News- 2 & 3Features- 4 & 5Centerspread- 6 & 7Entertainment- 8 & 9Sports- 10Activities- 11Art on the Terrace- 12

Days to RememberMar. 28- Apr. 1 - Spring BreakApril 5- End of 5th grading periodApril 9 - Freshmen OrientationApril 10- Faculty Meeting (Dismissal 2:55)April 23 – 24- PSAE Testing

Semester 2

90,720**minutes or 63 days

Countdown

Inside

The Belleville East ecology club went Shawnee National Forest in Carbondale, Illinois, on March 1 thru

March 3. The club canoed through Devil’s Kitchen Lake to their campsite in Panther’s Den and slept two nights in

sub-zero temperatures.The trip was made

possible by Dr. Philip Short and Land for Learning Institute. The 19 students experienced constant snow, but learned skills and lessons such as camp set-up and ancient histories. Students worked with the Forest Service to fight erosion in the forest. Split up into two groups, students took turns carrying tools, digging, laying rocks to fill a trail, and even had time out for a meditation session.

The evenings were spent at camp sharing stories, thoughts, and even music. The ecology club performed water quality tests, monitoring the wildlife within

the streams and performing chemical tests, only to find out that Devil’s Kitchen Lake

has one of the

highest quality waters of bio-diversity. The club worked together to keep spirits up and practiced pack in pack out camping.

Journey to Panther’s Den

Photo Courtesy of Dr. Phil ShortStudent Sarah Wilson takes advice from Kelly Pearson, the Shawnee Forest Volunteer Corps Coordinator.Photo Courtesy of Dr. Phil Short

Nick Framsted performs a water quality test with fellow Ecology club mem-bers at Devil’s Kitchen Lake.

Many of you have prob-ably heard of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program, but never a JROTC Club. That’s because Belleville East is the only school in the area to have one. The JROTC Club with Mrs. Belline and Mrs. Burch as sponsors, was founded in 2010, thanks to Morgan Gosling (currently attending Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and planning on becoming an officer in the Army) , Doug Nadeau (cur-rently a Marine), Cameron Thompson (also a Marine) , and Travon Lawrence (cur-rently in the Army waiting to be deployed), alumni from East who wanted to bring the Army JROTC program to their school. After much paperwork and waiting, East was finally approved as a site for the program and is cur-rently waiting for the fund-ing to be available. When the funding becomes available, the club will graduate to a program.

The difference between the club and the program is that through the program you receive a uniform that you have to wear once a week, class credit, and if you enlist right after graduation, you earn rank. The club is run by students and can offer many benefits. By joining the club one learns integrity, structure, responsibility, discipline, and leadership. JROTC Club also helps to build character and to keep you in great physical shape. You also receive many ben-efits from participating in the club such as: Learning about the military, scholarship op-portunities, and if you join a ROTC program while still in college, whenever you grad-uate you will automatically become a Second Lieutenant. If you enlist straight out of high school, you will imme-diately go to boot camp and become either a private or an airman. But JROTC Club does more than just practice drills and teach you about the different military branches.

When asked why they joined, many par-ticipants said it was because of a family member who was or is cur-rently serving in the mili-tary.

Ever since the club was founded in 2010, JROTC Club has pioneered numerous volunteer activities such as send-ing soldiers care packages, fundraisers, food drives, and organizing and creat-ing memorials. JROTC Club has now joined with Military Connections Club,

and together members live by four things: Leadership, scholarship, citizenship, and awareness. Only about 1% of the United States popula-tion will ever serve in the military, but maybe more in

depth knowledge and know-ing what JROTC stands for will inspire more people to learn about the military and to support those who decide to serve.

Moving Up In The Ranks: East In Line For JROTC Program by Angelina Goodman

Photo Courtesy of Anne BellineJROTC Club/Military Connections get in formation as they prepare for a typical after-school meeting on lower terrace led by their Commander, Kayla Mahaffey. Meetings can include physical fitness training, drill instruction, or guest speakers.

Page 5Clubs & Activities

by Logan Bray

Have you ever had something you cherished threatened with destruction? Well this could become a reality for anyone who has ever enjoyed a camping trip or has seen the Quetico Presenta-tion thanks to federal judge Phil Gilbert. Judge Gilbert put a ban on all mining and logging within Shawnee National Forest in 1996. Last week, it was made public that he filed an injunction to lift the ban. This is the type of political gar-bage that enrages me.

Judge Gilbert reasoned that he felt the 1992 Forest Service plan was lack-ing, but the 2006 Forest Service plan is not lacking. Dr. Phil Short of Belleville East said that the 2006 forest service plan is actually more lacking in the fact that it doesn’t mention hydraulic frac-turing (also known as “fracking”) and therefore has no regulations on fracking. Fracking is used to remove shale block-ing natural gases so they can be mined.

By placing the ban, he effectively protected the park from any logging, mining, or other resource industries. Removing the ban only weakens the protection of the park because it allows hydraulic fracturing. It is somewhat obvious that money is being made here, by whom or how much is uncertain. But the false reasoning and change in behav-

ior from Judge Gilbert make bribery a plausible cause for his recent change of heart.

The problem lies in the fact that fracking is nearly unregulated. Thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, frack-ing is exempt from following the Clean Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air and Clean Water act, and The Comprehen-sive Environmental Response, Compen-sation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). CERCLA created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond di-rectly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endan-ger public health or the environment. So basically, fracking companies can pump as much toxic chemicals as they want and not deal with the consequences. I cannot plead any more fiercely when I say we, as both a school and a com-munity, must do something to stop this. Rally, petition, write letters, tweet about it, just get the word out and help stop this because if we don’t, Illinois is going to be a whole lot less green. For more information, talk to Dr. Phil Short or at-tend an Ecology Club meeting. Ecology Club meets every Wednesday at 8:00 am in G201.

Phil Gilbert: Lorax HaterPresenting their rendition of “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons, Unseen Skyline members Jenny Rea, Heather Hamilton, and Megan Triefenbach, were chosen as the winners of first place honors and $75 in the annual variety show at Belleville East’s Performing Arts Center on February 28 and March 1 at 7 pm. Fourteen acts participated in the show and spectators voted; Freddie Rice took second place and $50 for his number on the piano and singing to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and Austin Ward came in third, winning $25, with his act of guitar and vocals to “The Gardner” by The Tallest Man on Earth.

Student master of ceremonies Kendrick Settler and LeeAnna Studt introduced the evenings’ performers with interjections of humor and the variety show directors, English Teacher Ross Kincaid and Mathematics Teacher Tom Hickey, named the show “So You Think You’re The Next Idol?,” in reference to the television show American Idol.

Seniors Cornita Cannon and Brionna Emerson agreed that the evening’s music choices “put the variety in variety show.” The diverse range of music featured in the variety show included numbers like “Take It All,” a song by Grammy Award winning British vocalists Adele that was sung by Jade Hess, Neil Young’s “Old Man” vocals and guitar performed by Hart Morgan, and the musical Wicked’s “For Good,” sung by Makayla Eason and Erin Tippit.

Madelyne Knipp performed on piano to “Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement” by Ludwig Beethoven and Madi McGrady performed piano and vocals to “Zombie” by The Cranberries. Jared Carrier and Lindsay McDaniels sang “The Show” by Lenka and Hannah Cole sang “Stars” by Grace Potter. Roflcopter, a student band composed of Nicholas Lohmann, Thema Thomas and Ari Brown, performed “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes. Students Charla Williams and Charne Rainey danced to “Technologic,” by Daft Punk.

Unseen Skyline Wins Variety Showby Jacquelyn Crockett

by Garrett Hayes

OPINION

On February 27th, The Lancer staff traveled to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale to attend the annual Southern Illinois School Press Association (SISPA) conference promoting scholastic journal-ism. Students were able to compete in on-site writing competitions or attend workshops on topics from interviewing to photography. The day concluded with an awards ceremony where students were honored for their performance both on-site as well as at school. The Lancer staff was recognized with the following awards:

On-Site Contests 1st Place – Brianna Batson – Review Writing 3rd Place – Chandriss McAllister-Lang – News Writing 3rd Place – De Robinson – Editorial Car-tooning 3rd Place – Arklaya Tenney-Howard – Feature Writing

Honorable Mention: Logan Bray – Senior Interview Jeremy Bruno – Sports Writing

Best Story Contests (Mail-in)

1st Place – De Robinson – Advertisement | “Lancers live the healthy way!” – Bel-leville East Health Club 1st Place – Laura Kern – Review | “Lin-coln: This biopic is a new favorite for Academy Award predictors” 2nd Place – Jeremy Bruno - News Story | “Health Club Helps Save Lives” 2nd Place – The Lancer Staff – Front Page Layout | December Issue

Honorable Mention: Ari Brown – Cub Division | “The Vegan Files” Katie Cooper – Cub Division | ”Oh, Chew! Hidden Talents of a Spanish Teacher” Chandriss McAllister-Lang - Cub Divi-sion | “Holocaust Survivor Speaks at East” Timyrica Sherrod – Advertisement | “Drop in for a Wicked Brew” – The Daily Grind Madison Bradshaw – Interview Story | “Mission Trip Sparks New Business” Chandriss McAllister-Lang – Featurette | “State of the Supernatural” The Lancer Staff – Overall Layout | De-cember Issue

Lancer Staff Places at SISPA

Dining and Donating Many students may have heard

about the effort to purchase turf for the football fields at Belleville East and West. On March 13th and 20th, Applebees in Swansea hosted a fundraising event for the cause. With a flyer, fifteen percent of the bill was donated to Turf for the Teams. District 201 is trying to avoid using tax payers’ money for the fields. Although it is costly in the short term, maintenance will make the turf fields a worthwhile project. One of the waiters at Applebees told us that a

typical Wednesday doesn't bring many customers, but during our event business was bustling. Since Applebees became a corporation, they haven’t hosted many dine and donates. Thankfully, they agreed to help us raise money for Turf for the Teams. 3.14 Celebration

On March 13th, the nation celebrated Pi Day. This day is dedicated to the very important number 3.14 which helps us in math all the time! Appreciate Pi when finding the area or circum-ference of circles. On Pi Day, some math classes celebrated by bringing in circle shaped treats. In front of A building on March 14th was the best celebration of all. Math teacher Mrs. Kathy Fields received a real pie in the face! Renaissance Breakfast

On March 13th, the Renais-sance program held a breakfast for students who maintained exceptional grades and behavior last semester. Students must miss five or fewer days during the semester, have ten or fewer tardies during the semester, and no discipline administered through the school office. Each received donuts, milk or juice and a t-shirt. The most impressive reward was the academic cards. Cards include discounts to local business and discounted admission to home events! The criteria for each of the cards is listed on the back of your Student Parent Handbook. Any students who missed the breakfast on March 13th can go to G106 to pick up their shirt and card.

by Arkayla Tenney-HowardNews In Brief

Staff Photo Mrs. Laurie Gray and family attended the event to raise money for Turf for the Teams.

Staff Photo Mrs. Kathy Fields received a pie in the face from her son, Zach Fields

Staff PhotoFrom left to right above: Unseen Skyline, Freddie Rice, and Austin Ward performing. Below: Con-testants encouraging support from the audience.

On Saturday, March 9th the new members of our Lancer family arrived after traveling from their hometown of Mainz, Germany. Our new German friends arrived with excitement. All of the students are juniors and seniors. They were accompanied by Ute Ritzenhofen, a teacher at their school, Otto-Schott Gymnasium, that has come along with students to Belleville four times. Ute said that she loves the Belleville area and adores Belleville East High School. The students will be in Belleville for around three weeks, with a few day trips.

Sophomore Aidan Cole is one of the hosts for the German ex-change students. This is his second opportunity to be a host this year. During first semester, he was the host for Robin Drabon. He said “It is really cool to see the differences between our culture and German culture.” He also said that he feels especially lucky to have the oppor-tunity twice.

On their first school day, March 11th, many of the students admit-ted to being nervous. The nerves became worse once they realized

the size of the campus. Anabel Becker explained that their school consists of a single large building, a single small building, and a gymnasium. Obvi-ously, our campus is much larger.

During a tour of the school, we passed through G-building. Andy Gaa, Belleville East German teacher, described the anatomy classes and a few of the new students seem astonished. They don’t have nearly as many choices as we do. Moritz Spielberg explained that they only have around ten subjects that they take every year.

The tour moved towards the cafeteria. The East cafeteria has many choices. In Germany, the schools have two choices every day. One choice includes meat and the other is for the vegetar-ian students. Also during the tour, the students got to see the weight room. Loud music was blasting as students exercised. Apparently

our gym and school fit the typi-cal American schools in movies. According to Lili Schneider, the school is exactly what she expect-ed.

The students expressed ex-citement for the parades and the opportunity to attend an American school. Be sure to make them re-member their Lancer family!

Willkommen in der Lancer- Familieby Arkayla Tenney-Howard

Staff Photo Belleville East welcomes the exchange students from Mainz, Germany.

Jacquelyn CrockettEditor in Chief

crockettj13@students.bths201.org

Section Editors

Quinn Heimann, News Editorheimannq14@students.bths201.org

Lindsay Smith, Features Editor

smithl15@students.bths201.org

Laura Kern, Entertainment Editorkernl15@students.bths201.org

Audreyana Brown-Nash, Center Editorbrown-nasha14@students.bths201.org

Felesha Lee, Sports Editor

leef13@students.bths201.org

De Robinson, Art Editorrobinsond14@students.bths201.org

Logan Bray, Photography Editor

brayl13@students.bths201.org

Arkayla Tenney-Howard, Copy Editortenney-howarda15@students.bths201.org

Staff Members Abi Agne, Brianna Batson,

Taylor Benton, Madison Bradshaw, Ari Brown, Jeremy Bruno

Angelina Goodman, Becca Humphrey, Peyton Kaercher,

Chandriss McAllister-Lang, Amoni McNair, Jacob Rayl,

Thema Thomas, and Erin Tippit

Mrs. J.J. Stallcup, Adviser jstallcup@bths201.org

The Lancer is the official student publication of

Belleville Township High School East2555 West BoulevardBelleville, IL 62221

618-222-3740

thelancer@bths201.org

People have been questioning the Lancer newspaper staff what is going on at the bridge, why are they thinning out the tree line, and who is in charge of that operation. Some answers were provided by the Engineering Depart-

ment’s Kelvin Samuel.

Q: “The main question that everyone is wondering is, why are they cutting down the trees from around the bridge?”

Samuel: “Our main goal is to clear out the un-derbrush from the bridge area. Honeysuckle is

an invasive species that has been tak-ing a toll on the ecosystem. Also, the campus security needed a direct line of sight from A-Building to the park-ing lot.”

Q: “Does construction on the bridge have something to with the cut-ting down of the trees?”

Samuel: “There have been talks about renovating the surface of the bridge, but nothing has been final-ized.”

Q: “What are they doing to keep the creek ecosystem clean?”

Samuel: “No major precautions have been taken, but we do pick up litter around the area, and take small measures to insure the area stays clean.”

Q: “Who made the final decision to cut down the trees near the bridge?”

Samuel: “I take orders from Scott Harris, the Chief Engineer. He made the final decision to clear out the underbrush. People should also know that we are not finished. There still is work that needs to be done in that area.”

East Administration Works on Campus Bridge by Quinn Heimann

Staff PhotoThe area near the bridge since the tree line has been greatly trimmed.

Students of the Month

Photo by Arkayla Tenney-HowardMarch Students of the Month enjoyed their limo lunch date on March 14, 2013. Pictured from L to R are Mr. Shawn Hennon (science teacher), Phillip Wood (freshman), Geary Graham (senior), Dominique Hill (sophomore), and Taylor Snively (junior).

Visit usonline

@blog.bths201.org

\thelancer

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pin-trest, and Tumblr: Social networking sites are dominating the lives of teens. When using social networking sites, precautions should be taken. The lesson to be learned is not “Stranger danger” or “People aren’t who they pretend to be;” it’s the posts people make online will follow them for a lifetime. Each post can make or break a person’s dreams. High schools, colleges, and employers have the right to check online sites when reviewing applications.

Program Director of the 17th street C.N.A (Corridor Neighborhood Associa-tion) Angie Brown, spoke about the pro-cess for reviewing applications for the program’s summer camps. Many high school students like to find easy sum-mer jobs as camp counselors, but they may not remember all of the posts they made over the past year. Mrs. Brown ex-plained that with the summer camp she runs, the counselors are selected by Americorps. Members of Americorps review applications and check social networking sites. Mrs. Brown is able to review their choices. When asked if she approves of searching people’s online profiles, Angie explained that she understands why businesses take this ac-tion, but if she was a teen she would see it as “invasive.” Also, she believes that “so-cial life shouldn’t affect work.” As most people can agree, Angie stated that “looks can be deceiving.” Occasionally friends are tagged in posts that display negative behavior that they may not have taken part in. According to Angie, everyone is entitled to a social life, but some posts are unacceptable to make. Any pictures involving marijuana or under-age drinking are inexcusable. She had a few warnings for students, including, “you don’t have to post your whole life… keep people guess-ing.” Also keep in mind that “too much is not always good.”

Admission policies at SIUE prevent colleges from looking through your posts. When finding new students they rely strictly on GPA, class rank, test scores, etc. Director of Admissions at SIUE, Todd Burell, explained that the things

you post can still affect your college life. Mr. Burrell said that “it is very hard for universities to find time, but it is a public resource.” When hiring student workers, they may check online posts. In many sit-uations, student workers are friends with their bosses on Facebook. A recent inci-dent occurred that shows just how impor- tant it is to filter what you post. A graduate as-sistant de-

cid-ed to rant about her boss online. Many students use friend-only pages on Fa-cebook to speak their minds and avoid confrontation. This graduate assistant accidently posted her comment to all of her friends, including her boss. Need-less to say, she no longer had a job as a graduate assistant. This mistake cost her tons of money. On the friends-only pages, “you have to be careful,” according to Todd Burell, and “keep the comments to yourself because we don’t understand who can and cannot see something.” Burell does have sympathy for our generation because social networking sites provide us with challenges.

Sports Program Director at the YMCA, Kenneth Nance, believes that the social networks are a great resource for learning the true identity of potential employees. After reading over applica-tions, he searches for the people on Face-

Think B4U Postbook. He says his main reason for doing so is “…going into an interview is not your normal you.” During an interview, hopefuls are normally dressed nice. They speak clearly and use all proper language. Each person tries to appear poised, calm, and well-prepared for whatever the job may throw at them. However, Kenny says that before hiring he “wants to see you in a comfortable setting.” Facebook provides him with the opportunity to do this. Be-

haviors such as bad verbiage on sta-tuses, alcohol in pictures (especially under the age of 21), and partial nudity in pictures all send a message that the person is not going to be a

good employee. Kenny says he un-derstands that “we are not perfect people.” Yet as a whole, he says we need to remember that “it is going to last for more than twenty minutes; it will last a lifetime.”

Worrying about jobs and col-lege may not be affecting everyone

currently, but Belleville East High School has the right to check social networks at any time if a problem is brought to their attention. Belleville East High School principal Mrs. Stephanie Posey said, “We will issue consequences if it disrupts the educational process.” Our principal also explained that even if the event happens at home, if faculty has to deal with it in any way at school then consequences can be issued. For example, if there is a fight during the weekend and it is off school grounds, but the following Monday people are still heated and arguing about it then the school can get involved. Admin-istration will get the authorities involved with issue over texts messages or online posts if there is an infraction of our rules and an infraction in the eyes of the law. If the latter is detected, then it is immediate-ly sent to Officer Hunter. He is the school resource officer and works here full time. Mrs. Posey’s advice to students regard-ing the social media issue was, “Don’t put anything on your social media or text message that you wouldn’t say in person. It is easy, but it is also cowardly to hide behind technology.”

by Arkayla Tenney-Howard

The short nights and frigid weather are coming to a close. Upcoming days of sunshine and warmer temperatures are highly anticipated. Summer is a short time away. The change in seasons can bring about a feeling of urgency to rid our closets of our heavy winter coats and pants, exchanging them for t-shirts and shorts. A summer essential: high-waisted jean shorts. High-waisted shorts are easily accessible, available at most retailers, ranging in prices from $30 to $80! With this simple D.I.Y. (or do it yourself) project you’ll be able to create your very own custom high-waisted shorts for a significantly cheaper price.

For this project you’ll need minimal materials including: a pair of old jeans, scissors, a ruler, and a pen. First off, find a pair of old jeans to totally destroy! This is the easiest, yet most important step in this project. Scour your closet for an old pair of jeans or search your local thrift store where you can find old jeans for a mere $3. Remember that the goal of this project is to create high-waisted shorts for cheap, so although you might normally turn your nose at resale shops, buying clothes second-hand means that you are able to customize your shorts however you like. When searching for a pair of pants, keep in mind that you should be satisfied with the fit in your hips and waist; the length of the pant leg isn’t necessarily important, because you will be cutting the legs off of the pants to turn them into shorts, anyway.

Once you have obtained a pair of jeans, the next step is to convert them into trendy summer shorts. Try on your jeans and create a basic understanding of the fit and style. Mark on your jeans with a pen where you would like your desired length. You can use a ruler when marking where to cut your pants to ensure that the length on each pant leg is similar. After creating a mark on your pants, lay your pants on a flat surface and using a pair of fabric or heavy-duty scissors, cut along the previous markings made. Finally, turn your shorts inside out, wash, and dry. After being washed, the lines where you cut will instantly fray, creating a vintage look.

There you go; simple and easy! You’ve just created a pair of trendy high-waisted shorts for a fraction of the retail price. Not only will you save money with this simple D.I.Y. project, you’ll also be given the satisfaction of saying that you made them yourself when people compliment you. These effortlessly cool shorts are sure to boost your summer wardrobe to an entirely new level!

If You Only Have $20 In Your Pocketby Abi Agne

Art ClubArt Club works on projects that enhance the beauty of campus - from signage to murals. Art Club helps with Homecoming and hosts the Art Exhibition and Competition. Members are encouraged to help teachers by working at school and in the community to promote the visual arts.

Bass Fishing ClubThe Bass Fishing Club’s goal is to promote the sport of fishing. This club provides students with an opportunity to learn more about the sport and participate in fishing tournaments such as the IHSA state series.

Big Brothers/

Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a school based mentoring program. Juniors or seniors are matched with an elementary school student from Belle Valley, Douglas, or High Mount where they meet with their “little” once a week during their lunch/study hall period as a mentor.

Break Dance ClubBreak Dance Club’s mission is to spread the love of dancing regardless of style. We welcome people of ALL skill levels to come check us out. No rhythm required to join.

Broadcast & Technology Club

Project oriented club broadcasting the news of the campus while exploring technologies in PCs and Macs. B & T produces the announcements for the daily broadcast on the café monitors. Activities also include videography, photography, script writing, editing, and news and webcasting.

Campus GreensWe promote the Green Party’s ten key values: 1) Community-Based Economics; 2) Decentralization; 3) Ecological Wisdom; 4) Gender Equity; 5) Future Focus; 6) Grassroots Democracy; 7) Non-violence; 8) Personal and Global Responsibility; 9) Respect for Diversity; 10) Social Justice

Chess Team

The Chess Team meets weekly in the Belleville East Library from November through February. Members are instructed in chess strategy and participate in practice games. The Chess Team competes in the Gateway Chess League, traveling to league matches on Wednesdays and league tournaments on Saturdays. The team also participates each year in the IHSA State Chess Tournament. New members of all abilities are always welcome.

Comic Book Club

The Belleville East Comic Book Club is designed to provide interested students with an chance to read and discuss graphic novels, manga, and comic books with their peers. The club meets monthly, and often will attend screenings of recent superhero and/or fantasy movies related to the topics discussed in the meetings.

Debate Team The debate team is for students who follow current events and like to talk and write speeches about them.

Distributive Education (DECA)

Marketing Co-op is for seniors that might be interested in marketing career. They will learn marketing skills, create and develop marketing projects and put those skills into practice at their place of employment. This course provides 3 credit hours. DECA is a student-centered organization whose program of leadership and personal development is designed specifically for students enrolled in marketing education classes.

Drama ClubDrama Club is for students that are interested in becoming involved in the Belleville East theater productions. Opportunities are available for both on-stage and off-stage interests.

Ecology Club

Our goal is to create a greater appreciation of the earth’s diverse biological wealth and promote an exchange of ideas and efforts aimed at insuring continued biological diversity. We believe that our goals may be achieved only through active participation on trips to natural areas, service projects, and environmental action.

EL CLUB DE ESPANOL

(Spanish Club)

Join one of the largest clubs at Belleville East and help make your high school years worth remembering! Spanish Club meets once a month, before school on Fridays, to expand your cultural knowledge through activities, crafts, guest speakers, dancing, and traditional celebrations. You do not have to be in a Spanish class to be an active club member. ¡Bienvenidos a todos! (Everyone is welcome!)

FCA

FCA is the largest Christian sports organization in America. FCA focuses on serving local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging people to make a difference for Christ. The FCA mission statement is, “To present to athletes and coaches, and all whom they influence, the challenge and adventure of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, serving Him in their relationships and in the fellowship of the church.” Belleville East FCA meets twice per month in the evenings and once each week before school for Bible study. All Belleville East students are welcome to attend.

Film Club

The film club offers a variety of opportunities for students interested in making movies. The club meets twice a month in an effort to create films that are created, written, performed, shot, directed, and edited all by students. Occasionally, some of these short films are submitted to local film contests. All students are welcome to attend meetings and help in the production of original short films.

French Club &

French Honor Society

French Club and Honor Society promote the love of French culture, food, and language. Anyone can join the French club but to join French Honor Society you must be in 3rd or 4th year French, maintain high grades, and be active in French club.

German Club & German Honor Society

The goal of the Belleville East German Club is to introduce interested students to the German culture and language outside the classroom setting. Each year, we plan field trips, parties, immersion experiences, and other events, each of which centers on some particular aspect of German culture or which allows the students to try out the language skills they learn in class.

HOPE Helping Other People Excel

Interact

Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 14 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting. Each year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill.

JROTC Club/

Military Connections

Students in JROTC and Military Connections Clubs learn about the different branches of the military. They learn basic drill, physical training, and leader-ship skills. The goals of the joint clubs are to develop leadership, citizenship, and academic skills. At the same time, students give back to the community through fundraisers and support of memorials and Veteran’s Day programs. It is for any students interested in supporting and learning about the military. It is not a recruiting tool for the service. Anyone can join and have fun being part of the “unit” and participating in a variety of activities.

Lancer Book ClubLancer Book Club is for those students who love or even just like to read and want to share their love of reading with other. Our meetings are held at Barnes and Noble in Fairview Heights.

LifeSaversLifeSavers’ objective is to involve all segments of the high school in the process of prevention and to provide our youth and their families with the information, skills, and support necessary for youth to remain drug-free and healthy in overall wellness.

Mashariki Multicultural Club

Mashariki Multicultural Club (MMC) is an organization open to all Belleville East Students. The purpose of MMC is for students to feel a sense of belonging while communicating cultural diversity in many ways to the East community. Students in MMC participated in a variety of fun performances and activities. There are many faculty members who assist with Mashariki.

Math TeamThe Math Team is for those students who love math and enjoy competing against other schools. This activity looks great on college and scholarship applications as well as getting into National Honor Society at Belleville East.

Mu Alpha ThetaMu Alpha Theta is a math honor society that operates under the goals of rendering service and promoting interest in mathematics. Applications are accepted at the beginning of the school year and require students to have at least 6 semesters of mathematics and a specific GPA.

National Art Honor Society

National Art Honor Society recognizes students with high academic achievement in the arts and their artistic contributions to the school and community. NAHS students participate in service projects at school as part of the honor society requirements which allows them to earn honor cords to wear at graduation.

National English Honor Society

The National English Honor Society is an honor society for junior and senior students who have a passion for English and a desire to help others in this field. Applications are accepted at the beginning of the school year and require students to have a specific GPA. Members are required to complete community service as well as attend biweekly meetings.

National Honor SocietyNHS is an academic and service organization. Students who maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA, are involved in campus and community activities, and demonstrate strong character and leadership are eligible. Qualifying students receive applications for membership at the end of their junior year.

Octagon Club

The Octagon Club is connected to the Optimist Club in Belleville. Members spend their time volunteering in the community, helping with various projects at school, and attend meetings twice a month. Students of all grade ranges are welcome to join. Members truly enjoy volunteering and giving their time to make their community a better place.

Odyssey of the Mind/Senior Olympiad

The Odyssey of the Mind team is a creative problem-solving competition. Students form teams of 7 or less and work on solving a long-term problem and practice the art of solving spontaneous problems.

Office Occupations

The Office Occupations Cooperative Education Program at Belleville East High School is for seniors who have a career interest in an office such as law, medical, insurance, education, etc. and would like to gain some real life experience working in the business world. This program combines classroom instruction with on-the-job training to assist students in making the school-to-work transition.

Recycling TeamThe paper recycling program is conducted by volunteers in any class who agree to give up their study hall time on Fridays to move the recyclable paper from the classrooms and offices to the green and yellow recycling bin for pick up. We make a new volunteer list each semester.

RenaissanceRenaissance is a nationwide organization that recognizes students for their academic achievements. Renaissance honors those students who are in the top of their class with a GPA above 3.5 but also those students who make a .5 increase in their GPA.

S.T.R.I.D.EStride stands for Students and Teachers Respecting Individual Differences Equally. It is the school’s GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) and anti-bully club. Students engage in activities to educate others on the steps to take in bully situations.

Science National Honor Society

Here at Belleville East, Renaissance also sponsors many activities such as movie day, the renaissance breakfast and renarock (a carnival at end of spring semester). As well as these activities that are only for renaissance members, renaissance sponsors other campus wide programs like cookie club, the student of the month program, and Mr. Lancer Pageant.

Spanish Honor Society

The Spanish Honor Society (La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica) consists of students that have devoted themselves to the study of the Spanish language and wish to promote global friendship and cultural understanding between differing countries of the world. Spanish Honor Society students may be inducted after the completion of the fifth semester of Spanish at Belleville East. Students need to have maintained an “A” average for the five semesters and must be active members of the Spanish Club.

Speech TeamThe Speech Team (also known as Individual Events) is a competitive group that travels around the area. Members perform dramatic, humorous, and public speaking pieces. Season runs from October to February.

Student Council

Students are elected to be class Representatives and Officers for Student Council. Elections are held in the spring for upperclassmen and in the fall for freshmen. Student Council sponsors homecoming as well as various activities like trick or treat for canned goods, helping at retirement homes, Make a Wish, projects for soldiers, and other projects around the campus. Meetings are held every Wednesday morning before school.

The Lancer (Newspaper)

The Lancer student newspaper is a club designed to provide students with an authentic experience in journalism and publishing. Members of The Lancer staff include editors, reporters, photographers, graphic designers, and advertising specialists in grades 9-12. The Lancer is published 9 times a year and the staff does all the writing, photography, art, design, and layout for each issue.

Thespian Society

The Thespian Society is an honor society for students involved in theatre at Belleville East. The club promotes the dramatic arts at Belleville East and attends workshops and performances around the St. Louis area. In order to join the Thespian Society, students must achieve over 200 hours of on-stage and off-stage work in theatre.

Tri-M National Music Honor Society

Yearbook

Yearbook is an exciting club where students are able to take part in the creative memory making process at East! Whether you want to be a photographer, reporter, writer, graphic designer, or editor, there are many ways to be involved in yearbook during your time in high school. Yearbook staff members learn how to become high school journalists and reporters who capture the action and news at various sporting, activity, club, classroom, community, and Lancer spirit events.

Young Democrats

Young Democrats is a club for students who are interested in Democratic politics. Students meet twice a month to discuss and debate local, state and federal issues that are in the news. Young Democrats also work twice a year at the Fairview Heights Food Pantry and with the Octagon Club each February on the Have a Heart Food Drive to benefit the pantry.

Young Republicans

The Belleville East Young Republicans club meets every Thursday morning before school. At these meeting we plan activities and events, distribute newspaper, magazine, and web articles and political cartoons, listen to presentations, and view and discuss newsworthy videos. We discuss current events at the local, state, and national level with an emphasis on the impact they have on our founding principles and freedoms as outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. In addition to our regular meetings we also have special events including guest speakers, community service projects, political debates, meet and greets with local politicians, field trip to Springfield, etc. Come and join us as we push back the frontiers of ignorance.

*New clubs are forming all the time. Listen to the daily announcements and check your student e-mail to learn about new clubs that might be right for you.

Class of2016

Class of2014 Class of

2015 Class of2017

Many stereotypes

exist about teenagers. They’re moody, lazy, anti-

social, trouble-makers. Some may ask why a teenager acts

like this and what they can do to fix it. The underlying truth is that

the behaviors are natural and little can be done about it. Discovery says,

however, that understanding why teens act the way they do may help them

develop more productive behaviors.So just what goes on in a teenager’s

brain? Why are they “moody?” Scientific studies have shown the reactions in the teenager’s still-developing brain produce the opposite reaction to stressful situations. A fully matured brain is designed to calm itself down when faced with a stressful situation; but an immature one, on the other hand, causes it to become more anxious. The reaction to this increased stress, however, does differ per individual. Professor Sheryl Smith, physiologist, states that adults

may be able to produce the correct reaction, but a teenager does not have as much control.

Well why aren’t their brains developed yet?

Various scientific studies over the past ten

years say it is because the

frontal lobe of the brain for them is not yet fully connected to the rest of their brain. The frontal lobe is responsible for higher-level thinking. Voluntary skills such as decision making, planning, intelligence, comprehension, and attention are all controlled by the frontal lobe. This lobe being still slightly detached reduces the amount of white matter in the brain and slows these processes. This also creates a path for risky behaviors such as drug addiction. Having an understanding of where the problems come from means possibly fixing it.

Of course, the most recommended “treatment” for “teenage brain” is a good night’s sleep. Most teens do not get the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep because of extracurricular activities and homework. So what else can be done?

Take a minute at least once a day. 1.)One of the best ways to relieve stress is to take a moment to calm down and let off steam. Stress is a big cause of how teens react to certain situations.Attention 2.)exercises. Since there’s still so

much for teens to do, especially around ACT time, it’s best to try to focus. Since the brain is not yet wired for ultimate attention, practice is necessary for full attention during testing.

So before placing the stereotype on teenagers, be sure to realize the fault does not completely lie with the teen. All humans go through it; it’s just basic brain chemistry. Teens are wired to take chances, have mood swings, and yes, procrastinate. Don’t fret; it’s just science.

Get your ACT together!

“No, because I haven’t thought about it. It’s just not on my mind at this moment. I will though, eventually.”

“Not really. I didn’t take it seriously. It just felt like another standardized test I had to take that wouldn’t affect my col-lege planning.”

“Yes, because I want to go to college, and it affects possible scholarships.”

Princeton Connors, Sophomore

“I studied by actually not stressing about it. I found that the less you stress, the better you do. Some prep is okay. If you’re weak in a subject, practice it. Other than that, don’t stress.”

Have you beenpreparing for the ACT?

Do you think the ACT affects your future?

Did the ACT matter to you?

How did you study for the ACT?

Cheyenne Schmitz, Senior Chase Mueller, Senior Jeremy Nichols, Senior

The Teenage Brain: Why We Do What We Do

by Audreyana Brown-Nash

PSAE testing is just around the corner, and it is one of the most important tests of your high school career. For students, practice is essential and classes have already started prepping. Although Juniors will be the only class taking the test, this is a good time for Freshmen and Sophomores to ask other students or teachers about the ACT and get helpful information that could aid them in the future.

Well, what is the ACT? With so much emphasis put on it, you would think more people actually know what it’s about. The ACT is comprised of four parts; Math, English, Reading, and Science, with an optional Writing section. It was first introduced in 1959, and has seen an increase in popularity throughout the years. In 2011, two thousand more people took the ACT than the SAT. The function of the ACT is to test how a high school student’s education has developed and to determine college readiness. The ACT compiles all learning objectives from 7th to 12th grade. In Illinois, ACT testing is required as a way to evaluate

how the school is preforming. In addition to evaluating schools, the ACT is also used by colleges as part of their admissions process. Although most people think ACT scores determine whether or not you make it into the school, that’s not the case. Colleges look at a lot more than just your ACT scores to determine whether or not you make it into that school. In fact, most colleges will look at ACT scores and SAT scores with equal importance. Grade point average, extracurricular activities, and basically a student’s academic progress throughout high school will also be taken into account when you apply for a school.

So, how is Belleville East preparing for the ACT? Practice of course! After all, practice makes perfect. Reading Across the Curriculum modules are being taken in most English and Social Studies classes, while Math classes are taking Math Across the Curriculum modules as well. These practice tests help students get exposure to ACT-like questions and build their confidence. It’s also important to remember the ACT is timed,

so time management is equally as important as knowing the material. “I do think the RAC’s help. It gives students a chance to practice reading modules, it gives them a chance to practice their timing with the modules, and it gives them a chance to ask questions about what they missed,” says Mrs. Sorg, an English teacher here at East. It’s easy for students get burned out though. “Most students really want to do well,” says Mr. Loehring, head of the Social Studies department, “but there are a number of students who question why we practice; we as teachers have to teach them the reason why. For a lot of students, by the time they get to be Juniors, they are burned out.” To increase student comfort levels, East has an incentives program that can help encourage students to score higher on their ACT’s. Juniors that scored high enough on the ACT last year didn’t have to take their final exams as Seniors. It’s the incentives, which have yet to be announced this year, that give students an extra push to try harder and do better.

Yet, it’s easy to see burned

out students already. “I’m comfortable with it, but I don’t like it,” says Junior Drew Stegman when asked about the ACT. “For first timers I recommend to just prepare and don’t get intimidated by it,” says Jimmy Hassel, a Junior who has taken the ACT two times. Jimmy admitted to being nervous the first time he took the test, but improved his score by 3 points after taking it a second time. It is that initial fear that most students have to overcome when it’s testing time.

The ACT is available to take six times a year, in September, October, December, April, February, and June. The cost to take the test is around forty dollars, but the test administered at school is free. The main things to remember are to stay calm and practice, but don’t wear yourself out with endless prepping. Remember these things, and the ACT should be a breeze.

*Did you know that East students have free access to ACT Online Prep? Students can visit the guidance office or the library to find out how to access their account. Information is also available on the Belleville East website under Resources -> Instructions & Tutorials.

by Jeremy Bruno

ACT: There’s Still TimeGet your ACT together!

“I’d make the science tests more basic, since schools like East have so many different sci-ence classes.”

“No, I think instead we should take a test more focused on the type of career field we’d want to go into.”

“Really there is no studying needed. Just go in with confidence. Eat well, get plenty of sleep, and dress nice. That’s all you can really do. Good luck! “

Do you think we should take the ACT?

How would youimprove the ACT?

Jay Emerson, SeniorDarneisha Coleman, Senior

“A little. I just don’t want to fail it.”

Have you been studying for the

ACT?

How did you study for the ACT?

Jordan Reed, FreshmanErin Paule, Senior

Sam Raimi, director of the Spider-Man trilogy, directed this prequel to the 1939 musical classic The Wizard of Oz. The film chronicles the jour-ney of Oscar Diggs, a young version of the wizard played by James Franco, from Kansas to the Emerald City. Oscar, nicknamed “Oz”, is a womanizing cad and an amateur magician in a travelling circus. Taking off in the very famous hot air balloon, he is pulled into a raging funnel cloud and thrown into a strange land full of colorful and strange creatures, such as flying mon-keys, munchkins, and yes, witches.

This movie had potential. It really did. Huge names like James Franco,

Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Mi-chelle Williams make up a stacked cast full of experienced actors. The visuals are perfectly executed, and

some bits are fan-tastic. However, these moments are few and far be-tween, and alone cannot save the rest of this corny mess. Dancing munchkins, ir-ritatingly cheesy jokes, and cliché dialogue will leave you wondering simply “Why?” The witches could have been amaz-ing-- the darker scenes are actu-ally bearable-- but somehow, the

childish humor seems to ruin every-thing. Each grumpy munchkin’s gripe or display of cartoonish buffoonery

deserved a hearty eye-rolling. Half-way through, an anvil from the sky really wouldn’t have been surprising. Sure, small children may find it worth a giggle, but most won’t. The trailers promised a dark version of L. Frank Baum’s works, but what came out was vastly different-- sickly sweet and not the slightest bit clever, Oz’s slapstick humor doesn’t do the story justice.

Despite the actual content of the film, the visual effects are simply stun-ning. Though this reviewer saw the film in traditional 2D, it would prob-ably be worth the extra coinage to see the Land of Oz in its entire 3D splen-dor. Colorful foliage, creatures, and costumes make many of the scenes a delight to watch. Michelle Wil-liams (My Week with Marilyn) glows in Glinda’s signature white dress and sparkly crown, whereas Rachel Weisz (The Bourne Legacy) and Mila Kunis (That 70’s Show) go a more mysteri-ous route in dark shades of green and red, respectively. The people of Oz are colorful and cheery, in strange but

still rather impressive costuming. However, slapping on a pair of

red and blue glasses cannot salvage this movie. Unfortunately, while a few tweaks to the script may have improved it greatly, without them, Oz the Great and Powerful barely scrapes together one and a half stars. More than anything, this film is plain disappointing. With such a strong cast and an accredited director, I expected plenty more of this long-awaited flick. Hopefully, the sequel to this prequel (already being written-- Raimi is no longer attached) will prove a much better film, though the bar has been set exceptionally low. The entire movie is a shame-- if only someone had cleaned up the script and made it more gritty than gag-worthy, perhaps Oz could have survived the storm.

Oz the Great and PowerfulYou’ll be wondering which witch is which (and why) in this floundering prequelby Laura Kern

Belleville East Students Set to Play at PointfestPop’s Nightclub and Concert Venue

in Sauget, IL, is holding an event called “Battle for Pointfest” on March 24. “Battle for Pointfest” consists of six bands competing to play on the radio station KPNT 105.7, AKA “The Point”. The winner of Pointfest is determined by an audience vote. Among these six bands is A Life of Desperation, with East’s very own John Fox as drummer and Marissa Muehlfeld as singer, as well as Kelly Damann from Mascoutah and Grayson Proffitt from Belleville West.

A Life of Desperation was united in March of last year by John Fox, who was acquainted with Proffitt, Muehfeld and Damann through mutual attendance at Grace Church in Fairview Heights.

Fox was well-aware of their musical abilities from their performances in past church events. They met every Saturday for consistent practice of 15 songs they have written themselves. A Life of Desperation is a Christian rock band whose songs give off a biblical aspect that can reach young people’s lives. ALOD has played at past

church events and rocked the Mascoutah Sportsman’s Club for the “M-Town Showdown.”

Now ready for Pop’s, ALOD waits after long hours of practice. Tickets are being sold for six dollars and doors open at 6 p.m. As Fox says, “It’s a great opportunity to listen

to music, to entertain, to interest others so they

would want to come see us often.” So, on Sunday, March 24, get ready to rock.

by Logan Bray

2103 MASCOUTAH AVE • BELLEVILLE, IL 62220PH (618) 233-0970 • FAX (618) 233-0081

Come visit us online atwww.blog.bths201.org/

thelancer

The members of ALOD, from left to right: John Fox, Marissa Muehfeld, and Kelly Damaan.

Photo Courtesy of Justin C. Fash.

Since the beginning of the film industry, women have played an integral part of the making of movies. However, in many early films, women were cast in roles simply for their looks, so as to appeal to a pre-dominantly male audience.

In The Wizard of Oz, Doro-thy is sent to a magical world called Oz after being sucked up by a tornado. While in Oz, she befriends three men: Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. She is sent on a journey to find the magical wizard of this land in hopes of returning home. Over the course of the film, she is constantly depen-dent upon on the men she met to de-fend her. Eventu-ally, when Dorothy asks the wizard if he can take her home, he denies her request, stating that he is more powerful than she, and therefore does not have to help her unless she does some-thing for him in return. Dorothy was helpless at the hands of the wizard.

In Alice in Wonderland, Alice falls down a rabbit hole to find herself in Wonderland. While there, she gets help from the

White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the Cheshire Cat. Soon, she encounters the Queen of Hearts to find that she could not defend herself against the tyrant, so in-stead of staying to fight, she runs away, defeated. (Keep in mind that in the newest Tim Burton ver-sion of Alice in Wonderland, Alice really does face her fears and becomes a brave warrior. This even further shows the change in leading ladies over time-- the

very

same story, but taken in a vastly different direction.)

Notice any similarities? Both women were lost, only to be shown the way by men. Then, once they faced a powerful foe, they had to depend on men for help. In the conclusion of both stories, the female protagonist could not have accomplished the feats she had without help from men. These women were forced to conform to gender stereotypes and the social biases of that time.

Since the turn of the century, women have taken on a more powerful role in film. They no longer represent just a pretty picture to look at, but a powerful, independent person capable of accomplishing major tasks. They no longer need to stand in the shadow of any man.

Some of the women that especially show changes in fe-male movie characters are Ellen

Ripley (portrayed by Sigourney Weaver) from the movie Alien and Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett-Majors, and Jaclyn Smith in the show Char-lie’s Angels. These women got the job

done just as well, if not better, than any man could.

In Alien, Ellen Ripley and the crew of

her spaceship discover that they are hauling

an alien on board. As they fight the escaped extra terrestrial, many of her male crewmembers are killed or abducted by the monstrous creature. This is no matter to Ripley, as she fought the alien and single-handedly defeated it, putting an end to its reign of terror, despite the fact that she was female.

In the TV show Charlie’s An-gels, three women become de-tectives to fight off crime. These women take down several crimi-nals by being clever. Instead of brawn, they use their vast intel-lect to help them solve cases. They faced trouble around every corner, but were always able to pull their own weight.

As time has passed, women have become much more em-powered and independent in film, showing an amazing evolu-tion in the role of women in mov-ies. Just like Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games would say, anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Women Take the Reelby William Astle

Jack the Giant Slayer

After a hearty pounding at the box office opening weekend, one might think that this “Jack and the Beanstalk” reimagining, directed by X-Men and X2 director Bryan Singer, was a monstrous letdown. However, despite the scathing reviews of a few critics, this film is worth a watch.

Jack, a poor farm boy, is delegated the famous task of selling his beloved horse in order to gain his family some much-needed income. When a monk on the run offers him a few measly beans for the steed, he laughs and begins to walk away. However, Jack realizes that perhaps the beans really are special; perhaps the fairytales his mother used to tell had some semblance of truth. Jack caves, takes the beans, and the monk rides off on the horse, beginning a series of surreal events, featuring princesses, monster foliage, and of course, giants.

This children’s film features a surprising number of truly talented actors. Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting) and Stanley Tucci (Hunger Games) spar as the heroic Elmont and the devious Roderick, respectively. Jack-- played by Nicholas Hoult, who is seemingly everywhere nowadays-- teams up with newcomer Eleanor Tomlinson as the beautiful, adventurous Princess Isabelle. They handle the script relatively well, especially within some of the cheesy humor that befits a children’s film. In actuality, the corny jokes are at a minimum, with the action-humor ratio more resembling Pirates of the Caribbean than many sloppily comedic kids’ movies of late. The copious fight sequences-- even separated by some potty humor-- were a breath of fresh air to say the least.

Overall, this movie is a fantastic movie to go see with youngsters. Jack isn’t horribly immature, but children will still find it funny and engaging. Its action sequences may better appeal to young boys, but the tough Isabelle will find fans in girls as well.

Jack the Giant Slayer is, in contrast to other live-action kids’ movies of the year, a triumph. The movie is surprisingly well-done and definitely bearable, something Disney could learn from. When deciding which movie to see over Spring Break, don’t listen to the other critics-- Jack is a fun watch, and a solid three out of four stars when compared to other recent kids’ movies. Fee, fi, fo, fum-- this movie is far better than ho-hum.

Fee, fi, fo, fum, this movie is actually kind of fun

by Laura Kern

Athletic trainers can have a significant impact on high school athletes. Studies show that injury rates are lower and concussions are diagnosed faster when athletes have ath-letic trainers which leads to better athletic and academic consequences for student athletes. Injuries can be seri-ous, and if not recognized and treated properly, they could worsen. One example would be coming back from an injury and not rehabilitating correctly.

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) makes sure that the trainers are recognized. The theme for National Athletic Traning Month this year is “Ev-ery Body Needs An Athletic Trainer.” “The thing that I enjoy the most about National Athletic Training month is it gives Athletic Trainers a great platform to promote our profession to people who

may not know much about it and even increase the knowledge of those who are familiar with it. There is so much more to being an athletic trainer than taping and icing, which is all most people as-sociate with us, so this is a great time to educate people on that,” said Mr. Krem-mel, East’s athletic trainer.

The NATA also takes this month to tell people the differ-ence between athletic trainers and personal trainers. Some of the key differences are that personal trainers work with clients to achieve fitness goals. Personal trainers are not always required to have a certification or state licensing. Athletic trainers on the other hand, have to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in physical training. They also have to continue their education so that they are always up to date in their field.

Because of the high risk of injury for athletes, athletic train-ers must work hard to prevent

and treat injuries. Many people don’t understand what goes into being an ath-letic trainer. “I enjoy that every day of my job I get to be involved with sports and student athletes, and every one of those days is different than the one before it”, said Mr. Kremmel.

Every Body Needs an Athletic Trainer by Taylor Benton

PLAYER PROFILES

Arkim Lewis Lawrence Holmes

Arkim Lewis is a junior track runner at Belleville East. He has been running at East for three years, but he began running as an eighth grader. He says, “track is the perfect sport because it makes you physi-cally stronger and quicker, which helps with any other sport I play and keeps me in the best shape possible.”

When he started running track, Arkim soon learned that he would have to dedi-cate time to training. “I was always fast, but I had to start working harder because some kids I run against train all year round, so I couldn’t rely on natural speed anymore,” he says.

Arkim’s dedication to track and the progress he has made as an athlete is a great example of a Belleville East athlete.

by Felesha Lee

Lawrence Holmes is a senior runner on the Belleville East track team. He runs the open 200-meter, 4x100, and 4x200.He has always had a passion for running, and he uses track as an outlet to meet new people who have the same interest as him.

He has been running track for six years, but he does not plan to continue running in college. He says, “I enjoy being able to compete with my friends. I don’t think I would enjoy running as much in college as I do in high school.”

He is split between attending the Uni-versity of Missouri and the Universtiy of Illinois, but where ever Lawrence decides to continue his education, Belleville East will be proud to have had him as a student athlete.

Last year, the varsity boys’ vol-leyball team was very successful, going 24-4 during the regular season and winning the O’Fallon Tourna-ment. The team also placed 2nd in the Rockwood Summit Tournament and advanced all the way to the Super-Sectionals game, one step away from playing for the state championship. This year, the boys’ volleyball team is looking very promising and hopes to do as well as they did last season. Led by head coach Stefanie Gaubatz, the varsity team has won regional cham-pionships for two years in row, one in 2011 and one in 2012.

A lot of people underestimate how athletic you need to be to play volleyball. Endurance, speed, and focus are all required. “Plyometrics are important too,” says varsity player Patrick Smith. “Volleyball takes a lot of agility,” he adds. Volleyball is made up of many different styles of hits that each require special skill to execute. “Volleyball takes a lot more skill than people think,” says varsity player John Mathews. “It’s a game that requires a lot of focus and a great amount of athletic ability.”

The Varsity lineup for this year’s team will be John Mathews, Taylor Quinley, Josiah Bergt, Keelan Vaughn, Patrick Smith, Austin Cox, Adam Warren, Tanner Reeves, and Deoin Buckles. The first game of the sea-son will be here at Belleville East on March 25th.

Boys’ Volleyball Team Hopes to Ace the Seasonby Jeremy Bruno

Visit the Belleville East Athletics Website for discounted Cardinal’s Tickets at http://tinyurl.com/eastathletics

Photo by Felesha LeeMiles Brunk says that Mr. Kremmel has been beneficial in his recov-ery from a patella dislocation injury.

Basketball-Girls: Tequera Anderson, Ryley Blomberg, Erin Holl, Rebecca Humphrey, Chamecia Liddell, Brynesha Mosby, Montira Mosby, Sadie Mosby, Andrea Roberts, Adriana RoachBasketball-Boys: Tarrance Akins, Malcolm Hill, Patrick Smith, James WhiteBasketball Cheer: Elissa Antonakos, Dacia Brown, Erica Chambers, Christina Collins, Taylor Dowling, Alexis Hardin, Kami Johnston, Natalie Kuldell, Gillian Lewis, Destini Long, Lindsay Mcdan-iels, Lauren Miller, Julianna Nichols, Caitlin Reisa, Sarah Striegel Bowling-Boys: Kolton Hess, Austin SwiresBowling-Girls: Katelyn Budnicki, Katey SauerweinWrestling: Jeffery Brown, Tre Jones Justin Servos, Colten StephensDance Team: Alixandra Parsons, Lauren Dermody, Kaela Glueck, Brooke Gutridge, Kitiana Overstreet, Madeline Remelius Elizabeth Stock, Michelle White, Chelsie Zajac

Scholar Athletes for Winter Sports

Lancer Dancers Leap Over the Competition at State

On Saturday, March 16, the Lancer Dancers placed 1st in jazz and 2nd in lyrical at the IHSA state competition. In addition, three soloists made it to the top ten. Kaela Glueck placed 10th, Maddie Remelius placed 5th, and Chelsie Zajac placed 2nd. Lancer dancer Ali Parsons said, “We haven’t won a lot throughout this dance team season, so our expectation to win was almost slim to none. When I heard that we received first at state, we were all so excited and in tears to know that all of our hard work paid off.”

Photo Courtesy of Ali ParsonsTop Left to Right: Ali Parsons, Chelsea Zajac, Brooke Gutridge, Lauren Dermody, Kaela Glueck, Gabbi Locke, Coach Tara Zobrist. Bottom Left to Right: Faith Cob-bins, Michelle White, Tia Overstreet, Maddie Remelius, Beth Stock.

by Arkayla Tenney-Howard

There are 6 differences between the two drawings. Can you find them all?

WORD SEARCH

FE

BR

UA

RY

SO

LUT

ION

S

How about a mathematical magic trick?

Pick any 3-digit number •(but not the same number when reversed)

Reverse that number and •subtract…i.e. (231-132)

If answer has two digits, •add a zero and reverse and add.

Prediction=1089

FIN

D T

HE

DIF

FER

ENC

E

by Ari Brown

QUOTE MAZE Hint: Victory

The letters of a quote are inside this maze and it will form a continuous link with no crosses. It may go right, left, up, or down. The puzzle starts in the left shaded square and ends with the right shaded square. Can you find the hidden quote?

Do you want your writing or artwork to be featured in The Lancer student gallery? E-mail us at thelancer@bths201.org.

The trees sang wildly and loudly. If a human happened to trudge past them in the harsh cold of the winter night, he’d think that a bunch of drunkards were hiding in the forest, trying to keep warm by passing around bottles of liquid amber, but it was only the trees. It was dark, closer to pitch black with streaks of indigo and spots of bright, white light where the stars stared disapprovingly down at them. Snowfall from the past two days littered their trunks. In the distance, the faint smell of a burning friend saddened their hearts. They sang in mourning, they sang for joy. They sang for the hell of it. Niklaus, an invasive species, sang in his native tongue before breaking into an off-key version of yesteryear’s most played hip-hop track. Niklaus was new, he recently uprooted from his old home to discover new life near Panther’s Den. At first he was misunderstood, but he knew the language of the forest well and was kind. He loved his girlfriend; when he told the female trees that he felt complete when she was near, they squealed and melted into puddles of sap. Ester sang along, not as loudly as the others but her voice was still full of earnest. She too was sometimes misunderstood, she was thinner than the other trees, some whispered cruelties of her starving herself, which was absolutely ridiculous considering that trees don’t decide when they do or do not eat. She actually ate more than all of them, but she could never grow bigger—a blessing and a curse. Jennifer sang old songs. She had to sing louder because she was the smallest sapling, her growth stunted during an awful snowstorm. She was happy, though, and her laugh rang like brass bells throughout the entire forest, inviting the other to join in her delight. Nathaniel stood next to her, protecting her from most of the winter’s harsh winds. He did not sing, but he was happily watching the other trees make fools of themselves. They were all

bloody idiots, but they were his idiots. Catherine sang too, which was very surprising. Matthias sang incredibly off-key and switched songs constantly. He also whined “Niklaus” often, but that was simply because he liked to say the other tree’s name—it was exotic. The other trees were wary of his presence, for he was known to cause mischief. He was actually quite polite. Sarafine mostly rambled on. She rarely made sense, but she was kindhearted and very knowledgeable of the forest. It seemed that she knew everything, if only one could make sense of her jabber. Liliana swayed in the breeze, caught up in the drunken harmony of the trees, not caring about waking up the others. She sang the best, so she was allowed to be obnoxious. Jessica sang quietly and stood next to her boyfriend Luther. They were lost in their own adorable little world. The other trees were jealous, for Jessica and Luther were entwined in each other. It was a beautiful accident. A bored hiker twisted their stems together when they were barely large enough to be considered saplings. They loved each other, thankfully, for their situation would be very unfortunate if they did not. Fate was peculiar like that. The songs of the trees reverberated through the forest, overwhelming the ghostly snores of campers and other trees alike. They were all happy, yet they were also all warped in some way. They were all misunderstood. They were all rejects from the forest. Broken branches, bended stumps, diseases that ate away at bark; all created by hikers, but the trees survived. They kept growing; their blemishes and insecurities could not stop their natural progression. They raised their branches to the darkened sky in victory. Hikers would always cause damage, even if it wasn’t purposeful, but the trees kept living. They were alive, and they were beautiful.

“Sounds of the Forest”

“Owl” by Jessica Stern (Ink)

“Forest Park” by Miranda Rose (Photography

I’m happy walking on the street, There is no poverty and no greed. Smart and kind men have the lead, There are no devils in their seed. Oh Lord, something is missing, Is it all you were promising? I wished nothing, but everything, I have it all but I want more. I need your help and your blessing, To feed the hunger of my soul. Some time, some day, I ran a mile, On the lonely bay, I saw her smile.She gave the brightness to my life, Without any doubt, I made her my wife. She got the disease over the years,All the nights, we poured the tears.In my heart was the hope of cure, Which could save the love that was pure.

She passed away and my heart just rotted, From the hell fire, it became dark spotted. Oh, Lord tell me, what’s the purpose of life? If all we do is to feed and breed! Oh, Lord tell me, where should I dive? If there is nothing but what I bleed! I will never find the girl like her, Oh Lord, I won’t even try. In my heart, she is still there, In the world that is never dry.

I see it clear, how ungrateful I was, I wish, I could have changed it all. The priceless time, I wasted on gross, List of my sins are endlessly tall. I opened my eyes and saw her smiling, The doctor told me she wasn’t dying...

“Nightmare”Poem by Natig Kurbanov

Lancers, thank you for your submissions. If your work did not appear in this issue, it may still appear in an upcoming edition.

Short Story by Caitlin Henry

Untitled by Seairra Fuchs (Photography) “Tribal Skull Tatoo” by J’Ahnna Bowman (Pencil)

Untitled by Erin Paule (Color Pencil) “I Believe in Nicolas Cage” by Leighton Stollard (Painting)