the pioneer

MAINE EAST HIGH SCHOOL • PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS • APRIL 2010

The ESL Club organized its first annual ESL Spelling Bee Contest at Maine East High School. The contest was open to all ESL students in levels one through five. The twenty students who participated in this event 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 qualified into the final round: Malu Raju, Binita Gandhi, and Altanshagai Ulziibat. The Grand Prize Win-ner, Malu Raju received an 18-speed mountain bike, second place winner Altanshagai Ulziibat received an iPod Shuffle, and third place winner Binita Gandhi received a $25 gift cer-tificate.

Kudos to the members of the ESL Club who raised prize money by selling candy, and to the organizers of the event, Mrs. Bruzan, Mrs. Cordero, and Mr. Ocampo.

How do you spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S ?

• The Pioneer APRIL 2010

Lost Boys William Mou and Arkangelo Dut visited Maine East on April 19th, gave a presentation to the sophomore English 2 classes, and answered ques-tions about their journey in Sudan and their lives in America.

The sophomore Eng-lish 2 classes are currently studying the book They Poured Fire On Us From the Sky, written by Alephonsian Deng, Benson Deng, and Benjamin Ajak, three other Lost Boys from Southern Sudan, as part of their re-quired course curriculum.

Each year, to help bring the story to life, the English Department invites lost boys to share their stories with the students.

“It’s one thing to read the story in class, but hear-ing about the stories from actual lost boys really puts things in perspective,” said sophomore Breanna Col-orina.

Mou and Dut talked about their experiences in Sudan, including their trav-els to Kenya and their living conditions in the refugee camp.

“[During our journey] we were forced to drink wet mud and sometimes even our own urine, so that our throats wouldn’t dry up,” said Dut.

Students were moved by the stories.

“The lost boys are re-ally down to earth, and I am glad that we got to hear their stories,” said sophomore Marie Moon.

The lost boys came from Kakuma, Kenya, where a refugee camp was set up by the United Nations. They originally lived in South Su-dan, the Christian region of

Sudan. In 1983, in the Sec-ond Sudanese Civil War, Is-lamic forces from the north and west came to South Su-dan and took over, looking to kill all the men. Twenty-seven thousand young boys set out on a journey to find protection. These boys be-came known as the Lost Boys, because they didn’t have any parents.

The boys walked bare-foot with little food and wa-ter to Ethiopia and Kenya to find safety. During their journey they faced diseases, insects, and wild animals.

In a 60 Minutes seg-ment played during the pre-sentation, a lost boy recalled facing a lion while walking. To the two lost boys present, this was not a surprise, but this did amaze the students.

“I can’t believe that the boys faced lions and other wild animals and weren’t scared,” said sophomore Xavier Ghani.

When the lost boys fi-nally arrived at the Kakuma refugee camp, they split up

into little communities were the group of boys looked af-ter one another. They lived in these communities with little help and resources for 18 years.

By 2001, the United States decided that they needed to help the lost boys. Every week, the U.S. chose 90 people from the refugee camp to bring to the United States.

Before leaving, the boys were trained in how to use basic commodities in the United States. They were introduced to “simple” things like light bulbs, re-mote controls, and snow.

“I was stunned when I heard they didn’t know how use a toilet,” said sophomore Sejla Bajramovic.

Once in America, the boys were given a place to stay for three month, then they were expected to find jobs and live on their own.

The boys were very en-thusiastic about finding jobs and getting an education. To them, education is the single

most important tool to suc-cess.

Many of the boys worked multiple jobs to pay for rent and school.

“It was impressive how even though the boys didn’t know many things about America they were ready to make a living on their own,” said sophomore Jenny Jo-seph.

Though working hard, the boys did find time for fun. Mou and Dut jokingly talked about their first and last experience in an Ameri-can club, their love for Ken-tuckhy Fried Chicken, and how they enjoy listening to hip-hop music.

After the September 11th attacks, the govern-ment decided to stop the weekly flights to Kukuma and until 2005 for security reasons.

The civil war in Sudan officially ended in 2005 and Sudan is slowly forming a new government. On April 11, Sudan held its first of-

By Yogi Patel

Lost Boys of Sudan visit Maine Eastficial elections for president and parliament, starting the transitional period after the Second Sudanese Civil War.

The elections were the first full elections in Sudan in 25 years. Although con-troversial, these elections bring hope to the people of Sudan for change and peace.

As of today, the lost boys in America continue to help the people of Sudan and fellow lost boys left behind in Kakuma. Mou and Dut are members of the group called Lost Boys Rebuilding Southern Sudan, an organization that aids people affected by the civil war in Sudan.

Through speaking en-gagements, collecting dona-tions, and selling T-shirts, the Lost Boys Rebuilding Southern Sudan collects money to send to Sudan.

For more information visit: rebuildingsouthernsudan.org

Lost Boy Arkangelo Dut talks about his struggles in escaping the civil war in Sudan.

William and Arkangelo demonstrate how they walked during the night in Sudan to appear bigger and more intimidating to aggressive wild animals.

The Pioneer • APRIL 2010

Plane crash wields devastating blow to PolandBy Kanwal Haque

The President of Po-land, his wife and ninety-six of the country’s top of-ficials died in a plane crash in Russia on April 10. There were no survivors.

The plane crashed in the western part of Russia after several attempts to land in thick fog. President Lech Kaczynski and the others had flown from War-saw to the site of where the massacre of the Polish of-ficers by Soviets in World War II. They had flown on a Russian plane that had been aging. The pilot at-tempted to land through the thick fog but missed and crashed into a grove of trees.

For Poland, the trage-dy was a crippling blow to its government, since most of the political leadership was lost. To move ahead, Poland’s parliament has already chosen June 20 as the date for the presidential elections.

Memorials have been held, in particular a memo-rial set in the heart of War-

saw, Poland. About 10,000 Poles came to give their last respects and mourn for their losses. There was a public viewing of Presi-dent Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria, on April 13 at the Presidential Pal-ace. The long line of peo-ple waiting to see them

reached from the square back to the presidential residence.

Many world leaders, such as President Obama and the French President, were unable to attend the Kaczynski funeral service because of the heavy vol-canic cloud from eruption

in Iceland that grounded flights for over a week throughout Europe.

Locally, there has been a noticeable outpour-ing of mourning amongst the Polish community, with many cars and houses displaying the familiar red-and-white Polish flag with

small bands of black across them.

“Of course I’m sad about the devastating blow,” said Maine East Polish Club President Na-talia Lyda. “But there’s nothing to do except to keep moving forward.”

Poles attend a public viewing of the President and his wife on April 13 at the Presidential Palace.

K u d o s...Principal Steven Isoye on being named the new Superintendent of the Oak Park-River Forest High School District.

... Aahuti Patel and Ebboney Wilson for winning gold medals at the District 207 Track Meet.

...Kajal Chokshi for placing first inStorytelling at the FCCLA competition in Springfield.

or

ne

rCongratulations to...

Student Council OfficersPresident – Sean Foley

Vice Presidents - Irena Dyduch, Alex NittiTreasurer – George Jabbour

2011 Class Council OfficersPresident – Karolina Blaszczuk

Vice President – Sean FoleySecretary – Veni VijayakumarTreasurer – Angela Thomas

2012 Class Council OfficersPresident – Anas Rattani

Vice President – Angela WongSecretary – Nisaa Rattani

Treasurer – George Jabbour

2013 Class Council OfficersPresident – Avni Gandhi

Maine East elects student leaders for 2010-2011 school year


Carlos Slim Helú: the new Richest Man on EarthBill Gates was the

wealthiest man on the plan-et Earth for almost 15 years due to his invention of the “Microsoft”® software pro-gram, but this all changed last year when a Mexican man by the name of Carlos Slim Helú was declared the richest man in the world by Forbes magazine.

The world was as-tounded to know that the 70 year old man, now living in Mexico, has a mind-bog-gling fortune of 53.5 billion dollars.

Slim was born on Jan-uary 28, 1940, in Mexico. His parents were Lebanese immigrants by the names of Julian Slim Haddad and Linda Helú. He was the fifth of six children. His father had a business called

Orient Star and a store named Medio Oriente, which Helú helped run as a child. He began to show his talent for managing money at the early age of 12 when he registered his inversions in bonds.

Helú graduated from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México with a career in civil engineer-ing. He married a woman named Soumaya Domit and they had six children to-gether. During this time he acquired various businesses from his father: Mexico’s biggest tobacco company, a factory, and Grupo San-borns.

In 1990 Carlos Slim Helú bought phone line company Teléfonos de México for $1.7 million when the former Mexican president Carlos Salinas de

Gortari sold it. In the mid 1990s Helú

acquired El Globo, a chain of confectionary shops from an Italian family. He also bought CompUSA for 800 million dollars.

In recent years he has acquired Bancos Inbursa, Inbursa Música, Grupo Carso, Condumex, Frisco, Techtel, Metrored, Sears, Altria, OfficeMax, and Saks Incorporated.

Carlos’ passion and especially his passion for business has taken him very far and he has landed the throne as the richest man on the planet with a fortune of $53.5 billion. Throughout the years he has used some of his money to support philanthropies relating to education, health, and cul-ture and has done a lot for the Mexican Republic.

By Omar Palafox

Amnesty Int’l fights for Myanmar’s free speech rightsBy Abigail Medrano

During the beginning of April, Maine East’s Am-nesty International kicked off their “I Stand with Suu Kyi” campaign by asking students and staff to pose with a poster of Suu Kyi and sign petitions.

“The purpose of this campaign was to fight for the rights of free speech in Myanmar,” said Komal Punjabi, senior & vice president of Amnesty In-ternational at Maine East. “We focused on the case of Aung San Suu Kyi who, we believe, has been wrongly imprisoned for speaking out.”

The State Law and Order Restoration Coun-cil (SLORC) has enforced strict laws about the issue of free speech in order to

oppress those who have disagreeing views. The SLORC sent the military to stop public demonstra-tions which lead to 3,000 killed and forced 10,000 to escape outside Myanmar’s borders.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, co-founded the National League for De-mocracy (NLD) to coun-ter the SLORC and ran for election on May 27, 1990. Suu Kyi won the

election by a landslide, but the SLORC refused to ac-knowledge the win and ar-rested Suu Kyi.

Since the election, the SLORC, now the State and Peace Development Coun-cil (SPDC), continues to

imprison those who speak against their government. Punjabi said that many of the prisoners, including Suu Kyi, are in poor health because of inadequate treatment.

“On the Amnesty In-ternational website, there is an action guide on the Suu Kyi case,” said Pun-jabi. “It contains a list of things people can do to fight for the freedom of speech in Myanmar and help release Suu Kyi and the others from their poor prison conditions.”

The pictures taken have been placed under Amnesty International’s Flickr username, “stand-withsuukyi.” The petitions were sent to Washington D.C. in order to be sent to the Myanmar government.

Senior students Maggie Tran (left) and Selma Muminovic (right) pose with posters of political prisoner Suu Kyi.

Carlos Slim Helú has replaced Bill Gates as the world’s wealthiest man.


On Friday April 16, Maine East participated in the National Day of Si-lence.

Students signed up to participate in this event, vowing to stay silent throughout the school day. The silence that hung heav-ily in the halls symbolized the silence people with dif-ferent sexual orientations are forced to face from much of society.

The National Day of Silence, which started in 1996, brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying, and harassment in schools. Each year this event grows and now hundreds of thousands of students participate na-tionwide. It is the largest student-led action toward creating safer schools for all students regardless of their sexual orientation.

GLSEN (gay, lesbian, straight, education net-

work), a national organiza-tion, promotes this yearly event. GLSEN seeks equal-ity for everyone and wants to ensure a happy and safe school environment for each and every student.

At Maine East High School, Ms. Jodi Reeser brought this significant day to the attention of students and faculty.

Ms. Reeser is a guid-ance counselor and the group leader for Maine

East’s gay-straight alliance meeting group. Ms. Reeser has led this group for about five years and tries her best to provide an outlet for kids who are bullied because of their sexual orientation.

This is the second year that Maine East has par-ticipated in this event, and there have been over one hundred participants each year.

“I have had friends who have been victims of

hate crimes and I feel that everyone should take an ef-fort to support their fellow students,” said Ms. Reeser.She added that one of the most important things to re-member concerning respect toward others is for every-one to choose their words carefully because you never know whom you could of-fend.

“It is very important for teachers and friends to take certain things into con-sideration and show respect toward everyone, no matter what their sexual orienta-tion is.” Reeser said. Re-eser’s work with students has helped give Maine East a happier, safer, and more accepting future for stu-dents who are made fun of because of their sexual ori-entation. Ms. Reeser con-siders her work with these students and some her most rewarding at East.

Students who partici-pated in the Day of Silence felt very proud of what they

Will you help break the silence?accomplished.

“I participated be-cause I strongly support the cause,” said sophomore Kevin Simonsen. “People shouldn’t judge others and should always be respect-ful.” Another student said he for his friends as well as to raise awareness on how this behavior affects others. “I believe that the partici-pants realize how much the lack of the ability to speak affects them,” he said. “They are now aware of what it is like to be forced into silence.”

It is sadly true that the silence symbolized by this event is still forced on people in society, but throughout our country sig-nificant changes have been made for people of different sexual orientations.

President Barack Obama believes that we should ensure and protect

By Emily Lapinski

Bullying has been around ever since man was created. It has been a nor-mal part of life. But should bullying be treated as nor-mal? So normal that a high school freshman girl would commit suicide because of bullying?

In a story that made national headlines, Phoebe Prince committed suicide on January 14 in South Hadley, Massachusetts, after being tormented and harassed by students at her new school.

Local law enforce-ment officials have made this case of high school bullying more than just a

moral issue, charging nine people with various crimes associated with the harass-ment that led to her death. Hopefully actions like this will help everyone realize that bullying is not just im-moral or “mean” behavior -- it’s criminal behavior.

Prince moved from Ireland to South Hadley, Massachusetts. She at-tended South Hadley High School and began dating a senior football player.

When students found out they were dating, some of the girls began picking on her out of jealousy, call-ing her names at school and continuing their bullying on online social websites.

There were vicious

Facebook threats and the bullies – boys and girls – stalked her and physically abused her. On Prince’s last day, someone threw a Monster Drink at her head when she was heading home. When she finally came home, she hanged herself in the stairway of her home. One of the bullies continued to post negative comments online about her after her death.

Teachers and admin-istrators reportedly knew about some of the harass-ment. According to news reports, Prince’s parents notified the school to do something about the bul-lying, but no disciplinary steps were taken against

the harrassers.When people are being

bullied, others sometimes walk away and ignore it. Even if the bullying is re-ported, the bullies are not always punished, like in

the Phoebe Prince case, until it is too late.

School should be a safe place for children to

Bullying is more than just mean – it’s criminalBy Ashly Chacko

see SILENCE,next page

Phoebe Prince committed suicide in January after relentless bullying by classmates.

see BULLYING,next page


adoption rights for all individuals regardless of their sexual orienta-tion is. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, no matter what the orientation of the parents is.

Recently, Obama issued a presidential memorandum to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, requiring that hospitals recognize a patient’s “designated partner” for the purposes of visi-tation and health con-sultation rights. This rule will dramatically impact LGBT Ameri-cans’ medical rights.

Though he has mostly avoided the controversial topic of marriage between peo-ple of the same sex, the President has said that he would support civil unions between gay and lesbian couples, as well as allow individ-ual states to determine whether these marriag-es should be legalized. Obama is trying to im-prove laws for people of different sexual ori-entation as much as he can without causing too much conflict.

The Day of Silence has truly become an important school event. It lets us students show our support for people, not only at Maine East but all over the world, who have different sexual orientations. We need to stop the unnec-essary violence as well as hate, and realize that we are all just people.

Tomorrow all students will take a series of state tests. While this is a normal practice for most of the stu-dents, the juniors will take the ACT’s. The ACT tests focus on student’s math, reading, English, science, and writing ability.

Even though school-wide state testing is tomor-row, juniors taking the ACT will be able to sign up for a retake in June. Most col-leges will accept the best composite score, so if you are nervous for tomorrow, relax and remember that you have a second chance. The national retake day is June 12th, but students must register by May 7th.

Visit ACTstudent.org for more information on test dates.

Students looking to prepare have a variety of options. Many junior class teachers have been using the past month to properly prepare their students. Stu-dents have been introduced to websites like ACTropolis. Most English teachers have students practice a series of tests, challenging their reading comprehension and writing ability.

A site like ACTropo-lis generally costs money to access, which may be out of reach for some stu-dents; however, District 207 provided accounts for the juniors this year. There are also other resources that students can utilize to help

them on their ACTs.Juniors this year have

more help than before. Many new forms of prepa-ration exist that can be op-tions for everyone. Those interested in taking practice tests in their free time can go to the library and check out an ACT prep book.

The main problem during tests that most stu-dents face is the issue of time. Many students feel in-timidated by the amount of questions they are expected to answer in a short amount of time.

“Ten extra minutes on reading would help tremen-dously,” said junior John Gewargis.

The best way to man-age time during a test is to keep a watch or clock in front of you. Remember to pace yourself and skip lengthy questions. If you are completely out of time and must guess, pick one letter and guess that for the

remaining few questions.It is good to prepare

right before the test. Before you take any test it is a good idea to eat healthy. Eggs, fruits, vegetables, and fish are the most common brain food to eat in the morning. Remember to drink plenty of water.

While the juniors take the most important test, freshman and sophomores should treat their tests just as seriously. First, these tests will give you a rough estimate of what your ACT score will be; second, your performance will affect your class placement for the next couple years. On the other hand, low-scoring students scoring low should not be overly anxious. Over the next year or two your scores can increase drasti-cally, with hard work and lots of practice.

Nervous test takers should remember that it is important to eat a healthy

By Shaun Kuriakose

Students prepare to take the ACT

If you are running out of time remember to pick one letter and use it for the remaining questions.

breakfast before the test, and to get a good sleep (at least 7-8 hours) the night before.

The surplus of ACT prep options is so high that everyone has the opportu-nity to improve his or her test score.

Top ACT prep books

1. The REAL ACT Prep Guide

2. Cracking the ACT

3 McGraw Hill's ACT

SILENCE, cont.from page 5

attend, learn, and grow, but some schools aren’t. Schools should take more

action to eliminate all types of bullying because it is morally wrong. No one should be bullied because it is a form of abuse.

According to Maine

East dean Mr. Scott Lloyd, bullies are like pedophiles – they know whom to target to make themselves look powerful. Just like mo-lesting a person should be

BULLYING, cont.from page 5

punished, bullying should be punished. Molesting and bullying are different types of abuse, but abuse is abuse. Bullying should not be tolerated.


The Maine East librar-ians kicked off National Library Week this year on April 12. This national event is held around mid-April every year. With the many planned activities, the stu-dents were able to celebrate this national event with fun.

National Library Week celebrates the service the library does for the commu-nity and the students. The librarians raise awareness of programs and services offered that students should utilize.

The Maine East li-brarian staff was able to provide the students with

Read all about it: National Library WeekBy Josh Swoboda

The Maine East librarians, who planned and executed a successful Library Week.

Senior Paul Kim plays the piano. Senior Ted Balca performs a poem. Jessica Gammell performs in the LRC during the Talent Show.

see LIBRARY,page 10

The Pioneer StaffEditor-in-Chief: Yogi Patel

Nikko AndriotisAshly ChackoKanwal HaqueShaun Kuriakose

Reporters/Photographers/Editors:Emily Lapinski

Chris LevySamantha Lento Abigail Medrano

The Pioneer is dedicated to reporting on news, entertainment, and sports events for Maine East High School and the surrounding com-munity. The Pioneer is distributed to students, staff, and a limited mailing list. Submit story suggestions, photos, letters to the editor, or comments regarding the content of the newspaper to sponsor Matt Miller via email: [email protected].

FOR ONLINE PDF FILES of THE PIONEER:http://tinyurl.com/Pioneer0910

TO APPLY FOR THE 2010-2011 PIONEER STAFF, PLEASE SUBMIT AN ONLINE APPLICATION:

http://bit.ly/PioneerApplication2010

Donald NarssoErika OppermanOmar PalafoxJosh Swoboda


The Demon Depot may have just opened on March 15, but it has been a work in progress since Sep-tember 2008 when it started as a DECA project conduct-ed in Mr. Lasky’s and Mr. Baysingar’s Business Work Program Class.

Because this project sparked such student inter-est, the two teachers decided to team up with business ed-ucation teacher Mr. Schwan to create and present a busi-ness plan to Principle Isoye and Assistant Principle for students, Mr. Dilegge about

the Demon Depot. “It is a great educational experi-ence,” said Mr. Schwan.

As soon as the busi-ness plan was authorized by school officials, plans for construction in the cafeteria began in December.

Because funds for DECA have been cut by District 207, the Demon Depot was created to raise money for DECA activi-ties and the School Based Health Center.

Not only is the De-mon Depot raising funds for DECA activities and the SBHC, but it is also a great place to buy School Spirit

IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

By Samantha Lento Wear as well as affordable snacks.

School Spirit Wear, in-cluding the ultra cool SBHC hoodies, range from ten dol-lars up to thirty.

The Demon Depot is opened every day during eighth and ninth periods, where you will find Mr. Lasky and his students run-ning the show. Students help out with accounting records, budgeting, and or-dering systems.

“This is a great oppor-tunity for students to learn real life business practices,” said Mr. Lasky. “And have fun at the same time!”

Mr. Baysingar helps out at the recently opened Demon Depot. The Depot sells school sportswear and affordable snacks.

“It’s nice to have a cheaper option than

the snack shop.”•••

Srdjan Vasilic

“Nice to have access to food when the

snack shop is closed.“•••

Michelle Purchess

“Great Idea.“•••

Cyrano Roche

“I think it’s a cool idea.”

•••Angela Juister

“Cheap and convenient.“

•••Shaniecka Price

“It’s cheaper than the snack shop.”

•••Divante Teague

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW

DEMON DEPOT?

phot pinion


By Nikko Andriotis

Don't break your bank for PromOne of the most ex-

pensive events for any high school junior or se-nior is the Senior Prom.

From dresses and tuxedos to limou-sines, fancy din-ners, after parties and p o s t - p r o m gatherings, it can really add up.

However, if you take the time to look for deals or less costly options, you can save a lot of money and be able to remem-ber prom for more than just the dollar signs.

Of course there are some expenses that are unavoid-able, such as the ticket

for the dance it-self, but there

are ways to cut out little ex-tras that can

add up to tremendous savings.

Hiring a limo is a popular way of arriving at Prom, but it doesn’t come cheap. Sharing the cost with other couples

who are also a t t e n d i n g prom is a good way to m a k e this lux-ury more affordable. Plus it can be fun to arrive together as a group.

“My group is tak-ing a limo and we are all splitting the cost,” says senior Joy Ocampo. “And because our group

is big the cost per person is very cheap.”

However you choose to go for transportation, be sure to shop around to get

the best deals. Gener-ally speaking, the costs of hiring a

limo will rise as you get closer to

prom night, so it can also pay off to

b o o k early for a good deal.

For girls who want to save money on their prom night, some do

t h e i r own hair a n d make-up. This makes a trip to the beauty salon a waste of time

and money. Also, girls, don’t spend money on an expensive pair Jimmy Choo’s -- after the din-ner portion of the eve-ning is the dance, and

girls usually don’t have their shoes on for

more than a half-hour.

F o r guys look-ing to avoid high costs and still look g r e a t , going to get fit-ted for a t u x e d o earlier s a v e s money. S o m e

t u x e d o r e n t a l

p l a c e s give you a

better deal on your suit if you reserve it before May.

Also, guys, you can wear dress shoes rather than spend-ing money to rent the shoes from the rental place.

Prom can be the most ex-pensive event in your high school years if you let it.

There are many things you can do to cut down the expens-es. Just make sure you budget your money and time.


A Meeting of the Gods

To-ga, to-ga, to-ga! The Junior Class

Council decided to can-cel the Junior Prom this year. Instead, with support from Assistant Principal Mr. DiLegge, the Class of 2011 will sponsor a Spring Dance open to the whole school.

This will not be your typical school dance: “A Meeting of the Gods” will be a toga party!

After only 36 people attended the 2009 Junior Prom, changes needed to be made. “There is no rea-son to put out money for an event that such a small por-tion of the class attends,” said Junior Class Sponsor Mr. Salefski. A junior class council member suggested a non-traditional junior prom -- a Toga Party. The Junior Class Council really liked the idea, polled the junior class, and the ma-jority of the class favored the decision, according to Salefski.

Another important decision was to open the dance up to the entire school. “A dance like this hasn’t happened at Maine East since the 80s,” said Salefski. “We wanted to give everybody a chance to attend.”

The dance will still feature the juniors, and it will be clear that this is still their dance. Ticket prices are half-off for juniors, and they will receive a free door prize at the dance. Additionally, there will be

other suprises and give-aways, as well as a Junior-Class-only Toga Contest.

Considering some of the stereotypes that come to mind when one hears the words “Toga Party”, there is a certain responsibility that students attending the event must uphold.

“Students may think it is acceptable to wear a toga and nothing else -- that is NOT acceptable,” said Mr. Salefski. Students must wear at least a tank top and shorts. Monitors at the door will send home any violators, with no refund.

Many students are en-thusiastic about the chang-es to this event.

“Togas are legit,” said junior Joe Disclafani. “It seems like it should be fun!”

“If there’s a toga par-ty, I’m there,” said senior Lorenz Arce.

Opening the dance to everyone in the school broadens the appeal of this event, creating the possibility of significantly higher attendance than in previous years.

Tickets prices for “Meeting of the Gods”, hosted by the Junior Class, are $10 for Freshman, Sophomores, and Seniors, and only $5 for Juniors. Tickets go on sale in the Demon Depot from Mon-day, May 3rd through Fri-day, May 21st.

The dance will take place on Saturday, May 22nd, from 7-10 p.m. in the ABDC Gymnasium. The doors open at 6:30 p.m.

By Sean Foley

Additional reporting by Chris Levy

many games and activities all week.

“We all enjoy watching the students have fun,” said librarian Mrs. Shami Azra. “It’s all about the kids.”

This year’s activities consisted of guessing games, talent shows, the “Are You Smarter Than a Maine East

Teacher?” game show, a question and answer game, and poetry performances from more than 25 Gemini middle school students.

The talent show perfor-mances, seen throughout the week, consisted of singing, dancing, poetry recitation, and some other musical performances. With around forty performances, many prizes were given out, in-

cluding Wendy’s gift cards, Pickwick movie theatre gift cards, posters, T-shirts, and much more.

National Library Week was another great success for the Maine East library staff.

“Seeing the students get excited is the best part,” said librarian Mrs. Terri Berkowitz. “That’s why we do this!”

LIBRARY, cont.from page 7

THE PIONEER NEWSPAPER IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2010-2011 STAFF!

Fil l out an online application here :

http ://bit. ly/PioneerApplication2010

LIKE WRITING OR TAKING PICTURES?

LIKE TALKING TO PEOPLE?

WANT TO SEE YOUR NAMEIN PRINT NEXT YEAR?

The Fox hit television show 24 is coming to an end after 8 seasons of intense crime fighting, conspiracy halting, and arresting terror-ists.

The series has been nominated for 68 Emmy Awards. In 2006, it won Out-standing Drama in a Series. Lead actor Kiefer Suther-land, who plays Jack Bauer, has been nominated for 7 Emmys and won Outstand-ing Lead Actor.

The show is about how a CTU (Counter Terror-ist Unit) agent, Bauer, goes through a normal day of work in law enforcement.

Whether chasing terrorists, getting hostages back alive, or protecting the lives of the people in the United States, Bauer does whatever neces-sary to get the job done. But the work that’s normal for him is an intense, suspense-ful thriller for the audience.

What makes the show unique is that the plot unfolds in real time -- each hour-long episode represents one hour of plot. Each season is one whole day, and the sum of all eight seasons has only rep-resented a little more than a week’s worth of time.

Ending the show was a mutual decision between the executive board at FOX and Kiefer Sutherland.

“I absolutely believe that creatively we finish in a really strong place,” Suther-land told Variety magazine. “Jack Bauer’s plight is going to be pretty clear.”

The show’s final episode will air on May 24th but for fans who can’t get enough of 24 will just have to wait for the 2011 release of the movie based on the show -- it is cur-rently being filmed.

By Chris Levy

Time finally runs out on popular Fox show


APRIL SHOWERS1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9

10 11

12

13 14 15

16 17

18 19 20

21 22 23

24 25 26 27

28

29 30

31

32 33

34

35 36

Across5. Popular TV show: American _____6. Chicago basketball star _____ Noah9. Celebrity cheater: Jesse _____11. Day of _____12. Prom flower13. Recent plane crash locale14. Spring sport: girls _____16. Richest man: Carlos _____ Helú17. June, July, and August: _____ vacation18. Chicago hockey star: Patrick _____25. Chicago baseball team27. Canceled concert band: We the _____28. Chicago hockey star: Jonathan _____29. How to Train Your _____30. NBA superstar _____ James32. Celebrity cheater: _____ Woods33. Chicago basketball team34. Former Richest man: Bill _____35. Fancy ride36. April showers bring May _____

Down1. April is _____ Month2. Senior _____ Night3. Spring sport: boys _____4. Renegade conservative political group: _____ _____7. Major golf tournament in April: The _____8. Someone who picks on others10. Chicago basketball star: _____ Rose15. Bulls' 1st round playoff opponent16. Fancy end-of-the-year dance19. Important national test for juniors20. New judge on popular Fox TV show21. Clash of the _____22. New store at M.E.: Demon _____23. Outdoor meal24. _____ Care Reform26. Chicago hockey team31. Chicago baseball team


5 6 7 8 9

10 11

12

13 14 15

16 17

18 19 20

21 22 23

24 25 26 27

28

29 30

31

32 33

34

35 36




5 6 7 8 9

10 11

12

13 14 15

16 17

18 19 20

21 22 23

24 25 26 27

28

29 30

31

32 33

34

35 36




5 6 7 8 9

10 11

12

13 14 15

16 17

18 19 20

21 22 23

24 25 26 27

28

29 30

31

32 33

34

35 36



APRIL WORD SEARCH

4/24/10 12:35 PMWord Search Puzzle

Page 1 of 1http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/code/BuildWordSearch.asp

WORD SEARCH

O K T W V Q A P T F E O Y W E N G V X D W F I O H S Z G X E T L L T M U U R E N A V T C P R M L O Q A O S K S X D C T E H S A R C E N A L P Y P K P S E N F N K M Z N H R Z D O D O J R A O O E N I H E O O S L L U B N V E H E F R L L S M H E R K H O R O S C O P E T H I T U A N A W P Z K G Z X D Y N M B A S T O Y L N R U Y G K K W L I M N A E W Y M M G P Y D A E G A S R O C A L I S D I F M D B C L B A B U H M X V L V E C L U R Z G W I Y U V V Y Y O V U A O T E U Y G A S B G L L G S F Z Q T R V I S G M B I Q R V P G L T E Q A Z E U G D W Z H L Z A R F T Z Y F M T W F Q E B S K C V J R B P C N V I W Y E O R R L B X Y E P Y M E F U U V N I Y V L O L L Y M N S I Q U R N L I R G K B E C K O F R A D D Q I S I P A Z C H L L C M R Q E J Q O B D R A G O N K F P G M E G C Y I M L M V T H E M T R C U Y

AMNESTYBULLSBULLYINGCORSAGEDEMONDEPOTDRAGONHOROSCOPEKANELIBRARYIDOLLIMOUSINEPLANECRASHPOLANDPROMSILENCESOFTBALLTEAPARTYTIGERTITANSWATERPOLOWEEKEND

Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com

Search for words found in the other two puz-zles on this page. Words can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, forwards, or backwards.

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD PUZZLE, WORD SEARCH, &WORD SCRAMBLE ARE ON PAGE 12

4/25/10 3:03 PMDouble Puzzle

Page 1 of 1http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/code/BuildDoublePuzzle.asp

APRIL JUMBLE

Unscramble each of the clue words.Take the letters that appear in boxes and unscramble them for the finalmessage.




APRIL JUMBLE





APRIL JUMBLE





APRIL JUMBLE





APRIL JUMBLE





APRIL JUMBLE





APRIL JUMBLE





APRIL JUMBLE



APRIL WORD SCRAMBLE


Your April Horoscope

PISCESYou will have you agenda book this entire month. You might also get into a small fight with one of your close friends but it will all be cool by the end of the month

ARIESJupiter will help you get organized at school this month. The align-ment of the stars will also give you luck in the love department so expect meeting a new lover.

TAURUSYou will see a new side of your buddy that you have never seen before. At school, teachers will see your academic skills on display and be impressed.

GEMINILately you have been crushing on 2 people but only one is interested in you. You will help to consult your best friend since he/she will be up-set by her crush. Ex-tra credit will help you pump up your grades.

CANCERYou will try something new at school and you’ll discover a hidden talent. You will also reconnect with an old friend that you haven’t talked to in a long time.

LEOA class project that has been stressing you out will go very well. You will also meet someone new that may not seem like your type at first but you two will connect.

VIRGOYou will meet a new friend this month. Your crush will invite you to hang out and you two will have an awesome time. You will fell much better after you tell your friend you have been feeling left out lately.

LIBRAYou are having a blast being single. Your friend is having some problems so be ready to give ad-vice.

SCORPIOOne friend of yours will tell you some family troubles. After a stress-ful time at school, you will have time to relax.

SAGITTARIUS You will want to have some time off from your friends for a little while. You will ace a big test at school.

CAPRICORNYou have been distant from your best friends for a while. Try to spend a bit more time with them.

AQUARIUSA new crush is heading your way. You will share a deep dark secret with your best friend.

APRIL SHOWERSP1

H2

T3

T4

I5

DOLJ6

OAKIM7

B8

EJ9

AMESENAUNATD

10OS

11ILENCEP

C12

ORSAGERTLIAYR

13USSIAEYS

14OCC

15ER

RRATS16

LIMS17

UMMERVYK18

A19

NECAD20

CNKT21

D22

LP23

EH24

TIW25

HITESOXW26

L27

IVINGET

28OEWSTPOECE

ARD29

RAGONL30

EBRONNLPC

31NTVSIE

T32

IGERB33

ULLSECRHOBG

34ATESE

L35

IMOUSINEF36

LOWERS

Across5. Popular TV show: American _____ [IDOL] 6. Chicago basketball star _____ Noah [JOAKIM] 9. Celebrity cheater: Jesse _____ [JAMES] 11. Day of _____ [SILENCE] 12. Prom flower [CORSAGE] 13. Recent plane crash locale [RUSSIA] 14. Spring sport: girls _____ [SOCCER] 16. Richest man: Carlos _____ Helú [SLIM] 17. June, July, and August: _____ vacation [SUMMER] 18. Chicago hockey star: Patrick _____ [KANE] 25. Chicago baseball team [WHITESOX] 27. Canceled concert band: We the _____ [LIVING] 28. Chicago hockey star: Jonathan _____ [TOEWS] 29. How to Train Your _____ [DRAGON] 30. NBA superstar _____ James [LEBRON] 32. Celebrity cheater: _____ Woods [TIGER] 33. Chicago basketball team [BULLS] 34. Former Richest man: Bill _____ [GATES] 35. Fancy ride [LIMOUSINE] 36. April showers bring May _____ [FLOWERS]

Down1. April is _____ Month [POETRY] 2. Senior _____ Night [HONORS] 3. Spring sport: boys _____ [TENNIS] 4. Renegade conservative political group: _____ _____ [TEAPARTY] 7. Major golf tournament in April: The _____ [MASTERS] 8. Someone who picks on others [BULLY] 10. Chicago basketball star: _____ Rose [DERRICK] 15. Bulls' 1st round playoff opponent [CAVALIERS] 16. Fancy end-of-the-year dance [SENIORPROM] 19. Important national test for juniors [ACT] 20. New judge on popular Fox TV show [DEGENERES] 21. Clash of the _____ [TITANS] 22. New store at M.E.: Demon _____ [DEPOT] 23. Outdoor meal [PICNIC] 24. _____ Care Reform [HEALTH] 26. Chicago hockey team [WOLVES] 31. Chicago baseball team [CUBS]

4/24/10 12:35 PM http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/code/PuzzleSolution.asp?submit2=Solution

Page 1 of 1

Solution

+ + T + + + + + T + + O Y + + + + + + D + + I O + + + + + E + L + T + + + + E N + + T + P + + + + + A O + + S + + C + E H S A R C E N A L P + P + P S E N + N K M + N + + + D + + + + R A O O E N I + E O + S L L U B N + + + E F R L L S M + E R + H O R O S C O P E T + I T U A + A W P + + + + + + + + M B A S + O Y + N + + + + + + + + + + + A E W + M + + + + D + E G A S R O C + L + + D I + + + + + L B + + + + + + + L + + + L + + + + + I + U + + + + + + + + + T + + + + + + B + + L + + + + + + + + I + + + + + + R + + + L + + + + + + + G + + + + + + A + + + + Y + + + + + + E + + + + + + R + + + + + I + + + + + R + + + + + + Y + E + + + + N + + + + + + + + + + + I + + + N + + + G + + + + + + + + + + D + + + + + A + + + + + + + + + + + + O + D R A G O N K + + + + + + + + + + L + + + + + + + + + + +

(Over,Down,Direction) AMNESTY(19,7,NW)BULLS(7,6,W)

BULLYING(20,10,S)CORSAGE(7,10,W)

DEMONDEPOT(12,10,NW)DRAGON(12,19,E)HOROSCOPE(3,7,E)KANE(18,19,NW)

LIBRARYIDOL(19,10,SW)LIMOUSINE(12,11,NE)PLANECRASH(10,4,W)POLAND(14,4,SE)PROM(1,8,N)

SILENCE(13,8,NE)SOFTBALL(15,4,SW)TEAPARTY(9,1,SE)TIGER(10,12,SW)TITANS(3,1,S)

WATERPOLO(12,9,N)WEEKEND(20,7,N)

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES FROM PAGE 11

WEALTHIEST MANPOLANDAMNESTYBULLYING

PLANE CRASHDEMON DEPOT

LIMOUSINEPROM

TITANSHOROSCOPEWEEKEND

BULLSLIBRARY IDOL

LOST BOYS OF SUDAN

Final Message:APRIL SHOWERS

BRING MAY FLOWERS

CROSSWORD PUZZLE WORD SEARCH WORD SCRAMBLE

By Omar Palafox


What would happen if you were the child of a Vi-king Chief and couldn’t kill a dragon? That is the ques-tion Hiccup was figuring out during the movie “How to Train Your Dragon.” Hiccup (voiced by Jay Ba-ruchel) the son of the great Viking chief Stoik (voiced by Gerard Butler) wants to be just like the other Viking teens in his village and kill dragons. One day when he catches a Night Fury that he names toothless, he re-alizes that he can’t kill him and wants to find out if ev-erything he knows about dragons is true. Befriend toothless Hiccup realizes that dragons are no more dangerous than a Viking for they both are protecting themselves and have no in-tention of destruction.

Bringing this story to life are directors Chris-

topher Sanders and Dean Deblois, both who created the quirky movie “Lilo and Stitch” along with its se-quels. Many people who see the movie will resemblances of Stitch in Toothless. Such as some of his facial expres-sions and facial features such as his eyes and ears. The directors and produc-ers originally took tooth-less’s movement from those of a cat and some of a dog. Many of the movements are easy to see such as when toothless slinks down rocks like a cat would slink off a chair. There are not many references to a dog except toothless being very protec-tive of Hiccup.

But there is something different about this movie; Toothless is handicapped due to losing one of his tail rutters when Hiccup hit him. At the end of the movie when Hiccup de-feats the large dragon that

is controlling the others, he loses his foot becoming handicapped. This movie may have a happy ending but this movie shows that something happens to the main characters but they can live normal lives with their disabilities.

Even though the mov-ie is in both 3D and 2D it doesn’t matter how you see this movie. The flying scenes will take your breath either way by making you feeling like you we riding Toothless yourself. This movie bring a heartwarm-ing moral that shows you that if you do what you be-lieve is right and you want to tell someone their wrong you should go ahead. In my opinion this movie de-serves at least 4 stars for its story and flying scenes. But a warning to those with younger siblings there are some parts in the movie that may scare them.

By Erika Oppermann

What do you get when you mix the story of Perseus with twenty-first-century graphics? An amazing re-telling of a classic myth, with all the right touch-ups to boot.

From his fight with Medusa to the rescue of Andromeda, the new Clash of the Titans is filled with plenty of action and enough mythology to help give you idea.

“It perfectly expresses every detail in the myth, if you’ve never heard about it,” said student Ted Balca.

Each cast member seemed to fit his or her role perfectly, and no one better than Liam Neeson and Sam Worthington as Zeus and Perseus. Neeson, perhaps best known for playing the

wise Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars series and voicing Aslan the Lion in the Narnia series, had the right attitude to make the rul-er of the gods come to life.

Worthington, known for his recent role as Jake Sulley in the movie “Ava-tar”, brings the same can-do attitude to Perseus as he did to Jake. These two actors bring a great touch to the movie and really bring the characters to life on the big screen.

Even though this is dif-ferent from the 1981 version it gives us a small peek of the old movie thank to an Easter egg in one of the scenes in the middle of the movie.

This makes a different take on the tale unlike this movie in which you see Per-ceus’s life change before his eyes. From being a Fisher-

man’s son to discovering he is the son of Zeus and sav-ing Archos. This is a heart beating, adrenaline pumping movie that keeps you cheer-ing all the way through it.

This is a movie I would recommend action movie fans and history fans alike to see. It will defiantly keep you on the edge your seat while giving you a glimpse into the intricate history and stories of ancient Greece.

Although many people who have seen the original 1981 version say that the old one is better. I must disagree, seeing the old version brings shame to the story of Perceus and his adventures. This version deserves at least four stars for its accuracy, great casting and amazing effects. It doesn’t matter if it’s in 3D or 2D

“Clash of the Titans” reaches Mount OlympusBy Erika Oppermann

SPORTS

Year: SeniorHeight: 6’2”

Weight: 180 lbs.

Favorite Athlete:Kobe Bryant

Favorite Food:Popeyes Chicken

Favorite Subject: Drama

Favorite M.E. Lunch: Chicken Wrap

Ran a State-qualifying time of 39.0 seconds in the 300

meter hurdles•••

Central Suburban League Athlete of the Week for

Track•••

First place in two hurdle events at the Maine East

Indoor Invitational

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Athlete on the Spot: Cyrano Roche

The Chicago Bulls finished off their season with the same re-cord as last season: 41 wins and 41 losses. Emerging NBA super-star Derrick Rose averaged 20.8 points a game -- a career high -- and seems to be leading the Bulls in the right direction.

The Bulls had to fight hard at the end of the regular season as they were in the running for 8th place with the Toronto Raptors.

After trading John Salmons to the Milwaukee Bucks and Tyrus Thomas to the Charlotte Bobcats, the Bulls won their last three games to earn the last playoff spot in the Eastern Con-ference and a matchup with the darlings of the NBA this season: Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Coming into the playoffs, star center for the Bulls, Joakim Noah has been Cleveland’s num-ber one enemy this season.

The Bulls were dominated in Game 1 against the Cavs, but kept Game 2 closer than expected. In Game 3, the Bulls shocked fans as they came through and won at home.

The odds are still against the Bulls right now, but they have developed some confidence that should pay off, even if it doesn’t mean winning this series against the Cavaliers. “We need to have swagger, we need to be tough,” said Rose.

Unfortunately, the Bulls lost most of their swagger in Game 4, losing to the Cavaliers 121-98, as Lebron James went for a triple-double with 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Rebirth of a Franchise?By Donald Narsso

Derrick Rose continues to improve his game and the Bulls team.

The Maine East softball team has won eight out of 18 games so far this season, including an exciting early season win against Highland Park, snapping a years-long conference los-ing streak. Then the girls never looked back.

According to Cara DeBenedictis, one of the most memorable moments

of the season for the team was win-ning their first conference game against Highland Park.

“What I like this year about the team is that we all play together so well,” said DeBenedictis.

As the season winds down, the team will face many of their conference foes a second time. The Demons plan to work hard to not just avoid losing, but to have more conference wins.

Softball team ends losing streak, continues winning

in a resurgent seasonBy Yogi Patel

the pioneer

Documents

actual lost boys

lost boys fi

lost boys present

group of boys

young boys

lost boys william mou

esl students

sophomore english