Issue 3

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theharbinger » »

NEWS: School mourns freshman’s death » PAGE 2

FEATURES: Caffeine pills are hazardous to health » PAGE 9

ISSUE THREE oct. 2, 2007 shawnee mission east prairie village, ks

A&E: Iron & Wine produces a hit with ‘Dog’ » PAGE 19

More females opt for Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, to reduce their chances of becoming a statistic BY

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» megshackelford

he thought it was just a reaction.

Sophomore Amanda Privitera continuted to tell herself that when the red, itchy bump appeared on her arm the day after she received the Gardasil injection. At first she thought it was because of her sensitive skin, but just to be safe, her mom called the doctor.

He reassured her that the reaction was normal, and he was right. It went away in a week.

“I really hate shots,” she said. “But my doctor recommended getting Gardasil because he said there’s no reason not to, just in case something happens. Even my sisters are getting it and they are 12.”

Ever since June 2006, Gardasil has been on the market for girls ages 9-26. Coming in a series of three shots, Gardasil protects against HPV, or Human Papilloma Virus, an STD that causes cervical cancer in women. About seven million shots of this relatively new drug have been shipped to doctors’ offices for about a year, which alarms some parents because long-term effects are unknown.

Some parents also object to it because they feel that it is unnecessary for their child who is not sexually active.

Avid TV watchers may recognize the “One Less” commercials that promote Gardasil. For those unfamiliar, HPV causes cervical cancer in approximately 11,000 American women each year.

According to the Center of Disease Control, about 3,700 of those women die.

“From a medical standpoint Gardasil isn’t controversial because it eliminates cancer,” Dr. Kevin Burgert from Pediatric Associates in Kansas City said. “It really depends on who you ask though. I think the media might make it controversial because of the fact that HPV is an STD.” Burgert explains that Gardasil protects against four strains of HPV: types 16, 18, 11 and 6. Together, these four strains cause 70 percent of cervical cancer and 90 percent of genital warts.

» story continued on page 4

NEWS

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A freshman not forgotten East mourns the death of Jay Crnkovich, a freshman who spent just two weeks at the school BY

» timshedor

Freshman Jay Crnkovich lay inside his casket, surrounded by Hot Wheels and dressed in his favorite button-up Hawaiian shirt.

Nearly everyone he had ever known or worked with was there, from the lunch ladies to the principals. They formed a long line past the coffin, sharing condolences and fond memories with his two middle school sisters, his father and step mom.

Jay had lightened each of their lives with his 1,000 watt smile and ever-present optimism. He gave them a new perspective. He showed them what life was like from a wheelchair.

“Jay loved everyone he met,” step-mom Annie Crnkovich said. “And everyone who met Jay loved him.” …..

Jay’s middle school sister, Mindy, was one of three who stood up to make a speech. She explained how much she missed him and how she would come to miss hearing his voice, at least the voice his wheelchair projected.

Jay was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that causes the body to lose control of its muscles. He needed a special wheelchair with a feeding tube system and a Vantage, a machine that enables cerebral palsy victims to communicate. Icons scrolled up the screen in front of him, and Jay waited one-point-two seconds per icon. When he found the right one he would push his head against a button and the machine would speak in a monotone, steel voice.

It was this voice that called to someone nearby to scratch his leg when it itched, or change the channel to Tim Allen’s “Home Improvement.” It was the voice that asked to go for a walk down to the Village. It was the voice that greeted the Perkins morning waitress when he stopped in for coffee with his birth mother.

“Jay made everyone smile,” Annie said. “Sometimes he would get so excited his face would turn beat-red.”

He helped keep his family optimistic in the rough times.

They needed to be with him constantly. He couldn’t swallow, and they needed to make sure that he wouldn’t choke on his drool when they tucked him into bed. They bathed him every day and dressed him in the mornings. He needed to sit in the garage while they mowed the lawn.

They tried to help Jay live a normal life. He wore a Hawaiian shirt when they took a trip to Disney World last summer and watched him ride the carousel and pet the animals of Animal Kingdom. He ate breakfast with the whole crew; Goofy and Pluto were his favorites.The hotel had a swimming pool, and Jay took advantage of his opportunity every day to paddle around. His parents carried him through the water as he tried to flex his unbending legs. They called him “the Frog.” …..

Special needs paraprofessional Joel Crown stood up at the funeral. He said a few words about Jay and told the funeral goers, “When you see a person like Jay, be patient.

It takes a while to get there.”

Jay and Crown first met at Highlands Elementary School during fourth grade, when cerebral palsy had limited Jay to answering questions with a “yes” or “no.” Crown realized that all the basics had to be dropped, spelling, grammar and literature. They had to begin with the fundamentals.

He needed to communicate.

“There was something in his horrible little body,” Crown said. “There was something inside him that wanted to be normal.”

In the beginning, they worked one-on-one. Crown wore a Hawaiian shirt as he taught Jay, with Diet Coke in hand.

They worked together during the weekdays. Every chance he got he would visit Jay’s house. They spent their evenings talking on the front porch.

Jay made progress quickly, and Crown was able to bring him into a regular classroom. Soon Jay made friends his own age, not just the special education staff at Highlands. Alisha, Elizabeth and Annie fought to push oct. his wheelchair. Chris waved to him on his way to the 2007 pool. Kids would sit next to him at lunch or say hello

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when they saw him sitting on his porch.

“Jay loved to talk to people,” Annie said.

“He just wanted to be around them.”

The more they worked together, the more Jay admired Crown. He wanted to be just like him and got his own Hawaiian shirt and strapped a Diet Coke can to the back of his wheelchair. He wanted to grow up to be a teacher.

It didn’t matter if it was summer, Labor Day or Saturday. Jay wanted to be at school.

He liked seeing his friends in the hallways and talking with Crown in their sessions.

They began to make more progress with his machine. Jay was now able to form full sentences and Joel could program new icons into Jay’s Vantage like the Andy Griffith whistle or “I want to go for a ride in the PT Cruiser.” They soon shared jokes that Crown had programmed into the Vantage.

“What did the judge say when the skunk walked into the courtroom?”

“I don’t know. What?” Crown said.

“Odor in the court! Odor in the court!”

And then Jay would show his toothy 17inch smile and chose the next icon. “That’s a good one!” …...

All three principals from Jay’s former schools, Highlands, Indian Hills, and East, were at the funeral. His paraprofessionals from East were there too, including his teacher Maureen Johnson. They had worked together one-on-one in math and science, sometimes even cooking.

Johnson had replaced Crown because he forced himself to quit working with Jay. Middle school was approaching and Jay Freshman Jay Crnkovich sits in his Vantage wheelchair at home. He uses the wheelwould need to meet new people. Crown chair to communicate through symbols he selects photo courtesy of joel crown feared that if Jay became too dependent on him, Jay would never experience life as an department brainstormed ideas to commemorate Jay after individual.He lost many of his friends to Indian Hills. Their they learned of his death. They planned to lower the flag social lives matured and they had less time for him. They to half-mast, and to make a banner in his honor. They set stopped eating lunch with him and forgot to visit. But he out a giant card in the library for the school to sign and still remembered them as he bounced excitedly in his seat share their memories of Jay. Last Friday the coffee shop when the van passed Highlands on the way to East. donated all profits, $520, to the Dream Factory and the » His charm and smile brought new friends at East. He ate United Cerebral Palsy Foundation of Greater Kansas City, first lunch with junior Curtis Wells. They would sit in the organizations that fight against Jay’s condition. coffee shop and talk about cars or Well’s summer vacation He had died quietly in his sleep. He didn’t complain. He to Michigan. Sometimes paraprofessional Joyce Emery didn’t cough. He didn’t make any noise to cause alarm to would talk with them about her childhood on the farm. the nurse sitting only 10 feet away. When it was time for him “He was never sad,” Wells said. “When I would come to to get ready for school his nurse tried to dress him, but he lunch with him he would bounce in his seat, real excited. wasn’t breathing. The family never requested an autopsy, He was happy just to talk to someone.” but they believe it was heart failure.

He had a passion for music. His counselors thought he Jay had been at East for only two weeks, but he was needed a music course to break up his day and relax him glad to be there. He wanted to finish high school before he after spending so much one-on-one time in the classroom. passed away.

He was allowed to sit in the corner of the choir room during “He wasn’t ready to die,” Crown said. “It was a school fourth hour. He didn’t sing along, but he didn’t make a fuss. day.”

Just sitting in the room with so many other students was He was buried on his father’s birthday in Highland enough for him.

Cemetery. His family wanted Jay buried in a place that “At first the kids didn’t know how to react,” Tracy remembered the best times of his life at Highlands Resseguie, the choir director, said. “Then they would say Elementary School. When he had good friends, unlike ‘hello’ to him if they walked by. They appreciated why he when they matured and drifted towards their own interests was in class and they weren’t bothered by that.” in middle school and high school.

Soon Jay grew comfortable too and greeted Resseguie He was buried in the perfect spot, next to the broken with phrases like, “Mr. Resseguie, you the man,” or “Hey fence. Neighborhood kids run through the cemetery to go Mr. Clean,” referring to his bald patch, complete with an to the field nearby to play ball. They have to pass his grave icon of the cleaning wizard himself. to get there. …..

“Jay would have wanted it that way,” Crown said. “He Some of Jay’s friends at East showed their support at would have played with them if he could.” his visitation, including friends from Pack of Pals. The day He was buried on a sunny day. The sky was clear and few before he died Jay had been to the Pack of Pals picnic, a clouds stood in the way. It was a little hot, but the mourners SHARE project that allows special needs kids to interact didn’t sweat. They were wearing Hawaiian shirts. with volunteers.

The friends he met at the picnic and the special education Additional reporting contributed by Sarah Luby

Making new discoveries Freshmen win national science award BY

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An orange a day might help keep the cancer away.

Freshman Keshav Ramaswami may have proved just that. As a part of a nationwide science experiment he will venture to Washington D.C. to share his experiment with a panel of judges for a variety of scholarships and prizes.

Ramaswami and freshmen Prarthana Dalal were declared two of the 400 semi-finalists in Discovery Channel’s “Young Scientist Challenge.” They were judged from over 60,000 applications from around the United States.

In addition, Ramaswami’s project was selected as one of the 40 finalists that will be judged in Washington D.C. in late October.

“It was really exciting when I got the call,” Ramaswami said. “I didn’t really expect mine to be picked, especially with so many entries. It was a pretty big deal to my family.”

His experiment analyzes what effect orange albedo (white part of an orange), has on prostate cancer cells after it is boiled and put into a centrifuge. Ramaswami conducted his experiment at KU Medical center with real cancer cells.

“It was cool to experiment [at KU Medical Center],” Ramaswami said. “I have always wanted to go into a lab and mess around. It was a real learning experience.”

Ramaswami took data everyday for two weeks and his tests finally revealed that the albedo protected against weaker forms of cancer, but did not protect against any stronger forms.

“It was disappointing not getting the results that I had hoped for,” Ramaswami said. “But I was glad to find that it did protect against the lower stages of cancer.”

Dalal’s project is over the effect of puromycin, a toxin, on dendrite processes following podocyte injury. Podocytes are a filtration system in the kidney which keeps vital macromolecules inside the blood system.

Dalal found that when the cells are exposed the toxin, the cells shrank and were either damaged or killed, which allows vital proteins to leave the kidney and enter into the urine stream.

Dalal received guidance from Dr. Shribastava, a pediatric Nephrologist at Children’s Mercy, whom she now considers to be her science mentor.

“He helped me develop the idea for my ex-

news BRIEFS

Garage Sale The SHARE garage sale is Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The sale is in the gym. Items sold include clothes, toys, books, household/kitchen items and furniture. Proceeds benefit SHARE.

By the Numb e

rs: Keshav R

amaswami

» michaelstolle periment, as well as guide me with the work in his lab.” Dalal said.

Shribastava was mainly there for Dalal’s supervision and assistance with lab equipment.

“It was up to her to take the data and conduct the experiment,” Shribastava said. “Overall, I was really impressed with her maturity and skills.”

As a part of Ramaswami’s qualification, he will go on an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. where he will take part in competitions including team challenges and oral presentations, as well as some sightseeing. He will present his experiment at the Smithsonian Museum, where a panel of judges will award scholarships worth up to $20,000 and the chance to become “America’s Top Young Scientist.”

Ramaswami says though he enjoys science very much, he is by no means dedicated to it and does not consider it a hobby.

“I’ve played guitar since I was five and have played tennis for the last two and a half years.”

Ramaswami said.

Dalal too enjoys activities other than science; she plays the clarinet and takes Indian dance classes, as well as soccer which she hopes to play for East in the spring, but does so out of her own decision; her parents are not overbearing.

Similarly, Ramaswami feels that his parents are very supportive, but never put too much pressure on him. “[My parents] are really laid back. Most parents push their kids to hard, but they are there to motivate me and bounce ideas off me,” Ramaswami said.

“We try not to push him to do anything,” said Keshav’s mother, Beena. “I feel if he does it himself he tends to do things better… what we did was at a young age exposed him to many different fields and then he chose what he wanted and did not want to do by his amount of curiosity. We don’t want to force him into fields he doesn’t enjoy.”

Ramaswami shows apprehension for his trip to Washington D.C., for which he has been practicing and has hopes of finishing in the top three. He is excited to participate in the group activities, saying that they will be a great learning experience, as well as presenting his experiment at the Smithsonian.

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NEWS

: By the Numbers

Prarthana Dalal

Peanut Butter The peanut butter drive is this week. There is a competition between third hour classes to bring the most jars of peanut butter.

College Clinic College Clinic is Oct. 10 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Representatives from over 200 colleges across the nation will be available to share information. All students and their parents are welcome.

National Merit Commended Students The National Merit Commended Students are Karen Boomer, Alexandra Burgers, Amy Coffman, Owen Craig, Bradford Crist, Laura Immenschuh, Callie Jennings, Scuyler Kurlbaum, Ren Li, Alison Sayler, Sylvia Shank, Nicholas Smith, Meredith Walrafen, and Sam Watson.

PSAT

The deadline to register for the PSAT is Oct 12 at 3 p.m. The PSAT will be given at East on Oct. 17 at 7:40 a.m. The fee is $16.00.

Please make checks payable to Shawnee Mission East.

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UMKC Scholarsfest

UMKC Scholarsfest, a workshop that addresses the interests and concerns of collegebound students, is Oct. 14 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The workshop is free, and will be held at the UMKC campus. See the counselors for more information.

Late Start There will be a late start on Thursday. School starts at 9:40 a.m.

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NEWS

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Staying on guard

Students face decisions about HPV vaccine

» continuedfrompage1

A representative from Merck, the company manu“I think it’s very interesting how quickly they debated facturing Gardasil, claims that the FDA would not have Gardasil on being required because it hasn’t been out approved Gardasil if it weren’t an effective product. They very long,” she said. “It’s very different to demand that also wouldn’t have approved Gardasil if clinical trials from patients when lifestyle choices are really protecting showed that the drug affected pregnancies or them.” caused any health hazards years down Senior Courtney Pennington is one such the road. In fact, clinical trials show person who is choosing not to be vacthat Gardasil does not adversely afcinated, as she is choosing abstinence fect patients later on. until marriage.

“I think that [Gardasil] sometimes “I think Gardasil is a great thing places fear in parents,” Burgert said. since it prevents cancer,” Pennington “I had a patient whose mother thought said. “But I’ve heard of horror stories it was wrong to vaccinate STDs due to sort of few and far between about somereligious reasons. Most of our patient one who was paralyzed for about two population who are against Gardasil days because of taking the shot. And are the strong, conservative Christians.” that’s not something that I find necessary The message Merck wants to get to deal with.” across regarding Gardasil is that it’s She certainly understands why other not simply vaccination, but behavgirls may want to get the shot. It just ioral education as well. According isn’t a huge concern for her. to the representative, they want to At first, junior Paige Cannady’s encourage abstinence and other mom was uncertain about GardaWhat is HPV? interventions as much as they sil, too. She didn’t understand that HPV (human papilloma virus) is a can. all teenage girls, even those who sexually transmitted virus.

Junior Ali Fisher is undecided aren’t sexually active, should take How is it passed? when it comes to getting the Garthe shot. After hearing about it from It is passed on through genital dasil shot. Eventually she will word of mouth, she decided there contact and sometimes through probably get the shot, but since was no harm in letting her daughit’s new, she wants to wait and see ter get it. skin-to skin contact. if any long-term effects become “I think it’s a pretty significant Who can get HPV? known. issue since there is such a high Both men and women may get Fisher’s mom, Molly Fisher, risk of cervical cancer in women,” - and pass it on- without knowing it. agrees.

Mrs. Cannady said. “The commerIs there a test for HPV? “The only reason we would not cials are a great way to advertise Yes. The test only can find the get Gardasil is because you don’t because I think it pushes women kinds of HPV that may lead to cerviknow the negative side effects that towards getting the vaccine.” cal cancer. could show up years down the Privitera’s reaction to Gardasil road,” she said. “You hear now that could have been more severe.

Source: FDA people are blaming the rise of auWorst case scenario, she could tism on certain vaccines.” have had a mild fever or muscle She compares Gardasil to the pain, according to Burgert. Furhormone replacement drug from thermore, lots of girls like Cannady years ago that eventually caused have complained that Gardasil hurts cancer in women years later. Mrs. much worse than any other shot.

Fisher is not opposed to the new drug, but doesn’t “The nurse actually had to put the shot in see a great urgency in letting her daughter get it. my thigh,” Paige Cannady said. “They had to start putting

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them in thicker places because girls had been complaining about severe pain afterwards.”

Burgert says the pain is due to the formulation, or make-up of the drug.

Along with the shot’s sting, there is talk of how Gardasil could be provided for boys someday. Burgert says the FDA approved it for the female population only because it was shown through tests that it would benefit them more.

However, there is a chance that Merck could go back and change this. They would have to have enough evidence showing that Gardasil could decrease cases being passed from boy to girl.

“Overall I think it’s a very good vaccine,” Burgert said.

“It’s just the next step after the pap smear to catch cases of the cancer that haven’t been caught yet.”

Ways To Reduce The Risk of HPV • Abstaining from any sexual contact is the only sure way to prevent contracting the virus • Avoid having sexual relations when your partner appears to have genital warts • Ask partner/get tested together for these diseases • Choose a long-term mutually monogamous relationship • Choose a partner less likely to be infected • Discuss values and boundaries with your partner • Try alternatives to express your feelings, such as hugging and kissing • Wear a condom (this may not prevent HPV 100 percent) Source: CDC

Suicide BY

» paigecornwell

Senior Jane Smith* wanted to escape. Clutching the bottle of Advil, she knew that the lethal dose of the medication was really high, and she probably didn’t have enough pills to do what she wanted to do. But she wasn’t thinking logically. She was fed up. She couldn’t deal with school, her depression, how she felt that she was fake around everyone.

She wanted to die.

Her friend fought with her for what Smith suspects was at least half an hour, in tears, terrified. At last, Smith let go of the bottle, ending the incident that she describes as “the worst it’s ever been” of the past two years. The two years that she has struggled with depression, cutting and finally, her thoughts of suicide.

“Everyone has this idea that people who want to or do commit suicide are overreacting, dumb teenagers who don’t care about anyone but themselves,” Smith said. “Like they’re inventing something so bad they’d rather die than deal with it. I don’t think people get how strongly against human nature its (to want to commit suicide.) How bad something has to be.”

Smith is not alone.

The Study A study recently released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that from 20032004, which is the latest information available, the suicide rate increased by eight percent for all people ages 10-24. Between 1990 and 2003, the suicide rate had decreased by 28.5 percent.

According to Gail Hayes of the Center for Disease Control’s Injury center in Atlanta, the study that CDC released is an analysis of data from CDC’s National Vital Statistic System, comprised of death certificates obtained from each state and enables the CDC to identify trends for who is at risk, the age groups and methods.

Of the study, the group with the highest increase were girls ages 10-14, followed by girls ages 15-19.

“The database does not collect information about why someone might have take their life,” Hayes said.

“So, at this time, we are not able to figure out why things might have changed.”

Four years ago, warnings were put on the packaging of antidepressants when federal regulators warned that antidepressants might increase the risk of suicide among teens. However, when partial data was released earlier this year, experts noted that a drop in sales corresponded with a rise in the suicide rate, leading health officials to believe that those who might need antidepressants are not getting them, due to less prescribing by doctors.

According to Scott Perkins, coordinator of the Youth Suicide Prevention Project, a grant for the Missouri Department of Mental Health, the decreased use of these antidepressants treated for depression may be a factor.

“Some are speculating that a decrease in use of antidepressants may be to blame,” Perkins said. “I am not sure it is possible to know exactly why rates change, but that certainly could have been a factor.

Antidepressants have helped a lot of people, but it is not the only solution for depression. I believe that a combination of counseling and medication often work best.”

Losing Control Smith started having problems in the beginning of her sophomore year.

“I started cutting, got addicted really fast,” Smith said.

“I’d feel horribly for a few weeks, then maybe okay for a week or so, then back to the usual.”

It escalated halfway through the year. She became depressed.

“I just started feeling like this was never going to end,” Smith said. “Depression is like the most sad, hopeless

SPIKE

feeling you can imagine. Except it’s worse than that.”

While Smith tried both therapy and a medical evaluation, she didn’t improve.

“I saw a therapist, but it didn’t really do any good,” Smith said. “She basically ended up saying that sometimes I wasn’t going to feel well and I just had to deal with it.”

The therapist referred Smith to a psychiatric nurse for a medical evaluation, who, according to Smith, couldn’t decide what was wrong, and didn’t prescribe her with any medication.

“I kinda gave up on the whole therapist thing,” Smith said. “It just made me more anxious because I don’t really like talking about it.”

She doesn’t remember the exact reasons why she clung to the bottle of Advil that night.

“It all blurs together,” Smith said. “I don’t have a good sense of time or order of events. I was sick of everything.

I wanted to die. It’s about any hope you can find. I know it’s ironic to think that death would be hope, but it’s just not something I can explain. You’re in a fog; you feel like the world is passing you by.”

According to Hayes, suicide among teens often occurs following a major event.

“Suicide among youth and young adults often occurs following a stressful life event,” Hayes said. “Such as a failure at school, a breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the death of a loved one, a divorce or a major family conflict.”

The Beginning of a Trend?

While the data was for 2004, health officials don’t know if the increase is short lived, or the beginning of a trend.

“Data for 2005 will be ready for us to analyze later this year,” Hayes said. “That will help us figure out whether or not the increase in suicides has continued for another year. It’s important to keep in mind that whatever 2005 data reveals, our goal is to prevent suicides.”

Additional studies will also be done to look at the causes and prevention measures.

“Researchers need to do more studies to understand what drives changes in suicide rates, so that we can prevent similar changes in the future,” Hayes said.

Perkins also emphasizes looking at the big picture.

“I do not doubt the findings of the recent report, but there are a few things to keep in mind,” Perkins said.

“First of all it only looks at a change in rates between two years (2003 and 2004). It is not unusual for rates to change from year to year. I believe that you can get a better picture by looking at rates over a longer period of time.”

Geography teacher John Nickels believes that the rates may be increasing due to added pressures.

“It’s hard being a kid,” Nickels said. “Kids are expected to do so much, they are involved in so many activities, and it’s just hard to keep everything going. Especially at East. East is a brutal school; there’s so much competition academically, it’s hard to keep up.”

Although causes for the increase are uncertain, the study has brought attention to the issue of teen suicide.

“This study alerts us that CDC, along with others in the field of suicide prevention, need to work harder to prevent the underlying causes of suicide,” Hayes said. “We believe that there’s now a more urgent need for prevention measures that focus on the underlying causes and address, especially, the needs of youth.”

Hayes believes that identifying the warning signs is crucial.

“We do know that if we can identify depression and other warning signs in adolescents early, they can begin receiving appropriate interventions sooner,” Hayes

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Newly released study by the CDC shows a possible

said.

Communication is also important.

“If the person says they’ve thought about suicide, friends need to know not to keep it a secret,” Hayes said. “They should tell an adult they trust. And adults, parents, teachers, coaches, can talk to a counselor or therapist to find out more about how to help. “ Nickels says that the study reinforces that teachers have to be aware.

“I’ve had students with suicidal thoughts. They need someone to care,” Nickels said. “First they have to recognize what is causing problems, get help, get a plan to deal with stressing things. But kids are infinitely more resilient than adults. Some of the kids, you are amazed at how they come to school.”

While in each case there are different reasons factoring into suicide, Perkins says that there is one common denominator.

“People attempt suicide for many different reasons, but a common denominator is usually loss,” Perkins said. “Loss of a loved one, loss of their freedom, their dreams, their hope.”

Recovery Smith believes it is the little things that could help her to recover.

“I have friends who can take the razors and the pills from me. I don’t need everyone doing that,” Smith said.

“But the teacher who sort of got that something was up and would always say ‘hi’ or ‘bye’ to me when he noticed I’d been really quiet in class? That helped.”

But she still feels like she is “in the fog.”

“I don’t think I’d be as likely to try it right now as I could have six months ago,” Smith said. “I’m under less stress, and things have been more under control. It’s not gone. I doubt it ever will be.”

She’s found comfort thinking about the people that she would leave behind.

“One of my friends in particular is pretty dependent on me,” Smith said. “I’m like her older sister. I don’t think I could ever do it. I couldn’t hurt her.” * Name has been changed

W A R N I N G Signs that a person may be having suicidal thoughts: • Talking About Dying- any mention of dying, disappearing, jumping, shooting oneself or other types of self harm.

• Change in Personality- sad, withdrawn, irritable, anxious, tired, indecisive, apathetic.

• Change in Behavior- can’t concentrate on school, work, routine tasks.

• Change in Sleep Patterns- insomnia, often with early waking or oversleeping, nightmares.

• Change in Eating Habits- loss of appetite or overeating.

• Fear of losing control- going crazy, harming self or others.

• No hope for the future- believing things will never get better, that nothing will ever change.

• Low self esteem- feeling worthless, shame, overwhelming guilt, self-hatred, “everyone would be better off without me.”

RESOURCES • National Suicide Lifeline Toll-Free Number: 1-800-273-TALK •Mental Health Assocation of the Heartland: 913-281-2221 •Teen Connection: 913-281-2299 •Know that you are not alone. Contact a mental health professional, spiritual advisor, school counselor, private therapist, family physician or a crisis intervention center.

Source: American Assocation of Suicidology

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EDITORIAL

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Zero enforcement Administration fails to properly follow through with district’s Zero Tolerance Policy

“Students participating in Shawnee Mission High School extra-curricular activities are expressly prohibited from the use, possession, transfer, or sale of any alcoholic or cereal malt beverage, restricted substances, or tobacco.”

These words are from the district’s substance abuse policy defining “zero tolerance” throughout Shawnee Mission Schools. Students have heard and read these words in announcements, in newsletters, on the website and in athletic packets.

However, while the policy defines zero tolerance for substance abuse, it says nothing about illegal activity other than substance abuse. The policy is ineffective due to the administrative failure to consistently enforce it.

By specifically defining what constitutes a violation and adding a clause to cover other crimes, the administration could give the words zero tolerance legitimate meaning.

The faults in the policy are shown in the case of junior Jenny Howard, a varsity cheerleader. She was at a party with alcohol, but was not drinking. When the police showed up at this party, Jenny took a field sobriety and passed, but according to Jenny, the police report that athletic director Gary Howard received had listed her name anyway.

According to district athletic director Rusty Newman, police usually list everyone that was at the party as having an M.I.P. and that it’s the administrations responsibility to find reasonable evidence to verify that the student was actually drinking.

This evidence can include eyewitness statements, police verification that they smelled alcohol on the student’s breath, or student submission.

The substance abuse policy also states that the administration needs to find sufficient verification in order to suspend someone from participation in an extracurricular activity. There needs to be enough evidence to kick someone off. Once kicked off, there should be no need for reinstatements.

In Jenny’s case, she met with the athletic director after she cheered at a soccer game and discovered she had been kicked off the team for violating the substance abuse policy. Jenny was reinstated after one game when the administration found there wasn’t sufficient verification she had been drinking.

The administration should have examined all the evidence in Howard’s case before suspending her.

The substance abuse policy should also specify what verification is needed, whether it’s a breathalyser or witnesses to the incident.

While Shawnee Mission’s substance abuse policy at least attempts to convey the idea of zero tolerance, the district has never had an extra-curricular policy regarding crimes other than underage drinking.

But, according to Dr. Susan Swift, East’s definition of zero tolerance is that there will be consequences for any crime occurring at East, but the consequences will vary depending on the crime.

Despite East’s philosophy, the district has no policy regarding what happens to students involved in extracurricular activities when they are charged or convicted of misdemeanors or felonies.

Senior Terrance Thomas, a varsity football player, has been charged with burglary of a motor vehicle and is now on diversion. According to Thomas, there have been no consequences and the charges have not affected his football season at all.

If the district changes the policy to include all crime, they need to specify when in the legal process there is sufficient verification for the student to be suspended from extra-curricular activities. If the student pleads guilty or is convicted then there should be the same consequences for students with M.I.P’s.

To actually start counteracting illegal activity the district and the administration need to take a stance.

A zero tolerance policy means no case-by-case basis is involved. The administration needs consistent enforcement, regardless of the circumstances.

Adding a clause to the substance abuse contract prohibiting students from participating in illegal activity would be a good first step.

Specifying what verification is required before taking action is another. Consistently enforcing the policy would strengthen the districts zero tolerance claim and then the words zero tolerance would actually mean something to students.

a 10 VOTE

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for

0

against

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The majority opinion of the Harbinger Editorial Board

theharbinger a publication of shawnee mission east high school 7500 mission road, prarie village, kansas 66208 oct. 2, 2007 issue 3, 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

2

oct.

2007

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

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

» EDITOR

letter to the

Dear Editorial Staff, I am writing in response to Gage Brummer’s article entitled “U.S. Senator gets Flushed” on the premise that it is highly one-sided and inaccurate. I wish to clarify this situation, which I feel Gage has misconstrued.

He accuses the Republican Party of having “double standards” and depicts Senator Larry Craig of Idaho as a martyr in the Republican’s quest for political power.

He claims that Senator Craig’s so called “selfish party” asking him to resign after he was arrested for disorderly conduct in an airport bathroom as hypocritical due to another case involving Republican Senator David Vitter. Gage asserts that Vitter was “known to be buying prostitutes in Washington, D.C. on multiple occasions” and the GOP was indifferent towards his actions to keep a seat in Congress. In fact, Vitter was asked to resign after his telephone number was discovered on an escort service’s phone list, something that isn’t even punishable by law. I am no way defending David Vitter’s actions, nor saying that his actions were worse or better than Craig’s; however, I feel that it is unfair to classify an entire party as hypocritical based on these two isolated events.

Something that is not noted in the article is that Craig’s guilty plea is a result of the Republican Party’s “clearing the decks” of all corrupt officials. The party is not tolerating any misdemeanors of any kind. Already Arizona Rep. Rick Renzi and California Rep. John Dolittle have been asked to resign, and currently there’s an investigation of Ted Stevens, six-time elected senator from Alaska. Republicans would lose one of their most influential Senators. If the Republicans are trying to win this “power struggle,” then why would they intentionally shoot themselves in the foot by looking into these allegations? It doesn’t make sense. The Republicans are not fighting tooth and nail to maintain power, but are doing the best they can to represent the U.S. Citizens.

Where’s the hypocrisy in that?

Something Gage forgot to mention that Democrats are also being caught up in scandals. For starters, Senator Robert Torricelli resigned after it was revealed he received personal gifts from a major campaign supporter and Florida Senator Gary Siplin was only slapped on the wrist after he was found guilty of a third-degree felony of grand theft. The point is, each party is guilty of having a few bad eggs, but it’s unfair to portray the Republican Party as the solo vitiators of our government. However, I do agree with Gage that our generation can change the status quo, but only after we start looking at the problem with an unbiased eye and without flagrant, baseless accusations.

Parker Hine

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

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.

anopinionof

Mirrors adjusted? Check. Seat belt?

Check. No toddlers behind me?

Double check.

As I back out of the driveway with my dad in the passenger seat of a black 1992 Honda Accord, I unwarily stomp on the gas. Wham, over the neighbor’s curb I go, almost » jordandietrich crashing into his fir tree.

As I look back on the occasion months later, I realize I had not checked off a vital aspect of being able to drive – proper instruction.

Luckily, I’ve been able to stay injury-free, but over 10,000 other teen drivers this past year haven’t.

A 14 year old kid + 2,000 pound vehicle = disaster.

The cause of this recklessness not only lies on the shoulders of the teen drivers, but also on the state of Kansas for allowing such lunacy. For this reason, the state of Kansas needs to start at the roots of this problem and provide a thorough course for teenagers in attaining a learner’s permit.

The Kansas Driver’s Bureau currently requires a written test and an eye exam for a 14 year old to attain a learner’s permit.

Remember, a 14 year old may be starting to grow a trash stash and could be standing at an impressive 4 foot 10. With the written test asking questions like, “What does a red sign that says ‘STOP’ mean?” and an eye exam that

WRECK

Steve Erkel could pass, these requirements are met effortlessly.

Not to mention, someone could have missed a quarter of the questions and still take it another four times in order to pass. This makes the hour long wait in line the hardest part of the experience.

The real question that should be asked on every test is, “Are you dumb enough to endanger the lives of everyone within a one mile radius?”

Although Kansas has laws regarding driver’s education, statistics demonstrate the current methods are not working. More teenage drivers are dying in vehicle crashes than ever before. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, a reported 7,487 teen drivers died in 2005. That’s over 20 teenagers dying every day.

The age group of 14 to 18 makes up 7 percent of the drivers, but suffers 14 percent of fatalities and 20 percent of all accidents. This means that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, surpassing homicide and suicide combined. With these hefty statistics, what’s the cause?

A 2005 Allstate Foundation survey of 1,000 people ages 14 to 17 revealed some shocking statistics. More than half of young drivers use cell phones while driving, 69 percent speed to keep up with traffic, 64 percent speed to go through a yellow light and 47 percent said that passengers distract them. This means teen drivers are

not being given proper foundations to build from in order to become safe and successful drivers.

To change this major flaw of Kansas’ driving department, I propose the following: Instead of providing a worthless written-test and a lame eye exam to aspiring drivers, the state of Kansas should establish a mandatory high school driver’s education class.

A 2007 AAA study shows that teenage drivers who take a driver’s education course have a 40 percent decrease in fatalities. Therefore, classroom instruction of driver’s education should be required in high schools.

It should be mandatory that every student, rich or poor, pass this semester-long, tax-paid class. Tax-payer money would actually be decreased from a $200 outof-school course to a $100 in-school driver’s education, according to AAA. In addition, several insurance agencies charge lower rates for those who have taken inschool driver’s education.

Not only will this plan limit the number of dangerously - inexperienced drivers and over-priced driver’s education fees, but it will cut down on needless accidents, injuries, and deaths and provide drivers with a better foundation of safety on the road.

To do this, the state of Kansas needs to look at the glaring red-flags, institute this mandatory class, and do their job – keeping our roads safe.

» renli

Driving policy is a

OPINION

7

Kids seem to “coast” through driving permit process because the current

Thinking outsideJohnson the lines County A little change in your lifestyle can create a world of difference

So I was walking along the street when a man stopped me and said, “I have the power to save 500 human lives.

I also have a » gagebrummer cheeseburger meal that is freshly cooked, just how you like it. You can only pick one of the two, the decision is yours.”

Looking around in confusion, I struggled to figure out what he was trying to do.

“Well… of course I would have you save 500 lives,” I nervously replied.

“Then you, my son, are a hypocrite,” and with that, he walked off.

I thought to myself, surely I’m not a hypocrite… am I? The scene in my head ceased to exist, and only the feeling of uneasiness was there to accompany me.

My interest got the better of me, so I contacted the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. Assistant to director Emma Hart informed me that I was indeed a hypocrite.

For what I would be spending on fast food in a month (roughly $27), I could have bought 500 condoms for AIDS prevention in Africa.

Hart informed me that each of those condoms represents the protection of one AIDS transmission.

In a perfect world, each condom would represent a life saved. Instead, my ignorant American brain kept me buying those cheeseburgers, which were more or less killing me.

Looking further, I became completely disgusted with myself. Yih Ming, the volunteer coordinator for Nicodemus Wilderness Project, told me that for the $60 that I was going to spend on Halo 3, I could have been saving over two acres of rain forest, a unique habitat that little is known about and is being destroyed at an alarming rate.

It is also the home of the most diverse group of wildlife species in the world.

And the current rate of destruction is 137 species a day, or about 50,000 a year.

It is also where 121 of our prescription drugs are from, which comprises about 25 percent of our prescription medicines.

On the flip side, we’ve only researched 1 percent of the plant species there.

Not only was I not helping the

rainforest, I was in fact hurting it. The plastic the game is made out of is derived from oil; the same oil that is drilled from the rainforests, from the beautiful Alaskan shorelines, and provided by the superwealthy oil corporations who represent all that I despise.

But why should I be cutting back when no one else is? It’s unfair that I shouldn’t get to eat my McDonald’s if I earned the money to pay for it, right?

Wrong, if I thought about how my definition of unfair compared with a kid who is slowly dying of starvation half a world away. Not only is it wrong; it is downright sickening.

Then I thought, what if everyone else that I knew cut back on these things as well? What if other people, people with more power than I had, cut back and donated the difference to charity?

If McDonald’s gave all of its profits from 2006 to charity, it could save 10 percent of the Amazon forest. If nine other companies matched that amazing

What your money can do: $10 $50

$500 $3500

Plant a Save an acre Dig a well for an A cow that can tree of rainforest produce four gallons entire village of of milk per day people

» renli

anopinionof

www.wildernessproject.org

www.heifer.org

contribution, we could completely protect the Amazon forest. In one year.

Sounds pretty extreme, or does it? If 10 big companies could find a way to cut their profits for the previous year in half, and use them for two years, then they could donate all of their profit from one year to charity.

One year of that from only 10 companies could save the Amazon rainforest.

If that’s just 10 companies, think about the difference the world would see if every company did that. For some reason, though, greed takes over what is obviously the right thing to do.

What sounds extreme to me is the fact that they wouldn’t make that sacrifice.

My message is this: we tend to live within and think that the world is similar to the 10 square miles around us. We are destroying land that has benefited us more than we will ever know. People are dying and living in terrible, terrible conditions all over the world, yet we drive around wondering where the next party is.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The littlest things that you can do to help will add up in the end. When you are about to buy a fast food meal, think of the damage that is causing the environment and the better places that the money can be going.

In the end, you can do what you want. You can go on living the way you normally do, and gripe, or you can change something… even if it’s just one little thing.

To me it’s as easy as a hamburger or 500 people’s lives.

issue

3

OPINION

8

BEHIND THE WHEEL Driving with hand controls gives wheelchair-bound student normal freedoms

anopinionof

» lancervoice

As I sat in the church parking lot in the silver Buick LeSabre, I had two thoughts running through my head: “Wow, I can’t wait to drive,” and “Wow, how the heck do I drive this?”

Simon and Garfunkel’s “I » nickratliff Am a Rock” was playing as I got in the car, ironically, because I felt more like a twig about to snap under pressure.

With my fingers nervously tapping the steering wheel and my heart racing, my instructor, Mary, told me to start the car, and to start moving forward — slowly. I took a deep breath and pulled the throttle, a short little stick on the left side of the wheel, towards me.

I was driving—only with hand controls.

My whole life, I’ve tried to be as much as like other kids as possible.

I have a disability called Spina Bifida, which has confined me to a wheelchair my entire life. I know I’ll never be able to jump rope or run on the cross country team, but I’m glad somebody managed to find a way for me to drive like everyone else.

Driving means a lot more to me than most people because it gives me some freedom.

I’ve had people help me with many things in my life, like pushing me up the mountain that connects the second and

2 oct.

2007

third floors and getting me a literature book high up on the shelf in English class.

With driving, I’ll be able to do something major for myself. I’ll be able to go to Town Center or Oak Park Mall or even down the street to my friend Josh’s house when I want to, not just when my parents can take me.

In the church parking lot, I was still feeling a bit nervous, but once I got moving and turning in a circle for a few minutes, everything seemed to come naturally.

I started to tense up when I almost hit a truck, but my reflexes prevailed, narrowly missing the red Ford F-150, and I kept going, only making minor mistakes, like forgetting to turn my blinker on, the rest of the way.

I had waited almost a year and a half to start learning to drive because the district’s driver’s education program could not accommodate me. They just didn’t have a driving instructor that knew how to work the hand controls.

So my family and I looked around this summer and found that the Kansas City Rehabilitation Institute offered driver’s education with the hand controls.

But after that, the Rehab Institute called and said that one of the instructors had quit, which meant that my sessions would be pushed back another month.

I was disappointed and angry because all of my friends got cars as soon as they turned 16 and I was the one always asking for rides.

It makes me feel guilty and dependent on them, to tell you the truth. We were on vacation when the Rehab Institute called, and I wouldn’t talk to anyone else for three

hours.

So there I was at my first session, and we drove around the church parking lot for a couple of hours, pulling the throttle towards me to hit the gas and pushing it away from me to brake. Since I could only use one hand on the wheel, there’s a little knob that latches onto it that I hold onto, which helps me turn the wheel much easier.

After the session ended, I felt so proud of myself that I had finally driven a car.

I was almost walking in that car. I was gliding, almost flying. It made me feel free from my wheelchair. I couldn’t stop smiling.

My second session consisted of actually getting on the roads, including a couple of trips down Metcalf and going into some neighborhoods.

This was even more nerve-racking for the first 10 minutes, since I was sharing the road with Ford Explorers and Toyota Camrys instead of handicapped signs and light poles.

Since I was only going about 20 miles per hour, some people honked and gave me dirty looks, even though the license plate said “Student Driver”. That sense of insecurity started to creep back in.

But then I realized that people on the roads looked at me as a normal, ablebodied, grandpa-like driver.

In any other situation, they might’ve thought that I was just some kid in a wheelchair that needed more help doing simple things–like picking things up off the floor.

It made me confident and put me in a good mood to be seen as normal, even

though they shook their heads and yelled things at me.

I showed them that I could drive a car, which is no small task. They didn’t know and probably didn’t care that I’m in a wheelchair. They just wanted me to go faster.

With my newfound confidence, I started remembering the rules and basics.

My instructor, this time a man named Rick, said that I was doing very well and had very good instincts.

I even turned my signal on when I was supposed to and made sharper, crisper turns. We drove on the roads for the whole two hours which was quite fun for me. I kind of think of driving as a game, a game where you have to play by the rules.

The Rehab Institute requires about 40 hours of experience. After my sessions are complete, my parents and I will go out and find a car.

If I could choose, I’d probably want a nice stereo system, and the car would definitely be blue.

The car will have to be rewired by a mechanic and one that I can get my chair and I in and out of easily. But I really just want a car.

Whatever car I choose will be an embodiment of freedom and independence for me.

And when I finally get it, my parents won’t have to drive me if I want to go to Chipotle or American Eagle.

But, most importantly, I’ll be a bit closer to being like everyone else.

NAME

DO YOU THINK DRIVER’S ED HAS HELPED YOU?

WHAT’S YOUR DRIVER’S ED HORROR STORY?

Carly Putnam 12

It’s given me confidence, and it taught me how to behave in traffic when my dad isn’t there in the passenger seat.

One time, I nearly broadsided a Corvette when I was out with my instructor. I could see [the driver’s] eyes get really big .

Staying awake in class was hardest for me. It was so boring.

David Moskowitz 12

Driver’s Ed didn’t help me at all.

It had no real-life application and gave me no useful information.

I almost got into a car wreck while I was on the highway – it was a really close call.

Staying awake in class was hardest for me because it was so boring. I didn’t learn anything useful.

The whole thing was just pretty lame. It took a lot of time and it didn’t help that much.

Parallel parking.

Driver’s Ed was the worst class I’ve ever sat through. Nothing really bad happened but it was boring.

Sitting through class.

Josh Allmayer 11 Kristina Grandon 10

It gave me practice driving and helped me get hours, which was good.

Driver’s Ed really helped me learn the rules of the road, like four-way intersections and who has the right-of-way.

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF DRIVER’S ED?

FEATURES

9

Every day, 3.5 million people in the U.S. wake up homeless. The rest of the world may judge them as drug addicts or lazy, but senior Sylvia Shank investigates what it’s truly like to be

INVISIBLE

Pete, a homeless man, sits on a bench in Mill Creek Park and listens to his portable radio. The bench also serves as his bed. Pete suffers from schizophrenia and diabetes, and spends his days drawing and digging through the trash.

»photos by patrickmayfield

ADAY inthe LIFE of Pete Walks to the Mission Church for breakfast (hot dogs and burgers).

Walks to community center on 43rd and Main for free coffee, a pencil and paper.

Smokes some cigarettes.

Walks back to park and hopes people will give him some money (he doesn’t ask for it, but people often slip him a few dollars).

Goes to sleep at midnight on the bench at Mill Creek Park.

Wakes up at 4 a.m. on the bench in Mill Creek Park.

BY

Bill sits in the park, watching the people go by. Along with a friend, he paints houses on the side.

Walks back to park and does some work (digs through trash).

Walks back to the park and draws.

He drew in high school.

Walks to the Mission for dinner (usually Sloppy Joe’s, green beans and bread).

Buys a beer and some dessert with his money (if he makes any).

SIMPLE WAYS TO HELP : Donate clothing, shoes or any other items to the 2nd Chance thrift store (7740 Wornall Rd.) Collect food items for low-income families in the inner city that could be used for Thanksgiving. To participate in the Thanksgiving baskets, call the City Union Mission: (816-329-1467) A donation of $100 will purchase 1 new mattress for the Men’s Center at 1100 E. 11th St. The Men’s Center (816-471-3811) also needs 100-20” square box fans, disposable razors and travel-size shaving cream.

Starting on Oct. 8 through Nov. 25, the City Union Mission is teaming up with HyVee to feed the homeless. HyVee shoppers can pick up $1, $5 or $10 gift vouchers at the door of any local HyVee store. The donations through the purchase of these go to buying groceries for the Mission shelter’s use.

Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat is the familiar drive where people can trick or treat not for candy, but for canned goods and non-perishable items. Be sure to bring in the collection to the City Union Mission before Nov. 8.

»sylviashank

I was curious about Pete.

I go jogging in Mill Creek Park on the Plaza and as I reach the top of the biggest hill, Pete is always sitting there, bike propped against bench, hands in his pockets.

While I run, Pete sits on his bench and watches the world.

Finally, last Tuesday I got up the guts to walk over and say hello.

“Hi, I’m Pete,” he said.

49 years old. Black. According to him, mentally retarded.

Pete likes to talk. He tells me it’s his favorite thing to do and he proves himself to be quite the conversationalist. Yet he has no one to talk to.

“I’m lonely,” he said. “Nobody ever talks to me.”

When you’re homeless, jobless and mentally ill, companionship is scarce. Because people don’t talk to him, he goes to the park and watches them talk to each other.

Loneliness and a lack of purpose in his life are his only complaints. So rare are conversations, that Pete says they become the biggest event in his week.

“When I meet somebody, I think about them for four or five days,” he said.

According to the National Center on Homelessness and Poverty, an estimated 3.5 million people live homeless in the United States.

Pete went to Lincoln Prep in Kansas City and married his girlfriend at 18 because she was pregnant. The marriage ended three years later, and he never sees their three kids. He doesn’t really want to. They remind him of his ex-wife, and Pete doesn’t want to remember.

He isn’t sure how, but he wants to help people.

“Can I help you?” he keeps asking. “I’ll help you with your homework. Don’t you need help?”

He takes comfort in being around people, even if they don’t look at him.

He tells me people are scared of him because they see he’s homeless and has a lazy eye, but he’s quick to defend himself.

“I am not crazy!”

He used to work – as a bus boy and cook. Eleven years ago, he quit.

“I didn’t like it. Plus, I wasn’t making enough money for it to be worth it.”

The government sends him a $600 disability check each month that arrives at his cousin’s house.

Pete takes $10 and leaves the rest to his cousin because she’s single and has two kids.

“She lives in a little space in the projects,” he said. “She’s tryin’ to take care of her kids. She needs it more than I do.”

He suffered a heart attack three years ago, and to fight it, he’s made dietary changes.

“I drink a lot of orange juice. It’s good for my heart. I can buy a whole gallon of it for a dollar at the store I go to.”

He calls it his bench. It’s where he wakes up as the sun rises and where he goes to sleep around midnight. It’s also where he passes his days, looking at the businessmen, nurses, runners and shoppers.

The world ignores Pete.

Or thinks to itself, “Get a job.” “Stop being lazy.”

“I’ve been thinking about going back to work, maybe at Gates Barbeque,” he said.

In order to apply, he needs $45 as an application fee.

“It depends on my luck, how much money I’ll get a day,” he said. “I don’t panhandle; I just hope people will give me money. Sometimes, they do.”

If he gets the money and gets the job, he still plans to stay homeless. It’s become his preferred way of life because he says it helps him deal with his disability.

“You learn to take care of yourself,” he said.

“You take control of your life and you can’t just sit back and do nothing. You have to survive.”

Beside Pete on the bench is a bottle of vegetable oil and a crow bar. I ask about them and he says he searches through the trash cans every morning.

“You can find all sorts of things in there,” he said.

He doesn’t yet know what he’ll do with today’s items. He isn’t sure if he’ll make enough to buy a $1.60 hot dog for dinner. If he doesn’t, he may find something left in a trash can or on the ground. He may just wait until the morning and walk to the Mission on 41st street that serves breakfast.

But tonight, when the sun sinks down and all the runners and bikers and doctors go home, Pete’s still going to be sitting.

He’ll turn up his portable radio on Country 104.3 FM. Alone in the park, he’s a little bit lonely, but he’s made peace with this life. He shuts his eyes, curls up on the bench that’s too short for a grown man. issue It might not be a home, but this is Pete’s bench.

4

FEATURES

10

Nice stalking to you

Students recount bad relationships that led to worse breakups BY

» elizabethmcgranahan

More than just a fling

Sophomore Shelby Langtry goes to camp every summer.

She looks forward to bon fires, swimming in the lake, seeing her friends and the occasional summer fling. This previous summer Langtry had no idea that she would have a summer fling of her own. It all started when Langtry met a new boy on the very first day of camp. After just meeting the boy, Langtry knew she had a crush on him. He obviously felt the same way because within days he had already asked Langtry out and she accepted. “I figured what the heck? It’s camp…its summer... I wanted to have fun,” Langtry said. Her relationship quickly turned sour when he became obsessive.

A bad breakup

Senior Max Nelson knows what it means to undergo a bad breakup. After dating his girlfriend for two years, he couldn’t stand the lying, cheating and annoyance of her any longer. “I wanted a high school sweetheart so I tried to stick it out and instead I just ended up getting hurt,” said Nelson.

Unfortunately, the breakup was not the end of her. She continued to call and text Nelson so often that Nelson ended up changing his phone number in an attempt to escape her

Rapping for love

“My name is Clair and I’m more ferocious than a bear.”

One rap battle at debate camp is all it took for Sophomore Clair Finke to attract the attention of a fellow debater. “I barely knew this guy at camp until he challenged me to a rap battle, which I pwned him in,” Finke said. It was all downhill from there. Apparently her rap battling skills sparked an attraction because he began following Finke around and trying desperately for some ‘alone time’ with her.

His strive for attention lead to lies. He told Finke an endless string of lies including a lie that his father had died from lung cancer. Shortly after returning home, he asked Finke to be his girlfriend. “Apparently I consented to go out with him, although that never happened,” Finke said. He then

He began stalking her, randomly singing to her and begging for attention. Langtry couldn’t handle it and broke it off after only two days. “He was so upset that he cried,” Langtry said.

He continued to ask her out claiming he was heartbroken.

Even after returning home from camp he continued to call her and stalk her on facebook while living half way across the country. After months, Langtry finally confronted him and he no longer bothers her. His tears aside, “I know I made the right decision,” Langtry said.

stalking. She then proceeded to stalk Nelson’s new girlfriend, telling the new girlfriend that Nelson was cheating on her. “It was a last ditch effort to try to get me back,” Nelson said.

Nelson is now happily in a new and healthy relationship, but is yet to rid his life of his stalker ex-girlfriend.

started called her several times a day claiming his obsessive calling was all in the name of ‘making their relationship work’. While Finke was in a relationship with another guy, her debate camp stalker informed her that he intended to visit her with his mom. Days later, he flew in from Texas just to see her. “I showed him around Kansas and when I tried to ‘break up’ with him, he turned down my efforts,” Finke said. After he returned to Texas, Finke called and finally flat out told him she didn’t like him at all and wanted nothing to do with him. After realizing he couldn’t avoid her break ups any longer, he gave in. Now Finke knows better than to rap in public, it only leads to unwanted attention.

Quite the wake-up call It was 3 a.m. in the morning. Senior Molly McGonigle was asleep in her bed with her cell phone beside her. It showed 12 missed calls all from the same guy, a friend of the family who happened to be out partying that night.

“Apparently after I didn’t answer my phone, he thought it would be a good idea to come to my house,” McGonigle said. After arriving in front of the McGonigles’ house, he sat in his car for nearly half an hour. He then proceeded to enter the back door of the house. He tip-toed up the stairs and into McGonigle’s bedroom. Right around the time he

» renli

entered, Mrs. McGonigle happened to wake up. “My mom was shocked to find him standing at the foot of my bed,” McGonigle said. To add to the freakish scenario, instead of turning to run, he turned to shake Mrs. McGonigle’s hand.

“Hi there Mrs. McGonigle, so nice to meet you,” he said. It was obvious he was intoxicated. The McGonigles didn’t bother to call the police; it was obvious he didn’t mean any harm. The next morning He called to apologize for his drunken behavior. “It was scary at the time, but now we joke about it,” McGonigle said.

What is stalking?Are stalkers dangerous?

-The exact legal definition varies from state to state, but all states now have some kind of law against stalking. Virtually any unwanted contact between a stalker and their victim which directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places the victim in fear can generally be referred to as stalking, whether or not it meets a state’s exact legal definition.

-Stalkers use a wide variety of methods to harass their targets.

The inventiveness, persistence, and obsessive nature of stalkers is almost unimaginable.

15 oct.

2007

-Stalking is a serious, potentially life-threatening crime. It permanently changes the lives of the people who are victimized by this crime, as well as affecting their friends, families, and co-workers.

Many stalkers change behavior over time and increase the frequency or the intensity of their contacts.

Ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands who stalk are often violent. Some of the most dangerous stalkers give little or no warning before they attack. Some people who are being stalked are more afraid than they need to be, and others are not as afraid as they should be.

What should you do if being victimized?

Sources: aware.org and antistalking.com

-In general, stalking is a series of actions that puts a person in fear for their safety. The stalker may follow you, harass you, call you on the phone, watch your house, send you mail you don’t want, or act in some other way that frightens you.

-Tell the stalker “no” once and only once, -Take a self-defense class. The best self-defense classes teach and then never give him the satisfaction of you how to become more aware of your surroundings and avoid confrontations, things that stalking victims would do a reaction again. The more you respond, well to learn. the more you teach him that his actions will elicit a response. This only serves to -Get a cell phone and keep it with you at all times, even inside your home, in case the stalker cuts your phone lines. reinforce the stalking.

-If you think you are being followed in -Never give out your address or phone number. This applies your car, make four left or right-hand when filling out forms or registering for programs on the turns in succession. If the car continues internet.

-Document everything. Even if you have decided not to go to follow you, drive to the nearest police the legal route, you may change your mind. Keep answering station, never home or to a friend’s machine tapes, letters, gifts, etc. Keep a log of drive-bys or any house. Never be afraid to sound your car suspicious occurrences. horn to attract attention.

one12one 1 BY

Student-run Christian Youth group focuses on building individual relationships with God

» natalieeisenach

5:20 a.m.

While the average high school student is still asleep in bed, the youth leaders of Club 121 are wide-awake. Seniors Courtney Pennington, Jenn Sunderland, Stephanie Enger, Meg Howland, Laura Wetzel and Aubrie Dolliver all work around the K-Life house’s kitchen preparing batter, mixing orange juice and frying sausage. This particular Friday morning they have organized a pancake breakfast. As the guests arrived they turn on the Christian pop music, set up games of foosball and serve plates of pancakes and eggs for students to eat.

Most Friday mornings Club 121 hosts a worship service in art teacher Jason Filbeck’s room. Club 121, a Christian youth group, has been at East for eight years. The six-girl team of youth leaders has taken a new approach to Club 121. They are incorporating more social activities and parties to welcome a broader range of students. “ [Our goal is to] equip teens with a place where Christian students can go to have a deeper relationship with Christ as well as have a firm relationships with others that are meaningful,” Pennington said.

This semester the group has chosen the theme of “Drawing closer to God” and is ocusing on how to have a personal relationship with God on a day-to-day basis. For each meeting they have an opening prayer. Wetzel then leads the singing and plays songs on her guitar. Following this, one of the girls gives a talk on an issue related to the semester’s theme.

Pennington gave the first talk on the foundation. She talked about reading and interpreting the Bible after being inspired when reading Psalm 119. Currently Dolliver is working on the next meeting’s talk, titled “Making God our lord,” and it focuses on making God the most important part of your life.

Writing the talks are an important and personal time for each of the girls. Usually it is a two week process. The first step is to pray and read the Bible. This inspires them on what they should discuss at the meeting. “ I felt like that was what God wanted me to talk about,” said Dolliver when she spoke about the passage she found while preparing for her talk.

From there they continue to pray and read. Dolliver consults “The Book of Holiness” for advice. Finally, every Thursday night the group meets to run over their plans for Friday. At this time the leader for that week goes over their talk with the group and they bounce around ideas. Enger coordinates the food plans and divvies out the jobs to everyone. Each week

they also pick new songs for Wetzel to play and for the group to sing along with the next morning.

There is a lot of work involved in running the meeting each week. Meeting on weeknights to organize and finalize plans can become stressful with homework and other extracurriculars. They feel that they have been called to do this. There is a greater importance in their work that makes it worth their time.

“We have a desire to share our faith at school,” Sunderland said.

“We feel we have been called to do that. Leading Club 121 is the best way to do that.”

The club’s goal is not to force religion on East students; in fact being a Christian isn’t a requirement to attend one of their meetings or weekend events. To support their goal of developing a social environment for high school teens they have organized events for the club that are non-religious. This year they have already set the dates for trips to the Pumpkin Patch and after-MORP bowling parties.

The club’s growth in attendance is reflective of their success. Since last year they have had nearly twice the amount of students coming. One of the proudest moments for the group was to when they had 54 attendants on a Friday morning.

“It was great to see people had an eagerness to come worship and to see all the people who love the Lord,” Pennington said.

It is also a reassurance to know they are successful in their pursuit welcoming other Christians to school so they don’t feel alone.

“It is awesome to come and have fellowship together and share faith with everyone. You can come and hangout with kids from your school and know that others are there for you,” said member sophomore, Hayley Dagleish.

“We have a desire to share our faith at school. We feel we’ve been called to do that.” seniorJENN SUNDERLAND

UPCOMING EVENTS

Pumpkin Patch>Oct. 27 After MORP bowling party>Nov. 2 Presentions in room 203>Every Friday, 7 a.m.

What’s the difference?

K-Life K-life is not affiliated with any school. It is a non- demoninational Christian youth group that meets every Monday and Tuesday at the K-life house on 71st and State Line. It is led by adult leaders that are chosen by the National K-life Headquarters. The club provides opportunities for students to hang out or meet in small groups that are divided by grade and gender.

Club 121

Club 121 is also a national organization. High school students can start their own club at their schools to hold Christian fellowship.

It is open to anyone at the school and has no affiliation with outside youth groups such as Klife. It is student led, so the student leaders’ approach dictates the unique qualities each club has.

meet

» marygalvin

» karenboomer

TO

FEATURES

11

HOWLAND MEG One of the Club 121 leaders talks about her experience

What is your presentation to the Club going to be about?

“I don’t really know yet because I don’t have to start preparing for three more weeks. Our theme this semester is ‘Building Relationships’ so I will probably focus on some passages and show how they relate to your life.”

What is your favorite part about the meetings? “I love the worship and singing. I really love the talks because I know the people giving them and I know where they are coming from. It is more helpful hearing the messages from your peers.”

How much time does it take to prepare a meeting? “ We usually have our planning meetings

once a week for a 45 minutes to an hour. If were planning another project that takes up more time, so it really depends on what we have planned for the week and if there are special projects being organized.”

What are you most excited for in the future of the club?

“Our theme is building relationships and for me personally I am really looking forward to meeting all the new members and underclassmen.”

issue

3

SPREAD

12

New tobacco product gives students a...

BY

» lauranelson

As the choir hit its final note, senior Clark Neal felt the nicotine start to work.

It had only been five minutes since he’d wedged the tiny pouch of Camel Snus Spice between his gums and his upper lip, but he could already feel the head rush coming on.

And the best part was, no one could tell he was getting his fix.

“I really can use Snus whenever and wherever I want,” Neal said. “It’s easy, it’s s u p e r

h

discreet ... and none of the teachers wil I’m doing.”

And Neal thinks he isn’t the only discovered Camel’s newest product: Sn no-spit oral tobacco.

He said four or five of his friends us on a daily basis, and that underclassme new product especially appealing. Out of his friends who smoke, he said at l have tried snus so far.

Although tobacco possession on is grounds for suspension and in possession charges, according to student resource officer John Betzer, Neal said that Snus will still catch on. He said - Dr. Edwar that despite potential charges, schoolrelated punishments or health issue continue to use Snus because it’s a a fast, discreet fix.

“Pretty much the whole about Snus,” Neal said. “A the Pitch. When they ca handbook called The to Snusing, it sta immediately.”

Kansas C eig Ca it Sn Sw “s in lik w b an

“Hisca

» annaleek

» alexanderson

ad th

2

oct.

2007

hidden fix

ll ever know what

Kansas City Star. In the Pitch, Snus was described as the perfect tobacco product if you want “pleasure for student who has wherever.” nus, a non-chew, “Tobacco companies are doing everything they can to make tobacco use socially acceptable,” said se Snus at school Dr. Edward Ellerbeck, chairman of the department of en have found the preventive medicine at the University of Kansas Medical of the 75 percent Center. “They’re flavoring it to make it more appetizing, least 8-10 percent redesigning the tins to make it more appealing, making everything easier for entry level use.” school property Health experts say that’s what makes Camel’s newest potential minor product even more dangerous for the younger generation.

Doing Snus, getting a fix and not being caught is appealing to kids, Ellerbeck said, and it’s easy to overlook health risks in favor of the buzz.

Dr. Corinne Husten, director of the Center for Disease Control’s Center for rd Ellerbeck, University of Kansas Medical Center Smoking and Health said Snus marketing in Kansas City is particularly alarming es, students will because the tobacco use among teenagers in Kansas is cheap way to get already high.

According to the Kansas Department of Health e school knows and Environment, 17.4 percent of high school males in A lot of kids read Kansas use smokeless tobacco – almost one out of every ame out with that five students, which is one of the highest usage rates in e Adbridged Guide the country. The national average is 13.1 percent. arted catching on As more and more kids are discovering Snus, some health experts worry it could even become a gateway City, Mo. is one of product for more serious tobacco product use. ght cities in which “High school kids using Snus scares the hell out of amel is marketing me,” Ellerbeck said. “Fewer and fewer kids are starting ts newest product. to smoke... but you can see that for tobacco companies nus, which is the to ensure longterm success, they need a whole new wedish word for generation of tobacco users. Snus could be the product snuff,” comes in that sucks kids in.” nch-long teabagSince sophomore year, 17-year-old Neal said he ke pouches has either smoked a cigarette after 2:40 p.m. or dipped which users stuff tobacco during school every day. The only way he could between their lip get rid of the juice discreetly was to spit it into chocolate nd their gum. milk containers during lunch.

Snus has been But by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company’s standards, dvertised in both his struggle to dip in a more restrictive atmosphere made he Pitch and The him a perfect potential Snuser.

igh school kids using snus ares the hell out of me.

”

What’s in snus?

The FDA isn’t required to regulate tobacco products, so the exact ingredients are unknown. All Camel will disclose is that “the nicotine content of the tobacco (in snus) is comparable to the nicotine content of the tobacco in most cigarettes.”

The main ingredients in Swedish snus are tobacco, water, salt, humectants (to preserve moisture) and flavor additives.

Sources: www.snus.cc, www.SNUSCamel.com

“There are times and places where you can’t smoke, but as a smoker you still want to enjoy tobacco pleasure,” company spokesman David Howard told the Kansas City Star. “This product allows you to enjoy tobacco pleasure without bothering others.”

Instead of smoking a pack of cigarettes a week, Neal now goes through a tin of Snus Spice, or 20 pouches, a week. An 18-year-old friend takes his $8, buys him a $5 tin, keeps the rest as a tip.

Neal considers his switch a healthy choice. He hasn’t smoked a cigarette in more than two weeks.

But Husten emphasized that there is “no safe form of tobacco use,” instead recommending seven different Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for nicotine and tobacco addiction, including nicotine lozenges, nasal sprays, patches and pills.

Additionally, some of the carcinogens caused by smoking are related to vapor inhalation and lighting up, the bulk of the chemicals and harmful materials are still in the tobacco itself, she said.

“We used to think that you had to use tobacco daily to become addicted,” Husten said. “But now we know that people can become addicted as early as the experimentation phase, when you’re just picking up a cigarette every once and while for fun or to see what it’s like. And the earlier you start, the harder it will be for you to quit some day.”

Neal, however, is fine with the possiblity of Snus addiction.

“I think it’s really worth more in terms of when and how frequently I can use it,” Neal said. “It’s a new product, so you have to give it time. But I think it will filter through to everyone eventually.”

Where can I find snus?

R.J. Reynolds is test-marketing snus in eight cities: Portland, Austin, Dallas, Raleigh, Columbus, Orlando, Indianapolis and Kansas City Snus is popular in Sweden, where about 12 percent of the population uses it. However, it is banned in the European Union, which prohibits the sale of tobacco for “oral use not intended to be smoked or chewed.”

By the numbers:

tobacco products $4.29 $3.22 $4.62

A can of Camel Snus:

A pack of Camel cigarettes: A can of Skoal:

Fast facts: snus Snus is the Swedish word for snuff Snus is a smokeless, chewless tobacco product that’s popular in Sweden It comes in inch-long, teabag-like pouches that users stuff between their lip and gum It comes in three flavors: spice, frost and regular

Why is nicotine

so addictive?

Nicotine releases a hormone that stimulates reward mechanisms in the brain, and its use reduces fatigue, reduces anxiety, induces euphoria and results in more efficient processing of information.

Continually increasing dose levels of nicotine are necessary to maintain the stimulating effects.

Source: www.emedicine.com

returning from a year of boarding school, 14 After Senior Matt Alexander is ready to get his life

FEATURES

BACK on TRACK BY

» mikehake

Senior Matt Alexander had just invited one friend over. Then he saw blue and red lights flashing in front of his house.

When he went out to his backyard and looked around the side of the house to see what was going on, a voice immediately shouted, “Don’t move!” What Alexander saw was five Prairie Village Police cars in the cul-de-sac in front of his house, and they had already pulled over and were searching his friend. After a while, local news vans started to arrive. Within the hour, both Alexander and his friend had been arrested and given misdemeanor possession and paraphernalia charges.

It was just another incident in a downward fall for Alexander that ended in him being sent to boarding school for a year.

Matt’s dad, Chris Alexander had already warned Matt of the consequences for breaking his rules. He had even written it on a piece of paper as a reminder to Matt.

“I told him not to bring drugs into our house or I would call the police,” Chris said. “I guess he didn’t think I was serious. I’m not proud to say that I had to do that, but if you say your going to do something, you have to do it.”

“At first I didn’t have a clue that it was my dad [who called the police],” Alexander said. “When I found out it was him that had called the cops, I was really angry with him.

I wouldn’t even speak to him for awhile.”

The last straw came less than a month later. Alexander was sitting in class one day, when he was pulled out by multiple administrators. Again, he was searched, and again he was given a misdemeanor possession charge.

The charge wouldn’t be dismissed this time, though. This time, he was sent to Juvenile Detention Center for three weeks.

For three weeks, he was locked up in a tiny, box-like room for most of the day. He slept on a rigid, metal bed with a two-inch thick mattress. He had to walk with his hands behind his back everywhere he went.

Mouthing off to a guard in the first week of his stay got him a strict 7:00 p.m. bedtime.

He would read books and do pushups and sit-ups in his room just to pass the time.

“A reality hit me while I was in there,” Alexander said. “That’s when I really knew I was messing up. I was wishing I would have listened to the people telling me I needed to chill out.”

In March, after serving his time in JDC, he was sentenced to complete a program called Heartlight Ministries Residential Treatment Facility in Hallsville, Texas, two hours east of Dallas.

As hard as it was for Chris to send his son away for a year, he

Q& A A Q MattAlexander A

SENIOR Matt Alexander listens in on Mr. Stallard’s American Government AP lecture. Alexander actively participates in classroom discussions about politics. » sallydrape

agreed with the court’s decision.

“He wasn’t responding to just being grounded,” Chris said. “Marijuana had gotten too much control over him. I’ve seen people I’ve loved die over addictions. I told him I’d rather lose him for a year than for a lifetime.”

“It was horrible,” Alexander said. “I was at school one day, then I just disappeared for a year. It was like I was all alone in Texas.”

Heartlight is a counseling facility where teens learn to deal with their problems and work through difficult situations.

“I was angry and disobedient at first because I was mad about being there,” Alexander said. “I thought I would be all alone with no friends, then I got there and made lots of friends. The people I met there ended up being the best part.”

The facility helped Alexander deal with not only the trouble he had gotten himself into with the law, but also some family issues, and the poor grades he had been earning in school the previous two years.

“I feel like my life is a lot more together now,” Alexander said.

“I’m getting along with my dad and my stepfamily, I’m getting good grades, and I have a job. It really helped me mature.”

Heartlight also helped him grieve the loss of his mother, who died in a car accident on Valentine’s Day when Alexander was 12.

“It forced me to deal with my mom’s death,” Alexander said. “Every single day I talked about it with the kids, the counselors, and the staff.”

with Q

How did you react when you first found out you were going to Heartlight?

I didn’t want to go I didn’t want to leave Kansas City. I didn’t want to leave my friends and family and be with people I didn’t know.

What was your most memorable experience while you were there?

2

oct.

2007

Just all the people that I got to know and meet.

as

BY

» landonmcdonald

HOW TO

• Must be a legal citizen of the United States, over the age of 18 by the next election • Voters must present a valid Kansas issued driver’s/non-driver’s License, or the last four digits of your social security number • Free of any felony convictions • A completed voter registration form turned in at least 14 days in advance • Voter registration forms are available at www.jocoelection.org

50

celebrating

years of EAST

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.

Here is this week’s edition.

East alums, we’ll run your memories, stories or photos from the past 50 years, so please share them with us at smeharbinger@gmail.com

takes careful consideration and work. No one can embody all your positions. You just have to find the one you agree with the most.”

For Democratic student supporters in particular, this election holds a special significance. Iraq War Protester junior Jordan Holsinger, whose father Alex ran for Kansas State Representative for the 20th District last year, hopes that a Democratic victory will recompense for what many view as costly blunders by the current Bush administration on subjects like the War on Terror and the handling of Hurricane Katrina.

“What’s been happening for the last eight years goes beyond irresponsibility and incompetence. The administration has failed us. We’re still stuck in Iraq, Katrina was a disaster, and scandals and corruption are everywhere. We need to elect a leader that can deliver real positive change and restore America’s place in the world.

It’s the only way to repair the damage.”

For some East students though, politics can seem unimportant. Unfamiliarity with

TURN IN BALLOT HERE

the candidates can drive people to make their choice based on fickle impulses or worse, cause them not to vote at all come Election Day. Allen sights anonymous peers as examples.

“It seems like some students at East either think politics and voting are stupid or irrelevant or they just don’t understand the candidates’ positions and choose to ignore the whole thing. That’s a huge mistake to make with the world the way it is right now.”

Frustration with the two-party system has prompted some students to consider voting Independent in the next election.

“Third parties exist for two reasons: to raise issues and split votes,” Arndt-Helgesen said. “Raising issues can make the larger parties sit up and take notice, like Ross Perot did with the national deficit. Independent voters need to realize however, that their candidate could be taking away votes from runners with real shots at victory. They have to weigh their options and deal with the consequences.”

REGISTER

Presidential Candidate Frontrunners Hillary Clinton

Sam Brownback

(R)- Kansas Senator

(D)- New York Senator

John McCain

(R)- Arizona Senator

Barack Obama

www.senate.gov

Requirements to Register www.jocoelection.org

One hundred and twenty-two million votes decided the last American President in 2004. 500 million votes decided the last American Idol in 2006. Next year, young voters will have to face the music when they’re called to make a decision far greater than Justin or Kelly: who will lead the free world in 2008?

Most current juniors and seniors will be 18 or older by November of next year and will be able to participate in voting for the first time. The election they’ll be voting in is arguably the most significant in years, given the current Iraqi debacle, the uncertain market and ongoing threats to homeland security. Many students here at East are taking stock of what really matters as they prepare to vote for their first president.

Junior Chad Allen, an ardent Republican supporter, is the first to assert the election’s importance.

“There’s a lot at stake in this election,” he said. “Our next president will have to deal with Iran and North Korea becoming nuclear powers and Al Qaeda continuing to threaten homeland security. It seems to me like we’re getting too caught up in the

hype of maybe electing the f i r s t wom an president or the first black president. Change just for the sake of change is wrong. We need to focus on who’s really best for the job.”

American History AP teacher Vicki Arndt-Helgesen, more commonly known to students as Yoda, also stresses the value of deciding on a candidate for the right reasons.

“Old family opinions and party loyalty can influence decisions,” she said. “This doesn’t just apply to student voters; adults can be coerced as well. The media can also be a detrimental influence, with flashy 30second campaign ads and biased coverage.

Choosing the right candi d ate

FEATURES

E T O V C

8 ‘0

r u o Y g

tin

Students evaluate their decisions before the upcoming presidential election

15

(D)- Illinois Senator

Alumni gather for 30th reunion and recall memories BY

» devino’bryan

In 1977 Star Wars first hit theaters, Jimmy Carter was President, the first Apple II computers went on sale and the Oakland Raiders won the Super Bowl.

But according to Jean Ostby, whose daughter Kathleen is a senior, high school is one thing that hasn’t changed in the 30 years since she graduated.

“All the groups may be called different names,” she said, “but other than that it’s exactly the same.

There are even some of the same teachers still at East.”

Ostby, along with about 90 other graduates, attended the 30-year reunion for the class of 1977 Sept. 15 at Homestead Country Club. She has been to all three reunions and thought this one was the most laid-back.

“At the 10 year reunion, it’s all about what jobs people have and how successful people are,” she said. “20 is more focused on families and friends.

This one was laid-back with more reminiscing.”

Julie Parman, whose son Bryan is a junior, is an East parent who was on the reunion committee.

“The 10 year reunion was the best,” she said. “30 wasn’t as fun because not as many people went to this one.”

Despite the low attendance, Parman still had fun.

Her favorite part was seeing people she hadn’t seen for decades.

“People change a lot in 30 years,” Parman said.

“It was nerve wracking. Some people didn’t wear nametags and it was uncomfortable not being able to recognize someone you know.”

For Ostby, who only sees a few of her high school friends regularly, the best part was getting a chance to reconnect for a brief time with people from her past.

“It’s a riot,” Ostby said. “You see a face you recognize and you revert back to all the crazy things you issue did together in high school. You laugh a lot.”

3

MIXED

30

[ MIX

[

16

ALL.IN.THE.

seconds with...

Mallory Gasaway

who attended camp at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

How did you learn about FIDM?

I always liked the school and one day when I was on the school’s website, I saw that they were offering a summer camp. I thought it would be a good way to meet people who are interested in the same things I am interested in.

[ the page about...fashion ]

» saw you at...the homecoming pep assembly

What did you do at the camp?

It was like a bunch of workshops about Fashion, interior design and merchandising. One of our assignments was to go to stores on Melrose and look for trends.

senior Kelsey Whitaker

>>mackenziewylie

Would this be something you would do in the future?

I want to do fashion merchandising and I really would like to start out buying clothes for different clothing companies. Eventually, I would like to have my own boutique.

What’s hot in your

Necklaces, rings and brooches with huge stones are all over the fall runways.

The embroidery at the top makes the dress out of the ordinary and visually appealing.

>>renli

closet?

Large bracelets are big this fall and are another good way to dress up an outfit.

DRESS PANTS

Carafe brown is a popular color this fall.

Loose, comfortable dress pants are popular this fall. Go casual or dressy. They work both ways!

For a good selection, check out Imagery, Banana Republic, Express and White House Black Market

An embroidered jersey dress is a good casual, daytime dress. For a good selection, check out BCBG MAX AZRIA, Forever 21, Arden B, Hemline and Max Studio.

TUNIC SWEATER

This fall, colorful and crazy footwear is making a comeback. Ankle strap shoes are unique and look good with jeans, skirts and dresses. For a good selection check out, BCBG MAX AZRIA, Steve Madden and Franco Sarta.

>>tylerroste

A cozy tunic sweater keeps you warm and goes great with jeans for a casual look. For a good selection, check out Free People, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters

BLAZER

Blazers are versatile and can go with dress pants or just plain jeans depending on the look you are trying to achieve. For a good selection, check out Banana Republic, Nordstrom and J Crew

colors of 15 oct.

2007

FALL

ACCESORIES

ANKLE STRAP SHOES

This fall, bigger is better. Go crazy with big, unique, flashy jewelry!

carafe

burnt ochre

chili pepper

Ankle strap shoes are making a comeback. The classic Mary Jane shoes are a hit this fall, especially in metallic colors.

stargazer

shale green

dusk

green moss

lemon curry

rose petal

purple wine

We7.com makes it possible for users to download music and the artists still get paid. The downside: The MP3s come with a 10 second ad in the beginning of the track. (It is possible to get the track without the ad but for a small fee.)

On the site, users can see most popular downloads, new artists, and browse through 19 different genres.

2

Archive.org is a live music archive in which anyone can download songs from the trade-friendly artists featured.

On the site, visitors can browse through over 43,000 songs, upload music from your band, and check out reviews on recent concerts. It features live concerts from bands such as: Citizen Cope, Dispatch, OAR, Ryan Adams, String Cheese Incident, Umphreys Mcgees, Matisyahu.

3 4 5

Keep On Rockin’ 17 in the Free World

A&E

1

We found the five best places to legally download music

Music.download.com has a music library of over 75,425 MP3s. The site gives information on each artist, the album, user reviews and similar artists. Users can also preview new CDs and see most popular downloads.

Spiralfrog.com is a free music downloading website.

On the site, users have to do is create a user name and start downloading. Users can also access information on artists, new album releases, download videos, and preview what the site calls “breakout bands.” Both the videos and MP3s are compatible with iTunes and Zune.

Jamendo.com operates under a Creative Common license, allowing users to download entire albums for free through P2P networks like Bit Torrent. Although the music is free, Jamendo has a pay system so users can donate directly to the artists. There aren’t any Kanyes or Foo Fighters on Jamendo, so it’s a great place to discover new artists mainly from Europe and the US. Because artists are in control of categorizing their music, labels range from “Shiny Grunge” to “Psychedelic Jazz Vibes.”

What’s up with your music?

» ale xand erso

n

How do you listen to your music?

Computer and iPod. How do you get your music?

Mostly off Limewire.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Alternative Rock, Soft Rock...that’s pretty good.

Jake Fleming sophomore How do you listen to your music?

Computer and iPod, I just ordered the iPod touch.

How do you get your music? iTunes and Limewire.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Good music. No Rap. No Country, everyone hates country.

Zach Colby freshman

What is illegal downloading? What is the punishment?

The U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a strict law. It says the copying of copyrighted music as illegal. The U.S. Code protects copyright owners from unauthorized reproduction, adaptation or distribution of sound recordings, as well as certain digital performances to the public. It is considered legal for you to purchase a music CD and record it to MP3 files for your own use. Uploading these files through peer-to-peer networks would constitute a breach of the law.

The penalties for breaching the copyright act differ depending on whether the infringing is for commercial or private financial gain. In the U.S., the online infringement of copyrighted music can be punished by up to three years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Repeat offenders can be imprisoned up to six years. Individuals will be held responsible, regardless of whether the activity is for profit, for actual damages or lost profits or for statutory damages up to $150,000 per infringed copyright.

Source: www.webopedia.com

issue

3

A&E

18 Finishing

the Fight

Most anticipated game of all time, Halo 3, lives up to and exceeds the hype BY

» clarkgoble feel it’s solid. You can also “Finish the Fight,” online or off, with three of your friends.

And while the single-player campaign might be enough for some games, the public wants more from the Halo series. So the creators gave us four-player, online-capable co-op. You and three of your buddies can rip through level after level without even being in the same room together.

While the single-player mode would make a great game for any other series, it’s not enough for Halo. The multiplayer mode is really where this series stands out.

The gameplay remains mostly the same, but that’s good news. There are tons of new weapons, tons of new levels, and a few new vehicles. The coolest new weapons are the Spartan Laser and Gravity Hammer. Both weapons can eliminate opponents with one shot, or in the Gravity Hammer’s case, one glorious swing. The new levels and new vehicles are expected, but welcome, changes.

While all of these weapons, levels and vehicles can be used in split-screen, offline games, the online multiplayer is where they are best used. The matchmaking system used in Halo 2 is back and better than ever.

While the online play is nothing new, one multiplayer mode, Forge, sure is. It’s pretty much like playing with a dollhouse,

Mediocre Murphys BY

»alexanderson

» www.dropkickmurphys.com

After seven albums in 10 years one would expect the boys from Boston, Dropkick Murphy’s to try something new and different from older CD’s but the result on their new album “The Meanest of Times” is exactly the opposite. The album sticks very closely to the formula that Dropkick fans have come to love; some songs sound like they have been pulled from past albums.

However, this isn’t always a bad thing. The album is worth a listen especially for punk rock fans who haven’t yet experienced the Dropkick Murphy’s sound but it isn’t the leap ahead fans had hoped for.

Still riding the success of their last album with the hit single “I’m Shipping up to Boston” which was featured in the Oscar winning film “The Departed”, hoping to compete with the success of their previ-

2

oct.

2007

starscale

{ } poor {

Failure to deliver new material leaves Dropkick Murphys running in place

ous album Dropkick Murphy’s came out swinging but doesn’t quite land the one two punch.

The CD has some great tracks that really stand out like “State of Massachusetts” and “Flannigan’s Ball” but many other songs that fail to produce.

Dropkick Murphy’s have always been known for their gritty, sandpaper like vocals as well as their use of traditional Celtic instruments. Because of the success of their previous album they have no reason to try anything new and it shows.

The “Meanest of Times” tells the same tale and preaches the same values as past CD’s with an epic lyrical journey that teaches the traditional Dropkick Murphy’s values which are loyalty, fighting and heavy drinking.

The single and third track called “State

} fair {

} solid {

but at any moment the dolls could be killed. Let me explain. You can pretty much add weapons, vehicles, or the new powerups anywhere on the map in almost any quantity. You want three rocket launchers behind a Warthog? You can do it. You want to create a firework show using the energy coils and a bunch of grenades? Easy. There are no boundaries to this mode. And the best thing is that you can save your maps and battle with your friends with your new settings. Pretty cool.

My only complaint? Maybe there are too many options, too many modes, too many damn things to do. Take one mode out, the multiplayer, the campaign, or the Forge, out and you still have a great game.

But that’s the reason why I think Halo 3 will be in everyone’s Xbox 360’s for a long, long time. Halo 2 had about a three year lifespan, and this game could easily push five years.

The hype was big. The release date was pushed back time after time. The lines at midnight on release night took three hours to get through. So does Halo 3 deliver on the hype? Was it worth the three year wait?

Hell yeah. { }

» www.xbox.com

I’d like to say sorry to my teachers in advance.

It’s won’t be my fault my grades will have reached their highest point last Tuesday, Sept. 25. It’s not my fault that I won’t do meaningless worksheets or worthless projects anymore. And it definitely won’t be my fault when I pass out in front of my TV with a white Xbox 360 controller in my hand and bags under my eyes.

It’s that damn Halo 3’s fault.

The most-hyped video game of the year, possibly all time, hit the stores last Tuesday. And I got the honor of reviewing it. So, how’s the game?

Not so fast.

I know the Halo series pretty well. I played Halo 1 with a bunch of my brother’s friends, and then was recruited to join their clan. My mom made me turn them down because I had too much schoolwork. I play Halo 2 for 11 straight days, according to bungie.net, the site that keeps your Halo gaming record. Halo 1? Innovational Halo 2? Sensational.

But Halo 3 takes things to the next level.

The single-player mode, referred to as the campaign, builds on the cliffhanger, and rather anticlimactic, ending to Halo 2.

Its’ been criticized since the release, but I

of Massachusetts” gives you your first real taste of what the band should sound like when they sound perfect, a feat they fail to maintain for all of the CD. It’s a sharptongued song about kids growing up and getting taken away from their parents by the state. With a traditional Celtic instrumental introduction and raging guitars mixed with gritty vocals make this song a definite hit especially for fans of the “I’m Shipping up to Boston”. It’s just too bad the whole CD wasn’t made on this note.

The eighth track, called “Flannigan’s Ball”, sounds like an Irish folk song mixed with a heavy dose of guitars. After this the CD slows down on some of the tracks most notably “Fairmount Hill”, and it isn’t a good thing. The traditional instruments sound cool but just don’t work with the gritty vo-

} excellent {

cals. The songs that use this formula fail to deliver anything but a sputtering lyrics whose meaning can barley be deciphered through the noise.

The songs then pick up again with “Loyal To No-One”, a song about fighting for loyalty and never turning your back on a friend that falls back into the old punk rock sound.

“The Meanest of Times” is an album with up and downs and although very inconsistent throughout, the tracks that are good really stand out. The album can be a little rough around the edges and is defiantly an acquired taste but once you acquire a taste for the gritty vocals and guitars, hardcore and casual fans alike will enjoy this CD.

{

}

} masterpiece Star ratings based on writer’s opinion

“Wine” makes a Winner

A&E

19

Lead singer Sam Beam loses the lullabies and brings a stronger sound to “The Shepherd’s Dog” »stephennichols

starscale

{ } poor {

} fair {

{

Calexico’s south-of-the-border popped-out sound can be heard quite clearly throughout.

This collaboration has rubbed off on Beam, most notably in “The Devil Never Sleeps,” a quick-tempo, piano-fueled gem that mixes tinges of southern pop with chorus vocals reminiscent of a lost Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young track.

These innovations are a far cry from Beam’s humble acoustic beginnings and the new album leaves the hush ballads of prior releases behind, but overall Iron & Wine has made the right choice in exploring a fuller and more satisfying sound.

}

» www.ironandwine.com

BY

The best way to chart Iron & Wine’s musical progression is their album covers.

“The Creek Drank the Cradle” features a tan background and a plain pink tree that matches the simple acoustic strumming featured on the album. “Our Endless Numbered Days” has a peaceful looking portrait of lead singer Sam Beam surrounded by green leaves. Once again, the sound is uncomplicated and lush, but a few more instruments join the mix.

And the newly released “The Shepherd’s Dog” cover is filled with rich swabs of color to create a vivid portrait of the aforementioned canine. In step with the bright new cover is Iron & Wine’s bright new sound that incorporates a handful of new instruments and a powerful vocal performance on Beam’s part.

Beam’s career, which started with intimate whispery vocals, an acoustic guitar and a home studio, has shifted into a much more involved new process’ both instrumentally and vocally.

Beam, the man behind the stage name, would likely draw more comparisons to a well-kempt civil war impersonator than an indie-folk star, but don’t let looks deceive.

Beam has already mastered the soft subtle folk genre. The ghost-whispering-in-your-ear lullabies of “Our Endless Numbered Days” were so peacefully wistful that a “Do Not Operate Heavy Machinery While Listening” sticker would have been a good investment to stick on the cover. “The Shepherd’s Dog” strays away from those tranquil melodies immediately.

Beam begins with “Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car,” a surprisingly upbeat song, layered with swaying strings, bouncing piano and a powerfully simple drum beat that will catch fans of his earlier lo-fi sound off guard.

The sound may have changed, but with lyrics like, “Love was a promise made of smoke in a frozen copse of trees,” Beam retains the same poetic musing that has earned him the nickname of the “bearded bard.”

The newfound distinction in Beam’s voice steals some of the intimacy of prior albums, but Beam shows that a more powerful voice was needed to sustain the new sound, especially in “Boy with a Coin.” Filled to the brim with hand claps and melodic guitar pickings, “Boy with a Coin” delivers a warm, surprisingly catchy tune and with Beam’s vocals, it becomes the perfect soundtrack for the dwindling warmth of summer and the embrace of fall.

Tracks resembling “Naked as We Came” or his cover of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” come few and far between in the new album, but this isn’t a shock. Beam has been experimenting with his sound, making a move towards a more concrete sound to tether down his floating acoustic melodies.

This evolution can be traced to Iron and Wine’s joint EP, “In the Reins,” with Calexico. Although Beam wrote all the songs for the album,

& Wine has released three full-length albums.

Iron & Wine & Albums Iron Check out these notable tracks from each CD

Lion’s Mane

Opens with crisp acoustic pickings and a sharply clear Beam

Southern Anthem The Creek Drank the Cradle

The meandering whispers and acoustic guitar with a twang mark this track

Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car

Naked As We Came

Beam mixes his simplistic hushed vocals with head-bobbing acoustics

Starts out with a track that sounds fuller than previous albums

Each Coming Night

The Devil Never Sleeps

Beam “oh, oh, oh’s” his way through this personable piece

Our Endless Numbered Days

A bouncy track with joyous piano

The Shepherd’s Dog

» album cover’s courtesy of www.ironandwine.com

} solid {

} excellent {

} masterpiece Star ratings based on writer’s opinion

issue

3

SPORTS

20

07:57

Far Left: Junior Elizabeth Beck waves her hooplas at a morning marching practice. The drill team gets an early start on the field, beginning at 7:15 a.m. Many of the dancers choose to wear rain boots as the field is often wet from morning dew. » sallydrape

20:14

Below: (from right) Junior Jennifer Meara, senior Jenny Hodgson, junior Lexi Brown and senior Emily Cray swing their flags to the beat of the marching band at halftime of the Sept. 20 football game against Leavenworth. » taylerphilips

ROCK AROUND the

CLOCK The Lancer Dancers step with the East Marching Band from sun-up to sundown.

20:18

Right: Senior Meg Sterchi cheers on the drumline during their post-halftime show performance. » sallydrape

20:11

Far Right: Junior Sam Cohen joins the trumpet section solo of “The Best of Times” backed by the Lancer Dancers’ flag routine. This season the marching band performs Styx, including their greatest hits “Mr. Roboto,” “Rockin’ the Paradise” and “The Best of Times.” » sallydrape

2

oct.

2007

21

» karenboomer BY

SPORTS

Who’s That

Lady?

Junior Allie Marquis moves ahead of the pack... and the boys

» rachelbirkenmeier

Junior Allie Marquis’ Cross Country practice isn’t like that of the other girls on the team. There’s no talk of who got asked to homecoming or what everyone is doing over the weekend. Instead, it’s about girls and sports teams. That’s because Marquis runs with the boys.

Marquis has always been a fast runner, but since she started training with the boys she has vastly improved.

Being the first girl to start running with the them, it took a little getting used to for Marquis and a lot of hard work to get her where she is today.

“I run with the guys mostly because they go at a faster pace than the girls,” said Marquis. “Sometimes they run for longer, and it pushes me more.”

Marquis first started running with the varsity boys’ Cross Country team the first week of the season. She was in good shape due to her summer training in Colorado and Florida.

“In Florida I would run a six or seven mile route,” said Marquis. “In Colorado, it was more of me running in the altitude and I was running up the mountains. It helped with building up my lungs and legs.”

Her coach, Trisha Beaham, suggested she start running with the boys because of their faster tempo and pace.

“She was running faster due to her summer training and she’s determined to be one of the top runners in the state,” said Coach Beaham.

None of the guys were surprised when Marquis showed up at their practice.

“I actually wasn’t surprised [that she came to the boys practice]. She’s always

been a good runner and wanted to be one of the best,” said sophomore Taylor Haviland. “I think it frustrated a couple of people and some might have been embarrassed, but they got used to it.”

Marquis had no problem fitting right in with the guys when it came to running.

“When she first showed up to the practice, it wasn’t really a big deal to me,” said senior William Kobylinski.

“It’s another person that runs and she has athletic ability also.”

Along with Coach Beaham, assistant coach Michael Chaffee liked the idea of Marquis running with the boys.

“I think it’s been good for both the boys and Allie,” said Chaffee. “It makes her stretch and she paces off of them.

Whereas the boys have the push of a lady passing them.”

At the Metro Championship race, Marquis placed fifth, whereas last year she had placed 26th.

“Her times show how she’s improved,” said sophomore runner Mallory Kirby. “We run the same meets every year and we have last years’ times; she dropped minutes in every race.”

Her hard work finally paid off during the Aquinas meet when she won it all.

“It’s pretty encouraging and a good kick off for the season. I kind of focused on staying with Lisa Imgrumd from Shawnee Mission Northwest for the first mile,” said Marquis. “She is one of the better ones out there.”

Marquis ended up finishing the Aquinas meet strong, making it her first win since the freshmen year time trials.

A Lady’s Pace:

“After I had won, I knew then that I had to focus in on the season ahead,” said Marquis. “Trisha was really excited for me, because she got a feel for what Danny Kurz I could potentially do and we started 17:54 thinking of races for the future.”

Although Marquis runs with the Patrick Mayfield boys, she still runs with her varsity girls 18:20 Cross Country team.

“I love the girls, they are so fun to Jordan Elliott 18:38 talk to and a lot of them are some of my best friends,” said Marquis. “They are Taylor Haviland always encouraging during the work18:40 outs and it’s a lot more ‘Good job keep it up.’ The guys don’t come out and say it directly. Instead, if they see you they JUNIOR Allie Marquis will be like ‘Good run.” has increased her lead Another difference between running over the girls since with the boys and girls for Marquis is her freshman year, and is now making what they talk about. strides towards the “The guys are all pretty funny,” said boys’ varsity team.

Marquis. “They talk about different » karenboomer things than girls do. We went on a run today, I don’t even know what they were talking about. They always say ‘I’m Brian Simpson sorry if this is awkward for you.’ I just 18:51 laugh and sit back and listen. The girls talk about guys, homecoming dates and stuff like that.”

Stephen Nichols 18:55 Altogether, Marquis’ training with the boys has helped her running William Kobylinski 19:03 improve.

“She’s running really well,” said Coach Beaham. “Now, she’s an elite Sheldon Adams runner, which makes the team run 19:23 faster.”

Blaine Ennis Marquis hopes to continue running 19:37 throughout the rest of high school.

“As of now I’m just trying to keep it Allie Marquis fun and just enjoy the sport.”

19:40

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10

Where Marquis ranks among the men in a 5K race

issue

3

Stepping up

SPORTS

22

TO THE

pressure

Freshman deals with the expections of being the son of George Brett » tayortwibell

Famous people

Jackson has met:

Reggie Jackson

Jackson, left, spends time with his dad and brother while on a family vacation.

24/7.

“Baseball is something that just came naturally and I really enjoy it.”

By attending every East baseball camp, Jackson has been preparing for his high school baseball career since he started playing at the prime age of three. He is hoping to do well and wants to become a better all around player and teammate.

“I definitely set high standards for myself not only because of who my dad is but

because of who I am. Some people expect certain things from me and it’s sometimes hard to do your best when you have all of this pressure.”

He has always played baseball and always will.

With two more Bretts coming to East, Jackson hopes some sort of legacy will be formed. Jackson, Dylan and Robin are always there to help each other and are always willing to help the other improve.

Derrick Thomas

Dick Vermeil

photos courtesy of googleimages.com

Yogi Berra

» photo courtesy of the Brett family

BY

It’s 3 a.m. and the phone rings. The whole family knew it was “those college kids.” For a week straight the Brett family received calls from rambunctious, boisterous, drunk college boys.

“Every time they call, my mom lets us prank call them back. It was scary at the beginning because we didn’t know what to do; now its just funny.”

This is just some of the territory that comes with being the son of the most famous Royals player, George Brett.

Jackson is the oldest of his two brothers, Dylan and Robin. With being the oldest he feels all the pressures at home, with school and sports. Jackson plays on the freshmen football team and will be trying out for bowling in the winter, and baseball in the spring.

“I wanted to make sure that I was doing one sport in each season,” Jackson said.

Bowling is something Jackson just got involved in. He was at the bowling alley with his friend and they were just messing around and found out that they were actually pretty good at it. The owner of the alley came up to them and asked if they wanted to join a league. Now entering high school he thinks it would be a really cool sport to play, and that it was something out of his regular norm instead of baseball

Jackson’s brother Dylan will also be playing football, baseball, and will try out for wrestling.

“Dylan and I are definitely each other’s biggest competitors. He is not as good as me, but if we were the same age I think we would be at the same level.”

www. smeharbinger.net

UNL

>>Coming up this week: photos of the day updated Monday-Friday, new polls once a week, new voices for A&E, quick blurbs on what’s new with East and what awards students have won.

Look for your name on the web!

SAT

Testing Date: Saturday, 6

GOOD LUCK! 2

oct.

2007

5 minutes with...

» tylerroste

On practices- They are very intense. Some of the drills are consistent every day. We usually start with a warm-up... and play a controlled attacking game followed by some hitting drills and serving drills. Then we get into rotations and close the practice with another game.

On her pregame routine- I have to eat one hot dog.

On her best match- My club team was playing in Atlanta and we were playing one more match to stay in the gold bracket. The score was tied all the way through and we were in the decisive third game. We pulled away early and just ran away with the game. We were all jumping higher and hitting harder and moving faster than I ever have.

On why she first played volleyball- My best friend’s mom called me one day because they wanted someone tall. All my other friends were doing it, back in like fourth or fifth grade.

On the change in coaches she experienced her junior year, from Terry Wright to Scott Dowis- I thought it would be a lot harder than it actually was. Dowis came in and has made this program more than it could have ever been. We are working harder and playing much, much better.

On the pressure of being highly ranked- Whenever any of the top teams play each other, it is so close. It really matters what team comes out to play on what day.

On her team expectations- To finish league play undefeated and compete in the state finals.

On her personal expectations- I personally hope that our team continues to grow together. We have the best team chemistry we have ever had and I hope we stay friends off the court when we are out of season.

”

Sauls and the rest of the volleyball team head to the Olathe Northwest Quad Thursday at 5 p.m. Lawrence Free State, ranked fifth in state, and Newton High will be there.

“

”

It was regionals my sophomore year, and I got moved up for the last game. I pretty much froze my butt off on the bench. senior Jeremy Wolf, soccer

“

” ”

I was kind of nervous at the start, but as the game went on I got more comfortable. senior Charlie Ogdon, soccer

fantasyland

coach’s clipboard

“

My first game was against Olathe Northwest. [The other players] were strong, but I thought I was stronger. senior Chuck Duval, football

&

» clarkgoble

The “Dummy Play”

my me number

X

A few Lancer athletes let us know what went into picking their number.

in my first

game...

» karenboomer

“

senior • volleyball

SPORTS

kasey sauls

VARSITY

23

Senior Kasey Sauls is the main setter for the volleyball team. The team is ranked second in the state and is expected to be a contender for the state title. Sauls is going to Appalachian State next year on a volleyball scholarship. She talks about coaching changes, the pressures of being highly ranked and practice schedules.

14

The soccer team always runs the same play on their first corner kick. The ball is sent from the corner on the ground into the box.

The first man on the side with the ball runs at it but lets it roll through his legs, a “dummy.” Then the back man in the middle line rushes forward and takes a shot. It worked to perfection against Lawrence Free State, where senior midfielder Alex Rathbun (14) got a goal on the play. “It just bounced up, so I kicked it.

It flew upper-90, perfect curve. It was a total accident.”

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

75

Senior Erik Hild’s football number- I had it last year, but I think I chose it my junior year because my favorite offensive lineman for the Chiefs had that number.

14

Senior Alex Rathbun’s soccer number- Garrett Webb [former East soccer player, currently playing at Drake] was 14, and me and him have been friends since I was little.

Thierry Henry is also 14.

8 52

Junior Curran Darling’s football number- I have abilities comparable to Steve Young and his number was eight. I think that’s why I chose it.

Senior Bobby Miller’s football number-

I think I chose it because it’s worn by prolific linebackers in the NFL like Ray Lewis.

We give you our fantasy football tips, from who to trade to who to acquire Harbinger League Standings as of week 3

BUY

SELL

no-name big game? waiver-wire wonders

RB Aaron Stecker, NO- With Deuce done, Stecker is players who you need to trade QB Jason Campbell, WAS Week 5 Top Players Alex Anderson 3-0 451.84 pts. players who will be better RB Brian Leonard, STL one injury away from a starting job. than their stats suggest while their stats are good QB- Peyton Manning vs. TB Nick Ratliff 2-1 421.40 pts.

QB Matt Leinart, ARZ QB Jake Delhomme, CAR WR Santonio Holmes, PIT WR James Jones, GB- Favre and the Pack are rolling.

RB- Laurence Maroney vs. CLE Clark Goble 2-1 415.84 pts.

Jones will benefit in a big way.

RB LaDanian Tomlinson, SD QB Ben Roethlisberger, PIT WR James Jones, GB WR- Steve Smith @ NO Jordan Dietrich 2-1 382.56 pts.

RB Frank Gore, SF RB Marion Barber III, DAL who’s not who’s hot TE- Antonio Gates @ DEN Auto-Draft 1-2 355.74 pts.

Week 5 Bye Weeks QB Tony QB Marc Bulger, STL RB Laurence Maroney, NE WR Ronald Curry, OAK Romo, DAL K- Jeff Wilkins vs. ARI Sarah Luby 1-2 330.28 pts.

Cincinnati, Minnesota, WR Randy Moss, NE RB Reggie Bush, NO WR Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ WR Kevin Curtis, PHI DEF- Chicago @ GB Sam Kovzan 1-2 324.62 Oakland, Philadelphia TE Antonio Gates, SDG WR Reggie Wayne, IND issue TE Vernon Davis, SF WR Joey Galloway, TB Sam Logan 0-3 303.04 *picks are consensus of sports staff

3

24

PHOTO ESSAY

Far Left: Seniors Matthew Pope and Jonathan Firth hug each other after their team “The Frisbee Heads” lost in the final game against “Team Kind” with a score of 13-7.

» karenboomer

Left: Senior Bruce Tuschoff attempts to pass the frisbee without being intercepted by East

graduate Nathan Lane.

» taylerphilips

Below: Senior Jack Krieger cheers on his team during the game before the finals.

Krieger organized the tournament which consisted of five teams, each playing four games. » sallydrape

The Ultimate Gift Ultimate frisbee fanatics participated in a tournament on Sept.

16 to raise money for the Heifer Project and earn the title of the Ultimate Frisbee Champions.

»

The Heifer Project

• Heifer’s Mission is to end hunger and poverty throughout the world by giving families the gift of animals along with knowledge, resources, and skills to raise the animals.

• Heifer’s strategy involves giving animals to families in need and allowing the families who have received animals to be donors themselves by passing on the animals’ offspring.

• The Heifer Project has been giving families a source of food for over 60 years, helping over 8.5 million people in over 125 countries around the world.

• When a donation is made to heifer, the donor can decide what animal they wish to donate. Animals range from a heifer worth $500 dollars to honeybees worth $30 dollars.

2

oct.

2007

Jumping: Senior Adam Plotkin from “The Frisbee Heads” and senior Jarrod Kline from “Team Kind” try to grab the frisbee during the final game of the tournament. The final game was held at Franklin Park, but it was delayed for several hours because of a thunderstorm. » karenboomer

Passing: Senior Matthew Pope attemps to pass the frisbee to another team member. The “O” painted on his chest was part of senior Jack Krieger’s plan to ask senior Tayler Philips to homecoming. Each of his team members was a letter in the word homecoming, and Jack was the question mark. » karenboomer