On November 9, Belleville East had the honor of hosting a naturalization ceremony. For those of you that don’t know, a naturalization ceremony is the last step of a long process for many people wishing to become American citizens. After much paperwork, anxious waiting, tests and interviews, this honor is granted to those that qualify. During this ceremony the new citizens take their oath to pledge allegiance to the flag of their new country. This oath was given by the Chief Bankruptcy Judge, Laura K. Grandy.

Also present at the cer-emony was United States Attorney, Stephen R. Wiggin-ton. Naturalization ceremonies only take place quarterly and always at different locations. The Belleville East Concert Choir performed a rendition of “America the Beautiful” and the Belleville East Wind Ensem-ble’s performed “Star Spangled Banner” and “Simple Gifts.” During the ceremony, the newly inducted Americans gave testi-mony as to what brought them

here and some spoke of the trials and tribulations that they experienced along the way. One woman spoke of her husband,

who gave his life for this coun-try, while others spoke of love and opportunities. Many spoke of freedom and a better life for their families and there were

quite a few tears shed. Twenty-five different countries were represented by the new citizens, all from varying age groups.

The youngest was a 19 year old Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) student and the oldest was an 85 year old man from India.

Among the 43 new citizens was my mother, Sabine Good-man, who is originally from Germany, but came here twenty

years ago to start her new life with my dad who was in the Air Force at the time. They met in Ger-many in 1985 and were married there in 1988. In 1990, my sister, Inessa was born. When orders came to return to the United States, they were initially hoping to be moved to Ari-zona, but were then amended to North Carolina which is where

I was born. Inessa graduated from Belleville

East in 2008 and is cur-rently studying Law at the University of Illinois, while I am a junior at East. My mother went on to obtain

her paramedic license and very much enjoys her career. Despite the fact that my parents have since divorced, my father was there for the ceremony to sup-port my mother. As evidenced by her very short speech during the ceremony, my mother is a woman of few words, but she had this to say after the cer-emony: “Although it took me twenty years, I finally did it and this is a day I will always remember.”

by Angelina GoodmanEast Honored with Hosting Naturalization Ceremony

For eleven weeks, the Lancer student body was lucky enough to spend time with three German exchange students, Greta Koch, Robin Drabon, and Melina Schuette. Greta said the best parts were the extracur-ricular activities such as theatre, the kindness of each student and teacher, and all of the fried foods. Melina agreed with Greta on all of those choices, but also stated that she greatly enjoyed making presentations for her class. Robin enthusiastically described his positive experi-ence with theatre, photography, and Fright Night at Six Flags, St. Louis. All three students agreed that in the beginning, it was very difficult to understand Americans because the students speak English very quickly. After a while, however, they soon became comfortable with understanding the conversations around them. Robin, Greta, and Melina said that the main differ-

ences between here and Ger-many are an increased amount of extracurricular activities, increased amount of fried foods, more open-minded people, and larger cars.

Each of the students left siblings and parents behind in Germany. Greta has one older brother and two older sisters, Melina has only a younger brother, and Robin has a younger sister. Robin recalled that before his departure she said, “Robin, do I have to hug you?” The first few days were the hardest for Robin, Greta, and Melina. They were very homesick, but dealing with the separation was easy because they spoke with their families on Skype very often. The face to face conversations made the trip much easier. Unanimously, they agreed that besides family and friends they missed the bread in Germany the most.

Robin, Greta, and Melina

all said they would miss their Lancer family. All of the friends they made, their host families, and the school itself will be

greatly missed, too. They ex-pressed additional thanks to the teachers they had. Greta, Robin, and Melina wanted to thank all

of the Lancers for the great time they had and they say they will miss everyone terribly.

Bidding “Abschied” to German Exchange Studentsby Arkayla Tenney-Howard

News 2Features 3Centerspread 4-5Entertainment 6 Sports 7Activities 8

Dates to RememberContents

33Semester 1

Countdown

Today - Last Day for SAT Registration

Nov. 22 - Thanksgiving Day

Nov. 23 - Black Friday

Dec. 1 - SAT Testing

Dec. 12 - 2:55 p.m. Dismissal

November is Military Family

Month

Photo by Arkayla Tenney-HowardGreta Koch, Robin Drabon, and Melina Schuette say goodbye to their Lancer family. They returned home toGermany earlier this month.

Photo by Jonathan PulseThe naturalization ceremony held last Friday at Belleville East was the final step to citizenship for 43 men and women.

No School Nov. 21-23

New U.S. citizen, Sabine Goodman with her daughter, Angelina Goodman.

On October 24, Belleville East had the opportunity to meet a real life hero — Jerry Koenig. Koenig and his wife Linda came from Chester-field, Missouri to share his incredible story with students from Ms. Ashlee Heady’s English 3 classes.

Koenig, 82, is from Pruszkow, a small suburb in Poland near the capital city of Warsaw. During the Nazi invasion of Poland, he and his family were moved to a ghetto in Warsaw. Koenig’s family later left the ghetto and moved with family friends to Kosow. At age nine, his family was forced to sell their farmland in exchange for a place to hide during the invasion of Poland near their new home. Fortunately, a large family provided shelter for them in an under-ground bunker that would eventually hold a total of eleven people. Koenig, along with his father, mother, and brother lived in these harsh conditions for 22 months.

After the end of Nazi rule in Poland, Koenig’s family returned home, but still faced discrimination. The family then moved to the United States in February of 1951. Koenig later became a part of the United States Armed Forces. When asked about his experience when going back

to his hometown, Koenig said, “Am I glad that we went? Yes. Was it an easy trip? No. Certainly not ... you come back to a city that could be described as a cemetery.”

Although his story is by no means an easy one to tell, Koenig and his wife feel it is important that people hear it, because each time he shares his experience, he helps shed light on one of the darkest time periods in his-tory. In order to get a true understand-

ing of what that time period was like, people must have accounts from the perspective of those who were per-secuted. When asked why she thinks survivors sharing their experience is important, Ms. Heady said, “They may be one of the last generations to witness, see, and hear a first hand account of what happened during the Holocaust.” Outside of Belleville East, Koenig also speaks at the St. Louis Holocaust Museum, who referred him

to Ms. Heady.One of Ms. Heady’s students said

in a letter to Koenig, “When you came to talk to us about the Holocaust, it was an inspiration to me. It really showed me what it was like for you to survive during that tragic time in our history.”

If you would like to learn more about the Koenig family’s first-hand account of the Holocaust, Jerry Koenig’s brother, Mike Koenig, wrote a book titled “At the Edge of an Abyss: The Story of Holocaust Survival Near the Death Camp Tre-blinka.”

Holocaust Survivor Speaks at Eastby Chandriss McAllister-Lang

Staff PhotographyEast English teacher, Ashlee Heady with Jerry and Linda Koenig. Jerry Koenig spoke to Ms. Heady’s English 3 classes about how his family survived the Holocaust by hiding in a farmhouse near the death camp Treblinka.

Photo Courtesy of Jerry KoenigMary Koenig and sons Michael and Jerry, Pruszkow, Poland, August 1939.

CORRECTION: There was an error on page 6 of the October 26, 2012 issue of The Lancer. When asked to name the top reasons for choosing Obama in the 2012 presidential election, Young Democrat president Clinton Trentman was misquoted as saying, “communism over fascism.” He actually said “capitalism over fascism.”

DECA Food Driveby Quinn Heimann

From November 5th to Novem-ber 9th this year, DECA held its annual food pantry and family food drive. DECA has been holding this event for 30 years. Lancers are asked to donate non-perishable food items to the drive. Then, the food donated is sent to families in the District 201 area and numerous other food drives. Over the past 30 years, DECA has

supplied Thanksgiving dinner to over 700 local families. Some families that receive these donations may have children going to Belleville East now. Therefore, any contri-bution made could help a fellow classmate.

The Belleville East Library joined in the collection by giving students 50 cents off library fines for

every can they donated. Teachers also encouraged students to donate to this worthy cause. Some teach-ers offered extra credit if a student donated a certain number of cans to the drive. Once a student donated, they received a receipt, and all they had to do was turn that little piece of orange paper into their teacher. Mr Crask, the DECA sponsor, said, “I think it was successful, because of the incentives offered and the inter-class competition.” The students were helping themselves by helping others. The food drive as a whole was a great success and many fami-lies in the district 201 area will be grateful for all the donations made. This is another great example of how the Lancer family can come together and do something great for our com-munity.

Photo by Jacquelyn CrockettDonated food items filled over half of Mr. Crask’s classroom by the end of the drive.

Obama Wins Second Term

Many Americans were influenced by the political signs, phone calls, extra mail, and relentless commercials leading up to Election Day, Nov. 6. With one party pulling you this way and another party pulling you the opposite direction, it can be hard for voters to make up their mind. Fortunately, America has reached a decision on a president and Congress members.

Barack Obama will officially be serving his second term as president of the United States, alongside his Vice President, Joe Biden.

President Obama defeated his op-ponent, Mitt Romney when it came to Electoral College votes. A candidate must receive 270 electoral votes to win. Obama received 303 leaving Romney with 206 votes.

Even though Obama won the elec-toral, he barely won the popular vote. At the last report on BostInno.com, Obama had about sixty million votes, and Rom-ney had about 57 million votes. Even though the popular vote has no deciding factor in the election, it was interesting to watch how the percentages waver back and forth between Romney and Obama.

On Nov. 6, Americans also elected new Congress members. The majority of the Senate is still Democratic and the majority of the House of Representatives is still Republican. This leaves us with a balanced Congress.

by Erin TippitVisit us online atblog.bths201.org\thelancer

by Madison Bradshaw

It’s not possible to walk ten feet without seeing someone’s pants down be-low where they are supposed to be, above or around the waist. Or worse, seeing someone’s pants down way below where they are supposed to be, with a belt. The trend of “sagging”- wearing ones pants around the hips so that they sag down and bunch up around the ankles-- is the longest lasting fashion trend ever (www.eastfieldnews.com). The origin of sagging pants cannot be confirmed, but many believe that the act of sagging pants come from prisons, while others believe that it came from popular rap and hip hop music videos produced in the 90’s. But even today, rappers such as Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa sag their pants in their music videos influencing young males, who are the ones who predomi-nantly wear the sagging pants.

Young men, however, aren’t the only ones who sag their pants. Adults and women have also been caught participat-ing in the act of sagging. Regardless of where sagging came from, some states and one local city have passed or hope to pass laws that ban the act of sagging in schools and other public places. Tennes-see, Arkansas, and Florida are looking to pass bills that ban sagging pants in schools. At a more local level, Collins-ville, IL created a new law in July 2011 that requires pants to be, “secured at the waist to prevent the pants from falling more than 3 inches below the hips … causing exposure to the person or the person’s undergarments. Violators will be fined $100 and must perform mandatory community service for the first offense.

Any other offense will result in a $300 fine and mandatory community service,” according to huffingtonpost.com.

Belleville and other surrounding cities have not passed laws banning sag-ging, but several Belleville East students have shared their opinions on this trend. Ladies on the East campus have formed strong opinions regarding sagging. Kelsey Smith said, “Honestly, I think it’s disgusting. A lot of guys think it’s cute and it gives you what they call “swag,” but it doesn’t. It just makes them look worse and unattractive.” Julianna Nadler makes a very good point by saying, “You know you’re doing something wrong when you’re wearing shorts, and they come down to your ankles.” Dominique Henderson believes “It’s repulsive, and guys, I don’t think that anybody wants to see your cheeks, because I know I don’t. And I’m not talking about the ones on your face. Pull your pants up.”

A few guys have given their perspec-tive on sagging as well. Brendan May stated, “I do it sometimes when I wear shorts because it is comfortable... I don’t mean to be disrespectful for others. I don’t do the major sagging to the point where my shorts are all the way to my ankles.” Nick DeAngelo said, “I think sagging is a pointless style trend that looks ridiculous.” Lastly, Dominique Hill believes that, “Sagging is a disrespect to everyone who has to endure the sight of someone’s underwear. It is also a per-sonal disrespect to me. Sagging reflects on you, your parents, and where you live, in a negative way.”

by Becca HumphreyPants: Where are they now?

Mission Trip Sparks New BusinessThe Lancer recently had an oppor-

tunity to interview Christen Edmonds, studying art with an emphasis on pho-tography at the University of Missouri – Columbia. Edmonds started her own business, Bandiez Couture, after visiting Swaziland on a mission trip. Edmonds gives us the details below.Lancer: How did you come up with the idea for Bandiez Couture?Edmonds: In July of 2010, I went on a mission trip to Swaziland, a very small country located in southern Africa. To say the very least, it was an extremely rewarding trip and in just 10 short days my outlook on life was completely transformed. The Swazi people helped me more than I could have ever helped them, and their lively and positive attitudes were truly amazing considering their living situations. Imagine walking 10 or more miles a day in search of water. I knew the very day I left that I had to go back the next year. With the help of my mom and grandma, I started making Bandiez to help with the funds for my second trip that I took in July of 2011. I received overwhelming support from my Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters at Mizzou and many other chapters on campus. With their

help, I was able to fund my entire trip’s expenses. I decided to turn it into a busi-ness only after I saw how popular they were becoming.L: Are making Bandiez an easy task?CE: Making Bandiez requires sewing ma-chines, material cutters, and many other sewing materials. The process takes a lot of patience but I enjoy every minute of it.L: What kind of mission work do you do in Swaziland?CE: The mission work I do in Swazi-land is through a faith based, non-profit organization called Heart for Africa (www.heartforafrica.org). This awe-some organization works alongside of churches and children’s homes and works to provide shelter, food, water, clothing, healthcare, and education to orphans and vulnerable children of Swaziland. I was able to help plant gardens and help with a Bible school, but most importantly I was able to spend a lot of time interacting with the Swazi people. Their positive attitudes and permanent smiles were truly amaz-ing given their living and food situations. They influenced my life more than I could ever help them.L: What are your most popular types of head bands?CE: I would have to say that my lace spandex Bandiez are most popular be-cause they are not only unique, but also very comfortable to wear.L: How do you find time to make the head bands with your college schedule?

CE: I am blessed with a schedule that is flexible and allows me to travel home often to help my mom and grandma keep up with the orders, but thankfully I have the best team that can help me produce them quickly and ef-ficiently.L: What are your plans for life and Bandiez Couture after your college days are over? CE: I hope to continue to expand BC and see where it goes in the future. I’m a fan of the saying, “If you never try, you’ll never know.” I will try my hardest to make my business the best that it can be in hopes of helping people at the same time.L: What do you hope to accomplish with Bandiez Couture? CE: The whole business came alive be-cause of a mission trip, so I want to con-tinue harnessing my business’ potential to help others. I have a few new products in the works that include baby Bandiez and Bandiez for guys, called Man-diez. Ha! I’m very excited about one new product in particular called Bandanaz by Bandiez Couture that will be launching on the website very soon. I was inspired to start

making Bandanaz after witnessing people in my life lose their hair to chemotherapy. The Bandanaz are cute and comfortable, and I love knowing that they have poten-tial to help people during a rough patch in their lives. I’m hoping to continue to ex-pand BC in the future and find new ways to help people and organizations through these products. L: Do you have any advice for aspiring fashionistas and artists? CE: Don’t be afraid to take your fashion ideas and run with them. You never know what a simple idea may turn into, and you will never know unless you try.

Buy a Bandiez today and receive 20% off your order total at www.bandiez.comPromotional code: happyshopping. This offer expires December 17th.

Thanksgiving Around the WorldIn a few short weeks, a majority of

Americans will be celebrating Thanks-giving, traditionally regarded as a day of football and giving thanks. Thanks-giving is also a day where we are given the opportunity to eat extreme amounts of food without apology. Although this may not be how Thanks-giving was originally celebrated by the pilgrims, we have adapted the holiday as Americans.

One may think that Thanksgiving is celebrated the same among all na-tions and cultures. This is not true. Just as Americans have adapted Thanksgiv-ing to fit their culture, holidays like Thanksgiving have been accommo-dated to suit the customs and beliefs of various cultures including those of China and India.

The Chinese “Thanksgiving,” of sorts, is referred to as the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Chinese hold a big feast in celebration of the end of the harvest season. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most beloved holidays in the Chinese calendar. The celebration occurs on the 15th day of every 8th lunar month, when the moon is be-lieved the be at its brightest and fullest point. The origin of the celebration is derived from the tradition of worship-

ping the Goddess of the Moon, Chang O. Since then, the holiday has adopted the additional customs of eating moon cakes, lighting up paper lanterns, and mingling with family and friends.

Another harvest festival that is based around food and being thankful for a prosperous harvest is the Indian holiday of Pongal. Pongal, named after a sweet rice dish, is a popular harvest festival celebrated in southern India. The celebration begins with the praising of the rain gods for providing a successful harvest season. The most praise is awarded to the cattle and live-stock for all the hard work they pro-vided throughout the harvest season. The cattle are dressed up in flowers and adorned with bells for the celebra-tion. The highlight of Pongal is the harvest feast that occurs to show the appreciation for the gods and cattle.

Various cultures and nations choose to celebrate harvest festivals like that of Thanksgiving. Therefore this Thanksgiving, while you are enjoying home-cooked turkey, stuff-ing, and pumpkin pie, remember that other nations around the world share the tradition of celebrating their own harvest festival.

by Abi Agne

Photo Courtesy of Christen EdmondsChristen Edmonds started making Bandiez to help raise money for a mission trip to Swaziland.

Lieutenant Colonel Da-vid Paul Cooley started out just like the rest of us, a stu-dent at Belleville East High School. He enjoyed soccer and was even the captain of our high school team. He took his enjoyment of soccer with him to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After twenty-one years of dedicated service as an officer to our nation, he retired. However, his service did not end here. Lieutenant Colo-nel Cooley continued to serve by test flying planes for the safety of our Air Force pilots. During one of the many test flights Cooley conducted, a tragic accident occurred that ended his life. Though Cooley’s life may have ended here, his legacy remains to touch hearts and inspire us to do all we can for our country.

In honoring Lieuten-ant Colonel Cooley, our

school held a Veterans’ Day ceremony on November 9 and added his name to our memorial wall. The memo-rial began with the Belleville East band performing the

“Star Spangled Banner,” and the choir performing “Amer-ica the Beautiful”. This was followed by a speech from former Senior Master Sergeant, Bill Mahaffey. In this speech, Mahaffey truly

recognized the sacrifices and commitment a soldier goes through. However, a soldier cannot be recognized by uniform. Soldiers are the teachers, the nurses, the vet-erans, and the parents who strive each and every day to make our country a better place. Mahaffey’s speech was followed by a few words from his daughter, Kayla Mahaffey, a current senior at East. Miss Ma-haffey commented on the role of a fine leader, which includes “putting others before yourself,” accurately capturing the role Lieuten-ant Colonel David Cooley played in the United State of America. The ceremony concluded with the band’s

performance of “Taps”, symbolizing the loss of a warrior.

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving to protect us, so let everyday be a day to say “thank you for your ser-vice”.

Remembering a Warriorby Asmaa Khalid

Thank Youfor your service

Students seldom imagine their teacher as anything other than instructor, parent or maybe a community member. Kimberly Brown Burch teaches English and oral communication at Belleville East High School. Not many of her students know she was deployed to Iraq as a captain in the U.S. Army.

Burch was an Army brat and lived in 22 locations in the U.S. and in 3 different countries. She knew she wanted to pursue a career in the military.

Burch started in military training as part of ROTC at the University of Illinois where she met her husband Todd in the ROTC program. She knew she “wanted to be an Army officer and intended to stay in it as a career.” She was commissioned a second lieutenant. Burch was on active duty from May 1984 to Jan 1990. Being an officer is a 24-7 job and it soon became apparent to Burch it wasn’t going to be compatible for both her and her husband to stay in the Army and have a family. “I got out of the Army the first time because I had one child, was pregnant with the second, and I was going to Virginia for training for a year while Todd was going to Texas. I literally had dreams/nightmares for years afterwards about the military.” She missed the military.

Teaching became her second career. Her teaching career has taken her from Rantoul to Hoopeston were she taught speech, drama, language arts and French. She and her husband were both “civilians” until 1998 when her husband joined the reserves. “As a spouse I supported his unit.” When the opportunity came for Burch to rejoin the Army after people suggested she return to the military,

she regained her rank as a captain.In February of 2003 she and

her husband were deployed. Burch became commander of a small detachment which consisted of 13 men and 3 women whose job was movement control in Iraq. The job was to report on the status of roadways and help Army vehicles. Her unit often led convoys and she was in Nasiriya, Baghdad and Al-Fallujah. Conditions were primitive in the days when vehicles had no armor. She employed a method of protection for the vehicles her dad told her about when he was in Vietnam. They put sandbags on the floor to deflect IEDs and she said they were “not equipped the way we should have been.” Other problems for a woman in command were the men in her unit looked at her more as mother and teacher. They didn’t recognize her previous experience. When another captain joined the unit the troops looked to him to make the decision. War was stressful, but Burch kept having to prove herself to her own unit. Burch was away from her family and had only limited phone calls once a month. Her children were in the care of her aunt and her husband was in a war zone in another area of Iraq.

Conditions were harsh. The troops often slept in their vehicles and on the ground. They bathed from water bottles. It was not unusual to go a month without a shower. One of her men had packed a camping shower which they used. Both males and females made use of the tent.

Her deployment lasted until December of 2003 and she returned to civilian life while her husband remained active duty. Burch, like other veterans, had

adjustments to make. She struggled with “calming down.” “Everything had to be done when I said it and how I said it.” She was a gung-ho soldier.

When her husband was transferred to Scott Air Force Base, Burch was hired at Belleville East. She uses a PowerPoint presentation to introduce herself a the beginning of each year, yet it wasn’t until her juniors read one of Hemingway’s stories about war that they had questions for her about her experiences. They had “lots of questions.”

Students started talking to her about forming a ROTC program at the high school. Some had

been in ROTC at other schools and convinced Burch to begin one at East. Officially, it is not a ROTC program. It is a club. The ground work has been laid for the Air Force to take on the training, but there is no date when it will be official. The club program promotes citizenship, scholarship, and leadership. The group drills and has participated in ceremonies on campus.

Burch has no regrets about returning to active duty. The advice she does give students who are considering a military enlistment is, “going to war is not an if; it is a when.”

Soldier, Teacher, Mentorby Taree McGee, Guest Contributor

Photo by Jonathan PulseThe Belleville East JROTC Club stands at parade rest during the 2nd Veterans’ Day ceremony where the name of fallen East graduate, Lieutenant David Paul Cooley, was added to the memorial wall on central terrace.

Photo by Jonathan Pulse“Taps” concluded the ceremony and was played by senior Belleville East band members, Melody Wolff (shown above) and Sam Marek.

Photo Courtesy of Sheyla CooleyLieutenant Colonel David Paul Cooley

Thank Youfor your service

Willie Carter, 82, served in the Vietnam War. Carter served as a former staff sergeant in Cuba. Disliking the situation, he was transferred to the coast of Florida. Carter’s training started in 1958. Carter recalls his first arrival into Vietnam. He chuck-les, “… well it was like any war zone I suppose. As far as people in charge… they were trying to convince me it wasn’t danger-ous.” Carter’s initial job assign-ment was not for combat. He served as a generator special-ist. “I kept the lights on,” joked Carter. As a generator specialist, he stressed that he’s seen plenty of combat. “Every place I went, there was fighting. We used aircraft to navigate. It was very few times that I didn’t have to fly”, Carter said, “If they spotted a medical van with a red cross, we were just asking to get blown up.” In the Vietnam War, chemi-cal warfare was introduced. “Agent Orange” was used by America as a defense. “Every-body wasn’t notified, (about the use of Agent Orange), only the

generals knew. If we would have known, it would have probably been [an] uproar,” says Carter. Every-day didn’t consist of fighting though. The soldiers had free time to mingle amongst themselves. “We had clubs with ‘ladies’, officer clubs, NCO clubs, and pool tables. Some had card table sets. That’s what solders did, played cards.” Sol-diers are always depicted in mov-ies as the ones that write letters back home, keep photographs or “good luck charms”. Not Carter. “No, no, no, you didn’t want to do that. In case you could have got captured, they would know where your hometown was. Big-

gest no no.” After serving only a year in Vietnam, Carter was discharged. Carter says that his departure was his most memo-rable experience.

A True Veteranby T’Keyah Jefferson

Photo by T’Keyah JeffersonWillie Carter posing for a photo in the comfort of his Belleville home.

Abandoned in the middle of the African Desert. It is 114 de-grees outside. Any wrong move could result in death. To Robert Connelley that sounds like just another day on the job. After spending 37 years in the CIA and living all around the world, Connelly can tell an unusual story or two. From tracking down the Panamanian drug cartel to posing as a goat herder in Tunisia for a year, it would be easy to think Connelley has seen it all.

Connelley had no idea what he was getting himself into when he applied for a job in the CIA. After seeing a job vacancy notice while he was enlisted in the Navy, Connelley was shocked when he was contacted for an interview. Timid but observant at his interview, the agency saw a special character trait in Connelley. Along with other special characteristics such as honesty and trustworthi-ness, Connel-ley was asked to join the CIA because of his excellent prob-lem solving abilities. The next thing he knew, Connel-ley completed one year of electronic technicians training and began working full time as a project engineer.

Before long, Connelley’s life seemed to be spinning out of control. Connelley’s wife and newborn daughter were carried away with Connelley across the world. The moves to India, Malaysia, and Bolivia were not easily explained to Connelley’s family—who were growing quite curious. While working in

the CIA, he was unable to inform his family of his true profession. Instead, he was given a cover story, “At one time, I worked for the State Department and another time I worked for the Department of Defense,” said Connelley, “My cover story changed a few times depending on where I moved.” It was not until Connelley was fully retired and living a completely civil-ian life that he could inform his family that he was working for the CIA all along.

Working for the State Department was far from what

Connelley was actually do-ing. Although some days were more boring and tedious than others, the job definitely came with its fair share of dangers. One day, Connel-ley could be

posing as a goat herder in the middle of the Tunisian desert while observing slave traffick-ing. The next he could be flying over Honduras and El Salvador while a war was going on just a few feet below. Not only were assignments life threatening for him, but other human beings were put on the line for the work Connelley was doing. “I can’t say I have ever directly killed anyone because the CIA does

not han-dle those

types of opera-

tions,” said Connelley.

“But indirect-ly, I do believe

I had a part in causing people

to die, yes.”The diversity

of daily duties made time in the

CIA fly by for Connelley, but he is

not so sure he would do it all over again if he had the chance. At the time, Connelley took pride and was honored to be a part of the CIA. He now says “ The organization has lost its way, so in this day I wouldn’t find it such a great opportunity.” When Connelley was serving in the CIA, he would have to sign papers that listed consequences for exposing a current mission and the dangers a particular mission contained. These papers made Connelley realize he was dealing with some scary times. He now feels the agency has lost its edge. Through the changes and restrictions made by the agency, it’s not as exhilarating or interesting.

The CIA did not only leave Connelley with a sense of pride. It taught him life lessons he says has changed his life. He uses the problem solving skills in his everyday life. He is very good at working though issues and problems, which he thinks, have led him to a better place in life. “One piece of advice I can leave you with though,” Connelley said, “is nothing and no one can be trusted. Always verify what you are told, and never rely on a single source of information.”

by Morgan Ramos

Times Have Changed for the CIA

...nothing and no one can be trusted. Always verify what you are told, and never rely on a single source of in-formation.

“ “

Students seldom imagine their teacher as anything other than instructor, parent or maybe a community member. Kimberly Brown Burch teaches English and oral communication at Belleville East High School. Not many of her students know she was deployed to Iraq as a captain in the U.S. Army.

Burch was an Army brat and lived in 22 locations in the U.S. and in 3 different countries. She knew she wanted to pursue a career in the military.

Burch started in military training as part of ROTC at the University of Illinois where she met her husband Todd in the ROTC program. She knew she “wanted to be an Army officer and intended to stay in it as a career.” She was commissioned a second lieutenant. Burch was on active duty from May 1984 to Jan 1990. Being an officer is a 24-7 job and it soon became apparent to Burch it wasn’t going to be compatible for both her and her husband to stay in the Army and have a family. “I got out of the Army the first time because I had one child, was pregnant with the second, and I was going to Virginia for training for a year while Todd was going to Texas. I literally had dreams/nightmares for years afterwards about the military.” She missed the military.

Teaching became her second career. Her teaching career has taken her from Rantoul to Hoopeston were she taught speech, drama, language arts and French. She and her husband were both “civilians” until 1998 when her husband joined the reserves. “As a spouse I supported his unit.” When the opportunity came for Burch to rejoin the Army after people suggested she return to the military,

she regained her rank as a captain.In February of 2003 she and

her husband were deployed. Burch became commander of a small detachment which consisted of 13 men and 3 women whose job was movement control in Iraq. The job was to report on the status of roadways and help Army vehicles. Her unit often led convoys and she was in Nasiriya, Baghdad and Al-Fallujah. Conditions were primitive in the days when vehicles had no armor. She employed a method of protection for the vehicles her dad told her about when he was in Vietnam. They put sandbags on the floor to deflect IEDs and she said they were “not equipped the way we should have been.” Other problems for a woman in command were the men in her unit looked at her more as mother and teacher. They didn’t recognize her previous experience. When another captain joined the unit the troops looked to him to make the decision. War was stressful, but Burch kept having to prove herself to her own unit. Burch was away from her family and had only limited phone calls once a month. Her children were in the care of her aunt and her husband was in a war zone in another area of Iraq.

Conditions were harsh. The troops often slept in their vehicles and on the ground. They bathed from water bottles. It was not unusual to go a month without a shower. One of her men had packed a camping shower which they used. Both males and females made use of the tent.

Her deployment lasted until December of 2003 and she returned to civilian life while her husband remained active duty. Burch, like other veterans, had

adjustments to make. She struggled with “calming down.” “Everything had to be done when I said it and how I said it.” She was a gung-ho soldier.

When her husband was transferred to Scott Air Force Base, Burch was hired at Belleville East. She uses a PowerPoint presentation to introduce herself a the beginning of each year, yet it wasn’t until her juniors read one of Hemingway’s stories about war that they had questions for her about her experiences. They had “lots of questions.”

Students started talking to her about forming a ROTC program at the high school. Some had

been in ROTC at other schools and convinced Burch to begin one at East. Officially, it is not a ROTC program. It is a club. The ground work has been laid for the Air Force to take on the training, but there is no date when it will be official. The club program promotes citizenship, scholarship, and leadership. The group drills and has participated in ceremonies on campus.

Burch has no regrets about returning to active duty. The advice she does give students who are considering a military enlistment is, “going to war is not an if; it is a when.”

Photo Courtesy of Taree McGeeFormer US Army captain, Kimberly Burch now teaches English and sponsors JROTC Club at Belleville East.

Soldier, Teacher, Mentor

The top three slots of the Bill-board Top 200 have been snagged by Taylor Swift with her new album “Red,” Kendrick Lamar with his album “Good Kid, m.A.A.d City,” and Jason Aldean with his newest release,

“Night Train.”Coming in at num-

ber three, according to Billboard.com, is Jason Aldean with “Night Train.” Jason Aldean is a country singer

best known for his song “Dirt Road Anthem,” a country-rap song that sparked listeners’ attention. His new album sold approximately 409,303 copies in its first week. Jason Aldean has announced a 2013 tour for his new album and many country fans are anticipating it.

Following Aldean, coming in at number two on the billboard top 200 is Kendrick Lamar with his album “Good Kid, m.A.A.d city.” Kelsey Smith, an East sopho-more, describes Kendrick Lamar’s music as something that “connects with people by being serious, but at the same time coming back and hav-ing fun.” Lamar captures his audience by adding fun and exciting beats to his songs while also keeping a serious

tone to them. Finally, stealing

the number one spot is Taylor Swift with her newest album “Red.” In its first week alone, “Red” sold an aston-

ishing 1,208,000 copies. Many of Swift’s songs describe the pain of a relationships end and how everything will eventually get better, but in this album, Swift changes it up a little. She put out songs on “Red” that describe all of her emotion which many teenag-ers can relate to.

Music is a large portion of today’s culture. Many teenagers relate to songs from artists like the ones listed above. Music brings groups of very different people together with fun beats and exciting lyrics.

by Peyton Kaercher

Wreck-It Ralph Rocks Theatersby Brianna Batson

Billboards Top Three

Disney has released its latest classic, and this one has a princess too!

Director Rich Moore pulls an all-star cast along for the ride of the year, and the box office seems to prove it. Actors John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, and Jane Lynch give the above-and-beyond voice performances found only in Disney films.

Wreck-it Ralph is the story of a video game hero that can’t stand being the bad guy anymore. But when he tries to

change his life, he threatens the well-being of the entire arcade by accidentally introducing a virus.

Throughout the entire film, tech-niques that only the best film makers pos-sess are used to better the experience. Incredible graphics paired with fitting music make the editing spot-on. The plot itself is a mixture of a few separate parts that intertwine and dart away from each other just as quickly, but return to a single point by the end of the movie. Witty lines that both adults and children understand make it easy for everyone to relate to the characters, and the countless video game

references help too.The movie seems picture-perfect, but

to those that understand the way Disney writes its films, the plot could be easy to figure out.

Disregarding this simple flaw, Wreck-It Ralph truly proves itself to be another Disney success, even for the high standards of teenagers. Considering all aspects of this film, Rich Moore and his fellow film-makers have themselves a hearty five out of five.

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Last year, there was the box-office flop Snow White and the Huntsman. Before that, Alice in Wonderland. And now, we’re seeing news of Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, and Hercules movies in the works. Face it: Disney movies are making a comeback.

They aren’t the sweet, animated movies you remember — they’re darker, morose versions of tried-and-true fairytales. So far, not one of these mod-ern versions has been much of a hit. So, how are the chances of these newcom-ers? Let’s break it down.

Beauty and the Beast. Personally, the advertisements for Disney Parks are too tantalizing — Jeff Bridges as the Beast? Yes please! But sadly, it looks as if they are just advertisements. Guillermo del Toro, of Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth fame, is set to direct this modern version of the clas-sic love story. A 3D edition of the ani-mated Disney film was released in theatres not too long ago, but it looks like audiences want more. Guillermo del Toro has proven himself as an amazing director of dark films that are heavy with makeup and special effects, so the storyline seems like the perfect fit for his expertise. However, the casting is

nearly as important as del Toro’s role in production — but the rumors are prom-ising. Emma Watson, of all eight Harry Potter films, is believed to be the front-runner for the role of Belle. This exciting premise, though presently amazing, is completely dependent upon the specifics: Who will produce? Who will they cast? And most importantly, who is calling Jeff Bridges?

Tarzan. The critically acclaimed director of the last four Harry Potter movies, David Yates, has moved on to his next project: Tarzan. And though many other Disney recreations have been unsuccessful (Snow White and the Huntsman), David Yates has proven his ability to perfectly balance light and dark, and to create the perfect cinematic manifesta-tion of a well-loved story. Amazing actors such as Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) and Henry Cavill (the new Superman) are even rumored to be competing for the lead role of the famed vine-swinger. The details of this movie are coming slowly; currently, though, it has a very promising foundation.

Hercules. By contrast, the news of Hercules seems anything but promising. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been

confirmed for the lead role of the hunky demigod. This seems to be an odd choice for a man who is 40 years old and whose last feature film was Journey 2: The Mys-terious Island, which many critics essen-tially labeled as an insult to the entire film industry. Most Belleville East students would recall Disney’s animated 1997 ver-sion of Hercules, which featured Hercules as a teenager on his quest to greatness. Although the upcoming film uses a dif-ferent plot than Disney, a younger actor would be far more charming in the role. Furthermore, Brett Ratner is set to direct; last year, he produced the movie Mirror, Mirror, the Snow White remake, which achieved astonish-ingly low ratings from a myriad of critics. Sure, Ratner has experi-ence in the field of reimagined Disney movies — but was he really the best choice for the spot?

Everyone loves a Disney classic. However, some recent unsuccessful films have damp-ened viewer enthusiasm for the genre. Movie buffs can only hope that someone, someday, will get it right. And with direc-tors such as Guillermo del Toro and David Yates slated to work on new versions, things are looking up.

Disney Redux?by Laura KernThese once-animated classics are becoming fodder for modern screenwriters

On November 3rd, members of the Belleville East band attended the Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) District 6 Music Festival, at Edwardsville High School. The students that attended this event were chosen by audition only. Students were selected from Alton, IL to the southern tip of Illinois, and from East St. Louis to the Indiana/Illinois border. Concert Choir students that made it into the District 6 Senior Chorus worked with Kevin McBeth. Each of these talented students had the opportunity to rehearse with a guest conductor. Senior Chorus worked with Gary Gackstacker, while Senior Orchestra worked with Dr. Joseph Manfredo.

The following weekend, on No-vember 10th, a new group of Lancers attended a similar event that took place at Belleville West. Once again the stu-dents were selected by auditions. Vocal Jazz Lancers had the chance to work with Andy Jensen. Students in the First Jazz Band worked with Allan Horney. Students in the Second Jazz Band worked with Steve Schepper, and students in Third Band worked with Joe Wolfe.

The days of performances, the stu-dents willingly rehearsed continuously for approximately eight hours. Each guest conductor expressed great delight with the accomplishments of each student. Daniel Jackson, who had the opportunity to attend both events said, “Both festivals gave us the chance to experience new situations with other music students who shared our passion for this art.” For a complete list of students that participated in this event, please visit The Lancer online at blog.bths201.org\thelancer.

Lancer Musiciansby Arkayla Tenney-Howard

The 5th annual Lancers Run for Charity 5k Run/Walk took place on November 3, 2012. The 5k run/walk was started here at East 5 years ago by Mr. Joe Nes-bit. He got interested in running and attended a few 5ks. Mr. Nesbit realized the potential to encour-age students to get healthy and to raise money for the community at the same time. Overall, the 5k has raised close to $17,000. This year alone it raised $3,000 to put into our campus. With the money, East is trying to purchase at least 2 new SMART boards for the Individual-ized Education Department. The money will also be used to pave some trouble areas in the running trail around the school.

Tyesha Coleman, East student, ran because, “Giving back to the community is beneficial and its always good to do something you love for a good cause.” Coach Byrne came in first place with a time of 19:11.

Lancer 5kby Amoni McNair

Photo by Jonathan PulseCompetitors participate in Belleville East’s 5k run on November 3rd.

Photo Courtesy of Michele StudtBelleville East band and concert choir students attended the Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) District 6 Musical Festival.

Gabrielle Locke, a senior and captain of the dance team will be danc-ing her last season this year. The Lancer Dancer’s are not usually recognized as more than the halftime entertainment, but they are one of East’s most winning teams. Gabbi feels proud to be the captain of such an established team, but also real-izes the responsibility.

Gabbi says that dancing is perfect for her because it is something that she loves to do. She says, “I can use all the anger and frustration that I get from every-day life and channel it into something positive.” To shake the nervousness of performing, Gabbi stretches and talks to the team.

She says that her last season is going to be bittersweet because she is captain, and she gets to work with different girls, but she knows that all of the things she looks forward to will be coming to an end this year. Gabbi plans to attend Northern Illinois University in the fall after graduat-ing from Belleville East. Though she does not plan to dance in college, she plans to continue working with athletes by becom-ing a physical therapist.

Jacquelyn CrockettEditor in Chief

crockettj13@students.bths201.org

Section Editors

Quinn Heimann, News Editorheimannq14@students.bths201.org

Lindsay Smith, Features Editor

smithl15@students.bths201.org

Laura Kern, Entertainment Editorkernl15@students.bths201.org

Audreyana Brown-Nash, Center Editorbrown-nasha14@students.bths201.org

Felesha Lee, Sports Editor

leef13@students.bths201.org

De Robinson, Art Editorrobinsond14@students.bths201.org

Logan Bray, Photography Editor

brayl13@students.bths201.org

Staff Members

Abi Agne, Brianna Batson, Taylor Benton, Madison Bradshaw,

Ari Brown, Jeremy Bruno, George Chen, Mariah Christ, Katherine Cooper,

Angelina Goodman, Becca Humphrey, Peyton Kaercher, Asmaa Khalid,

Chandriss McAllister-Lang, Meghan McGarrity, Amoni McNair,

Jacob Rayl, Lela Roach, Timyrica Sherrod,

Arkayla Tenny-Howard, Thema Thomas, Erin Tippit, and Amy Warren

Mrs. J.J. Stallcup, Adviser jstallcup@bths201.org

The Lancer is the official student publication of

Belleville Township High School East2555 West BoulevardBelleville, IL 62221

618-222-3740 thelancer@bths201.org

PLAYER PROFILES

Patrick SmithGabrielle Locke

Photo Courtesy of Laura Sauerwein Photo Courtesy of Laura Sauerwein

by Felesha Lee

Patrick Smith (#23 in the picture above) is a guard on the Belleville East varsity boys’ basketball team. This season will make his fourth season with the Lancer basketball program, but his first as a varsity player.

Patrick began playing basketball at a very early age, and says that he feels most confident when he is playing. He says listening to music, praying, and talking with his coach help to ease his mind before a game. Patrick plans to attend the University of Kentucky, but does not plan to play basketball. Since this will be his last season playing basketball, leaving the teammates he has played alongside since middle school will be difficult. He said, “It’s sad …but it motivates me more to play every game like it’s my last, so that way I can make sure when it is my last game I’ll have no regrets.”

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STR8TSMedium

How to beat Str8ts – Like Sudoku, no single number 1 to 9 can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. Each compartment must form a straight - a set of numbers with no gaps but it can be in any order, eg [7,6,9,8]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ are formed.

SUDOKU

numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org for Sudokuand www.str8ts.com for Str8ts.

If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.

Very Hard

4 56 4 5 3 24 5 2 1

4 3 2 13 5 2 1 4

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There are five differences in all. Can you find them? by Ari Brown