic moves.

After the Chinese Fan and Polish Danc-es, the Korean Fan Dance group performed. Though this was the second dance to use fans, the performers made the dance come alive by making natural shapes, such as mountains and waves made with the fans. After a brief segue involving Miguel the field reporter, the final performance of the set, Hypnotik, took the stage. Clad in team jerseys, the routine consisted of Hypnotik’s typical fast-paced hip-hop moves, but at the end, a senior trib-ute revealed a closeness in the members, leav-ing several members in tears after the perfor-mance.

“It was a bittersweet moment,” said Na-talia Corredor, Adv. 106. “I was happy to be dancing with my groups, but then I realized that it would be my last performance with people I love.”

Corredor was one of the several students who participated in several acts, as she was in Sabor Latino, Hypnotik, Hawaiian, and K-Pop.

Meanwhile, the Ohana Hawaiian Dance began the auditorium portion of I-Day, host-

ed by Geovanni Gomez, Adv. 105, and Lucas Negrete-Rousseau, Adv. 110. This year, the Ohana Dance featured not only dances native to Hawaii such as the hula, but also some Ta-hitian moves.

The Black Student Union performed a traditional African dance, then, the Vietnam-ese Hat Dance thrilled the crowd with the red and white inserts in their hats, and next K-Pop performed to honor the Korean pop culture. Host Negrete-Rousseau also had the opportunity to display his lip-syncing talent in the K-Pop performance.

Students performed a Philippine Folk Dance next, using candles which they bal-anced on their foreheads and wrapped in cloth to look like lanterns. Koji Tran, Adv. 404, and Justin Mark, Adv. 103, silenced the crowd in the next performance with Taiko drumming.The penultimate performance was Tari Saman, the Indonesian Hand Dance, and

the final performance was the Irish Dance, dubbed a ‘bedazzled “Stomp the Yard” with lots of wigs’ by hosts Gomez and Negrete-Rousseau.

I-Day concluded with host Perlmutter asking Becky Duffy, Adv. 109, to senior prom. Afterwards, several performers wearing fake mustaches sat in the audience only to strip off layers of clothing to reveal their customary outfits and join the ongoing Indian Dance.

For some students, I-Day may seem re-petitive and boring, but this is not the case for the performers, some of who have been participating in I-Day for their entire high school careers.

“I-Day is really special to all of us that perform in it,” Ruchi Mahadeshwar, Adv. 103, said. “…Behind every performance are hours and hours of practice, sweat, and effort. We really want to put on the best show we can, and it feels great when that’s appreciated.”

“It’s I-Day, I-Day, gotta get down on I-Day”

Ivan Capifali, Adv. 301, dips his partner, Jasmine Munoz, Adv. 404, during the Sabor Latino performance | OLUTOYE ADEGBORO

by Bushra Kabir

After teaching for twelve years at North-side, Mr. Timothy Devine, social science de-partment, will be joining Walter Payton Col-lege Prep this summer as its new principal.

“Knowing that I will be leaving a place that is very special to me is very difficult,” Mr. Devine said, “[but] at the same time, I’ve always encouraged my students to seek new horizons and challenge their skills in differ-ent ways.”

Mr. Devine values a tight connection be-tween education leadership and teaching and learning, and so he will also be teaching a so-cial science class at Payton.

“It will give me more opportunities to pursue issues of education leadership,” Mr. Devine said, “which is something I have been very passionate about for my entire career.”

Some of Mr. Devine’s plans involve a more frequent presentation of artworks in Payton’s hallways. He will also be ensuring the comple-tion of a capital construction program.

“One of the principal’s great jobs is to lead the entire school community and discus-sions about who we are right now and what we want to become,” Mr. Devine said.

There will be two members of the student body serving permanently on Mr. Devine’s leadership team to help make decisions.

Mr. Devine also plans on having weekly

meetings with the student council to make it an integral part of school administration.

“One of Payton’s mottoes is that we nur-ture leaders,” Mr. Devine said, “and I want to ensure that all students have a choice in lead-ership for the school.”

Mr. Devine was on the Local School Council for ten years and has seen the func-tions of Northside from various standpoints and wants to do the same for Payton.

“I obviously need to learn their programs and people backwards and forwards,” Mr. Devine said, “so I have already been talking to students about what Payton is currently so I can color my mindset a bit better.”

Mr. Devine becomes Payton’s new principal

The Hoof Beat • June 2011 • NCP News 3

Daley visits Northside to plant trees, reflect on time as mayorby Sarah Schoonhoven

Hundreds of students, faculty, city gov-ernment officials, and volunteers gathered behind Northside on April 29 to celebrate Arbor Day by planting trees. Throughout the day, which culminated in a visit from Mayor Daley just weeks before his retirement, over 50 trees were planted on Northside’s prop-erty by students from the Dirt Actualizers (D.A.), several science classes, and commu-nity volunteers from Bank of America and Dominick’s Finer Foods.

Volunteers trickled in through the morn-ing hours, and at 9:00 a.m. the mayor arrived, quickly followed by several Chicago news sta-tions. Alderman Patrick J. O’Connor of the 40th ward started off a morning of speeches, mainly talking about Mayor Daley’s dedica-tion to the ward and its tree-growing projects. Following O’Connor’s speech was a speech from the mayor about the importance of trees in Chicago.

“Chicago has more than 3.5 million trees that remove pollution from the air, reduce summer cooling costs and increase property values,” Daley said. “…Arbor Day gives us the perfect opportunity to re-commit ourselves to carrying out our mission of protecting

human health and the environment.”Afterwards, there was a short speech

from CBS Evening News co-anchor Bill Kur-tis, who later acted as emcee for the rest of the day’s speeches. Kurtis added humor to the day, cracking several jokes at the mayor’s expense. The first speaker he introduced was Dr. Linda Westphal, project leader at the U.S. Forest Service, who spoke about the mayor’s love for trees and their benefits for Chicago.

“Today we’re honoring not just trees,” Dr. Westphal said, “but Mayor Daley’s com-mitment to both trees and the people of Chi-cago…. He knows that trees are not just good for the bottom line—and they are good for the bottom line—but they are also good for sustainability.”

Finally, there was a brief speech from Barbara Hamel, Marketing Executive, Health-care & Institutions, of Bank of America, one of the day’s corporate sponsors.

“We have a role to play in building our communities as great places to live, work, and play….That’s something we at Bank of Ameri-ca take very seriously,” Hamel said.

Rounding up the speakers was Luis Mesa, Adv. 207, a member of the Northside Dirt Ac-tualizers. Mesa thanked the mayor and the volunteers on behalf of the D.A., and talked

about why the project was so important to him.

After all had given their final sentiments, the mayor and several other honored guests planted the first tree of the day, kicking off

the rest of the day’s activities. By the end of the day, over 50 trees were planted by both volunteers and the D. A.s. Northside’s back yard became a greener, more tree-filled place.

Former Mayor Daley arrives at Northside Prep for a short speech before the tree-planting |JEFFREY JOSEPH

High achievement, high fashionGeneration Y produced first student-run fashion showby Regine Sarah Capungan

Along with academics, many Northsiders

are also interested in fashion, music, and art. It is these interests that gave Meaghan Mc-Gowan, Adv. 303, and Tiana Chan, Adv. 305, the idea to start Generation Y, a club that is geared toward the fashion industry.

One of Generation Y’s main accomplish-mets was Northside’s first student-run fash-ion show. The show took place in the gymna-sium on May 26 and was sponsored by Akira. The Chicago-based clothing boutique supplied everything from clothing and accessories, stylists, and goody-bags, which contained snacks, accessories, and a ten dollar gift cer-tificate to the store.

“What we wanted to do was to learn more about the industry of fashion,” McGowan said, “basically how to walk the runway and how to put on a fashion show.”

Spectators, most of whom were clutch-ing red Akira goody-bags, began piling into the gym at 6:30. They found seats among the several metal folded chairs that were set up around the runway, which was a square path on the gym floor that was marked with tape.

“We couldn’t have done any of this with-out the help of Akira,” McGowan said. “They brought in models, helped us pick out the clothes, and basically everything we needed to put this [fashion show] on.”

The show began with a short speech by Chan and McGowan.

“So this fashion show is a culmination of everything we ever did in our club,” Chan said. “We tried to use all of the student’s spe-cial skills which is why we have a student DJ, we have Hypnotik performing, we have stu-dent designers here, we have student models here, student make-up artists, [and] student stylists.”

After the speech, Duck Sauce’s “Barbara Streisand (O-God Remix)” blared through the speakers as the models strutted down the

runway in “casual” clothes. The female mod-els wore short day dresses and other outfits

that were suitable for the daytime and school. The male models wore clothes such as knee-length cut-off shorts, straw fedoras, and boat shoes. The casual outfits transitioned into “rocker,” where models wore dark colors and metal studs. Some of the outfits included a black tutu, worn by Aliyah Jervier, Adv. 413 and a bright blue and red outfit worn by Spen-cer Kennedy, Adv. 110.

Several photographers, both professional and students, were clustered in each of the corners of the square shaped runway, where models would pose to show off the clothes. The photographers took several shots of Sky Cubacub, Northside class of 2010, who ended the first half of the show with her unconven-tional walk down the runway. She was model-ing her own self designed outfit, which con-sisted of chainmail and fabric rings draped over her body. During her last stretch on the runway, Cubacub passed out business cards to the audience advertising her artwork and designs.

Once Cubacub and all of the models who had worn “rocker” outfits were backstage, the audience was treated to a special performance by Hypnotik as the models were busy getting dressed backstage for their final evening wear number. Although the dance group was miss-ing several members, they still managed to provide the crowd with some entertainment.

The show continued after Hypnotik fin-ished the routine. The models’ evening wear outfits consisted of formal party dresses and heels. Among the highlights consisted of a black dress with a train, which was worn by Mary Coomes, Adv. 403 and a bright fuchsia dress worn by Maeve Zolkowski, Adv. 204. The male models wore suits from Akira Men, including one eye-catching fuchsia and teal suit worn by Neel Patel, Adv. 103, and a white and black suit worn by Tae Lee, Adv. 204.

Applause ensued during the finale, all of the models appeared from backstage to walk along the runway. The models paused before the crowd then headed backstage to take pho-tos with the fashion show coordinators.

Tiara Badie, Adv. 407, Umair Hamid, Adv. 304 walk down the runway for the finale |SARAH CAPUNGAN

NCP News • June 2011 • The Hoof Beat4 ELECTIONS

1:1 kids: where are they?

Sports

Going back to class

GLOBAL AFFAIRSPLACES

Holocaust MuseumHoof Beater Imran Senlik visits the Illinois Holocaust Museum.

HOLIDAYS

Memorial DayUnderstanding the significance of memorial day through veterans eyes.

by Will Riley

Northside is accustomed to producing top performers in a wide array of fields. Now, thanks to the exploits of Wesley Morioka, Adv. 203, the school can add a Pokemon national champion to its proverbial trophy case for the first time. Morioka, who has been playing the video game since the age of 5, last year came home from 2010 Pokemon National Champi-onships in Indianapolis ranked first among the competition. As a prize, he received an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii, a Nintendo Wii, and a Nintendo DSi.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Barry Rodgers, Northside principal, said. “People need to know that to win a competition like this, it does require a lot of skill, a lot of research, and a really sharp intellect.”

Morioka’s achievements are the results of years of practice and firsthand experience at various competitions.

“There are different stages of training,” Morioka said. “Even right now [after win-ning], I am still training, and then I leave for Dallas on Friday [May 27] for a regional tour-nament.”

Some of the technicalities of training for the game involve terms far above a layman’s head. Morioka speaks about Pokemon in terms of stats, EVs (effort values), IVs (indi-

vidual values), egging, hatching, pseudo-ran-dom number generator (PRNGs), breeding, and several other specific words foreign to the uninitiated.

Morioka has never needed a coach. In-stead he carves out time on his own, at home, to practice.

“Wesley Morioka is a volleyball star by day and a Pokemon star by night,” Despot Djuric, Adv. 104, said. “I saw it in him; I saw that he would become champion one day.”

Djuric is one of the few students at Northside that traced Morioka’s Pokemon successes. In fact, the reason the HoofBeat is just now reporting on the accomplishment – nearly eleven months after it occurred – is because Morioka kept largely to himself about his winnings. The HoofBeat did not get a lead

on the story until May of 2011. “The only time I ever really talk about it

[to friends] is if people ask me how I play,” Morioka said. “It’s hard to describe to them.”

Morioka’s family, on the other hand, has been privy to his entire journey.

“They love it; they’re fans of the game, too,” Morioka said. “We grew up in a video game family.”

Morioka also plays Mario games on Nin-tendo and a few Wii games in his spare time. He says he plans on continuing to be a gamer throughout college and into his adult life. He will not stop with this one championship; in fact, he has already given away some of his hardware from this year.

“I gave my Wii to my brother to take to college because he’ll probably need it [more

than me], but I am keeping the DS for good use,” Morioka said.

Morioka recognizes that he is looked up to by thousands of young fans of the game. One of those fans is Josh Lill, son of North-side band teacher Mr. Mike Lill.

“I’ve got to try and beat his record,” the younger Lill said when told of Morioka’s suc-cess. For his part, Morioka offered some ad-vice to those trying to follow in his footsteps.

“Use the internet to research what you’re doing,” Morioka said. “I had no idea about half this stuff when I was in eighth grade.”

Now that the story is out, Northside can hope that there will be many more Morioka-inspired gamers and many more Pokemon championships to add to the trophy case.

Caught ‘Em All!Wesley Morioka crowned 2010 Pokemon national champion

Wesely Morioka being crowned the 2010 Pokémon Video Game National Championship for the senior divison. | Courtesy of pokemon.com

by Imran Senlik

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) invited rep-resentatives from Northside College Prep for a tour of and dinner at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in recogni-tion of Holocaust Remembrance Day on May 5 in Skokie. This day was started in 1990 by former Mayor Richard M. Daley for the vic-tims of the Holocaust. The day started with a self-guided tour, where pictures, diagrams, and artifacts relating to the Holocaust were on display.

Mr. Leon Lim, Programmer; June Mur-phy, Adv. 204; Laurence Riley, Adv. 401; and I were asked to represent Northside. This was, for most of us, a once in a life time opportu-nity because it was one of mayor Daley’s last appearances as sitting mayor.

Mr. Lim was appointed by Governor Pat Quinn to serve as a member of the Illinois Holocaust and Genocide Commission. This group provides education about the Holo-caust and genocide around the world.

At the museum Mr. Lim, a genocide sur-vivor, made connections and explained the similar killing methods that were used in the Cambodian genocide. One of the images at the museum was a picture of a man from the Holocaust standing over a mass grave waiting to be shot in the head. Mr. Lim told students that they would not waste a bullet on a per-son in Cambodia; instead they would hit an individual with a bamboo stick. The schedule continued with Mayor Daley giving a speech

about the Holocaust.“Hate crimes and crimes against human-

ity continue to occur all around the world every day and we must be constantly vigilant to make sure that prejudice and intolerance never obtain a foothold in Chicago,” Mayor Daley said at the Holocaust Museum.

He continued on by shedding light onto the many hate crimes that take place around the world.

“In this battle against the systematic per-secution of people because of their race, reli-gion, sexual orientation, or beliefs, one of our greatest allies is memory,” Mayor Daley said. “We can never allow ourselves to forget ha-tred and racism—left unchecked, it will grow to monstrous proportions.”

The day continued with a Holocaust sur-vivor telling her story about how she escaped death. When she was a young child, she had to separate from her parents and go live with a Catholic priest.

According to her, she grew up with as much love as someone who was not your parents could give you. She lived in a small village where she had to hide her religion, finding out only after the war had ended that practically everyone in the village knew her identity. After the war ended, with the help of her friends, she found her own relatives.

All in all, I would recommend everyone to go to the Holocaust Museum. The well-preserved artifacts help understand the Ho-locaust to a whole new level that no textbook could have given.

A trip to the Holocaust Museumby Jamilah Alsharif

For some people, Memorial Day is a day off of work or school that is spent at the beach, barbecues, or lounging at home. How-ever, others do not think twice about the day’s purpose: to honor the people defending our country.

“I think that people spend a lot of time celebrating memorial day,” Jon Turner, for-mer U.S. Marine Corps soldier, said, “but I don’t think that enough is done in actually honoring the warrior that went overseas, and I say that because a person going to war is going to come back completely different than when they first went, than when they first joined the military. If you are going to send someone into combat or someone is going to enlist then something needs to be done for them, some ceremony that will invite them into that thought process.”

The National Veterans Art Museum, lo-cated at 1801 S. Indiana St., hosted Jon Turn-er, a member of the Warrior Writers Project, and Pete Sullivan, a former member of the U.S. military. Although the museum has a focus on Vietnam, it presents artwork from veterans that have been inspired by combat. The Warrior Writers Project’s goal is to give veterans and current service members an ar-tistic outlet for their emotions related to war experiences and to share it with the public.

“I think after the welcome back parties people feel like they’ve done their part except for when a holiday rolls around,” Sullivan said.

“They put out a flag or a sign or a yellow rib-bon or slogan or motto and they think that’s it, but it’s something that veterans deal with everyday. I think that what we need to do is develop and help create a culture that really is interested in listening to veterans when they come home.”

Among Turner’s art pieces at The Nation-al Veterans Art Museum is “Prayer Boots.” Turner hopes that the people who see “Prayer Boots” will write down a prayer and add it to the boots. What inspires this idea is the be-lief that there is more strength and power in prayers when they are exerted in big groups.

“I believe that me telling my story and all of us telling our story will inspire people to go out and to act differently with people who might have wronged them before,” Turner said. “What veterans need is some-one to say ‘How are you processing your ex-perience? How are you dealing with what you went through?’ That is more important than anything. I hope that my son never has to go through what I go through.”

The National Veterans Art Museum was just one of many venues where veterans gath-ered to share their experiences in war.

Turner’s artwork reflects his condition after being in a combat zone.

“Before my artwork was very dark,” Turn-er said. “There’s definitely been a huge trans-formation in my first pieces of art to what they are now and the same with my writing. I’m not angry like I was before. I’m still angry, but it’s manifested in different ways.”

Understanding Memorial Day

The Hoof Beat • June 2011 • Special Features �

SPECIAL FEATURES:

SENIORS

by Andrew Hague

Walking through the halls of Northside College Prep, you see the same students, teachers, and administrators every day. But as the time passes, faces change when new teachers and students arrive at Northside alongside new sets of rules and traditions. Most students expect changes through high school and, although many changes are bene-ficial to the student body, some things should be left unbothered.

From the addition of new faculty to the

school’s contemporary garden, many aspects of Northside have been remodeled.

In 2010, The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) suffered a budget crisis. Because school budgets were cut, Northside was forced to let go of some of the seniors’ familiar teach-ers. Current seniors Danny Sobor, Adv. 100, and Jordan Jackson, Adv. 107, led a student study-in at the Daley Plaza to fight the budget cuts. Students sat along the plaza, reading or doing homework, in support of their teach-ers. Even though teachers were lost along the way, the leadership instilled in students, as a reaction to the faculty changes, is something seniors will take with them into college.

“Events like the student study-in last year show a big growth in maturity and re-sponsibility in our class, “ Emily Walsh, Adv. 100, said. “Showing that we cared about some

teachers being laid off was a real important thing for students to do at the time.”

George Kolovos, Adv. 100, is shocked by the great rise in school spirit. He has noticed that the stands at the Pack the Gym nights have become more crowded with students from each class as well as some returning alumni-most coming to watch a game and support the Northside team.

“The school wide effort to increase school spirit has been tremendous,” Kolovos said. “Pep Club has done a tremendous job in sup-porting events such as Senior Days, and, dur-ing the winter seasons, Pack the Gym Nights, which showcase Northside’s very own wres-tling and basketball teams.”

Some students argue that Northside has changed for the worse. Becky Schuba, Adv. 102, noted that the vending machines

are now supplied with poorer quality drinks. She has also noticed the implementation of a weaker attendance policy on students. Some students dislike that they are now required to lock their gym lockers before their physi-cal education class or sports game, while oth-ers believe that security is no longer tight enough.

Alongside the small changes that are eas-ily overlooked by some seniors, some larger changes including stronger sports teams and a more connected student body have led to a better Northside experience for the seniors.

“The school community has opened up with a friendly and inviting atmosphere,” Avery Schleichkorn, Adv. 106, said. “[The school] has become a more beautiful place, much like the garden that has been planted since our freshman year.”

Oh, how time flies for seniors

by Andriana Mitrakos 

For high school seniors, the summer be-fore college is an important time for planning any future endeavors. There are many sum-mer options but some important consider-ations may change your college experience.

Study - Studying over the summer and taking classes can help you receive credit for mandatory classes, which make room for you to take more classes you are interested in and possibly graduate early. Most summer classes are cheaper than those offered during the school season, so taking classes over the sum-mer may save you and your parents some of the extra cost not covered by financial aid.

Work - Use the summer to make some

money. You may need to have a budget during college, especially if you are living away from home, so working and saving money over the summer can provide extra cash to help with important financial decisions. Looking for ex-perience through internships can help height-en success in your intended field. Even if the internship is unpaid, learning to work with other people can be very beneficial in college as well as in applications for future jobs.

Spend time with family - You may have lived with them for most of your life, but going off to college can weaken family ties. Use the summer before college to bond with your family; try to mend broken relation-ships, listen to stories, create memories, and understand one another.

Travel - Step outside the boundaries of your childhood vacations and take a leap across a different border or the sea. Travel-ing can give you a glimpse of the world’s dif-ferent cultures and lifestyles before the first year of college. Travelling with friends can be

valuable. Besides creating new memories and strengthening friendships, travelling with students who share the same views as you can help you realize who you are and what chang-es you would like to make before college.

Do not stress- By all means, hit the pool or grab a good book and relax. High school is over. It is now time to begin a new stage in life, so enjoy the last summer before fresh-man year-you may just discover who you

One last high school summerWhat a fresh graduate should do with the last summer before college

Final senior advice on applying to collegeby Nelson Ogbuagu

After conquering the fears of freshman year, sailing the savage seas of sophomore year, jetting through junior year, and suf-fering a severe case of senioritis, seniors are graduating. Before seniors venture out into their new college life, they leave the upcom-ing seniors with words of advice.

Choosing colleges is the first step of the application process. The next step is deter-mining the number of schools to apply to. The general senior consensus is split on the matter. Some believe that the best route is to apply to as many schools as possible.

“It’s good to apply to a lot of colleges be-cause it leaves your options open if you decide

you want to go somewhere else,” Neil Miran, Adv.107, said. “It’s also good because you can bargain with other colleges by showing schol-arships you received from other colleges.”

However, many others feel that it is es-sential to apply to a few schools so that they can devote all of their time and energy to those they they are passionate about.

“You shouldn’t be applying to twenty schools because you need lots of ‘backups,’” Aracelis Sanchez, Adv.104, said. “It’s better to apply to a carefully selected few schools that you really want to go to and that you know you have a decent chance of getting in to.”

But after that first hurdle, a student now has to race to the next, and possibly biggest, obstacle: applying to that college. The appli-

cation process includes receiving teacher rec-ommendations, writing essays, and sending in transcripts and tests scores among many other requirements.

“Get it done on time. Try and have a good idea of what you want in a college by the time senior year starts. Compile a list based on multiple factors, such as money, proximity to home, etc.,” George Kolovos, Adv100 said. “I didn’t even know I was going to attend or even apply to the University of Michigan until 2 weeks before the November 1st deadline.”

Even when the senior has applied to all of the selected colleges, the process still is not over. Waiting for responses from applied colleges can be very stressful, but in the end, it all pays off when the acceptance letters ar-

rives in the mail. But sometimes, that letter never arrives, and another, darker one takes its place. The dreaded rejection letter will be the saddest part of the process. Rejection is almost an inevitability, but it is important to know that it is not the end of the process and there are other schools as options.

“If you come in with some degree of clari-ty of that fact,” Mr. Devine, social sciences de-partment, said, “you should have some type of emotional comfort that A, you are going to get into college, B if you come up with a really nice list of colleges, and you genuinely like 100 percent of schools, that initial sting of re-jection will be pacified by a sense of knowing that you’ll get into a college that you want to get into.”

Seniors look back on changes at Northside since freshman year

Special Features • June 2011 • The Hoof Beat�

Olutoye Adeolu AdegboroBrown University

Kevin E. AguilarDePaul University

Jameel AhmedUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Mohammed Zuhair AhmedDeccan University, Hyderabad India

Sawsan Ratib Al-AliNortheastern Illinois University

Roldan Quintos AlegreLoyola University

Lyanne AlfaroUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Alfredo AlmarazUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Kassandra Angirmaa Altan-tulkhuur

University of Illinois at ChicagoKarolina Alvarez

University of Illinois at UrbanaUroosa Amir

Loyola UniversityObaid Rashid Ansari

University of Illinois at UrbanaClaudia Izabela Atczylo

Lake Forest CollegeMiles Paul Austrevich

Yale UniversityHannah Leanne Aztlan

University of Illinois at ChicagoDamian Azubuike

University of Illinois at UrbanaAriel A. Basora

Roosevelt UniversityDavaagarmaa Batjargal

University of MichiganZoey Bergstrom

Harvard UniversityDorota Biedzio

Northwestern UniversityKaity Samantha Bobadilla

University of Illinois at ChicagoMelissa Bravo

University of Illinois at UrbanSeth Charles Brecklin

University of Illinois at ChicagoThomas Patrick Brekke

University of IowaElan Michelle Brick

University of Illinois at UrbanaMartina Alexandra Bright

Lake Forest CollegeLee Gerard Brophy

University of Aberdeen United Kingdom

Jesus BrunoCornell University

Gannon E. BrzoskaUniversity of Iowa

Kelly Lynn BuchananCase Western University

Timothy Brian ButzenUniversity of Minnesota

Elizabeth CamiloLoyola University

Lauren CasapaoLoyola University

Wilfido CastanedaUniversity of Maine at Machias

David Hanguk ChangVanderbilt University

Brandon B. ChansyLoyola University

Jessie Gertrude ChapmanTufts University

Hamza T. ChaudhryNorthwestern University

Alexa Kim ChavezUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Mary ChenBoston University

David ChoLoyola University

Michael ClearyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Krystn Leigh CollinsUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Nina Li CoomesUniversity of Chicago

Nora Rose CorcoranUniversity of Chicago

Natalia CorredorDavidson College

Griffin Harris CoxUniversity of Chicago

Beth Ashley CzysconMarquette University

Edessa DavidLoyola University

Gheamae Tiping DegilloNorth Park University

Melissa DeleonUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Andres Miguel DelgadoUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Vernadette T. Delos SantosGannon University

Eduardo DiazDePaul University

Ada DiepLoyola University

Michelle J. DiMuzioUniversity of Michigan

Despot DjuricUniversity of Michigan

Robin L. DohertyUniversity of Minnesota, Twin Cities

John F. DorfIllinois Institute of Technology

Simone Butterfly DosmarUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Alexandre Michael DoyleUniversity of Illinois Urbana

Luke Christopher DraseMarquette University

Rebecca Jean DuffyKnox College

Kathryn Margaret DuganThe Ohio State University

Leigh DurudoganUniversity of Michigan

Tressa L. EllettEmory University

Elyse Danielle EllsworthSouthern Illinois University

Melissa L. EspanaUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Natalia Jerusa Evens De MenezesMacalester College

Jonathan FacundoUndecided

William Niemann FarrUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Alexander Richard FilipowiczUniversity of Chicago

Nicole Rose FioRitoLake Forest College

William P. FitzgeraldDePaul University

Maya Alison FloresKnox College

Ottmar FloresIllinois Institute of Technology

Anton GarazhaLoyola University

Kathryn GarbaczUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Brandon P. GarciaUndecided

Daniel M. GarciaUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Nancy GarciaUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Luis Francis Michael GaytanDenison University

Karlyn Jilani Friesen GehringOberlin College

Tess J. GivenGrinnell College

Geovanni GomezGrinnell College

John C. GonzalezUndecided

Emma Nicole GregolineVassar College

Stella Minhee HanUniversity of Richmond

Edward Sean HeffernanUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Aerial Inez HendersonUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Eduardo HerreraUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Lily Bing HoNorthwestern University

Clara Dorothy HofmanUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Zosia M. HoldenCarroll University

Magdalena Deyanova IvanovaUniversity of Chicago

Vera Marie IwankiwUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Jordon JacksonReed College

Jeanette JaraDePaul University

Iman JaradDePaul University

Catherine Marie Jarvis DePaul University

Ann Marie JavierDePaul University

Alexandra Michele JonesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Alyssa Karlene JosephCarthage College

Jeffrey Chinedu JosephCornell University

Jennifer JuarezNortheastern Illinois University

Julia Drake Amaru Julstrom-Agoyo

University of IowaBushra Kabir

Syracuse UniversityOlivia Kaplan

Indiana UniversitySonia A. Kassam

University of Illinois at UrbanaZoe Leah Katsaggelos

University of Illinois at UrbanaRuby Paz Kaufman

Emory UniversitySpencer C. Kennedy

University of Illinois at UrbanaSarah Sikander Keshwani

Bradley UniversityNarmeen I. Khan

Northwestern UniversityMark O. Kharouta

Northwestern UniversityAlfredo M. Khoshnood

University of IowaClaire Eileen Kilpatrick

Marquette UniversityDa Mi Kim

Emory UniversityArthur Klisz

Yale UniversityGeorge Peter Kolovos

University of MichiganDaniel Igor Kosmala

DePaul UniversityAshley Kossakowski

Cornell UniversityLucas Casimir Kotowski

Northwestern UniversityPiotr Kozlowski

University of Illinois at UrbanaJonathan Thomas Kriston

DePaul UniversityPiotr Krypciak

Dominican UniversityKonrad Kubicki

University of ChicagoChristopher A. Kuprianczyk

University of Illinois at UrbanaJade Kimiko Kurokawa

Illinois State UniversityPetrina Giovanna LaFaire

Northwestern UniversityAnne Rose Lakayil

Marquette UniversityEzra D. Lampson

Loyola UniversityNoman K. Lashkariya

Loyola UniversityDavid Wesley Laytham

Davidson CollegeJacqueline Le

University of TampaHonghe Li

Dartmouth UniversityMichael Patrick Loftus

Georgetown UniversityIvan E. Lopez

University of ChicagoNoel Lopez

Tufts UniversityAlexander J. Luke

The Ohio State UniversitySamantha A. Lutzow

Lewis UniversityFermi Patrick Ma

Massachusetts Institute of Tech-nology

Ruchi MahadeshwarUniversity of Chicago

Amanda Lindsey MakDePaul University

Nicolas MarangelliUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Daniela A. MaravillasUndecided

Valeria MarinUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Justin Elliott MarkUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Calandra McGee Denison University

Taylor Evan MenczynskiDePaul University

Ginalyn Gonzales MendilloCarthage College

Charles M. MesimoreCornell College

Michael D. MeyerUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Gennesis MezaCornell University

Rachel Ann MiklaszewskiGeorge Washington University

Elisha Denise MilesBrown University

Neil Kenneth Morales MiranUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

You Min MokParsons The New School for Design

Heidi Alexandra MolinaDePaul University

Julio Cesar MonarrezHarvard University

Giovanni MonterrosoNortheastern University

Chamara W. MooreAlcorn State University

Patricia Johana MoradDePaul University

Richard Luis MoralesUnited States Naval Academy

Eduardo MorenoUndecided

Richard Austin MoyUniversity of California at Davis

Bjanka MujicicFranklin College Switzerland

Munira M. MunshiUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Mary MussmanYale University

Paolo G. NatividadUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Lucas Negrete RousseauNorthwestern University

Zoe Elizabeth NetterUniversity of Rochester

Mei K. NgIllinois Institute of Technology

Linh Ai NgoLoyola University

Anna Dang NguyenDrexel University

Christopher Lee NguyenOberlin College

Jimmy NguyenUndecided

Lauren Phi Anh NguyenUniversity of California Los Angeles

Nina NguyenUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Josephine B. NunezOakton Community College

Diana Sophia ObracajColumbia College

Carlos OcasioNortheastern Illinois University

Warren Valencia OlayaDePaul University

Carlos OrtegaUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Rosangelica PachecoSouthern Illinois University

Margaret Rose Pahl DonaldsonUniversity of Florida

Rhiday R. PandyaUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

James Philip PasaloUniversity of California Los Angeles

Lajja Rajendra PatelNorthwestern University

Neel G. PatelUniversity of Wisconsin at Madison

Fay PaulyRice University

Michelle Yvette PayesDePaul University

Alida PecaninNew York University

Caryssa PerezPurdue University

Asher S. PerlmutterUniversity of Michigan

Hershel S. PerlmutterUniversity of Michigan

Gabriella Maria Peters University of Illinois at Urbana

Joshua B. PfestUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Jenny PhanNorthwestern University

Andrew James PiperUniversity of Notre Dame

David PlutaUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Peter Stanley PodlipniNorthwestern University

Josephine PokrzywaUniversity of California Berkeley

Samantha Nicole PrestigiacomoSchool of the Art Institute at Chicago

Mitzi Zaira PurecoUndecided

Maryam Syeda QuadriBenedictine University

Nancy QuanSt. Louis College of Pharmacy

Rowan Millanes Quinain IILoyola University

Quinn Kenneth QuintanarUniversity of Chicago

Jancie Margarita QuinteroDominican University

Shahrose RahmanUniversity of Wisconsin at Madison

Miguel A. RamirezLoyola University

Caeleigh Helen RenkosiakDePaul University

Madeleine Anne ReschOccidental College

Oleida Sacha ReyesNortheastern Illinois University

William Atlas RileyUniversity of Southern California

Katerina Maria RiosUniversity of Missouri

Madiha RizviLoyola University

Evelyn Victoria Roback-NavarroUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Alexia RocUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Jocelyn Camile RodriguezNortheastern University

Maria I. RodriguezBoston College

Noemi De Perio RodriguezHouston Baptist University

Samantha Lynn RodriguezUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Vincent L. RodriguezUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Evan M. RogersUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Alexandra Ewa RojekHarvard University

Lily RongUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Jaime Roque Jr.Undecided

Zachary RosenbergNew York University

Walter RubioUniversity of Chicago

Samuel A. RuizDePaul University

Nicholas Sandro SalzettaUniversity California at Berkeley

Samrin SamadUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Aracelis Marie SanchezWagner College

Fahad SarvariUniversity of Michigan

Jessica Samantha SchapiroNorthwestern University

Avery SchleichkornCornell College

Sarah Marie SchoonhovenNorth Central College

Ian SchubaWorcester Polytechnic Institute

Rebecca Lindsey SchubaUniversity of Michigan

Alice Mary SenderakColumbia College

Lindsey Anne ShallbergNortheastern Illinois University

Margaret SheehanLoyola University

Dominic SieminskiWesleyan University

Nicholas Mercado SimonUniversity of Michigan

Miles Range SingermanMarquette University

Nicole SkalbanjaUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Lukasz Mateusz SobierajVassar College

Daniel Andrew SoborBrown University

Andrew James SontaNorthwestern University

Christian J. SouderUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Mary Kathleen SpethUndecided

Anna Veronica StochmalskiUniversity of Pennsylvania

Wojciech StojkoNorthwestern University

Sabrina Marie StorinoUndecided

Iwona Klaudia StoszkoDePaul University

Jesica SuarezDePaul University

Molly SullivanUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Benjamin Sullivan-KnoffNorthwestern University

Joanna SzaroAlbany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Christopher Edward SzmurloUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Rosemarie Dawn TagareUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Nguyen Trong ThanUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Megan Denise TolbertSpelman College

Ada TongUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Alexa Brianna TorresUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Cindy Li TranIllinois Institute of Technology

Emily TranUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Joseph D. TranUniversity of Illinois at Urbana

Tiffany Julia TranNorthwestern University

Julie Meilin TsangCarleton College

Allen TuUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Naim UddinLoyola University

Gabriela Patricia Ugarte-Vil-lagran

UndecidedAnissa Vargas

UndecidedNancy V. Veloz

University of Illinois at ChicagoTasha Jean Viets-VanLear

St. Olaf CollegeJuana Villagomez

Sweet Briar CollegeDavid Villapando

Wilbur Wright CollegeJorge Villegas

University of Illinois at UrbanaAi Kien Vong

University of Illinois at UrbanaJessica Nguyet Vuong

Northwestern UniversityEmily A. Walsh

University of Illinois at UrbanaCamille Jazmine Ward

University of Illinois at ChicagoSarah Abigail Weber

Syracuse UniversityMax M. Wronkowski

Illinois Institute of Art at ChicagoRobin Xu

Pomona CollegeMario Enate Yadao

UndecidedAngel Yan

University of Illinois at UrbanaSuann Yang

University of Illinois at UrbanaSamantha Ylagan

Purdue UniversityCharmaine Jean V. Yonzon

University of ChicagoGreg A. Zanotti

UndecidedErik William Zuehlke

Northwestern University

College Decisions of the Northside College Prep High School Class of 2011

The Hoof Beat • June 2011 • Special Features 7

Obracaj’s favorite memories of the Hoof Beat are not layout parties, or speakers, or conferences.“My favorite memories are when we’re just sitting in class, working

together, editing articles, laying out the paper, because that’s when you really see the spirit of the class,” Obracaj said.

Obracaj has been in the paper for two years, becoming the Arts and Entertainment editor her senior year. She expanded the section to in-clude not only reviews of movies, television shows, and CDs, but also art shows, theatrical performances, and even dance lessons. She plans on continuing her journalism experiences with college publications.

Laying the pen downThe seniors of the Hoof Beat move on

When Schoonhoven was on a tour of Northside as an in-coming freshman, Mr. Chester Tylinski, the journalism advisor

at that time, announced that the incoming freshmen would be able to take Journalism for the first time. Since then, Schoonhoven has been a dedicated writer on the Hoof Beat and has never looked back. After writ-ing for her first two years, she was promoted to editor of the Arts and Entertainment section, and then to Editor-in-Chief the following year. During her time on the Hoof Beat, she has won various accolades for her writing, including several awards from the Illinois Woman’s Press Asso-ciation. Her favorite memories include layout parties, which consisted of blasting Miley Cyrus and Bruce Springsteen from computer speakers and

staring at tiny type on the screen for hours. Her advice to the remaining writers is to honor deadlines because “seriously, there is no better feeling than a paper that comes out on the first of the month.”

“I realized that there are so many different sides [of journalism], from writing to editing to layout and production,” Schoonhoven said. “The world of professional journalism is very diverse, and I have come to see that now.”

Sarah Schoonhoven

Adegboro joined the Hoof Beat because of a complete misunderstanding.

“I attended an interest meeting in my freshman year and thought that, after attending, it was mandatory to join,” Adegboro said. “My love for writing then kept me in year after year.”

His freshman year, Editors-in-Chief, Natalia Emmanuel and Pa-tricia Radkowski, took an interest in Adegboro’s writing and mentored him, helping him find a print editorship that fit his interests. During his sophomore year, Adegboro became the first editor of the new Global Con-nections (now Global Affairs) section. The Editors-in-Chief of the Hoof Beat online at that time found Adegboro a promising prospect to continue the relatively new online newspaper. Adegboro became the web co-Editor-in-Chief his junior year before becoming the sole edi-tor during his senior year. He hopes to continue writing in college through a magazine or newspaper publication.

“The Hoof Beat has really helped me improve my writing, interviewing, and managing skills,” Adegboro said. “It taught me how to actually get a story rather than just randomly writing about something.”

One thing Collins knew for sure before joining journalism her sophomore year was that she loved writing.

“I think of Journalism as a way to practice my writing in a way that I’m not necessarily comfortable with,” Collins said, “to push me to write about what I usually would not write about.”

Her main memories of the class are the days when Journalism was still a ninth-block class after school, when students would stay until 4:50 p.m. to work on articles.

“Not necessarily super-fun times, but [Journalism] has definitely been helpful,” Krystn said. “It’s definitely something I would do again if I

had to make that choice again.”

Krystn Collins

Kilpatrick’s greatest lessons through her experience on the Hoof Beat have been

through writing her monthly editorial column, Keeping Up with the Clairedashian.

“Column-writing requires you to reflect more on your experienc-es, making your writing more personal,” Kilpatrick said. “I had just adjusted working toward objectivity and the switch back to argumen-tative writing was interesting. To future journalism students, stick with it. It’s a little rough at the start, coming up with new topics every week and discovering new ways to cover similar ideas is going to be challenging, but overall, you learn a lot more about yourself and how to cover stories.”

Claire Kilpatrick

Kabir joined the Hoof Beat after enjoying her journalism experience at her elementary school and

in her interest to see what a more intense paper would be like. Writing on the paper has opened her mind to the love for simply writing and open mind one must have for simply writing to pursue journalism.

“Every written draft always has room for improvement, no matter how perfect it might look to someone,” Kabir said.

Bushra Kabir

Joseph’s own journalism experience has challenged his views on journalistic writing in

the everyday world.“[Journalism has] made me more critical of news sources since I’ve

been exposed to so many different news sources,” Joseph said. “I’ve learned the writing process for reporters and picking up small details, wording, what the reporter doesn’t say or does say, and how they choose to report a story.”

Joseph has written for the Hoof Beat for three years, serving as copy editor his junior year and the editor of the newly named Global Affairs section his senior year. He has also worked on the Mash as a graphic designer.

Ever since the Bears went to the Super Bowl in 2007 and España had to write about it, España has been in love with journal-

ism. After discovering the Hoof Beat her freshman year, España has been a dedicated writer on the paper. She became the Special Features Editor her junior year, and is currently editor of the school news section. She also has worked with the Mash since its inception.

“Being on the Hoof Beat helped me figure out what to do with the rest of my life,” España said. “Without the Hoof Beat, there are so many things that I wanted to do that I’d probably be going into college unde-cided, so it helped guide my decision.”

She is entering University of Urbana-Champaign in the fall, majoring in broadcast journalism. On a side note, her favorite memory of Journalism was her very first article, coverage of a men’s soccer game and the compliment she received from her then Editor-in-Chief, Patricia Radkowski. The article remains clipped up on her bedroom wall.

Nicole FioRito“Writing on the

HoofBeat has made me view every situa-tion more objectively and has allowed me to stay well-informed of the news around the school. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to shed light on previously unrecognized accomplish-ments of my fellow Mustangs, and the experience of getting to know these indi-viduals more fully.

“Writing for the Hoof Beat has really helped me widen my range of writing styles far beyond the styles and techniques that I was already knew.”

William Riley

Olutoye Adegboro

Melissa España

In fourth grade, Kassam created her own news-paper, “Kids’ News,” which she printed and distrib-

uted by herself every two weeks. So when Mr. Tylinski, her advisory teacher, had advertised the Hoof Beat during her freshman year, Kas-sam seized the chance. After writing for two years for the Hoof Beat, Kassam then became the editor of the Sports section, before serving as the Managing Editor her senior year. Her memorable experiences on the paper include sneaking around the school during layout parties, attend-ing the annual Scholastic Press Association Conference, and facing the administration over controversial articles. She is entering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the fall as a news-editorial journalism major.

Sony Kassam

Going into high school, Rogers saw himself as a fairly good writer. However, that view was quickly challenged through his English classes

and especially through the Hoof Beat. “My freshman year, I remember getting drafts back and really read-

ing through all my edits,” Rogers said. “Writing has also challenged me a lot socially: how to deal with working with other people, especially as the paper’s dynamic changed over the years.”

Rogers became the editor of the former Centerfold section of the Hoof Beat his sophomore year, then served as editor of School News. He is currently the Creative Director of the paper. Rogers was introduced to graphic design through his work on the paper and his interest has

evolved into his many creative positions on publications like Verve and the Stampede.

Evan Rogers

by Timothy Suh

As they move on to their future, the seniors of the Hoof Beat look back to share their favorite memories and experiences working on the paper and to offer advice to the remaning writers.

Jeffrey Joseph

Diana Obracaj

Alfaro’s love for writing started with a note-book in which she scribbled poems. She first

heard about the Hoof Beat during her Survey Lit class with Mr. Randy Snow, in which he mentioned Mr. Tylinski and the potential to take a journalism class. Since then, the Hoof Beat has changed her view on writing, revealing the “importance of communications and how es-sential it is communicate accurately.” Writing on the Hoof Beat for four years, Alfaro has also been on The Mash newspaper since its in-ception, which has given her opportunities to interview celebrities, attend exclusive events, and connect with larger publications like KISS FM, broadcast internships, and her own column/blog.

“Communications is a competitive field and being a journalist is not a glamorous job,” Alfaro said. “You will need to knock on doors. People will not come to you, you need to go them.’

Lyanne Alfaro

Despite the many important lessons and eye-opening experiences the seniors have had during their time on the paper, it is the end of their time on the Hoof Beat and the beginning of new memories in the making.

Special Features • June 2011 • The Hoof Beat�

EDITORIALSEDITORIAL

“Kid, you’ll move mountains.”What a famous children’s book teaches us about leaving home

FAIQUE CLUB

Follow your passions“Explore. Dream. Discover.”

MASTHEADNorthside College Prep H.S.��01 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL �0�2�Tel: (773) �34-39�4

PrincipalMr. Barry Rodgers

Assistant PrincipalDr. Margaret Murphy

AdvisorMs. Dianne Malueg

Print Editor-In-ChiefSarah Schoonhoven

Web Editor-in-ChiefOlutoye Adegboro

Assistant Web Editor-in-ChiefJamilah Alsharif

Managing EditorZobia ChunaraSony Kassam

Creative DirectorEvan Rogers

NCP News EditorMelissa España Regina Sarah Capungan

Global Affairs EditorJeffrey Joseph

Special Features Editors Andriana MitrakosTimothy Suh

Sports EditorsNelson OgbuaguAndrew Hague

Editorial Editor Faique Moqeet

Arts and Entertainment EditorDiana Obracaj

Special Features CartoonistSamantha Prestigiacomo

Staff ReportersOlutoye Adegboro, Lyanne Alfaro, Jamilah Alsharif, Ariel Basora, Kelly Buchanan, Regine Sarah Capungan, Zobia Chunara, Krystn Collins, Melissa España, Mikyung Eum, Nicole Fiorito, Andrew Hague, Carly Jackson, Jeffrey Joseph, Bushra Kabir, Sonia Kassam, Claire Kilpatrick, Andriana Mitrakos, Faique Moqeet, Diana Obracaj, Nelson Ogbuagu, Rosa Pacheco, William Riley, Evan Rogers, Sarah Schoonhoven, Imran Senlik, Miles Singerman, Timothy Suh.

SUBMISSIONSThe Hoof Beat welcomes opinion editori-als from its readers. Letters to the Editor and Op-ed submissions may be sent to hoofbeat.editorials@gmail.com.

CONTACTThe Hoof Beat is a monthly publication produced by the Northside Prep Journal-ism Class. As a student-run newspaper, your opinions are important to us. If you have any comments, corrections, or ques-tions, please e-mail Ms. Dianne Malueg at hoofbeat.malueg@gmail.com or the Editors in Chief of the Hoof Beat at hoofbeat.drafts@gmail.com.

“Kid, you’ll move mountains.”EDITORIALS

Letter to freshmenEDITORIALS

This is an important time in your lives: the end of freshman year. In a few days, you will have officially finished a year of high school—congratulations. My class, the class of 2011, is also in for some big changes; we are leaving the school for good, although we may visit from time to time, and a new class will take our place. But before we say our final goodbyes, there are a few things you should know.

Respect the learning community. Northside is an incredibly rare community. The students all want an education, and the faculty wants to make that happen. A com-munity such as this cannot thrive, however, without mutual respect from both students and faculty. While you cannot force someone to respect you, you can definitely promote a positive environment by respecting everyone within the community. As an underclassman, you still have plenty of time to establish rela-tionships with your peers and teachers; take advantage of that opportunity.

Respect yourself. This may sound ob-vious, but you are the most important part of your education. The best teachers in the world will make no difference in a student

that does not strive for excellence. You are a Northsider—you are capable of great things. But you will be less capable if you tamper with yourself and your well being. Drugs, alcohol, violence: these are dangerous things, and they will never help you in the long run. You must respect your body and your Northsider-brain in order to succeed.

Work hard. Grades actually matter, as do standardized tests and service hours, but not just for getting into college. What you do here defines your Northside experience, and you have the ability to make it worthwhile. Teach-ers will respect those who put forth real effort to learn, not just those who get As. In the same way, the student with 150 service hours is not better than the student that has 50, but the student who cares about his service to others, and works hard for the benefit of his commu-nity, will be respected by his community.

Explore your surroundings. The neigh-borhood around Northside has many oppor-tunities available to you: there are places to hang out with friends, businesses with which to work or intern, and schools where you can volunteer with other groups. Have you ever been to Sergio’s, North Park Grill or Outdoor Café? What about Java Mug? They have free Wifi if your interestied. There is much more to the neighborhood than the gas station and

McDonald’s. Get out there and check it out.Be “that guy.” It is impossible to be

friends with everyone, true, but that is no rea-son to alienate your peers. By being friendly and open to everyone with whom you inter-act, you will make your own life much less stressful. Group projects with “frenemies” never seem to work out, nor do clubs in which the officers are constantly disagreeing with one another. Do not burn your bridges as you might need to cross them again later.

Don’t be “that guy.” Contrary to the aforementioned point, there are also instanc-es when it is better not to be “that guy.” There are certain unstated but understood rules of high school like not stopping in the middle of the hall way.

Overall, the most important thing to remember is to have fun. High school is an important time where you have the power to decide what kind of person, and what kind of student, you want to be for the rest of your life. But high school is also a chance for you to try new things, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Go forth—make the most of your next three years.

Sincerely,Sarah SchoonhovenEditor-in-Chief

Dear class of 2014,

As my senior year is coming closer to its conclusion, I cannot help but think of the bits of wisdom I’ve picked up from others about starting life after high school. I’ve been ad-vised to explore the world and keep an open mind, told to pursue genuine interests and forge my own path, and encouraged to ask questions when the answers aren’t always so straightforward. But the simplest, and in no way less meaningful, bit of wisdom I received came to me on a Friday afternoon in Ms. Fla-nagan’s Multi Lit, where we examined the cen-tral themes of the Dr. Seuss classic “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”: there comes a time when you have to leave home and make it on your own.

The idea of leaving home and setting foot into the “real” world may seem most pertinent to seniors, but it is something that every per-son, regardless of age, must face as we will all leave home at some point in our lives. If you happen to be one of the 293 Northsiders pre-paring to leave their educational home next week and venture out into the world beyond, the concept of making it on your own and suc-ceeding in life may most likely be a daunting one. However, you might find comfort in the words Dr. Seuss wrote in his ode to indepen-

dence and the uncertainty that comes with adulthood.

“Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” follows the ex-perience of a young narrator who, after a se-ries of setbacks and false alarms, learns that in spite of the fears he has of being on his own, he has the power and ability to succeed in whatever he chooses to pursue. Students leaving high school and moving onto the next stage of their life are in a similar position, and “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” lends a few lessons to its readers about leaving home and being on your own that makes the process a lot less scary and incredibly more hopeful.

First off, just because you are on your own does not mean you cannot create your own network of support. You may not have the “whole wide world watching you win on TV” as you deal with the challenges you will encounter, but you will find people who will support you when you are at your home away from home. And in the event that you aren’t able to find those people as soon as you would hope to, know that many before you have faced and overcome similar obstacles. Learn from them as their experiences can provide you with the knowledge and wisdom to make it in the world.

Second, understand that no one is im-mune from failure. “I’m sorry to say so … [but] hang-ups can you happen to you,” and if they do, get rid of any discouragement that may follow and continue on your path to suc-cess. Though you might end up in the dreaded “waiting place” that Dr. Seuss mentions, those

who are truly successful have often found their success preceded by failure and a stay in that “waiting place,” both of which taught them the importance of learning from mistakes, taking risks, and trusting their instincts.

Know that one day you might end up on a path and find out “[that it’s] not for you.” It’s okay to change directions in life despite what other people might tell you. Yes, it’s scary to be on your own and face the grave task of cre-ating your own course, but trust yourself. Fol-low the path that you want to follow and not the one someone told you to follow; after all, your life is your own and no one else’s.

And lastly, it’s most important to remem-ber that “today is your day.” If there is one thing that “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” teaches its readers, it’s that in spite of the difficul-ties that may accompany independence, you can handle them because you have strength. Whatever challenges you face, you’ll conquer them. Whatever insecurities may arise over whether you can make it in the world on your own will fade. Any doubts as to whether you are ready to venture into the unknown will disappear.

As Dr. Seuss put it, “you’ll move moun-tains,” and when you do, know that you’ll have done it because you went out into the world, faced the challenges that confronted you, and made it on your own.

Sincerely,Olutoye Adegboro Web Editor-in-Chief

What a famous children’s book teaches us about leaving home

The Hoof Beat • June 2011 • Editorials 9

by Lyanne Alfaro

Few topics fire me up as much as watching fully capable people throw their hands up in the air and un-derestimate their poten-tial. Far too many people let others advance and take opportunities from their grasp just because they think they are not good enough. I should know since I made the mistake one too many times before realizing it. There are two types of people: those who do not apply because they are afraid of rejec-tion and those who put themselves out there without thinking twice. Knock on the door to opportunity, and you might be surprised with what you find.

We all have our insecurities, but we can-not let that keep us from taking a chance. For-mer UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher once said, “Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous; you get knocked down by traffic on both sides.” Do not be the person to stand in the middle of the road. There is far more to lose from not doing anything as opposed to the latter. If you are one to doubt yourself, do real-ize that there hundreds, if not thousands, out there just like you. This spring when I called to ask about the General Assembly Legisla-tive Scholarship, I discovered that the number of applicants expected from my ward was far more than the number that actually applied, and by a couple hundred at that.

The only aspect worse than having an in-telligent group of people missing out on great opportunities within their reach, is having those same people pity themselves or think, “I could have won that.” If you could have won

that, then why did you not apply? The logical explanation is laziness. In this society, you cannot afford to be lazy. Laziness costs time. Laziness costs jobs. Laziness costs money. So what if you are rejected? I can guarantee you will not be mounted onto a wall of shame. Seeking opportunities is not a crime. On the contrary, it is often rewarding.

Furthermore, I find that the people that do not miss a single opportunity are motivat-ed, which is always an admirable characteristic to possess. These are ambitious people. People that set higher standards for themselves and push to apply for more opportunities are often people that end up being compensated the most. Take Mayor Rahm Emanuel, for instance. He is the first Jewish mayor in Chi-cago. He did not come from a family of poli-ticians nor did he have connections prior to college. Yet, Emanuel sought opportunities, established connections, and won Chicago.

Seniors, it is a little late to let you know you should have applied to all the scholarships you could get your hands on. Juniors, apply to all the colleges you see yourself attending next year, even if you might not make it in. Apply this rule to the rest of your college career and forth. Next time you might be applying to an internship rather than a 1,000 dollar scholar-ship. Odds are any internships you take part in during college will serve as great foundations for your future jobs. Internships and small jobs are connections to larger companies that you can even work for someday.

I plan on applying to internships at the Chicago Tribune during college because I know that the more connections I have, the more likely I am to get hired by the company. The same strategy works in all fields. You will be shocked to find out how small the world re-ally is. It might turn out your boss knows peo-ple at a company you always wanted to work for. Before you know it you might have your dream job and all due to knocking on the door to opportunity.

Seeking every oppurtunity possible

by Sony Kassam

“It’s [your Personal Legend] what you have always wanted to accom-plish,” King Melchizedek of Salem said to Santiago. “Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend.”

And so begins Santiago’s journey in ful-filling his personal legend in Paulo Coelho’s

book, “The Alchemist.” In short, an individual’s personal legend

describes what he or she was born to do. After finishing this book for my multicultural litera-ture class, I pondered about how one finds his or her personal legend. I reminisced my child-hood and thought back to the activities I used to do as a kid, and then it hit me.

After watching an episode of “That’s So Raven,” revolving around media and jour-nalism, I felt this sudden desire to create my own biweekly classroom newspaper in fourth grade. After creating applications for and choosing an understudy, “Kids’ News” was on its way. In fifth grade, with the generous help of Mrs. Gottlieb, we expanded to include a classroom fashion show, an art competition, and many other classroom events involving prizes. However, by seventh grade, Kids’ News had dismantled as I had to focus on perform-ing well for high school, and that was that, until I joined the paper freshmen year. And now, ever since last summer, I’ve added “write for the New York Times” to my list of things to

do before I die. In addition to being a writer at heart, I’ve

always had an interest in teaching. Before my brother, Sanee, started kindergarten, I used to teach him math from my old workbooks that my dad used to buy me. I even had my own white board, and we’d make time for lunch and gym. Later, my brother ended up in the gifted kindergarten class. Even when I wasn’t teaching my brother, I’d stand up in front of my empty room, and I would pretend to speak in front of a class. It just goes to show how one day, I might as well come back to teach stu-dents and share my knowledge when I’ve had my adventures.

Lastly, I made up this fake world with my brother. We called it Virtual World. Our living room closet was the portal to the world, and we’d go into our parents’ room, turn up the AC, and pretend we were on Snowy Mountain. We’d also pretend that I was a machine or ride at a fair in the fake world, and my brother was the rocket ship. I would lift him up and spin him around. I had a pretty decent imagination

as a kid, which pushes me in the direction of wanting to write books and producing films.

Aside from my own childhood activities, I gave this somewhat of a lecture to Melissa De-leon, Adv. 109. She’s currently “having doubts about pre-med” although she likes “what ob-stetricians essentially do.” So I explained my take on personal legends, and after thinking about it, she finally stated that when she was younger, she would read books in Chinese and pretend that she knew what the characters meant. After connecting this childhood mem-ory to her mention of how she “would like to teach English, Spanish, and French to kids when [she goes] to help poor countries,” we came to the realization that maybe that was her personal legend. Essentially, even though she considered pre-med, maybe she should take her personal legend into consideration.

There are many more accounts of other people who have shared their childhood ac-tivities and have connected them to what they actually like to do. Likewise, ask yourself: What’s your personal legend? What were you

What were you born to do?

Discovering your personal legendSONY ENTERTAINMENT

FAIQUE CLUB

Following your passions

by Faique Moqeet

“Twenty years from now you will be more dis-appointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Ex-plore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain.

As my time with The Hoof Beat, unfortu-nately, comes to a conclusion, I have learned valuable lessons about high school and, more generally, life. The most important of these is to follow your passions. On the surface, this cliché statement is meaningless, but given some context, it is a powerful declaration.

In seventh grade, I wrote a letter to my library teacher apologizing for some unruly behavior. On report card pick-up day, she told my mom that I was a very convincing writer and should be a lawyer. That incident inspired me to want to be a lawyer. Being a lawyer was appealing: I liked the ideas of dressing up to work, reading and writing a lot, and getting paid well. More significantly, the question was: why not? People always asked me what I wanted to be and now I could say “I want to grow up and be a lawyer.”

I began high school with the ambition of becoming a lawyer. I went to law camp, tried to improve my writing (by joining The Hoof Beat), planned to take AP Gov, and took a gen-eral interest in anything law-related.

Knowing what one wants to become in life is great—but can be costly. By focusing on a particular career choice, I ignored other areas of interests. While taking AP Psychology this year, I became fascinated with the brain. I found it interesting that the organ that gives humans sensation, perception, memory, and rationality is relatively unknown in science.

To think that the intricacies of the brain are uncharted territory waiting for a new genera-tion of researchers is mind blowing .

Initially I believed I was too invested in pursuing law to reconsider and look into science, a subject I had adopted an indiffer-ent attitude toward throughout high school. However, when I decided to study for a brain competition, the Brain Bee, and realized how much I enjoyed learning about the brain, I re-vised this position.

The whole point of high school is to “Explore. Dream. Discover.” When applying to college, while it probably helps to have a consistent pitch, a specific ambition pursued throughout high school, it is okay to having a redefining experience. My interest in law was very extrinsic: it was something I could see myself doing. On the other hand, my new-found interest in neuroscience is intrinsic: I cannot imagine doing something else. The point, above all, is to follow your passions, wherever they may lead you.

The phrase “following your passions” seems very broad and abstract. What exactly does it mean to follow your passions? Ulti-mately, it means, pursuing what interests you — even if it involves a complete change in direction. For me, this means taking AP chemistry instead of journalism after having taken it for three years because having a solid foundation in chemistry seems vital for neu-roscience.

The other side is that if I, or anyone fac-ing a similar dilemma, drop three years worth of effort and achievement, I should pursue my new interests as vehemently as possible. For me, this means researching with a neurosci-ence professor over the summer.

If you decide to pursue a job in something you are passionate about, you will never have to work a day in your life, or so the adage goes. If there is one thing to take away from this piece, it is to understand that life is too short to waste putting effort toward something you do not enjoy.

If masterpieces are products of passion, I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. So follow your passions and be happy.

“Explore. Dream. Discover.”

LA TIMES

Just knock

Check out The Hoof Beat Online at www.thehoofbeat.com for more articles.

Special Features • June 2011 • The Hoof Beat10

SPORTSMens Lacrosse

Settling for silver Northside Mustangs fall short of their desired gold medal

Mens baseball

The final strike out Upsetting loss for Northside Mus-tangs.

by Melissa L. España

A month after defeating rival school, Wal-ter  Payton  College  Prep  on  its  home  court, ending its volleyball team’s undefeated record, the  Northside  Mens  Varsity  Volleyball  team gathered  by  the  gymnasium  on  Friday,  May 20,  2011  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  bus  that would  take  them to  the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) for  the City Championship game to play Payton once more.

“[Because of the win,] we were optimis-tic.” Chris Szmurlo, Adv. 108, said. “We were sure [we were going to win.]”

After  awards  were  given  to  the  winning junior varsity  team, Northside  took  the court and started its warm up as Northside students and  parents  that  attended  the  game  cheered them on. 

After Payton warmed up, the teams lined up on the court, waiting as each player’s name was  called  out. After  the  starting  lineup  was announced, the teams took their positions and the game began with Northside’s serve. 

Payton took the lead for the entire first match. Cheers erupted from the stands as play-

ers from each team made good serves, plays, and aces. 

During  timeouts, Northside  fans chanted and parents waved  their hand-made signs, as Payton  fans did  the  same. Northside  lost  the first match with a score of 25-17.

Northside scored the first point during the second match, resulting with an uproar of cheers from the stands. The team took the lead, and Niko Nodal, Adv. 201, helped Northside’s defense  by  saving  two  consecutive  serves from Payton. 

Northside continued to cheer on the team as they kept the lead throughout the game up until Payton got  the  serve back and due  to a lack  of  communication  on  Northside’s  part, won the second match with a score of 25-17; dubbing them the 2011 City Champions. 

As the Payton team lined up for its medals and plaque,  the Mustangs  received  their  sec-ond place medals and loaded back onto the bus which took them back to Northside.

“We  didn’t  think  we  played  our  game,” Szmurlo  said.  “We  [should  have]  worked  as a  group  more.  Every  single  person  had  their problem and [because of] it we couldn't work together. [For next time,] it should be all about the team. not the individual.” 

The  team  went  on  to  play  regionals  but lost  to  Loyola  Academy,  ending  the  team’s season. 

Men’s Volleyball team loses to Payton in city championship

When Payton finally gets their payback

by Nicole FioRitoAn excited crowd gathered at Niles West

High School on May 19 to watch men’s track team compete at sectionals. The bright and sunny weather accurately reflected the team’s accomplishments and attitudes during the meet.

Though the team did well as a whole, there were a couple of members who came out with record breaking times. Ezra Edger-ton, Adv. 208, broke the record in the 1600 meter race with the time of 4:34.88. Fellow teammate, Wesley Laytham, Adv. 101, broke the school record in the 400 meter race with time of 1:57.49, which put him in fourth place for that race.

Though these are both major accomplish-ments, it was Mac Melto, Adv. 209, who re-ally stood out. Melto broke the school record in the 400 meter race with the time of 48.78. This qualified him for the State Champion-ships and put him in 7th place in the state.

The success at this meet made some of the team members reflect on the season as a whole.

“The team progressed a lot this year and it was a privilege to be a part of such a great group of guys,” Laytham, Adv. 101, said.

It was not only the team members who were excited about the team’s overall accom-plishments, but also the team’s coach, Jon Gordon.

“The Northside varsity men have a record of 130-42 going into the IHSA State Champi-onships,” Coach Gordon said. “It is the best team in the history of Northside College Prep.”

The Mustang Men’s track team competes in sectionals

Mac Melto, Adv.209, racing for the finish line at track meet |NICOLE FIORITO

Luke Soberaj, Adv.100, preparing to hit the ball towards the side of the opponents |MELISSA ESPAÑA

by Imran Senlik

After Jimmy Nguyen, Adv. 102, gets the ball behind the Indians goal, he cradles his lacrosse stick. He drives to the right side of the field as the defender on Eduardo Moreno, Adv. 107, tries to close in on him. He passes the ball to Moreno. Moreno drives the ball to-wards the goal. He shoots. He scores. Brilliant play. Brilliant shot. Brilliant goal. But the In-dians had started off fast by scoring four goals in the first few minutes of the game, setting the Mustangs down 4-1.

Miguel A. Ramirez, Adv. 108, made some nice saves but allowed two goals. Alex Doyle, Adv. 104, ran down the right side of the field towards Nguyen, dodged left and ran towards the goal. He took a jump and finished with a left hand shot. The score was 6-2.

Nguyen and Moreno tried to complete the same play. However, when Nguyen tried passing the ball to Moreno, the ball took a deflection off of an Indian player and ended up on the field to the left of the goal. Nguyen picked up the ball and shot and scored a dif-ficult shot, making the score 7-3.

The ball was passed to Mark Kharouta, Adv. 105. He was on the left side of the field. He ran towards the goal, drawing three Indi-ans out of their assigned posts. Nguyen took one look at the goal. He dodged right and managed to free himself of the defenders. He took a nice hard shot to the left of the goal.

The goalie was left flat-footed as the ball was cushioned with the back of the net.

The score did not change much for the game considering that the game was in the last minutes of the fourth quarter and the Mustangs were down seven goals. After the loss, Northside held a disappointing second place position in the standings. “We could not produce offense,” Alex Luke, Adv. 107, said. “Lane had a chance at goal every time they had the ball. They are a very good pass-ing team.”

He also believed that the four goals that the Indians scored in the first five minutes helped put a lot of momentum on Lane Tech’s side.

Nguyen, who scored one assist and one

goal in this game, believed that the main reason for this great deficit in the score was caused by a “lack of focus.”

“We were not aggressive on the guys with the ball,” Doyle said. He continued by ex-plaining what they did correctly, “We started passing the ball more, connecting passes near the end [which helped] us score. We stopped caring about the other team and started fo-cusing on having fun. We stopped thinking about what the other team will do and started focusing on what we have to do.”

He also believed that the future of la-crosse at Northside will be tough.

“For the next couple of years [it is going to be tough]. [This will] give young players time to establish themselves.”

The Mustangs lose 11-4 to Lane Tech IndiansMen’s Varsity Lacrosse takes second to Lane Tech in city

Northside Mustangs battling their opponents for possesion of the ball |IMRAN SENLIK

The Hoof Beat • June 2011 • Sports 11

by Andriana Mitrakos

Northside senior Kelly Buchanan, Adv. 110 entered as a freshman on Northside’s swimming and water polo team. As she leaves to attend college next year, she takes with her four years of high school swimming and water polo experience and some unforget-table memories. The Hoof Beat interviewed Buchanan to find out more about her sports life here at Northside and her plans for the future.

The Hoof Beat: What was your first ex-perience with a sport?

Buchanan: My first experience with any sport was probably with dancing, which I hated. I dabbled in all of the typical sports- softball, basketball, soccer …- for a while until I joined a swim team in fourth grade and fell in love.

HB: When did you join water polo/swim-ming?

Buchanan: I joined both swimming and water polo as a freshman and have played both for all of my four years.

HB: Why did you decide to join swim-ming and water polo? What is it that you liked about these sports?

Buchanan: I decided to join swimming because I had already been swimming com-petitively for four years, and it was the natu-ral thing for me to do. Also, because I came to Northside knowing no one and since swim-ming started before the beginning of the school year, I got to know people before the first day of school. Before high school, I had never played water polo, and as a freshman on swimming, the then seniors pretty much forced and persuaded me to play. I am glad I

did. HB: How do you keep up with your

schoolwork during the sports seasons?Buchanan: I try to manage my time

well. My time management is actually a lot better during my swim or water polo sea-sons because when I get home I’m tired so I do my homework really fast so that I can go to sleep early. Some nights I’m up late but I don’t think it’s that difficult because instead of surfing the internet or watching TV when I get home I’ll just do my homework. So sports are equal to leisure time in a way.

HB: How do you prepare yourself for swim matches and water polo games?

Buchanan: I just cheer for other people. I am not one of those people who gets into the zone, I would rather just talk to people and cheer my teammates on instead of sitting in the corner, listening to music. Some people do that to focus, but if I do that I get nervous, so I would rather interact with others and then just go swim or go play polo.

HB: What achievements have you reached as part of the team?

Buchanan: One of my personal achieve-ments was breaking the school JV records in the 200 and 500 yard freestyle in my sopho-more year. They still stand today.

HB: What was your favorite memory from your seasons with the Northside team?

Buchanan: My favorite memory from swimming was the dress up days. I loved going to school decked out in a specific [team] theme for the day and seeing my classmates’ and teachers’ reactions. Winning the Trifecta was also pretty surreal. As for water polo, my favorite memory was probably sophomore year when we played an April Fool’s Day joke on our coach. The guys and girls traded locker rooms to change, and at one point, our coached walked in the guy’s locker room and was stunned to find us. He acted like he was pretty upset and brought us down to the se-curity guard, Tio, who yelled at us for a few

minutes and threatened suspensions for all of us. Then, our coach came in and yelled April Fools [for the threatened suspension]. We got him pretty good, but honestly, he got us bet-ter.

HB: Describe one of the strangest expe-riences you have had as part of this team.

Buchanan: Our coach brings his dog to practice and one day we were swimming laps to practice flip turns, and I did a flip turn and the dog bit my foot while I was doing the turn because my foot was out of the water . Also in water polo, a strange experience was when a girl on the other team bit one of our girls. She thought that was OK, but that’s not OK. I mean you can do some crazy things in water polo but you can’t bite.

HB: How has being a part of these teams changed who you are and how you associate with others?

Buchanan: I have definitely learned how to work better with a varied group of

people, all with different opinions. There are some very strongly opinionated people on our team, and when ideas clash, there can be problems. However, by working as a team through these problems, we have been very successful. These sports have taught me the importance of being a team in and out of the water, and I hope I can apply this mindset to my future endeavors.

HB: What is your future with these sports or sports in general? What do want to try or continue in college?

Buchanan: I definitely plan on coaching during or after college. I have been teaching swim lessons since before freshman year, and I hope to apply what I know about swimming techniques to teach kids and help them im-prove their swimming. I also might be swim-ming varsity in college, but it’s a big commit-ment and I have not decided whether or not I am going to. If not, I definitely will play club water polo or swim during or after college.

Swimming with an underwater starA look at Kelly Buchanan’s Northside sports life

Kelly Buchanon, Adv. 110, swims for the goal. |ANDRIANA MITRAKOS

by Regine Sarah Capungan

It was a warm, sunny day at Rodgers Park during the last Men’s Varsity Baseball game of the season. The game, held on May 23, marked the first game of the state playoffs. It lasted until the seventh inning, after Daniel Phan, Adv. 208, became the third person on the team to strike out. The Mustangs were playing against the Maine East Demons, to which they lost 2-0. Had the Mustangs won, their season would not have ended.

The baseball team was coached by Dave Rivera. The team had practiced four to five days a week, depending on whether or not they had an upcoming game.

“We’ve been working since January every day since January, even Sunday nights,” Phan said. “We are like firemen; at the call of a text message, we are ready to play.”

Few fans, which mainly consisted of fam-ily members and members of the junior var-sity baseball team, stood in the stands and grass to cheer on the Mustangs. The game was free of injuries, with the exception of Samuel Miller, Adv. 208. Prior to the game, Miller in-jured his kneecap with a baseball and could not play in the game.

“I was a little sad [that] the season ended because our team is pretty tight-knit and its fun hanging with the guys,” Miller said.

“Hurting my knee definitely wasn’t fun be-cause I would’ve loved to play the last game, but I was just physically unable.”

Although next season will not officially begin until January 2012, the team will par-ticipate in a summer baseball league, begin-ning after the end of the school year. Along with the summer league, team members will also participate in position workshops on Fri-days.

Striking out of the season

Clint Tres, Adv.202, preparing to pitch the ball |REGINE SARAH CAPUNGAN

by Andrew Hague

On a warm and clear night at Lane Tech stadium the Northside Women’s Varsity soc-cer team faced off against Whitney Young in a semifinal match.

The stands were packed with fans from both schools seated at opposite sides of the bleachers. There was a strong level of hype and eagerness prior to the game.

“Everyone was really pumped up,” Emily Walsh, Adv, 100, said. “I was surprised by how many people were there for the game.”

No team showed much of an offensive edge at the start the game with a 0-0 tie at the 11:52 mark of the first half. The start featured fast-paced and evenly matched gameplay with the ball moving deep on both sides of the field. The Mustangs’ on and off passing was not enough to break Young’s solid defense. With 2:53 left in the half a Young player tore a ligament in her knee on a botched play, a result of the intense play from both sides. De-spite the powerful play the game was still tied 0-0 at the end of the first half.

The sun was setting and the second half

of the game was about to begin with the crowd ready for another half of strong play.

Young got to show off their offense quick-ly in the second half as one of their players got deep into Northside’s defense and centered a pass to the middle for another player to score the first goal of the game with 30:43 left in the half, silencing the Northside crowd.

Becky Schuba, Adv. 102, recently named to the Illinois Women’s Soccer All-State team, tried to bring her team back right after by making a series of fancy moves and timely passes but still could not get the team over the edge.

After a drought of excitement from the game, the Mustangs finally appeared to be in great position to score until a controversial call at 21:02 shifted possession, sparking a downward spiral for Northside. Injuries to Kate Gillespie, Adv. 306, and Schuba left the team looking exhausted with 12:31 left to play. Despite some last minute aggressive-ness by the team, Young’s defense gobbled up every shot attempt Northside managed to get off with ease. The Mustang’s heart and will did not come through which led to an unfor-tunate 1-0 loss in the semifinal round.

“It was a result of our own faults and [Whitney Young’s] solid play that led to this,” Schuba said. “Whitney Young played one of their best games all season and we didn’t.”

Women’s Soccer falls to Lane in the semi-final round

Coming up a bit too short

Sports • June 2011 • The Hoof Beat12 LIVE EVENTS

“How to make it work”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTLIVE EVENTS

Summer funMark your calendars with these summer festivals and shows

LIVE EVENTS

by Lyanne Alfaro

Even radio personality Scott “Special K” Corchin expressed his shock when he saw All-state Arena more than half-full for Fantabulo-so Dos on Wednesday, May 18, 2011. The five hour-long concert, held by 103.5 KISS FM, featured a mass of mainstream artists includ-ing Pitbull, Lupe Fiasco, David Guetta, Gizelle, Mike Posner, T-Pain, The Far East Movement, and Tinnie Tempah. Despite the event taking place on a weekday, the hype won the crowd over and most of the audience stayed until the very end. Although few performers failed to meet up to their Auto-tuned expectations, all were successful in setting the party aura similar to that of a weekend.

When David Guetta brought his DJ set onto stage, I prepared myself for a house music explosion. He began his performance with heavy bass and initially added well-known songs to the mix. A few recognizable titles were “Gettin’ Over You” and “When Love Takes Over.” Even as he brought Chris Willis on stage to perform “Love is Gone,” I felt the vibes of a dance club radiating from the stage to my own seat.

Mike Posner, however, was not quite up to par with his album voice. The moment he began to sing, his voice was not similar at all to what I heard on the radio. Once the intro for Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” began to play, the audience clapped along to the rhythm of the song but it was difficult to sing along because his voice was higher pitched than Adele’s and entirely off key. He was try-

ing to fit Adele’s rustic tone, but it was hit and miss. However, Posner does get props for try-ing to add an interesting appeal by aggregat-ing a drum segment between the chorus and the rest of the song.

Shortly after, a mellow tone set by Pos-ner’s “Please Don’t Go” was abruptly inter-rupted by T-Pain. The celebrity is a successful artist with hits ranging from “Buy U A Drank” to “Can’t Believe It,” both songs that were played on stage that night. It was unpleasant to watch him jump on stage for over the 30 minute standard time, with his “I am T-Pain” microphone as he nodded approvingly at his female dancers, who were swiveling their hips back and forth. He was beginning to put the pain in T-Pain after watching the same ritual take place for his seventh song. The actual quality of his rapping was, as always, impec-cable.

Pitbull made a full comeback. He covered his mainstream musical career from “You Know You Want Me” to today’s favored, “Give

Me Everything.” The audience was crazy for Pitbull from the moment T-Pain mentioned his name in the previous performance; the crowd cheered and roared in anticipation. The only complaint I had about his performance was his insistency on rapping his part only in collaborative songs he was featured on with other artists, such as “I Like It,” with Enrique Iglesias.

KISS FM’s diverse artist selection made its concert a relative success. Entertainment provided in between the artists’ performanc-es could have been shorter, but the staff did a decent job at entertaining the crowd in the meantime. Talent presented by a group of breakdancing tweens called Chi-Town Finest Breakers had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Meanwhile, Special K and radio person-ality Angi Taylor on stage kept the audience tuned in by giving updates on the Bulls game and action backstage. Loyal fans would return for Fantabuloso Tres next year.

Fair night for Fantabuloso DosRadio hosts part two of mass artist event

Pitbull’s new single, “Give Me Everything” | COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM

by Mikyung Eum

These events reveal only a hint of the diverse range of activities to do duing the summer of 2011.

June: Taste of ChicagoJune 24 – July 3Grand Park in Chicago, ILFree admissionAn upbeat combination of local food and free music concerts, this ten-day festival is one of the largest, busiest festivals in Chicago. SummerfestJune 29-July 10Milwaukee, Wisconsin Tickets start at $20Take the train to Milwaukee and enjoy live music from top artists including Jason Mraz, Girl Talk and Florence and the Machine. July:Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj July �, 2011 at 7 p.m.United Center in Chicago, IL Tickets start at $7�

Katy PerryJuly �, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.Allstate Arena in Rosemont, ILTickets start at $�9

Vans Warped Tour July 9, 2011First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre in Tinley Park, ILThe Vans Warped Tour is a showcase of rock, ska, pop, hip-hop, and metalcore music with bands including Paramore, The Devil Wears Prada, and Gym Class Heroes.

Pitchfork Music FestivalJuly 1�, 1�, & 17, 2011Union Park in Chicago, ILTickets start at $4�It showcases over 40 independent bands and artists such as the Fleet Foxes and Dj Shadow for a reasonable price with a fun, comfortable music experience. August:Taylor Swift August 9-10, 2011 at 7 p.m.Allstate Arena in Rosemont, ILTickets start at $�1Taylor Swift goes on another tour promoting her new album “Fearless” with special guests NEEDTOBREATHE.

Lollapalooza August �-7, 2011Grant Park in Chicago, IL Tickets start at $1��Bands and artists such as Eminem, Deadmau� and Coldplay are among the hundreds that will be performing during this three-day event.

Lil Wayne Summer Tour August 13, 2011 First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre in Tinley Park, IL Tickets start at $4�

Summer fun

Posner’s performance does not live up to his CD| COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM

by Will Riley

“Maybe I should have cut my hair before I accepted this award.” Those twelve words propelled afro-bear-ing Luke Matheny to fame as he accepted his Oscar for Best Live Action Short at the 2011 Academy Awards. The award was for The God of Love (2011), but since the Oscars his hair has gotten a lot more attention than his art.

Matheny, 35, took it in stride as he en-gaged in a Q&A with the audience at the 2011 CineYouth Film Festival at Columbia Col-lege, where his film was screened on opening night.

“I watched the Oscars this year with some friends and all the nominated shorts seemed interesting,” Rebecca Fons, Cine Youth Fes-tival Director, said. “I recognized that Ma-theny’s was a student film [Matheny made it for his thesis project at NYU grad school], and I wondered if he would be a good fit for CineYouth.”

Fons found Matheny’s email address on his website, and he responded that if he was not cast in an acting gig at the same time, he would come. The part went to someone else and he came to Chicago.

Matheny encouraged audience members interested in entering the filmmaking field to get real life experience instead of spending years in college learning the technicalities.

“I was not a filmmaker in high school, and I studied journalism during my under-grad years at Northwestern,” Matheny said. “You do not even have to understand film at this age [teenager], and you can still be suc-cessful.”

After his undergraduate work, Matheny took a few years off to work before he really got into film and started making his own amateur projects. He went back to school – to NYU – to pursue graduate studies in the topic.

After Matheny’s film, the festival show-

cased two days of student work on Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7. The filmmakers were primarily kids aged 14 to 18, with a few outliers who were a tad younger or older. One student director was only seven years of age. Mark Breedlove, a sophomore at Kewanee High School near Peoria, was one student that submitted a film to the CineYouth festi-val. His film, “Mick,” ended up winning best Junior Division submission and was shown at the Northside Film Festival on May 31.

“I want to continue to pursue film in col-lege, too,” Breedlove said. “This is my passion. I make films whenever I have time. I complet-ed two this past summer, and I also work dur-ing the school year with classmates.”

New to CineYouth this year was a 24-hour film challenge, where students were allowed to use Columbia College’s advanced equipment to make a short film from a gener-ic script. The challenge started Friday and car-ried on into Saturday. Students were free to split their time between working on shooting or editing on one floor of Columbia College’s film school and attending movies on another.

The deadline for student submissions to the CineYouth Film Festival 2012 will be announced in December of this year. All film-makers under age 20 are encouraged to sub-mit.

For more information on this event and future events check out Cinema/Chicago’s website at www.cinemachicago.org/

Cinema + Youth = CineYouthColumbia College sponsors student film festival

LIVE EVENTS

| WILL RILEY

Concerts and festivals to look forward to