George Panoutsos' Blog

[georgep65]

My Bio Feelings

Dear Mom and Dad,

This year in biology I feel that my grade in the class accurately describes my understanding of the material. I currently have an 83% in the class, and as far as the material goes, I am understanding the key concepts, but have not yet mastered them. My performance on quizzes and tests is decent, but I want to do better. I have come away with B’s and C’s. To to do better on quizzes and tests, I need to study longer and put more time into my notes. My handwriting has been sloppy and hard to read lately. If I just take a little bit more time to organize my notes, I believe I can score higher and learn more. My homework habits are decent. I complete all of the homework assigned, but should put forth more effort. I am challenged with the homework and sometimes do not know how to answer a question on a learning target. In class, I am not totally comfortable with the material. I often have questions, but I get the jest of the lessons Mr. Jodelka is teaching. I enjoyed the ecology unit the most because we got outside so much and a lot of hands-on learning which gave me a good understanding of what we were learning. I feel that I am performing well, but not great. I have never been completely science-minded and struggle from time to time. To be successful, I write down everything Mr. Jodelka writes on the board and displays on the projector, I complete all of the homework and I ask questions when I am unsure. All in all, I feel I have a good grasp on what we are learning, but not a complete understanding. To get the better understanding I need, I should put more time into studying and try to complete the homework more thoroughly.

[georgep65]

Movie Review

Movie Review

“State of Play” is a political thriller with a plot that consumes you and an outcome that blows the viewer’s minds. Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) did a great job of holding the viewer’s attention throughout the whole movie. Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe, Gladiator), the reporter torn between professional ethics and his friendship with Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck, in for Norton), a married congressman involved in a sex scandal.

A positive to “State of Play” is Ben Affleck and his congressman act. He had me sold with all of his convincing lies throughout and spoke very clearly. However, Russell Crowe was hard to understand at times, but nonetheless was a good fit for a white-collar reporter. I would have prefered Brad Pitt( as Cal McAffrey because of Pitt’s previous roles in movies, and the way I can relate his role as Billy Bean in “Moneyball” to Cal McAffrey. Billy had that bold attitude and was a sensible guy, and for that reason, I say Brad Pitt could have done the job as he did in “Moneyball.”

A positive aspect of the cinema was the suspense that the movie kept you in until the very end. Around every corner, there was a new mystery to be solved. For instance, at the very end of the movie Cal was leaving Congressman Stephen Collins’s office and after the reporter got the canary to sing, a psychopath ex-military man shows up to shoot Cal. I really loved this nice exhilaration during the falling action of the movie.

All in all, the highlights of the movie were the storyline, action and suspense, but the major flaw of the movie was a lack of evidence. I was confused at times with questions like, “who is Pointcorp,” or “what does Stephen Collins’ wife have to do with anything?” I would give this movie 7 out of 10 stars.

[georgep65]

Someone is always watching

[georgep65]

Playing Chess in the Courtyard

[georgep65]

[georgep65]

Niles West News is a new club I have joined and am writing sports for them. I intend on pursuing Journalism during my reign at West.

[georgep65]

My History and Culture

History

I look up to my parents greatly. I take extreme pride in my family’s history. My mom is a teacher; because of her work there has always been a strong emphasis on education. Also, my uncle owned an auto parts store, that lets me open my eyes and appreciate cars. Also, my grandfather recently passed away due to cancer. This death opened my eyes to appreciate my grandparents even more.

I have a huge family. The funny thing about my tall and loud Greek relatives is I don’t know half of them. My dad has 31 first cousins and my mom has 15 first cousins. When I go to baptisms or weddings I have strangers come up to me and hug me saying I am your aunt. Even though I don’t know some of my cousins or uncles and aunts it can be a perk. Every time I meet a new relative I think, “Another person’s looking out for me and has my back.”

Culture

Talking loud, running late and being obnoxious are typical Greek traits. I am also Greek Orthodox. We believe in the Old Testament and believe in Christianity. My culture and my very supportive family have helped me become a better person. Although I don’t attend church every Sunday or are very religious my parents have taught me and my siblings to be kind and caring people.

  One area my parents have no tolerance for is being disrespectful and being dishonest. Even though most Greek Orthodox followers are religious we aren’t. Instead of showing up every Sunday to church we are racing to a baseball or hockey game. My parents know that we are good kids and all that god wants is for us to be good people. My culture is a big part of my life.

[georgep65]

The Football Game

The Niles West Wolves put up a great fight against the Maine South Hawks at Friday night’s football game despite the 35-20 defeat. The stands were packed to the capacity with a full cheering squad and the energy was exhilarating.

The Wolves won the coin toss and received the kick-off. Senior Andrew Mihulet returned the ball for a respectable gain and The Wolves were off. Junior quarterback Tommy Galanopoulos made the most out of his time in the pocket making key completions and giving solid handoffs to the running back.

West threw the football looking for some big yards, but was intercepted by a Maine South cornerback with 10:24 left in the first quarter.

A few plays later,  Mihulet picked off the ball on the Wolves own 20 yard line, preventing The Hawks from entering the red zone.

NW was unable to generate much offense and were forced to punt. Maine South gained possession of the ball and passed in a touchdown with 4:27 left in the opening quarter. The PAT was also successful, putting The Hawks up 7-0 early in the game.

Niles West returned the kick and the offense yet again was unable to get something going and forced to punt.

The Hawks rushed the ball upfield and ran the ball in for a second touchdown. The extra point attempt was good, putting The Wolves in the hole 14-0 concluding the first quarter.

The second quarter began slowly with multiple turnovers by both teams until Maine South fumbled the football turning possession to NW with 2:47 left in the half.

The Wolves were unable to score, even though they had great field position, but right on cue, Mihulet intercepted the ball again with 1:14 left before halftime.

West was able to score this time with a quick touchdown. The PAT was blocked by The Hawks’ defense, however, putting the score at 14-6.

NW kicked the ball off to The Hawks who picked up a short gain. Maine South’s quarterback tried to move swiftly and efficiently, but was picked off by Mihulet once again. This interception concluded the first half.

The second half started rather slow with no scoring until The Hawks scored with 1:43 left in the quarter. The extra point was successful as well. The 3rd quarter ended 21-6 with the hawks out ahead.

The final quarter booted up with a quick Maine South rushing touchdown and extra point.

Mihulet ran the ball the whole length of the field for a special teams touchdown with 9:41 left in the game. The PAT to follow was good, putting the ball game at 28-12 with The Wolves still fighting.

Maine South rapidly retaliated a rushing touchdown with 6:00 left in the game and a PAT. The score 35-13.

NW was not done and came up with a touchdown from Galanopoulos to Mihulet.

The game concluded 35-20 with a Maine South victory, the first loss the Wolves have surrendered this season. Next week, The 6-1 Wolves look to take on The New Trier Trevians. Make sure to support your record-breaking Wolves football team!

[georgep65]

[georgep65]

My Heredity and Geography

Heredity

      I was born with a widow’s peak, blonde hair and blue eyes. Not your typical baby features. Nor do I play typical sports or have a typical mind. I was drawn to hockey and baseball at a young age. Hockey is a Canadian sport and no one knows where baseball was originated.

My father used to play both of these sports as a kid. I am allergic to penicillin, dust, grass, pollen and cats. My mom has very similar allergies to me. Also, we have the exact same eyebrows and face shape. I take my name George from my grandpa and his “shag rug” hair. Even strangers constantly tell me I look exactly like my mom. Relatives always tell me I act like my dad.

Geography

My parents tell me stories about the day I was born at Lutheran General Hospital. They say, “When the doctor pulled me out, I wasn’t crying. Just sitting there with a curious look on my face.” At the time my family was living in Chicago up until we moved to Lincolnwood at age 5. From that day on we have visited so many places.

When we look back at some of our vacations we just think “Wow, that was a close one!” Thinking back to our New York flight where they lost our luggage or when a fatal 30-car pile up happened right in front of our eyes on the way to Tennessee. However, there have been many pleasant vacations too. My favorites are the annual Florida trip to Disney World and Boca Raton to visit our relatives. If there were one word to sum up our trips it would be, thrilling!

[georgep65]

3 Things You Wouldn't Know About Me

I love sports. I love to build things. I love my family.  My name is George Panoutsos and I am a 14 year old, Ninth grade male student at Niles West High School, in Lincolnwood, Illinois.  I come from a family of six.

Hockey, baseball and football…these are the sports I play. I get the greatest feeling from drilling a wrist shot right past the goalie to score for my team.  In baseball, I get so excited when I nail a runner down trying to steal a base. When you truck a runningback and make a huge tackle it exhillorates me and pumps up the team.  Being part of a team is really great.  I have a lot of fun with my friends, while learning teamwork at the same time.

Sports aren’t the only thing I love.  I especially enjoy building model cars, planes, boats, and rockets.  My dad was the one who inspired me with my first model car when I was nine.  It was a 1970 Dodge Charger that I still have displayed in my room to this very day.  My most recent fascination is building and flying model rockets.  After taking a summer school rocketry class, I have since built and launched several rockets.  I have launched A engines, which go 200 feet in the air, all the way to C engines, which fly up to 1,100 feet in the air.  It’s great watching your rocket fly up into the air.  It’s hilarious to watch people’s heads pop up as the rocket zooms through the sky.

My family consists of my supportive parents, John and Stacy, my athletic sister, Diana, my playful brother, Dino, and my baby brother, Nicholas, aka Nixta Lixta.  I love our family trips, especially when it involves relaxing and being on the beach. It’s always so busy and bustling around my house, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

How lucky am I?  I get to play the sports I love, build models, and spend time with a wonderful family.  What more could I ask for?  I suppose less homework would be nice, but that’s just wishful thinking.  What a wonderful life!

[georgep65]

My Life Crammed into Words

This blog is going to be about my personal experiences and bizarre events I have encountered. I will be blogging about my experiences including my sports stories, travel and school life. My story is that I was born in Lutheran General Hospital and raised in Chicago until I was 4. I began playing sports from the young age of 3. My parents threw on some ice skates and I fell in love with the game. Also, I began T-Ball at age 3. I wasn't you average 3 year old baseball player who you would expect to run the bases backwards. I was actually a little stud. My parents always told me I was very focused and had good knowledge of the game as a 3 year old. As my life progressed, my family made the move to Lincolnwood at age 4. I attended my grammar school through Todd Hall, Rutledge Hall and Lincoln Hall. I continued playing hockey and baseball on travel teams up until this day. Today I am a freshman in high school who just joined Model UN, Niles West News, The football team and honors classes. I have a very busy life, but wouldn't want it any other way.