Steinmetz Star 2019...Steinmetz Star Volume 84, Number 5, May-June 2019 News: 2-12, 16 Senior shout outs and Sports: 18-20 photo opinion: 3, 13-15 All-City Art; orchestra collaboration:

Steinmetz StarVolume 84, Number 5, May-June 2019

www.steinmetzstar.com

News: 2-12, 16 Sports: 18-20Senior shout outs and photo opinion: 3, 13-15

All-City Art; orchestra collaboration: 10-11

Millie Martinez and Jay Ann Perez share #1 spot in class rank

Volleyball, water polo, track, soccer, softball and baseballCollege Decision Day

What will you miss about Steinmetz? What are some of

your favorite memories?

T he Steinmetz Class of 2019 includes more than 200 valuable students. The Star features of many of these students

begin with the top students in the class.Validictorians Millie Martinez and Jay Ann

Perez earned the highest grade point averages in the class, followed by Lara Banez, Hector Perez, Abdulkabir Yahya, Marek Wojtkiele-wicz, Mariusz Doroz, Erika Carrasco, Micahel Sanchez, Gilberto Torres and Frank Cabrera.

See Star Seniors, pages 4 - 8 •

By Sharon Schmidt, teacher

A fter10 years of teaching journalism and advising the Star, I decided to pass on the job to someone else. I

enjoyed being part of Steinmetz’ 84-year tradition of publishing a student paper.

In addition to teaching English at Stein-metz, I will be working more on Substance, a newspaper covering education in Chicago that my husband George Schmidt founded.•

Congratulations, Class of 2019

Junior Giovanni Carmona performs in ‘Footloose’

Standout juniors and freshman among ones to watch in academics, arts and athletics

Steinmetz Star faculty adviser stepping down

Contest winner Bell schedule will be earlier

B eginning Sept. 3, the first day of the 2019-20 school year, classes will start at 7:45

and 8th period will end at 2:56.Three years ago CPS directed

Steinmetz and a few other high schools to have the the late sched-ule to consolidate CPS bus routes.

The 4 p.m. dismissal delayed afterschool jobs and activities, and forced atheletes to miss 8th period classes to get to away games.•

Arts & Entertainment,17

Senior Tamara Johnson, a Star co-editor, and Ms. Schmidt,

editor of www.substancenews.net

D avion White, pictured with poetry slam team coach James Sloan, won the Steinmetz Star

poetry contest held in April in honor of National Poetry Month. Davion’s poem is at www.steinmetzstar.com.•

In this issue

Erika Carrasco, Millie Martinez, Lara BanezHector Perez, Mariusz Doroz, Abdulkabir Yahya, Michael Sanchz, Gilberto Torres

Frank Cabrerra

Millie Martinez, Jay Ann Perez

Marek Wojtkielewicz

D ayna Dayson won cash prizes and award certi-ficaes from CPS, Mc-

Graw Hill and the American Nuclear Society for her research in microbiology that she pre-sented at the Chicago Student STEM exhibition.

Teacher Dorota Ochwat said, “Dayna is a very ambitious student, hard working, com-mitted and determined.” •

D erek Baldwin scored a 1560 on the SAT in April, a near-perfect score that

places him in the 99th percentile of test takers nationwide.

Before transferring here junior year, Derek lived in California and spent the summers studying phys-ics at Stanford. As his math knowl-edge is advanced, he takes online courses from MIT, the Massachu-setts Institute of Technology.•

V ivian Gutierrez was featured in a page one Chicago Tri-bune story on April 12. The

freshman who works out at Unani-mous Boxing in Logan Square, is ranked 10th in the nation for the 125-pound, female class.

The Tribune article reported on a fight she had in Las Vegas, her win by default in the Golden Gloves and her preperation for the National Junior Olympics in June.•

Juniors Dayna Dayson and Derek Baldwin and freshman Vivian Gutierrez earned recognition this spring.

2 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

2Steinmetz Star

Steinmetz College Prep High School Principal Jaime Jaramillo

3030 N. Mobile, Chicago IL 60634

773-534-3030

Website: www.steinmetzstar.com

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @steinmetzstar

The Steinmetz Star is the student print and online newspaper of Steinmetz College Prep High School. Our goal is to serve the Steinmetz community by informing and entertaining students. The opinions expressed in our articles are not necessarily those shared by the Star newspa-per staff or the Steinmetz faculty and administration.

Anyone in the Steinmetz community is welcome to send letters to the editor, submit corrections or write articles for publication.

Co-editors-in-chief: Erika Carrasco and Tamara Johnson

Reporters and photographers: Maurice Abrigunda, Shawronda Anderson, Yannally Alvarenga, Angel Antunez, Alyssa Avilez, Lara Banez, Diamond Bass, Frank Cabrera, Justin Carrillo, David Colon, Eva Delgado, Victoria Del-gado, Mercedez Escanio, America Flores, Dayanna Garcia, Jenny Garcia, Perla Gonzalez, Daniel Hassan, Adrienne Henry, Brandon Hernandez, Luis Huerta, Valeriia Lytvak, Edandre Macahidhid, Mia Marrero, Aliyah Martinez, Mil-lie Martinez, Vonndria Monroe, Nelida Navarro, Jay Ann Perez, Jason Ramirez, Kevin Rodriguez, Alyssa Smith, Jose Sanchez, Joseph Torres, Roxana Urizar, Angelina Villarreal, Raychel Vician, Abdulkabir Yahya

Star content decisions are made by student editors and re-porters, with advice from the faculty sponsor, Ms. Sharon Schmidt.

Free speech: The Illinois Speech Rights of Student Jour-nalists Act, signed into law on July 29, 2016, affirms stu-dents’ right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press in school-sponsored media. The law states: Except as otherwise provided in this Act, a student journalist has the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press in school-sponsored media, regardless of whether the media is supported financially by the school district or by use of school facilities or produced in conjunction with a class in which the student is enrolled. Subject to Exceptions of this Act, the appropriate student journalist is responsible for determin-ing the news, opinion, feature, and advertising content of school-sponsored media. This shall not be construed to prevent a student media adviser from teaching professional standards of English and journalism to student journalists. There shall be no prior restraint of material prepared for official school publications except insofar as it violates Exceptions of this Act. School officials shall have the burden of showing justification without undue delay prior to a limita-tion of student expression under this Act. Exceptions. This Act does not authorize or protect expression by a student journalist that: (1) is libelous, slanderous, or obscene; (2) constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy; (3) violates federal or State law; or (4) incites students to commit an unlawful act, to violate policies of the school district, or to materially and substantially disrupt the orderly operation of the school. Liability. No expression made by students in the exercise of freedom of speech or freedom of the press shall be deemed to be an expression of school policy, and no school district or employee or parent, legal guardian, or official of the school district shall be held liable in any civil or criminal ac-tion for any expression made or published by students, except in cases of willful or wanton misconduct. (http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=3723&ChapterID=17)

Membership: Scholastic Press Association of Chicago

Printing: The Star is printed at Topweb LLC, 5450 N. North-west Highway, Chicago.

Back Issues: More than 60 issues of the Star, going back to September 2009, are available on the Steinmetz school website at www.steinmetzcp.org. Go to the “Newspaper” link. Ad-ditional content is published at www.steinmetzstar.com.•

Star NewsStar reporters win awards

S teinmetz Star reporters and photogra-

phers again received recognition that they are among the best in Chicago.

In its 10th year of entering the Scholastic Press Association com-petition, the Star again finished in the top five of all public and private Chicago high schools for the most print and online media awards.

Steinmetz beat Taft, Whitney Young, Pritzker Charter, Phoenix Military, Marist, Mother McAuley and other Chicago high schools, finishing behind only Jones, Lane, and Payton.

Steinmetz students received Excellent and Su-perior awards for their special coverage of seniors, sports reporting, feature writing, column writing, staff editorial, layout and overall newspaper.

Co-editors-in-chief Tamara Johnson and Erika Carrasco contributed stories to the special coverage of 2018 graduates that received an award.

Alyssa Avilez, Adrienne Henry and Nelly Navarro received individual honors. Dozens of journalism students and Newspaper Club students contributed to the Star staff editorial and the Nov.-Dec. 2018 issue, which won “Overall Newspaper.”

Many schools have dropped print newspapers to cut costs, but Steinmetz continues to realize the benefits of a publication created by and for students, who treasure the papers in which they’ve appeared.

For the past ten years, the Star has been consid-ered a Superior paper for its coverage of important issues like uniforms, bell schedules, CPS spending and violence in Chicago, along with student accom-plishments in academics, athletics and the arts. •

Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs at Steinmetz at end of 7-week strike

T hanks to teacher and professional musician Beth Zaluba, who has contacts with the Chi-cago Symphony Orchestra and was a strong

supporter of the CSO musicians’ March-April strike over pay and retirement benefits, the CSO performed a free concert at Steinmetz on April 30.

The concert was a swan song for Ms. Zaluba Although not yet retirement age, she has chosen to leave teaching in CPS at the end of this school year. Besides teaching music, one of her many important contributions to Steinmetz was the dedication she gave to the students in the Gay Straight Alliance.•

Alyssa Smith holds the Star’s Overall Newspaper award as her reporting contributed much to the Nov.-Dec.2018 issue. Adrienne Henry, Alyssa Avilez and Nelly Navarro won individiual awards.

NHS inducts 25 new membersBy Erika Carresco, NHS president

Twenty-five students were inducted into the National Honor

Society on June 4. NHS recognizes students

who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

Teacher Beth Perez sponsors the club.

The 2019 NHS inductees are Yannely Alvarenga, Abdel Aw-wad, Alicia Figueroa, Trinity Gar-cia. Antwanette Gates, Alex Her-nandez, Heidi Hernandez, Bart Jaworowski, Micayla Malasique, Mia Marrero, Carina Mauricio, Kenneth Mercado, Diana Mojica, Skylar Oden, Adrian Panopio, Bethany Parker, Nathan Pizano, Jason Ramirez, Mayra Ramirez,

Glen Romero, Tabea Tergau, Leonardo Tinoco Sosa, Issalina Villarreal and Aleksandra Waledziak. •

Star reporters junior Mia Marrero and senior Yannely Alvarenga were inducted into NHS.

Senior Aliyah Martinez and teacher Beth Zaluba support the striking musicians on their picket line in March.

May - June 2019 Steinmetz Star 3

Star Seniors Photo Opinion 3

What are your favorite Steinmetz memories?

“My favorite memories include the amazing friends I’ve made at Steinmetz like America, Mitzy, DanniRose; my Bible study group; and also being on the softball and bowling team. It’s been amazing four years here.”

Sabrina MarreroWestern Illinois U., criminal justice

“When I joined the drumline twirler team. Ms. Kern, Ms. Serritella, and all the other teachers that supported me. I would change the food and some kids’ attitude.”

Shaliyah CarterColumbia College, dance and business

“Teachers, especially Ms. Doyle and Ms. Sul-livan because they were funny, thoughtful and sweet, and my BFF Millie. The bathrooms need to be changed. They are awful and need locked stall doors ASAP..”

Daniel BacuilimaUIC, finance and accounting major

“My favorite memory was being a part of sports teams. Senior night on volleyball, spe-cifically. I will miss my teachers Ms. Walker, Mrs. Rivera, Ms. Chaparro, Ms. Russo, Mr. Pereyra and Ms. Walsh. I would make Stein-metz more open for students, more interactive. I learned not to be afraid of change, to have motivation and work for what I want.

Sarahy OrozcoNational Louis University

“I will miss the people I met here (you know who you are). Steinmetz helped me become athletic for the first time.”

Edwin BazonDePaul University, software developer

“I will miss my dearest friends.”Luis Huerta

Wright College, teaching

“I will miss the teachers like Mrs. Ochwat, Ms. Doyle, Mr. Kotchera, Mrs. Perez, Ms. Mark, Mrs. Sullivan.”

Allen NamrodDePaul University, computer science

“Winning conference in volleyball during ju-nior year. That game was amazing and seeing my team win and score the last few points was a wonderful experience. I will miss the “Triangle,” which is my group of friends, my friend Yahya, who everyone knows would al-ways blow up the scene; and also my friend Lexie, who always would show off her college merch and her history essay scores.”

Amer AwwadUIC, chemical engineering

“My favorite memory is playing soccer. I’ll miss my friends Carlos, Sorahy, Shaquita and teachers Ms. Walsh, Mr. P., Ms. Rivera. I would improve the academic classes and sports. Steinmetz helped me mature.”

Selena MartinezDePaul Universtiy

“Steinmetz helped me become a more social person, being with all my friends.”

Ezequiel RubioUIC, computer science

“I will miss being a big fish in a little pond. I would improve the school spirit. Steinmetz was a stepping stone to my next journey.”

Lexie CzternastevcUniversity of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, nursing

“I would increase the expectations of classes here. I feel like they don’t really prepare kids for college and real life as well as they should.”

Sammie ChafaiDePaul University

Career goal: high school English teacher

“Winning the championship for our basketball team. Seeing the new basketball court that I helped become a reality. Steinmetz made me see the bigger picture.”

Daniel Kania Wright College then NIU

Anything to do with basketball or astronomy

“One of my favorite memories of Steinmetz is when we had the pep rally freshman year and everyone was happy. I will miss playing my sports volleyball and softball. I would change the school colors to red and gold. Steinmetz taught me how to survive outside of high school.”

Shaquita Hoider Illinois State U., to become a detective

“I will miss some people and this year. It was really easy. Senior year was great.”

Aliyah MartinezWright College, finish strong and find my interest

“Winning swim team conference. I will not miss lunch. I would change the uniform. Steinmetz helped me grow academically.”

Samuel OdenDePaul U., Forensic Computer Analyst

“Steinmetz gave me an interesting life learn-ing curve. It was an unlikely place for me to thrive, but I’ve met people I love here and learned that everyone has souls that are able to teach me valuable things and minds I can fall in love with.”

Nelly NavarroWilbur Wright College

Environmentalist or journalist

“My favorite memories are from being on the swim team.”

David KrasnickiUniversity of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)

“Volleyball and the teachers. Mrs. Serritella helped me out and I had a lot of fun in her class. I would change the bathrooms. Stein-metz helped me grow in a lot of things that had to do with college and picking the right one for me.”

Tony CanedaTruman College, automotive tech

“One of my favorite memories is going to be having lunch with my friends. I will miss my friends that I mostly hang out with Jason, Dawel, Charlie, Manny, Jesse, Edwin and Fabian. I would change the uniform policy and the times. Steinmetz helped me feel more comfortable near new people.”

Jared MartinezWright College, computer science

“I am going to miss my sophomore English teacher, the one and only Ms. Perez, for mak-ing us feel welcome and for providing us with more knowledge.”

Cesar Tavone

“A favorite memory was being recognized as an Illinois State Scholar. I will miss Ms. Ri-vera, Ms. Walsh, Ms. Serritella, Ms. Perez, Ms. Dunne and Mr. Pereyra, and my friends Selena, Diana, Shaquita, Frank. To improve the school I would add more classes and re-sources that would help students in the long run. Steinmetz helped me grow to be a smart man with the teachers’ help. I’m proud of that.”

Carlos DiazDePaul University, business management

“I liked the time to just sit alone in a school environment. I’ll miss the environment and the teachers. Steinmetz opened me to change.”

Jose SanchezWright College, voice actor

“My favorite memories include all the little jokes in class.”

Millie MartinezLoyola University, biology/pre-med major

“What I will miss are the memories we have all made and how things are at this moment, the things that haven’t changed yet..”

Jay Ann PerezNorth Park University, nursing

Marek WojtkielewiczNorth Park University

4 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

By Edandre Macahidhid

Yahya is an exem-plary student who shines far brighter

than any star, on his way to UIC to study mechani-cal engineering.

“When I was little I wanted to be a police of-ficer or a rock star,” Yahya said. “But I was later influ-enced by my uncle who has a warehouse where he sells parts for cars, so I became interested in this.”

Yahya radiates a powerful aura that em-powers both him and his friends. He shows that growth is possible through discipline. The sacrifices he’s made in life to reach where he is at currently have now bore fruit.

Yahya has had no regret in coming to Stein-metz College Prep. This school holds some of his greatest memories and friends.

“I was a stupid kid in middle school, like in making life decisions,” he said. But in high school Yahya kept working toward improving himself. He still says, though, that a weakness is his lack of self control at times.

“I talk a lot and say stupid things,” he said. “I’m funny, if you get to know me. I’m one of the type of people always want to improve. Call me a machine.”

When he leaves Steinmetz he’ll miss his friends and the trust he’s gained with all of his teachers and peers. This sort of thought reaches a soft spot in the hearts of many stu-dents leaving this year, as we all hope to move forward from this nest that helped raised us into adulthood.

Yahya said he loved biology with teacher Dorota Ochwat, which he said was fun and challenging, as there was homework everyday and new concepts.

“Biology is about cells, organisms, hierar-chy; it’s the same with cars – different parts,” Yahya said.

He also appreciated his English teacher in

8th grade, former Stein-metz math teacher Kevin Foster and “every single teacher.”

He said he will not miss people asking ‘What’s you SAT score?” or the bathrooms here. He said, “I’ve grown with maturity, wisdom and strength at Stein-metz.”

Yahya’s impressive discipline, shown by his grade point average which was fifth high-est in the class, and his ideals have rooted itself

onto his future plans as he hopes to get married during or after college. He’ll be going to college to become an automo-bile engineer, and his family will arrange the marriage. He’s Muslim, born in Paki-stan to Afghanistani parents.

“My mom is ruthless,” Yahya said. “She loved me so much. My dad keeps me straight, going on the right path. I try to be as religious as I can.”

He defines himself as a disciplined person. His motto,“Work hard, play hard,” is a testament to his values. One of his favorite activities is playing vol-leyball at Foster Beach.

He loves many teachers and staff members as they have helped him grow, but three of them stand out: Robin Rus-so, Dorota Ochawat and Miguel Ochoa are very important. They have helped him mentally and physically prepare for the future. He has fond memories of them as they taught him more than he could ever learn on his own.

Mr. Ochoa, his volleyball coach has also been an important asset to his life. He has never had a better time meet-ing someone in life, aside from meeting Edandre and Eddy Macahidhid. Mr. Ochoa himself has regarded Yahya as the most dedicated and responsible athlete he has ever coached in his 22 years of coaching here at Steinmetz. Yahya’s role as captain has affected his teammates

positively. Three teammates of Yahya answered a few questions about Yahya.

Who is Yahya to you? What have you learned from or about him?

Frank Cabrera: Yahya has shown me that no matter what obstacle you face, you can overcome it.

Michael Sanchez: Over the years I became very close to him. I could call him one of my biggest friends and a brother for how caring he is and how good he has been to me since the moment I met him.

He is a prominent person and has developed his personality around many people. He inspired me to become open minded and engaged with the school. He is my study buddy and knows when to distinguish the good and the bad between my decisions, but he can’t take his own advice.

Eddy Macahidhid: Yahya has been there for me. He’s helped me out and has given me many opportunities to grow and become stronger in volleyball.

What message do you have to give Yahya as he graduates this June?

Frank: I hope you can gain inner peace with both your religion and your new culture.

Michael: I’m going to miss you a lot. I know college won’t mean the end of our friendship, but we will not see each other anymore. I hope you continue to make great friends in college and be the person you hope to become in the future. Hopefully we can come together and drive our Teslas. Only the future will tell.

Eddy: I pray that you succeed in college and become one of the best mechanics ever seen.

I’m proud of you for getting into the col-lege you wanted to go to. Make it big, future Elon Musk.

You’re also so religious that it sometimes drives me crazy, but I love how you try so hard to live up to your ideals that were set for you. You give me advice for basically anything; it really shows how much you care.

Continued on Page 6

4 Star Top Ten Seniors

By Alyssa Smith

M illie proves to be exceptionally hard working and

accomplished. Aside from ranking first in the Class of 2019, she has acquired an astounding resume.

Millie played on the volleyball team, managed the boys volleyball team, served as the vice-president of both the senior class and the National Honors Soci-ety, participated in Chicago Scholars, was captain of the Academic Decathlon, reported stories for the Steinmetz Star and was an award-winning artist two years in the Junior National Art Against Violence. She also par-ticipated in ASM Spanish dance and worked in a restaurant and continues to work, two days a week, at Shoe Carnival.

She began the Middle Years Programme (MYP) in 6th grade at Locke elementary, moving on to the the International Bac-calaureate (IB) Diploma Programme in her junior year.

Her mindset from freshman year on was “I”m going to do these years right. These

count for.college, where I’m heading,” she said.

Millie knew that her hard work would eventually pay off. She obtained several schol-arships, and her tuition at Loyola University in Chicago will be covered completely.

She will be studying biology and pre-med. She aspires to be a pe-diatric neurologist or cardiologist.

Millie feels ready for college after her rigorous program at Steinmetz, which included a 4,000-word extended essay, in-

tricate lab reports and lots of homework. She said her boyfriend, who is in college, can’t believe the number of hours she worked in high school.

Being the daughter of Mexican immi-grants, Millie never let go of her dreams.

“My parents are the reason for me want-ing to go to college without paying a cent,” she said. “My dad is always working; he’s proud. I grew up knowing every sacrifice would have a pay off.”•

By Nellie Navarro

J ay Ann Perez is a fas-cinating person. She is ranked number one

in the senior class and will be attending North Park University in Chicago to study nursing. She worked hard to earn scholarships that will cover her entire tuition. She credits her parents for pushing her.

“My parents were al-ways there supporting and encouraging me,” she said. “I was taught the importance of gaining knowledge. It can never be taken away from you.”

Her parents, Julio and Lizann, influenced her life dramatically. They made a concoction of their names and transferred it to her. “My parents drove me to do good,” Jay Ann said. She was always a good student.

“Time management is important to me,” she said. As a freshman she never went out, always went to school and did her homework.

She has learned to give herself one day off to chill. She has also become more social over the years. She likes to go out to eat; a favorite spot for ice cream is Sweet Oasis.

In addition to Jay Ann’s parents, a cousin has been very important to her.

“She’s got me,” Jay Ann said. “She’s my safe space. I can tell her anything.” Jay Ann’s favorites include bears, Zelda, the color purple and Zendeya.

Jay Ann is eager to transcend this point in her life, but she’ll remember her hard work in class, clubs, sports and that one time she busted her lip in the gym.

She played soccer sopho-more and junior years, swam and played water polo her se-nior year. She started the Korean Club. She was part of a group of students who showed their

artwork at Robert Morris College, reported stories for the Steinmetz Star and participated in Chicago Scholars.

Overall, she excels in everything she ex-ecutes, especially the challenging academic classes of the IB program, all the while keeping a sense of humor.

“Ms. Doyle’s class was a fun class for me,” Jay Ann said. “She’s funny and hard.”

Jay Ann inspires everyone she comes across. Anyone you ask notices her for who she is: a kind soul with a lot to offer.•

By Jose Sanchez

M arek Wojtkielewicz, one of the Top Ten students in the graduating Class of 2019, is far from just being book

smart; Marek is also a brilliant sportsperson and loves to play video game.

You’d be in the many if you expect Marek to want to be a doctor, lawyer, or an engineer based off his GPA of plus 5.0 but he has other dreams. He is going to North Park University and has signed to play on the football team.

Marek has always loved sports and wants to continue with them as a career. Being a professional football athlete does seem ap-pealing to him, but he is afraid that he might be undersized. The average pro football player is typically 6 feet or taller, Marek stands close to 5’10.”

Even if Marek can’t play professional foot-ball, he still knows a lot about the game from years of experience. With this, he can help others or even lead his own team in the future.

He also considers being a sports manager. Through passion, dedication, hard work

and his brother, he has gotten to where he is. “I’d die for that man,” Marek said. “He’s done a lot for me.”

Marek would consider coming back to work at Steinmetz.

“I wouldn’t mind coming back to help coach,” he said. “Lefty is the best coach I’ve ever played for.”

Watch out younger generations, a legend may return. •

Valedictorian Millie Martinez Valedictorian Jay Ann Perez

Marek Wojtkielewicz

Abdulkabir Yahya

Abdulkabir YahyaUIC, mechanical engineering

“My favorite memories are playing for the volleyball team, the Steinmetz Star field trip and helping out with freshman mentoring with Ms. Perez. I’ll miss Ms. Mark and seeing friends every day, es-pecially Luis, Frank, Daniel and Gilberto.”

Lara BanezDominican University, denistry

Hecotr PerezDePaul University, graphic design

Mariiusz DorozDominican University, criminology

“My favorite memory was winning volley-ball conference junior year. I will miss the staff, Candido, and teachers Ms. Perez, Ms. Mark, Ms. Ochwat, and friends I made in IB class – Abdul, Frank, Eddy, Edwin, and the long, fun bus rides getting here. Steinmetz helped me become a person with perse-verance.”

Michael SanchezIllinois Institute of Technology

Computer scienceCareer goal: Something like Cardi B.

Gilberto TorresUniversity of Illinois, finance

Erika CarrescoUniversity of Wisconsin, pre-med

May - June 2019 Steinmetz Star 5

5Star Top Ten Seniors

Continued on Page 17

By Mia Marrero

Lara Banez, third in the Class of 2019, plans to study dentistry at Dominican University.

When she was younger, Lara wanted to become a singer because her dad had a band and she would like to listen to most of his music. Lara’s mother is a dental assistant and Lara had always looked up to her and wanted to go into a dentistry program because she had found it interesting.

Lara’s favorite subject is math be-cause she enjoys following the steps to complete the questions likes to finish off the problems. She said that she doesn’t think of herself as smart as much as sometimes just able to get things.

She worked hard in the demanding MYP and IB program. Lara said she became more confident through the years of speaking in class and doing the personal projects.

Strengths Lara has are being able to adapt to change, self-motivation and perseverance. If she ever felt about to give up, she knew she should keep on going. But she has weaknesses, she said: time man-

agement and having lots of ups and downs.

In addition to her strong aca-demics, Lara played volleyball and one season of soccer at Steinmetz, and she reported stories for the Star. Her artwork was shown in the All City Art Exhibition this year and last.

Outside of school, Lara likes to sleep, hang out with her friends and her cousins, help her cousin with her film projects, go to the movies or just listen to music. Some of her favorite genres are slow R&B, bal-lads, classical and country.

Lara is thankful for the people in her family and friends.

“Even though I changed, stay-ing close to my family and friends

helped keep me intact,” she said. Lara is thankful for those people who have stayed with her throughout the school year.

Something that not everyone knows about Lara is that while she is shy and quiet and doesn’t feel like talking at times, once people know her more she gets more comfortable. Lara 2.0 awakens and she soon starts to become herself, gets comfortable and she gets weird and dances. But when Lara is back at school she goes back to being quiet and shy. •

By Erika Carrasco

H ector Perez, in the MYP/IB program since his freshman year, ended his high school

career in the Top Ten in the Class of 2019.

He plans to continue his passion of graphic design at DePaul Univer-sity. He wants to learn and expand on what he already knows about graphic design techniques and use that to further his career.

Hector started his own skating company called Open Jaws and sells t-shirts with his original designs.

In his time at Steinmetz, Hec-tor was a part of ASM lifeguarding, baseball, swimming, and waterpolo.

“I will miss the people and the ex-perience at Steinmetz,” Hector said in his responses to a questionaire by the Star. “Mariusz made my experi-ence at Steinmetz more enjoyable.”

Outside of the school he works at the front desk of a karate dojo.

Hector feels his strengths are be-ing able to stay organized and being a leader in the classroom and outside as well. He balanced everything he did in high school by staying orga-nized and just getting his work done on time.

“Hector is that one person I’d always wanted to be around,” his friend and classmate Marek Wojt-kielewixz said. “He’s funny, chill, smart and just a cool friend.” •

By Frank Cabrera

A longside Mariusz academic

accomplishments, as one of the top students in the class, he is known for having a fun spirited personal-ity. This reporter believes that Mariusz is up for anything at any time.

Mariusz transitioned from Can-ty elementary with straight A’s his freshman year, joining basketball his sophomore, water polo his junior year and swimming his senior year.

For many people. balancing their time can be hard, but Mariusz takes pride in being able to manage his time wisely, balancing school, sports, friends and work.

He appreciated math teacher and swim coach Suzy Sullivan and his-tory teacher David Gonzalez.

“I will miss my friends who made me who I am today – Luis, Gilberto, Hector, Sam and JayAnn,” he said in a Star survey.

Outside of his school life, Mariusz works at O’Hare Airport, doing security and other jobs, and he enjoys spending time with friends from

elementary and his two siblings Se-bastian and Kosha. Unlike many, he’s not really into video games.

Mariusz will be attending Do-minican University in the fall, study-ing criminology in hopes of becom-ing a detective. Mariusz doesn’t want to be crunching numbers or filing paperwork in an office job, but out on the streets, making Chicago a safer place.•

By Justin Carrillo

M ichael is funny, hardworking, and open minded. He has been through a lot, so we

know that he is a very tough person. Before he got to high school his

dream was to make it big as a soccer player. But when he almost died of a collapsed lung, he changed his focus. He had to leave sports for a while and focus on academics.

“My mom saved my life,” he said, “when she got me to the hospital at midnight when I was super sick.”

Michael pulled through that tough time and learned to look for a chal-lenge. He wants to be above average.

His strengths include time man-agement, school, work and volleyball. His favorite teachers were Mr. Ochoa and Ms. Mark. He said his weakness is expressing himself, but he has no problem talking with his friends.

“I give good advice,” he said. “When people don’t take it, they’ll tell me that I was right.”

Michael likes to listen to His-panic music. He is Mexican and Ecuadorian with Spanish as his first language. He’s a Capricorn.

His favorite car is a BMW. His favorite activities are hanging out with the boys and playing vol-leyball. Michael said if he could change one thing in Steinmetz he would make it open campus for lunch.

A favorite memory at school was beating Alcott for the vol-leyball conference championship game. He appreciated getting to know a lot of people at Steinmetz. Michael is nervous about college. He’s going to Illinois Institute of Technology to study computer science.

He says he’s not smarter than others, but that he likes challenges. His plans for this summer are to go to New York. •

By Aliyah Martinez

G ilberto Torres, a Top Ten student, was challenged by homework, classwork, and

projects, but he always pushed him-self to get everything done. His hard work paid off as he’s on his way to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study finance.

Advice he gives to any student becoming part of IB class: “Don’t wait till the last second to get your work done; it is not worth it to wait. Get it done.”

Being an IB student changed Gil-berto. Before he joined the program, he wasn’t really focused in school and it wasn’t one of his priorities. But it’s not too late to change and become a better student, as he did.

“I’ll miss the people here, espe-cially Mrs. Ferrarini,” Gilberto said.He said he’ll also miss spending time with his friend Lexie, and others.

He was a member of the Streaks swim team and water polo team and participated in ASM lifeguarding.

In the summer of 2018, he worked as a lifeguard at Austin Town Hall.

Gilberto likes to spend time with his friends. They usually hang out, go to the movies or go out to eat. He also enjoys being in his room or any quiet place where he can chill and relax by himself.

One of Gilberto’s strengths is that he is independent. “No one has to tell me to do anything,” he said.

One super power he would like to have is knowing what people are thinking. A song that speaks to Gilberto’s journey in high school is “Cruise” by Kygo. •

Lara Banez Hector Perez

Michael Sanchez

Gilberto Torres

Mariusz Doroz Erika CarrescoBy Nelly Navarro

During her time at Metz, Erika Carrasco dedi-cated a lot of hard work

and time into her academics. She sacrificed going out with friends to ensure a better future for herself.

She will be attending the Uni-versity of Wisconsin in Madison, a selective school, on a full-ride scholarship, studying biology with the goal of one day being a neurosurgeon.

On top of her studies, she participated in a plethora of extracurricular activities and excelled in everything she did. Erika played volleyball all four years, soccer her sophomore year. She managed the water polo team. She was on the Academic Decathlon team. She served as National Honor Society secretary her junior year, president senior year. She reported stories for the Steinmetz Star for three years, and served as co-editor-chief her senior year.

The work in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program is chal-lenging. Ms. Ochwat demanded 15-page lab reports. She would have as many as seven tests a week.

“I cried two times a week,” Erika said. “Ms. Ochwat pushed me. I thought the class was too hard, but she teaches very well. She got us ready for college, and taught us not to be childish. It was survival of the fittest.”

Naps and spending time with her dog Leah helped balance the loss of sleep from late night home-work and the pressure of the pro-gram and maintaining her GPA.

She will go on to do great things.

Star adviser Sharon Schmidt said the following:Erika took journalism when she was a sophomore. It

is the only time I’ve had a student in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) enrolled in my class. She couldn’t take the Spanish class the rest of her group was in because her skills were too high.

What a pleasure it was to have her with my raucous group of juniors and seniors. Even though younger than the others, her maturity and intelligence stood out.

6 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

6 Star SeniorsTop seniors worked extremely hard, appreciated support from their teachers, family and friends

By Alyssa Avilez

Frank has accomplished a lot through his high school career. He is ranked 11th in the graduating class of 2019; he’s the

Local School Council (LSC) student repre-sentative; he’s the class president; and a varsity volleyball player and swimmer. He admits it wasn’t always easy.

“If there’s one thing IB taught me, it’s to stay resilient,” Frank said. “It was tiring but I’d tell myself to keep going, and try harder the next day.”

He moved from Rhode Island to Chicago and spent all four years at Steinmetz. What stood out the most was having a fresh start and the opportunity to reinvent himself.

Frank describes himself as open minded, outgoing, knowledgeable and sociable. He’ll be attending University of Illinois at Urbana, and will study biology, with plans to one day become a pediatrician

“To incoming students, I’d say – do what you think is best for you,” he said. “Stay true to yourself.”•

By Alyssa Smith

R aychel is easily de-scribed as

uplifting, hilari-ous, kind-hearted and welcoming by her classmates and teammates. From the mo-ment I met Raychel, she was quick to show me love and friendship. She is a walking ray of sunshine; wher-ever she goes, she brings joy into the room and makes the best of any situation.

“Regardless of the person, she’s always really caring and kind,” said Sorahy Orozco.

Raychel is a very active student. She was an active member of the yearbook and played volleyball and softball all four years.

She is an outstanding athlete, a team player and has amazing sportsmanship. Even through losses, she was always wearing a smile and giving out praise to heavy-hearted teammates.

“My favorite memory at school would be being on the teams and being able to work with so many different people, seeing them grow as people and players,” Raychel said. “Working together to win or lose is something I will never forget.”

Raychel made a home of Steinmetz and was able to build great relationships with her coaches and teachers.

“I realized that teachers weren’t supporting me because it was their job, but because they truly cared about me,” she said. “It’s a great feeling to know that people had my back un-conditionally.”

Raychel has left her mark on Steinmetz forever. Her positivity and wholesome per-sonality won’t be forgotten.

Raychel is set to attend Wilbur Wright Col-lege with the Star Scholarship for two years. After that, she is planning to go to a university, possibly Loyola.

“I am glad to say that I ended up being a Streak,” she said. “I will miss some people in this building tons. Thank you for four great years and I am excited to see what opportuni-ties life now has for me.”•

Raychel VicianAdrienne Hensgen

Frank Cabrera

Yahya, continued

By Nelly Navarro

T he impact Adrienne has left on people is indescribable.

Although many find her intimidating, she has, un-deniably, the sweetest soul you will ever meet. Her entrance to the school was radical. Her essence is more than euphoric. She came into an envi-ronment polar opposite to her and remained unapologetically true to herself. People can spot her individuality from light years away.

During her time at Steinmetz she can confidently say it changed her life drastically. Her whole world changed when she moved out and switched schools and even if it wasn’t fun or exciting for her, it was definable. Self advocacy was key, she had to do everything for herself.

She joined OneGoal which inspired her to go to college, ultimately, changing her life course. She will be at-tending North Park Univer-sity as a pre-med major. She is excited for the classes she’ll be taking in the fall, including an anatomy course in which the students will be working on cadavers right away. She is interested in pathology.

Her hard working spirit and individuality makes her stand out from everyone here.

“She’s patient and inspir-ing,” teacher Christina Baldwin said. “Kids like her make me enjoy my job.”

She does a remarkable job balancing her adult life with youthful fun. It is effortless and easy to gravitate towards her.

OneGoal teacher Victoria Serritella said, “Ever since I met Adrienne when she was junior, I have been impressed and awed by her resilient nature and her ability to always stay true to herself and values.”•

Continued from Page 4The Star interviewed Coach Ochoa. How has Yahya affected you?Yahya is possibly the most dedicated and

responsible athlete I have ever coached at Steinmetz over my 22 years here. His dedica-tion to the sport of volleyball and to his team is unbreakable. He his helped me personally make the transition to coaching volleyball an enjoyable one.

Do you have any words for Yahya as he graduates this year and goes off to college?

Yahya knows how important he is to this program and plans on giving back once he graduates. That’s just how he is. As long as he puts this kind of effort into his future endeavors he will prove to be highly success-ful. I wish him nothing but the best and I’m sure I will see him soon. No goodbyes here.

Yahya’s kindness is something that shouldn’t be forgotten. His friend Lara Banez has answered a few questions in regards to Yahya.

Has Yahya impacted you in any shape or form during your stay at Steinmetz?

Lara: One thing that Abdul has impacted in my life was being able to express my inter-est in K-pop. I’ve became more confident

because of him. He has also gotten me into volleyball with how he’s so committed to the sport. This inspired me to become as good as he, which is obviously impossible because he’s the best.

Yahya said he will miss his friends and the trust he’s built with both peers and teachers. Do you have anything to say in regards to this statement?

Lara: Abdul has always been known to be friendly. He loves talking to people, which is why I think he’s able to form those kind of relationship with everyone so easily and meaningfully

Do you have words you’d like to say to him as you both leave this June?

Lara: Yahya, even through tough times, you always put a smile on your face. You check up on me which I appreciate so much.

I know you’ll do great things as you have done with everything you set your mind to. Call or text me whenever.

In addition, this reporter would like to share some best wishes to Yahya. Iff there’s one thing I can tell you. It’s a Chinese idiom I once learned: A thousand-mile journey begins with the first step.

Enjoy yourself, Yahya, you’ll be missed dearly, but not for too long as we’ll keep in touch. We all will. How could we forget about someone so special. Your greatest ac-complishment will only be made because of every step you made. We don’t know each other well, but we have plenty of time to do so.

Here are fun facts about YahyaHis pet peeve is younger kids who don’t

listen.This summer he is going to travel to To-

ronto, Ontario in Canada and to different states in the U.S. In the future, he wants to to travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

He’s addicted to making people like him.His favorite book is The Alchemist.His role model is Mr. Bean.His favorite color is white.His favorite game is Uncharted 4.A favorite song is Drake’s “The Motto.”He’s heavily into K-Pop.•

“My favorite memory is being on the swim team with Coach Sullivan and Coach Lu-igi De Col and winning conference. I will miss Mrs. Schmidt, my newspaper mom. Steinmetz changed everything about me.”

Frank CabreraU. of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign

Career goal: pediatrician

May - June 2019 Steinmetz Star 7

7

By Tamara Johnson

M ichael Vargas is an inspirational and self-motivated person, imbued with a spirit to do much more than

what’s expected of him.“Do what you want in life and don’t look

back, ” Mike said. “I looked at my difficult situations and flipped them in a way that would benefit me.”

Michael grew up in the Belmont and Cragin neighborhood, the youngest of four boys. His mother worked nights and his father worked construction jobs. His broth-ers Javier, Salvador and Carlos helped to raise him.

“What made me want to go hard in life was when my older brother Javier got de-ported to Mexico,” Mike said. “He showed me how to not struggle in life. The way Javier grew up is how I’m coming up now. I look up to in love all of my brothers.”

For fun they played baseball. His father took Mike to the batting cages and played catch with him and Carlos.

“This kept me out of trouble and gave me something positive to focus on,” Mike said.

Through family and baseball, Mike de-veloped self confidence.

“I met Mike when he was 11 years old,” Joyce Alvarez said. “He was short and chub-by and had glasses. We went to youth group together. He was outgoing and thought he was a little better than everyone else, but he was cool. As time went on he became very mature and he has very high standards.”

“Michael, I never told you, but I’m proud of you,” Joyce said. “You’re like my big brother.”

High school was not a hard transition. His brothers took him around and picked him up after school. He got to know baseball coach Renato Roldan because his brother was on the team.

“I knew two of Mike’s brothers,” Coach Roldan said. “Salvador was quiet and low key. He was always working. He just chilled and hung out with his friends. Carlos was more involved. He played softball and was well liked by everyone. I met Mike when he

was 6 or 7 years old. He would come to watch the baseball games. He was a little chubby kid. His parents did an amazing job raising him.”

Mike did well at Steinmetz, learning about determination.

“I’ve learned that if you really want something, you’ll put in the work for it,” he said. “From freshman year to now, I can say that I’ve grown mentally stronger. The best advice I could give someone younger than me is that your situations can have a better outcome if your mindset is right.”

He also put in the work.“What you get in life is earned by you,

based on the amount of effort you put in,” Mike said. “That is what makes you stand out. If I could go back in life and change something, I wouldn’t even do it. I feel ev-erything’s falling into place because of the effort I put into life.”

Mike’s goal is to start his own businesses and work with other businesses, eventually branching out and going global. He wants his family to have it easy – his father to go far with his construction and his mom to “finally relax and not worry about her son.” He’d like to help his brothers find their dreams.

Coach Roldan told the Star something about Michael and people not getting their IHOP, and added these words to Mike: “Something I always wanted to tell you was the world would be a better place if we had more people like you in it.” •

By Adrienne Henry

T amara is a very outgoing person. Even if you don’t know her you will get to know her just by seeing her. Tamara is

bold and fearless. She is also a good friend.“She cares, she’s kind, good people when

you need to talk,” senior Jaylen Wilkerson said. “She is there for you and she understands what you’re going through, she tries to calm you. One word to describe her is nice. She will go out of her way for you if she knows you’re going through something.”

One of Tamara’s big jobs this year was assisting teacher Mike Edwards with After School Matters.

What made you be comfortable to be outspoken and bold?

My mom made me this way because that’s the way she is. My mom says anything that comes to mind and feels that everyone has a voice and should use it.

How should Steinmetz remember you?I’m everything they didn’t expect me to

be. When they told me no, I was doing it anyways.

How did Steinmetz expect you to be?I got kicked out of Taft and also an alterna-

tive school. They thought I was going to come here and raise hell.

What made you change? I got tired of being bad. I didn’t want peo-

ple to feel me because of fighting but because of my mindset.

Are you proud of yourself for changing?I’m very proud of myself. I’ve dealt with a

lot of loss in my life. And not only did I use that to motivate me to better, it motivated me to change.

From Star adviser Sharon SchmidtI chose Tamara to be one of the Star’s co-

editors-chief last June because she was a stand-out reporter during her junior year. She was so dedicated in getting stories and telling them accurately, in order to serve the people in her reports as well as the people reading them.

I saw her work passionately in interviewing, editing her writing and getting the right photos. In addition, she brought her natural enthusiasm and story telling to our journalism classroom. On a daily basis, the class would stop while we listened to a Tamara story that would be full of interesting details, humor and passion.

She’s a generous person in the way she shares. She doesn’t hold back and that is an unusual trait in this world. Another: she sees the value in people who are like her and unlike her.

She’s a talented writer and speaker, with emerging leadership skills. It will be a pleasure to see her mature and continue to use her gifts.•

By Aliyah Martinez

Maricruz transferred to Steinmetz in her se-nior year. We met at

ITW Speer Academy our fresh-man year. We weren’t that close at Speer, but we became close friends this year.

Maricruz has always been a kind person, and she always has a smile on her face. I have learned from her to be kind, respectful and smart in cer-

tain situations. She is great as a friend because she always speaks the truth.

She is an intelligent stu-dent, and even though she has her ups and downs, she always finds a way to keep going.

Maricruz is the type of person that you can count on. Her motivation in life is her parents because they have worked so hard to support their family. Mary is really humble and that is one of my favorite things about her. •

By Roxanna Urizar

J areth Carrera, 18, was born in Guerrero Xotchlupa, Mexico. When she was two she got seperated from her older sister

and didn’t meet her until she was 8 years old. She came to the U.S. one month before her birthday and lived in Georgia for 10 years.

“What I miss from Georgia are the moun-tains up in Helen and seeing the waterfalls,” Jareth said. “But I love downtown Chicago. I always find a new spot to relax or just to have fun. I am a really adventurous person. I also love to eat.”

Jareth plans on going to college, just like her siblings. She’s going to Wright.

Something she will remember from Stein-metz will be the Military Ball sophomore year because she got to dance with her friends and made so many memories with them.

“My phobia would be hospitals,” Jareth said. “I’m also afraid of tarantulas; they’re so hairy. One place I would love to visit would be Japan. During spring time you would be able to see the cherry blossom trees.”•

Tamara JohnsonMichael Vargas

Jareth Carrera

Maricruz Arista

Edandre Macahidhid

Star Seniors

By Maurice Abringunda

E dandre, 18, served as the treasurer of the senior class. In addition, he was in the recycling club and he played

Dungeons and Dragons after school with Mr. Arroyo’s club. He plays video games such as League of Legends and Minecraft Advocate. He really loves it.

His college plan is to go to Wilbur Wright, then Roosevelt University, then Colorado. He loves history. In addition to history teacher Mr. Emanul, Andre really liked Ms. Perez, a comforting teacher, and Ms. Dunn, who encouraged him to be in AP classes.

At first he didn’t like Steinmetz; his im-pression was terrible when he transferred from Palentine. He wanted to try to im-prove the school as a senior class officer and a reporter for the Steinmetz Star. He became good friends with America Flores, Christian Braun and Richard Salgado, with this reporter and Kenneth, basically family.

He was born in California and raised in Oregon. He moved to Chicago at 13, when his parents divorced. He has seven siblings ¬– five sisters and two brothers. Edandre’s family is very important to him. His dad is his reason for wanting to go to college; he encouraged him. His mom tells him to pray everyday. He wants to be a role

model for his younger brother Eddy. His big sister in Oregon is his emotional and financial support.

He’s currently unemployed, but he used to work Isla Pilipino. His past jobs include architect program, ASM gaming, gaming internship, dishwasher and stocker.

His pet peeve is liars, which leads to drama. He hates to take care of disobedi-ent kids.

Edandre doesn’t like toxic people who can cause issues. He’s a realist and oppor-tunist, likes to make precautionary plans.

Some of his favorites include the color green, shrimp and Minecraft Factions, Pix-elmon. If he has time, he likes to read. His favorite genre is Chinese graphic novels. He also liked The Alchemist, Super Sales on Super Heroes, and a Chinese title Against the God. He liked the movie “Life is Beautiful,” which he said is so sad. He likes to listen to the original audio with subtitles instead of the American dub. He likes to hang with his friend America.•

8 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

8 Star Journalism Class Seniors

By Roxana Urizar

Nelly likes helping the earth so she volunteers to do every-thing she can for it, because

the state of the world hurts her. “When I think of dreams I don’t

think about myself, I think about what I can do to help the world,” she said.

Nelly is an open minded person who loves to try new things.

“A strange addiction I have is do-ing a lot of stuff to my hair,” she said. “I really kill it and push my limits.”

She likes road trips, concerts, and spending time with family and friends. Her summer job will be teaching swimming to children.

“Something I will miss about Steinmetz is the routine of being able to see people every day,” Nelly said. “Like my friends Elliot, Adrian, Autumn and many more.” •

By Aliyah Martinez

A drienne is a fun girl. She has a lot of potential and charisma, although she is

reserved when it comes to being around people that she’s not close to.

She was born on Feb. 2, 2001, which makes her an Aquarius. Her Zodiac sign represents her as hon-est and creative. Her favorite music genre is R&B and Hip-hop, and her favorite color is pink.

Adrienne makes you feel part of whatever is going on, and she always has something interesting to say.

“Adrienne’s very outstanding, but also a shy person at times,” ju-nior Shaniya Keaton said. “A good memory I have with her is when she was being so funny about open-ing crab legs. We love each other dearly and would forever be there when in need for one another. She’s amazing.”

Adrienne transferred here at the beginning of junior year. It made her sad to leave her friends and teachers behind; however, at Steinmetz she has managed to keep up in school and have a social life. Teachers recognize Adrienne’s hard work and dedication.

“Adrienne is an intelligent, out-spoken young lady with tons of potential,” OneGoal teacher Vicki Serritella said. “I wish I had a hun-dred Adriennes.”

Her hobbies are chilling with her friends and listening to music. Adri-enne is a dancer who was on a dance team, which represents happiness, contentment, victory, confidence and also celebration to her.

Her favorite seasons of the year are spring and summer because she is not a big fan of cold weather.

She wants to pursue a career as a lawyer. Her main goals in her future are to work more, find a full time job, and go to college.

Adrienne has advice for future seniors:

“Stay focused. Don’t let little things distract you that will make you get away from important things.” •

By Angel Altunez

Justin, a tall, respectful and kind senior involved in many athletics including basketball,

football, and track, is ending his sports journey here and beginning a new journey in trade school.

Over the summer Justin plans on spending time with his family, going to the beach, and working at his current job at Lou Malnati’s to save up money for trade school or other possibilities, as he is still undecided with his career goals.

Justin advises students to give the best they can throughout high school.

“Each year you will have a lot of fun, but you still have to work hard every year,” he said. He credits teachers, his parents and brothers for helping him through.

Justin is a very funny, interest-ing and outgoing person in class. He can always find a way to make something funny, even though it is serious or not. A joke will just randomly pop up from time to time.

He is a lively and loud person who can stand out from the crowd, someone you will remember because of his personality and his weirdness in class. He is not afraid to share his thoughts or his ideas with anyone if it comes up or when asked questions he will respond freely as he will.

He embraced Steinmetz by join-ing sports as he had never cared about before. It was a way for him to be involved in the school.

“I will miss being able to play on the basketball court in the main gym, and all the teachers that re-ally cared about me and really good friends that I have had with me,” he said.

Favorite class and teacher?Japanese and Ms. Cross.Superpower? Super strength.A million dollars?I would give half or more than

half to my mom, pay off bills and buy a house.

Favorite movie line?White Chicks, “What a beautiful

chocolate man.”•

By Mia Marerro

America is an in-teresting, active person. She enjoys playing volley-ball, soccer, doing laundry, which is her peace time, and helping out JROTC.

“I don’t believe that it’s a strange addiction, but I like to clean my room at 3 in the morning,” she said.

Some favorite shows are Siren Rick and Morty, Stranger Things and Celia. Movies she loves are E.T., Spice Girls and Gremlins.

America served in the JROTC Battalion as an S-6 and won Mili-tary Ball Queen.

She plans to start college at Mal-colm X after a gap year. She’s inter-ested in studying anthropology, en-vironmental science or pharmacy. •

By Adrienne Henry

Aliyah is a sweetheart the nicest person you’ll meet.She’s a little shy, but as

soon as you start a conversation with her a smile creeps up on her face.

Aliyah was born August 26, 2001. She’s a summer baby with the sign of being a Virgo.

She loves music, any genre is okay with her, and watching inter-esting TV shows, such as “Friends.”

Aliyah isn’t sure on her plans after high school. She just want things to flow and show her what she’s good at. But she does plan on going to Wright College.

Aliyah’s friends and coach ap-preciate her.

“She is nice and sweet; I will de-scribe her as a good friend,” senior Maricruz Arista said. “She makes you laugh and get mad at times, but she is amazing. I think there are no more friends like her. She finds ways to make up for some-thing wrong that she did or she tries to compliment you even if you don’t feel the best.”

Aliyah is a kind hearted person and will leave an impact on you. She left an impact on her coach.

“She is hard working, never gives up, has a positive attitude and is friendly,” softball coach Maria Chaparro said. “In the beginning, she was shy and timid. I felt as if she really didn’t know the game, but she blossomed to become one of my starters. She was great on the field. I just wish she came as a freshman so she could’ve been on my team all four years. Aliyah made a really big impact on the team.”

“She took on first base,” Coach added. “All the plays go there and she had to save all of the bad throws and plays. She really stepped up for someone who never played before.”

The Star asked Coach Chaparro if she could have her on the team again would she?

“Yes, 150 percent.” •

NellyNavarro

Adrienne Henry

Aliyah Martinez

Jose Sanchez

Justin Carrillo

By Jose Sanchez

From freshman to sophomore to junior to my final days of senior year, I still have many unanswered questions. Well, off to the world I go to look for answers. •

By Jose Sanchez

M aurice, 19, is an Asian American who was born in the Philippians and

came to Chicago when he was 12 years old. He was sent by his grand-mother, along with his family but without his mother, for a better life.

Maurice has many friends here, but has also found that people here in America are much less open to statements and opinions compared to other parts of the world. He de-scribes them to be stubborn, almost like they purposely ignore his voice.

Even through the judgemental harassment that Maurice receives, he still moves forward and doesn’t let anything or anyone keep him down.

Maurice describes himself to be a devil’s advocate because of all the trouble that he likes to cause and watch over.

“I love to debate, but everyone is stubborn. I want to open my view-point to others,” he said.

Maurice also likes the popular role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons. A game where you can do or be seemingly whatever you desire and play however you like with other friends.

In this game, Maurice plays as the pacifist druid that heals the team with shapeshifting abilities. It is rare, but sometimes he himself will step into the fight if needed.

Some would say that you’d often only see him smiling and rarely ever sad or mad. The worst mood you might see him in is annoyed, but even then. The joyful laugh that he produces for just about anything is enough to make anyone’s day brighter.

Maurice always likes to be sure of his facts and what he wants to do.

“I hate being indecisive,” he said. A short but very relatable statement.

As a talented artist, Maurice thought he wanted to go to art school to be a graphic designer. He later decided that enlisting in the military might also not be a bad idea. Being in JROTC for two years and his father’s military service in-spired Maurice.•

MauriceAbrigunda

AmericaFlores

Roxana UrizarBy Nelly Navarro

Roxana is a shy, generous and accepting person.

While she seems indecisive when describing herself, she shares important aspects of her personality.

“I tend to overthink everything and am scared of trying new things,” she said. “I’m hesitant at first, but then I realize that everything that happens in my life, even if it seems insignificant, becomes the most memorable mo-

ments. I am shy and loving and make stupid decisions.”

She assigns meaning to small things. Her favorite colors indicate strong mo-ments in her life and she embraces every-thing around her.

She’ll miss high school, but is excited to see where life will take her onward. Roxana will be going to Malcolm X col-lege. She wants to help people with her current goal of becoming a nurse.

Roxana will carry on her expressing her feelings and thoughts through writing and playing music while inspiring anyone she meets along the way. •

May - June 2019 Steinmetz Star 9

By Maurice Abrigunda

T he annual JROTC Military Ball was held this year on April 6.It’s similar to prom except the tickets are much less expen-

sive, students don’t spend as much money on their clothes and there are color guards doing a performance with saber swords.

It’s a great time where cadets can relax, eat dinner and dance. In addition, there is a ceremony involving a “grog bowl.”

The grog bowl comes from a tradition in the milarty where usually the toilet served as a bowl to mix symbolic ingredients.

You’d be surprised how weird the ingredients are. For example, dirt is a symbol for soldiers or grunts who walked and walked dur-ing their deployment. The high school grog bowl has no dirt in it.

At the Military Ball, those service members who lost their lives while protecting the country are honored in a “fallen heroes” table. •

9Star News

Steinmetz JROTC earns ‘Honor Unit with Distinction’ recognition

Sgt. Yangas, retired JROTC instructor, taught students to push themselves

Military Ball included dinner, dancing, inspiring messages and ‘grog’

By America Flores

The JROTC Battalion staff and JROTC instructors MSG Davis and SFC

Kaminski led the Steinmetz to earn “Honor Unit With Dis-tinction” recognition in the JROTC Program for Accredi-dation on May 6.

The Steinmetz Facebook page reported on the “countless hours of preparation, events, hard work, investment, dedica-tion, sweat, tears, and practice” that went into acheiving the score of 97.5.

“Cheers and applause erupted when the final score was revealed,” the Steinmetz Face-book post reports. “This honor is earned and not given. Our cadets are second to none. Only a handful of schools receive this honor.”

Throughout the 2018-19 school year, the JROTC student leaders on staff showed hard dedication. These include Battalion S-1 Jenni-fer Pillajo, S-2 Sage Reyes, S-3 Yencelyn Bucio, S-4 Jamie Montanez, S-5 Miriam Bautista,

S-6 America Flores, Sergeant Major Ziedrick Madamba, Command Sergeant Major San-tiago Vera Riano, Executive Officer Sherley De La Cruz and Battalion Commander Kevin Rodriguez sr.

A very big shout out to MSG Davis and SGT Kaminski for being great instructors and motivators, helping the cadets achieve many things and overcome any obstacle that came their way.•

Sgt. Yangas retired from Steinmetz in January. He recommended military service for the many opportunities. New enlistees in the Marines were honored May 1: Daniel Hassan, Richard Salgado, Christian Braun, Jeremy Vera. SFC Kaminski congratu-lates Cecilio Caraballo on his enlistement in the Army.

By America Flores

Sgt. Yangas was always there for his ca-dets and for students who weren’t in the JROTC program. He taught us how

to push ourselves and accomplish things we thought we wouldn’t be able to do.

After serving for 28 years in the military, Sgt. Yangas spent 14 years at Steinmetz, retir-ing this year. He is missed greatly.

Sgt. Yangas wrote the following piece for the November 2014 Star:

I spent 28 years in the military. I retired as a Sergeant First Class. The majority of my career

was in the Army National Guard. I held many positions while in the National Guard, but when I retired I was a Training NCO in an ambulance company. My job was to insure that the readiness of that company was maintained.

I have made many friends in the military and have never regretted my decision to make the

military my profession. Being away from your family is the main detractor to military service.

As far as recommending the military for our students, I would say definitely yes. The oppor-tunities available are many and it seems like most of our students would benefit from them. •

From the Steinmetz Facebook page: Mark Farina, Steinmetz alumnus and the Military Ball guest speaker, has led a rich and rewarding life but still finds time not only to support his alma mater but also give back to his com-munity. See reporter Maurice Abrigunda’s piece on

transgender soldiers in the military, Page 16.

10 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

10 All City Art

By Giana Vega

Five more Steinmetz student artists and their paintings in an another exhibition, on Page17.

By Marilyn Suarez

By Anahi Hernandez

By Jada Clark

By David Panzillus

By Edwin Reyes

By Lara Banez

Every year, Chicago high school students are chosen to exhibit their art pieces down-town at Expo 72.

This year’s All City Art exhibit opened on April 10 and ran until April 20. Many Stein-metz students, taught by Jennifer Bates and Rosana Mark, had the opportunity to show off their work.

This year’s All City Art exhibitors were Lara Banez, Jada Clark, Alicia Figueroa, Pierina Figueroa, Katarina Fleischer, Keyla Garcia, Jayla Glanton, Alex Hernandez, Anahi Hernandez, Jahnera Lugardo, Nelida Navarro, David Pan-zilius, Edwin Reyes, Vanessa Reyes, Cordero Ri-vera, Rey G Rodriguez, Marilyn Suarez, Michael Ticer, Josue Valdivia and Giana Vega.

Angelina Viallareal, Lillian Martinez, Giselle Molina,Tabea Tergau and Dayna Dayson exhib-ited their work in another show. See Page 16.

It was a great experience to see my painting and other students’ paintings at the exhibition. Not only was it a memorable moment for my-self, but also to my family as I dedicated my piece to my late cousin.

Just seeing the many art styles of different students was amazing and the background be-hind them made it a lot more valuable.

Special thanks to the art teachers who gave each student this amazing opportunity. •

Students’ art chosen for All City exhibit

By Cordero Rivera

By Rey Rodriguez

By Marilyn Suarez

May - June 2019 Steinmetz Star 11

11All City Art

By Keyla Garcia

By Katerina Fleischer

By Pierina Figueroa

By Lara Banez

By Alex Hernandez

By Josue Valdivia

By Jayla Glanton

By Alicia Figueroa

By Michael Ticer

By Pierina Figueroa

By Alicia Figueroa

By Jahnera Lugardo

12 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

12 Star NewsSeniors celebrate Decision Day acceptance and financial awards; alumni college students their share advice

By Ryan Allibone, Class of 2017

As someone who had to withdraw from college during my second semester due to personal issues, I’m not sure how much advice I have to give, but I can share

what I learned. Do your best to make friends inside and outside of class.

Friends will help so much when you go to school, whether it be for fun, working on classwork together, or just someone to talk to. What I tried to do was find a friend in every class I had, this way if there was ever any group work, I needed help understanding what we discussed that day, or if I was ever absent so I needed notes, I always had someone to rely on.

And even if you already have a friend in that class, go ahead and make more! It’s always important to meet new people and broaden your horizons, after all, that’s one of the biggest things about going to college.

Know that it’s okay to struggle sometimes. Going from a high school environment to a college environment is going to be a big shock. Different schedule, different places, different everything. In reference to one of the greatest Disney movies of all time, it’s a whole new world. At some point, you’re go-ing to struggle with something and you have to know that it’s okay. You’re not alone if you struggle in your classes or if you struggle to manage your time properly. This is where friends can come in handy as they can always give you a nudge in the right direction and take your mind off of whatever is going through your head.

And don’t to forget ask your professors with help. They’re human too, and understand if you need assistance with their class. Many would be more than happy to give you an exten-sion if something came up and you weren’t able to complete an assignment on time or if you need tutoring they can point you to the wide array of tutoring options at the school.

It’s okay if you need to leave. Whether you figure out that college isn’t for you, or if you need to take care of something else in your life, it’s okay. This isn’t something that most people will say but it needs to be said. Now this is not just me saying to quit at the first time something goes wrong. Education is incredibly important and it can honestly change your whole life. But if something happens like the death of a family mem-ber or not being in the right environment for you to succeed, then get to wherever you need to be.

If you can, finish the semester you are in so this way you don’t have to pay a bunch of withdrawal or contract cancella-tion fees. Trust me, you don’t want to have to pay more money than necessary if you can avoid it. In the end though, if you have to go, then go.

This is something that I can personally attest to as my mom had a heart attack last January, just a couple of weeks into my second semester. Thankfully, she’s okay now and better than ever, but when that happened, she needed me there and so did the rest of my family. We had to be there for each other so we could all make it through that. And yes, I am still cur-rently paying the money for that decision, but it’s one I don’t regret at all. •

By Elise Guillen, Class of 2018

My advice to any high schooler reading this is that it’s never too early (or too late) to start thinking about college.

Person who’s reading this, you may not know what col-lege you want to go to or if you even want to go to college and that’s okay. The future may scare you or you don’t want to imagine life after high school just yet but it’s not bad to consider it every so often because I promise graduation will approach faster than you think. The best way to move forward is to take some time and do some research. It may seem overwhelming, but more information about your future is better than none.

Doing this research will help you figure not only yourself out more, but possibly help you get an idea of your options in life. At the end of the day, it’s best to make a plan that fits your wants and needs in life and not anybody else’s. That thought may seem impossible to some people but, believe me, there are so many opportunities out there to achieve your wildest dreams, you just have to find them.

Research may lead you to know that you want to go to community college or even take a gap year before school and that’s perfect if that’s what you truly need. For me, I knew I wanted to go straight to college because it was something I looked forward to all of senior year since I knew that’s where I needed to be. I knew that was the best option for me since I was so excited about it and I knew that college was going to give me knowledge that I craved and experiences that I

By Agape Alfarro, Class of 2018

We all know the stigma that can come with a com-munity college. Forget about what others say, and do what is best for you. If things are not working

out financially, go to a community college. It is affordable, and there are scholarships to help lower the cost even more. If you are uncertain about what you want to study, attend a community college. This way, you will be able to get credits that can transfer over when you are ready. Look into trade schools as well. No one talks about that, but it is an option that can interest you.

Take advantage of what your school offers. If there is free tutoring or free mental health help being offered, you should go. Asking for help is always an option. Their jobs are to help you, take that first step and reach out when you need to. It can be frightening to do so, but it will be worth it in the end.

Take breaks. You need time to recover. Take care of your-self. Do not forget to eat or pack snacks with you. Take a nap when you feel exhausted. Clean up your space when you feel stressed. The little things matter, do not forget that.

It is difficult, having to start all over again. You will make it. Take small steps. Breath deeply. Remember the struggles you went through and how you overcame them. You will come out of your troubles stronger than before. All you have to do is try. If you do not try, you will never know what could be.•

Wright College, right choiceNew experiences at U of IISU plans changed

Alumni Ryan Allibone, Elise Guillen and Agape Alfaro (in center photo, while chaperoning the Star field trip to the Scholastic Press Association of Chicago workshop and media awards luncheon) were Star editors, poetry team and drama club members and excellent students, like those seniors pictured celebrating College Decision Day on May 1.

longed for. What I learned about college and that I want to pass down

is that it’s going to change your life, which is scary and cool. I went away to University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign for college and I love it. But it’s not always easy. College in general is unfamiliar and new territory for many students (kind of like high school at first but x10) and it’s difficult when you don’t know anybody. I would feel lonely sometimes and struggle at making friends, but what helped a lot was knowing that I still had a support group at home and if I needed them, they were a two hour bus or train ride way.

I think it’s important to check in with your old friends and family because they’re going through the change along with you so they can easily understand what you’re feeling. But, also, don’t be shy to make new friends since you’ll be in college for another four years. I’ve only made a few friends during my first year here but, they’ve changed me and have given me tons of great memories to treasure.

At college or at this stage of your life, you may think you’re not good enough for college and that is so untrue. It’s normal to feel insecure because I know I did during my first semester, but you can’t let it destroy the person you are or your confi-dence. Don’t compare yourself to others in your classes or be too intimidated to raise your hand in class ever. The nerves can be rough at first but eventually you get the hang of it. As long as you’re comfortable in who you are and the work you’re putting in the class, you’ll be golden. It’s not easy to do but definitely makes you feel better.

You may receive criticism from some of your professors but, don’t let that get you down and instead use it as a learning experience on how to improve. Most professors want to help you become stronger in areas that you may be weaker in and that’s okay, this is what college is all about; learning how to be a better and well-rounded person.

There will be some rough times in college and that’s sadly just a part of the experience. If you’re ever struggling, be aware of your resources on campus whether it’s tutoring for a chal-lenging class or counseling to improve your mental health. There are a lot of people besides your professors who are willing to help you and it’s good to take advantage of them (especially if you’re paying tons of school fees for them!).

I also strongly encourage you to try and join one activ-ity at your college like a club, sport or an RSO (Registered Student Organization). It’s something else to focus on besides just school and can be a way to explore other interests you wouldn’t normally look into. It’s also a way to make friends or connections with people on campus.

Lastly, it’s okay to not have it all figured out. Although I did my research on what to expect from college and what I wanted to do in my life, I’m still figuring it out.

Once you get the stage of your life outside of high school, you’ll realize that people are just as lost as you are and you learn through your experiences. There is so much learning inside and outside the classrooms in college and it’s been pretty cool, I would encourage anybody to experience this.•

May - June 2019 Steinmetz Star 13

13

By Lara Banez

I would love to dedicate this shout out to my family, either it be blood-related or those that have

been there for me throughout the good and bad. Those who have sup-

ported and helped me make deci-sions that have formed me into the person I am now, even when I can be bit much, sorry guys.

I’ve learned so much from each and every person that has come and gone in my life. I hope everyone is

successful and happy with whatever they do in their lives and in the fu-ture. I love you all.

P.S. Don’t worry, Chaparro, I’ll take care of our car. •

To my family

To Mercedez Escanio

By Anthony Escanio

Shout out to my two big sisters, Mercedez Escanio (proud of you, Sis), and Angelina Reyes, as well as her boyfriend, Alexis. •

Star Senior Shout Outs

By Jamie Montanez

I would like to give a shout out to my awesome boyfriend. He has helped me get through my

junior year by helping me with my classes and actually getting me to them on days when I’m sick. He is so smart and thoughtful and an amazing person who I’m glad to be with. In the year and seven months I’ve spent with him we have done so many things together. I’ll miss him a lot when he graduates. I’ll always be with him and be there for him when he needs me. I wish him the best of luck in college. •

To Kevin Rodriguez

By Abdulkabir Yahya

S hout out to the best coachoa ever. My coach worked hard for this school, doing

anything for us to keep the future bright, while still having time for his family. That’s what you call a true man.

You’re looking at a face of fearlessness with a hint of ability to tell dad jokes like he has no responsibility. That’s ma coach. U Is Crazy man, UIC. •

To Miguel Ochoa

By Richard Salgado

I want to give a shout out to one of my

closest friends. She was nice to me when I first arrived here and she still is one of the nicest people I know.

Asia Zanders

To Asia Zanders

is the most genuine and kindheart-ed person I have ever met as well. There were many people I wanted to give a shout out to, but Asia deserves it because she can make me happy no matter what.

She and I can just have a con-versation forever; she is a person I don’t mind listening to for hours on end. Love ya, Asia. Keep mak-ing us proud with schoolwork. •

By Frank Cabrera

I would like to give a huge shout out my newspaper mom, Mrs. Schmidt. These past few years

talking about our family events has been the best.

Thank you so much for helping me with everything, whether it was newspaper or anything else.•

To Ms. Schmidt

To Ms. S.By Asia Zanders

I want to take the time and say thank you

for everything. From day one your classroom has been my safe haven. You allow me to fully express myself and you don’t hover over my shoulder, instead you let me breathe. Whenever I need a break and a moment to breathe I know I can come to you and just relax.

It’s been amazing having you as a teach-er and I hope I was a good enough student. Love, Asia •

To Ms. Russo By Liliana Patino

I honestly don’t know where to begin, but I want

to give a shout out to Ms. Russo. I want to thank her for not giving up on us and always pushing us to do an amazing job in school work and many other activi-ties. I love how she makes us think more than there is. She’s so funny and motivational every day, even though she has some hard times, she makes sure her work is done.

Ms. Russo, I want you to know that you are a spectacular teacher.

Your vibes, your hu-mor, just you being you is what makes you a wonderful human being. Thank you so much for the hard work your do-ing just to have every senior event ready to go, even though it’s so stressful to deal with that and all the other work, you manage to pull it off and make it happen.

You’re the person I look up to a lot, because when people or work bring you down, you always come back up with positive vibes. That is something that I learned from you, as well as doing a good work at school projects.•

To Ms. Chaparro, othersBy Aliyah Martinez

I want to give a huge thank you to Ms. Chaparro. I’m so glad I joined softball because every-

day it was fun and with her as a coach it was better. Ms. Chaparro is a great coach.

Being in Ms. Russo’s class was great. I really enjoyed being around her. She is responsible and dedicated when it comes to school events and class. Thank you for making sure all senior events were done great.

Ms. Schmidt, I really enjoyed being part of the newspaper staff. I had fun writing papers, and go-ing on our field trip with the class. Thank you for all those snacks in class, and for being a loving and caring teacher.•

14 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

14 Star Senior Shout Outs

By Emmanuel Cruz

T o the love of my life, Danielle, you are one of the nicest peo-ple I’ve ever met. You’re smart,

beautiful, and your smile can change someone’s day.

You might not know it, but you’re capable of doing anything that you believe in. I just hope you can realize that some day. I hope you have a great time in college and go on to have a suc-cessful rest of your life. From, Eli. •

To Danielle To Digital Media seniors

By Ms. E

You have all grown and changed and some have moved on, but as the photos attest, you were always a joy. I am incredibly grateful to you all and can’t wait to see how you will improve our world. •

To Sabrina

By Mia Marrero

I ’m shouting out Sabrina for hav-ing many outstanding achieve-ments and being able to handle

time management so wisely. She is fun to hang out with and is always there for her friends and family.

In school, Sabrina works hard to keep her grades up and does her work when she can. Sabrina also works well with others when it comes down to doing projects and small experiments in the science classes or group problem-solving.She helped out other classmates when she had completed her projects in digital media. Sabrina is a great softball teammate who likes to be with her team members and help them during practices and games.•

By Valeriia Lytvak

During the first day in the IB class, a whisper went around my peers, a collective fear in front

of our biology classroom. We expected the worst, but our fears dispersed dur-ing the two years with Ms. Ochwat. We learned how to be responsible students and decent people.

Personally, I went through a lot of challenges since I came to U.S. and the motivation that Ms. Ochwat gave me in her class gifted me courage to fight and never give up. Chemistry, so confusing to me back in middle school, is now the subject that I am going to pursue as a Chemistry Engineer.

The Extended Essay in biology that I almost gave up on, I put myself to-gether and finished. Ms. Ochwat was the one to support me and tell me the right words, teach me the right way. Some would say she is too strict, but life will not be gentle to you.

I want to give this shout out to you, Ms. Ochwat, because you made a huge impact on my life and I am thankful for having such a teacher, a mentor and a friend.•

To Alan To Ms. Ochwat To my friends

By Brandon Hernandez

Shout out to Alan Delgado for always wanting to play games and for making me

laugh. The things Alan will miss

about the school will be the pea-nut butter and jelly sandwiches. He enjoys the diversity at Stein-metz.

He will always be known as Daz. If he could be any animal he would be a piranha because they’re fearless and strong. •

By Valeriia Lytvak

After the loss of my past life and all the people I grew up with, for a quiet

person like me, it was difficult to approach others and be as open as I was before.

But I found people who weren’t scared to approach me. Crazy people who made me love first K-Dramas and later K-Pop. I learned how to appreciate cer-tain values in life and feel com-fortable with myself. Thank you to all of my friends.•

Mr. Emmanuel By Edandre Machidid

M r. Emanuel is a good example of a teacher who connects with

students in a realistic and fun way.

Although I’m failing his class right now, I don’t skip his class or come tardy because I like to be there. He is one of the reasons I want to study political science and become a dictator.

Thanks, Mr. Emanuel, I’m coming back when I’m 21. Richard and I both will come and take you out for margari-tas. I hope you enjoyed having me as a student. •

By Sorahy Orozco

I want to give a genuine shout out to the two the most fundamental people I’ve came across through-

out my four years in Steinmetz: Ms. Chaparro and Ms. Russo. You both have impacted my life for the best of reasons. I have taken both of your classes and have played both of the sports you coach. You both have par-ented me, supported me, pushed me, accompanied me, taught me, and cared for me as if I were your own without exaggeration. With-out you, my years here at Steinmetz would’ve completely been different.

Ms. Chaparro, never stop car-ing for your students and players. You are a genuine caring spirit that brings many of us together. You’ve personally kept me up and have pushed me in my lowest times. I thank you so much for being my support system.

Ms. Russo, I want to thank you for being the structure of this school. Although you feel as if everything you do goes unnoticed, I value your hard work and everything you achieve. Without you this school would not function properly. Thank you for being so fun and outgoing.

Thank you both for being my coach and my teacher, all my years here. I will miss you greatly. •

Ms. Chaparro & Ms. Russo

Ms. Zaluba

Dear Ms. Zaluba, Thanks for ev-erything. We will miss you. •

May - June 2019 Steinmetz Star 15

15Star Senior Shout Outs

By Robin Russo, teacher and senior events sponsor

Hey Streaks,I cannot begin to express how grate-

ful I am to all of the teachers, staff, parents and alumni who came out to help with this year’s Lock In. Though it was a smaller

number than we have had in the past, I think the seniors had a great time, and it was all be-cause of the dedication of our brave volunteers.

I don’t know if my favorite part was watch-ing the students blindly try to find each other in the gym, or perform really bad blindfolded cheers, or compete in tug-of-war. I don’t know if it was following them around in the halls trying to scare them.

I do know that I enjoyed every minute that I got to spend with them and with all of you.

I thank you, and the seniors do, too.Thank you to Mr. Jaramillo, Ms. Williams,

Dr. Vilchez, Mr. Roldan, Mr. DeJesus, Ms. Szulkowski, Mr. Ochoa, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Diaz, Ms. Oden, Mr. Rosa, Ms. Tori, Ms. Reed, Ms. Zaluba, Ms. Sullivan, Ms. Eichs-taedt, Ms. Doyle, Ms. Dunne, Dr. Majdzadeh,

Mr. Goldberg, Ms. Turner, Ms. Hall, Mr. Ar-royo, Mr. Franklin; alumni Daria Velazque Ryan Allibone, Agape Alfaro; The Brook Pas-tor Eric, Josh, and Janet.

My apologies if I accidentally left someone out. Thank you also to the deans for signing all of the Lock-In forms and to Rupa for be-ing so patient and tireless in taking all of the money in the main office.•

To the senior lock-in chaperones and other helpers

To Sabrina

To teachers, family and friends

By Raychel Vician

I would like to shout out the teachers I became very close with throughout the years. They believed in me unconditionally and I couldn’t be more thank-ful for that. And my family did the same. I also would like to shout out the

handful of friends I have made. To the Class of 2019 – I wish you all the best good luck. •

To the Class of 2019 Steinmetz Star reporters, photographers and editors

By Sharon Schmidt, Star adviser

I t was a tough year for me, beginning with the closing of the Room 333 Steinmetz Star office and journalism lab. It was ter-

rible to lose that place and the way we’d worked so well there. Then the loss of my husband hurt so much; words can’t say it.

Two things helped me get through this year: the kindness of my colleagues and students, and the goal of publishing this last issue with your articles and faces in it.

Thanks for being a bright spot to me. •Thanks for all your contributions to the Star, yearbook people. •

16 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

16 Star News AnalysisTrumps’ military ban harms transgender individuals

By Maurice Abringunda

Should transgenders be allowed to serve the country? Are they allowed to be themselves while protecting

the American nation? Are they affecting the power of armed forces just because their individual identity could be less suf-ficient to be lethal? The answers are still questioned by former service members who are also transgenders themselves.

Let’s be real. I, as a transgender indi-vidual, am in the process of becoming a service member, but still I’m not happy with who I am if I’m going to serve and protect the country. The reason why I wouldn’t be comfortable is because I suffer a medical condition called “gender identity disorder” or “gender dysphoria.”

It basically means that my brain is discon-nected to my actual birth sex. My brain is a male brain despite my birth sex being female. I didn’t realize I was a guy until after I hit puberty at the age of 13. That’s when I discovered that in fact I am transgender (female to male). I didn’t write this piece as identity politics, however; I would like to talk about this in an important way.

You’re probably wondering, “Why talk about identity politics that have nothing to do to the military?” You’re right, my individual self has nothing to do with the military, but I’d rather be proud as a male presenting rather than my birth sex. Why? That’s because that’s who I am as a male.

No, I’m not delusional nor I am so called ‘mentally deranged.” I know who I am and I know what is my worth. I don’t want my rights taken away because I’m transgender. I am not here to force my individuality, but I want you to hear what I can do more than my identity. I am more than my gender because I have so much to offer.

I understand that the military wants people who are strong-willed, determined and very mo-tivated. They want people who are in a good shape, both mentally and physically. I’m willing do that to fight and serve the country with proper standards and I abide by them.

People will ask, “But surgery is a self-harm and why would you want to get a surgery? Just be happy of yourself.” I truly wish I wasn’t born with debilitating illness. If I wasn’t trans, I would’ve been so much better.

I don’t want to constantly fight my brain over things that make me dysphoric. I tried forcing myself to be feminine, but I just can’t. Simply, my brain is not connected to my birth sex. Whatever I do to force myself in order to be right instead of feeling right for myself and my body.

Hormone replacement therapy is not a drug. Trump mistakenly put out the wrong informa-tion. People believed that, but the doctors dis-agree. Another question follows “transgender people are suicidal.” That can be true if we aren’t accepted, supported and comforted. Most of us are denied for being trans. That’s the wrong reason to be denied our existence.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT for short) is to help us connect to our bodies and ba-sically changes our secondary sex characteristics. We know we can’t change our biological sex, but we can change the secondary sex characteristics. If you saw a woman who looks like a woman, you thought she was born a biological woman, but she said, “I was born transgender.” In your shocked moment you learned she was born as trans. She physically changes her secondary sex characteristics by HRT and surgeries.

Why did she have surgeries and HRT? She wanted to feel right in her own body. It’s a treat-ment for us, but we can still have dysphoria even we had the surgeries and all. Once we had com-plete treatment our dysphoria lessens, but it may be still present

Surgeries and HRT aren’t just to alleviate the dysphoria. When people actually understand how trans life is, and we’re accepted by friends and family, that’s when we feel that they finally acknowledge that we’re the gender that we pre-sented.

Social dysphoria means that we feel it’s not right to act or dress a certain way, and that we’re supposed to to pass as a guy or girl.

I understand that the military isn’t just for free healthcare and useful benefits. Most of the people who are trans who are willing to serve and fight for the country don’t do it for the beneficial in-tent. They serve because they believe in the cause.

Military spends much more on ViagraDonald Trump is a questionable man without

competent sense. He complained about surgeries and HRT costs in military spending when Viagra costs much more.

The following excerpt from “Cost Analysis of Transgender Healthcare in the Military,” pub-lished by the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, explains:

To gauge the size of the supposed burden placed on government funds by transgender healthcare, one can first compare the amounts of money spent cover-ing treatments that are medically of equal or lesser importance. A RAND Corporation analysis found that only $2.4 to $8.4 million annually, out of an

estimated Department of Defense (DoD) defense budget of $49.3 billion goes to-wards gender-related care for transgender service members; for perspective, this is approximately 0.017% of the Depart-ment’s total expense.

Compare the military’s spending on transgender healthcare to its spending on other treatments many deem far less necessary than transition-focused medical services, most notably, the erectile dysfunc-tion prescription medication Viagra. Ac-cording to data from the Defense Health Agency, the DoD spent $41.6 million on Viagra specifically, and $84.24 million total on erectile dysfunction prescriptions generally, in 2014.

Thus, the government spends ten times more covering the needs of one gender for

one specific issue than it does covering the needs of several genders for a wide range of conditions that have measurable impacts on mental health.

(Source: https://publicpolicy.wharton.upenn.edu)

The cost is not the reason for discriminating against transgender soldiers and neither is ability. Many transgender veterans have testified about their service, as well as others on their behalf.

I want to add that back in the day there’s a known transgender soldier who fought in the Civil War and it’s proven to be a trans male. His name is Albert Cashier, a man who is Irish and lived in America. He was not a cross-dresser or a girl trying to be a guy in soldiers clothes.

Most us are willing to fight and serve and we will leave our civilian beliefs. However, people still berate us. We’re hated for no reason simply due to our existence as if were the parasite of the population despite our tiny numbers.

Transgender people are pretty minor in the population. Gender identity disorder is a rare condition. Some things can be frustrating; some people are appropriating our illness and think it’s a fashion. Illness is not a fashion. It’s a thing where it can be debilitating us and we don’t know how long until we get a proper treatment.

We aren’t sick, but we just had a terrible fate. We can’t control it as much I wanted to control it. I think transgender people are the least problem in military spending. Trump is just ignorant with facts. Transgender people are people despite our debilitating illness. •

U.S. Dept. of DefenseIn its March 13 article, 5 Things to Know about DOD’s New Policy on Military Service by Transgender Persons and Persons with Gender Dysphoria, the U.S. Dept. of Defense (DOD) says the “policy doesn’t ban transgender individuals from service” and that “transgender service members may continue to serve. Many transgender individuals already are serving honorably in uniform. Some are serving in their preferred gender, and many others are serving in their biological sex. These service members will not be asked to leave the military. DOD policy prohibits involuntary separation solely on the basis of gender identity, and it seeks to protect the privacy of transgender service members.”

(www.defense.gov)

By Drew Anderson, GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), GLAAD.org, April 8, 2019

An overwhelming major-ity – 70% of Americans – support allowing trans-

gender Americans to serve in our nation’s armed forces

More than 13,000 transgender service members in active duty will be affected by the Trump Ad-ministration’s ban

GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organi-zation, today issued the follow-ing report to the media, provid-ing them a detailed outline of President Donald Trump’s ban on allowing transgender Ameri-cans from serving in the coun-try’s armed forces. This report in-cludes a timeline of the ban since the announcement, and how it is expected to impact transgender Americans – including those cur-rently serving the nation.

The ban, which has been panned universally by the public – including the late U.S. Senator John McCain, is expected to be implemented this Friday, April 12.

Once the Trump Administra-tion’s ban is enforced:

• Any transgender person in active service (active duty, reserve, and National Guard) who comes out publicly as transgender and seeks to transition will face dis-charge.

• Currently-serving transgen-der troops who came out as trans-gender before April 12, 2019 in reliance on the open service policy will not face discharge, but will be forced to serve under an official policy that deems them unfit de-spite their demonstrated ability to meet military standards.

• Transgender Americans will be barred from further enlistment.

Not only has GLAAD con-demned the administration’s attempt to prevent transgen-der Americans from serving the United States, but GLAAD also supported the production and publicity of TransMilitary, a documentary which tells the sto-ries about the brave trans soldiers currently our country. GLAAD presented a copy of the documen-tary to every member of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Military Personnel ahead of the subcom-mittee’s hearing on the topic on February 27. TransMilitary is now available on iTunes and Amazon.

The Trump Administration’s ban on transgender service mem-bers are a part of the more than 100 attacks the administration has made against LGBTQ Americans in policy or rhetoric since 2017. To see the entire list of attacks on Trump’s attacks on LGBTQ Americans and for more infor-mation on GLAAD’s Trump Ac-countability Project, go to www.glaad.org/trump. •

What you need to know: President Trump’s ban on transgender service members

President Trump tweeted his announcement on July 26, 2017. After the Jan. 22, 2019, Supreme Court ruling, the ban became policy on April 12.

May - June 2019 Steinmetz Star 17

By Judy Eichstaedt, teacher

G iovanni Carmona cut loose in The Miracle Center’s Youth Theatre Ensemble

production of “Footloose – the Musical!”

The junior has been acting, singing and dancing in local pro-ductions since elementary school, and plans to make his career in Dramatic Arts.

It’s no surprise to classmates in Digital Media who have enjoyed his creative graphic design work or benefitted from his assistance with Digital Media projects for the last two years. Congratulations on a stellar performance.•

17Star Arts & Entertainment

By Alejandra Cruz

BTS, also known as the

Bangtan Boys, is a seven-member South Korean boy band.

“Their lyr-ics touch on the themes of mental health, troubles of school-age youth, loss, the journey towards lov-ing oneself and individualism,” according to the BTS YouTube page. “Beyond the Scene became a backronym for the name in July 2017.”

My friends and I went to see BTS on Solders Field on May 11. It was really amazing, It was cold and raining and we had to wait two hours to get merchandise, but we had so much fun. BTS made us cry from happiness. •

Artists exhibit work in CPS/ Chicago Symphony Orchestra collaborative

Great performance in ‘Footloose’ Amazing BTS concert

Paintings by art teacher Roseann Mark’s students Lilian Martinez, Angelina Villarreal, Dayna Dayson, Giselle Molina and Tabea Tergau were chosen for a collaborative exhibition inspired by Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures from an Exhibition,” organized by the Chicago Public Schools and the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. •By Giselle Molina

By Tabea Tergau

By Dayna Dayson

Angelina Villarreal Lilian Martinez

Erika is a natural journalist, even three years ago. She readily obtained facts through observation, research and interviews, then wrote excellent stories. It was great to have a future Top Ten kid in class. She always did her work.

Through the relationship I devel-oped with Erika, and the connection I already had with Lara Banez, who was in elementary school with my son Sam, a wonderful group of MYP/IB students started hanging out in Room 333 dur-ing their lunch times – along with the many other students who worked on

Erika CarrascoContinued from Page 5

Frank Cabrera and Erika Carrasco (then sophomores) celebrate their acceptance into the National Honor Society during a lunch period in the Steinmetz Star office.

Prom court

For more photos of the June 8 Prom, organized by senior events sponsor Ms. Robin Russo, see the Steinmetz College Prep Facebook page.

the Star and appreciated the break from the lunchroom.

Erika and her friends contrib-uted a lot to the paper. It was a pleasure to advise them in their news writing and see them on a regular basis for those years.

Erika is a joy. I admire her character, especially her persever-ance and trustworthiness. I appre-ciate how I could always count on her to provide whatever we needed for the Star.

She is also just fun to be around. Erika has a great sense of humor, with much self awareness, as well as insight into others. •

18 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

18 Star Sports

Streaks play strong, place 3rd in much tougher conference

By Coach Miguel Ochoa

Varstiy volleyball went up in confer-ence to the Red Division and fin-ished in third place with a 7-2 record.

We hosted a city playoff game as the 15th seed. In the state playoffs we were ranked 9th out of 28 schools and made it to the second

round where we played admirably against Fenwick high school to finish up the season.

We graduated 10 seniors; all will be missed. However, the future is looking bright as we have another nine juniors coming back and many sophomores from a team that won the Red Conference.

Shout out to our captain Abdulkabbir Yahya for having led this year’s team to such heights.•

By Millie Martinez

After winning Green Conference last year, the boys moved up to Red Di-vision, so this season was a lot more

challenging, as the Streaks faced a whole new set of teams on a completely different skill level.

The team did really great as they placed

third overall. This year’s was also the first Steinmetz volleyball team to win a state championship round.

“Playing with this team exposed me to what professionals feel in terms of competi-tiveness and hard work,” two-year captain Abdulkhabir Yahya said. “You can’t find another group of guys like this; they’re the best.” •

By Aliyah Martinez

This 2019 softball season was amazing for varsity and JV. The best part to this reporter was practicing together and

being able to share time with the girls. Oth-ers on the team also appreciated teammates and coaches.

“This was my last season of softball,” senior Sabrina Marrero said. “It was great. I am very proud of the girls this year. These girls are the best girls I could’ve ever met. I learned to have an appreciation for each of them having them in my life almost every day. I love them all very much and its been amazing playing this season with these girls, and spending four years with my amazing coaches Ms. Russo, Ms. Chaparro and Mr. Everage.”

The girls started conditioning in February, staying until 6:30 p.m. The players had a lot of fun while practicing, although some days it was hard to stay for practice because it was re-ally dark outside when it was over and it made it difficult for the athletes to get home safely.

The girls had to use the hallways for practice because the new gym can only basketball and volleyball use them.

The JV team played their best, and even when a game was taking all of them, making them lose hope, they tried to keep themselves motivated and enjoy the game.

Varsity player Raychel Vician, who like Sabrina played softball at Steinmetz for four years, said it was a good season.

“We didn’t win every game, but we played out hearts out each time,” she said. “Playing on a team for four years you see a difference in each team and this was a team that just wanted to play. They all love the game and it warmed my heart. I’m so proud of all them for improving so much in such a short time. I will miss playing this sport and playing with these girl so much.”•

By Coach Robin Russo

We will miss the dedication, hard work and love of the game by our graduating seniors:

Raychel Vician - 4 yearsSabrina Marrero - 4 yearsKatrina Carmichael - 3 yearsShaquita Holder - 3 yearsSorahy Orozco - 2 yearsAliyah Martinez - 1 year

I am very excited that I will have the bat-tery combination of Jada Ayala and Sierra Baldwin for two more years. Jada has been a quiet warrior on the mound and in the batter’s box this year. Sierra is the most excit-ing addition to our team in years. She is an outstanding catcher, baserunner and hitter. I don’t think there is a position I could put her in where she would not shine.

I also look forward to the return of It-zel Rios, Monserrat Garfias, Maria Deleon.

Alyssa Smith, Frechie Nava and Issalina Vil-larreal. I think we have a strong foundation for next year.

Standout playersSophomore pitcher - Jada AyalaSenior pitcher - Sabrina MarreroFreshman catcher - Sierra Baldwin - MVPConference Record - 6 - 3 - 1Overall Record - 8-4-1Thank you to coaches Chaparro and Ever-

age for another great season. •

Coach’s corner

Coach’s corner

Seniors will be missed, future looks bright with Sierra and Jada

May - June 2019 Steinmetz Star 19

19Star SportsOvertime win against Brooks was sweet ending for water polo

Soccer players learned to push themselves in victories and losses

Warm memories from a cold baseball season; best wishes to the seniors

By Valeriia Lytvak

Adding to the challenge of playing the toughest teams in the city, Steinmetz boys and girls water polo teams had

many first-year players on very small rosters. At best, we had two subs for boys, and one for girls, with half the team new to the sport.

Yet we pulled through the games with the toughest teams in the city. Not only the first year players made progress and showed dedica-tion, but also last year’s players.

Co-captain Katherina Fleischer, a junior in her third year of water polo, scored a lot of goals and led the team smartly.

In boys water polo, Eduardo Delgado, an-other junior co-captain, showed dedication to the sport at practices, as well as putting all his energy in the game, hyping up the team during hard times.

Keidy Cervantes is another example of these big improvements, actively playing in the game when last year she was not able to swim. Raymond Alonso was an active player

that has room to grow for the next two years. All the new players were not afraid to

play for the whole game: Mauricio Duran, Autumn Silcox, Grisselle Cristopher, Keyla Rivera, Macko Camil; and our seniors Jay Ann Perez, Gilberto Torres, Daniel Baculima, Nelly Navarro, and our first-year-player-co-captain Hector Perez.

All the veteran players who are graduating played each game like it was their last: David Krasnicki, Luis Huerta, Santiago Riano, and this reporter, co-captain Valeriia Lytvak.

I wish I could stay to help each player grow and expand the team even further.

My favorite moment of the season was when the girls went into overtime against Brooks, as excitement and hope raised the hearts in each of us. It was my last water polo game, and the fact that everyone was so coop-erative made me so happy.

It was the last drive-in, the last pass, the last goal and the last call for the end of the game. The last win. It was the best way to end my high school sports career.•

By Yannaly Alvarenga

Our soccer season was a great experience for all of us, but for some of us who are seniors it was a little bit sad since we are

about to graduate.We all had our bad days in practice and games,

but our coach was always cheering us up and telling us not to give up.

We had our defeats and our victories as a team. The games that we couldn’t win were like a big experience of how we had to play better and what we had to practice more in order to get more opportunities to win.

All the games that we won were the best be-cause we gave everything in the field to win a game.

There were some times when we all had our bad times and we all wanted to give up on our games. We ended up losing and our coach was mad because he was always telling us that we need to be aware of what we were doing wrong. I talked to the players about what we did wrong and asked them to keep trying and not to give up easily, at least make the game hard for the other teams to not score on us so easily. I wanted to make them, our coach and myself proud of how far we went.

I wanted to tell them to never give up and not to get mad when we had our defeats; that’s part of any sport. Sometimes you will win, and sometimes you will lose.

What matters is how great we did in the field, how many times we wanted to get out of the field but thought that it won’t change anything and kept playing with like we weren’t losing or winning.

I’m proud of the soccer girls and proud of how far we went and how nice was to play my last year with them. Also, I’m thankful for our coach Nico Kotcherha. He was always there for us, yelling at us for what we did wrong, always teaching us to play better and cheering for us when we did play like we had to play.

He’s a great coach. He’s always telling us that we are great players, that we only need to be more confident with ourselves

and our team to get what we want or at least try to get it with everything in the field.

This was my last year playing soccer for my high school and all I can say is that it was great to play with my teammates and to play for the school all my four years. Mr. Kotcherha will be my favorite coach. It was great to learn many things in soccer and it was wonderful that besides playing for the school. We also had fun playing and practicing.•

By Coach Renato Roldan

This was a bitter cold season, the worst weather I’ve ever experienced as a coach. But the guys battled everyday. We had

experiences that only real teams can share. We managed to develop a lifetime of memories –from Myon Dalton’s dominance to Pizza Puff’s first hit; it was all worth it.

We made it to the second round of state,

with an overall record of 11-21-1. Home run leaders: Tom Feazelle-6, Myon-

3, Julian Flores-3. Pitching highlights: Myon’s no hitter against Mather, 70 Ks; Ricky Robles 50 Ks. Top rookies: Jacob Valentin and Jona-

than “Big Papi” Guerrero.The outlook for 2020 is on the shoulders of

Tommy, Derek Baldwin and Julian. They will lead the team on to our new field and begin the next chapter of our lives.•

Coach’s corner

Coach’s corner

The girls varsity soccer team celebrates their first round State playoff game 4-3 win against Noble-Muchin on May 15.

20 Steinmetz Star May - June 2019

20 Star Sports

Hardworking, committed track and field athletes gave it their all

By Angel Antunez

T rack and Field is a competitive sport that includes various athletic events such as running, jumping and weight throwing.

These events are performed on a running track or an adjacent field for things including shot put and disk shot.

Athletes need to go under special condi-tioning so they can compete at their full poten-tial without undergoing any injuries. During this time in training they learn to perfect their form by having quicksteps, increasing their acceleration, throwing distance and speed.

This season, the boys team consisted of many junior and sophomore newcomers. The team was comprised of hardworking, commit-ted individuals willing to give it their all. Even though this season was short staffed, the boys were strong and reliable.

“Even though our team may not be big this year, everyone in the team is honestly talented, strong, dedicated, driven, and determined,”

captain Alan Sandoval said. “We always try our best to improve individually as well as a team and that’s what’s important. We’re more than a team; we’re a family, as cheesy as it sounds.”

The runners have seen a major improve-ment from the start of the season at their first practice to the end competing in their last meet.

In the beginning, many were very anxious, but over time they started to adapt, learn and gain knowledge on what they could improve.

Sophomores Miles and Gerald Lumpkins had great results in the 2019 CPS Track and Field Championships for sophomores.

Miles had an astonishing performance, placing first in the triple jump with a 38’7.50” mark, and also placing 4th in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.48 seconds.

Gerald, also having a great result, placed 10th in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.25 seconds, and his triple jump, placing him 3rd with a 37’10.50” mark.

Although the team did not qualify for state

this year due to being short staffed, many of the runners plan to try harder and become even better than last year and show what it really means to be the “Best in the West.”

Alan encourages the team members with this advice:

“Never say you can’t do it unless you never try it first, even then failure plays a part in success, nobody is perfect nor born perfect. If you really want to achieve something go for it don’t let obstacles stop you.”

The Star interviewed the coaches.What are the strengths and weaknesses

of the team?Head Coach Paul Bagdonas: Strengths are

usually the field events along with distance. The weakness is the sprinting aspect of the team.

Are you expecting any changes for next year?

Distance running Coach J. Kolman: We don’t’ have any seniors in the group this year, so we will start with a solid group of experi-

enced runners. Add in our new recruits and we will have a very good team. With a core of experienced runners and some new ones, I am looking forward to a banner year.

What type of athletes would be good for your coaching style?

Coach Bagdonas: Commitment to excel-lence. It does not matter the athletes ability but are they committed to the event. The athlete will become faster and stronger if they stick with the program.

What is the biggest need of the team now/future?

Coach Kolman: More students who want to participate in track and field. No matter how fast or slow, just having them at the prac-tices and meets is a big boost for everyone.

How would you describe this years track season?

Coach Bagdonas: Frustrating to what could have been, but happy for the ones that perse-vered through the long season. •

A young track and field team with ‘ferocious drive’

By Angel Antunez

T he girls track and field team has a very family-like team with great sportsmanship and love for the sport. They had a great season as well. They showed major improvements and dedica-

tion this season. Every girl brought something positive to the team,whether it was

an amazing new relay team or just cheering for each other while doing their events. Many of them are strong willed and have a fighting spirit to give it their all in every race, even though it means being in pain.

“Running through the pain is a whole other kind of pain,” junior captain Angelina Villarreal said.

“I think it is painful physically and mentally because you are hurt and know you can do better if you were feeling 100 percent. It hurts more. But the team motivates each other throughout the race, and if someone is hurt we all go to help that person.”

Although no new personal records or school records were broken this year, sophomore Aniyah Isom has been performing very well in the long jump. Yadira Lopez, also a sophomore who does discuss, has been throwing amazingly throughout the season.

In this sport you have to be very disciplined with yourself and have a good mindset, knowing you have the potential to be some-thing great. You have to learn this through your own experience, having trust in yourself and in teammates to encourage you. You do this by first respecting others more than yourself.

In racing there are really only a few things that matter. Being focused and looking forward is a huge part of it, as well as how strong your core is and how your mind is able to say “Keep push-ing,” instead of “Why am I doing this?”

Both the girls and boys track teams encourage those who are interested in joining track next season to come out and participate, as having more people can boost everyone’s morale and work ethic. It does not necessarily matter if you are fast or slow; what’s really important is that you dedicate yourself to the team and work hard in practice every single day. •

By Coach Abel Pereyra

This year’s varsity team was a dedicated, but very small group. Through sheer dedication they were able to forge themselves into formidable competitors.

Our cluster upper classmen, including Captain Keren Mendoza, Leiann Hamdan, Yelitza Patino, and Jaliyah Mitch-ell, led our mostly sophomore and freshman team to some very strong performances.

At the Lincoln Park Invitational, our girls put on a clinic for how to succeed as a team. They scrapped for points in nearly every event. And, after an exhausting day, they finished in 2nd out of 16 tough teams – losing only to eventual 2A State runner-up, Latin School. In every practice, every event, and every meet we saw this same ferocious drive. As a result, the team produced times on the track and distances in the field this season that we haven’t seen in more than a decade. The fact that so many will return next year is super exciting. •

Coach’s corner

By Sharon Schmidt, Star adviser

S hout out to an excellent runner and reporter, ju-

nior Angel Antunez. I’m glad you have another year for both pursuits. •

Hector Chiquis, sophomoreCaptain Alan Sandoval, juniorMiles Gerald, sophomore