BY GARY SHENG

It was 12:30 AM, and IRN was going off in half an hour. In my room, I saw my friend Ryan, who was supposedly “diligently working on his physics,” sitting at his computer as I finally stepped into the bathroom to brush my teeth. “Shouldn’t you be going back?” I asked my guest. With the utmost delayed reaction time, he kept typing away, assumedly fixated on something important. After a few seconds, he grinned complacently and returned, “Dude, I haven’t even started my homework.”

BY AJAY CHATRATH

Bald heads, the result of Shine On’s Cancer Awareness movement, populate IMSA’s campus, and are a result of the club’s festivities, which occurred throughout February. Inspired by Gabi Heller, a senior at IMSA who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, Shine On was created in order to raise awareness about people battling leukemia and lymphoma. Through Shine On, IMSA students were able to raise almost $7000 that went towards cancer research.

BY JUSTIN GLASPER

It’s time to start selecting courses here at IMSA and you know what that means: Sophomores questioning upperclassmen about their past schedules, Juniors asking Seniors which courses are fit for a senior schedule, and Seniors being hit with the realization that only a few months of high school remain. As underclassmen run around asking seniors what teachers and courses are like, however, many have probably found that a brand new group of teachers has come to IMSA this year and most of the 2010 class has not had the opportunity of meeting them. Although many of the new teachers currently instruct only sophomore level classes, there are some who also teach electives for Juniors and Seniors. One of those is Mr. Lundgren, one of the two new teachers in the wellness department. If you are considering getting your extra semester of wellness out the way next year, you may find this interview helpful. 

BY JISOO KIM

You can be playing all day, watching movies, or talking with friends. What exactly is keeping you up until two o’clock in the morning? Everyone says that the Junior year is the hardest year in any high school, especially at IMSA. But is it true? These days, all the Juniors seem to be talking about preparing for college, taking or retaking standardized tests, choosing the perfect college, and trying to get a good GPA.

BY DILIANA DIMITROVA

Ms. Nicole Trackman, new to IMSA, is a valuable member of the English team. She majored in English and is currently working on her Ph.D, but just like the rest of us, she likes to have fun. She is an excellent French speaker, and has taught at several schools in New York City, including, as she mentioned in the interview, a French-Japanese International School.

BY CECE COUNTRYMAN

Dr. Megan Schrementi is one of the new science faculty this year at IMSA. She was born in Kankakee, IL, and grew up in Bourbonnais, a small town about 60 miles south of Chicago. For undergraduate studies, Schrementi went to the University of Illinois. There she majored in microbiology and minored in chemistry. She then went to graduate school and received her PhD from Loyola University Chicago, with her focus on microbiology and immunology.

BY INGRID HSIUNG

With the new year come new privileges. Seniors have the chance to be exempt from housekeeping, juniors get nothing, and sophomores receive the most privileges of all: rolling check, interviz rights, and freedom from study hours. While these privileges may not seem very substantial, they open up a whole world of liberty for sophomores.

BY ASHLEY CZAPLICKI

Somehow, an entirely new year has arrived with frightening speed.  I find “2010” on the tops of paper assignments and wonder where in the world the past three years have gone.  Second Semester Senior Year, you have appeared much quicker than expected.  Along with unforgettable memories, this year has brought change in the IMSA community in both positive and negative ways.  With wiser, widened eyes, let us review what has occurred in this academy of “creative ethical, scientific minds” in the past 365.25 days and this year’s resolution.

BY JUSTIN GLASPER

Students attempt to be in a quad for various reasons: because there is the handicap room and extra space, because no one else wanted it or probably because it is a place in which deep bonds are forged between friends. It isn’t a stretch to say that some of a student’s best memories of IMSA come from living in a quad.

BY JISOO KIM

You may be surprised this year to find yourself hearing, “Happy New Year!” on February 14th, 2010. And no, it is not a trick.