On the third floor of the science wing, there is a group of people that envisions change and creates the future before its own eyes. SIRS (STEM Inquiry and Research) or “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)– as dubbed by many senior students– has made leaps and bounds in scientific research since the creation of the class in 2009. While many students at Niles West shy away from the sometimes frustrating and disorienting unknown, the unknown is exactly where SIRs students live, continuously working on the unrelenting, honest search for answers.

Distinctive from any other science class offered at Niles West, SIRs is a class that asks student scientists to push themselves, offering a good support system and resources but ultimately leaving exploration in the hands of the students.

“One of the biggest differences between STEM and any other science class is that STEM is a course which builds on itself. There are students who [are] taking it for the first time, some for the third time, and even a student who’s been in STEM for four years. Most of the work is managed independently, meaning that your teacher won’t be assigning nightly homework or checking your journal every day. The student decides how much work he or she will do on a given day, making the project more manageable and personal,” junior Nicholas Ieremciuc said.

In addition to SIRs, most students take another science class that adds work on top of their own research project. For a large percentage of the student body, two high level science classes are sure to incite a considerable amount of stress. However, for SIRs students, those classes are key in their understanding of scientific concepts and preparing for their futures in research.

“It is 100% self motivated. There are students who pick easy projects and there are students who push to do something that has never been done before. You and only you determine the workload. You put in the amount of work you want to put in and the teachers are not there to tell you what to do and by when. You need to figure it out yourself to meet competition deadlines. I wouldn’t describe it as difficult because I have a personal connection to my research and really enjoy the class, so if I could spend the time I use for other classes on STEM, I really would. Yes, I put [more] effort into STEM than other classes, but I do it because I want to,” senior Anam Furrukh said. 

With this mindset, SIRs students possess intrisically inquisitive and passionate attitudes that allow them to push the envelope of scientific research and find solutions. From areas like cancer to nanoparticles, clams, and biodiesel, the most successful students are the ones who are willing to face failure by pursuing what isn’t easy.

For senior Jensy Joseph, the research she does is a personal step closer to finding balance in her life.

“Junior year, I researched inflammation. I worked with lung cancer cells and tried to find the effects of combining two anti-inflammatory drugs on the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha. The reason I researched ways to reduce inflammation is because I have the autoimmune disease, Lupus. I was diagnosed with this disease in the sixth grade and have been struggling with the inflammation that comes with [it] ever since. Researching lupus, immunology, and the inflammatory process helped me to get control of my disease. I felt comforted knowing that there were brilliant researchers looking into ways to control the disease, to see how the disease affects other areas of the body, and ways to prevent flare ups,” Joseph said. 

All of the research that is conducted over the year is ultimately taken to the IJAS (the Illinois Junior Academy of Science) science fair and submitted for awards and sometimes monetary prizes, but the road from first concept to state science fair is one that requires countless hours of dedication. With their mentors from Northwestern, SIRs students undertake the journey to IJAS and other science fairs every year, sometimes developing a new piece to old projects or starting from scratch every year.

“First, you have to come up with an idea about what you want to research… Once you come up with a field, you have to find something you want to fix/improve in that field. For example, maybe there’s a way of producing some product, but it’s really expensive. You might try to develop a way to make it cheaper, try a few different methods and see how the quality of the product varies — or something like that. Once you have a question to test, you have to learn everything about it… You then write a review of literature — a research paper that gives a reader all the information they need to understand your experiment, hypothesis, prediction. Then you have to develop a procedure to test the question.

The majority of time at the beginning of second semester is spent in the lab. You collect data for a long time, and then you run analyses on your data, and try to decipher what it all means. First we go to the IJAS Regional Exposition, and if you do well, you can win monetary prizes and go on to the State Fair. You get two more months to collect more data and add to your paper. If you’re lucky enough to go to the Intel Science and Engineering Fair, then you’re competing against some of the most creative young scientists in the world. Ultimately, the process of going from idea to reality is a lot of work, but really awesome,” junior Vijay Shah said.

SIRs also echoes its sentiments toward redefining limits in the science world by encouraging the prevalence of women in science. It is a class that makes sure all students receive support and mentoring in STEM fields, which in turn cultivates an increased desire for female students to rise to higher level positions in science.

“Our STEM class for 4 years has always been overwhelmingly female, yet our mentors are overwhelmingly male. I did an internship over the summer and the whole 12 weeks I saw like 3 women working in the building compared to 30 or so men. It is very disproportionate but I think our STEM class and the number of girls we have shows that when our generation is at the graduate school phase, there will be more women in science,” Furrukh said.

This continual movement toward the positive promotion of women in science doesn’t only start in high school, though there are several clubs and classes at Niles West that encourage high school students to do science. Starting this year, SIRs and the science/math offices have created a program called Stellar Girls– similar to GEMS or Girls Empowered by Math and Science– that takes girls from 4th and 5th grade at Edison elementary school and brings them to Niles West to get involved with STEM.

“I am a volunteer and it’s actually a really good program. They get hands-on experience and they love it! [Niles West] also has Riot club where you can get involved with research. I think there is an unequal balance of sexes in the research world, but I don’t think there is anyone to blame. Many girls aren’t exposed to these things at an early age. Many schools don’t have the funding to do so. Having a STEM lab is very costly and I am blessed to go to Niles West with its many facilities. I wish other schools had these capabilities. We do need to get more women into STEM because it’s an amazing field that strives for the greater good,” senior Ashly Pinarkyil said.

In the real world of STEM, the research field is constantly driven forward with frontier and cutting edge science that changes the way our world deals with problems. SIRs class seeks to prepare student scientists for that high-level research, offering opportunities that help students get ready for scientific investigation out of high school.

“STEM careers require a high level a technical skill and knowledge, but there are many jobs with great salaries for people who are qualified in these areas.  SIRs gives students a huge head start in college because they have a huge resume of skills and experiences as well as the confidence of working on their own project rather than just ‘doing homework and taking tests.’  They know how to communicate in a university setting and also have tremendous presentation skills. Many of our students are able to get into programs and labs in college because of their unique experiences in the STEM lab,” chemistry and SIRS teacher, Julieann Villa, said.

Many students have already taken advantage of internships at research universities that are held either over the summer or during the school year. Among some SIRs students, senior Maryam Khalid‘s time spent researching at Northwestern was arranged through her mentor and allowed her to observe and analyze more data in a real-life research setting. Anam Furrukh also went through an internship where she used oxygen producing dyes to selectively kill cancer cells.

“It was an amazing experience. I learned so much about a field outside of nanotechnology;  there is a huge benefit to work in a real university lab with a graduate student and a professor rather than being all by yourself. I got to attend weekly lab meetings and was exposed to so much different research. It was the first time I saw that there is this amazing research community out there with educated people trying to make a difference. Our STEM class is [a] miniature version of the same research community that is present at an international level,” Furrukh said. 

Sometimes an experiment will not go as far as expected and the student is forced to start over. Senior Mrugami Mahadik has been working on a research project for the past two years and is continually starting over to perfect her product: change is an integral part of science and research.

At Niles West, SIRs has provided a space for limitless students to grow and learn more about the world through their own hands. Several Niles West SIRs alumni have already progressed to working in labs outside of their colleges and risen to new heights in scientific research.

At the end of their high school careers, SIRs teacher Gregory Ruber hopes that students leave with “an appreciation of the world of science and the know-how and passion to continue into whatever fields they pursue.  And also [I hope they] remember where they came from, come back and visit!”

SIRs takes the ceiling off of possibility and lets students become leaders of the future, endlessly asking them to take a second look.

“STEM is my second home; there is no way that I can come to Niles West and not go to the STEM lab. Part of the reason is that it always brings out the best in me. The teachers are super supportive and always encourage me to do the research that I am interested in. STEM is very different from other classes because it gives me the independence that I need to grow in my scientific abilities. Everyone has a chance to work at their own pace and do the best that they can,” Mahadik said.

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of 10 features about clubs at Niles West.

It’s 7:30 a.m. and students slowly begin to walk into room 1730 on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with trays of delicious treats being carried in their hands. Art teacher Deanna Sortino is sitting at her desk, casually instructing and discussing with the students about the importance of their first UNICEF bake sale as everyone begins to sign in.

UNICEF, or United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, is a national program that focuses on aiding and protecting children nationally by fundraising.

“In UNICEF, everything fundraised is donated to help children worldwide. The fundraised money helps with things like providing kids with a better education, vaccinations, sanitation, and other children’s rights,” sophomore member Zoha Ullah said.

UNICEF is new to Niles West this year. It all started last year in Sortino’s Advanced and AP 2-D Design classes. Sortino assigned the students to write infographics for UNICEF’s Nicaragua project and from there, UNICEF became a thing students looked forward to doing.

“It was probably a month in a half long project in the classroom when we were working with Nicaragua, but I think the kids took so much away from it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. The positive feedback we got from that made us really excited and eager to get UNICEF going at Niles West,” Sortino said.

UNICEF already has 60 members, yet students continue to join every day. Students find UNICEF a way to return their good fortune and reach out to the community.

“I really admire UNICEF’s promise to actually aid in improving the less fortunate children’s lives. Not only does UNICEF raise awareness to global issues, every penny they raise goes directly to providing essential resources that they normally don’t have access to,” Ullah said.

UNICEF is not solely limited to high school; there is a UNICEF program, called UNICEF Next Generation, available even in college. UNICEF is such a dedication that many students take part in it throughout the rest of their life.

“UNICEF is pretty much a life-long commitment. It’s really important to stay committed to it throughout your life and to make sure that you’re promoting it, advocating for it, and basically continuing to help out,” UNICEF president Tammy Wen said.

If you are interested in joining UNICEF, contact Sortino at deasor@d219.org.

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of 10 features about clubs at West.

At the first meeting of the new Niles West Feminism Club on August 25, 25 feminists, male and female, representative of every grade, showed up in the suddenly-overcrowded room 1210. At the center of all the activity stood founders, juniors Rida Yousuf and Lejla Vojnikovic animatedly discussing their plan for the club with its new members.

Their home-made T-shirts, reading “girls just wanna have fun…damental human rights,” matched the tone of the group. All around the room, other students were engaged in passionate discussion, on topics spanning from some negative responses to the club to the definition of the word “feminist.”

Begun by Yousuf and Vojnikovic and sponsored by English teacher Jody Weatherington, the Feminism Club is open to all genders, and involves discussion of feminist ideas and principles among students, as well as meeting certain other goals.

“The club has three main goals,” Weatherington said. “We are volunteering and raising money for groups that promote education, equality, and vital services for underserved women; we are educating ourselves and others about gender inequality; and we are working to empower ourselves.”

Between these goals, Vojnikovic said education is a top priority.

“We hope to show, not only the members, but the school as well, that equality is possible, and every little step counts,” she said.

The club has not always been met with such great enthusiasm. During its initial promotion on the Class of 2017 Facebook page, the club received a lot of negative backlash from other students. Many members attributed this to the negative connotation the label “feminist” carries.

“Feminism has worn many faces over the years,” Weatherington explained. “When I was in high school, there was definitely a negative, man-hating connotation with the term. Thankfully, that man-hating image has fallen away–for the most part.”

Given the passionate discussions of feminism going on around the globe, Vojnikovic and Yousuf felt like the club could be a way to properly define feminism, effectively clearing it up for those who despise the term.

“Feminism isn’t a bad word, it’s about equality,” Vojnikovic said. “More people need to be aware of the really great things that come from it, and how it’s a view of a positive change for everyone.”

Several students inside the club agreed with this definition.

“I’m really glad somebody at Niles West is finally clearing up the term for everybody else. Lots of people think all feminists are crazy, but in reality, all we’re trying to do is demand the equality we deserve,” junior Jessye Gassel said.

This new attitude is an exponential difference from when Weatherington was a student, a time when a feminism club would have been subjected to intense backlash.

“Had there been an official Feminist Club at my high school, I would have joined. However, I was fortunate to have found a group of strong… friends who served this role in an unofficial capacity. We didn’t call ourselves feminists, but I know now that we absolutely were,” she said, “I wish that the club had actually existed so more kids had exposure to feminist ideology.

With this club and the amount of students learning about feminism, the idea of feminism will grow exponentially. Vojnikovic and Yousuf are aiming to educate the next generation of feminists at Niles West. They hope their ideas about equality catch on and help bulid a better, fairer world for everyone.

If you are interested in joining Feminism Club, come to room 1210, Tuesdays after school or contact Vojnikovic or Yousuf at lejvoj1@nilesk12.org or ridyou1@nilesk12.org.

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of 10 features about clubs at West.

Three years ago, junior Phil Duros decided to take up a new instrument. It wasn’t a cello or a french horn but vocal percussion. More specifically, beatboxing. Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion where you use your voice, lips, and tongue to mimic drums, basslines, and other musical instruments.  

“I basically learned off of YouTube. It’s an addiction for me now and I can’t stop,” Duros said.

Duros had considered starting a club here at West and almost gave up until fellow beatboxer junior Isaiah Lopez approached him about starting one.  

Beatboxing is also featured in contemporary a cappella music. Echo Effect– the all guys a cappella group here at West– was where Duros and Lopez first got their start. A cappella vocal percussionists take a special role of leadership in keeping time and adding a rhythmic backbone.

“We plan on meeting on Tuesdays after school till five. We want this club to start ASAP so we can have fun,” Duros said.

The biggest obstacle facing the duo and their club– they do not have a sponsor. Beatboxing is an alternative style of music, and usually a rare talent to come across. 

“Something that I like about beatboxing is that it’s rare and unique. Not everyone can do it and if you can, I personally think you have a gift… you will not regret joining,” Duros said. 

If you are student interested in joining Beatbox Club or a teacher interested in sponsoring, email phidur1@nilesk12.org or isalop1@nilesk12.org.

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of 10 features about clubs at West.

It is the first week of school and junior Nick Ieremciuc is checking his school email. He opens up one titled ‘H2O!!” sent by the club’s sponsor, math teacher, Sarah Wagner. Before he even opens it up, Ieremcic starts to smile because he already knew what it was going to be about. Ieremciuc has been a loyal member of H2O, which is short for Humbled to One, since his freshman year.

Like many people at Niles West, when Ieremciuc first learned about the club, he thought, “H2O? What? Water?” Not longs after,  Ieremcuic discovered that H2O is actually a club dedicated to Christ and where His followers and believers within Niles West can meet up for prayer, Bible study, worship, fellowship, and other activities.

If you were to walk in on a meeting, you would see one of these three things: everyone standing, singing worship songs together led by a guitar player, everyone sitting in a circle, studying the Bible and discussing questions brought up, or everyone participating in a game while enjoying some snacks.

“This year is going to be an amazing time of learning how ‘wide, long, deep, and high is the love of God’ for each one of us,” Wagner said.

H2O accepts everyone; even those with a different background, a different faith, or who simply do not have a religion they believe in or follow. Students do not necessarily have to have the Christian faith to come to the club. So far, there have been several gatherings, and each time is successful. New subjects are spoken about, different Bible subjects are read every Monday in room 1175 from 3:30 to 4:30, and each time, members go home feeling spiritually refreshed.

“H2O is a great and friendly environment that makes everyone feel welcome. It’s a fun experience sharing life with your fellow classmates and being able to join up at a tough place like school where everyone seems to be opposing each other, but in reality, everyone is just trying to find their identity, which we can find in Christ. It’s difficult to grow as a community in a school with students of many different beliefs, and that is why we are able to reflect Christ’s love” senior Tabitha Alasu said.

Ieremciuc also mentions that along with the regular activities that are typically planned for after school, they are also planning to reach out in the future. He said that they would like to begin volunteering at soup kitchens, have get-togethers with other groups from local school, and other other field trips.

“I think H2O is a great place for anyone to come and learn love, truth, and Jesus. It’s a friendly environment and a fun club to be a part of. We are working on trying to go out to do volunteer work and other kind acts for others. I’m really excited to see how each person in the club grows and reaches out to others” Ieremciuc said.

H20 meets Mondays after school in room 1175.

Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of 10 features about clubs at West.

In a large, desolate courtroom, with pens and legal pads scattered on the table, a judge walks in and everyone rises as all whispering ceases. The judge commands everyone to be seated, and after a few words about the trial, the prosecution introduces themselves. While this may seem like a normal court case, upon closer inspection, you’ll find that the lawyers are not adults with law degrees, but merely high school students. These high school students are trained in law and are prepared to handle any situation that may range from robberies and stolen cars to battery and assault.

Dressed in black suits and pants with red or white shirts and ties, the Niles West Mock Trial team takes the stand, airing confidence and sophistication, determined to show what they can do.

Led by coaches Jason Stanford and Dana Kanwischer and captains, seniors Sebastian Sulewski and Alex Ehrenberg, Mock Trial is a competitive law club where students get the opportunity to discover and experience what goes on in a courtroom.

A total of 12 teams are invited to every competition, however, each team is only up against one other team. There are two rounds and each team argues for both sides, the plaintiff/prosecution and the defense. One round is spent arguing for one side, and then the roles are reversed when the next round begins. Each round lasts around one to three hours. Competitions are even held at real courtrooms.

“It’s intense. Some of the schools we go against, especially the private schools, don’t joke about this stuff. It’s very serious, but they are also very nice. The atmosphere is intense, yet welcoming in a way,” junior Asma Akram said.

Although Mock Trial was only formed two years ago, the team has made incredible strides rank-wise. During their first year, they placed 22nd out of 24 teams at Dupage County and at State, they placed 40th.

Last year, the team’s hard work and dedication payed off as they jumped to 5th place at Dupage County and were top 10 at State.

Sulewski’s said he is excited for this year because the team is more experienced than ever.

“I am really excited to help lead the team this year. I feel that we have learned a lot in the past year and are stronger than ever,” Sulewski said.

Unlike other clubs offered at Niles West, Mock Trial provides a unique opportunity to develop your public speaking skills, become more confident, and work on your critical skills all the while learning how our legal system works. Despite the amount of hard work, those involved in the club say it is the people that make the club really special.

“It’s really the students that make this team special. It’s a great group of students. They work hard, they’re open to ideas and suggestions on how to improve and they’re just fun. It’s a good group,” Stanford said.

Most students in the club enjoy critical thinking and are interested in the criminal justice system and see it as a possible future career.

“I enjoy all the critical thinking that goes into preparing for a case. There is an immense amount of information that has to be considered when planning how we will frame our cases. We deliberate extensively to make the best arguments possible and it feels great to translate this into the court atmosphere,” Sulewski said.

As for new members, although it took them some time, they soon became familiar with the legal jargon. After that, Mock Trial became very interesting and they couldn’t wait to be at competitions at courthouses.

“It was hard to understand in the beginning but once I understood the language, it got easy and interesting. I like it and I think other people should join because of the knowledge you can get. If you like to compete and make statements about what is right and wrong, you should join,” freshman Sarah Feroz Sundrani said.

Everyone is welcome to come to the meetings after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 3015 until Sunday, Nov. 1, when the state case is released by the Illinois Bar Association. At that point, they ask for their members to be fully committed to the club and focus and analyzing every aspect of the case until the State competition.

Editor’s Note: This is the sixth in a series of 10 features about clubs at West.

Most students regard Thursday as a routine school day but for some individuals, it’s an especially notable time of the week; it’s when the Advanced App Development Club meets. During an average meeting, almost every chair in the room is filled with eager students ready to build and innovate computer programs to help solve our everyday problems. Computer screens are filled with a diverse set of images ranging from vivid, colorful animations to graphic programming languages.

The senior members of the club calmly walk the few rows of computers assessing the progress of club members and answering questions. Some students are searching the internet for answers to problems in their code, while others are working collectively in groups testing and experimenting with others’ programs. New members of the club are working on easy, introductory-level programming languages. Some returning members are working on advanced programs with many intricate details that need to be accounted for. Finally, the club sponsor, math and computer science teacher Matthew Fahrenbacher, is seated in a tall swivel chair in the back of the room carefully working on his own laptop.

The Advanced App Development Club is the first club at Niles West that involves writing computer code. Junior Michael Leon, a veteran programmer, said he is excited about the formation of a place where all programmers can work together on new and exciting ideas.

“The most exciting part is establishing a community of programmers, and channeling efforts to become a better club,” Leon said.

A big advancement in scheduling has allowed the App Development Club to take place after school instead of before school. This has quadrupled the number of members in the club since the 2014-2015 year, and members are excited for more intelligent and motivated programmers to join the club. Members believe that moving to the after school time frame will allow the club to advance at a much faster pace, and as a result, new and interesting opportunities will be created for the students at Niles West.

“I’m excited we moved after school. We have a little bit of a better direction for new coders,” Fahrenbacher said.

Students have quickly advanced through concepts in computer science, and they have made tremendous progress throughout their time spent participating in the club. New members have already started learning programming syntax, and skilled members have gained valuable experience from helping out their fellow students.

“Teaching is learning. It reinforces your understanding of computer science,” Leon said.

Everyone in the Advanced App Development Club, from senior members to new additions, said they are excited for the upcoming year.

“I’m excited that I get to have fun, make games, and program,” freshman Alex White said.

Members have amazing aspirations for the App Development Club this year. Many of the coders want to help improve technological resources for other students at Niles West through group projects; however, they are also enthusiastic about starting their own projects.  

“We’d like to get as many new people to code. Our second goal is to try and organize the creation of several large group projects,” Fahrenbacher said.

Other students have hopes of illuminating the entire concept of computer programming, so coding doesn’t seem as daunting as the name implies.

“I want to clarify what programming really is to the student body this year,” Leon said.

For students who enjoy participating in innovation, problem solving, and informational technology, the Advanced App Development Club is the place to be. It is located in Room 1510 and meets Thursdays after school at 3:45 p.m.

Editor’s Note: This is the seventh in a series of 10 features about clubs at West.

Many students believe they can’t join other cultural clubs because of they are a different nationality. You won’t see Japanese students signing up for Israeli club or a Greek student signing up for Assyrian club. This was the same problem Middle Eastern club had.

It took three years of effort for alumni Aisha Khaleel and Natalie Massih to create the club. They believed that since there was not a club for all the Middle Eastern countries such as Jordanian club, or Iraqi club and so on, there should at least be a club where people from all the Middle Eastern countries could bond with others similar to them and to encourage everyone to be united. Students that aren’t Middle Eastern are welcome to join and learn more about the Middle East.

“I think for us Middle Eastern people it brings us together and for people outside our culture it really helps them open up their minds to our culture and get an idea what it’s like,” explains senior club president Mariyam Khaleel.

“A good reason it was made was so that we could incorporate all different cultures and ethnicities. We accept people of any race and religion and it’s not really focused on one, everyone is welcome,” vice president and junior Isabella Lazar said.

The club had a lot of effort put forth into it’s creation especially because of the clubs disapproval by former student activities director, Jessica Pritzker.

 “It started kind of as a political movement because Aisha and Natalie (club founders) had been trying to start a Middle Eastern club for a long time and our previous activities director told them that they couldn’t do it. She said ‘you should join Assyrian club,’ and they told us we’re not Assyrian! So it was just kind of important to do it as soon as we had a activities director that said yes,” club sponsor and English teacher Tamara Jaffe said.

Middle Eastern club is currently in its second trial year before becoming an official club, but when the club started last year, its main focus was on dancing and raising money. Even though Middle Eastern club will still be selling Pita Inn or falafel rolls to raise money for Assyrian and Palestinian refugees, it has many other goals to achieve this year besides its fundraising work or dancing.

“I really want everybody excited about Middle Eastern culture and to continue enjoying it and showing people the Middle East is a place of growth and peace and happiness and not just a place where people stereotype filled with war,” Jaffe said.

Besides raising money for charities, Middle Eastern club will be engaging in many other activities such as cooking Middle Eastern dishes, learning some Arabic, understanding more about Middle Eastern culture. In addition to the club’s amazing activities, members say it’s a great way to meet new people and make new friends and even learn something new, but the main goal of the Middle Eastern Club is to emphasize that fact that you don’t need to be Middle Eastern to join.

“We had Christians, Muslims, and people who weren’t really religious and we were all just dancing together having fun,” Jaffe said.

Middle Eastern club really is a great opportunity to raise money for those in need, meet new people, and have lots of fun all while learning more about the Middle Eastern culture. For anyone interested, the club meets every Mondays in room 1199, regular meetings take place from 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. or in special cases last till 4:30 p.m.

Editor’s Note: This is the eighth in a series of 10 features about clubs at West.

If you were into Telenovela club on Wednesday after school, you would witness a group of kids intently watching for example, Ricardo reveal his love for Rubi, only to discover she’s married to his brother, but pregnant with Ricardo’s baby. They would animatedly discuss this new revelation all while munching on dip and chips.

Telenovela club was founded by juniors Lesley Ongyaco and Maria Kuo who wanted to share their love of telenovelas with everyone. With the help of Spanish teacher, Carolyn Sanchez, telenovela club was officially formed this year.

“Last year in Ms. Sanchez’s class, we started watching Teresa and we got so into it. There’s something really cool about experiencing telenovelas with people you genuinely enjoy having around. You don’t get that same vibe when you’re watching by yourself. There’s just something great about watching telenovelas with other people,” Ongyaco said.

The idea to from a club dedicated to watching and discussing Spanish telenovelas sprung to Ongyaco and Kuo during their Spanish 3 honors class where they were first introduced to telenovelas.

“The idea came last year when we discovered that we weren’t going to finish Teresa in class. We were like we should have a way to be able to watch telenovelas uninterrupted, so why not just make a club out of this?” Ongyaco said.

Telenovela club is a great way to learn about Spanish culture and the language itself and even more so for students taking a Spanish class.

“This idea sprung out of a Spanish class and it was just a new way for us to learn about the language itself. It’s a very modern way for us to experience Spanish culture. It’s very good for students taking Spanish because it helps improve their listening comprehension and its a very a different and modern way to learn about the Spanish language,” Ongyaco said.

Kuo says the club inspires her to learn Spanish and extend her use of the language beyond the classroom.

“It motivates us to get into the culture and practice our Spanish, it’s relevant to our lives,” Kuo said.

New member and sophomore Sarah Zasso joined the club to enjoy the twists and turns of telenovelas with friends and people who have the same interests as her.

“I loved joined because I love watching telenovelas at home. Telenovela club is a great way to hang out with friends and learn Spanish all in one,” Zasso said.

Although telenovelas are mainly Spanish, all students are welcome to join whether they studied Spanish or not. The club is a great way to hang out with other students and watch shows filled with more plot twists than an episode of Pretty Little Liars – without all the plot holes.

“I think it’s a great experience and I was very happy that some of my former students were interested in continuing to watch telenovelas. From a Spanish teacher point of view, they’re learning Spanish culture and practicing their listening. Last year, when we were watching in class, there would be phrases they would repeat and they would really own those phrases. I think it’s a great experience for anyone whether they studied Spanish or not,” Sanchez said.

If you are interested in joining, stop by room 2310, Wednesdays after school or contact Ongyaco or Kuo at lesong1@nilesk12.org and markuo@nilesk12.org for more information.

Editor’s Note: This is the ninth in a series of 10 features about clubs at West.

Have you ever been so passionate about something, but sadly Niles West didn’t offer a club for it? Senior JD Kim surely was. Over the summer Kim and his friends would play ping pong nearly every day. The group of friends started playing when senior Jaeden Lee‘s dad put a ping pong table in one of the empty rooms of his office building.

“I just thought why don’t we have a Ping Pong Club? So I got my friends together to help me start it,” Kim said.

For every club at Niles West, a sponsor is required. In order to start ping pong club, Kim needed a sponsor so he asked just about everyone, until one day he ran into national college adviser Jerry Pope. Kim knew Pope before asking him to sponsor because he talked to his college prep class the first week of the 2015-2016 school year.

“JD mentioned that he was starting the club, so I decided to help him in that pursuit. To sum it up, I wanted to help a cool club be realized,” senior, Isaac Moldofsky, said.

Ping Pong Club started off as a small club, but slowly grew to have many members from all classes with Kim as the president, senior Bryce Hamamoto as the secretary, and Moldofsky, as the treasurer.

Ping pong club officially started in the first month of the school year. They meet every Wednesday after school in the cafeteria.

Editor’s Note: This is the last in a series of 10 features about clubs at West.

For a long time, Niles West has provided students the opportunity to create new clubs that they feel deserve a place at West or will interest many students. Senior Daniel Liu took advantage of this opportunity and created what is now known as archery club.

“My friend, he introduced me to archery and I liked it a lot. I think it’s a really fun thing to do and it helps people relieve stress. After I did archey one time outside of school, so I thought it would be fun if more students did archery,” Liu said.

Liu, who at the time had only been living in America for three years was a part of the English Language Learners program and it was at the ELL office that Liu took action and asked secretary Subica Rauf to sponsor the club.

“Daniel approached me and asked me if I could be the sponsor for the club and I agreed. At that time he didn’t speak much English and he had only come to America three years ago. I felt like it wad really bold move for an English Language Learner to come up with concept of creating a new club,” Rauf said.

From there on, archery club gained many members who found the club interesting and unique, reminding them of the deeply loved dystopian character, Katniss Everdeen.

“It’s something that most people don’t do and it’s unique and it’s also an adrenaline rush when you it the bullseye and it feels really good. I though it looked cool and like in the movies when they show Katniss or someone shooting a bow and arrow and I really wanted to try that. This is the closest I’m ever going to get to Katniss Everdeen,” junior June Choi said.

Since it was founded, archery club had been focused on teaching inexperienced students the techniques of archery and fundraising for equipment.

“For the past year and half, we’ve been practicing and teaching the students how to hold the bow and how to properly shoot the arrow and with that, we do a lot of fundraising because the equipment is really expensive,” Rauf said.

Not only have students learned how to shoot a bow and arrow properly, but they have also discovered that archery is a great way to relive stress and to let go of all their worries.

“It’s a great way for students to be interactive and it also teaches them eye and hand coordination between them and the target. I’ve also learned that it removes stress, students can just come in and practice and take their mind way from other things,” Rauf said.

As of this year, archery club is focused on preparing for tournaments in the near future and they hope to have some changes made to the club itself.

“My hope for the future is that students can take part in tournaments. We only have an outdoor range, not an indoor range, but if we were able to do that then we could get more students to join and have archery club at anytime because this is more of a seasonal sport,” Rauf said.

If you are interested in joining, archery club meets Thursdays after school in the ELL resource center and from there, they meet at the archery range located behind the football field.

During an average Political Affairs and Current Events Club (PACE) meeting, anywhere from 10 to 20 students are present, and, many times, a guest speaker may be present to explain and educate the students about controversial subjects. Some students are very active and vocal in the political conversations, while others enjoy listening and incorporating new ideas into their own political ideology.

Discussions can range from several global topics, to a set of particular themes relating to current events. Many times, the members of the club are seated in a circle to interact with others in a more efficient and friendly way. Finally, the club sponsor, English teacher Michael Conroy, is seated in the back of the room moderating the club conversation.

Many members of the club have a strong interest in politics. For some students, politics is about understanding the way that laws and society affect their lives. This understanding can help members make an impact on the world around them.

“My favorite thing about living in this country is our advanced system of democracy. It involves so many elections, which I personally find the most exciting part about politics. We have elections on a national scale at least every two years, and with local elections, they are even more frequent. It’s fun to participate in the election process, because it is so empowering- it is up to the people to decide who gets elected,” senior and club founder Alan Kotlyar said.

PACE has been a place where students can develop their political ideology, and interact with other students who don’t necessarily hold the same views as they do. These types of conversations help illuminate problems and solutions in the world.

“Politics and current events provide an inexhaustible supply of topics to debate. As a teacher, I consider any medium that promotes debate to be a resource to open minds, if participants in that debate do not already have calcified positions from which they will not move. Much can be learned from such give and take,” Conroy said.

Moreover, participation in the club has helped students in and out of school. Some students said that membership in PACE has helped improve their political experience, and it has helped them in classes at Niles West.

“It has helped me to put myself outside of my comfort zone and be more open minded with regards to listening to and understanding other people. I’m so committed to PACE, that there have been times when I have prioritized PACE over my school work, which actually hurt me academically. But I can’t blame anyone for that but myself. I think PACE has helped me with AP Government and Politics because the conversations in that class often mirror discussions in PACE Club,” Kotlyar said.

In addition, the club provides a place for students interested in the global political climate to speak their minds and learn new ideas. These kinds of interactions can help members develop their ideas based on facts and reason, rather than opinions.

“As a rule, high school students have not as yet etched their political positions in stone. Moreover, adolescence is a time in which young people begin to question the positions of the world of adults on a variety of issues. PACE provides an environment in which students can begin to form opinions independent of this espoused by their elders. Therefore, organizations such as PACE provide a venue for teenagers to test the validity of previously held opinions and to form new points of view and/or to reinforce previously held ideological views with tangible evidence, not just unsubstantiated opinion,” Conroy said.

Finally, the club provides a space for students to expand their knowledge of the world and society. Many students said they were glad that they could learn about current events in their free time.

“I think it’s great that PACE is a place to hold open discussions about current events without being limited by a 42-minute class period,” senior Isaac Moldofsky said.

For students who enjoy participating in political discussions, discussing current events, and debating controversial topics, the Political Affairs and Current Events Club is the place to be. It is located in room 2015 meets Tuesdays after school at 3:45 p.m.

24 tributes from the 12 districts of Niles West will have the chance to win $200 on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 8:00 p.m. Sign-ups began on Dec. 9 and are still open by the cafeteria during lunch hours and in the south lobby after school. Until 6:00 a.m. the next day, this year’s first-ever Hunger Games brings the energy of both the book and movie franchise, starting with the zeal of its Gamemakers: Feminist Club and Expanding Lives, a Chicago non-profit organization concentrated on providing opportunities to the women of West Africa.

“The organization behind the event is Expanding Lives. Expanding Lives works to educate and empower young women from West Africa by providing structured workshops for girls who are the first in their family to attend high school when they come here to the U.S. for a 6 week conference. We also follow up with them after they go back to help continue their education,” Fem Club co-president Rida Yousuf said.

In accordance with their message of raising money for groups that empower under-resourced women, Fem Club has taken the reigns on planning the event, hoping to educate others about gender inequality while also giving back through the Hunger Games.

“Fem Club has been incredibly supportive in organizing the event. Expanding Lives is fortunate enough to have two of its three high school interns serving also as Fem Club co-presidents, Rida Yousuf and Lejla Vojnikovic.  Both Expanding Lives and Fem Club have as goals improving the situation of girls and women around the world, so it is a natural fit. And, by the way, both talk about how advancing women gives more opportunities to men as well, so that we as a species can do better all around,” event coordinator Leslie Natzke said.

As of now, Expanding Lives supports 20 girls financially by providing the funds to send them to university in West Africa. Because of a bad accident, another girl who is sponsored needs two hip replacement surgeries. Though Natzke first came up with the idea of using Hunger Games to spread awareness for this cause after spending time with her nieces and nephews, most of the planning came from “…discussions with the Fem Club presidents and with the other intern, Hubiba Ali.”

Expanding Lives has already contributed to the success of many young women in West Africa; however, in order to continue that success, a new fundraiser was needed. Through the Hunger Games, students are challenged and also encouraged to take part in giving back to another piece of the world.

“Before the event, tributes will collect donations from sponsors (family, friends, etc.); this money will be converted into various forms of assistance throughout the Games — in other words, the more money they raise, the better their chances of winning the $200 grand prize. While this is a pretty fantastic incentive, my hope is that all
of the students who take part will leave with the knowledge that their actions can make positive changes all the way around the world,” Fem Club sponsor Jody Weatherington said.

During the lock-in, several different trials will take place throughout the school: no tribute is safe from the challenges of the night into the early morning.

“We have a lot of different events planned because it is overnight, so there’s lots of time! The games and activities planned are sure to keep everyone engaged and sure to stir up some serious competition. Those who sign up can be sure that they’ll leave having great memories of a super fun, and eventful night!” Fem Club co-president Vojnikovic said.

Unlike the original Hunger Games, murder is frowned upon; if “districts” — or teams of two– can survive until the end of the games, the grand prize of $100 each awaits them after the sound of the last cannons.

“First, no killing will take place! However, tributes will be eliminating others. Tributes should be ready to stay up all night and to compete physically and mentally! But they will also have to make alliances.  They will better their chances by getting sponsors (donations from friends and families), but the donations are not necessary to play.  Like in the real Hunger Games, the odds will ever be in your favor if you have more sponsors. We will also have a grand feast at the end and prizes for the winning Tributes and a few others. The winning Tributes will leave with more than bragging rights. The last surviving team will leave with $100 each. We will also watch the first movie,” Natzke said.

If the event goes well, both Fem Club and Expanding Lives have considered a 2nd Hunger Games– an inter-school competition is currently in the mix.

A group of high school students sitting around programming and building robots may sound like the plot of Weird Science, but for the Niles West Robotics Team it is just a typical afternoon.

Using VEX Robotics Design System, students get to develop their programming skills by competing with other teams and their robots.

Junior Michael Leon has found a place for his unique talents with this team.

“I really love the atmosphere of the club and how you have the freedom and resources to built any robot you want. It’s a lot of fun. Our team has put it in a lot of hours building, programming, and practicing with our robot,” Leon said.

The team has experienced a very successful run this year. With a win at regionals and earning a spot at nationals, senior Tim Petroulakis is not surprised at that strides the team has made this year.

“I’m very proud of the way that we have performed this year. We worked very hard to win our regional competition. This was not easy, but we deserved the win and our spot at nationals,” Petroulakis said.

Nationals will be hosted April 7-9 at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, IA.

On Saturday, Feb. 6, Echo Effect will be the first of Niles West’s a cappella groups to compete in the ICHSA Midwest Semi-Finals in Port Washington, WI. The other two groups — High Fidelity and Guys and Dolls — will be competing on Friday, Feb. 12, in DeKalb, IL. Tickets can be found here.

Since 1995, Varsity Vocals has been the name behind ICHSA (the International Championship of High School A Cappella) and ICCA (Collegiate A Cappella) competitions.

Choir and a cappella director Amy Branahl is no stranger to the ICHSA and has sent many a treblemaker to competition. Year after year, however, her core goals remain the same.

“[The groups] will bring diversity, solid singing, presence, and a lot of heart. My goals are to have a safe and fun trip with my students and that the groups will start to bond together.  There is something magical about competition that brings people together,” Branahl said.

Since auditions in mid-August, the three a cappella groups have been working to improve their musical prowess and group bond. At least two times a week for two hours, groups met to learn, execute, and choreograph a cappella pieces– with much of the bonding happening outside of rehearsal.

“High fidelity has been working hard learning both arrangements and choreography for the upcoming competition. I created the choreography for the whole set, and the girls put in so much hard work: from leadership to supporting each other. I believe that HiFi brings a lot of charisma to the table with our stage performances. We won’t let being an all-girls groups turn into a setback for competition,” junior Raciel Millan said.

After years of spending months and even years with their respective groups, these singers have formed friendships that last beyond singing in the choir room.

For seniors like Brendan Tiongson, this is the last year to leave it all on the stage. 

“I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t want to win, but I also understand that there are many factors in winning this competition. Ultimately, what I want for Echo Effect is to have a good time. Every member joined Echo because of the love for singing. If we can walk away form that stage with huge smiles, I’ll be happy with that,” Tiongson said.

Niles West’s chess team placed 60th out of 146 teams at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state chess tournament in the Peoria Civic Center on Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13. As a team, Niles West won four out of its seven matches.

At most chess tournaments, there are 10 students who attend the competition: eight competing players and two alternates. Over the course of two days, there are seven matches at seven tables. The win for each board is worth a different amount of points, and each match lasts 45-55 minutes with a five-second delay for players to write down their moves. The team that scores the most collective points gets the highest rank.

Sophomore and two-year chess team member, Skylar D’Souza, received a medal for Best Individual Performance as a result of his success at six out of seven tables.

Sophomore and two-year chess team member, Skylar D’Souza, received a medal for Best Individual Performance as a result of his success at six out of seven tables. Photo by Thea Gonzales

“I usually think one or two moves ahead to get the idea of what’s going to happen next,” D’Souza said. “I also memorize a bunch of different openings so I know what to do when someone does something I don’t expect. Chess is fun and interesting. It’s not only for ‘nerdy’ people: it’s strategy, it’s intellectual. It helps you with problem-solving skills. Chess means that I’ve got to take some time — 55 minutes — to think about what I’m going to do. I’ve gotta make that move and see the impact that it makes in the game.”

During matches, speaking or communicating with coaches is prohibited, so most of the chess team’s work comes before competition.

“Coaching chess is all about preparation,” coach Michael Boll said. “Coaches are not allowed to talk or even make eye contact with players during a match, so we focus on strategies and fundamentals during practice.  We learn common strategies like forks and pins, as well as working on common opening sequences like The Sicilian Defense and how to develop pieces to create a strong position that gives you a better chance of winning later in the game.  The biggest thing is to focus on making good moves and making sure every move has a purpose.”

For senior Charlie Claus, chess team is a club that has given him purpose in the school. During the four years of his high school career, he competed in tournaments with Niles West, and at his last competition, he played at first board: the table reserved for the best player on the team.

“Chess club is very fun,” Claus said. “We’re not very serious, though our coaches pretend that we are. We just come together and have fun, and it’s more about talking and making friends than playing chess — that comes second. I now have a place in this school. Chess club is my home. It’s my home.”

Eleven members of the Niles West’s feminist club will be traveling to Washington, D.C. March 12, 13, and 14 to attend the Young Feminist Leadership Conference.

The conference is a way for women to learn more about feminist issues around the world and organize ways to spread their activism. One of the main reasons West students are attending this conference is to learn how to be the best activists possible, sponsor Jody Weatherington said.

“I think it’s really important to learn what the themes are in feminism right now and how we can become better activists. I think it’ll be a really good opportunity to talk to others and share ideas and learn what’s going on in the world,” she said.

The members of the first-year club said they are excited because in just two semesters, they’ve covered a lot of ground.

“We’re making such big moves,” junior Lejla Vojnikovic said. “I’m so glad that all of our members are with us to really get into what it means to be an intersectional feminist, and how we can apply that to our daily lives. I’m sure this trip will expand all of our horizons even more because we learn how to be better feminists every day.”

They are also happy to meet people who share the same values as them.

“Our whole group is so eager to meet with other people just like them us from around the nation who want to impact the world in the same way. We feel that through our feminism we can change the world,” junior Rida Yousuf said.

A Tribe Called West will be competing in Louder Than a Bomb on Saturday, March 19 at 6:00 p.m in the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.

In order to get in, adults have to pay $20 and students have to pay $10. There are four teams competing for the winning spot: Niles West High School, Rebirth Poetry Ensemble, Kuumba Lynx, and Nicholas Senn High School – Senn Arts.

“These are the remaining four out of 120 teams in the last month of the spoken-word competition, Louder Than a Bomb,” Paul Bellwoar said.

One of the team members, junior Charlote Namakula, unexpectedly joined the team but is so glad she did now.

“It feels amazing. I just really like the fact that so many people are gonna watch me perform. Mr. B found my poetry in one of his classes, and he was like, ‘You have to join.’ I did, and this year, this poem came to me on a free writing prompt. It was fun and we performed a lot, so that’s how I got here,” Namakula said.

Although poetry slam is a lot of fun, it takes a lot of work to get to where these teams have made it.

“This poem took a lot of work, and it’s not even done. I have way more of this story I want to add. The”work” isn’t even work because it honestly is just me writing and doing what I want. Thanks LTAB for being a supportive and amazing community and thanks to the people who are really nice to each other. It really isn’t a competition– it really is just fun and performing,” Namakula said.

Another team member, senior Simon Berdes, is very excited about the group piece they will perform.

“Our group piece is entitled ‘Donald Trump did not approve this message.’ Simon, Amina, Sarah, and Charlotte perform this piece. It entitles a post-apocalyptic America where Donald Trump is president. This is bigger than it might seem; this Saturday is going to be revolutionary. Considering the timing of Trump’s Rally at UIC, our group piece fits the timing perfectly, and the publicity LTAB gets for hosting some big names– like Chance the Rapper– is a huge honor to say the least. It’s also so much bigger than just LTAB. We have a news agency coming in Thursday to record our performances. And with the welcome risk of our pieces going viral, we could be publicized. LTAB just opens the floodgates to tons of opportunities, especially in Chicago,” Berdes said.

Berdes is also honored to be competing against such amazing teams.

“Two of the four teams competing, Kuumba Lynx and Rebirth, are not schools. They’re an organization that participates in other poetry competitions in the Chicagoland area year-round. Kuumba Lynx has won LTAB for the past 6 years. So, considering the resources we have at our disposal, compared to dedicated organizations who are there to compete and win LTAB, being one of the few elite schools who have legacy finalist status is HUGE,” Berdes said.