Issue 2

theharbinger » » » NEWS:

Superintendent retires

» PAGE 4

Spread: Students with alternative dance plans

» PAGE 14-15

ISSUE TWO sept. 17, 2007 shawnee mission east prairie village, ks

A&E: Kanye West vs. 50 Cent showdown

» PAGE 18

Benny Goodmen “Life Goes to a Party”

Club members have grabbed their dancing shoes and turned up the big band music. This club is finally

in full

» adriennewood

BY

Seven swing dancing couples—boys matching with black fedoras, ties and pants, and girls with black skirts—form a line on the basketball court at the first pep assembly of the year and glance at each other as they wait for the music.

They think back to last year’s pep assembly, their first school performance.

Pep Club execs had disrupted their routine with a t-shirt giveaway that turned the

orderly audience into a swarm that filled the court a n d surrounded the swingers.

The dancers ignored the distractions and danced on.

“The music was still playing so I kept dancing,” senior Alyssa Schwarzenberger said.

The Swing Club, born last winter from a group of friends who danced on the weekends for fun, has snowballed into a sponsored club

SWING

with dozens of dancers including five members of the professional dance group the Swingsters.

Despite last year’s interruption, the Swing Club members are about to perform again for a school of peppy but hard-toplease onlookers. Schwarzenberger thinks

about the two short weeks of practice before the performance.

“Our rehearsals had been a little shaky,” she said. “We didn’t have the routine down until two days before [the assembly].”

Senior Michael Lebovitz, one of the founders of the club, says a few last words to the excited dancers.

“There’s not much more you can say to get them more pumped than they are,” Lebovitz said.

» story continued on page 11

NEWS

2

After illegally turning left into the front drive, parents are finding themselves...

news BRIEFS

Lancer Day Come see Lancers dressed as Santa, Columbus and a pumpkin on Lancer Day, with the theme, “Holidays.” Lancer Day is Sept.

27. The parade starts at 2 p.m. The pep rally is 2:30 in the Village Shopping Center.

BY

Homecoming

halliemccormick

Each morning Mission Road’s right lane is lined with cars at a standstill—the traffic jam is from East’s circle dropoff to the 75th Street stoplight. Parents dropping their kids off at East’s mission circle drive hold up the traffic by illegally stopping on Mission Road and turning left into the circle drive.

After the first week of school, police officers have given tickets to parents violating these rules, causing disputes of whether a $45 ticket is fair if a parent feels they were uninformed of a violation.

For as long as SRO officer John Betzer remembers, these left turns have been legal. But a couple of years ago, for reasons unknown, the city changed the law to make turning left into the circle drive illegal.

“Consequently, the situation ultimately grew into the quagmire we now have,” Betzer said. “Traffic congestion and parents putting their children in danger by dropping them off in the middle of Mission Rd.” Freshmen David Owens and Emily Morrison are dropped off on Mission Road each morning; although their parents haven’t been ticketed, they still believe it’s unfair for parents to be given a ticket “just for dropping their kids off at school.”

However, Betzer believes the left turns should continue to be prohibited for two “obvious reasons.”

First, the road in front of East is marked with

double yellow lines, meaning that crossing that lane is prohibited.

“If left turns were permitted, turn arrows would be present, as is the case just south of 75th St.,” Betzer said.

The second reason is that people heading south on Mission Road during rush hour are stopped by people turning left into East’s circle drive.

“Doing so usually obstructs south bound traffic, which is also unlawful, and inconsiderate.”

The school district is not attempting to take any further action to change the left turn situation. East has alerted the community of the traffic situation through a newsletter, but according to Betzer the school lacks the “sufficient motivation” to change the law.

“It’s really the responsibility of parents and others driving to SME to fix the problem by obeying the rules of the road,” Betzer said. “They need to decide on alternative routes to efficiently drop off kids.”

THE PROBLEM WITH AN

The Homecoming dance is Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and $15 at the door. The theme is “Jamaica-n Me Crazy!”

Parent-Principal Coffee The parent-principal coffee is Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the library.

Parents will have an opportunity to meet Dr. Swift and East counselors.

Class Elections Results Freshman Officers President: Zach Colby Secretary: Katy Westhoff Vice President: Micah Melia Treasurer: Emi Snively Freshman Reps.

Sophomore Reps.

Betsy Blessen Sarah Are Robert Enders Ben Jensen Scott Watson Amanda Privitera Maegan Dexter Harper Coulson Olivia Harlan Scott Kennedy Junior Reps.

Senior Reps.

Jack Booton Paige Brulatour Tommy Gray Kathryne Munsch Carly Haflich Scott Wilman Libby Jandl Jack Krieger Emily Mullett Sam Watson

Elementary Orchestra Award Jennifer Mitchell, the elementary school string teacher for the East area, was selected as the Outstanding Elementary level String/Orchestra of the Year by the Northeast District Kansas Music Educators Association.

Traffic Violation 1. Parents dropping off students have been getting tickets for illegally turning left on Mission Road and for stopping on on the street.

Theater Auditions Auditions for “Everyman” are today, tomorrow and Wednesday at 3 p.m. Everyman will be performed Nov. 8, 9 and 10.

2. Cars were also ticketed for dropping students off on Mission Road as opposed to waiting to turn into the circle.

Garage Sale

4. There are two signs prohibiting stopping on Mission Road when the circle is full.

5.If the front circle is too congested, dropoff alternatives are the spirit circle, library entrance or arrive when there is not as much traffic.

The SHARE garage sale is Oct. 6. Drop off dates are Sept. 22 and 29, from 9 a.m. to 12. p.m. All items should be dropped off in the Spirit Circle.

4 4

3. The road in front of East is marked with double yellow lines, prohibiting turns.

1

5

3

National Merit Semifinalists

2

» patrickmayfield

17

sept.

2007

The National Merit Semifinalists are Emma Austenfeld, Thomas Braslavsky, Benjamin Edmonds, Jordan Hahn, Eric Hamilton , Emily Hartman, Patrick Kennedy, Kristen Koch, Jack Krieger, Andrew Lee, Sarah McCandless, David Moskowitz, Elizabeth Nachman, Laura Nelson, Kathleen O’Neill, Carlea Putnam, Nandini Sarma, Brooke Stanley , Kelly Tankard and Adrienne Wood.

Frisbee

Freak ut

Two seniors organize school’s first Ultimate Frisbee charity tournament BY

» nickratliff

In 1969, a student in Maplewood, New Jersey, introduced the game of Ultimate Frisbee to the student council at his school. And now, almost 30 years later, the game has over 100,000 players in 40 countries.

And now Ultimate Frisbee’s grasp has reached East.

Seniors Jack Krieger and Drew Tisdale organized an Ultimate Frisbee tournament for charity that was scheduled yesterday at Franklin Park.

The sport hasn’t quite caught on with high school kids, Krieger said, but is more popular with college kids.

Krieger started playing last summer, when his friend, Tisdale, showed him the game.

“It’s definitely a passion of mine,” Tisdale said. “I’m gonna try and play it as long as I can.”

One day after an intense game, Krieger and Tisdale decided that they should organize a tournament at school.

But they didn’t just want to do it for fun.

They wanted it to stand for something.

“We thought that the tournament should have a purpose,” Krieger said.

“So we researched some charities and found one that we liked.”

The boys found a charity called Heifer International, which has over 800 different projects in 50 different countries.

The charity’s main objective is to send animals to different developing

Above: Senior Jack Krieger watches a frisbee into his hands while playing with a group of seniors at Franklin Park last Friday. » sallydrape

countries so the people of that country can use the animals in multiple ways, like getting the milk, using the fur or using the animal for food.

“What you do with Heifer is, when you raise enough money, you go on their website and pick the animal you want to send to a country,” Krieger said. “You send them the money and they send your animal or animals to a country that needs them.”

So after they had the charity situation worked out, Krieger and Tisdale had to get the specifics of the tournament decided.

“The entry fee [was] $25 per team,” Krieger said. “Also, the tournament [was] seven on seven, but you could have up to 10 people on your team, for substitutions and stuff.”

Krieger and Tisdale aren’t the only people caught in the Ultimate craze, though.

KU senior Dan Brauch is a captain of the Lawrence club team, the HorrorZontals, who formed in 1979, making them one of the oldest teams in the country. Brauch, in his fourth year playing with the “’Zontals,” was a captain for the “A” team, the equivalent of the varsity, last season as well.

The ‘Zontals, who formed in 1979, are one of the oldest teams in the country.

“The ‘Zontals ‘A’ team has gone to nationals the past two years,” Brauch said. “That’s pretty big, since only the top 16 teams in the country go, out of 350 plus teams.”

With more and more college club teams popping up across the country, many college students are using ultimate as a pastime and a way to stay in shape.

“I’m hoping to play [ultimate] in college,” Krieger said.

“I mean, I’m not planning around it, but I’m pretty sure that the schools I’m applying to all have teams.”

Krieger and Tisdale don’t have any future tournament plans, but frequently have pick-up games in Franklin Park.

NEWS

3

The history of

ULTIMATE FRISBEE 1968- Columbia High School student Joel Silver creates a new sport as a gag and an activity for his high school nights known as frisbee football.

1972- Rutgers University beats Princeton University in the first ever intercollegiate ultimate frisbee game.

1983- The first World Ultimate Championships are held in Gothenburg, Sweden. Rude Boys, USA, won the men’s open and Melting Pot, USA, won the women’s open. Sweden won the Juniors Ultimate Tournament.

1991- The second WFDF World Club Ultimate Championships are held in Toronto, Canada.

1995- In August the European Ultimate Championships are held in Fontenay-le-Comte, France. Spain is participating for the first time, but Sweden wins all divisions.

Sept. 16, 2007- Jack Krieger and Andrew Tidsdale hold the first Shawnee Mission East Ultimate Frisbee tournament.

Soruce: www.wfdf.org

Right: Senior Andrew Tidsdale extends to catch a disc in the endzone at Franklin Park. » sallydrape

FunFrisbeeFacts • Before the invention of the plastic flying disc, or Frisbee, people threw around metal pie tins from the Frisbie Baking Company of Newport, Conneticut. That’s how the modern-day Frisbee was given its name. These metal pie tins were fun to toss around but people would often cut their hands on the edge of the metal tins.

• The first plastic flying disc, later to be called the Frisbee, was invented in California in 1948.

• Since the invention of the Frisbee, more than 200 million have been sold worldwide. It’s estimated that more Frisbees are sold each year than footballs, basketballs and baseballs combined.

Source: www.kidzworld.com

issue

2

NEWS

4

New businesses to open

in Village Shopping Center

What is

CACTUSGRILL In 1985, Ed Geiselman opened Jose Pepper’s to meet the demand of a family style Mexican restaurant. Jose Pepper’s thrived and now has five locations in the KC area.

Four years later, Gieselman decided to produce a more upscale, but still reasonably priced restaurant with some of his favorite Jose Pepper’s recipes. And Cactus Grill was born.

According to Cactus Grill manager Matt Hench, the upscale environment comes with a more traditional red sauce than Jose Pepper’s and healthier food options. Hench believes these things set Cactus Grill apart.

“We’re really a traditional Mexican restaurant with great service and food,” Hench said. “I think Cactus Grill will do great [here].”

Through the Years

BY

» bernadettemyers

CACTUS

Since its opening 55 years ago, the corner lot in of the village has been leased to a variety of restaurants Steak & Goat Cheese Towers... $7.29 and stores including Char-grilled slices of beef tenderloin and Applebee’s, which closed goat cheese rolled in a large flour tortilla four months ago. grilled and served tower style with chipotle Under construction aioli and fesh pico salad. right now, Cactus Grill Shrimp Tacos... $9.99 will be opening in October Shrimp sauteed with bell peppers, onions where Applebee’s used to and roma tomatoes in two flour tortillas, be. According to Gale Terry, topped with melted cheese.

Barbecued Chicken Quesadilla... $6.99 director of marketing at Grilled chicken with the house BBQ sauce, Highwoods Realty, Cactus served with sour cream, guacamole and pico Grill will be a success. de gallo.

“It was a good Chicken Tortilla Salad...$7.99 combination of timing, Julliene strips of chicken breast tossed with crisp what the market needs tortilla strips, fresh salad greens and honey-lime and a local feel to the vinigrette, drizzled with ancho-honey mustard restaurant,” Terry said. “It’s dressing. a family friendly restaurant Cactus Burger... $6.99 with family friendly Choice ground beef grilled to orderwith prices.” lettuce, tomato and onion. Served with Cactus Grill, with seasoned fries and dill pickle spear. another location near town center plaza, is a Mexican restaurant affiliated with Jose Pepper’s and sports many of the same menu items, including the specialities of creamy steak enchiladas and wahoo fish tacos.

Matt Hench, manager of Cactus Grill recommends, the Monteray chicken burrito and also their unique ultra thin chips. According to Hench, the food at Cactus Grill is a lot healthier than most Mexican restaurants.

“We boil our rice instead of frying and we don’t use any lard, just vegetable shortening,” Hench said.

He believes that the healthy food plus the reasonable prices will set

The

Cuisine

Cactus Grill expands to local area

GRILL

Cactus Grill apart. It is also a local restaurant and Donna Potts of the Prairie Village Merchants Association believes Cactus Grill will thrive because it isn’t a chain restaurant.

“Prairie Village just isn’t a chain neighborhood,” Potts said. “We like to support our local businesses.”

A local business that will be competing with Cactus Grill is Salty Iguana, another family style Mexican restaurant located in Corinth. As a manager of Corinth as well, Potts doesn’t see this as being a problem.

“I think they have different things to offer,” Potts said. “Plus Salty Iguana always has a wait so there are plenty of customers.”

The Highwoods Realty company manages both the Prairie Village Shopping Center and Corinth Shopping Center and Terry also believes there is plenty of business to go around.

“We would never put something in that we thought would jeopardize another one of our tenants,” Terry said.

Cactus Grill is not the only addition to Prairie Village Shopping Center. Along with redecorated storefronts and repainted signs, Prairie Village will become a completely full shopping center.

Jake’s in the Village, a clothing store sporting Life is Good products, opened on Sept. 3. The store specializes in fitness clothing for all ages.

Also a women’s dress store called Haught Style will be opening next to Euston Hardware in mid-October.

Potts is excited for these openings along with the opening of Cactus Grill and she has heard postive feedback about the changes.

“Everyone’s thrilled to have the shopping center full,” Potts said.

“Cactus Grill should make a great addition to our neighborhood.”

Senior David Isenberg, a former employee of Applebee’s in Prairie Village Shopping Center was thrilled when it closed.

“Applebee’s scarred me for life,” Isenberg said. “They payed me horribly and they weren’t very nice.”

Isenberg is indifferent to the fact the Cactus Grill will be opening, but he does know one thing.

“I’m never going back into the restaurant business,” Isenberg said.

Isenberg will not be applying to work at Cactus Grill.

“It doesn’t really affect me that much,” Isenberg said. “But I’m sure other people will enjoy it.”

Over 50 years, PV Shopping Center has leased the corner lot to these businesses:

60

‘ s

Pete Potter’s Department Store

70

‘ s

Adler’s Women’s Clothing

80

‘ s

Kalico’s

90

‘ s

Children’s clothing

Flicks and Discs/ Movie Gallery Movie rentals

00

‘ s

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill

Superintendent Kaplan announces retirement BY

17

sept.

2007

» lauranelson

Marjorie Kaplan, who principal Susan Swift said has helped Shawnee Mission build its reputation for academic excellence, will retire on July 1 after 16 years as district superintendent.

Kaplan, 67, announced her retirement on Sept. 10.

“I’ve had an amazingly positive experience as the Shawnee Mission superintendent,” Kaplan said. “It’s a great school district, with a wonderful staff, students, board and community.”

A replacement superintendent will not be selected until mid-March, but the Board of Education has begun hunting for a search consultant to help with the application process, Kaplan said.

Although Kaplan signed a new three-year contract only two years ago, she chose to break the contract and retire now because “it was the right time.”

The Board of Education works with the superintendent to create five-year plans for the district, Kaplan said, and she’s already developed three. The 2008-2009 school year marks the beginning of a new five-year plan, and the Board will name the superintendent just in time to help with the plan’s creation.

The Board and the search consultant will speak

with contacts in other cities and place ads in national publications, Kaplan said, ensuring a national applicant pool.

Swift said there’s a good chance that the new superintendent will not be from the metro area. Kaplan herself came to Shawnee Mission after eight years in the Paradise Valley school district in northeast Phoenix.

Swift credits Kaplan with building the both academic caliber and physical quality of the district. During 16 years, the district has drastically renovated 16 schools and built or is building 14 more, Kaplan said. Additionally, there have been improvements on every school building.

Despite the district battling falling enrollment — from 1992 to 2006, enrollment fell from 31,599 to 28,531 students, according to the Kansas Department of Education — five elections have also helped by providing additional funding.

Besides physical construction, Kaplan said she has worked to build the district’s academic reputation and quality. She introduced a phonics-based reading program to elementary schools and helped develop a systematic textbook rotation system to ensure that books stay current.

Kaplan also increased the role of the Shawnee Mission signature programs, including the Broadmoor culinary program, the Center for International Studies and Project Lead the Way at South, International Baccalaureate at East and the biomedical program at North.

“Dr. Kaplan’s emphasis on education and concern for excellence has made the district incredibly strong,” Swift said. “She believes in recognizing achievers and helping everyone else get to that [more advanced] level.”

Kaplan is most proud of her work with the English Language Learners programs. Although Hispanics make up a large part of the ELLs, more than 75 languages are represented. Kaplan focused more on teaching English to non-native speakers and reducing class sizes to help students learn English.

Kaplan knows it’s the job of the new superintendent to plan out the next five years, but her future plans are less certain. She has two married children and five grandchildren in Phoenix, so moving to Arizona is a possibility.

“At this point, I’m not sure what I’ll do,” Kaplan said.

“But whatever I do, I want to keep my mind active, and I want it to be meaningful work.”

a 9 VOTE

»renli

0

the

for

against

1

absent

The majority opinion of the Harbinger Editorial Board East students have an addiction: internet browsing. Sites such as YouTube, Facebook and iTunes are guilty pleasures to many high school students. However, the web filtration keeps them from accessing these sites at school.

Many students complain that our district’s web censoring isn’t reasonable because it blocks resourceful sites, such as aclu.org and feministing.org, which are civil liberties and feminists Web sites. This takes the focus off the real motive of their argument: the time-wasting Web sites.

Even though web filtration is frustrating at times, it is truly a minor inconvenience. Although students have the ability to request that sites be unblocked, the majority of the Web sites they want the

freedom to access have no educational benefits.

Face it . There’s no reason for the district to allow students access to Web sites such as You Tube, iTunes and Facebook.

These are purely time wasters. It is a shame that it may be difficult to use videos in class presentations or blogs for research at school - but this can be remedied.

Many students do not realize that with the aid of a teacher they can easily unblock a Web site. As long as they can provide legitimate reasons why the site is educational, the Web site will be unblocked.

Students doing research at school for classes like debate and forensics have complained about being locked out of Web sites such as whitehouse.gov, the national D e m o cratic and

theharbinger a publication of shawnee mission east high school 7500 mission road, prarie village, kansas 66208 sept. 17, 2007 issue 2, volume 49

The Harbinger is a student run publication. The contents and views are produced solely by the staff and do not represent the Shawnee Mission East or SMSD faculty, or administration.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF »lauranelson

PHOTO EDITOR »karenboomer

ASSISTANT EDITORS »bernadettemyers »stephennichols

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR »sallydrape

ART AND DESIGN EDITOR »libbynachman HEAD COPY EDITOR »adriennewood ONLINE EDITOR »halliemccormick

NEWS SECTION EDITOR »paigecornwell NEWS PAGE EDITOR »mikecray OP/ED SECTION EDITOR »natalieeisenach

OPINION PAGE EDITOR »gagebrummer »michaelstolle FEATURES SECTION EDITOR »megshackelford FEATURES PAGE EDITORS »melissamckittrick »jeffrutherford SPREAD EDITOR »devino’bryan ASSISTANT SPREAD EDITOR »alexanderson MIXED EDITOR »rachelmayfield

Republican party sites and Islamic Web sites. There may have been a day when these sites were blocked because they contained blogs or something to that extent.

However, these sites are now unblocked and available for browsing.

According to Rich Cavallaro, manager of Shawnee Mission Schools information services, the district uses a caching engine, SmartFilter, that sorts and filters through web material. 30 categories that are blocked. Religious and political sites are not included on this list, contrary to many rumors students have made.

The list includes categories such as chat, dating/social, gruesome content, malicious sites, nudity and personal pages.

If a teacher feels that a site is appropriate for educational purposes, but it falls under one of these categories, they can submit a request to have it unblocked. Within 24 hours the request is evaluated by a curricular member and is either unblocked or left alone.

This sounds reasonable; if a student needs to use a site for a project, they can have their teacher submit a request. During the time they are waiting for a reply from the district they can work on something else or browse different Web sites for information. If the 24 hour wait (which is a maximum; it could be less than an hour) is too much for them to handle, then they could just wait till they get home to finish that part of their research. After all, most research is homework and doesn’t necessarily need to be completed at school.

SmartFilter also makes browsing the web faster. The filtering device replicates frequently viewed sites in its catching device. When a URL is requested, the computers access it directly from the catching device, rather than searching through the other browsers as it normally would. This speeds up the process and protects the viewed material.

Many students have taken matters into their own hands and have tried to bypass the filters with search engines like V-tunnel. To their dismay, most of these have been blocked as well. SmartFilter now blocks Web sites falling under the “anonymizers” category. This includes all URLs that enable browsing through an interme-

A&E SECTION EDITOR »ruthstark A&E PAGE EDITORS »rachelbirkenmeier »taylortwibell

»EDITOR

letter to the

To Whom it May Concern, My name is Eric Hamilton. I am writing in response to the article entitled “Coked Out” by Bernadette Myers from Issue one.

While I have mixed feelings regarding the expulsion of caffeinated drinks from our school, I am actually writing about a product so seemingly benign that few question its presence—bottled water.

Bottled water has both economic and environmental costs. In fact, at 50 cents a half liter, it costs more than gasoline does—$3.75 a gallon.

And the oil it takes to make and ship bottled water is incomprehensible.

While tap water uses water pressure, heavy bottled water is shipped on diesel trucks that contribute to the current environmental crisis.

I understand that the convenience of bottled water is hard to give up. Why take the time to walk to a fountain when you can just pay 50 cents right away? And if the bill is footed by your parents, then why would the average teenager care?

I urge you to look beyond the convenience and look at the facts.

Tap water is free, energy efficient and just as pure as bottled water. So grab a reusable bottle and fill up at the fountain. It will have a bigger impact that you know.

Sincerely, Eric Hamilton

diary and thus bypassing the blocks.

If students have the power to ask their teachers to submit unblock requests, then why do they feel the need to use these search engines? Because they know the material they are looking for has no chance of being unblocked. So what are we still griping about?

ADS MANAGER »melissamckittrick CIRCULATION MANAGER »katiefreyder

FREELANCE PAGE EDITORS »jordandietrich »mackenziewylie

COPY EDITORS »paigecornwell »samkovzan »bernadettemyers »libbynachman »lauranelson »stephennichols »sylviashank »timshedor »ruthstark »adriennewood

ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITOR »elizabethmcgranahan

STAFF ARTISTS »alexanderson »renli

SPORTS SECTION EDITOR »clarkgoble SPORTS PAGE EDITORS »samlogan »sarahluby

EDITORIAL

Caught in a web of filtration

5

STAFF WRITERS »mikehake »landonmcdonald »nickratliff »timshedor PHOTOGRAPHERS »rachelenglish »marygalvin »annaleek »patrickmayfield »taylerphillips »tylerroste »norasalle »mackenziewylie ADVISOR »dowtate Letters to the editor should be sent to room 521 or smeharbinger@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel and mechanics and accepted or rejected at the editor’s discretion.

issue

2

OPINION

6

U.S. Senator gets anopinionof

FLUSHED

Deep in the middle of Africa, a Native Indian tribe known as the Snacirema have a valu» gagebrummer able culture that is self-destructing. Once referred to as the most civilized tribe in the area, they are now getting so power-hungry they are destroying themselves.

The tribe is dictated by two different groups of leaders, each with different levels of power and according responsibilities.

Their power is dictated by the number of cattle they have, and lately they have been getting violent towards

one another and stealing their cattle.

They steal each other’s cattle, knowing full well that once that tribe member has no more cattle, they will be all but dead to the community. I bet you didn’t know about the Snacirema, did you?

Or did their story sound frighteningly similar to something you know of?

If you spell Snacirema backwards, you get Americans. Our political system is also divided by two groups of leaders, the Republicans and the Democrats. Sure, all of that is obviously similar.

We don’t attack each other’s livelihoods though do we? Our sophisticated system would never allow of that. Right?

Wrong. One need look no further than the current state of affairs of the Republican Idaho Sen. Larry Craig incident.

He was arrested on June 11 of this year for lewd acts of trying to obtain sex from an undercover police officer in an airport bathroom. He was arrested and has signed a guilty plea.

TED UNI

HYPOCRISY

STATES OF

The Republican party feels as though he is unsuitable to represent their party anymore on the grounds that he failed to tell them about the arrest and lied about his sexuality.

They did not, however, seem to care when Louisiana Sen. David Vitter was known to be buying prostitutes in Washington, DC on multiple occasions. I would say that Larry Craig’s crime was far less severe than buying a sexual experience.

Yet the Republican party never questioned whether they should let David Vitter go, because he is in a state where the governor is a Democrat. In fact, the Senate applauded Vitter as he came back into the Senate after he was reviewed for his actions. Since the governor decides who the replacement senator will be, they couldn’t risk Vitter being replaced by a Democratic senator.

Guess what party Larry Craig’s governor is from?

The Republicans aren’t the only ones to blame here though. The “liberal” Democrats who are accepting of gays have said nothing to protect Larry Craig or try to prove that his sexual orientation should not dictate his political effectiveness. They too are fighting to see this man lose his job, and his livelihood, because he tried to pick someone up in one of the only places where gays can safely do so: the bath-

Scandal reveals Republican Party’s double standard room.

Recently, Sen. Craig repealed his guilty plea. This was, in a way, a bad and good decision on his part. It was bad in the sense that he feels that he has to go against his word to remain in his selfish party and good in the sense that he is fighting the Republican party and telling them that he won’t go down easily.

Each party would rather have the possibility of gaining power than standing up for what their parties’ beliefs are. Didn’t our founding fathers dislike the idea of the crown which represented power? Isn’t our political system supposed to be the premier government whose ideals are representative of the people?

I don’t think so anymore. I believe that Larry Craig, although he did commit a crime, is a victim of this power struggle. I believe that we, the United States citizens, are victims of this power struggle. And I believe that we can turn this around as long as politicians realize their mistakes.

I don’t think that will happen though.

The people in office now are too ignorant and childish to reverse their actions. There is hope as our generation takes over. I have a strong feeling that our generation will be able to fulfill the job that our “role models” have so terribly failed at.

Oddities of seniority A senior’s rush to come of age is mixed with feelings of remorse anopinionof

17

sept.

2007

My alarm beep-beepbeeped its way into my dream.

My eyes snapped open and I blearily stood up, got dressed and headed out the door for the first day of senior year. Already, things were different. I left my house at 7:16 a.m., a shock since I had never left after 6:50 a.m. a single day since freshman year. I casually parked my car in the senior lot with no worries of finding a parking spot. I » libbynachman waltzed into school around 7:21 a.m. and waltzed out for lunch at 11:50 a.m.

It was weird.

And four weeks later, it’s still weird.

Don’t get me wrong, really, because being a senior is really great. Really, really great … but it’s weird, too. Because I’ve realized that I only have 9 months left of high school and 11 more months of living at home. I only have 14 more issues of the Harbinger to work on. I only have one more high school swim season to look forward to. I have college applications piling up and the nagging, per-

sistent cloud of fear in the back of my mind about if I’ll even figure out which college to attend.

Now I feel like I hurried though my high school career, hurtling towards senior year, without taking the time to enjoy being a freshman or a sophomore or a junior. Maybe I didn’t take the time to stop and enjoy being an underclassman because it all became a blur of Peter Pan-esque refusing to grow up instead of focusing on the moment.

Then again, this is all coming from the person who insisted on being called a freshman the day before sophomore year started. I was playing a game of tag with some freshman/sophomore friends and some sophomore/junior friends on the playground at Trailwood Elementary.

They insisted they were upperclassmen, and I insisted right back that no, they weren’t, not until school started.

This is all coming from the person who couldn’t even get used to being called a sophomore until winter break of sophomore year. Who was startled to realize that junior year meant being an upperclassman.

I always dwelled in the past, though, never taking the time to stop and think about living in the moment.

Freshman year, for example, I stayed up really late.

Even later than I do now. My bedtime was consistently in the early hours, a few hours before the roosters crowed

and the sun peeked over the horizon. I might have been stressed over something, but looking back, I have no idea. Instead of flipping out, as I often did at that age, I should have enjoyed the stress that wasn’t compounded by college applications.

It might not even be the fact that I feel like I whizzed past freshman, sophomore and junior years, though, that makes senior year feel so weird.

Maybe it’s just weird to leave campus for lunch, parking in the senior lot or waking up late after seeing everyone in years before me do so. Or maybe it’s weird just be the oldest one – the one that everyone looks up to, or so I hope. But maybe it’s also the feeling of not having anyone older to turn to. There are no more “seniors” for me to look up to and respect and emulate. Now, it’s my turn.

I will always be someone’s “senior” and I hope that I can take a step back and enjoy that.

This year, I’ll live all that up. I’ll work to remember every deadline night, staying late at school until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. I’ll treasure every moment I go out to lunch so I don’t feel like it never happened at the end of the year.

This year, it’ll be different and I’ll take the time to treasure the weirdness.

Homecoming... » renli

irls

0g

1 en Wh

re we

ed ask

w ho

3

eb av

h ey

th

ee

7

2 1 was asked by a text message 3 were asked by something involving a T-shirt

ec om

in g.

..

» lancervoice

NAME

Joe Townsend 12 Mitch Jennings 11 Bryan Barrow 10 Lydia Shackelford

9

in Ottawa, Kansas that same night

» alexanderson

The method of asking to homecoming has become too important “Latoya” on one telephone poll, “Homecoming?” on the next, “Stev-o” on the third.

Shirt and note on the front porch.

Take it to the bathroom, wash it under the sink and your date is revealed.

Your name is in an ad at the bottom of the newspaper. It’s accompanied by “Homecoming?”

Whether it’s posters on a telephone poll, washable markers on a white T-shirt or an ad placed in the school » jeffrutherford newspaper, the way guys practically have to ask their date to Homecoming is ridiculous.

Those being asked want it to be cute, creative and original. But if those specifications are to be fulfilled your pride must sacrificed.

Homecoming has a high humiliation factor: pictures in front of parents and the trip to dinner are just a few. But the most pressure can be attributed to what goes on before the dance: the way you ask.

When discussing this topic with my father, he referred to the way that guys in his “era” asked as “straight up.” Simple, easy, and casual: “Hey, will you go to the dance with me?”

That’s all it took for the girl to be delighted to have you as a date. But a change has occurred. It’s no longer that simple.

This change fits perfectly into our society today.

Everything has become more complicated and have competitive – politics, technology, fashion and even been asked by asking someone to Homecoming. balloons more Whether it is an effortless phone call or an extravagant display in front of the entire than once student body, the guy asking must accept the fact that he could be terribly humiliated. have been asked by n a “So do you want to go to Homecoming a sign sk with me?” you ask, and after about ed a ten second pause she replies, to “Ahh, I have a hop-scotch have been asked by a cake ho m tournament

so…no.”

Ouch! That hurts but a lame excuse is not the guys only concern, although it should be.

Potentially, it could be equally as embarrassing for the girl to say “yes.” Allow me to paint another picture: The girl you are asking happens to be a cheerleader so you decide you want to incorporate her love for encouraging other people into the way you ask. So you dress up in a cheerleading outfit and drive over to her house. Pom-poms in hand, you ring the doorbell. As you wait for the door to open you make sure you still remember how to spell it, “H-O-M-E-C-O-M-I-N-G.” Then the door opens. “Oh, hi Mrs. Smith, is Tosha home?” And in the mother’s reply she tells you that it is her birthday and the entire extended family is over for dinner. You creep in around the corner, the entire room goes quiet, and Tosha begins to laugh. After performing your cheer for Tosha and the entire family, you leave. Though you may have gotten a “yes,” you still suffered through one of the most agonizing nights of your life.

Something you didn’t want to have to do in the first place became a Broadway act for the whole family to enjoy.

The haunting thought of further humiliation has passed, as have the weeks. The big night has finally come; it’s time for pictures, dinner and an inexperienced dance partner that has skills equal to Carlton Banks. As the end of the night approaches, neither you nor your date have given a single thought to how you asked her. You asked her in study hall and you’re dancing with her in the center of the floor. The guy who asked using glitter, confetti, glow sticks and fire works is doing the same.

You both took different paths in getting a date.

One asked with much extravagance and the other asked with none at all. But you ended up at the same destination.

Asking the girl to the dance is what’s important. The way he does so is not.

If he wants to rent a small plane and have a banner trailing that says “Homecoming?” on it then great, but if he wants to ask you in weights class while spotting The you on the bench press, that should be great too.

DO YOU THINK THAT INTERNET CENSORSHIP HAS A PLACE IN HIGH SCHOOLS?

OPINION

balloons...

not so becoming

anopinionof

7

the

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT BIG TOBACCO COMPANIES TARGETING TEENAGERS?

I don’t think it has a place in our schools. If you don’t want to look at it, then don’t.

It’s a really bad thing because teenagers will pretty much buy into anything that looks cool, and those companies are trying to make it look cool.

It’s stupid... whenever I’m in class sometimes I need those online games just to make it through the day.

I guess I don’t really have a problem with it... I know I should but it doesn’t really affect me.

It’s terrible; when I want my games, I need to get my games.

I think it’s pretty terrible because they know it’s going to kill kids and they do it anyways.

Oh, it’s terrible. When I’m sitting in those boring classes I need my computer games.

I don’t care, because it’s not like I’m going to go out and buy a pack of cigarettes.

again

Send

to: Lo ver

the txt ... again

msg

Again

Signs...

Road

RANDOM QUESTION: OTIS SPUNKMEYER OR GRANDMA’S COOKIES? Otis Spunkmeyer, they’re soft...

Grandma’s cookies, because I’m a grandma’s boy.

Otis Spunkmeyer all the way. I pretty much live off of them during the school year.

Otis Spunkmeyer are you kidding me? The flavor and the way they’re cooked make my day. issue

1 2

OPINION

8

Shaken reality Unexpected seizure reminds brother of family’s fragility and value anopinionof

I bend forward And then not get up. behind the couch, Will? just out of sight.

He started to squirm on the ground.

Moving my The air around my family transformed way towards Will, into a hurricane of worried screams and my 12-year-old panic.

There was no hospital for 250 brother, I ready the can. miles.

I spring up We were wedged between a from my stalking, crevice of mile-high rock, a rushing leopard pose whitewater river was on my left, my while screaming panicking family on my right, and » michaelcray my signature Will having a seizure right in front run- or-b e -run- of me.

My little brother? Sure, this over screech. He couldn’t have seen what was coming. happens to old people, but Head pulled back, I unleash a full can him? of Redi-Whip and laugh B A M . as his face disappears Reality He was having a seizure right hit, Will could under a blanket of 96 take percent fat free snow. die. in front of me.

Ha! Just another Every memory My little brother? sign of love and of me teasing and affection. Right? picking on him Reality hit. Will could die.

I always pick on my suddenly hit me, and little brother, and sometimes I take it was then I realized that advantage of that it way too far. It always comes back to I was the worst brother ever. haunt me.

This little guy who I’m supposed to blessing in last This summer, my familiy prepared for a set an example for probably looks at me these whitewater rafting trip down the Colorado everyday and hopes not to turn out as two years at home.

River, which included a helicopter takeoff bitter and selfish as his older brother.

After several from Midway Ranch.

I told myself if he makes it through this, My cousin Cooper and I decided it I’ll be the best big brother a kid could ever hours I finally built up enough wouldn’t hurt to play a few rounds of have. courage to drop my horseshoes before the helicopter arrived.

Will’s eyes opened.

After a few games my three uncles Long afterward the hurricane died tough guy shadow, joined, and old kinship rivalries brought a down, and we decided his blackout was forever.

I walked up to curious intensity to the game. caused by extreme dehydration.

Will kept asking if he could play, but That was the scariest night of my my little brother’s each time I robotically said no, as if it was life. Me and Coop stayed up and talked, cot, reached down and programmed into my head as the default comforting each other and whispering wrapped him in my arms. answer to everything he said. words of encouragement.

“I love you Will. I don’t Don’t get me wrong, I love my little “Everything will be fine”. know who I’d be without brother. I have so much respect for the “He’s going to be OK”. short, skinny kid with glasses who always I realized how blessed I was to have you.” seems to act bigger than his 16-year-old- somebody like Will, and how I needed to brother.

It happened on the second night of camp, after the hottest and most difficult day.

We set up our cots, forced to sleep on top of dozens of miniature boulders that You may be on a camping trip 250 miles from the nearest hospital, or you may just blanketed every inch of the beach. have to wait 10 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. But either way, the victim’s Alex, our tour guide, began to explain safety is most important, so here’s what you can to keep them safe. how a boat would come pick us up off the river and take us past Lake Mead towards the airport so we could get back home.

And Will collapsed.

• remove harmful or sharp objects • restrain the person His fragile body thudded against the around the victim • put anything in the person’s mouth hard rocks like a sand bag on a carpet • cushion their head with your arms • move the person until the seizure has floor.

Loser. or something soft stopped How can you trip standing still? And • tilt their head to the side so they • try to bring the person around – let then not move.

“

“

when a seizure hits DO

17

sept.

2007

won’t choke on their own saliva • call an ambulance if the seizure lasts more than five minutes

DON’T

the seizure run its course • give the person food or water until they’re fully recovered

information from the Epilepsy Action organization

what is a seizure?

• A seizure is a sudden change in behavior due to an excessive electrical activity in the brain

• There are two different types of seizures.

- A simple seizure does not involve any change in the level of consciousness.

- A complex seizure involves either a loss of consciouness or a change in the level of consciousness.

• Symptoms include: - loss of consciousness - twitching of the body - staring spells (easily missed) - periods of no activity

For the first time in their life, senior twins Haley and Harmony Hickman are coping with real time apart BY

» katiefreyder

She looks over at a picture. It is on top of the desk. The picture is of the girls on a recent vacation. Tears start pouring down her cheeks. She realizes that her sister is really gone for the next six months of her life.

The week before and the week after Harmony Hickman left for Costa Rica, Hailey Hickman and her mother Trish Costello spent most of their time at home crying.

The twins have never spent more than two days apart. While Harmony is living in Costa Rica through the American Field Exchange Program (AFS) they are separated for the first time in their lives.

The Hickman’’s are fraternal twins that did everything together. Shared a car. Hung out with friends. Even dated brothers at the same time.

“When Harmony decided to go through with becoming a Foreign Exchange Student it took a long time to sink in because it was always four or five months away when I would think about it, Hailey said, “It really didn’t hit me until the last week she was here.”

Hailey is working two jobs, dealing with school and life on her own.

“I am having the hardest time dealing with the littlest things like riding to school and doing daily things alone,” Hailey said. “I had to go fill up my gas tank for the first time the other day and it was really expensive.”

She is used to splitting the price of filling up their car with Harmony. Prior to Harmony’s departure Harmony and Hailey talked 24/7 and knew everything about each other. Now that Harmony is in Costa Rica communication between them is tough since AFS regulations only allow Harmony to call to her family members once a

as

, Kans e g a l l i V e i r i Pra

month.

Despite the negatives there are a couple of positive things. “I like being able to borrow Harmony’s clothes from her closet and not having to worry about being caught,” Hailey said.

Harmony has access to Internet café’s in Costa Rica. She says that they are really cheap and easy to use. She tries to keep in touch with Hailey by sending her emails or instant messaging her about three times a week.

Harmony jokes that three times a week is more than some people want to talk to their families, but she says it is different with a twin.

“Hailey is my best friend and basically my other half,” said Harmony in an email interview. “Imagine leaving someone who you have been with every single day of your life, someone who you share everything with. Your feelings, Your thoughts and your clothes. I mean everything. It is very difficult being away from her and that is why communication with her is so important.”

Even though Hailey and Harmony are thousands of miles apart they still try to keep each other updated on their lives.

“Harmony’s decision to leave is one of the hardest things I have had to deal with in my life. It is good for me because I am learning independence, which I would have never learned before,” Hailey said. “I have realized that I have to become independent especially now that I am going to college next year. I can’t keep depending on other people. I have to rely on myself now.”

SENIORS Harmony and Haley Hickman. » photo courtesy of Hickman family

AFS ABOUT VARIOUS PROGRAMS

THE SCHOOL PROGRAM is for one academic year, semester or trimester.

The program begins in July/ August/ September or January/ February/ March depending on the country. AFS students live with a host family and attend a local secondary school as full-time students.

SUMMER/INTENSIVE PROGRAMS are for one to three months. These programs focus on homestays, language skills, community service or cultural activities. Participants live mostly with host families, participate in educational activities and enjoy their new communities.

AFS COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM participants volunteer to work at local organizations that address community needs, such as helping street children or developing training programs with human rights workers.

Projects vary by hosting country and participants’ interests. www.afs.org

2,075 Miles Away Across 3 Major Bodies of Water

Degrees

of Across 4 Mountain Ranges

Country

Comparisons Costa Rica

USA

-RELIGION: 0.7% Protestant -MEDIAN AGE: 25.7 Years -GROWTH RATE: 1.52% -AREA COMPARATIVE: Slightly smaller than West Virginia

-RELIGION: 56% Protestant -MEDIAN AGE: 36 Years -GROWTH RATE: 0.92% -AREA COMPARATIVE: Half the size of Russia -LIFE EXPECTANCY: 77.43 Years

-LIFE EXPECTANCY: 76.63 Years

FEATURES

DISCONNECTED DUO

9

Separation

2,499,601 Fewer People 10.5 Degrees Cooler 3,667,611 Square Miles Smaller

osta Nicoya, C

Rica

About Nicoya

Located in the center of the Nicoya Peninsula, in the Guanacaste province the city is known to be the cultural and political capital of the peninsula. Nicoya was the first Spanish colonial city. It’s approximately 14 miles south of Santa Cruz. Nicoya is around a five hour drive from the capital city of San Jose. www.govisitcostarica.com

issue

2

WEB SITE

10

coming up on the

( Website

Things you won’t see in the printed paper

)

extrainteractive

extravoice The Harbinger’s Web site, http://www.smeharbinger.net, allows the staff to hear constant feedback from the student body. On top of Lancer Voice and 30 Second Thoughts, The Harbinger Online has student opinions on bands, movies and songs. Along with extra information, the Web site provides movie trailers to accompany reviews. This information is updated two to three times a week.

.. .. .

QUICK PICKS

<<WHAT THE WEBSITE OFFERS>> more opinions from students a photo of the day an extra photo essay surveys and polls easy access to the Harbinger On the Harbinger’s front page, “The Rail” is filled with interactive web toys that allows you to tell us what you think, how you feel and what you believe.

extraphotos

If you like the Harbinger’s photo essays and want to see more of the same, the Web site updates its homepage photo daily. The photo section is also updated once a week and has several activities or events displayed at once.

17

sept.

2007

Swingin’the Night Away

» all photos by taylerphilips

FEATURES

11

CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

**** August of last year, Lebovitz’s French exchange student, Raphael Chikli, was complaining about a lack of nightclubs in Kansas City. Lebovitz had heard of a few East students who went to Louis & Co. on Saturday nights to swing dance, so they decided to give it a try.

After a few months of going to the studio for dance nights with Lebovitz and junior Emmett Starkey, Chikli lost interest.

Lebovitz and Starkey, however, didn’t.

“We started going every week, and I loved it,” he said.

Lebovitz, who had never swing danced before that summer, tried out for the Swingsters group at Louis & Co., a professional-level dance grouped that performs at various venues. He introduced several friends, including Schwarzenberger and senior Charlotte Parrish, to the dance nights.

“I knew a lot of people that went swing dancing every Saturday night,” Schwarzenberger said. “It sounded interesting and it turned into a Saturday night routine for us.”

1.

Boy rocks back on his left foot, the girl on her right.

That winter, Schwarzenberger, senior Mattie Haynes and Starkey approached Lebovitz, who had created several clubs including the Jewish Student Union, Frisbee Club and Chess Club, about forming a swing dancing club at East.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Lebovitz said.

Lebovitz convinced chemistry teacher Cole Ogdon to sponsor them, and the East Swing Club was formed.

The advanced dancers took turns giving lessons to the beginners in the cafeteria, and the club grew by word-of-mouth to 10 to 20 people a week.

“People like swing dancing because it’s a great release and a good way to meet people and have fun,” Lebovitz said. “It’s classy; it’s not a common thing anymore for people to swing dance, so it’s a cool attraction.”

SENIOR Charlotte Parrish and junior Emmett Starkey strut their stuff during practice.

buy them for $20 at Spencer’s.”

After discussing the hat status, Schwarzenberger asks the newcomers to “sign their lives away to Swing Club,” and **** Schwarzenberger climbs onto her the meeting is adjourned.

On with the dancing. makeshift soapbox, a blue cafeteria chair, The dancers and wanna-be dancers and welcomes the 20 newcomers, veterans fold tables and stack chairs, instantly and curious onlookers. It is the first transforming the cafeteria meeting of this school into a food-stained ballroom. year, and, as expected, People like swing dancing Those still wearing shoes their numbers have expanded after people because... it’s classy; it’s not shed them, and Zwibelman jogs into the room, jumps saw their pep assembly a common thing anymore for out of his loose sneakers performance.

“It was really a great people to swing dance, so it’s a and meets Schwarzenberger in the center of the circle of media stunt for Swing cool attraction. dancers.

Club,” Lebovitz said.

The two Swingsters, “It got a lot of people Zwibelman and interested right off the bat.”

Several freshmen shuffle to seats in the Schwarzenberger, begin demonstrating back of the crowded lunch tables, while a the basic East Coast steps: “Rock step left, right. Rock step left, shoeless Starkey casually kicks and jives in the background as Schwarzenberger right. Rock step one, two.”

The onlookers hesitate as they search goes over the plans for the new school for dance partners—several girls are year. The experienced Swingsters linger behind her, donning their signature fedora forced to pair up with other girls—then quickly catch on to the swinging rhythm. hats and red Swing Club t-shirts.

The turnout of freshmen Schwarzenberger goes over the club upperclassmen impressed agenda—meeting times, performance and opportunities and so on—and then gets Schwarzenberger.

“I was really happy with the interest down to the burning topic of hats. After and enthusiasm showed,” she said. all, every swinger needs a fedora.

While the club considers “Does Zach still have extra fedoras?”

Schwarzenberger asks. “Well, you can Schwarzenberger their leader, the other

“

“

The energetic opening snare beats of Benny Goodman’s “Life Goes to a Party” reverberate in the gym, and the dance line jolts to life with synchronized Charleston kicks, spins and jazz hands. The girls double over and the bleachers explode with applause as the boys leap over the girls’ hunched figures, senior Zach Zwibelman’s original move. Lebovitz and Schwarzenberger run to the center of the dance floor and show off their advanced moves as Schwarzenberger drags a kicking Lebovitz across the floor.

After every couple makes their way to the center of the floor and pulls off their best aerial moves, the seven couples strike their ending poses, legs and arms held still in the air.

“I thought we did a marvelous job,” Lebovitz said. “But my opinion is rather biased.”

The gym rings with claps and whistles, and the panting dancers grin at the newfound support and enthusiasm.

A lot has changed since last year.

Swingsters have stepped up to leadership roles, helping to organize meetings, choreograph dances and teach the beginning dancers.

“The most I can hope for is that the beginners right now will be wonderful dancers at the end of the year,” Lebovitz said.

Schwarzenberger hopes this year the five Swingsters—herself, Lebovitz, Starkey, Parish and Zwibelman—will be able to teach the club members their advanced moves to keep things interesting and continue to improve their skills.

The Swing Club will be handed over to the “capable” hands of Starkey after the seniors graduate. The club has a new sponsor, band teacher Kim Harrison, and they plan to perform in many more pep assemblies.

Despite the seven weekly hours Schwarzenberger puts into swing dancing and the responsibilities of leading a club, she never forgets why she began swing dancing in BEST SONGS TO the first place.

BOOGIE TO : “ T o have fun with it.”

- Big Voodoo Daddy: Go Daddy-O!

STEPS TO MASTERING THE OUTSIDE TURN :

2.

Boy steps forward with right foot, girl with left.

3.

Boy and girl turn towards each other into a high-five.

4.

Girl spins counter clock-wise on her right foot.

- Louis Prima- Jump Jive an’ Wail - Casey MacGill: Jump!

- Cherry Poppin’ Daddies: Zoot Suit Riot - Big Joe Turner: Shake, Rattle and Roll

CUTTING through CHIPOTLE’S CALORIES

HEALTH&FITNESS

12

LETTUCE Amount

Amount

% Daily Value

Calories 5 Fat 0g 0% Sodium 0mg 0%

GUAC Amount

Amount

% Daily Value

Calories 170 Fat 15g 24% Sodium 370mg 16%

Find out how healthy your favorite burrito is

Amount

Amount

Amount

% Daily Value

Calories 120 Fat 10g 16% Sodium 30mg 2%

% Daily Value

CORN SALSA

TOMATO SALSA Amount

Carbs 6g 2% Protein 1g Vitamin A 15% Vitamin C 35% Calcium 2%

% Daily Value

Calories 25 Fat 0g 0% Sodium 560mg 23%

STEAK Amount

Amount

Calories 230 Fat 12g 19% Sodium 306mg 13%

BEANS Amount

% Daily Value

Calories 130 Fat 1g 2% Sodium 318mg 13%

Amount

% Daily Value

Amount

% Daily Value

Calories 219 Fat 11g 17% Sodium 431mg 19%

% Daily Value

RICE Amount

% Daily Value

% Daily Value

Carbs 22g 7% Protein 9g Vitamin A 17% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0%

BY

% Daily Value

trainer of the Spartans (in the movie “300”), owner of GymJones in Salt Lake City, Utah

“

People should bring the right attitude to the gym. Meaning, come to the gym WILLING to work hard, and know what hard work is. In fewer words, bring your will to the gym. If you do that then anywhere becomes a gym.

% Daily Value

Carbs 40g 13% Protein 4g Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 4% Calcium 2%

% Daily Value

Calories 340 Fat 9g 14% Sodium 860mg 36%

Amount

ROBB WOLF % Daily Value

“

Carbs 54g 18% This may seem an odd answer Protein 9g Vitamin A 0% but I’d say: “Come to the gym Vitamin C 0% with as little as possible.” It’s Calcium 20% been my observation that

» karenboomer

GREG EVERETT

We quiz students to see if they know how many calories McDonald’s really has

1

HE SAID 3 2 1

Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich Big ‘N Tasty with Cheese 20 oz M&M McFlurry

REALLY

1 - 660 cal 3 - 510 cal 2 - 620 cal

3

andrewwatkins

17

sept.

2007

2

SOPHOMORE

SHE SAID 2 3 1

maddyrich

JUNIOR

certified strength and conditioning specialist

BY

» jeffrutherford

Order the following foods from most calories to least: HE SAID 3 2 1

Double Quarter Pounder with cheese Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken, Ranch Dressing, croutons Big Mac

REALLY

1 - 740 cal 3 - 350 cal 2 - 540 cal

johnrowley Order the following foods from most calories to least: One percent chocolate milk carton 12 oz Coca-Cola 12 oz orange juice

REALLY

1 - 170 cal 3- 110 cal 2 - 140 cal

folks who haul in a bunch of gear, gloves, wraps, water bottles etc. are wasting time fiddling... Get in, hit it hard, get out. Shower at home, it’s cleaner.

”

The Ultimate Quiz Order the following foods from most calories to least:

”

research biochemist, owner of NorCal strength and conditioning in Chico, CA

» http://www.chipotlelovers.com/calculator.asp

FRESHMAN

» jeffrutherford

MARK TWIGHT

Carbs 0g 0% Protein 29g Vitamin A 59% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0%

TORTILLA Amount

Experts let us know in e-mail interviews the best thing to bring to the gym - and, surprisingly, it’s not a water bottle

% Daily Value

Amount

Amount

Calories 240 Fat 7g 11% Sodium 610mg 25%

WORK OUT

Carbs 22g 7% Protein 3g Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 20% Calcium 0%

CHICKEN

Carbs 2g 2% Protein 29g Vitamin A 58% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0%

% Daily Value

Amount

Calories 100 Fat 1g 2% Sodium 540mg 22%

% Daily Value

% Daily Value

Carbs 1g 0% Protein 7g Vitamin A 6% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 20%

% Daily Value

Amount

Amount

Amount

Calories 110 Fat 9g 14% Sodium 180mg 8%

Carbs 2g 2% Protein 2g Vitamin A 8% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 8%

% Daily Value

Carbs 8g 3% Protein 2g Vitamin A 15% Vitamin C 15% Calcium 2%

CHEESE SOUR CREAM

WHAT YOU NEED TO GO

% Daily Value

Carbs 1g 0% Protein 1g Vitamin A 18% Vitamin C 11% Calcium 1%

4

SOPHOMORE

How many calories are in a: HE SAID 1200

talyorhaviland

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McGriddle

REALLY 560

“

What needs to be brought in terms of gear will vary depending on the facility and the workout the individual has planned. Any required personal gear that is not made available by the facility such as straps, belts and tape will be on the list; as will an appropriate supply of water.

But the one thing that must always be brought to the gym, irrespective of the athlete or workout, is heart. No piece of gear, no facility, and no training program can substitute for dedication, enthusiasm and intensity.

BY

e n c t n i o o C n B I International honors program allows Turkish foreign exchange student To continue studies abroad

» renli

FEATURES

e h T

13

» melissamckittrick

Sand Diego. Idaho. New York City.

Maine. Lake Huron. Junior Alcin Hakca stared at her homework assignment, confused. All around her, classmates were quickly filling in the USA state names in upper-caps, the capitals in lower-caps. They were tracing the Mississippi River, labeling the Rocky Mountains, and locating the five Great Lakes with ease. Hakca, however, a “gifted” student in the International Baccalaureate program, was stumped… and with good reason, too.

Hakca is from Turkey. Although she is in IB, a rigorous international program that spans the globe and exists in 125 countries to date, United States Geography is something she hasn’t studied in depth. And why would she? IB preaches a worldwide education, requiring that students read international books and send their work to other countries, ranging from Argentina to Zimbabwe, to be graded. Until Hakca became a US foreign exchange student, she never needed to know the capital of Florida at the drop of a hat.

“It was really confusing,” Hakca said, “because I have never done anything about American history before.”

Hakca says that the rest of her classes were manageable, though. IB’s worldwide focus lets her continue the demanding coursework – including a 4,000 word essay and six required standardized tests – in a country and a school far away from her own.

One of the reasons that Hakca’s transition was so smooth is the set-up of her school in Turkey. Turkish Education

Foundation Inancturkesir Private High Like Hakca’s school, IB also requires School, one of about three schools in Tur- that students study a foreign language. Alkey that teaches the IB program, is a board- though she is in IB English at East, Hakca ing school for gifted students. With nine still needs to keep up with her class in Turclasses a day and several sports, her life key. In addition to her English homework, at the boarding school is always busy. In Hakca will also read four books and write addition to the normal pressures of home- six essays for her Turkish literary teachwork, final exams, ers.

Turkish school schedules differ from American ones and projects, there is Another part the added pressure of IB that extends NEW from teachers and across the globe is (Hour 0: Theory of Knowledge, 6:45 am!!) the CAS (Creativparents.

“We don’t like to Hour 1: National Security Biology 2, IB ity -Ac t i o n - S e r be called ‘gifted,’’” vice) hours. CAS Hakca said, “because Hour 2: Chem. 2 History of the Americas, IB is a 150 hour proby using ‘gifted,’ my gram that encourHour 3: Biology 2 Calculus BC, IB teachers in Turkey ages IB students are making us feel Hour 4: Physics 1 to do activities English 11, IB under pressure.” outside of class.

One of these pres- Hour 5: Turkish Lit. & Language Jewelry Whereas she did sures – the pressure cross country, Hour 6: English Art Seminar, IB to learn English swimming, vol– helped Hakca. Al- Hour 7: Mathematics Chemistry 2, IB leyball, drama most all of her teachand flute after ers are either Cana- Hour 8: French school in Turkey, dian or American, so Hakca now has Hour 9: Philosophy/Art she understands the plans to go out for language easily. In the swim team, fact, her school replay on an IB socquires that all students and faculty speak cer team, and do SHARE at East.

“Originally, I thought that getting CAS English in the classroom. During the announcements, lectures, and speeches, the hours would be really hard,” junior Kate students constantly receive a foreign lan- Collison said, “But when you’re in such a creative group anyway, it’s easy to get guage lesson.

“Teachers’ speeches and announce- the hours...you get to hang our with your ments are in English,” Hakca said, “but we friends while getting something done for speak Turkish between friends, and Turk- school and the community.”

The hours Hakca spends with the IB ish teachers speak it to each other.”

Student Schedule:

eam?

T m i Sw E? SHAR

Don’t Forget:

!

Early Dismissal Thursday 20, 1:10

class doing CAS activities have other benefits, too: she gets a chance to have fun with her peers. Her school in Turkey has 200 students, and there is a big difference between that close group and the thousands of students at East. In Turkey, Hakca felt perfectly comfortable knocking on a teacher’s door for coffee or working overnight on a science contest at her teacher’s house; at East, she can’t walk down the halls without seeing an unfamiliar face. “[In Turkey], you know all the people.

They become your family, like a part of you,” Hakca said. “At East, there are always different people in the halls.”

Once again, though, IB works perfectly for Hakca. After problems with AFS, including a lost ticket and receiving the wrong flight time, Hakca finally came to America to meet a family she had never even seen (AFS also forgot to give her the application her host family filled out). The Collisons, whose daughter, Kate, is also a junior in IB, are hosting her for a semester.

The girls have five classes together; that, and the small size of the IB class, ensures that Hakca – and everyone else – gets to know each other well.

“The smaller class size helps foster discussion,” IB English-teacher Kelly Fast said. “It builds a spirit of community.”

This spirit of community is part of what makes IB perfect for Hakca. For a foreignexchange student who wants to take all honors classes, the international focus of the program and the camaraderie it builds makes the transition – and the hard coursework – easier to manage.

14

SPREAD

Q&A with senior Owen

Craig

Hasn’t gone to Homecoming since freshman year Q: Why aren’t you going to homecoming?

A: I am too poor and I don’t have any money.

Q: What are your thoughts on homecoming in general?

A: The only fun part is the after party. Why should I go through all that crap when I can party any night?

Q: What’s it like being a senior and still refusing to go?

A: I’m already a ladies man and I don’t need any extra time with the ladies.

Q: What are you planning to do that night?

A: Hang out with people from other schools and see what’s going on with them.

Q: do you plan on going to prom this year?

A: No, I don’t think it’s that much fun.

Homecoming m

Students plan to celebrate Hom No reservations BY

17

sept.

2007

» elizabethmcgranahan

Three meat-and-cheese-only tacos. Not exactly filet mignon, but satisfying enough for sophomore Danielle James. James and her friends prefer the fake Mexican food on Homecoming night to a fancy overpriced restaurant.

Last year, James and friends ate at McDonald’s on Homecoming night; this year they plan to “take it up a notch” and have their Homecoming dinner at Taco Bell. After downing a few burritos drenched in taco sauce, James and her friends plan to head over to Homecoming for a bit. No limos or party buses.

James sees no need.

“Homecoming is basically the same as our middle school mixers, no point in going all out,” James said.

The group will stay just long enough to say “hi” to friends, take a couple pictures and possibly

participate in a dance or two.

“It’s not that I’m against Homecom boring,” James said.

She blames it on the “lame music” décor.”

After making an appearance, Ja group plan on leaving.

“After Homecoming, my boyfrie probably just come back to my house James said.

Although she finds Homecoming a plan on dressing up just for fun.

“I’m not going to go out and buy a n I’m only going to wear once,” James sa going to wear my dress from last year lime green high-tops.”

ConCert SerieS at Zona • Summer roSa

SPREAD

15 other places to go Saturday night from 6-9 p.m. at Zona Rosa. The Rumblejetts (a Rockabilly group) will be performing.

Haunt at worldS of • Halloween fun Open Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to midnight, but the scary attractions are best after 7 p.m.

• Haunted HouSeS

Edge of Hell, The Beast: both open at 7:30 p.m., $20 for a single pass or $33 for a combo pass.

One guy, six dates BY

made to order

» marygalvin

mecoming in alternative ways No dance, no drama BY

ming, its just so and “minimal

ames and the

end and I will e to hang out,” bore, she does

new dress that aid. “So I’m just r and the same

It’s Winstead’s on a Saturday night. The corner booth is filled with sports jackets and smooth dresses. The Strawberry Team chugged their Skyscraper before the Chocolate Team and they erupt in a victory cheer. Sophomore Michael Calvert picked the wrong flavor.

It doesn’t matter. He’s got six lovely ladies by his side. His only competition is the two guys at the table, and one brought his own date. But the girls don’t pay attention to anyone but Calvert.

Last year he was invited to WPA by the six girls. According to sophomore Sadie Wendler, one of Michael’s dates, they all decided to go as friends. None of them had dates, but it would be a great night all the same.

“He’s fun to hang out with, he’s a good friend and he’s a good dancer,” Wendler said.

“We couldn’t get him to stop shaking his thing.”

This year he’s back again, same group, same party, different dance. After Homecoming they plan to go to Calvert’s house to dance and sing karaoke for hours.

“We’re all really good friends,” Calvert said.

“We just want to have a good time.”

Grunge to glamour

» devino’bryan

Pizza, spaghetti, sparkling cider and leftover birthday cake. That’s the menu for senior Jane Hawkins’ Homecoming dinner.

And while her peers dance in a hot, crowded gym, Hawkins and her friends will be rocking out to a different kind of music – Guitar Hero.

“After two dances a year, then two more the next, and even more after that, it becomes a ‘Been there, done that’ thing,” she said.

So Hawkins is just skipping to the fun part – the after party.

Hawkins is hosting an anti-Homecoming party the night of the dance. It’s for her friends who don’t want to go to Homecoming, didn’t get asked or don’t want to spend a lot of money for a few hours of entertainment.

“It will be fun being with my friends without having

» timshedor

to worry about reservations or getting a dress,” she said. “People can be comfortable at my party. They can wear pajamas if they want to.”

Senior Hannah Brewer went to Hawkins’ WPA party last year. She plans to go to the Homecoming one this year and is looking forward to what Hawkins has planned, like playing Dance Dance Revolution, watching movies and possibly going to Franklin Park.

“It’s more fun to hang out with friends than get dressed up for a dance and not have anybody to go with,” she said. “Dances usually create a lot of drama, and here there is no drama, just fun.”

The promise of a stress-free, fun time is one of Hawkins’ main reasons for hosting the party.

“It will be a lot more carefree than the dance,” she said. “A lot less drama.”

BY

» timshedor

Junior Erica Wheeler doesn’t tan.

She usually wears jeans and a dark hoodie, hiding her pale legs. She might wear a Marilyn Manson T-shirt every now and then. Her hair changes color biweekly: from pink to black tips to navy blue.

But for Homecoming, she makes an exception She gets her hair done in a classic up-do. She gets her nails done. And then she goes tanning.

“It really isn’t worth [the hassle],” Wheeler says.

“But I love dressing up.”

She doesn’t wear Abercrombie or American Eagle to school, or the empire-waist dresses that are in style. For just one night, she puts on the ritz.

issue

2

NANNY

FEATURES

16

Knows Best Teen nannies connect with children on a different level

BY

SOPHOMORE Hannah Mallen practices reading a children’s book to a doll. » marygalvin

» ruthstark

She came back three days later and he was gone. A short funeral followed. After everything they had gone through to bring him home. Convincing Mrs. Jones and then the visit to the store, all for just three days. The albino frog was put into the ground to rest in peace.

The purchasing of this pet filled an afternoon for senior Emily Cray while she was taking care of Abby and Spencer Jones. Their days were never the same, one day it was a trip to the pet store; other days were spent lounging pool-side.

“It definitely taught me patience, and kind of how to respond to situations you aren’t normally put in. Like when you would ask them to do something and they would say “No!” I’d have to respond patiently to that,” Cray said.

While nannying is a tax-free way to earn money for high school girls, it can be trying and frustrating at times. Working out fights between siblings and deciding whether to go to the park or play Shoots and Ladders can lead to melt downs that

nannies are forced to deal with.

If there was ever reprimanding to do while on the job, senior Tayler Philips would be made to feel like the bad guy. Sometimes she was reminded that she was no longer six-year-old Mack’s best friend. Compromises and lots of patience helped to smooth the situation over and put Phillips and Mack in each other’s good graces.

“I would just try to remember that they are four and it’s not that big of a deal. Sometimes you just have to let them cool down,” said Philips.

While days spent playing board games, doing puzzles, and making PB&J sandwiches seems like a breeze, the skills learnt and the bonds formed with kids are the ones that will carry through life.

“I was watching TV the other day and there was this show with a new mom who knows nothing about kids, doesn’t know how to change a diaper or anything,” Phililps said. “She thought she was going to break her baby.

I could never imagine ever being like that after spending

so much time around kids.”

Cray agrees.

“I love their freedom and their unbiased opinions on everything,” Cray said. “Little kids are always honest and just say what is on their mind.”

Four days a week junior Chelsea Olson was forced to be active with Jett and Luke, the two brothers she was a nanny for.

Pants wetting. Dress up. Graham crackers and peanut butter.

There was no challenge she was not up for...most of the time.

“I would build forts with them, make cookies with them and play their imaginary Pirates of the Caribbean game,” said Olson.

Sometimes Olson would be exhausted from all the activities she did with the kids, but she always watched over them.

“There were days when I would be like, ‘I’m so tired’ but I was always forced to be really active,” said Olson.

“You are responsible for these kids’ safety, you also have to let them know you care.”

CRAFTS TO DO WITH THE KIDS: Sock Puppets a long tube sock 2 Pick out a pair of eyes, 3 Take construction parer Make a stage and 1 Find 4 ENJOY you puppet! and put a wooden and glue to inside of yarn for hair, and any

17

sept.

2007

skewer where you want the mouth.

other facial attributes.

And glue on.

mouth to make tongue and lip.

TOP 10 DESTINATIONS TO TAKE KIDS TO: 1. Build -a-Bear 2. Loose Park (The Rose Garden) 3. Plaza Fountains and Library 4. Science City 5. Ceramic Cafe 6. Incred-A-bowl 7.The Pool 8. G-Rated Movies 9. Deanna Rose Petting Zoo 10. Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Climbing Wall

TOP 10 PLACES TO TAKE KIDS TO LUNCH: 1. Crayola Cafe 2. Fritz’s 3. Papa Keno’s 4. Rainforest Cafe 5. Winstead’s

6. Picnic in the Park 7. Minskey’s 8. Planet Sub 9. 810 Zone 10. Jalapenos

[

>>Each gallon of gasoline burned pumps 28 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, with the average car emitting approximately 63 tons of CO2 over its lifetime and the average SUV or pickup emitting around 82 tons. >> The average adult breathes over 3,000 gallons of air every day and children breathe even more air per pound of body weight.

[ the page about life ]

information from CBS News-air pollution facts

MIXED

[ MIX

ALL.IN.THE.

[about the air]

17

[what’s happening] .issues now.

10 seconds with...

>> CO2 Build Up in Atmosphere >> Sea Levels Rise from Melting Glaciers >> More Powerful Storms

.what we are doing wrong. >> Power Plants: Humans are causing global warming because we are pumping too much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Much of this pollution comes from burning fossil fuels for energy to light our homes, power our industries and move our cars. >> Cars that Go Further on a Gallon of Gas: The biggest single step we can take to curb global warming is to raise the fuel economy of our cars and light trucks. Cars and light trucks account for 40 percent of U.S. oil consumption and emit 20 percent of the nation’s carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution, the heat-trapping gas that causes global warming. >> Renewable Energy, such as Solar and Wind Power: The technology to produce clean, dependable energy from renewable sources like wind, solar and geothermal energy is here and ready to power America. >> Energy Efficiency in Our Homes and Buildings: We can save energy in our homes and office buildings by installing energy efficient appliances, lighting, heating and cooling equipment and using better insulation. These responsible steps would keep millions of tons of carbon dioxide pollution out of the atmosphere each year. information from the Sierra Club

GREEN at SME BY

senior

Eric Hamilton

Why do you care so much about recycling?

Obviously the environment is important but I read an article about recycling and I didn’t realize how wasteful bottles are.

What have you done to help?

I started to contact the administration here at East and the head of the food administration. I would like to make recycling more important.

Why is recycling important?

It’s everybody’s problem. Any environmental changes will be a global problem.

What is the easiest thing everyone can do to make a difference?

-Bring a re-usable bottle -Don’t buy bottled water -Try harder to recycle

» nickratliff

Another way to go green is Recycling Club. The club, a division of the bigger Environmental Club, goes around every Wednesday after school and picks up the recycling in the bins located in each room.

“We basically pick up paper in the bins,” junior Savannah Duby, the head of the club, said. “We don’t want bottles and cans in there though. That makes us mad, so don’t do it.”

Every other week, the Environmental Club meets and discusses ways to improve the community.

“Last year, we had an environmentally friendly art contest,” Duby said. “That went over really well, so I think we’re going to do that again.”

Duby, who has been involved with Recycling Club since her sophomore year, has already made changes in her house to “go green.”

“We’ve always been kind of ‘green’, but we recently made more changes to be even more environmentally friendly,” Duby said. “Now, we scarcely use water and we don’t leave the computer on.”

Duby has also begun going to the Prairie Village Environmental Committee meetings to listen to proposals and help the city become more earth-friendly.

[your guide to living]

GREEN [at the store]

Aerosols can’t be recycled--which means that they are guaranteed to end up in landfills.

[at home] Use energy-efficient appliances and fewer harsh chemicals.

[thermostat]

[at school or work] Reduce the amount of paper waste and recycle more.

Adjust your thermostat by two degrees when you are home and eight degrees while at work or out. issue information from National Geographic’s The Green Guide

2

FREESTYLE

A&E

18

FACEOFF BY

Kanye West’s new album “Graduation,” which hit stores on Sept. 11, debuted a new sound for the Chi-town rapper. With many new collaborations, this CD promised to bring a new aspect to his music.

After the Louis Vuitton Don’s largely successful second album “Late Registration” expectations were impossibly high. Instead of trying, it seemed he wasn’t even awake when he went to the studio.

The pink-Polo-sporting-rapper is probably one of my favorite artists, however this performance was lacking and not up to his potential.

The innovations posed in his new album still didn’t make up for a few basic flaws that Kanye always has struggled with. His continuance of unimaginative and forced rhymes, as well as too much synthesizer, didn’t do much to impress me.

Kanye could be more creative with his lyrics. In his hit single, “Stronger,” he sticks to his unimaginative roots when he raps, “Heard they’d do anything for a Klondike/ Well I’d do anything for a blonde dyke.”

The annoying electro-club sound and voice distortion is just a failed attempt to distract from the lack of rapping skills he uses on this album.

The CD starts off pretty routine with his introduction in which he describes how he is cheating in his classes and still managing to fail most of them. This is followed by an upbeat and animated “Champion,” which is thought of as Kanye’s usual anthem of the CD with its heavy beats and lots of high singing. This is another case of Kanye catering to tastes of top40 chart listeners to sell more records.

Continuing down this hip-hop highway-tohell is “I Wonder” and is much calmer compared to the enthusiastic previous song, with a slowed down beat and enunciated lyrics that gives it a cheesy sound. Following “I Wonder” is “Good Life,” featuring T-Pain, which is nothing to get excited about. It is repetitive and drones, making me feel the need to skip over it.

“Can’t Tell Me Nothing” is a so-so song that

» www.rocafella.com

» michaelstolle

BY

leads to a lull and the downfall of the album with the songs “Barry Bonds,” “Drunk and Hot Girls” and “Flashing Lights” featuring the likes of mediocre artists: Lil’ Wayne, Mos Def, and Dwele, respectively. I found it difficult to continue to listen to these songs because of their slow beats and forced rhymes. I doubt they will be on a playlist that’s bumpin’ in my car.

The album rebounds with one of the better songs of the album, “Everything I Am,” with scratching from D.J. Premiere and a decent song “The Glory.” Props to Kanye for his honesty in “Everything I Am,” while it’s basically whining, it entertained me. “The Glory” isn’t too exciting, however it gave my ears a rest from the kindergarten rhymes in the other 90 percent of the album.

Next is a solid collaboration with Coldplay front-runner Chris Martin in the song “Homecoming.” Chris Martin brings a positive aspect to the album, with strong beats and lyrical contributions, it was definitely a stretch for Kanye, but he made it work and it paid off really well.

It reminded me of a song on “Late Registration,” “Heard ‘em Say,” where he brought in Maroon 5’s Adam Levine for an interesting collaboration.

Following the Coldplay collaboration is “Big Brother,” which is his way of paying homage to the rapper that made him, Jay-Z, saying, “But he got me out of my mama’s crib/ Then helped me get my momma a crib.”

Rounding out the album are “Bittersweet Poetry” featuring John Mayer and “Good Night” with Al Be Back and Mos Def. Not much to say about these two that have not already been said: unoriginal lyrics and unimpressive support from the featured artists.

“Graduation” was at best an average performance that had its highs and lows, but it was below Kanye’s capabilities and didn’t live up to the expectations set by his previous albums.

Good beats don’t suffice for poor rapping skills.

Kanye just flat out didn’t show up for this album and needs to retake some of his classes before he can graduate.

{

}

Kanye’s

» mikehake

50 Cent created hype for his newest album, “Curtis,” in just about every way possible. He started a rivalry with Kanye West, who’s latest album, “Graduation,” also came out last Tuesday. He had a flavor of Vitamin Water named after him. He even threw money into the air at his poolside show, causing a frenzy of fans to knock part of his lighting set into the pool and nearly electrocute the money-grubbers. Hip hop fans seem to be as eager to pick up a copy of “Curtis” as they were to snatch the money he threw, as the album’s sales are already doing well.

This is 50’s third studio album, and his first since clearing $400 million in an endorsement deal with Coca-Cola, so such singles as “Straight to the Bank” and “I Get Money” come as no surprise. 50, however, stated on BBC Radio that “Straight to the Bank” is the only track on “Curtis” that discusses money.

We’ll see.

The album features plenty of bigname artists, including Akon, Timbaland, Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake, Eminem and Young Buck, with multiple songs produced by Dr. Dre. The first collaboration of the CD is “I’ll Still Kill,” which features Akon.

50 contributes two solid verses, while Akon provides a smooth chorus. This is probably one of the best non-singles on the album, as Akon’s vocals go surprisingly well with 50’s lyrics.

“I’ll Still Kill,” is followed by the third single released, “I Get Money,” where, as you can imagine, 50 elaborates on his insane personal wealth.

The beat is repetitive and the lyrics aren’t anything special, and somehow “I Get Money” has risen to the top of BET and MTV’s charts. This track reveals one of 50’s main flaws; his songs can lack substance.

2007

starscale

{ } poor {

} fair {

} solid {

}

50’s

Track List

1. Good Morning 2. Champion 3. Stronger 4. I Wonder 5. Good Life 6. Can’t Tell Me Nothing 7. Barry Bonds ft. Lil Wayne 8. Drunk and Hot Girls ft. Mos Def 9. Flashing Lights ft. Dwele 10. Everything I Am ft. DJ Premiere 11. Glory 12. Homecoming 13. Big Brother

Release Day Sales: 437,000

17 sept.

{

» www.50cent.com

Track List

Kanye’s

I can turn on the radio and hear any rapper brag about how much money he makes, but when it comes down to original lyrics, artists like Kanye West have 50 beat.

The latest released single is “Ayo Technology,” featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. The beat is fast and flows well with 50’s lyrics, and, even despite not being a Timberlake fan, I still thought his chorus went well with 50 Cent’s verses.

50 collaborates with Robin Thicke on “Follow My Lead,” which combines Thicke’s soft vocals with 50’s solid lyrics, while Tha Bizness uses the piano to produce a smooth beat. The sound of “Follow My Lead” is similar to “21 Questions,” a hit from 50’s first album, “Get Rich or Die Tryin.’”

“Straight to the Bank,” a single produced by Dr. Dre and Ty Fyffe, has the same lyrical problem as “I Get Money,” but still delivers as a hit. Dr. Dre made a hard-hitting beat that goes perfectly with 50’s style of rap, and even though the lyrics are fairly generic and typical of 50 Cent, it’s still the best single yet on “Curtis.”

50 reverts back to his last studio album, “The Massacre”, with Curtis’ first released single, “Amusement Park.”

It’s not a bad song, but it sounds dangerously similar to “Candy Shop,” as the track is full of predictable innuendo about “candy,” “roller coaster rides” and “magic sticks.” The song also could have been made better with a female part, as Olivia was in “Candy Shop.”

Overall, “Curtis” lives up to the hype and delivers as another 50 Cent classic and deserves as much play as his last two highly successful studio albums, “The Massacre” and “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.’”

50 Cent’s

1. Intro 14. Fire 2. My Gun Go Off 15. All of Me 3. Man Down 16. Curtis 187 4. I’ll Still Kill 17. Touch the Sky 5. I Get Money 6. Come & Go 7. Ayo Technology 8. Follow My Lead 9. Movin’ On Up 10. Straight To The Bank 11. Amusement Park 12. Fully Loaded Clip 13. Peep Show

Release Day Sales: 310,000

} excellent {

} masterpiece Star ratings based on writer’s opinion

19

BY

» landonmcdonald

Picture an ultraviolent Looney Toons episode where Elmer Fudd hires fifty guntoting goons to kill Bugs Bunny. Then, when they’ve got Bugs cornered, that wascally wabbit pulls out a sharpened carrot, nails one bad guy through the face with it, and takes out the rest with a pair of highpowered machine guns.

That’s “Shoot ‘Em Up” in a nutshell. It’s a live action cartoon with better production values, an exponentially higher body count, an all-star cast, and yes, sharpened carrots. It’s also an exceptionally perceptive satire of American action movies, which became nothing more than cartoons themselves a long time ago.

Clive Owen, who probably took this part to blow off steam after losing the James Bond role to Daniel Craig, plays the mysterious, carrot-chomping loner known only as Mr. Smith. He’s one of those scary silent guys with surly British accents and secret pasts as long and dark as their black leather jackets.

Anyway, Smith’s just waiting for a bus one day and suddenly observes a pregnant lady running into a warehouse with a foul-mouthed hoodlum in pursuit. Smith rescues the lady, dispatches the thug with a carrot to the eye socket, and delivers her baby, cutting the umbilical cord with

starscale

A&E

Despite a lack of plot, great actors leave ‘Shoot ‘Em Up’

{ } poor {

a quick blast from the thug’s gun. Then even more armed ruffians show up, led by a vulgar doughboy named Hertz (Paul Giamatti). The woman dies in the ensuing firefight, but the ridiculously resourceful Smith manages to save the baby.

From there, Smith seeks refuge in the Land of Milk and Honey, home to a lacteous hooker with the milky moniker of DQ (Monica Bellucci from “The Matrix Reloaded”). Having recently lost a baby of her own, she agrees to help Smith protect the child, who the bad guys want to finish off for reasons to bizarre to mention in a family-friendly newspaper.

Needless to say, Hertz and his crew catch up with our unlikely heroes in no time. This leads to innumerable high-speed car chases, skydiving scuffles, and comically graphic shoot outs. In a lurid Hollywood first, one of these shoot outs actually takes place during a love scene between Smith and DQ, and the line between sex and violence blurs into some sort of divine euphoria driven by humanity’s two most basic instincts.

Indeed, basic instincts are what drive this movie. Style definitely rules over sub-

} fair {

celebrating

} solid {

st a n c e.

Blink and you’ll miss the tortuous plot, which deals with the passage of a gun control, fetal harvesting, heavy metal music, and a tragedy involving chicken nuggets.

The actors all bring their A-game, which makes the movie’s lampooning all the more fun and welcome. Owen can crack crappy one-liners with the best of them, finding humor where none exists in the overwrought script. Bellucci, constantly launching into sexy Italian rants, is very funny when she can be understood. The funniest bit in the film involves hiding her and the baby inside a decommissioned tank that’s on display in the middle of a busy mall. Even Baby Oliver, played in interval by the twins Lucas and Sidney Mende-Gibson, gets a few welldeserved laughs.

} excellent {

But COURTESY OF » m ovieweb.c this movie beom longs to Paul Giamatti. The Oscar-nominated actor, who usually sticks to classier fare like “Sideways” and “The Illusionist,” literally steals every scene he’s in. His Mr. Hertz is one sick puppy, with a penchant for necrophilia and a perverse obsession with gun size. But Giamatti attacks the part with such rabid glee that you can’t help but enjoy his wicked antics.

I’d highly recommend this movie to anyone who can stomach the bloody stylized violence and overlook the numerous plot and dialogue imperfections. See it soon.

Bring carrots. That’s all folks. { }

} masterpiece Star ratings based on writer’s opinion

Diverse biweekly installments of East’s history will emphasize a half-century of education

years of EAST

This year’s seniors will be the 50th class to receive their diplomas from East.

This is the 50th football season.

This year’s senior prom? The 50th.

So each issue, to honor East’s first half-century, the Harbinger will run a story or a photo essay focusing on an aspect of a school steeped in tradition.

You’ll see all different facets of the school throughout the years, from parents who graduated from East in the ‘60s and ‘70s to graphs of sports’ teams records over time to how the Heralders dressed in 1980.

Look in the Oct. 2 issue for the first installment.

issue

2

A&E

20

Places to go,

Things to see

Seven ways to spend your time inelizabethmcgranahan Kansas City BY

2. Jaegers Paintball Jaegers Subsurface Paintball is home to the world’s first underground paintball arena. The arenas are set in one of the oldest limestone caves. Entering the cave, players are greeted by the ‘cave cat,’ otherwise referred to as Satan.

After signing up, training sessions and Safety presentations are provided. Good News: You don’t have to be a pro to paintball! For directions and details visit www.jaegers.com.

3. Comedy City

If paintballing isn’t exactly your forte, how about a good laugh or two? Comedy City is open Thursday-Sunday nights and welcomes teens. The shows are fastpaced and include interaction between the improv comedy teams and the audience. The comedy club is set up Vegasstyle and is now appropriate for teens.

For a night of good clean fun, round up your friends and head out to Comedy City.

4. Oktoberfest Oktoberfest is modeled after the world-famous festival in Munich.

Kansas City’s Oktoberfest features similar German food, entertainment, cultural activities and shows.

Sophomore Nick Telken attends the festival every year. “The music was great, it was a diverse crowd,” he said. Roughly 13 German food vendors will be lining the streets surrounding Crown Center Sept 21-23. As for entertainment, local bands are invited to create their own polka version of a popular song and submit it. The winner of this contest will receive $500. Oktoberfest has become one of the bestattended festivals in Kansas City and provides a weekend of cultural fun.

17 sept.

2007

1. KC

»

Fashion Week

Kansas City’s First KC Fashion Week takes place Sept. 25-28.It is a four-day event that includes fashion shows, local bands, shopping and seminars. Proceeds from the event will help benefit the United Music Charity Foundation of Kansas City, which funds youth music programs in the Kansas City area. Famous and local designers along with cosmetics companies will be present with their latest products and designs. For a full Itinerary of the fashion week, visit their website.

What is WearHaus?

WearHaus is a local organization created by fashion designers, for fashion designers. Founder, Carman Stalker, started producing and organizing fashion events in San Diego in 2002 and Kansas City in 2005.

WearHaus was created when she saw the need local designers had for organized marketing, selling and networking opportunities. Since conceptualization, WearHaus’ goal is to develop a network of local designers who can learn, create and prosper together as a community. WearHaus unites these fashion designers with boutiques, organizations and companies in the Kansas City area that they can not only gain from but also give back to eachother.

WearHaus events include fashion shows, fashion markets, monthly showcases, trunk shows, seminars, workshops and now, KC Fashion Week.

The goal is to create entertaining events that provide outlets of support showcasing and encouraging local fashion designers. WearHaus is known for the exciting, unique and urban atmosphere its events bring to a growing following.

» renli

5. Plaza Art Fair The Plaza Art Fair is among the top five festivals in the nation. The tradition began in 1932 and has grown every year since. During the weekend of Sept. 21, 23 and 23 an astonishing nineblocks of the Plaza are lined with tents containing 230 of the top artists from 36 states. Over 300,000 people visit this artistic festival each year. Tents showcase the finest in paintings, photography, sculptures, digital art, ceramics, metal and much more. You don’t need to be a buyer to appreciate this festival. Walking the streets and taking in all that these amazing artists have to offer is a great way to spend a day in Kansas City. For more info and festival details visit www.countryclubplaza.com.

Why should you support Fashion Week?

WearHaus prides itself on creating a community for designers; working together to create something bigger that Kansas City is starving for. Pulling everyone together to create a real fashion scene for KC Fashion Week is what WearHaus strives for. KC Fashion Week is not just about throwing unique events, it is about creating outlets for designers to sell, network and market themselves to people who have never seen their work. It also pulls together deejays, artists, modeling agencies, charities, local small businesses, photographers, stylists, promoters and boutiques that might not ever have met. These connections are what WearHaus feels will put Kansas City on the map as a recognizable fashion entity.

How do YOU get involved?

If you are interested in being a Retail Sponsor, Corporate Sponsor or a Participating Designer please contact Carman at carman@wearhaus.org or sign up on the mailing list to get updates.

Event Itinerary Thursday Sept. 27: 8p.m. - 9p.m.

Independent Designer Fashion Show Local designers present their latest looks on the runway. Fashion show features Jamie Brehm, *nathaniel REN3WAL*, Squasht by Les, Envy and Miriam Coffey.

6:30p.m. - 10p.m.

Fashion Market Shop and meet local designers at the Fashion Market featuring *nathaniel REN3WAL*, The Eclectic Crafter, LOVER cosmetics, Miriam Coffey, Psycho Sideshow, RareAdornment, Squasht by Les, Take a Halliday and Tricia Black.

Sept. 28: 8p.m. - 1:30a.m.

Closing Fashion Show Local retailers show off their hottest looks in a full runway fashion show featuring Lillibelle, Addie Rose Boutique, Uptown Boutique, Revue, Boomerang, bon bon atelier, birdies Panties and Swim Boutique and Spool. Intermission performance by opera singer Jenifer Weber. Stay late for a performance from local band Odds Even and a deejay set

by Olymic Size’s Billy Smith and Kirsten Paludau until 1:30am. information courtesy of http://kc.wearhaus.org/?page_id=21

6. First Fridays

First Fridays take place in downtown Kansas City on the first Friday of every month. Locals wander the streets listening to the live music, observing obscure art, and eating local cuisine. “Most of the restaurants are individually owned by families,” said sophomore Emily Halter.

The type of food varies from Mexican, Thai and American. First Fridays have consistently been a great way to spend a night out with friends and indulge in a little taste of Kansas City.

7. Open Grudge Racing Got the need for speed? Secretly envy speed racer? Then drive on over to Kansas City International Raceway every Wednesday or Friday from 6 to 10 pm. At the raceway, any teenager with a valid drivers license can drive their own vehicle on the track and race Kansas City area cops. This is a great way to satisfy that need for speed, without running the risk of getting a ticket. Go Speed Racer, Go!

» alexanderson

C h o s e n

Teens gather from all over the nation to participate in the national Lutheran Convention timshedor BY

»

Twenty-five thousand screaming teenagers. It’s a sea of spiked hair, blond pony-tails and gelled crew cuts. The girls know no embarrassment and the guys no pride. Everyone just wants to party.

The guitarist is wailing on his instrument. The high risers are creaking. Everyone knows the words to the song.

It’s not the Dave Matthews Concert.

It’s a massive collection of Christian youth, ready to dance and sing until old age slows them down. They’ve come during a hot and sticky July to Orlando for the National Lutheran Youth Gathering, a convention for students to share their faith and grow spiritually.

“Everyone was so energetic,” sophomore Grant Wekesser of Bethany Lutheran Church said. “I really enjoyed the excitement. I could hardly hear myself think.”

The Gathering only happens once every four years, making it highly anticipated by Lutheran Youth. It centers on a main theme, and hundreds of activities draw from it. Youth pick their own “treks,” one-hour classes on a specific topic, go to concerts or play games like Lazer Tag, basketball or volleyball in one of three convention halls.

Away from the main convention center, the teens continued to enjoy themselves. The girls and boys of Trinity Lutheran pranked each other late into the night, often calling to impersonate complaints from the front desk lady. Sophomore Carl Skrukrud pushed a chaperone into the pool, threw bread at stone duck statues and convinced beachgoers there was a shark in the water.

“We raided all the hotels around us one night,” Wekesser said. “We took all these pamphlets and then stuffed them into our roommate’s pillow.”

This year’s theme was Chosen. All students were Chosen to be a part of Christ and to serve in the world, in their own community and themselves. They were Chosen to help each other.

Junior Holly Glynn’s church, Trinity Lutheran, helped

see more photos, stories, links, and opinions SHARE Garage

S A L E

Drop-Off

Sat, 9am

They seriously questioned their faith. It didn’t matter what their parents told them, they had to find out for themselves.”

Soon Trinity was benefiting Solomon’s Porch and Harvesters, charities that feed Kansas City’s homeless.

They’re planning a youth retreat and are leading youthorganized church services this weekend.

“I didn’t go, but I could see it was a very transformative experience for them. They were very energized very excited,” Mark Harvey, Trinity’s youth minister, said.

“They wanted to share their faith, expand their group and their ministry. And they wanted to serve their fellow man.”

TEENS gather during a concert at the National LCMS Youth Gathering. »photo courtsey of hollyglynn

Inner City kids pick up the trash in their neighborhood in an off site service project.

“A lot of the kids came from troubled homes,” Glynn said. “They had to work a lot to support their family.”

They help raise each other in their community center, which extends from pre-K to high school. They’re educated through corporation internships and don’t have big plans for college. Their only plans were to go to work after picking up trash in nearly 100 degree heat so they could eat that night.

But that didn’t hold them back from a good game of basketball. The groups cheered and congratulated each other after every lay-up. Others threw the pigskin around or just sat on the courtside and talked. It was a long morning of work, but it was worth it.

“They had an ‘A ha!’ moment after they came back,” Mark Clobes, one of the trip’s adult chaperones, said.

“They wanted to share [their experience and faith] with the congregation. They did, and still do, daily devotions.

FEATURES

T h e

21

Q &AHOLLYGLYNN WITH

Q: I went because I had heard about it ever since I A: was a Freshmen, and it sounded like a lot of fun.

What made you decide to go to the LCMS Youth Gathering?

Q: What was your most memorable experience?

A: We ment people from Alaska. It was cool to talk to people tha tlive so far away.

Q: What was your favorite activity at the Gathering?

A: Well going to Florida with some of my closest friends and meeting lots of new people.

Rose Nails

4175 Somerset Dr. Prairie Village Corinth Square Shopping Center (near Hen House)

Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 9:30 am- 8 m Saturday: 9:30 am- 7 pm Sunday: Non- 5 pm

913-383-8288

For Fast, Beautiful, Thin Looking Nails Full Set Acrylic -- $25 Fill-in -- $16 Manicure -- $12 Pedicure -- $23

Walk-ins or appointments welcome

22

A&E

WESTERN

REGAINS flare

‘3:10’ leads Western film revival

»landonmcdonald

BY

For more than 40 years, westerns ruled in Hollywood.

They were easy to write, cheap to make and always rustled up major profit at the box office. All you needed was a straight-shooting star, a distressed damsel, an Indian attack or two, a saloon brawl, a climactic quick-draw duel with a sneering bad guy, and a triumphant ride off into the sunset. But with the advent of the 80s action blockbuster, the western petered out and died, fading away into curious camp and parody for years.

To some, the new “3:10 to Yuma” will represent a western renewal, the long awaited rebirth of a genre that has defined the American cinema. The film, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, certainly looks like a western and acts like a western. It’s even a remake of the classic 1957 western of the same name that starred Glenn Ford and Van Heflin.

But brother, this ain’t a western. It’s more like an action movie that just happens to be set in the West. That being said, it’s still extremely entertaining and boasts what might be the most chilling performance of the year.

Christian Bale, in another sublimely chameleonic role worthy of De Niro, plays down-on-his-luck rancher and family man Dan Evans. To help his impoverished wife and children and save his failing farm, this one-legged Civil War veteran has been paid to escort notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) to a train that will take him to Yuma Prison, where the desperado will be hanged for robbing a stage-

starscale

{ } poor {

} fair {

coach filled with riches belonging to a powerful railroad company.

Evans meets up with a band of other volunteers that includes a gruff bounty hunter (Peter Fonda) with a personal grudge against Wade, a corrupt railroad bureaucrat (Dallas Roberts), a timid physician (Alan Tudyk, last seen naked and drug addled in “Death at a Funeral”) and a grunting idiot (Kevin Durand) destined for death by forking. Eventually, Dan’s reckless older son William joins the group against his father’s wishes.

Russell Crowe, another fine actor in need of more parts like this one, lights up the screen with intelligent menace as the enigmatic Wade, who enjoys quoting the Bible, sketching in his notebook and gruesomely executing his enemies all in equal measure. His charismatic bravado tempts the audience to root for the bad guy.

His charm also helps to understand why his gang is so desperate to rescue him. This cruel pack of sub-humans pursues Wade and his frightened captors at every turn.

Their leader, Charlie Prince (Ben Foster), is arguably the most terrifying villain to grace the silver screen so far this year. Prince, with his cold blue eyes, satanic blond goatee and purloined Confederate general’s uniform, looks like the kind of guy who would love burning people alive and slaughtering whole villages, both of which he does frequently. He also reveres Wade in a way that borders on infatuation and will stop at nothing to get his “boss” back.

Director James Mangold, who previously helmed

} solid {

} excellent {

2005’s rousing Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line,” has an inspired ear for realistic dialogue and dramatic, intelligent characterization, something definitely missing from recent summer blockbusters. He obviously knows his way around combat sequences too, and the film consequently veers away from traditional western shootouts and enters the volatile realm of the action film.

Wade’s sacking of the stagecoach, shown earlier in the movie, provides an excellent example. For one thing, the carriage in question has a gigantic gatling gun affixed to its roof like a primitive tank brimming with “Scarface” level firepower. Also, Wade and his vicious gang are not content to use six-shooters and shotguns to heist the loot.

They use dynamite. These unconventional weapons result in exploding horses and human bodies reduced to meaty Swiss cheese.

There’s also a harrowing horse chase through a collapsing mine tunnel, an Apache Indian ambush by night and an endless gun duel at the end that spans an entire town and a train station. All this action, which would have been viewed as excess in a normal western, comes across as necessity here.

While I don’t recall seeing this level of carnage in the original film, it is truly riveting to see a mixing of cinematic styles that actually works. Perhaps “3:10 to Yuma” is a hybrid, the first action western, a retooled genre resurrected for the 21st century. Whatever the hell it is, it works.

{

} masterpiece Star ratings based on writer’s opinion

S M E

}

SPORTS

23

Right: Junior Marcus Webb evades a tackle in the Aug. 31 game against Olathe East. This was varsityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first game of the season. They were losing 24-0 at half time, but their defense held strong in the second half. Olathe East did not score again.

Ready to

RUMBLE Above: Sophomore Kevin Hertel wraps up a tackle against an Olathe East opponent.

This was his first varsity game.

Above: Ball boy Alex Mayfield follows the team into a huddle after the first half. He is a current sixth grader at Briarwood Elementary and hopes to play football at East.

Above: The varsity offense huddles to listen to senior Forrest Miller. After scoring nothing in the first half, they scored one touch down in the second half. Senior Daren Chesbrough scored their only touch down with a minute left in the second half.

Âť patrickmayfield

issue

2

SPORTS

25

BAD NEWS

» renli

BECKHAM

Soccer superstar arrives in the Midwest with a sprained knee, a losing record and wasted dollars

BY

»

samkovzan

For an unemployed student, $50 is a modest amount of money. So when sophomore Matt Creidenberg dished out that exact sum of cash from his own wallet – spending every penny he made all week mowing lawns – to see one of the most recognizable athletes in the world play soccer, he was hoping to witness something he’d never forget.

But those hopes, along with David Beckham’s right knee, have suffered a serious blow.

Beckham - the tabloid regular, marketing gem, fashion icon, and husband of Posh Spice – severely strained knee ligaments in a match on Aug. 29, ending his inaugural Major League Soccer season with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

According to Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop, Beckham will not play when Los Angeles pays a visit to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Wizards on Sept. 27. Creidenberg is one of the several East students who bought a ticket solely to see him. “(Beckham) is a well-known sports figure around the world and so many people were looking forward to him playing,” Creidenberg, a soccer fanatic, said. “But the

Unlucky Investments

Students who bought tickets early share reactions to Beckham’s injury

Junior Justin Krivena

“I’m upset that I bought a ticket to see an All-Star play, and it seems to me he’s saving himself for the English national team.”

Sophomore Mac Tamblyn “I was angry that I bought the ticket that early, but I still know it will still be a fun atmosphere with all of the hype surrounding the event.”

reality is that most people are going to be disappointed.

The reality is harsh but true. Many students in the East community have paid anywhere from $25 to $50 to see Beckham, famous for bending the ball around four-man walls and making 50-yard passes on a dime. As of now he is expected to travel with the team to Kansas City for the upcoming game, but only as a sidelined spectator.

Furthermore, the crowd for the event was expected to shatter Wizards attendance records. Since he will be benched on game night though, and since the Wizards organization does not accept refunds according to the

“

Sure, I’ll pay $50 to see one of soccer’s great players in our own city. But I don’t want to pay $50 to see some of the second tier players compete in the MLS Sophomore Jack Logan

”

Wizards’ Director of Communication Rob Thomson, ticket-holders like sophomore Jack Logan cannot help but feel disappointment and anger.

“That ticket is definitely not worth $50, not anymore,” said Logan, who purchased a ticket in the club level of Arrowhead. “Sure, I’ll pay $50 to see one of soccer’s great players in our own city. But I don’t want to pay $50 to see some of the second tier players compete in the MLS.” Freshman soccer player Robert Enders has accepted the unfortunate news and moved on. For him, the dilemma of whether to attend the game or not is a bit easier.

“Soccer’s a great sport and it’s extremely fun to watch,” Enders said. “People need to realize (soccer) is a great game even if Beckham isn’t a part of it.

The place that has felt the negative effects of Beckham’s absence the most is the Wizards’ front office. Erin Lawless, the Wizards’ Community Relations Coordinator, was very

disappointed when she learned Beckham would not play when his team came to Kansas City. Even so, she remains optimistic that the match will still draw a large crowd.

“There has been a slight decline in ticket sales, but not as much as we thought,” Lawless said. “The positive out of this situation, which is not a mess, is that the majority of people have expressed their continued excitement for the game and the atmosphere that will surround it.

The Wizards organization, aware of the many disappointed ticket-holders, has made a strong attempt to enliven the event. Their marketing department has made the game one of the Midwest Sporting Events of the Year.

“With or without Beckham, this game will have a party atmosphere and be an amazing event,” Lawless continued. “ Liverpool will perform pre-game and the Wizards have planned a host of other exciting entertainment around this game that will only add to the excitement on the field.

Whether or not a Beatles cover-band can draw as many spectators as David Beckham is yet to be seen. But the organization, which expected up to 45,000 in attendance, now estimates that they will lose one third of the crowd.

Thus, fewer than 30,000 are expected at Arrowhead for the game.

Regardless of the disappointment that has lingered throughout the upcoming event, Beckham was signed to a 5-year deal worth more than $250 million. Kansas City will have another shot at seeing one of America ’s highest paid athletes next season.

Creidenberg still wonders if purchasing the ticket was worth a whole week of lawn-mowing money. He is a loyal Wizards fan, but since ticket prices for most games are under $16, he cannot help but feel that he made the wrong choice. Even so, he has a positive outlook on the future of David Beckham in MLS. “Despite all the troubles, Beckham has brought massive crowds and he has made soccer more popular for now,” Creidenberg said. “He’s been injured all summer and filled the stadium even when he’s sat out games. I can only imagine what will happen when he’s healthy.”

issue

2

SPORTS

26

a breath of...

FRESH air

JV soccer squad has nine freshmen and they all have high expectations BY

» samlogan

Cameron Smith was an “ant among giants”, Zach Colby and Cooper Toombs were nervous, and CC Creidenberg was experienced, but they all were one step ahead.

These four freshman are just a fraction of the nine freshmen selected to play for the Junior Varsity soccer team this year, all being thrown into their first high school athletic experience with high expectations, hopes, and potential. With little to expect, they were thrown into their first practice among 18-year olds and a new head coach. They were high schoolers now.

An Ant among Giants It was Smith’s first day of practice, not just for his JV team, but also for the team he’d be playing against at practice everyday, the Varsity team, mostly juniors and seniors.

“I didn’t know what to expect going into my first practice,” Smith said, “I wasn’t sure how much different it would be from what I was used to.”

It can often be a stereotypical bullying situation; the freshman-senior relationship, but the freshmen say it’s just as if they’re the same age.

“At first we didn’t really talk or recognize each other,” Creidenberg said, “but within the last few weeks we’ve really started talking to each other and gotten to know one another.”

According to Creidenberg, it’s not that they get off that easy though, “We still get pushed around a bit,” he said, “anything that needs to be done during practice, we have to do; picking up balls, moving cones, or transporting goals… It’s all our job.”

Nervous Some could say a freshman is always nervous; having to survive the first day of school, having to meet new kids, overcome the first homecoming, and sit through their awkward pep assembly mannerisms. It’s ok, we’ve all been there, but almost

none of us have been thrown into the situation these nine soccer players have. A new coach, a new school, and new teammates are all just a part of what they’ll experience this season. More or less, they’ll see what it takes to make it in a high school program.

“I wasn’t really worried about the coming season, just uncertain of what to expect.” Colby said. Toombs, Colby, Smith, and Creidenberg all said that the worst part had been the running.

“We run with the varsity guys a lot,” Toombs said, “It’s tough, but in the end it’s going to pay off.”

One Step Ahead Of the nine freshman who were moved up, twenty-six were left behind.

One of them who didn’t get moved up was Kevin Simpson, who is on the Blue Team.

“We look up to the guys on JV because we know they are what we can be. They give us something to strive for.”

For CC Creidenberg, the same concept applies to his sophomore brother, Matt.

“It’s kind of weird playing up on Matt,” CC said, “but we both kind of expected it to happen. I think in the end it will make both of us that much better.”

What makes them better… Smith said it was a combination of all of them. “We [the freshmen] play together and have gotten good at communicating to each other on the field. It puts us that much ahead of the competition.”

Of the 35 freshman playing soccer this year, a staggering nine of them are playing junior varsity. “ All nine of us who are on JV this year have known each other for the past couple of years and have learned to play well with each other,” Colby said, “hopefully we can throw the older guys into that mix and make a championship out of it. We’ll see, though. After all, we’ve got four years to go.”

Cam Smith age 9

FRESHMAN Zach Colby dribbles down the field during the Black and Blue scrimmage. Colby had an assist in the 8-0 win over SM North. The team is 3-2 despite scoring 8 more goals than their opponents. » sallydrape

CC

Cam Smith position- right and left def.

Zach

Colby

position- left mid.

Andrew Goble position- left mid

Chris

Melvin

position- goalie

JaQuan Zach Colby age 7

Creidenberg

position- left def.

Brunt

position- right mid.

Adam Isenberg position- center mid.

Lucas Throckmorton position- striker

Cooper Toombs position- right def. and sweeper

17

sept.

2007

Cam and Zach have been playing soccer since they were young kids.

brogan runion

clark GOBLE record- 4-2

senior• swimming

Sunflower League Boys’ Basketball

SM East

Sunflower League Girls’ Basketball

SM West

Cotton Bowl

Arkansas, 38-35

Wooden Award Super Bowl

Senior Brogan Runion is looking for his fourth state title. He will be swimming the 200 meter medley relay, 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke and either the 200 freestyle relay or 400 freestyle relay for the team this year.

coach’s clipboard

On the pressure of a fourth straight state title- Compared to last year the pressure is about the same. We still have a really good shot at winning, but it will take more work than we’ve done in the past. There are some other really good teams out there.

On stepping up into leadership roles- All the seniors have stepped up to take on big leadership roles. We have a great group of underclassmen. We make sure they are working during main sets.

On his most memorable meet- Each race is memorable in its own way, but as a sophomore at league I was expected to be third or fourth and I ended up winning it.

X

On what winning state would mean to him- A fourth state title would be huge. It would definitely be one of my most memorable moments. It will take an entire team effort from the swimmers and divers.

On stubbing his toe being lucky- I have accidentally stubbed my toe a number of times before big meets and I always seem to swim faster when I do.

Runion and the rest of the boys’ swimming team go against Shawnee Mission South Jan. 10 at SM South and BV North Jan. 15 here at East.

BV North is a top team in the state, and if the Lancers prevail in both of these meets, their prospects for state are strong.

X X

» rachelenglish On what last year’s loss, the first in three years, meant to the team- It was questionable since the timing system didn’t work during a close swim, but there were things we could have done differently to score a few more points. After the meet it made all of us very determined to work harder in order to win state.

X X

It was almost too easy for the Lancers to score on this inbounds play vs. SM West on Dec. 6. The Lancers lined up in their “4-Low” set against the Vikings 2-3 zone. Junior Winn Clark was on the near block and senior Michael McRoberts was throwing the ball in. As soon as the ref handed McRoberts the ball, he whipped it to Clark standing unguarded six feet from the basket. He made an easy layup before the Vikings realized what was up.

Sometimes, the best play is the easiest one.

we diagram a successful Lancer play... without giving too much away

&

my me team as told by girls’ basketball player Taylon Johnson

1 2 3 4

Many of us like to go out to lunch after Saturday practices. It is a tradition to go to Salty Iguana after every home game. Team dinners are always a great place for bonding and great food.

Haley Dalgleish is so loud! Her enthusiasm is shown through her extremely loud and high pitched voice. Who knew someone could be so perky at our 8 a.m practices?

Our biggest competitors for league are SM West, Olathe South and Lawrence.

All three teams are also ranked in the top 10 in the state.

SM South will also be a big rival for us.

Libby Jandl and Christina David are really smart. Our team as a whole has a GPA of over 4.0

The girls ran over SM Northwest and Mill Valley to start the season and already have seen an offensive improvement. They play SM West Jan. 3 in their first game back from break.

SPORTS

the panel 23

5 minutes with...

Tyler Hansbrough, UNC Colts vs. Cowboys

sam LOGAN record- 5-1

Sunflower League Boys’ Basketball

SM East

Sunflower League Girls’ Basketball

Lawrence

Cotton Bowl

Missouri, 34-17

Wooden Award

Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

Super Bowl

Patriots vs.

Cowboys

sarah LUBY record- 4-2

Sunflower League Boys’ Basketball

SM East

Sunflower League Girls’ Basketball

Olathe South

Cotton Bowl

Arkansas, 34-21

Wooden Award Super Bowl

Tyler Hansbrough, UNC Patriots vs.

Packers

nick RATLIFF record- 4-2

Sunflower League Boys’ Basketball

SM East

Sunflower League Girls’ Basketball

Olathe South

Cotton Bowl

Arkansas, 38-21

Wooden Award

Brandon Rush, KU

Super Bowl

Patriots vs.

Packers

issue

8

the

matt moedritzer

WEEK ahead 27 what’s up this week in Lancer sports

M

junior • soccer

»

T

U

Girls’ Varsity Tennis vs. Manhattan- The girls were ranked second in the most recent poll and are well on their way to regionals and state.

SPORTS

5 minutes with...

tylerroste Boys varsity soccer vs. SM South- The Lancers took 2nd in the KA-MO Tournament last week and beat #1 ranked BV North in the process.

They lost in the final but were still ranked #5 in the state poll. SM South lost 10 seniors.

» taylerphillips

Junior Matt Moedritzer took over for two-year varsity starter Peyton Warwick at the beginning of this year after Warwick’s departure to Rhode Island, a top soccer program.

He talks about the expectations, his favorite saves and his superstitions. » patrickmayfield

On his soccer background- I probably started playing soccer in preschool, and I started playing goalie in sixth grade because my team didn’t have one. I guess it worked out.

On his most memorable save- It was probably my freshman year with Rob Cole [the former C-Team, now Blue Team coach]. It was the opening game and we were playing Rockhurst.

It was one-on-one and I had to make a pretty good save. It was pretty cool.

On his expectations- I want to be an All-Sunflower Team goalie. As a team, I think we can go deep into the tournament and our goal is to win state.

H

Varsity football vs. Leavenworth- So the season didn’t start off so well. So what? Leavenworth is no Olathe East or SM West, and K-State bound Travis Tannihill (dark, below) won’t be on the field. The Lancers should pull away early for an easy win.

Moedritzer and the rest of the team take on SM South on Tuesday (see right).

»

» patrickmayfield

On his superstitions- I always have a rubber band on my left wrist, and that started because of last year on JV. We only lost one game last year [against SM Northwest] and I realized after the game I wasn’t wearing the rubber band that I usually did.

the panel

T

Varsity volleyball @ SM East Quad- The girls competed in their KA-MO Tournament last week and remained at #2 in the state poll behind Blue Valley West. They should have no problem winning all their games at the Quad with BV North, Olathe North and SM South playing.

patrickmayfield

On last year’s goalie Peyton Warwick- He set the standards pretty high and I’m just trying to do what he did. He casts a pretty big shadow.

Varsity soccer vs.

SM South

Varsity football vs. Leavenworth

Vikings at Chiefs

Royals series vs.

White Sox

World Series

Super Bowl

clark GOBLE

SM East, 4-1

SM East, 41-3

Vikings, 16-3

Royals win 3

Red Sox vs.

Padres

Chargers vs. Saints

sam LOGAN

SM East, 3-2

SM East, 31-14

Vikings, 21-7

Royals win 2

Red Sox vs.

Padres

Colts vs.

Saints

SM East, 3-1

SM East, 24-7

Vikings, 13-3

Royals win 2

Yankees vs.

Mets

Patriots vs.

Seahawks

SM East, 3-1

SM East, 17-7

Vikings, 13-10

Royals win 3

Red Sox vs.

Mets

Patriots vs.

Bears

record- 0-0

record- 0-0

sarah LUBY record- 0-0

nick RATLIFF record- 0-0

issue

2

PHOTO ESSAY

28

Above: Freshman Andrea Zecy motions for a friend in the audience to join her in the last dance of the night.

Left: Senior John Zecy entertains the audience as he mouths the words to the first song “Calamaciano” which is about courting a young lady.

Get your

Greek Siblings John and Andrea Zecy dance at an annual Greek Festival Quick Facts

sept.

2007

Far above: Senior John Zecy is lifted up on a table as he dances to the final song, “Hasapa Servico,” which means “Happy One.” Zecy was chosen to be on the table this year because he is the most experienced.

Above: A wedding scene was part of the first dance. Andrea Zecy (left) hands flowers to the bride, Maria Arvamitakis.

» karenboomer

• Every September the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation brings the Greek experience to Kansas City by holding a three day festival.

• The festival consists of authentic Greek food, a “taverna” style atmosphere and

bouzouki music and dance.

• SeniorJohn Zecy has been Greek dancing for nine years and his sister freshman

Andrea Zecy has been dancing for six years.

• This year they were in the intermediate group. John was known as a Levendes

and Andrea was an Athenian.

• They performed in eight shows, each consisting of four dances.

17

on