Her alarm clock rings at exactly 7:00 a.m., waking up senior Lashay Green for another day of school. She steps out of her room; a cozy, yet small area where the white brick walls are clad with images of musicians, fashionistas, and symbols expressing Green’s beliefs. Grabbing a slice of frozen cheese pizza from Home-Run-Inn for breakfast, she casually slips on black leggings, a plaid shirt tied around her waist, Doc Martens, and possibly her signature and favorite item, silver chains, and heads for the bus for yet another day in the life of the oh- so- known Lashay Green.

Walking down the halls during a passing period, it’s hard to miss Green. It could be for two prominent reasons: one, for her signature and original style, and two, for her vibrant and vivacious personality. But before Niles West, Green was a little different, and didn’t quite know who she was. That’s when style helped her become the girl she is today, inside and out.

Although Green was trying to fit in with all the other girls in eighth grade by thrifting for typical jeans and t-shirts, she now thrifts for clothes that allow her to express her creativity.

“I just look for stuff with cool patterns, stuff that’s weird. I like old-people clothes,” she said.

Stepping into the world of Niles West changed both her style and personality.

“Realizing that people looked different in a big way, but had a lot in common with me, helped me become my own person and made me want to be friends with diverse groups of people.”

Her new environment and self confidence allowed her to fully express herself through her appearance.

Two years passed, and by the time sophomore year rolled around, Green decided to take a big risk with her appearance, so she shaved half her head.

“I started to care about my appearance, and was tired of wearing things everyone else wore. I didn’t want to look like everyone else,” she said.

Close friend and senior Lois Le reminisces on the years before Green started to transform.

“I’ve been friends with her since before high school. She was always a great person, but really started becoming her own person going into sophomore year. I was with her the first time she shaved her head, and when she got graphics as well, so I’ve been through a lot with her. She’s blossomed into a raw and sick individual.”

After Green shaved her head, she added tattoos and piercings to emphasize her unique physical appearance. Her first tattoo was a cross on the back of her hand, representing her faithful devotion to God. She also has a heart behind her ear, along with five piercings, and she embraces all of them. Green says she feels more confident knowing that her mother supports her with all of her decisions.

“Who else’s parent lets them get tattoos, piercings, shave their head and dress like a fool? She let’s me express myself.”

As Green started to mold into the person she is today, she started expressing her interests and creative sayings in a big way.

When asked how Green has transformed from freshman to senior year, homeroom teacher Tamara Jaffee-Notier couldn’t help but gush.

“Well, I like her hair!” she said with a chuckle. “But, no, Lashay has always been an imaginative and creative person. She’s brought her imagination into the world, but has become more pragmatic in her daily life. She doesn’t let go of her idealism in her daily life.”

Through social media, Green has made the word, “trill” her mantra. The saying started in the earlier years of the hip-hop industry, and its meaning means a lot to Green.

“It means to stay true to yourself, or it could simply mean, ‘you look nice today.’”

Green is also trying to set a trend with the word, “wavy,” meaning someone is attractive, or one dresses in a nice manner.

“It’s like “trill” but ten times better,” she says with a laugh.

Through the hip-hop industry, Green has not only started setting trends with words, but rap music has been therapeutic to her on a personal level.

Through Green’s transformation, she’s become quite popular on the Facebook scene. Just by making simple statuses such as ”I swear people can’t be alone these days. It seems like we convince ourselves we NEED to be in relationships,” expressing her mind is what she does best.

Friend and fellow senior Nicholle Fourkas speaks highly of Green.

“She’s a very interesting person, and super fun. She tells it like it is, but she can get along with anyone.”

About a year after Kirk (Chris Pine) becomes captain of the USS Enterprise, the crew is charged with exploring and classifying distant civilizations, but Kirk gets court-martialed for breaking protocol and loses his captain rank. At a meeting involving high-ranking members of Starfleet, they are attacked by a ship commanded by a rogue Starfleet officer, John Harrison. Kirk’s position is reinstated but with a new purpose, kill Harrison. Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the USS Enterprise must do so without starting an all-out war with the Klingon race, as Harrison is hiding in their territory. What follows is an epic sci-fi action thriller filled with space fights, betrayals, tragedies, and some comedy thrown in the mix.

While there are many things set up in the story to make this a truly standout film, most of the movie’s idea are never truly fleshed out, feeling mostly like a retread of the first film. Kirk is immature, no one trusts him, there is a bad guy doing something evil on a far planet, they fight between two ships for a bit, then its pretty much over. No sprawling worlds to explore like the USS Enterprise is supposed to. No “boldly going where no man has gone before,” except for the first scene on a primitive alien world, which is probably one of the best scenes in the movie. Kirk and Spock go through the same arcs they did in the first film, the conflict is resolved far too quickly, and ultimately it just feels like nothing happened. There is virtually nothing different at the end of this movie than the end of the first. This movie never quite lives up to its potential, except for the superb cast.

Director of the first movie, J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Super 8”), returns for the sequel after revitalizing the franchise with the incredibly fun blockbuster. With his massive success with the first film, and his extensive background in sci-fi television shows, he seems well suited to the task. Unfortunately, maybe it was time for someone else to take the reins. J.J. Abrams is known to having never been a fan of Star Trek prior to his commitment to the first film, so it’s impressive enough that he made the first movie so good, but it looks he couldn’t quite pull off “Into Darkness.” With Abrams being the official king of sci-fi, as he’s also directing “Star Wars Episode VII,” I can’t say he’s quite the right man for the job. I hope his being a bigger fan of Star Wars than Star Trek means that he’ll do a better job with that one.

Chris Pine reprises his role as the fun-loving, rule-breaking, obstinate yet heroic Captain James T. Kirk. He does a solid job here of making Kirk a very human and flawed hero. He is always trying to do the good thing, even if he isn’t always the most level-headed about things, which is where his crew comes in the balance him out and help him be the best he can be. He makes Kirk feel like an everyman, yet still a badass action hero and someone to respect. If only the character had a better story arc for this film, as it’s basically the same as the first. His chemistry with Zachary Quinto is his highlight of the series.

Quinto (“Heroes”) as the half-human, half-Vulcan Spock is possibly the best part of this movie, just as he was in the first. He does a fantastic job of keeping Spock as stoic, emotionless, and calculating while still retaining subtly retaining the deeper emotions hidden inside that make him so compelling. Quinto is also good at bringing out the humor in the character, making him less boring than he could be, and very endearing. Despite all of these qualities, when Spock gets mad, you can see why his coldness is necessary, as Quinto really makes Spock someone you wouldn’t want to mess with when he’s angry.

Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock,” “Parade’s End”) plays his biggest movie role yet as the main antagonist, John Harrison. With his incredibly deep voice and skinny frame making him feel off, yet imposing, and his uncanny ability to play stoic geniuses proven by playing the stoic genius in “Sherlock.” He provides a lot of depth to the character, while making him truly threatening and unpredictable. He is at times sympathetic, someone you can root for, misunderstood, and completely evil and it all fits. Too bad he ends up feeling fairly underutilized, not truly becoming the main villain until too far into the movie.

The rest of the Enterprise crew do their best with what they’ve got, which isn’t much. The cast isn’t as well balanced as it was in the first, with Zoe Saldana as Uhura, John Cho as Sulu, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, and Anton Yelchin as Checkov having limited screen time and no character arcs or development of their own. Oh, and Alice Eve is there too now, with no real lasting impact. It isn’t the actors’ fault, they just weren’t given much to do. Simon Pegg’s Scotty is the only crew member who gets some sort of an arc and a true impact on the story.

Overall, being a fan of the original franchise and a bigger fan of the reboot than I expected to be, I was disappointed. Oddly, when I left the movie, I was content with it, but once I started talking about it, I started noticing all these little distractions that took away from a potentially great movie. The action was good and the jokes were funny, but the story is very thin and it’s nearly a carbon copy of the original. With Abrams now moving on to Star Wars, let’s hope this rebooted franchise can get back on its feet with the next one.

After a comparably subpar rest of the season, the Niles West Boys’ Track team has enjoyed recent success in their conference meet, juniors Matthew Henry and Denis Gargovic made it to finals after competing in the state competition last Saturday.

The team originally qualified for six events downstate, two relays and four individuals.

Gargovic competed in the Shotput and Discus, seniors Yandiel Cardenas and George Webb in the 800 meter run, Henry in the 300 hurdles, the 800 meter relay team of senior James Williams, junior Jimmy Holbrook, and sophomores Brandon Constantino and Jackson Denly, and the 1600 meter relay team of Cardenas, Webb, Denly, and senior Justin Atwal.

Senior Jeremiah Jordan was favored to make state in 100 and 200 meter relays, in addition to being apart of the 800 meter relay, but he severely rolled his ankle while running the 400 meter relay.  Despite Jordan’s absence, the 800 meter relay still made state.

Williams was enthusiastic about going to state as a senior captain, saying “Over the past four years, it has been a journey, and now that I’m at this moment, going to state feels great.  I’m happy to be representing my teammates.  We’ve prepared, and I have confidence in these guys, and I look forward to doing well.”

“When I first saw him, he was an annoying freshman, but then I got to know him and his sense of humor. Now that I talk to him every day he’s really sweet. Kind of like a little brother.”

Junior Haley Mahoney Muno’s first impression on Freshman Dylan Fleites didn’t come as a surprise to the aspiring NFL star. He’s used to having premature judgments made on him based on his outgoing and eccentric personality.

“A lot of people judge me when they first meet me,” Fleites said.

Whether these judgments are based on the fact that he likes to joke around or the clothes he wears (many of you probably remember his outfit on Teacher-Student switch day; Fleites simply stated that he “decided to be a woman teacher”), the bottom line is that there’s more to him than just his fun loving demeanor and football uniform. Fleites’ actions are based on experiences that he’s gone through in the past and the desire to succeed despite all odds.

Dylan Fleites wearing his “teacher-student switch day” costume during spring spirit week.

LIFE AT SCHOOL

Freshman year is a big transition, and no one is more aware of that than Fleites. Being on football and track, his primary focus is sports.

“I only care about school when it comes to being eligible for sports,” he said.

Though football is his main priority, Fleites has slowly but surely come to realize that he’s going to need to take a different approach when it comes to academics next year.

Junior and role model Nick Johnson admits that “he needs to work on his work ethic, and he needs to start now. Hanging out with us (Juniors Garrett Iverson and Boaz Shields) more is gonna get him more involved, and get him in the weight room, and get him practicing more to work on his technique.”

Next year, Fleites plans on showing his peers and coaches his full potential.

“This year, I just kind of like shut down grades and I just wanted to be eligible. Like the grades didn’t matter as long as I could play sports, but I kind of realized that next year I’m gonna have to keep them better.”

Fleites realized that his attitude towards academics has hindered his full potential when it comes to football in terms of how his coaches view him.

“I think that I have the talent [to make varsity] but I feel like the coaches look at my grades and don’t think I’m smart enough,” he said. “Football is not just about muscle, and who’s stronger, it’s about whether or not you’re smarter with the plays you make and what you do.”

Fleites started playing flag football in kindergarten, and in 4th grade he began tackle; he’s been a dedicated player ever since.

“I do workouts in my backyard every day and I do drills. I feel like it’s a waste of money to have someone else show you what to do when you could just learn from watching,” he said.

Fleites has big dreams, and he realizes that he has to take big steps to achieve those dreams. Hoping to attend Michigan State University and become a spartan when the time comes, Fleites has already taken the initiative to get his name out there.

“It was awhile ago, and I just sent him an email that I was interested for him to maybe look at some of my plays, and he said sure, so I hope that by the time I’m a junior or a senior maybe he’ll give me a call and say that he was interested.”

MOTIVATION

Being a freshman and already emailing college football coaches shows an enormous amount of initiative. His desire to succeed has always been instilled within him; it started with his parents.

“Knowing that my family came from [Cuba], they just struggled through things. So, I mean struggling through practices and struggling through playing through an injury is the least I can do for all the things that they did [for me].”

Fleites has three older brothers who all have experience with playing football, but none of them showed the dedication that he does.

“Growing up, I was, I guess, a chubbier kid. I would eat a lot. I always wanted to play running back and just be able to run the ball but they always put me on the line. Then, when I got into high school, I guess I got fast enough and big enough to play running back. Being one of the top running backs or linebackers in the league by the time I’m varsity would be the one thing that I want to prove to anyone who told me I couldn’t run the ball or make the big hits that some kids can.”

Fleites admits that he struggled a lot while attending his middle school, Queen of All Saints.

“I would come home a lot and I would just eat. I wouldn’t stop. I wouldn’t say I was depressed at that age, I would just say that I felt like there was something missing.”

All of the kids who teased Fleites about his weight and told him that he couldn’t successfully play his desired positions is what gave him the drive to prove them wrong. Realizing that football brought him true joy, Fleites decided to make some positive changes.

Fleites’ transformation from middle school to high school

Fleites admits that the people discouraging him were what gave him motivation, but he doesn’t have much to say to them.

“I did better than what they said that I could. I mean, in a way I would thank them I guess, because all of the things that they said to me growing up is what pushed me to try to be better… getting a scholarship to play anywhere would just give me the right to tell them that I did what they told me I couldn’t.”

ON THE NFL

Though Fleites has big dreams to make it in the NFL, he admits that he doesn’t follow it as much as he follows college football.

“I don’t really think the NFL is that good, because I feel like players in the NFL feel like they’ve made it and they don’t have to do anything else. Like they’ve gotten their paychecks and everything, but I feel like players in college play as hard as they can so they can get get to the next level, so I like college a little more,” he said.

Though Fleites doesn’t appreciate the NFL as much as other football fans may, he does admit to admiring Calvin Johnson, the wide receiver for the Detroit Lions.

“I remember that I was watching a E-60 interview with him on ESPN, and I don’t really know that much about him, because I don’t really pay attention to the NFL as much, but he came from a really rough family when he was growing up, but he came through that adversity and he basically just didn’t give up through everything that came his way,” Fleites said.

ROLE MODELS

Not only does Fleites admire an NFL star for his hard work, but he also admires senior James Williams in addition to junior Nick Johnson, as mentioned above.

“I just met [James] this year, and he’s already become a like brother to me. He was always there for me when I was at a low time, and he basically told me that if I’m in pain I just have to play through it,” Fleites said.

Williams has played through various injuries before, and Fleites admires the strength, dedication, and will power he has to continue playing on.

“I had to keep playing for my teammates,” Williams said. “I play aggressive, work hard, and I love my team. Having an injury is a minor thing because pain is only temporary. If you want to succeed then why let something stop you? Go out there and take what you want.”

“I have a lot that my parents can offer me, so I’m gonna try to take advantage of what I have,” Fleites said.

Williams admits that as a little kid, he had some anger issues that carried on, so he decided to play football as a stress reliever. In doing so, he met Fleites, who he refers to as “the little brother he never had.”

“When I look at Dylan, I see a little bit of myself in him,” Williams said. “He is a genuine young adult with a good head on his shoulders. I can honestly say that he has skills on the football field. He has so much potential in him that he will be the main guy that his opponents are going to talk about.”

Similar to Fleites and the hard time he went through in middle school, Williams and Calvin Johnson have both had instances where they had to overcome adversity to succeed.

Though his other role model, Nick Johnson, is inspiring to Fleites for different reasons, they are legitimate reasons nonetheless.

“Me and Nick started talking recently. We went to a couple hockey games together. A couple weeks ago, I was going through something, and I was having a problem, and I called him and I was like, ‘can I talk to you?’ And the next day he came and picked me up and we talked about what was wrong, and he helped me through it. He’s great at football, and just everything that he does, he does it to his full ability,” Fleites said.

Nick considers Fleites as a little brother, and admits that, “he’s a good kid. He’s just been through a lot. I feel like the reason I try to help him out is because he’s in a position where he needs older male figures to keep him on track. That’s why I’m okay with helping him out whenever he needs it.”

The changes that Fleites has made have been encouraged by his new friends at West.

“I feel like the kids here, they support me and they’re more understanding,” Fleites said.

Not only does Fleites look up to teammates and NFL stars, but one of his biggest role models happens to be a former NFL star himself.

Coach Michael Blair was Fleites’ freshman coach, and he was also a running back in the NFL for the Greenbay Packers.

“When I seem like I’m not at my fullest ability during practice or something like that, he just pulls me aside and asks me what’s wrong.”

Fleites appreciates the fact that Coach Blair doesn’t simply see him as a player that can lead his team to success, but as an actual person.

“He’s one of those coaches that really cares about who’s on his team and who we are [as people],” Fleites said. A COACH’S PERSPECTIVE

Having played at the highest level, Coach Blair says that he “strongly believes in the psychological aspect of the game,” which is why he’s able to connect with his players on a deeper level.

“I understand the emotional feels that every player is going through at that time, and at the end of the day we all have adversities outside of football that we have to overcome and have to deal with. The sport of football is where [the players can] let go of that energy of having problems and things of that nature. [Football] is one of the sports where you can go through every emotion in 5 seconds. You can be happy, you can be sad, you can feel irritated. You can feel all those things in that one play, and then you start all over again and you do that for 80-100 plays in the next three hours.” “I know a lot goes into it, and because of that, each athlete needs that attention. They need that outlet to have that discussion with somebody. So I try to talk about that as well as talking about the game.”

Coach Blair is not only able to connect with his players because of his professional experience, but he also owes some of his wisdom to his father, who played professional national soccer for Jamaica. Coach Blair’s father constantly reminded him that there’s a time and a place for everything.

“At the time he told me that I had no clue what he was talking about, but now as I got older, I understand that fully. It’s not just playing the game. It’s knowing that you have to be serious when somebody is having a serious conversation with you, knowing that you can’t have your emotions get in the way where you can’t fully think on the field, knowing that the classroom is the classroom, and you have to be studious in the classroom, knowing that you’re not going to school to love the teacher, you’re going to school to learn.”

Coach Blair uses a philosophy that he calls parallel learning: what you do on the field is what you do on the field, and what you do off the field reflects back onto the field.

“Playing the game is great, it’s a beautiful thing, but what you do off the field is as equal or more important than what you do on the field. So that’s why it’s important to know that there’s a time and place for everything,” he said.

At this moment in time, football is the main focus of Fleites’ life. He’s on the journey to reaching his number one priority: playing football for as long as he can, but Fleites is more than aware of the probability of his dreams coming true.

“It’s more of a dream, and not all your dreams are going to come true. There’s a very slight possibility that anyone makes it into the NFL, and if I did it would be the greatest thing ever, but if I didn’t, I could always do something else to make me happy,” he said.

That “something else” would most likely be construction or architecture, two completely different fields from his current passion, but his interest in construction comes from his father, who is also involved in the construction business. As for architecture, Fleites enjoys building things out of nothing.

“You just take something and make it into something,” Fleites said.

“As of now with my skills and capabilities [with football] compared to some other kids at other schools, I haven’t developed into enough of a player yet that can say I am or am not able to make it the NFL.”

 THE REAL DYLAN

Roll out the red carpet and grab a mouse because an internet star has been born within the halls of Niles West. With a click of a button, you can see senior Douglas Bako reel in views on Youtube with his viral cover of Ed Sheeran’s song Wayfaring Stranger. His entrancing voice and interesting integration of modern day technology have become a hit on the internet. Bako did not discover his talents until 7th or 8th grade when his father taught him to play the guitar and sing and applauded his skills.  Since then, Bako has continued singing and his internet fame began on Youtube where his friend had uploaded a video of him using an app called Voice Jam on his iPhone.

“I was at my friends house and I was showing his dad how the app works and he recorded it and put it up,” Bako said.

Bako’s cover of Wayfaring Stranger by Ed Sheeran and has received over 500,000 views on Youtube with over 10,000 likes since its upload date on January 30, 2013. The video also became viral on Facebook with more than 8,700 likes, 546 comments, and 2,400 shares.

“[The internet popularity] is amazing,” Bako said. I can’t believe how many people add and message me on Facebook who don’t even know me and [contact] me from Iceland. Like, wow, people from Iceland like me! It’s just amazing.”

Because of the positive responses his cover had received, Bako was offered a partnership from Youtube.

“I get paid per view, per subscribe, per like,” Bako shared. “I was amazed considering I was getting closer to making a career [out of music].”

As someone who isn’t “the biggest fan of school,” Bako spends most of his time doing what he loves: writing and composing music.

“[My life is] just school, homework, music, sleep, and then the same thing again,” he said.

Bako plans to attend Oakton Community College for a couple of years and pursue his music. However, because of his family’s involvement in his life, he also tries to be a bit realistic and is interested in becoming a contractor like his father as his back-up plan.

“My mom’s always super realistic about things,” he said. “She thinks [my music] should just be a hobby and wants me to go to college and pursue things. My dad is more about chasing my dreams and my younger brother is a singer, too.”

With the determination to make his dreams come true, Bako auditioned for American Idol and The Voice in 2012 and was rejected in both auditions.

“It’s hard,” he said. “You wait in line for several hours and wonder if you can be the one. That was before [my video was on] Youtube.”

Aside from creating music and posting covers, Bako has been a member of West’s award-winning male acapella group, Echo Effect, for three years.

“Echo effect is my second family,” said Bako. “[They are] my brothers. Echo Effect has allowed me to meet so many different people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Before, I would usually stay within the same crowd. I’ve learned not to judge people by what they’re labeled.”

Junior Vinay Patel admits that Doug ”brings excitement and leadership to the group. He is always ready to give us the criticism we need and work to be the group that he knows we can be. He’s a really nice guy and a great friend; he’s the kind of guy that will always have your back, and I will miss him.”

Although he has suddenly become famous on the internet for his talents, Bako remains humble and doesn’t want to change because of his popularity.

“As a person, [I haven't changed],” Bako shared. “I hope I [don't change] because I like how I am. God forbid I change because of the money.”

Through his struggles as a musician and singer, Bako has learned to tackle all obstacles with perseverance. He has a message for all starving artists:

“Don’t give up. I know it sounds cliche, but I’ve uploaded videos before and they didn’t get as much attention so I deleted them. This video [Wayfaring Stranger], after two months, went viral. I feel like everyone should be recognized, but it is very competitive. [However,] if you don’t get what you want, you have to keep trying. Just look at me!”

Bako’s journey as an artist isn’t ending with his high school career.

“When [my] video went viral, I was contacted by a producer from The Ellen Degeneres show,” Bako said. “My friend recently got the message that asked for me to go on the show. He wanted me to send a two minute video of me singing. I was speechless, I couldn’t believe what was happening. My dad was freaking out. I’ve watched the show and my friend isn’t into that stuff, so when I got the news I was explaining what a big deal it was like, ‘You don’t understand. This is huge!’  Take that American Idol!”

The date and time in which Bako may appear on the Ellen Degeneres show has yet to be confirmed. Bako plans to continue uploading covers on Youtube of songs from Justin Timberlake, Justin Nozuka, Ed Sheeran, and Louis Watson.

Dig the scoop on Doug? Here are some Fun Facts: 

- He has been involved in West’s Boy’s Gymnastics and Break Beatz.

- His inspiration comes from Justin Timberlake, Justin Nozuka, and Ed Sheeran. He does not listen to a lot of mainstream music and is mostly into Indie music and slow rock.

NWN: Is there any particular reason why you’ve only covered Ed Sheeran’s songs so far?

Bako: “He is my new love, I’m just madly in love with his songs. I just started listening to Wayfaring Stranger and that’s why I decided to sing it [at the time of the video].”

NWN: If you could choose any celebrity to play yourself in the movie of your life, who would it be?

Bako: “Considering I’m a very attractive man, I would pick Justin Timberlake because he’s attractive, a good singer, and a great actor. He’s like a god.”

NWN: If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Bako: “Telekinesis to move things, read minds, and become invisible.”

Niles West’s Dance Marathon completed another successful year with an amount of 83, 184 dollars and 75 cents for the charity Rustic Falls Nature Camp.

While the amount raised did not match up with the amount last year, which was 84, 909 dollars and 82 cents, it was still higher than its expectations due to the fact that they lost a day at the Backlot Bash in August. The money was raised by the individual dancers, execs, and morale captains that fundraised throughout the year, as well as students who paid by the hour during the dance itself. Individual dancers are asked to raise at least 100 dollars, execs are required to raise at least 330 dollars, and morale captains are asked to raise over 150 dollars. There were also donations from T-Bay, Pizza Wars, and the Variety Show, all hosted by DM. Students are also allowed to go canning at restaurants, as well as ask for online donations through the website Firstgiving.

“Another name for DM is School Chest, which is representative of how we would like the entire school to really take ownership of this charity for the year and help out,” DM sponsor Jessica Pritzker said.

According to Pritzker, the school greatly contributed to the amount raised. The theater department donated an entire show’s profits to DM. Other schools and clubs also donated money, and members from many organizations, such as WHO Club along with the girl’s softball team went with DM to Rustic Falls to volunteer and help build and clean the camp’s facilities.

“I think each year’s DM is an incredible and unique event due to the fact that kids that run it!  Ms. Lichterman and I work closely with the North sponsors, but they and we work closely with the student leaders who put together the night of.  Each year’s event is planned by them, so the ‘what’s greater and bigger next year’ question will have to be deferred to the students,” Pritzker said.

The new charity that DM will be fundraising for in the upcoming school year is Croso, a non-profit  international organization that provides education to Ugandan communities.

Everyone wants that someone who will always be there. Just someone to talk to, laugh with, and to turn to for any reason. We’ve all heard the quote “friends come and go, but family is forever,” and freshmen Mario and Mercedes Bajric get the advantage by being fraternal twins.

Born in 1998, the twins grew up with two older sisters and one younger sister. As little kids, they always had each other to kick a soccer ball around or extra help with school work.

Spending most of their time together, they’re comfortable being themselves and goofing around. They joke around when they’re together, whether it’s about Mercedes beating her brother in Fifa or what to watch on the T.V. Everything turns into a fun little competition between the Bajric twins with rewards like being the better twin or bragging rights.

“We’re pretty close. We don’t know what it’s like to not have a twin,” said Mario.

Walking down the halls of Lincoln Hall, the Bajric twins weren’t allowed to have the same classes, but saw each other often because of their same group of friends. Their close friends can tell the twins are super close brother and sister.

“All of their friends are in the same group. When they’re together, they seem like best friends,” says freshman Jane Kim.

The Bajric twins are two different people with their own opinions. However, they can’t avoid the fact that they share similar interests like playing soccer, making new friends, and the obvious factor: they look alike. They even admitted that twin telepathy works.

Whether it’s through eye contact or facial expression, the Bajric twins claim to both know what the other twin is thinking or feeling. They even had an incident where they both threw up within minutes from each other, even though one of them wasn’t even sick.

A lot of crazy experiences come with being a twin, so much that it’s hard to handle. However, being a twin is like having a best friend; they stick together.

Born six minutes earlier, Mario looks out for his “little” sister.

“[Not being a twin] would be a lot harder. He’s there for me through everything- with guys and school,” Mercedes said.

Still a long way to go, college doesn’t seem to be much of a bother yet. If it came down to it, they both agreed they would want to be close but maybe not exactly at the same school. Spending most of their lives together, it would be different not having each other close by.

“It would be weird not seeing each other since we talk every day,” the Bajric twins agreed on.

Junior Breana Brill says goodbye to Mr. Bennett

The moment you step into Troy Bennett’s social studies room on the third floor, you already sense the type of teacher he is. From the giant wolf greeting you on the right side of the wall to the dozens of student hand prints around the perimeter of the ceiling, Bennett decorates his room with his school pride and dedication to his students.

“I’m a huge believer in that… one should have a classroom and that they should not make it look like a hospital. It seems that the prevailing thoughts these days are to whitewash everything. In fact, they actually painted over my wolf one year and it just floored me so I actually contacted the girl who painted it and got her back in to put it on the wall,” Bennett said.

The painted wolf on Mr. Bennett’s wall.

Although he holds a huge amount of pride for his room, he will soon have to leave it behind after 20 long and memorable years. District 219 made its usual teacher switches, and as a result, Bennett is relinquishing his Wolf status to become a Viking.

“It’s weird, to be quite honest with you,” he said. “They’ve always kind of been the other school, kind of like the red headed step-child that no one in your family wants to talk about. I know some of the few individuals in the social studies department, a few, not many and my boss is also going to be over there, so it’s going to be weird. I’ve got red shirts, I don’t have many purple.”

Even though Bennett is leaving West for North, he’ll always be welcomed back with open arms. If you ever had the joy of being enrolled in Bennett’s class for Western Civ or US History, there’s no doubt when you look back on the time spent in his class consisting of the game teams, Bennett’s stories and physical/mental challenges, those memories put a big smile on your face.

“I loved his class and will really miss him. His physical challenges for extra points made my days and made me sore,” said junior, Esteban Gavilanez. 

The walls of his room hold more then just paintings and hand prints, but happy memories of Bennett’s unique teaching style. Even though he’s not retiring as a teacher, and just leaving us for a new school, his teaching style will surely be missed.

“The Game” that has been mentioned throughout this article is something Bennett created a few years back with his AP US History class to make classmates more active. The class is divided into teams of four or five, where they come up with a team name and work together on projects, physical/mental challenges, studying for tests and anything else to get each other through the rough course of history. It helps students become a lot more engaged and competitive because each challenge, project and test counts for points, and the team with the highest amount of points gets an extra 3% added to their final grade.

“I think that competition plays an interesting role in education or should play an interesting role in education,” he said. “Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. And some groups work, and some groups don’t. But I also think that the idea of working in a group all semester long it gives you kind of a model of what it would be like in the business world and hopefully you are able to gain some characteristics of managing people that you’ll hopefully be able to use in the business world.”

“Having the group challenges and stuff during class makes the class fun and unique from other classes,” said junior, Lis Bowden.

Even though Bennett is only going to be a 10-minute drive away from Niles West, he will be missed throughout Niles West by colleagues and students alike. From his spaghetti challenges, marshmallow straw challenges and ‘picking up a paper bag with your mouth while balancing on one foot’ challenge, it’s safe to say that no student will experience another fun, productive history teacher like Bennett, and that’s the main reason why even though there are hundreds of teachers throughout Niles West, Bennett has made such a difference.

“He’s made my time in history the best by keeping me interested in the world as a whole,” said junior, Kris Trivedi. 

“I tease my students all the time that if I were walking down the hallway next year, they’d forget who I was, or they wouldn’t say hi,” said Bennett.

So I’d like you all to do me a favor. Whether an alum student of Bennett or current, don’t forget to give him a quick greeting, send-off message or even a nice, baked “Flaming Alaska” would do the trick to make his last few days of his twenty years of being a wolf, the best days.

Bennett, Niles West will miss you but always remember: once a wolf, always a wolf.

Students of Niles West usually walk down the dark hallways by the dean’s office for a number of reasons, but most likely for the attendance office. Whether a student is locked out from missing nine periods or even one, they can walk into the attendance office and be sure to see Bob Vujovich sitting at his desk, accompanied by the “click” his computer mouse makes.

Vujovich, father of the senior triplets, has been head of the attendance office since 1998. Before West, Vujovich worked at the Chicago Board of Trade but decided to leave for a new start. A friend, who was the superintendent during that time, told him about the job opportunity. Soon, Vujovich began to call the home of the Wolves his second home.

“I didn’t really know him well but he was a nice and understanding guy. And people easily loved him because of that quality,” said junior Cyril Onate.

Working at West for 15 years, Vujovich became the face of the attendance office. All problems dealing with lock outs or tardies were handled after talking with him. For Vujovich, it wasn’t only about clearing and keeping track of the attendance of Niles West students. He loves talking and meeting students each year. Even though he doesn’t know every single student, there’s always a handful of kids who make it a regular habit to go down to the attendance office.

“There’s always five percent of people always here, but those [students] are my guys,” Vujovich said laughing.

Vujovich got the chance to work at West in an office, but he was more active throughout the school. He made close relationships with teachers and students, and will miss them terribly as he leaves at the end of the school year.

Niles West was a time of joy and happiness for Vujovich, but there were rough times that are unforgettable. In 1999, a former student, who was very close with him, was involved with a gang shooting. Vujovich received the news the morning after at work and was in shock. He still visits this student in prison today.

“We became pretty close friends. He was a smart kid,” said Vujovich.

Right when school ends, Vujovich will say goodbye to Niles West as he walks back to his first love, his job at the Chicago Board of Trade.

“I’m going back to what I started at 1981,” said Vujovich.

Many of us have seen Mr. Billy Oline floating around the school. Whether he’s a sub for gym class, taking over the attendance office, or filling in for any other teacher, it’s guaranteed to see his face somewhere around the school at any given time.

Oline isn’t new to the halls of Niles West, though. He graduated as a wolf back in 2006 with experience in football and track and field under his belt.

Soon after, he went on to play 5 years of football as a Bulldog at Truman State University in Missouri where he studied exercise science and business administration.

Though Oline didn’t necessarily study education in college, he knew that it was his calling.

“I knew when I was in high school that I wanted to be a teacher,” he said.

Ms. Jennifer Sipiera, Oline’s high school biology and homeroom teacher, saw positive traits in him from an early age.

“I remember [that] he was a really good student. He was very conscientious about his work. He actually asked some really good questions when it came to material. He was also a really good lab partner to kids who sometimes didn’t understand everything. So, I remember him being a pretty well rounded kid,” Sipiera said.

Currently, Mr. Oline is a cadre here at West, meaning that he is a full time substitute. Though he’s still in grad school at National Louis University working to get his masters in education, next year he hopes to be accepted to be a physical education paraprofessional.

“When I get my masters, I’ll have my teaching certificate in physical education and special education,” he said.

“I think he’d be a really great assett to the teaching field here,” said Sipiera. “Especially if he’s willing to work in the special education realm and work with the physical wellness with students to be able to get them to have that experience that a lot of times they don’t get. I think he would be fantastic at it because he has a very relaxed, very calming personality.”

“It’s a rewarding experience, ” he said.

One of the things that draws Mr. Oline to education is being able see students grow.

“I just think that working with students in general, especially young adults, is rewarding.”

Oline has had the motivation to achieve his dreams since his days as a Wolf. He specifically remembers physical education teacher Chris Vivone having a strong impact on him.

“He instills in people work ethic and the amount of work it takes to succeed,” Oline said.

According to Sipiera, Oline had that work ethic at a young age.

“I would say the years that I had him, I had a really, really great homeroom, and he was kind of a spearhead in that homeroom. Back then there was a big competition with the NHS canned food drive, and my homeroom won all four years. In their senior year I believe my homeroom collected over 2,600 cans just by themselves, and [Oline] was a big proponent of getting money together from all the kids in my homeroom. He came and he helped me unload boxes and boxes of cans, so he was already willing to put forth that type of commitment back when he was even in high school,” she said.

Speaking from experience, Oline has a few words of advice to anyone wishing to achieve a big goal.

“The end result is definitely worth all the hard work that you have to go through.”

The Homecoming Dance is scheduled to be held on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 pm in the contest gym.

According to Homecoming Committee sponsor Kathie Kajmowicz, this year’s dance theme is “Under the Big Top.”

“Students will get the exotic feeling of being at a circus while they are enjoying the dance,” says sophomore and Homecoming Committee member Emily Schmidt.

Sophomore Magali Arellano agrees with Schmidt.

“I think students will feel like they are at a circus,” she said. “I’m sure they will get a feel of the whole theme,” she said.

Members said that the decisions about decorations are still not yet finalized and with the short amount of time, they feel some pressure.

Junior Linda Ahams says planning the event this early in the year is a little difficult.

“I think it’s better to have the dance early this year because it’s going to be warm and girls will be able to wear any dress they want,” she said. “But on the other hand, it’s very hectic to plan.”

Activities director Jessica Pritzker said that students must register before they are allowed to buy a ticket.

“[Tickets] will go on sale on Friday, Sept. 13 until we sell out,” she said, “or through lunch periods on the 20th,” she said.

Tickets will be $21 person or $38 per couple.

Guest forms are due on Friday, Sept. 6, and Homecoming king and queen applications are due on Monday, Sept. 9. 

“My freshman year, I wanted to make varsity so bad,” senior Robert Ljubic said. “I actually made it somehow, and I was so surprised.”

Three years later, he’s leading the boys varsity soccer team as one of their captains side by side with his brother, junior Mario Ljubic, and good friend, senior Hubert Szelag.

The younger Ljubic admits that working with his older brother as a captain feels “swaggin’. It’s a good feeling because you feel important. [Soccer strengthened our bond] a little bit, yeah. Not too noticeably and not in a way that we’re best friends now, but soccer does unite us. I think that if we both did not play soccer we wouldn’t be as close,” Mario said.

Robert agrees.

“It’s entertaining,” he said. “I’m never bored. There’s two of us, so we can do everything together.”

Although Szelag may not have a blood relation to his co captains, that doesn’t hinder their relationship whatsoever.

“We all chill outside of school. We’re all good friends, so I don’t feel like a third wheel,” Szelag said.

EARLY LIFE

The trio have all been active participants in soccer since the young age of just six years old, and their love for the game is what really brings them together.

The Ljubic brothers developed their skills early on at the AYSO soccer club, and then moved on to a Croatian team that their father founded and coached.

“[The Croatian soccer team] made me really involved with soccer. Being involved, I started to like it. Soccer pretty much took over my childhood years and I became a huge soccer fan. I love the sport, and as a kid I always planned on playing professionally,” he said.

Now, the Ljubics are both actively involved in both Niles West soccer and FC Chicago Soccer Club.

Though Szelag’s soccer upbringing was a little different, he shares the same passion for the game.

Similar to his co captains, soccer is also a strong part of Szelag’s Polish culture.

“[Soccer] just comes with the culture I guess. During the world cup you always watch games. Whenever there’s a friendly match, my uncles and everyone just get together and watch the game at somebody’s house. Soccer’s just in my blood basically,” he said.

Unlike the Ljubics who started their soccer careers at AYSO, Szelag’s first memories were at the Niles Park District.

Senior Hubert Szelag

“I played for about two years, and then my coaches and parents saw that I was better than the other kids, so they signed me up for for club. At first I played for Wisla [a Polish soccer club] for about four years, after that, I went to PNA soccer club, and now I play for Chicago Magic.”

EXPECTATIONS

With the constant moving around from soccer club to soccer club, Szelag admits that out of all of his experiences, PNA has impacted him the most, but right now, the boys are focusing on what they currently have going on since their coaches have such high expectations for them, particularly assistant coach Eric Lueder.

“I don’t know where the team is going to end up, but I think those guys, to this point have been phenomenal. Some of the best leadership we’ve had in a long time. I think it starts with how hard they work, and they really have, so im anxious to see how it turns out. It’s been an exciting summer. The guys, their leadership has been, like I said, just fantastic, through their actions and their words,” he said.

As for the boys, they hope not to disappoint the man who Szelag refers to as “the number one motivator you’ll come across.”

“Sophomore year, regional semi finals against GBS, we were down 2-1 and at half time, Leuder just gave us an inspirational speech that hit us all. We tied the game and went into double overtime,” recalled Szelag.

The team got the penalties in double overtime, but when it came down to making goals, the referee didn’t see the ball go past the line even though there was a video of it. Although the loss was tough for the boys after having such a great comeback, “Lueder made sure we kept out heads up,” Mario said.

“I remember as a player the things I wanted to hear. I read a lot. I study a lot about things that motivate people, and I think a lot of it, too, is getting to know the guys and how to reach them the best. Different teams respond in different ways. I think it’s my own personal experiences, and the relationships I have with the guys. I never played soccer in my life, I just learned it because I was asked by a friend to help coach, and then I really loved it, so I just learned it, watched it and studied it,” Lueder said.

The boys are planning to fully live up to the expectations that their team has for them, with Mario hoping to score 17 goals this year, Robert planning to make all sectionals as an individual, and Szelag aiming for an all conference title as a player. As for their team, they agree that super sectionals and all conference would be two events to which they hope to lead their team.

Head coach Scott Ackman has no doubts that his team will be successful under the leadership of the skilled trio.

“Those three worked the hardest in the off season. They did everything we asked for. They’re the leaders of the team. They got all the team together for camps, for summer games, they’ve just done everything. They’ve also been on varsity the longest. [The Ljubics have been on varsity] since they were freshman. So we expect them to be leaders out there. I expect a ton. It’s a really young team but they played over 30 games this summer, so they’re really experienced, and they should do really well,” he said.

“Ackman is the brain of the team, he’s always coming up with new ways to dissect specific plays and always helps you develop individually as a player,” Szelag said.

INSPIRATIONS

Having such a huge title to fulfill can be a lot of pressure, but the Ljubics and Szelag are able to handle the pressure thanks to their own personal inspirations.

“Any single person that plays soccer in the universe is influenced by Cristiano Ronaldo. That is one hundred thousand percent true,” Mario said, with his brother nodding in agreement.

Szelag, on the other hand, admitted to being team David Beckham.

“He’s like the perfect dude,” Szelag said simply.

On a more serious note, though, family is the heart of it all.

“My family is my inspiration, but most importantly, my dad. He tells me to score a goal for him before every game, and whenever I do score, I point at him, and he points back at me,” Szelag said.

Robert also admitted that when his father comes to his games, he “goes harder. He was there since I was six years old. Without my dad pushing us, we wouldn’t be as good as we are now.”

Mario, on the other hand, looks to former captains for inspiration, such as Niles West alum Michael Tabar, who graduated in 2012.

“He’s a great inspirational speaker. He’s just so inspirational!” Mario said.

Though he graduated two years ago, Tabar remembers Mario and Robert as underclassmen on the team well.

“At first Mario appeared to lack some leadership skills since he was the younger of the two brothers. They both had a very relaxed attitude towards soccer that was good for a game but not a leadership role. With this said, it only took one or two games for them to understand what being a leader meant. They both learned that a leader leads by example first and words second. By mid-season I knew that they would be able to lead this team once I graduated.”

From left to right, junior Mario Ljubic with his brother, senior Robert Ljubic

Now that their titles as leaders have been secured, Tabar, although not technically directly involved with the team anymore, also has high hopes for the team.

“In regards to this season, I feel the team is in good hands because the young, relaxed, and goofy Mario and Robert have both grown up. They both realize that high school soccer is a privilege and it only lasts four years so their attitude significantly changed to fit the leadership role. To be a captain of varsity soccer Mario and Robert need to lead by example both on and off the field,” Tabar said. “Whatever it is they do is magnified because the younger players look up to them. Also they need to be honest and open to their teammates about what they are doing right and wrong, but maintain a cool head when the pressure is on. My advice to them is this, ‘if the captains cannot handle the pressure, who else is expected to?’”

SOCCER IN THE FUTURE

The captains are well aware that the younger players are looking up to them, as Tabar mentioned, and they plan on conveying a simple but effective message to them throughout the season: go hard all day, and stay motivated.

Mario was especially adamant on this, since he will be expected to lead the team next year without the companionship of his brother or good friend, but he has high hopes for sophomores Mario Bajric and Alex Rodrigues being by his side as captains next year.

“I’ve played with Mario for a long time,” Rodrigues said. “I think it would be a good idea, because we work well together.”

Bajric was also excited about the possibilities for next year.

“I think Mario is the best captain we have. He’s a great leader. I think he’ll show me how to run the team next year, and how to be a great captain like him,” he said.

Being captains is a huge achievement for the three boys, and it’s bringing them one step closer to their long term goals.

For any athlete who has a deep seeded passion and love for their respective sport as these boys do with soccer, it’s a given that playing in a professional league is always an appealing idea.

The three admit to always having wanted to play soccer professionally, but reality has gotten in the way.

“Now that [we're] older, we realize more things, like how it’s harder to go pro,” Szelag said. “Maybe it’s not a goal. but it’s definitely a dream. It’s always a dream. We have other obligations in life, and soccer can’t overwhelm us completely, but if the opportunity does present itself, it’s always there. It’s always a dream,” added Mario.

In the high hopes that they do all make it to the professional leagues, Mario is undecided on what team he’d like to play for, but the idea of playing for Manchester United appeals to Szelag. As for Robert, he would love to play for Croatia – his home team.

Although the boys would never deny an opportunity to go pro, they are realistic, and do have backup plans.

“Hopefully, if I could play in college I would want to do that. I’m looking at UIC primarily. I already know what I’m doing. I’m going for physical therapy, a six year program to get my doctorate’s degree, and if soccer doesn’t work out there’s always that. If I can’t make the team in college, then I’ll try out for a club team in college, Szelag said.

Though Robert isn’t quite sure what he wants to study yet, he is looking into both DePaul and UIC for soccer, while Mario, being the youngest, hasn’t begun his college search, but he does intend on starting soon and playing college soccer.

No matter where life takes them later on, all three boys want their children in the future to have the same level of soccer involvement that they were raised with.

“Soccer [will be] a part of my life in the future,” Robert said confidently. “I’m gonnna be like a coach. I’m gonna coach for something. I want two kids, and I want to raise my kids the way my dad raised me in a soccer oriented family.”

Mario agreed, stating that he wants his kids either boxing or playing soccer.

“As soon as my kids can walk, they’re going to learn to kick a soccer ball,” Szelag said.

The co captains don’t plan on having any mini soccer stars until much later in life. Right now, they’re busy working hard in high hopes that they will completely surpass any success that they experienced as a team last year, which means that they hope that Niles West will be there supporting them at every home game, especially any games against our rivals, Niles North.

“We’re going to put on a show this year,” Mario said. “Last year is a complete joke compared to how this year is going to be. We’re going to be sexy.”

Clary, our main character, is a 15 year old artist living in New York with her mom. Clary learns she belongs to a race of superhumans called “shadow hunters” who hunt demons. Clary goes on a desperate search for her mother who is kidnapped by demons who are looking for the mortal cup. The mortal cup is a cup given to humans by the angel Raziel. When you drink from the cup, you become a shadow hunter able to use runes (ancient symbols carved on the shadow hunters body. They can heal, give special powers, etc. but are deadly to humans) and protect the world from demons. Along the way, Clary learns that she has a special gift to create runes that don’t even exist. Clary falls in love with another shadow hunter named Jace, but their bond is tested when they learn that their father is the evil Valentine, yes I said their. Plot twist, they’re brother and sister. Valentine is a man who believes that because of the dwindling number of shadow hunters, they should force humans to drink from the mortal cup. The problem is not all humans survive this transformation but Valentine is willing to make this sacrifice. He is so set on this plan that he injects himself with demon blood to control demons. Jace and Clary have to fight their own father to save lives.

Another book to movie that disappoints. This movie may not be as big as “Twilight” was, but it was at some points just as bad. They played up the love story way too much and it was cheesy and annoying at several parts. Jace and Clary had one kiss scene that was completely ridiculous. They kissed in a greenhouse and low and behold the sprinklers turn on. Really? A kiss scene “in the rain?” It was as silly as it sounds. Then they made Valentine too young. He’s supposed to be their father and there was a slightly romantically charged moment between him and Clary that was just strange. Simon was the funniest part of the movie with his wisecracks, but the relationship between him and Isabelle, one of the shadow hunters that helps Clary, wasn’t as prominent in the movie as it was in the book. In the book Simon was very taken with Isabelle and their relationship was comical as Simon continuously made passes at Isabelle and she shot him down every single time. Alex’s part was played very well. I saw the raw emotion in his actions and his facial expressions. His character was the best portrayed based on the book because in the book he hated Clary and they definitely illustrated that in the movie.

The only good part about this movie was the action. The fight scenes were incredible. There was one in particular that caught my attention when Simon had been kidnapped by vampires to an old run down hotel. Jace, Clary, Isabel, and Alex rescue Simon but are cornered by several vampires in a dusty ballroom. Then they start to fight the vampires and dubstep music comes on. It was a great action sequence and the music made it perfect. It was a dubstep remix called “Into The Lair” by Zedd who also produced the radio hit song “Clarity.”

If anything, I would say get some of the songs from the soundtrack. They have artists such as Zedd, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Colbie Caillat, Jessie J, and Owl City. Don’t see the movie unless you’re looking for action/sappy love story. If you read the book, don’t even bother to see the movie. The book is better.

Earl Sweatshirt is an eighteen year old rapper from South Los Angeles who is a part of the popular rap collective Odd Future. Known for his raunchy, expletive, dark lyrical content Earl is one of the youngest yet most talented rappers in his group. Although Earl’s lyrics tend to offend certain people due to their graphic nature and the fact that he often paints pictures of rape, murder, and delinquent activity, it’s impossible to deny Earl’s natural talent and the fact that he’s an amazing rapper. His laid back, yet aggressive, monotone flow with a frankly amazing rhyme scheme grabs any true hip hop fan’s attention.

On his new album however it’s clear that Earl has done some growing up since his boarding school days. Earl is more lyrically sharp than ever with the same crazy flow we’ve grown to love. He specifically opened up about his issues about being a parent and how they affected him growing up and brought him to the success he’s achieving today. Earl even produced some of the tracks on the album really going the extra mile to step his music up and putting himself out there in the process.  He really stepped it up this project with his production and overall song making skills.

Pre ft. SK LaFlare: A classic lyrical intro track with a dark melodic beat. SK LaFlare opens up with a fiery verse.

Burgandy: One of my favorite tracks on the album produced by Pharell of The Neptunes on which earl gets unexpectedly personal and introspective. He speaks on balancing life as a famous rapper and trying to maintain himself all the while trying to keep his priorities straight. Earl talks about being so busy making the very album I’m listening to, that he doesn’t have time to see his dying grandmother. An instant classic and favorite on this album.

20 Wave Caps ft. Domo Genesis: An aggressive braggadocious song featuring fellow crew member. An impressive beat with no hook and a lot of bars.  Earl and Domo go in on this one.

Sunday ft. Frank Ocean:  A reflective track with a mellow beat featuring friend of the Odd Future crew r&b crooner Frank Ocean. However Frank raps on this song and along with Earl speaks on failed relationships and drug use positive and negative effects on their lives. “And I don’t know why its difficult to admit that I missed you/  And I don’t know why we argue, and I just hope that you listen/ And if I hurt you I’m sorry, the music makes me dismissive”

Hive ft. Casey Veggies and Vince Staples: Another one of my favorite tracks on the album. Taking a turn away from the personal nature of some of the songs on Doris. This track is really menacing and lyrical with Earl speaking on coming from a rough city like L.A. Vince Staples delivers with a crazy street verse speaking on how tough he and his crew are.

Chum: The first single off of the album, this is really the first song Earl fans heard where he talked about his personal struggles growing up. He speaks on his father leaving him when he was young and being somewhat of a delinquent in his teenage years. “It’s been twelve years since my father left, and left me fatherless/ And I just used to say I hate him in dishonest jest”.

Sasquatch: Featuring Earl’s best friend and most popular collaborator Tyler The Creator. Tyler spits a funny verse talking about Chris Brown, Rihanna, and Gorditas.

Centurion: Another track featuring Vince Staples once again painting a picture of the dangers faced in the city.

523: An instrumental track produced by Earl under the moniker “ Randomblackdude”

Uncle Al: One of the shortest tracks on the album Earl goes in for a quick sixteen bars by himself and kills it.

Guild: Featuring Mac miller, a slow, heavy, calm beat. Both Earl and Mac alter their voices to sound deeper in a chopped and screwed style. They speak on how their daily lives have been affected by drug use.

Molasses: Another one of my favorites off of the album featuring RZA of the Wu Tang Clan. Also produced by the RZA who comes in on the hook for a classic mix of OF and Wu Tang with a 90’s and modern feel.

Whoa: Another funny and lyrical classic Earl track. Featuring Tyler The Creator who introduces the track by announcing that just because Earl made songs like “Chum” that are very personal doesn’t mean he’s going to change the classic raunchy OF style.

Hoarse: Featuring the jazz band BADBADNOTGOOD who has collaborated with OF in the past also featuring Frank Ocean on the hook. Earl raps in a quiet raspy voice over a smooth jazz like beat.

Knight: The final track off the album and another one of my favorites. Featuring Domo Genesis for the second time on the album Domo and Earl talk about achieving success despite not having their fathers in their lives.

Overall I really enjoyed listening to this album in its entirety. Earl has shown that its still possible to make a classic Hip Hop album and I can only hope other artist are inspired by what he did.

4/5 Stars

Following a record breaking 26 win season and an appearance in the sectional final, the Wolves are going into this season with a lot of new faces on the court.  As the team looks to reconstruct itself and gain the chemistry that last year’s squad had, the Niles West News sat down with head coach Stacy Metoyer to find out how they will do so.

NWN: Last year’s team was incredibly successful.  You turned out [a school record] 26 wins, second in conference, and an appearance in the sectional.  What allowed the team to do that?

Metoyer: We had a lot of talented girls who played together for a lot of years [at West], in addition to playing together on club teams.  They were a hardworking group, and they listened well.

NWN: Obviously a lot of new faces, especially as far as your starters go.  How has the team changed?

Metoyer: The good thing is that even though we had a lot graduate, we still have a lot of girls who have played club together and share a lot of the characteristics of the girls from last year.  The question is how quickly will they gel on the court.  They’re good girls and they listen well.  The only main difference [from last year] is that they haven’t played as a group as much.  Last year’s team played club together.  It just takes time.  Our best and most cohesive practice was this past Saturday.  We’ve got two freshmen and two sophomores on the team and they look to be fitting in well.

NWN: Has the new team changed any of your goals for this season?

Metoyer: I’ll leave that one up to the girls.  It’s how hard they’re gonna work and how dedicated they are.  Do I think we can reach sectionals again?  Definitely.  The team’s set a goal for themselves of tying or beating the number of wins from last year.

NWN: As far as on-court skill goes, how does the team look?

Metoyer: Serving is definitely a strength.  We’ve got a lot of good strong jump servers.  We’ve even got a girl who has a division one full scholarship.  It’s the first one in team history.  We have a lot of girls who can hit the ball well and hit it all over the court.  Senior Olivia [Rusek]‘s back and she’s even better this season.

NWN: What look to be your toughest games?

Metoyer: Our whole conference.  Five out of the six teams are strong every year.  New Trier knocked us out of the playoffs last year and went on to lose in the state championship.  We play them three times.  We ended up second in conference last year and it’s always very competitive.

NWN: You’ve touched on this already, but what’s the key to success this season?

Metoyer: The flow and gel of the team.  On Saturday we looked very well.  Can they all play together on the floor?  Can we shake off our mistakes or do we dwell on them?  Good teams shake off mistakes and get the next one.

NWN: The first game of the season is this Thursday against Maine West.  What should fans look for?

Metoyer: Look for us to be playing hard.  The nerves are always higher because everyone’s excited for that first game.  We have a team that’s working hard and doing their best, and hopefully a win will come out of that.

The NWN sat down with the new teachers: Geometry and Algebra 2 teacher, Sean DeFlice, Special Education, Global Studies, and IIC teacher, Robert Chihoski, Culinary teacher, Kaitlin Romanchuk, Math teacher in the Lit Center, Katie Odell, German 1, German 2, and intro to Spanish teacher, Thomas Neal, Freshmen English teacher, Christy Koulouris, and Freshman and Sophomore English teacher at West and North, Alexis Matesi.

NWN: How many years have you been teaching?

DeFlice: This will be my sixth year.

Chihoski: I’ve been in education for eighteen years.

Romanchuk: This is my third year.

Odell: Well, it’s my third year in the district but my sixth year in total.

Neal: This is my seventh year.

Koulouris: This is my first year.

Matesi: This is my first year.

NWN: What other schools have you taught at before?

DeFlice: I’ve taught at a charter school in Chicago last year, and before that I taught in Milwaukee for four years.

Chihoski: I was a cadre at north, I also taught in Waukegan and a middle school called Melgin.

 Romanchuk: Stevenson High School.

Odell: Wheaton North High School and Mt. Carmel.

Neal: Urbana High School

NWN: How does Niles West compare to other schools?

DeFlice: Niles West is probably the most diverse school I’ve been at. It has the most resources available to students and a phenomenal athletic department that other schools don’t have.

Chihoski: It’s not much different, kids are kids wherever you go, but it is very diverse here.

Romanchuk: It’s a smaller school than I’m normally used to to and everyone is really friendly here.

Odell: The family like atmosphere and the students and faculty are all outgoing.

Neal: The oral language department, my colleagues, and how enthusiastic the kids are to learn.

NWN: Were you nervous on your first day here?

DeFlice: Not really, there was a orientation week for new teachers. I also have an amazing mentor; Mrs. Branis.

Chihoski: No because I subbed here last year.

Romanchuk: I was a little nervous.

Odell: No, everyone is really friendly.

Neal: I was more anxious to learn where everything is and learning all the students names.

Koulouris: Well, I graduated from Niles West a few years ago, so I was already comfortable with the staff and the school itself.

Matesi: No, I feel prepared enough and I knew I was ready for anything that was going to come my way.

NWN: What’s your favorite thing about teaching here at Niles West?

DeFlice: The connections I’ve made with the students already.

Chihoski: Helping students achieve their goals.

Romanchuk: It’s smaller and very diverse.

Odell: The diversity, you can see all kinds of students and how hard students and the faculty work are just beyond other schools.

Neal: It’s a lot bigger, with more clubs and more opportunities for the students.

Matesi: It’s very relaxed and has a very supportive community.

NWN: Is teaching at Niles West something you want to do for a long time?

DeFlice: Yes, I hope to stay here for a long time and keep teaching math.

Koulouris: Yes I want to do this for the rest of my life. Since I was a little kid I would line up all my stuffed animals and read them stories and pick on them. And they slowly my imagination turned into reality when I started working here at the Lit Center as an English tutor, and then an English teacher. I’m so glad I’m teaching high school students now.

Matesi: Yes I want to stay here for the rest of my life and I also hope to coach volleyball here one day.

NWN: What made you want to come back to Niles West and teach?

Koulouris: I had a great four years here. There were a lot of teachers I had who inspired me to come back and work here.

The NWN had the chance to interview the varsity girls’ swimming coach, Jason Macejak, about the team and their bright future.

 NWN: How is the team looking this season?

Macejak: This should be the strongest team we’ve had in school history. We look forward to rewriting the record board again one more year and placing higher in our invites that we’ve been in the past few years and have a bigger state squad this year.

NWN: What do you think the strengths of the team are going to be this year?

Macejak: We are a little deeper than we usually have been. Our swimmers in lane 6 are also quicker than they have been in the past, so that’s great. Our overall depth will be great this year.

NWN: Do you have any players looking great in practice so far?

 Macejak: We have senior Edan Scott who’s been a state qualifier the past 3 years and was all-state in 2 events last year and the first all-american swimmer that we have had on the girls swimming team in school history. Right on her heels is junior Emma Helgeson. Also, (junior) Abby Hegberg and Lauren Patt. These girls are key components to our relay races.

The first swim meet was on Friday at Niles West against North Side Prep. Niles West swimming and diving team came out on top with a 3 level sweep. Come out and support The Wolves at the next swim meet, the Niles West invite hosted right here at West, on Saturday, Sep. 14 at 9:00 & 1:00.

Walking through the doors of The Literacy Center, you are instantly attracted to the wall of windows allowing the sunlight to illuminate the room. The first sight is the many students, some sitting at tables, some walking around, and others waiting eagerly in line to claim a student.

Then you listen closely to all that is going on. Student tutors are talking to their tutees about a piece of work they brought in that they need help on. The Literacy Center offers expertise in all subjects: English, history, math, science, languages, writing, and anything else a student may need help with.

This year, there is a new face in the Lit Center: John Przekota, the assistant director of humanities, who has replaced Andrew Jeter as the Lit Center director.

Before becoming director of the Lit Center, Pzrekota taught students for 12 years in three different schools, with Niles West being his fourth.

“I spent my first seven years at St. Patrick’s High School in Chicago,” Pzrekota said. “I then spent two years in two different Chicago Public Schools. This will be my third year here at Niles West where I have taught Global Studies and ALCUSH. I still teach ALCUSH first and second period,” he explained. “Periods three through nine I spend down in The Lit Center.”

With almost 200 student tutors, Pzrekota says the hardest part of his job is learning everyone’s names.

“Jeter knew everyone,” Przekota said. “I am just learning the names of all the tutors, and it may take a little while before I can get them all right.”

There are not many changes in The Lit Center except for different tutors and what they are able to bring to the table. This year, there are a few new interactive activities that are taking place.

“This year we have tutor leaders who basically work with Mr. Pzrekota to make sure that things are running smoothly,” senior tutor Julia O’Neil said.

“We tried something new called speed tutoring,” senior tutor Susie Lee said. “It’s almost like speed dating, but it’s a way for tutors and tutees to get to know each other.”

This year, 13 tutor leaders will be attending and presenting at The National Conference on Peer Tutoring and Writing in Tampa, Florida Nov. 1-3. These students will prepare a presentation on what they do here in The Lit Center. It is a conference where different schools are represented by a few select students to share thoughts and ideas.

If asked who else could be the face of the Lit Center, most students would answer with Kelly Adamovic. Adamovic sits at the desk and greets everyone that walks through the doors with a friendly smile.

“It was really good to have the summer to start working on things with Przekota because it gave me a head start at getting to know what things he will be doing the same or differently,” she said. “He definitely has many good things he wants to add into The Lit Center community.”

The Lit Center is constantly growing. Students from all grades find it a resourceful place where they are able to get help from their fellow classmates.

“Students who are thinking about coming into The Lit Center but are hesitant should just do it,” Pzrekota said. “Don’t be afraid, I promise you will find the experience amazing.”

Przekota’s advice to students: “come early and come often. We are always here to help you out in every way we can.”

Besides finding Przekota at his desk in The Lit Center or teaching his ALCUSH class, you will find him on the pool deck. Przekota is the boys’ head water polo coach, and also coached swimming last year.

In attempt to go more green, the Niles West cafeteria is now using plastic reusable flatware instead of the paper plates that were provided by Organic Life.

The reusable flatware was ordered by district 219, and Niles North first started using this program last year. When it turned out to be a success, Niles West decided to start using it as well. In order to make sure the new flatware is effective, Niles West began by only serving them at three food stations in the cafetaria. These new plates are not allowed to leave the cafetaria, and must be placed in plastic bins in the cafetaria, which are located next to the garbage cans. The plates are washed completely every single day to ensure that they are clean and ready for use for the students’ next meals.

“The plan is to move to all the stations within the next month or so now that we have seen that the processing has gone well,” assistant principal Kendall Griffin said.

Students have mixed feelings about these new utensils. Senior Sareena Ali said they do not have much of a point, and will probably prove to be more of a problem than a solution.

“I feel that it is more of a hassle. Why do we have these? I don’t understand what was so wrong about the paper plates. We can’t even take them out of the [lunchroom], and that becomes a problem for many of the tutors who eat in the Literacy Center,” Ali said.

However, there are students who find that this is another step towards helping the environment, and will do more good than harm.

“The plates are better for the environment and it makes sense to reuse these plates instead of wasting hundreds of paper plates everyday, which does nothing for the environment,” senior Joeanna Jabines said.