The Harbinger: Issue 12

Harbinger

ISSUE 12 SHAWNEE MISSION EAST PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS MARCH 7, 2011 SMEHARBINGER.NET

East reacts to Governor Brownback’s decision to eliminate the Kansas Arts Commission GrantHeinlein

KimHoedel

There are 1,656 artistic opportunities being taken advantage of at East. With courses ranging from Ceramics to Argumentation and Discussion to Repertory Theatre— students currently have ample opportunity to express their creativity, making arts a priority within the student body.

On Feb. 7, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback issued an executive order that would eliminate the Kansas Arts Commission (KAC), in attempts to reduce the state’s half a billion dollar deficit, thus making Kansas the only state without an arts commission. This executive order will take affect July 1, unless either chamber of the Kansas legislature passes a resolution against it within 60 days of receiving it.

Brownback is proposing to cut the present bud-

Three Broadmoor programs will close next year due to budget cuts

p. 3

get of $800,000, by $600,000, leaving the remaining $200,000 as seed money for next year to create the Kansas Historical Society (KHS) a 501(c)(3), or a nonstate-funded not-for-profit agency in KAC’s place. As a not-for-profit, the KHS will rely on fundraising and private donations, as opposed to acquiring money from the state.

According to KAC Communications Manager Robyn Horton, the KAC does grant out to local schools, but recently the Shawnee Mission school district has not applied. The KAC does not fund East arts specifically, but Horton said they do fund local programs. For fiscal year 2011, the Youth Symphony of KC received $6,286, the Arts Council of Johnson County was granted $5,137 and the Kansas City Repertory Theatre was granted $16,000.

Sophomore Emma Reno is involved with the Youth

Junior Takanori Sawaguchi adjusts after move from rural Japan

p. 19

Symphony and is angered by cuts being made.

“I’m against it,” Reno said. “Youth Symphony gives me more time with my passion. It gives me a break from school, it’s my escape.”

President and CEO of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City Harlan Brownlee said that though the change will not result in direct cuts to the East arts department, it still sends a negative message about the state’s priorities.

“What is says to the students at East is that the political leadership doesn’t understand that the arts are a way to help students become more creative and innovative and that the arts are an important business to the state of Kansas,” Brownlee said.

Technology makes it easier for East students to maintain long-distance relationships pp. 16-17

continued on page 2

More photos from the girls’ basketball Senior Night

“Technology is everything. There is no way we would be able to work without it . . . ”

p. 32

Senior Kendall Kohnle, pages 16-17

03-07-11 continued from page 1

Not only will the KHS be in charge of raising its own money, if it is no longer a state agency, the organization no longer qualifies for two other funds: the Nation Endowment of the Arts and the Mid-America Arts Alliance, adding up to around 1.2 million dollars.

“So if the [KAC] is no longer a state agency, that $1.2 million is no longer available to the Kansas Arts Commission, which means it is no longer available to the state of Kansas,” Brownlee said.

The KAC is a re-granting foundation, meaning they bring money in and have operations they need to support but they regrant the money back into the state. Brownlee explained that without the money from the government, the KHS will be extremely limited in the amount of money they can grant out.

“Now, you have lost $600,000 in the budget, but you have also lost the consequences of $1.2 million that won’t be leveraged by the organization, so the loss to the state becomes even larger,” Brownlee said. “Now we are talking about $1.8 million dollars.”

According to Brownlee, the loss becomes greater still when you factor in the loss of matching funds which often exceed the original grant amount. When the KAC grants money, they ask for a one-to-one match, meaning if Johnson County is given $150,000, the county has to come up with another $150,000 thousand from private corporate interests.

“Here is another way to look at it: imagine you are a small town, let’s say in Hesston, Kansas and you have an annual art fair that you do,” Brownlee said. “Let’s say you get $20,000 from the Kansas Arts Commission. . . .”

Brownlee said that from there, the $20,000 is matched by private businesses who enjoy the idea of the new publicity. The town’s fair budget has now doubled. When word of the fair spreads, more businesses are interested in helping. Now the budget is tripled: $60,000 total. With the fair lasting over a period of several days, local restaurants, hotels and shops begin to fill with a new wave of tourists and artists in town for the fair and profits boom drastically. In total, an original $20,000 dollar grant from the KAC makes an impact of closer to $150,000-$200,000 dollars in the

Hesston community.

“The original money just keeps multiplying and rippling out,” Brownlee said.

It is in this way that Brownlee believes people underestimate the arts and the effect they have on the overall economy. He feels that when people make propositions to cut the arts, they are trying to trim away the excess fat from an overweight budget, but what he thinks is lacking is a number of people who understand what that is really doing to the economy.

“Let’s not even talk about quality of life, let’s not even talk about whether you think the arts have intrinsic value or not, or whether they are important to you,” Brownlee said. “If you just simply look at the economics––what you realize is that for every dollar invested in the arts you get a return of about seven.”

Brownlee feels that with new technology and the economy shifting to be more and more driven by innovation and design, the arts play a bigger role in careers than people tend to realize. Visual arts teacher Jodie Schnakenberg agrees with Brownlee.

“People are still going to make things, and people are still going to be needed to make things and in fact, career wise, that is going to be more important in the future than ever,” Schnakenberg said.

Brownlee and Schnakenberg agree that as technology advances, more and more jobs are being eliminated and replaced by machines, but machines cannot invent, design, or innovate: the core of art.

“I’m kind of torn two ways,” Schnakenberg said. “I feel like sometimes, with stuff like that, with the arts, it might be a better route if it is privately invested, but I don’t think it is a good sign for the state of Kansas, educationally, to have gotten rid of that fund.”

Along with being the field of the future, the arts have something different to offer into a student’s education that can’t be taught through core classes.

Steiert thinks that arts have a tendency to be underestimated because of their lack of Advanced Placement test scores or other types of assessments. Steiert feels that her art classes are her outlet to let loose and have more freedom.

“It’s like a recess,” Steiert said. “If you don’t have recess, then teenagers just kinda go crazy.”

For Steiert, where core classes are structured and all about another chapter, another quiz, another textbook, art classes are where students have the right to do what they want, take on a project of their choosing, and exercise their creativity.

Senior Alex Rorie said that not only is the performing arts an outlet from strict classes and structured schedules, choir is also the place where he feels at home.

He feels that art programs are essential to any education because that is where someone’s true passion is discovered. Rorie believes that because art is a choice, students have the opportunity to pick what they are involved in and then devote themselves to fully because they want to, not because it is required.

“It’s a family,” Rorie said. “To have that family come together and work on a bunch of different stuff has really meant a lot. It is a place where they can get involved and be cared for and valued.”

While the arts are an escape from students’ otherwise structured educations, they serve as more than just a carefree recess. Brownlee believes the arts give students opportunities to learn life lessons and skills that aren’t taught in a regular classroom. For example, performing arts, such as putting on a school production, take an immense amount of collaboration between the crews, the actors, and the directors.

“What are you learning when you go into the theater, are things that you’ll remember regardless of whether you become a professional, that are going to help you in other ways in your life,” Brownlee said.

The change will go into effect on July 1 if it is not voted down by the KS legislature.

While the proposed budget cuts may be the end to state funding for KHS, not everyone believes it will destroy the arts throughout the state.

“If you make art and that is your passion, nothing is going to stop you from doing it–– certainly not the state of Kansas,” Schnakenberg said.

Running

on Empty

Governor Brownback moves to abolish the Kansas Arts Commission

SPLATTERED

A look at KAC programs that would be cut

Grants The KAC gives money to arts programs, schools, libraries and parks/recreation programs. Because of the proposal, they have already postponed planning grants for 2012.

Poetry Every April, the KAC hosts several poetry contests as well as awarding the Poet Laureate of Kansas. It also hosts Poetry Out Loud, a recitation competition.

Art seminars The KAC offers several arts workshops with the goal of building the art community, growing audiences, and teaching how to make art into a lucrative business.

Kansas Arts Commission Web site

Photo Illustration by EmmaRobson

02

NEWS

NEWS

03

Broadmoor LESS issue 12

The district is cutting three of Broadmoor’s specialty programs

SammiKelley

SarahMcKittrick

At first, they were surprised. Then confused. Finally, deep feelings of frustration and anger set in.

Throughout the past several months, students in Broadmoor’s Fashion Design, Graphic Design and Small Engine Repair classes have experienced a variety of emotions as they heard and processed the news that their programs were being closed by the district. In August, the district decided that these three programs would be cut from its curriculum plan for the 2011-2012 school year.

According to Wendy Thill, the Director of Career and Technical Education at Broadmoor, a main reason that the three programs were cut is because the district saw the importance of these industries fading in Kansas.

“The big picture is that careers in technical education across the state are being updated to fit high skill and high demand jobs,” Thill said.

Although Thill said that the district originally planned on adding three new programs in their place, recent financial stress in the district prevented them from doing so. The district considered adding more modern programs such as Renewable Energy, Robotics and Entrepreneurship, but after recent budget cuts, Broadmoor will only offer Animation and Interactive Media, Commercial Baking, Culinary Arts and Introduction to Restaurant Management after this year.

The main concern students have is that they will not be able to complete the second year of their program.

Junior Marlena Smith, currently enrolled

in Fashion Design, is one of the students who faced this problem. Marlena wants to eventually have a career in the fashion field and thought that the Broadmoor program would look great for future college applications and job opportunities.

“We’ve talked to professionals in the field who said the program is helping us and giving us a step forward,” Marlena said. “It will look really good for them to see that I spent half a day for two years working solely on fashion design.”

Marlena and her classmates’ passion for Fashion Design is a big part of why they were so upset with the district’s proposal to cut their program at the end of this school year.

According to Marlena, her Fashion Design teacher, Janel Cates, got an email early in the school year saying that their program was getting cut.

Cates, who started the Fashion Design program at Broadmoor over 20 years ago, was devastated when she heard the news. According to Cates, the Fashion Design Program was the only type of such a program in Kansas and provides its students with great opportunities.

Cates disagrees with the district’s view that the fashion industry in Kansas is shrinking and thinks that more students could have benefited from exposure to the program.

“I know that the fashion industry has many opportunities for creative individuals who are willing to work hard,” Cates said.

“Most people in our district have no idea Broadmoor exists or what wonderful oppor-

tunities exist here.”

In October, Marlena’s mom, Julie Smith, started working with three other moms with daughters in the program to fight the school board’s proposal. The biggest problem they had with the plan was that the district proposed to cut the Fashion Design program at the end of this year, which would not allow the current first year students to finish the program.

“We felt like our girls had given up other opportunities at East in order to be in the program and cutting the program wasn’t fair to them,” Julie said. “Our girls had made the commitment to the school, and the school was now going to break the commitment.”

In order to help Marlena finish her second year at Broadmoor, Julie contacted several news stations with the story and planned to fight the proposal at the board meeting.

After much hard work, Marlena and Julie Smith and three other Broadmoor students got the district to keep the Fashion Design program open one more year to allow the students to finish. However, the other programs, Graphic Design and Small Engine Repair, are still shutting down at the end of this year.

Marlena thinks that if the other programs had representatives to fight them closing, they might have been kept open for one more year as well.

Senior Whitney Kerr was in Broadmoor’s Graphic Design program for a year and a half before dropping it in order to focus on his Drawing class and improve his art portfolio.

Despite dropping the program, Kerr was still

sad to hear the program was closing.

“It was definitely a good program and awesome class,” Kerr said. “There are things about it that I miss.”

Kerr initially signed up for the program because he was considering a future career in Graphic Design. Kerr said that the teacher was great and the class had all of the textbooks and resources needed in order to help the students learn about advertising and marketing a message.

Now that the Graphic Design program at Broadmoor is closing, students will instead take Commercial Art classes to get those skills. Although Kerr said that Commercial Art is helpful in learning some computer skills, the Broadmoor program was tailored to more the specific field of graphic design.

Even though there are several options available for students still wanting to pursue an interest in Graphic Design, Fashion Design and Small Engine Repair, their options are limited with the three Broadmoor programs closing.

The future of Broadmoor also remains unclear with budget cuts seeming to remain an issue in the district for the next several years.

“Our hope for Broadmoor is that it will survive the financial implications and become a viable technical building again,” Thill said. “It would have been nice to move forward with exciting new opportunities for kids.”

For additional coverage including videos and photos on the Special Programs at Broadmoor visit smeharbinger.net

1 Fashion Design 2 Graphic Design 3 Small Engine Repair How many involved from East: 7 students.

How many involved from East: 3 students.

How many East kids involved: None.

What they do: They learn about design, illustration and construction, while creating a portfolio.

What they do: They use real-life situations and programs to learn about advertising, publishing and mediarelated occupations.

What they do: They learn how to repair, service and maintain small air cooling engines, such as a lawn mower.

NEWS 04 03-07-11

FILLING THE

7th SEAT

MARCH 1 PRIMARY RESULTS

Three candidates for the Kansas School Board were chosen in the primary and will move on to the General Election. Here’s a look at the experience and goals of the three candidates.

MaggieAdriani

Joan Leavens

Bart Altenbernd

John St. Clair Jr.

35% 28% 24%

JOHN ST. CLAIR JR.

JOAN LEAVENS

s a 10-year council member and mayor of Fairway, candidate John St. Clair Jr. thinks his political experience can be beneficial to the school board if he is elected to seventh seat, one of the seven at-large positions for SMSD. “I think my business experience gives me a fresh perspective and clear way to objectively look at district operations,” John said.

With freshman daughter, Ellen St. Clair, at Shawnee Mission East and a sixth grade son at Highlands Elementary, John has had first hand experience with the budget cuts and lack of funding.

“I think that exposure to East and Highlands and Indian Hills next year is the key to being able to understand what is going on in the schools,” John said.

If elected, John would like to focus on budget cuts and state funding.

oan Leavens, an Overland Park resident and mother of three daughters, joked that she’s different from the other candidates running for the school board’s seventh seat position in one way.

“I’m the woman,” Leavens said. “That’s the difference between us. If you forget my name, I’m the only woman running.”

Leavens has had experience in education from being a kindergarten teacher at Notre Dame de Sion and an advocate for the Topeka School District. That, along with having raised three daughters in the Shawnee Mission School District, makes Leavens believe that she is qualified for the seventh seat.

“I think I’m a consensus builder,” Leavens said. “I help build bridges, and I’m embedded in the community.”

One of the goals Leavens hopes to achieve if elected is to involve parents and and other members of the community in future budget decisions. Leavens thinks the Board could have handled previous issues

A

“This is a very critical time for our district,” John said. There’s not a whole lot of funding from the state, we’re not allowed to raise any more funds locally and I think we really have to be creative and if we have to make cuts, trying to find ways to keep those cuts away from the classroom.”

Altogether, John has been proud of the district and its accomplishments and has supported the district’s decisions in the past.

“You just look at the student test scores that we see every year and you look at the number of national merit scholars every year, and the quality of the sports teams we put on the field, and look at the quality of the performances we do, in terms of band and theater and choir and all those things,” John said. “They’re very good things that our district should be very proud of.”

BART ALTENBERND

A

s a parent of a seventh grader at Mission Valley, candidate Bart Altenbernd knows how frustrating the school board’s decisions can be to the community, especially when it affects his family directly.

“If they were going to close one school, why did they spend an excessive $4 million dollars on Mission Valley in the last five years, including a million dollar library that isn’t even three years old?” Altenbernd said. “That’s bad planning.”

Altenbernd decided to run for the seventh seat school board position because he feels his experience as the assistant principal at Westridge Middle School qualifies him

J

to understand what schools need in order to function. Altenbernd thinks that better long term planning can prevent schools like Mission Valley from closing and teachers from losing their jobs.

Another issue Altenbernd would like to address is having the school district approve more special programs for students who struggle academically. After his son was diagnosed with mild dyslexia and started using the Wilson Language System, a reading program for struggling students not approved by SMSD, his reading skills greatly improved.

Altenbernd considers his son an example of how the district can be more open-minded to alternative ways of teaching.

Mark Anderson*

12%

*eliminated from General Election

in a better manner if there was more input from the community.

“We have business community members who are also parents and patrons, and we need to draw them into the process and make that a very inclusive process,” Leavens said. “We need lots of voices at the table.”

Leavens thinks SMSD is different compared to other surrounding districts. Although SMSD is growing in size and diversity, student achievement is also thriving.

Leavens, who is proud of the district, knows it has the potential to achieve even more by involving the community.

“That is not what is happening in the districts surrounding us, and we are actually changing the game,” Leavens said. “We are making that play out differently because we have a strong community, because we are smart people. We have the brain power, we have the know-how, we can make that transition a positive transition and we can show other communities how it’s done.”

“One of my goals would be to make sure that we are open to alternative ways of reaching kids who are struggling academically and not just saying, ‘We don’t do it that way so we aren’t going to,” Altenbernd said.

Altenbernd considers himself qualified for the position because of his experience in schools and with families, and thinks he can connect with other parents about important issues.

“If you want a business man, I’m not the guy,” Altenbernd said. “But if you want somebody who knows how schools operate on a day-to-day basis and who’s done it for his almost his entire adult life, it’s me.”

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS

KEY DATES TO KNOW MARCH 21

Voter Registration Deadline for

General Election

MARCH 29

First Day of Advance Voting for General Election You can vote in advance by mail or in person at the Johnson County Election Office. For more information visit www.jocoelection.org.

APRIL 5

General Election

NEWS

issue 12

05

‘SHARE’ing New Projects Share program announce projects for the spring season

HEADSTRONG FOR JAKE Junior Liza Clough’s family has overcome a lot of heartache since the loss of their son, Jake, in a biking accident six years ago. If he had not been wearing his helmet, he wouldn’t have lived that extra month after his accident. Through the grief, the family has decided to spread the word about biking safety by creating the Headstrong for Jake Foundation. In this project, students will go to different schools and speak alongside professionals about bike safety and how to prevent injuries. Kids can also get properly fitting helmets and participate the bike rodeos that the group organizes.

The group is starting off speaking to first graders at Prairie Elementary. Once there, a man from the KU hospital will talk first about pedestrian safety, then a woman from the KU hospital will talk about biking safety. After they are done with their

WHAT IT’S ABOUT Helps out the elderly Meets at 123rd and Nall Plays Board Games

SHARE chair Liza Clough

Advocates bike safety Inspired by death of Jake Clough Talking to first graders at Prairie

SHARE chairs Tiernan Shank, Molly Halter and Emilie Bruyere

cards. For those who didn’t want to play, there were students who would sit and chat with them, or just sit and listen to the stories the residents had to tell.

“It was really nice, because we were able to connect with a few of the members since there were only like two to three people per table,” Shank said.

The word has since spread of this project, and lots of people have heard it’s fun and are signed up to go on March 30th, according to Shank.

“It was really rewarding to see how happy we made the residents by visiting them,” Shank said. “I would recommend this project to anyone who wants to meet interesting people and have a good time, because you do both.”

WANT TO APPLY TO BE A SHARE CHAIR? If you want a more involved position for SHARE next year, SHARE exec applications will be available outside the SHARE office this week. They are due by the end of the quarter.

According to current exec and senior Julie Chalfant, the execs are looking to recruit people who are serious and dedicated to improving the program. She said that it’s a fun and easy way to give back and get community service hours as a bonus.

Chalfant said execs will choose several programs to manage at the beginning of the year from a pre-

WHAT IT’S ABOUT

presentations, students involved will act out plays to demonstrate the hazards of poor safety precautions.

“I’m in a skit that’s called ‘Jack and Jill,’” sophomore Sami Walter said. “It’s about these two eggs. One wears a helmet and one doesn’t, and they both fall. The one not wearing the helmet splatters while the one wearing the helmet survives.”

To prepare for the presentations, the group has met for a read-through of the skits.

“We’re starting off with younger kids [first graders] to see how they react, since we haven’t done this before this year,” Walter said. “I can see that Jake has made a real impact on the family, To learn more about the Headstrong for Jake organization, see upcoming events and find out how you can help, visit the family’s website at headstrongforjake.org.

VILLAGE SHALOM

If you’re interested in helping out the elderly while enjoying games and hearing stories from “the good old days,” then the Village Shalom SHARE project is the one for you.

The group meets once a month and visits the Village Shalom retirement home, just off of 123rd street and Nall. Students will meet with the members of the home and participate in activities as both a coordinator and a participant.

“Last time we went, we worked in the early dementia ward,” sophomore Tiernan Shank said. “At first they were like ‘What are they doing here?’ But then they became more comfortable around us.”

During their last session in February, Shank, fellow coordinators sophomores Molly Halter and Emilie Bruyere, and about five others directed a game of bingo. Some students called numbers, while others helped the residents of the home keep track on their

ErinReilly

HERE’S HOW TO DO IT.

approved list made by director Pat Kaufman and assistant director Leslie Multer. They then are in charge of making sure each activity is welladvertised, coordinated, and runs smoothly.

“We do the behind the scenes work,” current exec and senior Sam Nelson. “For the Kaboodle for Kids project, we spent a lot of time cutting out fabric for blankets and getting supplies to make the treat bags.”

After applications are turned in and evaluated, students may be asked to return to be interviewed by the exec board the week after spring break.

“It’s a really great way to meet upperclassmen and other kids from East,” current SHARE chair and junior Tori Holt said. “There’s a project out there for everyone.

And if you have an idea, you can start your own project.

I really enjoy it because there are a ton of little things that we can do that will make life a lot easier for others.

We have so much, it’s that we have this opportunity to have an opportunity to give back to the community.”

NEWS 06 03-07-11

WEEK IN PHOTOS

THEBRIEFS Orchestra CONCERT

PaigeHess

7

22

According to sophomore Jacob Elifrits, this is a concert that you do not want to miss because it is the most fun and intriguing.

“Orchestra is something fun to do that is an art rather than a sport,” Elifrits said. “This concert is my favorite because we more it more entertaining and more interactive than our other concerts where we just sit play for the audience.”

This is not their last performance though.

They are going to Boston at the end of the month to play and also are participating in large group festivals. These group festivals are where they get to play with students from elementary schools and middle schools.

10

21

11 12

through

20

because we get to see all the pictures,” Gilman said. “I used to not like basketball very much but this season coach Scott has really changed my view of the game.”

The banquet is where the coaches all talk about each player and award them with a certificate for participating. The teams and their parents get to see the videos and pictures taken throughout the season.

Basketball BANQUET

The basketball season is coming to an end but on March 23, the teams are excited to reunite for the basketball banquet.

This is a very fun experience for them because each team has become close and that is the last time they will all be together.

According to sophomore Will Cray, each team has become good friends.

“Basketball has taught us all how to come together as a team to succeed and win,” Cray said.

Both freshman Claire Gilman and sophomore Jayden Roberts agree that their favorite parts were the thrill of the games and getting pumped up with the warm-up music before.

“I am really looking forward to the banquet

9

26 27 28 29

QUESTION

OF THE

WEEK

SamanthaBartow

SPRINGBREAK

The Orchestra’s “Collage Concert” has been a long running tradition at East for about 20 years now and is coming up on March 10th.

This show is more technical than their other concerts and is the only concert they charge an admissions fee.

“The program makes a lot of money off this concert because we play all of best songs so the music is really good,” sophomore Emily Colebank said.

For this concert, they are pulling out all the stops by using light shows and different kinds of acts throughout the show. Last year they did piano duets with humorous acts but are not completely sure what they will be doing this year.

23 24 25

8

Senior Keshav Ramaswami plays at the East jazz band concert. “In the end it came together really well. The band was in sync and we sounded beautiful,” Ramaswami said.

Freshman Jackson Granstaff finishes his swim at state. He competed in the 100 backstroke. “State was great. It was really nerve wracking but I was really pleased with the result,” Granstaff said.

EdenSchoofs

Senior Lauren Fischer works on her senior paper. The piece she’s writing is about the potential extinction of sea turtles. The essay describes the actions that need to be taken for their conditions to improve.

2010 Space Oddysey (Homecoming): 24%

Birthday Party (MORP): 26% Under The Smea (WPA): 50%

What was your favorite theme for school dances this year? *46 votes

BrendanDulohery

he

issue 12

how could you be so

Governor’s plans to cut art commission sends the wrong message about the importance of art in school

less EDITORIAL

Precedence is everything. The domino effect of big decisions of the strongest in the area. And discan extend far beyond their intended impact. After a recent deplay cases all over the school, as well cision by our state’s governor, the importance of arts have been as the new artistic flair on several greatly diminished in the eyes of the public, unfortunate as it bathroom walls, reveal the high levels of creativity among the may be. student body.

On Feb. 7, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed an execThis type of creativity needs to be encouraged, not cut. utive order to abolish the Kansas Arts Commission and replace Art classes and activities are often the one time of the day it with the Kansas Arts Foundation, a private, nonprofit orgathat students can forget test scores, homework and grades in ornization that will have to fundraise on its own. The move will der to submerge themselves in their passions. They represent make the Sunflower State the first to abolish its art commission. the few opportunities for highly-stressed students to express Brownback cited the state’s budgetary shortfall of nearly $500 their creativity. These values seem to be lost upon our govermillion, coupled with the $600,000 in savings that the decision nor, as he appears willing to cut the arts commission in order would cause, as his reasoning. to save a relatively small amount of money. To protect the valuThe plan is both alarming and rash. Not only does the small able programs from eventual cuts, efforts must be made to keep savings fail to make a dent in the massive budgetary shortfall, the community aware of the importance of the arts and their but it may actually end up costing the state impact at the high school level.

The majority opinion of the money. Henry Schwaller, chairman of the arts Fine arts department head Wanda Simagency, told the Kansas City Star that the loss Harbinger Editorial Board chuk said that high enrollment is vital to keepfor against absent of the commission will cost the state econoing strong funding, since enrolled students pay my $1.2 million in donations to the comto take part in the various art classes. Currently, mission from various organizations.

Simchuk said that enrollment is high enough to More importantly, Brownback’s decikeep all six art teachers in the department. Howsion sends a message to our local commuever, Brownback’s abolishing of the arts commisnity and district administrators that the sion could send a message to the public that the arts are a superfluous commodity that can be stripped in times arts are not an essential need, and that perception could begin of economic downfall. Sending this kind of message is a critito affect enrollment. cal mistake. That kind of thinking is exactly what could lead to In order to keep steady financial support for the art departfinancial cuts to the fine arts from the school district, a decision ment, Simchuk said it is imperative to show the community the that would leave a much greater impact. work being accomplished by students at East. Through display Here at East, there are examples all throughout the halls that cases and art shows, Simchuk and her students hope that the dispel the notion that a reduction in financial support for the public will be reminded of the importance of the arts and their arts is a necessary sacrifice. The latest musical drew consistently value in society.

The challenge would be easier to overcome if the governor large crowds despite icy weather conditions. The choir, band weren’t trying to convince them otherwise. and orchestra programs continue to hold a reputation as some

07

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Harbinger the

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

Andrew Goble Annie Sgroi Kevin Simpson Kat Buchanan Jack Howland Jennifer Rorie Logan Heley Bob Martin Matt Gannon Chris Heady Staff Writers Chris Heady Julia Davis Zoe Brian Caroline Creidenberg Paige Hess Holly Hernandez Kim Hoedel Maggie Andriani Katie Knight Drew Broeckelman Alex Lamb Editorial Board Andrew Goble Annie Sgroi Corbin Barnds Logan Heley Kevin Simpson

Feb. 21, 2011 issue 11, vol. 52

photo by ClaireWahrer

Jennifer Rorie Jack Howland Evan Nichols Kat Buchanan Bob Martin Katy Westhoff Photographers Grant Kendall Sammi Kelley Samantha Bartow Claire Wahrer Caroline Creidenberg Emma Robson Brendan Dulohery Jake Crandall Sara Baumann Ads/Circulation Manager Vanessa Daves Erin Reilly Staff Artists Peter Hung

Letters to the editor should be sent to room 521 or smeharbinger@gmail.com.

Letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel and mechanics and accepted or rejected at the editor’s discretion.

Copy Editors Natalie Parker Anne Willman Photo Editors Lindsey Hartnett Samantha Bartow Multimedia Editor Maggie Simmons Asst. Multimedia Editors Thomas Allen Nathan Walker Live Broadcast Editor Jeff Cole Asst. Live Broadcast Editors Dalton Boehm Duncan MacLachlan Convergence Editor Maggie Simmons Asst. Convergence Editor Drew Broeckelman Homegrown Editor Mason Pashia Asst. Homegrown Editor Jackson Dalton Podcast Editor Robert Martin Blog Editor Natalie Parker

Video Editor Alex Lamb Multimedia Staff Riley Watson Duncan MacLachlan Natalie Parker Live Broadcast Producers Thomas Allen Tom Lynch Drew Broeckelman Anchors Andrew Simpson Maggie Andriani Chloe Stradinger Becca Brownlee Meagan Dexter Alex Goldman Haley Martin Riley Watson Paige Hess PR Representative/Business Managers Becca Brownlee Meagan Dexter Photographer Gail Stonebarger Adviser Dow Tate

Features Editor Editors-In-Chief Sarah McKittrick Andrew Goble Features Page Editors Annie Sgroi Christa McKittrick Assistant Editors Haley Martin Evan Nichols Alysabeth Albano Kat Buchanan A&E Editor Head Copy Editor Aubrey Leiter Kevin Simpson A&E Page Editors Art and Design Editor Kennedy Burgess Emma Pennington Tom Lynch News Editor Sports Editor Jack Howland Corbin Barnds News Page Editors Sports Page Editors Jennifer Rorie Matt Gannon Editorial Editor Anne Willman Katy Westhoff Freelance Page Editors Opinion Editor Anna Bernard Raina Weinberg Matt Hanson Opinion Page Editors Photo Editors Will Webber Harbinger Online Grant Heinlein Anna Marken Editors-In-Chief Dan Stewart Mixed Editor Logan Heley Assistant Photo Editor Emily Kerr Pat McGannon Eden Schoofs Spread Editors Assistant Editor Copy Editors Chloe Stradinger Maggie Simmons Evan Nichols Toni Aguiar 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.

08

OPINION 03-07-11

a sad change for

VIEWERS LIKE Y U Staffer argues against proposed funding cuts to NPR and PBS

CarolineCreidenberg

Annie’s favorites

If I happen to be in the car on Sunday at 3 p.m., when “On the Media” comes on, it can turn my whole day around. I mean, it’s journalists talking about issues facing journalism today.

In recent weeks, many news programs have discussed the influence of twitter on protests in the Middle East. On the Media’s whole focus is developments like this, so their coverage can go more in-depth.

On the Media Saying Arthur was my childhood would barely be an overstatement.

I watched it religiously and am sure I’ve seen every episode more than once. From Arthur and DW’s relatable squabbling to the hilarious animated versions of real people, like Mister Rogers, who were guests on the show, everything about it was perfect.

Arthur Growing up, I cooked with my Dad all the time, so I loved seeing Claudine Pepin cook with her dad, celebrated French chef Jacques Pepin. Jacques could seem like a crazed perfectionist when he’d make omelets compulsively by himself, but when Claudine was there he loosened up a little.

The duo was sweet and the French-inspired food always looked delicious.

Cooking with Claudine

An Opinion of AnnieSgroi

As a child, I considered an aardvark one of my close friends. Arthur and his pals on PBS were as much a part of my daily routine as going to the park or bedtime stories. I learned lots from them, from how to cure hiccups with a spoonful of peanut butter to how to accept everyone, even bullies and substitute teachers, for who they are.

Now, as an 18-year-old, I rarely catch an episode of Arthur, but public broadcasting is still a constant in my life. Though they aren’t as zany as animated animals, the journalists of National Public Radio (NPR) are as dear to me as Arthur or DW ever were. Every day on my way to school, the car radio is tuned to 89.3. I depend on the hosts of “Morning Edition,” Renee Montagne and Steve Inskeep, to keep me updated on everything from Oscar buzz to the turmoil in Libya.

When I heard that funding cuts were proposed for PBS and NPR, I felt as though those friends were being attacked. On Feb. 11, the House Appropriations Committee proposed defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) which provides 40-50 percent of PBS’s funding and 10 percent of NPR’s funding.

This measure has little chance of clearing the Senate, due to the Democratic majority, and would no doubt be vetoed by President Obama.

Still, the fact that even one body of our government would make this decision is distressing to me. Colorado Republican Representative Doug Lamborn introduced the resolution proposing zeroing out funds for the CPB. “We simply cannot afford to subsidize NPR, or any other organization that is not doing an essential government service,” Lamborn said in a January press release.

After reading further, I found that this isn’t the first time a Republican majority has moved to cut funds to the CPB. In the 1990s, House Republicans led by then Speaker, and now Presidential hopeful, Newt Gingrich, attempted to “zero-out” funding for CPB. “They [public broadcasting stations] are simply enclaves of the left using your money to propagandize your children against your values,” Gingrich said. in a 1995 Washington Times interview. Gingrich and Lamborn’s arguments are both short-sighted. Both in the 90s and now, Republicans taking action against public broadcasting are disregarding the clear benefits of public television and radio.

First, the argument that PBS and NPR both have a liberal bias is just not true. In my listening experience, I’ve always heard NPR report both sides of political issues and ask the hard questions of both those with conservative and liberal viewpoints.

I’ve heard Melissa Block on “All Things Considered” persistently ask Republican Governor of Mississippi Haley Barbour whether the BP oil spill made him question support of less government regulation. But I’ve also heard Robert Seigel push Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to reflect on why the 2010 Midterm Elections went poorly on the same program.

Responsible journalism means asking the hard questions and I’ve consistently heard NPR correspondents do so, no matter whom they’re interviewing.

Second, the rationale that funding to public broadcasting should be reduced because it’s not essential and other government programs deserve the funds more is short-sighted. It’s true that access to public broadcasting programs isn’t as crucial a need as funding schools or as basic as providing healthcare, but it has long-term benefits for the future of our country that make it well worth the funds. According to a report by PBS Kids Creative Director Chris Bishop, PBS’s funding can be looked at as spending $1.03 per person in the U.S. yearly.

The children’s programming on PBS all has an educational focus, whether it be reading, history, math or science, while still holding kids’ attention. For years, it has commonly been thought that programs such as “Sesame Street” helped kids develop reading and vocabulary skills. In “The Tipping Point”, Sesame Street creator Edward Palmer describes how the blend of fantasy and real world elements in the program both held kids’ attention and helped them retain information from it.

Recently, other PBS programs have been shown to have similar impacts. According to the education policy magazine Education Week, “Between the Lions,” a reading-focused PBS program hosted by a family of puppet lions living in the New York City Library, increases literacy.

It was been shown to improve kids’ understanding both of how letters are put together to make words and of the purpose of writing.

And from personal experience, I know that the combined effect of watching reading-oriented shows like “Between the Lions” and having my parents read aloud to me is what’s responsible for me loving and finding comfort in books today.

For children in underprivileged or rural areas, public broadcasting programming provides information and connections to words. According to a recent editorial in The Kansas City Star, rural stations such as the one in High Plains, KS would lose up to 35 percent of their funding— compared to the 5 percent lost by national programs. In economically prosperous area there are benefactors who could pitch in to save programs they care about, but in poor rural or urban areas, this is not the case.

Literacy is essential, both for individuals to be productive adults and for society as a whole.

Efforts that can make all kids more comfortable with words and apt to read should be applauded, not de-funded.

Third, eliminating funding for public broadcasting is a negative shift in our national priorities. When Congress created the CPB in 1968, it said “developing public media is an important objective not only for private and local initiatives but also of appropriate and important concern to the federal government.” That holds true today. The arts should be common ground for all people in a society, and PBS and NPR make that possible through engaging and diverse programming.

“This American Life” on NPR tells the sometimes-funny, sometimes-heartbreaking stories of everyday lives and, through those stories, connects people. PBS’s “Nova” explains complex scientific ideas in insightful and relatable terms.

NPR’s online series “Tiny Desk Concerts” brings musicians into the cramped, bookshelf-lined offices of NPR with only a mic and their instruments, thus giving listeners the rawest experience of the artists’ work.

Those are just a few of the PBS and NPR programs that teach people about the world, themselves and others. Public broadcasting is our nation’s forum for information, creativity and growth; it shares the events, struggles and joys of human experience—preserving it is well worth the $1.03 per person.

FEATURES OPINION

Don’t stop beliebin’ RainaWeinberg

I’m a skeptic.

On both sides of me are crying friends who have tears rolling down their cheeks from under their 3D glasses. Rows in front of me, on the oversized theater screen, is Justin Bieber, serenading a girl on stage while he sings “One Less Lonely Girl.” As for me, I begin to realize that I’m about to give into my resistance to not cry. Two conflicting voices flood my head all at once. One is my teen pop-loving self wondering why I didn’t go to his concert this summer and the other, the cynic in me, immediately fires back, asking, “What the hell is wrong with you?” If you’re feeling confused about my indecisiveness, don’t worry––we’re in the same boat.

The first time Justin Bieber’s “One Time” came on the radio, I was convinced it was a girl singing. After being told it was a 15-yearold boy, I was even more unimpressed. I spent a year scoffing at this little boy charading around like a musician; to say I was skeptical would be putting it lightly. I, like all the other Justin Bieber haters, made fun of the candy pop star and everything that made him popular. As much as I wanted to make fun of him and all of his fans, deep down, I was once like them.

I spent the better half of my middle school days wishing that I was best friends with the members of Panic! at the Disco and dating Pete Wentz. Needless to say, I don’t like to discuss that time period of my life too often. Up until a year ago, I thought my middle school self was one of the most insane breeds of fan––lucky for me (and horrifying for America), I’ve found the absolute extreme: The Beliebers.

After seeing his movie, “Never Say Never,” I came to the realization that these fans aren’t just super fans––they’re all his “biggest fan.” This makes for extreme “fandemonium.” Justin Bieber is no longer just a teen fad: he’s an epidemic that is sweeping across the nation at an increasingly rapid rate. Women and girls from the age of five to even those

in their late twenties are being affected. This sickness has no official cure yet, but has been fittingly dubbed as “Bieber Fever.”

In case you’re fearful of catching said fever, the symptoms are easy to identify. If caught early, the fever can be stopped. When you find yourself shrieking disruptively, crying every time Bieber sings, referring to him as “the Bieb,” “JB,” or thinking that you’re on a first name basis with him, you have surpassed the healing stage of Bieber Fever.

You’re stuck with it for good.

Before beginning my two-week journey into the dangerous land of Bieber, I was sure that I would come out of it just as disgusted as I had been before. To my surprise, I was wrong.

I wish I could tell you that I watched “Never Say Never” with complete unemotional attachment. I can’t. The story was gripping and dare I say...inspiring. I even enjoyed every moment of clean, straight-edge, G-rated humor.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to go out and buy a subscription to J-14 magazine so that I can get Justin Bieber posters, but I have discovered a newfound respect for him.

The title of his movie is fitting in so many ways. Justin Bieber never stopped trying to reach is goal and the message he sends is one that says anything is possible if you want it. I know how cliche I seem right now, but I’ve got to be honest. I wish I could tell you that I hated the movie––that it was boring and laughable and downright awful––but I can’t.

After it all, I’ll never say never.

5 stages of Bieber Fever 1 Denial:“No... I don’t like Justin Bieber, I don’t know how his song got onto my iPod.” Right.

Anger: You’re frustrated and mad that you can’t

2 seem to stop singing “One Time.” We’ve all been 3

there.

Bargaining: Sorry, just because you give up listening to the Jonas Brothers doesn’t make it okay to listen to Justin Bieber.

4 Depression: Yeah, it’s definitely upsetting that

you’ll never actually be Justin’s girlfriend but there’s always imagination....right?

Acceptance: You’ve fought the Fever and lost.

5 What more can you do? Embrace it, and let the Bieber fever take hold.

issue 12 issue

09

A skeptic and a supporter share their views on Justin Bieber AubreyLeiter

I’m a belieber.

Since the first time I heard him sing, I’ve had a relish for Justin Bieber. I was present at the first real concert he performed in, “Red White and Boom” at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in the summer of 2009. He had performed in small venues before, but never for thirty thousand people in one place.

To be honest, I was just going to the concert to see David Cook. I had never even heard of Bieber until that day, but had spent almost the entire day before the concert trying to win backstage passes to meet him.

He had performed a live acoustic version of “One Time” on the radio. His voice sounded adolescent and I think that’s why I wanted to meet him. I failed to get back stage passes but managed to be about ten feet away from him while he performed. I remember my friend’s sister saying during the concert, “Why is there an 8 year old on stage?” He was 15 at the time but looked younger. I thought he was a great dancer and adorable, but I wasn’t really sure I’d ever be seeing him again.

Fast forward a year and a half, and he is everywhere.

His sudden popularity is insane. The hype has created anywhere from Bieber cutouts to key chains to dolls. Not many artists are able to sell out the first tour they headline, and Bieber sold out his “My World” tour in two days--not to mention that this all happened before he even got his driver’s license.

My love for Bieber recently skyrocketed when I saw the documentary about how Justin’s career came about-“Never Say Never”-in theaters. I found myself with tears streaming out from underneath

my 3D glasses. I was crying tears of joy because of how inspirational he is. The moments in the movie where it shows him interacting with his family and friends to exposing the bond him and Usher share were motivational. I was mesmerized by the Biebs.

Some may think this obsession is creepy because of Justin’s juvenile persona. The truth is he is only one year, three weeks and one day younger than me. But who’s counting?

One segment of the movie was purely dedicated to the fans of Bieber and how intense their love can be for him. The madness ranged from girls being carried out on stretchers due to being overwhelmed to almost getting arrested by jumping up on stage to touch him. The things his fans would do for him are absolutely ridiculous.

Who am I kidding? I’d totally risk getting arrested to be able to talk to him about Selena Gomez... or touch his beautiful gold locks.

At one point in the movie, it showed how Justin always picks a girl from the audience to serenade with his song “One Less Lonely Girl.” The girl was crying her eyes out. I was crying my eyes out. It was a truly amazing moment, and I wasn’t even the one experiencing the serenade. There will be no moment in that girl’s life that will ever top that one. Is it embarrassing that I’m this envious of a twelve year-old?

Non-beliebers can say what they want about Justin Bieber. They may think he is just some child star that is successful because all teenage girls have fallen in love with his hair-flip and amazing smile, but honestly, Bieber is very talented. Just three years ago, he was performing on street corners in Canada. Now, Biebs is a two time Grammy nominee and has sold over 4 million copies of his album “My World 2.0” is less than a year.

If after reading this, you think I’m a sick, typical teenage girl. You’re right. I am sick. I have a huge case of Bieber Fever.

5 Memorable Moments 1 Bieber gets hit by a water bottle 2 Bieber flips off the paparazzi 3 Bieber gets shot....on CSI 4 Bieber’s Rolling Stone Interview 5 Bieber’s lock of hair is auctioned off for $40,688

10

OPINION

03-07-11

How to Pad Your Résumé

Staffer explains how to set yourself apart on a college résumé The cursor blinks on the nearly-blank Word document. Typed at the top are a few meaningless numbers: grade-point-average, class rank, graduation date. And then: nothing. You have to compact your entire high school experience on one piece of paper, and you’ve an opinion of Katy Westhoff done nothing.

Panic sets in. Worry. Regrets.

Seniors await their college acceptance letters, hoping their applications are impressive enough for those big-name schools. Enrollment for next year has under-

classmen worried if their schedules are prestigious enough. Because, you know, colleges look really scrutinize the classes you take sophomore year, and which college you get into determines basically the rest of your life.

But don’t stress! Being a part of a SHARE project can get you more than that tingly feeling from doing something good for someone else! That National Honors Society membership has real potential on your resume, not just in the graduation honor cord! So how do you turn seemingly useless extracurricular activities into something that can wow the admissions counselors? Easy! Add some pizazz to your resume!

Requirements

Quick tips to make you look good on paper

SME

Résumé padding doesn’t necessarily mean résumé fraud––there’s no real lying involved. I mean, you always could, but getting caught would be dangerous––getting-kicked-out-of-school-altogether dangerous. So don’t make things up: just do as much as possible with as little effort as you can get away with. Join lots of clubs and only stay five minutes at the meeting before rushing off to the next thing on your schedule. Verbally commit to things, but don’t actually follow through. Working hard is for chumps who don’t know how to work the system. Your reputation at East might be ruined, but colleges will never know based off your résumé!

SME

Give up on friends. Being a determined resume padder will replace your social life with blood drives, charity events and late nights keeping up with your homework as well as your extra curricular commitments. I know that it stinks to give up things you care about with things you couldn’t care less about. It’s harder than you’d think to half-ass your way through high school! But hey, it’ll be worth it once the acceptance letters come by the buckets, right?

SME

Find things that aren’t huge time commitments. The resume is all in the name, not in the effort. The Common Application, used by more than 200 schools in the country, does ask for an approximate amount of time spent per week on listed activities, but true padders will have more activities than can fit on the Common App, leaving the “Additional Information” attachment section the perfect place for listing out every involvement. Some organizations, like National Honors Society, don’t meet weekly, nor is there

much to do throughout the year. We all know that your 3 hours a year at the animal shelter are going to swing you ahead of the kid who never missed a math problem in high school. Despite the lack of true commitment, you can still look like the model student...even if it’s only on paper.

SME

Start your own club, if you have to. Being a leader looks better, anyway. Find a sponsor, pick an activity and get a group of friends to meet after school on what may be your only free day. “Board Game Club.” “Yoga Club.” The sky is the limit. For bonus points, think of something with a really pretentious

title. With a really great acronym. Think outside the box here. “Future Collegiate Scholars in favor of the Overall Betterment of Humankind.” Call it the FOBOH. Done. If anyone get upset about your “fake” club undermining the real work and value of other clubs, just think of how pretty FOBOH will look on that resume.

SME

If you don’t have something to do every single day after school, fix it. To prove how dedicated you are, submit a copy of your weekly schedule with your college applications. Show those college admissions how dedicated you are. Don’t forget to add in any summer camps, volunteer hours, choir concerts, etc. Because colleges really care about that sort of thing. If you’re

lacking, go ahead and add things from middle school, or even elementary school.

Your ten-year-old self would be so sad to know that all their hard work didn’t help you get into college. What’s the point of doing anything if it’s not helping you in the long run? Actually helping people? Doing what you love? Psh.

Behind every extracurricular activity lies that ugly ulterior question: “How will this look on my resume?” The best thing to do is just cram as much as you can on that little piece of paper. Some call it “fluff” -- I call it “being prepared.” Who knows what those crazy, cryptic admissions officers will find impressive and what they won’t? Your whole future lies in the hands of someone you haven’t even met, sitting in their garish ivory towers, using their platinum pens filled with gold-infused ink to critique and judge you... the best way to fight back is to make a resume that’s just as glitzy as they are.

Everyone wants to look well-rounded and prepared for everything, but come

on. How are we, as very busy high school students (updating our Facebook statuses), supposed to be expected to dabble in everything? Let alone excel in everything!

Maybe it is a bit dishonest to pad your resume... but once you’re in, you’re in!

The real work is over! There’s no problem after you get accepted to that prestigious school of your choice! After four brutal years at East, the following four are downhill. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. Take some time off, then repeat this process when you’re looking for a real job!

BrendanDulohery

FEATURES issue 12

11

olympic events

events the team competes in

Write It, Do It

scientific

success Science Olympiad team works hard to build on recent progress

photo illustration by EmmaRobson

JuliaDavis

Senior Joe Sernett carefully carries his small model car over to the starting line, surveying the other competitors’ models as he walks. The contraption he’s holding consists of a small mousetrap with four CDs glued to it, filling the role of wheels. Two inflated balloons are taped on the end of the trap to provide power so the machine can start moving.

Not completely confident in his mousetrap car, Sernett slowly places it on the starting line.

He looks down the line to see about 20 others cars that are all different except for the fact that they are each powered by mousetrap, a requirement in the race.

Sernett is a member of the East’s Science Olympiad Club, sponsored by physics teacher Mary Ward. In Science Olympiad, students compete in competitions dealing with a wide variety of science-related topics. The club’s purpose is to increase student’s proficiency in science and promote team work in events.

At the competitions, members compete in different areas of science, ranging from chemistry to geology to engineering. Students participating in the competition get to pick what topic they compete in, but there is no preparation.

The details of the competitions are found out right before they start, so competitors must rely on their own knowledge to solve the problems they are presented with. The one exception to this is the building category, in which students prepare something before the competition that is then tested once the events start.

“It’s kind of like a personalized experience based on what you’re interested in,” Science Olympiad president Meagan Dexter said.

Many students enjoy Science Olympiad because of the fact that it doesn’t just include the things that are covered in school.

“In science class, we don’t study bird calls or

get to build many things,” Ward said. “Doing these things in Science Olympiad competitions lets students sort of broaden their interests.”

As Sernett’s mousetrap car race was about to start, the atmosphere was surprisingly carefree. As he heard the words “GO!” he pulled the strings releasing the air from the balloons, and watched as his mousetrap car was propelled forward by the power of the balloons. Although his car came finished in the middle of the pack, Sernett wasn’t disappointed.

“I like [Science Olympiad] because it’s fun and interesting,” Sernett said. “It makes you be creative and think on your toes.”

Although a love of science is an incentive for some to sign up, there are many that sign up because of the extra credit that chemistry teachers offer for participating in it. Participation in terms of number of people from last year to this year has skyrocketed, from about three regular members last year to about eight this year.

“I think the AP Chem classes got a lot more involved in terms of coming to the meetings,” Dexter said.

This is partially due to the unusually high number of students enrolled in Chemistry II this year, almost four times as many as years past.

On Feb. 26, the club participated in Regionals, the biggest competition of the season. This meet determines which teams qualify for state, and schools from all over the Kansas City area participate. The top six teams get to participate in state. East managed to send enough people to the meet to cover all 20 events, but the lack of depth and experience proved to be the Lancer’s weaknesses, and they ended up with a ninth place finish However, Dexter is optimistic about the future of Science Olympiad after seeing the re-

sults from the regional competition.

“For basically everyone’s first year on the team, we did awesome,” Dexter said. “It was better than I expected for sure.”

As a senior, Dexter knows that next year the Science Olympiad program will be in new hands. Even though she will be gone, she is confident that the program will continue to prosper and gain new students.

“You kind of expect people to come the first time either because it’s science that interests them or it’s extra credit,” Dexter said, “but it seems that people return because it’s fun.”

Sophomore Matthew Williamson is one of the few sophomores that competed this year, and expects to continue participating in Science Olympiad in the future. He likes the program not only because it’s fun, but because it helps participants work on things like problem solving and thinking outside the box.

“In some events, I’ve learned to have to improvise with what I have,” Williamson said. “It gives you something you’re not used to or prepared for, and you have to mess around with it to get a good result.”

Williamson walked out of the regional Science Olympiad competition with three medals, having placed in more than half of his five events. For him and many others, the competition shed light on his creative side and showed him what he was capable of. This aspect of the program is almost more important than the actual science, according to Ward.

“The program is really meant to show students what they can do with science and what they are capable of when they put their mind to it,” Ward said. “So far, we have had some pretty impressive results.”

This event is done in teams. One person has 30 minutes to look at a structure constructed out of something like Legos and must write down directions for their partner. The partner’s alljob isbyto accuphotos GrantHeinlein rately and quickly reconstruct the figure based on their partner’s directions.

Mousetrap Car This is one of the more difficult Science Olympiad events as it requires work outside of class. Using two moustraps to provide energy, you must construct a car that moves forward and backwards automatically for a certain distance.

Forensics Contestants receive clues to a fake crime that has been committed. They have to anyalyze fibers, polymers and fingerprints through experimentation in order to try to solve the crime.

Optics

In this event, one person must take a test over optics. Then, using mirrors, they have to construct an apparatus to make a laser hit a specific target. The catch: only one try per entry is allowed.

12

FEATURES

03-07-11

HORSES

by the numbers years

62

the longest a horse has lived

Over

350 BREEDS

10 gallons

how much water a horse drinks each day

$3,001

average cost of buying a horse DanStewart

T

ZoeBrian

he clip-clop of horseshoes fills the silence in room 523 as the Equestrian Club watches without a word. English teacher Spring Gehring-Lowery discusses how the motionless rider is controlling their horse during a clip of a dressage competition. Dressage is a type of horseback riding where the rider uses their abdominal and leg muscles to command the horse without showing movement. But not all members of the Equestrian Club ride dressage, in fact some members don’t even own horses.

“I don’t have a horse, but I still love them,” sophomore and Equestrian Club Co-Founder Thais Reis-Henrie said. “The Equestrian Club is here so that the few people who do have an interest in horses can gather and discuss.”

The club meets almost every Thursday in room 523 and, for the past two meetings have, been watching the film “Secretariat” as well as comparing their riding styles and horses. Another main focus of the club is to discuss potential careers and different training styles. While many members ride the common Western style or English, which differ mainly on types of saddle, there are a few who practice dressage or even show horses.

The idea for an equestrian club came to Reis-Henrie and sophomore Anne Recker due to their passion for riding. Though ReisHenrie doesn’t own a horse, she actively rides at Katella Farms, a stable near Lee’s Summit, and created the club for horse owners and enthusiasts.

When Gehring-Lowery was approached by Reis-Henrie and Recker in the fall, she didn’t hesitate when they asked her to be their sponsor. Gehring-Lowery teaches horseback riding outside of school and shows her horses as well as competes in dressage competitions. Similar to dog shows, horse shows are judged on multiple areas including performing trotting routines as well as leaping over obstacles. Dressage, on the other hand ,is a type of riding that uses the bond between the horse and trainer as a method of teaching.

“I was approached by a student of mine who I also had seen show [their horses] and had trained in dressage,” Gehring-Lowery said. “I thought it was a great idea because I think as many clubs as possible are great for the school. I think a passion is something a club can foster and help grow and it’s very important to have those passions.”

But the club came to a screeching halt before it even began.

Due to the dangers of horseback riding, the Equestrian Club almost wasn’t approved by the superintendent.

“We got [the forms] filled out and approved by Dr. Krawitz, but

we still had to go through the superintendent,” Reis-Henrie said.

“Luckily the laws in Missouri and Kansas state that if someone falls off their horse while riding it is their fault and they can’t sue. The only liability waivers we need will be from the different stables.”

With the legal issues straightened out, Recker and Reis-Henrie needed to focus on what they wanted to accomplish with Equestrian Club. Their main goal is to be able to ride their horses during the Lancer Day Parade next year. Yet this brings the issue of safety to the forefront again. With screaming Lancer fans and children, the Lancer Day Parade could prove dangerous for the riders as well as those watching.

Recker has been riding since she was six, but recently got involved in dressage as a way to branch out from only riding Western and has taken lessons from Gehring-Lowery. Because dressage requires a strong bond between the horse and trainer Recker trusts that her horse could handle the stress of Lancer Day Parade.

“Dressage, which is really just the French word for training, is a form of riding based on the relationship between the horse and trainer,” Gehring-Lowery said. “It is one of the most technical and difficult sports and requires muscle strength as well as a bond between the trainer and their horse.”

Gehring-Lowery’s background in horse shows and training is what allows the equestrians to have this chance. Before the event will be put up for discussion with the SMSD Board of Education Gehring-Lowery has many different tests for the horses and trainers to go through before they can ride through the streets of Prairie Village.

“I have to see the student ride and make sure their horse isn’t going to react badly to the crowds,” Gehring-Lowery said. “I have seen some of the students ride and show before and I trust them, but horses are dangerous animals and we have to take a lot of precautions with an event like this.”

Along with dedicated riders are the members who don’t ride at all. Sophomore member Clara Bernauer only rides when camping, but still sees the Equestrian Club as a valuable club. Though she joined mainly for the social aspect Bernauer has developed a deeper love for horses since joining.

“It’s social and fun,” Bernauer said. “It’s really interesting to learn more about horses and other people’s passion. Plus it’s great to see pictures of everyone’s horses, everybody loves that. I mean it’s horses and movies, who wouldn’t love that?”

HORSIN’ AROUND Sophomore girls use their hobby to create an Equestrian Club at East

2,200 members

of the Prairie Village community

WILL READ THIS AD.

E-MAIL SMEHARBINGER@GMAIL.COM TO ADVERTISE

14

FEATURES

03-07-11

JackHowland

It’s Nov. 13, around 10 p.m. and the fall show “Machinal” just had its final performance. Sophomore Ryan Dugan carefully looks over the organized chaos that is the set of the play.

Bits and pieces that once told the story of a woman who was sentenced to death now lay in tidy piles across the floor; tables and chairs that acted as a point of conflict are mountains of debris.

Where hours ago Dugan was performing, now he’s cleaning up.

The show has just ended and the cast is striking the set— clearing the auditorium of objects used in the play. The actors and crew collectively trudge back and forth across the stage and grab cardboard that lies scattered across the floor.

“Hey we need to take this stuff to the compacter,” Dugan shouts towards freshman Malcom Gibbs and sophomore Liz Wilson.

They walk down to the first floor carrying and, more notably, struggling with the load. The big pile of cardboard is quickly proving too much for the struggling students; they can’t get it into the machine, or figure out how to work it.

As they continue their feeble efforts, someone approaches from the distance. He is tall, wearing a janitor’s uniform and headed their way. Without skipping a beat, he grabs the cardboard and tosses it into the machine. He then tosses in a cardboard frame and cracks a joke about how he wishes he was framed.

The boys and Wilson leave to fetch more trash. When they return, he is still there. Helping. *** He is Steve Peck. Peck, along with two other janitors, run the third and final shift at East. If the daytime janitors are the stars, then this late night gang is the under-appreciated supporting crew. They work Monday through Friday, and sometimes on Saturdays, from midnight to 7 a.m. Although it may not seem like an ideal time—working while most are sleeping—they enjoy it nonetheless. With late hours, they all note it’s easier to stay focused on the task at hand.

“It’s quieter; you can get more done,” Peck said. “You don’t have kids running in and out.”

Third-shifter Tommy Crider, like Peck, enjoys the quiet that comes along with the job. He already is a self-proclaimed “night person” and is used to a nocturnal lifestyle. Crider points out that the most difficult thing to adjust to is the feeling of being alone in the school. He says that he often “listens for strange noises.”

Their job—while obviously much later—is not necessarily more difficult than earlier shifts: it’s just different. Each is assigned to their own area in the building to clean, as opposed to daytime janitors who get calls for areas in need of assistance. Head janitor Mike Webb describes this final shift as the “last line of defense.”

“Sometimes people are off sick, or on vacation or off for some reason or another, so those guys are kind of the last group before students get here,” Webb said. “We’ve had water breaks at night, and they were here to report that...so that really made clean up a lot better.”

Webb says that the district requires each school to have three janitors filling the midnight to 7 a.m. time slot. Of all the responsibilities the three workers have, he thinks protection of the building is at the top of the list. He sees them as “night watchmen.”

“If somebody were to break in, they would be there to call the police,” Webb said. “So I can see a value in that.”

Despite the late hours, Peck enjoys the job. He’s not one to complain. He has been with the Shawnee Mission School District for eight years and in his time has worked a vast array of different jobs with accompanying crazy hours. Before his time with the SMSD, he worked at St. Lukes Hospital in Shawnee. There he held a midnight to 8 a.m. shift and also one from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. His eventual termination of this job was largely due to budget cuts.

Shortly after being let go, he wound up in the district. He admits that the job is nothing fancy, and being assigned to the locker rooms can be annoying at times. But through the tedious clean up and hectic hours, the job isn’t half bad. All three janitors have worked together for more than four years and have gotten to know each other very well.

“I think any time you work with someone you become friends with people,” Webb said. “There’s been occasions where we’ve done things outside of work.”

The third shift janitors see each other from time to time, but on a typical night they mainly stick to their respective spots. Their work includes anything from mopping floors to cleaning graffiti off of walls. At 3 a.m. Peck says they meet to have what they see as “lunch.” They finish their shift at 7 a.m.

They have fun talking with each other at work—griping about messes, talking to Peck about his love of cameras—but just like with Dugan at “Machinal,” the top priority is the students. Whether it’s cleaning the “very messy” locker rooms or helping throw cardboard into a compactor, they put the kids

first. And hopefully leave them with, if anything, a positive impression.

“I felt a lot better for the rest of the night [after I talked with Steve], it makes you feel good to really get to know somebody,” Dugan said. “It was really an opportunity—if my job wasn’t compacting wood, I wouldn’t have gotten to know this guy and hear his great stories.” *** Their job is simple. At its core, being a janitor means maintaining the cleanliness of the building. A daily night consists of tending to pre-assigned areas and any spots in dire need of pick up. But each night, the third-shifters head into work with the knowledge that what they’re doing matters. And they put up with the mundane tasks.

“Sometimes you wish you had a change every once in a while. It’s pretty rough sometimes...especially after football,” Peck says with a laugh.

But Peck knows how important it is. He remembers finding a wallet and returning it to a current K-State student; the East alum was grateful and gave him a big “thank you.” He remembers two weeks ago, when there was a water mane break during the night and someone was there to fix it.

Ultimately, Peck enjoys the job—but that doesn’t mean he has no hope for a different future.

He currently is taking courses at Johnson County Community College. He takes classes on video and computer productions, including Microsoft Word 2010 and Photoshop. Recently, he made a video with some fellow students and entered it in a local film festival. He says that after being a janitor he’d like to learn more about the computer system and production of video. “[In classes] I learn what’s going on in the TV studio and stuff, operate the cameras, editing and all that,” Peck said. “If [a job] pops up and comes available, then I’ll look at it.”

For the time being, he sees himself at East. He doesn’t love the work, but it gets him through the day. When asked, he says that his job is “fine.” Not bad, just fine. Crider describes it as something that “pays the bills.”

They may have a love-hate relationship with what they do, but Dugan, for one, is glad they do it.

“I really appreciated it...what he did for us,” Dugan said. “I was amazed at—well it was uncommon for him to help us like that and I was amazed at his support and attention to our needs.”

LAST LINE OF

DEFENSE

Three janitors work from midnight to 7 a.m.

Third shift janitor Steve Peck mops the halls around 5:45 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. He is one of three workers that hold this shift.

GrantKendall

FEATURES issue 12

15

A Love for Teaching After 46 years of teaching in the district, history teacher John Nickels has grown to appreciate connection with students ClaireWahrer

CorbinBarnds

Forty-six years ago, when John Nickels sat as the head of his first classroom, he didn’t know what he had gotten himself into.

At the time, Nickels’ sole intent was to get through the next year or two of teaching to get back to what he believed were his real passions: computers and his previous job at NASA. Out of college, Nickels worked as a computer programmer for the Apollo program inside of NASA. But in 1963 when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Nickels and many of his colleagues were let go as part of a hiring freeze and a shrinkage in funding.

In 1964, Nickels received his education degree and began teaching at Indian Hills Middle School as a way to pass the time while he waited for his job back at NASA. Despite it not being his intention, Nickels quickly fell in love with teaching and the interaction with young students. Two years after beginning teaching, Nickels got the call from NASA asking for him back.

“It came down to kids versus computers and kids have personalities and computers don’t,” Nickels said. “They keep you young and alive.”

Year after year with each classroom of students, Nickels reassured himself of his decision. And he quickly developed a teaching style unique to East, a teaching style that focused on the student not the facts.

With every new trait he noticed that the children possessed, Nickels admired them more for who they are were and what they put up with.

“Kids are cool people because they see a lot more than what most adults recognize, they’re a lot sharper and a lot more pressured than what they are given credit for,” Nickels said. “There is so much going on now demanding things from the kids.”

Nickels believes that because of the East area demographic, the expectations placed on these students are much higher. This just up on the that they “Ibuilds had stayed up pressure until 4 a.m. the have day to deal with already.this But due to the budget before finishing projct, and Nick-cuts, standardized testing and public demands, the els let me sleep on the couch for the job for students and teachers alike is more difentire ficult.hour. He’s such a chill dude.”

-Senior Phoebe Unterman “The East area is just a different clientele

now,” Nickels said. “We have a much wider variety of students and many need all different kinds of attention and the public has no tolerance for anything that is less than perfect for their kids. Teachers today are teaching more kids, with testing everywhere to see how much they got out of everything. It wasn’t all built around testing. It was much less stressful for children.”

Nickels’ philosophy and goal as a teacher isn’t necessarily to get his students to grasp and understand all of the ideas and facts that he lectures about. He is more about teaching them the process of learning.

“Their well being and their wanting to learn is more important than every little fact you can cram in them,” Nickels said. “Don’t expect them to know every little detail. Teach them how to learn, get them wanting to learn and try to get them interested in things. That’s the key.”

Several years ago, an East principal used to always preach the motto: Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Ever since, Nickels has tried to approach each class and each student with that idea. Nickels believes that if you work to understand and get to know the kid then the kid will respond and will at least try to work for you.

“You can’t just be your friend though,” Nickels said. “You’ve got to push them and you can’t just give it to them because they won’t respect that. They will only appreciate it if they had to work for it. Then, they figure out they learned some stuff.”

Nickels believes that receiving an “A” should be something that is earned and prides himself in it.

Over his 46 years of teaching at East, Nickels has shown that he is a strong believer in having a good classroom atmosphere for students. To Nickels, a classroom has to be a place where the student feels comfortable and if the classroom feels comfortable than chances are the student will feel comfortable in learning from the teacher.

The collage of postcards decorating the walls started as a collection of his travel but as time went on, his students began buying post-

cards on their own vacations with Nickels in mind to add to it.

Starting during his time at Indian Hills, Nickels began to spread his love for traveling to his students by telling them about the places he talked about. After 46 years of teaching, he has taken student groups to 55 countries, ranging from the British Aisles to the New Zealand locales in which “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy was shot in New Zealand.

“Kids can look around and see the world, and if I want to tell them about a place, it’s up here somewhere,” Nickels said. “I just have to find it which is kind a fun to go on a search.

Like a scavenger hunt.”

Nickels has realized that to keep a class motivated, engaged and interested, they need to have a teacher that they can relate to, but they also need to have something they look forward to in the class. Through his stories of claiming to be “the worst coach in East history,” and proving to the class that he can fit through a basketball hoop; Nickels has mastered this.

A sign of a teacher that has a long tenure is when they begin have the children in class of the students they taught years ago. Nickels has surpassed that. Over the last couple years he has began to tap into his third generation of students that he has had.

Going on 69, Nickels knows that it is only a matter of time before he decides to retire.

For the past few years teaching, he has believed that it was the right time. But every time the idea enters his head, he remembers the kids. They were the ones who got him into it and they are the reason why stepping aside will be so difficult.

“I think about it every day,” Nickels said. “I wonder about going because there are young teacher thats need jobs too. I keep selfishly saying that I don’t know what I’d do. I need the kids. Every year, I think, ‘OK, this might be the year I’m done.’ Then, I see kids that I don’t want to not see the next year.”

Nickels believes that the time to go won’t be this year. Once it happens, there is no question that Nickels will have left a lasting impact on the 10,000 students he has taught.

Memories from room

315

students share their favorite Nickels stories

“We would always try to guesstimate how many cats Nickels had. By the end of the year we guessed around six because of all the different cat names he had dropped in class.”

-Sophomore Helen Petrow “One time I hid under his desk before class and scared him when he was about to sit down. Also I liked watching the interesting China videos.”

-Sophomore Anna Colby

“My favorite thing from Nickels’ class would have been how ridiculously easy the joysheets were and reading Ender’s Game and 1984, not because they were good for the class but because they were good books.”

-Junior Andrew Hornung “We were turning in our books at the end of the year. [Nickels] was separating the books into four piles, and I was yelling “Ravenclaw! Gryffindor!” because he reminded me of the sorting hat. He had to look at the seating chart to see my name to send me to the hallway.”

-Senior Scott Watson

16

SPREAD

SPREAD

03-07-11

issue 12

STUDENT SURVEY

connected

Survey taken from 100 students

41%

have been in a longdistance relationship

A closer look at long-distance relationships at East

for

TIPS

relationships Information provided by therapist Liz Christian

terms 1Understand of relationship Parameters of relationship,

like dating other people and what’s allowed outside the relationship, should be agreed upon.

jealousy and clingy2 Keep ness to a minimum Being confident in your relationship will help prevent drama. Steer away from constant checkups or unrealistic expectations.

how often you’re 3 Know going to talk

When it comes to communicating, make sure you’re on the same page when it comes to the amount. Try out different types of communication, like Skype or even sending care packages.

limit yourself in other 4 Don’t friendships and activities Just because your significant other or best friend isn’t by your side, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself at a school dance or pursue new interests. It may even help take your mind off the distance.

A

17

all photos by DanStewart

HollyHernandez

fter a romantic dinner and attending a concert with her boyfriend Joe Craig, Kendall Kohnle found herself at a beautiful hill with a scenic view where she and Craig would end up talking the night away.

By the time the night ended, it was clear they had feelings for each other. They kissed each other goodbye, knowing they wouldn’t be seeing each other for a while. In two weeks, Craig would be heading off to college at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri.

“The goodbye was really hard because we both knew we liked each other at that point,” Kohnle said. “We didn’t know at that point we would be together later—we thought it was sort of the end of it.”

Craig and Kohnle met last year when he was tutoring her for Chemistry. Kohnle is now a senior and Craig is a freshman in college. They didn’t really talk much until last summer but during the days right before he left, they became extremely close with one another, making it tough to say goodbye.

Kohnle didn’t think that they would ever talk again after he left, but she and Craig have been dating for seven months and have become each other’s best friends. Every three weeks when she goes to visit him or he comes to visit her, they go out to eat and spend time with each other’s families. Not knowing if things with between them would be able to stay the same with only seeing each other every three weeks, they manage to still be involved in each other’s lives through texting and talking on the phone, Skype and Facebook.

Long-distance relationships have grown as tools such as text and web chatting have become more available. As technology starts to cut the gap of long-distance relationships, East students have been able to stay connected—whether it be with their boyfriend or girlfriend miles away or family in another country. Based on a Harbinger survey consisting of 100 students, 41 percent of them said they were in a long-distance relationship.

Over half keep in touch through texting or email, along with the 47 percent preferring calling and Skype.

Kohnle said they keep a constant chat window up on Facebook where they send each other funny videos back and forth.

Kendall, busy with lacrosse, cheer and volunteer work, tries to keep herself preoccupied while he is away. School helps as a distraction, she said, and if it wasn’t for technology they wouldn’t even be in a relationship.

“Technology is everything,” Kohnle said. “There is no way we would be able to work without it because of the texting and calling.”

Craig describes being in a long-distance relationship as more of a challenge versus one where you see the person every day.

“I would not recommend it for anyone who is not very serious about the person they are with,” Craig said. “It takes a lot of work and commitment but if it’s worth it, then it’s worth it.

And it’s worth it.”

Kendall says she misses being able to hang out with Joe and just relax, but that they make up for the time they aren’t together by texting constantly and using Skype at least once a week.

“It’s kind of lucky we didn’t have a lot of time together before he left,” Kohnle said. “Because then we were use to having a relationship through technology, so it wasn’t as hard.”

According to Dr. Wes Ledom, a psychologist who specializes in relationship counseling, the most common problem for someone who is in a long-distance relationship is that, sooner or later, there comes a time for everyone when they get tired of it being long-distance.

“There are many people who have face-to-face relationships that don’t last more than a few days,” Dr. Ledom said. “So how long a relationship lasts, I don’t think really depends as much on the distance between the two, more so how well they can meet each other’s needs.”

He says that being on the same page as the person you are with is a helpful start to meeting the other person’s needs. He also says that bad communication is the failure of any relationship, especially with long-distance relationships because you have to depend solely on it.

“I often advise people to write letters because you have more

time to think about what you are communicating,” Ledom said.

“If you look someone in the eyes through webcam and you get angry and you say something that you really wouldn’t have said, you’ve put it out there and taking it back is not as easy as dropping a letter in the mailbox.”

Overall, Ledom thinks that technology has had a positive effect on long-distance relationships.

“If a long-distance relationship is going to last the technology has probably really helped it,” Ledom said. “Because you can hear each other and see each other; you can practically touch each other with technology now. That is, in most cases, going to improve a relationship.”

During a youth leadership convention last August, junior Louis Ridgway met his current girlfriend Cecilia Hansen from Boston. They were put into the same group to work together, and by the end of the day, they had managed to start up a conversation. After he got home, he started texting her and they spent the next few days talking on the phone. A few days later, they decided to make things official.

“It’s hard obviously because you don’t see the person,” Ridgway said. “You don’t feel their presence everyday, but it makes sure that you click conversationally because that’s mostly what you are doing is talking on the phone, so that kind of worked out well for us.”

Ridgway has seen Hansen twice since last summer, but uses texting mainly to communicate and keep up with her on a daily basis. Without cell phones and texting, Louis says their relationship would be a lot more difficult and nearly impossible to see each other.

“It would make it harder because you couldn’t see each other ever really like you can with webcam and stuff,” Ridgway said.

“Texting makes it a lot easier and having a cell phone because you can plan when you’re going to talk.”

Technology has changed not only relationships among couples but also the relationships among friends and family members. Christian Otzen left his friends and family behind in Denmark when he came to the U.S. as a foreign exchange stu-

dent this year. He knew he wouldn’t be seeing them for a little over a year, but he wasn’t at all worried that he would lose a relationship with them since he could easily get a hold of anyone through chat or webcam.

“I don’t hear from them a lot, but I talk to my mom every Sunday at 12 o’clock where we agree to go on Skype and we will talk for ten minutes going through parts of the day,” Otzen said. “My best friend, he was an exchange student last year so we haven’t seen each other for two years now almost, and still we have contact and I’m not afraid of losing his friendship.”

Otzen misses being able to hang out with his friends, building a fire or playing the guitar with them, but he makes up for the time he isn’t able to by using Facebook chat and Skype to catch up with them.

“There will be some random times that I talk to them on Facebook,” Otzen said. “Maybe just a quick chit chat for ten minutes then I go on, but I think Skype is fantastic because you can chat and if you want to see them you can just turn on your webcam and have eye contact with them.”

Based on information located on the Skype website, there are 23 million people using Skype. Otzen doesn’t think that without technology there would be any sort of connection with his friends and relatives back home.

“I don’t think there would be a relationship at all because you can’t really talk to them,” Otzen said. “I think it’s a good thing to have Skype and Facebook to keep in touch and still talk to your friends and family.

According to Dr. Ledom, technology has a positive and negative effect on long-distance relationships.

“Technology is going to improve a relationship because of better communication not just in words and the language you have, but the communication with your eyes and voice through webcam for instance,” Dr. Ledom said. “It’s not, however, going to help with the relationship if you say something you don’t mean because it’s not as easy to take something back through technology, and that is when it gets interesting.”

THE QUESTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ANSWERED YES TO THE QUESTION ABOVE: What technology do you use helps you stay in touch?

texting emailing skyping calling

30%

23 % 17% 30%

THE QUESTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ANSWERED NO TO THE QUESTION ABOVE: Would you want to be in a long-distance relationship if the opportunity arose?

NO MAYBE YES

39%

58% 3%

the evolution of

STAYING IN

TOUCH

PHONE CALLS

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone

invented in 1876 He invented it at the young age of 29. The

first words that he spoke from his device were directed towards his colleague: “Come here, Mr. Watson. I want to see you!”

EMAILS invented in 1971

The invention of the e-mail is credited to Ray Tomlinson As an engineer, Tomlinson succeeded in finding a way to communicate using computers. He also invented the “@“ sign.

TEXTS

There is no officially credited inventor of texting It is thought that the first text messages were exchanged in the early 1990s, though it wasn’t common to text until the 2000s.

SKYPING

S 2003

invented in

Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis Set up in 2003, Skype was founded in Luxembourg. It provides an easy and cheap way to communicate worldwide.

16

SPREAD

SPREAD

03-07-11

issue 12

STUDENT SURVEY

connected

Survey taken from 100 students

41%

have been in a longdistance relationship

A closer look at long-distance relationships at East

for

TIPS

relationships Information provided by therapist Liz Christian

terms 1Understand of relationship Parameters of relationship,

like dating other people and what’s allowed outside the relationship, should be agreed upon.

jealousy and clingy2 Keep ness to a minimum Being confident in your relationship will help prevent drama. Steer away from constant checkups or unrealistic expectations.

how often you’re 3 Know going to talk

When it comes to communicating, make sure you’re on the same page when it comes to the amount. Try out different types of communication, like Skype or even sending care packages.

limit yourself in other 4 Don’t friendships and activities Just because your significant other or best friend isn’t by your side, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself at a school dance or pursue new interests. It may even help take your mind off the distance.

A

17

all photos by DanStewart

HollyHernandez

fter a romantic dinner and attending a concert with her boyfriend Joe Craig, Kendall Kohnle found herself at a beautiful hill with a scenic view where she and Craig would end up talking the night away.

By the time the night ended, it was clear they had feelings for each other. They kissed each other goodbye, knowing they wouldn’t be seeing each other for a while. In two weeks, Craig would be heading off to college at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri.

“The goodbye was really hard because we both knew we liked each other at that point,” Kohnle said. “We didn’t know at that point we would be together later—we thought it was sort of the end of it.”

Craig and Kohnle met last year when he was tutoring her for Chemistry. Kohnle is now a senior and Craig is a freshman in college. They didn’t really talk much until last summer but during the days right before he left, they became extremely close with one another, making it tough to say goodbye.

Kohnle didn’t think that they would ever talk again after he left, but she and Craig have been dating for seven months and have become each other’s best friends. Every three weeks when she goes to visit him or he comes to visit her, they go out to eat and spend time with each other’s families. Not knowing if things with between them would be able to stay the same with only seeing each other every three weeks, they manage to still be involved in each other’s lives through texting and talking on the phone, Skype and Facebook.

Long-distance relationships have grown as tools such as text and web chatting have become more available. As technology starts to cut the gap of long-distance relationships, East students have been able to stay connected—whether it be with their boyfriend or girlfriend miles away or family in another country. Based on a Harbinger survey consisting of 100 students, 41 percent of them said they were in a long-distance relationship.

Over half keep in touch through texting or email, along with the 47 percent preferring calling and Skype.

Kohnle said they keep a constant chat window up on Facebook where they send each other funny videos back and forth.

Kendall, busy with lacrosse, cheer and volunteer work, tries to keep herself preoccupied while he is away. School helps as a distraction, she said, and if it wasn’t for technology they wouldn’t even be in a relationship.

“Technology is everything,” Kohnle said. “There is no way we would be able to work without it because of the texting and calling.”

Craig describes being in a long-distance relationship as more of a challenge versus one where you see the person every day.

“I would not recommend it for anyone who is not very serious about the person they are with,” Craig said. “It takes a lot of work and commitment but if it’s worth it, then it’s worth it.

And it’s worth it.”

Kendall says she misses being able to hang out with Joe and just relax, but that they make up for the time they aren’t together by texting constantly and using Skype at least once a week.

“It’s kind of lucky we didn’t have a lot of time together before he left,” Kohnle said. “Because then we were use to having a relationship through technology, so it wasn’t as hard.”

According to Dr. Wes Ledom, a psychologist who specializes in relationship counseling, the most common problem for someone who is in a long-distance relationship is that, sooner or later, there comes a time for everyone when they get tired of it being long-distance.

“There are many people who have face-to-face relationships that don’t last more than a few days,” Dr. Ledom said. “So how long a relationship lasts, I don’t think really depends as much on the distance between the two, more so how well they can meet each other’s needs.”

He says that being on the same page as the person you are with is a helpful start to meeting the other person’s needs. He also says that bad communication is the failure of any relationship, especially with long-distance relationships because you have to depend solely on it.

“I often advise people to write letters because you have more

time to think about what you are communicating,” Ledom said.

“If you look someone in the eyes through webcam and you get angry and you say something that you really wouldn’t have said, you’ve put it out there and taking it back is not as easy as dropping a letter in the mailbox.”

Overall, Ledom thinks that technology has had a positive effect on long-distance relationships.

“If a long-distance relationship is going to last the technology has probably really helped it,” Ledom said. “Because you can hear each other and see each other; you can practically touch each other with technology now. That is, in most cases, going to improve a relationship.”

During a youth leadership convention last August, junior Louis Ridgway met his current girlfriend Cecilia Hansen from Boston. They were put into the same group to work together, and by the end of the day, they had managed to start up a conversation. After he got home, he started texting her and they spent the next few days talking on the phone. A few days later, they decided to make things official.

“It’s hard obviously because you don’t see the person,” Ridgway said. “You don’t feel their presence everyday, but it makes sure that you click conversationally because that’s mostly what you are doing is talking on the phone, so that kind of worked out well for us.”

Ridgway has seen Hansen twice since last summer, but uses texting mainly to communicate and keep up with her on a daily basis. Without cell phones and texting, Louis says their relationship would be a lot more difficult and nearly impossible to see each other.

“It would make it harder because you couldn’t see each other ever really like you can with webcam and stuff,” Ridgway said.

“Texting makes it a lot easier and having a cell phone because you can plan when you’re going to talk.”

Technology has changed not only relationships among couples but also the relationships among friends and family members. Christian Otzen left his friends and family behind in Denmark when he came to the U.S. as a foreign exchange stu-

dent this year. He knew he wouldn’t be seeing them for a little over a year, but he wasn’t at all worried that he would lose a relationship with them since he could easily get a hold of anyone through chat or webcam.

“I don’t hear from them a lot, but I talk to my mom every Sunday at 12 o’clock where we agree to go on Skype and we will talk for ten minutes going through parts of the day,” Otzen said. “My best friend, he was an exchange student last year so we haven’t seen each other for two years now almost, and still we have contact and I’m not afraid of losing his friendship.”

Otzen misses being able to hang out with his friends, building a fire or playing the guitar with them, but he makes up for the time he isn’t able to by using Facebook chat and Skype to catch up with them.

“There will be some random times that I talk to them on Facebook,” Otzen said. “Maybe just a quick chit chat for ten minutes then I go on, but I think Skype is fantastic because you can chat and if you want to see them you can just turn on your webcam and have eye contact with them.”

Based on information located on the Skype website, there are 23 million people using Skype. Otzen doesn’t think that without technology there would be any sort of connection with his friends and relatives back home.

“I don’t think there would be a relationship at all because you can’t really talk to them,” Otzen said. “I think it’s a good thing to have Skype and Facebook to keep in touch and still talk to your friends and family.

According to Dr. Ledom, technology has a positive and negative effect on long-distance relationships.

“Technology is going to improve a relationship because of better communication not just in words and the language you have, but the communication with your eyes and voice through webcam for instance,” Dr. Ledom said. “It’s not, however, going to help with the relationship if you say something you don’t mean because it’s not as easy to take something back through technology, and that is when it gets interesting.”

THE QUESTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ANSWERED YES TO THE QUESTION ABOVE: What technology do you use helps you stay in touch?

texting emailing skyping calling

30%

23 % 17% 30%

THE QUESTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ANSWERED NO TO THE QUESTION ABOVE: Would you want to be in a long-distance relationship if the opportunity arose?

NO MAYBE YES

39%

58% 3%

the evolution of

STAYING IN

TOUCH

PHONE CALLS

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone

invented in 1876 He invented it at the young age of 29. The

first words that he spoke from his device were directed towards his colleague: “Come here, Mr. Watson. I want to see you!”

EMAILS invented in 1971

The invention of the e-mail is credited to Ray Tomlinson As an engineer, Tomlinson succeeded in finding a way to communicate using computers. He also invented the “@“ sign.

TEXTS

There is no officially credited inventor of texting It is thought that the first text messages were exchanged in the early 1990s, though it wasn’t common to text until the 2000s.

SKYPING

S 2003

invented in

Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis Set up in 2003, Skype was founded in Luxembourg. It provides an easy and cheap way to communicate worldwide.

FEATURES 18 03-07-11

g n i t c a n o e k a t h s e A fr

cal

usi m d n a s y s pla Stottle ’ t s a E f o e n

tsid u Madiso o d s n a w s i o o h b ous s berts, Georgia Du i r a v n i e Have you ever been rejected for a part? ie Ro rtak

en pa ette Beasley, Madd Freshmw How do your relationships with casts grow ith Bridg A Q&A

KatieKnight

“Social life? What’s that?”

Freshman Bridgette Beasley, Madison Stottle, Maddie Roberts and Georgia Dubois don’t exactly have what most people would call a normal social life. While most girls would be at the movies or hanging at someone’s house on a Friday night, these girls don’t have that kind of time to spare.

Thanks to their theater schedules, these girls’ days consist solely of school, practicing dance steps or running lines with their castmates and sleeping for five to six hours after finishing multiple math worksheets and French homework. Sometimes they even have to leave school early during first hour and arrive for the last few minutes of seventh for daytime shows, adding even more to the accumulating pile of work on their desks.

This week I got to see a little further into their lives and learn more about them, the way theater has changed their lives, and what they plan to do in the future.

How stressed do you guys get with your theatre schedule?

Beasley: I don’t really get stressed until show week. I mean it’s kind of hard to keep up with homework, but really when show week hits, that’s when you have like the week-long of rehearsals that go to like eleven or twelve at night. They usually start right after school. And then that’s when you have to do all the make up and costuming and stuff. So you really don’t have time like going there to do homework, and so that’s usually when I fall behind on stuff.

Roberts: And you just don’t have time because you’re on stage all the time, or you’re getting notes or running lines or something. So it’s probably show week. That’s when I stress out the most.

Dubois: I think I actually stress out more during rehearsals, just because show weeks are like so busy, there’s like no time to be stressed. But during rehearsals, you’re there so much and you’re trying to impress the directors, because you want them to want you back, and you want to put a good name out there for yourself. So I just sort of get stressed with my reputation to make sure that I’m like on top of things, and always ready to go.

Stottle: Well, it depends on where I am. If I’m at TITP (Theater In the Park), I’m the happiest little girl in the world--so at home, so comfortable. If I’m at Starlight, I feel like I’m being judged constantly. And if I’m at MYTP (Music Theater for Young People) it’s just nerve-racking to be…it’s one thing to be compared against yourself, but some auditions, when you go in there and everyone sings openly in front of the rest of the crew, that’s when you’re compared against others.

throughout the production process?

Roberts: It grows a lot, especially during show week, because you’re with them 24/7.

Beasley: They basically become your family. It’s just like you are surrounded by people who you spend basically your past month, two months, whatever. So you know them deeply and they’re always there for you.

Dubois: I think that theatre is like the most intimate job you can have, because you put everything on the line.

They see everything about you. It’s really special.

Stottle: I think that there are times in your life when your friends at school fail you.

Roberts: Amen.

Stottle: I don’t understand why people don’t have theater friends and make it. I don’t know what I would do without mine.

Beasley: I’ve made my best friends through theater.

Stottle: You turn to them for literally everything that you know your friends at school wouldn’t be able to handle because theater kids just aren’t judgemental.

Beasley: Theater kids are all about drama, so if you have drama then they’ll understand because…well we’re drama people!

Do you do anything individually to prepare yourself before each show?

Beasley: I’m a Christian, so I always pray before my performance, just to be sure it goes well and then I also try not to think about it too much. I mean I try to have as much fun with my friends, and to enjoy it, because I mean it passes so fast.

Dubois: I just run lines and run notes before. I just sort of calm down.

GEORGIA DUBOIS all photos by BrendanDuloherry

Stottle: I feel like the only word you hear now is “no.”

Beasley: I remember the first time I wasn’t cast in a show. It was the second show I ever tried out for. I was in like the fifth grade. But it was so traumatic. I mean you get over it, but it’s heartbreaking if you don’t get in, or you totally thought that part was yours or something, and it just is hard when you see somebody else get it. Eventually you realize that they were probably way better for the part than you, but still, it’s very heartbreaking.

Dubois: I hate realizing that they’re so good and you think ‘why do they have to be so amazing?’

Stottle: It pushes you to though. Talented people just make you so…inspired.

How does your theatre schedule conflict with your social life?

Beasley: It becomes your social life.

Dubois: Your theater group is your family. So you get to hang out with them but, at the same time it’s like you do want to do other stuff too.

Beasley: When I was in Aladdin over the fall, I wasn’t able to go to any football games, because I always had rehearsals on football game days. So it comes to a point where you have to decide whether you really want to dedicate yourself to this or if you wanna have a social life and go to football games, and Homecoming... But I realized that the show comes first. Every time I’m cast in a show, I’ve made a commitment to dedicate my life to that show for however long it’s running.

Dubois: I didn’t go to WPA. I was so sleep-deprived anyways, and I needed the energy, so I didn’t do anything.

BRIDGETTE BEASLEY

MADDIE ROBERTS

MADISON STOTTLE

FEATURES issue 12

THE

BREAKING BARRIER

19

Junior transitions between life in rural Japan and Kansas City

preceding and following April 4, 2006.

His bags were packed with a few necessities—namely clothing and money—his bedroom was dismantled and shoved into nondescript boxes and his head was filled with worry. Fear trumped excitement as the shy, 12-year-old boy dwelled on images of blond-haired, blue-eyed monsters, carrying guns and riding in convertibles while devouring hamburgers and french fries—all of them speaking a language he couldn’t understand.

Taka’s father, the president of Point Incorporated, a company that makes Global Positioning Systems (GPS), had been transferred to Kansas City that spring. His brother-in-law had told him of the wonders of the spacious and fast-paced city from his experience living there, leading Taka’s father to make the decision of bringing his own family to the United States to live––permanently.

“I remember me and my mom and my sister were all talking, like, ‘Oh, this is going to happen, this is gonna happen,” Taka said.

After the two hour train ride from his small village to the city, the stay overnight in an airport hotel and the 13-hour transcontinental flight, he found himself stepping into the Chicago O’Hare International Airport, which smelled distinctly of waffles.

As he went to claim his bags, he found himself thinking it: this is America.

In the far southwestern corner of Kanagawa, Japan lies a prefecture called Minamiashigara, a town known for its mountainous countryside and agricultural economy. The area is not a long shot from Kansas, sans the difference in squarefootage (as Taka put it, “if you have seven hours, you can drive from the very top of Japan to the bottom”)—but, with narrow roads, set neighborhood gangs of friends and houses so close they didn’t have side yards, Kanagawa Minamiashigara was as small-town as Taka and his family could bear.

Though the surroundings of his home in Japan and his home in the United States are similar, the one word Taka would use to describe the move is “new”––the differences in culture threw him and his family through a loop.

The size of food, buildings, roads and people came as a shock to Taka. The homes in his neighborhood in Japan all featured traditional Japanese-style flooring called tatami, and none of them had basements. The roads were fit for one car, and all drivers had to be 18 and over to get an official license.

The cup sizes at McDonald’s were double the size of the same kinds in Japan, and the size of stirring spoons for tea were at least triple the size of those that Taka was used to.

The biggest shock, however, was the difference in schooling.

“In the U.S. we have like business class, you know, econ, and accounting class, cooking class, sewing class, drama, newspaper, tons of class,” Taka said. “In Japan, you don’t have that. You have physics, chemistry: normal classes.”

As an incoming sixth-grader, Taka’s mother Chiemi was reluctant to let her son go to school unprepared, thinking he would be prone to teasing and neglect. According to Taka, students in Japan are often prone to suicide and avoidance of school altogether, due to the teasing they receive for their characteristic introversion. He recalls one of his friends in Japan staying home from school for five weeks due to verbal abuse at his elementary school. “[My mom] thought I would be really shy and nervous, and really shocked, thinking I wouldn’t want to go to school again,” Taka said. “She didn’t want that to happen.”

Quashing her fears, Chiemi integrated Taka and his older

sister, Ayako Sawaguchi, now a student at KU, into everyday life as elementary and high school students––the siblings were made to go to English Language Learning (ELL) classes, as well as tennis lessons and volunteer jobs. At first, Taka’s experience in his regular sixth grade class at Briarwood Elementary only lead to exasperation.

“I was really frustrated,” Taka said. “I wanted to speak, but I didn’t know how to put it into words.”

Academic success is stressed from an early age in Japanese culture: to even gain admittance to high school, one must study for and pass an end-all-be-all test of their mental capability that will determine the course of their academic career.

Considering it a relief, Taka was exempt from having to take the test to determine his placement, a pleasant coincidence sprung from moving to Kansas City before he hit middle school. The main struggle for Taka at that time was mastering the language barrier, with little help from his elementary school teachers.

Using his knowledge from ELL sessions and the pocket translator he carried with him, Taka began to communicate with his peers. A group of four or five boys in Mrs. Todd’s class took Taka under their wing quickly, helping him out with classwork and dubbing him with the nickname “Taco.” One of his peers, junior Matt Cantril, sticks out in Taka’s mind as a long-term friend.

“I helped him because I knew what it was like, and how hard it was to be the new kid at a new school,” Cantril said. “I figured it must have been even harder not knowing the language.”

Junior Tyler Nelson recalls Taka’s progress in acquiring the English language to be a quick process, noting that his computerized translator made a world of difference in his learning process.

“He caught on to English very quickly––by the end of the year he was already speaking it very well,” Nelson said.

The increase in Western knowledge gave Taka the upper hand in his homework and tutoring sessions. By the time he was in high school at East, Taka had integrated into the flow of Prairie Village consciousness, barely realizing he’d done it; his teachers now treated him as an equal contributor to the discussion in class, and talked with him when he needed clarification, instead of pawning him off to the specialists. Taka and Chiemi were both impressed by and infatuated with the school system at East.

“The teachers were really nice to me, and supported me,” Taka said. “That’s why [my mom] felt East was really good

school: it actually supports its students.”

After graduating from East, Taka hopes to attend college back in Japan, where, according to him, the academic world is much more competitive, as well as promising for the subsequent job market. Admittance to prestigious Japanese undergraduate and graduate schools requires what is, in his mind, even more difficult testing, and hours of prep courses and studying. Taka hopes to study enough to get in, and dreams of using his multi-cultured mindset to bridge the gaps between nations in his future profession.

“I don’t want to just stay in America and Japan: I just want to go to another world, probably Europe, or China or India to make another bridge,” Taka said. “I want to be, like, International Bridge Person.”

The small, Japanese teacup makes no sound as Taka rests it on the soft leaf-shaped coaster his mother, Chiemi has set out in front of him. His preceding slurps were the only sound cutting through the still silence of the modern apartment building at 105th and Mission, nestled in behind popular local restaurants, a swank hair salon and a new-age boutique.

Chiemi mutters incoherently, clicking her tongue.

After a moment of thought, a stream of fluent Japanese erupts from her lips, her facial expressions emphatic, her inflection undulating. She directs her words toward Taka, who replies just as easily, pushing her deeper into thought and waiting for her next rebuttal. He then dissects her words and pieces them back together.

“She wanted me to meet well with all the American people, all the country people,” Taka says, choosing his words carefully. “She made me go to class, or tennis lessons, to talk, volunteer.

That made me talk to people and adjust better.”

Chiemi nods and smiles, understanding that her youngest child is relaying the message, without understanding the message itself.

Where once she was in charge, she now takes the back seat; Taka has taken over many of the communication aspects within the household, from welcoming guests to calling the plumber.

“She tells me things, but I can’t translate very well sometimes,” Taka explains. “She’ll tell me what she wants to say, but I just hang up the phone.”

The duo is still battling with the language barrier, an obstacle that they’re surmounting with more and more ease each day as they acclimate to Western culture. In spite of their struggles, the two consider themselves lucky; out of the many Japanese people who long to travel to the United States, they’ve found a place here.

GrantHeinlein

KatBuchanan Junior Takanori Sawaguchi couldn’t sleep for two days

Mixed

on Spring Break {the page about life} ^

MIXED 20 3-07-11

Teachers have fun, too Mystery Objects A look at Mr. Foley’s Spring Break Hawaiin Leii Towell

A

B

C

D

Dream Vacation Which one would you choose?

37% Relaxing on the beach

45 %

Junior Emily Frye plans on building sand castles on the shores of Belize

Touring a foreign city Senior Paige Gundelfinger will be exploring Paris, France

A-Beach hat B-Towel C-Bikini D-Hawaiin Lei

Q: Where are you going? are driving to the Florida panhandle to sit on the beach for A: We a week, and build sand castles with my daughters.

Q: How long is the drive?

A: It’s about 15 hours, and we’ll do it in one.

Q: What are you most looking forward to?

Just time with my family, because I’m so busy at school. it’s going be nice to just spend a whole week with no distractions and no A: toemails, playing in the sand with my kids.

Match the picture with the description Beach hat Bikini

Attention: Harbie readers

1Bring your Harbinger with you on Spring

Break

2Take a creative picture holding it 3 E-mail the picture to smeharbinger@

gmail.com Winner will be published on the Mixed page and all others will be featured on smeharbinger.net

18%

Hitting the slopes

Senior Collin Enger is going skiing in Copper, Colorado

*Based on a survey of 78 students

NARROWING IT DOWN

A&E

issue 12

21

The all-encompassing bracket for upcoming spring events WillWebber

The Midwest is one of the most underrated regions of the nation. Other than the cameo in “The Wizard of Oz,” most know Kansas as an 80,000 square mile wheat field that you drive through on the way to the Rockies.

But a storm is brewing in the prairie, and I’m not talking about Snowpocalypse. March Madness is approaching and both K-State and KU are primed to make a good run. The month of April is loaded with concerts and mov-

African Cats 4/22

Ink’s Middle of the Map Fest

Ink’s Middle of the Map Fest 4/8-9

African Cats

1

Arcade Fire

Foal’s with Freelance Whales 4/22

Sucker Punch 3/25

3

African Cats

Water for Elephants 4/22

www.arcadefire.com

Arcade Fire

Battle: Los Angeles

Arcade Fire

Battle: Los Angeles 3/11

Arcade Fire 4/20 Winner

Big 12 Tournament

Opening day at the K 3/13

THE FINAL FOUR

KU Basketball in NCAA Tournament

2

Prom

African Cats

Big 12 Tournament

Prom

4

KU in NCAA tournament

1CONCERTS

It can be hard to compare different bands, but Arcade Fire has a clear advantage in the award department. The seven person band merges seamlessly into awesome harmony and produces a distinct over-the-top sound, which was perfected on their third album, the Suburbs. It won Album of the Year at the Grammy’s and brought recognition to indie music. The National, another critically acclaimed indie band, will be joining them for a night of strange haircuts and fantastic music. If you aren’t the most knowledgeable listener, Arcade Fire is a great introduction to the world of independent music. You won’t want to miss these two bands in their primes, so ditch the suburbs and head out to Starlight.

Spring Play 4/7-9 Basketball Tournament 4/1-3

Spring sports Spring sports 2/28 www.allmoviephoto.com

2SPORTS

The Big 12 Tournament has the edge over its NCAA counterpart because it is actually occurring in Kansas City.

There are many scores to be settled at the conference tournament. K-State hopes to extend their late season success, KU is looking for revenge against the Wildcats and Longhorns and Colorado and Nebraska try to squeak into the national tournament. The Big 12 Championship is returning to basketball’s birthplace and you won’t want to miss the opportunity to see KU or K-State hoist the trophy.

www.big12sports.com

KSU basketball in NCAA Tournament 3/15-4/4

Prom 5/7

EAST

SPORTS

Big 12 Tournament 3/09-12

Arcade Fire

3MOVIES

Cats...in Africa. Does it get any better? This movie has it all: love amongst lions, turmoil with tigers, even cheetahs chasing antelope. “African Cats” is the amazing true story of adorable and ferocious big cats, trying to survive and thrive in the wildest place on Earth: Africa. The documentary follows three feline mothers: a lion, a leopard, and a cheetah, who struggle to protect their young. What better time to celebrate these majestic beasts than on Earth Day? This movie follows Disney’s previous Earth Day release, creatively entitled “Earth,” and is a must see for any fans of the wildly popular “Planet Earth” show. Disney has proven to be one of the most consistent filmmaking companies through the years, and “African Cats” will surely be another masterpiece.

4EAST

Prom is the school dance perfected.

Suits are replaced by tuxedos, you ride in a limo instead of your dad’s Camry and best of all, there are no freshmen. Not having to wade through a sea of underclassmen as you dance to Sandstorm makes Prom one of the top events of the year. It’s a more formal function and provides a good excuse to wear a bow tie. For the seniors, this will be the last waltz as Lancers and it’s important to make this one count.

LindsayHartnett

CONCERTS

We at The Harbinger narrowed down the spring season to 16 events in the Kansas City Metro area, conveniently categorized in four groups. As the self-proclaimed Chief Bracketologist, I have selected the most anticipated events of this spring from the four finalists of each group. It’s like March Madness, without the infuriating upsets and gambling debt.

MOVIES

[ [

Flogging Molly 3/13

ies are back in full swing as the Oscars have just ended.

And, of course, as the countdown to the last day of school continues, the excitement builds. Most high schoolers don’t have the time or money to see three concerts in a week or watch every movie on the big screen.

With all these upcoming events, it’s hard to decide which are worth your while. What better way to decide than with a bracket?

22

A&E

03-07-11

CLOSE TO HOME Chicago-style pizza joint in Lenexa offers authentic experience ToniAguiar

It turns out you don’t have to travel to ChiTown to indulge in delicious Chicago-style food like chilidogs and thin crust pizza.

But you do have to drive all the way out to 102nd and Pflumm.

Pizza Man, while not new by any definition of the word, is an experience still unknown to most East students. And when I say “experience,” I mean it. Located in a nondescript strip mall, it seems small and unassuming. Your first clue as to what lays inside the restaurant is the multitude of Cubs paraphernalia and a gumball machine that lay inside the first door.

But there are more Chicago-themed knickknacks than your brain can process once you step into the warm, greasy atmosphere of Pizza Man. The entire dimly-lit hallway to the bathrooms is covered in a mural of different Chicago sports legends: Michael Jordan, Bobby Orr, Dick Butkus, Sammy Sosa. Signs featuring enormous hot dogs and the Chicago skyline cover the walls. A young couple ate, watching college basketball on an 18-inch TV perched on a shelf across the room.

Three businessmen chatted as they ate their Italian beef sandwiches, and a family of six laughed loudly from the largest table in the restaurant.

The only thing more shocking than the three arcade machines lined up against one of the red painted walls was the fact that someone actually wandered over to play them in the half hour it took us to eat.

Pizza Man may not be a sleek, organic new restaurant—but it doesn’t try to be. Instead of

modern art and glass tables, it has posters advertising “Beefed Up!” Chicago dogs and dark red vinyl-covered chairs. The pizza only comes in thin crust and has a fair number of toppings available with pepperoni and sausage, as well as Canadian bacon and anchovies. I was surprised to hear that a restaurant so famous for their authentic Chicago-style food would neglect the deep-dish crust that is characteristic of Chi-Town pizza.

But all my doubts were cast aside

“

but fat and delicious, warm, heavily topping-ed pizza.

But however delicious the pizza was, it didn’t stick in my mind. I felt like I could get an equally delicious slice at Pizza Oven or Pizza 51—two more convenient options for East students. PV’s Minksy’s couldn’t hold a candle to the flavor and texture of Pizza Man pizza. But the Chicagostyle pizza didn’t blow me away completely. I can’t give an opinion on the sandwiches and hot dogs they boast of such as the Italian Beef and Chicago Style Dog because the friendly 30-something guy in a rumpled white T-shirt behind the counter informed me upon my arrival that the hot dog would take 30 minutes to make. He then pointed to the sign posted to the fake-wood paneled ordering counter which read “Call in Advance for Faster Service.”

Even though I didn’t get the opportunity to test out their other signature foods, Pizza Man lives up to the food that its name suggests. Good pizza for a cheap price ($5 for a 9-inch personal pizza plus 50 cents for each topping) made it worth the 15-minute drive out to its only Lenexa location. Would I go here every weekend? No. But if you’re feeling a craving for good ol’ Chicago-style pizza, or even a chilidog, make the trek to Pizza Man. It beats an eight-hour drive for a slice of authentic Chi-Town pizza.

PIZZA MAN MAY NOT BE A SLEEK, ORGANIC NEW RESTAURANT—BUT IT DOESN’T TRY TO BE.” as the pizzas were brought out on round metal plates. True, there was a relatively thin layer of grease over the surface of the pizza.

But the cheese was gooey, and somehow in that tiny little kitchen they had perfected the ratio of sauce to cheese. I found myself traveling back and forth between the plastic napkin dispenser and our table several times to get napkins to wipe the remnants of cheese grease off my hands.

My pizza had pepperoni on it, done just the way it should be—crispy and lots of it. The crust was just the right width for a thin crust pizza, not a cracker and not soggy. As I downed the entire 9-inch personal pizza, I kept thinking that this would be the perfect meal to have after a hiking trip or simply a long day at school. Nothing

DIRECTIONS FROM SME

1Go north on

Mission Road

1Head west on 75th Street

2Turn left to

merge onto I-35S toward Wichita

3Take exit 224 for 95th Street

4Turn left at

Pflumm Road (Desination will be on the right)

CHICAGO CLASSICS

Hot Dog

Pizza

Weather buying it on the street corner or not, the ChiTown hotdog is topped with veggies, mustard and relish.

Traditionally people equate deep dish pizza with Chicago but thin crust is also a decadent treat in the Windy City.

Sandwich The Italian Beef sandwich is a traditional Chicago meal in which you dip the sandwich into Au Jus sauce and enjoy. all photos by SammiKelly

Visit us at: www.smeharbinger.net

Rose

NAILS

913.383.8288 4175 Somerset Dr. Prairie Village, KS 66208

Manicure

$12

Acrylic Only

Fill-In

$16

Spa Pedicure

$23

Acrylic Only

Full-Set

$27 (White-tip)

architecture / planning / interior design www.hmnarchitects.com

/ blog.hmnarchitects.

Forgot your camera? We didn’t.

www.smephotos.com

24

A&E 03-07-11

MAIN INGREDIENTS

SCI - FI

IN ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

35%

SHOCKER

45% 20% INCEPTION THE BOX

MATRIX

THE BOX (2009)

MATT DAMON MYSTERY THRILLER OFFERS THOUGHT - PROVOKING EXPERIENCE AlexLamb In the post-”Inception” age of science fiction, there’s a new standard for philosophical, thought-provoking storytelling in big studio films of the genre. “The Adjustment Bureau,” the latest movie adaptation of one of legendary author Philip K. Dick’s short stories, not only lives up to this standard but even exceeds it in some regards as it asks the question, “Can free will overcome the power of fate?” Surprisingly, the film accomplishes the inconceivable feat of delivering a romantic adventure that’s actually — gasp! — intellectually-stimulating.

Hollywood everyman Matt Damon leads in another role for which he’s perfectly suited, as up-and-coming politician David Norris, a man destined for great things. Yet after losing the race for a seat in the senate, David’s overwhelming personal defeat shifts towards a hopeful future as he meets the girl of his dreams, Elise (Emily Blunt) — a brief encounter which inspires him to give the speech of his life.

But he was only supposed to see her once.

When the Adjustment Bureau (a mysterious group of men in suits and fedoras who make sure everything happens according to “the plan”) fails to stop David from running into her again and falling for her, they must directly intervene with his life. David learns how these “adjusters” work — moving behind the scenes making sure everyone stays in line with the plan laid out for them. Unwilling to accept a life without the woman he loves, David devotes himself to diverging from his plan to instead be with Elise — a choice of free will that the fateenforcing adjusters will do everything possible to prevent him from fulfilling.

Philip K. Dick adaptations have a spotty track record, from sci-fi at its provocative best (“Blade Runner,” “Minority Report”) to dumbed-down gimmickry (“Paycheck,” “Next”) and

STAR SCALE

even absurd experimental oddity (“A Scanner Darkly”); thankfully this one falls squarely into the first category. Writer/director George Nolfi deftly integrates the unique love story into this world controlled by the Adjustment Bureau, raising profound questions that make viewers think while simultaneously providing character-driven escapist fare with a pleasant dose of humor, too.

Nolfi examines the totality of fate and the extent of our free will, the ripple effect that seemingly insignificant actions or decisions can cause and the search for love juxtaposed against the dream of success and achievement.

It’s refreshing to experience such deep themes implemented into such a crowd-pleasing story.

And while it feels like there are some inconsistencies in the plot early on, those are ironed out and make sense later, actually highlighting more of the numerous details which reveal how the world of the adjusters affects our own.

However, the very beginning of the movie feels trite and silly with a cliché montage and some wooden acting from the adjusters. David soon meets Elise though, and from that point on the sparks fly and it’s all smooth sailing. Damon has proven himself over and over again to be one of the most engaging and capable actors working today, always an immensely likable leading man. Here he brings his trademark charm, sensitivity and drive to light up the screen.

Blunt, on the other hand, tends to demonstrate commendable acting skill but lacks an appealing charisma in a number of her roles. But not to worry, here she radiates with a newfound warmth and elegance, and the dynamic chemistry between her and Damon turns out to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of the film.

The adjusters give pretty entertaining performances as well, despite being more mechani-

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cal characters. John Slattery of TV’s “Mad Men” leads the team following David, injecting just enough wit and personality into his assured authority to command respect but still make funny quips occasionally. Alternatively, David’s original adjuster Anthony Mackie plays the sympathetic enemy role, which he is unable to elevate beyond more than the nice wimp of the adjusters. It’s the intimidating Terence Stamp who fares best though, portraying the grizzled veteran in the bureau brought out of retirement to “fix” David’s case with ruthless efficiency.

Comparisons to “Inception” are to be expected due to some similarities between Damon’s character and Leonardo DiCaprio’s in that far more weighty thriller, but “The Adjustment Bureau” bears a lot more likeness to the “Matrix” series and the lesser-seen “The Box.” The adjusters move around the city using shortcut gateways provided by doors that can magically transport them all over town, a visual concept taken straight from “The Matrix Reloaded” but put to much better use here. This makes for several thrilling chase sequences that flow with suspenseful adrenaline and exhibit plenty of breathtaking locations around NYC, in addition to showcasing some dazzling cinematography and subtle but awesome special effects.

Smart, low-key sci-fi doesn’t get much more accessible than “The Adjustment Bureau.” Fascinating concepts, a compelling story and a developed world within it challenge the intellectual filmgoer, while a sweeping romance, strong characters and a quick pace can satisfy those simply looking for a worthy adjustment to their weekend plans.

WORTH SEEING

“The Box” is all about a moral quandry of money for murder and the organization secretly operating behind the scenes, testing the morality of the human race. The adjusters take a lot from these people in both dress and ominous power. In addition, both secret organizations make the New York Public Library their headquarters.

INCEPTION (2010) Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio both play men going to extreme lengths of obsession for the women they love, while all the forces around them try to stop their quests for their lovers. Visually and tonally they feel pretty similar, particularly in the fact that they both leave the viewer thinking deeply afterwards.

THE MATRIX (1999) Besides the Keymaker in the second “Matrix” who opens transportive doors just like the adjusters, “The Matrix’s” overall idea of a world where computers control humans resembles the Adjustment Bureau guiding the human race’s fate.

Especially the agents, who dress in suits, have special powers and control the people causing trouble just like the adjusters.

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A&E 03-07-11

Turn off the ‘Radio’

BobMartin In October of 2007, Radiohead kicked the record industry square in the teeth.

Fresh off a six-album contract with EMI and with physical record sales on a steep decline, the band abruptly released its seventh full length, “In Rainbows.” Only available digitally on their website, the band let fans name their price before clicking download. Feeling thrifty at the time, I entered a series of zeroes, pressed enter, and dove into a experimental electro-rock frenzy.

It’s moves like this that keep Radiohead at the forefront of modern music.

They’ve already bent the rock genre, and now they’re changing the culture as we know it. In their eighth and most recent release, “The King Of Limbs,” we find this band of perfectionists still playing every note on their own terms and getting fair results. Frontman Thom Yorke’s unmistakable moan is in tact, and the lyrical content is still something I consistently struggle to wrap my head around. With only eight tracks, the band seems to take a far more low key approach than in past records. Where “In Rainbows” took off in no time with the organs and hand claps of “15 Step,” “King of Limbs” is far more reserved and brooding with pul-

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things to crowning achievements on the album.

Even in a somewhat forgettable setting, this is still Radiohead, and that comes with some precedents. The simplistic riffs are spot on and catchy, the drum patterns--even when electronic-are fantastically varied, and Yorke’s vocals are always fitting. Everything on “The King Of Limbs” is certainly interesting, just not necessarily enjoyable. Though the band has stated in an interview with “Believer Magazine” that they never intended for the album to be a long runner, the final product feels stunted at only eight tracks.

It’s great to see that Radiohead still understands what it takes to stay ahead in this industry and even how to break new ground. While it’s unfortunate to see their sound fail to keep up with their business dynamic, I faithfully believe that “The King Of Limbs” is only a step sideways in an otherwise genius career.

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East Event

African Cats

Arcade Fire

With the official Best Album of the Year “The Suburbs” in their discography, seeing this once-underground Canadian buzzband is going to be the highlight of my year.

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It’s like the Lion King in real life.

What more could I ask for from my namesake in the animal kingdom?

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B.o.B.

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Michael Scott’s resignation has me on the edge of my seat.

Five Minute Film Festival Cannes and Sundance got nothin’ on this.

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Lancer of the Day

In elementary school, I performed this play in French at Highlands E.L. Now it’s a must-see Hollywood horror film!

Raina Weinberg

sating bass and drum loops at first, but things never quite pick up. The opener, “Bloom,” ambiently transitions into the dreamy “Morning Mr. Magpie” without a hitch, and this continues again and again until the brief record is complete. While this theme doesn’t make for bad songs, it doesn’t necessarily leave us with any noticeable standouts either.

From an experimental standpoint, the band has nearly gone off the deep end.

While they managed to implement and balance this successfully on “In Rainbows,” it seems like they’ve gone just a step too far this time. This is no more clear than in “Feral,” in which a culmination of noise guides Yorke through a stammer of a vocal.

Going through “King Of Limbs” for the third and fourth times, I kept expecting to find that one song, the classic Radiohead anthem that would nearly define the whole record for me, but it just never happened. Any fan will tell you that the band’s highly abstract sound of late is a radical shift from the works of their early career. I just can’t get into it as much. Tracks like “Separator” and “Lotus Flower,” whose accompanying music video features a classic free form interpretive dance from Yorke, are the closest

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Staffer reviews the latest release from band Radiohead “King of Limbs”

Limitless

When his album hit last summer I was a huge fan. That love has wanned over the months, but this concert might be decent, at least better than Arcade Fire.

Devotchka at the Uptown

Devotchka is featured during the majority Not only is this movie about some crazy of the movie “Little Miss Sunshine.” If you drug that allows you to use 100 percent didn’t fall in love with their relaxing songs of your brain, but Bradley Cooper is the then, give ‘em another chance. you won’t star. That’s enough for me. regret it.

Tina Fey is the queen of my sense of humor.

The Event is the only show that can even remotely fill the big hole that Lost has left in my heart. It will finally be returning in April.

I’m hoping that this year’s lineup can live up to the greatness that was a night of Kept Mess, Menlo and the outrageous Mr. Fish last spring.

It’s been a good four years but something has been missing. While some have been lancer of the day multiple times, I never have. It’s bound to happen soon.

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SPORTS 28 03-07-11 GrantHeinlein

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LEARNING TO

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Basketball team grows from experiences during 13 game losing streak MattHanson

The angry jeers of a hostile Shawnee Mission North crowd rang in one ear — in the other, the desperate silence of faithful fans. As sophomore guard Vance Wentz stepped up to the line in this decisive moment, all the sounds faded away. It was just him and nine other players on the court. Nothing else.

As Wentz calmly sank two free-throws, silence became cheers and jeers became silence. But Wentz and his teammates weren’t celebrating yet. After all they’d been through this season, they knew better. With just over a second to go, the game was still far from over. Finally, after one last desperation heave from North rimmed out, Wentz could give a sigh of relief. For the first time in months, the Lancers had won.

With their last-minute win against North, the boys varsity basketball team (6-14) snapped a 13-game losing streak. But the losing streak wasn’t just a streak of blowout losses: it was a streak of close games, lost leads, and heartbreaking defeat after defeat.

“If you look at those 13 losses, only two were by double digits and 11 of the 13 could have been wins,” head coach Shawn Hair said.

The streak was the worst in Hair’s 23-year coaching career, a career that has been almost completely without blemish. Before the 2009-2010 season, Coach Hair had two losing seasons in his career. He has endured a losing season in each of the last two years now. The shift from being a perennial contender to rebuilding a program has been difficult for the seasoned coach.

“It’s very tough,” Hair said. “It is so hard to stay positive sometimes when things aren’t going your way.”

While Hair has struggled at times to remain positive this season, his players have not. During the losing streak, the team never quit, despite squandering late leads in several games during the streak. The Lancers reached a season low when they gave up an eight-point lead with 1:45 to go at home against Lawrence.

“We only had to do one little thing right, and we didn’t do anything right,” sophomore forward Zach Schneider said.

After the Lawrence loss, other teams coached by Hair would have given up. “He told us that quite a few times,” Schneider said. But this year’s squad didn’t.

“Probably the best characteristic that we’ve shown all year is resilience because we never really quit,” said Schneider, the team’s leading rebounder and second leading scorer.

But finally, after weeks of close games, East finally pulled through against North, thanks to Schneider who hit a crucial three to tie the game against North late in the fourth quarter.

“[Hitting the three] felt great because I hit threes in a few games during the streak and we ended up losing those games by one so it didn’t really matter,” Schneider said. “So to tie it up and follow that with a defensive stop and to win the game was a lot better.”

East followed Schneider’s three with a huge defensive stop.

Scrambling to get the rebound, Junior Andy Hiett whipped a pass across court to Wentz who was then fouled hard going for the game winning lay-up.

After the North game, Hair told his players that they could finally go out and just play, without the weight of the streak on their backs. And that is just what the Lancers plan to do.

Despite all of their losses, including last Friday’s loss against the Shawnee Mission South Raiders, both Hair and his players remain surprisingly confident for postseason play.

“This team is a very dangerous team,” Hair said. “This team could be a team that could make it to Wichita. It’s a team that kinda has got out of their slump. Now I think they’ll play a little bit more relaxed. And with no pressure on them, they can be very dangerous.”

At times during the season, the Lancers have demonstrated what Hair means. The Lancers began the year with a fourgame winning streak before they began their catastrophic slide. The team very nearly beat a solid Olathe Northwest squad at home, losing by only one point. And against Olathe South, the former number one team in the metro, the Lancers held a five-point lead with three minutes to go before Olathe South came surging back to defeat East.

But the team’s inexperience and its inability to close out games have resulted in its struggles. With four sophomores (Wentz, Schneider, Chase Hannah, and Billy Sutherland) accounting for over 65 percent of the team’s points, the Lancers rely much more heavily on underclassmen than any other team in the league, a fact that has cost them. A lot has been asked of the younger players, and naturally they haven’t been able to do everything asked of them yet.

The Lancers have been inconsistent all season because of their youth; it has been both their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. Younger players tend to make more mistakes in crunch time, and the team just hasn’t been able to close out games because of this. According to Hair, the team also lacks a consistent go-to player to rely on in late game situations.

“You need somebody out there on the floor who can step up and take big shots and make big plays,” Hair said. “We haven’t got that yet.”

While it may seem like a liability now, the Lancers’ youth leads Hair to believe that they can be as good as they want to be in the next two years.

“They can make history here at Shawnee Mission East,” Hair said. “That being said, every team around here is working hard too. How much they work in the summer, how much they get stronger in that weight room will make the biggest difference from this year to next. They can be as good as they want to be.”

Armed with confidence and an underdog mentality, the Lancers headed into sub-state play this last week ready to upset any team in their way. Matched up against a strong Blue Valley North squad that had already won 15 games, the Lancers came out struggling. In a rough first half, East was plagued by turnovers and missed opportunities on offense. The Mustangs didn’t do much better; the half ended with Blue Valley North up 14-10. At halftime, Hair trounced his team.

“I was mad at them,” Hair said after the game. “We had seven possessions in a row where we traveled, turned it over, got an offensive foul, or missed a free-throw. You can’t go in a possession basketball game and have empty possessions like that.”

After Hair’s stirring halftime speech, his team surged back behind the dominant post play of Sutherland, eventually taking the lead on a pair of free throws from Schneider. With 16 seconds left, North missed two chances to tie it up, and the Lancers completed a big road upset to bring East one step closer to state. Having lost so many close games just like this one it seemed fitting that the Lancers beat North when it mattered most.

East will square up against Blue Valley West on Friday*.

A win will earn the upstart Lancers a trip to Wichita. But regardless of how they will fare in the rest of the postseason, the team’s true battle has already been won. They have fought adversity and come to play in every game, no matter how outmatched they were. They have met the challenges of varsity basketball head on, and never lost confidence, never stopped trying—even when the challenges won. This team has already accomplished more in some ways than any of Hair’s more successful teams. And that’s what makes Coach Hair so proud of his team this year.

“This is their first battle of struggles, and they’re gonna be better people for it,” Hair said. “They’re going to be able to handle life’s adversities as they become men.” *Published before scheduled game

The numbers behind the 6-14 season BY THE NUMBERS Average Margin of Defeat During 13-game Losing Streak

9.2

Percentage of Points Scored

by Underclassmen

Total Amount of Turnovers

67% 230

Games Lost by Five or Less

4

SPORTS

issue 12

29

a punch of

FUN

Two juniors compete in martial arts in their spare time

DanStewart

ChristaMcKittrick

Junior Louis Ridgway dives to the left, dodging an oncoming blow. He bounces on his toes, hands flashing and strikes, smacking the side of his opponent’s helmet. Ridgway and his opponent back off and bump fists to signify the end of one round, and the start of another.

Ridgway and a mix of trainers and instructors rotate through, taking chances to fight each other on the red foam floor. There is an underlying scent of rubber surrounding the bags and weaponry amongst which Ridgway maneuvers, his black belt tied loosely around his hips.

This practice is the usual for juniors Louis Ridgway and Jason Pugh who both train at Amerikick, a national martial arts association. They jog several times across the room, stretch, work on their core muscles and most of all, fight. At these practices, Ridgway trains in tae kwon do, karate, and goju-ryu. Pugh trains in karate and tae kwan do. All three categories are under the heading of martial arts, however, they differ in their origin and the technique used. Goju-ryu consists of more open-handed techniques such as chopping and that is also where weapons such as the bo staff come in. The bo staff, which Pugh trains with, is a wooden stick about the same height as Pugh. In a routine, Pugh spins and moves the bo staff in strict motions around his body.

“Tae kwon do is centered around punching and low kicks whereas karate is more high kicks and stuff like that,” Ridgway said.

There is another practice that both boys go to, which is geared towards preparing for tournaments. This is where Ridgway and Pugh branch out and focus on their specialties; Ridgway’s is fighting, Pugh’s weapons.

In martial arts tournaments, each age group is broken up into divisions such as traditional forms, creative weapons and a variety of others. Ridgway’s favorite and the one he trains for most is fighting. In point-fighting, the type Ridgway competes in, competitors can earn points if two of the three judges agree they landed a hit: one point for punches, two points for kicks.

To protect himself, Ridgway wears foam gloves, shin pads, foot pads and head gear with a mask. Each round is two minutes long and at the end the person with the most points wins.

“If I won I’m happy and glad it’s over because it’s hard work,” Ridgway said. “But if I lose then I’m mad and I think of where I could have been better and what things I need to work on.”

Martial arts tournament are typically held in gyms or hotels where there are large spaces available. They are broken up into rooms with foam mats on the ground.

Before entering into a match at a tournament, Ridgway

waits outside the room. He goes over his form several times: to the left first, punch hard and breath out, then to the right and forward with three punches. Ridgway stretches to the beats of Eminem to get him in the zone and to keep his body warm and ready to fight. Right before entering, Ridgway paces back and forth, mentally preparing himself for the competition.

“I think about the forms and poses I need to remember,” Ridgway said. “I never watch whoever’s going before me so that I can stay focused. Just before they’re done I wait outside the rink and get ready to go.”

This method seems to work for Ridgway. In most local tournaments he wins the fighting division out of about five or ten people. His biggest success has been at the AKA Grand Nationals which were held in Chicago this year. This national tournament has around 1,000 people competing in it. Ridgway placed second in fighting out of 20 competitors in his age group.

Another division that Ridgway competes in besides fighting is traditional forms. In traditional forms, Ridgway performs a routine of moves that has been passed down through the style over the years. These moves could be anything from a simple step to the right, then forward three punches to the much more complicated combinations of blocks, slower moves and kicks.

When competing in traditional forms, Ridgway is judged on a number of things including how deep his stances are, how clean his strikes are, and how loud he is.

“Being loud basically means that with certain moves where you’re breathing out and striking, you yell to show power,” Ridgway said.

Although Ridgway competes in and enjoys traditional forms, his forte is fighting.

As far as national rankings go, Ridgway does not compete in enough tournaments to be nationally recognized.

“I’m not especially serious about it,” Ridgeway said. “It’s more just for fun and I enjoy it.”

On the opposite end is Pugh who wants to step up the amount of competitions he takes part in. Pugh’s specialty is weapons, which is a combination of karate and tae kwon do.

In this division, he performs a one minute routine, which is a pattern of movements and form with the weapon of his choice: the bo staff. When Pugh first started karate, his instructor used the bo staff and Pugh always wanted to learn it. With the bo staff, he performs moves such as a palm spin, which is when Pugh spins the bo staff on his palm above his head.

The biggest tournament Pugh has been to was an inter-

national competition in Scotland. To go to this tournament, Pugh traveled to Louisville, Ken. to try out for the U.S. national team. In the weeks leading up to tryouts, Pugh trained after school for several hours with his instructor Jarrett Leiker and a fellow student, Jackson Finlay, a junior at Rockhurst High School.

“I had to practice a lot leading up to it and then the tryout was basically just a tournament,” Pugh said.

Out of the 10 people that tried out, Pugh was one of the three that made the team in his division and age group. There were 80 people on the team as a whole, ranging from 7-yearold kids to adults. To prepare for the Scotland tournament, Pugh trained with Leiker and Finlay the usual amount, plus extra hours before school.

The team traveled to Scotland for a week but Pugh only had to compete on two of those days. Each day Pugh would spend much of his time watching fellow teammates and friends from the German team compete. He also had free time to walk around Edinburgh and to get lunch and dinner with friends.

One of the main differences Pugh noticed was that he was competing against people who didn’t even speak English.

“Competition-wise it didn’t make a difference,” Pugh said, “but it was just interesting not being able to talk to the kid you’re going against.”

At this international tournament, Pugh earned a bronze medal, helping the U.S. to finish in the top three countries who competed.

Besides helping his team to earn a medal, Pugh gained friends in Scotland. His instructor is good friends with some members of the German team, so Pugh was with them a lot.

“On the last day, it’s sort of tradition at this tournament to trade your team gear with people from other countries,” Pugh said, “So I traded my U.S. warm-ups with someone from the German team and I traded a U.S. shirt for a Wales shirt.”

Pugh and Ridgway have had different experiences through martial arts, but both come away with a feeling of accomplishment. For Pugh, that sense comes after a big win at a tournament where all the hard work comes together with success.

For Ridgway, martial arts has helped build his character.

“Martial arts has helped me to be confident in what I do and to make sure that I am disciplined and work hard to achieve something,” Ridgway said. “It has taught me how to be confident in what I’m presenting and putting out there for people and also it’s taught me to be competitive and strive after what I achieve.”

30

SPORTS

03-07-11

Out of

Reach Despite faltering at State, the boys swim team still sees season as a positive year AlexGoldman

A wave of disappointment washed over the boy’s swim team after they lost their state crown and unexpectedly placed fifth in the competition. East finished with 216 points, 53 points behind Blue Valley North, who took home the state trophy for the first time since 2002.

“We expected to get either second or third after preliminaries, but we ended up placing fifth because it was just so close,” senior Colin Enger said.

Like many seniors on the team, Enger was left with the pain of defeat and the realization that this was his last high school swim meet.

“I would have liked to finish better my senior year,” Enger said. “It felt bad and kind of left me with an empty feeling, because I knew this was my last time swimming for East.”

Other swimmers, like sophomore Grant Sitomer, believe that this year’s state results were nothing but a failure compared to the school’s past success at State.

“It was very disappointing,” said Sitomer, “knowing that we are East and we are expected to do very well at our meets.

Not placing in the top three at least was a disappointment.”

After the last race was over, some of the juniors got the sophomores and freshmen together to make sure they remembered their worst performance at State since 2003. “[juniors] Andrew Hornung and Corbin Barnds got us in a circle at the pool and told us to just remember how it feels to lose and go through disappointment like this,” Sitomer said.

“We all wanted to do well and we all knew fifth place was not where we wanted to place.”

Because of their success, Sitomer also believes that East was the team to beat at every meet they go to. East has won league every year since 2004 and won State four times in a row from 2005 to 2008, and another time in 2010.

“Everywhere we go, we have a big target on our chest. Everyone wants to beat us because we are East and they know our reputation of success,” Sitomer said.

But even after a disappointing season, Enger believes the future of East swimming is in good hands.

“I’m sure coach Wright will continue doing what he’s always been doing and keep the boys in shape for State,” Enger said.

Enger is also optimistic of the team’s chances at state next year with the improvement of their new swimmers this year.

“This year we got some really good freshmen, so in the future I think we’ll do really well. Every year we have people that step up and make State. Hopefully they can keep it going.”

One freshman who impressed this year was Zach Holbrook. He placed ninth in individuals at State, but may have not even been on the team if it wasn’t for the great chemistry of the swimmers and the coaching by Wiley Wright. Before the season, Holbrook was contemplating whether or not to even continue swimming this year.

“I started to lose motivation with my club team,” Holbrook said. “I felt like I was just swimming back and forth and it felt like a grind. It was kind of depressing. I was thinking about quitting swimming all together, but decided to give high school swimming a chance and swim for East.”

Holbrook’s turning point to decide to continue swimming for east was at league when he enjoyed the experience of being with his teammates and keeping their eight-year winning streak alive.

“I had a ball at league,” Holbrook said. “The atmosphere was pretty intense; there was pretty good competition there.

[My teammates] always cheered me on and got me motivated

at the races.”

Holbrook believes a lot of his improvement is due to coach Wright.

“He’s without a doubt the best coach I’ve ever had,” Holbrook said. “He really understands us. He feels like a member of the team. Pushes you. Not like a football coach would push you, but more like a friend would.”

Sitomer also thinks that coach Wright has held the team together very well. Wright is renowned for having a laid back coaching style and knowing how to get his swimmers ready for state.

Freshman Jackson Granstaff, who placed 11th at state, believes the team’s past and present success is due to Coach Wright.

“I think all the team’s success is based on him. He knows what we need to do to get to our goal and he helps us do it,” Granstaff said, who dropped two and half seconds in backstroke before state.

Granstaff enjoyed his first year with the team and believes the team chemistry was incredible. He thinks that with the talent the team has next year, as long as they put in the work the team could make a good run at state.

“This year was great. This team was probably the first team that actually felt like a team,” Granstaff said. “With a club team you try to get your best time or just focus on becoming a better swimmer. We all wanted to help the team to reach our goal, which was to reach state. And I have no doubt we’ll be in the top three at State next year. At least.”

LOOKING BACK

For additional coverage including a soundslide and photos on the State Swim Meet visit smeharbinger.net

Seniors reflect on the most memorable moments of the season

Branden Schoofs

“My favorite moment was at JV League when I finally made the State cut. It was our last regular season meet, I had gone to State for the past three years, but this year I made it at the last possible moment. “

Nathan Simpson

“The most memorable moment for me was winning the Sunflower League title for the eighth year in a row. We beat Olathe East, who were favored to win, and after we won, we all jumped in the pool together as a team. It was a great moment.”

all photos by EdenSchoofs

Colin Enger “I would have to say the most memorable moment was winning the league title. Watching freshman Zach Holbrook win the 200 free made that day even better.”

aMETHOD to theMADNESS An in-depth look at what you’ll see in the NCAA tournament, as well as some advice for filling out your brackets ChrisHeady

three teams that COULD

the SLEEPERS

ST. JOHN’S

Probably the hottest team entering the dance. They’ve taken down six ranked opponents, including teams Duke, Pittsburg and Notre Dame. They fear no one are willing to play into the opponents game and beat them on their terms. Look for the Red Storm to make a 2008 Davidson-like run in this team, with Dwight Hardy playing the role of Stephen Curry.

KANSAS

This year’s Jayhawks remind me of the ‘08 Hawks. Very deep. Very talented. Very unselfish. Once Thomas Robinson and Josh Selby get 100 percent healthy, this team will be hard to stop. The Morris twins haven’t been shut down yet this year, and the only team I see in the field that could slow the Hawks down is Syracuse and their 2-3 zone.

In reality, KU probably won’t have to worry JIMMER FREDETTE about them until later in the tournament, if BYU, SG at all.

I was recently hit with Jimmer Fever. He’s got the scoring ability of Adam Morrison alongside a stunning pull-up The loss of PG Kyrie Irving is becoming a jumper that reminds me of glaring issue for Duke, putting more presChris Lofton. Both times I’ve sure on Nolan Smith to take care of the ball watched him live, I’ve noand run the offense, rather than just focus on ticed the fight in this guy. I scoring. But the “Drive and Kick” mentality think he will put the Brigham with sharp-shooters Seth Curry and Andre Young Cougars on his back, Dawkins, along with the size of the Plumlee and make this year’s dance twins inside, will be devastating to teams his own. that go up against the Blue Devils in the tourney. You can never rule out Coach K.

SPORTS issue 12

31

all photos courtesy of mctcampus.com

UCONN

This is a dangerous team. They proved that they are a good tournament team back in the Maui Invitational in November, taking down (at the time) #2 Michigan State and (at the time) #9 Kentucky, while UConn was an unranked nobody.

They took down a potential Final Four team in Texas, Sweet Sixteen bound Georgetown and a good Villanova team.

watch these PLAYERS

DUKE

OHIO STATE

OUR SAYthe sports panel Final Four

Corbin Barnds

Chris Heady

Kevin Simpson

I’d put him as my second favorite guard to watch in recent NCAA history, next to only J.J. Redick. I believe he can single-handedly carry the Huskies to a Final Four appearance this year, even with them probably getting a four seed. He averaged 30+ points in the Maui, and I can see him averaging 30+ a game in the dance.

buyer BEWARE

BYU

Some ridicule this team for not playing tougher competition, yet the two games they were truly tested, the two games against San Diego State, Fredette and Friends rose to the occasion and won by 13 points both times. I think if the Cougars do play a major conference team, they could truly keep up with the best of them, unlike most mid-major schools.

If Brigham Young shoots as well from three, Jimmer and Co. won’t go down easily.

KEMBA WALKER UCONN, SG

I haven’t been impressed. I think their team chemistry is solid, but I don’t think this team has it in them. They give up leads easily, play sloppy D in the paint, and rely too heavily on outside shooting when Sullinger isn’t playing well. Championship caliber teams need taste of previous tournament years. You can’t just waltz in and win the tourney.

Champion

Syracuse, Duke, Purdue, Kansas

Purdue

Kansas, Duke, BYU, Connecticut

Kansas

Kansas, Duke, Ohio State, Purdue

Ohio State (No Jayhawk jinx here)

BEN HANSBROUGH NOTRE DAME, SG

The last name Hansbrough isn’t new to the college basketball world. Brother of former UNC star Tyler, Ben Hansbrough has a chance to surprise some people.

Overshadowed by Walker, Fredette and St. John’s Dwight Hardy, Hansbrough has been quietly averaging 23.5 points per game, willing the Irish to top the 10, and probably an Elite 8 finish.

SAN DIEGO STATE

I just don’t like this team. I’ve watched them play twice this and they do not seem like the team the media hyped them up to be. Their ball movement is shaky, their inside presence is mediocre and their outside shooting isn’t anything to rave about. They haven’t played many competitive teams besides BYU this year, and in-game experience means a lot in the tourney.

MVP Jimmer Fredette BYU

Early Exit

Texas

Dwight Hardy St. John’s

San Diego State

Nolan Smith Duke

Notre Dame

32

PHOTO ESSAY 03-07-11

Girls’ basketball team falls 45-41 to SM South in the final home game for four seniors

Junior Shannon McGinley, above right, searches for a cutting teammate. This year marks McGinley’s third year on varsity. “Since I was a freshman, we had never lost on senior night,” McGinley said. “Coach Stein was sympathetic, so it didn’t make [the loss] as bad.”

Coach Scott Stein, right, furiously screams at his team. The girls’ team finished the regular season with a 12-7 record.

Frustrated after losing, senior Molly Rappold, below, walks towards the locker room. “[The team was] on a major winning streak,” Rappold said. “Against West and Olathe South, we were in the games completely.

[Senior night] was a huge disappointment.” all photos by GrantHeinlein

Juniors Danielle Norton and Caroline Dodd, left, both attempt to rebound the basketball. The girls’ team had won seven out of their last 10 games prior to the substate tournament that started last Thursday.

For additional photos and videos from the game, including the senior night ceremony, visit www.smeharbinger.net