Issue 6 of the 2012-2013 Harbinger

THE HARBINGER

Shawnee Mission East l 7500 Mission Road, PV KS, 66208 l November 19, 2012 l Issue 6 l www.smeharbinger.net

PAGES 4-5 INFORMATION AND STUDENT OPINIONS ON THE DRUG DOGS

WATER

CHANGES

EVERYTHING

Senior uses Charity Water campaign to put past trauma in perspective photo illustration by Jake Crandall

written by Matt Hanson

Senior Jack Sernett won’t be getting any gifts for Christmas.

But that’s his choice. He wants his family to use their money for something more important than his presents. He wants them to donate to his personal Charity Water campaign. Somewhere in the world, there are thousands of villagers whose lives he can save with clean water. He just needs the money to do so. With an ultimate goal of $20,000, Jack needs all the money he can get.

So Jack will give up his Christmas for his campaign. But while he probably won’t get any presents this year, Jack’s Christmas will still be a lot better than his last one.

Because this Christmas, Jack will be saving lives.

Because this Christmas, he’s not the one who needs saving. * * * Jack sits at his desk staring at a physics test. His chest hurts. He feels like he’s having a heart attack.

He starts to sweat. His mind races.

Oh my god. I’m gonna fail this test. If I get an F, there go my chances of going to an out of state college.

This test is everything.

He can’t even finish it. He’s frozen in worry. Buried by negative thoughts and fear. Frozen. Helpless.

Finally, he gets up in the middle of the test and asks to excuse himself. In the hall, he calls his mom.

“I just can’t do this right now. I have no control.” * * * Jack began having anxiety attacks like this daily in the second quarter of his junior year. He had always dealt with anxiety problems and had been diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, but junior year was worse. Thoughts of his workload, his soccer games or his future brought on intense anxiety.

As Jack’s anxiety grew worse, he began to worry those around him. In class, he’d be stone quiet. He wouldn’t interact with anyone around him.

“Everyone has off days, but [for Jack] it seemed like it was everyday,” Jack’s longtime friend, senior Mason Pashia, said. “It was sad to see that happen because he’s such a good guy. He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met.”

His parents tried to calm him down. They tried to help him see things positively. Jack’s mom, Jenny, even made lists of things he should have been happy about. He was healthy. He was smart. He was athletic.

“There were so many positives,” Jack’s dad, Tim, said. “[We were] just trying to get him to not be anxious about everything and look at the positive side of life.”

But Jack couldn’t see it. Tim said that Jack’s disorder made him hard to reason with.

“An anxiety disorder is not based in rational thought,” Tim said. “We started to figure that out. You start to understand that anything you try to say probably isn’t gonna help. The person needs to figure it out for themselves.”

continued on pages 16-17

2 | NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Bachelor Auction

French Students Celebrate French National Week

Changes to the Village Approved

The Week in Photos

written by Sarah Berger

Bachelor Auction The third annual bachelor auc-­ tion was held on Nov. 13. It was or-­ ganized by the junior and senior stu-­ dent councils as a fundraiser for the annual can drive that ended on Nov. 16.

During the event, 17 boys were put up for auction and could be bought using cans or money that would go towards the Johnson Coun-­ ty Christmas Bureau. This year the event raised 2,065 cans in bids.

This year the fundraiser featured

THE TOP SELLER Nick Kraske and Will Cray

were bought by Victoria Sabates and Morgan Twibell for 400 cans

only boys, unlike last year’s auction which featured both boys and girls.

Freshmen were also featured in this \HDU V HYHQW IRU WKH oUVW WLPH Another change from last year was in the organization of the event.

Unlike past years, juniors helped the seniors organize the event.

“We wanted to have the juniors do it as well so they can continue it on for the next year,” senior Liz Gray said. “Then they can teach the class below them.”

“[Morgan and I] have always joked about being on Sport’s Picks,” junior Victoria Sabates said. “If we could be on it we think it would be really funny.”

French Students Celebrate French National Week All last week, French students took part in the celebration of French National Week.

French National Week was started 13 years ago by the American Asso-­ ciation of Teachers of French (AATF).

The purpose of French National Week is to give students a chance to learn more about the French speak-­ ing world and its culture.

This year the French students cel-­ ebrated by playing French music in hallways as well as decorating a case

LQ WKH OLEUDU\ ZLWK WKH pDJV RI )UHQFK speaking countries. They also made D ODUJH )UHQFK pDJ DQG ZURWH IDFWV in each panel about countries like Canada and Senegal. On Wednesday they had a party after school to cele-­ brate French culture. In their classes, students brought traditional French foods, such as quiche and cheese fon-­ due, and made crafts.

“We celebrate every year,” senior Helena Buchmann said. “This year we did a little bit more [to celebrate].”

French National Week traditions include:

Changes to the Village Approved Earlier this month, the Prairie Village City Planning Commission approved plans for a drive-­thru and STANDEES, a movie theatre and res-­ taurant combination.

The drive-­thru will be located in a new building that will be built in the old location of Waid’s Restaurant.

The new building is also planned to be the location for two to four new stores or restaurants as well as the

200 foot drive-­thru. The building will also have two patios on both ends for WZR WHQDQWV 1R WHQDQWV KDYH RIoFLDO-­ ly signed on to the project yet.

STANDEES, which was proposed in September, was also approved to take the place of Macy’s home store and Einstein Bros. Construction is set to begin in December and is project-­ HG WR EH oQLVKHG E\ WKH HQG RI 0D\

The Week in Photos Left: Sophomores Charlie Drape and Sam Pottenger battle for the ball during the SHARE Dodgeball Tournament.

photo by AnnaMarie Oakley

Left: Senior Joe Simmons auctions off one of the bachelors at the Bachelor Auction last Tuesday.

photo by McKenzie Swanson

Left: Senior Annie Sullivan plays the character Paula Trent in the fall play, “Plan 9 from Outer Space.”

photo by Molly Gasal

music

art

cuisine

sports

Home sweet Homeschool

NEWS | 3

Homeschooling continues to rise in popularity as test score prove its effectivness.

photo illustration by Molly Gasal written by Maggie McGannon

Homeschooling is growing seven times faster than the number of kids enrolling in K-12 every year. According to a quote from Education News, “Researchers are expecting a surge in the number of students educated at home by their parents over the next 10 years as more families spurn public schools.”

Local professionals believe the sudden increase may be attributed to parents being worried about the type of education their children are receiving, what they are learning about and possibility of bullying. Region 3 Assistant Director of Families for Home Education, Shane Richardson, believes that it has a lot to do with the move from schools teaching academics to teaching more about social issues.

Jessica Thompson, 16, is a local homeschool student and friend of many East students. Thompson started her homeschooling in second grade specifically so that she and her brother could learn science from a Christian point-of-view. Also, her older brother had not developed a passion for learning like other third graders.

“My mom saw that he did not like learning, and she wanted him to enjoy learning because she knew he would have to learn for the rest of his life,” Thompson said. “She didn’t like the fact that a kid hated learning in third grade.”

Having similar reasoning behind her early homeschooling, Junior Grace Peterson was homeschooled through eighth grade. Both Grace and her sister, senior Mary Kate, started attending public school their freshman year in order to get exposure to the public school system before attending college, though her younger siblings continued to be homeschooled. “[My parents] said they wanted to homeschool us so we would have a love of learning,” Grace said. “Not just memorize a bunch of stuff and then just spit it back out for the test.”

Grace was homeschooled with her four siblings, which she thought made her family a lot closer. One of the biggest advantages she noticed with being homeschooled was not having any busy work. Peterson remembers her parents being frustrated with the amount of extra worksheets her older sister was assigned her first year of public school as a freshman.

Homeschooled students typically score between the 65th and 89th percentile on standardized tests, while students educated from public schools score in the 50th percentile on average.

Another contrast between the two types of education is time put into schoolwork. Students who are homeschooled typically spend about four to five hours a day

doing schoolwork. An average public schooler goes to school for seven hours a day, which excludes the homework and studying that night. This is why families like the Petersons see homeschooling as more time efficient than public school.

“I liked that I could work at my own pace and if one section was harder than another then I could spend more time on that,” Kathryn Hanson, a local K-Life leader who was formerly homeschooled until college, said. “ I wasn’t trying to keep up with other students in my class, obviously.”

Students who are homeschooled also adapt to an alternative form of learning. Rather than learning from a teacher everyday, they take action to teach themselves.

If they don’t understand something, they can focus more time on learning the topic and receiving help if they need it. Instead of changing subjects to the sound of a bell, they have the capability of moving at their own pace.

Richardson describes the higher test scores of homeschoolers being related to having a one-on-one education and students being able to more easily recall information.

“In homeschooling, students learn how to learn, rather than learning to pass a test,” Richardson said. “They learn the skills that it takes to learn in life rather than just learning some facts and making them turn around and put them on a test and be done with it.”

The Hannas, an East family, homeschooled each of their children until midway through elementary school.

Their focus was less about giving their children the best possible education and more about taking advantage of time to build relationships with them.

“It was just more time to instill our own family values before they got bombarded with the world,” Tanya Hanna, current East parent and past homeschool parent, said. *** According to Peterson, a common stereotype and fear associated with homeschooling is students becoming anti-social.

“People think if you’re homeschooled you’re a social reject, according to society,” President of Independent Homeschool Athletics Ric Mitchell said. “This isn’t true, it’s not the case at all.”

With all the said benefits of homeschooling, Education News believes that this method of education will continue to grow at the current rapid rate throughout the upcoming years.

“The more people do it, it is easier because you have support,” Hanna said. “And so I think people see that quite a few people are doing it therefore they’ve got support.

They’re not a lone ranger.”

Above: A mother teaches her children in a home classroom in their basement

Schooling the Stars Even celebrities are homeschooled! Here are a few famous folks who were taught at home.

Sandra Day O’Connor First woman justice on the Supreme Court

The location of the farm where O’connor lived made the trip to school difficult, so she was homeschooled.

Tim Tebow

Quarterback of the Denver Broncos

Tebow’s parents wanted a close-knit, religion oriented family and thought it would be best to homechool Tim and his siblings.

Thomas Edison

Inventor of the lightbulb

Edison was in school for three months before his mother pulled him out so he could work on experiments.

Bethany Hamilton Professional Surfer

Hamiltion chose to be homeschooled as a child in order to keep up with her timeconsuming surf training.

information courtesy of TLC Parentables

4| NEWS

POLICE PUPS

Find out what happens during random drug dog searches at East when the students are locked inside the classroom.

Above: Nela poses for a picture as she sniffs around a car at the Olathe Police Station

photos by Taylor Anderson written by Jeri Frierich

O

nce each semester, students and teachers are locked inside their classrooms while German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois roam the hallways.

These dogs aren’t pets— they’re drug dogs from the Olathe Police Department.

The drug dogs are brought to East for random searches throughout the interior and exterior building. The Olathe department is called because the Prairie Village Police Department doesn’t have drug dogs.

The police department notifies Student Resource Officer Joel Porter who tells only the school administrators one day before they come to search the school so none of the students or faculty know about it.

The dogs are trained to sniff out drugs, and if any are found, the officers take over and continue searching the locker, backpack or car. A trained officer takes one to two dogs around to a random row of lockers, random classrooms in the school and random rows in the parking lots. When a dog has found a drug they

will bark and scratch. The search must remain completely random or else it could result in a student’s invasion of privacy.

“I haven’t heard of any students complain about the dogs coming to school for a search,” Porter said. “Usually people know they made a mistake by bringing illegal items and they are pretty apologetic.”

If a student is found with an illegal substance, then the student will be taken into custody. The level of the punishment depends on the type of crime committed.

When a student commits a misdemeanor, for example, possession of marijuana, the student is taken into custody and is released to his or her parents. The student will stay in custody if they are caught with possession of other drugs besides marijuana.

“We certainly don’t want these things in our building,” Principal Karl Krawitz said. “Hopefully this is a wake up call for students to think ‘is this really something I want on my record?’”

MEET NELA

One of the Olathe police dogs who occasionally sniffs for drugs at East

AGE 5

BREED

Yellow Lab

FAVORITE FOOD

Any type of candy — she tries to take any from schools she visits.

PERSONALITY Playful

HOME

Nela lives with her partner.

FRIENDS

Nela works with other police dogs who are German Shepards

FUN FACT

Most working dogs are bred in the Czech Republic

NEWS | 5

COMMENTARY Are random drug searches an invasion of privacy?

Students and teachers weigh in.

sophomore Gracie Guignon

senior Liam Murphy

senior Bennett Wendlant

sophomore Lindsey Locton

“I think they are a good thing to have because they are a good resource. I don’t have a very strong opinion on them but they are definitely a good way to make sure people are not using drugs.”

“They are an invasion of privacy.

Drug dogs are a technique that use surprise to catch individuals who are doing something wrong.

Instead of getting people in legal trouble that can hurt their educational career, we should focus our efforts on prevention.”

“Obviously it is necessary but at the same time it kind of takes away students’ rights. It is a privacy issue. You shouldn’t have it in your car, but you just have to be prepared to get caught if you are bringing illegal things to school.”

“I think that since it is in school, the police should be able to do whatever they want and it is probably for the best. It keeps other students safe who don’t want to be involved with drugs.”

teacher Ron Stallard

sophomore Jeff Madison

senior Tyler Rathbun

junior Peter Andresen

“The law says that dog searches are okay as long as it is random but they cannot target on one specific target. “

“I am sort of neutral. They should have reasonable suspicion because they are at school and the school can do whatever they want because it’s their property.”

“I feel like they are kind of an invasion of privacy. They are used for good purposes, but I still think that they are unfair to students.”

“I think they are necessary to ensure that our student body is drugfree and safe, but I also believe that it could possibly be an invasion of a student’s privacy.”

junior Joe Frazell

senior Kelsey Scott

sophomore Brock Santoro

senior Grant Sitomer

“I think it is an invasion of privacy because we pay for the parking passes and they just come in and go through everything which isn’t fair to students.”

“I think it is unnecessary and I think they are just trying to bust students to get their paychecks higher. They make a lot of money from getting kids in trouble so it would make sense to them to do it.”

“I think they should have reasonable cause to do it and if they don’t then it shouldn’t be allowed because that is against rights.”

“I don’t smoke, so I believe that the drug dogs should come to prevent problems in school. It also makes other students feel safer knowing that they aren’t surrounded by illegal substances.”

officer Joel Porter

senior Kaitlin Morgan

principal Karl Krawitz

senior Max Blanchard

“I think they are great because I like anything that is going to make the campus and the city safe. I think it is effective because they catch things that we can’t.”

“I understand they are necessary, however I feel more energy should be directed towards prevention and safety in other ways. They are often viewed as an invasion of privacy which causes unnecessary controversy.”

“Having [the dogs] present on school property is a good thing because it keeps students aware that we aren’t going to just allow those kinds of things to happen on school grounds.”

“I’m for drug dogs because they are an easy way to enforce rules around the school. They don’t do it very often so it’s not that big of an invasion. If people really have that big of a problem with not bringing drugs to school, then they shouldn’t be going to school.”

IN THE NEWS In 2006, a Florida police officer received an anonymous tip that a man, Joelis Jardines, was growing marajuana inside his house. Without a warrant, the officer took a police dog to the property in order to sniff for drugs. The dog signaled that it was a grow house, and the officer filed for a warrant. After an official search of the house, the dog’s suspicions were confirmed and Jardes was arrested and charged for trafficking cannibus. In response, Jardes filed a law suit insisting that the dog sniff was impermissible under his Fourth Amendmant Right.

The case, Florida vs.

Jardines, was argued in the Supreme Court on Oct. 31. The big question is this: Does the Fourth Amendment require a drug dog sniff search to have a probable cause?

The Supreme Court has heard the case but has yet to decide; they are expected to issue a decision sometime next year. oyez.org

15!

NEWS | 7

E-XTRA HELP Online study resources are assisting more East students

photo illustration Stefano Byer

written by Morgan Krakow visual and easy to use.

“It saves me time so that I can study the cards instead of having to make them,” Bloom said.

He said that this year his English teacher suggested that the students use websites like Sparknotes and No Fear Shakespeare. Both websites help put the language of Shakespeare’s plays and poems into a more understandable wording.

“I think if teachers know that it is a reliable source they will have no problem with me using it,” Bloom said.

Goulding has used Sparknotes since middle school, but started using websites for help in math and history this year. He uses a site called Wolfram Alpha to help with math.

“You can type in any problem or equation and will give you every possible answer, even parabolas and graphs,” Goulding said.

Associate principal Jeremy Higgins admits that the internet opens up many study opportunities to the student. However, he cautions students to use the internet for help only when absolutely necessary.

“I think that obviously any method that kids can use to help themselves is advantageous,” Higgins said. “[But] if a student is struggling, they should always go see their teacher [first].”

While Higgins also pointed out that East provides other opportunities like National Honor Society tutoring after school to help struggling students, he admits that online resources can be helpful in certain cases.

“But if a kid is sitting at home at 10 p.m. and doesn’t know how to work a problem, where else can they go?” Higgins said. “Well there’s plenty of resources online.”

Kara Disberger is a student teacher for first semester and is gaining experience with the Spanish II classes at East. She is finishing up school and says that her education professors really want their students to use technol-

ogy in their classrooms. class and said that he likes the variation be“For my portfolio that I’m doing for stu- tween notes and videos. dent teaching, one of the requirements is not “Kids like videos a lot more than just takonly am I using technology but I’m having ing notes so everyone pays more attention in you guys as students use technology,” Dis- class,” Tyler said. berger said.

Associate principal John McKinney Higgins agrees with implementing more thinks that although more opportunities are technology into the classroom but wants the arising for students to get help from the inteachers to be completely comfortable with ternet, it should never supplement teaching it first. in a classroom.

“If [the teachers] have been out explor“The best website or learning program ing different websites and they come across in the world will never replace live, direct things that they believe are beneficial to instruction from an informed, engaging intheir students, then yes, absolutely, I’m all for structor,“ Mckinney said. get[ting] that information out there because students want to know that,” Higgins said.

Science teacher Jennifer Davis has begun incorporating online-based activities into her classroom. She set up an account with KhanAcademy.org, a website that offers free KHANACADEMY.COM tutorial videos for various subjects. The notMath, Science, Computer Science, Finance for-profit website contains 208,008,679 les& Economics, Humanities, Test Prep sons, and stresses that they want to provide good education to everyone.

CONJUGUEMOS.COM “Khan Academy often helps me better understand [the curriculum] leading to better Spanish, French, German, Latin, grades on tests,” said sophomore Mackenzie Portuguese Hanna.

Davis says she tries to play the videos for her class but they don’t always work. For the Breakdown of which subjects most part she stresses the use of her classes’ students seek the most help for online textbook because it offers great online quizzes and tools to prepare for tests.

Math 26 Davis said that although the textbook and internet can help students study, there Science 8 are certain things within the classroom that trump online studying.

History 7 “The teacher can present the information in different ways and explain things if English 10 students aren’t understanding,” Davis said.

“Teachers can stop, go back and choose a different path to get the information across. The Foreign Language 25 internet cannot do that.”

Freshman Jack Tyler is in Davis’ Biology stats based on poll of 76 East students*

WHERE TO STUDY

SUBJECTS

SparkNotes, Conjuguemos and Khan Academy; for some high school students these websites are becoming the new notecards, tutors and chalkboards.

The internet has recently become a study source for students at East and all over the country. Websites offering free help in subjects from Chemistry to U.S. History are popping up all over the internet. Tech-savvy students are becoming more accustomed to studying for tests and quizzes online.

Of 115 East students surveyed, 27 percent stated that they had experience with an online education/tutoring website. Although this number may seem insignificant, it can mean big improvements for some students and their grades.

“I feel like all my grades have steadily increased since I started using online study resources,” sophomore Reese Goulding said.

He likes to use these sites because it gives him a different interpretation of the material in his classes. Sophomore Garrett Bloom started using online study resources in middle school and recently has used more webbased materials for studying.

“The amount of information [on the internet] has gone up and there are a lot of benefits to using the internet [to study],” Bloom said.

There was a poll released last year by National Lone Star Report on Aligning Technology with Student Success, in which 6,000 students on 36 different campuses were surveyed. In the poll, 77 percent said that their grades improved after using internet-based coursework and online classrooms.

These websites include online quizzes, instructional videos and interactive diagrams.

Science, math, English, and history are all on the web available for a student.

Bloom uses a website called Quizlet to study flashcards. The website has online flashcard sets already made. Bloom said he likes that the information on the internet is

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EDITORIAL | 9

KEEPING THECOLLEGE

Many voters are calling for a change in the voting system, but we should stick to the Electoral College Today, voters express frustration with the Electoral College and call for the president to be elected by a popular vote. However, the Electoral College’s flaws are exaggerated and, compared to alternatives, it is the best system. It protects voters from various backgrounds while adhering to our founding ideals.

In 2000, Bush was the fourth president to win the electoral vote while losing the popular vote. This occurred because in some states Bush gained more votes by a small margin.

The Electoral College uses a “winner takes all approach.” For example, if 51 percent vote for one candidate and 49 percent vote for the other, all of the electoral votes for that state go to the winner. People find this frustrating because presidential candidates could potentially win the Electoral College vote, but lose the popular vote. Because of this people are calling to change our voting system to a direct popular vote.

If we were to change to a direct popular vote, the system would have two main flaws. The first is that it would allow larger states to dominate the election by their sheer massive populations. California’s population is 74 times larger than Wyoming’s population. Small states would be swallowed up because large states would vote for the candidate who would benefit their state goals, rather than the country as a whole.

Ultimately candidates would then have to worry about only

THE HARBINGER a publication of Shawnee Mission East high school 7500 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS 66208

Editors-in Chief Anne Willman Chloe Stradinger Assistant Editors Andrew McKittrick Katie Knight Art & Design Editor Paige Hess Photo Editor Jake Crandall Assistant Photo Editors Caroline Creidenberg Emma Robson Head Copy Editor Matt Hanson Copy Editors Anne Willman Chloe Stradinger Andrew McKittrick Katie Knight Erin Reilly Morgan Twibell Leah Pack Sarah Berger Ads Manager Sophie Tulp Circulation Manager Greta Nepstad Editorial Board

appealing to large artwork by Akshay Dinakar populous states in order to win the elections. The Electoral College gives representation to small states while still enabling population to have an effect. Each state has the same number of electors as they have senators and representatives, giving a total of three electoral votes to even the smallest states.

The second main flaw would be that it goes against our nation’s democratic republic foundation. Our founding fathers set up the government to be a representative democracy in order to create an effective system while still giving minorities, interest groups and the American public a say.

This enables us to filter three hundred million ideas into 540 representatives who then argue and defend those ideas while having a better chance of compromising and getting something done. A popular vote would contradict this ideal by enabling citizens to directly elect the president. This would not only give power to certain regions but also could lead to results prolonged for weeks as all votes are counted, especially if a recount is called.

Others argue that the Electoral College highlights a few states known as “swing states.” Candidates focus their efforts in these states because in these states electoral votes are undecided. However if we were to switch to a popular vote, the

STAFF 2012-2013

Chloe Stradinger Andrew McKittrick Erin Reilly Anne Willman Jennifer Rorie Katie Knight Grace Heitmann Matt Hanson Julia Poe Kim Hoedel Duncan MacLachlan Sami Walter Zoe Brian Staff Writers Julia Seiden Sophie Tulp Taylor Bell Nellie Whittaker Pauline Werner Caroline Kohring News Section Editor Sarah Berger News Page Editors Emily Perkins Rock Greta Nepstad Editorial Section Editor Jennifer Rorie Opinion Section Editor Kim Hoedel

preferred candidate in a state would probably not change. In this past election, only two districts in Kansas voted for the democratic candidate meaning that the majority in Kansas still voted Republican. If we were to switch to a popular vote, the states with large populations would become the new bombarded states. Either way, people are unhappy.

If we were to try and replace the Electoral College, it would be highly unlikely that the amendment would be passed because it would need a two-thirds vote from both the houses and would have to be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. The Electoral College may cause frustration to some, but in reality it has proved successful for over 200 years. Americans have exercised their right to vote and presidents have successfully been inaugurated. It maintains our representative democracy and gives small states an influence.

EDITORIAL BOARD VOTES

FOR AGAINST ABSENT

8 4 1

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

Opinion Page Editors Maggie McGannon Morgan Krakow Feature Section Editor Erin Reilly Feature Page Editors Jeri Freirich Maddie Hise Spread Editor Morgan Twibell Mixed Page Editor Leah Pack A&E Section Editor Tiernan Shank A&E Page Editors Phoebe Aguiar Hannah Ratliff Sports Section Editor Grace Heitmann Sports Page Editors Alex Goldman Mitch Kaskie G.J. Melia Freelance Page Editors Vanessa Daves Julia Poe Audrey Danciger Staff Artists Matti Crabtree

Akshay Dinakar Staff Photographers Katie Sgroi Annie Savage Connor Woodson Taylor Anderson Miranda Gibbs Meghan Shirling Maddie Schoemann Molly Gasal Stefano Byer Maddie Connelly Paloma Garcia Online Editors-in-Chief Sami Walter Duncan MacLachlan Assistant Online Editors Julia Poe Zoe Brian Head Copy Editors Jennifer Rorie Vanessa Daves Multimedia Editor Dalton Boehm Convergence Editor Erin Reilly News Editor Pauline Werner

Online Photo Editors Marisa Walton McKenzie Swanson Assistant Online Photo Editor AnnaMarie Oakley Video Editor Nathan Walker Live Broadcast Editors Connor Woodson Andrew McKittrick Homegrown Editor Morgan Krakow A&E Editor Maggie McGannon Sports Desk Alex Goldman Mitch Kaskie Blogs Editor Susannah Mitchell Podcast Editor Thomas Allen Eastipedia Editor Taylor Bell Interactive Design Editors James Simmons Mitch Kaskie Social Media Director Maddie Hise

Webmaster Chris Denniston Live Broadcast Producers Grace Heitmann Chris Denniston Paige Hess Connor Woodson Andrew McKittrick Thomas Allen Katie Knight Julia Poe Multimedia Staff Maxx Lamb Thomas Allen Chris Denniston Dalton Boehm Tessa Polaschek Nathan Walker Emily Perkins Rock Will Brownlee Miranda Gibbs Meghan Shirling Adviser Dow Tate

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

finding change

OPINON | 11 Senior reflects on her struggles and successes during her trip abroad to Germany

the

written by Caroline Creidenberg

“How was Germany?”

This question never seems to stop coming.

Ever since I returned from Germany in July, I have received that question at least once a day.

And to be completely honest, I still don’t know how to answer it. I normally just politely respond with, “Oh it was great!” or “It was an amazing experience.” But to really explain how Germany was would take days. Ten months isn’t exactly something you can sum up in one sentence.

In fact, I don’t know if I will ever be able to sum it up.

Being thrown into another culture isn’t something just anyone can handle. So, last September when I arrived in Germany, I cried, wondering if even I could survive it. Was my wish to meet new people and explore a new culture really worth it? I didn’t know what to expect going in. In fact, I had no idea. Everything was foreign and unknown. I couldn’t even go the bathroom without having to ask how to flush it. But worst of all, I wasn’t able to communicate — two years of American-taught German didn’t prepare me for what I had to face: all German, all day.

*** I am a talkative person. I tend to not know when to shut up. So when I entered into

this foreign culture with a foreign language, I freaked. I needed to talk to people, but I couldn’t. I wanted to make friends, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t speak every day German. It was fast, confusing and nothing like I had heard before. At times I felt trapped in my own little world, and that’s when I would resort to my journal. My journal was my best friend. Everything that went on in my life I wrote.

I filled two whole thick journals full of pages. Pages of me venting, rejoicing and explaining my everyday events.

Talking to people was painful for me. I remember sitting in the school lunchroom with a bunch of classmates and praying that they wouldn’t talk to me. The only question I felt comfortable with them asking was, “Wie heisst du?” (What’s your name), and sometimes I didn’t even understand that. The idea of not being able to understand them sometimes took over my brain, and even the simplest phrases sounded like gibberish to me. The thought of not knowing what someone was asking or saying was mortifying to me.

Luckily, after four months of asking, “Was ist das?”

(What is that?) and dinner table discussions about grammar, I became conversationally fluent. As exciting as it was to finally be able to talk to people in German, it only led me to another obstacle: finding friends. To the Germans, I was weird. Not a cool weird. Just weird. At several points throughout the year, I was the topic of conversation because I was so different. The American, Ami, Caroline, Carry, Carol, whatever they called me, I seemed to pop up in people’s conversations. The words “komisch” (strange),

escapingsuburbia

written by Emily Perkins Rock “A

life-changing intercultural experience” was the tagline that drew me in. I wasn’t looking for something ‘utterly unforgettable’ as so many sites had promised — I was just looking to get away. A year and a half of living in Kansas confirmed that I’m just not cut out for suburban life. After six years of living in New York, the frantic pace of the city is so deeply ingrained in me that I found the change disconcerting. In the last months of my freshman year, a rush of cabin fever had me glued to the computer, desperately researching any and every exchange program I was eligible to apply for.

My acceptance letter to the National Security Language Initiative for Youth’s summer program meant a six week break from neighbors’ well-meaning questions about how I was liking Kansas, and the inevitable half truths that followed. The picket fences seem to cage me in; the houses are set so far apart that you need a car to get anywhere; there’s an absence of traffic sounds that had been my lullaby for so long — I couldn’t very well vocalize these and watch as indignant shock painted their faces.

China provided the perfect escape.

Arriving in China was hectic in a comforting sort of way. The neon signs and bright lights of Changzhou, a large city an hour away from Shanghai, were strongly reminiscent of New York. Catching a glimpse of my host family, I smiled. A young girl was holding up a sign with my face on it while a woman I assumed to be my host

mother grappled with two waif-like children. Making my way over, I tried to blend in — a task made incredibly difficult by the fact that I stood head and shoulders over most of the crowd, my recently dyed red hair inviting curious glances.

These incredulous stares soon became the norm.

Though I eventually became acclimated to the attention, the accidents my appearance induced never ceased to surprise me. By the end of my first week, I had caused three pedestrian collisions, a vespa crash and too many dropped jaws to count. Strangers felt inclined to run their fingers through my hair, trace the line of my nose or make a comment in broken English about how tall I was. Not all of the attention I received was quite as positive, though.

The bulk of my stay took place during the 2012 Olympics, in which China and the USA were neck-and-neck for first place. More than once, I found myself on the receiving end of glares and aggravated remarks muttered too quickly for me to understand. Nearly every time I took a bus, my 12-year-old host sister Yang Liu found herself engaged in a lively debate with antagonizing strangers, determined to defend my honor. After each of these confrontations, she insisted we stop at a local bubble tea shop. The drink, in all its creamy, tapioca-filled goodness, improved my views of China immensely.

Our relationship grew steadily, fed by conversations ranging from our love lives (non-existent) to our political beliefs (similar). I found out that she loves art like me, much to her mother’s dismay. She told me how hard it was to please her parents, since she had been born a girl.

She told me how the family had plunged to the brink of poverty, paying fees so that they could have a third child — a boy. She told me how much she liked having me as

“laut” (loud) and “interessant” (interesting) normally accompanied them. My striped shirt and floral skirt was an outfit the German girls did not seem to approve of. And my puffy purple north face jacket only got made fun of. I didn’t flirt with boys the same way they did. I didn’t wear tons of eyeliner like majority of the female population at my school. I didn’t listen to the same music. Or know the same TV shows. I just wasn’t German. I was weird, an outsider, and I’d never felt like that before.

I remember the Monday I went on my first coffee date.

I felt happy, included. I had been invited by my now best friend Ina to simply go get a cup of coffee, but for some reason it made me feel amazing. It still took me a solid six months before I felt accepted into the Germans’ world. I guess some people decided to get over the fact that my fashion sense wasn’t necessarily hip and European (maybe because I wasn’t European?), and that even though my sentences didn’t always make sense, I did say some funny stuff. I made girlfriends that I could tell all my boy drama to and every weekend I actually had invitations to parties!

I started to feel like I was fitting in. It was becoming my normal life.

It wasn’t until the plane ride home that I realized how close I had grown to people who had once seemed so foreign to me. I was worried about coming home — my old friends and lifestyle now seemed like the foreign ones. But I knew I could handle it. After all, I had become comfortable with being the quirky, weird kid.

Sophomore describes her need to escape the suburban life of Prairie Village by going to China

a friend, someone to talk to. Little by little, she became less of a host sibling and more of a sister.

My days were filled with family, school and friends. Wandering through the city in an entourage of twenty American students and their host siblings, I felt a renewed sense of independence. The Chinese culture, so stiff in its formalities, opened to us. As we lost our wide-eyed tourist look, the homier aspects of the city became apparent. We became familiar with local vendors, joking with them in broken Mandarin as we walked to school. We crowded into restaurants, amus- i n g ourselves by ordering the most inedible looking foods. We frequented karaoke bars and shopping centers. For six weeks, Changzhou became our city.

The day I boarded the plane to the United States, everything felt surreal. It hadn’t dawned on me how much I would miss China. I was leaving behind Changzhou, the city whose streets I’d explored and lost myself in. I was leaving behind the host family who had welcomed me with open arms, whose quirks I’d come to know and love. I had gone to China looking for an escape from my home. What I’d found was a new one.

12 | OPINON

SPORTING

SAVIOR

SUMMINGUP KANSAS CITY SPORTS

THE GOOD

KC

2011 2012

WINS LOSSES TIES

2010

put this club back where they belong.

Even with this improvement, there’s really nothing to be excited about in Royals baseball. I would do anything to have been alive during the glory days of the 1985 Royals, but as of now the team will continue to disappoint their diminishing fan base.

And so the city’s title hopes lay on the crest of Sporting.

Yes, Sporting has two consecutive losses to the Dynamo in the postseason, but there’s some good in it. Sporting is a new, young team with huge potential. They have a growing fan base behind them that believes, and will be even more fired up for the 2013 season.

On top of that, Sporting only has two players whose contracts are up for renewal — one being the hometown hero Matt Besler from Blue Valley West, an unlikely transfer. Espinoza, the international hero from Honduras is also a possible free agent, and is as of now completely up for grabs.

The entire defensive unit of Sporting will be returning, including one of the elite goalkeepers in the MLS, Jimmy Nielsen.

Nielsen finished with 15 shutouts, which is second all-time in MLS history. Nielsen also didn’t miss a minute this year, and should be leading the team in full strength again in 2013.

Kei Kamara will provide strength again up top for Sporting, and while in his eighth year in the MLS, will be hungry to bring home the cup this year.

Sporting could have a big year in 2013.

Either way, there’s a group of guys that could carry this team for the next few years. The team is well coached under experienced former player Peter Vermes, and can find wins under any conditions. Even as contracts expire, Sporting has more than enough to attract high quality transfers into Livestrong Park for long term success.

With the Chiefs frustrating losing streak and the Royals without promise, Sporting is the final hope for the once decorated town of Kansas City.

SPORTING PAST DECADE

18 7 9 4 13 9 12 2 11 13 6 1

THE BAD

KC

WINS LOSSES 2010 2011 2012

an opinion of Mitch Kaskie

As the clock approached the 90th minute, the 20,689 fans at Livestrong Park in Kansas City knew what was coming. There was nothing Sporting could have done better.

From the first minute, they controlled the game, possessing the ball inside the 18 yard box patiently, waiting and waiting for their chance to come. Finally, in the 64th minute it came from a header by Seth Sinovic.

Livestrong went off the wall. Blue confetti fell onto the field and the fans began to shout their iconic ‘I believe’ chant. Sporting was on top, but the score still read 1-0.

Because they lost the first game of the two leg conference semi-final 2-0, they needed two goals to tie it up in the second leg and take it into overtime. With one goal in the back of the net and with their huge fan base behind them, Sporting only needed one. Just one.

But no matter how loud the drums rolled and the ‘blue hell’ fans chanted, Sporting’s 20 shots on goal and 70 percent of possession wasn’t enough. For the second year in a row, Sporting had been knocked out of the playoffs by the Houston Dynamo.

As the players laid sprawled across the field, exhausted, there was something in the air. Sporting had lost, but something was achieved this season. The team not only won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, but won the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row. They hadn’t reached their final goal, but as the team exited Livestrong Park, they left on the field not only their hearts, but hope for sports in Kansas City. * * * Kansas City has been the heartland of

professional sporting embarrassment for my 18 years on this world. Ever since I can remember, both teams have been horrible.

As a lifelong Chiefs fan, I’ve learned to expect the worst. As a Royals fan, well, I learned to just not be a Royals fan. There’s something that has been haunting this city since George Brett and the Royals won it all in the 1985 world series, and the Chiefs’ Marty Schottenheimer era. With neither teams looking on the rise, here’s why Sporting will be the savior of sports in Kansas City: First my ridicule goes to the Chiefs. In the past five years, the Chiefs have managed to win only 28 games, and have lost 61. In what used to be known as one of the toughest environments in the league for visiting teams, the Chiefs’ record in Arrowhead is only 13-26 since 2007.

In 2009, the Chiefs introduced head coach Todd Haley who had a rocky start placing last in the AFC West at 4-12. The next year however, Haley lead the Chiefs to a 10-6 record and clinched the AFC West for the first time since 2003.

Finally, things were looking up for Kansas City sports. Right?

Wrong. The Chiefs decided to fire Haley after a subpar 5-8 start in the 2011 season. Former defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel took over as interim coach, finishing the season 7-9, and was named the permanent head coach for the 2012 season.

And that was the big mistake. Instead of giving Haley a chance to fix the Chiefs, now he’s in Pittsburgh where he’s laughing at the Chiefs catastrophic 1-8 season. For good reason too — his Steelers defense picked off Chiefs’ quarterback, Matt Cassel, in overtime to set up a game winning field goal on Monday Night Football.

The Royals have been even worse, having only one winning season since 1993. If you were to tell me the Royals had a chance at making the playoffs, I’d laugh in your face.

After finishing 72-90 this season, manager Ned Yost began making his way to the .500 mark, but still needs a signature season to

photos by Emma Robson

CONFERENCE TITLES US OPEN CHAMPIONS MLS CUP CHAMPIONS

CHIEF LOSERS PAST DECADE

1 8 3 PLAYOFF BIRTHS 7 9 2 AFC CHAMPIONSHIPS 10 6 5 WINNING SEASONS

THE UGLY KC ROYAL PAINS WINS LOSSES

2010 2011 2012

After an early exit from playoffs, staffer explains how Sporting Kansas City is still the hope of professional sports for local fans

Above: Seth Sinovic lays on the ground after Sporting loses in the conference semi-finals at Livestrong Park.

Below: Sporting huddles up before the kick off.

PAST DECADE

72 90 0 PLAYOFF BIRTHS 71 91 7 MANAGERS 67 95 1 WINNING SEASON

OPINION | 13

HELLO MY NAME IS

Tiernan (TEE-EAR-NIN) shares her experiences with having a unique name.

an opinion of Tiernan Shank

M

y 5th grade class had four Maddies, two Jakes, two Emilys and two Nicks. Teachers would get jumbled up trying to remember who was who and which was which. We kids would refer to them as Maddie C. or Nick K. Jake N. or Emily B. There was constant confusion with name games and playground activities. I’ve never had that problem. My name is Tiernan Bennett Shank and I was the only Tiernan in my elementary school. I was the only Tiernan in my middle school, and I am the only Tiernan in my high school.

The name Tiernan came from my grandpa. It’s his middle name and before that it was my great grandmother’s maiden name and before that I’m sure it belonged to dozens of my Irish ancestors where Tiernan is a common last name. So logically, the name came to lucky me, but not as a middle name — as a first name. My first name. The one name that people use to identify me. The name that’s first on my birth certificate, drivers license, passport and all my school papers.

I’ve only met two other Tiernans (one a family member and one a family friend) — and trust me they are monumental events when they happen — but I’ve never been referred to as Tiernan S., but I have been called loads of other things: Turnan, Tierana, Kiernan, Tierney, Tiernon, Tiernoon, Tierean, Nanis and a personal favorite, Tina, just to name a few.

There’s even a red squiggly line underneath the name as I type this. Coaches, teachers, peers, basically everyone has scrambled it up at least once. It’s a name that begs for misspelling, mispronouncing, and even misgendering.

Even with all these nicknames and mispronunciations, it’s not all that bad having a name as bizarre as Tiernan. For starters, it’s memorable. Since there aren’t too many Tiernan’s anywhere ever, it seemed to make running for class officer an easier job freshman year. At a time when all your peers are nervous 14-year-olds, it’s difficult to make them focus on your name, remember it and then circle it during votReal celebrity baby names that are funny, weird and just hard to pronounce.

Because their kids wouldn’t be in the spotlight enough anyways.

TOP 5 CELEBRITY BABY NAMES

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ing. Thankfully, my competitors were just another Alex and Anne, so I prevailed and even though I spent the entire year restating my name to various Student Council members, it was completely worth it.

Besides the fact that it’s memorable, my name has also given me a decent sense of humor. In the 7th grade I was awkward to say the least. With my slicked-back ponytail and gap between my two front teeth, I was quiet, spastic and terrified of any embarrassment. But my name wasn’t. It was loud, it made a statement. My parents’ friends thought it was elegant and beautiful, two things I wasn’t even close to during middle school. Meeting new people was a struggle.

They’d ask my name several times and after awhile when they couldn’t get it, they would give up and decide to just avoid me or avoid saying my name at all cost. After awhile I learned to just tell people my name was “T” it made it easier for me and people liked saying it. Some of my best friends still call me “T” to this day.

I’ve learned to expect people messing up my name, but the worst offenders are substitute teachers. In middle school, while most kids were rejoicing over the fact that we had a sub, I was in a state of fear. Once roll was taken, I’d be fine, and could celebrate the loss of learning because our inept sub couldn’t control a group of rowdy middle schoolers. But those painful 10 minutes before, during and immediately after attendance was taken, with the lingering effects (snickers) from the mispronunciation, were traumatizing.

Today, I can handle the subs. Coming from middle school to high school I’ve slowly developed a thicker skin by using my sense of humor. Instead of reacting with embarrassment I can just let it fly over me. To be honest, it is funny. If a teacher called one of my peers Tina or Tiernana, I’d probably laugh.

Now, I don’t wish I could drop dead when the substitute teacher takes out the small three ring binder I know so well as host of the roll list. I now know when it’s coming and can usually mentally prepare so I can avoid turning a burnt au-

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photos by Maxx Lamb

burn color when she says my name. The sub reads the names in alphabetical order, she slowly moves down the list to the R last names and the next thing I know it’s on me. She pauses, puts on her reading glasses, and leans closer to the roll book, her nose almost touching the list of mostly common names.

Then, she decides to “just go for it” and insecurely she spits out “Teeman?” The class erupts in laughter and I correct her.

She’ll repeat it a couple times out loud, and if it’s a morning class she might even remember for a whole 30 minutes.

Substitutes haven’t been the only offenders. When my 7th grade gym teacher, Coach Salerno, called me “Turnan” in a thick New Jersey accent for the entire year, I was forced to laugh alongside my peers. Coach would take role, bungle up my name, and then ask me to do a quick demonstration of alley handball for the class. Hearing the echo of “Turnan” followed by chuckles sweep through the gym, I would lift my shrimp of a body up from the floor and make my way to the court. As I walked across the gym listening to the laughter of my peers, I decided I could laugh too. This once horrifying experience became a way to feel confident with my individuality.

The other day, even, a friend corrected a substitute’s mispronunciation of my name, telling her to call me “Turdnan.”

I know you’ll all call me this from now on, but don’t worry; I can handle it.

The key to having a name like Tiernan is to smile and use the embarrassing experiences to your advantage. It’s only taken me my entire life to realize those two things and they’ve made all the difference. But have I really learned my lesson? Am I planning on giving my own kid a name like Mary or Joe? No way. I’m dropping them off on their first day of kindergarten, automatically special, with a name like Wolfgang. So thanks mom and dad for giving my kid and me a tough skin and a way to stand out, I’m sure we’ll thank you for it someday.

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Gwyneth Chris Paltrow Martin

Jason Lee

Nicolas Cage

Jermaine Jackson

Steven Kate Spielberg Capshaw

HELLO my name is

HELLO my name is

HELLO my name is

HELLO my name is

HELLO my name is

KAL-EL

JERMAJESTY

DESTRY

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14 |FEATURES

TIMING THE OVEN EAST STUDENT VANNIS JONES’ PARENTS START A LOCAL BAKERY written by Caroline Kohring

photo by Paloma Dickey

COOKING UP FACTS THE THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE BAKERY WAS LAST WEEK

FRI

Y1 NOVDEA MBE3 R

2012

THE BAKERY HOSTS A FRUIT STAND AT THE FARMERS MARKET

THE BAKERY COOKS AND SELLS PERSONALIZED PIZZAS

FRI

Y1 NOVDEA MBE3 R

2009

THE BAKERY OPENED ON FRIDAY THE 13TH

East mom Eileen Usovicz goes to work everyday at 4 a.m. Except for Saturdays — those are the days she goes in at 2 a.m. She enjoys the early start to her day. She likes opening the door to the quiet bakery she and her husband own. Turning on the ovens, planning the day’s baking, making the first pot of coffee -- all a part of her daily routine at the Clock Tower Bakery that she has grown to love.

Eileen has always had a dream of opening a bakery. First she worked in a bakery at 14, and after that she was making pizzas for Mandee’s Pizza in Massachusetts. This is when she learned the art of baking that she has grown to love. However, after college she didn’t bake for a long time. Instead she worked as a librarian, as did her husband Lee Jones.

When Lee and Eileen had their only child, senior Vannis Jones, Eileen became a stay-at-home mom. She used her extra free time to start baking again. She started with breads and pizzas, and then taught herself how to make croissants. She figured if she could bake a croissant, she could bake anything.

“I didn’t mean to be a stay-at-home mom,” Eileen said. “But it ended up being a good thing. I did a lot of serious baking at home. Obsessive, driven, passionate baking.”

After Lee retired in 2007, Eileen was finally able to convince him to make her dream of opening their own bakery come true.

“It was something I couldn’t do by myself,” Eileen said. “I really did need Lee for a significant partner to come in and run the business part of the bakery.”

Vannis was a freshman when her parents decided to open the bakery. Although Lee says he was confident going into it, Vannis had her doubts.

“I actually wasn’t sure it was a good idea with the economy at the time,” Vannis said. “But it was nice to have a job as a freshman because no one else did and I got a little money. At first it was really weird, I was home alone until 8 p.m. because they were still figuring out how to close it and all that.”

Deciding to open their own bakery was the easy part. The process of actually opening a bakery was more of a challenge; it ended up taking about six months to find a location, employees and an experienced designer.

From the beginning, Eileen and Lee knew that they wanted their kitchen to have an open design.

That way customers could see in and the bakers could see out. They also decided that they would make all of their products fresh each day.

“Anything you bake will have a unique flavor on the day it’s baked,” Lee said. “If you go overnight, even our very best stuff changes in flavor.”

That is why Eileen comes in to work at 4 a.m.

She is joined by another baker at 4:15, another at 4:30, until they have a full staff for the day. In the afternoon, workers mix batters and put them in the fridge, that way when Eileen and others come in the morning, they’re actually baking rather than mixing.

“We come in in the morning and we have

nothing to sell until we’ve baked it,” Eileen said.

“Everything that doesn’t get sold today will go to Hospice House tonight and we’ll start again in the morning. That’s been our point of view since day one and we’ve hung tough with it.”

Lee and Eileen came up with the name Clock Tower Bakery after finding a space for the bakery in Old Overland Park that ended up falling through. They settled on a space a few shops north of the clock tower.

“We stumbled on the cafe right next to the clock tower, and it turned out to be too small for our purposes, ” Lee said. “But we had already honed in on the name Clock Tower Bakery. It seemed rather iconic and certainly would let folks know where we are.”

Currently, Clock Tower Bakery has 15 employees. Eileen is the head baker and Lee is the business manager. Seven of the 15 employees work full-time and are the bakers. The other eight, who work part-time, keep the bakery clean and take care of soups and sandwiches.

Vannis works at her parent’s bakery on Saturdays, their busiest days, ringing people up. From April to November, Old Overland Park holds a Farmer’s Market where Vannis works the bakery’s booth, selling coffee, cinnamon rolls, muffins and breads. Lee said working with his daughter is phenomenal.

“My favorite time in the bakery is Saturday morning with Vannis,” he said. “She and I take care of the counter and we work very well together. We don’t have to talk very much and we know what each other’s going to do. She relates very, very well to the folks.”

Saturday mornings are the days when Eileen gets up extra early; it’s the busiest day of the week.

The bakery seats about 30 customers, and that is never enough on Saturday mornings.

“It’s not unusual to have the line go out the front door on Saturday mornings,” Lee said.

Clock Tower offers a wide variety of products. They have “typical bakery treats” such as cupcakes, cakes, muffins, scones, tarts, cinnamon rolls, croissants and bread. They also make specialty pizzas as well as sandwiches and soups.

Cinnamon rolls have turned out to be a customer favorite.

Lee’s greatest surprise so far has been the bakery’s wholesale business, which is a sale of their products to other commercial establishments for resale. Clock Tower sells to the Nordstrom Espresso Bar in Oak Park Mall, the Groundhouse Coffee House in Gardiner, the Black Dog Coffee House, Pizza 51 West Coffee House and Twisted Sisters Coffee House.

Business at Clock Tower Bakery has grown steadily ever since it opened. Previous years it grew at a rate of about 20 percent year to year, and this year it’s ahead at about 30 percent.

“Every year has been our best year yet,” Vannis said. “Basically, every month is our best yet.”

written by Vanessa Daves

J

ON‘POINTE’

FEATURES | 15 photo by McKenzie Swanson

Ballerina’s passion and dedication to dancing has led her to success

unior Maggie Andriani dances across the stage, clad in a white, bedazzled costume. As she jumps up and down, her tutu drifts with her body. She moves gracefully, beautifully.

It’s taken years of practice. Training since she was three. Doing month-long summer intensives away from her family and friends for the past 5 years. Spending over 20 hours in the studio every week.

It’s taken months of work. Months of long rehearsals, sore feet and an aching body. Months of watching Youtube videos, trying to mimic exact movements of Bol’shoy Ballet’s choreography of “Sleeping Beauty.”

She is Aurora, the leading princess, after all.

It’s Maggie’s first big role. She’s been in shows before.

She’s had her own solo, or variation before. But now, it’s her time to shine. She’s the star.

“When I was casting for [the show], I just felt like Maggie had this very soft, gentle quality about her and she’s very strong technically,” Kansas City Ballet (KCB) Director Kim Cowen said. “I thought she would be the perfect youthful, yet strong combination to pull off for Aurora. She has [a] beautiful line, which is something that we look for in dancers.”

Focus. That’s what Maggie calls it. Drive. Motivation.

That’s what her parents and dance instructors say. She’s always been like this, even since she was little. * * * Maggie’s mom, Renee, has her hands full. She’s holding three-year-old Maggie with one arm and a ginormous bag with the other as she enters the theatre. It’s December of 2000 and Renee is taking Maggie to the Nutcracker for the first time. Renee doubts Maggie will even pay attention.

“I brought a big bag full of cookies and little diversions, little toys and things thinking that she was going to get squirmy and fussy during it,” Renee said.

But from the moment the curtain opens until the moment it closes, Maggie sits still in Renee’s lap, riveted.

Meanwhile, Renee’s best friend, Phyllis, was in and out of the auditorium throughout the entire performance trying to keep her daughter entertained.

That was the first of many signs that Maggie was destined to be a dancer. She started taking dance classes at a studio in Corinth Square, moving up levels much faster than her peers. The only time she’s ever thought about quitting was when she was in the fourth grade because of the time commitment. But her mom encouraged her to stick with it, and since then, all of Maggie’s motivation and drive to dance has come from herself.

When she was in eighth grade, she auditioned and made it into the Kansas City Youth Ballet (KCYB), a year before most of her peers. KCYB is the performing ensemble to the KCB School. Not only do KCYB members have separate classes and their own performances, they also take regular classes at the school. Maggie’s instructors find her unique because of her ability to challenge herself.

“She’s kind of like a sponge,” Cowen said. “She takes criticism well and always tries to apply it. She doesn’t want to accept that she just did it. She wants to do it even better each time.”

Since Mission Valley didn’t get out of school until 3:45 p.m., she had to start leaving school early on a daily basis to get to rehearsal on time. She’d get there early and leave late, getting home between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. every night. She plowed through middle school, but as she

entered high school, life became even more complicated.

It became a game. A game that took more balance. Drill Team. Newspaper. Ballet. Academics. Freshman year was hard. Sophomore year was harder. More homework. More dance classes. More balance. She was up past midnight on most nights, trying to get all of her homework done.

Diet has always been a part of Maggie’s routine. She eats about four or five small portions each day. Usually, eggs or a health shake for breakfast. For lunch, she’ll avoid the school food and just have V8 and goldfish.

She’ll snack before dance on celery or nuts, and then have something with carbs after rehearsal, like pasta.

She’s no stereotypical ballerina. In fact, to Maggie, the stereotypical, “anorexic” ballerina doesn’t even exist. There’s no way she can function without taking in enough calories.

“I tell her, she’s basically an athlete,” her dad, Vince said. “She needs to eat the right way, take care of herself, make sure she gets enough rest when she can and all these things.”

Sticking with ballet hasn’t been easy. Missing Drill Team’s Spring Show for a KCB rehearsal. Recovering from a stress fracture in her foot. Going away every summer to study with other companies.

Last summer, Maggie spent a month studying with Joffrey Ballet. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, she was dancing. Practicing technique, rehearsing for upcoming performances and pushing herself beyond what she knew she was capable of.

And all the hard work has paid off -- she’s been chosen as KCB’s student apprentice during her senior year of high school, an honor for just one out of nearly 30 KCYB students.

This means that Maggie will only be at school for half days, and the rest of her time will be spent at KCB. She will be in their world-renowned company, performing with professional dancers as understudies or characters in upcoming ballets. And she will be paid for shows she is in.

“I know she would love to be working,” Renee said. “And there’s a lot of things that she has to pass on because she doesn’t have the disposable income that maybe some other people have. Her opportunities to do that are really, really limited.”

Where other girls at school are buying new clothes, Maggie is putting all of her money towards ballet. Buying $60 leotards. Replacing $70 dance shoes every other week because they become worn. Participating in classes and summer intensives, adding up to thousands of dollars by the end of the year.

Every chance she gets, she applies for scholarships and financial aid. But sometimes that isn’t enough.

“We’re not Rockefellers and there are kids that are on a career track for this who can do a lot of extraordinary stuff because they have the financial means to do so,” Renee said. “We do what we can and somehow it all comes together. She’s done a good job getting financial aid. Every little bit helps.”

Maggie has college to think about. Her younger brother and sister. Her family. Making the extra money

with her KCB apprenticeship next year will make a difference, even if it’s just a small one. * * * Maggie’s scared. For college. For her career. For the future.

She wants to go to Indiana, or maybe Juilliard. Most companies want their cast members to finish up their training and education anyway. She thinks she’ll double major, but she’s not sure yet. Maybe in journalism or arts management. She has time to figure it out.

Maggie’s used to people judging her for wanting to be a ballerina. She knows they don’t think it’s a real career.

She knows it’s a one in a million chance for a dancer to make it. But it’s what she’s passionate about.

Maggie might be worried for her future, but her teachers aren’t. They know that she’ll make it.

“I guarantee,” Ballet Master Hyuk Ku Quan said. “The most important thing is all dancers need to have patience.

Without patience, it doesn’t work out. I think Maggie has a lot of patience and she also has great passion.”

PROUDLY SUPPORTING SME LANCERS Woodside Health and Tennis Club 2000 West 47th Place . Westwood, Kansas 66205 T 913.831.0034 clubwoodside.com

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FEATURES| 19

L

Scan this QR code to be linked to Emily’s CaringBridge page.

Shown above is Emily’s CaringBridge profile portrait

“You have a courage and a fearlessness that I wish I had a fraction of. You always have.

That's how I know that this disease is no match for you.”

-Patrick Mayfield

1 of 9

KU Medical Center is one of nine hospitals to have the National Cancer Institute designation, showing it’s the right place for her.

25%

There was a 25% chance Alex and his brother Patrick would be bone marrow matches with Emily. Alex beat the odds and is her match.

ike most teenagers, Junior Alex Mayfield has responsibilities. He cleans his room, does his homework, comes home promptly for curfew. But one responsibility is more important to him than all the rest: saving his sister’s life. His bone marrow is a perfect match to his sister, Emily’s, and a successful transplant could put her one step closer to surviving Leukemia. *** Former East student Emily Mayfield went to the doctor on Oct. 3, anxious to get rid of an incessant cough that had bothered her for over two weeks. She was eager to get better so she could continue practicing with her friends on the K-State Women’s Lacrosse Team.

“I tried every kind of medicine to get rid of it but nothing was working,” Emily said.

Emily walked in to the university’s health center where the doctor noticed her face was strangely pale, a common sign of Anemia, and strongly recommended a blood test. Emily did as the doctor instructed and had her blood drawn just before she left to eat.

Her phone buzzed with a call from the doctor 10 minutes following her screening. Upon answering, her doctor greeted her with earthshattering news.

“We need you to come back.” the doctor said.

“Your blood counts are very low, meaning you might need a blood transfusion, or it could be a form of Leukemia.”

In devastation, Emily quickly called her mother to share what she had just learned. They both prayed for her health condition to be anything but the single word that will instantly silence a room full of people: cancer.

The results were not in her favor. After returning to the K-State student health center she was transferred to KU Medical Center for an immediate bone marrow biopsy. To end an excruciatingly long day full of fear of the formidable possibilities, Emily was officially diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

News so unimaginable just 24 hours before can flip a person’s world upside-down. But not Emily. She is ready to fight. She knows she has what it takes. She is ready to win. *** Upon meeting her, one instantly understands why her family knows she can beat this— she has a smile that radiates with an overpowering form of sincerity diverting attention from her now bald head and acting as a buffer from the battle raging inside of her. And cancer can’t change that.

“She cares about everyone and everything, it’s just crazy,” Alex said.

Emily’s dignified compassion is rivaled with her stubborn resolve. Emily is no stranger to

hardship. Ask her why she only ran in one cross country race her freshman year at East and she will tell you a modest description of her recovery from a car accident. She may or may not tell you about how she went into a coma for a day and a half after being hit by a car while crossing the street. How she spent four days in the intensive care unit or how she had to get up at eight in the morning and stay until five at night for two months in rehab relearning to walk..How doctors wouldn’t allow her to run by herself and how her father and brother would go on runs with her training her for the race falling at the end of the cross country season. It didn’t matter that she would run for the C-team or finish at the back of the pack. All that mattered was crossing the finish line on the same cross country course that her father had completed during his days as a Jayhawk cross country runner -- and she wanted to be a part of that. When race day came, she was ready. Emily made her high school debut on the most rigorous course of the season at Rim Rock Farm. But things like that don’t phase her. She simply doesn’t give up.

Today, Emily finds herself doing laps on a new terrain; she walks 18 loops around the KU Medical Center 4th floor hallway, dragging her I.V. along with her, no matter how the bad the sideeffects her second round of chemotherapy are ailing her. She knows from cross country what it takes to get there. She knows it gets worse before it gets better. But with her family by her side every second of the way, she knows she can finish.

Her family’s support is helping her to keep her trademarked outgoing attitude--but it’s also friends and even just the people who have heard her story that are assisting by praying for her recovery. They’re brightening up her hospital windows with messages painted across the glass encouraging her to stay strong. Over 400 of Alex’s friends “liked” a post asking for the support of

CROSSING CANCER

Emily as she undergoes her fight of AML. “The majority of these people I don’t even know and they are here to support me,” Emily said. “It was just really cool to see.”

Along with support from Facebook she has letters of encouragement floating in through CaringBridge, a website set up for patients with any type of illness making it easy for friends to write prayers and testaments of her admirable character. Over 230 postings have accumulated on her CaringBridge Guestbook from friends, family and supporters all assuring, encouraging and praying for her. Her father, Bruce Mayfield is quick to make a point saying it’s not about the number of supporters, but the sentiments in their messages.

“People recover better and faster when they have support of their friends and family in their thoughts and prayers than those who don’t,” Bruce said. “It may be a spiritual component, it may be a physiological component that is not understood by natural science yet, but there is no question that it [support] makes a difference and we intend to make all the difference we can.”

Although all the attention is on Emily, she wants to focus on a different task at hand: getting more people on the blood marrow donor list. Registering is a painless cheek swab that takes less than two minutes and it can make that difference for a others in desperate need of a match.

There isn’t a second of the day Alex isn’t thinking about Emily. She depends on him and he wants more than anything to cure this. With a possible antidote in his veins, he’s ready to endure the painful injections in his stomach to boost his marrow count. He will sit there calmly, but anxiously waiting for five hours as they transfer his bone marrow to her. He’s ready to watch her claim victory. Because this family simply won’t give up.

East grad shows strength in her fight against Cancer with outreach of support from friends, family, and community. written by James Simmons

photos by Marisa Walton

20 | FEATURE

E

nglish Teacher Jeannet Bonjour isn’t embarrassed. She doesn’t feel mortified like she did last summer when she couldn’t fit into a roller coaster seat at Disney World or when she asks the airplane flight attendants for a seat belt extender. Now she’s in her element, standing on aching ankles in front of the classroom as the funny English teacher everyone loves. She announces her gastric bypass surgery, letting the weight of the news out into the open.

“There’s something about people knowing and rooting me on -- the support has been incredible,” Bonjour said. “I feel like I should show you can do anything if you set your mind to it.”

She’s teaching her students a lesson. They can learn from her motivation, same as they can take some tips from her on how to effectively research for their senior paper; she knows her doctor at Shawnee Mission Medical Center has a 97 percent success rate, that she should expect to lose 75 percent of her excess weight within the first year of her surgery and that she needs to work on her emotional eating in order to keep the weight off.

Bonjour started thinking about gastric bypass surgery about five years ago. Once she got on to her husband’s insurance plan, she started the long process of applying last February. She began by going to a seminar where she learned about what to expect. Next came a six month physician-supervised weight loss period as well as cardiac clearance and even a visit with a psychiatrist at the surgery center twice “to make

sure I didn’t have some crazy idea that I was going to be on America’s Next Top Model afterwards.” Bonjour joked.

Bonjour also jokes about being sent to Weight Watchers Camp as a child after she began struggling with her weight in third grade and laughs about being known as the “fat lady” when she walks down the halls. Her sense of humor helps keep the weight of her issue with food light.

“I really don’t think people who don’t struggle with their weight can really ever understand what it’s like,” Bonjour said. “People are just like ‘eat less, exercise more, what’s the problem?’ But it’s mental, it’s psychological as well as physical.”

Obesity runs in her family; growing up, the mantra at Bonjour’s dinner table was always “clean your plate, clean your plate, clean your plate.” She learned to eat even when she wasn’t hungry, and started struggling with her weight at age 9.

“Older relatives would say ‘you have such a pretty face or you have such nice eyes’...all those little cues for ‘if only you’d lose weight you’d be pretty,’” Bonjour said.

Now 46, her relationship with food hasn’t gotten to where she’d like it to be. SlimFast, Nutrisystem and Weight Watchers have all failed her and tendinitis in her ankles have prohibited her from working out.

And resisting food hasn’t gotten any easier; Bonjour is an emotional eater, and notes our society is always celebrating, mourning and even rewarding with food. Like many

teachers, she groups papers into stacks of five with a bowl of M&Ms next to her while grading. Whereas most teachers reward themselves with one M&M after grading a stack, Bonjour would constantly eat the M&Ms during grading each paper.

Bonjour is ready and more determined than ever to drop the pounds. Two weeks before her Nov. 18 surgery, she stuck to an all liquid diet in order to shrink her liver and lost over 18 pounds in the process. It’s given her confidence for her post-surgery lifestyle; though the surgery will provide her with an opportunity to lose weight, about 20 percent of patients gain back weight, since the new, smaller stomach can stretch back out.

“It’s not going to be this miracle cure, but it will be the best tool for me,” Bonjour said.

Bonjour plans to return to school after Thanksgiving break. She’ll concentrate on portion control and eat only when she’s entirely focused on eating -- no more eating in front of the TV or mindlessly chewing on M&Ms. She’ll be able to exercise again and eventually begin to feel healthy.

The goal is to just feel good, get active and be ready for the future.

“I don’t want to be that grandma whose house you’re afraid to go to because she’s kind of creepy and can’t move,” Bonjour said. “I want to be fun grandma and take the kids to the zoo and roll on the floor.”

GOING GASTRIC

English teacher gets gastric bypass surgery after lifelong struggle with obesity written by Chloe Stradinger

photos by Stefano Byer

Can hold up to six cups of food Can hold a little over a cup of food.

Regular Stomach

Stomach with Gastric Bypass A person is considered obese when their weight is 20% more than their normal weight.

Stomach is divided into a small pouch and a large pouch; small pouch stampled to large

Can expand more than 50 times its empty volume Fat absortion is substantially reduced.

WISHFUL THINKING FOR MRS. BONJOUR “Good luck on your surgery, Mrs. Bonjour. Hopefully you can get back to watching the ‘Walking Dead’ soon.”

David Robertson senior

“Good luck. I can’t wait to see the new you. I know you’re going to look fabulous, darling.”

Kathy Knop librarian

“I hope everything goes really well and you heal really quickly, and come back because we wish you a lot.”

Elizabeth BittIker senior

“Good luck on your surgery. Hope everything goes well.

I hope you have good results.”

Kalvin Murphy senior

“We miss you.

You’re the one teacher we’d rather not have a sub for.”

Missy Linville senior

“Mrs. Bonjour, I hope you recover well from your surgery.”

Caleb Mason senior

MIXED

MIXED | 21

something about

THANKSGIVING

WHAT KIND OF THANKSGIVING EATER ARE YOU? START

Counting down the days.

Thanksgiving is your favorite holiday.

Yep.

You give yourself a larger spoon

when you set the table.

Nope.

It’s not Thanksgiving without the cranberry No. sauce.

No way.

You love the food but hate the traditions.

You make sure to save room for dessert.

Gotta have it!

Probably not.

Yes.

Of course!

Absolutely not.

Dessert is the best part!

Stuffing or mashed potatoes?

You always go back for seconds.

Both!

One serving is enough.

Without a doubt.

The Hoarder tries everything on the Thanksgiving buffet and always goes back for seconds.

“I’m a pie hoarder.

I try to eat every kind of pie that’s on the table. Cherry. Pumpkin. You name it,” -Mrs. Anderson.

No cranberry sauce for me!

Your plate is mostly filled with greens.

Neither

You only eat the white turkey meat.

What turkey?

Yes. The dieter sticks with the healthy choices, making sure to watch their portions.

“I like to try a little bit of every food, but I have to watch out for the desserts even though I like them very much,” -Señora Detrixhe

The non-traditional eater has taken their own twist on the usual Thanksgivng meal.

“We have three days of meat. Tuesday is ham, Wednesday is brisket, and Thursday is tenderloin,” -Mrs. Meyers.

Thanksgiving Timeline

1541 A Eucharistic Thanksgiving took place in West Texas during Coronado’s expedition. They celebrated with with the Teya Indians.

1621 This was feast that many Americans think of today when they think of Thanksgiving; Pilgrims and Indians celebrated their harvest in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

1630 Colonists all around the world brought unique traditions and reasons to be thankful to New England.

1777 Thanksgiving was celebrated by the newly formed USA .

1789 George Washington, backed by the power of being the nation’s first president, set November, 26. 1789, as “a national day of thanksgiving and prayer.”

HOW TO SURVIVE THE KIDS TABLE

“Make sure and bring your GameBoy Color with a fully charged batter and Donkey Kong.”

SENIOR AUSTIN WILCOX

“I’m the oldest at the kids table so after a while it gets pretty old. This year I’m going to put small portions on my plate so I have to keep leaving the table to get more food, and my grandma will think JUNIOR she is making me GABY AZORSKY fat which will make her happy.”

“We start some type of game like telephone at the kids table. We also have a tradition that we all go around the table and go through the alphabet and say something we are JUNIOR EMILY DODD thankful for.”

“Little kids can be annoying but only because you let them be. If you don’t act like an adult and actually try to have fun, chances are that you’ll have a good time.” JUNIOR MEGHAN MOHN

1800s In the early 1800s, presidents stopped naming days as national days of thankgiving.

1863 The tradition was brought back by President Abraham Lincoln.

1941 Thanksgiving Day was established when President Roosevelt deemed the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving.

*information from http://www.flashuser.net

NALU-UKULELE.COM

PIZZA BY THE SLICE 11am-2pm Monday- Friday

ILLUMI N

A&E | 23

S Y A ATING THE HOLID A breakdown of events that will brightly start off the holiday season written by Greta Nepstad artwork by Phoebe Aguiar

Mayor’s Tree Lighting: PV

Plaza Lighting Ceremony

Corinth Square in Prairie Village is preparing for the holiday festivities and a large crowd. They’re getting ready for caroling and Santa Claus, charity and dancing, hot chocolate and cookies. It’s the 27th annual Prairie Village Mayor’s Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. On Nov. 29, Mayor Ron Shaffer will do the honor of flipping the switch, while the East chambers choir sing a variety of Christmas carols.

“I’m excited to sing for a lot of people,” junior chambers member Liz Orr said. “I love Christmas music so it should be a lot of fun.”

Another attraction are the Holiday Open Houses that will be open in the Prairie Village Shopping Center and the Corinth Square Shopping Center. There will be discounts all day. In addition to the bright festivities, there will also be opportunities to donate to the Mayor’s Holiday Tree Fund, a charity organization to help residents pay their utility bills or make essential repairs to their homes. Donations can be made by dropping extra coins or a few bills into the donation boxes in centrally located business stores. Last year, over $12,000 was donated by stores and residents.

Mayor’s Tree Lighting: Downtown

Candy Cane Lane Nativity scenes, candy shops, giant candy canes, an illuminated tree and Snoopy are all expected to be lit up and on display for the annual Candy Cane Lane display.

“I remember going when I was really little with my family,” junior Lily Payne said. “I remember everyone having a really fun time.”

Since 1958, residents of Prairie Village and beyond have enjoyed the lights of the cul-de-sac off of 79th street. In the past, the visitor count was low due to the lack of advertisement, but thanks to the 50th anniversary in 2008, there’s been an increase of cars. Candy Cane Lane is now a popular light show for those seeking out the holiday festivities.

The weekend after Thanksgiving, each house puts a four foot tall candy cane at the end of their driveway. But that’s just where the decorations start. One house will have light-up Who-Ville figurines while another will have constructed candy shops in the front yard.

“I really like the little candy canes,” Payne said. “It brings out the name ‘Candy Cane Lane’.”

At approximately 6 p.m. on the night of Thanksgiving, junior Molly Ross knows exactly where she’ll be. She won’t be gathered around her dining room table or going to a family movie. She’ll be on Nichols Road at the Country Club Plaza. It’s where her parents got engaged in 1978. It’s where her entire family walks to every year. It’s where the Plaza comes to life with Christmas lights.

“It really sets the mood for Christmas,” Ross said. “When you see those lights, you know it’s Christmas.”

Starting in 1925 with a simple strand of 16 lights over a store doorway, the first Plaza Lighting occurred. The first official lighting ceremony took place in 1930, and since then the lights collection has grown to more than 80 miles of strands of lights. They’ve been turned on every year since then, except for 1973, when President Nixon asked Americans not to use Christmas lights in order to reduce the United State’s dependency on foreign oil imports.

This year, it will be broadcasted live by 41 Action News, and can be followed on Facebook and Twitter. The guests invited to flip the switch this year are Sporting Kansas City stars Matt Besler, Kei Kamara and Jimmy Nielsen. The lights will all turn on at once, and will shine from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. until Jan. 13.

Candy Cane Lane

It’s a symbol for charity and Christmas. It’s 100 feet tall. It’s the Christmas Tree in Crown Center that will be lit on Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving. The ceremony will start at 5:30, and will run for two hours. During this time, Mayor Sly James will light the Christmas tree in Crown Center. Freshman Andrew Mulligan will watch the ceremony from the hotel rooms of Crown Center.

“When I was nine I remember walking on the skywalk and watching the tree light up,” Mulligan said. “This year, I’ll be going for my mom’s birthday, and we’ll be higher up, and I’m excited about that.”

Eric Stonestreet, the star from ABC’s “Modern Family”will be the special guest to help Mayor James light the tree. Stonestreet has also been the celebrity guest at the Plaza Lighting.

Over 30,000 people are expected to attend the lighting ceremony this year, along with a dance show and fireworks display afterwards.

The event is free, and there will be opportunities to donate to the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund, an organization that sells ornaments made from the tree used in the previous years for the lighting ceremony. The profit goes to help citizens in need of home repair projects.

24 | A&E

AR SO

SK Y G

IN

art il writ lustrat io ten

by A n by Ja m lex Gol es Sim dm mo an ns

E

veryone goes through a mid life crisis — even if you’re a Secret Service agent with the license to kill. With the James Bond film franchise turning the big five-o this year, agent 007 faces his own sort of mid-life crisis in Skyfall.

In the first 15 minutes of the movie, Bond loses his life, comes back from the dead and ponders retirement with still over two hours of action left. Of course the 007 movie series does not end there. Bond returns from the dead but tries to decide whether he can be the agent he used to be and help his agency, MI6, find whoever hacked into their systems and stole a list of agents or to just throw in the towel and retire.

He eventually decides to put his country ahead of his personal preferences and comes up against a rogue agent named Rauol Silva (Javier Bardem) who will stop at nothing until he kills the head of the Secret Intelligence Service. After winning an Academy Award for his maniacal role in “No Country For Old Men”, Bardem does an amazing job separating Silva from the usual Bond bad guy norm into a villain like never before.

I caught myself feeling very disturbed and uncom-

Skip It

fortable whenever the flamboyant psychopath spoke during Skyfall. From flirting with Bond to creating international havoc, Bardem creates one of the most dynamic Bond bad guys in history.

Another aspect of the movie that separates this from the rest of the 007 thrillers is how the movie mainly takes place in Great Britain. Instead of trying to go into other countries to solve a mission, Bond is caught protecting his home base from Silva.

If I had to find one fault to point out it would have to be the subtle similarity in the plot with “The Dark Knight’s”. It has the same dark tone as Christopher Nolan’s second Batman movie and many similar scenes.

Both also feature a psychopathic villain that will leave the audience cringing. Whether it’s a coincidence or just that Skyfall was inspired by Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”, it still keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

The last Bond movie, “Quantum of Solace” was considered a disappointment according to many critics. It was up to Golden Globe and Academy Award winning director, Sam Mendes (American Beauty) to reenergize

See It

Netflix

the movie franchise and he does just that with “Skyfall” by separating his first 007 movie from the typical James Bond film and manages to give the audience a glimpse of Bond’s past without sacrificing any of the action.

In his third agent 007 film, Daniel Craig is starting to prove he is one of the top Bonds in history after “Skyfall” topped the franchise’s record of opening weekend earnings with $88,364,714. Compared to Bronson’s sarcastic playboy style of the role, Craig gives Bond a darker international assassin who still loves to have fun.

“Skyfall” will go down as one of the best Bond movies of all time. An intriguing plot combined with plenty of action and another epic performance by Bardem creates an absolute masterpiece. Being a little over two and a half hours, the movie seems to drag on but is definitely worth the time and money to go watch it in the theatres.

With a revamped cast and Craig signed up for two more films, it seems like 007 will be ready to take on another 50 years fighting the world’s most dangerous villains.

Midnight Premiere *All photo credits to allmoviephoto.com

BONDS

IN THE BOX OFFICE Six years ago, Daniel Craig followed Pierce Brosnan as the next Agent 007. Both actors experienced success in all of their movie but which one has earned more money in their opening weekends?

* $50,000,000

$40,000,000 $30,000,000 $20,000,000 $10,000,000 0

* $100,000,000 $80,000,000 $60,000,000 $40,000,000 $20,000,000

Die Another The World Is Day Not Enough

Goldeneye Tomorrow Never Dies

information courtesy of boxofficemojo.com

*Amount of dollars earned in opening weekend

0

Skyfall

Quantum of Solace

Casino Royale

A&E | 25

G N

BO U N C Ioff the walls

Local trampoline park “Sky Zone” provides a surprisingly enjoyable workout

Above: Tulp does a toe touch on the Sky Zone trampolines.

written by Sophie Tulp My heart raced. My palms began to sweat. I nervously whipped my head left and right. Exhaling slowly, I began to propel myself forward with long, high jumps. Tightening my body into a tuck position, I flipped through the air and landed with a squeal face first into a pit of plush, electric blue foam squares.

The foam pit is just one of the four areas I got to bounce around in at the new SkyZone Sports complex on Quivera Road in Shawnee. I found that it combined both exercise, and entertainment perfectly. Although I left feeling like my legs were made of Jell-O, I had a great time getting an amazing workout, without even realizing it.

Not quite sure what to expect, I entered the indoor trampoline park. The plain exterior revealed nothing. As I walked through the doors, Rihanna’s “What’s My Name” blared from surround-sound speakers. Helpful employees in bulky blue shoes and bright orange shirts assisted me. I was given a pair of blue bouncing shoes for myself and laced them up tightly.

I headed first towards the expanse of orange paneled trampolines covering an entire side of the complex. Black trampolines not only made up the entire floor, but the walls enclosing the area as well. I bounded off the walls, trying to recreate those perfect “High School Musical Jumps” and my best “Bring It On” toe touches. I was weightless as I went hand-springing across the floor and struck poses in the air.

It wasn’t long until I was sweating and panting. I had a date with the water fountain before I could move on to the basketball courts.

After a short break, I tied my hair back into a ponytail, and put on my game face. I could practically hear Aaron Carter’s boy-band voice in my head vocalizing his 90’s pop

hit “That’s How I Beat Shaq” as I threw myself into the air.

With outstretched arms, I dunked the plush, red ball through the hoop in one fluid movement. That was a first. After discovering my 5 ft tall body could not even reach the net on the other two higher goals, I moved on to the next area: the foam pit.

Childhood memories of the Chuck-E-Cheese ball pit filled my head as I stood on the trampoline platform facing the foam pit. I hesitated before jumping in, while pondering what might lie below the foam surface. But this was no Chuck-E-Cheese. In fact, orange clad employees had been rotating around all day spraying the trampolines and surrounding areas with disinfectant. Comforted by the thought, I began to lightly build up my jumps, getting higher and higher with each bounce, before catapulting myself into the sea of blue cubes.

I landed face first, then began my struggle back to the platform. I flailed my way through the ocean of cubes, desperately clawing for the platform. In a moment of panic, I wondered if I would be stuck here, pulled into the deep abyss of fluffy blue squares. Luckily I grasped the orange platform like a flotation device and pulled myself up. I lay motionless regaining my strength and taking deep breaths before I could move on to the final attraction.

Recovering from my ball pit trauma, I could feel the stiffening ache in my thighs and calves as I stumbled across the unfamiliar linoleum floor, my heavy feet felt like I was sloshing through water, not used to non-springy surface. I was sweating profusely at this point. I waited for the desperphotos Maddie Schoemann ate fatigue thatbyusually spread through me after an intense workout, but all I felt was excitement. I looked towards the

next area of my adventure, the dodgeball arena.

I eyed my competitors with unabashed scrutiny. Sure, the kid was 11 years old, but you should have seen the force he used to throw that red ball at me. Memories flashed before my eyes. A fluorescently lit gymnasium, the shrieks of adolescent boys, the green plush ball headed right towards my face. Sixth grade gym class was a nightmare, and I had been thrown back into it. I fought for my life, my hair whipped around me in a blur, and the protective goggles I had been given fell limply around my neck. The little devil took advantage of my momentary distraction as I bent down to tie my shoe. I was hit squarely on my back, surrendering as I stumbled off the court.

Lounging on a bright orange, plastic couch, I tried to even my breathing. I re-hydrated furiously. I was seriously surprised at how much of a workout I had gotten without even realizing it. My sore legs protested as I headed for the exit.

The cool November air was a refreshing breeze against my blushed face. During the ride home I reflected on my afternoon, while massaging my stiff muscles.

Sky Zone sports left me pleasantly surprised with its variety of activities and energetic atmosphere of pumped up tunes targeting people of all ages to embark on a fun and fitness oriented experience. I knew I would return soon, this time with a group of friends, ready to conquer the dodgeball court, foam pit and all the other attractions once again.

Sky Sports

a few of the games you can play at Sky Zone

Above: Tulp makes a slam dunk while playing trampoline basketball.

Skip It

Falls Flat

Above: Tulp flips mid-way through a dive into the Sky Zone foam pit.

Bounces Back

Above: Tulp attempts a trampoline dodgeball game in Sky Zone.

Jumping for Joy

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THRIFTING AND THRIVING

written by Morgan Twibell

photos by Annie Savage

A&E | 27 Staffer Shares Tips for Thrift Store Shopping For those of you who don’t know, a Thrift Shop is not just a song by Macklemore. It is not just a store filled with torn, raggedy, previously owned clothes. With our currently troubled economy, thrift shops are the perfect place to buy some unique and inexpensive clothing. Especially since the holiday season is around the corner, I’m usually trying to save a buck here and there. Seeing that most thrift stores are very cluttered, it can be hard to find the best things in the barrel. Since I feel that I am quite knowledgeable when it comes to thrift shops, I have figured out a few tips for the best finds. So, below I have given you Morgan Twibell’s guide to expert thrift shopping.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO LOOK IN THE MEN’S SECTION Tw arg ibe yle ll ho sw ld ea up ter a b . oy s

For most teenage girls it is unheard of to be seen shopping in the men’s section at any store. But at thrift stores especially, you would be surprised at what you can find. A pair of old worn out men’s Levi jeans could make for a cute pair of high waisted shorts. My friend dressed up like the old man from “UP” for Lancer Day and she found all of her costume in the men’s section at a thrift store. I know from my own experiences that the men’s sections tend to have the most outrageous clothing items, varying from an “eat cheese or die” t-shirt that I found, to a bright pastel, Aztec, authentic Mexican poncho — both are things that I stumbled upon in the men’s section. You have to keep your mind open when shopping at a thrift store; you never know what use you could get out of a pair of parachute pants, or a flat bill that says “BOSS” in large letters across the front. I still haven’t used mine yet, but, hey, maybe I’ll be a rapper for Halloween next year.

$10

In ti the thron, T Und ift wib er sh el gar op l e m bra xam ent . ine s se s a c-

DON’T LET THE IMPERFECTIONS SCARE YOU Tw at ibe of a ch ll lau he ic gh r g ken s rea c wh t fi ost ile nd um loo s. e — ki n on g e

T newibe ss ll of me stu as ffe ure d p so an ftda .

The fact that the clothes you are looking for were previously worn by another owner can sometimes scare shoppers away. When you are buying an item from a thrift store I think everyone knows that you need to check for imperfections. Now let’s say you find a old leather jacket that is calling your name, but you notice that it has a ketchup stain on the front. See, that is better than a shirt with a big hole in the armpit. If there is a stain, or even a tiny rip, don’t panic. There are some simple solutions to this problem. First, I would make sure that the stain is nothing too nasty or that it won’t be something that mom can’t get out in a couple loads of laundry. Most likely if you find a small tear in your clothing a little sewing can fix it up in no time. Second, this is the perfect opportunity to get a discount on something that is already discounted! Show the stain to a worker and argue your case to get a couple dollars off the item; I know from experience that it works. When I was at a thrift store called Boomerang, located at 39th street, I was purchasing a hat and I noticed that the buckle on the back of the hat that is used to size it was broken. This left me with a hat way too oversized for my head...but it was still really cool and I couldn’t just leave it on the shelf for someone else! So I got up the courage to ask the cashier if I could get a few bucks off, and I ended up getting a hat that was originally $15 for $5. Hmm, not only do I have perfect eyes for spotting imperfections but I also must have some amazing charm.

ONE MAN’S TRASH, ONE MAN’S TREASURE Don’t let yourself get into the mindset that just because someone else gave away the clothes means that you won’t find yourself satisfied with them. Fashions come in and out of style. A couple months back I had to dress up for a “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” theme and I found a neon pink and blue windbreaker and some acid wash jeans. Even though I was dressing up for something that was set in the 90’s I realized that the jacket and jeans I found were actually something that I would wear to school or out on the weekends. That is what makes thrift shops so great — you can find something that used to be out of style and you can add your own twist to it, and make it “hip” again. A lot of times in high school it can be hard to stick to a certain style because, obviously, no one wants to be seen in the same outfit as someone else. So when you’re at the thrift shop, go out of your comfort zone and try to find something that you would’ve never worn. You’d be surprised, maybe you could end up starting a new trend.

$10

$

LOOK AT PRICES BEFORE YOU BUY

I’ve noticed that some of the thrift stores I’ve been to are more eclectic than others; they like to carry more vintage, different and unusual clothing. These types of thrift shops are my go-to place for anytime I am in need of a crazy costume. But I have made the mistake before of walking up to the cash register with all my finds, before I checked the price on all of them. “Oh it’s just a thrift shop it will only cost me like ten dollars total.” Boy was I wrong, I walked out of the store with a confused look and $70 less than what I walked in with. That is when I learned to not be fooled by “used clothing”.

Even though it might have been previously worn that doesn’t always mean that it is going to be the cheapest outfit out there. I’ve learned to stray from the things without labels because somehow they usually turn out to be around 30-40 dollars, and that can be a bit excessive spending at a thrift store. If you aren’t looking for dropping a lot of cash on one or two shirts, try to avoid the over-the-top vintage places, as cool as it may sound, it could end up taking a large chunk out of your wallet.

28 | PHOTO ESSAY

Plan from

Outer

9

Space

This ye ar’s fal l pl tion of “Plan 9 ay was an ada fr pt what s ome cr om Outer Spa aitics c ce,” movie all “the worst ever.”

Top Left: Junior Bridgette Beasley played the role of Criswold, a fortune-telling newscaster. Beasley enjoyed being able to create the character. “In the movie, Criswold just has voice overs,” Beasley said.

“I got to create a whole new character for him.” photo by Katie Sgroi Top: All cast and crew members had to arrive early to get their hair and makeup done. Senior Eliza Whimmer was hair and makeup crew chief. “It was a really tedious process,” Whimmer said. “But despite all the work, I enjoyed doing it.” photo by Molly Gasal Left: Senior Chase Ainsworth played flight pilot Jeff Trent. “Myself and many others were a little bit skeptical of the show when it first started,” Ainsworth said. “The further we got into it we noticed how funny of a show it was.” photo by Molly Gasal Below: The play was supposed to look as if it was in black and white, so the actors and actresses painted their faces with gray paint. “The makeup felt like you were wearing chalk,” Junior Maddie Roberts said. photos by Maddie Schoemann

SPORTS

SPORTS | 29

not your usual

KARATE

ROUND UP

A look at some unique sports played by Lancers

written by Jennifer Rorie

LILY FRITTS

Junior Lily Fritts loves what she devotes her time to.

Because of it, she doesn’t have to take special self-defense classes. She doesn’t have to work with a team during soccer practice, like other kids her age. She doesn’t put on gym shorts and T-shirts when she goes to practice four times a week. Instead, she can focus on herself. She has a specific goal. She is a junior black belt in karate.

Fritts has been going to Amerikick at 95th and Metcalf for six years to work towards her one goal: black belt.

For Fritts, the desire to do karate was born out of her desire to be different. Her three older siblings had played soccer for years. She had wanted a sport to call her own, one she would love. And after a short stint of three days at fencing, Fritts settled on karate.

“I wanted to do

a unique sport that was out of the ordinary,” Fritts said.

“So, my mom set me up with karate at Amerikick and I just kinda stuck with it.”

Reaching the rank of junior black belt has not been a short journey for Fritts. In six years, she has gone from being a beginner white belt through yellow, orange, green, blue, purple and red to be only one year away from her goal. She reaches new belts through completing the curriculum and taking tests showing what she has learned.

Some belts are easier to achieve than others, but even through the hard ones, Fritts has stuck with it.

“You have each belt for six or seven months, and gradually as you go down the line it gets longer and longer and harder and harder to get your next belt,” Fritts said.

Increasing in rank isn’t the only thing Fritts does with karate. She competes in tournaments around the city, state and country. Fritts competes in sparring, open-hand forms and weapons divisions. The judging is based upon

ROWING

WATER SKIING

CHANEY BUTNER & MAX MYTINGER

BRYAN BAILEY

For sophomore Bryan Bailey, spring can’t come fast enough. That feeling of being in the water, behind the boat, holding onto the rope is so addicting to him. It’s so natural for him. After all, he has been in a boat since he was four weeks old.

“It [generally] takes me a long time to be ready to ski, but I’m already craving it,” Bailey said. “You can do nothing [in the winter] but sit and wait.”

Bailey learned how to water ski at seven years old. He started at Lake Pomme de Terre, the same place where his grandparents built a house 41 years ago and where his father learned to ski. Bailey’s dad was the one who got him skiing and who has inspired Bryan to continue on with the sport competitively.

“I have three good memories of my dad skiing,” Bailey said. “He always made it looks so good, and I wanted to emulate him.”

Bailey has competed in slalom competitions in places like California to Florida, but mostly stays in the Midwest. A slalom course is made up of six buoys that the skiers have to go around at various lengths of the rope. However, no matter how far Bailey travels the course it’s the same. The

your technique and level of knowledge in the specific areas.

“I love competing,” Fritts said. “Our school is really supportive, so you can hear students cheering you on all around the gym. It’s a huge confidence booster.”

According to Fritts, karate has taught her more than forms and self-defense. It has taught her to have respect. Before students enter the dojo, or the practice room, they bow to show they are ready to give it their all. She has also learned the importance of setting goals and working hard to reach them.

“With different sports you don’t have anything to look forward to,” Fritts said. “But with karate you can see physically around your waist that you have been working for so long, and you have a goal to meet at the end.”

real challenge for the skiers is to not fall down or miss a buoy.

But most of the time Bailey doesn’t practice with buoys and a proper course.

Pomme de Terre is just an open lake, so he is forced to just focus on technique such as body position and angles. This proved to be a benefit in his first ever tournament where he set a course record.

“When you’re on the course you don’t focus on body position at all, you just focus on the next buoy,” Bailey said. “But without them the only thing you can focus on is body position, that’s all I had.”

The thing that keeps Bailey returning to the lakes every summer is the focus that is required for the sport. He compares it to scoring a goal in soccer or shooting a free throw in basketball. At that moment nothing else matters and he has to zone everything else out. According to Bailey the sport is more mentally than physically tiring.

“It’s such a mentally taxing thing to do, I’m so tired at the end of the tournament,” Bailey said. “It’s not my arms. It’s not my calves. It’s the fact that every piece of it involves so much mental focus.”

Sophomores Chaney Butner and Max Mytinger have only been rowing for one year, but they are already making plans for the future. For the two sophomores rowing is a way to get good exercise, but also spend time together and with friends from other schools.

Before Butner’s freshman year he had wanted to go out for the cross country team, but after a few days at it he discovered he hated running and needed another athletic endeavor.

After his mom found the Kansas City Rowing Club, Butner needed someone to row with and knew Mytinger wasn’t doing a fall sport either, so they decided to do it together.

“My mom had been talking about rowing and she said they had a club at Wyandotte [Lake] that is a part of KU,” Butner said. “We went and tried it and we really liked it.”

For Mytinger and Butner, rowing came easily. On their first day of practice their coach Jay Coffman just sent them out in the boat so they could figure it out on their own. After their first time on the lake they were hooked, and eventually began going to the club five times a week.

According to Mytinger, the hardest part about rowing is staying in sync with everyone else in the boat. The person in the front of an eight man boat called the cox is a big part of this. When the cox calls for a stroke, every row-

er pushes back with their legs and pulls with their arms to make the boat go in a perfectly straight line.

“The most important part is to be timed with the person in front of you,” Mytinger said.

“If you’re not the oar will catch, and you won’t go in the water at the same time, so you won’t go.”

The rowing club has members from high school, college and adults that are in love with the sport. As for Butner and Mytinger, they compete against other high school and college kids within the junior division. They attend competitions called regattas, mainly in the summer, but also in the spring and fall. They mainly compete around Kansas City, but travel to Oklahoma for a regatta in the summer.

The boys hope to continue rowing in college, but they are limited in the places they can go. Most colleges don’t have a team because of the nature of the sport--they have to have a lake or river that can accommodate the team and their various boats. They still hope to compete past high school.

“Many of the guys we rowed with last year got a scholarship to KU,” Butner said. “It would be nice to get a scholarship. If the opportunity opened up we’d take it.”

30| SPORTS

SHOOTING FOR LEADERSHIP

Wichita.

It’s the place all the senior, junior, sophomore and freshmen basketball players want to be. This year’s seniors this year have one goal in mind after last year’s disappointing end to the season.

Get to Wichita.

The varsity team will be led by the largest senior class in recent years — ten seniors will be on the roster.

A new, young JV team headed by just a few returnwritten by Akshay Dinakar

BREAKING DOWN

THE COACHES LEFT: Coach Shawn Hair is entering his 15th season as the East head boys’ basketball coach.

ing starters will be different from the players all the way to the coach.

A small sophomore team, with a few players at every position, have hope for a great season of preparation to play at the higher levels.

And a group of freshmen hope to enter the program and uphold the East basketball tradition.

This year, there are lots of changes to the coaching staff. Due to former varsity assistant coach Todd McAtee leaving East, Ryan Hintz, last year’s freshmen

HAIR

1997-PRESENT

coach, will now coach JV. Ryan Oettmeier, the former JV coach, will now be the varsity assistant coach. Andrew Gagnon will additionally coach Freshman A on top of the Sophomore team. Ross Simpson, a recent graduate and former basketball player from East, will get his first experience on the sidelines in charge of the Freshmen B squad.

Because of the coaching changes as well as gym availability, the sophomore team will practice with the freshmen teams this year. continued on PG 31

SAUNDERS

FLETCHALL

1991-1996

GAMES COACHED 332 GAMES COACHED 133

1959-1969

GAMES COACHED 236

.584 OVERALL WIN % .646 OVERALL WIN % .444 OVERALL WIN % CAREER WINS 194 CAREER WINS 86 CAREER WINS 105 CAREER LOSSES 131 CAREER LOSSES 138CAREER LOSSES 47REHFEL D

MAKER

MAKER Adidas

Under Armour

“

NEW

”

“

photos by AnnaMarie Oakley and Jake Crandall

“

It’s a pretty sweet design. I think it’s unique just cause no one has ever seen it before.

”

“

Our old jerseys were light but they weren’t nearly as light as this years uniforms.

”

OLD

I think it’s cool we have brand new ones. They are really thin and light weight, even though we havn’t had a chance to put them on yet.

-Connor McGannon

Our uniforms last year were just like the KU unifroms witht the stripes going down the sides.

”

-Vance Wentz

WATCH BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS BASKETBALL GAMES LIVE ON WWW.SMEHARBINGER.NET

SPORTS | 31

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

awritten lookby Akshay at each team Dinakar

NEW KIDS

the freshmen class Seven seconds left on the clock.

Down by two.

Clutch time.

Jay Guastello stands ready by the three point line as the ref hands the basketball to one of his teammates to pass in. The ball is passed into the team’s center as Guastello watches from the other side of the court.

The clock starts.

Parents’ eyes are glued to the big man as he tries to get free to shoot. But he’s unable to do anything against the swarming defense.

Five seconds. Four seconds.

Guastello, open on the perimeter, shouts for the ball.

Three seconds. Two seconds.

With half a second left, Guastello snatches a wild pass from his center and flings it towards the rim as the buzzer blares.

The parents’ cheers are too loud to hear the ball bouncing on the floor after swishing through the net.

Guastello was one out of a very large class of about 45 freshmen trying out this year. All of the freshmen trying out had the dreams of hitting the game winning shot vs Rockhurst someday. But after three days of grueling sweat, sprints, and skill testing, only about 22 of them earned the right to wear the Columbia blue, black, and white jerseys.

To put this year’s freshmen class in perspective, only around 20 freshmen tried out last year, with 16 ending up making the team.

Guastello, along with other freshmen, hopes to make an instant impact on the basketball program and play at a high level right from the start.

“I want to be a source of positive energy and lead us to some victories,” Guastello said. “And hopefully be a leader on the team even though I’m a freshman.”

Guastello, who met his goal of making JV, hopes to be one of the main players with solid minutes.

Another freshmen on JV with hopes for a bright future is Joey Wentz, the younger brother of four year varsity letterman Vance Wentz.

SMALL BUT STEADY

FILLING POSITIONS

the sophomore class the junior class

One Year Ago. “That’s our freshman!” Clap clap clapclap-clap. “That’s our freshman!” Clap clap clap-clap-clap.

Freshman “Big Money” Lucas Jones has just been subbed into the East-Rockhurst game at home. Just a 6-feet-4 inch freshman playing on an 11-0 JV team.

With a broken arm.

Jones, who was the only freshman last year to play up, made half of his shots during the season with one arm and a padded cast.

“It was kind of weird. It didn’t really hurt at all, just one arm was a lot heavier than the other,” Jones said.

After a season on JV, Lucas is back this year with more experience as well as a few in-game tricks up his sleeve. The ability to dunk, for instance.

His goal this year as an individual is to get decent minutes on varsity.

Fellow sophomore Gunnar Englund is known for his passing skills rather than his scoring, however he hopes to score a lot more points this season than his last, especially because he is now on the JV team.

“I didn’t score as much as I wanted to my freshman year,” Englund said. “This year I want to start JV at shooting guard. Maybe average ten points, five assists, and a couple steals a game.”

The sophomore team, which will be coached by Andrew Gagnon, will be small and will only have eight players at the different positions. Sophomores Cameron Burke, Alec Dean, Kyle Ball and Max Danner will play forward or center. Sophomores Derek Steiert, Charlie Drape, and Clark Doerr are among the guards that will make up the team.

This year’s JV team has plenty of positions to fill. In fact, last year’s roster featured nine juniors.

That’s a lot of juniors, considering that a full team has 12 players. A lot of juniors that led the JV team to an 11-0 start to the season.

But now that these seniors can’t play at the JV level, the game ball has been handed to a small group of underclassmen and a handful of juniors.

Luke Haverty, a sophomore starter last year that also practiced a few times with JV, is expected by the upperclassmen to be a leader on the team.

“I just want to be there when times get tough during late game situations,” Haverty said. “I want my teammates to be able to rely on me.”

Other juniors on the team include Matt Nestler, John Sears and Colin Burns. Burns, who played JV basketball his freshman year and took his sophomore year off for baseball instead, has set his sights on the roles of a JV starting guard, and possibly a varsity bench player.

Junior Matt Nestler, who will be a JV forward, has plenty of team goals for the upcoming season.

“First I’d obviously want to have a winning record, but looking to the future, I think it is going to be important for the JV team to be able to win and work together because that team will enter varsity level competition without many returning varsity players,” Nestler said.

Last year’s JV team finished with only six losses, and one of their many achievements included defeating Rockhurst at home. However, the seniors are confident in the ability of this year’s JV team to live up to last year’s great season.

“I expect them to live up to the highest,” senior varsity center Chris Tuttle said. “Haverty has already gotten some experience on the team and the rest have played together a little bit. I think that they should match together well.”

THE LEADERS

the senior class

A freshmen basketball team photo shows scrawny, skinny versions of eight of our current seniors grinning as they pose in the center of the auxiliary gym.

But not all of our seniors are there. Two are missing. Vance Wentz and Zach Schneider were moved up to varsity, and were not included in the picture.

But now, four years after that picture was taken, there is no team gap between the ten seniors.

“We’re all finally together now as seniors and we’re projected to go really far,” senior Jackson Sublette said. “It’s going to be a really fun year.”

Now that they will all play together, they have a united goal in mind.

To do nothing short of winning state.

“We want to make it to Wichita and play for the state title,” senior Connor McGannon said. “We have the potential to be a really good team if we put a lot of effort and try really hard these first few weeks of practice.”

McGannon, who has played on JV for two years, hopes to help the varsity team with the leadership skills he has learned by playing for East.

“I hope to be a leader on the team,” McGannon said. “Make sure the team has done what it needs to do, and play the role I have to play on the team because I’m not a big scorer. Get my teammates shots and put us in a position to win.”

Senior Chris Tuttle, who tore his meniscus a couple months ago, hopes to return by the first few games this season with more developed scoring skills.

“When I get back, I hope to help the team by rebounding and shooting the ball a lot more this year than I did last year, making jump shots and layups, stuff like that,” Tuttle said.

32 | PHOTO ESSAY Right: Junior Madeline Peters attended Douglass Elementary School to help celebrate. ”The best part was meeting little kids and getting to know them was also fun,” Peters said. photo by Maddie Schoemann Far Right: Senior Kaitlin Morgan helps pack party favors for the children at Banneker Elementary. Morgan’s favorite part is “interacting with the kids and being able to make them smile.” photo by Caroline Creidenberg

S.H.A.R.E.-ING

BIRTHDAYS East’s S.H.A.R.E. program participants volunteer at elementrary schools throughout the Kansas City area once a month. This project, Birthday Parties, helps kids in need celebrate their special day with gifts and smiles.

Above: Junior Jackson Granstaff begins to hand out donuts to the kids.

“To prepare we made birthday bags for the little kids,” Granstaff said. “I really think the kids enjoy the bags.” photo by Caroline Creidenberg

Left: Junior Ellie Waugh interacts with one of the students during lunch.

“The kids are very funny and sweet,” Waugh said. “And overall it is a good experience.” photo by Maddie Schoemann