ACHS Tom Tom - December 17, 2004 - Antioch Community High ...

Antioch Community High School Volume 43, Issue 5 December 17, 2004
News Briefs
Methane Recycling
Efficient use of area
resources helps
power up ACHS
The methane recycling program
now generates approximately
25% of the high schools
electricity. It works by taking
methane gas from the old H.O.D
Landfill site on McMillow road
and sends it through pipes to
ACHS where it is converted into
electricity.
Board Meeting
School Board turns
thumbs down on funding
for a number of proposed
classes, clubs
During last weeks board meeting,
Electronic Publishing and Media
literacy were cut from the
curriculum for 2005-2006 school
year. Eight proposed clubs were
denied funding including, Ski and
Snowboard, Anime, and Amnesty
International Club.
Cafeteria
renovations
Plans to renovate the
cafeteria seating area are
now in place
After 40 years of use, the cafeteria
at ACHS is slatted to be remodeled
during the summer of 2005
and is to be completed by the
beginning of next school year. The
kitchen facilities have not yet been
approved for remodeling.
Inside...
The good...
The bad... and
The unwanted
holiday gifts
Santa set to welcome area
kids at Toft Street facility
See IN-DEPTH
Antioch prepares for the holidays
By Chris Grindley
The holiday season is in full
swing in Antioch as locals show
their holiday spirit by participating
in holiday festivities.
Antioch started of its holiday
season on Friday, Nov. 26, with the
annual holiday parade through the
town. The parade was sponsored
by the Village of Antioch Parks
and Recreation Department,
and ran down Main Street from
Park Avenue to Orchard Avenue.
“People involved with the parade
get more and more creative every
year, and the parade continues to
get bigger every year,” said Billie
Horton, Special Events Coordinator.
After the parade there was the
official lighting of the Antioch
Family Christmas Tree outside
the Village Hall. People who
turned out for the event were
served cookies and hot chocolate.
The special thing about this
event is that members of the community
can get involved by making
an ornament to hang on the tree.
This year twenty five new orna-
Photo by Tim Racette
Torre Gardener of Menards
moves palettes of shower
equipment at the Gurnee facility.
Menards hopes to open a
new store next to the Wal-mart
complex in Antioch.
Shop with a Cop
See PAGE 11
ments were donated. The ornaments
had to be weather proofed
and have the family’s name on
it. The ornament also needed to
include something to hang it by,
because the ornament will stay on
the tree through out the season.
“The ceremony had a really
great turn out, and gets
better every year,” said Horton.
Another main attraction open
for the holiday season is Santa’s
Enchanted Castle. Every year over
3,000 children from Antioch and
the surrounding communities
visit Santa’s Castle. The castle is
located in the lot off of Toft street
near the Antioch water tower,
and will be open to the public
through Dec. 23. Santa will hear
the children’s wishes from 5:30
p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends.
“Santa’s castle is a month long
community project staffed by
volunteers, which adds to the
enjoyment of thousands of children
from our community and
surrounding communities,” said
Menards brings controversy
By David Becker
Traffic has increased on Rte.
173 and Deep Lake Rd. due to
the opening of the Antioch Wal-
Mart in October. The opening
of Wal-Mart has ignited a sudden
growth increase of businesses
around the Wal-Mart area.
As of now businesses that have
moved into the strip mall next to
Wal-Mart are Payless Shoe Source,
Subway, Nextel and a dentist office.
The next business to be
built is the proposed Menards.
The proposed area where
Menards is to be built is located
immediately west of
Wal-Mart and is cur-
rently a horse farm.
The developer is hoping
to start construction
early next year.
Building won’t begin
until it is approved by
the Village of Antioch.
“There were many
comments in the public hearing
concerning a number of issues
like traffic, noise, and the water
quality of Little Silver Lake,”
Photo by Chris Grindley
Holiday festivities in Antioch started Friday Nov. 26 and will
continue through New Year's Day 2005.
Barbara Porch, Executive director
of The Chamber of Commerce.
Children can also write to Santa
if they can’t make it to the castle.
He loves to get letters from all the
children in the Antioch area. Letters
can be sent to Santa’s Enchanted
Castle, c/o Antioch Village Hall,
Commercial expansion continues...
Local
children
participate
in annual
shop with
a cop
program
said George Sakas, Senior Planner
of the Village of Antioch.
There will be more than just noise
that will come from Menards. There
will also be more traffic.
“Obviously there will be additional
traffic. GLP has submitted a traffic
impact study,” said Sakas.
Something else that Menards
brings is additional tax revenue
for Antioch. This money will continue
the construction on Rte. 173.
“IL Rte. 173 will be widened in
front of the store to four lanes and
will include a turn lane matching
Wal-Mart. The Village receives
one percent
“I will still shop at True
Value because I have been
going here for years and “ -Chris Brown
Antioch Citizen
See PAGE 23
of its revenues,several
hundred
t h o u s a n d
per year,
from all local
retailers.
Commercial
d e v e l o p -
ment does not create a school
demand, so they don’t pay any
school impact fees,” said Sakas.
Menards, which will carry
Plus...
East entrance is
completed for students
See PAGE 2
874 Main St. Antioch, IL 60002.
The holiday season is a
time for being with your family
and the ones you love.
Community activities such as
the parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony
offer the opportunity to
get involved and have some fun.
a majority of the goods that
are currently sold in hardware
stores in Antioch, will compete
for consumers’ business.
“It will definitely hurt our business
for a while, I firmly believe sales
will go back up,” said Jim Sanders,
Manager of Antioch True Value.
True Value like other businesses in
Antioch will have their sales affected
due to the opening of Wal-Mart.
“Surprisingly, there hasn’t been
much discussion about that. Many
communities successfully
have both large home improvement
stores and smaller
hardware stores like Ace
and True Value,” said Sakas.
Some shoppers will still
continue to shop at the stores
in downtown Antioch regardless
of the new hardware store.
“I will still shop at True Value
because I have been going here for
years and the people are friendly,”
said Chris Brown who is a frequent
shopper of True Value in Antioch.
The proposed Menards is
still in the preliminary discussion
stages with village officials.
Index
News.............................1
Opinion.........................6
Editorial........................7
Feature..........................8
In-Depth................12-13
A&E............................14
Sports..........................19

2
News • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
ACHS spends 4 million on reconstruction...
East entrance gets much needed face lift
By Tim Racette
Antioch High School spent a
mere four million dollars on its
renovations of a new gym facility
and reconstructed east entrance.
Somewhat behind schedule, but
on budget, ACHS opened its new
east entrance doors on Friday Dec.
3. This reconstructed and modernized
east entrance is met by a
two-story glass ceiling along with
a canopy that runs along the outer
wall. The new entry way is more
complimentary to the schools main
two story entrance.
“[The new entrance] depicts a
better representation of the school
to people entering the building,”
said Steve Schoenfelder, ACHS Athletics
Director.
A new gymnasium is also in the
lineup of additions to the school.
The gym is scheduled to be in use
late February or early March.
“It is hoped that ACHS students
appreciate the investment the community
and Board of Education has
made to insure that ACHS has up-todate
and state of the art facilities,”
said Jon Crawford, ACHS Principal.
The facility will be used for golf
and volleyball in the fall, gymnastics,
cheerleading, dance or wrestling
in the winter, and volleyball
track and baseball/softball in the
spring. With this addition, the east
and west decks will also be open for
cheer and dance usage again.
“It’s going to help our team a lot
because in the winter our [volleyball]
practices would be help late
at night since all the sports teams
have to be moved inside,” said Eric
Swanson, ACHS senior and varsity
volleyball player. “Softball players
would be pitching down the side of
our courts and running through the
hallways. The new gym will help
free up some practice time and
space.”
Freeing up more space for
classes, the PE department will also
benefi t greatly being able to partake
in more cardiovascular, strength,
fi tness and sport activities through-
out the school day.
“[The new gym] should
held free up space and
workout areas on the fi tness
days,” said Jeff Dresser,
ACHS PE teacher. “With
the number of classes a
period the addition of a
gym should defi nitely help
to add another fi tness station.”
Other reconstruction
projects taking place in
2004 include renovations
to the south and east parking
lots, deconstruction of
the boiler room and tennis
courts, and the erection of
football fi eld and parking
lot lights.
Bill Ahlers, business
manager for district 117
was in charge of keeping
the project on budget. Total
cost for the renovations
and additions including
the back entrance, canopy, gym
foyer, and parking lot confi guration
Emmons receives 7 million in funds for expansion
By Donatella Savino
Emmons Grade School received
seven million dollars in alternate
revenue bonds.
Additions are being made to
Emmons because of the increase
of students attending the school.
According to Cyndy Vandrush, principal
at Emmons Grade School, says
there are currently 400 students
attending Emmons and has been
growing by about ten-fi fteen students
a year.
According to Matt Tabar, superintendent
of District #31, the reno-
vations is being fi nanced with alternate
revenue bonds which permits
the school to re-fi nance the current
debt on the 1994 addition to the
year 2035 and will not raise the tax
rate by more than fi ve cents for the
community tax payers. According
to Vandrush, a public hearing was
Photo by Donna Savino
Plans to reconstruct and expand Emmons Grade School will allow for students to play basketball,
and other recreational sports in a new gymnasium paid for by District 31.
Photo by Megan Tkacy
The new two story east entrance with adjoining canopy is perfect for
protecting students against the elements. It also complements the
front of the school, giving the much-used back entrance a face lift.
was $3,790,807.00.
The only set back came from
a surprising asbestos encounter
held in June 2004, informing the
community about the renovations
being made to Emmons.
According to Tabar, Emmons will
be adding a new, large, competitive
gymnasium, new space for music
and band, several new classrooms,
remodeled offi ce area, expanded
parking area, and safer facilities
for dropping off and picking up
students. The present kindergarten
room will become the new library,
the lunchroom will break into two
classrooms, and the current library
will become a classroom. The existing
gym will be converted into a
multi-purposed room, which will
provide a lunch area, performing
area, assembly room, and will supply
for many other purposes.
There has been a delay on starting
the construction. “The hold up
has been getting permits from Lake
County so we can start. We just received
the permit for grading so the
bulldozers should be starting…”
said Tabar.
Due to the setback there has
occurring over the summer, which
was effectively removed by the start
of classes for 2004.
been worry if they will fi nish on
time “This process (waiting for the
permit) has taken additional time
and we are concerned about being
totally fi nished by the start of school
in the fall”, said Tabar.
Vandrush expressed to the
Tom Tom that parents, faculty, and
students have reacted in a positive
way.
“We have heard nothing except
positive responses,” said Vandrush,
“once we actually start to see the
addition going up, the excitement
will grow too.”
According to Vandrush, the
students were involved in their last
addition back in 1994. A contest
was held for the students to play as
an architect and design their ideal
learning environment.
As well as safe visits to the construction
site. The students also
contributed to the ribbon cutting
when the west wing of Emmons
was open. The faculty plans on doing
the same type activities for this
upcoming addition.
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December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • News 3
R aines
ECA gears up for February competition:
CHS to square off against
00 other Illinois schools
y Dakota West
If you have never heard the word
DECA” uttered in the hallways of
ntioch Community High School,
ou are not alone.
The Distributive Education Clubs
f America (DECA) is a studententered
organization designed to
elp students who are interested in
arketing and business. Students
nvolved in DECA learn what is
ecessary to successfully compete
n marketing, management,
usiness, and merchandising
areers, depending on their career
hoices.
On Feb. 2, DECA will be
ompeting in the Area Competition,
C I onstruction
General Contractor
Excavating & Concrete Work
ncorporated
Warren Raines
Phone: 708/372-5440 Fax: 708/681-0229
JAY’S COMICS
&
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Thirdlake, IL 60030
847-223-8711
Mon-Tues 12-6
Wed-Fri. 12-8
Sat. 11-5
also being their fi rst competition of
the year. They will be competing
with over 600 DECA members from
surrounding participating schools.
The competition being so soon
after Christmas break, leaves DECA
with only a few weeks to fi nalize
preparations.
The DECA clubs from
participating schools have
already started getting ready for
competitions as well, making
practice and preparing for
competitions an important factor
for each meeting that DECA has.
“We do practice role plays,” said
Breana Mieszanek, DECA Chapter
President, “and decide what
categories we are going to compete
in.”
Feeling pressure Antioch’s Bad Ass Coffee Shop.
Once word got out of the Coffee
Coffee shop
entrepreneur
shuts down his
business before
its scheduled
grand opening
By Joey Alvarez
A businessman has given up
plans to open a coffee shop in
Antioch that angered residents with
its questionable name.
Tony Liotta had signed up to
open a Bad Ass Coffee franchise
and argued that the franchise takes
its name from the donkeys used to
haul coffee beans in Hawaii.
But local residents were not
convinced and the village board
earlier this month passed a
resolution
t h a t
condemned
the names
“repugnant
to the entire
c o n c e p t
of family
values.”
“ I ’ m
astounded
at the length
people will
go to get
what they
want”, said
Tony Liotta,
the former
owner of
Shop’s opening in Antioch, the
media immediately took the story
and began publicizing the opening.
“It was hell, even before the
Tribune article,” said Liotta.
Mr. Liotta fi nished serving his
sentence 17 years ago.
“I’ve been building up my life and
I have tried to turn it around,” said
Liotta. Liotta also looked forward
to being part of the community and
being involved in and sponsoring in
local events.
Bad Ass Coffee executive
Harold Hill, calls Liotta’s decision
disappointing and says he will try
to fi nd a new owner for the Antioch
shop.
Daily Herald letter to the Editor
“However, after days of discussion
in the news media by residents
of Antioch-someone felt it was
appropriate to delve into Tony
Liotta’s background and use it
against him.”
Although Bad Ass Coffee Shop
will not open in Antioch, one will
open in e
Photo by Rob Nordby
Bad Ass Coffee: Due to public scrutiny, Liotta
decided not to open the shop.
Massimo Tre Re
Lena Tre Re
265 Peterson Rd
Libertyville, IL 600448
Free Estimates
Massimos
DECA members can compete
in an Advertising Campaign,
or write business plans for the
Entrepreneurship Participating
Event. There is also a Virtual
Business Challenge that allows
students to
c o m p e t e
using a
b u s i n e s s
management
simulation.
This helps
s t u d e n t s
to learn
investment
s t r a t e g i e s
and compete
in a Stock
M a r k e t
game. The
competition includes 14 area high
schools, including Highland Park
and Vernon Hills.
“Basically its just like real
By Jessica Gaido
Italian
Tile
Design
Tel: 847-367-7390
Fax: 847-367-7397
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Saturday 9-6
Closed Sunday
(847) 838-BEST
“ Basically, it's (DECA) just
like real business
Due to the destruction of their
school playground, the students of
Elementary School, Olive C. Martin,
are donating and collecting money
in order to contribute in restoring
the playground equipment that was
destroyed over the weekend of Oct.
23. A large portion of the playground
of Martin School, located in Lake
Villa, was destroyed by a fi re.
It is still undetermined if the
destruction was intentional
vandalism or it was an accident, but
the case is still under investigation.
The student council decided
to take part in reconstruction of
the playground, by encouraging
the entire school to participate
in a drive, entitled “Pennies for
Playground.“
I think all of the students took
it [the destruction] hurtfully."
Instead of being angry or mad, they
wanted to do something,” said Paul
Santopadre, the school’s principal.
For a two-week period, students
are encouraged to donate change
in order to rebuild their school
playground, and the student
council members are responsible
for collecting all of the donated
money.
Along with the students, some
parents are making donations for
the destroyed playground as well.
Shari Lazor, sixth grade teacher
also an adviser for “Pennies for
business,” said Donna Corcoran,
ACHS DECA supervisor . “It is
such an awesome opportunity
for students to put their business
skills and interests into play, while
meeting new people and learning
a b o u t
business and
marketing.”
T h e
“-Donna Corcoran
DECA supervisor
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competitions
that DECA
are involved
in includes
over a dozen
d i f f e r e n t
b u s i n e s s
areas for
students to
c o m p e t e
in, Sports
and Entertainment Marketing, and
Financial Services just being a few.
In mid-march of next year
DECA will compete in the State
Playground,” says the students
are putting forth their best efforts to
positively impact the situation.
“They take ownership in the
playground and were devastated, so
now they are helping to rebuild it,”
said Lazor.
According to Santopadre, the
majority of the reconstruction of
the playground will be covered
by insurance, so the money being
collected by the students will be put
towards enhancing and improving
it.
The advisors of “Pennies for
Playground,” said it gives the
opportunity for every student
to personally make their own
Competition, along with 800 other
DECA members from Illinois, where
the top three groups in each contest
will advance to the International
Convention in Anaheim, California.
Corcoran says it is possible to win
scholarships for performing well
at these competitions, especially in
Anaheim.
Being so new to ACHS as DECA is,
not a lot of people have not heard
of the club, resulting in only 12
members this year. “I think a lot of
people don’t know about it because
it’s so new and we haven’t gotten
the word out," said Katie Sprague, a
DECA member. It is not too late to
join however.
"Anyone is welcome to join," said
Corcoran. "I encourage those with
any interest or skill in business and
marketing to give DECA a try."
DECA meets after school on
Tuesday in the business hallway.
'Pennies for Playground'
helps with repair efforts
Photo by Jessica Gaido
Martin Elementary School was destroyed and 'Pennies for
Playground' has helped with the reconstruction.
contribution to the playground.
Nicole Gumino, a sixth grader
at Martin School, feels “Pennies
for Playground,” is a good way for
students to get involved with the
school.
“I was really upset when it [the
destruction of the playground]
happened, and this is a good way to
help,” said Gumino.
“They [the students] feel like
they are taking charge in the
situation,” said Karen Russel,
Special Education and "Pennies
for Playground" advisor. The
new playground is expected to be
installed and ready for the students
when they return from break.
William J. Liniewicz, Master CHMM
Principal
Phone: (847) 838-5811
(800) 400-5811
Fax: (847) 838-5815
615 Birch Hollow Dr.
Antioch IL, 60002
847-367-5713
P.O. Box 824
Antioch, IL 60002

more...“
4 News • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
Secret Santas:
Special Ed department
brings holidays to soldiers
By Jill Hughes
to his father that he had seen a few
alumni who had graduated from
people on William’s battalion.
“They were just elated and really
gifts that the children and adults
would like.
This Christmas, a department in Antioch.
thankful that the staff sent those After all the presents are wrapped
the Antioch Community High School Williams mentioned his son boxes to them, especially since they and brought to school, they have
faculty has taken it upon themselves
to make sure other people have a
great Christmas while they are away
fi ghting for their country.
This group of faculty members
are all members of the Special
Education Department at ACHS.
Clarence Williams was head of
seeing graduate
Troy Agusto
who graduated
in 2003 and
Pat Moore who
graduated in
2001 while over
in Iraq.
“It [giving presents] just
feels so good that we always
want to do it
-Dee Alberts
just got some
bad news about
having to stay
there longer,”
said Williams.
“Receiving
those boxes
really made
someone drop them off to the
township. The other presents are
brought to the family by the staff
member, who is acquainted with
the family.
This year being their second year,
they began Secret Santa this year
with another family who they were
the Special Education Department
two years ago when he retired.
“We thought
it would be
Special education Dept. Chair their
better.”
day referred through by the township.
The fi rst family they helped last
Photo courtesy of C. Williams
Gabriel Williams is now
serving his second tour of
duty in Iraq with the U.S.
Marine Corps. To make
the season festive, the
ACHS Special Education
Department is sending him
Williams’s son, Gabriel Williams,
has been to Iraq for two duties
and will be there for this upcoming
Christmas holiday.
“I feel like even though I left the
high school it will always be apart of
me,” mentioned Williams.
The faculty members has sent
boxes to the third Platoon in Iraq
a nice thing
to do for the
Armed Services for the holiday,”
said Marianne Bliss, ACHS Special
Education secretary.
Although it will be an early
Christmas present, it will be a
surprise. The 27 boxes were full
of phone cards, packaged treats,
This active
department is
also playing as a “Secret Santa”.
The department adopted a family
for Christmas, and they give the
family presents as their Secret
Santa.
They began by assigning two
staff members to one member of
year was known by one of the staff
members.
“It [giving presents] just feels so
good that we always want to do it
more often than Christmas,” said
Dee Alberts, head of the Special
Education Department.
The Special Education
Department received news that on
and others in his battalion during the middle of November. wet wipes, beef jerky, peanuts, a family. Each staff member had Dec. 8 the boxes had arrived.
special holiday gifts. Gabriel Williams had mentioned and cameras and were sent to the received a list of reasonably priced
Student Council holds annual toy drive
By Lauren Vance
Looking to exceed a goal of 2,000, the
student council at Antioch Community High
School collected a total of 1,854 toys during
the month of December.
According to Susan Shrader, student
council advisor, all donations were given to
two main charities that were chosen by Adam
James Carlson, who graduated in 2003.
The Youth Outreach Services distribute the
donations to most charities in the Chicago
land area including Make-A-Wish Foundation
and Angel Tree. The charity that receives the
other portion of the toys goes to the Lake
Region Community Bible Church.
Grace Eidmann, student council president,
junior at ACHS, is in charge of the toy drive
and was the fi rst to bring the drive to ACHS as
a council activity.
Members on student council agree that this
charity is more thrilling to give the donations
to because the toys are going directly to the
kids of the community.
“It is really neat to see kids bringing in toys.
When we donate the toys to the charities, the
directors make sure we know how much what
we do means to them,” said student council
president, Grace Eidmann, senior at ACHS.
The toy drive included a competition for
second hour classes at ACHS.
According to Michelle Netterstrom,
assistant student council advisor, the class who
donated the greatest amount of toys would
win doughnuts
during their second
hour class.
M r s .
A n d e r s h o c k ' s
class led the drive,
winning with a total
of 909 toys. The
class who followed
was Mrs. Goodrich,
with 321 toys.
The hour for
class participation
was decided
according to the
most attendance
throughout all
eight hours.
Students were able
to leave toys with
their second hour
teacher.
A c c o r d i n g
to Eidmann, at
fi rst, the lack of
participation was
Photos by Lauren Vance
Above: Junior Melissa Meyer helps
wrap gifts donated from the toy
drive.
very disappointing. But after the fi nal count
on Friday, Dec. 10, she was very pleased with
ACHS student participation.
“I thought that the students at ACHS were
lazy and careless at
fi rst. But after the
results came in I was
surprised we did so
well,” said Eidmann.
Melissa Meyer,
junior member on
the student council at
ACHS, stated that she
enjoyed participating
in the toy drive for her
fi rst time while being
on student council.
"I enjoyed
wrapping the
presents we
received this
s e a s o n
because
it makes
me feel
g o o d
and puts
me in the spirit,"
said Meyer.
A c c o r d i n g
to Meyer the atmosphere while wrapping
presents kept everyone in a jolly mood.
There were Christmas carols playing while
everyone worked diligently like elves in
Santa's workshop.
Despite parallel activity with the ACHS
National Honor Society’s hat and mitten
drive, Susan Shrader, student council advisor,
was confi dent that there was no competition
involved.
“These are two different drives who both
did good things,” said Shrader, “It was nice
to have all of the activities coincide with
donating to those in need during the holiday
season.”
Shrader also believes that the two school
organizations worked strongly together
to give back
to all of the
community
during this
holiday season.
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December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • News 5
'Keep the wreath red'
Annual safety program attempts
to prevent holiday-related fi res
By Kristen Baiocchi
The Antioch Fire Department,
along with neighboring fi re
departments, will once again
participate in its annual “Keep the
Wreath Red” program to prevent
holiday related
fi res during
“ It worked so well nationwide as
well as state wide, that we wanted to
provide this unique program to our
the holiday
season in
the Village of
Antioch.
This nation
wide program
was designed
by the Fire
P r e v e n t i o n
Bureau as
an organized campaign in order
to raise public awareness of fi re
safety.
It keeps area residents aware of
the possible increased fi re hazards
I p s e n V i l l a g e C l e a n e r s
A Touch of Class 520 lake Street
Antioch, Illinois 60002
395-6888
Schutz Electric Inc.
New Construction . Remodeling
586 N. Madison Ln.
Lindenhurst, IL 60046
during the holiday season.
“It worked so well nationwide as
well as state wide, that we wanted
to provide this unique program to
our community,” said Bob Johnson,
assistant fi re chief.
Johnson has been with the
Antioch Fire Department for over
24 years and
feels that fi re
prevention is a
necessity.
“ F i r e
Assistant Fire Chief
p r e v e n t i o n
involves a proactive
group
of fi remen, not
only during the
winter, but all
year round,” said Johnson.
According to Chris Lienhart,
Antioch Fire Department
Lieutenant, when a fi re occurs
during the holiday season, that is
community.“ -Bob Johnson
TOM SCHUTZ
847-265-2788
caused by or related to Christmas
decorations one of the red light
bulbs located on the wreath at any
one of the Antioch Fire Department
Stations is changed to white.
According to Johnson, the most
fi res occurring in any given year
was several years ago.
“The highest number of fi res
we have had in any given year was
three,” said Johnson. “We haven’t
had to change the lights from red
to white in the last fi ve years or
so. We’ve been very fortunate and
haven’t had the need."
According to Antioch Fire chief,
Dennis Volling, the challenge is
to be a little more cautious and
to prevent fi res during the holiday
season.
"Everyone is hurrying around to
get their shopping done, parties
planned, etc. and fi re safety," said
Volling in regards to the program.
JoAnn D. Osmond
State Representative
61st District
Springfi eld Offi ce:
201-N Stratton Building
Springfi eld, Illinois 62706
(217) 782-8151
Photo by Kristen Baiocchi
Derek Rousseau Antioch fi re fi ghter makes sure all the bulbs
are working on the wreath. The Antioch fi re department takes
part in this program along with other communities.
Lack of funding leaves Snowball students out in the cold
By Brittney Rosenzweig
Snowball at Antioch Community
High School, a student leadership
program, may be fl ourishing
as far as student participation
goes. However, the program still
faces diffi culties as the main
Snowball event at Camp McClellan
approaches.
"We are currently working on
funding," said Melissa Faron,
supervisor for Snowball, "we are
trying to achieve donations from the
community and corporations."
According to Faron, the cost of
Snowball at Camp McClellan has
increased this year.
The cost of training day, food, the
day at camp, and even the cost of
shirts has infl ated.
Currently, funding for the
program allows only 35 to 40
students to attend the event. This
number includes six supervisors,
four Youth Activities Coordinators
(YAC's), and around 25 other
Snowball participants.
The students goal is to earn
$1,000 in
“ I'm really fi ghting for our seniors
because it is their last year and I
want to see them involved.“
getting
-Melissa Faron
Snowball Supervisor
order to bring
a d d i t i o n a l
people to the
camp.
M e g a n
R o b i n s o n ,
Snowball YAC
and ACHS
senior, stated
that even
though the students have until
March to get the money, they will
be working over the holidays to
acquire funds.
Even if the students reach their
goal, they can still only bring four
YAC's to Camp McClellan.
Faron indicated that only being
able to bring four YAC's is a big
disappointment this year.
"I'm really fi ghting for our
seniors because it is their last
year and I want to see them getting
involved," said
Faron.
In order to
involve more
senior YAC's,
Faron proposed
to Lakes
C o m m u n i t y
High School that
they allow four
additional ACHS
YAC's to take the place of their four
YAC's, who will be freshmen with no
previous Snowball experience.
LCHS refused the proposal and
will still bring their own YAC's,
despite the fact that this will be the
YAC's fi rst year.
Faron implied that since they will
be unable to bring more seniors,
they would like to bring as many
freshmen as possible so they can
gain experience and someday
become YAC's.
"My goal is to get more freshmen
involved so we can maintain
consistency," said Faron.
The YAC's bound to attend the
actual Snowball event must also
attend a training day, where they
decide how they will help fellow
students learn at Snowball.
"This year our theme is unity in
the community, so we hope to learn
things to unify our surrounding
areas," said Faron.
According to Paul Applegren,
ACHS senior and Snowball member,
the purpose of Snowball is that
students bring the information they
learn back to the school.
Faron indicated that knowledge
will be the programs greatest
contribution to the school this year.
"We all learn leadership skills
and motivational techniques to
bring back to the student body and
community," said Faron.
At Snowball, students spend 11
hours in small groups, watching a
skit, trying a low-ropes course, and
attending a workshop.
The majority of that time is spent
in the small groups, where students
talk to each other about what they
learn and how they feel about it.
"The day in itself is allowing
students to discuss social issues
without worrying about what others
think," said Robinson.
With or without additional
funding, ACHS will attend Snowball
along with Lakes Community High
School, Wauconda High School,
and Zion Benton High School in
March.
District Offi ce:
976 Hillside Ave.
Antioch, Illinois 60002
(847) 838-6200
reposmond@aol.com
Paid for by Citizens for JoAnn D. Osmond, P.O. Box 635, Antioch Il.

6
Perspectives • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
erspectives
Tom Tom Staff Members: Voicing a Point of View on Prominent and Contemporary Issues
A day that was supposed to live in infamy . . .
Failure to recognize Pearl Harbor Day
slights our grandparents' generation
Unfortunately, for the 53 year
anniversary of P e a r l
Harbor, it was l e f t
unmentioned o n
Dec.7, at
A n t i o c h
C o m m u -
nity High
S c h o o l .
Considering
this
day in
h i s t o r y Lauren Vance
changed Circulation editor
the country,
ACHS failed to bring students
to remember what this day really
means to an American.
Failure to have anyone at ACHS
acknowledge the fact that Dec. 7,
I If 20 commercial airplanes crashed,
everyday for a solid year, killing 8,500
people on each of those days, wouldn't that
be the main topic on the news each night?
Essentially, that's what we are currently
facing. The circumstances may be different,
but the result is no less devastating. It's a
virus called AIDS.
Why has AIDS become such a hands-off
subject? I think that our generation needs to
know what is happening beyond the walls of
Antioch Community High School.
Over 40 million people have died and
millions have been orphaned by this disease.
People need our help more than ever.
Why has it become such a “hush, hush”
secret? There’s no secret. 8,500 people die
everyday!
Every 14 seconds ten children will be
orphaned because of AIDS. It is estimated
that by the year 2010, 25 million children
Editor-in-Chief
Chip Leffelman
Managing Editor
Tim Racette
Business Manager
Jacob Kwilosz
Ad Manager
Dave Becker
Head Copy Editor
Megan Tkacy
Layout & Design Editor
Joey Alvarez
Katy Komarchuk
Arts and Graphics Editor
Kyle Brown
was Pearl Harbor Day is a bit of a
slap in the face to all of the people
in our grandparents generations.
On Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, at 7:55
am, the Japanese bombers struck
the American naval base at Pearl
Harbor. In a single hour we lost
2,400 Americans and three out of
eight battleships, were sunk. This
attack is what lead the United States
in to the start of World War II.
The next day, President Franklin
D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan.
The United States suffered more
damage and casualties on that day
than it did at any point in WWI.
Our morning announcements,
lead by Niko Jefferson, senior at
ACHS, failed to mention this day in
history.
After contacting Beverly Vershowske,
receptionist at ACHS, I
TomTomStaff TomTomPolicies
Copy Editors
Tiffany Chilcote
Donatella Savino
Dakota West
News Editor
Dan Ruth
Feature Editor
Mehreen Syed
A & E Editor
Martin Pazanin
Sports Editor
Amy Knutson
Photo Editor
Kristen Baiocchi
will be orphaned. As a result of AIDS,
children have no homes and are starving; this
deadly disease has wiped out entire families
and is now preying on an entire generation.
To date there are 12 million children in
Sub-Saharan Africa and 14 million worldwide
who are orphans due to AIDS. AIDS, in fact, is
the number one killer of children.
Africa is in immediate crisis from the
disease. Every day, nearly 2,000 babies are
infected with HIV at birth or through breast
feeding.
HIV infections are found in every country in
the world. About 40,000 new HIV infections
occur every year in the United States alone.
The other day, I overheard a girl in one
of my classes say that AIDS is a gay person’s
disease.
With misinformation of this magnitude
making its way through the corridors of
ACHS, we are no doubt on the brink of a
was informed that the social studies
department or the principal would
have had to put this memoriam
into the announcements
t h e m s e l v e s .
Jefferson and
Ve r s h o w s k e
are not left responsible.
The problem
I see in the
situation is
why such an
important day
in history was left forgotten.
I have further recalled in these
past three years, taking a moment
of silence with all of ACHS during
the morning announcements for
the terrorists attacks on Sept. 11.
The Twin Towers were taken down
Photo Coordinator
Kelly Holcomb
Circulation Editors
Rob Nordby
Lauren Vance
Staff
Jessica Gaido
Jill Hughes
Erin Kressner
Brittney Rosenzweig
Ben Henning
Chris Grindley
Adviser
Michael Gordy
Editorials
All editorials are written by
members of the Tom Tom Staff.
It is the opinion of the majority of
the staff.
Contact Information
Letters may be mailed to the high
school to the address on the right
or submitted to staff members or
the adviser, Michael Gordy, in room
202 throughout any school day.
The Tom Tom offi ce can be
reached by telephone at -(847)
838-7766.
by two hijacked commercial jetliners,
leaving more than 2,700 people
dead along with 7,000 injured.
After this
day in history,
P r e s i d e n t
George W.
Bush declared
a war
on terrorism.
I believe
both events
changed the
country in
ways that will
continue to reverberate for generations
to come. Although the lack of
recognition will lead people to
forget the past. I think it is a shame
that the social studies department
left students without the knowledge
of this life-changing day. Teachers
“The United States suffered
more damage and casualties
on that day than it did
at any point in WWI.
“
plague of Biblical proportions. AIDS has
killed millions through blood donation, nonsterile
needles and even blood transfusion.
The children are not at fault. They
are simply the next generation, a dying
generation.
Orphans have no one to care for them
and are left with no one who cares. Are
comfortable Lake County Illinois residents
aware of what’s going on?
This is defi nitely not the sole concern of the
Gay population. In fact, over 30 children will
become orphaned by the disease by the time
you are fi nished reading this article.
There is no denying it. This is real and is
happening. There are ways to help, and you
don’t have to visit distant countries to do so.
We in Antioch, Lake Villa, and Linden-hurst
need to learn more about AIDS and how we
can help. Visit websites like www.World-
Vision.org and www.-ApathyIsLethal.org,
The Tom Tom is published
monthly. Annual subscriptions to
the Tom Tom may be obtained by
sending $10.00 to the Tom Tom in
care of ACHS. The Tom Tom is a
publication of
Subscriptions
Antioch Com mu nity
High School
1133 South Main St.
Antioch, IL 60002
A FORUM FOR
PUBLIC OPINION
seemed to have failed to even take
a minute at the beginning of class
to acknowledge the meaning of this
day in history.
Even though Pearl Harbor happened
many years ago, it opened up
a new era for everyone. It was the
fi rst time women took the jobs of
men and the birth of suburbia took
over farmland. It was also the fi rst
and only time that nuclear weapons
were used throughout the history of
the world.
At this time, our nation feels it is
important that Sept. 11 is remembered,
but hopefully it wont be forgotten
in 50 years to come as pearl
Harbor has seemed to have been
today. While receiving knowledge in
history, we must make a connection
from the past to the future in order
to not repeat its mistakes.
A misinformation can jeopardize our future . . .
Short-sighted individuals miss value
of personal involvement with others
or even buy a book
that will provide all
the in-formation
necessary to
learn more
about this
world crisis.
A great
book on
the topic
is The
S k e p t i c s Kelly Holcomb
Guide to
the Global Photo Coordinator
AIDS Crisis,
by Dale Hanson Bourke. It will give you all
that you need to know. Learn more about our
world and ways to try to preserve it!
Knowing about AIDS can give you a better
understanding about our planet, one on
which we all have to live.
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the editor must be
signed and should not exceed 250
words in length. Those wishing
to withhold his or her name
must still sign it for the Tom Tom
offi ce purposes. No more than
two signatures can represent a
letter. Unsigned letters will not
be printed.
The Tom Tom Staff reserves
the right to edit lengthy material
or withhold the publication of
any letters.

December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • Editorial 7
Editorial
Tom Tom Staff: Expressing the Opinion of the Majority of the Publication
After Senior Summit and four months of waiting...
Where’s the Senior Room?
All we are asking for is a place to
hang out! ACHS seniors have had
one thing on their mind since the
Senior Summit meeting: to establish
a senior room. Since last year,
the senior room has had a great
impact on students’ enjoyment of
their free periods. The question
this year is, where is it?
Since the removal of the maintenance
shed in the parking lot last
year, the existing senior room had
to be pushed aside. This destroyed
the Student Counsel’s plans for
renovation and furnishing of a
functional room for seniors.
It seems however, that the
school’s faculty has forgotten to
make plans for a new location and
the issue itself has been kept quiet.
Without a senior room, students
have few choices on where to
spend their free time. The library,
commons, and cafeteria are a
students only options, and more
often than not, unsatisfactory. In
fact, most students get kicked out
of the library, and the commons
and cafeteria are just too loud for
anything constructive. The seniors
fi nd the couches in the library a
comfortable place to gossip and
relax. The only problem is the
couches in the library were placed
there for a quiet and comfortable
reading area.
Seniors, especially, need a place
to kick back and hang out with
friends during their free periods.
Underclassmen have looked forward
to having a senior room ever
since it was established. Seniors
are suppose to have so many privileges
but each year it seems like
they take more and more away. It’s
possible that some of the privileges
were abused and therefore had to
be revoked, but what went wrong
with the senior room? There was
no news of problems with the
room. Nothing was said negative
about it at the Senior Summit last
year. But what was said is that it
would be available for use in a few
weeks. That was over 4 months
ago. Last year the senior room
contained ping pong tables, food
for sale, and comfortable furniture
for seniors to relax in. Having
superiority in the school, this year’s
seniors feel left out. When will our
so called privileged really benefi t
us instead of the administrators? It
doesn’t look like this year. Issues
like this make one wonder what
Student Counsel does every month.
Maybe things like this are why
seniors want to graduate early.
20% Cafeteria
6% Fine Arts/
Sports
5% Other
37% Commons
Source: A random survey of 185 students
at ACHS with a confi dence level of 85%.
Administered by Tom Kessell’s Statistics A.P.
class.
Students and Faculty
What Do You Have to Say?
Our Question
The Cartoon
25% Library
2% Study Hall
2% Writing Lab
3% Advisory
The Statistics
The Polls Are In: Statistics show that students attending ACHS feel the need for
a senior room. Currently, the library, commons, and other select areas are the only refuges
after a hard day of work. A lounge-like environment is desired, and a senior room is the
answer.
Why isn’t there
a senior room
this year?
Voice your opinion at
www.sequoits.com/tomtom
Their View
“I just want a
place where I can
play ping-pong at
lunch”
-Peter Brandt, senior
Why is a senior room so appealing?
1. Ping Pong
2. Seniors Only
3. No Crowd
4. Comfortable Furniture
Undecided 11%
No 15%
“
The Quote
Yes 76%
If there was a senior room,
would you use it?
It was in the
process...
”
-Megan Robinson,
Student Counsel
Letters to the editor must be signed and should not exceed 250 words in length. The Tom Tom
reserves the right to edit any material and withhold the publication of any letters.
Letter to The Editor
Student calls on
peers, deans to put
up or shut up
D
Dear Editor,
There are some serious problems
with the dress code. We all know it.
The deans know it. “It’s too strict”,
“It’s not strict enough”, Well, where
is all the action? I am trying to tell
people to get involved and be heard.
The deans are trying their hardest to
enforce the dress code. However,
everyday I see people slip through
the cracks and somehow dodge the
specifi cations listed in out handbooks,
or that letter that was sent home. Why
aren’t the deans doing something
about those students? How are they
supposed to effectively tell students
to follow the dress code when they,
themselves, are not fully enforcing it?
If the students fi nd the dress code too
strict, then why don’t they point out
the people violating the dress code?
They have to make an honest effort to
make themselves an example before
they can start complaining. For those
students who don’t like the dress code,
why haven’t we heard anything from
them? Have they petitioned? Have they
talked to a dean? How about a board
member? Without making some kind
of voice for themselves, they are never
going to get the dress code changed.
The whole point of this letter was to
tell people to get their voice out there,
otherwise, stop whining!
Sincerely,
David Whitacre
Class of 2005
Lack of funding
may be responsible
for early graduation
I
It seems to me that ACHS has been
blinded in all their decision making.
For one thing, early graduation seems
to be their only concern. The question
of why kids want to get out early is the
only question they want to answer. If
the board wanted to know why, they
would spend a day in the school. Most
students seem to have a readiness to
get out, while others have other reasons.
Some students hate the school,
or lack the feeling of being a part of
the school. In my opinion, students
want to graduate early, not because it
is easy to do, but because they want to
start on what is after high school. What
the school has done is pass out a survey
to early grads to see why. I believe
that can help with changes to certain
things, but not for early graduation.
Now funding for certain clubs has
been denied or cut such as Amnesty
International, Ski and Snowboarding,
Anime, TATU, Sigma Alpha Delta, and
others. All these clubs accumulate up
to 300 student members. It is proven
that students who are involved in
school activities do better in school,
and want to be at school. Another
concern is with the honor roll for the
future, making it harder to graduate
with honors. This will only provoke
students to graduate early. Why work
hard for a year, when you could work
hard for a semester and still get honor
roll? So, if the board is looking for real
answers, they should spend a day at
the school, and see how much is being
done to diminish the school spirit in
students.
Sincerely,
Katie Brooke
Class of 2005

8
Feature • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
Madrigal Dinner proves the
point that hard work pays off
By Chip Leffelman
It has been proven that majority
of high school teenagers
miss out on a lot of
sleep, but there’s just
something different
about these 100
teenagers that
are involved
in choir
here at
ACHS graduate goes to serve wartime in Iraq
By Lauren Vance
This holiday season, Troy Agusto, 2003
Antioch Community High School graduate,
will spend his fi rst holiday away from home.
Troy is currently stationed in Iraq and has
been serving as Lance Corporal in the United
States Marines since Aug.
“This Christmas is going to be very
different. We’ve never been without Troy
during the holidays,” said Deborah Agusto,
Troy’s mother.
This Christmas, the Marines will be
provided with a big dinner and the day off if
there is no mission to be completed.
Due to a mailing deadline, Troy’s family and
friends sent him packages for the holidays, a
month prior to Christmas.
A package from Deborah Agusto included
an Apple iPod, favorite foods, and some
personal items that were needed.
Deborah explained that Troy was set
on going into the marines and never once
doubted his decision despite her worries and
concerns for Troy.
“I was never okay with Troy’s decision,”
said Deborah with obvious concern for
her son, “Troy is very self-serving and
adventurous.”
Troy’s mother speculated about what
may have infl uenced him to join the armed
forces.
“I asked Troy why and he told me ‘Mom,
you always told me to take care of other
Antioch Community High School.
For all of those who participate in the
Madrigal Dinner, the annual medieval theme
show, there are months and months of
preparation and practice that go into getting
ready for this event.
However, for the very last week before the
show takes place, there is something that the
participants like to call “hell week.”
All choir members start practicing everyday
for a week before the actual performance.
Their fi rst Madrigal practice with all of the
performances together took place on Sunday.
Throughout the week they held practice
everyday from 7:30-10 p.m.
“Over the last few days, I’ve probably
missed out on three or four hours of good
sleep per night,” said Abigail Churchill, an
Photos by Chip Leffelman
Hannah Hagert, (Above), performs as a jester at this year's ACHS Madrigal Dinner.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Nick Badger, Sophomore, Abigail Churchill, Senior, David
Whitacre, Senior, and Jana Pimpo, Sophomore performed, at the end table.
people and I told Troy he must make a
contribution to himself,” said Deborah.
Troy is not the fi rst in his family to serve
the country through the military. He has an
uncle who served for the U.S. Army during
World War II and a cousin who is also
currently enlisted in the Army Reserves.
While being away for four months, Troy
keeps in touch with those close to him via
email and an occasional phone call.
Close friend of Troy, Tracy Heitman,
Photo courtesy of Deborah Agusto.
Troy Agusto, in 29 Palms, California, on the day
he was leaving for Iraq waiting for his plane.
Antioch Community High School Senior in
the performance, "They don’t call it hell week
for nothing.”
The Madrigal performance, which took
place last Saturday and Sunday, showcased
all of the choir. They played various
roles throughout the dinner. Also, a few
band members played their instruments
throughout the dinners in the brass box.
The largest part of the setup came on
friday when the choir decked the halls
of the cafeteria and biology hallway with
renaissance theme decor.
Many times during the week students would
not leave the school until after ten o'clock at
night or even later. Then they would have to
go home and do their homework if they were
unable to fi nd time during the regular school
day. Most only slept for about seven hours in
two days.
“We probably will get home Friday night
around 11 or 12, that will be the fi fth day
this week that I’ve left after 10,” said Caitlin
Badger, ACHS Senior, and the Queen of the
Madrigal performance, the highest role that
is possible at the dinners.
In the end, all of the choir members,
especially the seniors, felt that all the work
that they put into it was well worth it. Many
even cried at the end of the last performance
because even with all the hard work,
Madrigals is an event to remember.
Badger went on to say, “It may be a lot of
work, but in the end no-one really wanted it
to end. It’s just so sad that it has to come to
a close.”
junior at ACHS, received a letter from him
explaining his time serving in Iraq.
“Troy wrote me on my birthday and
mentioned that Iraq reminded him a lot of
Aladdin, the Disney movie,” said Heitman,
“He told me it made him laugh when the
natives smiled and had no teeth.”
Troy’s sister, Hilary Agusto, an ACHS junior,
is very proud of her brother but misses him
most when he’s not there to wake her up in
the morning.
“Troy emails us every two to three days,”
said Hilary, “It is hard for him to get in touch
sometimes because there isn’t always a
computer around.”
According to Deborah, Troy is currently
riding along in helicopters that contain
communication equipment. He is responsible
for decoding systems which includes many
types of radios and other equipment.
Before Troy was sent to work with
helicopters, he worked with the command
post dealing with light armor and then
tanks.
“Troy has grown. He is dealing with
situations that evolve over time,” said
Deborah, “He has had no choice but to
mature.”
While Troy serves in the Marines, he plans
to pursue a college education and continue
to study when he arrives back in the United
States.
Troy’s unit is currently stated to return
from Iraq in March.
Local church puts
on a Christmas
production with
Arabian fl air
By Kelly Holcomb
There are many reasons for being
cheerful during the holiday season.
Whether it be hearing traditional
Christmas carols, giving and opening
presents, seeing the fi rst fall of snow,
or by just hearing the story of Christmas
the holidays create a time to celebrate
with family and friends.
At Chain O’ Lakes Community Bible
Church, the birth of Jesus is the true
reason for the Christian holiday season.
With seven performances and over
2,000 tickets sold, the church has just
fi nished putting on their version of the
timeless Christmas story, the birth of
Jesus Christ. The musical was named
“One Bethlehem Night.”
Preparation for months
Ann Livermore was the director of
this musical production, and has been
a part of putting musicals together in
the church for six years. The Christmas
story was looked through a different
light while creating this musical.
“I think it’s a story that is timeless, but
it needs to be made current so it can
speak to everybody of all ages, and that
is why I wanted to add a modern twist to
it,” said Livermore.
The musical production had an
Arabian fl air, with music that was
enjoyable for all ages.
It took about three months to
complete the show, and about seven
months before that to prepare the
music. There were three weeks of
practices and then one week of dress
rehearsals before the show.
Cast of the Production
Talented vocalists, dancers, and
stage crew went into putting the show
together.
Andrew Newton, a former Antioch
Community High School student,
performed a vocal solo as a shepherd.
His solo was a comical perspective from
a shepherd who has just seen an angel.
He has been taking vocal lessons from
Laurie Bauman, the music director, for
about fi ve years, and this was his fi rst
musical performance at CLCBC.
Not only did performers put time
into this production, but others worked
behind the scenes with costumes,
sound, and other elements of the show.
An updated performance
“I’ve been doing this for a long time,
I just don’t normally perform on stage
because I like to work behind the
scenes,” stated ACHS junior Bethany
Ginter.
Whether it was because of the music,
the acting, or the story itself, this
musical was a hit.
“I thought it was really amazing. I
really liked all of the singing. I didn’t
think it was going to be as extravagant
as it was, but it was well done. I thought
that it showed us that we shouldn’t think
about ourselves,” replied ACHS junior
Jessica Neal.
“For our church it’s a great opportunity
to reach out to the community,” stated
senior pastor Kerry Bauman.

9
December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • Features 9
Grandma got run over by a Volvo. . .
Winter safety becomes a
concern to young drivers
By Kelly Holcomb
Slippery roads, blocked
windshields, distracted drivers,
blurry vision, white roads, blizzard
winds, and icy highways are all
a part of the holidays that new
drivers dread. Driving is the worst
during holidays. Danger is literally
around every corner, and there
could even be black ice even when
the roads appear to be clear.
One thing is for sure, students
and new drivers need to know
how to drive carefully during the
holidays to avoid any accidents
that could have been avoided
by knowing simple emergency
procedures. Careful driving is
essential, especially down busy
roads which call for attention the
most.
Paul Petty, the driver’s education
teacher at Antioch Community High
School, has many useful tips when
driving in the snow or during the
winter in general.
First, vehicle preparation must
be taken care of. It is essential
that the windshield is clear. Use
washer fl uid, put on the defroster
and brush or scrape the snow off
of the windows.
Once it is clear to see, turn on
the headlights, even in the day, so
others can see you.
It is the law to have headlights on
during cautious times.
It is very important that the gas
tank is always full; it provides
needed weight for added traction
on the road to avoid slipping.
Never leave the house without
packing items like: shovel, extra
gloves and hat, blanket, fl ashlight,
jumper cables, and anything else
an emergency might call for.
Being prepared for the road
is one thing, but driving on it in
Along with changing the lives of
people, Antioch Fire Department
Lieutenant, Chris Leinhart, spent
Career Shadowing Day passing
down the wisdom derived from his
experiences on the 911 fi re squad
to Antioch Community High School
students.
Students were given the full
experience during their time at the
Antioch Fire Station.
“We simulated an emergency
call for the students so they could
see how things really work,” said
Leinhart.
Under supervision, the
students were allowed to climb
ladders utilized during actual
emergencies.
“We got to climb different
ladders; they were about 70 feet
to 150 feet tall. I got to climb the
ladder on the fi re engine,” said
Jessica Bookwalter, ACHS senior
who attended the event.
Photo by Joey Alvarez
SNOWY WEATHER: As the holdiday season arrives, weather
gets worse, and driving becomes more diffucult.
Career shadowing gives prospective
firefighters a hands on experience
Some fi nd public
safety occupations
appealing as a
future way of life
By Mehreen Syed
hazardous conditions is completely
different. Some students have mixed
ideas about how to control a car
during blizzards, and while driving
down icy roads. Holly Feric, a junior,
got her license on Sept. 18 this year.
Her car spun out when her brakes
locked up.
Locked wheels do not allow the
car to turn. According to Petty, make
sure that braking and accelerating
are gentle in order to avoid the
wheels from locking up.
“Once, I saw a guy in my rear view
window; his car fl ipped over into a
curb,” said Feric. “Driving in the
snow doesn’t bother me, but I just
have to be more cautious.”
Kevin Huebner, a junior, received
his license this year on the ninth
of September. While driving in the
snow, Kevin’s car rear-ended the
car in front of his by sliding out of
control.
Petty says that the following
distance between cars should be
greatly increased to avoid sliding
into the rear of another car.
According to Bookwalter, the
main concepts the students were
taught were how a fi re spreads,
using a fi re extinguisher and how to
use proper fi re fi ghting equipment.
The students weren’t required to
complete any task they did not want
to attempt.
“We did not force them to do
anything,” said Leinhart. “But we
were willing
to do anything
in our power
to help them
overcome their
fears.”
The fi re
f i g h t i n g
e x p e r i e n c e
h e l p e d
B o o k w a l t e r
confi rm her
goals for the future.
"I plan to become a fi refi ghter in
the future," said Bookwalter.
The response from Nick Santiago,
Junior at ACHS, who partook in the
event, was also positive.
“I’ve done things [shadowing fi re
fi ghters] like this before. I mostly
signed up because it was a chance to
get out of school," said Santiago.
Chris Leinhart realized this,
“There were no preconceived
notions,” said Leinhart. “It’s fun
“Once I experienced it, I
knew I wanted to this for
the rest of my life. “ -Nick Santiago
ACHS Junior
Kathryn Rotsch, a senior, has
had her license since last October.
She practiced before she took her
fi rst drive in the snow and on the
icy roads.
Students and new drivers should
always practice and get the feel
for the icy roads before actually
attempting to drive on the highway
or on often used roads. Students
should look for an empty parking
lot or on an empty rural road to
practice on the icy roads.
“Once I was making a left hand
turn and slid, but I recovered fast,”
remembered Rotsch. “I don’t avoid
driving in the snow, but I do avoid
driving in the rain because I can’t
see [ahead of me] then.”
Make sure to always turn towards
the tail end of the car when in a skid
to recover fast.
Driving in the snow during a
blizzard and on icy roads can
be dangerous, but if prepared,
knowing what to do in times of
emergency will come easily and
always be prepared.
to get out of school, but they [the
students] realized it was more than
that.”
Santiago’s compiled experiences
with fi re fi ghting have defi nitely
affected him, “Once I experienced
it. I knew I wanted to do this for
the rest of my life,” said Santiago
passionately.
Santiago saw beyond the
uniforms and equipment, he
realized fi re fi ghting
is brotherhood and
sisterhood.
“It showed me
how important
relationships with
other people are. It
was a great bonding
experience and
[the overall day]
was pretty cool,”
said Santiago.
For Leinhart the most fulfi lling
part of his job is helping others.
“It’s a great feeling to impact the
lives of people, even though it may
be minor.”
According to Leinhart, the most
important tool for success with fi re
fi ghting, as with any career, is to
love what you’re doing.
Leinhart strongly advised, “The
career you choose has to be the one
you enjoy.”
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10
Feature • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
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Nagel gets students involved with
exciting, new teaching approach
By Amy Knutson
Senior Contemporary Literature
teacher Audrey Nagel has
discovered new ways to teach her
students about real life events
and their applications in modern
novels.
Any seniors who currently
participate in Nagel's or Michelle
Netterstrom’s Contemporary Lit.
classes are participating in a unique
way of learning after reading Tim
O’Brien’s novel In the Lake of the
Woods.
The novel is about John Wade,
a losing runner for the U.S. Senate
and Vietnam veteran. After losing
the race for the Senate, he and
his wife Kathy, travel to Lake of
the Woods, Minnesota for a little
relaxation. After about the seventh
day, Wade wakes up one morning to
find that Kathy is gone.
Throughout the novel there is
a series of Hypotheses of what
happened to Kathy.
The project is a trial to decide
what really happened to Kathy.
Dance Dance Revolution entertains
gamers while cutting calories
By Tiffany Chilcote
Instead of spending time
figuring out which buttons to
press on the controllers, kids
are finding that Dance Dance
Revolution is easy and fun.
Photo by Tiffany Chilcotte
Above Brittany Geweke an 8th grade
student at Palombi plays Dance
Dance Revolution at her home.
There are
four different
choices. The
choices are
John Wade
killed Kathy,
she got lost
and drowned,
she ran off with
another man, and they ran away
together.
Students must support one of
the four possible outcomes and
convince their peers to agree with
them.
“Trying to prove your case is
extremely hard,” said senior Ryan
Leng. “The book lacks evidence;
all you have is your hypothesis,
and hope to sound better than the
groups your're up against.”
After reading the book and
researching it extensively, students
were required to present their case
in a court-style fasion. One group
presents their case each day.
The timing for the project is
perfect. The entire process is three
weeks long, and the week that the
In 2000, DDR hit US arcades for
kids of all ages to try. It was a huge hit!
According to Game Stop DDR made
its way here from Japan. “It’s fun, a
good workout, and I like the songs,”
said Jill Norwick, ACHS junior.
DDR is one of the most played
video games around the
house or in the arcades.
It also offers a level
of competition, either
playing individually
or against a partner.
DDR can hook up to
the internet and players
can compete with one
another from all around
the world, mainly Japan.
DDR also just had its first
competition in London.
According to keep
gaming.com, it was the
fist official competition
using rules which
have been decided on
by the Dance Dance
Revolution community.
“I like it because it
keeps challenging you and
pushes you athletically,”
said Aaron Cagle, ACHS
junior. Like most games
DDR has levels of difficulty.
DDR gives you
grades [AAA, AA, A,
B, C, D, E] based
Students in Audrey Nagel's
second hour Contemporary
Literature class take a stance
to prove their hypothesis after
reading the novel In the
Lake of the Woods, written
by author Tim O'Brien.
Nagel based the students'
final grades on the project,
but, the class voted for who
they thought had proved their
case the best.
Photos by Amy Knutson
groups have to present their case
was this past week.
“The timing is perfect,” said
Senior Lauren Huffman “we get to
do something exciting in class right
before we get out for [Christmas]
break and it makes the time go by
quicker.”
According to Nagel, she liked the
fact that there was no real solution
to the book, so a reader would
have to come up with his/her own
[solution].
“I really enjoy having my seniors
do hands on group activities
where they can learn to effectively
communicate with each other.
They are going to have to use these
skills next year in college or in the
workforce,” said Netterstrom.
on your performances.
When you play with an A on
a song you move on to a faster
song and harder levels like:
light, standard, and heavy.
DDR also offers a choice of
different mats. The hard mats
are mainly found in arcades
and are metal steps, but those
in house holds use the soft mats.
“I prefer the soft mat, my feet
start to hurt at the arcades,” said
Chase Behrendt, ACHS junior.
Not only is DDR a fun game to
play, but if your looking to loose
weight DDR offers a diet mode.
Some students at ACHS play DDR to
get in shape.
The Diet mode was originally
introduced in the Japanese
release, DDR third mix.
The third mix lets you know
how many calories you’re
burning while playing the
game, according to Game Spot.
“I can just play after I eat,
that way I can burn it all
off again,” said Norwick.
DDR is not cheap and some
mats can sell for $100 while the
game itself is around $40. This
game, however, is well worth it
when looking for a good time.
“Its not like anything else and
it is just really fun to play,”
said Mike Nelson, ACHS junior.

December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • Feature 11
The season for giving. . .
Police officers help spread holiday
cheer through area service project
Community shares generosity with local
children during the holiday season with
the annual 'Shop With a Cop' program
Photos by Kristen Baiocchi
ABOVE: One young local girl picks out a pair of pink gym shoes during the annual 'Shop
With a Cop' program at the Gurnee Wal-mart. BELOW LEFT: A local girl shares a smile and
a hug with Jamie Roark, a sophomore at Lakes Community High School and member of the
Explorers program. This is Roark's first year with the program. BELOW RIGHT: An off duty
Lindenhurst Police officer takes time from normal work day to tie a local boy's shoe.
By Kristen Baiocchi
Rebecca Albrecht takes down a
pair of pink and gray gym shoes
off the rack, debating, as her eyes
glance down from the shoes to the
soon to be occupants, which are
now curled up tightly in the long
white socks that cover them.
“What about these?” Albecht asks
the blonde haired little girl sitting in
front of her.
“Yeah, I really like those,”
exclaims the little girl, with a
sparkle in her eyes, and a smile that
stretches from one ear to the other.
“Okay then,” says Albrecht.” Let’s
put them in the cart.”
Albrecht, serves the Lindenhurst
area as a community service police
officer for the Lindenhurst Police
Department. For a number of years
she has worked at the police office
and has been a part of the Shop With
a Cop program for two years.
"This is a
very rewarding
program," said
Albrecht. "A lot of
these kids don't
have an opportunity
to have an up close
and personal
contact with a
police officer in a
positive way. This
[program] gives us the chance to
interact with the kids in a positive
way and hopefully make a significant
difference."
According to Sandy Keller, Patrol
officer for the Lindenhurst Police
Department and Shop With a Cop
coordinator, the program is in its
third year at Lindenhurst and is
continuing to be a success.
"Every child should have a
merry Christmas," said Keller. "Just
because their dad died, or their
mom got cancer, that's not the
child's fault. It's hard for a child to
understand that things happen."
The program benefits local
children that are in financial need,
who are selected from schools in
the surrounding area.
"This program is a big deal for me
because I don't get a lot of stuff for
Christmas because my family can't
afford it," said one of the children
involved in the program. "I live with
my brother, mother, and my auntie.
Me being able to participate in this
program is making them happy
because it's giving me a chance to
shop with a police officer and have a
really good time."
Stocking up on stocking stuffers for the holidays
By Jessica Gaido
One of the most anticipated
surprises of Christmas morning
are all of the little surprises tucked
inside of the Christmas stocking.
Though the stocking can only
fit small things, it is still one of the
favorite parts of Christmas morning,
and the concept is enjoyed by the
majority of Antioch Community
High School students.
"It is always fun seeing what
kinds of little things are in there,"
said ACHS junior, Kandace Kratz.
"It is always a surprise, and has
all the little presents like jewelry
and cd's."
So what are the best ideas for
stocking stuffing this year? It seems
as though every year there is always
the candy, cd's, and money.
But by keeping the gifts original,
creative, and surprising adds
a whole new surprise to the
Christmas stocking tradition.
"I always get all the candy, cd's,
and money in my stocking," said
ACHS junior, Jessica Neal.
Money is a gift that is enjoyed by
everyone, and usually is the perfect
size to be tucked up right inside of
the stocking.
However, gift cards are more
of a personal gift. Gift cards can
be purchased for almost every
occasion, and will always be
appreciated.
Some good gift cards include:
favorite clothing stores, favorite
restaurants, sporting goods stores,
and movie passes.
For teenagers, one of the most
appreciated gift cards are gas
cards.
"I spend so much money on gas
all the time, so receiving a gas card
is useful, and will save me money
in the long run," said Kratz.
For those who have favorite
sports teams or bands, tickets to a
professional game or a concert will
definitely be a big and unexpected
surprise.
Season passes to nearby
mountains for skiing and snow
boarding also serve as great gifts.
Aside from all of the bigger gifts,
there are always the classic, little
things that never fail to please.
The favorite cd's, DVD's, and
video games, and the lotions, make
ups, perfumes, and colognes are
just some of the many surprises that
never go unappreciated.
Then, of course, who could
forget the stocking stuffing favorite,
the Christmas candy.
"The stocking is all about the
candy. Just fill it up with it [candy]
and it's great," said ACHS Junior,
Dan Marko.
As most students agree with
Marko, candy does seem to be the
one thing that they can not get enough
of, whether it is candy canes or
Sponsoring the program is a
array of local businesses.
“Wal-Mart is a huge sponsor,”
said Keller. “Everyone involved,
especially Wal-Mart has been very
generous. The press has been very
generous also.”
Another local pizza shop donated
pizza for the children prior to their
shopping extravaganza.
Aside from monetary donations,
various community member have
attributed their time and services
to help the cause.
The volunteers include Wal-
Mart employees, village trustees,
Magic Steve Jordan who provided
the entertainment, off duty police
officers as well as members of the
Lindenhurst Explorers program.
Carl Nolin, Village of Lindenhurst
trustee, was one of the local board
members that volunteered their
time for the cause.
"This time of year we need to
care of each
other, especially
“We can be really selfish.
It's about giving, not
receiving. “ -Jamie Roark
LCHS sophomore
the children,"
said Nolin.
"You can see
that this means
the world to
them, you just
can't put their
expression into
words."
Sarah Gardner, a 17 year old
senior from Zion Benton High
School was one of the many Walmart
employees who donated their
time to help with the event.
"It's all about helping these kids
experience something that they
wouldn't necessarily be able to do
on their own during the holiday
season," said Gardner. "We're
giving back to the community, and
that's a great feeling to have."
Jamie Roark, 16 year old
Lakes Community High School
sophomore, was one of the
Lindenhurst Explorers who
volunteered for the evening.
“I love helping people and really
enjoy doing community service,”
said Roark, who believes that doing
community service is essential in
life. “It’s so important to help out,
especially when there’s needy kids.
We sometimes tend to be really
selfish. The holiday times are about
giving, not receiving. This has given
me a great opportunity to share
and show the kids that we [the
community] really do care about
t h e m and helping out
p e o p l e in need.”
another
type of
candy.
So on
C h r i s t m a s
Eve be sure
to hang the
stockings by
the chimney,
a n d
h o p e f u l l y
C h r i s t m a s
morning will bring many of these
stocking stuffing favorites.

12 In Depth • Tom Tom November 19, 2004 13
Holidays 2004: W hat's Hot, W hat's Not
Gifts under $20
As the holidays continue to approach,
malls and stores are swarmed
with shoppers flocking everywhere to
find the perfect present to brighten
that special someone's holiday.
The best gifts people buy for close
ones, such as friends, co-workers,
siblings, and parents, during the
holidays, do not exceed the price
of $20.
Though it may seem like there are
a limited number of gifts under the
price of $20, what people do not
realize is that by being creative and
a smart shopper, one can purchase a
delightful and memorable gift within
the price range.
Some people just have a knack for
being creative, and during the holidays,
they should use that quality to
their advantage.
The gifts that are the most memorable
and meaning to someone are
usually the gifts that do not cost a
lot of money. Things such as photo
albums, photo collages, and scrapbooks
are very personal, and would
surely be appreciated by and touching
to the receiver.
"For Christmas this year, I am
making my parents a big collage of
pictures from all of our vacations as
a family," said Tiffanie Brown, Antioch
Community High School Junior.
For those who do not have the creativity
or time to make personal gifts,
there is a variety of other popular and
charming presents that are both affordable
and pleasing.
A Wal-Mart Associate, who requests
to be anonymous, says many
of the popular items being sold this
year do not exceed the $20 budget.
"For the boys, we sell a lot of the
plug-in play games, and for the girls,
the pre-packaged cosmetic sets are
always popular. We also have a lot
of the new CD's and DVD's that are
priced low for a short period of time,
and they just fly out of here."
Hannah's Home Accents has many
personal gifts for those people we are
close to, and many items under the
$20 budget that are both personal
and enjoyed by all.
"We sell a lot of candles, charms
for the Zopini bracelets, Willow
Tree Angels, calendars, books and
NFL paraphernalia said Cindy Kaatz,
Manager of Hannah's.
The Zopini bracelets and other link
bracelets have grown in popularity,
and the charms make great memorable
gifts.
There are many gifts available for
under $20, but the most special and
appreciated are the ones that are
personal and show you care. So
don't put off
purchasing a gift
for a close one this
holiday season. By planning
ahead and shopping early, there
will be no worries about those holiday
crowds, and you will not be left
out in the cold.
Gifts Over $100
Holiday gifts can sometimes be difficult
to find, deciding how much to
spend and what the recipient might
want, there are many gifts between
$99 and $299 that would make the
perfect gift for someone this holiday
season.
This year some of those gifts that
top the list of most wanted gifts would
be the gifts that are sold at electronic
stores. Those popular gifts are video
games systems, such as Gameboy Advanced,
X-Box and games for those
systems, Portable DVD players, digital
cameras and MP3 players. The only
bad thing about all of these gifts is
deciding which ones to buy.
The most requested gift that has
been on the list of kids and even
adults for the past several years have
been games.
“Really only the games have been
the top gift this year. Out of all the
games, the X-Box game system has
been the top selling gift. Also portable
DVD players and the games for the
game systems have also been popular
this year.” said Chris Todd Sales, Associate
of the Antioch Wal-Mart.
The X-Box game system, which debuted
just a few years back, retails for
$149.99 and offers a variety of games
from first person shooter games to
sports and adventure games as well as
a feature to play opponents over the
internet using a high-speed internet
connection.
Gaming isn’t the only top gift to
give someone this holiday season,
MP3 players also seem to be wanted
by a majority of gift recipients this
year. An MP3 player is a small device
that can store massive amounts of
songs that are downloaded from
your computer.
“I want an MP3 player because I
like to listen to music,” said Ryan
Hoyle, ACHS Senior .
The most wanted MP3 player this
year is the Apple IPod. IPod, which
starts at $299, offers the user the ability
to store 10,000 songs on a small
device that weighs 5.6 ounces.
“The IPod is the hippest and
coolest MP3 player out there,” said
Thomas Henning Sales Associate of
B e s t
Buy in
Gurnee.
There are
more MP3 players
available than just the
Apple IPod. There are some
MP3 players that start at $99 and
can store about 100 songs.
Along with playing games and listening
to music, capturing a moment
couldn’t be easier today than with the
use of a digital camera.
Digital camera prices were once
over $500. Now you can find a great
digital camera at an affordable price. A
digital camera works just like a regular
film camera with the exception of how
the photos are stored. Unlike using film
for your film camera, a digital camera
offers you the ability to store your photos
on a memory card and either print
them directly from your computer or
bring them to a photo-printing store.
Using a digital camera also enables you
to edit pictures on your computer.
“The digital camera section is the
busiest around this time of year. It
also gives you the biggest bang for
your buck,” said Henning.
There is no clear winner in the
digital cameras. Each brand offers
great cameras for around $250 and
they all offer about the same options.
One might offer different features over
the others; it just depends on your personal
preference. If you are unsure on
what to buy, most electronic stores can
recommend one that would best fit the
gift recipient needs.
So whether the gift recipient likes
to play games, listen to music, or take
pictures, there are many gifts out there
between $99 and $299 that he or she
might enjoy. It just depends on what
that person wants and how much you
are willing to spend on each gift.
Unwanted gifts
The day after Christmas is one
of the biggest shopping days of the
year. Well, maybe not exactly shopping,
but exchanging. The malls and
stores are packed with customers returning
those gifts that were the wrong
size, wrong color, they already have,
and others that made them wonder,
“What in the world were they thinking
when they bought me this?”
Returning gifts after Christmas is
always
a hassle
for everyone,
and it
always seems to
be the same types of
gifts that are returned.
There are many presents
that people would prefer to
not to see under the tree, and
by staying away from them, someone
will be saved a much dreaded
trip to the mall.
Students at Antioch Community
High School agree that they would
prefer not to wake up Christmas
morning and find underwear under
their tree.
“When your parents buy you
underwear for Christmas, it is embarrassing
and awkward because
underwear is not something you
want from them,” said Jessica Willemarck,
ACHS Sophomore.
Most students also said they do
not enjoy receiving those classic
handmade knit sweaters that
grandma thought they would look
absolutely adorable in.
“A knit sweater keeps you warm,
but it makes you look like a lit up
Christmas tree, and you feel dumb
walking around. And you know your
mom will make you wear it sometime
because grandma made it,”
said Bobby Ryan, ACHS Junior.
Items such as socks, school
supplies, and toiletries are never
really appreciated as a Christmas
gift. These items have no special
meaning to them, and though some
people may need them, they do not
necessarily make good holidays
gifts also.
Tessa Curtis, an ACHS Sophomore,
says that the worst gift that
she has ever gotten for Christmas
was a ceiling fan.
“I opened it and I thought it was
a joke and was something else in a
Gifts under $20
ceiling
fan box,
but then I
opened the box,
and it was actually
a ceiling fan. It was so
bad,” said Curtis.
Some other gifts that ACHS
students agree they do not want
include books, crafts, and art supplies.
Jennifer, who would prefer to keep
her last name anonymous, Target
manager of Gurnee, says that clothing
and movies are the most returned
gifts after Christmas.
“They might have already had the
movie, or received 10 of the same
one,” said Jennifer.
CD’s and movies make good gifts
if you know the receiver does not already
own it. Otherwise, it is a hassle
to have to wait an hour in line to return
them at the crowded stores.
Clothing is another gift to try and
avoid, unless you know the right style
or size. ACHS students say that most
of the clothes they receive for Christmas
are not their genre or style. A
good way to improvise while purchasing
clothing is to purchase a gift card
to their favorite store.
By avoiding the gifts that people
do not enjoy receiving for Christmas,
one will make the recipient happier
and save them the hours they would
have to wait in that crowded line to
make returns.
Holiday stories
With Christmas coming right
around the corner, there are many
rituals that Antioch Community High
School students will be taking part
in. One of these rituals is the exchanging
of gifts. Whether parents,
friends, or other family members are
involved, it is almost certain that the
ACHS students will be both giving and
receiving gifts.
Under certain circumstances, the
exchanging of gifts can go array. Due
to not being completely sure of what
the recipient of the gift wants, the
shopper may get the worst possible
gift. This, often times, can turn into
funny stories that will always be remembered
with Christmas. These
are three of those stories:
Jordan Taylor, ACHS senior, said
that he had anticipated last year's gifts
on Christmas day for a long time, but
that the results did not meet the expectations.
"All I got was beef jerky, Skittles, a
key chain, and a pair of pajama pants
said Taylor. I wanted a computer that
year and my mom said no.
So, I said I didn't want anything and
that is exactly what I got."
Taylor wasn't shy to hide away from
his emotions either, even in the presence
of his family.
"At first I laughed," said Taylor. "At
first I thought it was a joke. Then I
realized it wasn't and I quickly got
somewhat depressed."
Another story comes from former
ACHS student, Jennifer Dewar, who
graduated last year. Dewar said that
Gifts over $100
Stories by: Jessica Gaido, David Becker, Martin Pazanin
Design by: Tim Racette and Brittney Rosenzweig
she used to get strange gifts from
her aunt.
"When I was little, I received a box
of Kleenex, among other things," said
Dewar. "Whatever I received each
year, it was something lame."
Dewar did not take it as seriously
as Taylor did.
"I laughed because I thought
it might had been a joke," said
Dewar. "Looking back, I maybe
should have been quite upset. It
was kind of weird. I wasn't sure if it
was meant to be a joke so I just tried
to be nice about it."
Dewar's expectations, like Taylor's,
were not met.
"I was expecting something a little
bit nicer," said Dewar.
The third story involves Chandler
Kent, ACHS
junior.
Kent didn't mind
receiving the gift that he
did.
"I was recently given a barbie
doll," said Kent.
Kent was even less serious than
Dewar.
"I thought it was pretty funny," said
Kent. "It was awesome. Personally, I
was a little surprised, but I was laughing
pretty hard."
Not only has Kent received funny
gifts, but he has also wrapped them
up and given them away.
"I gave away an old pinball
machine. It doesn't even work
anymore," said Kent. "The recipi-
ent of the gift was not expecting a
pinball machine from the 70's. He
didn't take it home. He didn't like
it much."
It is clear that there are many different
circumstances in which the
right gift is not chosen. No matter
how embarrassing it may seem,
those, "Bad and Unwanted" gifts will
remain in the Christmas memories of
ACHS students forever.

14
Arts and Entertainment • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
Ludacris fails to
meet expectations
fi ve, “Blueberry Yum Yum” begins
BY Kyle Brown
With Ludacris’ new album release,
The Red Light District," this widely
nown rapper attempts to modify
is style with a new variety of songs.
hat he actually accomplishes is
roducing an album with only half
f the songs enjoyable, and leaving
is listeners with little to talk about.
The new album by Ludacris
ntroduces itself as a powerful hipop
movement, including great
eats and some potentially great
ongs. Within the fi rst four tracks,
ou feel like you bought a pretty
ecent CD. Luda experiments
ith new tricks like incorporating
rendition of the Austin Powers
heme into his song “Number One
pot.” The same punchy bass and
nstrumental melodies remind you
of the familiar Ludacris from his
last three albums. However, the
hole positive experience begins
o spiral downward when track
to play. This is a preview to the
dark side of the CD, including
slow beats, a terrible chorus, and
a song that is close to fi ve minutes
of pain.
The other downfall to this album
are the countless tracks featuring
unpopular rappers that no one has
heard of. With tracks featuring the
likes of Doug E. Fresh or DJ Quik,
the listener is quickly wondering
who they are listening to. That isn’t
to say that Luda didn’t try to get the
big dogs to rap with him. Some
tracks feature stars like Nas and
Trick Daddy, but the songs they are
attributed to don’t do themselves
or Ludacris any justice.
After listening through the whole
album, it is apparent that Ludacris
has done much better in the past.
While some of his new songs like
“Get Back” have hit-potential, the
rest of his tracks make me miss the
good old days
of “Chicken
& Beer” and
“Incognegro”.
It appears that
he came up
a little short
on his latest
album. With a
few quick fi xes
in mind like
an arsenal of
chart-topping
hits or some
w e l l - k n o w n
names backing
him up, I have
no doubt that
the next CD
will be more
promising.
Photo courtesy of Def Jam South
The best of the best...
Holiday albums have always
been a favorite tradition during
the holidays. From Bing Crosby to
Karen Carpenter, some artists know
exactly how to set off that holiday
mood.
However, as more artists attempt
holiday albums each year, few
succeed at adding their own magical
touch to both
their original
and the
traditional
h o l i d a y
classics. Five
will defi nitely
s u c c e e d
in fi lling
listeners with
the holiday
spirit.
5. The
Barenaked
Ladies have
decided to
c e l e b r a t e
the season with their ninth major
release, "Barenaked for the
Holidays," a generous collection of
holiday favorites. The band always
manages to add their obnoxious
humor to all their music, and
"Barenaked for the Holidays," is no
different.
They succeed at attempting
jingles like "Rudolph the Red-
Nosed Reindeer," and add their
unique style to "God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen," performed with Sarah
McLachlan.
Few bands could fi ll the holidays
with as much fun and wit as the
Barenaked Ladies.
4. With his smooth vocals and
signature fl air, Chris Isaak's "Chris
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listeners with a variety of original
tracks and those classic songs we
can't seem to get enough of. Isaak
hits all the right notes, and his
words are soothing when paired
with the jazzy and light guitar
chords of his backing band, the
Silvertones.
His well done rendition of "Blue
Christmas" is a reason in itself to
buy the
album. With
the charm
and personal
fl air he adds
to each
song, it is
easy to see
why Isaak
has been
considered
the "second
Elvis," and
his music
will be
Photo courtesy of sony.com
enjoyed by
all listeners
seeking a relaxing holiday album.
3. Ever since the second
season of American Idol, Clay
Aiken has made his way to the
hearts of his many fans, and this
year he is making his way to their
homes for the holidays.
"Merry Christmas With Love,"
puts a new and modern twist
on holiday classics with the
distinguished and strong voice
Aiken never fails to give.
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,"
is just one of the many carols
Aiken successfully adds his own
personal touch to.
The album, being composed
of mostly slower songs, lacks in
variety, however, Aiken's singing
is believably enchanting, and will
have every fan wishing they had more
of Clay for Christmas.
2. With her soft voice and her
way of always hitting the right tunes,
anything that LeAnn Rimes attempts
is bound to be a success. Her newlyreleased
holiday album, "What a
Wonderful World," is by far one of
the most satisfying albums, however,
some of her chosen tracks are not as
enjoyable as the originals.
Fans would imagine her version of
"All I want for Christmas," would be
impressive, but it is cliched, dragged
on, and does not present the talent
Rimes is known for.
Although some tracks don't seem
to fulfi ll their potential, the album is
defi nitely worth purchasing, and is
just another wonderful and pleasing
album from Rimes.
1. It seems as if everything Jessica
Simpson touches turns to gold, and
her new holiday album, "ReJoyce," is
no exception.
Simpson has a knack for putting
her unique fl air into each classic
song, making them sound fresh and
new.
"Re-Joyce" has a good variety of
both the fun and cheery, and the
mellow and soothing carols. Fans
will also enjoy Simpson's well-done
duets with sister, Ashlee Simpson,
and husband, Nick Lachey.
Simpson's duet with her sister,
"Little Drummer Boy," is highly
impressive, and proves the strong
talent of both girls.
Singing each song with a new and
modern twist will leave listeners
wanting more. There is no doubt
that Simpson knows exactly what her
fans want for Christmas.
With the easy listening, it's time to
sit back and relax.
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December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • Arts & Entertainment 15
'Black Wind'. . .
Cussler's latest is a winner
By Joey Alvarez
“Clive the Mighty!” hailed Kirkus
Reviews about Cussler’s last Dirk
Pitt novel, Trojan Odyssey. “Hurricane
Clive at his most tumultuous.”
Nobody has been able to match
Cussler yet for the intricate plotting
and sheer audacity of his work, and
Black Wind sets the bar even higher.
About halfway into this action
packed adventure, a ‘white-haired
man’ rescues heroes Dirk Pitt
Jr. and his sister, Summer, from
drowning to death. That man is
then revealed to be author Cussler
(Trojan Odyssey, etc.), reminding
Dirk of ‘an older version of his own
father,’ legendary oceanographer
Dirk Pitt, protagonist of Cussler’s
previous Dirk Pitt novels. Just as
the primary action passed on in this
tale from Pitt Sr. to Jr., readers may
wonder how symbolic it may be that
Cussler’s co-author is his own son
Dirk Cussler. But even if Cussler is
beginning to pass the torch on to
Nas may be heir to
hip-hop throne
By Joey Alvarez
Although Jay-Z has been referred
to as the undisputed king of hiphop
in New York, Nas’s latest album
might give him a shot at the crown.
This album is posed to be even better
than 2002's album “God’s Son,”
this dazzling two-disc collection is
all the more remarkable coming
a decade after “Illmatic,” widely
regarded as one of the greatest
albums in rap history.
At times, it’s seemed as if Nas has
spent a good part of the past 10
years trying to live up to that album’s
promise, which only seemed to
loom larger with such uninspiring
efforts as 1996's “It Was Written”
and 1999's “Nastradamus.” Just as
people were beginning to believe
that he was destined to be a onealbum
wonder, flawed but worthwhile
releases like “Stillmatic” in
2001 and “God’s Son” gave people
reason to believe that he might not
be finished.
T h i s
brings us
to his latest
c r e a t i o n
“ S t r e e t ’ s
Disciple.”
D e v o t e d
h i p - h o p
heads might
find that,
song for
song, this
isn’t an instant
classic
like “Illmatic,”
but Nas
sure comes
closer than anyone eight albums
deep into his career should. Unlike
some fellow artists who are content
to coast on reputations.
Nas also manages to talk about
real issues unlike many artists who
are overly concerned with jewelry
and what size rims they have.
Certainly, Nas could fill an album
with such songs (and essentially did
with “It Was Written”), but he’s far
too savvy to sound like every other
rapper preoccupied with flashy jewelry,
and what size rims they have
on their car.
his son, he’s doing so with elegance.
Dirk Pitt fans will be swept up in
this action-packed tale of land- and
sea-based battles in which
he utilizes modern
technology with
technical details
on matters from
b i o c h e m i c a l
weapons ‘chimeras’
to rocket
launches.
The villain
is a South
Korean industrialist
w o r k i n g
for the
N o r t h
Koreans
with an eye
toward unifying Korea by
ridding the country of American
troops, allowing for an invasion of
the South. His plan is to aim a seaborne
rocket filled with a combo of
deadly viruses at Los Angeles, with
clues laying blame on Japanese
Nas is critical of artists/actors in
his “These are our Heroes” of doing
anything to get rich, and then
forgetting about where they came
from once they are.
Nas saves most of his critique
for Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe
Bryant, whose reputation was
tarnished after a brief fling with a
young woman who later accused
him of rape:
Yo, you can’t do better than
that
The hotel clerk who adjusts the
bathroom mat?
Now you lose sponsorships you
thought had your back
You beat the rap, jigaboo, fake
you
Whereas most rappers would run
to Bryant’s defense, Nas does the
complete opposite by showing how
angry he is at Bryant for allowing
him to be ridiculed and disgraced,
forever tarnishing his well-constructed
image as a clean-living
role model.
Nas considers
his upcoming
nuptials with
singer Kelis
on “Getting
M a r r i e d , ”
showing how
he has matured
over the
years.
For a double
album,
there are surprisingly
little
wasted tracks
here. “Street’s
D i s c i p l e ”
shows that Nas’s talents have not
diminished in the past decade. This
album almost seems the proper and
worthy follow-up to “Illmatic,” even
if it took Nas 10 years to get his step
back.
If there are any lingering doubts
about his legacy, this collection
should silence them. While his
longtime nemesis Jay-Z claims he’s
retiring, Nas sounds like he’s been
reborn with lyrics both articulate
and meaningful, that makes other
rappers seem like slaves to the
pages in his rhyme book.
Photo courtesy of Sony.com
terrorists, thus distracting America
while the North makes its move. But
villain and antagonist operandi matter
less than the series of exciting
hairsplitting escapes formed
by Dirks Jr., Sr.
and Summer
including Dirk
Sr.’s escape from
being crushed in
a minisub trapped
underneath massive
rocket boosters
spewing an inferno
of flames.
There’s a slight,
nasty gloss of ‘yellow
peril’ on the villain
and his actions with the
reference of the red army
cell, a terrorist group. It’s
only the Americans who
greet likely death with a
joke and a grin, but that’s what
makes the heroes both intriguing
and entertaining. Don’t look now,
but Cussler has created another
masterpiece to his collection.
Collision Course
Photo courtesy of enhanced
edition of Collision Course CD
Linkin Park and
Jay-Z collide on
latest CD effort
By Chip Leffelman
Lyrics aside, Collision Course is
the best sounding cross-genred CD
I've ever heard.
With only six songs Linkin Park
and Jay-Z have done what bands
have been trying to do for years,
sell a single CD to several different
demographics.
The bands met over the course
of three weeks mixing their songs
and re-recording the few things
that changed. They then performed
in PLACE, and MTV aired the first
show of a series called MTV Ultimate
Mash-Ups.
The album became an instant hit
and the downloads and purchases
began.
The obvious favorite on the CD is
the Numb/Encore mix. The song,
which was available for download
before the CD was released, mixes
some of Linkin Park's and Jay-Z's
best. The song ends up being
amazingly catchy to fans of either
band and even to some who aren't
fans of either.
The other thing that the album
accomplished, is that people who
hate any rap or any of Linkin Park's
unique genre of rap-rock, love the
CD. Although the price per song
might scare some away, the six
songs and DVD are well worth
the $19.99 price tag that's on the
album.
When Linkin Park and Jay-Z met
on this album, it was kind of like
Ocean's 12; put a whole lot of talent
in one room and everybody just
has fun.
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16
Arts & Entertainment • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
Romeo and Juliet comes to life at ACHS
BY Megan Tkacy
Shakespeare’s play “Romeo
and Juliet” has captivated readers
for centuries with its tragic story
of love and loss-a play that ACHS
covers in its freshman English
classes. This year, the freshman get
a chance to experience the play in
a theatrical format when A Crew of
Patches performs “Romeo and Juliet”
in the ACHS Auditorium.
A Crew of Patches is a Shakespearian
acting company that
usually performs at the Mercury
Theatre on the north side of Chicago.
The company consists of 15
members, 10 male actors, three female
actors, a stage manager, and
a tech director. A Crew of Patches
only performs Shakespearian plays
as well as mocks of Shakespearian
plays. The five plays that they currently
perform in rotation are “Romeo
and Juliet”, “Julius Caesar”,
“Macbeth”, “Twelfth Night”, and
“the Taming of the Shrew”.
This company isn’t a traveling
theatre, but often puts on plays
for high schools around the area
if they are unable to come to see
the plays. ACHS contacted A Crew
of Patches with the proposal of acting
out ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for the
freshman class.
Dr. Jon Crawford is excited about
the whole thing and feels that this
whole experience will be very beneficial
to the students.
“Reading a play is one way to enjoy
a piece. Then as you read it, and
go to see it, you have a mental image
of what it is going to be like. It
is interesting to see how the director
will portray it,” said Crawford.
“The students will take a lot from
being able to see it on the stage in
addition to reading it.”
In addition to the students getting
the treat of seeing live theatre
in their own school, the freshman
also get to experience this event at
absolutely no cost. In order to do
this, Sequoit Pride obtained funds
to cover the costs of the performance
in order to eliminate the
distributing of the cost throughout
the freshman class.
“We felt there were some kids
that money was a problem and it
would be a shame for some one
to not have this experience,” said
Crawford.
The play, which was performed
on Dec. 15 during 3rd, 4th, and
the beginning of 5th hour, gave the
freshman the chance to see the play
as Shakespeare meant for it to be
experienced-on the stage.
Jan Blixt, the Executive Director
of the plays that A Crew of Patches
performs, believes that seeing
this play and hearing
the dialog will help
the students enjoy and
better comprehend
S h a k e s p e a r e ’s
text.
“The thing
about Shakespeare
is that
they are
“ p l a y s ” - -
not “literature”--
they
are meant
to be spoken
aloud,
not read off
the page. If
you ever have
trouble un-
derstanding
a line in
Shakespeare,
go into your
room, close the door so no one can
hear you, and say it out loud. It will
make a lot more sense. And it’s that
simple fact, that Shakespeare was
meant to be said aloud, that, in our
opinions, makes it so important for
students to see,” said Blixt in an
e-mail.
Jamie D’ Andrea, ACHS freshman
English teacher, feels that this whole
experience will help the students
understand the play better by being
able to see it acted out as opposed
to just reading it on paper.
“When students read Shakespeare
in class, a lot of the students
won’t follow the proper pronunciation
and the flow and feel of the
play is sort of lost,” said D’ Andrea.
“Seeing the play will give the students
a chance to hear the lines
line by line rather than sentence by
sentence.”
By seeing the play in addition to
the two versions of “Romeo and
Juliet” films, D’ Andrea feels that
the students will gain a greater
appreciation for the play by seeing
it on one stage, using the written
stage directions that Shakespeare
included in the texts of his plays.
“Seeing the play will be more accurate
to what it would have been
like if Shakespeare were directing
it,” said D’ Andrea.
Another key aspect that viewers
lose when they watch a Shakespeare
play performed as a film, is
the provocation of ones imagination
that Shakespeare meant for the
plays to spark in viewers. Shakespeare
pulled this off by having
his plays performed with very
few props, such as a lantern
to display the fact that the
scene is during night and
masks to show an actor’s
expressions so that everyone
can understand how
they are feeling at that
moment.
“We (A Crew of Patches)
also hold true to what
Shakespeare’s company did
in terms of our tech. If you
come to us at the Mercury, you
will see that we have a basic
unit set-- three big doorways
and some side entrances. It’s
a unit set. When we go out to
schools, we play bare-stage--
just using masking and such.
We do a lot of entering and exiting
and scene stuff in the audience as
well,” said Blixt
Based on the response to this
event, more acting companies may
be contacted to perform plays coinciding
with ones that are taught in
each of the English classes.
“It is a very distinct possibility
that other plays will be brought. I
am thankful that the English department
pushed for this to happen, this
will be a great thing for the students
to experience,” said Crawford.
A Crew of Patches hopes that
their performance will change the
way that students look at Shakespeare.
“He (Shakespeare) wrote about
the same stuff that sells today:
violence, love, sex, jealousy, ambition...
dirty jokes... all the good
stuff. So, we hope how our performance
will impact your school is to
make you see that this stuff is alive,
that the characters are real people,
that the reason Shakespeare is great
is because it is accessible and fun,”
said Blixt.
Laguna Beach ends a great first season
BY Lauren Vance
MTV’s Laguna Beach: The Real
Orange County aired it’s first season
finale after just 11 episodes.
Laguna Beach is a reality show
that is taped over a six month
period of time that appeals to high
school kids. The lives of eight high
school students were aired showing
the drama and glamour of living
in Laguna Beach, California.
The season finale started out
with the cast hanging out on the
beach for one last bonfire. While
Trey had already gone off to college,
Christina announced that this
would be the last time they are all
going to be together. This part in
the show seemed real because it
related a lot to the real world and
how friends have to say goodbye
when they go off to school.
Also during the campfire, Kristin
states that she and Stephen went to
Tiffany’s to look for rings. She then
proceeded to tell her friends that
the two were getting married. This
part of the episode lead fans to believe
that they are staying together
Photo courtesy of
acrewofpatches.com
when Stephen goes
to college, which
almost seems impossible.
After Stephen
packed for school,
he and Kristin went
to watch the sunset
while sitting on the
roof of Kristin’s car.
They discussed their
relationship and
decided to leave it open.
This part was emotional and heart
warming because you see how two
young people truly care about each
other.
Meanwhile, LC arrives in San
Francisco with an uneasy look on
her face. After she retrieved her
luggage she was overjoyed to see
Stephen outside waiting to pick her
up. The two then headed to school
in Stephen’s white pickup.
The end of the show brought a
smile to every fan’s face. Stephen
with LC- finally the way it should be.
It was also really cute how Stephen
was there for LC and she seemed
to be reassured that they had each
Photo courtesy of MTV.com
other.
Although the first season was
filled with a lot of drama, it is a relief
knowing that Stephen is going
off to school. Now Kristin can live
her life and not be so wrapped up
with Stephen and LC.
Laguna Beach had a great first
season following Real World in
the 9:30 p.m. spot. With surprise
news of a second season, Kristin
left fans with scenes from all new
episodes, with even juicier drama.
Now with LC and Stephen gone,
Kristin’s about to start her own fun
in Laguna Beach.
BRAD IPSEN
509 LAKE STREET
ANTIOCH, IL 60002
Phone: 847-395-8828
Fax: 847-395-7580
E-mail: bipsen@amfam.com
549 Lake St.
Antioch, IL 60002
(847) 395-1010 Bus.
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www.waynesobczak.com Website
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December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • Arts & Entertainment 17
Ocean's 12 steals box office
BY Jacob kwilosz
Take over a dozen famous actors,
and a plot that has so many twists
and turns it sometimes becomes
extremely difficult to understand
what really happened, and you have
the sequel to Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s
12.
After an extremely slow
beginning, Ocean’s 12 kicks into
high gear with amazing sequences
of robberies and unbelievable plot
twists; plot twists so amazing that
the shift in the story line is likely to
blow your mine.
Ocean’s 12 begins three years
after Danny Ocean, played by
George Cloney, and his crew
pulled off the successful heist on
Terry Benedict’s casino. They
then receive a surprise visit by Mr.
Benedict, played by Andy Garcia,
who found out the whereabouts of
all 11 thieves.
Benedict then makes a deal with
them to either pay back all his
money with interest in two weeks
or die. Realizing that they can’t
“work” on American soil anymore,
they take their business over seas to
Europe.
A HAPPY AND HEALTHY HOLIDAY
SEASON FROM ALL OF US AT AMPS
COMING
EVENTS:
While in Europe, Ocean and his
eleven are met by a competitor
in the robbery field, called the
Night Fox, who challenges Ocean
to a competition to see who is the
greatest thief in the world.
Along with the action and
suspense sequences Ocean's
12 shows its sense of humor
with numerous funny moments
throughout the movie. For
example, when Ocean and Night
Fox are competing to see who is the
better thief, Night Fox gives Oceans
a 5 a.m. wake up call at 11:30 p.m.
on the day of the big heist.
Although the build up to the
climax is almost unbearable, after
the climax is reached the film
builds momentum and takes off
with surprises, cameos and an
amazing heist.
Another good aspect about
Ocean’s 12 was how they were able
to bring back all of the characters
from the previous movie, such as
Rusty Ryan, played by Brad Pitt,
and Tess Ocean, played by Julia
Roberts.
They were also able to bring back
all of the characters with out leaving
out any information about where
they have been for the past three
years and what they spent their cut
of the original heist on.
Along with the original cast
members there is an assortment
of new characters such as the Night
Fox, played by Vincent Cassel, and
Isabel Lahiri, played by Catherine
Zeta-Jones, who is the head
detective of the Ocean’s 12 case.
By bringing new characters into
the movie they were to able to give
erry Trueman tops Stuck in Neutral
Cruise control
leaves readers
asking for more
BY DAKOTA WEST
What would you do if your only
rother were a vegetable, someone
ho just sits, drools, and stares off
nto space?
Senior Paul McDaniel is in just
hat position as he finds himself
ncovering truths about his life that
ven he didn't know.
Paul lives with his mom, older
ister Cindy and of course his 14ear-old
brother Shawn. His dad
oved out on the family a couple
ears before, not being able to
andle the way Shawn is. His dad
ctually became incredibly rich
fter writing a Nobel prize-winning
oem about how he feels about
hawn. Ever since his dad wrote
his poem, Paul has hated his dad
ith a passion.
'Star studded' cast brings success to
the anticipated sequel to Ocean's 11
Paul has a very bad temper,
causing him to get in many fights
at school and in the community
he lives in. There was even a time
when two bullies were picking on
Shawn and Paul nearly burned both
of them alive with gasoline after
beating them almost unconscious.
Luckily his
sister stopped
him before he
could go any
further. When
he gets into
fights he feels
like it is his
only way to let
out the anger
he has towards
his dad and the
pain he feels for
his brother. Along with his extreme
anger, Paul suffers from a lot of
stress because he doesn't know if
he can go away to college in the
fall and leave his mother and sister
alone with Shawn.
Paul is the normal, gifted, and
healthy son of the family. He is
the best athlete in his school
and maintains a 4.0 grade point
average. He is so perfect that it
makes him feel guilty because his
brother is just the opposite.
As the book progresses, Paul
starts to open old wounds. He
starts admitting things from his past
that he has kept buried away, and
slowly starts
to realize a
love for his
brother he
never knew
he had.
C r u i s e
control is a
c o m p a n i o n
novel to the
p r e v i o u s
Printz awardwinning
book,
Stuck in Neutral. A companion
book basically tells the entire story
again but from another characters
point of view. Stuck in Neutral was
from the view of Shawn, yep, the
vegetable. This book played with
the idea that people with conditions
like Shawn's, are actually
conscious, aware, and smart, but
“Cruise Control is a warm
and touching story of a
brother's unique journey
of self-discovery“
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(Main Office meeting room)
Fruit Sale - Jan. 19th - 31st
AMPS -- Parents AMPlifying the Fine Arts
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the film a fresh breath of air while
still maintaining a solid relationship
with the original cast.
Allthough most of Ocean’s 12
was very well done, there was one
particular scene where Tess, played
by Julia Roberts, had to pretend to
be Julia Roberts as part of a heist.
This is very tacky and should never
be done in any movie.
A unique characteristic about this
nobody knows this
because they are
unable to make
any voluntary
movements.
It is a good
idea to read Stuck
in Neutral first
because it gives a
lot of knowledge
and information
about Shawn,
that helps to
understand Cruise
Control a little bit
better. Both books
are very easy to
read, and help put
into perspective
how some people
really do live.
Cruise Control
is the warm and
touching story
of a brother's
unique journey of
self-discovery and
acceptance that
will affect him for
years to come.
Tanks To You
Photos courtesy of
oceans12.warnerbros.com
film is the retro style that was chosen
to show what day it is throughout
the movie. What happens is that
the movie is somewhat stopped all
together and it always seems to be
done in strange parts throughout
the movie.
Ocean’s 12 leaves audiences
stunned with an unbelievable story
line and a surprise ending that will
not disappoint.
Photos courtesy of terrytrueman.com
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December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • Sports 19
Live to Toss and Hope to Catch...
Girls' plan for new winter guard season
By Kelly Holcomb
Antioch Community High School
Color guard girls are gearing up
for another season of winter guard.
According to Noreen Brown and
Darlene Kuxhouse, the color guard
and winter guard coaches, winter
guard is the use of flags, rifles,
sabres, dance, other equipment,
and precise movements to recorded
music in an indoor facility.
Because the routine and skills
are learned at a faster pace and
are more difficult to execute, only
experienced color guard members
may perform in winter guard.
Lack of funding
Practices are usually
from six until nine p.m. on
Tuesday and Thursday every
week starting after the New Year.
At this time the practice space
has yet to be determined.
The winter guard is not currently
funded by the school due to many
problems that recur over the year.
“We perform at Swing
Street Café and any other
performance that we can,”
stated Noreen Brown. “We have
not pursued winter guard to be
a funded activity mainly due to
space constraint. During the winter
months, we have all sports (and
the many levels) that practice and
compete inside. Being color guard,
we need a space that allows for at
least eight foot ceilings and a large
open space for movement and
choreography. To date, we have
not been able to find this available
space at a time that works. Our
winter guard right now uses a
very minimal space, allowing us
to squeeze in to some areas being
unused. If we had the proper
space, we could then pursue this
to be a paid position. The practice
schedule would be more intense
and the coaching would take much
more time.”
Experience
The lack of interest also presents
a problem. Only experienced girls
are required because if the winter
guard were to go to competitions,
they would go directly into one.
The first competition is in
November when the regular color
guard season ends. There may be
students that want to participate,
but they must be experienced in
color guard before entering winter
guard.
According to Brown, because
the new school, Lakes Community
High School,
is in District
117, the
winter guard
may become
competitive
within a few
years. An idea
has also been
presented that
the LCHS color
guard could
be combined
with the ACHS
color guard to
make a much Swing Street Cafe.
larger and
expanded winter guard group.
Competitions
Senior Alyssa Casey has been a
part of color guard for all of her
four years at ACHS. She was Captain
this last season of color guard.
This year is her second year
of being a part of a competitive
winter guard called LEAP, Learning
Everything About Percussion/
Pageantry.
LEAP has only been around
for two years, but has won every
competition that was available.
Alyssa Casey was a part of
LEAP when it won the World
Championships in California last
year. She will be in LEAP this
upcoming season.
“Being able to attend World
Championships last year was
amazing,” stated Casey. Just
getting to watch and meet different
organizations from all over the
country and the world was awesome.
The entire season was definitely
a once in
a lifetime
opportunity,
and is one of
those things
I’ll never
forget.”
The motto
of the ACHS
Color Guard
girls is:
“Live to toss
and hope to
Former ACHS student, Jamie
Huebner, hits all the right moves at
catch.”
“I do like
the motto,
and I think
that it suits winter color guard well.
It suits color guard in general mostly
because that’s what we do for five
months. That’s a substantial part of
our lives, and I think I can speak for
Photos courtesy of Noreen Brown
JUST LET IT FLY: The 2003 season of Winter guard performs
during their annual Swing Street Café performance.
a lot of the girls. It’s something we
love to do,” said Roper.
Preparation
Katie Brooke, a senior, has been in
guard all four years at ACHS. She has
been Co-captain her junior and
Captain her senior year.
“I expect the same old fun like
every year, and a chance to see all
the other members,” stated Brooke.
Winter guard is a great
way to stay in shape for
the regular guard season
which starts in April.
“I want a chance to
refine my skills in preparation
for next spring. I’m
able to practice for the
next season of color guard,
something I wouldn’t
do a whole lot of if I didn’t join
winter guard,” replied Roper.
Both of the coaches are
volunteering their time.
“We do not have the practice
space or the funding to
have a competitive winter guard at
this time. So to keep skills up to
par, as well as learn some new skills
and have fun in the mean time, we
use what space we can and create a
performance," stated Brown.
Lack of funding may result in a
smaller show, but it doesn't slow
down the team spirit.
Determined to do their best, the
team hopes that they will be able to
perform.
“It doesn’t matter where
we perform, just as long as
we get to perform,” said
sophomore Trisha Redman.

20
Sports • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
‘Strongest team ever ’
Simonini aims for state meet, while girls gear up for season
By Amy Knutson
With two new freshmen on the Antioch
Community High School girls' varsity
gymnastics team, and
all new equipment,
the team is looking
forward to a very
successful season.
“In my fi ve years of
coaching this is the
strongest team I have
ever had,” said Coach
Debbie Besset.
Angel Simonini,
senior at ACHS, is a
returning gymnast, and
after making it to state
for her vault exercise her sophomore year,
she is striding to repeat her actions. This time
with her fl oor and vault exercises.
“I am very focused this year, especially on
vault and fl oor,” said Simonini “although I
fell short of making it to state last year, I use
that to push myself to work even harder so I
can make it this year.”
There is also a new strong addition to
Hittin' the hardcourt. . .
Park district provides basketball outlet for area boys
y Brittney Rosenzweig
In winter, basketball is king, and
the teams are packing in the fans.
The Sequoits, the Bulls, the Illini,
the Orange Team…Orange? Yes,
along with the white, red, gray,
yellow black, blue, and green.
The Lindenhurst Park District’s
color coded recreational basketball
league has garnered a following that
some high schools would envy.
According to David Morh Jr.,
the Park District’s new Athletic
Supervisor this year, the league has
75 participants from freshmen to
seniors in high school.
“This includes residents mostly
from Lindenhurst, Lake Villa, and
Antioch,” said Mohr.
The boys are sorted into eight
teams, which all play each-other on
Friday nights at the park district’s
gymnasium.
Residents and non-residents
who are not involved often come
to watch.
Each Friday night, parents,
siblings, and friends of the players
are found in the bleachers. Many
students from Antioch Community
“Although I fell short of
making it to state last year,
I use that to push myself to
work even harder to make
it this year. “ -Angel Simonini
ACHS senior
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the team this year. Just like Simonini, Cody
Ksioszk, competed in club gymnastics before
high school, and joined the varsity team as a
freshman.
“It is very different
competing on a school
gymnastics team,” said
High School who are not involved
also attend the games.
“This past Friday was a smaller
crowd than normal,” said Mohr,
“I suspect that once word gets
around that the league has started,
Team SR
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Ksioszk “but the girls on
the team are great, they
really motivate everyone
to push themselves, I
think that we will do very
good this year.”
Although this is Ksioszk
fi rst year on the team,
she has already shown
promising results.
“Cody is a great
addition to the team,” said Besset “not only
is she very talented, but she motivates Angel
to stride for harder skills, as Angel does for
Cody.”
Unlike most of the team, the uneven bars
are one of Ksioszk focal points.
According to Besset, one of the teams
weaknesses is the uneven bars. That is one
of their main focuses for improvement this
and if the Antioch High School
[boys’ basketball] team is not
very good, we will see crowd sizes
between 100 and 200.”
The basketball program was
once refereed, coached, and
Photo by Brittney Rosenz-
Mike Fuchs and Jack Irvin, seniors at ACHS, participate in
the fi rst "Pig League" game on Friday, Dec. 3. at the park
district in Lindenhurst.
upcoming season.
Leslee Bailey, junior at ACHS, and Lindsey
Anderson, senior at ACHS, are also very
strong members of the team this year.
“Leslee is very consistent and focused this
year,” said Besset “Lindsey is working
on cleaning
lot of her
s k i l l s ,
which will
up a
definitely h e l p
her and the team
when it c o m e s
to scoring high at
our meets.”
Not only is the varsity
squad improving this year,
but also the
junior varsity squad is
looking very competitive this year as well.
“Since junior varsity competes before
varsity, the girls on varsity get very excited
Subscribe
to the Tom
Tom for $10
PRINTING
sponsored by the Lindenhurst
Police Department.
Now, even without involvement
from the police, the league remains
popular amongst many boys here
at ACHS.
According to Morh, the park
district took full control over the
league fi ve years ago.
The question is why these
students choose to play for the
recreational league instead of trying
out for Sequoits’ hoops.
“Most of the kids who play for
the league played for school, but
they didn’t play this year, so they
quit,” said John Heneberry, ACHS
junior and member of the ACHS
boys’ varsity basketball.
Still, ACHS students who play
in the Police League indicated
that they enjoy having fun in a
more relaxed, yet still competitive
environment that requires less of a
commitment.
“[The league is] more about
having fun than competition and
winning,” said Jon Brinser, ACHS
junior and member of the blue
team.
The league is now coached by
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Round Lake Beach, IL 60073
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and pumped up because of how good junior
varsity is doing,” said Besset, “When they
[junior varsity] compete well, it puts more
pressure on varsity to do better, and it works.
Every girl on the team is so motivated this
year to compete great.”
According to Besset, a goal that
the team is working for is to have the
entire team qualify for sectionals.
“I have had individuals make it to
sectionals, but never the whole team,” said
Besset “with the girls we have on the team
this year, I think our chances are very high.”
As for qualifying for the state meet, the
most promising individuals are Simonini and
Ksioszk.
According to Simonini, state is her biggest
goal this year; she believes that she has a
good chance of making it.
Ksioszk agrees.
The teams last meet is on
Tuesday at Libertyville, results
were unavailable to staff at the
time of publication.
The gymnastic's team will have their next
meet held on Jan. 5 th at Lakes Community
High School and will begin at 6 p.m.
CRAIG KRESSNER
Agent
STATE FARM INSURANCE COMPANIES
“Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there”
volunteers, most of which have
been involved in the league before.
Mike Fuchs, ACHS senior, implied
that the coaches allow a much
better experience because they do
not have as many expectations as
high school coaches would.
“The coaches at ACHS are more
serious than at [the park district’s]
league,” said Fuchs, who plays for
the yellow team.
The expenses are also
comparatively much lower.
At ACHS, all sports fees are $150,
while the Police League requires a
$59 payment for residents, and $66
for non-residents.
Morh added that having no
tryouts and just one Sunday
practice a week makes the league
much easier for students to get
involved.
“Everyone automatically gets a
chance to play and be a part of a
team,” said Mohr, “the league is
less time consuming than being
on a high school basketball team.
The students also get to hang out
with their friends in a comfortable
atmosphere while they play or
watch the games going on.”
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December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • Sports 21
Girls indoor soccer prepares for season
By Jessica Gaido
The Antioch Community High
School girl's indoor soccer
teams are preparing for their
winter season, which will
begin this upcoming January.
Indoor soccer is an independent
activity; therefore, it is not run by
the high school. The Lake County
Sports Complex houses the league
and organizes the program, which
consists of mostly high school teams
and a few soccer clubs from the area.
The teams are open to students
of all grade levels at ACHS, who
want to prepare for their spring
season, or just want to get involved.
There are about 50 girls
that are playing and are split
up into five teams; three
varsity teams, and two junior
varsity teams.
The varsity teams consist of
mostly seniors and juniors, and
the junior varsity teams consist of
mostly sophomores and freshmen.
"There are only 10 girls on a
team and six playing on the field
at a time, so there is enough play
time for everyone," said Captain,
Gina Florian, ACHS senior.
Florian is responsible
for organizing all of the
Princess Knits
indoor soccer information,
and organizing the teams.
Luke Holm, an ACHS
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varsity boy's soccer player,
will take role as a coach for
one of the girl's varsity teams.
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Tom today!
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"They [the girls] have always
asked me [to coach], but I
never had time, and this year
Photo by Jessica Gaido
PREPARATION: Juniors Sarah Lincoln, Lauren Vance, Shannon Rigali, and Ashley Lowry
choose their team name, color, and their numbers in preparation for indoor soccer.
Thompson takes football
knowledge to state game
By Dakota West
It isn’t very often that we
get to see football games
from another point of view, in
this case, from the referees’.
Mark Thompson, Journalism
teacher at ACHS, refereed an Illinois
High School
Association State
Football game on
Friday Nov. 26
in Champaign.
This was the
second time
Thompson was
chosen to ref a
c h a m p i o n s h i p
g a m e .
Thompson has been a referee
for 25 years, starting in college
with Intramural flag football.
“It's a huge honor to be
picked to do a championship
game. “ -Mark Thompson
ACHS English teacher
“It’s a great way to stay
involved in the game,” said
Thompson. “For the most part
it's fun or else nobody would it.”
The state game was held
at the University of Illinois,
where the teams Montini
and Coal city faced off.
“It was a
good game,”
said Thompson.
“The teams
threw lots of
passes, so the
game didn’t
get boring.”
Thompson is
a Back judge,
the referee
who stays deep with receivers to
watch things like pass interference
and touchdowns Thompson
received the opportunity to ref
the state game because of high
ratings during the regular season.
Coaches from football teams
submit ratings during the regular
season. Coaches submit the ratings
along with Assigners of the game.
“It’s a huge honor to be
picked to do a championship
game,” said Thompson.
Many don't really know how
much time is put into being a
referee. Every summer, there is a
clinic, along with weekly meetings.
There are four other officials that
ref. with Thompson all season long.
Along with Thompson being a back
judge, there is also a line judge,
linesmen, umpire, and referee.
Because it helps them to critique
their spots, and how well they do
their signals, they review game films.
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“ S o m e -
times things go
wrong, players
can make it
difficult to
ref,” said
T h o m p s o n .
E v e n
f o o t b a l l
p l a y e r s
t h e m s e l v e s
can relate to
a time when
they got upset
with a ref.
“The games
can get pretty
intense and it
is easy to lose
your temper
towards the
refs’,” said
Varsity football
player Dan
Goggin. “But
I understand
that they are
just doing
their jobs.”
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I had the chance," said Holm,
"During my off season I'm not
playing on a soccer team, so
it is just something fun to do."
Beginning in January, each
team will play 10 games, one
each week, which will take
place every Wednesday at the
Lake County Sports Complex,
which is located in Waukegan.
Indoor soccer is played mostly
by spring soccer players because
it is good preparation and gives
them an opportunity to practice
and enhance their skills for
their upcoming spring season.
"Indoor soccer is a lot faster
paced [than outdoor] so it keeps
you in shape throughout the
winter and helps with touches,"
said varsity player, Amanda Otten.
"It also helps when it comes to
figuring out how you play together."
Varsity player, Shannon Rigali,
agrees with Otten that indoor
soccer has good benefits in
practicing and preparing for
the spring season at ACHS.
"It helps us start to work as
a team and helps with skills
and passing," said Rigali.
The girls will begin their
weekly games in January, and a
successful season is anticipated.
Photo courtesy of Scott Thompson
KEEPING A CLOSE EYE: Thompson watches
the game closely as he refs the Illinois High
School Association State Football game in
Champaign on Nov. 26.
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22
Sports • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
ack of experience
urts wrestlers;
egin season 0-3
Wrestling
y Rob Nordby
With a 0-3 record, which include
osses to Lake Forest, Round Lake,
nd most recently Warren, the boys
restling season is well under
ay.
However, according to Varsity
oach Wilber Borrerro, the team is
ight where he wants them to be at
his stage in the season.
"Were a very young team, and
ltimately, I want us to improve
s a team, not just individual
layers. We work hard in practice,
nd that is all I can ask right now
rom my wrestlers," Borrerro said.
Senior Ryan Cashmore agrees.
Were a lot better team then our
ecord shows. We just have to
eep working, and I think that we
ill turn it around sooner then
ater," said Cashmore.
One of the contributing factors to
he team's slow start could be the
Photos
by Chip
Leffl eman
ACHS Junior,
Nick Coles,
wrestles at
the Friday
meet against
W a r r e n .
ACHS ended
up losing to
Warren.
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lack of numbers, especially juniors.
"I really expected more juniors to
come out. I looked to the junior
class as our [base] this season, and
when some of them didn't come out
for one reason or the other, it set us
back a bit," said Borrerro.
Borrerro also said, however, that
the void left by the non-returning
juniors has been fi lled tremendously
by the underclassmen on the team,
especially the freshman.
"The freshman have really
stepped up this year, more then I
ever would have expected. They
have turned out to be really tough,
mentally and physically. They
have performed at a level that was
not expected of them, and I am
really happy with the results," said
Borrerro.
As for the rest of the season,
Borrerro and the team have a few
simple goals.
"We just need to keep getting
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prepared for the sectional meet
so we can eventually qualify for
the state tournament. That is our
ultimate goal for this year, and we
need to stay focused on that," said
Brad Lindstrom, ACHS senior.
Borrerro agrees with Lindstrom's
sentiment, but added a few more
things.
"We really need to get the team to
believe in themselves. Confi dence
down the stretch is key. I don't
look at wins and losses. I look
at how well were performing. I
want to make a name for Antioch
in wrestling not only for next year,
but also right now, and that is going
to take some hard work. I think
my guys have what it takes though,"
said Borrerro.
Currently, the wrestling team is
getting prepared for the Harvard
invitational, which starts today at
4:00 p.m. and goes through the
weekend.
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Girls Basketball searches
for consistency, rebounds
By Martin Pazanin
Although the Antioch Community
High School girls’ basketball team’s
record is not where the team would
want it to be, progress is being
made.
The Sequoits
recently defeated
Round Lake
and Wauconda, increasing their
total win number to two on the
season. The Sequoits did also
recently lose to conference foes
Lake Forest and Warren, dropping
their North Suburban Conference
record to 0-2. Their overall record
stands at 2-7.
“We’ve progressed by winning
two games in the last week. That’s
a small step but one we needed
to take,” said head coach Don
Zeman. “You have to walk before
you can run.”
Zeman believes that with the two
wins, the Sequoits have improved
the most on defense.
“We’ve improved the most on
defense, especially off-the-ball
defense. The girls are starting to
grasp the concept of team ‘D’ and
helpside ‘D,’” said Zeman. “We
have to be confi dent that our
teammates with ‘have our back’
when we get up and pressure the
ball.”
Zeman sees a few areas in which
the Sequoits are struggling at early
in the season.
“We need to rebound better, and
for us that means boxing out and
getting physical,” said Zeman. “We
also have to shoot better on a
consistent basis.”
Zeman said that he is seeing
great leadership from his senior cocaptains,
Gina Florian and Lauren
Scorbrough. He is also starting to
see a leader bloom in junior Holly
Roberts.
Florian is also pleased with the
way Roberts is performing on the
Girls Basketball
VEHICAL GRAPHICS
MAGNETICS
BOAT LETTERING
hardwood.
“Roberts is the most consistent
player,” said Florian. “She
(Roberts) defi nitely has
advantages. She is good at setting
up our offenses, has a good shot,
and is also good on
defense.”
The Sequoits are
looking forward
to their Christmas tournament, the
McHenry tournament. There, the
Sequoits will play out-of-conference
teams. Among them, the teams
include Prairie Ridge, McHenry,
and Cary-Grove.
The Sequoits slow start is not
stopping them from achieving their
goals.
“We have always believed that
we could be a regional champion,”
said Zeman. “But our slow start
is going to make that a bigger
challenge. But it’s still our goal.”
Florian thinks she has the recipe
to reach their expectations.
“We need to minimize the
turnovers and run the offense
correctly,” said Florian, “We’ve
recently been playing a zone
defense and that has worked to our
advantage.”
Florian has been impressed with
the way that Scarbrough has been
playing this season.
“Scarbrough shows an example
of playing hard and consistent in
practices as she does in games,”
Florian said. “Scarbrough’s effort
is contagious.”
Florian also said that the squad
can’t wait to play the Libertyville
Wildcats, as that is the team that the
Sequoits defeated last season in the
regional semifi nals.
“We look forward to every game,”
said Zeman. “We know we have
the opportunity to pull off some
real upsets this season because
our Conference is so strong. And
we don’t mind playing the roll of
underdog.”
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December 17, 2004 Tom Tom • Sports 23
High school hockey leagues...
ace Off at Center Ice
By Tim Racette
As the heart of winter takes its
full swing, Antioch students take the
game Afull
Agame of Hockey to a much higher
skill level and intensity.
Teams like The Force, Atoms,
Ramquoits, Red Wings and Chicago
Young Americans have Antioch’s
hockey buffs breaking a sweat as
the season gets underway.
Each team, aside from the Atoms
and Ramquoits, are associated with
a different league, allowing high
school students to pick and choose
the right team for them, taking
their skills to the ice and traveling
to different cities and states for
competition.
Atoms
ACHS seniors Doug Bair (Goalie),
Dru ADru Green (Forward), Ryan Leng
(Forward), A(Forward), and John Marino
(Forward), all play on the Atoms
based out of Lake County. Under the
guidance of Assistant Coach Larry
Green the team recently won the
DePere Thanksgiving tournament
where Dru Green (Center) was you have
named tournament MVP.
to be at least
16 to play [on
The Force The Force], the
T
majority of our
The Force is a Junior B team team is in college so the skill level
consisting of kids from the is very intense.”
ages of 16-21. Matt Verdoni
(Defenseman), ACHS senior, is one Red Wings
of those players. Their home rink is
West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Derek Bol (Defenseman), and
Meadows. The Force plays against Erik Jansen (Right Wing), both
teams from Peoria, Cleveland, OH, ACHS DErik
DACHS seniors play in the Northern
Grand Rapids, MI, Quad City, IO, Illinois Hockey League on the
and St. Louis, MO.
Barrington Red Wings based out of
“I plan on playing juniors for Barrington, Illinois.
another year and ten playing college Bol has been playing the game
hockey,” said Verdoni. “I love the of hockey for ten years. From his
travel and the competitive play as early ice-less hockey days with the
well as hanging out with the team enthusiasm from his father as his
[outside of the game] doing things coach, Bol has focused a majority
together.”
of his time to improving his skills
With practices three days a week on the ice and strategy during the
and tournaments or games on the game.
weekends, the sport takes up much “[As a kid] I wasn’t involved in
of his time.
anything else,” said Bol. “Hockey
“Practices start at 2:15 and we has always been the one thing that
usually get out of the rink at 5: I really enjoy playing, I don’t know
30 after running, working out and why I play, I just enjoy it more than
showering,” said Verdoni. “Since any other sport.”
CYA
J Justin Maciuk (left wing), and
Peter O'Hara (goalie), ACHS
seniors, JPeter
plays with an organization
known as the Chicago Young
Americans. Ranked one of the top
teams in the nation, the AAA Midget
Majors coached by Dave Maciuk
train hard to keep their ranking and
skill level high for competition.
“[The CYA] gives us a chance to
play against more competition and
play at a higher skill level,” said
Maciuk. “Me and Pete practice and
life weights four days a week.
Ira Greenberg started the CYA
organization, which practices out
of the Heartland Ice Arena and the
Lake Forest Academy, and Dave
Maciuk was the fi rst ever coach for
the team.
Playing teams from all over the
country including Team Illinois,
Chicago Mission, Chicago Chill,
Marquette Electricians, Detroit
HoneyBaked, and Detroit Little
Caesars, they also play college level
teams like Lake Forest College and
heartland Chicago.
”I’ve talked to Quinnipiac
University, DIV I in the ECAC,
which is taking Vermont’s spot
in the league next year,” Maciuk
said. “I plan on moving away to
play “Juniors” in the United States
Hockey League or the Northern
American Hockey League.
The team went to Anchorage
Alaska in 2001 to compete in the
AAA Nationals to compete against
some of the best teams in the
nation.
Whether it is the opportunity to
Wtravel, travel, the adrenaline rush that the
Wsport sport brings, or the camaraderie
amongst players, the love for this
game lives on with these high
school students.
Q: What is the biggest difference
about hockey in Illinois compared
to Minnesota?
A: It is a more physical game and
moves a lot faster. It seems like there
are not as many fans here though than
were in Minnesota.
Q: What was your old school like
compared to this one?
A: [The Academy of Holy Angels]
was very strict and they gave a lot more
homework. Mrs. Edge reminds me of
a great teacher from a private school.
She has been a great infl uence to me
at Antioch along with Mrs. Andershock
and Mrs. Corcran.
Q: What do you do to prepare for
a game?
A: Listen to country music.
Q: Why are you placed in
the penalty box so often?
A: I do not physically
go into the box, but I do
play a very aggressive style
in the net. I will fi ght any
goalie or player.
Q: What plans do you
have for college?
A: I plan to play hockey in Div.
I or Div. 3 in Minnesota.
Teams
AAA and Juniors
hockey leagues
are the most
competitive
Teams at the high
school level. The
leagues compete
against teams
from all over
the country
and have been
playing the
sport all of
their lives.
Peter O'Hara- Interview
From Minnesota to Chicago comes Peter Michael O'Hara. Changing
schools, Changing life styles, and all for the love of one game.
O'Hara moved from his hometown of Burnsville, Minnesota to
Antioch in August of 2004 to play Hockey for the Chicago Young Americans.
“The CYA is one of the best teams in the country and I am happy to be on a team that good,”
said O'Hara.
O'Hara lives with the is coach Dave Maciuk and teammate Justin Maciuk. Acting as the last
defensive between the puck and net, O'Hara plays as a belligerent goalie for the Chicago Young
Americans AAA Midget Majors.
“Justin introduced me to many people when I got here so making friends was no problem,”
said O'Hara.
Coming from The Academy of Holy Angels, a private high school institution, to Antioch
Community High School was quite a change, but Maciuk helped him along.
[The Academy of Holy Angels] was very strict and they gave a lot
more homework,” said O'Hara.
O'Hara plans on graduating
early and will move back to
Minnesota once the season is
over in March of 2005.
What's Next?
Scouting attendance is high at all
competitive league games. It is
highly likely that you will be known
amongst the college and professional
communities before you even choose
where you want to go. This gives
team members an opportunity to show
their talent and the chance to earn
scholarships.

24
Sports • Tom Tom December 17, 2004
Dance team rocks Elk Grove
By Tim Racette
The Antioch girls have danced their way
to the top, qualifying for Super Sectionals
at their second compeptition, and
scoring only
qualifying for
state.
P l a c i n g
fi rst in kick
and fi rst in
0.9 away from
hip-hop at
the Elk Grove
competition
and fi rst in
AAA Kick and
second in AAA
Hip-Hop at
Rich-Central,
Coach Carissa
Parker feels
confi dent in
the girls as they
continue to
perfect and add
diffi culty to their
routines.
"I think the fi rst
competition has
helped us a lot,”
said Alyssa Johnson,
junior, and team co-captain.
Boy's basketball
deals with struggles
By Joey Alvarez
Since the Winter sports season began
the Antioch Community High School boy’s
basketball team has lost three players from
their varsity roster.
Brian Sternberg, Nick Markovich, and
Tom Moore all quit the team just a few weeks
into the season. This shortens the already
small team roster, and also leaves only
three remaining seniors on the team, Martin
Pazanin,Randel Williams, and Chad Ori.
“I would rather have 12 people on my
team that want to be there, than have a few
more players who don’t want to put forth the
dedication, and effort that it takes to be on
the team,” said Coach Tom Duffy.
Whether or not the team will be successful
for the rest of the season greatly depends
on the player’s continuity. “I
don’t think that it will greatly
effect our team chemistry that
the other players quit. We all
have one main goal, and that’s
to win,” said Mike Donovan,
ACHS junior.
For the Sequoits,
rebounding well and playing
team basketball are the two
components that seem to be a
consistent formula for winning
games. “We just need to keep
playing team basketball, and
stick to playing our kind of
game.”
During the game against
Warren Township High School,
the Sequoits were unable to
keep the blue devils from
stealing the ball. As a result,
the Sequoits gave up many
second chance points.
“Offensive rebounding, and
second chance points kept us
out of the game. We all know
that Warren is a good team,
and we weren’t to demoralized
by the loss. But we also know
“We were a little nervous going into it, but
[we] ended up doing great, which in the
end gave us confi dence and let us know that
we can achieve whatever we put our minds
too.”
Re-choreographing their hip-hop routine
before the Elk Grove competition, Johnson
felt the team has been doing a good job on
cleaning the routines up as a
whole.
“We’ve really come
together so far this
year, competition
season is always
the time where we get
past our differences
and our different
dance backgrounds
to really come
together and dance
as a team instead of
individuals,” said
Chelsea Carr, ACHS
junior and team cocaptain.
“The fi rst competition
was a reality check that we have
a lot of potential to do great this
year.”
There is only one new freshman
on the team this year and that is
Cassia Gass.
“It is rare for a freshman to be
that we could’ve played better,” said Duffy.
The Sequoits played their fi rst game
with their shortened 12-man roster against
Wauconda this past Saturday. Unlike in their
previous game the team had no problems
getting their offense going in the fi rst quarter.
Alex McKenzie, ACHS junior made three 3point
shots in the fi rst quarter alone. The
team also managed to make seven of their 11
fi eld goal attempts in the quarter.
The Sequoits next game is on Friday
December 17 against Stevenson. “ We just
have to remember to box out and keep hitting
the boards hard. If we can do that then I think
we have a chance,” said Duffy.
The next two teams the Sequoits will be
playing against are undefeated. If ever there
were a time to come together and play as a
team, it’s now.
Gymnastics- Pg. 20
Indoor Soccer- Pg. 21
Wrestling- Pg. 22
on the [varsity] team,” said Carissa Parker,
coach. “In order to make it as a freshman
you have to be highly talented and at a level
that is beyond your peers.”
Gass is a former student of Palombi middle
school and has taken dance classes at the
Dance Academy of Antioch since she was
fi ve.
“It’s really cool [to have made
the team],” said Gass. “I have
so much fun and I really like it.
Even though it’s a lot of hard
work, it’s so worth it.”
The fi rst experience
at high school level has
helped Gass as well as
the rest of the team improve
on their kick, and hip-hop
skills and really know
where they stand
against other
girls of the
same age. After
the competitions
the girls have been adding
harder transitions and breakdancing
moves to keep moving
their performance to the next
level.
“Cassia has been a great asset
to the team, said Parker. “She is
always on task, her ability to learn
Photo by Joey Alvarez and Tiffany Chilcote
DRIVING DOWN THE COURT: ACHS sophomore Sean Hertz, is a starter this year.
routines is exceptional, and she has diverse
talents in different types of dance.
In addition to the teams kick and hip hop
routines, they will be adding just one more.
Social Studies teacher, and retired dance
coach, Joy Edge will be choreographing a
prop routine to the song "Taking care of
business."
"I think that we have
potential to be good in
the prop catergory," said
Johnson "it's different, it
is not something that we
do very often, I think
that the team will be
able to have alot of fun
with it."
After taking a two
week break for the
holidays, the girls will
return to practice
when school
resumes. They
will take their
places on the
competition
fl oor again,
at Warren
on Jan.
16.
-Sequoitsat
a Glance
Girls Volleyball
Photo by Brittney Rosenzweig
By Chip Leffelman
After winning their Regional game, the
Antioch Community High School Girls
Volleyball Team is still winning awards for
their accomplishments on and off the court.
The Outstanding Sportsmanship Award
was awarded to the team from the Zebra
Association, an association that represents
Northern Illinois Referees.
Coach Bob Schenk said, "I was very
pleasantly surprised to get this award. The
association that awards it represents a very
infl uential group of referees who offi ciate
not only our conference , but also most of
the conferences in Northern Illinois."
The team recieved the honors specifi cally
for their positive attitudes, gift giving, and
fair play.
ACHS Senior Jeanna Wirth said, "We
always gave the other team gifts before the
games...Stickers, little American fl ags on 9/
11, and sometimes little stuffed volleyballs."
Besides the giving of gifts at the games,
overall, the team had a good attitude.
"We were always really enthusiastic, we
would cheer positively whether we were
winning or losing. And at the end of the
games we would always congratulate the
other team," said ACHS senior Kelsie Hartl.