KALEIDOSCOPEDecember 6, 2010 Vol 42 No 7The Student-Run Newspaper of Kishwaukee College, Malta, IL 60150

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By Scott ConroStaff Writer

The Intercultural Student Association is helping Big Brothers Big Sisters and DeKalb Hope Haven this Holiday sea-son with the Giving Tree, located in the Main Atrium. If you have seen the tree in the past week, you will no-tice it is adorned in tags, not ornaments. The tags have items of necessity the families needs such as shoes, socks, pants, and a vacuum. Other items such as a silly joke book, a play kitchen, and a Nintendo DS are also requested. Anyone interested in helping can pick a tag and bring the unwrapped item to the Donation Box with tag attached by December 15. The Donation Box is in B100 R, the Student Ac-tivities Office (it is about ten steps away from the tree for those who can’t find B100). The ISA has been in charge of the Giving Tree since tak-ing over for the Student Government Association last year. “We’re trying to get the campus involved,” said Vice-President of the Intercultural Student Association Crystal Da-laguete. “We hope that students follow through when they take a tag.” Get to the tree and see if you can help the two families out this Christmas with a caring gift that will light up their life. And look for other opportunities to help the community in the future. The ISA is looking to set up a toy drive before the end of the semester!

By Valentina AndrianopoulosStaff Writer

There is a new teacher in town and he is eager to get started! Craig Cunningham will be hosting a new class next semester in the spring of 2011. He will be co-teaching the class with Professor Jen-nifer Jossendal. The African American History course will be a great new experience for us here at Kishwaukee College! “I expect that I will receive the joy and the ex-citement that I receive when I teach others the passion of history and the excitement of the African American ex-perience.” Cunningham ex-plains, “I have a passion for teaching, and I enjoy it so much. Also, I will experience a very good intellectual ex-change with Professor Jen-

nifer Jossendal, who co-in-structs the class with me. I will enjoy learning from Pro-fessor Jossendal.” We will be hoping for a big turnout in this class. Kishwaukee has never be-fore taught this course, so join while you can. “I look forward to a multitude of students at-tending this class,” Craig continues, “this class is for everyone, because African American history is Ameri-can history and American history is inextricably linked to African American history. I think more than one hun-dred students will sign up for the class, and we will have to divide the course into three or four sections. I want everyone to sign up for this class. I am hoping that work with the Kishwaukee news-paper will help me get out this message.” But what exactly will

be included in this history class? Well, Craig has the answers to that as well. “We will cover the entire experience of the Afri-can American historical plain in a way that students have never experienced before. We will describe historical events that I am sure will be new to them. We will cover everything from the very first Africans who came to North America to major contribu-tions of African Americans in creating a U.S. based upon equality under the law, to the first African American U.S. President. This course will be phenomenal.” This is definitely not Craig’s first appearance here at Kishwaukee College. He has also taught Business Law, American Government, State Government, and History of the Civil Rights Movement. Someone who is knowledgeable in all of

these different aspects will definitely make this class an interesting one. “I only want to make sure that everyone signs up for this class. This is the first time in Kishwaukee College’s history that this class has been offered. I would hate to see the class dropped, because of lack of enrollment. I am asking everyone to sign up for this class.” This class will be categorized as History 299, for those of you who wish to sign up. It will be taking place Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00 P.M. to 3:15 P.M. All of the information being provided in this course is brand new material. And with new material comes new ideas, perspectives and rationalizations. Everyone should try something new at least once in their life. Why not start now?

sports-pg. 8

• Segregation at Kish• Stop texting in class

• Club Spotlights: Latinos Uni-dos & Music Club• Spring 2011, Here we Come!

• PTK spices up Kish• Will’s Tech Korner

• Men’s Basketball • November Student-Athlete of the Month

IN THIS ISSUE

Editorials-pg. 2

FEaturEs -pg. 4/5

NEws-pg.3

a&E-pg. 6

• History of Holiday Songs • Holiday Stories for Everyone

Campus spotlight

• Final Exams

Have a safe and Happy Holidays from the Kaleidoscope staff! See you in January!

Intercultural Student Association helps local families

KC offers new African American History course this Spring

Falling asleep over your books? Check out page seven for Finals study tips

and more!

Kaleidoscope staff and editorial policy

opinion/editorial2 Kaleidoscope december 6, 2010

Congress shall make no law respect-ing an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peacably as-semble and to petition the Gov-ernment for redress of grievances.--First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

StaffEditor-in-Chief.....Jessi HaishManaging Editor...Lexi BaisdenWeb Editor...Will Ireland

Staff Writers.....Valentina Andriano-poulos, Sarah Bastuk, Jimmy Clark, Scott Conro, Alicia Dailey, Audrey Latimer, Hannah Paul, Marissa Skonie

Adviser.....Melissa Blake

Editorial PolicyLetters to the editor may be dropped off at the Kaleidoscope office or put in the Kaleidoscope mailbox. The Kaleidoscope is published approximately eight times each semester by Kalei-doscope staff. If you wish to submit a letter to the editor, please do so, but unsigned let-ters will not be considered for submission. Anonymity can be

requested by the author and will be granted at the discretion of the editor. All letters may be edited for length, clarity or libelous content. Opinions expressed on the editorial page are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial board of the Kalei-doscope or Kishwaukee College as a whole. Stories marked (OMS) were provided by the college’s Of-fice of Marketing Communications.

The Kaleidoscope is a student op-erated newspaper serving the stu-dents of Kishwaukee College, Malta, Illinois. Opinions in the newspaper do not reflect the views of Kishwau-kee Administration, students or fac-ulty. The Kaleidoscope is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press.

SEGREGATION AT KISH

By Jessi HaishEditor-in-ChiefPeople are creatures of habit: they like what they know and they are comfortable without change. People are settling

for not taking a chance and seeing the view from the other window of the Atrium; people remain s e g r e g a t e d and set in their ways. In the fire pit areas, groups gather that don’t

separate, semester after semester. In the classrooms of Kishwaukee, you could almost draw a line directly down the center of the classroom: an invisible line that separates black from white. An invisible line that exists, serving no purpose.

We go to college to become enlightened, better people. We go to college to broaden our horizons. Yet here we are, sticking in our cliques from high school. Here we are, sticking in divided groups that society claims do not exist anymore. I don’t understand why this works this way. I went to Sycamore High School, where there was literally almost no diversity in the staff or students. To come to college and experience the diversity, but to have everyone divided is astonishing. I just don’t understand it. We’re stuck in this gray area. We’ve

moved this far in history for nothing. Maybe we’re so set in our ways we can’t even begin to think about change. Maybe we don’t want to try and change. But we’re not making any progress. Kishwaukee College’s student body is segregated. Whether we’re in the classroom or hallway, we remain divided. Hopefully one day this wont be the case, but for now I see no attempts from anyone to try and see things from a new perspective. ‘Til next time...

The Haish Handbook

By Lexi BaisdenManaging Editor I don’t understand why some decent, good peo-ple are so concerned with pleasing others that their en-tire self is turned inside out.

They are so dependent on being what their friends want them to be or what the media says, that soon, they have no idea who they really are. I have a name for

these kind of people. I like to call them an “open canvas.” They sit there and allow oth-ers to paint their skin with their opinions and thoughts, until there are so many col-ors, that no one knows what

the picture is. The colors mix together. At first they might be bright and even beautiful. But then more more people come with more paint. Even-tually, the colors turn murky. Dark. Ugly, even. The point is, you can’t please everyone. If you keep trying to be someone that you’re not then people are going to eventually no-tice. And believe me, once they realize that they have that kind of control over you, then they will continue to smother you with their offen-sive undertones; and if you are an Open Canvas, then it will be so easy for them to do. After all, a canvas is

white. Its blank, emotionless and devoid of all individual-ity. It won’t be hard for them to come around and splatter a few of their ideas on you. That’s why it is so impor-tant for you to take the paint brush. When you hold your paint brush you get to decide what goes on your canvas. Don’t sit there and allow oth-ers to change you. Be what you were created to be. And if certain people don’t like the picture on your canvas, then so what? Chances are, there is always going to be someone out there who thinks that your painting is beautiful.

Letter from Lexi ON PEOPLE PLEASERS

By Hannah PaulStaff Writer

It’s the next best thing to be hanging out or making a simple phone call. Almost everyone does it nowadays. Texting. Even I’m a victim when it comes to too much. But there is a time and place for when it just needs to stop. I cannot stand be-

ing in a class where the stu-dents next to me have their phones on their desk, as if the teacher is unable to see it. Throughout the entire class they just sit there and text. Even if your phone is on silent it’s more distracting than you think. Pushing the keys on your phone is loud enough for the people next to you to hear it. The way someone jumps to answer

a text while trying to be all discrete, actually has people staring at them. The teach-ers even know you’re doing it, which is also distracting to them as well as rude. Every time I see someone’s phone out in a class and they are texting, I just want to throw it out the door. You’re here to learn. If what your friends have to say to you is more important

than what your instructor is saying, do us all a favor and skip. Some of us actually take college seriously, and some of us are spending our own money to be here. We shouldn’t have to sit there and listen to the ring-tones interrupting lectures or the loud clicking sounds of you hitting the keys on your phone. My short time in class does not need to be

interrupted with a teacher stopping to tell a student to put away a phone and then getting off track. Put your phone away and pick up a pen. Do some-thing productive.

Be a productive student -- Don’t text

From the Editor: Wow, what a semester it has been! Be prepared in the spring for more Kish news and NEW instructor perspectives, including articles from our very own Dr. Anthony Thomas! As always, let us know what you think at kscope@kishwaukeecollege.edu . Have a great break and we’ll see you in the Spring! Good luck with finals, everyone!

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news Kaleidoscope 3december 6, 2010

Will’s Tech KornerBy Will IrelandWeb Editor

With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s time to think about gifts. Here are some tech Christmas gifts that won’t break the bank.

1. Do you have a REALLY old car that has a tape deck but no CD player or iPod connection? Try using Griffin technology’s “DirectDeck Cassette Adapter” ( $14.99, www.griffintechnology.com/products/direct-deck). The DirectDeck is a plain old cassette tape, but it has a wire coming out of it with a headphone type connector for connection to your iPod or MP3 player. Just pop in the tape, press play on your car, and start your iPod or MP3 player.

2. Are you superstitious? Do you always carry a chicken’s foot? Now you can carry your homework and chicken foot together, with Whazzat’s Chicken Foot ($29.99, http://www.whazzat.com/products.html). The Chicken Foot is a 2GB USB Flash Drive that looks like a chicken’s foot.

3. Something that most people don’t think about is Backup. Backing up your whole computer, or just your important files, such as homework. If you don’t create multiple copies of your files, you run the risk of loosing EVERYTHING on your computer at any moment. Give the gift of peace of mind, sign up for “Mozy online backup”($4.95/month, http://www.mozy.com/home/). Mozy will create a copy of your entire computer and store it on the internet and keep that copy up-to-date whenever things change. If your computer ever completely dies, you will still have a copy of everything online.

Send Will a tech question: kscope@kishwaukeecollege.edu

By Scott ConroStaff Writer

The next step in my pursuit of knowledge will take me far from my hometown, across the

Atlantic, and to the Emerald Isle where I will continue to chisel away at the sculpture of life. The opportunity to study in Carlow, Ireland and experience a culture different from DeKalb County is exciting, to say the least. With a prestigious history, beautiful sites, and spirited pubs, the culture will likely swallow me up and spit me back onto native land transformed and remodeled. And hopefully sober. I decided to do something out of the ordinary last summer, jealous of a

friend that was on vacation in Mexico. I wanted to learn more about the world and realized that Kish offered me that opportunity through their study abroad program. So I went through the list of programs and saw that I could live in an apartment with other students in Ireland, unlike some other programs where I would live with a host family. I want to learn the culture and history of the British Isles thoroughly while advancing my own creativity and independence. So finally, after months of waiting, I will

fly for Dublin on January 5th, just days after turning 21. I will endure two hour-long lectures, persevere through frigid walks to campus, and perhaps leave for home May 21st with a moderate Irish accent. Maybe not, but ardent use of Irish vernacular is a certainty. My extended involvement with the Kscope will consist of a column detailing my experiences in and out of the classroom. There will only be seven columns in the spring so extended stories will be

available online. This will be a great resource for anyone interested in the Study Abroad program, one of seven opportunities offered through Kish including four shorter summer programs. Check them out on the Kishwaukee website! For more information, contact Lisa March, Study Abroad Coordinator, at 815-825-2086, ext. 2560. Feel free to contact me with questions or comments at sconro@st.kishwaukeecollege.edu.

Kaleidoscope staffer to study abroad and share his story

By Marissa Skonie & Scott ConroStaff Writers

Do you have a green thumb? Are you interested in learning about flowers and other plants? If so, Kish’s

Horticulture Club is looking for you to join. The club currently has around fifteen members with four club officers. Jim Knoll led the club for sev-en years with Matt Girman stepping up to be the new instructor just this year.

The main source of funding for the club comes from various fundraisers. They sell everything from t-shirts and hats to flowers. However, their greatest fund-raiser seems to be Christ-mas wreaths. The money that comes from these fund-

raisers not only helps the club but also is used to set up two or three scholarships for Kish students. They also try to do some volunteer work during their already busy weeks. If you are interested in joining Horticulture Club

you are encouraged to con-tact Matt Girman. He can be emailed at mgirman@kish-waukeecollege.edu or you can reach him by phone at 815-8125-2086 ext. 2940.

By Lexi BaisdenManaging Editor

PTK was happy to serve chili out to their fellow Kougars - and on a very good day too. De-cember 1st was the first snow here in our area, and the chili was sure to warm up the students and staff. PTK tries to have a chili cook off once every year. The club wanted to help the Soup Kitchen in DeKalb and they did that by selling their chili. All money will be sent to the Soup Kitchen and to other food pantries in the area. With this kind of compassion they will help the Soup Kitchen feed the homeless, the near homeless or people who are just plain lonely. When asked what kind of message that PTK would like to give to the students at Kish by doing this, member Jason May said that, “I hope that it gets people to help out and donate. We have good food and it would be great if more people could get involved.” The volunteers were started serving people at ten and went on until two. Want to help out the next time PTK is launching something? Then let them know. Anyone can volunteer to help PTK. You can find the members in room B112 to talk to if you are interested. However, to be an actual member you need to have a GPA between 3.75-4.0. If you are interested then it would be a good group to join, seeing that it is nationally recognized and many colleges are interested in recruiting students who have been involved with PTK. By joining you will leave a pretty big impression on the colleges you may want to transfer to and if you are someone who loves to help others, then this club might just be the right one for you.

Phi Theta Kappa spices up Kish College once again

Horticulture Club going green this spring

Members of Phi Theta Kappa serve chili on December 1. Photo by Lexi Baisden

features4 Kaleidoscope december 6, 2010

Bored? Join a club at Kish.Latinos UnidosBy Lexi Baisden

The Latino Club is recruiting new members for next semester. When I spoke to member Erica Haerta, she was able to give

insight about what the club does and what it stands for.

1. What sort of things does everybody do in the club?

“In the past we have gone to the United States Hispanic Leadership Conference, which is in Chicago. We got to raise money there by having sales and at Kish, we have had bake

sales and national sales, where we’ve sold nachos and stuff. At Kish, we also had a bicentennial event that celebrates Mexcio’s

independence.”

2. How long has this club been around?

“It’s been around since before I joined…. I think maybe about five years?”

3. Can anyone join?

“Yes, we are open to everyone. You don’t have to be Hispanic to join.”

4. What days do you meet?

“Right now, we meet on Mondays at noon in the library. But next semester, it’s going to start Monday at 12:30.”

If you’re looking for something to do this semester remember that the Latino Club is open. Hareta said that the club is fun and

flexible with students who have conflicting schedules. Put as much fun and effort as you want into it and this club could be for

you.

Music Clubby Valentina Andrianopoulos

The music club is an organization here at Kish that is done to promote musical activity and interests throughout campus and the

community and to gain appreciation and understanding of music by expanding horizons.

Right now there are about ten people involved in the music club and they meet every Friday at noon.

They have held many former open mic nights in the school and have recently held one on December first.

“People come and perform with instruments and have a good time,” explains Nate Gordon, advisor of the music club. “Our president, Mike Ziggler, plays instrumentals between gaps. There are also many people who come to sing and express their inner

musical selves.” “As advisor of the music club I do a lot listening,” Gordon

goes on to tell, “I also facilitate with some of the other college departments regarding events. I am also the one who has to

monitor the loudness of our events as well as the space and do-ability of each program. I will also help the students make flyers or

run open mic night.” The best part about the music club is that anyone can join anytime they want. Everyone has a certain passion for their favorite

type of music. “Everyone likes music,” Nate illustrates, “you don’t have to be a musician. Everyone has their own background and they each

bring diverse musical interests to the club.” As amazing as all of this is, Nate’s favorite part of the music

club is just knowing that things went well. “I love it when events happen successfully. Everyone is

happy, the food is gone, and it has clearly been a good time.”

A few members of Kishwaukee College Latinos Unidos Club Photo by Lexi Baisden.

Members performing during Kishwaukee Music Club Open Mic Photo by Valentina Andrianopoulos.

features Kaleidoscope 5december 6, 2010

3. Join a club: Kish has a club for just about everything. From a music toteaching to nursing to turf growing. Anything you are possibly interested in, thereis probably a club for that. Hey, if you love to write the Kaleidoscope isalways looking for more writers!! Not only will being a member in a club look goodto colleges when you’re transferring, but it is a great way to make new friendsand broaden your horizons. Because isn’t that was going to college is really allabout? Contact the Student Activities Office 815-825-2086 ext. 5440.4. Go to a Sporting Event: I am definitely guilty of this one. I have nevergone to a single sporting event while going here. Since I’m graduating next semesterthe clock is ticking. The athletic department at Kish is outstanding (see Sportssection). We have some amazingly talented athletes and coaches that would love tosee your support at a game this year.5. Attend some Library Activities: The Library is constantly having differentkinds of book spotlights, or interviews with local authors and they recently hada silent movie festival. Pay attention to certain activities that the library sponsorseach month, who know you might learn something!

END OF SEMESTER CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS

P BE ON TIME FOR FINAL EXAMS! SCHEDULE AVAILABLE ONLINE.

P REGISTER FOR SPRING 2011 AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. SEMESTER BEGINS JANUARY 10, 2011.

P CHECK KISHSOS ACCOUNT FOR FALL 2010 GRADES AFTER DECEMBER 18, 2010. NO GRADE REPORTS ARE MAILED!!

P NEED TO REPEAT A COURSE? REGISTER IN-PERSON IN THE ADMISSIONS, REGISTRATION AND RECORDS OFFICE.

P PLAN TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER SCHOOL? ORDER ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS BY DECEMBER 17, 2010. NEW! EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2011, A $5 PER TRANSCRIPT FEE WILL BE ASSESSED ON ALL TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS.

P CHECK KISHSOS TO VIEW CLASS SCHEDULE AND TUITION AND FEE BILL. NO TUITION BILLS ARE SENT TO STUDENTS!

P PAY SPRING 2011 TUITION BILL IN FULL BY MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 27, 2010 OR ENROLL IN KIPP (KISHWAUKEE COLLEGE INSTALLMENT PAYMENT PLAN).

P YEAR END TAX FORM (1098T) - CHECK KISHSOS/FINANCIAL INFORMATION/VIEW MY 1098T FORMS. PRINT THESE FORMS AS NEEDED TO COMPLETE YOUR 2010 FEDERAL INCOME TAX RETURN (1040 FORM). 1098T FORMS WILL NOT BE MAILED.

P CHECK YOUR KISH EMAIL AND KISHSOS ACCOUNT UNDER “MY COMMUNICATION” TO VERIFY THAT YOU REMAIN ELIGIBLE FOR FINANCIAL AID FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER 2011.*

P IF YOU REMAIN ELIGIBLE FOR FINANCIAL AID AFTER FALL 2010 GRADES, YOU WILL NOT BE DROPPED ON DECEMBER 28, 2010 FOR NON-PAYMENT. FINANCIAL AID AWARDS WILL SHOW ON YOUR SPRING 2011 TUITION BILL ON JANUARY 3, 2011. AT THAT TIME, YOU CAN CHARGE BOOKS IN THE COLLEGE BOOKSTORE.

ATTENTION FINANCIAL AID RECIPIENTS:

* FINANCIAL AID APPEALS ARE DUE JANUARY 31, 2011. COMPLETE THE APPEALS FORM AVAILABLE ON-LINE UNDER “PAYING FOR COLLEGE” AND SUBMIT ALL DOCUMENTATION. APPEALS CAN TAKE 3-4 WEEKS TO RECEIVE A RESPONSE.

Spring 2011...Here we Come!

New Year’s Resolutions worth sticking to

by Audrey Latimer

2010 is coming to an end and 2011 is starting to rev up the engine. New Year’sresolutions are on everyone’s mind. They might include leading a healthier lifestyle,taking more pictures, spending more time with family, being more careful with money,all the usual goals that you will have forgotten about come the beginning of February.But this year instead of concentrating on the same boring old resolutions why notmake some that will benefit your experience here at Kish? At this point in our lifewe are all students, bottom line this is the most important things we are currentlydoing that will benefit our lives in the long run. Some of us will be transferring,some of us will get into Kishwaukee’s acclaimed nursing program, and some may justbe going here because they still aren’t sure what they want to do. No matter ourreason for attending Kish it is up to us how we spend our time here and what we dowith the opportunities that it provides us. “Stay Close, Go Far” well guys, youhave to work hard to go far. I’ll admit that looking back on my past year hereI could have been a lot more active, in fact aside from writing for the Kaleidoscopeand showing up to my classes every week my role as an active Kish student has beenwell, lacking. This is why this year my New Year’s Resolution is to have a moreactive presence at Kish, along with some of the other ones like no junk food in 2011(psh yeah right!) And if I can do it,, so can you. What I have in mind is easy andthe payoffs will be worth the extra time I give. So here they are, the goals to makemy (and your) experience here at Kishwaukee College that much better.

1. Show up to Class: This is definitely easier said than done. It’s so easy when the teacher doesn’t ever take attendance, or the tests are open book, or you just are so sick of getting up at 8 oclock every morning. I have this problemtoo which is why it is my #1. When you skip class you fall behind, get lost on what the teacher is even talking about, and soon you don’t even care about the class anymore which brings me to my next goal…2. Concentrate on Grades: For most of us here at Kish grades are important in determining what will happen to us after Kish. When we go to transfer to other colleges they take the GPA you earned here into account. If you think “I’m just going to community college grades don’t matter here.” You’re wrong. Next semester keep your grades up and see how many new doors will open up for you.

(Continued in next column)

Good Luck Next Semester!!

arts & entertainment6 Kaleidoscope december 6, 2010

By Alicia DaileyStaff Writer

Ever since I was very young, I wouldn’t be able to live through Christmas with-out Christmas music. Ev-ery year, on the day after Thanksgiving, I load my iPod with all of my Christmas mu-sic and start listening to it nonstop all the way through Christmas. These songs are my absolute favorites when it comes to Christmas music and, in my opinion, the Christmas season isn’t complete without them.“It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” was writ-ten in 1963 and became popular soon afterward when it was recorded by Andy Williams. “Jingle Bell Rock” was first recorded in 1957 by Bobby Helms. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was first recorded by Mariah Carey in 1994. It reached the top ten in many countries, including the UK, Australia, and Ja-pan. “The Christmas Song”, also known as

“Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire” or “Merry Christ-mas To You”, was written in 1944. Two years later, Nat King Cole recorded the song and it became popular soon afterward. “Baby It’s Cold Out-side” was written in 1944 by Frank Loesser. It reached the Billboard Best Seller list with four different recordings in 1949, with the best known artist being Ella Fitzgerald. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” was written in 1944 for the movie Meet Me in St. Louis and was sung by Judy Garland.“Rockin’ Around The Christ-mas Tree” was written and recorded by Johnny Marks and Brenda Lee in 1958 but did not gain popularity un-til 1960 when Lee became popular. That year the song reached number 14 on the Billboard Pop Chart and continued to make the chart as late as 1984. “I Saw Mommy Kiss-ing Santa Claus” reached number one on the Billboard chart in 1952 and was origi-nally recorded by Jimmy Boyd.

“White Christmas”, at least the Bing Crosby version, is listed as the best-selling single of all time worldwide. It was originally written by Irving Berlin, although no one knows exactly when. One story says that Berlin wrote it in 1940 and told his sec-retary, “I just wrote the best song I’ve ever written – heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody’s ever written!” “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” was written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne in 1945 in Hollywood on one of the hottest days on record. It was first recorded in 1945, although the most popular version was sung by Ella Fitzerald in 1960. An in-teresting fact is that even though many people con-sider it a Christmas song, both of the writers were Jew-ish. There are some oth-er songs that I thought were just as good as these ten, and I literally spent hours trying to narrow down my list to ten amazing songs. The

only way I could force myself to pick only ten songs was if I could at least mention my other favorites, so here are the next ten on my list of fa-vorite songs. “Last Christ-mas”, “Santa Baby”, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, “Win-ter Wonderland”, “Christmas

In America”, “The Christmas Shoes”, “I Can’t Wait For Christmas”, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”, “Countdown To Christmas”, and “Kissin’ By The Mistletoe”.

History of holiday music

By Valentina AndrianopoulosStaff Writer

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: An old time favorite story about a grumpy old man who is visited by three ghosts the night before Christmas. He is given a chance to save his soul from his former selfish actions. The Night Before Christ-mas, originally called A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clem-ent Moore: A short children’s story about Santa Clause visiting to bring them pres-ents the night before Christ-mas day. A Child’s Christmas

in Whales by Dylan Thomas: The story of a man who tells his grandson about Christ-mas in England when he was young, and how it was different. The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Anderson: A tale told from a Christmas tree’s perspective and how it is dealt with when Christmas is over. The Gift of the Magi by O’Henry: A married cou-ple ponder over what they are going to get each other for Christmas. Yet, when they figure it out, the results come as much of a surprise to them both. What Men Live By by Leo Tolstoy: A middle-

age married couple struggle to keep their shoe business thriving. Just when things seem hopeless, the hus-band runs into a stranger, naked and alone in the city, and decides to take him un-der his wing. The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde: A short story that tells of a giant who doesn’t allow the children to enter his beautiful property, until one day he meets a particular child. Miracle of 34th Street by Valentine Davies: Santa Clause isn’t real...or is he? It’s a Wonderful Life by M.C. Bolin: After a devas-tating incident, a man gets the opportunity to see what

the world would be like if he were never born. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg: On the night before Christmas, a giant train gathers children and brings them to the north pole. One child gets to re-ceive the first gift of Christ-mas. He could have any-thing he wants....but what will he ask for? How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss: The Grinch lives on Mt. Crumpet where he can’t stand the Who’s from Whoville. He decides to take away all of their Christmas delights. Frosty the Snowman by Steve Nelson: The tale of a snowman that comes to

life from a magical hat and gallops around town with the children who created him. The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde: A tiny bird falls in love with the statue of a prince and does all of it’s bidding. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs: A snow-man that comes to life and takes a little boy on an adventure to meet Santa Clause.A Christmas Memory by Tru-man Capote: A child’s story of how Christmas was spent with his aunt each year and the bond they gained over time.

By Jimmy ClarkStaff Writer

The Nightmare Be-fore Christmas - This was one of my favorite films as a child and it’s held up well over the years, thanks to the amazing art direction and music that run through the entire film. Jack Skellington is bored with his life of being The Pumpkin King of Hal-loween Town, and sets out to find something new and

exciting. When he stumbles upon Christmas Town he de-cides to take it upon himself to become the new “Sandy Claws” which leads to disas-trous results. Tokyo Godfathers - An anime movie about three homeless people in Tokyo. Gin, a former professional bike racer, Hana, a trans-vestite and Miyuki, a young runaway girl are living in Tokyo. On Christmas Eve, they stumble upon an aban-

doned baby girl in a garbage dump. They spend the rest of the movie on an odyssey searching for the little girl’s parents. Die Hard 1 - When New York City cop John Mc-Clane gets trapped in a Los Angeles high rise on Christ-mas Eve he knows only one thing. That he’s there to kick butt and chew bubble gum... and he’s all out of gum. Bul-lets fly and people die in this amazing Christmas action

extravaganza “a rare breed of movie”. This is Bruce Willis in his prime and Alan Rickman “Severus Snape” isn’t half bad as the main antagonist either. Groundhog Day - When TV weatherman Phil Conners, played by Bill Murray, is forced to cover an annual Groundhog Day event in the town of Punx-sutawney. Stuck in the town because of a blizzard, he awakes the next morning to

discover that he is reliving February 2nd. After spend-ing countless days fulfilling hedonistic desires and com-mitting suicide, he decides to change himself for the better, while trying to figure out this strange limbo he’s been forced into. Bill Murray is amazing in this movie but the supporting cast is equal-ly great with Andie McDow-ell as his love interest (Rita) and Chris Elliot as Larry the sad‚ sad cameraman.

Jimmy’s Holiday movie picks

Holiday stories for everyone

Photo by Alicia Dailey

spotlight: final exams Kaleidoscope 7december 6, 2010

By Sarah BastukStaff Writer

Headaches, a ner-vous feeling, a weight placed upon your very shoulders, blanking out, sweating, a long sigh... These are the signs of a stressed person. Not as extreme as the words make them out to be but it seems to be the behavior of one. During this month there’s so much on peo-ple’s minds, like family get-togethers for the holidays. In the end it’s the holidays combined with finals loom-

ing upon us all. Never fear, for the Student Government Association is here to help students relax and be pre-pared for their upcoming fi-nals! Students are prone to stress during finals week so the SGA is going to hand out stress packs on Decem-ber 9th and 10th to Kish-waukee students. These stress packs will be handed out from their office near the cafeteria, which is next to the book store in the first room to the left, and will eventually start walking around handing them out to

students. Not only will the stress packs have candy, but they have stress relief tools, said Allison Von Ende, coordinator of Student Activ-ities. The stress relief tools will be candy donated from Nestle, a stress stick (which you can bend it however you want), pens, pencils, and a massage tool. The only re-quirement to get a Stress Pack is to be a Kishwaukee student. Lastly, the SGA is going to introduce a new project called the Stress Room. It takes place in the cafeteria on the 7th and 8th

of December. It will have orchestra music playing and warm beverages to help people learn better study skills, Allison Von Ende said about the new project. It’s just a way to study and be relaxed. The Stress Room is kind of like a synergy for anyone that wants to join, working together on note cards or making your study skills much better and mak-ing you more relaxed while getting prepared for the up-coming finals. It’s a place to get your thoughts cleared up for being a nice study-ing atmosphere, rather than

a hectic one like in front of a TV or computer at home or your younger siblings or children need your help and you don’t have time to study. The Stress Room is definite-ly worth a shot to try out. Finals week will be af-ter the Stress Packs and the Stress Room, but overall it helps to make you relax and not stress about that one class you’re worried about. In the end, everything will work out fine, but a little help from the SGA doesn’t hurt anybody.

Surviving finals week with the help of SGA

By Alicia DaileyStaff Writer

With finals drawing near teachers are starting to review and students should be starting to study. There are a lot of tips your teach-ers could give you if you just ask and here are just a few. English teacher, Amy Smith-Riel said, “keep reviewing throughout [the

class], don’t wait until the night before.” Psychology teacher, Myron Kuropas had quite a lot of advice to give. He said, “review all the quizzes you’ve had, ask the professor about anything that’s unclear, and make sure you’ve done all the extra credit that’s avail-able.” His wife, Lesia Kuropas, also had some-thing to say. She said, “do

not cram, study a little bit at a time, write down things that are hard to remember, use acronyms to remember things, and get a good nights sleep the night before.” Speech teacher Mor-gan Giles said, “mnemonic devices are a great way to retain information. Several studies have been done that verify this. Also, it really does help to write out what you are trying to remember.”

Study tips from teachers Study tips from Kish students

Be prepared. Don’t decide to wait until the last minute and try to cram everything in the night before. Your

brain needs time to rest and go over the the things that you have studied. If you

stay up all night cramming, then your brain is going to

crash. They say that its best to start studying five days before a big exam. Study-ing a few days beforehand will give your brain time to

memorize and learn new in-formation. Don’t overwhelm

yourself by cramming!-Lexi Baisden

Use the libraries’ resources if your final is an essay.

-Linda Fleener

Keep your notes from all of your classes and use them

to study for finals.-Bryan Skau

Take plenty of breaks while you’re studying.-Joey Kvasnicka

You have to believe that you can get an A on what-ever final you’re studying

for.-Will Okasio

Make a schedule when studying for finals. Desig-nate one night to each of

your subjects and follow it. Don’t forget to reward your-

self and take little breaks throughout your study ses-

sions!-Audrey Latimer

Keaton Johnson (Major: Aviation) is studying in the library quietly.Photo by Valentina Andrianopoulos

Make sure you go to sleep early and wake up early.

Proper sleep is important, especially the night before

testing. If you’re like me and getting to bed early

is a problem, lie down an hour before you want to be asleep. By getting a good night of sleep and waking up early, you ensure being rested and you allow your-self time to wake up before

you get to your final! -Scott Conro

A tip for studying: don’t study near the television

or near a computer. Either one will just suck people right in and make them

forget what they were even doing in the first place. Try to find a place that’s quiet to study, like the library or

even outside on a nice day.- Sarah Bastuk

Kyla Akers (Major: Science) and Amanda Truckenbrod (Major: Sci-ence) study for upcoming finals.Photo by Valentina Andrianopoulos

Set up time in advance to study and remove anything

that is distracting. Don’t stay up late the night before a final because sleep is im-portant. And, of course, eat breakfast/lunch before you

take your final.-Hannah Paul

KOUGAR KORNER8 Kaleidoscope december 6, 2010sports

By Scott ConroStaff Writer

The Women’s bas-ketball team is off to a great start with 7 wins and 3 loss-es. The team played McHenry two days after their decisive win against College of DuPage. Forward Kierra Valentine led the team with 15 points; Forward Emily Murphy scored 14 and had 8 rebounds while Forward

Michelle Todd cleaned up the rest, fighting for 12 re-bounds. Back home on No-vember 23 against Elgin, the Kougars were led by a great performance by Point Guard Raven Gary. Gary had 19 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 1 block. Her performance in the 75-50 win earned her Region IV Player of the Week. The team’s three losses come at the hands of

some hard hitters. Their first two losses came against #1 (Div II) Kirkwood and #1 (Div III) Rock Valley, both within 12 points. Their third loss came on the last day of November against #4 (Na-tional) Kankakee by a large margin; a full week since their last game. The Kougars are a team driven by the vocal Head Coach Karen Wiley. Wiley has over 100 wins as the Kishwaukee Women’s

coach, the most in the pro-gram’s history. Her passion-ate coaching style trans-lates to hard work from her players. The women’s team looks ready to put up a good fight all season and will con-tinue to excite fans in the coming months. The team will play at home on Tuesday December 7 at 7:30 against Madison Area Tech; their last game at home until January 6! Now is the time to see them play

before they travel to Florida for Tournament games! Stats: Gary wasn’t the only player to dominate the stat sheet against El-gin. Forward Devin Mack lit up the scoreboard with 24 points and Forward Kierra Valentine added 16, aiding Gary and the team in a great win. For full team stats go to kishwaukeecollege.edu/ath-

letics or www.njcaa.org.

Volleyball Shout-Out:

Congratulations to the 2010 Kishwaukee Women’s Volleyball team for their great season! The Kougars went 42-9, won the Regional Tournament, and placed 6th at Nationals. This is the tenth year in a row Kishwaukee was represented in the Na-tional Tournament. We look forward to

yet another great season in 2011.

By Scott ConroStaff Writer

The Kishwaukee Men’s basketball team is making progress in their teamwork, bouncing back after a rocky start this sea-son. After last year’s 19-0 start (excluding a forfeit against Triton), the dismal 0-3 start this season may have given Coach Rob Buss a few headaches. “There wasn’t much carry over from last year,” Buss told me. “Our top eight guys were sophomores [with one exception]. With plenty of trans-fer students and younger players, the team is trying to feel comfortable and find its identity. Guard Mike Williams feels like it’s how the Miami Heat’s season started: with hype and talent but lack of cohesion on the court. But their fortunes changed, going 7-1 since their revenge against Rock

Valley on November 9. The last reported loss was against the College of Du-page on Tuesday November 16. The team won a hard game against Harper on Friday November 20, com-ing away with a 78-75 win, highlighting a season high 23 points for 6’ 4” forward Travis Scott. The Kougars brought their show home on Tues-day November 23 when they played Elgin. Forward Brice Powell achieved his fifth game with a double-double performance, (he had an-other against Trinity Inter-national), scoring 17 points and attacking the board for 11 rebounds, leading the team to a 76-68 victory. Olive-Harvey came to Malta the Saturday after Thanksgiving and were de-feated by Kishwaukee 72-60. Scott showed up big with 21 points and Powell kept the ball in Kougar hands with an outstanding 22 rebounds. There are two games

that will be played before this issue of the Kaleidoscope is available on campus, but the team looked good in their expected win over Trinity International’s JV team on the last day of November, winning 85-49. Every player that dressed played some time in the game. It gave the team a chance to boost their record and get comfort-able moving into December. “[The team is] start-ing to understand what level of effort and intensity it takes to win when they step on the floor,” said Buss. “We want to keep this momentum going into the game against Triton. Triton is a good team; we haven’t beaten them in the last six or seven years. That game will be the barometer to see where we are at.”

Four games will be played before the Tri-ton game, including three home games. The first will be at 3:00 on December 4 against Columbia Club, then December 7 at 7:30 against Madison Area Tech, then against Wright on December 11 at 3:00 before finally tak-ing on Triton on December 16 at 7:30. Stats: Mike Williams

has been stepping up in the last three wins with 12 points, 13 points, and 15 points. He had 4 assists and 4 steals to go along with his season high scoring game and is beginning to look comfortable driving down the lane. For full team stats go to kishwaukeecollege.edu/athletics or www.njcaa.org.

Men’s Basketball gains momentum for December

Brice Powell sets up for a free throw against TrinityInternational. Brice leads the team with 15 ppg and 12 reb/g. Photo by Scott

Conro.

Women’s schedule slow; team ready to explode

November Student-Athlete of the Month: Brice Powell

Submitted by Karen Wiley Athletic Director

Congratulations to Brice Powell for November Student-Athlete of the Month! The 6’6” sophomore forward for the Men’s Basketball team is a graduate of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He is currently leading the team in scoring, 14.7ppg and leading Region IV in rebounding claiming 13.3 rpg. He also received Region IV “Player of the Week” honors for the week November 8. “Brice is a natural leader and has brought a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to our Men’s Basketball team. He has helped bring continued success to the program,” lauds Athletic Director Karen Wiley. Head Coach Rob Buss adds, “Brice has a done good job scoring for us inside while controlling the backboards on both ends of the floor. Brice has the potential to be the next high caliber forward to play here at Kishwaukee.”