Volume 40 Issue 2 - October/November 2012 - Hoffman Estates ...

THE 

Hoffman Estates High School 1100 West Higgins Road (847) 755-5600 

HAWKEYE VIEW 

October/November 2012 VOLUME 40 ISSUE 2 

Khrystal 

Johnson 

Staff Reporter 

Bullying has been recognized 

as a serious problem 

nationwide. It has a negative 

impact in people’s lives and 

has become a domino effect in 

which either someone has been 

bullied or has witnessed others 

being bullied; this can start as 

early as grade school and even 

go into adulthood. Bullying 

seems to be everywhere. 

Here at Hoffman Estates 

High School, there is a unique 

system of events and people 

to advocate anti-bullying. 

Andres Acosta, HEHS social 

worker, is one of the many 

who was involved in the Anti- 

Bullying Week that took place 

in early October. The central 

theme for Anti-Bullying week 

was Unity Day. 

“It’s important because 

as a student, you have a strong 

voice in influencing your peers, 

our educators, and administrators 

within our school.,” said 

Acosta. “Our student body 

also can persuade lawmakers 

to explore changes in laws to 

protect students. Bullying is 

Anti-Bullying Week unites Hoffman 

an issue that directly affects 

all students and the school culture.” 

“When students become 

actively involved, they have 

the opportunity to lead the 

cause to show that they care 

about their peers and their 

school—they become a powerful 

voice for change,” Acosta 

continued. 

The HEHS student body 

is encouraged to speak up for 

themselves and for others. Becoming 

involved with those 

around you, school, home, and 

your neighborhood to make it 

safe not only makes you acquire 

a taste of leadership but 

also a sense of knowing that 

you are speaking up for those 

who may not be able to. 

Wednesday, October 10, 

2012 was Unity Day. Acosta, 

regarding what would take 

place that day, said, “Unity 

Day is the first of several 

events that we at Hoffman 

have planned to roll out this 

school year. Unity Day’s 

purpose was simple: initiate, 

educate, and propagate. We 

wanted to initiate the start of 

our anti-bullying efforts for 

the 2012-13 school year. It 

had to start with something; 

so why not start with students 

making a commitment to stand 

up against bullying. Hoffman 

Estates High School puts itself 

on the national map by having 

close to 500 of its students 

sign an electronic petition indicating 

their stance against 

bullying. We also wanted to 

educate our student body on 

the resources both locally 

and nationally that assist with 

making changes. Lastly, we 

wanted to spread the news, 

“tell it on the mountain” if you 

will, that bullying will simply 

not be tolerated at HEHS!” 

Unity day was a great 

success. Close to 500 students 

in Hoffman Estates pledged to 

be against bullying maybe next 

time more students as well as 

teachers will pledge as well. 

To many it’s a great feeling to 

see your name on the electronic 

pledge saying they pledged. 

Those who are bullied know 

that they are not alone. 

Hoffman Estates High 

School is consistently trying to 

advocate to students that there 

are resources available when it 

comes to reporting bullying. 

“Any teacher or staff 

member would be more than 

happy to listen to and assist 

any student in addressing any 

bullying situation both in and 

out of the school setting,” 

Acosta said. School shouldn’t 

be a place students dread for 

fear of being bullied. 

Students must speak out 

and get help, no matter how 

minor the situation or how major. 

Bullying is bullying and it 

needs to be prevented. 

“The overall message is 

that at Hoffman Estates High 

School, it is our mission to assist 

all students in feeling like 

regardless of their situation in 

their past, in their community, 

or in their home. We are going 

to take this aspect of their lives 

and make it a place where they 

feel safe and supported to be 

all that they can be and dream 

to be,” said Acosta. 

Hoffman Estates High 

School is a place to learn. 

Learning is so much more 

than academics. Learning at 

school is not just about learning 

Math, English or Science. 

You can also learn how to be 

a leader and stand up for yourself 

and others. Anti-bullying 

week was a success along with 

Unity day. Let’s SOAR above 

Bullying! 

Election 2012: Students get involved 

Hitomi 

Tanaka 


During this year’s 

presidential election, HEHS 

students had opportunities 

to get politically involvedfrom 

a mock debate to political 

discussions in class. 

The Mock Debate, 

held Friday, November 2 and 

Monday, November 5, right 

before the official presidential 

election, students had 

the chance to debate issues 

representing eitherPresident 

Barack Obama, democrat, 

or Mitt Romney, republican. 

Each panel was made up of 

3-6 students each block, researching 

different aspects 

of the candidates’ platforms; 

this ranged from topics such 

as health care, energy independence, 

foreign affairs, 

and education. Matt Dowd, 

social science, was the head 

coordinator of the democrats, 

and Bill Scully, social 

science, was the head coordinator 

of the republicans. 

The basic structure 

of the debate consisted of 

student representatives sitting 

at a table on the auditorium 

stage, facing the 

audience and the moderator. 

The moderator asked 

questions– none previously 

discussed with the participants 

– that one candidate 

had 90 seconds to respond 

to. There were five sections 

of the debate: opening statements, 

moderator questions, 

cross examinations, audience 

questions, and closing 

statements. 

In terms of providing 

data, teachers merely explained 

where the students 

could obtain online information 

on their candidate’s 

official position, and left the 

rest of the research up to the 

students. “The researching 

process can be hard when we 

don’t have the advantage of 

teacher involvement to lead 

us in the right direction,” 

Democrat Representative 

Esther Cho (‘14) said. But 

students remained confident 

that this was an aspect of 

the debate that was for their 

benefit. Republican Representative, 

Devi Shastri (’13) 

pointed out the positives 

of being urged to research 

alone: “It’s important for us 

to individually research and 

develop our own stances on 

issues. When we are 18, we 

won’t have teachers or parents 

hovering over us in the 

booths, saying who to vote 

for.” 

Due to the independent 

nature of the debate, 

there were varying degrees 

of preparation among the 

students. Along with no real 

age qualifications that may 

have filtered the number 

of participants, a freshman 

could be put up against a senior, 

or one with “pages and 

pages of notes” could havedebated 

against one who 

was planning on “winging 

it”. Democratic Representative 

Tim Coukart (’13) 

Continued on page 6 

INSIDE 

the Hawkeye View 

News 

Sports 

Election 

Arts

2 News Hawkeye 

View October/November 2012 

iPads pilot the future of HEHS 

Jasleena 

Singh 


In today’s society, 

technology is becoming 

increasingly important 

and ever-present in 

our daily lives. HEHS 

will know the vital role 

that technology plays in 

the classroom due to the 

implementation of iPads 

this year. District 211 

has adopted the idea of 

a “one to one” program 

which means that for every 

student, there would 

be a device (either a tablet 

or computer) for them 

to use. These iPads greatly 

enhance education and 

facilitate stronger communication 

between students 

and teachers. 

Many teachers 

have started to use Schoology, 

a class portal, 

which allows them to 

post everything a student 

needs for the class in one 

location. Tanya Katovich, 

science department, said 

“Schoology is a website 

where I post all of my 

homework assignments, 

my videos, handouts, and 

labs. Students can find 

everything they need in 

one location. Students 

that miss class for field 

trips or absences can 

retrieve anything they 

missed during class time. 

I love using Schoology 

because it eliminates excuses.” 

Teachers using 

this technology believe 

that iPads and the use 

of this class portal have 

greatly enhanced learning 

and made it much 

easier focus on more difficult 

concepts in class 

rather than building the 

foundations 

The learning of 

concepts is made easier 

because iPads allow mobility. 

The iPads are very 

user friendly and allow 

students to learn concepts 

before they come 

to class. The teacher can 

focus on more complicated 

concepts as opposed 

to spending time 

on the basics. Brian Harlan, 

science department, 

does this by creating an 

astronomy map on the 

iPad. 

Though there have 

been some drawbacks 

with the iPads, the faculty 

is confident that they 

will soon be fixed. As a 

pilot program, the iPads 

are still working on technical 

issues which have 

resulted in lost time, but 

once iPad use becomes 

more common, the problems 

will lessen and the 

program will become 

more efficient. The biggest 

problem with the 

iPads is that they do not 

run Flash. Flash is software 

that many websites 

still use so students will 

not be able to get the 

same high quality materials. 

However, Flash 

is slowly starting to become 

replaced which will 

eventually lead to this no 

longer being an issue. 

“The most important 

change we have seen 

is that students are more 

active in their learning 

because they have a device 

in their hands - they 

are looking up answers 

and trying to solve problems 

before the teacher is 

even done with the discussion. 

I’ve had 

teachers tell me that there 

are students who are coming 

into class who have 

already watched the videos 

or read the material 

before they even arrive, 

which is giving them a 

head start on the day,” 

said Keith Sorenson, 

head of the education and 

technology department 

for District 211. It is clear 

that iPads have greatly 

made a positive impact 

on the learning environment 

at Hoffman and are 

expected to be seen with 

even more students next 

year. 

Nancy Camacho 

(‘15) shows a 

classmate a game 

on her new iPad 

(left). Nidhi Shastri 

(‘15) and Carlos 

Garcia (‘13) study 

vocabulary and 

browse the internet. 

Hawks are taking 

great advantages 

of the resources 

given to them. 

New Grading Creates Infinite Chaos 

Shashank 

Saxena 


A brand new grading 

system and student portal 

have gone into effect this 

year at Hoffman and the 

other shools in the district. 

The new 12 point scale is 

meant to help students because 

it replaces the entire 

F range of 0 through 59 

percent with just 0 out of 

12. Letter grades, or a number 

from 1 through 12, will 

be used instead of percentages, 

which will help students 

boost their grades. 

Although the new 

system is meant to help 

students, some students 

have found the changes 

challenging. 

Eddy Barraza (‘14) 

is definitely against it. 

“The new system is 

not informative and lots of 

kids dislike it. The app (for 

Infinite Campus) on both 

Android smartphones and 

iOS smartphones is very 

buggy and sometimes does 

not show updated grades.” 

Kids like Barraza wish the 

old system would return. 

Another big dilemma 

many students have 

found is that percentages 

cannot be seen. Sangrag 

Ganguli (‘13) is another 

student who dislikes the 

system. “If passing is all 

you aim for, then the new 

grading system will benefit 

you.” Ganguli thinks 

that it doesn’t exactly lower 

the standards, because it is 

harder to maintain an “A” 

letter grade, but he believes 

that the new system makes 

life easier for some people. 

Also, he thinks that the 100 

point scale is more accurate 

than the 12 point scale 

because the 100 point scale 

gives percentages, whereas 

the 12 point scale only 

gives a letter grade and 

doesn’t tell the full story. 

Some students, however, 

find the new grading 

system as a better system 

than the 100 point scale. 

Zoe Dorband (‘14) says, “I 

believe it makes any student 

have an easier task of 

picking up their grades due 

to this new system.” Students 

do benefit from this 

system because recovering 

from a low grade is much 

easier. It removes the range 

of 0 through 59, replacing it 

with the letter grade of an 

F. This lets students recover 

more easily, and it generally 

leads to higher scores. 

The new student 

portal is also big talk in 

Hoffman. Students and even 

staff members are talking 

about it. Ms. Jackson, from 

the Spanish department, 

says, “The new student portal 

system is more complex 

than the last one, but it also 

gives a lot more detail. I 

believe that there has to be 

time for adjustment.” The 

new system will definitely 

affect how students perceive 

their grade and also 

how teachers enter in their 

grades. 

Another student, 

Thomas Doonan (’15) is 

completely against the 

system. “It’s very buggy 

and the navigation is complicated. 

The homework 

assignments are also disorganized.” 

Students, like 

Doonan, prefer the old 

system rather than the new 

system. The old system also 

showed percentages, but the 

new system does not. Percentages 

are a big problem 

to many students, because a 

range is not as accurate. 

Hoffman is taking 

time to adjust to the new 

changes made this year, and 

most realize it will take time 

and patience. As everyone 

works to improve the system, 

student and staff input 

allows for improvement, 

and ultimately makes our 

school a better place.

Aiswarya 

Baiju 

Hawkeye View October/November 2012 

Hoffman’s readers S.O.A.R. 


The Abraham Lincoln 

book lists are the 

books selected annually 

by the high school students 

and a board of teachers. 

The author of books 

voted as most outstanding 

receives an award which is 

named after Abraham Lincoln, 

one of Illinois’s most 

famous residents. Lincoln 

was himself an avid 

reader and noted author. 

The awards are sponsored 

by Illinois School Library 

Media Association (ISL- 

MA). 

The list includes 

all kinds of genres for all 

kinds of people. Diane 

Mankowski, one of the 

chairpersons of the committee 

stressed the variety 

of the books on the list: 

If you like chick lit, start 

with Anna and the French 

Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 

or Allie Condie’s Matched. 

Guys interested in gaming 

will love Cory Doctorow’s 

Little Brother or those 

looking for a non-fiction 

title should pick-up Sebastian 

Junger’s War. Older 

Hitomi Tanaka 

Daniel Heydari 


teens looking for an edgy 

book should look to Ellen 

Hopkins’ Impulse. Are 

you a Gleek? You’ll love 

John Green and David 

Levithan’s Will Grayson, 

Will Grayson.” There are a 

total of 22 books to choose 

from. A student board even 

chose four of those books, 

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra 

Clare, Impossible 

by Nancy Werlin, Leviathan 

by Scott Westerfeld, 

The Monstrumologist by 

Rick Yancey. Students are 

encouraged to get involved 

in any way, from voting 

to helping determine the 

master list. 

“Eight students 

from across the state help 

determine the master list 

each year. These students 

are selected over the summer. 

Any interested student 

who is an avid reader 

can apply online at this 

address: www.islma.org/ 

lincoln.htm,” Mankowski 

told us, “At this time, recommendations 

for books 

that you want on the list 

need to be given to your 

school librarian, English 

teacher or reading 

specialist depending on 

what adult in your build- 

Though the anticipation 

for a great Scholastic 

Bowl season has just begun, 

the promising potential 

working to create that anticipation 

has been ever-present. 

While Hoffman has 

numerous clubs devoted to 

the arts, athletics, and community 

service, Scholastic 

Bowl is an activity that 

falls under the category of 

academic competition. It 

is similar to the TV show 

Jeopardy in which players 

use lock-out systems, 

or “buzzers”, in order to 

answer various trivia questions 

before their opponents 

do. Two five-person teams 

compete, ideally with each 

player specializing in one of 

four major areas: literature, 

math, science, or history. 

Teams also prep in subcategories 

such as sports, religion, 

pop culture, and geography. 

At both the Varsity 

and JV level, members show 

signs of definite promise. 

In terms of numbers, the 

JV team has significantly 

grown. “As of now, we have 

15 members at the freshman-sophomore 

level, and 

that’s more than ever,” JV 

Coach Justin Oneyami said. 

In addition to mere attendance, 

Oneyami also looks 

for members who show sincere 

dedication. “We really 

want committed players in 

the game.” It is the combination 

of brains and hard 

work that creates a strong 

member. 

This dedication is 

valuable, considering the 

time, effort, and preparation 

a Scholastic Bowl team 

needs to devote in order to 

succeed. During their twohour 

Monday practices, the 

teams go over old matches 

ing manages the program 

for your school.” Students 

across the state are having 

their voice heard in each of 

these many ways. 

“The Abraham Lincoln 

Award is designed 

to encourage high school 

students to read for personal 

satisfaction and become 

familiar with authors 

of young adult and adult 

books,” said Mankowski. 

As libraries across the 

state participate, this goal 

is closer and closer to succeeding. 

After reading, you 

can complete the online 

review form, which will 

enter your name in a biweekly 

drawing to win 

some sweet treats and much 

more. If you read four or 

more books from the list, 

you will be eligible to vote 

for your favorite book in 

a state-sponsored election 

and if you are one of those 

who want to read all of the 

twenty-two books, then 

you will be acknowledged 

and recognized with a certificate. 

So start reading 

today. 

You can find more 

information at http://www. 

islma.org/lincoln.htm. 

and review over all categories 

of questions. They practice 

in a setting that closely 

simulates a match with another 

school, down to using 

real buzzers and time 

restrictions on answering 

questions. This way, they 

can best prepare for future 

matches with their opponents. 

Scholastic Bowl requires 

much time and brain 

power, but its members 

never forget to have fun and 

value what the competition 

has to offer. 

The spontaneity 

of Scholastic Bowl is an 

aspect that keeps its participants 

coming back for 

more. Colton Jenkins (‘14) 

says he particularly enjoys 

the vast possibilities of the 

type of questions that may 

come up in a future match. 

“It’s very open-ended and 

mostly about how one is 

on the spot rather than just 

preparing for anything,” he 

said. “There’s nothing you 

can really study to become 

better at it, you just need 

lots of practice!” 

Though a club that 

heavily depends on individual 

knowledge to buzz 

in answers, it is the teamwork 

that creates a strong 

and competitive team. During 

bonus questions, for example, 

students are given 30 

seconds to confer with teammates 

in order to answer 

each part. It is these time 

strains that help create efficiency 

and communication 

among players. This leads 

to the formation of a close 

bond between students. “I 

like how the majority of my 

close friends participate in 

it too,” says Rahul Kalluri 

(’13). The unexpectedness 

of what questions will be 

asked keeps it fresh, while 

the familiarity of friends 

keeps it fun and sociable. 

Over the course of 

News 3 

Wizard’s Chess? The 

Next Best Thing 

Barathkumar 

Baskaran 


The Chess Team 

held tryouts for this year’s 

team and this led to the 

addition of four excited, 

new rookies, eager to begin. 

These fresh recruits 

include Shreyas Gandlur 

(’16), Edgar A. Barraza 

(’14), Shaurya Patel (’13) 

and Milan Patel (’14). 

Many former HEHS Chess 

Team members agree that 

the turnout for this year’s 

tryouts has definitely increased 

from last year. 

The team is looking forward 

to eradicating the 

competition this year. 

“We are going to 

pawn the other team,” 

said an enthusiastic Shaurya 

Patel (’13). The team 

members assist each other 

by pointing out flaws and 

errors in their strategy 

and aid in the improvement 

of their technique. 

This helps in the evolution 

and development of 

successful tactics and 

reduces the likelihood of 

making mistakes during 

the competition. 

The team then 

participates in competitive 

meets against other 

schools around the district. 

Though the first 

meet did not go well for 

the team, they had one 

win, two draws and five 

losses, they have worked 

hard to improve and are 

still determined to defeat 

the other teams. Contestant 

Shreyas Gandlur provided 

the statistical information 

on the second meet 

held on October 11th. The 

second meet this season 

ended in two wins and six 

losses. The members of 

the Chess team are some 

of the most strategic and 

analytical minds of our 

school. 

Chess Team and 

Chess Club meet every 

week on Tuesdays and 

Thursdays after school. 

This enticing opportunity 

to learn and improve 

in Chess has been one 

embraced by many students 

over the years, and 

this year’s tryouts are 

the greatest reflection of 

that. 

HEHS is eager for 

the victory of this year’s 

excellent team. 

Scholastic Bowl bound to “buzz” towards success 

each season, Hoffman Estates 

competes for the Mid 

Suburban League conference 

championship in January 

and February, as well as 

for the IHSA state championship 

in early March. Preseason 

starts in December, 

and the actual season starts 

in January. There is still 

much work to do before 

then, but even in the face 

of obstacles the team may 

need to overcome, their hard 

work and dedication is sure 

to pull through. “New members 

still need to learn the 

rules and strategies required 

to succeed in Scholastic 

Bowl,” Oneyami explains. 

“But we obviously want to 

win by having competitive 

and committed players.” 

Kalluri adds, “I hope we 

advance to Regionals like 

last year!” This seems like 

a definite possibility considering 

the positive energy 

this year’s team exerts.

4 Sports 

Hawkeye 


Girls’ golf keeps sights on individual, team goals 

Courtney 

Lang 


Girls’ golf always 

makes sure they have a 

team goal in mind. Head 

Coach Tim Teegarden 

said, “My goal is for the 

girls to shoot as a team 

under 200. The girls 

know that is our goal 

and we are getting closer 

each year.” 

Even though they 

set out to accomplish 

team goals, they also 

have set personal goals as 

well. Haenah Kim (‘15) 

said, “My goal is to have 

a much more consistent 

score so I can become a 

better contributor to the 

team.” 

Kim’s teammate 

Kailee Keyser (‘14) also 

had a personal goal in 

mind. Keyser said, “My 

goal for the season was 

to break 60. Which I did! 

My next goal is to break 

50.” 

Those goals also 

contribute to achieving 

their team goal. In order 

to get a team score under 

200 Teegarden stated, 

“We need two girls to get 

in the 40s and two girls 

to get in the 50s.” He 

also added, “The most 

improved this year are 

Haenah Kim, Kailee Keyser 

and Hannah Brostoff 

(’14).” 

Girls’ golf is truly 

a mental sport from 

the moment you step on 

the course. Keyser said, 

“If you have a bad shot 

or a bad hole, you feel 

like the worst golfer out 

there. But the next thing 

you know, you shoot a 

par on the next hole and 

you feel like a pro.” 

Kim added, “A lot of 

people say golf is such 

an easy sport because we 

don’t have to run miles 

every day or do conditioning. 

But while other 

sports depend on physicality, 

golf depends on 

your mental state.” 

Golf is a great 

sport but requires a lot of 

commitment. Kim said, 

“Coming home at nine 

two or three times a week 

to do homework isn’t 

easy. It takes sheer determination 

and love for 

the sport.” The girl’s golf 

team is always looking 

for new committed players 

to join their team. 

Keyser said with 

enthusiasm, “If you’re 

thinking about joining 

golf next year, you should 

TOTALLY join! I’m not 

going to sugar-coat it, 

golf is a hard sport. But 

if you’re willing to put 

in the extra effort and 

practice, then you’ll be 

a better golfer. If you’re 

that type of person, you 

should definitely join the 

girls’ golf team!” 

Left: Aubrey Van 

Kurin (‘13) returns 

the ball to her 

opponent during a 

match. 

Right: Alice Kim 

(‘14) runs up and 

takes a swing at the 

ball . 

Left : The entire girls’ 

cross country team 

sets a solid pace for 

their run. 

Right: Solome Haile 

eyes the finish line 

(‘14). 

Girls’ Cross Country sprints to new heights 

Roshni 

Patel 


Dedication and passion 

is what The Hoffman 

Estates Girls Cross Country 

Team is about. 

The Hoffman Estates 

Girls Cross Country 

placed 4th out of 50 teams 

at their meet in Peoria.The 

best times for three miles 

were 18:14 – Alondra Aguirre, 

18:17 – Solome Haile 

“We go all the way 

to Peoria to practice for the 

state meet, the point of going 

to Peoria is to be successful 

for the state meet,” 

said Coach Kirk Macnider. 

“We are very close 

to the top teams at conference, 

our conference is the 

most competitive conference 

in the state,” said Macnider. 

“Every year our goal 

is to qualify for the state, 

meet we have qualified for 

the last three years and expect 

to do it again. Every 

week, every race we are trying 

to do the best that we 

can, we can’t control other 

teams,” said Coach. 

“I am very pleased 

with our growth and level of 

maturity, every couple years 

a new team takes over the 

program and this is a new 

generation, we’ve been very 

successful this season we’ve 

won the Oak Park Forest Invite 

and we’ve earned trophies 

at three other invites, 

and we are currently ranked 

in the top 25 in the state 

which is something we are 

very proud of,” stated Macnider 

about the way he feels 

about the team. 

The team is very 

proud of how far it has come 

and will strive to improve. 

Interview with Alondra 

Agurrie: 

Q) How do you feel about 

the meet at Peoria? 

A) “I feel that everyone on 

the team did really well and 

as a team we did solid,” 

Alondra said. 

Q) Why do you love to 

run? 

A) “Because it’s my passion,” 

said Alondra 

Q) How do you think you 

can improve? 

A) “By not letting distractions 

get to me,” said Alondra 

The team feels proud 

of themselves and cross 

country team makes them 

feel like they have a second 

family. Also, they feel that 

they are representing Hoffman 

Estates High School 

through all their hard work, 

effort, and how far they’ve 

come. 

They feel that 

they’ve shown that they’re 

a competitive team and that 

they show people that they 

will work 100% every day 

to reach for their goals.


Sports 5 

Skyhawks are gearing up for a stellar season 

Lubna 

Hashim 


The Skyhawks, 

also known as Hoffman’s 

Flags team, have just finished 

tryouts; their season 

is already under way. The 

team consists of hardworking 

girls who are beginning 

to prep for their 

competitions and games. 

Their coaches have high 

expectations for the season, 

including qualifying 

for State in March. 

On October 16th 

and 17th, girls trying out 

for Flags had clinics. And 

even before clinics and 

tryouts, the coaches for 

the team sent out an email 

asking all the teachers of 

the girls trying out about a 

couple of things. In an interview, 

the JV coach Britany 

Westby said they were 

looking for basically four 

things. They asked about 

the girls’ work ethic, reliability, 

cooperation, and if 

they had passing grades in 

their classes. Throughout 

tryouts, Westby said that 

they wanted girls that had 

control of the flag and enthusiasm 

because “smiling 

is very important.” 

Clinics for Flags 

are challenging and unlike 

any other sport. A varsity 

Flags member performed 

a routine to “Good Time”, 

and then the girls trying 

out had to practice and 

learn the routine by tryouts 

on October 18th. Chris 

Jenkins (English) said that 

throughout tryouts, they 

were basically looking 

for girls who learned fast, 

worked well, and didn’t 

give up. Even though 

there is only a varsity and 

JV team, the 10 girls who 

tried out performed so well 

that they all made it, with 

one even making varsity. 

Diana Ponce, (‘13), who 

is on varsity said, “we’re 

excited because a new girl 

made varsity even though 

she has never done Flags 

before.” 

An ideal team 

member is one who has 

good character and loves 

to be in Flags. After being 

asked how Westby felt 

about her team, she replied, 

“[the girls are] determined 

and know what 

they want, are very hard 

workers, and very responsible” 

says Westby. 

The varsity coach, 

Jenkins, said that the 

young team is “a nice 

group of girls who are really 

committed.” When 

asked how she felt about 

her season, Ponce said, “I 

loved to spend time with 

the team and watch the 

football games. It’s a great 

way to relieve stress.” 

Girls who are ambitious 

and enjoy their team’s 

presence are often a group 

that will work hard to do 

great at games and competitions! 

The first varsity 

competition is on December 

15th, and the first 

JV competition is on December 

21st. “Everyone 

is looking forward to the 

season,” said Jenkins. 

“Everyone involved is 

very excited.”a 

The team has been 

very busy prepping for 

these big events. They rehearse 

2-3 times a week, 

and have already learned 

a new routine to “I’m 

Shipping Up To Boston”, 

which was performed at 

the Homecoming Game, 

the Marching Band Concert, 

and Cupcakes for a 

Cause. JV, right now, is 

learning the basics and 

knows one routine. Ponce 

told us that, “We’re getting 

new costumes, and are 

changing from lyrical flags 

to open flags. This means 

we don’t use a tarp and 

we can use more flags.” 

In addition, the uniforms 

have already been chosen, 

and they are pants this 

year. Everyone involved 

is excited, especially the 

coaches, because the girls 

will look great, and do superb, 

in the competition! 

Six years ago, in 

2004, Flags won State, 

and has gone to state every 

year since. The coaches all 

say they have high expectations 

for this year too, 

considering their personal 

experience in performing. 

Jenkins was actually in 

Flags in both high school 

and college. The new JV 

coach, Westby, though 

never in Flags herself, 

helped out in Dance Club, 

saw the open job, and took 

the position. This is Westby’s 

first time with her 

own activity and is doing 

a great job. 

These girls have 

already done tryouts, 

shown their character, and 

begun prepping for all the 

competitions and games. 

The coaches expect great 

things to come out this 

season, so show your support 

and wish them luck, 

as the Skyhawks season 

takes flight. 

Tennis competition at the state level 

The Hawkeye View staff interviewed 

Courtney Lang 

for this month’s issue about 

her experience competing 

at state. Lang is focused 

on consistently improving 

her game. 

Q: Describe your experience 

at state this year 

A: This year at state had 

its ups and downs. On the 

up side, it wasn’t as cold 

as it was my freshman and 

sophomore year. Plus we 

didn’t have a rain delay, 

which was a nice surprise. 

I ended up winning a match 

and losing the next two. I 

always feel that I can do 

better than the end result. 

It’s just my competitive 

nature. I am getting over 

an injury and the fact that 

it was cold outside didn’t 

help. I did my best to fight 

through it because I knew 

my school was counting on 

me. 

Q: How do you prepare for 

competition? 

A: Tennis is the type of 

sport where you can’t just 

step on the court and expect 

that you are ready. 

Preparation for one match 

takes a couple days to even 

a couple weeks. I have to 

slowly get into the right 

mindset. Tennis is as much 

a mental sport as it is a 

physical sport, maybe even 

more in some cases. The 

day before I always have 

pasta and make sure I get 

enough sleep. Fifteen or so 

minutes before a match, I 

stretch. I want to stay loose 

and also prevent any more 

injuries. 

Q: Do you play tennis outside 

of school? How has it 

helped you? 

“Tennis is as 

much a mental 

sport as it is a 

physical sport.” 

Lang (above) says she 

will definitely miss seeing 

all my teammates almost 

every day now that the 

season is over. 

A: I play tennis year round 

and compete in USTA 

(United States Tennis Association) 

tournaments. I 

compete for Chicago, Midwest 

and National rankings. 

I take tennis lessons 

and do groups every single 

week. It helps me a lot because 

when high school 

season starts I am in shape 

and ready to go. 

Q: How will you prepare 

for next year’s season? 

A: I am working with my 

tennis coach who I have 

had for over a year now, 

trying to improve my game 

to its full potential. I also 

have a conditioning coach 

to help keep me in shape, 

so I am ready for anything. 

I am going to work ten 

times harder to make sure 

I improve and do better 

for my final season in high 

school tennis. 

Whether it was a 

game or a practice, it was 

so much fun. It was also 

the last season for Aubrey, 

who I have known since 

freshman year. I know our 

whole team will miss her 

next year during the season. 

Q: What do you look forward 

to for next year? 

A: I am mostly looking 

forward to next year to see 

how much I improve. I am 

a very competitive person 

and I like to see improvement 

even if it is small. I 

also am just looking forward 

to being on a team. 

Because I play out 

of school I am used to being 

on my own unless I 

play doubles. That only 

happens once in a while. 

I love the fact that other 

people count on me and I 

count on them.

6 Politics Hawkeye 


Election 2012 teaches HEHS students real-world lessons 

Continued from Front Page 

stated, “I was prepared for 

it overall, but I wasn’t prepared 

for the specific questions 

that would be thrown 

at us.” 

In addition to being 

knowledgeable on their 

own candidate, students had 

to be familiar with their opponent’s 

viewpoints in order 

to acknowledge the counterargument. 

Krupa Kadiwala 

(‘14), a 1B Democratic representative, 

explained how 

this acknowledgement was 

crucial in the preparation 

process of her team. “There 

were 5 topics for the 5 

people in our block, so one 

person specialized in each 

area. Not only did we need 

to know our own case inside 

out, but we also needed to 

know each other’s and our 

opponent’s.” “The internet, 

newspaper articles, and past 

presidential debates were 

the common sources when 

it came to research,” Sam 

Balogun (’13), a republican 

representative, said. 

Though the debate 

required time and effort on 

the students’ part, the benefits 

reaped outweighed the 

struggles faced. 

For several students, 

this type of activity coincided 

with both their current 

and future interests. 

“Even though I was 

a little nervous about not 

knowing what questions 

would be asked, I knew it 

was something I wanted to 

do because I’m interested 

in debating and politics,” 

said Krupa. Aashna Singh 

(’15), an Obama representative, 

added, “This is a very 

exciting chance to familiarize 

myself with the political 

arena- which is something 

I am interested in possibly 

Barack Obama 

Party: Democrat 

Age: 51 

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois 

Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii 

ECONOMY 

President Obama says that his tax cuts, funds in health care, 

education, unemployment benefits, and job creation funds 

helped save the country from falling into depression. He 

also says that his rescue of Wall Street helped ensure that 

people who needed jobs got them. 

TAXES 

President Obama plans to raise taxes on the wealthier class 

as an efficient way to take care of the federal debt, which is 

growing exponentially day by day. As of now, the federal 

debt is $16,209,429,155,799.14. 

AFGHANISTAN 

President Obama plans on bringing back U.S. troops this 

year, and making sure that all troops are safe at home by 

2014. 

HEALTH CARE 

President Obama says his goal is to achieve affordable 

health care. He promises to alter health care to give people 

more affordable access to medical resources. 

ENERGY 

President Obama plans to increase U.S oil and gas production. 

He is considering using renewable energy. 

IMMIGRATION 

President Obama has stopped deporting illegal immigrants 

who have come to America as children. He plans to allow 

them temporary work permits. 

SOCIAL ISSUES 

President Obama believes gay marriage should be legalized. 

pursuing later on.” 

The politics of this 

year’s election have not 

been limited to the debate 

but play a role within the 

classroom as well. U.S. 

History Teacher Kevin Mallon 

says the size of this role 

varies among classes. “In 

regular classes, teachers use 

more of what’s happening 

now to create lessons. In 

AP, it’s just used for further 

understanding.” 

In a more general 

context, teachers are always 

trying to tie the past with 

the present. “Otherwise, it’s 

kind of pointless to learn 

about the economic policies 

of Hamilton and Jefferson,” 

Dowd explained. “We owe 

it to our students to teach 

about the election because 

it’s living history.” 

Teaching certain 

history classes during an 

election year has its own 

Election 

Quick Facts 

1. President Barack 

Obama’s campaign raised 

$934,000,000 and spent 

$852,900,000 of those funds 

up to this October. (New 

York Times) 

2. Governor Mitt Romney’s 

campaign raised 

$881,800,000 and spent 

$752,300,000 of those funds 

up to this October. (New 

York Times) 

3. Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin 

became the first openly 

gay candidate elected to be 

elected to the Senate. (The 

Economist) 

4. Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, 

and Washington 

voted to legalize same-sex 

marriage, and Colorado 

and Washington became the 

first states to legalize marijuana 

for recreational use. 

(The Economist, New York 

Times) 

5. President Obama won 

302 electoral votes overall, 

while Mitt Romney won 

206. 270 votes were needed 

to win. Obama also won in 

the popular vote, 62,608,181 

to 59,130,484. (New York 

Times) 

6. The fiscal cliff, a series of 

tax hikes and spending cuts, 

could be detrimental enough 

to push the U.S. into another 

recession. It is President 

Obama’s greatest obstacle. 

(The Economist) 

benefits and challenges. 

For example, US History is 

a class that is hard to teach 

because the curriculum literally 

grows with each year. 

“It’s difficult, because 

on top of teaching 

the regular, expanding curriculum, 

we need to take 

time out of class to learn 

about the elections and go 

watch the debates, which 

is important to do. Survey 

classes even switch around 

their political units to match 

with the election time,” said 

Dowd. 

So why is it that 

politics are so important for 

high school students, a majority 

of which are under the 

age of 18? Why is it that we 

take the time to organize and 

present mock debates, and 

rearrange curriculum to coincide 

with current political 

happenings? 

Dowd explains that 

by being involved in such 

an activity, students can 

gain a general understanding 

of the process of a democracy, 

even though the 

issue is complex. 

“Politics can be 

messy at times; this is a 

great way to get students interested 

and involved. They 

are going to become adults 

very quickly, and start voting 

soon,” he said. 

“It’s our job as a 

Social Studies Department 

to give them a minimum 

understanding so they can 

make adult choices,” Dowd 

continued. 

Students gained this 

very chance to be a part of 

the political process when 

they went to “the polls” 

on Infinite Campus, where 

Barack Obama won with an 

overwhelming 85% of the 

votes. 

Mitt Romney 

Party: Republican 

Age: 56 

Hometown: Belmont, Massachusetts 

Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan 

ECONOMY 

Governor Romney says he wants to reduce government 

spending and regulations. He claims that the high unemployment 

rate is the immediate consequence of the president 

failing to get the economy back on its feet. 

TAXES 

Governor Romney wants to lower taxes for both the 

middle class and businesses owners. He plans to use this 

to start economic growth. 

AFGHANISTAN 

Governor Romney says that withdrawal of U.S troops 

depends on the military’s advice and the situation in Afghanistan. 

HEALTH CARE 

Governor Romney claims he would repeal “Obamacare” 

and turn to a different route. 

ENERGY 

Governor Romney says he supports increasing domestic 

oil and gas production. 

IMMIGRATION 

Governor wants to reform the legal immigrant system. He 

is ready to jump in and better regulate illegal immigrants. 

SOCIAL ISSUES 

Governor Romney believes only marriage between a man 

and a woman should be legal.

Alyse 

Leonard 


Madrigals showcase 

a performance 

that is of a most 

“Medieval” caliber 


Everyone was extremely 

excited for 

homecoming this 

year, but who thinks 

about those who don’t 

end up going? One 

such group not seen 

at homecoming is the 

Hoffman Choir. Every 

year, a small group 

of students from Mr. 

Schlesinger’s choir 

class takes a trip to 

Oregon, Illinois for 

a great, medieval 

style event at the local 

renaissance fair, 

Stronghold. Thanks 

to the generous help 

of the choir director, 

Mr. Schlesinger, this 

reporter has the updated 

information on 

this event. 

Q: What exactly is 

Madrigals? 

A: Madrigals are a 

Renaissance style performance 

that features 

performances with 

themes such as love, 

heartache, happiness, 

and importantly “love 

is a battlefield” while 

dressed in the attire 

common in that era. 

They perform in front 

of thousands, utilizing 

immense team effort. 

Basically, Madrigals 

are the “pop music” of 

the Renaissance. 

Q: Who participates 

in Madrigals? 

A: The top performing 

singers and 

actors of the Hoffman 

Choir take part in this 

celebration. The effort 

put into this event always 

makes it such a 

wonderful and appreciated 

experience. 

Q: Where and 

when does Madrigals 

taking place? 

A: The first event 

is October 6th and 7th 

at Stronghold, which 

is an hour west of Oregon, 

Illinois. Also, 

they will be having a 

Madrigal dinner here 

at Hoffman, from December 

7th to December 

8th in the cafeteria. 

There will be a 3 

hour-long show consisting 

of entertainment, 

such as dancing, 

and an elaborate 

dinner consisting of 

flaming pudding and 

even a boar’s head! 

Tickets will go on sale 

this November for 

$24. 

Q: What is the best 

part of Madrigals? 

A: The music and 

the performing has always 

been a favorite 

part of the process for 

me, but the students 

also enjoy the camaraderie 

between them 

after working from 

6- 12 hours a week. 

They become a very 

tight knit group from 

the effort that they put 

into this performance. 

Q: Are you excited 

for this year’s Madrigals? 

A: Yes, they have 

been working very 

hard and putting a 

lot of focus into their 

work. In fact, they not 

only have everything 

already memorized, 

but we are even ahead 

of the schedule from 

last year. 

Though Stronghold 

is over, the group 

is still working hard to 

prepare for the Madrigal 

dinner, the next 

goal in their sights. 

Alyse Leonard 

Amyra Ramos 

Staff Reporters 

This year’s variety 

show, “The Show that 

Never Sleeps”, was an 

exciting spectacle of ballads, 

break dance, jugglers, 

and comedy. The 

show was a true reflection 

of the theme, as a wide 

variety of acts painted 

the diversity of every big 

city. From all genres of 

music, HEHS students 

danced and sung their 

way through the evening. 

All were impressed with 

the exciting instrumental 

pieces by guitar, violin, 

and the HEHS drumline. 

Matt the Juggler dazzled 

the crowd with an exciting 

light show of juggling 

fun, and for the spaces 

in between, the audience 

laughed their hearts 

out with HEHS comedy 

troupe’s skits, “Redneck 

Spelling Bee”, “Awkward 

Moments to Break into 

Song”, and the “Hoffman 

Olympics”. 

Considering these 

talented individuals only 

had three weeks to prepare 

for their performance, 

their feat is even 

greater. “The number of 

students that auditioned 

for v-show went up from 

46 students last year, to 

58 students this year. It’s 

fantastic to see so many 

kids displaying their 

talents,”said Erika Bromley, 

English department. 

Arts 7 

This year’s Variety Show brought 

diversity, fun to the HEHS Stage 

Not only did students 

work hard to create such 

a successful show, but 

many teachers helped 

make it all possible. The 

wonderful teachers who 

made this possible were 

Jason Stevens, head director, 

Christina Ordonez, 

tech director, Juan Medina, 

assistant tech crew, 

and Bromley, assistant 

director. “This city-building 

set really sparkles on 

stage,” said Medina. The 

hours of work in set design 

and rehearsal finally 

paid off. The turnout was 

incredible and the crowd 

was enthusiastic 

HEHS loved “The 

Show that Never Sleeps” 

and can’t wait for next 

year’s show. 

The humor in the fall play is “all in the timing” 

Amy 

Liu 


It is time again for the 

traditional Hoffman Estates 

fall play. This year, 

the chosen play is known 

as All in the Timing. However 

this play has an interesting 

twist where there 

are a total of seven plays 

combined into one. The 

names of the individual 

plays are “Sure Thing”, 

Left: The orchesis team 

flaunts its new moves in 

their high-energy performance. 

Right: Chris Bloomfield’s 

(‘15) style and passion for 

dance amazed all who attended. 

“The Philadelphia”, 

“Words Words Words”, 

“The Universal Language”, 

“English Made 

Simple”, “Variations on 

the Death of Trotsky”, and 

“Philip Glass Buys a Loaf 

of Bread”. Within these 

short plays are a variety of 

different forms of theatre 

that contain an abundance 

of laughter. The plays use 

many forms of comedy 

such as physical and use 

of word play. 

Not only does a seven 

part play provide entertainment, 

but it also suits 

the needs of the actors 

and actresses. By having 

a play that contains seven 

separate plays, more students 

are given a chance 

to obtain a lead role. With 

this, actors and actresses 

have the opportunity to 

challenge themselves to 

improve their roles. They 

are able to take ownership 

and concentrate on their 

acting abilities. Each student 

has a responsibility to 

create a plan on how they 

are going to memorize 

their part. By doing individual 

research, students 

are able to look more in 

depth into their characters. 

This upcoming play 

doesn’t concentrate on 

the work of the directors, 

but the combined work of 

each actor and actress. 

In this play, there are 

a variety of experienced 

and inexperienced actors 

and actresses. There are 

four seniors, four juniors, 

eight sophomores, and 

four freshmen. Each come 

from different levels of 

acting and wants to contribute 

their talent to All 

in Good Timing. Actors 

and actresses play an important 

part on stage, but 

it is the combined effort of 

the people behind the curtains 

that make the play 

what it is. The tech crew 

and the costume team also 

support the play by offering 

hours from their own 

time and dedicating it to 

the play. “There are many 

people involved. There are 

about twenty-one on stage 

and thirty back stage” said 

Ms. Ordonez, the director 

of the play. 

The fall play is quickly 

approaching and will 

premiere this week on 

November 15th, 16th, and 

17th at 7 p.m. Seeing that 

there are seven plays in 

one, the price you are paying 

for is a steal. Prepare 

and buy your tickets soon 

because the show never 

waits.

8 Collage 

October/November 2012

Volume 40 Issue 2 - October/November 2012 - Hoffman Estates ...

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