T h e V i c t o r yDe La Salle Institute--www.dls.org--April 2014

St. Baldrick’s Day Success! It is that time of the year again! The eighth annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser! As always, it was an event that involved everyone.

First, at the actual assembly, which took place on March 14, 2014, at the Institute Campus, there were a total of 60 shavees. At the actual assembly, $2,400 was raised. Overall, there was over $21,000 raised by De La Salle. A special thank you goes out to the City of De La Salle and Mr. Dowling for all their hard work before and at the assembly. Also, the sophomore class at Lourdes Hall raised money through selling T-shirts, a bake sale and many other activities throughout the weeks leading up to the event. Some of the other forms of fundraising included filling up one’s favorite teacher’s jar during lunch to see him or her dressed as a leprechaun for a day and buying a shamrock or beads during lunch. The girls raise $3,600 in total. The assembly was full of activity. Mr. Fitzgerald and the Stockyard Kilty played while the shavees were being led into

the gym and Br. Kevin led the school in prayer. From boxing to a bean bag tournament, excitement was everywhere. Finally, there were many teachers at the assembly who challenged students to raise some money by allowing a pie to be thrown in their faces because after all, March 14 also is National Pi Day! Thank you to Mr. Hickel, Mr. Mooney, Mr. Wood, Mr. Colletti and Mr. Dowling. In all, the event was a success thanks in large part to faculty moderator, Mr. Dufficy.

College Corner By: Anjelica Velazquez

As most seniors are preparing to go off to college, many juniors are preparing for the first step towards college-the ACT. The school year is almost over, and many students cannot believe how fast it has been going. Throughout the school year, De La Salle has had a number of students sign letters of intent for various sports at all different competitive levels. For most students at De La Salle, sports are a huge part of their lives. It might be a dream of theirs to play in college or get approached by a college recruit for a particular sport. As March Madness in the NCAA approaches, it might be a good time to talk about the twelve Big Ten universities. The Big Ten Schools are University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Indiana University, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, and University of Wisconsin at Madison. These schools are ranked in the top twelve in the nation in a number of sports. At De La Salle, we have three students from the Institute Campus who have signed their letters of intent with Big Ten schools-Jamarco Jones signed with Ohio State University, Anthony Pierce signed with Northwestern University, and Mikale Wilbon signed with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Ms. Ramos, from the Lourdes Hall Campus says, “I remember what being at a Big Ten school meant for student-athletes. They really do have a grueling schedule with practices and classes. In fact, they were given first choice at selecting classes due to their busy life.” Clearly, student-athletes take their sports very seriously and are proud to play for a school that is ranked best in the nation. Aside from sports, these schools compete in the academic arena as well. They also offer many scholarships for high ACT scores and strong academic standing. Big Ten schools offer diversity in every aspect—athletics, academics, student body and extracurriculars. There have been plenty of cases where the ACT score was low, but the student was still accepted due to good grades in high school and involvement in extracurricular activities. It is highly suggested that you get involved in school now as much as possible because many colleges look at how you spend your time when you’re not in class. Activities are also looked at when applying for jobs, internships, and scholarships. So remember the ACT/SAT score is not the only thing that will get you into the college you want. One of our very own math teachers at the Lourdes Hall Campus, Ms. Norma Ramos, attended Northwestern University, a popular Big Ten school. When asked about her experience at a Big Ten school she said, “Going to football games was always exciting, and there was so much purple Wildcat pride. The lacrosse team won its first-ever national championship when I was junior, and it was a huge deal! Although sports were not a big factor in choosing my college, I was still very proud of Northwestern University and its Big Ten status.” Ms. Ramos went on to talk about the great education program they offered and the quality of her education. Northwestern is located in Evanston, IL, which is not very far from Chicago. If you’re looking to stay in-state for college, definitely look into it. To learn more about the Big Ten Conference visit www.bigten.org. For athletic scholarships, visit www.collegesportscholarships.net or www.athleticscholarships.net.

Meteor Basketball This year’s girls varsity basketball team went the farthest in De La Salle Lourdes Hall Campus history! They were the GCAC White Tournament Champions and had four All-Conference players: Seniors Alesia Stewart, Akilah Fletcher and Kelsey Herrera and junior Chardanae Hamilton. This group of young women were also the first in Lourdes Hall history to make it to supersectionals. Their road ended when Montini, the eventual 3A IHSA champion, beat them at the Hinsdale Central Supersectional. Great season, Meteors!

This year’s varsity basketball team had an exciting finish to the season. At the Catholic League postseason tournament, the Meteors beat three ranked teams (Loyola, Fenwick, and Mount Carmel) to become the first Catholic League Post-season Champions. Junior point guard Martez Cameron and junior forward Brandon Hutton were chosen to the All-Chicago Catholic League Team. De La Salle’s overall record was 14-11 as they lost to Whitney Young in the IHSA Class 4A Regional final, 73-60. Good job, Meteors!

Above: Young Men’s Varsity Basketball team (top) and Young Women’s Varsity Basketball Team (bottom)Left: Jamarco Jones signed with Ohio State University, Aar-on Roberts signed with Syracuse University, Mikale Wilbon signed with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Anthony

Lourdes Hall Young Women Visit Northwestern University

Ms. Norma Ramos took 8 students to Northwestern University on Saturday, February 22, 2014, for a career day focusing on Women in Engineering sponsored by NU & the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Students heard from current women in a variety of engineering fields as well as current students studying engineering at NU. Students were exposed to different types of engineering fields, such as Industri-al, Mechanical, Biomedical, Chemical, Manufacturing & Design and Computer. Students participated in a variety of “hands-on” engineering activities throughout the day. The students that attended (pictured left) were seniors Sam Tobias & Alesia Stewart, juniors Kylie Bossard, Brandice Wheatley, Maria Escobedo, Xinyi (Erica) Wang, Sabrina Bynum & sophomore Gabby Her-nandez.

Strengths and Weaknesses HoroscopesBy: Maxine Mathis

Capricorn: Greatest strength: You overcome obstacles with great tenacity.Greatest weakness: You are so big on getting things done that you do not allow your-self to just sit back and relax.

Sagittarius:Greatest strength: Your positive spirit is never shaken because of your optimism.Greatest weakness: You gloss over problems to avoid difficult situations instead of dealing with conflict.

Scorpio:Greatest strength: You are very passionate in regards to your feelings.Greatest weakness: However, you isolate yourself because of your need for secrecy & protection.

Libra:Greatest strength: You have a certain grace and charm that helps in challenging situations.Greatest weakness: You can help others, but have problems taking care of your own personal needs.

Virgo:Greatest strength: Your awareness. You can see right through people & know when things are not right.Greatest weakness: Your need for perfection actually limits you in many areas of your life.

Leo:Greatest strength: You have an extensive amount of ambition & enthusiasm when trying to reach a goal.Greatest weakness: Your need for approval can become too important and restrict you.

Cancer:Greatest strength: You have a great ability to nurture and help others.Greatest weakness: You are plagued by quick mood swings and easily lapse into pro-crastination.

Gemini:Greatest strength: Your curiosity spans a wide range of topics that helps you gain diverse knowledge.Greatest weakness: You can be easily distracted from what is important.

Aries:Greatest strength: You try your hardest to overcome your fears with courage.Greatest weakness: You are easily angered when facing criticism.

Pisces:Greatest strength: You have compassion for those in need and feel called to help.Greatest weakness: You always see the grey area or the confusion in something which could be a disadvantage.

Aquarius:Greatest strength: You have a unique, eclectic way of seeing life.Greatest weakness: You can have a know-it-all attitude that can be unattractive at times.

Taurus:Greatest strength: You are the most dependable sign of the all zodiacs.Greatest weakness: You have a “my way or the highway” attitude at times.

Masquerade Winter BallBy: Vincent Castro

Winter Ball for many this year was a blast. The past three years have been fun, though many claim that this year was the best out of four years. With talk in the hall, many said this year was the best Winter Ball yet. The DJ was DJ Thunder, who was jamming out to tunes. As usual, people were dancing. There were, of course, snacks to munch on, which included: Cheese-Its, water, soda, licorice, pretzels, chips, and cookies. Many teachers chaperoned and watched the stu-dents dance the night awa. Winter Ball is De La Salle’s sec-ond and last dance event of the year. Dressed for the event, people free-style danced. Many dancers danced to the Cupid Shuffle and many more songs. Over 300 people came to Winter Ball. “I thought it was kind of fun; I believe it would’ve been better if more people came,” said senior Lyric Porter. Overall, Winter Ball was a hit! Hopefully, Winter Ball will be just as successful next year with even more stu-dents attending.

Winter of RecordsBy: Yasmin McDonald

It is commonly known that there are four seasons within a year. However, Chicagoans know Chicago sometimes only has two of the four seasons: extremely hot or bitterly cold. Some years, there are very few fall and spring days in between winter and summer. Chicago survived its coldest and snowiest winter in thirty-five years. This means most people who will read this article weren’t even born the last time we had such a winter. Day in and day-out, there has either been blankets upon blan-kets of snow or bitter cold known to Chicagoans as “The Hawk”. At the time of print, 75 inches of snow had fallen at O’Hare Airport. Let’s hope the mild temperatures come soon. What does this cold winter mean for the summer? With any luck, the summer will not be as dramatic as this year’s winter.

No Need to Fear, Spring is Here!By: Brittney Bray

Are the winter blues getting you down? No need to worry! Spring is here! With the city of Chicago, the weather can be pretty tricky at this time. It could still be winter when you leave the house, but summer when you come home! So, here are a few tips on how to make sure you are ready for the ups and downs of the this roller-coaster seasonal switch.

1. Dress appropriately- One of the things that too often happens during this time of year is that people come out of their winter clothes too fast. There is no need to rush! Wear the correct gear every time you step outside the house.

2. Carry a small umbrella (in your backpack)- Some days you’ll be bundled up in a coat; other days you’ll be in a spring jacket! The weather can be pretty tricky. As spring approaches, the weather forecast may not predict rain, but it often creeps onto the scene. It’s important to always have an umbrella on hand for those rainy days.

3. Carry a light jacket - Some days may be a little warmer than others, so it’s important to have a spare jacket or hoodie on hand for the quick temperature changes.

4. Get a head start on spring cleaning- Who could forget those great days of spring cleaning? While this is not true for everyone, it is important to start your spring clean-ing! If a nice day comes along, open those windows and get some cleaning done. You can never start too early, so why not get started unloading those stuffed closets?

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Entertainment Page 3

De La Salle Theater 100’s “Crazytown!”“Take a tour of the most messed up town in America, from the police interrrogation room where the nicest guy in town is issued a strange ultimatum, to the elementary school for a heated political debate on critical issues like tater tots, and whether or not we should make Timmy take a shower. Welcome to Crazytown, where our motto is: Welcome to Crazytown.”

Lights! Camera! Action! The spring play was a great success this year. Performances were on Thursday, March 20th at 5pm, Friday, March 21st at 7pm, and Saturday March 22nd at 7pm. The actors and directors were very happy with the final product. Sophomore Paloma Lozano said, “The play was a lot of fun because we worked with amazing people. Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Schmidt really pushed us and it went wonderfully because we all worked together as a cast.” The chemistry of the cast cannot be denied.“ “We performed as a family and it showed,” said sophomore Nina Wil son. Great job Meteors!

86th Academy AwardsBy: Katie Mazziotti

Ellen DeGeneres hosted the 86th Annual Academy Awards this year. Ellen was a hilarious host as she ordered pizzas during the awards and even broke a Twitter record by posting a selfie with stars like Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts, and Brad Pitt. Ellen was using comedy, as always, in between the awards. Whether she was making fun of Jennifer Lawrence for falling twice or changing into a “Glenda the Good Witch” dress, Ellen had the audience and her viewers laughing along with her. Gravity won the most Oscars such as Best Cinematography, Best Directing, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects. Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave won her first award as Best Supporting Actress. The movie also won Best Adapted Screenplay. Best Actor in a Supporting Role was awarded to Jared Leto for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club. Disney’s movie Frozen won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Best Actress was awarded to Cate Blanchett for her work in Blue Jasmine, and Best Actor was awarded to Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club. Some of the big-name per-formers of the night were Pink, Pharrell Williams, Idina Menzel, and U2. The most anticipated award of the night went to 12 Years a Slave for Best Picture. An exciting night for Hollywood! Cannot wait to see what Hollywood produces for the 87th Academy Awards!

Jonrosh Spoils IFCBy Henry Kasprzyk

Never before has such a brilliant piece of fiction ever graced the face of television screens. It has been compared to when Michelangelo finished the Sistine Chapel and Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. Eric Jonrosh’s the Spoils of Babylon aired as an epic six-part mini-series on IFC. It is the timeless classic of the rise and fall of an American family and a forbidden romance between two unlikely people. The show and book were the brainchild of producer, actor, writer, director, raconteur, Bon Vi-vant, legend, and fabulist Eric Jonrosh. The story follows Devon Morehouse who is adopted by oil entre-preneur and family patriarch Jonas Morehouse and his daughter, Cynthia. Devon and Cynthia, who share an undeniable love foor each other, stumble through the War in the Pacific, mass conflagrations, drug addiction and velvet-sheeted bedrooms on their infinite quest for true love and power. Jonas forbids their love and attempts to intervene before his tragic death, leading Devon and the Morehouse family into a downward spiral. Beaten and tattered by his sister and her corporate moguls at Morehouse Conglomerated, Devon still reaches out to his long-lost love. The mini-series also has perhaps the greatest cast assembled since that of The Godfather. The program stars Tobey Maguire as Devon, Kristen Wiig as Cynthia, Tim Robbins as Jonas, Jessica Alba as Dixie Mellonworth, and introducing Dame Helen Chichester as Lady Anne York, Devon’s man-nequin wife. The story truly is the most efficacious program to ever be seen by the human eye. Jonrosh was once quoted about his classic saying, “At a certain point in my career as an artist, I made a necessary decision to discontinue suffering fools.” Words of wisdom are they not?In my eyes, this could perhaps be one of the finest works of art since Mi-chelangelo carved the David from marble. Although Jonrosh does not work in marbles or canvasses, his work will be as remembered as Michelangelo and Da Vinci’s were.

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Girl’s BowlingBy: Angy Wu Feng

The Varsity Girls Bowling team finished the season better than ever before! It placed 2nd in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference with 22,271 pins and 4th at the IHSA Regionals with 4144 pins. The 2nd place ranking this season in the GCAC is higher than their 7th place last season. Congrats, Meteors! Why did they make such progress this season? Gwenn Torres, varsity bowler, has an answer for that. “We had a goal this year,” Torres said. “We all were determined to do better, and everyone tried her hardest this year. Besides, we were all always excited to bowl.” In addition to improving the bowling skills, Gwenn also has a good time. “I met a lot of friends,” she said. “We all are very good friends. It’s fun and not a lot of pressure at games because it feels like we’re just out bowling with friends.” Seniors Victoria Ramos, with a season average of 133 and high score of 176, and Tatiana Utreras, with a season average of 135 and high score of 199, were the captains of the bowling team. Coach Kim Vili-mas is very satisfied with her team’s finish. She complimented the team for being strong leaders, dedicated bowlers, and good helpers when it came to teaching other girls on the team. “I’m also impressed with their hard work and dedication to help improve the girls bowling pro-gram,” Vilimas said.

Track Season off to a Great StartBy: Brandice Wheatley The indoor track season has officially started. The team started the season off with a win. They won 1st place at the first track meet of the season on Saturday, February 22nd. Records were broken by Matt Edelhauser running 2:18 in the 800-meter run, along with Nia Pearl-Clark Minor holding the record for the 300-meter dash with a 42.6. Brandice Wheatley also holds the indoor record for the 400-meter dash with a 1:03. Antho-ny Clark is 19th in the nation in the 55-meter dash running a 6.83. 800-meter runner Danielle Tate says, “I don’t think track is just about sprinting. Anyone can be a great runner if they work hard for it.” Some new athletes on the team are freshman Jannen Holiday, Jada Price, Garrett Harris, Koby Hill, Bryce Billings, and Jeremiah Anderson. The next meet of the year was held on March 1st. The 4x400m girls’ relay came in 1st place with a time of 4:30.10 with the 4x800m relay not far behind placing 2nd. The boys’ 4x400m relay team finished 4th with a time of 4:23.85. Khalil Muham-mad placed 2nd in the 55m hurdles. In other events, Jaimie Robinson competed in the long jump with a distance of 15’ 3”, and Kinnidi Wakefield landed at 13’7”. Martez brown compet-ed in the high jump at a height of 5’ 6”. Milk fowler pronounces, “Track is a great sport. I enjoy it and everyone on my team. Track is life. Right?” Some of the top athletes returning to the team are Brandice Wheatley, An-thony Clark, Bryce Billings, Kinnidi Warfield, Kayla Giles, Jada Price, and Jeremiah Anderson.

Boxing UpdateBy: Jasmine Beasley

The young boxers in the making have been working hard since early October. The day when they can display everything that they have learned throughout the past months is quickly approaching. The boxers started off with basic boxing training by running for twenty minutes each day to help build endurance that will help make their time in the boxing ring feel like nothing. Soon after, core exercis-es and physical strength workouts followed. The boxers would do something called “pads” where two people face each other and one has hand pads and the other boxing gloves. The one with boxing gloves would practice the many different boxing combinations Coach Maldonado had shown them. This is getting them physically ready for the real deal at the upcoming Fight Night. This activity taught the boxers how to catch a punch and how to move to avoid getting hit. Other ways they trained were by hitting the heavy bags and the speed bags or jumping rope to improve their foot-work and quickness. All of this greatly improved them as boxers. Once everyone was used to the basics, the boxers were able to spar with one another. The only authentic way to get practice and get used to hitting and being hit by a moving opponent is to actually do it. The boxers practice Monday through Thursday after school until April. Be on t he lookout for Juniors Samuel Herrera, Maria Ruiz, Alyssa Guzman and seniors David Dimperio, Wanda Fernandez and Jasmine Beasley at Fight Night on Saturday, April 12th at 6pm at the Institute Campus.

Canada Doubles DownBy Henry Kasprzyk On Sunday, February 23, the male Canadian and Swedish hockey teams met at center ice in Sochi to decide which nation would capture Olympic gold. In a remarkable 3-0 victory, Canada once again cap-tured the gold. Canada defeated Team USA 3-2 in the gold medal game at the 2010 Winter Games held in Vancouver. Behind NHL stars and countrymen Jonathan Toews, Shea Weber and Martin St. Louis, Canada swept through the Games. Montreal Canadian’s goaltender Carey Price also posted back-to-back shutouts against the USA and Sweden to help secure victory. Finland blew out the United States 5-0 to secure the bronze medal. The United States were repre-sented by such NHL All-Stars as Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and Los Angeles Kings goal-tender Jonathan Quick. The United States lost to Canada in the semi-final round 1-0 to compete for the Gold. Despite the loss, the US team proved once again to the world that it is a force to be reckoned with on the ice. Dominating the whole tournament until their bout with Canada, the US knew that game would be a challenge-especially after the events in Vancouver. The Russians, who were originally favored to take the gold, were eliminated by the Finns 3-1, but will be remembered for their memorable game with the United States. During the preliminary round, the United States and Russia scrapped and fought to determine who would be the top seed in the so-called “Death Grouping.” In a tremendous game lasting eight rounds of a shootout, St. Louis Blues forward T.J. Oshie netted the game-winner to give the USA the victory. The Games also saw memorable performances by the Latvian and Slovenian teams. The qualifica-tion round saw Slovenia shut out Austria 4-0, while Latvia defeated Switzerland 4-1. Despite the strong play by all men on the ice, neither team would make it past the quarterfinals.

Meteors Batter Up! By: Stephanie Mendoza The De La Salle softball season is here. Tryouts were held March 3rd, 4th and 5th. “I honestly hope that this season helps us to improve as players individually, as well as a team as a whole,” said varsity captain Kaitlyn Krol when asked about her goals for the season. The softball program has a wide variety of returning players along with some newcomers. The program took 20 girls for the junior varsity and 18 for the Varsity level. The coaches this year for varsity are Tom Trendle and Bob Singraber. The junior varsity is coached by Ms. Jackie Argenbright, a math teacher at the Lourdes Hall Cam-pus, and Arthur Parra. This year, the varsity team hopes to win a regional title, and the junior varsity hopes to win the GCAC Tournament. Good luck on your season, ladies!

Spring Soccer Season By Alani Sweezy

As the indoor season came to a successful end, this year’s girl’s outdoor soccer season was fast approaching. Tryouts were March 3rd through the 8th even with the cold weather. According to Coach Carlos Nunez, this year’s team has three major goals: win conference on both the JV and Varsity, make it to regionals, and work on skill development. Also, this year, an additional coach was added to the team. Mr. David Hanke is now helping coach the JV team. He brings years of experience along with new exercis-es and a new approach to the sport itself. Even with the cold weather, the opening game was on Thursday, March 20, versus Francis Parker. They were a tough competitor, and the game ended in a loss, 3-0. However, Coach Nunez said the game was “a good measuring point,” and it “taught the team and players the level at which we want to compete.” Good luck with the rest of the season Meteors!