Issue 3 from the 2013-2014 The Harbinger

INTO

AIR

e in reas ern c n i nc es arett using co the g i c f E ty, ca safety o i r a l popu ding the s r ce rega devi [story on

OPINION| EDUCATION REFORM 8 Staffer Morgan Krakow gives her recommendations on how to revamp our school sytems

MOVIE REVIEW| “DON JON” 23 Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s debut feature combines comedy, social satire and porn

BOXING| HUNTER BICKERS 29 East student uses boxing as a source of therapy in his battle with cerebral palsy

ART BY MIRANDA GIBBS

issue SHAWNEE MISSION EAST HIGH SCHOOL

the harbinger. /3 /

7500 MISSION ROAD | PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS

OCTOBER 7, 2013

page 4]

editorial.

EDITORIAL BOARD VOTES FOR

DON’T TWEET AND TEACH

AGAINST ABSENT

Teachers should keep their personal opinions private

Everywhere we turn, it seems like somebody is constantly sharing their opinions, whether that be in person or on social media. Due to the increasing number of teachers and faculty members at East using Twitter accounts to connect with their students, the line is blurring between student-teacher relationships. As teachers and students are becoming more connected, The Harbinger believes that it’s even more important now for teachers to remain unbiased, whether that be in a classroom or on social media.

On Sept. 16, University of Kansas (KU) professor David Guth tweeted about the Navy Yard Shooting in Washington D.C. and has received much backlash for his comment.

Guth’s tweet, “#NavyYardShooting The blood is on the hands of the #NRA. Next time, let it be YOUR sons and daughters. Shame on you. May God damn you”, probably would have gone unnoticed along with the other tweets about the incident, except for the fact that he is associate professor of journalism at KU. Educators must be conscious while posting on social media when they know students are following them. Being a professor, as well as a teacher or faculty member, comes

with the responsibility of conducting oneself in a professional way. These people are an extension of the school.

Yes, Guth has the freedom to speak about the situation because of his First Amendment right, but he is still publicly known and associated as a professor at KU. He has the responsibility to be mindful of what he says publicly when he knows he might influence students. Guth is also paid by taxpayers, which means those taxpayers don’t want their money supporting someone who voices their opinions in an inappropriate fashion. The Harbinger believes that KU’s decision to put Guth on paid administrative leave was the right move.

Students should be taught in an unbiased environment at school. This means that during lessons concerning topics such as religion, history or politics, teachers should only be teaching the topic, not their views. In a poll conducted about the California public university system, 53 percent of responders said that they believe professors teach topics in the classrooms with a political bias. Only 24 percent believed that topics were presented in a politically balanced way.

Now, we’re not saying that students should beliving in a bubble. Instead, students need to learn how to think for themselves. When all sides of a topic are presented, this allows for students to make their own decisions which is especially important to learn in high school for later in life.

Students must be be given the opportunities to develop their own opinions. The world is in demand of creative thinkers, and teaching children to feed off a teacher’s opinion will not allow students to be creative. There will come a time when we won’t be spoon fed information and ideas; and it’s now time to start thinking for ourselves.

Whether or not you are ready for it, we will soon be the people in charge. We will be running the government, making money and teaching the next generation. But we won’t be able to do all those things if we are still relying on others.

There will be no progression. So do the future generation a favor, and don’t tweet and teach.

EDITORIAL CARTOON THE HARBINGER STAFF 2013-2014 Staying objective in the classroom and on social media ART BY MICHAEL BERKBEUGLER

Co-Editors-In-Chief Andrew McKittrick Katie Knight Assistant Editors Morgan Krakow Sophie Tulp Head Copy Editor Sarah Berger

Assistant Head Copy Editor Pauline Werner Art & Design Editor Miranda Gibbs News Section Editor Greta Nepstad News Page Designers Mike Thibodeau Spread Editors Phoebe Aguiar Caroline Kohring Features Page Designers Sydney Lowe Claire Whittaker Pauline Werner Features Section Editor Maddie Hise Copy Editors Mike Thibodeau Clara Ma Andrew McKittrick Will Oakley Morgan Krakow

Sarah Berger Sophie Tulp Katie Knight Morgan Twibell Pauline Werner Caroline Kohring Julia Poe

Staff Writers Maddison Hyatt Ellis Nepstad Michael Kraske Hannah Colemann Lauren Brown

8 3 0

Freelance Page Designers Georgia DuBois Megan McAlister Staff Photographers Kathryn Jones Neely Atha Callie McPhail Kylie Relihan Annika Sink Taylor Anderson Katie Lamar Paloma Garcia Tessa Polaschek Abby Hans Scotty Burford

Photo Editors McKenzie Swanson Maddie Schoemann Editorial Board Andrew McKittrick Assistant Photo Editors Katie Knight AnnaMarie Oakley Morgan Krakow Annie Savage Sarah Berger Will Oakley Opinion Section Editor Morgan Twibell Morgan Twibell Sophie Tulp Julia Poe Opinion Page Designer Grace Heitmann Nellie Whittaker Mike Thibodeau Pauline Werner A&E Section Editor Leah Pack Online Editors-in-Chief Grace Heitmann A&E Page Designer Julia Poe Audrey Danciger Heady Copy Editor Sports Section Editor Susannah Mitchell Will Oakley Assistant Head Copy Editor Sports Page Designers Clara Ma Tommy Sherk John Foster

Online Photo Editor Marisa Walton

Head Webmaster Jack Stevens

Assistant Photo Editors Hailey Hughes Meghan Shirling

Assistant Webmasters Jacob Milgrim Matthew Bruyere

News Editor Nellie Whitaker Homegrown Editor Maxx Lamb Opinion Editor Claire Sullivan A&E Editor Audrey Danciger Sports Section Editor John Foster Assistant Sports Editors Ellis Nepstad Will Oakley

Live Broadcast Editors Jack Stevens Andrew McKittrick Anchors Sydney Lowe Will Oakley Maddie Hise Multimedia Staff Jack Stevens Sophie Mitchell Matthew Bruyere Annie Foster

Video Editors Sophie Mitchell Annie Foster

Staff Artists Michael Berkbuegler Sarah Cook

Podcast and Radio Editor Leah O’Connor

Social Media Jacob Milgrim

Eastipedia Editor Maxx Lamb

Adviser Dow Tate

Interacive Editors Will Oakley Mike Thibodeau Matthew Bruyere

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.

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.

F E I R B NE WS IN

global

national

local

news.

A Y CLARA M WRITTEN B BUEGLER HAEL BERK IC M Y B T R A

global news A mall in Kenya falls victim to AlQaeda terrorists

national news

Residents in Colorado struggle to recover weeks after floods hit

local news

Colleges from around the country plan to visit the College Clinic East will host Shawnee Mission’s 51st Annual College Clinic on Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Two hundred fifteen colleges from 34 states, including KU, K-State, Princeton and NYU, will set up booths to provide information for prospective students from the Kansas City area.

PTA Organizer Mary Bahr estimates that around 4,000 students and parents will come to East for the event. Students from Wichita and Emporia are also expected to attend.

According to Bahr, The Shawnee Mission College Clinic is the PTA’s largest fundraiser. Each school pays a registration fee, but the primary purpose of the clinic is to allow students to visit with many college representatives in one evening without having to spend time and money traveling to different schools.

It is organized by a committee of 10 women on the PTA who help plan the representative dinner and set up on the day of the event. Around 75 volunteers will help out at the clinic.

“We start organizing in the spring and work pretty steadily throughout the summer,” Bahr said. “The real crunch time is in September and October. We are fortunate to have a great group of volunteers helping us!”

The College Clinic’s original founders in 1962 were East parent volunteers. Bahr and her co-organizer, Jenny Sernett, hope to continue that tradition for years to come.

The floodwaters have diminished, the rains have ceased and residents of Colorado have begun to return to their homes.

In the weeks following the floods that devastated Colorado last month, the state has only just begun the long process of recovery.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper estimated that in Boulder County alone, approximately $150 million will be required to repair the over 100 roads and dozens of bridges that have been damaged by the floods.

For the entire state, that number is closer to $500 million.

In its wake, the floods have left eight dead and 18,000 homes destroyed across 17 counties, with losses to public and private property in the billions. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), nearly 7,000 displaced Colorado residents have applied for aid in temporary housing and home repairs. Telephone and electricity have been restored in some areas, but in others essential services could be inaccessible for several more weeks.

In addition to facing challenges in rebuilding and restoration, the state must also deal with the oil spills that have occurred due to broken pipes and storage tanks caused by the flooding. Nearly 40,000 gallons of oil have spilled so far. State officials worry that the oil from the spills will be harmful to local residents as it has flown directly into rivers, contaminating sewage systems and water supplies.

Gov. Hickenlooper says that Colorado will compensate the members of the National Guard who continue to aid the flood relief efforts during the government shutdown.

Around noon on Sept. 21, a group of unidentified terrorists began an attack on Nairobi Westgate Mall that would span a period of four days, leaving 67 dead and 175 injured. Five attackers were killed, and 11 suspects are currently in police custody.

The gunmen visited each store in the mall, taking hostages and firing into crowds. A few hours into the shooting, a Somali terrorist group with Al-Qaeda affiliations, Al-Shabaab, took to Twitter to claim responsibility for the massacre.

“The Kenyan public must be aware that the more Kenyan troops continue to persecute innocent Muslims of Somalia, the less secure Kenyan cities will be,” the statement read.

On the second day, the terrorists continued their siege on the mall. Kenyan military forces responded with an assault of their own. By the third day, they had rescued over 200 civilians but in doing so suffered 11 casualties. Among the dead were six British citizens, two French, two Indian and two Canadian. No Americans were killed in the incident, but five were injured.

At the end of the four days, three floors of the mall had collapsed, trapping both civilians and gunmen inside. The attack has raised concerns over Kenya’s lack of visible security and military backing of their anti-terrorist agenda. Economists worry that the attack could also be detrimental to Kenya’s burgeoning tourist industry. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism comprises 14 percent of the country’s GDP and employs 12 percent of its workforce. The WTTC projects that the attack could cause up to $250 million in losses in tourism revenue for the Kenyan economy.

Two weeks after the shooting, the mall still remains in shambles, and citizens of Nairobi are struggling to return to normalcy.

TWEETS TO KNOW

TWEETS TO KNOW

CNN Breaking News

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@cnnbrkww

@SMEOffice

Boulder County, Colo., now says only 4 people unaccounted for in flooding; was 318 Monday.

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WRITTEN BY SARAH BERGER ART BY MIRANDA GIBBS AND MIKE THIBODEAU

Senior Katy Smith* was ready to try something new her sophomore year. As she sat in a circle at a party, she was passed an electronic cigarette for the first time and took the device to try it. The e-cigarette seemed like a rite of passage she wanted to experience.

Smith’s other friends were trying it too, and blowing smoke rings with the vapor from the cigarette looked like fun.

As she inhaled the blueberryflavored vapor, she didn’t feel like she was choking on the smoke of a real cigarette and didn’t feel a buzz like she thought she would; Smith says she just felt cool.

E-cigarettes are becoming more and more popular among teenagers, specifically high school students. According to the Center for Disease Control’s National Youth Tobacco survey, e-cigarette use has more than doubled in the past year among high school students. While many teenagers see e-cigarettes as a healthier option than real cigarettes, Dr. Abby Loche, a pediatrician at Johnson County Pediatrics, says their lack of regulation and illegal status for minors can still pose potential dangers.

Unlike real cigarettes, e-cigarettes contain no tobacco and are smoke-free. They are composed of three parts: a battery, a vaporization chamber and a cartridge filled with liquid nicotine. When the device is puffed on, a sensor is trigVaporizer

Battery

Cartridge

Breakdown of an E-Cigarette

An Alternate Addiction Electronic Cigarettes begin to rise in popularity among high school students

gered and the liquid nicotine is heated by a battery, producing a nicotine-filled vapor.

This vapor is then inhaled like normal smoke.

E-cigarettes were introduced to the U.S. in 2007 and according to Forbes Magazine, sales have been steadily increasing ever since. By the end of this year, e-cigarette revenue is expected to surpass $1 billion.

According to principal John McKinney, even though the e-cigarette does not emit smoke or contain tobacco, it is still against the district’s tobacco policy.

Being caught in possession of an e-cigarette at East will result in a one day out-of-school-suspension. “[E-cigarettes are against school policy because they are]against the law and unhealthy,” McKinney said.

Neither McKinney nor school resource officer Joel Porter say they have seen any cases of students in possession of e-cigarettes at East.

While e-cigarettes might not be a problem for administration on school grounds, Smith says she has seen at least 10 of her friends try smoking e-cigarettes at least once outside of school.

Senior Greg White* also says he has smoked e-cigarettes and has seen several of his friends smoking ecigarettes. White does not know of any students who smoke them on regular basis, just every once in a while for fun.

According to Smith one of the key appeals of trying the e-cigarette were the flavors of vapor offered by the e-cigarette. Flavors range from bubblegum to grape to chocolate. Due to lack of tobacco and smoke, Smith feels that e-cigarettes are a safer option.

“E-cigarettes aren’t that bad for you,” Smith said.

“They are kind of like smoking a hookah, it’s just something fun to do because they taste good.”

Dr. Loche agrees that the flavors do appeal to teenagers as well. On the contrary, Dr. Loche says the flavors can add to the danger of e-cigarettes by making the experience of smoking more pleasurable. She says this mix could result in a new generation of teenagers who are hooked on nicotine for years to come.

A laboratory analysis of the top two leading brands of e-cigarettes conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found traces of metal inside the vapor as well as cancer-causing chemicals present in their samples.

The levels of nicotine inside e-cigarettes have also caused concern among health care personnel. The FDA’s analysis found twice the amount of nicotine inside a high-nicotine e-cigarette versus a high-nicotine traditional cigarette. In addition, the FDA found small levels of nicotine inside e-cigarette cartridges labeled as containing no nicotine. Inhaling nicotine has been

1 in 5 Smokers have tried an E-Cig.

shown to increase risks of strokes and blood clots.

“Nicotine is addictive and your body starts to crave it,” Dr. Loche said. “With nicotine, your body feels like you almost need it.”

White says he has only seen high levels of nicotine in the more expensive brands of e-cigarettes; these brands he says are too expensive for high school students to even afford.

“They aren’t as dangerous as regular cigarettes,” White said. “If high schoolers want to smoke [e-cigarettes] then more power to them.”

Another appeal of e-cigarettes to Smith were their easy access. In Kansas, it has been illegal to sell them to minors since July 2012, but with e-cigarettes being sold online and in mall kiosks, students still have access to the devices.

According to Smith, her friends purchased e-cigarettes from gas stations that didn’t ask for I.D. “Some gas station employees won’t ask if you’re 18 or anything,” Smith said. “They’ll just pretty much just give it to you.”

While there are restrictions on who can purchase ecigarettes, many of the Kansas smoking bans do not apply to them. Since the e-cigarette produces vapor instead of smoke, it is permitted in areas where smoking is not normally permitted, such as restaurants and workplaces.

E-cigarettes also have different restrictions placed on them by the FDA. The devices are allowed to be flavored unlike real cigarettes, and they are permitted to be advertised on prime-time television as well. Dr. Loche believes the marketing of e-cigarettes to teens is motivated by the e-cigarette companies wanting to appeal to a newer, longer-lasting market.

“The more [the product] is in front of your brain the more you will want to use it,” Dr. Loche said. “Teenagers are an easy target.”

Faith, who could not reveal her last name due to company policy, is a cancer specialist at the American Cancer Society. According to Faith one of the key dangers concerning e-cigarettes are the fact that they are not labeled. Due to the lack of ingredients listed with electronic cigarettes consumers do not know what they are inhaling when they use one.

On Sept. 24, 40 state attorney generals, including Kansas, urged the FDA to place more restrictions on the advertisement of e-cigarettes and its appeal to minors.

The FDA is aiming to have them regulated by Oct. 31. New regulations have not been formally outlined, but restrictions are projected to be similar to regular cigarettes. *names have been changed to protect identity

Statistics Kansas bans the sale of E-Cigarettes to Minors.

news.

RECYCLING

WHAT’S WITH OUR WASTE?

A look at the effects of e-waste in homes, landfills and the environment

ELECTRONIC WASTE Electronic waste is the fastest growing type of waste in the nation, having many effects on the environment, which can be reduced through recycling

HOW MUCH DO WE WASTE ANNUALLY?

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ABBY HANS WRITTEN BY MADDIE HISE All of the 30 to 40 million electronic products in the state of Kansas will need to be done away with at some point. Electronic waste is the fastest growing stream of waste with the many toxic by-products like lead. The Shawnee Mission School District for the past years has sent all their electronics to a warehouse to reuse instead of allowing them to become waste in a landfill.

E-waste is any used computer, television, DVD player, VCR, cell phone, video game, MP3 player or microwave that is not recycled and sent to a landfill.

The Consumer Electronic Association said Americans own about 24 electronic products per household.

With updates and newer models, electronics are continuingly being replaced resulting in the fastest growing waste stream, electronics.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all of this waste contains toxic and hazardous materials such as mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium, chromium and chemical flame retardants which pollute the air and soil. However, they also contain aluminum, silver, gold, plastics and metals can be reused if recycled properly.

“Technically, a lot of electronics can be recycled,” senior environmental club president Ada Throckmorton said. “Which is good because when it goes to landfills, it has a lot of hazardous toxins in it. But unfortunately a lot of electronic waste that can be recycled actually gets exported to a place like Mexico and China.”

In these countries the waste is either broken down by cheap labor or sent to a landfill.

Jacob Blasé, the Shawnee Mission School District network analyst, said when the Shawnee Mission School District no longer needs a printer, keypad, computer, monitor etc. in a certain building, it is sent to a warehouse. The electronics are either reused within the district, or the school district holds an auction for the e-waste. An auction occurs anytime the warehouse has too much supplies to hold. In this auction members of the East community are invited to come bid on the products for a bargain.

In 2009, 2.37 million TVs, computers, printers, scanners, mice, keyboards and cell phones tons were discarded in the U.S. alone according to the EPA. Of this, only 25 percent were recycled however, only 8 percent of cell phones were recycled. The others are left to be thrown away in U.S. or an abroad landfill.

Many of the recycling companies send the electronics to third-world countries to be broken down into their different elements. According to environmental education teacher James Lockard, the precious metals are reused most likely in other electronics, the plastics are shredded then either recycled or landfilled and the metals are melted down or landfilled.

When properly recycled, cell phones have many elements which can be used in a number of different industries. For example jewelry, planting, and reused for another electronics and automobiles.

“It [electronic waste] gets made into new electronics,” Throckmorton said. “Like they can use the old parts and stuff.”

According to the EPA if one million laptops were recycled, it would be able to power 3,657 U.S. homes every year. If one million cell phones were recycled it would give 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium recovered that can be reused. All these could be melted down and reused to make a number of things from jewelry to a new electronic.

“There are places where you can mail in your cell phone,” Environmental Education teacher James Lockard said. “To at least get it recycled even if you can only get a few bucks for it.”

Recycling e-waste conserves natural resources, protects the environment from toxins and can help the community when waste is donated. Breaking down the electronics saves landfill space for actual waste that cannot be recycled.

Computers in Prairie Village can be recycled through ForeRunner Recycling. Specifics recycling options with the nearest proximity can be found at RecyclingSpot.org.

CELL PHONES

TELEVISIONS

135,000, 000 thrown away

23,500,000 discarded

COMPUTERS

31,300,000 trashed

EFFECTS OF E-WASTE IN LANDFILLS WATER

AIR

When e-waste is burned, Toxins ecarbon dioxide inside waste gas is emitted e-waste can releases leak into the into the envigreenronment ground and house contaminate gases into water the air

FIRE

BENEFITS OF RECYCLING E-WASTE For every 1 million cell phones recycled

35,274 pounds of copper are recovered 772 pounds of silver can be saved

75 pounds of gold can be reused TULP ART BY SOPHIE

ART BY SOPHIE TULP

news.

TURNING TECH TO

In efforts to conserve paper, East attempts at moving to digital documentation WRITTEN BY NELLIE WHITTAKER PHOTOS BY MEGHAN SHIRLING East has taken big strides to go green this year. Recycling programs have been expanded, and faculty members are making new efforts to conserve paper by storing documents digitally. They are doing this to try to lessen the school’s environmental footprint and save money.

The administration and faculty have begun sending any documents they can digitally rather than printing them out. This mainly applies to things like memos and newsletters that go out to a large number of people. “[This new system has] helped us become a lot more aware of how much paper we used to go through and the different ways that we can reduce that,” principal John McKinney said.

According to McKinney, teachers, as well as the staff as a whole, are using less

paper. The office and counseling center are using less as well by storing things digitally. The counseling center has made an effort to conserve paper by keeping and sending transcripts electronically and printing them only when necessary. In past years, they have printed out copies of 15-page packets for college presentations. Now, they keep the information online for people who want to read them.

“We try not to reprint anything; it’s not easy though,” counseling center secretary Julie Curry said. “But I’m the Nazi in here about [conserving paper].”

Since not all documents can be kept on the computer, faculty has begun printing at central locations to reduce the amount of ink used in printing large jobs. This means that all teachers are asked to print to the copy room. Faculty members in the office

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are asked to print to one central printer there.

Money that would have been spent on ink and paper was reallocated to funding the recycling and compost bins. Extra money is now being given to the Shawnee Mission East Love Fund, an organization that financially helps students or families here in the East area.

McKinney has received only positive feedback from faculty and parents about this increased use of technology. So has Peggy Miller, a former East mom who runs the Lancer Alert e-mails and texts that go out to parents who sign up. Miller considers this extra communication another thing that evolves to help East go green. It saves paper that could be used to send home flyers with information for parents. According to Miller, sending it via e-mail is more effec-

tive and environmentally friendly.

“Flyers often end up sitting in a backpack or just never getting to parents at all,” Miller said. “Sending [the information] electronically ensures that parents actually receive it and it cuts down on paper use.”

Overall, these changes have been implemented for the school to do everything it can to keep the environment healthy and spread this message beyond the school. According to McKinney, these efforts to preserve the environment are relatively new to schools, but the ideas are spreading quickly.

“We never would’ve done [all this] when I was a kid,” McKinney said. “There’s been a gigantic change in the awareness and the understanding of conserving.”

Diving Deeper

opinion.

Staffer reflects on his experience scuba diving in a cave in Missouri

AN OPINION OF TOMMY SHERK

My dad and I found ourselves in Bonne Terre, Missouri, south of Saint Louis one Friday night in August. The quiet town filled with pot-bellied residents had something under the surface that couldn’t be seen to the naked eye -- a billion gallon lake underground. And we’re about to scuba dive in it.

My dad and I were beginning scuba divers. After taking PADI scuba classes in KC and finishing our certification in Hawaii, we had only been on one other dive in California. So, for a weekend getaway, we decided to take our previous dive instructor’s advice and dive in this lake.

The lake is actually a flooded mine shaft, originally used to mine lead used for ammunition during WWII. The miners dug and exploded massive tunnels and caverns that formed an astounding rock maze, unlike anything I’ve seen before. After being abandoned, the mine was flooded with a billion or so gallons of water to create an ideal, clear diving experience.

The drive from Kansas City to Bonne Terre was an interesting car ride to say the least. I would look out the window and wonder, where ARE we? It must have been the meth-ridden side of Missouri most Johnson-Countyers have never seen-except on COPS. Bonne Terre is a quiet, detached town with barely any recognizable stores or restaurants. Yet, most residents looked like they got plenty of use out of the lone Hardee’s.

Tired and in need of stretching, my dad and I were relieved to have reached the hotel. Of course, the “Bonne Terre Depot” hotel, with it’s haunted-mansion design--complete with cheetah print carpet and old paintings of creepy children--looked like an ideal set for “Psycho”.

I fell asleep in our musty room to a group of Polish-Canadian men drinking and discussing their beloved moonshine in the rec room across the hall. One remarked “Thees stuff could start a car!”. Of course, they would be our fellow divers the next morning.

We arrived at the dive shop early Saturday morning, checked in, checked out our gear and watched a legally-required instructional video. That was when I first got to see our fellow divers. In front of me was the short, bald, Polish-Canadian man who had an accent thick enough to be a James Bond villain. Besides him, there were some more advanced divers, an obese couple and about 4 dive instructors.

We were scheduled to be going on three 45-minute to an hour dives on Saturday. There we were, on a dock in the middle of a crystal-clear lake, inside of a massive cave system. We struggled to get suited up with full wetsuits and 80+ pounds of gear strapped around our shivering bodies. We followed our instructor’s lead and hopped off into the 58 degree water.

Though we were covered head to toe in wetsuits, we were gloveless, which was pretty much equivalent to holding my hands in ice water for 45 minutes. After some basic drills, that ensured we were qualified divers, the instructors gave the signal to let the air out of our inflatable vests.

Now that I was underwater, I rinsed my fogged up mask and began to see vast, rocky canyons. The whole dive, I had my arms pinned to my sides to contain heat.

I followed the instructors around as they showed the group rusted mine carts and broken bits of track. At one point, we were at the top of a ledge. Floating horizontally, I grabbed the edge and peered over. I looked down on this deep canyon that I couldn’t even see the bottom of -- it was pitch black. What am I waiting for? I grabbed the ledge and launched myself into the abyss.

After our first 50-minute dive, I couldn’t wait to strip off my gear and soak up some heat outside. Though a wild and cold experience, everyone seemed to enjoy our first dive, except for the obese couple who wouldn’t be joining us again (our instructor mentioned tears were involved). After about an hour, we headed back down for our second dive.

Now that our instructors trusted us a little more, they lead us through dark underwater tunnels and showed us how our bubbles looked like mercury, pooling together on the tunnel ceiling. When we left the tunnels and looked behind us, our bubbles, which had floated through miniscule cracks in the rock, rose to the surface.

After the second 45-minute dive, we had a quick lunch break. Upon returning to the dive shop, I was confronted by the Polish-Canadian, known as Jerry. He proceeded to tell me, as if his life depended on it, “YOU ARE DIVER! IF YOU COLD, ASK FOR GLOVES! DON’T BE A HERO!” Apparently, he had seen me shivering underwater while he was in his

dry suit (a completely watertight suit used for maximum warmth), and had decided to give me some gloves. I accepted the gloves, half because I needed them, half because I was terrified of this moonshine maniac.

Our third dive was my favorite dive of all.

With my recently acquired gloves, I was much warmer, and it made an unbelievable difference. Also, the dive was closer to the surface, so I was actually able to see things this time! Our instructors lead us through a maze of stone pillars, caves and tunnels and showed us how crappy these miners’ lives must have had to be in the once poorly lit, smog-filled and extremely unsafe mines.

That night, I was pretty wiped out. We got a quick dinner and headed back for bed. We woke up early on Sunday, and headed directly to the mine. We decided to cut our trip short and cancel our fifth dive so we could get home before dark. This was definitely a good choice, because our fourth dive wasn’t so pleasant.

I found myself breathing heavily in a pitch black underwater cavern. All I could see through my foggy snorkel was an occasional glow stick in the distance that hung off another diver. It was scary, but apparently the instructors enjoyed turning off their flashlights and remaining motionless in a freezing body of water; they found it “peaceful”.

When I finally saw their heavenly beams of light again, I followed them. The instructor looked up at the ceiling, and appeared to be yanking at a rock. What is she doing?! I thought. I looked away, I looked back, and she’s gone. I was pretty much unable to communicate with the other divers; I could barely even see them. Panicking, I swam closer to where I last saw our missing instructor, and saw there was a five foot by five foot hole. In the ceiling. Go to the light, I thought to myself, and squeezed through the hole.

When the last dive was complete, my dad and I packed our car, left as quickly as possible and didn’t look back. On the way home, exhausted from hauling my gear up from the bottom of the mine, I was able to collect my thoughts about the whole trip.

It was an awe-filled experience which I will probably never have again in my life. Partly, because I probably won’t go back to cave diving, and partly because I will be avoiding Bonne Terre, Missouri.

Scuba Essentials

Sherk comments on how he used different pieces of equipment while scuba diving

“In order to see underwater, you need goggles.

Not just any goggles, though — a scuba mask. Scuba masks allow for a clearer, wider field of vision while making sure water doesn’t flow up your nose.”

“Especially with all of my scuba gear on, its kind of hard to swim or stay level.

Yet, flippers help with this. Not only does having these help take less effort to kick faster through the water.”

“In all of the dives I’ve been on, and I’ve only needed one tank of air.

However, like on my first dive in the mine, you can suck through that air pretty fast and had to share the instructor’s tank.”

“In water that’s under 70 degrees, a wetsuit is absolutely crucial to contain heat. When diving in the 58 degree water in the mine, I also needed a wetsuit hood, boots and gloves.“

opinion.

OPINION OF MORGAN KRAKOW

I used to like school. I really did. But something changed when I hit high school. I find myself spending nights furiously writing, conjugating and graphing. I’ve been doing all this with the added pressure of looming standardized tests and the feeling that colleges are looking over my shoulder big brother-style.

I’ve always liked knowledge; learning new things peaks my interest. So why did I feel like I hit a brick wall once I got to what was supposed to be a higher-level learning environment? Bogged down by busy-work, overwhelmed by rigid rules, bored by countless power points, it really doesn’t feel like I’m learning anything.

In recent years, the United States has been pegged as lagging behind other countries in its education system. Other countries have started innovating and holding students to different, more effective standards. Now I know it’s not a competition, but if it was, we should be the ones at the top. I can’t vote, but I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the classroom, and I know it needs to change.

Crammed into a desk, number two pencil ready, two cups of coffee downed, time to test -- again. Regurgitate the information, fill in the bubbles and store the notes until the final. Done.

I put a lot of time into school. But a lot of that time just feels like I’m preparing for Doomsday, excuse me, I mean a unit test. If I didn’t have to spend my nights memorizing formulas I might have taken interest in what we were learning about. Theories and ideas are fascinating. The world, with its recent tech boom, is changing before us.

There are interesting things out there for us to learn about. School doesn’t have to be boring. The up-chuck of information purely for a certain letter grade, that’s boring.

We’re turning intellectuals away, dumbing everyone down. I know I’m only sixteen but I’m pretty sure I won’t have to bubble in my answers on the first day of a job. I’m going to have think critically, ask questions and problem-solve.

We study to pass tests, but what if we all started studying because we were genuinely interested in the subject? Memory fades, but perspective and discussion builds upon itself.

I can study and study chemical formulas, but in ten years I probably won’t be able to recite them. Heck, I probably won’t be able to recite them next week. That’s because it isn’t important to me. I want to learn the why’s and the how’s not just the what’s. I want to learn for understanding, not for the multiple choice.

Four simple ideas on how our education system could be improved

Maybe school stopped being fun when everything got boring.

I understand that the days of finger painting and playing dress up are as much a thing of the past as Ferbies and fax machines.

But that doesn’t mean we have to just sit mindlessly and taking notes off power points and copying things out of hefty textbooks.

I want to expand my brain. I want to look at a question and come up with several ways to answer it. I want to learn how to think critically and create solutions myself. I want the opportunity to express myself through different formats and get to know my peers and their views. Our minds are being squandered by the rigid black and white of exams and long-term papers, by x’s and y’s. I’m fatigued by the year-in and year-out similarities of school.

Creativity is one of the most sought-after qualities in the workplace. People with minds that flex in different ways and can see one thing from multiple perspectives are successful. Maybe it’s not playing with blocks, but if we were encouraged to do things differently, adding our personalities and being proud of our work, society as a whole would benefit. We’d be a generation of people with open minds, both creative and innovative. We would have the capacity to create change.

Arguably the biggest problem with the high school system is the incessant pressure to do well. Early on, we get a seemingly harmless seed planted in our heads; achieve in high school and you’ll get into college. But who knew achieving meant a laundry list of leadership positions, unimaginable amounts of community service hours, an essay to rival Shakespeare, a fantastic GPA? Combine all those things and we might, emphasis on the might, get into a “good” school.

We’re told it’s the formula for success. But really, it’s more like the formula for insanity. We’re not aliens from some ultraproductive, far-off planet, we’re teenagers. And I think adults and students alike need to take that into consideration, myself included. The pressure to succeed has many times made me cave beneath it all. I wasn’t getting full nights of sleep. Things began to feel like a never-ending pattern of stress, write, stress, study, stress, possibly eat and then maybe, just maybe, get some sleep.

High school shouldn’t be the four years we spend attempting to get the stamp of approval from a college, it should be spent learning. It should be spent understanding the complex world we’re growing up in. And it definitely, definitely should include full nights of sleep.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MARISA WALTON

4. Less sitting, more doing

2. Later starts = well rested students Krakow’s list of cost free solutions to make school better

1. Just get rid of gym requirements, please

3. Healthier Lunches

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opinion.

Stereotype

WRITTEN BY WILL OAKLEY PHOTOS BY ANNIE SAVAGE AND MADDIE SCHOEMANN Welcome to Shawnee Mission East: home of the stuck up, the preppy, the unathletic and the drunks. There has to be more to us than that, right? The East community can’t be known for simply those four things, can it?

The unathletic part couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, East holds exactly 100 state championships. Take that, South. Our tennis, golf and swimming programs are absolute powerhouses. It seems like I can’t remember the last time girls’ tennis didn’t win state, or when both of our swim teams weren’t top three.

“Well those are just country club sports. Those don’t count,” one could say. Fine. The SME Lacrosse Team just won their third straight LAKC Championship — hardly a country club sport. Take that, Rockhurst.

Additionally, the East basketball team is becoming a threat to any team in Kansas. They got fourth in state last year, with Tuna dunking all over the competition. A state football championship seems looming on the horizon as well for the 4-0 (as of last Wednesday) Lancers. And let me remind you, this is just the first year of the Delaney Dynasty.

Just imagine the East football program in two years. So I think it’s safe to conclude that East is doing just fine in that area.

Well, we’re preppy. Actually, that’s an understatement.

Let me rephrase that: We’re really preppy. I don’t think there’s any getting around that one. Other schools would have to be completely blind in order to not realize our yellow pants and blazers and our outlandish dresses during homecoming on Facebook. And it’s a daily struggle for half of the school to choose between Vineyard Vines seersucker shorts and Southern Tide columbia blue shorts. It just seems to come in the job description for East. But in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter what we wear to school? Probably not. So then why is it so normal to wear a J Crew button down to school every day?

The East district is located in by far the wealthiest county of the state of Kansas. So we have a relatively large amount of money as a whole. Great. So that’s out of the way.

Yet, is all of our school a part of this wealthy majority?

No. So one can’t stereotype the East community as a whole when, in reality, we live the same lifestyle as any other teen-

Staffer expresses disagreement with common stereotypes of East students

age kid living in the Kansas City Area. We wake up and put our pants on one leg at a time at 7:15 in the morning just like everyone else. Then we study for tests, go to practice and go to parties just like the rest of the state of Kansas. So when you take a step back and look, it’s merely a tradition. East has dressed this way since the very beginning.

“If the rest of the school is wearing Polo and Vineyard Vines, then why wouldn’t I join in?” That’s the mindset that seems to float around the halls. It’s simply the way East operates. It’s the way we are built. Is that a bad thing? No. Is that a good thing? Maybe not, but there’s no changing it.

But whether East has money doesn’t change anything.

East sure as hell isn’t stuck up. We don’t only care about ourselves as individuals. East gives back an incredible amount to our community. Our SHARE program is far-reaching, helping many in need, as well as cleaning up Kansas City.

SHARE hosts birthday lunches for impoverished children, and helps with the Ronald McDonald house, just to name a few. Pack-of-Pals supplies much-needed time to those in need. And we aren’t “too cool for school.” East has more school spirit than any school I’ve seen; pep rallies, lip-dubs, packed student sections and student athletes giving everything they have for their school. I’ll never believe for a second that East is stuck up.

Now to the issue that seems the most stereotypical of East — we’re all drunks. And I’m not going to sit here and try and get around the fact that alcohol is consumed by students at East. You all know the statistics. And after fumbling and bumbling for ways to put this, I could only come up with one: It’s nobody’s fault but our own. I’ve been to parties. I’ve seen it. I’ve even been a part of it. And as a school, we know the results that come from drinking. Yet, we keep drinking.

We show up to games drunk. We drink until we go to the hospital. We drink until we drop out of college. Just in the last year, East has lost two of its most beloved students to the problem. Yet, we drink on…

But needless to say, it’s slowly getting better. We’re moving past the problem — the MIP’s are drastically decreasing from years past. Whether East students are just getting smarter or not drinking as much I simply don’t know. But Shawnee Mission East, hear me out when I say that what’s

happened in the past shouldn’t characterize our student body as a whole. It shouldn’t and doesn’t mean that East is a bunch of drunks, when we know that’s not true.

After being a student at East for two years, I can say that these stereotypes don’t define us. East is a family. Whether you graduated 30 years ago or last year, a common bond is shared. Whether you are a part of the theatre program or play basketball, you both share a strong appreciation for East. And we see this bond time and time again.

We see it on the field. Whether we swim, play tennis, football, basketball or lacrosse, we all play for a reason. And when we walk onto that field, we play for our peers watching.

We play for the East tradition built years before us — built by those who loved their school just as much as us. We play for our teammates that we grew up with. We play knowing that we’ve wanted to be on this stage, and to represent this community and school that we’ve love our whole lives.

We see it after tragedies. After Tyler died, East came together as a family — a family that comforted each other after the loss of another beloved family member. Whether we knew him or not, #RIPTR was spread. Comfort was given to those peers in grief. And from all corners of the school, we all felt that this school was beyond ourselves. We all felt that we go to a school that we love. And we felt that we are part of a community that no matter the stereotypes, will always stick together until the very end.

We all know that stereotypes don’t define us. We are who we are. We are a team. We are a family.

May God watch over Shawnee Mission East.

happy homecoming, lancers! from your friends at 71st & mission road 913 671 7777 bijinsalon.com

opinion.

THERE’S MORE BEHIND THE UNIFORM Breaking the stereotype of cheerleaders WRITTEN BY MORGAN TWIBELL PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KYLIE RELIHAN I’m sure everyone has seen the “Bring it On” movies that are constantly taking over the lineup of ABC Family. The cheerleaders in these movies are portrayed as provocative, brainless, catty, cliquey and talking about cheer 24/7. I am on the cheer squad at East and I have been for the past four years, but I don’t consider myself to fit any of these categories of the “typical movie cheerleader”. So, I’m going to break down these stereotypes for you and tell you how it really is at East.

“PROVOCATIVE” Cheerleaders are always seen as the girls in the movies stretching their butts up in the air, shaking it on the basketball court and fooling around with the boys on all the sports teams. Our squad at East is far from the slutty stereotype. We do not offer homework help to the football players in exchange for sexual favors like the cheerleaders on “Friday Night Lights”. We cheerleaders at East prance around in our long sleeve, skin covering uniforms, unlike the cheerleaders in the movies with their crop tops and junk hanging out. We usually spend most of our time talking about butterfly tattoos and pigs’ blood on the sidelines rather than gossiping, stretching and bending over in our short skirts.

In the “Bring It On” movies, the girls are usually seen getting in dance battles with the opposing schools’ cheer squads.

East cheerleaders, on the other hand, don’t dance. The closest thing we do to dancing is the school’s fight song which just involves a lot of bopping up and down.

“UNIFORMS 24/7” This always makes me laugh, when I’m watching “Glee” and the Cheerios are literally in their same uniform every single day. How many of the same uniform do they have? Do they wear the same one everyday, if so how often do they wash them? This stereotype is just not true at all. We do wear our uniforms to school but only on game days, duh!

“BRAINLESS” Now I can’t say everyone on cheer is the brightest of the bright; but it’s rare to find a group of 25 girls that are geniuses. I can say though, that none of us are paying the smart kids to do our homework for us. We have a couple girls in International Baccalaureate and quite a few in all Advanced Placement classes that are on the squad. Now that’s something that you would never see in the movies.

“CLIQUEY” Although it may be assumed that I spend every second of every hour with my “cheer sisters,” that is completely false. Don’t get me wrong: I’m friends with everyone on the squad just like teams are for any other sport, but we don’t travel in a pack. We rarely are all in the same place at the same time other than practices and games. We don’t walk in a cluster through the hallways pushing kids into lockers, and we don’t start battles with the other schools cheerleaders. We actually try to become friends with the cheerleaders at other schools; at home games we usually make goodie bags to welcome the other cheerleaders. The bags contain just simple treats like Starbursts and Tootsie Pops, but I know when our squad receives them from other teams we always think it’s a nice gesture.

“CHEER OVER ALL” This year we actually have one of the most diverse group of seniors on cheer that we’ve had in a while. Our squad consists of both editors of the yearbook, StuCo execs, club leaders, newspaper staffers, photographers, and the list goes on and on. While this sometimes interferes with our ability to make it to every practice or game (sorry coach), it really is a great way to evenly disperse our school

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So there you have it East, we aren’t the provocative, peanut brains that the movies portray us as. We’re just 20 some girls trying to amp up the school and make memories while we’re at it.

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This is one of the highest achievements a Girl Scout can earn. The girl must organize a project that she’s passionate about and try to contribute somehow to her community or the world beyond. The Gold Award also makes a Girl Scout more eligible for college scholarships and grants. Both Molly and Sharp are currently working on their Gold Award.

Molly’s Gold Award is a 12-page junior ranger booklet about the Shawnee Indian Mission. Each page has different activities for kids of different ages. She conducted research, helped design it, scheduled meetings with other volunteers, contacted a printing company and a company that makes badges. So far, Molly has spent 60 hours on her Gold Award, but by the time it’s finished she’ll have logged 80. On the weekend of Oct. 12, she will be volunteering at the annual Fall Festival, which is held at the Indian Mission. The Fall Festival is where her booklet will be available to the public for the first time, and she’ll be there to guide the kids through it.

Sharp’s Gold Award is making bracelets to send to regions of the world where women don’t have access to birth control, such as Kenya. The bracelets aren’t for decoration, but a type of calendar based on each woman’s cycle and when it’s safest for her to have sex without the risk of getting pregnant.

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the elementary school level. The girls spend more time volunteering and keep track of their community service hours. Their volunteering efforts include organizing the roses that are passed out to cancer survivors during the annual Run for the Cure. They also organized a picnic for the Heart of America Humane Society and ran the day care during the annual Chili Cook-Off at St. Pius.

Another aspect of Girl Scouts that has changed since grade school is the meetings. Instead of holding meetings in the art room after school, the girls have meetings at scout’s houses.

“The meetings aren’t really meetings,” Molly said. “They’re like little parties.

They’re sleepovers and people bring food and we go to movies. We’re all going to see “Wicked” in a couple of weeks.”

In 2011, the troop organized an eightday trip to San Francisco, where the girls were able to bond as a troop. They were in charge of the entire trip. The troop organized what activities they were doing each day, such as visiting Alcatraz, hiking through Muir Woods and walking down Fisherman’s Wharf. Though the trip was definitely designed for the girls to have fun, it was also a learning experience. The girls had to manage the money, the activities, transportation, airfare and the living conditions.

“We all kind of became sisters,” Sharp said. “It was a lot of fun and I’m glad our troop has stuck together over the years.”

Girl Scouts at the high school level does not solely consist of flocking and going on trips, though. In addition to volunteering with her troop, a Girl Scout who has reached high school has the opportunity to earn the Gold Award.

A Gold Award for a Girl Scout is equiva-

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WRITTEN BY GRETA NEPSTAD A light flickers on inside of the house and illuminates the yard through the window. Seniors Kayla van Thullenar, Sara Sharp and Molly Ross crouch behind the cars in the driveway, waiting it out. Their black-clad bodies blend into the night as they finally creep forward onto the dewdrenched grass. Armed with pink plastic flamingos, they spread themselves out evenly with the other girls from Troop 1476. They stick the flamingos into the earth and run to the waiting cars and drive off. The flocking is complete.

Flocking is a fundraiser the Girl Scouts of Troop 1476 hold in order to raise money for their trip to Costa Rica this summer, where they will volunteer at schools and donate supplies. Van Thullenar, Sharp and Molly are three of the few girls who continued on with Girl Scouts through high school. In elementary school, van Thullenar and Molly were part of a troop with over 30 girls. However, by the time middle school began, the two, along with a few other girls, were forced to merge with another troop. Fortunately, the girls already knew the scouts from Troop 1476 from Girl Scout summer camps, so the switch was easy.

“A lot of girls thought that scouting is just a grade school thing and so they dropped out,” Molly’s mom, Vicki Ross, said.

Vicki was the Girl Scout leader for Molly’s troop in elementary school and is currently one of the three troop leaders for Troop 1476.

“I think it’s really fun to watch girls transform into young women with really incredible leadership skills,” Vicki said.

“Challenging them when they’re young, watching them come together to practice and implement those leadership skills as young women is fun to watch, too.”

Girl Scouts at the high school level is completely different than Girl Scouts at

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“They don’t usually have birth control in places like that,” Sharp said. “The bracelets basically make them healthier. They get to choose when it’s safest for them to have sex.”

Though being a Girl Scout requires hours of volunteering and hard work, Troop 1476 knows how to reward themselves.

The troop began flocking in June to raise money for Costa Rica. Two years ago, when the troop returned from San Francisco, they began to discuss a bigger trip. The decision had to be made between Europe and Costa Rica, but the cost of Europe was too high. With Costa Rica set as their destination for the summer of 2014, each girl set out to raise $2,000. The girls also raised money through selling Girl Scout cookies, babysitting and getting summer jobs.

“People think that Girl Scouts is kind of stupid and without much purpose,” van Thullenar said. “But it’s a lot more than just selling Girl Scout cookies. We try to be better people and we try to better our community.”

features.

Popping the

Question

Senior Jakob Pillman talks about his relationship with fiancé Jaden Rausch

WRITTEN BY MADISON HYATT

ART BY MADDIE HISE

PHOTO BY TAYLOR ANDERSON

During the school year, most East seniors are preparing college applications, stressing over Homecoming dates and worrying about improving their ACT score. Senior Jakob Pillman is doing the same, except he has one added anxiety during his senior year: an upcoming wedding.

This September, Pillman proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Jaden Rausch, a 2013 SM West graduate.

“We work well together,” Pillman said. “I could actually see myself being with her which is a compliment; I’m very unromantic. So I was like, ‘I like you, I can tolerate you, I think me and you should get together like that.”

Pillman’s desire to solidify their relationship was prompted by his enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps. It was important to him that Rausch had something to remember him by in case he was unexpectedly deployed to Afghanistan or Syria. His proposal signified the promise to Rausch that he would return safely from military combat zones.

“I wanted to give her hope that I would be coming back,” Pillman said. “Because there’s not a 100 percent guarantee when you go to combat zones like that, that you will ever come back or even come back in one piece”.

Pillman’s decision to propose was made a couple of weeks before his enlistment in the Marines. Pillman knew Rausch was the one for him after they worked through a series of dramatic events in their relationship, according to Pillman. Before the drama, their relationship was in its honeymoon phase, Rausch said. It was eight months of playing mini golf, watching Netflix and relaxing at each others’ houses.

The couple first met in May 2012 while helping a mutual friend move into a new home. Pillman and Rausch were initially not interested in each other, but around

September of the same year they developed a relationship through texts and phone calls. The definite beginning to the relationship occurred after Jaden’s great grandfather died. When Pillman heard the news he immediately called to comfort Rausch.

“He called me and talked to me for hours. It all just happened after that,” Rausch said.

Their first date was at the Old Settlers Fair, an annual carnival in Olathe, KS, would become the place where Pillman and Rausch got engaged.

“It was the place where he fell for me,” Rausch said.

As Pillman began to think about the logistics of a proposal, his mother, Heather Pearson, played an important role. Pearson gave Pillman her former wedding ring, so that he wouldn’t have to pay for one himself. Pillman was now ready for the proposal.

To celebrate the one year anniversary of their first date, Pillman and Rausch went back to The Old Settlers Fair.

Upon arrival at the fair, Pillman proposed. Living up to his self-proclaimed “unromantic” ways, Pillman chose to propose in the car, prompted by the hundred degree September weather.

“I tapped Jaden on the shoulder and was talking to her about how special she was and how much she meant to me,” Pillman said. “When I was done telling her basically how much I loved her, I pulled the ring out and asked her to marry me.”

Rausch was ecstatic about Pillman’s decision to propose.

“I felt amazing,” Rausch said. “I cant even explain the feeling it gave me. I felt like my life was finally coming together. I felt complete.”

As the news of their engagement spread, the couple

have been met with varied reactions. For the most part, their close friends and family have been supportive, although some have mixed emotions.

“I would say I’m nervous for them,” Pillman’s mother, Heather Pearson said. “But once he turns 18 he can do what he wants anyway. I’m excited, I’m just more nervous, I think.”

Forty eight percent of people that marry before the age of 18 are likely to divorce within ten years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Pillman and Rausch feel their relationship is different. Rausch knows the love and connection they have built together is the key to their successful relationship.

“I love him,” Rausch said. “When two people get together and start working on themselves...when they aim to grow together. They build a connection on a higher level.

Couples who understand that this is the greatest gift they can give each other, will be the happiest couples and they will experience true love.”

Rausch and Pillman are planning to wait until they are financially stable to walk down the aisle. Jaden hasn’t started planning the wedding yet but the couple has set a date.

Their wedding is set to take place on Nov. 8, 2014.

“I might try to start getting some ideas soon and kind of plan what we want in general so it won’t be so overwhelming later,” Rausch said. “But my ideal wedding is a fall, country wedding at my church.”

Even though Pillman and Rausch are comparatively younger than the average engaged couple, they hope they can make their relationship a lasting one.

“Hopefully we last,” Pillman said. “The divorce rate is 50 percent, but I sincerely hope we do [last].”

Rapid Fire Questions with Jakob

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Our first date was at a really nice restaurant down in KC, MO. It was a four star restaurant.

Couple Song

We have ‘I Won’t Give Up’ by Jason Mraz.

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Jaden Jakob

First Date

Favorite Date

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When we went to go see Les Mis.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HANNAH SWANSON

Climbing Higher

features.

Junior Hannah Swanson climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa this past summer WRITTEN BY SUSANNAH MITCHELL

Polepole, she thought. Take it slowly. Their guides told them they weren’t supposed to strain themselves, because that would make the trek harder than it already was. The air was getting thinner, and junior Hannah Swanson’s head was aching. But she knew she was almost to the summit.

She couldn’t give up. * * * Hannah was on safari. It was a few days before the climb, and the Tanzanian soil was practically radiating heat. Through the unbearable African humidity, Hannah spotted a small mountain.

“Is it that one over there?” she asked her safari guide, Dickson.

“No, it’s that one.” He pointed in the other direction, to a much larger mountain flanked with miles of greenery. At 19,341 ft. above sea level, Kilimanjaro was frighteningly huge; it was also breathtaking. The top was covered in crystal snow; it was prisHannah’s tine. It was pure. favorite hiking The mountain fascinated Hannah. gear and why Kilimanjaro’s temperature ranges from 80 degrees Fahrenheit at the bottom to -15 at the summit. The bottom is a dense jungle,and near the top, a vast glacier spans the mountain for miles. Hannah and Sunher family climbed through screen the jungle in the first couple at high of days, and reached the froaltitudes zen winterland on the fifth. this is Sle Each day Kilimanjaro beimportant B epi came less intimidating, ag ng To and more beautiful. The s t dur ay w mountain wasn’t just a i a nig ng co rm challenge for Hannah hts ld to overcome; for seven days, it was her life.

Climbing Kilimanjaro cost the Swansons $2000, not including airfare. The flights Back to Tanzania pack and back to A comin et the U.S. were a R ck kfortable 45 Ja brea over backpack r e o hours toF th is essening ng d tal, with tial for stro d an layovers Good carrying H win tecikin in ChiB g all day B oots pro n cago, roken tio Gerare im in boot s for th portant maclmb e walking ny

HANNAH’S HIKING GEAR

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PHOTOS BY ANNIKA SINK

and Ethiopia. The route the Swansons took, Machame, takes around seven days to climb to the summit and back. Machame is one of six possible routes to take up Mt. Kilimanjaro. The Swansons chose it so they would have more time to adjust to the higher altitudes.

Hannah’s family, her dad Doug, her mom Selene and her sisters, spent weeks researching — videos, articles, guidebooks, anything they could get their hands on to prepare for the climb.

Besides researching the climb, Hannah began intensifying her exercise. She slightly increased her time on the treadmill and the elliptical, but regretted not doing more.

“The more physically fit you are — the more you practice climbing a mountain of steps with a backpack — the easier the actual climb [is],” Hannah said. “I’d like to say that I [trained], but I didn’t much.”

Selene was originally worried about the cost of the trip for the whole family and about whether the family would be able to reach the summit. With Hannah’s sisters currently going to expensive colleges and Hannah preparing to go to college, Selene was concerned about being able to afford the trip to Africa.

“I convinced her that this was an opportunity [we] would probably not come by again,” Doug said. “The goal was to enjoy the time on the mountain, and not be disappointed if we didn’t make it to the summit.”

Their first four days were spent on safari, travelling all around Tanzania’s national parks with their guide Dickson.

Once safari was over, they settled at the Park View Inn in Moshi to prepare for the climb.

Sunglasses, water bottle, shirts. It was all laid out, ready for the trek. The Swansons each filled one duffel bag and one day pack with everything they needed. They made sure to pack rain jackets, hats and sunscreen, among other necessities. Because of the temperature difference from the bottom to the top of Kilimanjaro, they needed to pack multiple layers of shirts to pile on when it got colder. Once everyone had showered and slept, the family ate their last meal on the ground and waited for their chief guide, Mathayo, to take them to the gate.

They arrived at the pointed arch that was Machame gate. Upon entering, the Swansons had to present different forms of ID in case anything went wrong during the climb.

On average, eight to nine people die per year climbing Kili, most usually due to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or heart attacks.

After registration, the family met up with their porters.

The porters would be carrying all of the family’s supplies and amenities. The family was also accompanied by several chefs and guides, including Mathayo. After conferring with their team, the Swansons set foot on the mountain.

Most days, Hannah and her family spent around five hours climbing. Marcel, the assistant guide, led everyone up the mountain as the porters raced ahead to set up tents and supplies. Once set-up was done, the Swansons ate dinner and then walked around the campsite to acclimate.

Acclimation helps prevent AMS by allowing the body to adjust to the higher altitude. After dinner Mathayo would

brief the family about the next day.

Each night, Hannah would write in her travel journal about the day’s climb. Her sisters packed playing cards, but they never ended up using them. Rather than playing cards, the family would talk and review their Kilimanjaro guidebook.

Before bed, she would lay out her clothes and pack away the dirty ones, making sure to she was prepared for the next day.Their tents were only big enough for two people and their duffles, so Hannah spent each night with her mom. Chandra and Leia were in another tent, and her dad had one to himself. Everyone was in bed before 10, and woke up before six. The early hours didn’t bother Hannah; she’s a morning person. * * * The Swansons were fatigued. Selene’s toes were mashing up against her hiking boot with each step, forming blisters that would eventually cause her toenail to fall off.

No one could shower. They had to refill their water bottles multiple times a day, and their heads ached. Drinking so much water meant the family had to frequently stop to squat behind a rock, or over a hole in the ground.

Sometimes their clothes got wet from the rain, and they had to set them out on top of the tent to dry. Higher altitudes made it harder to breathe, and it was getting colder with every step. When she was walking, Hannah was exhausted. And even when she wasn’t climbing, she was tired. * * * This was it. The day they were supposed to climb to the summit, their guides woke them up at 11:30 pm. Mathayo and Marcel wanted them to reach it before sunrise, so timing was crucial. They left at midnight, and climbed for seven hours straight. The moon was slowly creeping out of sight, and the sky was gradually lightening. When the stars finally disappeared, they reached the summit. At seven am, the sun was coming up from behind the mountain. The sun’s rays reflected on the ice and the glaciers, causing it to shimmer. It was peaceful.

Five days before, Hannah had stood at the foot of the mountain. When she had looked up, all she could see was the very tip of the summit. And suddenly, she was there. It was her first time climbing a mountain, and it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

For five days, Hannah had been climbing. Keeping her pace steady, trekking up steep terrain for hours upon hours and concentrating on breathing regularly. It was a challenge. But everyone around her had reached their goal, and it showed. Everyone was smiling, the Swansons took pictures. All of their hard work had led to that moment, at the summit. Hannah kept concentrating on breathing, and thought about the last seven hours. It had been the longest stretch of time the family had climbed, but it was worth it.

Hannah was there with her family. And she was there with Mathayo and Marcel and her porters, the people who’d come on this journey with her. She was tired, but she was grateful.

They had finally made it.

smeHARMONY: Check out the Homecoming Nominees and who they really should be going to the dance with.

Big Meech Varsity Football Captain Dream Homecoming Date: Samantha Ponder

Tay

Varsity Lancer Dancer Dream Homecoming Date: Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid

Favorite East Memory:

This year’s Lancer Day start to finish, especially the Hail Mary win and celebrating with all of the students

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY MADDIE SCHOEMANN AND MCKENZIE SWANSON

2 Years Varsity Soccer Dream Homecoming Date:

Varsity bowling Dream Homecoming Date:

Doddy

Favorite East Memory:

3 Years Varsity Basketball Dream Homecoming Date:

Sofia Vergara

Jennifer Anniston

Beating the Rock last year in basketball

His first bowling meet

IB Diploma Candidate Dream Homecoming Date:

Mugs Student Body President Dream Homecoming Date: Getting to dress up as George Washington and give a speech at Lancer Day. I LOVE EAST!!!!!

All of the Friday night football and basketball games

Chambers Choir Dream Homecoming Date:

McKitty

Adam Brody

Harbinger Co-Editor Dream Homecoming Date:

Favorite East Memory: Prom

Emma Watson

Jacky Baby

Thing 1

Harbinger Online Web Master Dream Homecoming Date:

Chambers Choir Dream Homecoming Date:

Beyonce (because she’s fierce)

Favorite East Memory:

Last year’s musical, The Drowsy Chaperone

Varsity Bowling Captain Dream Homecoming Date: John Mayer

Cook

Bukey

Sebz Hauberk Photo Editor Dream Homecoming Date:

Favorite East Memory:

Favorite East Mevory:

Favorite East Memory:

Running “varsity” C-team cross country and being a part of the Scandal Squad

Emma Watson

Dom

East vs. Rockhurst basketball game last year

Favorite East Memory:

Thing 2

Hauberk Assistant Photo Editor Dream Homecoming Date:

Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick)

Varsity Basketball Dream Homecoming Date:

When Bardwell said he was his favorite student

Jazzy Jay

Favorite East Memory:

Everyone being involved in the school

Senior Class President Dream Homecoming Date: Everything about Lancer Day this year, it had most of her favorite things: SME, seniors and ‘Merica

JV swim team sophomore year

Sophie

Favorite East Memory:

Her first and last Dallas trip with journalism

The Jonas Brothers, but not Frankie

Favorite East Memory:

Chester Dow Tate

Favorite East Memory:

E Coz

Ryan Reynolds

Drowsy Chaperone

Jim Halbert

“Gru” from Despicable Me

Will Ferrell

Favorite East Memory:

Favorite East Memory:

Zoey Deschanel

Favorite East Memory:

Loandbehold

Em

Student Body Vice President Dream Homecoming Date:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Winning the state title for swim team

Marf

Favorite East Memory: Favorite East Memory: Winning Drill Team Nationals in Orlando last year

Chambers Choir Dream Homecoming Date:

Favorite East Memory:

C Money

spread.

Bridge

HC Edition

spread.

3 Years Varsity Football Dream Homecoming Date:

Chambers Choir Dream Homecoming Date: Emma Stone

Favorite East Memory:

Closing night at the Drowsy Chaperone

Hen House IB Diploma Candidate Dream Homecoming Date:

Starting from the bottom... and now being here

Chiefs cheerleader

D Hauberk Co-Editor Dream Homecoming Date:

Favorite East Memory: Cross country practice in the rain junior year

Ben Rector

Favorite East Memory: Cheering at the Olathe Northwest Game

Ayyy Gurl

IB Diploma Candidate Dream Homecoming Date: Ian Somerhalder

Favorite East Memory: Going to the first football game this year as a senior.

I haven’t ever gotten into watching sports. It was a really exciting game to go to with all my friends.

Miley Cyrus (so they can twerk together)

Favorite East Memory: Choir concerts

Danya Issawi & Jay Anderson THE MOST SPIRITED Mitchell Tyler & Morgan Twibell THE BEST FRIENDS

Taylor McCullough & Calen Byrd Luke Haverty & Emily Dodd THE CUTE COUPLE THE BALLERS Erin Cosgrove, Mark Darling & Lauren Brown THE LADIES MAN

Andrew McKittrick & Anna Cook THE J-KIDS

Emmy Privitera & Jack Stevens Justin Armer, Sophie Fields, Bridgette Beasley & Alec Armer THE STUDENT COUNCIL THE CHOIR QUARTET Sara Benson & Dominique Atkinson Ayana Curran-Howes & Henry Recker THE ATHLETES THE BRAINS

smeHARMONY: Check out the Homecoming Nominees and who they really should be going to the dance with.

Big Meech Varsity Football Captain Dream Homecoming Date: Samantha Ponder

Tay

Varsity Lancer Dancer Dream Homecoming Date: Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid

Favorite East Memory:

This year’s Lancer Day start to finish, especially the Hail Mary win and celebrating with all of the students

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY MADDIE SCHOEMANN AND MCKENZIE SWANSON

2 Years Varsity Soccer Dream Homecoming Date:

Varsity bowling Dream Homecoming Date:

Doddy

Favorite East Memory:

3 Years Varsity Basketball Dream Homecoming Date:

Sofia Vergara

Jennifer Anniston

Beating the Rock last year in basketball

His first bowling meet

IB Diploma Candidate Dream Homecoming Date:

Mugs Student Body President Dream Homecoming Date: Getting to dress up as George Washington and give a speech at Lancer Day. I LOVE EAST!!!!!

All of the Friday night football and basketball games

Chambers Choir Dream Homecoming Date:

McKitty

Adam Brody

Harbinger Co-Editor Dream Homecoming Date:

Favorite East Memory: Prom

Emma Watson

Jacky Baby

Thing 1

Harbinger Online Web Master Dream Homecoming Date:

Chambers Choir Dream Homecoming Date:

Beyonce (because she’s fierce)

Favorite East Memory:

Last year’s musical, The Drowsy Chaperone

Varsity Bowling Captain Dream Homecoming Date: John Mayer

Cook

Bukey

Sebz Hauberk Photo Editor Dream Homecoming Date:

Favorite East Memory:

Favorite East Mevory:

Favorite East Memory:

Running “varsity” C-team cross country and being a part of the Scandal Squad

Emma Watson

Dom

East vs. Rockhurst basketball game last year

Favorite East Memory:

Thing 2

Hauberk Assistant Photo Editor Dream Homecoming Date:

Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick)

Varsity Basketball Dream Homecoming Date:

When Bardwell said he was his favorite student

Jazzy Jay

Favorite East Memory:

Everyone being involved in the school

Senior Class President Dream Homecoming Date: Everything about Lancer Day this year, it had most of her favorite things: SME, seniors and ‘Merica

JV swim team sophomore year

Sophie

Favorite East Memory:

Her first and last Dallas trip with journalism

The Jonas Brothers, but not Frankie

Favorite East Memory:

Chester Dow Tate

Favorite East Memory:

E Coz

Ryan Reynolds

Drowsy Chaperone

Jim Halbert

“Gru” from Despicable Me

Will Ferrell

Favorite East Memory:

Favorite East Memory:

Zoey Deschanel

Favorite East Memory:

Loandbehold

Em

Student Body Vice President Dream Homecoming Date:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Winning the state title for swim team

Marf

Favorite East Memory: Favorite East Memory: Winning Drill Team Nationals in Orlando last year

Chambers Choir Dream Homecoming Date:

Favorite East Memory:

C Money

spread.

Bridge

HC Edition

spread.

3 Years Varsity Football Dream Homecoming Date:

Chambers Choir Dream Homecoming Date: Emma Stone

Favorite East Memory:

Closing night at the Drowsy Chaperone

Hen House IB Diploma Candidate Dream Homecoming Date:

Starting from the bottom... and now being here

Chiefs cheerleader

D Hauberk Co-Editor Dream Homecoming Date:

Favorite East Memory: Cross country practice in the rain junior year

Ben Rector

Favorite East Memory: Cheering at the Olathe Northwest Game

Ayyy Gurl

IB Diploma Candidate Dream Homecoming Date: Ian Somerhalder

Favorite East Memory: Going to the first football game this year as a senior.

I haven’t ever gotten into watching sports. It was a really exciting game to go to with all my friends.

Miley Cyrus (so they can twerk together)

Favorite East Memory: Choir concerts

Danya Issawi & Jay Anderson THE MOST SPIRITED Mitchell Tyler & Morgan Twibell THE BEST FRIENDS

Taylor McCullough & Calen Byrd Luke Haverty & Emily Dodd THE CUTE COUPLE THE BALLERS Erin Cosgrove, Mark Darling & Lauren Brown THE LADIES MAN

Andrew McKittrick & Anna Cook THE J-KIDS

Emmy Privitera & Jack Stevens Justin Armer, Sophie Fields, Bridgette Beasley & Alec Armer THE STUDENT COUNCIL THE CHOIR QUARTET Sara Benson & Dominique Atkinson Ayana Curran-Howes & Henry Recker THE ATHLETES THE BRAINS

features.

Raised in

the

Kitchen PHOTO BY KATIE LAMAR

Junior Misha Smith has had a unique experience growing up with parents who are renowned chefs WRITTEN BY HANNAH COLEMAN Everyone’s moving. Fire ablaze on the stovetop, salt flying in the air, a frenzy of white aprons. The clinking of glasses and the dull thud of pots hitting the counter mix with the laughter and lively voices from the dining area. The thick, earthy smell of roasting meat funnels through the door as it opens. Leaning nonchalantly against the corner booth by the kitchen, junior Misha Smith is relaxed even among the hurried state of her mom’s restaurant, the Red Door Grill.

Misha has been in the kitchen since even before she could hobble on two legs, sometimes being plopped on top of cutting boards in the evening rush of her parents’ restaurant.

Before she could even talk, Misha knew the sound of pasta boiling on the stove and frantic chopping on cutting boards.

Her parents owned a restaurant together when she was still a newborn, called 40 Sardines. However, 40 Sardines closed in 2007 due to the tough economy; the restaurant wasn’t able to keep up. Around the time 40 Sardines closed, Misha’s parents, Michael and Debbie Smith, got a divorce. Though her parents were getting a divorce, and the restaurant she was practically raised in was closing, the influences of her parents’ cooking never ceased.

Michael took her around everywhere, even if it meant sitting her down at the banquet in the kitchen while he worked long, busy hours at 40 Sardines. Being raised in the kitchen, Misha knows the hustle and bustle of a restaurant like the back of her hand. She knows cooking, and she knows that without her parents by the stove and yelling commands at frantic cooks, her life couldn’t be emptier.

“My life would be so weird without my parents being chefs,” Misha said. “It would be extremely different. I don’t think it would be as fun unless they were, like, movie stars.”

The liveliness of her parents’ profession has changed Misha’s life in more ways than one. The kitchen is where Misha’s best memories come from; sneaking handfuls of butter and shoving it in her mouth as quick as she could before her dad noticed. She even had a private room in the back of 40 Sardines where she would laugh and talk with her sister, and doing some cooking of her own frying chips for customers all day long.

“The kitchen has its own language,” Misha said. “It’s exciting.”

Not only has the atmosphere in general changed her life, but her parents would be complete strangers to her if they didn’t cook. Michael wouldn’t have his own distinct style, and his yearn to be portrayed as a spunky, nuance chef. He

wouldn’t have a ponytail, and he wouldn’t wear flip-flops year long. He wouldn’t wear shorts constantly, or have an octopus tattoo. They wouldn’t have cured pork hanging from white string in the ceiling of their basement.

“What kid has a dad that wears [flip-flops] to work everyday?” Misha said. “What dad wears an earring? I don’t know...but I like him that way.”

Misha has learned to appreciate her dad’s unique style of cooking spanning from Mexican, Asian to Mediterranean food. Tasting things instead of just eating them has become an important virtue to Misha.

“Lots of people see what my kids are eating, and they’re like, ‘oh we don’t eat that’,” Michael said. “But it’s because their parents told them that they wouldn’t like it. They need to experience things first before they decide they don’t like it.”

Michael was one of those people who wanted to experiment with different types of food. He decided that he wanted to experience foreign things, not just stuff out of a can that needed salt. Growing up, he worked in the kitchen cooking things that the people around him had never seen before.

His inspiration began with his crave for culinary knowledge, not just because he had a knack for this particular skill.

“Sustaining excellence is a lot harder than getting there,” Michael said. “Once I got started and knew what I was going to do with my life, everything turned out right.”

Michael was named best chef in the state of Missouri two years in a row. During the peak of his culinary career, he began hosting annual James Beard Foundation fundraising dinners, special events that featured celebrity chefs from all over the country. Michael and his recipes have also been displayed in publications including “Gourmet”, “Bon Appetit”, “Wine Spectator” and “Robb Report.” He also was crowned the James Beard “Best Chef In The Midwest.” And to top it all off, he even wrote the menu and developed the recipes for Spin: Neapolitan Pizza, becoming a top advisor in the newly thriving business.

Michael now owns two restaurants: Michael Smith and Extra Virgin, which have both been awarded numerous awards. Not only has Michael been highly acclaimed, but Debbie has also been highly successful in her culinary pursuits. Also winning James Beard awards, Debbie recently opened her new restaurant, The Red Door Grill, in Leawood over the past summer.

Both Debbie’s and Michael’s work hours can be extremely long. Michael can even spends up to 50 hours a week in the kitchen, most of the time not being home on the weekend to cook dinner. Being separated from her parents for

long periods of time has made Misha realize that the life of a cook isn’t what she wants to pursue in her future.

“Growing up, becoming a chef [was] all I wanted to do,” Misha said. “But the hours, and all the work, and the effort made me realize that cooking just wasn’t something I wanted to do. I really admire the work my parents have done, but it just isn’t something I would do.”

Without having accomplished chefs as parents, Misha wouldn’t have a dad with crazy tattoos who hangs pork from basement ceilings. Her parents have helped her to identify herself. She doesn’t know what she will do with her future; perhaps she will help children with disabilities, become an architect. She isn’t sure, but whatever she decides, she knows she can always come back home to the kitchen, where it all started.

From Their Kitchen

This is a recipe for guacamole Smith’s family loves and makes often

INGREDIENTS: Two ripe avocados 1/2 serrano pepper, without seeds 1/2 cup chopped onion Juice from 1/2 of a lime Two tablespoons chopped cilantro Salt and pepper to taste

STEPS:

1 Mash the avocados, but not too much.

2 Add everything except the cilantro.

3 Mix everything in a bowl.

4 Finally, add the cilantro.

5 Enjoy with tortilla chips.

ART BY MIRANDA GIBBS

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N I A A T T M R E A H C T TI

features.

East graduate Natalie Pierce discovers her passion after graduating and join a circus troop.

ON

WRITTEN BY LAUREN BROWN

2

012 East alumni Natalie Pierce stands in the practice space of MoonDrop Circus, gazing at the trapeze, aerial silks and metal hoops hanging from the twentyfoot ceilings above her. She takes a multi-colored aerial silk in both her hands and wraps it around her leg. She pulls up with her arms and begins to climb up the fabric. She twists, spins, drops and contorts herself on the sheets like a butterfly breaking out of a cocoon.

In that moment, and every moment Pierce performs with Kansas City’s MoonDrop Circus, she becomes her circus persona Naema Moonfly: a self proclaimed “circus freak” who has trained herself in the arts of hula hooping, aerial silks and hoops, juggling and eating fire. * * * Before she was Naema Moonfly, Pierce was known for doing what she considered unconventional as a senior in high school. Always having an appreciation for art, she spent most of her days at East in the art department, working on photography, jewelry and fashion garments. Taking yoga classes in her free time was a big part of Pierce finding a passion for contortion and flexibility.

Pierce first became fascinated with the circus while watching a female hula hooper at a John Butler Trio concert halfway through her senior year in 2012. Pierce approached her, and the woman told her about some classes Pierce could take to learn hula hooping and other flow arts, an overarching term for movement-based artforms.

By enrolling in classes, Pierce met a professional flowartist by the stage name of Luna Breeze. Breeze taught her most of what she first learned about hula hooping. Breeze is the co-founder of MoonDrop, a local circus company that performs all over Kansas City at private events. She can also be regularly seen at a flower-shop-turned-big-top at every First Fridays in the Crossroads District. Through training with Breeze, Pierce became close friends with performers in

PH MO OTO string ON S C DR OU multiple OP RT times due to CI ESY RC stretching incorrectly, US OF taking almost a year to ful-

Kansas City.

“We had nights where we would meet up and just play in the park and hula hoop and juggle and play with fire,” Pierce said. “One of those nights they were talking about these [MoonDrop] performers that were moving away and they thought I would be a good addition.

A couple weeks later, they basically called me to meet at the practice space, and I joined.”

Most of the performers in the MoonDrop company had training in dance or gymnastics, but few had professional instruction, so it wasn’t necessary for Pierce to audition.

Pierce had some background in dance, but her drive to succeed overshadowed her lack of experience. Since first performing with MoonDrop in Jan. of 2012, Pierce’s circus abilities have greatly expanded from simply being a hula hooper in the company.

Pierce can hold her body upright in a handstand atop a juggler’s shoulders in the act of acrobalance. She taught herself how to swallow fire off of one of her homemade wire wicks dipped in Coleman camping fuel. Pierce also choreographs her own acts, her favorite being spinning and turning high above the ground in an aerial hoop.

Tara Gray, another performer in the company, is Natalie’s partner in their nine-minute, 45-pose aerial hoop, or lyra, piece. The two spent months researching lyra moves and filming their choreography. Finally, after getting feedback from their MoonDrop counterparts, their act was finetuned and ready to be performed in front of an audience.

“Right about the time when you start to get bored with an act, you perform it in front of an audience and you get a newfound passion for it,” Pierce said. “Not that you lost [your passion], but you’ve been practicing for so long, it inspires you more [after performing].”

Although worth it to Pierce, the performances don’t necessarily go off without a hitch. Pierce has injured her ham-

ly heal. Even though Pierce wears sleeves made of fireproof material, it’s almost inevitable that she will singe her arm hair off during a fire-hoop performance.

She has had to adapt and improvise when equipment doesn’t cooperate during a show. At times, the apparatus that holds a lyra or an aerial silk has been hooked up too low to the ground or incorrectly, meaning Pierce has been in danger of almost hitting her head or falling.

Despite these challenges and dangers, Pierce has fallen in love with a life of being clothed in stage makeup and a leotard, performing under bright lights. Pierce is never nervous before a performance. Instead, she exudes a confident aura when she begins to roll hoops on and off her body, smiling at the applauding crowd. * * * Currently studying health sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Pierce believes studying how the human body works complements her craft as a flow-artist well. Because her craft is about her body, when she gets injured she can diagnose the issue based on her knowledge of anatomy and physiology.

Someday, she hopes to teach and help others about alternative and holistic medicine and how it can aid in remedying injuries due to flow-art. Her future career pursuits, however, are centered more around performing than practicing medicine.

“I’m not really worried about what job I’m going to get down the road, because I see myself performing full-time later on to support myself,” Pierce said. “Someday I want to go to circus school. That’s a long term goal of mine.”

Pierce’s dream is to travel abroad and be professionally trained at a circus school in Europe. In order to accomplish her long term aspirations, Pierce continues to balance studying, waitressing and practicing with MoonDrop. But when she is suspended from a metal hoop, spinning and hanging twenty feet off of the ground, that is the balance she enjoys the most.

a&e.

BREAKING BAD

B

U E L S

We know “Breaking Bad” is over, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend your Sunday nights in a state of depression. Here are five ways to spend your night instead of watching “Breaking Bad”.

WRITTEN BY SARAH BERGER ART BY MIRANDA GIBBS

DO YOU WATCH “BREAKING BAD?” YES NO HOW TO MOVE ON A GUIDE TO GRIEVING

BEGINNERS

TV CHARACTERS BREAKING BAD

GUIDE

BREAKING BAD

This is Walter White.

He was a high schoolchemistry teacher in Albequerque, New Mexico.

SEASON ONE

GAG REEL

TISSUES

seasons 1-5

But then he was diagnosed with stage III lung cancer and told he is terminal.

ENJO

KIT

Y!

LIFE AFTER BREAKING BAD

So he decides to make and sell methamphetamines, partnering with a former student (Jesse)...

SUNDAY

2

1 NFL SUNDAYS

ACTUALLY STUDY FOR THAT TEST YOU HAVE ON MODAY

Now that you won’t be glued to your TV waiting for your next fix of “Breaking Bad”, you can kick back with your friends and watch NFL Sundays again. So sit back on that couch and enjoy your bowl of chips and guacomole while you watch big guys tackle each other.

Remeber that pre-calc test you’ve known about all week? Well now is your chance to actually do something about it. Since you don’t have a new 90 minute “Breaking Bad” episode to go watch, you can actually unzip your backpack and open up those books to study.

4

3 GO OUTSIDE Time to go re-discover the world outside of “Breaking Bad”! You’re probably having withdrawl symptoms from your favorite show by now, so go out and get some fresh air. Read outside or take your dog for a walk and you will feel better.

5

ACTUALLY GO TO YOUTH GROUP LIKE YOU PROMISED

WATCH BREAKING BAD

Since you don’t have a new episode to watch next Sunday, you can appease your parents and actually go to youth group like you’ve said you would for the past eight weeks.

Youth group will give you the chance to get real human interaction instead of just sitting in front of your TV.

We get it, sometimes old habits are hard to kick. If the season finale has left your life in shambles and your body is being overtaken by withdrawl symptoms, just go get your fix. You’re in luck, seasons one through four are on Netflix. Sit back, relax and watch your favorite show.

So that he can secure his family’s safety and monetary concerns once he is gone.

Turns out, he’s pretty good at this. As time passes, Walter takes on the more villainous, and less moral alias of Heisenberg.

a&e.

From weird to wonderful: the best ways to enjoy a classic fall flavor, pumpkin

PUMPKIN PICKS

WRITTEN BY CAROLINE KOHRING ART BY AUDREY DANCIGER

THE CLICHÉ Pumpkin Spice Latte

The average high school student probably sees at least five tweets a day about Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSL) once September rolls around.

I’m pretty sure it’s a proven fact that the number of PSL tweets a day is directly proportional to the temperature; the colder it gets, the more tweets you’ll see. This drink is bursting with pumpkin flavor and topped with whipped cream and spices. To me, Pumpkin Spice Lattes signify the return of fall. Starbucks debuts this festive drink each year around the beginning of September.

Once this drink is available, you know it’s time to pull out your sweaters and boots. Plus, everyone knows a Starbucks cup looks cute with any outfit.

THE WEIRD BUT GOOD Pumpkin Ice Cream & Concretes

When I first saw pumpkin on the TCBY flavors-of-the-day, I was bit concerned. There’s no way pumpkin ice cream can be good, right? Combining a summer treat with a fall flavor sounded like a recipe for disaster. But as always, I had to try it. And I sure am glad I did. Pumpkin frozen yogurt may be one of the weirder things I have eaten, but it was delicious. It’s perfect for one of those it’s-supposedto-be-fall-right-now-but-it’s-still-100-degrees-out days. TCBY isn’t the only place that rocks the pumpkin-flavored ice cream, Sheridan’s pumpkin concrete also hits the spot on a not-yet-chilly fall day.

Flavors of Fall Pumpkins aren’t quite your taste? Try out these other festive fall treats that are sold around Kansas City.

Caramel Apples

Where to find them:

Russel Stover Laura Little’s Candies Chip’s Chocolate Factory

Fall may bring our precious summer to an end and require a lot of leaf-raking, but it shouldn’t mean we all need to hibernate until Memorial Day. There are some perks to the coming of colder weather -- bonfires, football and most importantly: pumpkin. Once October hits, you can find just about anything pumpkin-flavored, from desserts to soaps to candles— you name it, it probably comes in pumpkin. As an avid pumpkin-lover myself, I’m here to review some of my favorite fall treats.

THE CLASSIC Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread is just one of those staples you can’t help but crave. It’s full of flavor and is delicious any time of the year, but of course it is best in the fall. For a time, I was obsessed with Starbucks’ pumpkin loaf. But then they did something I will never forgive them for: they decided to stick Pumpkin seeds on the top of their bread.

When I first tried the new bread, I was appalled.

Those crunchy seeds ruined the dense, smooth texture. Now, I stick to the Tippins bread that you can find at Hen House. However, nothing beats my mom’s traditional, homemade pumpkin bread.

Apple Cider

Where to find it:

Louisburg Cider Mill Cider Hill Family Orchard

Cream Cheese

Alone, they are average, but together, they are divine. When I first tried the pumpkin bagel from Einstein Brothers, I was not impressed. It was bland and I could barely taste the pumpkin. But being a pumpkin-lover, I decided to give it a second chance. This time, I added pumpkin cream cheese. To my delight, the combination was full of flavor; the cream cheese livened up the boring bagel. I can’t just have pumpkin in moderation, I need an overload of flavor. But even though they were both pumpkin, it wasn’t too much. These two truly are a dynamic duo -- a staple food made festive with the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor.

THE FAVORITE Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

THE JUST PLAIN WEIRD Pumpkin Pop-Tarts

I hate to say this, but pumpkin Pop-Tarts just aren’t good.

Even I — a self-proclaimed pumpkin fanatic — can admit these are bad. Like really bad. If I’m being honest, Pop-Tarts aren’t good to begin with. They have no flavor and fill you up for maybe five minutes max. They are a sorry excuse for breakfast food. But the pumpkin flavor made Pop-Tarts —if possible — even worse. The flavor is practically non-existent, and they are truly a disgrace to pumpkin-lovers everywhere.

THE DYNAMIC DUO Pumpkin Bagel &

Made at Dolce Bakery in the Prairie Village Shops, these signature pumpkin whoopie pies win my award for the best fall treat. They are downright delicious and bursting with pumpkin flavor. A pumpkin whoopie pie is pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting in the middle, like a little dessert sandwich. These treats are chilled and the icing is the perfect compliment to the pumpkin flavor. Fall is my favorite season, and I could easily make a list of 30 things I look forward to when September rolls around. Every year, pumpkin whoopie pies make the top of the list. They are my seasonal guilty pleasure.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows

Where to find it:

Pierpont’s The Peach Tree

Where to find it:

Corner Café Christopher Elbow Broadway Café

a&e.

A Startling Success WRITTEN BY MIRANDA GIBBS

PHOTO COURTESY OF DON JON

Porn. With one word, you can basically throw everything you think you know about Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the hopeless romantic from “500 Days of Summer,” into a trash can along with a distressing amount of suspiciously balledup tissues. Gordon-Levitt, who is the lead actor, as well as the writer and director, clearly has some nerve. In his debut feature “Don Jon”, he tackles the issue of addiction, not to pills or booze, but to the adult videos and endless self-pleasure that comes with it. And somehow stacked precariously on top of the sticky feeling of this comedy, he gives us an apt social commentary.

Jersey bartender “Don Jon” Martello (Gordon-Levitt) rests his existence on three things: his consistent streak of sleeping with the 8s and 9s that stumble into his bassthumping club; his warped, narcissistic self image; and his tissue-filled nights “making love” to the computer.

And there’s the kicker. Jonny-Boy loves porn more than real sex with living, breathing women. Drowning in pictures of airbrushed models and endless streams of erotica, he simply can’t keep himself from objectifying women in a reductionist and perfectionist light. Nothing lived up to porn.

Then Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson) strides into the club, like she’s straight out of a Jersey Shore episode, and Don Jon is knocked a few pegs down when the “dime” doesn’t put out. It’s intriguing enough, that he pursues what could be very nearly be called a serious relationship. Which, I might add, pleases his boisterous Italian mother and father (Glenne Headly and Tony Danza) to no end.

But on the opposite end of the spectrum, Barbara’s

Sundance

Standouts A look at past years’ most popular Sundance Festival winners

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s social commentary delivers a fresh look on a sticky subject

perspective of romance is distorted by her obsession with stereotypical, wince-worthy romance movies. You know the ones I’m talking about: “The Notebook,” “Pretty Woman,” “Dirty Dancing”; the ones that usually end with people riding off into the sunset together.

With the deep-seeded need to pad the resume of her newest beau, Barbara jumps the line between needy kitten and demanding shrew, forcing Jon to meet her friends, take a night class and most importantly: stop watching porn.

Spoiler-alert: he doesn’t. Because what’s important to Don Jon? “My body. My pad. My ride. My family. My church. My boys. My girls. And my porn.”

Although not a new idea, the film is offbeat and smart enough that it just works. This coming-of-age story is told through looped montages that switch sharply from the church confessionals where Jon divulges his “count-of-theweek”, and well... a myriad of lude women on his computer screen.

Now, I’m not going to lie, there’s an excessive amount of porn in this movie. You are left in a perpetual state of uncomfortable disgust, and cringe every time you hear the guy’s Mac boot up.

But there is no pandering. It’s not just there to appeal to the large demographic searching for raunchy humor. It is on purpose. Because at some point, the addiction becomes mundane. Boring. It’s almost normal that this guy sees women as merely objects of pleasure. It seems weird you’re searching for moral guidance in such an absurdly chauvinistic character, and yet you find that satirically, GordonLevitt is criticizing the lens in which we look at the world

2009 Precious

An adaptation of the novel “Push” starring Gabourey Sidibe.

2010

Winter’s Bone

A gripping thriller that served as Jennifer Lawrence’s breakout

based on the media we watch. And it’s not just the porn.

What’s so impressive about this movie is how deceptively heartfelt it is. It’s about a guy who will go to any length to take his mind off the matters of his heart. This is thrown through the ringer when he meets Esther (Julianne Moore) at his night class. Quirky and unapologetically frank, she moves his growth along not with her words or actions, but with her vibe. She feels everything in the sharpest way she possibly can. And she feels it constantly, drastically different from the numbingly detached Jon. Even the awful, hyperbolic, gum-smacking horrors that are the Jersey accents of the caricatures somehow managed to work in the scheme of things. Most of this, however, is courtesy of the overflow of talent within the cast.

Julianne Moore, as usual, brilliantly underplays the role of Esther; while on the other end of the scale, actors Headly and Danza ham it up as the cliche Italian family. Don’t get me wrong though, hearing the star of “Who’s the Boss?” drop as many f-bombs as you and I drop pronouns was one of the many highlights of this movie. Scarlett Johansson hits the nail on the head in her role as squarely as Barbara approaches her courtships.

But the rightful hero here is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. As a writer he is witty, insightful and frighteningly accurate; as a director, he pulls something out of his actors that is stripped-down and still full of comedic value; and as an actor, he portrays the modern-day Don Juan with an authenticity that is distinctly his style. I think it’s fair to say that the boy’s got promise. This is just the beginning.

2011 Like Crazy

A story of two college students whose love spans continents.

2012

Beasts of the Southern Wild

A coming-of-age story starring six-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis.

a&e.

Savory, Satisfying Succotash

Local restaurant provides a diverse menu, unique atmosphere and a delicious breakfast option that is a little out of the box

WRITTEN BY PAULINE WERNER PHOTOS BY TAYLOR BELL AND MARISA WALTON Succotash stands out as a pop of bright color against an otherwise grey city block, especially on a rainy Saturday morning. Located at 26th and Holmes in Kansas City, Mo., my friends and I got there in about 25 minutes with help from Google Maps.

Large, green-framed windows dominated the exterior, with a brick column in front of the door displaying the restaurant’s name in every color of the rainbow. Two friends and I squeezed through a throng of at least ten people huddling under the awning to get inside. We put our name in only to reluctantly shuffle back outside when there was no room to stand on the busy restaurant floor to endure our 25-minute wait.

The wait was to be expected because Succotash doesn’t accept reservations, but to my pleasant surprise, we were called in only after about 10 minutes.

My friends and I sat down at a table in the middle of the restaurant floor, between a large wooden bar and the opposite wall. I had to awkwardly pull my turquoise chair out so that I didn’t hit the hipster seated about ten inches away to sit down on the soft, dark blue cushion facing the back wall.

The thin menu sitting on the clean white tabletop gave the false impression that there wouldn’t be much in it.

The first page offered a variety of juices with names like the ‘Lawnmower’ and the ‘Ninja Sunrise.’ I flipped through the coffee bar, soups and salads, pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs, sandwiches, omelets and finally their ‘famous eightlayer citrus cake’ before finding myself utterly overwhelmed by the choices.

Being in such a different place made me want to try getting out of my french-toast-and-bacon box, so I ordered the special -- chocolate chip zucchini bread french toast along with bacon, two

poached eggs and a coffee. It was a little different from my usual fare, but I guess change doesn’t come easily.

With the stress of figuring out what to order lifted off my shoulders, I enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere. The white walls and ceiling combined with the bright colors and light coming in from the big windows made the crowded restaurant feel open. It wasn’t too loud, even though there wasn’t an open table in the whole restaurant.

While we were waiting for our food, the waitress came back with a coffee pot in hand. With some cream and a little sweetener, my coffee from Oddly Correct, a local Kansas City roaster, was as good as any coffee I’ve ever had.

Everything in the restaurant went together in the sense that nothing matched. One side of windows had purple curtains and the other had blue. Old-style chandeliers hanging from one side somehow didn’t clash with the modern lighting hanging on the other side of the two mint-green columns that divided the floor. I couldn’t see much of the old-style ceiling because of all the contemporary art that hung on the walls.

The wooden bar had a huge mirror adorned with white metal birds attached to multi-colored metal and turquoise-cushioned stools that looked like they came out of a 1950s diner. A statue of a monkey wearing Mardi Gras beads sat at the bar right next to where we were sitting.

After the waitress sat my not-too-long awaited food in front of me, I noticed that there was nothing fancy with the presentation. It looked like something you would actually eat, as opposed to some restaurants where what they put in front of

you looks like something that would have a ‘no flash photography’ sign next to it.

And then I unceremoniously dug in.

‘So. Good.’ was the first thing that came out of anyone’s mouth.

My three slices of chocolate chip zucchini bread french toast tasted like I was having dessert for a meal. They were rich, and really thick. I didn’t even need syrup, which is unusual because I usually have so much that my pancakes are basically swimming.

My bacon was not the lame kind that’s light as a feather and crunchy. It was thick and juicy and I needed two hands to eat it because it was so heavy. I have to applaud Succotash for getting the eggs right — with completely runny yolk — because it’s not easy to do. A little bit of salt and pepper made them perfect for offsetting my dessertlike main dish.

There was no way I was going to be able to eat all of it by myself. I needed backup if I was going to clean my plate. By the end of it I was full to bursting and more than satisfied.

I got back from the bathroom to find that the waitress had drawn a heart on the check she left on the table. It was then that I realized that not asking for the price of the special was probably a mistake. My breakfast and my coffee had cost 15 dollars of my hard-earned money, but it was worth it.

Feeling like I successfully got out of my box and into a cool new experience, we left a tip and made our way out of the still-crowded restaurant and back into the rain.

Signature Dishes

“Gluten Free Short Stack”

with two eggs and bacon (choice of plain or blueberry)

TRY TAKE OUT

DINE ‘N DASH

“Vegan Kitchen Sink”

“Chocolate Chip Zucchini

Bread French Toast” lima bean hummus, succotash, peppers, spinach, with two eggs and bacon onions and portabella on home fries topped with fresh tomato

WORTH A VISIT

CULINARY GENIUS

a&e.

common scenes of high performance cars speeding around a racetrack, it is about much more than just two men driving around in circles.

Instead, Rush revolves around the competition that evolved between the two drivers. They create an atmosphere that thrives on the need to become world champion and prove that they are the better driver. This is where the viewer finds the true meaning of this movie.

Writer Peter Morgan wrote this movie not intending to focus on the sport or cars of Formula 1 but instead to push the viewer inside the minds of these drivers. He forced me to sympathize with the cocky, arrogant Hunt that places winning ahead of everything else including his life. At the same time, Morgan had me feeling for Lauda, the icy and determined racer from Germany that values mathematical probabilities over his gut instincts.

Morgan works to create a bond between the viewer and both drivers that has the suspense building through every twist and turn as the lives of both drivers hangs in the balance. Rush is a superb mix of gritty racing shots that made me want to hop in my car and go flying around bends along with gripping moments that made me connect with the racers.

From the moment I saw the preview with attractive girls and even better looking cars until I was drawn into the minds of these two fearless racers, this movie hits on all cylinders and perfectly mixes speed with emotions.

FAST FACTS: RATING ON ROTTEN TOMATOES

88% “

I’m a sucker for fast cars. The quickest way to draw me into a trailer is to have expensive, shiny cars driving at crazy speeds. This meant that I was instantly drawn in when I saw the preview for “Rush”. Expensive Formula 1 cars racing around a track at 180 miles per hour combined with dramatic music had me hooked and waiting to hear the release date.

However, “Rush”, isn’t just a movie with fast cars, pretty girls and lots of wrecks. Instead, “Rush” is a dramatic look into the fiery rivalry between two drivers that pushed both men to the brink of life and death.

This movie follows the lives of reckless bad-boy James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and the cold, seemingly emotionless Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl). The opening scenes follow the intense rivalry that forms between Hunt and Lauda as they work their way up through the levels of their openwheeled single seat driving league, Formula 1.

The first racing scene will appease all the racing fanatics in the crowd.

Revving engines and stunning macro shots of the insides of motors places the viewer inside the car. As the race begins, the rumbling cheer of the crowd reaches a fever pitch while the wheels screech.

After the cars take off, the camera angles help to evoke a sense of unbridled speed. Views of cars swooping around the track may be typical, but still made me feel like I was sitting in the middle of it all. The rest of the movie chronologically follows the competition between Hunt and Lauda as they work to balance their lives with the possibility of winning priceless points in the chase to be Formula 1 world champion.

Although this movie features the

COMPUTER BRAIN “Niki Lauda’s real-life

nickname, because of his dedicated and careful driving style

CLOUDY NUMBERS

Drawing in $35 million Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 surpassed Rush which took in $10.3 million at the box office

ANDREW’S RATING:

ing to RUSHsee it. (out of four stars)

WRITTEN BY ANDREW MCKITTRICK PHOTOS COURTESY UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

6955 Tomahawk Rd Prairie Village, KS 66208 913-262-6737 4185 Somerset Dr. Prairie Village, KS 66208 913-383-9560

Kansas City’s Finest Nut & Candy Store 9437 Mission Road Leawood, KS 66206 Ranchmart Shopping Center

913.649.NUTS

3

of a kind

sports.

THREE GYMNASTICS SENIORS LEAD THE TEAM AND FORM STRONG FRIENDSHIPS

WRITTEN BY PHOEBE AGUIAR PHOTOS BY SCOTTY BURFORD Senior gymnasts Taylor Bell, Sarah Gillaspie and Madi Lage are more than just teammates. They have spent as many as five years on the same gymnastic club teams and since freshman year the East varsity gymnastics team. The leadership they share this year has made these three athletes even closer friends and better teammates.

The sport that brought them together also defines what they do outside of practice and meets. They have sleepovers where eating, watching YouTube videos of gymnastic routines from the 2012 Summer Olympics, or watching “Stick It”, the popular gymnastics centered movie, are the activities of choice. Hanging out outside of gymnastics still means gymnastics to the three friends; especially because of their different interests outside of sports and their different personalities.

“We still do gymnastic things, like watching “Stick It” but its always fun to make all the plans for the team and show [the other girls on the team] everything,” Bell said.

Being the three seniors on the team pressure on the girls comes from younger teammates and gymnastics coach Chuck Lundbald. Their roles this year require additional time outside of practice and meets to help

STICKING IT THE BEAM 4 inches wide Expected to see tumbling and dance elements The routine should feature the entire beam

QUOTED

keep the team organized, plan team activities and decide on team spirit wear. They are also expected to compete in all the meets and score points.

“Having the leadership role and knowing that when it comes to a meet, I’m going to compete is scary because there is a lot of pressure on the three seniors,” Lage said.

East gymnastics coach Lundbald has

“

I want to remember us going for all our skills and having no regrets. I want to see them succeed as much as I want to succeed.

”

Senior Sarah Gillaspie

been coaching at East for three years. He began coaching near the end of the girls’ freshman year. He has been involved in the high school gymnastic careers of all of the seniors and has watched them grow up and become the young adults he coaches today.

“I think they have matured as far as what they know they need to get done, and they have been friends all along,” Lundbald said.

“I’ve seen them grow as leaders and role

models.”

While Lage, Bell and Gillaspie did not become friends until high school, they trained and competed at the Beller’s Gymnastics Gym together. Although none of them were in the same level, the only thing they knew about one another was each another’s names. They were not aware that they would be attending the same high school.

“When we were little, we were never in the same level. I actually didn’t know Taylor or Madi were my age,” Gillaspie said.

The bond that the three friends formed through gymnastics gives them the ability to help improve not only the team’s performance, but their own.

“When you’re just friends you don’t necessarily have the guts to critique each other,” said Lage. “Because when you do gymnastics you are kind of team coaches. It makes our friendship different.”

Gillaspie, Bell and Lage, have all stayed with the sport, building not only their athletic skills, but leadership and relationships skills, all while making memories.

“I want to remember us going for all our skills and having no regrets,” Gillaspie said.

“I want to see them succeed as much as I want to succeed.”

A Break Down of Gymnastics Events

THE UNEVEN BARS Requires excellent upper body strength

THE FLOOR SME

THE VAULT Gives gymnast chance to express thier personality through dance and tumbling

Must be no longer than 90 Features releases that seconds move between a high bar Most gymnastis use four and a low bar tumbling passes in thier routine

Iconic quotes from Sarah, Madi and Taylor’s favorite movie, “Stick It”

“Its not called gym-nice-stics.”

“If you’re going to eat mat, eat mat hard.”

“What’s with all the closed captioning? I’m not mute! And GED... what does drunk driving have to do with anything?”

Gymnasts launch themselves off a spring board and flip off the vault This event happens very quickly

Gymnasts should “stick” their landing and take no extra steps

“Mina! Put down the phone!”

sports.

SPORT Football

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

OPPONENT Free State

PHOTO BY MAXX LAMB

JOHN

Boys’ Soccer

ARNSPIGER

Girls’ Golf

Q: How did you do at Rim Rock?

A: I got 77 place out of 235. I was the second best freshman out of everybody there and I got first place for East. I also got first for East at the Greg Wilson Classic, which was the first meet of the year. Rim Rock was a really hard course because it was hilly and it had rained just before we ran so certain parts of it were really slick — a few people got trampled on.

It was a fun and beautiful run.

Girls’ Tennis Volleyball Cross-Country

SM Northwest Olathe North BV Northwest Olathe East Regionals Regionals STATE SM South BV West Varsity Meet

GIRLS’ TENNIS

Q: How is the team doing?

A: I feel like as long as we stay in a pack, we can go to state, but then again our team has not gone to state for a long time. We run in a pack so we can get used to running with each other. People don’t want to fall back because they want to stay with the team.

WRITTEN BY JOHN FOSTER

The Lady Lancers varsity tennis team has remained undefeated so far this season. The varsity team is made up of six girls -- seniors Olivia Sneed and Meredith Shackleford, juniors Stephanie Wilcox and Elizabeth Barnickel, sophomore Aidan Epstein and freshman Joie Freirich.

“We’re doing well,” Shackelford said. “We’ve won every tournament so far and we’re undefeated which is what we expected and we expect to continue to do well.”

The team recently played in the Sunflower League Championship held at Leavenworth High School on Oct. 3, as well as a meet against Barstow High School on Oct. 2.

“I can’t even tell you how many times in a row we have won [league],” head coach Sue Chipman said.

“We’re a good strong team and we are just kind of rolling along right now.”

After league, the team will start to prepare for the state championship. This year, state will be held at Wichita High School on Oct. 18 and 19. Last year the team won first place at state.

According to Chipman, the team is in a very good position this year for state. She hopes to get all of the East participants entered into the tournament, and bring home another first place trophy.

Q: How are you preparing for state?

A: I am just doing what the coaches tell me like doing the workouts and taking an ice bath. It feels good that I am a freshman runner because I feel like I have athletic powers that most people don’t have.

MOMENT OF THE

WEEK WRITTEN BY MICHAEL KRASKE

INSTAGRAM OF THE WEEK

With the Lancers down 21-22 to Olathe Northwest and 3 seconds left on the clock, quarterback Christian Blessen lined up to throw a hail mary for the win. Several Northwest defenders were in the endzone, while only a couple East receivers were. The ball was tipped by a Northwest defender, and Junior Alec Dean came through the back of the end zone and caught the ball as the clock ran out. Dean held the ball up for the referee to see, and it was a touchdown. The East student section stormed the field to celebrate the last second Lancer Day victory.

EAST 2 LHS 0

EAST 0 EAST 0 OE 2 SMS 3

TWEET OF THE WEEK

qapplesauce

@sportsinkansas

Sounds like the Shawnee Mission East Hail Mary for the win tonight needs to be on #SportsCenter 45 likes

So happy to be able to verbally commit to Southwest Baptist University

PHOTO BY MCKENZIE SWANSON

SOCCER

LOCATION DATE 10/11/13 SM North 10/18/13 SM South 10/8/13 SM Complex 10/10/13 SM Complex 10/9/13 St. Andrew’s 10/14/13 TBD 10/12/13 TBD 10/18/13 Wichita High 10/15/13 BV North 10/17/13 SM East 10/12/13 HINU

FOOTBALL

EAST 27 ONW 22

EAST 23 ON 22

XC

BOYS 27th

GIRLS 19th

38 RETWEETS

TENNIS

48 FAVORITES

EAST 12 SMNW 1

EAST 12 BHS 0

sports.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LUKE HAVERTY

BICKERS’BOXING East student overcomes cerebral palsy and fights in the ring

WRITTEN BY ANDREW MCKITTRICK Senior Hunter Bickers rushes to his front door and grabs the package, clutching it in his hands as he hurries back to the living room. He has been waiting for this moment ever since he hit the ‘buy’ button on Amazon last week. He rips through the tape, quickly putting “Rocky III” into the DVD player and then finally scooching back on the couch as the Rocky theme song begins to play through the speakers.

After nearly an hour and forty minutes, the closing credits start playing. As Hunter goes back to the title screen and hits play again for the sixth time that day, he thinks back on the movie, remembering the final fight of Rocky vs. Clubber Lang.

As Hunter watched “Rocky III” throughout the day, a new thought began to form in his mind. Slowly he began to think about it and then he decided — he wanted to start boxing.

“I fell in love with the movie, and I wanted to be just like Rocky,” Hunter said. “[Rocky] was the coolest person ever so I started to talk like him and dress like him and all this different stuff. After watching the movies over and over again, eventually I started paying more and more attention to the boxing aspect of it. I just fell in love with the sport of boxing.”

Before Hunter could start fighting in the ring, he needed to train. He worked out on his own at local gyms until he started looking for a boxing gym a year ago, doing bodyweight exercises and running up to four miles. He searched for a place to train on Google, finding one nearby in Merriam, KS. His mom drove him to the RNE Gym for the first time and he instantly felt at home.

As he walked in the front door, the smell of sweat hung in the air. The room had a grungy feel. It seemed perfect for boxing. “[My gym’s] a great place to work,” Hunter said. “It’s not a very fancy gym. It’s not filled with all kinds of machinery. It’s dirty, it’s filthy, it’s hard-nosed. It’s a real gym.”

For Hunter, working out isn’t as easy as it is for other boxers. He was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that makes it difficult for his brain to communicate with his legs. This made it more difficult for him to balance in the ring and slowed him down.

According to Hunter’s mom, Diane, the doctors weren’t sure if he would be able to walk for the rest of his life. “[Hunter] worked really hard to the point where he can walk very well,” Diane said. “[He could walk] much better than any of us imagined that he would be able to. It’s because he really worked hard at it. There are others who contributed, but he deserves the credit.”

Hunter learned to walk without support at the age of seven. Unknowingly, he was improving the skills he would later need in the ring — stamina and balance. He would work out at his house and other gyms on his own, lifting weights.

“I couldn’t really walk till I was five or six years old,” Hunter said.

“It was a very hard thing for me to learn. The part that makes it hard for me for my boxing is it kinda screws up my stance and it makes it very difficult for me to move around in the ring.”

ABOVE: Senior Hunter Bickers boxes at the 2013 Ringside World Championship

Hunter’s boxing coach, Leo Moreno, he doesn’t treat Hunter any differently than the other boxers at his gym.

“I treat Hunter like he is me or you,” Moreno said. “If my other kids run three miles, he runs three miles. If my other kids run 15 sprints, he runs 15 sprints. I don’t do anything differently with Hunter because mentally he is no different from me or you.”

Moreno helps Hunter to not only train, but also helps him find his fights. He looks for fights in surrounding states, contacting other fighters and trainers.

Although Hunter usually won’t see his opponent until he shows up for the match, he works to prepare for the match as soon as Moreno finds one for him. He works to be at the correct weight for the match and to be in as good of shape as possible. According to Moreno, if the fighters’ weights are different by more than two pounds, the fight could be cancelled.

“If you get it down to about a one pound difference they will let you fight,” Hunter said. “Usually there is only so much time before a match so usually two three or four hours.

So a lot of running [to lose weight] and when I say a lot of running I mean a lot of running, like run straight for an hour.

And you don’t eat a lot either. “

After boxing in a few single matches, Hunter entered in his first tournament – the 2013 Ringside World Championship that took place July 31 through Aug. 1. This is a tournament that has been held for the past 13 years in Kansas City.

According to Hunter, it is one of the biggest tournaments in the world, with boxers coming in from all across the country.

At the tournament, Hunter placed second in the Boys Novice 17-18 141 pound division Although Hunter must work against his legs more than other boxers, according to Moreno, he has the right mentality. “[Hunter is] a big motivator for a lot of my kids,” Moreno said. “...He is an amazing kid. He is an amazing athlete. I bet you that anything he puts his mind to, do he can do.”

ROCKY MOVIES COMPARING THE FACTS ROCKY 1 - 1976 BUDGET $1,100,000 GROSS $117,235,247

“

ROCKY II - 1979

Except for my kid bein' born, this is the greatest night in the history of my life. I just wanna say one thing to my wife who's home: YO, ADRIAN! I DID IT!

“

ROCKY III - 1982 Release Date: May 28, 1982 Filming Location: Los Angeles Also Known As: Rocky, Part 3

ROCKY IV - 1985

GROSS BUDGET $127,900,000 $30,000,000

“

ROCKY V - 1990

But Mickey’s dead! If there’s something that you want to pass on, pass it on to your son! For God’s sakes, your son is lost!

“

ROCKY Balboa - 1982 Release Date: Dec. 20, 2006 Filming Location: Kensington, North Philadelphia

PHOTO BY TESSA POLASHECK

sports.

This year has proved to be a step forward for Kansas City sports teams. Staffer Michael Kraske shares his opinions on the Chiefs, Royals and Sporting KC’s successful seasons

THE KANSAS CITY COMEBACK

WRITTEN BY MICHAEL KRAKSE

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

The Chiefs are undefeated. The Royals were actually contenders for the Wild Card playoff spot in their division. Sporting Kansas City is second in the Eastern Conference. Kansas City sports are being talked about on ESPN regularly -- something that hasn’t happened in years. The Chiefs were even picked to win the Super Bowl —The SUPER BOWL — by ESPN analyst Keyshawn Johnson The last time the Chiefs were even in the playoffs was 2010 when they just barely slipped in the wild card spot and then got plastered by the Ravens.

When was the last time you can remember being really excited for the Chiefs? The Royals? The last time the Royals made the playoffs was 1985, when they won the World Series. Since then, they haven’t made a playoff appearance. Although the Royals didn’t make the postseason this year, they were close and people were going nuts for them. And all of a sudden, as soon as the Chiefs and Royals started to win, people began to become huge fans, and get really excited What a coincidence!

Part of the way people get excited for KC sports is by using social media sites like Twitter. The night of a big Royals win or the day of a Chiefs victory, Twitter blows up with excited fans going crazy about the game.

Even during the game, people go nuts and will tweet the second after a big play — whether they’re at the game or watching at home.

One thing I’ve noticed when our teams start winning is that people start to care much more. But they never care as much when KC teams are getting beat. When they’re losing, people couldn’t care less. But when the teams start winning, they suddenly care. Although it’s cool that KC sports have tons of support while winning, it would be awesome if fans had the same enthusiasm and when they’re losing. Fans should rally players to perform better. Players really do see what you tweet at them, so what if fans had that same winning attitude and enthusiasm when the teams were losing? But of course, as soon as they start winning, everybody cares.

KC sports have been considered a joke in places outside of KC for as long as I can remember. Now that they’re not, I’m beyond ecstatic. The only downside is that Chiefs ticket prices will be through the roof, which hasn’t happened in years. I’ve always been able to get cheap tickets and move down, but that won’t happen this year. Last year they won two games total. They’ve already doubled that amount in their first four games.

The Royals were above .500 this season for the first time since 2003. They were a close second to the Cleveland Indians for the Wild Card spot to make the playoffs. This year, I discovered that more people cared about baseball than I thought. I used to think a few people here and there cared, but with the winning season I found out how many people cared and how excited they

were. Especially when it came towards the end of the season, Twitter exploded with excited fans. It was the hot topic at school the next day. If the Royals would have made it into the playoffs, it would have been huge for Kansas City.

Sporting KC is having yet another successful season — only to add on to the success Kansas City sports have had as a whole. They are currently second in the Eastern division. Soccer fans go nuts for Sporting KC, and would die to see them win the MLS cup. Wearing their Sporting KC shirts and jerseys, the support for the team stretches wide throughout Kansas City.

When was the last time you mentioned “Chiefs” and “Super Bowl” in the same sentence other than in a joke? Can’t remember? Me neither. But now it’s real. The Chiefs are off to a hot start and don’t have any intentions of slowing down.

Not only are fans happier, but it gives them something to look forward to. Last season when the Chiefs were doing awful, I know I didn’t make an effort to watch every second of every game. But now, it’s different. I don’t want to miss a play. Royals games used to be something I would just hear about if we won or not and not care too much — but this last season I made an effort to at least watch some of each game. My perspective on Kansas City sports have changed, along with thousands of other KC sports fans.

KC WINNING | A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS SKC is currently in second place in Eastern Conference.

SKC won MLS cup in 2000.

SKC’s points per game average higher than all teams in the Western Confrence.

Last time Chiefs had a 4-0 record was in 2003.

Chiefs QB Alex Smith has already thrown more touchdowns than previous QB Matt Cassel.

After four games, the Chiefs have already doubled their total wins with a 4-0 record this year.

Royals total ERA (earned runs average) is better than it has been since 1976.

Royals winning percentage .531 the highest since 2003.

Royals batting average is 9th overall in the MLB.

sports.

S

ometimes, s h e ’ s afraid of the water.

Senior Jasmine Deng knows that she can’t afford to be scared.

But from the end of the one meter diving board, replaying an inverted backflip and twist in her mind, it’s hard to keep the fears back.

So she clears her head. Jasmine focuses on not thinking at all. It’s a matter of letting her muscles take over and watching where the water is. When she’s in the air, Jasmine’s instincts twist her limber frame into the water without even a splash.

Jasmine’s body flips with the welltrained physique of a gymnast — tight core, flexibility, stamina, resistance to pain. That build was formed years ago. Those were her elementary days, when Jasmine spent 35 to 40 hours training as a gymnast every week.

Her hands were stained with chalk.

Her arms were covered in bruises from missing her grip on the uneven bars. Childhood daydreams of the Olympics, unsure plans for the future, — they centered on gymnastics.

Gymnastics led Jasmine to diving.

If it weren’t for losing her greatest passion, Jasmine’s life — hours of diving training each week, Division I prospects — would be completely different. * * * At first, gymnastics was a matter of practicality, not passion.

Jasmine was a three-year-old with weak ankles. She fell often. Her parents figured that several hours in the gym each week would help her coordination. In the process, Jasmine found her place in the world.

THE STEPS: Inverted One and a Half Somersault

1

But this is not the story of Jasmine, the gymnast.

It’s the story of Jasmine, the diver.

In sixth grade, Jasmine dismounted awkwardly from the beam, breaking every toe in her left foot.

The injury was a sign for her father, Cheng. Gymnastics was too expensive, too dangerous, too time-consuming. It was time for Jasmine to find another love, but that wasn’t an easy journey. “[Jasmine] was calling me every night, crying because she missed it so much,” Jasmine’s older sister Elizabeth said. “It was this huge hole in her life. She tried to get over it, but it was like there was this window between her and the world. She could only watch.”

Diving also began as a matter of practicality. Cheng had been trying to find a new passion for Jasmine — dance classes, orchestra. But nothing Jasmine tried interested her even half as much as gymnastics.

The acrobatics of diving seemed similar to gymnastics, without the risk of unforgiving beams and hard floors. Cheng hoped the sport would help Jasmine to transition.

Jasmine was unsure. She was a weak swimmer, struggling at first to paddle to the side of the pool after a dive. The water hurt when she hit it wrong. Even worse, she was forced to land on her head in a dive, a concept foreign from the safety of landing on her feet in gymnastics.

But diving stuck. Jasmine was talented, stripping herself of her gymnastics instincts and beginning to experiment with more difficult dives. She passed other beginning divers, moving quickly up the levels in Downey’s program. She began to remind her parents and Elizabeth of when to leave their house, anxious to get to practice early.

As Jasmine entered high school, diving became her new focus. The physical challenge and emotional reward of landing a dive correctly was something Jasmine couldn’t find outside of athletics.

PREPARE

I try not to think about anything. Most of the time I overthink my dives so I try to clear my mind.

2 APPROACH

I just stand there and then throw my hands up and then swing back around and then jump off the board backwards.

toward her

FUTURE

Senior trains for diving after previously training to be a gymnast

It wasn’t until junior year when Jasmine realized how important diving had b e co me to her. She w a n t e d to continue the sport — not just as a hobby, and not just in high school. Jasmine wanted to dive in college, and to do that, she had to become competitive.

Downey was beginning a new training program, and when Jasmine approached him about becoming competitive, he was ready to create an intense regimen for her. Jasmine now trains four days a week for three hours, spending half of each session conditioning and half focusing on technique.

Unlike other divers, Jasmine doesn’t focus on meets. At the few local meets she took part in, Jasmine scored an average of seven or eight. However, due to their lack of time, Downey and Jasmine think that meets will only take time away from improving her dives in time for college recruiting in April.

“Right now, we’re just pushing and rushing to try and get me to a place where I’m competitive enough to be looked at by colleges,” Jasmine said. “I’m doing well now, especially for where I started,

3 EXECUTE

I push off the board and throw my arms down toward the water and just start flipping.

WRITTEN BY JULIA POE PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

BY MARISA WALTON

but I have to push myself to a higher caliber.”

Downey believes that Jasmine’s late start will become an asset for the diver, not a hindrance. He sees in her a potential to become more than most who train at a young age, and her ability to overcome her own fears on the board makes him think that Jasmine could become a prominent diver.

“Sure, Jasmine didn’t start training early,” Downey said. “But she has more potential [than girls who did]. She works harder. She’s not afraid. I’m not going to put a limit to what she can continue to do, because I think she can go college, go Olympic, go to whatever level she decides she wants to go to.”

4

KICK OUT

I usually just spot the gutter or I wait till my coach gives me a call out.

LEFT: Senior Luke Haverty is one of the students who has taken over this year for leading chants. Not only is he calling new chants, he’s getting everyone in the crowd more involved.

“We want to have a unique student section that is creative and loud,” Haverty said “We figure if people hear about the student section being excited and fun, they’re probably more willing to drive to Lawrence or Leavenworth to support the team”.

photo essay.

BELOW: Junior Sam Williams knew that playing Olathe North would be a trying match, which only got the team more pumped up. “Our secret to beating any team is coming out and being as physical as possible for the entire game,” Williams said. “We weren’t favored to win the Olathe North game so it felt good to come out on top and start earning more respect from the rest of the league”.

PHOTO BY MARISA WALTON

PHOTO BY SCOTTY BURFORD

PHOTO BY MCKENZIE SWANSON

ABOVE: After every winning game, senior Dominique Atkinson dances for the rest of the team in the locker room. “I feel great after a win because I know all of the hard work the team put in was worth it.” Atkinson said. Junior Sam Pottenger is always humored

by Atkinson after every game, “Dom is always dancing at practice so naturally he will dance after a big win”.

FRIDAY NIGHT

LIGHTS

The football team becomes 4-0 in their season after playing Olathe North at College Boulevard Athletic Center (CBAC) on Friday, September 27th.

The nail-biting game ended in a score of 23-22. It is rumored that Lancer Magic “increases the athletic abilities through training,” Senior captain Christian Blessen said. “And have it the name, Lancer Magic”.

PHOTO BY MARISA WALTON