Joo Won‘Fabiola’ Yun
Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire presents a musical every winter. Most people usually perceive a musical as all about performing on the stage. However, Andrew Arceo, a senior student who performed in the pit orchestra for the past two years, discovered that the musical is not always about what the audience sees on the stage.
The musical ‘In the Heights’ was performed at Stevenson High School this year during the course of 3 consecutive days from November 1st to November 3rd. The main plot of the musical concerns a Dominican-American neighborhood in New York. In the story, the main narrator Usnavi and immigrants from Dominican Republic struggle and adjust with change. The musical highlights diverse cultures and brotherhood within the neighborhood.
The pit orchestra made the musical more engaging by providing live music; the musical had both a theatrical element and musical element. Stevenson's pit orchestra consisted of 26 musicians who performed instrumental music for scene changes and big numbers. They were the background music to the musical.
Although there are no strict qualifications to joining, the music directors often prioritize strongest students because of the number of hours the students in pit orchestra must commit to. Andrew also emphasizes students' commitment from his experience: “The two weeks leading up to the performance require 5-6 hours each day including saturdays. In total, I would estimate 80 hours over the course of 2 months.”
Students in pit require the investment of their time to synchronize with the singing; many rehearsals in the orchestra room are held before the actual performance. According to Andrew, dress rehearsals, which are another 5 hours, are required too. Despite the time commitment, Andrew still recommends that high school students pursue this special experience. Andrew said, “It's a fun way to experience what it's like to be a professional musician and might consider doing it in college.”
Twin Korean powers: Ryu, Choo
Young Joon Suh
On the last day of October, the Boston Red Sox clinched as 2013 World Series champions against the St. Louis Cardinals. Finally the hot stove league had started since the first day of November. After the start of stove league, Korean fans became interested in whether Ryu would be included among the final three nominees for National League(NL) Rookie Award. However, Jose Fernandez(Miami Marlins), Yasiel Puig (LA Dodgers), and Shelby Miller(St. Louis Cardinals) were the final three nominees for Rookie Award. The final results came out on November 11th and Ryu was ranked 4th. Ryu received 10 votes for 3rd place from major league baseball journalists.
Korean fans turned their attention to Choo, whom they expected to win the NL Silver Slugger Award. The Silver Slugger Award is for the batter who shows significant power combined with the player’s other stats such as defense. Choo recorded 21 homeruns and 54 run batted in(RBI); however Choo failed to receive the award.
After Choo's disappointing result, Sports Illustrated raised the debatable issue of why players like Choo and other possible candidates were passed over for the award. Major League Baseball journalists announced the final three nominees for NL MVP but Choo did not make the list. On the NL MVP vote, Choo received one vote from 5th place to 8th place, 4 votes on 9th place, and 3 votes on 10th place. Choo had experienced a very special distinction previously, in the 2010 season with Cleveland Indians: first Korean player to be voted an MVP Award in Major League Baseball.
Wheaton Warrenville South High School Scholastic Bowl Begins
Jonathan Suh
The Scholastic Bowl season for Wheaton Warrenville South High School began on October 21st against crosstown rivals Wheaton North High School. Scholastic Bowl is a team competition, where students answer questions on a wide variety of topics, such as mathematics, science, literature, and the arts.
The bowl is played in matches. Each team can play five students in the match at one time, with substitution possible. Each match consists of 24 “toss-up” questions; each question is worth 10 points, and when a team answers a toss-up question correctly it receives three bonus questions. The team members cannot discuss answers for toss-up questions, but they are allowed to confer amongst the team for bonus questions. On tossups, any member on the team can answer the question by pressing his or her beeper(called buzzing in). For bonus questions, any member can answer without buzzing in. At the end of the match, the team with the most points wins.
Wheaton Warrenville South has two teams: varsity(juniors and seniors) and junior varsity(freshmen and sophomores). Its first game of the season was a loss to Wheaton North at home, varsity losing 260-500 and the JV falling 120-320. The season will continue on until at least February, when playoffs will begin. Currently, the WWSHS varsity team is ranked fourth in the DuPage Valley Conference, while the junior varsity team is ranked third.