Issue 4

Harbinger the

ISSUE 4 / SHAWNEE MISSION EAST / PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS

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Oct. 13, 2008

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Universities are realizing that students are

// TIMSHEDOR

more than numb 3rs

As low SAT and ACT scores creep into the nightmares of hard-working high school students afraid of being denied college admission, relief comes as a simple solution: ignore the test.

According to a recent report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the use of standardized test scores as a significant part of the college admission process is unfair to new applicants. The report rebukes the 60 percent of colleges that attribute more importance to test scores than an applicant’s grades in all courses, essay writ-

ing/sample or class rank. It calls for other, more varied alternatives.

The report, issued late September this year, was drafted by a commission made up of members associated with colleges such as Harvard, Georgetown and the University of Connecticut. It discusses the standardized test scores used by colleges to determine aptitude of students before admitting them. “[The scores] may not be critical to making good admission decisions at many of the colleges and universities that

use them,” the report said.

For colleges in Kansas, legislature has ruled that the state schools must attain one of three criteria. An applicant must have a 2.0-GPA in 14 core classes, rank in the top third of their graduating class, or score a 21 or higher on the ACT, or above a 980 on the SAT. East boasts the best average ACT score in the district, 24.9, a healthy 3 points above the national average.

Continued on page 2

NEWS: Changes to SHARE Garage sale >PAGE 4 SPREAD: Video games at East >PAGES 12-13 SPORTS: Sophomores step up >PAGE 19

PAGE 2 NEWS / OCT. 13, 2008

Recent study indicates that colleges should look more at the individual and less at ACT/SAT scores //CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

2000

2005

Grades in college-prep courses/ strength of curriclum

80 percent

78 percent

74 percent

Admission test scores

47 percent

58 percent

59 percent

College application essay

21 percent

20 percent

23 percent

Class rank

39 percent

34 percent

31 percent

7 percent

7 percent

8 percent

Extracurricular activities

East enrollment on a downward trend Though school enrollment has dropped from 1983 to 1835 students since last year, administrators say this is not a problem. “[East] is landlocked and so the possibility of anything like an increase is unlikely,” said Dr. Krawitz.

“While we are experiencing a decrease now, I think that the enrollment will plateau here in a year or two.”

Associate principal Steve Loe agreed, saying that though suburban sprawl contributed to the drop, it’s definitely not the only reason.

“You really can’t say it’s all the Blue Valley schools taking them. We have people moving out of state, we have kids saying East is not the best fit for them and so on.”

According to counselor Beth Giles, the majority

of students dropping are moving to private school or are moving out of state entirely as opposed to the suburbs.

“Some times the enrollment numbers are off because we have kids drop after they’ve already enrolled,” Loe said. “For example, we had about 1886 initially enrolled for this year but with drops it lowered.”

Giles said that the majority of students are dropping before school ever starts and may have enrolled before they knew they were moving.

“We’ve really only had 10 drop since school started,” she said.

“It’s really just a trend in demographics,” Dr. Krawitz said.

East’s Enrollment Students Enrolled at East

// GRIFFINBUR

2150 2100 2050 2000 1950 1900 1850 1800

Year

2008

1995

2007

// National Association for College Admission Counseling

Factor

2006

College Attributing Importance to Admission Factors

and style and formatting of questions through a nominal improvement by an average of 20 to 30 points on the SAT. Some colleges have become “test-optional,” or not requiring standardized test scores in an admission application. Wake Forest College in North Carolina has become test-optional. The school requires that applicants complete a writing intensive application and submit a letter of recommendation from teachers and counselors and a high school transcript. “[We] have always said that the SAT is not the only measure that should be used when making admissions decisions,” College Board representative Alana Klein said by e-mail. “We have long advised that the best use of the SAT in the admission process is in combination with high school grades. The SAT and high school grades are both very predictive of first-year college success and, because they are slightly different measures, together, they are extremely powerful.”

Other colleges have required similar procedures. Lawrence University in Wisconsin accepts a “Common Application,” a form that is recognized by nearly 500 schools and can be submitted simultaneously to multiple institutions by an applicant.

“Internally we had always known that the best indicator of a student is their high school transcript and we thought the test optional choice we would be sending that message much more clearly,” Associate Director of Merit Scholarships at Wake Forest University Paul Gauthier said. “It’s too early too see [significant] change, but we do see some individuals that would not have applied here in previous years. It’s a more diverse campus.” “[We became test-optional because] we really felt that there was more to a student than a number,” Directory of Conservatory Admissions Nathan Ament said. “[The SAT] is a good measurement, but it shouldn’t be the only measurement.”

2005

“There are tests [including the College Board’s AP exams and Subject Tests as well as the International Baccalaureate examinations] at many institutions, are more predictive of first-year and overall grades in college and more closely linked to the high school curriculum,” the report said.

The AP and IB East courses are considered college level courses by course speed and workload. At the end of the year, students test to receive college credit for that course.

“I overwhelmingly hear from students who were prepared in both systems and are much more prepared than the average person they have college classes with,” IB Coordinator and AP teacher Rebecca Murphy said. “We see it as the ultimate college preparation.”

To help students prepare for the standardized test and subsequently college, the commission urges high schools to make test prep-classes mandatory.

Research has shown that such studies can benefit test scores if students are aware of administration procedures

2004

“I’ve had some students over the years that are willing to not perform at their best because they know they can get the minimum ACT and be admitted, and so they won’t have to worry about it in their minds,” East Counselor Barbara Johnson said. She attributes East’s test-taking success to hard-working students, rigorous courses and good teachers. “But here’s the downside to that line of thinking: If you aren’t learning and testing yourself and performing at your best in high school, you aren’t preparing for the next stage of college. That doesn’t develop their study habits, and therefore that transition is much more difficult.”

These scores are still submitted to colleges. The report argues against the use of the SAT and ACT in the college admissions practice, but it does not fully condone the practice. It recommends to the 72 percent of colleges that require standard test scores to adjust the admission balance to focus more towards high school curricula schools and use the scores only as a secondary measurement of a student’s abilities or potential.

// www.citydata.com

PAGE 3 NEWS / ISSUE FOUR

// PHOEBEUNTERMAN

The Leadership Practicum class, which in previous years was only offered to officers on the Student Council Executive board, is now open to all StuCo members. Two seniors, committee chair Amy Esselman and senior class secretary Christina Beynon, are in the class in addition to the Executive Board.

According to StuCo sponsor Brenda Fishman, all the other Shawnee Mission School District high schools offer the Leadership Practicum class to all STUCO members.

Fishman believes that the more kids in the class, the faster they can get their work done.

“When you have more of your officers and your committee chairs and your worker bees, then it’s a lot easier to get work done without calling on kids before or after school or on their own time to get things done,” Fishman said.

Senior student body treasurer Jennifer Latshaw agrees.

During class, they prepare for meetings, change the marquee in front of the school, get extra planning done for upcoming events and do all the extra “grunt work” of student council. With more students and more time on block days, they’re finishing all their work with time to spare.

However, according to student body president Tommy Gray, the ‘time to spare’ is not a good thing. Most of the time, it makes for a lot of sitting around.

“When we had the elections, it worked because there were lots of people to count votes, but usually we’re just doing small things that don’t need that many people,” Gray said.

Gray has discussed the issue with presidents at the other Shawnee Mission schools, who have as many as thirty students in their Leadership Practicum classes. Gray believes that because of all of East’s other active cubs like SHARE, Pep Club, and NHS, less responsibility falls to STUCO. “It’s not a bad thing, I just don’t think we have as many things to do [as some of the other schools],” Gray said.

Defining a Leader noun: a person or thing that leads Students in Leadership class define what a leader means to them: Senior Jennifer Lawshaw“A leader is someone who does what needs to be done so that others can succeed at a common goal.”

Senior Tommy Gray“Someone who is a role model that makes infromed decisions that will benefit those that he or she serves.”

//DANSTEWARTT

Followthe Leader

Leadership Practicum class becomes available this year to all students, not just STUCO exec board STUDENTS in Leadership Practicum work together on a project during class . The class opened to all students this year. //DANSTEWART Gray thinks the program could be a lot stronger if the students in the class had more responsibilities. But to keep doing it the way it is, Gray believes, would be a waste of time and people.

“It’s frustrating,” Gray said. “I leave that classroom in a very bad mood and very stressed out.”

Gray sees this year as an experimental year for the class. Latshaw agrees that there have been some bumps, especially because the STUCO room by the cafeteria isn’t available for them to use this year, and they’ve had to get used to block scheduling. She thinks it is a “huge adjustment year” in every aspect.

Principal Krawitz and Fishman hope that by second semester this year, the class can be opened up to students in other leadership positions like Pep Club Executives or National Honor Society officers. Krawitz would even like to open it up to other members of the senior class interested in developing their personal leadership skills.

Krawitz developed the program at Olathe East High School in 1992, and then brought it to Shawnee Mission

JuriesforJuveniles After a new Supreme Court ruling, juveniles now have a new right to trial by jury // PAIGECORNWELL

When the Kansas Supreme Court ruled in June that juveniles had the right to a jury trial, it changed the court system.

More judges and jurors were needed. One to two days had to be allotted for each trial alone. There was an issue of lack of courtroom space.

But for juveniles charged with a crime, the change gave them a new option.

Since the ruling four months ago, the significance of the change is still being felt within the court system. Before the ruling, juveniles had the option of requesting a jury trial, however, the request could be denied.

Kansas is one of fewer than a dozen states to guarantee juveniles this option.

The Supreme Court ruling stemmed from a case in Finney County, where a 16-year-old male charged with aggravated sexual battery and being a minor in possession of alcohol

had his request for a jury trial denied, according to Kansas Supreme Court records.

He appealed to the Court of Appeals challenging previous rulings, one which stated that juveniles had the right to a “trial by the court,” and another which stated that district courts had discretion in determining whether juveniles had the right to a jury trial.

The juvenile’s first argument cited the Sixth Amendment, which states that in all criminal cases, the accused has the right to a “speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state.” He also stated that he had the right according to the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights, with section five stating that “the right of trial by jury shall be inviolate.”

The Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that juveniles had that right.

“It was a positive move for juveniles,” defense attorney Jackie Rokusek said.

West. He believes leadership is the main ingredient for success later in life.

“There’s a myth that having the best grades or test scores will lead to the most success later in life,” Krawitz said. “That isn’t true.”

Fishman didn’t announce that the class was open to all StuCo members until last April, when most students had already finalized their schedules. Beynon didn’t find out until the beginning of the year, when she heard Esselman was in the class.

Beynon uses the time in school to make phone calls, talk to administrators, and track down students. Esselman agrees that the class is very beneficial, because, as a chair for the Special events committee, she can get a lot more planning done within the school day.

Even though anyone on StuCo can be in the class, there are still some things that only the Executives do. Only the executives attend meetings with the four other Shawnee mission schools, and are still the only ones that do the announcements.

Juveniles are now being treated more in the same light as adults, Rokusek said, with convictions that could be similar to an adults, and the public has the right to watch trials and view public records. Jury trials provide a new option to contest their innocence.

“I didn’t disagree with the ruling,” Johnson County juvenile Judge Brenda Cameron said. “As for the benefits to the child, it is 12 people deciding instead of one.”

Judge Cameron, did, however, have concerns about what the change would mean in her court.

“I had concerns about the resources and cases getting backed up,” Judge Cameron said. “If a child needs services or help, I was concerned that we couldn’t get help quickly.”

So far, there has been only one jury trial in the Johnson County juvenile court, with three more currently scheduled. Before the ruling, jury trials could be requested, but whether or not they would go through

differed between the counties. Judge Cameron had granted jury trials before to those charged with higher-level felonies, such as sex offenses or deaths.

The trials could be a way to increase communication between the prosecution and the defense. According to Cameron, the vast majority of the cases brought to her do not go to trial. For those that do go to trial by jury, the rulings may differ between a judge who has an extensive knowledge of the law and a jury panel.

“If you have a case, such as a battery, where someone threw a bag of potato chips and hit someone, under the law, the judge would find it guilty, but a jury might acquit,” Rokusek said.

Though it may create a greater strain on the court system, the extent of the effects of the change are still unknown.

“The change is significant, but it’s nothing we can’t handle,” Judge Cameron said. “From a practical standpoint, we’re doing fine.”

PAGE 4 NEWS / OCT. 13, 2008

briefs The College Clinic will be Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Over 200 college representatives from across the country will be present. Additional parking is available at Brighton Gardens with a shuttle which will run every 15 minutes to tand from the school The mini-play Frequent Fridays for this quarter will be held in the choir room, due to mold in the Little Theater.

The following are the Frequent Fridays for the second quarter: Christina Beynon... Oct. 24 Ansley Rowe... Oct. 31 Hillary Surface... Nov. 14 Alexa Fessler... Nov 22

SPIRIT WEEK FESTIVITIES: Spirit Week is this week. The themes for each day are as follows: Monday: Sports Day Tuesday: Color Wars Wednesday: 80’s Workout Day Thursday: Clash Day Friday: Lancer Day There will be an early release Friday at 2 p.m. for Lancer Day. The parade will take place on Mission Road and culminate in a Pep Assembly in the Prairie Village Shopping Center.

There will be an 50th Anniversary Reception for all East students and graduates in the library from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. followin the Lancer Day Parade

Mole Day is Oct. 23 in the cafeteria at 6:02 a.m. Join chemistry 2 students as they celebrate the contributions of Amadeo Avogadro.

The PSAT/NMSQT and PLAN tests for Sophomores and Juniors will be Wednesday morning at 7:40 a.m. Freshman and Seniors will arrive at school at 12 p.m.

Seminar Update: Homecoming Court Elections will be held on Wednesday. Ballots will be passed out during seminar periods.

The Environmental Education class will be holding a showcase assembly on Oct. 24 during half of the seminar period The AFS lobster sale is Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the hallway on the fourth floor near the office, due to construction near the gymansium

There will be a Parent Principal Coffee meeting Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the library. Please note the change in location from the cafeteria

New Ways To SHARE

SHARE chairs make the best of the construction by moving the garage sale to the fourth floor // ANNABERNARD

SHARE is the largest student-lead community service organization in the area. It has runs over 80 service projects and has six students SHARE execs and two adult directors. But what happens to the numbers when you take its largest fundraiser and relocate it to the East halls?

The SHARE garage sale is a fundraiser for SHARE that raises money by selling donated items.

It has several goals, from raising money for SHARE to recycling old possessions. Many of the unsold items will go to different groupscoats go to the Johnson County Christmas Bureau and old blankets go to Pet Connect. The garage sale happened on Saturday.

Because of construction, the drop-off location for donations had to be moved from the Spirit Circle to the southeast corner of the senior parking lot.

“We have had to have drop offs outside, in the corner of the senior parking lot, which can get pretty annoying,” SHARE exec senior Lucy O’Connor, sale said. “When we unload the truck… bringing all the stuff up to the front door is going to be really hard.”

In previous years, the garage sale was located in the gym with easy access from the Spirit Circle. Now, if customers wanted to get to the gym, they would have to enter through somewhere else in the building and then travel down the ramps. SHARE decided to move the garage sale to

the fourth floor of the school.

“There’s no real way to get to the gym,” O’Connor said. “It’s really complicated, with people bringing stuff in and people getting lost. It’s just easier for them to get to the front door [of East].”

Due to spacing issues, SHARE only accepted donations of clothing, books, and small home décor. The old choo-choos and dollies were left at home.

“The toys we get are old toys,” SHARE director Pat Kaufman said.

“Because of the lead paint scare [last year], it would be easier to just not accept toys than to try to determine which ones came from China and which ones didn’t.”

Kaufman said custodians made sure all the lockers were actually locked before the sale started to prevent any sticky-fingered garage sale-rs from picking up some extra textbooks with their purchases.

Tables were then be pushed against the lockers, and the stuff was piled on.

“It’s … more like a rummage sale than a garage sale,” Kaufman said.

“It’s not…pretty, but it’s… a lot of fun.”

Kaufman thinks that despite all of the changes, the garage sale was still worthwhile.

Do I think we’re going to make as much money [as last year]?”

Kaufman said. “Probably not… But we’re still recycling and donating to charities, so I’d call that a success.”

Juniors Jessie Sykes and Anna Petrow try on funky jewelry that was dropped off at the SHARE garage sale. // MACKENZIEWYLIE

T U O

OF THE

BOX

SHARE chairs describe interesting items they discovered at the garage S sale drop-off.

UCA ICKL //N “Some guy dropped off an old person’s potty chair. It was kind of disgusting. We kept on telling him we weren’t taking furniture this year, but he apparently didn’t get that because he kept bringing more stuff.”

-Senior Tucker Nelson “I found a pair denim cut-off shorts that were dyed orange.

I want to wear them to MORP, but they were too small.”

-Junior Hannah Lang

SHARE Saturdays give students more chances to get involved with various projects // ANNABERNARD

The SHARE Birthday Parties project is monthly. The Village Food Pantry project is twice a week. Now, there’s a project that can be as often as once a month to just one time during the whole year- it’s up to the students that participate.

A new development in SHARE this year is the SHARE Saturdays. Once a month, a new project will be arranged and is available to any student that wants to participate.

Students will come to the front circle by the library the Saturday of the project. They don’t even have to sign up.

“Basically, the goal is to get kids involved who haven’t signed up [for a project] or aren’t sure what they want to do,” Pat Kaufman,

SHARE director, said. “We’ll put signs up around school beforehand… They’ll get a flavor or a taste of [the project.]”

The idea came about when Kaufman heard that many freshmen weren’t getting involved in SHARE. She thought coming up with a project that would be on Saturdays would be a good idea, since it wouldn’t take away class time. Though it’s still in the works, Kaufman estimated each Saturday would be around three to four hours of work.

There are a variety of projects lined up.

In September and October, it’s helping out at the SHARE garage sale, and in November, it’s working at the Westwood View Fun Run

which raises money for Westwood View Elementary’s Educational Enhancement Fund. Freshman Chloe Ducrocq thinks that SHARE Saturdays are a good idea.

“People can volunteer and help out their community,” Ducrocq said. “But I could be on one more day during the week, maybe, if people can’t do it on a Saturday.”

Kaufman hopes SHARE Saturdays give everyone a chance to volunteer. If SHARE Saturdays attract enough students, they could become more frequent. “All things with SHARE are determined by the students,” Kaufman said. “…If people don’t come, we stop… But if people come, we’ll keep doing it.”

PAGE 5 EDITORIAL / ISSUE FOUR

Since there are many aspects of students to consider other than SAT scores, colleges should start . . .

ERASING the EMPHASIS

Standardized tests are failing to make their mark.

They are supposed to be a common measure test for high school students. A common measure implies that the test should be equal for everyone that takes it.

These tests are not equal and because of their importance for college admissions, not fair.

A billion dollar test-prep industry has skewed the advantages towards the affluent, some college rankings are being based solely on test scores and most importantly, students are literally becoming numbers in the system.

One score is hardly a measure for today’s college-bound student. Five hours of testing does not reflect the hundreds spent learning calculus, playing a sport or any of the other activities that accurately portrays what a high school student is really like. One score gives only the narrowest views of a student’s potential.

A study report released in September by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, with representatives from colleges such as Harvard and Georgetown, have also called for a de-emphasis on the ACT and SAT in college admissions.

It’s hard to disagree. As colleges begin to look at the importance of standardized testing, high school students should call for a de-emphasis of SAT and ACT scores when applying for college too.

Not to say that the test should be completely eliminated, however, just de-emphasized. Every high school is different in some ways and a complete lack of a national benchmark could skew things out of perspective, if only because difficulty and selection of classes may vary from high school to high school.

One of the biggest problems, though, is the billion dollar test-prep industry that exploded due to the increased importance on standardized testing. This in itself makes standardized tests that are supposed to be equal to everyone, unequal.

Businesses are profiting from students who want to improve their scores, but those who use or buy these resources

typically have the extra income to supplement the desire to increase a score.

Lower-income students are in effect being “penalized for lower test scores in some admission and scholarship scenarios,” according to the report. For example, Get Smarter Prep, a local business that specializes in standardized test preparation, offers a program with twenty hours of one-onone tutoring for the test. The cost? $2,000. It’s difficult for a lower socioeconomic family to justify that type of money.

This could be dramatically decreased if colleges shifted the focus away from these tests and students (and parents) felt as if the test was not the deciding factor in college admissions.

Because as of right now, it isn’t a mystery as to why the frenzy to prepare for standardized testing has sprung up.

Out of all colleges, 60.4 percent in 2006 put “considerable importance” on admission test scores. This means more colleges consider test score more important than overall grades or writing samples.

The best way to bring this de-emphasis is through a nationwide commitment of colleges to put only up to 25 percent of their emphasis on standardized testing for their applications. The “considerable importance” factors should be shifted to highlight a student’s high school career- most importantly, their classes, extracurricular activities and other commitments.

This is what colleges should ideally care about. Curriculum will show the student’s dedication, work ethic and the result. Extracurriculars show the involvement the student has within the school. Other activities demonstrate the student’s interests and passions.

Try finding all that in a number from 1-35 or 0-2400.

If colleges shift their importance to a student’s curriculum and their success there, then it’s only logical that students who want to continue their education will shift their focus to class work as well. That way, colleges can truly measure a student’s readiness for a college workload.

“Well, the test scores are a point in time…I think the academic curriculum a student has taken and the success in that curriculum is a much better measurement of a student’s abilities,” Kansas Sate Director of Admission Larry Moeder said.

The tests should follow suit if it is to be considered an across the board.

“Current admission tests are not sufficiently aligned with high school curricula to appropriately measure a student’s academic achievement,” according to the study. If the test is de-

Want to have your opinion heard?

write a letter to the Harbinger Editorial Board smeharbinger@gmail.com

Harbinger the

a publication of shawnee mission east highschool 7500 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS 66208

oct.13, 2008 issue 4, vol. 50

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/ STEPHENNICHOLS

ASSISTANT EDITORS/

NEWS PAGE EDITORS/ SARAHMCKITTRICK MADDYBAILEY

BERNADETTEMYERS PAIGECORNWELL

OPINION SECTION EDITOR/

ART AND DESIGN EDITOR/

OPINION PAGE EDITOR/

MEGSHACKELFORD

HEAD COPY EDITOR/ TIMSHEDOR

NEWS SECTION EDITOR/ MICHAELSTOLLE

MACTAMBLYN JOESERNETT

EDITORIAL EDITOR/ ANNIESGROI

FEATURES SECTION EDITOR/ MELISSAMCKITTRICK

FEATURES PAGE EDITORS/ CONORTWIBELL DAVIDHENDERSON

FREELANCE PAGE EDITOR/

SPREAD SECTION EDITOR/

MACKENZIEWYLIE SARAHLUBY

ASSISTANT SPREAD EDITOR/

TAYLORHAVILAND

PHOEBEUNTERMAN

DUNCANMCHENRY

A&E EDITOR/

JEFFRUTHERFORD

A&E PAGE EDITOR/ RACHELBIRKENMEIER

MIXED PAGE EDITOR/ AUBREYLEITER

SPORTS SECTION EDITOR/ SAMLOGAN

SPORTS PAGE EDITORS/ CAMSMITH ANDREWGOBLE

ONLINE EDITOR/ ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITOR/ ELIZABETHMCGRANAHAN

ONLINE SECTION EDITOR/ CAMILLEKARRO

PHOTO EDITOR/ TYLERROSTE

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR/ MACKENZIEWYLIE

PHOTOGRAPHERS/ CHLOEFISCHGRUND MAXSTITT

emphasized and changed to meet the board’s recommendations, standardized tests would fit nicely into the college application process, instead of dominating it.

This may seem a tad idealistic to assume that each college will pore over each and every student’s entire high school record, but it would not slow down the process. Colleges already look at these qualities when they are reviewing applications. The point is to spend less time on the test scores and more time on what really makes a student stand out: classes taken, extracurriculars and other activities.

College admissions would receive a much fuller picture of a potential applicant through this proposed process. If they are still unsure of admission, then the standardized tests could be used as a secondary evaluation.

As of now, though, they are anything but secondary.

They have been hyped into something they’re not and colleges alone are not to blame. The study analyzes several instances where standard test scores have been misused.

For instance, the U.S. News and World Report has some rankings that measure a college’s quality by its student’s standardized test scores. According to the study, “the SAT and ACT were never designed as measures of the quality of an institution or higher education.”

Ranking a school by scores doesn’t mean much of anything. The only thing that can be surmised from such a ranking is the general test scores of students.

What’s more so is that schools fall into the trap of teaching to tests, whether it be the SAT, ACT, IB or AP. It becomes a test-oriented system that focuses on A, B, C or D, instead of actual learning. The Shawnee Mission School District just implemented policy of no AP designation unless the student takes the test, which reemphasizes the whole culture of testtaking.

It’s time to shift the focus from student test scores to the students themselves. Without any type of shift, standardized tests will continue to grow in importance. The test-prep industry will continues to rise, which could very well widen the gap between those who can afford to pay and those who are left to take the test without assistance.

Without a de-emphasis, we’ll continue to be just what these tests are to colleges.

Numbers.

9 ote FOR

0 1 AGAINST ABSENT

The majority opinion of the Harbinger Editorial Board

KATIEEAST PATRICKMAYFIELD DANIELSTEWART CCCREIDENBERG ANDYALLEN

COPY EDITORS/ SAMKOVZAN KEVINSIMPSON ANNIESGROI

EDITORIAL BOARD/ STEPHENNICHOLS BERNADETTEMYERS PAIGECORNWELL MACTAMBLYN ANNIESGROI SAMLOGAN GRIFFINBUR MICHAELSTOLLE MELISSAMCKITTRICK TIMSHEDOR

STAFF WRITERS/ LOGANHELEY KATHLEENIRELAND LANDONMCDONALD GRIFFINBUR BOBMARTIN JORDANPFEIFFER

STAFF ARTISTS/ DANIELSTEWART TAYLORHAVILAND NICKLUCAS

ADS/BUSINESS MANAGER/ ANNABERNARD

ASSISTANT ADS/BUSINESS MANAGER/ KATHLEENIRELAND

CIRCULATION MANAGER/ SARAHMCKITTRICK

ADVISER/ DOWTATE

STRESSED OUT

PAGE 6 OPINION / OCT. 13, 2008

After having a stress-induced panic attack and being diagnosed with chronic migraines, senior realizes what is really imporrtant

// NICKLUCAS

an opinion of

/BERNADETTEMYERS

I can’t feel the right side of my body. It’s tingly and weak like when my foot falls asleep, but it scares me because it’s 4 a.m. and it won’t go away.

I try to stand, to shake it out,

but instead, I fall back in bed.

No balance.

This is weird.

Then my left side loses feeling too. Instantly. Weak. Now I’m scared. I urge my right arm to move just an inch, just so I know I have control. I feel like I’m swimming through Jello, because my arm just flops over my body. I can’t control it. *** I lost control of my workload at the start of this year.

Procrastinating on homework was normal. Then it became essays and projects. I no longer controlled my schedule, school did.

Then one month ago, I was diagnosed with classical migraines along with hyperventilation syndrome. I had never had so much as a headache before September of this year. I actually considered the concept of headaches to be pretty weak.

Going home from school with a headache. Dumb excuse. My synchronized swimming coach called in sick to practice with a migraine. I was annoyed.

So how could someone like me who rarely even caught the flu come down with a condition so painful?

The answer: stress.

But not just any stress. My migraines came about because of the pressure I put on myself to succeed. Pressure that I created completely in my own head. *** Oh, no. No, no, I can’t be paralyzed. That just doesn’t happen. I need my phone, where is it?

But I can’t feel the power cord or the phone and my aimless grasping makes me loose a sense of where my bed actually is. So I crash onto the floor, into a pile of tiedie pillows and I’m crying. But I’m not crying. I’m just wailing because the numbness has reached my mouth, my lips, my tongue.

I can’t move from the floor.

In rush my parents.

Oh no, the ACT. Three hours. I can’t be paralyzed.

“She’s been up all night texting.”

“Bernadette, wake up!”

“Come on, snap out of it.”

They think it’s a dream. They think I don’t get enough sleep. I’m crying and they think it’s my fault.

“My body went numb,” I try to say, but all that comes out are gurgles.

Now they’re scared too.

“C’mon Bernadette. C’mon.” My mom drags my torso onto my bed, but my arms don’t push to help.

She cradles me. Her efforts leave me half sitting and my head falls back. I can’t even hold it up.

No. I’m going to be paralyzed for life. No this is not happening. What about synchro? I can’t swim if my legs don’t move. The ACT! *** Getting a perfect on the ACT. That was the goal.

I studied until I’d taken all three practice tests. Until I knew each vocab word by heart. Junior year had been stressful with my first year of IB and Chem II, but in August of senior year alone I was up until 2 a.m. every night.

I averaged four hours of sleep a night with regular homework during lunch.

The college weed had planted itself in my brain and snuck into every corner. I had to research, e-mail, write and file all my prospective choices. Because that was the goal: college. With a perfect ACT score college would be easy. My high school career had led to this point so I didn’t expect anything short of perfection from myself.

It was the same with my parents. Sure they said it was fine to get Bs. Flunking a test wasn’t the end of the world.

But then I was also told I would any money my parents spent on college would have to equal a KU tuition. No matter what my grades were like. So studying harder was the only option to get those scholarships. Paying $50,000 a year was unreachable for anyone. But it couldn’t be unreachable for me. *** “Look, Mom. I can do it. It’s fine” Thank God. I can walk. I’m not paralyzed. I can walk.

I stumble in a tight circle at the foot of my bed. My mom holds my hand, confused. I can only just garble. My fingers tingle as she seizes my hand and lowers me back on my bed.

The numbness is leaving. I’m left feeling weak and tingly.

In the next room my dad sobs, reciting our address over the phone. The ambulance is coming. For me. Because I’m paralyzed. How is this happening?

And they arrive just as my mom begins to understand my garbles. The paramedics lay me out in my bed. Touch my toes, my stomach, my head.

I can feel them!

I’m still scared. I haven’t been to the hospital since kindergarten when I swallowed a carrot. The paramedics loom over my bed.

“Bernadette, we need you to calm done. We need you to stop crying.”

I take a few deep breaths.

Then start sobbing again. I want it to go away. *** But it will never go away. Now, after stressing and working and pushing, I have these migraines with me for life. I have a preventative pill I take every night and yoga along with deep breathing can help relax my body.

But it will never go away.

Ruining my health isn’t worth four years of my life spent at NYU, especially if I spend most of it in excruciating pain. The kind of pain that keeps me from reading, watching TV, sleeping and even talking. I start speaking gibberish and can only complain of how I feel like something is pushing out from the inside of my head.

My diagnosis occurred while I had one of my migraines. During a ten hour episode, my parents took me to North Kansas City Hospital where neurologist Dr. Hollenbeck examined me and gave me real migraine medication which relieved some of the pain when the bag of ice wouldn’t. He told my parents about these stress-induced migraines and immediately things started to change.

My mom worked with me to simplify my college applications. I’ll only apply to five instead of nine. She created a spreadsheet, folders and checklists. Every weekend now I finish another little piece. I started going to yoga again, needing a way to de-stress. The search began for stress psychiatrists and bio-meridian doctors. I created a self-imposed bedtime: 11 p.m. Even if I haven’t finished my homework.

But most importantly, I stopped obsessing over grades and forgot about the straight A stereotype. If I don’t get into college because I got a B, then I probably don’t want to be there anyway. My sanity is worth way more than all As in high school.

Rather than overworking senior year, I decided to sit back and enjoy it. *** They flip the gurney into a chair.

“Bernadette, don’t move your feet or we’ll have to strap them down, OK?” Ok, don’t move my feet. I won’t.

“Bernadette! I need you to stop moving your feet.”

I’m not moving them. I’m trying.

The woman bends down and straps in my feet. I tried not to move.

Then we’re in the ambulance and I just want to sleep.

It’s early and the man next to me tells me I’ll be fine. He put stickers on me. I am somewhere that’s not my room.

Tubes stick out of my arm and they itch, but not as much as my head hurts.

“Mom, the ACT?” “Don’t worry, go to sleep.”

But sleeping on my right side isn’t comfortable. I need more pillows. My head tingles. My toes are cold. The sheets fall off.

My mom fades out.

I don’t take the ACT. I don’t write my college essays or do my other homework. I sleep for 30 hours. And when I wake up to reality, to homework, to life, I find that it’s OK to sleep.

Migraine Facts

A migraine is a common type of headache that has several different types of symptoms: nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light.

Eleven out of 100 people get migraines, and they usually begin between the ages of 10 and 46.

A migraine can be triggered by, stress, food, environmental changes, or some other factors, However, the last chain of events leading to a migraine remains unclear.

As of right now there is no specific treatment, except doctors say that as soon as you get a migraine it should be treated right away to stop them from returning as often, and the headache may be less severe.

Over the counter medication is helpful especially if your headache is mild.

One theory into the cause of migraines is that it is a Central Nervous System (CNS) Disorder. The CNS consists of the brain and the spinal cord.

During a migraine, various stimuli may cause a series of neurologic and biochemical events which effect the brain’s vascular system.

Source: North Kansas City Hospital

HE RIDES AGAIN an opinion of

/ JEFFRUTHERFORD It was over three years ago when I rode around my block on my bike, helmet strapped on, impersonating the voices of Al Trautwig and Phil Leggitt as I rode. I was inspired to be a cyclist, to ride in the Tour de France, to be one of the greatest of all time.

My fascination with the sport of cycling was all because of one man: Lance Armstrong.

During the summer, from 2002 to 2005, I lived for the Tour de France. I waited in anticipation every year until the middle of the summer for the race to begin so I could watch one of my favorite athletes of all time.

Armstrong was simply incredible.

I loved watching him beat his rival, Jan Ullrich, year after year, and fight off young, fierce competitors like Ivan Basso in his final years on tour. I had never seen an athlete like him and I’m yet to find another.

After winning his record holding seventh Tour de France in 2005 Armstrong left cycling, and my interest in the sport went with him. It simply wasn’t the same race

PAGE 7 OPINION / ISSUE FOUR

Student finds himself inspired after Lance Armstrong announces his return to competitive cycling

Arguably the greatest athlete of all time has without him.

But a few weeks ago my interest was nothing left to prove, and yet he is returning sparked when Armstrong shocked the world in an effort to raise awareness about a by announcing his return to professional disease he conquered just before his reign as cycling. He announced that he will ride with Tour champion.

Everyone knows that Armstrong’s early Team Astana, a Kazakh cycling team, and go story is truly unbelievable. The 22-year-old for yellow jersey number eight. charismatic boy from Plano, Texas hit the I, once again, found myself inspired.

Armstrong has a few motivations for world of cycling in 1993 by winning stage returning. He has made it very clear that eight of the Tour de France. A few months his primary goal for 2009 is to raise cancer after dropping out of the 1996 tour he was awareness, not to win another yellow diagnosed with testicular cancer, which had jersey. But a competitor as strong as him already spread to his lungs, abdomen, and will certainly give it his best to get another brain. But he conquered that and won his first Tour de France emphatically in 1999. win.Armstrong also hopes to put his All of that is beyond doping scandal talks to incredible, but it is rest. There are his most recent even rumors that he commitment, his •“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” return, that m a y I am both b u y •“Two things scare me. The first is getting hurt. But that’s not surprised t h e nearly as scary as the second, which is losing. a n d motivated •“Through my illness I learned rejection. I was written off. That was the moby.

He has ment I thought, Okay, game on. No prisoners. Everybody’s going down.” committed Union the last few Cycliste // www.brainyquote.com years of his life to cancer research and Internationale, raising global awareness. He cycling’s world body, has continued to encourage cancer in hopes of promoting the // KATIEEAST Lance Armstrong Foundation. survivors and people unaffected by the This is something we should all admire. disease through the last few years. And I am

f f e J

vorite Lance Q a F u ’s

ote s

certain his story would have continued to inspire even if he didn’t return. But by doing so he is proving a point.

He is showing the world exactly what people are capable of doing, as long as they are fully committed. He is showing people that even after they have fallen down, they can stand back up and try again. He is showing people that even the greatest athletes still have something to prove.

Armstrong’s return has not only moved me but it has made me excited for next summer. I’m pumped to wake up every morning in July and watch him try to make history. Again. His return alone will bring me back to the sport.

And I think he’ll have that effect on a lot of people. He will make those that were once fans of cycling, fans again. He’ll introduce people who aren’t fans to a totally new sport.

Armstrong’s effort to raise cancer awareness is an admirable, selfless act. His return will boost the popularity of cycling on a global scale and bring one-time fans back to the sport. His story and recent return is inspiration for me and should be for athletes, survivors, and all people.

Lance Armstrong has shown the world what he is made of and plans on doing it again. He plans on showing people what it really means to live strong.

Season: Under Construction Chiefs’ dismal start shows their need of a major personnel overhaul

an opinion of

/ CONORTWIBELL I am a devoted Chiefs fan, and at the moment, an embarrassed one to say the least. Whenever the Chiefs would play at home back in the Dick Vermeil days, they always had the advantage of having one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL, Arrowhead Stadium. It always helps to have one of the loudest crowds so that the opposing team’s quarterback can barely hear himself talking to his center or teammates. If his teammates can’t hear him change the play, then that will lead to mass confusion, which is good for the Chiefs. But after having a losing record the last three years, that advantage is close to gone. Arrowhead used to be our 12th man, our extra player, but that was two years ago and this is now.

Obviously the Chiefs wont have the advantage of Arrowhead at other stadiums, and when they play away, they will need something else to help them. That is when having a consistent team comes in, and

right now, the Chiefs are far from having that.

First of all, we need our usual, star running back to start to have some consistency. Larry Johnson looked like his 2006 self with a couple runs over 40 yards against the Broncos, but honestly, that is really not a big deal. The Broncos have the 29th ranked defense in the league, and we have also beaten them 10 out of 13 times at Arrowhead.

I also think that the coaching staff really needs to help Larry with his confidence.

Usually after a bad game, Larry gets down on himself and doesn’t perform up to his normal standards.

“I worry about every little thing that goes on,” Larry said this in an interview with the Kansas City Star. “I worry about if I mess up, I worry if we don’t win these last couple of games will they blame me? There are a lot of stressful situations that I worry about all the time more than being happy or breaking a single-game record. I’m worried about a lot of things that are maybe out of my control or in my control.”

That’s not a very reassuring thing to hear from your starting running back.

Something needs to happen to Larry to get his confidence back, and this needs to happen very soon.

One other thing that the Chiefs need to do to improve is give the ball to Tony Gonzalez more, a lot more. Come on, the guy

is a nine-time Pro Bowler and has the career record for most receptions, yards, and touchdowns by a tight end in history. He only has 193 yards receiving this season.

At 32 years old, Gonzalez isn’t getting any younger, and we’re going to need some new targets to help out the quarterback position which is also in need of a shot of talent.

When the draft comes around next year, we will most likely have a top pick, and I strongly believe that we should take a quarterback. Yes, Damon Huard has saved us from Trent Green injuries and Tyler Thigpen disasters, but the guy is 37 years old. Also, Brodie Croyle hasn’t significantly contributed since the 2006 season, having thrown 1,227 yards with six touchdowns.

If the Chiefs do draft a quarterback, the next step will be drafting an explosive wide receiver to help move past the Tony Gonzalez era. They already have a possession receiver in Dwayne Bowe, who had a stellar rookie season with 27 catches for 324 yards and two touchdowns. However, almost every team in the NFL has that one go-to-guy, and that is what the Chiefs need.

Hopefully the Chiefs can fix all of their problems before it’s too late. If they don’t, I really don’t want to see their total number of fans equaling their win total.

OUT / IN Players Chiefs should let go /

their replacement(via ‘09 draft)

OUT - Tyler Thigpen, QB IN - Tim Tebow, QB, Florida In no way can Thigpen be an NFL backup, much less a thirdstringer. I just honestly believe that he is not an NFL caliber quarterback.

If this junior Heisman Trophy winner declares for the draft, he will have that explosiveness that the Chiefs are looking for.

Oher, OT, Ole Miss OUT - Damion McIntosh, OT INThis-Michael 6-6, 325 pound After switching to the right side of the offensive line, McIntosh has had a devastating year, and if the Chiefs draft a quarterback, they will need someone to protect him better than McIntosh.

senior from Ole Miss is regarded as a top NFL prospect at the tackle position, and would fit right in to the very young Chiefs offensive line

Crabtree, WR, OUT - Devard Darling, WR IN - Michael Texas Tech

This fifth year receiver the Chiefs picked up from Baltimore has only caught four passes this season with 98 yards.

This highly potent sophomore receiver from Texas Tech is the type of player the Chiefs need at the wide receiver position.

PAGE 8 FEATURES / OCT. 13, 2008

A FAMILY

Enforcement East students Drake and Dalton Winn discuss life lessons with their father as a Prairie Village Police Officer // BOBMARTIN

Dressed all in camouflage, face adorned in paint, and wielding a loaded gun, the man took cover in a bush just outside a Prairie Village apartment. Curt Winn and several other officers had been called to the scene. Shortly after their arrival, the suspect bounced out firing two missed shots that buzzed passed Winn. Their lives were in danger, and to return fire was their only option, the suspect was killed. One day later, Oct. 29, 1991, Curt’s wife gave birth to their first son, Dalton. Curt had dodged a bullet; and still the day was just as they would’ve hoped, both of them bringing their son into the world, all very much alive.

Junior Dalton Winn and his sophomore brother Drake have spent their entire lives in the shadow of a police officer.

“Morally, [he’s taught me to] think before you act, and always try to do the right thing,” Dalton said.

Although it may seem restricting, having a police officer as a dad has had its perks.

“A lot of my friends think the law is cut and dry, but my dad’s taught me that some things, like going a few miles over the speed limit when the cars around you are too, isn’t necessarily illegal, but it’s all relative,” said Dalton.

Curt’s been an officer for over 20 years, starting in Commerce City, CO. He then came to Prairie Village, where he is currently the Planning and Research/Accreditation manager, and holds the rank of sergeant.

“I started out as a pilot, but once I got into law enforcement, that was a bit more fun,” Curt said. “Being a police officer is always something I had wanted to do; it kind of guided my path.”

A path that allowed him to help deliver a child in the back seat of a car. A path that placed him along side other officers in a flood that ended up taking several lives. A path for 14 years teaching pursuit driving at the Kansas City police academy.

“When I look back on my career, personal safety was probably not at the forefront of why I did things, but the older you get the little bit wiser you get in decision making.” You do things and you worry about the risk afterwards sometimes, and it’s our responsibility to do what has to be done,” Curt

said.

Growing older has changed the experience quite a bit for Curt though, and different factors have come into play.

“Some of the stuff he did back when working in Colorado as a cop, I don’t think he’d do that now, but if he had to, I know he would,” said Dalton Being decisive about the risks on the job aren’t the only thing that’s changed in Curt as he’s aged, parenting became one of his many tasks. This gave him an opportunity to pass on much of what he’s learned.

“There’s certain values I’ve tried to instill in Dalton and Drake, integrity and honesty specifically, and JUNIOR Dalton Winn and his brother, sophomore Drake Winn, stand with their father in front of when making decisions, they’re held accountable, good, bad or indifferent, and my job is to support his police cruiser, “It’s kind of reassuring if you even think about it, [that] if something did happen them.” he’d know the cops,” sophomore Alex Moskowitz said about friend Drake . // MAXSTITT There is another factor comes into play for Drake and Dalton. They live in the same city that their dad normal day to day tasks and activities, even as a police officer works for, a rarity for most law enforcement officers, who watches over. usually would be very opposed to settling near the streets His wife Michelle has been by his side throughout they patrol. This means most of the force knows the boys, all of it too. Since the day she met him, Curt was in law and getting away with just about anything is difficult. enforcement.

“There’s always that chance, that when doing something “He’s a very noble, very kind hearted individual, and wrong that I’ll regret, one of them will know exactly where I definitely has a sense of duty and obligation in things that he am,” Dalton said. should do as a police officer,” Michelle said.

This doesn’t seem to bring the two down though.

That sense of duty and obligation led him to Mississippi “It’s just something I live with, I still get to have fun and in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. There he worked night go out with my friends to parties and stuff, but there’s always and day as a volunteer for roughly four weeks. All the while that thought lingering over me,” Dalton said. his family waited back home, knowing others needed him Friends of the two don’t seem to mind it much either. more than they did.

“It’s kinda reassuring if you even think about it, [that] if “At times it would be nice if he had a different career, something did happen he’d know the cops,” Said Drake’s but he loves what he does, and I would never ask him to do friend, sophomore Alex Moskowitz anything different,” Michelle said.

The brothers take it in stride though, and for the time While Curt’s job does keep him away a lot, it has its ups being, getting caught up in the law isn’t one of their main too. concerns, maybe fear of a speeding ticket here or there, but “It brings a great sense of security to us, and we have a nothing serious. That’s how they’d like to live too, despite family within a family in law enforcement, they’re all very the circumstances of who their father is, just going about the close, and helpful.”

facing

// TYLERROSTE

PAGE 9 FEATURES / ISSUE FOUR

STARRI NG

: BARAC

the

K OBAM

A, JOE B

IDEN, JO With Nov. 4 HN MCC looming, an AIN AND d the stakes special elec SARAH are higher fo tion coverag PALIN r both candid e each issue decide who ates un can work th e White Hou til that date comes. We , The Harbinger will prov ’ll “work the se. id white-board e you with ” so you can

Biden’s best points:

2008

election // LOGANHELEY and LANDONMCDONALD

reviewing the debates

Biden’s knowledge of national issues was clearly shown in the vice-presidential debate. He came across as the more informed of the two candidates, and for the most part, defended Obama and their ticket well when Palin said Obama would raise taxes. Biden did get into a little bit of “senator talk” while explaining McCain’s tax plan, but then laid it out clearly by saying McCain’s tax plan was “the Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere.” “Simple fairness” is what Biden called Obama’s plan for lowering taxes on the middle class. On the Iraq War, Biden pointed out that Prime Minister al- Maliki of Iraq and President Bush are both calling for a pull-out plan similar to Obama’s.

The pundits predicting a slip of the mouth by Biden were disappointed.

Obama’s best points: Most polls done by media outlets had Obama winning both debates. On health care, Obama claimed that “instead of fixing health care, [McCain] wants to tax it.” Obama said that the next treasury secretary needs to make sure individual homeowner gets help. When asked what his top priority is, he answered solving the energy crisis, with health care in second. Obama said that health care is a right of American citizens, while McCain said it was a responsibility. On the War on Terror, Obama said we need to send more troops to Afghanistan, because that is where the terrorists are. Obama called McCain out on his involvement in the Keating Five, the 1980’s banking scandal, by saying, “I think the Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one.” Obama also addressed McCain by saying his judgement on invading Iraq was wrong.

One of the most dangerous pratfalls in this election year is the emergence of a new generation of trend voters, political neophytes that participate in the presidential race without knowing anything about the candidates or the issues. They often jump on party bandwagons or vote how their friends and family tell them to, all the while completely ignorant of what’s really at stake.

They judge the candidates on ridiculous things like wardrobe and physical appearance. In this election, things like age, race and gender also enter unfairly into many voters’ decisions. Trend voters can often seem informed and opinionated, but in reality, they are nothing more than obstacles and detriments to the real course of our democratic system.

Pressure to vote without knowledge or conviction can come from a variety of places.

All are unfortunate but some are at least understandable. A good example comes from the

VS. VS.

Palin’s best points: Palin broke even in this debate. Her job coming in was to not hurt the campaign, and she succeeded in that.

That does not mean that she came close to comparing to Biden in terms of being informed on the issues.

Palin’s use of slang worked for some, but not for others. On the sub prime mortgage crisis, Palin said “lenders who tried to talk Americans into thinking that it was smart to buy a $300,000 house if we could only afford a $100,000 house.” Palin said Obama’s plan for a pull out of Iraq was a “white flag of surrender” and that “victory is in sight.” Palin called Biden out about previously saying he’d be honored to run with McCain and when he said Obama was not qualified to be President. It seemed as if she answered what she wanted to answer, sometimes changing subject of the debate to talk about something unrelated to the question.

McCain’s best points: McCain did much better in the town hall debate compared to the first debate. McCain has used “town hall style” meetings as a campaign staple for this election. McCain was the aggressor in the second debate and threw some political punches. On taxes, McCain said about Obama: “You can’t trust this guy. He lies.” McCain made a mistake by calling Obama “that one.” McCain made a point that housing prices must be stabilized to solve the mortgage crisis. McCain said Obama was wrong on the surge, Iraq and the Russia-Georgia conflict, and also said that Obama does not understand our national security challenges and that there is no time for on-the-job training. McCain stated some facts that have been proved false, such as saying the last president to raise taxes in economic hard times was Herbert Hoover. The truth is that during the recession of the 1990’s, President Clinton raised taxes and the country started to prosper. McCain seemed to repeat things he had already said over and over again.

are you a trend voter?

recent revelation that certain Catholic bishops are forbidding their congregations from taking the Eucharist if they don’t vote for John McCain since Barack Obama’s stance on abortion is pro-choice.

Men and women of faith are being put in unfair positions when it comes to voting this November. Hopefully they can navigate the boundaries of church and state and will vote based on their true code of morals, values and convictions. They owe it to themselves, and their children, to think.

A less sympathetic example comes from the legacy trend voter, a trend voter who votes strictly along party lines set for them by family or friends. Referring to the people who vote Republican, Democrat or Independent all down the line no matter what. They don’t look at the candidates’ names, just their party affiliations. This unfortunate practice has resulted in the current partisan gridlock in Washington and will continue to dominate

American politics for the foreseeable future unless the people stand up and take charge of their votes instead of surrendering them to the abysmal status quo.

A final word of warning. There is a legitimate case to be made in concern for Obama’s rabid youth fanbase. Yes, they may help him win the election in November, but it is possible that many of them don’t know a thing about who he is or what he stands for. They’ve just latched on to his youthfulness and charisma without studying his positions, background or beliefs.

Many of these fans, most of them newly registered voters, represent the problem with hardliners from both sides of the aisle. They take sides without knowing the full story on anything and their only contribution to our democracy is confusion and blind adherence.

These are the future voters of America. They should know who and what they’re voting for long before they cast their ballots.

crimefree scene

PAGE 10 FEATURES / OCT. 13, 2008

After a job as a fire-fighter and a disheartening police beat, Officer Bartlett enjoys East’s relatively

// LANDONMcDONALD

For Ted Bartlett, the decision to become East’s newest student resource officer was an easy one, the obvious next step in his extensive career of public service and law enforcement. The hardest decision was choosing that career path in the first place.

As one of five children being raised by a hardworking single mother in the small Kansas town of Osawatomie, future vocations were the last thing on Bartlett’s mind.

“I lived and worked on my uncle’s cattle farm for a long time when I was a kid. To me, there was just that and school,” Bartlett remembers. “At that point I didn’t really feel like I had a real sense of direction. I was an adult before I really figured out what to do with my life”.

The inspiration came from an unlikely source. Shortly after he turned 21, Bartlett left his position at the local hospital and took a job w o r king

gradual one.

“Eventually, law enforcement just became the next logical move for me,” Bartlett said. “For a while I took odd jobs in public relations and at the local dog pound and I was just feeling like I needed more. It ended up being a great decision, but getting there wasn’t exactly painless.”

He isn’t kidding. After completing a relatively simple job interview and psychological exam for the Osawatomie Police Department, Bartlett was thrust into the heart of a grueling eight week crash course at the local police academy, which operated out of barely reconverted World War II-era navy fighter pilot dorms, before finally emerging with his badge.

Still, Bartlett counts himself as getting off easy compared to today’s aspiring lawmen.

“I hear today’s program lasts sixteen weeks,” he said. “ Not a pleasant thought.”

After graduation from the academy, Bartlett started serving the people of his hometown and worked on raising a family of his own. He married for 20 years and had two children, Alex (now 21) and Angel (now 18).

Although he’s now divorced, Bartlett remains very close with his ex-wife and counts those times as among the happiest in his life.

It was also during this time that he first applied to be an SRO at the same Osawatomie USD 367 school district he’d once attended as a teenager. He ended up being assigned to the same high school his kids were going to.

“The SRO position is the most rewarding aspect of my job as a cop. I know it wasn’t always easy for Alex and Angel, having their dad be the cop at school, watching them at football games and dances,” said Bartlett.

“Sometimes when things happened and I had to get involved, other students would start accusing them of being snitches. But I never could have asked that of them. Still, I know they put up with an awful lot,” said Bartlett.

Pressures of a different kind were preying on Bartlett. Outside his SRO position, life on the beat was taking its toll.

“I don’t know, I guess it’s only natural for a cop to turn a bit cynical after enough years on the force,” he said. “Most officers blame it on the fact that we deal with ten percent of the population about 90 percent of the time.

And that ten happens to be the bad guys. We don’t get to see the good side of society enough. Too much of that, that’s when it changes you. When it’s

// NIC K

LUC AS

Want to take a closer look?

See the US Department of Labor’s website on police and officer jobs www.bls.gov/oco/ocos160.htm

a t the Osawatomie Correctional Facility, a minimum security prison. He stayed employed at the facility for three years before a co-worker suggested an alternate job.

“A buddy of mine working at the prison said that I should give volunteer fire fighting a try,” Bartlett said. “Eventually, I ended up becoming both a volunteer firefighter and an emergency medical technician.”

After receiving his certificate from the fire services training program at Johnson County Community College, Bartlett went on to experience success with both his new jobs. From 1991 to 1997 at least, two occupations were enough.

Bartlett’s transformation into a police officer was a

officer

I D?

$72,454

$55,183

Police Corporal

(maximum annual base salary)

// US Department of Labor: www.bls.gov/oco/ocos160.htm#earnings

$63,564

Police Lieutenant

$87,564

$99,698

Police Sergeant

Police Chief

$81,466

Police Captain

Deputy Chief

// ANDYALLEN

What can you earn with an

easy to see the bad but not the good.”

These feelings contributed to Bartlett’s decision to move to the East area shortly before school started and applied for the SRO job in the Shawnee Mission School District.

He was assigned to East and has enjoyed his time here immensely so far.

“Yeah, I’ve been made to feel really welcome here,” he said. “You guys have a remarkable administrative staff. Mr. Krawitz is fantastic. The teachers, parents and kids have all been very friendly to me.”

Bartlett honestly believes that East has certain qualities few other high schools can match.

“From what I’ve seen, the major advantage to East is the diversity of its elective classes and school body. This whole progressive attitude is just very refreshing to me,” said Bartlett. “It’s neat to see a school encourage individualism and not judge by it. The only complaint I have is obviously the construction. But after it ends, the SROs will at least be more at the heart of the school.”

Bartlett remains a busy man. He’s still a firefighter in the Osawatomie two dozenmember volunteer department and was at one point even appointed Chief of the Osawatomie Volunteer Fire Department after over twenty years of faithful service.

He plans to finally retire late next year.

That leaves his two other current positions to think about. What about the future of the police department and his SRO position here at East?

Bartlett smiles and folds his arms. “I like it here.”

Opening Act

PAGE 11 FEATURES / ISSUE FOUR

Junior Patrick Robinson pursues dream of becoming a musician // RACHELBIRKENMEIR Sitting in his room with acoustic guitar in hand, junior Patrick Robinson scrawls d own lyrics to his new song “This Town’s Going to Miss You.” Strumming and jotting down notes to make up the rifts and beats, the pop-rock vibes flow through his hands and mind. Robinson not only writes the songs, but he also sings them in his full group band, Bye Bye Beautiful.

All his life, Robinson has been influenced by music all around him, especially from his home life. His mom was into singing, and helped him to take a liking to that aspect of music. Around the age eight, Robinson started to pick up musical instruments, finally landing on the acoustic guitar as his weapon of choice.

“It’s good for if I’m sitting in my room and I just wanna write something,” Robinson said. In the group band Robinson is currently in, he sings lead vocals. But this is not his only project, Robinson has developed many different bands ranging from groups to just two people.

“For a couple of the projects it was just me playing up-beat acoustic stuff,” Robinson said. “But then I turned towards an indie acoustic sound with electronic beats and stuff, it was just a lot more articulate,” Robinson said. After being on his own, he decided to branch out and start one of his first group bands with his friend Brandon Gardner, called I Am The Private, an acoustic band.

“I liked it because it was easier,” Gardner said. “I would just go to his house and we would practice like three songs a week, then come to my house and record them,” Gardner said. The band gained popularity and was busy playing shows, and during the summer was approached by the record label Dream Tracks Records.

“Things got messy and the one thing we really don’t like is how money driven a lot of it was,” Robinson said.

“We aren’t interested in investing money if we don’t know how it will work out.”

After that, the band began to lose momentum when Robinson and Gardner teamed up with their friends Dustin

Johnson and Devin Louis to form the full band Bye Bye Beautiful.

This group has a more pop-rock m u s i c sound to it, with PATRICK Robinson strums a few chords on his guitar, “ When I am playing guitar, I forget about everything else and just play.”// MACKENZIEWYLIE Johnson on the high prices. But Robinson and Gardner created a small studio, drums, Louis on the bass, Gardner on the guitar and Robinson located in Gardner’s basement that helps with this delema. vocals as.

“The studio is mainly for the acoustic stuff Brandon and “We play a lot of shows, usually one every weekend,” I do,” Robinson said. “But we will do acoustic demos of our Robinson said. “Recently we’re getting booked to play at the full band stuff so we know what it will sound like when we Granada in Lawrence.” This will be the biggest event that one do record it.” After recording in the small studio, Robinson of Robinson’s bands has ever played, taking place on Nov. edits everything.

22. To prepare for this event, the band practices two to three “Patrick is good at editing,” Gardner said. “He basically times a week over at the drummer, Devin Johnsons house. does a lot of our stuff because he has a lot of good ideas,” There, the band has a small room with a P.A. that they are Gardner said. able to connect their microphones to.

Currently, Bye Bye Beautiful is back in the real studio, “Every night I practice and write songs, and then me recording two untitled songs. As for starting any new projects, and the band meet up and go over it and we all add different Robinson doesn’t see that happening in the near future. Both things to it,” Robinson said. “It really gives it a cool sound and his bands, Bye Bye Beautiful and I Am The Private have style.” Robinson draws most of his inspiration for writing the proven to have staying power and popularity. songs from some of his favorite bands: May Day Parade and “We basically do it [make music] right now because we The Starting Line. He also looks to his personal life for ideas. like doing it,” Gardner said. “It’s the only thing that we all “These songs I’ve been writing are a lot more about my enjoy a lot, I guess we do it for the love of music.” personal life and the problems I am having instead of me just sitting down and trying to write cool guitar rifts,” said To listen to Bye Bye Beautifuls’ music for free go to: Robinson. “I was a lot more articulate and mature in my www.myspace.com/byebyebeautifulband writing.” One of the first songs that Robinson and his band If you like what you hear, they have an upcoming show in Bye Bye Beautiful collaberated on was called “Dear Scarlett”.

Lawrence. Tickets are $8, sold before or during the festival.

Since then, the group has helped to make eight songs, “Dear Bye Bye Beautiful is one of thirty bands in the festival.

Scarlett” being the only one they have recorded due to the

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PAGE 12 SPREAD / OCT. 13, 2008

The world of

gaming

Survey shows 97 percent of teens are now defined as “gamers” // TAYLORHAVILAND

Junior Danny Thompson slowly wakes up, rubbing his eyes as he waits for his vision to focus. He pushes his tired body out of bed and flips on his computer. He sits down and becomes motionless except for the movement of his index finger on his wireless mouse. The sun hasn’t begun to rise but Thompson is already increasing his stats.

Thompson plays video games for three or more hours every day; he is considered a gamer.

Senior Brian Simpson stretches in bed before he even attempts to stand up. After rising, he walks into his closet to grab some running shorts and a t-shirt for cross country practice after school. Busy with Pep Club, schoolwork and college applications, Simpson doesn’t even glance at his computer. He only plays Rock Band sparingly, but by definition Simpson is still considered a gamer.

Ask any 100 people and there’s a very good chance more than 90 of them are gamers. Pew Internet & American Life Project surveyed 1,102 teens ages 12 to 17 and found that 97% played games. Of those surveyed, 99% of the men and 94% of the women were gamers.

There was almost no difference in gaming habits between ethnic groups and income levels.

Video games originally had to be played at arcades on huge machines, such as Pong which appeared in 1972. Later games were available in homes using gaming systems beginning with Nintendo’s Game Boy in 1992. Now video games are available for free on computers, cell phones, mp3 players, televisions and more.

With games so accessible it’s no wonder that nearly everyone is considered a gamer.

Associated Press National Writer Martha Irvine posted a story in mid-September in USA Today about the prevalence of gaming among kids. Irvine broadly defines gamers saying, “A gamer is anyone who plays video/computer/etc. games, either casually or every day.” In fact, the Pew study about which she writes revealed that half of the gamers had played the previous day. The U-M study showed players generally spent at least 44 minutes on weekdays and more than an hour a day on weekends.

Simpson plays video games 30 minutes a day at most but he feels that they distract him because its always an alternative to doing his work. He also feels that video games affect our generation in a negative way because it takes up time that we could be using to study or play sports.

A contributing factor to the idea that everyone is a gamer is the recent trend in the influx of girl gamers. According to a study done

by Entertainment Software Association 43 percent of gamers are girls, and market research firm NPD reported last month that more than half of the young teen girls surveyed are spending more time playing games now they had the previous year.

Sophomore Melissa Gregg plays every day of the week with an average of three hours per day.

“I could play the whole day if I wanted,” said Gregg. “In fact, I have played for three days straight.”

She also think that girls rarely are gamers, and they’re more concerned with make-up and their looks.

Nearly two-thirds of gamers play to socialize with friends or with their family according to the Pew survey. Gamers connect with friends through online play or meet new people by talking over microphones or by joining parties to play with others.

“I play with friends online or in

person,” Thompson said. “Sometimes I attend 15 hour LAN (Local Area Network) parties to compete against people from my mom’s work.”

But for Thompson gaming isn’t a competition or a way to pass time. He uses video games to connect with his best friend Spike Logan, who attends Pembroke High School. On weekends the two get together to play Halo or Rock Band.

Gamers have all different lifestyles, and Irvine reports that the Pew Internet survey shows it’s very difficult to stereotype a gamer.

The Pew study shows that teens that spend most of their time playing video games alone are less likely to be involved in their communities in ways such as voting and community service.

However kids who play games socially are very likely to be involved in civic engagement.

Junior Amanda Privitera, Student Council Junior Class Secretary, owns and plays Nintendo Wii. Her favorite game is Wii Tennis and she occasionally invites her friends over to play. Playing video games is her lowest priority because she is more concerned about her academic success and getting into college.

Gaming has also been known to affect teenager’s study habits.

Todd and Ralph Steinebrickner in 2007 did a survey that proved students who studied 40 minutes less each day to play video games lowered their GPA by 0.241 points.

Thompson put video games before schoolwork until his sophomore year.

“My grades weren’t very good and since sophomore year my grades have drastically improved,” Thompson said.

Thompson has struggled to keep his grades at C’s and D’s throughout his academic career. There were days where he would just leave his backpack at school because he had no interest in working on his homework. Now the majority of his grades are A’s and Thompson is striving for more academic success.

1967354

Gamers Onl

Recently gaming compa to improve players perform Kaplan Inc. and Aspyr M preparation game called “f Nintendo DS. Also Ubisoft an “My SAT Coach” for Nintendo DS computer-based learning program entrance exams, but this is the fi released for systems like Nintendo Kristen Campbell, director of explained in a September AP story such a big part of teen’s lives that in a fun way.

“Gaming has become such a bi almost impossible not to play,” Sim

PAGE 13 SPREAD / ISSUE FOUR

What kind of

You may be a Madden/FIFA fanatic if: -You don’t play football, but know the Chiefs’ (and the Colts’, and the Steelers’) offense by heart.

-You routinely come to school in a Wayne Rooney jersey mumbling Andy Gray catchphrases.

-You find yourself daydreaming about using the “hit stick” on someone in class.

-You have awakened the entire house late at night by shouting “GOOAAL!!” at your TV.

You may be a Combat Strategist/Alien Killer if: -You would agree with the phrase: “There’s nothing better than a good headshot.”

-You feel naked without your assault rifle.

-You sometimes wish you could call in an air strike during a test you didn’t study for.

-You mutter “slayer” in a deep voice under your breath.

You may be a Role Player if: -You return to the kingdom of Hyrule ever day after school.

-You literally did “Catch Em’ All.” -You spend countless hours playing “World of Warcraft” on your computer.

-You refuse to play a game unless it is in anime and you are equipped with a sword.

line

anies are attempting mance on college entrance exams.

Media Inc. are releasing a SAT futureU” in this month for the nd Princeton Review have released for around $30. There have been ms to prepare students for college first time that games have been o.

Kaplan’s college prep program y their belief that video games are t it makes sense to teach students

ig part of everybody’s life that it’s mpson said.

Gamer are you?

//www.gameinfowire.comMEGSHACKELFORD

TOP GAMES Top 5 Video Games in America Top 5 Video Games Worldwide 1. Wii Sports 1. Super Robot Taisen Z 2. Wii Fit 2. Wii Fit 3. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 3. Wii Sports 4. Lego Batman: The Videogame 4. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 5. Rock Band 2 5. Pokemon Platinum

// www.vgchartz.com

Give me an Give me a

// ANDYALLEN

Athletic Director Jim Ricker talks about his history as a South yell leader

Seventeen-year-old Jim Ricker stands in the gym bleachers at Shawnee Mission South. Next to him stands his friend John Shartzar who joins in the cheering of their North girl’s basketball team.

“It was a pretty crummy night,” Ricker said. “But the gym was still packed with supporting fans.”

Midway through the first quarter Ricker notices something is off. There is only one cheerleader, his friend, Kelly Glauser. Being a friend of four years, he knew he had to do something. As Ricker and his friend watch Glauser attempt a four-person cheer on her own, they get an idea.

Like many of the other devoted upper-classmen, they are no more than three rows into the bleachers, making for an easy exit. They jump over fellow sports fanatics and join their abandoned pal.

The trio marches over to the opposing team to perform a welcome cheer. Ricker spots many friends from the other school that he knows and almost regrets his decision, but that’s not enough to get in the way of his school spirit.

The other cheer and yell leaders were most likely absent because of the bad weather, but that wouldn’t faze these three devotees. They kept the crowd energized the entire night with improvised cheers, accompanied by their own choreography, but nothing distasteful.

By half time the group was getting the hang of what to do with their arms and the rest of their

body, instead of just using their voices to pep up the fans. As the night moved on Glauser even found time to teach Shartzar how to do a high chair, where he lifted her above his head. Luckily the cheerleading coach, John Comstock wasn’t there to see the mischief they were getting themselves into.

••• Though Ricker and current East Social Studies teacher, John Comstock know each other well now, they had never met before the day Ricker tried out for the position of yell leader.

Comstock insisted on having an equal number of boys and girls on the team, and after losing three male yell leaders the team became imbalanced and was in need of more guys. After witnessing Ricker’s performance, Glauser asked if he and two other football players would consider joining the team.

Being an enthusiastic high school student, he accepted.

“I was going to be at all of the games anyways so I figured, ‘What the heck?’” Ricker said.

With no prior experience, Ricker was initially required to learn all of the team’s cheers and techniques. They created gigantic pyramids, five levels high and performed ‘basket tosses’ in front of fans.

Yell leaders were tradition. Most of them would be guys taking up cheerleading during an off-season.

He liked being around people who really put effort in and took pride in what they did.

••• Ricker nervously stands, with

R

Mary Galvin,

Registration Today and Tomorrow outside the Cafeteria

The wise man also said twice is better than once. He was right again.

Homecoming?

// MEGSHACKELFORD

-Sam

his hands crossed behind his back, in front of a bleacher full of East students as he prepares for his first performance. Dressed in a getup of white Reeboks, white jeans, and a red and black rugby shirt, he stares at the West wall of East’s gym and recognizes many familiar faces from the opposing team.

His friend, Shartzar, was also nervous with it being his first night.

“Whatever you do, don’t look at them,” Shartzar said of the crowd.

Among the faces Ricker recognizes is his stepsister Kim, who goes to East, and her group of friends. Everyone’s eyes seem to be on him.

The co-ed squad of four girls and four guys stare back at the crowd as they begin their welcome cheer.

The East cheer squad is kneeling before them, as is custom. Ricker tries to keep a straight face as he picks his friends out of the crowd and notices the looks and points he is getting from them.

One of the first stunts to be performed is the high chair, the same one his friend had executed just weeks before. 5:30 a.m. practices multiple days out of the week would seem to be adequate preparation for a cheer at a high school boy’s basketball game.

As Ricker lifted his partner Sheri Latus into the air, he felt the laughter coming back. He lost his grip and she began to fall behind him. He tried to turn around to catch her but he wasn’t quite quick

enough.

She was luckily able to put her arms out before reaching the floor and wasn’t hurt. Though there were no hard feelings, it wasn’t quite the first impression Ricker had planned on making. The crowd was cracking up, but he pulled himself together and fulfilled his yell leading duties for the rest of the night.

At the end of the game Ricker found his stepsister and she gave him a hug as she continued to chuckle.

“That was hilarious.” she said, “Thanks for the laugh.”

Though he enjoyed his time on the team, one season was enough for Ricker. He hung up his red and black uniform as soon as the spring season came around. He decided to keep his focus on soccer and realized he should leave yell leading to the guys who were really dedicated to the sport.

// TYLERROSTE

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PAGE 15 PHOTOESSAY / ISSUE FOUR

Presented as Royalty

// ALLPHOTOSBYMACKENZIEWYLIE

TOP: Seniors Johanna Cook and Legna Cedillo are escorted down the court by Tommy Gray. The queens will be crowned at the game on Oct. 17, and the kings will be crowned around 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 18.

ABOVE: Seniors Katie Bartow and Johanna Cook share a moment before walking down the court at the second assembly.

FAR LEFT: Seniors Marcus Webb, Jane Mahoney and Allie Marquis pretend to take photos of themselves, while they prepare to have their photo taken for the Kansas City Star.

FAR ABOVE: All 21 members of the homecoming court wait for the assembly to come to an end.

BOTTOM : Senior Paige Cannady laughs at a joke told by her escort senior Curran Darling.

PAGE 16 MIXED / OCT. 13, 2008

Gentleman DRESSING LIKE A

With Homecoming in five days, learn a few tips to look your best // SAMLOGAN

Outfit Checklist Dress shirt The last time a couple went to Homecoming matching and did it to perfection, swing dancing was still cool. Giving your date the “twin treatment” is the last thing you want— it can scream cheesy like a bag of Cheetos. Go with pinstripes or a solid blue or white to do the job in the shirt department; it’s traditional and expected.

A

Go-to Ties

B

C

D

E

F

and lost copious amounts of your male dignity asking her to accompany you this Saturday night, let your date steal the show with the dress she’s put her heart into and simplify your look with class. No one likes a tweety-bird-tieguy. Pull your date’s dress color as an accent tone for your tie, not the base.

This keeps you from matching, but still proves to your date your phone call about her dress color meant something to you… Right?

Dark suit It’s a bit dressed up and business-like but the dark suit is casual enough for the Homecoming setting. If playing the role of CEO isn’t for you, split it up and make the navy blazer work like a charm with khaki or gray slacks.

Belt If you aspire to go to Homecoming ‘08 looking like Akon, the belt isn’t down your alley. For the Lancer gentlemen around, though, match your waistline with the color of your shoes. Brown leather with brown shoes, black with black. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

Slacks

They’re not pants, they’re slacks... Treat ‘em that way. More than what you’d wear on an average school day, your slacks should match the suit or be a neutral khaki hue. Watch out for pinstripes, it can make you the group’s fashionistic sore thumb if done wrong. // MACKENZIEWYLIE

Shoes Your traditional tailor will tell you to coordinate your shoes with the color of

Getting Ready on Dance Day

your slacks. If you want to impress your date and make everyone think you read GQ, walk the line and test the waters. Brown shoes can work with grey slacks, usually a lighter shade, though. Your socks count in this category: it sounds like rocket science, but they should be about a shade between your shoes and slacks.

p.m.

p.m.

p.m.

Kansas vs. Oklahoma

Reclaiming my Dignity

Mandatory Mom Pics

This Saturday, Dance Day is Game Day. I fully plan on being worthless, picking up my corsage late, and dressing up 15 minutes before pictures... All because the Jayhawks take the field.

Following the game I’ll probably stand in front of the mirror and try to restake my grasp on manhood after losing it to a shameful asking. I think all East guys will probably do the same (sorry).

Having a twin, taking mom pictures are double- trouble.

Such an event should take 15 minutes, but I’ll set aside 45 for the heavily anticipated, “Which button do I press?”

// ANDYALLEN

Tie Even though you’re the one paying for dinner, dance tickets, transportation,

A Piano Necktie ($45-$85) Find at: Nordstrom Goes with: The 80’s

B Geoffrey Beene ($45) Find at: Macy’s Goes with: White, light colors

C Club Room ($39.50)

Find at: Macy’s Goes with: Light gold, light blue

D Nautica ($22, 50% off) Find at: Macy’s Goes with: Dark grey, navy

E Cheap Tie ($1.98) Find at: Dollar General Goes with: Tan, white

F Donald J. Trump ($50) Find at: Macy’s Goes with: White, light grey

tip: #1 buying the mother

No one thrives in Homecoming season the way the real woman in your life does. She may have grown up when wide collars were cool like the BeeGees, but I’ll lay dollars to doughnuts she can pick a tie better than you. And a shirt. And slacks. And shoes. Probably a date, too, but now were giving them too much credit. At least you can work the camera at pictures better than her.

Good ‘Eye’dea Gone Bad LaBeouf and Thornton put on action-packed

PAGE 17 A&E / ISSUE FOUR // www.movieweb.com

“Eagle Eye” that lacks in execution // MICHAELSTOLLE

“The FBI will arrive at your apartment in 30 seconds,” the mysterious female voice says on the other end of Jerry Shaw’s cellphone, and the action-packed and unrealistic thriller “Eagle Eye” begins.

“Eagle Eye” is based around following the impoverished Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) as a mysterious voice guides him in his escape from the FBI for possessing illegal weapons and explosives. Eventually, Shaw runs into Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan), who is also receiving directions from “the voice” in order to save her son from being killed.

Filled with action packed, camera shaken scenes, the film drives the viewer on an adrenaline rush as the duo avoids the authorities through impractical techniques as their possessed navigation screens, traffic controls and construction machinery aid in their escape. But at the time, when the action does die down, the audience is given glimpses into Shaw’s belowhis-means, underachieving life and the twisted involvement his twin brother had in the military.

Using threats and coercion, the woman persuades the unwilling pair along a set of tasks with national security ramifications. As quickly as the viewer is thrown into the plot of the movie, the impossibilities of the movie start piling up.

There are bright spots to this film. “Eagle Eye” breaks the mold of traditional action-thrillers with innovative plot ideas. The well choreographed escape scenes and unique plot premise promote an exciting, suspenseful movie. Beyond the nonstop action, the audience is shown decent writing and acting.

Despite being under utilized, LaBeouf and Billy Bob Thorton (the stereotypical cop-on-a-mission

&E APANEL

A&E Section Editor

Meg Shackelford Art & Design Editor

Staff Artist

|

|

We weigh in on what’s happening in the entertainment world

Jeff Rutherford

Nick Lucas

FBI agent in charge of capturing Shaw) play their parts well. LaBeouf often delivers inappropriate one-liners for their present situations, and the audience can’t avoid laughing.

The movie’s multimillion dollar special effects budget do little to cover the lack of character development and glaring improbabilities of the movie. The creative chase scenes employed by director DJ Caruso should have been enough to sustain suspense in the movie, but they are eclipsed by the often unnecessary special effects and suffering from “shaken camera system” reminiscent of “The Kingdom.”

Despite the outlandish and unrealistic Big Brother aspects of this movie, “Eagle Eye” has a good premise, and if you are able to ignore the improbabilities, the movie provides a suspenseful plot that hooks the audience member in.

A fatal flaw of “Eagle Eye” is that it falls into the typical action-thriller trap. In the last five minutes of the film, an unnecessary romance is thrown together between Shaw and Holloman, an attempt to roughly tie together the last hour and a half into a cheesy two-second kiss.

Despite the major and bizarre plot twist that comes out of left field in the latter half of the movie, Caruso manages it well. This unusual, although crippling, plot twist distracts from an otherwise suspenseful and unique movie, but will be ignored by the majority of viewers because of the flashy attractiveness of the rest of the film.

While the movie attempts to pose serious questions about American politics, why “Eagle Eye,” the epitome of a summertime action-packed blockbuster, was released in late September is a mystery.

Show you hate, that most people like?

Scariest movie you’ve ever seen?

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

What’s up with Shia Labeouf?

David Blaine or Criss Angel?

David Blaine. I think Psycho. My mom Nuthin’ But A G Disappointment.

Criss Angel has a showed me this Thang by Dr. Dre. It’s been all downhill movie when I was This is just the way since his glory days sub-zero IQ. And he six...minor parenting on “Even Stevens.” sings his own theme I live.. song, a total joke. error.

American Idol. It’s The Haunting of Forget the DUI. David Blaine.

Baby Got Back Sarah Hardy. It repetitive and the He’s extremely Criss Angel is a

by SirMixaLot. opening jingle is just gave me nighttalented and freak of nature...in This is my jam. as annoying as the mares. I had to sleep certainly not bad a negative way. in my sister’s room. show. to look at.

Family Guy. Peter Griffin is a fat, annoying, waste of animated life.

CSI. The child star Signs. Those freaky Nightswimming I’m tired of seeing

by REM. This curse. alien dunces gave creepy people abuse me the spooks for upbeat jam gets me No one can escape helpless women. psyched. it’s clutches. weeks.

STAR SCALE | |Stay home |

| Rental at best |

|Worth seeing |

David Blaine.

The man held his breath for over 17 minutes.

|Instant Classic

// atlanticrecords.com

PAGE 18 A&E / OCT. 13, 2008

‘Trail’ to the top

T.I.’s new album proves that ‘The King of the South’ has true staying power

//JORDANPFEIFFER

It seems as though the battle between T.I. and his "thug" alter ego T.I.P. has come to a final conclusion. Last year’s album, “T.I. vs. T.I.P”, was a supposed “ego” battle between him and his alter ego, (a more aggressive and angrier T.I.) and was even nominated for a Grammy. But recently, smuggling weapons and weapons possession charges have left the rapper with 1,000 hours of community service, and possibly 12 months or less to serve in jail.

Consistent ‘Kids’

T.I.'s Paper Trail boasts tight, catchy pop-rap singles along side a long list of who's who megastars (Lil Wayne, Rihanna, Usher, Jay Z and John Legend). Each song on the CD was written on pen and pad, a sort of old school style, while he was under house arrest for the first couple months of his sentence. “I used to just used to just listen to the music and go in the booth and rap,” T.I. told Rollingstone.com.

“And now that I’m writing things down, I think it’s a lot more eloquent.”

Taking a defiant stand early on how he feels about what's happened to him, in the song “Ready for Whatever”, T.I. describes the charges that he faces and putting it in his own words, explains what he sees actually happened. "Yes I broke the law, but not maliciously," is just one verse in this song that shows how T.I. feels that he has his insecurities.

T.I. is known mostly for his aggressive up beat tempo and intense rhymes, but he seems to take it down a beat on this CD. Moving from lyrics that are normally vulgar to lyrics that are smooth and suave but still makes his point of being slick and boastful.

“Whatever You Like,” a single full of swagger and slow hip hop choruses that make the girls day dream about that "famous man" swooping in and taking them right off their feet, has hit all charts by storm. Number three on iTunes top 100 songs, and holding the Billboard number one hit for now eight weeks running, it has a slow beat and rhymes that add flavor.

“Live Your Life” featuring Rihanna was the second track that has hit iTunes by storm reaching number two right after the release of Paper Trail. First heard at the MTV Music Video Awards, T.I. surprised everyone with this Pop melody, mixed with Rihanna's pop background. Great vocals by Rihanna and beat in the background behind Numa Numa, a song written by a Moldovian pop band called O-zone, make for a crafty song.

T.I.’s career has always been focused on rap. But the difference with this album and past albums is the compilations. He uses his rhymes and beats and puts them together with the other artists on the album, using their music with

his own, to create the perfect sound.

“Swagga like Us”, features M.I.A’s “Paper Planes” intro right at the beginning of the song. But listening on, the song instantly sends chills through your body. Kanye, the first rapper on the track, begins to mix rhyme after rhyme with a low base beat in the background, and using lyrics like “Cause I slaved my whole life, now I’m the master,” and Jay Z, using lyrics like “No one on the corner gotta pocket like this, so I rock rock jeans’ cause my knots so thick”. They use these lyrics each respectively, to show how they feel that they are the best and most confident rappers in the rap game right now.

T.I.’s sound may have changed a tiny bit, but with all of the tragedy (His best friend and personal assistant was shot to death in 2006, as they were leaving a party) he has faced within the past year since “T.I. vs. T.I.P”, you can tell that his tone has changed, and his lyrics are more sincere. Songs like “My Life Your Entertainment” featuring Usher, and “What’s Up What’s Haapain” show the new side of T.I., and how much more focused he really is since being charged with all of his felonies.

Ludacris, T.I.'s longtime southern rival joins him on the fourth track of the album “On Top of the World”. A song that will remind you of “Pimpin all over the World” by Ludacris, it has a great back beat, very good rhymes, and has both of them reminiscing about their struggle out of poverty.

However, songs to stay away from are “Dead and Gone” featuring Justin Timberlake, “Porn Star”, and “You Ain’t Missing Nothin”, each sounding like failed attempts to emulate somber boy band sounds with bad R. Kelly lyrics.

The album has very few flaws, a few songs that will have you second guessing the self-proclaimed "King of the South". T.I. has however taken from each and every one of his collaborators using their style of music with his southern beats making for a CD that has exceeded expectations and outdone his last album T.I. Vs. T.I.P.

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// coldwarkids.com

The Cold War Kids’ new album ‘Loyalty to Loyalty’ provides up-tempo beats and smooth lyrics that will keep you listening //JOESERNETT

“Hang Me Up To Dry” was the song that the Cold War Kids really hit it big with, becoming one of the biggest alternative rocks songs in the winter of 2006. Touring heavily in 2005 and 2006, the band made themselves a sensation amongst the blogging community. While touring, they released two more EPs and then in the summer of 2006, they signed with Downtown Records, the same label as Gnarles Barkley and Art Brut.

The SoCal foursome made a big splash with their debut album “Robbers & Cowards,” having sold 169,000 copies to date.

All the reviews were positive except for mediocre marks from the overly critical Pitchfork. But what is there not to love about an alternative rock group with reverbed guitar parts, smooth drum lines, the occasionally piano chorus and wonderful tenor singing that reminds us all of Robert Plant?

Well, in their new album “Loyalty to Loyalty,” there isn’t too much to hate.

In the opening song, “Against Privacy,” the album starts out with a mud-slapped murky guitar part while lead singer Nathan Willett brings us in with his wonderful tenor sound and enticing lyrics. The lyrical ge-

nius keeps the listener drawn to the songs.

As they sing about interesting topics like suicide in “Golden Gate Jumpers,” and bohemian hipsters in “Against Privacy.”

Not only are the lyrical narratives fun to hear, but the writing itself is vivid and entertaining: “Every man I fall for drinks his coffee black/ Works the graveyard shift/ He kisses me softly to wake me up and he takes my place in bed.”

But what good are cool lyrics without a good band to back them up? With their insanely reverberated indie rock sound, the Cold War Kids don’t disappoint, from their blues-sounding piano and guitar verses in “Every Valley is not a Lake” to soul and in-

STAR SCALE | |Broken record|

|Borrow at best|

die sound in “Dreams Old Men Dream.”

“Something Is Not Right With Me” shows the bands upbeat and up-tempo feel that really creates a song that sticks in your head forever. Whether it’s front man Willet semi-squealing “Something Is Not Right With Me” over and over again, or if it is bass, guitar, and drums coordinating perfectly for a catchy verse, it doesn’t really matter.

All that matters is the band created a great song with potential for another number one

|Worth buying |

single.

Overall, “Loyalty to Loyalty” is something that you can listen to and enjoy through all 13 songs. Front man Willett singing in his tenor voice full of vibrato, and all the way through the rest of the band provides music to keep us listening. In no way did they hang us up to dry, and leave us wanting more.

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|Instant Classic

PAGE 19 A&E / ISSUE FOUR

‘MIRACLE’ WORKER New Spike Lee film “Miracle at St. Anna” is impressive despite long running time // DAVIDHENDERSON

Spike Lee’s “Miracle at St. Anna” has the potential to be a movie to remember, but the long running time and sudden setting changes leaves viewers feeling torn. The numerous characters and the lengthy, detailed plot, as well as the two hour and forty minute running time could have many viewers leaving with mixed opinions.

“Miracle at St. Anna” is based off the book “Miracle” by James McBride, and focuses on four African American soldiers fighting during World War II. The four are a part of the all-black 92nd “Buffalo Soldier” division, which are placed in the Tuscan countryside in Italy. The soldiers, who eventually find themselves stranded, are Stamps (Derek Luke), a cool and confidant solider, Negron (Laz Alonso), the translator, Cummings (Michael Ealy), who chases after an Italian girl, and Train (Omar Benson Miller), a huge man who sympathizes with a hurt child. Train proves to be the most interesting character, mostly because of his happy-go-lucky attitude and his nickname of “Sniper Bait” due to his rather large physique.

A single actor’s performance didn’t particularly stand out.

The four worked well together, much like the military unit they portrayed. The actors build off of each other and seem to form a real brother ship.

The group begins their journey in one of the most intense battle scenes since “Saving Private Ryan.” The Buffalo Soldiers attempt to cross a river, while the Nazi’s wait. The four cross, but are scattered from each other. Stamp radios that they have made it across the river, but their white superior officer orders air strikes on their position because he doesn’t believe them. The strike ends up killing more of the Buffalo

Soldiers.

The long, yet exhilarating battle scenes express the true feelings of war. The swarming camera angles and quick scene changes gave the mood an anxious feel. The battle scenes are what helped to make “Miracle at St. Anna” an exciting movie.

However, it’s not just an action movie. It has the character depth, and you progress with the characters through the military and moral struggles.

Train and Cummings are stuck together during the attack.

Train scouts out an abandoned house and walks inside. As Train enters, a stray shell lands on the house having many boards come loose, but Train avoids it. However, someone else in the house does not. Train hears a little voice, and stumbles around to find the person and discovers a small Italian boy stuck under the debris. Train tries to help the boy and is unsuccessful at first, but then he uses his “good luck charm” to give him strength. Train carries around a head of a statue from Florence and is convinced it makes him invulnerable. He saves the boy, who calls him “Gigante di cioccolata” meaning chocolate giant. Their relationship develops into a key part of the plot.

The interaction between Train and the boy gives a cheerful mood to an otherwise dark and gloomy movie.

A significant scene in the story takes place in the Deep South, when the soldiers are at basic training. After a hard day training, the four go to a local ice cream parlor to get some “Ice Slops.” When they reach the counter, the owner refuses to serve them because of their skin color. The camera pans over to a booth where four German POWs sit talking and eating. The four argue that they are serving the enemy,

// CELEBRITY WONDER

but the owner argues he has the right to not serve anyone.

Train stared the owner down as they walked out, which led to the owner becoming furious and pulling a gun on them, which two Military Policemen tell him to put down. This was not the end of the conflict.

A few hours or days later-the editing made it confusingthe four return. They walk in with rifles and demand four “Ice Slops” to go. The owner has his wife and kid with him, both crying. This was one poignant moment that I remembered.

The four get their “Ice Slops” and head back to base.

The simplistic scene had a lasting impact on me. I knew that African-American soldiers weren’t treated as well in World War II, but seeing the enemy Germans being treated better than their own countrymen got Lee’s point across.

The twist at the end is one that has myself and many puzzled. The scene is set in the 1980s. You have already been informed of a man who has randomly killed an innocent civilian in a post-office, and he awaits trial. The scene flashes to Negron standing in the court room. He is sentenced to have a bail of $2 million. Shortly there after, Negron is standing on a beach, next to a man in a white suit. Who tells him he has someone waiting for him. Negron walks down the beach and sits down next to a man, who has Negron’s rosary beads from the war. Then the screen goes blank.

I did one of those, “Wait, what just happened.” Then decided you can predict what happened to Negron. You can finish it the way your mind wants you too. Mine had Negron getting bailed out. It just depends on your mind to finish Spike Lee’s epic thriller.

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Its bark is as bad as its bite Even for a family flick, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” comes across as stale // ANDREWGOBLE

It would be tough to imagine someone who would watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua and expect a deep, enlightening, life-changing experience.

This movie manages to feel like it was produced in less time and with less thought then it takes to actually watch.

Chloe, the protagonist pooch (voiced surprisingly well by Drew Barrymore), spends most of her days shopping at various doggiedesigner stores and otherwise being pampered by her “mom” Viv (Jamie Lee Curtis).

Her days are only troubled when the gardener Sam’s (Manolo Cardona) Chihuahua Papi hits on her daily and offers to “chew the spots that she cannot reach.”

But when Viv goes off on a business trip to Europe, leaving her irresponsible niece, Rachel (Piper Perabo), in charge, all doggyhell breaks loose.

STAR SCALE | |Stay home |

Rachel takes Chloe to Mexico, where the 7-pound pup oddly gets “dog-napped” for fighting purposes. In a series of long, stretched-out events, Chloe meets Delgado (Andy Garcia), a former-police German Shepard who grudgingly saves her and teaches her that her Italian-leather booties may not be so important after all.

The plot of this movie still boggles my mind. It’s somewhat tough to believe that a Chihuahua wearing a pink cashmere sweater would be stolen to dog-fight against a snarling Doberman named El Diablo. Or the part after, where Rachel, Papi and Sam travel to Mexico City and find one of Chloe’s booties in a trash bag in a city of 19.2 million people. Later, Delgado and Chloe fend off three mountain lions with the help of 100 Aztec Chihuahuas. They then teach her to say “No Mas” to the cruelty that is being a

| Rental at best |

Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

The soundtrack filled some of the gaps the plot missed out on. Songs varying from “Rich Girl” and “Whoop There it is” were predictable from the beginning, but towards the end, the orchestra stopped in to provide some interest when the plot fell to shambles.

Papi (voiced by George Lopez) is the one character who especially added to the lack of emotional draw. At the beginning, with his surly happy-go-lucky attitude, he manages just fine. But, as he breaks down over Chloe’s troubles at the end, it is apparent that Lopez is meant for comedy only. This is arguably his least convincing performance since “The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl 3D.” Maybe it’s not such a bad thing so many movies are remakes these days.

The jokes were horrendously cheesy, even for a family film. I counted four “talk

|Worth seeing |

to-the-paw”-esque jokes in the opening five minutes. Rachel calling Papi a “dog-io” and “muy bad” towards the Hispanic-looking, English-speaking gardener was one of the many amusingly insensitive moments. It feels like they didn’t even spend time thinking about comedy because, as we all know, anything that a Chihuahua says in an accent is at least a little bit entertaining.

Movies like “101 Dalmations” and “Lion King” are paragon examples of talking animal movies, and this one horribly attempts to blend the two. Those movies represent adversity, character building, and overcoming bad guys.

But this movie, if anything, epitomizes the death of American culture.

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|Instant Classic

PAGE 20 SPORTS / OCT. 13, 2008

// MACKENZIEWYLIE

Sisterly Swings

The Genton sisters, both on varsity golf, compete with each other to be the best on the team and the family.

// MADDYBAILEY Sophomore Sarah Genton finishes her first varsity tournament with a score of 87. ‘Good job, Sarah!’ her teammates yell. She doesn’t care— not until she finds out her older sister’s score.

“Mom how did Kristina do?”

“She scored 85.”

Sarah looks down.

“Oh cool. That’s exciting.”

She doesn’t mean it. She was supposed to beat her sister.

Well, there’s always next time.

As sisters, teammates and friends their natural instinct is

Dollars for Dance Team

Drill team hopes to raise money through a variety of new methods // AUBREYLEITER

The East Drill Team puts countless hours and effort into practicing their routines. They practice during first block, before school and sometimes during seminar, but not to perfect their routines for just pep assemblies and games, but to prep themselves for the biggest high school dance competition in the nation, Nationals.

With fundraising and corporate sponsorships the varsity drill team hopes to collect enough money to send them to nationals in Orlando, Florida on March 6 through 9. The cost of each girl is $1,200 which adds up to just over $20,000 as a team. The money that isn’t raised, the girls and their families will have to cover on their own.

“We put a lot of time and effort into being on drill team,”senior Alexi Brown said. “Nationals is a pretty big deal for us.”

to want what the other has. Junior Kristina and sophomore Sarah are always competing for something; But their biggest contest is golf. More specifically, they’re always competing for the number one spot.

Kristina and Sarah grew up on the driving range at Milburn Country Club. They both started playing at age five when their parents would take them out for a few holes to show them how to play. The golf course was more like their personal playground. They ran around chasing squirrels and drove golf carts. They even played in the sand traps, but they had to stop when their parents told them that monsters lived there.

At the ages of six and seven, Kristina and Sarah did Junior Golf at Milburn in the summer. They were in the youngest age group that played only three holes. The next age group would play six holes and so on. At the end of the summer, trophies would be awarded to kids for the highest overall score, the best swing, most improved, etc. Kristina and Sarah would win at least one trophy every summer.

“We tried to keep the girls from competing against each other just yet,” mom Karen Genton, said. “We wanted them to just learn the game. But since they are so close in age, that competition comes natural.” *** Through middle school, the sisters continued to play Milburn golf through elementary school and middle school.

They planned on playing golf at East, but neither of the girls expected to make varsity. They both made it as freshmen.

“When Kristina made varsity I remember her being a little scared,” Karen said. “She was intimidated by the upper classmen. Well, Kristina turned out to be very competitive once she got used to playing on a high school team.”

Kristina started her freshman season in the number four spot. She moved up to number one in a of couple tournaments.

This only gave Sarah more motivation to improve before she entered high school the next year.

“Up until I was in eighth grade, I really didn’t care that much about getting better at golf,” Sarah said. “Then, when Kristina made varsity at East and did well, that got me going.”

Sarah joined Kristina on the varsity team as a freshman

When the team made the decision to go to nationals, it was apparent that the money is a huge factor.

“With the economic challenges we are facing as a country, I was aware finances would be an issue in getting to Nationals; however we have worked very hard to come up with fundraisers that will help to minimize the overall cost,” drill team coach Kristin Anderson said.

In her first year on varsity, sophomore Emily Welter looks forward to the competition and hopes they can raise enough.

“All of the girls say [nationals is] the most fun they have had with the team,” Welter said.

Recently, the team has been asking for corporate sponsorships. There are different levels of money that the companies can choose to donate toward the cause. If a company donates, their logo or company name will be on the back of the drill team’s nationals t-shirt, on their Lancer Day Parade float and also on a banner the girls make. Many companies have agreed to sponsor including, The Bank of Prairie Village and Kelly Tombs Orthodontics.

Sara Welter, Emily’s mom believes all of the fundraising that the girls’ are doing is very good, and has been contributing her

last season. She had high expectations of herself because she knew she was at Kristina’s level. At the regional tournament, Kristina placed tenth and Sarah placed eighth. Placing second, the team went on to the state tournament where the sisters tied with a score of 98. The team placed fourth overall.

“When it comes to golf, we are kind of like twins in a way,” Sarah said, referring to their score at state. “Sports have always been the thing that we really work and strive for together. If Kristina wouldn’t have played golf, I probably wouldn’t have.”

The sisters communicate well. Since they have been playing together their entire lives, they know each other’s mistakes. They encourage each other and give hints on their game. They don’t say “good shot” like they would to an opponent. When Sarah lines up for a putt, Kristina makes sure to tell her to keep her head down.

Varsity golf coach, Ermanno Ritschl, has learned that the sisters’ techniques are very different. He explained that Kristina has a straight swing. Sarah’s swing has more curve.

“Our coach says if we combined our techniques we would have the perfect swing,” Kristina said.

Although, the sisters’ skill level is equal, their personalities on the golf course set them apart. When Kristina isn’t playing her best, she gives a casual thumbs-down to her mom watching on the side. Sarah makes a gun with her hand and points it to her head.

“Kristina is very, very serious during tournaments,” Karen said. “She is in the zone and doesn’t want to lose focus. Sarah, on the other hand, is more easygoing. But they are both very competitive of course. I can tell they are always disappointed when they do poorly at a hole.”

This season the team placed second at the Shawnee Mission cup and is currently in the top ten in the state.

Kristina and Sarah are determined; they’re going back and forth between the number one and two spots.

“I love cheering on Kristina, and we have fun being competitive with each other,” Sarah said. “When we’re playing in a tournament together, I always think, ‘I hope she does good, but I hope I do better.’ ”

time to help them.

“They are very organized and have a plan and Ms. Anderson is helping a lot and is very supportive,” Sara Welter said.

Along with asking for corporate sponsorship, the girls have come up with other fundraisers to help with the task of raising money.

Just like last year, the Lancer Dancers will be hosting “Foo’s Night.” This will take place on Nov. 12 at the Foo’s in Ranchmart. The manager agreed to give a percentage of the money he got that night towards the fund.

All of the dancers will advertise around school promoting the fundraiser.

The team is also selling boutonnieres for Homecoming. The girls’ moms will make the boutonnieres and then they will hand deliver them on the day of the dance.

Another way they are raising money is through car washes held at East. This method of raising money is not new to the Lancer Dancers because they have done this in previous years.

One of the main Lancer Dancer fundraisers is the “Little Lancer Dancer” clinic. At this clinic, elementary aged students learn a dance that is performed at a basketball game soon after. “[The Little Lancer Dancer Clinic] is al-

ADDING UP THE COSTS CAMP

ways really fun because I like teaching the little girls dances and just being with them because they are always so funny and are really sweet kids,” Brown said.

This year for the Lancer Day Parade beneficiaries can donate $10 and your name will be graphitized on their float.

Random acts of generosity and kindness also have helped the girls collect money this year.

“We were having a team dinner and this man was just sort of standing there in our yard,” Sara Welter said. “Randomly he donated $500 cash that night. Turns out he was one of our neighbor’s fathers from Iowa who loves to support high school groups,” The girls on the team take fundraising really seriously and would like everyone to realize how much this competition means to them.

“Everyone in the community and East need to understand how important this is to us, going to nationals and dancing there shows how much work we put into drill team as a team and how close we are as a team,” Brown said. “I think that once they grasp that, they will be more willing to support us, not just voluntarily but emotionally.”

{ $1000 + $600 + $50 } + { $325 + $100 }= $2075 NATIONALS

FLIGHTS

HOTEL,COMPETITION FEES

IN-CITY TRANSPORTATION

CAMP COST

UNIFORMS

PAGE 21 SPORTS / ISSUE FOUR

newfound faith // ANNAPETROW

//ANN

ROW APET

Just a season ago, sophomores John Schrock and Robby Moriarty were leading the freshman team to victories. This year they’ve been thrown in the varsity spotlight and have given the quarterback position...

// SAMKOVZAN

Just five hours before kickoff against rivals Shawnee Mission South, sophomore quarterback John Schrock received a text message from a teammate that left him in disbelief.

Earlier that day, Sept. 19, head football coach John Stonner found out that senior quarterback Curran Darling would potentially be out for weeks with mononucleosis. Having played two JV games earlier this season, Schrock was going to get his first varsity experience almost a year earlier than expected.

“After getting the news, I had to really wake up, because I wasn’t going to just stand on the sideline the whole game,” Schrock said. “I was actually going to be on the field.”

Pregame butterflies had never hit Schrock this hard in his life.

Before kickoff, thoughts rushed through his mind: How was he, as a sophomore quarterback, going to earn the respect of juniors and seniors? What would it be like to finally play under the Friday night lights? And just how big was the jump from JV to varsity?

The first quarter provided answers.

“At the varsity level, you have to make quicker decisions as a quarterback,” Schrock said. “The defense is quicker and stronger, and you notice it immediately. Being a sophomore, I kind of just wanted to get through the game without anything really bad happening.”

After throwing a first quarter interception and his team falling behind 16-0, Schrock threw his first career touchdown, a 58-yard pass to junior Kevin Hertel. It proved to be a play that he thinks turned the tide of the game.

“My first touchdown pass definitely settled me down, and I was started seeing the field better,” Schrock said. “The first quarter nerves were gone, and the team was playing much better. Going into half time, I was ready to keep going because that was when I really settled in.”

By the game’s end, Schrock had completed 12 of 25 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. His third total touchdown, a quarterback sneak, sealed a 24-19 Lancer comeback victory.

“Everything about the game was awesome,” Schrock said.

“When it ended, I was just extremely glad we had won, and that’s all I really cared about. It wasn’t until I got interviewed [by the Kansas City Star] that I started to reflect on how I did personally.”

Among the few who weren’t surprised by the sophomore’s debut was coach Stonner. According to him, Schrock was well prepared to become a varsity quarterback and lead the

offense.

“From when I first started coaching him, I knew John had great ability and was a leader,” Stonner said. “He’s calm, he’s positive, and he handles the huddle well. He’s got great field vision and knows where to put the ball.”

Despite a solid first outing, Schrock knows better than to be satisfied. He is unwilling to focus on what he is good at, rather focusing on what will make him better. Among the areas he wants to see personal improvement: arm strength, mechanics and most importantly, leadership.

“When I used to be a ball boy at East football games when I was younger, I could hear a lot of quarterbacks cussing out guys who blew assignments,” Schrock said. “And that’s not really me. I’ve got to be positive to teammates and in the huddle.” *** Robby Moriarty didn’t even have time to be nervous.

After all, the sophomore didn’t know he was going to make his varsity debut as Lancer quarterback until minutes before kickoff, when Schrock was ruled unable to play due to a muscle strain in his shoulder.

Moriarty, who had played a game with both the sophomore team and JV, was East’s third starting quarterback in four games, and the second sophomore.

“The situation actually worked out well because I had no time to over-think anything and get nervous,” Moriarty said. “I was really just trying to go through all the plays in my head.”

The fact that East was taking Olathe North, a team coach Stonner predicted would win the Sunflower League, did not make Moriarty’s first varsity start any easier. Faced with an early double-digit deficit, the young quarterback found himself in a similar position that Schrock was in only six days earlier.

“I couldn’t be too hard on myself,” Moriarty said. “I knew that moving the ball on (Olathe North) was going to be very tough, but I had to keep trying to find receivers and making plays.”

In a situation like this, Moriarty had to be resilient, trust his offensive line and most importantly, trust himself. This was the third team he had quarterbacked in the last three games.

Having already made starts on the sophomore and JV teams, taking on Olathe North’s varsity squad was something completely different. “[Throughout the game] I got a feel of what I needed to do better – you have to think fast and see the entire field,” Mori-

arty said. “If I just built on my successes, I knew I was going to be all right.”

Moriarty’s resilience paid off in the fourth quarter as he led a long scoring drive that was capped by a touchdown pass to fellow sophomore receiver Krey Bradley. He also completed passes to five different Lancer receivers. Though East lost, Moriarty completed his first varsity game on a high note.

“Robby did great considering the circumstances,” Stonner said. “He was very poised, and he threw good passes. He got hit a lot, but it didn’t really bother him.”

Before the season began, Moriarty was told that he would be the number three quarterback in the rotation. However, he always felt that Stonner had confidence in his ability to lead East’s offense. Stonner has always been impressed by the quarterback’s physical upside – he has a strong arm and is an accurate thrower.

The spread, a new offense introduced to the team this year, is something Moriarty is excited about. Involving a lot of passing from the shotgun formation, Stonner thought the change would benefit the team because the number of quality players at skill positions – quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends – is very high this year.

“The spread involves a lot of receivers, a position we’re pretty stacked at…so it really fits what we want to do now and in the future,” Moriarty said. “I like it because of the shotgun, and it gives me the opportunity to pass a lot, and I love to pass.” *** Between the two, Schrock and Moriarty have combined for three starts and four touchdown passes in East’s first five games. This early experience, they agree, is massive – both for themselves and for the future of the team.

“It’s big that we’ve gotten this opportunity,” Moriarty said.

“It’s a great learning experience for both of us, we have two whole years to get better and the team won’t have to adjust to a new quarterback.”

As the season goes on, the two sophomores want to make the most out of this opportunity and continue to gain the respect of upperclassmen with more varsity experience.

“If I was an upperclassman, I wouldn’t want some cocky sophomore at quarterback,” Schrock said. “During practices we have to work hard and in the games, we can’t try to do too much.”

PAGE 22 SPORTS / OCT. 13, 2008

BUILDING A FUTURE ON THE HARDWOOD

Woodshop teacher pursues dream of coaching basketball in the future // SARAHMCKITTRICK The court was alive on a Wednesday night in September with the thumping of basketballs and chattering of players echoing through the gym. Boys and girls scrimmaged to work on their game during the off-season. Yells of “shot” and “pick left” could be heard as members of the boys team scrimmaged on the court. Industrial Tech teacher Shaban Scott kept up with the high schooler’s fast pace as they raced up and down the wood floor and played until their shirts were soaked with sweat.

On Monday and Wednesday nights, Scott scrimmages and shoots around with the basketball teams as he supervises open gym, which is intended to get players ready for the season. Scott asked if he could oversee the gym at night because he would love to coach someday and eventually become an athletic director.

“I enjoy being with the kids,” Scott said. “It makes me feel like I am helping out the teams on a small scale, just doing my little part.”

Scott began playing basketball when he was a kid. He was seven or eight years old when he started to play pickup games all day on the Kansas City playgrounds, go to shoot at the local YMCA or scrimmage with kids in the neighborhood.

At Grandview High School, Scott played on the freshmen team. But when he moved to Langston, Oklahoma he didn’t play his sophomore or junior year because he was new to the school. However, during his senior year, he averaged

PLAYING WITH THE STARS In Dallas Scott played pick-up basketball with soon-to-be pros

Byron Houston- Former NBA player, he played for the Golden State Warriors, Seattle Supersonics and Sacramento Kings “Byron had a pretty serious personality.”

Barry Sanders- Former Detroit Lions running back, played at Oklahoma State University.

“Barry’s was relaxed and not cocky at all. He was down to earth.”

Darrell Arthur- Memphis Grizzlies forward, former KU player.

“He was quiet, but energized. We called him ‘Slim Shady.’ ” Chad ‘Ocho Cinco’ Johnson- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, played at Oregon State University.

“Chad Johnson was a big clown.”

John Starks- Former New York Knicks player, played at Oklahoma State University.

“John was very focused the whole time. He was going to go to OSU.”

17 points per game and two and a half steals as a Coyle High School Bluejacket. The Bluejackets that year were third in state and Scott was their second leading scorer.

Although he got several letters of interest from schools such as Ottawa and Emporia, Scott decided not to play in college because he wanted to focus on academics.

In the middle of attending school at Langston University in Oklahoma, he joined the Air Force to finish paying for college. At Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, he continued to play ball with his squadron against other squadrons from his base.

“Basketball was my escape,” Scott said. “Some people write to relax. Others jog or paint. I like to play ball.”

Throughout college and the next several years, Scott played basketball through pick-up games in Dallas. By going to gyms and working on his game, he met up and played against several famous athletes such as Chad Johnson, Darrell Arthur, John Starks, Byron Houston and Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions.

“Barry’s personality was relaxed and not cocky at all,” Scott said. “He was very down to earth.

These guys were your everyday guys back then. I didn’t pay them any special attention.”

At open gym, Scott sometimes walks around the players giving them a new move to try or ideas on how to follow through on their shot. One of those players, freshmen Caroline Nick, has been to several open gyms to prepare for the season and right away noticed Scott’s friendly and welcoming personality, as well as his playing.

“He’s super quick and has good ball handling skills,” Nick TEACHER Shaban Scott supervises open gym on Monday and Wednesday nights. He hopes to one day become a coach and said. “He has some nice tricks up eventually an athletic director. // ALL PHOTOS BY TYLER ROSTE his sleeve.”

While he scrimmages with the academics at the University of Central Missouri. As Scott teams, Scott can get pretty competitive too. continues to work on his degree, which he will finish next “He gets very into the game,” Nick said. “He tries to do summer, open gym is where he gets his fill of basketball for cool moves on you and they work.” the week.

Besides working with players at open gym, Scott has “I like open gym because it combines two of my favorite also coached some intramurals. His ideal position would things,” Scott said. “I get to hang out with students and give be coaching freshmen or sophomores, and then eventually them a positive influence and then play basketball.” becoming an athletic director after one or two years.

Whether he’s playing pick-up games in his neighborhood “Coaching would let me be with students and keep me or shooting around at open gym, coaching or becoming an close to the game as I get older,” Scott said. “I can pass on athletic director, young or old, everyone can be sure of one what I know to younger players. It’s like graduating from thing. Scott will always be involved with basketball one way one level to the next.” or another.

However, Scott’s coaching dream is put on hold while he “I just love the feeling of playing ball,” Scott said. works on getting his Education Specialist Degree in school

topfive the

PAGE 23 SPORTS / ISSUE FOUR

fall sports moments

1.Schrock Steps Up and Stands Out 2.East vs. East... We Win 3.Windy City Winning 4.T-Shirt Night at the East Volleyball Quad 5.Nick Cannon-less, but a Killer Drumline Show Before the football game against Shawnee Mission South, sophomore John Schrock learned that starting quarterback Curran Darling wouldn’t be playing due to a case of mononucleosis. Shrock started shaky, but threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Twenty-four unanswered points and a victory later Schrock was feeling the glory of being the MVP.

A rematch of last year’s quadruple overtime Sub-State final against Olathe East, this was one of the most hyped games this season. The student section poured out on a day East didn’t have school and helped bring the Lancers to a 2-1 victory led by goalie Matt Moedritzer and forward Tyler Owens.

Though starting the season slow the boys Cross country team placed seventeenth at the Loyola Chicago Invitational while the girls team placed third at the same meet. Most of the boys ran personal bests and Allie Marquis placed seventh overall in the race.

Though it was the same night as the Olathe East soccer game, the volleyball team’s senior night was marketed as a t-shirt game and the fans showed up. The girls finished 1-2 at the Quad, but proved a staple of the fall season in their capability to get kids to the game.

SENIOR Mitchell Jennings advances the ball against Kearney. He started the season at forward, but has since been moved back to a defender, arguably one of the best moves Coach Kelly has made this season. // TYLERROSTE

The boys behind the drumsticks have given football halftimes new life. The student section digs it like a Webb touchdown and counts on their energy from game to game. They did pushup routines and used solid choreography at the Olathe North game to help bring new meaning to the “Band Geek.”

the harbies

Your sports section votes on the top successes of this fall.

BEST TEAM-

The Fans: They’ve gotten our teams over the top every game.

BEST MALE-

Marcus Webb: The senior running back makes plays... He even stepped in as quarterback.

BEST FEMALE-

Allie Marquis: Running takes you placesand it’s gotten her to the finish line before anyone else in two races.

BEST PLAY-

Schrock & Hertel for Seven: The new QB and junior vet connected for 58 yards against South in what was Schrock’s first career touchdown pass.

BEST SEASON EVER?-

Maybe not, but plenty of East teams are in position to take a shot at state. Check Issue Five for a complete overview of playoff potential.

Coming to the

HARBINGER ONLINE

New videos, video podcasts, sports updates, page design and construction updates! www.smeharbinger.net

PAGE 24 PHOTO ESSAY / OCT. 13, 2008

SINGING for the CENTURY

In the lunchroom from Thursday Oct. 2 to Sunday Oct. 5, students performed “50 Years of East Musicals” without the use of the auditorium

LEFT ABOVE: Senior Andrew Sweeney belts out a solo during one of his many performances throughout the show. Sweeney had multiple solo performances, exploring past East musicals .

// TYLERROSTE

LEFT: From the left, juniors Katie Fay, Emily Bittiker and freshman Kelly Harrison sing as a trio. The production this fall was different in that it was a combination of the past 50 years of East musicals. Some actors performed solos, some performed duets but everybody had a combination of musical performances .

// MACKENZIEWYLIE

ABOVE: Sophomore Olivia Mansfield sings during her solo performance in the lunchroom. The students who participated in the musical dealt without using the extra space and seating that would’ve been available in the auditorium.

// TYLERROSTE

RIGHT: Sophomores Olivia Harlan, Emily Welter and Samantha Bartow, along with Seniors Legna Cedillo, Katie Bartow and Abba Goehausen finish their performance singing the song “Big Spender” from the musical Sweet Charity which was recently performed at East during the spring of 2007.

// MACKENZIEWYLIE