Vol. 22 | Issue 7

Issue 7//Volume 22

Freshmen Boys: The Best Of BMX

A Day in the Life of OE Principal Dr. Weber Page 9

How to Cure Summer Boredom Pages 16 & 17

Where is the Line Between a Student-Teacher Relationship?

Page 18

TABLE OFCONTENTS SPORTS

Athletes Make the Most of the Off-Season..........3 Katie Thompson Freshmen Boys BMX.......................................4 & 5 Courtney Child

NEWS

Trips Galore Around Olathe East..................6 & 7 Lauren Heinrich A Few Good Men....................................................8 Brock Holmes

p. 15

Feature

A Day in the Life of Dr. Weber..............................9 Lauren Hart Teen Parents: Always on Duty....................10 & 11 Jordan Meier Cory Barton’s Remarkable Journey...........12 & 13 Matthew Gwin Differences in Schooling......................................14 Paige Schick

Entertainment

Comparing Rising Artists....................................15 Aaron Rhodes Take Your Summer to the Max...................16 & 17 Jessica Goddard & Amy Du

Editorial

Are Teachers too Friendly to Students?..............18 Brenna Thompson The Internet Now Comes with a Cost................19 Logan Brockschmidt

p. 10 & 11 A student-run publication Olathe East High School 14545 West 127th Street Olathe, KS 66062 ADVISER

Karen Bourland

EDITORS

Lauren Merino Zack Neuman

MANAGING EDITOR Jessica Goddard

PHOTOGRAPHER Heather Burton

BUSINESS MANAGERS

PUBLICITY MANAGER Aaron Rhodes

STAFF WRITERS

Logan Brockschmidt Amy Du Matthew Gwin Brock Holmes Jordan Meier Brenna Thompson Katie Thompson

Maddy Branstetter

COPY EDITORS

Kelsey Knecht Austin Porter Hanna Melton

PAGE EDITORS

SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

Courtney Child Lauren Hart

Lauren Heinrich Paige Schick

Always On in the Off-Season OE Athletes Discuss Their Off-Season Routines

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he final game is over and athletes lower their shoulders and take a deep breath out, expelling all the hard work and stress from their bodies. They now have months to decide how to improve and perfect their game for the next year. These months may be called the “off season”, but each athlete takes on Drue running to stay fit this cessation with a Courtesy of Drue Bailey different mindset.

Some believe the off-season does not truly exist, and the time they have between seasons is made strictly to train harder and wait for the moment they can step back on to the field, court, or track. Others avoid the stress of training vigorously all season and use the break as an escape from all the pressure that sports entail.

Some athletes, however, find the balance between over training and not training at all. “I spend my off season staying in shape and being with friends and family. I also prepare myself for the upcoming spring for track.” Junior Drue Bailey said. She ran both cross-country and track this year, so winter remained her only season to relax. Drue admitted, “I enjoy having time off because I like working out by myself, but I am always excited for the season to start.”

No matter how anxious Queen gears up for a play she gets to Courtesy of MIchael Queen compete again, Drue appreciates the time off. “My favorite thing about the off-season is that I am a lot less stressed about getting my school work done and I’m able to have more time with some of my other activities that I like to do.”

Of course, the junior athlete still trains whether it’s cold or warm. “I train by going to the gym that has a track in it during the cold days, but when it is warmer I go outside and do a workout on the track,” Drue said.

Michael Queen takes the off-season one step further, committing to his football career one hundred percent.

“Football is like a job. I spend most of my time doing things

[April] 2014

Katie Thompson//Staff Writer

to make me better in the off-season.” Michael’s year mostly consists of off-season work, from winter to the next fall, but he does not look at this period as time off.

“I spend my off-season trying to get better. I want to be able to perform the best I can when the season comes, and the only way to do that is to work hard.” Michael does not take the off-season as a joke. He works just as hard if not harder than he does during the actual season.

Michael said, “To get prepared for an upcoming season, I train a lot. I lift weights, work up at the field, and condition.” Michael enjoys having time to himself.

“My favorite thing is probably being able to train when I want and as much as I want.” Michael is an exception to what many athletes consider time off. He excels not only in his training but also in his sport overall.

Michael admitted, “I still wish football season was all year round, but I like training because I know it will make me better so that I can perform at a higher level in my sport.”

Drue does not consider herself a track runner only two months of the year, but all 365 days; and Michael exceeds his training by forgetting the off-season even exists.

These two athletes have enveloped all their sport comes with, and will determine their own future off-season or on-season. Both Michael and Drue want to continue their training into college and possibly beyond, and not a thing will stop them.

4 [Sports]

FRESHMEN FLIpp Three Freshmen’s Passion For BMX Separates Them From The Rest

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ome students choose to spend their days playing soccer, golf, football, tennis, baseball, basketball, or cross country. But not freshmen Dylan Ashlock, Lucas Schick, and Hayden Young.

They spend their time grinding metal on rails, spinning bikes 360 degrees, and landing some sick flips. They do BMX. “BMX stands for Bike and Motor Cross,” explained Young.

“It’s a smaller bike, easier to do tricks on. You can move it around faster, get higher. It’s lighter and easier to control,” stated Schick and Ashlock.

BMX started out for them as something different, something unique from everyone else and slowly turned into a crazy passion that definitely sets them apart.

“I like getting better at something. I’ve always been better at sports that aren’t organized. You have the freedom to do [BMX],” said Schick. “[I do BMX] just to be different. Just hanging out with your friends; it’s easier than just going over to their house every day and not knowing what to do. You could just go outside, pick up your bike, and start having fun,” stated Ashlock. “It’s something that we can’t [do] by ourselves because it won’t be the same, but when we get a bunch of us to go, it’s better, more fun.”

They all love the deviation from the typical teenage pastimes.

They continue to get inspired by the higher-level BMX-ers around them—they’ve even met a couple—but they encouraged each other to start in the beginning when they were in middle school.

“There were these little dirt jump things down the street on a trail.

We would go there after school every day, and then we started going to skate parks,” said Ashlock.

Dylan grinding on the pegs of his bike Courtesy of Lucas Schick

going to go up there. In August, we had a competition in Grandview, Missouri and there were around 50-75 people.”

“There are [also] big [competitions] that go around the world,” said Young.

Attending these camps gives the boys more opportunities to get sponsored which kicks off going pro in BMX. Doing well and winning contests helps them get their names out in the BMX world.

Lucas executing a back flip Dylan also Courtesy of Lucas Schick has a You-

Tube channel--OpBMX--in order for the riders to become more well-known. “[You can go pro by] get[ting] well known, get[ting] your name out there. You would be considered professional if you were sponsored by a company who is paying you, not just giving you stuff.

Winning contests, stuff like that,” explained Schick and Ashlock.

All the boys want to go pro at this point, and they are already on the road there. A company called Vagabond Clothing, started by their friend Nik Soto, sponsors them. Even though he doesn’t pay them, he gives them logoed clothes to spread the word.

“Right now, he has made hats and stickers, but he is working on shirts,” said Schick.

The different BMX tricks range from bar spins to full-360s. The more advanced and practiced the

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That was just the beginning. Now they compete around the nation.

“We are going to Pennsylvania for a camp; it’s called Woodward.

It’s a big spot to go,” stated Schick. “The camp we are going to [this July] is going to be a lot bigger, and this April, I think we are going to Iowa. There is this BMX company called NowhereBMX, and we are

H

Hayden accomplishing a bar spin Courtesy of Lucas Schick

[April] 2014

ING INTO BMX Courtney Child // Copy Editor biker, the more advanced tricks he can do.

“A bar spin is spinning your bars around in the air. A tail whip is spinning the whole back of the bike around and catching it with your feet and getting back on,” explained Schick.

“I do a bunch of tricks that involve grinding on rails and ledges with pegs [the metal pieces on the sides of the wheels],” stated Ashlock.

They dedicate many hours a week practicing these tricks again and again to get them down right. They go to many different skate parks during the week and on the weekends to practice.

“Three days a week at least we go to the [skate park] by the soccer fields, on Switzer. Usually, every weekend we are going to Shawnee, Lee’s Summit, Grandview, Missouri. There are Hayden flying during practice Courtesy of Lucas Schick skate parks all over,” said Schick. “[We also go to] the one by Blue Valley Northwest. Usually if it’s nice, like two or three times a week. Sometimes we go to indoor parks.

One we go to is called KC Indoor,” stated Young.

BMX falls into the individual sports category, and BMX classes are not available for them to take. They learn new tricks and improve the ones they already have by watching videos of high-level BMX-ers— and ones of their friends landing tricks.

“People just pushing you, motivating you. Just being with your friends motivates you [to try new tricks],” said Young. “[We improve by] trying things over and over. If you mess up, you just keep trying it,” stated Schick. “When you see someone else land something cool or do something awesome, you kind of want to try whatever you want to do [after that].”

These freshmen stand out from the crowd because they choose to be different. They work hard at BMX, and it pays off. Soon, these boys will be traveling the world as professional BMX-ers. So, keep your eyes peeled for these names in the near future.

Dylan grinding on a rail Courtesy of Lucas Schick

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Lucas engaged in a tail whip Courtesy of Lucas Schick

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6 [News]

Talons Take Home Trophies In Competition

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ig congratulations to our Talons Dance Team who traveled to the National/International Dance Competition at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX and brought home numerous awards.

Solo awards: JV: Alexis Pearce- National Champion, Lexi Pickert- 2nd runner up, Varsity: Kaylie McCune- National Champion, Haley Pickert1st runner up, Amy Du, Genna Lind, and Olivia Mangual- 3rd runner up, Kendal Stegman and Krista Valdez- 4th runner up Duet Awards: JV: Lexi Oickert and Alexis Pearce- National Champion, Varsity: Lexi Pickert and Haley Pickert- National Champion, Kaylie McCune and Haley Pickert- 1st runner up Ensembles: JV-Freshmen: National Champion, Sophomores: 1st runner up, Juniors: National Champions, Seniors: National Champions

Team Lyrical: JV: National Champions, Team Contemporary: Varsity: National Champions Team Hip Hop: JV: National Champions, Varsity: National Champions Novelty: JV and Varsity combined: 1st runner up Officers overall scores: JV: 1st runner up, Varsity: National Champions Team Overall Scores: JV: 1st runner up, Varsity: 3rd runner up Gussie Nell Davis Sweepstakes Award: All One Ratings in all dances: JV and Varsity officers and JC and Varsity team dances

Academic Championships: JV: National Champions with a 3.72 GPA, Varsity: National Champions with a 3.81 GPA Officers: JV Jazz: 1st runner up, JV Open: 1st runner up, JV Contemporary: 1st runner up, Varsity Jazz: National Champions, Varsity Open: National Champions Varsity Contemporary: National Champions Team Jazz: JV: National Champions, Varsity: 3rd runner up

Great job ladies!

Talons at the awards ceremony Courtesy of Jordan Meier

Environmental Design Designs Our Future

O

n Monday March 31, Olathe East’s Environmental Design class spent the day at KU to visit its School of Architecture and Design and the School of Engineering. A total of ten students traveled to Lawrence alongside their teachers, Mrs. Manesh and Mr. Kling.

“Students got to go into studios and see the students that work in [them] and visit with the Dean of Architecture and the lady in charge of design. We had a student tour for the engineering. It was good,” Manesh commented.

Environmental Design is something most students have heard of, but do they have an understanding of what exactly it is?

“Environmental Design just means anything in your built environment. So, we’re talking about the chairs you’re sitting in, the walls, the cabinets, the computers you use; anything that’s built that is in your environment is designed and it had to be designed by somebody, right?,” Manesh Environmental Design students busy at work explained.

Courtesy of Lauren Heinrich Manesh also added, “We try to hit on a lot of different design fields with the students so that they have a better understanding of those.”

This includes graphic design, industrial design, landscape design and interior design.

In Environmental Design, students learn about the design learning process. This consists of doing research, coming up with ideas about how to do things, drawing out their design ideas, making a prototype, presenting their final drawing designs to the class, and then reflecting on things they could do differently.

A recent project Environmental Design is tackling is designing a bathroom grill exhaust system for a local company called Fantech.

“They gave our students a challenge of designing a high-scale, highend grill for [million-dollar houses]. With that, they’ve offered prizes for the kids. An iMac is one of the prizes, and then an iPad Air at 64 GB is second place, and third place is a Mini iPad. They are also donating $2,500 to the Environmental Design program to help us purchase a 3D printer,” Manesh said.

“We’re always looking for real-world situations and this is one of them, because if they take some of [the students] designs, they might actually create them into the real ventilation systems that they sell, which is very cool,” Manesh added.

Junior Jake Sola is currently enrolled in Environmental Design and said he enjoys the class.

“It’s just a different program. It’s a really really unique opportunity that we have in Olathe. There’s just a collaboration of so many different things… It’s fun even though it’s stressful,” Sola said.

To outsiders looking in, it appears that Environmental Design is continuing to grow and prosper here at East. With tons of opportunities and strong support from their teachers, it seems like these students can let their creative juices flow and create anything for the future to come.

[April] 2014

German Students Get Put To The Test East’s German Students Travel to KU to Compete in a Series of Competitions

Lauren Heinrich//Page Editor

E

very year, hundreds of German-speaking students from all over Kansas gather at KU’s Wesco Hall to compete with other German students in a series of competitions known as Schülerkongress.

These competitions include spelling, cultural quizzing, poem memorization and recitation, and Prose reading (which is reading a passage to the judges). Poster and video making contests are also held based on that year’s theme. Twenty-one of our fellow Hawks attended this conference on March 8, alongside their teacher Mrs. Hanks.

Five levels of German exist with the fifth one being called Experienced, meaning they have either taken a course of German in middle school or knew a little bit of German before taking the class. The number of years in German class reflects on what competitions a student can participate

German students at Schülerkongress Courtesy of Mrs. Hanks in. For example, Level’s 4 and 5 can do a proficiency interview where teachers interview the student and test their German speaking skills.

“It’s a great program; the kids love it,” Hanks said. “I just polled my upperclassmen about German class… and just about everyone said they loved the state competition.”

Not only can German students attend this conference, but German exchange students from other schools attend as well.

“Their job is to mill around the building, the floor we are on in Wesco Hall at KU, and try to get the American kids to talk German to them. For the conversations that they do have, the German exchange students have what we call Kongress-Euro and they pay the American kids for speaking German,” Hanks explained.

Students can also earn Kongress-Euro from playing games in their game room. From the “money” that they earn, students can go to a store at the convention to “buy” things. Mrs. Hank’s contacts German car companies in the area, like Volkswagen, to get them to donate things to the store, like pencils and posters. She also contacts the German Consulate and the German Information Center in New York and they also donate neat knick-knacks to the store.

At the end of the day, awards are given out to the top winners in each category. Our fellow Hawks took home awards. Level 1 students: Sam Ockerhausen, Cina Murray, and Logan Borger each got an award for poetry. Cory Barton won an award for poetry and Bryce Paratore won an award for prose and spelling. Level 2 students: Richard Goode and Tim Williams won awards for their prose readings. Level 3 students: Reed Boohar won in poetry and spelling and Adam Khan won in poetry, Prose and spelling. Jacob Ockerhausen got awards in poetry and spelling, and Brittany Hohenadel won in prose reading. The team of Boohar, Khan, and Ockerhausen also received 3rd place ribbons in

the culture quiz competition.

Vice president of German club, junior Brittany Hohenadel attends Schülerkongress each year. Her favorite part of the whole experience is talking to the German foreign exchange students.

“We’ll have about ten different foreign exchange students as well as teachers who are actually from Germany. So, you get to go around speaking to actual Germans and help [immerse] yourself. That’s what I love,” Hohenadel explained. “You just walk up to anybody and talk to them.

They have a subject around their neck, like sports, and you talk to them about that subject. Depending on how well you speak to them, they’ll give you fake Euros,” she added.

Aside from Schülerkongress, Brittany thoroughly enjoys German class.

“It’s different from any other language since German’s not that popular compared to Spanish, you get fewer people. Therefore, we get to know everybody so everybody becomes friends and stuff,” Hohenadel stated.

“All the involvement and how close that you get with one another, it’s a good experience, ” she added.

All in all, the Schülerkongress was an educational and memorable experience. Students can’t wait to go back again next year and win even more awards, not only physical ribbons, but the self-awarding involvement they get out of using their German knowledge outside of the classroom.

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8 [News]

Code Red

An Inside Look at the OE Production of A Few Good Men

Brock Holmes // Staff Writer

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ou have seen the playful mischievousness of Monty Python’s Spamalot, the teasing liveliness of the female version of The Odd Couple, but the most recent Olathe East play takes a stylistic detour. The Olathe East Theater transitions from the bouncy misadventures of an untidy sportswriter and a hypochondriac news writer, to the grim courtroom tales of two Marines. Written in 1989, Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men” ran for nearly 500 performances on Broadway, became an Oscar-nominated film in 1992 and was re-conceived for a 2005 London revival. The hard-hitting play places, not only two Marines, but also the Marine code of honor on trial.

Played by Arthur Clifford, the plot centers on Daniel Kaffee, a

Halloway, Weinburg, and Kaffee arriving at the Navy Airport Courtesy of Griffin Rohlfing novice attorney hired to defend two marines accused of murdering a fellow soldier in the name of unit, corps, God, and country. The victim, PFC Santiago was given a “Code Red”. Santiago constantly made mistakes, and mistakes are not accepted at Guantanamo Bay, especially by Col. Nathan Jessup. Arthur Clifford provided a captivating and intriguing juxtaposition of the nonchalant and sharp-witted personalities of Daniel Kaffee. The lone female personality, Joanne Galloway portrayed by Kelley Sharp, adds stability to the chaotic performance. The show stopping performance, however, came from Connor Bosworth’s representation of the play’s coldhearted antagonist, Col. Nathan Jessep.

One of the many highpoints of the show comes from Johnson’s aside concerning loyalty and commitment highlighted by a dark red demonic silhouette. This performance was the final presentation by talented seniors Kelly Sharp, Griffin Rohlfing, Justus Johnson, Christian Gabriel, Connor Bosworth, Arthur Clifford, Aaron Fink, Jacob Cleek, as well as the first and final performance from Joseph Young.

The chilling recital of A Few Good Men completes the Olathe East career of nine seniors with an exclamation point.

Dawson and Downey waiting for their lawyer to arrive Courtesy of Griffin Rohlfing

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[April] 2014

A Day in the Life of Dr. Weber An In-Depth Look on What it Takes to be The Principal of Olathe East

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Lauren Hart // Copy Editor

s high school students, we establish constant routines.

Alarm goes off at 6:30. Hit the snooze button as many times as possible. Eventually roll out of bed. Rush to get ready. Grab a quick breakfast on the way out the door and pull into the parking lot to arrive to class right before the bell rings.

We repeat this same schedule Monday through Friday. Our lives are one large routine.

For Dr. Bill Weber, Olathe East principal, this same constant routine does not apply.

“There is never a typical day for me,” explained Weber. “My schedule is a little different everyday. That’s part of why I love what I do.”

As with any job, being a high school principal has its ups and downs.

“I just like hanging out with people and spending time at different events, so that’s probably my favorite part about my job.

Whether it be concerts, theatre productions, or athletic events and different things like that, that’s a big portion of my job,” said Weber.

Even though attending all the school’s events make up the best part of being a principal, there are definitely downfalls.

“My least favorite part is definitely the paper work. I’m not a big paperwork person but I still get through it,” he said.

Along with supporting Olathe East students, Weber does most of the behind the scenes work as well. “I am responsible for all the scheduling. Right now, I’m working with all the departments to work on a schedule for next year,” mentioned Dr. Weber.

“I typically do a good amount of communication with the district heads with questions that arise in terms of the building here.

On a regular basis, I have meetings with my assistants. I have meetings with the counselors and the district level on a monthly basis,” he added.

“There are a lot of things that happen at East and I am the person that has to make the final decision,” said Weber as he remembered what his biggest shock was when becoming a high school principal. Weber recalled one situation he first experienced as a high school principal.

“I once had a parent that was concerned for my safety when dealing with a discipline issue. That was something I had never encountered,” added Weber.

“One thing I did not expect to do as a principal was helping students with life outside of school. I thought that my job would be dealing with in-school issues only. I have quickly discovDr. Weber sitting at his desk ered that it is dealing with both in and out of school issues of Courtesy of Hanna Melton students.”

Being a high school principal surely is not your typical nine to five job. The variety of the job keeps Dr. Weber on his toes and busy all the time.

“If I sat here and went through my schedule from the past three weeks, you would see that there isn’t a single day that’s exactly the same. This part of the year is even different than the start of the school year. The constant variety in terms of what I have to do is different every year, and even every day,” he said.

Premature

10 [Feature]

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Two Former OE Students Share Their Experiences with Teen Parenting

een pregnancy has become a very prevalent issue in the past few decades; nearly four out of every ten adolescent women get pregnant at least once before they are the age of 20*. According to the National Campaign, most of these girls, however, get an abortion or put the child up for adoption, but those who keep the child work and struggle to try and make sure their child has a good life. Despite popular belief, studies have been done by organizations like the National Campaign that show most teen fathers and teen mothers who keep the children are involved with their children’s lives and work very hardto give them the opportunities they deserve.

Most agree that teen parenthood is a very daunting and diffcult task but , most who are offered the challeng are at least willing to try .

W

hen he was just 15-years-old former Olathe East student, Loren Jones, found out that his girlfriend was pregnant.

“I was shocked,” Jones commented, “I immediately felt nervous; I had not expected this to happen so soon; it was not on my expectation list for the time.”

Despite the fact that he was surprised, Jones stuck to his plan and was involved through out the entire pregnancy.

“I was involved from the time we were concerned she might pregnant,” he stated. “I did the doctor’s visits, everything.”

His adamant support and involvement might come as a shock to some but he stands behind his decision one hundred percent.

“I came from a home where my dad wasn’t involved so my involvement with my kids was something that was serious to me from a very young age. I just did not expect it to happen

this soon.”

After months of hiding the pregnancy from their parents, as well as everyone else, both of them decided to finally tell their families.

“There came a point when we had nothing left to hide. She was seven months pregnant when we let our families know what was going on.”

Being a sophomore in high school when the pregnancy was occurring, Jones did not initially think this would change his future at all, but when senior year rolled around, his plans changed.

“I was so tired of having so much to do, so I decided to take a year break, and that break turned into three years. If I did not have this responsibility, I probably would have gone somewhere off to college.”

Despite the expected obstacles that Jones encountered during the pregnancy, when he saw his daughter for the first time, everything changed.

“I felt elated,” Jones stated, “I don’t think it matters what age you are, [or] what stage in life you are. When you see that baby, everything bad in life goes away and everything good is right in front of you.”

(As expected) Jones picked up extra jobs. His first one was being acombo clerk at Dylan’s, and then he worked at Target. After high school, he got a full time job at Quick Trip as well as other odd jobs. When he wasn’t busy working or going to school, he completely committed himself to being the best father he could.

While he has enjoyed being a father more than anything, he did disclose that given the opportunity, he would not have become a teen father.

“The reason has nothing to do with me and more to do with the child.

There are certain things as a teenager you are not equipped to handle mentally or financially. You are just really not ready to be a parent, and because of that, the child misses out on some of the things I think a more mature and older person would be able to offer to a child,” he explained.

Since he graduated in 2001, Loren Jones has successfully graduated college and now has four other children, including his daughter from high school, who currently lives with him. This roller-coaster experience never held him back: it only made him push harder and fight for a good life.

To other teen fathers he says, “Take it in strides; it’s not the end of the world; you just have positioned yourself in a situation that is not necessarily the right timing, but it is still very, very possible to overcome and be a good parent.”

“I don’t think it matters what age you are, [or] what stage of life you are. When you see that baby, everything bad in life goes away and everything good is right in front of you.”

-Loren Jones

Loren and his daughter, Justice, hanging out. Courtsey of Loren Jones

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Parenthood

[April] 2014

Jordan Meier//Staff Writer

L

ast fall Kayla Maanum, a senior at East, got the shock of a lifetime, something she never expected. She found out she was pregnant.

“When I first found out I was scared and disappointed in myself. Being pregnant in high school was something I never thought would happen to me, nor did I want to happen,” said Maanum.

While Kayla was very scared and nervous for what was to come, she knew right off the bat that she was going to keep the child.

“I knew for sure I was going to keep my baby. I am fully against abortion, and I honestly don’t like adoption, just because I feel like if I’m old enough to have sex, then I am old enough to handle the consequences.”

She picked up two jobs ,so she could save up as much money as possible for her daughter’s birth; all the while, she continued to come to school and push toward graduation.

“I told myself that whether I’m pregnant or not, I am going to graduate not only for me but for my daughter.”

While Kayla promised she was going to graduate, she admitted that coming to school wasn’t always easy, especially because she was pregnant.

“I would go to school and watch people whisper about me in the hallway. Many people didn’t know who I was until I got pregnant, and then I became known as ‘the pregnant girl’. It frustrated me because people didn’t know my story; they didn’t know what I was doing, so I could successfully raise my daughter.”

Not only was Kayla dealing with judgment at school, but she was dealing with telling her parents the life-changing news.

“My mom and dad were the people I was most afraid to tell just because I knew that they would be very disappointed in me and that’s the one thing I hate. I was also afraid that my mom would kick me out, being that I was 18 and still in high school.”

Despite her fears, Kayla told her parents, and after getting past the initial shock, they were both supportive of her decision “My mom denied it at first and told me I wasn’t. Then when we went to get it checked out to make sure it was real, which it was, and we both cried. She told me we can get through this. As for my dad, when I called to tell him, he couldn’t really talk to me because he didn’t know what to think, so I gave him a couple of days. Then he finally told me that he was disappointed in me but he was here for me.”

After her parents, Kayla went on to tell her friends and the father.

“Currently, the father of my child and I aren’t together, but we are very much friends and are on same terms when it comes to our child. Currently he is not involved due to complications.”

After a long pregnancy, Kayla just recently had her baby girl and reports that

teen parenting is just as hard, if not harder, than it looks.

“You’re constantly up at night, sometimes multiple times. You go through formula and diapers like there is no tomorrow, and that cost lots and lots of money. Also just the attention that babies need is a lot, and you’re constantly up making sure they’re breathing. Every little noise you hear you go to make sure they’re okay. It’s so much responsibility.”

Even though she has taken up a monumental amount of responsibilities, Kayla wouldn’t trade it for the world. She states that teen parenting/teen pregnancy has taught her plenty about herself and others in her life.

“Being a mother has made me realize who my true friends are and made me understand the meaning of love. It’s changed me as a person. I used to be this girl that would party and hang with friends all the time and not really have so many responsibilities, but I don’t do any of that stuff now. It’s changed my life for the better.”

Kayla went through ups and downs, as any pregnancy does, but she pushed forward, and she is determined to make a good life for her and her daughter. To other teen mothers or to teens that are pregnant, she said, “If you think it’s cute being in high school and pregnant, it’s not. It’s not something that’s all fun and games; it’s hard work. Being pregnant isn’t easy, but don’t give up on yourself or that child that is growing inside you because when you have that child, it’s the best thing that could ever happen to you. If you think you know what love is, you don’t really know until that day the doctor puts your beautiful child in your arms for the first time. Yes, I know it’s scary but in the end it’s all worth it.”

“It’s changed me as a person. I used to be this girl that would party and hang with friends all the time and not really have so many responsibilities but I don’t do any of that stuff now. It’s changed my life for the better.”

-Kayla Maanum

Kayla and her daughter, Skyler, napping. Courtsey of Kayla Maanum

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12 [Feature]

Beating the Odds

Cory Barton’s Remarkable Story of Perseverance

B

efore judging a man, they say, first walk a mile in his shoes. After walking a mere block in sophomore Cory Barton’s shoes, very few would be hasty to judge.

Barton has endured more trials and tribulations in his 16 years than many experience in an entire lifetime. Cory was born in Columbia, Missouri, the fourth of seven children born to his mother Dorienda Jones.

Cory’s lifetime of struggles began just a week into his life when he completely stopped breathing. He was resuscitated at Boone Hospital Center before being transferred to the ICU, where he spent an entire month. Barton was then transferred back to the hospital for another month-long stay. Finally, after two long, stressful months, Cory was allowed to go home.

Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of Barton’s turbulent roller coaster ride of a life. When Cory was still very young, his family--which at the time consisted of himself, his mother, and his three older siblings--became homeless.

With no other options, Jones decided to move the family back in with her ex-husband, who was living with his own mother at the time.

Soon after, Jones got back togeth- Barton playing around with his little brother Ethan er with her ex, had Cory’s younger Courtesy of Cory Barton brother Nick, and the family was on the move again. This time, the newly-reunited family moved to a home across the street from Ruskin High School in South Kansas City.

Although this reunion-of-sorts seemingly signaled a change for the better, that was not the case for Barton and his family.

Matthew Gwin//Staff Writer

“The [living] conditions were pretty bad,” said Dorienda. “Our van was stolen and used in a homicide and three robberies.”

Just a few years later, Cory again found himself moving to a different home. This time, the family was returning to the home of Barton’s adoptive grandmother. While life might not have been ideal before, things now began to spiral downward, especially for Cory’s mother.

“My ex-husband only hit me once, and that was early in our relationship,” Jones remembered. “I put him in jail, and he never laid hands on me again. . . but the emotional and the mental abuse, that was a completely different animal.”

“He would scream, he would throw things, he would punch holes in walls. It was enough, mentally, to keep you scared.”

After years of living in fear and trudging forward despite it, Dorienda decided enough was enough.

“Instead of thinking ‘I should stay for the kids,’ it became ‘I have to find a way out,’ because it wasn’t good for anybody,” said Jones.

So in 2007, when Cory was nine years of age, his mother and adoptive father separated, this time for good. Unfortunately, the split created some major albatrosses, many of which Barton and his siblings were the chief, albeit unintended, cause.

“When I left, I didn’t have anywhere to go,” Dorienda said. “So, I made the choice that at least with my ex-husband they had a roof over their heads, they had food in their stomachs, and they had a safe place to live.”

“I wasn’t going to take them to a shelter downtown where they could be raped or killed. I just wasn’t going to do that. So I left them behind, because no one’s going to take in a woman and five kids. It’s just not that easy.”

[April] 2014 His parents now officially separated--the divorce was finalized in July 2008--Cory was left to live with his suddenly morose adoptive father, who moved the family out of his mother’s home.

“By the time my mother separated with him, he started becoming more emotional, kind of ‘emo,’” Barton said. “He started dressing in black, like every day was a funeral. He would go out all the time, and he would drink, too.”

Unfortunately, the problems from which Dorienda had finally freed herself now became issues of concern for Cory and his siblings. Barton’s older brother Donovan became the primary target of abuse, prompting him to flee to Jones’ house in Overland Park. During this time, Dorienda was prevented from even seeing her kids by her ex-husband.

“My ex-husband, from the beginning, was very controlling with the kids,” Jones recalled. “Eventually, I wasn’t allowed to see them at all.”

“He would terrify the kids. He forced them to tell me they wished I were dead. For over two years, I didn’t see them.”

After Donovan’s departure, Cory became the prime subject of the abuse.

Both he and his brother Nick were starved and beaten at home, then, adding insult to injury, bullied by classmates at school.

“They [his adoptive father and his girlfriend] both were abusive parents,” Cory recalled. “I was 5’6’’ and 98 pounds. Now, I’m 6’0’’ and 160 pounds.”

“I told the principal I was being abused, and he did nothing. I told a police officer, and nothing happened.”

Finally, something did happen when Jones was called in the middle of the night near the end of last May. Her ex-husband needed her to pick up the kids. After nearly three years between meetings, she would finally be reunited with her children.

When Dorienda arrived, she discovered the kids in dismal health. She picked up the kids, as instructed, but this time, she never let them go.

Upon seeing how badly Cory and Nick had been treated, Jones immediately dipped into her retirement funds to hire a good lawyer and began a fight for custody. In December, after many stressful months, she was granted full custody.

Barton’s adoptive father now has five counts of abuse and neglect being pressed upon him by the state of Kansas.

As for Cory, he now lives in Olathe with his mom, Nick, younger siblings Ethan and Katie, and stepfather. His health has drastically improved, he now gets more sleep, and his grades have skyrocketed.

Cory Barton’s first 16 years have been quite a lengthy mile, with many tumultuous twists and turns. Despite it all, though, Barton has made it through the wringer and come out the other side an incredibly strong person who serves as a poster boy for perserverance.

Undoubtedly, Cory’s next mile will be a grand one.

After that, people may line up to walk in his shoes.

But at least for now, few will be eager to trek the treacherous mile which Barton has finally completed.

After all, Cory does have Cory at his current weight some awfully Courtesy of Cory Barton big shoes to fill.

Cory in his thinner state Courtesy of Cory Barton

14 [Feature] Courtesy of Zac Marquess

Courtesy of Paige Schick

Road t o

Olathe

Paige Schick //

Page E ditor

East

Two Olathe East Students Share their Stories about What Brought them Here to Olathe East

S

chool is, well, school. No one really loves waking up at the crack of dawn five days a week and having to trudge to school with a 50-pound backpack on his or her shoulders, only to have to fill it even more with notes and homework assignments. So does it really matter where you attend

school? We all do the same things, right? Hawks recall the paths that have brought them here to East.

P

rivate schools often have the reputation of providing a “better education” because parents have to pay more for their sons or daughters to attend them. Around Olathe East, the most popular private schools include St. Thomas Aquinas, St. James Academy, Rockhurst High School, Bishop Miege High School, and St. Teresa’s Academy.

Junior Zac Marquess attended St. James Academy for his freshmen year but found his home here at Olathe East. Public and private schools both share the goal of educating teenagers in the community, but without a doubt many differences exist between the types of schooling.

Marquess commented, “The major difference is freedom. It’s more up to you at Olathe East what you want to do, what classes you want to take, how you spend your time, if you work hard or not. Where at St. James, there’s kind of like a standard where you’re going to do this, follow these rules, wear this, a lot more slap on the wrist than East is.”

Private schools often employ a strict dress code and/or uniforms along with other stricter rules we sometimes don’t see here.

“I transferred because Olathe East was the best scenario for me. St. James is a great school too. It all just depends on your personal preference,” Marquess stated. Certain schools work for a variety of personalities, which is why having the bountiful amount of school options here in the Johnson County area is very beneficial for students.

Marquess mentioned, “I think it’s easier to learn at East. It’s more laid back. I think you might learn more at St. James, but as environment goes, Olathe East is better for me. I think it all depends on the personal scenario whether you go to a public or private school.”

Discovering and creating the person you want to be often occurs at school. For Zac, he was able to do that better at a public school. “The biggest adjustment was probably on how I portrayed myself. At St. James I was very inwardly focused and wasn’t very social because I didn’t want to go against the standard. Whereas here, I’m allowed to be Zac. Be who I want to be.”

So maybe school isn’t just a place that all teenagers have to reside to learn typical subjects in a monotonous routine. Maybe finding the right school for you is also a personal journey in finding you. So whether that be a public or private school, go where makes you comfortable.

S

ome people act for fun and entertainment and some people act to save their lives. Senior Kieryn Boyd got accustomed to waking up every morning and putting on a fake smile to go to school. Former resident of the small town of Dodge City, Kansas, Boyd fell victim to bullying.

“Whoever says bullying isn’t a problem anymore is wrong,” Boyd stated firmly. In a town of only 2,000 people, bullying became a deathly problem for her. She was singled out due to her being of the white race among a mostly Hispanic population. Racism became her downfall.

Boyd stated, “I was bullied the point of almost being killed.”

“I remember one day, I was waiting for my brother and a group of kids came up behind me and wanted to fight me. I told them no and started walking back to the school and they pushed me down a hill into ongoing traffic,” recalled Boyd.

A near death experience changed everything for her. “It made me realize how mean and cruel people can be and how it’s not something I want to put other people through,” Boyd stated. She and her family then moved to Olathe to avoid future bullying and because her stepdad got transferred.

“People are much nicer here and bullying really isn’t a problem for me anymore,” Boyd mentioned. Even though she doesn’t have a bullying problem herself anymore, she remains a major advocate against bullying here at East.

“I always stand up to the bully if I see people getting bullied. I know what they’re going through. Some people bully because they are jerks and some people bully because they were bullied. I don’t want to be like that,” Boyd explained.

The two different schools seem like night and day to this senior. Boyd recalled, “My first day up here I walked into the theater class because I like theater and I was automatically accepted. Luke Harbur was the first person to talk to me, and he changed everything for me.”

With her troubles now in her past, Boyd is now much happier going to school here at Olathe East. With plenty of people and things to experience, differing from her previous endeavors. The change of schools was literally a lifesaver.

If you like ScHoolboy Q...

South-Central Los Angeles has been home to some of the biggest breakout rappers the genre has ever seen. In the ‘90’s, the City Of Angels gave us N.W.A. and now, over 20 years later, the Black Hippy crew.

Made up of Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, and ScHoolboy Q, these rappers make up a majority of the Top Dawg Entertainment label and have released some of the biggest rap albums of the last few years.

Kendrick earned his fame through his incredibly detailed narratives on his 2012 album Good Kid M.A.A.D. City. 2014 has proven to be ScHoolboy Q’s time to shine.

While his wordplay and technical abilities may not be on the same level as Kendrick’s, Q can write and execute a hook like no other. His new album Oxymoron is well on its way to going gold.

Taking The Stage

Rising Artists You Should Know About This Spring Aaron Rhodes // Publicity Manager

B

ack in the days when every album was released on vinyl, the task of finding new bands was much more difficult.

You would have to meticulously scan through your favorite album’s liner notes looking for similar bands or stick to whatever was playing on the radio. Nowadays it is easy to just go to Spotify and check the related artists or just browse YouTube for a while. But for those people who don’t like doing that, take a couple suggestions from us.

If you like Tame Impala...

In 2012, Tame Impala released their sophomore full-length entitled Lonerism. In the eyes of most critics, the album was a giant step up from their first album Innerspeaker. Lonerism did an incredible job of incorporating psychedelic rock influences from the likes of Pink Floyd and Sgt. Pepper’s-era Beatles into an easily accessible indie rock format. Songs crafted by these Australians have undoubtedly been the soundtrack to many hot summer nights all over the world.

You might like Mac DeMarco.

You might like SZA. SZA, the stage name of Solana Rowe, is a twenty-four year old female vocalist who hails from New Jersey via St. Louis. SZA has released two solo EP’s, although most of her following has stemmed from her guest spots on rap albums like ScHoolboy Q’s Oxymoron and Isaiah Rashad’s Cilvia Demo. On her solo material, she uses a unique style of R&B vocals over lush, dreamy electronic instrumentals. Her newest release is titled Z and was released by Top Dawg Entertainment.

Any self-respecting hip-hop head will probably have heard it by now due to her collaboration with the red hot Chance The Rapper on the song “Child’s Play,” but hopefully they’ll stick around for the soul stylings on tracks like “Sweet November.”

[April] 2014

Top photo (Mac DeMarco) Courtesy of Anna Hanks Bottom photo (SZA) Courtesy of Tiffany Komon

Released in the same month as Lonerism, Mac DeMarco’s second album (aptly titled 2) also took influence from ‘60’s and ‘70’s psych rock. The songs are all filled with high-pitched and reverb-soaked guitars that make a great pair with Mac’s falsetto voice and fresh lyricism.

Mac picked up steam during 2013, receiving attention from Pitchfork and The Guardian.

His new album Salad Days was just released and showed a bit of musical growth but is mainly just another winning batch of tunes for his growing number of fans.

16 [Entertainment]

Summer Bucket list Cure to Summer Boredom

Amy Du//Staff Writer Jessica Goddard//Managing Editor

Hawks gone wild What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done during summer break?

“Sky diving”- Derek Miller “Jumped off of a 25-foot cliff into a lake” - Hunter Gross “Hiked 100 miles up a mountain and back down” - Daniel Rowland “Went surfing in Hawaii”- Connor Leach “Traveled across the country alone” - Carly Brown “Went to Europe with Umphry and Stephens”-Michelle Dobratz “Got stung by a jellyfish one year”-Maddy Branstetter “Eat Chipotle twice in one day!”-Mikaela Altis “Jumped off a tree into a river”- Connor Davis

Hawk’s Favorite Summer Treats

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Flat-rate tuition.

Less than two hours away.

Pittsburg State University

www.pittstate.edu • Pittsburg, Kansas

O

nly a month into summer and all of your friends are on vacation, there’s no sign of any human contact within five miles, and you’ve just finished watching every single season of The Office on Netflix.

“What now?” you ask yourself moments away from destroying your IQ points with yet another episode of Toddlers and Tiaras. When summer started, you imagined days after days

[April] 2014

of nonstop adventure and fun, but just like every other summer, you feel as if you’ve run out of things to do.

That’s when you pick up this issue of Hawk’s Eye and realize that all hope isn’t lost. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the ultimate summer bucket list: completely jail proof, parent proof, and guaranteed to steer you away from drugs, alcohol, and even junk food.

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18 [Editorial] Brenna Thompson // Staff Writer

Walking the Thin Line

T

eacher’s jobs are pretty self-explanatory, but when they spend more time around their students than their own family, a relationship develops. The question is: what should this relationship be? Should students see them soley as educators, helping them reach their academic goals, or rather an older, very wise companion? This is where we answer the dubious question as to where teachers should draw the line with student friendships.

Some students think it is perfectly fine to have close acquaintances with their instructors.

Junior Brett Malinowski stated, “I’d go to a

Students and Teachers Talk Educator Friendships need anybody to talk to’, just like my counselor.

So if you feel more comfortable talking to a teacher and you know that you can trust them, then I don’t see a problem with it,” she stated.

When the subject comes to social media and cellular devices, many people have different opinions on whether it is okay to text or be friends on Facebook with teachers.

Senior Kelly Dwyer said, “Certain teachers have to text their students, like choir, but it would be weird if it wasn’t anything class related.”

Arianna Ahmad said, “It is definitely helpful

their advice and guidance, even on personal issues. However, they should also give the same amount of attention to each student, not just pick and choose.

It’s definitely okay to be friends with your teachers; they’re cool.

There are just certain lines they shouldn’t cross. ”

"

-Collin Shepard

movie with a teacher any day. Well, I wouldn’t hangout with a bad teacher, just the good ones.”

Collin Shepard, junior; agreed, “It’s definitely okay to be friends with your teachers; they’re cool. There are just certain lines they shouldn’t cross. ” However, when personal topics come to the forefront, both boys agreed you shouldn’t share everything with your teacher.

They said, “There is just certain stuff your teacher shouldn’t know about you; it’d just make everything super awkward.” On the other hand, English teacher Jennifer Quick has a different stance on talking personal lives with educators.

She said, “I want them to feel able to talk to me about sensitive issues. If a student is in trouble I totally want them to be able to tell me but still understand I have the role as a teacher to get help for them.”

She also added, “I think sometimes when students confide something to you it’s because they want someone to know and to help. So I do take that role very seriously, but I still want to create that comfortable environment.”

Senior Megan Cox also believes teachers are a good venting outlet. “I kinda don’t want to know about my teacher’s personal lives, but teachers always say, ‘We’re here for you if you

and handy to get texts about school projects or assignments. Teenagers seem to be on their phones all the time, so it’s a very effective way to remind students.”

Facebook, however, reveals abundant amounts of information and personal details, and therefore should wait until graduation.

Quick said, “I have a policy where I won’t accept a previous students friend request until they graduate; it’s a great way to keep in touch.”

She added, “I do consider previous students as friends. I wouldn’t call them and say ‘let’s go out to dinner’, but I still definitely want to know what is going on in their lives. It’s more like an aunt relationship.”

Basically, if you’re pals with your teacher, that’s dandy. However, please do not be that student that has inside jokes with your teacher.

Chances are you’re making the entire class feel uncomfortable, and to the teacher: no one likes a teacher who picks favorites, except for the favorite. Kelly Dwyer said, “when a teacher has a favorite, the rest of the class feels like they aren’t cool enough, or are doing something wrong. It doesn’t seem fair.”

Teachers should be role models for us, and we should feel comfortable to seek

[April] 2014

Death of the Free Internet

How the Internet of the Future Might Be Far Different

Logan Brockschmidt// Staff Writer

NET NEUTRALITY FOR DUMMIES

You (or someone in your family) pays for Internet. You also pay for Netflix. The companies that you pay for internet, want to charge you more for using legal internet services such as video streaming and online gaming. Previously, those companies were not allowed to do so by the FCC. But, the D.C. Court of Appeals said that the FCC didn’t have enough authority to enforce those policies. The companies have responded by dropping internet speeds for users paying for these services, even though users pay for their internet speeds at the same or higher prices than before.

The war for net neutrality is waging closing to the second battle, as Comcast’s attempt at buying Time Warner Cable is upsetting most technologically -savvy users. The attempted merger would allow Comcast to have control over 40% of the market. If this merger is allowed to go through, the Big 3 of Internet Providers (AT&T, Comcast, Verizon) would have a larger majority control over the rest of the market. This includes the places where they pay the city governments for exclusivity. For the more tech-savvy people, this is a closer rundown of the future of the Internet.

Why Should We Care?

After you get home from a long day at school, some people just want to watch Netflix. All you should have to do is go on your computer to Netflix’s website and be able to watch. No strings attached.

But that might not soon be the case. The way the internet service providers are set up around the country is set up in practically an Oligopoly, where companies work together to not service the same areas in order to raise prices. For most people, we have no choice of internet besides the one or two providers. With such a lack of competition, Verizon has stopped their expansion of FiOS (their fastest internet service) for the sole reason of INCREASING PROFITS. They want to stop providing a service that customers pay for in order to increase their $23.5 billion profits. Want to know why it won’t backfire on them? They have no competition, so they won’t lose customers.

The customers are getting screwed over, and the government is doing nothing.

What is Net Neutrality?

When you boot up your computer and open up Google Chrome, you expect your internet to simply work. You expect your Netflix video to load and be able to watch without hassle. The whole concept of net neutrality is that all internet traffic is treated equal,“where internet service providers (ISPs) would aspire to treat all content, sites, and platforms equally,” as said by Tim Wu, who coined the term Net Neutrality in his 2003 Article “Network Neutrality, Broadband Discrimination.” The concept of a controlled internet goes against what the Internet was created as, an open medium in which every Web site, every feature, and every service should be treated without discrimination. But it isn’t like Wu was the first person to try and establish sometype of network neutrality, The Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860 ensured that all telegraphs should be sent and received impartially in the order of their reception. In August 2010, Google and Verizon reached an agreement in which providers would be not allowed to block their customers who want to use their internet legally.

What Changed?

In 2010, Comcast Corporation appealed an order sent from the FCC, which ruled that Comcast impeded users’ ability to access lawful content and their bandwidth management breached federal policy. Comcast appealed, which went all the way up to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ruled that the FCC did not have jurisdiction over ISPs. Verizon Communications followed immediately and sued the FCC, claiming the orders which the FCC previously issued exceeded their authority which was authorized by Congress.

To ISPs, Netflix is the bane of their existence. According to ISPs, only one percent of ISP customers use 40 percent of their bandwidth. In response the larger ISPs, such as Comcast Xfinity and Verizon Fios, reduced their speeds for Netflix to 1.5 mb/s (megabits per second) even though the national average is 9.8 mb/s. The United States National speed average of 2.8 mb/s is not even close to the 4 mb/s that HD video requires. ISPs and Netflix are playing the blame game, ISPs accusing Netflix of piggybacking on their servers. The future of Netflix depends completely on if ISPs are classified as information services, instead of common carriers.

WHAT’S THE PATH?

The internet is heading to a complete dependence on Net Neutrality. Without restrictions, ISPs will be allowed to ban websites, applications, or even lawful services for reasons as little as they take up bandwidth. There might soon be “packages” similar to cable, which allow you access to the “closed” internet. The same internet which was created as a tool that can be accessed at any time. The $20.4 trillion industry, might soon be restricted behind a pay-wall and the only way to get on every website is a global VPN. Design Courtesy to Amy Du and Logan Brockschmidt

Calendar

Teacher Trivia

April 24 Hawk leader training in gym april 24-25

Varsity Baseball: River city tournament at Free state and Ku

april 25-may 3 horticulture plant sale april 26 drill team spring show april 29 fnhs induction in auditorium may 1 academic signing in gym may 1

varsity boys tennis sunflower league at harmon park

TOP FIVE easter candies in america

1) cadbury creme eggs 2) reese’s peanut butter eggs 3) peeps 4) jelly beans 5) milk chocolate bunny

?

Which Olathe East teacher spent most of his/her childhood in another country?

Last Issue’s answer:

Mr. Gunn was voted president of his high school orchestra.

Notification Statement of Non-discrimination: TheOlathePublicSchoolsprohibitdiscriminationonthebasisofrace,color,nationalorigin, sex,age,religionordisabilityinitsprograms,activitiesoremployment,andprovidesequal accesstotheBoyScoutsandotherdesignatedyouthgroupstoitsfacilitiesasrequiredby: TitleIXoftheEducationAmendmentsof1972,TitleVIandTitleVIIoftheCivilRightsActof 1964,theAgeDiscriminationActof1975,theAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct(ADA),theIndividualswithDisabilitiesEducationAct,Section504oftheRehabilitationActof1973and otherrelevantstateandfederallaws.Inquiriesregardingcompliancewithapplicablecivil rightsstatutesrelatedtoethnicity,gender,agediscriminationorequalaccessmaybedirectedtoStaffCounsel,14160BlackBobRoad,Olathe,KS66063-2000,phone913-7807000.AllinquiriesregardingcompliancewithapplicablestatutesregardingSection504of theRehabilitationActandtheIndividualswithDisabilitiesEducationActandtheAmericans withDisabilitiesActmaybedirectedtotheAssistantSuperintendentGeneralAdministration, 14160BlackBobRd.Olathe,KS66063-2000,phone(913)780-7000.Interestedpersonsincludingthosewithimpairedvisionorhearing,canalsoobtaininformationastothe existenceandlocationofservices,activitiesandfacilitiesthatareaccessibletoandusableby disabledpersonsbycallingtheAssistantSuperintendentGeneralAdministration.(04/13)