The Harbinger: Issue 14 2011

Harbinger the

ISSUE 14 SHAWNEE MISSION EAST PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS APRIL 18, 2011 SMEHARBINGER.NET

EYES ON THE

PRIZE Girls’ swim team works toward repeat state title

The Five Minute Film Festival displays student-created cinema

pg.p.23

J

EmmaPennington

unior Marston Fries thinks about it every day.

Whether it’s during an intense swim workout or as she spaces off in class, one thing is always on her mind. Rarely does the girls’ swim and dive team sit down and discuss last year’s state championship, but all the girls have consistently kept one goal in mind this season: going for the repeat.

One week after last year’s state victory, head coach Rob Cole began to look towards this year’s swim season by going over the state meet’s times, incoming freshman and checking to see who would graduate from surrounding schools. This season, the girls know they can attain the goal of winning the state title. Af-

Cuts to district supplies and services budget stimulate green alternatives

Special Pullout pp.4-5

GrantHeinlein

ter last year’s success, they’ve learned they have to try their hardest in every practice, cooperate as a team and keep a positive attitude.

“We have to be really stepping up our game because it’s not like we’re the ones chasing other teams to win,” senior Katy Richardson said. “We’re not really the underdogs anymore.”

Practices are thoughtfully planned out so that the girls peak later in the season and make state qualifying times. But before the girls can contend to win another state title, they all need to drop time in their events and work on speed in all of their races.

Continued on page 29

Discover the best new places to get your pastry fix

p. 24

...Gregory just said, ‘I will look at the floor.’ And he did. For two years he didn’t say anything.”

Lacrosse team full of family ties gets off to quick start

pp. 30-31

Kendall Kohnle, pages 16-17 senior KatySenior Watkins, p. 14

NEWS 02 04-18-11 FOODCHANGESPROPOSED

Potential health-related changes announced for cafeteria food

TomLynch

POSSIBLE CHEERLEADING CUTS KatieKnight

For freshman cheerleader Leah Pack, cheerleading is feeling like a part of something at school, and knowing that she is helping to pump up the crowd when games get intense. Ever since she heard talk of the sophomore squad being cut next year, she has been more nervous than ever for tryouts. Now, the possibility of being cut from cheer is something that all freshman cheerleaders have in the back of their minds.

According to Principal Karl Krawitz, because East is the only school in the district with a remaining sophomore squad, the possibility of eliminating it is quite likely.

“If I were probably thinking about where it would be, we’d be hard-pressed to continue it,” Krawitz said. “But we still have a lot of empty doors that are still wide open, and we don’t have any good information at this point to make that decision.”

Sophomore cheerleader Grace DeGoler enjoyed being on sophomore squad this year mainly because of her close friends on the squad. She also said the squad had great stunt groups, and they excelled specifically

ANNOUNCED in that area. Despite her favorite parts, she agrees with the decision to cut the squad from the cheerleading program.

“I don’t [think it’s beneficial to have a sophomore squad] anymore just because all the other schools don’t have them,” DeGoler said. “We were the only ones so we got, like, jipped. I mean I still had fun, but I definitely think it’s smart [to cut it].”

Krawitz also said that the elimination of the sophomore squad is reasonable because of the limited amount of cheer time for the squad. “[The sophomore squad cheers] at what would only be sophomore football games and sophomore basketball games, which generally are during days or evenings, which nobody usually attends.”

Cheerleading sponsor Kelly Chapman is a supporter of cutting the squad for several reasons: “I think the discontinuance of the sophomore squad is a benefit to our program,” Chapman said. “It allows sophomore girls to cheer at more games. It allows our program

to improve skills because we are able to perform more stunts with a larger squad. Our performances look better with more girls cheering.”

According to Chapman, though the sophomore squad will most likely be eliminated, the number of girls in the program will not be decreased.

In reality, the number of girls participating in cheer will not be cut, according to Chapman, only a squad title. For example, this year JV had 11 girls and Sophomore had 12 for a total of 23. Varsity had 22 girls and Freshman had 17. The new JV squad will have possibly between 18 and 22.

Within the next one to two weeks, there will be several meetings with district personnel for discussing other budget cuts for next year, and, according to Krawitz, the discussion of the remaining sophomore squad may come up.

“I think we’ll be between a rock and a hard place to be able to justify as to why we are retaining it, to which I really don’t have a solid answer to give them.” Krawitz said.

SPECULATIONS starchy vegetables

DECREASED

to one cup a week

reduce sodium in all meals

set calorie limit per grade 6-8 6-8 K-5 750-850 CALORIES

violation being potentially punishable with fines. According to Tilman, the inspections consist of inspectors counting the number of school lunches sold, as well as checking that everything is rung up correctly by the staff. The inspectors will also be checking that the cafeteria is providing the right servings of, for example, green vegetables every week and will be on the lookout for students that take more than they’re supposed to, such as two servings fresh fruit.

However, some of the proposed changes under the rule have already been met by the district.

“Luckily Shawnee Mission [School District] has taken steps towards improving students’ health already,” Tilman said.

The district has eliminated things like 2 percent milk--only serving 1 percent and skim milk, which would become a requirement under the rule. According to Tilman, many school districts have not made changes like these, and will be tasked with even greater challenges to meet the criterion of the new rule.

“By doing this, they’re taking away [the students’] options too,” Tilman said.

She expects that this rule’s passage could lead to further government intervention in the cafeteria.

“If this passes, this is just the beginning,” Tilman said. “If it passes think about what else they could control next. Because if they can start controlling what we serve [students], and fine us if we don’t serve it, then they can take away whatever they want after that.”

The USDA allowed for a comment period that ended Wednesday to receive input from the public, before they make the final decision on the proposed rule. They do not need congressional approval.

600-700 CALORIES

green vegetables such as spinach. These items cost more than those that they would replace. Tilman believes that students will also be less likely to buy these healthier items.

Furthermore,because of a limit of 750-850 calories that each meal must fall into, there will be a couple items that could be completely gone by 2012. Also à la cartes items are going to be limited to 250 calories. This will eliminate popular items such as the Colossal Burger and Miniature Pizza which exceed the cap.

For a few students, these items are seen as the only worthwhile items in the cafeteria.

“There are not many items in the lunch room that I like, and the Red Baron Pizzas are pretty much the only things that I can eat from the lunchroom,” sophomore Ben Sight said. “Right now I almost never bring my lunch, but if the Pizzas were to go I would pretty much have to.”

Tilman says that more sack lunches could have detrimental effects on the cafeteria. This is because the cafeteria’s budget is determined by the number of meals-per-hour that the they sell.

Tilman foresees the popularity for students to buy their meals à la carte will further engender the problem. A meal is made up of, for example, a pasta dish and two to three sides such as mash potatoes and a fruit cup. À la carte items do not count as meals and coupled with more students bringing sack lunches the losses in revenue could cause reductions in the cafeteria staff’s work hours per week.

Currently the state conducts inspections every five years, but with the new rule, there will be a mandated inspection every three years. That’s where the fines come in.

The inspections’ purpose is to find the cafeteria in violation of government rules, with each

550-650 CALORIES

Say goodbye to french fries, and say hello to “confetti fries,” a mix of traditional and sweet potato ones. The change, will occur next year in the Shawnee Mission School District, reflects a trend in school districts across the country as the Federal government attempts to get students healthier.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is calling for big changes to school meals, including limiting French fries, sodium and calories as well as offering students more fruits and vegetables.

The proposed rule was released by The United States Department of Agriculture on Jan. 10 and would update the nutrition standards for meals served through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which President Barack Obama signed into law in Dec. The proposed meal requirements raise standards for the first time in fifteen years.

The effects of this rule could have a significant impact on Shawnee Mission East. First, and foremost, according to Paula Tilman, manager of food services at SM East, it will likely end up costing extra money to implement. The extra costs will be a result of starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and green peas being limited to one cup a week maximum, while currently the cafeteria offers half a cup every day.

“We are always wanting to improve what we do in the cafeteria and this year was no exception,” Nancy Coughenour, SMSD Manager of food services said. “This year we switched to whole grain pasta and increased the amount of dark green lettuce in our salads.”

The cafeteria will have to complement and replace the starchy vegetable with orange vegetables such as sweet potatoes, as well as dark

East sophomore cheerleading squad will likely be cut next school year “I guess it’s easy to say that it’s an opportunity for more people to be involved in more activities.”

Though the meetings are scheduled, there is still a good chance that there will be no discussion about the squad at all. Krawitz thinks that there will be an official decision no earlier than the end of this month.

“Percentage wise I would say it would be about 75% sure we aren’t going to have this next year.” Krawitz said. “I always hate something to go away that involves students. Unfortunately, every school in the state of Kansas is at crossroads.”

Though ending the sophomore cheer program at East is huge to some people, according to Dr. Krawitz, this is only a sneak peek as to what will come in the future.

“The day of when we face truly the music of public ed in the state of Kansas will be a year from now…We will see a crashing hull to a lot of elective programs, and this one little entity is small compared to the profound effect that could come,” Dr Krawitz said.

FIVE MINUTE

S OF

NEWS

FAME

Students prepare films for Five Minute Film Festival

SWEET SURPRISE

PRINCE CHARMING

THE PLOT The plot of senior Emi Snively’s short film, “Sweet Surprise,” is based around Power Rangers who are tired of fighting crime so they go on a new adventure. Snively wanted the plot line to be a surprise for the festival, but it does involve chocolate. Snively came up with the idea for this story while messing around with his brother’s action figures.

“When my brother and I were little we loved Power Rangers and always watched the TV show,” Snively said. “so I thought it’d be cool to do a childhood thing with my film.”

THE PLOT Senior Grace Junk’s silent film “Prince Charming” is a modern-day twist on the typical Cinderella story. Her prince isn’t the classic good-looking, smooth-talking stud, but instead a geeky boy from Brooklyn who wears glasses. The plot follows the same story line as the usual Cinderella, but it is from the prince’s point of view so everything is opposite of what you would normally think.

THE CREATION Junk’s film production was unique because she completed it in less than a day this past summer at the Socapa Film Camp where she got to work with filming experts and learn the ropes of production.

“I planned it out in the morning then had three hours to film it and they we had until four o’clock that day to have it edited and ready for the film festival the next day,” Junk said.

Because Junk’s film was silent, she spent the morning getting the story down and getting her shots planned. Her favorite shot is the opening one of her Prince Charming sitting and gazing out into the water with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background.

“I really like the opening shot because this iconic structure is just right there behind him,” Junk said.

After filming, Junk went back to the computer to cut the clips apart, choose which take she liked best, and string them together into a film.

Lastly, she looked through the camps data base of music for some that would fit the mood of her film. Junk settled on music from an old Spanish film that was predominantly instrumentals. After adding the music and final touches, she was good to go.

Created by Emi Snively

THE CREATION Snively’s film will be unique from the others at the film festival because instead of using people, she chose to use stopstart animation. Stop-start is basically a lot of pictures put together.

“You move the action figure one little motion, take a picture, and keep doing this over and over so it looks like they’re moving,” Snively said.

Snively was inspired to make stop start films several years ago by the popular videos Wallace and Gromit. After being curious about how to reproduce this style of film, Snively began looking around on Youtube for how-to videos. She learned the basics of stop start animation from studying these videos and has been making stop start films for a year so this time around Snively knew what she was doing.

In total, Snively spent about 15 hours creating the film, 10 of those were editing. This took such a long time because Snively had to go through and edit each picture and then stitch them all together.

Created by Grace Junk

THE END OF THE BEGINNING

AMICITIA

THE PLOT Junior Chandler Pruneau got the idea for her documentary-style film from her own sentimental feelings about her senior friends that are graduating. Pruneau’s film, “The End of the Beginning,” centers on three seniors, Lauren Newell, Drew Auer and Andy Basso from Rockhurst, each having different feelings about going off to college.

One is sad about leaving all of her friends and not knowing anyone at college, another is going to college with a lot of her friends and the last will really miss his family.

THE PLOT For the trio of juniors Spencer Davis, Tom Lynch and Eli Mitchell’s film, the spotlight was not so much on the plot line, but on how the film itself would look. The group was aiming for their film, “Amicitia”, to have a lot of quick-cuts so they planned their scipt accordingly. The plot, written by Mitchell, is about a boy, played by Davis, who is on the computer and wants to scratch his face but his computer won’t let him.

Created by Chandler Pruneau

THE CREATION Pruneau’s

film is composed of the interviews with the three seniors as well as a montage of pictures of them packing for college. Making a movie with interviews rather than a script was an interesting thing for Pruneau to experience.

“I didn’t really tell them what to say so I got what I got because there was no script but it turned our really well,” Pruneau said. “They said everything that I could have wanted them to say and more.”

Besides interviewing the seniors, Pruneau took pictures of them packing their suitcases and driving off as if they were leaving for college. Pruneau tried different shots and angles to get interesting and creative pictures rather than the typical portrait.

After three days of filming and taking pictures, Pruneau spent a day editing her movie. She had to put the scenes together and choose the music.

“I was going for a half sad mood because you’re ending this part of your life but also half happy because a new chapter is beginning.”

Created by Tom Lynch, Spencer Davis and Eli Mitchell

THE CREATION Lynch was in charge of the editing and directing and Davis was in charge of filming. One part that Lynch pictured in his mind but had to describe to Davis as the director was how to act when he was desperately longing to itch his face.

“So for example,” Lynch said. “I would tell him to scratch the table as if by scratching the table he was scratching his face.”

After filming, it was Lynch’s jo b to put the film together.The primary aspects he was concerned with were pacing and sound effects.

“I did this by starting at a slower, more subdued, pace and then speeding the action up to the climax where he gives into his desire,” Lynch said.

Tied with pacing is the sound effects, because the type and tempo of the music in the background greatly effects the pacing of the film.

“I chose the ‘Saw’ theme song [for the climax] because there is a part of [the movie] that is very upbeat and signified a payoff in the action,” Lynch said. “This is opposed to most of our other choices where were very slow and suspenseful.”

issue 14

03

Support your varsity baseball team!

SATURDAY, APRIL 23:

• SME Lancers @ SMW Vikings!

• 3 & 2 Stadium at noon • Two Guys and a Grill • Free prizes and giveaways

FRIDAY, APRIL 29:

• SME Lancers @ BV Tigers • SME Field at 5 p.m.

• Hot dogs available for only a $1

THE BRIEFS

19

JuliaDavis

20

O

n April 27, Shawnee Mission East will host its third annual Poetry Slam. Originating at Shawnee Mission Northwest, the poetry slam is a competition where students stand before an audience and literally perform “slam” poetry that they have written just for the event. The concept of “slam” poetry is that the verbal telling and presentation of the poem is just as important as the writing itself.

A panel of judges then evaluates participants, and the four with the highest score advance to the district-wide slam, which will take place on May 1 at Horizons High School.

Librarian Chris Larson has been in charge of putting together the event ever since it started here at East. She has been pleased with the past two poetry slams and is excited to see what this year’s will bring.

“We’ve had some dynamite participants and performers. I’d love to see the numbers grow, but the quality [of the poetry] has been great,” Larson said.

27

A

fter working hard for four years at Shawnee Mission East, current seniors will be recognized for their achievements at East’s Senior Awards Night.

The event will take place on April 27 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium, and is open to the public.

Over 300 seniors were invited to accept honors and awards. The awards given honor not only academic achievement, but achievement in leadership as well. National Merit Scholars and Kansas Honor and ACT Scholars will also be recognized.

“To be invited is truly an honor, and we’d really like to have as many seniors there as possible,” Secretary Julie Curry said.

The winners of most of the awards are not known and will remain a sur-

29 QUESTION OF THE WEEK

*

Sophomore Ian Harmon sings along with his band, Local Talk. The band beat four others to win first place at Bunch of Bands. “I had a lot of fun and it was great to just enjoy the feeling of playing for an audience like that,” Harmon said.

23

BOY’S LACROSSE/APR.13 SamanthaBartow

}AWARDS}

The sun sets after a Lancer lacrosse victory against Blue Valley West. Sophomore Connor McGannon plays forward attack man and contributed to the beating of the Jaguars. “It’s always fun to play in nice weather, and the 19-2 win at the end made it a great game,” McGannon said.

GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR/APR. 6 DanStewart

SENIOR

Junior Andrew Beasley attempts to impress Duri Long in a scene of the Government Inspector. “I was a bit out of my element in those scenes. I don’t know how to flirt,” Beasley said.

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WHY ARE YOU VISITING THE HARBINGER ONLINE? This gallery should give you a hint, Of where gnomie’s day will be spent.

He will be having a ball, Even though he is locked away in the third floor hall.

smeharbinger.net ‘Til the Tape Runs Out

Twitter

OF THE } }WEEK

22

prise unitl they are announced at the event. Scholarships such as the Bryan Barrow Scholarship, which honors character, will also be presented during the ceremony.

Parents, siblings, and friends of those receiving awards are encouraged to attend and celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s senior class.

“It’s a happy night and everybody is thrilled that they’re getting an award,” Curry said. “It’s a way to end their high school career and celebrate an ending to all their hard work.”

Watch Live Broadcasts of the Soccer AND Football games Thursday Oct. 7 atd 7 p.m.

Posters

PHOTOS

05

GrantKendall

24

25

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}SLAM}

issue 14

BUNCH OF BANDS/MAR.31

P o ems don’t have to rhyme, and range from funny to serious, happy to sad, and short to long. Many students have a distinct presentation style that they practice to get the message of their poem across.

“I just enjoy seeing kids share what’s on their heart, what they’re thinking about, and what’s important to them,” Larson said. “[The slam] is definitely a great way of getting people excited about poetry.”

POETRY

NEWS

somebody

suggested it Announcements

4% 2% 7% 5%

Facebook

Watching

a live broadcast

7% 4%

I’m a regular visitor Gnome Home

38% 15%

OTHER

15%

EDITORIAL issue 14

A NEW

07

STANDARD OF “ EXCELLENCE” Non-honors students at East don’t get the attention they need from counselors as East tends to overemphasize its “standard of excellence”

Some students go forgotten in the halls of Shawnee Mission East. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Lancers painstakingly work to continue Shawnee Mission East’s standard of excellence, achieving a level unprecedented to many schools around the country. As for the non-honors students, the ones who may be perfectly talented or maybe just haven’t found their direction in life? Many are shoved under the rug, ignored by statistics and by much of the school. The disparity between the dedicated student and the barely-graduating is blatantly obvious.

Instead of trying to hide or expel the “blemishes” and “problem kids,” counselors should look to these students even more than the high-achieving students.

Although some students may not find their way to a selective college, the goal of reaching the University of Kansas or a community college isn’t unreasonable, and would benefit them much more than having their education end with their tenure at East. In fact, many students might find their home better at such a school.

East does have programs in place to give these students the knowledge they need to succeed in the world, even if it has to be at a slower pace; some just don’t have the desire to be interested in it.

The school’s attempts to try to get every student more involved, interested and excited about their studies have gone, for the most part, unrecognized. Mass assemblies and interactions between an entire student body, although well

Harbinger

planned out, are predominately ignored by many—often the ones that need to hear it the most. These students feel like they are neglected. For the most part, they are. The school wants them to feel like they care about them, but how can they feel that if they are being talked to in a group of 2,000?

The approach should be a more personal one; the effect of having these deemed “troubled” students meeting with an adult individually as little as once a month could give them the sense of purpose and personal connection that they’ve been missing. Although the counselors office doesn’t have the time to be the ones meeting with these students, volunteer parents who have formerly had East students which have moved on the college could act as these college counselor-like mentors.

Such a program could work at the leisure of both the parent volunteers and the students. The meetings would be multi-purposed, but the end goal would be to aim the student in the right track to continue their education, choose the right college, help with college essays and tests and applying for financial aid. Many of these services are offered by the counseling office, but without a more personal approach, no one is going to go for it.

The problem’s roots lie much deeper than just within East. Within the next few years, Shawnee Mission North will be the third school in the district to gain the International Baccalaureate label. Just to receive the IB designation costs around $10,000, not to mention the thousands of dollars needed to train the teachers to the program’s standards. Clearly, the district is willing to devote more funds to help high-achieving students; they should investigate options to help low-achieving ones as well.

The goal of a high school is to prepare their students for life in the real world, and with around 96 percent of their student continuing on to college, East does it as well The majority opinion of the as almost any school in the country. But with Harbinger Editorial Board a little more support, even low-achieving for against absent students could find schools that fit them as well as possible. From the beginning of our freshman years at East we are told to strive for perfection; this standard should apply to everyone, not just the high-achieving students.

the

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

Evan Nichols 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

Apr. 18, 2011 issue 14, vol. 52

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1100

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

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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 Andrew Simpson Opinion Editor Freelance Page Editors Raina Weinberg Anna Bernard Opinion Page Editors Matt Hanson Will Webber Harbinger Online Photo Editors Anna Marken Editors-In-Chief Grant Heinlein Mixed Editor Logan Heley Dan Stewart Emily Kerr Pat McGannon Assistant Photo Editor Spread Editors Assistant Editor Eden Schoofs Chloe Stradinger Maggie Simmons Copy Editors 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

04-18-11

On the Fence photo illustration by CarolineCreidenberg

Hispanic staffer criticizes possible immigration law WillWebber My mom was born in Coyoacán, Mexico in November 1965. She was welcomed into the neighboring country of the United States because her mother was an American citizen. Her family was large and poor. While attending Tulane University, she worked day and night for the school to pay the undergraduate tuition. The hard work paid off; she earned a teaching degree from UMKC and settled down in a nice house, complete with a picket fence and basketball hoop in the backyard. She worked so her kids could have all the same opportunities as everyone else.

Now that equal opportunity is at risk.

The American Dream has become more of an unobtainable fantasy for our poor, southern neighbors these days.

The immigration process is grueling, and takes years of application and thousands of dollars to complete. Many people have little other choice than to cross the border illegally.

This has created a surge of new immigration laws, which affect a broader group than just illegal aliens. They also affect people like me, and I can’t say I’m pleased.

Despite the controversy surrounding Arizona’s SB1070 law, there is a push for a similar law to be enforced in Kansas.

In Arizona, once an officer has stopped someone in violation of the law, they have the right to ask for the person’s papers if there is “reasonable suspicion” that they are in the country illegally.

Unfortunately, it’s not easy to differentiate between a legal and illegal while a person is driving by; the police only see brown. Let’s just say they aren’t immune to racism; in the not-so-distant past, cops hosed down and beat people of another race. This law essentially makes racial profiling legal. Because I have black hair, brownish skin and the ability to trill my Rs, I would be much more vulnerable for being pulled over for a minor speeding violation than my friends.

Obviously I could provide my license and birth certificate to prove my citizenship, but the bigger concern is the divide it would create. We cease to be people: we are Americans or Mexicans, whites or blacks, legals or illegals.

These harsh immigration laws group all Hispanics into a class of “criminals.” The crime itself is people risking their lives and working tirelessly to escape their overpopulated, dangerous countries so they can protect their families and give their children a shred of opportunity. The poem en-

graved on our beloved Statue of Liberty reads “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...” and once greeted immigrants to our prosperous nation, but the message has changed. Though we are a nation founded by immigrants, people now wish to save the country for the “real Americans.” It makes me wonder who the true criminals really are.

I fully understand that in a recession, there are many valid reasons for not wanting to increase the population, but I can’t help but think that racism motivates some of these laws as well. Unfortunately, the coffin wasn’t nailed on racism when Obama was elected. I was still shocked when I read that Kansas representative Virgil Peck suggested during a discussion by the House Appropriations Committee that “if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works maybe we have found a (solution) to our illegal immigration problem.”

I found the hog comparison to be particularly unflattering, but in his defense, he was “ just speaking like a southeast Kansas person.”

I think a fair amount of Kansans would object to this generalization. The animal analogies and unconventional ideas don’t end there. An Iowa congressman supports “microchipping them”—it’s what he uses to track his dog.

While hunting humans is an absurd and Nazi-esque solution, states like Arizona do have bigger problems with illegal immigration because of their proximity to the border, and require stricter laws. Kansas is not one of these places.

The Hispanic population in Kansas is six percent below the national average, and has had a relatively small change in recent years. In the center of the nation, the biggest border problem we have is the annual KU-MU football game.

SB1070 has no place in our state; the time and cost necessary for this law’s enforcement is not appropriate for our small Hispanic population.

Many believe that illegal immigrants steal jobs from Americans and take our tax dollars. Employers continue to hire illegals because they are cheap and easy to exploit. They work long hours in poor conditions for little money and are given no health care. Out of fear of being deported, illegals try to avoid medical care and other public programs. By no means are they living off of our tax dollars; aliens spend their days working several low paying jobs to support their fami-

lies. Even if they did pay state tax, the amount taken from the humble incomes of Kansas illegals would hardly be enough to repair a few potholes. Illegal immigrants are hardly the cause of our economic woes. Relative to the trillion dollar war we are currently stuck in, they may as well be taking our pocket change. If the immigration process were easier, the immigrants could further contribute to our economy.

As long as there is opportunity to find work, hopeful immigrants will continue to cross the border. Lawmakers should focus on preventing companies from hiring illegals rather than targeting all Hispanics. Without representation from the government, illegals have zero control over what they are paid. These companies choose to hire illegals in order to exploit them; this is one area where a harsher penalty should be enforced. If the government really wants to crack down on immigration, they need to thoroughly investigate who these companies are hiring periodically. With the current system, the investigations are only made if the INS is directly contacted. Employers are willing to take the small risk in order to profit from cheap labor.

So why don’t Mexicans gain citizenship the right way?

That’s exactly what my aunt’s brother did. He spent his entire savings on lawyers and applications, and after a ten-year wait, he became an American citizen.

The citizenship process is much more complex than most people think, so I’m going to attempt to simplify it.

Imagine you go to your neighbor’s house for a cup of sugar. Your neighbor explains that everyone in the city has already asked them for sugar and you will have to pay a fee to be put on a waiting list. You hire an attorney to help you throughout the process. Each year, your neighbor will give out sugar to an extremely small number of people, and people on your side of the street have an even worse chance of being selected. After a few years, your neighbor accepts your application and gives you an empty cup. All you have to do is hold onto the cup for five more years, pay another fee, and the sugar is yours!

Now imagine over 100 million people live on your side of the street, you don’t make enough money to support your family or cover the fees, and you are surrounded by gangs and drug traffickers.

Some neighbor.

OPINION issue 14

I’m sick of being asked where I’m going, what I’m doing, what my plans are. Sick an opinion of Bob Martin of it. “DePaul University,” I always recite without hesitation. “Ahh,” they reply with a hint of curiosity and slight nod of the head. It’s clear to me nearly every time that they have little to no knowledge of my future learning institution, and refrain from carrying the conversation any further. They don’t know what to think, and at that moment, it’s clear to me what is going on.

Sure, it’s an innocent enough question, but at its core, I feel it has a far more judgemental connotation, especially when coming from other students. It almost seems that it’s supposed to say something about me as a person. That it’s somehow an indication of how hard I’ve tried in high school or how well I’ll do in life. That it’s a measure of my worth, good or bad.

Throughout the entirety of senior year, I have felt a pressure bearing down on me.

Not the given, “stay motivated in school” or “focus on your grades for that final transcript,” but one to live up to a standard, an expectation that seems rampant at this school: pure and utter success in all endeavours. Otherwise known as the “Shawnee Mission East way.”

This mind set is realized in every single aspect of what we do here. In the classroom, on the field and even situated behind music stands. We strive to be the best at everything, and while this is generally a good thing, it leads to an overly competitive sentiment amongst all of us. It’s the issue of college acceptance and selection that really puts this under the magnifying glass. We have these preconceived ideas of which schools are “impressive” and which are only “average”.

Statistically, the number of us who even go to college is simply astounding.

According to the counseling office, in 2010, a staggering 96 percent of East students went on to some sort of higher education. Compare that to the national aver-

photo illustration by GrantHeinlein

age of only 70 percent, and it’s clear that we’re already far ahead of the curve, especially for a public school. East students go to college–that’s not the exception, but the rule. It takes a hell of a lot of work to make it to the level of higher education. In fact, most of us have been working our entire lives to get there. To turn this important moment into such a primal “survival of the fittest” is wrong.

With this heightened sense of academic entitlement, it’s easy for students to hold on to the notion that often hyped and prestigious institutions like coast schools Ivies is somehow greater than the nearby University of Kansas. A simple look at local demographics is all it takes to realize this elitist outlook is ridiculous. The majority of our student body lives in Johnson County, one of the most affluent counties in the country, and a fair share of our parents who settled down here went to schools right in this state. State schools are so ingrained in us that the annual “Kansas

Football Kickoff Rally” even takes place on our golden streets. The idea that a state institution isn’t capable of providing the knowledge someone requires to go wherever they want in life, is the exact kind of misconstrued and overly competitive attitude that is bringing us down.

I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit the issue of what other people would think crossed my mind when making my own decision.

It’s only natural when nearly the entire senior class and their parents are wondering about your future. We must realize that no matter which college path we end up taking, we’re only working our way towards better things. While it may seem like we are all currently locked in a race to see who can go the furthest in life, our time together is running out. Rather than spending these days critically analyzing each other, we should cherish them, and be happy that so many of us are even trying to reach such a critical point in our lives.

Q: How important is it to go to a college with prestige?

A: Not important. Just because people think highly of it doesn’t mean it’s good.

Q: Should East students be so competitive about being accepted to college?

A: They shouldn’t be. Just because there’s no reason to brag about where you get in.

Q: Are state schools just average?

A: It depends on the state school school but in general yeah. They’re not the best but not the worst either.

State Stars

notable and accomplished people who graduated from state schools

William A. Porter, founder of E-Trade, graduated from Kansas State University in 1965.

Billionaire, Warren Buffett, recieved his bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of NebraskaLincoln.

Singer and song-writer Sheryl Crow graduated from the University of Missouri in 1983.

Q: How important is it to go to a college with prestige?

A: It’s not important. What matters is a good education in something you want to do.

Q: Would you say you judge people by their choice of college?

A: No, some colleges aren’t for everyone. It doesn’t mean they are dumb.

Q: Is someone’s college choice an accurate gage of their intelligence?

A: No, if you have the money, you could pretty much get into anywhere.

JEAN ORR

Q: Would you say you judge people by their choice of college?

A: No, people can decide for themselves.

Q: Should East students be so competitive about being accepted to college?

A: No, the drawback is that some people get hung up and dont live in the moment.

Q: Is someone’s college choice an accurate gage of their intelligence?

A: Not necessarily, a lot of good schools aren’t Ivy league and are just as good.

SENIOR

KEVIN SAM SIMPSON STEWART

JUNIOR

ANDREW McKITTRICK

SOPHOMORE

A student from each grade level gives us their opinion on colleges and why students at East put a high premium on prestigious schools and look down on state schools.

Senior discusses the idea that people are judged by their college choice rather than who they are

all photos by DanStewart

FRESHMAN

LANCER VOICE

Logo Labeled

09

KEVINHOFFMAN SIMPSON RILEY

Q: How important is it to go to a college with prestige?

A: Sometimes, like if you think they won’t fit into the place they’re going.

Q: Should East students be so competitive about being accepted to college?

A: Yeah, it’s good to push yourself and each other.

Q: Are state schools just average?

A: No, some state schools have better programs for specific things. K-State has an awesome architecture program that an Ivy league school may not.

10

OPINION 04-18-11

NFL

0

00:00

OTHER PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

o un eft

1

Sophomore hopes the NFL lockout will continue NFL, we need to talk.

The NFL’s stranglehold on American sports has never been stronger. In the heart of basketball season, and just as the new basean opinion of Matt Hanson ball campaign begins, headlines from papers across the country have been dominated by America’s most popular sport months before preseason camps get underway.

This is getting pretty old.

What could possibly cause football to be the subject of public interest so deep into the off-season? Typically during the NFL off-season, the press diverts America’s attention from sports mid-season, like baseball, to football by drawing unnecessary attention to player scandals, blockbuster trades, and the occasional egomaniac wide receiver demanding a trade. But the NFL hasn’t grabbed headlines for any of that. In fact, the NFL is in the news precisely because it hasn’t been able to do any of those things, because it is in the midst of a tense lockout between the NFL Players Association and the NFL owners.

We’ve had some good times you and I, but lately things have been different.

The players, already vastly overpaid, demand more money and better benefits—demands that the owners have refused. As the players persistently press their requests, the far-more-powerful owners have steadfastly defended their position, resulting in a stalemate with no foreseeable resolution. With the lockout entering its second month at the time this issue is published, the possibility of a year without football looms ever more likely on the horizon. And I couldn’t care less.

You don’t treat me well anymore, NFL. I would like a nice break from the NFL. While I love watching football, it would be nice to get a break for a year of the incessant, round-the-clock coverage that annually turns ESPN into the NFL network for six months.

Normally during the NFL season, my day is not complete without flipping through every sports channel trying to find coverage of another sport besides professional football. With a year off of football, maybe ESPN could spend some time covering something else, like the MLB postseason or the NBA. A change of pace would be nice, especially when every football season comes equipped with some of the dumbest and most obnoxious analysts in sports broadcasting.

I want to love you, but I just don’t feel the same way about you anymore.

The trend in football broadcasting is to hire moronic former players whose only qualifications for their highly coveted positions are their athletic accomplishments.

Part of this trend can be attributed to audiences wanting dumbed-down, simplistic analysis coming from familiar faces, but should that be the standard for sports broadcasting? No, it definitely shouldn’t.

I need some time.

Okay, so you could bench press a lot and push people around for 15 years. That doesn’t qualify you to be an analyst. It qualifies you to sit around and enjoy your millions in retirement. If you’re restless, go coach your kids’ flag football team. But, please, stay off of my TV. These insufferable “analysts” make football coverage impossible to listen to, whether it’s Howie Long on Fox or the always asinine Mark Schlerethe on ESPN. I want to see other leagues for a little while.

Furthermore, I’ve had enough of these players. Their antics, their inevitable involvement in scandals, their gigantic egos—it all irks me.

Let’s play a different field for a bit.

Okay, troubled NFL star, let me get this straight. You get paid millions of dollars to run around once a week for three hours—achieving fame and admiration in the process—and you’re complaining about being underpaid?

You have a talent that millions of Americans would kill to have, and you have the audacity and arrogance to throw it all away in a shady nightclub incident? Here’s looking at you, Pacman. You have the opportunity to make millions happy by bringing a championship to your city, and you screw it all up because you can’t work well with others?

If these players really cared about football, they wouldn’t waste their time demanding more money and benefits and practice for the upcoming season.

Don’t try to call me. Don’t come back to see me.

Having said that, I’m not exactly siding with the owners in this lockout. While the players are pathetic for demanding even more money, the owners are equally despicable for leaving the players out of the cut. Despite making more money than ever before, the owners still pocket far too much in comparison to the players, and they don’t even play! I’m sick of both sides. I want a lockout.

I think it’s for the best, NFL. *** So much good could come to other sports if football went on a yearlong hiatus. Baseball, America’s national past time, would experience a resurgence in its postseason’s popularity. Notable college football players might

stay in college an extra year, altering the whole dynamic of the college football season. Soccer, the world’s sport, long greatly overshadowed by football and other sports, might step into the spotlight in America as its fourth sport.

With the NFL out, America’s international image improves. Football has come to represent America’s love of violence and power. The fact that we choose to love football instead of soccer tells a lot about us as a nation. And I’m not sure I like what it represents in America.

The speak-before-thinking, strength-beats-intelligence, strong-prey-on-the-weak mentality that other countries identify America with is on full display in the NFL. It’s there when players talk trash before a big game, or when a former player-turned-analyst calls Jay Cutler “soft” for not playing when he was clearly hurt. Americans are ridiculed worldwide for this attitude. Football represents our stubborn refusal to be like the rest of the world, something that we’d be a lot better without in a new era of international cooperation and connection. By embracing soccer, America would embrace something so universal that it transcends all the cultural, political and economic differences that divide the world. *** The NFL itself could benefit from a long hiatus. In the last few years, the league has struggled with various health issues concerning its former players. After years of taking beatings on a weekly basis, retired players have not surprisingly suffered from various mental health problems and diseases. The league needs to find a way to fix this. Last year, the NFL began suspending players for dangerous hits. But this measure, while put forth with the best intentions, is not enough to protect the players. With the time the NFL would have should the lockout continue, the league could examine helmet technologies and new rules to protect players from head injuries. So while the NFL would lose money in a lockout season, it could solve a major issue that threatens to change football forever if not resolved.

When I think it over, I can’t see why another year of football—of ridiculous athletes, obnoxious analysts and greedy owners—would be good for sports. I know it wouldn’t be good for me. Plus, I have my junior year coming up. I can’t afford to have the Chiefs conflicting with my enormous loads of homework.

So I’m sorry NFL, but I think we need a break. This isn’t working out anymore. It’s not you; it’s me. Well, really it’s just you. I would say that we could remain friends, but I don’t think I want to see you for a long time.

FEATURES issue 14

11

Earthquake during sophomore’s vacation leads to an

Unexpectedinterruption

Above Japanese youth in Ikebukuro saunter along.

Left “People cut off from their destinations by lack of transportation took refuge from the cold in our hotel lobby, gathering around the TV to watch the destruction,” Crabtree said. all photos courtesy of MattiCrabtree

KimHoedel

Bouncing her knee anxiously up and down, sophomore Matti Crabtree impatiently awaited the arrival of the last lingering passenger before the local bus could depart from its stop in the heart of Tokyo and make its way to the Ghibli Museum. It was the Crabtree family’s first day in Japan, and visiting the Ghibli Anime Studio that has produced movies such as “Spirited Away” was number one on Matti’s to-do list. Matti glanced over at her mother, father and little sister Gracie sitting next to her, all just as excited to launch their spring break vacation with a fun filled day exploring Tokyo. Little did they know not only would that day be imprinted on their memories forever, but also in the memories of the world.

Suddenly the bus began to rock back and forth, back and forth, gently at first but then growing to a violent shake. Matti looked around in confusion, but no one knew what was going on.

“We looked at the bus driver and were all like, ‘What are you doing with the bus?”

Matti said.

Matti gripped the seat in front of her as a gasp escaped from a passenger sitting in the rear of the bus. Matti’s eyes shot up and stared out the window to see the tall skyscrapers of Tokyo swaying around them as people filed out from the buildings and into the streets.

The cars around them were stopped dead in the midst of traffic bouncing up and down at the same rate like ripples in an ocean. After five minutes of shaking, the earth was still again and the people of Tokyo filed back into their buildings and began driving once more, picking up their lives were they had left off.

Knowing Japan has small earthquakes occasionally, Matti was thrilled and excited to have experienced what she thought was a harmless quake. It would not be until later that she would realize she was a mere 150 miles away from the epicenter of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that resulted in mass destruction and, according to a recent article in the Kansas City Star, the death of over 13,000

people while another 13,000 have yet to be found.

Oblivious to the facts at hand, the Crabtree’s proceeded on with their day at the Ghibli Museum, intent on spending hours exploring Less than 30 minutes into their arrival at the museum, an alarm sounded throughout the building and Matti and other visitors were instructed to sit on the floor and brace themselves for the upcoming aftershock. After the shaking of the first aftershock ceased, everyone was informed that the museum might be closed for the day. Evacuated into a nearby park along with everyone at the museum, Matti sat with her family members while three more aftershocks shook the ground beneath her feet. Since all the employees were giving news updates in Japanese, the Crabtree’s had to rely on Googling ‘Japan Earthquake’ on their iPhones, reading what they could. After about an hour of sitting on the ground, pulling grass blades up one by one, the museum visitors were allowed to reenter the museum and continue on their tour.

“Since I still didn’t know the severity of the quake, my biggest worry was, “Oh my god, is the gift shop going to close?” Matti said.

With a Totoro––a famous Ghibli character––plushie in hand, Matti and her family waited for five hours for a taxi since the public transportation systems had been shut down. The taxi drivers of the city were more overworked than ever before, so much so that the driver of their taxi had to pull over on their way back to the hotel to use the restroom since he hadn’t had a break all day.

Back in the Tokyo Hotel Metropolitan, Matti and her family sat terrified, staring at the Japanese news channel while pictures of the earthquake’s destruction and devastating tsunami flashed before their eyes.

“It was all in Japanese so we had to

Right Pedestrians stroll the local streets in the district of Ikebukuro

rely on the pictures, which were horrifying,” Matti said.

At least 10 aftershocks raged all through the night, keeping the family from sleeping.

Matti sat up in bed gripping the chair next to her for dear life as the hotel teetered back and forth.

“It was like a hand slapping the building each time,” Matti said.

By the morning, the death toll had risen from 50 to 200, raising the total to 10,000 deaths and another 10,000 missing. The Crabtrees flew home on a new flight, moved a week and a half earlier than originally planned, cutting their two-week trip to a mere five days. The family decided to leave, not because of fear of another earthquake, but more the fear of dangerous radiation levels from the failing reactors all around Tokyo.

While there was no destruction around the city, the closing of public transportation caused stores to run out of stock without any chance of replenishing. The Crabtrees had to rely on what they bought earlier that day to live off of. Many of the tourist sites they had hoped to visit were being closed so the Crabtrees ended up going out and exploring the city on foot for the rest of the trip. All around the city, there were TVs set up broadcasting

local news station that showed reporters in helmets with destruction in the background.

Animated graphics of Japan depicting where the natural disaster juggernaut had hit flashed across the screens.

While they continued to explore the city on foot, they noticed how normal everyone was acting, as if it were just another day. All the Japanese people seemed very calm in response to the repercussions of the quake.

“It made us feel safe,” Yvette said. “It was like it was deceptive calmness.”

Matti witnessed, during the quake, Japanese shoppers exiting stores with their hands full of merchandise, then neatly turn around and file right back in the stand in line and pay for their items.

Knowing that the family had planned to visit the province of Okinawa, an area massively destroyed by the quake, had a big effect on Matti.

“There is a good chance that the hotel we would have been staying in and the places we were going to visit are completely destroyed,” said Matti. “We were just going on a vacation, and I could have died and never come back. It was just an eye-opening experience that has taught me to appreciate my life more.”

Matti posted a note to facebook with updates on the earthquake in Japan ....here in Tokyo. As the biggest earthquake in 140 years, with a magnitude of 8.9, it’s making history as I speak. When it began, the bus we were in was rocking violently and the cars near us were bouncing rapidly; while the buildings swayed for minutes, people were evacuated and stood watching in the streets. The aftershocks continued late into the night, keeping me awake. But we are all okay! We were really lucky. Since the trains had been stopped, we were extremely fortunate to be able to grab a taxi (poor overworked man). As for the aftermath, tsunamis have hit the east coast and multiple fires were raging last night; the four nuclear power centers closest to the epicenter in northern Japan have closed down. Thank you to everyone who tried to contact me, it’s good to know I have friends like you guys.

Again - to everyone who’s been thinking of me, thank you! edited for clarity -Pippin

12

FEATURES

04-18-11

FUNDING FOR FLORIDA

Qualified DECA students find ways to fund raise for their trip to internationals AubreyLeiter

After over seven months and countless hours of writing research papers, preparing project visuals and learning business strategy, 48 DECA students’ hard work has paid off.

By placing in either the top three of series competitions or top two in projects, they have qualified for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orlando. After such a huge accomplishment, most students are excited about attending this event, which runs from April 30 until May 4.

The problem is the price tag that comes along.

DECA students have come up with multiple fundraisers to help pay their way to ICDC. The trip costs $1,048 total.

Students are creating events such as a middle school mixer, Earth Fair activities, a cookie dough sale and a bake sale in the coffee shop.

“I wouldn’t take the students if it wasn’t worth the price,” East DECA advisor Mercedes Rasmussen said. “What they’re about to experience absolutely going to blow their minds and alter the way they look at the what they are going to do with the next four years of their lives.”

Even though the price is expensive, senior Callie Hennig is excited about this opportunity. She thinks the price of the trip is worth the experience, but is trying to fund raise for a large portion of the trip.

“I have no idea where I would get an opportunity like this, to present what I have worked on all year to judges at the international level,” Hennig said. “Plus I’ve never been to Florida, and going with a group of my friends at the end of senior year will be great.”

Hennig has made over $100 so far in fundraising. She sold Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough and made puppy chow for the bake sale in the coffee shop. She is also planning on making jewelry to sell at the Earth Fair on April 16. Hennig hopes selling jewelry will raise a large portion of the trip’s cost, because she is responsible for paying for half of the trip. “[My parents] were kind of expecting it would be so expensive because my sister went to internationals with her project,” Hennig said. “But they were still surprised and they told me I better fundraise or I’d have to pay the rest.”

Many organizations have been generous in donating money to the DECA students to help pay for the confer-

ence. SMSD has donated $167 to each student, Russell Stover Candies donated $60 a student and Western American donated $500 for the entire group as a whole. Chick-fil-a on State Line donated 20 percent of all the money they made on April 6 to the DECA group.

Senior Cam Smith has tried various fund-raising opportunities as well. He has raised $180 through selling cookie dough and t-shirts from the student store. He attempted to have a kickball tournament, but the idea fell through due to lack of teams participating.

“I think [the price] is 90 percent worth the trip because of the opportunities with career fields could open because the judges are actually working in those fields,” Smith said.

“If the presentations are good enough, sometimes kids have been offered internships.”

Smith’s parents were a little shocked at the price of the trip because he has already gone to New York City for Marketing and also out of the country for spring break. He is attempting to fund raise as much of the trip as possible so they don’t have to spend as much money. “[The students] are trying hard to raise money,” Rasmussen said. “Some people feel the need to fund raise a lot of the money since they and their parents all just funded large spring break trips. Having to come up with $1000 right after a trip like that is very hard.”

Past trips to ICDC haven’t been as expensive. For example, last year the conference was in Louisville, and the cost was around half the price. Part of this rise has come from raising gas prices, and the prices of flights have sky-rocketed. According to Rasmussen, it is also more expensive to reserve flights in large groups as opposed to booking individually. In addition to that, International DECA has a raffle to determine the hotel for each state’s representatives. The hotel that Kansas was chosen for happens to be one of the most expensive.

Though the price is high, students are doing as much fundraising as possible to get to take part in ICDC. “They are getting ready to compete against the same individuals that they will be competing against for jobs in five years,” Rasmussen said. “They need to be able to experience that type of pressure and level of professionalism.”

photo illustration byEmmaRobson

?

A closer look at how you can help DECA

what can you do to help

students raise the extra money for ICDC buy a deck of foodie cards

Foodie cards are a deck of 52 cards containing a different restaurant on each. With a card, you will receive $10 off each $25 purchase. Waldo Pizza, Elephant Bar and El Patron are just a few of the restaurants participating.

YOUR COST: $20

STUDENT PROFIT: $10

buy hand-made jewlery Students made hand-made jewelry to sell at the Earth Fair last Saturday. Everything sold for $5, and the students made 100 percent of the profit. If you are interested in buying jewelry to support DECA for yourself, stop by the marketing room. The bracelets and earrings come in a variety of colors.

YOUR COST: $5

STUDENT PROFIT: $5

buy a crafty graduation hat Graduation hats made of old records were also for sale at the Earth Fair. These crafts could be used as centerpieces at graduation parties. They also are being sold as a souvenir for seniors to take to college with them next year to remember their alma mater.

YOUR COST: $10

STUDENT PROFIT: $10

FEATURES issue 14

13

road to

RECOVERY

Sophomore dancer recovers from October spine injury

ChristopherHeady

Sophomore Lacey Gasaway was scheduled to do one floor routine and two vault runs that day. The floor routine went by in a breeze. The vaults on the other hand, didn’t.

At first, it looked like an average gymnastics fall.

But as Gasaway walked away from the first of her two vaults at the Shawnee Mission South JV gymnastics meet on Oct. 11, with tears running down her face and shock in her eyes, what had just taken place was more than an average slip-up.

As she walked back to the start of the runway, she could feel the sharp, squeezing sensation in lower part of her back.

She knew each step brought pain, but she wasn’t aware of how badly she had just hurt her spine. *** Gasaway began gymnastics this past fall. She made the JV team for the 2011 season, and competed in five of the six meets. But her bread and butter has always been dance.

She started when she was three-years-old, in the footsteps of her mother and two sisters. She was a part of the competition team at Priscilla and Dana’s School of Dance from first to eighth grade, and, until recently, took classes two or three times a week.

After a not-so-enjoyable freshman year of cheering, Gasaway thought she’d try out drill team as a sophomore, and she was soon accepted to be a varsity Lancer Dancer. But thanks to the gymnastics accident, her first year hasn’t been what she expected. *** Gasaway usually has head gymnastics coach Tiffany Mische to spot her during vaulting practice just before she is judged. But on this particular day, injuries to two gymnasts from other schools stole Mische’s attention away from Gasaway.

“I didn’t feel comfortable before the vault at all,” Gasaway said. “I had to basically force myself over it.”

According to senior gymnast Andrea Zecy, who was there the day of the fall, the vault event isn’t a popular event amongst the gymnasts.

“Coach wants us to do all four events, but no one really likes the vault because its difficult and scary,” Zecy said.

Despite the fear and mild ache in her back, Gasaway took off down the 82 foot runway at full speed, slammed onto the springboard and launched herself airborne towards the vault.

She placed her hands too close to the vault, not giving her enough room for her legs to go over, hitting the edge of the vault with her lower back.

Zecy saw the collision from across the room on the tumbling mats.

“Lacey’s back is really flexible cause she’s a dancer so when she comes off the vault her back arches a lot, more than it should,” Zecy said.

Gasaway was in shock after getting up off the ground, and couldn’t get over the fact she had to vault again.

“I’d try to do something like arch my back and it’d hurt really bad and it’d freak me out,” Gasaway said.

Despite the constant complaints about her aching back to

her mother, Gasaway didn’t go to their doctor right away.

“It looked fine physically, so no one thought anything of it,” Gasaway said. “I’d hurt and be sore and my mom would just be like ‘Oh it’s just the muscles, you need to wait a little longer’.”

Gasaway continued to ice the lower part of her spine for a couple more months, and since no one believed she was truly hurt, she felt pressure from her peers and she kept dancing on it. She did the flag routine at halftimes and danced at rehearsals for East’s production of “Beauty and the Beast”as Napkin and Wolf, all with the sharp pain on her lower-spine.

“Dancing sucked because I couldn’t arch my back, and every time I tried I felt this squeezing pain and my back would like lock,” Gasaway said.

Finally, after about eight weeks in pain, Gasaway and her mother went to the doctor.

At first, Dr. Sam Fotopoulos didn’t think much was wrong with Lacey, but since she had been in such pain for an extended period of time, he ordered an X-Ray. He didn’t see much on the X-Ray so he then ordered an MRI, and that’s where he saw complications with the lower part of Lacey’s spine, which was swollen. Dr. Fotopoulos diagnosed Gasaway with a fractured spine, and spondylosis, or a degeneration of the spine, and advised her to stop dancing.

Gasaway went into first hour drill team the next morning and told the team her news. They were in the midst of getting ready for national competition in Orlando, so the mood was somber after hearing Gasaway would be out for a few weeks.

“I was kinda bummed out for her because she was a firstyear on drill team and it would suck to have to watch,” fellow sophomore Lancer Dancer Grace Cantril said.

Soon after, Gasaway was given a brace to wear 24/7 for her back. The firm, white plastic shell restricted her back from arching in the slightest and made her sit straight up.

“It’s really awkward,” Gasaway said. “I hate it.”

Even though Gasaway wasn’t able to dance on the team, she still had to go to every 7 a.m. practice and attend every basketball game and watch halftime shows. Not only was she left out from activities she loved, but skeptics started doubting the severity of Gasaway’s pain. Her expected recovery date got pushed back more and more. First it was it was six weeks.

Then two more weeks. Then two more weeks. Then four more weeks. As the date got pushed back more, she felt more pressure from her peers to get healthy. People never told her they didn’t believe her; they’d just show it.

“They’d roll their eyes and I would just be like, ‘OK whatever, guess I’ll just do it then,” Gasaway said.

Gasaway danced with her brace as a Napkin in the musical, getting cuts and bruises on her upper thigh from trying to lift her leg higher than her brace permitted. She would try and dance with the drill team, but would soon drop out after the first couple of minutes when the locking sensation started to flare up again.

But amongst the naysayers, Cantril believed her friend.

“I mean, when someone tells you they fractured their spine, that’s pretty big,” Cantril said.

SammiKelly

Drill team sponsor Kristen Fry was initially concerned for Lacey’s well-being, but even though Gasaway couldn’t dance, she noticed she her involvement with the team was still intact. “[During practices], Lacey sat in the back of the room and tried to learn the dances while sitting, but when she wasn’t, she did help the team by watching and making corrections,” Fry said. “Lacey always had a positive attitude.”

Gasaway’s involvement was something that dancers, like Cantril, appreciated greatly.

“It was just good to have another opinion that wasn’t another authority,” Cantril said.

Two weeks before the Drill Team was set to go to the National Competition, Gasaway received news that she could dance “cautiously,” and if she wore the brace the entire time.

Though the news was great, Gasaway had to learn two entire dances in two weeks, one including her starting off the dance with a solo.

Fry and Cantril both agree they were a little worried about Lacey’s performance at Nationals, but the injury didn’t slow Gasaway down. She had to loosen her brace at times when she couldn’t breathe and use her arms and legs more since she had zero core strength. Yet, she and her teammates still pulled off a fifth place finish in the Jazz contest.

“Lacey, as well as the whole team, far exceeded my expectations at Nationals,” Fry said. *** Gasaway is well on her way to recovering, saying she’s about 80 percent healthy.

One week before she was cleared to dance Nationals, Lacey started physical therapy at Elite, initially at three times a week.

Doing core exercises and other various stretching, Gasaway’s back has started to heal faster, and is now at physical once a week and fully back with the drill team.

“Last week we were doing one of our dances and I leaned too far back and my back [started to lock up] and I was like ‘Ah, I thought I was over that,” Gasaway said. “I just need to take it easy.”

Gasaway plans on returning to classes at her dance studio once she is fully recovered, along with trying to get healthy enough to run her track event, the hurdles, by the end of the school year. She plans on participating in gymnastics again next season, and can’t wait to hopefully arch her back again.

“Mostly for my weird gymnastics tricks,” Gasaway said.

Throughout the process of getting hurt and the journey back, Gasaway has learned numerous life lessons, the first being not to push herself too much.

“I need to kind of listen to myself more than other people,” Gasaway said. “I think I’d know if my back hurts more than if someone else knew if my back hurts.”

The other lesson Lacey said she learned was calling the doctor herself instead of her mother.

“Next time I get hurt, I’m calling the doctor right when it happens,” Gasaway said with a laugh.

14

FEATURES

04-18-11

say a little prayer

As a Mormon, senior turns to her religion in difficult times

Senior Katy Watkins prays at seminary, which she attends every morning before school.

JakeCrandall

VanessaDaves

“Do you have twelve moms?”

“Do you only eat on Tuesdays?”

“Do you bathe your children in lamb’s blood?”

Senior Katy Watkins has heard every offensive and stereotypical question a Mormon could be asked, but that doesn’t deter her from practicing her religion. Her faith has been something she can lean on in tough times, and facing obstacles along the way has only made it stronger. Katy describes last year as the worst year of her life, as her faith was tested many times.

Religion is a priority in Katy’s life. She goes to church every Sunday. She is an active member of the Church of Latter Day Saints (the Mormon church), and attends a required class for high school students, known as seminary, at 6 a.m. everyday before school. Next year, she plans to attend Virginia Commonwealth University, a small liberal arts school. According to George Watkins, Katy’s dad, although the school is not directly affiliated with the church, it is still very strong on the campus.

Last year started with difficulty because, when she was a sophomore, Katy signed up for the International Baccalaureate (IB) on a whim. As the year progressed, she began to feel pressure from her family and faith. Signing up for the IB program only made her year that much harder.

“I did not realize absolutely how much work it was,” George said. “When we were in high school, we were just trying to get by. [IB] was almost like being in the marine corps academically.”

But Katy kept praying. *** Family is also a priority in Katy’s life. She has three brothers: Luke* is 14, Daniel is 21 and Gregory is 23.

As a child, she had always idolized Daniel. He was her older brother, her definition of cool. She wanted to be just like him.

According to Katy, he was getting all fives on his AP tests, getting all As and he was a debate star. His many debate trophies still sit on a bookshelf in his room.

“Daniel was the wonder kid,” Katy said. “He couldn’t do anything wrong.”

Daniel went to Brigham Young University, the main Mormon college in the United States, for two years before being called on his mission. Any Mormon man from 19-26 can be called on their mission; they are required to go somewhere in the world for two years to spread the gospel. Daniel was called to Arizona.

“He told my dad he wasn’t going to go,” Katy said. “And that was huge. On top of that, he told them he didn’t believe in God anymore.”

Because of his poor grades last year, Daniel was put on academic probation and moved back in with his family. With that, Katy felt a lot of pressure to be successful because of Daniel’s situation.

“One of my mom’s friends actually told me, ‘You’ve got to be the one Watkins to succeed now,’” Katy said. “I just felt a lot of responsibility fall on my shoulders.”

Some of the responsibility she felt was for her brothers. Gregory was 22 at the time, attending a class at Johnson County Community College once every two weeks and work-

ing part-time in the mail room at his mom’s office.

Katy was used to being discriminated against as a Mormon, but when it came to Gregory, it was different. Gregory has autism, a disorder affecting the development of the brain’s social and communication skills. While Gregory was at East, according to Katy, two girls spread a rumor about him that almost got him expelled. Even now, Katy doesn’t feel comfortable talking about the incident; the rumor they spread is just another example of people misunderstanding autism.

After the girls went to the principal with the rumor, the school called George saying that he needed to come and pick up his son because he was expelled. After his parents discussed it with the principal, the girls who accused him admitted that they lied about what happened. Gregory’s parents took him home. “[Those girls] probably didn’t think anything about it,” Katy said, “but when they brought Gregory home my parents tried to tell him it wasn’t his fault, he didn’t do anything wrong. And Gregory just said, ‘I will look at the floor.’ And he did. For two years he didn’t say anything.”

But Katy kept praying. *** Meanwhile, Luke had just started middle school at Indian Hills. Katy was worried about him because middle school was hard enough, and Luke was often the target of teasing.

Katy knows that Luke looks up to her, and he talks to her about things he couldn’t say to his parents. He started asking Katy questions about what kids do at parties and drinking, and Katy likes that he feels comfortable talking to her about these things. According to Katy, Luke is getting to the age where Gregory will start to bother him and his parents will easily frustrate him. Being able to talk to Daniel helped Katy get through that time in her life, so she wants to be there for him when he needs to talk.

Luke is transferring to Shawnee Mission South next year because, after what happened to Gregory, Katy doesn’t want Luke at East. There are a lot more Mormons at South that they know, so she thinks he will get along better there. When Katy leaves for college next year, she hopes that Luke will be okay in high school without her.

Then, halfway through the school year, everything changed. One Friday afternoon in January, Katy’s dad found something of Daniel’s that he shouldn’t have had; it was against the rules of his parents and against their religion.

“I told [Daniel] that there were some things that he was doing which were unacceptable,” said George. “I didn’t say ‘Pack up your stuff’ or throw him out of the house right there. I said, ‘This can’t happen.’”

After the argument everyone went their separate ways.

Luke and George were camping for Boy Scouts. Gregory was at home. Katy and her mom went to see “New Moon” and spend some quality time together while the boys were away. When Katy and her mom Ann arrived home at about 9 p.m. that night, Gregory was the only one home. Katy went to her room, not realizing that Daniel was nowhere to be found until she heard her mom answer the phone.

“I heard my mom’s phone ring and then I heard her voice getting really shrill,” Katy said. “I heard her crying and I knew it was Daniel. I don’t know how I knew but I did. He called my mom to tell her he was leaving and he wasn’t coming back.”

When her dad got home the next day, he was shocked to find that Daniel had left. George had not realized the fight had made such a large impact on Daniel. According to Katy, Dan-

iel doesn’t like being told what to do, which is why he left; he didn’t want to listen to anyone. “[The reason he left] was more of a surprise than what really caused the confrontation,” George said.

Katy remembers this as the worst day of her life. After that, her grades started dropping. She started being short with Luke and Gregory. She stopped smiling as much.

Katy was mad at God; it was hard for her to accept that he was letting these things happen to her when she was already having a trying year. She felt the furthest away from the Spirit then.

But Katy kept praying. *** Katy continued to feel pressures from school and home, and eventually she began questioning her faith.

“Daniel would tell me all the time about how he hated the church,” Katy said. “Since I usually listen to Daniel about things, it was really hard for me. I didn’t know what to say to him about it. And I felt like I couldn’t talk to my mom about it because I felt really bad telling my mom I was questioning the church.”

In the hope of finding answers, Katy finally asked for a patriarchal blessing, which any Mormon can receive from the patriarch, a person chosen by church members who get a strong feeling from God of who should take the position.

When someone receives the blessing, the patriarch will see what he is supposed to say, directly from God. Anyone of any age can ask for a blessing, and it is supposed to tell you of your strength and upcoming challenges.

During her blessing, her family was allowed to be with her.

When she felt the Spirit come over her, she started crying after the first few words because she so strongly felt the Spirit.

“I am a lot closer to the church through [everything] that happened and all the praying I did and all the things I did to get through that,” Katy said. “I gained my own testimony of the church being true and now everything Daniel says bounces off of me. It doesn’t matter anymore, because I know what’s true and he doesn’t.”

Although she can share the blessing with her family, she is instructed to only share the blessing with anyone else if she feels inspired to do so. According to Katy, it was her mom who really helped her through that.

“Katy and I discussed the fact that she is not responsible for her brother’s choices, nor does she have to be perfect because he isn’t,” Ann said. “She was carrying too many burdens last year. She needed to lighten her load emotionally.”

After receiving the blessing, she reaffirmed her faith and dropped IB. Looking back, Katy was afraid to drop IB because she thought that the other students would think she was dumb. Now, she thinks she is smarter for having dropped. She is much happier, and additionally she has more time to spend with her family.

Even if given the chance, Katy wouldn’t change a thing about last year. She feels she grew so much, both spiritually and in her studies. Now, when people try to make fun of her for being Mormon, she easily brushes it off.

“Actually, I have seven moms, one for each day of the week,” she now answers jokingly.

Her experiences have taught her to be patient and appreciate the little things, which is why she has decided to pursue a career in psychology. She has learned to be optimistic. Instead of driving her away from the church, the last year actually brought her closer.

“She’s had to find her own way in a lot of ways,” George said, “and she’s had to be tough and strong to [do that]. Who knows, she might be someone her older brother can look to.

Katy’s got it straightened out, and maybe that will motivate him. She will be the example.”

And she will keep praying.

*name changed to protect identity

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11b-3367

© 2011 The College Board

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16

SPREAD

04-18-11

JONATHANDAWSON

A segment of Jonathan Dawson’s eight minute audition tape playing the violin was showing. His heart was racing before the last of the first place winners were being announced in the previous category.

The strings category was next. When they called his name, he was at a loss for words.

“After they said, ‘the first place winner is...’ that was where my heart was like, ‘Oh no, am I really going to win this?’” Dawson said.

Dawson has been in the East orchestra for four years, but it was in middle school where he realized that playing the violin is something he really loves to do. After seeing the rest of the nominees’ audition tapes for the strings category, he was almost convinced that he was going to win.

“I thought my audition was pretty good, and when I saw everyone else’s, I was like, ‘Did they actually play that way?” Dawson said. “[The other performances weren’t] very good, so I was kind of expecting it would happen...I really had my hopes up when they called the last two winners.”

He thinks it was his intonation and movement during his audi-

violin

EMMA MARSTON

tion that landed him the first place scholarship. According to Dawson, he says musicality is what the judges look for and he thinks that played a key role in him winning.

Dawson has been accepted and is thinking about attending Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He says he wants to continue playing the violin, but isn’t quite sure that he could make it into a career.

“I want it to be a part of my life but I don’t think I can make it into a profession only because it’s a really tough world out there,” Dawson said. “Getting into an orchestra, your chances are slimmer than the NFL or something, because everyone is there until they retire, unlike the NFL where you are only there for five years.”

Though Dawson is enthusiastic about winning the scholarship, he is most excited to relieve some of the financial stress that college brings.

“It will make me a lot happier because I won’t have to pay back some student loans,” Dawson said.

“Ugh, it’s Sunday, and I just want to go home and relax,” senior Emma Marston thought to herself. She was aside other nominees at the awards gala, and didn’t quite think anything of it at first.

“Emma Marston,” Brad Stephens projected to the crowd. A look of bewilderment sat on Marston’s face as she tried to accept that she just won.

“They called my name, and I just had this look of utter confusion because I just couldn’t believe it,” Marston said. “I felt so blessed that I got nominated, and that was all I needed.”

Seeing the other nominees beside her, she thought there was no way she was going to win at all. Marston ended up receiving the first place scholarship and believes she can owe that to her audition in front of the judges.

“I could tell that the judges enjoyed watching me. I loved that and I really fed off of them,” Marston said. “But it could have been any of those people to get it. I am just so blessed to have gotten it.”

It was during middle school that Marston really started getting into theatre and performing in shows. She has been involved in

top three favorite

a A t SH

it

OO TI

ta

NG

It definitely takes a lot of work throughout the students’ whole high school career, and also creativity.

theatre all four years at East, and has been in several productions throughout her high school career.

During the theatre banquet, she won Best Actress her sophomore year and junior year, along with Best Supporting Actress the following year.

“I really feel humbled by that because those were my peers who voted for me, and that means a lot because they are really talented people,” Marston said. “Just knowing that they think that I’m worth having some sort of recognition is just really wonderful of them, and getting nominated for Shooting Stars is definitely up there.”

Marston plans on attending Stephen’s College in Columbia, Mo. to be a musical theatre major, and wants to turn her passion for theatre into a fully fledged career and not just something on the side.

“My mom has always told me, ‘Do what you love and the money will come,’ and I realized that I don’t want to be one of those adults who do community theater for fun,” Marston said. “I want to be serious about it, and the Shooting Star Scholarship is helping me do that.”

Anna Andrevnya

“The Government Inspector”

Paganini

Rusty

Tchaikovsky

Joline

“Footloose”

o b a

SHOOTING STARS

TA R

”

Art Teacher James Meara

Students win fine arts scholarship

BEHIND THE SCENES

HollyHernandez

Students excelling in arts programs in every high school in the district had the chance to be nominated for the Shooting Star Scholarship. The scholarship is for students who take a great interest in the arts or who demonstrate a unique skill or talent within their fine arts classes. Teachers can choose to nominate a student that they feel has gone above and beyond their limits in the arts programs. The East students placed in

RICKYLATSHAW

tech theater

restaurant and Coterie theatre. He thinks the work that he put into theatre all four years––inside and outside of school––helped him get nominated for the award.

“I’ve been crew chief for every show this year and basically led everyone else,” Latshaw said. “I started out doing the first show my freshman year, and I’ve done every show since then.”

He was nominated for the scholarship by theatre teacher Tom DeFeo, who says because of Latshaw’s training over the past four years, he would be more successful than anyone else.

“He lives and breathes theater, and he’s here all the time,” DeFeo said. “I’ve got him working outside of school doing professional work; he’s already fully into it.”

Latshaw will be studying lighting design at the University of Michigan after a gap year.

“I hope to continue on with it because I really like lighting design and just working backstage,” Latshaw said. “I hope to end up on Broadway in New York some day.”

Technical Theatre, Theatre Performance, Strings and 2D Art. If nominated, a portfolio of work must be submitted or an audition must take place in front of the Arts Council’s panel of judges. This year there were 30 seniors selected as finalists and 18 winners—-half of the winners were from the SMSD district and out of those, four were East students. The winners were announced at an awards gala on March 27 at Yardly Hall.

high school seniors It’s been around for 13 years

The program is funded by private donations

all photos by EdenSchoofs

DJBURTON

rd a w a e

th The stars program has t u recognized nearly 1,000

“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”

ke S s

Each finalist was lined up backstage waiting for their name to be called. Senior Ricky Latshaw started to get excited right after he heard the second place winner’s name sound through the auditorium.

“In first place, Ricky Latshaw for Technical Theatre,” KCTV5 news anchor Brad Stephens voiced from the microphone.

Latshaw knew he was being nominated for the scholarship, but was no less thrilled and excited when he heard his name. He says it was “nice” to be recognized for all the work that he has done.

After acting in two frequent Fridays during his freshman year, Latshaw says he prefers the technical side of theater rather than being on stage.

“I went to the first all-theater meeting my freshman year, and the person working the lights at the time said lights crew gets to go up in the ceiling to work the lights,” Latshaw said. “It was right then that I started to get into lighting.”

Latshaw has spent three nights every 10 weeks working the lighting at shows at the American Heartland theatre, the New Theatre

17

ROLES SHE’S PLAYED

Mozart

“ BE

acting

issue 14

top three favorite

COMPOSERS HE PLAYS

w TO h

SPREAD

IN DJ’S NOTEBOOK

2D art

The anticipation was building backstage as senior DJ Burton waited among the rest of the scholarship finalists for the awards ceremony to begin. Approximately 30 minutes passed before students were finally being called out on stage. His name was the first announced for his category, 2D art. He blanked at the thought of what to do next.

“That moment was kind of a blur, because I was the first category to go out, and I was the second place winner so I was first to get called up,” Burton said. “So I didn’t get to see anyone else go to see how I was suppose to stand or shake his hand.”

Even though Burton says that he was pretty nervous, overall he feels it was a good thing to experience.

“I was really nervous because I had to stand out there by myself in the spotlight,” Burton said. “I didn’t know what the kids that I was surrounded by were capable of, but it was definitely a good and new experience.”

He has worked on several pieces of art as projects in his art classes and of his own. Painting the fifth floor bathroom, props for a movie and painting a 17 by 17 foot mural for an art gala in remembrance of a local artist have been a few of his achievements in the past few years.

For the scholarship, seven pieces of personal artwork were needed

for submission. He knew he was being nominated, but he didn’t think he could actually win or even place, never having competed within the arts before.

Burton thinks that the fact that his personality showed through in his artwork and his individuality was clearly seen helped him place with the judges.

“The girl who won in the 2D Art category told me that she saw one of my pieces and said, ‘It just screamed you,” Burton said. “And that made me feel good, so not only was it technically drawn well, but it was a project that I put myself into and people were able to recognize that, and I think that is something that helped me place.”

Burton wants to attend Kansas City Art Institute to major in Art Illustration and possibly attend UMKC later on to get a degree in teaching, so that he can become an art educator.

Burton feels proud winning something like the Shooting Stars Scholarship, and is amazed by it, knowing that he placed second in his category out of all of Johnson County.

“It gave me confidence,” Burton said. “Being able to see that I can actually compete and actually believe in myself, that I am as good as people say that I am.”

artsjoco.org

16

SPREAD

04-18-11

JONATHANDAWSON

A segment of Jonathan Dawson’s eight minute audition tape playing the violin was showing. His heart was racing before the last of the first place winners were being announced in the previous category.

The strings category was next. When they called his name, he was at a loss for words.

“After they said, ‘the first place winner is...’ that was where my heart was like, ‘Oh no, am I really going to win this?’” Dawson said.

Dawson has been in the East orchestra for four years, but it was in middle school where he realized that playing the violin is something he really loves to do. After seeing the rest of the nominees’ audition tapes for the strings category, he was almost convinced that he was going to win.

“I thought my audition was pretty good, and when I saw everyone else’s, I was like, ‘Did they actually play that way?” Dawson said. “[The other performances weren’t] very good, so I was kind of expecting it would happen...I really had my hopes up when they called the last two winners.”

He thinks it was his intonation and movement during his audi-

violin

EMMA MARSTON

tion that landed him the first place scholarship. According to Dawson, he says musicality is what the judges look for and he thinks that played a key role in him winning.

Dawson has been accepted and is thinking about attending Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He says he wants to continue playing the violin, but isn’t quite sure that he could make it into a career.

“I want it to be a part of my life but I don’t think I can make it into a profession only because it’s a really tough world out there,” Dawson said. “Getting into an orchestra, your chances are slimmer than the NFL or something, because everyone is there until they retire, unlike the NFL where you are only there for five years.”

Though Dawson is enthusiastic about winning the scholarship, he is most excited to relieve some of the financial stress that college brings.

“It will make me a lot happier because I won’t have to pay back some student loans,” Dawson said.

“Ugh, it’s Sunday, and I just want to go home and relax,” senior Emma Marston thought to herself. She was aside other nominees at the awards gala, and didn’t quite think anything of it at first.

“Emma Marston,” Brad Stephens projected to the crowd. A look of bewilderment sat on Marston’s face as she tried to accept that she just won.

“They called my name, and I just had this look of utter confusion because I just couldn’t believe it,” Marston said. “I felt so blessed that I got nominated, and that was all I needed.”

Seeing the other nominees beside her, she thought there was no way she was going to win at all. Marston ended up receiving the first place scholarship and believes she can owe that to her audition in front of the judges.

“I could tell that the judges enjoyed watching me. I loved that and I really fed off of them,” Marston said. “But it could have been any of those people to get it. I am just so blessed to have gotten it.”

It was during middle school that Marston really started getting into theatre and performing in shows. She has been involved in

top three favorite

a A t SH

it

OO TI

ta

NG

It definitely takes a lot of work throughout the students’ whole high school career, and also creativity.

theatre all four years at East, and has been in several productions throughout her high school career.

During the theatre banquet, she won Best Actress her sophomore year and junior year, along with Best Supporting Actress the following year.

“I really feel humbled by that because those were my peers who voted for me, and that means a lot because they are really talented people,” Marston said. “Just knowing that they think that I’m worth having some sort of recognition is just really wonderful of them, and getting nominated for Shooting Stars is definitely up there.”

Marston plans on attending Stephen’s College in Columbia, Mo. to be a musical theatre major, and wants to turn her passion for theatre into a fully fledged career and not just something on the side.

“My mom has always told me, ‘Do what you love and the money will come,’ and I realized that I don’t want to be one of those adults who do community theater for fun,” Marston said. “I want to be serious about it, and the Shooting Star Scholarship is helping me do that.”

Anna Andrevnya

“The Government Inspector”

Paganini

Rusty

Tchaikovsky

Joline

“Footloose”

o b a

SHOOTING STARS

TA R

”

Art Teacher James Meara

Students win fine arts scholarship

BEHIND THE SCENES

HollyHernandez

Students excelling in arts programs in every high school in the district had the chance to be nominated for the Shooting Star Scholarship. The scholarship is for students who take a great interest in the arts or who demonstrate a unique skill or talent within their fine arts classes. Teachers can choose to nominate a student that they feel has gone above and beyond their limits in the arts programs. The East students placed in

RICKYLATSHAW

tech theater

restaurant and Coterie theatre. He thinks the work that he put into theatre all four years––inside and outside of school––helped him get nominated for the award.

“I’ve been crew chief for every show this year and basically led everyone else,” Latshaw said. “I started out doing the first show my freshman year, and I’ve done every show since then.”

He was nominated for the scholarship by theatre teacher Tom DeFeo, who says because of Latshaw’s training over the past four years, he would be more successful than anyone else.

“He lives and breathes theater, and he’s here all the time,” DeFeo said. “I’ve got him working outside of school doing professional work; he’s already fully into it.”

Latshaw will be studying lighting design at the University of Michigan after a gap year.

“I hope to continue on with it because I really like lighting design and just working backstage,” Latshaw said. “I hope to end up on Broadway in New York some day.”

Technical Theatre, Theatre Performance, Strings and 2D Art. If nominated, a portfolio of work must be submitted or an audition must take place in front of the Arts Council’s panel of judges. This year there were 30 seniors selected as finalists and 18 winners—-half of the winners were from the SMSD district and out of those, four were East students. The winners were announced at an awards gala on March 27 at Yardly Hall.

high school seniors It’s been around for 13 years

The program is funded by private donations

all photos by EdenSchoofs

DJBURTON

rd a w a e

th The stars program has t u recognized nearly 1,000

“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”

ke S s

Each finalist was lined up backstage waiting for their name to be called. Senior Ricky Latshaw started to get excited right after he heard the second place winner’s name sound through the auditorium.

“In first place, Ricky Latshaw for Technical Theatre,” KCTV5 news anchor Brad Stephens voiced from the microphone.

Latshaw knew he was being nominated for the scholarship, but was no less thrilled and excited when he heard his name. He says it was “nice” to be recognized for all the work that he has done.

After acting in two frequent Fridays during his freshman year, Latshaw says he prefers the technical side of theater rather than being on stage.

“I went to the first all-theater meeting my freshman year, and the person working the lights at the time said lights crew gets to go up in the ceiling to work the lights,” Latshaw said. “It was right then that I started to get into lighting.”

Latshaw has spent three nights every 10 weeks working the lighting at shows at the American Heartland theatre, the New Theatre

17

ROLES SHE’S PLAYED

Mozart

“ BE

acting

issue 14

top three favorite

COMPOSERS HE PLAYS

w TO h

SPREAD

IN DJ’S NOTEBOOK

2D art

The anticipation was building backstage as senior DJ Burton waited among the rest of the scholarship finalists for the awards ceremony to begin. Approximately 30 minutes passed before students were finally being called out on stage. His name was the first announced for his category, 2D art. He blanked at the thought of what to do next.

“That moment was kind of a blur, because I was the first category to go out, and I was the second place winner so I was first to get called up,” Burton said. “So I didn’t get to see anyone else go to see how I was suppose to stand or shake his hand.”

Even though Burton says that he was pretty nervous, overall he feels it was a good thing to experience.

“I was really nervous because I had to stand out there by myself in the spotlight,” Burton said. “I didn’t know what the kids that I was surrounded by were capable of, but it was definitely a good and new experience.”

He has worked on several pieces of art as projects in his art classes and of his own. Painting the fifth floor bathroom, props for a movie and painting a 17 by 17 foot mural for an art gala in remembrance of a local artist have been a few of his achievements in the past few years.

For the scholarship, seven pieces of personal artwork were needed

for submission. He knew he was being nominated, but he didn’t think he could actually win or even place, never having competed within the arts before.

Burton thinks that the fact that his personality showed through in his artwork and his individuality was clearly seen helped him place with the judges.

“The girl who won in the 2D Art category told me that she saw one of my pieces and said, ‘It just screamed you,” Burton said. “And that made me feel good, so not only was it technically drawn well, but it was a project that I put myself into and people were able to recognize that, and I think that is something that helped me place.”

Burton wants to attend Kansas City Art Institute to major in Art Illustration and possibly attend UMKC later on to get a degree in teaching, so that he can become an art educator.

Burton feels proud winning something like the Shooting Stars Scholarship, and is amazed by it, knowing that he placed second in his category out of all of Johnson County.

“It gave me confidence,” Burton said. “Being able to see that I can actually compete and actually believe in myself, that I am as good as people say that I am.”

artsjoco.org

18

MIXED

04-18-11

Mixed {the page about life}

How it works

ASSASSINS Weapons of Choice

Matt Gannon

The game (or battle) lasts for weeks, until only one assassin is left standing. It is a game that requires patience, a steady hand and the somewhat creepy knowledge of always knowing your next target’s location. It is not for the weak.

Prom on a budget

Dinner

Dinner at a friend’s house can be a fun and intimate alternative to a restaurant

“This squirt gun is good for close kills and defense. It’s a good one to have in my bag.

In total, I have five squirt guns and I always keep a bag of water balloons in my car.”

Amy Cosgrove

“My assassin, Cormac O’Connor, got me out when I was walking in a parking lot, and I was already out by the time I figured out what was happening.”

Do you plan on attending prom?

63% YES 31% NO 6% undecided

Mac Dolliver “I died because I left my

Nerf Super Soaker in the car, and my assassin shot me in the morning when I was heading towards my car. It was a moment of both disappointment and relief.”

How much do you plan on spending on a dress?

45 %

13% said $25-50

and up

42% said $50-100

said

$100

Dance details

Quiz results from a survey about prom

Get some guys together and trade ties. Eco & wallet friendly Make a homemade creation with a flower from Mom’s garden

What is your favorite part of the dance?

Rent-the-Runway

5% chose the dance

picture from renttherunway.com

Nathan Simpson “My assassin basically swooped up on me like Knight Rider and shot me from a moving car, while I was waiting for my friend in the parking lot outside Starbucks.”

Graham Redelsheimer

Tie Swap

This website allows you to rent designers dresses at a fraction of the cost!

Runway price: $495 You pay: $50

“I really like my squirt gun because it is small enough to carry around but big enough to squirt far distances. I got mine at Target.” Hanna Jane Stradinger

Expert Strategy

Little ways to cut costs on the big night

Boutonniere

“My squirt gun can shoot up to 40 feet. When my target was leaving for school, they opened their car door and I shot her with it.” CC Creidenberg

Competitors reveal the advantages of their squirt guns

Assassins is a game in which every senior participant is given a card with their target to “kill,” using any type of water weaponry they choose.

No “kills” can be made on East grounds, or inside any building for that matter, so the outdoors becomes the vast battlefield. ”Kills” are often made when targets are extremely vulnerable, such as early in the morning, before kids leave for school. After an assassin makes a “kill,” the commissioner, senior Olivia Mansfield, must be informed and the “dead” assassin must give his or her target card to their “killer.”

all photos by CarolineCreidenberg and GrantKendall

19% chose dinner

76%

chose the afterparty

How are you getting your tuxedo?

14%

are buying

54%

32% are own

one renting already

*Survey based on a survey of 82 juniors and seniors

the amount of money $900 that was collected of assassinations 56 number made in Week 1

involved at the 184 people beginning of game 5.13.11 final deadline

HarbieVoice

If you could go with anyone to Prom, who would it be?

The Backstreet Boys

Why have one date to prom when you could have five? I'm certain the boys would take me to a nice restaurant and maybe even serenade me on the way. Having them as my dates would ensure good music throughout the night until my curfew when I'd have to say, "Bye, Bye, Bye." Emma Pennington

Hey Arnold!

Taylor Swift

The great thing about this one is it’s possible. Taylor went to prom with a boy from Alabama in 2008 following a contest of 50 people. Based on her appearances on TV, she looks wacky and down-to-Earth, two qualities of value for a great date.

Pat McGannon

Hey Arnold! Who doesn’t love a football head?

Yeah, he’s quite a bit younger than me, but the younger the better. He is short enough that I won’t have to wear heals, and tall enough that I don’t have to bend over to hug good night. Helga Pataki, hope you’re not jealous. Caroline Creidenberg

finding their

FEATURES

truth

issue 14

Tanzania

in

Freshman daughters of missionaries lived in Africa for seven years

KevinSimpson

November 1994 As the rain poured down from the Tanzanian sky, Cabot Sweeney nervously kept the Land Cruiser rolling through the mud. In the back seat, his wife Betsy cried. One of his young sons had fallen to the floor. After managing to navigate through what he calls “one of the worst roads I’d ever seen,” Cabot stopped the car and checked the back seat.

His twin daughters, Abby and Sally, slept peacefully. They were born two weeks earlier, yet there the babies lay, sound asleep among the chaos

around them. The only sign of disturbance came from the little flecks of mud that had cascaded into the car during the storm.

“I thought it’s kind of like they were baptized into a Tanzanian life by being sprinkled with mud at a young age,” Cabot said. *** The Sweeney family, which includes East graduates Jonathan (23), Benjamin (22) and Andrew (20), as well as freshmen twins Abby and Sally, lived in Tanzania from 1993 until 2002. Cabot, a family physician, led a team of missionaries that focused

}

About Tanzania

}

photos courtesy of the Sweeney family

on not only developing the resources and villages of the Tanzanians, but also incorporating spiritual work and making disciples there.

Just about a year into their stay, Cabot and Betsy visited an obstetrician at Nairobi Hospital in Kenya.

The Tanzanian hospital was locally run and Cabot said it wasn’t that good from a health point of view, so they chose the nicest hospital in Nairobi, Betsy was 20 weeks pregnant at the time, and she underwent a sonogram.

The doctor looked at the old machine and found two heads. The Sweeneys were going to have twin girls.

“I was actually really excited,” Cabot said. “We’d had three boys, and I was actually praying that we’d have a girl. My wife had told me she would go through this one more time. I was praying for a girl, so when I found out we were having two girls, I was overjoyed.”

Since they were just seven years old when they moved away from the small village of Mugumu, Tanzania, Abby and Sally spent most of their days playing with the children of other team members. Two Tanzanian girls, Grace and Sophia, watched after the Sweeney twins during the day as they rode bikes and played on tire swings. They also were able to go on safaris and see a wide variety of African animals, including lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and zebras.

“Animals that you’ve seen in the zoo, I’ve seen in real life,” Abby said.

After nine years in Tanzania, Cabot and Betsy planned to take another job in Nairobi, Kenya on a leadership team. Before beginning the new position, the Sweeneys came to Kansas City for what they thought would be a one-year sabbatical at the International House of Prayer.

“We were tired after being out on the fields for nine years,” Cabot said.

“During that year, we felt like God spoke to us and said that we weren’t supposed to go back. We were supposed to stay here in Kansas City... I felt like God had called me to Tanzania to make disciples. Now, I feel like he’s calling me to make disciples in Kansas City.”

The transition to the United States was an interesting one for the girls.

After living in a temperate climate

their whole lives, they suddenly had the chance to experience winter and snow for the first time. Years of walking around barefoot were replaced with the uncomfortable realization that wearing shoes was the norm.

“The main thing I remember was being at school and having somebody say something, like even naming Britney Spears,” Sally said. “We would be like, ‘Who is that?’ [I remember] just not knowing normal, cultural things.”

They also occasionally get frustrated with their delayed start on typical American things.

“With sports, we would have gotten started a lot earlier,” Abby said.

“Sometimes, I get a little disappointed that we didn’t get started in that a little earlier... We’re on one of the teams at East right now. If we had started earlier when other people started, we might have been better. “ Despite the few drawbacks of living on another continent for the first seven years of their lives, the Sweeney sisters have found benefits to their situation.

“We can tell people we lived in Tanzania for half our life and all the different memories we have of it,” Abby said.

These memories are constantly emerging in the girls’ lives. Whenever someone mentions Africa in Sally’s world geography class, she thinks about how much she wants to return to Tanzania for a visit. The Sweeney family living room contains pictures on the wal from East Africa of different animals and scenes, including a large scene from the Serengeti over the fireplace.

But it isn’t just tangible items that the Sweeneys brought back with them from Tanzania.

“They have an expanded world view,” Cabot said. “Having a world view that’s broader than just growing up here is really valuable.”

Cabot thinks that his family’s experiences in Africa could shape his daughters’ future plans.

“The interesting thing that I’ve seen is that many missionary kids end up being missionaries themselves,” Cabot said. “They’ve seen it and they’re not scared of it.”

population of 29 million twice the size of California

68% literacy rate

Prairie Village, KS

8, 617 Miles

Speak English and Swahili

22% urban population 78% rural population safariweb.com

19

Mugumu, Tanzania

FEATURES

Mission

College of n a

fia So

e ne

Amer ic

04-18-11

E

t as

Sha w

20

Traveling to Teach

SammiKelly

Quick Facts

About Bulgaria

The capital of Bulgaria is Sofia 5,590 miles from Kansas City to Bulgaria Bulgarian is the main language spoken. Turkish is the second.

Created the world’s first digital watch In 2008, Bulgaria had a literacy rate of 98 percent

MaggieAndriani

East physics teacher Mary Ward filled out international application forms, paid the $150 application fee and proceeded with job interviews from schools in six different countries. It was only a short matter of time before she was offered teaching positions in Costa Rica, Bulgaria and Bahrain. Ward didn’t find teaching in a desert appealing, and she also didn’t think she would be as safe. Her decision was between Costa Rica and Bulgaria.

“Costa Rica was a really good school, and I really liked the administrators,” Ward said. “That job was teaching AP Biology. Bulgaria was also a good school, and it was teaching IB Biology.

They’re really similar, but I like the IB program better, so that was a reason I chose Bulgaria. I also felt I’d fit into the culture and climate of the school really well.”

This June, Ward will be packing her bags and heading to Bulgaria for a two-year teaching contract at the American College of Sofia in Sofia, Bulgaria. The high school of about 200 Bulgarian students is part of the IB program and has all classes instructed in English.

“The kids who go to this school speak very good English, and they’re obviously motivated enough to take all of their classes in a foreign language,” Ward said. “For teaching biology, it might be different because there’s a lot of big vocabulary words and it might take more work to make sure everyone understands it.”

In past years, Ward had wanted to apply for

THE TOP

THINGS

“

that science teacher Mary Ward will miss in the U.S.

international teaching jobs offered through Iowa State, but the jobs were usually too expensive.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do, so I decided to go now,” Ward said.

Another challenge Ward may face is having available school supplies. The ACS provides basic supplies such as textbooks and paper, but lab supplies needed for biology may be harder to obtain.

“The guy who interviewed me said that they try their hardest to get supplies, but it’s sometimes harder to get them, just because of the area the school is in,” Ward said. “They’re just harder to come by, but they’ll still have most of what we need.”

In the city of Sofia, also the capital of Bulgaria, Ward will be provided housing by the school and will be rooming with two other teachers from ACS. Kristina Pappas, one of Ward’s future roommates, originally from Massachusetts, describes the house as “a cute cottage.”

“It’s great because it’s right on campus,” Pappas said. “Another perk is that the guards do things for you like shovel snow and cut firewood, which I love after living in Massachusetts.”

Although the students speak English, learning Bulgarian will become part of Ward’s daily life outside of school. She hasn’t started learning the language yet, but might take a local class if she can find one.

“A lot of it might just be learning the language by being around other people and picking

American television

Although I can just look it up on the Internet, it’ll be weird to turn on the TV and not be able to understand what’s going on.”

it up,” Ward said. “I’m looking forward to trying a new language, but I’ll miss being able to easily discern what is going on around me.”

Coleman Ogdon, head of the science department, is excited for Ward and thinks teaching in Bulgaria will be a great opportunity, but says the science department will miss her.

“We will miss her enthusiasm, her knowledge about physics, her youthfulness and her ability to interact with her students,” Ogdon said. “I think it’s great that she’s going.”

Pappas thinks that, while learning the language is the hardest part, Ward will do fine adjusting and becoming part of the school.

“I’m excited to get to know Ms. Ward,” Pappas said. “It’s really fun living on campus because many of the other American teachers do as well and it’s a really fun community.”

Once Ward’s contract at ACS is finished in June of 2013, Ward is undecided on whether she will return to the US or renew her teaching contract to stay in Bulgaria.

“I won’t have a job when I come back here,” Ward said. “I had to resign when I decided I would be going to Bulgaria. I might stay in Bulgaria. We’ll see.”

As for permanently leaving East, Ward will miss the people here the most.

“The students, the teachers—I’ll miss all of them,” Ward said. “There are some really great people at this school.”

3

2

1

THREE

Science teacher Mary Ward travels abroad to teach in Bulgaria

“

Driving a car

I won’t have a car, so it might be harder to get around. It’ll take more planning rather than just getting in the car and going somewhere.”

“

Family and friends

If I want to see my parents or friends that don’t live here on a weekend, I can. No passport or travel arrangements needed. It will be different having to research how to get places.”

A&E

THE

ULTIMATE

issue 14

BobMartin

GrantHeinlein

KatBuchanan The Holy Grail of interactive music sites, Last.fm is one of the easiest ways to find, share and listen to new music—all in one place.

The website uses a music recommender system called the “Audioscrobbler” to piece together a profile of your own—and over 40 million others’—music preferences. By downloading the Last.fm Scrobbler and listening to music through preset radio stations, other users’ libraries and your own music players and applications, the system keeps a log of songs you play (and, with a simple click, mark as “Loved”), then matches you up with recommended artists, giving you an entirely new platform of music to search through.

All of the recommendations received from the system are shown on a homepage called “The Dashboard,” which is only visible to the account holder. Also on The Dashboard are upcoming musical events, tracks that “Friends” on the site are currently listening to, journals written by users and other users that have been listening to similar music recently.

Last.fm’s music library contains well over 7 million audio tracks from different artists on all the major commercial and independent labels, and with artist profiles, you’re given the option to read up on some of your favorite bands’ back story and see similar artists.

Buying a Subscriber account (costing a breezy $3 per month) gives you an upper hand in the Last.fm experience—no advertising, the ability to view recent visitors on your profile and priority on the server. These are just added bonuses: without the Subscriber experience, the website is just as useful.

21

Perhaps you know Tumblr as the weird, hipsterfilled blogging platform that obsesses over kittens and obscure memes, or maybe you don’t know what Tumblr is at all. It is those things, yes, but it is an excellent source for discovering new music as well.

Founded in 2007 by David Karp, the site houses over 3 million bloggers, and averages 15,000 new users every day. While not every blog is specifically home to posting music, a vast majority of those blogging will post musical findings as inspiration.

However, there are a select few users that are dedicated to uncovering new music and posting it for the world to hear. By logging on to Tumblr and clicking the “Explore” tab, you will be overwhelmed by the many different categories of blogs that inhabit the Tumblr community. Peruse the list until you stumble upon the posts tagged with music. From there you can listen, like, and reblog your musical findings. A good way to judge how awesome, or sometimes horrific, a song sounds is by the amount of “likes” the audio post gets. If the count is over 200, it’s a sure bet to be a solid upcoming Indie artist, or perhaps a bizarre dubstep remix of Rebecca Black’s “Friday.” Either way, you are destined to cross paths with something you haven’t heard before.

AlexLamb Musical scores can fill the most important scenes of movies with potent emotion and an enthralling sense of excitement, but that feeling shouldn’t just be limited to the film. When a score grabs you during a movie, check out the original soundtrack in its entirety afterward to experience its complete raw power, and expand your horizons with a very different style of music.

Blasting intense pieces like Hans Zimmer’s pounding score to “Inception” while in the car turns a drive to school into an epic, adrenaline-pumping race against time. Others, like the soothing earthy tones of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score to “The Social Network,” have an uncanny ability to transform a mental block preventing one from working into swift, flowing productivity. Most helpful, scores make for perfect background music to focus during homework.

Vocals are predominantly absent from movie scores, but the instrumentals range from the standard, sweeping orchestra to distorted guitar alongside echoing piano, and even to deep, trance-like electronic beats. As musicians like Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood, Nick Cave and Daft Punk dip into the world of composing film scores, this music continues to diversify, proving it’s not just for classical music lovers and film buffs anymore.

Few feelings match that of finding a hit song before the social networking masses. Established by a Hunter College computer science major in 2005, “The Hype Machine” is my mecca for this sort of music discovery. The concept is simple--thousands of music bloggers post songs on their sites everyday. Meanwhile, The Hype Machine follows what it deems to be the top-of-the -crop music blogs and automatically reposts every song they write about. This way, there is a constant stream of new music each day, but also a large back catalogue of things posted in the last 3-4 years.

The site has it all. Whether you’re looking for the grimiest whomps in modern dubstep, or a tear-jerking singer/songwriter to steal your heart away, “The Hype Machine” will provide. The site does tend to feature far more independent artists than anything else, but that’s what finding new music is all about, right? The artists you didn’t even know you loved yet. In addition to thousands of full length streaming songs, the site also offers accounts where users can tag songs as favorites and see what their friends are listening to. While the Hype Machine does not directly offer downloads of any of its music, they do provide links to several online music stores that do. In addition, listeners can visit the blogs themselves who often provide a more (cough) free option.

MaggieSimmons If you want to be a music guru, go to concerts. Not only that, but get there early. Some people think that if they make it to the venue just in time for the headliner then that’s enough. Wrong. Many concerts have at least two openers. Since tickets can sometimes be pricey, you’ll get more “bang for your buck” if you come early enough to hear another hour or two of quality music that you may have missed otherwise.

These opening acts can be the best place to find your next favorite band. A lot of bands tour with openers that have a similar style to their own, so you’re bound to find some new, likable tunes. You’ll probably need to arrive to the show early and wait outside before it starts; however, this can sometimes be the best part. Musicians from opening bands can often be found meandering outside of the venue, chatting with waiting fans. They’re always looking for more people to reach out to in order to spread their music to more listeners. And you never know—a musician you meet could be the next big thing.

C. Jack’s Sidewalk Cafe 6937 Tomahawk Rd. In the Prairie Village Shops 384-2445 cjackscafe.com

*

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 

PHOTO ESSAY issue 14

23

Playing the wild role of Anna Andreyenvna, senior Emma Marston, far left, mocks her husband after he demands that she would do nothing to bring disgrace to their family. “I’ve always played the motherly roles,” Marston said, “so it was fun to play somebody that you’d never be in real life.” GrantHeinlein Juniors Andrew Beasley, playing Hlestakov, and Duri Long, playing Marya Antonovna, confess their love for one another.

DanStewart

THE JOYS

JUSTICE

East’s spring play “The Government Inspector” centers around the trouble a con man brings to a remote Russian town.

After discovering the true identity of the government inspector, senior Nathan Simpson celebrates as his wife screams, “Let’s kill them and use their fat for winter!” DanStewart Senior Emma Marston, left, fixes fellow senior cast member Riley Watson’s GrantHeinlein hair.

After threatening to kill himself, junior Andrew Beasley, playing the government inspector, far left, monologues on how terrible his life is.

GrantHeinlein

A&E 24 04-18-11

COFFEECAKE

BAKERY

COFFEECAKE TRUCK KC

OFFERS A NEW BAKERY EXPERIENCE

SarahMcKittrick

Cupcakes piled high with frosting and edible decorations catch hungry customers’ eyes as they stroll past the counter of CoffeeCakeKC. The fresh smell of coffee wafts through the air, tempting even more people to buy delicious treats. However the customers of CoffeeCakeKC don’t buy their cupcakes and coffee in a compact store or mall. Instead, the customers buy their treats from a long, red truck that roams the streets of Downtown Kansas City carrying a mobile bakery and espresso bar.

Started only three months ago, CoffeeCakeKC travels throughout Downtown Kansas City to sell delicious cupcakes and coffee from an unpresuming truck. CoffeeCakeKC often alerts its customers where they will be stopping via Twitter. However, they also offer a welcomed surprise wherever they happen to park. The truck combines two companies, the cupcakes of Ms. Nene’s Takes the Cake Bakery with an espresso bar of EF Hobbs Specialty Coffee, to make a tasty combination for customers. Although both Nene’s and Hobbs seem intent on keeping their own identities with separate menus and business cards, they also compliment each other and work well in unison.

The variety of cupcakes sold at CoffeeCakeKC ensures that every customer will

STAR SCALE

find something to please their appetite. For more traditional tastes, there are cupcakes such as the Original Gangsta (white cake with vanilla buttercream frosting) and Darth Chocolate (chocolate cake with fudge buttercream frosting).

However, there are also more unique cupcakes that taste just as good and contain flavors that add a little punch. Renee Kloeblen, CoffeeCakeKC’s baker, isn’t afraid to try new combinations, a risk that seems to pay off. When I visited CoffeeCakeKC, the Root Beer Belly cupcake was having its debut after Kloeblen had perfected the recipe only the night before. It was a little strange having root beer flavor coming from a cakey substance, but the unique taste combined with the thick frosting made it work.

I also tried another one of Kloeben’s specialties, the Banana Cupcake. This cupcake combined a texture and taste similar to banana bread with a light topping of Nutella and a thick layer of frosting. Again, this is not a cupcake I would usually choose, but I had no complaints and couldn’t seem to put the cupcake down in between bites. CofeeCakeKC also offers red velvet cupcakes (Ruby Slippers) along with a cupcake that contains the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter (Stubbie) among others.

CHECK PLEASE

AVERAGE

The consistency of CoffeeCakeKC’s cupcakes is lighter than some other bakery’s cupcakes. The cupcake didn’t seem too dense or rich, so I didn’t feel as guilty eating it. Although the cupcake didn’t completely fill me up, I wanted another not because of an empty stomach, but because I was already craving more. The frosting, what Kloeblen calls her specialty, had a creamy consistency with just the right amount of sweetness. Although it was loaded pretty thick on top of the cupcake, there wasn’t too much frosting that it overpowered the cake’s flavor. Many of the cupcakes were artfully garnished with chocolate sauce, jelly beans or sprinkles, which added a personal touch.

The espresso bar perfectly complimented the cupcakes on a slightly breezy day. EF Hobbs offers the usual culprits such as Cappuccinos, Lattes and Mochas, as well as several more unique drinks such as a “Mexican Spiced Cocoa.” A self proclaimed, “coffee snob,” the owner and roast master Brian Jurgens prides himself on making all of the drinks. I ordered the Chocolate Mocha and although it quenched my thirst and complimented the cupcakes well, it tasted like something I could get at Starbucks. However, despite an unoriginal flavor, the convenience of the coffee to compliment the cupcakes

made it worth the money.

All of the prices at CoffeeCakeKC seemed reasonable. The cupcakes only cost $3 each and after spending more than that on ice cream many times at TCBY or Peachwave, I was more than willing to pay the same amount for a more special, gourmet treat.

The price of coffee ranged from $3-4. Again, the coffee seemed comparable to drinks from Starbucks or Latte Land, but they didn’t seem overly priced The service at CoffeeCakeKC’s truck was very friendly and helpful. The employees were happy to offer recommendations and casual conversation and it was clear that their primary concern was ensuring the customer’s happiness. Still in the first few months of their business, the CoffeeCakeKC employees seemed appreciative for the business the customers gave them and were eager to get any customer feedback.

Because it spends 2-3 days a week on the streets of Kansas City, one of the few downsides to CoffeCakeKC is that it can sometimes be difficult for customers to find the truck.

However, despite the inconvenience and time spent finding the truck, the end result of scrumptious cupcakes and coffee is worth the wait.

DELIGHTFUL

CULINARY GENIUS

QUAINT BAKERY ‘LE PETITE ROUGE’ SATISFIES CUSTOMERS WITH CHARM AND DELICIOUS CUPCAKES all photos by EdenSchoofs

CHARMING and

TASTEFUL

C

ErinReilly

rawling slowly through traffic lined up by Brookside’s strip of red and blue awnings sheltering various boutiques, it’d be oh-soeasy to pass by Reading Reptile’s shadowy front door.

Don’t.

Not only is this quirky bookstore renowned throughout the Kansas City area, it’s also become the home of the delectable little establishment Le Petit Rouge. Not since Starbucks met Barnes and Noble was there a literary-culinary duo quite as satisfying.

The self-proclaimed “one-ofa-kind fairytale bakery” creates edible masterpieces to reflect the storybook characters that can be found around the shop.

While known to sell cakes and other pastries, their piéce de re-

sistance is their cupcakes.

I had the pleasure of sampling the Peter Rabbit: a carrot cake cupcake, topped with vanilla icing and a frosting carrot.

I was extremely partial to the Little Red, since Red Velvet has been my long-standing favorite cake flavor. Thick and creamy vanilla buttercream frosting finished off this treat—but what made this such a delightful dainty was the carefully applied basket-weave texture in the frosting. This close attention to detail is what truly made Little Red’s story, not to mention my taste buds, spring to life.

However, the most whimsical delicacy was the Big Bad Wolf cupcake. While I didn’t have the chance to try it, it was described to me as a chocolate cupcake with the “Grandma”

flavored cupcake inside. The disturbing thing about this is not the premise of the cupcake, but rather the fact that chocolate and cinnamon could taste so good together.

Although it seems to have the visual busyness reminiscent of a gypsy caravan, Reading Reptile brings the sort of calm only a bookstore can. It took hardly any time to able up to the counter and “pick my poison” (should you order the Snow White cupcake with poison apple frosting).

If a bakery is considered curious enough to be located in arguably the most intriguing book store since Strand Bookstore in NYC, (picture emerging from an alligator’s gullet as you arrive inside) there’s obviously something special about it.

You’re sure to be “charmed.”

A&E

issue 14

An Endearing ‘Win’

25

‘Win Win’ provides an emotional and sweet dramady

another source of income. He hatches a plan to sign on as a guardian for an elderly client of his and collect $1500 a month from the state.

Through this shady move, he is introduced to the client’s grandson Kyle (newcomer Alex Shaffer). Mike and his wife Jackie (Amy Ryan) conclude that they must watch over him until he can sort things out with his mom. In doing so—surprise, surprise —they become emotionally involved and allmoviephoto.com enroll him at the high school. Mike also gives him a spot on the wrestling team where he thrives — JackHowland “Win Win” has just about all the makings of a bad Life- until his “druggie” mom comes back and causes complicatime movie. The recycled storyline of “man changed by tions.

The screenplay is essentially a non-violent, suburban youth” is predictable and, above all else, run-of-the-mill. No, there are no washed-up soap actors pouring their eyes out “Gran Torino,” in which the child the story is centered on-screen, nor are there commercials for women’s estrogen around teaches valuable lessons to all those around him, pills, but the plot always feels very familiar. How, I ask you, even—get this —adults. But the story here escapes the could any director make an original film out of a story so realms of generic and cliché because of its universality and genuine heart. It actually draws a lot of parallels to the 2010 destined for primetime TV? gem “The Kids Are All Right,” in the sense that it is a real Enter Tom McCarthy.

McCarthy, the man behind acclaimed flicks “The Station family drama with emotion that hits like a sympathetic Agent” and “The Visitor,” has a keen skill for the quirky, off- freight train.

Given the role of Alex, Shaffer is the literal definition beat comedy with a dramatic punch. In his third directorial effort, he continues this characteristic style through per- of someone “typecast” as he was picked based solely on his haps his most simple vehicle yet. It may not have the box- wrestling skill. And although the script doesn’t require him office sizzle of any other film out in theaters right now, but to do a whole lot other than look like a teenager, he does it’s amazingly authentic and eons ahead of its made-for-TV well with what he’s given and is impressive from an athletic standpoint. predecessors.

Seasoned vet Giamatti is good as ever as the financially The less-than-groundbreaking story follows down-onhis-luck lawyer Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) who can struggling everyman always trying his best to do the right barely afford to pay his electric bill and desperately needs thing. He commands every scene he’s in and works well with

STAR SCALE

STAY AT HOME

RENT IT

Ryan in their odd-couple-of-sorts relationship. Ryan is hilarious as a mother more interested in beating up other kid’s moms than hashing it out, while Giamatti counteracts this as a more realistic, restrained dad. Surprisingly, the movie is a funny-as-hell romp and makes its sophisticated intended audience look like a bunch of eight-year-olds watching a dirty movie.

The main source of this comic relief comes from the delightfully surprising Bobby Cannavale. Cannavale, who is like a Where’s Waldo in all of McCarthy’s films, absolutely steals the movie and is the biggest crowd-pleaser. His character is smartly written as a too-cool-for-school middle aged man who is always peeved at his ex-wife for hooking up in his own house. His sense of comedic timing is unparalleled and he plays the potty-mouthed businessman to a T. Whereas other movies pile up drama like a stack of war memoirs (“Blue Valentine,” “Rabbit Hole”), McCarthy throws in comedy, even some slapstick set gags , to tell a story that feels like real life. The way the film is shot—dull, grainy, nothing bright or flashy—and an acoustic style score by “Superbad” composer Lyle Workman, all help to drive home the movie’s “bleak yet hopeful” theme. Every element across the board aligns here for McCarthy and the movie is a triumph.

Never has a film title in recent memory more accurately described a movie than with “Win Win.” Going by the definition conflict resolution teaches us, all parties benefit from this endearing flick. It appeals to all ages, Giamatti is good as usual and McCarthy yet again has proven himself to be one of the most talented directors in Hollywood.

And it’s much better than primetime TV.

WORTH SEEING

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Tues.

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Fri.

4/29

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Mon.

5/2

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Tues.

5/3

Softball vs. SMNW (Senior Night)

Wed.

5/4

Baseball vs. Olathe North

Fri.

5/6

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Tues.

5/10

Baseball vs. SMS

Wed.

5/18

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A&E 28 04-18-11

ON the ‘EYRE’ AlexLamb

Many seniors (mostly males) complain about reading “Jane Eyre” and how it’s long, wordy and not terribly exciting. The latest movie adaptation of the sweeping Gothic romance proves much more entertaining, even for those who don’t like films set in the Victorian Era. Lauded for staying close to the source material, this fresh translation to the big screen presents the story with an edge of suspense, magnificent visuals and dazzling performances, making this classic tale accessible and worth experiencing.

The movie opens up with Jane (Mia Wasikowska) escaping from a mansion, traveling across sprawling, breathtaking landscapes in a stunning sequence until she collapses, whereupon priest St. John Rivers (Jaime Bell) and his two sisters find and nurse her back to health. Detailed flashbacks of her troubled childhood then show Jane to have grown up as an orphan at an oppressive all-girls school, becoming independent but possessing little experience in the rest of the world until she leaves to work as a governess at the Rochester mansion.

It’s here where events really start to get interesting, as Jane befriends head housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax (a motherly and sardonic Judi Dench) and interacts with the mysterious owner of the mansion, Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender). The sly Rochester takes a liking to Jane’s independence and quiet tenacity, eventually developing a romance with her, but he never fully reveals his motivations and hides a dark secret.

This secret constantly simmers under the surface of every-

Adaptation of classic novel radiates with impressive performances and strong storytelling www.focusfeatures.com

thing he does, building tension and threatening to destroy him - his only possible source of redemption being Jane.

By telling the story non-linearly, Moira Buffini’s screenplay keeps the pace moving throughout the film and grabs viewers’ attentions right from the start. The first half of “Jane Eyre” works better than the second, which loses some steam before the ending, but the whole product is still easier to sit through and more enjoyable than the usual Victorian period piece. Greatly contributing to this is Buffini’s accomplished condensing of the plot, keeping the runtime strictly at two hours while keeping all the essential elements.

Wisely letting the actors take center stage, director Cary Fukunaga creates a naturalistic style that fits appropriately with the setting. The gorgeous cinematography, effective use of shadows and lighting as well as contrasting color tones all combine for some fantastic visuals. But he also has a strong skill for developing a sense of foreboding and creepy atmosphere, which add another layer to many of the most memorable scenes. Fukunaga plays up the Gothic aspect of the story to the perfect degree, haunting the sequences of Jane’s childhood and secrets in the Rochester mansion with a tone of cruelty and sinister behavior, yet never divulging them with out-of-place, otherworldly visualizations.

Fittingly, however, it’s the 21-year-old Wasikowska that leaves the biggest impression. Hot off her star-making turn in “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Kids Are All Right” last year, this budding actress commands the whole show in a

precocious yet tough manner reminiscent of a young Meryl Streep. Truly defining the look of a “plain Jane” countless times throughout the movie, as she evolves in her quest for self-rule and love so too evolves her beauty. Behind Jane’s timid demeanor Wasikowska fuels her with a burning passion, capable of firing back at Fassbender with just as much power when he tries to intimidate her. In the same breath, she also carries the pain and aggression Jane endures with great emotional depth and sympathy.

The majority of the best scenes simply involve intimate moments and discussions between Jane and Rochester, whether they’re just talking, fighting or loving each other, and that is all a testament to the true skill and prowess of both actors. Fassbender is quickly becoming a major leading man, proving with several of his last performances that he’s an acting powerhouse. As Rochester, he brings a charismatic charm to the role, but at the same time, nearly everything he says has a certain weight to it, a disquieting potency that demands respect yet also leaves viewers wondering if he can be trusted.

“Jane Eyre” does nothing radically different from other incarnations of the Charlotte Brontë novel, or even from other films taking place in this era, but it does tell this story the way it feels like it should be told, for modern audiences.

If nothing else, it’s worth seeing for the talent of two upand-coming actors pouring their hearts into their roles and electrifying the screen.

MICHAEL FASSBENDER’S

An art film of the highest order, “Hunger” stars Fassbender as the IRA leader and political prisoner Bobby Sands, who led a hunger strike in prison that resulted in his death.

In Quentin Tarantino’s wild WWII thriller, Fassbender enters the story for the basement bar showdown as British Lt. Archie Hicox to help the other Basterds. It was in this role that most people started taking note of him and where he became recognizably famous.

Starring as the young Erik Lensherr aka Magneto in the X-Men prequel, this will be Fassbender’s largest role yet in a Hollywood blockbuster. Following X-Men, Fassbender has even more leading roles in big-budget films coming up.

INSTANT CLASSIC

SPORTS

issue 14

29

all photos by EdentSchoofs

Girls’ Swim team focuses on winning state two years in a row continued from page 1

One thing senior Emily Fuson pinpoints as room for improvement is their preliminary races, which come on the first day of a two-day meet. If more swimmers do well in prelims on the first day, then that gives the team more of a chance for swimmers to place in finals on the second day.

“Usually, as a team, we swim really well the second day as opposed to swimming well on both days,” Fuson said. “I think it’s more of a mindset because by that point we have the yardage we need. Rob gives us everything we need to be able to swim to our highest ability.”

In years past, state wasn’t something the team ever really discussed. Doing well at state was something that was always in the back of the swimmers’ minds but rarely spoken about. Since last year’s win, the topic has become much more open to discussion.

“We’ve definitely been talking about it a lot more this year and our coach has been bringing it up more than we have,” senior Dana Sherard said. “I think that’s just kind of a driving force in the back of our heads like, ‘Okay, we really need to do this because we could win state.”

Since the team knows they have what it takes to win the state title again, Fuson said they have been putting more pressure on themselves and on each other. She thinks that Cole is putting less pressure on the team and it is mostly the girls that are stressing the importance of state. Fuson says everyone has their own role on the team. Fuson and Sherard both yell out to girls who stop on the side and tell them to keep swimming and encourage them to finish the set.

As a senior, Richardson says she does not

Looking

Ahead:

upcoming meets

feel any more pressure to do well than she normally would feel. She says that she puts pressure on herself to do well every season because she knows those points count towards the team winning the meet.

Cole believes that this year’s group of five senior captains is a closer group of girls. He thinks they are not less focused but just actually have fun participating in swimming together.

This season, the senior captains have created a good balance of seriousness for the sport while still having fun, sophomore Riley Hunter said. Through the tough pool workouts, weight lifting sessions and dry-land exercises, the team manages to keep a laid back atmosphere.

“You kind of have to make things fun in swimming because it’s so awful,” Fuson said.

“The sets get harder and harder as the season goes on. As the weather gets nicer, we want to be outside more, so it’s awful having to be in the pool and it’s really bad ventilation. We did 8 100’s on the 1:10 [pace]. That’s really fast, like touch and go.”

Being a leader on the team has been something the captains have had to learn how to perfect. The girls have tried to lead by example and show the underclassmen how to become dedicated swimmers.

“If you sit out, [the underclassmen] think it’s okay to sit out and if you don’t put your 100 percent work effort in, they think that they can just slack off,” Richardson said. “So it’s just been learning how to be a role model even when you don’t think people are watching.”

As one of the youngest members of the team, freshman Ellie Waugh says she looks

April 19

at Lawrence Free State

May 19-21

State Championship

up to the upperclassmen. She sees their determination to win individual events and to win state as a team and thinks that it leads to good positive energy.

“It is kind of intimidating to be one of the youngest out of the group, but it’s also very encouraging because you know you have so many older people that are supporting you and always being positive,” Waugh said.

“They’re just carrying on what they know from when they were freshmen.”

Overall, the girls believe the team meshes well together and gets along great whether it be in or out of the pool. Though the five senior captains are not all in the same group of friends outside of swimming, they all make time to hang out. Fuson said during the summer they all go out to eat ice cream or meet up at Starbucks to talk.

“We’ve all become such good friends because we spend hours and hours together,” Fuson said. “We practice three hours a day, then on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, so we just spend so much time together.”

So far this season, the team has participated in four meets, including one in Wichita with 21 other teams. East has won all four meets. Rather than squeaking out victories, the Lancers have dominated the meets, proving to the rest of the state they are someone to look out for this year.

All the swimmers remember last season and how it felt to be the best swimmers in the state. The swimmers, like Fries, envision themselves fixing things like their flip turns, streamlines and stroke technique. These little things will be what help the team repeat their state win this season.

April 22-23

Lancer Invitational

May 6-7

League Championships

April 30

at SM South

April 26

vs. SM South

Seeing through Goggles {a look at practice}

1 dry land training

6 times a week

“Outside we do stairs, multiple sprints six ups and downs for four times. We increase each week.”

Junior Marston Fries

2 swimming

6 times a week

“We do ‘death’ sets called Canadians.

Basically, once a week we do multiple sets of 100 freestyle and you have to keep a steady pace on each one.”

Sophomore Meg Stanley

3 weights

2-3 times a week

“One of the hardest workouts we do involves TRX bands. Our coach got them this year. You lay down and put your feet in them and do crunches.”

Senior Emily Fuson

30

SPORTS

04-18-2011

THE

JOKESTERS all photos by ClaireWahrer

“

McGannon Brothers

I always see them having fun with the game.

Not so much just playing it, but enjoying it.

At team dinners and before practice, I always hear at least one of them crack a joke.

Freshman Kevin Cole

THE

”

WORKERS

Cole Brothers I think Jeff is a natural leader who wants to win, and that drives him to work hard. Kevin sees that in Jeff and know has to also work hard because he is the starting goalie.

”

Sophomore Connor McGannon

SIX PAIRS OF SIBLINGS BRINGS CAMARADERIE AND SKILL TO BOYS’ LACROSSE TEAM AlexGoldman

Senior Jack Esberg remembers the story just as well as his freshman brother Frank.

It was a during a spring scrimmage for the St. Paul’s lacrosse team. Jack was in eighth grade and Frank was in fifth. It was Frank’s first year playing lacrosse so his stick skills weren’t the greatest. Halfway through the scrimmage, one of his teammates lobs the ball to the inexperienced Frank. He makes a successful catch and begins cradling the ball down the field. Frank sees the goal get nearer and had to decide whether to pass it off to teammate or take a shot on goal. What he doesn’t see is his older brother charging to body check him. So before Frank can make a decision, Jack introduces his little brother to the physical game of lacrosse.

“I laid him out,” Jack said. “It was his first year and we weren’t supposed to make that much contact with other players. I saw an opening, lowered my shoulders and decked him. After the hit I got yelled at by the coaches and my parents. But it was absolutely worth it. I would never do that to any other player, but Frank is my brother.”

The Esberg brothers are one of six pairs of brothers on the lacrosse team this season, something that is very rare to find in any sport. And as anyone with a brother or sister would know, playing with their sibling on the team has its ups and downs.

“It’s cool having him on the team because we haven’t been on the same team before because we’re two years apart,” sophomore Connor McGannon said of his brother, senior Patrick McGannon, who has played lacrosse three years at East and one year at Rockhurst. “He gives me someone to look up to and learn from. Every time I make a mistake he helps me find out what I did wrong and how to fix it. He’s really helped me im-

LAX BROS

prove as a player. I also sometimes help him if he makes a mistake and talk to him about it.”

But according to Connor, sometimes the advice can be just as annoying as it is helpful.

“Sometimes I don’t want to hear what he has to say and he doesn’t want to hear what I have to say,” Connor said. “It can get pretty painful to listen to when were on the way back from game. But I know he just wants me to get better.”

Frank is also experiencing the positives and negatives of having Jack not only being on the same varsity team as him, but also the same midfield line.

“It’s nice to know a lot of seniors because of Jack and have someone to toss around in the backyard with, but the bad part is probably that I can’t say anything because he’ll just mess with me and tell me to shut up,” Frank said. “He gave me the name rib pads after I wore rib pads to a couple games. He’s also given me the honor of being the team waterboy and ball bucket captain.”

But according to Jack, the hazing is well deserved.

“He still wears rib pads,” Jack said. “No one wears rib pads in high school lacrosse, so of course I’m going to give him some crap for it. He’s a freshman on varsity so I like to make him earn that by giving him a hard time and making him play hard at practice.”

The Esbergs aren’t the only brothers that give each other a hard time at practice. Sophomore twin brothers James and Patrick Simmons not only mess with each other but also their teammates.

“For the most part we work pretty hard, but sometimes we play pranks on our teammates together,” Patrick said. “Sometimes we mess with the freshman players while coach

is talking or when we have a break. But when we get on the field, it’s strictly business.”

Other brothers, like junior Jeff and freshman Kevin Cole, have pushed each other this season to get better. Jeff is playing his first year of lacrosse while Kevin has been playing since elementary school. The brothers are regarded as two of the hardest workers on the team. Jeff, a member of the varsity football team, has pushed his little brother to become more athletic and stronger. Kevin, who is the starting varsity goalie, also says that his older brother has helped him get through some rough games.

“One night, everyone was playing decent but I was playing awful and coach pulled me out of the goal,” Kevin said. “At halftime, Jeff came up and just got on me for some poor mistakes. He really helped get the right mindset and get back in the game. He always pushes to get better.”

With the help of all twelve of these brothers, East has reached second place in the state rankings with a 5-3 record. Jack believes that the large number of brothers on this years team is just another example of how lacrosse is growing more and more at East and the Midwest.

“Our grade was one of the first grades to go through a youth lacrosse league and that really affected our little brothers and their friends,” Jack said. “That has really helped spread the sport at East and gotten more kids playing. We have 30 freshman this year, which is probably the most we’ve ever had.

So I can definitely say the talent is getting better each year.”

You can watch several boys’ lacrosse games on www.smeharbinger.net.

Spring Storylines Record Inning

MattGannon

The Lancers can definitely hit. The team recently put together a massive second inning against Leavenworth, in which they scored 17 runs. The Lancers cruised to a 20-4 victory. This big-time performance now has the players feeling that they have the ability to conquer any deficit, and that they can play and hit with the best of them.

Relying on the Field

Sprinters haven’t been the only stars of the track and field squad this season. This year’s field team is one of East’s strongest ever. Led by senior Brian Williamson, the discuss and shotput throwers are off to a hot start. Willamson, who is currently throwing distances that beat last year’s state champion’s, is looking to break the school record in the coming weeks. Seniors Kyle Engelken (pole vault) and Alex Rorie (javelin) have also placed first in meets this season.

5

minutes

SPORTS issue 14

31

with D-1 bound lacrosse player Burke Smith

Depth Floating to the Top

The girls’ domination in the water this season has been unprecedented. Last weekend, coach Rob Cole split the team into two groups, “A” and “B.” While many expected the “A” team to go on to win the meet, the other girls just didn’t sit back and watch. They stuck close to their teammates and actually pulled off a second place victory. It was a great display of this year’s depth.

Softball Becomes a Power

The softball team has been rebuilding for the past couple of years, but now the team the team is finally hitting their stride. Juniors Caroline Nick and Shannon McGinley lead the way. The team recently defeated Olathe Northwest, the second-ranked team in the state, which shows that this team is ready to make a strong run at substate and state.

Names to Know

Katie Crawford

In just three games, junior Katie Crawford has already two goals and three assists. The CrawfordDodd-Steiner trio will be a goalscoring force in the Sunflower League over the next two seasons.

AndreaZecy

Meg Stanley

GrantHeinlein

Sophomore Meg Stanley along with junior Marston Fries will be the high placers for the Lady Lancers at state. With her 200 and 500 times only two and three seconds off her state times last year, Stanley looks to place in the top three in both events.

What are the strengths to your game?

Definitely running transition, I like to think that I get the ball of the ground pretty well and I move it up the field as fast as possible. I like playing offense and scoring goals so I’d say the best facet of my game is my quickness and transition.

SamanthaBartow How is the team doing so far this season?

We are 5-2 right now. We just got a big win over Creighton Prep, the Nebraska state champion last year. so it’s going real well right now. We are starting to pick it up and really getting in the swing of things.

How do you feel about your individual play thus far?

I think I am doing pretty well; I’m just trying to do what I can for the team. If there is a few games where I have to play close defense and lock off a specific player, or there are a few games where I get to run LSM. I’m just trying to get all over the field and do what I can to help the team.

What team are you looking forward to playing?

Definitely Olathe. I haven’t beat them since I’ve been playing for East. We lost to them earlier this year and we definitely didn’t play our best.

How did you end up choosing to play at Holy Cross next year?

I actually originally sent them some game film and they were interested so they said that they’d come watch me at some of my camps and I took a visit. It just ended up working out right. They needed an LSM for my class, I played pretty well at some of these camps and it was just the perfect fit for me athletically and academically.

learning the

PERFECT SWING with junior Henry Simpson

Three-year varsity player Sportsmanship award winner for the Kansas City Golf Association Finished in the top-10 at the end of last season in the Kansas Golf Association Standings

The Address

The Takeback

The Transition

The Release

Make sure your shoulders are square, feet are square, everything in a perfect line towards the target.

On an appropriate takeback, make sure the butt of the club is right over your right shoe, or over your right knee.

Ensure the transition from the takeback to the downswing isn’t too quick, or you’ll get out of rhythm. The backswing leads into your downswing.

The final thing is to have good balance and let the club release instead of holding it off which causes the slice that you’ll see in the more amateur players.

Teddy Fields

MickelaMiller

In his game against Leavenworth, senior Teddy Fields had the inning of a lifetime. In the second inning, Fields had two home runs, one of them a grand slam — good for seven RBIs.

32

PHOTO ESSAY 04-18-11

The drill team seniors, above, hold hands as they begin to perform their final dance for the audience and their JV and varsity teammates.

Senior Megan Nass leads the drill team in a hip hop dance to a collaboration of “All I Do Is Win,” “Outta Your Mind” and “Move if You Wanna.”

Nass, left, is a three-year varsity Lancer Dancer. “The hardest part about spring show was that we all knew it was the last time we would ever be dancing as a team,” Nass said.

Dancing to “Time,” senior Caroline Doerr, below, finishes her solo dance.

“I made up three fourths of it on Sunday and added 15 more seconds on Monday,” Doerr said. “Then I didn’t have any idea how to finish it so I made up the ending on stage.”

After being presented with a bouquet of flowers by her teammates, senior Kirsten Clark, far below, wipes tears from her eyes. “The hardest part is realizing that I no longer will be with my closest friends every day doing what we all love, which is dancing,” Clark said.

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DANCE Drill team seniors perform final show

Senior Rachel Duvall, below, completes her ballet-styled solo to “Hallelujah.”

all photos by DanStewart