The Harbinger: Issue 8 2010-2011

Harbinger

three of

A KIND Three sophomores grew up with basketball and now play varsity

Fire at Milburn Country Club takes records and memories with it

p. 3

ISSUE 8 SHAWNEE MISSION EAST PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS DEC. 13, 2010 SMEHARBINGER.NET

GrantHeinlein

the

AnneWillman

The East gym is filled with elementary school boys all dressed in new “Lancer Basketball Camp” T-shirts and basketball shorts that are sizes too large. From across the court, ten-year-old Zach Schneider spots a boy that he’d been afraid of on the basketball court throughout the camp. The boy that was always on the team that won. It was Vance Wentz. Wentz noticed Schneider from across the court, but wasn’t intimidated because he was about the same size as him. On the other side of the court, Wentz’s neighbor Chase Hanna plays

A growing number of East students take Adderall to focus on tests

pp. 16-17

with intensity during a drill.

As the boys completed each station: ball handling, then defensive practice, followed by shooting, they began to see one another more often. The three boys didn’t know that they would be united again. Now Schneider towers over Wentz and Schneider isn’t scared of Wentz; all three boys even hang out off the court. Six years after the camp, the three boys play and practice on the same court on the varsity team.

Continued on page 30

Staffer compares popular sushi places More photos of the recent pep in Kansas City p. 21 assembly p. 23

The fire may have destroyed our clubhouse, but it didn’t take down Milburn Country Club.”

Club VP Bob Fischgrund p. 3

NEWS 02 12-13-10

A LOOK INTO THE ROBBERY $62,240 STOLEN three to four

WEEKS OF

PREPARATION

Took place at

a U.S. Bank

ATM

5:33 a.m.

Alarm Sounded DID IT ON A WEDNESDAY sidebar it was the maybe? day after the ATM had filled up All suspects

Under 30

Facing up to

30 years of jail time and $1 million in fines

Former East student Michael Grace

Former East student David Batson

CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR Two East graduates face jail time after an attempted heist KatBuchanan

According to Overland Park police records, four men, including East The Attempt According To Police Record: Nov. 10, 2010 alumni Michael Grace and David Batson, both 20-years-old, were charged 5:00 a.m. Batson receives a coded text message notifying him that the this past month in a staged kidnapping and the subsequent robbery of a plan to embezzle the bank’s funds is still on. Batson then drives by Grace’s local bank on Nov. 10. The quartet embezzled $62,248 from an ATM ma- house and sees Connors and Grace getting into Grace’s car. He then realchine before being caught hours later, an act executed utilizing Grace’s izes that Connors is the one helping Grace, not McWhirt as he had previformer status as a teller at the U.S. Bank on 119th street in Overland Park. ously believed. Batson drives in his car to 120th Street and Nieman Rd. Although the boys are out of Wyandotte County Jail on $20,000 bond, where he meets the other two men. He waits while Grace and Connors the accused robbers are subject to $1 million fines and up to 30 years im- drive Grace’s car over to the bank. prisonment in the near future. Both boys’ attorneys refused to comment on the details of the case, as did Grace himself, saying he had been “ad5:53 a.m. An investigator at the bank, Marty Taraski, states that the vised not to disclose any information regarding the incident.” bank’s alarm was disarmed at this time on Nov. 10, 2010. The two men, The criminal behavior of the two boys, who were seniors at East in Grace and Connors, opened the ATM machine using Grace’s key, stuffed 2009, was completely out of the ordinary according to multiple sources the money into a bag, and then tied Grace to a chair behind the teller’s who knew them during their time spent at the school. area within the bank.

“Nothing would’ve pointed to that sort of behavior from [Grace],” previous teacher and choir director Ken 7:20 a.m. U.S. Bank employee Jacob Sherman enters the Foley said. “But I always look for the good in people.”

“As a teacher, you bank and discovers Grace tied up in duct tape and seated in a chair in the area behind the teller counters. Sherman then retry to see the best in moves the duct tape from the trapped man’s hands and body.

The Set-Up your students. You’re Grace advises Sherman to “call corporate security.” Sherman According to documented police questioning, not like, ‘I want you to asks if anybody is still within the bank’s vicinity, to which Grace said he had been plotting the attempt along grow up to be a bank Grace responds, “Not to my knowledge.” Sherman does as with Brenden L. Connors, 18, and Jacob McWhirt, 28, robber.’ You want he’s told, and relays the information to security that Grace three to four weeks prior to the break-in, while the them to grow up and feeds to him. According to Grace, his kidnapper and theremen were working at the AMC Town Center 20 movie be happy.” fore the bank’s robber, was white and middle-aged. Sherman theater together. The men had planned for the robbery Jeannette Bonjour, a former calls the police and lets two Overland Park Police Officers to be a heist; Connors would don a Halloween mask teacher of Grace’s into the bank to begin investigation. and pretend to force Grace into opening up the ATM with his key, making the scene look plausible for the surveillance cameras. Batson would then load the money The Aftermath into the trunk of the getaway car parked close by and drive off into the Connors returned to Batson’s car from the scene in the bank a short distance, leaving Grace tied to a chair with a bloody nose. The “beating” time later, according to the police reports, driving Grace’s blue Chevy. He would be the handiwork of Connors, who, according to authorities, hit then got into Batson’s car, and the two proceeded to drop the bag containGrace across the face to further the credibility of the story they’d woven ing the money from the bank in McWhirt’s unlocked Volvo. during their time at the nearby theater.

Several hours after the two left the area, the police were on McWhirt’s “I don’t know what the situation was, if it was them wanting money to case, records allege. The 28-year-old was approached by several Overland go to school, or why they wanted the money that badly,” former AMC co- Park Police Department detectives, and consented to a search of the veworker and East graduate Morgan Meyers said. “But I never thought they hicle that resulted in the discovery of the embezzled funds. would go to that extremity.”

The surveillance footage recorded at the bank revealed that the “kidGrace admitted to the police that he’d decided to execute the plan the napper” had no weapon, a tip-off to the authorities that the robbery was day after the bank’s ATM had been filled up, a Wednesday. Batson admit- an inside job. According to the charged documents, Grace was the first ted during questioning to getting cold feet the night before the robbery; to confess, and told the FBI agents that the kidnapping was a lie and that he said that he was originally the one who would be forcing Grace to rob he had been the one to organize the plan altogether, adding, “I should’ve the ATM, and had switched his role to the driver to avoid the confronta- done it myself.” The other suspects cracked under the pressure of the potion. The fourth member of the group, McWhirt, also backed out of the ac- lice questioning and soon confirmed Grace’s account of the truth. tion at the last minute, feeling “uncomfortable” with the embezzlement “As a teacher, you try to see the best in your students,” Jeannette Bonitself. He chose instead to hold the stolen funds after Batson had made jour, a former English teacher of Grace, said. “You’re not like, ‘I want you away with them, and left his car unlocked for easy stashing. to grow up to be a bank robber.’ You want them to grow up and be happy.”

Grace pushed forward with the plan, using himself and Connors as the Each member of the group was sent to Wyandotte Country Prison lead men behind the operation. The night before the incident, the men only to be released less than a week later on the Nov. 15, on $20,000 bond discussed their final plan while at the AMC theater, authorities allege. Af- granted by U.S. Magistrate Judge David J. Waxse. ter Grace had purchased a grotesque mask from Wal-Mart and provided The magnitude of the case is not lessened by the men’s ordered release Connors with duct tape and gloves, the plan was set in motion. from jail; the indictment filed against the accused criminals states that if they are convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million.

“

”

NEWS issue 8

03

UP IN SMOKE

Milburn Country Club erupts in massive fire KevinSimpson

Since its beginnings 93 years ago, Milburn Golf & Country Club has been known as one of the hardest courses in the Kansas City area.

Its fast greens and overall course length have long provided a steep challenge for its members and guests.

But when Milburn president Greg Dunn stood on the first tee of his golf course on Nov. 29, he was preparing for a different kind of challenge—one far more serious than sand traps and deep roughs. His back was turned to the course as he eyed the clubhouse, or what was left of it. Raging winds had turned a small fire into full-scale flames that enveloped the building. Smoke stretched into the sky for miles. The clubhouse suffered heavy damage from water, smoke and fire.

“It was kind of surreal watching the whole thing, with all the people around, the fire department and the news crews,” Dunn said.

“Seeing a familiar building in flames—I guess surreal would be the word I would use.”

No members or employees were harmed in the fire, as it occurred on a Monday, when the club is closed. A few firefighters did suffer minor injuries. The fire began after workers from All Star Roofing Co., Inc. were using a propane torch during repair work on the roof of the clubhouse. Firefighters told the KC Star that the torch caused a small fire around 3:30 p.m., and the roofing crew thought they had put it out.

However, around 4:15 p.m., a smoke detector went off at the club. Just before the response team arrived at the club, a golfer on the course called to say that he saw significant amounts of smoke on the roof, as well as a group of people using an extinguisher and attempting to put out the fire, according to deputy chief Mike Casey of the Overland Park Fire Department.

According to club vice president Bob Fischgrund, the high winds played a huge role in the development of the fire, as they whipped it into a much larger size. After receiving a phone call, Dunn was on the scene

LindseyHartnett

by 4:40 p.m., observing the damage to the magnitude. Other than property damages, nearly-century-old club. there’s really no other damage.”

Casey said the first crews to arrive had to Moving forward, the club has already reincrease the response, which calls for more scheduled every one of its winter events to resources. The crews determined that the fire nearby country clubs, including Indian Hills, was too large to extinguish from the inside. Kansas City and Mission Hills. A one million This caused the firefighters to change their dollar renovation was just about to be made mode of operation to defensive, which in- to the clubhouse, so the schedule for January volves containing the fire as best they could through March was relatively empty, accordand limiting the damage to ing to Fischgrund. Dunn surrounding structures. said that the rebuilt clubBy 6 p.m., the fire had been house will be more efficient, contained, but not without from both a functionality ...Everybody’s going damages. and energy-saving standto stick together and “The clubhouse, we bepoint. Fischgrund said that we will get through lieve, is a total loss,” Dunn the club does have good insaid. “We are going to be able surance, and he’s optimistic this...I think people to be able to retrieve some that it will be able to cover will do whatever they contents from inside, but many of the expenses tocan to help get it back most of the contents are lost, ward the rebuilt clubhouse. going. either from fire, smoke or waThough the old clubparent Karen Genton ter. Pictures, artifacts, old golf house is gone, the memories clubs, trophies, plaques. It’s a it brought were not swept big part of the identity of the club. Some of up with the ashes. Dunn recalled many times when he went to his favorite room, the Alibi those things are not replaceable.”

Despite all the items that were lost in the Room, to watch football and play cards with flames, the Overland Park Fire Department his friend. His parents celebrated their 40th was able to keep the fire contained to just the and 50th anniversaries in the room. Longclubhouse area after using nearly 3.2 million time member and East parent Karen Genton gallons of water. Members were able to get like the sunset room upstairs. Junior Adam their personal property out of their lockers, Lowe loved heading to the grill room area to which were located on the ground level, one get a chicken sandwich after a round of golf.

Lowe has been a Milburn member since below where most of the damage occurred.

All of the other areas of the club were 1996. He said that he spent a great deal of his safe from damages. The swimming pool area, youth playing rounds of golf or hanging at along with the pool house and snack bar, was the club swimming pool. Though his family safe. The tennis courts were safe. The work- has yet to make a decision on whether or not out facility was safe. Even the pro shop, lo- they will remain members, Lowe will always cated next to the clubhouse and containing have fond memories of the club.

“It’s been a really positive and good place merchandise and several hundred sets of golf to spend time at,” Lowe said. “You could alclubs, survived unscathed.

“Most importantly, all the people are fine,” most say that Milburn is a little overlooked Fischgrund said. “Not only our members but in the Kansas City area. The members that are also employees. Nobody was hurt. None of there love it and are very close.”

Genton agrees that there is a very loyal the houses in the neighborhood were hurt.

It’s really pretty amazing for a fire of that core group of members. Her family has be-

“ ”

longed to Milburn since 1991, and she doesn’t anticipate any change during these uncertain times.

“Because of the closeness of the membership, everybody’s going to stick together and we will get through this,” Genton said. “I think there will be a huge following for help.

There are so many people that are connected to it; I think people will do whatever they can to help get it back going.”

To keep the loyal membership informed in the aftermath of the fire, Dunn e-mailed daily updates to club members. In addition to determining future plans for the club, Dunn is working hard to ensure the club hangs on to members like Genton and Lowe.

“One of our goals during this period that we’re going to rebuild is to keep our membership in tact,” Dunn said. “But I think we’ll be able to do that. We have a lot of third or fourth generation families there. Some members have gone there for 50-60 years.”

The club will continue to provide services to these members in the coming months, even after the loss of the clubhouse. Dunn said that they are setting up a base of operations for the club and working on finding temporary facilities for members until a new clubhouse is built.

Milburn hopes that dining services will still be offered, albeit in a more limited experience, to members that wish to eat on site.

For now, however, there is no food or beverage service, making these jobs unavailable.

Dunn said that the club plans to find other positions for the employees whose jobs were lost in the fire.

Fischgrund doesn’t anticipate a significant drop in membership. The loyal membership and the prospects of being able to build a newer and more modern clubhouse leave him optimistic for the future.

“The club is still alive and well,” Fischgrund said. ”The fire may have destroyed our clubhouse, but it didn’t take down Milburn Country Club.”

NEWS 04 12-13-10

e h t

S F E I BR

nts e v e ing

om c p u ber’s groi

k

a loo

THE WEEK IN 3 PHOTOS

Junior Sarah Cook and Sophomore Emma Meara stretch and talk before the pep assembly. “It was good, it’s always kind of stressful,” Cook said.

“But we’ve been practicing for a while so when we get out there it’s just like ‘time to show them what we’ve got.”

m e c e at D

ieS

Ann

You won’t hear holiday classics at this year’s winter band concert. This year Band Director Kim Harrison decided to take a less traditional route when selecting the songs for their winter program.

The first piece they’ll play is “Three Celtic Dances,” a festive Irish song with three movements, which sounds similar to the songs that accompany traditional Irish dance.

Next in the program is “Revelation March”. According to senior and clarinet player Micah Melia, this march has been more

13

challenging than some they’ve learned in the past because of all the flat notes it includes.

The finale of the concert will be “The Water is Wide.”

It will include flute solos from seniors Tyler Cecil and Lucas Throckmorton.

“It’s great that we get to feature them,” Melia said. “ They are some of the best flute players in the state.”

band CONCERT

14 15 16 17

EVENT COUNTDOWN Senior Megan Nass and Caroline Doerr cheer on the basketball team at the first varsity game of the season. “It was really fun seeing a win my senior year,” said Doerr.

Dec. 14

IB Information

CLASS MEETING Class of 2014: 6 - 7 p.m.

Class of 2013: 7: 15 - 8:30 p.m.

Library

The Lancer Dancers join in their huddle and cheer before the assembly. “I give spirit talks before every performance,” senior Megan Nass said. “It’s kind of just to pump them up and get them excited.”

Dec. 22 WINTER

BREAK

Dec. 16-21

FINALS

Thursday:1st hour final Friday: 2nd and 3rd hour final Monday: 4th and 5th hour final Tuesday: 6th and 7th hour

Jan. 3 BACK IN SCHOOL

NEWS

ADIÓS

issue 8

05

to

FourLoko

Recent legislation bans popular alcoholic energy drink www.thewhitonline.com

ToniAguiar

The bright purple, green and yellow dye of the jellybeans rubbed off in junior Kelly Monroe’s* slightly moist right hand as she bounced around the packed basement, feeding a jellybean to each person there. Even though she knew maybe five of the 20 people there, she felt invincible.

A slightly stale blue raspberry taste coated her mouth. The bass pounded through her ears and made her even more aware of her restlessness. She wanted to go sleep, wanted to go pass out in a secluded corner of the basement, but she couldn’t stop. Once the jellybeans ran out, she wiped her hand on her sequined tank top.

In her right was a purple and silver can of Four Loko.

Monroe’s experience shows the effects of Four Loko, an alcoholic energy drink. The increasing usage of Four Loko has caught the attention of everyone from concerned parents to FDA officials.

The drink comes in ten different flavors ranging from cranberry lemonade to blue raspberry and contains the equivalent of five shots of vodka and the caffeine of two Starbucks lattes. The FDA has now issued warnings to four different makers of these alcohol-laced energy drinks and hopes to have all Four Loko products off the shelves by the end of December 2010.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, Four Loko has been gaining popularity, especially around college and high school campuses. In the past few months, concern has rose among doctors, law enforcement and parents about the drink’s appeal to the younger generation.

“A lot of people feel like it’s marketed to young people,” St. Luke’s Hospital ER doctor Chris Bowser said. “The trendy packaging combined with statements like ‘herbal supplements’ makes a nasty combination.”

The colorful packaging is only one factor that contributes to the popularity of the drink. A cult has grown around it, featuring YouTube videos of college students chugging multiple cans of the drink.

According to Monroe, the first place she heard of the drink was at a party over the summer. Others are warned about it by parents or are aware of it from horror stories about the dangers of it.

“My mom actually told me about [Four Loko] for the first time. She gave me this YouTube link to go to about all these kids

that had died from drinking too much of it,” junior Jake Stern* said. “But I drank it anyways just ‘cause it sounded new and interesting. I probably drink it about twice a month.”

Four Loko is accessible to kids in its price and convenience. Only costing around $4 per can, it costs less and less money to get wasted. According to Monroe, the oversized, 23.5 oz. cans are so high in alcohol content that one or two of them can last her all night. In reality, it only takes a few Four Lokos to cause severe motor control impairment and even unconsciousness because of their high al-

“

“The danger is everything: the packaging, the alcohol content, the caffeine, the culture around Dr. Chris Bowser, M.D. it.”

”

cohol content and large can, according to Bowser.

But the real reason they drink it, according to Stern and Monroe, is that it simply tastes good—and is easy to get drunk off of. According to Monroe, it’s just easier and a lot tastier than trying to mix a drink for yourself.

“It’s pretty cheap, and you can get really, you know… crunk from it,” Stern said.

“It has good flavors but an interesting aftertaste, kind of like Red Bull.”

This kind of “crazy drunk” is different from that of any other drink, according to Bowser. Instead of the caffeine offsetting the effects of alcohol and essentially neutralizing it, the mix produces an agitated state of intoxication. This effect is magnified in Four Loko as to compared to other alcoholic that contain caffeine, such as Irish coffee.

“Figuratively, you could say that you could make similar drinks to this, and they may be just as harmful as Four Loko,” Bowser said. “But the issue in question is the fact that it all comes in a slick package.”

According to a CNN report, caffeine also wears off much quicker than alcohol does. Therefore, users crash much earlier in the night and suffer an increased likelihood of blacking out. Many attribute the

side affects of this drink as a matter of bad judgment on the user’s part.

“I don’t think it’s really an issue,” Stern said. “But people drink it in excess and so they have problems with it.”

The nature of the drink as something that is produced nationally makes it appear that the combination of caffeine and alcohol isn’t something to be concerned with.

“I had heard that you’re not supposed to mix Red Bull and vodka,” Monroe said.

“But seemed safer somehow to drink Four Loko because it was already made.”

But in the aftermath of the hospitalization of nine Central Washington University students, Four Loko and other drinks such as Joose were brought under scrutiny.

To the dismay of fans of the “blackout in a can”, the FDA issued a letter to the makers of Four Loko, Phusion Projects, advising them to stop the production of their drink. According to the FDA, the key danger and a reason for pulling Four Loko off the shelves is the fact that the caffeine may mask the effects of the alcohol, so people consume more alcohol than they normally would.

In anticipation of the FDA’s warning, Phusion Projects has announced that they are going to remove the caffeine, as well as taurine and guarine (chemicals found in Red Bull and other energy drinks) from Four Loko. This would make Four Loko like any other flavored alcoholic drink on the market-- except for its high alcohol content. By 2011, the switch should be complete and as of Nov. 22, the drink is outlawed in Kansas. According to the CNN, there has been a noticeable uptick in Four Loko sales as some partiers rush to stock up on the drink.

According to a recent CNN article, this switch from a highly alcoholic energy drink to, essentially, spiked, carbonated Kool-Aid is frowned on by some and looked at as an unnecessary government attempt to regulate consumer intake. But still others see the move to ban Four Loko as a necessity for the safety of both minors and of-age drinkers.

“Most of us in my profession feel it’s a good thing that they’re pulling these off the shelves,” Bowser said. “The danger is everything: the packaging, the alcohol content, the caffeine, the culture around *Name changed to protect identity it.”

WHAT’S INSIDE the

“BLACKOUT IN A CAN”

12% ABV-

The 12% alcohol content is higher than regular alcohol beverages, which have a alcohol content of 3.2%-5.9%.

One Four Loko has the same alcohol as about 4-5 regular beers.

GUARANA-

This South American shrub contains berries whose seeds have a caffeine content 4%-8%, almost 3 times that of coffee beans. Guarana is reputed to increase mental alertness, fight fatigue, and increase stamina and physical endurance.

TAURINE-

Best known as a health supplement, taurine aids in the breakdown of fats and absorption of vitamins. Other energy drinks Like Monster™ and Rockstar™ contain up to 2000 mg of taurine in one serving.

CAFFEINE

The classic stimulant, caffeine can be found in native plants or produced synthetically. In Four Loko, the caffeine content negates the drowsiness effect that comes with alcohol consumption, creating a dangerous situation for consumers.

“

Doctor’s Note

“

Their Say

This is one of the most dangerous new alcohol concoctions I have ever seen. It’s a recipe for disaster because your body’s natural defense is to get sleepy and not want to drink, but in this case you’re tricking the body with the caffeine.”

-Dr. Michael Reihart, M.D.

“We have repeatedly contended—and still believe, as do many people throughout the country—that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe,” the company’s statement said. “If it were unsafe, popular drinks like rum and colas or Irish coffees that have been consumed safely and responsibly for years would face the same scrutiny that our products have recently faced.”

-Phusion Projects Company Statement www.dailybeerreview.com http://www.nytimes.com

EDITORIAL 06 12-13-10

EmmaSchulte

DISTRICT LOCKDOWN The District has postponed their decision-making for too long, and students are now paying the price

My teacher said it’s probably going to be Mission Valley.

One of the main arguments of parents protesting the closing No, I heard it’s Indian Hills, since Mission Valley just got that new of Mission Valley is that they don’t want their kids’ lives to be library. disrupted. At board meetings, parents have spoken about their Well, my friend’s mom said it’s definitely Mission Valley. elementary school students looking forward to attending MisIn the weeks leading up to the release of superintendent sion Valley like their older siblings.

Gene Johnson’s boundary change and school closure proposals, This is an understandable concern, since middle school stuconversations like this were heard through the halls and in the dents aren’t known for being flexible. But if Mission Valley is classrooms of East. No one knew for sure which middle school closed, they’ll simply have to be flexible, and the more time would be closed, but everyone had their ideas and guesses. they’re given to adjust to the change, the better. If a Mission ValOn Sept. 13, the proposal, “Charting a Course for Continued ley student has already decided they want to take Performance Excellence,” was presented to the Shawnee Mission Board of with their friends and Choir, because their older sibling loved Education and it seemed that the doubt was gone: it was Mis- the teacher, it won’t be easy for them to scrap those plans and atsion Valley that would be closed at the conclusion of this school tend Indian Hills. So, the Board should have made the decision year. But the decision was far from over and the earlier to give students more time to adjust.

The majority opinion of the process of presenting it to the community was Mission Valley closing will likely affect many Harbinger Editorial Board handled poorly. for against absent families’ routines. If a parent living at 90th and Until the Board meeting on Nov. 8, the disMission now has to drive their kid to 64th and Mistrict held community meetings. These dission every morning that will clearly take much cussions period was filled with protests from longer. That may not be a problem for many, but parents, including the formation of the “Save in families where both parents work it would be Mission Valley” group, whose black and white a challenge, one they would need as much time as “Don’t Compromise: Save Mission Valley” signs soon dotted possible to figure out a solution too. yards in the area.

Enrollment is already hectic time for middle school counThen on Nov. 8, Johnson’s final recommendations were an- selors and with more students, it will become an even more nounced and voted on by the Board. overwhelming task. Middle school enrollment begins in JanuMission Valley’s closing was tabled. At first, Johnson an- ary, so if it is announced Dec. 13 that Mission Valley is going to nounced that he would appoint a committee to evaluate the be closed, that will leave little time for counselors to reassess middle school situation and report to the Board of Education on scheduling practices to accommodate the new students at InFeb. 2. Now, the Board is set to vote on Dec. 13. dian Hills.

As stated in Johnson’s proposal, Mission Valley’s projected The Board has stated that Mission Valley teachers and other enrollment is low, just 36 percent of its capacity in the 2011- staff members would either be reassigned to positions at Indian 2012 school year. Closing Mission Valley is projected to save Hills or at another building within the district. They should also $832,865 annually. The proposal is logical and the Superinten- be given the maximum amount of time possible to rearrange dent and Board are doing their jobs in trying to find ways to save their lives if their jobs move. money and maximize resources.

At the Board meeting on Nov. 8, parents were elated that While the reasoning for the changes make sense, the Board Mission Valley wasn’t closing for sure. Cheering broke out. The has put off making the final decision for far too long. If the ben- front page of the Kansas City Star the next day showed a gleeefits of the closings were rational enough for the proposal, then ful Mission Valley mom. Parents and students were relieved, it doesn’t add up for the Superintendent to change his mind hoping this meant Mission Valley was spared, but that’s not the after parents complain. It seems that the Board is avoiding the case. It was insensitive for this decision to be put off, in what decision to escape conflict and that isn’t fair to anyone involved. seems to be an attempt to dodge conflict. At the upcoming This stalling is both illogical and insensitive to students, their meeting the Board should make a decision and stand behind it. families, counselors and teachers.

12 00

Harbinger the

a publication of shawnee mission east high school 7500 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS 66208

Print Editors-In-Chief Andrew Goble Annie Sgroi Online Editors-in-Chief Logan Heley Pat McGannon Assistant Print Editors Kat Buchanan Evan Nichols Art and Design Editor Emma Pennington Head Copy Editor Kevin Simpson Assistant Online Editor Maggie Simmons Photo Editors Grant Heinlein Dan Stewart News Editor Jack Howland News Page Editors

Morgan Christian Editorial Editor Katy Westhoff Opinion Editor Raina Weinberg Opinion Page Editors Ian Wiseman Emily Kerr Mixed Editor Anne Willman Spread Editors Lilly Myers Toni Aguiar Features Editor Sarah McKittrick Features Page Editors Chloe Stradinger Haley Martin Alysabeth Albano A&E Editor Aubrey Leiter

A&E Page Editors Kennedy Burgess Tom Lynch Sports Editor Corbin Barnds Sports Page Editors Matt Gannon Freelance Page Editors Christa McKittrick Assistant Photo Editor Eden Schoofs Freelance Page Editors Christa McKittrick Copy Editors Evan Nichols Andrew Goble Annie Sgroi Kevin Simpson Kat Buchanan Jack Howland Morgan Christian Anne Willman Logan Heley Bob Martin Matt Gannon

Dec. 13, 2010 issue 8, vol. 52

Chris Heady Staff Writers Grant Kendall Alex Lamb Chris Heady Julia Davis Zoe Brian Anna Marken Caroline Creidenberg Paige Hess Editorial Board Andrew Goble Annie Sgroi Corbin Barnds Logan Heley Kevin Simpson Jennifer Rorie Jack Howland Evan Nichols Kat Buchanan Bob Martin Morgan Christian Photographers Grant Kendall Sammi Kelley

Samantha Bartow Claire Wahrer Tomi Caldwell Marissa Horwitz Kaitlyn Stewart Ads/Circulation Manager Jennifer Rorie Staff Artists Alex Goldman Emma Schulte Online Copy Editors Kennedy Burgess Lilly Myers Online Photo Editor Lindsey Hartnett Multimedia Editor Maggie Simmons Convergence Editor Bob Martin Homegrown Editor Nathan Walker Podcast/Blog Editor Jeff Cole Video Editor Alex Lamb

Videographers Thomas Allen Nathan Walker Andrew Simpson Live Broadcast Editor Jeff Cole Live Broadcast Producers Thomas Allen Tom Lynch Anchors Andrew Simpson Jeff Cole Chloe Stradinger Corbin Barnds Kevin Simpson Nathan Walker Paige Hess PR Representative Chloe Stradinger Online Staff Writers Andrew Simpson Adviser Dow Tate

The Harbinger is a student run publication. The contents and views are produced solely by the staff and do not represent the Shawnee Mission School District, East faculty, or school administration.

OPINION GrantKendall

issue 8

MovingOn an opinion of ChrisHeady

I never thought I’d be here.

I never thought I’d have to use something like basketball to cope with something like suicide.

But I am here. No more than a month ago I was contemplating taking my own life. Now I’m standing in the rain holding a basketball.

I don’t think about anything. My mind is blank. No happy memories. No sad thoughts. Blank. I just shoot. All I do is shoot. I try to think about nothing, but words keep trying to break into my blank mind.

Mother.

Suicide. *** I only remember so much when it comes to my mother Kelley. I mostly remember her eyes.

When I was young, I was always told I had my mothers eyes. I loved it. No one could take that away from me. I had her eyes; they were mine. I still remember looking into her eyes when I was young, inspecting the light shade of blue, with the minor clumps of mascara that clung to the tips of her long eyelashes.

I am able to recall positive memories from my mother.

Like playing with Hot Wheels on our teal-green carpet together or how she got cold when it was 63 degrees outside.

But it’s the overwhelming negative memories that keep me from going back to her. The ones that make me jerk my head to the left violently, keeping the memory from developing in my head.

It all started when I was three. Most children would remember Christmas or a birthday present they got. I remember clenching my favorite light blue “blankie” harder than ever when my mom and dad first fought.

It was the same blankie that I used to tie around my neck like I was a superhero and run around the house, pretending to be invincible. But as I clenched my blankie in fear, there was nothing I could do. No three-year-old superhero could get away from his own mom and dad arguing, or even his mom walking out the door.

After the fight, Kelley moved out of the house on my sister’s 10th birthday. A U-Haul was packed up with her belongings while I was sleeping, and when I woke up she was gone.

I remember being confused and missing her, but I was too young to comprehend what exactly had just taken place.

Over the next two years I saw her sparingly, occasionally seeing her at the bar she waitresses at that our babysitter would take us to. I would watch her work. Pick up plates. Pick up forks and knives. Escort people to their table. I was confused why I never saw her otherwise. She lived in town, so I never understood why she never visited me and my siblings.

To me, love is being there for someome. Through thick and thin no matter the situation. Never giving up on them.

Knowing them better than they know themselves. Being supportive and taking genuine interest in everything the other person thinks, says or participates in.

It wasn’t until my dad and step-mom Cindy took Kelley to court when I was in third grade would she agree to see me, my brother and sister on a more regular and structured

07

Junior discusses his journey as he tries to move beyond his past

basis. She was entitled to dinners of two hours on Mondays and Wednesdays, and spending Friday through Sunday at her place 45 minutes away in Lee’s Summit, MO. It’s hard to swallow, but it’s obvious to me now. From her actions towards me, she doesn’t love me, according to what I perceive what love is. But I always wonder why. Was I not good enough? Will I ever be good enough?

The dinners lasted for seven years, and even though she was entitled to 90 minutes with me, it was rare if she used over 30 of it. Most of the time we spent together consisted of her talking on the phone for work, and talking down on my dad and his new wife.

“I’m your mother. Not her,” she’d say to me as I ate my three dollar meal from McDonald’s. Afterwords I would go home and be downright mean to Cindy and my Dad, thinking they were the worst parents because they weren’t like Kelley. She bought me everything I wanted, and never asked about normal “annoying” parent things, like how I was doing in school was or if I brushed my teeth twice that day. What I would later realize was she had only bought my love and pulled me apart from my dad and Cindy. I was her puppet.

And I was trapped. Trapped in the middle between a mom and a dad. Trying to keep both sides happy without making it seem like I had an overwhelming favorite. It was like trying to keep a Scale of Justice perfectly still, except neither side was able to stay even.

At dinners and on weekends, she constantly talked about Kassi, her now-11-year-old child that she had with her new husband. During my stays at Kelley’s, she spent a very good portion of her time focused on Kassi, even though Kassi lived there, and Kelley only saw me three or four times a week. I felt like she always focused on her and Kassi’s life. I felt like it was always about the life she was living without me, never the life she had with me. Hardly was it ever about how I was.

Or what girl I liked. Or how basketball was going. It always bothered me, but for some reason I was still determined to win over her love.

I always enjoyed art class in elementary school. Since my parents were divorced, I gave half of my art projects to Kelley, and half to my dad and Cindy. I always tried a little harder on Kelley’s projects, because I felt like I needed to earn her love.

Kelley’s had to be perfect. Absolutely perfect.

I felt replaced by Kassi; she had taken my spot in Kelley’s heart. I felt like I didn’t really mean anything to the world, that I could be thrown out and a substitute could be easily found for me. I had to win her back, but one question always popped into my head.

If my own mother didn’t love me, then who would? *** When I went over to Kelley’s house every other weekend I stepped into my own personal hell.

I hated that house, but I was too scared to tell Dad and Cindy what really went on there, so I kept returning.

I was put in front of a TV all day so Kelley wouldn’t have to deal with me, and at night I slept on a bean bag chair on the floor while my older brother and sister slept on cheap bunkbeds. Sometimes I would just sleep on the floor, with a blan-

ket and beige carpet to keep me warm.

Kelley and her husband would argue at night, and their screaming kept me up until the late hours. I used to pick my fingers through the carpet to dig out the dirt and play with it when they fought. The dirt would get stuck in my fingernails and I would pry it out, trying to preoccupy myself from the F-words being belted at the top of their lungs in the kitchen, 20 feet away. I could never see what exactly was happening, but I could picture it. Chairs being moved aggressively and thrown across the kitchen. Doors slamming. Picking my nails was the only way to pretend like everything was OK. I could control how clean my nails were, but I couldn’t control what has happening in the kitchen.

The blow-ups continued throughout my stays at Kelley’s over the next few years, when finally I had had enough.

Enough of being in the middle. Enough of the fighting.

Enough of the 30-minute dinners. And thats when I found the cactus.

The cactus I had once made Kelley in third grade art class.

The one I tried my absolute hardest to make border-line perfect. I painted every inch of the originally charcoal gray clay green, and I even roughed it up to make it seem realistic. It had to be perfect for Kelley, absolutely perfect. When I gave it to her I hoped she would adore it. Much like I hoped she would one day adore me. In my mind, I thought, that if she loved it, then she loved me.

But I never saw the cactus again. Six years later, when I was 13, I found the cactus in the pantry, in the back, covered in dust. This was when I put the pieces together.

To me, it proved what I had always feared. She didn’t care.

She didn’t care that I slaved over the cactus, trying to win her attention and compassion. She didn’t care. She just didn’t care about me.

The realization made me want to die.

There I was. 13. Confused. Unloved by my mother. Disturbed from all the lies she had spoon fed me and forced me to believe. In shock. Realizing that everything I had ever known to be true was false. Holding a clay cactus. Realizing that the mother I thought I had, thought I was nothing more to me than a grain of sand holding in the cactus upright.

I began to hate myself, because the same question started re-appearing in my mind.

If my own mother didn’t love me, then who would?

I called my girlfriend at the time and told her how I felt.

How I wanted to take my own life. How I felt like I wanted to just disappear, or be someone else. Anyone but me. When I hung up the phone she called my dad and he quickly came and took me from Kelley’s house. That was the last time I was ever at Kelley’s house, and the last time I saw my mother.

That was over two years ago. *** I wasn’t told much about Kelley until I started therapy. Everything, including the court case forcing her to spend time with me, was information withheld from me until I was mature enough to deal with it.

I’ve been in and out of therapy for three years, trying to sort through the damage Kelley has left me to deal with.

continued on page 10

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OPINION

12-13-10

‘Tis the

Season?

Christmas Dazed “And now back to the John Tesh radio show on Star 102, Kansas City’s Christmas station.” an opinion of Erin Reilly Shoppers dart from aisle to aisle as the radio plays over the loudspeaker, snatching up that last pair of UGGs for Sally and that remaining set of Harry Potter LEGOs for Jimmy, gripping their sale ads in a panic. This would be a perfect example of Christmas preparation, if it weren’t in October.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas time, and for many reasons. I love the music, the eggnog, the excitement, and it’s only a few weeks after my birthday. But Christmas is an event to be celebrated, not promoted.

While I understand that retailers need to sell their wares by cranking out sales faster than Santa can fly around the world in one night, it detracts from my holiday experience; by the time Christmas actually rolls around, I’m already tired of it. There’s only so many times you can hear those vociferous chipmunk voices warble about how they ‘still want a hula hoop.’

I know I’m not the only one to notice that companies are pushing their holiday sales earlier and earlier. On October 24, Abercrombie sent me an email stating “We’re feeling naughty and sneaking Christmas in early!” And that was just the start of a long, long month of advertising.

This year, while trying to entice shoppers in a dwindling economy, retailers such as Target and Macy’s offered mind-blowing discounts from 50-75 percent off “hot holiday gifts.” And the sales continued to crescendo into this year’s Black Friday, when hundreds of stores opened their doors to an all night feeding frenzy for ravenous shoppers; Old Navy, opening at 10 p.m., stayed open through the night as its shelves were emptied by bargain-hunters of all ages.

It’s not just stores that are beginning Christmas advertising ASAP. Last year, my family and I spent Thanksgiving in Disney World for my sister’s dance competition. It was a gorgeous Thanksgiving day, filled with pilgrim Mickeys and Minnies parading by as I ate my mashed potatoes in the 65 degree weather.

Then, what used to be a turkey’s worst

nightmare was drastically transformed nine hours later into a “winter wonderland.” The whole park was a picture of Christmas mayhem, complete with hundreds of fully decorated trees (some exceeding 14 feet tall), a new Christmas parade series (in contrast to their elaborate Thanksgiving parade) and fake snow periodically littering the streets for Mickey’s Merry Christmas Party. I doubt you could find a family more enthusiastic about Christmas than mine, but even we were a little taken aback by this dramatic change of seasons. It was like holiday PMS, but I just couldn’t keep up with the mood swing.

The media even desecrated one of the things I look forward to most during the Christmas season: the ‘25 Days of Christmas’ marathon on ABC Family, with Rudolph and Frosty helping to count down to Christmas day. With all the other pushes towards an early Christmas, I guess it was inevitable that there be a countdown to the countdown to Christmas this year, the climax of which is a new Christmas movie, ‘The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation.’ What’s the harm in that, you ask? It stars Paris Hilton.

Staffers debate the pros and cons of early Christmas advertising

Christmas Crazed

I’m not one for cold weather or snow, but something I do enjoy is the Christmas holidays. an opinion of Emma Pennington Some say Christmas marketing has gotten out of hand, but I like to think of it as prolonging the season the majority of us know and love.

Unless you’re the Grinch, I’m not sure how you couldn’t enjoy the holiday season. With Christmas comes family gatherings, holiday parties and gift giving. Without the build up to Christmas in the previous months, these types of activities would not be nearly as enjoyable. They would all be packed into one or two weekends instead of spreading it out over the months.

Just a few months ago, after taking off my Tooth Fairy tutu and tiara after a night of Halloween festivities, I crawled into bed with a familiar realization: there were only a few hours until the Kansas City’s Christmas station would begin playing holiday music. The John Tesh radio show on Star 102 has all the classics from “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” to “Silent Night.” Since then I have been playing it in my car and bedroom nonstop. These songs never fail to put me in a better mood, even more so than when I listen to songs such as, “We R W h o W e R ”

by Ke$ha.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is decorating the tree-- turning on a Christmas mix CD and carrying what seems like hundreds of boxes up from storage in the basement. My dad puts the twinkling white lights up on the tree, while the rest of the family begins to hang ornaments. Then all three kids gather around our old, tattered box the holds our manger. We’ve always believed that whoever unwraps the baby Jesus is going to have good luck in the upcoming year. Unfortunately, I’ve never unwrapped him.

If people only celebrated on Dec. 25, or even the week of Dec. 25, activities like putting up Christmas trees, wreaths and even garland would be pointless. No one would want to put the tree up on Monday just to take it down seven days later. But, if the decorations are put up nearly a month in advance, that gives people time to enjoy the decor.

The concept of Black Friday, I’ll admit, has become crazy. However, like many Americans, I’ve bought into this day of shopping. In years past I have gone to the Legends or Best Buy with my family at 10:00 p.m. just to get in line for stores to open in the early morning. Some years it has been freezing. But we always prepare with handwarmers, feetwarmers and coats on top of coats. Yes, it is ridiculous to deprive yourself of sleep just to get a cheap new sweater. But it’s always been a fun tradition to stay up all night with my family waiting in lines and people watching.

Lastly, if the months prior to December weren’t marketed towards holiday shoppers, people would wait to buy their gifts. With sales beginning all the way in October, gift givers can spread out their buying season.

The National Retail Federation predicts that Americans will spend $447.1 billion on merchandise during the holiday season. For the economy’s benefit and people’s own pockets, America should continue to have sales beginning early on in the season. This way shoppers don’t have to drop all their money at one time.

The holidays are enjoyable for many reasons, but if the ever-exciting build up was taken away it just wouldn’t be the same. There’s got to be a reason why many Americans say Christmas is their favorite holiday, but all of that would be subject to change if the build up was taken away.

EmmaSchulte

OPINION issue 8

Driving Insight Samantha Bartow

An opinion of MattGannon

Elli Walker had always been popping up in my life.

We had Mrs. Swan as our kindergarten teacher and I saw her every day walking home from Brookwood Elementary with her brother and sister. Every year I trick-or-treated at her house. I knew who she was: the little girl up the street with Down Syndrome. Now as I sit in my banged-up black Ford Explorer on the early morning drive to East, Elli sits next to me, giggling and singing along to “Like a G6” on 95.7 The Vibe, being what she would call a “silly goose.”

The idea I once had of Elli, of being a quiet girl being held back by her disability, couldn’t be more wrong. I realized that I never used to really know Elli Walker. But after months of driving Elli to school, I can see the real Elli Walker, a girl that refuses to be held back.

When my mom first brought up the idea of taking Elli to school during my junior year, I was skeptical of what the experience would be like. I realized that I hadn’t actually said anything more than a simple “Hi” to Elli since I entered high school. It seemed stunning to me--she lived literally seven houses up the street and I had never really had an actual conversation with her. I had no idea if she even remembered me and I wondered how uncomfortable and awkward the 15-minute drive could be.

Was it going to be an ice-cold, close-mouthed ride up Mission Road, with only the muffled radio breaking the silence?

I didn’t know much about Down Syndrome and I didn’t know how that was going to affect her in the car. I had no idea what we were going to talk about when I got in my car that morning on the first day of school.

When I pulled up to her house, all fear of a silent car ride to East disappeared. She walked outside beaming, swinging her schoolbag playfully, and swung open the door, giggling with excitement for the year. In those 15 minutes, I learned how Buster, Elli’s dog, wouldn’t stop running around the kitchen that morning; how a close friend had just given her an awesome lava lamp; how her brother, Dan was being a “silly goose” the night before and wouldn’t go to bed.

After nearly a semester of driving her, I learned that there is never a dull moment with Elli. One moment she could be singing “Poker Face” and cranking the radio up, and the next she could be on a rant on how difficult boys are to deal with, whether it was the goofy guy in her seminar or Dan. But one thing was for sure--a ride with Elli was always going to end with a good chuckle.

I used to think that my life was rough, whether I was stay-

Junior reflects on a new friendship spurred from an old acquaintance

ing up until 2 a.m. to finish an AHAP paper over the Jacksonian Era or trying to balance out cross country schedule with schoolwork, volunteering, and friends. But Elli has made me realize that my problems really aren’t that bad, when compared to the severe issues that she faces everyday.

She was having to deal with the divorce of her parents; her older brother, who was always there for a hug, was going to college, and on top of that she had a disability that was holding her back. Some days on the ride to school, Elli would just go off on a rant about how her dad had taken Dan, Abby, and her out too dinner to late the night before, and how she struggled to finish her math homework because of it. She was frustrated, but she didn’t let things like this hold her back.

She approached everything with a smile, and she was excited for the simplest of moments. She couldn’t wait to be a swimming manager again; she couldn’t stop talking about going bowling with her friends over the weekend; she couldn’t wait to get home, bounce on her bed and call up some friends.

Elli made me realize that tough stuff is going to happen to you in life, but she also showed me that you can’t just sit around and pout about it; you have to go out and make the best of it.

I realized that during my first two years of high school, I just slid by. I never did anything out of the ordinary; I always did what my friends did. While Elli was out their singing, molding art, and swimming despite her limitations, I was just watching another episode of “The Office,” refusing to break away from my safe protected lifestyle.

Driving Elli made me realize that I was missing out on life. I started to pursue something that I’ve always wanted to do since my brother died due to his medical disability: volunteering with disabled kids. I gave up my GABL basketball career after 10 years, and decided to actually make a change.

This semester I’ve cooked spaghetti, trick-or-treated, played soccer, bowled and had picnics with disabled high school students, and if it wasn’t for the simple jokes and chats that Elli created in our newborn friendship, I know I wouldn’t have been able to break away from my friends and follow a passion of mine. *** One Sunday morning my mom shook me awake, muttering that Elli’s house had burned to the ground. She quickly rushed out of my room. I just stared blankly at the ceiling; I was in disbelief. This had to be a dream. I looked at the clock.

It flashed 5:30 a.m. My mom ran back into my room after just

09

speaking with Sharon Walker. Elli and her family had been out of town and now would have to stay with a neighbor of mine, but the family’s entire house was gone.

I couldn’t go back to sleep. I couldn’t imagine the thought of coming home after a fun family trip, to see your home obliterated, with nothing to salvage. Elli’s pictures, her pets, her bedroom, her whole life, had been taken away. And I didn’t think she would be able to find any bright side to this.

When I picked her up from a neighbor’s house the next morning, I could tell Elli was holding back tears the whole way to school. The innocent joy of her personality was gone.

There was no laughter, no singing. Just heart-breaking remarks like “Buster was dead” or “My new homecoming dress is gone, too.”

As we drove by the shattered house, it just laid there in ruins. Elli mumbled how she was never going to see her room, her pets or her home again.

I tried to offer comfort, constantly saying how things were going to get better; how her friends were going to be behind her through everything. I told her that we were going to fix this. Her friends were going to come through for her.

She seemed like she was in another world for the next few days. Just staring out the window, looking away when we passed her house. I couldn’t stand having to drive by that crumbling building every day. I hated watching how it was changing her.

She said that the thing that upset her most was watching her mom suffer, signing papers over the house and arguing with her divorced husband. This is when I learned that Elli wasn’t worried about her problems anymore. She was worried for her brother, her sister and her mom. *** Like I had said that day after the fire, her friends were going to fix this. Every day, despite her sadness, she would tell me how excited she was to go get ice cream with her friends at TCBY or Peachwave, and how everyone was giving her hugs. The car rides became fun again and Elli was getting her goofiness back.

But her worry for her family never left. She wondered where they were going to live and how was her brother Jack was going to react when he came home from college for Thanksgiving. She realized that she now had to be a stronghold for her siblings, Dan and Abby.

That’s when I realized that Elli wasn’t just a “silly goose.”

When she promised herself that she was going to step up and always be there for her family, even if it was just giving her mom a hug, I couldn’t help feeling proud about how she was maturing.

I started to see Elli as more of little sister. I knew that I also needed to step up and help her in whatever way I could, whether it was taking her to Halloween parties, or volunteering at “A Walk for the Walkers.” I helped move furniture into the Walker’s new house—the house right next door to me.

Elli had changed me. Before, I would have attended events to help Elli, but now I was there at the front lines. I was going to help change Elli’s life. It became my goal.

One day after seventh hour, I was in no hurry to get home so I chatted with my friends for a while as we waited for the parking lot to clear out and for the buses to leave. When three of us began making our way down the stairs, I saw somebody crouched at the bottom of the stairs, with her face cradled in her hands. Something was obviously bothering this girl.

I could recognize that pink and green flowered backpack with pink anywhere. It was Elli. I take her to school, but she usually takes the bus home. She had missed the bus.

And then without hesitation, I asked Elli if she needed a ride. She bounced up with a bright smile on her face. That bit of sadness I saw in her was gone, and she skipped to the car as I watched my other two friends move on.

I knew that just a year before, I would have been with them. I wouldn’t have stopped to help Elli, and I don’t blame them for walking on. They don’t really know Elli. But let me tell you, getting to know Elli is one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to me.

10

OPINION

12-13-10

holding on to hope Sophomore reflects on her grandma’s Alzheimer’s disease

GrantKendall

She can’t remember the times she came over at 6 a.m. on Christmas to watch my siblings and I anxiously tear open gifts, or the recipe for her family famous Sticky Chocan opinion of Chloe Stradinger olate Fudge. She can’t remember how she taught me how to dive off the diving board and how to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on the piano. She’s forgotten the way she used to watch the birds peck at the food from her beloved birdhouses, and the feel of the earth that she dug in her hands in her overgrown garden. She doesn’t remember how to clasp her silver cross necklace, or how to put food in her mouth.

My grandma doesn’t remember my name. *** A thief is sneaky, sly and smooth. The only way you can tell if a good thief was present is by what the thief leaves in its wake. Sometimes it’s sharp shards of glass scattered on the floor after a window is broken during a robbery. Sometimes it’s a clear, empty butterfly stand where round Gucci glasses once rested. But the best thief I’ve ever known of left a blank, glassy look where my grandmother’s blue eyes used to shine.

This thief--the best one--is Alzheimer’s disease.

It sneaks into people’s minds, and steals pieces of a memory. Slowly, one memory at a time, until there’s nothing left to be stolen. It is relentless.

My mom noticed something was wrong with my grandma in 2003, when she became spacier than usual. My grandma had a hair appointment with the hairdresser she’d been to for 15 years, but on her way to the salon her mind went blank and she had no idea where she was going. She ended up at my house, and the minute she told my mom what happened my mom knew something was wrong. Things like this kept happening, and in 2005 she was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

As time went on and her illness progressed, she became meaner and oddly competitive. She’d do weird things like go

continued from page 7 I lived a life swinging in the middle for 13 years, not living life for me, but for my mom.

Trying to do things to make my dad and my mom both happy so I could fall asleep at night.

I began therapy after my suicidal thoughts. Before, I thought I was going to have to tackle everything on my own. That the entire process of rebuilding was going to be a solo project.

But through therapy, I found the most important thing I had to do was to surround myself with people I loved, and handle everything with a mature attitude.

I never thought thought I would get out of the hole I dug myself, but thanks to therapy, you are reading this. *** It’s raining.

The Leawood Park basketball courts are soaked with water as I dribble my roughed up basketball into puddles. The mud from the ball gets into the crevasses in my hands and makes me feel like they had been shaped like the statue of David. I pretend like it’s me

outside and steal the basketball from my little brother when he was practicing his dribbling. I think something in her mind made her want to prove to herself that she wasn’t losing her mind, and prove to everyone around her that she was still a capable person.

Then, in 2007, my grandfather died from cancer.

They had spent fifty years of their life together, and while he was sick and weakened from cancer he devoted every drop of what limited energy he had to helping my grandma and making her happy. She still keeps her wedding ring on.

My mom tried to take it off and replace it with a look-alike fake diamond ring so she wouldn’t lose the real one. But my grandma kept her hand bent and finger angled so it was impossible to slide off. I know she doesn’t remember his personality or the way he looked, but I also know there’s a reason she didn’t let my mom take the ring off. I like to believe that she can still feel the band on her finger, and it gives bit of hope and happiness like my grandfather once did.

When she was given the news of his death, she cried.

Though I don’t think she’s ever shed any more tears after those. Ever since he died, she hasn’t remembered how to show emotion, or do much of anything else.

With his death, whatever was left of my grandma’s memory disappeared as well.

After this downfall, my grandmother moved into the Sunrise Assisted Living Home. Although this place is nice and homey, I can’t shake the feeling that it’s like a comfortable mental hospital. Once, a woman asked me where she could find a phone to call her mother because she wanted to “go home now”. Another woman is almost always cradling her “baby” in her frail arms as she tries to feed a doll’s plastic mouth sugar-free cookies.

In the main room, there are at least 20 people. All still have a pumping heart and blood running through their veins.

Sure, these people are alive. But they aren’t living. Living people have stories to tell and glorious moments that define their lives to share. They communicate, they laugh, they cry.

The people in this room can’t do any of that.

The whole situation pushes me into a wave of sadness. I don’t want to cry. Besides the employees, I’m one of the only emotionally capable people in the nursing home, and I don’t want to show a sad face. So instead I raise my lips into an artificial smile.

When I visit about once a month, I usually find her in her room. All of the rooms are painted the same calming yellow, but we hung up happy looking art, bright photos and reassuring bible verses all over hers, like the decorations in her old house. Even though she doesn’t notice our attempt to make the room homey, it makes my family feel better--like the pieces of her old home will turn her room into a haven where she can escape the insanity around her.

She always sits by a floral armchair that used to sit in the house she once shared with her husband.

When she sits there, I always try to start a conversation.

“Grammy,” I usually say when I’m about to start talking to her. Then, in a voice I use for the little kids who I babysit, I tell her about little things going on in my life: what my grades are in school, who I’m going to Homecoming with, or what I bought when I went shopping.

I know I’m really talking to myself; she isn’t processing any of what I say. I always begin to question why I even bother wasting my voice. But I know why: against all reason, I still have hope that she’s listening. I have hope that there’s something happening inside her head that she’s incapable of communicating to people around her.

I’ve always prided myself in looking at the sunny side of things, but Alzheimer’s is something that’s tough to find a silver lining on. The disease baffles me; How could my grandma lose 66 years of priceless memories in less than 24 months? I need an explanation for this awful disease. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing, not even a thief, is all bad.

So I close my eyes, and I hold onto that hope.

Junior works to forgive his mom for the past against the world. One vs. 300,000,000. The rain starts coming down in sheets as I shoot 300 shots before I take a break, forcing myself to make 200 more before I leave.

This is my sanctuary. This is where I forget everything.

The rain washes away the mud on my hands, much like basketball has helped me wash away Kelley from my life.

I have lost all forms of contact with Kelley; we no longer speak. She used to call me every day, but that soon faded into once every other day. Once a week. Once a month. Now it’s none at all.

Since our relationship came to a halt, I began to take a different approach to life, turning to writing, basketball and little moments in life to get over Kelley.

Basketball became my escape, my way of dealing with my anger and frustration. Writing helps me clear my mind and sort through all the thoughts boggling in my head. And taking time in my day to just stare at the moon, relax or just appreciate who I am surrounded by and who has helped me along the

way, helps me realize what I have to live for.

Over the past four years, I’ve been dealing with a mother that I keep hidden from the rest of the world. Only my closest friends know about Kelley, and those who know of her, don’t know much more than that she’s my biological mother.

Through this whole process, I’ve been learning that maybe I am worth something, even if Kelley doesn’t think so. For the longest time I used to think I wasn’t good enough.

But I’m learning that I am necessary. It’s good to feel necessary.

I’m wrestling with the other part of me.

The part that lied in bed wanting to hold his breath until he passed out. The part who sandpapered his wrists to keep his mind off of being downright mean to Cindy and my dad, all to win the approval of a woman who couldn’t love him.

My therapist once told me that I can’t forgive myself until I forgive Kelley. And I feel like I’m on my way to doing that.

The pain and suffering wasn’t entirely her fault. She just didn’t know better. I can hate

her all I want, but she will always be a part of me. When you look me in my eyes, you see Kelley. The blue in her eyes are identically the same as it is in mine. The length of her eyelashes are the same as mine are. And that will always be with me, no matter where I go, who I talk to or what I do with my life.

I like to think that if you’ve ever truly loved someone, it feels near impossible to let them go completely. I have an amazing dad, step-mom and therapist, but no matter how hard they try, they won’t be able to fix the past, and everything I have gone through with Kelley—only I can do that for myself.

My situation has made me a stronger person, and I’m learning to take life as it comes.

I’m trying to accept that everything in life happens for a reason, and you eventually need to just move on with life with a positive attitude, because whether it be in a day, a week or a year, good things are to come.

I may have my mothers eyes, but I’m learning to see life through them without her.

FEATURES issue 8

6

11

POEMS IN 365 DAYS Junior Andrew Beasley challenges himself to write a new poem every day for one year

all photo

s by Ed

PaigeHess

Junior Andrew Beasley sits down to write in his journal, something he looks forward to each day. He thinks about differences: the difference between what he’s been doing compared to the work of other teenage writers.

The differences among his own pieces and between what he saw today and what he saw yesterday. He wants to be able to explain this difference through writing pieces with real perspective. His own perspective.

Andrew’s goal is to write a literary piece each day for 365 days—a full year. The idea came from Laura Beachy, who taught his freshman honors English class.

“She talked about how a couple of writers did something similar to this where they would write a piece each day for a year or two,” Andrew said. “And they were very good writers.”

Writing has always been a hobby for Andrew and he decided to challenge himself.

About ten days into his project, Andrew decided to take it one step further. He created eight “characters” or personalities. These sets of characters give him an idea of what he wants to continue writing about in the future.

“If you look at them long enough you will be able to see similarities in some of them to show that those are from the same character’s point of view” Andrew said. “If I am writing about a girl or trip it is through different people because they are different topics.”

Andrew wants to write literary pieces rather than just a journal entry everyday. He has been working with different types of poetry.

“Sometimes they are poems in the classic sense with the rhyming, but I think most of them fall under the category of poetry,” Andrew said. “Instead of set structures, I have written a couple of pieces that are more of a story form in third person and describe events.”

Andrew will pick a topic based off an experience he has during the day, something that he may see at school or experiences he has had already.

If not a topic, he will pick a certain style of writing. One week he did a series of nonnets, which are poems of nine lines starting with nine syllables, then eight syllables, then seven syllables, etc. in decreasing order. Andrew thought that since everything had to do with the number nine, he did nine of those in a week.

“It was kind of fun to mess around with the language and figure out new ways to word things,” Andrew said.

Andrew’s freshman sister Bridgette Beasley has noticed his dedication to his goal. She will check up on him every once in a while and is surprised how he has really kept up with writing one each day. She recalls how he carried around his notebook and jot things down.

The pieces that Andrew writes are usually around 500 words. He will spend about 10 minutes trying to think of what to write and 20 minutes actually writing the piece. Any editing that Andrew does is done as he types the piece. For more edits though, he posts his pieces on Facebook to get opinions from his peers and family.

“The reason I put them on Facebook is to get critiques,” Andrew said. “I am not writing them to show people, but I post them because I have gotten a lot of cool feedback.”

Andrew thinks this will allow him to improve and change his pieces based off what other people say. He is finding ways to make sure everyone gets what he is going for. Although he has received some negative feedback, there are very few times where he is gotten real negative comments.

“A lot of the time that [people do not understand my pieces] is because I have not expressed it correctly,” Andrew said. “But once I explain to them, what I was going for, it will change their minds or they will acknowledge that they get it.”

Most of Andrew’s friends are supportive and he will get good compliments from a lot of people that just glance at them on Facebook. Junior Nathan Are, a friend of Beasley, had a positive response when he heard about

Andrew’s 365 project.

“I am really impressed with how he comes up the random ideas for his pieces,” Are said.

“I do not think I would have the creativity to do that each day.”

Even though he has only been doing this for a couple weeks, it has already helped him improve in class.

“It helps you think of new ways to word things and new ways to use the English language to express your ideas,” Andrew said.

Andrew has a few friends that do write a lot and he respects their ideas. He is doing this 365 for an audience of people who do not necessarily read a lot so they can relate.

“I am writing it so that people who are reading them are not like, ‘Oh, this is just angsty,’” Andrew said. “I am trying to write pieces that are decent and that all my friends can understand, not just the literary ones.”

Andrew mentions how he does not want his writing to sound too depressing or too happy, but that does not mean he does not put his emotions in the pieces.

“Sometimes if I am feeling really strongly about something I will use the writing to release but I try not to make them sound depressed or really lovey-dovey,” Andrew said.

According to Andrew, he has not run out of topics and hopes that he will not because he finds inspiration in a lot of places. With all of these topics and ideas, his goal is to not only write a piece each day but to also just keep improving. He believes that he will probably start working on a long piece of writing once this project is over.

“Once I am done I think it will be cool to place them in each of those eight categories and look at them to see how they work together,” Andrew said. “I don’t really plan on making a book out of them but there is always that option if they are coherent enough.”

The ultimate goal for Andrew is to improve his hobby.

“It’s not necessarily a career I am looking at, but it would be kind of awesome to be able to [improve].”

enScho

ofs

{just a snippet of} Beasley’s favorite poem he’s written

day 22 Unattainable Goals, dreams, perfection While beauty and wonder exist around us, nothing is perfect A waterfall crashes, containing seemingly flawless beauty And yet It erodes the very cliffs that give it life [...]

Attainable Happiness, Love, Friendship Two boys run through the street, Capes flung out behind them, laughing, running Thair faces wide with pure joy As the wind rushes against them, making their heroic fantasies into reality for one brief moment [...]

Beasley’s Thoughts {about the poem above} “I wanted to present things that everyone strives for, but don’t necessarily lead to happiness, so that’s the unattainable part of that. And then under the attainable part I just put simple things that everyone has, but tried to show them in a way that made them seem better than the other things.”

To read the rest of Beasley’s poem, visit smeharbinger.net

FEATURES

12-13-10

all photos by DanStewart

12

king kitchen of the

Food aficionado blogs about recipes and cooking

delicious omelet

Saute onion and mushrooms, adding crisper vegetables (i.e. bell peppers) near the end.

Set ingredients aside.

In a small bowl whisk eggs, a splash of milk, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes until incorporated.

storms how, what, and when she is going to cook her meal.

Ingredients are bought. The ovens are preheated. And Sarah cooks. Her favorite type of food to cook is Asian, because “there are so many ingredients and so many flavors.”

After cooking and eating her meal, Sarah writes her “cook talk.” Writing down whatever comes to mind, Sarah talks about the food.

She doesn’t just explain the recipe and talk about how to cook it, she talks about her feelings toward the food. How the food makes her feel happy, carefree, or sad.

The writing is relaxed and sometimes sarcastic. She says in a recent blog post that, “either way, empty space, cramped apartment, suburbia, if someone is reading this, I’m still posting.” The blog is a way for Sarah to just write and reach whatever audience is viewing.

“I’ve always liked writing,” Sarah said, “and I guess people are reading it and judging it, but I wouldn’t know.”

Sarah tries to update her blog at least once a week. Sometimes she will fall behind, but so far Sarah has posted 21 recipes since this past July. She hopes that maybe one day she could create a cookbook about how to use and find fresh, organic foods, maybe using some of her recipes that she has posted on her blog.

For now, Sarah is satisfied with her blog.

She may add baking tips in the future, but for now she will continue with her unique, teen “foodie” recipes.

Step 4

else was reading it,” Sarah said, “It was cool to have a connection-like-thing over food.”

Sarah mainly used her family’s old recipes from the restaurant, but as time goes on she hopes to add other recipes. In the future, she wants to add more recipes to the blog that she has altered or changed up a bit, like her curry sauce in which she substituted carrot baby food for the carrot juice. Sarah also would like to explore the farmer’s markets, and use the food to find a recipe.

“I kinda want to go to the farmer’s market pick out something weird, and then see if I can do something with it,” Sarah said.

Sarah tends to be inspired by colorful food. In the past she found purple peppers that she added in a stir fry and yellow oyster mushrooms that she sauteed with onions and added to an over easy egg.

Sarah lives in rural Johnson County between Gardner and Edgerton, approximately 45 minutes away from East, making her a transfer for IB. Living near farm land makes it easier to get fresh, organic food. Although the farm she lives on is no longer running, her family keeps a garden full of fresh vegetables such as zucchini and peppers. Sarah uses these organic foods in her cooking.

“I like organic food because it’s nice to know where the food comes from,” Sarah said.

Sarah’s blogging process begins with a plan. A week or so before cooking the actual recipe, Sarah starts brainstorming. She brain-

Step 3

Step 1

recipefor success King’s recipe for a

ing and farmer’s markets has influenced her love of food,” Kathy said.

The café sparked from the selling of gourmet, organic foods such as pumpkins, tomatoes, and zucchini. The Kings sold these vegetables and homemade bread at the farmer’s markets for seven years. They wanted to sell the food year round, which led them to open the café. The café started out in the King’s kitchen. They originally called it Stone House Pizza, selling pizzas and bread from their 1857 stone house.

“It was nice to get a larger space,” Kathy said. “A space that would let us use our home as a home instead of a bakery.”

Sarah would watch PBS cooking shows, read Bon Appetit, and explore the cook book “Epicurious,” though none of them seemed to reach out to her—they all targeted adults.

Sarah wanted a book or show or just anything that teenagers could relate to.

Why couldn’t she be the one to make that something? Sarah decided she could and would. She decided to reach her fellow teen chefs through a blog, or what she liked to call “a journal that could talk back.”

Sarah started off this past summer with her easy, egg-tastic omelet recipe. She made a near perfect omelet, the garden fresh peppers and onions spilled out the sides. Within hours of posting her very first blog, people commented back.

“I was really happy that maybe somebody

Step 2

CarolineCreidenberg

Junior Sarah King unpacks her lunch. She pulls out her Greek yogurt and raspberries, accompanied by her black bean flauta with mango chutney left over from the dinner she had made the night before.

“A lot of time [my lunch] is dinner leftovers,” King said, “Usually I try to make lunch with whatever leftovers we have.”

It may not be your average lunch, but then again, King isn’t your average cook.

Growing up, King was surrounded by food.

Organic food, that is. Her parents, John and Kathy King, owned an organic café called Sarah’s Café. Sarah’s Café, named after Sarah, opened in July of 1996, and whether she was washing dishes or helping make the focaccia bread for the bread baskets, Sarah loved helping out.

After she made the focaccia bread, she would take on the task of preparing it in the basket. She would then confidently walk the basket out to each table in the restaurant that was seated with customers.

Ever since she was two, Sarah had been helping out at the café. At the age of two, Sarah drew a series of drawings that her mom named “Apples All Around.” Although they looked like black circles, they were supposed to be apples. Her very own “Apples All Around” was used as the menu cover.

“I do think that growing up around good food, homemade food, organic food, garden-

Heat some butter in a small pan and pour in eggs on a medium heat. With a spatula, lift the slightly cooked egg and tip the runny egg underneath, continue this process until the egg is almost cooked.

Add toppings and cheese. Flip egg in half over fillings and cook for a few more seconds.

Slide onto plate and serve.

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FEATURES 14 12-13-10

COMEDY

HOUR Addison Brown entertains tables of students during first lunch by telling his favorite jokes.

all photos by GrantKendall

Sophomore lightens up lunch time with comedic acts in the cafeteria JackHowland

Sophomore Addison Brown doesn’t care what anyone thinks.

He walks up to the front of the blue lunch table with no hesitation. The 10 girls sitting give him a confused look as he stands in front of them, elated and twitching with excitement. He’s going to tell them a joke. In the middle of the lunchroom, chaos with students trying to get through the aisle and find their seat; he’s going to tell them a joke.

“Hey guys, how’s everybody doing today?”

The group looks at him blankly. He is 6 foot 2, dressed in a brown leather jacket and wearing a square ring on his finger. As he talks, his hands move up and down; guiding along the conversation. He asks them if they want to hear a joke today. They nod their heads politely. Addison dives right in.

He begins flailing his arms around, telling a detailed and elaborate story about a man and a giraffe who walk into a bar in Philadelphia. He makes sure to “speak” the joke rather than just “tell” it.

Tables nearby are watching him. They notice his excitement; hear the liveliness in his voice.

“Ok, then the giraffe has some shots of scotch and passes out...”

When he reaches the end of the story he has the table’s full attention. Everyone around him is watching; all tables near him, and even some staff. He tells them, “It’s not a lion, it’s a giraffe!” then ends it the same way he does every time, throwing his arms up in the air and yelling “ahhhhhhh!”

Everyone around him does the same thing. *** Addison Brown started telling jokes in sixth grade at Belinder.

He began by casually telling them to his table at lunch; typically ones he looked up on the Internet the night before. He didn’t branch out to other tables initially, but by the end of that year he was walking up to friends sitting nearby, doing bits. He was never nervous, never scared of what people thought.

He’s never been phased very easily. He’s always felt sort of fearless.

When he was seven years old, Addison’s mom Jodi and dad Quentin divorced. Addison still doesn’t know or understand why, he just knows that his dad now lives in Minnesota. Addison’s father is the inspiration for his comedy—they always joke around when Addison visits him. They like to drop one-liners, from anything from “The Scorpion King” to “The Expendables.”

But when his father left, Addison’s family seemed to be torn apart. His mom was furious at his father. His younger brother never even got a chance to meet him. But just as his attitude toward his jokes suggests, Addison never got phased; he just moved on.

He was fearless.

It’s this same fearlessness he attributes to being able to stand in front of lunch tables and deliver jokes. He feels excited when telling them, and he enjoys the comedy. Addison jokingly says that “What could be better than being paid to tell jokes?” But in reality; he has no aspirations of being a comedian. He just enjoys brightening people’s days and the feeling he gets when performing. “[Making others feel better] is the core of it, that’s definitely it,” Jodi said. “I see that all the time. He really seems to have a gift and an ability to do that, to make people smile and to find a way to brighten their day.” *** Mr. Nickel’s first hour freshman World Geography class disperses into groups; getting 20 minutes of free time to work on homework. Others in the classroom pull out worksheets, some open up their classroom books. Addison walks up to the teacher’s desk.

“Mr. Nickels would you mind If I tell a joke?,” Addison asks.

“Will it be appropriate?”

“Yes.” Mr. Nickels grants him the opportunity. Addison has a lot of friends in the class, and they “egg him on,” telling him that he needs to get up in the front of the classroom, and he does so. To Addison, this was the start of it all.

He had moved from table to table telling jokes in middle school, but in high school, had kept the jokes to his own table. He had yet to branch out. Addison stands in front of the whole class

with no reputation at all. But he’s fine; he has an “underlying selfconfidence,” as his mom puts it.

He starts to tell a joke. The joke is about a kid who hears something at the top of a mountain. There’s this little boy, he is seven years old, and one day he heard a mysterious noise. He goes on for what he felt was close to 20 minutes; excited and “speaking” it to the whole class.

He finishes the joke: “I can’t tell you, you’re not a monk!” Mr. Nickels chuckles, some of his friends that he’s already told the joke to say “Really, Addison?” but most of the class is cracking up. He returns to his seat and looks at the clock.

Next class period, everyone will tell him to stand up again. *** After two weeks of telling jokes and reciting his favorite standup routines from comedian Brian Regan in his World Geography class, Addison decided to start to move from table to table in the lunchroom. He says that a lot of the confidence to do this came from theater and performing in his past.

“We used to live out in the Blue Valley area and he did some workshops when he was little, where he would get on stage,” Jodi said. “So he was kind of introduced to it pretty young.”

His mom has always seen this knack to perform. She feels that Addison has always had an ability to keep his younger brother entertained. Last year, he went out for frequent Fridays and “The Grapes of Wrath,” and even though he didn’t get any parts, he enjoyed it. He remembers having fun in his drama class; he loved being able to put on “different concepts of plays.”

He got the chance to put on a shadow play last year with then senior Travis Jannie. They wrote the scene together: “If Mickey Mouse ran into Darth Vader at a Post Office...” In the project, they had to stand behind a screen and act with their shadows. Junior Spencer Davis was in his class last year and remember Addison had “lots of energy.”

Now Addison doesn’t pursue theater but loves to perform; interacting with kids in the lunchroom. Even when he doesn’t have any jokes prepared on a given day, he tries to make others feel better. He talks to other tables at lunch whether he has a joke or not.

“I really like to brighten up people’s days, like if they have some sadness situations,” Addison said. “It started off with me going around and asking ‘How you doing? You doing alright?’ It wasn’t really even about the jokes.” *** “Brightening up people’s days sort of brightens up mine. Noticing that I’ve made an impact on somebody—that I’ve turned around their day— that makes me feel pretty good about myself because I know that when I’m down, when I’ve got some problems of my own, that person more than likely is going to be there for me.”

It’s 9 a.m. and Addison Brown stands in the cold, picking up branches and leaves. He’s not allowed to use the chainsaw, so he just picks up debris that was cut down; placing it in the pile. He doesn’t need to be here. No one forced him; not his mom, not his church. He’s driven by Roanoke Park every day and has seen the reconstruction. He decided to contact the leader of the project, Scott Burnett, telling him he wanted to get involved.

Now every Saturday he goes to the park and helps with their clear-cutting; pushing aside branches and clearing out space. Addison also tries to volunteer at as many other places as he can with some of his close friends. Last year, they helped out at Asbury with the church fair. They didn’t have to. They just asked the church if there was anything they could do to help.

Addison enjoys seeing people’s faces when he helps them out.

This is what he looks for when he tells jokes, when he tries to brighten someone’s day.

At school, Addison takes every opportunity to make people feel better; not just in the lunchroom. When he walks in the hall, he enthusiastically greets everyone he sees. He remembers names.

He remembers faces. He doesn’t know how long he will continue to tell jokes during lunch, but he hopes to continue making connections with people.

He knows he’ll never stop being excited about it.

Ward being presented with the Golden Shoe award for her hard work and dedication

FEATURES

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Now, Ward juggles her teaching schedule with weekly games

15

Physics teacher Mary Ward participates in a weekly soccer league

Ward played on a boys’ team, which ChristaMcKittrick is why her Fifteen months and 80 games jersey was ago, physics teacher Mary Ward so large

This photo of Ward (right) was in the Fort Madison Daily Democrat.

issue 8

walked into the rubber-smelling, soccer-ball-thumping atmosphere where she would spend every Thursday night. She shyly wandered over to the group of 11 women clad in black shirts, chatting easily amongst themselves. They ranged in age from 20 to 40, from physical therapists to moms. Ward was nervous because she had never played indoor before and wasn’t quite sure of all the rules, but she was happy about her new teammates.

“I was glad the people on my team seemed nice, and they weren’t crazy over-the-top screaming at the other team type of players,” Ward said.

This random group of women gathered for various reasons.

Ward’s teammate, Joanna Barbara wanted a chance to practice soccer with real players and learn the game. Ward heard about it when her aunt told her All American was a great place to play soccer. Ward had been in Kansas City for a year then, and decided it would be a great way to meet new people.

“When I moved to K.C. I didn’t know that many people and I liked playing soccer in high school, and I had heard from my aunt about where to play,” Ward said.

Ward called All American looking for a team and, when

GrantKendall

A Lifetime of Soccer

asked if she could play on Thursday nights, replied yes.

“It’s the house team so basically you don’t have enough people to field a team so they put you on the house team,” Ward said.

Ward and the team, dubbed Coco’s House Team, have meshed effortlessly. Although the ages and professions have a large variety, all of the women are fairly close in skill level and effort.

“We do play hard, but I wouldn’t say we’re hardcore, out there to win every game,” Ward said, describing their mental attitude.

Barbara, a teammate of Ward’s, describes their mindset in the same way.

“We like to win, but we’re pretty laid back,” Barbara said.

“We support each other through the bad games pretty well. The intensity of the game generally depends on the attitude of the other team, or if we have had a run-in with them before.”

All of the women on Ward’s team have played some sort of soccer before. Ward got her start in Fort Madison, Iowa during recess. She would play every day, learning the basic rules of soccer. Once Ward reached middle school, she played for the school team. After that followed the high school team. Ward’s high school was made up of 700 students, but there was no girls’

soccer team.

“You would think there would be enough to field a girls team,” Ward said, “But for some reason only four girls came out for the team every year and 50 boys came out.”

Ward and the other girls tried out, practiced, and played on the boys’ team, which had its good and bad points. Ward played JV her freshman through junior year, and suited up for varsity her junior year and was on varsity as a senior. Each year there was a new batch of boys who had to get accustomed to playing with Ward, and whom she had to prove her ability to.

At practices, some of the boys were mean, some nice, and some didn’t want her to play, ignoring her very existence. One of the mean things the boys did was moon her on their daily 1.5 mile run through a woody trail.

Despite the rough times, Ward thinks that playing with the boys helped her.

“I had to learn to compensate for being smaller and not as fast so my other skills strengthened,” Ward said.

Playing against all the big male soccer players has made Ward undaunted when playing soccer and it made her more aggressive.

Her opponents were, in fact, the ones that were rudest to her.

They thought she’d be easy to get past, so given the choice be-

tween one side and a side with Other Athletic Teachers a girl; they’d go towards the Tennis side with the girl time and time again.

“Some got really upset if they got beat by a girl,” Ward said. “There were definitely some that got their ego bruised.”

MICHAEL CHAFFEE Ward’s team mates can see how playing with boys has afI can sometimes beat fected her playing. my friend Tricia Be“As a player, Ms Ward is like aham. We probably a defensive wall,” Barbara said. play 2-3 times a week “No-one is getting past her. Plus in the summer.” she can run forever.”

Biking Ward continued to play soccer while attending Iowa State University. She participated in soccer intramurals several times a year, and played with her friends every Friday afterWANDA SIMCHUK noon. Neither was incredibly intense, but it was a fun way I ride my bike an to continue playing soccer and hour a day. You push spend time with people. yourself to exhaustion Ward and the rest of Coco’s where you can’t even House Team are a laid back get off your bicycle.” team: the women arrive to the game shortly before start time, Horseback Riding stretch a little, and kick the ball around, with no real heavy warm-up. They are, after all, there for fun and exercise--not to dominate the league. They are always quick to laugh and SPRING GEHRING-LOWERY boost each other’s confidence.

I have ridden horses “[Ward] brings enthusiasm since my mom was and humor to our team,” Barpregnant with me. For bara said. “She is always very me, horses are like encouraging to everyone on the team.” music is to a musi-

“

“

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cian.

16

SPREAD

SPREAD

A Tough Pill to Swallow 12-13-10

photo illustrations by EdenSchoofs

AubreyLeiter Senior Katheryn Denning* focuses on her test.

Her concentration is more intense than normal, and she likes how she feels. Taking the drug Adderall before the ACT doesn’t seem like drug use; to her it’s just a way to try to improve her scores.

Denning is one of a number of East students taking Adderall without a prescription to help raise test scores. Adderall is a mixture of four amphetamine salts that, when taken, stimulate the brain. The drug is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by improving concentration. Most students who take it illegally take it with the intention of increasing their scores due to high-

er concentration. Principal Karl Krawitz has heard a lot about this problem at the college level, and would consider it to be a growing problem at the high school level.

After taking Adderall four times in a month and a half, Denning noticed her desire for the drug kept growing stronger every time she took it. It started to feel like drug use: she began to feel addicted. The day she knew she needed to stop was the day that she was looking for a dose with no reason. She didn’t have a test that day, she just craved it. It became real to her at this point, she was becoming a person she didn’t want to be. Someone who she wouldn’t let herself be.

“I liked the way Adderall made me feel,” Denning said. “Not only did it improve my test scores on both the SAT and the ACT, but I was way more productive with my day and always accomplished a lot when on it. Everyone seems to do it, but I know from experience that it’s easily addictive.”

Denning hasn’t taken Adderall since July. She realized it could of had a bad impact on her health if she became dependent on the drug, and regrets that she took it four times in such a short time period.

“For people who take [Adderall] to stay awake and stay energized, it’s easily addictive,” UMKC Pharmacist Trish Marken said. “It can get to the point where your body will crave it and its hard to get out of bed in the morning because your body is used to having the drug in their system. If taken long and often enough, the person can turn into a drug addict.”

Rote knew that taking it this much could easily be the early stages of addiction to the drug and didn’t want to be an addict

or have the reputation. With fear for her future, she made a vow to herself to never take it again.

Senior Amber Steinwitts* has taken Adderall before the ACT two times. Her first experience, she took a 20 mg capsule, and she noticed increased concentration during the first half of the test, but not very much during the second half. Her second experience, she took a 50mg capsule with her breakfast about 30 minutes before the test, which helped her throughout the entire test by keeping her focused throughout. She says her experience with the drug provided a positive result because she ended up raising her ACT score by four points.

Although the outcome was positive, Steinwitts experienced side effects throughout her experience on the drug. After taking the 50mg dose, she said her body felt completely numb. She also experienced loss of appetite and couldn’t fall asleep until nearly 24 hours after taking the dosage. She wasn’t a fan of the side effects but still believes it was worth it because her score improved so much.

According to the FDA’s Medication Guide, common side effects of Adderall include weight loss, dry mouth, fast heartbeat, trouble sleeping and headache. Steinwitts experienced almost all of these. Symptoms can become so severe that they lead to heart-related problems like heart attack or stroke, and mental problems like bipolar illness.

“I would take it again, but I have no reason to,” Steinwitts said. “I don’t like taking or doing drugs. I only took it to improve my test scores.”

Senior Richard Cranesworth* has illegally sold Adderall to a number of students, including Smith. Cranesworth buys Adderall from coworkers and then sells them, usually around five dollars. He has sold to students for a variety of tests including the ACT or SAT, final exams and Chemistry. Before the most recent ACT test date in October, over 15 people approached Crane for the drug.

Cranesworth believes that there really is no harm in taking Adderall when not prescribed. He explains that if used correctly, and not all of the time, that no harmful effects can come out of it.

According to Marken, it is uncommon for someone to die from taking adderall without a prescription unless the person has a heart disorder. She also explains that if used illegally all of the time it can definitely lead one down the path to being a drug

addict, which can lead to a lot more health problems.

“I took it once and I thought that other people should have the opportunity to experience the focus you get,” Cranesworth said.

Junior Tayler Malcolm* took Adderall before the ACT but it ended up having a negative outcome.

“I did worse [on the ACT] than the first time I took it, which surprised me,” Malcolm said. “I think it just got to my head that I was ‘on something.’”

Malcolm said she couldn’t really feel any side effects from the drug with the exception of being a little antsy along with a lost appetite. She was aware that she might have side effects, but didn’t really mind because she wanted to improve her score. She doesn’t think she will ever use it again before taking the ACT. Senior Christa Edmundson* also had a negative experience with Adderall. She didn’t raise her test score at all and she believes it is because she was more distracted than before.

Throughout the entire test, her body was very jumpy and shaky.

Johnson says that she will never take it again because it was a waste of a test, time and money.

“I decided to take Adderall before the ACT because I felt a lot of pressure to get a good score on it,” Edmundson said. “I realize that not researching the side effects was ridiculously dumb of me because I didn’t improve at all.”

According to Krawitz, some people have negative reactions to the drug because everyone has a different system. He explains that they don’t get the “high” to help them concentrate.

The bad reaction to the medicine causes problems in the body, causing it to shut down.

According to Sandy Walsh, the Public Affairs Representative from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), drugs used to treat ADHD, like Adderall, are federally controlled substances and regulated as such by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The prescribing of them is restricted and physicians who prescribe these drugs must be registered with the DEA. “Medicines can cause serious side effects if not used correctly,” said Walsh. “Incorrect use of medications, or use for nonmedical reasons, can lead to abuse, addiction and serious side effects.”

Walsh also explains that not only is selling or giving away these drugs harmful to others, it is also against the law. As well Adderall has a “Boxed Warning”—the FDA’s strongest warning about the potential for abuse that alerts physicians that the drugs “should be prescribed or dispensed sparingly.”

Kansas Drug Distribution Laws say that someone charged with distributing a stimulant like Adderall will receive the same severity of charge as someone charged with distribution of marijuana, depressants or hallucinogens. The penalty for the first offense can be as severe as four years of jail time.

According to Marken, there are multiple dangers associated with taking this illegally. These include increasing heart problems, addiction and possession of or consuming an illegal drug.

“Any time you take a medication that you shouldn’t be taking, there will be some sort of negative effect,” Dr. Krawitz said.

“Sometimes the effect won’t be noticeable immediately, but they will almost always have long-term effects.”

Junior Spencer Grigsby* has ADHD but occasionally will skip dosages to sell to people who need it. He sells 25mg pills at about $10 each.

issue 8

17

More students are using Adderall and other ADD/ADHD drugs to help them focus on tests

“When I skip my dosage, I just don’t concentrate as well,” Grigsby said. “I don’t mind going a day without it, and I make money off of it.”

Grigsby usually only sells to his close friends before an important test if they can’t find any other options. He wants to help people out, and personally doesn’t see any harm in selling his medication.

“I usually sell it to them if there is a lot of pressure from their parents to do well on a test,” Grigsby said. “I haven’t heard any bad things about people taking it without a prescription, it seems safe if they don’t do it all the time.”

Nancy Owen, a representative from ACT, says that the staff at ACT is unaware of illegal drug use before the test, but that they certainly do not condone it because it gives the person an advantage before the tests. Dr. Krawitz doesn’t consider taking Adderall to be cheating.

“Its not ethical, but it’s not cheating either because they aren’t looking at someone’s paper,” Dr. Krawitz said. “They are taking a drug to make them feel better but I definitely don’t support it.”

*name has been changed to protect identity

thefacts What It Is

Adderall is a drug commonly used to treat ADD and ADHD. It affects the chemicals and nerves of the brain to decrease hyperactivity.

Adderall typically takes one and a half hours to enter your bloodstream and take effect.

Other similar drugs are Ritalin and Metadate.

Side Effects

loss of appetite

emotional changes

dry mouth fever

stomach pain

heartburn

nausea

temporary increased blood pressure difficulty sleeping diarrhea

weight loss

feeling of weakness infection

increased heart rate

Adderall at East* Used an ADD/ADHD drug to help with tests

Yes 13%

No 87%

Would use an ADD/ADHD if given opportunity

Yes 33%

No 67%

Thinks using such drugs to help with tests is OK

Yes 30% To hear a news podcast about Adderall use at East, visit smeharbinger.net

No 70%

*From a poll of 100 students

16

SPREAD

SPREAD

A Tough Pill to Swallow 12-13-10

photo illustrations by EdenSchoofs

AubreyLeiter Senior Katheryn Denning* focuses on her test.

Her concentration is more intense than normal, and she likes how she feels. Taking the drug Adderall before the ACT doesn’t seem like drug use; to her it’s just a way to try to improve her scores.

Denning is one of a number of East students taking Adderall without a prescription to help raise test scores. Adderall is a mixture of four amphetamine salts that, when taken, stimulate the brain. The drug is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by improving concentration. Most students who take it illegally take it with the intention of increasing their scores due to high-

er concentration. Principal Karl Krawitz has heard a lot about this problem at the college level, and would consider it to be a growing problem at the high school level.

After taking Adderall four times in a month and a half, Denning noticed her desire for the drug kept growing stronger every time she took it. It started to feel like drug use: she began to feel addicted. The day she knew she needed to stop was the day that she was looking for a dose with no reason. She didn’t have a test that day, she just craved it. It became real to her at this point, she was becoming a person she didn’t want to be. Someone who she wouldn’t let herself be.

“I liked the way Adderall made me feel,” Denning said. “Not only did it improve my test scores on both the SAT and the ACT, but I was way more productive with my day and always accomplished a lot when on it. Everyone seems to do it, but I know from experience that it’s easily addictive.”

Denning hasn’t taken Adderall since July. She realized it could of had a bad impact on her health if she became dependent on the drug, and regrets that she took it four times in such a short time period.

“For people who take [Adderall] to stay awake and stay energized, it’s easily addictive,” UMKC Pharmacist Trish Marken said. “It can get to the point where your body will crave it and its hard to get out of bed in the morning because your body is used to having the drug in their system. If taken long and often enough, the person can turn into a drug addict.”

Rote knew that taking it this much could easily be the early stages of addiction to the drug and didn’t want to be an addict

or have the reputation. With fear for her future, she made a vow to herself to never take it again.

Senior Amber Steinwitts* has taken Adderall before the ACT two times. Her first experience, she took a 20 mg capsule, and she noticed increased concentration during the first half of the test, but not very much during the second half. Her second experience, she took a 50mg capsule with her breakfast about 30 minutes before the test, which helped her throughout the entire test by keeping her focused throughout. She says her experience with the drug provided a positive result because she ended up raising her ACT score by four points.

Although the outcome was positive, Steinwitts experienced side effects throughout her experience on the drug. After taking the 50mg dose, she said her body felt completely numb. She also experienced loss of appetite and couldn’t fall asleep until nearly 24 hours after taking the dosage. She wasn’t a fan of the side effects but still believes it was worth it because her score improved so much.

According to the FDA’s Medication Guide, common side effects of Adderall include weight loss, dry mouth, fast heartbeat, trouble sleeping and headache. Steinwitts experienced almost all of these. Symptoms can become so severe that they lead to heart-related problems like heart attack or stroke, and mental problems like bipolar illness.

“I would take it again, but I have no reason to,” Steinwitts said. “I don’t like taking or doing drugs. I only took it to improve my test scores.”

Senior Richard Cranesworth* has illegally sold Adderall to a number of students, including Smith. Cranesworth buys Adderall from coworkers and then sells them, usually around five dollars. He has sold to students for a variety of tests including the ACT or SAT, final exams and Chemistry. Before the most recent ACT test date in October, over 15 people approached Crane for the drug.

Cranesworth believes that there really is no harm in taking Adderall when not prescribed. He explains that if used correctly, and not all of the time, that no harmful effects can come out of it.

According to Marken, it is uncommon for someone to die from taking adderall without a prescription unless the person has a heart disorder. She also explains that if used illegally all of the time it can definitely lead one down the path to being a drug

addict, which can lead to a lot more health problems.

“I took it once and I thought that other people should have the opportunity to experience the focus you get,” Cranesworth said.

Junior Tayler Malcolm* took Adderall before the ACT but it ended up having a negative outcome.

“I did worse [on the ACT] than the first time I took it, which surprised me,” Malcolm said. “I think it just got to my head that I was ‘on something.’”

Malcolm said she couldn’t really feel any side effects from the drug with the exception of being a little antsy along with a lost appetite. She was aware that she might have side effects, but didn’t really mind because she wanted to improve her score. She doesn’t think she will ever use it again before taking the ACT. Senior Christa Edmundson* also had a negative experience with Adderall. She didn’t raise her test score at all and she believes it is because she was more distracted than before.

Throughout the entire test, her body was very jumpy and shaky.

Johnson says that she will never take it again because it was a waste of a test, time and money.

“I decided to take Adderall before the ACT because I felt a lot of pressure to get a good score on it,” Edmundson said. “I realize that not researching the side effects was ridiculously dumb of me because I didn’t improve at all.”

According to Krawitz, some people have negative reactions to the drug because everyone has a different system. He explains that they don’t get the “high” to help them concentrate.

The bad reaction to the medicine causes problems in the body, causing it to shut down.

According to Sandy Walsh, the Public Affairs Representative from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), drugs used to treat ADHD, like Adderall, are federally controlled substances and regulated as such by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The prescribing of them is restricted and physicians who prescribe these drugs must be registered with the DEA. “Medicines can cause serious side effects if not used correctly,” said Walsh. “Incorrect use of medications, or use for nonmedical reasons, can lead to abuse, addiction and serious side effects.”

Walsh also explains that not only is selling or giving away these drugs harmful to others, it is also against the law. As well Adderall has a “Boxed Warning”—the FDA’s strongest warning about the potential for abuse that alerts physicians that the drugs “should be prescribed or dispensed sparingly.”

Kansas Drug Distribution Laws say that someone charged with distributing a stimulant like Adderall will receive the same severity of charge as someone charged with distribution of marijuana, depressants or hallucinogens. The penalty for the first offense can be as severe as four years of jail time.

According to Marken, there are multiple dangers associated with taking this illegally. These include increasing heart problems, addiction and possession of or consuming an illegal drug.

“Any time you take a medication that you shouldn’t be taking, there will be some sort of negative effect,” Dr. Krawitz said.

“Sometimes the effect won’t be noticeable immediately, but they will almost always have long-term effects.”

Junior Spencer Grigsby* has ADHD but occasionally will skip dosages to sell to people who need it. He sells 25mg pills at about $10 each.

issue 8

17

More students are using Adderall and other ADD/ADHD drugs to help them focus on tests

“When I skip my dosage, I just don’t concentrate as well,” Grigsby said. “I don’t mind going a day without it, and I make money off of it.”

Grigsby usually only sells to his close friends before an important test if they can’t find any other options. He wants to help people out, and personally doesn’t see any harm in selling his medication.

“I usually sell it to them if there is a lot of pressure from their parents to do well on a test,” Grigsby said. “I haven’t heard any bad things about people taking it without a prescription, it seems safe if they don’t do it all the time.”

Nancy Owen, a representative from ACT, says that the staff at ACT is unaware of illegal drug use before the test, but that they certainly do not condone it because it gives the person an advantage before the tests. Dr. Krawitz doesn’t consider taking Adderall to be cheating.

“Its not ethical, but it’s not cheating either because they aren’t looking at someone’s paper,” Dr. Krawitz said. “They are taking a drug to make them feel better but I definitely don’t support it.”

*name has been changed to protect identity

thefacts What It Is

Adderall is a drug commonly used to treat ADD and ADHD. It affects the chemicals and nerves of the brain to decrease hyperactivity.

Adderall typically takes one and a half hours to enter your bloodstream and take effect.

Other similar drugs are Ritalin and Metadate.

Side Effects

loss of appetite

emotional changes

dry mouth fever

stomach pain

heartburn

nausea

temporary increased blood pressure difficulty sleeping diarrhea

weight loss

feeling of weakness infection

increased heart rate

Adderall at East* Used an ADD/ADHD drug to help with tests

Yes 13%

No 87%

Would use an ADD/ADHD if given opportunity

Yes 33%

No 67%

Thinks using such drugs to help with tests is OK

Yes 30% To hear a news podcast about Adderall use at East, visit smeharbinger.net

No 70%

*From a poll of 100 students

18

FEATURES

12-13-10

senior

SELECTIONS

AnnaMarken As seniors begin to make their finals decisions on which universities they will attend next year, each has a different idea of what they are looking for. Whether it’s the school’s academic record, its atmosphere or its sports teams, every senior has one factor that matters most. Here is a look at what guided four different seniors’ college searches.

Four seniors discuss how they are making their final college decision

MOLLY RAPPOLD University - ATHLETE of Nebraska There was no doubt in Molly Rappold’s mind as to whether she would play soccer in college.

“I’ve been playing practically my whole life and I’ve always wanted to play in college,” Rappold said.

Rappold loves the concept of the game, because you have to work with other people to succeed.

Next year, Rappold will play for the University of Nebraska, a decision made after visiting the University of Kansas, the University of Missouri, Furman University, Clemson University and Duke University. During her sophomore year, Nebraska and the other schools approached Rappold about playing on their teams. But Nebraska was the

school that excited her the most.

During her visits to the other schools, Rappold compared all of them to Nebraska, which she believed had the best facilities and atmosphere. The weights and training rooms were bigger and more up-to-date. There’s an cafeteria strictly for athletes that caters to their healthy diets.

While Rappold is excited to meet her new teammates, she will not be alone. Several of her friends and club teammates will also be playing for Nebraska. They have been on the same team for years and Rappold is looking forward to continuing to play with them.

Next year, Nebraska will be moving from the Big 12 to the much stronger, more competitive Big 10, a fact that Rappold is nervous about. Being only five foot five, Rappold says she will need to get much stronger to be able to compete successfully with the other girls on the team and in the conference.

The success of last year’s varsity team and the closeness of the players, made Rappold realize that continuing with soccer in college is a must for her.

JOHN MEYER- MUSICIAN Cincinnati Music Conservatory John Meyer has been a musician his whole life. He played piano for 11 years, and when he came to East his freshman year, Meyer joined concert choir, which sparked his interest in pursuing music in the future. After college, Meyer hopes to have a career as an opera performer, and if that doesn’t work out, a choral director or voice teacher at the college level. Meyer took this into account when choosing schools.

Next year, Meyer hopes to attend the Cincinnati Music Conservatory, a performing arts school recommended to him by his voice teacher and choral director Ken Foley, an alum of CMC. Meyer looks up to Foley and respects his opinion enough to take it into consideration in his college search.

Meyer wants to pursue a major in musical performance with an emphasis in voice. CMC has some of the highest level voice teachers in the country with an excellent reputation in preparing students for vocal performance. Meyer’s favorite memories of high school choir, which also influenced his decision to continue his music career in college in-

clude making Chambers and state his junior year.

“The level of East’s choir is so high that I really wanted to a college where that

d o e s n’ t change and there’s a lot of good music,” Meyer said.

Choir at East has taught Meyer patience. He’s learned that you have to work for what you want in music and he’s ready to continue working hard in college.

JACK ESBERG - RUSHEE University of Kansas The most important factor that Jack Esberg is looking for in a college is his major—either business or graphic design. Esberg currently takes graphic design classes at Broadmoor, which has made him want to continue learning about it in college. Along with having the majors of his choice, Esberg looked for a school that was close where many of his friends were going. The University of Kansas had all of these qualities.

“KU seems to be the closest and the easiest and I know a lot of people that are going there,” Esberg said.

While at KU, Esberg hopes to play lacrosse or other sports in intramurals or clubs. He hopes to pledge to a fraternity.

Esberg has been to a few rush events at the KU campus and he liked the atmosphere of them. Several of Esberg’s friends are also planning to attend KU, where they will pledge as well. Esberg’s senior year with his friends has been his favorite part of his high school experience and he is excited to get to continue

spending time with those same friends at KU. Esberg is most excited for the freedom of college, but he’s nervous about changing his lifestyle so dramatically.

Being on his own will be a new experience for him, but he hopes being in a comfortable environment with his friends will make the transition easier.

SPENCER BROWN - SCHOLAR Harvey Mudd College Ranked in the top 10 of the senior class, the most important consideration in Spencer Brown’s college decision is academics. He is currently deciding between New Mexico Tech University, Kansas State University, Kansas University, the University of Tulsa, Harvey Mudd College and the University of Virginia. Brown’s top choice is Harvey Mudd College because of its membership in the Claremont University Consortium, an organization of seven colleges that are within one square block of each other in Southern California.

They each have a different concentration, Harvey Mudd’s is computer science and engineering, and students at each college can take classes at the other six. This collaboration program that would allow Brown the

freedom to take classes, such as Latin, outside of Harvey Mudd.

“It’s a quality institution and I won’t have to compete with graduate students for science research,” Brown said.

Regardless of which school he chooses, Brown will major in either computer science, physics or Latin. He will also play in the orchestra and compete on the computer programming team. Brown has been competing in computer programming contests throughout his time at East. Last year, Brown and East alums Joe Craig and Qi Chen won the district competition. Winning the competition is Brown’s favorite academic memory from high school. According to Brown, the competitions were very tough and crazy because of the hectic atmosphere. It felt good to Brown to beat all of the other teams.

What Brown is most looking forward to in college is the freedom to choose what he wants to do, which classes he wants to take and what he wants to specialize in.

“In high school I had a somewhat limited choice of classes and in college I will be able to pick more specific ones,” Brown said.

What Brown has learned from high school is that while he has many interests, it is impossible for him to pursue them all. He hopes that Harvey Mudd will help him get close. all photos by LindseyHartnett

MIXED issue 8

19

a page about Winter

Wii

Necklace

Senior Tori Holt

Sophomore Liz Gray

Camp Lake Hubert Sophomore Leslie Hamilton

Laptop

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What’s your list this year?

How to spend your snow day

SECONDS

with...

Freshman

Joe Libeer Q. Favorite holiday movie?

A. Elf. I like Will Ferrell, he is hilarious.

1

SNOW BALL FIGHT! When the snow begins to fall, call all of your friends! It’s a free activity and it’s a good excuse to be cold. The more people the better and make sure that you dress warm!

2

Q. Most embarrassing moment?

A. When I was younger, I was on the

CATCH UP ON HOMEWORK That may be the last thing you want to do but it really is a good idea. If you are behind, catch up! Study for a test and do any extra credit projects.

3

monkey bars and my brother pulled down my pants all of the way.

Q. Worst gift?

MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE When the cold weather arrives, make yourself some hot chocolate. If you’re feeling a little lazy, use the mix and you’re done.

4

A. Socks that matched my brother’s pair.

SammiKellly

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A&E

SUSHI WARS

Staffer reviews two popular sushi restaurants in the local KC area KennedyBurgess

KONA

K

ona Grill sticks to the basics.

When you walk in, you aren’t overwhelmed by the need to be “hip” to dine there.

Though Kona wasn’t as spacious as Ra, it provided a casual dining area near the bar, where sushi lovers could sit near a large window overlooking the Plaza river and passerby. If only it weren’t below 20 degrees outside, I would have asked to sit in the window area.

So instead, I sat in the booth area, which had a much darker ambiance. The overall appearance of Kona wasn’t anything unique, but the small restaurant space they’re given doesn’t provide many options.

As I sat down, I was handed similar menus to Ra, one with regular food and of course the list of sushi rolls. However, instead of Asian-inspired cuisine, Kona offered a large variety of American food. I wasn’t expecting to see steak and mashed potatoes on the entree list next to different variations of the common tuna roll. The sushi menu wasn’t as long as Ra’s but provided classic sushi dishes including the California Roll and Crab Roll. I decided to be adventurous and try my hand at the Eel roll (my friend swore to me it tasted exactly like chicken) and Kona’s own rendition of the Spicy Salmon roll.

Even though, the service wasn’t very fast, I enjoyed the friendlier atmosphere of Kona that I received from the waiters. Not to mention, each dish was a few dollars cheaper

than Ra. I tried the Spicy Salmon roll first, which was mashed together with the hot sauce in between the seaweed. This made the texture of the meat taste less fresh and somewhat dull. The stickiness of the rice added with the stickiness of the salmon was pasty rather than tasty. I could barely taste the spicy hot sauce at all and I was tempted to drench the roll in soy sauce just to taste a bit of flavor.

The eel roll, however, was surprisingly the better of the two dishes. It was complete with freshly seared eel surrounded by seaweed and white rice, topped with a sweet eel soy sauce. I tried to put the fact that I was eating an actual eel out of my mind.

I’m glad I did too. The sweet eel sauce went perfectly with the sticky white rice on the sushi roll, bringing out the intricate flavor of the eel. I was surprised at how much it actually tasted like chicken rather than eel.

It was very filling however, and I couldn’t finish all eight rolls unlike Ra. I asked for a box and was happy to pay the total $11.00 check, tip and all.

Kona’s casual dining experience will make you feel at home with your sushi, while combining authentic sushi meals and American dishes so you can enjoy the best of both worlds while staying true to reasonable prices.

issue 8

T

he sophisticated sushi restaurant, Ra, stands amongst the cozy buildings of the new town center across the street from AMC. I have to admit, walking into Ra I felt completely under dressed in my ensemble consisting of simply running leggings, a t-shirt and my big blue Patagonia rain jacket. I was greeted by awkward stares from tables of business men and women who seemed to be on their lunch breaks.

The restaurant was packed, and I had a strong feeling I was the only person in the establishment under 20. Ra’s mature atmosphere wasn’t solely caused by their customers. Large, window sized oriental styled photos of a barely clothed woman under a red sheet were mounted on every wall to accompany the reappearing theme of red across the spread out space of the restaurant. The floors were covered with sleek, black, tiles and intricate red light fixtures hung here and there on the ceilings.

Once I was seated, I was handed two menus: a menu consisting of regular meals and a menu of every sushi combination that seemed to exist. Each different type of sushi was divided into different sections. Mango Lobster Roll, Beef Tataki Roll and Yellow Monkey Roll fell under the Signature Sushi Dishes.

It took me a while to find which sushi rolLs I was willing to put to the test, the list of sushi choices seemed never-ending.

21

I finally settled for the Spicy Salmon rolL which came in eight rolLs and cost $6.98.

Some roles cost up to $11, which seemed a little outrageous to me, but once I tried the sushi myself, I could tell all eight rolls would be worth the full price. For one, it only took ten minutes for the food to be served. Fast service? Check I was expecting the spiciness of the salmon to be overwhelming, based on sushi I had tried before, but the flavor was subtle. Delicious? Check.

I was elated to find my tongue wasn’t burning from each sushi roll drenched in hot sauce, and even more pleased with how fresh the salmon tasted. The salmon had a silky like smoothness with hints of spice at the end of every bite. It was a perfect mixture of crunchy from the crisply cut cucumber and smooth from the raw salmon in between a wrap of fresh sea-weed and white rice. I didn’t put my chop-sticks down until I was completely finished. The plate was empty as quickly as it took for it to arrive on the table, leaving my stomach fulfilled without feeling too full.

Ra’s extreme sophistication may be too much for the casual restaurant-goer.

If you’re willing to pay the high prices for quality sushi, it’s worth the full enjoyment up until the very last bite.

RA

all photos by GrantHeinlein

ANATOMY OF RA’S SPICY SALMON ROLL SEAWEED WRAP FRESHLY CUT CUCUMBER COOKED WHITE RICE RAW FRESH WATER SALMON HOT SAUCE

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Commercial Real Estate Services

Cassidy Turley

PHOTO ESSAY

issue 8

23

SO THEY THINK

THEY CAN

DANCE Group of senior boys puts together a dance with the help of two Lancer Dancers

Snapping to the beat of “We R Who We R”

by Ke$ha, senior Cormac O’Connor, above, dances for the pep assembly crowd. “It was good to practice and hype it up, but to perform in front of everyone—we got really nervous,” O’Connor said.

AndreaZecy Senior Scott Watson, left, practices the dance with the rest of the guys before heading upstairs for the pep assembly. “We all were really adamant about staying in unison,” Watson said.

GrantHeinlein Adjusting the hood of his borrowed Lancer Dancer uniform, senior Henry Foster anticipates the beginning of the performance.

GrantHeinlein

Peering through the cracks in the bleachers, senior Kevin Simpson, far above, watches other pep assembly activities before heading out onto the gym floor.

GrantHeinlein Senior Kirsten Clark practices dance moves with the boys during their final rehearsal. “[The guys] had their own inputs on the dance,” Clark said.

“They had their own practices and really wanted to do well.” GrantHeinlein

24

A&E 12-13-10

A&E Calendar

ALL THE DATES YOU’LL NEED FOR

ALL YOUR WINTERTAINMENT

TRON LEGACY

G

Beaumont Club

TRUE

ALBUM

DEC ORCHESTRA DEC GRIT JAN the Midland

17

LITTLE “Tron: Legacy” is the sequel to the 1982 film “Tron.”

The original was neither a critical nor commercial success, and is mainly remembered for its flashy images and for its namesake video game. But with an all-star cast helmed by Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn along with Daft Punk doing the soundtrack, “Tron: Legacy” is poised to be great.

The story follows Sam Flynn who is haunted by the disappearance of his father, Kevin, who has been trapped inside a digital world for 20 years. When Sam goes to investigate a strange signal coming from Kevin’s arcade, Sam is transported to the digital world where he must find his father. However the program CLU 2, created by Kevin won’t stop at anything to prevent their escape.

TRANS-

BREATH

DECEMBERIST

FOCKERS In Theaters

DEC

22

REPUBLIC

TIGERS Beaumont Club

DEC

31

SIBERIAN There are two concerts that always usher in the holiday season: Manheim Steamroller and the TransSiberian Orchestra. Manheim Steamroller came in November, and if you didn’t attend you better be sure to clear your calender on Dec. 29 and pencil in the TransSiberian Orchestra.

If you are only able to go to one concert during this week, this is the one you should attend. You expect a full orchestra, a massive light show, lasers, dozens of pyrotechnics, moving trusses, and video screens. This is sure to be a Christmas show that you won’t forget.

31

Record Stores

11

KC BALLET

THE GREEN

NUTCRACKER

In Theaters

THE DEC Music Hall

11-24

CHRISTMAS

CAROL KC Rep

DEC

-26

HORNET

The Coen Brothers are out with a new movie, and this time it’s a Western.

Starring Jeff Bridges, “True Grit” will not disappoint.

So far it has a 100 percent “fresh” rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

It is the remake of a John Wayne movie from 1969 which was adapted from a novel published in 1968 by Charles Portis.

The story follows Mattie Ross, who undertakes a quest to avenge her father’s death at the hands of a drifter named Tom Chaney. Ross persuades an alcoholic marshal named Rooster Cogburn to join her in tracking down her father’s assailant.

With the Coen Brothers directing, this is sure to be an Oscar contender in March.

JAN

14

OZZY

OSBOURNE Sprint Center

JAN

22

www.sprintcenter.com, www.midlandtheater.com, www.allmoviephoto.com, www.municipalauditorium.com, www.uptowntheater.com

DEC. 17 KENNY DEC. 29 NEEDTO- DEC. 22

TomLynch

2 SWEATER TIGHTS

These tights are made of warm material and keep your legs warm so that you can wear shorts, dresses or skirts instead of jeans every day in an attempt to stay warm.

3 FOLD-BACK MITTENS

Sacrificing warmth for texting’s sake is no longer a problem.

These mittens keep your fingers warm, but fold back for texting access. Perfect for any touch screen as well as keyboards.

4 KNIT

25

THE BUYER’S GUIDE TO BOOTS Staffer compares name-brand boots to the off brand

ZoeBrian

Off Bran

Name Brand

THE COLD WEATHER BOOT

UGG BOOTS

d

AEROSOLES SQUASHING TRIP BOOTS

UGG.COM // $140-$200

MACY’S // $99

Let’s face it--Uggs are the most popular boot here at East. Whether it be the classic Ugg or the bootie Ugg, these Australian-made shoes have been popular all across the country since 2002, when the trend first moved West. The main quarrel consumers have with the boots is the price, along with the fact that the interior’s “fur” gets worn down and crusty and eventually begins to smell. The only way to clean the boots is to take them to a dry cleaner, which only furthers their cost. A graceful step is necessary with these clunkers, so walk tall and try not to be weighed down by these toe-trippers. Also, considering these originated in sunny Australia, they aren’t exactly made for snow or rain.

This alternative to the Ugg is half the original price and is conveniently made for cold weather, meaning the shoe can be worn in slush without having to worry about ruining them. They are waterproof, lined with wool to keep your feet warm and come in four different colors: brown, black, pink and grey. The silky lace and fur detailing has been ripped right off the runway and adds a fashion-forward twist to the otherwise typical snow boot. The one-inch heel gives an extra lift while the half-inch rubber sole has traction to keep you from slipping on icy sidewalks.

MACYS.COM

A cable-knit hat and scarf combined in one. With a pom-pom on top, this long and warm accessory is cute as well as functional. The scarf is connected to the hat in the back, while the hat is long enough to cover your ears.

Plus the scarf is long enough to be wrapped around multiple times.

issue 8

THE RAIN BOOT SPERRY’S

MERONA

SPERRYTOPSIDER.COM // $75

Made for the seafarer in all of us, these Sperry rain boots were created specifically to hold up in bad weather, which is fast-coming this winter season.

The boots are top of the line as well as cute, and the fleece lining keeps your feet warm while the waterproof outside keeps them dry. More commonly worn when it isn’t raining, rain boots (also known as Wellies) have shifted from dorky to fashion-forward.

Twenty different patterns are available from solid colors to animal print, and with special traction made for snow and rain, these cute boots are perfect for weather of any kind.

TARGET // $15-$55

R.COM

1 SCARF-HAT

A&E

SPERRY TOPSID E

Other Winter Must Haves

While these aren’t expensive and come in a large variety of color and style, Target has failed to deliver on the one quality needed in a rain boot: water-resistance.

These shoes may hold up for the first week or two but can’t handle heavy snow or rain, and water can seep through the outside, making for an uncomfortable walk.

For $15 they can’t necessarily be expected to be highquality, but some quality would be nice.

HEADPHONES The earmuff has been mixed with headphones! Now your ears can be warm while you jam to your favorite holiday music.

THE COMBAT BOOT

DOC MARTENS

DMUSASTORE.COM // $115-$200

5 EARWARMERS Shaped like a headband but made of sweater material, cable-knit ear warmers are fashionable as well as practical.

Whether they are a solid color or have embellishments, these ear warmers double as an accessory.

These 1980 punk-rock boots have been making a comeback for the past few years. Though once a unique and rebellious thing to have, Doc Martens have become prevalent on catwalks everywhere and thus have become a staple in any fashionista’s closet. Now with a variety of colors and patterns ranging from Hello Kitty to classic black, these kickbutt boots can match any outfit. Previously handmade in England in the 1960’s, their rise in popularity has prompted the company to ship production to China, thus causing an obvious decrease in quality. While they no longer stand up to the wear and tear of yesteryear, Doc Martens still manage to make a statement with any outfit.

COMBAT BOOTS

BOOMERRANG, SALVATION ARMY // $5-$30

While there isn’t a specific brand you can look for, a thrift store is your best friend when looking for combat boots. Thrift stores aren’t for everyone; they’re for those who like to search and don’t mind ‘recycling’ clothes, but the rewards are worth the time spent. Classic black is found most commonly, but if you keep digging you may find colorful or patterned boots perfect for you.

They are a little heavy, but more importantly they’re cheap, cheap, cheap, with most ranging between $1020. Most thrift store combat boots are military-grade, meaning that they can withstand any type of weather without looking scratched. Along with not emptying your wallet, you can feel confident that what you are wearing is as unique as it is fashionable.

All photos by DanStewart and EdenSchoofs

A&E 26 12-13-10

SANITY

DRIFTING AWAY Natalie Portman gives an Oscar-worthy performance in the intense pyscho-thriller “Black Swan”

AlexLamb

Ballet is an art form known for its precision and beauty. But in “Black Swan,” director Darren Aronofsky uses it to create a disturbing, twisted nightmare. A nightmare so vivid, so entrancing and powerful that it warps the purest form of dance, as well as the sweet innocence of the darling Natalie Portman, into a fierce experience of ravishing beauty and horrifying intensity.

Set in the highly competitive world of New York City ballet, Portman portrays Nina Sayers, a ballerina who devotes every second of her being to dance. When the aging star at her dance company (a startlingly vicious Winona Ryder) is forced into retirement, the artistic director (the smarmy and seductive Vincent Cassel) takes a chance on Nina, giving her the leading role as the Swan Queen in the company’s production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.”

The Swan Queen calls for a dual performance; Nina perfectly fits as the angelic White Swan, but she can’t seem to capture the raw sensuality and lustful power of the Black Swan. Struggling to reach her dark side, Nina receives competition for the part from Lily (Mila Kunis), a new dancer that exemplifies the sexually charged persona of the Black Swan. But as Nina develops a friendship/rivalry with Lily, faces pressure from the director as well as her controlling stage mother (Barbara Hershey) and makes her transformation into the Swan Queen, her grasp of reality starts slipping as she loses herself in the world around her.

Like all of Aronofsky’s movies, “Black Swan” grabs the attention of viewers right off the bat, and then slowly spins them into a web of resounding anguish with its arresting visuals, infesting paranoia and psychological disturbances. What starts out as an absorbing character drama shifts into a full-throttle thriller, diving into Nina’s fractured psyche so deeply as to lose sense of what’s real and what’s imagined.

As Nina explores the passionate energy of the Black Swan, she opens herself up to an entirely new world, which Aronofsky attacks with reckless abandon. When Lily takes her to a nightclub about halfway through, she shows glimmers of a different side to her. It’s something both fascinating and unsettling to watch, especially due to the trippy manner in which Aronofsky presents it.

The more Nina digs into this fiery alter ego, the more terrifying her surroundings become. A nightmare sequence that kicks off the third act proves to be the most frightening thing I’ve seen all year, and when the movie finally arrives at the climactic performance of “Swan Lake,” I was glued to my seat with rapt anticipation and overwhelming tension. I’ll be damned if it isn’t the most

terrifyingly beautiful scene in any film of 2010.

Aronofsky directs with such daring gusto that the fact “Black Swan” is essentially a high-art horror flick never sets in until after the movie’s conclusion. His manipulation of the images on-screen can often induce cringing (ripping hangnails, face stabbing, bone breaking), but other times he ingeniously takes something small or barely noticeable and alters it to unnerving effect. I’ll say right now, the lesbian scene is actually pretty creepy because of how Aronofsky messes with the visuals, and the implementation of mirrors throughout the film is not only chilling but metaphorical as well.

Like in his early works “Pi” and “Requiem for a Dream,” one of Aronofsky’s greatest strengths is mounting a rising tension which permeates the whole piece, taking it on a crescendo that explodes with an intense fury at the end. The interweaving of Tchaikovsky’s score to “Swan Lake” with an original score by Clint Mansell greatly factors into this, sweeping up viewers alongside the stunning, predominantly black and white color palette.

However, it’s the raw talent of Portman that takes the center spotlight throughout, reminiscent of Naomi Watts in the captivating “Mulholland Dr.,” giving her most impressive and challenging performance yet. The change she takes on from beginning to end is remarkable, from just a timid and fragile little ballerina to a ferocious, devastatingly breathtaking performer. Portman is better known for her emotional subtlety, which she’s mastered here, but the psychosis she exhibits, tearing her apart, is what makes this performance Oscar-worthy.

And as she commands the stage as the Swan Queen at the end, she’s a revelation to watch.

This is Portman’s movie all the way, although the supporting players prove excellent as well. Kunis is fairly new to dramatic roles, and here she’s occasionally used as comedic relief, but her striking, flowing movements on the dance floor mirror her nymph-like deception. Hershey on the other hand is particularly scary, a demanding, wicked witch of a mother that towers over Nina constantly.

With “Black Swan,” Aronofsky blurs the line between adult horror movie and ballsy psychological thriller, delivering the best of both worlds in a mind bender viewers won’t soon forget. Aronofsky turns dance into an intense, haunting, delirious and mesmerizing thrill ride.

Ballet will never be the same again.

Director Aronofsky Other Works Pi - 1998 Aronofsky’s debut feature, this black and white psychological thriller follows a genius obsessively searching for the number to the universe.

Requiem for a Dream - 2000 The most affecting film about drug addiction ever made, four people experience the ultimate downward spiral into oblivion in this powerhouse drama.

The Wrestler - 2008 The best sports movie of the decade, Mickey Rourke revived his career with this Oscarnominated performance as an aging wrestler facing mortality.

allmoviephoto.com

STAR SCALE

STAY AT HOME

RENT IT

WORTH SEEING

OSCAR WORTHY

FOUR TIPS FOR HOW YOU CAN STUDY EFFECTIVELY DURING

1 LOCATION

3TIME FRAME

Many classes focusing on study skills claim that finding a quiet place every time you sit down to study will help increase the amount of knowledge you retain. But, contrary to this popular belief, current research as well studies dating back to the 70s are telling us otherwise. Dr. Bjork based his “two-room study” off of one of the same style originally conducted in 1978. In it, he found that students who studied vocabulary words in two different rooms did much better on a test given to them than those who studied the words multiple times in the same room. This same study has been

performed many times with varying subject matter, and has produced similar results.

Dr. Bjork explains that these results are due to your brain making subtle associations between sensations that occur while studying, even if these connections aren’t always conscious. So, if you are studying the Civil War at a Starbucks, your brain will automatically connect the aroma of coffee with the Battle of Bull Run. “What we think is happening here is that, when the outside context is varied, the information is enriched, and this slows down forgetting,” Dr. Bjork said.

Instead of focusing on one subject intensely while trying to prepare for finals, switch the concepts up. If you alternate between vocabulary, math equations and then go on to Spanish, your brain is more likely to retain the most information about each subject. This idea, which University of South Florida professors Kelly Taylor and Doug Rohrer refer to as “interleaved practice,” can be compared to the way a basketball player trains: instead of only doing speed drills, strength or skill workouts, they do a combination of the three.

If you apply this to your school studies,

the results could be substantial, according to Taylor and Rohrer, who recently completed an official study on this topic. In their experiment, the students that studied using the interleaved practice method outscored the students who used a basic study method 77 percent to 38 percent when tested.

This 39 percent improvement could mean a lot to your final grade, so testing this theory out on your own study style is definitely worth a shot.

2SUBJECTS

CRUNCH TIME

Although the previous tips go against the old-fashioned study method, cognitive scientists don’t refute the fact that cramming will lead to a better grade on a test. They do, however, believe that speed cramming your brain with a ton of knowledge can only hold for so long. So, while cramming may have helped you on some of the history tests you have taken so far, the final will be over everything you have learned. Try studying for one hour each night before your final instead of six hours the night of. It could lead to you being more prepared while spending less time studying.

A&E

issue 8

27

AlysabethAlbano

The brain can only hold onto so much at one time, meaning that it will have slowly forgotten the things learned from the other cram sessions. When you study things over time, your brain can hold onto the information for much longer according to Henry L. Roediger, a psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Even though he admits no one really knows why the brain is like this, he suggests that each 11 12 1 2 time you revisit a subject, the 10 3 brain has time to relearn the 9 4 8 information before it absorbs 7 6 5 new material.

4PRACTICE TESTS Because the brain does better absorbing material the more times you revisit it, it is a good idea to take practice quizzes and tests before taking your actual final exam. Research also suggests that the harder something is to remember, the harder it will be for you to later forget.

In another experiment, Dr. Roediger tested his “test enhanced learning” theory by making his students read a passage twice, back to back, and then testing them on it immediately. On the first test, they recalled an average of 70 percent, but when tested

two days later, their scores dropped significantly, then dropped again when they were tested one week later. But when they read the passage only once, and took a practice test, they scored much higher when tested two days and even one week later.

Generally, the publisher of the textbooks you use in class offers an online version.

More often than not, included with the online text are practice tests for each chapter.

So, if you are feeling unprepared for your final, try using this resource.

SPORTS 28 12-13-10

SammiKelly

POSTSEASONSUCCESS O

n November 22, Chip Sherman was named High School Coach of the Year by the Kansas City Chiefs for reviving the East football program. Sherman led the Lancers to a district championship with the team’s 8-1 season as well as a share of the Sunflower League title. The school will receive 1,000 dollars that will go towards the football program.

“Winning that award meant a lot because it is one of those things that is a real tribute to our other coaches and the kids on the team,” Sherman said.

“They have done so good that people on the outside want to recognize our coaching staff and our team.”

Despite improving the team’s record to 8-1 from 4-6 a year ago, Sherman doesn’t believe that he particularly deserves this award.

“There are a lot of better coaches out there than me, I have just been blessed to be at the right place at the right time,” Sherman said. “I have been around good people and I have tried to surround myself with good coaches. They’re are the ones who do all of the hard work, I just stand around and

do what needs to be done.”

Sherman was put into position to win this award by winning Coach of the Week on October 26th, for that award, Sherman won an additional 500 dollars for the team.

“I don’t ever set [winning awards] as a goal,” Sherman said. “It’s not all about winning, it’s not all about all of that other stuff. Some of the most rewarding years I have had have not been the most winning seasons.”

Sherman is certainly no stranger to this award, four times prior this year he has been recognized for the award.

Although the award is a tribute to Sherman’s success coaching this team, he insists that the players won the award, not him and it has been this way since the first time he won it.

“This past season has been very successful,” Sherman said.

“The success of a season isn’t over after the season. When those seniors graduate then you look back and say ‘alright how did they handle themselves,’ were they good kids, did they do the right thing, were they good in school, did they stay off the police blotters. That to me is more important.”

Cream of the Crop

DanStewart

After record seasons, coaches Jamie Kelly and Chip Sherman win coach of the year awards

CorbinBarnds

A

t the conclusion of the SUCCESSFULSEASONS soccer season, James game scores from boys’ football Kelly was named Sunand soccer flower Coach of the year from his Football Soccer fellow coaches in the league. Kelly SM Northwest Blue Valley led the Lancers to their first SunWin Win 24-0 2-0 flower League boys’ soccer title in Washburn Rural 10 years.

Lawrence Loss Win “It’s very humbling, it’s very ex1-3 35-16 citing for the players because the SM West SM North Loss coaches that normally win those Win 2-3 awards normally win them for 40-21 Olathe East having good seasons,” Kelly said.

Win Olathe North “It’s also nice to be honored and 1-0 Loss respected by my peers. As coaches SM North 24-13 Win they recognize, that what I’ve Lawrence Free St. 6-0 done at East is a good accomplishWin Olathe North ment and it makes me feel good for 28-21 Win the players too because without Olathe Northwest 2-0 Win the players buying into what the SM South 18-13 Tie coaches are saying, you will never 1-1 BV North get something like that.”

SM West Win Kelly’s job was made a bit easier Win 55-34 due to the fact that he had a team of 5-0 SM West Olathe South 17 seniors, 10 of those starters.

Win Win “With so many seniors this 21-10 2-1 season we had the experience so Leavenworth SM West I didn’t have to worry about them Win Win being nervous for this game or this 10-0 21-10 game because they’ve been there TOTAL RECORD SM Northwest Win and done that,” Kelly said. “So we 8-1 4-2 could work on other things.”

Lawrence KC Christian Despite winning the league, the Win Win Lancers had a disappointing end to 5-0 4-1 Olathe Northwest Lawrence Free St. the season, losing in the first round Win Loss of the playoffs to Shawnee Mission 2-0 1-2 Northwest 0-2.

BV Northwest TOTAL RECORD Loss 11-1-4

“I feel like the Marty Schottenheimer of soccer, we do well in the regular season but playoff wise need to push through,” Kelly said.

“The regular season was great but the playoff were very disappointing. The boys will remember the league title; they will come back and walk in to see the banner up there with their names on it. That’s exciting to be able to know that they did win league this year.”

Kelly got the same honor last spring. Last year as the girls’ soccer coach, Kelly coached the team to a Sunflower League title and won Sunflower Coach of the year because of it.

“It’s hard to say I deserved it over another person because what other coaches had to do with the talent they’ve had. I really respected what they’ve done. Because a lot of times you have to do more with less talent, but you may not get recognized because of your record. A lot of times that coaches do their best coaching, they don’t get recognized for it.”

Kelly served as an assistant boys’ and girls’ soccer coach under Jim Ricker for 6 years and despite Ricker winning a league championship, he never won the award.

“I never really thought that you could win this award, it was something that just never really crossed my mind,” Kelly said.

Kelly had four players named to first team All-Sunflower League team.

“I am very happy for them, I mean it is very exciting to have the players get recognized too, they deserve it,” Kelly said. “That’s the main thing, we go to these meetings and we put these players up for awards, and we wouldn’t put them up if we didn’t feel like they deserved it.”

1-2

The boys’ soccer and football athletes named to the Sunflower League first teams

John Schrock

Elliot Faerber

JaQuan Brunt

George Brophy

Football

Football

Football

Football

Quarterback

Wide Receiver

Returner

Defensive End

Senior

Junior

Senior

Senior

Josh Mais Football Linebacker Senior

Grant Ellis

Cameron Smith

Lucas

Football

Soccer

Throckmorton

Cornerback

Defender

Soccer

Senior

Senior

Mid-Fielder Senior

Chris Melvin Soccer Goalie Senior

Zach Colby Soccer Attack Senior

Wrestling with

SPORTS

issue issue 88

29

photo illustration by SammiKelly

Calories

Ufford teaches wrestlers the safe way to cut weight EmilyKerr

Junior Ben Randolph’s stomach growls as he steps into the school cafeteria. Looking around him, he sees masses of trays filled with tantalizing pizzas and warm chocolate chip cookies. He strides past them, goal in sight. Today, he will be eating a plain salad with no meat—a rare move for a hungry high school boy.

He keeps his eye on the prize. He must maintain his weight in order to wrestle this weekend. A little bit of hunger is just part of his normal wrestling routine.

At practice that afternoon, Randolph, drenched in sweat, struggles to pin an opponent to the mat. His stomach growls once again, but he ignores it.

Just keep pushing.

“That’s just when the mental conditioning comes in,” Randolph said.

“If your mind breaks down, then your whole body is going to fail.”

The reason wrestlers are constantly checking the scales all comes down to the issue of weight classes. To compete in their match that weekend, they must be below their weight class limit.

“If [a wrestler] is weighing 132 then he wants to do his best to try to make 130 because if he wrestled 135 then he would be wrestling guys that are coming down from 137, 138,” Ufford said.

“So those guys are much bigger, which puts him at a disadvantage.”

Although weight cutting often has a negative connotation, if done properly it poses no health risks. Varsity coach Chip Ufford emphasizes the importance of cutting weight the right way.

“What I try to tell them is we want to reach our ideal body weight, where you don’t have a lot of fat hanging off your body,” Ufford said. “Eat your vegetables, your fruits, lean meats and hopefully if you are doing that and working out the way we want you to, then you will work towards your ideal weight.”

Sometimes this just won’t cut it.

“Every once in awhile may they have to avoid a dinner before a weigh in? Yes,” Ufford said. “But to be with honest with you, is it going to hurt them to miss one meal? No.” Although Ufford encourages his players to avoid this, sometimes the

wrestlers stray from his methods. Randolph recalls a time when he resorted to that method, as an act of desperation.

“Freshman year I had to lose seven pounds.” Randolph said. “Wednesday I ate three clementines throughout the day and a bottle of water. Thursday I ate an apple for lunch and a banana for dinner. Friday I didn’t eat anything.”

Randolph quickly learned that this was not the way to lose the weight.

“I won the match but I was definitely not at my 100 percent,” Randolph said.”

I learned that I need to manage my weight, not cut it.”

This crash diet method is what nutritionist and author of The Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle, Joan O’Keefe, sees as a potential problem.

“I would prefer that they wouldn’t skip meals, but that they were more moderate with them,” O’Keefe said.

“What they need to do is be more cognizant of their everyday eating habits. It might mean skipping the chips. It might mean skipping the junk during season.

Every bite that goes in your mouth needs to be a quality bite.”

Ufford also works to get his wrestlers to see the bigger picture. Eating smaller portions can not only benefit their wrestling, but also helps them to have a more realistic view of the world.

“What I tell the guys and even myself is, we’re in a country of abundance,” Ufford said. “I challenge the kids that if they are in a position where they are hungry and their stomach is growling, to remember that there are people all around the world experiencing this.”

According to mindfully.org, Americans east 815 billion calories of food each day, that’s roughly 200 billion more than needed-enough to feed 80 million people.

But in the end, it must come down to the wrestler himself.

“Wrestling is a sport where you cannot hide behind your teammate, it’s all about you and how much effort you put in,” Ufford said.

Skipping that piece of pizza may prove worthy after all.

SammiKelly

SammiKelly

LANCER LUNCH

A look a junior wrestler Blake Hill’s lunch

TURKEY SANDWICH ON WHITE 179 Calories WATER 0 Calories GRANOLA BAR 90 Calories 2 APPLES 140 Calories GOGURT 70 Calories

TOTAL

479

calories

SPORTS 30 12-13-10

sophomore time

It’s

Pre-game Nerves

“I was really excited to be on the varsity team but I was just anxious because I didn’t know what to expect.”

S

ZACH SCHNEIDER

ophomore Chase Hanna has a talent for basketball but refuses to stick to one sport. He doesn’t wish to give up his other sport—golf.

From the first time Hanna picked up a basketball, he had an instant connection. While Hanna’s father was a tennis player growing up, Hanna did not share the same love.

Instead he liked shooting a basketball and swinging a golf cub.

S

Key to the Game

“Our defensive possessions at the end of regulation were important. We had some really good defensive stops.”

Hanna has always enjoyed basketball and became serious and decided that he was going to work hard in third grade. He did not want to stick to one sport as he grew older; Hanna wanted to continue to play golf.

“My grandfather taught me how to play at a nine hole course in Carthage, Illinois,” Hanna said.

Hanna spends most of the summer on the golf course. If it is in St. Louis or Memphis, Hanna travels to play in tournaments. This past summer, Hanna played 25 tournament days.

When Hanna has time to spare in the summer, he plays basketball.

“Coach Hair is very understanding,” Hanna said. “I make it to all of the basketball workouts and games when I am able to.”

Pre-game Nerves

11

all photos by DanStewart

Key to the Game

tunity to be in charge and basketball didn’t provide that.

The more games he played in baseball and in other sports the more skilled he became in different areas. Experience helped Schneider to develop coordination and that eventually led him to like basketball.

The summer between 8th and 9th grade, Schneider had a coach that changed his feeling of basketball. His coach, Rodney Perry demonstrated how to play as a team. “[Our team] did not have the most talent but our coach showed us how to play by sharing the ball,” Schneider said.

“Right before half time we went on a run and I hit two 3-pointers in a row which got us rolling and we went into half with a six point lead.” ine-year-old Vance Wentz sits in the bleachers next to his father, mother and brother. Time is dwindling. There he watches the game intently, studying his favorite basketball player bend his knees and play defense. This is the person who inspired him—his cousin.

Wentz’s cousin, Jeff Blummer, a member of the Marysville High School varsity basketball team, runs down one side of the court.

There is time enough for one more possession and the crowd is silently watching, studying each and every dribble. Marysville is down two points and has to make something happen. The ball is passed, and the shot is taken, Wentz’s cousin stands, staring at his teammate taking the shot, waiting for a result. The crowd watches as the ball soars through the air. It goes in, winning Marysville the state ti-

CHASE HANNA

all stories by AnneWillman

Hanna continues to play in golf tournaments in the fall and tries to make it to East when possible for workouts. At the end of October, Hanna begins to transition to basketball. He begins to condition and practice his shooting.

Hanna works hard, trying to perfect each element of his game: shooting, defense, ball handling and rebounding.

“I think as a sophomore, I get the big picture about playing varsity,” Hanna said. “We have the drive to get better.”

Hanna plans to push himself harder and to bring the skills that are needed to win games.

He wants to become a better defender and a more aggressive rebounder. Hanna loves the game, but does not see himself fit to play college basketball.

“I was so excited even though I’d already played Varsity before. It felt like a while before I actually played because it took me awhile to get into the game and it felt like it’d been a long time since I’d been on the floor.”

tanding on the pitching mound, sophomore Zach Schneider decides what he is going to throw. He know that he is the one person everyone is focusing on, he is in control.

“I didn’t like basketball when I first started playing,” Schneider said. “I was uncoordinated.”

Schneider liked pitching more than any other position. Baseball gave him the oppor-

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The three sophomores on Varsity had different beginnings in basketball, but all came together to play at East

Key to the Game

“A 6-foot white kid is not the type for college basketball,” Hanna said.

Hanna sees a better opportunity to play college golf. He said that he has more talent in golf than basketball.

“I don’t want to give up basketball,” Hanna said. “I want to be able to play two sports that I love.”

“We missed a shot with a minute left and they held the ball for the last shot and we got a really big defensive stop which brought it into overtime.”

In 2009, the last time East went to the state semi-finals and played against Wichita Southeast, Schneider realized how fun it would be to play on varsity. Schneider saw the large crowd of people sitting in the bleachers and heard the loud roars of the fans.

At that moment, he realized how exciting it would be to play on the varsity team.

“I got my height from my mom and dad,” Schneider said. “They both played four years of high school basketball.”

While Schneider can use his height inside, he has the skill to shoot. When competing on the court, Schneider can post up or

Post-game Reflections

“I was really glad we won, we kinda let them back in the game by going into overtime. We did a good job with our free throws at the end which got us through it.”

tle. Wentz joins the crowd storming the court to congratulate the team.

“After seeing the final seconds of the game, it made me want to play basketball competitively,” Wentz said.

The game that his cousin won made all of the difference, the winning of the state title inspired Wentz to play and to play with determination.

“To win state, I need to bring my shooting game,” Wentz said. “I need to play really good defense and be a good rebounder.”

In the summer, Wentz practices individually three times a week and works on shooting for about one and a half hours a day.

As a returning varsity player, Wentz is back with confidence.

“This is my second year and the pressure is off,” Wentz said. “As a sophomore I have

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many games to improve and through that I will have more experience.”

Last year, Wentz started a gameday routine that he is continuing this year. After school, Wentz gets a turkey and cheese sandwich or meatball grinder from Subway and then eats it in the training room.

During practice and games, Wentz becomes serious. He shows little emotion on the court, his primary goal is to win. He uses his energy to play hard and do the best that he can do. In the locker room, Wentz enjoys to let down his guard and be less serious.

“There are a lot of funny guys on the team,” Wentz said. “I try to crack a joke and it doesn’t end up being very funny.”

Wentz would like to play in college after his hard work and dedication year round. He hopes that his summer team will help in the

Post-game Reflections

“It was a pretty sweet victory after last year. It was good for us to get back on track after a pretty awful season last year.”

take an outside shot.

Schneider does not feel the pressure this year.

“I have more games to prove myself compared to a senior,” Schneider said.

Schneider stays focused and he says that he has the quiet personality of the team. Schneider’s quiet demeanor helps him to be on top of his game, blocking out the chants and chaos of the fans.

“I know how to focus on basketball, the goal for me is to give 100 percent during the entire game,” Schneider said.

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VANCE WENTZ area of exposure for college scouts and teams.

“I would like to play wherever at this point,” Wentz said. “I am young and have time to develop to become a college player.”

SPORTS

What we learned from

WEEK 1

Boys’ Basketball

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Girls’ Basketball

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Boys’ Swimming

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easily, though they were not against great competition. Along with the returning state placers from last season’s team, junior Andrew Hornung has made a splash early and will serve as one of the Lancers’ top freestylers.

Next chance to watch them: January 10th

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his year, the boys’ bowling team has eight seniors. According to head coach Patti Kennedy, three of those seniors could compete in state: Johnny Sheahan, Pete Peterson and Brennan Burns. On the girls’ side, Kennedy believes that senior Ali Dees has talent to make a run

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getting significant varsity minutes for the first time, the Lancers continue to fight hard and push the ball up the court. Even though the girls will face several size disadvantages in their upcoming games, their quickness will allow them to stay competitive.

Next chance to watch them: Today

he Lancers’ first couple meet victories must be taken with a grain of salt: their sprinters still have yet to get up to speed, and three swimmers who are expected to be state placers haven’t seen action. East won those two meets

Wrestling

where their offense was very stagnant. Although they have the potential to beat a lot of teams they shouldn’t, the Lancers will live and die by the three ball and must discover a player who can take it to the rack.

Next chance to watch them: Monday

fter losing their first game to St. Thomas Aquinas, the girls’ basketball team rebounded by beating Blue Valley North by 10. Although the team is still adjusting to a new coach and has multiple players

Bowling

TICKING DOWN 0:03 NAMES

Next chance to watch them: Tuesday

fter a competitive rivalry game with rival Shawnee Mission South, we have learned that Shawn Hair has once again given us a team that will be very competitive throughout the season. During their debut, the Lancers were very explosive at times, evidenced by scoring the first seven points of the game. They also had times

at state. Not only does their head coach think they can make state but she also believes could even bring home some silverware. “It takes an over 200 average to win state and all of them are capable of that,” said Kennedy. “Whether or not they can pull it off, we’re going to have to wait and see.”

Next chance to watch them: Friday

uring the Gardner-Edgerton Invite, the wrestling team made their improvement evident by placing sixth out of 16 teams. Last year at the same Invite, they placed 12th. The Lancers scoring came primarily from the Hill brothers; headlined with junior Blake Hill, who placed second.

The Lancers normally have trouble placing

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.50.49.48.47.46.45.44.43.42.41.40.39.38.3 7.36.35.34.33.32.31.30.29.28.27.26.25.24. issue 8 23.22.21.20.19.18.17.16.15.14.13.12.11.10.9.8.7 .6.5.4.3.2.1.50.49.48.47.46.45.44.43.42.41.

40.39.38.37.36.35.34.33.32.31.30.29.28.27 .26.25.24.23.22.21.20.19.18.17.16.15.14.13.12.

11.10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.50.49.48.47.46.45.44.

43.42.41.40.39.38.37.36.35.34.33.32 17.16.15.14.13.12.11.10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1 Andy Hiett - Junior - Basketball

athletes at state but this year, Hill joins many others that give the Lancers an opportunity to place better than before.

Hiett was put on the free throw line numerous times against SM South when regulation was running out. Hiett responded flawlessly by making all of his free throws late to seal the win for the Lancers. In his first ever varsity start, Hiett scored 11 points.

Seth Hartman - Junior - Duck Calling Although most of the students may know him as a linebacker on the football team, Hartman’s best work is with a duck call in his mouth. Recently, he won the 2010 Intermediate World Duck Calling Championship, officially making him the best duck caller, for his age, in the nation.

Blake Hill - Junior - Wrestling

Hill is one of the bright spots for the Lancer’s wrestling team, at the Gardner-Edgerton Invitational, he placed second in his weight division. Placing that high at a tournament so competitive is a sign that he’s poised to place at the state meet in February.

0:02 GAMES

Boys’ Bball at Olathe East Friday, Dec. 17th

Olathe East is coming off a 17-5 season and returns a player deemed by many as one of the best players in the metropolitan area. Playing shooting guard for the Hawks, senior Tyler Kalinoski averaged 16 points as a junior and will undoubtedly be a lot to handle for his defender. Olathe East will also have a pair of 6’7” bodies in their frontcourt to throw at Zach Schneider and George Brophy.

Swimming at the East Invite

Today

Coming off a competitive Olathe Invitational, the boys’ swim team will be host to some of the best swimming talent in the state. The meet might as well act as a preview to the state meet with the best three teams in the state all facing off at East.

0:01 MOMENT

.50.49.48.47.46.45.44.43.42.41.40.39.38.3 7.36.35.34.33.32.31.30.29.28.27.26.25.24.

23.22.21.20.19.18.17.16.15.14.13.12.11.10.9.8.7 .6.5.4.3.2.1.50.49.48.47.46.45.44.43.42.41.

40.39.38.37.36.35.34.33.32.31.30.29.28.27 .26.25.24.23.22.21.20.19.18.17.16.15.14.13.12 Senior George Brophy celebrates with fellow .11.10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.50.49.48.47.46.45.4 teammate Billy Sutherland. Brophy played a big 4.43.42.41.40.39.38.37.36.35.34.33.32.17.1 role in giving the Lancers a 1-0 start.

6.15.14.13.12.11.10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.50.49.48

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PHOTO ESSAY 12-13-10

Cellists line up their instruments prior to watching their peers perform pieces in the Holiday Concert.

Orchestra students sat throughout the concert waiting for their performance. There were multiple groups and ensembles that played.

GrantHeinlein Waving his baton, conductor Jonathan Lane directs the Concert Orchestra. This orchestra is compiled soley of freshmen musicians.

GrantHeinlein Bowing his string, senior Jonathan Dawson performs Trepak of The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. “[The concert] was the first time we had played with the band,” Dawson said. “I like performing with the group because it is a collective effort.”

DanStewart

STRINGS,BOWS

& TUXEDOS Orchestra and Band students suit up for the annual Holiday Concert

Attentively following the lead of Jonathan Dawson, senior Nathan Simpson fulfills his duty as first chair for the cello section.

“I thought that the concert went really well,” Simpson said. “We only had a few rehearsals with the entire orchestra.” SamanthaBartow Senior Spencer Brown, left, picks the strings of his cello during the finale. Brown played both piano and the cello throughout the concert. “I didn’t have a particular favorite, but I liked the Tchaikovsky piece as well as the Schubert Unfinished Symphony,” said Brown.

SamanthaBartow