Issue 5 2011

Harbinger SMEHARBINGER.NET

ISSUE 5 | SHAWNEE MISSION EAST | PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS | OCT. 31, 2011

400 of the wealthiest people in the nation have the same amount of money as the entire lower 50 percent of Americans combined. occupygeorge.com

RICHEST

400

BOTTOM

150,000,000

Occupiers set up tents in preparation for camping out.

“Occupy KC is a movement of citizens who have come together to reclaim our democracy from the 1 percent who have hijacked it.

We will not allow this injustice to continue.” occupykc.com

This play-off of Uncle Sam represents corrupting power of money in the government.

There are over 100 cities participating in the Occupy movement in the U.S. and 1,500 cities participating world-wide.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: page1cover.indd 1

occupywallst.org

p. 3

news

Language department gets iPads for students

p. 9

opinion

Staffer reflects on how Sundays used to be fun days

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! P. 20

occupygeorge.com

pp. 16-17

spread

An in-depth look at what’s happening with Occupy KC

OCCUPY KANSAS CITY KC adopts the Occupy movement, motivating about 60 locals to peacefully protest corporate control over the government written by Evan Nichols

photos by Grant Kendall & Kat Buchanan

“MIC CHECK!” A short brown-haired man in his early 30s yells to the crowd of people gathered at the small piece of land adjacent to the Liberty Memorial Mall. This is where Occupy KC resides. It’s about 6:45 p.m. on a brisk October night—the temperature has dipped well into the 30s, the cold air settling in over the encampment. It’s a small group of people, around 30 men and women bundled up in winter clothes and wrapped in blankets, struggling to fight off the permeating cold.

They form a small semi-circle around the man and a handful of other organizers.

The camp itself is small—scattered lawn chairs and sleeping bags cover the ground.

The food tent is overflowing with canned goods and other donated food. A hand constructed wooden frame houses solar panels that provide energy for the media tent. The perimeter of the camp is lined with handmade signs reading, “We are the 99%,” “AMERICA IS NOT A CORPORATION” and “People over profits.” There’s a lady walking around the crowd, handing out slips of paper: “What to do if you’re stopped by the police.” Rumors of a police raid on the camp tonight circulate throughout the group; anybody with a tent on the grounds may be at risk of being ticketed or even arrested. An American flag hangs beside the public suggestions board, but it’s not a normal American flag. The stars have been replaced with logos from major corporations.

John yells one more time—he’s ready to get tonight’s general assembly started.

“MIC CHECK!” The group echoes him.

“MIC CHECK!” “The GA will start momentarily. So get your butt over here, if you feel so inclined.” con’t on pp. 16-17

p. 32

photo essay

Science department puts on another successful Mole Day

10/27/11 8:51 AM

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

BRIEFING SCHOOL Students plan for mock government in Topeka

Photo by Jake Crandall

THE EAST STUDENT SECTION “shake their things” in response to the VARSITY CHEERLEADERS’ cheer at the SM WEST football game.

The Youth in Government Club is going to Topeka on Nov. 11. While they are in Topeka, they will be sitting and discussing issues with politicians. Students from all over Kansas will go and pretend as if they are the committee negotiating fake bills. At East, the Youth in Government Club provides a better understanding of politics to students interested in government. It allows them to view the processes the government goes through to make their decisions. This club has been at East for around 10 years and the students make up a model form of legislature. The members of this club do mock trials and create bills to see what goes into getting a law passed.

COMMUNITY

Photo by Hiba Akhtar

JUNIOR KASSEY HUGHES tosses the “quaffle” (volleyball) in an attempt to score a goal at the StuCo sponsored Quidditch tournament.

Photo by Marisa Walton

JUNIOR DAVID STEWART celebrates after sacking the opposing team’s quarterback at the SM WEST game.

Former East student sentenced in Wyandotte court A former East student who shot a Shawnee Mission North student in a schoolyard fight last year has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, a judge ruled Oct. 21.

The jury convicted Stephen A. Reed, 17, in September of second-degree murder as well as criminal possession of a firearm by a juvenile for the shooting of Ryder Spillman, 16, of Kansas City, Kan. Stephen Reed’s cousin, Shane Reed, 18, pleaded guilty to aiding a felon and was sentenced to 18 months of juvenile prison.

Spillman was murdered near a KCK elementary school earlier this year, while running towards a vehicle. Law enforcement officers investigated the case and determined that Spillman did not have a gun at the scene of the crime.

2.5 percent

Emporia Sate University

4.6 percent

02 | NEWS

Kansas State University

1.2 percent

Johnson County Community College

0.8 percent

35

Enrollment in thousands

KU ESU KSU JCCC University of Kansas

FRESHMAN ANNIE SAVAGE places a pot of chili on the grill in the senior lot at the Second Annual Lancer-Q.

written by Paige Hess and Tom Lynch

SHARE arranges annual dodgeball tournament

The annual SHARE dodgeball tournament is coming up on Nov. 7. This tournament has been going on for about nine years. The canned food idea came from a previous East teacher, who used to help out with the pantry at Wilhemena Food Kitchen and had a green bean dish that was popular.

Her problem was that she was constantly out of green beans. That is when SHARE started collect green beans as an entry fee for this tournament. This year, they are requesting bags of tube socks from each team along with the green beans. The teams consist of about 8-10 players and the bracket will be up in the main hall and the tournament is held in the main gym. Only the first 32 teams are allowed to play.

Cross-dressing robber charged in County Court

Advanced Theater students prepare for show The Advanced Repertory Theater class is putting on a show on Nov. 9th. This years’ show, “Nickel and Dimed,” is about the role of woman in the work force. The play is based on a book in which the author goes undercover in the work force and tries to maintain a normal lifestyle. She found this to be extremely difficult and could not handle the stress. The show, theater teacher Brian Cappello says, is a collaborative effort between him and the eight students in the class. Since there are only eight of them, they are all given multiple roles to play. They have been preparing for a couple weeks and are excited to see how the show turns out with such a small cast.

STATE

KU faces falling enrollment

Two men arrested on Oct. 21 after attempting to rob the US Bank at the Village Shops were charged in a Johnson County court on Oct. 22.

The accused are Dennis E. Bowen, 40, of Kansas City, Mo., and Joshua J. Parker, 19, of Kansas City, Mo. They both face one count of bank robbery in a criminal complaint filed Oct. 24 in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan. One of the men was dressed as a woman when he entered the bank located at 6940 Mission Road. He hopped up and sat on the counter and said: “I’m back.” According to the teller who recognized the robber as the same person that robbed the bank on Aug. 23.

If convicted, the accused face up to 20 years in federal prison.

University of Kansas’ fall enrollment is down this year to 28,718 students, according to figures released on Oct. 20.

KU dropped 744 students overall compared to last fall, which represents a 2.5 percent decrease. This is the third consecutive year that KU’s enrollment has fallen, after a slight 1.8 percent drop last year, following KU’s record fall 2008 enrollment of 30,102.

This dip was supposedly not unexpected.

KU has been trying to increase the quality of their institution. The ACT scores for the incoming freshmen class were at their highest ever—with an average of 24.7.

KU currently has a student from all fifty states. This is the first time the majority of those students are undergraduate students.

KU’s figures are in line with most of the state’s six regents universities.

KU ENROLLMENT BREAKDOWN KANSAS ENROLLMENT COMPARISON

Photo by Anna Dancinger

A little SHARE, some Youth in Government, a slight drop in enrollment and a cross-dressing robber

ENROLLMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS KU dropped 744 students overall compared to last fall

2007

2008 2009 Year

2010

REASONS FOR THE DROP KU now requires international applicants to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam, while many competitors do not.

30

25

1 2

THE TWO BIG

2011

KU has seen five percent decrease from 2010 in the number of students enrolling in their Master’s Degree programs.

AROUND THE WORLD IN FIVE MINUTES

Haven’t been keeping up with your current events? Check out this guide to world news written by Toni Aguiar | photos courtesy of MCT Campus

Israel-Palestine

WHAT HAPPENED

The prisoner swap between two sparring countries, Israel and Palestine, has created more of a stir than expected.

The reason? Israel received one soldier, Gilad Shalit, in return for around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has, in the past, made deals similar to this.

In 1985, Israel released 1,150 prisoners in return for three Israeli soldiers. This is due to the dedication of the country to their army—each Israeli is required to serve in the army—as well as a strong value of life.

Shalit has been captive for just over five years now; in that time, Israel has launched an invasion into the Gaza strip that was the first since theirs withdrawal a year earlier. In these five years, Israel and Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, have negotiated through Egypt to bring about a deal that would ensure Shalit’s safety and in turn return hundreds of Palestinian soldiers. Both countries have rejoiced in the return of prisoners, but some such as Israeli Ron Kehrmann worry that the deal has set a “base price”—the price of one Palestinian life for one Israeli life— for the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine has gone on now for decades. America’s involvement in the Middle East has been closely tied to the relationship between these countries in both financial support and military involvement. While the swap indicates that there is some level of cooperation going on between these two countries, analysts at BBC News predict that there won’t be any breakthroughs due to the swap.

Disagreements between Palestine and Israel will continue to be a force within American politics and international diplomacy. This specific instance between the two countries is telling of the stalemate that continues to exist. Teens will undoubtedly have to deal with the tensions that lie between Palestine and Israel in the future, in fields from business to politics, from education to religion.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

GOP Debates

WHAT HAPPENED

As the Republican Primaries draw near, the Grand Old Party has struggled to find a candidate that holds a strong base of supporters. As of now, it seems that Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Texas governor Rick Perry and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza Herman Cain are the frontrunners for the nomination, on which Republicans will vote on Jan. 3.

Although Romney currently holds the lead in Gallup polls with a 20 percent backing from Republicans, each candidate has had their moment in the lead. This has led to competition from candidates, creating tension within debates. On Oct. 17, the debates in Washington, D.C. turned nasty as Perry accused Romney of lying about hiring illegal immigrants. Likewise, Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum accused all three frontrunners of supporting bank bailouts.

Heated debates such as these have given a “clawyour-way-to-the-top” mentality to the issue of the Republican presidential nomination. With time running out, the Republican Party has yet to band behind a contender who will most likely face President Obama in the 2012 election.

Being politically aware isn’t just for those seniors who can vote in the 2012 election. The Republican primaries will determine who runs against Obama— therefore having a significant impact on the likelihood of Obama serving a second term. Likewise, watching these debates can show who can think on their feet as well as providing an opportunity to get a sense for where candidates stand on issues ranging from energy concerns to taxes to education. For students, simply becoming acquainted with these issues can build a basic understanding of politics.

The heated nature of these debates also show the lack of unity currently seen in the Republican Party and the rifts between viewpoints in American politics.

It is increasingly important for students to be aware of all viewpoints in an increasingly polarized nation.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Muammar Gaddafi

42 years of rule over Libya, WHAT HAPPENED After Muammar Gaddafi is dead. On Oct.

20, Libyan rebel forces captured and killed him in his hometown of Sirte, where he had been hiding since the fall of his government caused by the same rebel group who caught and killed him. Out of the recent speculation on Gaddafi’s death, a young rebel Senad el Sadok el Ureybi came forth on Oct. 24 as the murderer, confessing to the two gunshots found in Gaddafi’s head and chest.

Over four decades before the rebellions started in earnest, Gaddafi took power in a military coup. He had since ruled as a dictator, using oil as a key resource and lashing out at the uprisings in 2011. As Gaddafi’s forces retaliated, American and European forces began a series of bombings on Libya in March that fed into the violence and destruction of the country.

Because of the brutality and lack of generosity that Gaddafi demonstrated during his time in office, his death has been widely celebrated throughout Libya and the world. However, this has caused a rise, according to the New York Times, in “death porn,” or graphic photos and videos of Gaddafi’s body. This has also brought up concerns over the prosecution of such rebels— although the country is rid of a dictator, the rebels may need to be brought to court. Libyans plan to have elections in the spring, but may have trouble uniting their fractured country.

Gaddafi’s death is yet another example of the “Arab Spring,” or the series of rebellions in the Middle East that have been taking place in the past year such as the revolution in Egypt. The photos of his death also call for a discussion of what is “right” to put out as public information, just as it was with the death of Al Qaeda’s Osama Bin Laden.

And for those of you who pay for your own gas, prices may go down as one factor of the oil industry is simplified— Gaddafi, who caused unrest in and manipulated the oil industry, is now out of the picture.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

NEWS | 03

G N I K E E GL O UT

holds b u l C s lee new G ts and plan s ’ t s a k u E tryo a wee IT e c n LUB VIS o EE CG et .NET L e G R T E m U O o B t VIDEO A ARBIN R

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written by Leah Pack | photo by Hiba Akhtar Sophomore Merit Christensen began watching “So that’s why we held auditions.”

“Glee” in eighth grade. After realizing that East didn’t Each student that auditioned was asked to bring in have a show choir—a performance group that com- a piece of music to sing. It was not required, but most bines singing and dancing—Christensen made creat- chose to sing A Capella, without any instrumental acing a club similar to “Glee” a goal of hers. Seeing vid- companiment. eos of A Capella groups in choir this year also inspired All 14 people who tried out were accepted in the her to start the club. Christensen and her good friend, club. sophomore Siarah Cunningham, took this idea to choir “It was a casual tryout,” Cunningham said. “We just teacher Ken Foley, who agreed to sponsor the club. wanted to find out what their voices were like.”

“I am sponsoring the club,” Foley said. “But I’m hopThe Glee club is planning to meet once a week on ing to leave most of it up to the girls in charge.”

Wednesdays before school. The practices will be run Going into auditions, Christensen and Cunning- by Christensen and Cunningham, but they are hoping ham were hoping to have 15 to 20 people join the club. to keep a very open and calm atmosphere where every “We were either scared that not enough people member’s input is welcome. They are prepared to apwould try out or way too many people would try out ply the knowledge they’ve gained from being in choir and it would be like another choir,” Christensen said. to their new club.

FAN?

Take this quiz to find out if you’re a true “Gleek”

04 | NEWS

The show takes place in...

What’s the name of Glee’s rival?

Who is the father of Quinn Fabray’s baby?

Sue Sylvester is the...

Who says “Hell no to the no!”?

a. Illinois

a. Vocal Spirit

a. Puck

a. School’s Principal

a. Will

b. Ohio

b. Adrenaline Dancers

b. Will

b. Cheerleading Coach

b. Mercedes

c. Michigan

c. Vocal Adrenaline

c. Finn

c. Ugly English Teacher

c. Kurt

Answers: b, c, a, b, b

YOU A TRUE

ARE

“We’ve learned a lot from choir and what our directors do so we will try to emulate that,” Christensen said.

During practices the members will sing and go over music. While some choreography will be incorporated in the numbers, the focus will remain on singing.

Being founders of the only Glee club in the district, Christensen and Cunningham are hoping to put on regular performances similar to Frequent Fridays, along with performances at special events.

Members of the club are excited that they have begun practices—the first one was on Friday Oct. 28.

“Being in the Glee club is a way for people who don’t get as much of a chance to express themselves do so,” club member and freshman Roxy Rutherford said.

LANGUAGE CLASSES GET IPADS

East Fund approves grant for a new cart of 17 iPads for class use

21st century

LEARNING

A look at the ways the language department will use the iPads

iTunes U: Used by many colleges and universities today as a way to mass-distribute lectures and lessons, this iTunes based service will allow for language students to access class activities and lectures from their own home.

Flashcards: Students will be able to create and share their own flashcards to practice learning new words and prepare for quizzes and tests.

Podcasts: Students and teachers alike can create and post their own podcasts to share original content with each other.

Dictionary: Spanish-toEnglish dictionaries will allow students to find the translations of unknown words and learn their definitions.

written by Stephen Cook | art by Kat Buchanan This December, the World Language De- described as a “booster fund for education.” partment is getting a “Learning Lab” from The East Fund raises money through funApple, including a set of 15 new iPad 2’s, to draisers, such as Feast for East, and donause in class after a grant was approved by tions. The money that is raised then goes the East Fund. towards grants which are given for specific The Learning Lab itself includes 10 of requests at East. the black, 16 GB, Wi-Fi enabled iPad 2 deMembers of the East community can vices, with five additional iPads bought submit a grant application, which will then separately to go in the cart as well. The be reviewed by the Grant Committee for Learning Lab is similar to a laptop cart, possible approval. providing chargers and power sources for “Our criteria is it has to be something the iPads to dock and charge with after use. that there’s no funding for somewhere else,” The cart also features a MacBook for sync- president of the East Fund John Beahm ing the iPads while they are docked. said. “Not something that the district proJeff Finnie, the Spanish teacher who vides or that can be paid for out of another wrote the grant request, is currently in the fund of money.” process of ordering the iPads. Once the During the grant review process, Beahm products arrive at East, he plans on lead- says that they asses the grant based on a ing training for the teachers and the classes rubric with certain criteria. so they can learn the potentials of what the “It has to affect the greatest number of iPads could be used for. students,” Beahm said. “It has to be someIn his Spanish classes, Finnie plans on thing that is self-sustaining, we don’t have using the iPads for various technology- to give them money every year, and it has aided activities, some of those being video to be something where it can be shared recording, flash cards, and Internet article among other groups at East or can benefit reading. Though he has a good idea of what the greatest number of students.” can be done with the iPads, Finnie believes Beahm said that the East Fund decided using them in class is also going to be a to approve the grant for the iPads because learning experience. the language department would be able to “It’s a process of discovery,” Finnie said. make great use of them.

“I know that there are things that are adver“They have a greater opportunity to tised that we can do, but I want to see how use them,” Beahm said. “There’s so much that [works] and then get feedback from online these days, there’s so much [technolteachers and students.” ogy] that they can use, it’s just kind of keepThe $12,000 to buy the iPads came from ing it up to date.” a grant from the East Fund, which has been Junior Emily Sneed, who is currently

a student in Finnie’s AP Spanish 5 class, expects the iPads to help enrich the classroom experience.

“I think it could kind of open up some opportunities as far as just different activities we can do,” Sneed said. “They have recording devices on there, so it could actually be beneficial to hear ourselves talk. We could hear what we said and then see what we could do different.”

Depending on what limits are put on the iPads, Sneed also believes that they could potentially be distracting. However, Finnie doesn’t think that the iPads will cause any issues for his class. He’s going to treat them like having laptops in class: they’re going to be used for work purposes only.

“That’s something I’ll have to monitor— sometimes technology can be distracting,” Finnie said. “I’m not going to just say ‘Oh, here’s some iPads, play with them for 15 minutes’, I’ll have very specific directions [and] activities that they’ll be doing.”

Finnie is looking forward to trying out something that hasn’t ever been done before at East: iPads in the classroom. He says that it’s not so much necessarily about the technology that is used, it is all about how you use it.

“It’s just another tool that I can use in the classroom for things that we’re already doing,” Finnie said. “I think it’ll make it more interactive of course with technology; but I don’t think technology, in and of itself is necessarily magical, I think it’s what you do with it.”

NEWS | 05

VISITsmeharbinger.net

DOWN THE DRAIN Budget cuts here, budget cuts there.

Thirteen teachers were let go last year, causing a rise in class sizes to an average of about 30 students. It’s hard not feel the effects of the slashed budget. The closing of Mission Valley and two other elementary schools has pushed the replacement schools close to their maximum capacity. Indian Hills’ enrollment jumped from 498 to 757 students this fall. School board meetings have primarily focused on budget cuts in the past year with the cutting of $8 million district wide, but they could have been cut from the district bonuses for club sponsorship.

Teachers make a set amount of money each year based upon their individual contract, but there are many teachers that also get bonuses on top of that number— sometimes, seemingly just for an extra title. There are teachers that make extra money for putting in time for their own classes, such as concerts, but English teachers also put in many unpaid hours of grading. East has a “drug free school club” that is sponsored by two faculty members who earn $850 for that position—the club isn’t even mentioned on the “clubs” page on the East district website. It is not logical to be paying teachers money for a club that is not recognized by the student population. Granted, there are teachers that put hours of work into spon-

Harbinger

Editors-In-Chief Kat Buchanan Toni Aguiar Assistant Editors Emma Pennington Evan Nichols Online Editors-InChief Jeff Cole Duncan MacLachlan Online Assistant Editor Becca Brownlee Art and Design Editor Chloe Stradinger Head Copy Editors Chris Heady Jack Howland News Editor Tom Lynch News Page Editors Sarah Berger Editorial Editor Julia Davis Opinion Editor Ian Wiseman Opinion Page Editors Vanessa Daves Mixed Editor

Paige Hess Spread Editor Emily Kerr Assistant Spread Editor Tiernan Shank Features Editor Christa McKittrick Features Page Editors Jennifer Rorie Haley Martin Katie Knight A&E Editor Kennedy Burgess A&E Page Editors Andrew Simpson Will Webber Sports Editor Anne Willman Sports Page Editors Adam Lowe Corbin Barnds Freelance Page Editors Alex Goldman Andrew McKittrick Kim Hoedel Photo Editor Grant Kendall

Teachers occupying multiple positions on payroll are taking a toll on the system and costing the school art by Sam Stevens

soring their clubs and they are appreciated. However, the clubs that aren’t as as known by the student body shouldn’t bring bonuses to teachers.

Many teachers and faculty are, in fact, putting in hours working on their various clubs, but the money that the district pays could be cut in excess positions as well. Having teachers that collect tickets at games, a position that gets paid roughly $370, is a wasted expense. There are students who are looking for service hours and parents who are generally willTHE MAJORITY OPINION OF THE HARBINGER EDITORIAL BOARD

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ABSENT

ing to help in any way they can. Having them volunteer would be a great way to avoid this added expense. No one would get paid and the district wouldn’t have to waste that money. Not all of the money has to be eliminated, but if it was reduced then that would free up more funds for the district.

In some cases teachers are earning $4,000 for extra time outside of school that is already part of the class that they teach. There is not a need for the district to be spending this kind of money on positions that are closely related to the job

they’re already doing. The district is already low on funds, so cutting these costs would take some pressure off of the general fund.

There are a few valuable areas in which the district could reallocate the money to be used in more effective and beneficial ways. One of these is the library. This year the district cut out all funding used to purchase new library books. Some of the money used for club sponsorship could go to purchasing new books.

Money could also be used for buying more computers for each department, so more than one Spanish teacher could use the laptops at the same time. The district has also implemented a new $90 activity fee where $50 of that go to the district general fund. If some of the excess salaries were shaved off families wouldn’t have to have that extra expense.

East has also lost two janitors this year causing more work for the ones left and not as clean of a building. If some sponsorship salaries were cut then the cleanliness wouldn’t be compromised.

There is not a problem with having many clubs and ways for students to get involved in. But the district could find better ways to spend the money spent on them in a way that would affect a greater variety of students and the student body as a whole.

A publication of Shawnee Mission East High School 7500 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS 66208 October 31, 2011 Assistant Photo Editor Hiba Akhtar Online Photo Editor Brendan Dulohery Assistant Online Photo Editor Jake Crandall Copy Editors Evan Nichols Emma Pennington Kat Buchanan Katie Knight Matt Hanson Anne Willman Chloe Stradinger Toni Aguiar Chris Heady Jack Howland Head Online Copy Editor Matt Gannon Online Copy Editors Kim Hoedel Sarah Berger Ads/Circulation Managers Erin Reilly Leah Pack

Staff Artists Sam Stevens Matti Crabtree Connor Woodson Webmaster Chris Denniston Multimedia Editor Thomas Allen Assistant Multimedia Editor Dalton Boehm Transmedia Editor Holly Hernandez Convergence Editor Alex Lamb Assistant Convergance Editor Holly Hernandez Homegrown Editors Andrew Beasley Mason Pashia Blog Editor Zoe Brian Video Editor Thomas Allen Eastipedia Editor Sami Walter Podcast Editor

Sami Walter Live Broadcast Editors Duncan MacLachlan Assistant Live Broadcast Editor Connor Woodson Andrew McWard Online A&E Section Editor Zoe Brian Online Sports Section Editors Matt Gannon Matt Hanson Live Broadcast Producers Thomas Allen Drew Broeckelman Patrick Frazell Connor Woodson Chris Denniston Anchors Patrick Frazell Marisa Walton Morgan Twibell Emily Donovan PR Representative/ Business Managers

Letters to the editor may be sent to room 521 or smeharbinger@ gmail.com. Letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel and mechanics and accepted or rejected at the editors’ discretion.

Alex May Online Graphic Designers Paige Hess Staff Writers Alex Lamb Greta Nepstad Mitch Kaskie Nick May Stephen Cook Morgan Twibell Emily Donovan Holly Hernandez Leah Pack Jeri Freirich Online Staff Writers Zoe Brian Drew Broeckelman Katie Knight Patrick Frazell Editorial Board Julia Davis Becca Brownlee Christa McKittrick Kat Buchanan Toni Aguiar Evan Nichols Emma Pennington

Jack Howland Jennifer Rorie Matt Gannon Matt Hanson Photographers Spencer Davis Holly Martin Emma Robson Alic Erpelding Anna Danciger AnnaMarie Oakley Haley Johnston Josh Winters McKenzie Swanson Miranda Gibbs Marisa Walton Multimedia Staff Tiernan Shank Andrew McWard Alex Lamb Haley Martin Mary Newman Drew Broeckelman Spencer Davis Matti Crabtree Nathan Walker 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.

EDITORIAL| 07

ATale of

Two Cities

Junior compares his previous home in Cincinnati with his new home in Prairie Village

written by Nick May| photo illustration by Alic Erpelding “Kansas will be just like Ohio.”

Whereas I would be hanging out with my friends all That’s what my parents told me when they first broke day and having week-long sleepovers in Cincy, in Kansas the news that we were moving during the summer between I spent the first week living here reading my English sumeighth and ninth grade. When they first told us, it was so mer homework book and enrolling in my classes. sudden that we thought they were joking. They were being When the school year began with freshman orientation completely serious, and they said that Kansas City would day, I felt distant from the other students. Even my locker be just like Cincinnati, and the move wouldn’t be that bad. was on a different floor than the rest of my grade because They lied. we enrolled so late.

From the outside, the cities looked incredibly simiInstead of receiving extra attention for being “the new lar. They were almost identical in population, both have kid,” all of the Indian Hills students assumed we were from professional baseball and football teams and they were Mission Valley and vice versa. In my old school, the stueven both located on state boundaries. With the two cities dents from the five elementary schools all came together sounding so alike, we thought the move would be easier. in fifth grade, so you knew all the kids you would graduate But take it from me, Cincinnati and Kansas City are very with at an early age. different.

We had also never seen Sperry topsiders before. When Like most students I know, I assumed that all the fash- my siblings and I came home from our first day of school, ion, sports, music, dances and trends were basically the we couldn’t stop talking about “those weird loafer-y shoes.” same in schools across the nation. It seemed odd to think Everyone at our old school wore mostly Abercrombie and that other schools across America might not have been American Eagle clothing. At East, a kid called me “trashy” “Cranking dat Soulja Boy” in sixth grade. when I wore my Hollister sweatpants to school.

When I moved here, I thought things would be the same Also, something I picked up when I moved here is a haas they were 600 miles away. But they weren’t. tred of KU. Everywhere I looked it was “Rock Chalk” this We rented out a house in Mission Hills for a year while and “Jayhawk” that. When I moved I lost my eligibility for we looked at homes to buy. Mission Hills is a far cry from in-state tuition to Ohio State, the school I’d been planning normal suburban America. It’s a place where Range Rov- to go to with my friends since I was able to say “Go Buckers run the streets and houses sit nicely around the narrow eyes.” Now that I was in Kansas, representing OSU helped roads like the stern men and women from the mid-1900s, me deal with my move, because I was able to retain a conwhen most of the homes were built. nection to my city even from ten hours away.

The people in Mission Hills are different as well. Instead One of the things I was most bummed about is the fact of being greeted by neighbors and welcomed to the neigh- that lacrosse, an extremely popular sport in Ohio, is not borhood, a police car rolled up and said that they had re- school-sanctioned by the state of Kansas. In Ohio our laceived a complaint about our dogs barking too loud. Even crosse team had practice at school and got recognition at worse, the woman who called in the complaint had a hunt- events like pep rallies and over school announcements, ing dog that she kept in her backyard at all times that never while here you can’t even letter. The other downside of beseemed to shut up through the long seasons. ing a club sport is the price. The fee to play one season is This was different from Cincy, as we called it, where over $400, and that doesn’t include the cost of equipment. we always greeted new neighbors. A family moved in next Although I didn’t expect for the cities and the high door to us in fifth grade, and one of the boys in their family, schools to be so different, I have come to accept life in Kanwho was two years older than us, became one of my best sas. friends and was the most influential figure of my childWe made the most of the move, and found that if you hood. dwell over the things that your new town doesn’t have, you We weren’t sure how being “Lancers” would turn out. will just be more homesick. Even though I’m still a CincinAt my old school we were the Aviators, and our colors were natian on the inside, I’m proud to be a Lancer. green and gold, which still feels weird to me when we play South in sports.

Kansas City

Cincinnati

Population

Population

1,842,965

2, 130, 151

SM East

Sycamore

1,884

1,782

Students

Students

LANCERS AVIATORS

Notable

ALUMNI

Notable

ALUMNI

Eric Darnell Kevin Youkilis creator of starting player the movie for the “Madagascar” Boston Red Sox

08 | OPINION page8opinion 1

10/27/11 9:47 AM

THE SUNDAY BLUES Staffer discuss his love-hate relationship with Sundays

BREAKING UP those NOT-SO-FUN DAYS GHOST IN THE GRAVEYARD RIP

A game much like hide and go seek except roles are switched. One person hides and the rest seek.

FOOD FIGHT Go to a local park and have a food fight. Tip: bring goggles to protect your eyes from flying condiments.

RAKING LEAVES Grab a rake and make some leaf piles to jump into. Tip: ask your neighbors to use the leaves from their yard.

an opinion of Andrew McKittrick | photos by Jake Crandall Sunday afternoons used to be one of my favorite parts of friends, watching football or even playing ghost-in-thethe weekend. I didn’t have a care in the world and the hard- graveyard, things that I have yet to do as a high school stuest thing I had to do was cheer on the Chiefs. dent on Sundays. The final part of my day would be spent Now that I’m older and have more responsibilities, my on the couch in my family room watching the Chiefs work Sundays won’t be the same for the rest of my school years. their way towards a Super Bowl.

I spend all Sunday working on homework, going to church, The only way that I can work to achieve a perfect Sunday bible study and swim practice. All these activities leave me is by changing my habits. with no time for what Sundays are truly meant for: rest. BeLike most kids my age, I save all my schoolwork until cause of procrastination and electronic distractions, it be- Sunday night. I leave myself mountains of homework— comes even more difficult to enjoy Sundays. from my Pre-Calculus review packet to my text problems Sundays used to be one of my favorite parts of the week- for Chemistry. Many of my homework assignments need a end, with nothing to do and no commitments— it was a day computer, from websites for turning in homework to word of relaxation. I remember one Sunday in particular when processing. Even though electronics are a huge part in most the Chiefs were opening their regular season against the of my homework, they are also a huge time-waster.

Houston Texans. I woke up at 11:45 a.m. took a quick showI could easily finish most of my schoolwork for a night er and threw together a quick brunch of a blueberry bagel, in just two hours if I put away all the electronics. For me, it’s Cheetos and a Dr. Pepper. At half, the Chiefs were losing but a familiar scene; I go on to Facebook to ask someone what I still watched; I had been waiting since the end of last sea- the assignment is and end up getting side tracked. I’ll start son for this, I wasn’t going to give up after an hour and a half. on Facebook and move to Twitter to Yahoo to ESPN and all By the end, the Chiefs lost 20-3, but my love of watching the the way back to Facebook— it seems to be a never ending Chiefs on Sunday afternoons was still strong. The rest of my cycle. I’m sure that if I stopped procrastinating and avoided Sunday was spent going to church, eating a family dinner at distractions, my Sundays would open up tremendously.

Panera and playing catch with my dad. I couldn’t have asked Time management might seem like a completely obvious for a more picture perfect day. way to cut down on my workload, but not so for me. I always Sundays now are as bad as the day I found out that I end up telling myself that I will just complete that assignwill most likely not grow up to be president. Take, for in- ment after I eat lunch or after I clean my room, but for me, stance, last Sunday: I woke up at 9 a.m. and headed straight that will never happen. to church, as soon as I got home I started my schoolwork.

Turning off distractions, starting my homework sooner My day was a race to finish homework while at the same and working on my time-management skills are all great time juggling swim practice, church and a Bible study. Even things but truthfully, few of them will get done. Facebook though all these things are important to me, I wish I had stalking and reading @occupyoaklands tweets about the more time for relaxing.

Oakland CA Occupy movement are just too interesting and Everyone should just stop what they are doing on Sun- overall more palatable than that outside reading project for days and hang out. With more free time on Sundays, some English due the next day. When I get home on Fridays afof it could be devoted to a sit-down dinner with my family. A ter school, the last thing I want to be doing is Trigonometric nice homemade dinner can be just the pick-me-up needed Identities or conjugating verbs in the preterit. after a hard week of school and sports.

If I could only manage to complete everything faster and On a perfect Sunday with no homework and more time, more efficiently, I would get back a much sought-after day of there would be no need to rush to Church, Bible study or to rest. Although it isn’t quite the Sunday from my childhood, your friends house; everything could be more relaxed and my ideal Sunday would be devoted to my friends, family, less hurried. There would be no need to rush away from the God and an hour or two of the Chiefs game.

Bible study and head home to finish that math assignment.

For now, I’m working ahead on my English project so I There would also be time to fit in hanging out with can have that perfect Sunday.

OPINION | 09

Coloring Outside the Lines Senior believes creativity should be emphasized more in education

written by Julia Davis | photo by Spencer Davis As the world slowed down earlier this month to mourn the passing of 21st century icon Apple CEO Steve Jobs, we were reminded of his powerful message: think different.

We saw the countless headlines, tweets and tributes featuring quotes about not “wasting your time living someone else’s life” and having “the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

During all of this, I couldn’t help but think about the hypocrisy that exists in terms of creativity in our world today, and more specifically, in education. We are constantly told to be original and unique, yet we are educated in a system that is based on conformity and has little room for this uniqueness that we hear about.

This point was made painfully evident as I walked the halls of my former elementary school earlier this year. The progression from Kindergarten to sixth grade exemplifies how creativity is not valued as much as it should be.

Start at Kindergarten. The actual color of the walls will probably be a mystery, hidden by paintings that each vaguely resemble some type of animal, and landscapes with blue trees and pink grass, where the scribbles rarely manage to stay inside the lines.

Keep walking for a while until you hit third grade. Sixty nearly-identical Halloween graveyard scenes line the walls.

They’re still colorful paintings, but now they’re all the same. And that’s as it should be, since the directions were given step-by-step in art class by the teacher. Sure there’s the occasional masterpiece, and the occasional “slackerpiece” where the artist couldn’t help but paint outside the lines. But there’s definitely no more blue trees.

Head down a few more hallways and you hit sixth grade.

What’s on the wall, you might ask? Science experiments. A

10 | OPINION

sea of black and white type interrupted only by the colors on the bar graphs. No lines to color outside of now, just lots of hypotheses and data tables.

In our country today, so much emphasis is put on test scores and academic success. As students advance in their education, schools are forced to spend more and more time on the things that lead to exemplary standardized test scores. Music classes get replaced with extra math practice, hands-on projects with textbook problems, art classes with practice assessments, the list goes on and on.

In Kindergarten, everyone had the “spark” to create something magnificent. We were all little Picassos in our own way. But as we grew up, many of us lost that spark, and not by accident. I believe that people don’t grow into creativity, but rather that they grow out of it, primarily because of the environment that they are educated in.

The purpose of the public school system is to prepare us for the “real world.” Because of this, the subjects are prioritized according to how “useful” they would be in work world. Math and science at the top, followed by English and history, and then at the bottom, almost without question, are the arts.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with math and science as subjects in general. The way we teach them is the problem. Instead of using real-world situations that require real-world solutions, students spend hours memorizing calculations and doing practice problems, which won’t be useful to them in the future.

With the emphasis that our world puts on math, science, and reading, many highly talented, creative people grow up thinking that they’re not, because they weren’t good at school. Schools do a pretty good job of squeezing the cre-

ativity out of us by the time we’re done.

We need to radically rethink our view of what it means to be intelligent. All A’s doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re the smartest kid in the class.

I remember my Kindergarten open house, when all the parents came to see everything we’d been doing in school that year. Our music teacher had us sing a song called “Animals at the Zoo” and we all had to sing a line about one of the animals that we’d chosen.

One of my classmates walked up to the microphone, clad in a lion’s mane, ears and tail, which he was fiddling with in his hand. Instead of his verse, he roared and then ran around the cafeteria. As he returned to his place in line, he was smiling even though he had forgotten his lines completely.

That’s the thing with little kids. They aren’t afraid to try something and be wrong. As we progress through school, the belief that mistakes are bad is ingrained in our thinking, and by the time we graduate most of us are terrified of making them.

But, here’s the thing-- if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original. It seems that in our world today, where we have no idea what the future will look like in five years, innovation will get us much farther than good math and science scores.

The human imagination is truly a gift worth investing in.

We need those people that are willing to color outside the lines once in awhile, and paint the trees blue. Those are the people who end up transforming the world. As Steve Jobs put it, “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

OVERWHELMED

Don’t Worry—Be Happy Wait ‘till the last minute, because then it only takes a minute.

The statement’s origin is foggy, yet to me its meaning is clear. I don’t view it as a call to procrastinate; instead, I hear its cry to not worry. AHAP summer homework was much less overwhelming when I decided to store it in the back of my closet and in the back of my mind. Procrastination was not the key for this relief, though, for I planned to allow one week for the assignment. The key in fact was not worrying; with a clear mind I was able to take the homework head on the last week of summer.

Planning is tiresome—another premature decision to make, another note in the planner, another “to-do.” Subtle threats often accompany this planning, and the resulting stress is completely avoidable. The

average high school teen has already witnessed proof of this.

Every assignment did not have to be completed in cursive in fifth grade. The schedule change from elementary to middle school was not overwhelming; rather, it was as smooth as marble tile. Teachers did not assign five hours of homework per night freshman year.

From these experiences, I now can laugh at these threats as they pop up in my life. I only assume that the English senior paper will not in fact consume my life.

We have been bred for the next step in life from the moment we took our first breaths, but that does not have to insure our future nervous breakdowns.

photo b y Josh W int

er

College Should Wait Why do I feel like I’ve overstayed my welcome?

I spent nine years preparing for high school, and now East has a firm hand on my shoulder as it pushes me out the double doors. College Now, AP classes, application assemblies, College Clinic—the hints to leave are unmistakable.

I understand that East’s aim is well intentioned. I would be lost without the support of t h e counselors and teachers who work hard to prepare me for college. However, the giant mass of pamphlets, emails, ACT and SAT tests, College Now, AP tests, financial aid, scholarship forms and applications tend to overwhelm my high school experience.

College is simply not worth the stress.

Society has managed to convince us that the colleges we pick are more important than the educations we get there. A student could have the best of educations at KU, just as another could screw around and learn little at Yale. The fact is that college is what you make of it, so picking the “right” college shouldn’t be so stressful.

But that world needs to wait; high school will then become much more enjoyable.

Witness the thrill of winning a football game without worrying about athletic scholarships. Join clubs for a cause instead of a college. Enroll in electives that interest you but not necessarily a university. One day you’ll look back on this time and you’ll be able to say it was well-spent.

East agreed to host you until graduation, so do not let yourself be kicked out just yet.

Walk to “Pomp and Circumstance” adorned in blue robes not as a Jayhawk or Wildcat, but as a Lancer.

Perfection is Overrated How to alleviate the stresses of a hectic life

T

hese are the best years of your life.

My parents have continuously implanted this thought in my mind. Still, I have my doubts about these “best years.”

Why am I rushing to put them behind me? an opinion of Five generations of iPhones will testify that reachIAN WISEMAN ing the next step has never been of greater importance. And why shouldn’t it be? Progress is a necessity. Preparations must be made for the future. Life requires planning.

Unfortunately, planning often obstructs life.

When I one day reminisce on my time as a Lancer, I don’t want the stress of completing the Common Application to be my strongest memory. What about the thrill of sprinting a straightaway during a cross country race, or the excitement of a Homecoming dance?

It is not possible to always give the A+ effort that so many demand. With the multitude of activities that many students are involved in nowadays, it isn’t fair to ask for your best effort at everything you do. That would involve working every hour of your waking life.

And there’s the problem—we have lives.

We need down time to watch The Office or peruse Facebook. We need that mental health break if nothing else to have something to look forward to.

Similarly, it’s not possible to always achieve perfection. Many parents and colleges seem to only accept this one outcome, but their ideology is flawed. School is great because it prepares us for successful lives; however, life isn’t always successful. It’s

teeming with parking tickets and job losses and relationship problems. Successes in life are matched by failures, so unless we learn to cope with those failures, we will fall apart.

Many teachers understand this. Several offer homework passes and test retakes.

Others make it clear that A’s are quite the achievements in their classes. These actions—not the demand for continual perfection—prepare us for the real world. Life requires endurance; if we always give 110 percent, we’ll be burned out by the time we leave college.

Get a B. Take a nap. Go watch the football game.

OPINION | 11

I

t’s approaching 6 p.m. and garlic and basil scents from the kitchen fill my house. I can hear the pots and pans clanking in the kitchen as my dad cooks, humming as he stirs. I peer in from the back porch which feeds into the dining room, leading into the kitchen to see the steam from the stove rise to the ceiling. I lay back on the white carpeted floor of the porch and continue watching one of my favorite shows, Dragon Tales on the TV in front of me. As I wait for my mom to come home from work, I am eager to share my day with her. My dad continues to whistle and hum as he tries to finish preparing dinner before mom arrives home. It’s pasta night. *** My dad has always been protective of me. The day I was born, he was paranoid that the nurses would accidentally switch me with another baby. So naturally, he didn’t like the idea of putting me in daycare as a child. But because it seemed like the most sensible thing to do at the time, he and my mom reluctantly put me in daycare for a few weeks.

During my time in day care, I ended up “losing” my favorite stuffed animal, which I later discovered had been left inside my cubby. Other than that, I have very little memories from daycare. One of those memories is the day they had a clown come visit us with balloon animals. I’m not a big fan of clowns, but thanks to my dad, that was the last I saw of daycare (and clowns). When my parents enrolled me in Ward Parkway Presbyterian pre-school, my dad, John Burgess, chose to stay at home with me in the afternoons while my Mom, Gina, worked during the day. That was my dad for most of my childhood, occasionally cooking dinner while mom made her way home from work, always packing lunches in my clunky, purple lunch pail that I would sluggishly carry to school with me.

The supper I always remember my dad making when my mom couldn’t make it home in time to help was pasta, or as I would refer to it as a kid—“saghetti.” When she got home, I would run up to hug her and lead her to the dining room. We would all sit down and eat our “saghetti” while I rambled on about the events of the day.

After my short stint in daycare and “graduation” from Pre-K, my dad continued to stay home with me every day after 3 p.m. through grade school, since my mom would work some nights until 8 p.m. While other kids were getting picked up by moms and maroon-colored minivans in grade school, I rode home in my dad’s black ’94 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Every day, from preschool until fifth grade when my mom’s work schedule changed, my dad would stand outside the school in his worn paint-splattered slacks, fleece North Face and ball cap, waiting for me among the chattering PTA moms. Some days we would go straight home and I would plop down on our plaid couch and watch my favorite PBS shows. Other days he would teach me how to play checkers or chess. Still, my favorite memories were on days when my dad and I would go for walks down to Windsor Park and he would push me on the swing, doing underdogs, or running under the swing as he pushed me so I could go higher. Even the times when I would stand on the end of the grocery cart at Wild Oats while he raced around the store, picking out the groceries for the week.

On any choice autumn day after school, when the leaves were in the prime of their transitions from green to crimson, my dad and I would hop into the old Grand Cherokee with a Frisbee and my old black Labrador, Duke, and drive out west to Shawnee Mission Park. On the drives there, my dad would play U2’s “Achtung Baby” or Radiohead’s “Ok Computer” and sing along. We would walk the trails of the park as he pointed out the countless signs of fall to me. Even now, fall holds a strong resonance for me when the leaves

DADDY DAY CARE Staffer reflects on having a stay-at-home dad growing up written by Kennedy Burgess | photos by Emma Robson

start changing and my mind races back to my childhood. I see myself sitting in the passenger seat of the Jeep, watching the trees pass and listening to my dad try to sing “Karma Police.”

If it wasn’t for my dad’s decision to stay home with me, I would have spent my early years watching clowns make balloon animals at a daycare with a bunch of other kids instead of taking nature walks at my favorite local park.

Having a stay-at-home dad never affected me in the short term; it was just the lifestyle I was accustomed to growing up. I never looked at the other kids’ moms waiting to pick them up from school and felt embarrassed that my dad was there instead. I know now that my mom was taking care of me in her own way, and my dad was doing what he loved most—being my dad. I guess I never fully appreciated the time my dad put into taking care of me until last October, when he left to work with a construction company for three months in Minnesota. When he told me that he wouldn’t be back until the week before Christmas, I let the thought shift to the back of my mind and didn’t think much of it until he actually left.

It was the small things that I missed while he was gone: the nights he would grill out in our backyard and cook the meanest grilled chicken while sporting the “Grill Sergeant”

a day in the life of 5:30 a.m. 7:00 a.m.

12 | OPINION page12opinion.indd 1

He would wake up, let the dog out and feed him.

shirt I bought him for his birthday. The Sundays he would yell at the Chiefs out of disappointment or enthusiasm through our television. I missed the random, philosophical discussions he would strike up about anything in life that my mom and I sometimes rolled our eyes at. There was such an undeniable sense of emptiness in the house that my mom and I felt when my dad was gone. It was the first fall my dad wasn’t home.

I made a pact with myself that when he returned home, I would try to show more gratitude towards my parents and not be so stubborn all the time, even though most of my stubbornness comes from my dad. I realized during that three month period how thankful I actually was for the father I was given. He’s far from perfect, but he and my mom care more about me more than anyone in my life.

I wish I would have cherished those small moments I spent with my dad more when I was younger because as I look back on them, I think about how much they shaped me as a person. He taught me to be tough and to “buck up” when things weren’t going my way. He taught me how to play chess and how to ride a bike. Because I had a stay-athome dad, I was able to become closer with him than I ever would have if he worked a nine-to-five shift every day.

mr. mom 12:00 p.m. 3:10 p.m.

He would wake He would run up Kennedy, cook three errands and her breakfast clean the house. and make a sack lunch.

An account of John Burgess’s daily schedule when Kennedy was in Kingergarten

He would pick Kennedy up from school.

5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.

He would go on a walk and then he would start making dinner.

He and Kennedy’s mom would tuck her into bed.

10/27/11 10:10 AM

written by Holly Hernandez | photo by Grant Kendall Underneath sophomore Bryant The day Valarie died was just an aver- of pills, killing herself. The family had Ramirez’s Columbia blue and white bas- age day. He had just been dropped off at recently confronted her about her adketball jersey, a small word is inscribed his dad’s house when he grabbed his bas- diction to crack and medication, but she onto the right side of his chest wrapped ketball and headed outside, now a daily reacted harshly to what they were telling around a chained locket with the initials routine. The weather was nice and he her. Bryant had just been with his mom V.R. in the center. Pura Vida, it reads. In could hear the squeaking ball bounce up the morning she passed before he went Costa Rica, this can mean hello or good- and down on the concrete as he dribbled. to his dad’s house. When Will told him bye, but to 16-year-old Bryant it means Bryant was shooting baskets when Will, the news, he ran back outside and kept love and life. his dad, called him inside. shooting...and shooting...and shooting.

It’s the middle of a game and Bryant is Will was standing in the kitchen. He It just wouldn’t sink in. on the free throw line. He pats his chest put the phone down.

“Your mother, you always think she’s three times over the intertwined tattoos “When my dad was telling me ‘oh we going to be the life for you…you always before he shoots. Everything else around all love you we’re all here for you, me think she’s going to be there,” Bryant him is quiet. This world is the only one and your family,’ I noticed that he wasn’t said. “When my dad said that she died, it where his mom still exists. The world mentioning my mom in that conversa- was really shocking.” where she didn’t die of a drug overdose tion,” Bryant said. “My first thought was After his mom’s death, Bryant started when he was nine. The world where he she was just in jail again.” playing basketball all the time. The sport can still hear her cheering him on—a It wouldn’t was how he coped. voice inside of his head. have been the “When my dad was telling me “I just wanted to get C’mon Bryant! You can do this. first time him away, and when I play ‘Oh we all love you; we’re all His mom, Valarie, died of a drug over- and his dad had basketball I go into dose when he was nine, the same year that talk. His here for you, me and your fam- another world,” Brythat he discovered basketball. He noticed mom had gone ily,’ I noticed that he wasn’t ant said. “I just try to that his dad’s new house had a basketball to jail for drugs mentioning my mom in that go to the happy places goal in the driveway just before she died, in the past, so it conversation. My first thought with me and her…all so one day he decided to pick up a bas- was easy for him the good times we had ketball and give it a try. He began to shoot to think that was was she was just in jail again.” together. I try not to SOPHOMORE BRYANT RAMIREZ there in his driveway every day after the case. think about all the bad school for fun—for a place to escape to.

Yeah, he things that happened.”

“When I first started playing I was thought. Jail again.

Though a lot has changed since his like, this is something I can do and feel But that was when his dad told him mom’s passing, as soon as he gets home like I’m doing good at,” Bryant said, “that what had really happened. She had gone from school, he grabs his basketball and was when everything started.” into her bedroom and chugged a bottle heads outside to shoot in the same drive-

way. His driveway is his sanctuary. If he’s bored, he shoots. If he needs to clear his mind, he shoots. And if he needs somewhere to remember his mom a little better, he knows that the good times they had will bounce back to life when the ball is in his hands.

Bryant was born in the U.S., but moved to Costa Rica shortly after. He moved back with his parents when he was nine and has gone to 11 different schools since.

His parents had been divorced since he was five. He spent time living in crack houses with his mom when he was little.

At night, he made his own dinner. He got himself up for school, and while only 11-years-old he had to act as if he was a grown man. When he stayed with his dad things were better, but since his dad was a construction worker at the time, he couldn’t be around that much. *** It was during his first grade year that 6-year-old Bryant started to think something was different. His mom came home almost every night stumbling around drunk or strung out on drugs. He later found out that she had been doing drugs since before he was born. But as a kid, he didn’t understand she was addicted. And eventually, over the years, it was the pills that took over who she was. continued on p. 25

&

MARKED FOREVER

inside out

Sophomore’s tattoo and love of basketball honor his mom

FEATURES| 13

Katy’s

JOURNEY Freshman Katy Lark Young will return to Nanning, China this summer for the first time after being adopted as a toddler written by Greta Nepstad | photos by Miranda Gibbs ame: Yuan Li Feng. Date of Birth: 11-14-96. Race: until Katy was 100 percent positive she wanted to go.

Chinese. These are the first facts that Leslie Young

Until now, she’s never had any desire to even and David Wiebe read about their child. They re- learn about her Chinese culture. When she was six, she ceived their referral letter on Feb. 27, 1998. Five days prior took Chinese dancing classes, but Katy had “less than zero to that, they got a phone call from Holt Adoption Agency interest.” After six weeks, she dropped out. informing them that their baby girl was waiting for them.

This past year, Katy has given more thought to China Three months later, on May 30, they met their daughter for and discussed the heritage tour with her parents. Leslie bethe first time. lieves Katy is ready to go. Although it’s illegal to try to locate Kathalyn Lark Li Young is now fourteen years old. She her birth parents, she will make up for it by learning about has dark eyes, dark hair, and isn’t more than five feet tall. her country. Katy is ready to take the challenge, ready to She was born in Nanning, China. learn more about her culture.

This summer, she’s going back to her birth country for Growing up, Katy imagined that her birth parents were the first time to reconnect with her Chinese roots. wealthy, important people living in a grand palace. As she Upon arrival at the orphanage, both Leslie and Wiebe got older, she realized that this couldn’t be true. If they lived had been informed that Katy was likely to form a strong in the city, then they might work in a factory and live in an bond with one of them before the other. Leslie tried and apartment. If they lived in the country, which they most tried to console the crying baby in her arms, but to no likely do, then they were rice farmers who work in the field avail. When she handed her to Wiebe, she instantly calmed alongside water buffalo. down; although it was Leslie who first thought of adopting, Katy grew up knowing that she was adopted and that it was with Wiebe that Katy bonded with first. her heritage lies in China. She’s always known. When she “She more than bonded with me—she clung to me,” was five, Leslie read her a book called The Mulberry Bird.

Wiebe said.

It’s about a mother bird who has to give up her baby, but She wouldn’t let Wiebe out of her sight the entire two loves her baby very much. When she was shown pictures weeks they were in China. of the Great Wall of China, Wiebe would say, ‘Here’s the Whenever Leslie and Wiebe walked around the streets Great Wall—someday we’ll take you there.’ of Nanning with Katy, people would give them the thumbs For six weeks, Katy lived with a foster family. She had a up sign and say. “Lucky baby, lucky baby.” Leslie and Wiebe foster grandmother, mother, father, sister and brother. In a would respond with, “Lucky mother, lucky father.” letter written to Leslie and Wiebe, her foster mother, Liu Yu These Nanning residents knew that this little Chinese Di, said, “Little Li Feng is a very smart, active, and lovely baby, especially as a girl, would have many more opportu- baby...She knows the way to make people happy...Friends: nities in the United States than in China.

You have made a very smart decision adopting her as your Before marrying Leslie, Wiebe had two children, Mark daughter. She will reward you when she gets older and she and Chris. Mark has two boys, Quinn and Noah, who made will never forget the care you gave her.”

Katy a huge sign that read “Welcome Home Katy Lark,” This summer, when Katy returns to China with her parupon her initial arrival in the US. ents, she will be immersed in China’s culture. She will visit Sometimes, when Katy looks at her older brother, Mark, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven she sees her father. When she sees her nephews, Quinn and take a boat tour down the Li River. and Noah, she sees her brother. She can’t help but wonder This trip will also consist of a visit to her birth city, Nanif she looks like her parents, or if she has a sibling who ning. The one thing Katy is looking forward to the most is looks like her. going back to her hometown.

“Sometimes, I feel different,” Katy said. “I don’t know “It’s where we started,” she said. many other people who were adopted from China.”

She wants to see where she spent the first year and a Then she remembers that her world consists of people half of her life, and how the girls there are living--how she who love her, and that they are her “forever family.” could have been living.

When Katy was 10, Leslie and Wiebe first offered Katy If possible, she will get to see the site where she was the option of returning to China and learning more about found in the Xing Yang market, only two days old. This the country. Katy didn’t want to go. She simply wasn’t ready. market is right by the orphanage, so it’s likely that her birth “I wasn’t ready to think about my [biological] parents parents knew she would be found and brought in to be and where I came from and who I was,” Katy said. cared for.

Both of her parents Katy will spend the last three days of the tour at a day felt that they should wait camp amongst other internationally adopted children and

N

14 | FEATURES

run by international adoptees. Leslie and Wiebe will continue to sightsee, so Katy has some time to spend alone with other adoptees. The agency will also try to arrange a meal with her foster family.

Leslie feels that the closer the date of the tour arrives, the more excited Katy will be. Excited, but nervous.

“Going to China sounds really fun,” Katy said. “I think it’s a good opportunity for me to experience more Chinese culture and see what life is like for a Chinese teenager in Nanning.”

Oh!

the places she’ll go Katy’s top three places to visit in China

1 Teracotta Warriors “My mom thinks that they are unique, and each one has a different face which is cool.”

2 The Great Wall of China “The Great Wall will be intersting because it is really important to Chinese history, and when I think of China I think of the Great Wall.”

3 Nanning and Holt “I’m excited to go back to Nanning, China to visit Holt. I just want to see everything there is to see in the city.”

WHO YA’ GONNA CALL?

Junior goes with paranormal investigators to try to find the ghosts at a real ‘haunted house’ written by Erin Reilly | photos by Jake Crandall

I’m not any easily frightened person. No Freddys creep amongst my dreams, no Jasons stalk my every move. So when I got a Groupon to go ghost hunting in the mail, I was picturing myself in full-on Ghostbusters mode, complete with a proton pack and Dan Aykroyd standing next to me talking about “real wrath of God type stuff,” rather than a scene straight from a Stephen King novel. So I made an appointment to investigate the John Wornall house, an 1800s manor on 61st and Wornall that’s part of the KC Historic Homes Society. Challenge accepted.

9:04 P.M. After becoming sufficiently paranoid after my “Paranormal Activity” marathon, I arrive at the John Wornall house. It looms above me in the darkness — an umbral, shadowed entity waiting for me to divulge its secrets. I step into the darkness wearing two sweatshirts and a coat, yet shivers still rack my body. I hope it was just the night air.

The last thing I hear is the man at registration calling out, semi-seriously, “If you need a diaper, we take cash or checks.”

10:12 P.M. An hour passes as I amble around the grounds and examine ghost hunting equipment. I finally meet my fellow ghost hunters: a motley crew of grandmothers, motor-bikers and a few curious stragglers.

The leader of the Missouri Paranormal Society (MOPS), Justin, explains his group’s purpose and history behind the John Wornall house. This is the group’s 13th year communicating with the lingering descendants of John Wornall, and they claim that activity has been pretty frequent this year. I would be the judge of that.

10:25 P.M. Our troupe splits up: half go into the main house, and half remain in the carriage house. I’m sent to the house first, where I’m briefed on the procedure for exploring the house. First, we are to do a sweep of each room checking for spikes in temperature (fivedegree difference) and EMF (energy level) readings. If there were spikes in temperature coupled with high EMF readings, then we were to alert the

group and try to communicate with the “being.” We would spend 15 minutes in each of the seven rooms in the house.

11:30 P.M. I have come down from my initial adrenaline high. The most we have accomplished is feeling a few cold spots in various places in the room. No noises. No apparitions. No communication. That is, until we get to the kitchen.

11:37 P.M. After finding a correlating temperature and EMF spike in the kitchen, our group sits down in a circle. We prepare for communication by taking a simple twist flashlight and setting it to the point where a touch would turn it on or off. Placing it in the middle of the circle, far from any living thing, we sit and wait. Caitlin, our leader and head analyst for MOPS, then calls out in a voice that pierces the dead silence.

“Are there any spirits in this room? If yes, please give the flashlight a tap to turn it on.”

At first, there is nothing but the pitch blackness of the room.

Then...click.

“If we are communicating with a spirit in the room, please just tap the light off.”

This time it’s instantaneous.

“Are we communicating with Eliza [lady of the house]? If yes, please turn on the light. If no, don’t do anything.”

The light remains off. We continue on this way, asking some more questions, yet the light’s flashing becomes sporadic. I knew something strange was going on, even if I wasn’t sure I believed in ghosts.

My curiosity is once again intrigued, and we move on to the upstairs landing of the house.

11:45 P.M. We enter what used to be the room of Mitty, an adopted child the Wornall’s. She is reportedly one of the most contacted spirits of the estate, so I felt hopeful for more signs of supernatural presences.

Sitting in a circle once again, we put the flashlight in the middle of the circle. Caitlin begins again.

“Mitty, are you here with us? Please tap the light on if yes.”

Instantaneously the light pops on. I couldn’t believe it was happening again.

“Are you alone?”

The light shuts off abruptly.

“Are you here to play?”

The light flickers on.

We pry into Mitty’s life, trying to figure out Kandice Walker, the executive why she’s still around. She only reveals that director of the John Wornall she still wants to play with her corn-husk and Alexander Majors House doll, and refuses to talk unless presented Museum, shares stories of the with Oreos. Slowly, Mitty appears to run two twin ghost sisters that have out of energy, and the light flashes come been reportedly seen in the area slower and slower. Soon, the light flickers out completely and the room is still “A neighbor mom called in one day, by reagain. quest of her son, to see if he could arrange a 1:52 A.M. playdate with the two little girls across the I leave the hunt to try and grab my street that they had seen several times playfive hours of sleep for my soccer game ing outside while driving by. I told her the later that morning. As I quietly exJohn Wornall house is vacant. We believe they saw Sally and Emmy.” cuse myself, turning to thank Caitlin for the events of the night, I reach out to return my dead flashlight to “We have civil war reenactments with adults her. dressed up in period clothing. One time we Suddenly the light flickers in got a call from a neighbor criticizing us for my hand, then returns to black: a letting two little girls play in the street. We ghostly wave goodbye. didn’t have any children in the reenact*** ment.”

While I came out of the ordeal without being inundated in the remains of a “When I was going to the house [the office is in600-pound melted Stay side] on my first day, I saw two little girls in the Puft man, I did develop a upstairs window. Of course at first I was like ‘oh new appreciation for the no, I already let kids inside the house! I’m fired spiritually unknown. I may for sure!’ But all the doors were locked, all the windows were locked, and when I went inside not be entirely convinced no one was in there. This was verified by the of the existence of groundskeeper outside. It was Sally and Emmy.” ghosts--but I’ve locked up all the flashlights in my house in my Hello FOR ADDITIONAL VIDEO FOOTAGE, VISIT WWW.SMEHARBINGER.NET Kitty safe anyway.

PARANORMAL

ACTIVITY

15 | FEATURES

Reaching

MAXIMUM Occupancy

The movement ‘OccupyWall Street’ has now taken on a local tangent with ‘Occupy KC’

Purposes

$ Participants

Goals $$ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

16 | SPREAD page1617spread.indd 1

the basics

Ever since 1979, the wealth in America has been accumulating unequally. According to the OccupyWall Street Movement, corporate America controls of almost all of the money in the country. This is where their slogan “We are the 99 percent” comes from. These people believe that it is time for corporations to release their stronghold on the funds and equalize the distribution of wealth.

The crowd repeats this too, one sentence at a time. They are the microphones, repeating John’s words so everyone can hear the meeting clearly. This general assembly is democracy at its core: a meeting created by and for the people, each person having a right to contribute, inquire or debate. This small group of people have created a government of their own because they’re not satisfied with the one running this country.

Occupy KC is a social movement protesting the unfair corporate influence on the government and the mega-rich families of the US— the “one percent.” These families are commonly referred to as “the one percent,” the top 1 percent of Americans in terms of wealth control. According to G. William Domhoff’s article “Wealth, Income and Power,” the top 1 percent of Americans controlled 42.7 percent of the total financial wealth in 2007.

Junior Annie Sullivan participated in the Oct. 15 Occupy KC march with her parents. Her father, Jim Sullivan, works for the Kansas City Board of Trade, and has felt the backlash of the financial crisis. Sullivan says that she’s become more reliant on herself to support herself financially.

“It’s just put the knowledge of a dollar into perspective due to my family’s cutbacks,” Sullivan said. Occupy KC has not made any official demands yet, but Sullivan still feels that the protest has already been a success—it’s given the American people a voice.

“People have been inspired to take action and be heard,” Sullivan said.

The Occupy KC movement was born from the OccupyWall Street (OWS) movement, which started on Sept. 17 when a small group of New Yorkers responded to a blog post from the Canadian-based magazine Adbusters, which called for a “Tahrir moment,” or an occupation of Wall Street, “the financial Gomorrah of America.” They “occupied” Zuccotti Park, a 33,000 sq. feet public park in lower Manhattan; this is day 45 of the protest.

OWS spawned not only Occupy KC, but hundreds of other similar “occupy” protests around the country. The website occupytogether.org has over 450 “Occupy” movements recorded in their searchable directory, ranging from Marbelna, Spain to Biloxi, Mississippi. The movement’s gone global.

Self-proclaimed as a “horizontal movement,” Occupy KC has no set leader, instead relying on the general assemblies to make decisions. They make it a goal to be a completely transparent movement—no information is hidden from the public. Along with their own website, occupykc.com, the movement has a Facebook page and twitter account to keep an up-to-date agenda available to the public. All of their general assemblies are live-

streamed online, and the minutes from those meetings are available online, too.

Besides the general assemblies, Occupy KC is broken into “working groups,” smaller groups of people dedicated to a certain task: Public Relations, Media, Direct Action, Legal, Facilitation, Comfort, Medical and Waste and Sanitation. Each one has weekly meetings separate from the general assemblies.

The movement also holds marches and events around Kansas City to gain public attention and educate people about the movement and its goals. Yesterday, they held a “We Are One” rally at Ilus Davis Park 2004 East graduate Alex Abnos has been covering the Occupy Wall Street movement as part of his studies at Columbia University. He and other students run a website, thebrooklynink. com, which started covering OWS three weeks ago. Abnos was amazed to even see public protests in the US. This past summer, Abnos visited Barcelona where a similar style movement was occuring.

“People were just camping out and building treehouses in the trees in the [city] square,” Abnos said. “They were protesting a lot of the same things that we are here. I remember walking around this whole thing and being amazed, because I was like ‘Man, nothing like this would ever happen in the US.’ I didn’t think the American people had it in them.”

But one look at Zuccotti Park will show that the American people do indeed have the fire to protest: the bare granite surface has been transformed into a bustling, self-sustaining community.

“They’ve built up a village out of this blank canvas,” Abnos said. “They have a medics tent, they have a method for dispersing clean clothes and blankets for when it gets cold, they have a kitchen—they’ve got everything. They even have a press tent, and generators. It’s pretty amazing what they’ve been able to do with the sparest of resources.”

Just like Occupy KC, activites at OWS vary from day to day.

Think tanks, poster making, marches on the streets, general assemblies and sometimes even live music: it’s a diverse agenda for a diverse group of people.

Although the movement has helped the public reclaim their voice, the reasons people chose to protest are as diverse as America itself. No Occupy movements have voiced specific demands to the government yet. The Occupy KC website even states, “everyone joining the movement has their own personal reason for getting involved.” When Abnos visited the OWS movement and asked people “What would it take you leave?” the responses were a mixed bag.

“You ask any given protester why they’re there, or what would get them to leave, and you’ll get eight or nine different answers,” Abnos said. “I think generally, they’re there because they are angry with the way the financial system is run. But that encompasses a lot of things, and it’s hard to put a list of demands to it.”

But according to Dr. Christopher Anderson, a business professor at the University of Kansas, the lack of a unified message is going to hurt the Occupy movements. The most effective and memorable social movements have adhered to a clear, succinct message—”Temperance,” “Give women the vote,” and “Get out of Vietnam.” Right now, both OWS and Occupy KC lack a unified message; Occupy KC’s website has a only a broad mission statement: “We are committed to the defense of freedom, democracy, and the reduction of political violence through the use of nonviolent action.”

“I validate [the peoples’] anger, concern and disappointment with the state of our economy right now,” Dr. Anderson said. “On the other hand, I don’t think they have a clear idea of what to do to move forward. I think they’re just expressing emotion.”

Dr. Anderson also points out that although the Occupy movements are protesting the “corporate influence on government,” those two things are inherently connected. The nature of our financial system requires there to be interaction between corporations and the government, and to protest them without a specific message is ineffectual.

“I see the mainstream Democratic party staying an arm’s length away from these movements,” Dr. Anderson said. “I see them trying to exploit the emotions, the frustrations, for political purposes, but I don’t see any political party adopting a message that comes out of this movement.”

Abnos counters this idea, saying that it’s good the movement has tied itself down to a set goal yet. The fact that people are protesting the government’s actions instead of passively accepting them is a success in itself.

“People are mad; a lot of people are made,” Abnos said. “It’s a viewpoint that transcends political boundaries and party lines. If you’re pissed off with the way the country is going, then you will find something for you in OccupyWall Street.”

As Abnos sees it, the movement needs to keep on doing what its’ doing: “being there and making noise.” The movements are still inchoate, still gaining public awareness and support-- unified message or not, here they come. As one occupywallstreet. org chat user put it simply: “Asking OWS what do to do now is like asking an egg to lay another egg.”

Only time will tell if this egg will hatch into something bigger.

Although there is not one specific group involved in this movement, speculations have been made that it’s “the jobless” and recent college graduates. However, the participants cannot be limited to just those two categories. This movement seems to be largely a gathering of middle class citizens that are fed up with the current state of the economy.

The primary problem of this group is the lack of organization.

So far there are no objectively defined goals or a plan of action.

The only thing that Occupy Wall Street and Occupy KC seem to want is change. However, implementing change is a whole different story.

Evolution Occupation

continued from p. 1

of the

A look at the events leading up to the Occupy Wall Street Movement (OWS) and how the protest has gained momentum and spread across the country.

1

Website Order

2

Publicity

Media coverage of the movement Occupy Wall Street (OWS) increases to 10 percent, making it a nation-wide issue. The movement soon spreads to Atlanta, Chicago, Boston and Seattle.

Meanwhile, in New York, citizens have set up camp in Zuccotti Park, nearby the financial district.

3

Arrests & Approval

4

Riots & Violence

A sign displaying “Corporations are not People” sits on the grounds of Occupy KC. This is a core belief behind this movement, which aims to restore the balance between corporate America and the average citizen. Photo by Grant Kendall

A man relaxes outside the group of protesters.

Despite the movement’s lack of organized goals, the protesting sites are fully equipped with medical tents and a kitchen. Photo by Grant Kendall

A poster displaying “The revolution will not be televised” hangs in front of one of the many tents at the KC location. Even though this event is not being televised, it is rapidly gaining momentum. Just recently China outlawed the search of the term “occupy.” Photo by Spencer Davis

On June 9, 2011 the Canadian anti-consumerist magazine ‘Adbusters’ registered the website occupywallst.org. According the the website Adbusters called for New Yorkers to flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street. When September 17 rolled around around 1,000 people, mostly young activists, marched along Wall Street to show their dissatisfaction with the government’s relationship with American corporations.

Violence breaks out in New York when police arrest over 80 people using the force of pepper spray. Then, over 700 protesters were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge during a movement for OWS. Also, according to npr.org, the OWS’s approval rating has increased to 33 percent.

According to OWS organizers the movement has spread to 951 cities in 82 countries. In Oakland, according to occupyoakland. org, things turned disastrous when police began throwing concussion grenades and tear gas directly into the crowd. For hours the protesters tried to get back into the protesting area but were denied by police using “non-lethal” weapons.

FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE, VISIT

WWW.SMEHARBINGER.NET

SPREAD| 17 10/27/11 8:52 AM

Reaching

MAXIMUM Occupancy

The movement ‘OccupyWall Street’ has now taken on a local tangent with ‘Occupy KC’

Purposes

$ Participants

Goals $$ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

16 | SPREAD page1617spread.indd 1

the basics

Ever since 1979, the wealth in America has been accumulating unequally. According to the OccupyWall Street Movement, corporate America controls of almost all of the money in the country. This is where their slogan “We are the 99 percent” comes from. These people believe that it is time for corporations to release their stronghold on the funds and equalize the distribution of wealth.

The crowd repeats this too, one sentence at a time. They are the microphones, repeating John’s words so everyone can hear the meeting clearly. This general assembly is democracy at its core: a meeting created by and for the people, each person having a right to contribute, inquire or debate. This small group of people have created a government of their own because they’re not satisfied with the one running this country.

Occupy KC is a social movement protesting the unfair corporate influence on the government and the mega-rich families of the US— the “one percent.” These families are commonly referred to as “the one percent,” the top 1 percent of Americans in terms of wealth control. According to G. William Domhoff’s article “Wealth, Income and Power,” the top 1 percent of Americans controlled 42.7 percent of the total financial wealth in 2007.

Junior Annie Sullivan participated in the Oct. 15 Occupy KC march with her parents. Her father, Jim Sullivan, works for the Kansas City Board of Trade, and has felt the backlash of the financial crisis. Sullivan says that she’s become more reliant on herself to support herself financially.

“It’s just put the knowledge of a dollar into perspective due to my family’s cutbacks,” Sullivan said. Occupy KC has not made any official demands yet, but Sullivan still feels that the protest has already been a success—it’s given the American people a voice.

“People have been inspired to take action and be heard,” Sullivan said.

The Occupy KC movement was born from the OccupyWall Street (OWS) movement, which started on Sept. 17 when a small group of New Yorkers responded to a blog post from the Canadian-based magazine Adbusters, which called for a “Tahrir moment,” or an occupation of Wall Street, “the financial Gomorrah of America.” They “occupied” Zuccotti Park, a 33,000 sq. feet public park in lower Manhattan; this is day 45 of the protest.

OWS spawned not only Occupy KC, but hundreds of other similar “occupy” protests around the country. The website occupytogether.org has over 450 “Occupy” movements recorded in their searchable directory, ranging from Marbelna, Spain to Biloxi, Mississippi. The movement’s gone global.

Self-proclaimed as a “horizontal movement,” Occupy KC has no set leader, instead relying on the general assemblies to make decisions. They make it a goal to be a completely transparent movement—no information is hidden from the public. Along with their own website, occupykc.com, the movement has a Facebook page and twitter account to keep an up-to-date agenda available to the public. All of their general assemblies are live-

streamed online, and the minutes from those meetings are available online, too.

Besides the general assemblies, Occupy KC is broken into “working groups,” smaller groups of people dedicated to a certain task: Public Relations, Media, Direct Action, Legal, Facilitation, Comfort, Medical and Waste and Sanitation. Each one has weekly meetings separate from the general assemblies.

The movement also holds marches and events around Kansas City to gain public attention and educate people about the movement and its goals. Yesterday, they held a “We Are One” rally at Ilus Davis Park 2004 East graduate Alex Abnos has been covering the Occupy Wall Street movement as part of his studies at Columbia University. He and other students run a website, thebrooklynink. com, which started covering OWS three weeks ago. Abnos was amazed to even see public protests in the US. This past summer, Abnos visited Barcelona where a similar style movement was occuring.

“People were just camping out and building treehouses in the trees in the [city] square,” Abnos said. “They were protesting a lot of the same things that we are here. I remember walking around this whole thing and being amazed, because I was like ‘Man, nothing like this would ever happen in the US.’ I didn’t think the American people had it in them.”

But one look at Zuccotti Park will show that the American people do indeed have the fire to protest: the bare granite surface has been transformed into a bustling, self-sustaining community.

“They’ve built up a village out of this blank canvas,” Abnos said. “They have a medics tent, they have a method for dispersing clean clothes and blankets for when it gets cold, they have a kitchen—they’ve got everything. They even have a press tent, and generators. It’s pretty amazing what they’ve been able to do with the sparest of resources.”

Just like Occupy KC, activites at OWS vary from day to day.

Think tanks, poster making, marches on the streets, general assemblies and sometimes even live music: it’s a diverse agenda for a diverse group of people.

Although the movement has helped the public reclaim their voice, the reasons people chose to protest are as diverse as America itself. No Occupy movements have voiced specific demands to the government yet. The Occupy KC website even states, “everyone joining the movement has their own personal reason for getting involved.” When Abnos visited the OWS movement and asked people “What would it take you leave?” the responses were a mixed bag.

“You ask any given protester why they’re there, or what would get them to leave, and you’ll get eight or nine different answers,” Abnos said. “I think generally, they’re there because they are angry with the way the financial system is run. But that encompasses a lot of things, and it’s hard to put a list of demands to it.”

But according to Dr. Christopher Anderson, a business professor at the University of Kansas, the lack of a unified message is going to hurt the Occupy movements. The most effective and memorable social movements have adhered to a clear, succinct message—”Temperance,” “Give women the vote,” and “Get out of Vietnam.” Right now, both OWS and Occupy KC lack a unified message; Occupy KC’s website has a only a broad mission statement: “We are committed to the defense of freedom, democracy, and the reduction of political violence through the use of nonviolent action.”

“I validate [the peoples’] anger, concern and disappointment with the state of our economy right now,” Dr. Anderson said. “On the other hand, I don’t think they have a clear idea of what to do to move forward. I think they’re just expressing emotion.”

Dr. Anderson also points out that although the Occupy movements are protesting the “corporate influence on government,” those two things are inherently connected. The nature of our financial system requires there to be interaction between corporations and the government, and to protest them without a specific message is ineffectual.

“I see the mainstream Democratic party staying an arm’s length away from these movements,” Dr. Anderson said. “I see them trying to exploit the emotions, the frustrations, for political purposes, but I don’t see any political party adopting a message that comes out of this movement.”

Abnos counters this idea, saying that it’s good the movement has tied itself down to a set goal yet. The fact that people are protesting the government’s actions instead of passively accepting them is a success in itself.

“People are mad; a lot of people are made,” Abnos said. “It’s a viewpoint that transcends political boundaries and party lines. If you’re pissed off with the way the country is going, then you will find something for you in OccupyWall Street.”

As Abnos sees it, the movement needs to keep on doing what its’ doing: “being there and making noise.” The movements are still inchoate, still gaining public awareness and support-- unified message or not, here they come. As one occupywallstreet. org chat user put it simply: “Asking OWS what do to do now is like asking an egg to lay another egg.”

Only time will tell if this egg will hatch into something bigger.

Although there is not one specific group involved in this movement, speculations have been made that it’s “the jobless” and recent college graduates. However, the participants cannot be limited to just those two categories. This movement seems to be largely a gathering of middle class citizens that are fed up with the current state of the economy.

The primary problem of this group is the lack of organization.

So far there are no objectively defined goals or a plan of action.

The only thing that Occupy Wall Street and Occupy KC seem to want is change. However, implementing change is a whole different story.

Evolution Occupation

continued from p. 1

of the

A look at the events leading up to the Occupy Wall Street Movement (OWS) and how the protest has gained momentum and spread across the country.

1

Website Order

2

Publicity

Media coverage of the movement Occupy Wall Street (OWS) increases to 10 percent, making it a nation-wide issue. The movement soon spreads to Atlanta, Chicago, Boston and Seattle.

Meanwhile, in New York, citizens have set up camp in Zuccotti Park, nearby the financial district.

3

Arrests & Approval

4

Riots & Violence

A sign displaying “Corporations are not People” sits on the grounds of Occupy KC. This is a core belief behind this movement, which aims to restore the balance between corporate America and the average citizen. Photo by Grant Kendall

A man relaxes outside the group of protesters.

Despite the movement’s lack of organized goals, the protesting sites are fully equipped with medical tents and a kitchen. Photo by Grant Kendall

A poster displaying “The revolution will not be televised” hangs in front of one of the many tents at the KC location. Even though this event is not being televised, it is rapidly gaining momentum. Just recently China outlawed the search of the term “occupy.” Photo by Spencer Davis

On June 9, 2011 the Canadian anti-consumerist magazine ‘Adbusters’ registered the website occupywallst.org. According the the website Adbusters called for New Yorkers to flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street. When September 17 rolled around around 1,000 people, mostly young activists, marched along Wall Street to show their dissatisfaction with the government’s relationship with American corporations.

Violence breaks out in New York when police arrest over 80 people using the force of pepper spray. Then, over 700 protesters were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge during a movement for OWS. Also, according to npr.org, the OWS’s approval rating has increased to 33 percent.

According to OWS organizers the movement has spread to 951 cities in 82 countries. In Oakland, according to occupyoakland. org, things turned disastrous when police began throwing concussion grenades and tear gas directly into the crowd. For hours the protesters tried to get back into the protesting area but were denied by police using “non-lethal” weapons.

FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE, VISIT

WWW.SMEHARBINGER.NET

SPREAD| 17 10/27/11 8:52 AM

announcing improvements

Senior shares her methods of creating and improving the video announcements made in Radio & Technology class written by Tiernan Shank | photos by Grant Kendall and Josh Winter Senior Chandler Pruneau and junior Maddie Connelly shake off last minute nerves as they step in front of the camera. It’s go time.

3, 2, 1...action.

The video announcements have commenced.

This new Friday tradition all started when transfer student and east alum Kate Grumbles, approached Pruneau, then a sophomore, about starting the video announcements.

“She talked about how they have a news station at her

awkward moments with Will and Nick

“For the intro to sports picks, me and Will decided to film me pulling him across the football field on a slalom ski without a shirt on, and right then the cross country team was running in and they saw us and they had no idea who we were or what we were doing.”

JUNIOR NICK KRASKE

“About a month ago, I was doing a soccer celebration on a grassy hill and was running in a circle with my shirt over my face and my feet just slipped out from underneath me.”

JUNIOR WILL CRAY

18 | FEATURES page18features.indd 1

old school and how she thought we would have When she suggested that Kraske find a co-anchor something like that,” Pruneau said. “But we didn’t so I for the segment it didn’t take long for Kraske decide on came up with the idea for video announcements” friend Cray.

The announcements started that next school year “When Mrs. Hunter told me I could find someone else with lead anchors then seniors Drew Auer and Grum- to do it with me I had a number of people in mind that I bles, produced by Pruneau. Since it was the first year, thought would be really great and funny,” Kraske said.

Pruneau was just learning how to run everything.

“When it came down to it though I knew Will would be “Last year [the announcements] weren’t very struc- responsible, trustworthy and dedicated to the announcetured,” Pruneau said. “If one of the girls were sick we ments.” just wouldn’t do them instead of finding someone do it From there, Cray and Kraske came up with “Sports for them.”

Picks”, a student favorite segment filled with general This year, her goal was to make the announcements sports information including upcoming games and more professional by adding more segments like sports scores. “Sports Picks” also often contains special guest and activities. With that goal in mind, she began looking appearances from various athletes including seniors Jeff for someone that was serious about being a part of the Cole and Mimi Fotopoulous, junior Garrett Raibble and announcements. sophomore Annie Kuklenski.

That’s when fellow anchor Connelly Their ideas for the segment, rang“Last year everyone was ing from coach Hair spraying skaters stepped in. Connelly expressed interest to Pruneau last year about doing the really big about it being in the skatepark with a squirt gun to announcements after Grumbles and seniors, but I’m about it getting mauled while riding a bicycle, Auer left. only being people who are devised the night before or often “Last year everyone was really big on the spot.

will take it seriously.” about it being seniors,” Pruneau said.

“Will and I will get together or PRODUCER CHANDLER PRUNEAU on the phone the night before and “But I’m about it only being people who will take it seriously and Maddie obviwe just throw ideas around,” Kraske ously will.” said. “A lot of the [ideas] are crazy and I mean really out After finding a new lead anchor, Pruneau was faced there but that’s how we narrow them down to ideas that with another challenge. With only one seminar a week, will actually work and people will actually get” the announcements would be harder to film and could With the regular announcements and Sports Picks, only air on Fridays. the total editing process for Pruneau takes about two “At first I was upset that it would be way to hard to hours. come after school to get both episodes done,” Pruneau “This year I make sure to double and triple check [the said. “But then I realized that we could just make one announcements] before they go online because I don’t good episode a week instead of two mediocre ones.” want anything that’s not perfect,” Pruneau said.

Thankfully Pruneau says that this lack of time has led In the future Pruneau hopes that the video announceto efficiency and focus when filming. ments gain more advanced editors and a more profes“If we didn’t have that set seminar we would just kind sional look and feel. When Pruneau graduates and of let ourselves take as long as we needed so they would moves on to college she hopes they will continue and probably take around three hours,” Pruneau said. grow.

One thing adding to the crunched time for filming is “It’s night and day compared to last year,” Pruneau “Sports Picks” with juniors Will Cray and Nick Kraske. said. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still room for imKraske had never thought about being on the an- provement.” nouncements until his debate teacher and the superviFOR A BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO, VISIT sor of the announcements, Jennifer Hunter, asked him if WWW.SMEHARBINGER.NET he wanted to be a part of them.

10/26/11 8:43 PM

GOING OUT WITH A BANG Football team and band enjoy their last opportunity to perform at home

During the Senior Night celebration, senior Jack Sayler, left, poses with his family. “It was really nice to have our families down on the field with us,” Sayler said. “We had a great group of seniors this season.” photo by Grant Kendall

The Marching Band, above, performs songs originally done by Stevie Wonder during their half time performance. photo by Grant Kendall

Body imprints are left on the ground by the bass drummers who had held the drums for seniors playing them. photo by Jake Crandall

Playing alongside fellow drumline members, senior Larson Woolwine, above, creates a smoke effect using baby powder. “It was an amazing feeling to see the crowd singing and reacting to us playing the drums with the powder,” Woolwine said. “It was something different and I think they enjoyed it.” photo by Jake Crandall

PHOTO ESSAY | 19 page19photoessay.indd 1

10/27/11 8:23 AM

BOY: COWBOY GIRL: CHEERLEADER

GREETING CARDS

$1.9 BILLION

$2.12 BILLION

$350 MILLION

1.2 Billion was Chocolate

TOP SELLING CANDY OF

2010

20 | MIXED page20mixed.indd 1

ABOUT HALLOWEEN

The average U.S. household spends

$44

680 Billion was non-chocolate

CANDY CORN

Freshman Cole Strauss

Black cats were once believed to be witch’s familiars who protected their powers.

on Halloween Candy each year

1.

BOY: WEREWOLF GIRL: CHIPOTLE BURRITO

Things you didn’t know..

CANDY

COSTUMES

UNIQUE

Junior Kaitlin Morgan

ANNUAL HALLOWEEN SALES $1.65 BILLION

art by Paige Hess | photos by Jake Crandall

BOY: GHOST GIRL: CAT

If you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved one watching over you.

DECORATIONS

OW E N L E

GO-TO

Junior Sam Bihuniak

Junior Gabby Magalski

Junior Parker Johnson

COSTUMES

COMMON

A

L

Junior Samie Fetzer

MIXED

H

A PAGE ABOUT

SNICKERS

2.

The average American eats 24 pounds of candy each year

3.

KITKAT

REESE’S

4.

10/26/11 9:39 PM

it might be

PARADISE Coldplay’s new album meets high expectations

written by Chris Heady | photos courtesy of wikicoldplay.com

VIVA LA

SOUND

COLDPLAY’S FIVE STUDIO ALBUMS

PARACHUTES | 2000

A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD | 2002

X&Y | 2005

VIVA LA VIDA | 2008

MYLO XYLOTO | 2011

Mylo, my. Coldplay has truly outdone themselves this time.

Their newest album, “Mylo Xyloto,” is far and away their best record thus far, and quite frankly, one of the best albums I’ve heard this year. This long-awaited fifth album was set to release this past January but was held until last Saturday, and is well worth the wait.

The first track, “Mylo Xyloto” sets the tone of the album, creating an instrumental epic consisting of piano, clean electric guitar and an orchestral sound that fades elegantly into the second track “Hurts Like Heaven.” This brilliant combination of clean, edgy and classical undertones is a recurring theme throughout the album, taking the listener on an emotional journey through each song.

“Mylo Xyloto” seems to battle between the two sounds Coldplay has branded since their studio debut in 2000, one of ballads and soft, intellectual grace; and one of a pop, electric band. While the newer electric-pop sound shines through, the early Coldplay, the one that gave us songs like “Clocks” and “The Scientist,” is still very apparent. Coldplay has transcended into a new, fresh version of themselves—a version that mixes their past with their present perfectly.

Often criticized for being “too slow” or “too soft”, Coldplay’s “Mylo Xyloto” quiets critics with upbeat, catchy radio-worthy tunes, all the while keeping their base sound. “Princess of China,” which features Rihanna, has a hip-hop undertone to it, along with a prominent beat—the same goes for “Up in Flames,” which features a noticeably poppy sound. On the other hand, we have songs like “U.F.O” and “Up With the Birds” that keep Coldplay’s old signature sound that made them popular, with strong acoustic guitars and angelic choir background vocals.

This pairing of genres makes this album unique, creating an opportunity for everyone to enjoy a song.

I’ve been worried for some time about “Mylo Xyloto.” I enjoyed very few tracks on Coldplay’s last album (Viva La Vida) and the two singles they released for “Mylo Xyloto,” “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” and “Major Minus” didn’t impress me much—“Major Minus” in particular. I had a notion that they were going down a road I would be reluctant to follow. A path that led into the pop music abyss and mainstream Jason Derulo-like hits.

But don’t be fooled by Coldplay’s new sound—they’re still impressively good.

The entire time I listened, it was hard to keep a smile off of my face from the sheer joy of the music, and it was damn-near impossible to stop my foot from tapping. The album has something for everyone. Want a depressing song? “U.F.O” is for you. Want an inspirational, catchy tune to run to? “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart” is yours. Need a nice pick-me-up? Crank “Hurts Like Heaven.” While listening to the album, I can envision myself driving down the road with sunny skies, watching leaves fall on my car as I cruise down Mission Road.

Not only is the music astonishingly great, but lead singer Chris Martin, yet again, proves he is one of the top writers in the music industry. The lyrics are, as a whole, based on positive things, and feature stories of self-reflection, individuality and breaking free, almost the complete opposite of their first album “Parachutes,” which was much more depressing, with tracks like “Sparks” and “We Never Change” which basically preaches giving up. Martin has grown as a writer since 2000, and it shows.

“Mylo Xyloto” is concluded with “Up With the Birds,” an inspiring, uplifting track that wraps the message of the album up perfectly. The song seems to paint a pictures of a man, telling himself to be a happy man regardless of life’s situations—a universal lifelesson many people struggle with every day. Coldplay finishes off the album with a simple line, that exudes the theme of the album: “A simple plot / But I know one day / Good things are coming our way.”

I find it hard to think of someone who won’t enjoy a single track on this album, if not the entire thing. The only complaint I had about it was that I began to miss the “old Coldplay” midway through. There really isn’t a “Yellow” or “Fix You” in this album, and, as a whole, it lacked the certain amount of sadness I’m used to seeing in their songs. I guess we have Martin’s wifey Gwyneth Paltrow to blame for the cheery lyrics, but I would have liked a little more piano ballads, though I got used to their new fresh sound.

Despite my mounting nostalgia, one thing is for certain: with “Mylo Xyloto,” Coldplay proves once again, they make bloody good music.

I’M WITH

THE BAND

BREAKING DOWN THE BACKGROUND MEMBERS OF COLDPLAY

JONNY BUCKLAND

This English musician has played lead guitar for Coldplay since ‘96, when the band was named “Pectoralz.” He and frontman Chris Martin made a cameo appearance in the film “Shaun of the Dead.”

GUY BERRYMAN

Berryman, the soft-spoken member of the band, plays bass guitar and, though left-handed, plays his bass in an orthodox way.

WILL CHAMPION

In his youth, this drummer’s musical influences included Tom Waits and traditional Irish folk music.

The British alt-rock band began playing together in 1996 as lead vocalist CHRIS MARTIN and lead guitarist JONNY BUCKLAND. The band eventually took the name “COLDPLAY” in 1998.

EARPLUGS

RADIO ONLY

DIGITAL COPY

GIVE ‘EM A GRAMMY

A&E | 21

KNOWING THE LINGO BASS DROP

The point in a dubstep song when there is a sudden, unexpected change in the rhythm or beat of the song. Before the bass drop there is very little bass used in the song, but during the drop, the DJ uses intense bass.

BUILD UP

The minute of anticipation before the bass drop. Skrillex commonly uses this in his music by not incorporating any bass in the song until the initial bass drop.

WUB

Staffer experiences the culture surrounding electronic dubstep for the first time

STEPPING INTO DUBSTEP

The continuous, pulsating lower bass in a dubstep song

written by Mitch Kaskie| photos courtesy of thissongslaps.com

Keeping yourself from throwing your head around and acting completely out of character at a Deadmau5 concert is quite the task. Deadmau5 is the work of Joel Zimmerman, a 30-year-old DJ who has become the face of House music. His stage name, ‘Deadmau5’ pronounced as Deadmouse, refers to a memorable experience Zimmerman had when he found a dead mouse in his computer. Zimmerman has evolved his music into a theatrical live performance, filling venues with fans wanting to dance to the electric beats being produced by the man in the mouse helmet.

So, there I stood, in the middle of Midland Theatre surrounded by countless, raging, fist-pumping, sweaty Deadmau5 fans. I slouched on the outskirts of the crowd in my Sperry Topsiders, grey slacks and black hoodie. A quick scan around the premises revealed people stomping around in furry boots, tiny neon bikini tops and way-too-short shorts, spinning around undulating neon lights. Their glow sticks seemed to be the sole lights in the

HISTORY

OF DUBSTEP 22 | A&E

giant venue, moving with the wave of dancing fans. I was hesitant at first, lockkneed and texting, unable to get into the vibe of the crowd. Just the same, all I could think was: this is so cool.

The interior of the Midland looked like a huge house party—but it was a Monday night. The crowd was noticeably diverse, ranging from college party-goers to grunge-styled adults, all of them braced to dance the night away. Homemade paper mache mouse heads (modeled after Deadmau5’s iconic mouse helmet), glow sticks, and muscle tees were scattered throughout the mob. The logic behind the dress-code seemed to be ‘the more neon the better.’ The head-banging showed no signs of stopping.

I saw people dancing in the corners by themselves, gyrating insanely—not an uncommon sight at this concert. These people were content with being alone—all they wanted was to party. And in an atmosphere like this, who could blame them?

In the midst of all this, I didn’t want to be the awkward kid in the crowd that was

The Dub music festival, “Filthy Dub” made its debut where DJs like Skream and Benga spun.

The first dubstep track was released

‘99

preppy and visibly uncomfortable. I began to work my way to the front of the crowd.

When pushing my way through the mob, people would let me pass them by without a word. These party-going ravers were some of the most polite people I’ve seen at a concert. Once I got to the middle, I could barely breathe due to the lingering smell of sweat, beer and the clearly-recognizable reek of marijuana.

Women began throwing water off the stage and into the crowd, and now I had a clear view—and reason to want some water. I had only been in the center for a few minutes, and I was already soaked with sweat. Fans were jumping up and down around me, creating even more body heat.

I felt I was slipping under the crowd, and I was certain that soon enough I was going to get trampled or elbowed by a shirtless-and-no-longer-so-polite druggie. The majority of the people around me could hardly stand up straight.

More than anything, there was the hypnotic music to drive the party atmosphere. The DJs could’ve looped a single

‘00 Ammunitions Promotions, a radio station in Soho, London that owns the club, Forward becomes the first dance club dedicated to playing dubstep.

‘03

track the entire night and I wouldn’t have ever noticed. There was a generic upbeat synth-and-harsh-bass sound pounding through the venue that kept the crowd going--which, to the spineless moshers around me, is saying something. Though Deadmau5 wasn’t even on stage, it felt like the crowd was erupting with energy and excitement. I could barely tell the difference between the songs, yet the true fans were going insane as the tracks switched between what seemed to me to be nameless DJ after nameless DJ. Once I was immersed in the crowd, I was completely engaged in the music: I no longer worried about looking awkward or out-of-place. Unfortunately for me, these people were going entirely too hard for a Monday night, and I was by no means ready to stay out until the wee hours of the morning. With a sensation much like coming-to after a coma, I realized that my 12:30 curfew was looming. I backed out into the empty streets of downtown and headed to my car, left in amazement of what an experience a concert could be.

Dubstep is adopted by people following the rave culture, further increasing it’s worldwide popularity.

‘05 The first radio DJs started showing interest in dubstep and it began to come out from the underground scene make a name for itself amongst the public.

‘09

‘10 TIME Magazine releases its first article covering the genre, bringing it unexpected mainstream success.

DECEIT &

LIES

Although historically questionable, ‘Anonymous’ provides a thought-provoking period piece written by Alex Lamb | photos from allmoviephotos.com

Like the conspiracy theory it’s based on, which claims William Shakespeare didn’t actually write any of his works, “Anonymous” is an enigma.

Theories calling into question Shakespeare’s true authorship have been tossed around for over 150 years, but they’ve never held weight with scholars. “Anonymous” finally brings the idea from fringe conjecture into mainstream consciousness, and it’s an intriguing debate, without a doubt - even if it lacks in real evidence.

The film offers one interpretation, but it’s a convoluted, occasionally perplexing story that takes liberties with historical accuracy, likely to lose viewers not paying close attention. Here’s the simple version: secretly genius playwright Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) is limited by the royal court’s disapproval of theatre and his own position of nobility. Feeling it’s time for his voice to be heard, he winds up publishing his provocative writings through proxy Will Shakespeare (Rafe Spall). His plays heavily influence the public, and he uses this power over the masses to support a rebellion for his colleague to become the elderly Queen Elizabeth I’s (Vanessa Redgrave) immediate successor.

Throughout all the rampant political duplicity of the plot, writer John Orloff intersperses flashbacks of de Vere as a younger man (Jaime Campbell Bower), showing how he was taken in by the royal family and his early poetic brilliance. The illicit romance he develops with the queen in her younger years (Joelyn Richardson) provides the most interesting facet of the story, carrying severe consequences and dramatic heft in both timelines.

STAY HOME

Unfortunately, the first third of “Anonymous” suffers from some clunky shifts between these two narratives, and the large number of characters introduced in such a short time span is fairly overwhelming. Confusion arises out of this jumbled storytelling, and it takes about 40 minutes to get comfortable enough with all the situations and players.

After this it still requires an effort to follow the plot, but Orloff balances it out and manages to weave the rest of the events into an engrossing, intellectual journey with a devastatingly powerful twist, soaking the whole tale in ironic tragedy. He also rewards viewers for their familiarity with Shakespeare’s works, showcasing snippets of many of his plays and incorporating them thematically, without bogging the movie down in outlandish Shakespearean language.

The real head-scratcher here, however, is the director of this Elizabethan drama: Roland Emmerich, disaster movie extraordinaire and destroyer of worlds. It’s a wonder why the hack behind big, dumb and loud blockbusters like “2012,” “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Independence Day” decided to make such a specialty piece like this. Maybe he wanted to create something respectable and thoughtful for a change. Surprisingly, he actually accomplishes just that.

Emmerich’s film “The Patriot” is notorious for its historical inaccuracies, and the same can be said of “Anonymous” (a Shakespearean scholar even wrote an article in the recent New York Times Magazine debunking the film’s premise and the faulty chronology). That said, Em-

BUY the TICKET

RENT IT

SHAKESPEARE IS EVERYWHERE 1.

2.

merich’s movies always require pretty high suspension of disbelief, but the way he plunges viewers straight into each world definitely makes it easier.

His main tool for this is usually grandiose, over-thetop special effects and action, but here he utilizes hardly any CGI. The extravagantly detailed costumes and meticulously crafted sets offer the entrancing visuals this time around. But, like Shakespeare, Emmerich lets the characters and story take center stage.

Maybe it’s the lack of famous faces, or maybe Shakespeare just brings out the best in actors – either way, Emmerich draws refined, rousing performances out of his entire cast. Ifans clearly stands out, imbuing de Vere with a constant gravity of importance, but Campbell Bower equally impresses, commanding the screen as de Vere in his fiercer, more willful youth. Richardson even brings an inviting warmth and beauty to the film, although the real highlight comes from David Thewlis as the queen’s villainous and conniving advisor. So courageous and kindly as Lupin in the “Harry Potter” series, he’s a dastardly pleasure to watch here.

“Anonymous” succeeds in casting a shadow of a doubt into viewers’ minds about the full authenticity of Shakespeare’s authorship, just don’t expect a strong, plausible and historically accurate case for an alternative author. Instead it provides an engaging period piece of manipulative lies and betrayal, costly romance and political upheaval in the royal court – the kind of captivating, layered drama Shakespeare is all about.

OSCAR WORTHY 1. ROMEO + JULIET (1996)

3.

Baz Luhrman updated Shakespeare’s classic romance to a modern day setting, but kept all the original dialogue.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s role as Romeo helped shoot him to stardom worldwide.

2. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1999) This Best Picture winner portrays Shakespeare meeting his dream girl, which inspires him to write “Romeo and Juliet.” While the story is fictional, it’s surprisngly historically accurate.

3. CORIOLANUS (2011)

a

Ralph Fiennes stars in and directs this modern update of one of Shakespeare’s final plays, where a military hero of Rome is banished and joins his enemy to take revenge on the city.

Page23A&E.indd 1

A&E | 23 10/26/11 9:51 PM

THREE JEERS for MUSKETEERS

Hackneyed and ridiculous, ‘Musketeers’ is a waste of film and money written by Tom Lynch | photos from thesevensees.com There are certain movies that should never be referred to as “films.” They are a disgrace to the medium, and seem to me like a waste of money for both the financier and the theater-goer. It’s a waste of money for the financier, because although they might rake a profit, the movies are nothing to be proud of, and are in fact downright shameful to produce. It’s a waste of time for the theater-goer, because the movie probably makes them dumber. I’ve seen two of Paul W.S. Anderson’s, ‘Three Musketeers,’ director’s, movies. The one I saw last year, ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife,’ should never be referred to as a film, and neither should this year’s ‘The Three Musketeers.’

Going into the movie, I thought that because it was based on a classic book by Alexandre Dumas, maybe it wouldn’t be as awful as Resident Evil. But alas, the movie is not an adaption, but an odious and loose “reinterpretation.”

The plot is convoluted to the point of ludicrousness, so much so that I could spend all the space I have trying to explain the various facets of it. It stars Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson and Luke Evans as the Three Musketeers—Athos, Porthos and Aramis, respectively. After the Musketeers are disbanded by the King’s minister Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz), the Musketeers try to win back the favor of the teenage King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox) of France. They are also trying to seek out revenge upon Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich in her typical wooden fashion) and upon the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom always with a sword in his hand) musketeers’ plan is to steal back the diamonds that Milady stole from Queen Anne (Juno Temple) and gave to Buckingham on Richlieu’s

STAY HOME

24 | A&E

RENT IT

orders in the hopes that it would provoke war between England and France as a result of the fabricated affair between the Queen and Buckingham.

I told you it was convoluted.

In place of actual character development, or any good performances, Anderson has each character proclaim their reasons for actions. None of the actors even appear to be trying. Especially Matthew Macfayden, who seems to be delivering his lines as if he was the stand-in for the actual Athos. Academy Award Winner Christoph Waltz’s performance didn’t seem awful, but it was hard for his talent to shine while uttering the abhorrent dialogue.

The movie indulges in over-the-top fantasy. I found myself saying “that would never happen” so often that it was impossible to suspend my disbelief. There is a scene where Milady limbo-skates through Leonardo Da Vinci’s booby-trapped vault with hundreds of spiked metal balls shooting from the walls and not one of them does as much as graze her dress for the 25-yard-long slide.

‘The Three Musketeers’ is very clearly just a tent pole movie--a movie that is made primarily for profits—like 2010’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ where the producers attempt to draw the audience in through spectacle and gimmicks like 3D, and forget about the things that actually matter: good writing, directing and acting.

The most evident shortfall is that ‘The Three Musketeers’ never builds to a climax, and will assuredly have the viewers finding their eyelids a little heavier than when they stepped into the theater. It is an action-filled yawn-fest of horrendous performances and cheap thrills.

BUY the TICKET

OSCAR WORTHY

Renaissance Man In a movie brimming with the cliché, Orlando Bloom manages to raise the bar by appearing yet another sword-wielding role.

To his credit, some of these movies are awesome. Check out the Harbinger’s ratings:

-Black Hawk Down -The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring -The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers -Ned Kelly -The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King -Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl -Troy -Kingdom of Heaven -Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest -Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End -The Three Musketeers -The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TBD

12

Movies

With Swords

Sophomore’s tattoo and love of basketball honor his mom continued from p. 13 “It was really bad, she came home almost every night like that,” Bryant said.

“I mean, I basically had to take care of my own mom.”

Fast forward to Bryant’s second grade year. Since the divorce between his mom and dad, his mom had accompanied a new boyfriend. He was abusive. It was another fight. Another beating, and when tiny 50-pound Bryant mustered up the courage to try and stop this man from hitting his mom, he only ended up being struck by this man too.

“Mom, let’s just run away,” he said to her that night. “We could do it.”

But she was too scared to run. So that night, Bryant ran away to his friend’s house. He stayed away for two weeks without his mom noticing. When he decided to come home, nothing had changed. At this point—the drugs had consumed her.

There was no more catching frogs by the creek with Bryant. No more playing baseball outside or listening to music.

During those last three months before her passing, she wasn’t the same person.

Things just got increasingly bad in a short amount of time.

Though it wasn’t always bad.

“She was just like me. We were the exact same when we were around each other having fun,” Bryant said. “She gave me my first CD, 50 Cent, ‘Get Rich or Die Trying,’ that is something me and her really enjoyed, was listening to hip hop together.”

Bryant lived with his dad in Florida freshman year when he found out he was moving. He moved to East last year just in time for basketball try-outs. While a freshman at East, Bryant played on the Freshman A team. This year, during the off-season, he meets with his trainer in Olathe every day; striving to make JV. His mom is the reason he plays.

“She’s been my big motivation,” Bryant said. “I just want to be someone and I feel like this is my chance to really get out of my past and what has happened.”

During each game and during every practice, as he stands at the free throw line he takes a moment to remember his mom.

Each pat he does over his chest before he shoots is his way of showing her that she’s still close to his heart. Something his favorite college basketball player Darnell

Jackson does in memory of his mom too, who passed away from the same kind of incident.

He got his first tattoo in memory of his mom at the end of his freshman year, and the second in September. He feels like that was something he can say he did right. And each time he plays, he thinks of her.

“It always feels like she’s standing right next to me,” Bryant said.

Today, his life is right where he wants it. He lives with his dad and is happy and thankful for what he has.

“I love my life right now. I have really good friends, I’m in a safe place, I’m not in the ghetto anymore, I have a father that takes care of me.” Bryant said. “And me and him—we make it happen.”

Before his mom passed away, back when things were rough, Bryant didn’t have a clue that basketball was what he wanted to do. His best friend wanted to be a firefighter, but Bryant didn’t have any idea what he wanted to be. But now the answer is easy. Basketball player.

Since he played with East during last summer and freshman year, Coach

Hair says he doesn’t have an entire feel for what kind of player Bryant is, but he can definitely see Bryant’s passion when he plays.

“I think he’s driven and he wants to be successful but at the same time he has a love of the game naturally,” Hair said. “I think he has a chance with basketball in the future.”

Bryant doesn’t know where he will end up with basketball, but it will continue to be the center of his life. And he will continue playing for his mom.

“I’m going as far as I can go with it, “Bryant said. “If I make college basketball, I’m going with it. If I make it further than that, I’m going with that too.”

His mom’s green eyes and dirty blonde hair are still vivid in his mind.

He hasn’t forgotten catching frogs by the creek or throwing the old baseball with her. He hasn’t forgotten her smile or laughing face, and wherever basketball takes him, he most importantly won’t forget who she was and what she taught him.

“If there’s anything that she ever said that stuck out in my mind…” Bryant said.

“It’s Pura Vida.”

ADS | 25

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be performed on Nov. 3, 4, 5 at 7 p.m. in Dan Zollars Auditorium. Each student activity pass comes with one free ticket, and additional tickets can be purchased for $7.

BEHIND THE

STAGE

A LOOK INTO THE NUANCES AND PRODUCTION

OF THIS FALLS MAINSTAGE “A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM”

written by Emily Donovan | photos by Marisa Walton This week, fairyland will come to the Shawnee Mission East stage as 36 cast members perform this year’s fall play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare. The show features intersecting worlds of realities where the King of Athens and his reluctant fiancée, the King and Queen of Fairies, Athenian handymen and four lovers meet and clash in the woods.

The theater department has worked to make sense of this convoluted classic and—more importantly—find the humor in it. Director Brian Cappello has made it his goal to make this Shakespearean classic accessible to modern audiences.

“I don’t want the cast to be caught up in the idea of doing Shakespeare with a capital S,” Cappello said.

Cappello and fellow theater teacher Tom DeFeo have tried to make this adaptation much easier to follow by removing the more obscure, flowery Elizabethan references therefore cutting the three hour show down to less than two hours.

“Part of our problem with doing something like Shakespeare is that it’s an uphill battle for students,” Cappello said. “They know that in school it’s, ‘We’re going to read it, we have to dissect every line, there’s going to be a quiz, we’re going to watch a movie, and then we’re going to write a paper.’ ” Cappello believes that Shakespeare wrote to be enjoyed by theater-goers, not just analyzed by English students. According to Cappello, the comedy in the show is universal and relatable to modern audiences.

Understanding the script, however, has been the first step for cast-members like junior Jessie Burnes, who plays Puck, a woodland sprite. Burnes had to take extra time to analyze her lines and motives by studying the script at home.

“You have to understand what you’re saying before you even try to figure out how to say it,” Burnes said. “We’ve done a great job of trying to portray this in a way that anyone can understand.”

Burnes, too, is confident that the audience will see parallels between the show and modern situations: the great King and Queen of the Fairies, played by senior Grant Kendall and junior Kim Hoedel, bicker like any modern couple and the lovers fall in and out of love more abruptly than modern teenagers.

Playing one of the four lovers, Lysander, junior Max Duncan doesn’t let the script’s antiquated language stand in the way of having fun with the characters and situations.

“I think [the audience will] loosen up and realize that it’s a comedy,” Duncan said. “It’s OK to laugh even though it’s Shakespeare.”

Duncan says that the exaggerated nonverbal signals make the show similar to modern comedies. In the show, the beautiful Fairy Queen is in love with a donkey man, lovers awaken with yawns and stretches and characters sigh, giggle and grunt their emotions.

“Having huge body movements and being really ‘big’ is universal in comedy,” Duncan said. “Just the body language is enough to entertain the audience and have them understand what we’re talking about.”

26 | A&E

Student Director and senior Spencer Davis believes that not being intimidated by the playwright has made the performance more enjoyable.

“We’ve worked a lot on modernizing the dialogue and the emotions,” Davis said. “When you think of Shakespeare, you often think of big, bombastic soliloquies and monologues and speeches which you don’t really understand and aren’t very exciting to watch. We’re trying to find a human element of Shakespeare—the part that’s really fun to be a part of.”

Technical nuances help to bring that excitement to the performance. The set involves a slanted trampoline, forestry backdrops and 29 platforms, allowing actors to bounce, run and stand at different heights on the stage. Lights, sound and other effects are in sync with the action: fog and foreboding sound effects accompany Oberon’s entrances while whimsical chimes accompany Titania’s.

Each actor is further characterized by costume and makeup.

Blush or silver hair spray and wrinkles define age while dress or dirt define status of the Athenian courtiers and handymen.

Oberon, King of the Fairies, and his minions’ appearances are reminiscent of the rock band KISS: black leather, fangs and red and black makeup. Titania, Queen of the Fairies, and her attendants are colorful, with blue, pink, purple and silver faces, adorned in glitter, leotards, and diaphanous dresses. Accompanying Oberon, Puck’s face is tinted green and decorated with a tree while her costume is reminiscent of Peter Pan. Junior Madison May, a Makeup Crew Chief, looks forward to bringing the fairy world to a whole new level of fantasy. Armed with colored base, glitter, rhinestones, false eyelashes, paintbrushes and the occasional facial hair appendage, May is excited for the opportunity to try techniques that other shows don’t afford.

“It’s just sparkle overload,” May said. “There’s a lot of small, intricate detail that we have to paint on with a paintbrush; everybody’s face is like a canvas.”

Costumes Crew has also ensured that no two characters look quite the same. Though the show has required the crew to make most of the outfits from scratch, junior Polly Haun, a Costumes Crew Chief, believes that the crew is well-adapted to adjusting to new challenges.

“We just kind of roll with the punches,” Haun said. “Every show is different in its own right and this happens to be one of them.”

By approaching Shakespeare’s classic like any modern play, the theater department has tried to breathe life into the characters and relationships. According to Cappello, the script is, after all, supposed to be funny. The directors, cast and crew are confident that the audience will enjoy the show in spite of the perceived difficulty of understanding a Shakespearean show.

“Treat it as just a night at the theatre rather than an assignment and you’ll be very, very pleasantly surprised,” Cappello said.

PHRASES

SHAKESPEARE INVENTED

HELP

“

IN A PICKLE ”

The Tempest, 1610

MR. HENR Y DOORNA IL Loving fath er and husband .

1953-2011

“DEAD AS A DOORNAIL” Henry IV: Part 2, 1610

“CATCH A

COLD ” Henry VI, 1591

THE

MONSTER

MATCH Choosing between the scare tactics at the two most well-known haunted houses in the KC area

written by Jeri Freirich | art by Kat Buchanan

THE EDGE OF HELL 1300 WEST 12TH STREET, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

THE BEAST 1401 WEST 13TH STREET, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

SLIGHT SHIVERS A vacant warehouse sits in the West Bottoms. It is dark, eerie, five stories, and it boasts the name “The Edge of Hell.” In October, everyone seems to get excited about haunted houses—except for me. I’ve never been excited about the idea of getting spooked by mummies or ghosts, and I’ve never enjoyed horror films. So checking out haunted houses on a Sunday night was not something I was necessarily looking forward to.

When I arrived, I saw big flashing lights that read “The Edge of Hell.” I was appalled by a guy that came up behind me dressed in a velvet suit with crazy white hair. The most disgusting part was the live rat hanging out of his mouth. As I entered the pitch black maze, my palms began to sweat.

My vision slowly adjusted to the hallway in front of me. I found myself surrounded by zombie characters holding knives. The sound of chains hitting the walls echoed around me. The worst part of the whole house came in the middle when I had to walk across a bridge with walls spinning in a circle: it was near-impossible to keep my balance. Neon colors flashed on and off as I hurried through the room. I had never felt as nauseous as I did in that moment.

The nauseousness started to fade as I could finally see light, but, of course, it just led to another pitch black room with no visible means of escape. I had to guess where I was going. I pushed against the surrounding foam-covered walls, trying to find my way to the next room. While I was struggling with that, a man dressed as a zombie

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followed me in circles until I noticed and turned around in horror. My instinctive reaction was to scream, which only encouraged him to follow me longer. It was a bad situation trying to hide from him—I felt like Sydney Prescott in the movie Scream.

After about thirty minutes, the level of fear started to die down, or so I thought— that is, until I came across a long tunnel.

I had always heard about the “five-story slide,” but I didn’t realize I would have to slide down it to get out of this nightmare.

But there it was in front of me: the infamous slide. I was beyond scared to slide down, but I was more afraid of the greyhaired lady telling me whether I was going to heaven or hell. The sound of her shrieking voice reminded me of the Wicked Witch of the West. Because I wanted to get out as fast as I could, I sat down, braced myself and went for it. I closed my eyes and by the time I opened them, I was at the bottom.

The five-story slide was painless; I laughed over how much I had been freaking out. As I looked back on the experience, I realized that I shouldn’t have been scared in the first place.

The Edge of Hell was full of action and spooky rooms, but I wouldn’t rate it the scarier of the two haunted houses. After getting past the pitch black part of the maze, the rest excited me, but it didn’t scare me. If you enjoy five-story slides and rooms that will make you cringe, then you won’t regret going through this house. But if you are looking for a real scare, the The Edge of Hell is not the right house for you.

NIGHTMARE When I imagined the creatures haunting “The Beast,” I pictured the giant, professional scarers like Mr. Waternoose in “Monsters, Inc.” The spookiness definitely delivered: upon finishing the tour of the haunted house, it reminded me of being that scared little kid watching the Pixar movie. This house lives up to its name.

But after going through the less-thanimpressive Edge of Hell, I asked myself, how bad can another haunted house be? I was feeling prepared and confident for whatever was going to spook me—Waternoose or not. The first part of this house was a living room covered with plastic spiders and cobwebs. I was sure this would be a piece of cake.

I was wrong. I couldn’t see anything— not because it was pitch black, but because there was dense fog everywhere I turned.

The werewolf forest was the worst of it. The fog covered the surrounding area, making it impossible for me to see where I was going. Werewolves scoured the forest waiting to scare off whoever was in sight, including me.

It was a relief to get away from the werewolves and I got past the forest with only a few screams, but then I came across a blood-thirsty zombie that grabbed my arm and snarled, “Let me drink your blood.” I

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think I was more repulsed by this comment than scared. The idea of someone doing that to me made me cringe.

Just when I thought I had been through the worst, a chainsaw scraped across my leg. I looked down, which only made it scarier. A man with bloody eyes was laughing hysterically with the chainsaw in his hand.

There wasn’t a blade on the chainsaw, but that didn’t make it any less spooky. A man dressed up as a zombie was yelling in terror as I passed the chainsaw man. I could still hear the sound of the chainsaw for several minutes after I passed it.

After surviving that scene, the maze started to get darker and darker. Screams and hysteric laughter echoed through the walls and my only thought was, get me out of here. Out of nowhere my leg was grabbed by people I couldn’t see, and as I kept walking plastic snakes hanging from the ceiling were swaying back and forth.

I had the worst case of butterflies in my stomach.

I would rate this haunted house the scarier of the two because of its foggy werewolf forest, the blood-thirsty zombies and the echoes of screams throughout the warehouse. If you are looking for a bigger scare, then you should take the challenge of going through this haunted house.

NIGHT STALKERS

14500 OLD QUARRY ROAD, EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, MO Located in an old abandoned limestone quarry, this mysterious cave-turnedhaunted house has received hair-raising reviews.

BOO!

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Fooled Again

an opinion of

MATT GANNON Last weekend, when the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the 0-4 Indianapolis Colts, I was hoping that we would lose. They might as well just make it easy on me.

I didn’t want them to drag me along, only to break my heart in the end. Why couldn’t they just lose? All season I’ve been cursing quarterback Matt Cassel for his pitiful performances, chocked full of picks. To hell with Haley; I wanted him gone

after week one, when the Buffalo Bills took my team and whooped them 41-7. Seriously, the Bills? They are like the NY Jets and NY Giants lowly little brother. And the worst part is, the chiefs ex-Offensive Coordinator, Chan Gailey, who Haley personally fired in favor of himself, orchestrated the slaughtering as the Bills head coach.

What sucks is that I actually believed in this team. I bought into Haley and Pioli and all of the “New” Arrowhead ads, saying that now was the Chiefs time. I actually thought my hometown team had finally turned the corner; that Cassel was the answer to our poor passing game, that running back Jamaal Charles

could compete for MVP with his record-shattering rushing numbers, that this team wasn’t too far from sneaking their way into the Super Bowl.

How could I be so stupid? I should have known it was too good to be true.

I should have known that the team would be hit with the curse of the torn ACL. They lost their second-best receiver in Tony Moeaki, the league’s top rusher in Charles, and arguably their best defensive player in Eric Berry in about five quarters on the field, all to the same injury. Was it Haley’s oddball pre-season style,where he went against the norm of the NFL and refused to play starters through the first two games,

Blame It On the Fa-a-a-a-a-a-a-an

an opinion of

MATT HANSON The following is an apology letter to Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox: Dear Jonathan, Hang in there, Pap. Don’t beat yourself up, man. You blew a save and a season with one misplaced fastball. As some of my fellow Lancers would say, “You let the whooole team DOWN.” So while you’re probably feeling horrible right now, you shouldn’t.

You see, Jonathan, you’re not the only man to blame in the Sox’s historic collapse.

Sure, there are the

obvious culprits of your fellow teammates, who conspired to squander both a sizeable Wild Card lead and a dream season in the final month of the season.

However, I think that if we examine this collapse a little more closely, we’ll find the true culprit: me.

After all, I’m the lifelong fan who quit on you. I’m the guy who decided that his Red Sox were just too talented not to make the playoffs. I’m the diehard who took a playoff berth for granted.

I’m the fan who didn’t watch.

I watched a total of three Red Sox games all season. To put this number in perspective, in my Red Sox Nation heyday, I probably watched about 60 to 100 Sox games a

year. Usually, I come flying out the gate with my Sox enthusiasm, fade out after the first few games, and then come back strong after the All Star break.

This year, my second surge never came. Neither did my first, for that matter. I was a terrible fan.

“This is when [the Red Sox] need me!”

Jimmy Fallon’s words in the iconic Red Sox movie “Fever Pitch” perfectly sum up the sense of responsibility every Red Sox fanatic feels towards the Sox. The Red Sox needed me this year, and I let you guys down.

So don’t blame yourself Pap. You’re clearly not the only culprit here.

I am.

Unfaithfully yours, Matt Hanson

only to play them full time in the other two? I can’t say. I’m not a doctor. But I’d say having your TE out, your quarterback hobbling, and having countless players groaning and lying on the turf in pain is a pretty bad sign.

And what about that hobbling quarterback? That guy that I thought was ready to follow in his mentor, the god of football, Tom Bardy’s footsteps, after a stellar season of last year. Well, it turns out Matt Cassel is just as inconsistent as ever. Any given Sunday, I could be in love with the guy, the next week I could screaming “Suck for Luck” and a few other “stronger” words as he makes another costly mistake. Exam-

ple A: Throwing right between the numbers of San Diego’s Eric Weddle, with a minute left, as the Chiefs were making a march to win the game. But, hey, on the bright side, at least that game was close.

But the Chiefs didn’t lose last weekend. In fact they have won two games in a row. Cassel has been on fire, ringing up four touchdowns and no picks in their last game. Unknown running back Jackie Battle ran for over 100 yards. The Chiefs look to be on the rise, after a more than bumbling start.

But, I won’t buy it. I can’t buy it. This is what the Chiefs always do to me. They draw me in, just to let me down.

Spiking My Interest

an opinion of

CHRIS HEADY Has anyone else realized how awesome volleyball is?

No, seriously, have you ever actually thought about it?

I commentated the varsity volleyball game last week, and a switch clicked in my brain while watching: Volleyball friggin’ rocks.

I’ve always been somewhat of a fan of volleyball. I tried a little bit harder in Team Games class when it came time to play it, I’ve always watched beach volleyball during the Olympics, but I never really thought too

much into it. But after watching the varsity team last week, I’m hooked.

And I know what you’re thinking: I’m a guy, I just like it for the spandex.

Stop. I’m not just a misogynistic tool, I’m a fan of the game. And here’s why: 1. You don’t have to be good to play.

I look like a dog on iceskates running around on the court when I play, but that doesn’t mean I’m not the next Misty May. The sheer fact you can just whack a ball over the net and it’s a sport should be enough for you to love the game. What other sport allows you to wail on a ball and propel it towards your opponents nostrils?

2. It’s awesome to watch.

Each time the Lady Lancers scored they erupted with rejoice and eventually had me cheering a little bit, even when I was behind a microphone and deck while anchoring. Each point is so hard fought, with players diving on the ground for a dig or sprinting to keep the ball in play. The fact is, I haven’t seen that much hustle required in a sport in my life, and I’ve got mad respect for volleyball players putting it all on the line, for one point.

3. It’s just awesome.

Now go play some volleyball and come back and tell me it wasn’t stupidly fun.

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the

sports round-up

Top fall athletes TYLER RATHBUN

BOYS

SOCCER

Wrapping it up

Looking back on the fall season and on to state

FOOTBALL

BOYS SOCCER

This junior soccer stud stepped up his game again, and it shined through in the Shawnee Mission West game when he scored twice in the final few minutes and once in overtime to beat the Vikings 2-1. He led the soccer team to a playoff birth, along with countless clutch plays.

JEFF COLE

FOOTBALL

The senior fullback/linebacker really stepped up this year, as expected. He lead the defense both on the field, and as a vocal leader throughout the team, and showed the essence of East football, going all in this year.

ADAM SIMMONS

CROSS COUNTRY

Cross Country runner Adam Simmons was the only boy to go to state this year, and led the boys’ team by finishing first for East in 6 races.

Simmons is looking to run in college but has yet to commit to a school.

the sports

PANEL

written by Mitch Kaskie | photo by McKenzie Swanson

This year, the boys’ soccer team came into the season ready to bounce back from the loss of their 17 seniors last year. Head Coach Jamie Kelly had high expectations for the team this year, which they met. The Lancer’s opened their season at 8-0, the best ever start in East history.

The regular season ended with three losses in six games: one being the game that would defend the Sunflower League title. Though a disappointing finish, the young team still entered the playoffs with a mentality that they could beat anyone. All three games they lost were not a matter of skill but of focus. The team’s talent and chemistry between the players along with their intense desire to win could take them far in the playoffs. Tuesday night, the Lancers eased through their first game against Olathe North, beating them 3-0. Every game is win or go home, so the Lancers will need to come with the intensity and mentality that it will be their last.

MVP of the fall season?

Most exciting game?

Tyler Rathbun

Soccer game against West

Matt Hanson Junior Mimi Fotopolous

Soccer game against West

Chris Heady Senior Annie Kuklenski Matt Gannon Senior Anne Wilman Corbin Barnds Senior

30 | SPORTS

Soccer against West. Nothing is better than a win in overtime.

Soccer vs Olathe East. This game with long time rival was riveting.

Missed opportunity?

written by Will Webber | photo by Jake Crandall

The football team entered this season with their highest expectations yet. Coming off of consecutive playoff trips and a record-breaking season, they had every reason to believe they would achieve great success yet again. But after losing several key players to injuries, including senior quarterback Dakota Collins, the Lancers lost their composure. Junior Nick Pirotte filled the spot and performed admirably, but his youth and inexperience showed in high pressure situations.

The team under performed and lost to several inferior teams due to penalties and mental errors. Effort and spirit remained high throughout the season, but the Lancers lacked the consistency to put together any sort of winning streak. Coach Chip Sherman had hoped his team would peak at the end of the year; however, there has been little improvement since the Lancers convincing first win against SM Northwest. The team will need to rekindle some of that week one magic if they hope to make anything happen in the playoffs.

Best theme for a game?

Football Lost momentum and chance at legendary season.

Good ol’ SEC Gameday

Football against West.

It could have been a huge win.

‘Merica

FALL FINISHES GIRLS

TENNIS

1st in league 1st in state

GIRLS GYMNASTICS

7th in league 7th in state

GIRLS

2nd in league 3rd in state

GOLF

VOLLEY

BALL

Girls Golf at league.

Blackout

CROSS COUNTRY

Football: with a slew of injuries, this team has been severly hampered.

New Money

1st in league BOYS: 8th in league 5th in regionals GIRLS: 7th in league 4th in regionals

BOYS * & FOOT * SOCCER

BALL

have not finished their season *as of Oct. 26

Taped With Experience

written by Katie Knight | photo by Anna Marie Oakley

F

rom training professional sports teams to college level athletes, and back around to high school, East’s new athletic trainer Ron Wollenhaupt has dealt with everything from bone contusions, to seizures, to patellar tendinitis. Now, Wollenhaupt has a new home in East’s training room, helping athletes of every sport with their injuries.

Before finalizing the deal with Shawnee Mission Sports Care, Wollenhaupt spent four years at the University of Nebraska at Omaha playing on their tennis and baseball teams. He’s always loved sports, specifically tennis and baseball, and decided he wanted to pursue sports in college.

Double Duty

During his college years, Wollenhaupt was unsure of which career path to follow, though he knew he was leaning towards physical education and teaching. His summer job working for the Omaha Royals baseball team allowed him to have the chance to speak to their trainers, who suggested that he consider being a trainer himself. By the end of his senior year of college, Wollenhaupt was a student trainer preparing for his certification test to make everything official.

After getting his college degree, Wollenhaupt worked for the Cleveland Indians baseball team for five years, followed by working as an online health teacher and full-time trainer at Kansas City Kansas Community College. According to Wollenhaupt, all have been good experiences, but high school ends up being the easier group to train.

“You get so much help at the high school level,” Wollenhaupt said. “At the college level, it’s pretty much you are it because the parents aren’t around and the coaches are so busy recruiting. In high school you’ve got parents and coaches and teachers and everyone all helping.”

Even though there’s a slight difference in difficulty between the three levels of athletics, there are several common denominators Wollenhaupt has found in each of them.

“Most of [the injuries I see] are muscular [or] skeletal,” Wollenhaupt said. “Most of it is strains, sprains, tendinitis, contusions. Ninety percent of it is those four injuries. We’ve had a few fractures this year, but for the most part it’s those.”

Besides the common four category injuries, Wollenhaupt has experienced injuries that turned into medical emergencies out on the field. He has dealt with a range of situations from athletes feeling disoriented and light-headed because of a diabetic emergency, to holding players’ necks still after a bad fall until an ambulance comes.

“The biggest thing about the trainer is you stay calm,” Wollenhaupt said. “You just have to say, ‘you call 911, I’ll take care of this.’ You just tell the athlete, ‘it’s going to be okay. It’s going to be fine. We’ll call an ambulance. I’m going

New trainer uses his experience in helping the athletes

to hold onto your knee, I’m going to hold onto your head, I’m going to hold onto you right here.’”

Though dealing with emergency situations may not be the most fun part of a trainer’s responsibilities according to Wollenhaupt, the absolute worst part is no matter what sport, having to tell an athlete that they are hurt and will have to be on the bench for a number of weeks. But even though a trainer’s job is full of bumps, there are still things that make his job all worth it, Wollenhaupt says.

“My favorite part about being a trainer is watching athletes who have been hurt, watching them recover,” Wollenhaupt said. “Watching them go through the process of [recovering], and working with them emotionally and physically through the adversity of an injury to where they recover from the injury and then have success.”

The injury he remembers most clearly happened while he was the trainer for the Indians; a catcher for the team had rotator tendinitis in his shoulder, and was beginning to think his career was over. Through the struggles, he ended up having the patience to work with Wollenhaupt and rehabilitate his shoulder through therapy. After several months, he returned to the baseball field. His first game back, he pegged a guy out at second base-- a great comeback, according to Wollenhaupt.

“He turned to the dugout and looked straight at me,” Wollenhaupt said. “That look was enough. And he made the big leagues. That really sticks in my mind as one of those things that makes it all worth it.”

Stories like the catcher’s are the reason Wollenhaupt does what he does. The best part of it all is, according to Wollenhaupt, watching them learn from the injury and learn from the adversity of it, and being able to watch them come back and succeed.

“It’s great to win, you see the wins and losses,” Wollenhaupt said. “But as the athletic trainer, it’s not about the wins and losses. It’s about the health of the athlete.”

Assistant football coach Sam Brown takes on his new role as athletic director

written by Anne Willman | photo by Anna Marie Oakley

A

thletic Director Sam Brown couldn’t quit coaching.

He’s done it for too long. Thirty-nine consecutive years of his life had been spent interacting with athletes, and in 2010, after retiring from teaching, Brown decided to continue his coaching career at East.

The athletic director (AD) position has given Brown a chance to connect with athletes. He can coach while making a difference in every coach and athlete’s life. Being the athletic director gave him that chance.

“I enjoy getting to know the athletes through the [AD] job,” Brown said. “I can make sure that everyone has a positive attitude, whether they are winning or losing.”

Brown’s wide knowledge of sports and the value behind being involved in them is rooted in his own experience.

Brown went to college at the University of Missouri where he played three sports—basketball, baseball and football. After college, he started coaching at his former high school, Excelsior Springs in Missouri.

“I was a 24-year-old head football coach, coaching 18-year-olds,” Brown said. “Even though I was young, they still chose me for the job.”

Brown went on to coach for William Jewell College and numerous other high schools in Kansas and in Missouri before coming to East.

This is Brown’s second year as the assistant football coach at East. The AD position opened up in late May this year, and head football coach Chip Sherman notified Brown about the position, encouraging him to apply for the job.

After an interview process and evaluation, Brown was se-

page31sports.indd 1

lected for the job at the end of June, taking former AD Jeremy Higgins’ place.

Brown previously held the position of athletic director at Shawnee Mission North, where he learned how to balance the responsibilities of an AD and coach.

“Being an athletic director and coach wouldn’t be easy,” Higgins said. “Between attending the practices and other sporting events, it would be hard.”

Brown knew that it was possible to do both jobs because of his past experiences. While being the AD takes time, he makes sure that he dedicates equal time to his players. He attends every football practice and game, while also attending other sporting events at East.

“If I wouldn’t have been [the AD and coach] before, I’m not sure if I would have known what I was getting into,” Brown said.

Brown is the only AD in the district that is also a coach.

The district has made an exception this year—as far as next year, he doesn’t know if he will be able to do both jobs.

“It would be really hard to choose between the two positions if I had to choose,” Brown said.

Brown feels that he has a responsibility to hold the position of the athletic director.

“I think that I have a lot of experience and I can use that to make the program better,” Brown said.

Brown has additional responsibilities of the AD. His main responsibility is to make sure that coaches follow the Sunflower League and the Kansas High School Activity Association rules.

One of his goals this year is to attend at least one game of every sport. For the fall season, Brown has attended each sport. “[The AD position] is the perfect job, I feel like I have died and gone to heaven,” Brown said.

31 | SPORTS

10/27/11 10:16 AM

MOLE

MADNESS Students gathered in the cafeteria at 5 a.m. on Oct. 21 for Mole Day. This annual event is hosted by the science department and celebrates Avogrado’s number, 6.02 x 1023

Showing Mole Day spirit, Junior Stefano Byers, above, shows off the traditional Mole Salute.

photo by Spencer Davis

Senior Tyler Germann, left, laughs while supervising a game of “Mole”-sical Chairs.

photo by Grant Kendall

During a game of “Mole”-sical Chairs, sophomore Ian Lee takes a tumble during the last few chairs. He ended up winning that round.

Prepping for his first Mole Day, junior Bill Skrukrud, below, gets into character.

“I was just expecting just some molerelated puns,” Skrukrud said. “Mole Day exceeded my expectations. My favorite part was the balloon filled with methane that blew up.” photo by Brendan Dulohery

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Participating in the Wack-a-Mole activity, junior Matthew Williamson, above, winces as the hammer comes down on his head.

“It was exhilerating to be hit in the head,” Williamson said. “Most people knew not to hit too hard, but some hit hard on purpose.” photo by Hiba Akhtar

photo by McKenzie Swanson