Issue 8 by The Harbinger

ISSUE 8 |DECEMBER 15, 2014

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208

LAPTOP SPECIAL SECTION pullout

STATE SPECIAL SECTION page 25

2 editorial

ACCESS

EDITORIAL BOARD VOTES: FOR: 12 AGAINST: 0 ABSENT: 1

DENIED L EXPLORE IS CRUCIA WHY FREEDOM TO N IO AT UC ED R TO OU

Cencorship in school usually relates to book banning. However, there is a growing censorship issue in schools through the form of overly restrictive filtering of educational websites, that overreaches the set requirements imposed by the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) adopted in 2000. The Harbinger Staff believes that filtering websites does the next generation of digital citizens a disservice. Students must develop skills to evaluate information from all types of sources in multiple formats, including the Internet. Relying solely on filters does not teach young citizens how to be effective researchers, or how to evaluate and weigh the accuracy of information. In fact, it does not give us the choice to stretch further.

Schools and libraries subject to CIPA must use Internet filters and implement other measures to protect children from harmful online content as a condition for federal funding. They certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures to block or filter Internet access to pictures that are obscene, contain child pornography or are harmful to minors. In 2002, The American Library Association challenged the law, claiming that it improperly required them to restrict the

First Amendment rights of students and schools. A three judge panel heard the case, and ruled unanimously that the CIPA violated the First Amendment. However, when brought to the supreme court, this ruling was overturned in a 6-3 decision. Since 2002, education has increasingly digitized and integrated technology. Approximately 2,000 schools nationwide provide laptops to students. Schools need to be equipped to revise their current policies to broaden them to the new generation of digital learners that is entering the class-

room. In recent years, filtering also extends to the use of online social networking and social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Educators need to be able to incorporate these same social interactions that are successful outside of school into assignments in the school setting to make school more relevant to students. Unfortunately, filters used by school districts block many of these sites. While blocking websites like Netflix or Pinterest, that can distract students from being productive during the school day makes sense, website filtering walks a fine line between what is considered inappropriate, and what can be used for education. Typing one wrong keyword into a Google search bar can result in an entire website being blocked that does not fall under the umbrella of CIPA’s requirements: harmful, obscene or dangerous content. Instead of blocking it, let us understand it.

HARBINGER STAFF FALL 2014 CO-EDITORS-INCHIEF Morgan Krakow Sophie Tulp ASSISTANT EDITORS Caroline Kohring Tommy Sherk HEAD COPY EDITOR Pauline Werner ASSISTANT HEAD COPY EDITOR Hannah Coleman ART & DESIGN EDITOR Phoebe Aguiar NEWS SECTION EDITOR Sophie Storbeck NEWS PAGE DESIGNERS Will Clough Will Brownlee SPREAD EDITOR Aidan Epstein FEATURES SECTION EDITOR Hannah Coleman

FEATURES PAGE DESIGNERS Anna Dierks Caroline Heitmann Claire Pottenger COPY EDITORS Pauline Werner Sophie Tulp Morgan Krakow Hannah Coleman Tommy Sherk Audrey Danciger Caroline Kohring Sophie Storbeck Maddie Hyatt Julia Poe Susannah Mitchell Phoebe Aguiar FREELANCE PAGE DESIGNERS John Foster Maxx Lamb STAFF WRITERS Davis Finke Katharine Swindells Lauren Cole Teagan Noblit Jessica Parker Elaine Chamberlain Stella Braly Kylie Schultz Celia Hack Daniel Rinner

STAFF ARTIST Yashi Wang

Michael Kraske Alex Masson

PHOTO EDITOR Annie Savage

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Annika Sink Abby Hans Abby Blake Kaitlyn Stratman Haley Bell Alison Stockwell Paloma Garcia Morgan Browning Kylie Rellihan James Wooldridge Joseph Cline SMEPHOTOS Paloma Garcia

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Hailey Hughes OPINION SECTION EDITOR Audrey Danciger OPINION PAGE WDESIGNERS Courtney McClelland Chloe Stanford Ellie Booton A&E SECTION EDITOR Audrey Danciger A&E PAGE DESIGNERS Yashi Wang Maddie Hyatt SPORTS SECTION EDITOR Will Oakley SPORTS PAGE DESIGNERS Ellis Nepstad

EDITORIAL BOARD Sophie Tulp Morgan Krakow Pauline Werner Tommy Sherk Audrey Danciger Caroline Kohring Hannah Coleman Julia Poe Mike Thibodeau Susannah Mitchell Phoebe Aguiar Katharine Swindells ADS MANAGER Celia Hack

ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Susannah Mitchell Julia Poe ONLINE HEAD COPY EDITOR Maddie Hyatt ONLINE PHOTO EDITORS Katie Lamar Callie McPhail ONLINE CONVERGENCE EDITOR John Foster

ONLINE OPINION EDITOR Katharine Swindells Sean Overton ONLINE A&E EDITOR Katharine Swindells Sean Overton ONLINE SPORTS SECTION EDITORS Michael Kraske Daniel Rinner VIDEO EDITOR Matthew Bruyere

ONLINE INDEPTH NEWS SECTION EDITOR Mike Thibodeau

PODCAST & RADIO EDITOR Leah O’Connor

ONLINE NEWS BRIEFS SECTION EDITOR Will Clough

EASTIPEDIA EDITOR Matthew Kaplan INTERACTIVE EDITOR Mike Thibodeau

ONLINE HOMEGROWN EDITOR Katharine Swindells Sean Overton

HEAD WEBMASTER Jacob Milgrim

APPRENTICE WEBMASTERS Katie Lamar Katie Roe LIVE BROADCAST EDITOR John Foster ASSISTANT LIVE BROADCAST EDITORS Ellis Nepstad Katie Roe MULTIMEDIA STAFF Tommy Sherk John Foster Gabe Snyder Katie Roe Sean Overton Leah O’Connor Matthew Kaplan SOCIAL MEDIA Katharine Swindells Tyler Keys ADVISER Dow Tate

news 3

School, Local and Worldwide News Broken Down

written by Sophie Tulp

FBI Investigating Possible KCK Hate Crime The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the fatal hit-andrun of a Muslim boy in Kansas City, Kansas (KCK) as a possible hate crime. The 15-year-old, identified Dec. 5 as Abdisamad Sheikh-Hussein, was killed Dec. 4 around 5:30 p.m. as he was leaving the Somali Center of Kansas City in KCK. The victim was getting into a parked car when the driver of an SUV sideswiped him. Witnesses said the vehicle crossed the center line and targeted the pedestrian. KCK police Sergeant, Bill Mahoney, told the Kansas City Star that the attack appeared to be a deliberate attempt to strike the teenager. Thirty-four-year-old Ahmed H. Aden

was charged in the case with first degree murder on Dec. 5, and federal agents are now calling this a federal civil rights investigation, FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton told the Associated Press. In a press release, Somali Center officials said a man had been threatening Kansas City Muslims for months, and the vehicle involved in the accident was seen in months prior to the attack, with an anti-Islamic message on the rear window. This is the second hate crime in Kansas making national headlines this year, following the fatal shooting at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas in April.

CIA TESTIMONY vs SENATE TORTURE REPORT 97

119

Detainees

Detainees that have had enhanced interrogation techniques used against them The CIA reported that 100% of tortured detainees provided useful intelligence

Truly, 34% provided no useful intelligence

CIA Torture Report Made Public The Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence published a version of its investigation of the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) detention and interrogation program last Monday. The 528-page summary of the program comes eight years after secret overseas prisons were shut down by President Obama in his first month in office. The comprehensive report, known as the “CIA Torture Report,” found that CIA officials misled Congress and White House officials about the information it obtained on the practices in the CIA’s secret prisons established around the world. In detail, the report gives details of some of the techniques the CIA used to torture and interrogate terrorism suspects

imprisoned following the Sept. 11 attacks. Detainees were deprived of sleep for as long as a week, and were sometimes told that they would be killed while in American custody. The report also suggests that more prisoners were subjected to waterboarding than the CIA had acknowledged in the past. The release of the report was criticized by current and former CIA officials who say the CIA was advised that its methods were not torture. Defenders also argue that the detention and interrogation program played a critical role in dismantling Al Qaeda and killing Osama Bin Laden. However, the Senate report says there is no evidence to support that valuable information was gained through the torture.

Out of 39 detainees, 17 were tortured without approval from the CIA Headquarters stats from http://www.newrepublic.com

Photos of the Week right

Senior Tyler Maxwell sings with Senior Michael Moedritzer during the winter choir concert.

photo by Kylie Rellihan

District Budget May Increase The Local Option Budget (L.O.B.) is a bill passed by Kansas Legislature allowing Kansas districts to raise their budgets for the 2014-2015 school year. It must be passed by a vote of their local board of education, and a mail-in election of district residents to approve maintaining the increase in future school years. The increase in L.O.B. resulted in a proposed additional $3.6 million in funding for the Shawnee Mission School District. If passed in January, the district says the no-tax-increase bond will provide safety and security improvements, reinvestments in district facilities, updates

left and enhancements in technology infrastructure and support for activities and wellness efforts. Community Open Houses will be held to provide information about the upcoming election. These events are scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. on Jan. 5 in the East Library, and at 6 p.m. on Jan. 7 in the SM West Library. A ballot will be mailed by the Johnson County Election Office to all registered voters in the district around Jan. 7, 2015. The ballot must be received at the Johnson County Election office by noon on Jan. 27, 2015.

Freshman Marco Colonna and Senior Kyle Ball are nominted for a pie eating contest that will take place after winter break.

photo by Haley Bell Sophomore Emma Chalk shows her friend the size of the base of her rolled up sculpture bowl during open studio night.

above right

photo by Annika Sink

4 news

P U G N I C I P S

E G A L L IRIE VI

PRA

written by Anna Dierks

Chipotle Mexican Grill to arrive in local shopping center After nearly six-and-a-half months of whispered rumors and hopeful wishes, Lega-C Properties announced that a Chipotle Mexican Grill will make its debut in the Village Shopping Center. By mid-February the ever-popular Mexican joint will occupy the space next to the current Starbucks. This announcement made the Village shopping center 100 percent leased. With construction starting, the community is looking forward to the newest addition to the Village. “I go to Chipotle two to three times a week and spend a lot of money there,” senior baseball player Max Sanborn said, “So it’ll be really nice to be able to run by after practice.” Along with after-practice runs, junior Lauren Blackburn looks forward to spend-

MaArRshSH oaHh M NA NO “I’m looking forward to the convenience of getting quality and healthy food.”

ing her senior lunches at Chipotle. “I’ve heard lots of stories of students being late for class or having to eat in the car on the way back to school because the current locations aren’t as close,” Blackburn said. “So if things work out I’ll be on time to my classes and maybe even be able to eat my burrito there.” Associate Principal Jeremy Higgins said, “I think the Chipotle just offers a new eating option and I can definitely see myself and the other administrators heading down there for a bite to eat.” Not only is the burrito joint convenient for East students, but also for local store owners. “I’m extremely excited for the Chipotle coming in,” owner of the neighboring TCBY, Nancy Bream, said, “I think Chipotle

M EM

and TCBY really compliment each other, so we’re hoping people will come grab a treat after their burritos.” Although there is a lot of excitement for the latest edition to the Village, the planning and negotiating going into the Chipotle process was not quick. Lega-C representative Kylie Stock said the process took nearly six and a half months to complete. The back and forth between the leasing company, the ownership group and Lega-C caused the delay. Finally, Lega-C had to wait to hear back from the Chipotle. “We had some interest from some other restaurants, but then Chipotle came knocking on the door. It was pretty apparent that even before the Chipotle came to us, the community wanted to see it there,” Stock

A MATTHEW S

“It’ll be a nice, cheap and close place to go for lunch during school.”

said. “That’s why it was so interesting because everyone knew a Chipotle was coming but we couldn’t announce it because the lease hadn’t been signed.” Besides pleasing East students and local company owners, Chipotle is expected to fit the Village’s existing restaurants perfectly. “We don’t have any fast casual restaurants in the Village, excluding Einstein’s, nor do we have a Mexican restaurant,” Stock Said.”So I think the Chipotle will be a great edition.” Chipotle had their production plans ready before the lease was signed, and there’s already a dumpster out back for construction work. It seems as though Chipotle has matched the community’s excitement.

NDALL REEVES KE

“I can’t wait to have a Chipotle closer to my house since I go multiple times each week.”

news 5

Symphony in the Windy City

Sidebar I tenerary

Check out what the group will be doing while on their trip to Chicago, Il. written by Audrey Danciger

photo illustration by Hailey Hughes

Thursday

Four students will be travelling to Chicago, Il. next week to participate in an international music festival

he Midwest Clinic, an international band and orchestra conference, hosts approximately 17,000 musicians and music-lovers in Chicago annually. This year the 106 members, including six East students, of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City Symphony Orchestra will be among them for the first time. As the largest international music conference in the world, the Midwest Clinic draws attendees from all 50 states and 30 different countries, according to clinic representative Amy Paleise. In this, its 68th year, the conference still strives to promote musical education through instrument demonstrations, rehearsal labs and more. Attendees can visit different booths, exhibits and performances by 46 various ensembles from around the globe at the McCormick Place convention center from Dec. 17-20. YSKC Symphony Orchestra director Steven Davis has attended the Midwest Clinic every year since 1991, save for the year he was conducting in Beijing. Confident that the 20132014 ensemble was properly prepared, Davis decided to have them apply for their first opportunity to perform at the clinic. “I thought the group was finally ready to play at that prestigious event,” Davis said. “It’s a very, very difficult event to be accepted to. I thought the group was playing wonderfully and they were ready to play in that environment.” The Symphony Orchestra, the most advanced of the four orchestras in the YSKC, is made up of 106 musicians, grades 9-12, from around the Kansas City area. Besides East, the musicians come from many high schools like Liberty and Blue Valley Northwest. To be eligible to perform at the clinic, Davis and YSKC Executive Director Steven Murray had to complete a written application and send in both an audio and video recording of one of

the symphony’s performances from earlier in the year. After submitting their application in midMarch, the symphony finally received word in early April that they had been selected as the only youth symphony orchestra to perform at the conference. “It was really cool to know that we’d be going to Chicago to play in a big symphony convention where there are tons and tons of people from all over the country coming to listen to the pieces,” sophomore trumpet player Nick Kashka said. Since their selection, the YSKC Symphony Orchestra has started a new season and grown in size. September auditions for the current

We have a very lofty goal to hit, but we know that some of these gifts will come in after the performance actually does happen -Murray said. 2014-2015 season welcomed new musicians, including those from East like Kashka, junior violinist Ellie Stewart-Jones and junior cellist Meili Estep. The Midwest Clinic will be a new experience for them and even veteran musicians like senior flautist Rachel Kim, who has played in the Symphony Orchestra since her sophomore year. While in the past the group has performed at conferences hosted by the Kansas and Missouri Music Educators Associations (KMEA, MMEA) and in a side-by-side concert with the Kansas City Symphony, their upcoming performance will be the first of its kind. “The best youth ensembles on the planet play at this event,” said Davis. “It’s the most coveted event floor for any kind of youth ensemble in the world.”

Opportunities to play at the conference do not come around often. Each year only a handful of the thousands of applicants are selected and ensembles who have performed must wait five years before they can apply again. The YSKC Symphony Orchestra isn’t going to waste their opportunity. From the beginning of their season, the symphony has been practicing Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony every Sunday. Their three hour practices at the Gem Theater on 18th and Vine are spent diligently perfecting the 50 minute piece they will play in Chicago. The rest of the week is left for the students to practice on their own or with school bands. “As soon as I finish homework when I get home I try to practice as much as I can on the piece,” Kashka said. “Usually I try to get two to three 30 minute sessions, so an hour if I can.” Besides practicing their instruments in preparation for the trip, the symphony is also doing a fundraiser. Their goal of $36,498 is nearly halfway met as of Dec. 10 and this money will cover the costs of travel, hotel rooms and a couple of meals for the musicians. Donations can be made online on the YSKC website. “We have a very lofty goal to hit, but we know that some of these gifts will come in after the performance actually does happen,” Murray said. However, the symphony will travel to Chicago regardless of whether or not they reach their goal in time. They’ve worked hard and are ready to reap the benefits. “It’s an experience like playing at some of the world’s greatest concert halls. Maybe it’s Carnegie Hall, maybe it’s even the Kauffman Center,” said Murray. “In there it’s not so much about the actual physical performance space, but rather it’s more about the impact and the level of import that this particular conference has throughout the music industry.”

5:45 a.m. — Depart 4:45 p.m. — Arrive in Chicago 7 - 10 p.m. — Rehearsal 10:30 p.m. — Check into hotel

Friday 2:00 p.m. — Midwest Clinic Performance 6:15 p.m. — Group dinner at Gino’s Pizza 8 p.m. — Blue Man Group Show

Saturday 10:15 a.m. — Free time at Navy Pier 12 p.m. — Group photos 12:30 p.m. — Depart for KC 10:30 p.m. — Arrive in KC

6 photo essay

painting for a

passion

Junior Annie Dreyer pursues her interests of art and fashion by taking it to social media through Instagram and blogging

photo by Katie Lamar

photo by Hailey Hughes

4 photo by Hailey Hughes

photo by Hailey Hughes

People from all over see your work, social media is awesome 1 “Two years ago, I recreated a painting someone posted on Instagram, it ended up being pretty good,” Dreyer said. “I was impressed with myself. Then over the summer I started painting T-shirts and it turned into a big project and I started doing more fashion illustrations.”

2 “I contacted Sincerely Jules’, my favorite blogger, and she emailed me back saying she loved the paintings,” Dreyer said. “Then, later, I got a huge package of a dozen of her T-shirts that I painted. It was a huge surprise.”

3 Dreyer points to a 4 Annie’s sister, Carly, blog which featured volunteers to be her one of her paintings. photographer for her “When I saw this Instagram posts. “One day, she post it was such a asked me to go with her and cool momment and we really bonded through it,” gave me motivation Carly said. “We will go places to keep painting,” and grab coffee. It’s definitely Dreyer said. brought us closer.” Check out Annie’s full Istagram account:

G ON N I IN

columns 7

DIME photos by Katie Lamar

Living on a food stamp budget provides inisight on life of poverty

opinion by Mike Thibodeau

Every day in this country, 47 million people use food stamps to feed themselves and their families. Fifteen percent of the U.S. is on food stamps; during the recession, that number rose as high as 20 percent. Yet media sources like FOX News only talk about “wealthfare cheats” who abuse the system to buy anything from liquor and cigarettes to extravagant meals. I’ve listened to pundits go on and on about how people on welfare live “luxuriously” off of other people’s tax dollars. They even once brought on a man who claimed he ate lobster off of food stamps. I wanted to find out for myself what it’s like to live off of welfare. I did some research and found out that the average welfare recipient in Kansas receives $124.68 a month, $8.39 below the national average to try to encourage people to work. A little quick division, and I realized that for a week, I’d be living off of $4.16 per day worth of food. My eyes actually widened when I calculated that. $4.16 a day. Two pieces of pizza and a water bottle at lunch costs $5. And I was going to be living off less than that every day for a week. If I hadn’t already agreed to do this story, I think I would’ve backed out there. But the next night, I was rolling a shopping cart through the aisles of Price Chopper, looking past the name brands I’m used to, trying to find the Best Choice and Price Chopper brand deals. With a calculator and list, I carefully made note of everything I bought and how much it cost as my cart slowly filled up. A two pound bag of All Savings’ Raisin Bran, a gallon of Price Chopper skim milk, two packs of Oscar Meyer turkey bologna, Price Chopper whole wheat bread, two Zappems’ frozen meals, five Michelina’s frozen meals, two Nissin dehydrated noodle packs and two boxes of Nature Valley granola bars. Before tax it totalled $29.82. Under $30 worth of food for the next week. It wasn’t a healthy diet. I wasn’t eating nearly the calories I should have been and I couldn’t afford to buy any vegetables or fruits. They were just too expensive. Day one honestly wasn’t too bad. For breakfast, the Raisin Rran wasn’t terrible. I grabbed the cereal with the highest protein I could so it would last me as deep into

the day as possible. At lunch, I discovered bologna really wasn’t as bad as I remembered it being when I was little. When I got to dinner, the frozen meals were small, but weren’t awful and coupled with a second bologna sandwich, they made a decent dinner. I wasn’t going to go to bed completely full, but I wouldn’t be starving either. Day two, I got sick. The plus of being sick though, was it killed most of my appetite, letting me save a bit of food. But at the same time, it cut out the fundamental sick food: chicken soup. I hadn’t thought about buying any, and now, when I wanted it, I didn’t have the money for it. So instead of eating a steaming, soothing bowl of broth, I crunched on cold, dry raisin bran as I sat wrapped up in a blanket in my basement.

For seven days, I ate the exact same, cheap, manufactured food. I don’t want to do it again. It wasn’t healthy, and it definitely wasn’t luxurious. From there, everything started going slowly down hill. Remember when I said bologna tasted better than I remember? I lied. Blatantly. I ate it twice a day. By day four, that slimy, rubbery “meat” was the last thing I wanted to eat, but it was all I had. So I kept on eating it. Gradually, I started getting hungrier too. It was like sleep deprivation. It’s not one late night that kills you, but after a few days of late nights, it starts wearing you down. A bowl of soggy bran flakes with a splash of skim milk just wouldn’t last me. By 10:20 a.m., when the bell rang to end third hour, my stomach would already be rumbling with it. But by then the hunger wasn’t the worst part. It was the repetition. There was no variety. There was just raisin bran, bologna sandwiches and frozen meals. Over and over again, every single day. To be honest, I missed vegetables. Every single thing I ate was processed and usually frozen. I wanted something

natural and maybe even a little healthy. For seven days, I ate the exact same, cheap, manufactured food. I don’t want to do it again. It wasn’t healthy, and it definitely wasn’t luxurious. For anyone who thinks it’s easy to live off of welfare, it’s not. One week was rough for me. It’s given me more respect for the people who have to live off of it. I’m not going to claim I know what it’s like to live off of food stamps just because I did this little experiment. I can’t imagine trying to do this for a month, two months, a year or even longer. All I know is that there is no luxury in it. It’s a last resort and it’s not something someone can easily live off. After a week of eating off less than five dollars a day, my Thanksgiving feast on day eight was one of the best of my life. Everything on that table was fresh, steaming and delicious. I couldn’t help but find myself appreciating it a lot more than one of my frozen dinners.

WHAT HE BOUGHT: -RAISIN BRAN -GALLON OF SKIM MILK -SEVEN FROZEN MEALS -TWO DEHYDRATED PACKS OF NOODLES -A LOAF OF PRICE CHOPPER BRAND WHEAT BREAD -TWO PACKS OF TURKEY BOLOGNA -TWO PACKS OF CASHEW AND PEANUT GRANOLA BARS TOTALING $32.69

Livingina

8 columns

A Walk Down

Winter Wonderland I

Lane

Check out the Christmas themes of these Candy Cane Lane houses left

Stella’s house features wooden cutouts of the Grinch in his slay and a parade of Whos from the Christmas movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

Growing up on Candy Cane Lane adds magic to the holiday season opinion by Stella Braly photos by Allison Stockwell artwork by Audrey Danciger

exhaled into the cold air as I shuffled down the street in my big, clumsy snow boots. My cheeks and nose were painted pink by the biting wind. I was eight years old, and this street was my world — a winter wonderland of animatronic decorations and brightly colored lights. I made my way to the end of the street where a large tree stood, covered in lights. It touched the tip of the sky and stood steady and tall above the culde-sac. The tree always seemed to protect Candy Cane Lane, the street I’ve lived on since I was born. It was a 50-year tradition in Prairie Village of holiday decorations and lights. I passed the candy man and found Ellery and Grace sitting beneath the tree. They had been my friends since I could first remember and lived on the street along with me. Ellery was three years younger, and Grace only one. Age didn’t seem to matter much. As long as they would still play make-believe or house with me, it was OK. They sat in a bank of snow in a seat they carved themselves. They resembled colored marshmallow puffs in their mismatched snow gear. The hundredth car that night drove by, which we waved to as they passed. I felt like a celebrity in my own world — only during the holidays. We ran daily between our two houses playing make believe games. My house was Grace’s, and her house was mine. Living on the street had made all my neighbors get closer, not just her family and mine. Everyone had to coordinate in order to pull all of Candy Cane Lane together. Brunches, setting up decorations, handing out candy canes, gathering together in the summer season to have a block party. It created a place that I was proud to call my home. I could say that I lived on Candy Cane Lane, and people would know almost instinctively where it was. Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, it is a tradition to pass out candy canes to the cars passing by that were either reminiscing or taking their own children around. Passing out candy canes became another game- a competition to get the most cars. We raced one another out to the car, offering the candy canes we held to them before returning back to

the curb. We didn’t seem to quite make it back to the curb always. As the night went on, we would end up further and further out into the street until our parents would look up from their discussions and wine to call us back. And the cycle would begin again. It seemed like a hundred cars went by, joined by party buses and limos. We had no choice but to toss a handful of candy canes into the window in hopes that it would be enough for everyone in the vehicle. The people that drove by in their cars grew up on Candy Cane Lane too. Maybe not in the same way, but grew up there as their family drove them down the street every year, their hands pressed against the chilled glass of the window to see outside at the lights. I see people pass the same way everyday and I always think of how maybe one day they’ll be driving their kids by the Grinch scene or the animatronic candy man that lives in a box. The candy canes ran out and the weather was oddly warm that year. Between two houses on Candy Cane Lane is a large side yard. The street was illuminated by the lights from the decorations, but the side yard had a steady line where the lights didn’t shine. At this point on the street, there was nearly 20 kids that lived there. We’re driving home from choir practice on a late Monday night. The lights are bright and it’s easy to know when to turn. My mom is grinning and belting out another verse of “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. Despite the fact that Christmas music gets a bit old when you live on a street known for its holiday cheer, it puts her in a good mood, and for that I’m not complaining. After insisting on driving around the street again, my mom comments for the hundredth time about how lovely the street is. It’s the place where I grew up making penguin nests out of snow banks, hiding behind painted plywood cut outs of holiday decorations and chasing other kids around in a makeshift game of tag. It’s the place that I grew up on, in a house covered in the Grinch and the Whos of Whoville during Christmas time. And, yeah, I think that’s pretty neat.

right

A neighboring house features cutouts of character’s from the claymation, Christmas movie “Rudolf the RedNosed Reindeer”

left

One house features various arctic animals like polar bears near an igloo and snow dogs pulling a slay of presents.

right

A nativity scene with the three Wise Men, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus decorates the yard of one of the houses on Candy Cane Lane.

7385 W 97th St Overland Park, KS 66212 913-648-2696

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‘T IS T HE BLOOMING SE A SON.

ome see us for flowers and gifts to make your holidays bloom. Or just call—9 1 3 .6 7 7 .5 0 0 6 — of course we deliver. At State Line & 50th Street Monday–Friday, 8:30–6:00 Saturday, 9:00–5:00 Sunday, in blooming emergencies.

10 feature

A Living Legacy written by Sophie Storbeck

photo by Ali Lee

James Glasgow

Sophomore Bailey Riecker’s family has a tradition of serving in the military, and she will soon decide whether or not she will follow in those footsteps

Great Grandfather Branch: US Army Position: Foot Soldier Drafted at 34 Wounded at 36

He’s gone when Bailey wakes up.

As for Bailey, she’s not so sure yet. “I would want to be a Judge He won’t be home for a week. Just Advocate General [JAG] which is like every month, when sophomore similar to an attorney in the military,” Bailey Riecker’s dad travels to Arizona Bailey said. for military training. She has to say Bailey would have to get a law goodbye the night before he left. degree, but the military would pay for Usually when Bailey’s dad, her college while she worked as a JAG. Cameron Riecker, works from 5:30 Cameron said that Bailey would only a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Missouri, but for have to work one weekend a month. a week every month he travels to Bailey is indecisive about joining Arizona. It could have been weeks at the military is because she still isn’t a time if he had decided to become sure what she wants an airline pilot to do in college or last summer but he didn’t It takes a certain amount of character for a longtime career. to serve your country and be willing She isn’t sure if she because he to potentially give up your life wants to be a lawyer wanted to -Melissa Riecker. for the military or if be home for she even wants be a important lawyer at all. event in his daughters’ If Bailey were to join, she said lives. that she’d do it mostly because the It’s normal for her since she’s been military would pay for her education. Depending on how she likes it, she living this way since she was born. Melissa, Bailey’s “He fixes the big planes and he’ll may continue. bring stuff over to people, like in mom, said that she’d be proud if her Hurricane Katrina he brought water daughter decided to join the military. “It takes a certain and food,” Bailey said. amount of character to He’s a support staff supervisor for the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training serve your country and be Center (AATTC) and is in charge of willing to potentially give the six support shops in the squadron. up your life,” Bailey’s mom, Melissa, said. “My main function is to ensure As for now, Bailey that all aircraft attending the air crew course of the AATTC are mission has to wait until she’s 17 and has her parents’ ready,” Cameron said. consent to join. Her dad joined to help pay for his “It depends on college and to serve his country. where I’m at in two Bailey has several family members years,” she said. “Like in the military, so she feels as if where I want to go to everyone decided to follow the college and what I want occupation. On her dad’s side, her to do as a career in the uncle just retired from the National future.” Guard, her grandpa was in the Navy during the Vietnam War and her cousin is leaning towards joining the Air Force. On her mom’s side, her grandpa was in the National Guard and her great-grandpa was in the U.S. Army.

Randy Glasgow Grandfather Branch: National Guard Position: Gunner and Cook Served: Seven Years

Coy Riecker Uncle Branch: Air National Guard Position: Pilot Served: 26 years

Clay Riecker Grandfather Branch: Navy Position: Mechanic Served: Four Years

Cameron Riecker Father Branch: Air National Guard Position: Master Sergeant Served: 23 years

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12 a&e

Candy store Garza’s Goodies provides subpar candy and cookie eating experience My expectations were immediately diminished when I obeyed Google Maps and looked to my right after turning onto 85th St. I guess I’ve been spoiled by Dolce, because as I looked for a cute little shop advertising baked goods, my eyes fell on a dingy strip mall. Between the signs for two nondescript stores was a large brownish oval that read “Garza’s Goodies” in Times New Roman. Having been planning on trying a new bakery, this was not what I was hoping to see. After getting out of my car and looking inside the store itself, my heart sank even further: a dirty tiled floor upon which sat a glass counter and two tables, literally two, to eat at. This, plus the fact that no one else was there, didn’t really impress me in terms of business. Upon entering Garza’s Goodies, a small man in a Santa hat sitting in a wheelchair cheerfully welcomed us. This along with the multitude of Christmas decorations around the shop (including a large tree with colorful lights) did something to improve my mood. I looked with restored hope into the glass case, which contained a section for baked goods and a section for chocolates. My brother had asked me to bring him a chocolate chip cookie, which sounded good to me too, so I ordered two of the rather large, flattish blobs in the left-hand section of the glass case. The Santa hat man told me they contained white, milk and dark chocolate chips. I then asked him which chocolates he

written by Elaine Chamberlain recommended, and he happily walked me through their top three customer favorites. $8.13 later I was holding a bag containing two cookies and three pieces of chocolate. The two small tables didn’t exactly entice me to sit down and the store itself wasn’t particularly appetizing, so I headed back out to my car to eat. The first chocolate I put in my mouth was strongly chocolatey at first, and then it turned spicy. The kick provided an interesting twist but I’m not really looking for spiciness in something I expected to be sweet. Second, I tried one the man described as “chai.” It was dark chocolate-covered milk chocolate, and there was definitely a hint of something I assume was chai. This

was my least favorite of the three; I thought the chocolate itself was average and the aftertaste was something I wouldn’t recommend putting yourself through. However, both of these were somewhat redeemed by the third and final candy. It was white chocolate, shaped and colored like a pumpkin, with pumpkin-spiced caramel in the middle. Some people might say pumpkin season is over; I say any day below 40 degrees is pumpkin weather. This one was delicious and the only thing I tried that I would actually go back for. Then, since it’s the holiday season and Christmas is not Christmas without cookies, I pulled one of the triple-chocolate-chip cookies out of the bag and tried to sink my teeth in. Instead, it was so hard that a large

chunk broke off and I was left sitting with part of a cookie in my hand and part of it hanging out of my mouth, with crumbs falling all over my car. I forced that rock-like piece down my throat and ended up only eating half the cookie. While the three kinds of chocolate chips were a nice touch, the dough was mediocre and a lot harder than it looked. It was so dense and thick it was nearly impossible to eat. I don’t question the authenticity or effort behind the products of Garza’s Goodies, since behind the counter several workers were plainly visible, working at the creation of the treats that would end up in the glass case at the front. The service was excellent and while the inside of the store did nothing to heighten my appetite, the Christmas decorations were a nice touch. The “goodies” themselves, at least the ones that I purchased (for a reasonable price I appreciate), weren’t inedible, but they weren’t anything special either. Overall, it was not worth a 16-minute drive through Waldo for some decent chocolates and a cookie I could make better myself without having to drive anywhere. I found Garza’s Goodies to be nothing to go out of your way for, but if you happen to be driving by and have a sudden craving for something sweet, stop on in. Don’t bother with their cookies, but make sure to order that little white-chocolate-caramel pumpkin. With that, you will not be disappointed.

SUGARY BREAKDOWN SUGARY

CHOCOLATES

-Various flavors including Chai as well as other fruits and spices

BAKED GOODS

-Chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and brownies

BASKETS

-Candy and cookie groupings available as boxes for gifts

photo by Kylie Relihan

-Biscotti’s, macarons and other pastries

written by Caroline Heitmann photos by Haley Bell

Injera: an unique type of flatbread that is spongy and slightly like sourdough.

n Ethiopia, meals are served on one main plate for the whole meal, with rolls of injera as the utensils. The meal is spread out on a plate with injera on the bottom, and a piece of injera is broken off and used to scoop up the dinner. You eat it by placing the injera on top of what you want, spreading out your fingers, then bringing them together to scoop up the food. Then you move on to other foods and

ORIGIN

create layers of what you want. Just one week ago I had never heard of injera, doro watt or beef tibbs. However, when a friend of mine told me about the hidden life of Ethiopian cuisine in Kansas City, I had to try it. I dragged my friends along, and now we believe we are experts. Here’s a look at the three we tried.

Elsa’s Ethiopian Restaurant

was the last restaurant we went to, located in old Overland Park. It was a really nice way to end a weekend of African cuisine, but maybe we should have gone there first. One of the workers actually showed us how to properly use the injera to scoop up the food for the first time, so it probably would have worked out best to have known this in the beginning. We ordered the veggie sambosas appetizer to start. Veggie sambosas are the Ethiopian version of Chinese egg rolls, only with hot vegetables, lentils and spices. Ours came with awaze sauce, so the heat of the sauce added some optional spice. For the main meal, we ordered the Doro Tibs, which I really enjoyed. The Doro Tibs had small pieces of chicken cooked with butter and herbs, with pieces of celery and tomato mixed in. I could’ve eaten the chicken alone, but it did go well with the injera. For our sides we got the Kik Alicha and the Miser Kik Wot. The Kik Alicha was soft, yellow split peas that had been stewed in an onion herb sauce. While very soft, they still had a surprising chewy texture to them. The Miser Kik Wot (lentil dish) was also very good. Overall, I liked my meal at Elsa’s Ethiopian restaurant. After my experience there, it seems I’ve been missing out on some authentic cuisine. Plus, being served by the actual person Elsa added to the level of authenticity. In all, I think this is a great place to go for some real Ethiopian food. And as an added bonus, one of the workers told us on the way out that this food “does not make you fart!”, so go ahead, try it.

a&e 13

FLAVOR KC offers an unexpected, eyeopening variety of unique Ethiopian cuisine

Blue Nile Cafe

Walking into in historic City Market, we were greeted by masks decorating the walls. The small room was cozy and inviting and the available outside seating was a nice feature. City Market is a cultural hub, featuring different cuisines from Brazilian to Chinese, so it fits for the Ethiopian cafe to reside here. We sat down and started with the gingebel, a juice made from ginger, with sweet touches of pineapple. The ginger was strong, and while I appreciated the soothing quality of the pineapple, for me the ginger was slightly overpowering. This time, we ordered the Doro Watt and the Dinich Watt. The Doro Watt is a chicken dish soaked in a herblemon juice and stewed in a red pepper sauce. I tasted a hint of cardamom or nutmeg in the sauce, which was an unexpected but interesting addition. Overall, the flavor was nice, but nothing extremely memorable. I didn’t particularly dislike or like it. The Dinich Watt was a potato dish simmering in a berbere spicy peppery sauce. I prefer potatoes to be soft, so the hard potatoes were not my favorite. The meal came with injera and sides. Our sides were the Gomen, Misir Watt (same as Miser Kik Wot) and Atiklett (same as Atkilt Wot). I liked the Gomen here, because a saltier flavor was stronger. The Misir Watt and Atiklett were both good but similar to Awaze’s. Overall, Blue Nile was a good place to try Ethiopian cuisine. It is prominent and highly acclaimed in KC due to the plethora of awards it has won from papers like The Pitch and Black Pages. Plus, the location was great because it’s close to so many shops, and the atmosphere was simple but inviting. The flavors were all there, and the food was authentic.

Awaze Restaurant

From the outside, doesn’t catch the eye. The sign is simple, and its dark interior is low key. However, what few people know is that this is the one of only two places in Kansas City where a mix of Ethiopian and Caribbean cuisine is served. This is where you can sample intense flavors of their signature dishes. This is where on certain nights, a band plays, with dancing lasting late into the night. This is where you can experience true culture. Since this was the first Ethiopian restaurant I had ever been to, I didn’t know what to expect. We decided to start by ordering the Atkilt Wot from the Ethiopian menu and the jerk chicken from the Caribbean menu. The Atkilt Wot is a dish of stewed carrots, peppers and tomatoes, simmered in a spicy sauce. It came with three sides, so we choose the house salad, Miser Kik Wot and Gomen. The house salad and Gomen (cooked collards) were both good, but were overshadowed by their companion the Miser Kik Wot, a dish with lentils simmered in a special onion-based berbere sauce. I really enjoyed the soft spicy lentils, and they went perfectly with the injera. The jerk chicken was amazing. The super moist meat fell right off the bone, and it reminded me of exotic barbecue — it was served in a dish filled to the brim with the sauce. It’s not a common occurrence to find sweet fruit like plantains with barbecue chicken, yet it was a perfect pairing in this dish. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Awaze. Our server was very nice, and the chef even came out and personally talked to us. Plus, the atmosphere was calm and relaxing. The food had authentic and spicy flavors, and I enjoyed every piece. I highly recommend Awaze for anyone adventurous enough to try some interesting flavors.

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a&e 15

CHRISTMAS SWEATERS

SSIC A L C THE

Sophomore Miranda Baggett’s favorite part of her Christmas sweater is the large, circular painting of Santa sitting by the fire on Christmas Eve. Aside from the fact that he’s intruding in some random family’s house, and the frankly terrifying being that resembles a cat lurking from underneath the Christmas tree, it just radiates with Christmas spirit. The painting features Santa’s belongings strewn all over the place. His coat is slung over the back of the chair he’s lounging in. He has his shoes off, and is dangerously close to burning the tips of his green-striped toes in the fire. The clumsy red lines sewn at the hem may come to symbolize some kind of alarm. Baggett’s stepmother got the sweater for her at Savers in preparation for an ugly Christmas sweater party they will be hosting soon. So far, she has gotten one compliment on it.

ERO H E H T

The thing sophomore Thomas Diehl likes most about the holiday season is wearing comfy sweaters. The snug fit of this one, along with the pretty red hearts towards the top of it’s design, make it just that. Diehl’s Christmas sweater is inspired by the video game Legend of Zelda, because there is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than sending an animated boomerang through your enemy. From afar, the sweater just appears to have a lot of strange multicolored patterns, but at a second glance, one can see the intricate details of Christmas trees and zigzags and vague ovals that look like jelly beans. A large, white candle sits in the center of the design. One might say it brightens up the sweater. But then again, it’s unlit. So maybe not.

Ah, winter. That time of year when the holidays are so close you can nearly taste the candy canes, and one can be seen in hats, boots, and of course, the vital key to the holiday spirit, tacky Christmas sweaters. East students can be seen wearing some of these glorious sweaters. written by Kylie Schultz

Most-Un To-Chrisrelatedtmas

Junior Carley Allen doesn’t even like gnomes. They frighten her. But that doesn’t deter her from flaunting her Christmas sweater this holiday season, complete with a large gnome head embellished on it’s front. The snow falling outside inspired her choice. “My mom actually thought it was really cute,” Allen said. “She didn’t think it was ugly at all, and I was like, oh.” Allen meant for it to be ugly. The sweater features a rosy-cheeked, wide-eyed gnome that appears to resemble an East junior running on thirty minutes of sleep. The surrounding pixellated trees and red snowflakes reminisce a video game. The blue hat keeps that jolly atmosphere alive by providing the perfect pop of color. She is still trying to figure out whether or not gnomes have anything to do with Christmas.

THE ST

RANGE

Senior Michael Dannov prefers to go classic with his two-yearold reindeer sweater. When he found it stashed among some other Christmas sweaters at Walmart, he fell in love with it instantly. The sweater emits a grandma sort of vibe with the printed on knitting, but keeps it interesting with the addition of the reindeer’s sunglasses. Snowflakes and other reindeer printed in the background add to the festive theme, with the excitement of random flying deer running free in a blizzard. Dannov has this sweater in addition to his already extensive collection, which consists of fun patterns and vibrant colors. He enjoys this one due to its sheer ridiculousness. The average kid in the hallway will just laugh or tell him that they like it. “I bought it because I knew others would notice it and find it funny,” Dannov said. “Hopefully even brighten their day.”

PERATION BREAKTHROUGH New club focuses on a local charity, Operation Breakthrough

THE CLUB @ EAST written by Daniel Rinner

uring seminar, the International Baccalaureate students take Theory of Knowledge. Link leaders communicate with the freshman class. Thespians practice their lines in the theater. Meanwhile, 20 minutes away, 12 students are running papers for teachers and playing with kids in Kansas City’s urban core. Operation Breakthrough Club is a new student organization at East, that gives students opportunities to support the local nonprofit. Operation Breakthrough’s facilities at 37th Street and Troost Avenue include classrooms and playgrounds to host day care, food pantries and other services for low-income families. When volunteers arrive, they most often assist teachers in the elementary classrooms. Last year, juniors Katie Lamar, Hailey Hughes and Henry Redmond were looking for ways to help disadvantaged youth in the area. First, they worked to coordinate a summer benefit concert at the Crossroads in downtown Kansas City. After the venue decided it could not host the event, they decided to start the club. “[We thought] Next year, we should do something really big for them because we promised them this big benefit concert and we never really did anything,” Lamar said. The idea for a club originally came from Operation Breakthrough staff members, mother and daughter Lee and Wynne Winter. Lamar asked language teacher Linda Sieck to sponsor the club. “I didn’t want to be the one taking charge but just a support person for what the kids want to get done,” Sieck said. “Really, they are self-directed.” All three founders had already volunteered for Operation

Breakthrough before, and knew they could get other students involved. “We did a toiletry drive and realized that people are actually interested in helping,” Hughes said. Currently, 12 students can leave seminar to volunteer about every other Thursday, depending on the school seminar schedule. The club’s founders hope to have enough students to rotate two groups and send students to Operation Breakthrough’s location every week. “Sometimes we’ll go after school or during breaks to go hang out with the kids and to get a better relationship with the people down there,” Lamar said. Because members work directly with Operation Breakthrough so often, they can plan other activities to fit their changing needs. In October, students started a drive for Halloween costumes, and now the club is gathering toys to donate for the holiday season. Operation Breakthrough can use the help of active volunteers at all times of year. They host over 400 children from more than 200 families daily. Ninety-two percent of these families fall below the poverty line. By giving other students chances to interact with these children, the club founders hope to create connections across socioeconomic lines and make a difference for the families of Operation Breakthrough. “Especially at East, you see kids who have everything handed to them,” Lamar said. “Just a few streets away, you have kids who literally have nothing.”

LANCER VOLUNTEERS

16 Spread

Spread 17 photos by Katie Lamar

Daisy Bolin

Henry Redmond Paxton Pruneau

“I’ve only gone one time there. We organized clothes for this place that they have called Bertha’s closet. It’s a way for them to shop for free for clothes that have been donated... so that they can shop with dignity. I found out because a friend told me about it. I like the fact that Operation Breakthrough offers a happy place. It’s a clean, happy place for kids to be, and it makes them feel like they have somewhere to go.”

“Last summer, I was helping out with the kids. We cleaned the teachers classrooms. We’re doing chores, pretty much running errands for the teachers. They’ll develop a lesson plan before we go. It’s a good place for inner city kids who don’t have the best home life to go find some solitude, food, good teachers to help them out.”

(Left) The club starters (Katie Lamar, Henry Redmond and Hailey Hughes) with kids they assist in the sixth grade classroom at Operation Breakthrough’s facility on 37th Street

Families assisted by Operation Breakthrough that receive food stamps Families that say they do not feel safe walking to locations close to their home

Had utilities turned off at their homes during 2013

(Right) Redmond, Hughes and Lamar at Operation Breakthrough over the summer, where they helped put away and organize the toiletries they fundraised last year

“I started volunteering Oct. 1, and I go every Wednesday. The first few weeks, I was in the fourth through seventh grade classroom. Now I’m in the kindergarten classroom. I help them with their homework. I help them play games, make sure that they’re all being nice to each other and things like that. I always wanted to volunteer there, but I’m in National Honor Society so I need 20 hours of service by Jan. 9. Operation Breakthrough is really great because you know you’re giving back to the community. You see the people that you’re helping.”

84%

96%

39%

29%

Median annual income of working families receiving assistance:

$13,032 photos courtesy of Operation Breakthrough

Families assisted by Operation Breakthrough that have a female at the head of the

Stats On

Operation Breakthrough

Families

PERATION BREAKTHROUGH New club focuses on a local charity, Operation Breakthrough

THE CLUB @ EAST written by Daniel Rinner

LANCER VOLUNTEERS

16 Spread

Spread 17 photos by Katie Lamar

Daisy Bolin

Henry Redmond Paxton Pruneau

(Left) The club starters (Katie Lamar, Henry Redmond and Hailey Hughes) with kids they assist in the sixth grade classroom at Operation Breakthrough’s facility on 37th Street

Families assisted by Operation Breakthrough that receive food stamps Families that say they do not feel safe walking to locations close to their home

Had utilities turned off at their homes during 2013

(Right) Redmond, Hughes and Lamar at Operation Breakthrough over the summer, where they helped put away and organize the toiletries they fundraised last year

84%

96%

39%

29%

Median annual income of working families receiving assistance:

$13,032 photos courtesy of Operation Breakthrough

Families assisted by Operation Breakthrough that have a female at the head of the

Stats On

Operation Breakthrough

Families

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18 sports

written by Michael Kraske

After finishing second at state for the second year in a row, the boys’ swim and dive team is off to an undefeated start, winning the first three meets of the season. As of Dec. 11, the team has ten swimmers and divers qualified for state, with a few others having consideration times. Junior Tom Peters attributes the team’s early success to focusing on one meet at at time. “We aren’t looking past anyone.” Peters said. “We just want to swim well every meet and continue to have good swims. Focusing on one [meet] at a time helps us keep focus for the whole year.” Peters says that the senior leaders of the team play a big role in the

team’s success. “We have a good group of leaders on the team,” Peters said. “Some are very vocal and some lead by example, but it’s a good mix.” One of the teams biggest competitors this season is Blue Valley North, according to Peters. He thinks that by focusing on the season one meet at a time, the team will become strong enough throughout the season to beat BVN. “Blue Valley North is going to be good this year, as they usually are,” Peters said. “Beating them is going to be the biggest challenge of the season, but our coaches have helped us truly believe that we can beat them this season.”

Last season, the Lancers boys’ basketball team finished the season 15-7, falling to Blue Valley Northwest in the second round of the post-season. This year, the team expects to make it farther. However, this year’s season had some unexpected bumps before the season even began. On Sept. 9, junior Joey Wentz committed to play baseball in college at the University of Virginia (UVA). During a fall basketball league game, Wentz landed awkwardly on an opponent’s foot, causing a stress fracture and putting him in a boot for several weeks. These two events called into question his ability to play this season, after playing varsity basketball since freshman year. After talking to parents and coaches and thinking it over for about a month, Wentz has decided

to play. “My parents really influenced my decision to play,” Wentz said. “After having a long talk with them about having friends on the team, I realized how badly I wanted to play.” Additionally, senior Lucas Jones is entering his last season for East. Next year, Jones will be playing basketball for the University of Eastern Illinois, after committing in November. According to Jones’ teammates, he has been one of the most important players on the team for each season he has played. “He’s proven to be one of the best players in the league and is huge on our team,” Wentz said. “He does everything that is asked of him and he definitely has a good career ahead of him at Eastern Illinois.”

After having only one wrestler place at state last year, the East wrestling team has been working hard in the offseason, training to go further this season. Junior Drake Yost has been training with Greater Heights Clunland Purler Academy throughout the summer and fall, preparing for the upcoming season. “I wasn’t happy with my individual performance at all. which is what drove me to work hard in the offseason,” Yost said. “Last year was definitely a rebuilding year with lots of underclassman filling varsity spots, but with a new coaching staff and an experienced team returning I’m ex-

Varsity girls basketball coach Austin Klumpe is just starting his second year as a girls basketball coach at East. In his first year as head coach, the girls’ team finished with a record of 8-13. When Klumpe came into the East program, so did current sophomore Kyle Haverty. As a freshman, Haverty led the team in scoring with 14 points per game, along with several assists per game. “Last year was great, but I feel like we have a lot of room to grow as a team,” Haverty said. “Individual stats don’t matter to me; my main goal is for my team to win games.” This year, the girls’ basketball team is made up of more underclassmen than seniors, something that doesn’t usually happen. Haverty feels

cited about what we’ll do this year.” During the offseason, current coaches Erik Woofter and Dale Hurt were hired to fill previous coaches Ryan Wendorff and Jason Filbeck’s spots after leaving last season. Yost hopes that these new coaches will help the team place higher than last season. “As a team we expect to be regional and district champions, qualify ten wrestlers for state, have two wrestlers in the finals, and place top ten as a team,” Yost said. “That’s what our coaches told us at the beginning of the year, and I think we’re definitely capable of those goals.”

that her and other underclassman roles on the team play a big part in the season. “We have some great leaders on the team who are seniors, but there’s less seniors than ever,” Haverty said. “Coach really expects us to step up, not only for this year but for the rest of our high school careers.” Haverty hopes the team can start to work together as more of a family in order to achieve a better record this season. After finishing with a losing record last season, her goal is for her team to win more games than they lose. “We’ve been working really hard in practice, and bonding a lot more outside of practice,” Haverty said.

SME full pg.indd 1

11/25/2014 12:48 PM

20 sports

MAKING THE

written by Will Clough

photo by James Wooldridge

he girls divide into groups, and it’s not hard to tell how the decision is made. Seniors stand casually at one end of the gym, while the freshmen gather timidly at the other. These five huddled girls are new today. Yesterday, they only had their classmates to worry about. Today, they are trying out with the JV and varsity basketball players. Today, the stakes are higher. Nothing seems to separate them from one another except for their names carefully Sharpied onto the backs of their wrinkled white t-shirts. “Blubaugh 54” reads one of them. Freshman Caroline Blubaugh joins the other girls as the dribbling warm-up commences. Today is going to be her day. As the drill continues, Blubaugh begins to relax. It’s nothing too complicated, just something to help her dribbling skills. She looks at the ground and focuses on keeping the basketballs from slipping away. But slowly the right ball slips out of her grasp and bounces to her side. As she reaches to correct her mistake, she loses the left. Blubaugh quickly snatches the balls and resumes the drill, but not before glancing around the gym to make sure her fault went unseen. Blubaugh is just another face in the crowd. Not only that, she is a freshman face. In order to make the team, she needs to stand out. No more mistakes. She and five other freshman girls were surprised by the text the night before that let them know they were being bumped up to the JV and varsity tryouts. While this was just what the girls had been working for, they weren’t on the team yet. “I was relieved,” Blubaugh said. “But I also knew that now it was going to be a step up and there was going to be more pressure.” This was something that Blubaugh knew she was going to face. After all, for her, the basketball season started long before the Nov. 17 tryout date. After playing in the Lady Lancers’ summer league and attending a number of Cross-fit courses with her dad, Blubaugh knew that she would be comfortable in the gym. Yet she stood

shifting her weight back and forth and tapping her hands impatiently. The nerves were getting to her. “Sometimes it helped me to be nervous because I would try harder,” Blubaugh said. “Sometimes I think it would mess me up. But I was always fine.” But as timid as she feels inside, her demeanor on the court makes up for it. She takes a hard drive towards the far corner of the three-point line and lobs a ball up, hoping for the best. Swoosh. Somebody better have seen that. A muffled ‘good job Blubaugh’ comes from the other girls who share her navy blue penny. She was right after all, she did belong here. She stepped outside of black court lines and resumed her hesitant posture. No matter how many threes she aced, though, the butterflies would always be there.

Sometimes it helped me to be nervous because I would try harder. Sometimes I think it would mess me up. But I was always fine. -Caroline Blubaugh That feeling didn’t matter. Blubaugh said that at the heart of these tryouts she just wanted to work her hardest. If she did that, she felt that she would be happy knowing that she made the team she deserved. Once there, the opportunity for progress would come. “When you’re new you don’t have experience,” said head girls basketball coach Austin Klumpe. “So, we’re just look for [the girls] to, over time, gain experience and develop [their] skill sets.” The nerves turned into anticipation as the last night of tryouts progressed. Then that anticipation shifted to sheer dread. What time did they post this list anyways? And did

she really want to know? Blubaugh’s thumb hovered longingly over the refresh button of her iPhone. How much longer would she have to endure this? It was 10 p.m. when she got her answer. The page loaded and revealed a list of names printed on a stark black background. This was it. This is what she had waited for. Worked for. This is what she felt like she deserved. Blubaugh scrolled down and scanned the names looking desperately for one that looked familiar. Caroline Blubaugh. There it was, nestled under Laura Adams at the bottom of the list. She made the team. She was going to be a member of the 2014 JV girls basketball team. A wave of relief rolled over her and the butterflies that she had been feeling all week were finally put to rest. “I was just really really proud of it,” Blubaugh said. “And that was a good feeling.” The hard part seemed to be over, but Caroline still needed to prove that she was the right choice. The first day of practice seemed no different than the days earlier that week. Tryouts may have been over, but the time to perform had just begun. The feeling of constant anxiety was quickly replaced with the need to perform. However, as practices continued things began to look better. Suddenly names were being called across the court and the quick flash of a braces-laden smile was not such a rare sight. “The girls get more comfortable,” girls’ JV coach Julie Sparks said. “They’re just trying to figure each other out and try to get to know each other.” With two games already under the belt, tryouts seem like a lifetime ago. While they were once filled with the impatient tapping of a foot or the cautious look over a shoulder, they have faded into the desire to work hard and push the team. Caroline is thankful to the coaches for trusting her and knows how she wants to impact her team - through hard work. She knew it from the minute she got that text.

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FRESHMAN 5IVE

sports 23 BOYS’ SWIM TEAM GAINS FIVE FRESMHEN AND EXPECTS A SUCCESSFUL SEASON

photo illustration by James Wooldridge

TYLER CUNNINGHAM

AIDAN HOLBROOK

“ ‘

BRIAN CHRISTIAN

CARTER KIRKLAND

“ ‘

EVAN ROOT

“ ‘

6 3

6 0

5 7

5 8

5 9

200 lbs

150 lbs

155 lbs

140 lbs

100-yard back 57.01

100-yard back 1:05.52

100-yard fly 58.20

500-yard free 4:48

100-yard fly 56.9

100-yard free 52.36

50-yard free 25.27

200-yard fly 2:09.20

200-yard free 1:48

200-yard IM 2:07.5

50-yard free 23.14

100-yard free 57.34

400-yard free 4:44.1

100-yard free 50.17

200-yard fly 2:03.10

500-yard free 5:09.69

200-yard IM 2:06.10

500-yard free 5:06.25

100-yard free 52.36 “I first started swimming for the Leawood pool, then Brookridge, and now I’ve been swimming for the KC Blazers for going on five years now.”

“I started swimming at age six for Indian Hills Country Club because my parents made me. I hated it, but I soon fell in love with swimming and I have swam for KC Swim Academy for four years now.”

“I was six when I started swimming because my sister did it, and I wanted to try it out. I always loved to race as a kid and still love to at the bigger swim meets. I’ve been swimming for the KC Blazers now for six years.”

“I started swimming for the Fairway Fins when I was eight and had only thought about swimming competitively because my brother had. When I was 10 I moved on to the KC Blazers team and about a year ago I started with the senior program.”

“I started swimming at the age of eight for the Leawood City public school swim team. I learned the ropes and butterfly came to me naturally, which made it become my best stroke.”

photo by Hailey Hughes

East football wins state championship for first time in school history

6a STATE Champions

1|STATE

Q Q

photo by Joseph Cline

the

What is the most crucial thing you did to prepare for this year’s games?

RHythm

We have a lot of sectionals in the beginning of the year where we’ll just get together and play cadences together so that we become more of a group. We get to know how each other sound. We just play together more that way. Before every thing we do, we’ll get in a huddle, and touch tips of our sticks and give a pump-up speech to get everyone excited. Then we go out there and kill it.

by Tommy Sherk

Why do you think it’s important to play at the games?

When the band is playing, if the students know the song, they’ll connect and it’s kind of fun. It’s really hard to not like a drumline and the beat when the drumline starts playing. Sometimes the fans get amped and the players. I’ve heard that they really like it. That makes it fun.

Why do you think it’s important to do a big show?

It’s really fun for us, honestly. It gives us some kind of spotlight. We do the marching show all year, but in our show, we get to play for all of our friends in the student section. Everyone likes us playing in the powder.

Do you guys enjoy traveling alongside the football team?

the

Support by Sophie Tulp

in Six Years THEY Haven’t missed A Game It’s like a scene out of “Friday Night Lights,”

football parent Janie Tyler jokes. She met her husband Jim, growing up in the small town of Sabetha, Kansas. Jim graduated in a class of 65, Janie in a class of 37. Friday nights were devoted to one thing: high school football. “We were a really small 3A school [in Sabetha] but it was a huge community that supported the school,” Janie said. “From that, our perspective has always been that we just rally around local schools no matter if we had kids in the program

Yea. It’s fun to be on drumline and play at home games, but it’s also nice to be in the student section sometimes. It’s good that the band doesn’t go to the really far away games so we do get a chance to get into the student section. But I think it’s important for us to be there. Some people have told me that it keeps the atmosphere high. We don’t want any awkward silences. If it’s halftime and we get back up there and no one is playing, we’ll go ahead and start playing so kids will stay pumped up.

or not.” That is the tradition they upheld when they moved to Prairie Village. Janie and Jim took their sons, Mitchell and Jack, to East basketball and football games starting in elementary school. Janie and Jim now have the opportunity to watch their own sons on the field, under the lights each Friday night. While Mitchell graduated last year, they still brave the elements each week sitting in the parent section of the stands to watch Jack play. They’ve roughed single-digit weather with handwarmers clutched under gloves, torrential rain downpours with makeshift ponchos and sweltering heat lasting

Why do you think it’s important for kids to appreciate the drumline?

I think the kids at East appreciate the drumline and really like us. I don’t know about band kids and if they like us very much because they don’t really get the recognition that we get sometimes. It’s cool to be a part of something that’s not a sport or something that doesn’t seem to be really popular usually and to have people still appreciate it.

into September. And in six years, they haven’t missed a game. Even when they have to drive 150 miles from Manhattan, Kansas to make it to a district stadium, they do it. They postpone trips, rearrange plans and make long drives to be there week after week cheering in the stands, sometimes louder than the student section. But more than just attending each game, the parents play a vital role in the planning and logistics of the season. Janie says hardly a day would go by during football season without a constant stream of emails in her inbox to plan food and events for the games. To her, the funniest part about the planning is watching the dads get so involved. “It’s funny to see the dads that work by texting back and forth, and calling each other and the emails talking about the game,” Janie said. “Football season is a fun part of life, and we know it’s just a short part of life and it will soon be gone, but we are investing so much fun and energy into it.” Thursdays before the game, a group of varsity dads attend other teams’ games to watch. On Fridays, parents often meet at Johnny’s and watch the Metro Sports highlights featuring East together. The parents, much like the team, formed a bond throughout the season that got tighter with each win, each event and the shared excitement of an undefeated season. After the Olathe North sub-state game, Jim couldn’t contain his excitement. After East went for two and made it, Jim jumped from his seat and began high-fiving and hugging all the parents around him. People he didnt even know.

photo illustration by Katie Lamar

STATE|2

the

Couple by Julia Poe

“She Knew How to talk me down And she told Me that I could do it” In the third quarter of

the substate game, junior Emily Meiring began to get nervous. It was partially because the Lancers were trailing for the first time in the season. But Emily was mostly worried about a text. Before the game, Emily had texted her boyfriend, senior Jack Anderson, a picture of a turkey. “Don’t be a turkey and make sure to win!” she added underneath. When East blew out teams by 40 points, Emily didn’t feel bad about teasing Jack before games. But now the team was trailing by a touchdown, and Emily was starting to worry. “I was just sitting there worrying about that text,” Emily said. “It was so silly, but I was just thinking, ‘Oh God, I don’t want him to think that I think he’s a turkey.’” Emily watched anxiously as the Lancers took the lead. Then Olathe North tied the game. Then overtime. And double overtime. The whole time, she rocked back and forth on her heels in the stands, wondering if it was possible to delete a text after it was sent. But the Lancers won. Head coach Dustin Delaney made the gutsy call, going for a two-point conversion in double overtime. The student section stormed the field as the team collected their second straight sub-state championship trophy. And Emily relaxed, no longer worried about her pre-game text. No matter what, Emily wanted to support Jack. She didn’t really understand football. But Emily knew that she was the person who distracted Jack from the stress of state-championship expectations. Throughout football season, she was

his support system. And she didn’t want to mess that up. Sometimes, Emily says, they’re a bit of a cheesy movie couple. They became close on an orchestra trip to L.A. On their first date eight months ago, they wandered for an hour around Town Center, waiting for their showing of “Catching Fire.” Emily thinks it’s funny that he likes “Phineas and Ferb,” that he knows all her ticklish spots, that he can eat twice as much pepperoni pizza as her. She swears he’s a better dancer than her, especially now that he comes to most of her dance recitals. She says he can make her laugh more than anyone else she knows. “I can’t think of anything weird about her,” Jack says in return, laughing. “She’s perfect. She is perfect.” He thinks she’s perfect because she always texted him good luck before games, even though he refused to read the texts until after every game. Because she listened when he complained about bad practices and sore muscles. Because even though she wasn’t sure what a linebacker was, she still made sure to compliment him every Friday night as the undefeated season stretched longer and longer. “Going into the season, there was a lot of pressure on us as a team and I was putting even more on myself,” Jack said. “She knew how to talk me down and she would just remind me that I could do it, that we could do it. She made me feel confident.” The week of state, Emily knew not to talk about football. Jack was nervous, but he didn’t want to say anything. So they talked about anything — everything — else. And even though Emily felt nervous with him, she kept smiling, kept re-

minding him that he could do it. She didn’t have a doubt that Jack would win state. At kickoff in Emporia, Emily was only one face in a roaring sea of Columbia blue, black and white. By the fourth quarter, as East led by almost 20 points, she was already thinking about rushing the field to celebrate. The final seconds ticked off the clock. The student section descended onto the field, sweeping Emily along in a tide of triumphant screams and muffled chants. The captains hoisted the state trophy overhead. And across the field, Jack was crying. In a crowd of hundreds of students, it was hard to find a single person. As she rushed the field, Emily realized that she might not find Jack. But she did — in the middle of the field, where he was still wiping tears and eye-black away from his face. He didn’t know what to feel. He was proud. He was happy. Yet at the same time, a part of him felt lost, as he stood on the field at the end of his perfect season — his final season. The winning streak was continued for the Lancers, but it was over for Jack. The joy of winning was tainted by a sense of loss. Emily hugged him hard around the neck and grinned up at him. She told him that he played a perfect game, that she was proud of him. And for the moment, that was enough. Later, he would go home to wash off the sweat and the exhaustion from the game. Later, he would try to figure out what to do on weekdays without three-hour workouts. Later. For now, he was content to stand on the field in Emporia, with Emily held close to his side, and soak in his final seconds of high school football.

the

3|STATE

WARRIOR

by James Wooldridge

“WE’RE JUST GETTING THE BALL ROLLING” Three hundred and eighty days ago on the bus ride home from the Washburn University stadium, the underclassmen made a promise to ourselves. Most of the seniors sitting around us would never play football again. They were so close to their dream, only to have it slip through their fingers. We weren’t going to be like them. We weren’t just going to get to State next year, we were going to win. Everything we did for the next year was to get to that moment. All the 100 degree scrimmages, grueling workouts and two-a-days never discouraged us. Ask any of us why we worked so hard, and we would have said: to win State. Thirteen games later we were finally there. It felt pretty good holding that trophy over our heads as our fans rushed the field. But not as good as I thought it would. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I’d never play football again. When I got back to the locker room, I pulled those pads off my shoulders for the last time. I always thought we did it for the end. It turns out the end’s not that great. The best part is getting there -- the memories. That’s what makes all of our work worth it, not some big shiny ring. I’m going to miss a lot from my football career. I’ll miss the sprints we ran on Mondays, Championship 10s, no matter how much they sucked at the time. I’ll miss warming up to the

photo by Hailey Hughes song “When a Fire Starts To Burn.” Listening to the album “Settle” by Disclosure every day is a habit that I’ve kept, even since football ended. Every day that I can’t tears a hole in my heart. It makes me sick that I’ll never get my butt kicked by Kyle Ball again. I won’t forget our Saturday film sessions and the breakfasts that followed either. Going to IHOP was always fun, no matter how many times the waitress forgot my order. I’ll miss wearing my jersey to school on Fridays, and daydreaming about that night’s game instead of taking notes. I’ll miss the lights, too. The feeling of charging onto the field with the stands packed full of screaming fans is indescribable. I loved pounding the ball down the field, yard by yard, and wearing down our opponents. It was the most fun I’ll ever have. Most of all, I’ll miss all of you. I can’t thank our students enough for your support. The best team and student section in the state is a deadly combo. Also, our coaching staff put in countless hours scouting and preparing us. Thank you all for caring about us so much. Finally, every single player on the team contributed. From scout team to starters, I love all you guys. Every second I spent with you was a blessing. I may never get to wear a Lancer jersey again, but there’s no other way I would’ve wanted to go out. I’m confident that next year’s players will represent the school even better than we have. And the year after that. We’re just getting the ball rolling.

the

Voice

by Daniel Rinner

photo illustration by Katie Lamar

East football fans who turned around to look in the windows of the SM North stadium press box might have seen one room with a supercomputer on the desk. Two feet away sat a sound board with enough flashing lights and buttons to entertain a child for hours. If you are one of the dedicated Lancer fans who filled the stands every game, you might know me as one of the shadows standing behind the bird’s nest of cords running out the window. If you are one of the equally dedicated but more comfortable fans watching a live stream from home, I’m that kid you heard trying to sound professional while analyzing the moves and strategies of his playground friends. If you’ve watched enough broadcasts to read this in my voice, consider yourself broadcast fan number one. I’m the commentator. My qualifications to put on a headset and explain the East football team are few, but I fit the bill. I watch football on Sundays, show up on time and have watched this year’s seniors play football since the rules were two-hand touch and no quarterback runs. Put that next to an overqualified co-anchor who actually plans to use journalism to go somewhere in life, and you have the broadcast starting lineup.

“I’M THAT KID YOU HEARD TRYING TO SOUND PROFESSIONAL”

Like any team, our goals for this past season were simple: to give every Lancer football fan a chance to see the game. That sounds simple enough, unless you know what’s just out of our camera’s frame. We travel with a computer that costs more than my car, two duffel bags weighing more than I can carry and enough chords to plug in a camera from the opposite endzone. I work with a combination of broadcast regulars and the occasional newspaper staffer needing class credit from one hour before game time until every player is on the bus home. And we don’t get to practice. As for our audience, I can always count on my parents to at least pretend to listen with earphones from the stands and players’ grandmothers scattered across the country. At least I hope people are listening, considering I’m fulfilling their shoutout requests. Wherever they come from, 1,500 views during substate makes being the last ones to leave the stadium worth the trouble. So although I may be the student farthest from the field and my anchoring career won’t go past Prairie Village’s laptop screens, I got to take part in the thrill that was 2014’s perfect season. If I did my job well, you didn’t need a seat at the game to experience that too.

STATE|4

UNDEFEATED The East football team had their first undefeated season in school history, bringing back the state championship trophy for the first time ever. Students, parents and staff members made their way to Emporia, Kansas along with the players to witness history

photos by Hailey Hughes

above

East seniors Mitch Kerr, Brady Clark and Michael Moedritzer pump up the student section before the state game. “I guess every crowd needs the guys that do that,” senior Mitch Kerr said. “I mean after all it was the state championship.”

below

above

Junior Wyatt Edmonston falls into the endzone. Edmonston lead East in carries with 260.

Senior Sam Huffman celebrates after scoring a touchdown. “It defintiley is a memory that I will never forget. being able to win the first state title in our school history in front of friends, family and the community is a special thing to do,” Senior Sam Huffman said. It was a great feeling feeling being able to accomplish our goal after falling short last season.

above

Senior Charlie White jumps over a Hutchinson player in an attempt to make a tackle. “I’m just trying to take the best angle possible and limit him to the fewest yards,”Senior Charlie White said. “First, I read the guards and they tell me if it’s a run or pass play. From there, I look to see where the ball is. I’m trying to catch him before he gets into the end zone.”

5|STATE

With five minutes left in the game

, defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Chip Ufford glanced up at the clock. Senior Charley White just scored his second touchdown of the game. The score was now 33-14 and Ufford knew. He knew it would be nearly impossible for Hutchison to come back. He knew the Lancers had just won their first football state championship in school history. He knew he would remember this moment forever. And he started to tear up. Ufford looks down the sideline and sees his players crying too. He hugs each of them. Ufford had worked closely with defensive players like seniors Jack Anderson and Sam Pottenger, junior Ryder Terry and sophomore Eli McDonald all season. Ufford isn’t just proud of specific players, but also the way the defense worked together as a whole. He was especially proud of his defense during Hutchison’s first offensive series of the state game, when the Lancers scored after a turnover. “Whenever you see the entire defense stuff the ball carrier drive him backwards and everybody’s rallying around the ball and the crowd goes wild,” Ufford said, “That’s pretty cool. That’s a fun time.” Since the end of the 2014 season, Ufford has already begun preparing for next season. He’s been busy with end-ofthe-year banquets and award ceremonies, but he’s also been working towards his goal of another successful season in the future. Ufford and the other coaches have been gathering input on this season, in order to prepare for next year. This season, the coaches believe, will always be the foundation and building block for future East football seasons, no matter how much they are focused on the future. “[Winning state] was absolutely awesome,” Ufford said. “One of the best feelings I’ve ever had as a coach. Definitely unforgettable.”

the the

photo illustration by James Wooldridge

the

WISDOM

by Caroline Kohring

“ONE OF THE BEST FEELINGS I’VE EVER HAD AS A COACH’’ photo by Joseph Cline

Motion

by Chloe Standford

“It was the best finishing moment I could ask for” Waving hooplas

(silver, glittery rings the dancers use in performances) and flags glimmered in the cold 7 a.m. air on the Saturday morning of the state football game. The Lancer Dancers were full of spirit, bright and early, sending the boys off. After the boys hit the road, the Lancer Dancers climbed onto their bus, dancing and singing the whole way down to the game. Senior captain Audrey Phillips and the other dancers had pumped themselves up from the start of the day. On the Friday night before the game, the varsity Lancer

Dancers danced while the drumline performed in Prairie Village, rallying for the community. This got the drill team and fans ready for the big day. Phillips was a little nervous going into the game, but excited. It was the last performance of the season and the last football game ever for Phillips and the rest of the senior dancers. “I didn’t get to perform last year at state due to my broken foot,” Phillips said. “So this year was amazing for me. Looking back at all of the performances we had this year and all of the hard work we put into everything made the state game

so rewarding.” At this game in particular, the Lancer Dancers performed in a formation outside of the normal routine. Phillips said it was nerve racking, but the team pulled through. Phillips, being superstitious, refused to believe that East would win even when there was five minutes left in the game, she refused to say out loud that East would win state. “Once the clock ran down and students came to the field,” Phillips said. “It became real. Waiting on the track for the final moments of the game and then storming the field with all of the other students was a moment I will never forget.” Phillips said that she is beyond lucky to have been a part of this memory, especially because it is her last year in high school. “It really was the best finishing moment I could ask for,” Phillips said. “It made me appreciate all of the games I was able to dance at throughout high school. I have so much respect for Coach Delaney and all of the football boys.” The championship game made Phillips even happier to be not only a dancer, but a student at East. She feels as if this win was dedicated to the whole East community. “I think what the team did this year was something that made everyone that is a part of the East family feel overwhelmingly happy and proud to be supporting East,” Phillips said. “I can’t thank the football team enough for all of the dedication they put into this year, making it something we can all be a part of as students, players, fans, and as a family.”

STATE|6 photo illustration by Katie Lamar

It’s an unspoken title

— twin juniors Katie and Linsey Filger’s family is a football family. Their dad played. Their uncle coaches high school in Florida. Their brother is on the offensive line at East. For the Filgers, Saturdays and Sundays are an endless repetition of flipping between football games on channels 206 and 219. Dinnertime discussions are punctuated with arguments over referee calls and debates about NCAA rankings. And even though they can’t play, football is still a lifestyle for the twins. “Football isn’t just a game,” Linsey said. “It’s what our family kind of revolves around for most of the year.” So when Linsey and Katie came to East, it seemed natural that East football would become a part of their daily lives. This season was their first as official team managers together, and it’s not one that they’ll easily forget. In technical terms, Linsey and Katie are water girls. But they feel like they’re something more — an integral part to a team that broke every record on the books for East football. “We just don’t like to call ourselves [water girls], because we do so much more,” Katie said. “We’re kind of part of the team. It’s a big family and we feel like we’re contributing to every practice and every win.” Each day during the season, Linsey and Katie spent three hours after school filling water bottles, adjusting helmets and assisting the trainer on the field. They worked with a group of five to six other girls, who kept an eye on players and tried to keep them safe and upbeat throughout practice. “There’s some of the guys who, they’d look at you one day and you would just know not to talk to them, not to mess with them,” Linsey said. “But most of the time the guys would be

“FOOTBALL ISN’T JUST A GAME. IT’S WHAT OUR FAMILY REVOLVES AROUND” laughing and talk to us throughout practice, so it was nice because we had that connection with the team.” Even after the first game of the season, both girls noticed that there was already a focus on the state championship. After every game, they laughed as their brother Michael paced around the kitchen, grinning as he explained how ready the team was for state. There was an air of anticipation, of hope. Katie and Linsey didn’t want to discourage Michael, but they tried to keep him level-headed. Yet as the season stretched on, it was harder to stay humble. It was hard to avoid talk of state in the Filger house, and the three siblings spend more and more time on the field together.

the

Bench

by Courtney McClelland

photo by Jenn oung

Students, parents and teachers

could probably give you a favorite memory from the football season this year. For some students, it’s storming onto the field after beating Olathe North in substate, and for others it’s the dance-filled bus ride to Emporia. However those that will carry the memories with them for a lifetime are the players. Seniors Jackson Lovelace and Taylor McDougall didn’t score any game winning touchdowns, but they still loved going to Thursday night meetings and getting pumped up in

“We’re the First Class in 57 years to actually have the trophy” the locker room. Lovelace can’t help but smile and talk a little faster every time his senior night football game comes up. It was halftime against Harmon, and Lovelace was walking off the field after just being recognized with his parents after four years on the football team. He hadn’t been put in the game yet, but that didn’t matter. Lovelace was just happy to be a part of the team. However, that was about to change. Sitting in the locker room during halftime coach Dustin Delaney looked at Lovelace and said “you want to score?”. Not believing the words, Lovelace spitted out a quick yes.

the

BackStage by Julia Poe

And as the winning streak continued, the managers weren’t surprised. When the boys entered the playoffs undefeated, beat Olathe North in double overtime and dominated the state game — the managers weren’t surprised. “We saw them sweating through their jerseys and hitting each other full on,” Katie said. “We saw all the hours, all the stuff that isn’t glamorous and under the Friday night lights. So yeah, we weren’t surprised. They had already earned that state trophy. All they had to do was go take it.”

“Then start warming up, 54” Delaney replied. The moment had come, Lovelace thought, he was going to score a touchdown in a varsity football game on senior night. Lovelace entered the game during the third quarter and East was up 63 - 0. Lovelace received the hand off from senior Gunnar Englund, ran two yards down the field, until he made it into the endzone. “It was like no tomorrow,” Lovelace said, “Everyone was really excited when I came off the field and Delaney gave me a big congratulations”. Even though senior Taylor McDougall didn’t score a touchdown at state, he wasn’t any less excited to hold the state trophy, knowing he had a part in earning it. “Having the trophy in our hands and knowing that we’re the first class in 57 years to actually have the trophy,” McDougall said. “That is pretty special”. According to McDougall, Delaney promised the team a state trophy when he arrived two years ago. “The first thing he said to us as a head coach was that we were going to win state,” McDougall said. “And we all thought he was crazy first, but then we realized that we actually had a chance.” However, Delaney followed through with his promise, and McDougall couldn’t be happier. Every member of the football team is proud to receive and hold the state trophy, whether they are making a first down, or watching from the sidelines. All have enjoyed this record breaking football season.

7|STATE

As the seconds on the clock dwindled

photo by Joseph Cline

, a blur of emotions were flying through senior Mackenzie Sweat’s brain. It didn’t feel real. There wasn’t shock, because she knew they would win, but there was excitement. There was happiness along with tears. As the students started filing down towards the field, the reality hit. A huge smile came across Sweat’s face that stuck long past the game’s end. Witnessing the last football game of her cheerleading career as varsity captain, and East’s first ever state championship, was a moment she will never forget. The varsity cheerleaders worked hard behind the scenes the whole football season to make sure the winning moment was better than anyone thought possible. Cheerleaders got the crowd pumped at pep rallies and cheered down the halls in the mornings. The cheerleaders brought the football boys treats before every game, because they wanted to do everything they could to support them. “We knew the team this year was amazing,” Sweat said. “So we did what we could to motivate and encourage them.” Going into the game, Sweat felt the pressure to make sure everything the squad performed was perfect. “I always want our squad to look good,” said Sweat. “I knew that this game especially was crucial and we had to be on our A-game. I wanted the boys to feel like they had our support and I wanted them to hear us yelling like crazy.” Sweat felt an unbelievable amount of excitement. The seniors out on the field were the people she had been going to school with for four years, and their success made her

the

“It’s ALways Good To End on such a Positive Note”

PEP

by Chloe Stanford

proud. “I was so lucky to be able to cheer at the game last year,” said Sweat, “but this year I was more into the game. Cheering the boys on to be successful made me feel so good.” Being lucky enough to become a part of East history is something that is unforgettable for Sweat. “It feels great knowing that people will forever talk about this and I will be able to say I was there,” said Sweat. “It’s always good to end on such a positive note, on something that will always be remembered.”

By The Numbers

A look back at the preformance of the undefeated East football team

RUSHING

PUNTS

RECEPTIONS

637 4546 7.14

TOTAL RUSHES

Sweat has so much respect for the cheerleaders, the football boys and most importantly our school. She hopes that the players appreciate what the cheerleaders did for them, because the squad loved helping and supporting. She hopes their chants and screams helped them keep going and pushing on.

YARDS

AVERAGE YARDS PER CARRY

KICKOFFS

TOUCHBACKS

TOUCHDOWNS

FIELDGOAL

33.5

AVERAGE YARDS PER PUNT

Kicking

FUMBLES

Passing

47/98

COMPLETIONS

47.96% RATE OF COMPLETION

1249 YARDS

26.57

AVERAGE YARDS PER RECPTION

TOUCHDOWNS

Receiving

32 photoessay

BEST BEST

of the

Seniors hold the substate plaque at the end of the game as students rush the field. “It was just so unbelievable,” senior Sam Williams said. “[It was] one of the greatest moments of my life.”

Senior Jackson Gossick runs the ball against SM South. “It’s always great to stick it to [South],” Gossick said. “I think the hatred of losing helped us in our ability to go undefeated this season.”

photo by Joseph Cline

A look back at our favorite photos and memories from the undefeated Lancer football season

Senior Sam Pottenger is congratulated by his teammates after a good play against Lawrence High School. “It was one of my best games of the year,” Pottenger said. “Since all the players were really close this year we would always be really fired up when someone made a good play.” photo by Hailey Hughes

Senior Will Amrein was on offensive line when the South fan streaked field, soon being tackled by associate principal Jeremy Higgins. “At first I didn’t notice him because we were facing the other way,” Amrein said. “But then Higgins proceeded to tackle him and it was frickin’ awesome. Higgins is the man.” photo by Hailey Hughes

Junior Calvin Jones celebrates after a play against Lawrence Freestate. “Beating them was definitely one of the more satisfying regular season wins,” Jones said. “They’re very good and have beaten us the last couple of years. It was an amazing feeling to be apart of the team victory.” photo by Joseph Cline