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Beecher High School538 Miller StreetBeecher, IL 60401

beecher.will.k12.il.usMarch 2011

pg.3

Freshmen serve up some fresh food

FirstGiving is dedicated to helping people

8,000+ $1 billion13 million+Nonprofi ts have used Firstgiving Online donors Raised online

According to firstgiving.com

Date: Sunday, March 06, 2011

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Contact: SCC /Special Olympics Chicago 312-527-3743 scc@sochicago.org

Katrina Szewka: News Editor

Freezin’ for a Reason - In the frigid waters of Chemong Lake of Ontario, Canada, people took a dive last year in the 2010 Polar Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics.

Last year more than 1,700 people jumped in Lake Michigan to take part in the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Chicago. Par-ticipants are allowed to go knee high, waist high or take the full plunge, and all are welcome to attend. All participants have to raise a minimum of $125. Participants will enter the water in groups at 10:00am, 10:30am, 11:00am, and 11:30am. All fundraisers will receive a long sleeved t-shirt and a commemorative towel when exiting the water. Also, all are invited to the post event “Melt Down Party,” from 11am to 2pm, which will take place inside the boat house and in large heated tents. There will be music, food, cash bar, and more. The team that raises the most funds will receive a two hour party including food and drinks for up to 100 people on Shore-line Cruises. FirstGiving will provide a free round trip bus for groups of 20 or more. According to fi rstgiving.com, FirstGiv-ing has one purpose: “empowering pas-sionate nonprofi t supporters to raise more money than they ever thought possible for the causes they care about.” FirstGiving partners with nonprofi t or-ganizations to allow them to make suc-cessful online fundraising campaigns and charity fundraising events. For individual fundraisers, FirstGiving aims to make rais-ing money easy, suffi cient, and even fun to

raise online. There are fundrais-ing tips and ideas on FirstGiving that al-low nonprofi ts and their supporters to raise a lot of money for important causes, to build awareness, and expand the world of giv-ing. This world of giving has even ex-panded to the small town of Beecher. Sam Kozak (Jr) is one out of the hand-ful of people participating in this year’s plunge. Sam’s father, Jeff Kozak, cre-ated a team for this year’s Polar Plunge. The team is called Maximum Shrinkage and anyone could have joined or made a donation to this Beecher team. “My dad found out about the polar plunge last year because he works downtown in Chicago,” said Sam Ko-zak. “And so he participated last year, and it really inspired me to see how ev-eryone came together and jumped in the lake for the great cause.” Others participating in the Polar Plunge from team Beecher, besides the Kozaks, are Jenna Petrelli, Chelsea Gliva, Mrs. Livesay and more. Anyone may come and be supportive as these fellow peers and teachers make a differ-ence and feeze for a reason.

Jordan Triemstra: Reporter

“Basically everyone raises pledges from people they know, and they go and jump in the freezing cold lake water. I think everyone should participate be-

cause it‛s for a great cause, and because it‛s fun!”

If you are looking for somewhere good to get breakfast, then the pan-cake breakfast is something to look forward to. On March 27, the freshmen class will be putting together a pancake breakfast to help raise money for prom, the senior trip, and senior t-shirts. The

money will also go to the junior class to raffl e off an iPod. “Juniors will also be raffl ing off a T.V. and an Xbox with Kinect,” said Mrs. Cal. The pancake breakfast will be held at 8am to 12pm. Tickets will be six

dollars for adults and four dollars for children. At the breakfast, pancakes, sausage, eggs, fruit, juice, coffee, and milk will be served. Anyone can come out and enjoy a breakfast and help out the school.

because it‛s fun!”

Sam Kozak

Junio

r

Solo and Ensemble pg.2

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Dance Court needs variety

Where has the St. Patty’s Day Parade gone?

Entertainment

Sportspg.6

pg.7

Are you going goo-goo for Lady Gaga?

Hockey finally arrives

Features

pg. 5

Is depression more common?

Editor: Katrina SzEwKa March 2011 Newspage 2 thE SpEctruM

Solo and Ensemble gives students opportunity

hoping for more talent variety

playing a Tune - Victoria Zurek (So) practices for her flute solo.

alyssamay Grino: Reporter

cecelia carr: Reporter

Dedication - Bobbi Stanula (So) pactices her trombone as the rest of the band students practice hard to get themselves ready for their performances at solo and ensemble.

For decades, students with musical talent have participated in a musical competition known as the IHSA Solo and Ensemble. Students of different high schools come together to compete for a spot in first division. “This is an opportunity for young mu-sicians to perform solo and ensemble duets, trios, and quartets for a judge,” said Mrs. Williams, BHS choir direc-tor. There are five divisions. Students placed in division five performed poor-ly as opposed to students placed in division one, who presented a superior or out-standing perfor-mance. Judges determine a sin-gle student’s di-vision by rating him or her on a scale of 6-30 in the categories of general effec-tiveness, tech-nique, rhythm, scales, accuracy, and more. The only difference for students performing in a group is being rated on a scale of 6-40. Because there is no lim-ited amount of spaces in divisions, it is possible for all young musicians to be placed in a first division. Students may sing or play an instru-ment of their choice, as long as they fulfill the requirements to qualify for the Solo and Ensemble contest. Sing-ers and instrumentalists must prepare a variety of scales or rudiments and they also must perform a musical piece, conducted or arranged by a musician. Students are allowed to participate as a soloist or with a group of people. A variety of musicians can play different instruments combined together to per-form a piece. “Solo and Ensemble has definitely helped me become a better musician. It allows me to play music that is chal-lenging,” said Jenna Petrelli (Jr). “I get to show my talent and get feedback from judges so that I can improve.” In recent years, Beecher High School has been successful in having the ma-

jority of its participants place in first division. “(Students) were exceptionally suc-cessful,” said Mrs. Williams. “But, of course, I can only speak from last year’s competition.” Mrs. Williams has not only witnessed last year’s competition, she has also judged five other contests in solo and ensemble. Something most students may not know is that high school level choir students from BHS must sing an aria

in a different language. Arias are classi-cal pieces of vo-cal literature. Blair Fernandez (Fr) will be singing “Vergin Tutto Amor,” while Heather Albrecht (So) will be singing “Se tu ma’mi, se so-spiri.” Both pieces are in Italian. Mor-gan VanDerLinde (So) will be sing-ing “Ave Maria” in

Latin. Morgan VanDerLinde (So) said, “Solo and Ensemble contest gives us a chance, as vocalists and instrumen-talists, to perform and compete on our

Matt Meier Tyler SmithDan Knuth Nick Giroux David AyalaColin Leahy

For the last several years the Beech-er High school student council has planned a talent show for teachers or students who would like to partici-pate. The talent show is planned to be held on April 15, the day students leave for spring break. Each year the talent show is filled with many different acts. Last year’s talent show also consisted of many varied performances such as bands playing, solo singers, drama skits, and karate. In order to sign up for the talent show you will have to go through auditions that will basically judge if your talent is appropriate or not. “ I would like to see a greater va-riety of talent and more students in-volved,” said Dr. Wright. The talent show is a way to help Beecher High School raise money for dances, materials needed for bul-letin boards, items for the school like podiums, and birthday gifts for the teachers. Everyone who would like to see the talent show will be required to pay a $2 entrance fee. The talent show takes place during a school day so the students who do not pay the entrance fee will not be allowed in to watch. They will have to sit in a classroom for a study hall while the talent show takes place.Many people at Beecher High School are hoping to see new talent brought to the show this year. If you think you have a unique talent, are part of a band, can sing, or anything else and would like to share your talent with the whole school, you can sign up with Ms. Cousin.

this year’s BhS participants:Casey Walsh Angela Meier Rachel Peters Jenna PetrelliKatie Howard Victoria Zurek

“Solo and Ensemble has definitely helped me become a better musician. it allows me to play music that is challenging,” said Jen-na petrelli (Jr).

Allison McKayJacob Darabaris Ryan FernandezBlair FernandezLarissa Swanson Brianna Peternell

Heather Albrecht Sydney KatschkeMeghan JacobsonAlyssamay GrinoSamantha SchwartzMorgan VanDerLinde

Editor: NicolE BErgEN March 2011 OpiniOnspage 3 thE SpEctruM

green zone causes mixed feelingsKatrina Szewka: News Editor

“I think green zone is nice because I can get my homework done so it gives me less of a chance of leaving it at school or not doing it.”

Lindsey Pape

Freshman

Sophomore

“You should be able to do what-ever you want when you are done with your homework that is not disturbing the class.”

Jenna WillieSenior

“When we don’t have much homework it seems kind of pointless and you just feel like you want to get out of these.”

Ashley Harvey

Junior

Morgan Vanderlinde

Green zone is a time at the end of the day for students to get work done and have time to ask teachers any questions that they may have. “The design of green zone is to give students the opportunity to start or fin-ish homework and be able to ask further questions,” said Dr. Wright. “I have asked all teachers to be sensitive to a student’s need and a quiet green zone is what is expected.” Students and teachers alike have different opinions on how the green zone should be run. “I think green zone should be run as a quiet study hall and students should be prepared for that,” said Mrs. Rodeghiero.Though this may be what is expected, many students have mixed feelings about green zone. Some green zones are way too strict. “I do like green zone because it is a good way for students to have a chance to get their homework done,” said Brian Wagner (Sr). “I just don’t like the whole not being able to put your head down after you are finished with your work.” Though I agree with the teachers, Brian’s opinion is quite valid as well. If our homework is complete then we should at least be able to put our heads down or even listen to an iPod. Like me, many other students have a lot of hard classes and enjoy this chance to get their work done. Some students need this time to get their homework done because of after school activities and jobs. This is why green zone should be appreciated because students have an extra 30 minutes at the end of the day to do homework. Students with grades that are not doing too well are put into yellow zone. This is a great chance for students to raise their grades and have a greater op-portunity to understand the material better. Many students have a fear of ask-ing questions because they do not what to look incompetent to their peers, and yellow zone helps them over come this fear. “It’s good that we have time built in the day for students to get help,” said math teacher, Ms. Shoven. “Yellow zone is working for the students that put in the effort.” Students have the chance to seize the opportunity at the end of the day to do homework and get help because of yellow and green zones.

Beecher proves to be a flawed paradise for teensNick giroux: ReporterBeecher, Illinois: a small, lonely town with inhabitants numbering about three thousand (as of 2008), where everyone is a familiar face. The small town atmosphere wel-comes good character, as well as hon-esty. Beecher holds one of the lowest crime rates in the area, and as a result, is a great place to raise a family. With an excellent school system, there is no doubt that kids will receive an excellent learning experience, in an excellent en-vironment. Although Beecher may seem like a paradise for adults, kids feel different-

ly. While some may enjoy the perks of having a small school, with more one on one time with teachers, some feel that seeing the same faces every day is getting old. “Coming from a larger school district, I feel bored in this place. I’m used to a lot more diversity, and also I feel like we don’t get away with as much here,” said Jeremy Soria (Jr). Along with keeping the same routines at school, kids also feel like there is

nothing to do outside of school. For ex-ample, sophomore Joey Walsh believes Beecher should take more initiative to build more public areas for teenagers to hang out. “There are only one to two places to skate in this town, and the police are usually already there waiting for us. Building a skate park would help (skat-ers) stay out of trouble with the law, as well as provide a new public spot for the average Joe (no pun intended) to

hang out at,” Walsh said. Beecher’s image as a family paradise soon fades, as young kids become teens. The image is then one of boredom and routine, surrounded by virtually no ac-tivity. I believe Beecher still has the potential to provide fun for teenagers; all we need is something fun to do. If Beecher were to build a new place for kids to hang out at, or even update an existing one, teenagers would find this lonely town more enjoyable.

Hard at work: Ms. Shoven helps students in yellow zone

Nicole Bergen: Opinions EditorThe school dances are some of the most interesting events in Beecher High School since there is a huge lack of activities. The downfall of having the dances be so important is sometimes they become too biased and the ideas of a small town get too involved in the simple things like the dance court. Liv-ing in a small towm makes it very easy and convenient for the same people to get recognized countless times for nu-merous reasons. One of these things is the dance court. Since I have been a freshman, it seems like every year the same people either get nominated or win court. Personally, I think that it is time to mix things up a little. Other people deserve a chance to be recognized too.

Mrs. Calomino said, “We had a rule in my school that if you were on home-coming court you couldn’t be on prom court. I think having this rule is fair.” This sounds like a good solution. It seems right that once a student wins one time, he or she should not have the op-portunity to win again. Ms. Cousin also agrees, “I would like to try to get rid of the fact that court is a popularity contest. A student should only get nominated once.” For things like senior best a person can only be nominated for one category, so the dance courts should not be any different. Apryl Washington (Sr) said “I like when the teachers do the nominating

part, but I wish the rules were better about how many times a person can be on court and how many times a person can win. That way, more people would get a chance to be on court.” Generally the best solution to make the situation better is to change it. The rule that someone should not be nominated twice is a good suggestion that could make the chances even for everyone. Mrs. Calomino said, “I agree that there should be more variety. I would have no problem making the rule that a student can only be nominated once.” Maybe, it is time to make a change for the better and give more people the op-portunity to be recognized.

dance court needs some variety

“I think it is incredibly use-ful when I have homework and things to get done.”

The Spectrum/Bekah Kamp

Editor: BEkah kamp march 2011 PersPectivesPage 4 thE SpEctrum

teen depression is real... believe it or notBrieanna Bowler: Reporter

“to me, depression is when you are feeling worthless. Being hap-py is when you realize how lucky you are to have all the things and people you do in your life. i think being happy is the most important thing in anyone’s life,” cassidy Bonk (So) said.

“depression is no in-terest in life, and no interest in self. hap-piness is feeling good about your own life and knowing that you succeed,” Josh hollis (Fr) said.

“depression is the moment when you feel helpless and the world is crashing down around you. happi-ness can be different in every person, it can be something big, but it’s something that makes you smile,” keegan Short (Jr) said.

“depression is when a person is really upset even when there is nothing wrong. hap-piness is being con-tent with your life,” Liz meyer (Sr) said.

Teen angst is nothing new. You fight with your parents, struggle with school, and sometimes feel way in over your head. It is expected and, for the most part, universally accepted. No matter who you are, everyone goes through periods or moments of ups and downs. Every individual has different coping methods, too. For some coping comes easy, but for others it does not at all. Even though negative feelings are a normal part of life, there is still a seri-ousness about them that needs to be un-derstood, especially when talking about teens. It is said that adolescence is the most important phase in a person’s life because it is a time for making so many determining decisions that will poten-tially affect the rest of the individual’s life. Maybe that alone is the very cause of high teen depression rates: stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed. Depression is something many people are scared or uncomfortable talking about. But statistics show that teen depression is actually a very common problem. Some stats are saying that over 20 percent of teens will go through at least one phase of true depression be-fore they reach adulthood. Even with those numbers, teens themselves some-times still have trouble talking about it. “I think teens do talk about some of their problems with friends, but a lot of it is just day to day issues,” said Mrs. Rojas, BHS social worker. She also added, “Students shouldn’t be afraid to come talk to someone at school like

me. Everything is confidential, it’s the law.” There is a definite line drawn between normal sadness and clinical depression, but most people are not very aware of it. There are many misconceptions about teen depression, just like there are about teens in general. Experts can say what-ever they want about our generation being lost, but whose job is it to prove them wrong? It’s our job. Just like

depression, we cannot just sit around waiting for something to change. In-stead of doing nothing and dealing with our standards of just being apathetic, it is necessary to open people’s eyes to a bigger problem. Any one person dealing with depres-sion can feel different about it. Every individual fights their own internal battles and has to deal with their own personal situations. Some students here at BHS have a lot to say about depres-

sion compared to its opposite feeling: happiness. “Depression is when you feel that you no longer have anything to look for-ward to and you are just overwhelmed with sadness and lack of motivation,” said Caitlin Satalic (Fr.). “Happiness is when you feel that you would change nothing about yourself and your life be-cause you fully appreciate everything you have.”

“You are very self indulged when you are depressed. I think when you are depressed, everything is about your-self; how a problem affected you, how no one understands you, and how sad you are. When you are happy you are less self indulged, and you think of how other people and how your actions ef-fect them,” said Emily Feret, BHS graduate. “Depression is feeling the lowest you can, and it’s hard to sway. Happiness is the best feeling you can have, that can

come into your life fast and be taken away easily,” said Tyler Jones (Sr.) Depression is a serious problem many teens have to deal with. It can impact every aspect of a teen’s life, and can de-stroy the very base of a teen’s personal-ity. “It’s not a word to be tossed around lightly, depression has a more serious meaning than just a bad day or week,” said Mrs. Rojas. It’s important to know some signs of a more serious problem to help under-stand someone who may be in need of help. According to helpguide.org, some of these signs may include, but are not limited to, excessive sadness, ir-ritability, withdrawal from friends and family, restlessness, lack of motiva-tion, fatigue, and difficulty concentrat-ing. Also, take into account how long these symptoms have been present and how severe they are. Untreated depres-sion can lead to multiple problems like substance abuse, eating disorders, self-injury, reckless behavior, and even sui-cide. Help is available in many forms because all teens with depression are different. Resources are always avail-able online at sites like helpguide.org or teendepression.org. The number for the LoveToKnow Recovery depression hotline is 1-800-850-8078, and is avail-able 24/7 and always free. Mrs. Rojas is also always available here at school if you ever need someone to talk to.

Students speak out about depressionBekah kamp: Editor

“depression is feeling the lowest you can, and it’s hard to sway. hap-piness is the best feeling you can have, that can come into your life fast and be taken away easily,” said tyler Jones (Sr).

The Spectrum/Bekah Kamp

Featurespage 5 Editor: AlAinA GArzA MArch 2011 thE SpEctruM

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WITH PRESENTATION OF THIS COUPONThis Coupon will expire on March 31, 2011

the rise and demise of the Southside irish paradeColin Leahy: Reporter

Beecher welcomes foreign exchangeBrieanna Steele: Reporter

A home away from home - Brent with his two foreign exchange students, Michal and El.

Most high school students rare-ly get the opportunity to experi-ence high school with kids from other countries, but at Beecher High School, we are fortunate enough to have had many differ-ent foreign exchange students in our school. Brent Boland-Prom (Jr) and Taylor Schrage (Sr) pro-vided housing for three foreign exchange students. “My family and I decided to have a foreign exchange student because my dad was a foreign exchange student in the Philip-pines when he was in high school and he really enjoyed it” Brent Boland-Prom (Jr) said. Shrage, similar to Brent, found out about the program through family and friends. “We had foreign exchange students because a friend of my dad’s told him about the foreign exchange program and we thought it would be a cool experience,” said Tay-lor Schrage (Sr). Schrage had three foreign exchange students, Nina Heckmann, Leonie Frit-sche, and Arthur Hilbig. They were all sixteen and from Germany. Taylor found them through International Stu-dent Exchange. The organization did background checks on her family, and they came to her house to make sure that her family and home were okay for an exchange student. Taylor’s par-ents filled out paperwork and then the organization gave a packet with several students that wanted to come to Ameri-ca. The International Student Exchange program helped her family choose a student that would come live with them. After the organization contacted the ex-change student’s family, they set up the flight for them to come to America. “At first it was weird getting used to having a new person live with my fam-

ily, but after a while it was just like they were another brother or sister. It was cool having them live with my fam-ily because they would tell us about how things are different between here and Germany, and it was cool to hear them speaking a different language to their friends and family,” said Taylor Schrage (Sr). Even though foreign exchange stu-dents cannot stay with you forever, the experience is truly unforgettable. The families all gained a new member of the family and friend that will never be forgotten. “Having foreign exchange students was a good experience for my family and I because now they feel like a new member of our family. We still keep in contact with them very often,” said Taylor Schrage (Sr) Brent’s first foreign exchange student was Peter Chang (Jr). Peter ran track for Beecher. The track team really loved

him and welcomed him onto their team. Brent’s family loved having Peter so much that they decided to sign up for another for-eign exchange student. The Boland-Prom’s next foreign exchange student was Michal Janda. Brent’s family found Michal through an organization called ASSE (American Scandinavian Student Ex-change).He played soccer this year for Beecher. “My family decided to do the foreign exchange pro-gram because it was a new experience for me, and it is always fun to learn a new language,” Michal Janda

(Jr) said. After Brent’s family met Michal they still weren’t

finished welcoming newcomers into their home. They used the program USSE (United Studies Student Ex-change) to receive El. He is from South Korea. His parents decided to put him in this program because his sister and brother knew how to speak English so they wanted El to learn the language also. Beecher students have realized that there are many differences between Beecher and other countries all around the world. The main difference be-tween the schools is the timing from when it starts and when it ends. “My school back home is different from Beecher because in the Czech Republic’s school, it starts at all dif-ferent times depending on what the schedule is for that day,” said Michal Janda (Jr). Beecher has been doing a great job making the boys fit in.

The town of Beverly, Illinois is known especially for it’s Irish heritage. There is also a castle built to mimic one in Ireland. If there was one event that changed Beverly forever, it was the Southside Irish Parade. Twenty-seven years ago, two gentlemen decided it would be a good idea to entertain their children with a parade. That St. Pat-rick’s Day, seventeen children marched the sidewalks of Beverly handing out flyers promoting the parade and cel-ebrated their Irish heritage. Within one year, over three hundred people were marching in the parade, and it was moved from the sidewalks to the side streets. The parade soon became a mas-sive hit, and thousands began making a tradition of attending the event ev-ery year. Over time, the parade grew to be one of the largest in the nation. Eventually, it would become the larg-est neighborhood based parade in the world with the exception of a parade in Dublin. As the parade became larger, it became more of a hassle to police, and even the residents of Beverly. With over three hundred thousand people spectating the event, and over fifteen thousand participants, the parade was getting out of control. The streets were filled with drunks and underage drink-ing. Hundreds of people were being ar-rested each year, and dozens of police officers were being assaulted. Although there were many negative effects from the popularity, the parade wasn’t con-

sidered such a bad thing for local busi-nesses. A lot of the same businesses are still advertising for people to attend massive parties and celebrations to at-tempt to retain the extra business. As

a protest to the cancellation of the pa-rade, over thirteen thousand people united together on Facebook pledging to attend festivities in Beverly regard-less of the city’s decision. Police got wind of the plan and increased security and warned many of the conse-quences of disorderly con-duct. The plan was never followed through and the parade remained cancelled. Beecher High School’s own Nathan Stanula (Sr) played a major part in the parade, leading the march with the Stockyard Kilty Bagpipe Band. Like many others, Stanula says he disagrees with the decision to cancel the parade. “The parade was a major part of Irish heritage, and made the south side what it

is today,” said Stanula. In the end, the decision stood strong, and the parade re-mained cancelled. The town of Beverly plans to return the parade to its origi-nal purpose, entertaining the children. The Beverly Center of Arts still holds a much more tame celebration, offer-ing traditional Irish music, and arts and crafts. The downfall of the South Side Irish Parade was the massive amount of people and the abuse of the celebra-tions. What was started for family-friendly fun turned into a nightmare for

Kena Bocek: Reporter Employment is currently a seri-ous issue in the U.S. Opportunities to gain a job are very limited due to the economic crisis within the country. Beecher, Illinois is a microscopic por-tion of the U.S., but nevertheless, it is still directly affected by the nation’s issues. However, students of Beecher High School continue to attempt to find a job, despite the circumstances. Rachel Peters (So) understands the process of acquiring employment in the small town of Beecher. Peters learns the skills needed to step into the veterinary field, which she hopes to someday en-ter. The experience she gains is crucial to her success in the future, including college. All teenagers are not as lucky when it comes to finding a job during high school. “There is not much to choose from because the economy is so bad,” said Peters. Then again, other reasons have an in-fluence on teenagers receiving employ-ment. Alex Nelson (So) is unemployed, but the economy is not at fault. Alex has never applied for a job because of one simple reason. “I do not have a license,” Nelson said. This is a common problem, which pre-vents countless numbers of teens from employment. With the absence of a car, a job is unrealistic. Savannah Scho-fro (Sr) has the advantage of a license. Schofro is presently an employee of Aurelios in Beecher. She understands the benefits employment offers. For example, she receives an income which is essential to those aiming for college. Becoming employed is about being proactive, always staying positive.

“The parade was a major part of Irish heritage, and made the south side what it is to-day,” said Stanula.

the city of Beverly. In recent years, the town of Beverly has been able to rest much easier on St. Patrick’s Day, enjoy-ing family fun, and not having to worry about the rowdiness of thousands of spectators filling their town. Although there is no sign of the parade returning anytime soon, many are still looking forward to the day when the streets of Beverly will once again be filled with green, and families can watch as the Irish celebrate their proud heritage.

The Spectrum/Bekah Kamp

Beecher struggles to provide enough jobs for teens

EntErtainmEntpagE 6 Editor: Mandy EgEnlauf March 2011 thE SpEctruM

In 2008 American pop artist, Lady Gaga, released her hit album, “The Fame.” She rose to fame with the album and soon released her extended play, “The Fame Monster.” The extended play was a hit. Now she will release her second album, “Born This Way.” Her first single of the album is “Born This Way,” which has been praised by many people. One of those people is Ryan Fernandez (Sr). “I think it is really good,” said Fer-nandez. “It’s very different from what she has done in the past and from a musician’s point of view, it was done very well.” The album, “Born This Way,” is sched-uled to come out on May 21, 2011. In addition to the album, Lady Gaga will be coming to Chicago on February 28 at the United Center. “I am extremely excited,” said Fer-nandez. “I heard it is going to be such a great show.”

going goo-goo for gaga

Students conquer Beecher boredom

“Skins” should be skinnedMandy Egenlauf: Entertainment Editor

hype for “the Secret life”Katie harvey: Reporter

drew Blankenberger: Reporter

January 17, 2011, MTV released its new show “Skins.” “Skins” depicts the lives of teenage kids and the struggles and problems they deal with. Basically it is a new age, hardcore version of “De-grassi,” which also shows the struggles that all teens go through. I was excited about seeing what “Skins” would be like since I used to be a fan of “Degrassi.” I found myself extremely disappointed and a little of-fended. Being a teenager and watching a show about the lives of teenagers, a per-son would naturally want to feel some kind of connection to the show, but this show made me feel looked down upon. From a teenager’s point of view, the way the writers of “Skins” portray the lives of teens is all wrong. “Skins” is over-dramatic with everything they do, and most, if not all, the scenarios they show are unrealistic. The harsh truth is yes, teenagers do like to go out and have a good time with their friends, get a little crazy, and even do things they might later regret. I think most teens would agree though that “Skins” is a bad show to watch if you want to get a glimpse of the life of the average teen. To me, “Skins” did not have any regular teens at all. Every character and scene is blown way out of proportion. In fact, the name of the show has nothing to do with the show being about teenagers and their struggles. Skins is a drug ref-erence to papers that the characters in the show use to smoke marijuana. I thought this show would be a new age “Degrassi” and I expected it to be a lot better and realistic. After seeing it, I was highly disappointed. I think the show does a horrible job of showing the lives and struggles of teens. “Skins” shows dirty, alcoholic, drug addicted kids who steal cars and whose parents have no idea what they are doing or just do not care. Being a teenager now and having this show come out makes me feel looked down upon and labeled by society. The only reason I would con-sider watching the rest of the season would be to see what ridiculous sce-narios the directors can come up with next to make teens look bad. If you are the type of person who likes very over dramatic scenarios to the point of it being offensive and ridiculous, then you will probably like this show. As for me, I have nothing good to say about “Skins.”

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In my perspective, Lady Gaga’s new-est single is one of her best songs. It was worth listening to and overall I am pleased with Lady Gaga’s new ma-terial. I do hope that the songs in the album are like the single, telling the story of how Lady Gaga came into the world of fame. The genre of the song was electro-pop, which is Lady Gaga’s lead genre. The lyrics in the song were very poetic. The lyrics showed that she does not care about what other people think of her, but what she thinks of her-

self. I’ve also noticed a strong similar-ity with the song, “Express Yourself,” by Madonna. I see a connection with the tune of the song and the similarity between the lyrics. Overall, I loved the new single. I think that Lady Gaga will be in the hall of fame with many other artists like John Lennon and Michael Jackson. Lady Gaga will not quit what she does best. I like her style of music and her determi-nation to express herself no matter what people say.

Mary tucker: Reporter

pinkiedahlia.blogspot.com

Whether a person is into sports, video-games, music, or shopping, everyone likes to have fun. Most students of BHS wonder if that is even possible in this small town, but many students do not limit their fun because of Beecher’s size. They head out of town or find something new to do in Beecher to make weekends and life in general, more exciting and worth their while. Gabrielle Bachis (So) enjoys going to the movies, McDonalds, and walking around town. These types of entertain-ment are common to the average teen, but what she is involved in that most teens are not is her church. Her church has its own youth group ranging from grades 6-12. “We have a super bowl party each year, we get together with our small groups to go bowling, go to the mall, or someone’s house to hang out. We also have Thursday night youth group each week,” said Bachis. “Having fun for me is having a good time with the people you enjoy to be around.” Some senior class groups of friends of BHS hang out to watch different

premieres of various television shows. “Pretty Little Liars” and “Jersey Shore” are two popular shows viewed by BHS students. These groups of friends get together, eat lots of food, and just enjoy each other’s company. It is something fun to shake up a Monday night. Cody Wyatt (So) and his friends hang out at Buffalo Wild Wings to en-joy wings and watch sports games on multiple televisions. If their wallets do not agree with going out to eat, they will hang out at a friend’s house for the night. Of course Beecher does not have

a Buffalo Wild Wings so Wyatt and his friends have to travel, but the taste of the wings and the time with their friends should take their minds off the gas money. Dan Alleva (Jr) goes to the movies and also hangs out at his friend’s house to bring some excitement to his Friday nights. Nick Hermanson (So) bowls when he gets the chance, and when the weather is nice, plays football or basket-ball with a large group of his friends. “Having fun is doing stuff that makes you happy, being with who you want to be with, and making the moment how you want it to be,” said Hermanson. Even though Beecher is not the center of entertainment for teens, students of BHS know how to make Friday nights exciting because they are able to create their own entertainment. Having fun in this town is about being creative, hang-ing with friends, and always laughing despite the small town. Anyone can be creative and have fun with their friends instead of loathing the fact that Beecher does not provide enough entertain-ment.

“The Secret Life of the American Teen-ager,” also referred to as “The Secret Life,” has been a huge success since it first aired back in 2008. Now, with the fourth season approaching, I am still a loyal viewer. If you have not seen the show, it is about a teenage mother, Amy, who got pregnant at fifteen and is try-ing to balance the struggles of being a mother and being a high school student. The teaser for this season shows Amy proposing to Ricky, who is the father of Amy’s son, and the pregnancy going on between Ben and Adrian. What I am looking forward to the most this season is to see what happens between Ben and Adrian. In the last season, viewers were shocked to find out about an unplanned pregnancy for the duo. With Ben want-ing to be responsible for his actions,

he proposes to Adrian and she was hesitant about accepting. Amy Jergens, the main char-acter of the show, was in New York at a music program for young mothers when she found out about the news. The news happened to bring Ricky and Amy together. I would also like to see Amy and Ricky to-gether, but viewers know that it might not happen due to his lack of commitment and ef-fort. Tune in to “The Secret Life Of The American Teen-ager” on Monday, March 28 at 7:00 P.M to see what hap-pens this season.

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SportSpagE 7 Editor: JakE Hall MarcH 2011 tHE SpEctruM

Many people anxiously await for the first game to start, with the beginning of the 39th straight season of intramural hockey. Open gym was held on Febru-ary 22. With Coach K retiring, many questions arose regarding whether or not there was going to be a 39th sea-son of Intramural Hockey, but above all odds Coach K returned to bring Beecher High School another year of intramural hockey. Intramural hockey is floor hockey played in the den. Coach K has been in charge of intramural hockey since 1972. He has kept records for all of the years, which are posted on the wall of the den. these records range from team points to penalty minutes and every-thing in between. The games are played much like in the NHL, but there are a few rule changes and shorter periods. One period in the NHL is 20 minutes long, and in intramural the periods are only 12 minutes long. The season of intramural begins with a prospect game. After the captains choose their teams, the season is under-way. Depending on how many teams participate, the season will last any-where from 3-6 weeks. Every team will

Spring brings many changes along with new sport seasons. Four sports start this semester and many athletes are already preparing for the upcoming spring sea-son. Most teams have basic condition-ing but some are going the extra mile to make sure they are as prepared as pos-sible for the season. Girl’s soccer begins in spring and the team is already preparing for the sea-son. The team formally started condi-tioning on February 14 and will con-tinue to condition until March 21 when their first game is scheduled. “ We lost a lot of our team last year, but we have hard working girls that will step up, and I think we will have a good season,” said Sam Schwartz (Sr). The team has been conditioning using many different methods to help get the

team as physically and mentally pre-pared as possible. “We do a lot of circuit training with cardio, weights, and biometrics,” said Coach Compton. The team is looking forward to finish-ing with more wins then losses this sea-son, and expects to finish in the top half of the Bremen Tournament on March 21. The baseball team has been training for their season since the start of October, when they started lifting af-ter school. Since then, they began condi-tioning in the start of February, and they also had an open gym that the players could attend. With Coach Krizan’s re-tirement the baseball team will undergo changes. The new baseball coach will be Mr. Dubois. He has high hopes for the season and plans on coaching in the footsteps of Coach K. “I just plan on building what Coach K started, adding knowledge where I

can,” said Coach Dubois. The boys open their season at home against Bloom Township on March 17 at 4:30pm. Spring also brings the promise of the softball season, and the Ladycats are working hard to get ready for the up-coming season. The girls have been

cond i t ion ing since the end of January, and will continue until tryouts on

March 1st. They have been working hard to reclaim their State Champion-ship since 2007, and that is a motivat-ing factor in their conditioning work-outs. Softball is big in Beecher and so are their workouts. They have been running, lifting, and conditioning just to get ready for their season. The team shows dedication and promise. Track also begins in spring and they have high hopes for the 2011 season. They had a great year last year and they are all conditioning hard

New Season, New SportsJacob Hall: Sports EditorJacob Schwartz: reporter

to get ready for the season. “We have high expectations, we have to represent Beecher in running,” said Grant Nykaza (So) Track is one of the most participated and diverse sports Beecher has to offer so each person will condition according to their track event. Most players will run, but some players will focus more on lifting to prepare. One thing that does unify the track team is their high expectations and hopes for the coming season. “This year we are hoping for as many state qualifiers as we can,” said Mike Polzin (Jr) Beecher has been preparing for the spring sports season for many months now and we can only hope that each team lives up to their own expectations. They have been working hard to get ready, and it doesn’t look like they will disappoint us.

play the other at least twice, and the winner is decided at the end of the sea-son. The team with the best record will win, but in the event of a tie a final game will take place. After every season of in-tramural, there is an All-Star game. Coach K picks the best of the best from each team and puts them together to play. Usually the players play against the other division, but all the teams are in one division. Therefore the teams play the alumni, and this proves to be a fun and interesting matchup. The game brings old players as well as young players. The game also provides a chance for redemption for players who did not win in their high school years. “The All-Star game has always been

exciting and I look forward to this year’s match up. It will be interesting to see how this year’s seniors will match up against the alumns of previous years,” said Nick Giroux (Jr.) Players have many hopes this year and plan on accomplising a lot this sea-son. Last year Stluka’s Stars won the championship, but this year every team is shooting for that title. “Last year my team won the Stanley

Cup, I am looking forward to try for a repeat. I also would like to try and make the All-star game for the first time this year,” said Nick Oosting (So) Players and fans of Intra-mural Hockey are excited, and they have every reason to be. intramural hockey is fun and exciting and this season should prove to be a great one. The new captains will have a chance to lead their team to victory and have their name go down in Coach K’s Wall of Fame. I am sure that evey team will compete to the fullest for

that oppurtunity. Intramural hockey has been

a tradition for Beecher High School since 1972, and it’s good to know that the tradition will continue. The first game statts soon and I know many peo-ple are excited to see the game. With open gym over and the season almost in full swing we look forward to the sea-son progressing and all the games and plays this season has to offer.

intramural starts its 39th straight seasonJacob Schwartz: reporter

Preparation: Annie Pignatello and Paige Wheling run in the gym to get ready for the upcoming track season.

The Spectrum/Colin Leahy

Prospects: Open-gym is the best way for the captains to see what this year’s prospects look like and what assets they could bring to their team.

The Spectrum/Colin Leahy

“This year we are hoping for as many State qualifiers as we can,” said Mike Polzin (Jr)

Spectrum: At what age did you start Karate Self Defense?Jamie: I started when I was nine.

Spectrum: Do your future plans include Ka-rate?Jamie: If I become a black belt then I want to open my own school.

Spectrum: Who is your instructor?Jamie: Juan Hernandez.

Spectrum: Have you ever gotten majorly in-jured?Jamie: If a couple punches to the face and getting kicked in the throat count, then yes.

Spectrum: Have you ever really wanted to give up?Jamie: Yes, but I love what I do and I know that my instructor is hard on me only be-cause he believes in me.

Jamie Ackman

“First starting karate, I did not think I would have come this far, or meet the people I have met. There are experi-ences I will never forget,” said Jamie Ackman, Junior at BHS. Jamie Ackman, a 16 year-old Junior at Beecher High School is a board-break-ing, kicking, punching, and self-defense fighting karate extraordinaire. At age nine, Jamie sat in on her sister, Jessi-ca’s, first karate class. By the end of that class, Jamie found herself participating with all the other kids. That’s when she knew that karate was the thing for her. She now practices and works out twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday, at

Beecher’s Community Hall. Jamie’s sister Jessica is now 14 and fully sup-ports and is proud of Jamie’s karate accomplishments. Jamie has been in-volved in several tournaments all over the country. She has placed first six years in a row as a national champion for fighting. At Beecher High School’s talent show last year, Jamie demon-strated some of her karate moves and amazed the audience. “I loved the feeling of performing in front of all my peers and finally getting to show them what I can really do,” Ja-mie said. Her performance stunned everyone and Jamie got to prove to her fellow students how serious she takes her ka-rate. Who is the mystery instructor that led Jamie to such a high accomplish-ment? Juan Hernandez, of Beecher, is her highly trained and skilled karate/self-defense instructor. Juan Hernan-dez, age 45, is also nationally known as Mr. Karate. Juan’s nephew is known as Mr. Karate Jr. Juan is a former world karate champion, professional wrestler, world and U.S. heavyweight champion wrestler, and even participated in the Olympics at one time. He even trained a few famous wrestlers, such as Dr. Death. Jamie is thankful that she gets to train with such a skilled instructor such as Mr. Hernandez but not everything about her hobby is so fun. Jamie admits that her least favorite part of karate is working out and training as hard as she has to. She says that her favorite part is earning her next belt and winning. Ev-ery time Jamie reaches the next level of skill in karate, her belt color changes. Jamie’s current belt is green. The dif-ferent colors of the belts let everyone know how high of a rank a person is. Jamie’s green belt, in most styles,

means intermediate, which means she is above beginner and below advanced. Her belt is also only three belts away from black. “There are many different styles and techniques we use. The moves are all in Japanese language. For example, punches are ‘zukes,’ kicks are ‘geris,’ and blocks are ‘ukes.’” It is interesting to think that when Ja-mie puts on her karate persona not only does she master the art of fighting; she even speaks in a different language. It is common for karate instructors to teach their students the different moves and techniques in karate’s original language of Japanese. One may think karate/self-defense would be really hard and time consum-ing. “Yes, my instructor is very hard, but I know it is only because of how much he believes in me, I love what I do and I do not want to quit,” Jamie says of her never ending determination. Considering that Juan Hernandez, for-mer professional wrestling and karate champion, is her instructor, we can rest assured that Jamie is receiving the best practice she can get to be that much closer to her karate dream. Jamie’s fu-ture plans are opening her own karate school, that is if she makes it to earn her black belt. Jamie is only three belts away from the highest she can be, and she feels that she is so close and will continue to give it her all until she ac-complishes her biggest milestone yet. After all of her training and hard work out sessions over the years, Jamie has developed the skill to handle pain. In all of her years of karate, Jamie has suffered many punches to the face and even kicks to the throat. Jamie’s karate can be considered more than a hobby. It is more of a lifestyle, considering how

much karate means to her and how hard she works at it to achieve her dream of earning a black belt. Even though it seems hard and back-breaking at times, Jamie will continue to work hard until she has that final belt in her hand. The belt that proves to her friends, family, and most importantly herself, that all of the hard work over so many years has finally paid off.

Alaina Garza: Features Editor

Question & Answer

The Spectrum/Bekah Kamp