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Belleville East High School Student Newspaper
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News 1-2Features 3Centerspread 4-5Entertainment 6 Sports 7Activities 8
Days to RememberContentsFeb. 14- Valentine’s DayFeb. 15- End of 4th Grading Period Feb. 18- No School - President’s Day Celebrated Feb. 21- Students attend 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Parent/Teacher Conferences
Semester 2
118Countdown
It is not very often that young people take the opportunity to make an impact on their community. Recently, Belleville East was introduced to a movement known as Empower-ME that was made to unify the young women of Belleville East. This program was created by Belleville East senior, Corinne Kwapis. When speaking about the main goal of Empower-ME, Kwapis said, “I want young women to feel a sense of belonging—that it’s okay to be who you are.” Kwapis, who is also involved in other extracurricular activities such as French Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Lancers for Change, and Student Council said, “I noticed a disconnect between the girls here and I
wanted to bridge that gap between them.” Empower-ME began in November when Kwapis shared the idea with a teacher and eventually gained support of other women on the faculty. Kwapis described the amount of support from not only faculty members but students as well, as “overwhelming.” Kwapis also received the support of former Belleville East student Rachel Jackson-Bramwell who, with her non-profit organization Project Compassion NFP, has helped thousands of people in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Jackson-Bramwell has even been featured on the Tyra Banks Show in recognition of contributions to her community.
Empower-ME focuses on empowering women in all aspects. This includes not only mental strength, but physical strength as well. Kwapis says her goal is to make activities such as kickboxing available once a week. “I have to remind myself that it’s baby steps,” Kwapis said. “I think that by giving girls the tools, the outlets to seek other lifestyles, to seek other choices; I think [Empower-ME] will really make a difference.”
The Empower-ME assembly for sophomore and senior girls, which was held on Friday, January 11th, focused on topics such as role models, behavior, love, self- esteem, conquering fears, and following your dreams. The assembly for freshman and junior girls will be on January 25th. During the assembly, Corinne and Rachel gave advice to the audience and shared some personal experiences. Many students shared their aspirations, as well as some things that hold them back from going for them. When asked what advice she would give to young people who want to make
an impact on their community, Kwapis said, “ Even if you don’t feel like you have a direction, it will come to you. You are one person, but you can make a difference.” Many students expressed their appreciation for the assembly afterwards. Senior Chloe Fike described the movement as “awesome” saying, “I hope it all goes through and people participate.” Sophomore Talia Lomax said, “I feel very inspired, and I really want to join.” Mrs. Stephanie Posey, who is the first female principal in District 201, is “very excited.” Posey said, “It is a phenomenal idea for young women to support one another.” Corinne Kwapis will undoubtedly make a lasting impact on
campus. To keep up with Empower-ME calendar events go to Resources, Students, Empower Me from the Belleville East home page. You can even like their Facebook page at facebook.com/ProjectCompassionPresentsEmpower MeBellevilleEast, and follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/EmpowerBlvlEast.
Staff PhotoEmpower-Me project founders, Corrine Kwa-pis and Rachel Jackson-Bramwell after the Sophomore and Senior assembly on Jan. 11.
Staff PhotoBelleville East girls participate in Empower-Me’s first kickboxing session held on Jan. 16th.
by Chandriss McAllister-Lang
Empower-ME Program Sparks Female Encouragement
The flu is something that everyone has to deal with. This winter has been a particularly bad season for the flu. Ac-cording to the Center for Disease Con-trol, 47 states have reported widespread influenza activity, and the number of out-patient visits for influenza-like illnesses are 2.3% above the national average. Deaths attributed to influenza are slightly above the epidemic threshold, with 7.3% of all deaths reported in the first week of “flu season” attributed to influenza and pneumonia. “Flu season” runs from Oc-tober to May, but January and February usually have the highest flu activity.
So, what should you do if you come down with the flu? Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and hang in there because the influenza virus can stay in a host’s body for up to two weeks. The
contagious period can last anywhere from five to seven days, so disinfect-ing your surroundings and yourself is very important in preventing the spread of the flu. Despite the grim facts, the flu hasn’t hit Belleville East too hard. Still, last week did see an increase in flu activity according to school nurse, Mrs. Jane Sabo, with the worst day yielding 143 kids reported absent with flu-like symptoms. Luckily, East has an excel-lent maintenance staff. Belleville East’s outdoor campus also helps. Flu activity at West is usually worse, due to the con-fined space and lack of fresh air. Walking around outside in-between classes and getting some fresh air really helps kids avoid catching the flu.
Airborne transmission is the most common way the virus can spread from
person to person, but direct contact is another main way someone can contract Influenza. An example of direct contact would be if an infected person coughed into their hand and then shook hands with an uninfected person. Thousands of infected cells are transferred to the uninfected person’s hand, and the next time that person touches his nose, mouth, or eyes, those infected cells can start to attack more and more cells. Airborne transmission occurs when a person inhales small infected particles that an infected person creates when he coughs or sneezes. These particles settle in the air, and can survive longer in a colder temperate, making winter a very infec-tious season.
The most effective way to prevent Influenza is to get vaccinated. Other than
vaccination, there isn’t a lot a person can do after they have been infected. Doctors recommend getting a lot of rest, since a main symptom of influenza is fatigue. It is also recommended to drink a lot of fluids so the individual doesn’t get dehy-drated. Pain relievers and fever reducers, such as Tylenol, can help the person feel better, but won’t eliminate the flu virus. Antibiotics or antiviral medicines won’t eliminate the influenza virus either. In fact, antibiotic medication should not be used for treating influenza. You should only use antibiotics if you develop a bacterial infection, such as a sinus or ear infection. Antiviral medications can re-duce the seriousness of some symptoms, but still won’t eliminate the virus itself.
by Jeremy Bruno
Fighting a Furious Flu: Can Lancers Stay Healthy?
Prom is a night that people look forward to. Girls and boys spend plenty of money to buy dresses, suits, jewelry, and shoes. Prom tickets are also fairly pricey. Some students cannot afford to buy the tickets for prom. Prom sponsors, Ms. Natalie Czyz and Mrs. Amy Moss have decided to change the location of prom. Mrs. Moss informed The Lancer, “Prom will be held outside on Central Terrace this year. We are trying to make it more affordable for students to buy tickets.” The money saved for the venue will help lower the prices of tickets, which means more students will be able to afford tickets!
As seniors learned about this change, they had many opinions. The first group to learn about this change was greatly shocked, but reacted calmly and discussed all of the reasons that an outdoor prom would be terrible. Overall, students praised last year’s prom. Hannah Cole, Nailah Thomas, and Taylor Connor loved the Arabian Nights theme and decorations. Haley Koch and Anna Gailius expressed worries about the weather. As many people know, the St. Louis area has extremely unpredictable weather, so their worries may be justified. Harrison Danet and Nick Lohmann both agreed that “the outside part ruins it.” However, holding prom at the school was no problem for them.
The next group seemed to be fine with the choice of having prom outside. They had a lot of trust in the administration despite worries concerning weather. Jacqueline Yokoyama, Rachel Little, and Allison Harres agreed that prom last year was remarkable. They knew that if the school saved money for the venue then “we will definitely have accommodations for weather.” Jacqueline agreed that it was best to “go with the most cost effective decision.” The final group was astonished and disgusted about the idea of having prom outside. De’Sean Webster expressed his concerns about the large size of the senior class. His first comment was “Will Central Terrace be large enough for all of these people?” Monique Davis was frustrated because she feels as though girls “pay too much for dresses to be outside.” Gabrielle Locke pointed out many other issues with the new location. Students are at Belleville East five days a week, so they want to get away for prom. Gabrielle also mentioned the issue of rental cars and limos. She said “the gravel parking lot is not made for nice cars and limos.”
Is an outdoor prom at Belleville East a good idea? Do the pros outweigh the cons? Regardless, prom is still an experience that no one will forget. Despite the change in location, Mrs. Moss said prom will still be a “fabulous and magical night.”
Prom in the Great Outdoors?by Arkayla Tenney-Howard
Have you ever been to a cemetery or hospital? I mean, people are dying to get into them! Approximately 300 transplant candidates are added to the national waiting list each month and one of these candidates was my mom. Even though technological advances are made daily, humans have yet to engi-neer organic life saving organs or blood.
By donating organs, parts of organs or blood, you can save and enhance lives. You could save up to 8 lives through organ do-nation and enhance many others through tissue donation. Many ethnic minorities are at greater risk, being that many ethnic diseases can be race-specific and being that minorities have the lowest rate of donation. Blood donations can save up to 3 lives.
According to sharecare.com, while living, anyone can donate part of the pancreas, a kidney, part of a lung, part of
Have a Heart ... Lung, or KidneyEditorial by Jacquelyn Crockett
Students of the Month
the intestine, or part of the liver. Anyone living or deceased— can donate, provided they do not have diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV, cancer, heart disease, or
other infectious diseases. The living can register to give at livingdonorassis-tanceprogram.org. Blood donations are similar in requirements, but are the “easiest,” with less downtime and risk. In many cases, the donation of organs of the deceased offers peace to the griev-ing family, knowing that their loved ones organs or whole body— as in
donating a body to science— saved many other lives.
Organ donations can be made at basically any age with a case by case decision. Many times, however, the donor has passed away. One can openly say they want to have their organs donated if they die, by having it put on their driver’s license (register at donatelife.net or at the DMV and confirm your wishes with your
loved ones). By visiting redcrossblood.org or by calling your local Red Cross, you can easily set up an appointment to donate blood at your convenience.
In the grand scheme of things, you can save lives. Recipients are given a sec-ond chance. Donors’ families feel comfort in knowing their loved ones bodies saved lives. Both living and dead donations save and enhance lives and the process to donate is relatively simple.
Senior Karla Hamilton says she donates blood “because people need the blood and I would hope that if I got in an accident and needed blood it would be there for me.” Whatever their reasoning was, the individuals that donated blood and/or organs when my mom needed them saved her life more than 3 times! I am extremely grateful for the extra time she was granted to spend with my family.
Did You Know?92,000 of the 114,000 plus people waiting for an organ need a kidney. This is due to obesity, hyper-tension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease.
In general the organs that are in top demand are the heart, kidney, liver, and lungs.
Of the 116,638 waiting for an organ, 18 die daily.
The next Belleville East blood drive is Friday, February 13, 2013 in the Gm annex. (Red Cross)
Staff PhotoDecember Students of the Month enjoyed their limo lunch date with Belleville East teacher, Mr. Chris Brown. Pictured from L to R are Tyler Haren (senior), Brianna Sharp (freshman), Meghan Gingrich (sophomore), and Meghan Boyles (freshman).
Have you wondered about the pur-pose of the box in the breezeway? The recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut has prompted many school districts to review their school safety plans. District 201 Super-intendent, Dr. Jeff Dosier, said, ”The kiosk in the breezeway in Building A is designed to be a check-in point for visi-tors. We have software that allows staff to check identification against databases that identify criminals or others who are not allowed on campus.” Safety is a top priority at District 201. While it is extremely hard to prevent tragedies like New Town, students can be confident that the security team at Belleville East does a
fine job. From student identification cards to the new kiosk in the breezeway, everything is here to ensure the safety of students and staff.
Security Briefby Taylor Benton
Staff PhotoKiosk in the breezeway adds security
This Isn’t Just Child’s Playby Arkayla Tenney-Howard
Many students may wonder how the directors at East select plays. Anyone who knows Mr. Timothy Hassal will understand why he picked “Alexander, Who’s Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move.” It is a comedy of course! He ruffled through a huge barrel and searched for the perfect play. To find the perfect students to play each character, Mr. Hassal, along with student directors, held auditions.
As you may have heard in the announcements, Children’s Play auditions
were January 7th and 8th. Trying out can be nerve-racking, especially when the announcement said that students had to sing during auditions. People from every grade took the chance and tried out for the play.
Each audition consisted of a group of students doing a cold read and then individually singing a short song. A cold read is when people auditioning have a few minutes to rehearse a short excerpt from the script and then perform it on stage. Although the play involves singing, amazing musical skills were not important. Mr. Hassal said that he was mostly looking for a good attitude. The focus of the play was on the comedy. Mr. Hassal explained that he knows children won’t care about horrible singing skills as long as it is funny. The directors definitely got a helping of comedy during the auditions.
Prior to auditions, a few students expressed their feelings about the task ahead. Senior Darneisha Coleman is no stranger to the school’s Performing Arts Center. She has been part of multiple plays. After participating in many auditions, she explained that the nerves
just go away. She simply said “I feel it, I trust my instincts”. Opposite of Darneisha is Phoenix Black. She is a freshman who didn’t realize she would be auditioning until the day of auditions! Singing didn’t bother her because she was accustomed to singing in front of people during choir. Matt Huebner is a sophomore that has been in a few plays, and his technique is to “look at the back of the theater” and “not focus on the audience.” Kendrick Settler knew that he was not a strong singer at all, so he approached the auditions with a comedic attitude. Prior to auditioning, he mentioned being “very confident” after being part of other plays. He stated that each audition “makes me work.” Jillian Humphreys, Bailey Schneebeli, and Miranda Berner did their cold read together and afterwards expressed that they were “shaky, but relieved and comfortable.”
On February 10th, the cast will be performing for some of the elementary schools in this area. The play is not just for children, though, anyone can attend the night performance on Tuesday, February 11th. It is sure to be hilarious!
by Madison Bradshaw Like many other high schools,
Belleville East has its own fashion trends. What makes Belleville East different is that we only have trending accessories because of our dress code. Many Belleville East students have joined or started popular trends in accessories such as scarves, colorful or patterned lanyards, bowties, and colorful and/or sparkly shoes. Accessorizing with the dress code is important because while the dress code makes us look sophisticated and appropriate for the learning/working environment, adding accessories makes each person different and unique.
Patrick Storment is a freshman who has adapted an upperclassmen trend – wearing bowties – and inspired a new trend: Bowtie Tuesday. Storment began wearing bowties to school when Belleville East teacher Mr. Hassal suggested it. Deciding the idea was worth trying, Storment first wore a bowtie on a Tuesday and the name Bowtie Tuesday stuck. Storment says, “bowties are fun to wear.” They give off a classic ‘James Bond’ look and make East boys look just as cool as the fantastic ‘007’. Storment encourages other East Boys to join him in being unique on Tuesdays. Bowties can be purchased anywhere from thrift stores to Macy’s.
Boots are another big trend at East. Many styles of boots are popular with girls this season including English riding style, sweater/knit, and sequin Uggs. Shoes are a great way to accessorize because almost any kind go great with dress code outfits and boots keep your feet warm while looking stylish. Also, scarves, lanyards, and hair accessories are minor stylistic pieces that you can interchange everyday.
Photo by Madison BradshawMr. Timothy Hassal and Patrick Storment show off their Belleville East fashion trend.
Bow Ties are Cool
On Saturday, January 19, the Ecology Club sponsored an eagle-wildlife watch-ing trip with twenty-seven participants. In addition to the sponsor, Dr. Short, three other teachers and five parents joined the group. This was not the typical, rugged ecology club trip that takes students miles into the wilderness; rather, this annual, winter trip is a casual drive along the Great River Road to Pere Marquette State Park. The first stop was the National Great Rivers Museum just south of Alton. This informative museum with many hands-on exhibits helps visitors under-stand the nature of large river systems, the interaction between humans and the rivers, and the wildlife that inhabits ripar-ian environments. The first eagle sighting
was at the Locks and Dam area.
Along the river road above Alton, several more eagles were seen ... along with a large group of turkey vultures, a few redwing hawks, a sharp-shinned hawk, and numerous water-fowl. In the quaint town of Grafton, the group simply had to stop for fudge, ice cream, and a few souvenirs. Heading north again, the group was able to view a few more eagles and other raptors and waterfowl. At Pere Marquette, the excursion began as a group hiking the Goat Cliff Trail. At various points, smaller groups split off to hike
either the Hickory, Oak, Ravine or Ridge Trails. Eventually, everyone met back at the Pere Marquette Lodge, had a late lunch, and returned home along the same river road. While the number of eagles sighted was lower than in past years when the rivers were frozen from Alton north, it was a beautiful, relaxing, and enjoyable day with a great group of nature lovers.
Winter Eagle WatchingBrief from the Ecology Club
Photo courtesy of Dr. Phil Short
Starting fresh and starting over is what the new year is all about. It’s more than just a way to keep track of time, but a way to keep track of our progress, and even set goals for ourselves! Like all new years, 2013 gives people a chance to reinvent themselves. Although this can happen during any part of the year, many feel that it’s better to start at the top of the year because it feels like a clean slate. Nothing from the year is a detriment because it just started! Almost everyone has had a New Year’s Resolution in their life, even if it was only once. Common goals can be things as simple as improve health/weight, be more positive, get better grades, volunteer, and make new friends. Brianna Ward, sophomore, has an extremely positive outlook on the New Year. “I feel that New Year’s resolutions are helpful to many and are basically goals that people set for themselves for a better oncoming year. Normally, it’s a tradition for many and for me, but this year, I didn’t have one. I didn’t forget, I just kind of knew what my goals were and what habits I had to
change.” So for some, it’s more of a personal journey than a physical goal, but it’s still something that a person strives for throughout the year.
However, some people enjoy resolutions more
than others. Korey Prosise, a sophomore, and Emma Butcher, a freshman, have the same views on them. “I don’t like them,” says Korey, “I feel like you’re just setting yourself up to dislike the year in the end.” Butcher agrees with him, adding, “I never remember them at the end of
the year anyway!” A study by Richard Wiseman showed that 88% of people who make resolutions do not keep them, although 52% are confident of success at the beginning. Fitness is the most common resolution, since it can always
be improved. At the start of the new year, gyms and YMCAs are busy with all of their resolution customers, and it slowly declines back down to the regular customers.
What happens when the start of the new year is you
birthday? For Haley Koch, a senior, it can be a lot to handle already, so resolutions aren’t exactly something she enjoys.. “I don’t make New Years resolutions, really, but I guess the year kinda makes you think about where you are in your life, and where it’s going, and you try to change
anything you find you don’t like because of that. And I usually just try to ignore that I’m also another year older because its too much to process at once.”
Determined to keep this year on track? Try telling your friends your goals for the year. Letting them know will allow them to give your support, and support equals confidence! Write your resolution down and put it somewhere in your room so you can look at it everyday. Make a larger goal with small steps to complete that will get you to the big one. Each time you succeed in one goal, reward yourself. After a while, the reward will simply be that you’re accomplishing your goal. This is especially true with resolutions having to do with weight loss or being more optimistic. It’s never too late to make goals for yourself in order to improve. Room for progress never expires!
New Year’s Resolutions: How Old Are They?by Thema Thomas
Valentine’s Day is a day of love. Whether you are wanting to show your appreciation for a friend or awe your significant other, the typical roses and chocolates aren’t going to impress. Instead, this Valentine’s Day, try these original and charming ideas for celebrating the holiday of love.
During the Valentine’s Day season, an estimated 110 million roses are sold, making the gifting of roses both redundant and unoriginal. Instead opt for a clever approach. This Valentine’s Day woo your valentine by writing love notes that include phrases such as “I love you!” on small cue cards and hide them. Various ideas on where to hide the notes include places such as inside of a locker, hidden in a textbook, or in a backpack, where your crush will be sure to find the notes. These original, meaningful notes will not only be inexpensive, nevertheless will be incomparable in meaning
to the dispensable roses received by others.
Another alternative idea that will be sure to aid in blowing away your crush, boyfriend or
girlfriend, or even friend this Valentine’s Day is to send a meaningful greeting card. Once you have chosen a greeting card , get the card postmarked in a romantic city or town. Simply put your chosen Valentine’s Day card in the mail, complete with
a stamp and address. Put the card in a larger envelope addressed to the Postmaster of the town of your choice. A few options on where to get your card specially stamped for
Valentine’s Day include Kissimmee, Florida, Valentine, Texas, or Loveland, Colorado. If you want to make an even bigger impression, try writing your own greeting card, creating an added personal approach.
The next idea is a bit
quirky and will be sure to make a huge impact. While others will receive superfluous, standard chocolates, try a more creative approach involving candy this Valentine’s Day. Attaching personal notes to specific types of candy is an idea that will
initiate a few laughs and definitely impress. A few ideas include attaching a note reading “You’re a life saver!” to a package of candy Life Savers or a note with the message “Kisses from me to you!” attached to a bag of Hershey Kisses. If you are wishing to go the extra mile, try customizing your own chocolate M&Ms! Simply visit the website www.mymms.com where you will be able to select the colors of your custom M&Ms, create messages and pictures to be printed upon the M&Ms.
Within the upcoming weeks, as the final countdown towards Valentine’s Day begins, be prepared to woo others with these minimal, affordable, and creative ideas that will ensure that this Valentine’s Day is like no other.
Valentines Day-411by Abi Agne
Les Misérables, directed by the wildly talented Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) is perfect evidence of a musical gone right. Les Misérables is based off of a Broadway musical; the musical was based off of an 1862 novel by French author Victor Hugo. It follows the intertwining lives of
French citizens, vying for various freedoms. The main character, Jean Valjean (the spectacular Hugh Jackman, impeccably cast), is a recent parolee, after being in jail for nearly 20 years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving child. Upon his release, he is taken in by a kindly bishop, who changes Valjean forever.
Over the course of his life, Valjean meets Fantine, the ill, starving woman who lives on the street and turns to prostitution to support her daughter. Initially after the cast was announced, Anne Hathaway seemed like an odd choice-- after all, she had done little singing work and even fewer dramatic roles. However, emaciated and haggard, Hathaway as Fantine belts out a rendition of the classic I Dreamed a Dream that rivals any other; it possesses even more emotion, I daresay, than any Broadway actress to portray Fantine ever before. If you attend Les Misérables for one reason, make it Hathaway.
Les MisérablesI dreamed a dream... And it was this movieby Laura Kern
Academy Award nominee Zero Dark Thirty has been released, beating both Django: Unchained and Les Misérables in the box office. The first film of director Kathryn Bigelow since The Hurt Locker, an Academy Award winner for best picture in 2009, Zero has much to live up to. But clearly this film can stand apart from other great works of the year.
Zero Dark Thirty follows protago-nist and CIA operative Maya (Jessica Chastain) during the decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda. The film shows dark methods used by Americans to find information on the infa-mous group of terrorists, including torture and bribery. However, it also shows a behind-the-scenes look at each person in the hunt and the signifi-cance of his or her work.
Present throughout the entire film, an underlying theme of grief accompanies the countless acts of terror that never seem to cease. Precise camera work and editing keep the plot on a productive tempo, while blending action and drama perfectly. Subtle symbols
with deep meanings are frequent and gratifying. While comedic breaks are present periodically, Zero keeps a mature standpoint on the controversial topic of terrorism, including the paramount mis-sion of U.S. Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6.
No matter how strong the filming or writing may be, however, the act-ing in Zero Dark Thirty truly completes the movie. Actors that aren’t considered household names give performances expected by the stars and make the film more successful than any script alone. For example, as the plot progresses through a decade, the characters become gruff and tired, but more determined than ever to
find Osama bin Laden.While the film may have plenty of
merit, it is not perfect. The undertones of sorrow could also be interpreted as a stoic indifference to the situation. Because the topic is so controversial, Bigelow and her team separated themselves from the emotion of the film, rather than fully im-mersing the audience into the tragedy and heroism that define the War on Terror.
With the completion of the film comes recoil, and the punch that Zero Dark Thirty packs is intense. It forces us as Americans to truly look at the impact of recent years and understand how much history we’ve lived through. But most importantly, it gives us a glimpse of the hardworking men and women that have sacrificed so much for such an important cause.
In conclusion, Zero Dark Thirty is easily the best film currently in theatres, and shouldn’t be skipped. With fantastic writing, acting, and symbolism, this film simply cannot be beaten, and earns four stars out of four.
Zero Dark Thirtyby Brianna Batson
Rock legend Alice in Chains recently released a new single entitled “Hollow.” The five-minute, forty-three second track is instantly identifiable as an Alice in Chains song: its infectious guitar riff and dark, eerie lyrics are much like those that helped set them apart from other “grunge” rock bands in the early 1990’s. This song is considered by many to be a return to the band’s classic sound that brought them major commercial success over 20 years ago.
Guitarist Jerry Cantrell spoke of a new album to be released in 2013, which has yet to be titled. This album will be a follow up to the critically acclaimed 2009 album “Black Gives Way to Blue,” which was the first album featuring new lead singer William DuVall after the tragic death of original lead singer, Layne Staley, in 2002.
Alice in Chains still soldiers on with two of the original members, Cantrell
and drummer Sean Kinney; however, Mike Inez joined the band in 1993 as bass guitarist to replace Mike Starr, who died in 2011. The band also released a set of dates for an upcoming tour starting in spring of 2013.
Their new work definitely lives up to the hype and honors the legacies of Layne Staley and Mike Starr.
Alice in Chains Releases New SinglePlus, a new album is on the wayby Chandriss McAllister-Lang
A new year means a clean slate. The top three spots on the Billboard charts are up for grabs yet again. This month, number three is snagged by none other than Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift is a country-pop singer-songwriter. Since her first album’s release in 2006, Swift has been nominated for 12 Grammys, winning six including Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. Swift has sold over 26 million albums, three of which went platinum, and has had 75 million digital downloads across the globe. Her single “Fearless” from her 2008 album of the same title was the first single she has to go gold. Swift’s success continues to climb as she promotes her latest album “Red” which is in stores now.
Sliding into the number two spot is R&B/dubstep singer Rihanna. She captures the spot with her newest single “Diamonds”. Holder of 4 Grammy awards, Rihanna has sold a grand total of 25 million albums since the start of her
career. Rihanna and Eminem’s version of “Love the Way You Lie” reached number one in more than twenty countries worldwide, to later be certified
quintuple platinum and sold more than 5 million copies. Her Song “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris from the album Talk That Talk, released in 2011, peaked number one in 29 countries and remained there for ten weeks becoming her longest running chart topper.
Topping off the charts is the soulful pop sensation Bruno Mars. Mars has been nominated for 7 Grammys, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards. With six million albums sold, Mars is a worldwide favorite. At the 2012 BRIT Awards, Mars was named Best International Male Solo Artist. His second album Unorthodox Jukebox, including the single “Locked Out of Heaven” was released December 2012 and has sold 187.000 copies since then.
These artists have had great success in their careers and, as the saying goes, they can go nowhere but up.
Music for a New Yearby Peyton Kaercher
Hooper’s new way of onscreen singing, in which the actors sing as they act instead of lip-sync to music played over the scene, completely revolutionizes musicals. The result is a much more raw, honest song, full of true emotion; the imperfections make it perfect. Fantine’s sobs, Éponine’s tears, Marius’s stuttering-- it all adds to the sheer beauty and individuality of each clear, mind-blowing note.
The casting was absolute perfection. It was a very knowledgeable choice to go with the Broadway-trained Samantha Barks as the tragic Éponine. She embodies the character flawlessly, making her rainy On My Own so earth-shatteringly devastating. Eddie Redmayne (My Week With Marilyn) plays Marius surprisingly well; his version of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was fantastic, usually a difficult song to master. His duets with Cosette are so melodious, they cause widespread weeping within the theatre. Indeed, Amanda Seyfried as Cosette’s shockingly high notes are each perfectly executed, creating harmonies that stand out above the
crowd. In the fantastic musical number One Day More, featuring nearly the entire cast, her voice is recognizable and clear.
Even the lesser characters, such as Aaron Tveit’s Enjolras and Daniel Huttlestone’s young Gavroche, are faultlessly cast. Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen shine as the viciously greedy Thénardiers.
Overall, Les Misérables is a near perfect movie. Sure, Russell Crowe’s Inspector Javert, though well-played, can get slightly boring, and some portions can get a tad slow. However, At the End of the Day, these aren’t enough to tarnish this film’s polish. It earns a solid four out of four stars.
Both the boys and the girls bowling teams have had a good season this year. In the very competitive Southwestern Conference the girls finished with a 6-5 record, tying third in the regular season. The boys finished their season with a 7-6 record. Both teams have had great accomplishments with the girls coming in 2nd at the Kayhawk Invitational and the boys coming in first out of 43 other teams at a tournament. Although both teams did well, there is always room for improve-ment. The team will only graduate two seniors this year, Katelyn Budnicki and Kolton Hess. Bowling team coach, Mr. Marcus Barriger says the teams are young and they can only get better. With Thomas Peters holding the highest average and Katey Sauerwein leading the way, the Lancer Bowling teams are sure to win.
Success at the Lanes
Jacquelyn CrockettEditor in Chief
Section Editors Volume 5 Issue 5
Kayla Tenney-Howard, News [email protected]
Lindsay Smith, Features Editor
Laura Kern, Entertainment [email protected]
Jeremy Bruno, Center Co-EditorThema Thomas, Center Co-Editor
Felesha Lee, Sports [email protected]
De Robinson, Art Editor
Logan Bray, Photography [email protected]
Staff Members
Abi Agne, Brianna Batson, Taylor Benton, Madison Bradshaw, Ari Brown, Audreyana Brown-Nash
George Chen, Mariah Christ, Katherine Cooper, Antonio Curren,
Angelina Goodman, Quinn Heimann Becca Humphrey, Peyton Kaercher,
Asmaa Khalid, Chandriss McAllister-Lang,
Meghan McGarrity, Amoni McNair, Jonathan Pulse, Jacob Rayl,
Lela Roach, Timyrica Sherrod, Thema Thomas, Erin Tippit,
and Amy Warren
Mrs. J.J. Stallcup, Adviser [email protected]
The Lancer is the official student publication of
Belleville Township High School East2555 West BoulevardBelleville, IL 62221
618-222-3740
Wrestling is a sport of determination and discipline. Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling techniques. A few of those techniques include throws, takedowns, pins, and numerous other grap-pling holds.
Sophomore, Matt Striegel ex-plains, “The most challenging part of being involved with wrestling is all of the practice.” Matt continues to add that the practices could be considered “...a bit tedious, however in the end are extremely fulfilling and worth-while.”
Once your tech-nique has been perfected, it becomes critical to properly prepare yourself for a match. A few methods include positive reinforcement, saying things including “I’ve worked too hard”, and preparing yourself mentally. An alternative way to execute a winning match is to visual-
ize the match and foresee your actions, picture your takedowns, and play out the different scenarios in your mind. After further questioning about what the
most important preparations are prior to a match, Matt responds, “I try to focus on warming up and stretching, mak-ing sure I’m prepared to do my best.” Junior, RaShaan Sykes adds, “After all of the hard work is put forward, the most rewarding part is getting your hand
raised.” Once your hand is raised it’s a sign that you have won; evidence that all of your intense labor, commitment and dedication leading up to the match has
paid off.The Southwestern
Conference JV Du-als are approaching on Saturday, January 26, beginning to rouse anticipation. The con-ference will be hosted at Belleville West High School with com-petitors from numerous schools including Col-linsville, Edwardsville, and O’Fallon High School. As the season is coming to a close, the
Lancer wrestlers are more committed than ever.
Their coaches will be on the sidelines cheering them on as the wrestlers put forth their energy in order to take down their opponents. The wrestlers are hoping to end their matches victoriously, with their hands raised in the air.
by Abi Agne Pinning the Competition
The Belleville East JV Wrestling team will compete in the Southwestern Conference Duals on January 26.
Watch your Lancer teams play live online @ www.bths201.org/eastClick Live Video
Bowling Schedule:Boys Sectional: January 19 at Redbowl Bowl in Cahokia @ 9am
Boys State: January 25 & 26 at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon @ 9am
Girls Sectionals: February 2 in Mount Vernon @ 9am
Girls State: February 8 & 9 at Cherry Bowl in Rockford , IL @9am
Photo from Belleville East Website
PLAYER PROFILES
Beth Stock Jasmine Sangster
Beth is a senior and varsity Lancer Dancer. She has been dancing all her life and finds it to be an outlet to express herself. The dance team is one of East’s most winning teams, and she is very proud of their accomplish-ments. They will be competing in state this weekend and Beth is ecstatic to be competing with the team she has grown so close to. Although she loves to dance, she will not be dancing in college because she prefers to focus on her education. Beth is an outstand-ing example of an East athlete.
by Felesha Lee
Jasmine is a junior on the East bowling team. She has been bowling since she was five years old because the sport was passed down through many generations of her family. Jasmine competed in leagues before she was in high school and plans to continue after high school if her col-lege does not have a bowling team. In 2008, Jasmine competed in an individual tournament in Chicago and placed second in the state of Illinois. Jasmine looks to add to her list of ac-complishments this season.
Last week, Belleville East hosted the Chick- Fil- A boys’ basketball tournament. East took home first place in the tourna-ment after several hard fought games. They played Madison Prep in the champi-onship game and won 76-68.
Though East has a very impressive record, they went into the tournament knowing they had to work hard. “Going into the Madison Prep game, we knew we were going to have to come out with a lot of energy,” said senior guard Patrick Smith.
Not only did they win the champion-ship, but Patrick Smith took home the Academic All- Star award, and Malcolm Hill took home MVP.
The Lancer basketball team repre-sented Belleville East well in this tourna-ment.
East Plucks Opponents in Chick-Fil-A Tournamentby Felesha Lee
Photo courtesy of Laura Sauerwein
Belleville East’s Darreon Reddick scores against rival Belleville West
by Amoni McNair
Photo courtesy of Laura SauerweinStaff Photo
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WORD SEARCH
There are 6 differences in all. Can you find them? by Ari Brown
