Issue 11 for the 2013-2014 Harbinger by The Harbinger

Freshman band, Snowday in May, creates a sound as unique as their members WRITTEN BY TOMMY SHERK

FREE TILLY FROM SEAWORLD the harbinger.

Shawnee Mission East l 7500 Mission Road, PV KS, 66208 l February 18, 2014 l Issue 11 l www.smeharbinger.net

editorial.

Commercial Controversy

Everyone carries their family heritage with them. Whether it is German or Irish genes, it’s something you should be proud of. And with 40 million immigrants living in the United States, everyone has a diverse background with different ways to dress or celebrate holidays. Diversity is celebrated and sought after. As a country founded by immigrants, it’s something that we should be proud of. However, when Coca-Cola ran an ad during the Super Bowl with the song “America the Beautiful” sung in seven different languages, there was backlash about the diversity aspect of the commercial rather than a celebration of it. The Harbinger believes this ad merits no backlash and it’s ridiculous that it has become a controversy. The United States is the place to accept all races, beliefs and immigrants. The ad Coca-Cola ran started off as any other American Americans should embrace all nationalities pride commercial. It showed shots of mountains and a man on his horse with the song “America the Beautiful” sung in the background. But seven seconds in, the song suddenly switched to being sung in Spanish, followed by Tagalog, Mandarin, Hindi, Hebrew, Keres, Senegalese-French and finally Arabic. After the 60 second ad was played, many U.S. citizens took to social media outlets to display their outcry. Soon the hashtag #SpeakAmerican, was trending worldwide. Many people claimed that singing the song in different languages was unpatriotic. Others said that the unity Coca-Cola was portraying actually shows division in the U.S. because of the many ethnic groups doing their own thing. However, most people chose to focus on the inadvertent topic brought up in the commercial of guidelines of which languages are spoken in the United States. Many news articles brought up what President Teddy Roosevelt said while he was president: immigrants should be deported from the United States if they haven’t learned English after five years. First of all, an immigrant cannot become an American citizen without knowing English. It is literally a necessity to learn English before becoming an American citizen. And while we are on the topic of speaking English, can you really #SpeakAmerican? You speak English. The message of the commercial was lost amongst the tweets and Facebook statuses. The intended message, according to the girls’ who sung the different parts of the song, was that it’s okay to be different and it’s okay to be yourself. Everyone has a rich background and everyone should be proud of where they come from. If your family was suddenly uprooted and moved to Russia, would you stop eating apple pies, twinkies or gumbo just because you are in a different country? We take our heritage with us no matter where we go. Becoming an American doesn’t take away your heritage, it just adds another part to your heritage. It is obvious that the people singing are proud to be Americans. And they are expressing their love for their country in their language. However, pride of being an American can be shown in many different ways, whether it’s with a flag in your yard or singing a patriotic song in your native language. Whether it’s in French, ART BY MORGAN KRAKOW Swahili or Mandarin Chinese, the message remains the same: we are proud to be Americans. ADS MANAGER ONLINE HOMEGROWN EDITOR FREELANCE PAGE DESIGNERS Tommy Sherk FEATURES SECTION EDITOR Ellie Booton CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF SOPHIE TULP Hannah Coleman Grace Heitmann Maddie Hise Sean Overton Andrew McKittrick Ali Lee LIVE BROADCAST EDITORS Katie Knight ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ONLINE OPINION EDITOR Jack Stevens FEATURES PAGE DESIGNERS PHOTO EDITORS Grace Heitmann Claire Sullivan STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Andrew McKittrick Sydney Lowe McKenzie Swanson ASSISTANT EDITORS Neely Atha Pauline Werner Maddie Schoemann Morgan Krakow Julia Poe ONLINE A&E EDITOR Callie McPhail ONLINE WRITERS Sophie Tulp ONLINE ASSISTANT EDITOR Audrey Danciger Kylie Relihan Daniel Rinner COPY EDITORS ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS John Foster Annika Sink Katharine Swindells Mike Thibodeau Annie Savage HEAD COPY EDITOR ONLINE SPORTS SECTION EDITORS Taylor Anderson Clara Ma Tessa Polaschek Sarah Berger ONLINE HEAD COPY EDITORS Michael Kraske Katie Lamar MULTIMEDIA STAFF Andrew McKittrick Susannah Mitchell Will Oakley Paloma Garcia Jack Stevens Morgan Krakow OPINION SECTION EDITOR ASSISTANT HEAD COPY EDITOR Clara Ma James Wooldrige Sophie Mitchell Sarah Berger Morgan Twibell Pauline Werner VIDEO EDITORS Tessa Polaschek Matthew Bruyere Sophie Tulp Sophie Mitchell Abby Hans ONLINE ASSISTANT HEAD COPY EDITOR Annie Foster Katie Knight OPINION PAGE DESIGNERS ART & DESIGN EDITOR Lauren Brown Annie Foster Katie Roe Georgia DuBois Pauline Werner Nellie Whittaker Miranda Gibbs Abby Hans Caroline Kohring Aidan Epstein ONLINE PHOTO EDITOR PODCAST & RADIO EDITOR EDITORIAL BOARD Leah O’Connor Julia Poe ART & DESIGN ASSISTANT EDITOR Marisa Walton Leah O’Connor Andrew McKittrick Susannah Mitchell A&E SECTION EDITOR Phoebe Aguiar Katie Knight TWEETMASTER Greta Nepstad Phoebe Aguiar EASTIPEDIA EDITOR Morgan Krakow ONLINE ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Jacob Milgrim NEWS SECTION EDITOR Hailey Hughes Maxx Lamb Sarah Berger FREELANCE COPY EDITORS A&E PAGE DESIGNERS Greta Nepstad Callie McPhail Lauren Brown ONLINE BLOGGERS Grace Heitmann Audrey Danciger INTERACTIVE EDITOR Susannah Mitchell Corinne Stratton Will Oakley Leah Pack NEWS PAGE DESIGNERS ONLINE CONVERGENCE EDITOR Mike Thibodeau Morgan Twibell Brian Philipps Mike Thibodeau Audrey Danciger Sophie Tulp Gaby Azorsky STAFF WRITERS SPORTS SECTION EDITOR Lauren Brown HEAD WEBMASTER Julia Poe Scotty Burford Madison Hyatt Will Oakley ONLINE NEWS EDITOR Jack Stevens Grace Heitmann Ellis Nepstad SPORTS PAGE DESIGNERS SPREAD EDITOR Ellie Booton Mike Thibodeau Michael Kraske Tommy Sherk Caroline Kohring ADVISER ASSISTANT WEBMASTERS Pauline Werner Hannah Coleman John Foster Dow Tate Jacob Milgrim John Foster Sophie Storbeck

editorial

CARTOON: CARBONATED CRITICS

the harbinger staff ‘13-’14

VOTES: FOR-11 AGAINST-2 ABSENT-0

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. 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.

A week in photos

F E I R B NEWS IN

2014 Winter Olympics are underway

HAILEY HUGHES The Sweetheart Queen, senior Victoria Sabates, and her attendants were named at the varsity boys’ basketball game against Olathe North on Jan 7.

ANNIE SAVAGE On Feb. 7, cast director Brian Cappello shows senior Erik Morgan how to get into character for the school musical, Shrek the Musical.

KATIE ROE The environmental club met on Feb. 11 to discuss their plans for making a scuplture out of recycled water bottles to be on display in the cafeteria.

TESSA POLASCHEK The varsity girls basketball team played Olathe South on Feb. 11. East lost 44-27.

WRITTEN BY MIKE THIBODEAU ART BY GRETA NEPSTAD

}

The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia began Friday, Feb. 6 in the face of criticism over anti-gay laws and the games’ unreadiness. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has insisted, in response to the controversy, that these games are about bringing people together, not pushing people apart. However multiple nations have sent Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender (LGBT) delegates in response to discriminatory Russian laws to represent them in the Winter Olympics. The U.S. sent openly gay athletes hockey medallist Caitlin Cahow and tennis player Billie Jean King as delegates. Vancouver, home of the last Winter Olympics, sent openly gay city councillor Tim Stevenson as a representative. The readiness of Sochi to host the games has also been called into question. Sochi visitors have posted pictures on social media sites showing hotel rooms still under construction, streets that haven’t been paved yet and bathrooms without running water. Stray dogs have also been captured and killed around Sochi. “Honestly, I think there’s a possibility of [these things],” junior and Russian native Sally Williams said. “But at the same time, I think people need to cut a little bit of slack because the country is trying to reform and it would only be better if people are more open minded towards that.”

Creationist debate becomes national

news.

Scientist Bill Nye debated creationist Ken Ham over whether or not creationism is a viable form of science to teach in schools on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Nye’s argument focused around scientific evidence such as carbon dating, weather cycles and evolutionary patterns while most of Ham’s argument focused on evidence from the Bible. After the debate, a Christian Today poll decided the winner of the debate. Over 90 percent of voters sided with Nye. The debate’s internet broadcast brought in three million viewers. “Most people don’t really consider it a debate anymore,” biology teacher Kimberly Vannice said. “Evolution is a science and creationism is based on religion. You can’t really compare the two.” Thirteen states already teach Creationism in their public schools. With the debate going on in Kansas courts over whether creationism should be taught in public schools, Nye and Ham’s debate has brought public attention to the debate. The debate went viral on social media sites like YouTube, Twitter and Reddit. With growing coverage, the Kansas court case could soon become a national issue.

Coalition prepares for annual Love146 concert Coalition’s annual concert will be raising donations for Love146, an international organization fighting against child sex trafficking, on Thursday, Feb. 20. For the sixth year in a row Coalition is hosting this concert with several local bands. This year, A Gecko Named Terrence and The Grey Notes are headlining the concert along with other local bands at the Village Presbyterian Church. The minimum donation to get in will be two dollars and Coalition will be selling baked goods to raise additional funds. “We thought about what would be a cool way to do some kind of fundraiser for [Love146],” Coalition sponsor David Muhammad said when talking about the original concert. “[The concert] will be cool because it’ll highlight...talent and get kids involved and then also get the word out about the actual cause.” Love146, founded in 2002, helps children around the world, mainly in the U.S. and Asia, through houses and programs to care for the victims, training officials to help care for children and creating programs to spread prevention education.

A BREAKDOWN

2014 WINTER OF THE

OLYMPICS 88

6,000

countries

athletes

new events

venues

sports

1) Ice Skating Team 2) Slopestyle Snowboard 3) Paralell Slalom Snowbard 4) Ski Slopestyle 5) Ski Halfpipe

6) Women’s Ski Jump 7) Luge Team Relay

8) Biathalon Mixed Relay

A LOOK INSIDE THE TORCH RELAY The relay was first performed in the 1936 Berlin Games, and has occured in every Games since then. The Olympic torch relay is the ceremonial relaying of the Olympic Flame from Olympia, Greece, to the chosen site of the Games. began on Oct. 7 in Greece lasted 123 days covered 65,000 km had 14,000 torchbearers

INTRODUCING the

SOCHI MEDALS

Combining glass and metal makes the medal unique The medals encompass Sochi’s mountains and the Black sea, with sunlight and ice incorperated into the design The medal’s design incorperates Sochi’s mountains and the Black Sea, as well as sunshine and ice

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The Green Corner

Throckmorton said. “Besides starting sustainable habits, composting and recycling is especially important because of the huge impact food waste has on the environment.” To pay for the bins, the Environmental Club worked colThe Environmental Club laboratively last October to plans to create a ‘Green write a grant to the East Fund. Corner’ in the cafeteria to After receiving the grant, the help with their composting club purchased 12 bins made program entirely of recycled materials that cost around $1000 in total. WRITTEN BY CLARA MA PHOTO BY KATIE ROE Students will be asked to place recyclable materials in the blue ore than a year after the composting program bins, compostable materials was first implemented at East, Environmental in the green bins and everything that does not fall under the Club is continuing to work to help students better understand aforementioned categories in the red bins. The trash bins will and adhere to the guidelines designated by the compost, recy- be located apart from the compost and recycling bins in the cling and trash bins in the cafeteria. The club plans to create a Green Corner to avoid contamination. “Green Corner” in the cafeteria by the end of this school year “Unfortunately, a contaminated batch of compost becomes to aid students in properly disposing of their lunch waste. a bag of trash,” Throckmorton said. “That is why the program The Green Corner will be an area of the cafeteria where En- has been so difficult to install and why it is so important that vironmental Club will post information and updates relating we really catch people’s attention.” to their club as well as the composting program in general. The composting program is conducted through DeffenIt will be located by the entrance at the south end of the caf- baugh Industries, a trash-collecting facility based in Overland eteria, and new recycling and composting bins will be placed Park. The initial grant received for the program was for $4500, there apart from the trash bins there in order to eliminate the but only a fraction of that money has been spent as annual mixing of compostable and non-compostable waste materials. maintenance costs have since been assumed by the school The club hopes that the new bins’ bright colors and special- district. According to Environmental Club sponsor Russell ized lids will attract students’ attention and cause them to Debey, during the previous school year, over 20 bags of waste be more mindful of where they dispose of their leftover food, were composted every day. Since then, howevbottles, paper products and trash. er, that number has “Recycling and composting is important for many reasons,” Environmental Club President, Senior Ada

#SavedSHARE? Despite rumors spread via Twitter, the SHARE program will not be cut next year WRITTEN BY SARAH BERGER

ast students’ Twitter feeds started to flood with rumors of the SHARE program being cut by the district on Feb. 3. That morning the @SME_SHARE twitter account tweeted “District is leaning towards cutting SHARE as a program at Shawnee Mission East next year. Make our voices heard!!! #saveshare”. Since that first tweet, over 75 members from the East community tweeted with the same hashtag. The original tweet from SHARE was deleted later that week. According to principal John McKinney, there is no truth in the rumor that the district plans to eliminate SHARE next year. He says neither himself nor the district have any intentions of getting rid of the SHARE program. “SHARE is an important part of Shawnee Mission East,” McKinney said. “It has been since I’ve been here and will continue to be long after I’m gone.” Instead of being cut, according to McKinney, SHARE will be looking to restructure its sponsorship positions. SHARE is currently led by two sponsors, Pat Kaufman and Leslie Multer. Both help organize fund raisers, projects and events and are at

East for third hour every day. McKinney says it is not clear what specifically will happen next year due to the fact that SHARE is an independent not-for-profit organization run by its sponsors and executives, not the school or district. Kaufman declined to comment. SHARE is supported by different fund raisers held throughout the year as well as private donations made to their account with the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation. The program itself receives no district money to run except for its room which is provided by the district and East. In addition, the salaries of the two sponsors are paid through the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation. According to McKinney, SHARE has not been able to raise as much money in the past couple of years due to the current recession. Because less money has been raised, there is now less money going through SHARE’s account with the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation to pay its sponsors. “That’s just the state of the economy that we’re in now,” McKinney said. “There’s only so much fund raising dollars to go around.” SHARE has been active at East for 25 years. Each year, the organization runs approximately 60 projects for students to participate in; this makes SHARE one of the largest student-led volunteer organizations in the country. SHARE executive Kaleigh Frigon has been involved in SHARE throughout her

news.

plummeted drastically. Environmental Club members hope that this will change after the installation of the Green Corner. “We hope to improve [the composting program] by making the system clear enough that people would have to very consciously try to mess it up,” Throckmorton said. “We also hope to educate people so that they want to participate.” Getting people excited about composting is something that all members of the club strive for. They plan to hold composting competitions, raffle drawings and distribute prizes in each lunch for students who actively participate in the program. For the past two months, Environmental Club members have also been working on creating a structure composed of strands each containing 30 recycled water bottles. This recycled art piece will serve as a backdrop for the Green Corner where Environmental Club can post important information about its projects with composting. The structure is also meant to represent visually how much can be wasted when students are not careful about how and where they dispose of their waste. “We just want people to be able to see the magnitude of what their mistakes can bring,” Environmental Club member, Junior Emily Perkins-Rock said. “And how just taking the extra 20 seconds to figure out the part of their lunch that goes in the compost, recycling and trash bins can make a huge difference.”

four years at East. She says the program has been a great way to get students involved at East and in the community. “The Ronald McDonald House project I created [through SHARE] holds a special place in my heart,” Frigon said. “I just don’t want to see people not have opportunities to help out.” McKinney has expressed his intentions of keeping SHARE alive to its board of directors. He says he is committed to providing any support that is needed to SHARE running. “As long as people want SHARE, use SHARE and need SHARE in our community, SHARE will be a part of East,” McKinney said.

opinion.

taking note of

FAUXI FEMINISM

adore Beyoncé and Katy Perry as much as the next eighan opinion of teen-year-old LAUREN BROWN girl. They’ve reigned over the charts and acted philanthropically for years, all while balancing their personal lives. The two have managed to be successful even under the pressure of fame, which I’ve found admirable. Their private moments, including Perry’s divorce to Russell Brand and the birth of Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy, were both media fests; yet they’ve stayed grounded. I’ve believed these two artists have been well-intentioned in promoting what it means to be a powerful woman. My concern is that their recent Grammy performances represent larger issues about the way women are perceived in the music industry, as well as the messages these famous females send to our generation. I’ve sung Perry’s “Firework” and “Roar” at the top of my lungs with friends — songs that in my opinion communicate a sense of self-worth and confidence. I’ve been inspired by Beyoncé’s rendition of the National Anthem sung at President Obama’s 2012 inauguration — a beautiful symbol that literally spoke volumes about broken racial and gender barriers. While they may have inspired a sense of “girl power” through their songs in the past, some of Beyoncé and Perry’s recent actions are not so empowering. Beyoncé opened the show with wet hair and a skimpy body suit, straddling a chair. Things got even more scandalous when her husband, Jay-Z, stepped on stage with her for a duet. It was uncomfortable for me and the other 28.5 million viewers at home

to watch the couple kissing and dancing straddle a chair. Her lyrics shouldn’t call against one another. into question a lack of sensitivity toward Beyoncé, dubbed “Queen B,” tells us to subjects such as domestic abuse. “Bow Down,” so fans and the media defend Neither of those things should be celher every action. She has always received ebrated, but her talent and her success as a praise from women for singing about femi- woman of color should be. nist values in tracks such as “Run the World Beyoncé’s performance isn’t the only (Girls)” and “Pretty Hurts.” After viewing female Grammy performance that causes her Grammy performance however, I’m be- me to call into question an artists’ femiginning to question if she’s forgotten what nist perspective. Perry’s pole-dancing on she’s stood for in the past. a broomstick while wearing fishnet tights “Men [have] the power to define value,” during her performance of “Dark Horse,” Beyoncé said in her Feb. 2013 interview with was what stood out to me as being unnecGQ Magazine. “They define essarily suggestive. I just what’s sexy. And men define didn’t really see the purwhat’s feminine, it’s ridicupose in Perry dancing lous.” provocatively in order While they may have It seems to me that she reto illustrate the meaning inspired a sense of “girl behind her lyrics. cently embodied exactly what power” through their she had called ridiculous. I’ve always been less songs in the past, some impressed with Perry’s In addition, “Drunk in of Beyoncé and Perry’s outrageous Love” had to be censored in costumes recent actions are not order to cut out lyrics that, and theatrical perforso empowering. according to some, may be mances and more in awe promoting acts of domestic of Perry’s raw vocal talabuse. The controversial lyrent. To me, her dancing ics are in Jay-Z’s verse on the in a sea of flames, sportsong: “I am Ike Turner, eat the ing a black leather outfit cake Anna Mae,” a line from took away from the fact the 1993 Tina Turner movie “What’s Love that Perry is a respected artist. Instead, it Got to Do With It.” The scene Jay-Z bor- reinforced the idea that female vocal perforrowed a line from depicts spousal abuse as mances depict singers as sex symbols. Turner’s husband, Ike, shoves cake in her What was ironic to me were Perry’s face in public. comments about how she perceives the Whether or not Beyoncé intended for choices of her female pop counterparts. the lyrics to be perceived in such a way, it is “Females in pop - everybody’s getting just another reason women like myself are naked,” Perry said to NPR in an October inquestioning her feminist perspective. Even terview. “I mean, I’ve been naked before but if other feminists found nothing wrong with I don’t feel like I have to always get naked to her recent performance, no one can argue be noticed.” that violence against women should not be Perry added that it’s difficult to not fail an element of entertainment. audiences when you’re considered a role Beyoncé, or any woman for that mat- model to young people, especially women. ter, shouldn’t be valued for her ability to Although this is true, I still believe that fu-

LANCER VOICE QUESTION: What did you think of Beyoncé’s or Katy Perry’s performances at the Grammys?

The provocative nature of recent female popstars’ performances hurts women in the long run ture performances should be altered to send a different message to females. Messages that say to use our brains and talents instead of our bodies. The images young women see inevitably affect the way they see themselves. While I think it’s all well and good that artists like Beyoncé and Perry have the selfconfidence to give a glorified striptease on stage, it gives young women false expectations regarding what they need to do in order to gain attention from the opposite sex. I realize that sexuality has been embraced by the music industry, and that’s not going to change. We almost expect Grammy performances to push the envelope. It’s difficult for performers to appease their more conservative fans while also expressing themselves creatively, I get that. I know that these women act on their own free will, but I believe the industry itself has become so warped that we as viewers and listeners don’t even notice the impact it has on us. “Singing about the same old things in music is so overrated,” singer Jennifer Hudson said in an interview with Huffington Post “Ain’t you too old for that kind of thing? Can you talk about something else?” I agree. Changing the way the music industry treats sex will ultimately change how females are perceived in society. Currently, female music videos and live performances are dripping with sex paired with violence. Horrifyingly, most girls can sing along to every word of these songs that tell our generation that sex without consequences should be glorified. So I tend to side with women like Hudson: can we please sing about something else?

Students weight in on the recent performances by Beyoncé and Katy Perry

senior JAMIE MADDOX

sophomore BEA WORKMAN

freshman CHLOE AZORSKY

“I obviously love Beyoncé, but her [Grammy performance] outfit was a little showy for a mom. She has a kid, so it made me think how weird I would feel seeing my parents on stage like that.”

“Katy Perry’s was really cool, with the acrobats she used, but that’s not what I imagined her doing. I loved Beyoncé’s song, “Drunk in Love,” but her outfit was pretty scandalous.”

“I thought Beyoncé’s was amazing

because she had so much sass and it was kind of simple, but I didn’t like Katy Perry’s as much because it had a weird vibe.”

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opinion.

I ’ m guilty. I’ve pressed my hands flat against the glass walls and laughed at the dozing lions on the other side. I’ve yelled at sleeping baboons, trying to make them just do something already. I’ve cheered when the trainers blew their whistle and the sea lions jumped out of the water, touching the red ball with their nose. I’m guilty of looking at wild animals and viewing them as dumb and harmless creatures. I’m guilty and I know that now. SeaWorld is guilty, too, but they won’t admit it. They are guilty of confining animals in small spaces, of tearing families apart, of forcing young female orcas to breed and of lying to the media. On their websites and in open letters to the public, they list facts that can easily be disproven through simple research. SeaWorld said that their “killer whales’ life spans are equivalent to those in the wild,” when the average orca’s lifespan in captivity is reportedly nine years, while in the wild orcas can live past 50. SeaWorld says that they value “the bond between mother and calf,” yet there have been almost 20 incidents where the mother and calf were separated, causing grief on both ends. Last year, a documentary called “Blackfish” came out that directly addressed these issues. Before watching the film a few weeks ago, I liked to think that I was aware of the different forms of animal cruelty, but I was so, so wrong. I had no idea that young orcas were captured from the ocean while other members of their pod drowned in the surrounding nets. I didn’t know that the amusement park in Victoria, BC, kept their two ton orcas in 20 by 30 feet floating steel boxes at night. I didn’t know that female orcas were forced to breed before they matured, or that their calves are taken away from them.

“Blackfish” showed me how psychologically damaged orcas become while in captivity. The film focuses on Tilikum, perhaps the most known orca in captivity who weighs 12,000 pounds. He’s known for killing three people. His most recent murder was in 2010 in Orlando, Fl. Head trainer Dawn Brancheau was doing a show with him when he grabbed her arm with his teeth and pulled her into the water. SeaWorld did not release the story truthfully, at first. Originally, they said that Brancheau tripped and fell into the pool. When eye witnesses denied that story, SeaWorld said that Brancheau was dragged into the water by her ponytail, which she kept too long and it was therefore her fault. Eventually, people found out the truth: that Tilikum had dragged Brancheau into his tank by her arm, bruised her body, cut her skin and tore off two limbs. There are no records of an orca causing a human being harm in the wild. Leave an orca in a cement pool for 25 years and you get three murders. And it’s not just Tilikum who’s harmed people — there have been over 100 reported incidents in which an orca behaved violently in captivity around the world. A man working in Spain’s amusement park Loro Parque was killed by an orca in 2009. In 2001, an orca broke a trainer’s leg during a performance in France. In England, a trainer was dragged down to the bottom of the pool in 1971. “Blackfish” reporters interviewed former SeaWorld trainers, ex-whale hunters, neuroscientists, researchers and experts on killer whales, who all said the same thing: orcas are highly intelligent, social creatures. But the animals on display in SeaWorld are enclosed and treated poorly. When children go to SeaWorld, they don’t see intelligent and evolved creatures -- they see circus animals. I don’t want SeaWorld to close — I want SeaWorld and marine life theme parks all around the world to take responsibility for

their actions. I want them to accept that they have messed up and figure out how to care for wild animals because what they’ve been doing isn’t effective. I realize that it’s unrealistic to release all of the wild animals in captivity because they were not raised in their natural habitats; they weren’t raised to learn how to hunt, or follow the currents, or live in a pod or swim nearly 100 miles a day. While “Blackfish” supports its argument that orcas in captivity suffer, the film itself did not offer a solution, and did not mention Keiko, an orca who was released into the wild and died of pneumonia. SeaWorld already spends millions of dol-

lars on their orcas, but instead of paying for cages and pens, they should create an enclosure in the ocean. Make it big enough for orcas to swim more than a few yards, and let them live with orcas who are compatible with them. SeaWorld, you are guilty. You enforce the glass walls that encompass the orcas. Yes, you rescue and treat injured animals and release them back into their natural habitat. Yes, you conduct research that the whole world appreciates. But those good deeds don’t erase the fact that there are animals in your care who are suffering. It’s time to take action.

OPINION OF GRETA NEPSTAD PHOTO BY TAYLOR ANDERSON

Companies that handle wild animals need to take into consideration the physcologial harm they are causing

WINKIE

Cracked in Captivity other animals that have acted out against owners or trainers

An elephant who killed his trainer by aburptly spinning when the trainor, Joanna Burke, appraoched him. Winkie knocked Burke across the face and chest and then stepped on her, killing her instantly.

MONTECORE A white tiger that worked with Siegfried & Roy for seven years ended Roy’s career when he seized upon his neck and had to be pulled off by a crew member.

TRAVIS A trained chimpanzee mutilated a woman, Charla Nash, his owner. Nash lost her eyes, hands and most of her face.

UNDER PRESSURE AN OPINION OF SEAN OVERTON Smoke engulfs my lungs, and everything in a five foot radius has become foggy. Music is blaring and my ears automatically feel sore. The friends who promised to be my side the whole night have already left. Here I am, freshman year, in the exact spot I told myself I would never get. Like any naive 13-year-old, I had promised myself I would never smoke, drink or go to parties that involved drinking or smoking; I would have never thought my friends would be involved in illegal activity, either. I quickly learned that eighth grade Sean was long gone, and freshman Sean had taken his place. I came to East this year knowing about five people since I had gone to St. Peters, a small Catholic school in Missouri, for grade school. East was a big change from my comfort zone. I went from a class of 70 to 420. From walking down the hall and saying ‘hi’ to everyone I see, to walking down the hall and hoping my foot doesn’t get stepped on. Naturally, I was overwhelmed. With East being a huge school and having all these new, different types of people, I had no idea who to be friends with, or really what my identity was. One of the biggest things a freshman is pressured into is joining a group that is not right for them. It’s very easy to fall into stereotypes, and get pressured into being the exact same as everyone else in the group, than to not fall into the pressures of being like everyone else. Freshman year is the perfect time to reinvent yourself. For me, this meant new friends. I immediately got drawn in with a group of upperclassmen who didn’t have the best reputation. Maybe I was nervous and thought they were good for

Freshman reflects on peer pressure he has encountered in high school so far

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES WOOLDRIDGE me, or maybe because I was intrigued by their troublesome reputation. My older friends introduced me to bad substances that I knew better than to try. Almost every party that older friends have brought me to this year have involved drinking. There are always kids rushing into the party, thinking they are sneaky with a bottle full of vodka shoved in their waistband. After having aunts and uncles deal with alcoholism, I wasn’t about to start drinking at 14. Although some are against the drinking age law being so high, in the end it is very beneficial to your health. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence shows that kids who start drinking alcohol before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol abuse or dependence than people who first used alcohol at age 21 or older. I thought I was going to be able to end freshman year without getting offered alcohol once. If that were true I wouldn’t have been able to attend one party this year. It’s not about resisting parties, it’s about self control. The people who are able to have a good time without having to get drunk, are always the most fun. Alcohol wasn’t the only substance I was pressured to try, but have turned down. I was offered pot maybe once before high school started. Now I cannot tell you how many times I have been, and continue to be, offered pot and constantly deny it. As high schoolers, we all have to learn various ways to overcome the pressures we face. One of the most important things is to be prepared. Be ready for the tipsy guy or girl trying to get

with you. Know that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Always have friends ready to back you up, and strong arms ready to push someone off you. After being offered alcohol and drugs I finally found the courage to break out from that crowd of kids. Once I had told them I wasn’t interested in trying drugs, I slowly drifted more and more away from them. Now I was left as a little freshman feeling nothing but alone. But I would rather be alone and staying true to myself, than going along with a group I didn’t feel comfortable in. Eventually I found a wonderful group of friends who got my sense of humor, had interests similar to mine and didn’t pressure me into anything I wasn’t comfortable with. After spending a month thinking I would spend high school alone, I felt relieved to find people who really understood me. After my friend group had formed, it was time for a new, responsible Sean. Having confidence and a strong sense of self is what really helped me not have to fall into the pressures of freshman year. The more and more you learn about yourself and come to terms with who you are, the easier it is to be confident in who you are. Confidence has helped me to turn away anything I wasn’t interested in, and has helped conquer all challenges that come my way. You are going to get offered weed and alcohol, but if you are more concerned in doing what is right, and knowing what is right for you personally, everything will all turn out okay.

opinion. THE RISKS OF DRUGS Marijuana increased appetite possible mental health decline

Heroin

fatal overdose hepatitis C slowed or arrested breathing

Cocaine increased heart rate panic and paranoia feeling of heaviness in the body

Alcohol impaired memory loss of consciousness liver and heart disease

Overton has found it easier to push away the temptation to drink rather than participating.

Strutting to Success PHOTO COURTESY OF KARLY MCNEIL

t’s a quiet evening in Midtown, New York City. Former East student Karly McNeil sits on her bed under a heated blanket wearing a ribbed green sweater, hair mushed into a bun atop her head. She is raw. No makeup, no sleek dresses or perfectly straightened hair and erect posture — she saves that for the runway. 2014 is her year. McNeil is fighting for her spot as a high profile model, living on her own in the nation’s fashion capital. She’s taking advantage of an opportunity while it lasts — one that she almost threw away. Despite the snow storm bearing down on the East Coast, McNeil is preparing for a busy week. She has received her schedule for tomorrow via email. As a model, every day is spontaneous. Sometimes she’s posing before a camera on set, or striding down the runway in sky-high heels. But most of the time, McNeil is auditioning. In two weeks, the world’s most fashionable will flock to view the top designers’ newest collections at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. McNeil’s days are filled, hustling on and off the train between different casting calls for different fashion lines and designers. Hundreds of girls will line the corridors of an office building or store, waiting to be scrutinized. They each will slip into their heels, walk down an imaginary runway, politely take the criticism and exit. Most times, designers won’t like McNeil’s elongated features and freckled face; but doesn’t matter. There’s six more calls that day. For every 20 casting calls, she’s lucky to book one client. “One person can hate you and the next person will absolutely love you,” McNeil said, “There’s so many different views of beauty.” But the fast-paced life of a New York model came about somewhat unexpectedly. In eighth grade, McNeil’s family sent a holiday card out to their close friends and family. Among them was supermodel Cindy Crawford, wife of one of McNeil’s father’s friends. After seeing McNeil’s angular face and slim figure, Crawford called her parents and encouraged them to find a local modeling agency for McNeil to work with. When Jen Mangan of Exposure Agency in Kansas City first met then 14-year-old McNeil, she saw a future for her. Her 5’10”, long-legged figure was only the beginning; the confidence McNeil exuded when interacting with adults and young people alike was a cornerstone to the future success of a budding modeling career. “She’s got a very strong personality, she’s very confident in who she is,” Mangan said That confidence would become important to McNeil later on. From an early age, McNeil has been dancing and singing onstage in theater and choir. She’s passionate about the performing arts, acting in multiple Frequent Fridays and as the lead in the Indian Hills Middle School musical her eighth grade year. That background would come to aid her in daily casting calls. Clients and designers seeing hundreds of girls a day would pick her apart. McNeil’s thick skin would not be broken by the harsh criticisms of the fashion world.

WRITTEN BY MORGAN KRAKOW

In a matter of weeks, the newly brace-less 14-yearold had gone from high school freshman to professional model. She had an agency that would soon send her all over the country, from Chicago to New York for gigs and photo shoots. McNeil has bounced between NYC and the suburbs of KC since midway through her sophomore year, living with other models under the care of a chaperone. She walked in Fashion Week as a 17-yearold. Spring break, winter break and some summer months and long weekends were spent at the apartment in NYC. But McNeil’s fast-paced life was almost derailed at the beginning of this school year. In August, she arrived in New York for yet another stint of casting calls and photo shoots. But New York was not what she had remembered. “You’re supposed to wear all black here, so everything is one line and very sleek, and I came and I was wearing birkenstocks and long floral hippie skirts, and just not caring too much,” McNeil said. “They wanted me to straighten my hair and middle-part it every day, and I was just in such a free spirited kind of mood at the time,” After a light-hearted summer month with her friends, going to concerts and just hanging out, the idea of acting and looking clean-cut and proper revolted her. She was homesick, and she didn’t want to hide who she was. “I felt like I was being put down or stifled,” McNeil said. So McNeil called her parents, and three days later she was on a flight home. McNeil wanted modeling to be over forever. She wanted her friends. She wanted to be herself, in her own clothes, without anyone telling her what to do. As the school year progressed, McNeil began to find boredom in the monotony of the school day. She had trouble even showing up to class. She had lost discipline. It became obvious that her opportunity was running out. She was a young, fresh face. Now was her time. Waiting until the end of college, or even the end of high school like she had originally planned, would have taken away from her prime modeling years. She knew that her homesickness from the previous trip probably would have diminished after a few weeks. “[I] realized that I could be having a full career and making money, and I was just bored with school and kind of ready to move on and go into my next part of life.” McNeil said. New York was beckoning; there was no better time the present than to model. Realizing that she indeed could be the sleek, put-together model the clients were looking for, she began to reconsider her decision to stop modeling. She would miss her friends and her family, but McNeil began to realize that it was worth it. She wanted the life of the city to break up the monotony. The apartment still had an opening. Spring Fashion Week was on the horizon. It was an escape from school, it was exciting. And this time, she was all in. In early December, McNeil dropped out. She passed her General Education Development test (GED) and moved to New York. It was hard saying

features. Former student leaves life at home to pursue modeling in New York

goodbye to her closest friends, but nothing was harder than saying goodbye to her family. One child of five, McNeil is close with all of her siblings, especially her younger brother Jack. McNeil and Jack, although 10 years apart, share a special relationship and the distance has been tough for both of them. McNeil’s mom, Katie Barnes, says that they jokingly call McNeil Jack’s “little mama.” “He said he wished he had a magic machine, so that he could make her appear and disappear,” Barnes said. But with Facetime and texts, McNeil is remaining close with her family. She can’t help but miss her home from time to time. As 17-year-old living far from her family, she goes through expected struggle. Last weekend, she had landed a callback with well-known fashion brand, Calvin Klein. She called her mom to tell her. “I was like ‘oh my gosh, aren’t you so excited?’” Barnes said, “And she was like, ‘no I’m just homesick.’” Barnes misses her, but knows that New York is best for McNeil and that it’s also not forever. Her career will be peppered with visits to KC, ski trips with her family and the opportunities to hang out with her friends at home. For now, her plan is to stay in New York City until March, and then to come home for the spring and summer. McNeil hopes to move back in August and live in her own apartment. Next year she plans on trying to get on the international fashion scene, making appearances in style hubs like Milan and Paris. “I’m glad that I’ve moved on and can fill my days with things that are important to me,” McNeil said, “things that I feel as if are taking me somewhere.”

spread.

onstrous usical

Get to know six of the main characters of this past week’s winter musical, “Shrek.” The production of Shrek was directed by junior Becca Zeiger, who said with a large cast of 67, including a few non-students, she hoped to attract a large audience of a wide variety.

on you? Q. How do you emulate his height? A. Well, I’m on my knees, and I have these legs A. He thinks he’s the best but he’s got insecuri-

that get strapped to me, and they come from about my waist to knees. It’s kind of creepy, actually. It’s cool though because in the back I have a cape so you don’t see anything. You think it might hurt, but it doesn’t. I get to walk around of my knees and everything. Q. Isn’t Lord Farquaad cocky? Has that rubbed off

ties like the rest of us. He’s just better at hiding it than everyone which is really fun to play. Q. Quick fact about Lord Farquaad. A. He keeps up with pop culture. Although he’s royalty and everything, he likes to have fun. He has major daddy issues, too. His dad left him in the woods as a child, and he’s still hurt.

LEC ARMER Lord Farquaad

WRITTEN BY MADDIE HISE PHOTOS BY ANNIE SAVAGE

Q. What’s it like being the funny person of the

BBY CRAMER

show? A. It’s really fun. Making a goof of yourself, it’s harder than I expected it to be just because of how much energy it requires. It’s all energy all the time. I really, really enjoy it. Q. Do you have to walk on all fours? A. Thank goodness I don’t! That would be terrible; no, I get to stand up, and I kind of bend my knees a bit. And I actually have hooves, I don’t have hands. Q. Tell me about having hooves. A. It’s so hard, you just want to gesture all the time, you want to use your hands, you want to use your fingers. I’ve had to practice having everything closed

Dragon

RIDGETTE BEASLEY

off. Usually you can extend your fingers, and that’s where your energy comes out and that’s a weird feeling. And I can’t pick up anything, so I can’t grab anything in the show, and that’s kind of strange. Q. What’s a weird fact about donkey? A. I have a fake butt. It’s padded. Q. Are you supposed to be a boy? A. Yes, I am. I’m an ‘it’ basically. People are going to know I’m a girl, like I speak a little lower. I mean, I already have a naturally low voice, but I’m trying to speak a little lower. And I’m trying to not have as many girlish moves to kind of roughen everything up. It’s kind of fun and quirky; I’ve played a lot of boys before.

RIDGETTE BEASLEY Donkey

Q. So how does Pinocchio

Q. Tell me about

Shrek. A. I’m an ogre. I’m big, I’m smelly, I’m really sweaty. Lots of sweat, lots of make-up, lots of roaring, lots of being mean and having weird horns. Q. What’s it like being an ogre? A. It is really interesting for me because I’m huge but I’m not large. It’s been a learning curve having this fat suit, learning how to be big and stand big. Q. What’s it like having Shrek’s compli-

cated emotions? A. Well, as the show will tell you, ogres have layers, and onions have layers. It’s interesting to play a character that is so callous on the outside but is actually a big teddy bear on the inside. It’s fun to get to start the show all mean and then end the show and be a big, loveable guy. Q. Hit me with a random fact about Shrek. A. I burp a lot, lots of burping. There [are] a few real burps in there.

USTIN DALGLEISH Shrek

play into the musical? A. Well, you could say I’m kind of a leader of the fairy tale creatures. Cause we’re all just sort of a jumble of misfits who got kicked out of Dulock. Mostly I lead the fairy tale creatures and they all make fun of me because I think I’m a real

USTIN ARMER Pinocchio Q. Tell me about

Dragon. A. The dragon comes on and falls in love with the donkey and she belts her face off [sings]. The song I sing is called ‘Forever’ and it’s about Donkey and how Dragon, like, protects Fiona and then Donkey and Shrek

come and she tries to get rid of them in a way and then she falls in love with Donkey. Q. Big costumes, how’s that? A. It’s really fun, it’s very cool. Alex Lang, he’s inside of it. So he does the jaw and moves the neck and stuff.

Q. How’s being Fiona? A. It’s been great. It’s been a lot of

pressure, but it’s been fun. I’m in a lot of the show, and I feel like it’s the first time of being a leader of the cast, so it’s been fun. It’s been hard. Q. Costume details? A. So, the last scene is the quick change where I have to become an ogre in a minute and 40 seconds. So that’s a kind of hard, quick change because I have to become green and fat. Q. How’s having Austin as your lover?

boy but I’m really not, I’m still a misfit. So there’s a big song at the end where I’m like I am a wooden boy, I’m a misfit. Q. Random fact about Pinocchio A. Well the nose does grow, but I can’t reveal the theater magic. I’m also singing everything an octave up my falsetto.

A. It’s kind of funny because he’s

like my younger brother. It’s fun. He’s really so talented, so he’s made it easy to kind of get into that. Q. How have you taken on the Fiona persona? A. Well, I mean she’s really sassy, and so am I. She’s kind of like me in that way. Q. What’s an interesting fact about Fiona? A. She talks in her little fairy voice, but she also does this deep tomboy voice. That’s kind of what I like to picture her as — a kid that was a tom-boy that had to be a princess.

ADDIE ROBERTS Fiona

spread.

onstrous usical

on you? Q. How do you emulate his height? A. Well, I’m on my knees, and I have these legs A. He thinks he’s the best but he’s got insecuri-

LEC ARMER Lord Farquaad

WRITTEN BY MADDIE HISE PHOTOS BY ANNIE SAVAGE

Q. What’s it like being the funny person of the

BBY CRAMER

Dragon

RIDGETTE BEASLEY

RIDGETTE BEASLEY Donkey

Q. So how does Pinocchio

Q. Tell me about

USTIN DALGLEISH Shrek

USTIN ARMER Pinocchio Q. Tell me about

Q. How’s being Fiona? A. It’s been great. It’s been a lot of

A. It’s kind of funny because he’s

ADDIE ROBERTS Fiona

Advice from other

features. “Honestly don’t let doubters bring you down. No one will have faith at first, it starts to get at you. Just keep believing and doing what you love which is writing and performing music [for me]. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not good enough, if it resonates within you and feels right then screw the haters.”

Kamran

Tavakolinia

A Gecko Named Terrance

Five freshmen boys work together to create rock and roll music

East bands

SNOW DAY in

MAY

WRITTEN BY TOMMY SHERK

Five freshman boys circle up in Deegan Poores’ cramped basement rigged with amps, wires and various instruments. Jake Ledom’s hands mimic Jimi Hendrix’s while he cranks out a guitar riff from AC/DC’s “Back in Black.” Meanwhile, Deegan is yelling over the guitar to Logan Fancolly, teaching him the bass notes to one of their new songs. Mikey McFarlin, brows furrowed and arms flailing, smashing his drums while Guanghao Yu elegantly plays a piece of classical music on the keyboard. All together, it sounds like crap. Of course it sounds like crap — it’s the sound of what goes on in between songs. It’s the epitome of the band, Snow Day in May. It’s when each one of the boys show their musical curiosity and ability to mentor one another. It’s when Ledom is constantly trying new riffs, when Yu jumps around and tries to play different instruments and when Deegan gives helpful tips to the other band members. The band’s name “Snow Day in May” is based off of a freak snowfall in May of last year. The snowfall is like the band, it’s unusual-but awesome. Though they practice in a small basement, it doubles as a decent recording studio. They have recorded and are planning on releasing an extended play (EP), soon, with four authentic songs. They are going to be unveiling their new music in a gig on Feb. 20, Coalition’s Love146, which is a school-sponsored concert. In the midst of the loud chaos, singer Yu yells into the mic to quiet everyone down. With a crazy look in his eye, he suggests, “How about ‘Paint it Black’?” They smile in agreement. There is a brief — very brief — moment of silence while they mentally prepare before drummer McFarlin lays down the quick beat. Yu and Deegan, clad in collared shirts and jeans, begin rocking to the fast-paced tempo of the Rolling Stones classic. Ledom, picking fast at his guitar strings, wears his red baseball cap. McFarlin, thumping on the drums, has on a white Rolling Stones T-shirt and is facing Fancolly who’s wearing a big sweatshirt hoodie and strumming his bass gui-

tar. Though all of boys are very different, together, when they play music, they rarely miss a note or trail off key. The formation of the band came about when the boys were in eighth grade. McFarlin and Fancolly were in Deegan’s band class and started talking about the idea of a starting their own band. They selected their instruments, which meant they were pretty much ready to go. Yet, they needed another guitarist and singer. Ledom, for his stellar guitar capabilities, was recruited, and Yu, for his keyboard and vocal experience. “Being in a band is kind of like being on a sports team,” Ledom said,”You have a lot of fun and games, practice a lot, but when the time comes to be serious, everyone can really click.” It’s time for him to sing. Yu, with not one ounce of embarrassment or shame, belts out the song as hard as Mick Jagger himself would. “When it comes together and clicks, it’s magical,” Yu said, “It’s like heaven.” At that moment, it all comes together. They’ve got a coordinated rhythm. Each one of them is half-playing-half-dancing. It’s as overwhelmingly loud as a concert. They’re used to it. Rock is something Deegan has always been familiar with. He was exposed to all types of music as a child, especially from one family member in particular. His dad, Shawn Poores, is the drummer in The Zeros, which is an 80’s cover band. They play frequently across Kansas City, such as at the Plaza Art Fair, and often invite Deegan up on stage. “I just [get on stage] because music is basically my life,” Deegan said. Snow Day in May is made up of a hodgepodge of musical experience. McFarlin was in the percussion section of the band; Fancolly played trumpet. Yu had trained as a classical pianist and has been in two choirs since elementary school.

“Just practice. Get into a routine. What we do is we’ll practice three times a week for four hours. So at our show I wasn’t nervous or anything because we had played so I could play everything without even thinking. So I would say lots and lost of practice.”

Peter

Andresen Fresh the Plaza

Ledom, meanwhile, had only been playing guitar since fifth grade. Ledom and Yu both find relief when playing music because it helps them deal with their emotions. “If I’m happy or in a party type of mood I might make a catchy and groovy riff,” Ledom said, “and if I start to like a girl, instead of dreaming about her all day, I might make a more slow and intricate riff.” Playing music is their escape. “Playing in the band is also a way to get away from the world and my worries and just indulge in the music,” Yu said. Not only do they just like playing music, they enjoy putting meaning and their feelings into the music and lyrics. Snow Day in May has multiple original songs that they intend on playing in future concerts. Shawn has multiple connections with bars and restaurants that offer gigs to Snow Day in May. These bars don’t want the band playing late at night, so they open up time slots for earlier in the day. Other than that, Snow Day in May likes to participate in any event they can. In the summer, Snow Day in May performed a gig at the Crown Center Jiggle Jam. They recorded the concert, and saw not only that they were really tense on stage, they had bad tone and looked really cheesy overall. Yet, instead of taking this as a career-ending defeat, it spurred them to make practices more intense and work on things like stage presence. Since then, they‘ve “loosened up”. Now, through all of these practices, they are smoother on stage. They’ve “tuned” themselves to the point where they’re ready to go back out into the concert world. Deegan feels that if they strive to get better and stay serious, they’ll improve. While they improve, they will try to play more gigs and write and record more original songs. If the band becomes hugely popular, Snow Day in May plans on creating albums and going on tour. “We started out as a bunch of you young whippersnappers who were trying to have fun,” Yu said, “I think we’ll try to keep it that way no matter how far we get.”

PHOTOS BY MCKENZIE SWANSON

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A monumental JOKE

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George C l o o n e y seems to be the poster child for the “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore” principle. Written by Clooney and his writing partner Grant Heslov, “The Monuments Men” seems to have all the perfect ingredients for a proper throwback: endearing stars, distant backdrops, high cultural stakes. So when you realize that it’s not working, the first question you have to ask is: what the hell happened? There were signs of trouble. When Clooney pushed the movie from its prestigious year-end spot because of delayed special effects, we were worried. February meant no Oscar grabs. February meant it was all going downhill. Based on a nonfiction book of the same name by Robert Edsel and Bret Witter, the film centers around a group of bookish, out-of-shape academics and artists, led by Frank Stokes (Clooney). The men are tasked with finding stolen masterpieces of Western art hidden by the Nazis, and returning them to their rightful owners as the war comes to a close. While the young art curator James Granger (Matt Damon) flies off to Paris to look into private art collections, the not-so-young alcoholic Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville -- that guy from Downton Abbey) heads to his old ‘pissing ground’ [is that what it’s called?] in hopes of not making a fool of himself. After basic training, the rest of the men are split up into rag-tag teams — architect Richard Campbell (Bill Murray) with art enthusiast Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban); sculptor Walter Garfield (John Goodman), with Frenchman Jean Claude Clermont (Jean Dujardin). They are set loose amid the wreckage of Normandy, St. Lo and the Bulge where jaunty adventures are interrupted only by the frequent “why we fight” speech from Stokes via radio. And it almost works. The whole thing — with the slow fades, super relaxed vibes, and unsung heroes — it really does almost work. But what the film ends up being is a lackadaisical treasure hunt, broken up by Roosevelt-esque “fireside chats,” with Clooney earnestly preaching about culture. It almost feels like one of those education cartoons they make you watch to understand how the war went down. There is death, and there is cheer, and there is no in between. But there is no suspense, no tension or character development. Yet you keep waiting for it to kick into gear. For the

Even with a star-filled cast and unique storyline “Monuments Men” failed to live up to expectations

Not worth your time

Just Netflix it

RA TI

Worth a movie ticket

See it more than once and buy the DVD

a&e.

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oddcouple wise cracking between Murray and Balaban to mean something. For Hugh Bonneville’s redemption (but unfortunately shortened screen time). For this movie to be more than just “Oceans Eight” with more historical impact. And sometimes you’ll catch glimpses of what this film’s potential; even before the film was released, you could tell how much effort was being used just getting the movie made. How invested these men were in making it. The actors that made this movie what it was were paid a tenth of what they would normally. Clooney was held up at gunpoint in Darfur while doing research. It seems most of the passion was used up before the film even hit the screen, although there are fragments left. Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of Claire Simone, the French art historian and resistance fighter, can only be described as smoldering. Murray hearing his family singing him Christmas carols over the loudspeaker, is one of the most human moments in the entire film. The glimpses of the team arriving at Normandy, the long shot of workers cleaning up the rubble surrounding The Last Supper painting. Powerful, to say the least. But by the end of it, you are left with the disappointing realization that it’s not going anywhere. The film won’t overcome its wild mood swings and overwhelming nostalgia. It won’t ever feel like the wartime it’s supposedly set in. It will feel like a movie — often a very entertaining one, but campy and preaching, and as scattered as the Rembrandts, Picassos, and thousands of other pieces of art carefully strewn throughout Germany for these charismatic stars to stumble upon.

WRITTEN BY MIRANDA GIBBS PHOTOS COURTESY OF NELSON ATKINS ARCHIVES AND TOLEDO ART MSUEM

a&e.

THAT AWKWARD BROMANCE

SKIP IT NETFLIX BUY A TICKET OSCAR WORTHY

“That Awkward Moment” proves subpar because of its unoriginal plot despite the great performance from Miles Teller

WRITTEN BY MORGAN TWIBELL Hot actors plus cheesy rom-com plot equals a typical Saturday night of a teenage girl. “That Awkward Moment” fits the GNO movie night criteria perfectly. The premise of this movie is about three friends in their twenty something’s wanting to live it up and have as much sex with as many girls as they can before they must settle down and marry someone. It was definitely a predictable movie but there was great comedic timing throughout. Thirty minutes in I found myself thinking, “Wow, how is this going to stretch out into a two-and-a-half hour movie.” Luckily, the humor throughout kept my focus. This “bro-com” isn’t something I think an actual bro would want to go see. It’s one of those movies that a ton of young girls go to see because they think that it is insightful on the way boys think about girls. Which would make them think that all guys are douchebags (sometimes true). This movie just highlights the “player” aspect of guys and that they all cheat and don’t care until you stick around long enough for them to start caring. The movie caught my attention right at the beginning when I heard the crude language (always gets me laughing), but I will say that the storyline didn’t interest me at all. It was long and dragged out. We get it. Girls are a handful. I wanted a surprise element, but unfortunately never got one. The movie refers back to the “so...” moment of ev-

ery relationship where you have to establish what it is and Zac Efron’s character says “nothing good ever comes after ‘So.’” It is taking a look at the difference between a “casual hookup” and “serious romance” which takes me back to the point of the story line boring me a bit. It was just like every other movie I’ve been watching for years. The boy doesn’t want to commit. Then he meets a cool girl who he starts to like. He gets afraid. Boy breaks girls heart. Then, miraculously, they end up together in the end. Smiles, butterflies and giggles. One thing that set “That Awkward Moment” apart from other movies that are similar to it was the casting. The directors chose a few fresh, up-and-coming faces to play the lead roles. This aspect happened to save the movie in my mind. Bringing in new, young actor Miles Teller. Teller plays the role of a sassy, man-hoe named Daniel. Teller isn’t a household name, but he’s about to be. He’s known as the popular baseball player in “Project X”, but Teller has recently had some leading roles. In “Spectacular Now” he played a funny, onthe-verge of becoming an alcoholic teenager and “21 & Over” he played a 20-year-old college kid who just wanted to get drunk and party. The recurring theme with Teller is a blunt sense of humor and lots of booze, exactly like his character Daniel. Even starring alongside such a big name in Hollywood like Efron, Teller killed it. After leaving

the movie I told my mom that I think Teller is going to be the next Jonah Hill / Seth Rogan type actor. The kid is hysterical. I was surprised that the numerous people I had talked to about it said it looked stupid. I had asked a lot of my friends to go see this movie with me and unfortunately none were interested. My thought is that they didn’t want to go because of Zac Efron. Efron’s name goes hand in hand with the lovely High School Musical franchise. Efron has become a “lame” actor of our generation due to all of his Disney appearances. I got the heebies having to watch Troy Bolton have sex in this movie. This movie, although extremely predictable, does a good job of knowing its place in the movie world. The directors didn’t try to do anything extremely remarkable with the plot. Instead, they take a different angle and show the three small stories of these three young guys’ love lives. I laughed a little, thought “awwww” at particular moments and laughed a little more. My mom described it as “silly”, her way of saying she didn’t like all the raunchy terms in it. It definitely won’t leave a mark. Heck, I’ve kind of already forgotten about most of it. And boys, I wouldn’t suggest it for a date night movie with your girl, she might bring up the “so..” and that’d leave you feeling awkward.

ZAC EFRON Meet the Stars

Age: 26 Past films: “Footloose” “Project X” “21 and Over”

MILES TELLER

Age: 26 Past films: “High School Musical” “17 Again” “Hairspray”

MICHAEL B JORDAN

Age: 27 Past films/tv shows: “Friday Night Lights” “The Wire” “Parenthood”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

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how do you

ROLL

What does your favorite sushi roll say about you?

E L Y T S Y T CI

I H S U S

a&e.

SPICY:

You’re a daredevil. You’re not afraid to do something you (or your bowels) might regret later.

New sushi restaurant ‘Nara’ brings a more authentic taste to the crossroads

SWEET:

You live life on the safe side. Sorry, but you’re a bit of an amateur.

VEGGIE:

There’s something fishy about you...the fact that you don’t like FISH in your sushi. It’s OK though, we like your mysterious side.

Nara, a place for authentic Japanese cuisine, tells their customers that their self-proclaimed goal is “to give Kansas City something they didn’t have before...” Located in the heart of the downtown crossroads, Nara’s New York City’s loft-style vibe brings out a big city feel that is difficult to find in midwestern cities and restaurants. Inside an early 1900’s, gothic-style building, the exterior of Nara could not be more of a contrast from its interior. As you walk into Nara you are hit with its modern atmosphere. The brick room was lined with wooden, green cushioned booths and contemporary high top tables. Iron lanterns with rectangular cutouts create a centerpiece while red undertones light the otherwise dark room. Their circular topped windows provide a view of the downtown Power and Light District. Nineties music pumped from speakers throughout the inside and outside of the building. My friend and I ordered three of Nara’s most popular sushi rolls -- the Mango Tango Roll, spicy roll and vegetable roll, each recommended by our waiter -- an edgy male server with tattoos for sleeves. His service was very attentive; he checked on us at least every ten minutes while we were seated. The other servers we encountered were equally bubbly and had personalities that could land them in a cheesy Chili’s commercial. When he brought us our food we discovered every roll had an entirely different type of flavor: sweet, spicy and traditional. The Mango Tango Roll is not like typical sushi because instead of raw fish and vegetables inside, there is a slice of mango and a chunk of cream cheese. Raw shrimp slices are positioned on top of each piece along with a crisscrossed drizzle of their tango sauce -- both raspberry and mango sauce drizzled to overlap each other. To top off the

WRITTEN BY MADISON HYATT PHOTOS BY PALOMA GARCIA roll, the sushi chefs place a jalapeño slice on top of each individual piece creating a satisfying mix of spicy and sweet. Biting into the roll, the tango sauce, mango and cream cheese are overwhelmingly sweet, but the spicy kick from the jalapeño roll soon balances the two flavors out. Overall the varying colors and artfully arranged appearance of the “Mango Tango Roll” is what made it stand out to me. The spicy roll is comparable to a traditional California roll with cucumber and avocado inside, although instead of crab, it contained salmon. With this roll, you can choose between four different types of fish: salmon, conch, yellowtail and/or scallop. The salmon added a chewy, bubblegumish texture to the sushi. This may sound disgusting, but it was surprisingly delicious. Topped with Dynamite Sauce and firetruck-red fish eggs, the roll’s Dynamite Sauce is where it gets its name. The Dynamite Sauce has a spicy mustard flavor to it but it goes well with the salmon and vegetables inside the roll. It provides about a 20 second kick of spiciness, but not spicy enough to make you immediately down a glass of water. This was by far both mine and my friend’s favorite roll. The vegetable roll has avocado, cucumber, carrot and seaweed. The taste was pretty mild. You may want to dip it in some soy sauce to give it some more flavor. Without any sauce or topping it is lacking in flavor and tastes like you’re eating cold rice and raw vegetables, but not sushi. Nara’s distinctive sushi rolls and loft-like interior bring a unique feel to Kansas City dining. So the next time you’re craving a good spicy roll, don’t go to Americanized Jun’s or RA -- Nara will put them to shame.

sports.

getting into GEAR

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BURRUS FAMILY

Freshman shows determination in his competitive cycling around the Kansas City area WRITTEN BY SOPHIE TULP

hen freshman Will Burrus was eight years old, he biked five miles up Colorado’s 3,000 foot incline at Hoosier Pass. His dad, David Burrus, told him that the only way he would buy him a new road bike would be if he proved that he was dedicated. With weakened legs, sweat-soaked clothes and gasps for air, Will didn’t just reach the top. He sprinted. He poured on the most effort his father had ever seen him put into anything, climbing those last 100 yards. “[Riding Hoosier Pass] showed me how much drive he has,” David said. “He does not like to lose at all and I did not realize that because he’s such an easy going kid but...I promised him a new road bike and it showed me for the very first time how competitive he was.” They caught another glimpse of this competitive spirit when Will pretended to ride in the Tour De France as a kid, sprinting up and down Wenonga Road on his earned bike. A resiliency that showed through when he broke his jaw during a downhill accident, and got back on his bike weeks after recovery, ready to ride again. At 5-foot-1 and barely 80 pounds, Will is hardly the biggest, fastest or strongest kid that cycles. But, what he does possess is a determination that his family and coach agree is unparalleled to many other athletes his age. Just this past December, Will’s 280 point total, earned from high rankings in his Kansas Cycling Association competitive races awarded him 2013’s Kansas Best All Around Rider (KBAR) for his 10-14 year-old age

group. “I wasn’t surprised [when he got the award] because I know how much he sacrifices as an athlete,” Will’s club cycling coach Jim Whittaker said. “He does things that other riders won’t do. He’s a little guy, not the strongest competitor but he still goes and does his best. He’s brave. The kid’s a racer.” Will has just come off his best cycling season yet as the KBAR recipient. However, having entered into the Juniors 15-18 age group for the 2014 season, Will says he is now an underdog. So, Will is back training for the Spring Fling on Feb. 29, the race that marks the beginning of this year’s season. The Spring Fling races span five Saturdays and often go on snow or shine, with temperatures that can plunge into the single digits. It will be Will’s debut in the Juniors 15-18 age group, and he knows that the odds are not in his favor. “Being smaller is a double-edged sword,” Will said. “Going uphill and on the flats, bigger people have a lot more power, but going downhill if you are lighter, you’re small obviously and can hang on in the race until a hill and then...I can sorta level out the playing field for the next part of the race.” In preparation, instead of sledding and snowball fights over the recent snow days, Will went to work with his dad at Fitness Gallery, completing interval workouts on the stationary bikes — sprinting for minutes at a time, resting and beginning again — all to train for the upcoming races. Will receives more specialized

training through his club cycling team, GP VeloTek. Junior, youngadult and adult riders can all be members of the Lawrence-based cycling club, which Will’s mom Jennifer Burrus says creates a great environment for practice and learning. “You don’t actually have to be on a team to compete, but a team can be a great tool to train with,” Jennifer said. “You learn lessons from some of the more experienced riders.” Joining the team has taught him about the cooperation and teamwork it takes to be a cyclist. While some people see cycling as an individual sport, riders support each other, often traveling in packs during races to get one chosen person across the finish line. As David says: one person riding their bike is just a person riding their bike, but when a rider works in a group, then he becomes a cyclist. Will employs these qualities and skills that he learns during club practice, at races such as the Tour of Overland Park and the Tour of Lawrence. He considers last year’s Tour of Lawrence one of his personal best races. Fans, family and spectators lined the streets, creating a highintensity atmosphere. After a rough start, having the chain of his bike fall off, Will says his anger fueled him to pass a majority of his competitors. He willed himself to push past his normal weakness of letting his knees give out towards the end of the race. Continuing to fly on through the hilly course, Will crossed the finish line in second place. Although Will competes to earns titles — like his five first place medals,

and four state championships -- his favorite races are the ones that don’t count for anything. Unofficial races like the “Tuesday Night World’s,” held every Tuesday during the summer in Lenexa, again, bring out Will’s competitive side. He says it has made him a lot faster to be able to race altogether with not only Juniors but adults in high categories of cycling as well. It pushes Will to keep up with some of the fastest riders, giving a gauge of how he is doing, and putting his skills to the test. “What I like about cycling is that you decide when you train and you decide how long you train and how hard,” Will said. “But eventually, all the training shows up on the actual race course,” With the accomplishments of last year’s season behind him, Will is trying to keep an optimistic attitude towards the upcoming one. He knows his new division will make it a more challenging season than his last four years of competitive cycling put together. But, what he lacks in physical size, he makes up in his determination and drive. Qualities that his parents know will carry him far in life, and what his coach says are essential to cycling success. “[A good cyclist] must be a selfstarter,” Whittaker said. “And you better be aggressive. I mean racing is like driving your car during rush hour in New York City. And Will, he is a passionate fighter. He is fiercely determined.”

essential racing GEAR padded shorts

racing gloves

a good helmet

a road bike —

the one with curvy handlebars

WE NEED YOUR BOOKS!

WAIT!

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t throw your harbie away!

INSTEAD... 2.

* THE USED BOOK SALE

ry na Dictio

The Hunger Games

Grapes of Wrath

Catcher in the Rye

e r G e Th

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harry Potter

y b s t a at G

Wrap A Textbook in it!

The Scarlet Letter

Pride and Prejudice

Of Mice and Men

The Bo

ok Thie f

Hey Lancers and members of the Prairie Village community, we need your new and gently used book donations for the annual used book sale! Please drop donations off in the main office or library at East by April 5th . Questions? Call Kathi Knop: 913-993-6617

Play Baseball With It!

3.RECYCLE

WRITTEN BY JOHN FOSTER PHOTOS COURTESY OF LINDA HOLBROOK AND RICH MCKITTRICK

sports.

swimming their way to victory The boys’ swim & dive team won the Sunflower League title for the eleventh year in a row, taking five league records

e just wanted to win. It would be nice to break a minute, but all he wanted was a win. Junior Benn Schmatz did not expect the results he saw on the time board after he slammed his hands into the touch pad. When he finished his 100-yard breast, the clock read 58.08 seconds, beating not only the Sunflower League record, but also the East school record previously set by Brian Crist at 58.37 seconds in 2008. His time earned him not only a school and league record, but also secured a place in the Junior Nationals race being held over five days during spring break in Orlando, Fla. “I was ecstatic,” Schmatz said. “All I wanted to do was just get a best time, maybe go a 59 and break a minute. I just wanted to win, and the time was secondary for me.” That same day, Feb. 8, the Lancer swim and dive team won the Sunflower League meet for the 11th year in a row, scoring 409 points setting the record for most points scored. East edged the previous team-points record by almost 60 points. “We wanted to go there and we wanted to win,” senior Zack Holbrook said. “Our expectations were just to give it everything we had and it was definitely there -- everybody tried their hardest.” In addition to setting the 100-breast League record, East swimmers beat three other records -- 50yard freestyle relay, 200-freestyle relay and 400-freestyle relay. Lancer swimmers swept first, second, third and sixth in the 50-yard free. Senior Peter Milledge was confused at first when he finished his 50-yard freestyle relay. Going into finals, Milledge was seeded second behind Holbrook, not expecting to win, but he won by .02 seconds. “[Beating a record] feels unbelievable at first,” Milledge said. “It’s just an incredible feeling. You want to do it for your teammates and your coach, and it just inspires you to do well at the state meet. We just performed unbelievable. We swam out of our minds and it’s just an incredible feeling.” The 200-yard free relay was composed of

Milledge, Holbrook, junior Patrick Hornung and senior Cooper Johnson. Holbrook anchored the relay setting the relay with a record-breaking time of 1:26.72. “When you’re racing in the pool you’re not thinking about ‘is my time going to be good?,’ you’re racing the people next to you,” Johnson said. “The time is kind of like icing on the cake.” The 400-yard free relay, made up of Milledge, Hornung, Schmatz and Holbrook beat the League record with a time of 3:14.76. “We’ve been climbing all year,” Milledge said. “We started at our lowest point and ended at our highest so far which is really good.” Four East divers placed in finals, making up onethird of the 12 divers. All four varsity divers, seniors Brody Arvesen and Cameron Carollo, junior John Foster and sophomore Henry Sniezek, qualified for State by early January. “All the divers have made improvements from the beginning of year -- changing positions, doing different dives and working hard to perfect entries,” Coach Betsy Anderson said. The swimmers’ performance at League gave them more confidence heading into the State meet. “The focus is back on winning again because we’ve had a lot of guys step up and the freshmen came in and have been dominant,” Hornung said. Swim coach Wiley Wright hopes to place in the top three places at State. The main competition comes from Wichita East, the winner from last year, and Blue Valley North. Blue Valley North beat East earlier this year in a dual meet on senior night. However, according to Hornung, Blue Valley North would not have won a single event had they swam in Sunflower League. “I like the fact that we got beat [by BVN] because it put a chip on our shoulder and it also brought us together as a team,” Schmatz said. “I feel like it showed the under classmen what it’s like to be in a big meet, and also put the taste of losing in their mouth. It doesn’t taste good and you want to win.”

We just performed unbelievable. We swam out of our minds, it’s just an incredible feeling.

PETER MILLEDGE, 12 We came in so deep. All the underclassmen did really well and they’re really going to be a game-changer at State.

BENN SCHMATZ, 11

Getting my cut was a bunch of stress lifted off my shoulders because I didn’t have to worry anymore.

MITCH KERR, 11

ATHLETE OF THEWEEK EMILY DODD

Q: How is the season going this year? A: It’s going okay. We haven’t had the results that we have wanted, but

we’re progressively getting better each game, which is good. But it’s been fun, the team is really fun and we’re all close, it’s been fun to get to play with my friends. A: How is the team working on getting better? Q: We’ve been working on the small things in practice. We’ve been shooting lots of free throws because our free throw percentage isn’t that great right now. And we’re continuing to work on our defense because that’s the thing that wins us games. Q: What’s it like being a senior this year? A: It’s been really fun being able to be a leader on the team. I have to play every single game like really hard, because I know it’s my last season. It gives me more drive and motivation to play harder knowing it’s my last year to play basketball. It’s bittersweet. I’ve loved getting to do the things that seniors get to

sports.

PHOTO BY TESSA POLASCHEK

LANCERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA @SMEathletics

Congrats Austin and Troutwine! Take us Lancers to state before you hit the collegiate circuit! 7

RETWEETS

FAVORITES

jesssica_young15

110 likes Signin Buddies

SPORT Boys’ Basketball

OPPONENT Olathe NW

DATE 2/18/14

LOCATION SM East

Girls’ Basketball

Leavenworth Olathe NW Leavenworth

2/21/14 2/18/14 2/21/14

SM East SM East SM East

STATE

2/20/14

Topeka

STATE

2/28/14

Wichita St

Olathe East

2/17/14

Olathe East

Boys’ Swimming Wrestling Bowling

photo essay.

WHAT’S

BACKPACK?

PHOTOS BY MADDIE SCHOEMANN AND MCKENZIE SWANSON

INTHEIR

The Harbinger looks into four students’ backpacks, one from each grade, and exposes what these SMEasters really carry around all day

sophomore

freshman MAZIE BROOKE

GRAHAM MURPHY I have a Nook from our library. I carry it around every day because I lost the charger so I just have to keep checking it out. I think I’m going to keep doing that until the end of the year.

junior

MITCH KERR In my backpack I have some underwater earphones I just bought for to swim with that are pretty cool.

I have some carving tools. I’ve had them in there since I asked my girlfriend to homecoming…I still carry them in my backpack for — you know — memories.

senior

GABY AZORSKY I couldn’t go the day without my planner. And I also always have a snack and my lipstick.