“At first I didn’t even want to go to prom because there’s an anime convention the same day,” admitted Emily.

However, after she had a dream about missing out on dressing up for prom, she decided to do both.

With her creativity and smarts, she came up with a solution.

“I decided that I would have a cosplay (dressing up as a character) that also looked like a prom dress,” Chiu said.

“Because I couldn’t find a costume already made online that I liked, I decided to make my own.”

Known for her 4 foot sculpture of a man exposing the love for another person in his heart, which has been displayed in the Nardini Library, Chiu continues to show that she can complete any task she takes on.

The white empire waist dress with gold detailing that she created is meant to look like anime character Princess Serena’s dress from the Japanese manga series, Sailor Moon.

“I chose Princess Serena because as a kid Sailor Moon was probably the first anime I had ever watched,” Chiu said.

Never having made clothing before, Emily’s only help was her sister’s sewing machine.

“I’ve never used a sewing machine,” she said, “but I have hand sewn before and I’m pretty good at it.”

Chiu said that about 48 hours have been put into the dress! As a graduating senior, she put all this time in on top of preparing for her finals.

“People should try to make their own dress,” Chiu said. “You get a really happy feeling when everything starts looking right.”

So seniors, keep an eye out for Chiu’s one of a kind dress during prom this Friday.

Mrs. Stevenson, played by sophomore Heidi Reinhofer, lives in New York and she is sick, so sick that she apparently can’t even move her legs. She is in bed trying to call her husband, but she can’t connect so she has the operator do it. This is when the story really starts because she is connected to the wrong line. She ends up over hearing two men talking about doing a hit on someone.

The story develops from there and one piece of the dialogue that really stood out was: “It’s so inhumane, it’s so cold blooded!” This was Mrs. Stevenson’s response to a police officer who seemed not to care about what happened to the person that was going to get whacked.

Another plus was the set itself. Even though it wasn’t a big set each item on the stage was important in telling what was happening in the story. It helped paint a picture in your head with all the props on stage and the sound that was going on. Despite using a simple black backdrop the set made you feel like you were in New York City.

The actors did the best they could with the script, which was written in 1943. This play was the first performance during the first ever Theater Extravaganza, and it was only allotted 30 minutes. Thus, it felt like they were trying to tell a huge story with the necessary background information in such a short amount of time and the way that they decided to do that was to shove it all into the dialogue. This left some in the audience to wonder why a character just spouted information about her life to another character. Even though the dialogue was not great, the plot and over all performance was really good.

It was amazing to watch Mrs. Stevenson’s mind melt into insanity: the feeling that the whole world is against you. The more she tries to find out who is going to get murdered and who put the hit out, the less she actually gets leaving some audience members to recall Twilight Zone episodes.

Many high schools don’t get the opportunity to play at the Chicago Symphony Center because it is very expensive to rent out the facility. Leyden’s Symphonic Band was given the opportunity to play at the Chicago Symphony Center because Elmhurst covered most of the cost.

This was the first year that Leyden’s Symphonic band was invited to play at the Chicago Symphony Center. Leyden’s symphonic band teacher, Bryan Miller gave his students the good news at the beginning of the school year letting them know what an honor and great opportunity it was to be able to perform in such a well-known downtown facility.

“I was so excited because of the fact it was a big honor to do this and I would never get the chance to do something like this ever again, so I cherished every moment of it,” symphonic band student Victoria India said.

India also added that she was very nervous, but knew that she wouldn’t make a mistake because the band had been practicing the same songs since the beginning of the school year.

“ I was in my element” she added.

Many friends and family of the Leyden symphonic band students attended the concert.

Among those in attendance was freshman concert band student Dulce Paz.

“My favorite part of watching the performance was when Mrs. Tara Cappelletti perform with the wind ensemble because she practices what she preaches,” Paz said.

Leyden’s symphonic band also invited former alumni dating back from over seven generations for the opportunity to play along with the band at the Chicago Symphony Center.

“ Some of the greatest band have performed there, architecturally it is very beautiful, and I think it was interesting seeing former alumni getting the opportunity to perform with Leyden’s band once again,” Paz added.

“I enjoyed every second of it and didn’t want to get off stage,” India said.

The 2013 East Leyden Senior Brunch, planned by the senior class officers, is a school funded event for all graduating seniors. This is an opportunity for the seniors to have one last day together before becoming graduates of East Leyden.

Seniors will be able to socialize and enjoy some good food. There will also be a guest speaker, as well as a slideshow of pictures that seniors have submitted.

The senior whimsical awards will also be distributed which include a variety of categories from Most Likely to End Up on the Wrong Side of the Law to The Next Lindsay Lohan Award.

Similar to graduation, the Senior Brunch is also a formal event, so students will be required to dress nicely for this occasion.

The brunch will take place at 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Rosewood Restaurant in Rosemont.

The week started off with students taking a reading survey during their second period class on Monday morning.

Tuesday was ¨Pack the Place¨ where the objective was to get teacher to bring their classes to the library to read for the period, and pack the place with as many students as possible.

On Wednesday from 2:30-3:00 the Leyden community dropped everything and read as part of D.E.A.R. or 30 minutes of Drop, Everything you’re doing, And just, Read.

The big event was the reading chair contest which was scheduled for Thursday. Five different teachers created a team of students and staff. Then, each team was to have one representative for each period sit in a reading chair and read for the whole period. Winners would be announced on Friday.

However, due to the school closings on Thursday and Friday this event did not proceed. There is talk of rescheduling the event, but the date has yet to be announced.

Leyden is ranked as a Powerade Fab 50 team in the nation, and the pressure to live up to the rank began to sink in for the Leyden softball girls.

“I was definitely nervous with all of the new people on the team, but we came out strong,” senior and captain Michelle Sansone said.

The team lost nine seniors last year which left them with many new spots to fill. With only 6 returning varsity players, the team now has some younger players including three sophomores and even a freshman, Kendall Duwal.

“My first game [on varsity] was fun and worth it. I learned many ways to improve my game,” Duwal said.

Because the team is young they have a long way to go with older and more advanced teams, but they are a “strong” team who are hoping to make it to or even go further than last year.

Last year the varsity team made it all the way to sectionals, but fell short against Trinity High School.

The highlight of Saturday’s opening game was when junior Kelly Bjorvik made a mind blowing slide head first into first base only to find herself safe.

In the beginning of the game the girls started out a little rough offensively yet strong defensively, but that began to change as the game went on.

Senior captain Denise Moran said, “we need to come out stronger on defense and keep up our hitting.”

The varsity softball girls have a tough schedule this year with their usual 30 plus games along with having an upcoming game on Monday, April 8th against a team from Damonte Ranch, Nevada, a Powerade Fab Fifty team from last year.

The next home game will be today at 4:45 pm against Barrington.

MOVIES

Catch a movie with a group of friends. Stephanie Meyer’s, author of the Twilight books, has another book turned into a movie out this week called The Host. Former SNL cast member Tina Fey stars in Admission which is also out. You can catch Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson a.k.a. The Rock, in G.I. Joe: Retaliation which is also available in 3D.

You can go to Movico located in Rosemont. Tickets are $10 for adults, $6.50 for seniors and $7 for children. Bring your school ID for a discount!

SKYDIVING

For those who want to be out and are adventurous, skydiving can be an option. You can go to Skydive Chicago which is based in Ottawa, IL which reopened on March 16. You must be 18 years old. There is something for first time jumpers, groups, experienced jumpers and more. Prices vary from $119-$219 for first time jumpers and $24-$59 for experienced jumpers that are USPA members with an ¨ A¨ license or higher. For more information visit their website at www.skydivechicago.com

TRAMPOLINES

If skydiving is a little too much or you can’t do that but you are still adventurous there is something for you too, indoor trampolines! Extreme Trampolines in Carol Stream and Buffalo Grove are open from 10am- 10pm Monday- Thursday, 10am-11pm Friday & Saturday, 11am-9pm Sunday. If under 18 you need a waiver signed by parents. To get a waiver or for more information visit www.xtremetrampolines.com

LASER TAG

A great past time for you and your friends is a few rounds of Laser Tag. At Lazer X (in Addison) or Laser Quest (in Norridge) prices vary from $7-$17. They both offer group and birthday party packages. Call for more information: Lazer X (630)-691-9800 and Laser Quest (708)-457-2002.

CONCERT

There are plenty of musical events going on throughout the Chicagoland area. Rihanna will be at the United Center on Friday March 22. Tickets range from $44.00- $66.00.

ROAD TRIP

Grab a few of your closest friends and head out for a mini road trip. You don’t have to go far, just go explore and be safe! 

COLLEGE VISITS

It’s never too early or late to go on a college visit. Seniors can fit in any last minute visits during spring break. Juniors start now and don’t wait until the last minute. Sophomores and freshman there is nothing wrong with starting now.

Senioritis seems to not only affect a student’s appearance but also his/her grades. If the senior has decreased motivation to do school work, they may not do homework or study for exams and his/her grades will usually reflect this. Some colleges and universities may even send a letter informing students that they can no longer attend that college due to the decrease in their academic grades.

In Leyden’s hallways and classrooms, senior students with this “illness” can be found pretty easily just by the sight of them.

Senior Angelica Rejczak is an AP student that shows signs of senioritis, such as coming to school wearing sweats, constantly being tired, and being disinterested in school work.

“I started feeling senioritis after I visited one of my friends at University of Iowa because it made me excited to go to college,” Rejczak explained.

While Rejczak admits to being known for always wearing sweatpants to school, she noted the effect senioritis has had on her academics.

“Senioritis definitely affected my school work because I have no drive and my attendance decreased. I had 11 absences last semester, and I already have seven this semester,” Rejczak said.

For some seniors, senioritis leads to an increase in absences leading to some opting for emancipation to avoid dealing with parent permissions.

“My mom won’t emancipate me anymore because she knows I’ll just leave school after my hardest class, Chemistry AP” test which is in early May Rejczak admitted.

Seniors can be emancipated from their parents if they are 18 years old. When emancipated, a student no longer needs parent permission to leave school, be absent, and they don’t have to receive a parent’s signature on papers from the school.

Because of her class variety of AP, honors, and regular classes throughout high school, Rejczak understands the demands of all the class levels. She believes that “students who take hard classes senior year would get senioritis the most because they get tired of having the same schedule: wake up, go to school, do homework, eat, sleep, repeat.”

Rejczak has visited colleges, and most of her good friends graduated last year, so she has stayed with them while they were away at school. She noticed that higher level classes are similar to college courses, but you can pick your own class times and have more options.

In college, Rejczak believes you get to be more independent and have more free time.

I am a senior that has been in regular, honors, and AP classes. I started to notice my senioritis kicking in at the beginning of second semester. I just got back from winter break, being able to sleep in and do whatever I wanted, and all of a sudden my life was once again controlled by school.

I started caring less about certain classes and about how I looked when I went to school. Some classes I can’t risk letting myself become lazy with, but I do feel more frustrated with the classes than during first semester.

It is so close to summer and graduation with only three months left that I’m slacking off just hoping time will pass by faster.

I have study hall first period, so I don’t have to come to school until second period. Most people would think that being able to sleep in would be better because you get more sleep, or time to catch up on homework in the morning, but I think it actually makes me more lazy.

Knowing I can sleep in later makes me not want to do anything in the morning, and I’ll put things off at night and never end up getting up in the morning to do it. It is contributing to my case of senioritis.

I think almost all seniors get senioritis at one point throughout their senior year. It may be for a day or two during a stressful week, or it could be an entire semester while waiting to graduate.

Seniors have a lot to decide during a time span of a couple months, so it makes sense that we have a period of wanting it all to be over and done with already.

Seniors need to be aware of the consequences of senioritis so they can prevent the effects. Seniors should be involved in a few after school activities, so they keep their mind off of the end of the year. Getting school work done early can be helpful too because then the student will not be stressed out when the due date comes around. Also, on the weekends seniors should get some relaxation time, just to be calm and not worry about anything, or else use it to catch up on sleep!

This group, headed by principal Jason Markey, is spreading kindness in hopes that it becomes contagious and others spread the kindness to someone else that might need an extra boost to help get them through the day.

The idea emerged when principal Markey watched a video over winter break about a man in Washington D. C. who wrote messages such as “Honk if you love someone” on posters and would hold up the signs on the sidewalks. As people and cars went by he noticed that many people responded in a positive way.

Principal Markey was inspired by the video and together with Student Activities Director  Dominic Manola the idea of creating a similar experience here at East began.

Principal Markey and Mr. Manola, along with several other teachers and students, made it into a reality a week after winter break.

Now, about once a week, the group gets together and holds up signs with encouraging messages such as “Smile!” or “Have a nice day!” and modern languages teacher Beatrice Porro even offers free hugs.

“The whole thing is loosely organized in just pushing for kindness,” Manola said. “We are looking to organically grow a culture of people being kind to each other.” 

The group typically meets on Tuesday or Thursday and anyone is welcome to join. Principal Markey encourages students to bring a friend and a sign with a positive message that they would like to spread as students and teachers get to decide what goes on the posters.

There have been a couple of very cold days, but that hasn’t stopped the group from going out and spreading the kindness. As the weather improves, Mr. Manola hopes to come up with more ideas for the kindness crew. 

“We would love to see this grow. As it gets warmer maybe we can go down to the railroad tracks to pick up trash or clean up along 25th,” Manola said.

It seems like the messages are working because Mr. Markey has heard a lot of positive feedback from both teachers and students, yet he is always open to hearing new ideas from students.

“We don’t really know where this will go, but one of the most important things we need to do as a school is lead with kindness to create a positive environment where students want to be,” he added.

If you are interested in joining follow Principal Markey on Twitter or search for the #LeydenPride for information on when they will get together. The kindess crew meets by the student activities office or the visitor’s desk at the main entrance around 7:05.

You can also check in with Mr. Manola or social studies teacher Caroline Holtgrewe for more information. The group stops around 7:30 a.m so that everyone has time to get to their first period class.

This year’s Junior Olympics will be on Friday, March 22 beginning at 1:42 in the East fieldhouse.

Student Activities Director Dominic Manola, East counselor Bill Mitchell and student council class boards and sponsors take part in deciding on the teams that will participate in all the Junior Olympic activities.

Spirit week helps introduce Friday’s Junior Olympics in order to get the students pumped and excited. Starting from Twin Day to Clash Day, students demonstrate their school spirit is many different ways.

The Junior Olympic games this year “are the same, all the rules are the same, but what’s different every year is that the freshman come back as sophomores and are a little bit more competitive, sophomores come back as juniors and are a whole lot more competitive and juniors come back as seniors and they think it’s their birthright to win junior olympics,” Mr. Mitchell siad.

“Since every class notches up it really ramps up the competition,” he added.

There’s the added element of senior pranks where every year seniors try to play pranks within the school.

“Seniors like to be goofy on the last day of spirit week and like to pull pranks, but it’s also important to stay school appropriate and to avoid any behaviors that could result in seniors not being able to participate in the Junior Olympics,” Mr. Manola stated.

Remember Junior Olympics are just around the corner so plan ahead and prepare for fun!

Spirit Week for East:

Monday is Twin Day

Tuesday is Clash Day

Wednesday is Disney Day

Thursday is Blue & Gold Day

Friday is Class Colors Day – freshman are light blue, sophomores are neon green & yellow, juniors are black, seniors are navy blue, and faculty is navy blue.