Binder2 by The Harbinger

the harbinger.

photo courtesy of HBO

PAGE 19

GAME OF THRONES TEACHER OVERCOMES VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

LEARNING LEADERSHIP

PHOTO BY JAMES WOOLDRIDGE

PAGE 11

EAST BASEBALL BEGINS SEASON 5-1 WITH STRONG SENIOR

LEADERSHIP STORY ON PAGE 6

Shawnee Mission East l 7500 Mission Road, PV KS, 66208 l April 14, 2014 l Issue 14 l www.smeharbinger.net

editorial.

AFF HARBINGER ST 2013-2014

CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Andrew McKittrick Katie Knight ASSISTANT EDITORS Morgan Krakow Sophie Tulp HEAD COPY EDITOR Sarah Berger

ASSISTANT HEAD COPY EDITOR Pauline Werner ART & DESIGN EDITOR Miranda Gibbs ART & DESIGN ASSISTANT EDITOR Phoebe Aguiar NEWS SECTION EDITOR Greta Nepstad

NEWS PAGE DESIGNERS Mike Thibodeau Lauren Brown SPREAD EDITOR Caroline Kohring FEATURES SECTION EDITOR Maddie Hise

SPONSOR ED BY: $UPER PA C$ In reaction to the recent Supreme Court ruling, the Harbinger believes that removing that campaign donation limit gives a louder voice to the rich In an effort to protect First Amendment rights during election season, the Supreme Court ruled last week to repeal election donor spending caps. This ruling will allow corporations and individual to pour unlimited sums into campaigns. The Harbinger believes that this decision will only benefit a small, elite group of wealthy Americans, who will thus be capable of making disproportionate impacts on the campaign process. Therefore, this ruling will hinder the free speech of the common American. Before this ruling, there were two spending caps for individual election donors: $48,600 to all federal candidates and $74,600 to all political committees. Yet according to the Huffington Post, only 646 of the millions of donors in the 2012 elections met this cap. The 5-4 Supreme Court ruling empowers this small percentage of corporate donors to contribute millions to campaigns, giving a skewed image of the American public’s opinion. In a demographic study by the Open Secrets organization, it was reported that only 0.12 percent of Americans contributed more than $200 in donations during the 2013-2014 year. This tiny percentage of the public was able to make a huge impact by funding campaigns, politicians and local elections, yet their voices are not necessarily accurate in representing the opinions of the nation. It’s naïve to believe that money will not influence politics. It is impossible to have a government rid completely of the sway of money. However, it is the duty of the Supreme Court to defend the common man against this corruption. The

court’s ruling has taken a step backward in the defense of the common American by strengthening an elite group, and its consequences will be uncertain until the 2016 election. It is a travesty to allow individuals and corporations to sway elections. The purpose of democracy is to give voice to the everyday American — the people who can only contribute a ballot, not a donation, to the election process. These are the individual voices that should decide an election. These are the individuals whose voices will taper and diminish if an elite few are allowed to contribute unfettered sums to the political process. The decision is not yet final. A Senate committee chaired by Chuck Schumer will be holding hearings in response to backlash over the issue. In the meantime, it will be the role of the average American — that 99.88 percent who remain unchanged by the ruling — to make their voices louder in order to prevent, in the words of Philadelphia Magazine’s Joel Mathis, “the New Gilded Age.”

VOTES: FOR: 9 AGAINST: 4 ABSENT: 0

Letters to the editor may be sent to room 521 or smeharbinger@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel and mechanics and accepted or rejected at the editors’ discretion. The Harbinger is a student-run publication. The contents and views are produced solely by the staff and do not represent the Shawnee Mission School District, East faculty or school administration.

FEATURES PAGE DESIGNERS Sydney Lowe Pauline Werner COPY EDITORS Mike Thibodeau Clara Ma Andrew McKittrick Morgan Krakow Sarah Berger Sophie Tulp Katie Knight Pauline Werner Caroline Kohring Julia Poe Susannah Mitchell Greta Nepstad FREELANCE PAGE DESIGNERS Grace Heitmann Will Oakley STAFF WRITERS Madison Hyatt Ellis Nepstad Michael Kraske Hannah Coleman Sophie Storbeck Ellie Booton Sean Overton PHOTO EDITORS McKenzie Swanson Maddie Schoemann ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Annie Savage Tessa Polaschek OPINION SECTION EDITOR Morgan Twibell OPINION PAGE DESIGNERS Nellie Whittaker Aidan Epstein A&E SECTION EDITOR Phoebe Aguiar A&E PAGE DESIGNERS Audrey Danciger Leah Pack SPORTS SECTION EDITOR Will Oakley SPORTS PAGE DESIGNERS Tommy Sherk John Foster FREELANCE PAGE DESIGNERS Grace Heitmann Ali Lee STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Neely Atha Callie McPhail Kylie Relihan Annika Sink Taylor Anderson Katie Lamar Paloma Garcia James Wooldrige Tessa Polaschek Abby Hans

Katie Roe EDITORIAL BOARD Andrew McKittrick Katie Knight Morgan Krakow Sarah Berger Lauren Brown Susannah Mitchell Morgan Twibell Sophie Tulp Julia Poe Grace Heitmann Mike Thibodeau Pauline Werner John Foster ADS MANAGER Sophie Tulp ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Grace Heitmann Julia Poe ONLINE ASSISTANT EDITOR John Foster ONLINE HEAD COPY EDITORS Susannah Mitchell Clara Ma ONLINE ASSISTANT HEAD COPY EDITOR Lauren Brown ONLINE PHOTO EDITOR Marisa Walton ONLINE ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Hailey Hughes Callie McPhail ONLINE CONVERGENCE EDITOR Audrey Danciger ONLINE NEWS EDITOR Ellie Booton ONLINE HOMEGROWN EDITOR Hannah Coleman ONLINE OPINION EDITOR Claire Sullivan ONLINE A&E EDITOR Audrey Danciger ONLINE SPORTS SECTION EDITORS Michael Kraske Will Oakley VIDEO EDITORS Sophie Mitchell Annie Foster PODCAST & RADIO EDITOR Leah O’Connor EASTIPEDIA EDITOR Maxx Lamb INTERACTIVE EDITOR Mike Thibodeau HEAD WEBMASTER Jack Stevens ASSISTANT WEBMASTERS Jacob Milgrim Tommy Sherk LIVE BROADCAST EDITORS Jack Stevens Andrew McKittrick BROADCAST TEAM Daniel Rinner MULTIMEDIA STAFF Jack Stevens Sophie Mitchell Matthew Bruyere Annie Foster Georgia DuBois Abby Hans Leah O’Connor TWEETMASTER Jacob Milgrim ONLINE BLOGGERS Corinne Stratton Katharine Swindells Brian Philipps Gaby Azorsky Scotty Burford ADVISER Dow Tate

A week in photos

F E I R B NEWS IN

news. WRITTEN BY AUDREY DANCIGER ART BY GRETA NEPSTAD

}

look inside the

FIFA

The Countdown to the 2014 FIFA World Cup

KATIE LAMAR On April 1, Erin Penner competed in the track and field meet against SMW and SMN in the pole vault category.

Brazil will host the twentieth Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in 12 host cities from the northernmost city of Manaus to the southernmost city, Porto Alegre this June. The tournament will begin on June 12 and continue until the championship game is played in the Rio de Janeiro stadium on July 13. Along with Spain, the 2010 World Cup champion, other nations like the US, Germany and Argentina will be competing in the month-long tournament. The official FIFA World Cup website, FIFA.com, provides World Cup facts for each day of the countdown until the games begin. Each fact ties the number of days left in the countdown to something in the history of the tournament. East students, like member of the boy’s soccer team, Senior Calen Byrd, are counting down to the tournament as well. “In that last World Cup, Spain was pretty much the clear choice to take home the cup. But this year you have multiple top tier teams, such as Brazil, Spain, Germany and maybe even Portugal who could pull off some big upsets,” said Byrd.

New Education Reform Bill Passed MCKENZIE SWANSON In the spring pep assembly, Annie Savage performs a medley in the American Idol competition.

MARISA WALTON On March 29, the boys lacrosse team defeated Millard West High School 13-7 in their first win of the season.

KATIE ROE The Chamber Choir, led by Choir Director Ken Foley, sings at a concert in the Dan Zollars Auditorium on March 31. Annual auditons are held for this elite choir which is comprised of 24 singers.

The Kansas House of Representatives voted 63-57 on Sunday, April 6 in favor of a new plan that will increase Kansas public school funding and eliminate teachers’ tenure. Tenure is a teacher’s right to not have their position terminated without just cause. The bill was approved earlier by the Senate 22-16 and is now being sent to governor Sam Brownback for consideration. The bill was drafted by Kansas Republicans in both chambers in response to the Supreme Court ruling last month directing lawmakers in the state to bridge the funding gap between rich and poor school districts. While Kansas school districts will be receiving more funding, teachers’ right to due processing will be eliminated by the bill. This means that a teacher may be fired without a hearing. Some teachers at East are displeased with the bill because they fear it could affect their position, including math teacher Andrew Walter. “The bill is troubling in many ways including the manner in which it was passed,” Walter said, “Many teachers, myself included, welcome the thoughtful open discussion of the many issues facing public schools. The manner in which the bill was passed falls well short of that standard.”

East Named Most Challenging School in SMSD According to the Washington Post’s annual “America’s Most Challenging High Schools ” list, East is the fifth most challenging high school in the state of Kansas for 2014. Jay Matthews, an education columnist for the Washington Post, compiles a list of the most challenging high schools in the nation for each school year. The rankings are based on the ratio of the number of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests taken to the number of students who graduated that year. One test must be taken for every student that graduated, and the school must have a ratio of 1.000 in order to be placed on the list. According to counseling center secretary Julie Curry, in 2013 there were 338 students who took 583 AP tests and this along with the IB tests taken (numbers not reported) led East to a ratio of 1.8 tests taken per every student who graduated. This year only 10 schools in the state of Kansas made the list. East ranks behind Blue Valley and Blue Valley North and ahead of Shawnee Mission South.

WORLD CUP

59 days

until the tournament begins on June 12 in Brazil

the current top 3 teams in the world

SPAIN

GERMANY

ARGENTINA

2010

past championships 1954 1974 1990

defending champions

2 past championships 1978 1986

the United States is globally ranked at number 14 though the U.S. has yet to win the World Cup, they finished in the top four in

they’ve qualified for the tournament

6 times

1930

someone you may know...

}Landon Donovan}

The 32 year old soccer player for the U.S. team prepares for his third World Cup strengths: quick feet and even pace, tends to aim ball to top corner of goal weaknesses: inconsistent with style two footed player, shares the ball, quick, precise, direct The second-highest honor is playing for your country, and the highest honor is wearing the armband for your country. It shows that the players have confidence in me, and that feels good.

“

”

-Landon Donovan

HITECH Health Information Systems

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Try out a class in this growing career field for free! Thanks to Senate Bill 155, Kansas high school students can enroll in Introduction to Health Information Systems (HCIS 230) for free. Classes are online or in a hybrid format, and are 5 weeks in length. Visit www.jccc.edu/high-school/sb-155.html to learn more. Contact us at www.jccc.edu/hitech or call 913-469-8500, ext. 4020.

Mission Education Foundation, DONATIONS CAN BE SENT TO OR MADE ONLINE Shawnee Attn: Chuck Sulzen Track & Field Scholarship 7235 Antioch, Shawnee Mission, KS 66206

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Hitech Ad 03-2014 BW PDF 2.5 x 5.5

1 1 th Annual

A benefit for the Corinth Education Foundation

Saturday, May 3rd, 2014

Students’ art from the River Project, which emphasizes collaboration and variety, will be showcased to the public in May WRITTEN BY SEAN OVERTON

he River Project, a club started by photography teacher Adam Finkelstein, was created to give students a chance to experience professional art. Otherwise known as the Creative Collaboration, the club has been working all year to create an exhibition. On May 1, 12 students’ work will be displayed in the Healthy River Partnership’s building in the West Bottoms in KCMO. The Healthy River Partnership is an organization created for river cleanups. “One of the biggest goals of the project is to create environmental awareness,” Junior Andrew Hartnett said. “And to really find an appreciation for the beauty of the river and to preserve it.” The debut of the students’ projects at the exhibition is invite-only. Prior to the event, people like city councilmen and journalists will be receiving those invitations. The public will then see the students’ work on May 2 at First Fridays in the Crossroads. With a focus on allowing students to work in a variety of media, Finkelston invites kids that have many different interests from biology to art. The program is open to allow them to create scientific experiments, or displays such as videogames, and sound pieces transformed into photographs. “It’s a way for students to interact with professionals in a wide variety of media,” Finkelston said. “It’s really open to whatever students want it to be.” After being started three years ago, this is the first year that East recognizes Creative Collaboration as an official school club. It was given the name The River Project because its roots can be found in the Missouri River, where all participating students in the project take a field trip in the spring. They study how Kansas City was established

around the river, and to see how it has created the neighborhoods around it. “The body of work is pretty much derived from the trip,” Hartnett said. Going to the river helps the students learn about the city as a whole. This is important because Finkelston wants to give the students inspiration for the projects that they create. “Part of being a really good artist is understanding your context,” Finkelston said. “And where you are.” Many of the projects are collaborative. For example, seniors James Fink, Ilanna Duby, Ayanna Curran-Howes and Ada Throckmorton teamed up to create a rooftop garden, containing multiple layers, and is built to sustain over a years time. The process for the project takes a lot of sketching, thinking and understanding logistics. Finkelston encourages the students to think big, and develop their ideas since they have a year to produce their final work before the exhibition. About 12 students are participating this year. In years past up to 25 have taken part in the project, and almost all the work is done outside the classroom. For the next month, students will be working every weekend in the Healthy River Projects headquarters on 915 Woodswether Road. After First Fridays, the show will stay there for a couple of weeks, during which the students’ work will be judged by local artists and scientists. They will receive feedback and advice. In the third week of May, the exhibition will be moved to the Johnson County library. From there it will be split in two. Part of the exhibit going to the Leawood Pioneer Library, the other at Oak Park, where they will be displayed all summer.

fficers from the Prairie Village Police Department (PVPD) will be stationed at busy intersections from April 18-27 in search of distracted drivers. Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) issued a grant this year to enforce the laws against distracted driving — specifically texting while driving. It’s been three years since the state laws against texting while driving were established. According to PVPD Sgt. James Carney, drivers should be fully aware that texting while driving is a traffic violation. The average ticket for texting while driving costs 60 dollars. Between the weeks of Feb. 14-Mar. 7, PVPD took part in a similar initiative checking for proper seat belt usage leading up to spring break. Unlike the texting while driving enforcement, the seat belt initiative was specific to East students. However, the upcoming program will involve the entire community, and Sgt. Carney says drivers aged 30 to 39 are most likely to be the ones ticketed for distracted driving violations. Unlike the seat belt initiative, which had officers strategically placed around East, officers will not be in set locations for this period of enforcement for distracted driving. Senior Mary Workman got a ticket before spring break for distracted driving while she was changing the music on her iPod.

news.

“I was scrolling through to change the music and I got pulled over,” senior Mary Workman said. “I told that to the officer, but he is still counting it for using a wireless device.” School Resource Officer Joel Porter said that drivers sometimes mistake time on the road as downtime. This leads them to thinking that using phones to communicate with people is more acceptable — and sometimes even easier. Many officers are also coming to the conclusion that distracted driving is worse than driving drunk. “A person who’s intoxicated may try to focus even harder on driving well, because they know they’re intoxicated,” Sgt. Carney said. “And a person who is distracted by a cell phone is more likely to be looking up at the road less often.” On average, people who text while driving have their eyes off of the road for five seconds at a time. At 55 mph, it takes five seconds to cover the length of a football field. Sgt. Carney hopes to use the KDOT initiative to save drivers from the consequences, that he says most drivers don’t even realize until they experience it first hand. “If they provide the grant money again next year we will likely participate,” Sgt. Carney said.

TEXTINGTROUBLE State initiative causes police to focus on texting and driving WRITTEN BY SOPHIE STORBECK

9 in 10 teens expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less, which puts pressure on them to respond while driving

STOTPIN!G

TEX ND A G DRIVIN

Texting makes a crash up to

23x

times more likely.

Teens who text while driving spend 10 percent of the time outside their lane facts courtesy of dosomething.org

opinion. Where you come from isn’t everything. It can potentially play a big role in where you go, and oftentimes it does. But it doesn’t have to, and college doesn’t dominate the rest of your life like it sometimes an opinion of seems. SYDNEY LOWE Deciding which college to go to can be overwhelming and hard. Some people are lucky, like me and only consider a few options. They can then decide where to go early on. Others are still waiting to hear back from schools and won’t know where they are going until right before they graduate. Like I said, I’ve known since winter break exactly where I was going, but I have friends who have yet to hear back from several of their top choices. They’re very anxious to be at this point in the year and not know. Regardless, it is thrown at us constantly that where you go to school is everything as if your future will just plummet if you don’t make the perfect decision. Junior year is the hardest, because nobody knows where they are going and the options can seem overwhelming. At East, it is easy to get caught up in the idea that you have to go away to a fancy school to do anything important. There are enough kids here who are lucky enough to have those options. It is sometimes seen as settling or not pushing yourself to go to a local school or a community college. You’re honestly lucky if you even get to consider schools all over the place, it is an awesome opportunity. One that not everyone is given. There were times last year when the college process first became real that I felt overwhelmed by the idea that I could only seem impressive if I went to some big named school like Stanford or something that prestigious. It seemed like everybody was off seeing the country and doing these great things away from Kansas, so it gave me a little bit of anxiety to not completely leave the Midwest. I thought that was the only way to seem like you were going anywhere. That is completely false. There are a million reasons that peo-

ple go where they go, but they have just as much of a chance of becoming a millionaire as someone who goes to school 30 minutes from home. If you do some research, there are several nationally recognized programs just a short car ride away. For example, the University of Kansas has 10 programs that are ranked in their top 10 for public universities nationally, Kansas State has an architecture program in the top three nationwide and The University of Missouri journalism school is consistently ranked in the top 10. Personally, I started out wanting to go away. I had this huge list of schools based on pictures of the college towns I had found on Instagram and random things I knew about the states that they were in. For example, University of North Carolina in Wilmington seemed so great because it was on the coast of North Carolina and I saw a picture of students scuba diving. Once I looked into the school, they had limited degree options, little greek life and no football team. If you asked me any information about the academics or programs I wouldn’t have had anything to say. It was more about the idea of the place I was going to. Over the summer I kind of realized not only did I not want to be across the country starting completely new, but anything I would think about studying or wanted to do was available at a few different schools in the area. I kind of thought about the things that I’ve wanted. A school with a big study abroad program, plenty of options for degrees in case I change my mind and a school with high attendance at sporting events. Missouri had all of this, while some of the schools farther away that I thought were so perfect didn’t. It is important for kids to realize all of this as they consider schools. It can feel like you are taking the easy road by going somewhere nearby. What helps a lot is organizing what you want out of a school, and realizing that it isn’t just a competition of who can go the farthest. Anybody coming from anywhere in the United States can be successful. Yes, school decisions are stressful and can seem like the biggest decision we will ever make. At the end of the day, if you have the desire to make something of yourself, you will no matter where you start off. The finish is what matters.

LancerVoice

Students comment on how location factors into their college decisions

senior

KATHERINE STIEGEMEYER

The closest place I looked was the University of Chicago. I was able to rule out a lot of small liberal arts colleges because a lot of them are so far from the city. senior

MEGHAN SHIRLING

I really wanted to get away from Kansas City, but be able to come home at the same time. That’s why I chose Arkansas, it’s just a three and a half hour drive away from Kansas City. junior

RACHEL BARNETT

Someone can get just as good of an education near home or far away. The opportunity it can bring depends on the school itself and how rigorous it is.

OPPORTUNITIES PUBLIC OVERSEAS EVERYWHERE OUT-OF-STATE UMKC PITT STATE KU PRIVATE PUBLIC MISSOURI KSU 2-YEAR OVERSEAS OUT-OF-STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IVY LEAGUE PUBLIC IN-STATE Students’ futures shouldn’t be affected by where they go to school

OUT-OF-STATE

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY HAILEY HUGHES

JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

4-YEAR

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INSTRUCTION ON

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My Perfect Bracket

opinion. 1 Florida

1 Florida

16 Albany

VERY Subpar

1 Florida

8 Colorado

An account explaining how difficult and frustrating making an NCAA March Madness Bracket can be

9 Pitt 9 Pitt

1 Florida

5 VCU

ck i p a hat 12 SF A

12 SF A

an opinion of

4 UCLA

4 UCLA 13 Tulsa

WILL OAKLEY

4 UCLA

6 Ohio St

T? A H W

11 Dayton 11 Dayton

11 Dayton

3 Syracuse

14 W Mich sucks.

NO WAY 11 Dayton

7 N Mex 10 Stan 10 Stan 2 Kansas

alk h c k Roc 2 Kansas

10 Stan

15 E Kent Florida Gators

Lost to UConn 53-63

Virginia Cavaliers

Lost to Mich St 59-61

ART BY MORGAN KRAKOW

The odds of guessing every game on an NCAA tournament bracket flawlessly are 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 1, according to CBS Sports. I can guarantee your eyes just glazed over that number which means less to you than the math homework you’re about to do tonight. To make it more meaningful, that gargantuan number is close to 1 in 9.2 quintillion. Let me put that into perspective for you. You have better odds of: Becoming the next pope: 20,000,000 to 1 Contracting a human version of mad cow disease: 40,000,000 to 1 Getting killed by a vending machine: 112,000,000 to 1 A meteor landing on your house: 182,138,880,000,000 to 1 Well congratulations to Warren Buffett on being the biggest troll the world has ever seen. Thanks for waving an unachievable billion dollar prize in my face for guessing a perfect bracket. I do have to admit that on Wednesday, March 19, on the eve of the tournament, I thought my odds of guessing a perfect bracket would be better than being killed by a vending machine. I didn’t even know that was possible. Short version: My bracket sucked. It, and a little bit of my pride, got flushed down the toilet in less than 24 hours. My dreams were crushed in the first game as the Dayton Flyers showed the Ohio State Buckeyes that an 11 seed meant nothing to them. Where even is Dayton? It got worse. I was wrong about three of the next five games that day. At that point, my bracket fell to the bottom eight percent of all entered brackets. The highest it was ever going to get

’S L L WI uNCAA l F Aw

was the 20 percentile. But don’t worry, that wasn’t my only submitted bracket. I flipped a coin for each game of my other... the damn thing finished in the bottom 27 percent. A coin knows more about college basketball than I do. I genuinely thought my bracket was perfect. Everybody else in the United States probably did as well, but I was positive about mine. It had the perfect formula: a few upsets, one or two Cinderella stories, and a lot of well thought-out games. Nothing could have gone wrong. Most of the time when you think nothing can go wrong, something goes wrong. As it turns out, I had one out of the eight correct teams in the “Elite Eight.” Shout out to Duke, Wichita State, Creighton, Oklahoma and Syracuse for all getting a ticket into oakleaf28@gmail.com’s Elite Eight, yet still losing in the first or second round. It wouldn’t have been possible to be in the bottom 20 percent without you guys. And for that, I thank you. When it really comes down to it, my Final Four was just as bad as everybody else’s. In all seriousness, if you had both Kentucky and Connecticut in your National Championship, here’s what you need to do: 1. Go down to Hobby Lobby and buy a frame made of rich mahogany. 2. Write “I’m a genius” on your bracket. 3. Put said bracket in said frame. 4. Hang that sucker up somewhere for the world to see, because that’s an accomplishment. When the tears and broken remotes are forgotten, it was a memorable March Madness. At least I can hold my head high on predicting Tennessee to get to the Sweet 16 and Stanford pulling off the upset against Cincinnati. Everybody has a little bit of dumb luck every now and then. To my Final Four: I don’t even know what to say. You guys really wet the bed on this one. Getting one out of four is a 25%. That’ll get me an F on most tests. And to the bottom 19 percent below my bracket: you’ll get em’ next year. Probably not, though. The odds aren’t exactly on your side.

Wichita St. Shockers Creighton BlueJays

Lost to Kentucky 76-78

Lost to Baylor 55-85

opinion.

Let’s Get Down to Business Finals are never fun, but with a little motivation, they can be conquered ART BY TOMMY SHERK

This year has been a journey. For some, a rather tough one, and it is nearing its end. But alas, why do we endure through the school year? It is an epic revenge tale. And what must we do at the end of these tales? Defeat our enemies. an opinion of This year, Lancers, we will kill fiTOMMY SHERK nals. We will not just simply complete them. Is that what we’ve gone on this journey for? No. We will endure a week-long battle to the death. It is your choice whether to die or live to see summer. In any week-long battle, the victor does not win with ease. He must train, and we must too, Lancers. I’m not talking about skimming chapters or leafing through review packets, I’m talking about analyzing text and putting pen to paper. We must thoroughly read the notes we’ve stuffed in our notebooks throughout the year. We must work through the math problems that have killed us on tests 20 times. Only when we do this will our minds be sharp enough to stab finals right in the gut. Some of you may be frighted of one, two or all of your finals. You might be even too petrified to study, for the fear of a wave of huge stress. George S. Patton, Lieutenant of the Third Army, said these words to his soldiers the day before D-Day: “Every man is scared in his first action. If he says he’s not, he’s a liar. But the real hero is the

YOU GOT THIS to music that follows 1. Listening 60 beats per minute, such as

man who fights even though he’s scared.” So toughen up and endure, for you will be glad in the end. East is not a place for cowards. Yet some of us are in deep — stuck in the irredeemable trenches. There is that final in that dreaded class that cannot repair your grade without a 150 percent. You can still escape with your honor. You go to East. Lancers never have and never will simply lie down in the mud. If you wish to die in the dirt, transfer to South. Prepare. Surprise your teachers, parents and yourself by blowing that massive warship of a Final right out of the water. Why, you ask? Have you forgotten the reason you partake on this journey? We must persevere to make all of our hard work worth something. There is nothing more satisfying than well-deserved summertime laziness. However, we shouldn’t look at the prize before we’ve fought for it. The time will come. You will be prepared for the greatest combat of your year. On the eve of battle, there will be a night of tranquility. The calm before the storm. On this night, you are at your peak; you’ve grown strong with the information you’ve gathered throughout the year. Your intense study sessions have sharpened what was once dull. Take comfort in your readiness, sleep like a baby. The time has come. You face seven deadly opponents in a deadly stand-off. They have swords. You have a lance. You know what you must do.

Check out some last minute tips to help you do your best on your finals.

Mozart, has been shown to activate both the right and left sides of the brain. The stimulation of both sides of the brain can increase the likelihood that you will retain relevant information.

reviewing for your finals, try 2. While studying in different locations. It’s time to hit up the different coffee shops.

best way to study is to study in 3. The 20 minute increments. Give yourself a 5 minute break and then get back to studying.

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front of the screen. This can be irritating to someone who hasn’t missed watching a Cleveland Browns football game in eight years. Nonetheless, his vision hasn’t kept him from closely following games. If he’s attending a game, he constantly asks his friends or family watching with him what the score or time is, squinting into his binoculars to the activity more closely. In addition to his love of the Browns, he is a self-proclaimed “die-hard” boxing fan. Laird says his passion for this particular sport lies in his ability to compare boxing to his life, and more specifically, his ocular albinism. “When you’re in a boxing ring you don’t have anyone else to help you, you’re alone,” Laird said. “In a sense that’s kind of how life is, you’re dependent on yourself and your own ability. In some way everyone’s life is a fight to do something. I understand that type of adversity and commitment it takes to overcome and become something great. I’ve had to do it my whole life.” Laird says watching clips of boxing matches on YouTube or cheering on the Browns brings him a sense of peace, but his classroom is where he encounters his true passion. Nearing the completion of his second year of teaching at East, Laird says he looks forward to teaching from the time he leaves the building at 4:00 p.m. to the time he arrives the next morning at 7:00 a.m. He says it’s like no other job he’s had in his life. He loves history, but his greater love is making a difference in the lives of students. His love of teaching overshadows the challenges his impairment presents. “I want to build minds, share the mistakes I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned,” Laird said. “[My goal is] expressing those to students and helping them become lifetime learners and helping every student in that classroom succeed. That’s what drives me.”

t s

ocial studies teacher Stephen Laird can recognize the curious looks students give him when they first notice his nystagmus, his “dancing eyes” that involuntarily move back and forth. Like his eyes, Laird moves back and forth in front of the room. The fluorescent lights irritate his eyes. When a student raises their hand, Laird doesn’t see it. He’ll crouch over the desk and squint at a student’s handwriting. They’ll look up at his moppy hair that makes Laird blend in with the teenagers in the building. And then they’ll see something else. They’ll see the quick side-to-side movement of his pupils that serves to announce what he says is essential to who he is: since birth, Laird has had a visual impairment called ocular albinism. It’s just another part of his identity, like the fact that he teaches history in room 306, is an avid fan of the Cleveland Browns and spectator and researcher of all things boxing. His ocular albinism is a part of himself he can only describe using the words “second nature.” With one of the worst cases specialists have ever seen, Laird is rendered legally blind. Nystagmus is only one of the symptoms of ocular albinism. Laird lacks pigmentation in his retina, so his eyes can’t process sharp light images. Laird says his condition, although frustrating at times, doesn’t merit the same sympathy as someone who loses their sight later in life. Laird’s ocular albinism is a genetic mutation that females members of his family have passed along to the males. Because he’s never experienced perfect vision, the way he sees the world is how he always has and will see it. “For all of my memorable life I’ve been aware that I’ve had this vision problem,” Laird said. “I’ve always gone to the eye doctor regularly, I’ve always used visual aids whether it’s magnifiers to see small print or it’s binoculars to see far distances. It’s just second-nature to me.” His condition may be second-nature to Laird, but is still unusual to his students. He can hear the giggles when he holds a textbook or worksheet two inches from his face in order to effectively read it. He laughs it off when ornery senior American Government students leave chairs in the middle of the floor for him to trip on. When he walks the halls of East, he can’t clearly see the students who greet him with a wave and a “How’s it goin’, Laird?” When he was a student, he struggled to read from a distance even with the use of visual aids. He feels that because of the tendency for educators to group students into a category based on impairments, teachers doubted his ability to succeed academically with weak vision. Now as an educator himself, he says he’s adapted to every issue his impairment presents in his career. “Family or friends have occasionally questioned me in regards to whether or not I would be able to teach,” Laird said. “To them I just say ‘In everything I’ve ever done I’ve adapted,’ so I never had a fear about teaching at all or thought [my condition] was going to affect me.” Because of his experience with ocular albinism, Laird hopes to increase teacher awareness about students with exceptional conditions, whether a visual, speech or learning impairment. “People looked at me differently because of my impairment rather than looking at my ability,” Laird said. “I want to make teachers aware that just because someone’s different doesn’t mean they can’t succeed. I just want to be that story because I do think teaching students with exceptional conditions is the new frontier: fostering every student, not just some.” His condition affects his daily life outside of the classroom as well. Laird has never been able to drive, and has to be driven by his fiancée or parents. Tasks like grocery shopping can be difficult. He can’t see what’s on the shelf from a distance that someone with normal vision would be able to. Oftentimes, his fiancée is startled when Laird uses the panic button to find her car afterwards in the parking lot, he is unable to find it without the sound of the alarm leading him. “[My fiancée] is very understanding [of my condition],” Laird said. “[My ocular albinism] has never been an issue for her. It produces challenges, but I don’t just depend on her. We depend on each other.” To watch TV in his home, Laird has to sit on a pillow right in

Teacher struggles with ocular albinism, an impairment he was born with that leaves him legally blind

WRITTEN BY LAUREN BROWN

Laird performs a dance with fellow teachers at the spring sports pep assembly.

Laird works on the chain crew at the November varsity football game against Leavenworth.

PHOTOS BY MARISA WALTON & MCKENZIE SWANSON

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on the WATER Students enjoy rowing, despite early morning practices and intense physical activity WRITTEN BY ELLIE BOOTON PHOTOS BY ANNIE SAVAGE

he morning air was frigid and enabling them to move swiftly through the sharp, the breeze tugged at the water. water and the geese cackled; a Every day after school, Ellie and Stella typical Saturday morning at Wyandotte hop into their navy Subaru and make the Lake. Interrupting the birds’ squawking was half-hour commute to the lake. a small, blonde girl who roared, “Come on! “We don’t have much time,” Stella said. Half way done -- push!” “We just grab a snack and change clothes Her voice came from a long, white boat and go.” that cruised around the corner of a cliff. After bumping down gravel roads and Backs hunched, four teammates sat single coasting through the park, the team arfile, built arms pulling two oars in unison. rives at their personal cove and warms up They glided into their cove, now their by stretching out and performing dry land limp arms hang at their sides. They were exercises like planks, wall sits and jumping exhausted. Peeling off their damp splash jacks. jackets, the team cracked jokes and comFrom there, they begin the delicate promended each other on their workout. Just cess of taking the boats out of their racks another day. and getting them into the water. Not only This was a standard rowing practice for are the boats hefty, but pricey as well, so they the Kansas City Rowing Club team mem- would be expensive to replace or fix. So, the bers freshmen Ellie and Stella Braly and team must be exact about their movements sophomore John Wendt. to prevent any parts from breaking. To them, rowing is A team leader calls more than just “pushing out directional instruc“I love morning and pulling” -- it’s a pastions so the team can practice, you’re not sion. move the boats, which awake enought yet “When I’m rowing I forcan get up to 60 feet to feel how hard the get about all my problems long, into the water. workout is. and the gossip around The team members school,” Ellie said. “It’s kick off their sneakers kinda like my personal and slip their feet into ‘get-away’ from everything. built in shoes, much Some people like to get away to the beach...I like slipping feet into the shoes of a snowlike to get away rowing.” board, so that their feet don’t slide when The sisters have been rowing for about they row. two years and John for three. Both were After the painstaking introduction, originally introduced to the sport by their they’re off. They begin by working their parents, and the now active rowers never arms, and then move onto balance and techthought they would actually take it up. nique. From there, the teammates focus on John’s parents had joked around about building endurance and preparing for races him rowing in the past, but after his interest by doing different drills and training. of basketball faded -- they decided to give “It’s a lot harder than everybody gives it a shot. it credit for,” the rower’s teammate Ashton For the Braly’s, their doctor’s daughter Baker said. “There are so many different was on a rowing scholarship, and he pitched rules and terms, it’s like learning a new lanthe idea of the sport to the girls’ father, who guage.” then brought it to them. The sisters admit to being intimidated “My dad woke Stella and I up at four in by all the material they had to take in and the morning to go see a practice,” Ellie said. that they had no idea how they were going “As soon as I saw what rowing was, I fell in to memorize it all. love with it.” “At first it seems like all this information Rowing is an aquatic sport where rowers is being thrown at you,” Ellie said. “It takes propel their boat, in technical terms called about a year to really learn everything.” a shell, forward using oars. The team has Having gotten comfortable with all the to be dead on with their strokes and team foreign terms and rules, John and Ellie have members must be mentally tough so they their sights set on rowing in college, and can carry on the will to work hard, thereby they know that continuing rowing with the

ELLIE BRALY, 9

Far left: John, Ellie and Stella pose with their oars at practice. Center: The rowers hang their boat upside down to let it dry after practice. Left: A rower carries the boat off the lake with the help of a teammate.

club will allow them to do that. “It’s my dream to row in college,” Ellie said. “I haven’t thought about afterwards, but I would hope I could still row or even coach.” And her dreams are not that far off, either. Schools throughout the Midwest are recruiting large numbers of young women for rowing in order to balance out the budget for girls and boys sports. For former East student and current sophomore at KState, Meghan Dickinson, this was exactly her case. Rowing scouts typically look for tall, athletic women to participate. After participating in volleyball and track in high school, Dickinson hit the mark, scoring her a scholarship paying for a fourth of her tuition and for her books. “I got a letter in the mail telling me that I was the type of person they were looking for for their rowing team,” Dickinson said. “[I] decided to check it out since I was already debating playing a sport in college.” Not knowing anything about rowing, Dickinson went into the scholarship blindly. “When I made a visit to the school, I watched a practice and decided I’d give it a shot.” Dickinson said. Although Dickson is no longer on the team due to health issues, she still stays informed on the goings of the team and considers rowing a fantastic experience. “I learned that I can push myself way further than I ever imagined physically and [how it] makes you mentally tough.” Whether they’re rowing in college or not, the rowers say the sport is a way for them to stay in shape, learn to work as a team and create long-lasting friendships with those they row with. At the end of the day, the team feels fulfilled by their day on the water. Climbing out of their boat, the teammates grin and pat each other on the back, all the while reminding one another to be thankful that they didn’t fall into the water. They stash their equipment away and gather in a circle around their coach, Jay Coffman, reviewing their practice and upcoming events. “Alright lets break it down!” Coffman said. Hands in, the rowers beamed at each other. “1..2..3..KC Row!”

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on the WATER Students enjoy rowing, despite early morning practices and intense physical activity WRITTEN BY ELLIE BOOTON PHOTOS BY ANNIE SAVAGE

ELLIE BRALY, 9

features.

WIRED TOGETHER

Robotics club members become close while working to construct robots, and competing in regional competions WRITTEN BY MADDIE HYATT

overing over a lifted robot, sophomore Tommy Crow checks that it’s functioning correctly. He pulls wires to make sure there are no loose connections to the voltage meter and makes sure the wiring is in the correct place. Sophomore Geoff Pillman transfers programs and commands through cables that will allow the robot to receive commands. Sophomore Gabi Case checks their various social media accounts and attends community events representing the team. All are vital in determining whether or not their robot, “Brave Little Mammoth,” can reach its goal of doing well in the First Robotics competition. Despite the fact that these students hold different positions in the club, their joint efforts and personal bond come together in creating team of individuals and a finished product. Bonding is a key factor in the success of the team according to Case. “We would probably get so much worse [if we didn’t have personal bonding].” Case said. “We wouldn’t be able to work as a team. You spend that much time around someone and you’re bound to fight. But we have these jokes, our own playlists; we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We’re kind of like a family.” The club members try to play video games or have camping trips and team dinners at least once a week. They also connect through volunteer work. The robotics team goes to elementary and middle school math and science nights and mentors fourth graders of a Lego robotics team at Briarwood Elementary twice a week. This summer they are starting a camp for incoming freshmen to learn about robotics and what it takes to join their team. Since robotics receives no funding from East they are technically considered a club, but the personal relationships between students create a bonded team. Next year they will potentially be recognized as a team by the district. The club will require tryouts aiding in the overall performance of the robot, based on skills and positions held by members. The positions the robotics club members hold are based around four basic aspects that go into building the robot. “We learn robot programming, electrical, building and have a business aspect to our team,” Vincent Miller, lead robotics teacher’s aid. The team has to find fundraising through local businesses in the community. The business group of the club contacts local companies who would be willing to either donate money or sponsor the team. The money the team receives

We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We’re kind of like a family.”

Gabi Case, 10 through their fundraising and sponsors is used towards parts and materials for the robot. It is also used towards the $5000 entrance fee to the First Robotics Competition. “An example [of a sponsor] is Honeywell,” Crow said of the company that produces commercial and consumer products. “They’re a business that...sponsors a lot of robotics teams.” The First Robotics Competition took place at the beginning of March, but the team only gets six weeks of building time. Although training begins in September, the team only gets six weeks of building time before the First Robotics Competition in March. The competition releases their game or task on January 4. After the six weeks, the team ships their robot to the competition. This year the club named their finished product Brave Little Mammoth. “We named [the robot] Brave Little Mammoth because it has tusk-like shaped parts that can pick up a ball and throw it too”, Crow said. These tusk-shaped parts assisted the Brave Little Mammoth in scoring 52 out of 58 in the First Robotics Competition at Metropolitan Community College. In a series of competitions, robots from different teams assisted each other in moving balls down a field in order to score into a 10 foot high goal. The more the robots assist each other, the more points both teams received. Even with their limited building time, the East team placed the highest out of the other four Shawnee Mission high schools that competed. “See, the struggle is that we only have six weeks for build season to build it,” Pillman said. “It takes a lot of hard work, and close bonds are required to get it done. To do well in the competition is pretty much the goal [of the club]. But...along the way, even if we don’t succeed, the friendships we make are pretty cool too.”

PHOTO BY ANNA COOK (above) East alum Carter Stolberg and a sophomore team member work on their robot during the beginning stages of construction. (Left) Sophomore Tommy Crow drives the finished robot from a control panel.

PHOTO BY TESSA POLASCHEK

members on the team:

32 HRS.

percentage of boys/girls on the team: 19% girls

ROBOTICS TEAM: BY THE NUMBERS

84 00

time spent on each robot

81% boys

average number of teams they compete against

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a&e.

WRITTEN BY LEAH PACK

es Anderson’s newest hit movie,”The Grand Budapest Hotel,” will keep you entertained throughout the entire one hour and 40 minute production. Set in the early 1930’s in a fictional country in Eastern Europe, the movie is centered around a magnificent hotel painted as pink as the signature Mendl’s pastries that the characters frequently ate. The setting provides the audience with the feeling that all the craziness is supposed to be completely normal, which allows for imagination, a great deal of humor and some foul language. Personally, I tend to find movies a bore, but “The Grand Budapest Hotel” kept me interested and laughing the whole way through. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” recounts the story of a hotel concierge, M. Gustave, played by Ralph Fiennes (who most movie-goers would know as Lord Voldemort in the “Harry Potter” series). Alongside M. Gustave is his trusted lobby boy Zero Moustafa, played by newcomer Tony Revolori. If you are a loyal Wes Anderson follower, then you will feel like you are among friends when you see the star-studded cast. With cameos from Bill Murray (what Wes Anderson movie isn’t he in?), Jeff Goldblum, Adrian Brody, Edward Norton and Jason Schwartzman, the gang is all back together in Anderson’s newest feature. The film is told as a frame narrative, a story within a story. Anderson not only intended, but succeeded in, illustrating the story through an extravagant and lavish production. Through his dialogue and character development he created the illusion that you were listening to an impor-

tant story that has been passed down through generations even if the characters were discussing Zero’s mustache. The movie begins in the lobby of the hotel, when a peculiar man is noticed by a young writer (played by Jude Law). This man, who we later find out is the grown-up Zero and current owner of the Grand Budapest, is played by F. Murray Abraham. The young writer catches his attention and they decide to meet for dinner. And so the story begins. Thirty years later, Zero recounts the whimsical adventures he encountered while being M. Gustave’s wingman. Zero, trained by M. Gustave, was shown how to properly run the hotel with all the etiquette and mischief that goes along with it. As you get swept away in the absurd plot of prison breaks, hidden messages in pastries and a classic chase scene staged on skis, the movie delivers both a gorgeous visual and rich plot all based around a stolen painting and a murder. One of the most important aspects of the movie is the set design. Between the pastel colors and vintage buildings, the look of the movie ties the whole production together. Like many other Anderson films the setting gives off an almost dream-like feel. From the first scene it is obvious to the audience that every part of the movie, from the color of the hotel to the costuming, was carefully thought out. In fact, the outside shots of the hotel in the movie were filmed by shooting a fourteen by seven foot model carefully crafted by hand. Just as important as the setting is the humor

that is subtly weaved in throughout the entire movie. Anderson is a master of blunt comedy. He is able to smoothly work in jokes that can appeal to all ages. Although some of the humor is a bit raunchy, he keeps it tasteful and light. The jokes helped to keep my attention throughout the nearly two hour long movie. Some viewers may complain that Anderson limits himself to one approach to filmmaking. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is similar to his other films such as “Moonrise Kingdom” in its nostalgic feel and over-the-top quirkiness. While I agree that it would be nice to see Anderson branch out from his regular style of fairytale-ish mysticism, it didn’t impact my overall positive perception of the movie. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is unlike any other movie that is out right now. Anderson again takes an extremely different approach when directing films that clearly shines through in the final product. From the setting to the highly talented cast to the humor, there are so many things going on in the movie, yet somehow Anderson is able bring them all together in the end. Anderson is able to magically produce an ridiculously unbelievable plot that, in the end, appears believable.

LAVISH AFFAIR “Grand Budapest Hotel,” Wes Anderson’s newest film, is a box office hit with its talented cast and entertaining story

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THE

WRITTEN BY NELLIE WHITTAKER ART BY MIRANDA GIBBS

Creative tips from staffer Nellie Whittaker on finding summer employment

ith summer just a month and a half away, now’s the time to find a summer job. Working over break is the perfect time to earn money for going out with friends, buying gas or saving up for college. Find-

PUT

THE T U O F L E S YO U R

ing a part-time job for two or three months can be difficult for high school students, but being creative with your search for the right job can help make the process more interesting and enjoyable.

ow is anyone supposed to hire you if they don’t know you exist? If you aren’t actively searching for a job, you can find work by advertising around the neighborhood for a service you can offer others. You’ve seen those flyers that ask, “Do you need a guitar teacher? I can help!” or “Dog walker available.” Lots of people need babysitters, tutors and lawn mowers, so put up flyers in places they would go. Libraries or churches often allow people to put them up. Another option is to go out and meet people in your neighborhood or put flyers by their front doors to let them know that you’re looking for work. In my neighborhood, it is common for kids and teenagers to go around asking our elderly neighbors if they would like their lawns mowed or plants watered to earn extra money. Being active in your job search will let people know that you’re serious about getting it done.

G ET C E RT I

CT I O E N N O C R E YO U

ne of the most helpful yet easily overlooked resources for finding a summer job is the people around you. Parents, family, friends and neighbors can all have ideas of places looking for summer employees, whether through their own connections or through their jobs. For me, it was a connection I had with a family I’d been babysitting for since I was twelve that landed me my first summer job as a nanny. It really helped to know the family before I started spending more time at their house than at my own. It made me feel more comfortable spending most of my weekdays around them. I also already knew what foods the kids didn’t like, what T.V. shows they weren’t allowed to watch, and how to effectively break up fights between them. In general, it is easiest to find a job through people you know, but you have to let them know you’re looking for work in order to get help from others.

FIED BE CREATI

o be a lifeguard, for example, you have to be certified in life saving. Places like the local YMCA and the Roeland Park Community Center offer classes for usually less than a hundred dollars. The classes last all day, over several weekends, and they are often offered in the months of April and May just before summer. Friends of mine that have taken these classes agree that they make for a very long day, but some think they are harder than others. At the end of the class, you are mentally and physically tested before you receive the certificate. Getting certified makes it that much easier to find pools to apply at for lifeguarding positions for the summer.

lthough they may be harder to find, there are jobs available besides lifeguarding, lawn mowing and nannying. There are less common jobs out there that you probably haven’t thought about yet. You could apply to be a hostess at a restaurant, work as a kids’ tennis coach or as a camp counselor at that camp you went to as a kid. Use any special talents you have in your work however you can. If you’re good at photography, you may consider offering to take photos for people you know for an event. If you love to knit, you could take orders for scarves and hats from people you know by advertising and using social connections. Even if you don’t have a special talent, you can probably find someone around you that needs something done. This could be as simple as house sitting or feeding the neighbor’s dog when they’re on vacation. You may not make as much money as you would with an official job, but you can definitely pick up some extra cash by doing little jobs. And either way, it’s money in your pocket.

Take a look at the top 3 industries that hire the most employees ages 16-24.

HELP WANTED

accomodation & food services 3.84 MILLION

retail

3.71 MILLION

education services

2.82 MILLION information courtesy of wheniwork.com

G R A D U A T I O N PA R T Y chicken gets an A+

HOUSE STARK

“winter is coming” Founder: Bran the Builder Colors: Grey Seat: Winterfell Background Information

Eddard (Ned) Stark and his family live in the northern section of Westeros at Winterfell. They have four kids, Rob, Sansa, Bran and Rickon.

SEASON IS COMING

a&e.

HOUSE LANNISTER “hear me roar” Founder: Lann the Clever Colors: Red and Gold Seat: Casterly Rock Family Tree

Tywin Lannister King Robert Baratheon family

Lady Joanna

Cersei Jaime Tyrion

Kingslayer Imp marriage nickname

Background Information

Another powerful family from Westeros, the Lannisters focus on pride and honor. They control the kingdom from King’s Landing.

above: Eddard Stark, hand of the king and former head of house

WRITTEN BY PHOEBE AGUIAR

PHOTO COURTESY OF HBO

above: Tyrion Lannister, nephew of the king and master of coin

HBO kicks off season four of its hit show, Game Of Thrones, based on a series of books by George RR Martin

m ay k n o w w h a t w i l l exactly what is going to happen in the newe s t s e a s o n o f H B O ’s “G a m e o f T h r o n e s ” , c o u r t e s y o f the summer I spent dedicated to reading the books by George R.R. Martin. Regardless, I am still hyped to watch the shows fourth season, which already shows promise after its first episode. A t l e a s t f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g, all of the characters that managed to survive season three are still alive, although there m ay b e s o m e p i e c e s m i s s i n g. I n t h e m y t h i c a l l a n d o f We s t e r o s , characters fight for powering a n d c o n t r o l o f t h e c o u n t r y. T h e whole show revolves around this power struggle and its effect on the characters. The first episode doesn’t h ave m a j o r a c t i o n a n d s e e m s t o r ev i e w t h e p r e v i o u s s e a s o n a n d hook in viewers for the rest of s e a s o n f o u r. H B O c ov e r s a l l t h e different major characters and c a t c h e s yo u u p w i t h t h e i r s t o r y. Yo u g e t j u s t e n o u g h a c t i o n t o k e e p yo u i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e s e ries but there are no major plot

developments. I m ay k n o w w h a t w i l l e x a c t l y what is going to happen this upcoming season, courtesy of the summer I spent dedicated to reading the “Game of Thrones” b o o k s . N o w, I ’ m n o t g o i n g t o spoil anything but no one is ever safe and don’t trust any of the characters. A s a r e a d e r, t h e n e w s e a s o n doesn’t hold quite the same mystery and excitement because there are no surprises. It does m e a n , h o w eve r, that for the n e x t s eve r a l w e e k s , m y S u n d ay nights are filled with more than j u s t a l l t h e h o m e w o r k I ’ ve p u t o f f. I n s t e a d I g e t t o w a t c h s o m e o f m y f avo r i t e l i t e r a r y c h a r a c ters run around either try to kill o r h ave s e x w i t h o n e a n o t h e r a l l to be the ruler of the mythical l a n d o f We s t e r o s . I r e a d a l l f ive o f a u t h o r G e o r g e R . R . M a r t i n ’s b o o k s f r e s h m a n ye a r, b e c a u s e I w a s g r o u n d e d f o r ov e r a m o n t h w i t h o u t a p h o n e , so I filled my summer with the ov e r 3 , 0 0 0 p a g e s o f t h e s e r i e s . I ’ v e a l w ay s l i k e d f a n t a s y b o o k s because of the entertaining plot l i n e s a n d e a s y r e a d a b i l i t y. Fr o m

the mature themes, complex relationships to the density of the writing the Game of Thrones books aren’t the typical once upon a time. T h e r e i s o bv i o u s l y m o r e d e p t h to books because of the abili t y t o f u l l y d eve l o p c h a r a c t e r s and situations but the books are well incorporated into the s h o w. E a c h 4 0 m i n u t e e p i s o d e i s produced on the same scale of a M i c h a e l B ay m o v i e . N o t o n l y i s t h e p r o d u c t i o n va l u e a s t o u n d ing for each season but follows the complex and numerous stor y l i n e s o f t h e e a c h c h a r a c t e r. T h e w r i t e r s a n d p r o d u c e r s h av e a n a m az i n g a b i l i t y t o c o n d e n s e thousand page books into 10 or so episodes. HBO also doesn’t h ave t o c o m p l y w i t h n o r m a l T V censorship rules, so they can, in full detail, depict all of the violence and sex present in the books. I’m sure some people appreciate the witty dialogue, intricate character relationships, realistic politics and attention to detail, but to me, its popularity comes from the abundant use of nudity and blood. A foolproof

recipe for high ratings regardl e s s o f t h e a l r e a d y s t e l l a r s t o r y. Fo r t h i s f o u r t h s e a s o n t h e r e w i l l be plenty of both, the producers know what the people want. Keeping that in mind, the new fourth season and past seasons are not for the faint of heart. This contributes to the mostly nerdy male audience when the books were first published in 1991 and the pilot episode in 2 0 1 1 . T h r o u g h m u c h o f H B O ’s publicity of the show and its g r o w i n g p o p u l a r i t y, G a m e o f T h r o n e s h a s o o z e d i t s w ay i n t o some of the most unlikely circ l e s . Ev e n t h e “ c o o l - k i d s ” a r e giddy over dragons and house signals. Ev e n t h o u g h i t ’s o n l y a i r e d its first episode the new Season of Game of Thrones is shaping u p t o b e a m i n i - h e a r t a t t a c k ev e r y S u n d ay. I f H B O d o e s w h a t they does best is to use all the blood, gore, deep character development, sex, adventure and a huge production budget to not only garner high ratings, and a m a s s iv e f o l l o w i n g b u t t h e r e spect of book readers.

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More for Your Money When it comes to higher education, JCCC delivers more for your money. Beginning January 2014, high school students can earn more than 24 college credits through College Now! Be prepared to sign up for College Now classes this fall. Save money on fouryear university tuition with college credits in high school. See your school counselor for details or visit www.jccc.edu/collegenow.

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SPORT

OPPONENT

DATE

LOCATION

Softball

Leavenworth

4/15/14

Leavenworth HS

Track and Field

District

4/15/14

SM South

Girls’ Soccer

St. James Academy

4/14/14

SM Soccer Complex

Baseball

Olathe North

4/15/14

ODAC

Girls’ Swim & Dive

SM North and SM West

4/15/14

SM North

Boys’ Golf

Washburn Rural

4/17/14

Wamego Country Club

Boys’ Tennis

Blue Valley West

4/15/14

SM East

Boys’ Lacrosse

Rockhurst

SM North

Girls’ Lacrosse

Lees Summit

4/14/14 4/17/14

sports.

LANCERS

ON SOCIAL MEDIA matygray

SM South

29 likes Our last first season opener softball game of our high school careers @emcg708 @savbell07 @acookk

ATHLETE

OF THE WEEK sophomore

ANDY SPENCER Q:

Where is your favorite place to practice?

I’d probably say Milburn because it’s my home court so I’ve grown up playing there and I’ve always really liked it.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Senior Brit Hoffman competes in the 100 meter hurdles in the SME Quad meet. Hoffman placed fifth in her event with a time of 19.25 seconds.

How did you get started in golf?

I think my dad really A: helped me get started. I’ve

been hitting golf balls in my front yard since I was probably four years old. are your goals for Q: What the season this year? Just to play well to the point A: where I can maybe get some

PHOTO BY MCKENZIE SWANSON

ophomore Andy Spencer is a varsity member of the boys’ S golf team. Spencer averages around a score of 72 on 18 holes. As a sophomore, Spencer has started the recruiting

process with schools including Ole Miss, Arizona, University of Kansas, Illinois, Michigan State and Indiana.

college exposure. Hopefully we can try to win state this year. It was a little disappointing getting second last year so maybe we can bounce back with a win this year.

PHOTO BY SARA BENSON