Prom no longer held at Navy Pier Due to a scheduling conflict, prom will be held at an alternate venue beginning with the class of 2017
Student council moves in new direction An alternative event to KOH dance will be voted upon by 2015-2016 members
Prom Costs
by Gillian Dunlop @gilliandunlop15
For the past decade, LT has hosted prom at Navy Pier. However, due to a scheduling conflict between Navy Pier and another corporate event, prom will no longer be held there starting with the class of 2017. According to prom coordinator Brian Murray, one of the biggest concerns of trying to find a new venue for prom, in addition to the challenge of finding a large enough space for about 1,100 people, is the potential significant increase in costs. Potential venues LT is considering are the Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry and the Union Station ballroom. The Shedd Aquarium and Planetarium were also discussed, but they are not big enough to accommodate the usual amount of people at prom. “The other options are going to be more expensive,” Murray said. “In order to pay for this amazing experience, there may need to be a significant increase in ticket prices and class fundraising.” It appears, however, that fundraising might not be an easy feat. The most a class has ever raised before was $10,000. The class of 2017 hopes to raise $15,000 so the price of prom tickets can stay where they are at $115 a person, according to class board member Abby Vulich ‘17. Another option LT is considering in order to cut down on costs is to not hold prom in the city, but rather somewhere in the suburbs, but it appears this proposal is unpopular with the students. “We definitely want to have it in the city,” Vulich said. “I do not think this is anything we cannot fix.” Even with new locations being tossed around at class board meetings, the sophomore class is not completely happy with the change. “We are definitely disappointed, because Navy Pier is unique,” Vulich said. Murray, too, has picked up on this attitude, stating that “I think
Have you ever wondered how much prom really costs? LION has scored the breakdown on the bundle LT puts out for the night of our lives (post prom not included as that is sponsored by the Boosters).
by Ceili Doyle @cadoyle_18
Student Council has decided to replace the King of Hearts dance for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year due to lack of attendance and overall dismal feedback from the student body. The event that will replace the regular February dance has yet to be determined. “We have reserved the last Saturday in February of next year in the Fieldhouse for some event, but beyond that, no decisions have been made,” Student Activities Director and Student Council advisor Peter Geddeis said. “It would be premature and a little presumptuous for this year’s student council to decide what next year’s student council should be doing for events.” Elections were held for the 2015-2016 Student Council officers on April 29, and current president, Thomas Cushing ‘15, has full faith in the ability of the newly appointed leadership to create an alternate event to KOH that LT students will want to attend. “I think that all of new officers are going to work well together, as well as the regular Student Council attendees,” Cushing said. “They’re a great group of officers and I have a lot of confidence in them and their ability to listen to the student body, but the student body has just as much of a voice as they do. Both sides work best together when neither is on the sideline.” An idea that has been discussed at Student Council meetings is to host a Crosstown Classic series of Olympic style games with Hinsdale Central instead of KOH next year, according to president-elect Nick Fuentes ‘16. Fuentes plans to advocate for this event in hopes of boosting school spirit and generating more revenue. In terms of raising attendance numbers at this alternate event to KOH and all future Student Council functions, Fuentes intends to utilize all of the assets available at LT to gain publicity. “We’re really going to try and market next year through the LT Weirdos,” Fuentes said. “My agenda for this summer is to tackle the LION, WLTL and LTTV to use the resources we have.” Fuentes and the rest of the officers, alongside the entire body of Student Council, are focused on improving LT students’ experiences at Student Council sponsored events and hope to place more emphasis on event promotion this upcoming school year. “Right now the biggest flaw in our Student Council is a lack of marketing,” Fuentes said. “It’s the reason why attendance has been low and I think once we attack that from all angles, we’ll be able to sell this new [alternative to KOH].”
TOTAL COST: $124,000
Continued on page 3
Source: Brian Murray
Student wins national playwriting competition
State Champion
Dan Devine ‘15 entered, finalist of competition; play to be produced, performed in Hollywood with professional director, cast by Brittany Grosser-Basile @BrittanyGrosser Dan Devine ‘15 was named one of the winners of The Blank Theatre Young Playwrights Festival for his play “Sharks, Dolphins, Hurricanes.” “Dan’s play is an extraordinary piece of writing, so on one hand I was not surprised,” Playwriting teacher and Tens by Teens director Lawrence Keller said. “But these contests can be so competitive and arbitrary, so there’s no predicting what plays judges will respond to.” His play, which was retitled to “Inherently Ambiguous,” as requested by the theatre, will receive a professional production with a professional cast and director. The play will be performed during the fourth and final week of the festival, from June 25 to June 28. Rehearsals will take place at The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., and the actual performance of the play will be at The Stella Adler in Hollywood. Devine will fly to Los Angeles to watch the production of his play. “I was very shocked,” Devine said. “I thought the people that would win would have written plays about really serious stuff like changing the world, not just a play about kids talking.” The play is described as “a night of debauchery [that] transforms into an existential crisis for these philosophical teenagers,” on www.theblank.com. Keller submitted Devine’s play for the competition, along with the other plays that were accepted into this year’s Tens by Teens, which was performed in the SC Performing Arts Center from April 29 to May 1. Three other students were semi-finalists in the competition: Annika Murrell ‘15 for her play “Walls,” Riley Carroll ‘15 for her play “To Stay” and Nick Valdivia ‘15 for his play “Because She Needs the Eggs.” “I felt their work is also worthy of this great honor,” Keller said. “It’s always nice when you get validation from an outside source that what we view as great work is equally recognized.” Over the years, LT has had one other student win the competition. Three years ago Brendan Blaber ‘12 won for his play “Scrapbook,” which premiered at the festival because it was too long to be performed in Tens by Teens.
Paraeducators
NEWS, 5
Flip to see what LT’s paraeducators have been doing in and outside of school on page 5.
North Campus
Weeding it out Dive into the debate on marijuana use in the United States and see for yourself whether it’s really good or bad.
OPINIONS, 8
100 S. Brainard Ave. LaGrange, Ill. 60525 South Campus
Stephanie Lin ‘15 competes at state. (Danielle Sievers ‘16)
Stephanie Lin ‘15 placed first in singles at the badminton state meet on May 15-16, making her the first person in IHSA history to win three years in a row. To read the full story, flip to page 10. Athlete of the Year
Lollapalooza lurking
Kelsy Kurfirst ‘15 is this year’s Athlete of the Year. Find out how this state champion has done it year after year to become one of LT’s best gymnasts.
With summer approaching quickly, so are festivals. The most popular of which, Lollapalooza. We’ll tell you who to see at this three-day jamboree.
SPORTS, 12
PULSE, 16
4900 Willow Springs Rd. Western Springs, Ill. 60558