Issue 6 by The Harbinger

harbinger SHAWNEE MISSION EAST

What’s Inside

ISSUE 6, NOV. 17, 2003

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Matrix: Revolutions reviews Bilingual families Basketball preview

Agreeing to

DISAGREE Debaters have three tournament victories and are resolved to do better – starting with hosting their own competition

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14 2700 3 5

Katie Patrick Folders stuffed with pages of research. Boxes stuffed with hundreds of folders. Closets stuffed with hundreds of boxes. Shawnee Mission East debaters take all of this to tournaments every weekend. After placing at every competition this year, they spent last weekend hosting their own. To most, SME debate would look like a successful squad. The National Forensics League ranked them fourteenth out of 2700 teams nationwide. They’ve placed first or second, in every tournament they have attended. They ranked first out of 13 schools at Shawnee Mission South, first out of 16 at Olathe Northwest and Manhattan High. Their individual successes at every tournament have covered the debate room with certificates and trophies. But they still haven’t achieved all their goals. One was almost accomplished at the Sweepstakes tournament at Olathe Northwest, where they were only one speaker point away from breaking into the top eight novice divisions. “We haven’t broken all season, so it would have been a big year,” Rachel Smidt, who debated in the Olathe Northwest tournament, said. With the immense amount of practice and time that each debater spends on preparation for tournaments, many still believe they can break before the end of the season in Jan. 2004. Over 150 debaters, including 88 novices, are debating this year’s resolution that the United States government should adopt a policy to significantly improve international ocean health. Their cases range from banning cyanide fishing and whaling to creating special fishing-free marine zones and preventing algae blooms, which cause cancer. On the average, debaters spend between 45 minutes to 2 hours every day researching to build these cases and practicing speeches. They are also required to attend four tournaments a semester, six to letter in debate, and three weekends of judging.

See “Tournament,” p. 3

news 2

THE HARBINGER

CANtagious

The can drive fever is spreading the competitive attitude from seniors to freshmen

Courtney Condron

Whiffle ball

Coin Drop

Has your class not been bringing enough cans? Did your class not win the MORP money? Well, there’s still a chance to succede. The coin drop will continue this week. Place pennies in your own class’s box and silver coins and dollar bills in the other classes’ boxes. The class that wins will get all of the money to go toward their contribution to the Can Drive.

Junior lot spot

The drawing for a front row spot in the junior lot is coming up. Juniors can buy tickets for one dollar. Four lucky winners will be drawn, and for four weeks each winner will be able to arrive at school at 7:39 and still get a great spot. Those students who choose to disregard the designated spot will run the risk of being towed. Juniors who don’t win the drawing still have a chance to win the can competition between their U.S. History teachers. The winners get to have a doughnut party.

Singled Out

A PENNY SAVED IS A PENNY EARNED: Freshman Kristin Simpson contributes change to the coin drop photos by Alex Helmuth and Jessie Fetterling

The annual Singled Out dating game, which is modeled after the former MTV show, took place last Thursday. The winners won the opportunity to go on a date with Shawnee Mission South Exec Board members. Each student who attended was required to bring three cans and each contestant had to bring a boxed food mix.

BATTER UP: Senior Ted Mutert bats during the whiffle ball tournament

Four nights of 3-2-1’s, hitting signs, and sliding into home finally resulted in one champion. The final game took place last Wednesday night between the boy’s winner, “Struttin”, and the girl’s winner, “Mandragoras”. The tournament was split up into five divisions, including senior guys, senior girls, junior/sophomore guys, junior/ sophomore girls, and mixed teams. The “Struttin Whiffleballas” were the ultimate champions. “I think they should do a whiffle ball tournament more than once a year,” junior Jeff Winters said, “it was a lot of fun winning, but it’s also great since it benefits the can drive.” The tournament had 27 teams competing and brought in a total of $540, which goes towards the can drive.

Can Drive

The class competition continues this week with the can drive. Last week students collected over 1000 soups, mixes, cereals, pastas, and jars of peanut butter. “The quality of the food we’ve gotten this year is much better,” teacher sponsor Brenda Fishman said, “it’s not just about the competition and how many items you can bring, it’s about giving people a quality meal.” The junior class was leading the can drive last week, so bring your cans and see which class can step it up this week to win the final competition. All proceeds got to the Johnson County Christmas Bureau.

COUNTING CANS: Junior Rachel Beck sorts each classes’ cans

News Briefs Meet the coach

Thansgiving Break

Turkey, pumpkin pies, and mashed potatoes are on the minds of students as they await the three days off of school, Nov. 26-28, for Thanksgiving break. Get to the kitchen and start baking and don’t forget to give your thanks..

Musical Auditions

Audtions for this year’s musical, Once Upon a Mattress, take place this week, after school, in the auditorium. The musical, more commonly known as The Princess and the Pea, will be performed in February.

All athletes participating in a winter sport can bring their parents along with them to Meet the Coach Night on Monday, Nov. 24 to get information about their season. Athletes can also view the Sports Risk Video at 7 p.m. if they have not done that yet.

B-ball Scrimmage

Anyone not going out of town for Thanksgiving might want to stop by the SM East gym on Nov. 29 to check out this years basketball teams. The girls and boys teams will be scrimmaging themselves, and food will be served. If you can’t wait that long, you can check out the pre-season preview on pages eight and nine.

Amnesty International helps to free a Syrian peacemaker from jail Joanna Cross There are many different activities that you can be involved in at Shawnee Mission East to help other people. Many of these activities include helping the homeless, children, and elders in our community. Every Wednesday a group of ten students come together to do just that, help someone. What makes them different, though, is that the people they help live billions of miles away in countries such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Their project this year is to try to release Mamun Al-Humsi, a prisoner of the mind, who was put in jail for making peaceful public activities known in Syria. It is Amnesty International’s job to help him be free again. Al-Humsi lives in Syria and was arrested with millions of others after the Syrian President was inaugurated. The government immediately started clamping down on group activities. Senior Whitney Gudgel is taking charge of Amnesty International this year. Only three or four people have been in Amnesty International the last

couple of years, but this year they have ten people so far and are expecting more. “Most people think it is a joke.” Gudgel said, “East needs to step it up.” The group of ten have started writing letters regarding why he should be released to the Syrian government already, and they have worked on getting signatures for petitions. The biggest project though is setting up Jamnesty. Different bands come together to have a benefit concert to raise awareness of Amnesty International’s project, Al-Humsi. Jamnesty is a way for everyone at East to get involved, even if students don’t want to have a big part in the organization. Students can come and enjoy the music and people and help by just being there to support Jamnesty. The group hopes of get a lot more people involved as the year goes on, even other schools will be invited to get involved.

Mamun Al-Humsi Why is he in jail? Al-Humsi was put in jail by the Syrian government for making peaceful activities. How can I help free him? Students can join Amnesty International or come to Jamnesty, the benefit concert to raise money to help Al-Humsi. Who do I talk to? Senior Whitney Gudgel

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THE HARBINGER

Tournament: Hard work pays off for debaters Continued from page one “The time spent on debate is bittersweet, but when you get into it it’s worth the dedication,” junior Amber Foster said. Another debate project, hosting last weekend’s tournament, required them to dedicate even more time. Much of the work fell to debate coaches Paulette Manville and Jennifer Stucky and assistant Jill Shesdl. “My designated job is to be their personal slave,” Shesdl said. “Hosting a tournament is the biggest burden they will face this year.” Over 60 teams from Kansas City area schools came. The main idea of hosting a tournament is to invite as many people as the school can fit, so that East debaters will in turn be invited to more tournaments. Debaters spent from 3 p.m.

Friday to 9 p.m. Saturday judging, recording and monitoring a three-division competition. The students were also in charge of recruiting 450 judges along with speakers and other mediators. The workload was tremendous. East debaters did not even have time to compete in their own tournament. The time and effort each student put forth never goes over looked by Manville. She dedicates all the trophies to each and every student and says she couldn’t rank her students’ abilities if she tried. “Each member works their hardest and brings important qualities on to the squad,” Manville said. The cluttered room and shared competitive spirit give

debate a family atmosphere. Manville said how much they were all going to miss the seniors. Even when seniors graduate, though, the debate team will remain a good deal larger than it was four years ago. The lack of space has recently troubled the debate room. Debaters from four years ago are the only ones who can remember the closet space that has disappeared. Since the season doesn’t end until January, debaters still have hours of work to go, but their enthusiasm and dedication hasn’t run out. “When you make that key argument that wins the round, you see all your ideas and hard work come to life,” senior Ryan Ringer said.

Q &A

As long as debaters debate their personal best in each round, we will have completed our goal. By doing this the students will benefit weather they win or loose.

Q: How does this year’s debate team differ from past years? A: The size of this year’s squad has made a huge difference in the atmosphere of the debate room. Last years squad consisted of 100 people vs. the 150 this year. We receive the same amount of money as we did last year even though we have more people. This leads to fewer resources; less coaching time and a lot less space in the debate room for this years debate team.

Q: How is Shawnee Mission East tournament this year going to compare to past tournaments hosted by the debate team? A: It’s a lot bigger; and next years will be even bigger due to the new trailors. Because we have have 130 teams from 27 different schools coming, this years tournament is as big as it can be.

with Ms. Manville the debate coach

Q: Where do you hope to see the debate team at the end of the season? A: On the beach in the Bahamas.

Q: How has the success of the debate team changed you as a person? A: I don’t think it has changed me personally. I am glad the hard work of the debaters has led to them receiving more recognition

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opinion

THE HARBINGER

TENTATIVE TITLE Teen struggles to find her muse her that English papers take a great deal of preparation. Writing an article requires a great deal of mental organization and forethought. Sometimes if mental inspiration is not forthcoming a nutritional nudge may be Annie Fuhrman necessary. Chipotle, Planet Sub, Sheridan’s, Wendy’s, or me to develop a whole new Juice Stop may be just the level of respect for the writers thing I need to get me started of the world. Most students on that perfect thesis or that know that feeling of panic or stunning idea. fear when a writing assignment Another thing that nonis made, the cursing and writers do not understand is the yelling. It started for me that writers must be in touch in second grade when my with the world around them. teacher, Mrs. Thompson, told It is vital for me to appreciate us to write about our summer the world events and the teen vacations. Blank paper in culture to communicate with front of me, pencil in hand, I my audience. If I want to write would think about my trip to coherent, relevant work it’s Winfield, KS, and that one time an absolute necessity to log I went to the pool. The blank on to the computer to check lines just laid there challenging out HomestarRunner.com, me to write something great, my current favorite website. challenging me to write Sarcastic cartoons and something funny that captured pointless games flood my the essence of summer computer screen. A good vacation. The sad truth was hour of absorbing this that my summers held very extremely important cultural little interest. I hated those kids phenomenon almost has me who had traveled the country, prepared to begin my writing going to the beaches, to the assignment. However since I mountains, skydiving and am online I really must spend parasailing. Their paragraph some time chatting with my simply wrote itself. friends as my writing I raise my glass to the will only be writers out there who enhanced struggle with a deadline. with my connection to the community and my Alas my alliance to my audience. struggle with writer’s block has The Sunday afternoon continued into my high school Chiefs game turns into Sunday years. Usually the frantic peak evening and as 9, 9:30, 10 of my anxiety attack comes at approach, my head begins 9:30 p.m. the night before the to throb and my palms begin paper is due. My mom’s voice to sweat. Although I sit alone echoes in my head “Why didn’t in front of the computer, the you start this sooner?” Little cursor blinking, mocking me does she know that those from a blank screen, I remind seven hours of watching VH1’s myself that I am not the only I Love the 80’s on Saturday one battling with a writing afternoon were not a pathetic assignment. I raise my glass waste of valuable time, but to the writers out there who instead the attempt of a struggle with a deadline. I dedicated student trying to find toast those high school inspiration in a decade full of students with an English material. Sleeping until 11:45 paper due tomorrow. So I sit on Saturday and Sunday was here searching the room for not just an act of shameless any inspiration waiting for the indulgence and lethargy but brilliant idea to strike, but the was instead an attempt to walls offer nothing. Maybe an rest and refresh my brain hour or two of The Real World cells which were mercilessly would help. Couldn’t hurt, depleted by the Algebra 2 test, right? and the seven chapters due for English. I try to explain to my mom that my weekend activities are not as they appear. I tell B e i n g in high school, and specifically in journalism, has caused

SEASON

Chiefs seek to join unbeaten ‘72 Dolphins

tuart Scott was right. Dante Hall’s punt return against the Denver Broncos in week five was “sick.” It was “stupid.” It was even “stupid-sick.” David Vranicar But what went unmentioned by Scott and his ESPN colleagues, all of whom were up in arms about Hall’s breathtaking return, was the clip that wiped out two Broncos and made it all possible. If a penalty had been called, the Chiefs would’ve had the ball inside their own five yard line. The no-call that allowed Hall’s fourth straight week with a touchdown return was just one in a string of many events that has this Chiefs season looking luckier than Homer Simpson at an all-youcan-eat buffet. All this luck may not be a bad thing, though. Teams at all levels rely on the stars aligning to pull out championships. The Ohio State Buckeyes, last year’s NCAA football champs, needed an improbable 41-yard fourth down pass against Purdue, an injury to Miami’s All-American Willis McGahee and a suspect pass interference call in the Fiesta Bowl before being crowned champions. Good fortune is something that Dick Vermeilcoached teams are already familiar with. The 1999 Rams came from nowhere only after grocery sacker turned MVP quarterback Kurt Warner engineered one of the best offenses in NFL history. Tackling Tennessee receiver Kevin Dyson at the one yard line on the final play of the Super Bowl to preserve the win culminated the near-impossible championship run. The Chiefs’ luck began in Baltimore with a fluke offsides call on a kickoff. The subsequent rekick enabled Hall to once again score the winning points that the Chiefs’ offense couldn’t muster. It didn’t hurt that rookie Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller had three interceptions, the third effectively ending the Ravens’ chances.

Last season it was Chiefs’ quarterback Trent Green who threw his second of two picks on the Chiefs’ final drive against Jacksonville, a game that ended in a seven point KC loss. The Chiefs, or at least their luck, again refused to die at Green Bay on the heels on the Denver game despite getting out-rushed by more than 100 yards. The 17 points the Chiefs put up in the fourth quarter were reminiscent of the 21 they put up against the Patriots last year, also to force overtime. That game ended in a loss. Packer safety Darren Sharper’s dropped pick gave KC a second chance, and Packer running back Ahman Green’s fumble on a 10-yard run gave them a third. Trailing the whole game, the Chiefs couldn’t find a way to lose. The Chiefs’ again seemed destined to win in their first Monday Night Football game in years. KC’s sputtering offense was bailed out when Raider punt returner Phillip Buchanon not only fumbled the ball- he completely whiffed it. The miscue, scooped up by Marc Boerigter, gave the Chiefs the ball in a position where it would have been hard not to score. The game’s final play saw Oakland receiver Tim Brown camped out in the end zone awaiting the game-tying touchdown catch. Drew Brees completed a similar pass to Reche Caldwell- also in the waning seconds- in a 2002 Chief loss to San Diego. But Brown, unlike Caldwell, kindly mosied outside the goal line to catch the ball, going down harmlessly at the one and giving the Chiefs another win. KC manhandled the Bills and Browns, beating the two by a combined 54 points. But that doesn’t detract from the early-season fortune that has them in a position to clinch the AFC West by week 12. It just shows that getting lucky doesn’t make you a bad team. History would indicate the opposite is true. I just hope the Chiefs’ luck doesn’t run out before a Super Bowl.

art by Annie Harrigan

HARMED

editorial

THE HARBINGER

Lies exposes truth

Political analyst Al Franken’s new book raises controversy and political awareness

Liberal comedian and author Al Franken’s newest book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, slams the entire American conservative leadership by exposing the lies that they spout in their campaigns, speeches, and media, making a point of putting down every facet of the Fox News Channel. It becomes evident within seconds that Franken is a die-hard Andrew Finnerty liberal. The book, mocking Fox News’ slogan, is subtitled A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, and while it never has any falsehood, only a true left-winger could have such a dominant voice in writing the book. You can really feel the hate for conservatives in every page of this book, which makes it all the better. His humor is injected into just the right places as he delivers his relentless assault on Fox News, conservative pundit Ann Coulter, political analyst Bill O’Reilly, President George Ian McFarland W. Bush and other figures of conservatism. But more important than the humor is the political content of the book and the right’s lies and hypocrisy uncovered by Franken. After spending about half the book attacking conservative news organizations and pundits, Franken begins criticizing Bush and other conservative politicians and their policies. One topic tackled by Franken is the Bush tax cuts. He demonstrates how the tax cuts are actually costing poor people money because programs they previously used were and are being cut to pay for the tax cuts. Because of this, people with

Editorial Cartoon I did not have sex with that woman.

�� Alex Abnos Dianne Smith Libby Nelson Annie Harrigan Lindsey Melvin

Editor-in-chief Assistant Editors Art and Design Editor Head Copy Editor

Stephen McKim Copy Editors Corban Goble Carson Black

low incomes are now paying more money for healthcare and education than they have gotten back from the tax cuts. This Patrick Menihan Photo Editor is a prime example of the many contradicting statements that Andrew Finnerty Editorial Section Editor the Bush administration has planted into the American public’s Corban Goble Opinion Section Editor conscience. Courtney Condron News Section Editor Perhaps the silliest thing about this book is something Cynthia Goldman Features Section Editor that wasn’t even in it. When the title of the book was announced Barrett Emke A&E Section Editor Fox News sued over the subtitle, A Fair and Balanced Look at Gordon Culver Sports Section Editor the Right, which mirrors with Fox’s motto, “Fair and Balanced.” Katie Patrick Ads Manager But Fox News was unable to sue over the name likeness; it was Joe West Business Manager literally laughed out of court. The real reason they sued was Joanna Cross Subscription Managers because Franken shredded their credibility. The book left us Gordon Culver utterly convinced that Fox News is owner Rupert Murdoch’s tool to expose his political views to America while claiming Patrick Haverty Sports Page Editors that it’s unbiased. If Murdoch wants to express his views to the Ian Stanford nation that’s fine, but don’t fictionalize the facts and purposely Evan Favreau A&E Page Editor portray Democrats and other liberals different than how they Carson Black Features Page Editor Tierney Weed Photo Essay Editor are. Alex Helmuth Asst. Photo Essay Editor Also mentioned in the book is the pathetic tactics used Ian McFarland Asst. Ads Manager by the Republican party to posthumously put down senator Paul Wellstone. Paul Wellstone unexpectedly died during a Barrett Emke Staff Artists reelection campaign. At a memorial held for the senator, one Cynthia Goldman inappropriate comment was said, when his brother rallied the Ian McFarland attendees to beat the Republican running for Wellstone’s seat in the Senate. The conservative media made it out into a fiasco. Jessie Fetterling Staff Photographers Linda Howard Most of the journalists who wrote about the “conspiracy” Joanna Cross hadn’t even seen the memorial, but they managed to destroy his reputation. Jessie Fetterling Staff Writers As entertaining as the humor in this book is, the Annie Fuhrman subject material is quite frankly disturbing. It brings to Patrick Ryan attention the dirty politics of the Republican party. They will Paul Thompson do anything to get a vote, including corrupting the media, David Vranicar Holly Garringer handing out false facts left and right, and even undermining the untimely death of a respected senator. However, the book Dow Tate Adviser is still entertaining and insightful.

Cynthia Goldman

I am not a crook.

I’m a war hero.

Got something to say? The Harbinger welcomes reader letters Send them to Alex Abnos, Editor-in-Chief, in Room 512 or e-mail them to us at smeharbie@hotmail.com

OUR NATIONAL LIES IN HISTORY

Letters must be signed and may be edited for length and clarity. Publishing of letters is up to the editor’s discretion.

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THE HARBINGER

Movie Review

A disappointing ‘Revolution’ Evan Favreau

Admittedly, this long battle scene kept my attention and amazed me with outstanding special effects. The only problem is that the battle didn’t feel like a Matrix battle. Any sci-fi movie with a huge budget like this could do this scene. Then there is the Neo vs. Agent Smith battle in the rain. They fly, punch, fly, and then punch some more. There are a few cool things done with the rain, but after they use the same gimmick the third time it gets old. I won’t give away anything else, but the battle is drawn out way too long. I think that they could have fixed this last film by doing one of two things. If they combined Reloaded and Revolutions

“Everything that has a beginning has an end.” Thank God. The Matrix franchise is done, and not a moment too soon. The series that amazed audiences in 1999 has come to a conclusion in 2003 that should disappoint most fans. It doesn’t answer all the questions from Reloaded, it brings up new questions that are never answered, and generally has everyone leaving the theater wondering what they just witnessed. Let me try to explain this silly plot to you: Neo is stuck in some subway. Trinity and Morpheus go to obnoxiously frenchaccented Merovingian to save Neo. They save him, the machines attack Zion, Neo and Trinity go to Machine City, blah blah blah. The plot is confusing, and I have a feeling the Wachowski brothers didn’t know what they were writing. Another problem with this movie is while cutting some subplots (like Agent the dialogue, in both delivery and writing. Smith controlled human), a sequel would There are so many cheesy, laughable lines have been well received. The other thing in this film I couldn’t believe this was the they could have done was delay this third same movie I thought I was seeing. For film until May of next year. That way they example, Neo should not be calling Trinity wouldn’t feel rushed and could actually “Trin.” She’s not a baby. The last film in a make sure they knew what they were huge franchise like this should have kept doing regarding he story. its dignity by cutting more There are some positive than half the dialogue. At least things coming out of this that way we would be able to movie, mainly that it is a great watch the trademark Matrix sci-fi movie. But it just isn’t a action without distractions. Matrix movie, and of course But the action has its own that’s what it should be. Mixed problems. There are pretty in with the mostly bad dialogue much three fight scenes. there are a few good lines, but Towards the start of the movie not nearly enough. The best there is a shootout with a thing about this conclusion bunch of nameless thugs. is something that really has The bad guys decide to run nothing to do with he content around on the walls and of the movie: this film means ceiling, which was cool. The the Matrix series is done. To only thing is that the scene the Wachowski brothers: It’s was way too short. been fun guys, but we don’t As promised in the trailers, want anymore. returns in the machines attack Zion.Trinity The Matrix: Revolutions

Agent Smith is up to no good in The Matrix: Relaoded

Ian McFarland The Matrix: Revolutions manages to throw away the series’ legacy with a typical action movie conclusion full of violence and fake emotions. The third film in the groundbreaking series starts just the way that you would expect it to, picking up moments after the end of the movie’s predecessor, The Matrix: Reloaded. Morpheus (Lawerence Fishbourne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) soon find, however, that Neo (Keanu Reeves) is lost between the matrix and the

‘The Matrix: Revolutions’ leaves fans of the series yearning for more in the series capper

Movie Review

The Matrix

real world, and needs the French slurring Merovingian to release him. This scenario, however entertaining as it is to see the Merovingian and Trinity verbal battle, is completely useless and wastes 20 minutes of the movie; this is a movie about a war against robots, not finding a lost boy. After that wasted experience, the movie starts to fit in with the plot. Neo goes to see the Oracle, who as always, provides revelations aplenty. When Neo gets back into the real world, he boldly announces that he must enter the city of the machines for reasons he doesn’t know yet. Back in Zion however, the sentinels have breached the city and launch a near impossible assault. That’s really about all there is to the plot; the rest of the movie is mainly action and fighting. It manages in not feeling too over dramatized and keeps my attention much better than the final battle of Helm’s Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Something that I didn’t like about this movie is that the subject switches from

the war for the matrix to the war for Zion. I’m much more interested in the seemingly invincible Agent Smith and his conquest for destroying the matrix along with his army of innumerable clones. If we have to see nearly an hour of fighting, wouldn’t it be more fun in a world where gravity and strength are nearly non-existent? Worth mentioning is the actress change for the Oracle. Gloria Foster who played the Oracle in the first two movies died, and was replaced by Mary Alice. Mary Alice nabs the personality of the Oracle, but I miss the charisma of Foster’s voice. Another negative for this movie is the relationship between Neo and Trinity. The Wachowskis simply cannot write romance. The lines sound like they came out of a Jennifer Lopez movie. No one sees Matrix films for the love story, and it’s not necessary to the plot. So why even bother? The reason that this film suffers so much is because it’s only the last part of a four and a half hour epic. This film is purely the resolution of The Matrix: Reloaded. The split benefited Reloaded in giving the movie much more subject material to think about than most movies, but in dumping all the climatic action scenes on its latter half, the separation nearly mauls Revolutions. It seemed especially painful because the two movies could have been combined into a three-hour movie quite easily. The only loss would be lingering over the Architect’s spiel for six months. That’s just how many unneeded scenes are in this movie (and the last.) In the end though, this movie is worth the $5.50 for any Matrix fan. The special effects dazzle and the fight scenes treat your eyes to a visual feast. The plot works after seeing the previous movies, but it can’t stand on its own as a movie. Hands down this movie serves only as an ending, and you have no reason to see it if you didn’t like the first two. But if you did, by no means miss the mediocre ending to a spectacular sci-fi series.

Movie Review

Ian McFarland

fight scene in The Matrix

Evan Favreau

When The Matrix became a huge hit, the sequel may have been the most anticipated movie continuation since the Star Wars prequel. And on all levels, it delivered well beyond any Jar Jar Binks. This sequel, while still not grasping the high accomplishment of the first one, was very enjoyable. It delivered plenty of action and fighting mixed with great special effects, even if the plot was left out. The freeway chase in particular was incredible, even if the Agent jumping on the car looked more then a little fake. In the final scenes, though, everything went screwy. Old-man Architect said lots of silly things. Trinity had a bullet pulled out of her. And Neo blew up some sentinels in real life. But ignore this confusion: this is a top rate Neo is perplexed by the Architect sci-fi action film. in The Matrix: Relaoded

All photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The Matrix was quite simply amazing. It was a classic concept that in addition gave more philosophy than just about any other movie ever released. The story wasn’t original but still complicated. In the not so distant future machines have humans hooked up to a virtual environment called the “Matrix” while the machines used our body heat as energy. 200 years into this human race occupation a hacker in the Matrix is found by individuals that escaped the machine’s slavery and is declared “the One” that will rescue all of humanity from the machines. It’s a near unanimous decision that the original Matrix is the best one and it’s no wonder. The film was flawless in plot and had groundbreaking visuals to match. If you like movies, chances are you will like The Matrix. Neo in his very first

The Matrix: Reloaded

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THE HARBINGER

Same old Strokes Album Review

Sophomore effort finds band treading water

Corban Goble

The Strokes are back. Six-note solos, jean jackets, crushed velvet and all. Christened the new kings of rock by several media sources (Rolling Stone, Spin), their authentic brand of garage rock has pushed both records and alternative rock standards. The Strokes have always been in the midst of media fervor; their 2001 release Is This It? arrived with mass critical acclaim and even more hype. Lead singer Julian Casablancas was portrayed as an uncouth, New York borough version of Mick Jagger; his compadres as a young, careless Velvet Underground. Spin Magazine took notice, making them the 2002 Artists of the Year, even though they didn’t release an album. Can their sophomore effort, Room on Fire, both live up to the mounting hype and mainstream popularity and avoid being shallow and, well, …sophomoric? The answer is no. All of the usual Strokes elements are here: the drum machines, the bee buzz drone of Casablanca’s lyrics, even the undeniably Strokes-ish song titles (“Meet Me in the Bathroom,” “Under Control,” “You Talk Way Too Much”). Yet, there is still a yearning for some substance— something that proves they can go in a completely different musical direction and still maintain their swagger. The Strokes’ album opens

THE

11/2

2/03

up with the fuzzy “What Ever Happened,” where the sheer clarity of the lyrics (I want to be forgotten/ and I don’t want to be reminded) proves the Strokes plan to leave no room for interpretation. Next is the gem of the album: the braggadocio “Reptilia,” which crashes along over a blistering one-note bass line. Track four is the Cars channeling “12:51,” in which a New Wave synth guitar lead comes to life over its plain backdrop. The fun stops here, just as abruptly as the song’s ending crash. Lost in a spur of soundalikes and weak links (“Between Love and Hate”), the Strokes did exactly what I feared they would: spin off a bunch of identical tracks, which are nearly indistinguishable from those of Is This It?, or even some of the closing Room on Fire numbers. “The End Has No End” boasts a backbeat and guitar line more fit for a Mazda commercial than a rock album, and “I Can’t Win” only briefly begins to show off the luster and energy of guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.’s playing before the Strokes close the curtain on it all. It all clocks in at about 33: 07, just a few minutes longer than your typical “Friends” episode. Room on Fire proves that the Strokes are either stuck in limbo, or afraid to test the waters elsewhere. They attempted a bold new direction with Radiohead mastermind producer Nigel Godrich, but abandoned him for his constant desire to keep things moving forward, while the Strokes

SHI

- LIB

ERTY

HAL

with URE T P A & THE R B EANS

Room on Fire RCA Records Track Listing 1. What Ever Happened? 2. Reptilia 3. Automatic Stop 4. 12:51 5. You Talk Way Too Much 6. Between Love & Hate 7. Meet Me in the Bathroom 8. Under Control 9. The Way It Is 10. The End Has No End 11. I Can’t Win

wanted to take their time and achieve their awkward perfection. They switched back to Is This It? producer Gordon Raphael, who was most compatible with the band, but the result is predictable; a carbon copy of Is This It? with no signs of ambition. The Strokes bring nothing new to their growing fan base in the shallow effort that is Room on Fire. Unless the band convinces me that they aren’t one-dimensional with no staying power, Casablancas may get his wish to be utterly forgotten.

Date 11/18/03

Artist Cheap Trick

Venue Beaumont Club

11/21/03

Fountains of Wayne

America’s Pub

11/21/03

Rusted Root

Granada Theatre

11/21/03

Brand New, Eisley, Hot Rod Circuit

Liberty Hall

11/22/03

Less Than Jake, Rufio

Beaumont Club

11/22/03

Chris Rock

Midland Theatre

11/24/03

Anything But Joey, Jackson, Story of the Year, Sugarcult

Bottleneck

11/26/03

Lawrence Arms

Bottleneck

11/29/03

Shania Twain

Kemper Arena

11/29/03

Barenaked Ladies

Uptown Theatre

NYC NATIVES: The Strokes

TED LEO/ TECSK S I C A M R N E PHA11/23/03 - BOTTL with JUST A F

IRE

Sports

THE HARBINGER

Putting a season-ending lose behind them, the Lancers start with renewed optimism David Vranicar

This couldn’t possibly have been what the fans meant. But as overtime ended last year on SM East’s basketball season, the irony of it all was painfully obvious. “SEASON’S OVER! SEASON’S OVER!” the home crowd had chanted as East led Blue Valley West by seven points with 35 seconds left. And why not rub it in a little? The Jaguars had as good a shot at coming back as George W. Bush has at winning a Nobel Peace Prize. But after a furious rally to tie it at the end of regulation, BV West buried the stunned Lancers in overtime. They were right. Season’s over. “Personally it affected me for a good couple months,” senior forward Ryan Hintz said. After the homecourt collapse against BV West, the returning East players were left with more than a bad taste in their mouths. They got all the motivation they would need to not let it happen again. “It just left a feeling like we never finished,” senior guard BJ Adams said. “If you end like that, it doesn’t sit well.” The loss didn’t have much time to sit. A regiment of camps, tournaments and league games kept the team busy in the off-season. And things only picked up once the school year started with conditioning four days a week. “They were like hell,” Hintz said of “running days,” the day each week that head coach Shawn Hair would lead the team to the track. And it was likely that the track would be absorbing more than the just the scorching afternoon sun on running days. “[Hair] would basically make us sprint until we threw up,” Adams said. “He’d run us until we almost passed out. I’d say [it was] 40 days of hell.” But Adams will take it. He remembers BV West. He remembers the game-tying three at the end of regulation that was drained in his eye. And Hintz hasn’t forgotten the “and-one” he gave up in the final minute to spark the comeback. They’ll put up with the brutality of off-season conditioning, if for nothing else because they can’t stand the idea of another BV West. “It’s the hardest [working] group of kids [I’ve had] since I’ve been here in my eight years,” Hair said. It’s also one of the biggest groups Hair’s had. He plans on going nine to 11 players deep. And with seven returning lettermen, including six seniors, players are prepared to share playing time. “We’re deeper than we’ve ever been,” Adams said. “It’s going to be exciting this year because everyone on the floor will be able to score.” More offensive fire power will help, especially with the Lancers losing their top scorer, Kyle Zeller, who averaged 18 points a game, and their top three-point shooter Michael Turner, who was third on the team in points. Jack Keller, who returns as the team’s leading rebounder, and Adams, both of whom have started on and off for three years, will be expected to add to their six points per game average of a year ago. But no one’s going to be expected to produce the same

kind of scoring and excitement as sophomore JD Christie. Good for 13 points and 5.5 boards a game as a freshman, Christie was an all-league player and is set to rewrite things at East. People will stop talking about dunking like former Lancer Roland Coppage. It’ll be about throwing down an alley-oop like JD. And Adam Jones, who scored over 30 points in back-to-back games! Big deal. As a freshman JD scored 18. Coming off the bench. In his high school debut. And he was 14 years-old. But what about Fredrik Jonzen? He played big-time college basketball at Oklahoma State. Well, as a sophomore Christy’s gotten letters from Ole Miss, Indiana and Oklahoma State’s big brother: Oklahoma. “He can play anywhere on the floor, really,” Hair said. “He’s a tremendous player and he’s improved a bunch this summer.” The thought that Christie has improved since last season should scare East’s opponents. As the youngest player on the floor last year, he was a man among boys, scoring on, over and around players four years his senior. But Christie isn’t worried about the double teams and gimmick defenses he’s sure to face. “If they decide to base their defense around me, it opens it up a lot for my teammates,” he said. “If they want to do a special D, [my teammates] are just as capable as anybody to score.” Ryan Christie’s supporting cast will have to prove capable of scoring if East is going to meet their goals, which are no less than capturing a league and state title. And if they do, Hair and his team do have reasons to be optimistic, reasons to believe that there will be something to cheer about when this season’s over.

Robbie Jones

Pat Sullivan

Michael Duvall

A Fr Star Unte Tea

Hintz

Boys

Tryouts: Mon 11-17 to Thurs 11-20 First Day of Practice: Fri 1120 Season Starts: Fri 12-5 vs SMS Tournaments: Hy Vee Shootout 1-3 @ Coffeyville Tour. 1-22 to 1-24 Post Season : Substate 3-4 & 3-6 State 3-11 to 3-13 Things To Look For: How the team recovers from the loss of Kyle Zeller and who will step up their scoring output to make up for the loss

THE HARBINGER

Sports

Left for dead after losing four starters from last year, the lancers hope to turn heads

resh rt for ested ams Girls

Carson Black

Jack Keller

Tryouts: Mon 11-17 to Wed 11-19 First Day of Practice: Thurs 11-19 Season Starts: Mon 12-8 vs SMNW Tournaments: Hy Vee Shootout 1-2 @ Glacier’s Edge Tour. 1-29 to 1-31 Post Season: Substate 3-3 & 3-5 State 3-10,3-11 to 3-13 Things To Look For: How the team recovers from losing 5 seniors, including 4 starters that contributed to winning Sunflower league

Every player, on every team, every year, at the beginning of every season will tell you the same thing: “I think we have a really good shot at state this year.” What you’ll never hear anyone say is, “We’re really excited to be the underdogs this season.” The lady Lancers know their losses from last season are going to make other teams overlook them, and they expect to go into this new season as underdogs. This is good for Lancer fans, because it’s always more fun to cheer for the underdog. Losing five seniors (including the highest scorer in girls basketball history at East) and the only returning starter, Tina Harris, hasn’t damaged the team as much as you’d think. With only three seniors this year, the team will look to their depth to win games. Varsity teams are lead by their seniors and head coach Lane Green expects this season to be no different. Maggie Cobb, Meg Stewart and Brooke Jandl are the only seniors playing this year, the only for sure starters and three of ten varsity players. This weeks tryouts will decide who will fill in the empty spaces. Coach Green says all these spots are still a toss-up as to who will play. “I would say we have at least, Brooke Jandl an absolute minimum of ten girls capable of varsity level play this year.” Green said. Tryouts haven’t even started yet, but already the girls feel like season has started. The team Maggie Cobb lost its

Meg Stewart

only returning starter when senior Tina Harris suffered a shoulder injury that will bench her for the entire season. “We’ve already faced a lot of adversity this year with the loss of Tina Harris and lots of injuries to other players. But this will just make us more prepared for season.” Jandl said Losing the five seniors and star players may actually work in the girls’ advantage this season. Last year’s JV team lost only one game, the first game of the year. That team is expected to deliver all but three of the varsity players for this season, but those girls have yet to see varsity playtime, and no one has really seen what they can do. “When your top player leaves, everyone assumes the player under them isn’t as good,” Green said. Green knows that his players coming up from JV and the sophomore team will produce great players. In his favor, other coaches and teams don’t know all the players that will take the court this season. “Other teams’ expectations of us are low this year because of everyone we lost, but they haven’t seen anybody who’s going to be filling in their position.” Jandl said. Being the underdog takes a lot of pressure off the girls who will step onto the varsity court for their first time this season. All the players will have to take on new roles this season, but they aren’t expected to field any stars to carry the team. Instead, they hope to mesh as a team, and rely on speed and endurance to beat the competition. The girls have been conditioning for eight weeks in the weight room, on the track and on the court. Green says all the conditioning is for basic stamina, strength and injury prevention. The running and lifting has made the team fast and strong, two advantages that every player can utilize. “We’re going to be a running team this year. We hope to score a lot of points in transition (from offense to defense).” Cobb said. The girls look forward to this year’s season and know they won’t have trouble playing together. “We’re all friends, on and off the court. And considering we really only have three seniors, we’re a pretty tight group.” Stewart said. It’s a sure thing that this years few seniors will see a lot of playing time, and will enjoy it. “We really just want to play our hearts out and have fun,” Stewart said. It hasn’t always been just these three. The team dwindled down from about 25 freshman year, leaving Cobb, Stewart and Jandl to be the only seniors taking the court this season. All three seniors know that win or lose their season will end sometime, and it’s all a matter of fun. Still, the Lancers expect to turn alot of heads this year. They want to prove that they can have a good season and go deep into the post season without the seniors from last years team. The team hopes that they can come together and play as a team to compensate for losing the star players from least year.

sports

THE HARBINGER

Marketing students organize and host frisbee tournament

AIRTIME: Despite triple coverage, Junior Adam Miller goes airborn to bring in the frisbee. Photo by Jessie Fetterling

Pat Ryan They could have been collecting old prom dresses or selling lancer flip flops, but seniors David Zyck, Tommy Arnspiger, and Josh Novorr had other things on their mind: they wanted to play Ultimate Frisbee. Each student in Mercedes Rasmussen’s Marketing II class was assigned the task of providing a good service for their community. Zyck, Arnspiger, and Novorr knew that the project would give them an excellent opportunity to do what they loved. They hosted an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament at Franklin Park on Sunday, November 9th. To play, all participants had to pay a $4 entrance fee and assemble into seven man teams with names like “The Blazing Nuggets” and the “Sexy Beasts.” Before they could host the tournment, the students had go through a series of preliminary tasks. They first had to take a trip to City Hall and reserve the park for the day. “We were supposed to pay $20 to reserve the field, but since the event was school sponsored we got a waiver,” Arnspiger said. Once they got permission to host the tournament, they collected the $4 entrance fees from the students and used the money to buy prizes for the winning team. Official tournament frisbees and personalized t-shirts were given to the members of the winning

team. When November 9th rolled around, Novorr purchased spray paint from the hardware store and created two 100yard fields. “Ultimate frisbee fields are supposed to be 120 yards, but we thought that that seemed kind of big, so we compensated,” Novorr said. Everyone arrived around noon, and the tournament began. Though it was only 44 degrees and only 4 out of 5 teams showed up, it was still an intense afternoon. “Even though [the match] was just for fun, it ended up being a tough physical game,” said senior Jack Spangler of his teams first victory. Opposite him was junior James Wetzel, who was rather disappointed with his “KC Ballers,” of who “Dropped many passes that shouldn’t have been dropped”. The winner of the tournament was a team from Pembroke. They were the only team from a different school. “It sucks for us that a team from a different school came in and dominated,” Arnspiger said. Even though a non-SME team won, everyone was still happy with the tournament as a whole. “It was all about having a good time,” senior Dave Crook said.

SPORTS PANEL Our sports panel will predict how East as well as other teams will finish. This week, coach Brie Meschke is a guest panelist.

Gordon Culver Mens Basketball

SM East

Ian Stanford

Corban Goble

SM East

Brie Meschke Olathe South

Ladies Basketball

SM East

SM North

SM East

Wrestling

SM East

SM North

SM East

SM South

Swimming

SM East

Olathe East

Big XII

Kansas

Missouri

Kansas

March Madness

Kansas

Missouri

Kansas

Steve McNair

Priest Holmes

Steve McNair

NFL MVP

THE HARBINGER

sports

HEARTBREAKER: The girls’ feelings are evident after they failed to acomplish their goal of winning the school’s first state title.

Almost Volleyball comes within 2 points of Picture the school’s first state title Perfect IN YOUR FACE: Junior Alex Helmuth goes up for the block against an unidentified Washburn Rural front line player. The Lancers beat the Blues in three games in the state semifinals. It was the Lancers last victory in one of the teams best seasons in recent history.

photos by Celene Reynolds PUMP UP THE VOLUME: Senior Jamie Johnson and her teamates go wild after a great Lancer score.

sports 12

THE HARBINGER

Gymnastics says goodbye STATEments to seniors, season Individual All Holly Garringer

Despite losing some its best seniors last year, the gymnastics team placed 7th in the Kansas state tournament in Wichita last week. “ I am so proud of this year’s team. We really pulled together and did our best,” senior Holly Thomas said. The varsity team, consisting of six seniors and one freshman, made their goal of 100 points for their team collectively at all of their meets through the season. The gymnasts also placed 3rd at regionals and 1st at the SM East quad

meet. Head coach Larry Colburn has mixed feelings about this year’s gymnastics squad. “ I am so pleased with the performance the team had this year, but at the same time I am sad about the departure of this year’s seniors,” Colburn said. Things will be different next year since only one gymnast remains on the varsity team. The six seniors currently on the varsity squad will be graduating. The remaining player is freshman Natasha Howell

“ I am going to miss the seniors so much. Hopefully we will be able to work together to have a strong squad next year,” Howell said. For the seniors, leaving is hard to do. “ It is really sad to leave, because gymnastics is such a big part in my life. It is a different sport than football or basketball because it’s not something that you can compete in at a college level. I will really miss it,” senior Ellen Stolle said. The team admits that they couldn’t have done their best without the help

of Coach Colburn. “ Coach is such a good guy. He is our mentor and biggest cheerleader,” Thomas said. As for next year’s team, things right now are optimistic. “ I thought JV really improved this year so the squad should be really good next year,” Stolle said. Although there won’t be actual tryouts for next year’s squad, Coach Colburn says that he is willing to accept anyone that is willing to work hard.

Around ResultsEllen Stolle placed 18th Holly Thomas placed 22nd Natasha Howell placed 33rd

Team Results : The Team Placed 9th out of all competitors

Keep Your School Clean

THE HARBINGER

BREA K I N G

13 features

language barriers

Between home and “heim,” East senior discusses the issue of being bilingual Pat Ryan Senior Chriss Westphal and his friends were hanging out in the basement when all of the sudden, his father walked down and yelled, “Was Sie macht, wollen Sie für Hauptmahlzeit”. Though his friends were intimidated, all his father was doing was asking Chris what he wanted for dinner. Chriss and his family are all fluent in German and English. The family speaks only in German while at home, and always has the opportunity to be immersed in their native culture, for their basement is crawling with German books. The Westphals find that speaking their first language to each other, as opposed to English, is conducive to their language retention and is the most natural way for them to communicate. The father, Dietmar Westphal, worked at the Bayer chemical company in Germany,

and was eventually offered a job at Kansas City location. In 1997, he brought his wife Brigitte and children, Chriss and sophomore Katie Westphal, to America. In His first few years in America, Chriss had the task of mastering English at Brookwood Elementary. He already knew some, being that he had been in a foreign language club since 2nd grade, and an English class since 5th grade. “[Mastering a foreign language] was hard work at first,” Chriss said, “but after I was submerged in English for so long, I started to think in English, eliminating the need for the constant mental translation of a foreign language.” Since Chriss’s foreign language was no longer foreign to him, he occasionally acted as an interpreter for his younger sister, Katie, who had yet to master the language. “I was supposed to go to a school where I could learn

Indian

ROOTS

Westphal isn’t the only senior to live in two languages

I think growing up {this way] is actually a really good thing. I’m not some kid with seven generations in America. I know where I come from.

--Rajit Hazarika

English, but I wanted to be with my brother, so I convinced the [ESL] people to allow me to go to Brookwood, where I had to learn English fast.” Katie said. Both children believe that their need to speak two languages contributed to an enhanced mental capacity. Chriss scored a 31 on his ACT and currently has a 4.0 GPA. Being bilingual is not without its downfalls, however. Chriss finds it increasingly annoying to be constantly bombarded with requests that he say something in German. “It’s a pain to have to translate something... I mean, I have to say something totally random that no one understands anyway. It’s not like they care or I care,” Chriss said. Despite the occasional angry German dispute between siblings, the Westphals enjoy a perfectly normal family life. Dietmar makes monthly business trips to Germany, and Brigitte is an avid

cook, compliments of her German heritage. “We try to sit down together every evening for dinner, and everything is always home-cooked,” Brigitte said. Rarely does she prepare frozen entrees and pre-made meals, for she was taught how to cook from scratch, as is customary in Germany. She is also fluent in four languages: English, German, Italian, and French. The Westphals’ experience in America has been an exciting endeavor, and they feel secure in their communication and social abilities. They understand SPEAKING IN TONGUES: Senior Chriss English perfectly well and can Westphal speaks both German and Engfollow even the speediest of lish fluently. speakers. Though their German roots have not been forgotten, they feel captivated and entranced by the ideals and possibilities of American life.

The exotic aroma fills the Hazarika kitchen. It’s time to eat and there are piles of rich foods of luci, suzi and barfi on the countertop. The cook shuffles a healthy sertving onto a porcelein plate and nimbly sets it onto the dinner table. “Vat Khali Neki?” she enquires. “No mom, I had barbeque!” counters her son immediately. Langauge barriers aren’t a problem for this family. Senior Rajit Hazarika confesses that he doesn’t really speak his mother’s native tongue of Assamese but he can understand it. Assamase is one of the new main regional languages in India. The country of India has approximately 23 primary languages, including Hindi and Bengli. Since Hazarika was born and raised in a duallanguage houselhold, this unique quality has never been a big deal to him. However, at times a word or two may slip into the wrong language. “Sometimes I’ll say something in Assamese and be like, ‘Oops! That wasn’t the {English] word I was looking for,” says Hazarika. Over the summer, Hazarika stays close with other

Indian families. About 450 Indian families travel together to various areas in the United States like Maimi, Chicago and Houston. Together they play games, sing, dance and most importantly share the Indain culture. “I think growing up {this way] is actually a really good thing,” claims Hazarika, “I’m not some kid with seven generations in America. I know where I come from. And it’s given me different perspective.” Though Hazarika’s mother, Rana is an Enlglish major and spent her college years at the University of Guwahatu, she perfers to use her native tongue of, Assamese. Rana was born in Guwath, the capital of Assan, India. In 1979 she married Ajoy Hazarika and shortly thereafter moved to America. Ajoy worked for a time at the Kansas City division of Black and Veech and now works full time in New York. Rana and Hazarika will eventually move to New York with Ajoy, but not until Hazarika finishes his final year of high school. Until then, this two person family stay together supporting each other speaking two very distinct languages and indulging in their proud Indian background.

features 14

THE HARBINGER

Whiffle It

Intramural student tournament gains popularity, money for the can drive and Harvesters Paul Thompson

It was four years ago when Hannah Fitzsimmons was presented with an interesting idea that would forever alter the complexion of our beloved Shawnee Mission East. Well, maybe not forever. But when then s o p h o m o r e Andrew Greene proposed starting an intramural whiffleball tournament to benefit Harvesters (through the annual Can D r i v e ) ,

Photo by Jessie Fetterling

Keep Your School Clean Carry Out • Lunch Specials Monday & Wednesday Taco Specials Monday - Thursday 11:00-8:30 Friday & Saturday 11:00-9:30 Closed Sunday 7408 Wornall Road • 816-523-0407 Parking Available in Back

Fitzsimmons knew she had encountered a great idea. “I had organized intramural basketball, so I had done this before,” says Fitzsimmons, on starting a tournament. The first whiffleball tournament was a success, with over twenty teams competing. “ Andrew was the one who was working the brackets, so this year was a little more challenging for me,” says Fitzsimmons. “Luckily I was able to find a couple of good people to step in and help out, mostly Erik Geller and Will Pendleton.” “ I was too late to turn in the form, so I asked to ref, because it’s still a fun tournament,” says Geller. Despite the good help she’s had with setting up the tournament, there are always a few unavoidable problems. “Sportsmanship was a big thing. Two years ago in the spring, there were too many fights and too much arguing between teams,” Fitzsimmons says. “This is a charity event, and people kind of lost that, which is why we’re not doing a spring

tournament anymore.” Arguing with the umpires is one thing that Fitzsimmons says will not be tolerated this year. “If the teams argue with officials, they’ll forfeit. We’re not putting up with that this year.” Some arguing, however, still slides with the umpires. “Some people start getting really competitive and take things real seriously,” says Geller. “But I think it’s kinda funny sometimes, when people get really upset over whiffleball.” Fighting and arguing were just among a list of problems that created havoc for Fitzsimmons while organizing the tournament this year. “Every year teams don’t have enough players and have to forfeit, and while I try to make sure every team will show up, sometimes forfeits are unavoidable.” Even though these are problems that will certainly arise in coming years as well as previous, Fitzsimmons feels the charity money is worth the work. “It is a charity event, that’s why I keep it going. It is supposed to be fun, but it’s for charity.”

THE HARBINGER

sports

Moving into

Checkmate Casual library chess provides friendship, mind stimulation

Andrew Finnerty

My Current Obsession A chicken burrito with pinto beans, rice, cheese, mild and medium sauce, sour cream, lettuce and chips with guacamole on the side. That’s what is on the menu for senior Lauren Hodgson; it’s about her obsession, the popular Mexican restaurant Chipotle. “It’s like heaven in a tortilla!” Hodgson said. Although she goes to Chipotle at least four times a week, she doesn’t get tired of the same meal. She calls it her “crazy craving.” “I think they put something in it, like drugs,” Hodgson said. “It’s so good!”

Annie Fuhrman

If Chipotle is your current obsession, these are the closest restaurants:

75th & Wornall 93rd & Metcalf

Before and after school and during lunch in the library, a small group of students plays casual games of chess in the library, improving their skills with practice and constructive (sometimes destructive) criticism. Sophomore Daniel Young is often among them. He has played chess since he was nine, but never goes to chess tournaments and rarely goes to the chess club. “The lunchroom’s too crowded and boring, and chess is a lot of fun. The bragging rights are good. And the feeling of putting someone into check in two

moves is a great feeling,” Young said. One of Young’s occasional opponents is freshman Justin Sams, who has been playing chess “for a long time” at school and with his cousin. Despite playing chess a lot, he says he still isn’t very good most of the time. “I’m only good when it’s complete silence and I can think,” Sams said. Both play chess because they find it interesting and because it stimulates their mind. Junior Robert Busby, who frequents the chess games before school, also plays for the same reasons. Despite their interest and

enjoyment of chess, the three rarely go to chess tournaments or the chess club and instead only play causal games. “I’ve been playing since first or second grade, but got into it in fourth grade. I’ve never been a chess freak,” Busby said, adding that he doesn’t go to tournaments and hasn’t been to the chess club since August. “I do it because I like it, not out of habit or discipline.” “I don’t play in tournaments because then I’ll be obsessed about the money and not play for the fun of it. Chess isn’t about glory, it’s about getting to the glory. It’s the journey,” Young said.

photo essay 16

THE HARBINGER

NOT FEELING TOO WELL: (left) Senior Kate Fuhrman lies down after feeling light headed from giving blood.

GOT BLOOD? 230 students tried to give blood, 188 students did. They saved approximately 550 lives. A LITTLE SCARED: (above) Senior Blair Leach shows her fear of needles while giving blood last Wednesday.

KEEPING IT CLEAN: (above) A nurse steilizes the arm of student with iodine before inserting the needle. SIGNING THE PAPERWORK: (left) Senior Clif Ashley fills out a form before giving blood to the American Red Cross on the 12th.

CHOWING DOWN: (left) Senior Fielding Norton munches on some pretzels to restore his energy after giving blood.

photos by Alex Helmuth and Tierney Weed