Issue 15

the

ISSUE 15 SHAWNEE MISSION EAST PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS APRIL 26, 2010

UP OVER and

Junior holds high aspirations for pole vaulting in state competition and in club recreation

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>>AubreyLeiter

tanding at the end of the track, junior Kyle Engelken takes a deep breath. Before making his sprint, he doesn’t think about all of the small details that go into his pole-vault. Instead, he’s doing his best to push all of his worries and anxieties out of his head. His body knows what to do, but his biggest issue is letting his body do it.

“My coach always tells me I think too much, so when running to the mat my main goal is to not think at all,” Engelken said.

Engelken’s track season ended drastically last year when he lost concentration and let his nerves get the best of him at the regional competition. This year, he’s putting in 15 hours of technique practice per week to get himself ready for state.

His passion for pole-vaulting grows everyday and he doesn’t want his season to end like last year.

One of Engelken’s main goals this year is to place in the state tournament. Last year’s abrupt ending made him realize things don’t always go as planned.

“I had an awful day at regionals last year,” Engelken said. “It was one of those days where one little thing was off and it messed up everything. I didn’t make my first height, and ended up placing last. I was disappointed but it made me want to work that much harder in the off-season so that it wouldn’t happen again.”

>>continued on page 24 >>DanStewart

FEATURES: Summer jobs (pg. 13) A&E: Disappointing MGMT (pg. 21) SPORTS: Junior carries on track legacy (pg. 25)

>>lancervoice

>>Dan Stewart

Putting together the Pieces

A look at the proposed financial reforms

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It’s a topic that concerns everything from re-tooling Wall Street to ensuring you don’t get screwed over on your credit card bill. Obama’s proposed bill for this reform, titled “Rebuilding Financial Supervision and Regulation,” runs a whopping 89 pages. This article is a little more manageable. The mission, according to the plan, is to “restore confidence in the integrity of our financial system.” The Harbinger looks how we got there and how it is going to affect us.

Establish comprehensive supervision of financial markets.

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This section of the plan would bring all financial institutions that could threaten financial stability if they went under government regulation – even institutions that do not own banks. KU Financial Markets Professor Robert DeYoung uses the example of AIG’s selling of over-the-counter (unregulated) credit default swaps (CDS).

“When AIG went bankrupt their customers couldn’t collect on these CDS contracts,” DeYoung said. “If they had been sold on a regular exchange, the exchange would’ve stood behind them and made those contracts good.

Protect consumers and investors from financial abuse.

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Say goodbye to the page long financial statements with lines and lines of legal fine print. With the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed in this section, consumers would be protect from “unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices.” In financial terms, the transparency of statements will be increased.

“The CFPB would be in charge of making sure when some got a credit card, the rules and obligations were very clear,” DeYoung said. “They would printed in large type and simple language, so the person getting the card knew exactly what the rules were.”

Provide the government with the tools it needs to manage financial crisis.

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Going under the idea that increased accountability will limit the chances of having to resort to bailouts, regulators would check up more regularly on the big financial institutions according to this section of the plan. With these check-ups, DeYoung explains, regulators and the FDIC would be able to recognize problems earlier and resolve the problems before it came to a point of either bailout or failure.

SOPHOMORE ANNADANCIGER

Obama’s plan is taking a step towards a more controlled banking system, much like the United States between had in 1933-1999 under the Glass-Steagall act. This act, sponsored

by Congressmen Carter Glass and Henry Steagall, separated banking into two distinct forms—commercial and investment.

The commercial side of banking was backed by the government under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), while investment banking remained unregulated by the government. Commercial banking was safe, but according to Dan Bolen, the chairman of the Bank of Prairie Village, people were more interested in investment banking.

“Most people considered commercial bank boring, and the salaries were not extravagant,” Bolen said. “Investment banking were the guys who bought and sold companies and issued stocks and bonds.”

With the public interest shifting toward more high-return, unregulated banking, Texas Senator Phil Graham spearheaded the idea of allowing the combination of commercial and investment banking, as well as insurance companies. From this idea came the Graham-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)—much to the appeasement of most large banks and insurance companies of that time—which allowed for the consolidation of these three industries.

“Clear lines between commercial banking and investment banking became blurred,” Bolen said. “ Less than ten years later, the U.S. was plunged into one of the worst financial crises since the Great Depression.

How? With the GLBA, large companies were able to form and become so important in the U.S. financial market that their failure would greatly affect the public. Just the opposite of what Glass and Steagall had proposed back in 1933.

Obama’s new plan consists of five main points, or goals, that must be reached in order to prevent another financial crisis on the national scale.

Obama is beefing up watch on big companies, stating in the bill that “Financial institutions that are critical to market functioning should be subject to strong oversight.” The plan calls for the creation of a Financial Services Oversight Council (FSOC) and stepping up the Federal Reserve’s authority over the larger financial institutions.

Raise international regulatory standards and improve international cooperations.

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what the reform is missing One issue that isn’t completely covered in Obama’s plan is reducing or completely removing the incentives that made way for the “too big to fail” companies. Not only did they become too large, according to DeYoung, too complicated. “[‘Too big to fail’ banks] have a lot of financial instruments that are difficult to keep track, their positions can change overnight and they can get into trouble in a hurry,” DeYoung said. “And for that reason, we

With the first four points of the plan focusing on the improvements and additions to the U.S., this last point makes a request to the rest of the world: “So, as we work to set high regulatory standards here in the United States, we must ask the world to do the same.” Simply, the plan asks the rest of the world to follow our lead and begin financial reform.

“I think it’s highly ironic because our regulatory system didn’t do a good job and now we’re trying to tell the international community that they should do the things we’re doing,” DeYoung said.

have to bail them out. We have to bail them out because if we let them fail then that causes all sorts of problems in the financial system.”

Instead of working to remove these incentives, DeYoung explained, the plan instead has large companies set aside their own money to be used in the time of another crisis. The “too big to fail” problem isn’t exactly being eliminated through the plan; rather there will be a change of whose pocket the money for the bailouts is coming out of.

Q: Has the financial crisis affected you?

A: It hasn’t affected my family that much.

Q: How do you think the government should fix the crisis?

A: I think they should devise an elaborate plan to make the government sound smart.

Q: Do you think a financial council is a good idea?

A: I think that it makes sense.

Q: How has the crisis affected?

A: My family has always saved money, so we aren’t in debt and it hasn’t really affected us.

Q: What is one thing you would do to help fix the crisis?

A: I would make the colleges less expensive. I think that would help.

Q: What do you think about having a financial council.

A: I think it will be helpful to have different opinions. It should have a good effect because different peoples’ ideas will be represented.

Q: What do you think should be done?

A: I think people should try to save money as much as they can so their kids can go to college. That is what’s really important now so their kids can get a job.

Q: How do you think the crisis should be fixed?

A: I think they should stimulate the economy by creating new jobs. The jobs should be ‘green’ so that they will also help the environment.

FRESHMAN EDENMcKISSICK-HAWLEY

how it HAPPENED

A breakdown of the events leading up to the financial crisis in the U.S.

Promote robust supervision and regulation of financial firms.

JUNIORCCCREIDENBERG

>>EvanNichols

Q: How has the financial crisis affected you?

A: My dad got laid off. Luckily, he found a job the next week.

Q: What do you think about the United States having a Financial Council?

A: I think it’s good they’ll have a council to watch what is going on. I have watched the debt calculation and it’s really sad.

Q: How would you fix it?

A: I don’t know, but what they’re doing isn’t working.

SENIOR MAYGANWHITE

page 2 news 04.26.10

>> photoillustration Anna Marken

waiting it out Wait-listing is becoming an increasingly common practice nationwide

>>Anna Bernard In April, the mailman changes lives. His daily deliveries define a senior’s next four years. Will he hold large envelopes, stuffed with information about the first day of college, or will he have small envelopes, holding only a rejection?

This year, the situation has moved past the big envelope or small envelope dilemma, as a third option becomes increasingly prevalent: the wait-list.

Wait-lists function as insurance for universities, according to Collegeboard’s Web site. Colleges can admit a certain number of students each year; admit too many or too few and the budget will be unbalanced. So colleges put together a list of qualified students that can be back-ups if all of the

initial applicants don’t accept their spot at the school.

Wait-listing has become an increasingly common practice over the last few years. A 2009 National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) study reported that 35 percent of colleges use the wait-list and each year half of those colleges report an increase in students placed on the wait-list. Additionally, the report states that of selective colleges, those that accept fewer than 50 percent of applicants, 78.2 percent utilize the wait-list. An average of 30 percent of wait-listed students eventually get accepted, but at “selective schools” that number drops down to 13.2 percent.

That figure is only exacerbated by the recent increase in applications to selective colleges. According to a recent New York Times article, Dartmouth College, Stanford University, and Duke University all reported “sharp increases” in their applicant pools this year. Harvard University’s applications increased 5 percent, and their acceptance rate dropped to the record low of 6.9 percent. East counselors Lilli Englebrick and Laurie Carter could not provide specific statistics but reported that East has also seen an increase in applications to selective schools.

David Hawkins, director of Public Policy and Research at NACAC, said there are two main reasons for the increase in applications to Ivy Leagues. First, more students are graduating from high school, with 2008 being an all-time high.

Second, individual students are submitting more applications.

“The most selective colleges often see the biggest increases, mainly because students are inclined to ‘aim high’ in their application process,” Hawkins said. “In addition, the most academically ambitious students, who tend to apply to the most selective colleges, are also more likely to submit more college applications per capita.”

Senior Alexa Schneiders was one student who applied to many selective universities this year. Among her several selections were Yale University, Brown University, and University of Pennsylvania. The Ivy League’s process of solely offering need-based scholarships and grants, rather than loans, was a big part of Schneiders’ decision in applying.

“The opportunities that come from Ivy Leagues to score internships or grad school or study abroad, they’re a level above other schools,” Schneiders said. “Because I don’t really know what I want to do, I want to have all of those offered.”

Schneiders was wait-listed at UPenn, Notre Dame University, and Washington and Lee University. Because she expects many applicants to turn down their spots at the schools, she made the decision to wait until one accepted her. She will know sometime between the middle of May to the end of June where she will be attending next year.“I’m really glad

issue 15 news page 3

you can get wait-listed because you can get a second chance to get into schools that didn’t accept you right away,” Schneiders said. “But, at the same time, being wait-listed sucks. It’s a waiting game… it’s basically going to be find out where I’m going to school then get on a plane and go.”

Senior Haley Dagleish is not as confident that she will make it off a wait-list. Dagleish accepted her position on the wait-lists at Stanford and Vanderbilt University, but said that if she still does not know by June she will accept elsewhere.

Texas Christian University and Wake Forest University are her top back-up schools.

“It’s really stressful because I can’t get excited about where I’m going because I never know if one of the other wait-list options is going to come through,” Dagleish said.

“But I still think it’s an honor to be on a wait list somewhere rather than get rejected.”

Hawkins said that two basic principles go into how a college chooses students to admit from off their wait list. The process is similar to how colleges admit students during regular decision: student interest is key, as well as specific skills or interests. For example, if most prospective Sociology majors turn down spots at first, the college would choose students from the wait list with that major in mind. So, for students put on the wait list, there is little to do but...wait.

“An admission offer is always better than a wait list offer, which is common sense, so if you have already been accepted to a college in which you’re interested, taking that offer is usually a better bet,” Hawkins said. “But for students whose ‘dream’ school has wait-listed them, we urge students to communicate with the school and let them know that you are holding off all other suitors in favor of that institution.”

But Englebrick said there are several things a wait-listed student can do to show the colleges that they are good choice. First, the student should make a deposit at a school they did get into. If they get into the wait-listed school, they will forfeit the deposit, so it all depends on how willing they are to take the gamble.

Wait-listed students also can’t fall into the trap of “senioritis.” Englebrick says many times colleges look to third and fourth quarter grades when making final decisions. All-inall, Carter and Englebrick agree that students should make their interest known to college admissions.

“In my mind, wait list means they want you but they had to make a choice between you and someone else and that other person was picked first,” Carter said. “It must be like deciding between two houses or puppies that you want to buy.”

the quick

GUIDE TO The wait-list is like college admissions purgatory: students must wait the summer after graduation to find out if they’ll be admitted through those ivy-covered gates into academic paradise. But they don’t have to just bide their time until judgment day. Here are a few steps to take if you find yourself on a wait-list.

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KNOW YOUR NUMBER

Some colleges rank the students on their wait-list, East counselor Lili Englebrick said.

This means that if you are one of the 500 students wait-listed, you could be number 6 or 486. Contact an admissions counselor to find out where you fall on the list.

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TALK ABOUT IT

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WRITE IT OUT

It can never hurt to have more people vouching for you. Talk to your guidance counselor or alumni and get them to send in a letter on your behalf. You can also set up an interview at the school.

All students who are on a wait-list have the academic skills to attend that university. Collegeboard suggests that wait-listed students write to the admissions office, stating why they deserve to be admitted and why they are interested.

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DON’T BE A PAIN

When presenting yourself to a college, you want to seem poised, mature, ready to take on the daunting world of adulthood. Calling admissions to complain about being waitlisted or even just calling to say, “Hey there!” won’t endear you to them. At all.

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BE IN TOUCH WITH REALITY

At some point, you have to be realistic. According to NACAC, two-thirds of students who get wait-listed don’t end up getting accepted. Take a look at your other options, visit them again, and find out if you could see yourself there for the next four years.

page 4 new04.26.10

{in brief}

THE NEWS the calendar

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Senior Honors and Awards Night Monday April 26 7 p.m. in the East auditorium The Honors and Awards Night will honor about 200 students, the majority of whom are seniors. The awards will all fit into the categories of scholarships, academic achievement awards or special awards. Among the special awards are the Principal’s Leadership Award and the Dale Dennis Excellence in Education Award, which is named for the former Kansas Secretary of Education. The academic achievement awards will include the Governor’s Scholars Awards, which are presented to seniors in the top one percent of their class, and the National Merit Finalist Honors.

Students being presented an award should be in the auditorium by 6:45 p.m.

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East Area Orchestra String Fling Tuesday April 27 7 p.m. in the East gym

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Jazz Night Friday April 7 , 7 p.m. at Unity Temple on the Plaza Jazz Night is a showcase concert of the Blue Knights and Blue Notes Jazz Bands and the Mission Valley and Indian Hills Jazz Bands. The night will feature classic and more current songs, as well as new versions of old pieces. One song they’ll play is the newer version of “Sing, Sing, Sing”, which builds from a low drum beat to a quick tempo paced by the trombone. Senior Connor Callahan who plays the tenor saxophone and clarinet in the Blue Knights played in the Jazz Night when he was in middle school and felt it was a good experience. “ What I took from playing with the East bands was I was inspired by hearing those guys play because they were so talented,” Callahan said.

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DON’T FORGET PROM Union Station from 9 p.m.-12 a.m.

Tickets will be on sale starting May 3 in room 307. They are $30 per person and guests are $40 and need to be registered with Ms. Fishman.

>>

>> AlysabethAlbano and AnnieSgroi

g n i u n i t n o c Arsenic and Old Lace April 29, 30 and May 1 7 p.m. in the East auditorium

The East String Fling is the annual concert of the fourth through eighth grade and high school orchestras. Each orchestra level will play songs separately and for the grand finale they will play “Mighty Fortress.” The East Orchestra will play “Night Train” and the Full Orchestra, made up of the Symphonic Orchestra and the Symphonic Band, will play Mendelssohn’s 5th Symphony.

According to junior Maddie Bavley who plays the violin in the Symphonic Orchestra, the night is a good opportunity for younger musicians to see the opportunities available in high school orchestra. “ It’s a good way to show parents and students in elementary and middle school what’s ahead for them and get them excited about what they can do later in their careers,” Bavley said.

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A look at upcoming events at East for the next two weeks

This play is a dark comedy whose central character Mortimer Brewster is a drama critic in Brooklyn. It gets its name from the Brewster’s aunt’s chosen method of killing: arsenic in home-made wine. Playing the role of Abby Brewster, one of the homicidal aunts, is junior Emma Marston who has had major roles in the last few productions at East.

“Abby is your typical sweet little old lady, which is why it is so hilarious they find out she and [her sister] have been killing all these men,” Marston said.

Marston loves the laughs and the fun the small cast shares during the rehearsals, even though they are stressful. The show runs two and a half hours and the rehearsals can be even longer. The cast has been meeting since February and the average rehearsals are two hours. Due to scheduling issues, the crew only had one week to fully rehearse with the cast. Usually, there are two tech weeks to work out the specifics of the show.

While the average rehearsal with the cast and crew takes three and a half hours, one workday lasted from 9 a.m. to midnight.

Below Junior Emma Marston performs during Footloose. In the upcoming spring play Arsenic and Old Lace, she will be playing lead role Abby Brewster.

>> KatieEast

>> KatieEast

For more updates and additional coverage of upcoming events at East visit smeharbinger.net/upcoming-events

>> MackenzieWylie

issue 15 news page 5

>> Photo illustraion by Samantha Bartow

reaching for

CHANGE

Club works on bringing acceptance for minorities at East

>>RainaWeinberg of student participation has helped to keep things going on

Only seven years removed from his days as a student at Shawnee Mission South, Social Studies teacher David Muhammad is no stranger to dealing with diversity issues in high school. Growing up, he faced the same problems that minority students at East do today: getting involved in activities outside of their core group and overcoming negative stereotypes. Out of his past experiences and observations of the way minority students interact with others at school, he came up with an idea for a new extracurricular activity.

“I know what it’s like to be in this kind of environment as a minority student and I wanted to give them any support and advice I could to help them be successful,” Muhammad said.

Soon after bouncing around an idea of a group outlet for minority students, Change the Image was created by Muhammad and Wood Shop teacher Shaban Scott. The club works to do exactly what its title states: change the personal image of minority students at East and the way they are stereotyped.

“We have started talking about self image overall and looking at a lot of ways that others view minorities at this school,” Scott said. “They shouldnt try to fit into a stereotypical type of mold.”

At meetings, the discussions range from talks of scholarships and plans for the future, to stereotyping at East and how it feels to be a minority. The biggest concern Muhammad and Scott have is that the minority students do not get involved in the extracurricular aspects of East. Both teachers feel that East has many outlets to get involved in and that many students overlook what is right in front of them.

“We are trying to think of ways to get them more involved and active in things with the school and try to open their eyes to a lot of different opportunities,” Scott said.

These opportunities range from after school clubs to getting involved in a sport or art class. The club leaders feel that the minority students don’t put forth any effort into getting involved in these extracurriculars, and that it ultimately sheds a bad light on them.

“They don’t go to sporting events or join clubs, and they stick with themselves,” Muhammad said. “I know how it is, I used to do the same thing.”

With two successful meetings and a turn out of around 40 students each time, the two sponsors have found the club to be off to an impressive start. At meetings, a large amount

track. For some, like sophomore Andrea Velez, the meetings have been revealing.

“We just discussed what was going on at school with discrimination and how others felt about the topic,” Velez said.

“I learned that there were a lot more discrimination issues then I ever imagined.”

The club has challenged students to make a personal decision to overcome the negative stereotyping that goes on between different races. The challenge made: be on time to class, get involved in school activities and change their attitudes towards school.

“You can make an impact and still be yourself,” Muhammad said. “At the end of the day, it’s your work that is going to speak for you.”

The leaders have received positive student feedback and have found that the students are willing to put an effort into carrying out what they have discussed. Junior Quan Brunt attends the meetings and has found that he can relate to the ideas Scott and Muhammad talk about.

“You can’t change what people think of you as a race,” Brunt said. “You can only change what they think of you as an individual.”

According to the two leaders, the next step for Change the Image is to start having weekly meetings. They hope to have speakers come and talk to the students as well. Although both teachers are relatively young, they want to have successful college students come in and talk to the students. On top of speakers, plans for field trips have been discussed. As for further into the future, they have plans to slowly transition away from teacher lectures to a student-run club.

Many students who have attended the meetings feel that going in with a positive outlook can be a great benefit. Junior Tirell Moore said that most of the students have left the meetings with strong feelings about the things discussed and a feeling of accomplishment. He has attended both meetings and feels that they have already begun to aid the students.

“I think it will make a difference, as long as the people who are there actually take something away from the discussions and put it into action,” Moore said.

In Muhammad’s opinion, the students have appreciated the meetings and the message they have been trying to convey. While he said there are some students who appear to attend for the sole purpose of getting out of seminar, the

teachers can tell that the majority come because they want to be there.

“I think it shows that you have the same issues others do, and it will help people to speak out,” Brunt said.

Working towards the future, the task for Change the Image will be to spread what they address in meetings and to achieve a more positive environment at school.

“Ideally, I want them to be ready to walk out of East with a firm understanding of what is to come and a knowledge of how they can be in the future,” Scott said.

‘culture’d clubs

East offers organizations that promote the acceptance of others international club Sponsor: Brenda Fishman This club works with the exchange students and the American Field Service (AFS) at East. language clubs Sponsor: Language teachers Students learn more about the culture of the langue they take, especially about the food. coalition Sponsor: David Muhammad The Coalition works on bringing awareness to East about the struggles of child soldiers in Uganda. model u.n.

Sponsor: Robert Bickers Each student is a delegate for a country and must learn about the political interests of it.

UNBALANCED

issue 15 editorial page 7

CURRICULUM

finance should be combined with mandatory computer competency course

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the

In a year filled with tens of millions of dollars in district budget Letters to cuts and an up-and-down stock market, it’s time for local schools the editor should to teach students how to manage be sent to room 521 their money properly so they’ll unor smeharbinger@ derstand the basis of our economy gmail.com. Letters better as adults. may be edited for It would be in the best interest clarity, length, libel of the students and our commuand mechanics and nity if financial management education was a part of the district’s accepted or rejected graduation requirements because at the editor’s students will become more fidiscretion. nancially independent and more productive members of society.

Students should be given the option of either passing a test to prove financial management competency or they should be required to take a course that completes both financial management and computer competency requirements. A financial management course would show students how

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

Editors-In-Chief >>Tim Shedor >>Phoebe Unterman Assistant Editors >>Sam Logan >>Kevin Simpson Head Copy Editor >>Andrew Goble Art and Design Editor >>Michael Stolle News Editor >>Annie Sgroi News Page Editors >>Alysabeth Albano >>Haley Martin Editorial Editor >>Jack Howland Opinion Editor >>Aubrey Leiter

April 26, 2010 issue 15, vol. 51

Opinion Page Editors >>Tom Lynch >>Kennedy Burgess Features Editor >>Duncan McHenry Feature Page Editors >>Sarah McKittrick >> Kat Buchanan >>Anna Bernard Spread Editor >>Emma Pennington Asst. Spread Editor >>Morgan Christian A&E Editor >>Mac Tamblyn A&E Page Editors >>Raina Weinberg >>Maddy Bailey >>Bob Martin Mixed Editor >>Toni Aguiar

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management lesson on creating a budget. Condensing the Computer Applications curriculum won’t inhibit a student’s ability to use a computer. Because of their exposure to computers, students are capable of figuring out their PowerPoint questions for themselves, something that’s not so easy in classes like Calculus or chemistry.

Technology is an integral part of modern-day finance management, and it only makes sense to teach them handin-hand. Students need to not only know how to create a résumé, but how to use it to get a job. There are plenty of lessons to be learned in high school, and it’s important that every class is as worthwhile as it can be.

components of the class

>>

College Scholarships Educating students on how to pursue college scholarships would be an important part of the class because scholarships will help students become financially stable after leaving college.

Stock Market

Learning the basic workings of the stock market can help students understand the way our economy works and would help prevent future financial crisies.

>>

>>

>>Alishka Jolitz

they can become financially stable through things like college scholarships and investment opportunities.

Computer competency is a graduation requirement in SMSD and students must either pass a test or take a semester long computer applications course to fulfill that requirement. Every year, incoming high school classes in the district are more and more computer savvy. This is largely because, in the SMSD, they have had significant exposure to computers in schools since kindergarten. Each incoming class has had more time in front of a computer because teachers are using technology more and more in their lessons each year. In turn, this makes the current computer applications course increasingly remedial and the amount of time it consumes becomes unnecessary as the years pass because students either already know what is being taught or are able to quickly learn new material.

What is not remedial or unworthy of our time, and never will be, is the ability to effectively mangage money. The financial management portion of the merged class would expose students to the stock market and teach them how to invest. Teachers would discuss ways to pursue college scholarships and the class would educate students on how to live life on a low budget, which are essential skills for both students going to college right after high school and also those that aren’t. More importantly, the class would teach students how to live independently and support themselves financially, without the help of their parents.

Computer Applications is not a useless class, but a full semester is no longer needed to teach students how to use Microsoft Office and there are other important lessons students need to be taught before they graduate.

Learning to make Excel spreadsheets is one of the most worthwhile parts of the current Computer Applications class, but that skill could easily be used in a financial

Budgeting No matter what a student chooses to do after high school they need to know how to live on a budget. If they can’t do that they could find themselves in a never-ending chain of debt.

the

VOTE

The majority opinion of the Harbinger Editorial Board

>>KevinSimpson >>Michael Stolle >>Mac Tamblyn >>Phoebe Unterman >>Corbin Barnds Photographers >>Eden Schoofs >>Lindsey Hartnett >>Nathan Simpson >>Samantha Bartow >>Anna Marken >>Katie East >>Grant Kendall >>Claire Wahrer >>Michael Stolle >>Sammi Kelly Staff Artists >>Kennedy Burgess >>Morgan Christian Circulation Manager >>Jeff Cole Ads Manager >>Anne Willman

for

against absent

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page 8 opinion 04.26.10

TREATED LIKE DOGS If a group of guys are sitting around talking and one asks, “Hey, did you see that women’s college basketball game last night?” the initial response isn’t an uproar of ChrisHeady >> “Yeah dude, did you see that one play?” or “Yeah, that was sick!” Instead, you’d receive suspicious stares that suggest you’re clinically insane for paying attention to a female sport.

But it just so happens that a team of women - not men - have pulled off one of the greatest accomplishments in college sports. I speak of the Connecticut women’s basketball team. The Lady Huskies haven’t lost a game in 750 days.

Their last defeat was to Stanford in the national semifinal on April 6, 2008. Since then, the team has achieved two consecutive perfect seasons of 39-0. According to my math, that’s 78 wins in a row. Yet they get back-seated to most other sports strictly because they are women.

The Connecticut women are only 10 wins shy of tying the NCAA record of 88 straight, set by the UCLA men’s team from 1971-1974. But their astounding streak has been overshadowed in the sports world by “more important things,” like Tiger Woods’ oopsie-daisies and John Wall’s shimmies.

The only difference between the feat of the ‘70s Bruins and this Lady Husky team is that one word: Lady.

The Connecticut women deserve more credit for their unfathomable feat. Since the 1970s, there have only been two back-to-back champions and one unbeaten team in the men’s game. Perfect seasons just don’t happen in modernday men’s basketball. Imagine Duke not dropping a game in the last two seasons. The accomplishment would undoubtedly be hailed as the greatest feat by the greatest team in college basketball history. Yet now UConn has pulled off this inconceivable task, and we barely hear a peep.

Coverage this month has focused too much on athletes’ personal lives, NASCAR and everyday MLB, rather than givan opinion of

UCONN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BY THE NUMB3RS

7 78 4 11 28 17 5 22 7 NCAA Titles

Consecutive Wins

Undefeated Seasons

Final Fours

Straight vs.

Ranked Teams

Straight Sweet 16s

Straight 30-wn seasons

Straight NCAA appearances

Players of the year

ing legitimate props to the Lady Huskies for achieving two straight perfect seasons.

The neglect starts with the under appreciation of UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

Retired UCLA men’s coach John Wooden won 81 percent of his games over 40 years, piling up 885 wins and only 203 losses. He was arguably the sports world’s greatest coach, having lifted 10 national championships. But what about Auriemma?

He has won 85 percent of his games in 24-year career, having accumulated 160 more wins than Wooden did in his first 24 years as a coach. Auriemma has won seven national titles, been to 11 Final Fours and captured 15 Big East championships.

But if you say the name Geno Auriemma, people may think you are casting a Harry Potter spell before they think of the women’s basketball coach.

To put the Connecticut women’s dominance into perspective, let’s compare them to the 2007-2008 Kansas Jayhawks, one of the most balanced collegiate teams in recent memory. Their season ended with a national championship and a 37-3 record. Their average win margin was 19 points and they shot 50 percent for the season, a feat that hasn’t been reached by any other national champion in the 2000s.

This doesn’t even compare to the Lady Huskies and what they’ve done the last two years.

In their 78-game span, Connecticut shot 51 percent and won every game but one by double digits. Their average margin of victory was 32.7 points. This dominance is basically unheard of in modern sports. Most teams are hard pressed to win by 30 a couple times per season. Connecticut averaged it over the span of two seasons.

I was on the East sophomore basketball team this year and we started 10-0. Though we didn’t finish the season undefeated, I learned a thing or two about what it takes for the perfect season. In order to maintain stay undefeated, a team needs three things: consistency, team play and drive.

Connecticut has all of these to a tee.

UConn has gone 78-0 since April of two years ago without missing a single beat. They have only won one game that was decided in single digits, and that was the championship game this year. This shows their consistent play and ability to avoid a mid-season slump two years running, a rarity in the game of basketball.

One thing I love about UConn is how they play as a team.

They are extremely unselfish: four players on the 2010 team averaged in double digits. The team also dished 19.5 assists per game. This shows me team play. Assists are passes that lead to a bucket, and every single player on UConn this year averaged at least one a game.

Then there’s drive. During a halftime interview of the Lady Huskies’ Big East tournament game against Notre Dame this year, Auriemma called their offensive performance “the worst of the season.” They were winning by 19.

That is the kind of pursuit of perfection that can lift a team and motivate them to get even better. If you are up 19 but your coach is ticked off, you know your team can do extraordinary things.

The Lady Huskies are so good that the day after they completed their second straight perfect season, there was talk on ESPN asking, “Should UConn disband their program because of dominance?” and “Is it fair for UConn to be winning like this?” Analysts across the nation were actually suggesting that UConn’s dominance was unfair and unjust.

The fact that these outrageous questions are even being posed, whether analysts are serious or not, is a testament to how amazing the Lady Huskies are. These questions have

Despite recent success UConn Huskies don’t get the respect they deserve in the national spotlight

Members of the UConn Lady Huskies basketball team celebrate their victory in the NCAA Women’s National Championship. www.mctcampus.com

>>

never been asked about a men’s team, have they?.

As a fanatic of basketball and a player myself, I admire the fact that UConn has such a dominant program. Sure, people can make the argument, “Men’s basketball is entirely different, there’s more parity and anyone could beat anyone on a given day.”

To an extent, I agree with that. Many say that this dominance would never be achieved at the men’s level. But I believe it all evens out. The UConn women are playing other women, just like men play men. So it’s clearly taken something special for the Lady Huskies to pull off an accomplishment as great as this.

Some say that it isn’t even fun to watch UConn play because of their dominance. This brings up an interesting thought. I believe UConn is a tremendous example of basketball at its finest. They are a deep team that hustles on every play like they are down by 30 rather than up 30. In games that I’ve been losing by more than 20, my opponent usually gets sloppy and just shows off. The Lady Huskies play the entire 40 minutes without getting too cocky.

The UConn ladies are chasing UCLA’s record of 88 consecutive wins, a milestone they can smell by now. But even when they surpass 88 - and yes, they’re going to do it - I don’t expect them to get the publicity they rightfully deserve. When they passed the previous women’s record of 70 unbeaten, no one thought twice about the accomplishment.

The Lady Huskies are without a doubt one of the most impressive teams in college basketball history. It’s a shame that they have been overshadowed by other story lines just because they are women and aren’t respected in a maledominated sports world.

issue 15 photo essay page 9

solid

serves

Boys’ tennis claims a recent victory over SM Northwest >>all photos by Eden Schoofs

LEFT: Senior Ben Carlson returns a serve from SM Northwest at a tennis match on April 21.

BELOW: Junior Sam Amrein won his match 8-4 with partner freshman Jake Gleser. “The match went well,” Amrein said. “Jake and I are starting to bond pretty well. I had my ups and downs today but I played well enough to pull out the win.”

ABOVE LEFT: Junior Ross Guignon shakes hands with his opponent after winning his second match of the season.

Guignon recently returned to high school tennis after competing in the Easter Bowl, a premier tournament in Palm Springs, CA. “It’s more fun playing high school tennis because you get to help out the team,” Guignon said. “Tennis usually is an individual sport, but high school tennis is more about the team.”

ABOVE RIGHT: Coach Sue Chipman and Guignon watch as the rest of the team finishes up the match. Chipman records the results of all the matches.

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PAID to SWEAT it

issue 15 features page 11 >>MattGannon

As students lean back in their stiff chairs, staring blankly at a board full of slashes and scribbles, their minds are focused on one thing: summer. They daydream of chilling poolside on a blazing afternoon. They fantasize about blue skies, green grass, and the rush of the wind on a bicycle ride. They long for the home runs, the ice cream cones, and the freedom that awaits them in only five weeks. There are also those that are focused on the future, and plan on working internships at large businesses or preparing for college.

While some kids are working for fun, or to make some quick cash, others are trying to get a jump-start on their futures and their careers. This is just a glimpse of some of the students whose jobs make summer better than any other season.

Students take on various occupations for the summer

the ENFORCER

the LAWN CARE CREW On a late Saturday afternoon two teenagers ran up the streets of Fontana, 67th Street and Granada, posting flyers on every tree, pole, or post in their path. They couldn’t wait to start their first summer job. Sophomores Joe Lewis and Jake Libeer were both in need of a job after their parents told them that they couldn’t lounge around the entire summer. Yet, bagging cereal and Pop Tarts at the local Hen House didn’t sound so appealing to them. They wanted to choose their own hours and be their own bosses. After debating the idea in the hallways of East for only two weeks, they decided to go for it. J and J Lawn Inc. was born.

They decided that their experience of mowing their own grassy jungles last summer would pay off in the industry of suburban home owners this year. The boys plan on doing the usual yard work, such as mowing the lawns, along with the trimmings and the edgings with their household mowers and equipment, and will negotiate prices based on the yard size.

“We figure that with two people, we will be able to work fast and efficiently,” Lewis said. “One guy will take the back, and the other will take the front. It will also be a lot more fun working with a friend instead of working in a more boring job with strangers.”

the DOUBLE-DUTY DUDE Whether he is packing boxes full of helmets, bicycles and bike gear or wrapping presents for a five-year-old’s birthday, senior Ben Jensen loves his jobs. One is working at Capp Sporting Goods, a online bike supplies store run out of a local’s house. The other is at the Learning Tree, where Jensen works and plays with toys as a sales associate.

Jensen spends around three hours on most weekdays in his boss’s garage, packing, stocking, and shipping bikes of all kinds nationwide. His friend senior Jake Parelman introduced him to the job, which is currently run by one of the Parelman’s family friends. Jensen gets paid $10 an hour and loves how his job allows him to listen to whatever music he’s feeling at the time, and jam out to anything from classic rock to hip-hop to folk music, all while he lifts box after box of gear.

On weekends, Jensen can be found at the Learning Tree assisting a mother pick out the perfect gift for her seven-year-old or wrapping a grandmother’s board game for her grandson. And he has plenty of knowledge about the toys, seeing that he is always playing the new games like Bananagrams and Qwirkle or glancing through the pages of a new book on the shelf.

“It helps to have experience with the products to sell them,” Jensen said. “It makes it a lot easier to help out customer. I try to justify my play-time as ‘product research.”

Running from sideline to sideline, from goal to goal, sophomore Sean Luenz is giving his all on the soccer field. But instead of the other blue and red jerseys, Luenz’s jersey is striped black and white. This summer Luenz will be a referee in the Leawood Parks and Recreation Tournament, as he enters his third season of calling soccer.

Luenz as been an avid soccer player since he was three years old and has always known that being a ref would be a good fit for him. After serving in an eight-hour certification clinic his first year before getting the job, he had to take a required test over the rules of soccer. Now, before every season he has to take only a four-hour clinic to sharpen his skills. Then he is ready to hit the field.

He isn’t just getting paid $23 a game to sit around and watch eighth-graders sprint back and forth through the dewy summer grass. He has to be constantly moving, always in the right spot to make the call. Not only does this job take more endurance than most other jobs, it also takes a lot of mental strength, too. Luenz has to know all the little rules that no common fan will ever know, and has to deal with yelling and arguing of frustrated coaches and parents.

“That’s the worst part, dealing with all of the arguing,” Luenz said. “As a ref, you’re going to make mistakes, but you have to be able to get past them and keep going. I know I’ve done a good job when coaches and parents come over to me after the game, and just thank me.”

the NUMBER CRUNCHER

Dealing with spreadsheets, filing, and working on payroll sure doesn’t come to mind when one thinks of the summertime, but for junior Micah Melia, an office desk is a great place to work. Since last summer, Melia has been an accounting intern at Aquaterra Enviromental Solutions, and she is the only high school student working in the building.

Aquaterra is company devoted to ideas of environmental engineering in the region. Melia’s mom, an employee at Aquaterra, introduced her to the paid internship, where she is paid $8.50 an hour.

Working in the office with her mother has provided a few perks such as, having a guide to help her find office supplies and files, and it also gives her a lunch buddy at the local Jimmy Johns or Noodles and Company.

Her internship also gives her very flexible hours, and she usually works from about eight to three. She isn’t necessarily needed on a day to day basis, but she has certain assignments that must be in by a certain date.

“I’ve always been interested in business and accounting, and I’m thinking about maybe majoring in it,” Melia said. “It’s kind of nice being the only high school kid in a the office, too.

>>all photos by Katie East

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issue 15 features page 13

fly

super TEACHER Laura Beachy catches a whitefish while wetwading in the Colorado River. This was the first whitefish that Beachy ever caught. photo courtesy of Laura Beachy

English teacher enjoys fly fishing as a hobby

>>MaddyBailey

The shop in Silverthorne, Colorado opens at the crack of dawn, making certain the trout are still hungry. The water levels and temperatures of each river are updated and posted on the wall. Middle-aged fishermen swarm Cutthroat Anglers Fly Shop, picking out their flies for the day, while the eager fishing guides scurry to meet their clients to go out on the river.

Then the door swings open and a familiar high-pitched voice rings out, “Who’s ready to catch some fish today?”

Like each year when they see her, the guides just laugh. They immediately recognize the voice as the eager girl from Kansas City—English teacher Laura Beachy ventures to Silverthorne once a year in the summer to pursue her lifelong hobby of flyfishing.

Beachy developed an interest in fly-fishing as a kid when she watched her parents fish for hours in the Colorado River.

“My dad and mom loved it so much that they would get utterly frustrated,” Beachy said. “I’ve never heard cursing from my parents like the cursing when they would

fly fishing

101

A look at the basic flies that fly fishers use to make a catch

>>

get caught on a tree branch or have a knot in the line.”

It impressed her how much her parents cared about it. The first time she fly-fished, Beachy wore her grandfather’s twice-toolarge hip boots while her dad stood behind her to show her how to cast.

“I slipped and fell in the freezing river,” Beachy recalls. “All the water rushed into my gigantic boots. It is so cold, it takes your breath away. My dad is laughing his head off and not helping me up, but I just loved it.”

Beachy loves the tradition that fly-fishing has in her family. Her father and grandfather had grown up fishing. Her mother had done it, so Beachy knew it was something she could do too.

“My parents would always tell me that not everybody at school knows how to do this,” Beachy said. “It made me feel really special and privileged. It was an opportunity I was very lucky to have.”

Beachy now fishes with her regular guide, Mike Joyce, at Cutthroat Anglers.

Since there are so many rivers around and

About Flies

Flies are used to imitate fish prey by triggering a fish’s instincts by appearing to be natural food items. There are three types of flies: dry flies, emergers and wet flies. Dry flies represent insects landing on the water. Emergers imitate insects partially submerged in water. Wet flies are meant to represent insects completely under water.

the streams are different everyday, the guides keep track of the best fishing waters to offer their clients.

“The first time I fished with Mike, he was pretty skeptical,” Beachy said. “I don’t exactly fit the profile of a master fly-fisher.”

As the two trudged outside on their first day of fishing together, Mike’s friend yelled out jokingly, “Have fun, Mike!”

“You know about fly-fishing?” Mike asked. “Have you ever used a fly rod before?”

Beachy smiled. She knew exactly what to do.

“I just need a refresher and a few tips about casting again,” she replied.

Mike didn’t believe her. He continued to carefully show her what to do as Beachy patiently waited to finally cast the rod like she remembered. Mike was surprised.

“Oh! Looks like we’re gonna catch some fish today!” Mike said.

“Yeah we are!” Beachy replied.

After four years of fishing with Mike, Beachy has developed a bond with him and the other guides. Her photo and testimony

Caddis fly

Used: late spring to early autumn Appearance: tiny moths flittering around stream’s brush Found: around the stream’s riffles Technique: skittering them across the water in zigzagging direction

Stone flies

are featured on the Cutthroat Anglers Web site.

“There usually aren’t very many women around. I am usually the only female in the shop, which is fine,” Beachy said. “I get special treatment. They are like ‘oh, there’s a girl here.’ It’s fun, and a little bit flattering.”

Beachy recalled that the guides prefer to teach women because women listen and take advice and men don’t. She knows the value of having a guide: they know which flies to use at which times of the day and can tie them on very quickly and easily, which is the a difficult part.

“Mike sometimes keeps me out long after the shop closes,” Beachy said. “He doesn’t really have to teach so much anymore. We just get in and go, because he knows I can do it.”

Beachy doesn’t use a barbed hook because it injures the fish; she prefers fishing in the “catch and release” waters. After she catches the fish, she kisses it and says, “Hey, thanks for playing. Good game.” She gently sets it back in the water, holding on loosely in the stream, letting water to back into the gills, and then releases it back into the stream.

“I don’t usually catch them to cook,” Beachy said. “I genuinely just do it just for fun. I think of it as a game I am playing with the fish, like hide and seek then tug of war.

It’s such a feeling of victory when I finally get it!”

This past summer Mike suggested a float trip which is much different than her usual wading, and more expensive. A different set of skills are involved because the boat is moving while the client is casting as opposed to just wading in shallow waters.

Beachy and Mike covered a large part of the Colorado River.

“There is something so wonderful about being in the mountains, in the water, with the fish, feeling the current of the river flowing against my legs,” Beachy said.

In August, Beachy plans on traveling to Silverthorne for the Dylan Barbeque Competition and fly-fishing in the rivers an hour outside of town.

“There’s almost always a pretty good story with fly-fishing,” Beachy said. “It can be kind of extreme. Some people would say it’s boring. It’s not boring at all to me.

I would go every weekend if I could. It’s an escape. It’s beautiful.”

Used: early spring to mid summer Appearance: long and moth-like, have wings Found: stream side brush Technique: skittering across the water upstream in a zig-zagging direction

Midges

Used: all year Appearance: mosquito-like with fuzzy antennae Found: in clusters by stream side Technique: drifted over feeding fish

>>www.flyanglersonline.com

page 14 spread 04.26.10

Mike Webb

Third lunch is over and it’s time for the custodians to begin the lunchroom clean up. Head custodian Mike Webb and his staff move in to begin picking up trash, cleaning floors and wiping off tables. It is the

e c a l p e r r I

P

A look at a few East employees who ke

busiest part of their day. the gears of a high school turning “You could have 30 minutes to an hour where there’s not a lot of calls,” Webb said. “Then the next hour you could have five or ten EmmaPennington calls in an hour. It varies.”

The custodial staff usually begins work around 6:45 a.m. After school starts, they begin to lock up various entrances of the building. Some staffers have lawn mowing that needs to be done everyday.

The others take care of calls from teachers, students or other East staff members.

For special assemblies, school dances and banquets, Webb and his staff have particular setting up to do. Pep assemblies demand them to get the PA system ready and set up the bleachers. Events such as MORP and Homecoming that take place in the cafeteria require them to take out all the tables and make sure all the floors are clean.

But not all the cleaning is done by the staff students see during the school day. East has three separate custodial shifts to get the job done—a day shift, an evening shift and a midnight shift. The midnight shift works from midnight to 7 a.m.

As the head custodian, Webb has to do “area inspections” where he checks up on certain areas the other custodians clean. Webb then meets with the custodian assigned to that area and reports what he thinks needs improvement and what they are doing well.

The halls are empty, the classro Whether it’s the middle of July or the dead of Tucked back inside the Shawnee Mission East kitchen, there is a small office cramped slowly peeps up from the east. Princ winter, noon or midnight, there is always a with two desks and several file cabinets. Few people even know this office exists. This is where office catching up on e-mails, writin member of the custodial staff working to Lora Dollar, the manager of food service at East, orders the school’s food. leadership class. keep East in its best conditions.

Dollar and her food service colleagues don’t have the common eight-to-five workday like many “I try to stay ahead of it,” Dr. Kraw Americans. Arriving at 6 a.m., they begin preparing breakfast for students and faculty. The staff has to ahead, not daily.” be available for students to buy everything from a bottle of apple juice to a quick pack of Pop Tarts or even As students, teachers and office s pancakes.

Krawitz’s day really kicks into gear. If As the head of East’s food service, Dollar has many tasks: checking on work schedules, ordering food, dealthe associate principals and then eva ing with stolen food items, and checking to make sure the school receives the proper number of meals. Dolmay meet with parents and students, lar is constantly playing a “guessing game” when trying to determine how much of each item to order. year, and end the day by responding “I go by what we served last time,” Dollar said. “If we served 200 servings of chicken nuggets ingly never ends. then I would order 200 servings of chicken nuggets again.”

Amidst each event-packed day, D The cafeteria members are busiest during lunchtime, as they prepare hundreds of meals for first semester leadership class to up students. It is hard for the orders to always be perfect. Occasionally they will run out of an item about 20 years. Throughout the cour or two in the lunchroom. on success. He has found that most p “You have to remember we serve 18 different entrees,” Dollar said. “So there’s always food GPA, but he believes this isn’t always available of some kind for the students.”

“The most involved people are very Dollar also deals with students who can not afford to buy a lunch and helps students antee anything in your future.” who have dropped their lunch or gotten it stolen. She then moves on to help her staff begin Another thing Dr. Krawitz always m cleaning up the lunchroom and kitchen—scrubbing the floors, mopping up spills or someweek, Dr. Krawitz could be spotted at fi times even cleaning food off the walls. from a game to a concert, even attendi Finally 3 p.m. rolls around and the kitchen is quieting down. Dollar gets to head home It is common for students and coa and take her grandchildren to the park. Soon enough she will be back in the East kitchen, after a win or before a performance. H whipping up nearly 80 dozen warm Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and receiving an order of 50 gratulation throughout the year.

Domino’s pizzas.

After a long day’s work beginning a o’clock. Dr. Krawitz enjoys working at

>>

ian

Head Custod

r a l l o D a r o L

Manager of Food Services

w a r K l r a K .

Dr

In Their Own Words issue 15 spread page 15 Staff members describe why they enjoy their jobs

e l b a e

Dollar “It’s a very interesting job. I love the students and the atmosphere.

You have to like people and students to like the job.”

O’Grady “I just love having all the people come in and out of the office. I’m so busy all the time and I love that. The day goes by so fast.”

Krawitz “In my position there’s so many opportunities to have a positive

influence on the lives of people, in much the same way my teachers did for me.”

Parts

Ricker “There are so many different challenges every day and I get to work with an incredible administrative staff and coaching staff. You have a lot of contact with the community, from businesses to parents and students.”

Webb “I’d like to think that everyone can contribute in their own small

keep g

Jim Ricker

way. I think ‘putting out fires,’ where somebody needs help with something—to be able to help them is fulfilling.”

Athletic Director

Some mornings it’s his turn to take his daughters to school, while other days he can go straight to work. But no matter what time athletic director Jim Ricker gets to his office, he always has a crowded message machine and dozens of new e-mails.

Things get hectic once he plans for meetings with East coaches and county-wide athletic directors. Then he checks his calendar for the day’s sporting events, insures there is supervision scheduled to each event, and checks the weather forecast for potential rainouts. Ricker hardly has a dull moment during a day filled with eligibility card collection, meetings and scheduling.

“Normally I make a list [of what I need to do] and try to get everything done,” Ricker said. “Because if I don’t I can get pulled a thousand different ways.”

Diane Murddock, the athletic secretary, teams up with Ricker to get as much done for the coaches as they can each day.

“Good morning Lancers, today is April 26, 2010.”

“I try to help my coaches and get them what they need,” Ricker said, “so all they have to Students hear receptionist Gayle O’Grady deliver the ando is coach.” nouncements through the intercom every day during third and Ricker says that dealing with eligibility cards is “always an ongoing challenge.” fourth periods. But in the main office, it’s an entirely different, far He tries to keep the students accountable, believing it is a privilege to be an busier picture. athlete and that some kids just need an extra push in school to make them It isn’t uncommon for O’Grady to be talking on the same phone ooms are silent, and the sun try harder. throughout most of her workday. As the head receptionist, she has to ancipal Dr. Karl Krawitz is in his After a full day in his office, Ricker has a busy evening attending swer phone calls, make announcements and call students to the office conng letters and preparing for his East sporting events, coaching his daughters’ soccer team or stantly. playing in his own men’s soccer league.

When a visitor walks into the office, O’Grady is the first smiling face they see. witz said. “You’ve got to think weeks With Chemistry teacher Jeremy Higgins becoming Her day is full of writing attendance passes, informing parents about various student the athletic director next year, Ricker is looking and school-related activities and directing visitors to different parts of East. There is staff begin to arrive around 7 a.m., Dr. forward to getting back teaching, something little time during the day for her to just sit at the desk and relax. f it’s Monday, he will have a meeting with he did for nearly 16 years before becom“There are real congested times like passing period when we are really busy”, O’Grady aluate a teacher’s class period. Tuesday he ing East’s athletic said. “Then there are some times when it’s slow.” , hold a meeting to discuss budgets for next director.

As an East graduate herself, O’Grady enjoys the job because she knows a lot of people. Three g to e-mails and phone calls. His week seemyears ago her youngest son graduated from East, so it keeps her busy while her children are all

witz

y d a r G ’ O e l Gay

Receptionist

Principal

away at college.

When a student needs something for academic or medical purposes, a guardian is permitted to drop it off in the office. Although many parents think it is appropriate to leave O’Grady with just about anything for their son or daughter, she has to inform them that the office staff doesn’t accept money, food or athletic equipment.

“Most of the time their student never told them we don’t take these types of items,” O’Grady said. “So they never knew it wouldn’t be acmakes time for is attending school activities. On any given cepted.” five different extracurricular events. Some nights he will hop Due to this year’s renovations, O’Grady says many parents and ing functions on weekends. visitors have trouble finding the office. Once they reach her, she aches to receive letters from Dr. Krawitz when the season starts, helps them to find their way by giving them a school map or tellHe sends students notes of encouragement, inspiration and coning them where to go.

The 2:40 bell rings and O’Grady makes her final few anas early as 5:30 a.m., he leaves school and heads to a game around 4 nouncements for the day. “Girls C-team soccer game is canthe high school level, believing “It’s where the action is.” celled, boys’ baseball meet in the weight room…” The intercom is faintly heard through the rush of students filing out the doors.

Dr. Krawitz still managed to find time to teach a pperclassmen, a course he has been teaching for rse, he tries to give students a different perspective people believe success comes with smarts and a high the case. y successful,” Dr. Krawitz said. “Class rank doesn’t guar-

>>all photos by Grant Kendall

page 16 features 04.26.10

Making the most through Music >>KennedyBurgess

It’s spring break and sophomore Kelly Kuhn stands in terminal A at KCI waiting to board his plane to Fairfax, Va. It’s a routine he’s grown used to. Every break he puts his life in Kansas City on pause and flies out to Virginia to visit his mom and siblings, then back to KC to stay with his dad.

Clutching the electric Fender bass his dad bought him when he was 14 in one hand and his suitcase in the other, Kuhn hands the man at the gate his boarding pass and walks onto the plane. Kuhn has two homes: his home in Fairfax, the place where he was born, and his home in KC, the place he has grown to love. Moving back and forth is a struggle for Kuhn, but no matter where he goes, his bass is always there.

“It feels like I’m living separate lives at times,” Kuhn said. “My bass has really been the only constant in my life, moving to so many different places.”

Kuhn has been switching homes since he was a baby. But when he decided to move to KC, it was his own choice.

Kuhn had been considering moving to KC permanently after his dad, Aarons Sizemore, the owner of the music school Music House, told him about KC’s jazz scene.

“My dad showed me the ropes around KC when I’d visit him twice a year,” Kuhn said.

“Once I saw how the music was here, I really

started thinking it was better I live in KC.” Aarons isn’t Kuhn’s biological father, yet he’s been Kuhn’s biggest musical influence. He bought Kuhn his first electric bass, played music for him on his guitar when he was a toddler and exposed him to artists like Led Zeppelin and B.B. King at a young age.

“Kelly is becoming his own person through music and it’s really interesting to watch,” Aarons said. “It’s also hard to grow into your own person when you have two home bases so far apart.”

Growing up with two different homes never prevented Kuhn from pursuing his interest in music. When he discovered the upright bass in fourth grade through his school’s orchestra, Kuhn used it as a way to deal with the reality of his parent’s divorce.

“Whenever I felt bummed out, I knew I could come home and express myself through my music,” Kuhn said.

Aarons encouraged Kuhn’s new found love for music by buying him his first electrical bass. The first song Kuhn ever played on his bass was “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes. Kuhn played the song over and over again, until it was ingrained into his memory. Every time he mastered a new

song, he would e-mail or call Aarons to let him know.

Along with the numerous e-mails and long distance phone calls, Kuhn and Aarons always had a tradition of showing each other different obscure artists they would find.

When Kuhn moved to Virginia after his parents divorce, Aarons saw it as a way to keep in touch with his son.

“I’ve tried to expose Kelly to a wide variety of music since he was young,” Aarons said. “It’s funny though, I feel like he’s the one exposing me to music now. He’s a very eclectic person.”

One CD Kuhn remembers his dad sending him consisted of 12 tracks from a Brazilian Jazz group. Kuhn thought the group was strange at first and was hesitant to listen to them, but he appreciated that their sound was different than that of other jazz artists.

“I still have the Brazilian CD and I listen to it quite often,” Kuhn said. “Without my dad’s influence I wouldn’t have all of this insight on these types of bands.”

Moving to KC allowed Kuhn to develop a connection with the local musicians Aarons was acquainted with through his music school. After Kuhn joined the jazz group at

Music House, he met Sean Logan, a drummer in the band.

The first time Logan met Kuhn, he thought of him as shy and didn’t think they would mesh well together as artists. But once Kuhn and Logan started rehearsing together more often they felt themselves grow as friends as well as musicians.

“He’s one of the best bass players I’ve ever heard,” Logan said. “His personality really comes through when he plays on stage with us.”

After a few years playing together at Music House, Kuhn and Logan decided to start their own band, Know Idea. Having their own band meant they would have more freedom to write songs and make the band the way they wanted.

Kuhn frequently sits in his dad’s quaint home office, plucking away at his electric Fender bass. As he thinks about his future, he’s not quite sure if he wants to go to college or not, but Kuhn knows that no matter what his future holds, his bass will always be with him.

“My dream is to just live solely off of playing gigs when I’m out of high school,” Kuhn said. “It’s all I hope for really.

Kuhn’s Favorites Herbie Hancock

>>www.guardian.co.uk Genre: Jazz Favorite album: Headhunters “I’ve been listening to him since I was a really little kid, before I even played. My style of playing really stems from the same style as both bands.”

Soulive

>>www.brooklynpaper.com Genre: Urban Jazz Favorite album: Any album “Both bands have a lot of similarities in style but [Soulive] is much more modern, coming out of the 90s.”

>>

Kuhn practices on his bass guitar in his bedroom Lindsey Hartnett

issue 15 mixed page 19

{a little of everything seconds with

Max Duncan

How could someone get you to wear that suit all day at school?

How did you get your ghillie suit?

I was with my dad at Cabela’s, and I asked him if I could get it as a joke. It was actually kind of expensive... The regular price was $150.

Probably pay me around $40. I would totally do it for forty bucks.

If you could wear anything to school, what would it be?

What are they usually used for?

Usually for hunting. I’ve hunted turkey in it before with my dad. It makes you blend in really well.

I would probably wear this and some kind of cool mask.

“I got this in Chicago. It’s nice ‘cause I can know the time without pulling my phone out.”

Bracelets and Rings “Wow, there are a lot of them. One I made, the silver ones are my mom’s, and one I got in Italy. I made these rings myself.”

Photography “I have a pretty good background in cinematography, so it’s similar, but different which makes it fun. I picked it up like four months ago with some friends.”

Flannel “This is from Urban [Outfitters]. It’s pretty comfortable; I shop there a lot.

Sometimes I go thrifting, but mostly I just shop at random little stores.

what indie really is

indie: refers to independent art, music, or film that is

released by onesself and not a corporation. Essentially, “Do it by yourself, and for yourself.” A lifestyle.

“For me, indie is convenient to use as a term, but it’s hard to actually accept that it actually exists on any meaningful level now.”

—Sean McCabe, involved with Interpol

o og nt t ut it a w b ally plly, t re rigina re su r. ’ n e d o i o i w I d rom you en as to p what o as ave a d d s wa ed to idn’t h lanne pos girl d had p she s I he Thi and ng, so hen s s e goi t d t t n a u d ie s . B not r fr on ed me ith he It wa . ask ced w night very n e y, r r a a i d ve ear ent sM e the ward— k Jam aw ward. k w a

Our pr om fashion was very old e ed the d. We decora gy tIt’s defi m ourselves . n high-d itely less of a ollar th ing tha it is no t w very ta at East; it wa s me com nowad p ays. Ye ared to s, enjo able bu yt lucky e tame. I was nough to take the wo m though an I married, .

>>

>>Rick Royer

k >>Vic

What comes next for Apple?

“

The Harbinger staff sounds off on what they think Steve Jobs should start designing, no matter how bizarre or impossible it may be.

Apple has always been a company that does a great job mixing style with technology, making their products just as fashionable as they are ground breaking and easy to use. The next step for the company is most definitely “iClothing.” Now, hipsters won’t even have to reach into their pockets to crank the newest indie rock sensation, but rather the songs will be conveniently stored directly in their shirts. With a variety of styles ranging from “v-neck” to “cardigan,” everyone will be able to find something suitable for them, and Steve Jobs will continue to roll in the green.

“

“

>>RobertMartin

Apple needs to get into the ever changing automobile industry. Everything Apple comes out with is a success, so their first car would revolutionize how and what we drive.

What would their first vehicle look like? Picture a sleek, stylish hovercar decked with all the latest Apple technology— iPhones, iPads and Macbooks galore.

“

Big-faced Watch

“This was my mom’s from the ‘90s. I wear a lot of her old clothes.”

e orit fav

Teachers discuss their past proms, however embarassing or tame they are, and compare them to East’s prom now.

“

“Someone got this for me as a gift, but it had been handmade. It covers up bad hair days.”

even on’t ng d I , an ythi Oh, mmber an . That m e o rem my pr o. But t g u a o g b ith n a up w ch, so lo was showed s mu ll l a gir who wa n her. A e a t n h a e t k er ad ta d of h old muc were kin found e of us until w te had k a abac at her d nd the h a t t p u o her ru was d he stoo ith her t was so w I man cousin. r e old sen elge dt-H sad. n r A i

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Toms

D g n nti ool

from the Past

In its customary fashion, East has taken the word “Indie” and twisted it into simply a fad or a saying. Here’s a look at East’s idea of “Indie,” modeled by junior Maggie Simmons.

“These I just order online.

They’re basically glorified socks, so they’re really comfortable and are for a good cause.”

>> all photos Dan Stewart

Hmm, best thing. Nothing, basically.

But the worst is that no matter what you do all the upperclassmen have bad thoughts about you.

freshman

>>LillyMyers

I’d like to see Apple get more involved in the space program. NASA’s budget has been cut left and right since the downtown in the economy and people feel it’s too expensive and unnecessary.

Well, Apple has made billions selling overpriced products that seem to have no purpose whatsoever (the iPad). It won’t be long before NASA is launching the iShuttle at Cape Canaveral. I just hope I can watch it from my iPhone.

“

30

... n ow

What’s the best thing about being a freshman? The worst?

>>LoganHeley

AAG

Supporting

East Athletics Aguiar Ag. Group Denny Aguiar, President

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issue 15 features page 19

East graduates join Teach for America program to develop their leadership skills

>>KatyWesthoff

In May 2009, 96 percent of graduating seniors from Shawnee Mission East went on to a two or four year college.

The same can’t be said for schools in lower-income communities, where half the students dropped out, and those that did graduate were on par academically with eighth graders from Mission Valley or Indian Hills. A program called Teach for America aspires to grant equal educational opportunity and bridge the gap between rich and poor schools, and East alumni have taken interest in joining their effort.

Teach for America recruits active leaders in college environments from around the nation to teach in low-income urban and rural schools from Boston to Los Angeles. The idea is to put strong leaders in low-quality schools to teach.

These teachers, in the program’s eyes, have the capacity to raise the number of graduates and college-bound students.

Since 2008, Kansas City has been included in the Teach for

America agenda, which has put 124 teachers in the Kansas City Missouri School District, the Hickman Mills School District and 10 charter schools.

The number of incoming corps members has doubled from 2005 to 2010. East graduates have seen the appeal of Teach for America in recent years. 2006 alum Katelin Clark goes to Elon University in North Carolina and saw an informational video on the program for one of her classes and will start teaching in Tulsa in August.

“After that video, I was hooked,” Clark said. “I have never felt the sense of purpose or the draw to a cause I did after seeing that video. It was so inspirational to witness personal accounts of people in the program and to see how much of an impact specific teachers have had on their communities.”

Clark’s academic studies have had little to do with teaching, as she is majoring in Media Arts and Broadcast, but she is minoring in leadership. Teach for America puts a large

emphasis on leaders in communities as well as academic success in college classes. Of the 4,100 members of Teach for America, 89 percent have college leadership experience and an average GPA of 3.6.

The biggest impact Teach for America has comes directly from their numerous corps members in the classroom.

Studies conducted by the Urban Institute found that Teach for America teachers were more effective, based on an endof-course student exam from 2000 through 2006.

“Teachers from the program are more effective because they can assess an environment and rightfully place an effective leadership style to that environment,” Clark said.

There’s no need for potential corps members to major in education, as the program focuses more on bringing in strong leaders. Before entering their classrooms, corps members must qualify for the state and district in which they will teach. Clark has to pass a middle school science exam, which will cover everything she will be expected to teach and more, and will qualify her as an educator in the state of Oklahoma. Outside of state regulations, Teach for America trains its members for five weeks by having its members teach summer school. Clark and her fellow trainees, supervised by veteran educators, will teach in a Phoenix district summer school starting in June. They will also attend classes in the evening to further develop their teaching skills.

At Elon, Clark takes classes that focus on different leadership styles. Clark is also in an intensive four-year leadership program called the Isabella Cannon Leadership Program, which doesn’t count towards her grade. The program is entirely extra-curricular. She believes it’s what Teach for America was drawn to when reviewing her application.

Starting in August, she will be teaching middle school science classes in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mark Modrcin, another East graduate, is almost finished with his first year in the program.

Modrcin teaches fifth grade math and social studies at Walt Whitman Elementary School in Tulsa. In his own class, he has seen tremendous growth. A child that started the year at a third grade reading level has almost caught up with the rest of his class.

“Before joining TFA, I felt, and still do feel, that I can be the difference for the children in my classroom,” Modrcin said. “It’s a huge burden, but it is motivating and I take great pride in it.”

Teach for America puts young educators like Clark and Modrcin in schools that need them. The program looks for energetic students that will invest themselves in their students and set “big goals,” according to Modrcin. The program measures the effectiveness of its corps by having the teachers administer periodic reading and math tests. There are also “trackers” that measure a student’s progress in objectives for specific subjects. One section of Modrcin’s trackers is specifically focused on Estimation in his math classes.

After the two years are over, many corps members continue teaching, while others pursue other careers. Clark is unsure what the future may hold. She has always wanted to be a teacher, but isn’t sure how soon she’ll want to make it her career. It all depends on her time spent in TFA. “I will most likely be doing one of two things,” she said.

“Continuing to teach or going back into the broadcasting industry.”

Modrcin is also unsure of his future plans, but not for lack of passion for teaching. He may go into banking or an athletics administration, but does see himself teaching again at some point.

Both Modrcin and Clark have seen the influence of Teach for America on students.

“The most effective teachers set big goals for their classroom and work relentlessly to provide their students the best opportunities,” Modrcin said. “Leadership, execution, and relentless pursuit of education equality are the reasons why Teach for America has produced such outstanding results across the country.”

page 20 a&e 04.26.10

>>GriffinBur

MGMT has Kurt Cobain Syndrome.

After Cobain’s band Nirvana exploded in popularity, their frustrated frontman wrote and recorded the abrasive In Utero in effort to regain underground credibility.

On Congratulations, MGMT takes a similar stance—“Hey, we’re not

>>

zimbio.com

Press ‘skip’ |

MGMT’s latest album “Congratulations” is an unsucessful departure from the popular sound of their past albums sellouts!”—and a similar left-field turn towards their artsier and more abstract roots.

In the context of “Kids,” “Electric Feel” and “Time to Pretend” from debut Oracular Spectacular, Congratulations is on easily digestable melodies. But taken on its own terms, the album is an inoffensive runthrough of prog and psych rock stereotypes. Given their electronic background, it’s a bold move f ro m

| Borrow it |

MGMT, although coming from a less renowned band, it would sound hackneyed. Still, the duo does manage to write a few more advanced melodies that still remain enjoyable from a pop music perspective.

“It’s Working” kicks things off with a sweet/sour mix of propulsive drums and fey harpsichord, although the melody writing is surprisingly complex, though not especially memorable. The melody probably isn’t going to be soundtracking episodes of 90210 like “Kids” was, but it’s a passable stab at Beatles-and-Byrds-style pyschedelia. The surprising energy here, lacking from most of the album, makes it a strong opener.

Followup “Song for Dan Treacy” is an equally brisk pop that sounds like early REM plus some haunted-house organ. The tune itself is ace, winding and upbeat, but the song’s topic shows the difficulty in trying to straddle the art/pop line.

To some listeners, the comparison with Treacy that they invite by singing about him will seem over-the-top. After all, much of MGMT’s new sound owes a debt to Treacy’s band, the Television Personalities, already. And of course, other listeners will just ask who the hell this Dan Treacy guy is. The move is either too cutesy or deliberately obscure, but either way, it’s annoying.

This brings up the larger problem with Congratulations - MGMT’s efforts at being arty yet melodic will too often satisfy neither camp.

The band’s experimental forays don’t quite get revolutionary and they’re often pretty overdone. As an example, they use a harpsichord, fairly obsolete in modern music, on a number of songs.

Though that move is intended to be innovative, it feels like a cheap gimmick.

A t

| Download it |

the same time, the band lacks the melodic kick to make up for a relatively old sound.

The melodies’ complexity is interesting, but a whole album of “interesting” with no hooks is pretty lame.

Case in point, “Flash Delirium” sounds like a couple of freshmen who just purchased Rubber Soul and decided to jump on the bandwagon for this “far out music.”

It’s not bad by any means, but it just sounds like a generic psychedelic band. Wearing your influences on your sleeve is okay if you make music that transcends those influences, but this is just vaguely pleasant and derivative.

While their talent is a little misguided, one can’t deny the band members’ clear musical skills. “Brian Eno,” another uptempo homage, is a patchwork of ideas threaded together with tempo shifts, dynamic drumming and a sloppily enjoyable guitar and organ riffs. This is where MGMT succeeds—writing inventive songs that don’t sacrifice listenability.

On the title track, too, the band finds a stronger sense of focus, evoking the Flaming Lips’ better ballads. The band forgoes experimentalism entirely, ditches that stupid harpsichord and simply writes a pretty song. It feels blissed out in a way that’s soothing rather than boring.

Ultimately, though, too many songs end up like “I Found a Whistle,” a wistful, breezy ballad reliant on acoustic guitar and clandestine synthesizer. It makes for pleasant background music—in fact, the song has a lyric that goes “I’ll ignore real emotions, such a drag”—but ambient noise isn’t the same thing as groundbreaking art or classic pop music.

The album as a whole just feels disappointing. MGMT clearly has quite a bit of talent, whether at crafting stuck-in-yourhead melodies or pushing boundaries.

But they just can’t seem to find a good balance, and they eventually write too many weak songs. Of course, the album’s fate isn’t sealed: as In Utero’s 15th anniversary rolled by, critics suddenly saw a method to the madness and heaped accolades on the album. For all we know, Congratulations might sound like aural brilliance in a few years. For now though, it’s a disappointing followup on a lot of potential.

| Auditory Brilliance |

| | |

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page 22 a&e 04.26.10

SUMMER CONCERT PREVIEW The Five W’s of the Kansas City summer concert scene

WHO: WEEZER

WHO: MGMT

What: Based out of Brooklyn, enigmatic figures Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden make up the electronic, trippy, psychedelic synth fest that is MGMT. The flashtastic duo will be making a stop in KC this summer to sport a few multicolored lights and rile up a crowd of inebriated fans. Be sure to brush up on the new songs from Congratulations, the band’s most recent album, before getting stuck standing still in the crowd, yearning for the familiar chorus of “Kids.”

Where: Uptown Theater When: Sunday June 13, TBA Why: It may not be “Get Low” by Lil Jon and East Side Boyz but Congratulations sure provides listeners with some serious dance beats. Shake your groove thing while upping your (not so) indie cred.

>>blogs.suntimes.com

What: An all-American alternative rock band formed in ’92, Weezer will rock audience members into oblivion with their myriad of drum-and-guitar-heavy songs. Expect a wide array of concertgoers, from the 20-something hipsters to gangly shorts-and-school-Tshirt-wearing teens.

Where: City Market When: Friday June 4, 7 p.m.

Why: Because nearly everyone can recall at least one bar of “Beverly Hills” and lead singer Rivers Cuomo is pushing 40 and can still belt it. Taking place just a mere week after gaining freedom of the hallowed halls of East, there’s nothing like a Friday night jam session to start your summer off right.

WHO: MICHAEL BUBLE What: The master of seduction, Michael Bublé (most likely rocking a slick deep blue- or charcoalcolored suit and complementing skinny tie) will send chills up your spine with his angelic Sinatraesque love ballads. Dress for success in case you’re pulled on stage for a spontaneous audience-member serenade.

Where: Sprint Center When: Saturday June 26, 8 p.m.

Why: You know you’ve seen his albums in the Border’s Café, likely accompanied by heart-shaped chocolates and other assorted Valentine’s Day novelties. Ask that sweet friend-but-not-just-friend that you met at summer camp to accompany you to a night of romance and get ready for your heartstrings to be tugged as the voice of this Canadian heartthrob fills the Sprint Center.

What: You know, the Backstreet Boys. The denim-suit-clad boy band with high-pitched vocals and expertly frosted tips that stole every girl’s heart when you were in elementary school.

Where: The Midland by AMC

When: Monday June 21, 8 p.m.

Why: Why not? Spending an entire paycheck on a ticket may very well be worth seeing the band make an attempted comeback. Grab a few pals that can still belt out the lyrics to “I Want It That Way,” throw on your most outrageous 90s garb, and slick so much product into your hair that your head could be marketed and sold at the local Wal-Mart. Making “I Love Nick Carter” posters? Strongly advised.

>>vinashare.net

>>ttglive.com

WHO: JUSTIN BIEBER

>>commons.wikimedia.org

WHO: BACKSTREET BOYS

>>KatBuchanan

>>blog.inmusic.ca

What: The 16-year-old pop sensation who is taking the place of the Jonas Brothers as the object of obsessive affection for pre-teens everywhere.

Best known for “telling you one time,” Bieber popped on the scene as Usher’s prodigy in 2009 and stole the hearts of girls all over the continent.

Where: Sprint Center When: Wednesday July 28, 8 p.m.

Why: With tickets listed up to $530, the experience could get a little pricey. But seeing J-Biebs and Ludacris up close and personal may be enough to give you a healthy bout of Bieber Fever.

WHO: JACK JOHNSON What: The Hawaiian king of chill brings his soothing lyrics and acoustic-guitar-driven melodies to Bonner Springs, the night before the dreaded first day back at school.

Where: Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone When: Monday Aug. 16, 7 p.m.

Why: Give summer the old heave-ho with a calming outdoor concert in the hazy August sunset. Bring a group of friends along and discuss your summer escapades apart while enjoying a lemonade and

Johnson’s fifth studio album “To the Sea.” Shoes, optional.

>>fanpop.com

Superhero Rundown

issue 15 a&e page 23

‘Kick-Ass’ provides an entertaining superhero flick full of wild action and humor

>>AlexLamb

Kick-Ass A comic book nerd who decides to become a superhero and fight crime, teenager Dave Lizewski makes up for his lack of skill and strength with a lot of heart.

Hit-Girl

An 11-year-old who’s a master of blades and guns, Mindy Macready kills the bad guys alongside her father with the acrobatic skills of a ninja.

Red Mist The son of mafioso Frank D’Amico, Chris D’Amico becomes a superhero to accompany and scheme against Kick-Ass in service to his father.

Big Daddy An ex-cop turned costumed vigilante, Damon Macready has a score to settle with Frank D’Amico and plans on taking him out with the help of his daughter.

Stay home |

If ever a film was perfectly described by its simple title, “KickAss” is it.

This comic book adaptation has bestowed the superhero genre with a wildly violent, darkly hilarious and extremely slick action comedy that ranks as the most outrageously entertaining superhero flick in ages. And in addition to its high level of originality, “KickAss” also boasts possibly the most memorable crime-fighting duo since Batman and Robin.

The movie opens as teenage comic book lover Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) ponders why there are no superheroes in real life.

Then, with just the right amount of courage and naïvety built up, he decides to become a costumed hero and proceeds to confront the muggers who always take his money. One unsuccessful attempt and a trip to the emergency room later, his broken bones are now reinforced with metal and his damaged nerve endings grant him the ability to take a beating while experiencing little pain. So Dave resumes his vigilante venture and his superhero persona Kick-Ass gains fame through an Internet video of his exploits, turning his alter-ego into a household name.

People taking notice of this include Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), a powerful mafioso, and Damon (Nicolas Cage) and Mindy Macready (Chloe Moretz), a bad-ass father-daughter tag team with a vendetta against the crime boss. As the two go around eliminating D’Amico’s crews, costumed as vigilantes Big Daddy and HitGirl, the mobster targets Kick-Ass. D’Amico uses his own son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to get ahold of him, with Chris assuming the role of new hero Red Mist. Eventually the journeys of KickAss and Big Daddy and Hit-Girl intertwine, leading to a revengefilled final act that rages with rip-roaring action sequences.

While Dave/Kick-Ass is certainly a strong, likable character played with empathy and humor by Johnson in a breakout role, the real stars of the show here are Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, particularly Moretz as the feisty, foul-mouthed and deadly 11-year-old girl.

Many of the film’s funniest lines and moments, like when she saves a helpless Kick-Ass by completely slaughtering his would-be killers, come from this young actress’s swear-laden one-liners and the contrast of her innocent behavior with the fact that she builds up the highest body count. Everyone gets their moments of action, but Hit-Girl’s are always the coolest as she slices and dices through a bloody room of gang members or sharp-shoots a whole group of D’Amico’s cronies in the dark.

As Big Daddy, Cage gives one of those rich, radiating performances of his that’s intentionally comical (a rarity from him nowadays), and very enjoyable due to his odd character nuances, like speaking in a William Shatner impersonation whenever in superhero costume. The dynamic between him and Moretz flows like a true, loving father-daughter relationship, even when, in a wicked piece of dark comedy, Damon shoots his daughter to teach her how a bullet-proof vests feels so he can keep her safe. Big Daddy and Hit-Girl are the two who really kick ass during the film, and as such they are the most memorable and most entertaining aspect of it all, especially through this charming, heartfelt connection they have with each other.

Menacing bad guy character actor Mark Strong delivers another intimidating performance as the vindictive mob boss, working himself up throughout the movie to levels of intense but comic frustration, and playing off Mintz-Plasse quite well. As a character that’s mostly different from his famous McLovin persona, this one still a little nerdy but much more confident and powerful, it’s clear that Mintz-Plasse doesn’t want to be typecast his whole career.

Judging from his performance as Chris, he’ll succeed in expanding to other roles, both comedic and partly dramatic.

Director/co-writer Matthew Vaughn (“Stardust,” “Layer Cake”)

| Rental at best|

| Worth seeing |

started developing the film at the same time as the relatively new comic series upon which it’s based, and because of this, the writing seems more strongly focused than some other superhero movies (ahem, “Superman Returns”). However, the tone and pacing of the film feel sort of off; in the first half, “Kick-Ass” is lighter, funnier, and a tad slow, while about halfway through it ratchets up the seriousness, action and pacing while decreasing the humor a bit.

This change in tone can be a little off-putting as the movie tries to become more like a conventional superhero story, but after getting past that, viewers care about the characters more and all the thrills in the third act are quite exciting.

Even though Dave is totally outshone by an 11-year-old girl and her father, his story is still quite engaging and relatable, and Johnson makes him a very amusing guy. Vaughn also has a lot to do with this, as he presents the characters in a very straightforward but interesting manner. His visual style borrows a lot from comic panels, and puts a giddy emphasis on cartoony, bloody violence that really stands out. This is made abundantly clear through Hit-Girl’s fighting skills, from her ninja-like acrobatics and bladewielding to her pinpoint accuracy with guns. A stylized shootout seen from her perspective looks captured from some first-personshooter video game, and it’s quite cool to watch the killing unfold in this innovative style.

Using some story elements from other superhero origin movies, mixed with witty teenage humor alongside hyper-kinetic action and violence, “Kick-Ass” combines these components into an explosive comic book adaptation that entertains to high effect. Walking the tightrope between an homage and parody of the genre, this cinematic treat provides a send up of superhero films while also bringing its own unique flavor to the table, for a product that easily kicks the ass of anything else currently in theaters.

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| Instant Classic|

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page 24 sports 04.26.10

INTO THE VAULT

>>continued from page one

Engelken began pole-vaulting after East pole-vaulting coach Larry Colburn subbed for his freshman English class and told the students about the upcoming track tryouts. He described a good pole-vaulter as tall, athletic and crazy. Engelken knew he fit the description, took a chance at the sport and after one week was hooked.

“I thought it would be really fun, so I thought I’d give it a shot,” Engelken said. “I went, tried it and was good at it so I stayed.”

The first time he saw Engelken pole-vault, Colburn realized how great his mechanics were and knew Engelken would have a successful pole-vaulting season.

“It is really great to have an athlete with quality potential,” Colburn said. “He has very good mechanics and he has consistently been one of the best pole-vaulters I’ve ever had from their freshman year on.”

His freshman year Kyle broke the freshman record of 11 ft. at his third meet. Vaulting 8’6” and 10’6” his first two meets, he let his nerves get the best of him and wasn’t able to vault up to his potential. He is currently vaulting 13’6” consistently, which is about two feet higher than the average varsity pole-vaulter.

Besides the three-hour track practices everyday after school, Engelken lifts weights at the YMCA once a week.

In the pre-season Engelken practices at pole-vaulting facility Extreme Athletics with former professional pole-vaulter Doug Lytle. Lytle ranked sixth in the 1984 Olympics and represented the United States at the World Indoor Championships, placing eighth. This coming year Engelken plans to vault year-round with Lytle as his coach.

“People vault different ways,” Engelken said. “There are short people who are really fast and tall people who are really slow. I’m very tall and Doug Lytle helps me because he has tons of experience vaulting in that style.”

Lytle is looking forward to coaching Engelken this summer because he believes he has the potential to be a 16-ft high school vaulter which he hasn’t seen in the Kansas City area in over 10 years.

Lytle also said that if Engelken practices year-round at Extreme Athletics this will benefit him tremendously because the high school track season alone isn’t enough for Engelken to vault up to his potential.

“Kyle is so exciting to coach because of his energy,” Lytle said. “Just by his enthusi-

asm before everything you can see how much he wants to improve.”

They take the time every session to work on his run and approach, which he believes is key to Engelken’s success.

Lytle knows Engelken is capable of a 16’ vault, which would give him plenty of scholarship opportunities for college.

“A lot of athletes look down on themselves because they aren’t performing as well as they like,” Lytle said. “When Kyle doesn’t perform well he is disappointed but always looks at the situation positively and wants to improve at the next event.”

Typically after he doesn’t vault to his ability he will calm himself by working out and telling himself to not do it again.

“Nothing I do is going to change how I did,” Engelken said. “I just don’t want it to happen again so I do my best to work up my potential and not let that happen.”

Lytle, who has a personal best of 18’6”, knows that it takes confidence and trust in yourself to improve your height. He explains this sport is more than athletic ability, it takes mental strength as well.

Currently, at 13’6”, Engelken is about two feet short of the school record. He believes he may be able to break it this year, but if not, definitely next year and Colburn agrees. Colburn said only about five pole-vaulters in the state of Kansas can jump over 15 feet. Last year at state, first place in the 6A division jumped 14’6”, just a foot short of what Engelken is vaulting now, second and third place jumped 13’6”. Engelken is ranked eighth right now in the all-time school record.

“Pole vaulting is a love-hate relationship,” Engelken said.

“Some days you’re really good at it and some days you’re not because there are so many factors that have to come together perfectly.”

He explains that everything from the weather to the take off effects the final height. They all add up to create inconsistent scenarios. He hates it because it is frustrating but loves it when it works out.

“There is nothing better than jumping 14” in the air,” Engelken said.

Teammate senior Will Penner believes Engelken definitely has the potential to beat the school record and is very grateful because Engelken is always willing to offer his teammates advice.

Colburn believes if Engelken can get over his mental issues by minimizing

Fueled by his disappointment from regionals last season, junior hopes to vault into a finish at state

thinking, he will be extremely successful in the state tournament. He predicts if Engelken makes it to state, he’ll place in the top three.

After high school Engelken would love to pole-vault in college. One college he has in mind is Penn State. Colburn and Lytle both said they see Engelken as a future college athlete.

“It’s a great thing that he is having so much success as a junior,” Colburn said. “I believe he is truly capable of doing more great things in high school and of playing in college.”

Everyday Essentials

Kyle gives a rundown of what he needs at every meet

POLES >>Kyle’s uses his smallest pole, 14” in length, for warmup jumps. He has a large collection of poles. The stiffer poles can handle more weight, but take more force to handle.

HELMET >>Discovered in the back of the track shed, this helmet seemed like an obvious addition to Kyle’s arsenal. Comparing it to a seat belt, he wonders why one wouldn’t use it.

CAR >>RACE This toy holds a special place in Kyle’s heart.

He found it at the meet that he set his personal record- 13’6”. After it fell out of Kyle’s track bag at PV pool this summer, Kyle nearly lost his good luck charm for good until he found it in the locker room.

JUNIOR Kyle Engelken practices his vaults during practice on April 21. Engelken practices on heights taller than what he expects to see during a meet to ensure that he will feel confident enough to top any bar. photo illustration byMichael Stolle

>>

A Lancer Legacy

issue 15 sports page 25

Junior hurdler follows her grandpa’s passion for track >>ToniAguiar

Fifty-one years ago, former track coach Karl Englund stood on track at East, coaching East’s first track practice. There were about 100 boys ranging from distance runners to long-jumpers, but there were no girls who participated in the workouts. Now, the track team has 230 athletes, including countless girls.

“To run fast you have to work hard. It’s always been that way,” Englund said. “It was a great job. It wasn’t hard, and we had lots of wonderful kids. I didn’t see any reason to quit.”

Englund was East’s track coach from the day the school was built in 1958 and continued to coach until his retirement in 1998.

“We just have a simple, grandpa-grandkid relationship,” Doerr said. “It’s fun though.

I remember we would go to the Lake of the Ozarks and we would fish together. He always would try to teach me, even though I sucked at it.”

Now, his granddaughter junior Caroline Doerr is continuing the family tradition with track at East.

Doerr’s decision to do track started out as a whim. Most of her friends did track and as a cross country runner she thought it’d be fun.

“It’s fun to work for your own personal record,” Doerr said. “It’s nice to not have to depend on anything else and just go out there and try to improve.”

But to her grandfather, it’s more significant. She’s choosing to try something that he devoted his entire life to, something that his own kids never tried. Doerr’s mother pursued swimming and cheerleading.

“I absolutely love that Caroline’s doing track,” Englund said. “It gives me an excuse to hang around and watch the meets now.”

Dressed in khakis and a retro-East track shirt that dates back from the ‘80s, Englund comes to Doerr’s track meets to provide both support and tips. She runs hurdles like her grandpa, so he always comes to congratulate her armed with suggestions.

Doerr’s relationship with her grandpa is a simple one, but has grown stronger since

they have track and cross-country to talk about. He’s always encouraged her even when she doesn’t do well.

“I can’t even count the number of times he’s tried to get me to three-step [a technique for getting over hurdles]. It still never works for me,” Doerr said. “It’s really cool having him as a grandpa and a lot of the older teachers ask about him. But I don’t really feel pressured by it.”

As just a 10-year-old, Englund’s father took him to his first track meet where he first witnessed athletes fling themselves 14 or 15 feet in the air. This first experience with pole-vaulting jump-started a career that started with high school pole-vaulting and has never ended. He ran hurdles and also pole-vaulted in college at University of Missouri. In 1957, he won the Big Seven Championship in pole vaulting. He got involved in hurdles with MU’s relay team, going on to set the 480 yard hurdle relay national record.

Straight out of college, Englund received the job at East and taught driver’s education.

Later, he went on to teach AP United States History for most of his career. The track position was passed to current English teacher William Boley.

Englund left more than just a track named in honor of him and eight state champion teams behind. He coached Tricia Beaham, currently East’s long distance and cross-country coach.

“He was always known as being a tough coach,” Beaham said. “But he was effective.

People responded to him well so he was fun to be around.”

Englund has coached generations of kids, seen the switch from yards to meters, watched the track team grow from a few kids to over a hundred athletes and witnessed the naming of the track in his honor. But what stands out to him was the evolution of the track itself.

At first, all schools had a cinder track with six lanes. Cinder, made out of crushed and burnt coal, was donated by the Power and Light district.

“Before the meet, all the coaches would

JUNIOR Caroline Doerr stands with her grandpa, Karl Englund, beneath the sign dedicating East’s track to Englund. All photos by Anna Marken

>>

walk around the track, dumping cinders on it,” Englund said. “Then someone would fire up the big rolling machine that we have and drive around on it. The kids would have to walk around the track with buckets of white paint to paint the lines.”

It was impossible to practice if it was raining, and unfortunately for the hurdlers, falls were brutal because of the rough cinders. In the 1970’s East’s first asphalt track

was constructed, and then in 1999 the red rubber one like the one standing today was built.

“This is where I spent a lot of my time, a lot of energy.” Englund said. “My proudest moment is coaching that team. We had some good times and fantastic athletes on the multiple tracks over the years.”

Tracknow andthen This year Doerr and her team placed second in the shuttle hurdle relay at the Blue Valley Relays.

East’s track is an eight lane track made out of red rubber composite.

“300 m hurdles because it’s not short and fast like the 100. It has more running and less form.”

Caroline Doerr

Caroline wears Saucony columbia blue spikes with pink soles.

All Star Moment

Terrain

Favorite Event

Race Spikes

In 1957 at Drake Relays, Englund and his team set a national record in the Shuttle hurdle relay.

Six lane track made out of cinders. The sophomores had to paint the lines on the day before each meet.

“The pole vault, I vaulted 14’6” using a steel pole and landed in saw dust.”

“The best flats they had were made by Converse, you might as well have been running barefoot they were so bad.”

Karl Englund

>>Photo courtesy of Karl Englund

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College Plans: Tennis at Iowa State University Reason Chose School: Iowa State’s coach and team are really nice, and it’s a good distance away from home. It’s a good school.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Winning state junior year as a team, because it was a battle with Blue Valley North, and we ended up winning.

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY SWIMMING

ALLISON KIRBY

SIGNING DAY

College Plans: Swimming at Depauw University Reason Chose School: I wanted to study abroad, so I chose a [Division III] school where I could be in a sorority.

I like the coach a lot too.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: State my sophomore year, because we did really well as a team and I broke the school record in the 100-breaststroke.

MALLORY KIRBY

TRACK

SOCCER

MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY ALEX COX

College Plans: Baseball at Pratt Community College Reason Chose School: I know two of the coaches there, and it just seemed like the right fit.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: The freshman baseball team was one of the most fun seasons I’ve ever had.

The people on the team were great, the coach was great; it was just a good time.

PRATT C.C.

JANNA GRAF

BASKETBALL College Plans: Basketball at Yale University Reason Chose School: Because of the good academic program, and the team and coaches are amazing.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Making it to state junior and senior year for basketball. We hadn’t gone in 19 years, so it was a good step for us and the program.

YALE UNIVERSITY

HUNTER STEVENSON

After starting the season with strong play from a young varsity squad led by sophomore Henry Simpson, the boys’ golf team has continued to push through the year with a first place finish at the Olathe North Invitational last week. The VOLLEYBALL Lancers won in a 5th-player tiebreaker over SunCollege Plans: Volleyball at flower League competition Shawnee Mission Appalachian State University Northwest.

Reason Chose School: It felt really homey because my sister goes there and it’s just a great place.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Competing in state my sophomore year, because it was the only time we went to state and it was really exciting.

APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY College Plans: Track at University of Kansas Reason Chose School: I visited a lot of schools, and liked the girls at KU. You’ve got to like the people you run with every day.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: When the 4×800 won state last year, because we were a second off of breaking the state record.

SWIMMING

College Plans: Swimming at Saint Louis University Reason Chose School: They have a great engineering school and swimming will help the expenses, because it’s an expensive school.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Winning state this year, because it was my senior year and we were somewhat underdogs at state.

SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY

NO CRYING IN (SOFT)BALL

Coming off of a season that handed the Lady Lancers only two wins, the team has had their best start in years despite dropping recent matches to state powers Olathe South and Olathe East. The softball team plays tomorrow night against Shawnee Mission North.

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS KAREEN SCHWARTZE

BASEBALL

DEPAUW UNIVERSITY

TOP OF THE LINKS

MADDY RICH TRACK

College Plans: Soccer at Millikin University Reason Chose School: They gave me the best scholarship offer.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Scoring the winning goal against South last year in overtime. It was a big rivalry game and we won in front of a pretty big student section which was fun.

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN COLLEGE

College Plans: Tennis at Depauw University Reason Chose School: I can play tennis and be able to balance academics well while doing the honors program.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Just making a lot of great friends on the team and being a part of some great teams that were really successful.

LINDSEY SAULS

College Plans: Soccer at Johnson County Community College Reason Chose School: I love the coaching staff. They’re ranked number two in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

I also had a really nice offer.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Going on team trips and bonding with all of the girls.

GORDON GREEN

College Plans: Track at Illinois Wesleyan University Reason Chose School: They have a good track program and a good nursing program that will let me focus on all my interests.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Winning the Kansas Cup last year at KU Relays, which is the best high school women’s relay team.

SALLY SCHOENFELD TENNIS

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JOHNSON COUNTY C.C.

DEPAUW UNIVERSITY

sideline

these 13 seniors made a commitment to continue their athletic careers by signing with college programs on Apr. 15.

SOCCER

JESSIE JACOB

issue 15 sports page 27 THE

NIKKI REBER TENNIS

VOLLEYBALL

College Plans: Volleyball at Rockhurst University Reason Chose School: I really like the school and I like the coach, plus it’s still close to home.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Qualifying for state my sophomore year and being really close with all of my teammates through the years.

ROCKHURST UNIVERSITY ZACH CLEMENTS TRACK College Plans: Track at Johnson County Community College Reason Chose School: It was my only offer but it also was just the right fit.

Favorite East Athletic Memory: Winning districts in the 4×400 relay in 2009 because we had some tough competition and did a great job against them.

JOHNSON COUNTY C.C.

RELAY WRAP-UP

In past years, the girls’ track team has had strong showings at the Kansas Relay and continued that trend two weeks ago. The girls’ 4x4 relay placed first at the meet and broke the school record while the 4x8 finished in fifth. For the boys the 4x100 relay also saw a fifth place outcome, anchored by senior Chris Clarke who placed fourth individually in the 100 meter sprint and is expected to be a state title contender.

page 28 photo essay 04.26.10

students host an Earth Fair to educate the community

ABOVE: Seniors Nathan Goldman and Charlie Kline watch as Kline’s younger sister pets a turtle. The Earth Fair was held in the gym and the small gym on April 17. It was held in hopes of making the community want to become more green. MackenzieWylie RIGHT: Senior Grace Martin paints a glass jar at the painting table.

MackenzieWylie FAR RIGHT: Senior Jacob Johnson places a corn snake around a girls neck. MackenzieWylie

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ABOVE: Junior Chris Melvin’s brother Jack Melvin inspects a 2-liter bottle with free starter fish in them for anyone who was interested in starting their own aquarium. “We were there because Jack’s third grade class sang an Earth Day song in the gym,” Jack’s mom Joan Melvin said. “He loved the live animal exhibit. The snakes were his favorite.” DanStewart

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