Issue 3

harbinger

issue 3 / october 4, 2005 / 7500 mission road prairie village, kansas

right of passage Students band together at local gay and lesbian youth group

by hallie mccormick William is gay. When the pastor at 20-year-old William’s church tried to grope him, he left the church, the only home he had. He left because he didn’t want to have anything to do with the pastor who was married with kids.

William had been living in an apartment provided by the church. With nowhere to go, he turned to the only place he knew could help him: Passages, Kansas City’s only youth program dedicated to gays and lesbians.

Within four hours, Passages leaders had found him a job at McDonald’s, and a place to stay.

Passages helps teens who have been disowned from their parents and have been left on the street, like William, because of their sexuality.

They provide a loving environment, and connections with other outreach programs to give these homeless kids a safe place to go. They offer friendships, organized activities and just a place to hangout.

Some of the kids who go are from East.

They come to Passages not for housing, but just to be around other kids like them. Unlike high school, there is no pressure to fit in.

Senior Katie Van Mol goes to Passages even though she’s straight. She started going because her best friend was a lesbian, and she would accompany her there. The people there became her close friends, and she continues to attend just to keep in contact. photo illustration by kelsey stabenow

“Passages isn’t like a counseling service,” Van Mol said. “It’s just a place to come and hang out, and if you want to talk about your problems, there are people there to talk to.”

For the kids who need protection from the streets, Passages is there for them; finding them apartments and helping them out when money is scarce.

“Usually, rent and food are the two biggest problems for kids on their own,” Passages leader Glenn said. “We help the kids cover that. We just had a kid who needed a dentist appointment, but didn’t have the money to afford it. We paid for that too.”

The teens of Passages spend much of their time together.

They’re even in each other’s company on holidays. Passages provides an annual Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner for any who wish to attend.

Teens come to Passages from all over: Topeka, Grandview, Leavenworth, Olathe and sometimes traveling as long as two hours just to get to Westport where the Passages building is located.

Passages sessions meet three times a week. On Wednesday, kids come to watch a few movies and eat dinner with their friends. Saturday is what they call “Club Queer” when there is a D.J. and the teens get to dance. Coffee Talk is on Sunday. This is a teen led group discussion of what ever is going on in their lives. Discussions range from talking about how hard it is for gay couples to get an adoption, to the threats kids get in their high schools.

continued on page 7

page 2 / news / the harbinger

Helping raise funds Kansas City’s local Irish rock group, The Elders, helps raise funds for Choraliers’ trip to Ireland by michelle sprehe When senior Mary Walsh heard that the East Choraliers would be going to sing in Ireland during Spring Break of 2006, she almost started to cry.

“I was so elated, I just couldn’t believe it,” Walsh said.

“You know that list of things to do before you die? Well this was definitely on mine.”

To help raise money to fund the trip, Kansas City’s local Irish rock group, The Elders, have scheduled a benefit concert on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. in East’s Dan Zollars Auditorium. Tickets cost $25 to hear the The Elders sing 15-18 songs and then combine with the East Choraliers on the moving a cappella song “The Men of Erin.” There will also be an opening performance by the O’Riada Academy of Irish Dance.

The trip to Ireland costs $2600 per person, which some students have to pay for themselves. Walsh took a job at Prairie Village Pool this summer to help pay for her fee.

Junior Lauren Dunn took at job at the Toon Shop in Prairie Village in order to pay for the trip. Senior Kyle Westphal earned $1800 by selling 307 items in one week through the Great American Fundraiser. But even with the fundraising, students are still lacking some money.

“We’re expecting The Elders to sell out,” Walsh said.

“And with tickets at $25 per person, we’ll make a ton.”

Known for their Celtic style music, the Elders played at The Kentucky Derby in 2004 and have opened for famous

Whisper walk

N News Briefs B

acts such as Cake and Dave Navarro.

They even have two of their albums available on iTunes and are currently working on their sixth album. The Elders have also toured in Ireland twice and are planning a third trip in November where they will take a bus Lending their Voices: Local Irish rock group, The Elders, will perload of fans with them. form in a concert at East to help fund raise for the Choraliers’ trip to Over the summer, the bass player Ireland this spring. photos provided by The Elders from The Elders, Norman Dahlor, heard that the Choraliers were planning on a sing twice before. In 2002, they went to Italy and in 2004 trip to Ireland. they went to Germany. Resseguie has been planning to take Dahlor, a ‘74 East graduate, sang in the school’s choir the 115 members of this year’s Choraliers to Ireland since under the direction of Dan Zollars. Dahlor contacted choir last year. They will be playing in several different venues, teacher Tracy Resseguie and said that The Elders would including St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, on St. Patrick’s love to help raise money for the Ireland trip.

Day. East choir parents and other adults will be able to join The choir has practiced “The Men of Erin” a few times, The Elders after the concert for a but right now they are preoccupied with singing for their private adult only Patron Party. The party will be held upcoming holiday CD. It will take several rehearsals for the at Choir Boosters President Jill Harrison’s home where choir to master singing with an Irish accent. there will be food and drink and an opportunity to mingle “It’s hard to learn how to sing a completely different style, with The Elders. Tickets for the patron party are $75 each, but I think we’ll do a good job,” Choir President and senior including a concert ticket.

Jonathan Lerner said.

The Elders have donated another party to be auctioned “They’ll do great,” Elders violinist, Brent Hoad said. “But off during the Oct. 14 concert. The Elders will sing at a party some advice for the trip to Ireland: take an umbrella.” thrown by the winning bidder. All money from the auction as well as the Patron Party will go to the East Choir.

Resseguie has taken the Choraliers out of the country to

Students and local citizens participate in a walk for Ovarian Cancer

Walking for cancer research: LEFT: Participants walk together raising money for cancer research in honor of Joy Noyce, mother of senior Will Noyce. MIDDLE: Senior Megan Sayler and Caroline Degoler walk together to support Ovarian Cancer research. RIGHT: Two walkers cross a bridge during this 5K walk at Leawood City Park. photos by linda howard

Garage Sale

College Clinic

Abby’s Run

Who: Representatives from over 200 colleges

What: Local citizen’s walk together on a 5K route to gain funding for Abby Glaser Children’s Heart fund for children who suffer from sudden cardiac death

Who: Habitat for Humanity S.H.A.R.E chair and other volunteers

When: Oct. 16, 2005

When: Oct. 8, 2005

Where: Shawnee Mission East

Where: Town Center Plaza

Where: Shawnee Mission East

Why: To learn about different colleges from across the country

Why: To gain money for children who suffer from sudden cardiac death

Why: To earn money for the Habitat for Humanity S.H.A.R.E project

What: Come to talk to students about attending their college When: Oct. 19, 2005 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Cost: free

What: Hold a garage sale for students and local citizens

page 3 /1 opinion / the 6, harbinger issue / september 2005

Knowing Esmie

Esmie changes from a best friend into a stranger an opinion of katie jones It was odd when the friend who I had always wanted to be was reduced to a headline in the newspaper. The girl who I could have philosophical discussions about life and religion and everything else with suddenly starts talking like a seven-year-old.

She disassociated herself from everyone. Her eyes are dead. Her posture slack. It was weird when the next thing I knew, Esmie was strapped down and locked up. She used to be the most beautiful, intelligent girl you ever saw. Now she’s that girl who stabbed her mom.

But that’s not her--not to me. The two of us and our other two best friends met in kindergarten and somehow we stayed close through middle and high school.

We’ve enjoyed way too many strolls and allnighters and concerts and birthday parties to stop believing in her, even after she was charged with her mother’s murder a little over a month ago.

The girl all over the news isn’t the same girl I once knew, but that doesn’t change how I feel about one of my best friends in the whole wide world.

The whole situation has been extremely surreal since the night it happened. The first Friday of the school year and I’m watching some movie. People running around, being loud.

Cell phone rings. Esmie supposedly hurt someone. A second later we’re crowded around the computer. Some movie is still playing. I find it funny that time didn’t stop.

I read the article on the screen a dozen times and every time I read it I was shocked it still said the same thing. A teenage girl was accused of stabbing and killing her mother, Shu Yi Zhang. A picture of Esmie’s house was beside the article. Those new housing developments all look the same, but I could tell it was her second story window seat.

When bad things happen most people start blaming it on themselves, and I was no different. I started thinking of every time I could have done something to change what happened. I didn’t invite her to my 5th grade birthday party because we were mad at each other. I forgot to tell her she could stay at my house if living at home got too unbearable. Instead I just let things happen. I shouldn’t have. I am a bad person.

LANCER voice nora salle - 9

“I think Roberts will have a very negative effect on us, because no on e appointed by Bush could be good for us.”

Stories from the

inside:

What it’s like to be grounded for the first time an opinion of ben whitsitt

Katie and Esmie: Best friends Esmie Tseng and Katie Jones attend a birthday party together.

But a few days later when I read her first letter, she didn’t sound too abnormal. It snapped me back into reality and I realized that nothing was my fault. This is just an obstacle in our friendship, I thought. I blocked out all the words I kept hearing over again: snapped, stabbed, crazy, poor girl, murder, murder, murder.

This was a false hope.

When my friend’s mom Nancy Mallett went to visit her, I knew it wasn’t just an obstacle. The change inside and in her appearance was disheartening. When Nancy visited her, they stapled a band around Esmie’s wrist. No hugs allowed. If they hugged, Nancy could slip her something. Security gaurds watched their every move in the little white room. Nancy tried to make a joke, but Esmie didn’t laugh. The old Esmie would have laughed. The new Esmie just said, “That’s not funny.” Her expression was blank.

Recently Esmie has gained more rights at the Juvenile Detention Center. She’s able to socialize with other people her own age and go to classes. She has also been allowed to listen to her music again. While this is encouraging, I know it will be a while before we can exchange words.

It’s strange, knowing I’ll probably never pull another all-nighter with her again in my life. We’ll never play pinball over the phone again. Maybe we’ll never ever tell a joke with our eyes. No more philosophical discussions. It’s like missing a ghost.

I could rationalize all I want to, think positive and put it out of my mind, but being grounded is terrible. I recently had an epiphany about being grounded my second term of grounding ended. My epiphany was that having to sit at home sucks and parents should stay out of my business.

Of course, since the big bang, parents have always been known to meddle in the affairs of their kids and make their lives miserable. This I knew, but what I did not know was that parents aren’t stupid. I was under the impression that all parents are oblivious to everything that involves fun. My dad tapes documentaries on KCPT about how dragons from 1011 A.D. could’ve destroyed the human race with one fowl breath of fire.

But at the end of the documentary they figure out that dragons never existed. Wow, pretty sweet. Nevertheless, my dad gets 90 percent of his life’s entertainment out of it and gets the notion that I should be excited about dragons too. So who can blame me for thinking that he has no idea about what I do for entertainment?

Being wrong hurts. It also leads to unpleasant periods of time that I have to sit at home and watch the nature channel because I gave false information to my parents about my whereabouts and what I was doing over the weekend. They found out about where I really was and to put it bluntly, I was screwed.

When my parents and I had a little meeting about my altercation, they acted like they were prosecutors during the Watergate scandal. My day of reckoning, in other words, turned into a three-hour trial.

They threw so many questions at me that I wasn’t prepared for and so many thoughts ran through my mind. My mom was trying to send me through the guilt trip but I kept zoning out and her words seemed to have no meaning to me. When she finished with the trip, which was very long and arduous, the two interrogators expected me to answer their questions honestly.

Here comes another epiphany. I realized that lying involves risk but telling the truth just leads to merciless punishment. So I lied and tried to make myself look innocent by placing the blame on someone else. To my surprise the parents soaked in all the bull I threw at them and I thought I got away with a pretty good deal, two weeks grounding.

I have never been grounded before so I didn’t really know what to do with all the time that was on my hands. Some people would’ve done their homework and that thought did run through my mind. Every time it did run through mind though, it ran out as quickly as the thought entered. Instead of doing homework I decided to feel sorry for myself and watch all 80 channels I have on the TV. Two weeks seemed like a year and when I was finally free, I told myself I would never get grounded again. Because we all know that being grounded in Johnson County is so terrible, it’s like being in prison, and I also like to whine.

Do you think the appointing of new supreme court justices, like Roberts, will effect you? rachel clarke - 10 “There are only two open seats anyway; two new justices won’t be enough to influence decisions.”

victor karpov - 11 “The fact that he is a younger man is good, because our generation relates to him more easily.”

kyle westphal - 12 “It will effect our generation somewhat, but I believe it will affect the generation after us much more.”

page 4 / editorial / the harbinger issue 1 / september 6, 2005

Digging

Editorial Cartoon

harbinger editor-in-chief annie fuhrman assistant editors amanda allison evan favreau

Ourselves

art & design editor ian mcfarland

OUT

head copy editor bryan dykman photo editor linda howard

The Bush administration needs to tax the public instead of borrowing more money in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While the failure to do so may not have an immediate effect, it will come back to bite us later on. It is our generation that will be paying for the destruction caused by the storm in years to come. A disaster relief tax is critical if we can hope to keep our already astronomical debt from spilling over. The financial ramifications of the hurricanes do not just effect the South; every American stands at risk by our government deepening the financial hole in which we stand.

The American public has been donating millions of dollars for the cause, but that money has been allocated to the families and victims.

Such a display of generosity and kindness is heartwarming and absolutely critical in helping the victims. It does nothing, however, to financially support the reconstruction of the afflicted areas: the reconstruction that is estimated to cost around $200 billion.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita come at a point when the United States national debt rests at around $7.9 trillion, the most in our history, and is growing at a rate of over $1 billion every day. The war in Iraq is overwhelmingly expensive and doesn’t look to by george hart and sara mcelhaney be coming to an end any time soon. In the midst of all this, the Bush administration is vehemently opposed to raising taxes. that a major attack could occur at any time.

Bush needs to swallow his We need to be prepared for everything. The pride and start taxing. A disaster The government needs hurricanes raised our standards in terms of relief tax would take financial to begin taxing to raise immediate disaster reaction, but the question pressure off the recovery effort still remains as to whether we will be financially and keep our national debt from funds for hurricane ready. reaching the tipping point.

Taxing is the only way to rebuild the reconstruction.

Anyone who understands hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast and keep our credit knows that you can’t keep national debt from further spiraling. It is also the borrowing forever.

At some only measure that will effectively prepare our point, our debt will just get too country for the future disasters, whatever form high. The Bush administration they come in, which are imminent. If leaders needs to realize that eventually, don’t tax now, we should not only abandon taxing will be necessary to keep agree disagree absent hope of social security for our generation, but our country afloat. At the rate we are going, this looks like it will happen when our generation is preparing for retirement. It already appears as if we aren’t going to get social security, why make matters worse?

The occurrence of Hurricane Rita directly after Hurricane Katrina shows us that disasters don’t each citizen’s bide their time. They can occur whenever. It doesn’t share of debt matter when the last one was. It would be naïve to assume that just because we are in the midst of a national crisis now, another natural disaster won’t US population national debt hit. The situation appears even more bleak when we consider the fact that most experts agree the primary reason we have not been hit by another terrorist attack since 9/11 is luck. The general consensus is

9-0-2

Do The Math $26,600

297 million

$7.9 trillion

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. 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.

assistant photo editor samantha ludington news editor sara steinwart news page editors melissa lem rachel mayfield opinion editor cay fogel opinion page editor clare jordan editorial editor foster tidwell features editor ellie weed features page editors katie jones hallie mccormick sylvia shank center spread editor laura nelson center spread assistant editor jenn sunderland mixed editor libby nachman a&e page editors kevin grunwald derek martin sports editor peter goehausen sports page editors bobby miller ben whitsitt ads/buisness kristen crawford claire marston circulation davin phillips copy editors amanda allison bryan dykman evan favreau annie fuhrman laura nelson sara steinwart jenn sunderland ellie weed staff writers joe demarco clark goble ally heisdorffer jayne shelton joey soptic michelle sprehe photographers katie james frances lafferty emily rappold kelsey stabenow katie woods adviser dow tate

Succeed

issue 3 /october 4, 2005 / features / page 5

the will to

Despite normal teenage pressures, senior deals with mother’s death by bryan dykman It’s two days before her junior Homecoming, and Erica Williams is fed up. She has a date, a dress and dinner reservations, but something else, far more important, is on her mind.

Having just arrived from school, she moves around her dad’s house trying to find an unlocked door. A quick phone call to her dad confirms that the locks have been changed.

Erica is tired of living with her father and this most recent gesture makes her realize her dad wants her out.

Erica wants to be back with her mother, but Tanja Williams died four months ago, and now Erica would rather live anywhere than with her dad. Erica has decided to run away from home. She’s leaving. No one’s going to stop her.

Erica walks away from the house, back to her friend’s car and leaves: forever. *** Erica Williams’ life has been an ongoing study in how to deal.

When she was two, Erica’s parents divorced leaving her in the full-time care of her mother. When she was in third grade, Erica’s mom and dad tried living together for a second time. Erica had to accept into her life a father that she’d never known and his insensitivity towards his wife’s declining health. She watched as he told her mom, too weak to stand from increasing heart and lung problems, that her crippling illness was no excuse for dirty dishes.

And when her mom and dad couldn’t work it out, she had to learn how to pick up and move in the sixth, seventh, eight and ninth grade, because the family couldn’t live on their own. They tried several times to be independent, but Mrs. Williams’ disability check couldn’t pay for Erica, her brother and sister and the cost of medical treatment as her health became worse.

But Ernest Williams, Erica’s father, won’t talk about the past. Instead he is always looking to the future. “At this point, I don’t want to get into [the past],” he said. “I don’t focus on the past. I am always tying to move forward. As long as education is Erica’s focus, she knows that I am ready to move beyond the past.”

The last two years have been especially rough on Erica.

She’s had to learn how to accept the loss of her mother and being in the custody of her father.

Despite all of this, Erica moves forward, determined to study law at Stanford and make something of her life.

Criminal, family or civil law—she doesn’t know, but it’s this dream, this hope for the future, which has helped her through the sometimes seemingly impossible journey that has been the last two years of her life.

How do you focus on high school, maintain a 4.2 GPA, hold the 51st spot in your senior class, plan for college and your future while your life at home is falling apart? When you’re Erica, it’s not even a question.

Erica learned her work ethic at an early age. She’s always done well in school; studying and good grades come naturally. Her mom asked Erica only to do her best: nothing more, nothing less.

“I feel bad if I give up on school,” Erica said. “I feel like I am letting my mom down. I told her I was going to be a lawyer, and now I’m going to. It would be such a waste of time to do poorly. I don’t want to have any regrets. I don’t ever want to say ‘could have done this but instead…’”

But more than anything it’s what Erica has lived through that has motivated her the most. All her life she has been moving from one place to the other, constantly dependant upon others. Godparents, grandparents, friends of the family — all have sheltered Erica’s family when they couldn’t make it on their own.

She does well in school because good grades will get her

into a good college; a good college will get her a good job; a good job will ensure her a future where she won’t have to depend on anyone but herself.

Broken Taillight Erica Williams was getting ready for school, when she found her mom stumbling around, gasping for breath like a fish out of water. She’d just had a stroke.

“My mom seemed really out of it,” Erica said. “I took her to the hospital where they put her on life support. She slipped into a coma minutes later.”

At 1 p.m., the 39-year-old mother of three died — six days before Mother’s Day. “My mom had always been in and out of the hospital,” Erica said. “There are times when she came out of it and was really healthy. She just seemed to always bounce back.

I guess we were all just expecting her to bounce back. And she didn’t.”

And at first, neither did Erica.

Two weeks after her mother’s death, Erica’s dad announced to the family that he would be getting married.

But unlike her dad, Erica was not ready to move on.

The grieving process took a hold of her and anger set in. She was mad at her mother for leaving like this, in the custody of a man she didn’t want to live with. She was mad at herself for not getting to say goodbye to her mom like she would have liked. She was not ready to accept her dad’s fiancé as her soon-to-be stepmother. She felt like this was too much, too soon.

Erica went through counseling with her brother and sister for most of the summer. She joined Survivors, an organization at East where students gather together and talk about losing a parent.

“It’s really good to be around people that can actually empathize with you,” Erica said. “So many people come up to you and feel sorry and say they know how you feel, but they really don’t. It was helpful to be with people who have kind of walked in my shoes.”

In counseling, Erica was told that the best way to help ease the loss of her mother was to stay busy. So Erica took dance classes and hung out with friends. And when school came around, she engrossed herself in her work. She knew that this would serve a double purpose: It would keep her mind off the pain of losing her mother, and it would continue to advance her towards her goal of good grades, good college, good job, and independence.

Erica was learning how to deal with the death of her mom. She was able to openly talk about it with friends. The pain was beginning to subside.

But then Erica had to learn how to deal with her father.

“I kept telling him over and over that I was going to leave,” Erica said. “I wasn’t ready to move in with my dad and a woman that was a complete stranger to me.”

Several times Erica packed her backpack and tried to leave. She stayed the night at a friend’s house, but every time she left, she would return. She couldn’t fathom the idea of leaving her brother and sister behind. Not after everything that happened.

“When I moved in, [my dad] and I knew that we didn’t get along. We had family meetings on Fridays. We would talk about what went wrong over the week, but every time I brought up something, he would just say ‘I am the parent,’” Erica said. “When I lived with my mom, we would compromise. And with him, every suggestion I made he thought was disrespectful.”

Three nights before her junior homecoming, Erica and her dad had a fight over whether or not Erica could attend the homecoming dance. A couple of nights before, Erica had backed into a pole, breaking a taillight, and now her dad had grounded her over homecoming night. The next day Erica’s friend, senior Madi Jenkins, drove her home from school. Erica realized that she didn’t have a house key;

Her mom’s car: Erica sits on her mom’s old jeep.

They refuse to sell it after her death photo by Katie Woods it was with her car keys that she had handed over the night before as part of her punishment. But even if she had a key it wouldn’t have mattered. Erica’s dad changed the locks.

He didn’t want her there; she didn’t want to be there.

“I am not sure about the details on that side,” Mr. Williams said. “But I am not looking at it on that level. I’m just trying to go forward.”

Nevertheless, Erica went back to Jenkins’ house, called up her grandfather and made arrangements to stay with him. Indefinitely.

Erica’s life unraveled when she lost her mother. But now she had lost her father, her brother and her sister.

“Sometimes I want to go back. I miss my brother and sister so much. And soon I’ll be in college. And after that who knows,” Erica said. “You can’t really wrestle your brother to the ground when you’re 30.”

Although Erica is living with her grandparents, Erica feels like she is finally on her own. The first quarter is coming to an end and she tallies up her grades in her head.

Psychology: A, Spanish 3: A, Calculus B/C: A English 12 AP: B. She has consortium after school and works at Children’s Cottage, a local daycare, five days a week, making enough money to pay for gas. Because of the long drive she makes every day from her grandparents to school, she puts $20 dollars in her tank every other day. She’s looking for a weekend job.

The study habits haven’t changed, because neither has the dream. Finish high school strong, good college, good job, independence.

Though running away has made Erica feel independant, there is one problem left to solve: the relationship with her dad. Maybe she will give him a call.

“Our relationship has gotten better [since I left the house]. Before we couldn’t even talk to each other, but now we at least talk once in a while,” Erica said. “I don’t hate him for not seeming fatherly, and looking back on it, some of the stuff we fought about was pretty petty. I think we’re both just trying to move on.”

And Mr. Williams feels the same way. He doesn’t want to bring up the past. He doesn’t want to stir up the sad history between himself and his daughter. He just wants to move on, give it time and perhaps with a little mending, he and his daughter will be able to smile in high school and college graduation pictures together. Like a family.

page 6 / features / the harbinger

different kindof by sylvia shank

For Brian Rubaie, the top ranked debater in the nation, signing up for debate class was an accident.

“I filled out my schedule wrong,” he said. “I meant to take a drawing class.”

His second semester, Rubaie wasn’t planning to continue public speaking. A soccer injury forced him to switch out of his gym class, so he joined forensics.

Both classes may have been happenstance, but public speaking clicked with Rubaie.

“It was natural for me,” he said.

His first year he had remarkable success.

“At the last tournament my freshman year, I qualified to nationals, which convinced me it was really something to keep up with,” Rubaie said.

Over the next three years, Rubaie accumulated 2,124 National Forensics League (NFL) points. Tournaments are judged by parents and college debaters. At each competition, participants can earn points, depending on how they place in debates or forensic events.

He did that by strong performances at up to 16 debate and forensics tournaments each year.

“He’s very concise and eloquent when he speaks,” Paulette Manville, Rubaie’s debate teacher, said.

Rubaie has more NFL points than any other high school debater or forensicater nationwide, yet keeps it quiet.

“He’s so talented, but very modest,” Manville said. “ He’s well respected and well liked by the other debaters.”

He serves as a role model and a coach to younger debaters.

NFL

“Just yesterday after school, we were in a debate round, and after the round, he stayed to give us suggestions,” sophomore Brad Crist said. “He had to go to work soon, but still spent 20 to 30 minutes critiquing us.”

Rubaie works four nights a week as a dishwasher and waiter at Epoch Assisted Living, in addition to lengthy tournaments on weekends.

“It’s really just a matter of making sure I have things on a schedule,” he said. “Then I don’t overload on one thing and I keep a balance.

Schedules are key for me.”

Rubaie’s debate partner for the last two years has been senior Sean Stenger. “Most of the reason Sean and I have been able to do well is that we are more researched. You have to dig deep for information no one else has.”

This includes searching a variety of sources, and even reading philosophical literature like The Empire, by Antonio Negri, to be able to argue competitively against the other team.

Speech and debate skills may be useful in Rubaie’s future.

“I’d like to be a city councilman or a defense attorney,” he said.

Senior Brian Rubaie ranked first in National Forensics League

For now, Rubaie remains a senior working four nights a week, but also giving advice to newer debaters.

“He’s willing to take time out of his personal life to other debaters,” Crist said.

“Sean and I both try to create the motto that if you work hard, you can do well,” Rubaie said. “We had our role models and without them, we’d have had no idea what to do.”

Advanced Debater Brian Rubaie

1

Rank in the NFL (National Forensics League) out of 9,000 students nationwide

2124

Points Rubaie has aquired through all of his competitions

4

Number of days a week that Rubaie spends at his job while still maintaining ranking

Throw Out Your Spirals Make sure to attend the 1st Orchestra Concert Thursday Oct. 6 7pm

Digitally •Capture, •Orginize

•Share your notes •use for instant messaging

Anywhere Anytime Or, The Mobil NoteTaker can be taken with you anyhere and you can save up to 50 pages of note.

Dan Kass at (913) 642-5567 AT Marketing & Conslulting Associates

photo by linda howard

number one in a

A Home Called Passages

issue 3 / october 4, 2005 / features / page 7

The only GSA youth group in KC helps teens cope and have fun

continued from page 1

From the outside, Passages almost looks like an abandoned building. If it weren’t for the small crowd of teenagers huddled by the entrance one would never notice the windowless metal door with the street numbers 4007 peeling from the doors surface.

But once inside, the interior is a collage of brightly colored rooms filled with worn sofas, and a refrigerator overflowing with soda. They have a big grey dog named Turner who nuzzles everyone hoping to get a crumb of their pizza.

When high schools get ready for their homecoming and prom, Passages does the same. They have their own version of these dances with kids dressed up in funky outfits with go-go boots and lime green dresses.

“There are some high schools that it would be unsafe to come with a same-sex date to a dance.” Glenn said. “At East it wouldn’t be so dangerous, but at other schools you could get jumped in the parking lot afterwards.”

Safety is another issue. There are high schools where gay and lesbian students do not feel safe.

There are kids who come to Passages who have been beat up in their school, while Passages dinner and a movie: Sophomore at Harmon High, Kenneth Brown teachers look the other way. relaxes on the couch with Washington High junior Nick Dibben. photo by kevin According to junior Kelsey Lehman, East doesn’t have the problems of physical grunwald violence.

“The only thing that I would say that East has [against gays] that bothers me everyone was there. People would just come up to her and tell her their name. Passages soon is their ignorance.” Says Lehman, “When people say ‘that’s so gay’ to me, that’s just saying: became the highlights of Lehman’s week. ‘that’s so homosexual,’ and it just makes the person sound like they don’t know what they “It doesn’t matter how terrible my week has been, when I come to Passages, everything are talking about.” goes away,” says Lehman, “All the pain, everything, just disappears. That’s why I go. It’s my When Lehman came to Passages, she was overwhelmed by how open and family like escape of reality.”

Students Take Over the Court A student-run court tries other students by jayne shelton “The court sentences you to…” is how junior youth court judge Jackie Mares ends each of the cases. The punishment is simply fill-in-the-blank. Mares volunteers for youth court and has since middle school. Every few weeks, she puts on her robe, takes her gavel in hand, and plays a judge for the kids who go through youth court.

Youth court is a court system for teenagers with first time misdemeanors between middle school age and 18 years old.

The judges, juries, and lawyers, though, are the same age as the defendants. Going to youth court instead of real court, gives the respondent the opportunity to keep the incident off of their record in exchange for doing community service, apology letters, or restitution. Junior Jackie Mares is one of the judges for community service.

“It isn’t like judging, I can’t talk to the jury or decide the sentence,” Mares said.

The requirements for each sentence are five hours of community service, jury duty twice, and two street classes, which are like lectures. There is a binder filled with the classes that are possibilities for the defendants to take and each volunteer has to study them.

Mares has been in a real court situation before, and says that there isn’t much of a difference. Although youth court has a serious tone, it is less serious than real court.

“Some of the people who come in are very upset about what they did, so we don’t want to intimidate them,” Mares said. They have the same objections, procedures, and ways of doing things as court.

“We’re just miniatures,” she said.

About an hour is dedicated to each case, for setting things up and practicing things to say. KU law students come to help the lawyers word questions. The interns help the trainees since they are new. Both lawyers get copies of the police report and compare those to the story of the defendant.

“Basically, we talk them through it, and tell them what’s going to happen to them,” sophomore defense lawyer Mattie Haynes said. Even though youth court offers a chance to

keep crimes off their records, people still fail to show up. All the delays cause the courtroom to get backed up, and the new cases don’t start on time.

“You assume you’re doing people a great favor, but they stand us up…” Mares said, “you can be [in the courtroom] for hours, and it’s in Olathe.”

Listening to the cases though, can be entertaining.

“Couple kids thought that they could hide two liter bottles of Sprite in their pants, and walk out,” Haynes said.

Mares has experienced her share of interesting cases too.

“There are a lot of stupid ones, I’m not going to lie…. someone stole something that was 37 cents,” Mares said.

Stealing items with a retail value of less than 99 cents is a “mundane” case to a weathered youth court volunteer; to anyone else, some of these stories belong on “America’s Dumbest Criminals.”

“One girl stole a bra, put it on under her clothes, and left. She walked into another store and stole something else to put in her [stolen] bra, and a cop stopped her. For this case, both of the lawyers were guys, so when they were presenting the case, they both would say ‘bra’ and get all red,” Mares said.

The cases seem to come in seasons, because with each new season a slew of new, similar crimes come with it.

There is a lot more criminal trespassing in the summer, which are the cases they are currently finishing.

“In the summer, there’s of lot of people breaking into pools at night to swim, but battery is much more common in the school year than in the summer,” Mares said.

The number of battery cases seems to be increasing, besides the ones added from school starting. There are a variety of fights the juries deal with, like “cat fights” and massive fights with 12 people, but all the people jump in at different times. Everyone comes in separately for fights with multiple people, allowing some to get the advantage, though they all did the same thing.

“It depends on the jury,” Mares said, “most jurors went through it before and figure they got off [with something

3 Strange Reasons

...why people got arrested

1. Students from East threw cupcakes at each other.

2. A few students were arrested while watching a fight, even though they were not cheering or participating in the fight.

3. A girl got mad and ran into a vending machine because she wanted skittles.

She broke the glass on it, therefore she was arrested.

worse], so they let them off easy, too.” The people of the fights also have lawyers with different levels of experience, so the ones with the more experienced lawyers generally have the benefit.

Some of the battery cases tend to get to Mares emotionally.

“Fights where people seriously beat up their best friend… they come in bawling and I’m like ‘why did you do it in the first place?’” she said, “You think about what you would do in that situation.”

There have been several times when the defendant has gone through youth court and ended up volunteering for it.

They are always looking for new volunteers. “[I started because] I wanted to be a judge for the longest time. I don’t want to be anymore, but regardless, it is a good program,” Mares said, “It is good for anyone; it is giving back to the community.”

press

colleges • friends • sports • popularity • family • grades • recruiters • daily practice • te

Social.

what pressu

by amanda allison

Social pressure is the nebulous element of our society that dictates who we are supposed to be at all times. We are assigned, obligated and committed.

According to East students, it is having the right things: the perfect hair, body and clothes, enough money and the right friends.

“Social pressure is what drives everyone,” family therapist Yulanda Swanson-Moten said. “It is how you fit into the society that has created the image which you then must uphold.”

Students at Shawnee Mission East feel pressure to meet certain standards every day. For some, like junior Whitney Van Way, she feels that she must spend time choosing her clothes before going to sleep, sometimes trying them on. Van Way then wakes up at 5:30 and spends 35 minutes dressing and applying makeup.

“I don’t feel put together if I wake up later and just throw on clothes,” Van Way said. “If there wasn’t so much concern regarding how to look, I wouldn’t do it. I would sleep in.”

Being hounded by the media’s images of stick-thin Lindsay Lohan and newly svelte Nicole Richie leads to self-image issues among adolescent females. According to the latest statistics from The National Eating Disorders Association, 10 percent of female adolescents will suffer from anxiety or depression resulting from low self-confidence, and another 15 percent will experience some sort of eating disorder.

“There are always those girls that want to lose another few pounds,” Van Way said. “I consider myself overweight compared to the celebrities I see and compared to my friends.”

She is a size six.

According to Swanson, today’s social pressures resemble those present 20 years ago, with one addition: an increase in violence. She added that these days, if a student’s social standing is threatened or their physical appearance commented upon, instead of discussing it with counselors, they bring a gun to school. While less extreme cases of rebellion occur on a daily basis, the pressure felt by students often leads to drug and alcohol usage.

“They think it will treat a problem,” junior James Badgerow said.

“They’re just creating a whole new one.”

The age-old concept of peer pressure has not gone away, even among best friends.

“If a whole group of girls decides to do something, most will go along with it just because no one stands up and says ‘No.’” freshman Sydney Danner said. “Then again, some think those that do exactly what the crowd does are weird.”

Immense pressure is placed upon those that attend the selflabeled “Rich East.” In the sea of Coach bags and Seven jeans though are those that cannot afford the more expensive items East hallways demand.

Junior Patti Blair wears hand-me-downs. And likes it. They’re comfortable.

She remembers shocking her wealthier Cross Country teammates during a discussion about fall fashion. She was the only one not expecting a closet full of new clothes.

“Everything these days is ‘Buy, Buy, Buy!’” Blair said. “I’m still amazed at how materialistic people are.”

She hopes that once she enters college, people will be a bit more realistic when it comes to their finances, and that living on their own will teach students about money management. They just might become a bit more conscience about how much they are actually spending.

“Though sometimes I feel that people look down on me because I don’t have the fancy clothes and go shopping all the time, I stay true to the morals and values my family holds,” Blair said. “There is so much more to people than what they own or how they look.”

Swanson’s advice on dealing with pressure: be passionate about something. Get involved and stay busy. It’s all about the family.

Have dinner together. Discuss. Listen. Know. Those are the keys to maintaining a healthy home environment.

Realize that the world is not perfect, and neither are the people in it.

“Society is not as important to teens once they realize that what the media presents is not real,” Swanson said. “What is real is a family.”

what causes

STRESS? Change • Leaving home (i.e. college) or having a loved one leave is emotionally stressful.

so...

• Changes in the physical environments result stress as well.

Uncertain Future • What kind of job will I get? What college will I go to? Will some college accept me?

so...

• These kinds of questions cause doubt and fear, leading to stress.

”

Questi to use fifteen think a

pat six

”

Realizing on Sunda night that I haven’ started my homew anna zeiger, junior

”

Minis very s

eli kaldahl

courtesy of ottawa.ca

Loss • The death of a loved one, including parents, siblings or even pets, can be emotionally traumatic.

so...

• If those who had provided comfort are now gone, life changes.

when it’s too much

relax: organize:

healthy:

here are pressur

Get a massage or take a hot bub help to relieve muscle strain from lable things (i.e. the weather)

Making a list of everything you h may seem like a stressful situati stress out about how much you

Avoid junk foods and try to get y and carbohydrates. Exercise oft help take off pressure of mental

courtesy of studyguides

sure

est scores • family demands • all-nighters • smoking • referees • alcohol • term papers •

ures you?

ions I have e more than n seconds to about.

xta, freshman

ay ’t work.

”

”

skirts. Miniskirts are stressful.

”

l, sophomore

e some ways to deal with re and stress

bble bath. The heat and muscle movement can m pressures. Don’t try to change uncontrol-

have to do can help clarify and simplify what ion. With checklists and notes, it’s harder to have to do.

your daily requirements of fruit, vegetables ten - concentration on physical work can l strain.

s.net

Academic.

by laura nelson There’s a towering stack of college brochures on senior Xu Xu’s dining room table. Colleges she most likely won’t be attending, because she’s past the browsing stage. Colleges that don’t matter to her unless they offer the program she’s looking for. They sit there unopened. Ignored. And there’s no time to look at them.

There’s only time for work.

And college applications.

Her difficult schedule, but one that is “not as challenging as in the past,” includes Calculus BC, Spanish 5 AP, her fourth year of Debate and English 12 AP. She has little time on her hands for anything besides studying. But Xu still finds time for more.

Between debate tournaments, working and homework, every Saturday until Winter Break is marked on her calendar. ** For students like Xu, trying to keep up a high GPA in an academically challenging school, attempting to stay well-rounded and maintaining a social life can be almost too much unless they know how to cope with pressure.

Xu knows how to cope, and she knows what she’s looking for in a school: a program that will help her once she’s out of college, and with that degree she might be accepted into a grad school that will help her with her possible career: Med school.

She tosses out names: Yale. Brown. University of Miami.

“I’m looking for an upper echelon school,” Xu said. “But right now I’m just trying to cope with all my applications. The common

Athletic.

by libby nachman

As the number-one ranked girl on the tennis team, Emily Whitney steps onto the court to play a match. But she can’t focus. She can’t think about what she’s doing. She hits the ball, but her mind isn’t in the game.

“I don’t concentrate as well when I’m concentrating on my homework,” Whitney said. “That happens a lot.”

Whitney is one of many kids feeling the pressure that results from juggling athletics into already hectic lives.

She has tennis practice for an hour and a half severy day. In addition to that, she has tournaments during the school days and on weekends. The time commitment that tennis requires began to add up.

“I’m always tired,” Whitney said. “It’s hard to keep myself going.”

But Whitney does keep going. She has a lot she’s accomplished, but still more that she’s working for.

Become number-one at East. Check.

Get a college scholarship. Not checked.

Play for a college. Not checked.

Whitney’s mom, Debbie Whitney, does her best to alleviate the stress and pressure that her daughter feels.

“I go to every match,” she said. “I need to be there to support her.”

Debbie has been supporting Emily ever since she started playing

app is a beautiful thing, but a lot of my colleges don’t take it.”

Soon, all this will be over. In three or four months, it will all be decided. Then I can move on, Xu tells herself.

“For me, school always comes first,” Xu said. “School trumps all other things.”

Juggling different classes alone can be difficult, but Xu also works at Shop Beautiful in Overland Park and likes to go out with friends. Normally, she goes to debate tournaments Friday night and Saturday until dinner time,>then goes out on Saturday nights.

Sundays are for homework.

Xu’s schedule and activities may seem like she’s simply polishing her résumé for college; however, she thinks that just doing the activities to look good isn’t the way to go about it.

“Do things that you’re really passionate about, and do what interests you most.”

Xu is a driven student. One who wants to succeed. One who has to succeed.

“My motivation has been instilled in me by my culture,” Xu said.

Xu comes from a Chinese family. She is first-generation American. If she can get a solid job once she graduates from college, she could earn enough money to send for her extended family - grandparents, uncles, aunts. Right now, it’s just her parents, her little brother and Xu. “It’s not just because I’m Chinese, though,” she said. “It’s because I’m first generation. I feel like I have to make a life for myself in this country. And I’ll start with school.”

tennis almost eight years ago. Since she began, she has practiced in a multitude of places.

“I’ve been everywhere,” she laughed. It’s true, though. Prairie Village Courts, Leawood Country Club, Woodside Racket Club and KC Racket Club are all familiar courts.

Now Emily plays for East. The coaches are more lenient, yes. The practices are easier, yes. But she still has a lot on her plate.

“Emily has to step up and be number-one and fill the shoes of Kristen Bleakly [last year’s State champion],” Debbie said. “[She] knows what she has to do. Tennis is really a mental game. If you’re upset, it affects your game. It’s stressful being the number-one player because you have responsibility for the team and yourself.”

Emily definitely feels the stress. She goes to school for a full day, then an hour and a half of practice. Finally, she gets home and does her homework.

“Homework has to be done before she can talk on the phone or do computer,” Debbie said. “We don’t like her to be on her cell phone all night. You have to get a good night’s sleep [to play well].”

However, even though Emily has a lot going on and a lot of pressure, it could be worse.

“I feel like because she’s been doing this for so many years,” Debbie said, “She’s better at containing her stress. When it’s something you’ve worked hard for and want really badly, it’s something you work harder to balance.”

page 10 / features / the harbinger

Senior Does it All With so many things on her plate, Tiffany Fowlkes manages it all by jenn sunderland “My friends never call me anymore because they know I’m busy,” senior Tiffany Fowlkes explained. “I used to have a lot of friends…but I don’t see them anymore.”

Instead of being with her friends, Fowlkes is working as a waitress at Winsteads, getting paid minimum wage: $2.21.

“It’s not bad at all, though, because with tips I get $10 to $15, depending on what day it is,” she said. Fowlkes enjoys her job, but wishes she didn’t have to work as much.

Every Thursday and Friday she goes to work at 4 p.m., not to return home for another six or seven hours. She also works for12 hours on Saturdays.

Fowlkes is used to working so hard. For the past couple of years, her family has been living on her mother’s income of $30,000 alone. This has caused her family of five to make a few sacrifices.

At 12 years old, she began paying for her own expenses.

She paid for all her clothes and for her cell phone bill by

Fowlkes’ Daily Tasks I.B. workload Work at Winstead’s Track in the spring

Organize SHARE project Pay car expenses Pay for necessities

babysitting. Now, her expenses have increased. She pays around $400 monthly for her car, insurance, food, clothes, and gas. In the past, her family has even asked her for small amounts of money.

“I never ask them for money, though,” she says.

Work isn’t the only thing that fill’s Fowlkes’ days. She wakes up at 6:15 a.m. every morning, ready for a full day with almost all I.B. classes. Though this significantly increases her workload, she says I.B. was probably worth the time.

“And if I hadn’t been in I.B., I wouldn’t be able to go to east…and I feel like now I can do whatever I want in college,” Fowlkes said.

Her schedule sometimes leaves only one or two hours for

homework at night, though, and adds to her immense to-do list. She spends Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school in an ACT class and with a Latin tutor when she’s not working. She’s also running the Union Station SHARE project this year and plans on continuing running track this spring, despite the fact that she will be buried in spring IB testing.

“Track’s been hard for me…I didn’t get to go to practice as much as I wanted last year,” she explains, hoping she won’t have to drop this activity as well as the others she has already given up. For her first three years of high school, Fowlkes played the flute in the school band, but expenses got too high. She paid for her own private lessons, and when a broken flute would have cost her hundreds, even thousands of dollars to repair, she had to make a decision.

“I just quit…that made me really sad,” she said. No other option was available, though, because of her lack of funds.

Still, things are looking up for Fowlkes. Her parents now give her $20 a week for food and $20 for her Latin tutor.

However, this hardly makes a dent in her budget. As a result, she ends up spending very little money on herself.

“I don’t remember the last time I went to the mall,” she sad. “I really need some clothes…the only thing I do for myself is get my nails done, because when I work people compliment me.”

Still, Fowlkes doesn’t hate having such a challenging lifestyle. “To me it’s normal; this is just the way it is. I don’t feel different (than others). I just wish I could be more teenage-ish.”

photo by samantha ludington

mixed

issue 3 / october 4, 2005 / mixed / page 11

30

THEPAGEABOUTLIFE seconds with...

Tortoise Break

Jarrett Kirk What cartoon character would you be?

Probably Stewie from Family Guy because he’s really, really funny.

by joey soptic At the end of last year, a fairly large tortoise embarked on a journey from SME to SMW over the period of the hot summer months. Beginning in the Environmental Ed. Room, he ended up many miles away near SMW. It began with the last day of school last year when plumbers were working on the rooms and the gates on the tortoises’ cages were left open. All three of the cage mates managed to escape and, to their disappointment, the larger and smaller of the reptile runaways were recaptured shortly thereafter.

The middle sized tortoise, however, managed to elude its pursuers and began a long trek that would land him around West.

The following August, not long from the start of school, Environmental Ed. teacher Jim Lockard was at the SMW Summer Nature Program.

During one day of the program, Mr. Lockard was presented with a large tortoise and asked to identify him.

Sure enough, 75th street it was the m i s s i n g tortoise in all of his glory and still in one piece.

After the ordeal, it was decided that he would stay in Shawnee Mission West’s 83rd street Science Department.

The tortoise declined to comment.

What would you name a new jelly bean flavor?

I think the flavor’s already there: strawberry.

What will you wish for with one wish?

I’d probably wish for a lot more wishes.

If you could be anywhere...?

Somewhere outside of the country because I’ve never been out of the country.

1 2

4

in season

by Amanda Allison

yesterday

Soft. Elegant. Flowy and melty-into-the-wallish. These are the types of colors and patterns that were popular last year. The general thought pattern of those who made these boring items of clothing were along the lines of, “I wonder if I left the stove on?” and “Those darn TPS reports.”

Yeeeeah. No wonder those colors and patterns are so outta here. They’re boring! And nowadays, we’re all exciting!

We are interesting and unique, not cliché and passive. Like people say: “Viva la semi-interesting clothes!”

Mission Road

The long trek began here after he escaped.

85th street

what’s hot what’s cool

Here’s how it might have happened...

1: Shawnee Mission East

3

Metcalf Ave.

Antioch Road

Where did the tortoise’s travels take him?

art by Sara McElhaney

photo by Frances Lafferty

School tortoise escapes and travels to SMW

2: P.V. Pool

After leaving East, the tortoise decided to take a cool dip here.

3: Sheridan’s Frozen Custard Hot and tired, he paused his journey here to get a concrete.

4: Custom Car Wash

Wanting to look nice when he arrived at West, the tortoise stopped here to get a nice shell-waxing.

5: Shawnee Mission West

5

He finally arrived at his new home after his tiring journey.

today “Shiny. I like shiny things.”

I can’t remember what form of media that is from, but it’s true. I’m like a crow, attracted to all things sparkly, metallic and sequiny. Sadly, this new trend can be quite dangerous. I have read reports of people being so terribly overwhelmed by the glimmers of light and sudden flashes of bright that they simply lie down. And have a headache. A really bad headache. The only thing that cures that kind of headache are passé colors and flat hues of beige. But HA! None of that is cool right now. So. If you are afraid/allergic to the currently HOT HOT HOT trend of luster and sequins, beware. There is no cure for it. Just, um, hide in your house and watch Gilmore Girls. That cures all.

tomorrow Just as patterns are cool now, I believe that in a few months, days or years, texture will be the thing to mess around with. Items will be slippery and have spongey feels. Coats will be made of bubble wrap instead of this, this, wool nonsense.

Socks will be made of nice and cozy seaweed. How yummy. I’m so excited to get a new shirt that says “Caution: Flammable!” And oh no, the flammable alert won’t be because it’s made of red HOT polyester, but because it will be made of insulation!

Pink insulation! Like, that goes in houses. I can just imagine it now. How cute would that be?!?!

page 12 / a&e / the harbinger

the radar

The four greatest bands you’ve never heard of

tea leaf green

by derek martin This young rock quartet from San Francisco conjures up images of Tom Petty and The Grateful Dead with Petty-esque vocals and Dead-like improvisational skills. Their storybook lyrics and vocals flow like a river over the hills and valleys of the sonic range and let the listener slip into an almost trance like state.

Lead singer and keyboard player Trevor Garrod brings a visual-heavy style of writing to this folk inspired rock and roll group.

Melodic guitar mixed with lyrics like, “Devils have danced on my doorstep and angels have sung in my yard, wise men are hiding in the mountains while most men are working too hard,” their songs are more about the experience than the song itself.

Whether unleashing blistering Hendrixesque solos, playing pseudoelectronic grooves, or guiding the song in a new direction-guitarist

sage francis

BENEATH

Photos courtesy of respective artists

Josh Clark molds each song into something new. Rounding out this ensemble is bassist Milky Chambers and drummer Scott Rager.

They seamlessly weave the textures of the bass, and an almost tribal sounding drum beat into a multi-layered bass end.

One of the refreshing things about this band is that they are just that: a band. They all know their place in the sound and rarely if ever overstep their bounds.

Tea Leaf Green can appeal to those who are into improvisation or those who prefer more structure as their lengthiest of jams barely top nine minutes. Whichever you prefer, in Tea Leaf Green’s music you’ll find what you’re looking for.

Worth downloading:

If It Wasn’t for the Money The Garden (Parts I, II and III)

An energetic blend of techno and jazz, this Missoula, Montana based improv/techno/jazz project is turning heads in the underground and mainstream electronica scene.

The difference between Signal Path and other bands of this genre is that the music of Signal Path is created live with very minimal pre-recorded beats or sequences.

Bassist Dion Stepanski weaves in a multitude of influences, from jazz to rock, creating an everchanging bottom end to the sound.

LIVE: Signal Path in Boulder, CO The drumming combination of Ben Griffen and Damon Metzner, playing found splashed among their songs, often electronic and acoustic drums respectively, repeating key phrases in time with the rest of rounds out Signal Path’s sound and can the music. Signal Path will intrigue even the give the band either an overtly electronic or most jaded electronica fan. surprisingly natural feel.

Whether it be exploring complicated time Worth downloading: signatures, or using tweaked out synth riffs, Escape Strategy Signal Path will have your attention from Wolves start to finish. Even though they’re a mainly instrumental band, vocal samples can be

split lip rayfield

signal path

FROM LEFT: Milky Chambers, Trevor Garrod, Josh Clark and Scott Rager

A blend of punch you in the face political rhymes and rants against mainstream society is what makes Sage Franics one of the best up and coming artists in the ever expanding genre of political rap.

The Sage started rapping when he was 8 in his hometown of Providence, RI. By the time he was 12, he was already free-styling with the other local Providence emcees. Knowing that if his grades slipped, his collection of rap tapes would be a thing of the past, Sage kept his head in his books.

This dedication to his studies helped shape him into the politically conscious rapper he is today. With lyrics such as, “Was bloody dust with legs looking like the walking dead calling for meds” (in reference to 9/11) over driving bass beats, Sage Francis will knock you off your feet with his take-no-prisoners style of writing.

No topic too sensitive, The Sage takes shots at everyone from Corporate America, to childhood enemies.

Spewing rhymes fit

for ‘60s poetry throw downs.

The Sage leads the listener into a hallway of reverberating social consciousness.

Instrumentally his albums offer deep bass beats mixed with a plentiful helping of distortion. It sounds more like broken down Rage Against the Machine than standard hiphop faire. This combination of meaningful lyrics and disturbing, yet fitting music gives Sage Francis an irresitable edge to his sound.

Worth Downloading:

Lie Detector Test Jesus in a Bowl of Germs

FROM LEFT: Jeff Eaton, Eric Mardis and Kirk Rundstrom This bluegrass trio hails from Wichita, KS originally, but their unique mix of redneck vocals and fast picking bluegrass music has brought them to audiences across the country. With a deep respect to their roots, beneath lyrics such as, “Coors Light pourin’ down my throat, last week I puked in my cousin’s boat,” you find fast and surprisingly well-written bluegrass melodies.

Banjo player Eric Mardis slips fast picking banjo riffs in between the beats of bass player Jeff Eaton. By bass I mean, a gas tank with one string.

The third leg of this tripod is held up by guitarist Kirk Rundstrom who, with fast

picking and a taste for the more twangy side of things, adds one more element to this concotion of bluegrass sound. Vocally, Split Lip is a throw back to every redneck stereotype you’ve ever heard of, and they manage to pull it off quite well.

SLR’s shows are overflowing with energy and it’s impossible not to dance when the band really gets going. With four albums under their belt, Split Lip is finally starting to get the attention they deserve.

Worth Downloading: Redneck Tailgate Dream Pinball Machine

issue 3 / october 4, 2005 / sports / page 13

Tearing away a season Terrence Thomas misses over half of the football season because of an ACL tear

Out of Action: Sophomore Terrence Thomas watches the offense during practice. Thomas hopes to return before the playoffs. photo by Samantha Ludington

by clark goble Sophomore Terrence Thomas snaps the football, and immediately scrambles wide to the right with a purpose.

With the tails of his cornrows flailing, his shoes covered in mud, he jukes one defender, spins away from another and tiptoes down the sideline, laughing the whole way.

“Touchdown, baby!” Thomas shouts as he spikes the ball in the end zone. “That’s the game.”

Sure, it’s only a game of touch football in Thomas’ third hour Team Games class, but athletic activity is the last step of a complete rehabilitation of a torn ACL suffered in a basketball game last winter. Thomas, a running back, rehabilitated his knee for six months, and was expected to return to the real football field Oct. 1.

The run-dominant Lancer offense will be glad Thomas is returning. He provides another running back option in case junior Colin Hertel, the current starter, is injured, as he was last year.

After Hertel’s injury, Thomas, just a freshman at the time, stepped in admirably, rushing for 125 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Hertel ran for 588 yards and three touchdowns last season, averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

“Hertel’s my starting half back,” Stonner said. “Thomas is just a sophomore, and I have no ambition to use him too early.”

Thomas also doesn’t want to injure the ACL again.

“I have no problem taking a lesser role until the knee is back and ready to go,” Thomas said.

Thomas also played varsity basketball in the winter season. He tore his ACL in a game last winter against rival SM South. Coming down from a jump to grab a rebound, Thomas felt a sharp pain around his knee.

“I just came down on the knee wrong, and it gave out,” Thomas said.

The ACL (anterior crucial ligament) is the ligament that prevents the shinbone from moving forward on the thighbone. Tearing the ligament will cause the knee to give way, “The ACL is very hard to rehabilitate,” Dr. James Thompson, health director at Penn State University, said.

“There is no reason for an athlete to rush back into action without properly preparing the knee for athletic activity.”

Thomas rehabilitated with a trainer at St. Joe’s Medical Center. He also spent time in the East weight room to help him return to the physical strength level he was at as a freshman.

Thomas will have to be able to carry a load if he wishes to become the starter. East has had a tendency to utilize the rushing offense more than the passing offense this year.

However, that play calling style may change if the opposing defense has a glaring weakness in the passing game.

“It really depends on what the other team is doing,” Stonner said. “We are a very versatile team.”

College Counseling Associates

___________________________________________________ DAVID WOLFF College and Teen Counseling S.M.E. Faculty Member 1969-2000 Honors History Instructor/College Counselour Also specializes in selective College Admissions and Social Studies tutoring

816-835-2051

For Thomas’ Team Games touch football team, it’s time to play defense. He shuffles his feet as he waits for the snap.

Reading the quarterback’s eyes perfectly, Thomas turns on the same knee injured seven months ago, waits for the ball and high-steps to the end zone. The Lancers can only hope Thomas brings that big-play ability back to the real field.

“It’ll be good to get back out there,” Thomas said. “I just want to play again.”

ACL By The Numbers 80,000- ACL tears every year in America 56,000- ACL tears that are suffered during sports.

70- percent of tears are non-contact related 6- Months it normally takes to heal an ACL tear.

5- Times more likely a high-school girl will tear their ACL then a boy 3- Times more likely a girl playing soccer will tear their ACL then a boy playing soccer 1/3- Amount of ACL tears that basketball and soccer account for 1 in 3,000- Americans will suffer an ACL this year source USA Today

page 14 / sports / the harbinger

the RIVALRY we love and adore

KU vs K-STATE

For The Record...

by clark goble There’s no real reason why Jayhawkers hate Wildcats. Both groups of fans have similar lifestyles, being from the Midwest.

But whenever a Jayhawk team matches up with a Wildcat team, there is going to be some tension, regardless of the sport.

The rivalry truly began all the way back in 1902, when the Kansas football team defeated the Wildcats 29-10.

Things have been different since then.

K-State has defeated the Jayhawk football team 11 out of the last 12 times, and most of the games were decided before halftime.

Basketball, on the other hand, has had the roles flipped. The Jayhawks have not lost to K-State since January 1994. The two teams meet at least twice a year, possibly three times. Fans have always assumed Kansas was going to be the victor in a basketball game.

But, in 2005, things could be different.

The Jayhawk football team is rolling, and the Wildcats look like their going to have an

The legacy between two colleges continues...

off year. The Jayhawks were also victorious in last year’s game.

Jayhawk basketball, after a devastating loss to Bucknell in last year’s tournament, is in a “rebuilding” year. The Wildcats will sure be fired up to take down the Jayhawks when they know the Hawks are rebuilding.

The Wildcats also have some confidence coming into this year, as they lost by only 9, 7, and 13 points respectively in three matchups last year, much closer than anticipated against the nationally-hyped Jayhawks. Lucky for the Wildcats most of the talent from last year’s squad returns, losing only power forward Jeremiah Massey.

All in all, don’t be surprised if the world tips on edge and the Wildcats take down the Jayhawks on the hardwood or the Jayhawks repeat last year’s success on the football field. And no, the world isn’t ending, the roles of the two progams are just changing.

• 61-35-5: KU’s football record vs K-State • 170-88: KU’s basketball record vs K-State • K-State football dominated during the ‘90’s • Current Jayhawk logo was created in 1946 • Manhattan: The Location of Saturday’s game • 9-1: K-State record vs. KU in their last ten games

The players making the plays...

K-State Allen Webb(QB)- 6 TDs Thomas Clayton (RB)- 3 Tds 7.7 yards per carry Brandon Archer (LB)- 16 tackles

Kansas Jon Cornish(RB)- 5 TDs 6.2 yards per carry Brian Luke (QB)- 4 TDs Nick Reid (LB) - 39 tackles, one sack

Cooler Talk: Who do you expect to win this year’s football match up, K-State or KU?

“

“

freshman david baldwin

“

K-State, KU stinks at football. senior josh easton

“

“

“

KU, they just have a better team this year.

K-State, they always win at home senior rachel maynard

Don’t Forget to audition for

The Talent Show!

Oct. 10 &11 2:50

issue 3 / october 4, 2005 / sports / page 15

“

LIFE ON AND OFF THE FIELD

ON PLAYING VARSITY SOCCER AND VARSITY FOOTBALL It is pretty neat, I probably like the football more because their are more people at games. It is easier to get recognized in football as opposed to soccer.

Though just a freshman, Tyler Owen is making his impact felt on the varsity football and soccer teams

ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KICKING IN FOOTBALL AND SOCCER There is a lot more pressure in football, it is just me kicking. When I play soccer it takes pressure off because I can play with teammates and it is not nearly as hard as football.

ON WHETHER SOMEDAY YOU WILL BE PLAYING FOR THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS OR WIZARDS Probably kicking for the Kansas City Chiefs. I like them both, but kicking takes less work. Not to say I’m lazy but less work is definitly on my side.

”

ON WHICH TEAM WILL GO FURTHER IN POST SEASON PLAY, FOOTBALL OR SOCCER

ON HOW THE UPPER CLASSMEN TREAT YOU AS A FRESHMAN ON THE TEAM They

ON HOW YOU BECAME SUCH A GOOD KICKER I’ve just been practicing for a long time and practice all the time. Kicking for soccer and football is pretty similiar it’s just about keeping an eye on the ball and kicking it hard.

ON THE FATHEST FIELD GOAL YOU HAVE EVER MADE Last year(as an eighth grader) against SM Northwest I made a 42 yard field goal in a game.

When it went through the upright I was stunned. I think I could probably make a 45 or 50 yard field goal.

ON THE DIFFICULTIES OF PLAYING BOTH SPORTS The injuries have probably been the hardest part. I hurt my groin in football at the begining of the season so I had sit out of soccer for awhile.

I think soccer, not to say that the football is less talented but their is more competition in football and it is a lot harder to advance far. Also, the soccer team is returning eleven varsity starters that have played together for along time.

me like I am a part of team.

After one month on both teams, Owen is making his impact felt. On soccer he has five goals in eight JV games before his recent promotion to the varsity ranks. He has split field goal duties with senior Andy Reiger, but has yet to miss an extra point. As told to Peter Goehausen

Owen is starting his freshman year on a high note in both fooball and soccer. photo by Kelsey Stabenow

pretty much treat me normal. They treat

The Week Ahead

What to watch for in Lancer Athletics By Peter Goehausen TUESDAY 10/4

Boy’s Soccer vs. Olathe East at CBAC

Perhaps the best news of the season came last week for the Lancers when KSHAA announced that St. Thomas Aquinas, the two time defending 6A soccer champions, will be competing in 5A instead of 6A. Aquinas ended East’s season last year with 3-0 victory, and beat them 9-0 in the first meeting. Today East plays against Olathe East, who is a top the Sunflower League with a 4-0 league record. East sits three points behind them in the standings. Saturday they take on Aquinas for the last time this year.

Girl’s Tennis at League

At the Aquinas Tournament last Tuesday, both East’s number one and two doubles teams advanced to the finals of their bracket. However, their number one and two singles didn’t fair as well finshing in sixth and seventh in their brackets. The Lancers will send their number one and two singles and doubles teams to the League Tournament today. Expect the number one doubles team of senior Kristin Bleakley and junior Lanie Mackey to win the doubles bracket.

Girl’s Golf at Olathe East Tournament at Iron Horse

The girls golf team is having one of the best season’s during coach Ritschl’s era. They are currently first in the Sunflower League with a ten stroke cushion over Olathe East. In order to win the Sunflower League they must hold onto the 10 stroke today at Iron Horse.

Sophomore Catherine Ward (right), fourth in the Sunflower League, and junior Ellie Leek have been the two top golfers all season and both are looking to go to state.

FRIDAY 10/7

GAME OF THE WEEK- Football vs. North at South The Lancers made it through the toughest part of their schedule. Though they didn’t fare as well as they had hoped, they are injury free and seem ready to start the second half of their season. Friday Stonner, (top left,) and the Lancers will have their first chance of beating rival North and first year coach, Ryan Majors (top right,) during Stonner’s tenure. North has been down this year after losing their head coach and a D-1 quarterback from a year ago. This game will be a mood setter for their district play which starts next week against Wyandotte.

THURSDAY 10/6

Girl’s Volleyball at Free State Quad

What once looked like a rebuilding season for the Lancers, the volleyball team proven everyone otherwise. They are in second place in the Sunflower League with a 10-3 record, only trailing undefeated Olathe South(14-0). Thursday’s Quad will be a good test to see if the team is ready for Sub-state which starts a week from Saturday.

Aquinas’ drop to 5A will help the volleyball team as much as soccer, the Saints have already beat East once this season. photos by linda howard, megan koch and courtesy of SM North

page 16 / photo essay / the harbinger

Soul Singing: Junior Johnny McGuire, lead singer of junior band, The Case. photo by samantha ludington

Rapping Up: Senior Jonas Möckel, an exchange student from Germany, rapped in German at the end of junior band Upper Echelon. photo by samantha ludington On His Knees: Senior Ian Cook, lead singer of Transition Element, goes down on his knees for a guitar jam. photo by samantha ludington

High School Rock

Swaying with the Song: Sophomores Emily Anderson, Kelsey Whitaker and Sarah Anderson sway along to “That’s What She Said”. photo by samantha ludington

Six bands gathered in the gym on Sep. 22 for one cause: to rock

Pep Talk: Members of junior bands The Case and Stop Time huddle before The Case’s performance, a tradition before every show. photo by samantha ludington