Issue 8

the

ISSUE 8 SHAWNEE MISSION EAST PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS DEC. 14, 2009

2000 -2009 the pieces that defined the decade at East

I

>>MattGannon

n the last decade, East has witnessed its fair share of championships, the rise and fall of its favorite traditions and the heart-breaking moments that have sombered even the most spirited Lancer.

While the nation saw its soldiers go over-seas, the students of East watched five juniors fall from a cake in the middle of Mission Road. While Brittany Spears covered the tabloids, East varsity cheerleaders sat in the stands and watched the JV girls replace them. While two Presidents entered office, two new principals led the school. But it’s these moments that have defined the past decade and prepare the school for the next one.

>>continued on pages 16-17

NEWS: Locker room thefts (pg. 4) FEATURES: Sign language club prevails (pg. 15) SPORTS: Transfer succeeds on Varsity (pg. 25)

visit

SMEHARBINGER.NET Ever DREAM of opening a RESTAURANT? DREAMS DO COME TRUE... ...with the right real estate company!

Let us prove it to you...THEY DID!

(just to name a few completed deals where Block & Company, Inc., Realtors represented the restaurant or the Landlord)

AYC

Health & Fitness aycfit.com

Contact us at 913-642-4437 Block & Company, Inc., Realtors RESTAURANT DREAM TEAM is comprised of real estate professionals with more than 200 years of combined restaurant experience who will work with you on finding the right location to OPEN YOUR RESTAURNT. Since the 1950’s we have made more dreams come true for restaurant owners than any other real estate company in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

or just come in at

Just a few of our RESTAURANT DREAM TEAM Associates:

David M. Block, Larry Gaines, Jerry Gaines, Mark McConahay, Becky Goodman, Pamela Moffitt, Sheryl Vickers, Steve Gasperi BLOCK & COMPANY, INC., Realtors - 605 West 47th Street, Suite 200, Kansas City, Missouri 64112

816.753.6000

www. blockandco.com

7501 Mission Rd. Prairie Village, KS

2,200 members of the Prairie Village community

WILL READ THIS AD.

E-MAIL SMEHARBINGER@GMAIL.COM TO ADVERTISE

s t u s C m o o r s s Cla

issue 8 news page 3

e h t in

Further budget cuts affect more East departments

THE BUDGET cuts will have an effect on a variety of programs at East including choir, art, theatre, classrooms and sports.

MackenzieWylie

>>

>>AlysabethAlbano

The Shawnee Mission School District has faced many budget cuts over the past two years because of the economy’s downward trend. The state of Kansas has been forced to revaluate the allocation of government funding for public schools. The fourth major cut to public education in Kansas since March was passed by Governor Mark Parkinson on November 23. The result of this cut was a $5.2 million loss in funding for schools across the state.

This cut hit hard in the Shawnee Mission School District, where in the last year the district has already suffered from the expiration of a tax that provided them substantial funding. This tax was originally placed on Johnson County residents to fund better learning environments and brought an average of $4.4 million per year into the district for the past six years. The government chose not to re-up the tax for the

THE

BY

NUMBERS

for the fine arts:

current school year. According to Principal Karl Krawitz, this loss of money will affect the district as a whole but Shawnee Mission East individually as well. Although the school district has money in reserves, similar to savings accounts, the loss of this money was unexpected.

Shawnee Mission East Math Teacher Richard Royer has been keeping up with the recent budget cuts and admits he is nervous about them.

“I’m anxious about what is going to happen to our student’s programs,” Royer said.

“The district dipped into the reserves but the money will be depleted quickly.”

Programs across the school will be affected by the almost $10 million loss in money. According the Shawnee Mission School District Lobbyist Stuart Little, the same amount of money for supplies and services is allocated to each school in the district. For the current school year at East fine arts was allocated $18.69, athletics, $25.89, and school wide supply $53.66 per student. These numbers are down, says Little, from previous years. In past school years arts received $19.64, athletics received $27.21, and the overall supply was $58.66 per student. total money “All you have to do is simple lost for East math then you know are losing a large amount of money that teachers have already budgeted for,” Krawitz said.

Krawitz also explains that it isn’t just programs and departments that are losing per stutotal money dent money, the entire school

$19.64 $18.69 95 cents $1784.10 current budget new budget money lost per student per student per student

for the athletics:

$27.21

$25.89 $1.32 $2478.96

current budget new budget money lost per student per student per student

lost for East

is. Schools receive funding for each student based on population, family income, and other factors. The money allotted is called Base State Aid Per Pupil. Between the 20082009 and 2009-2010 school year SMSD lost $11.8 million in BSAPP. BSAPP was originally set to be $4,433 but was reduced to $4,400. In July of 2009 after a reduction in the Governor’s allotment the BSAPP was finally set at $4,300. In this building alone that is a loss of around $312,000. According to Krawitz if you divide that with an average teachers salary it equals seven staff members.

“It doesn’t all go towards teachers but about 82% of all the monies in the district are spent on people,” Krawitz said. “[To get involved] with significant budget reductions, you have to reduce the size of your personnel.”

Royer believes staff reductions seem inevitable. According to Royer, the building will be faced with significant retirements or firings.

“An [enforced] reduction in force is probably in the future rather than retirements,” Royer said.

Krawitz says that at this point it is unclear whether East will be faced with teacher losses. It won’t be known until the figures arrive from the district in the early spring.

However it isn’t just the SMSD that these cuts are affecting. Other school districts around in the area are receiving reductions as well. The Olathe School District will lose about $6.6 million in finding and the Blue Valley School District will lose around $4.65 million with Shawnee Mission in the middle at $5.2 million.

SMSD Superintendent Gene Johnson released in a statement at a board meeting

that the district would be “reviewing the latest reductions and developing a plan to address these drastic cuts as well as identifying areas of the budget where cost savings can be realized.”

These changes are not the only problems SMSD is facing. If lawmakers change the catastrophic aid formula the district could lost another $3.1 million in funding.

Federal stimulus funds will expire in the following year. Kansas used $138.7 million from the funds and the loss of that grant would be felt drastically.

“It is clear these reductions, and potential additional reductions, will pose significant challenges to the district,” Shawnee Mission School District Budget and Finance Department Manager Tim Rooney said.

District officials agree that the newest financial changes won’t affect schools this year. Although the cuts made November 23 by the Governor take away $5.2 million in funding for the current fiscal year the district is able to counter that through their reserves. It is the next school year they are concerned about. The depletion of reserve funds means less money going into the next school year.

Krawitz agrees that the future of public education funding looks bleak. Although he understands there won’t be more money coming into the school systems, he is hopeful that the BSAPP doesn’t reduce any further and there are no more government cuts. No one will know the final numbers until the reports are printed next spring.

“We aren’t going to see increases in money this year,” Krawitz said. “The news will be how much are we going to get cut not how much money we are going to get.”

page 4 news 12.14.09

Locker Room

Larceny P.E. classes have seen an increase in thefts this year

>>BobMartin

Many valuable items have gone missing in recent months as a result of increased locker room theft. According to student resource officer Brady Sullivan, late October and early November showed a spike of theft in boys’ and especially the girls’ locker compared rooms to last year.

The items stolen range from iPods and cell phones to designer boots, and other assorted items.

This year, with the help of district officer Richard Pacheco, Sullivan has already caught three students stealing things.

While Sullivan doesn’t have specifics on the number of cases filed from last year, he’s noticed a significant increase in the amount of students coming in to his office to report stolen items. He attributes the increase in theft to factors varying from the weakened economy to repeat offenders becoming more skilled.

According to Sullivan, the majority of thefts happen during the school day, to those who don’t bother using the protection of padlock.

“If it’s locked up in a locker, that eliminates the access for somebody to go in there and steal it,” Sullivan said.

With few to no people in the locker rooms during the school day, Sullivan said the thieves have ample opportunity to steal things from open lockers. Sullivan plans to fight this factor first by making the locker rooms less accessible during classes, when most of the reported crimes have occurred.

Junior Ted Fields became a victim of locker theft last spring when someone took his Motorola RAZR and iPod Classic after school while he was playing in a baseball game. Fields found the open locker upon his return to East.

“It hit me like a brick wall, I was very upset,” Fields said.

“After a couple days of that, I kinda let it go.”

Fields reported the theft in an incident report form the next day in the SRO’s office; however, the stolen electronics were never recovered. According to Fields, he had locked his locker before leaving, but had forgotten to spin the dial on the padlock, which gave the thieves much easier access.

“You’ve really got to be responsible with yourself,” Fields said. “I learned the hard way.”

Associate Principal Steve Loe said that the best way to prevent easy crimes like this is for more kids to use their locks, and not leave things on the benches.

“More than likely, the [people] that go down and [steal] are going to go for the easy pickings,” Loe said.

The administration and Sullivan have made at least one attempt to warn physical education students about the theft problem.Early in the school year, Sullivan took time out of the regular gym classes to speak to Fields and others

Shady

>>photo illustration by LindseyHartnett on the importance of keeping lockers locked.

In addition to the talks with gym classes, Sullivan also spoke with administrators on what measures they could take to minimize the incidents. These measures include a type of sting operation, involving leaving spare money hanging out of a locker, and assigning a school official to watch for any who try to grab it, a measure Sullivan has tried in the past.

He said that of the near 12 reported incidents, in addition to the claims that go unreported, very few thieves are actually ever caught.

“Unfortunately we don’t have a great clearance rate on the locker room thefts,” Sullivan said, “We usually catch two or three a year.”

Thieves target five items more than any other

Selections Money

Amazon Price: $165.99

Face Value

iPods

Cell Phones Apple Price: $99

Sullivan said that despite the low number of thieves caught, he thinks that it is the same people often committing crime after crime, so even catching a few is productive.

The main reason SROs and district police are unable to catch most of those who do steal is because of where it’s happening. Almost anywhere else in the school there would be a security camera nearby to monitor the whole situation. However, in the locker room, this isn’t possible due to strict privacy standards.

For those who do get caught, the punishment ranges from school disciplinary action such as suspension. Most cases have been dealt with at school, and the victim must first file charges before the case will go before a judge.

Name Brand Jeans Designer Boots Amazon $139.99 Price:

Amazon Price: $300

>>

issue 8 news page 5

BRIEFS

Rep Theatre

>>

Advanced repertory theatre students will be performing their works. All performances are student directed.

6 p.m. today and 3 p.m. tomorrow in the Little Theatre

>>

Band Concert

>> >>

The band will be performing their annual winter concert.

7 p.m. Wednesday in the auditorium

Semester Exams Schedule

>> Students will take their first hour exam followed by normal class hours two through seven. >> Thursday >> Students will take their second and third hour exams and then be released early. >> Friday >> Students will take their fourth and fifth hour exams and then be released early. >> Dec. 21 >> Students will take their sixth and seventh hour exams and then be released early. >> Dec. 22 Link Crew and Freshmen

>>

Freshmen will be able to get help studying for finals from upperclassmen at this year’s Cookies, Cocoa and Cram.

2:45 to 4 p.m. on Thursday in the library

>>

Art Auction

>> >>

NAHS students will be selling their own artwork to raise funds for their organization.

6 to 8 p.m. on Friday in the cafeteria

Winter Break

>> Students will not have to attend school during this time. This also marks the end of the first semester. See above for the finals’ schedule.

Dec. 23 to Jan. 3

>>

Live Broadcast

>> The Harbinger Online successfully completed

it’s first live broadcast at the Dec. 4 boy’s basketball game. Viewers could watch the game at smeharbinger.net. The production was student run.

The Harbinger Online will be broadcasting the varsity girls’ basketball game tonight at 7 p.m.

Visit smeharbinger.net for more information.

Debate Nationals

>> Tara Raghuveer and Emily Halter qualified for

Debate Nationals on Dec. 5. The tournament will be held over Memorial Day weekend. They were the only undefeated team at the recent Kansas City, KS tournament. On the same weekend, East debaters placed third out of 20 teams at the Lawrence High tournament.

Visit www.smeharbinger.net for new and updated coverage of East news

DIVIDED

Kansas City family sues Power & Light District for dress-code discrimination >>GriffinBur

Senior Chris Miller puts on a white tshirt and jeans and heads downtown to First Friday. Less than a mile away is the Power and Light District. Miller, 18, couldn’t go to Power and Light, even if he wanted to because he’s under 21. But Miller might have trouble entering for another reason -what he’s wearing.

The Power and Light District dress code has been the subject of much controversy.

Power and Light — which has since modified its t-shirt ban to “t-shirts of inappropriate length” — still prohibits excessively baggy clothing, sleeveless shirts on men and athletic apparel, according to its Web site. The code has garnered critics, from city council members to KC Star columnist Jason Whitlock. These critics charge that the dress code is discriminatory towards minorities and is applied unfairly. At the same time, Cordish Company, which owns and has developed Power and Light, has denied claims of discriminatory policies.

Now, the dress code will be formally challenged in a court case. Seven members of an African-American family are suing the district. They claim that they were denied entrance to a P&L club, while similarly dressed white customers were allowed in.

Attorney Arthur Benson, who is representing the family, could not make extensive comment on the case. However, he was able to confirm that he had received right-to-sue papers. These papers allow the case to go directly to state courts instead of being filed with the Missouri Human Rights Commission, which can be a slower process. Benson hopes the case will start soon. “[The case] should begin some time in December or at least before the end of the year,” Benson said.

Cordish managing partner Zed Smith told the Kansas City Star that the complaint was “completely unfounded.” Besides saying that the dress code is applied fairly, Smith asserted that the code itself is not discriminatory.

?

POWER&LIGHT’S

DRESS CODE

Though the district is generally open only to those over 21, some students still take issue with the dress code. Senior Ben Jensen said that the dress code seems like it targets particular groups. “[The dress code] does seem kind of discriminatory,” said senior Ben Jensen.

“I mean, what’s the problem with people wearing stuff like jerseys?”

“

[The dress code] isn’t necessarily racist, but it does discriminate based on socioeconomic status. >>Senior Chris Miller

”

Miller pointed to the use of public funds as a key issue. He said that while private clubs should have the right to enforce their own codes, areas that have public support should have non-discriminatory policies.

“Since there’s public money involved, I think that changes it entirely,” Miller said. “[The dress code] isn’t necessarily racist but it does discriminate based on socioeconomic status. What if you can’t afford the dress code?”

Repeated complaints from citizens and civil rights groups have prompted action in the past. An April 2009 KCMO ordinance prevents businesses that are publicly subsidized from discriminatory policies.

Cordish receives tax breaks and subsidies, so it was included under the new rule.

Though the ordinance prevented some items, like white t-shirts and jewelry, from being banned, it allowed Cordish to continue banning other items like torn clothes.

Allegations of discrimination continued, however, and there are now plans to establish an independent review board according to a Nov. 16 Kansas City Star article. The board, operated and funded

by Cordish, will try to ensure fair enforcement of the current dress code. However, Cordish told the Star that there are no plans to change the code itself.

Power & Light District’s KC Live! outdoor area has a code of conduct, including a dress code.

The following is prohibited: - profanity on clothing - sleeveless shirts on men - excessively torn clothing - undershirts - undergarments

- teeshirts of an inappropriate length - excessively baggy or sagging clothing

>>Mackenzie Wylie

Beautiful Dresses & the lines you love: Phoebe Couture Nanette Lepore Tracy Reese

Interior Design

Gifts

Antiques

Plenty Tibi

Steve Nuss Ltd.

Michael Stars

4722 Rainbow Blvd.

Westwood, KS 913-362-2912

Seven For All Mankind

2,200 members of the Prairie Village community

WILL READ THIS AD.

E-MAIL SMEHARBINGER@GMAIL.COM TO ADVERTISE

JWLA Love Quotes Scarves & so much more

Miriam Garvey IN THE FAIRWAY SHOPS • 2710 W. 53RD ST. • 913-722-2101

Visit our website for more information and special events:

www.miriamgarvey.com

issue 8 editorial page 7

Cut

Cost the

Theater department should drop the new student admission price and find pride in free theater

>>Alishka Jolitz In previous years at East, students have attended choir concerts, basketball games, musicals, band performances and more for free if they had a bold letter ‘A’ on the back of their student ID. The activity pass, which can be purchased at the beginning of the school year for $35, used to cover all student activities. Knowing they can get in for free is extra encouragement for kids to show their school spirit at a volleyball match, a debate tournament or the Lancer Dancer spring show. However, one group has pulled away from the pass.

This year, the theater department is charging students $5 to see Letters to a school production, regardless of the editor should what’s on their school ID. Those be sent to room 521 who shelled out the extra cash for or smeharbinger@ the pass expecting free admission gmail.com. Letters to all school activities are out of may be edited for luck. clarity, length, libel While $5 isn’t exactly an and mechanics and amount to throw a fit over, it’s not the price that matters. Just like all accepted or rejected extracurricular activities, theater at the editor’s productions provide a valuable discretion. experience for those involved. But, with as much work that goes into a production, isn’t it fair for students

to see what their peers have been working on for months without paying? Don’t the actors, even those as minor as Villager #5, want their friends to come see them?

With new drama rooms and a renovated auditorium, East’s theater has even more to attract an audience. But making that audience pay for the improvements and to support the school doesn’t seem right. The same goes for other platforms that showcase students’ talents. Orchestra hasn’t established a price for students to attend its concerts. The art department lets everyone see the now biannual art show for free. No one has to pay to watch a girls tennis match.

The most obvious reason behind the new admission price is economic. The money made from ticket sales goes towards things like royalties, costumes, make-up, set and more. With thousands of dollars spent on a production, theater can be a costly department. In past years, they’ve been self-sustaining through car washes, chocolate sales and a certain amount of money from the district. If the theater doesn’t just want more money for more extravagant plays, but desperately needs more funds to remain self-sustaining, it should take note from the various other activities at East.

The Lancer Dancers sell candy and boutineers. Basketball does a free throw shoot-out and has a tournament. Orchestra sells Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough. Softball sends out letters asking family members for donations. Choir did a raffle for a trip to Europe. Wrestling sells pizza coupons. The Harbinger sells ads every issue. Band sells Panera coupons,

the

>>

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

Editors-In-Chief >>Tim Shedor >>Phoebe Unterman Assistant Editors >>Sam Logan >>Kevin Simpson Head Copy Editor >>Andrew Goble Art and Design Editor >>Michael Stolle News Editor >>Logan Heley News Page Editors >>Kennedy Burgess >>Kiki Sykes

dec. 14, 2009 issue 8, vol. 51

Editorial Editor >>Lilly Myers Opinion Editor >>Duncan McHenry Opinion Page Editors >>Kat Buchanan >>Raina Weinberg Features Editor >>Annie Sgroi Feature Page Editors >>>Kathleen Ireland >> Molly Troutman Spread Editor >>Aubrey Leiter Asst. Spread Editor >>Ian Wiseman

>>Alishka Jolitz

A&E Editor >>Mac Tamblyn A&E Page Editors >>Colleen Ireland >>Christa McKittrick Mixed Editor >>Emma Pennington Sports Editor >>Sam Logan Sports Page Editors >>Corbin Barnds >>Conor Twibell Photo Editor >>Mackenzie Wylie Assistant Photo Editor >>Katie East Freelance Page Editors >>>Maddy Bailey >> Sarah McKittrick Copy Editors >>Andrew Goble

entertainment books and even batteries.

If selling chocolate bars isn’t a sufficient enough way to make money, theater should have brainstorm new fundraisers. All activities have to find multiple ways to raise money for equipment, uniforms, trips, and more if they’re short on cash. If they ignored the activity pass and charged all students to show their support, they may not have to fundraise.

The Harbinger could charge $5 for each issue and not have to sell ads anymore. The athletics department could charge all students $5 for attending a varsity sporting event, but that would mean a student would pay over $200 a year just to see all the home games. When ticket sales get in the way of students supporting their peers, the cost is too much, no matter what the price.

Every other high school in the district charges students to go to plays. But East should be proud to be the only one offering students fine theater for free.

The

VOTE 9 2 0 for

against absent

The majority opinion of the Harbinger Editorial Board

>>Logan Heley >>Jack Howland >>Sam Kovzan >>Annie Sgroi >>Tim Shedor >>Kevin Simpson >>Michael Stolle >>Phoebe Unterman

>>Sam Logan >>Lilly Myers >>Annie Sgroi >>Tim Shedor >>Kevin Simpson >>Michael Stolle >>Mac Tamblyn >>Phoebe Unterman

Staff Writers >>Griffin Bur >>Grant Kendall >>Alex Lamb >>Bob Martin >>Haley Martin >>Shannon McGinley >>Ian Wiseman >>Alysabeth Albano Editorial Board >>Griffin Bur >>Andrew Goble >>Logan Heley

Photographers >>Jeff Cole >>Lindsey Hartnett >>Taylor Odell >>Dan Stewart Staff Artists >>Kennedy Burgess >>Morgan Christian Circulation Manager >>Matt Gannon Ads Manager >>Morgan Christian Online Editors

>>Taylor Haviland >>Elizabeth McGranahan Webmaster >>Joe Craig >>Pat McGannon Online Section Editor >>Evan Nichols Online Staff Writer >>Christopher Heady >>Haley Martin >>Katy Westhoff Online Photographer >>Max Stitt Anchor/Vlogger >>Andrew Goble >>Tom Lynch Videographer >>Alex Lamb Adviser >>Dow Tate

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

increase theEAST>>

page 8 opinion 12.14.09

Staffers’ thoughts on ways to up our East spirit

p e p up

Mackenzie Wylie

Freshmen Boot Camp >> Sam Logan “Link Crew day rocks the house, but it doesn’t quite bring

o show udents t t s t s a E al for A propos their

PRIDE R E C N LA

>>Alishka Jolitz an opinion of

This school needs some pep.

We need energy. We need excitement. We need a little school pride.

For far too long have I watched my Lancers compete alongside a >>LoganHeley bland and lackluster sea of Columbia blue. For far too long have I seen a row of enthusiastic girls suffer as they attempt to rally their fellow classmates. For far too long have I witnessed our pep club remain hidden among the throngs of students as if they are just your average East fans. It’s time for a little change, and I think this is the year we should all buy in.

I’ve heard a legend about a time when Grant Morris would parade around at games gallantly in full knightly attire -- even if it was only a cheap plastic knight’s outfit. But since the unfortunate extinction of our former mascot (the costume broke), we have been without such a spirited beacon of unity. That is why I decided to take the future of my beloved school’s mascot into my own hands. With support from this school’s fine clubs and parent organizations, I am confident we will have a feisty and parading Lancer on the court for the annual epic Rockhurst vs. East boy’s basketball game. Even so, this school needs to pep it up.

Firstly— heralders, where did our enthusiastic flag bearers go? This year not one male tried out to be a heralder.

These two pepsters brought a smile to my face every time I saw them enthusiastically wave our flag before pep assemblies and games. They were the type of people that any team would want to have cheering them on. We need their energetic presence at all of our games because that kind of energy can motivate an entire crowd to get pumped up.

Furthermore, flag bearer is a prestigious title to hold. Who else but they are allowed to lead the Lancers onto the field or court before each game? Who else but they are allowed to run the East flag on the track after a touchdown? Every legit college in the nation has a flag runner. Heck, even SM North has one! It’s only right to have two of our own.

On to pep assemblies. Time and again these gatherings of the masses fail to rouse my inner love for the great sport of (insert any East sport besides boy’s basketball or football here). Every year, sports like tennis and boys’ swimming that consistently make solid runs at state are overshadowed at pep assemblies by every high school’s Big Two (football and basketball). It’s no wonder that our pool area, a place that has

>>Mackenzie Wylie

down the roof. Nowhere in that day is a bit of school spirit schooling involved. I want a day at the start of the year where each and every one of the fresh-out-the-middle-school Lancers are put through training on every facet of gameday antics from how to handle a Rockhurst point guard to appropriate ways to ‘Shake that Thang’... Going bananas mandatory. ”

been home to four of the past five boys’ state championships, is never filled with the cheers of stands full of students. It’s because nobody knows about the meets! While the basketball and football teams are continually granted time by the pep club for full skits at assemblies, the highly ranked girls’ volleyball and tennis teams have received nothing more than a sentence or two.

Every sport deserves to have equal publicity at our pep assemblies. I’m not saying we run two hours of skits at every pep assembly, but every sport deserves at least one assembly during their season where they are the star of the show. We need to do a better job of recognizing the great achievements of our fellow classmates no matter which sport they play.

January 29 marks the last Rockhurst game I will witness in the comfort of my own gym. Last year’s game was pitiful to say the least. I’m not talking about the score; I’m talking about the stands. The Rockhurst guys put on a clinic when it comes to school spirit (at least when they play us). “Lazy Sunday” destroyed whatever last minute theme we tried to put together. I still don’t know what our “official” theme actually was for that game. While pondering a solution to our organizational problems, I came up with the idea of creating a group of people that would be responsible for our school’s spirit, chiefly a theme for us to follow, during sporting events.

I then realized that is exactly what pep club is for.

Pep club, I beg you to do more than hold the door open for me as I enter the gym for a pep assembly. We have no hope of meeting or exceeding Rockhurst’s high spirit standards without you. A Facebook group made the night before the big game telling us the theme is “black out” simply will not do. Announcements and posters must be made that let the student body know not only where to go for a game, but what to wear. All of our fans that night (and every game night) need to be unified. The only way this can be done is if you, pep club, can give this school the School Spirit 101 class that Rockhurst seems to mandate as part of their curriculum.

So are you going to listen, East, if pep club comes knocking? Are you going be someone that goes straight down to room 415 after reading this and asks where one could find a heralder application? Are you going be someone that cheers pool side as the swim team chases yet another state title?

Are you going to be a person that wears their Columbia blue prouder and with more spirit than any Hawklet or Raider could ever wear their own colors? Because, if so, you’ll come back to 7500 Mission Road many years from now, knowing that you didn’t waste four of the best years of your life.

Mastering the Mondays >> Tim Shedor

>>Lindsey Hartnett

“The grit that follows you into school on the first day of the week is a satisfying way of knowing that your weekend was a success. But by the end of the day, it’s a drudging burden when you settle into midnight homework. There’s no better anecdote to a weekend’s aftermath than a infusion of Lancer Shine to polish off that grit and start the week right.”

>>Mackenzie Wylie

Padres of Pep >>Andrew Goble “The best way to get school spirit going is to let everyone feel what a good crowd is like. Freshman volleyball, JV bowling, C team soccer—every sport gets attended by the Padres of Pep at least once every year. We’re loud and we starting chants, and we’ve hopefully got letters written on our chest.

How much easier is it to show pep when you’ve learned how good it feels to be on the receiving end?”

Spirit Week Special >> Kevin Simpson

>>Mackenzie Wylie

“It should be mandatory for kids to wear costumes on spirit week. Every Lancer loves throwing on a Batman outfit for absolutely no reason, but this week even provides a reason.

However, to ensure everyone joins in on the hijinks, teachers should toss Spirit Week Costumes into their grade book.

What better way to earn points for your college résumé than to wear a jersey of your favorite university team?”

Because classes like Computer Applications and Foundations P.E. can prevent kids from taking their desired electives, one junior feels that students deserve the option of taking

issue 8 opinion page 7

early examinations

>> Al i

sh

ka Jo l

itz

an opinion of

Back in eighth grade, the East counselors came to middle school help us plan our illustrious high school careers. They handed us a thick, Lancer Blue and gave the classic >>AndrewGoble program East spiel: The Drama program? You’ll be hooked!

The Computer Science path? It’s the best in the state, hands down.

The art wing? They’ll make you into a little Andy Warhol.

All these new options made my classmates and I excited to find out what we wanted to do for four years—but, as we later found out, the schedule is almost always bogged down with mandatory semester classes: two Gym classes, Health, and a computer credit, usually Computer Applications. If you want to graduate East and meet most out-of-state college requirements, finding time to pursue new interests might be impossible.

However, this isn’t East’s fault. East has to enforce the state’s requirements; otherwise, our diplomas just become really nice, but worthless, pieces of paper. Of the three, Health is the easiest to obtain credit elsewhere; Shawnee Mission has its own handy program to take the class online. To pass the Computer Applications test (only about 20 percent do), I was told by Director of Curriculum Betsy Regan that I would probably have to hire a tutor because there was a lot on the test about using a database. According to counselor Terry Archer, there is no way you can test out of P.E. Interesting logic—you can test out of math classes, but you can’t test out of gym class? Physical education is obviously becoming more important; the childhood obesity rates tell you that. But, from playing two sports at East and taking Fundamental P.E., I see so many people wasting their time learning “physical education” when they already have had it or play a sport after school. When I asked 44 juniors or sophomores which of the three mandatory classes (Health, Fundamental P.E. and a computer credit) they had “mastered most of the concepts” of before taking the class, 75 percent said that it was P.E. Sure, a fair share of students really benefit from having structured exercise every other day; if you have to force them

to do it, however, fewer gain real benefits. Students will still sign up for gym classes even if they don’t have to (my two brothers proudly took Team Games a combined 13 times), but if they can demonstrate a mastery of the curriculum, the state should allow them to pursue more interests in elective classes. Seventy-eight percent of the students said they would have considered taking another yearlong elective freshman year if they had the choice not to take P.E. Even if it’s just a semester, these classes can clog up opportunities to take classes that require a full year.

And, while I think Computer classes can be very beneficial, students should be able to pass a test that is equivalent to passing the class—I don’t know how to use a database, but it’s debatable that every person who passes Computer Applications does, either. Computer Applications teacher John Stonner thinks that some of the most important lessons are in learning advanced Microsoft Excel formulas, and I completely agree. However, learning Excel and mastering databases shouldn’t be expected of every person; the class shouldn’t be mandatory if it’s best lessons are ones that don’t apply to every single student.

In trying to solve this problem, I’ve heard the alternatives from counselors, administrators and the Director of Curriculum in my two-and-a-half years here. Here they are: 1.Take Gym during the summer. Now that summer practice is allowed for fall sports, an athlete would be at a huge disadvantage if they had to miss practice every day to take a summer P.E. class. There’s no reason I should be taking a relatively easier class when it would, without a doubt, make me less skilled than those practicing their sports with their specialized coaches. At East, a varsity letter used to exempt you from your second gym class, but this is no longer the case. I’m not going to ride the bench because I spent my summer learning the intricacies of capture the flag.

2. Quit your electives. My counselor actually suggested that I should quit band. Why would I drop a class that is one of my passions if I already know how to flick a Frisbee? I’d frankly rather not graduate. I also was told that I don’t have to take a fourth science class or a third foreign language. A lot of schools I’m looking at require those, so I think it’s understandable to treat those as mandatory. It just seems like getting me out the door is priority #1 (and, after the columns I write, that’s a pretty good strategy).

elective evaluation The Harbinger surveys 45 sophomores and juniors about classes they must take to graduate class of the following do you think you mastered 1. Which most before taking the class?

Foundations P.E.

33

Health

4

Computer Apps.

7

you’ve taken Computer Applications, how often on 2. Ifaverage did you spend on the actual assignment?

0-15 minutes

14

15-45

17

45-70

1

70-90

3

3. elective (theater, music, art, etc.) freshmen year if you Do you think you would have tried another year long didn’t have to take P.E.?

Yes, I would have

32

No, probably not

9

3. There’s nothing we can do. I hear this one the most.

Just because something has traditionally been done one way doesn’t mean it’s correct—America is based on such ideals. I found my Senate Representative and sent him a guiding little rhetoric, but we all know my claims hold much less power than say, all of the counselors or administrators who agreed that it wasn’t a good situation.

But, while all the people that have agreed with me that it may not be fair, none have suggested that this was an issue worth fighting for. The stats beg to differ. Of the the 35 students tested who took Computer Applications, 88.5 percent say that they spent 45 minutes or less daily on an average in-class assignment. Forty percent spent 15 minutes or less.

Wasting thousands of hours of the 88.5 percent doesn’t seem to be worth the time to fight with the state curriculum, apparently.

I just wish there were options so that kids could make the best of their education. Without finding passions in other things, it will just make it tougher for every student to find that subject that they will love and pursue as a career. In the end, that’s what’s important; there’s no point in learning how to make a pretty Powerpoint if you don’t have a satisfying job to make one for.

page 10 opinion 12.14.09 When my mom pulled up our green mini-van in front of the East library, I didn’t feel like a high schooler. I was fiveyears-old again, off to my first day of Kindergarten. I had to >>LillyMyers enter another big, scary-looking building, and leave behind everything I was familiar with.

But switching from coloring with crayons at home all day to coloring in a Kindergarten classroom was nothing. Now, as I stared out from the passenger’s seat, watching kids hop out of their parents’ cars, I knew this wouldn’t be the same.

Girls rushed over to hug their friends and catch up on the past three months before walking side by side into the library. My mom would have to drag me out of our car by my ankles, kicking, screaming and clawing at the hot concrete, trying to chicken out on my first day of high school.

For 11 years before this, I attended the same private school, St. Ann’s. Of the 38 other kids I graduated with, six came to East. But like any other 14-year-old girl, I was crushed by the fact that my three closest friends were headed towards more private schooling. I had to enter the scarylooking building on my own.

My outfit on the first day of school was perfect: jean shorts from American Eagle, and a simple purple and white patterned shirt. I spent the night before trying on numerous outfits, littering my bedroom floor with clothes until I decided on the generic short and shirt combination: nothing to make me stand out.

Almost all of my freshmen year I just wanted to fit in and be a typical East student. If people found out I didn’t know all the words to the school song or how to get to the locker rooms, I feared they would peg me as an amateur.

An amateur was not something I wanted people to think of me as. Not a private school kid. Not a weirdo. Not an amateur. If they did, they might reject my attempts at becoming friends with them. They might turn and walk the other way

l students o o h c s te a v ri p y Wh chose EAST

“ ” “ ” “ ” “ ” I switched for the theatre and choir programs, but mainly for more opportunities when it comes to academics.

>>Junior Amy Cosgrove Attended St. Teresas 9th-10th grade

I liked the bigger school when I shadowed East. It just felt right...there’s a lot more freedom and more opportunities.

>>Senior Matthew Creidenberg Attended St. Pauls K-8

I really wanted a change, not just as in a bigger school and wearing what I want every day but also meeting people who had different views and opinions than myself.

>>Sophomore Lilly Myers Attended St. Anns K-8

I thought [East] would be a better school and it had better curriculars.

>>Sophomore Michael Hill Attended St. Anns k-8

After coming from a Catholic middle school, sophomore learned to have

>> Photoillustration by Max Stitt

an opinion of

Private Pride when they saw me in the hall, they might not respond to my text because their phone “died.”

Because of my need to make new friends, I started caring too much about what others thought of me. I became quiet when I was worried about saying the wrong thing.

Girls could talk about Project Runway, a show which I own all five seasons of and never miss on Thursday nights. But nine times out of 10, I wouldn’t say anything. If I remarked on how Christian Siriano’s dress was gorgeous in last week’s episode, and they thought it was a monstrosity, that could the mean end of the conversation.

At lunch I felt lucky to have people to sit with everyday, but I continually listened to conversations instead of joining them. Occasionally, I’d talk to someone about common, easy topics.

“Have you been asked to (insert dance here) yet?” is always a great conversations starter, and, “Are you going anywhere over (winter/spring) break?” is something everyone can answer.

These questions helped me to avoid “the awkward silence” more than a few times. But when I was left with an awkward situation, I could always turn to my cell phone. I’d tap my thumbs across the keyboard, staring intently at the screen to get that cool, unapproachable vibe. My cell phone was my invisibility cloak.

Over the summer, I spent my days with my friends from Bishop Miege and St. Teresa’s. I pushed the thought of sophomore year to the back of my mind, refusing to accept the fact that I’d have to face everything again.

When the first day of school finally came, I was just as nervous as I had been before. However, all it took was one sentence to make me question just what I was nervous about.

“Why haven’t we hung out at all this summer?” was what one girl said upon seeing me at school.

Whether or not she truly meant it, that question made me reflect back on my naïve actions during my freshman year. I wanted to be included, to have other people call me to make plans on a Friday night, but I never made an eff

ort to reach out and call them first.

I created a distorted, Picasso-like image of how others saw me. But in reality, the only one who saw me that way was me. No one ever laughed at me for coming from a private school or avoided me in the hallway. Not all East students know the words to the school song—that’s why it’s posted clearly on the gym wall. Almost everyone is at least a tiny bit nervous on their first day of high school.

I had excluded myself.

When I put away my cell phone and gave my opinion of last night’s Project Runway, I found people wanted to be my friend. Regardless of where I went to middle school.

7

differences between

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Private Public AND Schools Schools

Uniforms Larger classes More elective options Larger building Bigger student body More lunch options No religion classes

CreamCRAP of the

Duncan’s five least favorite songs on the radio today

“Down”- Jay Sean This

song is so annoyingly whiny and repetitive that I feel like smashing my radio with a nearby hard object when I hear it- even if it’s my forehead. I can take comfort in the fact that about a year from now no one will remember that this song existed.

It’s just too easy to hate on a “TiK ToK”- Ke$ha song by someone who calls themselves “Ke$ha,” and apparently never mastered the concept of punctuation.

If it weren’t for the numerous alcohol references, this song’s beat could pass as a Kidz Bop rendition of a Britney Spears hit.

“Whatcha Say”- Jason Derülo

Wait, I’ve just discovered why this song and “Down” sound so much alike. Jay Sean and Jason Derülo are actually both R.Kelly in disguise! I guess he has to pay the legal bills somehow.

“I Gotta Feeling”- Black Eyed Peas

I’m amazed that the Black Eyed Peas actually produced this atrocity. Their music has always been catchy in a funky, get-on-the-dance-floor kind of way, but “I Gotta Feeling” sounds more like it would be good background music for a T.G.I. Fridays commercial.

“Fireflies”- Owl City

I’d like to speak with the mayor of this so-called “Owl City,” and inform him that fireflies don’t give dance lessons or hugs, no matter how many organic indie tees and pairs of checkered Vans slip-ons he has in his closet.

Senior laments the way today’s music is... issue 8 opinion page 11

breakingtheradio an opinion of

When I listen to music, I’m looking for something that not only sounds good, >>DuncanMcHenry but makes me feel good as well.

That good feeling can come in the form of an energetic rock song to wake me up on the way to school, or a mellow jazz tune to help me relax before bed. It’s the reason why the first human ever decided to bang two stones together in rhythm and grunt, and it’s essentially why most of us listen to music today.

It’s why music has such a powerful effect on our emotions and moods. It’s why we crank rap music in our cars with our friends on Saturday nights, and it’s why we’re willing to spend $50 on a concert ticket to stand for five hours in the face of errant plastic beer cups and clouds of oddly fragrant smoke. It also used to be why I turned on the radio in my car.

But since around the middle of last summer, I’ve hardly been able to listen to popular stations like 95.7 the Vibe and Mix 93.3. It’s been impossible to tune in without hearing a song with a sugary electronic beat that repeats itself every four seconds and/or vocals that sound like a robot singing through the back of a fan.

Everyone loved to hate on the

Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC back when they were the kings of mainstream pop music, but hey, at least they could actually sing.

Factory hits that have dominated stations lately are perfect examples of how pop music has changed. Talented artists like the Beatles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and even Blink 182 or Outkast used to fill the airwaves. They were extremely skilled musicians and lyricists, but they also made music that the average listener would want to hear over and over again. They wrote their own lyrics and played a huge creative role in creating their albums, instead of merely using a cookie-cutter beat and lyrics that their record label paid someone else to write.

Most of the “artists” on the radio nowadays collectively have less talent and originality than Andre 3000 does in one of his pairs of chest-high argyle pants. As catchy as Jay Sean’s smash hit “Down” sounds, laying down the electronically polished vocals while reading off pre-written lyrics might have required getting dressed in the morning. Maybe.

In the music world, the radio is the fast food and full albums are multi-course meals. But lately, songs that have taken over most of the stations that don’t involve Bill Shapiro, country music or smooth jazz have turned the radio into the equivalent of a dollar menu. Whereas classic pop hits like Jay-Z’s “Hardknock Life” or Sublime’s “What I Got” were a Big Mac meal, most of today’s pop singles are more

like a dollar sundae.

And now that music has gone digital and hearing a single again is as simple as clicking the “buy now” button in iTunes, listeners are basically fine with that. The focus has moved away from recording a creative single to entice listeners into buying an album, and towards offering up a quick, tasty hit single that the average teenage girl can’t resist syncing onto her lime green iPod nano.

I’m not saying that having a catchy hit single is bad — in fact far from it. But when singles become the only focus, pop music starts to take a formulaic, factory approach.

No one can realistically claim that things should go back to exactly the way they were in the 60’s and 70’s, but there’s no denying that the popular music of that time was a million times more diverse and creative than the majority of what’s playing today.

Also, the fact that most of these artists don’t contribute anything to their music but their voice and ability to appear in People magazine’s celebrity candid shots has serious implications when it comes to live performances.

Real artists who write their own songs and work hard to perfect them are amazing in concert because of the emotion and skill they show when they play. It’s a little bit hard for Miley to get the same effect out of the “Party in the USA” chorus, whether she does it while dancing on a pole at an award show or not.

Pop music may never reach the heights it did when artists like Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, and the Beatles were in their creative heyday, but I wish that it would at least go back to where it was a few years ago. I remember as recently as the year 2000 when I could turn on 93.3 and hear a range of songs by artists like Nelly, No Doubt and Eminem. Each song was different, from the attitude to the instrumentals to the lyrics. Hearing those songs on the radio even inspired my 10-year-old self to drag my mom to Barnes and Noble to buy a few albums, such as Nelly’s “Country Grammar” (the clean version of course).

At its heart, good music is something that should be enjoyable and available to everyone, no matter if they’re an insurance salesperson or a professional jazz musician. It shouldn’t have to be analyzed and critiqued by two guys at a wine tasting. But if popular music stays on the same path, all of the good stuff may either become “underground,” or disappear from the radio completely. I’ve had enough of the cheap dollar menu hits on the FM. Radio stations should bring back the Big Macs.

>>allcdcovers.com >>illustration byKevin Simpson and Katie East

page 12 features 12.14.09

700 Miles Apart

Senior twins remain inseparable, even when they are...

>>Morgan Christian

>>Mackenzie Wylie

Senior Leia Swanson has always been the quieter twin, according to her father.

At birth, she was smaller than her twin sister senior Chandra Swanson, as well as a few minutes later (although the two were about six weeks premature).

Her observant personality contrasted with the more adventurous nature of her twin. Growing up, Chandra tended to play the role of mother bear, protecting Leia and including her in any new friendships that she made.

T h i s d i d n ’ t change in high school.

Chandra was usually the one to initiate conversations, be the most vocal cheerer at gymnastics comLeia a nd Ch petitions, and try andra at age new programs and four clubs.

Until this year, the sisters had only been apart twice in their entire lives. The first time was shortly after birth, when Leia was in a level two nursSee if you can tell Leia and Chandra ery at the hospital and Chandra an inapart in these three pictures tensive care nursery. The second time was this past summer, during separate trips to Paraguay and Costa Rica for the Amigos de las Americas program.

Now, because of Chandra’s decision to attend an international school in New Mexico, they’re spending their senior year of high school 700 miles apart.

The Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (UWCUSA) is a two-year, pre-university residential school located near Las Vegas, New Mexico, that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program.

It is one of 12 United World Colleges around the world, whose mission is to “make education a force to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.”

Chandra decided last May to attend the school. However, none of the credits from her first year IB classes at East transferred, so she is retaking all of those classes this year. Similarly, none of the classes she takes now will count toward the last two Shawnee Mission graduation requirements she needs (a government credit and English 12 credit), so online courses will make up for that. Next school year, after completing

1

2

3

the second year IB classes in a sort of “gap year” before going to college, she will have two diplomas: a 2010 East diploma and a 2011 IB diploma.

“It was kind of sad and nerve-wracking for me,” Chandra said. “For the first time I would be totally on my own. I would be without someone to walk with in the halls and sit with at lunch.”

Leia was able to understand her sister’s fears.

“Being a twin, you’re never alone,” Leia said. “Always having someone you know [with you] is comforting.”

The two twins came to depend on this comfort growing up. Before piano duets, one sister always knew exactly what words of encouragement the other needed. In gymnastics, they could always recognize each other’s voices above the crowd. Being together in IB was beneficial too- during late nights one could wake the other up if she happened to doze off doing homework.

As college quickly approached, though, each became aware that soon they would have to take their separate paths. So when Chandra received a postcard in the mail last fall informing her of the UWC program, she thought maybe it was time.

She filled out the basic application information, but let the idea sit in her head for a while, not mentioning it to her family until winter break. This was when she got her parents’ signatures and wrote her essays. She faxed the application at 5 a.m. on January 15, the day it was due.

In late March, at the Marriott Hotel near KCI Airport, a board member interviewed her. They went over her application, personal strengths and areas of enjoyment, and what would occur if she were accepted.

Finally, on April 23, Chandra received her letter of acceptance. She had one week-until May 1- to decide if she wanted to stay or go.

“It was a really intense process,” Chandra said. “I spent a lot of time talking to my parents and counselors, and making pros and cons lists. I talked to directors of admissions and current UCW students. There was lots of introspection.”

At this point, Leia became involved in the whole process, helping her sister with late-night list making on loose-leaf paper and acting as a sounding board.

When Chandra felt like she had deliberated all that she could, she called for a family vote after dinner on the night before she had to decide. She wasn’t sure of what to do next and wanted the opinions of those closest to her.

So the Swansons gathered around their

kitchen table, wrote “yes” or “no” (yes being “go” and no being “don’t”) on slips of paper, and put them in a bowl.

The outcome: three yes’s and one no - Leia’s vote.

“I was happy for her,” Leia said. “I thought it was going to be a good experience, but I also thought it would be very different without her.”

Chandra ended up deciding to go at 2 a.m. on May 1.

“I knew what I was getting into if I stayed at East,” Chandra said. “I knew what I would be missing, and could reconcile that. But if I decided against going to New Mexico, I would always be wondering ‘What if?’ ” Unfortunately, Leia and Chandra didn’t have much time that summer to spend with each other. As soon as school was out they began a whirlwind travel schedule, including visits to Philadelphia, Washington, D. C., Denver and Minnesota. Then came their separate Amigos trips to Paraguay and Costa Rica.

Once the sisters returned, Chandra had to focus on leaving for New Mexico, while Leia had to focus on preparing for school. The day Chandra left was almost anticlimactic. She was to leave with her dad around mid-morning, so simple good-byes for her family as they headed out early would have to do.

Now, though, both sisters have gotten used to living without each other.

Technology certainly helps- they e-mail almost every day, talk on the phone every few days, and Skype every once in a while.

Each has also branched out in her own way.

“It was kind of weird,” Leia said.

“You say goodbye and go to school, and Chandra’s supposed to be there, but she’s not. It was weird hanging around school by myself in the morning.”

Chandra, on the other hand, is adjusting to her new environment. She lives in a dorm on campus with a roommate. At the end of each school day she gains CAS (creativity, action, service) hours through yearbook, wilderness trips and participation in the animal welfare program.

As for the future, neither is sure of their plans beyond the going to college.

And, of course, keeping a connection with each other.

“We most likely will not go to the same college,” Chandra said. “But we will always have constant communication, keeping in touch and giving each other advice.”

Just like they always have.

Picture 2: Chandra (left) Leia (right) Picture 3: Chandra (left) Leia (right) Picture 1: Chandra (left) Leia

LANCERS

lead the

issue 8 features page 13

to him that we didn’t have one and of interest they may*** this year. he had never questioned not seeing one at events.

Although he is helping to bring the role of “It would be a visual symbol of mascot to East, Rorie hopes for the tradition Junior hopes to become the East mascot as a step towards being Truman at MU who we are,” Krawitz said. “ It would to continue after he has left. be a good thing to have and I would “To have a tangible mascot can strengthAnnieSgroi *** As the team ran out onto the field of Being a mascot isn’t new to Rorie. When hope it would be embraced by the student en the image of the school,” Rorie said. “Like a sports team can strengthen the image of Memorial Stadium, four year-old Alex Ro- he was in the fifth grade at Corinth Elemen- body.”

Krawitz said that the mascot’s support the school by doing well, the mascot will rie wasn’t paying attention to the numbers tary, Papa John’s gave the school a discount on the black and gold jerseys. His eyes on pizza for the carnival. Papa John’s needed should be at all types of school events—from become something you think of when you were fixed on the tiger spraying the crowd a mascot at the school on carnival night, so fundraising events to games to cheerleading think of the school.”

After leaving East, Rorie hopes he’ll camps. After talking with Rorie about the with water as it rode by in a fire truck. As Rorie volunteered to be ‘the pizza guy.’ the game began, Rorie pulled his parents Looking through the big black mesh eyes idea of a mascot, Krawitz sent him to athletic have a different view of MU games. He doesn’t want to be in the stands, waiting for through the crowded stands so he could get of his pizza slice costume, Rorie danced from director Jim Ricker to continue the process. the sound of a firetruck’s engine. He hopes to Rorie and Ricker discussed the need his picture taken with that tiger—Truman, game to game at the carnival. At the cake be the symbol with all eyes on him— the MU mascot. walk he hokey-pokeyed for a mascot and worked to find a cossilently cheering on the players.

Rorie and his family conhis way around the circle. tume supplier. Ricker called Shawnee tinued going to Missouri He comically missed every Mission South and asked where they out the football games. Through the toss by a mile at the ring had gotten the Raider costume for their years, Rorie was inspired toss. He scurried after the mascot. From South, Ricker found out The Company by how Truman brought the kids who stole his white about Scollon Productions, a leading mascot manufacturing company. whole stadium together.

Mickey Mouse gloves.

Scollon Productions, Inc. will After finding the company name, “[Truman] gets everyRorie liked using his be making the Lancer mascot one really excited and really energy to get people ex- Ricker discussed costume possibilities costume. Since 1968, Scollon pumped about the game,” Rocited so much that he re- with Rorie. The two options would be has made mascot costumes for a full suit of armor or simply a Lancer rie said. “He’s got the emotion prised his role as the pizthousands of corporations around of the whole team, the whole za guy in the sixth grade. head.

ALEX RORIE posed with Truman, the world and over 100 U.S. sports Ricker then passed the project onto stands—he’s exuding that.”

He liked entertaining the at Memorial Stadium when he was teams.

Now a junior, Rorie saw four-years-old. school—but it was then Pep Club sponsor Nick Paris. Since the mascot’s purpose would be to bring Photo courtesy of Alex Rorie the familiar tiger at the ColRorie realized what he re>> A few of Scollon’s clients are: lege Clinic. Mascots don’t ally wanted was a bigger spirit and pep to East, Pep Club seemed like a fitting organization to take it on. speak but Rorie had a question for Truman. venue. A venue 100 yards long.

Warner Bros So far Pep Club has seen one design So instead he asked the woman there repreUniversal Studios *** senting MU what it would take to follow in This October, Rorie started his efforts to- from Scollon but with the price in the University of Kansas his childhood idol’s footsteps. She told Rorie wards becoming the Lancer mascot by talk- thousands, Paris said they will have The possible design that being a high school mascot would put ing to Principal Karl Krawitz. Rorie told Dr. to do substantial fundraising before Kansas City Royals him a step above the competition to be Tru- Krawitz that he was interested in bringing a making a decision. Paris expects orthe possible design man. mascot to East and explained his feeling that ganizations such as the PTA to chip in towards the mascot costume.

Now Rorie had a plan—become the East a mascot would increase school spirit.

Pep Club has never had mascot trymascot.

Krawitz said he was interested in the idea www.scollon.com of having a mascot. It had never occurred outs before but depending on the level

>>

SKETCHING

SUIT

>>

>>photo illustration by Mackenzie Wylie

page 14 features 12.14.09

Walking Weakness with a

Junior learns how to manage using a wheelchair at school due to an undiagnosed blood pressure disease

JUNIOR Jaeda Christensen works in the library. She became a lab aid after losing class credit.

>>PhoebeUnterman

Each morning at 7 a.m., she walks into the nurse’s office, turns the corner to where her wheelchair is parked next to the lost-and-found cabinet and eases herself down into it. Her brother hangs her heavy green backpack from the handles on her wheelchair, and she grips the gray rubber of the wheels, pushing herself forward out of the office and into the hallway. When people who don’t know her see her, they probably think she’s always been in a wheelchair, that she’s never been able to walk on her own.

But junior Jaeda Christensen can walk—she walks .8 miles up Mission Road every morning to school. It isn’t the walking in the cold or rain that’s a problem for Jaeda, or getting into her wheelchair each morning, or that extra push up the south ramp after lunch that used to leave her arms aching and sore.

It’s the standing up—that split second in between everything—that makes the difference to Jaeda. It’s the standing up that makes her dizzy, makes her light-headed, makes her legs lock up like tree trunks.

“It feels like I just stood up too fast,” Jaeda said. “But ten times worse.” *** It started over two years ago. When Jaeda would stand up every once in a while, she felt light-headed and her legs felt heavy. The first few times, she didn’t think too much of it—she thought she had just stood up too fast.

At the very beginning, it would only happen once or twice a month. But when it began happening once or twice a week, she told her mom, Susan Christensen, and they went to a pediatrician. The pediatrician said it was nothing to worry about, but she recommended a cardiologist they could see if it would ease their minds. The tests at the cardiologist’s came up clear too, though. A sonogram of her heart showed it was perfectly normal. So Jaeda went back to her life trying to think nothing of it, since there seemed to be no medical reason to explain it.

But it only got worse. By the beginning of the summer, it was happening twice a day. And now when it happened, things started going dark. She started blacking out when it happened, sometimes just for a couple seconds, sometimes for up to 30.

The real trouble started when she missed a week and a half of school at the beginning of the year due to a high fever. The list of assignments she missed in Chemistry alone was a page and half long. They were all zeroes. She had to drop the class, and became a lab-aid in the library.

It was getting more difficult to concentrate. Homework that used to be a breeze took longer. She had more trouble reading. The summer before her sophomore year, she read over 70 manga books and several novels. Now she could barely make it through a page.

“It’s a lot harder for me to concentrate when I’m reading,” Jaeda said. “My eyes jump around the page.”

Near the end of September, though, things started look-

>>Mackenzie Wylie ing up for Jaeda. On Sept. 21, she tried out for the fall play, “The Grapes of Wrath.” A week later she tried out for senior Kaevan Tavakolinia’s frequent Friday, “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, “a play written by senior Nathan Goldman about a troubled teen who connects with Anne Frank when he finds a copy of her diary. She got a part in both. *** There were only a handful of people at the auditions for Aeroplane, so Jaeda got to try reading all the female parts. As she stood on the stage in the Little Theater, the hair stood up on the back of her neck when she read from the play: “Anne: Dearest Kitty. I think it’s odd that grown ups quarrel so easily and so often, and about such petty matters. I should be used to the fact that these squabbles are daily occurrences, but I’m not, and never will be…”

It took her back to when she was a little kid, before her parents’ divorce when she was eight years old. She remembered laying at the top of her stairs and hearing her parents yelling, flinching when she heard the sound of her dad slamming the door.

“Let me have at least one night when I don’t cry myself to sleep with my eyes burning and my head pounding. Let me get away, away from everything, away from this world!

It won’t take long before I explode with pent-up rage.”

Jaeda felt a connection with Anne’s anger—she remembered times when she was so mad she wanted to blow up at someone. But instead, she kept it inside.

Tavakolinia saw Jaeda’s connection to the play even before the auditions. He’d given out the audition packets a week before auditions so people could look them over. Jaeda read it and talked to him about it, asked him questions about the characters.

“Jaeda expressed a lot of interest in it,” Tavakolinia said.

“And I could tell right from the bat that she got it and that she could relate the character that I’d wanted to portray.” *** Just a few weeks before “Grapes of Wrath,” Jaeda had shooting pains in her knee that wouldn’t go away. She felt weaker than ever, and she was having episodes almost every time she stood up. She and her mom went to the emergency room. They were there for hours, tests were run—no one had an answer.

Jaeda missed the next two weeks of school. She felt at her weakest then, and she was still having episodes almost every time she tried to stand up. She played a lot of video games online and did a lot of drawing from her imagination—things her brain could handle. She couldn’t concentrate on her make-up work.

On Monday, Nov. 16, Jaeda was feeling better. She went up to school with her mom to talk to her counselor, Mrs. Johnson.

Jaeda had a choice: come back to school, or miss another week to make her eligible for homebound study.

Between Jaeda, Susan, Johnson and associate principal

Heather Royce, it was decided that Jaeda could come back to school, but she would have to use a wheelchair during the day. Jaeda barely thought twice about what it would be like to be in a wheelchair—she wanted to come back to school, and her mom agreed that it would be much better than homebound study.

Things seemed to be looking up again. Jaeda was finally set to return to school, and her counselor was helping her work out what to do about her classes. All she had to do was find a wheelchair and then her life would be back in place.

Then, the next day, the family’s Chevy Conversion van died. There wasn’t enough money to fix it; Susan realized she wouldn’t be able to drive Jaeda to school. Every day since then, Jaeda’s 23-year-old brother Ben walks her to school and helps her get into her wheelchair when she gets there.

“I was going to drive her to school every day,” Susan said. “I feel kind of guilty that I can’t be more involved in helping her out.”

Then began the hunt for a wheelchair for Jaeda to use.

They posted on their Facebooks that they needed one and put a request on wishuponahero.com. A friend from church whose mother had recently passed away lent Jaeda the one that had been her mother’s.

The same day she got the wheelchair, Jaeda went to see “The Grapes of Wrath.” She sat in the audience, her lines running through her head. *** On Dec. 4, the day of the Frequent Friday, Jaeda gets to enter the Little Theater early. She sits in the second row. In her backpack, at the bottom of the pile in the hall, is her well-worn, well-read script with all of Naomi’s lines highlighted in electric blue. She loves the show and thinks it went amazingly well. Jaeda even helped Tavakolinia decide who to choose as her replacement.

She’s positive about the wheelchair situation. It beats having to be a homebound student. She’s built the strength in her arms to make it up the ramp without having to ask someone to push her. And if no one else is on the ramp, she releases the brake and flies down.

Jaeda’s positive, but she’s still aware of the reality of the situation: two different emergency room visits, multiple trips to four different doctors, but no diagnosis. The doctors have said that it could be Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a disorder defined by excessive heart rate increments when a person stands up.

For now, Jaeda is trying to wean herself from the chair.

She only uses it on days when she feels weaker in the morning, and she returns it to the nurse’s office early if she’s feeling better.

“She’s been amazingly positive about the whole situation,” Susan said. “She wants to get out of [the wheelchair], and I can see she’s trying hard to get better.”

issue 8 features page 15

a lovefor

signing

EAST INTERPRETER Susi Hogestt-Duncan, teacher Jeannette Bonjour and senior Rachel Gangwere practice signing during sign language club. all photos by MackenzieWylie

>>

>>KikiSykes

Eight people form a tight-knit circle in the center of room 507 after school. Eight smiles glow on each person’s face as they look around at the others. Eight hands point to the center, each shaped to form the sign meaning “I love you.” No words are needed to understand the meaning behind that shape of their hands. The fingers say it all.

These eight people are none other than the members of the sign language club, a club new to East this year. Seniors Alexa Schnieders and Rachel Gangwere started the club last year after the sign language class had been stopped because of budget cuts. The classes were taught by Susi Hogestt-Duncan, an East interpreter, and Traci Jardes, the current deafand-hard-of-hearing teacher. Hogsett-Duncan worried about the effects of the class being cut on a large scale as well. She had five students in five years go on to an interpreting profession.

“It’s just such a shame [that the sign language class got cut],” English teacher Jeannette Bonjour said. “Where does the next generation of sign interpreters come from?”

Schnieders and Gangwere had convinced many of their friends to sign up for the class as well and were just as upset as the teachers when they heard news that the class would be cut. They knew something had to be done to continue the deaf culture at East.

Together, they decided a club should be formed. They began by going to the bookkeeper and filling out the form to approve their club. After getting signatures from HogsettDuncan, Bonjour, and potential club members, they turned it in and waited for the official consent to begin. Now that the club has been approved and details are figured out, the sign language club is officially underway. Led by HogsettDuncan, the club meets every Thursday after school in Bonjour’s room.

The club includes members from various grades and different signing abilities. Some students are still learning the

Sign Language

Favorites Members of the sign language club talk about their favorite words to sign

The sign language program continues despite budget cuts

basic alphabet, while others can hold full sign conversations.

This club allows them to practice signing and improve from whatever level they are currently at.

During meetings, the group spends 30 minutes dedicated to improving each persons’ signing ability. Members discuss the different forms of the language and how to improve their skills. They create signs to represent their name, play games for candy, form friendships and all the while learn a new language.

Hogsett-Duncan said her approach to the club is practical. One of the first things they learn is that you can’t be embarrassed by mistakes, because they are common when you are first starting out in the deaf culture. She says you have to be comfortable with yourself and understand that you won’t get it right every time.

“It’s okay to make mistakes,” Gangwere said. “Deaf people really appreciate any effort to try to communicate with them.”

Facial expressions are key. According to Hogsett-Duncan, it’s useless to tell someone you are sad when you have a tacky smile glued to your face. Facial grammar is vital in the process of learning how to sign.

Another one of Hogsett-Duncan’s main goals is to have the kids learn conversational signs along with the basic vocabulary.

“If they see someone in the grocery store needing assistance, I want them to know enough to be someone that can help,” Hogsett-Duncan said.

Each student at the club has their own reason for coming

ALEXASCHNIEDERS

“Everyone loves the sign for ‘Starbucks’ because other proper nouns don’t have a sign, so you finger spell them. But Starbucks is so popular that it has its own sign. To sign Starbucks you take your middle finger and tap it against your thumb with both hands and hold them in front of you.”

RACHELGANGWERE

back each week. For some, they purely enjoy the opportunity to learn about the deaf culture. For others, they learn with the hopes of incorporating sign language into their daily routines for years to come. For Schnieders, it is the only way for her to communicate with her deaf aunt and uncle who live in Hong Kong.

“I learned sign language so I could break at least one of the language barriers between us,” Schnieders said.

No one in her family is fluent in signing so it was a big deal to her uncle for her to take the time to learn it. Schnieders even taught her uncle how to sign the song “Sunday Best” by Augustana so they could “sing” it together.

Sign language plays a huge role in her life by opening communication between her family members and she hopes others can come to learn the language and fall in love with it just as she has. That was a main part of why this club was formed. Even though the class may be gone, all students at East can still have the opportunity to increase their awareness of sign language in our world today.

“Many people know [sign language] exists, but there is ignorance about sign language and deaf culture and what it is,” Schnieders said.

Club members have learned that it’s all about having fun and enjoying the chance to make yourself aware to a whole other language that is often skipped by.

“It’s more than just a hobby,” Gangwere said. “I really do use it to describe me. It’s such a fun language and I can’t stress that enough.”

“My favorite sign is ‘I really love you.’ It’s a universal sign and it’s become a universal symbol for my group of friends to say ‘I love you.’ Even though they don’t know sign language they know that sign. It uses one hand and it’s really easy to do.”

CHARLIEKLINE

“I really like the sign for ‘breakup.’ There are a lot of signs that are picture-oriented and this is one of them. The sign for ‘break’ is joined with the finger spelling of ‘up.’ It looks pretty, even though it might be a little unfortunate. When you do it quickly it looks like something is blowing up.”

page 16 spread 12.14.09 2000

2001

The decade began with a new way to see our crowded halls, with the addition of security cameras. The 48 cameras were placed throughout the school in order to decrease theft and crime in the halls. Other additions included much needed remodeling of the swimming pool, where a new ceiling was added and the filtering system was replaced.

‘00

The year was a dark time in our treasured halls. After coaching volleyball for 8 years, Terry Wright was arrested and found guilty on three counts of rape and unlawful sexual relations with some of his players.

‘06

2006

Westwood View Elementary School grad and Blue Valley North junior Esmie Tseng (below) was charged with stabbing her mother to death and began serving her 100 month sentence at the Topeka Correctional Facility for Women.

The Lady Lancers took state in soccer, under coach Jim Ricker, repeating after a 1999 championship. It was the first time the team had ever won back to b a c k championships.

East had a scare as when a small fire broke out in the kiln roo Freshman Anne Wheeler broke the When students and staff heard the alarm they began to file ou norm of boy’s wrestling by becoming side slowly like every other drill, but they would soon realize th the first girl to join the team at East. She wasn’t a drill as they were shoved into the gym. The fire did joined despite her spread and n “fear of being hit,” body was hu but that fear subsidbut it was stil ed with a kick to the wake-up call the school. eye in practice. She

‘01

went on the wrestle JV with her strong perseverance.

East’s all-time leading scorer, senior J.D. Christie, led the Lancer basketball squad on a spectacular run to the state championship, averaging 30 points and 10 rebounds a game and would later sign a letter of intent to play at the University of Evansville, a D-1 college.

This year was the beginning of a dominating streak.

The boys’ swim and dive team won state for the first time in 15 years, and would continue to dominate the sport with three more championships in a row.

2005

‘05

LOOKING BACK

A DECADE OF EAST

The Harbinger remembers the moments and events of the past the 10 >>Matt

Junior Paige Winters perished in plane crash in Lexington, Kentucky, on a trip to find a new horse to ride in competition.

The year did have a bright spots, when the Blue Knights were invited to the Essential Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition in New York at Carnegie Hall, where only 15 high schools in the nation were invited.

2007 In an effort to create better student health, every can of bubbly soda was removed from the vending machines. Cokes and Sprites were replaced with Powerades and lemonade. It was good news for the coffee shop, though, because students would need their caffeine to push them through their dragging second hours.

‘07

Two young scientists, freshmen Keshav Ramaswami and Prarthana Dalal became two of the 400 semi-finalists in Discovery Channel’s “Young Scientist Challenge.” Ramaswami would continue to the finals in Washington D.C. with 39 others.

During the year, new principal, Karl Krawitz brought to East along with a new attitude and excitement. Block uling began, and was a success among both students an Krawitz also created a new cell phone policy th all students the right to use their phones at during passing periods, and before and after opposed to the old rules in teachers could take a studen phone if it was out.

‘08

issue 8 spread page 17 2002

om. uthis dn’t nourt, ll a to

1

Another shock came on Lancer Day, when the junior float collapsed, injuring six students. As the girls smiled and waved to the crowd on their “East in Wonderland” cake-shaped float, it hit a bump and many of the girls fell on the railing. With a quick snap, the railing collapsed, sending the girls onto the asphalt of Mission Road, and five were sent to the hospital. Only minutes later, junior Rachael Berlau fell off the back of a go-cart and was also sent to the hospital with a head injury.

After being offered the Olathe Northwest head coaching job, Todd Dain, the first football head coach to lead the Lancers to back-to-back district and regional championships, left East to coach the Ravens.

‘02

The chess club went to Nationals, while the Lancer debaters accomplished something no other team has ever done in Kansas by taking first and second at state.

As the school year was coming to a close, 50 license plates were removed from their cars and scattered through the parking lot as a senior prank, leaving the administration with the joy of matching each plate to the missing cars.

ADDING UP THE CHAMPIONSHIPS The Choral Department left to sing for the world as they travelled and serenaded through England’s fish and chips shops, Belgium’s street corners and Germany’s House of Bach. East was invited as the only high school in the world to sing among numerous college and professional choirs at Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday celebration, televised across Germany.

2000 GIRLS’ SOCCER 2001

BOYS’ GOLF, BOYS’ TENNIS

2003

GIRLS’ TENNIS

2005

BOYS’ SWIM AND DIVE

Tarihira Vanvlimmeren shut down the gender barrier in football when she signed up the freshman football team. At 108 pounds, Vanvlimmeren was one of the smallest on the team. She had always played rugby in her home of New Zealand, and her aggressiveness didn’t fade when she moved to the states. She fit in just fine with the squad.

2006 BOYS’ TENNIS, BOYS SWIM AND DIVE

T

2004

K:

With the creation of the GayStraight Alliance, East began making huge strides in equality, all starting with their meetings in room 318. They discussed ways to educate students about the issue and worked on ways to spread the usually suppressed voices of the homosexuals. On April 21, many students pledged a vow of silence for one day to represent those who were be harassed.

BOYS’ SWIM AND DIVE

2008 GIRLS’ TENNIS, BOYS TENNIS’, BOYS’ SWIM AND DIVE, BOYS’ GOLF

TOTAL: 12 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN TEN YEARS

For the first time in school history, East entered into the sport of bowling. While the basketball team was dropping sweat all over the court, bowlers such as junior Michael Pope were chowing down on some chili cheese fries and a chugging icy Coke before dropping another strike. Although bowling didn’t etch its name as classic sport at East, it set up an alternative sport that has lasted for years and continues today.

Fifteen varsity cheerleaders were kicked off of the squad for the season after a drinking scandal. Only two varsity girls remained, so the JV cheerleaders would fill the rest of the squad for the fall season. Because cheerleading is a three season sport, the varsity girls were able to return in the winter and spring.

‘04

0 years

When freshman Jake Shepard was diagnosed with cancer, he began raising money to create his dream of a skatepark in Prairie Village. He began to help design a layout for the park and soon raised 500 dollars in his piggy bank. But his sickness caught up with him, and Jake died before he could raise enough money to propose his idea to the city. Even with the loss of their leader, Jake’s family and close friends rallied behind his dream, raised thousands of dollars, and his vision of a skatepark near East came to life.

2003

2007

‘03

Gannon

change k schednd staff. hat gave t lunch, school, n which nt’s cell

8

2008 After the Lancer’s came up short in their last football game, head coach John Stonner, stepped down, and East was left to find a replacement.

Both the Lady Lancers’ Tennis team and the boy’s team took state, adding to the year of four state championships.

2009 As the decade comes to a close, East is making more memories than ever. On a cold day in February, Fred Phelps and his followers approached our school to protest against East and our respect for gay rights. But, his protest was almost nothing compared to the huge counter-protest at East. For every minute that Phelps protested, money was made to help kind a cure for AIDS. East made a lot of news with the peaceful protest and had turned a dark situation into something that would help people all over the world.

‘09

A new era of football has taken over East, with the hiring of Chip Sherman. Sherman led the team to a last-minute playoff berth. At the beginning of the season a lot of people expected instant success, which has been proven to be difficult to achieve your first year with a team. But Sherman and the Lancers gave their fans some exciting action to watch, and the future looks bright for the team.

RECYCLE YOUR HARBINGER

After winning their first home meet against the defending state champs, the boys’ swim team is

issue 8 photo essay page 19

flying

forward

Above: Junior Branden Schoofs concentrates before climbing the blocks to swim the 50 free. Schoofs finished second in his first race since transferring from Blue Valley Northwest last year.

Right: Sophomore Andrew Simpson gets ready for the backstroke start. The Lancers beat Olathe East in their first meet of the year.

>>all photos by Grant Heinlein

Far Above: Junior Colin Enger lifts out of the water as he finishes his butterfly stroke. Enger finished second in the race.

Above: Freshmen Chris Watkins and Grant Sitomer talk in the locker room during the dive team portion of the meet. Diving takes place during the middle of the meets, so swimmers usually return to the locker room and dry off for the next section.

page 20 a&e 12.14.09

‘GAGA’

Lady Gaga’s latest release, “The Fame Monster,” successfully drives home beats and synths

>>KatBuchanan

I am goo goo for Gaga.

Ever since the release of “The Fame Monster” two weeks ago, my speakers have been blasting nothing but fast-paced beats and electronic dance jams. Lady Gaga’s edgy, fun songs can lift me from a school-related wallow and tempt me into a have-to-sing-along stupor.

When I got my first glimpse of the rising artist on a VH1 special in 2008, I was skeptical. Stefani Germanotta (stage name Lady Gaga) was obviously using shock value rather than raw talent to get her message across, right? The platinum blond hair, the insect-eye glass-

oriented sound and gutsy vocals, she shows a softer side with the lone ballad on the album, “Speechless” and a very bluesy ending track titled “Teeth.” These two songs show Gaga in a different light, not as the Queen of the Club, but as a singer with edge. “Teeth” stands out from the lineup with it’s brassy background music and old Louisiana style.

It doesn’t seem like it would belong on the album, but she sounds so great that it makes itself right at home -- which makes me like it all the more.

“Telephone,” featuring Beyonce Knowles is a song I’m predicting will shoot into the top ten on the charts. Beyonce and Gaga collaborating for another hit about phones? Don’t get me started.

As much as I may rant and rave about this album, there are a few setbacks. The majority of the songs feature a 30-second intro including many tricks of the pop trade such as moaning, stuttering and a fine mix of broken background music. As well as the wait at the beginning of the track, the majority of her songs break up the flow of the music with dialogue, which is normal for her but usually leaves the last note I sang aloud hanging in the air.

With only eight tracks on the “The Fame Monster”, you would think the album falls short, but it’s quite the opposite. Buying the lone album or even select track on iTunes gives you the opportunity to grow close to her style and enjoy the up-tempo rhythm of the songs.

When listening to this album, it’s best not to over-think it. If you just take the music as it is and enjoy it as just that -- pop music -- then you’ve got a good chance at going goo goo, too.

|

|

g dia.or

ikime

ons.w

.comm

>>www

es, the mile-high shoulder pads -- far from the norm. My opinion was this: Lady Gaga really is gaga.

But as her debut album “The Fame” rose on the Billboard Hot 100 list and I listened to her songs on the radio time and time again, I began to drop my argument and enjoy the hypnotic beats. Any car ride was made better by the song “LoveGame” or the ever-popular “Poker Face.” The lyrics were easy to remember and the sound was sharp, despite the constant techno fluff.

Through innocent investigation I found acoustic versions of “Poker Face” and “Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)” that put my already-shrinking doubts to shame.

Lady Gaga is talented. Her bare voice, stripped of synthesizers and thumping background music, is as refreshing as a Gatorade after a two hour football practice. As a talent scout once commented after the singer/songwriter had performed live at NYU, “look out Norah Jones.”

“The Fame Monster” is a continuation of “The Fame”, showing the dark side of her celebrity experience through the metaphor of a monster. No matter how much her lyrics may seem like she’s been spitting mumbo jumbo out onto a page, she has an underlying theme throughout the two albums: fame. She goes about singing of her triumphs and woes as an international pop star, something not all listeners can relate to but something we want to be able to.

“Bad Romance”, the first track on the album, was number one on the iTunes Top 100 List within three days of release and the YouTube music video accrued millions of hits from the get-go. Though it doesn’t play in to the fame aspect as much as the other tracks, this song has a lot going for it.

Enticing hooks, catchy chorus, the ability to get the party started -- what more could a pop single ask for?

While she keeps her club-

Alejandro

Why: This song is so catchy, it’s unbelievable. I’m still not sure what exactly she’s singing about but if you put on this song, I will be dancing.

Kat’s top five songs from “Fame Monster”

Speechless

Why: I really like hearing her natural voice. It’s so grainy in her fast-pace songs but this hit takes a step back from the hype and shows her true colors.

Telephone

Why: Beyonce. GaGa. Together. ‘Nuff said.

Dance in the Dark

Why: The moaning intro is a little ridiculous, but I’m really into the beat and the message. I had this song on loop for two weeks, and that speaks for itself.

Teeth

Why: It’s different. No other song on The Fame Monster has the strange cajan Christina Aguilera-esque sound, and the change of pace is good for her.

STAR SCALE|

| Press ‘skip’|

|Borrow it |

|Download it |

|Auditory Brilliance

Any little brother would love the opportunity to torment you with a Nerf gun.

So just go ahead, make his day, give him one for Christmas. They are only about $20 at Target or Walmart while the higher quality ones are closer to $40. But your brother wont know the difference. You may want to type up a ‘Terms of Agreement’ to go along with it so that you and your friends aren’t constantly getting shot at.

give him a

shot

picturethis What is all mothers’ favorite thing in the world? Their children. Look through your photos and find a picture of you and mom, make it black and white, find a simple inexpensive frame and you’re good to go. Frames only cost about $10 at Walmart.

It will be your mom’s favorite gift of the year and you can spend less than 20 bucks on it.

For my little bro

MORE under the tree for LESS out of your wallet

The Harbinger’s guide for gifts on the cheap this holiday season

top dog

to our favorite pup!

When money is tight around the holidays you can always make homemade CDs as gifts. You can buy a 50-pack of blank CD’s at Best Buy for only about $10. This gift works for anyone in the family. You can make a ‘Greatest Broadway Show tunes CD’ for that family member that can’t listen to enough show tunes. And make dad a ‘70’s Greatest Hits CD’ since he still thinks he’s living in his high school days. Or even make your little sister a Hannah Montana CD although you’ll regret it later when you hear it blasting in her room. CD’s are cheap and fun to personalize for anyone.

>>all photos by Mackenzie Wylie

>>EmmaPennington

It’s easy to see why people are hesitant to spend a lot of money on Christmas gifts this year. So the Harbinger decided to show you that there are many great gifts that won’t burn up all your cash. After polling East students from each grade level, these seven items were among the top ‘best cheaper gifts’ they received in the past.

Take our advice: don’t spend a lot, make homemade gifts and don’t forget the family dog.

For Grandma & Grandpa

music to his ears

FOR DAD

issue 8 a&e page 21 knock her

socks off

It’s time to bundle up as the temperature starts to drop. An inexpensive gift for any family member or friend is a nice pair of warm fuzzy socks.

There are many different colors and styles to choose from.

Some pairs are more or what’s called a “slipper sock”, made to wear around the house. These are anywhere from $5-$12 at Target and Walmart. Other styles could be worn under boots to stay warm. Either way, fuzzy socks are a great gift without having to drop too much cash.

To: M om

for your

The one family member that seems to get gypped every year for Christmas is the dog. Is it too much to ask to buy them a Frisbee? They cost about $10 at Target or you could spring for a $15 lightup Frisbee to play fetch with in the dark. Also, use puff paint (about a dollar at Hobby Lobby) to personalize the frisbee with your dog’s name. Whatever you do, don’t let your pup be left out this Christmas.

y m o t er ^ sist

make it up to them

Your grandparents have probably spent hundreds of dollars on you over the years and still carry around your fourth grade school picture in their wallets. The least you can do is give them something for the Holidays. What better way to show them you love them than making them an ornament for their Christmas tree? This way they can hang it up and look at it all season and for seasons to come. Fourpacks of glass ornaments are sold at Target for only $8 and a set of paints for $10.

the

sweetestthings

To my BFFs :)

Seems silly to spend 30 bucks on all your friends for the Holidays. Why not just get all your friends a little bag of treats and write them a note to go with it? It is a simple and inexpensive way to show them you care. You can get a jumbo bag of candy at Target for only about $9. Then just split it up between your friends. If you want to spend a little more time and effort you can whip up a batch of ever-popular peppermint bark. Or some holiday shaped sugar cookies. It’s quick, easy and everyone loves something sweet to munch on during the Holidays.

SME SWIM & DIVE SME SWIM & DIVE SME SWIM & DIVE

I am so determined to make something of my life. I have the talent. I have the drive.

But most importantly, I have motivation.

ATTENTION ALL SWIMMERS!

Attend the 5th Annual Makin’ Waves Swim Clinic One and a half fun-filled hours with Coach Wright

and his Lancer swimmers working on strokes, starts turns, fun relays, plus an East Swim and Dive t-shirt!

Learn from the 6-time Sunflower League Champion SM East Boys Swim & Dive Team!

Saturday, January 2, 2010 9-10:30 A.M. for Ages 10 & Under 10:30-Noon for Ages 11 & Up SM East Pool (Entrance off 75th street) Cost: $25

Determination

Demonstrate your drive at JCCC! Johnson County Community College www.jccc.edu 913-469-3803 Become a JCCC fan at facebook.com/jccc411

4x6Determ

Sign up today, space is limited!

For questions or directions to sign up contact Sarah Enger at sarah.hoops@att.net or (913)-648-1745.

This is a fundraiser for the Swim & Dive Team

2,200 members of the Prairie Village community

WILL READ THIS AD.

E-MAIL SMEHARBINGER@GMAIL.COM TO ADVERTISE

‘Saint’ly cinema

issue 8 a&e page 23

Fan-friendly “Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” serves as a terrific follow-up to its shootem-up predecessor

BEHIND ‘BOONDOCK’

Director Troy Duffy (above) and independent studio Franchise Pictures released “Boondock Saints” in 1999 to only five screens for the period of a week. Blockbuster later brought the film into its video library, and it gained popularity through word of mouth publicity, making $50 million in home video sales. Interest in making the sequel started in 2002, but backing was not received until 2008.

STAR SCALE | |Stay home|

>>photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

>>AlexLamb

It’s been a decade since “The Boondock Saints” was released, and over the past ten years, the film has grown from its humble origins as just a little-known, independent action flick to one of the most widely appealing, watch-it-over-and-over-again cult classics of our time. Despite not receiving a legitimate theatrical release, it became an underground hit on VHS and DVD. It’s recognized by cinephiles as one of this generation’s coolest movies, and personally, it’s one of my top 10 favorite films. This status has been attained predominantly through wordof-mouth hype among fans to their friends, whom after being converted spread the message of the Saints to even more. So with such an enormous and devoted fanbase, it’s about time a sequel was made.

To all the devout followers out there, I’m glad to say that our prayers have been answered. Not only is “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” worth watching, it’s completely satisfying and surprisingly just as fun as the first, even improving upon the original in several regards.

In the first movie, Irish fraternal twins Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) MacManus were on a mission from God, eradicating the evil men of Boston’s streets with their own vigilante justice. Here, the plot is basically more of that in what’s essentially a reworking of the original (which often only increases the entertainment value of scenes similar to the first) with some new situations, characters, continuations and a higher body count - exactly what an action sequel should be like.

After eight years of peaceful, bearded shepherding in the hills of Ireland, a crime

family back in Boston assassinates a priest and makes it look like the work of the Saints, beckoning the MacManus boys to return in hopes of finally killing them. Connor and Murphy answer the call and come back home with a vengeance - along with wily new Mexican sidekick Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr.) - gunning for every single person even remotely involved in the murder. And as they make their way up the ladder eliminating mobsters, the sly, sexy and super smart Special Agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz), the protégé of Willem Dafoe’s cunning FBI agent Paul Smecker from the original, figures out the scenes of their crimes and tries to catch the unstoppable brothers.

With the exception of Dafoe, everyone from the first reprises their roles, which is quite extraordinary considering the 10-year gap between the two. Benz takes the place of Dafoe’s character, and while she isn’t as sensationally irresistible as Smecker was, her southern-accented, empowering and clever Bloom is quite endearing after the initial time it takes warming up to her. And the spunky Romeo proves himself the perfect replacement for the original’s hysterically rowdy companion Rocco (who has an energizing cameo in a manly dream sequence). Collins Jr. has impeccable comedic timing and skillfully delivers gut-busting one-liners, making Romeo the most consistently uproarious character in the film as well as one of the most off-the-wall, lovable sidekicks I’ve seen in years.

But the most effective character expansion in “Boondock Saints II” occurs with Daddy MacManus (Billy Connolly). Besides getting more time to be the second most bad-ass senior citizen around (next to Clint Eastwood, of course), he also receives “Godfather Part II”-like flashbacks revealing his past, which add another layer to the film

|Rental at best|

and help it to maintain the refreshing feeling ever-present in the original.

Flanery and Reedus, who look noticeably older but just as righteous, get along like real twins even more playfully than before. From their rollicking brotherly arguments to their witty conversations and always amusing shenanigans, the audience feels like these two actors have been having this much fun together their whole lives. It seems their close bond has only grown over the decade, thus increasing their likability and camraderie. Whenever the two are onscreen together, everything flows with liveliness and energy, especially their spot-on, Irish-accented dialogue and consistently charming performances.

Yet in a rare departure for a sequel, there’s actually a bit less action in this one than the first. More action sequences would’ve been nice, but at least the humor has been upped to compensate, which is usually just as entertaining as the smaller set pieces. Particularly the references and call-backs to things from the first, such as a rope entry, a cat, the return of the three bumbling detectives and everyone’s favorite Tourettes-afflicted bartender (who spouts the funniest line of the movie) will have fans howling with laughter.

Compared to the original, the vigilante escapades don’t occur quite as early or as frequently in this one, but this somewhat slower pace at the beginning builds all the action in the second half to a much grander, straight-up spectacular, slow-mo shoot-emup banquet of bad-assery. This pretty much makes “Boondock Saints II” equal parts outrageous comedy and full-blast action flick, so while the opening act takes a little time to

|Worth seeing |

really pick up, by the phenomenal finale (a frenzied and dazzlingly destructive shootout in a dilapidated manor) it’s firing on all cylinders.

Writer/director Troy Duffy, whose only other work has been the original movie, thankfully hasn’t lost his talent as a filmmaker since the first “Boondock Saints,” and directs with just as much gusto as before.

While this one isn’t quite as incredible as the original, it’s nearly on par with the first, and in no way does it disappoint.

He’s mastered the hip and hilarious, endlessly quotable Tarantino-like dialogue, handles tension deftly in a Russian roulette duel and has developed a knack for awesome style - from the ‘70s blaxploitation grindhouse-like action spoof scene to the over-the-top skyscraper firefight complete with powersliding, dual-wielding, slowmotion shooting. Alongside the carnage, he even balances a solid story that particularly excels in the third act, and seamlessly transitions from comical to serious to just plain kick-ass at the drop of a hat, with a fantastic ending rightfully necessitating a third entry into the series.

This is a movie made for fans, not critics. The tone is appropriately more tonguein-cheek this time around and the religious overtones aren’t as strong here, but the exhilarating, ballistic action delivers with both barrels blazing and the humor is some of the funniest this side of “In Bruges.” Just like the first, nothing is lost upon subsequent viewings, and it only gets better the more times you see it. Whether you watch the first one religiously or you just enjoy slick, cool films, don’t miss out on this bonanza of bullets.

Praised be the Saints, this is exactly what fans have been waiting for.

|

|

|Instant Classic

page 24 a&e 12.14.09

Great Harvest Bread Company 4002 W. 83rd Street, Prairie Village >>ColleenIreland

Walking into the Great Harvest Bread Company is like walking into your grandma’s house -- minus the porcelain figurines and coo-coo clocks -- if your grandma is one that bakes fresh bread daily. I was hit with an encompassing aroma of yeast used to make it. The atmosphere was very welcoming and quaint, with nearly every inch of the bakery’s open layout visible.

Though the dining area was small, the two four-person tables along with the counter and bar stools at the storefront’s window, gave an open feeling. Showcased on the several large shelves were a variety of unique baked goods, preserves, and pantry items for sale.

They were stocked with healthy looking treats like organic peanut butter, raw clover honey, and a vast selection of items prepared

by Great Harvest Bread Company itself like syrups, baking mixes, and snack items. As I scanned the baked goods options - morning glory muffins, whole wheat coffee cake, cinnamon rolls, apple pie pockets, and cookies- I stopped at

Clocktower Bakery and Cafe 7911 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park >>ShannonMcGinley After locating the Clock Tower

Bakery under a red and white striped awning just north of the clock tower on Santa Fe Drive in Downtown Overland Park, I was shivering from the bitter wind .

And starving.

I entered the cafe just happy to be inside. While the sound of classical music in the background was nice, the vast open and very clean kitchen, modern tables, and black and white colored walls made it less than cozy.

Other than the three employees, we were the only guests in the bakery during the peak of lunch hour.

Walking up to a glass display case, my stomach growled as I looked over stacks of huge cookies, various cinnamon rolls, muffins, cupcakes, and croissants.

A nice man handed us paper menus from behind the counter and after looking over the small list of items available he took our orders.

When we asked about the soup the waiter explained that there was one bowl of chicken curry soup left which we said we would take, since the pizza was going to take 15 minutes and we were starving. The soup was delicious with rice, chicken, and vegetables. Plus it was warm and helped melt away the chill from

the wind outside.

As we waited for the pizza, the man, who we discovered was the owner, explained that his wife was the pizza maker/baker/ chef. We could see past the counter and into the kitchen where she was making our pizza from scratch. He told me that he and his wife had just opened three weeks ago and that along with hot food, they offered pizzas that could be taken home and baked as well as breakfast items.

Finally our lamb and goat cheese pizza with lemon- rosemary crust was served along with a small pepperoni pizza too. The only problem was that the kind man left us no plates. Oops! Finally with our plates distributed, we had the chance to taste the lamb pizza.

It had a unique taste to it though, definitely not as spicy as the hamburger or sausage you get on a regular pizza. And the buttery lemon rosemary crust added a little pizazz. The pepperoni pizza was top notch. It would have been nice to have a salad with our pizza, but I noticed salads are not on the menu.

After the main course we had our pastries and baked goods placed in front of us. A flat chocolate chip cookie that resembled a pancake, a cinnamon roll per-

STAR SCALE| |Check, please |

fectly dusted with cinnamon, and a vanilla cupcake with raspberry icing. They did not disappoint.

They tasted as good as they looked even better!

The cookie was crunchy and had just enough chocolate chips -- it was about as good as a chocolate chip cookie could be. The cinnamon roll was good but I love my cinnamon rolls with much more icing. The high point of the whole meal was the beautiful vanilla cupcake with raspberry icing. I had never tasted raspberry icing but it’s dark pink color looked too enticing to pass up. It was heaven on a plate. The icing was perfectly flavored and sweet.

I plan to go back many times just for this cupcake and maybe even purchase it for friends as a gift.

While needing better signage, more advertising and definitely more guests, the food was very tasty. Although not being the ideal restaurant for high school kids to frequent, it’s a nice place to stop by with you’re family or friends while shopping to grab a pizza or a sweet treat. They are worth the trip. You can get cute little individual “to go” boxes for the cupcakes as well if you’d like to give them as a gift. I definitely will.

| Lukewarm |

|

|

the last one. The image of these gigantic cookies, with choices from Peanut Butter to Alpine, piled in stacks of six per package, made my mouth water. When I misread the price tag for these monstrous goodies, only seeing the $1.75 that made my mouth drop with the idea of six cookies for that price.

I was sorely disappointed when I realized the actual price for these treats was $1.65 for one and $8.25 for six. While the bakery is known for its diverse selection of bread -from the Six-grain Woodstock to the sweet Honey Whole Wheat -- it also offers daily bread specials and cafe-fare like a full coffee menu, soup, and the option to create your own sandwich.

On my lunch visit I got the 1/2 sandwich meal for $6.25. I got to choose my pick of bread, cheese, spread, meat, and toppings for the sandwich, along with chips and a cookie. I went with a chicken salad sandwich with cheddar, mustard, tomato and onion, on the Honey Whole Wheat, with a Mountain Munchy cookie, and kettle chips.

I was amazed when my order was ready before I’d finished scanning the shelves of items they offered.

Even though I split this meal with my sister, I was still satisfied. The one disappointment I had was that I was anticipating a little more sustenance from the 1/2 sandwich and the thin slices holding it together wasn’t what I expected from a bread company. Still, if I had this entire meal for myself I would’ve had more than enough to fill me up. The Mountain Munchy cookie packed with oatmeal, chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut was delicious and made me feel less guilty because anything that’s made of oatmeal can’t be that bad for you.

It’s just down the street from East, there’s a friendly staff, great food, and reasonable prices. This was a bakery I was happy to have went and I am already planning my next visit. I’ve got my mind set on those enticing cookies.

|

|

bakerybliss

great treats and unique food make these two local bakeries rise above the rest

|Dietary delight |

>> all photos by LindseyHartnett

| Delectable

the

issue 8 online page 25

Highlights of the new Harbinger Online

>>sports

The Dec. 4 boys’ basketball game vs SM South marked the debut live broadcast and commentary for Harbinger Online.

Additional media from the game includes a fan cam with Seniors from the student section. Next up: Girls’ Basketball tonight vs. SM South @ 7 p.m.

Scores: check for daily score updates from all winter sports

>>archives

Want to see the latest issues of the Harbinger, but can’t find a copy? Hit up the Archives page of the Web site to see page-turning flash animation of all published issues of the Harbinger.

This versatile publication viewer supported by ISSUU.com allows the user to view any copy of the Harbinger from the comfort of their computer.

SMEHARBINGER.NET

>>featured

Daily content uploads provide for the most up to date coverage of all things East. Check out the featured story scroller to see the most pressing issues East faces (H1N1, above).

Other uploads to check out include: Photo Galleries: including events such as MORP (below) and Coalition Dance Marathon

Become a Facebook fan of The Harbinger for news updates and tagged photos at SM East events

Forget Your Camera?

WE DIDN’T. www.smephotos.com

r u re a dy

Rockhurst University is ready to prepare you for your life, with strong academics, leadership opportunities and community service in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. People thrive here.

• More than 50 areas of study • Friendly campus community in the vibrant heart of Kansas City • 13-to-1 student-faculty ratio = access to nationally recognized professors Ready to learn more? Sign up for a campus visit.

www.rockhurst.edu/visit

816.501.4000 Rockhurst University admits students of any race, color and national or ethnic origin.

2,200 members

The Classic Cookie & Cafe “If you can’t take a friend to the Classic Cookie, take a Classic Cookie to a friend”

of the Prairie Village community

E-MAIL SMEHARBINGER@GMAIL.COM TO ADVERTISE

MISSION BOWL 5399 Martway Mission, KS 66205

At Mission Bowl we make it fun for everyone!

It is our "MISSION" to make you a part of our bowling family!

Hours Sun : 11 - 12 a.m.

Mon/Tues : 9 a.m.- 10 p.m Wed : 9 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Thurs : 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Fri/Sat : 9 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Interested in advertising with the

WILL READ THIS AD.

409 W. Gregory Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64114

?

Contact us at (913) 993-6688 or

smeharbinger@gmail.com

mix d e e d x m i mixed mixed mixed m i x mixed d e e x mixed i d m mixed

issue 8 mixed page 27

{the page about life} mixandmatch Guess which student matches with their ‘worst gifts.’

Holiday Family Traditions

>>

aDetr

ixhe

s istma te Chr . We a r b le gion ’t ce “I don e of my reli and it’s s a u a a z bec anz te Kw time where r a b le a o ce ther t much pretty y gets toge how to il d m yar an our fa an on the mily and as t c e fl a re f a ve as ual.” impro individ

mad

uham avidM

>>D “My hu s change band and I e xfunny s hirts th we hav e at t o we The re st of th ar all day. e fam on whic h is be ily votes whoev er wins tter and gets to the vac p ation f or that ick year.”

Kellie

brate I cele my d n a with wife “My tmas Eve ave Ken h s i e r d h n w C na nd nts a hicke pare Fried C ovie.” y tuck atch a m w affee

>>WillSeverns

B.

>>LaurenKing ving n on the li “I lay dow and let all r room floo lay and cats my dogs .” e all over m

els

>>JohnNick

1

“My Nana got me a towel one year with a huge picture of a house cat. I was seven years old. I cried.”

2

C.

“Last year my grandma gave me a purse in the shape of a bunny. It was pink and I was 16.”

>>ToniAguiar

3

Answers: A, 2; B, 3; C, 1.

“Chr impor istmas is ve tan ry religio t because o n but t f he sec my most im o p o rtant is nd Wisem the This is en Day, Jan . 6th. espec for the ially excitin g little k ids.”

Ros

A.

“A couple years ago I gave my sister an iTunes gift card for her birthday. Then for that Christmas, she gave it back to me. I put it on the computer and it only had $5 left on it.”

a y az y l P a e spla h d i T i ts l s. ht d b l g o H igh 000 bluiday li , L o 80 l h

ts T h ES Lig

e an e C 2 ifu h dy All t ant nd aut ea. lCh n e a a r a h . e a gi s Mic , C ars he ht a b ity a g e t e e C li ar 0 y ile er.

Kurle of to b sas y 5 s t h h n n Ci ver , w get ile s m now e Ka s o e l to sa r 0 k h an s fo hom it al r 8 are ut t K e e rk s Ov hts gho th wo own tie il g ou d r e s n e r ir t hi th ou in th the en r d c a e ew n en te he at N r w t a e o to no b or in ec ng d l k has dec ree l s vi e W ne ies as t ha sgi . ck nk w La mil tm bi ha indo a fa hris T w B C ike rom ery v M F s, th. in e r sophomore a u of ye mo r up e s e tr sa 40 al co st 11 F de as Kan a p 76 his tm n Why do you like Dunkin’ Donuts so much? ris tow he at as t h I like that the bread is really light and it tastes fresh. It doesn’t r h C wn Fo use he he do taste as much like fast food like other places. Also, they aren’t o t s h ar e in entirely glazed so it’s not as sweet like other donut places. se ott Ye d i When did your love for Dunkin’ Donuts begin? an arr n M w I’ve always liked it but when I used to live in Florida they had them to the n all over and then when I moved here they didn’t have them. Then s w of se g do ide u I learned there was one in Lawrence so I would drive there to get o h urin tive s f them. c ris dr the o a n t reac Ch e Would you consider yourself obsessed? Why? e o k t . re Ta hts st a gain ard Yeah, I would consider it an obsession beacause whenever I get il g ty. a ith a t y , them I get a dozen or a half dozen. The best part is I keep my Ci he s w has fron t boxes and I have some on my wall in my room. a Ol rate ach the When you go what do you order? n I co e. E in I prefer the strawberry frosted which is a regular donut with de em card th as strawberry frosting. I also like marbled which is a regular donut m with chocolate frosting and a vanilla drizzle. all photos by Max Stitt

>>

30

>>

za B a S Pl ’ C K 1

seconds with...

Nathan Are

ne

dy n Ca

e n a

L

Ca

2

e

m

ni

A

ed t a

s u o H

3

tt o i

r

ar

n

ow t n

M

w o D

4

rd a sC

a

tm s i

r h C

>>

L

e n a

Premium Denim Sale

Earley Enterprises A Wholesale Outlet for Late Model Automobiles

Contact Rex Earley OfďŹ ce: (913) 831-2226 Cell: (913) 963-4963

EEAUTO@sbcglobal.net

For a look at available cars and prices go to:

EEAUTOS.COM

Regulalry up to $200

Close-out prices start at $49.97 RECYCLE YOUR HARBINGER

2,200 members of the Prairie Village community

WILL READ THIS AD.

E-MAIL SMEHARBINGER@GMAIL.COM TO ADVERTISE

** *

West’s junior year didn’t go as planned.

Throughout the season, he had been unable to maintain a steady spot on the varsity team and had no relationship with South head coach Pat Cormack. During practice he competed tirelessly, attempting to brush off his reputation of being a player who didn’t work hard, a reputation he felt was undeserved and spread only by word of mouth.

In his free time he would lift weights at 68 Sports Fitness Center to get stronger and improve his physicality near the basket. But he had yet to be rewarded.

The season really began to unravel in January, when standout guard Will Spradling injured his ankle and was ruled out

for the season.

“When (Spradling) got hurt, everyone had a defeated attitude. The players and coaches responded so negatively to the situation,” West said. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh no, what are we gonna do now?’ That’s when I realized this wasn’t a team.”

In late February, two South players quit the team and rumors spread that Spradling was going to transfer. Shortly after the season ended, Cormack resigned and was replaced by JV coach Brett McFall.

Quitting basketball was unfathomable for West. After all, it was a sport he played for up to eight months at a time and grown up watching his entire life. However, he was deeply frustrated by the negativity surrounding the South program. West’s father, Anthony West Sr., first mentioned the possibility of his son transferring shortly after the season ended.

“By the time spring came around, it was a very easy decision [for Anthony to leave],” Anthony Sr. said. “Although he knew he would be leaving some of his friends at South, he had a bigger picture in mind, which was to play basketball at a school that is highly recognized, has a good coaching staff and has a good student and teaching environment.”

West then told McFall and his closest friends that he was leaving South. He was surprised at how well they took the news, which only made him feel more strongly about the decision.

Finding a new school was West’s biggest concern – a concern that was very short lived.

While researching several high school basketball programs, West learned that East had won 71 games in a four-year span, claiming two Sunflower League titles and placing twice at state. At about the same time, his father moved into the East district.

“East’s recent track record in basketball is phenomenal,” West said. “It’s also a great school for academics, so it naturally felt like the right place to go.”

One afternoon towards the end of the 2009 school year, Hair received a phone call in his office. He liked what he heard: a 6-foot 7 big man was transferring to East, and he

wanted to play basketball.

** *

issue 8 sports page 29

He could not have been more pleased.

According to West, the first experiences with his new teammates brought great relief.

He felt wanted. He felt respected. He was fitting in.

On day one of summer workouts, West recalls the seniors being especially eager to scrimmage with him. During team offense drills, one of the objectives was to learn how to implement his abilities inside abilities.

Guards focused on post-entry passing and forwards spent great amounts of time on footwork and finishing at the rim.

“Before I met the East seniors, I was really nervous as to how they would accept me,” West said. “But from the very beginning everyone was open with me, there was never a sense of awkwardness, and I finally felt like I had the support of my teammates.”

Hair made absolutely sure this would be the case. Throughout the summer, the coach stressed to his seniors the importance of team chemistry and sharing relationships with each other, both on and off the court.

“Anthony was in a tough situation,” Hair said. “So right away we got everyone to accept who he was and we tried to work him into the program. The team did a great job of doing that.”

Playing with a brand new team, West was determined to showcase what he could do and improve as a player. This meant taking advantage of every single opportunity to get better. During summer training, East’s guards worked out on Mondays and Wednesdays and the posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Despite being 6-foot 7 and never having played at the guard position in his life, West tried to attend all four workouts each week.

His determination to improve in the new program better rubbed off on his new teammates as well. 6-foot 4 junior Sean Cameron, East’s other varsity post player, has loved competing with West ever since he joined the squad.

“Anthony has helped me improve an incredible amount, especially over the summer,” Camer-

on said. “During workouts we would always correct each other on different post moves, which made it more fun.”

The seven seniors were especially grateful that West had come to East. The guarddominant group had no one above 6-foot 2, so West’s height was extremely beneficial to the team.

“It’s nice playing with [West] because he gives us an offensive option inside,” East senior guard Ryan Olander said. “He helps us sure up our rebounding as well.”

West considered East’s fall conditioning workouts, especially the jump program, to be some of the toughest physical challenges his body has ever experienced. After workouts, students would often complain in the locker room about how difficult each day was. West, on the other hand, would drive straight to 68 Sports Fitness Center and work the parts of his body that had been rested that day at school. Some nights he would even attend basketball practices with the Kansas City Twinz, his summer team that he has played on throughout high school.

“I know there are players out there that are my height, my size and in the same position that I’m in that are working just as hard, so I know there’s competition out there,” West said. “That’s a lot of what drives me.”

** *

The script could not have been more ideal for West heading into his first game as a Lancer. East’s home opener on Dec. 4 was against arch-rivals South, and it presented West with the opportunity to knock off his former team.

Shawnee Mission South 55, Shawnee Mission East 33.

West was devastated. Nothing during the game had gone his way. East fell behind early, labored on offense, and found it difficult to get the ball inside to West against South’s zone defense.

Only this time, he didn’t feel quite as miserable and hopeless. The next morning, a teammate apologized to West for having to suffer through a tough loss against his former school.

>>Continued on page 30

Transfer Anthony West gets used to his new school and embraces his role on the basketball team

* WESTgoes EAST >>Katie East

H

>>SamKovzan

e couldn’t help but stare.

Anthony West’s junior season at Shawnee Mission South was minutes away from ending in disappointing fashion, his team down by double-digits.

But as the South basketball team gathered one last time during a timeout, West’s eyes were stuck on his Columbia blue-clad opponents huddled at the other end of the court.

Chest-bumps and fist-pounds, hugs and handshakes. He saw togetherness and encouragement among the players, passion and positivity from the red-faced head coach. It wasn’t a collection of selfish individuals, he thought, but a cohesive unit that seemingly loved playing with each other.

West wanted to be a part of that. He wanted to play for an energetic head coach like Shawn Hair. He wanted to be on a state tournament-bound team like Shawnee Mission East.

“There were no clashes of egos,” West said. “The whole game I kept looking at their bench and thought, ‘Wow, that’s a team.’”

This view marked the first time West considered the possibility of becoming a Lancer.

His junior season at South had been marred by a series of disappointments, and he wanted a change.

The 6-foot 7 post player now finds himself in a far different situation. It’s the situation he imagined to be so sweet nine months ago. He’s got a pair of size-14 Columbia blue Hyperdunks, plays for a high-intensity head coach, and claims to be part of a team-oriented squad. He plays for East.

*from South

page 30 sports 12.14.09

Striking Success With the loss of nine seniors, the bowling teams plan on rebuilding and

The Team The boys’ and girls’ bowling teams return after losing nine graduated seniors, and they are looking to rebuild. The boys are fresh from a ninth place finish at state last year and they are striving to be better. “They’ve buckled down and really focused on their form, hitting their mark,” head coach Patti Kennedy said.

“They’ve all improved 10-30 points on average.” This year, both teams are leaning on new faces and returning veterans, most of which juniors. Other competing schools are also in this “rebuilding” process. Schools like Shawnee Mission West, the Olathe schools and some Wichita schools.

>>GrantKendall

Johnny Sheahan Q: How did you first 11

get into bowling?

Freshman year I just started it as a joke but then Mrs. Kennedy started teaching me to bowl a lot better. I started bowling pretty good and it started becoming an actual sport to me rather than just fun.

Q: Why do you think Q: What do you like most some people don’t take about bowling? {I like] the atmosphere of the bowling seriously?

Most people don’t go out and bowl.

They don’t consider it as baseball or football or a sport; they just think about it as going out and having fun.

team and it’s really fun and laid back. We lost our six seniors and we are starting the team fresh this year with a lot of juniors so this year might not be our year. Next year, we will be pretty good.

Ali Dees 11

Q: How did you get into Q: Why do you think peo- Q: What do you competitive bowling? ple don’t take the sport like about the My sister was bowling in a seriously? sport? league when I was younger so I wanted to do exactly what she was doing. I started doing tournaments after a couple years when I was able to qualify for the Kansas State Classic Team tournament with my bowling center.

Patti Kennedy

Coach

People see bowling as an activity where you bowl in black lights and bowl crazy. Some also see bowling as an adult activity where adults go and have fun and drink.

Q: How do you think Q: What schools prothe bowling teams vide the most compewill do? tition?

I like how bowling helps my self-control and mental stability. I also like how the sport is fun and entertaining but serious at the same time.

Q: Why do you think the boys’ team will do so well?

Girls are still basically okay. I know West was a big school last Because they’ve been practicing since Boys have some bowlers that year but they lost some seniors last season and have really gotten have really improved this year and they are in team building their game better. They’ve buckled so I think they will probably go right now. The Olathe schools are down and really focused on their to state again. We will probably always strong because they’ve form, hitting their mark. They’ve all take some individual girls but been bowling for a little longer improved probably 10-30 points for Q: How many seniors did you the teams lose? probably not the team. their average. than we have.

Six boys and seven girls. We are supposed to have 14 [girls] but we only have nine.

>>All photos by Dan Stewart

WEST: senior transfers from South to play East basketball

from page 29 >>Continued “It’s all good,” West said. “I have no re-

grets.”

West has enjoyed high school more than ever at East. Block scheduling allows him to stay on top of his studies without falling behind during basketball season. New people introduce themselves to West every day, basketball usually the topic of conversation.

More importantly, he feels like he can be himself. Before transferring, he had heard from friends that East kids were rich, arrogant snobs. However, he wanted to brush off the stereotype and remain open-minded.

“The first couple days of school everyone seemed to be staring at me. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was 6-foot 7 or black,” West said with a laugh. “But it turns out that ev-

eryone I’ve met has been really cool.”

West’s favorite part about East, however, is the reason he came here in the first place: basketball.

From the first day of tryouts until now, West has loved the fact that he has been pushed to his limits. It was something he had never experienced at South. Hair pushes him to his physical limit in various drills, his teammates encourage him during 60-second sprints, and he is able to hone his fundamentals – defense, dribbling, rebounding – on a daily basis.

“Basketball practice is tough, but I like it that way,” West said. “I can see what my body can actually do. When you feel like you can’t go any further, you see your capabilities.”

More importantly, he finally knows how it feels to be confident. At South, West was always told to pass, rebound and play defense. West is now frequently encouraged to post up on the block and “go to work.” Hair has enjoyed helping the forward develop as a player and believes his best moments are ahead of him.

“Anthony’s probably the exact opposite of me,” Hair said. “Whereas I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve, Anthony is a very quiet young man but has really good inner drive that a lot of people probably don’t see.”

West can’t quite explain his “strictly business” attitude, but he has no plans of changing anytime soon. A lot at stake his senior

year - he has lost to teams in the past that he really wants to defeat as a Lancer. Games against Shawnee Mission Northwest, Rockhurst, and Grandview stick out particularly in his mind, along with the rematch against South on Feb. 26.

Time will tell whether or not he chooses to play collegiately, but West feels that he is in the perfect situation to finally fulfill his goals as a high school basketball player.

“Anthony absolutely loves everything about East,” Anthony Sr. said. “Compared to the many complaints that he had at South, it’s like night and day. I am very impressed as well with the teaching, students, and the coaching staff. When I see that Anthony is happy, then so am I.”

12 3 45 For a team that traditionally has struggled in the Sunflower League’s wrestling competition, coach Chip Ufford has made the team a force to be known across the state. First he’ll have to start in Johnson county, though. When the wrestlers go to the League meet they’ll face stronger competition than last year and will have to get past SM West to push for the Sunflower League title they weren’t able to defend last year.

Sports Panel

Sunflower League Boys’ Basketball SM NORTHWEST

YES

Assistant Editor

After falling short last season, they return a strong part of their state squad.

Practically a dynasty, this one won’t be going away anytime soon.

SAM LOGAN

SM NORTHWEST Sports Page Editor

CORBIN BARNDS

Sports Page Editor

CONOR TWIBELL

Returning A.J. Spencer, Northwest will be on a path for state.

Boys’ Swimming: Back on Top?

Top Team Nobody Expects GIRLS’ BBALL

With playoff experience these girls will be back for a chance at the title.

2/26: BOYS’ BBALL @ SM SOUTH

the

2/13: WRESTLING @ LEAGUE

2/6: BOYS’ SWIM & DIVE @ LEAGUE

Having won six Sunflower league titles in a row, coach Wiley Wright and his boys will try to make it seven in a season that has the makings to put the swim team back on top of Kansas after being dethroned from a three-year reign last season. Senior Clay Finley will be a favorite to win the 50 meter freestyle at this meet, swimming’s equivalent to the “fastest man” event in track.

In a season that holds more promise for the girls’ basketball team in recent years, coach Rhoades and his squad will have to travel for a Sunflower League Showdown against last years’ state runners-up, Olathe South. Led by senior Janna Graf, the girls will face a Falcon team that should be their main competition for the League title. The Lady Lancers started the season hot, beating SM Northwest, 81-38.

1/19: GIRLS’ BBALL @ OLATHE SOUTH

After the start of a winter season that could bring a tiltle or two for Lancer squads, we highlight the big matches to keep marked on your calendars.

Despite losing last year’s State Line showdown with the Hawklets for the first time in four years, the Lancers will have the comfort of being at home for this game. What won’t change though is the raucous atmosphere between the dueling student sections... Arrive early for a seat to see coach Hair take on his alma mater in what’s considered one of the hottest high school basketball tickets in Kansas City.

1/19: BOYS’ BBALL VS. ROCKHURST

that

FIVE DATES COUNT

issue 8 sports page 31

A rematch of the first game in this years’ boys’ basketball regular season, the last matchup will be with SM South and their senior K-State commit Will Spradling. If the Lancers and Raiders both have aspirations for postseason play, this Sunflower League game could be a good predictor of where they could be placed in sub-state matchups. Look for the seven seniors to lay it all on the line to die another day.

2009 Winter Sports Stud JANNA GRAF

After four years on varsity, Graf’s final season should be sensational.

YES

WRESTLING

Returning a cluster of talent, I dont know if anyone can stop them.

This team is a program on the rise and will suprise some people.

Leading a squad with state hopes, she will carry the team on her back.

JANNA GRAF

SM SOUTH

YES

BOYS’ SWIM & DIVE

HUNTER STEVENSON

With K-State bound Will Spradling, South will definitely be a contender

This year’s team is one of the deepest and talented in a while.

After a third place finish at state last year, this team is gunning for a title.

Expect top eight finishes at state in whatever he swims this season.

page 32 photo essay 12.14.09

another one

the dust wrestling team takes two victories at the Rockhurst Triangular over Spring Hill High and Rockhurst

ABOVE: Junior David Hill struggles to pin the opponent as the referee looks on. Hill received six points but didn’t officially pin him until later.

RIGHT: After pinning his opponent, senior Jeff Rutherford gives a thumbs-up to the crowd.

“Winning your match is always a satisfying feeling because it’s the result of hard work,” Rutherford said. “Getting a pin is just an added bonus.”

TOP: At the first ever meeting between rivals East and Rockhurst, senior Tanner Johnson pins a Spring Hill Varsity wrestler in what he describes as ‘a cradle lock.’ “I’m looking for a pin, and I had to let go of that and switch to a crusher,” Johnson said. Johnson has been wrestling for eight years.

ABOVE: Head coach Chip Uffords screams at a varsity player as he comes close to pinning the Spring Hill opponent. East beat Spring Hill 43-19 and Rockhurst 42-23.

>> all photos by Mackenzie Wylie