Seniors' luncheon features Latin theme
By Jason V.

According to Mrs. Knudsen, the Family and Consumer Science teacher, the best part of preparing for the annual senior citizens' luncheon is watching the students work at all the preparation until they get their recipes exactly right. Mrs. Knudsen said that she looks forward to the luncheon every year. She is always satisfied, and the students enjoy what they are doing. It is a pleasure, she declared, to do something for the commumity.The theme of this year's luncheon is Latin American cooking. It will take place on October 22, and it will take a lot of work. Mrs. Knudsen explained that about 120 senior citizens and 20 other guests, mostly administrators, will attend. Twenty-three students from Mrs. Knudsen's eighth grade elective are helping to prepare for the luncheon. By helping to prepare for the luncheon, the students have an excellent way to learn about the cultures that the meals are part of, and it gives them an opportunity to learn about foreign foods. All the while, they are using a community service project as a vehicle for that learning.

The encore teachers begin to prepare for the luncheon in July, when they meet and make arrangements. Mrs. Knudsen prepares by reading books related to the theme on cuisine, life style and culture. Her students divide up the work by setting up committees and listing all their responsibilities, including making decorations, invitations, programs, table favors, center pieces and costumes, and doing the grocery shopping. Then each student has the option to pick between those tasks and help with putting it together.

This year Mrs. Knudsen's eighth graders are making Salsa, Salad, Beef Enchiladas, Chicken Cilantro, Corn Muffins, Mexican Rice and dessert. They will start cooking about two weeks before with the help of the seventh grade classes the week before. When cooking, students have to remember to keep their cooking surfaces and equipment clean, and their hair tied back, out of the way.

The grocery committee is also responsible for the grocery list, making sure that they have all the necessary supplies. Some of the students will be waiters and the others will become cooks. All students will wear sombreros and colorful sashes to represent ponchos. These will be made by the costume committee.

In line with the Latin theme, the decorations committee will provide colorful designs to decorate the cafeteria. In addition, the art classes will create artwork that will be displayed in either the hallway or in the showcase. The seventh graders will craft ceramic sculptures that reflect the cultural influences of the Pre-Columbian people of Mexico.

The sixth graders have made yarn paintings in the style of the Huichol Indians of Mexico. The designs are influenced by nature. It takes about four weeks to finish the ceramics, and about three to finish the yarn paintings. A couple of students from Mrs. Dengler's eighth grade photography elective will take pictures of the luncheon.

According to Mrs. Dengler, her favorite part of the encore project is when everything develops nicely for the senior citizens. The most annoying part from her point of view is the clean-up involved when working with ceramics. She said that she thought the students most enjoyed creating and then displaying their finished projects. The students complain, however, about the planning they have to do

Mr. Travis and his 28 elective students will present excerpts from the famous musical, West Side Story, which is a version of Romeo and Juliet set in New York City in the 1950s. It tells about the conflict between the "American" gang, the Jets, and the Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, and the star crossed lovers who try to cross enemy lines. Mr. Travis chose West Side Story because of all the Latin American music and themes. He also picked it because the students really liked the lyrics and tried out for the parts they wanted.

To put on the show, the students have to learn the music, choreograph (creating the dancing), paint the sets and work on their acting. The play will be about an
hour long. It will take the entire eight weeks and after school rehearsals to get it right. Mr. Travis said that he most enjoyed the performances when all the work comes together. The part that the students like is the singing and dancing more than the acting. Also, they find the constant practices pretty difficult.

Kristen W., one of the music elective students, commented that she thought this years theme was pretty cool, and that she liked West Side Story. She admitted that she was most nervous when performing around students. Kristen's classmate, Mary W., said that she thought that this year's theme was excellent. She agreed that with Kristen, that the hardest part was performing in front of her peers.

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New program aims at developing moral character
By Krissy M. and Hilary S.

As most readers probably know, Peacock and the other Itasca schools have started a new program this year, "Character Counts!" Character Counts is a program to help kids perform acts of kindness around school, their homes, and in their community.

Character Counts is based on the six pillars of character: respectfulness, caring, responsibility, citizenship, fairness, and trustworthiness. The pillars help develop a better character in children. Our school lottery has also been incorporated into the six pillars of character. If you perform acts that show one of the six pillars, you will receive a lottery ticket.

All the teachers will be talking and teaching about Character Counts in their advisory. Some of the teachers were trained on the Character Counts program. These included Mr. Anderson, Ms. Krisik, Ms. Slykas, Mrs. Crown, Mrs. Karttunen, Mr. Loest, Mr. Poremba, Mr. Behrendt, Dr. West, Mrs. Butler and Dr. Nickisch.

Character Counts was created by an ethics professor in California, Mr. Josephson. He has explained that he designed this program to give children in our country a better moral character.

In a recent interview, Dr. Nickisch discussed the changes that Character Counts will bring to Peacock. Dr. Nickisch said, "the advisors will work on talking about good behavior and being kind and fair." He said that he hoped that all the children would become better and more understanding people after going through this program.

Ms. Slykas, who was trained in this program, commented that students "will learn more about the right thing to do if you use Character Counts." Mr. Loest explained that Character Counts is "a national group aimed at developing character in kids based on six pillars of daily living. The six pillars are part of the band handbook, and I encourage everyone in and out of band to use them daily."

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Science teachers switch classes
By Christine H.

According to sixth grade science teacher, Mr. Koenig, the kids in sixth grade are a lot different from those in eighth. But, he added, he enjoys teaching both grades. Mr. Koenig, who used to teach eighth grade science switched to the sixth grade and Mrs. Krefetz moved from sixth to eighth grade. When the science teachers were asked why they switched grades, they said that "Dr. Nickisch wanted the change, change is good." They both agreed that the grades they were teaching were different than they expected them to be.

Mr. Koenig explained that the major difference between the two grades is that
eighth grade science is mainly physical science with many experiments, and sixth grade science is mainly life science. Mr. Koenig said that the science demonstrations he does with his students are particularly important because they help students learn about and enjoy science more.

Mrs. Krefetz said that both sixth and eighth grade students are just as great, but eighth graders are more mature. When I asked her what the major differences were between the two grades, she said "that eighth grade has more math, more experiments, and hopefully no mistakes on the experiments." Mrs. Krefetz commented that she loves being a full time teacher at Peacock, and that she especially enjoys the children. She explained that she must really enjoy what she does because she comes earlier and stays later each day, because the time goes by so quickly.

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New Spanish teacher shares enthusiasm for Latino culture
By Lora C.

Mrs. Portincaso is the new part-time Spanish instructor who teaches at Peacock every morning. When interviewed recently, Mrs. Portincaso explained that she became a teacher to help people learn about the Latino culture and language.

A graduate of Loyola University in Chicago, Mrs. Portincaso majored in Spanish and fine arts, and received a teaching certificate. She has also taught Spanish to native and non-speakers (grades one through five) in a Chicago public school for two years. Mrs. Portincaso speaks one other language, Italian, though not nearly as well as Spanish.

According to Mrs. Portincaso, the hardest part of the Spanish language is the grammar. Some of the things she loves to do in class amaze and impress her students. She likes to sing, dance, act, and draw. She explained that these different activities give students "a visual and a fun experience in the Spanish language." When asked, Mrs. Portincaso said that she thought the kids at Peacock were very nice, well mannered, and very intelligent.

Mrs. Portincaso did not mind answering some questions about her life outside of school. She is happily married to a commodity broker. She has one daughter and is expecting another child. In her free time, Mrs. Portincaso likes to paint and draw. She also loves to cook. The last book she read was a Spanish book called 100-de Soledad (100 Years of Loneliness) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. She also likes to listen to Latin beats, hip-hop, country, and really anything.

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Peacock students are bigger, smarter and older?
By Alyssa J.

Mrs. Kabat is the new sixth grade social studies teacher at Peacock. When interviewed recently, she said that she thought that the kids at Peacock were awesome, and that she knew most if not all of them already. That is because Mrs. Kabat has been a teacher for many years before coming to Peacock. She taught at Washington (now Benson) Primary School for about seven years, and Franzen Intermediate school for about four years.

She went to St. Norbert's College in Depere, WI and received a BA in education and also attended Concordia University in River Forest, IL, and received an MA in administration. Mrs. Kabat said that she wanted to teach because she enjoyed working with children and adolescents.

Mrs. Kabat compared the students of Franzen to the students of Peacock and said the Peacock students were bigger, smarter, and older. Mrs. Kabat likes the town of Itasca. She loves "the quaintness of a small town." She also likes the little street lamps, train station, and the new administration building.

In her classes, Mrs. Kabat uses literature circles, plays, and groups in class to help students learn. She explained that these activities help socialization and teach cooperation and perseverance. Most of all, students have fun.

On the personal side, Mrs. Kabat is married, and her husband is an engineer. Her hobbies include golfing, bunco (a dice game), listening to music, and reading. Mrs. Kabat likes all kinds of music (except hard rock), but her favorites are female vocalists and jazz. The last book she read was Ending The Home Work Hassle by John Rosemond. Mrs. Kabat said that she enjoys working at Peacock. Lastly, she said that she likes meeting new people.

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Do you know whose taking your temperature?
By Angela G. and Amanda B.

Mrs. Agosta is the new assistant nurse at Peacock Jr. High. She has never been a school nurse before. She rides a motorcycle (but always with a helmet), sews, skis, bike rides, and she loves doing crafts of all sorts.

Mrs. Agosta, the new assistant nurse at Peacock, loves to help children.

Mrs. Agosta attended St. Francis University. She is not officially a school nurse yet, because she is still completing her certification. Marie Agosta became a school nurse because she loves kids, especially the ones at Peacock, plus she wants to help.

Happily married with two daughters, Suzie and Amy, Mrs. Agosta doesn't have much spare time because she is mostly studying pediatrics. Her words of advice to Peacock students were to "respect your body and yourself."

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Learn more about the new eighth grade social studies teacher
By Liz F., News Editor

Mr. Coate is the new eighth grade social studies teacher who replaced Mr. Martin upon his retirement. When asked whether he enjoyed social studies when he was in middle school, Mr. Coate responded that when he was in the eighth grade, he had this really great teacher who helped him understand the importance of Social Studies.

Mr. Coate received his bachelor's degree in social science at Eastern Illinois University, and his master's degree in education at Aurora University. Mr. Coate taught sixth grade geography in Woodstock for five years, and before that, he taught high school in Kansas, Illinois. Mr. Coate commented, "I had a couple of good role models in high school and Middle. I also like having the summers off and interacting with teachers."

"The students at Peacock are generally nice and courteous toward each other. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better," he said. Mr. Coate did notice, however, that the students were a bit verbose. As for the town of Itasca, Mr. Coate noted that it was a small community, similar to where he came from, and that the community as a whole was very dedicated to the education of their children.

According to Mr. Coate, both girls and boys can do well learning social studies if they work at it. He also explained that he thought both boys and girls learned best by doing hands-on activities. One of the special activities Mr. Coate would like to do with his classes are group projects because the students experience more and seem to learn more from one another.

On a personal note, Mr. Coate is twenty-eight and single. The music groups he enjoys listening to are the Dave Mathews Band, Big Hard Todd, Sting, REM, and Samples. The last books he read are Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson and Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewer. Basketball, football, and movies are some of his favorite pastimes.

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New seventh graders settle right in
By Ashley S., Op-Ed Editor

There are two new seventh grade students at Peacock, Karly T. and Laise Quatraro. Karly moved to Itasca from Washington state. She likes to listen to the music groups Nsync, Backstreet Boys and Limp Bizkit. She has made lots of friends here at Peacock but she said that she still misses her old ones. She also misses her school, teachers, and town. Karly likes everything about Itasca. She has joined Cross Country and Chorus.

Laise Q. moved to Itasca from Bartlett, where she attended Sycamore
Trails. Like Karly, she also likes everything about Itasca, but still misses her old town. She says that she likes the students at Peacock much better than those at her old school. Laise enjoys listening to Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock. Her favorite subject is either gym or home economics. She also plans to try out for basketball.

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New sixth grade students charge their way into Peacock
By Kimberly C.

There are several sixth graders who are new to District 10. As a group, the students said that they were making friends and getting along with their teachers. Generally, their impression of Peacock seemed pretty positive.

One of the new students, Allen C., used to go to Healy School in Chicago. He said that he missed his old friends, but that he didn't really miss his old school and teachers. He said that he really liked Itasca, and that he had made some new friends, Joe P., Justin P. and Jimmy H.. He also commented that he thought Dr. Nickisch was very nice. His favorite subject is math with Mr. Behrendt. Allen did not think that we received too much homework. His favorite bands are Smash Mouth and Blink182. He said that he would like to tryout for basketball, which is one of his hobbies, along with football.

Like Allen, Dave S. said that he thought Itasca was a nice town. Dave used to attend St. William's in Chicago. He said that he didn't really miss his old friends, teachers or school. He has also made some new friends, Bobby G., Mike R. and Giovanni C.. He commented that he thought the teachers at Peacock were nice but he didn't really have a favorite subject yet. As for extracurricular activities, Dave has joined intermurals, and he wants to join band and play the drums. He likes to listen to Puff Daddy and Kid Rock. He said that he didn't think that we received too much homework. Dave particularly enjoys playing football at recess with his friends.

Before transferring to Peacock, Kirstin M. attended St. Luke's here in Itasca. She agreed with the general view that the students and teachers at Peacock were quite nice. She said that she didn't think that we received too much homework. Her new friends at Peacock include Alyson K., Kimberly C., and Abby Z.. Kristin's favorite subjects are reading, language arts, and home economics. She has joined chorus and she likes to listen to the Backstreet Boys. One of her favorite things to do is read. The last book she read was Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

New student Crystal Ray said that she did miss some of her old friends and teachers, but that she has made some new friends, Missy W. and Suzee R.. Crystal used to go to John F. Kennedy school in Schiller Park. She commented that she thought our teachers were nice and the students worked pretty hard. She didn't think that we received too much homework. She also liked the town of Itasca. Crystal's favorite subject is social studies with the new social studies teacher, Mrs. Kabat. She has joined chorus and she likes to listen to Backstreet Boys, N'sync and Smash Mouth. The last book she read was Eyeballs For Lunch by M.M. Ragz. She also likes to collect Pokemon cards and Beanie Babies.

Nicole F. formerly attended a school called Praise and Leadership Academy. Like Crystal, Nicole said that she missed her old friends and teachers. She was positive about both Itasca and Peacock's students and teachers. Her new friends include Crystal R., Sara L., and Suzee R.. Nicole's favorite subject is reading, and the last book she read was The Tale of the Horrifying Hockey Team by K.S. Rodriguez. She has joined chorus and she wants to join band and play the oboe. She enjoys listening to LFO and Smash Mouth. She also likes to read, to collect beanie babies, play volley ball, basketball, tennis and to swim.

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Will anyone beat Mr. Behrendt at chess this year?
By Sarah Z.

The school year has started and so has chess club! Mr. Behrendt, the club's advisor, has several activities planned for this year, including a tournament for all grades and teachers. There is even a possibility of having a chess game outside of school on a Saturday.

When interviewed recently, seventh grader Alyssa J. commented, "I joined the club last year and I like it because it's really fun! I enjoyed playing chess last year and I even got to work on puzzles." According to Alyssa, what she liked most about chess club was socializing and playing chess against her friends and trying to beat Mr. Behrendt." She said she had tried to get her friends to join but they didn't want to."

If you haven't signed up yet, there's still time. The chess club meets every Tuesday from 3:00-3:50 p.m. Anyone can attend.

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Physical education is better than ever
By Raymond V.

Great stories have been told about the new gym equipment...what's the real story? According to Mr. Anderson, Peacock has purchased four new step climbers, three heart rate monitors, and other types of software. This new equipment was purchased because Mr.Anderson and Ms.Krisik wanted to make PE as interesting as possible, and more fun.

All the grades will use the new equipment. If any of the students need to use the steppers, they will be located in the equipment room. When in use, they will be stationed in the gym. This new equipment will also help students keep track of their heart rates. In the future, Mr. Anderson hopes to incorporate the use of more cardiovascular-geared equipment in the PE curriculum, and also more intensive weight training activities for students.

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