Upcoming EventsNov. 10: Parent Teacher ConferencesNov. 11: No SchoolNov. 15: Honors AssemblyNov. 17: Key Club Blood DriveNov. 24-25: No SchoolDec. 8: Kwanzaa Celebration

15203 S. Pulaski Rd. Midlothian, Illinois 60445 Volume 58, Issue 2 November 7, 2011

by Darrien MooreEcho reporter

This year, Bremen High School stu-dents are being divided into two groups when it comes to study halls; students are now being acknowledged as those in the Pride study hall or those needing additional help in improving their grades through the Academic Assistance Center (AAC). In a Pride Study Hall students are granted permission to listen to music, talk, sing, work with other students on assign-ments, and get a pass to any reasonable place in the school. “The Pride [Privilege] Study Hall was set up, not for discipline, but to reward the students for earning good grades,” said Mr. Sterling, Assistant Principal for Student Services. He also said that the separation of the students also serves as another way in which the staff at Bremen can help students improve their academic record. Senior Aalliah Robinson, a student in the privilege study hall, feels that the Pride Study Hall is a great environment to be in. She thinks its so much better than sitting in a room with a bunch of people you know and not being able to talk to them. In the Academic Assistance Center students are instructed to sit in their as-signed seats and quietly do work or seek help from tutors for the whole 25 minutes of their study hall. Junior Jekiah Sanders said, “I hate [the AAC]!! I can’t walk, talk, look around or even breath hard without someone trying to command me in my free time(to be quiet and get to work). It feels like solitary con-finement” Students who received a “D” or an “E” were placed in the Academic Assistance Center during their study hall for the first marking period. If their grades ended up to be all “A’s”, “B’s”, and or “C’s,” their Dean feels that it is appropriate for them to move up to a Pride Study Hall for the next quar-ter. If a student does not improve his or her grades from being below average, then

such a student will remain in the Academic Assistance Center until they do. That is why senior Shemika Brown-lee said, “Although I dislike [the AAC], it has given me an extra push to keep my grades up.” The Academic Assistance Center is more than just a holding area for students with sub-par grades. It is a definite place that students can work to improve their grades. In the Academic Assistance Center there are Math and English tutors to help any student in need. Students can take ad-vantage of the tutors everyday that they at-tend study hall. Privileged Students can also take ad-vantage of tutors if they get a pass during their study hall to see a tutor. Bremen High School Assistant Prin-

New study hall rewards students

cipal for Student Services, Mr Sterling, believes that students’ free time should be earned. This system of study halls works perfectly as Sterling says it allows students to understand that privileges are earned, and also can be taken away. This arrangement is new to Bremen High School this year and there are still some things that need to be worked out, but so far it has been very successful. Students’ grades will be examined at the end of each quarter to determine if a move from one study hall to the other is ap-propriate. The tutors in the AAC also monitor students’ grades and will work with students on an individual basis to provide guidance and assistance to students whose grades drop below a “C.”

photo by Darrien Moore

A student uses her iPod in the Pride Study Hall on Nov. 3. Students who have earned all As, Bs, and Cs, comprise the new study hall, which gives more freedoms to students. Those students who need more assistance are assigned to the AAC, where tutors are avail-able daily.

Congratulations to Taylor Galvin,

2011 state qualifier in Girls Cross Country!

Bremen High School15203 S. Pulaski

Midlothian, IL 60445(708) 371-3600

ext. 3240 bremenecho@yahoo.com

Editors in ChiefTamar CarterHope Liddell

Photo EditorOmar Gordillo

StaffLauren BrownMike BurbattAriel ChavezAshlei ColeJa’Bria Cole

Tia DavisLaura GonzalezCuoy Harmon

Jayneisha MarshallDarrien Moore

AdvisersMs. Jen IntiharMs. Jen Dwyer

Editor PolicyThe opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the faculty, staff, or administration of Bremen Community High School. Letters to the editor can be emailed to bremenecho@yahoo.com and are subject to editing for length.

Page 2 News Bremen High School

Congratulations to the 2010-2011 Indian Star Chapter NHS inductees

Noemie Aguirre

Jesus Ahumada

Alejandra Araiza

Marielisa Avalos

Lindsey Baker

Terry Bereta

Sonia Brewer

Kaylia Brown

Tamar Carter

Caitlin Christ

Vanessa Cortez

Bryan Costello

Leah Dandurand

Donald Dreher

Jamie Duckwall

Max Feregrino

Ariana Gallardo

Juan Garcivalle

Elizabeth Gonzalez

Cheyenne Hushka

Khadijah Ibrahim

Hope Liddell

Bria Marley

Jayneisha Marshall

Amaranta Martinez

Seth McClerklin

Benjamin Mickley

Allison Milen

Makina Moses

Kara O’Sullivan

Nora Perez

Stefanie Posch

Jamicka Price

Alexis Provancal

Kelly Rampage

Kelly Regan

Jonathan Reynoso

Alina Rivera

Selena Sandoval

Brayer Serratos

Raven Standfield

JacquelineTieri

Arielle Tyus

Snowball seeks items to aid crisis center

by Ja’Bria ColeEcho reporter

Starting the week of No-vember 8th through December 9th, Snowball and GSA are going to team up and collect items for children and women in need. The items donated will go to a local crisis center in time for the holi-days. All donated items must be new and remain unwrapped. Many people often donate infant clothing and women’s clothing to this cause, however, items donat-ed can also range from baby toys to women’s accessories. All donations are greatly appreciated. “This will be our first year working with this site,” Snowball director Mrs. Reid ex-plained. “We usually hold a toy drive, but this year we are trying something different,” Mrs. Reid added. If proffered, the crisis cen-ter will accept cash in the lieu of gifts. Also items such as gift bags, tape, and wrapping paper can be donated. Another collection site will be located at the Tinley Park Public Library during the dates of Mon. Nov. 28th – Sun. Dec. 11th. Please help by donating and spreading word of the cause.

IMC staff ready to assist students with resources

by Laura GonzalezEcho reporter

If somebody welcomes you to Bremen’s IMC, it’s none other than welcoming you in to Bremen High School’s Library. The IMC, or the Instruc-tional Materials Center, at Bre-men is a resource center for stu-dents and teachers. There are many student privileges when it comes to the resources available at the IMC. Students may use the IMC before and after school, with their classes, or during study hall on pass. If a student has an IMC pass from a teacher, he or she must report directly to the IMC when expected, be punctual, show

an ID card, and sign in at the front counter. If a student fails to fol-low IMC expectations, there are consequences. The consequences involve limiting student access to the IMC and escalate from a ver-bal warning to “Time Out ’’ from the library. In the IMC, students can check out all sorts of books how-ever, fees will be 5 cents per day for overdue materials that have been checked out. The IMC hours are 7am-4pm. The very helpful staff members in the IMC are the two media spe-cialists Mrs. Sala and Mrs. Ber-nas, and the Library Secretary, Mrs. Cunningham, and the Li-brary Aide, Mrs. Miller.

Snowball is collecting the following items:

* baby toys* baby items

* women’s & infant clothing* personal items

* gift bags, wrapping paper, tape* monetary donations

Page 31st Quarter Honor RollNovember 7, 2011Honors With Distinction

Seniors

Christian BarreraPaige Boulais

Christina BravoKelley Cohn

Chancey ContrerasMartin ContrerasBrittney Esparza

Taylor GalvinDaisy Gamez

Jane GrossDiana GutierrezMakina MosesMegan Naranjo

Nora PerezKelly Pilny

Malachi RhodenDavid SanchezTaylor SandersSarah Skelley

Daniel StephensJessica Valenzuela

Nicarra VaughnZakia WilliamsDeanna Young

Agnieszka Zawadzka

JuniorsTamar Carter

Vanessa CortezJuan GarciavalleHarold Holmes

Cheyenne HushkaJayneisha Marshall

Allison MilenRushhil Patel

Francinet PerezMikaela Pikorz

Matthew Sessions

SophomoresJamie Bennett

Gabriela GomezDiego Mendoza

Ramon MosquedaJacob Zarobsky

FreshmenNicole Ames

Alondra Carrillo-PerezKimberly CliffordBrittany CondonAbigail Ferguson

Staci FichtVeronica GarciaEdward Gross

Haley HenschelStephanie JonesTaylor Kanofsky

Brian LuongBen McClerklin

Karina MejiaAndrew Milen

Rachel MosquedaQuinn NguyenBrianna Ochoa

Claudia Pacheco

High Honors

SeniorsJesus AhumadaJonathan Allen

Alejandra AraizaFernando Avalos

Deandreale BaileyAlejandra Barney

Arianna BellLaymondt Blakemore

Brian BravoSonia BrewerLauren Brown

Shemika BrownleeTracy Bulthuis

Michael BurbattJuan Burgin

Octavio CamachoMaria CarrilloJulio Chavez

Cedric ClemonsAlexandrea CookKaitlyn D’Andrea

Emily DillmanTane’ Douglas

Anibal FernandezIvoon FigueroaJonqis FillyawAlexis FischlJulio Flores

Samantha GageRandy Ganzel

Kristina GomezLaura GonzalezJeffrey Green

Yahaira GuerreroAraceli Guevara-Balderas

Cuoy HarmonDyamond HarrisRobin HawkinsLisa HernandezTeresa HerreraDylan HoweSonia Iturbe

Michael KnightSarah Krygowski

Kelly LendiKorey Little

Rachel LopezJessica Lundeen

Ana MaganaEmmanuel Maldonado

Seth McClerklinKalin McKean

Miguel MedranoKaila Milham-Cassin

Philip MontanezDarrien MooreShanelle Moore

Magdalena MunizDamien MurilloKatlyn NelsonBrandon OchoaAsia Ogletree

Annamarie OlsonDontrell Peebles

Emily PettyJacob Pope

Jamicka PriceAlexis ProvancalKaryn Ramirez

Jonathan ReynosoAalliah RobinsonRicardo Salgado

Noel SandersJustin SimmonsDanica SmithDanqua SmithEmily SmithRobert Smith

Fernando SotoJeremy Svihula

Persia ThurmondChristopher TitusAlejandro TorresBenjamin Versher

Armando VillanuevaBrian Waddell

Ayuanna WashingtonBriana Washington

Mychelle WillisNicole Wines

Omar Zambrano

JuniorsJesus AguilarMaria AguilarNoemi AguirreTodd Andrews

Apdiel ArellanoMarielisa Avalos

Jarron BellMichael BeretaDarren CabreraNailah CarneyEduardo CerdaViviana ChavezCaitlin ChristJa’bria Cole

Bryan CostelloZachary Crim

Courtney CurtisLeah Dandurand

Ludibina DelarosaJovani Diaz Vargas

Donald DreherLucio DuarteDavid Estrada

Ariel FeregrinoRigo Ferreira

Roger FranklinThomas FuentesSpencer Glasgow

Elizabeth GonzalezMichael Gosnell

Elizabeth GunakaDominique Guzzonato

Ashantis HenryCynthia Holder

Marcus HubbardKhadijah IbrahimMiguel Iniguez

Erik JaimeBrigitte Jimenez

Hope LiddellKevin LorzBria Marley

Tyreanna MartinJacob Matthys

Mark McDowellTimothy McDowell

Mercury MillerPatricia MoraDaniel Munoz

Johnathan OldhamMariana OrozcoKara O’SullivanStefanie PoschKelly RampageRicardo Realmo

Alina RiveraDavid Robinson

Scott SalaSavannah Schofield

Jasmine Sparrock-CookLaceann StudnickaAlejandra Tehandon

Jacqueline TieriArielle Tyus

Viviana VillegasKiarra Williams

Asia WintersChristina YokhanaMaria Zambrano

SophomoresEduardo Aceves

Kaitlin AltonAlexis Alzona

Devon AndrewsJason ArvanitesMegan BanasiakTyler Banovich

Jesus Benitez-GorostietaMichelle Borgman

Alexis CerritoLuis Delgadillo-Silva

Christopher DiazLindsey Dudek

David EstradaAngelica Figueroa

Laura FloresAngel Garcia

Katherine GarzaEmanuel Gelfo Sanchez

Jeremy GreenMorgan HamptonDenise HernandezFrancisco Herrera

Peter HerreraAlexander HumekDanijah JohnsonMarco Kirkwood

Jillian LeeTaylor LewisAustin Lopez

Kaitlin LovrichBenjamin LozaDaisy Lozano

Alonso MarrufoMagdalena Martinez

Michael MartinoAlliyah Mason

Jonathan MayorosFrancisco MelgozaAlejandro Mendez

Latrice MontgomeryHanah Nelson

Montell Nelson-SillerBriana OlsonJuan Pantoja

Michael PilnyDaniele PoschSarah PowersKarla Quiroga

Nicole QuitmanJesus Reynoso

Cecilia SandovalAlex Savala

Nicholas ScarpinatoJasmine Silva

Christyle SmithDawn Smith

Wuraola SosinaKaylie StandfieldTimothy Torres

Isaiah TrellaNoemi Vaca

Lorena VillanuevaNicholas Watkins

Markel WellsCortez WhitneyTatyana WhittlerJacob WidstromDarnell WillisJohn Winnie

Jacqueline Zuniga

FreshmenJose AmbrosioAlaina AntonAdam Batton

John BettsStephon Broaden

Kayla BurnsDestinee BurtonMaria CazaresElva ChavezVita Chavez

Jessica ChildersJames Christ

Noelle CiemnyAshlei Cole

Nicole CoppolinoAshley DavisCeleste DeanPaul Deanda

Kirstia DehoyosOmar DelafuenteMillicent Derro

Bailey ErffmeyerIdalis Esparza

Zachary EspositoCricelia Flores

Jacob Flores-AriasGuadalupe FraustoBryanna Gallegos

Ada GarciaDeja Garrett

Vanessa GuerreroJasmine Gula

Martha GutierrezRichard GutierrezCheyenne Harmon

Kathryn HayesRoxxana Hernandez

Randy JasienSierra Jett

Jorge JimenezAryonna JonesKierra Jones

Taylor KnispelBrett Kolacki

Blaine LitoborskiAbel Lozano

Berenice MartinezBrianna MartinezMiguel MartinezAlejandro MezaTammy Mislich

Christopher MisnerDalia Montes

Jonathan MontesLuis Muniz

Alejandro MunozJohnnie Oliver

Star OrtegaChristian Paredes

Elijah PennyBrianney ReyesCarlos RiveraKayla Rivera

Brenda RodriguezJoshua Rooney

Madeline SchaalDahlia Shelton

Stephanie SheltonTaylor SmithJavier Soto

Rachel StalterPablo Villar

Honors

SeniorsChristopher Aviles

Maurice BellKiara Brown

Melissa BullardMary Burleson

Alyssa CampbellRyan Carr

Stephanie CarterKelly Cluck

Martha CortezJohncarlo Covarrubias

Alexis DeeFred Diryawish

Lenia DixonSamuel Doise

Amanda DornerJazmyn EarnestAngela EubanksRichard Falcon

Nicholas FaltisekMolly Feil

Robert FieldingGuillermo Galarza

Cesar GarciaNiko Garofalo

Melanie GerhardtCandace GoinsOmar Gordillo

Madeline GouldingGeorgina GramontAngelica GutierrezRachelle Hernandez

William HerreraWalter Hill

Terrence HillsVincent Jannotta

Jose JimenezEric JohnsonAnier Juarez

Jesenia LorenzoAnthony Magdaleno

Maria MarquezJennifer Martinez

Kevin MazonSantiago Mejia

Antonio MejoradaChristopher Meziere

Curtis MiddletonDavid Neiman

Jasmine Del OrtegaLuis Parra

Jose QuarlesAnalis Ramirez

Alexus RileyRodrigo Rodriguez

Jasmin RuizNancy SilvaDavid Smith

Terrance SmithAlexandria Studnicka

Martina SwainJoseph Torres

Samantha VivadoKerwanists Walls

Niaya WarrenChanille Woods

Chris WrightYvette Zuniga

JuniorsAnabel BahenaLindsey BakerWautese BellTerry Bereta

Casey Bohannon DavisGeorge Bravo

Shaunacy BrazierKaylia Brown-Jackson

Riva BurnsJoshua Cloud

Lorena ContrerasAdriana Corpus

Karly DanielJermone DanielsVictor DelacruzIssamar Diego

Jocelyne DominguezJesus Dorado

Jamie DuckwallMichael EdwardsJennifer EscobedoBiridiana Esparza

Raul EsparzaJessie FiedlerTaylor FitchBennie FortJaelah Fuller

Ariana GallardoJose Gallegos

Carolina GarciaSean Gentry

Michael GuerreroArely Guzman

Kourtney HarrisMargaret Hayes

Angelica HernandezUlises HernandezMichael HolmesTre’vion JacksonAlexis JannottaBradley Jasien

Chadijah JohnsonQuinn JohnsonDe Yana Jones

Jason JonesDerek Lawler

Christopher LenoirSoledad Lopez

Alex LordMelissa MaciasDestiny Mainor

Kristopher MarroquinXavier Marshall

Amaranta MartinezLeanna McCarthy

Brittney McFarlandLuis Mercado

Benjamin MickleyMarco Montes

Martin Moreno JrBriana Morgan

Ramon NuciAmaris OconRicky Olson

Brandon OrozcoAlexandra Ortiz

Elliot PeraltaGina Pusateri

Victor RamirezNicolas Ramos

Kelly ReganMario Rivera

Gabriela RomanJames RuffinLee Sanders

Selena SandovalErnesto SantillanBrayer Serratos

Demetrius SheltonJoceline SilvaAlexis Soto

Tianna StandberryRaven Standfield

Devon TaylorJoshua UrbanLavell VallerySteven VaughnAeradise VeleyDelia Ventura

Berenice VillagomezEric West

Corzay YoungEmmanuel Zendejas

SophomoresLarry AcevedoAurora AguilarLuis AhumadaThomas Alva

Alejandro AlvarezRosaura Amezcua

Isabel AraizaBenson ArceoYvette AvalosMorgan BaileyKarina BarbanTyler BarnesMark Barr

Joseph BiesiadaBrittney BlackLuke Bullard

Christian BurtonNatalie Cameron

Nelly CamposKaris Jamal Conner

Demar CrawfordJohnathan CrimTerriel Dantzler

Tia DavisJames DeatesEmerald Dee

Fatima DelarosaAmanda Demario

Elizabeth DeyoungEnrique Esparza

Julie FaltisekJada Figgins

Chaya FlassigAna Frank

Matthew FrankSusan GallowayThomas Garber

Jose GarciaElizabeth Garrison

Darius GaryIsaac Gary

Austin GarzaKylee GazdziakEmily GerhardtValter Gonzalez

Sean GrantBridget Hayes

John HenryJemilyn Hernandez

Alexius HughesContrell JacksonLejuan Johnson

Devon JonesThomas Kaniewski

Zackery KarczewskiTakesha Langston

Tatianna LesterMarisa LittleRyan Lynch

Raquel MaganaJessica Marquez

Matthew MartinezMelissa Master

Gavriel McClerklinCaitlin McNaughton

Yesenia MejiaSonia MelchorKenneth MooreBailey MorgeCarlie Muhr

Jaquelyn MurilloAriana NeiheiselMelissa Nunez

Alicia Olik-Egner

Luis PachecoRaven ParkerKishan PatelPedro Perez

Kaitlyn PfeifferJose PlascenciaEduardo Prado

Santiago RealmoTakia Reese

Juan RemigioJessie Marie RitzNanci RodriguezJozlyn Santana

Paul SassoAlexis SawickiSidney SellersSulema SernaLuis Serrato

Syndel SerratosChalon Smith

John SosaJustin SvihulaJeremy TaylorVioleta Torres

Melanie VazquezNakya Wallace

FreshmenBrenda AlvarezDulce Alvarez

Kathia AmezcuaSarah AndersonPedro ArellanoCynthia AvalosSalvador Ayala

Dakari BassMichael BassRhobert Bato

Maria BonalesRosaysela Bravo

Deamonta CarpenterAdrienne Carrel

Kyle CarsonSamantha CazaresMarianelly Chavez

Ramiro ChavezCorey Conner

Nicholas ConnerDiamond Couch

Camaron CovingtonRussell Deer

Ricardo DelarosaDynecia DixonPatrick Doran

Shannon DuckwallSarah Ely

Elmer GalarzaAnnamarie Galik

Yolisa GarciaAbdon Garza

Norma GaytanAlec Gentry

Donquill GrandisonWesley Graniczny

Ellyn HedrickK’yairra HenryErik Hernandez

Jocelyn HernandezAlejandra Hernandez Gonzalez

William HillyerMack Holder

Christian JacksonJason Jenicek

Josemaria JimenezKoren JohnsonYvonne Jones

Raymond JuarezMorgan KoryckiCraig Krygowski

Jacob LafineMaria LedesmaCarlos LopezNatalia Loza

Destiny MccoyKassidy Meisner

Erick MezaMariah Milner

Jacob MontanezStephanie Montes

Ericka MooreChristopher MoraLynette Moreno

Adrian PerezJoseph Perez

Meghan PruettValeria QuirozLorena RaigozaEfua RichardsonCathia RodriguezSelena RodriguezDestiny RuckerJabria RuckerHaley SandersErin Schaffrath

Cruz SernaTyler SimmonsBrittany SmithBrianna SnyderDeshaun SorrellNicholas Stoffle

David StromJessica Svihula

Janay ThompsonLilydian Tolbert

Kayla TopelSamantha Vargas

Zulema Villalobos OrozcoNa’taija Watson

Houston WeatherlyTony Weathersby

Jessica ZayasHeather Zubko

Page 4 News Bremen High School

Bremen Theatre scares up laughs with fall play

by Ja’Bria ColeEcho reporter

Who had a retreat…? Snowball did! The annual Snow-ball Retreat allows many snowball members from various schools to get together and listen to teen top-ics and relevant events. One of the best parts about the retreat is that all members voices and concerns can be heard. Snowball director Mrs. Reid ex-plains one of the great parts about the trip is that “students process into smaller groups and express and share experiences.” The retreat took place Oc-tober on 13th through the 15th at Camp Manitoqua in Frankfort, Illinois. The costs of the retreat was $70 per student, but through fundraising, students were able to raise money to go and incur less of the personal expense. “My personal reason for going is that the retreat seemed like something fun to do, and a way to meet new people,” stated freshman Celeste Dean.

Celeste Dean was able to knock 30 dollars off of her trip cost through fundraising. She knew that this type a trip was a ‘must’ for her. “I wanted to grow and learn how to make good choices and be social and make new friends.” Dean added. “Snowball is always look-ing forward to new membership; if anyone would like to join it’s never too late,” stated Mrs. Reid. ”From this experience, snowball members learned about themselves and how to accept ev-erybody no matter how different they are; there’s something about having such a positive attitude, it makes you open to more ideas.” Mrs. Reid explained Reid said that everyone learns from a trip such as this, even the directors. She describes, “I think I learned how much of an impact the Snowball weekend can make in the lives of Bremen students. They (the Bremen students) don’t just like Snowball, but they learn that they need Snowball.”

by Laura GonzalezEcho reporter

The Bremen theater was proud to present “Horror High” during the last week in October. In this play, the cast and crew depicted a school full of clas-sic monsters such as the Mummy, Frankenstein, the creature from the Black Lagoon and many more. Mr. Rybarczyk, the Direc-tor of “Horror High” felt that this year’s fall play was really funny and he really liked all the new ac-tors and actresses. Mr. Rybarczyk and his dedicated cast and crew strive to make each play the very best for each night’s audience. The setting of the play took place in various rooms at the fictional Horror High School. In “Horror High,” the audience saw many classic monsters and their school life.

Chris Titus, a new face on the Bremen stage, got the lead role as Victor Frankenstein, a geek scientist who has created his greatest project ever “The Mon-ster.” Titus says the cast is hilari-ous and he made new friends. It seems that along with learning great acting skills, under Rybarczyk and Intihar’s guid-ance, the cast and crew also cre-ate some beautiful friendships. The Bremen Theatre also put on their annual Haunted House on Oct. 22. The theme of this year’s Haunted House was Zombie High School Prom. Many of the play’s cast members also were actors in the Haunted House and helped set it up the night before. The Bremen Theatre is happy to announce that more than 500 people walked through the Haunted House this year.

Annual Snowball retreat leaves lasting impression on participants

photo submitted

Seniors Ben Versher (The Monster), Chris Titus (Victor Fran-kenstein) and Emily Smith (Blair Witch) perform Oct. 29 in The Bremen Theatre’s production of Horror High.

Reminder:Parent Teacher

Conferences will be held Nov. 10

in the main gym

Page 5OpinionsNovember 7, 2011

Angry Man

a series by Mike Burbatt

by Greg Dossfor the Echo

Is this the end of the NBA forever? You would think that people would tune in more to find out about the lockout, but it’s actually causing a more drastic downfall for the NBA TV, and other sports shows. This lockout is causing many players to leave the big leagues and play overseas. Some big names have already left and retired include Shaq, Yao Ming, and Big Z. All-stars like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and D-Rose are possibly thinking about playing overseas for a year. Bad publicity is starting to surface, for a lot of players. More players are being targeted, and hit with bad publicity by shows like TMZ. It’s also helping some athletes on the other hand by giving them good publicity. Lebron James, of the Miami Heat, once loved by Cavalier fans everywhere then hated after his decision to leave for South Beach, is be-ing publicized as more of a “ good guy” figure. He does sport shows, interviews, training camps, and even commercials. Derrick Rose, a man who some people don’t like because they say he cheated his way into the NBA, is starting to get more publicity, in a good way. Unlike many other NBA stars that forget about where they come from, Rose actu-ally visits his hometown and old neighborhoods often. He’s been seen hosting tournaments and basketball related programs. The NBA is in talks of possibly cancel-ing its entire season because of this lockout. The preseason has already been canceled, and it’s not fair not to give the fans what they want to see. If this lockout continues you can almost certainly assure that there will be riots starting to form up and cause havoc on NBA management.

No deal in place for NBA

Parents’ role should be more than a friend to their teens

by Tamar CarterEditor in Chief

“Wassup?! Wanna hit the mall today after skool? Hit my line and let me kno”. This is the text message that most people as-sume would be sent from one teen to another. What if this text was from that teen’s mother or father? This is the case in many parent-teen relation-ships today, but does that make it right? Teenagers need their parents to teach them right from wrong, not to be his/her best friend. Of course having a parent as a friend may make a parent seem more ap-proachable from that teenag-er’s point of view. Some mi-nors might prefer this form of parenting because rules are less strict and that child has more freedom. Even though a teen has a lot of free-dom, they may not feel that their parents trust them more, but actually feel that their parents don’t care about what they do. According to Offra Gerstein, Ph. D., “When youngsters have complete freedom regarding their study, friends, socializing, cur-few, television, sleep or chores, they may brag about their freedom to their friends, but in-ternally feel uncared-for, ignored, abandoned and even unloved”. Less rules can often be interpreted as neglect.

It’s no surprise that tough situations in life will come and when they do, teens need adult wisdom for proper advice. Dr. Gerstein explains in the article “Should parents be their teen-agers’ best friends?”, that when parents and teens discuss their problems at work/school, dates, financial troubles, etc., that teen is not getting the guidance that they need. In-

stead of burdening their teen with their own problems, par-ents should offer the wisdom and direction that their child needs and deserves. Furthermore, proper discipline prepares young adults for the real adult world. When parents set guidelines that their teen cannot cross, that makes the teen more disciplined for the real world where you can’t just make up your own rules. Dr. Gerstein also says that it’s necessary that parents act as an appropriate role model so that their child will behave mature-

ly in the real world. In order for parents to be their teen’s parent and not their friend, they should estab-lish and enforce rules for their child, make sure that they are respected as a source of guidance and not confide in their teen about their own troubles. Parents need to be able to give in-structions to their teen. Parents are meant to guide and support their teenager through life, not be their texting buddy.

“When parents set guidelines that their teen cannot cross, that makes

the teen more disciplined for the real world where

you can’t just make up your own

rules.”

Die of Laughter

I’ll buy all of

those balloons!

Sure thing!

Aaah!

Grrr! Ker-Sploosh!

Page 6 News Bremen High School

Fans hopeful Bears earn playoff spot

by Tamar CarterEditor in Chief

The Monsters of the Midway are definitely impress-ing their fans, especially after they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-18 in London on October 23. Our beloved Chicago Bears were invited to play at Wembley Stadium in England and their trip was not in vain. The Bucs put up a good fight, but the Bears would not stand to be defeated. This awesome win can be accredited to the entire team of course, but some key players stood out. Charles “Peanut” Till-man lead the defense with a to-tal of 9 tackles and 1 assist. To add to that, wide receiver Roy Williams received 4 passes for a total of 59 yards. You can‘t talk about the Bears without mention-ing Matt Forte, who contributed 145 yards altogeth-er. Speaking of Forte, a hot topic in the National Foot-ball League (NFL) world is Forte’s possible contract adjustment. Forte has requested a contract extension due to the fact that he is now in the final year of his rookie contract with the Bears. Forte feels that he is underpaid but he is still finishing off strong with the Bears and exceeding expectations. Another well-known Chicago Bear is linebacker Lance Briggs. Lance Briggs has several years under his belt in the NFL. Briggs also sup-ports Forte’s idea that his sal-ary should be increased. Briggs feels that he deserves a pay raise even though he still has three years left on his current contract issued in 2008. Briggs had an interception during the London competition. The 2011 Bears have fans talking, especially Brave Bears fans. Senior Malachi Rhoden said, “Lance Briggs has at least 5 to 7 more years in the league and Matt Forte is the

powerhouse on the offensive side of the ball. Without them, the Bears would lose momen-tum.” Rhoden’s statement sure does make a lot of sense after taking notice of the Bears stats. The current record of the Bears is 4-3, which is not too shabby. However, there are still plenty of games to go. Certain teams in the National Football Con-ference (NFC) definitely pose a threat to the Bears. Junior Rigo Ferreira stated, “I believe the Green Bay Packers are the biggest compe-tition in the conference for two reasons. The first reason- they have Aaron Rogers. Second, they are undefeated with a 7-0 record.” Another team to watch is the Detroit Lions whose cur-rent record is 5-2. Even with this stiff com-

petition ahead, the Bears still have a chance to make the play-offs. J u n i o r Bryan Costello believes, “Based off of the Bears’ performance so far, the team has

a good chance for playoffs be-cause the Bears have already played their biggest threats this season.” The com-petition of the Bears is obvi-ous, but what about the ways to make sure that Bears still come out victorious? Here are some possible strategies for head coach Lovie Smith to check out: Junior Ter-ry Bereta advised, “The Bears need to improve on their de-fense work, work on stopping their opponents’ running game and create more turnovers. The offense needs to work on hold-ing blocks longer and protecting the quarterback.” It’s ultimately up to the Bears as a whole to make it happen and take home the NFC North Championship title again. Who knows? Maybe the Chica-go Bears will take to the grid-iron for Super Bowl XLVI (46) in 2012.

Stunt Doubles

photo by Ariel Chavez

Bremen’s Varsity Cheerleaders perform at the Oct. 28 pep as-sembly. The assembly recognized Bremen’s fall athletes, with special recognition of those atheles and teams advancing to the playoffs in their respective sports.

Food drive supports local families in need

by Omar GordilloPhoto Editor

Giving back to the com-munity is nothing new to Bre-men High School. Many of its activities and clubs share common grounds in the sense that many take the time to help or donate to chari-ties, organizations, and others in need. The food drive is an event run by both National Hon-or Society and Student Council members. This year’s food drive will take place from Nov. 7 through Nov. 18. Members from their re-spective groups devote time to collect food that is later given to a local parish and families in need. Students start by handing

out fliers to homes in Midlothian during the first week of the drive. At the start of the second week, the students pick up do-nations from homes then bring it back to school. From there, students present at the cafeteria sort and pack the food according to where they are being sent. Last year nearly 8,000 pounds of food was donated which was distributed to St. Stephen’s and St. Christopher’s food pantries. Both NHS and Student Council hope to meet if not ex-ceed the amount of donations received form last year. Anyone interested in making a donation but unable to leave it on the porch may drop off nonperishable items in the high school’s main foyer.

Page 7SportsNovember 7, 2011

Girls Basketball team welcomes new head coach Cheer team

organizes fundraisers of all kinds

by Ja’Bria ColeEcho reporter

Congrats to our Bremen Brave Cheerleaders for their success in their recent fundraisers. With the accom-plishment of fundraising, Bremen Cheerleaders have raised enough money to reach their goal of buying new uniforms and warm-up wear. The girls worked very hard to accomplish this goal. “This goal was achieved through fundraising sales of taffy apples, suckers, and shirts,” var-sity cheerleader, Kayla Brown said. In addition to fundraising sales, the cheerleaders also held a craft fair on Sunday October 30th. Many ven-dors participated in the fair. Some of the vendors present on October 30th were as follows: 2 Sisters Frozen Custard, Floral Arrangements, Greet-ing Cards, Organic Coffee, Gold Canyon Candles, Premier Design Jewelry, South African Crafts, Hand Painted Glass, Mary- Kay, Fine Art (oil paintings), Bakery, Sweet Freaks, Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, Gold and Silver Buyers, Chocolates by Leslie, and Avon. “All the Cheerleaders worked hard (at the craft fair and at fundrais-ing),” head Coach Mrs. Matlon ex-plained. The profits made will not only go towards new uniforms. “The profits (also) go towards getting a choreographer and mu-sic for competition season for both cheerleading levels.” Coach Matlon added. The money raised from all of the girls’ hard work this year will be used for a number of things as it will also be used towards team tumbling for varsity. So far it has truly been a suc-cessful year for the Bremen Cheer-leaders; let’s hope all of their suc-cesses lead them into a successful competition season.

by Ashlei ColeEcho reporter

With the fall sports ending on a posi-tive note, the winter season is underway. Girls’ basketball is back and the team is truly looking forward to the new season! Varsity has a new coach this year but he isn’t a stranger to Bremen. Coach Bena-rdz has coached at for Bremen before. This year Benardz will be coaching the varsity team as head coach for the first time. Mrs. Rucinski will be the assistant coach for the varsity team. With the new season on its way, Coach Benardz had some positive things to say about the new year: “A new season is always exciting, even more when you are going to coach varsity for the first time.” Coach Benardz also ran a variety of conditioning drills this year. The team worked hard with different exercises al-ready. The girls have been doing such ac-tivities as running outside, to practicing full

court drills and games inside. The first round of practice was held on October 31st. Varsity’s first scheduled game is Wednesday November 16th. Some seniors that are returning are Arianna Bell, Ayuanna Washington, Jamei-ka Price, Jane Gross and Christina Bravo. Coach Benardz is counting on all of his players; he especially knows that Maggie Hayes, Kiarra Williams, Arielle Tyus, Bria Marley and Jackie Tierri will be more stellar this year, than last. There will be around twelve girls on the team this year and the Lady Braves are prepared for the long season. “We can’t wait to play our true ri-vals, Hillcrest, Oak Forest, and Tinley Park. Our goals are high for our girls this season,” stated Coach Benardz said. This positive coach tells his team to “play every day like it’s your last; never let your highs get too high and never let your lows get to low!”

by Lauren BrownEcho reporter

The Bremen cheerleaders had a great fall season. The football games were cold and rainy, but that did not stop the Bremen Braves Cheerleaders from spreading their spirit and cheering on their team. Not only did they cheer at the games, they were guest performers at the “Sounds of the Stadium Concert“ by Ben Salgado, band director. In addition, they performed at the Bremen Volleyball game for Senior Night. The cheerleaders have done it all with the guidance of Mrs. Matlon, the head coach, and Ms. Marzullo, the assistant coach. Both coaches had nothing but great compliments and comments to say about the 2011 cheerleaders. “They are a talented group of girls who have worked hard” stated Ms. Marzul-

lo. The hard work of the girls was evident as they have followed a busy schedule so far. The cheerleaders worked on team tumbling on Mondays and held traditional practices every Wednesday night. In addition, they practiced before games and on Saturday af-ternoons. The next event the cheerleaders are preparing for is the state championship for the football players. What’s next after that? Getting ready for Competition Season. It seems as if the cheerleaders never get a break! On November 1, there was a clinic for all prospective cheerleaders for the competition season. On November 2, tryouts were held for those who will partici-pate during the competition season. Good luck to all of those who tried out; and more importantly, good luck to those cheerleaders chosen to perform dur-ing the competition season!

School spirit promoted through various events, sports at Bremen

Key Club is sponsoring a Blood Drive on Nov. 17

Stop by the nurse’s office to make an appointment! See Mr. Dyke in Room 123

for more information.

Football has Stell-ar seasonby Darrien Moore

Echo reporter

The Bremen Football Team has fin-ished their 2011-12 season with a 6-3 record. They qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2005. They also beat Bremen’s all-time rivals: The Oak Forest Bengals. And in an added bonus to Braves great season, Head Coach Dan Stell was named the SSC Football Coach of the Year. “I feel we got Bremen back in the play-offs for years to come,” varsity running back Charles Jideonwo said. The team couldn’t have gotten so far this year without absolute camaraderie and teamwork. However, there any many athletes that must be taken note of individually. Varsity quarterback, Cedric Clemons, lead the team in passing yards. He passed a total of 676 yards this season on the football field this year. 104 of those yards were thrown against the Oak For-est Bengals, which Bremen hasn’t beaten in years. Varsity running back and linebacker, David Smith, lead the team in rushing yards this year with a total of 533 yards. About 140 of those rushing yards was at Perspectives Charter/Calumet. Bremen ended up succeed-ing against Calumet 40-6. Varsity Safety Walter Hill ran a total of 91 yard returns this season against our op-ponents and varsity wide receiver and Corner-

back, Dion Starnes ran 104 yards from kickoff returns. Varsity Strong Safety and Running back Deshon Grissom helped to lead the team with the most tackles this year; he made an astounding 79 recorded tackles this year.

Although the Braves lost three games this year, Coach Stell believes that he had a very special group of boys this year and that they are the type of team he likes working with as far as personality and work ethic.

Cheerleaders’ hard work pays off for teamby Darrien Moore

Echo reporter

“Qualifying for state is our team goal and I feel we are definitely moving in the right direction”, said Bremen Cheer-leading Coach Mrs. Matlon. She believe this is the hardest working group of girls she have ever coached and that they are doing an amazing job. The Bremen Braves Cheerleaders have worked to-gether to run their squad in a positive manner this year. This type of leadership has made the team members more fond and loving to each other.

Before school started, the 2011 cheerleaders volunteered their time to help girls younger than them become better cheer-leaders. They worked with the Central Park Cheerleaders to put on a half time show for Bremen Senior Night Football Game. Senior Sarah Skelley said, “We like to help the Cen-tral Park Cheerleaders because we know that some will be com-ing to Bremen soon to cheer.” The Lady Braves also went to Brookwood Middle School on Tuesday, October 25, to help the cheerleaders in their district improve their skills as well.

The Fall Season Cheer-leading Captains- Whitney Boyd, Deandreale Bailey and Kalin McKean lead their team to make great decisions that build comradere. The captains en-courage the rest of their team to work with them to pick up trash from under the bleachers after every home football game. Coach Matlon said “ It was our way of saying THANK YOU to the custodial staff for all of their hard work and showing that at Bremen We Have Pride.” These girls have worked hard together, on, and off the field. In addition to working

photo submitted

The Braves offensive line prepares for the snap at a recent football game. The Braves 2011 season included many notable team and individual achievements.

together to keep Bremen clean and teach youngsters the skills needed in cheerleading, the 2011 cheerleading are always hard at work making themselves better cheerleaders. The girls are al-ways learning new cheers and stunts, however the 2011 cheer-leaders have been working on their tumbling skills to become better cheerleaders and repre-sent Bremen in an even better way. With hard work and dedi-cation, the Bremen Cheer Squad definitely has the capabilitity to qualify for State this competi-tions season.