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Rolling Meadows High School 2901 Central Rd., Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 May 3, 2013 Volume 42 Issue 8

Brittney FrazierEditor-in-Chief

Senior Mike Kelly has wanted to film a senior video since his freshman year. This week, he is making his goal a reality.

The idea for the senior video came when Kelly was sitting at home and lis-tening to music. “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen came on, and he thought it would be the perfect song for a lipdub. He put out the idea on the senior Face-book page and, after receiving positive feedback, went ahead with the video.

Filming takes place during several seminars, and seniors can come in to mouth the words to a portion of the song.

“I have seniors pick out the individu-

al lines that they want to do and they will go up in front of the camera and do some funny stuff or whatever they want to do,” Kelly said. “Then I take all the footage I have and edit it so it matches up with the song. I’ve already edited part of it and it looks awesome.”

Senior Tim Howe has already filmed his portion of the video, in which he is “wearing a cowboy hat and swaying with a plastic bamboo plant.”

According to Kelly, the biggest chal-lenge of the video is “getting everyone together and getting everyone to coop-erate.” And producing the video on his own is not making it easier.

“I think it took a lot for Mike Kelly to come up with the idea, organize the filming dates and put together the video.

He’s literally doing it alone,” Howe said. “I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out but seeing how Mike does the announce-ments, it should be really great. Every-one who came to film already had a great time and hopefully we can find a way to include everyone in the video.”

Kelly hopes to have the finished prod-uct by the end of next week. It will be aired on the announcements, as well as posted to social media sites like YouTube and Facebook so people can view and share it.

“I’m excited we are making a video this year and that all the seniors are get-ting involved,” senior Kara Cichon said. “It’s a great way to remember everyone after we graduate. I can’t wait to see the final product.”

Just returnedRolling Meadows alum band, Just Left, is back on the stage

after taking a year off

page 12

#EpicFailCopy Editor Mia Harper

unimpressed with will.i.am’s new album, “#willpower”

page 13

Where we’re goingA look at the senior class’

post-graduation plans

pages 8 & 9

Brendan O’BrienStaff Writer

Major renovations in the Career and Tech-nical Education (CTE) area will begin in June. The construction is expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.

“They [the CTE renovators] are going to completely demolish C115 and get rid of all the computers,” Technology Education teacher An-thony Genovese said. “They are going to put in a manufacturing lab and make additions in high-advancement technology.”

The renovations will include many changes and additions in the CTE area. Among them, a new manufacturing and production lab, metal working machines, multiple welding stations and CNC machines, which are machines con-trolled by a computer. Overall, the goal is to make additions in high-advancement technol-ogy.

The new manufacturing lab and two new classrooms will be built in front of the current

C115. The Media Tech room will not experience any changes. There have been no other major renovations in the entire CTE wing, except for the foods area two years ago.

A new class will be added to the CTE’s cur-riculum after the renovations are completed.

“We are adding a class called NIMS (Nation-al Institute of Metalworking Skills). The class will be running next fall,” Genovese, who will be teaching the class, said. “The kids will be going from a sketch to a computer model to actually machining a part.”

The need for the renovations in the CTE area of the school is based on the school’s ex-panding curriculum, new classes and improve-ments on current programs.

“The renovation is driven by curriculum. The CISCO (Computer Information Systems Company) lab is also being renovated and moved so the space can be used for the new program and so they have better instructional space as well,” Associate Principal of Opera-tions Kent Nightlinger said. “We are expanding

the manufacturing technology program so that students can get certified through the NIMS course.”

The addition of the NIMS course will be a major component of the renovation of the CTE area. The class will be open to next year’s sophomores, juniors and seniors. It is recom-mended that students interested in taking the class take an Introduction to Engineering and Design (IED) class prior to taking NIMS. The class is open to anyone in these grades, but es-pecially to students with engineering interests.

“It would be for any student who wants to be an engineer, going into the engineering field, or students who want to work in the in-dustry right after high school or even during high school,” Genovese said.

In addition, the class has after high school possibilities, such as the opportunity to earn industry credentials.

“Students who do well in the course will have new career opportunities after high school that the school hasn’t had before,”

Genovese said. “The goal is to give students opportunities to see how working at a produc-tion field is, especially if they are going into an industry where they will have the same things.”

CTE wing set for major summer renovations

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: Above, senior Mike Kelly films this year’s senior video which he is producing completely on his own. The video is a lip dub to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” that will include as many seniors as possible. At left, seniors (left to right) Luke Toenjes, Kyle Flanagan, Kara Cichon and Anna Haltman record their portion of the video. The video is set to be done by the end of the upcoming week and can be viewed on YouTube.

Senior rhapsodySenior Mike Kelly produces his class’ lip dub video

Pacer/Brittney Frazier

Pacer/Brittney Frazier

News Rolling Meadows High School2

The Pacer takes a portion of an online story and puts it in print. To read the the full stories visit RMHSPacer.com or scan the QR code.

National finalist Sarah DeitelhoffNews Editor Junior Prithvi Ramesh finished in the top 10 at the national DECA (Distributive Education Clubs in America) competition.

“It feels great, I’m really proud. It really is a big honor,” Ramesh said.

Competing at nationals meant that Ramesh was competing against students from around the country in addition to students from Canada.

“The competition was really in-tense,” Ramesh said.

Ramesh competed in the event Entrepreneurship Franchising, which meant that he had to take an existing franchise and place a divi-

sion of it at any location. He then had to present to a board of judges why he chose the location he did and why he thinks the business will flourish there.

Read the full story at RMHSPacer.com

Sarah DeitelhoffNews Editor

As the time for graduation draws closer, the senior class had the task of choosing who they wanted to give a speech and read the names at graduation. The votes are in and the senior class has chosen. English teachers Peter Mikulak and Mark Maxwell will each be reading half of the names while their fellow English and Fine Arts teacher Lisa Soukup will be giving the graduation com-mencement speech.

The senior class voted on

teachers at the graduation meet-ing several weeks ago by writing the names of which teachers they wanted to participate on a piece of paper.

Read the full story at RMHSPacer.com

Graduation speakers

Web Briefs

Allie Petrick Features Editor

Grease is the word at this year’s spring musical. This popular show calls for a large cast, and out of about 100 students that auditioned, over 60 made the cut. As usual, there are more seniors than underclassmen. While choosing the show for this year, director Kate McNally kept in mind the potential auditioners. “I wanted to do something that would feature a lot of people, and we have a lot of seniors who are gradu-ating, and I wanted something that would bring in new people and train them.” McNally said. “It’s ‘Grease,’ I knew it would be the kind of musi-cal that would encourage people to try out and bring excitement to the program.” Senior Marty Quinn, playing

the male lead Danny Zuko, has re-hearsed mostly on crutches due to an injury. He has watched the cast as they modify the dances in hopes that he will be able to perform as soon as his leg heals. “It gets frustrating, especially when we’re fixing a dance. Since I can’t dance still, it’s difficult not being able to fix the dance,” Quinn said. “I have to try and envision the dance really well and hope that once I get on stage, I’ll be ready to go.” Although one of the leads is un-able to practice with the entire cast, rehearsal has not been greatly af-fected. “Rehearsal has been very positive and we have fun a lot. I think we are making good progress; I’ve been pleased with everyone’s work ethic and desire to make the show better,” McNally said.

Many of the seniors have spent most of their high school years on the stage, and feel that they will miss it after Grease is over. “I’m probably on stage more than I am at my own house. I think not being on stage is going to be really weird. It feels like I’m going to be leaving something behind,” Quinn said. Senior Korinne Yonan also feels she is leaving a part of herself be-hind. “I think I’ll definitely miss the friends I’ve made in theater the most,” Yonan said. “ I’ve gotten re-ally close to so many of these people and it’s going to be different not be-ing with them all the time.” “Grease” will open May 9 and end May 11. There will be two Saturday performances, a 2 p.m. matinee and an evening performance at 7 p.m.

Greased lightningTELL ME MORE: This year students will be performing the popular Broadway musical “Grease” The show will open May 9 and go through May 11. “I think we are making good progress; I’ve been pleased with everyon’es work ethic and desire to make the show better,” director Kate McNally said.

Going green

Gabe CastroOpinions Editor Tuesday, April 22 marked the 43rd anniversary of the original Earth Day, a movement promoting environ-mental consciousness. In celebration of Earth Day, the culinary program participated in a plastic bag chal-lenge last week. The culinary program consists of eight classes, from Foods 1 to Advanced ProStart. The class that brought in the most plastic bags be-tween Monday, April 22 and Friday, April 26 would win an ice cream party for the entire class.

After reading several statistics about plastic bags, Foods and Fash-ion teacher Kimberly Drendel came up with a way to get the culinary program classes involved in becom-ing more enviornmentaly friendly.

Read the full story at RMHSPacer.com

Ariana KingAnnie LynkStaff Writers

Every day, students swear in hall-ways and classrooms; it has become a habit for many. Some students, however, are offended by this use of profanity. Senior Kevin McDonough is one of these students. He has taken ac-tion to stop swearing in the hallways by starting a petition. “[Swearing] makes people illiter-ate and causes society problems,” McDonough said. Even though it is a problem throughout the whole school, stop-ping profanity in the hallways is not a part of the administration’s main focus.

“I understand foul language is not good. It reflects badly on the person who is swearing,” Dean of Students Art Senteno said. “Some students swear in the hallways when they drop books on the ground or when they get hurt, and that’s com-pletely understandable. Then there are students who swear and use the language in a bad way; almost every-thing that comes out of their mouth is vulgar language.” Although the administration fo-cuses more on problems such as violence, McDonough believes that violence directly stems from the use of profanity. Not only can the use of vulgar language weaken and harm personal relationships, profane lan-guage also “has ties with road rage and violence,” he said.

As the media and celebrities be-come a bigger part of the lives of students, explicit language among young people has increased. In-stead of using profane language, McDonough suggests celebrities create anti-profanity songs and com-mercials. Although this may seem like an irreversible issue, “there is hope,” McDonough said. He has researched the “Dare Not To Swear Campaign” that was started by a teacher in Washington and wants to institute some of these policies at Rolling Meadows. These policies include banning swearing in public buildings and instituting a school wide policy concerning profanity. “We can limit dirty language while preserving free speech,” says Mc-

Stopping the swearsSenior starts petiton to end profanity in school

“I don’t really have an issue with it occasionally, but when that’s all you hear it gets annoy-ing.”-sophomore Gabi Jedrzejewska

STUDENTSOUND OFFThoughts on swearing in school

Photo courtsey of Cathy Fortuna

“It should be limited. Peo-ple should stop swearing as much as they do.”-junior Toder Stoyanov

Pacer/ Sara Schoen

Photo courtsey of Kimmi Drendel

Hit musical to be performed May 9-11

Sarah DeitelhoffNews Editor

Students who are looking for a way to

relax during P.E. will have to find another option besides yoga.

The recent purchase of 50 yoga mats by the P.E. office has caused some rumor that there will be yoga specifically added to P.E. classes next year. However, these rumors are unfounded.

“There is not going to be a separate yoga class offered, but if teachers want to incor-porate it into their class they can,” P.E. Divi-sion Head Lisa DaRocha said.

However with the growing popularity of yoga, some students think that it should be included, if not as a separate class, then as a requirement for regular P.E. classes.

“I think the health benefits are good and it helps manage stress, which students have a lot of,” sophomore Gwen Berg said.

Dance teacher Reggie Good already likes to incorporate yoga into all of her dance classes.

“Yoga is so important to teach because of the benefits that it offers a person,” Good said. “From the health-related fitness side, yoga increases flexibility, strength, endur-ance and [it decreases] body fat. But perhaps even more important than that is the effect that yoga has on your mental health.”

Other P.E. teachers, such as Janet Opels, like to incorporate yoga into their classes too.

“I actually use a lot of yoga poses in my P.E. classes,” Oples said. “I add them in for flexibility purposes.”

However, while Opels believes them to be beneficial, she doesn’t think that an en-tire semester is necessary.

“I think it’d be great but not for the en-tire semester. You can’t get all of the com-ponents [of physical health],” Opels said. “I think for the overall health of the individual, we need to have all of the components.”

As of right now, no one has proposed that yoga be added to the list of P.E. classes, but that does not mean that it will never be-come a class.

“Yoga as a separate class would need to be a proposal to the other district P.E. ad-ministrators for approval, which no one has brought to the table in the past,” DaRocha said. “The addition of classes usually are proposed when there is someone interested in teaching the class.”

Good will continue to have yoga days in her dance classes. “Yoga is relaxing and teaches you how to manage stress. A one hour yoga class can take you to another di-mension in your mind where you are stress free and focusing only on your breathing and your health,” she said.

NewsMay 3, 2013 3

Julia DacyManaging Editor

After nine years of vacancy, storefronts in downtown Rolling Meadows will be revital-ized with the construction of a new shop-ping center on Kirchoff Road. Named the Meadows Marketplace, the space will be highlighted by a variety of commercial businesses including fast food restaurants, a bank and a Dollar Store. Uncle Joe’s Tuscan Fresh Market, an offshoot of the Caputo Family stores, will open in the building previously occupied by Dominick’s groceries. According to Director of Community Development Valerie Dehner the store has been empty since Dominick’s closed in 2004. “Unfortunately, there was an unwilling property owner up until 2010-11 when the property went into foreclosure,” Dehner said. “Clark Street Development, the new owner and developer of the property, has been working diligently since gaining con-trol of the property in the second half of 2012.” According to Clark Street Development (CSD) in addition to Uncle Joe’s, the shop-

ping center will have 40,000 square feet of space for Uncle Joe’s, 30,000 square feet of small business space and a half-acre outlot. Dehner said the project will cost approxi-mately $8-10 million for building and land improvements. Construction on Uncle Joe’s is expected to be completed by the fall. “The grocery store hopes to be open by Oct. 2013. We hope that the center will be nearly complete and occupied in 2014,” Dehner said. Junior Haley Fortener lives just blocks away from downtown Rolling Meadows and is hopeful that the marketplace will be a great addition to her neighborhood. “I think the marketplace will improve the look of Rolling Meadows,” Fortener said. “The strip mall has been empty for so many years so having stores there will be nice.” Dehner believes that the marketplace will bring new life to the downtown and Rolling Meadows community at large. “Activity generates activity which means a type of synergy will hopefully be established by which some of the other vacant property and commercial spaces will be filled and or developed,” Dehner said.

Out with the old,in with the new

LOOKING AHEAD: Above are two computerized images of what the construction team believes the new Meadows Marketplace area will look like once it has been finished this October. It is expected that the center will be almost entirely occupied by 2014.

Will yoga be part of P.E. classes next year?

Has It

STRETCH: While subbing for an Advanced P.E. class, P.E. teacher Reggie Good chose to have them practice yoga poses for part of the class period.

Rumor

Meadows Marketplace to open in empty strip mall this October

Photo courtsey of Reggie Good

Photo Courtesy of the city of Rolling Meadows

Photo Courtesy of the city of Rolling Meadows

The Pacer is produced by journalistic writing classes at Rolling Meadows High School. The paper is published nine times during the school year.

The Pacer is a designated public forum for student expression and for discussion of issues of concern to its readers. Its content is not reviewed or restrained by school or District 214 administrators but is expected to fall within the curriculum and academic guidelines of the English/Fine Arts Division at Rolling Meadows High School.

Since The Pacer is a designated public forum for stu-dent expression, the editorial board, which consists of the Editors-in-Chief and respective section editors, will determine the content of the newspaper and all unsigned staff editorials; therefore, material may not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of District 214 or Rolling Meadows High School officials. The views stated in edi-torials represent that of a majority of the editorial board. No single member of the editorial board can be held re-

sponsible for editorial content decisions. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author.

The Pacer welcomes letters to the editor, guest col-umns and news releases from faculty, administrators, community residents, students and the general public. We ask that letters to the editor and guest columns be 300 words or less, contain the author’s name and address, and be sent to thepacerstaff@gmail.com, or dropped off in Room A111.

The Pacer editorial board reserves the right to with-hold a letter or column and return it for more informa-tion if it determines the piece contains items of unprotect-ed speech as defined by this policy. Letters will be edited for spelling and grammar and checked for verification.

If you wish to advertise in or request ad rates for The Pacer, call (847) 718-5755 and ask for Peter Timotijevic.

The

May 3, 2013 Volume 42 / Issue 8Editors-in-Chief

Liam BradyBrittney Frazier

Managing EditorJulia Dacy

News EditorSarah Deitelhoff

Opinions EditorGabe Castro

Sports EditorSeth Bachman

Editorial CartoonistsCelina Chiodo

Noe RinconPhoto EditorSara SchoenFood Critic

Mark Schmid

Features EditorAllie Petrick

Las Vistas EditorAmerica Cordero

TranslatorJairo Jimenez

Entertainment Editor

Joe Salvato

Copy EditorsMia Harper

Tony SarussiBusiness Manager

Peter TimotijevicStaff WritersAllison BrandJackie Guerra Ariana King

Ellen KrebsAnnie Lynk

Robert MattucciBrendan O’BrienAlyssa TornabeneElizabeth Weiss

AdviserStan Zoller, MJE

PAC ER

Opinions Rolling Meadows High School4

Despite rumors of a new yoga class proving false, the Pacer Staff believes RMHS should of-fer a wider variety of P.E. classes in the future.

Currently, students only have four P.E. op-tions: Dance, Gymnastics, regular P.E. and Ad-vanced P.E. We believe that offering courses like yoga will give all students the opportunity to participate in physical activity during the day.

Currently, many students get by doing a minimal amount of work during class. With obesity becoming a rising problem in our so-ciety, quality exercise is imperative for young adults.

According to the Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention (CDC), children and adoles-cents should receive at least one hour of physi-cal activity each day. If students are offered a wide variety of P.E. courses, they will be able to choose one that appeals best to their inter-

ests. This way, all students can get the most out of their workout experience and the time they spend in class.

A yoga class in particular could be ben-eficial to students’ physical and mental well being. According to Kaplan University, incor-porating yoga and other stress management courses in school curriculums can improve academic performance. Yoga has also proved instrumental in decreasing aggression and be-havior problems in students while simultane-ously improving strength and flexibility. The Pacer Staff supports the integration of these techniques into the P.E. curriculum.

Senior Emma McGinn currently takes yoga classes at the Pulsation studio and believes it is an acceptable substitute for regular P.E. ex-ercises.

““First of all it [yoga] is relaxing and it’s not just sitting there stretching. It’s actual work.

While it does stretch your body it is also real exercise,” McGinn said.

The Pacer Staff urges the school and dis-trict to consider adding more P.E. electives, specifically yoga, in the future to ensure the quality of every student’s physical education.

S t r e t c h i n g t h e l i m i t s

For the past couple months, I have been pre-paring for this year’s spring musical, “Grease.” This will be my fifth show being in costumes and my third as the student director of costumes. Be-

ing a part of the theater program has been really life changing; it’s made me appreciate produc-tions even more, whether it’s while watching an Orchesis show, a school play or even a Broad-way show. Before joining costumes, I never realized how much time and energy it takes to put on a production. As soon as the cast list is revealed, everyone begins to prepare for the show. Wheth-er someone is on costumes, tech or cast, every-one devotes much of their time to the show. De-pending on their role in the show, each group will meet between three and six times a week. Everyone also takes part in dress rehearsals on Saturdays. These rehearsals are usually from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 1 to 5 p.m. Some shows have just over a dozen cast members, and some shows, like “Grease,” have

well over 60. Since there are always more cast members than costumes members, each cos-tumes crew member is typically in charge of sev-eral cast members’ costumes. This sometimes means being in charge of many costumes since certain roles call for several costumes. However, musicals typically have a bigger crew in general: more cast members, tech crew members and costumes members, which makes the workload easier. Spending so much time with everyone in-volved in theater means making new friend-ships. Over the past two years, I have made so many new friends and memories while being a part of theater. Costumes, along with The Pac-er, is a major part of my life. Being social and surrounded by positive people is very important for me, and if I wasn’t involved in costumes, I

don’t know what I’d do with my life. I recently learned how to sew using a ma-chine. After working on a few skirts for the show, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Once it’s time to have full dress rehearsals and you have the opportunity to sit back and watch the cast practice, you can’t help but smile. Knowing that I helped to put on a production and helped con-struct costumes is a huge confidence booster. Being in theater has made me humble because although I am only one small part of the produc-tion crew, I am still a part of something big. Theater has become my home away from home. Costumes has given me the opportunity to become close to others in theater. Being a part of a group this close and accepting has defi-nitely helped me get through high school.

Peter Timotijevic

Business Manager

Suffrage at seventeen

Seeing 17 year-olds at polling places may soon be a reality if a new bill called HB226 passes Illinois legislation. This measure would allow 17 year-olds to vote in primary elections if they turn 18 by the time of the general election. The idea came from a group of students at Stevenson High School that are a part of a po-litical science program. The bill was proposed by State Representative Carol Sente. The bill hopes to encourage younger vot-ers to head to the polls. The logic behind this bill is that if we will be old enough to vote for a winner, we should be able to vote for the candidates that appear on the bill. “I agree with this all the way,” Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher Elliot Olson said. “Voting is one of the most powerful tools we have, but only if it’s done right.” This could prove to be helpful in increas-ing younger voter output during election sea-son. According to the Center for Civic Action (CCA), voters ages 18-29 have typically held the lowest turnout during election time. HB226 looks to change this statistic by ensur-ing that younger voters pay closer attention to topics that matter to them. By allowing us to vote in spring primaries, we will become better prepared to select a win-ner when the actual election comes due. We have a right to choose who goes on the ballot. There is nothing that prevents states from giving voting rights to 17 year olds on the conditions that HB226 calls for. In fact, 20 states have already passed similar bills. The CCA also reports that voters that participate in their first eligible election become more engaged in politics and voting than those that do not vote the first time around. There is currently a petition on the website www.thepetitionsite.com that urges politicians to vote for this measure.

Gabe Castro

Opinions Editor

Unmasking a sense of community in theater

For Against

3

Editorial Vote

Does The Pacer staff believe there should be a variety of

P.E. class options?

7

I hateP.E. ...

Meadows should offer more variety in Physical Education

Now thisI like...

Noe Rincon

OpinionsMay 3, 2013 5

If I could go through high school one more time, I would. Not to change my grades or take back a few decisions, but to be on The Pacer again. In my four years of high school, my class scheduled changed; I drifted away from some friends; overall I became a new person, but The Pacer was my con-stant. I always looked forward to the late nights of high pressure and the black ink on my fingers Friday morning. On registration night, the year before freshman year, I decided to quit band and sign up for a class I absolutely knew nothing about, Journalistic Writing One. In what seemed a really short semester, I learned all there was to learn about journalism (and Stevenson). I cannot imagine what high school would be like if I hadn’t walked into A111 my first day of high school. Now as I try to write my final words in The Pacer, I have nothing left to do but thank my fellow staff members, Mr. Zoller and you, the readers. To the staff, thank you guys for al-ways remembering to laugh when we still have a ton of work to do. Thank you for your wild dances and crazy comments. Thank you for your patience and your amazing journalistic skills. Overall don’t forget you are all extraordinary people who have a potential to do great things. Mr. Zoller, thank you for being a pain in our butts. Honestly, without you The Pacer would not be the paper it is today. Thank you for teaching us what you have learned through your years of experi-ence. Whatever you do after we both graduate, I know you will rock at it. To the readers, thank you for antici-pating Pacer Friday and, to the few out there, thank you for reading Las Vistas. Thank you for taking the time to read and appreciate the work and time we put in every issue. You guys rock.

America Cordero

Las Vistas Editor

Adios to The Pacer

Looking back:

Almost every day since second grade, I’ve read the sports section in the newspaper before school while eating a bowl of cereal. So in eighth grade when I had to pick an elective and my mom suggested journalism, I said fine, and I planned on writing a few sports stories when my own sporting career didn’t in-terfere. To put it plainly, I definitely didn’t know what I was getting into. But four years and more than 100 stories later here I am, finishing up my final issue. Be-ing a part of The Pacer has obviously taught me a lot, from interviewing to designing pages. One question, however, that remains unanswered to myself and journalists throughout the country: what is the future of journalism? If you haven’t already heard the rumor that newspapers are dying, keep your ears open, it’s out there. And though it is unlikely newspapers will completely go away in the near future, their numbers have declined as online news becomes

more prominent. So are online newspapers the future of jour-nalism? I would agree they are at least part of it. For The Pacer specifically, we added an online addition to our print issue in the past two years (RMHSPacer.com if anyone is interested), and it has dramatically changed the way we cover events. We can provide up-to-the-minute con-tent directly to our readers through social me-dia, and it has given us a platform to link videos and other multimedia. With news sources shifting to the web, it be-comes harder to distinguish between the legiti-mate and illegitimate. Nowadays, anyone with a laptop or smartphone can be a journalist, and even if they have good intentions, a lack of re-porting skills and journalism ethics could lead to a misinformed public. Now I’m going to go out on a limb here and say in today’s society journalists are significant-ly undervalued. Newspaper reporters are the ones who hold our politicians, religious leaders, large corporations and even our high schools accountable for their actions and give a voice to the voiceless. They are overseas in Afghanistan and Korea giving updates of our military and our safety. Heck, it was even journalists who un-covered that Manti T’eo’s girlfriend didn’t exist. And as journalists are being devalued, so is the commitment to journalism education in our school systems. I realize standardized tests and college readiness skills are important, but journalism teaches skills like reporting, news literacy and real-world problem solving— things that can’t be found on a scantron test.

It’s disheartening to see the lack of commit-ment to journalism education throughout the country, but even more so to see it happen at my own school. Earlier this year The Pacer’s advisor Stan Zoller was let go for next school year due to staff cuts. This was his eighth year at Rolling Meadows, and in this time he built up The Pacer into one of the nation’s best high school newspapers, while instilling journalism rights and ethics into his students. This is a man who passes out First Amendment cards during Scho-lastic Journalism week, who is the Journalism Education Association’s state director for Illi-nois and practices freelance journalism in his spare time. Mr. Zoller lives and breathes scho-lastic journalism, and it is the students who will lose without him here. Thank you, Mr. Zoller, for everything you’ve done over the past four years. I’ve been lucky to have you as a teacher. Also thank you to all my fellow Pacer staff members and especially my Co-Editor-in-Chief Brittney Frazier; this year has definitely been a lot of hard work but a lot of fun as well. Finally, to all of the readers, thanks for read-ing. It’s been a pleasure bringing the news to you, and I hope you have found our paper to be informative, thought-provoking and entertain-ing. And as you make your way through the rest of the issue, think of the journalism that goes into each story, then decide the value you place on accurate, unbiased reporting. I hope I’m not the only one that thinks journalism deserves a bit more respect.

Liam Brady

Editor-in-Chief

Journalism deserves a bit more respect

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updates, too.

WHY DON’T YOU “LIKE” US?

There was a time when I never thought I would be writing my se-nior column. Not because high school flew by or because I never thought my last issue would actually come (al-though these things are true). At the end of my sophomore year, I decided to quit The Pacer. I laugh about that now, as one of the Editors-in-Chief. But there was a point when this was never what I wanted. After much convincing, I re-applied for a staff position for my junior year, but only with the inten-

tion of doing the bare minimum to get by for the rest of my time on the paper. Thank God I applied. I could have never imagined what The Pacer would teach me when I walked into Journalism One on my first day of high school. But somewhere between that timid freshman learning the first amend-ment rights (which are speech, reli-gion, press, petition and assembly because I think everyone should know them), the frustrated sopho-more on the verge of quitting, and myself today, I was inspired to pursue a career in journalism next year at the University of Missouri. I would be lying to myself if I didn’t credit this amazing, roller coaster of a journey to the Rolling Meadows journalism program and to all of the people who have been a part of it; so I want to say thank you. To our dedicated readers: We appreciate your support and feed-back more than you could imagine.

I always looked forward to Pacer Friday and seeing my classmates reading newspapers in the hallways and sneaking glances under their desks. It has been a pleasure to re-port the news to you for the past four years. To our sources: Thank you for keeping your doors open and pro-viding our reporters with the infor-mation and honesty that we need for our stories. And thank you for being flexible when we are working on a tight deadline, which is just about always. To The Pacer staff: So many of my favorite high school memories have been with you guys: late night layouts when we’re jacked up on caffeine, our adventures in San An-tonio, Harlem Shakes and our mas-sive quote list are just a few. Stay positive, because I honestly have so much confidence in you for next year. You can and will handle any challenges that get thrown at you. To Liam Brady: The best Co-Ed-

itor I could ask for. Although I’m pretty sure I drove you crazy most of the year, I appreciate everything you have done. You’ve become such a good friend and let’s be honest, we put out one damn good paper. To Mr. Zoller: You deserve the most credit of all. You created a real-life newsroom atmosphere, lead us in the right direction ev-ery issue but still gave us creative freedom and, most of all, inspired and prepared me for my future in journalism. Thank you for always believing in me during my highs and lows on The Pacer. I’ve been lucky to learn from you these past four years. It’s hard to believe that these are my final words for The Pacer. It has been a crazy ride, but I am so glad that I stuck with it. Although there was a time when I never thought I would be writing my senior column, I sure as hell am glad that I am.

Editor-in-Chief

Brittney Frazier

A change of heart inspires future

Three Pacer seniors reflecton their journalism careers

Las Vistas Rolling Meadows High School6

Gabe CastroEditoro de Opiniones

El Martes, 22 de abril marcó el aniversario numero 43 del original Día de la Tierra, un movimiento que promueve la conciencia ambiental. En la celebración del Día de la Tierra, el Programa Culinario participó en un desafío de bolsa de plástico la semana pasada.

El Programa Culinario consiste de ocho clases, desde Comida 1 a Avanzado ProStart. La clase que trajera las más bolsas de plástico entre el lunes 22 de abril y Viernes, 26 de abril iba a ganar una fiesta de helados para toda la clase.

Después de leer varias estadísticas

sobre las bolsas de plástico, alimentos y moda profesora Kimberly Drendel se le ocurrió una manera de conseguir las clases del Programa culinarias involucrados a ser más respetuoso del medio ambiente.

“Leímos las estadísticas en clase y básicamente les dijimos que habría helado,” Drendel dijo. “Los estudíantes suelen responder a eso.”

En cinco días, tres clases de Comida 1, tres clases de Comida 2, y Avanzado ProStart 1 y 2 recogieron más de 1.500 bolsas de plástico. El tercer bloque de Comida 1 de Drendel ganó el desafío.

“Ver a los estudiantes participar y ver que entienden que deben ser conscientes de este tipo de cosas,” Drendel dijo.

Breves InformativosThe Pacer toma una porción de un articulo en el internet y lo pone en el peridico. Para leer las historias de los plenos visitar RMHSPacer.com

o escanear el código QR

Estudiantes de culinaria tomaron parte en el Día de la Tierra

BOLSAS DE PLASTICO: Señora Drendel y sus ochos clases de Culinaria toman parte en el Día de la Tierra.

Mejor Telenovela Mejor actor protagónico• David Zepeda, por “Abismo de Pasión”• Cristian de la Fuente, por “Amor Bravío”• Gabriel Soto, por “Un Refugio Para El Amor”

Mejor actriz protagónica • Angelique Boyer, por “Abismo de Pasión”• Victoria Ruffo, por “Corona de Lágrimas”• Zuria Vega, por “Un Refugio Para El Amor”

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Este domingo la ceremonia de entrega de los Premios TV y Novelas tomo lugar en Acapulco, Mexico y fue conducida por Alan Tacher y la cantante y actriz Yuri

Ganadora como mejor presentadora

• Karla Martínez de “Despierta America” • Lili Estefan de “El Gordo Y La Flaca”• Alejandra Espinoza de “Sabado Gigante”• Ana Patricia Gonzáles de “Despierta América”• Giselle Blondet de “Nuestra Belleza Latina”• Lourdes Stephen de “Sal y Pimienta”

May 3, 2013 7Marketplace

The post-graduation plansDOIN’ IT I3IG:

OTHER PLANS: 7Straight to work force

Army Marines

Air Force

Aurora Calixto

Maria Irungaray

Rebeca Campos

Kato Alvarez, Harry Cheing

Illinois Wesleyan (IL)

Alena Neuswanger, Neeka Szacilo

Iowa State University (IA)

Bailey Banger, Teodor Bivolarov

Indiana University (IN)

Seth Bachman, Sarah Collins, Joe Gerardi, Robin Matson, Christian Moller, Kevin Murphy, Peter Nickle, Tim Smith

University of Iowa (IA)

Szymon Ciasnocha, Samuel Friedman, Scott Gunther, Kelly Hibert, Sameen Hosseini, Anna Kallal, Meaghan O’Brien, Tommy Powers, Jacob Warkenthien

Lake Forest College (IL)

Brittany Khayet

Loyola University (IL)

Dan Divane, Christine Jaballas, Brooke Kedzie, Rebeca Rodriguez, Korinne Yonan

Marquette University (WI)

Monika Cinch, Shannon Kulpins, Brian Martini, Gianna Mladenova, Brian Stumph

Michigan State University (MI)

Megan Horan, Sean O’Neill

University of Minnesota (MN)

Emma McGinn, Harshavardhan Sanekommu, Jamie Snider

University of Missouri (MO)

Danny Behles, Brittney Frazier, Brett Frey, Jimmy Grier, Cassie Rynott

Northern Illinois University (IL)

Canon Mikho, Kezia Orofeo

Ohio State University (OH)

Nicol Drozdowicz, Brijen Patel, Michael Vanatta

Pivot Point International (IL)

Gabriella Aiello

Purdue University (IN)

Nicole Deren, Stephanie Sarussi, Colleen Wiley

Robert Morris University (IL)

David Miller, Anthony Sawah

Rollins College (FL)

Mike Dolan, Danny Hendricks

School of the Art Institute of Chicago (IL)

Elsa Hannaharger, Lisa Kuivinen

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (IL)

Aidan Dolik

St. Louis University (MO)

Anna Newman, Pat O’Neill, Adam Pavlakis

University of Tampa (FL)

Samantha Anderson, Melissa Whowell

Universal Technical Institute (IL)

Michael Fair

Western Illinois University (IL)

Danny Hardt, Tim Howe, Emily Hattory, Ian Massey, Tyler Slager

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater (WI)

Anthony Grande, Amber Tenuta

Winona State University (MN)

Noreen Jay, Jessica Laing, David Sobkowicz

IN-STATE: 232 OUT OF STATE: 99

Bradley University (IL)

Rebecca Borchert, Matt Dennis

Carthage College (WI)

John Burkiewicz, Rachel Mickey

DePaul University (IL)

Valerie Dellorto, Tom Klatt, Peter Manos, Alaina Mielke, Taylor Switchenberg, Chris Walentschik

Elmhurst College (IL)

Valbona Bektesi, Jakub Szylak

Harper College (IL)

Ella Agolli, Julio Aguilar, Kaltrina Ajroja, Marcos Anaya, Silviya Angelova, Carlos Banuelos, Jorge Basurto, Josh Beller, Allison Blake, Nick Bonell, Alex Brown, Maria Cabral, Alexis Cadena, Alejandro Camarillo, JohnCampobasso, Sarah Caprio, Rosa Carpio, Rosa Carrillo, Javier Castrejon, Daniel Chagoya, Artis Chanthaboury, Saul Chavez, Radina Cheleva, Kara Cichon, Amanda Ciezak, America Cordero, Matt Crigler, Sean Dahlgren, Alex DelBosque, Francisco Dominguez, Anthony Dunn, Devon Edhlund, Tim Ellis, Frank Eyeson, JessicaFederkins, Jabob Fennell, Ella Filippini, SeanFitzpatrick, Lupe Flores, Haley Frankiewicz, RaulFuentes, Jose Garcia, Martha Gasiewski, Micaela Gliosci, Jackie Guerra, Jonathan Guillen, Anna Haltman, Liam Haden, Matt Herrmann, Rosa Hernandez, Jake Hill, Michael Hughes II, Julie Huynn, Hannah Johnson, Jacon Johnson, Sarah Kacimi, Vasili Kanakaris, Mayuism Khan, Jagoda Kocol, Jordan Konar, Amber Krontz, Izabella Kurp, Kevin Kurzawski, Peter LeBuhn, Angela Leyva, Eric Lidsky, Daniel Lindberg, Matt Lisowski, Brian Lock, Evelyn Lopez, Jocelyn Lopez, Marvin Lopez, Brianna Luchetto, Mario Luchetto, Joesph Mago, Karolina Malesa, Silvio Mamaa, Matt Matuszek, Chandler McDaniel, Alec McGuinnes, Alejandra Mendoza, Matt Micari, Amber Moeller, Sandra Morones, AgnesMynarska, Agnieszka Mynarska, Erik Nielsen, Kelly Schmidt, Kathy Ocampo, Jovani Ojeda, Cristian Ossario, John Paez, Joe Partipilo, Fran Patano, Daysi Pereiva, Franky Perez, Bruce Pham, Jordan Plancon, JacobPlartar, Andy Pletch, Angela Poznecki, Nikolas Psarros, Jose Ramirez, Austin Reed, Andrea Reyes, Roberto Reyes, Fabian Reza, Alejandro Rivos, JonathonRodriguez, Mateo Rodriguez, Sury Rodriguez, Hugo Romero, Catalina Salazar, Angela DeSalvo, Mickie Schultz, Dhruvil Shah, Joey Sitko, Ryan Skowron, Jessica Slager, Otilia Soto, Grace Stramaglio, Erika Swanson, Sam Sydorwicz, Xochitl Tejeda, Sergio Teran, Amanda Torres, Rosmery Valero, Jovani Vera, Flor Villalta, Amanda Vo, Austin Watts, Mickey Wazorick, Derrick Wheeler, Josie Willwerth, Alfredo Zarate, Noe Zarate

Hope College (MI)

Tara Murray, Elizabeth Staffa

Illinois State University (IL)

Tom Adreani, Rachel Angelico, Samuel Ayorinde, Matt Barry, Andre Campbell, Angela D’Astice, Matt Dubiel, Quinn Hume, Katie Jalove, Morgan Keller, Kasia Kulesza, Danny Malnati, John Milano, MelanieMonnich, Kelly Neuckranz, Hannah Powers, Zack Schultz, Ben Snively, Rachel Thoms, Luke Toenjes, Natalia Torchalski, Dawn Walter, Hannah Whidden

University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign (IL)

Claire Baum, Marissa Bertrand, Liam Brady, Tommy Ciemniak, Alex Duman, Jessica Dykstra, Ashwin Galla, Danny Hendrickson, Maddie Hume, Daisy Ignatova, Jacquie Ingolia, Phoebe Kim, Elizabeth Lorentzen, Piotr Lukasiewicz, Shivani Patel, Gabriel Ravich, Lizzy Schultz, Matthew Targos, Christine Vercillo, Amy Wenzel

University of Illinois - Chicago (IL)

David Hoops, Kevin Patel, Yuliana Soto, Chris Winiarski

University of Alabama (AL)

Joanna Leung

232

2

Arizona State University (AZ)

Grant Doering, Kevin Jensen

Auburn University (AL)

Rachel Williams

Brigham Young University (UT)

Erik Butler

Butler University (IN)

Mike Nugent, Brian Sabal

Clemson University (SC)

Jacki Rohde

Coe College (IA)

Brittany Whittier

Columbia College Chicago (IL)

Michael Kelly, Gabriel Morkert-Munez

University of Dayton (OH)

Lauren Chipchak

University of Denver (CO)

Caitlin Wootton

Drake University (IA)

Alex Krcmar

Empire Beauty School (IL)

Monica Calderon, Mia Caravello, Ana Pinedo

Illinois Institute of Technology (IL)

Richard Stubing

University of Illinois - Springfield (IL)

Emily Collins, Stephanie Ijola

Jireh Prep (NC)

Rafael Romero

Lake Erie College (OH)

Cassie Papciak

Lincoln Tech (IL)

Bryan Samano

University of Michigan (MI)

Chris Slivovsky

University of Miami (FL)

Jake Robertson

Miami University of Ohio (OH)

Michigan Technological University (MI)

Jeremy Luebke

wherever we gofor the class of 2013

University North Carolina - Pembroke (NC)

Destiny Kocuvek

North Carolina - Wilmington (NC)

Griffin Huck

North Central College (IL)

Lisa Diekman, Alex Keuter, Steven Royster

Olivet-Nazarene University (IL)

Jake Finn, Chris Moreno

Pepperdine University (CA)

Naomi Louie

Northwestern University (IL)

Mark Schmid

Southeast Missouri State University (MO)

Kristopher James

State University of New York - Canton (NY)

Jahyde Jones

University of Tennessee (TN)

Elyse Kolbaba

Trine University (IN)

Jennifer Klutts

University Tulsa (OK)

Mariah Heck

Western Michigan University (MI)

Amber Rozanski-St. Onge

Wheaton College (IL)

Joe Tam

University of Wisconsin - Parkside (WI)

Daniel Wojtowicz

Wisconsin Lutheran College (WI)

Matt Kuzniar

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh (WI)

Sara Brunlieb, Jacob Grant, Emma Troschuk

Wyo Tech (CA)

Cesar Cortes

Xavier University (OH)

Brandon Kobus

Yale University (CT)

Celina Chiodo

Capital University (OH)

Marty Quinn

Samantha Chaplupa, Kaitlin Mich, Bridget Sullivan

Brigham Young University (HI)

Megan Thomas

Brigham Young University (ID)

Lauren Butler

Harper University of Michigan (MI)

Andrea Ibarra

Unspecified military

For more seniors with alternate plans, see page 10

1.Harper College (136)2. Illinois State University (23)

3. University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign (20)4. University of Iowa (9)5. Indiana University (8)6. DePaul University (6)

7. (tied) Loyola University (5)7. (tied) Marquette University (5)7. (tied) University of Missouri (5)

7. (tied) Western Illinois University (5)

THE TEN MOSTPOPULAR SCHOOLS

Where seniors are set to attend next year,colleges are listed in descending order

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Rolling Meadows High School8 May 3, 2013 9

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Gap yearBrianna Adams - To Switzerland

Raul Cortez

University of St. Thomas (MN)

Patrick Grant

Texas Christian University (TX)

Jaime Pitts

1

Features Rolling Meadows High School10

Michelle Alvarado Neil Krzeski Kerry GudjonisSoph

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Fres

hman

Juni

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Seni

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Caitlyn Walsh

Staff

Jacob Johnson

What’s your favorite song right now?

MEET YOURMUSTANGS

This Mexicanmilk candy

Bacon ice cream

963

The Sticker song

Over 400

Alligator

Anything country“Madness” by Muse

like 800

“The A-Team”by Ed Sheeran

“In My Life”by The Beatles

Squid

Like 200 1600

A bugWhat’s the weirdest

thing you’ve evereaten?

How many friends do you have on Facebook?

Liam BradyEditor-in-Chief

After helping the PREP hockey team win the second round of the state series, senior goalie Steven Gaitens had a surprise visitor.

“My coach came into the dressing room and said someone from the Swedish Elite League wants you and I was like okay,” Gaitens said.

The team turned out to be the Frölunda Indi-ans from Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, and they wanted Gaitens to move to Sweden and play for them.

“It’s a great opportunity first of all,” Gaitens said. “Who else gets to go to Sweden to play hockey so I got to take it.”

This won’t be the first time Gaitens has moved countries. In eighth grade he came to Rolling Meadows from Canada, where he learned the sport at the age of four.

“I grew up in Canada playing hockey there,

triple A, the highest level,” Gaitens said. “Then I came here and joined PREP.”

This year Gaitens helped the PREP team, which is made up of students from Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Elk Grove and Prospect High Schools, advance to the state quarterfinals where they lost to Rockford Hockey Club, the eventual state champs.

Gaitens has been training on his own and is doing two goalie camps over the summer to prepare for next year. He will make a trip out to Sweden in the second week of July, where he will sign the contract.

This trip will be Gaitens first time outside of the U.S. or Canada and he admits there is “definitely some nervousness” as he makes his preparations.

“They don’t really speak English over there so it’ll be tough,” Gaitens said.

Headed in a different direction

Brittney FrazierEditor-in-Chief

While most people only wish they could vaca-tion for a living, senior Jimmy Kolb will be doing just that next year.

Rather than going to college, Kolb is taking a gap year to work on a cruise ship. He already has a job set up with Carnival Cruises and is still waiting to hear back from Disney Cruise Lines.

His plans are unique, but he is not upset about what he is leaving behind.

“I’m not sad I’m missing the college experi-ence,” Kolb said. “I’ll be working on a boat where your job is to make people happy and party. It’s a vacation so I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of new people and making new friends and making people happy.”

Kolb will most likely begin as the Assistant Kids Cruise Director, which will consist of running events on the ship such as mini golf, clubbing, con-ga lines and volleyball and basketball tournaments. He hopes to eventually work his way up to head

cruise director. “Typically [a cruise director] would work for

anywhere between five to eight weeks at a time, and then you would get a month off,” Kolb said. “There’s no mortgage and you have your own per-sonal chef making food for you on the boat, so you get to stock all your money away.”

Kolb’s family is very supportive of his decision. In fact, it runs in the family. Both his mom and aunt wanted to work on a cruise as well but never got around to it. Even his sister, sophomore Ema Kolb, is considering the business.

“My family knows my personality so they are 100 percent behind me,” Jimmy said.

Jimmy hopes to begin his job in September so he can enjoy one last summer with his friends be-fore they leave for college.

“There is nothing better than bringing a smile to someone’s face and knowing that you help put it there,” Jimmy said. “I love being around people and I love talking to people so I thought, ‘What better job?’ You get to cruise around the world, see everything, and your job is to make people happy.”

SETTING SAIL: Senior Jimmy Kolb is leaving the U.S. to travel the world with the Carnival Cruise Company as a cruise director.

Seniors Jimmy Kolb and Steven Gaitens share their unique post-graduation plans

Caught in the trapAllison Brand and Alyssa Torna-

bene investigate mice sightings in the school. Read the story at

RMHSPacer.com.

GOAL: Senior Steven Gaitens, PREP hockey player, is set to play for a professional hockey team in Sweden after graduation.

Taking the rink in Sweden Cruising around the world

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FeaturesMay 3, 2013 11Security guard spotlight

Len Prejna

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? 12 years.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I was a substitute teacher in the district for six years, taught summer school and was an instructional aid.

What do you like to do outside your job? Read, travel, and play sports.

What is something about the job that students might not know?That we really try very hard to connect with the students and try very hard to help them when they are having “down days” if they need someone to talk to or they need some help.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard? Being involved in the school activities- anything that showcases the students.

Ed Admato

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? Five years.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I worked for Dr Pepper 7-Up as a counseling manager.

What do you like to do outside your job? I mostly like to golf.

What is something about the job that students might not know?Most people don’t realize that safety is everyone’s issue and that’s mostly what security is about.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard?The kids.

Irma Reed

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? 12 years.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I used to be an activity assistant for the elderly, who coordinating plays and games for them. What do you like to do outside your job? I like to read and walk.

What is something about the job that students might not know?I think the students are aware about what goes on and that we protect them.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard? The kids - the whole group.

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? 14 years.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I worked at a dental office.

What do you like to do outside your job? Photography and gardening.

What is something about the job that students might not know?The amount of toilets they have to flush and when they have to check bathrooms for graffiti and well-being.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard?Interacting with the kids and watching them grow from freshmen to seniors.

Nancy McKillop

Bob Signorli

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? Five years.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I was a police a police officer for 30 years and then retired.

What do you like to do outside your job? I enjoy watching sports: the Chicago Cubs, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks.

What is something about the job that students might not know?Sometimes the job can be pretty hard. It was a hard transition coming from a police department to a school with kids. The last several years have been very good.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard?I like dealing with all the students and the staff.

Tony Wolanski

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? 16 years.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I worked the same position at Jefferson High School for three years.

What do you like to do outside your job? Fish.

What is something about the job that students might not know?Dealing with kids and trying to earn their respect. We try to treat the kids with respect and we would appreciate if the kids gave us respect back.”

What is your favorite part of being a security guard? Dealing and working with the kids .

Joe Catalano

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? Seven years.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I was the Deputy Chief of Police in Rolling Meadows.

What do you like to do outside your job? I coach softball here, play golf, work out, and run a lot. I’ve run about 10 half marathons.

What is something about the job that students might not know?How much we walk around the school. We do walk around quite a bit during the day.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard?Being around the students, talking with them.

James Steiner

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? Four years.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I was in the marine corps for four years and then did some odd jobs here and there.

What do you like to do outside your job? Spend time with my kids, watch a lot of sports, barbeque.

What is something about the job that students might not know?How much that you actually get to work with certain students and get to help them through their life and family situations.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard? My hours are pretty awesome (one to nine p.m.) so I don’t have to get up too early and get to go out afterwards and I get to see my kids in the morning.

Tom White

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? I am on my first year.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I was a police officer. I was the school’s SRO (Security Resource Officer) from 1991-94.

What do you like to do outside your job? Build things, snowmobile .

What is something about the job that students might not know?Students don’t know how to flush the toilet. Also, students want to be treated with respect just like we do. We have a job to do by looking out for the students’ safety. There’s a reason for everything we do and there are guidelines we have to follow. We don’t make the rules, just enforce them.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard? Interacting with the kids, talking with them.

Lizbeth Villa

How long have you been a security guard at Meadows? Six years.

What did you do before you became a security guard? I was a student here at RMHS.

What do you like to do outside your job? Have fun with my kids .

What is something about the job that students might not know?We’re very tough even though we don’t look it.

What is your favorite part of being a security guard? Being with the students .

Will you go toPROM with me?

Allison Blake,

-Seth Bachman

Complied by: Liam Brady, Allie Brand and Brendan O’Brien

The Pacer talks with the unsung heroes of Rolling Meadows High School

Joe SalvatoEntertainment Editor

Not many people get to call themselves a gold medalist, but junior Caroline Schliep can say it loud and proud.

After traveling to Springfield two weeks ago for the state Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) competition, Schliep came home with a victory in the relish tray event. The entire state team brought home eight gold medals, eight silver medals, two bronze and one “Most Outstanding” award.

It is because of Schliep’s strong performance in the state competition and her commitment to FCCLA that she earns The Pacer’s pick for Artist of the Month.

The relish tray event consists of designing a cake made entirely out of fruit. Ultimately for the competition, Schliep gets to decide what she creates before it even starts.

“Regionals was basically like practice,” Schliep said. “If you get a 90 or above, then you get to go to state, and I

practiced a lot before then too.”She has been in FCCLA for two years, and competed in

the relish tray event both years because she wasn’t a fan of the dessert competitions like cookies or cake.

“There was only one other person that did it last year,” Schliep said, “and I’m better with my knife skills than I am with frosting cakes.”

Schliep’s favorite thing about FCCLA isn’t the actual competition, however.

“The people are my favorite part, and the teachers are really fun,” she said.

But these competitions are not just for fun in Schliep’s eyes; they’re more important than that. In hopes of attending culinary school, she wants to eventually have a career as a chef.

“I’ve been cooking a lot my whole life and it’s basically what I want to do,” Schliep said.

Originally, her inspiration for cooking came from her father when she was very young.

“My mom’s a really horrible cook, but when I was little my dad would show me how to cook when he cooked dinner,” Schliep said, “and ever since then I’ve wanted to do what he did.”

Entertainment Rolling Meadows High School12

Liam BradyEditor-in-Chief

After taking a one-year break, the RMHS-based rock band Just Left is back.

The group performed last Friday at the Metro in Chicago and is currently arranging future performances.

Just Left consists of former Mustangs Aar-on Hill (vocals, class of ‘06), Tom Nunes (bass, class of ‘03), brothers Bobby Weglarz (drums, class of ‘04) and Tim Weglarz (guitar/vocals, class of ‘07) and guitar player Nick Adelberger of Palatine High School class of ‘09.

The band started in 2003, though has evolved with Nunes and Tim Weglarz joining in 2005 and Adelberger joining in 2010.

“We all went to Meadows so that’s how it pretty much formed,” Bobby Weglarz said. “We weren’t friends, but we all knew of each other and it literally all fell together by itself.”

While at Meadows, the group performed often at school sponsored events ranging from the V-show, Live 8 benefits, pep as-semblies and school sponsored battle of the bands.

They then moved on to bigger shows, where they have performed with bands like Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, Hellogoodbye, All Star Weekend and A Day To Remember.

“The Chicago scene was really good back then musically. That was when Fall Out Boy, The Audition and some of the other big bands were still local bands so we were able to make friends with all of them and then we would be the opening band on their shows,” Nunes said. “And then after that we would gain fans and gradually work our way through the line-up.”

Making appearances on the Van’s Warped Tour in 2007 and 2009, the group beat out over 1,000 bands in a voting contest to play at the show.

“It was really cool ‘cause at Warped Tour nobody ever knows when the bands are go-ing to play until you get there, and they do it that way on purpose so that you’d stay to see bands you didn’t like or didn’t know,” Nunes said.

Another highlight of the group was in Feb-ruary 2012 when it played a sold out show at the House of Blues with Allstar Weekend and Hollywood Ending.

“The Chicago date ended up being the big-gest with just under 2,000 people so that was

the most recent big show we played,” Bobby said.

The band has released two full albums, “Keep This In Mind” (2007) and “Think Fast” (2011). Last year they came out with an Ex-tended Play (EP) album “What Goes Around Comes Around” which they released inde-pendently without a record label.

“When we first started out, you needed a record label because you needed them to get your CDs in stores, you needed them to get you on tour, you needed them to promote you,” Nunes said. “Nowadays everything is so online and you can make more money by releasing the songs yourself, because that way the record label doesn’t take any of the mon-ey out of it.”

Just Left recently released a single “Come Home” this March and sees the possibility of a new album on the horizon. They are currently working on new songs, and most of that re-sponsibility falls onto Tim Weglarz.

“Usually I’ll just be with my acoustic guitar, I’ll have a melody or a certain line I want to work on, and either someone’s pissed me off or someone’s made me happy, sad or mad,” Tim said. “Sometimes I just pick up the guitar and something clicks. Usually when I write it all happens at once, it flows and the song comes out. Then I present it to the band and we all work on it.”

The band has stayed in contact with the school over the years and even came back to play a show during seminar in 2009 where they gained fans from members of the senior class who were freshman at the time. Senior Alex Keuter experienced Just Left’s music even earlier through her stepsister who went to high school with the band and has followed them ever since.

“They have songs that mean things to them personally like one about the singer’s dad’s death in tribute to him and they send out a good message and a way to deal with things,” Keuter said. “And they also just like to have fun and make sure their friends have fun too.”

When looking to the future, Just Left has the music as its first priority.

“I think the goal is to keep putting out music people like,” Nunes said. “Whether we end up getting rich and famous or we end up being a local band, the fact that we’ve been together so long and the fact that people still like what we put out is a huge compliment.”

Artist of the MonthEach month The Pacer recognizes a student who excels in the fine arts. This issue the spotlight shines on junior Caroline Schliep, a champion of the relish tray

SWEET CAROLINE: Junior Caroline Schliep relishes in her victory the state tournament of FCCLA. Her relish tray won a gold medal.

Photo courtesy of Caroline Schliep

Lead Singer Aaron Hill: Class of 2006 Bassist Tom Nunes: Class of 2003

Guitarist Tim Weglarz: Class of 2007Drummer Bobby Weglarz: Class of 2006

Still Rocking: Rolling Meadows alumni band Just Left has opened for Fall Out Boy and played the House of Blues

Pacer/Sara Schoen

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"

...When I was little my dad would show me how to cook when he cooked dinner and ever since then I’ve wanted to do what he did.”

-Junior FCCLA member‘Caroline Schliep

EntertainmentMay 3, 2013 13

Joe SalvatoEntertainment Editor

Michael Bay has done it again.

The director of such cinematic travesties as “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “Bad Boys II” brings us the testosterone-fueled murder spree that is “Pain & Gain.”

Loud, offensive and aggressive as always, Bay’s style is unmistakable. Not even decent performances by Marky-Mark Wahlberg or The Rock can salvage this dead weight.

The film is about Daniel Lugo (Wahlberg), Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson), and Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie), three bodybuilders that come up with a plan to kidnap a rich client (Tony Shalhoub) at their gym so they can take his money and live the American Dream. Unfortunately they’re really really stupid, which eventually leads them down a path of drugs, murder and lies.

It’s literally “Fargo” on steroids, but not in a good way.

The plot is undoubtedly interesting, but that means nothing at the hands of Bay. He treats this disturbing and twisted true story like a joke. He tries to bring some dark comedy but fails because of the horrific violence he chooses to show on screen.

In between the violence, however, we get a few scenes of dialogue with the three steroid users. Lugo, Doyle, and Doorbal are all characters that have the

potential to be interesting.

In the beginning of the film, you want to get inside their heads, but they are all kept at a distance. They have no depth and are only on-screen to be judged and belittled. In the last thirty seconds of the film, a glimpse of their mentality is offered, but at that point it’s too late to care.

Early on, Lugo discusses his favorite movie characters. He talks about Rocky,

Scarface and “those guys from ‘The Godfather’” because they all started from nothing and worked their way to the American Dream.

Those films don’t deserve to be mentioned or even reminisced about here. Masterpieces like that aren’t even close to this, and in the realm of American Dream films, “Pain & Gain” falls way toward the bottom.

It would seem that “Pain & Gain” is a misdirected blah of a film with shallow

characters, but that can never be all in a Bay film; there has to be more. There must always be more.

The film offends and objectifies entire groups of people. Stereotypes of races, religions and communities are the butt of many jokes. It seems like the significantly lower budget hasn’t changed much of Bay’s trademarks.

Also, every scene in this movie is directed as if it’s an action scene. Even the expository scenes contain saturated colors and unnecessarily loud music. This eventually causes the film to lose all sense of excitement, and after

about an hour it simply becomes exhausting.

Now not all Bay films are awful. “Transformers” and “Bad Boys” were decent films, but “Pain & Gain” is fascinatingly bad and in no way can I recommend it. Bay’s over-the-top, assaultive style simply isn’t effective for the story at hand.

Not to mention there have been much better films done about similar situations. “Fargo”

is the best example and one of my personal favorites. Although it might not be a true story, it has character depth, dark comedy and an intriguing story.

“Pain & Gain” can’t even hold it’s own weight.

“Pain & Gain” is playing at AMC Randhurst and Streets of Woodfield but seriously don’t go.

For reviews on “42,” “Oblivion” and others, check out RMHSPacer.com.

Pain & Gain

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie

Joe’s Rating: /

R

Release Date: April 26

Entertainment Editor Joe Salvato reviews a movie playing in theaters each month. This issue: Pain & Gain

Salvato on cinema

Mia HarperCopy Editor

The expectations for this album were already pretty low: I was anticipating an entirely unsubstantial record with catchy club beats and cliche rap.

Will.i.am’s “#willpower” actually managed to exceed expectations, but it did so in the worst way possible. It was a mesh of hilariously awful lyrics and rhythms that couldn’t quite figure out what it was supposed to be, either lighthearted pop or serious hip-hop.

Most of the songs deal with living in the moment, throwing one’s hands in the air like they just don’t care, and subsequently falling “in love” with a stranger, because that’s just how life works and thinking of future consequences is for squares.

A positive of this album is that choruses and refrains are extremely easy to learn, because most of them consist of a sort of animal exclamation and shouting back whatever will.i.am tells you to, including, “Eh, baby, yeah, alright/Can you feel it?/Good god, yeah, alright,” and “Oh-eoh-eoheoh.” They’re not difficult to learn, which is very good for his fans.

One of the songs is appropriately titled “Gettin’ Dumb,” which unfortunately says a lot about the album as a whole. The rhythms are so bouncy and repetitive it’s almost like being

brainwashed, if his audience has anything left to wash away.

The highlight of the album, however, has to be “Freshy,” in which will.i.am talks about how awesome he is, and I promise the lyrics are just as awful to read as they are to hear: “You didn’t know? Now you do/Motherf---er like

me stay cool/Iglu, iglu, iglu, cool,” and “Mikey, Mikey, Mikey M o u s e / M o n t a g a big ol’ house/no n---as sleeping on my couch.”

However, tracks “The World Is Crazy,” “Ghetto Ghetto,” and part of “Great Times Are Coming” draw a more serious picture of social ills that does not fit the tone at all, including shootings, bombings

and social stratification. What a buzzkill for the rest of the album.

What will.i.am lacks in focus he makes up for in enthusiasm, and the laughably bad lyrics can keep one entertained for nearly the entireity of the album. For others, though, it may take more #willpower than they have to stomach the

autotune and indecisive theme.will.i.am’s album is available for purchase

on iTunes and Amazon. It is available as Explicit and Clean.

Lacking #willpower

Artist: will.i.am

Featuring: Miley Cyrus

Released: April 19

(out of four stars)

“#willpower”

will.i.am’s new album is mediocre and full of simplistic lyrics

HOURSMON - THURS: 10 AM - 10 PMFRI - SAT: 10 AM - Midnight

SUN: 11 AM - 10 PM

59 W Golf Road, Arlington Heights(847) 593-5387

Show your Rolling Meadows ID and get

2 slices + 1 soda for $4

$9.991 topping 8-corner pizza

Expires June 9, 2013

Until June 9, 2013

Bike the Drive The annual Bike the Drive event will take place soon in Chicago. Every year, the event is held and Lake Shore Dr. is blocked for a bike trail. Anyone can join for a fee, and although the ride is early, the sunrise on Lake Shore Dr. makes the trip worth it. To sign up for the bike ride, simply log onto www.bikethedrive.org. It has been going on for 12 years.

When: May 26, 7:30 a.m.Where: Colombus Drive and Jackson DrivePrice: $15

Downtown BreakdownThe Pacer’s picks for upcoming events in Chicago

Memorial Day ParadeChicago’s annual Memorial Day Parade

is a staple in the downtown area. It always consists of multiple floats and lots of candy, so this year will surely be no exception. The Memorial Day Parade is an event to honor all veterans, and will take place at State St. and continue on through the city itself. This will be the parade’s 143rd anniversary.

When: May 25, 12 p.m.Where: State St. and Lake St. to Van Buren St.Price: Free

Brad Paisley ConcertThe famed country singer Brad Paisley is

on the road to promote his latest studio album “Wheelhouse.” His stop in Tinley Park will be part of his nationwide Beat This Summer Tour. His style of music puts a spin on typical coun-try music by adding a pop feel to it. Singers Chris Young and Lee Brice will be joining him for a Chicago jam.

When: May 11, 7:30 p.m.Where: First Midwest Bank AmphitheatrePrice: $19+

The Final Frenzy

10 RANDOM

10

Compiled by:Liam Brady and Brittney Frazier

English/Fine Arts Division Head Mary Luckritz toured the country doing a

one-woman show before she went into teaching. She was banned from Boston.

9The Mustang statue in the front entrance was created by John Kearney and

donated by the class of 1978.

8Gymnastics coach and P.E. teacher Mike

Costa was a three-time national champion in the pommel horse at the

University of Illinois-Chicago.

7The varsity cheerleading team is the only Meadows sport to qualify for IHSA state

five years in a row.

6The archery team won the state championship in 1979. This is the school’s

only state championship in any sport.

5Rolling Meadows alum Gary Cole is

currently a movie actor. He has been in “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” “Office Space” and “Pineapple Express.”

4Class of 2012 Rahul Mutteneni has the school record for most AP tests taken

with 17. He passed all of them.

3Gym teacher Jim Lindeman played in the 1987 World Series as a member of the St.

Louis Cardinals.

2There is no room C203, but there is a room C202 and a C204.

1A Pacer is type of racehorse that is bred to have a distinct lateral gait in which both legs on the same side are lifted

together.

Mark SchmidFood Critic

As my last food frenzy ever, I think it is safe to say that this will be my worst ever. In part because I am writing this at the last minute, but primarily because I didn’t actually review anywhere for this final edition. Let me tell you, it is not easy to write a food review about food that doesn’t exist.

Despite the challenges that may arise from a lack of food, I already have a paragraph down so I might as well just go with it. This all started back in freshman year with the invention of the Double Down sandwich by KFC.

For anyone who is unaware, the Double Down was a sandwich that consisted of bacon, cheese and some kind of sodium-filled sauce sandwiched between two pieces of fried chicken. There was no bun because the colonel didn’t approve, and carbs are for the weak. However, to show the signs of my age, the Double Down isn’t even offered on the menu anymore. I was really hoping to add a picture of me in a sweet embrace with the wonderful sandwich, but dreams die hard.

Thankfully, my lifelong dream of being a food critic is already fulfilled by the age of 17, and I can strike that off the bucket list. There are many benefits to critiquing food, most importantly is that food can never critique back, so my feelings were rarely hurt. Another benefit is getting my name in the newspaper every issue even though I am not talented enough to make the paper for any other reason.

The pinnacle of the last four years, though, the top highlight, was watching senior Brian Martini cry as he attempted a hot wing challenge. Rarely in life are you given the opportunity to see true pain in someone’s eyes, and not only

did I get to see it, I also got to take pictures of it.

I am sure that many of you have a lot of questions for me so I took the time to make a little FAQ for all of you.

Q: How can I be more like you?A: You can’t, it is called genetics

and you are who you are.Q: How did you decide where to

review?A: I watched a lot of fast food

commercials, Googled a lot, pursued all leads to find the most incredible places, relied heavily on suggestion, but primarily waited until the last minute and reviewed the closest place I could find.

Q: You eat so much food, how do

you maintain such a killer body?A: Pilates and hot yoga.Q: Is there any food you truly

hate?A: Carrots.Q: Where should I go for lunch?A: Hands-down my least favorite

question. Go wherever you want, it doesn’t matter to me.

Q: Have you ever gotten food poisoning?

A: No.Q: Can you think of anyone who

has an incredible smile?A: Yes, senior Peter Nickle.Q: Will someone take over for

you?A: I honestly have no idea. They

probably should. It will be very difficult to do any worse than I did.

Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Zoller for being awesome and putting up with late stories, Editors-in-Chief Liam Brady and Brittney Frazier for not kicking me off, senior Brian Martini and junior Matt Long for agreeing to attempt eating challenges, and everyone with common courtesy who didn’t throw their copy of The Pacer in the toilet or on the ground immediately after looking at the front page.

Stay hungry my friends.

FACTS

The Pacer’s very own food critic Mark Schmid used his bluntly honest remarks to review restaurants each month. This month he reflects on his career as a food critic.

Unha

ppy

MelancholyForlorn Depressed

Devastated

yet hungry

The Sadness Scale

BEFORE AND AFTER: At left is a flashback to Food Critic Mark Schmid’s original Food Frenzy days in 2010. At right, Schmid poses for The Final Frenzy in which he reflects on his time as a food critic.

Pacer/ Sara Schoen

Pacer/ Sara Schoen

Compiled by: Ellen Krebs and Joe Salvato

ROLLING MEADOWS

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Entertainment Rolling Meadows High School14

Tony SarussiCopy Editor

The boys water polo team has stuggled this season with an overall record of 3-14 and a Mid-Suburban League East record of 0-10. The team has had a tough time gaining any water on its opponents as inconsistency and inexperience have been key problems. Four of the seven starters are new to the varsity squad, including senior Ben Sniv-ely, juniors Kevin Wronkowicz and Jason Scheele and sophomore Trevor West. Also new to the team is sophomore Tim Mc-Donough and freshman Quinn Fitzsimons. Due to the high level of varsity play, the new players have had problems being com-petitive against their opponents. The team also had trouble staying consistent during the games.

“Many times we are tied going into the fourth quarter, and then we lose our edge and lose the game,” sophomore Jake Barson said. Returning to varsity this season is Barson and seniors Szymon Ciasnocha and Mark Schmid. “Mark has been an offensive powerhouse and a great leader all season,” Barson said. Another problem for the team is the num-ber of players. The team has nine boys while most teams have double that. For one reason or another, three team members have quit during this season and two former players did not come out for the team this year at all. “Although we lack in players, we make up for it through team unity,” Wronkowicz said. Even though the record may not be sat-isfactory, the team believes they exemplify what their sport is all about.

“Since the beginning of the season we have had three goals: win a game, improve and have fun,” Barson said. Indeed the team has a great amount of fun. “Everyone is friends so it’s a good time,” Snively said. “We got each others backs no matter what happens.” Scheele agreed. “We play hard but we make sure to en-joy the experience too. For us, water polo is more like water YOLO,” Scheele said. This Tuesday the boys head to St. Viator in hope of beating the Lions. The team wants to redeem itself after losing by a slim margin their first meeting. “We felt cheated out of a win and this time we want to be the ones celebrating,” Barson said.

SportsMay 3, 2013 15

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

SOFTBALLStriving to top last

year’s record of 18-18, the girls softball team is sitting tight at 10-8.

With 10 returning var-sity players including se-niors Sam Anderson, Sara Brunlieb, Sarah Caprio, Emily Hattory and Han-nah Whidden and juniors Chloe Prodanovic, Jenny Watson, Grace Skorin and Lane Winkler, the girls look to achieve their goals for this season.

Along with the return-ing varsity players are newcomers sophomores Lauren Hattory and Mad-die Morgan.

Head Coach Tony Wolanski hopes the team will keep the ball rolling with a long stretch of con-ference games ahead.

“Our goal is to win the MSL East and win the re-gional,” Wolanski said. The team heads to Buf-falo Grove at 4:30 p.m. to face the Bison.

BASEBALL

-Complied by Tony Sarussi and R.J. Mattuci

RecapThe

With only one league match left, the boys vol-leyball team is tied for first with rival Prospect. The team has an overall record of 15-4 and a division re-cord of 6-2.

The team plans to “win conference, win a regional, and a win a sectional,” ac-cording to junior Tom Srnak. All of last year’s starting lineup returned this season, including all-conference and all-area senior Kevin Murphy, all-conference senior Peter

Nickle and seniors Tim Ellis, Brett Fry and David Sobkowicz. New to the varsity squad are Srnak and junior AJ Wojcik.

Playing on the same club, Pipeline Volleyball, during the offseason has improved the team’s chem-istry.

“We’re all good friends that love to work hard,” Srnak said.

The team heads to the York Invite tomorrow at York High School.

Midway through its sea-son, the baseball team is leading the Mid-Suburban East with a perfect 6-0 re-cord. The team has had major contributions from seniors Matt Dennis, Mike Dolan, Mickey Wazorick and ju-nior Alex Niecikowski. “Matt Dennis has led the pitching staff along with Mickey Wazorick,” Head Coach Jim Lindeman said.

“Mike Dolan leads the team in most hitting cate-gories and has done a nice job behind the plate.” The team has a lot of experience this season and hopes to win the MSL East and the MSL Conference while moving far in the state tournament. They take on the Conant High School today at 4:45 p.m. at home.

Young guns:

Tennis plans on high conference finish

Sarah DeitelhoffNews Editor

It has been a hard season for the girls soccer team, who has a 2-9-1 record in the Mid-Suburban League Conference. Having lost two girls who scored a combined 80 percent of their goals last year, the team has relied on juniors Evelyn Lopez, Mary Collins, Sarah Ott and Allie Kemph to make up the offen-sive production. “Those have probably been the most solid girls,” Head Coach Michael Drenth said. One of the team’s captains, junior Vanessa Sanchez, has also been out with a knee injury for the majority of the season. “It was during our tournament over spring break,” Sanchez said. “The girl who hit me hit the side of my knee. It didn’t get any better even though they [the doctors] told me it would, it didn’t. And then it turned out part of my cartilage cracked off.” Sanchez is out for the rest of the season but will continue to support her team. However, despite these difficulties the girls have had no is-sues coming together and bonding as a team. “We’ve really bonded,” Collins said. “Our team has always said we’ve become more like a rubber band, and in soccer that means working together on offense and then working together on defense and progressing forward across the field. Being able to work together has made us a good team.” The girls’ next game is tonight at home against Schaumburg High School for senior parent night. The game will be at 6 p.m. “I’ve been impressed with the fact the girls don’t quit. They don’t get down. They keep working hard in games and hopefully that will make a difference when the playoffs come,” Drenth said.

Seth BachmanSports Editor

The veteran boys tennis team has found itself near the of the top of the Mid-Suburban League Conference backed by strong play all across the lineu. “We would like to finish the season strong and win the East and then make a run at the conference tournament,” senior Bri-an Martini said. Seniors Marvin Lopez, Tim Smith, Christian Moller, Tommy Ciemniak, Pat O’Neill and Martini have guided the Mustangs to a 12-6 record and the team has its sights set on the Conference Tournament. We want to win the rest of our conference matches and get to the top in the conference tournament,” Moller said. Smith agrees. “We should be able to at least finish top three in the confer-ence tournament as a team,” he said. As for the postseason, Meadows hopes to send a few athletes to the the state tournament. “The overall goal would be to get someone to state, whether that be a singles or a doubles team,” Martini said. The Mustangs will finish their regular season tomorrow at the Lake Park invite with the conference scheduled for next Thurs-day at Wheeling High School.

EYE ON THE BALL: Junior Matt Kudla works on his returns during practice to prepare for tomorrow’s Lake Park Invite. It is the team’s final regular season tournament.

FAST BREAK: Water polo team scrimmages in practice on Monday. The Mustangs have been hurt by their numbers this season but have found success in non-conference games.

‘Water polo... more like water YOLO’

New varsity membersspark offense in place

of injured starters

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Losing record, low numbers can’t bring down spirit of water polo team

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KICKIN’ IT: Senior Monika Cinch prepares for the upcoming game against Schaumburg. The young team has dealt with injuries and has made progress on the field. They have senior night tonight at Home against Schaumburg High School at 6:00 p.m.

Seth BachmanSports Editor

Despite struggling to fill holes in the overall varsity line-up, the boys gymnastics team has in-dividual seniors who are looking for success at tonight’s sectional meet.

“As a team we have had a tough time com-peting because of numbers. Individually there is a lot of talent on this team that can shine in big meets,” senior Matt Crigler said.

The only returning state qualifier for the Mustangs is Crigler who finished seventh on high bar at last year’s state meet last. This sea-son, however, Crigler has improved his scores

in all of his events, giving him the chance to compete in the all-around state competition. The events include floor, vault, high bar, paral-lel bars, rings and pommel horse.

“My goal is to do my best and try to get an all-around spot. If not that, I’m shooting for floor, vault, high bar and parallel bars,” Crigler said. “Rings and pommel horse are my weakest events, and I just need to stay consistent and have a good meet and if I do that I should be able to make it.”

Accompanying Crigler, and his high goals in sectional competition, is senior Sam Friedman who has improved his pommel horse routine over the last few years.

“If Sammy hits his routine like he can at sec-tionals, he has the skill to bump him to the state spot also,” Crigler said.

Friedman agrees. “My goal is to hit my rou-tine and keep good form. If I do that I should be able to make it down to the state meet.”

As the squad prepares for tonight’s meet, Head Coach Mike Costa says he is confident about the individual athletes’ abilities.

“They both have the skills needed to be competitive at the state series it will all come down to both athletes hit their routines, they will both have an outstanding chance to make state.”

Meadows finished the regular season with a

10th place finish in the Mid-Suburban League Conference.

However, the team agrees that it won’t let that define their season.

Friedman and senior Sean Fitzpatrick fin-ished 18th and 15th respectively in all-around, while Crigler grabbed an eighth place finish in all-around and fourth place on vault.

“The team scores have been staying consis-tent, we just don’t have the numbers in order to bring them up enough to compete with the real big teams,” Crigler said.

The state is meet scheduled for May 10 and 11.

SPORTSPacer Tennis time

Mustangs prepare for the postseason and

sectional meet

See story on page 15

Swinging to the state meet

Liam BradyEditor-in-Chief

After a disappointing performance at the Mid-Suburban League conference meet, badminton senior Phoebe Kim is looking forward to this weekend’s sectional meet. “My personal goal is to qualify for state,” Kim, who was two matches away from state last year, said. “Our conference meet wasn’t so good, but I’m plotting to get my revenge.” The badminton team has not sent a player to state since 2010 and Head Coach Ken Mills is optimistic Kim can change that. “She’s been a top player; she still is. She’s strong, she’s smart,” Mills said. “She’s had some health issues with her ankles, but I know she’s going to push through it and give it her best this weekend.” Kim has been a bright spot for the team that struggled throughout the year. The Mustangs had a regular season record of 1-7 and finished 12th at the Conference Meet. “The girls tried hard, and some of the girls, their timing was off,” Mills said. “Sometimes you can do your best and it’s not enough to beat the competition.” Another player that has come on for the Mustangs has been junior Ariel Cantieri, who gave a strong performance at the Conference Meet.

“She was sick and she won a match, so that was a really bright spot,” Mills said. “The match that she lost at end was very, very close so that was positive.” Both Kim and Cantieri will compete at sectionals, but the doubles groups have yet to be determined. “For my doubles I haven’t decided exactly who’s going to go, but all my doubles had some good games, but not

enough to win a match [at the conference meet],” Mills said. “I’m looking forward to seeing them this weekend.” Throughout the season the badminton team has prided itself in its ability to pick them-selves up after losses.“No matter what happens score-wise, we’re always there for each other win, loss or even if we split a match,” senior Catlin Wootton said. “We always find a positive note and a way to move forward.” The badminton team had

one of its best turnouts from the freshmen class this year, which bodes well for the future. “I had 22 freshmen come out this year, and it’s hard to tell how good they’re going to be, but they’re a great group of girls,” Mills said. “They try hard and I’m excited about their commitment.”

Eyes on the prize: badminton team preps for Saturday’s sectional meet

"

No matter what happens score wise we’re always there for each other win, loss, or even if we split a match, we always find a pos-tive note and move forward.” -Senior

Catlin Wootton

AIM FOR STATE: Senior Phoebe Kim works on her serve in preparation for her sectional match. Kim was two matches away from the state tournament last season but hopes to make it this year.

HIGH BAR HOPEFUL: Senior Matt Crigler works on his high bar routine during practice, Crigler hopes to make it to state in the all-around category. Crigler who is the only returning state qualifier for the Mustangs looks to improve on last year finish.

RIDING THE HORSE: Senior Sam Friedman is looking for his first state qualification on the pommel horse. Friedman has made vast improvements to his routine over last season and hopes that if he performs well he will make it down to the state meet.

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