Issue 10 by The Harbinger

ACK

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS

INSIDE:

COFFEE SHOP RE-DESIGN page 5

FRESHMAN MUSHROOM HUNTS page 18

NFL WRAPS UP page 27

DISTRICT TO GET RID OF CLASS RANK SYSTEM page 16&17

10 1 4

2 editorial

VOTES FOR VOTES AGAINST ABSENT

Harbinger Staff List Spring 2015

CO-EDITORS-INCHIEF Morgan Krakow Sophie Tulp

ASSISTANT EDITORS

cold

hard

FACTS

A distrust in science and vaccines that is sweeping across the country is irresponsible and ignorant In America, we have some of the most advanced institutions and laboratories in the world. In America, we have a 99 percent literacy rate. And currently, in America, we have an outbreak of a preventable disease. The Harbinger believes that vaccines aren’t just an important part of civil society. They are integral to the safety of American children, and to protect that safety, states should repeal their vaccine exemption laws. The 2015 outbreak of the measles virus began in California, where according to CNN over 100 children have already been diagnosed with the illness. Similar cases broke out in states such as New Mexico, where over six percent of kindergarteners go unvaccinated each year according to CNN. In the month of January alone, 102 cases were diagnosed nationwide in 14 states. Each state involved in the outbreak has lenient legislation exempting certain citizens from vaccinating their children. Exemption legislation is an individual state law that allows parents to cite religious and philosophical reasons to not vaccinate their children. In the U.S., 48 states allow religious exemptions from vaccines, and 20 states allow philosophical exemptions. This statistic seems directly tied to the fact that last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported over 600 cases of measles, a drastic increase from the 50 cases reported in 2012. Only

HEAD COPY EDITOR

the

IGNORING

Caroline Kohring Tommy Sherk

one month into 2015, the country is on pace to record over 1,200 cases according to the CDC. This outbreak is rooted in a new wave of thought sweeping across America — a distrust of medicine and science. As a country, we can’t afford to allow this distrust to endanger innocent lives, especially the lives of children who don’t have any control over their own health. As a publication, we believe that the most important duty of our government is to protect the safety of others. When scientific research repeatedly proves that measles vaccinations effectively prevent disease without dangerous side effects, it is ridiculous to allow parents to continue to infect others and spread the disease through their children. The law should always be based in both scientific fact and moral righteousness. Vaccine exemptions are both scientifically illogical and morally neglectful, which is why they should no longer be legal in the U.S. It isn’t possible to completely prevent disease in our country. However, as a nation we should take every measure available to improve the health and safety of our children. Requiring vaccinations is just one more step towards a healthier future.

Pauline Werner

ART & DESIGN EDITOR Phoebe Aguiar

NEWS SECTION EDITOR Sophie Storbeck

EDITORIAL SECTION EDITOR Will Clough

A&E SECTION EDITORS Audrey Danciger Yashi Wang

CIRCULATION Kylie Schultz

OPINION SECTION EDITOR Audrey Danciger

FEATURES SECTION EDITORS Courtney McClelland Claire Pottenger

SPORTS SECTION EDITOR Will Oakley

SPREAD SECTION EDITORS Aidan Epstein Chloe Stanford

NEWS PAGE DESIGNERS Will Brownlee Ava Backer Ali Lee Chase Tetrick

A&E PAGE DESIGNERS Anna Dierks Abby Walker Ellie Cook Katie Hise

OPINION PAGE DESIGNERS Ellie Booton Alex Masson Tyler Keys

FEATURES PAGE DESIGNERS Haley Bell Caroline Heitmann Daisy Bolin Celia Hack

SPORTS SECTION EDITORS Teagan Noblit Michael Kraske Ellis Nepstad Caleb Krakow

COPY EDITORS Maddie Hyatt Caroline Heitmann Sophie Storbeck Kylie Schultz Hannah Coleman Will Clough Ellie Booton Sophie Tulp Morgan Krakow Caroline Kohring Tommy Sherk Pauline Werner Susannah Mitchell

PHOTO EDITOR Annie Savage

ASSTITANT PHOTO EDITORS Hailey Hughes James Wooldridge

EDITORIAL BOARD Sophie Tulp Morgan Krakow Pauline Werner Tommy Sherk Caroline Kohring Susannah Mitchell Phoebe Aguiar Katharine Swindells Mike Thibodeau Will Oakley Audrey Danciger Julia Poe

ADS MANAGERS

Abby Hans Allison Stockwell Abby Blake Kylie Relihan James Wooldridge Annika Sink Katie Lamar Elizabeth Anderson Annie Lomshek Ava Backer Ali Hickey

ONLINE HOMEGROWN SECTION EDITOR

STAFF ARTISTS

Matthew Kaplan

Abby Walker Caleb Krakow Annie Lomshek

STAFF WRITERS Elaine Chamberlain Celia Hack Jessica Parker Daniel Rinner Chase Tetrick Ellie Cook Mac Newman Annie Jones Annie Lomshek Jemima Swindells Olivia Favreau Davis Finke

ONLINE EDITORSIN-CHIEF

Susannah Mitchell Julia Poe

ONLINE HEAD COPY EDITORS Katharine Swindells Mike Thibodeau

ONLINE LIVE BROADCAST EDITORS Ellis Nepstad John Foster

ONLINE NEWS SECTION EDITOR Will Clough

ONLINE FEATURES SECTION EDITOR Mike Thibodeau

ONLINE SPORTS SECTION EDITORS

Abby Walker Celia Hack

Michael Kraske Daniel Rinner

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

ONLINE ARTS EDITOR

Morgan Browning Haley Bell Joseph Cline Kaitlyn Stratman

Sean Overton

Stella Braly

ONLINE OPINION SECTION EDITOR Celia Hack

ONINE EASTIPEDIA SECTION EDITOR ONLINE VIDEO EDITOR Matthew Bruyere

ONLINE SOUND EDITOR Leah O’Connor

WEBMASTER Jacob Milgrim

ASSISTANT WEBMASTER Callie McPhail

MULTIMEDIA STAFF Alex Masson Tyler Keys Gabe Snyder Ellis Nepstad Matthew Bruyere Katie Lamar Abby Hans Annika Sink Nick Mantel Jack Griswold

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Katie Lamar

INTERACTIVE DESIGNERS Haley Bell Caroline Heitmann Mike Thibodeau Nick Mantel Jack Griswold

ONLINE PHOTO EDITORS Callie McPhail Katie Lamar

SME PHOTOS Abby Han

ANCHOR

Taylor Norden

ADVISER Dow Tate

School, Local and Worldwide News Broken Down written by Caroline Heitmann

SNOW STORM LINUS DISRUPTS COUNTRY Winter storm Linus is steadily progressing across the U.S. The storm hit the afternoon of Feb. 1 and continued throughout the night and into the next morning. It started around New Mexico, moving toward Chicago and finishing in New England. This storm follows the recent devastation of winter storm Juno that hit New England two weeks ago. Snow totals were as much as 2 feet. Massachusetts was especially hard hit. Nearly 6,800 flights were can-

celled due to Juno, wsj.com stated. Now, with Linus, things have become even more complicated. One thousand more flights were cancelled on Feb. 2, and around 69 million people were under winter advisory warnings. Nine deaths have been recorded due to this storm. The storm caused snow to fall in Kansas City, although the total was only about 2 inches. Snow fell again on Feb. 4 but only about an inch.

news 3

Storm Linus by the Numbers

18.8 inches

So far, around 3,000 pieces of equipment have been used to clear state roads

40.5 inches

20.5 inches

Snowfall in Avg. Snowfall Highest . Recorded Chicago in in KC from October-April Snowfall in KC Past Week in a Single Day

SHARE Initiates Text Alert Program SHARE is introducing a new part of their program: text alerts. The program they’re using is Ez Texting. The first text was sent the second week in January. Limited spots in volunteer opportunities from the beginning of the year mean that many students do not get to participate. However, throughout the year Wiggins has been receiving calls from other projects that need help. Students who don’t have jobs already can help with these opportunities. SHARE Director Krissie Wiggins believes the text alerts will now allow SHARE to tell

students about these jobs sooner. She has decided to begin sending out texts about four times a month. “The first one I actually sent out was a volunteer opportunity for Rosehill Elementary,” Wiggins said. “It was the perfect scenario because here’s a project that needs volunteers, and it wasn’t one of our original projects at SHARE sign-ups early in the fall. Within three hours [of sending the text], I had 10 kids respond and say they’d love to help out. I felt like that was affirmation that this was a cool thing.”

40% 6,886 domestic flights were cancelled because of Linus

facts via weather.com and travelisfree.com as of Feb. 4

Photos of the Week left

Freshman Sidney Embry dribbles around a Shawnee Mission South player during the sophomore basketball game. South beat East.

East Parent to be Mayor Laura Wassmer, senior Carolyn Wassmer’s mother, will be the new mayor of Prairie Village. Elections are in April, but since no one filed against her by Jan. 27, she will automatically become mayor. Laura has been City Councilwoman for Ward 4 for the past 16 years, along with serving on various boards such as Parks and Recreation, Municipal Foundation, Arts Council and City Planning Commission. There are six wards in Prairie Village and each represents a section of the city. Laura wants to work on redevel-

oping Prairie Village and attracting young families to the area, in addition to still keeping it the familiar and loved city it is. She plans on repairing infrastructure and making sure developments fit with the aesthetic of Prairie Village. As for Carolyn, she’s excited for her mom to be mayor. “I think it’s awesome,” Carolyn said. “I’m really proud of her. She’s been on the city council my entire life so finally [she’s] taking that bigger step. And I know she’ll be really good at it.”

of delays are because of weather

photo by Kylie Rellihan

photo by Morgan Browning

above

Senior Austin Dalgleish and Junior Tyler Armer dance to the song “Mushnik and Son” during a dress rehersal of the musical, “Little Shop of Horrors.”

left

photo by Hailey Hughes

Freshmen Emma Renwick and Maddie Smiley catch snowflakes with their friends after school. They wait for their rides in 26 degree weather.

4 news photo by Callie McPhail

Fizzing Out written by Morgan Krakow

As soda sales drop, students opt for healthier beverage options

More energy. Enhanced athletic performance. Better drink a Coke before they played a match,” Santilli said. focus in school. Sophomore Cameron Jantsch owes these The main part of the body that’s affected by mass soda qualities to swearing off soda. Two years ago, Jantsch, who consumption is the hormone insulin. Wagner explains swims and plays volleyball, decided to give up all sugar. that insulin acts as a signal or message telling the body to She’s part of a growing group of consumers across the U.S. take sugar out of the blood and put it into a cell. who have recently given up the carbonated beverage. “After a while of having a lot of sugar circulating beIn the last 12 months, soda popularity has dropped. In cause you’re drinking a 64 ounce Mountain Dew, your October, Coca Cola reported a 14 percent decrease in net body will stop listening to that signal of insulin and it will income compared to the previous year. Within the halls of then become insulin-resistant,” Wagner said. East, soda made its last appearance two years ago when This insulin resistance can often lead to diabetes. the vending machines were restocked with healthier op- While these health risks have been widely known for a tions. Between East removing the sugary sip from campus long time, just recently the public eye has taken its usual to abundant studies that indicate a fizzling out of the once criticism of the drink and turned it into a sizeable impact, ever-popular carbonated creation, soda is on the downfall. creating a drop in sales and profit. And according to University Wagner also said that for a long of Kansas Medical Center nutritime large soda corporations had tionist Leigh Wagner, this is probbeen telling their customers that ably with good reason. There are The earliest we can catch people soda was okay in moderation. Achealth complications associated doing these more negative health cording to Wagner, now after countwith both long-term and short- practices the better, the easier it is to less studies, it is known that both term diet and regular soda con- recover from it. -KU Medical Center diet and regular soda actually be sumption. detrimental to the body. nutritionist Leigh Wagner said that in the short “It’s truly empty calories, meanWagner said. term, sugar can spike and crash ing that it’s a calorie that is sending blood sugar which can make a a negative message to the body verperson tired and worn out. sus calories from a cup of broccoli,” Wagner said. “[The In the past two years, Jantsch noticed that she’s been broccoli] can be sending more positive messages to the more focused in school and able to concentrate for longer body by giving vitamins and minerals.” periods of time. However, giving up her sweet tooth was In regards to diet soda, Wagner explained how the challenging. In addition to her chocolate habit, Janstch drink could be harmful to the body due to artificial sweetwould often purchase soda. eners. These sweeteners can spike insulin the same way a “When I went out to eat, my go-to drink was always regular sugar might, which creates the same insulin resisSprite,” Janstch said. tance in the body. But now, she sticks with water, and feels she is better off But to both Wagner and Jantsch, eliminating soda is because of it. She used to need a lot of sleep, due in part to just one piece of an overall movement towards healthier those crashes and spikes sugar can cause. However, now food. Wagner said that whole foods when compared to she can function with shorter nights of sleep. processed foods full of sugar are better for the body, and Junior tennis player Jack Santilli said these crashes are that’s where the public health focuses are going. Wagner the main reason so many of his fellow athletes have also emphasized that young people who still consume heavy given up the drink. amounts of sugar shouldn’t lose hope just yet. The long“I really don’t know any people who would willingly term damage like diabetes and insulin-resistance, that a

high-sugar diet can cause is possible to reverse, especially the younger a person is. “The earliest we can catch people doing these more negative health practices the better, the easier it is to recover from it.”

Coke in Decline Stock share down 4 percent Quarterly profits down 14 percent 2002 - Only 41 percent of Americans avoided soda 2014 - 63 percent of Americans avoid soda Investing in healthier drink companies to make up for lost profits Bigger focus on foreign markets

news 5

Freshly

Brewed

Students looking to bring more personality to the coffee shop.

written by Elaine Chamberlain

photos by Morgan Browning

The Columbia Brew Coffee shop is nestled ing with the coffee shop at DECA the year it between rooms 416 and 418, with caffeinat- opened. There was a school-wide taste test to ed aromas that waft through the fourth-floor decide on what would be the Lancer Blend, as hallways every morning. Over the years, ac- well as a contest to determine the logo, which cording to special education teacher Julie will be happening again as part of the redesign. Paradise, students have started to lose interIn order to actually open the shop in what est in the coffee shop, especially since the used to be office space, the teachers in charge recent removal of sugary products. But the got a grant, which is what they are trying to shop will soon be getting a complete make- do today. It was a large school event and it was over that will make the small room halfway important to all the students. This is a contrast down the math hallway harder to ignore. to today, when while many students appreciThe special education teachers who are ate the coffee shop as a convenient source in charge of the East coffee shop are cur- of caffeine, the interest is certainly not up to rently trying to get a grant par of what from the East Fund to the cofcompletely overhaul their fee shop look and increase student used to be. “ N o w , interest. Juniors Carley “Now, nobody really knows the Allen and Kara Koenig story of the coffee shop, so what we nobody reare helping redesign the want to do is make it relevant now ally knows [the] story shop as an assignment for [of the coftheir interior design class. with kids today,” -Paradise said fee shop], “We have a project that so what we’re supposed to do with we want real life,” Allen said. “And to do is then the ladies [in charge of the coffee shop] were like, ‘Would you guys be make it relevant now with kids today,” Parinterested in redesigning the coffee shop?’” adise said. “People leave and passions Allen and Koenig thought it was a change, you know, and this year we decided good idea to redesign something in the that we need to bring back the coffee shop.” Teachers in the special ed department, school, and they agreed to work with the coffee shop to help give it a fresh face. including Paradise, are working with the When the coffee shop started in 2006 as interior design students as well as wooda collaboration between the marketing and shop and art students, who will make the special ed departments, it was an important design concrete. All the students involved school event and more departments got in- have been traveling to other coffee shops volved besides marketing and special ed. The and taking pictures in order to get ideas marketing students won an award compet- for what to do with the coffee shop here.

Nothing is definite yet until the shop gets a grant; for now it’s all ideas and there are no dates. The participating students and teachers have been meeting during seminar, and Allen and Koenig are working on creating a virtual model to work from. “Right now, we’re mapping it out on the older computers, and we have to do a 3D model of the [coffee shop],” Koenig said. “And we’re trying to get new food and stuff in there too so people will want to buy more.” Paradise hopes for an increased interest in the near future, and believes this makeover of the coffee shop will help greatly with that. “We’re going to try to go and turn it around,” Paradise said. “The guys are getting ideas about what we could do to our place to make it unique now.”

Most Popular Coffee Shop Items

43 percent prefer hot chocolate

39 percent prefer hot coffee

18 percent prefer iced coffee

6 news

Hidden Treasures A

“missing painting,” a famous artist and a one million dollar appraisal. These are not necessarily things you would associate with art that furnishes public schools. But among reprints and student work, an original Thomas Hart Benton painting “Utah Highlands,” once hung in the library of SM North. A gift of the class of 1958, the painting depicted the rolling landscape of, well, the Utah Highlands and was given to the students personally by Benton himself for $750 dollars — the equivalent of $700,000 today. But in December, a visit from an alumnus to see the gift he donated resulted in a mystery that gained public attention at the end of January. The painting’s whereabouts, he discovered, were unknown to the public, including the donors themselves. After a media frenzy following an article in the Kansas City Star, SMSD Director of Safety and Security, John Douglass, held a press conference on Jan. 31, addressing questions and concerns from reporters. In the press conference, Douglass said that the painting was held in a vault, in a location known to the district in order to secure it after an appraisal revealed its $1 million value. For decades the painting hung freely in a corner of the library, until the concerns over security and safety of North students prompted the move. He and Associate Superintendent of Communications, Leigh Ann Neal, are working together on developing a plan for maintaining the security of the work, while once

again making the painting — which they call a “district treasure” — visible to the public for viewing. “I can’t flesh out the details because we are in the process of negotiation, but there are several goals we wish to achieve,” Douglass said. “Unquestionable security for the painting, and to have it displayed where we can all benefit from the work of art that it is.” While “Utah Highlands” found itself in the spotlight this week, it isn’t the only Benton painting in the district. In fact, East is home to 10 original Benton lithographs depicting the Joad family and their migration from “Grapes of Wrath.” The major difference between “Highlands” and the lithographs are that East’s are proudly displayed in the library conference room — even being moved from their original location in the In School Suspension room to make them more visible — while “Utah Highlands” was kept secure in a vault away from the public for over six years. Neal attributes this to the difference in value between the works. “While any work of art by a celebrated artist like Thomas Hart Benton has great value, the “Utah Highlands” is an original painting,” Neal said. “The Benton works at [East] are lithographs and also valued pieces. An original painting holds considerably greater appraised value when compared with a lithograph.” The lithographs, which are authorized prints made by Benton, were a gift from the class of 1963, given to East from Benton and his wife. The grads visited the Benton’s in their home to receive it. It hung

Thomas Hart Benton paintings in Shawnee Mission East and North cause concern for district written by Sophie Tulp

in the library, but was moved to the ISS room during renovations. Last year when East was being painted, associate principal Jeff Storey and librarian Kathi Knop collaborated to bring the Benton lithographs back into public view where they could be appreciated — they are now housed in the library conference room. “When I came here in 2000 they were in the library conference room, and they were just hanging on the wall,” Knop said. “Then it became the ISS room and there were all these famous lithographs, but nobody ever saw them, so when we were painting, our mission was to move them back to a more public area where they could be viewed.” Knop had not heard about the Benton at North until reading the article in the Star, but she assures those that are now worried about the security of East’s Benton lithographs that they are in no danger. In fact, they were professionally mounted to the walls by installers from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and Knop says they could never be taken off. Storey says a lot of thought was put into every aspect of the arrangement. From sheltering them from harmful sunlight, to arranging them in a logical way, to matting and framing them, Storey had both the professionals from the Nelson and a representative from the Thomas Hart Benton Museum come to East and help showcase the paintings. “We wanted them to be visible but protected,” Storey said. “We had to consider how were we going to display them. Do we display them chronologically? Do we

supply them by subject matter? I contacted one of the directors of the Nelson to help us with the display. They were very impressed by the fact that we had them and the amount of time and consideration we had given to how we were going to display them.” Finally they decided on a pattern that showed the migration west, arranging the paintings according to their succession to the left. The paint color of the room was even re-done to make the lithographs’ colors pop. While “Utah Highlands” awaits being display for the public once again, the East graduating class of 1963 is glad that they are not in the same situation when it comes to public viewing of their prized donation. This October, the class of 1963 celebrated their 50th class reunion. On a walk-through tour of the building, they were taken into the conference room to see their donation from decades before. The alumni even got to redesign brand new brass plaques to display alongside the lithographs. One grad, professional cartoonist Bob Bliss has been active over the years in the upkeep of the lithographs, and is thankful that their donation gets to be appreciated by other classes. “I’m really happy that ours our on display,” Bliss said. “They are screwed to the wall, in a climatecontrolled room, and it would be really nice to do the same thing with [Utah Highlands at SM North.] It’s a pity to me that they have to keep a print up in place of the actual painting so I hope they can work out a way to display like we did.”

Locations of Other Thomas Hart Benton Works Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC

Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City

Museum of Modern Art, New York

SO FAR

THIS YEAR

BOKO

HARAM written by Katherine Swindells

Boko Haram is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S. and many other Western nations As they gain force, Boko Haram’s attacks are becoming increasingly frequent and bloody, but as of yet they have not spread outside of West Africa. There have been a number of attacks in 2015 alone, and although the army and citizens are fighting back, Boko Haram isn’t slowing down. Boko Haram seized the town of Baga, Nigeria and its military base on Jan. 3 of this year, and the next four days are now known as the Baga Massacre. The exact number of fatalities is unknown. A local told the international organization Human Rights Watch: “no one stayed back to count bodies.” The HRW published reports from local Nigerians that placed the death toll anywhere between a few hundred and over 2,000 thousand. They said 16 towns were destroyed in the four days, and tens of thousands of people were displaced. “It’s just terrifying, I don’t really know what else to say but that,” senior Carolyn Wassmer said. “It’s scary because they’re gaining, they’re becoming bigger and bigger.” On Jan. 12 Boko Haram attacked a military camp in Kolofata, Northern Cameroon. Cameroon Radio Television said that 143 of the insurgents were killed by Cameroonian troops. Less than a week later, on Jan. 18, Boko Haram militants attacked two villages in Northern Cameroon, destroying houses and, according to The Guardian, kidnapping 80 people, over half of which were children. The New York Times reported on Jan. 29 that Chadian troops had retaken Malam Fatori, a northern Nigerian town that had been under

Boko Haram control since October. The next day, Reuters reported three Chadian soldiers and 120 Boko Haram militants were killed in a clash in Northern Cameroon. In the early hours of Feb. 1 soldiers and local vigilantes in Maiduguri, the largest city of Nigeria’s northeast, repelled a massive Boko Haram attack. According to Defence Ministry spokesman Chris Olukolade, the attack was contained and the rebels suffered heavy casualties. Fotokal, a Cameroonian town on the border of Nigeria, was struck on Feb. 4. BBC News reported that Boko Haram broke into the homes of civilians and killed over 70 people. The next Nigerian Election will be held this Saturday, Feb. 14. The current president Goodluck Jonathan will be seeking to be reelected for his second and final term. Dr. Rebecca Best, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at UMKC, explained that this is the first time that there has been serious opposition for the presidency since the democracy was established in 1999. Best agrees with many experts that Boko Haram has only hurt Jonathan’s prospects. The divisions between the mainly Christian population of South Nigeria, who aren’t threatened by Boko Haram, and the Muslim North which is currently under attack, means that a candidate’s stance towards the terrorist group could have a huge effect on their voters. “This doesn’t look good for Jonathan,” Best said. “One of his challengers is a Muslim from the Northern region of Nigeria, who might be more open to negotiation with Boko Haram. There’s no telling what might happen.”

Boko Haram, which translates to “Western Education is a Sin”, is a terrorist group of extremist Sunni Muslims. They are based primarily in Nigeria, as well as the surrounding countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Led by Abubakar Shekau, their goal is to establish an Islamic State in Nigeria, and they have been linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS. The group was founded in 2002, and grew increas-

LEADER

Abubakar Shekau

ingly radical until they attacked the city of Maiduguri in July 2009. The uprising killed over 700 people including Boko Haram’s founder and leader at the time, Mohammed Yusuf. Boko Haram resurged in 2010 with Shekau as their new leader, and have been gaining force ever since, claiming miles of territory across Northern Nigeria and killing thousands of people in the process.

Estimated memberships are between

A FEW HUNDRED and

NIGER

CHAD

10,000

CAMEROON

Other countries that Boko Haram is also currently active in

5,000

11,100

Number of deaths Boko Haram has been responsible for since January. More than those caused by terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Iraq within recent years.

Since Boko Haram’s rise to in 2009 power this is the number of deaths caused by the group.

Information from washingtonpost.com

40% Those 11,100 dead account for almost half of the social conflict death in the world since 2009

MEDIA

news 7

ATTENTION Breaking News

ATTACK IN NIGERIA

At the beginning of January, the world was grappling with the 17 deaths at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris. But at the same time The Guardian reported over 2,000 deaths in Baga. Many journalists, as well as people on Twitter and other social networks have commented that, despite the similarities between the two attacks, there was distinctly less media coverage of the Nigerian massacre. International Relations teacher David Muhammad was one of the people who noted the lack of attention. “Typically, the people in Africa are forgotten,” he said. “I remember seeing the pictures [of the Baga attack] and thinking, where was this in the news?” According to the Guardian and Washington Post, among other sources, this can be attributed to the fact that it is extremely hard to report from Northern Nigeria. Journalists have been targeted, base receivers have been destroyed to limit internet and cell phone use and fewer Western journalists work in the region. Furthermore, The Guardian said there has been evidence of the Nigerian government trying to limit media attention so as to hide the violence in their country. They report-

ed that President Jonathan expressed condolences to Paris but has said nothing about the Baga attacks. “The Jonathan Administration, they don’t want to look vulnerable,” Rebecca Best, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at UMKC, said. “If it looks to both the international and the domestic audience that the Jonathan Administration is vulnerable, one: Jonathan’s domestic political opponents begin to mobilize to try and replace him and two: any one who might be sympathetic to the cause of Boko Haram is encouraged to join up.” However, many activists and journalists at publications such as The Guardian use the Baga/ Paris situation to make a point of the hypocrisy of Western media. They say that the fact that so far Boko Haram has not directly threatened the U.S., and people are primarily concerned with their own national security, may mean that Western media simply doesn’t care. “I think it’s because Paris such a major hub and America’s more involved with their economy and everything there,” Wassmer said. “A threat in Paris is a lot more threatening to America than one in Africa.”

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REFLECTING ON RELIGION

columns 9

Growing up in a Catholic School system shapes views on religion, helping to discover the right faith in life

opinion by Sean Overton “Sean I need you to go down to the office, the principal would like to speak to you!” My palms sweat, my face goes white and I start to shake. I’m a straight-A seventh grade student and have never gotten a detention. Now I’m heading to the principal’s office. She explained to me that since my persuasive essay was Pro-Choice against the Catholic faith I wasn’t allowed to write it. I started to cry. The school I was taught to trust made me feel awful about everything I stand for. The school silenced my voice. I felt that I was being force-fed religion, being taught to believe something before I even knew what it meant. By the age of five, I knew at least 10 prayers by heart. I believed in God, went to church every weekend. Of course I didn’t know what these prayers truly meant, but I believed anyways. God, God, God; that is what I knew. I didn’t even know that there were people who didn’t believe in Jesus until I was in second grade. I feel ashamed that I told my babysitters they would go to Hell for not believing in the same God as me. But that was all I knew. The older I got, the more I started to be informed about other religions and lifestyles. My mom and my cousin began introducing different points of views to me, and I met family friends of Arab, African, Mexican and Jewish ethnicities. I realized that the world is broader than the white, Catholic life I was used to. Learning about other lifestyles made me feel comfortable believing in views different from what my school had been teaching all these years, such as sex before marriage being wrong. I finally felt I had found views of my own. I had hoped my school would accept my new beliefs, but I was wrong. I started to feel betrayed by my religion in seventh grade when we got to write persuasive essays. We were pushed to write controversial essays. One of the things that influenced my essay topic was my cousin moving in with me after facing many struggles in life, one of which was being raped in college. She knew that her options were limited if she did end up being pregnant, and this helped broaden my views. After living with her, someone who felt like my sister, I felt more understanding of the Pro-Choice position on abortion. I decided to write why, in some cases, Pro-Choice is OK. My teacher shot me down immediately, and sent me to the principal’s office. I was told I wasn’t allowed to express my views against the Catholic faith. After my beliefs were discouraged in seventh grade, it happened again in eighth grade. We had to do a photo project that had a deeper theme. Being gay, I of course wanted to do gay

marriage, and why it should be allowed. This sparked my second shameful trip to the principal’s office. The same principal told me my idea was too controversial, and I couldn’t do a topic that derives from the Catholic faith. My only option was to talk to the school’s priest to see what he thought, which was way too nerve-racking at the time. I was horrified. I broke into tears. As a gay 14-year-old I didn’t want to hear that my own school and church didn’t support my lifestyle. That they didn’t support me ever getting married. The faith I had put everything into was telling me I shouldn’t be allowed to get married. The Catholic faith told me that I am not equal to my peers, to those in the world. I was hurt that this religion would make me feel so alone. This isn’t what made me leave the Catholic faith, but it was an eye-opener that I had other options. Once this happened, I talked to my mom about exploring other spiritual outlets because Catholicism was not for me. I had already learned about Islam, Judaism and Buddhism at school, but they were all part of the general “believe in a book, and believe in this Creator” concept. Going to a religious school for nine years helped me figure out that I did not believe in the basis of Catholicism. It took endless questioning and tests of my beliefs, but in the end it brought clarity. I tried at least five different churches to see if any kind of organized religion would work for me, but it simply didn’t. I realized that I am never going to be someone who goes to church every Sunday and reference the Bible for my moral compass. I did realize, though, how important it is to be accepting of those who have lifestyles different from my own. It is OK to follow different religions, as long as you feel you are doing what is right for you personally. I could have gone away from catholic school being mad at the church for making me feel insecure in my developmental stages. But if anything I want to thank Catholic school. It made me realize how important it is for me to be spiritual and connected to a higher power. I now feel in touch and comfortable with who I am even though I faced discouragement during Catholic school. I now know that I will never force my kid to believe in a God, or a Bible, but I will give my kids the opportunity to explore any spiritual life they want. I will teach them to be knowledgeable of other faiths rather than judgmental.

This faith I had put everything into was telling me that I was not equal to my peers. I was hurt that this religion would make me feel so bad.

photo illustration by Hailey Hughes

10 columns

Pay to Play As the NCAA makes more and more money off of their players, staffer Michael Kraske questions whether the athletes should get paid

$90,000

$17,643

$22,826 $44,750

PUBLIC TUITION COST PER YEAR PRIVATE TUITION COST PER YEAR COST OF ACL TEAR SURGERY NCAA INJURY COVERAGE

opinion by Michael Kraske

STUDENT PRICEBREAKDOWN

magine a six foot six, physically dominant basketball player. One who trains hard every single day with his team. He travels across the country on a weekly basis to play games. Thousands of fans know his name, wear his jersey and cheer his team on. Are you imagining a millionaire NBA player, maybe Lebron James or Kevin Durant? If so, you’re not wrong, but you aren’t thinking of who I’m thinking of. I’m imagining a college basketball player, a player who works as hard as an NBA player, if not harder. The difference — this college basketball player doesn’t get paid a dime, while the NBA player is making millions yearly. Former NBA star and UCLA basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who’s considered one of the best NBA players of all time, has made his case for why college athletes should be paid. In an essay to Jacobin Magazine, Abdul-Jabbar used his personal experiences in college to make his case for paying college athletes. “Despite the hours I put in every day, practicing, learning plays, and traveling around the country to play games, and despite the millions of dollars our team generated for UCLA -- I was always too broke to do much but study, practice and play,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. Abdul-Jabbar addressed an issue that has been up for debate for years now -- one that’s had such serious arguments, they’ve ended up in court. College athletes have practiced their right to unionize, and have fought for their right to be paid in court, but so far, college athletes are not legally allowed to be paid. Although they can’t be paid, they are technically considered employees of their university, and they are legally allowed to negotiate their wages. It only seems fair to me that each college athlete be compensated in some form, outside of their scholarship. I don’t believe paying them millions is the answer, but I think some further form of compensation is

necessary. Maybe paying athletes a small wage, or rewarding athletes that are making good grades, with a small sum of money. No money at all seems wrong, but a lot seems wrong as well. As a whole, the NCAA makes six billion dollars annually, according to U.S. News. The NCAA profits off of things like players’ jerseys, NCAA video games and more. What’s the players’ cut of this six billion? A free scholarship, and that’s it. Now some would argue that a free scholarship and an opportunity to go pro in their sport is enough compensation. I disagree. These athletes didn’t choose their school for its specific education. They’re here to play. And think about the players that don’t go pro, or that don’t make it to the professional level. They have spent all their life focusing on their sport, and now are left in the dirt. They dedicate nearly all their time and energy playing their sport, then if they can’t play professionally, they’re stuck. These college athletes that don’t play their sport after college lack the education that a normal college student gets. The NCAA is basically offering a free education in return for these kids’ athletic talents, and with that comes the money the NCAA are also making off these players. There’s no possible way that a college basketball player and a regular college student are getting equal education. Abdul-Jabbar discussed how athletic and academic scholarships to universities are different. If an athlete gets seriously injured, their athletic scholarship can be taken away. He described how players that are suffering serious injuries could make use of the NCAA’s catastrophic injury relief. Although this sounds fair, Abdul-Jabbar goes on to discuss how the policy doesn’t apply unless the medical expenses exceed $90,000, which most do not. If the students medical bill is $80,000, they’re on their own to pay for it. A university can’t expect an athlete to come up with $80,000 on their own.

NCAA President Mark Emmert said that these individuals are not professionals. People come to watch because it’s college sports, with college athletes. If that’s the truth, then why let the NCAA profit so greatly off these “not professionals?” It doesn’t make sense to sell tickets and merchandise and pay coaches huge salaries. In return for their scholarship, basketball and football players are required to meet minimum GPA requirements, abide by a social conduct code and spend 60-80 hours a week on school and sports. That seems like a lot of work to do to not be paid a single cent. Imagine spending practically four years of your life working incredibly hard, keeping good grades and practicing your sport every single day. It’s like a job, but you aren’t being paid a cent. The argument that a scholarship is enough makes sense — to a certain extent. College athletes are saving tons of money in the long run, but I can’t say the scholarship is enough. College athletes should at least get more benefits than they’re getting. Abdul-Jabbar should never have had to go hungry, as any student shouldn’t. The scholarship is clearly a large sum of money that these students aren’t having to pay. Regardless, the NCAA should not be able to profit hugely off these players without giving them a cut of the money. Although I do believe the players aren’t getting the benefits they deserve, I do not believe that they should get paid million dollar contracts or anything like that. The entire system is flawed. I don’t think a scholarship is enough compensation, but signing a contract worth millions or even hundreds of thousands doesn’t seem right as well. Coaches, and other employees at these universities deserve to be paid, but shouldn’t be allowed to profit so greatly off these players without giving the players a cut.

LancerVoice photos by Abby Blake

“I definitely believe there needs to be more compensation for student athletes besides “privated” education or private tutors since that’s what they are given now.” -Noah Marsh

“I think you should be given something if your sport brings in the money for the university.” -Joey Wentz

“They should not because they already get everything they need from the school for their scholarships. They get meals, clothing, shelter and get to play the sport they love.” -Kyle Haverty

columns 11

Back to

Basics Even with new technology, we should not let reading become an obsolete pastime

opinion by Courtney McClelland It was three days into winter break and I could already feel my brain beginning to rot away one episode of Gossip Girl at a time. I knew it was time for a change. It was time that I made something more for myself than a Netflix queue, time that I stepped out from the computer screen and explored the world around me. So I turned to my bookshelf. By the end of winter break I had read four new books: 13 Reasons Why, The Silver Star, We Were Liars and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you the last time I had read even one book purely for pleasure. These books weren’t assigned to me, they weren’t written on a suggested list by a teacher, they were my choices. And I was proud. The New Year came and I promised myself this would not just be another phase, this was going to become a habit. I was going to spend less time on things that were never going to reward me, and more time on things that would: reading. Every Christmas my sister and I open a book that my mom has carefully selected for us. And every Christmas it happens the same way. My mom hands us the wrapped packages, and we immediately recognize what the shape of the box means: it’s the treasured book my mom has decided I can’t go without reading. We open them, plaster on an excited smile and remain briefly interested in the pages of our newest novels. Although they’ve never

been the most exciting Christmas presents, those books became something that taught me that reading is the most valuable resource I have. I didn’t used to think twice about those books. Sadly, most of them probably served as a nice decoration on my bookshelf. But my parents didn’t give up. They kept handing me books, they kept dropping the, “reading makes you smarter” and finally I thought maybe they were right. In 2007, the average person spent two and a half hours a day on the Internet and only seven minutes a day reading, according to boston.com. Every year, the amount of time spent on the Internet is constantly increasing, leaving even less time for reading. I began to wonder if we are living in a world where one day people will no longer continue to read classic works. A world where the company of our computer screen surpasses the company of a good book. A world where technology is always improving, but intelligence is declining. I love that I don’t remember days without the Internet, but sometimes I have to remember that technology isn’t everything. Social media isn’t what I should value, nor should I prioritize Netflix over everything else. I should make time to put everything down and step away into a good book. Even if it is a book assigned to me by a teacher. Technology sure isn’t help-

photo illustration by Kylie Rellihan

ing students read more, but high school reading isn’t helping them either. Students see a novel in their English class as something that’s required of them. Seeing it as something to check off their to-do list only causes them to veer the opposite direction. That’s the way it’s been built up in their heads, and reading is no exception to this. Rather than looking at an assigned reading list as a requirement or forced activity, students should embrace the chance to break away from the typical worksheet or note packet. Students need to look past the daily chapters they’re assigned, stop counting how many more pages they have to go until they’re done and just take the time to absorb the book. It finally hit me after all those years that the Christmas morning books weren’t just an afterthought. They were a lesson my mom was silently teaching me. She was, in her best non-nagging way, hinting that it wasn’t the newest iPhone that was going to take me far, but the knowledge in all those books, a lesson I’m eternally grateful I learned. It’s a shame that most people won’t make it through this article. They’ll get distracted; someone will Snapchat them, someone will text them, someone will like their Instagram. But I challenge you to keep reading, to be the generation that reads more than seven minutes a day. Put your phone away, turn off the TV and just read. I promise it will pay off in the end.

information from boston.com & time.com

The New

ReadingReality Reading Time of Middle and High School Students 20% 80%

Time spent multitasking while reading

Time spent focused only on reading

Check out some of the ways reading patterns in the US have changed over the years

Percent of Kids and Teens who Read Daily 53%

30%

9-year-olds

17%

13-year-olds

17-year-olds

Percent of Americans who did not Read a Book in the Past Year

8% 1978

16% 13% 18% 16% 18% 1990 1999 2002 2005 2011

Percent of 17-year-olds who Never Read for Pleasure 2004 1984

9% 19%

23% 23%

2012

2014

Time Spent Daily by Average 15-24 year-olds 7 minutes

2-2.5 hours

High School Students’ Reading Proficiency

2012

33% proficient

1992

46% proficient

12 feature

Taking Flight

photos by Abby Hans

Long time best friends commit to Air Force Academy written by Ali Lee

ost seniors around this time plan emies, and she received acceptance letters for what college they are going from West Point and the Air Force Academy. to and what they are going to Following her acceptance to the Air major in. The only difference for seniors Mat- Force in late November, she decided in Janutie Germann and Elizabeth Barnickel is that ary that this was what she wanted to do and they will be preparing to serve their country signed on to be a part of the Class of 2019. after college graduation. The reason it took her time to decide was Both Germann and Barnickel chose to because it was signing on to risk her life for attend the Air Force Academy in Colorado. her country, and to serve for a minimum of Since her dad and brother are in the Navy, five years. The decision was easier for her beGermann has always had the influence of cause she knew what it could provide her in serving in the military. She didn’t always future management careers. know that this is what “You get all this her future will hold, life experience and but as the end of her you’re just able to comThe opportunity to be a part of high school career apmunicate with people something bigger than myself, to proaches she can’t be so much better,” Gerserve my country, is why I am so mann said. “Such as more excited for the exexcited to attend the academy perience. Although her being a manager or brother’s horror stories -Elizabeth Barnickel, 12 other occurrences like about training at the that you’re able to comNaval school shocked municate things that her at first, she now need to get done.” looks forward to submerging herself in an Although her family has served for the academy that she says will prepare her better Navy not the Air Force, they all supported than anything for service and life in general. her decision. When seeing what the different For Germann, this decision is more drastic areas of services could provide, Germann sethan the regular selection process for college. lected the Air Force because it will be more “I’m agreeing to put my life on the line,” beneficial to her future. Especially since GerGermann said. “It’s different than saying I’m mann hopes to have a career in aerospace going to go become a sorority girl at Mizzou, engineering. it’s something much deeper than that.” Barnickel won state in tennis and has This summer, Germann attended three now agreed to be a part of the tennis team summer sessions preparing her for what ba- at the Air Force Academy. When she heard sic training and each service academy would Germann talk about how much fun she had be like. After attending the sessions for the had over the summer at the three summer Army, Air Force and Navy, she decided that sessions, she first became curious. Shortly she liked the Air Force the best because of after talking with Germann, she received a the different opportunities it offered. Ger- letter in the mail from the head tennis coach mann was one of the few who was asked to of the Academy. After an exchange of emails attend all three. One of the deciding factors between the two, Barnickel went on an offiof this was their engineering program, which cial visit to the Academy. She was well greetis ranked in the top ten best in the country. ed and pleased to find many amenities, such When she returned home from the sum- as being able to take scuba classes and golf mer sessions she applied to all three acad- on one of their two 18-hole golf courses. The

Academy is also one of the top engineering and business schools in the country, which is something that draws Barnickel’s attention, as she hopes to major in one of the two. Although the best feature for Barnickel is being able to serve. “The opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself, to serve my country is why I am so excited to attend the academy,” Barnickel said. Even though Barnickel has not received her formal acceptance letter, her connection with the tennis program and her application meeting all requirements makes it clear to her that she will be a part of the Academy’s Class of 2019. Germann and Barnickel will not be able to visit their families as much as other college students due to the distance and the limited times available to leave the base. However from the people they have already met through visits to the Academy and summer sessions, both are excited to spend more time with the other students there. Even the tennis coach has helped Barnickel feel more comfortable. “I went on my visit [to the Academy] alone,” Barnickel said. “But [head tennis coach (Kim) Gidley] came out to regionals in high school tennis and met my whole family.” As the end of the school year approaches, Germann and Barnickel prepare just like all the other seniors to leave home for a new adventure even though, their experience will be different than most. They will go through basic training —which Germann says involves a lot of early mornings and yelling —along with classes to help position them in service after graduation and a more than usual amount of life experience in the very beginning of their adult lives. Serving their country and putting their lives on the line is what will make Germann and Barnickel’s experiences so different from the rest.

What it Takes ACADEMIC

REQUIREMENTS: Must be in the top 40% of your class, but the recent average has been 3%

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: A number of physical tests (pull ups, shuttle runs, push ups, mile run) along with a six week training session

CHARACTER CHECK: An interview with the Admissions officer, teacher evalutions, nomination from a congressman and a personal backround check

POST GRADUATION: The requirement is to serve in the Air Force for a mininmum of five years

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Braving it through

feature 15

BOY SCOUTS Freshman Jack Furla achieves his Eagle Scout by helping the homeless written by Jessica Parker photo by Callie McPhail

alking through the halls, the football and basketball players are in their identifiable uniforms and jerseys. Boys that wear their jersey on game day. What one can’t see is freshman Jack Furla’s Eagle Scout rank, one that is not common among boys his age. Freshman Jack Furla survived Scouts for eight years — in the process learning how to survive a campout, how to cook a steak and how to dodge snide comments from fellow students. He joined Cub Scouts in first grade. With his mom as scout leader, he was influenced to stick with it. As Jack got older, his peers began to make jabs and taunt him about being in Scouts. This only made him more determined to earn the Eagle Scout rank. Jack says that the average boy comes an Eagle Scout between sophomore and senior year. Jack points out that his troop works at an exceptionally fast pace, which is why most of his troop members finish the process fairly early. The process of becoming an Eagle Scout was a long procedure. Jack moved on from Cub Scouts to become a Boy Scout. There, he earned each of the rankings that lead up to Eagle Scout, the final and most prized rank. Each is associated with outdoor and leadership skills that Jack learned. To rank up, one must earn a certain amount of merit badges: an insignia worn on the uniform representing a special achievement. To contend for the Eagle Scout rank, the boy must earn 21 of these badges. Jack’s troop will go on campouts to farms around the area and earn badges. Each individual one comes with a booklet listing approximately 20 requirements that must be completed before earning the badge. “[Boy Scouts] definitely showed me to persevere, and keep on going, especially regarding the making fun of part,” Jack said. “It also taught me a lot of outdoor skills, like when I go camping with my friends — I actually know what I’m doing.” Jennifer Furla, Jack’s mother, and former Cub Scout leader says that nationwide, less than four percent of all boys who become Scouts make the Eagle Scout rank. “It’s not necessarily about doing the badge work and sticking with the program, it’s kind of about bucking the peer pressure,” Jennifer says. “I’m proud that Jack chose to see it through. Once all required badges are earned, the next and final step to become an Eagle Scout is the project. Each boy is to select a project that will in some way benefit the community, organization or church. A total of 100 hours from all volunteers are required. Jack chose to repaint and touch up a game room at

City Union Mission, the largest nonprofit homeless shelter in the metropolitan area. Since childhood, Jack has donated all of his old belongings to the mission. Alongside that, his mother was a fundraising consultant for the mission and helped them raise money to build a new part of their building. He mentioned that the end result looked great, and that it was a success. “You make announcements and invite other kids from the troop to help you, but I mostly — to show my friends that it’s actually cool — I had my friends come help me,” Jack said. After Jack’s friends helped at the mission and saw the congratulation gifts that he received, they realized that Scouts is much more than they expected and started to respect him more. “I got used to [the jokes], and now I never get made fun of,” Jack said. “My friends don’t make fun of it anymore, because I got all this cool stuff after I got my Eagle Scout.” He was given a signed letter from President Obama. Alongside that, his cousin living in L.A. as a voice actress had Gary Sinise, Lieutenant Dan from “Forrest Gump,”

wrote Jack a letter of congratulations attached to a picture of him as Dan. The final step in the process is the board of review meeting. Three adult leaders from the Jack’s troop plus one nontroop adult will review everything the he has done as well as ask questions about his future and what he has learned. It is not as much as a test, more of a celebration of what the boy has accomplished. The scout presents them with a manifest of what they have done from their project, which has to be done accurately. Jack walked away from the ceremony an Eagle Scout. He is just an example of one boy who has worked hard for this achievement. Jack joined the hundreds of thousands of other boys across America who can say that they made it all the way. He will now carry the rank of Eagle Scout for the rest of his life. “I think Scouts is a positive influence on kid’s who internalize it,” Jennifer says. “Learning how to go places, and do things, and hang out and learn from a variety of different adults is positive; but I also think the kids who stay in Scouts are oriented in a positive way to begin with.”

SCOUTS BY THE NUMBERS • 17 million service hours in 2013 • Nearly 1.1 million youth attended a council camp or national high-adventure camp. • In 2013, 56,841 Scouts earned the Eagle Scout rank. information courtesy of scouting.org

16 Spread

written by Julia Poe photo illustration by Hailey Hughes

CLASS RANK

Y A W A

According to a survey of 50 East seniors

66%

of East seniors felt like class rank made them

competitive

class rank of East seniors think

is very important

SMSD no longer sending out class rankings to colleges in order to gain more scholarship money for students and decrease competition

16100 out of

70% good idea

of East seniors think it’s a

to get rid of class rank

colleges indicate that class rank is of

“considerable importance” in their application process

According to a study conducted by the National Association of College Admissions Counseling

hen East students received their report cards in January, they noticed that something was missing — their class rank. This wasn’t a mistake by Skyward or a typo by the district. It was part of a decision affecting all Shawnee Mission schools that aims to reduce competitiveness and provide more scholarship opportunities to students. From now on, SMSD will not rank students. The decision was a long time coming, according to SMSD Associate Superintendent Dr. Gillian Chapman. District officials began discussing the effectiveness of class rank last year. This fall, the district realized that class rank could easily be removed from transcripts in the new Skyward program. Although there was never a board vote or district hearing over the decision, class rank did not appear on first semester transcripts. The district found that class rank was not preferred by colleges, and often caused students to receive smaller scholarships than their Grade Point Average would have earned them. On top of these problems, the district feared that class rank caused bitter competitiveness between students. “It’s something that we know will benefit our students, so once we had the opportunity to do it, we did,” Chapman said. “There was never any real disagreement over the fact that class rank had to go.” Previously, class rank at SMSD high schools was based on the GPA of each student in each grade. Students’ ranks were based on who had the highest GPA on a 5.0 scale. Regular classes earned 4.0 points per class, while honors, AP and IB classes earned a 5.0 weight. This forced students to take high-level classes in order to boost their GPA and earn a higher class rank, which meant that class rank was relative based on how other students performed. At East, the average GPA is a 3.5 according to registrar Stephanie Blackmer. This means that a student needs a 4.0 to break into the top 100 in the class. In the eyes of many East students, this makes class rank an unfair measure of a student’s abilities. “I worked as hard as I could during high school, and I ended up with over a 4.0, and that still wasn’t good enough,” senior Darby Fugitt said. “I never thought it was fair that I couldn’t qualify for scholarships simply based on how other students did, not based on how I personally did.”

By not reporting class rank, the students will be able to use only their grades when applying for colleges and scholarships. At most state universities, class rank is a major factor in scholarship applications. However, when students do not report class rank, these universities use a specialized formula to calculate core GPA, which is based on core classes such as English, math and science. This core GPA typically reflects more positively than class rank for students from competitive districts such as SMSD. This core GPA calculation could qualify students for higher scholarships. At the University of Missouri, admissions representative Michael Banks says that students who previously received a $5,000 yearly scholarship based on class rank would earn a $7,500 based on their core GPA. This difference comes from the fact that most East students ranked in the top 10 percent of their class are separated from each other by only a fraction of a point. “This can only help you as a student,” Banks said. “Using [core] GPA will only allow more students at a competitive and successful school such as [Shawnee Mission] East to receive scholarships and other opportunities. It’s a win-win.” The decision by the district to cut class rank follows a national trend that began in colleges across the country. A survey by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling shows that only 18.8 percent of American colleges consider class rank to be of “considerable importance” in an admissions decision. The same percent of schools considered class rank to be of “no importance” at all. This trend is reflected in East students, as only eight percent of 50 surveyed AP and IB students considered class rank to be “very important.” “I wasn’t even phased when I saw that it was gone,” senior Shrusti Mehta said. Mehta is ranked first in the senior class. “I feel like class rank isn’t something that matters to colleges anymore, so I didn’t really care.” After the district learned about the lack of admissions emphasis on class rank, Chapman said that the decision was simple for the district. However, the district wants to ensure that top students are rewarded for their high class rank. Therefore, principals and counselors will have the ability to release class rank to select students who request it.

Spread 17 This option is available for all students, but it is aimed at valedictorians and other high-ranking students who feel that their class rank will benefit their admissions odds. For East principal John McKinney, this new flexibility is focused on creating transcripts that reflect beneficially upon students. “There is no way that class rank can help most East students, because East students go above and beyond,” McKinney said. “Our top 10 kids are amazing students. But so is our entire top 10 percent, and I would even say our top 50 percent. This is a special school, and class rank can’t accurately reflect that.” While this decision will expand opportunities for East students, both Chapman and McKinney believe that it will also reduce competitiveness in each class. Chapman believes that the competition to reach the top rank in the class caused animosity between students. However, East students at the top don’t agree that competitiveness existed in the first place. In a poll of 50 AP and IB students, only one third felt that class rank made students competitive with one another. Students such as Mehta and junior IB student Natalie Kaufman feel that the “cutthroat” stereotype of high-level students is a myth. “For the people at the top, we kind of get into our spots early in high school and stay in that spot,” Kaufman said. “I started out at third and just stayed that way, and there was never any jockeying or competition to try to get higher. That just doesn’t happen.” However, McKinney believes that the decision will still provide a more positive learning environment for East students. By not judging themselves off of the performance of others, he believes that students will feel that they are in a safer learning atmosphere — one that will encourage the success of individual students. “I think this shows what we care about as a district,” McKinney said. “I don’t need to judge how good of a student someone is by how well someone else does on a test. I just worry about how they do on a test. Our focus is always on our students as individual people, and I think this is just one more example of that.”

16 Spread

written by Julia Poe photo illustration by Hailey Hughes

CLASS RANK

Y A W A

According to a survey of 50 East seniors

66%

of East seniors felt like class rank made them

competitive

class rank of East seniors think

is very important

SMSD no longer sending out class rankings to colleges in order to gain more scholarship money for students and decrease competition

16100 out of

70% good idea

of East seniors think it’s a

to get rid of class rank

colleges indicate that class rank is of

“considerable importance” in their application process

According to a study conducted by the National Association of College Admissions Counseling

FindingFungi

18 feature

Through mushroom hunting, sophomore William Schmidt finds a way to enjoy nature while doing something he loves written by Annie Jones

ith a basket in hand and a knife in his pocket, sophomore William Schmidt trudges through wooded areas and farmlands of Kansas. He is searching up and down the trunks of trees for Yellow Chanterelles and Pale Oysters. He’s searching for what he considers a delicacy — mushrooms. After a good rain in the spring, Schmidt will head out to his secret spot to see if the mushrooms he picked last time have grown back. If he’s lucky, it will be easy to distinguish whether or not they are poisonous, and he’ll snap a few pictures before picking it from the ground and sauteing it for dinner. Schmidt started going on mushroom hunts two years ago after he picked the hobby up from his grandfather. After hearing the endless uses from a member of his mushroom club, he realized the many effects that the fungi have on the world. The uses include medicines, food and environmental elements. After becoming immediately interested in mushrooms’ characteristics, he started searching through his yard and around his neighborhood to collect and eat them. “Mushrooms, I feel like, are the key to the world,” Schmidt said “They have so much to offer and can provide for so many things.” Not only does Schmidt think mushrooms are intriguing because of their fine details, but he also believes that there is a whole future in using them towards helping the environment and medical advances. According to GMHP Health’s website, mushrooms are a valuable health food, and studies suggest that they help our body strengthen itself and fight off illnesses and infections. Learning more about the versatility of mushrooms inspired Schmidt to dream of becoming a mycologist, a scientist who studies all types of fungi, their life cycles and ways they benefit other plants and animals. Most of the United States, in Schmidt’s opinion, is mycophobic — afraid of how mushrooms and other types of fungi that are poisonous can harm the world. However, Schmidt believes that they do the opposite and is hopeful he will be able to prove the country wrong some day. Schmidt’s goal is to help the environment and the world with his unique passion. He spreads mushrooms particles over new land in order for them to grow and multiply. Like many other conservationists, Schmidt picks up cans, plastic bags and bottles that ruin his serene experiences while on forays, or mushroom hunts, in the woods.

Schmidt is the youngest member of his mushroom hunting club with people ranging in age from 40 to 80-years-old. The club goes on forays once a month at 9 a.m. during spring and summer, the right seasons for hunting. They scour the land in order to find the jackpot of mushrooms they are looking for. The more experienced hunters of the club will identify any species that are found and inform the other members about its specific properties. “William is a very eager and willing mushroom hunter,” Ronald Meyers, another member of Schmidt’s mushroom hunting club, said. When Schmidt goes on solo hunts he makes sure to watch out for the poisonous mushrooms he has learned about. Usually the more toxic the mushroom, the prettier it looks. For example, an Amanita Muscaria is a vibrant red with white spots on the top. It looks appealing but really could be deadly. When he doesn’t have a mushroom expert with him he follows the wise words of “if in doubt, throw it out.” When Schmidt isn’t solo, he brings along his two brothers, sophomore Isaac and freshman Andrew, who keep him company while wandering through the forest near their house. “I think my brothers really enjoy coming on forays with me,” Schmidt said. “But they kind of just mess around and do their own thing while I’m hunting.” Most mushrooms appear in unorderly groups or patches in the ground or on trees. This makes it somewhat difficult to find and sometimes not at all. Schmidt isn’t necessarily in it for the winnings, but rather to enjoy the break from life and concentrate on what he loves. “I love how the woods aren’t organized like roads in the city,” Schmidt said. “It helps me escape for a little and explore while also doing something that I find interesting. It just gives me a sense of freedom from the busyness of life.” The patience and motivation needed for this hobby comes from Schmidt’s anticipation to learn more. He learns from reading books and being mentored by Meyers, who can identify a mushroom in a second, something Schmidt would like to be able to do in the future. He would also one day like to study mycology in Washington which is the best place to the hunt and find mushrooms in the US. “Mushroom hunting, for me, isn’t just to find something,” Schmidt said. “It’s really an excuse to be outside and enjoy myself.”

Cooking with Kansas Mushrooms Oyster Mushrooms

Grow only in trees and are found in Kansas typically in late October and November

How to cook:

1. Cut off the stem and rinse to remove any bugs or dirt 2. Cook in hot peanut or seasame oil with minced garlic for a few minutes 3. Add chicken broth and soy sauce and simmer for a few more minutes 4. Serve over rice

photo by Katie Lamar

feature 19

COMMUN SERVIC ITY E C LE ANUP

written by Chase Tetrick

photos by Joseph Cline

The SHARE program has made new changes this year in four different ways New Director

A new personality has taken the SHARE community by storm. Krissie Wiggins took over SHARE this year after seeing all the good that has come out of this program in the past. Wiggins has brought new ways to reach out to the community and the East student body in a number of ways. She, along with her student execs, have made connections with Hillcrest Transitional Services, Crossroads Hospice and many elementary schools through all-new programs. She has also introduced a text alert system that sends messages to anyone involved in SHARE reminding them to sign up for any upcoming projects. Senior Grace Satterlee, along with her fellow SHARE execs, are pleased with the new direction Wiggins has taken the program. “Everything is definitely more organized and simpler with her in charge,” Satterlee said.

More Execs

With a record-breaking eight execs this year, SHARE has been more involved than ever. “Looking back on previous years it was much harder to get student involvement, but with more execs to tell everyone about new projects we can get more students to help out,” senior executive Lauren Hunter said. “It just makes the whole process easier.” As a whole, the execs have been able

introduce over 10 new projects benefitting new organizations as well as including much more of the student body. “One of my favorite parts about SHARE is getting to bring the whole school together for one goal,” Satterlee said.

Student Involvement

SHARE’s unofficial mission statement as an organization is to bring students together for a common goal. Last year, over 200 people were involved in one or more SHARE project(s) according to former 2013-2014 exec Alex Maday. “It was a challenge to reach out to students last year because there was no way to contact them,” Maday said. “There was one big sign up at the beginning of the year and after that there were few people to join on to projects.” This year nearly 300 students have participated in at least one SHARE project, a 50% increase overall. Another big change this year was the use of new technology. As well as the allnew text alert system, the execs have also revamped the SHARE website giving it a more approachable look. Of all the new ways to involve students in SHARE, social media is the front runner. Having over 300 followers in only a few months, the SHARE Twitter page is doing its part in informing students of upcoming projects. “It is really cool to see students from all over coming together to help better

the community,” senior exec Rachael Haskell said.

Projects

Each year SHARE starts off by looking at past projects and finding ways to improve them. This year was no different. They started off looking at last year’s dodgeball tournament. They looked at the amount of people who participated and compared it to the amount of revenue they were able to produce. The execs decided to advertise the tournament much more and require more canned food then last year to enter the tournament. In the end they collected more cans than the year prior and had nearly 30 more students participate. The execs went through the same process for the most popular projects of last year and began to create new ideas for this year. Some of the most significant include a garage sale to benefit the funds of SHARE, a service project to benefit “Giving the Basics” and a very popular senior service project to benefit a nearby apple orchard. As a whole, SHARE has been able to help over 30 different organizations raise money and bring students together for a common goal. “It is so cool to see organizations and companies come to us for help,” Satterlee said, “It shows how far this organization has come and the kind of reputation we have throughout the community.”

Porter Carroll, 10

I feel like they advertised it a lot more, to make SHARE more of something that everyone can join

Emily Chisolm, 11

The execs are doing a really good job of getting people involved and creating opportunities for people to do different things

20 feature

Shrushti Mehta

Last winter break, I went to India for my cousin’s wedding. All of us got ready together in the afternoon. The people that are directly related to the bride got to get their hair and makeup done by professionals. We had this huge party and danced for a really long time to Hindi music.

Mazie Brooke One day, I was supposed to be going out to lunch with my aunt, my uncle and my mom. I went into the driveway and there was a new car for me. I thought I had to buy one. It’s a 1998 Jeep and now I can go where I want when I want.

Katie Kissick

This summer, I went to Europe with my family on this Sound of Music tour. It was a bus tour so we were going around to the different areas where the movie took place. We saw the wedding chapel where they got married, the fields that they were running in and the scene from “Doe Ray Mi.”

About two years ago, one of my best friends and I went to AMC down at Ward Parkway. They were showing a marathon of all three Lord of the Rings movies. We sat down and didn’t know that they had extended versions of those movies in existence. We spent 12 hours in the movie theater that day.

Spencer Frank

written b y Danie

l Rinner

photos by James Wooldridge

WHAT WAS THE BEST DAY OF YOUR

life?

The Oddball

Daily

alt-copy 21

February hosts a full set of obscure holidays from strange to serious art & writing by Yashi Wang

February 14th: Valentine’s Day. It also happens to be National Organ Donor Day. Suddenly, those cupcakes encrusted in heart shaped sprinkles and pink frosting take on a whole new significance. Every day of the year is a holiday of some sort, no matter how incredibly trivial or

just bizarre. For those of you who wake up on the right side of the bed every day, knowing that every day is a day to be celebrated is just another incentive. And for those of you who don’t, maybe Feb. 16 is the holiday for you.

sun mon tues wed thurs fri 1

National Freedom Day

Ground Hog Day

The Day the Music Died

Thank a Mailman Day

White T-Shirt Day

National Weatherman’s Day

Lame Duck Day

sat 7

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

1959

Kite Flying Day

Toothache Day

Umbrella Day

Plum Pudding Day

National Organ Donor Day

Cherry Pie Day

Card Reading Day

Polar Bear Day

Get a Different Name Day

HELLO

my name is

Singles Awareness Day

International World Thinking Day

Do a Grouch a Favor Day

International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day

Random Acts of Kindness Day

National Tortilla Chip Day

National Battery Day

Pistol Patent Day

National Chocolate Mint Day

National Pistachio Day

20 27

Public Sleeping Day

22 a&e

JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER written by Celia Hack

“I’ll Give You the Sun” offers readers a story as vibrant as its eye-catching cover

hey say don’t judge a book by its cover. But when it comes to “I’ll Give You the Sun,” maybe you should. Rays of rainbow-colored sparks shoot out from the title, making it appear to be a blazing, explosive sun. The rays, from the lightest periwinkle to the darkest indigo, exude a fiery beauty. The cover shows the essence of the book: a book that is so full of joy that it bursts. “I’ll Give You the Sun,” by Jandy Nelson, tells the story of fraternal twins, Noah and Jude. They are opposites to the point of being clichéd: Noah is a quiet, shy and friendless boy, while Jude is an extroverted, daring and proud girl. They are almost like two halves of the same person. When they want to escape their parents’ constant fighting, they sit right next to each other on the couch to calm each other down. Each twin always needs the other. While they’re so close with each other, they’re also competitive. They are forced to compete for the favor of their parents, because Noah can’t live up to his dad’s expectations and Jude and her mom can never agree on anything. At the same time, they are competing to get into a top-notch art school. Then, after an accident that changes their previously nuclear family, their story is suddenly split into a before and after. Noah tells the before, and Jude tells the after. Two halves of the same story. The character and plot line that made the biggest impact on me was Noah and his love story with the new boy next door, Brian. It could have easily been written as predictable and boring. Instead, Nel-

son takes the opportunity to describe the feelings of a teenage boy dealing with the impossibility of coming out and loving somebody he’s not expected to love. The coming-of-age aspect of the story is shown when Noah asks himself, “What makes you say the opposite of what every cell in your body wants you to say?” after running away from Brian and the possibility of revealing his true feelings for him. Throughout the book, Noah and Jude express their feelings through their art. Noah paints and draws constantly, and Jude sculpts. By making her characters artists, Nelson allows herself to be more creative and intense with her word choice and imagery. One of my favorite scenes was a description of Noah running through the forest near his house. In this scene, sprinting through the forest and imagining his world full of color, Noah thinks up a a title for a painting: “Self-Portrait: Boy Detonates Grenade of Awesome.” Throughout the book, he is constantly creating titles for paintings that describe how he imagines himself and the world around him. Personally, I’m terrible at art. It bores me. I can’t draw, paint or sculpt. I don’t see the deeper meaning or symbols in artwork. But Noah changed my perspective, even if it was just a little. I found myself dreaming up paintings about my own life. While the paintings from my life focused more around homework or brushing my teeth, Noah’s were inspiring and insightful. When I read the painting title Boy Detonates Grenade of Awesome, I imagined Noah pulling the ring out of an ol-

ive-green, ugly grenade, and just every shade of green, yellow and purple that Nelson described earlier exploding out of it. I want to see this painting in real life. These colorful, literal word-paintings made the book so much more enchanting to read. It was so easy to imagine the story with vivid, in-depth descriptions of each scene and each character. As Jude discovers what she wants to create and Noah falls in love, I watched as Noah and Jude fought each other and loved each other, sabotaged each other and then saved each other. Each twin fought to break away from the other, to become their own person and to choose their own family and loves. “I’ll Give You the Sun” could not have been a more colorful, enigmatic and only slightly clichéd read. It had love stories, coming-of-age tales and family feuds. Without that bright, vibrant cover drawing me in, I don’t know if I would have chosen to read this book. It turned out that it embodied the boldness and creativity of the story and writing style of the author herself.

If you liked this, you might also like... “TELL ME AGAIN HOW A CRUSH SHOULD FEEL” By: Sara Farizan

“ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE” By: Anthony Doerr

“THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO” By: Gae Polishner

“Everything I Never Told You” By: Celeste Ng

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

a&e 23

An American Hit Oscar-Nominated movie “American Sniper” proves to be a success despite controversy

written by Will Oakley

In “American Sniper,” director Clint Eastwood invites you into the desert of Iraq in order to portray an inyour-face, real-life war drama of deadly U.S. sniper Chris Kyle. Eastwood laid out what style of movie he intended to make with the first scene — nothing held back. And everything in Kyle’s brutal life is presented in a manner that’s gripping and morally complex. Eastwood clearly has sympathy for Kyle, and justifiably portrays him as a true American hero. Yet, the term “hero” in war is something that fluctuates when faced with a new enemy — which could be anyone from Iraqi mercenaries to women and children with Russian grenades. Essentially, Eastwood is exploring the nuances of the concepts of good and evil within a traditional hero. It’s a movie that is so entirely about a man’s journey through four tours of Hell that it would be difficult for it to resonate if it didn’t have one of the most impressive performances of a man in war in cinematic history. Bradley Cooper, playing Kyle, gives his best ever performance — one that is so inexplicably easy to believe. There is no doubt that Cooper is Chris Kyle, which is so rare in a war movie. I expected the movie would glorify Kyle for killing hundreds of “savages” in Iraq. And, admittedly, Eastwood leaves no doubt in the viewers mind that these Iraqis are savages to the highest degree. At the same time, Kyle is nearly void of glorification. The movie succeeds as portraying him as not necessarily a traditional hero, but a real-life portrayal of a

who seldom appears in the movie. Yet her performance is one that is so utterly believable and leaves the viewer pleading for Kyle to break from his mechanic existence and just stay home for the happiness of his family. His home life presents a problem in that the viewer wishes Kyle would stay home in order to spare his family the torture going on another tour. Yet this would mean he’d be giving up his duty to himself in killing Iraqi soldiers in order to save American lives. Through this incredible juxtaposition, Eastwood further develops the greyness that is inherent to modern military heroes. “American Sniper” presents the modern struggle of a true American hero, and lays it out as impartially as possible on a topic that is inherently wildly controversial. I believe it is undoubtedly one of the best war movies I have seen, up with greats like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Apocalypse Now.” After leaving the theatre, I was left with a completely different outlook on war. And my opinions of the War on Terror changed drastically. I am left with nothing other to say than that “American Sniper” is one hell of a movie and one that will stick with me for a long time.

human transformed into a military killing machine. This is made clear as he is regarded by his fellow soldiers as “The Legend,” being reminded again and again of his current kill count. Yet Kyle always replies with something along the lines of, “I am quite aware, let’s move on to a new topic of conversation.” He represses any and all feelings as he pulls the trigger on countless humans. He views killing as one thing — a necessary responsibility he’s taken on so that the lives of countless Americans may be spared. The scene that most vividly illustrates this point is one that is undoubtedly the most captivating and heart-wrenching of the movie’s entirety. A young child of possibly seven or eight is contemplating picking up an RPG to shoot an American tank after Kyle shot down the man holding it. Kyle then quietly pleads with the young child to not pick up the weapon. If the child had, Kyle undoubtedly would have killed him, as it is his job as a soldier and there would be no other choice. Not until the child has dropped the weapon does Kyle break down, grateful that he won’t have to justifiably murder another child. Scenes like this are ones that bring “American Sniper” so close to home. Another major theme of the movie presents itself when Kyle feels the inexplicable urge to return, even though Kyle is mentally self destructing by going back to the horrors of Iraq again and again. This yearning to return to Hell in the Iraqi desert seemingly rips apart his young family. His wife, Taya, is played by Sienna Miller

out of 4 stars

Additional Info Production Budget:

$58.8 million

Oscar Nominations:

Worldwide Grossing:

$321,620,791

Distributor:

Warner Bros

BOY

CRAZY Reality TV show The Bachelor in which 20 women compete for one bachelor is still popular among high school students even after 19 seasons

written by Katie Hise Thirty girls. Six limos. One final rose. The first night of “The Bachelor” season 19 was one to remember. On Jan. 5, the nation was introduced to two and a half dozen gorgeous women that were preparing to steal the heart of one Chris Soules. Audiences seem to have a strong opinion toward this type of reality TV. You can be someone who spends every Monday night crowded around a television with chips in hand, or someone who would rather write a 12 page English essay. Whether you love or hate “The Bachelor,” you can agree that some of these girls are downright idiotic. From Tara, the crazy drunk that was sent home week two, to Jade, the seem-to-be crowd favorite and Ashley I., the girl who cries every episode, Soules has a wide assortment of girls to choose from. He is hoping for one who fits in with his lifestyle. Soules is the lucky farmer from Lamont, IA who was chosen to be this year’s Bachelor. At first glance, he may appear as a pretty boy, but ever since he was little, Soules has been wearing oversized Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots. He knows his roots and is not willing to abandon them. Soules will ultimately choose a woman who will adapt to his lifestyle and live on the farm with him. No exceptions. “I like the whole farmer thing,” junior Katie Kissick said. “I think Chris is a very down-toearth guy and makes a good bachelor.” What is a farmer doing on a reality TV show? On the last season of “The Bachelorette,” Chris was sent home by Andi Dorfman, but stole the hearts of the people around the country. He was voted to be the next Bachelor. Trying to adapt from a farmer to a national heartthrob, Chris is in for a season full of kissing, crying and lots of roses. With one goal in

mind, he knows the journey to finding a wife will not be a smooth one. All 19 seasons of this show have ended up in only two successful relationships to date. However, a Harbinger poll says that over half of the East viewers think Chris and who he chooses will stay together. This show seems to be either a crowd favorite or a total bust. It is either the best time of the year or offensive to women everywhere. “I like the show because I’ve watched it for a long time,” Kissick said. “It’s fun to see the crazy dates they go on and some of the ridiculous things the girls do to get attention.” Sure, another teenage girl that enjoys reality TV. There is drinking, kissing and crying -- all the ingredients to good television. The other side of this is the whole cheating and lying thing. Freshman Sydney Pearson believes that the show is a silly excuse for viewers to watch drama and listen to arguments. “I think the whole show is just pretty people doing crazy things to get a man they barely know,” Pearson said. “They say they are in love when they barely know the man.” With the stereotype of teenage girls and their strong opinions, they would either love or hate “The Bachelor.” It is based on jealousy, fighting and drama. Thirty girls asking themselves ‘Why is Chris kissing other girls?’ Hate to break it to you, but you signed up for “The Bachelor,” not “The Millionaire Matchmaker.” With the finale planned to air Mar. 16, Chris has narrowing down to do. He has kissed every girl at this point, and has already made some tough decisions. One girl. One finale. One engagement ring.

THE BACHELORAT The Harbinger took a

1. JADE 2. BRITT 3. KAITLYN

Do you think Chris was a good choice for the Bachelor? 39

Do you like the whole “farmer” thing? yes 29 photo illustration by Annika Sink

no 23

Will Chris find a wife in the end? 31 yes

Who do you want to be the top 3 on The Bachelor?

21 no

EAST

survey to see what the East student population thought of the Bachelor. The 52 East students revealed what the students thought of the girls and the bachelor, Chris.

yes

24 a&e

BOW

lancers ON SOCIAL media

LIN

sports 25

Emma Braasch

“Congrats to our athletes that signed today! We are proud of you. Thanks for representing East well.” Signing at Creighton wouldn’t have been possible without these three coaches!

written by Ellie Cook photo by Emily Biegelsen

fter welcoming new members, the girl’s bowling team has become closer and learned to make practices more enjoyable by joking with each other. The bowling teams acquired two new sophomores and a freshman. The freshman, Sophia Flannagan, moved up to varsity this week after winning first in the JV tournament. Senior Kate Mitchell and junior Kathryn Jones agree that the bowlers last year didn’t know how to keep things light. Jones remembers that the atmosphere was too serious, and that there were intimidating seniors. “It’s a fun team this year,” Mitchell said. “We’re all from different groups, so it’s fun to talk to those people that I normally wouldn’t have talked to.” Practices are relaxed, because the bowling teams don’t like to take themselves too seriously. When someone gets a strike, the entire team starts clapping. In between turns, Mitchell likes to sing, dance and document snippets of practice for her Snapchat story. Though practices are always enjoyed, the bus rides to meets are even more memorable. Everyone is a little nervous, but the team members sit at the back of the bus so they can play music and make jokes the entire time. “My JV bus ride was the first one I had been on for the tournament on [Jan. 27],” Mitchell said, “And it was probably the best time I ever had in my whole life. We all had this weird vibe

so we were just playing off of it. And the bus rides are so fun and everyone is so obnoxious and just laughing.” Because some of their best bowlers graduated last year, the girls’ varsity team is not doing as well as their last season. They took last place out of six teams at their tournament on Jan. 27. “We lost two really good bowlers,” Jones said of the girls’ varsity team. “That impacted [girls’ varsity] a lot because it moved up the not-as-good people to varsity.” Mitchell is on JV, and says her team has improved since last year. At their tournament on Jan. 27, they earned second place. “The people that were new last year have improved a lot this year,” Mitchell said, “Which makes a big difference.” The dynamic of the bowling team has changed for the better this year according to Mitchell and Jones. The group is closer and more supportive. The comfortable atmosphere makes it easy to form friendships, so the team members have become close with people they would have never talked to without bowling. The older members are teaching the new ones and each other lessons on bowling and sportsmanship. “I learn technique better from the coaches,” Jones said, “but I learn how to be a team member from the other players.”

sports 27

photo illustration by Joe Cline written by Mac Newman

Regular Season The regular season for the 2014-2015 NFL season started off with a game between the reigning champs of the previous season: the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. With lots of confidence, the Seahawks started off the same way they finished last season: with a blowout victory (36-16). During the rest of the season most of the teams who usually don’t do very well, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Carolina Panthers, ended up in the bottom of their conferences. On the opposite end, there was a five-way tie for first in the league between the Seahawks, Patriots, Broncos, Colts, Packers and Cowboys. This season was not one for blowouts, most games were close, with a few exceptions, like the 31-0 thrashing of the New York Jets by the San Diego Chargers. Back in Kansas City, the Chiefs had a subpar season. Comparing this season to last, last season was better, with a 11-5 record, but they did have a positive record this season with nine wins and seven losses. Although they didn’t clinch the playoffs, they did manage to defeat both of the super bowl teams (Seahawks and Patriots). Nearing the end of the season it was obvious who was going to clinch the playoffs and who wasn’t. The Seahawks and Patriots both won their division with home field advantage, both looking extremely dangerous. All of the other conference leaders were also at the top of their divisions.

HIGHLIGHTS Professional Football Player, Odell Beckam catches touchdown pass against Cowboys.

SEASON IN REVIEW A recap of the 2014/2015 NFL season

Post Season

The Arizona Cardinals vs. the Carolina Panthers started off the postseason, in the first wild card game. The Cardinals were slain 27-16. In the next three wildcard games the Ravens, Colts and Cowboys also went through into the divisional playoffs. Starting the playoffs, its Baltimore vs. New England in the Patriots stadium. The result was in the Patriots favor, but barely. 35-31 was the final score. Soon after, the Seahawks embarrassed the Carolina Panthers 31-17, Green Bay scraped past the Cowboys 26-21, and the Colts battered Denver 2413. Next was the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship it was Seattle vs. Green bay. Green Bay led 16-0 in the 3rd quarter. But, It wasn’t over yet. Seattle held the Packers to a Field Goal (FG), and Russell Wilson ran it in which made it 19-14. The Seahawks had to go for an onside kick. They booted it into the air and Seattle recovers it. Then, Marshawn Lynch tore past the Green Bay defense to put Seattle in front. But, Green Bay tied it up with a FG. Overtime. Seahawks received. They worked their way up the field and then, a 63 yard reception by Jermaine Kearse got them the win. This game kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole second half, especially that fake kick. What a game. Oh and can you say comeback? The American Football Conference (AFC) Championship featured the Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots. The final score was 45-7 Patriots, an absolute annihilation. But the score is not what made the front covers: a report was released saying that the Patriots deflated most of the balls used in the game. The balls were confiscated at halftime and since the NFL has launched a full-scale investigation. Now in my opinion I think that the media is blowing this out of proportion. I know that its cheating and all, but it’s not like the Patriots weren’t going to win even if they didn’t deflate the balls. They still would’ve humiliated the Colts. I think that the media is just looking for a story and then it will blow over in a week or two.

Super Bowl Super Bowl XLIX was held in Phoenix, Arizona Feb. 1, pitting the Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots. The Seahawks were hungry for a second consecutive Super Bowl win. And the Patriots were going to do anything and everything to stop that from happening. Entering the University of Phoenix Stadium, the Seahawks won the coin toss, and they kicked. The Patriots came out strong and were getting first down after first down. But for the Seattle offense it was the complete opposite, they couldn’t even complete a pass. But still, the Seattle defense held strong, scoring them an interception. The Pats offense was on fire though and this time they got the job done. Completely against the run of play, Russell Wilson floated one up to Chris Matthews who made a huge completion. Before the game I didn’t even know who this guy was. But, now everyone does. He embarrassed the Pats cornerbacks and made so many amazing catches. With the help of Dont’a High`water, who almost single-handedly kept Marshawn Lynch quiet, the Pats held Seattle. 28-24 Patriots, with two minutes left for Seattle to win it. Russell Wilson threw a pass to Jermaine Kearse. He couldn’t make the snag, but the ball bounced off his leg and back into his hands as he fell down. My face was the same as Tom Brady’s after that catch, which was like, are you kidding me? I think that that catch was a mix of luck and skill. I respect him for not giving up after he didn’t make the catch, but that was extremely lucky as well. So the Seahawks were within five yards of the end zone, it seemed like a no-brainer to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch. But Seattle decided a short pass was a better idea. What a terrible decision. Malcolm Butler intercepted the ball on the goal line with 20 seconds left. With that play, the Patriots won the Super Bowl XLIV, 28-24. I was in complete shock, they have one of the best running backs in the league! And they just didn’t give the ball to him. Take a coaching class Pete Carroll.

Coach Pete Carrol loses the Super Bowl XLIX after last years win. Patriots win 28-24

28 sports

Rowing g n i w o With ut Kn written by Aidan Epstein

Despite playing only volleyball and basketball in high school, senior Rachel Haskell commits to row at Kansas State University

Rowing. The word wouldn’t have rung any bells in senior Rachel Haskell’s head before receiving a letter from the Kansas State University (K-State) rowing coach, Grace Ure. KState expressed interest in having Rachel on their team, at the end of her junior year. She had only rowed twice before. Her sports were volleyball and basketball. She played varsity volleyball and is currently on the varsity basketball team. But Haskell had known for a while that she wasn’t going to continue those into college. “I wouldn’t have wanted to play a sport I’ve previously been into because I feel like I would have gotten burned out,” Haskell said. Being on a team was a big part of her high school life, so she knew she’d miss the team atmosphere if she didn’t play a college sport. Practice everyday after school for two seasons was a big time commitment, and some of these girls on the team formed into her best friends, like fellow senior Jordan Kiehl. Kiehl also took rowing into consideration right about the time Haskell did. The two talked about trying to row at K-State together. They were planning on joining a crew club called Kansas City Rowing Club(KCRC) that a lot of East kids are a part of. “I decided not to because I’m pursuing a difficult major and the benefits of rowing didn’t seem worth the negative parts,” Kiehl said. Haskell’s outlook changed after receiving the letter from Ure. It seemed weird to Haskell that they would recruit someone to play the sport in college without experience.

“They don’t want people who have a lot of experience in the sport because they have bad habits,” Haskell said. Some of these habits are bringing the handles around your knees, not doing a full warm-up and the pattern in which you move your legs, arms, oar. For Haskell, the positives, like scholarships, staying in shape and being on a team outweighed the negatives like being strained for time and more exhausting days. Having tried out the sport twice during the summer with Kiehl, she was a perfect fit. A perfect fit for a school like K-State. With their big football and men’s basketball programs, they are in need of women athletes. Another reason women’s rowing seems to be prominent is due to Title IX. Title IX is the fact that universities have to give out an equal amount of mens and women’s scholarships. By passing this in 1972, women have many more opportunities to play college sports. Since a football team could consist of up to 100 scholarships, that opens 100 women’s scholarships, including newer sports like rowing, that wouldn’t have been accounted for before Title IX. In Haskell’s case, they recruited her because of her athletic background, height and competitive spirit. By accepting this scholarship, Haskell gets a large amount of her col-

photo by Haley Bell

lege paid for, and has opened a spot for someone on a men’s team. Rowing is becoming a popular women’s sport for the reason of Title IX and the fact that the girls can be trained in college and don’t need the background in the sport that other women’s college sports need. For Haskell it offers a new experience with that team atmosphere she loves. With that mentality, Haskell went to visit K-State in Manhattan, Kan., and see if this was something she would like to be a part of for the next four years. A new sport, no worry about getting burned out and a great team atmosphere is what she found. East alumnus Molly Ross is currently on the team and describes the team atmosphere as family-like. “Rachel will be great for the sport, “ Ross said. “It’s a sport that rewards those who work hard and she is an extremely hard-working individual.” Ross also says this is the most difficult sport she has played. It takes a lot of training to become ready to compete, which is probably why all freshmen redshirt, or practice but sit out of games their first year. “They ease you into it,” Haskell said. “I’ll start out with one practice a day and by the end of first semester I’ll have two.” The decision to row seems like a perfect fit for Haskell. “I never really wanted to play a sport in college but since I got this new opportunity I didn’t want to pass it up,” she adds.

A look into Kansas State Rowing 6’0” 5’11” 5’10”

90% of rowers on the team are from Kansas

5’9” 5’8”

Rowers have to be at least 5’10”

Before trying out,

100%

of rowers had zero experience

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WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT

30 sports

For many years, GABL has been one of the most popular non-school activities for East students to take part in. Some great basketball players don’t want to deal with the pressures of playing for the high school team. GABL gives them a great outlet to play but still have fun. Teams that formed in the second grade remain strong until they are seniors in high school. Some teams take it very seriously, and refuse to lose. For example, The Black Rockets have a three-year record of 23-2. Other teams, however, play for more of a fun type of experience, like the 9ers. The 9ers have a record of 0-4-1, and have been in some fights with opposing team players. But in the end, these two types of teams play for one main goal: to ball out.

The 9ers have had a rocky season so far. The team has gained not just a rough record, but also a rough reputation. With their record of 0-4-1, they’ve had to battle every game, trying every possible way to get a win or tie — no matter the cost. Their one game that resulted in something other than a loss was due to a mutual forfeit after junior Spencer Mustoe had a disagreement with an opposing team member. “This kid threw Spence down, and the benches cleared,” junior shooting guard Hayes Hendricks said. “A few cuss words may have been dropped, especially from the other team’s coach. We had to back our guy up, it’s just the way we play.” The team keeps this concept of backing each other up not just when they get in bench-clearing brawls, but also when they are balling on the court. They do this through their friendship outside of the court and their love for the game. “We don’t have a best player, we try to give every guy the ball, and we help each other out,” Hendricks said. Even though the team tries to distribute the ball as much as possible, junior point guard Matthew Erdner has become the team’s leading scorer. “Teamwork is important and all, but I can ball,” Erdner said. “I just find a way to get points. We may not be getting the results we want, but I’ve done my part. It’s time for some other guys to step up.” The other team members include juniors Tom Peters, George Colby, Henry Churchill, Spencer Mustoe and Andy Spencer. There isn’t an issue with talent, considering a majority of these players have scored in double digits this season.

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Some said they wouldn’t have what it takes. Others said they took the easy way out by playing in the GABL recreational league, unlike the 9ers and Black Rockets. There had been a lot of speculation surrounding Black Nile’s Revenge. However, the squad has silenced all of these theories, and have done so in an impressive fashion. The team has had a solid start to the season, earning a spotless record of 5-0. Black Nile’s Revenge has had a few tough tests this year, especially last week’s game when they won off of a buzzer beater from senior Alec Dean. Seniors Derek Steiert, Max Byers, Alec Dean, Clark Doerr and Brady Clark all play varsity sports at East. Senior Brett Faulkner says this team could be looking perfection in the face, and claims they could challenge Calipari’s platoons, with two stacked platoons of their own. Faulconer leads the team in scoring, and is arguably their best player. “I owe my success to the weight room,” Faulconer said. “Me and the boys spend countless hours in the gym. There is no chance that we will lose a single game. No team has the skill to come near beating us.” They had many impressive wins this season, such as when they dropped 110 points and held their opponent to only 50. “I scored most of the points, so you could say that win is basically because of me. We probably would’ve lost if I wasn’t playing,” Faulconer said. Their wins may be because of Faulconer, but other players get involved in many ways, doing whatever they can to get the win. Steiert gives a motivational speech before every game, and Faulconer believes that helps immensely. “His speech gets us really pumped up and motivated to win,” Faulconer said. There are so many different factors contributing to the Black Rockets’ success, which could be why they have such an impressive record. The season isn’t over, but they have a serious chance at clinching perfection.

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Senior Max Sanborn lobs a half court shot across the East auxiliary gym. Then another. Then another. It’s the pregame routine. For the Black Rockets to begin, they must sink three half court shots. For this squad, it’s all about tradition from their pregame routine, to their postgame celebration at Johnny’s. “Good luck to the refs if they try starting the game before we’ve dropped those three half courters,” Sanborn said. “If they even think about trying that, I’ll just show them the gun show, and they’ll quiet down real quick.” “For anybody out there that thinks this pregame routine is stupid, you can talk to their 23-2 record that has been building since sophomore year,” Sanborn said. The team started the season 5-0, and not one team has come close to beating them. “Last week we played the 9ers. Won by 30. Not even kidding, I think I saw some tears being shed by those guys,” Sanborn said. The Rockets play in one of the toughest leagues — the “Competitive League.” This makes their nearly-perfect record all that more impressive. The team may owe some of their success to that pregame warm up, but let’s not forget their star and key player, senior Charley White. Averaging around 18 points a game, White leads the team in scoring by a long shot. Their second highest scoring player is Sam Williams, scoring nearly 13 points a game. White also averages about 8 assists, more than any other player. “I was born with the talent of being a great basketball player,” White said. “I played for East freshman year, but GABL has been much more enjoyable.” Other players who may not be so good at scoring help their team in other ways. Despite coming off a career high 23 point game, Sanborn says he’s more concerned with leading the team in spirit rather than points. Sanborn also added that he leads the team in airballs.

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photoessay 31

s e

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East boys started their own recreational GABL teams for a fun way to play basketball, without the stress and time commitment of playing on the high school team

photo by Hailey Hughes

above Senior Charley White motions to a teammate to pass the ball. “GABL is a great way to hang out with friends. My team has a pregame ritual where we have to shoot three half-court shots before we step on to play, it’s a great way to get pumped up,” White said.

right Junior Sam McDonald was invited to join a GABL team when another player got injured. He considers this his big break. His team has yet to win a game, but is working toward a “W.” “My favorite memory is when we kept getting dunked on by the same guy over and over again,” McDonald said.

photo by Joseph Cline

below Junior Hayes Hendricks and his team formed when several players ended their high school basketball careers this season. “We still wanted to play the game and its still away to have fun and get some exercise in,” Hendricks said. “We aren’t doing too well, but we still enjoy it even when we lose.”

photo by Hailey Hughes

photo by Joseph Cline

photo by Hailey Hughes

above

Juniors Katie Kissick and Brooke Erickson cheer on the boys from the stands. “We’re pretty much the only fans there, which makes it really fun to go and support.” Kissick said. “My favorite memory was when they won their first game. They all went crazy.”

left

Senior Jack Anderson guards the opposing team in hopes of winning the ball. “We played a pretty big team, which was pretty intimidating. But we have five football players on our team so we knew we could get the win.” Anderson said.

photoessay

ER OCC Y-S SIT

NU NI

BARRE

TENNIS ITY-

On national signing day last Wednesday, nine seniors chose to continue their athletic careers on the collegiate level. Friends, parents and coaches gathered in the gym to see the students signing. The following seniors signed:

RADO CHRISTIA

OFF

R PE

LO : CO

CH: CREIGHTON U S A NIV RA B ER A

signing

Senior John Aliber had no idea senior Emma Braasch, signing to play soccer at Creighton University, would be asking him to WPA that day. “Asking John to WPA on National Signing Day was special because I knew he would be there to congratulate me so it was fun to share that moment [together],” Braasch said. The announcers asked for John to stand up in the crowd of his friends. “I really didn’t know what was going on until I saw all the cameras turn around and point at me,” Aliber said. “I was really good way to be asked to WPA.”

photos by James Wooldridge

CO O

S: PARENT SUPP E I R OR HF T T E

photos by Morgan Browning

ELI

Kyle Ball: Football, Kansas State University Elizabeth Barnickel: Tennis, Air Force Academy Emma Braasch: Soccer, Creighton University Barrett Cooper: Tennis, Colorado Christian University Rilye Fries: Swimming, University of Nebraska Shelby Harvey: Softball, Ottawa University Rachel Haskell: Rowing, Kansas State University Devin Price: Football, Baker University Jennifer Young: Lacrosse, Illinois Institute of Technology

Senior Barrett Cooper’s entire family came to signing day to cheer him on. “I thought it was a neat and fun experience to take part in,” Cooper said. “It was more personal than I previously thought, because there were only nine seniors.” A majority of Cooper’s athletic awards were for his wrestling accomplishments though he will be playing tennis at Colorado Christian University.

photos by Annie Savage

Elizabeth Fries has been there throughout her daughter, Rilye Fries’, entire swimming career. “[East] did a great job honoring each of the signers. It’s an incredibly special journey to be a collegiate athlete,” Elizabeth said. “Rilye’s University of Nebraska coaches and teammates are incredible. I know she‘ll be happy to be a member of the Husker Nation.” Rilye will be swimming for University of Nebraska’s Division I team. “I am only where I am now because I have such a supportive family, friends, and an amazing and understanding coach,” Rilye said.