Hawk's Eye April 2017 Volume 25 Issue 5

Volume 25

Issue 5

April 2017

Just Dance: Talons Dance Team Dominates at Nationals in Texas

5 6 7 13

NEWS

3 | Safety in School 4 | Xa’nax on the Body

FEATURE

10-11 | Olathe East Alumni

SPORTS

12-13 | Spring Preview

EDITORIAL

5 | A Positive Look at Donald Trump 6 | Difference Between Cities and Small Towns

ENTERTAINMENT

7 | Breakfast Spots Close to School 8-9 | Having Jobs in High School

Notification Statement of Non-discrimination: The Olathe Public Schools prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion or disability in its programs, activities or employment, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups to its facilities as required by: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other relevant state and federal laws. Inquiries regarding compliance with applicable civil rights statutes related to ethnicity, gender, age discrimination or equal access may be directed to Staff Council, 14160 Black Bob Road, Olathe, KS 66063-2000, phone 913-780-7000. All inquiries regarding compliance with applicable statutes regrading Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act may be directed to the Assistant Superintendent General Administration, 14160 Black Bob Road, Olathe, KS 66063-2000, phone 913-780-7000. Interested persons including those with impaired vision or hearing, can also obtain information as to existence and location services, activities and facilities that are accessible to and usable by disabled persons by calling the Assistant Superintendent General Administration. (04/13)

School In, Danger Out Recent Lockdowns at Kansas City Area Schools Raise Questions on School Safety

Kaitlyn Shacklett// Co-Editor

I

n a society where teens jam out to songs about violence, and active shooters in U.S. schools go unreported on national news, people have become desensitized to these devastating events and other school safety breaches.

On December 1, 2016 at Olathe Northwest High School, a student discovered a handgun inside a backpack in the men’s restroom, but no owner to be found. The administrators prompted a lockdown where students remained in their classrooms past normal dismissal time while the authorities searched for the owner. As a safety precaution, a nearby Prairie Trail Middle School stayed under lockdown until they also received the all-clear. Both schools’ administrators released students at 4 P.M. Olathe Northwest Senior Jonah Laughlin, present the day of the lockdown, said the school administration and police handled the situation very well.

“Panic was kept at a minimum. At first we were a little shocked, but they generously updated us with more and more information over the intercom, and they made sure everyone was safe,” Laughlin said.

Two instances concerning gun threats put both Shawnee Mission West High School and Grandview High School under lockdown in early January.

With events such as these occurring within a 30-mile radius of Olathe East, the possibility of East going under lockdown for gun violence and threats is becoming more prevalent. Is Olathe East prepared for something like this?

“These events are horrible. It’s my worst nightmare as a principal. However, principal Kerry Lane said the school currently has a protocol enforced by the Olathe School District to handle an active shooter in the building called A.L.I.C.E., meaning Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.

“This new protocol gets rid of the ‘sitting duck’ tactic that schools have been using for a while now. Students and staff are now advised to act against an intruder to protect themselves,” Lane said.

In the case of Olathe Northwest, administration did not enforce A.L.I.C.E since the lockdown was only precautionary. However, the school put into play a plan previously made by the school authorities.

“Every school has a crisis team that includes the principal, vice principals, the SRO (if applicable), school psychologist, nurse, the police department and any other members the principal wants on that team,” Lane said.

When an adult in the school receives information of a potential threat to students and/or staff, the principal pulls together that crisis team, each with a different responsibility.

“As an administrator, it’s my job to give all teachers and students as much information as I can. Other crisis members could be working with the Olathe Police Department or updating parents,” Lane said.

Social media and cellphones have become a controversial aspect in situations like Olathe Northwest in the past five years.

“Cell phones allow us to contact others in the building. I texted my

brother to see if he was okay, and I told my parents we are safe,” Laughlin said concerning the December 1 lockdown.

One worry cellphones and social media bring forth in a crisis is panic, and therefore, the spread of false information.

“We only want factual information going out to parents, but we as administrators hear most of the information about a situation from students themselves,” Lane said.

To help with giving information to students and staff during a crisis, the school placed surveillance cameras in all areas of the building, excluding bathrooms and locker rooms, in 2015. Olathe East also keeps a School Resource Officer on the premises at all times.

“Officer Jaegers is an extreme help on a daily basis at the school. It helps the students feel safe when there is an officer around,” Lane said.

Even though these safety procedures and precautions assist the school authorities at the time of a crisis situation, they don’t prevent intruders from coming into the school.

“At East, we have a system that we are piloting for the rest of the district stating next year. After school begins at 8:00, all doors will be locked, and the only way to get in is to be buzzed in by the front office.

For safety reasons only, an alarm will also sound if any door going outside is propped open.,” Lane said.

Additionally, if a parent or other adult visits the school, the front office have the ability to scan their ID and see if that person has any charges that will make an administrator hesitant to let them into the building.

“We want to be reasonable with safety because we don’t want to run a prison, but we want students and parents believe that between the hours of 8:00 and 3:00, school is one of the safest places you can be,” Lane said.

Presently, the possibility of a crisis occurring at Olathe East remains.

Therefore, students must know to take any situation seriously.

“You see this sort of thing in the news sometimes, and you know it happens. However, you never think something like this could really happen at your own school until it actually does,” Laughlin said.

“You never think something like this could happen at your own school until it actually does,” Laughlin said.

News

3

Ryann Smith // Online Editor

U S E

O R

A B U S E

How an Excessive Xanax High Harms the Body

Common Side Effects of Xanax Abuse on the Body, According to Teen Rehab Center Model Does Not Take Xanax

Impair Coordination

Hallucinations Slow Reaction Time

Distorted Perception Drowsiness, Light Headedness, and Fainting

Signs of Xanax Abuse According to Teen Rehab Center: -Low energy -Strange sleeping patterns

Hearing Loss

Swelling (face and mouth) and Hives

Vomiting Blood

Trouble Breathing Shaking

-Loss of inhibition -Change in appetite

Chest pain

-Irritability or hostility -Emotional distance -Decline in school attendance -Unwillingness to spend time with family or friends -Using other substances

A

student at Olathe East, Jimmy Hampton (name changed for his privacy), used Xanax twice at the beginning of February. He plans to aviod using Xanax again due to the negative effects, despite claims of how fun the Xanax high might be.

“I bought four on…I think it was a Wednesday, and then I took half of one right before fifth hour, or during fifth hour, then I took the other half right before I went to bed, and woke up Thursday, and then during second hour I took the third one, and by Friday I kind of forgot where the last one went. So it’s all just a blur,” Hampton said.

He bought all four blocks of the prescription drug from a dealer for $20, claiming to have been influenced by recent music and songs about taking painkillers. He had no insight on how dealers get the Xanax they sell, but criticized the prescription process.

“It seems kind of ridiculous for people to be getting prescribed to it so easily. Even painkillers for chronic back

4

News

pain or arthritis, because I know Vicodin and Oxycodone is getting prescribed a lot just like Xanax. And it’s not like there’s one kind also. It’s just at this point there’s other ones in different milligrams and go by different names and everything. So I mean, maybe kids in the school are prescribed to them, but I would kind of doubt it, because if they had any type of depression, they have like hydroxyzine rather than actual Xanax,” he said.

Hampton experienced excessive drowsiness and memory loss surrounding the days he took the drug. In classes where he could not remember his behavior, he asked other students what happened and how he acted. He received the constant explanation of uncharacteristic silence and napping. Later no pain or sickness followed his brief use.

Hampton likely got by easy, according to Teen Rehab Center. He now joins the statistic of one in five high school students using a prescription drug illegally.

Donald Trump Is Not The Devil Shedding a Positive Light on President Trump Jacob Wilson//Graphics Editor

“Is Donald Trump’s legislative agenda a blank page?”, “The First 100 Lies: The Trump Team’s Flurry Of Falsehoods,” “Ban Donald Trump.”

These examples of the wild headlines have been plastered across news sites. They paint a picture of ignorance in office and present the leader of the free world as nothing more than a liar.

One of the most prominent problems people have with Trump is with his travel ban on six predominantly Muslim countries. The problem lies in the over exaggeration of the ban. Many news companies are stirring up a storm, calling it a “ban on Islam” and a “Muslim ban.” For example, one article by the New York Times was titled “Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban Is Cowardly and Dangerous.”

They use the term without any care of the real facts. The truth stands that only six out of the fifty majority Muslim countries around the world were included in the 90-day travel ban. That is not 100 percent, it is not even 50 percent; that is 12 percent of the Muslim nations in the world. And people still continue to call it a “Muslim ban.”

Another argument put against the ban is that no terrorists have come from the seven countries identified by the ban. This, however, is not the case. In fact, since 9/11, 72 terrorists have come from the seven countries combined according to The Center for Immigration Studies. Also, Barack Obama himself identified them as terrorist hotbeds.

This means that the U.S. government assessed a real terrorist threat from these areas.

In his address to Congress, Trump said, “We cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists. That is why my administration has been working on improved vetting procedures. We have seen the attacks at home from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and yes, the World Trade Center... It is not compassion, but reckless to allow uncontrolled entry from places where proper vetting cannot occur.”

The travel ban has been put in place to create a better system of vetting for our country. If you have a sink that is leaking and flooding your home, you turn the water off, repair or replace the pipes and turn it back on now with a controlled flow. That is exactly what the ban was intended to do, correct the flow of immigrants with a working system.

Many people have also called Trump out for being racist and supporting hate. However, his recent speech to Congress makes it apparent that he will not tolerate it.

Trump said, “Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week’s shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms. [Racial and religious attacks] have no place in our country, and we will continue to make that clear.”

Another recent problem arose with his so-called “war on news” as he has commented countless times on the problem of “fake news,” or news organizations that falsely present facts. In recent days, he kicked out certain news organizations from the White House which he deemed “fake news” in the past. This caused an uproar. Many people do not know that Obama kicked multiple conservative news outlets from his press section during his campaign in 2008. Creating space for outlets the president believes will present a more accurate depiction of the work done is nothing new for the executive office.

The world has heard of the wall planned to be built along the Mexican border as well. This has been a topic of controversy since its inception on the campaign trail. People have called it an insane idea and have paired it with racism implying he seeks to deport as many Hispanics as possible. News media organizations around the world have commented on this massive undertaking and shed a dark light upon it. This project, however, only seeks to defend against those who have come into the nation illegally. Trump pleaded in his congressional speech for Congress to see the project from his perspective.

“We will soon begin the construction of a great, great wall along our southern border. As we speak tonight, we are removing gang members, drug dealers and criminals that threaten our community and prey on our very innocent citizens, bad ones are going out as I speak. To any in Congress who do not believe we should enforce our laws, I would ask you ... what would you say to the American family that loses their jobs ... or loved ones because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders,” Trump said.

The fact is simple: Donald Trump has begun to accomplish the things he promised to the 62,984,825 people who voted him into office. Trump presented 7 executive orders during his first 12 days in office and will continue to create more as he moves forward on his plans. He has done nothing short of what he campaigned for during his platform where he proclaimed he was set on making America great again. If the nation continues to over-react and undermine President Trump, it will demonstrate a divided nation. And in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

“W

hile we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.

”

-Donald J. Trump

EditoriAl

5

Haybales to City Life Reminiscings of Country Living

Kaitlyn Shacklett//Co-Editor

Dear Johnson County Kids, I spent my entire life leading up to the end of my sophomore year in a farming community, the only place familiar to me. Desolate roads covered in gravel and Wednesday chicken nights at a local bar and grill were considered normal to me. Moving to Johnson County, the most populous county in the state of Kansas, turned out to be one drastic change. Some key realizations I had when I moved included:

True Silence Can’t Be Found:

My closest neighbor was a half of a mile away, and vehicles rarely came down our road past 9pm, so silence was something I enjoyed. I was also free to be as loud as I wanted while playing outside when I was younger.

Everyone Doesn’t Know Everyone Else:

Warsaw High School, my old school, currently has a total of 200 students; therefore, I knew every student whether they were four years older or four years younger than myself. I even knew most of the students from neighboring high schools as well.

Every Restaurant and Store is Within a Three-Mile Radius:

A mall was a luxury that we didn’t have. The closest mall, a 45-minute drive, wasn’t even home to a Victoria’s Secret. When it came to grocery shopping and eating out, the answer was 20 minutes one way and included crossing the Mighty Mississippi into Keokuk, Iowa. This big metropolis was where my family went to church and filled our gas tanks.

Driving to and From School Isn’t a Hassle:

Even though we didn’t have the inconvenience of the length of stop lights varying the time we got to school, my sister and I drove a little over 15 minutes to get to school on a road with a speed limit of 55 mph. During harvest season, students were urged to leave early enough in the morning in case of delays caused by being stuck behind a tractor or grain truck.

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EditoriAl

You’ll Have to Seek Out Nature Rather Than Finding it in Your Backyard:

I grew up in a brick home built in 1930 on a few acres of land surrounded on three sides by corn fields. Miles after miles of wide open space were available to explore and discover. Here, I’m fortunate to have a walking trail passing through my neighborhood where I take my dog for walks since she can’t roam around outside anymore.

Professional Sports Teams Are Actually in the Area:

Growing up a huge sports fan, it was a challenge to ever see my favorite professional sports teams live. That’s why high school sports were so popular; everyone in town attended games for any sport, and traditions lived on.

The Possibilities are Endless:

Even though living in a small town has its perks, it felt as though I was living in a box. Class options were limited at school, so getting out of your comfort zone seemed impossible. School newspapers didn’t exist, as neither did broadcasting, leadership, photography; the list goes on. The struggle of obtaining individuality never ceased. Everyone I knew will probably never get out of that area, and I most likely wouldn’t have either if I hadn’t moved. The Kansas City area brings forth opportunities that I didn’t know existed; I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t left my bubble of a world.

Therefore, Johnson County kids, next time you complain about nothing to do on the weekend or you have to drive “all the way downtown”, understand that you have it easy. Don’t take school or anything else you have here for granted.

Sincerely, Kaitlyn A Once Small-Town Girl

The Breakfast Club

Fuel up before a full day of school at some of Olathe’s favorite fast food eateries.

Mikie Brown//Staff Writer Erin McCarthy//Staff Writer reakfast: the most important meal of the day. As a busy and perpetually tired high school student, however, it can also be the most stressful. Though brunch joints such as First Watch and Ginger Sue’s become hot spots for students on Thursday mornings and weekends, obtaining a substantial meal on an average school day rarely seems worth it or possible. Luckily, many restaurants and fast food joints around Olathe accommodate both the time constraints and budgets of busy teenagers. Two Hawk’s Eye staffers purchased a typical before school breakfast at three restaurants around JoCo and collected data from each one regarding their food’s nutrition, service speed and price.

B

Panera Bread: Panera seems to dip under the radar when mentioning popular breakfast spots in Olathe.

Though ever-so trendy for lunch dates and delicious dinners, most forget the vast variety of not only bagels, but breakfast sandwiches, pastries and coffee that Panera offers on a daily basis. The restaurant also pays special attention to its food’s nutrition content and serves several healthier breakfast options.

What We Tried: a chocolate chip bagel with plain cream cheese and a medium green tea Calorie Count: 730 Cal Price: $5.77 Time: 8 minutes and 4 seconds McDonald’s: Even if you don’t like McDonald’s, you still kind of like McDonald’s. With their fairly recent addition of all-day breakfast, the chain restaurant’s demand for both early morning and late night McGriddles proves higher than ever, and rightfully so. With one of the largest meal varieties of any fast food breakfast menu, McDonald’s offers something cheap and delicious for everyone.

What We Tried: a sausage, egg and cheese McGriddle, a small mocha frappe and a hash brown Calorie Count: 1,147 Cal Price: $6.47 Time: 8 minutes and 52 seconds

If you consider yourself less of a Lamar’s Donuts: Some may argue that East’s go-to donut shop lacks options; however, one look at Lamar’s extensive menu proves this conception wrong. While the shop’s main feature is, of course, donuts, they also offer a variety of beverages: everything from iced tea, to fresh fruit smoothies, to caramel macchiatos. Located on 125th and Quivira, attaining a pre-school sugar rush has never been easier.

What We Tried: one glazed donut and a small white chocolate mocha Calorie Count: 482 Cal Price: $4.59 Time: 5 minutes and 3 seconds

breakfast enthusiast and more of a coffee connoisseur, check out these speedy, easy and tasty places to grab an early morning cup of Joe: Starbucks - average price $3.50-$5.00 Quik Trip - average price $1-$2 Scooter’s - average price $2.50$4.50 Revo Cup - average price $3.50$5.50 Chick Fil A - average price $1.50-$2.50

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T HE W O RK I NG CL ASS Students share funny or scary stories they have experienced while at work.

Melanie Ezster//Social Media Chair Felicity Wenger//Staff Writer

CVS Pharmacy Asher Caliufliled

Megan Reynolds Hallmark: One Year Employed

One Year Employed

“One day my coworker and I were loading the trash in the trash compactor, and a raccoon appeared in it. My coworker proceeds to slam the door shut and immediately turn on the trash compactor and squish the raccoon flat.”

“A women came into Hallmark who was around 65 years old.

While I was working and assisting her, she showed me her three tattoos, recognized two people, and cussed at another customer for rushing her. She was awesome.”

Calissa Statesafter she got the job at Olive Garden.

Chick-Fil-A Eric Hufnagel

15 Months Employed

“There was a man who ran out of gas in the drive through (he was the fourth car to stop in the line) and he walked up to the window and started swearing at me, and was very angry. It was pretty scary but we later found out he had been driving all day from Colorado and was trying to get to his mother’s funeral.”

Lenny’s Sub Shop Peyton Shellenberger Three Months Employed

“It was pouring rain and a customer left the door open, with the wind keeping it open. Rain flooded into the lobby of the shop before my manager rushed to close it, but it caused him to slip immediately as he got to the water.

He started cussing, locked the door, turned the open sign off, threw his hat, and went to the back. I had to mop up the whole lobby, all an hour before closing.”

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EntertAinment

Calissa States Olive Garden: Six Months Employed

Megan Reynolds, excited to work at Hallmark.

Courtesy of Megan Reynolds.

“One time I was trying to seat an old couple and they didn’t really comprehend what I was saying, so they sat themselves at a random table. The lady pulled a bag of Freddy’s out of her purse and they just sat there for an hour eating Freddy’s. I work at Olive Garden.'

Lifeguard Hannah Burkhart

Life Guard at the Olathe Community Center and Frontier Trail Pool: Four Years Employed “On my fourth day a guy stopped breathing.”

Santa Marta Retirement Community

McAuley Hollis Two Years Employed

“We have a German resident and for two years, another resident has been accusing her of being a Nazi Spy.”

Jennifer Morgan Old Navy “When I was working, a girl found a pair of underwear in the men’s section that was not from Old Navy.”

Jennifer Morgan with a cowaorker at Old Navy.

Rachel Shyrock McCrackens Gymnastics: One Year Employed “I work at a gym and one time I was coaching a girl on beam.

She was kind of crouching and looking around but I just ignored it. Next thing I know, the girl peed herself all over the beam and I had to clean it up.”

YOU BELONG AT PITTSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY

200+ ACADEMIC PROGRAMS FLAT RATE TUITION

Raszain Alhassena Homesgood/Marshalls: 1 Year 6 Months Employed “One time I was carrying a mirror that was too heavy for me. It ended up falling on top of me, and shattered. On top of that, there was a $200 glass vase right next to me that broke, next to a $180 lamp. I started crying so they decided to sent me home.”

#BeAGorilla EntertAinment

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Hawks Down The Road

Three Successful Alumni Share Their Accomplishments After High School

P

revious Olathe East graduates have used their talents learned from high school to follow their dreams into the working world.

Ashlynn Mims graduated from Olathe East in 2012, finished her senior year at Kansas State University at the School of Mass Communications a year ago in May. Mims credits her love for broadcast journalism from Mr. McDonald’s Video Production Class. The class allowed everyone to make their own creative stories, and everything in between from filming and editing video to video packaging.

Mims added, “Video production didn’t seem like work, so that is when I knew I had a career in Broadcast News. I knew I would wake up every day loving what I do for a living.”

Public speaking under the instruction of Jill Vohs became another successful tool that helped Mims in the college world.

This past summer Mims interned at Channel 2 News in Houston, Texas. She worked producing, reporting, desk editing, and other jobs that became requested of her.

Mims said “I worked hard and went above and beyond in an effort to show my talents. As a result, I was offered a position to come back to Channel 2 to work as an Associate Producer once I graduate in May, which is an opportunity not many receive.”

Mims advises to future graduates about taking pride in work, networking, and staying persistent. If they do this, they will get noticed for their hard dedication as she did, and now she will have a job waiting for her even before graduating college.

Julie Burton graduated from Olathe East in 2000. She currently writes for Simply KC magazine and operates her own non-funded personal blog called Bug Bytes. When she has time, she free-lances for various companies and PR firms.

For Simply KC, she interviews people all around the metro, from small business owners and doctors, to local celebrities like Eric Hosmer, Travis Kelce, and Jeremy Maclin. Burton is presently working on a project with Eric Stonestreet from “Modern Family.”

As a student at Olathe East, Photography and Fashion, taught respectively by Mrs. Silks and Mrs. Hungerford, interested Burton because of the creativity needed. Burton encouragingly says, “I didn’t make straight As in English, but I did enjoy writing and reading. I think anytime you are creative, especially when you do it for work, you need to be confident. You will get criticism. Your confidence with your craft will help overcome that. I think the teachers at OE were good at “lifting” us up creatively.”

After graduating from Olathe East, Burton said she didn’t feel ‘done’ yet, so she attended Kansas State University for more schooling.

Burton feels that not knowing what career to do in the future is normal. She said that she didn’t even realize she had talent for writing until she wrote a blog about her daughter, and it went viral.

Knowing that people enjoyed reading her writing made her feel successful, and it encouraged her to write more. She said it might take a while to find a passion, but imagining people reading their work makes the writer better in the end.

Burton also recommends networking, meeting people, and making a good first impression. Imperfections make a person unique, and

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FeAture

Burton wishes that she had realized that earlier.

Thomas Williams graduated from Olathe East in 2015, employed as a Midshipman in the United States Naval Academy when he graduated high school.

The Naval Academy offers 22 different majors similar to non-military schools offer, however the students there both go to school full time, and are fully employed in the Navy. Instead of going home, they go in for training wherever they station.

For Williams, on breaks of summer this year, he will instruct rising seniors in a program called Summer Seminar. During the last half, he will sail overseas somewhere in the world on a Navy Ship where he will lead after his graduation in 2019.

Entering the Naval Academy created major mental challenges for Williams, as he says he the mind, the body, and the soul needed to form the person Williams is today.

Plebe Training, similar to boot camp in the summer trains the soldiers to push to their limits. This high intensity helps the soldiers become stronger to ensure they become the best leader possible.

Training next to future fighter pilots and seeing results from hard work training seems to make for an accomplishment to the soldiers.

Williams relied on religion during training, with this becoming an important or reward that couldn’t be ignored in his life. He said whether people believe in religion of a higher power or not, having a reliance helps get through hard times in life.

Williams said “If I were to have chosen a different college or university, I would still be challenged in a multitude of ways, but I always would have felt that something was missing.”

During his time at Olathe East, Williams said that all of the academics were top notch, but he especially loved the Math and English Departments as in his opinion are the two most important subjects to prepare for the future.

Olathe East stood as a model leadership place for Williams to study. From baseball to Spanish National Honor Society, every student has potential to succeed.

For high schoolers preparing for the future, Williams said not to treat yourself as a victim, as people are not against you. The way to help yourself is to keep working harder to get yourself ahead.

Williams said “I can promise that if you prioritize your personal development, you will be not only happy, you will be content. Anyone can be happy; happiness is purely physical, it’s what you feel after your favorite meal. To be content is a mindset, and it only occurs when you feel successful in all aspects of your life. So my advice is to put your head down, cast aside the criticism, and work towards transforming all the potential you have into a successful future.”

Update: Since the last time Ashlynn Mims, Thomas Williams, and Julie Burton were interviewed last year, changes have taken place.

Ashlynn Mims switched positions in her job at KCPR channel 2 news, and she now is in charge of writing articles for online, and helps manage the station’s social media accounts.

Mims said “There is never a dull moment in news. It is fun, but it is difficult at times.”

Julie Burton still writes for her blog, and one new adventure that she steps out with is becoming an author with her first book.

Thomas Williams still remains as a Midshipman(student) in the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Last year WIlliams was a Midshipman fourth class, and this year he steps ranks to be a Midshipman third class.

Williams is one of six sophomore staff leaders who are responsible for training fourteen freshman this year. Everyone is required to wear a uniform, and help with collateral duties.

The Naval Academy takes the summer months of most student’s summer break to train future and current Midshipman on how the school will work, and to see if it will be the right fit for them.

Last summer, Williams was flown to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where he spent two weeks working on an aircraft carrier. This summer, he will be going to Raytheon Missile Systems in Tuscon, Arizona working with tactile missiles.

Some extra benefits to the new rank are that they can leave more often on the weekends, they don’t have to get until 6:45, an extra hour from the previous 5:45 awakenings.

Williams is enrolled in 21 credit hours for school this year, which proves that he still keeps busy.

One fun event that the people in the Naval Academy like to joke around with is the Brigade of Midshipman where 4500 studnts march in formation to lunch.

Williams said, “This is a big tourist attaction, so the joke here is that people come from a thousand miles away to watch us go to lunch.”

Williams said that the work that they must do every day in the Navy is tiresome, but they are being educated on how to be the best warriors on the battlefield.

After the Midshipmen graduate, they will be just below officer positions, but above the enlisted personnel. They all will receive a bachelor’s degree as well as a commission as an Ensign.

Williams’ true goal for after graduation would be to become a Marine Corps Pilo with the aim of flying fighter aircrafts like an F/A-18 Hornet or the F-35 Lightning.

Williams, Burton, and Mims all look forward to their exciting futures.

Ashlynn Mims works for a news station in Texas after getting an internship before graduating college. Courtesy of Ashlynn Mims.

Thomas Williams joined the Naval Academy and found his true passions. Courtesy of Thomas Williams.

Julie Burton works as a blogger online. Courtesy of Julie Burton.

FeAture

11

Springing into Sports

Looking Ahead to the 25th Year of Spring Sports

S

pring brings the season of trips, bipolar weather and allergies. It also marks the return of spring sports at Olathe East. The spring sports come out for the 25th straight year with completion training, excitement for all coaches, and players of spring sports including: baseball, softball, girls’ swimming, boys’ golf, tennis and track & field.

Jacob Stofer//Managing Editor

Baseball America’s pastime will be heading back to East this spring. After posting a 6-14 in 2016, head coach John McDonald in his 16th season at East, and 12th as head baseball coach is looking back at last season’s performance and sees it as a way to improve the team.

“Last year we had a lot younger team and brought up a lot of younger individuals. There were some challenges within the season. Overall, we did not have a winning season, but we were very excited about how we competed. We were in each and every game. And we gave a lot of kids some experience,” McDonald said.

Despite the off-season, the players also saw it as an exciting year. Senior Jackson Doherty echoes those same words.

“We were below 500. We will have a lot of returning players from varsity, including myself and the other upperclassman. We stuck to it and even though the end result

wasn’t there, the effort and hard work was there. If we keep up the hard work, then the baseball gods will be in our favor,” Doherty said.

The players have been preparing to play from the end of May, until the start of the off season, on club teams. KASHAA rules prevents coaches from hosting any sport actives with the players from July till the start of the season in January.

Looking ahead, the team, which includes five seniors, are circling some games on the schedule as ones to look forward to. Senior Zack Biddison weighs in.

“Definitely the first game of the season, the Robbie Jones Tournament, is where we play Olathe South at ODAC. If we win, then we will play the winner of the North-Northwest game. Then on April 3, we have our Kauffman Stadium game against South, which I am looking forward to a lot.” Biddison said.

Boy’s Golf

The OE Boy’s Golf Team is ready to sink some hole-in-ones and get on the green. After posting second at Regionals and seventh at state last year, Josh Umprey embarks on his 11th year coaching boy’s gold, and his first year as head coach.

“I think last season we had a really solid team; maybe [we] didn’t achieve the goals that we wanted to. We had some good aspirations to get to state and we could have done it. We weren’t ready for that stage, but looking forward we have a good group of kids that are going to set our expectations high and achieve them,” Umphrey said.

The head coach supports, but the players are the ones that get on the green and hit the ball far. Senior and four-year member, David Gutgesell, is always looking for ways to improve his game each and every day.

“Always the short

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Sports

game, chipping and putting always come in huge. Also keeping the ball in the fair way,” Gutgesell said.

Over the course of the season, the team will be involved in various invitational tournaments.

“There is always two dates you circle on the calendar: Regionals and State. You have to qualify at regionals, to qualify for state. The rest of the tournaments are just practice. The team that we are looking forward to get past is Shawnee Mission East, they are our big rival,” Umphrey said.

Fellow Senior Jared Pheffer is looking past the schedule and is eying the big goal.

“I am looking forward to state; it’s the one I care about the most. I am looking forward to getting back. It [would] mean a lot to win state and we are looked upon.

People think we aren’t as good as we are,” Phefer said.

Senior Carson Fitzgerald (Right), smacks a tennis ball during practice.

Photo by Jacob Stofer

Boy’s Tennis

The OE Boy’s Tennis team is ready to go after tying for fourth in the Sunflower League, and placing Fifth at Regionals. Head Coach Anthony Ruiz shares his thoughts on last season.

“We had three participants make state last year, one doubles team ([Aiden] Vogel and [Braden] Fain) and a singles player (Carson Fitzgerald). Carson is a senior this year and we hope that he can make it back this year. Hopefully, we can develop two strong doubles teams to replace the teams we lost last year” Ruiz said.

The senior (and four year-member) Fitzgerald, talks about his thoughts about last season.

“Last year we had a lot of tournaments. We have a ton of new players, with four returning members on varsity. I made it to state but did

not place. My goal is to place at state this year,” Fitzgerald said.

The team this year is experienced, with 13 returning players from last year. Fitzgerald has much confidence in the underclassman.

“This year team is going to be fun. Half of the team is new to the team. We have a lot of juniors and seniors trying out,” Fitzgerald said.

Looking towards this year, Fitzgerald is looking forward to a couple of meets on the schedule.

“The Topeka Kossover tournament, because it is at the beginning of the year, and people don’t have that much experience,” Fitzgerald said.

Softball

Junior catcher Devin Conley stares down the outfield before getting ready behind the plate.

Photo by Jacob Stofer

Looking to build off a third place state finish from 2016, the OE Softball team in ready to get back on the field. Head Coach Stan Spurlin reflects on last season.

“Last season we had two outstanding seniors, Kaylee Byers and Leslie Twillman.

[They] really helped carry us further than a lot of people thought we would. We lost some seniors the year before that. We lost a lot of hitting in that group, but [Kaylee] and [Leslie] worked a lot with our juniors.

A really strong season,” Spurlin said.

A key contributer this year, Junior Catcher Devin Conley shares her thoughts on last season.

“Last season we passed through regionals, and went to state. Unfortunately, there was a lot of weather issues. But we ended up tying for third with Olathe Northwest.

Track and Field

This spring, the track and field will be running once again, with eyes on state. Last spring, the girls won the 6A State Championship while the boys finished as runners-up. Head Coach Mike Wallace, for the 25th consecutive year, will lead a team whose goal is to run hard, make and win state, looks back at last season.

“Last season, our girls were state champions.

We were really senior heavy, graduated a lot of kids that went to run in college, so that was pretty cool. Our boys lost one meet the entire year; that was the state meet. It was bittersweet.

We ended up getting third,” Wallace said.

One of the leaders for the boys team, Senior Tyler Heidnebreck reflects on last year.

“Last season was an interesting one. We had a ton of great talent. Two years ago, when we won the state championship, we got a ton of returning seniors who were going to help us place at state. We had a ton of seniors leave , however we do have some great talent this year

Girl’s Swim

No Complaints is the motto of the Olathe East Girls swim and dive team. Head Coach David Youker, 13th year as girls head coach talks about what that means to the team.

“No Complaints is a way to look at life. How are things going? No Complaints. We aren’t going to complain when we are here at Olathe East swimming. On our team, we aren’t complaining.

Complaining brings people down,” Youker said.

The team is here to swim, compete, and have fun. Senior Samantha Davidson offers insight at what the team can do to improve.

“Putting in hard work at practice and continuing to have a good mindset,” Davidson said.

Looking back at last season, Youker had a successful season and will look to see more improvements.

“The [team] worked hard and very much into the team. They were all team-oriented. I think it reflected in their swims and dives. We were a

coming back this year,” Heidnebreck said.

On the girls, Senior Emily Schmeeckle looks back on last year.

“Last years highlights not only included winning a state title which was very awesome, but being a part of a team that worked so hard and dedicated time and effort to gaining success,” Schmeeckle said.

The track and field team has a rich tradition as being one of the elite in the state of Kansas.

All of that goes to the training that they do.

“Our distance kids took a week off from state cross-country, and they have been running ever since. The rest of us have been doing conditioning since the third week of January,” Wallace said.

Looking ahead to the schedule, the team will be looking to win another state championship.

“Regionals and State are the two main events that we cater towards. Wallace is training us, so we can perform at a high level]. The adrenaline

I think we need to hit better, and [getting] productive outs,” Conley said.

With six returning seniors, the team has the experience and the mindset to impress many people this year. Spurlin reflects on the experience.

“This is the most seniors we have had in a while. A great group of leaders, who have been in the program for four years.

Many of them as varsity members. We expect a lot from them in our offseason programs with them. Senior Haylee McGhee is an outstanding pitcher. We need to give her more run support, and that is our main goal heading into this year,” Spurlin said.

Junior Outfielder Miranda Delgado looks to the schedule and sees two teams that will be the toughest.

“Olathe South and Olathe Northwest are tough competitors and play the game really well. I am also excited to play freestate,” Delgado said.

Girl’s Soccer

Coming off a 126-1 record, the Girls’ soccer team are hyped to get back on the pitch this season after making it to Quarterfinals and losing to Blue Valley West 2-0. A senior dominated team, including Grace Stein, a four-year member of the Girls varsity team, shares her thoughts on the past season.

“We won the regional championship for the third year in a row, and lost some good part of the Sunflower League, and swam [in that seniors. We lost to Blue division],” Youker said.

Valley West in the Elite On the Diving side, Head Coach Ryan Meeker Eight,” Stein said. in his fourth year as the head diving coach, talks Elite Eight. Those about this year’s team, which includes three words were echoed divers.

by Head Coach Terry “This year’s team is up and coming. We have Hair in his 25th year as a good shot at having another state qualifier this Olathe East Head Girls year. We have a couple of divers who are [soarSoccer Coach. ing] and I am pretty excited to see what they can “We lost in the Elite do,” Meeker said.

Eight to a team that Another swimmer, Senior Annalisa Rowe, eventually finished shares her thoughts on this years schedule. second in the state and “One of the meets that i am looking forward we were not able to go to the most is the Olathe City meet: [It involves] to the Final Four,” Hair East, Olathe South, Olathe North, Olathe Northwest. I know that East has won it all three years that I have been here. So I am looking to pull out another win” Rowe said.

said.

The team has been preparing all season, and playing all year round. Hair notes this.

“We have a rich tradition of excellence at Olathe East Girls’ soccer. They have committed to improving themselves in the offseason, by getting bigger, faster, stronger,” Hair said.

Looking towards the season, Hair looks forward to a few teams who will be a challenge to his girls side.

“All of the games will be tough. The Sunflower league is a very competitive league, along with the other Olathe Schools. And [of course], Shawnee Mission West [were] state champions last year. We don’t have any easy games on our schedule,” Hair said.

Sports

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