The Pioneer 2-14-2013

ioneer February 14, 2013Maine East High School

Park Ridge, Illinois@mehspioneer

Maine East students competed in the Poetry Out Loud contest on February 5. Junior Jasmine Ratliff (bottom left) will represent Maine East at the regional competition in Chicago on Friday, February 15.

The

Six year old Jesse Lew-is was one of 20 innocent children who fell victim to the Sandy Hook school shooting. Gun violence has become a growing problem in the United States. In the last 15 years, there have been several massa-cres, such as the April 20, 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, the July 20th, 2012 Batman premiere in Aurora, Colorado, and the most recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Ele-mentary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Americans can’t stand by and continue to watch innocent children and adults be murdered. The government needs to create better gun laws that regulate how many guns can be purchased, and what qualifications citizens must have to legally be able to own a gun.

A brief look at history should convince us that we need stronger gun laws. On April 20th,1999, at Columbine High School in Colorado, two teenagers, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, started shooting at the school’s campus. Accord-ing to history.com, during this rampage the two teenagers killed a total of 12 students, and wounded 23 other people. When the two teenagers were done shooting, they turned their guns on themselves.

On July 20th, 2012, James Holmes opened fire at the “The Dark Knight Rises ” premier at a theater in Aurora, Colorado. According to the New York Times, there were at least 12 people killed, and 58 civilians wounded. Unlike other attacks, however, the killer did not commit suicide; he was arrested.

The Times reports that Holmes had the following in his car: an AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 12- gauge shot-

gun, and a .40 Caliber Glock handgun. When police inves-tigated further, they found that in the 60 days prior to the in-cident, Holmes purchased four guns at local gun shops, and through the internet he bought more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition. According to CBS News, prosecutors found that he spent months “amass-ing tear gas grenades, 6,295 rounds of ammunition, targets, body armor and chemicals...including improvised napalm. “

America’s most recent shocking attack was on De-cember 16th, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. According to the Huffington Post, Adam Lanza, the shooter, was carrying an arsenal of hundreds of rounds of deadly ammunition. Lanza shot his mother before heading to the local school. Once he arrived at Sandy Hook, he shot 20 children from the ages six to eight, shooting each of them 5-10 times. Lanza also killed six female staff members, then shot himself in the head when he heard the police coming. According to The Huffington Post, “the Newtown massacre is the second deadliest school shooting in United States history, and furthermore, one of the deadliest mass shootings around the world.”

These attacks by unstable people should cause us to change the current qualifi-cations and restrictions on purchasing and owning a gun. Currently the United States government does not place restrictions on how much ammunition you can have and how many guns you can own. The United States government also doesn’t require citizens to have a permit to own a gun. In President Barack Obama’s speech Wednesday January 16, 2013 he recognized that

there is currently no ban on military style weapons. Each state has its own restrictions instead of having one set of laws for every state. For example in Illinois, according to statelaw.com, anybody who is a narcotic addict, is cogni-tively impaired, has been in jail or who was convicted of a felony cannot purchase a gun and a gun purchaser has to wait 72 hours before he/she can receive his/her purchased gun. In Texas, minors are allowed to purchase a gun with written permission from a parent or legal guardian and no permit is required to own a gun. No state currently has a set limit on how many guns can be purchased through one transaction.

Our current guns laws need to be changed for the safety of all. The government should make a law saying buyers can can only own one gun unless they have a special license for things like hunt-ing or collecting. The waiting period for buyers who have this special license should vary by the amount of bullets and type of gun it is. The United States government should limit the number of bullets buyers are allowed to purchase at one time as well. For example a

handgun buyer should be able to purchase only bullets to use at the shooting range and ten bullets to have at home. Buyers should also have to wait a month before being able to purchase more bullets to have at home for protection.

During President Obama’s speech,he said he wanted to ban military style weapons, limit the magazine size for guns, and close any loop-holes in national background checks for gun buyers. This is a good start, but he needs to work with the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives towards the common goal of making stricter gun laws to keep U.S. citizens safe. “These are all admirable goals,” said English teacher David Hessert, “but actually getting any of these bills through Congress is the hard part.”

None of this will matter to six year old Jesse Lewis, who was a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Her parents will have to live the rest of their lives without her. The United States government owes it to the victims and families of so many shootings to do anything they can to prevent another incident like what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary.

By Alexis TrebukoffMost Firearm Murders

(by country)

Only three countries experience more murders with firearms than the United States.

Doing nothing about gun control is not best option

2 | THE PIONEER | February 14, 2013

How the Illinois pension debt affects educationBy Karishma Fazal

Pursuing a career as a teacher after high school isn’t the most popular job out there right now. According to ABC News, the average salary for a Chicago Public Schools teacher is $71,236 per year. That may seem sufficient, but now the state’s education funding is be-ing threatened by its extensive debt. Many schools in Illinois are in serious financial trouble, and attempts to ease the state’s debt by reforming state pen-sions failed in January.

“I am starting to worry about my future more than ever,” says Gloria Bek, soon to be an elementary school teacher. “The longer we wait, the more it will cost us to fix it. I worry if I will be able to get a job when I graduate college.”

One of the problems with Illinois finances is its pension debt. For years the state took money budgeted for pensions and spent it on other programs. Now the state owes about $1 billion to nearly $7 billion for its annual pension fund pay-ment. Since 2008, the state’s pension debt has increased by

6%, making it 16% of Illinois’ general bud¬get as of now. As the debt increases, there is less money left to spend for other government services like police, Medicaid, and the daily running of schools.

Illinois has the worst pen¬sion crisis in the entire nation by $96 billion. Teach-ers today and seniors in high school wanting to become teachers are going to have a rough time with this.

“I’m pretty sure it will have a huge effect with my family sooner or later,” said Bek. “I plan to become a teacher in the future and all this pension debt is giving me a headache. Many people are going to have more

REQUIRED PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS FOR CHICAGO SCHOOLS

financial problems than ever because of this.”

Gloria, like other seniors hoping to become teachers, isn’t the only one who should be concerned about the pen-sion debt. Teachers also are dis-con¬tented with how Illinois politi¬cians are handling this issue.

“I hear a lot of doubt about the Illinois legis¬lature’s han-dling of the funds and confu-sion about what to expect in

the future,” said Ms. Gallagher, English Department chair-person. “We (teachers) do not collect federal Social Security, which changes our retirement planning. Today people are liv¬ing longer and health care costs are rising. Reasonable people can see that change is needed. The challenge is finding a way to do it fairly.” Ever since the failed at¬tempt to ease the debt, little to no progress has been made.

Many people wonder why we still continue to celebrate black his-tory month. The United States is the most diverse country on the planet, and we set trends for the modern world and others to follow.

The big question still remains though, Why do we continue to celebrate black history month given all these positive changes? This month has been set aside so that all Americans can honor the past people who were brought to this country in political bondage and were not allowed the same rights we take for granted today.

Black History Month is import-ant because it’s a time when every-one is given the op-portunity to learn about many of the contributions and accomplishments by African Ameri-cans that have been taken for granted. It is a time when the younger generation can listen to their elders talk about their own experiences and struggles.

What I like the most about Black History Month is that you don’t have to be “black” to celebrate

it; any Americans can celebrate their own cultures, as well as their own positive contribu-tions to society. But why do we still need Black History Month when Afri-can-Americans are really integrated into U.S. society? Shouldn’t we be

moving forward and consider it American history month instead of “Black History Month”?

Back in my grandfather’s day, many African-Americans were denied things they take for granted

today. After talking to him about what it felt like being black and growing up in a time and place where African-Americans were judged and denied basic rights, he reminded me to “always keep your head up and hope for change one day.”

He wishes he could have grown up in a time like today where African-Americans feel like an im-portant part of society rather than outcasts. My uncle feels it’s very important not only for the black community but for all Americans as well.

Still important to observe Black History MonthBy Karishma Fazal

see BLACK HISTORY,page 5

February 14, 2013 | THE PIONEER | 3

In March, Maine East High School will present the award winning musical, In the Heights, a story about a group of people who live in the Do¬minican-American neighbor¬hood of Washing-ton Heights in New York City, where the windows are always open, everyone is a family and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music.

Usnavi De la Vega, played by senior Mynor Pelaez Luken, is a 24-year-old owner of De la Vega’s Bodega, a small store where everyone goes to grab their coffee, including his crush, Vanessa, played by junior Mari-anna Veneri.

Vanessa is a 19-year-old shampoo girl in Daniela’s Salon; she dreams of leaving to

create her own life outside of Wash¬ington Heights.

Nina, played by ju-nior Christina Peter, is the neigh¬borhood success story; the first to go to college from her family, she just came back from a bad first semester at Stanford University. Will she go back to Cali¬fornia or stay in Washington Heights and work things out with her non-Hispanic boy¬friend, Benny? Benny, played by senior Nikko Magpayo, works for the gypsy cab com¬pany owned by Nina’s parents, Kevin, played by senior John Depa, and Camila, played by senior Michele Gon-zalez. Nina’s parents are happy to employ him but not happy to accept him into their family.

Daniela, played by Brittney Mangurali, owns the salon where the neighborhood comes to get their hair done and hear

about the latest gossip. Daniella also works with Carla, her best friend, played by senior Julie Bayasgalan.

Sonny, played by junior Adrian Delgado, is Usnavi’s 15-year-old cousin who works for Usnavi’s store for the sum-mer to try to stay out of trouble with his good friend, Graffiti Pete, played by junior John Collantes.

Graffiti Pete got his name because he loves to express himself by tagging up the neighborhood with beautiful art. Then there is Usnavi’s Abuela Claudia, grandmother to the whole neighborhood, played by junior Kara Witkow-¬ski. There are many others like them trying to find their places in the world.

In the play, Usnavi realizes he has sold a $96,000 winning lottery ticket to some¬one in

M.E. hopes to reach new ‘Heights’ with musical

the neighborhood... who could it be? Vanessa, Graffiti Pete, Daniella? To find out, come see the show on March 1, 2, 8, and 9 at 7:30 pm in the Auditorium.

“I chose this show because it’s what this school is about: people who struggle to get far and it’s new and exciting,” said director Ms.Karen Hall. “The dancing for this musical is different than the previous mu-sicals because it mixes hip hop with a little bit of Latin flavor,” said Gustavo Segovia, one of the three dance coaches. “ I think it’s a different kind of musical – very modern,” said Mangurali. “It gets really personal and I think people can connect to it.”

Mark your calendar now and bring your friends and family to watch this inspi-ration¬al show where your talented schoolmates light up the stage.

Many students participated in the clinics for the musical held in the auditorium to prepare for the auditions.

By Julie Bayasgalan


The Pioneer reports on news, entertainment, and sports events for Maine East High School and the surrounding community. The Pioneer is distributed to students, staff, and a limited mailing list. Submit story suggestions, photos, letters to the editor, or comments to sponsor Matt Miller or assistant sponsor Dave Hessert via email: [email protected]; [email protected].

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Kevin GauPeter Liavas

Maine East High School, Park Ridge, IllinoisFebruary 14, 2013

The PioneerREPORTERS &

PHOTOGRAPHERS

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Lenny DitkowskyEmily LapinskiEmily Rafalik

Alexis TrebukoffSandra Rzeczyca

Aimun AlaviJasmina Basic

Julie BayasgalanKaila DelavegaElenna Ditkowsky

EXECUTIVE EDITORS Shoun JohnFatima PatelTom Schmidt

Sara TabasumSally Tahir

According to the Energy Department, this can be true. As we reach into 2013, the average gas price of a gallon is likely to drop 5% to $3.44. Others can argue that it’s still a high price, but the discount of 19 cents per gallon from 2012 can save an average household up to $205 this year.

During 2011, the govern-ment was hoping for the average amount of gas to be around $3.00. However, as Libya’s oil production shutdown in mid Spring, oil prices shot up averaging about $3.53 per gallon for the year.

James Hamilton, an econo-mist at U of C at San Diego, says, “It’s a little benefit to the economy, and it’s a little more reason the Fed doesn’t have to worry about inflation.”

This could be true, howev-er, predictions of energy price analysts claim that a “stronger than expected growth in the economy would raise the price because of higher consumption, and a weaker than expected economy would drive prices down.”

As of last year, many pipelines and refineries had trouble pump-ing fuel, which as a result reduced gasoline supplies in the West Coast

Motorists might find some relief at the gas pump in 2013

By Aimun Alavi

The present day classroom compared with a classroom 10 years ago is unbelievably different. Students enjoy a more engaging space and have ample room to work. There are motivational posters and reminders all over the walls and some even have color on them. Desks and tables are also present, and if necessary, com-puters are installed in the room. However, these things aren’t what make today’s classrooms unique from classrooms of the past. Today’s students have cell phone access during school and during class. This policy, enacted in 2010, has turned out to be a very painful problem for a lot of teachers and students.

Maine East dictates that cellphones are only allowed during passing periods, not during class, unless given permission by the teacher. So why do we find kids still using cell phones in the class-room once the bell rings?

Catholic schools near Maine East have different policies. Notre Dame High School for Boys, Resurrection High School for Girls, and Regina Dominican High

School for Girls all have one thing in common: very strict cell phone policies. “No cell phones in class,” says Notre Dame senior Ralph Joseph, “the teacher can take away phone if a student is found with it on. If it is off, the student can keep it. The school can keep the phone for a long time if they decide to.” It is indeed a harsh penalty but Joseph felt his grades were better do to phones not being allowed in the classroom.

“The first time it gets taken away they keep it for a day then the second time they keep it for two days and your parents have to come and pick it up. The third time you have to have a meeting with the dean,” said Resurrection senior Kailey Kierys. However, she does admit that a lot of the teachers are lenient about phones and do issue a kind first warning. Either way, she likes the phone policy because she chooses to leave her phone in her locker so it will not distract her in the classroom.

Many public schools have a similar approach. John Hersey High School’s policy allows for cell phone usage only during lunch hours. If a teacher spots you using it outside, you will be swiftly sent

to the dean’s office.Other schools like Lake Park

High School only allow it in the café and will not tolerate it outside of the café because they do not have Wi-Fi yet. Once Wi-Fi is installed, cell phone usage in class will be okay for educational pur-poses only. Otherwise, phones will be taken away and the parent will be notified.

Strict CPS schools like Steinmetz College Prep have a zero tolerance for phone usage in school and will confiscate it imme-diately if used. “I don't think it's fair if they just take it,” said student Jacqueline Cockriel. “I can't work without music so if they take it away or tell me to put it away I don’t do as well.” She is not alone. The majority of American students feel that music helps them remain calm while doing homework or other educational activities.

After talking to students from Hinsdale South High School, Glenbard South High School, Glenbrook South High School, Glenbrook North High School, Niles West High School, Niles North High School, Ridge-wood Community High School, Northside College Prep, Stevenson

High School, Loyola Academy, Chicago Hope Academy, Higley High School, Carl Sandburg High School, Taft High School, Prospect High School and Lane Tech High School, one thing has been made very clear when it comes to cell phone usage: it all depends on the teacher.

All these schools have very strict and unforgiving cell phone policies, or so it appears, but indi-vidual teachers enforce the policies differently. Some will allow you to use your phone for whatever reason during class and some will not allow it for any reason. What does this mean for Maine East? Simply put, if teachers want to see less cell phone usage, they need to get stricter and start busting the users. There is no use in having R code lessons and what not if the teachers themselves don’t enforce the rules strictly enough inside the classroom. This is the only way to battle the cell phone epidemic that has befallen Maine East in the last 3 years.

Maine East facing a cell phone epidemic

and Midwest and increased prices greatly.

Yet currently increased production of fuel in the U.S. will attempt to keep prices at a mini-mum low.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration say that, “Ameri-can fuel production will grow next year by 900,000 barrels per day, the nation’s biggest single year increase ever and by 2014, U.S. produc-tion will reach it’s highest level by 2014.”

This bright prediction for the new year will hopefully keep hopeful hearts for bitter drivers in the U.S.

By Shoun John

Many Maine East stu-dents feel that Black History Month is necessary and especially important for the black community. Many of them see it as important be-cause they feel we don’t really talk about African-American culture much in school and February is the one time a year we remember our culture and history.

Even though Afri-can-Americans are now well integrated into U.S. society, Black History Month remains important, to celebrate the contributions of Afri-can-Americans and to remind us all that every race, culture, religion, age, and gender make the United States the great country it is.

BLACK HISTORY,cont. from page 3


Maine hockey team skates toward State tourneyBy Peter Liavas

Andrew Kliczko, Christian Witek, and Danny Kaschchase the puck after a face-off.

Collin Bailey makes a great save.

NHL finds key for lockout; Blackhawks so hot they’re melting the iceBy Peter Liavas

When the National Hockey League announced a lockout would occur during the 2012-2013 NHL season, people found refuge in a local high school hockey team who has their sights on a state title.

The Maine Township Hockey Club, a combination of all three District 207 schools, started the season off hot, being recognized as one of the top 20 high school hockey teams in the state. They finished off the regular season with a 30-7-6 record putting them in second in their division.

“We have 13 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies,” said Maine Varsity Head Coach Mr. Mike Tompkins. “Our varsity team has a lot of depth, compared to the last two years at Maine. I feel we are a top tier team in the North Central League and also in the state Combined Division.”

Maine East has two students on the Varsity team: senior Alex Hadziev and junior An-drew Kliczko, and two students on the Junior Varsity team: senior Tara Quinlan and freshman Andrew Modell. The team relies on speed and quickness from their forwards to get early leads and their strong defense and goaltending to hold onto them.

“We have speed, smart puck movement, and are still working on defensive zone cover-age,” said Coach Tompkins. Tompkins also said they have “solid” netminders this year. The team heads into playoffs with a 9-0-1 streak. Maine South senior Steve Kurtz and junior Jake Usher are two players expected to have strong finishes to the season, as well as Maine South junior Ethan Flynn, who currently leads the team in scoring.

Maine Varsity started the playoffs against Lake Forest Academy yesterday, with hopes of reaching the state tournament. Maine Junior Varsity, who finished first in their division, advances to the semifinals with a 3-0 playoff record.

They met for three days in October, four days in November, for a week in December, but now the wait is finally over. The National Hockey League announced an agreement to a new labor deal by the league and its players, officially making the NHL lockout a thing of the past.

“To the players who were very clear they wanted to be on the ice and not nego-tiating labor contracts, to our partners who

support the league financially and per-sonally, and most importantly to our fans, who love and have missed NHL hockey, I’m sorry,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

“I am glad the NHL is back,” said Maine East senior Adem Arifi. “It was greatly missed by all fellow hockey players.”

Some people are expecting a thrill-ing season with high intensity on the ice since teams will only be playing 48-game campaigns. But don’t worry there will still

be playoffs and the chance to raise lord Stanley. Chicago’s very own NHL team, the Black-hawks, opened up the season with a 10-0-3 record. They still carry a near-perfect record with no regulation loses, earning 23 out of 26 possible points this season, leading not only their conference but the entire league.

Patrick Kane leads the Blackhawks with 20 points and is second overall in scoring in the NHL this season.


By Kaila Delavega

National Art Honor Society takes a dive!

This year the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) paint-ed a mural on the walls near the bleachers by the Maine East swimming pool.

“Coach Przekota had asked me if I was interested in painting a mural,” said Mrs.

Eisenberg, coordinator of the project. Working on the mural over Winter break from eight in the morning to eleven thirty in the morning defi-nitely took some dedication. “It meant a lot that I could depend on them,” Eisenberg said. Students such as Madzia Wierzchucki, Angie Plackek, Ewa Bogdan, Aasumi Shah

and Emily Scanlon, along with many others, were hard at work every day. Since the mural is in the same room as the pool, it had to fit in with its surroundings. “It really highlights the athletics and the love for water.”

There are silhouettes of divers and this work of art will capture the feeling of being

deep in the sea. Eisenberg said that the students present-ed their own ideas and Coach Przekota chose the ones he liked. The mural is a piece that will be memorable and uplifting for swim meets. The work that students put into it deserves to be seen – check it out!

There are a lot clubs and organizations here at Maine East, so it's only natural that some clubs are more well-known than others. One of the lesser known clubs of Maine East is the Bass Fishing Club.

The Maine East Bass Fish-ing Club is a club dedicated to

educating Maine East students about wildlife and getting students to enjoy and get involved with nature. The club was founded by Maine East graduate Zach Wallin and is sponsored by biology teacher Mr. Melton.

So how exactly does this club work? Bass fishing is a team competition where the

By Fatima Patel participants fish in pairs. At the end of the competition, the team with highest total weight of fish is declared the winner. One of the biggest competitions is the annu-al Bass Fishing Sectionals, which take place at the Skokie Lagoons.

Last year, the Maine East group placed seventh out of

the twenty teams that par-ticipated. Because it is an outdoor activity, Bass Fishing Club has an on-off season, depending on the weather.The next club meeting will be later this month.

If anyone is interested in joining the Bass Fishing Club, contact Mr. Melton or Alina Wallin.

Fishing for a good time? Try the Bass Fishing Club!



With the temperatures going down it is important to watch out for dry skin. Since we are in the middle of our winter season this epidemic is in full drive and we have to try our best to fight it.

Dry skin can be a pain so it is best to deal with it from the start. “The goal is to be able to retain moisture and avoid possible skin irritants that tend to dry our skin even more.

However, it is necessary to first consider and under-stand the underlying cause of the condition,” said medical student Jessica Lapinski, “Once you know what the cause is you can act specifically on it and seek medical attention if needed.”

Going to the doctor is highly encouraged so don’t be shy to ask for advice.

“During this time in the year we have many children and teens coming in with dry skin,” said Pediatrician Dr. Mariola Jackowski, “It is better to come in and confirm that nothing serious is going on.”

The skin all over your body can be victimized by the

Warning: Dry Skin Alert!By Emily Lapinski

Apply moisturizer soon after washing so that your skin is

still damp and more moisture can sink in.

• • •Use chapstick for

dry lips.• • •

Avoid long hot showers or baths – they strip oil from

your skin.• • •

Use a humidifier in your room.

• • •Wear cotton and

other natural fibers. Synthetic materials,

like wool, tend to irritate skin.

Tips to help soothe

dry skin:

cold and usually if you have dry skin in one place it will move to other places. “Any area of your body that is more exposed has an increased risk of being dry because it is exposed to the elements,” said Lapinski.

There are many factors that cause dry skin such as: genetic predisposition, weather changes and exposure to the elements, increasing age, and smoking. While some of these causes are involuntary the ones that aren’t should be avoided.

In November 2012, The Pioneer covered the class of 2014’s Lyceum charity propos-als to the administration. One of the two winning proposals highlighted Erika’s Lighthouse, a group that works for depres-sion awareness.

Established in 2004 at New Trier High School, Erika’s Lighthouse has served and trained over 35 K-12 schools in Illinois.

The goal of this organi-zation is to spread knowledge and awareness about depres-

sion and also to provide a positive environment to the community.

On February 5th, Eri-ka’s Lighthouse conducted a student panel at Maine East, lead by 6 students from the Junior Lyceum with a represen-tative from Erika’s Lighthouse. The student panels were held during sophomore health class-es, and focused on the effects, outcomes, and possible causes of depression.

The panel also discussed student perceptions of de-pression and what resources

we have at Maine East to help those battling depression, including resources in the counselling department and in the school based health center.

This event provided many sophomores with a better un-derstanding of depression and what they can do to help avoid and treat this disease.

By Kevin Gau

Junior Lyceum hosts panel to help those with depression

THE

BI

G

DAY

In elementary school, Valentine's Day was an ex-cuse for sugar satiation and passing around notes covered in cartoons and corny quips, that you nonetheless loved to receive and deliver throughout the day.

In high school, things change a bit, but while there are no classroom mailboxes for students to stuff or obliga-tions to treat the whole class with what you've brought, students celebrate the holiday at Maine East all the same.

From the responses I got while asking students their plans, it seems that most are just planning to spend the day with the ones they love, be they family members, friends, or significant others. More than a couple times I heard from people that they didn't believe the holiday had to necessarily be a romantic one, just one in which they let the people they care about know what they mean to them.

However, there were those who felt bitter about the fes-tivities, claiming to be “forever alone” while they're surround-ed by canoodling couples

that seem to be everywhere. Personally, I prefer the term “forever available.”

Saint Valentine's Day, first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, is celebrated internationally, and if you're tired of the American tradi-tions, why not try dressing up in feathered masks or vivid Mayan attire as is the tradition in Guatemala, bake giant gingerbread hearts like German citizens, or celebrate like they do in Japan, with February 14th being the day women woo their men, with them returning the favor on another day.

Happy Valentine's Day Maine East, here's hoping none of you find yourselves saying “Je suis desja d'amour tanné. Ma tres doulce Val-entinée.”

P.S. Ladies, if you're look-ing for some eye candy after the doldrums of Valentine's Day, be sure to keep an eye out for the Mr. Demon Pageant as it comes around in March. Only one will be crowned...but all will participate in the swimsuit portion of the pag-eant. All hail!

By Jasmina Basic

Valentine’s day not just for young children

Cupid’s crooked arrows By Julie Bayasgalan


iTunes® TOP 10 Songs

2

3

4

5

1

6

7

8

9

10

Thrift ShopMacklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Wanz)

Stay – Rihanna (feat. Mikky Ekko)

Ho HeyThe Lumineers

Suit & TieJustin Timberlake (feat. JayZ)I Will WaitMumford & Sons

Carry OnFun

MirrorsJustin Timberlake

When I Was Your ManBruno Mars

DaylightMaroon 5

Locked Out of HeavenBruno Mars

Top Movies At the box office

Identity Thief $36,593,0001

2Warm Bodies$11,500,000

3Side Effects$10,015,000

4Silver Linings Playbook$6,908,000

5Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters$5,750,000


Congratulations to… …juniors Jazlene Gonzalez and Shaylee Sloan, who were named CSL All-Conference girls basketball team.

...senior John Depa, who won the Poetry Out Loud school competition, and junior Jasmine Ratliff, who will represent Maine East at the POL Regional Contest in Chicago on Friday, February 15.

...senior Julie Bayasgalan for winning the MEHS Shakespeare Recitation Contest. Julie will compete in the Chicago contest on February 25th.

...Maine East gymnastics coach Ms. Angie Hughes, who was voted the CSL Conference Coach of the Year.

...Maine East wrestlers Aayush Shah, Nenif Keso, Ahmed Al-Rifaei, Mike Kuzebski, and Billy Kounelis, who earned CSL All-Conference Honors.

...all Maine East students and teachers who contributed to the DECA Coin Collection Fundraiser. Over $700 was raised for the School Based Health Center at Maine East!

KUDOSORNER

On Sunday, February 24th, Americans will be glued to their television screens to view the 85th Annual Acad-emy Awards, also known as the Oscars, to root for their favorite movies, actors and directors to win the most prestigious award in the film industry.

The first Oscars were held in 1929, at a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. Wings won the first award for Best Picture.

According to Indie Wire, Argo will win the best picture, whereas Lincoln “could win” or Zero Dark Thirty “should win”. Other nominations for Best Picture include Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Mis-erables, Life of Pi and Silver Linings Playbook.

“The chances for Argo are hurt by the fact that it was snubbed in the Best Director category,” writes Indie Wire film reporter Peter Knegt. “However, Argo has now won

top prizes at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes, SAGs (Screen Actors’ Guild), DGAs (Direc-tors’ Guild) and PGAs (Producers’ Guild), which is a pretty remarkable feat.”

Another catego-ry to look forward to is the Best Actor cate-gory, which includes Bradley Cooper, Daniel Day-Lewis, Hugh Jack-man, Joaquin Phoenix, and Denzel Washington. Most critics and experts are predicting another win for Daniel Day-Lew-is for his performance in Lincoln. This is Lewis’ sixth Best Actor nomi-nation – he has won twice before.

“His per-formance in Lincoln, which opened in the UK yesterday, is breathtaking,” writes reporter Grant Rollings for The Sun. “ Somehow, he

85th Academy Awards to recognize year’s best films and performances

acts his way into being two feet taller and many stones gaunter than he actually is.”

The nominees for Best Actress are Jessica

Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanu-elle Riva, Quvenzhane Wallis and Naomi

Watts. Quvenzhane Wallis is only 9 years

old – the youngest ever nominated actress; she was recognized for her performance in Beasts of the Southern Wild. Em-manuelle Riva is one of the favorites in this category for her performance in Amour.

“It is always poi-gnant to see people like Riva back on centre stage, because in many ways they represent

the history of cinema,” writes Agnés Poirer for The Guard-

ian. “What she brings to Amour is so much more than her performance. She adds the power of things

By Sandra Rzeczyca that have passed. The emotion she conveys is very Proustian in that sense.”

Every lead needs support, and the nominations for Best Supporting Actor include Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris-toph Waltz.

“DeNiro, Arkin, Hoffman and Jones all came through on somewhat expected nomina-tions, while the fifth, wildly competitive slot went to Chris-toph Waltz in the end,” writes Knegt. “All five men have already won, and all could win again in the toughest acting race to call in some time.”

For Best Supporting Actress, the nominees are Amy Adams, Sally Field, Anne Hathaway, Helen Hunt and Jacki Weaver. According to Indie Wire, Anne Hathaway is a possible favorite to take home the Oscar.

The 85th Academy Awards will be hosted by Seth McFar-lane and will be telecast on ABC-TV on Sunday, February 24, at 6:00pm Central Time.

Les Misérables and Lincoln were seen by the largest number of M. E. students. The most surprising result of the survey was that the majority of Maine East

students surveyed haven’t seen ANY of the Best Picture nominations.

Maine East Student Survey:Which Best Picture nominations

have you seen this past year?

Daniel Day-Lewis – shown here winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actor, is the favorite to win his third

Best Actor Oscar next weekend.


Have you been back in the LRC (Library Resource Center) this semester? Well, if not, then you should check it out soon!

Since the beginning of the year the library has been under the new management of head librarian Ms. Morgan and assistant librarian Ms. Ghorbani. Together they have brought many positive changes to the library, which is open every day from 7am to 4:30pm (open at 7:30am on Wednesdays).

Some of the LRC highlights so far this school year include the Mickey Mouse Scavenger Hunt during the Disney Homecoming Week and the 12 Days to Winter Break – 12 days of activities the LRC hosted for everyone before the holidays!

On Friday, December 21, the LRC shut its doors at the strike of noon. Throughout winter break a well-coordinated task took place to remodel the library, moving the locations of the fiction and non-fiction sections, Coach Tutoring, the MRC (Math Resource Center), and the Writing Lab. In addition, seating arrangements and furniture have been changed to become a better collaborative learning envi-ronment.

Another new addition to the library is Tech Tool Box – a presen-tation by the Library and Technol-ogy Department to show students how to use online resources more effectively here at Maine East.

Finally, the Tech Genius program started this semester. Students ranging from freshmen to seniors will assist other Maine East students before, during, and after school, answering any technology questions students may have.

Library enters 2013 with new flair

By Kevin Gau

Katherine Ortega – Senior“It’s roomier!”

Raheema Muradi & Sanya Zamai – Sophomores“It’s more organized.”

Cedrick Teves – Freshman“It’s easier to find books.”

Mr. Olsen – Math Dept.“Love the open space in the

tutoring center!”

Ms. Fabianski – English Dept.“Much quieter and a better

academic environment.”

What do you think of the changes in the LRC?

New norms and rules in the LRCNo more than 4 students at a table

No mobile devices (except for quietly listening to music or working on schoolwork)

Students must have something with them to work on during their time in the library.

There are now TWO zones in the LRC:

The Collaborative Zone is for whispering between students (except for periods 2 and 8)

The Study Zone is for quiet study only.

Sc ps and

Another great program started in the LRC this year is called “Scoops and Skypes”. Students can stop by after school for some ice cream and the opportunity to have a conver-sation with a well-known author. This week students talked with author Paul Volponi, writer of such books as Black and White, Rikers High, and Hurricane Song.


The Pioneer 2-14-2013

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