The Pioneer April-May 2011

The PioneerApril/May 2011 • Maine East High School • Park Ridge, Illinois

The Physical Education Theatre Dance Class held a Wellness Fair to raise awareness about maintaining healthy lifestyles. Students learned how some everyday activites can be un-healthy lifestyle choices and how to make better decisions to be well. SEE MORE ON PAGE 5.

IN THIS ISSUE: Royal Wedding • p.3

Shoeless for a cause • p.6New cell phone policy • p.10Demon Derby success •p.11

and much more. . .

The Pioneer APRIL / MAY 2011

World NewsLibya

By Syed Matin

Syria

Japan

Libya is now in a stalemate; at certain times it seems that Gaddafi’s forces are winning and at other moments it seems that the rebels have taken the country. This battle be-tween the two forces was made even more complex once the NATO coalition (led by the U.S.) imple-mented a no-fly zone over Libya. As the Libyan gov-ernment adhered to the no-fly zone during the begin-ning of its implementation, Gaddafi tried to convince

world leaders to abandon the NATO mission. After Gaddafi’s futile attempts to negotiate, he and his forces began to violate the no-fly zone and openly challenged NATO and the rebels.

NATO has justified its actions in Libya by claim-ing that the alliance is at-tempting to prevent civilian deaths caused by attacks by Gaddafi’s forces on rebel cities. NATO claims that it is not taking sides, but it is apparent that NATO is as-sisting the rebels by limit-ing the capabilities of Gad-dafi’s forces. U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has

deliberated about the possi-bility of aiding Libyan reb-els and NATO has thought about buying oil from Libyan rebels (who cur-rently control several major oil- producing cities). Such a deal would allow NATO to provide funding to the rebels; the funding would be disguised as oil transac-tions.

All this talk of funding rebels by western nations reminds many of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan years ago. Although the uprising in Libya and the Soviet invasion of Afghani-stan are completely differ-

ent events, they share one thing in common: Western intervention to aid the so-called “rebels”.

For those who don’t remember the Soviet inva-sion of Afghanistan: the Soviet Union withdrew its forces from Afghanistan, which was followed by an ongoing civil war that resulted in the creation of several terrorist groups now serving as a global threat.

There are only two things different in the case of Libya. First, Libya is not being invaded by any for-eign state; the conflict orig-inated from within Libya.

Second, the Western sup-port of the rebels has not been covert like it was in the Soviet-Afghan war. In fact, there have even been unconfirmed reports from Libyan rebels claiming that they started receiving ship-ments of weapons from abroad.

What was the product of U.S. support of the Af-ghan rebels against the So-viet Afghan invasion? The product was the formation of several terrorist groups and the launching of a civil

The aftermath is not pretty, but it wasn’t expected to be. Japan continues to ex-perience aftershock tremors as strong as 6 on the Rich-ter scale. But the tremors are not what concerns most Japanese. The primary issue of concern is the three reac-tors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant which over-heated on March 11th after

the plant was swamped by a tsunami whose 50 foot waves knocked out the plant’s cool-ant systems.

The Japanese people and the international commu-nity continue to be vigilant even as the aftershocks die off, causing the danger of a second tsunami to die off as well. The damaged reactors, however, continue to leak ra-diation into the atmosphere. Efforts are currently being made by Japanese authorities to cool the plant with seawa-

ter while the project of shut-ting down the power plants is still underway.

Engineers from the To-kyo Electric Power Compa-ny (TEPC) released on April 17th the first public timetable for ending the nuclear crisis.

It will take three months to reduce the levels of radio-activity in the plant and re-store cooling systems in the reactors and spent fuel pools, according to Japanese gov-ernment officials. Another three to six months will be

needed before the reactors are fully shut down and new shells are built around their damaged housings.

While the Japanese gov-ernment has warned citizens that it is unlikely that the situ-ation at the power plant will escalate, it has also taken precautionary measures such as expanding the evacuation zone around the power plant. The nine-month outline means that the Japanese peo-ple will have to live with the constant threat of the nuclear

crisis for almost a year. The nuclear crisis in

Japan has caused other coun-tries to halt imports from the disaster stricken country, which has had the result of dampening the world’s 3rd largest economy. World na-tions have conveyed their support to the nation of Japan by sending industrial equip-ment to aid the project of shutting down the reactors.

The U.S. is considering targeted sanctions on Syria as protests in the country escalate and as the current government fails to fully comply with the demands of the protestors. Syrians have grown tired of Presi-dent Bashar al-Assad, who gained the presidency in 2000 after his father ended his 30-year presidential reign in 1999.

Protesters are demand-ing the resignation of al-As-sad, an end to the 48-year-old state of emergency imposed on the nation, a regime change, official rec-ognition of the Kurds and the establishment of an Is-lamic State all over Syria. The government in Syria has complied partially with the demand of the protestors by lifting the state of emer-gency and abolishing the Supreme Court.

Syrian protestors con-tinue to crowd the streets to protest as they are dissatis-fied with the concessions given so far.

The protest in Syria was just another one of the protests occurring in the world as more people in more countries get revolu-tion fever, but on April 25th Al-Assad authorized the military to take all actions necessary to suppress the protestors.

According to the Arab Commission for Human Rights, around 400 or 500 people have already died in the violence that has erupt-ed with the protests. This number could rise as the military tries to suppress the protests. There are already reports that live ammuni-tion has been used against the protestors.

U.S. State Department officials have commented on the events in Syria and

have given very typical re-sponses.

“I sincerely regret the use of violent repression by the Syrian Government,” an official was reported say-ing. U.S. officials declared a Libyan style intervention a possibility, but said any possible intervention in Syria would have to involve multiple states like the Lib-ya intervention did and that the U.S. could not conduct an intervention by itself.

see LIBYA,page 4

see JAPAN,page 12


The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday created buzz around the world and was watched by approximately 23 mil-lion Americans, according to the Nielsen Company. Let’s start at the beginning.

Prince William is the son of Prince Charles of Wales and the late Princess Diana. He is second in line to the royal throne. Kate Middleton is the daugh-ter of Michael and Carole Middleton.

Of course there would be no wedding without a first meeting. Prince Wil-liam and Kate met and fell in love with each other while studying at St. An-drew’s University in Scot-land. They began dating very secretively at first, but of course they couldn’t stay out of the public eye for-ever.

In October 2010, while in Kenya, Prince Wil-liam asked for Kate’s hand in marriage. The ring that was put on Kate’s finger

was Prince William’s late mother’s (Princess Diana’s) sapphire and diamond en-gagement ring.

The Royal Wedding, a hot topic for all who love gossip and pop culture, took place at the Westmin-ster Abbey in London, Eng-land on Friday. There were over 1,900 guests invited to the main ceremony at the Abbey (mostly family and friends). Other special guests included foreign royal families, heads of states, and members of the army, navy, and air force.

The reception was hosted by Prince William’s grandmother, Queen Eliza-beth. It was a lunchtime re-ception with a guest list of about 600 and took place at Buckingham Palace.

As for the wedding gifts, the couple asked pub-licly that rather than send-ing them wedding gifts, ev-eryone donates to a charity. There is a website set up for special causes: Oily Cart, New Zealand Government Christchurch Earthquake Appeal, and Earthwatch.

By Daria Chrosna

World watches as Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the royal knot

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“Students must be well to do well,” is the motto of the District 207 School Based Health Cen-ter (SBHC), located in the basement of Maine East.

Sometimes adoles-cents get sick and need somewhere to go to get better. The center is not just for ill students, though; many students go there for sports physicals, immuni-zations, dental exams, and counseling services.

These services are all available to students be-longing to District 207, but in order to keep providing these services, the SBHC needs funds to operate.

The Health Center is funded by the state with the money won through settle-ment of an anti-tobacco lawsuit in 1998. Fund-ing from the settlement is supposed to go toward

tobacco prevention, edu-cation and health related classes across America, but recently there has been talk of cutting some of the money given to schools and using it instead to fund other projects.

Currently there are 59 school based health centers in Illinois, and there are over 50 communities wait-ing to build their own health centers. If the amount of funding is decreased, these centers will not be able to operate. Our own center usually has a shortfall of $40,000 - $50,000 per year and is forced to find other funding sources to make up the difference.

To help ensure that Il-linois legislators continue to fund these health cen-ters, nine members of our Student Advisory Board, along with Mental Health Counselor Ms. Malyszko, Nurse Practitioner Mrs.

Hanigan, and Dr. Bass (a resident at Lutheran Gen-eral Hospital), traveled to Springfield on April 12th to talk to state senators and representatives. The group wanted to inform our state legislators about the pur-pose of health centers and what they can do to help support them.

The group from Maine East wasn’t alone in this effort, traveling downstate with Evanston High School and meeting up with many other schools before head-ing to the capitol building.

Wearing their red T-shirts, singing chants and showing unity with their common purpose kept their spirits high during the day. Each school was given a list of legislators to talk to about funding.

“The representatives

By Aneta Karkut

The Pioneer StaffAPRIL/MAY 2011

THE PIONEERMaine East High School • Park Ridge, Illinois

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REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

EDITOR IN CHIEFYogi Patel

EDITORS Emily LapinskiAneta KarkutRyann Lynnwar in Afghanistan, desta-

bilizing the entire region. Will that be the same case with Libya? The rebels are quite disorganized, just like the Mujahedeen were in the 1980s.

The only thing that can be done at this point is to wait for the out-come of the intervention and see whether it leaves Libya devastated like Af-ghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal or whether it leaves Libya at a point where democracy can take a foothold and a re-sponsible government can be put into power.

LIBYA,from page 2

see SPRINGFIELD,page 13

Advisory Board students visit lawmakers in Springfield to emphasize importance of School Health Centers

Jessica CholewaAshley Daul

Audrey KlepadloAshley RomanLensa SedetaOlena Yousif

Osama bin Laden was shot in the head and killed late Sunday night by U.S. Navy Seals.

Bin Laden was the leader of the al Qaeda terrorist group and the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 ter-rorist attacks.

Bin Laden was found in a million-dollar mansion in Abbotabad, Pakistan, 30 miles north of the Pakistani capital.

According to U.S. offi-cials, 25 Navy Seals, in coop-eration with the CIA, attacked the mansion, and after a fierce 40-minute firefight, killed the notorious terrorist. The attack also resulted in the deaths of

Osama bin Laden shot and killed in daring operation

by U.S. Navy Sealstwo of bin Laden’s couriers, one of bin Laden’s sons, and a woman who was used by bin Laden as a shield, but no U.S. troops were harmed during the operation.

The United States took custody of bin Laden’s body, whose identity was confirmed by DNA and facial recogni-tion technology, and plan to handle the body in “accor-dance with Islamic practice and tradition.”

Thousands of Ameri-cans gathered near the White House and on the site of Ground Zero in New York late Sunday night in celebra-tion of bin Laden’s death.


On Wednesday April 20 2010, the P.E. Theater Dance elective course, taught by Ms. Greiwe and her student teacher Kris-tin Seske set up a well-ness fair at school. The wellness fair was a place to raise student and staff awareness about how to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Different stations were devoted to health topics such as salt, fast food, how to read food labels, abs workouts, de-odorizing, what’s really behind “tanning”, stress, water vs. Coke, breathing, energy drinks, and sugar.

In the stations there were many visuals such as posters, food labels, fat, sugar bags, samples and much more!

The fair was different because the students could actually see and feel some of the visuals such as the fat and see how much sugar is in a can of pop. Everyone was excited to learn, and when questions were asked of the student presenters, they knew the right way to answer the questions.

For a change the stu-dents were teaching the adults new information they didn’t know. Not only was it a great experience, but kids left the fair learn-ing something new that they can relate too.

If it wasn’t for Mrs. Greiwe or Ms. Sezeki, the fair would never have hap-pened and it wouldn’t have been successful. They put double the effort we put into it to make this fair in-teresting and exciting!

The fair consisted of 14 stations. Five of the

stations were led by Maine East staff and nine of the stations were led by Ms. Greiwe’s Theater Dance students. The staff-led stations focused on the following topics:• The health center dis-cussed depression, anxi-ety, and services offered for those conditions.

• The health office took blood pressure readings and discussed about the negative effects of high blood pressure.

• The guidance office discussed stress and had counselors available every period.

• Former Maine East stu-dent Vicki Samiotakis (2009), now a PE major with a Nutrition minor at Northeastern, presented facts and figures about childhood obesity.

• Health classes taught by Ms. Hughes and Mr. Clark gave information about skin cancer.

Ms. Greiwe’s Theater Dance students led stations on the following topics:

• Sugar in drinks

• Salt in chips

• Fast food nutrition

• How to read a food label

• The three regions of the abdominal muscles

• Hygiene

• Coke vs. water

• “Monster” energy drinks

• A breathing station

By Olena Yousif

Students learn how to take better care of themselves


Earlier this month you may have noticed a few of your classmates were barefoot.

On April 5, 2011, TOMS Shoes hosted the 4th annual “One Day Without Shoes” to chal lenge Americans to feel how

children and adults live in various

d e v e l o p i n g countries.

T O M S is a foot-wear com-pany cre-ated to help c h i l d r e n who cannot afford proper

foot protec-tion. Founded in

2006 by Blake My-coskie, TOMS designed a simple “one for one” premise. In other words, for every pair of shoes you buy, a pair is given to a child in n e e d .

Spending a day in their (lack of) shoes

By Ryann Lynn

The brand name comes from the word “to-morrow” because the original concept

was called, “Shoes For Tomorrow Project.”

So far, TOMS trips have sup-plied kids with shoes in 23 coun-tries, including Cambodia, Ethi-opia, Peru, Haiti and South America.

When “Shoe Drops” hap-pen, TOMS

e m p l o y e e s visit a village to pass out their new shoes personally.

So Why Do We Need To Go Barefoot?

TOMS is a rapidly grow-ing name and One Day With-out Shoes definitely helps to make it better known. Think about it, unless you knew about the day, you prob-ably sat in class asking, “Why doesn’t that person have shoes on?” Your curiosity sparked a conversation and, if suc-cessful, it motivated action on your part. This day is a challenge. Challenge yourself to see what it is like to not own shoes. Keep in mind that the children you are supporting most likely have to walk much farther and in more severe conditions than you do on an average day.

About the ShoesAs they expand, TOMS designs

a wider variety of styles but the real magic is the lightweight shoes based on the Argentine al-pargata design. These are the shoes that have already helped over 1 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 c h i l d r e n

around t h e globe.


Back in February, the Maine East band, or-chestra, and choir took an eventful trip to Atlanta, Georgia.

The students had been waiting for this four-day trip since last year and it was worth the wait. The students got the chance to perform and also sightsee around Atlanta.

“I am really proud of this group,” said orchestra director Mrs. Djordjevic. “They were really well behaved and their perfor-mances really made Maine East proud.”

The trip was about eighteen hours on a coach bus with stops for gas and food.

“It was pretty ex-hausting but really fun at the same time,” said Jill Patel.

The bus ride might have been long, but the memories and laughs heard throughout clearly expressed the great time

the students were having. All students traveled to-gether; however, the stops consisted of some particu-lar band, orchestra, and choir visits.

The orchestra stu-dents got the chance to perform at Atlanta Univer-sity for a group of middle

school children as well as the ability to see the At-lanta Symphony Orchestra perform.

The band students performed for the middle school children as well and also got to attend the Emory University Jazz Band Festival.

Choir performed with band and orchestra and had the privilege to perform at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Site. Through-out the trip all groups sup-ported one another and, as a team, brought Maine East pride. The trip con-sisted of many sightseeing

stops as well. The students visited Emory University, the Georgia Dome, The Varsity, CNN News Head-quarters, The Underground Mall, and even The World of Coca Cola Museum.

“I really liked the Coca Cola Museum be-cause we got to taste so many different flavors of Coke,” said Natalia Mirek. “It was fun spending time with friends as well as vis-iting this great state.”

Most of the students really enjoyed the stops and got some cool snap-shots of Atlanta.

It was a memorable trip: 60-degree weather, a beautiful city, marvelous music, and a bus full of friends makes for an awe-some mid-year getaway from the bitter winter cold of the Chicago area.

Band, orchestra, and choir students are thankful for this amazing opportu-nity and look forward to more exciting trips in the future.

By Emily Lapinski

Band, orchestra and choir students enjoy Atlanta trip


They’ve got the looks, they’ve got the talent, and they’ve got the spirit! Who could they possibly be? That’s right! The contes-tants of the Maine East Mr. Demon Pageant!

This annual pageant was held on Friday, March 25th in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

“Mr. Demon was originally started by former lyceum member Megan Meyer as a fundraiser,” said senior lyceum member Ze-nya Yap.

All proceeds from the show have gone to help promote cancer awareness, prevention, education, and research.

Contestants spent a few Saturday mornings in or-der to prepare for the show, which consisted of a talent show, a swimsuit competi-tion, and a “most Maine East spirited” portion. Between segments the audience was

Junior DelVecchio Orozco was named Mr. Demon 2011.

Contestants show off their bods during the swimsuit competition.

2011 Mr. Demon pageant raises money for American Cancer Society

By Aneta Karkut

entertained by short video clips of dance practices, up-close interviews of the con-testants, and the memories the boys had while practic-ing the event. Backstage be-fore the show, everyone was nervous yet excited.

“We spent the final mo-ments before going on stage doing pushups and sit-ups to expand our muscles for the ladies,” said senior Karol

Grzebien with a smile. “This performance has become a highlight of my year.”

“The swimsuit por-tion was my favorite,” said junior Milian Milovanovic, who the crowd would have recognized as the boy with the air horn. “Along with the judges’ comments, and being mentioned on stage.”

The support, laugh-ter, and enthusiasm of the

crowd were terrific and cre-ated a great atmosphere.

At the end of the night, the Maine East Mr. Demon title went to junior DelVec-chio Orozco.

“When I was chosen as Mr. Demon, it felt like a movie moment,” said Oroz-co. “I really didn’t know

see MR. DEMON,next page


Slice of Pizza, $2.50; new wardrobe, $150; room and board, $11,550; and an education should be price-less, but it’s not.

Why is the tuition in-flation twice the normal inflation rate? Loyola Uni-versity’s average college tuition is $33,294. Dorm-ing? Add another $11,550 to that. The average debt after graduation is almost $18,575. The cost of col-lege tuition rises about a $1,000 yearly. In 2006, one student paid about $42,000 to attend Loyola, whereas, in 2012 a student can ex-pect to pay about $49,000. With the economy in a re-cession, and many parents are out of jobs, paying for college has become dif-ficult.

According to MSN-BC, average tuition and fees at four-year public col-leges rose 6.6 percent this year causing students to take more loans. However, even the net price of tuition is still rising much faster

than overall inflation. The net price at public universi-ties is $560 higher, in 2007 dollars, than a decade ago. In these five years, we have seen prices rise 31% above the general inflation rate for other goods and ser-vices — the worst record on college prices of any five-year period covered by the survey dating back 30 years. When including

room and board, students living on campus, charges for public four-year col-leges were $13,589, which is 5.9 % higher than last year. At private four-year schools, total charges rose by the same percentage to $32,307.

Ivy League schools hit the parents the hardest. Average tuition at an Ivy League University ranges from $50,000 to $70,000 per year; don’t forget to add another $1,000 per credit hour. Many believe that going to a prestigious school only buys you, well, of course, high prestige. Not only is Ivy League tu-ition rising, but so is com-munity college tuition.

More than 40% of U.S. undergraduate stu-dents attend community colleges. Students who are 18 to 24 years old make up the largest age group of them. They choose to go to a community college because it is much cheaper than regular four-year col-leges. But think again: the governing board at Cochise

College in Arizona recently approved increasing tuition by $9 per credit to $63 for in-state students. This is the largest increase this college has seen. It will also increase course fees ranging from $15 to $300 for high-cost programs like nursing and aviation, said Kevin Butler, vice presi-dent for administration.

A Chicago Tribune ar-ticle stated College of Lake County will raise in-district tuition, which includes a $2 fee for student financial assistance, by $11, to $106 per credit hour. Harper College tuition will rise by $8.50 per credit hour, to $98.50. Oakton, with campuses in Des Plaines and Skokie, has proposed raising tuition $6, to $92 per credit hour.

The main reason tu-ition has risen faster than college costs is that col-leges had to make up for reductions in the per-stu-dent subsidies from tax-payers. Increases in spend-ing were driven mostly by higher administration,

By Ashley Daul maintenance, and student services costs. Public universities spent almost $4,000 per student per year on administration, support, and maintenance in 2006, up more than 13%, since 1995. They spent another $1,200 a year on services such as counseling, which was up 23%. Meanwhile, they spent about $8,700 a year on classroom instruc-tion for each student, up about 9%.

Adding to all that, tuition costs are rising because many of these classes and assignments are becoming technology based. A new discovery in microscopes can make research faster and easier. The new development in technology must be used in the labs and for research, and to get the money for all this is funded by college tuition. There isn’t much we can do, college tuition will keep increasing and damaging the wallet.

Seniors, do you know you receive your health re-cords with your high school diploma? According to Mrs. Sutscheck and Mrs. Karl, on June 5th, gradua-tion day-you will receive your diploma enclosed with your health records. The health records include a copy of your latest immuni-zation and physical records.

It’s important that you keep these health records be-cause you will need them to submit to colleges. Legally, you need a copy of your health records in order to attend college. If you mis-place your health records, there will be a fee of two dollars to obtain and get an-other copy from the school registrar, Mrs. Johnston, in the Guidance Office.

By Jessica Cholewa

Seniors receive health records with

their diplomas

what to do or how to re-act. I loved every single minute of the show. I felt as if I was among friends who I knew all along, and seeing them perform [was] awesome as well.”

Overall the show was success for the con-testants, the audience, and, most importantly, the American Cancer So-ciety.

We came together as a school to support an important cause in a fun way, and we should be proud of our contribution. Great job everyone!

MR. DEMON,from page 8

Tuitions continue rising rapidly at most colleges


Students in District 207 were given the opportunity starting April 18th to use cell phones during appro-priate times of the day and in appropriate locations.

The privilege was a big surprise yet a very reason-able decision. Being a stu-dent at Maine East, I found this trial run of cell phone usage long overdue. Most students hope that the school board will allow this rule to be extended for years to come, but that will depend on whether or not students abuse the new priveleges they have been given.

There is no practi-cal way to completely stop teenagers from using their cell phones in or out of the classroom. Some studies

have reported that nearly three-quarters of teenagers carry cell phones. One study last year showed that nearly half of teenage cell phone owners can text blindfolded! No matter how strict deans, security guards, and teach-ers are, they will never be able to put a stop to phone use in school. That’s one reason why the district’s new policy makes sense.

Administration has said that one big reason for the policy change was so that parents could com-municate more easily with their children. Allowing students to use phones in the cafe or hallways means they can reach their parents or work places, call colleges to set up appointments, or find ways to get home, or receive information in fam-

ily emergencies. I know the importance

of this from personal expe-rience: My dad was in the hospital a while ago and I had to ask a few teach-ers about my situation, not knowing what they would say. Thankfully, they gave me permission to check my phone for texts about how my dad was doing, but now with the new policy, I wouldn’t have to ask per-mission to do this between classes or in the cafe.

I’ve also seen freshmen and sophomores flip out be-cause they don’t know how they’re going to get home when friends bailed on them or practices or games got canceled. The new policy will make it much easier for students to find solutions in those situations.

By Audrey Klepadlo Obviously, there are some legitimate concerns about students’ using their cell phones in negative ways. Even before the new policy went into effect, I have seen students in class Googling their way through assignments or tests. This is clearly a violation of the new policy as well as Maine East’s Student Con-duct Code, and I hope that students who use their cell phones in this way are harshly punished – it is this type of behavior that would cancel the new policy, ruin-ing it for the students who behave properly and tak-ing us back to banning cell phone use throughout the school day.

Some teachers have expressed some legitimate concerns regarding the new

policy. “I hope that students

won’t feel entitled to use their devices whenever and wherever they want in school,” said English teacher Mr. Miller. “There are very specific parameters to the new policy and I am a little concerned that some students won’t be mature enough to heed them.”

Ultimately, whether or not this new policy succeeds is up to us students. If we follow the rules and show that we can use these devic-es appropriately, we could see this “pilot” program become a more permanent policy in District 207.

Next Issue: Exploring ways that cell phones can actually improve learning in the classroom.

New policy makes sense, but only if students are sensible

YES

VOICE AND DATA USE UNRESTRICTED

NO

USE PROHIBITED WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION

NEVER

USE FORBIDDEN AT ALL TIMES

(No Phone Zones)

AREAS:Cafeteria (all periods); Hallways (only

during passing periods)

AREAS:Classrooms; Study Halls; Computer

Lab; LRC (Library); SPS (Guidance); all areas not otherwise specified

Cell phone use of any kind is forbidden at all times and cell phones must be pow-ered OFF. Violations may be subject to severe consequences.

Cell phones should be OFF (not just on ‘silent’ or ‘vibrate’ mode) and out of sight unless express permission is given by staff currently supervising area

Cell phones can be used freely for voice or data functions in keeping with appro-priate use policy.

AREAS:Restrooms; Locker Rooms; Changing Areas; Nurses’ Offices; School Based Health Center; Any other area with a reasonable expectation of privacy

New cell phone policy basics

NO–UNLESSGIVEN

EXPRESSPERMISSION


Say “Neighhh!” to Tardies! Stop Horsing Around and Get to School! How “on-time” were you to

first period last week?

Where are you in the race now? Total Points as

of April 22

Freshman:

97.2% of you were on-time! Advance 2 spaces!

10

Sophomores:

96.2% of you were on-time! Advance 1 space!

7 Juniors:

95.9% of you were on-time! Advance 1 space!

4 Seniors:

95.7% of you were on-time… Advance 1 space!

6

Maine East seems to be going a little crazy over student punctual-ity, but there is method to our mad-ness.. During the first 15 days of second semester, Maine East had an average of 103.6 unauthorized tardies each day. The students were being referred to the Deans’ Office and receiving consequences, but our administration decided that the situation was out of control.

In order to gain control of the situation, the PBIS (Positive be-havior intervention support) team introduced a contest called “The Great Demon Derby of 2011”. The plan was to get students to say “neighhhh” to tardies by having them “race” against each other to see which class could achieve the highest percentage of students on time to school. So far the program has been a big success. Since April 26th, our school has seen a 29% reduction in unauthorized tardies to school. We are now averaging 73.4 unathorized tardies to school each day, according to Kira Hicks, District 207 RTI coordinator PBIS committee member.

Although the Demon Derby has proven itself successful, not all the students are impressed. “There are those students that just don’t care about school ...and then there are those who try to get somewhere with their life and become success-ful” Said Andrew Lee, a junior. “But the students who are late to class, but actually care are the ones that should be helped.” Some feel the derby, along with the candy and raffle tickets handed out dur-ing first period improperly reward many students for something they are already doing. Many students have been talking about this pro-gram, but that’s just the point, says English teacher and PBIS commit-tee member Greg Lundberg. One of the goals of the PBIS team was to raise awareness of the problem, and “we have made it part of the conversation. You also have to re-member that this whole program

was an experiment. If you never try anything, things will never change.” Lundberg and other PBIS committee members made it their goal to try to improve behavior in new ways. “We want to move away from the punitive and toward the positive,” said Lundberg.

Students need to learn that be-ing on time is their responsibility. Coming on time means waking up early and being at school at 7:50 to start class. Your first period class

is probably the most important class needed to graduate. Would you rather come to school 5 min-utes before class starts or spend your summer at school? I would definitely go with the first choice. Therefore, Say “neighhh!” to tar-dies, stop horsing around and get to school.

Here is some advice from our school dean Mrs. Taylor: Students can change these behaviors by waking up earlier, planning what

Demon Derby running well at the turn

they will wear the night before, and preparing breakfast that they can bring with them on the way to school. A buddy system in which students agree to call each other with wake-up calls is another sug-gestion. Although many students don’t like the idea of it, with the Demon Derby, it is to your benefit to get to school on time because you can help your class win the ice cream social and chance to dunk a Dean.

By Lensa Sedeta and Staff

MAD CITY

Maine East students partici-pated in the “Mad City” simula-tion where they were given dif-ferent profiles that included their income and family information.

With this information, stu-dents had to “buy” necessities given each of their unique re-straints. Tables representing dif-ferent stores were setup and stu-dents had to go to each one and purchase goods and services.

The simulation gave students an insight in how money manage-ment and budgeting works.


Dressed so finely and hair done great, they looked as if they belonged on the red carpet. On April 16, the junior class hosted its annual “Prom Fashion Show” fundraiser. About 30 students were selected to model prom dresses and suits by local venues. Girls wore dresses from DEB and David’s Bridal , while guys sported tuxes from Savvi Formalwear.

The cafeteria was transformed into a cat-

walk where models strut and posed, the POMS girls danced, and the audience happily watched while dining on a dessert buffet privided by Panera. Over-all everyone was in smiles while getting a glimpse of this year’s most popular prom fashion choices.

This isn’t the only event the junior class will debut this year. They are busy preparing for their first “Summer Kick-Off,” an event to celebrate the beginning of summer all together as a school one

final time. This event will be held at Maine East June 2nd, 3:30pm-6:00pm and although the seniors will not be school, they are en-couraged to come. The in-coming freshman will also be invited in order to give them their “first glimpse” of high school. There will be food, music, tie-dying, pre-registered team sports, and water balloons, along with many other events.

Be sure to look out for more information about this event in the future.

Students show off this year’s hottest

prom fashionsBy Aneta Karkut

The U.S. has even gone so far as to send Secretary of State Hillary Clin-ton on a formal visit to Tokyo with the aim of showing American soli-darity with the Japanese people.

The world can only hope that this nuclear crisis will end without any further complications. If the reactors heat up too much and the efforts to cool them are proven fu-tile, such a situation would result in a nuclear meltdown – when the complete core of a reactor overheats and melts, causing the reactor to ex-plode and releasing overwhelming amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere. A nuclear meltdown would essentially turn a nuclear reactor into a nuclear bomb. Such a scenario would send harmful ra-dioactive material circulating in the Earth’s atmosphere. Areas as far as the West Coast of the United States would be at risk of lethal radiation exposure.

Are the nuclear reactors in Ja-pan ticking nuclear bombs or are they just damaged reactors which pose no major threat to the world? Only the next nine months will tell.

JAPAN,from page 2


On April 15, 2011, the ESL Club organized its second annual ESL Spelling Bee Contest at Maine East High School. The Contest was open to all ESL students. The eleven students who participat-ed were given 284 words to study. The words were taken from history, government, science, and math textbooks. They were divided into easy, medium, and challenging words.

Three students who qualified into the fi-nal round were Shaba Puthuvakkal Koshy, Sha-ron Puthuvakkal Koshy, and Jeel Savsani. The Grand Prize Winner, Shaba Puthuvakkal Koshy, who spelled the winning word “mitochondrion” received a $50 gift certificate to Target, and an electronic English/English dictionary. The second prize winner, Sharon Puthuvakkal Koshy, received an electronic dictionary. The third prize winner, Jeel Savsani, also received an electronic diction-ary.

Congratulations to the winners, all the mem-bers of the ESL Club who raised prize money by selling candy, Mrs. Bruzan, and Mrs. Labno who organized this great event.

How do you spell m-i-t-o-c-h-o-n-d-r-i-o-n ?

were really busy and didn’t have much time to talk to us so we had to say what we wanted in a couple of min-utes, which was hard because some of them didn’t even know what a health center was,” said junior Bindi Shah.

“Some people were easier to talk to than others, but each seemed eager to learn more, and were willing to vote for the support of the centers in the fu-ture,” said junior April Librea. “You have to speak out and act for what you believe in.”

Without the sup-port of these policy-makers, we lose ac-cess to provide health services to people in need, and especially in an economy where the unemployment rate is rising, school based health centers are be-

coming more impor-tant than ever. You can help support our own center by donat-ing money, or attend-ing events, such as the Orchesis “Dance for a Cause.” Every contri-bution helps keep the center up and running. We are blessed that we have such a wonderful resource in our school.

If you are inter-ested in becoming a member of the student board, make sure to pay attention to an-nouncements next year or contact Ms. Malysz-ko.

Meetings take place on collaboration mornings. In going to Springfield and ral-lying legislators, the Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers has brought attention to the issue and helped to pass legislation that will give more centers the opportunity to help their students.

SPRINGFIELD,from page 4 Lost Boys of Sudan

describe experiences to M.E. students

Two ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’ visited Maine East this past month. Students watched a 60 Minutes special on the Lost Boys and heard from two survivors who are now part of the organization called Lost Boys Rebuilding Southern Sudan. Sophomores at Maine East had read about their experiences in the book They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, but hearing the stories in person made an even stronger impact.


Maine East High School students Jessica Ruiz, Jency Thomas, Madison Reyes, Stepha-nie Tamson, Monique Tan, Megan Harford, Eonna Giannakopulos and Stefaina Mikhail along with Family and Consumer Science teach-ers Mrs. Fran Flores and Mrs. Fran Scott partici-pated in the FCCLA State Leadership Meeting help April 7-9, 2011 at the Prairie Capital Conven-tion Center, President Abraham Lincoln Ho-tel, and Hilton Hotel in Springfield, Illinois.

The Maine East del-egation was part of the more than 1900 students and advisors that attended the two day conference.

The Family, Career, and Community Lead-ers of America (FCCLA) recognize that teens can play an essential role in improving their futures.

Throughout the year, FCCLA members tackle issues such as career exploration, stress man-agement, traffic safety,

youth violence preven-tion, family relation-ships, and much more. FCCLA programs enrich student learning, improve self-esteem, and serve students with a range of ability levels, economic situations, and cultural influences.

During the recent leadership conference, many of the members participated in STAR (Students Taking Ac-tion with Recognition) and State Proficiency Events. These skill and proficiency events al-low students to compete in an area of family and consumer sciences while gaining recognition for their experience. Maine East students excelled in culinary arts-salad, ap-parel construction and preschool lesson events; all receiving Gold and Silver medals.

Students were also given the opportunity to participate in workshops and general sessions that addressed many of the key issues that are

facing teens today. Dur-ing the general sessions, keynote speaker Eddie Slowikowski from Dar-ien, IL challenged stu-dents to be their best. Students also had the opportunity to attend workshops on fashion de-sign, culinary arts, self-defense, the dangers of

distracted driving, social media and more.

Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America is unique among youth organizations be-cause its programs are planned and run by mem-bers. It is the only tech-nical in-school student organization with the

family as its central fo-cus. Participation in the state and national pro-grams helps members become strong leaders in their families, careers, and communities.

For more information visit the FCCLA Website www.fcclanc.org.

Maine East’s Skills-USA chapter recently went to Springfield to compete in the annual state com-petition. Thirty-one mem-bers went to compete, four of which are state officers for the organization.

The chapter had its most successful year ever with 19 members placing

MEHS Skills has its most

successful year

Members of the three Tech Prep Showcase teams who swept first through third places.

in the top three for their respective contests.

The Demons swept the Tech Prep Showcase, taking first, second, and third place. The first place team of Abe Aziz, Woo Su, and Bill Shaw will represent East at the na-tional competition this June in Kansas.

FCCLA students attend conference in Springfield


Demon Pride: Congratulations to...

Log on to the Maine East website and what do you often see? A picture of the smartest kid in school getting an award. What do you hear on the an-nouncements? The fastest kid on the track team broke a record. There is nothing wrong with these kids being acknowledged for their success, but what about everyone else? Let’s read about our talented friend who can rap like no other. Let’s hear about a talented writer who no one knows about. So many kids are talented in Maine East but when do we hear about them? One of the students we want to recog-nize is Richard Metaj, an aspir-ing sophomore.

Richard is an artist, a writ-er, and an active member of the debate team. His love for art started as a child. “Drawing became a big part of my life as a kid and so did writing. I find the two interwoven. I liked the idea of escaping reality and tak-ing out a piece of paper that can be shaped and formed to what-ever I wanted.” His art and writ-ing are an escape for him. He can explore any idea through his talent in art. A passion like this is definitely something to be admired. Richard is also on our debate team. He says that debate is fun and it also makes you competitive. It’s very time consuming but it’s worth it. De-bate is also what makes Richard unique, yet debate is also criti-cized by some. “I feel that de-bate is looked down on by the students and it becomes as they say ‘nerdy’ or ‘geeky’. Debate gives you a lot of skill.” Richard shows a passion for all that he

does and is not afraid to defend it.

How does Richard feel about Maine East? “The one thing that I truly like about this school is its diversity. And not just in cul-ture but in activities.” He says there is not just one route or an-other, there are so many things, so many options you can choose from. “I support the art program because its very diverse com-pared to other schools, and I support the debate team. Even if I’m not part of something, I still support the people that are. A lot of my friends did the day of silence weeks ago and even though I didn’t do it, I respected their decision.” Richard agrees that support of our school and our programs is very important.

Richard is very blunt, likes to make people laugh, and likes to hang out with friends. He says that he’s like any other student. But not many other students can debate like he can, and not many students can draw a picture like he can. Unique students like Richard are hidden within the crowds of students at our school. It’s time to find those students and have them recognized.

By Ashley Roman

It is important to recognize students who ‘fly under the

radar’ at Maine East

Freshman Karla Ortigo-za was named one of the winners of the Niles Public Library District’s annual bookmark design contest. Her design, pictured above, will be distributed to library patrons throughout the year.

...the Varsity Boys Tennis Team for winning the Hoffman Estates Hawk Tennis Invitational.

...Zenya Yap, Kristin Georgop-oulos, Edrienne Yap, and Lind-sey Kelly for taking first place at the Rolling Meadows Invitational in the 100 High Hurdles.

...Chance Henley, Florida Doz-ie, Angela Jones, and Elisa Gerena for taking first place at the Rolling Meadows Invitational in the 400-meter Relay.

...Ben Vazquez for placing sec-ond in the state for the Italian Na-tional Exams.

...Cara DeBenedictis and Na-taliya Patytskaia for earning honorable mention for the Italian National Exams.

...Jessica Ruiz and Jency Thomas for placing second at the FCCLA State Conference for the Apparel Construction compe-tition.

...Madison Reyes for placing first at the FCCLA State Confer-ence for the Culinary Salad com-petition.

...Stephanie Tamson for plac-ing second at the FCCLA State Conference for the Preschool Storytelling competition.

...Monique Tan and Megan Harford for placing first at the FCCLA State Conference for the Preschool Storytelling team com-petition.

...Danny Sieghart for making it to the IHSA State Diving competition.

...Eonna Giannakopulos and Stefaina Mikhail for placing first at the FCCLA State Conference for the Pre-school Storytelling team competition.


Dear Editor,I am a senior and I am seeing more change in this school than what I thought was humanly possible. This year when the Demon Derby started, I was in shock that the school would actually attempt to reward kids for coming to school on time. I feel that this doesn’t show them how the real world is; if you are on time to work your boss doesn’t just come give you a piece of candy. Congratulations you’re doing what you’re supposed to. I feel that it gives people the wrong message and a false incentive as op-posed to the real world.

–Kim Manno

Dear Kim: Your point is well taken, but please read the article on page 11 to see how the incentive system is, in fact, proving to be effective in significantly reducing the percentages of Maine East students who are tardy to school.

Sincerely,Pioneer Editors

To submit a Letter to the Editor or make a story suggestion, visit The Pioneer website: http://bit.ly/ThePioneer

Dear Editor, The article “Some APP-tastic tools and games to make your smart phone a fun

phone, too” (Pioneer March 2011) was a very interesting informational article. I really like this article because it didn’t only pick one application but listed a couple and men-tioned why they are helpful.

Some more helpful additions to this article would be to talk about more applica-tions that teens can relate to, such as the iCurfew and ACT Test Prep. The iCurfew is the best way for teens to check into iCurfew and send their parents their locations, wherever they are. It is also great for a pick-up location. If your child needs you to come and get them, instead of having to figure out directions, your child could just send you their location directly. It’s an easy way for kids and parents to check-in with each other. Whether kids are at the movies, at a friend’s house, or across the world, they can use this app to check-in. Parents do not have to be nervous wondering if their kids are really out where they say they are. This application also builds trust with the real time location. There are a lot of cheap ACT prep apps, they have ones for math and reading and are a great way to test yourself wherever you are. It would also be nice to include pictures of the applications and to show how to install the applications.

Another category of good apps to let your readers know about would be those related to “Teen Driving”. Here are four simple ways to stay safer on the road: 1) Text Disablers 2) Phone Inhibitors 3) Learning road safety with apps and 4) Ride shotgun.

There are many apps for text disablers that can disable a phone from sending or receiving texts while in a moving vehicle. Other apps like Drive Safely Pro reads texts aloud and allow you to create an auto response that the phone sends out. The second one is the phone inhibitor called Zoom Safer that restricts your access to your phone call feature because not only texting is dangerous, calling is too. To learn road safety, there are some apps that educate you how to drive more safely. The Dangers of Dis-tracted Driving app shows teens how easy it is to get into an accident just by being distracted. The Safe Driver app also helps the parents know when their teen speeds. If we write about this in an article, teens will more likely use them and teen accidents will decrease. After all, the purpose of the apps should be able to serve and protect others.

–Olena Yousif

Dear Olena: Thank you for your wonderful recommendations of applications that can help make the roads safer for teenagers and all drivers. We all enjoy fun technology, but technology that makes us safer and improves our lives is truly good news!

Sincerely,Pioneer Editors

When engineering teachers Mr. Schultz and Mrs. Stewart were brain-storming ways to involve students in helping the district “go green,” they created Maine East’s Re-newable Energy Chal-lenge. Besides helping the district, Mr. Schultz and Mrs. Stewart also wanted to raise interest in engi-neering among female students. This all girls club first met in January and in April made a presentation to the Board of Educa-tion’s community panel. Asked to focus on wind and solar power, the girls met weekly to compare re-search and formulate a pro-posal. After attending the 2011 Energy Conference at Fenton High School, creat-ing their own model wind turbines and solar panels, and talking with the dis-trict’s engineers, the group had a strong understanding of where this project could go.

Due to the location of our school and its neigh-boring sites, wind turbines seemed too inefficient, so their focus shifted to solar. There are two types of so-lar panels: photovoltaic and

thermal. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are used to produce electricity, and are 20% to 40% efficient. Compared to a coal burning power plant, which has an efficiency of 30%, PV cells are not that bad. Thermal cells are used primarily for hot wa-ter. (How awesome would swimming in gym be if the pool were heated?) These types of panels are 50% to 70% efficient.

Everyone realized that this would be a gradual change into more sustain-able energy resources to our school but it had to start somewhere. They began to work on a small array of photovoltaic cells. Next year the club will regroup, hopefully with more girls, to set up solar panels they have already assembled. This array will power a small area in the school such as a display case. Using this pilot to further their knowledge, the club hopes to apply for a grant in March 2011. When presenting their find-ings and ideas on the 21st of April, the community panel seemed skeptic but hopeful. There is still work to be done and all girls are welcome.

Renewable Energy Challenge

By Ryann Lynn

The 2011 Renewable Energy Challenge partcipants.

Letters to the Editor

The Pioneer April-May 2011

Documents

Transcript of The Pioneer April-May 2011