Peace Pipe Chatter
Minooka, Ill. Volume 98 Edition 12 April 25, 2013
Faces of MCHS:
Linnea Anderson
Grant Barker
Aly Gagnon
Dustin Hadley
Sam Ingold
Dan Ingram
Santiago Jasso
Tori Larson
Jim Lay
Andrew Loehman
Colleen Maher
Shane Mart
Kyle McConb
Eric McEvilly
Madeline Neal
Rebecca Nemeth
Tom Peterson
Meghan Quirk
Jade Reiss
Owen Scheve
Kaitlyn Schutzius
Kate Shelton
Jordan Townsend
Malory Traver
More Than
Meets The
Eye
2
peacepipechatter.com
Faces
of
April 25, 2013
MAny Faces
T
his school has many
faces, but look-
MCHS
Designed by David Magnus
The Peace Pipe Chatter
Minooka Community High School
301 S. Wabena Avenue Minooka, IL 60447
mthomas@mchs.net peacepipechatter.com
@peacepipechattr
Editors-in-Chief
Dutch Nave, Baylee
Dibble, Elaina Bartoli,
Alexa Bowen
Cover Designer
Head: Sarah Schimanski
Assistant: Sara Dobbyn
ing at their faces alone
cannot tell their stories.
School News Editor
Victoria Bavaro
Passing by a student or
News Editor
Brennan Pagel
teacher in the hallway,
Interactive Editor
John Anians
one might not know that
Features Editor
Ali Bagley
they have so much more
to offer than just empty words and book-smarts.
When the PPC staff interviewed students and
staff of MCHS, we wanted to find out more
about regular people who influence the school
A&E Editor
Head: Katie Jostes
Head: Ryan Nelli
Assistant: Catie Petric
Assistant: Chris Rubio
Opinion Editor
Head: Crystal Uribe
Assistant: Jacob Lopez
and others lives in a positive way while most
Sports Editor
Head: Austin Hough
Head: Aaron Ladzinski
Assistant: Tara Schumal
Everyone’s special talents and traits come to-
Staff Writers
Brandon Fierke, Sylvia
Pokolenczuk
people don’t even know them.
gether to make MCHS what it is, even if those
talents aren’t recognized or known by their peers.
Some of the people whom most might not know
are the people that make MCHS so extraordinary.
We also learned never to judge a book by its
cover, because in these stories, it’s plain to see
that there is more than meets the eye.
By Alexa Bowen
Editor-in-Chief
Marketing Team
Tyreisha Washington,
Catie Petric
Social Chairs
John Anians, Brennan
Pagel
Copy Editors
Kayla Vidano, Ali
Bagley, Baylee Dibble,
Lexi Sponseller, Austin
Hough
Designers
Graham Taylor, Kayla
Vidano, Tyreisha Washington, David Magnus
Staff Photographers
Alyssa Aspan, Lexi
Sponseller, David Magnus, Tara Schumal
Editorial Board:
Elaina Bartoli
Alexa Bowen
Baylee Dibble
Jacob Lopez
Dutch Nave
Crystal Uribe
Journalism I
Brianna Bouchard, Chelsea Cerveny, Josh Fierke,
Gaby Gall, Bethany
King, Sam Magnus, Janee Maka, Nina Manzo,
Jake Pena, Will Roberts,
Hope Smith, Gigi Taylor
Submission Policy:
The Peace Pipe Chatter strongly encourages suggestions and/
or responses to material printed on its page. Letters to the Editor
should be submitted to Mr. Thomas’s mailbox or to a Peace Pipe
Chatter editor.
While submission does not guarantee publication, PPC staff
members will do their best to respond to all admissions. Submissions will not be returned. All submissions are subject to editing
and will not be printed if they are inappropriate. They must be
signed but may be printed anonymous upon request.
About The Cover:
The students and teachers
detailed in this issue are
pictured. Cover designed by
Sara Dobbyn and Sarah
Schimanski.
FACES OF MCHS
Designed by Lexi Sponseller
April 25, 2013
Cooking off the track
By Kayla Vidano
Copy Editor/Desrigner
?
starters, he is an amazing cook. He started cooking
his freshman year because his mom wanted him to
prepare himself to be independent for college. His
Most people know senior Dan Ingram for his astound- favorite things to cook are spaghetti, tacos, omelets,
ing achievements in sports, such as placing second in BBQ, pasta, chicken, and chili. His family thinks he is
his 4x400 relay last year. However, he has hidden many a fabulous cook and wants him to pursue it as a career.
secrets from his peers that only some people know. For
“My brother is actually a pretty good cook, I’m
not going to lie. He makes the best tacos
and meatloaf,” Devin Ingram, junior and
brother of Dan, said. “Dan is a very talented cook. Every
time I go to his house he makes me something new to eat and it’s excellent,” Adam
Wilke, senior, said.
He increased his level of cooking skills
once he started taking Foods 1 and 2 and
culinary at school. His famous delicious
tacos are made with many ingredients,
such as hot sauce, seasonings like cayenne
pepper and black pepper, mild cheese,
salsa, lettuce, and more.
“I cook in my spare time. I make dinner when my mom isn’t home to cook. I
learned a lot of cooking skills from both
my mom and dad,” Ingram said.
Another secret talent of Ingram is he
has a massive collection of sports cards.
He has a wide variety of basketball, football,
baseball, and hockey cards. He has been collecting them since 5th grade and he now has
over 2,000 cards. His favorite card is an autographed college card from Richard Hamilton. He has a lot of repeat cards, over 100 rare
cards, and 30 autographed cards.
“I started collecting because they looked
really cool to me and I wanted to have the best
cards out there. My dad got me my first set
of cards from KB Toys when I was younger,
but they aren’t around anymore. Whenever I
had allowance money I’d go and get more,”
Ingram said.
Lastly, Ingram’s most astounding secret is
Senior Dan Ingram is lining up in his starting stance and getting ready
that he used to hate running.
to cook up a storm. Photo taken by Kayla Vidano.
“I used to not like running because it got
3
peacepipechatter.com
Dan Ingram
Hometown:
Joliet, Ill.
Hobbies
Track, football, running, lifting weights,
video games
What’s on my Ipod...:
Rap, hip-hop, and Jon Connor.
I’ve always wanted to...
become a pediatrician, run in the
Olympics, win a million dollars, and
skydive.
The one thing I know for sure is...:
I’m a leader.
boring, but once I won a gold medal or ribbons and started
doing more in track, I started to look forward to it more,”
Ingram said.
However, this secret is not evident from his impressive
running abilities he shows at both track practice and at his
meets. It shows his new love and respect for running.
“He’s a very fast runner and he’s very talented,”
Devin said.
“Dan is like a brother to everyone on the track team especially me. He’s ran track for a long time and is only getting better. Dan puts 100 percent in at practices and meets.
He has a quality to go far in state this year and in college.
He will truly go down in history as one of Minooka track’s
greatests,” Wilke said.
Dan is a terrific person inside and out who has many
hidden talents. Who knows what anyone else in this school
could be hiding?
Swimming, skiing through summertime
By Lexi Sponseller
Staff Photographer/Copy Editor
Wrapping that bait on a new shiny
silver hook, preparing to cast and pulling your rod behind you, then tossing
that line ahead of you,
and finally that soft plop
of the hook and worm
into the water is how
Maddy starts her summers.
Maddy Neal, a summer girl for sure. She
doesn’t do a lot of exciting stuff throughout the
winter, but when summer time kicks in, she is
always with her friends
doing stuff.
“I go boating a lot
over the summer with
my dad, we knee board,
go tubing, wake board,
and water ski,” Maddy,
junior, said
That is one of her favorite summer activities
but her most favorite is,
swimming, Maddy said.
“I go swimming in
lakes mostly Lake Michigan or over at my good
friend Sami Maida’s
house,” Maddy said.
Junior Maddy Neal stands on a John Deere tractor on her
She spends most
family’s farm. Photo by Lexi Sponseller.
of the summer, though,
with her friends. She enjoys spending a
launch water balloons at a big target
lot of time and making great memories
they will never forget.
“Swimming , skiing”
“The top three people I hang out with
continued on page 13.
in the summer are juniors Sami Maida,
Nicole Boyes, and
senior Jackie Lilek,” ?
Maddy said
She does not do
the same thing with
each of them, though.
They all have a speHometown:
cial different summer
Shannon, Ill.
activity they do with
Neal. “Sami and I alHobbies
ways go fishing. It is
Going to country concerts and hanging
where we bond and
out with friends.
talk about stuff with
each other,” Maddy
said.
What’s on my Ipod...
“Nicole and I love
John Mayer, Kip Moore, Blake Shelton,
to swim over at the
Mac Miller, A Day To Remember, and
Maida’s place, we
Luke Bryan.
do that a lot over the
summer months.”
Maddy and her
I’ve always wanted to...
friends are usually
Go cliff diving!
always in or around a
lot of water, it makes
The one thing I know for sure is...
them really feel that
I’m not the worst driver, but i’m also
warm summer feelnot the best!!!
ing.
“Jackie is my
cousin. She and I
Maddy Neal
4
peacepipechatter.com
?
FACES OF MCHS
Grant Barker
Hometown: Shorewood, Ill.
Hobbies Golf, basketball, baseball, and
football.
What’s on my iPod: a lot of hip/hop,
but strictly Drake
I’ve always wanted to... Play Derrick Rose in a game of one-on-one and
skydive.
The one thing I know for sure is...
I love supporting every sport/extracurricular activites at MCHS. I take Mr.
Minooka to heart.
By Austin Hough
Sports Editor
Few people at MCHS embrace the school spirit as
much as Grant Barker. He’s been so involved, in fact, that
he has earned a nickname around the school: Chief Barker. The senior has earned that name for the way he dresses up for Minooka home football and basketball games,
wearing an Indian headdress as well as wearing some
war paint on his face. All of this just to pump up the fellow students to cheer on their Indians on the field of play.
“Growing up, I use to go to a lot of the football games.
Whenever I saw the head of the student section, I knew
Designed by Catie Petric
April 25, 2013
Chief Barker going out on top
that was going to be me one day,” Grant said. “I just nooka, everyone had their eyes on me to lead the chants.”
love going to the
Although
the
football, basketHomecoming game
ball, and now
was a big moment for
baseball
games
the senior, it wasn’t
with my fellow
the best game he’s atstudents to help
tended in his Minooka
out the teams.”
life. That honor goes
Being one of
to a basketball game
the leaders of stufrom the 2011-2012
dent section has
season, which, to a lot
benefited
Grant
of people, was the best
a lot, especially
game of that season.
this year. On the
“The
Plainfield
Monday
durEast basketball game
ing
Homecomlast year at Plainfield
ing Week, Grant
East when Jake Howon a relay race
gen hit a deep three
to earn the honor
to tie the game and
of being called
send it to overtime
Mr. Minooka. As
was
incredible,”
Mr. Minooka, he
Grant said. “Plainfield
was able to attend
East was ranked high
all of the Homein the state, so we
coming Week feswere the underdogs.
tivities for free,
We came out lookdawning a crown
ing strong and evand sash to show off
eryone was in to it.”
to the people. It all
Next year, Grant
culminated for him
will be heading to the
at the Friday night
University of Illinois,
football game, as
so there is hope that
the Indians defeated
maybe the Chief BarkGrant Barker stands by the MCHS baseball fields and supports his
Oswego East 31-7.
er legend will live on.
school’s baseball team. This is one of the many sports and activities he
“Being Mr. Mi- supports. Photo taken by Austin Hough.
“Hopefully
nooka was great,”
U of I football
Grant said. “The
does a little betschool support is usually on my back and I try to get out ter than last year. Basketball has always been
as many people out to the games as possible. With Mr. Mi- good, so we’ll see what happens,” Grant
said.
Self-expression through the form of art
By Catie Petric
A&E Editor
“My favorite thing
about art is the way it
relieves
stress;
you
get
really
wrapped
up in it,” Kaitlin said.
Her name is Kaitlin
Schutzius, and she is
an MCHS sophomore
with an amazing talent.
When she isn’t playing Sims on the computer, keeping up with
schoolwork, or strumming chords on her
guitar, Kaitlin is creating
masterpieces.
Kaitlin is an artist. She
paints, and draws, and
to put it simply, creates.
“I started [art] when
I was little, and I started like most kids: just
painting “paint by numbers” and things like
that. Then it just gradually evolved into what
it is today,” Kaitlin said.
Kaitlin
Schutzius
has a knack for art.
As a child, she
would use art for fun,
and as something to do.
Recently,
however, she has found art
as more of an escape.
With her mother passing away nearly a year
ago, Kaitlin uses her
skills as a form of coping.
“I know I got really
Kaitlin has made simple paintings all the way
to drawing and painting on a pair of TOMS
shoes for her sister.
not even keep track of
all the art she has created
, Kaitlin always knows
what her favorite piece is.
“My favorite piece I’ve
ever made was
an abstract watercolor
painting I made for
my best friend,”
Kaitlin
said.
As well as
herself being her
biggest fan, Kaitlin’s friends are
no strangers to the
art she creates.
“When I see
Kaitlin’s artwork,
I am at a loss for
words. She puts
all of her heart
into her paintings
and
drawings
and it’s reflected
by the qualOf all the artistic talents Kaitlin has, drawing is the most basic. She
ity of her work,”
often spends time just drawing, and coming up with new ideas. Photo Nick
Paredes,
taken by Catie Petric.
sophomore, said.
“She can’t give
into art when my mother
Kaitilin works with it up. She has to keep gopassed away. It just gave a lot of different styles ing. You can see that she
me an outlet,” Kaitlin said. and techniques of art, but strives for greatness when
Although Kaitlin said her most favorite is wa- she does it. She shouldn’t
she uses art for herself, tercolor and charcoal. stop what she is doing.
and to pass the time,
Although she has made She inspires me when
she creates pieces for so many works of art, it comes to watercolors.
her loved ones as well. and sometimes she can- It actually pushes me to
practice other forms and
techniques of art,” Zachary Feeney, senior, said.
Though she is a normal
16-year-old high school
student, with grades and
chores, Kaitlin Schutzius
pushes herself to make
magnificent
artwork.
?
Even though her recent
love for art stemmed off of
a traumatic event, Kaitlin
has never lost her hope.
“No matter what you’re
going through, it will get
better. You just have to
hold on for everyone that
loves you,” Kaitlin said.
Kaitlin Schutzius
Hometown: Tinley Park, Ill.
Hobbies Art and music.
What’s on my iPod: The Smiths and
Mumford & Sons
I’ve always wanted to... Meet Tim
Burton.
The one thing I know for sure is...
One person’s craziness is another person’s reality.
FACES OF MCHS 5
Designed by Elaina Bartoli
?
Jordan Townsend
Hometown: Minooka, Ill.
Hobbies: Playing sports, working at
Berryman Transports
What’s on my iPod: Molly World, I
Just Want It All, and Remind Me
I’ve always wanted to... I’ve
always wanted to go on a
date with Carrie Underwood.
The one thing I know
for sure is...: I’m the
coolest kid in the senior
class.
Driver’s Ed teacher Tom Peterson happily smiles
while teaching one day. Photo by Sara Doobyn.
By Aaron Ladskinski
Sports Editor
After 29 years at Minooka, Tom Peterson
has earned the right to appear cranky. Some students are scared of him because of his booming
voice and the fact that he will call out people on
everything.
When it comes to his class, he does like to
choose people to mess with.“ I like to go after
the strong because the weak can’t take it,” says
Peterson. Peterson has been in a school,or working at one, for the past 34 years as he started at
Ottawa Marquette. Peterson has always taught
either gym or drivers ed. Now, he has only two
years left until retiring from teaching for good.
Peterson even has a countdown going that is
around 400 days.
But there is more to him than meets the eye
as he likes to spend time near horses. His favorite racing horse Tweets Fly and Star ,who is
owned by a relative that allows Peterson to take
care of him. Not only does he like horses, but
also he enjoys to spend time golfing. Peterson
uses Callaway and Taylor burners for clubs. His
favorite place to golf is Nettle Creek in Morris,
April 25, 2013
peacepipechatter.com
Overcoming obstacles
By Elaina Bartoli
Editor-in-Chief
Jordan Townsend, senior, sarcastic, humorous, easy-going,
and ladies’ man.
Jordan, or commonly referred
to as JT, comes off as your
typical 17-year-old boy.
He spends his time working, hanging out with
friends, and playing
sports. He is friends
with everyone and
seems to be living the
life.
When JT was 7
years old, he experienced something that
would change his life
forever. While fourwheeling, Jordan fell
and hurt his arm. Concerned, Jordan’s mother proceeded to rush
him to the hospital
(while yelling at him
for being on a fourwheeler at age
Senior Jordan Townsend posing with
his monitor. Photo by Elaina Bartoli. 7). It turned
out to be broken, so the doctors’ wrapped his arm in a
bright-orange cast.
Although a broken arm is nothing positive, something much worse happened that
day at the hospital. JT had been sick for a
while before this, and the doctors’ decided to
look further into it.
They then found out that Jordan had Type
1 Diabetes. He had to stay in the hospital for
a few days and had to learn everything about
his diagnosis. This type of diabetes is something he was born with and would now live
for the rest of his life with. Although it is not
life-threatening because of advances in technology, JT learned that his life would never
be the same again.
The adjustment to his new life would not
be an easy one. Jordan would now have to
check his blood sugar multiple times a day
with the monitor that he would be required to
constantly wear. If he is not constantly aware
of his blood sugar level, he could experience
lack of energy, tiredness, etc. and eventually
have a sugar attack.
But despite the obstacles, Jordan does
everything that his friends do. He goes to
dances and parties as well as plans to have as
much fun as possible in the next few years.
Although senior Jordan Townsend was diagnosed with a serious case of Type 1 Diabetes
at age seven, he is anything but boring because of it.
“Yeah, it’s whatever. I still get girls,” senior Jordan Townsend said.
Give Peterson a waiver
but someone who has worked for 35 years and
and the best score he has ever shot was a 75.
Since he is only two years from retiring, he is is a very well-respected man.
preparing for a big travel from Vancouver all the ?
way down the coast to southern California. Plus,
he is going to golf more and spends more time at
the horse track cheering on the horses.
Some people know Peterson as a teacher, but
Hometown: Morris, Ill.
didn’t realize what a great coach he is. He led
the Indians to multiple playoff runs when he
was head football coach. After 7 years, the proHobbies: Golfing
gram felt they were moving different ways and
sent Peterson away. Peterson then went on to
coach at JJC for a few years. After JJC, he went
What’s on my iPod: Country, Classic
to Morris where he helped the Redskins to a few
Rock, Rap
state championships and runner up trophies. He
managed to get Morris onto its feet and helped
I’ve always wanted to... Own a corvette.
them become a powerhouse. Peterson did so
well that after he left the program, they put him
in the Morris sports hall of fame. Did he have
The one thing I know for sure is...:
regrets through out his coaching career? Yes,
That I am out of here (MCHS) in a little
but he says the biggest one was taking the headmore than two years.
coaching job for the golf team.
Next time everyone thinks of Mr. Peterson,
remember he is not some old cranky drivers ed
teacher that doesn’t want to give the waiver up,
Tom Peterson
6
Peace Pipe Chatter
?
FACES OF MCHS
Tori Larson
Hometown: Channahon, Ill.
Hobbies: Abyss, drawing, geocaching
What’s on my iPod: Bon Jovi & other
80’s music
I’ve always wanted to... skydive.
The one thing I know for sure is...:
with love, anything is possible.
April 25, 2013
Scaring Up Good Times
By Katie Jostes
A&E editor
Tori Larson’s summer
and even Halloween seasons are spent preparing
and actually participating in the Abyss Haunted
House in Minooka. Her
favorite role of all is the
insane asylum patient because there is never a dull
moment. Being an asylum
patient means that the
people can act in so many
different ways and make
up their own scripts. It
is actually one of the Tori gets ready to go to work at the Abyss with fake
most high energy roles. blood all over her face. Photo taken by Katie Jostes.
“Abyss is like my
home away from home.
do Abyss,” explains Tori.
place that gives her a
Most kids do sports or
It isn’t just a part time chance to express indidance or cheerlead, but I job for her, Abyss is the viduality to her maximum.
Home Away From Home
who you’ll
see
or
meet, even
at school.
S o m e one
you
may find
is Colleen
Maher, a
junior,
a
writer,
a
painter, a
future traveler, and
a girl who
does
not
know how
Collen Maher listens to her favorite
to whistle.
music on her iPod. Photo taken by Sylvia
Colleen,
Pokolenczuk.
who is a bit
of a quiet
By Sylvia Pokolenczuk
girl, grew up in Shorewood
Staff Writer
Every day is different, all her life, with her dad,
just like every person is mom, and brother. Everydifferent. You never know one in the family of four,
?
James Lay
Hometown: Aurora, Ill.
Hobbies: Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire,
Elbow.
What’s on my iPod: Bon Jovi and oth-
ers 80’s music.
I’ve always wanted to... Direct a
major motion picture or win a superbowl for the Bears.
The one thing I know for sure is...:
Pugs not Drugs.
Designed by Tara Schumal
except her brother, shares a
common trait: a height of
around five feet or less.
Her brother towers over the
family at a little more than
six feet tall, which is somewhat of a mystery to them.
«He›ll probably shrink
to our height,» Colleen said
about her giant sibling.
To start with, Colleen
loves to travel to visit her
best friend, who moved
away from Minooka a few
years ago, in California.
She visits up to three times
a year and stays either from
two weeks or to two months
at a time.
“I don’t get things like
birthday or Christmas presents, but to me it’s worth
it,” she said, because not
only does she love to travel
but she gets to see her best
friend.
While in California, one of the things she
typically does with her best
friend is just walk around
the neighborhoods or in a
nearby city. Colleen says
that there›s all sorts of interesting people you see,
especially in the city. They
also would go out to eat and
try new foods, too.
Also, Colleen likes to
paint and write poems with
any spare time that she has.
Colleen paints with watercolors, and though she
doesn’t believe she’s all
“Home away
from home”
continued on
page 13.
?
She has nothing bad to say
about the haunted house,
and everyone there is just
like one big family.
Tori goes on to explain,
“It’s a mixture of everything I like, and it’s impossible for me to be in a
bad mood there.”
There also is not one
specific role that she plays
every year. She’s done different roles like a vampire,
a clown, and everything in
between.
This will be Tori’s fifth
year at Abyss and she
does not plan to stop anytime soon. Abyss is just
such a huge part of her
life, that leaving is just
unthinkable.
Colleen Maher
Hometown: Shorewood, ill.
Hobbies: Painting, watercolor paint-
ing, making hemp bracelets.
What’s on my iPod: random music,
Basement - punky band, flavor of the
week.
I’ve always wanted to... travel a lot.
The one thing I know for sure is...:
It’s ok to be different instead of being
mainstream.
It Ain’t Easy Being Jimmy
By Tara Schumal
Sports Editor
“Everyone looks at the kid
with the sweater vest and
thinks he can’t possibly
like or play football.”
James Lay, sophomore,
calls himself the human calculator. So do his
friends. Although some
call him Jimmy, he prefers
James.
What you probably didn’t
know is that James is one
of the biggest Bears fans
out there. He can name
all the starters and certain
string players off the top of
his head like that, and has
watched every single game
since 7th grade.
“I love playing football
with my friends. I’m not
that good at it, but it’s still
fun,” James said.
His second favorite team
would be the New York
Jets.
“Sanchez deserves to win
a Super Bowl.”
On the school side of
things, James participates
in our MCHS scholastic
bowl team.
“My favorite part is that
moment when you crush
an opponent like ants and
answer questions fast
to where you hear their
parents gasp. It’s quite an
empowering feeling.”
James has been in my math
class since junior high and
let’s just say, math loves
him. He barely ever needs
a calculator and barely ever
makes mistakes. He catches teachers making mistakes more than himself.
He can answer questions in
a snap, too.
When it comes to
growing up, James’
life goal is to be a
filmmaker. He’s inspired
by directors like Quentin
Taratino,
an
Oscar
winning American film
director, and more like
Christopher
Nolan,
and Martin Scorsese.
His favorite movie of
Tarantino’s is Kill Bill.
“Watching
Tarantino is incredible.
I want to grow up and
be a director like him. Jim Lay takes time to pose
How he creates his for the camera. Photo taken
own little world while by Tara Schumal.
making movies that you
man.”
lose yourself in is truly
If filmmaking doesn’t
inspirable.”
work, he wants to create
James’ favorite actor
his own cartoon.
would most likely be Ryan
But out of all this, we
Gosling. His thoughts
know one thing’s for sure.
about him were “best actor
“It ain’t easy being Jimever” and “a beautiful
my,” he says.
FACES OF MCHS 7
April 25, 2013
Designed by John Anians
peacepipechatter.com
Pe o p l e o f M C H S C ro s s w o rd Pu z z l e
Wo r d B o x
Ingram, Neal, Barker, Schutez, Townsend, Peterson, Larson, Lay, Maher,
Traver, Lam, Waldron, Neemeth, Olsen, Mart, Loehmen, Shelton, Quirk,
Yanez, Gagnon, Williams, Ingold, Scheve, Reiss, McComb, Hadley, Meneely,
Jasso, Anderson, McEvilly
Across:
1.shapeshifter
3.choir
5.bookworm/
singer
6.horses
7. mouth music
8.turntables
12. family first
13.Oregon
18. sports & film
19.musical
aspirations
20. constant motion
22.landscapes
23. high faith
28. takes care of others
Down:
2.insulin
4. acoustic
7. takedown for 2
8. west coast
9.dances
10.adrenaline
11.spooky
14. water colors
15. fun in the sun
16. school spirit
17. metal fisherman
21. place your bets
24. spatula; spikes
25. 30 love
26. movie count: 500
27.softball
8
peacepipechatter.com
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FEATURES
Kevin Lam
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Hobbies Collecting hats, playing basketball, and eating
What’s on my iPod: Rap and only rap
I’ve always wanted to... become an
NBA player.
The one thing I know for sure is...:
my family is first before anything,
including me.
April 25, 2013
Designed by Dutch Nave
Better, faster, stronger
By Dutch Nave
Editor-in-Chief
Change and sacrifice can
drive a person to discover
determination that they
never had. For freshman
Kevin Lam, it was all too
real with his older sister
serving in Afghanistan.
“She’s been serving in
the National Guard for
two or three years and has
been overseas for about
eight months,” Kevin said.
“I always worry about her
being hurt.”
Since his sister’s entrance
into military service, he
has joined the track and
field team and currently
throwing shot put and discus for Minooka.
“I joined track and field
so I could become stronger
and protect my family,”
Kevin said. “I am basically the man of the house.
My father is getting older
and is not as strong as he
used to be, so I feel that I
have to be strong for my
family.”
Kevin also strengthens
himself through listening to rap music. Rappers
such as Eminem and Tupac Shakur are his main
influences.
“I’ve wanted to be a rapper for about two years
now. I got my inspiration
from this Korean rapper
I listen to on YouTube,”
Kevin said. “He has songs
that talk about moving on
through all the challenges
in life, and they help me
get past all of the bad
things in my life.” However, being a rapper is
merely just humorous to
Kevin.
“It gives me
something
to
tell my kids or
grandkids in
the future
tinue with track and field
through high school and
become a main supporter
for his sister and parents.
(laughs),”
said Kevin.
Kevin has
found
many
different
sources
to
help him cope
with the many
challenges
he has faced
through life.
Keeping
his family
closest to
his heart,
Kevin plans
to
con-
Kevin Lam throwing
discus during practice.
Kevin also throws
shotput for the MCHS
Track and Field team.
Photo taken by Dutch
Nave.
on
a
She’s
mission
By Ali Bagley
Features Editor
When people hear the
name Mallory Traver,
there are many possible
things that could come to
mind. You might think of
the laid back and bubbly
girl that walks the halls of
MCHS. Maybe, you think
about the devoted hours
she spends doing community service. Or maybe
the most well known thing
about Mallory is her love
for tennis.
Mallory, a senior, plays
tennis on the girl’s varsity team for
MCHS, but
also spends
a lot of time
outside of
school playing tennis,
including
club during the winter
and an Adidas camp in the
summer. She played No. 1
in single matches and dou-
bles at one point. She also
plays with the guys tennis
team a lot.
“My favorite thing about
tennis is that it’s an individual sport. You don’t
have to rely on anyone but
your own skill. It also is
based off of speed, endurance, and skill, not
just one aspect,” Mallory said.
One of the
most interesting
things
about
Mallory
is
that one of
her ac-
tivities she has
planned for this summer will impact many
people’s lives.
“We are going to Kentucky to work for Red Bird
Mission. We might build
homes, clean schools, or
such as hanging out and
being active outdoors with
friends.
A couple things people
don’t know about Mallory is that she is terrified of driving,
and she is deathly afraid of birds.
?
Mallory Traver
Hometown: Minooka, Ill.
Hobbies Tennis, NHS, hanging with
friends, sleeping, eating, and breathing.
What’s on my iPod: Jack White,
Postelles, Backstreet Boys, Jack Johnson, and Zac Brown Band
reprint homes.
Basically, anything they need
to help with to help
their community.”
During tennis season
she doesn’t have a lot of
free time. However, she
finds time to fit in some
of her favorite activities,
I’ve always wanted to... be on the
show “Jacka**,” but not get pranks
played on me or get hurt.
Mallory Traver
working on a
shed during
a mission trip
with senior Andrew Finney.
Photo taken by
Dutch Nave.
The one thing I know for sure is...:
some of the stuff I’ve learned in class, I
will NEVER use in life.
9
FACES OF MCHS
April 25, 2013
Designed by Alyssa Aspan
?
peacepipechatter.com
Tera Waldron Artwork worth a million words
By Crystal Uribe
Opinion Editor
Hometown: Minooka, Ill.
Hobbies: Photography, going to concerts, drawing.
When I have free time, I like to:
Work on art, sketch, hang out with
friends.
I’ve always wanted to...: travel to
Ireland, visit every Disney park in
the world.
The one thing I know for sure is... I
want to move to Orlando and work at
Disney.
my dad is an art major but it’s sad
that our world and generation lacks
What is blue, gray, white, purple,
and red all over? Tera Waldron of
course. Okay, maybe not Tera Waldron exactly, but the beauteous and
marvelous paintings created from her
own two hands definitely are.
Tera Waldron, senior, at MCHS
has been painting for eight years and
is an admirable artist to say the least.
“My room is one great art work in
progress. Easles are up; paintbrushes
and acrylic paint fill the space along
with unfinished and finished canvases that are in the corner,” Tera said.
She loves painting and can paint
in almost any situation; once she is Tera Walden finally finishes her latest
focused there is no stopping the art landscape project for art class. Photo
courtesy by Crystal Uribe.
from being created.
“I’ll get random 2 a.m.
inspirations and I’ll ditch my bed for art appreciation,” she said.
my paintbrushes,” she said.
Although her art wok is
“I’ve always been around art since undoubtedly beautiful, ���������������
Tera is partic-
Family matters most
By Sara Dobbyn
Cover Designer
Books filled throughout the room
like a personalized library, spending
time with family as much as possible,
and singing when she feels up to it
describes Rebecca Nemeth in every
aspect. She is not like most teachers
in at MCHS. Like everyone else in
the world, Rebecca has her talents,
hobbies, dreams, and much more.
“I can sing – not great, but I won’t
make anyone’s ears hurt,” Mrs. Rebecca Nemeth, English, said.
One thing most people don’t
know about Nemeth is that she can
sing. When she was in junior high
and high school, she sang a lot. Not
many people know about her talent
because she is out-of-practice and
she won’t just start belting out a song
at random.
Nemeth loves spending time
?
with her family and friends more
than anything. She wishes she could
Ms. Rebecca Nemeth writes down
her daily notes at her South Campus
classroom. Photo courtesy by Sara
Dobbyn.
spend more time with them.
“If I could, I would and wouldn’t
take my kids to school with me because it depends on their ages. Once
they are older I think it would be fun
to have them come to school with
me, but they are too little right now,”
Nemeth, said.
Her kids are everything to her. As
a teacher, having the summer off to
spend time with your family is one
of the best benefits.
“There are so many books that I
have truly enjoyed reading. I cannot
pick a favorite,” Nemeth, said.
In her spare time, Nemeth also
likes to read. She has read many
books in the past. By the looks of
her classroom, it looks like a minilibrary.
Rebecca Nemeth is just like any
one of us. When she has spare time,
she just wants to be with her family
and friends. Now singing has just
became a hobby of hers and she is
enjoying the life that she has.
?
ularly shy when it comes to showing
her work. She has a close connection
with each of her paintings and gives
it her all with each stroke of a paintbrush.
“I’m very into painting landscapes
and I hope to one day paint the New
Fantasy Land which is in Magic
Kingdom. There are castles and
gardens with the most beautiful
flowers, and rushing waterfalls. It’s
so beautiful I almost cried the first
time I saw it,” she said.
Art is universal and as unique as
every being that inhabits the planet.
Everyone can interpret an art piece
differently. What ������������������
Tera and many other artists simply do is allow us to expand our imagination, our thoughts,
ideas and our feelings through pictures, colors, shapes, and strokes of
a paintbrush.
Pictures are worth a thousand
words and Tera’s artwork is worth a
million.
Rebecca Nemeth
Hometown: Tinley Park, Ill.
Hobbies: Reading, walking, and play-
ing with friends.
When I have free time, I like to:
Read, take naps, and spend time with
family and friends.
I’ve always wanted to...: swim with
dolphins.
The one thing I know for sure is...
Everything that happens, happens for a
reason.
Michelle Olsen Artistic adrenaline junkie
Hometown: Channahon, Ill.
Hobbies: drawing, golfing
When I have free time, I like to:
listen to music, hanging out with my
friends,
I’ve always wanted to...: Bungee
jump and sky dive.
The one thing I know for sure is... I
want a career that helps other in need
or in crisis .
By Sylvia Pokolenczuk
Staff Writer
“The little things make me happy.
I try not to take anything for granted,” said Michelle Olsen, senior,
said.
This almost describes Michelle in
a nutshell. Almost, because there’s
more to this nice but quiet girl.
Michelle grew up in Channahon
most of her life, and recently moved
to Minooka. Her father, she says, has
a lot of rules and precautions for her,
but he’s also the biggest influence in
her life. If you were to ask her who
she’s more like— her mom or her
dad— she’d probably still say her
dad because of this.
To begin with, Michelle golfs for
the school’s team and has done so
for all four years of high school. She
considers this one of her hobbies as
well as art. She loves all forms of it,
and it’s easy to see that she likes to
experiment.
Another big part of Michelle’s
life is music, which is something
she couldn’t live without. Her favorite genres range from heavy metal
to alternative. Right now, her favorite song is “All Around Me” by
Flyleaf.“I can’t even get through a
day without it. There’s always a song
I can run to,” she said.
In college, Michelle plans to
at least minor in art and major in
psychology. She likes to help others in need or crisis and would like
to do it as a career. Something she
also wants to do one day is to be an
adrenaline junkie.
“I want to jump out of planes and
bungee jump and do all sorts of risky
things,” she said.
Michelle Olsen paints her face for a
Facebook photo.
10
peacepipechatter.com
?
Faces
of
April 25, 2013
MCHS
Designed by Kayla Vidano
Shane Mart star student on the run
By Brennan Pagel
News Editor
Hometown: Palos Heights, Ill.
Hobbies: Cross country, wrestling,
watching TV, reading a good book.
What’s on my iPod.: Britney Spears
I’ve always wanted to... Go on an
african safari.
The one thing I know for sure is...
The quote “If you think of the glass
as half full, you’ll have a good life.”
Shane Mart poses in his wrestling stance. Photo courtesy of
Brennan Pagel.
“If you think of the glass
as half full, you’ll have a
good life,” said Shane Mart,
junior.
Shane is a wrestler, crosscountry runner, and belongs
to NHS (National Honors
Society) but Shane is like a
tray of nachos, he has many
layers.
Although his hobbies include running and wrestling,
in his free time, Shane prefers to watch T.V. and read a
good book. Shane is second
in his junior class. Shane
was born in Palos Heights,
IL on February 26, 1996.
Shane might be small in
stature, but he has dedicated
a lot of his time to becoming
the best wrestler he can be.
He has made team state all
three years he has been in high
school and aspires to make individual state as a senior.
“I like wrestling because
I love the feeling of working
hard and having it pay off,” said
Mart.
Some of Shane’s favorites
include:
Food: Reuben sandwiches
Movie: Gladiator
Singer: Britney Spears
If Shane could give one piece
of advice to the human race, it
would be; “Just love what you
do and do what you love,” said
Shane Mart.
Just Jammin’ ‘n relaxin’
By Brandon Fierke
Staff Writer
“The one thing I know
for sure is that hard work
pays off,” said Andrew
Loehman, junior. Guitar,
video games, and sports are
just some of his many
interests.
He also has
done wrestling and
martial
arts.
“I pretty much have
a lot of free time. I usually spend it playing video
games, watching movies
and just relaxing,” said Andrew.
“There are a couple
things that I want to do
before I die, like skydiving, bungee jump, and
teleport.” Andrew spends
a lot of time practicing and
playing guitar together.
And he is very passionate
about playing.
Andrew is a person that
any of his friends can go
to for advice. Whether
the
subject
is relationships, school, or
home troubles, he is someone that you can confide
in without being subject to
judgment.
“I like to help people
with the things that are
making their lives just that
much more difficult,” Andrew said.
“One thing that’s going to effect me a lot is
my brother, Ryan, moving to Florida.
We’ve slowly
gotten closer
over the years.
It’s going to
be
different
without him
at home,” An-
drew says. “He’s one of the
only people I can go to and
talk about my own problems.”
Andrew plans on being
an engineer of some sort
after high school. I feel as
if he can accomplish his
goal. “It’s going to be hard
and take a while to finish
college for what I want to
do, but I think it’ll be well
worth it,” Andrew said.
“The one thing I know
for sure is that hard
work pays off.”
-Andrew Loehman
?
Andrew Loehman
Hometown: Joliet, Ill.
Hobbies: Guitar, lifting, sports, playing video games.
What’s on my Ipod.: Rock music
I’ve always wanted to... Teleport,
bungie jump, skydive.
Andrew Loehman jams out to his
air guitar in the science hallway.
Photo courtesy of Brennan Pagel
and Kayla Vidano.
The one thing I know for sure is...
Hard work pays off.
FACES OF MCHS 11
Designed by
?
crystal uribe
Katie Shelton
Hometown: Channahon, Ill.
Hobbies: doing crafts,playing instruments, working out, reading the Bible,
and swimming.
What’s on my iPod: every genre
April 25, 2013
peacepipechatter.com
Busy, interesting, persevering.
By Victoria Bavaro
School News Editor
Katie Shelton has a
million and one personalities and is a new person
each and every day.
Katie is a busy freshman who fills her days
with an abundant amount
of activities.
She loves playing soft-
ball, dancing, throwing
discus, and running long
distance.
Katie is a jock.
Katie attends Minooka
Bible Church and Core
on Wednesdays and 360
on Sunday nights. As a
result, she attends several yearly retreats called
Omega, Epic, Meander,
and Summit. Katie is a
Christian.
She enjoys taking trips
to Chicago and to other
warm places. She loves
hanging out with friends
and just having a good
time.
Katie is a regular teenage girl.
Katie is a thrill seeker
and spends her time riding
roller coasters.
Katie is an adrenaline
junky.
Katie sings, plays the
piano, and can play a little
bit on the guitar. Katie is a
musician.
Katie is multiple things
but most of all Katie is
Kaitlyn the one and only
and there will never be
anyone like her.
I’ve always wanted to... go to Israel
and Hawaii.
The one thing I know for sure is.. I
have to wear a sling because of a bad
injury.
Far left, Katie spends time with two
of her closest friends Katie Molskness, junior, and Alexa Smith. Middle, Katie and friends successfully
create a pyramid. Far right, Katie
Shelton shows she is not afraid to
do the unusual by dancing on a car.
Photos taken by Victoria Bavaro.
Playing for love
By Sara Schumanski
Cover Designer
enough and to push our- at bringing my spirits up and making
selves there is nothing that me feel good about myself,” said Smith.
will stop us,” she said.
“She’s a really cool person to be around
Meghan loves playing and I could trust her with anything I tell
Fresh cut grass, dragged dirt,
softball. But that isn’t her her.”
the ring of the bat, a diving catch,
only passion.
a blocked ball from going to the
She at- ?
fence, sweating, bleeding, diving
tends church
into home.
every SunNot a bad way to spend a few
day and is
hours. Meghan Quirk, junior, on
very
reli- Hometown: Minooka, Ill.
the other hand, spends more than
gious. She
just a few hours planning softball.
participates
Born and currently residing in
in commuMinooka, Meghan is the daughter
nity service Hobbies: softball and working out
of Pete and Erica Quirk. She has
any chance
three younger sisters: Lindsay,
she can.
Lauren, and little Maloney.
“Me and What’s on my iPod: country, rap,
Meghan has three passions,
my dad go
church, family, and softball.
pop,everything
up to ChiCurrently a Varsity softball
cago to go
starter in right field and usually
to the food
batting in the 8th spot, Meghan
drives, any I’ve always wanted to... go skydivbrings a certain pizzazz to the
little thing ing
team.
I can do to
“She brings amazing
help is just
skills to the softball field and she
a
great,”
hustles whenever she gets the
M e g h a n The one thing I know for sure is...
chance to,” Kelsey Smith, senior,
People remember you by not what you
said.
said.
M e g h a n did but who you were.
She enjoys playing right field Meghan Quirk gives her all as soon as she steps in the batter’s box.
is
an
all
and pitching, but really she is an all
this sport brings.
around
great
person
who
around great player.
“Winning is not everything, but
Even though softball takes time wanting to win is. As long as we have you can go to for anything.
“She’s just always good
and effort she enjoys the challenge that the desire and motivation to work hard
Meghan Quirk
12
peacepipechatter.com
?
rts
Aly Gagnon
Hometown: Minooka, Ill.
Hobbies: I love to play volleyball, hang
out with friends, and do activities with
my youth group.
What’s on my iPod: I love a wide va-
riety of music, but my favorite is alternative and indie rock. I really like the
bands Mumford & Sons, Fun., and One
Republic.
I’ve always wanted to... travel the
world.
The one thing I know for sure is...:
Jesus loves me.
April 25, 2013
ntertainment
Designed by Victoria Bavaro
Him before her
By Baylee Dibble
Editor-in-Chief
Aly Gagnon is third. As the book I Am Third by Gale Sayers describes, she puts God first, her family and friends
second, and herself third.
Aly loves playing volleyball and being creative, but there are things more important to her.
“The most important things in my life are God, my family, and my friends. However, God, in my house and in
my life, is the most important of these,” Aly said.
Aly is active in her church, Minooka Bible Church, through the youth group,
360, and a girls Bible study, CORE. High school students come together
every Sunday night at the church for 360 and spend time studying the
Word of God, worshiping through music, playing games, and hanging
out. CORE is spent studying the Bible and breaking into small groups
to discuss the lesson and what is going on in their lives.
She also attends retreats with these groups. Though Aly always
feels God is with her, she said retreats are where she can really feel
God the most.
“This is when it really stood out the most because
I was with a group of
Christian that were
great
supporters
and adult leaders
that were there to
help guide you in
your relationship
with God.
All of these retreats were significant moments in my life because that have shaped
me into the Christian I am today,” Aly said.
Recently, Aly went on a trip called Meander with the girls of her youth group. The
thing that makes this trip so unique is the fact that everything that they do is a complete surprise for the students. This year the group spent most of their time in Bloomington. They went
ice-skating, went to a cooking school, and had a photo scavenger hunt.
“I really enjoyed spending time with all the girls and getting to know them better, but my favorite activity we did was the van races,” Aly said.
The group was split into two vans at random, and on their ride home, they had competitions between the two. These competitions included getting out of the van and making a 66 with their bodies
because they were on Route 66 and putting 15 coins in order from oldest to newest. Aly’s van ended
up winning at the end of the ride.
Church has always been a big part of Aly’s life. She was raised in a Christian home, but she
explained why she continues to go as she gets older.
“I keep going back because I love to hear and learn form the teachings
and participate in worship. It’s also cool to have a bunch of people
there to support you with whatever you are going through,”
Aly said.
Aly’s life as a Christian has resulted in a love for caring
for people. She wants her life to have an impact on the lives of others.
?
Artistic visionary in reality Moises Yanez
By Dutch Nave
Editor-in-Chief
A person’s abilities are only limited by their mind, and
senior Moises Yanez is an example of a spark of creativeness.
Moises has watched more than
500 movies in the last two
years. He has watched
most of these movies online, but gets to a movie
theater whenever possible. However, Moises
does not watch movies
because he loves them.
“I enjoy watching
movies, but I’d rather be
doing something else,”
Yanez said. “I do it
to pass the
time.”
Some of the best movies Moises has seen were:
Spirited Away (2001)
Big Fish (2003)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Every person who has watched movies has their own
list of bad apples in the bunch. Some of Moises’ worst
picks were:
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
The Hangover (2009)
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
“I would really like to see the movies The Hobbit, Jack
the Giant Slayer, and Clockwork Orange.
Moises had also been an artist throughout high school.
However, he does not stick to one basic theme of his artwork.
“I like to sit down with a pencil and a blank piece of paper and let my mind roam free,” Moises said. “I think I’m
more creative as an artist. Some draw just one thing or stay
in one spectrum, but I just draw whatever comes to mind.”
His experience as an artist holds an impressive resume,
including a one-week workshop through the Art Institute
of Chicago.
“I got to work with other artists to put together a magazine,” Moises said. “I even got my own page.”
Hometown: Blue Island, Ill.
Hobbies I like drawing, playing games,
and reading Art Club.
What’s on my iPod: System of a Down,
Fighter X, Cannibal Corpse, and We
Came as Romans.
I’ve always wanted to... ride a dire
wolf.
The one thing I know for sure is...
That I am still very hungry and want
ribs
JUMP 13
April 25, 2013
Designed by Baylee Dibble
“Owen” continued from page 14
Making friends is no problem for a
charismatic character such as Owen,
maintaining them through moves is a bit
of a different story.
“Most of the friends I’ve had in the
past few years during my high school career I don’t talk to much anymore. But I
have one friend that I’ve had since preschool that I’m still in touch with today.”
When asked if he is going to continue
to travel around, even after he is on his
own, Owen said he wasn’t really sure.
“It really depends on my career choice.
There’s a possibility I could be jumping
around every few years, there’s a possibility I could stay in one spot for the rest
of my life and be happy. I’ve thought of
the military, I’ve thought of psychiatry,
psychology. I’ve always wanted to be
a music teacher. I’m still kind of lost in
my own little land of what I’m gonna do
when I get older and out of high school. I
don’t know if I’m gonna go to college or
not just yet, but I’m working on it slowly
everyday.”
Many may have a certain inspiration in life, but for Sam she believes her
inspiration is herself.
“If I don’t want to do something, I
won’t do it, and that’s how I make a lot
of my decisions in life. I also want to get
to the point where I’m good at my craft
and just making people happy; I want to
be remembered as a girl who makes her
own decisions and gets things done,”
Sam said.
“I will always have my impact here,
at MCHS, through my singing in choir,”
Sam said.
that great, she still likes to do it. Not to
mention that she also likes to go walking
with friends, especially in the summer.
Besides those things, Colleen loves
driving up to Chicago any chance she can
get. While there, going out to eat is a must
as well as thrifting in downtown. One of
her favorite stores in Chicago is Buffalo
Exchange, and her style is different in the
way that she doesn›t really wear the more
popular trends.
However, one thing Colleen absolutely
can not live without, is music. She listens
to a variety of music and doesn›t have any
favorites, but rather a ‹flavor of the week.’
Right now, the band she listens to most is
called Basement, which is a punk/alternative rock genre.
Overall, Colleen is a humble, polite
girl who is also extremely friendly. Maybe you›ll run into her in the hallways one
day, or that one in a million chance in
California.
peacepipechatter.com
Answers from page 7
“Sam” continued from page 14
“Swimming, skiing” continued from page 3
she has in her back yard with a sling shot,
it is actually a lot of good fun,” Maddy
said
While they are always around water,
Neal is always up for a good bonfire with
friends and family. “Getting together at
the end of a long water filled day calls for
a nice big bonfire,” she said.
Maddy could be what some say
would be the typical teenager but
nobody would really understand how
fun being the typical teen can be if they
don’t take a day to do what she does.
Countdown to
Summer:
Seniors:
19 days
Juniors, Sophomores, and
freshman:
29 days
Watch Minooka Sports
Live at
IHIGH.COM
Live Streaming www.ihigh.com/ minooka
peacepipechatter.com
“Home away from home” continued from page 6
Check out
issues of
the PPC
from the
1950s
?
14 FACES OF MCHS
?
peacepipechatter.com
Owen Shreve
Hometown: Bremerton, Wash.
Hobbies: Biking riding and playing in
my band.
What’s on my iPod: Everything really.
Rock, punk, indie, metal. Favorite band
currently is Toad the Wet Sprocket.
I’ve always wanted to... Play in or
instruct a school band.
The one thing I know for sure is...
I don’t have an accent!
Owen all over America
By Graham Taylor
Designer
On the outside, Owen Shreve is a normal teenager.
He goes to school, plays in his own band, describes himself as a “semi-outgoing… very friendly person,” and
recently moved to Minooka. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that his move to Minooka was not
his first. Or his second. Or his fifth. And it will
not be his last.
Most people can relate to moving from
one place to another, but few people have been
around the country as much as Owen.
“I’ve been moving all over the place all my
life. City to city, state to state. I’ve lived in towns
mainly. I’ve been in a couple cities. My dad was
Navy so we moved a lot because of that.”
His first move was at very young age.
“Fresh outta the womb” he says.
“[My hometown is] Bremerton, WA [and my favorite
place is] Kitsap county Washington. I spent most of my
life in Washington. New York and Virginia, I was there
Sam shares her voice
By Tyrisha Washington
Designer/Marketing Team
“Everything we do in choir, helps and
shapes us; some things also leave bigger
dents in our live’s than others,” Sam Ingold,
junior, said.
Singing is Sam Ingold’s middle name.
She is an outstanding singer and is currently on the school choir. Sam spends majority of her time
singing and enjoys
making people
happy.
Her family is also
very supportive of
her singing
and she often
performs for them
at home.
“I perform for them a
Jade Reiss
Hometown: Planho, Ill.
Hobbies: Extra-curriculars, play with
my dog, watch The Walking Dead.
What’s on my iPod: Zac Brown Band.
I’ve always wanted to...
go to Barcelona.
The one thing I know for sure is...
it’s 5 o’clock somewhere!
Designed by Graham Taylor
April 25, 2013
lot, I’ll randomly start singing in the house and my sister
goes nuts,” Sam said.
Recently, Sam had a once in a lifetime opportunity. She
went on tour with her choir team. They went to Broadway
in New York City and performed in front of many people.
While they were there, they got to learn a song from the
Lion King musical and even a dance. After they learned
the song and choreography, they got to watch the real play
on Broadway.
“It was cool because we knew the dance and song they
played; we all were singing along to it,” she said.
Aside from singing, Sam also enjoys writing and making crafts. She currently writes her own fictional stories.
“I like writing fictional stories, but I’m never able to
finish them,” she said.
For her crafts, she likes to make square people out
of paper. Then she gives them to people, for free, just to
make their day a little more special.
Sam also believes that anyone can have the ability to
sing. She feels if you put your mind to it and work hard,
you can make it far.
for a short period of time. And then California I was
there for about a year and a half, two years. And Illinois
I have only been here less than a year.”
And it doesn’t look like the moving is going to stop
anytime soon.
“There is a move in the very close future. I’m probably going back to Washington. [I’m] beyond excited.”
All of this relocating would probably take its toll on
most people, but for Owen, it’s just another part of life.
“I got used to it young. I went to a few different schools, probably nine or eleven throughout elementary to
current. I’ve been to three
official
high schools, two middle
schools, three elementary schools, and a ton of
private schools and facilities and whatnot.”
“ Ow e n”
continued
on page 13
?
Sam Ingold
Hometown: Channahon Ill.
Hobbies: Dancing, singing, and crafting.
What’s on my iPod: Everything but
rap, Nightmare Before Christmas album,
and Chop Suey! by System of Down.
I’ve always wanted to...
become really good at singing.
The one thing I know for sure is...
I like to make an impact in choir.
“Sam” continued on page 13
Kind h’aarrrr’ted soul
By Alexa Bowen
Editor-in chief
“The more you live life one way, the less it feels like
freedom,” senior Jade Reiss said. Jade is a lot like other
seniors at MCHS, but along with juggling homework,
studying, a social life, and finding time for herself, Jade
also has others to take care of. Jade believes in doing what
she loves and having fun to keep life interesting, but many
people might not know Jade’s secret: she loves to help and
take care of people.
After her journey at GAVC junior year, Jade got a parttime job at The Tillers Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
in Oswego. There she spends her time caring for the residents in an 8-10 hour day. She loves the residents and the
people she works with and believes in doing something
better for herself and others.
When Jade gets to work, she spends the whole night
on the floor she is assigned to where she takes care of old
and young residents who are in need of help form nurses
and CNAs.
“I love being able to make a difference in someone’s
life, big or small. Whether it’s turning on the T.V. for
someone or helping them walk again, I love the feeling,”
Jade said. “The atmosphere is happy and it’s such a fun
place to work.”
When she’s not making an impeccable difference in
other’s lives, she loves to listen to music.
“Music is such an important part of everyone’s life. It
shapes your feelings and defines you,” Jade said. “If I had
an ipod, Id be listening to Zac Brown Band all day long.”
Jade has always wanted to go to Barcelona and would
go there first if she ever had the chance. She loves warm
seasons and sunshine and dreams of being in Spain.
“It’s beautiful and
all of the people are
gorgeous,” Jade said.
“I would also love to
be a pirate and marry
Johnny Depp.”
With everything
Jade has to make
time for, Jade knows
that taking care of
others will always be
her first priority. One
thing Jade knows for
sure is, “It’s five o’
clock somewhere.”
FACES OF MCHS 15
April 25, 2012
Designed by Ryan Nelli
peacepipechatter.com
(Performer / Producer / Musical Prodigy)
By Ryan Nelli
A&E Editor
“We both met in drum line. We had
known each other before but didn’t get to
Kyle’s already has a successful career in
music.
As many students that went to ChanIn grade school, many would never nahon know, Kyle is an awesome drumhave guessed on how Kyle McComb mer and began playing at an early age: “I
turned out. His entire life is music, through started playing drums when I was eight
the play and creation of it. Kyle has ac- and then wanted to learn piano so I could
write music,” said Kyle.
?
Aside from drumming
and performing on stages
in some instances, Kyle’s
main interests include
making music and listening
Hometown: Joliet, Ill.
to electronic music. Deadmau5, Culprate, Zedd,
and Diplo are just a few of
Hobbies: Drumming, DJing, writing/re- Kyle’s favorite artists.
cording, music in general, DJ parties
While in grade school,
Kyle was in a short-lived
band named Evil Genius.
What helped Kyle enter
What’s on my iPod: Everything but
the rock band scene was
country, house to metal to prog
attending rock camps.
These camps organized
kids like Kyle into groups.
I’ve always wanted to... Perform at a They would practice for a
week then have a show. It
big fest or concert.
was a great experience for
Kyle that helped give him
an idea of what being in a
The one thing I know for sure is...
band is like.
I’m going to keep music in my life.
Though the beginning
of sophomore year, Kyle
was in a band named Paradise Destroyed with his
sister Kayla singing. Just
the same as his previous
complished a lot for being just a junior in band, this one split up eventually, though
high school; he’s been in multiple bands, his group may be what got Kyle’s curis an exceptional musician, and records his rent band, How & Why started. This has
own songs.
been an ongoing project between Kyle
“I love hearing Kyle’s music,” said ju- and Kayla since freshman year in which
nior Jacob Kubacki. With around 20 fin- they began their first album debuted just
ished songs and 100 works in progress, recently.
“We write and record all of the studio
stuff. Then live we have Jake Stonebreaker
playing guitar and I believe we are going
to have Jack Russell playing bass. Hopefully we are going to play a lot of shows
this summer. We played a couple places
last summer including at the Minooka
Teen Music Fest: Battle of the Bands,
which was our first-ever performance,
and placed first. Then we went on a tour
and played a couple gigs: bars [and] local
battle of the bands.”
For winning Battle of the Bands, How
& Why received not only popularity but
also prize money. For now, they are putting live performances on hold for focusing on recording and studio work. Kyle
has stated that he hopes the next album
will be released in the summer.
Astonishingly, while Kyle attends
MCHS, plays in the school band, and has
his own band, there is still another big part
of his life left. Kyle is in the duo group,
Senex DJs with junior Zack Kraft.
know each other that well. We found that
we both listen to the same styles of music
and we both respected EDM (electronic
dance music) and deejaying and thought,
‘Hey, that’d be fun.’ Right before summer last year, we spent the next couple
of weeks teaching ourselves how to use
everything and started deejaying parties.”
Kyle has DJ gigs for a couple of weddings
and parties over the summer.
Through all that Kyle has done, his
path seems fairly clear to him: “I just want
to play music. I want to make music and I
want to get it out to people and find people
that enjoy it. Being on stage is fun, but
when it comes down to it it’s that you do it
because you love it.” How & Why’s music
can be found on HowandWhy.Bandcamp.
com for free or also accept and very much
appreciate donations. Senex DJs’ music can be found at SoundCloud.com/djnightfighter under Kyle’s DJ name.
By Alyssa Aspan
Photographer
horses are purebreds.
Ladies, watch out, because
quite the romantic type.
His idea of a perfect date ?
is to go horseback riding at
sunset followed by a candlelit dinner (cooked himself), ending the night with
a movie followed by his
favorite food, cheesecake.
He also thinks that the ending to any date is to have
another.
What does he want
to do in his future? Who
knows? He likes to live
life in a day-by-day short
of aspect. Although he has
no plans for his major in
college yet, Dustin plans
on attending ISU. He does
know for sure, however,
that he is getting out of Illinois and going somewhere
warmer. He hopefully will
one day be pretty wealthy,
invest in the stock market,
and be well known enough
to make a difference in the
world.
He quotes himself, say-
ing, “I want to be known of, not known
about.”
Kyle McComb
how & why
DJ Nightfighter
Kyle spends much of his time in his basement mixing songs. Here Kyle is
making a moombahtin mix. Photo courtesy of Ryan Nelli.
Cowboy to be known
He is quiet, but not shy. He doesn’t
mind striking up a conversation with whoever provides him with the opportunity,
nor does he ever turn down the chance to
make someone smile.
Dustin Hadley describes himself as an
athletic, outgoing, witful, energetic, and a
thrill seeking person. Which every person
easily distinguishes shortly after meeting
him.
As if you couldn’t tell it from the way
he dresses, in cowboy hats and plaid long
sleeve shirts, Dustin is an all-out country
boy. He has 32 horses, fourteen goats, six
dogs, and two cats.
It’s just him, his younger brother Dalton, older sister Ashley, and his mom on
his 52-acre horse farm. After his parents
split in 2004, Hadley took on the “man of
the house” position. His daily jobs include,
bailing hay, barn maintenance, horse care,
tractor work, and all the things in between.
His family also grows their own hay to
feed the animals.
As if his work at home wasn’t enough,
Hadley also plays football and pole vaults
in track during their fall and spring seasons. He’s got to stay in shape.
Among Dustin’s many hobbies, his favorite has to easily be horseback riding.
He started when he was only 3 years old
and has continued to do so. He competes
in competitions throughout the year including the Springfield State Fair which
is held every August. There, he competes
in conformation and the collection of the
horses gait. He also has the chance to enter
his horses into shows, because most of his
Dustin Hadley sits on the porch in his
stables. Photo courtesy of Alyssa Aspan.
Dustin is
Dustin Hadley
Hometown: Minooka, Ill.
Hobbies: Pole vaulting, football, horseback riding
What’s on my iPod: T-Swift, every kind
of jam
I’ve always wanted to... be in a high
speed dog-fight, be in a Fast and the
Furious car race.
The one thing I know for sure is... I
want to own horses when I get older.
16 FACES OF MCHS
April 25, 2012
peacepipechatter.com
Designed by Austin Hough
Linnea Takes Dancing To Heart
?
Linnea Anderson
Hometown: Naperville, Ill.
Hobbies : Dance and Orchesis
What’s on my ipod... music and
games
By Victoria Bavarro
School News Editor
Linnea Anderson is unlike
most high schoolers; she is a
ball of ferocious fun.
While having friends and
maintaining her reputation as
the wild, spunky, fun-loving
dancer, she also maintains a
good relationship with both
her parents, who are her best
friends.
She loves doing fun activities with them like playing
Mario Cart with her dad who is
very competitive.
Linnea also loves her older
brothers, Jon Anderson and
Chris Anderson, and she enjoys
playing video games like Black
Ops, Left for Dead 2, Call of
Duty, and Killing Floor with
them.
Aside from committing herself to her family and faith, she
also commits herself to dance.
She is apart of Orchesis and
dances her butt off. She is the
life of the party and lights up the
dance floor.
Linena Anderson, junior, loves
dancing, especially with her Orchesis team. Photo by Victoria
Bavarro
Eric Keeps Wrestling, Beatboxing Alive and Well
By John Anians
Interactive editor
Junior, Eric McEvilly,
acclaimed wrestler and musical pioneer, would love
nothing more than to prove
to you how good he really
is.
“I like to be the best at
what I do,” McEvilly said.
Eric lives in Shorewood, Illinois, and over
the course of 17 years he’s
pursued a multitude of life
challenges and goals, generally consisting of competitive sports.
Through
vigorous
training, which began in
middle school, Eric has accomplished what most firstyear wrestlers could not.
In eighth grade, McEvilly
tried his luck with the Minooka Junior High wrestling team, and eventually
went on to win sectionals
?
Eric McEvilly, junior, continues to
wrestle and beat box on a regular basis. Photo courtesy of John
Anians.
Santiago Jasso
Hometown: Summit, Ill.
Hobbies: writes rap music
What’s on my ipod.. music people usually don’t listen to
I’ve always wanted to... play a big
part in a revolution.
The one thing I know for sure is... My
mom is never having a daughter (he has 6
brothers).
for his weight
class.
As
anyone
who follows this
sport knows, the
majority of wrestlers competing
at sectionals, regionals, and state
are almost always
loaded with at
least 3 to 5 years
of
experience,
and quite possibly
have been there
before.
This
momentum followed
through into his
high school career, and he later
went on to win the
SPC title.
Eric’s second
and most current
passion is what
some people consider to be a dying
art. However, Eric hopes ?
to change the minds of the
masses, and progress towards the mastery of this
old-school talent. Through
beat boxing, Eric expresses Hometown: Shorewood, Ill.
his emotions by making
complex sounds and patterns with his mouth. When
Hobbies : beatboxing, wrestling
you see him, ask him for a
beat and he will surely spit
something crazy, but if not,
he would always appreci- What’s on my ipod... Eminem, dubstep,
ate more subscribers to his random stuff
YouTube channel (Aniavilly), which you could learn
more about by asking him.
“I believe as long as I’ve always wanted to... go beyond
you do what you love you what people tell me to do. More than
will always be happy,” Eric just having a regular job.
said.
Eric’s message to the
reader would be to find
The one thing I know for sure is...
something you like to do,
and appreciate your talents. you’ll be happy if you’re yourself.
Find joy in yourself, and
eventually others will, too.
Eric McEvilly
Santiago Expresses Knowledge Through Music
By Chris Rubio
A&E Editor
goofy conversation spark-
speaks what is on his mind.
He learns
a b o u t
n e w
“I wanna do somethings
thing that gives me an opsuch as
portunity to talk to kids
his views
and enlighten them,” Sanon
life
tiago Jasso, junior, said.
and muAn outspoken and
sic usuone of the most intelligent
ally
at
people at MCHS, Santiahome; he
go stands out from other
brings
students. He plans on exthe inforpressing this more and
mation
more through his love for
to school
music.
and talks
“I like to write really
about it
bad rap music,” he said,
w i t h
because he hasn’t heard
Santiago Jasso, looks to express his message
h i s
much feedback since he
to the world through music. Photo by of Chris
peers.
hasn’t released anything Rubio
When
himself quite yet.
he isn’t
Santiago has the perer
who
doesn’t
care
what
learning
new
things,
he
sonality that can reach out
much
people
think,
he
just
usually
just
stays
at
home
to all kinds of people. As a
and listens to new music
that many people may not
be used to hearing.
“I like to keep my ears
open. I always love hearing new music, especially
the kinds that inspires me,”
Santiago said.
He writes raps almost everyday and has
more than three filled with
rhymes ready to be recorded.
“Once I’m done with
high school, I’ll be going
to school to study the same
thing my dad does. It’ll be
easier to record since I’ll
have my own time so I’m
just waiting till then,” Santiago said.
He hopes to pursue
a career, but being a successful rapper would be his
dream.