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Rolling Meadows High School 2901 Central Rd., Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 February 8, 2013 Volume 42 Issue 5

“The Diviners” marks end of director Tim McCrory’s 28-year career with Meadows theaterMia HarperCopy Editor

It will be a final curtain call for English teacher Tim McCrory as he directs his last winter play, “The Diviners,” showing tonight and tomorrow.

After having participated in nearly 45 plays throughout his 28 years at the school, McCrory ranks “The Diviners” as one of his favorites and sees it as fitting end to his time at Meadows.

“It resonates with my own philosophy in life, which is that people need to really challenge the things that they believe, and if they don’t, it can lead to some disastrous results,” McCrory said.

The play is about Buddy Layman, played by senior Brian Stumph, a 14-year-old who almost drowns as a child and is ren-

dered mentally handicapped because of it. He becomes so afraid of water he never even bathes, yet is gifted with the ability to “di-vine,” or sense the location of water. C.C. Showers, an ex-preach-er, played by freshman Tony Storniolo, stumbles upon Buddy and, noticing something special about him, decides to take the teenager under his wing.

“I really think it’s a cool play the way it’s all put together, plus it’s really lyrical and just fantastic just in terms of staging and the power,” McCrory said.

The setup is unique in that it is performed on a raked stage, which is a raised platform slanted toward the audience.

“It’s little weird working on [the raked stage] at first, but it’s really not too difficult,” senior Bridget Sullivan said. “You don’t even notice it after like the first few times. You do have to step up to get on the stage, but it’s not too big of an incline.”

Compared to other RMHS productions, “The Diviners” is a darker and more atmospheric play.

“This one is definitely really intense, and there are a lot of big ideas behind the show about Christianity and human nature,” sophomore Athena Kopulos said.

Sullivan said the ending scene was her favorite because “it’s really dramatic and it’s the culmination of everything that hap-pens. It’s very emotional and heart-wrenching, and even though you know it’s coming, you still don’t expect it.”

Even though this is McCrory’s final year working at Mead-ows, he will continue to influence other students.

“McCrory’s a great director because he really chooses plays the mean alot to him, so he puts himself in it. It’s not really a play for him, it’s a chance for him to share something that he’s pas-sionate about,” Sullivan said.

McCrory hopes his lessons will resonate as the performers move on in their lives. His philosophy:

“Live passionately in the moment, and determine what is true and really strive for it, whatever it means,” McCrory said. “If the-ater’s your thing then just go for it, and if it’s not that then figure out what is and attack it with a passion. Attack it with everything you’ve got.”

A divine ending

Premier poms The varsity poms team

qualifies for the first ever IHSA state dance finals

page 7

The Oscar goes toEntertainment Editor Joe

Salvato predicts the winners of this year’s Academy Awards

page 9

Italian iceStudents travel to Italy for competitive figure skating

page 6

SHIELD: Freshman Danielle Ponsot protects freshman Lexi Meschino during a scence in the dress rehearsal. DIRECTOR’S CUT: Senior Brian Stumph listen’s to advice from director Tim McCrory during dress rehersal for the winter play. This is McCrory’s final show after being a part of 45 plays in his 28 years at the school.

Julia DacyManaging Editor

In the midst of this year’s flu outbreak, school nurse Mary McCarter suggests knowing all the FACTS -- fever, aches, chills, tiredness and sudden onset, that is. These are the most common symptoms of the flu which has been sweeping the nation since December.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), last year’s flu season was one of the shortest and most mild in many years. In contrast, this year’s flu outbreak came earlier than usual, begin-ning in December.

“Every year is different, so there is no reason it came on in December this year,”

David Dobkin M.D. of North Arlington Pedi-atrics said. “Some years it isn’t until March. You should get the flu vaccine at the end of the summer or early fall to get vaccinated before the season since we don’t know when its going to hit.”

A misconception about the flu is that vomiting is a common symptom.

However, Dobkin said, “This is more of a respiratory flu so the three main symptoms are high fever from 101-104 [degrees] , body aching...and a dry persistent cough.”

According to Dobkin, the flu vaccine is still recommended despite how late in the season it is.

“Number one best thing is to have a flu vaccine before the season even starts. It’s still okay to get the flu shot if you haven’t

already, but it takes two weeks for it to really take effect,” Dobkin said.

There are many strains of the flu, making it difficult to target with a vaccine. Ac-cording to McCarter, new vaccinations are created each year geared towards the strain doctors predict will hit. The CDC estimates that vaccinations are typically 60 percent effective.

Once symptoms are present, Dobkin suggests allowing the virus to run its course and stay hydrated.

“In the majority of cases the flu will last between four and seven days so rest and drink lots of fluids...and minimize your activities,” Dobkin said. “There is medication called Tamiflu. If you take it in the first two days it can shorten the duration.”

Fighting backSchool Nurse Mary McCarter and

David Dobkin M.D. suggest these simple methods to prevent getting the flu.

-It isn’t too late to get the flu vaccine which protects against an estimated 60 percent of flu viruses.

-Frequently use hand sanitizer or wash your hands, especially before eating or after using the restroom.

-Try to stay away from friends experiencing any of the FACTS symptoms.

-The flu is highly contagious. If you are not feeling well, stay home to prevent spreading it to peers.

Checking FACTS on the flu

Time: 7:30 p.m. Dates: Feb 8, 9 Cost: $5

Showtime

News Rolling Meadows High School2Web Briefs

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.

Sarah DeitelhoffNews Editor

This past Saturday the RMHS Speech team had their Regional competition.

“It was a brutal regional, but that bodes well for those who advanced to sectionals,” Head Speech Coach Mike Concialdi said.

Out of 11 entries, three students will be continuing to the Sectional tournament on Saturday. Senior Jacki Rohde and freshman Katherine Rohde will be performing their Humorous Duet Acting (HDA) piece called “Science: No Boys Allowed,” about two sisters who try and create the perfect boy for a science fair. They received fourth place for their performance.

Senior Brian Stumph will be performing his self-writ-ten Original Comedy “Lease: The Musical” for which he placed third, and Jacki will also be performing her Poetry piece called “After” at Sectionals which is composed of four different poems, for which she received second place.

“I was really excited for Regionals, and now I’m really excited for my last Sectionals. It’s a little weird competing with my sister, but I trust her,” Jacki said.

Jacki has been a member of the speech team for the past four years and captain for the last two, earning the nickname “speech mom.”

“I love being captain and the Speech Mom. It’s gotten to the point where if I start walking somewhere, some of the younger team members follow me. It kind of makes me feel old sometimes, but it’s really cool seeing the future of the team,” Jacki said.

Concialdi has been coaching Jacki and Stumph since they first started speech.

“It’s great seeing how far they’ve come since their

freshman year. Seeing them now being these poised and confident speakers getting ready for college is really the coolest part,” Concialdi said.

This will be the final State competition for Stumph and Jacki.

“I’m going to miss all the great team members and coaches. Everyone’s so nice and talented and I just love them,” Jacki said.

The Sectional tournament will be tomorrow at Whea-ton North High School and the top three in each category will advance to State on Feb. 15 and 16.

“This is the time of the season now where it’s the IHSA State series and we’re just kind of fine tuning things. We just hope that the ranks they get reflect what we as coach-es think they deserve,” Concialdi said.

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Scanning in

Speaking from experience

Liam BradyEditor-In-Chief

No one can appreciate the new I.D. scanners installed in the Academic Resource Center more than librarian Joyce Sevarino.

Before the scanners, students had to sign in on a sign in sheet, and it was up to Sevarino who had to type up the information and record it in the com-puter.

“It’s a difference of night and day,” Sevarino said. She projects she has entered more than four thousand sign-in sheets prior to the scanners.

The scanner software- which re-

cords the student’s I.D. number, what time they come and go from the ARC and what subject area they have come for help- uses a barcode system, was designed by science teacher Jeff Batey.

“It’s kind of fun seeing everything come into fruition,” Batey said. “Hope-fully for people using the ARC as it’s intended for, it can be a lot quicker for students and add additional instruc-tion time to the day.”

The scanners have been used for attendance at the start of the day to record tardies, and overall students have been impressed with the effi-ciency.

“Yeah I like it,” sophomore Har-

rison Mackay said. “The lines are shorter and it’s a lot faster.”

The school originally planned on piloting a program called Plascotrac, which would have cost the district approximately $17,000, but now they plan to keep Batey’s and continue to develop it.

The program was also recently ob-served by school board member Bill Dussling who was impressed by the efficiency.

“I would hope that if this system absolutely works, it could be expand-ed to all the schools in the district,” Dussling said.

Speech team prepares for the state series

SCAN: Freshman Mack Galvin has his I.D. scanned by librarian Joyce Sevarino while visiting the ARC. The scanners are used to record attendance informa-tion and check people in and out of the ARC. They were designed by science teacher Jeff Batey and the district plans to continue developing the software.

TURNABOUT TIME

FCCLA FEBRU-HAIRY CONTESTGabe CastroStaff Writer

Febru-hairy, FCCLA’s next fundraiser, is a month-long beard growing competition. After selling caramel apples in the fall and mak-ing baby blankets for District 214 teen moms, FCCLA (Family, Com-munity, Career Leaders of America) is trying to raise money for No Kids Hungry, an organization that helps children in need by providing them with nutritious foods.

“The way we’re going to raise money then is by doing Febru-hairy,” FCCLA Sponsor Kimmi Drendel said. “Each guy that does it has to pay a five dollar entry

fee which covers part of their t-shirt, and then they raise money throughout the month.”

Throughout February, each person that participates in Febru-hairy is not allowed to shave. They can raise money by getting others to donate during lunch on Fridays.

WILDSTANGS PREP FOR SEASON

SISTER ACT: Sisters Jacki and Katherine Rohde reherse for sectionals.

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Sarah DeitelhoffStaff Writer

Giddy up for the western themed turnabout dance taking place March 2.

“We encourage students to wear jeans and flannel shirts. Line dancing, and the Hoedown Throw-down [by Hannah Montana] will definitely be played,” sophomore class council sponsor, Frank Hara-lambakis said

The goal of the western theme is that if the dance itself is to mskr the dance less formal to attract more students. Although it will still be considered a Turnabout dance, girls are not required to ask the guys. Class council hopes to get

away from the term “Turnabout”.There was some controversy as to when the dance would take place, but “It had been on the calendar for March 2 since last year when the calendars were made; it would have been a hassle to change it now,” Nightlinger said.

Peter Timotijevic Staff Writer

With some new ideas, a dedi-cated core of members and past ingenuity, the Wildstang Robotics team is gearing up for what looks to be a long but rewarding season.

Its season began when the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) announced this year’s contest. FIRST promotes the development of interests in sciences. The team which started preparation on Jan. 5, needs to complete its robot in six weeks.

Being part of the robotics team is a big time commitment. Mark Koch, the Wildstang sponser, ex-pects each member to devote at

least 45 hours to building the ro-bot. Other members may spend up-wards of 150 hours. The team has currently invested 2,435 hours, and the season isn’t over yet.

“We’re really cohesive as a team,” senior Maddie Hume said. While laughing, she added that “it’s one of the reasons we’re also slightly behind.”

Read the full story at rmhspacer.com

Read the full story at rmhspacer.com

Read the full story at rmhspacer.com

New scanner system designed by science teacher Jeff Batey installed

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NewsFebruary, 8 2013 3

Q. What were some of the events that took place during the National Counseling week?

A. To spread awareness to teachers and other staff about everything that we do as coun-selors, we sent out an email every single day this week about our goals and breaking down everything we do. And then for the students, since a lot of students know how to get help from us, but they don’t necessarily have the information about the outside resources we offer, we decided to have a little mini lunch fair during A and B lunches where a different organization was there each day so the students could see who we work with and how it can benefit them and their family.

Q. Are there any new services that the counseling department is offering this semester or next year?

A. We always have groups running, we’re going to start some programming during late starts since freshmen have to sit there already since they take the bus. We want to make use of that time and meet with them and do some new guidance programming with them. We’re also continuing to work on our normal day-to-day responses to student needs.

Q. What are some of the specific services you currently offer?

A. We offer a Chicas and Chicos group girls empowerment group. We have also have high achievers, anger management, study skills, anxiety, grief and loss, real world high school and life balance groups and a transfer student group. Each school year, starting this year, we are giving a needs assessment that determines what groups we need to add and what groups we need to not worry about that school year.

Q. What would you tell a student who is unsure about going to one of the groups the counselors provide?

A. I always recommend to try it once. I’d say it’s totally voluntary, but I’d say once they get there they’d be surprised about how many different groups we offer and how many different students take advantage of them.

ASK AWAY: Editor-in-chief Liam Brady interviews counselor Kara Fisher about the National Counseling Week, Feb. 4-8.

On theHOT seatEditor-in-Chief Liam Brady sits down with new guidance counselor Kara Fisher to discuss National Counseling week

Q. With the scheduling for the 2013-2014 school year going on, what is the most common problem counselors run into?

A. I think the biggest thing is that we have so many students and we always want to spend so much time with them, but you really have to move them along so that they can get back to their

Q. With three counselors retiring next year (Anna Doherty, Cheryl Hender-son and Marisa Wetmore), will it be tough to replace their experience?

A. Definitely. This is my first year here, and what they know with their expertise is amazing. You can’t replace that. They’ve had a lot of experience here and they’ve been here for a long time. We’ll really miss them.

Q. Any last words for the school from the counseling department?

A. It’s a really hardworking department, so it’s nice to be able to use this week to work even harder to get all of our services out there so all of our students can take advantage of it.

School’s out for second semesterSeniors opt for early graduation to pursue college, careers

Julia DacyManaging Editor

Kara Strickland was ready for college life. Trouble was, she was only in her sophomore year of high school. It was then that Strickland decided to apply for early graduation after first semester of senior year and graduated last month. Strickland is now attending Harper Community College. Early graduation allows students who have completed all necessary credits to finish high school in less than four years.

Later this year, Strickland will move to Venice, Florida to continue schooling to become a labor and delivery nurse.

“It [early graduation] was a good choice for me because I don’t think I could survive another semester in high school,” Strickland said. “I was tired of the people and the long hours of being in school. I am much more suited for col-lege.”

Victoria Kritikos aslo decided to graduate early so she could begin cos-metology school.

“Now I am moving on and actually doing something that I want to do in my life,” Kritikos said.

Early graduation gives students the chance to move forward without miss-ing out on most senior year activities.

Students are still able to attend prom and walk at the graduation ceremony in June. However, they are excluded from extracurriculars like sports teams.

In order to be approved for early graduation, students must complete all district requirements and the needed credits.

“It was not difficult to get my credits done,” Strickland said. “As long as you pass all your classes and take double English classes senior year, it’s easy.”

To stay on track and finish require-ments, students should decide on early graduation their junior year.

“Since I made my decision about graduating early kind of late, I had to take a night school class Monday and Wednesdays for four hours a night,” Kri-tikos said.

In order to graduate early, students must be approved by the district after showing a clear plan for the future. Ap-proximately 20 students were approved to graduate early this past semester.

“Early graduation is an option that the district takes very seriously,” guid-ance counselor Anna Doherty said. “They will not allow students to gradu-ate without a plan: college, work, mov-ing, et cetera. It is an application process that has to be approved by the associate superintendent of student services.”

GRADUATE: Kara Strickland studies for Harper classes after graduating from RMHS this January. “I have more time during the day to do what I want to do which I didn’t have time to do during high school hours,” Strickland said. She was one of 20 students to graduate early this year.

Pacer/Sara Schoen

With a string of recent gun-related trag-edies, President Obama is loading some new precautions to hopefully prevent any more unnecessary deaths.

Obama’s plan is to limit magazine sizes, ban assault weapons and crack down on skimpy background checks. The large maga-zine sizes allowed James Holmes to wreak

havoc at a movie theater in Colorado, assault weapons were used to massacre 20 innocent first graders at Sandy Hook, and lax back-ground checks allowed guns to fall into the hands of a mentally unstable person respon-sible at Virginia Tech.

Just talking about any form of gun control makes the National Rifle Association (NRA) cringe. It seems to think that any effort made to mitigate lives lost to guns is a direct attack on their version of the American dream and that’s just simply un-American.

The NRA is paranoid that the government has become tyrannical and they’re trying to restrict our access to guns so they will be the only ones with guns. I’m not saying I trust the government 100 percent either, but that’s

just an insane amount of paranoia. Think rationally for once.

We don’t need assault weapons or maga-zines with upwards of 20 or 30 bullets. The NRA argues that guns are for fun and hunting. Who takes 20 bullets or an assault caliber rifle to take down a deer?

We love our guns and we love to spill blood with them. America boasts the most gun re-lated homicides out of all developed countries. That rate is 3.2 per 100,000 people. The next closest is Switzerland at an astounding 0.7 per 100,000.

Another popular argument of the NRA is that a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun. Reading between the lines, that says we should encourage teachers and movie

theater guards to carry guns to their jobs. What happens when they have an especially bad day?

If a shooting were to occur and a “good guy” did in fact have a gun on them, are they properly educated to handle the situation? When there’s a frenzy going on, what happens if the good guy accidentally shoots an inno-cent bystander because they weren’t properly trained?

These new laws will not prevent gang-bangers and related scum from waging their own vendettas against rival gangs but hopefully we won’t have to deal with another serious massacre of innocent people.

On Jan. 25, the U.S. Department of Educa-tion announced a mandate that will require elementary and secondary schools to provide equal access to sports teams for students with disabilities. The Pacer staff believes this is a great step towards creating new opportunities for RMHS students with disabilities as well as benefit all those involved in school athletics across the country. The measure will not guarantee disabled students spots on a team or give them an unfair advantage; rather it asks schools to make “reasonable modifications” to give the disabled students a fair chance to compete. An example of this would be adding a simple visual aid for a deaf track runner, to

go along with the starter gun to signal the beginning of a race. By stressing the importance of acces-sibility, students who would have otherwise avoided certain sports because of their dis-ability may now decide to give them a try. The Pacer staff believes that athletics are important because they teach healthy lifestyle habits, sportsmanship, teamwork and other values. Disabled students are just as entitled to these lessons and experiences and deserve equal opportunity to participate. Though some school officials throughout the country have expressed concerns about how this will affect their budgets, money should not be the determining factor in whether or not the students can compete.

All adolescents deserve a shot at sports, especially if they have determination and talent to succeed. From Anthony Robles, the three-time NCAA All-American wrestler with only one leg, to Oscar Pistouris, the double below-knee amputee who qualified for the semi-finals in the 400 meter run at the 2012 Olympics, we have seen athletes with disabilities excel against their “able-bodied” counterparts. Hearing these stories not only inspires, but also challenges us to look beyond the handicap. Encouraging students with dis-abilities to participate in school sports will benefit their classmates as well. They will learn the valuable lesson of looking beyond

any differences in appearance or ability. As the saying goes, “No one is dis-abled, only differently-abled.”

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

February 8, 2013 Volume 42 / Issue 5

Editors-in-ChiefLiam Brady

Brittney FrazierManaging Editor

Julia DacyNews Editor

Sarah DeitelhoffOpinions Editor

Anna Peterson

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 BrandGabe CastroAlex Gueli

Jackie GuerraAriana KingEllen KrebsAnnie Lynk

Robert MattucciBrendan O’BrienAlyssa TornabeneElizabeth Weiss

AdviserStan Zoller, MJE

PAC ER

21For Against

0Staff Vote

Should Meadows make accomodations for disabled

athletes?

Up in arms: National Rifle Association (NRA) likely to protest upcoming gun laws despite recent murders and calls for stricter gun control

Enabling

The Pacer staff supports giving equal opportunities to

thedisabled

disabled athletes in school sponsored sports

Business Manager

Peter Timotijevic

Cece Chiodo

Opinions Rolling Meadows High School4

America CorderoEditora de Las Vistas

El Domingo 24 de ene-ro el governador Pat Quinn firmo una nueva ley que permite a los immigrantes ilegales adquirir lisencias de conducir. La ley fue pas-ada en Springfield, Illinois por un voto de 65 - 46. Aunque muchas perso-nas se regosijaron la offi-cina de la secretaria del es-tado de Illinois estima que tomara aproximadamente 10 meses para finalizar todas las regularisasiones, entrenar los empeleados y saber que tipo de documen-tos seran requeridos. Las lisencias seran differentes fisicamente y tendran differentes reglas que la lisencia regular de Illinois.

Fisicamente seran azules en lugar de rojas. Seran marcadas para no ser usadas como identifi-caccion, no podrán usarlas para avordar aviones, votar o comprar armas. Regularmente las lisen-cias nadamas podrán ser usadas por tres años en lugar de los regulares cu-atro años y tendrán una cuota de 30 dollares. Para calificar para esta lisencia, la persona debera com-provar que han vivido en el estado de Illinois por al menos un año. Para com-provar esto pueden usar facturas, su pasaporte y su matricula consular. En orden que la lisencia sea valida la persona debe tener una aseguranza vali-da. Si la persona es parada por la policia sin una ase-

guranza, dos multas se les seran dadas por manejar sin lisencia y sin aseguran-za. La lisencia no sera dada instantaniamente, mas el estado debe de verificar la informacion que le fue dada. Los lesligadores creen que esta ley sera un gran paso en respecto de dis-menuir los accidentes de carros. La Seguridad de Coalición de la Caretera de Illinois ha dicho que personas sin lisencia y sin aseguranza han estado en-volucadros en 80,000 ac-cidentes en el estado cada año. Los accidentes resul-tan en $600 mil en daños. Personas que apoyaron la nueva ley dicen que es un paso mas cerca a una reforma migratoria.

Sarah DietelhoffEditora de Noticias Este més, FCCLA estará patrocinando un evento de recaudación de fondos a beneficio de la organización No Kid Hungry, una organización benéfica dedicada a la alimentación de los niños que no reciben suficientes alimentos en el área de Chicago. El evento se llama FebruHAIRY y será un concurso para ver quién puede crecer la barba más larga en el més de febrero. Participantes tenían que afeitarse en la mañana del 1 de febrero y luego no afeitarse hasta después de 1 de marzo. Al aceptar hacer la recaudación de fondos,

los niños deberán entregar cinco dólares y continuar para recaudar fondos durante todo el mes. La participación en este evento también promete a los participantes una camiseta gratis. “Tenemos 29 chicos registrado por lo que creo que va a ser muy exitoso,” Patrocinadora de FCCLA, Kimmi Drendel dijo. Los estudiantes podrán votar todos los viernes por su barba favorita, la barba más colorida, la más larga, y otros premios. “Todo el mundo es un ganador, al final de cada més todas las personas involucradas tendrán algún tipo de barba relacionada con premio,” Drendel dijo.

Breves Informativos

Febru-hairy

CALIFORNIA: Immigrantes ilegales protestan en California y pelean por la misma ley que ofrece licencias en Illinois sea pasada en California.

Galardonado violinista

Sarah Deitelhoff Editorra de Noticias

Hace dos sema-nas, estudiante de segun-do año Michael Priller compitió en el Festival de Música IMEA Todo-Estado. Priller ha estado tocando el violín desde los nueve años junto con su hermana, Melissa Priller.

Fue seleccionado hace tres semanas para tocar en la orquesta de Todo - Estado Honores, y se ha sentado en la novena silla de los 48, superando a los estudiantes hasta 2 años mayor que él. "Fue una gran experiencia. He hecho muchos nuevos ami-gos y me encantaría volver a hacerlo," Priller dijo.

Immigrantes ilegales celebran la nueva ley que les permite obtener lisencias en Illinois

(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Descompustura del centro El Pacer escoje eventos que toman lugar en Chicago

“ inocente” “Inocente,” un documental nomi-nado al Oscar, se trata de Inno-cente Izucar, una joven indocu-mentada que lucha con el estar sin hogar mientras persigue sus ambisiones artistas en San Diego.

Cuando: Feb 8 al 10, 11:30 a.m. Donde: Music Box Theatre Precio: $5 - $10

Demostración de coches La exhibición de los carros incluye carros domesticos y carros importados, en total va ver al menos 1.000 carros differentes. En addicion a esto los asistentes veran dife-rentes accesorios, exhibiciónes relacionadas con coches y carros antiguos y colectivos

Cuando: Feb 9 al 12, 10 a.m. a 10 p.m. Donde: McCormick Place Precio: $6 - $12

Desfile del nueva año lunar El Comité de Eventos Especiales de Chi-natown está planeando otro desfile del Año Nuevo Lunar, esta vez celebrando el Año de la Serpiente. Únete a las bandas de música, car-rozas, y un dragón de 100 pies, a través de las calles de Chicago. .

Cuando: Domingo, Feb. 17, 1 p.m.Donde: 24th y Wentworth to CermakPrecio: Gratis

Traducido por America Cordero

Traducido por America CorderoPagina revisada por Marissa Bertrand

Las VistasFebruary, 8 2013 5

Technically Panera

Features Rolling Meadows High School6

Allie PetrickFeatures Editor

Junior Melissa Cerza along with freshman Hailey Contine and Bailey Styzinski have skat-ed their way to Italy with their team, Chicago Jazz.

The team placed fourth at nationals last year and qualifed for the international competition that will take place tomorrow morning in Milan.

Chicago Jazz has been a part of Team USA for over 10 years. Recently Cerza went to Ger-many and was joined by Styzinski in Switzerland the following year. This will be Contine’s first in-ternational competition as well as the first time the team (joined by a Boston team USA) will be going to Italy.

“Being successful by yourself as a skater is one thing,” Styzinski said. “but going out and being successful with a whole team of best friends is completely different.”

Contine agrees.“I don’t think I have ever been closer with a

group of girls,” Contine said. “That’s what keeps me skating.”

The team practices every Tuesday, Saturday,

and Sunday with additional individual practices. The girls were put on the team after passing skating tests and having high levels of freestyle skating skills.

“We skate a minimum of 11 hours each week with added solo skating on our own,” Cerza said.

The team has high expectations for tomor-row’s competition. They’ve had to overcome a subpar skate in the world qualifier but a lot of practice and team building since then has them ready to skate their best in Milan.

“We’re hoping to finish in the top three in It-aly,” Cerza said. “Our short program will include mixes of Michael Jackson, and we really enjoy it.”

Contine, Cerza and Styzinski are strongly supported by their parents and teammates.

“Personally my biggest supporters are my teammates,” Contine said. “They always know how to pick me up when I need it, and I think we all have a special connection with everyone.”

Styzinski relies strongly on her family for support.

“My parents and sister are definitely my strongest supporters,” Styzinski said. “If I ever need to talk about something I can always go to my sister and she understands.”

Blades of glory

Sophomores

Zack Kuenstle and Athena Kopulos

When did you first know that you liked your boyfriend?

Towards the beginning of the year

What did you guys do on your first date?We got pizza

What is your favorite thing about your girlfriend?

We literally can talk for hours without getting bored, and she has an amazing smile

What is your boyfriend’s biggest pet peeve?

When his hair gets messed up

FreshmenGrant Palmer and Ola Kierzkowska

What was your first date?We went ice skating and then to Starbucks

When was your first kiss?On Halloween

What’s your favorite thing about your girlfriend?

Her smile and her eyes

What’s your favorite thing about your boyfriend?

His incredibly stupid humor

SeniorsBrian Martini and

Rachel Angelico

When did you guys first meet?In the beginning of freshmen year. He

was going to ask me to homecoming, but I told him no

Where was your first kiss?At an OAR concert

What was your first date?Dinner and a movie

What do you like most about your girlfriend?

She always knows how to make me laugh and put me in a good mood

JAZZ MICHAEL MICHAELS: Three Rolling Meadows students are members of the Chicago Jazz competitive skating team. Tomorrow morning they will compete in Milan, Italy after taking fourth place and qualifying during last year’s nationals.

Decision dayAs college commitments near, members of the 2012 graduating class share their experience and advice for choosing a school

“I picked Rollins [College] because I wanted to play baseball in a warm climate, but most importantly for the school itself. I think that’s the most important thing for people to think of when choos-ing a college. It’s one thing to like a college for something like the opportunity to play sports or where it’s located, but if you can’t see yourself getting a good education and feeling at home there, you won’t be successful and you most certainly won’t enjoy yourself.”-Matt Hendricks

“I chose ISU (Illinois State University) because it’s a really good teaching school, and everyone I know recommended it to me. It’s far enough for me to be independent from my parents, but close enough where I can take a bus home when I don’t have to cheer at games, and I’m very happy with my choice.”-Adriana Bock

“I chose Harper because I’m taking the same classes for cheaper than at a university. I would tell seniors to pick a school that is affordable and has your major.”-Jonny Garcia

This Valentine’s season, The Pacer interviews couples around the school

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Chicago Jazz ice skating team to compete in Italy

-Photos courtesy of The Yearling-Compiled by Brittney Frazier-Compiled by Gabe Castro

Juniors

Tom Molley andJenna Anderson

When did you first know you liked each other?

After spending the day in Chicago with another couple

What’s your girlfriend’s biggest pet peeve?

When a person replies with ‘K’

Who is your boyfriend’s celeb crush?Blake Lively

When was your first kiss?After about a month of dating

High school sweethearts

FeaturesFebruary 8, 2013 7

Jake Rosenberg Ivett Delgado Hugo San RomanSoph

omore

Freshm

an

Junior

Senior

Peter Mikulak

Staff

Sam Chalupa

What is your favorite “chick-flick?”

MEET YOURMUSTANGS

Chocolate Chocolate

Meet Your Mustangs

“Mean Girls”

I usually read it in order, so the front page

Definitely chocolate

Ooh “The Notebook”I know it’s cheesy,

but “The Notebook”

The movie reviews

Anything by Nicholas Sparks. That man can melt your heart! Anything with Hugh Grant or

John Cusack

Chocolate, I’m fat like that

Meet Your MustangsI think I normally go

back to front

Chocolate covered rosesor chocolate roses

Would you rather recieve chocolate or roses?

What section of The Pacer do you read first?

Brittney FrazierEditor-in-Chief

Coming off last year’s Il-linois Drill Team Association (IDTA) state championship, the varsity poms team continued its success this year as they quali-fied for the first ever Illinois High School Association (IHSA) dance finals.

In the team’s first IDTA com-petition of the year, hosted at Rolling Meadows, they placed first in both lyrical and pom dances. Shortly after was the IHSA sectional competition. The top six teams out of 13 in the sectional move on to the state finals. The Mustangs placed sixth and qualified for the state meet on Jan. 25 at Illinois State

University. Varsity poms took home a 27th place finish out of 32 teams at the finals.

“It was super exciting be-cause we really didn’t think we would even qualify because we usually do dances that aren’t the style IHSA scores well or prefers,” senior captian Eliza-beth Lorentzen said. “We were really proud that we qualified and just going to state was an honor. We wanted to do well there, but we also wanted to have a lot of fun.”

The season doesn’t end here for the varsity poms team. It will compete at two more IDTA com-petitions this month on Feb. 17 at Bolingbrook and Feb. 24 at Maine East. The squad hopes to qualify for the IDTA state com-

petition in March, where they will be fighting to uphold their state title. The team is working hard to prepare.

“Every practice we go over our routine and fix all the things we need to work on,” senior Bri-anna Lucchetto said. “So if our turns aren’t all together, we’ll work on turns. We always work on being sharper too and things like that.”

During spring break the team will also be heading to Florida from March 23-29 where they will perform in Downtown Disney as well as run work-shops at the park.

“We go every other year and it’s just to spend time with our team and basically have fun for spring break,” Luchetto said.

Liam BradyEditor-in-Chief

Since graduating in 2002, Kristen Frey has climbed to great heights. Literally.

Frey is currently the second-ranked wom-an in the world in the rising sport of stair climbing, also known as tower running. She has traveled all around the world competing in events and recently set a world record for a 24-hour relay climb.

The record was broken on Jan. 4 in Jack-sonville, Fla. at the 42–story Bank of America Tower. Frey was part of a four person team who climbed in half hour shifts non-stop.

“There were definitely points during my rest periods where I just wanted to curl up and fall asleep, but as soon as I’d get back into the stairwell I’d feel much better,” Frey, who also works at and is sponsored by the environmental consulting firm ARCADIS, said. “Your mind can be your worst enemy, but I find it’s best to just push the negative thoughts aside.”

Frey started stair climbing less than three years ago after she found out about it from her boyfriend. Her previous athletic experi-ence helped her reach a high level quickly. In high school Frey was a state track qualifier in the 3200 meter relay and a captain of the cross country team.

Girls athletic director Jim Voyles, who coached Frey in cross country and track, re-members Frey as a late-bloomer in running.

“Her sophomore year of high school was my first year here and that year it was like a chore to even get her to run,” Voyles said. “Then the strange part was her senior year, she was going to be a JV soccer player so she

decided to come out for track. I remember her running 2:55 in the 800 meters in her first race and by her last race she ran 2:27 and that was in the state track meet.”

Frey credits Voyles helping her find the passion for endurance sports.

“Coach Voyles played a huge role in de-veloping me as a runner and the athlete I am today,” Frey said. “He got me to love running and taught me to push myself and motivated me to do my best. I think that’s part of the reason why I’m so dedicated to my training and racing now.”

The dedication Frey talks about includes daily training of one and a half to two hours, as well as a 2012 event schedule of 13 races.

“I like to hit the stairwell one to three times a week and will do other cross train-ing work such as spinning, running and hill workouts,” Frey said. “Between climbing and running I do a lot of races.”

This year, Frey hopes to lessen her sched-ule a bit and stick to races in the United States.

“This year, I’d like to focus more on hav-ing fun and taking a step back from the in-tense training,” Frey said. “I still have plenty of climbs planned in February and March, and I may actually target some endurance events this year such as a two hour endurance climb in San Diego or a 30 mile trail run in Octo-ber.”

Frey also recommends stair climbing as a form of exercise to anyone looking to get fit.

“They say that 15 minutes of climbing is equivalent to 30 minutes of running, plus you can do it anywhere,” Frey said. “Anyone can do it and it’s pretty easy on the joints, as long as you’re not heading down!”

Stairway to success2002 Alum Kristen Frey is top ranked stairclimber and world record holder

IT’S THE CLIMB: Alum Kristen Frey is a professional tower runner. “Your mind plays tricks on you,” Frey said about stair climbing. “It starts telling yourself that you don’t want to climb anymore and that you’re done, but the next minute you’re right back in there.”

One down, one to go:

KICKIN’ IT: The RMHS varsity poms team advanced to the first ever IHSA state dance finals. The squad competed to the song “Rockin’ Robin” and took 27th place out of 32. They will compete two more times this month in IDTA competitions.

Photo Courtesy of Kaltrina Aroja

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Poms team qualifies for IHSA state,hopes to do the same in IDTA

Rolling Meadows High School8 Marketplace

• “Brave”• “Frankenweenie”• “Paranorman”• “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”• “Wreck-It Ralph”

• Bradley Cooper - “Silver Linings Playbook”• Daniel Day-Lewis - “Lincoln”• Joaquin Phoenix - "The Master”• Denzel Washington - “Flight”• Hugh Jackman - “Les Misérables”

• Jessica Chastain - “Zero Dark Thirty”• Quvenzhané Wallis - “Beasts of the Southern Wild”• Jennifer Lawrence - “Silver Linings Playbook”• Naomi Watts - “The Impossible”• Emmanuelle Riva - “Amour”

• Alan Arkin - “Argo”• Robert De Niro - “Silver Linings Playbook”• Philip Seymour Hoffman - “The Master”• Tommy Lee Jones - “Lincoln”• Christoph Waltz - “Django Unchained”

• Amy Adams - “The Master”• Sally Field - “Lincoln”• Anne Hathaway - “Les Misérables” • Helen Hunt - “The Sessions”• Jacki Weaver - ”Silver Linings Playbook”

• Steven Speilberg - “Lincoln”• Ang Lee - “Life of Pi”• Michael Haneke - “Amour”• Benh Zeitlin - “Beasts of the Southern Wild”• David O. Russell - “Silver Linings Playbook”

Best Picture

Actress in a Supporting

Actress in a Leading Role

Actor in a Leading Role

Directing

“Amour” “Life of Pi”“Les Misérables”“DjangoUnchained”

“Beasts of the Southern Wild”

“Argo” “Zero Dark Thirty”“Silver Linings Playbook”

“Lincoln”

Animated Feature Film Actor in a Supporting Role

Joe SalvatoEntertainment Editor

On Feb. 24, Peter Griffin will crash the 85th Academy Awards.

Seth MacFarlane, the creator of “Family Guy” and “Ted”, will be hosting the biggest film celebration of the year: the Oscars. Most likely, the night will consist of MacFarlane’s signature comedic style: lots of hilarious insults.

But the host isn’t the only thing that will be great about this year’s Academy Awards. The quality of the films is much better than last year’s.

Having seen all of the best picture nominees, I can assure that all but “Amour” are worth checking out. Yet there can only be one winner, and my pick to win this year is “Argo.” It has been winning every major award so far this season, including the top prize at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critic’s

Choice Awards, and both the Producer’s and Director’s Guild Awards.

“Argo” chronicles the evacuation of six Americans who were trapped in Iran in the 70s. Their cover was that they were shooting a sci-fi film named “Argo.” Clearly, the film has garnered a lot of awards attention.

But “Argo” is by no means a shoo-in victory. Both “Lincoln” and “Silver Linings Playbook” could easily snatch the gold for the evening, but for right now I am trusting in “Argo”’s momentum.

However, one problem is that Ben Affleck, director of “Argo,” was not nominated in the directing category this year. It has only happened four times in Academy Award history that the best director and best motion picture Oscar go to two seperate movies. This year will be No. 5, and the directing award will go to Steven Spielberg for “Lincoln.”

Spielberg has little competition in this

category. He is nominated with Ang Lee, the director of “Life of Pi,” who probably won’t win but he’s the only real threat.

The acting categories are far more competitive this year, with the winners being unclear.

The best actress category has some phenomenal performances all around, but the winner this year will be Jennifer Lawrence for the witty depressed widow of “Silver Linings Playbook.” Jessica Chastain has been receiving a lot of attention for her role in “Zero Dark Thirty” as the woman that hunted Osama Bin Laden, but lately the film has lost momentum due to its controversial torture scenes. Therefore, Katniss Everdeen will reign victorious.

For the best actor award, the only one that needs to show up is Daniel Day-Lewis. He has no competition and will definitley win this category for “Lincoln.” Put your money on this one, he’s guaranteed.

The best supporting actor race this year is

the most competitive category. Anyone in this category truly could win with the exception of Alan Arkin for “Argo.” However it seems that the one with the edge is Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master.” His performance as a distinguished cult leader was captivating and deserves to win. Watch out for Tommy Lee Jones, though. The Academy has a love for “Lincoln.” It leads the board with 12 nominations.

Like the best actor category, best supporting actress is also seemingly locked. The winner will be Anne Hathaway for her portrayal of the mother-turned-prostitute Fatine in the musical “Les Miserables.” She doesn’t have much screentime, but her rendition of “I Dream A Dream” is enough to bring home the Oscar gold.

Overall, 2012 was a phenomenal year for the movies. It was a vast improvement over 2011 and there were many more powerful performances by great new actors. Just tune in on Feb. 24 to see Seth MacFarlane make fun of all of them.

*Pacer prediction

EntertainmentFebruary 8, 2013 9

Entertainment Editor Joe Salvato previews the upcomingAcademy Awards and predicts the winners in major categories

Salvato on cinema

A close race: Multiple great movies competefor Hollywood’s top film honor

Entertainment

Joe SalvatoEntertainment Editor

Every so often the faint sound of trumpet playing can be heard throughout senior Chris Walentschik’s neighborhood. He has been playing for eight years and shows no signs of stopping.

Walentschik is part of most every band program at school including pit band, jazz combo and honors orchestra, but his musical talents are not limited to school activities alone. He also participates with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra every weekend.

This massive participation in band programs along with his talent earns Walentschik the pick for The Pacer Artist of the Month.

Walentschik is part of 12 band programs in school, and naturally those would take up a lot of time.

“I try to do all my homework during school,” Walentschik said “I almost never get home until nine or 10 every night. I’m always out on the weekends. Starting at seven in the morning I’m in Chicago until about five in the afternoon.”

When he was young, Walentschik found his musical inspiration at his old school, Christian Liberty Academy.

“Originally when I went to private school one of my pastors played trumpet and I think thats when I really started,” Walentshick said. “But I never got

into trumpet until I started taking lessons from my private teacher.”

Since then Walentshick has learned to play eight different instruments including the guitar, which he plays as a member of the band “Auxiliary.”

In addition, he also started auditioning for music schools called conservatories.

“My big thing is I want to go to a conservatory. I applied for 13 colleges. Most of those are conservatories where everything is based on your music audition. It isn’t based on any academics; it’s completely what you do in your audition that gets you in,” Walentschik said.

However, for Walentschik, college seems to only be a stepping stone for bigger and better things.

“I eventually want to be a trumpet in a professional symphony like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the New York Philharmonic because that’s just a great job. All you do is play music, you get paid to play music and you get to travel the world with a famous orchestra playing great pieces,” said Walentschik. “You have to start somewhere, so going into music in college is my starting point.”

It’s safe to say Walentschik’s participation in bands has already provided a great starting point, especially since the quality of the neighborhood trumpet playing has only improved throughout the years.

Artist of the MonthEach month The Pacer recognizes a student who excels in the fine arts.

This issue the spotlight shines on senior Chris Walentschik

Pacer/ Sara SchoenKICKING BRASS: Senior Chris Walentschik practices his trumpet at jazz band rehearsal, one of his many band activities.

Rolling Meadows High School10

Allison BrandStaff Writer

Jane Lynch, best known as Sue Sylvester in the hit TV series “Glee”, is coming to Chicago tomorrow and the show choir will be performing with her to honor her work.

Last week, choir teacher Caitlyn Walsh received a call from the producer of the Chicago Film Critics Association’s (C.F.C.A.) awards show. The producer was looking for a local show choir to perform and Walsh immediately jumped at the opportunity.

“It was really surprising and exciting,” Walsh said. “It all happened so quickly.”

Along with performing, the show choir has volunteered to help out at the awards show, which takes place at the Rosemont Muvico Theater. The girls will wear red carpet attire and serve as ushers.

“Having this great honor to perform a dance and sing with Jane Lynch means a lot to our show choir group,” freshman Caroline Barczak said. “On top of all that I am so excited to perform and I know this will help us a lot for our competition next Saturday, so we won’t be so nervous.”

Senior choir member Natalia Torchalski is equally enthusiastic about the opportunity. “I’ve watched Jane Lynch on Glee since

my freshman year, and I’m really excited to meet her, let alone perform with her.”

They will perform with her to the song “End of Time” by Beyonce. However, they have changed the lyrics for the performance.

“We modified the lyrics to be like Jane Lynch and Coach Sue Sylvester, her character on Glee,” Walsh said.

The show choir hopes the experience will help it in the long run.

“I think it’s good that we’re getting exposure to performing on the stage,” senior Amanda Torres said. “I hope this leads us to bigger and better things in the future.”

Connect with The Pacer on Facebook by liking The

Pacer page to post story ideas and find out how to

be featured in the paper. Don’t forget to check out

@rmhsPACER on Twitter for live updates, too.

WHY DON’T YOU “LIKE” US?

MUSICAL: The entire show choir will perform with “Glee” star Jane Lynch tomorrow at C.F.C.A. awards.

“Glee”ful: Show Choir to perform song and dance routine with popular celebrity Jane Lynch

Courtesy of Caitlyn Walsh

Pacer/Sara Schoen

EntertainmentFebruary 8, 2013 11

Lunar New Year ParadeThe Chinatown Special Events Committee

is planning another Lunar New Year parade, this time celebrating the Year of the Snake. Join the marching bands, floats, lion teams and a 100 foot Mystical Dragon as they weave through the streets of Chicago. Local busi-ness will also offer discounts and specials during the parade and after its conclusion.

When: Sunday, Feb. 17, 1 p.m.Where: 24th and Wentworth to CermakPrice: Free

Downtown BreakdownThe Pacer’s picks for upcoming events in Chicago

The Book of Mormon“The Book of Mormon,” written by the

creators of South Park, is a comedic blend of humor and song. It showcases musical num-bers such as “Hello,” “Turn It Off,” and “Bap-tize Me.” The show features actors such as Nic Rouleau playing Elder Price, Ben Platt as Elder Cunningham and James Vincent Meredith as Mafala Hatimbi.

When: Feb. 6 to Sept. 8 at 2 p.m, 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m.Where: Bank of America TheaterPrice: $83-$300 per ticket

Lady GagaSinger/songwriter Lady Gaga is perform-

ing in Chicago for her 2013 tour, the “Born This Way Ball” in support for her album “Born This Way” She will be performing songs such as “Highway Unicorn” and “The Edge of Glo-ry.” There will also be songs from her first album “The Fame” such as “Bad Romance,” “Paparazzi” and “Just Dance.”

When: Feb. 13 & 14 at 7:30 p.m.Where: United CenterPrice: $38-$810

Mark’s Food Frenzy Compiled by:Joe Salvato

Adapted with permission from mental_floss magazine.

I’ve been doing this for four years now, and there is only so much food in the immedi-ate area. So this month, I gave up on trying to be convenient for my readers and took myself to Wauconda to a place called Bulldogs Grill.

It may not be local per se, but it is delicious. It’s only 20 miles away, so it isn’t that far. I’m not forcing anyone across state borders.

The true moral of the story with Bulldogs Grill is that it is incredible, arguably one of the best places I have ever had a burger. But it isn’t just me who is saying this. Bull-dogs won 11 Daily Herald reader’s choice awards for hamburgers, chili (local), chicken wings and comfort food, just to name a few.

Located on the side of Main Street in the center of Wauconda, there is no park-ing lot. Truth be told, that is the only negative. The decor inside is typical dive; football helmets, pictures of Fonzi, car-toon characters, all the little things that scream “look how cool we are.” However, the only decoration that truly matters is the menu that takes up much of the front wall.

With 36 different burgers, 13 wing sauc-es, and nine kinds of hot dogs, there’s a lot to try. The combinations are interesting; be sure to check them all out. Ninety per-cent of the burgers are guaranteed to clog arteries. Toppings range from mac and cheese to fried bananas to grilled cheese

sandwiches. The burgers are hulking mass-es of meat that remind you just how long it takes to finish one. There is enough sodium to dehydrate a camel and enough grease to put John Travolta to shame (get it, cause he was in “Grease”?). They truly do everything right with a burger. The buns are great, the addition of condiments is delicious but not overbearing, and the patties are cooked so well that I was convinced Spongebob was working the grill.

The names of the burgers are clever as well. Who wouldn’t want to order a “Scarlett Johans-son” or a “phatty patty”? As an added touch, daily specials appear on a whiteboard everyday.

Wings sauces start as basic as buf-falo and get as strange as “Zombie Boo-gie bbq,” and there is even PB&J sauce. Don’t knock it until you try it; peanut butter and jelly wings are incredible.

As far as hot dogs go, they don’t do any-thing life-changing, but they make a good one. Sure there is a classic Chicago style, and a pol-ish, but they also break from the typical stand with a deep fried hot dog and a bacon wrapped hot dog topped with pulled pork (affectionate-ly called “Miss Piggy’s Nightmare”). Not exact-ly original, but unique enough to please me.

They have salads, a “south of the bor-der” menu and a selection of wraps as well. Bulldogs also puts together a mean milk-shake that will definitely bring all the boys to the yard. Not even joking, literally the greatest milkshake spawned by man. It is incredible. As a bonus, they also cater! Not relevant to this article, but still kind of cool.

Do yourself a favor and check Bulldogs out. There are two locations: 122 S Main Street Wauconda and 217 Center Street Grayslake.

The Pacer’s very own food critic Mark Schmid uses his bluntly honest remarks to review a restaurant each month. This month’s pick: Bulldogs Grill

Compiled by: Sara Schoen and Mia Harper

10. When 7-Up was invented, it was originally called “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda.”

10 RANDOMFACTS

9. Michael Jackson wanted to do a Harry Potter musical. J.K. Rowling said no. 8. In 1998, a Georgia student was suspended for wearing a Pepsi shirt to “Coke in Education Day.”

7. There is a scale for measuring the spiciness of food. It is called the Scoville Heat Index. The spiciest pepper has over 1,000,000 Scoville units.

6. Vanna White is listed in the Guin-ness Book of World Records as “Television’s Most Frequent Clapper.”

5. Ice Cream was served to new arrivals at Ellis Island. Since most people hadn’t tasted it before, they simply fig-ured it was butter and spread it on toast.

4. A 10-gallon hat actually holds a little less than one gallon of water.

3. The eye chart with the big “E” on top is called a Snellen Chart.

2. Human arms have 32 bones each, while human legs only have 30.

1. Giant squids have been known to feast on baby whales.

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The Frenzy Meter

Students attemptBulldogs Grill’s epic food challenges

For those who go for the gold, there are two eating contests available at Bulldogs: Asylum wings and the Bluto Burger.

Asylum wings are basically the wings of chick-ens that were convicted of murdering Satan. They are as bad as it gets, and the waiver you need to sign (and the age minimum of 18) reflect that. Not only do you get a glass of milk when you call it quits, you get a photo and an eternal spot on the wall of shame. Win, and you get a tshirt, a spot on the hall of fame, and they up the ante to a milk-shake. According to the manager, about 10 percent pass and about 80 percent vomit. Either way, no refunds.

A walkthrough with challenger senior Brian Martini, who bravely downed three wings before succumbing to a torture too extreme to force on the most heinous of animal abusers.

Before: “The anticipation was brutal. The fact that I had to sign a waiver of intent saying that I understand how hot the wings were kinda got to my head,” Martini said.

During: “Immediately when I bit into the first wing my mouth was on fire. I could feel my throat

closing up and eyes immediately water. Words can’t do these wings justice. I swear they were made by the devil himself.”

After: “My entire face was in excruciating pain for at least an hour after. I was shaking uncontrolla-bly for a solid 10 minutes and would get occasional whiffs of the sauce hours after eating them, which was no help. I don’t recommend these wings to any-one. If you try it, you have my respect. If you beat it, I will look up to you for the rest of my life.”

The Bluto Burger, though not as intimidating, is the true champion of Bulldogs. Despite masses of challengers, only three people have ever harpooned this leviathan.

Here’s what it is according to Bulldogs: “Four half-pound patties stuffed with grilled onions and pepper jack cheese smothered in apple bbq sauce and 12 pieces of bacon and then topped with jalape-no cream cheese and a big slab of onion rings. But wait..there’s more! We serve this bad boy with one pound of our hand cut fries smothered in cheese and chili!”

It is a behemoth that should not be taken light-ly, and only 30 minutes are allotted. Yet again, there is a shirt on the line.

Eating enthusiast and all-around great guy ju-nior Matt Long attempted to grab this bull by the horns. After a tough fight, Long fell short, but not before doing some serious damage.

“He did really well, one of the best attempts I’ve ever seen,” the manager said.

TOO HOT TO HANDLE: Senior Brian Martini attempts to eat 10 Asylum wings, which are the hottest of the hot. He only managed to successfully consume three. “It was pure torture,” Martini said.

MONSTER BURGER: Junior Matt Long dives into the Bluto burger, which is four half-pound patties and toppings surround-ed by one pound of chili cheese fries. Long came up short.

Pacer/Mark Schmid

Bulldogs Grill serves up delicious and diverse menu

Pacer/Mark Schmid

Sports12

Boys basketball

Wrestling The wrestling team has had a tough season due to injuries. Throughout the season, 21 different var-sity team members have been out due to infections or concussions. “I feel like we have survived a tsunami. With six season-ending injuries and a total of 21 athletes out of the lineup at vari-ous times, it has been ex-tremely challenging to be resilient enough to keep competing,” Head Coach Dave Froehlich said. While having only five

of their 14 starters, the Mustangs were still able to win five meets and almost beat the Division Champi-ons. One wrestler who avoided the injuries was Zack Schultz. Schultz was able to achieve a record of 30-6 in the 145 weight class and remain healthy throughout the entire sea-son. The boys achieved a division record of 1-4. Sec-tionals begin tomorrow Feb. 9.

Bowling

RecapThe

With just a few weeks remaining in the boys bas-ketball season, the team is 3-5 in division play and 6-15 overall.

The Mustangs ended a five-game losing streak, beating Hersey this past Friday. The team heads to Buffalo Grove tonight and will then have three games before the postseason tournament.

Regional playoffs are right around the corner and the Mustangs are ready to play. Despite a slow start, the team is healthy once again and motivated for the playoffs.

“Our goal is to win our first game in the playoffs,” senior Jack Milas said.

Posting of the regional and sectional brackets will be today at 4 p.m..

The Girls bowling team concluded their season fin-ishing 7th in the Mid-Sub-urban League Conference Championships. This season varsity bowlers included seniors Sarah Caprio, Phoebe Kim, Jenny Klutz, Caitlyn Wooten and junior Fatima Gonzalez. Senior Phoebe Kim was

able to capture an All Con-ference award and bowled her personal high with a score of 267. “We had a great sea-son and bonded a lot as a team,” Kim said. Next year the girls will have a much younger team as they lose many experi-enced bowlers.

Players of the Season The Pacer Player of the Season is a recognition given to an athlete from each sport who excels in performance and leadership

based on their coach’s recommendation

Girls basketball

Achievements: Schultz finished the season with a record of 33-6. He also won the regional tournament.

Coach’s Quote: “For one thing, Zack has the best record on the team.Along with that, he just won the regional tournament at his weight,” coach Dave Froehlich said.

Player’s Reaction: “I’ve worked hard all year long so I’m honored to be the player of the season. Hopefully I’ll qualify for state this week-end, but I couldn’t have done it without my coaches,” Schultz said.

Junior Jackie Kemph Achievements: Kemph was named the Montini tournament MVP, the MSL East Player of the Year and she eclipsed 1,000 points

Coach’s Quote: “Jackie is not only an exceptional basketball player, she is the most competitive athlete I’ve coached. She can take over a game on both ends of the court, and she makes her teammates bet-ter,” head coach Ryan Kirkorsky said.

Player’s Reaction: “We have had a great season, and we are looking forward to the state playoffs,” Kemph said.

Wrestling

Senior Zack Schultz

Gymnastics

Freshman Kelly JohnstonAchievements: Johnston won the 2013 Regional All-Around title. She placed first on floor, first on beam, third on vault and fifth on bars.

Coach’s Quote: “Kelly has positioned herself as a top contender in the state series. Her ability to apply what she does in the gym to competi-tion floor is remarkable for a fre shman,” coach Michael Costa said.

Player’s Reaction: “I have a lot of fun all season long, my coach is a huge part of this . I couldnt do it without him,” Johnston said.

Boys basketball

Junior Matt Dolan Achievements: Dolan had to step up this year after key players went down early in the year. He averaging 11.5 points and is the team’s leading scorer.

Coach’s Quote: “He has far exceeded our expectations. He his averag-ing a double-double this year,” coach Kevin Katovitch said.

Player’s Reaction: “There are a lot of good athletes on the basket-ball team. I view this as a big honor,” Dolan said.

Bowling

Senior Phoebe KimAchievements: Kim was named All-Conference Bowler and was the team’s top bowler. She bowled the second-highest in conference, with a score of 267.

Coach’s Quote: “She has always been a caring, supportive team-mate, and one of the most coachable athletes I have worked with,” coach Karen Ellingsworth said.

Player’s Reaction: “We had a really fun season and have bonded well as a team. This is a great award,” Kim said.

Swim and Dive

Sophomore Jake Barson and senior Matt Crigler Achievements: Barson won his main event, the breatstroke, at six out of seven dual meets. Crigler earned 1st place at five of the seven meets.

Coach’s Quote: “Barson is selfless when it comes to success. He wants success for the team, not just himself,” coach Monika Chippeta said. “Crigler has an incredible awareness of the mechanics of diving. Matt has put together an outstanding quality of dives.”

Player’s Reaction: “Its an honor to get picked for this award. My sea-son has gone very well and I hope to continue to succeed,” sophomore Barson said. “I have worked really hard to be as good as I can be. I feel honored for this award,” Crigler said.

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-All reporting by Tony Sarussi- compiled by Seth Bachman and Sara Schoen

SportsFebruary 8, 2013 13MSL title eludes Mustangs in overtime

Pacer/ Sara Schoen

FADE AWAY: Junior Alexis Glasgow shoots a jump shot on the base line. The Mus-tangs were unable to close out a overtime victory on Wednesday night. Meadows will play their first regional game on Tuesday night against Lake Forest or Munelein.

-continued from page 14 Their third loss of the season came from this Wednesday’s Mid Suburban League (MSL) championship. Similar to last year’s game, the winner was decided on the last play. With 24 seconds left in overtime, Fremd called a time out in preperation for the last shot. To all the Meadows fans’ despair, Fremd was able to bury a game-winning three to silence the crowd. “We could have closed the door ear-lier but didn’t. They just made one more play down the stretch,” head coach Ryan Kirkorsky said. Despite having the lead after the first three quaters and shooting over 50 percent behind the arc, the Mustangs couldnt hang on in a 66-63 loss. Fortunately for the Mustangs, the season is not over. They are still prepar-ing for the regional playoffs. As a unit, avoiding any complacency with their high rank is an important aspect to en-sure avoiding an early playoff exit. “We have scheduled some tough games down the stretch, but it doesn’t matter if you’re playing a team with 20

wins or 20 losses, you have to do things right all the time, it’s not something that you can turn on and off,” Kirkorsky said. Heading into the playoffs, nothing has been more stressed than defensive rebounding, “Its priority number one,” Kirkosky said. The Mustangs will play the winner of the Lake Forest and Mundelein matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Mundelein. “We talk a lot about being aggressive on offense while finding a balance on the defensive end of the ball. As the season has gone on our execution on both ends has gotten better,” Kirkorsky said. The Supersectional will begin on Feb. 21 and the team has its sights set on the state championship game scheduled for March second. “It would be incredible. I think it would show how all our hard work has paid off. It’s an experience we would re-member for the rest of our lives,” junior guard Jackie Kemph said. Kirkorsky agreed. “It’s the dream for any coach, any team, any school and any community. It’s one of those things if you look too far into the future and don’t take care of what’s at hand you might miss your chance,” he said.

Liam BradyEditor-in-Chief

Calling senior Brian Lock “just the manager” is a serious understatement. Whether it’s giving a speech be-fore a big game, talking to a player who’s having having a bad game or just cheering from the sidelines, Lock has been an integral part of the boys program for the last four years. “He’s an emotional leader. He really brings the en-ergy in practice and games and gets us prepared seven days a week,” senior basketball captain Mike Dolan said. “When the going gets tough, B.L. gets us going.” Lock began managing basketball during eighth grade at South Middle School and found it to be a great fit for him. “I just love the sport and I’m very passionate about it,” Lock said As manager, Lock’s main roles are making sure the players have water and towels and encouraging them on from the sidelines. “Every day Brian comes to practices and games, he brings energy and enthusiasm, and the guys always look forward to him being there,” Head Basketball Coach Kevin Katovich said. Lock, who also managed the varsity football team, was always a big sports fan growing up, but his athletic career was limited because of a medical condition that

affects his walking. “I have a condition called Cerebral Palsy, or CP,” Lock said. “I walk fine when I’m barefoot, but for long distances I have to have my braces and stuff.” When it comes to talking about his CP, Lock doesn’t dwell on the negatives. “I just deal with it. It’s more of a second nature to me now,” he said. Though Lock admits he sometimes wishes he could play sports more, he believes he’s found his future career through his work on the sidelines: Chicago Blackhawks equipment manager. Lock has been working with cur-rent Blackhawks manager Troy Parchman and even went down to the equipment room during home Blackhawks game last year. “I saw the players come down to the locker room. They get new jerseys, new skates, new everything be-cause they sweat all the time,” Lock said. Lock already has a vote of confidence from Katovich. “With his passion for sports and dedication, he would definitely be a good fit for something like that,” Katovich said. Next year Lock plans to attend Harper College, but for now his attention is turned to the upcoming basket-ball playoffs where he hopes the team can make a run. “We’re struggling a little bit, but I think if we get roll-ing here in the last few games or so, we’ll be okay,” Lock said.

Lock downBoys baketball manager senior Brian Lock is an emotional leader on and off the court; sees a future career as an equipment manager

Best of the best

R.J. Mattucci Staff Writer

After struggling to stay afloat this year, the boys swimming team looks to make a splash in the postseason. The Mustangs compete at Barrington High School Saturday for the (MSL) championship meet today and will at-tend the sectionals meet Feb 16.

Going into the final two meets the boys are optimistic for success.

“I hope the team puts up a lot of good swims and the best times. We have worked really hard this season and this is when it all pays off,” soph-omore Jake Barson said.

This season’s practices have been harder than ever before.

“They are not afraid nor do they

shy away from hard work and pain to make things happen, and they push each other to be the best they can be,” said head coach Monika Chiap-petta.

The Mustangs are eager to con-tinue to improve in the road ahead as 10 of the 11 top swimmers are un-derclassmen.

“The boys want to change the whole record board before they grad-uate”, Chiappetta said. “They want to be MSL East Champs. They want to have more relays and individuals make state than any team at this school has ever done before.

This has been one of the best years we have had. We are a very tal-ented group. To know that our fast-est kids are the youngest on the team

is so hopeful for what will be in our future,” Chiappetta said.

Next season the team looks to rely on returning sophomore swim-mers Barson, Evan Meyer, Tim McDonough, Tony Sarussi, Ryan Smith, Joe Ure and freshmen swim-mers Bennet Cullen, Theo Grant, David Myers and Jon Windhorst.

Diving member, senior Matt Cri-gler has a chance of breaking the school diving record while also quali-fying for state. He has won five of the seven dual meets this season and is ranked in the top three of all div-ers going into the conference cham-pionship meet. Crigler will compete at the Mid-Suburban League confer-ence diving championships today.

DIVE IN: Senior Matt Crigler prepares for a dive in a dual meat at Elk Grove. Crigler is currently ranked thrid in the Mid Suburban League conference and has a chance to qualify for the state championship.

LOCKED AND LOADED: Senior Brian Lock stands next to assistant coach Brett Olson during a boys bas-ketball practice. Lock is the manager of the basketball team and has proven to bring energy from the bench.

Diving into the postseason

Ryan Kirkorsky Girls baskeball head coach

MSL EAST COACH OF THE YEAR

Junior Jackie Kemph

ALL-CONFERENCE

Photo courtesy of Matt Crigler

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Junior Alexis Glasgow

Junior Jenny Vliet

Basketball honored with postseason awards

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SPORTSPacer Sink or swim

Mustangs dive into the postseason, driven by a

young squad

See story on page 13

Sectional stars shaken at state

Seth BachmanSports Editor

Entering Tuesday’s regional playoffs, Meadows is ranked No. 1 in the Libertyville Sectional. A young but composed girls basketball team, driven by a strong backcourt com-prised of juniors Alexis Glasgow, Sami Kay, Allie Kemph and Jackie Kemph, were able to peak at second in the Daily Herald state rankings. The girls finished the regular season with a record of 24-2, breaking the record for wins in a single season. The Mustangs approach the playoffs and their sectional with a lot of excitement and confidence, and they are prepared to make a state run. “Having played tough competition now gives us an example of how teams may play us in the playoffs. That caliber of teams is

definitely an advantage coming into the postseason,” senior Morgan Keller said. The Mustangs had one of the most com-petitive schedules in the state and their two regular season losses came against teams ranked top five in state, one in the Marion Catholic Invitational championship game against Montini and the other in an overtime loss to Quincy Notre Dame High School on Saturday.

-continued on page 13

Seth BachmanSports Editor

Whether it’s called a sport or not, it’s undeni-able that the varsity cheer team has been legiti-mate state contenders for several years. Lead by a strong senior class, this year’s team continued a streak of five consecutive state qualifications.

The cheerleaders had a successful season, with some of its highest placements at competi-tions in years. The team also broke the school record with a raw score of 90.53 points out of 100. During the season, Meadows placed third at the New Year’s Invite hosted by Buffalo Grove and placed second at both the Midwest Cheer-

fest at Sandburg and the Grayslake North Invite competitions. The team also earned the Mid Suburban League (MSL) East title.

On Jan. 26, RMHS hosted the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) cheerleading section-al competition for the second year in a row. Only the top five teams out of the 19 at the sectional move on to the state meet. Meadows placed sec-ond in the large varsity division, scored above a 90 and qualified for state, which was held the following weekend at Illinois State University.

“Our main goal in sectionals was to get top five to qualify for state, but when our name was called second it was an amazing feeling,” senior captain Brittany Whittier said. “It was awesome seeing the Stampede and basketball team there supporting us. We never expected to do so well this year. We were determined and pushed as hard as we could at practice before we left for state.”

Entering the state competition the team had

high goals. Only 25 teams in each division qual-ify for state, and the top 10 move on to day two of competition. Although the Mustangs have previously competed there four times, they have never made top 10, which was their goal from the start of the season. Going into competition the squad was ranked 10th in state out of more than 110 teams.

In the state finals, the team struggled with deductions and gave a performance that was not up to standards with the rest of their season. They ended up with a 20th place finish, which did not qualify them for the second day of com-petition.

“We felt so confident that we could make top 10,” senior captain Gabriella Aiello said. “Our coaches, fans and even other teams be-lieved that we could make it. When we went out on the floor, we didn’t hit our routine perfectly and were upset. Then finding out that we didn’t make top ten was heartbreaking for everyone, especially the seniors because it was our last chance to meet our ultimate goal. We had an amazing season, but it didn’t end the way we hoped.”

IHSA state is not the final performance for the 2013 varsity cheerleaders, though. They will compete against teams from across the country at the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) competition in Louisville, Ky. on Feb. 23. This is the first time the team is returning to NCA since they earned the national title in 2009.

Looking ahead to the 2013-2014 season, the team plans to push even harder to finally achieve their top 10 goal. The biggest improve-ments that team members say they need to make are in tumbling, both standing and running, ac-cording to junior Holly Sheppard.

“Next year we want to be just as hardwork-ing and determined as this year’s team was. This team was unlike any other I’ve been on, and I’d like to be just as close and ambitious next year,” junior Tiffani Cwynar said. “Our goal has been top 10 for a while, but next year I would finally like to achieve it. Practices are going to get as tough as possible and everyone needs to be mo-tivated and push themselves to the limit.”

Second season

Varsity cheer settles for 20th place finish at state finals

The scoresheet

First the team is judged on 10 crite-ria each worth 10 points, for a raw score out of 100. Catergories are:

-partner stunts-pyramids & baskets

-tumbling-jumps

-voice & projection-formations & transitions

-motions & dance-syncronization

-degree of difficulty-overall effectiveness

Then points can be deducted from the raw score for performance errors. This is the team’s final score. Deductions include:

-.5 points deducted for touching down in tumbling with your hands

-.5 points deducted for going off the mat-.5 points deducted for prop interference

(EX: stepping on a sign)-1 point deducted for dropping a stunt-1 point deducted for touching down in

tumbling with knees

Girls basketball team preps for Tuesday’s regional matchup

HARD IN THE PAINT: Junior Ashley Montanez battles for a offensive rebound against a Hersey High School forward during the Pack The Place game last Friday. The Mustangs won the game 65-34 for their 24th win of the season, a school record.

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CHEERING ON THE CHEERLEADERS: The Lady Mustangs compete at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state finals last weekend where they took 20th place. Above, the team works together to hit a pyramid in the final seconds of their routine.

Photo courtesy of Mike Marciniec

Girls basketball team battles Fremd for the MSL crown

-game coverage on page 13