The
ioneer
November 22, 2013 Maine East High School Park Ridge, Illinois @mehspioneer
So You Think The Maine East X-Idol's Got Talent Factor? Also in this issue :
Matt Dumay kicks it with the Jazz Band at the 2013 V-Show
Tallest Tower * Literary Advice * Typhoon Haiyan * History of Demon Logo
A-spire-ing to new heights By Damaris Gonzalez
Next year, the tallest building in the United States will open, leaving the beloved Willis Tower, standing 527 meters (1729’), at number two. One World Trade Center, standing 541 meters tall (or 1776’), has been declared the tallest building by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Many questioned the measurement, since the new building’s measurement included “spires” or antennas.
The council met on November 8 to discuss the conflict. Last week they announced that the antenna indeed was part of the structure of the building, leaving One World Trade Center number one. They considered the building to have a “spire” rather than an antenna, like the Willis Tower.
Without the antennas or “spires,” the Willis Tower would have kept its title with a height of 1,354’, much taller than One World Trade Center’s 1,268’. The “spire” should only count if “it has any benefits to the tower, besides being just a display piece,” according to sophomore Jordimar Arriaga. Sophomore Rebecca Joseph said that the spire should not
count because “you can’t actually go in it.” According to the committee that made the decision, they consider the spire to be an “architectural element”. This being said, Shahzeb Fazal, Junior says “if it’s a part of the building then it should technically count because it is attached to it”. From a professional point of view, Maine East’s very own construction instructor, Mr. Kaiser has a few words for this monumental debate. From his experience and opinion he thinks there should be two separate categories, “the tallest habitable space” and
Chicago’s Willis Tower is now the second tallest building in the United States.
the “tallest human made structure.” Kaiser feels that the tallest habitable space should be determined by only counting the accessible floors, which would be used as a work area or a place for leisure. And the tallest man made structure should be the tallest structure man has made on this earth. Though the One World Trade Center Tower will open next year as the Tallest Building in the United States, Chicago land’s beautifully unique structure, the Willis Tower, will always be number one in many people’s hearts; just like how it will always be considered the “Sears” Tower. READER POLL: Do you agree with the decision of the Committee? Scan this QR code with your phone to respond:
EDITORS
Princy Daniel • Damaris Gonzalez Veronica Malesinski
The Pioneer Maine East High School Park Ridge, Illinois November 22, 2013 2 | THE PIONEER | November 22, 2013
REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Pauline Areno Erica Hofmann Alishah Rizvi Saunak Arora Sara Khan Kathleen Rojas Jenna Berkowski Matt Kniazuk Elanta Slowek Ewa Bogdan Jose Mauras Christian Valeria Joseph Caldwell Nishit Patel Roseanne Villafania Melanie Hively Lenin Philip Abdul Rehman
The Pioneer reports on news, entertainment, and sports events for Maine East High School and the surrounding community. The Pioneer is distributed to students, staff, and a limited mailing list. Submit story suggestions, photos, letters to the editor, or comments to sponsor Matt Miller or assistant sponsor Dave Hessert via email: mmiller@maine207.org –– dhessert@maine207.org.
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The LONG and short OF IT
By Tazrin Choudhury
Chem II students demonstrate handson learning for parents at P4 Night By Princy Daniel Last Wednesday, Chemistry II students gathered for a night of posters, presentations, papers, and pizza! The catchy slogan, invented by Ms. Sabatello, is an initiative to get parents involved in the lives of their students and to help parents learn more about what is going on inside the classroom. The Chem II students recently finished a unit on heat energy and energy con-
servation. After watching a movie about the various ways to conserve energy, the students were given a task. They were each assigned a different type of energy conservation method to research. Each student had to create a visual that would help the class understand the specific method of conservation and that would
see CHEMISTRY, page 5
Haiyan ranks amongst worst storms ever By James Caldwell Typhoon Haiyan left thousands dead and millions of dollars in property damage. This typhoon in the Western Pacific is one of the worst storms ever. The thirteenth named storm of the 2013 typhoon season, Haiyan killed thousands of people and affected hundreds of thousands in the areas of Vietnam, Southern China, Micronesia, and the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan destroyed many homes, schools, and an airport in the eastern city Tacloban. While about 1,800 deaths have been confirmed, there are estimated to be over 10,000 deaths and more than 600,000 people have been displaced. Haiyan originated in the Federated States of Micronesia on November 2, and continued to
move west towards the Philippines. The storm began intensifying the next three days until November 6 when it was assessed as a Category-5 super typhoon. Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale being at over 157 miles per hour. On November 7 the storm would reach the Philippines while reaching its maximum speed of 190 miles per hour, which is the fourth most intense tropical cyclone recorded. This typhoon made about 5 landfalls in the Philippines before traveling to the South China sea. Turning northwestward, the typhoon eventually struck northern Vietnam as a severe tropical storm on November 10. Haiyan was last noted as a tropical depression by the JMA the following day.
Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc across the islands of the Philippines. Officials fear the storm may be responsible for as many as 10,000 deaths.
November 22, 2013 | THE PIONEER | 3
Literary Life Lessons: an advice column
Students in Mr. Lundberg’s English 4 and Ms. Reitz’s Literature of Chicago classes used their summer reading books to craft advice columns to Maine East students in need. (Okay, the advice-seekers are made up, but we think you’ll agree that their problems are real enough!) This month's advice columnist is Rosie Gonzalez from Mr. Lundberg's 2nd period English 4 class. everything bundled up. I talk to my friends about it, but they don’t understand. They always tell me the same thing, to just “fight her already and to make her cry.” Some people just don’t get what I go through with my family. I don’t know what to do. Please help me. How do I get along with her? Sincerely, Girl Who Needs a Break
**** Dear Rosie, I am a 17 year old girl in high school who has family problems at home. It all started when my little sister was born and grew into an annoying 14 year old. She used to be into Barbies and dolls and would never bother me because she always had her little friends come over the house to play dress up and all that stuff. Ever since we moved, though, she states she does not have many people to hang out with, so now her hobby is to fight with me and annoy me. The thing is, the reason we’ve been fighting a lot more is because I had this thing with a guy. I had feelings for him and we would hang out a lot ‘til he finally got what he wanted and never spoke to me again. I never told anybody about what happened, but I got hurt and angry, and the only person I can take my anger out on is my little sister. She provokes me a lot, and I constantly tell my parents to tell her to stop and to leave me alone. All they have to say is, “She’s your younger sister and you have to nice and you have to be an example and all she wants to do is hang out with you.” Blah, blah, blah…whatever! I don’t want to hit her because then I will look like the bad one. I sometimes feel like yelling at her and telling her to “shut up,” but then I humble myself and later on regret keeping 4 | THE PIONEER | November 22, 2013
Dear Girl Who Needs a Break, Your situation with your sister is very common yet very difficult because little brothers and sisters are a pain. I get that. And there’s that guy you once had a thing with. You may fight with your sister all the time, but in the end she will always be your sister and you guys will always love each other. Now I know you don’t want to hear the same advice you always hear. So here it goes—the other day I was reading a book called Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. The reason I brought up the book was because there is a part in the book that relates to your situation. While I was reading your letter, I felt as if you were upset about that boy more than your sister. And since he doesn’t talk to you anymore, any little thing that your sister does annoys you. Trust me, I completely know where you’re coming from. The thing that you have to understand is that your sister probably just needs a friend to talk to like before just as much as you need one to talk to so you don’t have to keep things bundled up. There is a part in Tiny Beautiful Things that relates to your problem. In the book it talks about family and lovers: “Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills,” Strayed writes. The author is basically saying that life is rough but it may still be overcome.
What you’re going through is just an obstacle. You’ll get through it eventually because your sister will grow up and mature. And as for that one guy, you soon will get over him. When I was younger, I actually had a younger brother instead, and I had a boyfriend. My brother used to be super annoying, and just like you said your sister provokes you, my brother would do the same. He’d just hit me and get away with it! I thought I was the luckiest girl alive, and then my boyfriend turned out to be a major jerk who cheated on me. The reason I’m sharing this with you is to let you know that I know how you feel—you’re not alone. Don’t let this guy bring you down. As for your sister, you can get her to stop fighting if you try to be nice. As hard as it will be, just talk out things with her instead of yelling. Like Strayed says, “Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you, because it will.” The author is saying that even though you might think it’s difficult to be the one to be nice, you can do it. You can’t change who your sister is—you can only change who you are. The only thing you can really do is change yourself. You can talk to her, but honestly the change has to be made by you. Your sister has to be willing to change as well, but she’s not going through what you’re going through, so that’s why she doesn’t get that stressed about fighting with you. To her it’s a daily routine, and nothing will ever change until you humble yourself and just talk to her. Don’t yell back, don’t hit back, don’t even bother to argue back. Just ignore her. In the process, “You will learn a lot about yourself if you stretch in the direction of goodness, of bigness, of kindness, of forgiveness, of emotional bravery. Be a warrior for love.” Be smart with your decisions and be strong.
If you want to yell, go to your room, bathroom, basement, and just yell! Let it all out. Trust me, you might feel foolish, but it’ll be worth it. It feels good and you will feel relieved. Another thing you can do is rip an old t-shirt, squeeze something really tight, you can even scream in your pillow. Let it out, but not to your sister; she’s not holding back her screaming and fighting, so it’ll just get worse. Again, listen to Strayed: “What’s important is that you make the leap. Jump high and hard with intention and heart. Pay no mind to the vision that the commission made up. It’s up to you to make your life. Take what you have and stack it up like a tower of teetering blocks. Build your dream around that.” The author is saying aim high and achieve your goals because it is possible, which to you means that it is possible to overcome the fighting with your sister. So basically what I’m really saying is be strong and don’t fight with your sister. You’re the older, smarter one who knows what to do and how to handle things. Don’t do something you’ll regret later on. Remember, if she tries to fight with you, go straight to your parents and tell them that you were minding your own business. And if she continues to mess with you, and if they don’t listen, then do what I told you: “Yell in your pillow, rip an old t-shirt.” Be strong and humble, and I highly recommend you read Cheryl Strayed’s book Tiny Beautiful Things. It’s for you, and you can get plenty more advice for your daily life and understand what to do when you’re stuck. I hope my advice really helps you and that you take it. Take Care, Rosie P.S. Copies of Tiny Beautiful Things are available in the Maine East LRC—ask at the front desk.
Talented sophomore aims for culinary school By Ewa Bogdan Typical 15 year old boy? Football? Soccer? Cars? Nope! Cooking and baking! Philip Hua-Pham is a sophomore at Maine East High School who has a passion for being in the kitchen. Philip grew up in a household where his father was a Chinese chef, so he was always exposed to the different experiments that take place in the kitchen. As he got older, Philip’s father’s business closed, so he and his sister decided to take things into their own hands! They spent much of their free time together baking, starting with cake mix and pre-made cookie dough. Once they got the hang of that, they began to make cake batter and cookie dough from scratch. Once Philip and his sister got to junior high school, they didn’t spend as much time baking together. His sister became very committed to playing volleyball, but this didn’t stop him from baking! “This when I really found my passion for cooking- I found that if I’m actually putting in the effort to engage in cooking while balancing other priorities in my life, it truly becomes
something I love to do instead of being forced to do”, said Hua-Pham. Now he makes orders of cake pops for birthday parties, baptisms, baby showers, and other occasions. At times he has more orders for weekend than what he can handle! One surprising thing is that Hua-Pham has never taken any type of foods class. “I’ve never taken a class outside of school, which is surprising to most people with my technique .. I learned from visualizing from other things; even by a simple picture I can recreate the recipe but with a twist that makes it mine.” This is a very hard way to learn how to cook, because you don’t see what the ingredients are by just looking at a picture of the food. Despite his natural abilities, he still plans on taking Foods 1 his Junior year, and Gourmet Foods Senior year, as they are requirements for the colleges he’s interested in. “My top schools are the Culinary Institute of America(NY), Johnson and Wales University (Miami), or Kendall College(Chicago). I really want to go out of state to start a new journey on my own and to be able to be independent”.
Hua-Pham has contacted a recruiter from the Culinary Institute of America for simple information such as requirements to get accepted into one of his dream schools. One of the main requirements in order to get accepted is to work in food service for more than two months. Over the summer Philip worked as a lifeguard at the Park Ridge Country Club. He talked to the executive chef at the Country Club, and he plans on working alongside of the pastry chef very shortly. His dreams could become reality sooner than later. He has created a portfolio at http://www.philpham45.portfoliobox.me/ where he shows pictures of all the culinary art he has created (scan this QR code on your phone to view:) This webpage is a simple portfolio that’s easy for amateurs
CHEMISTRY, from page 3 explain its pros and cons. The conservation methods ranged from biofuels to hydroelectric energy to wind energy. The students in each class voted for the people who they thought did the best job and these select few subsequently presented at P^4 night. “It was fun because we presented to our peers,” said junior Magda Szala. “We worked hard so that they would pick us and we were lucky to get to talk at P^4 night. I
to begin with, but HuaPham also plans to create a physical portfolio- a binder with pictures of all the foods that he has made and how he made them.
Hopefully one day he will have his own restaurant where families can come in for dinners, a pastry with a cup of coffee, or maybe even some breakfast!
not only got to show off my artistic skills, but also I got to learn from my peers and their presentations. Grading one another was an interesting experience. This was definitely a learning method I’d like to see again!” The night kicked off with a presentation from Dr. Chris Peterson from Loyola University about the Environmental Sustainability Unit at Loyola. He gave the students a crash course in the different methods of energy conservation. For these juniors, it was a night to be proud of the work they had accomplished. For the parents, it was an opportunity to relish
in the accomplishments of their children and understand the efforts behind their learning. Ms. Sabatello knows how important it is to get involved in her student’s academic life and wants her pupils to be supported both in her classroom and at home. P^4 night is a perfect way to combine both. If you’re ever on the third floor, swing by the science wing and take a look at all the wonderful posters hanging on the wall, thanks to the hard work of the Chemistry students.
November 22, 2013 | THE PIONEER | 5
So You Think The Maine East X-Idol's Got Talent Factor? By Veronica Malesinski Every year, several talented students from Maine East audition and perform in its annual V-Show. The V-Show has been a long running tradition at the school and every show has a legacy of its own. The theme to this year’s show was “live reality television”, a combination of shows like American Idol, The X-Factor, and America’s Got Talent. Mr. Reuhs, who has directed the show the past four years, decided to step down and take the role of sound director. Mr. Hessert replaced him as the director and created a flawless show of his own. The show was hosted by Adrian Delgado, Marianna Veneri, Nathalie Janvier, and Jon Collantes.
All four hosts did a fabulous job at entertaining the audience and helped the show run smoothly. Veneri said that her experience this year was most different than those of other years. As an emcee she helped create a V-Show concept, title, and script in a short amount of time. She also had to memorize lines. “It got really chaotic towards the end of it,” Veneri said. “Mr. Hessert was there to help us. He kept everything organized and always had a positive attitude throughout the whole thing.” The entire company agreed that if anyone needed something, the director would get it done with no questions asked and a smile on his face. V-Show is a unique opportunity for students to showcase their talents
and show Maine East what talents are hidden throughout the halls. This year’s show, especially, showed off the school’s diversity and united the student body. It consisted of acts ranging from opera singing to Irish dancing. “My experience at V-Show this year was
Crew keeps V-show moving
By Matt Kniazuk In the Fine Arts department, there is a lot of talent and creativity. Performances like Hairspray and In the Heights were carefully coordinated. Everyone remembers the cast and the music done by the orchestra but what about the crew that
makes everything happen? We often don’t get the recognition we deserve after putting on a show. Here are some of the hard working crew members that have put in a lot of effort during a show. We have many seniors that have been through it all since freshman year, including me. The seniors in
6 | THE PIONEER | November 22, 2013
crew are Peyton Johnson, Ahmad Qamar, Marycarmen Aguilar, Gabriella Brook, Matthew Kniazuk, Althea Yap, and Bridget Martinez. We’ve seen and known everything about the auditorium, down to the last nook and cranny.
see CREW, page 8
the best one in all four years that I have attended since my freshman year. The atmosphere and good feelings were everywhere this year” Oscar Salcedo told reporters. Several students such as Rachel Stan, Alex Plezia, and Lucy Ivokovic agreed with this remark and exclaimed that this V-Show was one to be remembered. V-Show gives a performer a chance to shine in what they’re good at. No talent is off limits. This was definitely true when it came to freshman, Claudia Quintero. Quintero auditioned for the show because several of her friends and a teacher encouraged her to. They day of auditions she was sick, nervous, and wasn't expecting a part in the cast. “I was shocked when I found out I had actually made it,” she said. “The most shocking part about it was the fact that I was going to open for V-Show!” Another performer who definitely rocked it on stage and in front of the camera was Matt Dumay. “Having two solos this year, most people would think it’s too much work,”
said Dumay. “I believe it’s not work, but a small part of my passion. I love music with all its extremity, and I love performing on the stage with everything I’ve got.” Dumay told reporters that the rush that he feels on stage is breathtaking and that one of the main things he loves is connecting with the audience. “I felt like I touched people's hearts while I was up there. It was beautiful. No matter how tired I was, my body still had enough adrenaline to bring out all that I could.” This year’s company took V-Show one step further and created the ultimate “live” Variety Show. During Thursday night’s performance WMTH-TV broadcast the show live on High School Cube, which the people at home enjoyed almost as much as those in the auditorium. The most obvious addition that made this show memorable and very “broadcast-like” was the live camera work on the projectors. Different angles
see V-SHOW, page 8
November 22, 2013 | THE PIONEER | 7
V-SHOW, from page 6 were shown of those on stage and live hallway/backstage interviews were conducted before acts. “I think the thing that impressed me the most was the format of having a show within a show,” said social sciences teacher Mr. Zielinski. “Having the screens and live interviews, that was just brilliant. It was a nice way to showcase the talent that our students have here at Maine East.” After practically every MEHS Fine Arts event, everyone remembers the cast and the music played by the pit orchestra. However, people often forget about what’s happening backstage and the crew who make the show go on. There are drum carts and pianos being moved, and nervous yet excited people getting ready for their acts. So much goes on in those ten-second transitions that it’s not even funny. Another cool aspect 8 | THE PIONEER | November 22, 2013
of this year’s V-Show was that it just kept on moving. There was no pause to clap and everyone sat quietly and waited for the next act to begin. The whole show just kept rolling because of the crew’s hard work and dedication. They were definitely the core of the show (see sidebar article). Obviously V-Show 2013 wouldn't have been successful if it weren't for the hard work and hours put in by the entire company. Yes, the performances on stage were amazing, but they weren’t the only thing that made it a success. The audience was what truly made the show complete. If it weren't for the audience, there wouldn't be a point to putting on a show. This year’s audience truly displayed that Maine East consists of a supportive community that has school spirit. The people who didn't see V-show missed a show that is really rare to find. No school around does a V-Show better than Maine East.
CREW, from page 6 One might be asking themselves, “What does Stage Crew do during a show?” Stage crew is basically the core of the show. We move props around, lower and raise many curtains, make sure the lighting and the sound works and so on. During V-show, it takes a lot of concentration to make sure everything is in the right place at the right time. As soon as the curtains fall, the backstage crew members take off the mic stands and instruments to get ready for a dance group in less than 30 seconds. Peyton and I are the “Tech” people in stage crew. We usually run the sound and lights and we train others how to do our jobs, so when we leave, the other person knows as much as we do. It's always busy when one is backstage. Making sure every-
thing is in place when the lights come up is a hard task to do. Interaction is also one of the main aspects of crew. Talking with the orchestra and cast is fun and they can be pretty funny too. If you are interested in joining stage crew, come by the auditorium after school everyday.
WMTH makes things happen at Maine East By Tony Stoyanov Maine East is known for its diverse student body and prominent fine arts department. The broadcasting program, in particular has a lot of great history and runs the oldest high school radio station in the nation. Former teacher, Jim Wunderlich, headed a great program with a handful of students winning awards at the annual Chicagoland Video Festival, CTEC, and many students wondered what would happen to the program when Mr. Ash replaced Wunderlich after his retirement. Since then, Mr. Ash has made a huge effort to con-
tinue improving our broadcasting program, and tie it in with other school events. This year Mr. Ash started live broadcasts of sporting events and concerts. Streaming the events on High School Cube gets the WMTH name out there, helping achieve his goal to immerse WMTH within school activities. WMTHFM is also about to get a huge makeover later this year, when we receive a new Linux-based, professional cart system, similar to the ones commercial radio stations, like B96, use.
Alongside the radio hardware improvements, Mr. Ash also replaced the entire Mac Lab with brand new, 2013 iMacs, running
the latest versions of Final Cut Pro. He also purchased 10 new Canon Vixia HD Camcorders, that were a huge upgrade over the old ones students used up until last year. “
In previous years, the Advanced class has been a repetition of last year’s coursework. Mr. Ash plans to change that with three years of solid course work that he intends to rotate throughout the years, to make sure students get the most out of the course. Mr. Ash has been a great addition to the program and keeping in mind the district updates the Fine Arts Hardware every six years, someone who’s been in the industry fairly recently, knows what industry leaders use, and that helps
students get familiar with the tools and better prepares them for a career in the field. When asked what he most enjoys about teaching the course, Mr. Ash replied “Seeing what students come up with”. Indeed, his students have come with some wacky ideas such as the upcoming, unannounced side projects by students Veronica Malesinski, Andrea Garneata, and Tony Stoyanov, which features a comedy sketch that makes Miley’s wrecking ball look like a beach ball. With all of these additional tools, students are able to carry out the true meaning of the WMTH slogan “We Make Things Happen”.
November 22, 2013 | THE PIONEER | 9
A scholarship is key to college affordability By Melanie Hively College is less than a year away, my fellow seniors, which means if you're going to a university you have to come up with a lot of money in a little time. Sure, there are loans but you don't want to be stuck with over $100,000 worth of loans for a 4 year education. In order to reduce the high amount of loans you will have you can apply for scholarships. There are thousands of scholarship opportunities for each and every student out there who hopes to seek a degree from a university. In order to pay for your tuition,
residence, books, and other college fees you can explore a variety of opportunities to reach success. File for FAFSA FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. You should file for FAFSA as early as possible, and application time for it begins in January. FAFSA will give you free money for what you qualify for and also an idea of what types of scholarships you can apply for. Stay on track Keep track of early application deadlines in your calendar or planner because you will have a greater chance of receiving higher
scholarships from the school. Also, have letters of recommendations, transcripts, financial records, etc. ready in advance of the deadline. You can have a separate folder for each college you apply to, to make sure that you have everything on track for each school. Unique opportunities You don’t need to be an all-star athlete or a valedictorian to receive money for school. Many organizations offer scholarships for unique skills or experiences you’ve been through. For example, the Duck Brand Duct Tape company runs a “Stuck at Prom” scholarship
contest which has students create prom dresses or suits out of duct tape and wear them to prom to win a scholarship cash prize! Scholarship sites Sites such as www.freescholarship. com are a place where students can find financial aid opportunities. University scholarships Contact the universities you are interested in to see what unique scholarships those schools have. There are many opportunities for each student and the earlier you look the more money they will have to offer!
Mr. Schwan brings his brand of success to the classroom By Nishit Patel If you’ve taken a business class at Maine East, you probably know Mr. Schwan. He teaches specific classes to help students in every field of business. Most everyone knows that Mr. Schwan uses his work experience in business to provide students with real world projects and presentation skills to mirror what happens in a business. But what did he do before he came to Maine East? After majoring in Business at Northern Illinois University in 1973, Mr. Schwan worked a series of jobs for Fortune 500 companies for the first 12 years of his career. These companies included Bell & Howell, a U.S. based manufacturing company that produces motion picture machinery; Océ, a Netherlands based company that produces printing and copying hardware and related software; and Bausch & Lomb, one of the world's largest suppliers of eye health products, including contact lenses, lens care products, medicines and implants for eye diseases. They’re more famously known for the creating of the famous brand of sunglasses, Ray Ban. 10 | THE PIONEER | November 22, 2013
He was of the VP of this company. It had a whopping 1,500 employees. This managerial job is an epic accomplishment because it would lead him to future accomplishments. Soon after Mr. Schwan proceeded to creating his first business. It was a marketing consulting company called The Technology Group. This company specialized in giving advice and consulting with start up companies. This company specialized in comput-
erized design and manufacturing. It also helped consulting in companies’ customer needs, and helped improvements in sales and including marketing help. This profitable business led to his second business. Mr. Schwan’s 2nd business, in which he was a 50% partner, called Editing Machines Corp., or E.M.C., made remarkable contributions for the film industry. This company produced the first digital linear editor. It was a
huge advancement for the editing industry of media. This creation was so substantial that the company won an Emmy award. It says “Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development.” This is a huge accomplishment! “I accomplished everything I wanted in business”, said Mr. Schwan when asked why’d he decided to become a teacher. His former high school teacher once told him that he'd make a great teacher and it’s something Mr. Schwan always kept in the back of his head. It was something he’d always wanted to do. He then got his Masters of Arts in Teaching, or MAT, and became the business teacher at Maine East High School. After such an illustrious business career, Mr. Schwan hopes to teach students to be as successful as he is.
Virtuoso Performing Arts celebrates 10 years By Erica Hofmann Virtuoso School of Performing Arts, right off of the intersection of Golf Rd and Milwaukee Ave in Glenview, is a family owned company currently run by three sisters: Carrie Bohlmann, Annie Conway, and Margaret Thompson. “I can’t believe that it’s already been 10 years since we opened our doors as a small performing arts company” said Conway. This past summer the three sisters celebrated their tenth year of business together. The studio originally was located in a much smaller facility next to the old Office Depot in the Four Flags shopping Center in Niles. After the lease for the place was expired in 2010, the three sisters began searching for a new place. They found the perfect place, their current location; it was much bigger and even had two floors.
The old studio had only one floor and two dance studios along with two very small vocal and guitar rooms. The current location has three studios and four vocal and guitar rooms. “Our company has grown so much over the years, it’s hard to believe how small we were just 10 years ago” Annie said during an interview on Saturday. Virtuoso used to only offer a select
few of classes and the class sizes were much smaller because not many knew about the Studio. The owners went to many events in Glenview, Niles, Morton Grove and Des Plaines to get the word out about their studio. Ten years later they now have many different levels and dance classes to choose from, along with yoga and pilates classes for adults. Virtuoso
trains dancers and singers from a very young age to high school seniors. They focus on the techniques needed to succeed in the future. “So many of our students end up going far after they leave our studio or are captains of their schools dance teams. It feels good to know that we were the ones who helped train them to get to where they are,” said Conway. Unfortunately, a Marianos Fresh Market wants to move into the same building where Virtuoso is currently located, forcing Virtuoso to move yet again. The sisters are still searching for a new place that will be located within a 2 mile radius of where it stands now. No word on where the new place will be, but it hopefully will be even bigger and better to allow Virtuoso to expand even more. “Ten years later and we stand in such a successful state, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Foods for First-timers teaches basic cooking skills By Sara Khan Ms. Adina Salmansohn is the Foods teacher here at Maine East. She had been in the culinary industry for many years before deciding to change course and become a teacher. Ms. Salmansohn says that her going into teaching was pretty much foretold, because she comes from a family of teachers. In order to major in the Culinary Arts, Ms. Salmansohn attended the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY. In her downtime Ms. Salmansohn teaches music and how to spin yarn. Aside from being a foods teacher, Ms. Salmansohn is a musician. Music was her first college degree, and she is currently the principal Trombone of the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra. She also teaches
lower brass instruments. In addition to music, she loves to knit and spin yarn the old fashioned way, on spinning wheels. Ms.Salmansohn also teaches how to spin. Ms. Salmansohn has many useful tips and tricks about cooking, and was kind enough to share some with me. For any aspiring culinary student, she says it is very important to learn the basics, such as cooking-knife skills, dry and moist heat cooking techniques, and what they call “Product ID” which means getting to know the ingredients, the different types of vegetables, meat cuts, and fruit. She also suggests, “Stay awake and aware so as not to get hurt; try to imagine flavors and how tastes will go together. If you can dream it, you can try it. And always remember to read your recipes all the
way through before starting to cook.” These are awesome tips, I don’t know how many times
I’ve started cooking or baking without reading the directions, and I have many battle scars from burning myself. November 22, 2013 | THE PIONEER | 11
The complete evolution of a Blue Demon By Moeez Syed Maine East students have to adopt two things: the color blue, and our mascot, the blue demon. How can we forget the blue demon when we see the logo every day on posters and flyers throughout the building? What we shouldn't forget, as well, is that the logo was made by our technology department’s own Adad Ocampo. Mr. Ocampo, or
Mr.O, is the Manager of the ChromeDepot and a technician for the Maine East Technology Department. He is responsible for having had made the one and only Blue Demon Logo. “I wanted to capture Maine East’s fighting spirit. The expression on his face is meant to resemble him in the middle of a great struggle for victory,” said Ocampo. “I think this logo, at the very least, got people talking. I know many people don't like it and that’s ok. Whether you like it or not, you recognize that it is an important symbol and it is worth talking about.” When asked if would change anything in the logo if he could,
he replied. “I would just change some cosmetic mistakes that I didn't notice before releasing it. I’m not going to say what they are but they really bug me.”
Still, there are many things that are great about our logo. “Not many people notice but the letter “M” and the letter “E” are hidden abstractly throughout the face. I’ll give you one; the beard
has two peaks instead of just one to symbolize the top of the letter “M”.” The current demon logo was made in 2009 when Mr. Ocampo was given the task of digitizing the old demon logo by Mr. DiLegge. Since there were no requirements or limitations set upon him, Mr. Ocampo felt it necessary to make some changes to make the logo more friendly. “I found that the old logo was just unappealing and since there were no restrictions, I decided to make the logo look better so I created a new one,. ' At the time Mr.Ocampo made the new logo, there were two different logos being used that were made by students 10 years before. Mr. Ocampo did not receive an award or prize, but says he is happy with-
out any recognition as long as his work continues on and is remembered. Mr. Ocampo is proud of his art and the fact that is now seen all throughout the halls of Maine East So next time you're walking through the halls of Maine East don’t forget the story behind the logo.
Getting to know you: Student Council V.P. By Abdul Rehman
Maine East is a very diverse school one usually wonders how they do it all. How does the school stay in check? The answer: the students themselves do most of the work with or without even knowing it. Most of this work is done by Student Council. Student Council is made up of students who want to make their school a better place. Student Council is a group of students who are not only trying to make their life in school better, but the lives of the students to come as well. In The Student Council there is one such student who is seen doing a lot of the work: Falak Mirza. Falak Mirza is the Vice President of the Student Council. She has been working in Student Council for two years. She works 12 | THE PIONEER | November 22, 2013
hard to make the school a better place. She joined her junior year because her friend (who had later quit) recommended it to her. She is also the president of Demon-ocracy club. She is very active in her clubs and student council. She was born in Karachi, Pakistan. As a child Falak led a very normal childhood she grew up with an older brother and was the baby of the family. She was very stubborn as a child and that trait has not been dropped. There was one thing that made her different than others, she was born with a softer voice and as a child she didn't feel like she fit in normally because of her voice. She wasn’t bullied in school, others didn't make fun of her, she just felt like she wasn't like others. During her middle school years Falak was very shy because
she thought people would bully her so she tried to make herself unnoticeable and laid low. This led to her becoming more conservative. During 7th grade she went back to Pakistan because her parents wanted her to become more cultured. While in Pakistan she got a pet goat. She was on the
basketball team. One year later, she came back in 8th grade and continued school life. Finally Falak entered high school and decided that she wanted to get her voice out. During freshman year Falak joined some clubs, such as Democracy clubnow known as the Demon-ocracy club. She joined to be able to talk to others and make connections. During sophomore year, Falak transferred to Pakistan due to personal reasons. While in Pakistan, Falak, made many friends and was reunited with her old friends. She then came back during junior year and joined more clubs to make herself more connected. During this year, Falak was suggested to join the Student Council by her friend and because of this Falak is in Student Council till today helping in any way she can.
BMX-er always looking to land that next big trick By Adrian Syukur and Odin Brandseth Many of you know Daniel Przewoznik, a senior at Maine East High School. Students acknowledge him in the hallways and think he is nothing more than just an average high school kid. What you might not know about is his spectacular talent on a bicycle. His capabilities to maneuver a metal frame suspended by two wheels and a set of handlebars is far more than remarkable. We met up with Daniel at – where else? – a skatepark in Glenview to film a couple tricks. Skateboarding and BMX are similar in nature, so we felt a kinship with Dan right away. When the camera rolled, we got to witness the high-intensity, risk-taking
Photos by Aron Iancici
world of BMX firsthand. Watch out people – we have a feeling Daniel’s going places! “I guess it all started with just trying to see how far or high I could jump on my bike,” he says. “Then seeing locals do BMX tricks and trying to learn them.” Dan has been doing actual tricks for around 6 or 7 years, which partially explains why he is so good. BMX might not be as popular as professional football or basketball, but there are still stars to admire. One rider that Dan looks up to is Garrett Reynolds. “I remember one of the first legit BMX videos I ever watched was his part in Nike's ‘Writing on the Wall’ DVD,” said Dan. “I would watch it before I went out to ride almost every day when I first started
getting serious with BMX.” Dan started off at a young age, building little jumps for his bike. Now he can do things on a bike that he only dreamed about when he was younger. “What makes BMX unique compared to other recreational sports is that there are no coaches or required practices,” Dan explained. “It’s just all on you, how far you are willing to take it with tricks and such.” BMX and skateboarding stand out because they are very independent to the person who chooses
to do it. You don’t have anyone yelling at you to do this or that, there are no rules or certain ways to do things. You just do it. The possibilities are endless; it’s really up to the biker to be creative and take things to a whole different level. BMX has similar difficulty to skateboarding. “Yeah, just like skating, the most difficult part is trying to land that one trick you have been trying for hours and finally sticking it,” said Dan. “That’s what keeps me going - that feeling of satisfaction when you finally land it.” Another difficult aspect of BMX'ing is dealing with injuries. Dan has yet to break any bones, but he has had some bad injuries. What if Dan had never discovered BMX? "I would probably be really into art and gymnastics,” he said. “I love drawing and building mini ramps, such as the multiple half pipes and box jumps I built in my yard.” If you want to see more of Daniel, scan this QR code with your phone or go directly to his YouTube channel: https://www. youtube.com/user/danielbmx11. November 22, 2013 | THE PIONEER | 13
Law enforcement may be the career for you By Patricia Kuzebski Police officers are often seen as heroes, or enemies. It takes a lot of strength to become a police officer. You have to be strong inside and out, fast, smart, and brave. Police officers try to protect us from danger, but sometimes it’s just a little bit too late. Most common crimes that are committed in Illinois are identity theft and burglary. In our current bad economy, many people break into homes to try to make money. Many more police officers are needed since the crime rate is so high. So, how do you become a police officer? In order to become a police officer it is recommended to go to college but in some areas, you don't have to go to college in order to become a police officer. College is recommended because you can apply to become a police officer only after the age of 21, and some background in criminology would be useful for a police officer. After you are hired, you must attend a mandatory four month training session in the police academy. According to Cathy Sostak, a Sergeant from the Glenview Police Department, “In the police academy you are pushed to your limits. You work your hardest. It is an amazing experience and you learn so many different types of skills. When you are done you will feel really proud of yourself.” You are also trained to shoot a gun in this academy, but you are only allowed to use it if you or someone else is in danger; It is always the last resort. Being a Police officer you don't only work to protect humans but also many animals. Many police officers try to rescue animals and find them a home if they are abandoned. “This is a really emotional job,” says Sostak. “It’s really sad seeing an animal, child or an elderly person who is a victim of a crime. The hardest part of being 14 | THE PIONEER | November 22, 2013
a police officer is having to tell a family that their loved one has passed away.” One of the things that helps you get through the hard parts of being a police officer is that you always have an amazing group to work with that we'll always have your back in any type of situation. As a police officer you have
two families, one is your family at home and the other is your coworkers.“ I love the people I work with. They are truly amazing and help me whenever I are in need. That goes for the whole department, we are a team and we stand together. We spend so much time together in and outside of work” said Sostak.
Seeing Triple
There were several “Officer Pietrarossos” in the halls on Halloween. Meanwhile, the original Officer Pietrarosso became Father Pietrarosso for a day!
Many people when they see a female police officer, don't really take them seriously. “ There have been many times when men would try to run away from me, and didn't think I was fast enough to catch up. It happens more with female police officers than male officers. This makes me love my job more because I am able to prove many people wrong and show them that females can do the same job as males and still be good at it,” said Sostak. Many people underestimate females and what they can do. Being a police officer you can prove to many other people that men and women are able to do whatever they would like. If your dream is to become a police officer no matter what gender you are, go for it! You get to learn many new things and also have two different families who you can count on. It might be an emotional job but saving people’s lives and protecting your community is worth it.
That’s who?
In the October 2 issue, The Pioneer incorrectly identified this photo as Ms. Jozwiak and a friend at a concert. Duh... this is obviously Mr. Kulesza and his family at Disney World during summer vacation! (Thanks to Tony Muench for spotting.)
Wrestling team shapes up, gets weight down By Patricia Kuzebski In order to become a wrestler you need to be fast, strong, and smart. You have a second to think about what your next move will be to pin down your opponent. Wrestling forces you to get in shape and get your weight down as much as possible. Wrestling makes you be a good student in and out of school, because in order to be a wrestler you need to have all passing grades. Everyone come see the Wrestling team when they compete against their arch rival Hersey on Wednesday, November 27. “We have a lot of kids that were good a year ago at the lower levels but have never wrestled at the varsity level. The goal for this year is to
get better every week and to end on a high note” says Head Coach Hernandez. Many kids are moving up to varsity that were great last year! They will do just as great for the varsity team! “We are going to be very young with a lot of talent” said Hernandez. Many students who aren't in any other sports, started practicing six weeks ago but the first official practice is November 11th, 2013. “This year it seems like a lot more kids are better prepared for the discipline of wrestling. They have already started cutting out junk food, changing eating habits and weight lifting to stay strong and not get hurt” said Hernandez. All the wrestlers are trying their hardest to become the caption of the wrestling team. “We don't know who will be captain this year because we graduated a lot of seniors last year, and this year we have already lost two seniors off the team for disciplinary issues.” says Hernandez. Harvey Benjamin, who has not played for the last two years, said “ I am trying my hardest to become captain this year. I will make sure to come to every practice and meet, I am trying to lose weight and have been practicing. I regret not playing for the last two years but I am coming back strong.” Many wrestlers are excited to see who the next captain will be.
The wrestling team is off to a great start this year. Don't forget to show school spirit and support the team. They are working very hard to become a great team. They all work together as team, but they consider their teammates a family.
CHEERS, from page 16 of cheerleading. She actually met her best friend through cheerleading in high school and still maintains contact with her now. Figure skating is another one of Steiner’s favorite sports. Figure skating is what started her coaching career. Steiner coached figure skating from age 16-26. At age 12 the ice rink she skated at had her “student coach” with the toddlers. Steiner really enjoyed that opportunity and realized how much she appreciated her own coaches as well as being a coach.
Maine East senior keeps skating by . . . By Massimino Greco Many people at Maine East know Adrian Syukur, but did you know he is a serious skateboarder? Adrian likes to skateboard on his free time and has become quite good at it. Through the past years Adrian has been skating and improving every day. Adrian usually skates with his friends here at Maine East, but when they're not available, he goes to the streets and meets other skaters. Adrian says there is a
secret bond between all skaters. When most people hear “skaters” they think of punk little kids, but in reality they're just like others, and other skaters know how they feel and connect with each other. Adrian has a lot of role models that he looks up to when it comes to skating. One skater he looks up to is Eric Koston, a Thai-American professional skateboarder who also owns his own company. Adrian usually watches him skate, which motivates Adrian to skate.
November 22, 2013 | THE PIONEER | 15
SPORTS
Coach Steiner turns chaos into cheers By Jenna Berkowsky Christi Steiner, the cheerleading coach at Maine East High School, has been coaching at Maine East for four years. When she first came to the program, it was in a state of chaos and needed to be rebuilt. Steiner, along with two other coaches, really worked hard to get Maine East cheerleading up to where it is today: an outstanding program that is extremely organized and out of debt. Maine East cheer coaches put all their time and effort into organizing the cheer program and it really paid off. Steiner’s interest in in cheerleading first started when she was in fourth grade. Steiner participated in many Falcon cheer
camps, although her first school related cheer squad was at her Junior High at Lincoln Middle School. The Falcon cheer squad is a junior cheerleading squad that cheers for the Falcons junior football team. This pre-
pares the athletes for high school cheerleading and football. Most athletes who participate with the Falcons feed into Maine South High School which is where Steiner attended high school for her first two years. For her last
two years she transferred to Maine West. Steiner was a cheerleader in high school and her position was a base. A base is the cheerleader that holds up the flyer on either side. The flyer is the person that gets held or thrown up into the
mirror. Cheerleading is a very unique sport. It is the longest high school sport because it is year round. Cheerleaders cheer for football, basketball and most schools also have a competitive squad. The sport runs from around June to February. Also, in cheerleading you need to rely on each other a lot because you have to hold people up, be on time with each other’s counts in the routine and make sure everyone shows up at practice consistenty. Cheerleading takes so much practice and trusting each other. Steiner stated that the relationships you make in cheer are her favorite part
see CHEERS, page 15
Fall All-Conference Blue Demon Athletes
Front row, left to right: Alyssa Kaewwilai, swimming; Leslie Christiansen, cross country; Hannah Farley, volleyball; Sarah Hua-Pham, volleyball; Jessica Cuevas, cross country; Jessica Ilc, tennis. Back row, left to right: Orion Yamat, golf; Mumen Hussein, soccer; Alex Corey, football; Javed Lukovic, football; Christian Lopez, football; Alex Lulek, soccer.
16 | THE PIONEER | November 22, 2013