1. Art and Diseño

Volume 60, Issue 2
Evergreen Park Community High School
December 10, 2015
Mustangs Show Off Their Moxie:
Take First in Two of Three Competitions
By: Matt Kuchan
On October 17th, Evergreen Park’s newspaper
and yearbook clubs went
to Moraine Valley Community College for the
annual South Suburban
Publications Conference.
The conference gathered
high school journalists from
all over the south suburbs
to compete in writing mock
newspaper articles, listen
to presentations from professionals in the publications field, learn about the
publications programs at
Moraine Valley, and last but
not least, enjoy a complimentary meal. Students got
to choose presentations to
view throughout the day.
Presentations included
“Sports Writing and Reporting”, “Digital Media”,
“Capturing the Perfect Image”, “Photoshop Tips and
Tricks” and many others.
These panels were very
informative; the presenters
were all full of knowledge
and were excited to share
their expertise with the
students.
Some of the schools that
participated included Bremen, Hillcrest, Tinley Park,
and Oak Lawn. Seniors
Anthony Miglieri and Jill
Siemiawski represented
EP well and both took first
place in their categories in
the mock competition. Anthony placed first in news
writing, and Jill placed
first in copy editing. The
event inspired, educated
and helped students with
an interest in publications
spread their journalism
wings.
Publications Staff at MVCC
Back: Anthony Rodriguez,
Isiah Howard, Jayson Mijangos, Matt Kuchen, Anthony
Miglieri, Gabby Lazinek, Dan
Knoll, Craig Yancey; Middle:
Heather Mayhew, Mayte Ceballos, Jill Siemiawski, Tricia
Butera, Alex Deninger, Katrin
Brannigan, Abby Deninger,
Kenya Forbes; Front: Serena
Luciano, Caitlyn Gunty
Above: Seniors Jill Siemiawski and Anthony Miglieri
proudly display the medals they earned for placing first
in the mock publications competitions. Jill placed first
for copywriting and Anthony placed first for news writing. The competition gave students a taste of what to
expect for the SSC Publications Competition this spring.
Curtain Will Soon Rise on Newly-Renovated Auditorium
By: Emily Huneck
events. There will be
fewer seats; however,
The new auditorium the new seats will be
is almost complete. Su- equipped with desks that
can be used for things
perintendent Dr. Hart’s
like study halls, lectures,
plan is to make the auetc. Wheelchair access
ditorium, science wing,
and the football field the ramps have been added
and there is a brand new
three main attraction
band pit that is being
pieces for Evergreen
put in. New production
Park. The idea to comfeatures include LED
pletely renovate the
lighting, air-conditioning,
auditorium was widely
accepted due to fact that sound systems/equipit had not been updated ment, and a scene shop.
These will enhance the
in years. Not only will
the auditorium look bet- experience of the audience and the actors
ter and more refined, it
will also be better suited during performances. A
new lobby located right
to handle plays and
outside of the auditorium
other important school
will also be renovated
and given a fresh new
look.
The newly-renovated
auditorium will be unveiled on Wednesday,
January 14, at 6:30 p.m.
in conjunction with the
Winter Prism concert.
Beauty and the Beast
will be the first production performed in the
auditorium on February
20th. Even though the
construction seems to
be endless, the construction crew is working
The newly designed vesitbule outside the auditorium is a reflection of
tirelessly to complete
the under-wraps construction taking place within the auditorium. The
the project.
new space will showcase the theatrical and musical talents of our
students.
National Honor Society Honors Veterans at Breakfast
In this issue:
Snow Court Nominees Named.....................................Page 2
Spanish Adventure...........................................................Page3
Students’ Thoughts on Homework ..............................Page 4
Hot, Cold Weather Fashions.........................................Page 5
Final Exam Schedule and Study Tips ..........................Page 6
The National Honor Society, led by Mr. Nesler, held a Veteran’s Breakfast on
Wednesday, November 12th. The annual event honors veterans in the Evergreen
Park community and is the students’ way of showing gratitude for the service of
these brave men and women.
Mustangs’ New Year’s Resolutions ...............................Page 7
Winter Sports Schedule.................................................Page 8
News
Aspiring Artists Abscond
By: Anthony Miglieri
On November 14th, Mrs. Safranek’s
and Mrs. McArthur’s art students embarked for the Art Institute of Chicago.
Boarding the bus first thing in the morning,
the classes wanted to have as much time
as they could to explore the museum and
view fascinating works of art.
Upon arrival, several museum supervisors took groups
of about ten students for a focused tour of several works of
art. Among the various artworks
examined by the students
included American oil paintings,
ancient Asian stone sculptures,
and African masks. At each
particular stop, the tour guides
first informed students about
the origins of the piece and proceeded to ask questions of the
pupils pertaining to the work’s
purpose and symbolism.
After completing the first
leg of the day-long excursion,
the students set off in groups
of their own choosing to locate artworks having the same
theme. These themes, including such prevalent topics as “man against
nature” and “death/afterlife,” helped the
trip attendees to better connect the art
across cultures and time periods and to
more fully absorb the meaning and magnitude of some of the works.
Baking as Easy as Pie
Student volunteers, supervised by Ms. Tsoukatos, cook a
feast for Thanksgiving. Students helped to bake desserts
to be served at a community dinner at the high school on
Thanksgiving day.
Left: Museum goers admire Gustave Caillebotte’s renowned painting “Paris Street,
Rainy Day” in the French Impressionism
wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mrs.
MacArthur’s studio computer graphics and
photography students had the opportunity
to expand their artistic skills at the world
famous art museum.
but more creative and fun!”
says Jessica Fassl. Alyssa
Gonzales leads this very
young club, which now has
a great group of students
who are always looking for
new members. Although
not an official EP club,the
club meets twice a month
in the LRC at EP and is
Snow Court Nominees
Named
open for anyone with an
interest in starting to read
some Manga or watch
Anime. “Video games,
treats, manga, and anime
are what we do, and you’re
more than welcome to be
part of it!” exclaims Jayson
Mijangos.
Term 2
Events
Jan. 6: Classes Resume
Jan. 12: Back to School
Night
Jan. 16: Snowball Weekend
Jan. 19: Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day
Jan. 27: NHS Induction
Jan. 29: Mustang Pride
Jan. 30: Straight A Lunch
Jan. 31: ACT Invitational
Feb. 4: FAFSA Workshop
Feb. 7: ACT Invitational
The junior class nominated Donna Yozze, Kiari Cooper, and
Abbi Donovan for the 2014-2015 Snow Court. The queen will
be crowned at the Winter Assembly on December 12th.
Feb. 7: Snow Dance
Feb. 16: President’s Day
Mustang Monitor
Page 2
After the field trip ended, the art students had not only enjoyed a day of roaming one of the world’s most complete and
widely attended art museums, but they
had also gained a new perspective on art
as a form of expression, a point of view
that will prove useful as they create art of
their own in class.
Students Have ‘Manga Mania’ in
Anime Club
By: Jayson Mijangos and
Matt Kuchan
The Evergreen Park
Library now has an evergrowing Animanga club. If
you have an interest in all
things Japanese, Animanga is a great club for you to
share your thoughts. “It’s
kind of like a book club,
Mustang Monitor
SADD Preventing
Potential Tears
By: Caitlin Gunty
Did you know that
85.8% of kids nationwide
admit that they could easily obtain marijuana and
that 70.6% admit to trying
alcohol in the past year?
Students Against Destructive Decisions, known as
SADD, hosted the annual
Red Ribbon Week October
27th through October 31st
to raise awareness about
the dangers of drug use
and promote a drug-free
lifestyle. Club members
passed out ribbons to
News
Page 3
Aventura de la Clase de Español Science Strikes Back
By: Anthony Miglieri
upon the front window. The students were
free to choose whatever salivation-inducing dish they pleased, and Guy Fieri’s
favorite, the beef-based Lomo Saltado,
drew many orders.
By the time the class returned at EPHS
just in time for the 2:51 bell, they had been
educated in Spanish-speaking cultures in
ways that the classroom could not have
provided; with the fine art of Puerto Ricans
still in their imaginations and the taste of
Peru lingering on their tongues, the budding learners now knew new dimensions
of the Spanish language.
On Friday, November 21st, the Spanish 5 class enjoyed a day-long field trip,
becoming acquainted with a variety of
Spanish-speaking cultures.
After departing Evergreen Park at 9:30
a.m., Mrs. Shields, her Spanish 5 students, and her chaperoning parents first
headed via bus to the Institute of Puerto
Rican Arts and Culture on the west side of
Chicago. Upon arriving, the students were
greeted both by the sight of the institute’s
splendid Baroque-influenced architecture
as well as by a well-informed tour guide.
Mrs. Shields and her band of bilingual
pupils then ventured through the myriad
halls and galleries of various featured
artists while becoming familiar with the
works by the tour guide, who led the
way.
After an hour of culture-rich art viewing had passed, the Spanish-speaking
students headed for Chicago’s north
side to experience Peruvian flavor at
Taste of Peru. An unassuming restaurant nestled in the center of a strip mall,
Taste of Peru proved to the field trippers Lomo Saltado, Taste of Peru’s most popular
why its nickname – “Chicago’s Best
dish, was sampled by students on the field trip.
Kept Secret” – is proudly emblazoned
By: Alex Deninger
2014 marks the year
for science! This school
year Evergreen Park
introduced a new club,
one for all of the science lovers out there,
Science Olympiad. This
club allows students the
opportunity to explore different interests regarding
science. This is a competitive club that meets
during the week to get
ready for an invitational
and a regional contest,
both happening in 2015.
The club is made up of 15
team members and three
alternates. The members
will spend their weekly
meetings studying and
preparing for the events.
The remarkable part of
this club is the variety
of events students can
compete in. Some of the
events include, but are
not limited to, Anatomy
and Physiology, Fossils,
Dynamic Planet, Write It
Do It, and more. There’s
an event for everyone
with a love of science. In
most of the events students are allowed to work
in pairs of two during
the actual competition.
When asked about the
club, sponsor and physics teacher Mr. Brahm
replied, “It’s great to see
so many students interested in science.” Science Olympiad has come
a long way in the past few
weeks and will continue
to grow as the year goes
on. Good luck to the team
of competing students!
Choir’s Cool Harmonies Turn Up the Heat at Musical Theater Concert
students wearing red and
gave away dum-dum suckers to anybody who had a
ribbon. The grand finale of
the week was a candy corn
guessing game. Colleen
Neylon came closest to the
guess with Zach Rogers
following. Overall, the week
was a huge success with
students gaining knowledge about the harmful
effects of drug use through
the daily announcements
and the work of the dedicated SADD members.
Published by the Students of
Evergreen Park Community High School
99th and Kedzie Avenue, Evergreen Park, IL 60805
Superintendent - Dr. M. Elizabeth Hart
Principal - Mr. Bill Sanderson
Athletic Director - Mr. James Soldan
Activities Director - Ms. Beth Spezia
Curriculum Director - Mrs. Debbie Schillo
Newspaper Staff:
Jonathan Alexander
Julie Alpow
Mayte Ceballos
Alex Deninger
Madalyn Grohovena
Caitlin Gunty
Jenna Haase
Isiah Howard
Emily Huneck
Sam Kennedy
Danny Knoll
Matt Kuchan
Serena Luciano
Anthony Miglieri
Jayson Mijangos
Treazure Owens
Gianna Pinotti
Craig Yancey
Advisors: J. Burns and M. Mikulskis
By: Gianna Pinotti
Despite the heat, the Musical
Theater Concert was a success
as always! The choir performed
songs from popular Broadway
shows such as Pippin, Avenue
Q, and even Aladdin. The choir’s
wonderful sound, and director Mrs.
Kazin’s talent and knowledge of
music, were a combination that
amazed the crowd. The concert
also featured accompanist Rose
DeSanto and Mr. Kazin on the
drums. Even though the gym was
very stuffy, the choir sang through
it and sounded terrific. The choir
is set to perform favorite Christmas songs at their Winter Concert
later this month.
Student Government Feeds Families
The gussied-up choir poses before the Musical Theater Concert. It was a
festive evening full of the sounds of familiar, well-loved songs.
EPCHS MUSIC DEPARTMENT
PRESENTS
A Knight
To Remember
An evening of holiday cheer, good friends, good food, a little comedy and beautiful music
presented by the Drama Club and the Madrigal Singers. Please join us to celebrate the
holiday season!
Saturday, December 13h
7 P.M.
Evergreen Park High School Cafeteria
Tickets: $20
Please fill out the form below and return with payment NO LATER than December 4th.
Checks made payable to EPCHS.
Please reserve our seats for the 2014 Madrigal Feaste! (Please indicate menu option.)
Left: Student Government service committee members Megan Quick, Jenna
Guest Name ________________________________ Regular Menu_________ Vegetarian _______
Haase, and Ginny Miller drop off donations at the Evergreen Park Village
Guest
Name ________________________________
Regular Menu_________
Vegetarian
Pantry,
located
at the old Howatt Fire Station
at 98th Place
and _______
Washtenaw.
Guest Name
Regular
Menu_________
Vegetarianto
_______
Students
and ________________________________
staff donated over 700 food
items
to be donated
the pantry
during
Student
Government’s
annual
food
drive
during
the
week
leading up
Guest Name ________________________________ Regular Menu_________ Vegetarian _______
to Thanksgiving.
Add additional guests on reverse if necessary.
Total number of guests ________________________
Phone Number ______________________________
Total Enclosed_______________________
Opinion
Mustang Monitor
Opinion
Mustang Monitor
Page 4
Page 5
The Cost of Life: A Solution to Overpriced Medicine
The F-Word: Feminism Club Would Make a Difference
By :Jonathan Alexander
By: Julie Allpow
Medication can be considered a miracle among
the ill for its life-saving benefits. However, the price
of medicine can skyrocket,
such as ARV medications for AIDS ($219,000
per year) and Kalydeco,
which treats cystic fibrosis ($307,000 per year).
As more people succumb
to illness, (such as the
1,665,540 new cases of
cancer in the U.S. annually), appropriately priced
medication is needed more
than ever. We need to transcend the callous accrual
of medication price that is
prohibiting many patients
from acquiring the medical
help they seek.
One option would be
to nationalize medication.
Profits would no longer go
to drug companies, and
their employees would get
paid a government salary.
This option would be the
safest for drug companies
because the government
could prevent them from
collapsing in the market.
This option would also
ensure a controlled price
of medication, and it would
allow the government to
target the most-needed
medications. An alternative would be to have the
government subsidize
or grant money to drug
companies for development; they would not need
to overprice medications to
compensate for research
and marketing costs. The
last option would involve
lowering the patent that
brand name drug compa-
nies get on new products.
Companies would be able
to produce generics, forcing brand name drugs to
compete by dropping their
prices.
Drug companies would
still receive ample compensation, with the government
paying successful companies appropriately with a
“universal grant.” The notion that cutting drug prices
would endanger drug
research is a common,
yet untrue, misconception.
Even though drug research
is very expensive and
profits are needed to keep
research sustained, drug
companies spend roughly
nineteen times more
money on pharmaceutical
advertisements than on
actual research. Any funding changes would impact
advertising, not research
and development.
Some may argue that
it is not the government’s
responsibility to support
people’s health; however,
the Constitution explicitly states the intention
to “promote the general
welfare.” Thus, the allowance for government
intervention in the property
of drug companies is constitutional. Others oppose
these measures, thinking
drug companies have put
in their own effort without
the government’s help to
build their business. This,
however, is untrue. Drug
companies have ridden on
the backs of our society’s
entire infrastructure. If it
were not for the world’s
scientific discoveries, technology, and system of law,
e.g. patents and courts,
today’s drug companies
would not stand as tall as
they do today. Therefore, it
is completely ethical for the
government to intervene in
the pharmaceutical business; what is truly unethical
is the sickening support of
profits over the health of
the citizens of this world.
Overall, the importance
of lowering the cost of
drug medications should
be seen as paramount in
our society. In due time,
we can make the world a
better place for children, for
adults, and for elders--for
everyone. All that needs
to be done is the simple
thought of “people over
profits,” and soon enough,
the world will be a better
place.
Quality Over Quantity When It Comes to Homework
By: Sam Kennedy
Since the creation of
organized schooling, kids
of all ages have been
complaining about homework. Why have we never
stopped to consider the
fact that all these frustrated, despondent students
may have a point? A drastic
change in our education
system must take place: a
much more lenient homework policy must be adopted, including assigning less
homework, designing more
valuable assignments, and
not grading homework, in
order to better the mental
health and education of all
students.
The simple fact of the
matter is that homework,
as it is currently, causes
more negative outcomes
than positive outcomes.
The American Psychological Association reports that
teens now have the highest stress level of any age
group in America. Students are typically very involved, attempting to juggle
sports, clubs, activities, social lives, family lives, plans
for the future, and maybe
even a job. Throw copious
amounts of homework into
the mix, and this already
difficult task becomes
nearly Herculean. This
results in stress, anxiety,
and depression for the students, which causes their
academic performance to
worsen, adding even more
stress and thus continuing the vicious cycle. If this
epidemic is not addressed,
students will continue to
have mental health issues
stemming from their stress
and anxiety.
A major reason why a
more lenient homework
policy should be adopted
is that homework causes
students to feel against
learning due to the constant stream of homework
assignments a student
receives each day, overwhelming struggling kids
and removing joy for high
achievers. They come to
hate homework and in turn
hate education as a whole.
It makes students lose the
desire to attain as much
knowledge as possible
in school, as well as deters them from wanting to
pursue knowledge outside
of school. All this could be
remedied by lessening the
amount of homework given
every day.
While assigning lots of
homework may have a
few benefits, the damage
it does to students’ mental
health and moral education
are far greater. For example, some may say homework teaches students
responsibility. The adverse
is actually true. Having
significantly less homework
would teach students to
take responsibility for their
own actions and their own
grades much more so than
the forced labor of assignments. As Alfie Kohn, one
of the leading voices of
education in America, once
said, “The best teachers
know that children learn
how to make good decisions by making decisions,
not by following directions.”
This means that students
learn more about decisionmaking and responsibility from making their own
decisions than from blindly
following orders. Rigorous
homework policies destroy
students’ abilities to better themselves through
personal education and
personal motivation, skills
that are extremely vital in
college and the workplace
beyond college.
Not only would a less
rigorous homework policy
reduce stress, it would
allow students to spend
more time studying for
each class, thus improving their grades. More
important than grades, it
would give students more
time to pursue their true
interests and as a result
truly become more educated. Having less homework would mean that
students wouldn’t have to
rush through each assignment, simply writing
anything down to get the
credit as - from personal
experience - I know they
often do. Students would
be able to put more care
into assignments and
genuinely get the most out
of each one, which is what
the teacher intended for
them to do when assigning
the homework. Students
don’t become educated
from a large quantity of
homework; they become
educated from a high quality of homework and high
quality of effort given for
each class. A less rigorous
homework policy would improve the quality of work a
student produces and lead
to a more fruitful education.
Not only out of kindness
and compassion, but
out of logic and necessity emerges the need to
create a homework policy
that stresses quality over
quantity. Less homework
would relieve some of the
stress from a teen already
struggling with a multitude
of stress triggers. It would
allow students to become
more educated in the
things they are passionate
about and prepare students for the self-reliance
and self-responsibility
necessary in college and
beyond. Also, It would
diminish the negative feelings toward education and
give students more time to
put better effort into each
assignment, thus improving their education. These
are not new discoveries;
many areas of our country
and indeed the world have
realized the necessity for
a more lenient homework
policy.
Homework should be
assigned based on need,
not on principle. And so,
as the kids, not defined as
students but as human beings, sink into the swamp
of homework and despair,
will they be saved by those
who remember with little
fondness their time spent in
the swamp, or will they be
left to suffer, their pleading
cries for help unanswered?
When the enterprising
young men and women of
this school graduate, what
kind of world will we be
embarking into? A world
where some will be treated
differently simply because
of their gender? A world
where someone might look
past one’s brilliance and
individual character for the
sole reason that she’s a
woman? A world where the
talented male graduates
of this school will get paid
more than the equallytalented female graduates
purely based on gender?
Keeping the future of the
students in mind, forming
a feminism club would be
beneficial for our school.
Many people believe
that the fight for equality
is over, but it’s only just
begun. Although women
have won the right to vote
and many have achieved
equality in certain aspects
of their lives, these freedoms are still limited. For
instance, although 50.8%
of our nation’s population is
female, women only make
up 18.5% of Congress; decisions that affect the entire
nation are being decided
by a group that is heavily
dominated by men. Even
in the 20 most common occupations for women, men
make more money in almost all of them. The Equal
Rights Amendment is only
an active amendment in 22
states. In fact, there is not
one country in the world in
which men and women are
treated equally socially, politically, and economically.
We need to encourage our
girls that contrary to all the
current statistics, they’re
not
limited to female norms.
Working together, we can
break the pattern of sexism
not only in the workplace,
but around the world. In a
feminism club we would
discuss these and other
related issues and what we
could do to not become just
another statistic.
In the same way we see
inequality economically and
politically, we also see poor
representation of women in
the media. Women are so
often sexualized in movies,
magazines, television, and
more. When the effects
of sexism in the media
are harmful to the mental,
emotional, and physical
health of such a significant
amount of females, things
need to change. In a
feminism club, we would
encourage our members
to be body positive and to
see themselves as more
than just what they look
like. As a group we could
help empower each other
to improve self-esteem and
overall health.
Although we can’t defeat the patriarchy overnight, there’s so much we
can do that would make
a feminism club worthwhile. We could start off
by changing our attitudes.
Gandhi said, “Be the
change you want to see in
the world.” We can’t expect any of these issues to
change if we don’t encourage positive advancements, starting with our
students. Sexism affects all
of us and this club would
offer a place to discuss
how it affects us individually as well as around the
world. This club could be a
solely positive representa-
tion of our school as well
as a positive influence on
its members and the community.
In short, forming a feminism club would have a
positive impact on EPCHS
because it would provide
support for students with
issues related to feminism,
prepare students to deal
with the world ahead of
them, offer a place to discuss how sexism affects us
as students as well as men
and women around the
world, and discover what
we can do to make a difference. As Emma Watson
said in her speech at the
United Nations, “If not me,
who? If not now, when?”
There is no better time to
start changing the world,
and a feminism club is the
first step.
Beat The
Cold With
Hot Fashion
by: Mayte Ceballos
Flannels
Flannels are everywhere this
winter. You can layer them with
sweaters or a jacket. They can
easily be paired with leggings
or jeans. To go for a more laid
back look you can tie the flannel
around your waist and still wear
a jacket. Flannels can easily be
made to look edgy and grungy
by pairing them with darker and
louder accessories and shoes,
or they can look soft and chic
by pairing them with simple
accessories.
Faux fur
Whether it’s on your coat, your
vest, or your scarf, faux fur is
becoming trendy again. You can
wear faux fur that’s short or long
or technicolor or solid. Longer
coats give a dressier vibe, whereas
shorter and more fitted coats give
a more casual look. Whatever you
pick, your faux fur is sure to stand
out in a room.
Velvet
The Mustang Monitor surveyed fifty students about their
average nightly homework load and to what extent they
find homework valuable.
This season velvet has taken over.
As seen on leggings, dresses, and
coats, the ‘90s has managed to
come back through these pieces of
clothing. Red velvet has been the
most popular by far. Nowadays
most of the people wearing these
pieces are trying to achieve a ‘90s
vibe. No matter what your style
is, you can own a velvet piece and
style it to your liking.
Jordan Murray of Burbank
Plans to earn his associate degree in Mechanical Design/Drafting
Member of the Art Club
REGISTER NOW! Classes start Jan.12.
How will YOU fill in the blank?
#fillintheblank @morainevalley
Entertainment/Features
Mustang Monitor
Page 6
Nolan’s Sleek, Star-Bound Odyssey Astounds
By: Anthony Miglieri
This is the latest entry into director
Christopher Nolan’s
decade- spanning line
of hotly anticipated twoand-a-half-hour-plus
epics. His extraordinarily popular string of
films has earned Nolan
mass fame, acclaim,
and expectations for
each successive movie.
Therefore, after the Batman trilogy, fans were
understandably vibrating with excitement for
the sci-fi extravaganza
that Interstellar appeared to be.
Considering Nolan’s
track record of intellectually stimulating and
meticulously crafted
films of epic length, as
well as the mysterious
space voyage-depicting Astronauts Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and David Gyasi explore a strange planet in Christopher Nolan’s newest
teaser trailers preced- release. Although the film may fall short of its own lofty ambition, it serves its purpose as a visual and emotional spectacle.
ing Interstellar’s release,
significantly, Interstellar
at length: earth is a dusta surprisingly comedic rovery well be Nolan’s most
it was widely speculated
might not have benefitted
encrusted shadow of its
bot called TARS, he contin- ambitious endeavor, and
that the new film would
from such an airtight struc- former self that will soon be ues to be tormented by his
that is quite a statement
have the significance of a
ture, as one of its most
unable to sustain human
abandonment whilst facing considering that the man
modern day 2001: A Space prominent and unexpected life due to failing crops.
wonder and death at every enthralled and confounded
Odyssey. While Interstellar virtues is that of its proAfter Cooper is mysteriintergalactic turn.
audiences almost to no end
does manage the feat of
found emotional heft.
ously led to a NASA opAlthough the acting
with 2010’s dreamscapenearly matching the visual
The solid emotional
eration that can utilize his
sometimes tends to take a
leaping Inception. Although
majesty of Stanley Kufoundation of the film is
old piloting skills to find an
backseat amid the counthis latest composition
brick’s genre-defining 1968 subtly constructed during
alternative home for the
less breathtaking images
falters short of reaching
opus, it does not match
its opening earth-bound
human race, the scenes in
conjured by Nolan and his
the lofty summits of neither
the precision with which
stretch, in which Cooper,
which he grapples with the
special effects legions, the
the intellectual intricacy of
Kubrick was able to conMatthew McConaughey’s
possibility of never returnperformances are impecInception nor the nearly
vey his complex existential protagonist, is depicted
ing to his beloved daughter cable from top to bottom.
flawless action-framed
ideas on screen. This is not as a tender yet unconvenand son are visceral in
Great are everyone from
existentialism of The Dark
exactly a fault of Intersteltional farmer father who
their universally relatable
McConaughey to Michael
Knight, Christopher Nolan’s
lar, though; first of all, few
harbors an intimate relapassions. After Cooper has Caine (who essentially
Interstellar is no less than
films in history have been
tionship with his 10-yearembarked for unexplored
reprises his role as the
a towering achievement,
able to so clearly depict
old daughter Murph. The
planets with the company
gray-haired mentor from a
a gleaming, beautifully
such a grandiose speculaengrossing universe of
of a crew including Anne
whopping five other Nolan
rendered work of both the
tion of the ultimate future
the movie is also set up
Hathaway’s Dr. Brand and
pictures). Interstellar may
cosmic and the intimate.
of mankind as 2001. More
Features
The Basics of Brummel
New Year, New
Resolutions
Q: How would you describe your life
Mustang Monitor
Interviewed by: Serena Luciano
in one word?
By: Jayson Mijangos
A: Cheerful.
Every year we come
together and realize we
have to change and set
new goals. We also realize
most of the time we never
achieve them. Well, it’s that
time of year again where
people set new goals.
We asked our Evergreen
Park Mustangs what their
Q: What made you want to become a
math teacher?
A: My mother inspired me. She told
me I was great working with kids.
Q: What is the weirdest thing that
has happened to you?
1) Turn off all electronics. When studying,
breaking your focus from
the topic you’re reviewing
to look at the T.V or a cell
phone doesn’t let the brain
fully commit the information
to memory and it becomes
useless once you start
thinking of something else.
2) Turn up the music.
Listening to relaxing music
such as classical or jazz
can relieve some of the
boredom of studying.
beginning and in the end
more than in the middle.
not getting on the quiz and
review it.
3) Break time! If you take
short breaks frequently
throughout studying, your
brain can retain the information you looked at in the
4) Don’t procrastinate.
7) Check your understanding. The problem
Cramming the night before
may seem like a good idea,
but by waiting until the last
minute to study, the brain
doesn’t have enough time
to fully retain the information. By studying over a
longer period of time like a
week or two, the material is
more accurately committed
to memory.
5) Peace and quiet. Find
a comfortable and quiet
place to study with good
lighting and few distractions (try avoiding your own
bed; it is very tempting to
just lie down and take a
nap).
6) Test yourself. If you
are confident that you
know the material, create
a quiz for yourself or find
one online. If you do well,
then your studying paid
off; if not, see what you’re
isn’t when you don’t understand something, the
problem is when you don’t
know what you don’t understand. Make sure that
when you’re studying, you
cover all of the bases for
the subject. Ask the teacher what will be on the test
and review to see if you
completely understand all
of the material.
8) Ask for help. Going to
your teacher to review information one-on-one can
help increase the clarity of
a subject that you’re having difficulty with. You can
also create a study group
with kids from class or your
friends. Just make sure everyone is as serious about
the studying as you are. New Year‘s resolutions
were. Here are some of
the responses we got. Are
you going to take action
and change, or are you
just going to sit back and
just pretend you did something? To those of you
making a difference and
achieving your goals, good
luck and Happy New Year,
everyone!
A: My family left me standing in a
sandbox in the middle of a lake with
only an oar to hold onto.
Kaelee Lundeen (freshman) – “To stay on
that vegetarian diet.”
Q: What is your favorite place
you’ve visited and why?
Jairo Martinez (freshman) – “Practicing
harder in order to make varsity next soccer
season.”
A: California because my grandson
lives there.
Q: What was your life like as a
teenager?
A: Very quiet-- I was extremely shy.
Q: If you could live anywhere in the
world, where would you live?
experience?
Mrs. Brummel on her
wedding day in 1972.
A: Having to type my papers on the
El, or riding my bike 20 miles out to
college.
Sarai Salazar (sophomore) – “Be a better
student and make it through the year with
grades on point.”
Q: What is your favorite geometry
shape? Why?
Kennedy Hannah (sophomore) – “To try my
best to get an actual job and make some
money.”
A: A triangle because it’s strong.
A: Hawaii because they have perfect
weather all the time.
Q: Tell me the first word that comes
to mind when you hear the word
geometry.
Q: What is your craziest college
A: Challenging
Merry Christma---I Mean...
Happy Halloween!!!
Andy Oziemkiewcz (junior) – “Help others
as much as possible.”
Adan Castillo (senior) – “Win a lot of wrestling matches.”
Dominique MacLean (senior) – “My New
Year’s resolution is to learn how to crochet.”
Mr. Mikulskis – “Save all the fish from the
salt water aquariums and release them back
to the ocean.”
Mr. Gallagher- “I think my resolution this
year will be to watch what I eat this year.
Maybe eat less French fries and make sure
I can stay on a healthy track.”
Sulk Over Studying No More! Great Study Tips!
By: Emily Huneck
Page 7
Mrs. Shields- “My New Year’s Resolution
is cleaning out my closet and getting rid of
abundant things.”
Yes, we know...Halloween has
long been over. Our Thanksgiving leftovers have already
been eaten for goodness
sakes, but whatever...Here are
a few photos from our wondefully festive Halloween here at
EP. (Upper left) Joel Donovan and
Matt Oziemkiewicz go bananas
for Halloween. (Upper right) Maura
O’Keefe braves the big bad
wolf on her way to grandma’s
house. And, (left) Mario himself
(aka Mr. Brahm) spent his day
keeping EP safe from Bowser
and the rest of the bad guys
from the Mario Bros. universe.
No More Bumpers
for Boys Bowling
By: Madalyn Grohovena
This year, a new athletics team has been added-boys bowling! It started
off with Shaun Quinn, a
sophomore, who was a
solo bowler last year. He
did individual meets while
traveling along with the
girls bowling team. His
playing and skills led to
the beginning of the new
boys bowling team. “We
are looking forward to a
very good and successful
year. Our coach [Ron Pula]
is great and he is a USBC
Bronte-level coach,” said
junior Jacob Ottenfeld.
Assistant coach Destiny
Miller said, “We have good
expectations and are ready
to get the season started.”
We are all very excited to
see what comes of this
season. The team is currently 1-6-1 for the season.
Sports
Mustang Monitor
Page 8
Just Keep Swimming, What Do
We Do? We Swim, Swim, Swim!
By: Serena Luciano
The boys swim team is
looking forward to a very
exciting and eventful year.
“We’re really excited to
switch up training this season and have a small and
dedicated group to work
with,” says head coach
Sarah Marshall. The first
swim meet against Oak
Forest and Oak Lawn was
held Tuesday, December
9th at Oak Forest High
School. The season has
just started, but the boys
have already put a lot of
work in before the season.
They practice Monday
through Friday; varsity
has practices Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Saturdays early in the morning
along with every day after
school. “We have a very
small group on varsity, but
they all have the opportunity to step up,” says Coach
Marshall. “We’re really
excited to switch up training this season and have a
small and dedicated group
to work with. We hope to
build the program as the
guys get stronger.”
Diving coach Jason
Kelecich’s state qualifying
Band Marches Over Competition
By: Jenna Haase
Juniors Nick Moreno and Jacob Ottenfeld are proud to
represent Evergreen Park High School on the school’s
new boys bowling team this winter season.
Bowling Is Love,
Bowling Is Life
By: Treazure Owens
Starting off with a 2-2 record, the girls bowling team
hopes to make an impact at conference.
Coach Alford says, “These ladies aren’t your typical
team, we do game drills,” which sets them apart from
other teams and helps the girls prepare for a win. This
approach has helped Chais Wooten improve almost 30
points from an average of 64 to an average of 90, and
Daisha Gearson to an average of 205 at one of their
meets.
The team is hopeful of a first or second place finish at
conference. Even though two of the team’s best bowlers graduated, Coach Alford believes in the success of
the team. “We believe that we practice to practice, not
practice to score.” Alfords optimism will hopefully be
enough come conference time. Junior Mikayla Morris
shares Alfords optimism, “I think we’re doing okay, we
have our ups and downs but we stay happy and close
like a family.” The competition is fierce and the girls need
to roll their best games going forward. Staying positive
and supporting your teammates are surefire ways to help
reach your goals.
The Marching Mustangs completed yet
another successful
marching season. The
marching season goes
from the middle of August
to the end of the football
season. Throughout the
season, the Mustangs
competed in four competitions. On the weekend of
October 4th, the band and
color guard participated
in two competitions. They
kicked off the season by
performing at Providence
High School, where they
placed fourth. The following day, the marching
band competed at St.
Rita. Here, they placed
second and the color
guard not only received
best guard of their class,
but they also scored higher than every guard competing that day. The next
week, on October 12th, the
Mustangs participated in
a competition at Marengo
High School. The band
and guard placed first in
their class and the color
guard received best guard
of their class. Their final competition was at
Sandwich High School on
October 19th. They ended
their competitive season
with a second place win.
The Mustangs’ scores
improved each week, so
although they didn’t end
with a first place win, they
ended with their highest score of the season.
After marching season,
the band transfers into
concert band. There is a
Prism Concert on January 14th that will include
a variety of music and a
sneak peek of the upcoming musical Beauty and
the Beast.
Boys Swim
Upcoming Athletic Events
The winter sports season is just kicking off. The best way to get
out of the cold and have fun in these dreary months is to cheer
on your fellow Mustangs at these upcoming Home athletic
events:
Girls Bowling
Boys Bowling
Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
diver from last year, Justin
Houle, graduated and left
him with an all new set of
divers to start their journey.
Dennis Burns and Chris
Tenbrink-Labreck both
swim and dive, splitting
their practice time. Both
Coach Marshall and Coach
Kelecich encourage having
new swimmers and divers
who are not afraid to push
themselves. Come out and
support the boys at their
first home meet on January
13th versus TF North and
Tinley Park.
Boys
B-ball
Coach
Predicts
a SlamDunk
Season
By: Jayson Mijangos and
Matt Kuchan
Mr. Flannigan enters his
fourth year as the varsity boys’ basketball team
head coach. Trying to get
at least a .500 record this
year, the team currently
has a 3-3 record. Trying
to improve from last year,
the Mustangs have been
pushing hard during practice and trying to ensure
a win for the next game.
“We work on a lot of individual breakdowns--guards
working with guards, post
players working with posts,
and having coaches at
each station to help improve,” explained Coach
Flannigan. Isaac Matthews, Joe Moran, Darren Pritchett and Jordan
Brown are key players that
Coach Flanagan identified
as players to watch during each basketball game.
“I made some mistakes,
preparations, and things
like that, but we are always trying to get better,”
reflected Coach Flannigan
on previous years. The
next varsity game will be
against Tinley Park on
December 11th at 6:30pm.
“My goal is to bring either
a regional or conference
championship; we haven’t
had one of those in a long
time,” states Coach Flannigan. The Evergreen Park
students, staff, and alumni
will be supporting the team
to the end and we hope
they will bring a championship to EP.