May 2018

NEWS

FACES

Knox

FOCUS

A&E

SPORTS

VOICES

Downing

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER (26)

Featured Arist Tatum Sesow (24)

Voices of the Walk-Out

Spartans speak out on the walk-out.

Hear what they have to say (36)

Hardwood and Heartbreak

East High’s Basketball season in review (11)

The Devil’s Advocate V.2

Responses and conversations sparked after the controversial article Devil’s Advocate. Hear what your peers have to say (38) LINCOLN EAST HIGH SCHOOL

MAY 2018

covers designer: Devon Walter

VOLUME 50 ED.4

Letter from the Advisor 02 Letter from the Chief 03 Letter from the Sucessor 04

NEWS Senior Quotes 05 Celebrate the Students 06 Fighting for Our Future 08 “buddies” 10

FACES Seniors of the Oracle 20 The Ole Razzle Dazzle 22 Artist Tatum Sesow 24 Photographer Knox Downing 26

SPORTS Hardwood and Heartbreak 11 Taking the Lead 14 Trapshooting 16 Spartan Track & Field 18

A&E The “Stars” 28 Walburn 30 VOICES Creating Yourself 32 Religious Activists 33 Journalistic Integrity 34 Voices of the Walk Out 36 The Devil’s Advocate V.2 38 Identity Crisis: Gun Control 42

contents May 2018

photgrapher & designer: Devon Walter

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ANGEL TRINH BUSINESS EDITOR KIERSTIN FOOTE SECTION EDITORS JORDAN BRANDT CHYNNA BURGESS CHELSIE CAULFIELD KIERSTIN FOOTE MORGAN VALLEY DEVON WALTER STAFF WRITERS CJ BATES EMILY BRAY LILLIANA IRVINE COLBY LYON GAGE POHLMEIER SARAH WINTERBAUER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER LUKE BORGMANN GRAPHIC ARTIST NICHOLAS RIPPE GRAPHIC DESIGNER DEVON WALTER ADVISER J. FISCHER

photgrapher: Devon Walter

What’s Inside confused and hurt by the piece, so before I go on, please accept my sincere apologies for dropping the ball and causing students at East to feel attacked, dismayed, outraged, confused, and disappointed.

From the Adviser

MEA CULPA

I

n the March 2018 issue of the Oracle, we published a piece entitled “The Devil’s Advocate” that caused a pretty major stir for a lot of Spartans. The intent of the piece was to address viewpoints that are not considered politically correct in order to hopefully spark a conversation about how the ignorance expressed by those viewpoints is a very real problem in our world today. Our point was to target the expressed viewpoints as “devilish” in order to open up a dialogue about them, and we missed the mark. We missed it pretty badly.

In talking to some of the teachers around the building, it seems as though there were some good conversations about the content, but the overall effect fell short of our intent.

As the faculty adviser for the Oracle, I failed to recognize how the piece as it was written could result in being construed as an attack on the very populations that we were seeking to defend. Even more disturbing was that, for many of our readers, it seemed as though The Oracle and, by proxy, East High School, were actually supporting those opinions. I can state pretty confidently that the opinions expressed in the Devil’s Advocate piece are not views that are supported by the students and staff in the Oracle newsroom.

I understand our readers who were ultimately

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May 2018_Oracle

I also want to assure our readers who felt targeted by The Devil’s Advocate piece that we will do better. Our editorial staff have learned from the experience, and we’re excited by the opportunity to apply what we’ve learned to write with an editorial voice that is clearly supportive of all of our Spartan groups. East is a great place, and we want to continue making it better by helping to create an inclusive environment. We’re ALL better when we’re together, and East can and will continue to grow and change with the times. We at the Oracle just want to be sure we tell that story, so we’re starting by giving voice to those students most affected by “The Devil’s Advocate.” You can read their perspectives in our Voices section.

We’re also covering another controversial issue: the school walkout. We know there are students who feel strongly on both sides of the issue, so we’ve tried to look at both sides of the issue. We live in a world where we are seemingly losing our ability to engage in meaningful debate with those with whom we disagree. We at the Oracle would like to be sure that we are presenting both sides of an issue, even if we don’t condone all the viewpoints.

And one last plug here for the Oracle. If you feel you have a story worth telling, or you know of a story you think we should be covering, please let one of our staff members know so we can get right on it. Your lives are the stories we want to tell; we want to share how great East is with all of you and with the community at large.

“It’s kind of shocking because you like to think a lot of times the viewpoints that might be taken as bigoted are no longer present in the world.”

--Shruti Mishra

So thanks for reading, and enjoy the final edition of our 2017-2018 Oracle!

--Mr. J. Fischer

Visit us online @ lehsoracle.com

Guess What!

You Don’t Know Me

And I don’t know you, but how much of our past do we hide, even When it’s integral to who we are today?

Anyone who knows me well knows that I play the violin. Even those who don’t know me at all can see that I carry an instrument to and from school every day. Playing the violin is one of my strongest passions. I’ve played with the Lincoln Civic Orchestra for the past two years and in a small ensemble named Apollo.

I have been told I have impeccable intonation and breathtaking vibrato, but I know I struggle in multiple areas. I lack bow control, so I have meek bow technique. This hinders my ability to maintain a good bow speed and tone quality. I lose even more control in performance settings where my hand will shake uncontrollably when combined with nerves. For years, I’ve been trying to gain control of my arm, but to no avail. My private violin teacher, Miss Heather, even created special bowing exercises for me to practice various techniques, but I didn’t get any better after several months. I just physically can’t control it. Miss Heather has decided that there’s nothing else we can try. Before you give me the old “Don’t give up, just try harder” spiel, I want to point out that we are not giving up.

After years of working with my arm-and making little to no progress-- we’ve finally recognized that the battle is out of our control and we need professional help from a neurologist.

Let me take you back to 2011.

My family was driving home from Louisiana when our back tire blew. The vehicle rolled eight times with my mom buckled in while ejecting my cousin, three younger siblings, our family dog, Lucy, and me onto the interstate. I’m not completely sure what injuries my cousin suffered, but I know that she still has scars that line her back. My brother, Eli, had a broken thumb, and my sister needed a nose job at seven years old to fix her broken nose. My youngest brother, Lucas--only a few months past

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his first birthday-- experienced a broken leg, arm, and a fractured collarbone. Their injuries were extreme for their young age, but the severity of all four combined were nothing compared to mine.

I had kissed the interstate with the left side of my body, resulting in a fractured wrist, a broken jaw, a broken left cheek, and a fractured collarbone. The most devastating wound was damage to the left frontal lobe of my brain, which rendered me unconscious for many days. While comatose, my lungs collapsed and I flatlined a couple times.

I flatlined a couple times.

No one thought I was going to make it. Doctors predicted that I would be paralyzed from the neck down even if I did happen to survive. After two weeks of unconsciousness, I woke up and had to relearn how to walk, talk, and write again. After about a month, Miss Heather cried when she handed me a violin because I had remembered how to hold the instrument and bow correctly.

You see, I wasn’t even supposed to be able to play the violin again. But I’ve continued to play and have become fairly advanced. The lack of arm control is residual from the injury to the left side of my brain. It’s not that I don’t practice enough. My arm shakes because of an internal process. I can’t do anything about it. This is why

we are seeking help from a neurologist.

Most people who know me don’t know this story. Making assumptions about someone’s actions or condition is incredibly easy. We do it all the time. It’s a coping mechanism to help ourselves gain understanding of an unfamiliar situation. It’s often easier than asking the person upfront.

Yet this is where problems arise. Many issues spur from misunderstandings due to the lack of communication. In a fast-paced society where messages are sent through a screen to be interpreted many ways, we can forget to pause and delve deeper into the details of a topic, person, or event. Learning about the background of something is especially valuable because we can better appreciate the work that comes from it.

The car accident has played a vital role in the strong, determined personality I have today. I never take any opportunities for granted because another one isn’t promised tomorrow.

Angel Trinh editor-in-chief

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2018-19 Editor-in-Chief

A bit about your new editor-in-chief for the 2018-19 school year. My name is Chelsie Caulfield, and I am a junior at East.

This is my second year as part of the Oracle staff, and first full year as the Sports editor. I love to play volleyball, and enjoy watching and following sports. I chose to be a part of the Oracle staff to learn more about the world of sports broadcasting. I’ve lived in Lincoln all of my life, and look forward to moving on to better things. I am a big Ohio State fan, and will hopefully attend The Ohio State University in the coming years. I hope to go into sports management and eventually become an agent. I am excited to start my position as editor-in-chief next year and hopefully lead The Oracle in a new and exciting direction.

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Model or Mogul?

My whole life I’ve had one career goal, to be a sports anchor on ESPN. I’ve dreamt about starting my career as a sideline reporter at Ohio State football games in college, jumping at the chance to talk to Coach Meyer as he heads into the locker room at halftime. From there, I would be regarded as a mature, natural talent with a knack for understanding players and coaches, win or lose. I would soon be hired by a smaller news outlet that covered only Miami’s professional sports teams. I would be the talk of the town, an amazing female reporter with a new pair of Louboutin pumps for every Heat game. Down the road I would work with the likes of Jay Bilas and Kirk Herbstreit, experts in their respective sports. No one would question my knowledge or devalue me because of my appearance. I wouldn’t be forced to wear a mini dress with a plunging neckline tightly resting against my fake tan. I wouldn’t have to sit up perfectly straight flaunting my best assets, headlined by the massive volume of loose waves sitting below my shoulders. There would be no comments about my “nagging” or “shrill” voice. Yet in my world of make believe, the only sports broadcasters I wanted to be like were men. Why? Because no woman has been able to accomplish the things I want for myself, and if they have, it has taken years of overcompensation and proving themselves in order to broadcast a single football game. My dream ends with reality, and begins with my hope that before I graduate in a year, the universe shifts to equal representation within the sports industry.

Yet the disparity makes no sense.

The world of sports is incredibly diverse.

From a young age, practically every kid in American is thrusted into shin guards

and is taught how to kick a soccer ball.

Boys and girls all over the world play sports, and use them to make friends, grow as people, and develop leadership qualities. Sports bring people together, even in difficult times, they are always there for us. Take the Boston marathon bombing for example. David Ortiz, or Big Papi, of the Boston Red Sox gave a speech full of emotion and unity, claiming that “this is our f----ing city”, and uniting the city of Boston in a way no other medium could. The translation of this diversity ends with television.

Women’s sports aren’t televised, women aren’t represented on analytical shows beyond being a host, and women rarely call men’s sports, when men are more than able to call women’s games. How is a young girl supposed to grow up idolizing a man who never had to go through the struggles she will? Sports allow for a platform like no other, giving way to political movements and protests, yet women are still ousted as a species from entering the game. Ignorance leads to the usage of stereotypes men have of women working in sports and beyond. Being a female sports fan in general receives negative attention, as if a woman’s brain can’t possibly comprehend the game of basketball or hockey. Not like there’s a female version of each sport. The division between men and women will continue, but the strides made to create a more balanced playing field speaks volumes to the growth of our society. Therefore, as women continue to break down the walls and hold higher positions within sports media, society will soon have to conform to the new reality of the sports industry.

Column

layout by jordan brandt

chelsie caulfield sports editor

Senior Quotes

“Life is about making choices “Procrastination sucks.” and living with those choices ~Jacob Everts “Always Remember Dirt Road Therapy when so make the best ones you you’re feelin’ down. All you need is a great can while you’re young to set “A common reaction friend, some music, and dirt roads on a beau- yourself up for success in your to life is to go tiful day.” future.” insane.” ~Harlee Corder ~Deena Griffin ~Devon Scheidies “The many losers and “One of the most important things in high haters never have school is just to get involved, your only the brains or stamin high school one time so don’t waste ina to become truly it! When you find a group of people who successful.” love and are passionate about the same ~Devan Buescher thing you are, it’s an amazing feeling!” “To have faith is to have ~Carianne Hermanson wings.”

“Don’t die.” ~Tatum Sesow

~Madeline Dumler

“Don’t sweat the petty things, and don’t pet the “CINEDIGM. A NEW sweaty things.”

“Don’t be afraid to PARADIGM IN CINEMA.” ~Hailey Van Genderen ~Emma Jewell not take AP classes.

When you’re halfway through the semester “Graduation. Can either be the greatest moment or and you took it easy the saddest. I thought it would be the greatest but for some classes, looking back I would give everything up just for one you’ll be grateful.” day back in school. Crushes, unfairness, homework, ~Anonymous love, friends, mean teachers, recess, lunch, all that “Walking up from the lot builds character.” ~Anonymous

Faces

stuff. I miss it all. I find it strange to be looking back on it now. But I guess the saying they say is true....

You never know how much fun being a kid really was until you’re older.” ~Savea Villalobos

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Celebrate the Students Angel Trinh editor-in-chief

Parents (left) and Underclassmen students (above) attend the 9th and 10th grade Honors covaction in the South Gym--for the first time ever-- at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, April 11th. Photos by Angel Trinh

Lincoln East has always had a strong academic record. This year, East had so many students with a GPA of at least 3.5 that the administration had to plan 3 separate days to recognize high-achieving students. The growing number of students on honor roll is due to both the growing population of the school and the increase in students who put in the extra effort it takes to attain high grades. The Freshman and Sophomore classes had their honors convocation in the South gym for the first time in school history.

“Both students and staff work hard here, to maximize learning,” said Principal Sue Cassata. “The numbers of students who are academically successful, with using honor roll as a measuring stick, speaks to how hard they work to show

mastery of the content. I would like to be able to give students a moment of saying, ‘Here I am and here is what I accomplished.’ I think that signifies how proud we are for their work.”

In past years, the top 3% of each class sat on risers on the stage to be noted for their exceptional work as students at the top of their class. This year, the top 3% were announced individually and asked to stand from their seats. However, the top 3% of freshmen were not recognized because the district is no longer recognizing class rank. The Class of 2021 will be the first to use a new system that recognizes high academic achievement without comparing students to one another.

The elimination of class

rank was a decision made with more than a year of evaluation. A large committee of staff from all 6 high schools, the district office, and representatives from higher education institutions -- mainly UNL and Nebraska Wesleyan -- looked at trend data, student feedback, and the relevance of class rank in higher education. They studied negative effects that come from ranking such as unhealthy competition or the lack of course diversity and exploration due to students making course choices solely based on its effect on their class rank as opposed to their interests.

[Left]: Freshmen line up to be recognized individually.

[Above]: Students in the top 3% of the 10th grade class stand up to be recognized. Photos by Angel Trinh

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Not Their Class Rank

The committee looked at the transferability of class rank. “You might be first in your class at East, but that’s in a different pool of students than you might be in at a Class D high school where you had 25 kids in your class,” said Dr. Jane Stavem, Associate Superintendent for Insturction of LPS. “The transferability of what your class rank means doesn’t really exist. There’s kind of a false comparison of student achievement. The relevance of that compared to other districts and other places is kind of lost at this point.”

[Top Left]: Joshua Lee (9) receives recognition from Mr. John Matzke for qualifying for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination.

[Top Right]: Sophomores (Right to Left) Avani Nooka, Kai Waddell, and Ritsa Giannakas receive certificates of appreciation in Debate by Mr. John Holen.

[Directly above]: Two freshmen and two sophomores receive the first annual 9-10th grade Writer’s Award from Mr. Jim Rosenberger.

[Right]: At the 11th grade Honors Convocation on Friday April 13th, Mr. Bill Dimon recognizes the NCTE Award Nominees Jennifer Wang, Enya Zhu, Sarah Melton, and Joseph Wright. Photos by Angel Trinh

“I think that the competition that I have witnessed that comes from those trying to be in the top 3% hasn’t always brought out characteristics in our students,” said Cassata. “The competition has been the motivation instead of the learning, which seems to be counter to what we do in education.”

Another reason LPS has decided to get rid of class rank is the fact that universities and colleges don’t typically use class rank as an indicator anymore.

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They are more likely to look at GPA, standardized test scores, and actual courses of study when admitting students. They have developed a variety of ways to look at a student’s aptitude for being successful in college, looking at factors such as extracurricular involvement, participation in student organizations, or community service.

Many districts in Nebraska have never had class rank and others that have had it have done away with ranking students.

LPS wants to recognize more students for their high achievement, so they are implementing a system that uses the Laude (Latin) Model. It will recognize more students for high academic honors while maintaining rigorous courses. Summa Cum Laude or “with highest distinction” will be used to describe students with a GPA of 4.250 and above. Magna Cum Laude or “with great distinction” will be for a GPA of 4.000 to 4.249 and Cum Laude or “with distinction” will be for GPAs of 3.750 to 3.999. More information can be found on the new system on LPS Board Policy 6570 Regulation 2.

“We hope to still see kids who pursue a rigorous course of study,” said Stavem.

“We hope to see more kids taking higher level courses because they’re less concerned about class rank and that we have more kids who are exposed to the content of the course because they’re willing to get a lower grade in a higher level course whereas, in the past, they may not have even attempted it because they didn’t want it to affect their class rank. We want students to adopt the mindset that they are in competition with themselves to do their best without being worried about where everyone stands in relationship to them.”

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Photo courtesy of Isa Bousson

Photo by Morgan Valley

Photo by Angel Trinh

“Nebraska, consider this your official notice change is coming to your state,�

Annie Jia (12) Photo by Caeli Roach

Photo by Caeli Roach

Photo by Morgan Valley

Photo by Morgan Valley

Photo by Ella Johnson Photo courtesy of Isa Bousson

Photo by Morgan Valley

Photo by Angel Trinh

w

Fighting For Our Future morgan valley news editor

Gun violence continues to be a hot topic perpetrating American discussion and politics. On March 24, 2018, Americans took to city streets to show support for the March for Our Lives movement. The center of the movement took place in Washington, DC, a student led movement with hundreds of parallel marches taking place across America. For Nebraska in particular, Lincoln, Omaha, and Hastings saw passionate young people demand a change from our legislators regarding the issue of gun violence.

Although the movement spans across the nation, Isa Bousson, a junior here at Lincoln East, was at the forefront of Lincoln’s March for Our Lives. Across the nation, these student-led marches required the passion and work of young people in order to happen.

The organization of the march required dedication from all across Lincoln. Students from all LPS high schools participated behind the scenes of the march. Organizers encountered numerous barriers leading up to the march, from allocation of funds to obtaining permits to hold the march. Accountability and consistency were required of those working in the preliminary stages of the march, as well as dedication through numerous road bumps.

However, the march wasn’t the only way for students to publicly demonstrate their concern over gun control. On April 20th at 10 AM, schools across Lincoln and the country as a whole walked out of classes to protest gun violence. For the majority of 3rd period,

East students chanted, held up signs, and listened to student speakers. Speakers included Emma Jewell (12), Dylan Chapin (10), Atticus Mueller (12), Annie Jia (12), and Isabel Bousson (11), all passionate students at East.

Civic action was at the forefront of the Walkout, and voter registration was set up in the commons leading up to the Walkout, available to all students who will be of age by November 6th.

“We need students to know they have a voice and know they can make a change, and we want to encourage everyone to be politically active,” said Emma Jewell, an East senior who worked at the forefront of the Walkout.

Jewell was inspired to head the organization of East’s walkout after the Parkland shooting, and wanted to work the potential of a powerful movement in order to make a change. Fueled by the apparent interest of part of the student body, discussions with administration and management on social media helped make the Walkout possible. wMoving forward from the momentum of the march and walkout, Bousson is looking to potentially create an official group in Nebraska to continue advocacy. The march was one step in advocating for change, but Bousson doesn’t want the movement to stop with the march.

“It’s really important that the youth stay active in the community, and if there’s no action after the march, the march doesn’t have much meaning,” said Bousson.

Students from across Lincoln attending the March For Our Lives at the capitol on March 24, 2018. Photo courtesy of Isa Bousson.

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“buddies”

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“buddies”

East High Oracle Nick R.

Hardwood & Heartbreak How can such a historic season get overshadowed and labeled as a disappointment, by one play with three seconds left? A shot that will be remembered by all that were a part of it. With 26 seconds left, the Spartans were up by four and had seized the opportunity to be in control of the game, but a quick Omaha Bryan three pointer cut the lead to 48-47. After that a full court inbounds heave by Hayden Barrett to Jordan Janssen was picked off and proceeded to give Bryan an assumed final possession to try to take the win. “I didn’t see anyone open, but then I saw Jordan,” said Barrett.

The turnover led to a Bryan possession in which a drive to the basket was broken up by Sam Griesel and led to the ball bouncing along the sideline and left him in a confused state and Sam didn’t know whether to pick up the ball or not because he was coming from out of bounds. “I didn’t think I could touch the ball. I didn’t know what to do,” said Sam. The ball eventually bounced out of bounds and the referee began to point in Omaha Bryan’s favor. With 3.3 seconds left Omaha Bryan’s Tre Crawford caught the inbounds pass and heaved up a deep three pointer. Anthony Marfisi contested the shot with a hand in Crawford’s face, but nonetheless he got the shot off in time and it fell as time expired and the buzzer sounded. The team walked back to bench in utter shock,

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written by gage pohlmeier staff writer edit and layout by colby lyon sports editor

How can such a historic season get overshadowed and labeled as a disappointment, by one play with three seconds left?

The players that were on the court that night share their thoughts on a season that could have been.

the Omaha Bryan bench began to run through them, almost knocking Marfisi over in the process, to reach the running Crawford across the court, adding salt to Marfisi’s wound. “It’s like getting the wind knocked out of you,” he said. As the Spartans stand in defeat in a state of shock and sadness, a quiet side of the Pinnacle Bank Arena, is eventually overpowered by the roar of Omaha Bryan’s cheers and jeers.

Eyes fill with water. Heads are left hanging. And emotions are let out in bursts of sadness. And just like that, a historic season was ended.

The beginning of the basketball season truly begins in April with spring lifting. A time where players are able to reflect on the past season and learn where they need to

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improve, not just on the court, but in strength. The previous season ended in a second consecutive loss to Norfolk in the district final. But this senior class wanted to move on and to prepare for their final ride.

When summer rolled around it wasn’t a typical break for the basketball players. The first week of June marked the annual basketball camps, along with 7am lifting every Monday through Thursday.

And as the summer continued, different types of varsity league games started, the players ended up playing multiple games per week, and that schedule went all the way until August.

In the midst of the summer schedule the varsity basketball team took a trip to Denver, Colorado.

This wasn’t only an opportunity to play basketball, but to bond and become closer friends. The team took advantage of it to say the least and maybe learned more about each other off the court rather than on. Chemistry became vital to the team’s success.

At the start of the school year it’s not necessarily new begin-

nings for these players, having seen each other all summer. A week after school starts the players start lifting.

Again. Only after taking a short few week break from it. Shortly after, conditioning also begins in the fall.

Running around the track, up stairs, or doing a variation of agility drills to keep in shape.

The first practices eventually begin in November and the expectations were already through the roof for this group of seniors.

Being rated number three in the pre-season Class A rankings by the Lincoln Journal Star. Many media outlets, students and staff at East, and the players had high expectations for the upcoming season. “I knew we would definitely be good.

We had lots of size and good guard play.” Janssen said. Though if you told the players at the beginning of the season they would end up 24-2 they’d tell you you were crazy. “I didn’t expect expect the 24-2 record, but knew we could make it to state.” Anthony Marfisi said about his thoughts on the beginning of the season.

As the season moved along,

the Spartans kept their reputation as one of the top teams by remaining undefeated heading into the HAC tournament. East rolled the competition for three straight days in a row. The Spartans ended up beating Lincoln North Star 60-35 in the championship game. That meant the Spartans had won the tournament three times in a row. Something no other school can claim.

At the ¾ mark of the season, East was 16-0 and many parts of the media claimed the Spartans as the number one team in the state.

The target that had already been on their backs had grown even larger.

The Spartans then headed to Millard South to play another top 10 Patriot team. It was a game where the Spartans finally showed weakness and lost the game 58-51, but it ended up being for the better. It became a reset button for the Spartans. “After the first loss we didn’t have to worry about the undefeated record. It helped up focus back, and to stop overlooking teams,” Hayden Barrett said about the loss.

The success continued after the loss. Then East went back to it’s

“The season showed younger players how much work it takes, and also how to have fun.” ~Anthony Marfisi

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undefeated ways, going 7-0 after losing to MIllard South. East made it to the district final against Lincoln High. The Spartans had already beaten the Links two previous times in the season, but East knew this would be no easy task. It was a close contest the whole way, but the Spartans came out on top. This was a moment the team had been trying to capture their whole high school careers, but that didn’t mean the season was over.

State was up next.

Heading into the state game the team was already familiar with the Omaha Bryan squad and had an idea that they were playing a talented team. “We knew Bryan would be athletic, and they also had good shooters,” Jordan Janssen said about his knowledge of Omaha Bryan before the game. East knew they had their work cut out for them, but also remained confident knowing they had only been on the losing side of a competition only once during the

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year. “I was just excited to take it (state) all in,” Hayden Barrett said.

The game before the Spartans’ ended up in triple overtime, leading for more time for nerves and excitement to take over. “I was mad we had to wait the three overtimes,” said Sam Griesel waiting to play the game. But little did the Spartans know of their fate in the hours to come; a moment that would stick with them forever.

Once the game had tipped the Spartans never really seemed to find the groove they once held all year long. Shots weren’t falling, giving up key rebounds, and uncharacteristic turnovers headlined the game. Despite the unusual play from the Spartans, they ended up one point at the half. And that meant it was anyone’s game, but by the end of the game the clock had struck midnight on the Spartans and what was done had been done.

A moment. A three second moment that seemed to freeze time. Turned an experience of a lifetime into what seemed like an endless nightmare.

It tends to be human nature to remember the most recent event to happen to a particular thing and that’s what seemed to happen to the Lincoln East team. The shot left

a bad taste in the memory of everybody there. It’s certainly possible for people to only think about the shot. The shot that had ended it all. But it shouldn’t be forgotten what the team had accomplished.

The team looks back and realizes what could’ve been, but there is now nothing they can do. Only a wish to change what had happened. They will try to figure out a way to move on and not dwell on the past. It was a group that will be bonded by what it had accomplished. Together.

Even though it wasn’t the outcome the team wanted. It’s what happened and they should be proud of it.

The 2017-2018 Lincoln East basketball team became a historic team that should never be forgotten by people that witnessed it. A team that won the HAC tournament three times in a row, were city champs, were conference champs, won districts for this first time since 2001, first team to make it to state since 2009, the best defensive average since the three point arc was invented, and had the most wins/best team record in school history (24-2). “I believe people should try not to look at the last game, but look at the whole season,” Hayden Barrett concluded.

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Taking The Lead

chelsie caulfield sports editor

As athletes, it is easy to view success through wins and losses. The countless hours spent in the weight room, hot mornings on the track, and practices everyday after school are seen as useless if the hard work does not translate to a winning record. Fair? No, but in these difficult moments athletes are forced to overcome, leadership must persevere.

Senior Kayla Weller (8) high fives senior Megan Snyder (11) before their preseason match against Seward on August 26, 2017 at Seward High School. Photo by Julie Weller

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As Spartan athletes, captains are called upon to lead teams to victories, both on and off the court. Coaches and teammates nominate players who they believe represent the aspects of a Spartan captain. From pre-game speeches to pasta feeds, captains are held to a standard above their teammates.

Each sport has its own way of choosing captains.

For football, teammates vote who they believe would best direct the team. “In football, you definitely take a leadership role because it’s voted by the players not the coaches,” said senior captain Zane Busekist. “It shows who the guys look up to and who they go to when your down or you need someone.” Busekist, along with Alex Hrnicek, Peyton Aippersbach, and Jaden Roe, led the Spartans through the 2017 season.

Each player combined their experience as a varsity athlete and the veneration they’ve earned over their year’s in the program to create a positive team culture.

“I just h do with you hold yo having the to yo Steve Str

Sports

Throughout their years as a part of Spartan athletics, they are able to recall those who made a lasting impact on the program with their hard work and leadership they displayed as a captain. “Haley Seizys worked really hard and it inspired me to do the same,” said senior volleyball captain Kayla Weller. In turn, Weller used the same leadership qualities Seizys exhibited during her time as a Spartan.

“She was always a really strong leader and set a good example.” These athletes are only a few examples of the excellent captains and leaders that walk the halls of Lincoln East High School. Each athlete’s hard work and determination has translated into a culture of holding yourself accountable and receiving respect from their peers.

The 2017 Lincoln East football captains, Alex Hrnickek (7), Peter Jurich (74), Zane Busekist (50), Jaden Roe (4), and Peyton Aipperspach (5) during a coin toss against Grand Island on September 15, 2017 at Seacrest Field. Photo by Jeff Lindquist

It has to the way ourself and Yet not all sports have e guys look official captains. Golf, for example, relies on the the top ou.” golfer to lead the team. “It just has to do with the way you hold rasheim

yourself and having the guys look up to you,” said junior golfer Steve Strasheim. “In golf it’s individual before team, so it’s hard to say captains, but I’d say as the one spot you always take the leadership role.” Strasheim, a state and district champion, Steven Strasheim on his way to winning the 2016 LPS Golf Championship at Mahoney Golf Course. believes without setting a good example for the younger golfers in the program, there is no Photo courtesy of Lincoln Journal Star point in calling yourself a captain.

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club that not many people talk about around school is the trapshooting team. It might be considered a club, but it’s way more than that: a group of guys and girls who get together every Monday and Thursday for practice and have meets all day on Saturdays. For those of you who don’t know how trap works here’s a simplified explanation.

There are five shooters in a group, they each shoot five shoots in five different spots, and the scores are however many clays they hit out of 25 clays. They shoot 25 shots in one round because one box equals 25 shots. They also have something called handicaps, which is where the shooters do the same thing just from a further distance from 18 - 27 feet.

State trapshooting was on May 4 through the 6th in Doniphan, Nebraska at Cornhusker State Trap Shoot. There are about 50 East and Lux kids that can go to state trap.

Even though trapshooting is only a club, the coaches spend roughly 12-15 hours a week, only including three days of practice, working with kids on their shooting, and all day at the meet on Saturday.

The trapshooting club at East was started 6 years ago. The three coaches are Dan Smith, Matt

Reidman, and JR Sanders. They started the club with only 17 kids and now they have expanded up to 50 kids from East and Lux. The shooters have six meets in their season, two in Ashland, two at Lincoln Trap and Skeet, and two at Izaak Walton. For shooters to make it to conference, they need to be in five of the six meets. For state trap, anyone who wants to go can go and participate. The Cornhusker State Trap event is the largest trap meet with roughly 2,800 kids going.

The coaches have a big job when it comes to making sure that their club has everything that they need for practices and meets.

They make sure the ranges are open and ready to go. Coaches try to keep the kids moving while they’re out there. The biggest job that they have is probably making sure that everyone is staying safe. They keep an eye on where everyone’s gun is pointed, make sure that everyone is where they’re supposed to be and pay attention. The coaches decided to become coaches in trapshooting because they enjoyed the sport, they loved seeing the smiles on the kids faces, and they enjoyed mentoring kids in highschool and middle school. Some advice they give their shooters when they are struggling is, “go back to the basics,” “stay calm and relaxed,” and “don’t get down on yourself.”

SPARTAN CLUB

Only about 10% to 15% of the kids that actually shoot have been taught by different family members, but most of them decided that they wanted to trap on their own. Their first practice was the first time they have shot a gun. That was the case for senior shooter, Julian Lowe who started shooting his freshman year. Lowe is his own biggest challenge when it comes to shooting, “I need to be in the right mindset. Also, it depends on how I’m feeling that day [because it] affects how I do in either practice or meets.” He puts about six to seven hours into shooting per week. “The best weather for me to shoot in would have to be 75 degrees, sunny, with a slight wind.” His mom was the reason why he went out for trapshooting. She thought it would be something fun for

TRAPSHOOTING 16 Julian Lowe breaks a clay pigeon at practice

cj bates staff writer

Sports

him to try so he decided to go out. “The environment is that everyone gets along very well and we are all very connected.”

Junior shooter Josh Gaspar decided to join trapshooting because his mom wanted him to join a club or sport. He chose trap because his grandfather gave him a gun and he wanted to try something new. “I try to practice at least an hour a day to improve my shooting ability.”

The environment at trap is that everyone there has the same hobby and they’re all friends and get along. “My perfect weather is absolutely zero wind and I want it to be decently warm outside.”

Andrew Delka lines up a shot

This season due to bad weather they had one of the six meets cancelled. The trapshooting team had Conference on Saturday, April 28th, at Lincoln Trap and Skeet and all of the shooters on the East and Lux trapshooting team [roughly 50 shooters] will be attending State Trap this year.

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luke borgmann photgrapher

Chase Stanley gets ready to shoot handicaps at Lincoln Trap and Skeet

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devon walter layout design

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he Spartan track and field athletes are off and running once again inthe 2018 season, and there has been nothing short of success. To kick off the season, the Spartans took first at the Wesleyan Indoor meet which was a huge feat for the team, the girls team also took first at the Harold Scott Invite on April 20th.

There is a lot of new and returning talent on the team this year to help out and both the boys and girls teams have experienced great success so far.

A couple of weeks later at the Kearney Invitational, the Spartans did not disappoint with Elly Harter finishing third in the 200 meter dash. Crushing the previous standing school record the new record is now 26.06 seconds. Elliot Alexander won both the 110 meter and the 300 meter high hurdles.

The girls team also finished second by only one point at the Papillion-South Invite(Titan Classic).

Olivia Smith, a senior,has been running track all four years here at East,competing in the one mile and two mile events. Olivia gave me her take on her four years of track experience and reflected on some of her favorite memories.

“This year we have a ton of new and returning talent this season which is really beneficial because this year we are super good and next year and

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years to come we know that we can continue to perform well,” Says Smith, “Winning our first meet of the season was really good because it’s been a while since we’ve won a meet and it feels really good.”

On her favorite memories Smith talked a lot about was coming up through the ranks starting out as a freshman and being taken under the upperclassmen’s wing to help further improve her running.

“I really liked being part of a fun community and it was a great experience as a freshman,” says Smith

As a sophomore, Smith qualified for state in the two mile event which was a marque moment for her career. Since then, Smith qualified for state again and was able to step into some more leadership positions.

“Some of my favorite things about this season are how close we have become and going out to more team dinners and spending more time together.” Smith reiterated that winning isn’t everything but taking first at the meet at the beginning of the season was also one of the big highlights for her.

Another athlete that has shown lots of potential to do well at state this year is junior Blake Ingamells. Running track for the past three years in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m sprints, Ingamells has patiently waited his turn to break out after last year’s senior class had a lot of talent and carried the team. Ingamells is experiencing his best season yet, having come in second at one meet and medaling at all the other meets so far,which means he will finish in the top six in the field of his event.

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He runs track as a way to stay in shape for football season in the fall and is looking forward to qualifying for state at districts, which requires coming in third to be able to compete at the state meet.

You can catch the East track team catch the Spartans at state held at Burke Stadium in Omaha on Friday and Saturday May 18 and 19.

Opposite left photo:Elliot Alexander runniing the 110m hurdles during the Kearney Invite Top right photo:Olivia Smith (middle) and teammates after the 3200m run Bottom left photo:Blake Ingamells running the 200m sprint Top photo: Members of the girls track team after finishing runner up at the Papio-South Invite *All photos provided by Jeff Lindquist

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Seniors of the Oracle emily bray staff writer

The 2017-2018 school year is coming to an end, which means the Class of 2018 will be making their final marks on Lincoln East High. The Oracle is saying farewell and good luck to seven seniors that we have been blessed to have as a part of our staff. Many of these seniors being editors, staff writers, and artists.

Angel Trinh, the Oracle’s Editor-in Chief, is going to attend Northwest Missouri State University to study multimedia journalism. “Looking back on the year and what we’ve accomplished as editors and my journey as a journalist,” is what Trinh says is her favorite memories from the Oracle.

Kierstin Foote took on two important roles on the Oracle this year by being our Arts and Entertainment Editor, as well as the Business Editor. She will being attending the University of NebraskaLincoln, majoring in interior design and minoring in marketing. Foote’s favorite memory from being a part of the Oracle was getting to meet new people and making “Life long friendships.”

Our Voices Editor, Chynna Burgess, plans on going to Southeast Community College as an academic transfer. After that, she plans to attend UNL to major in journalism and minor in theatre.

Devon Walter is the Focus and Graphic Design Editor. Going to Southeast Community College, she plans to get her associates degree in biology. Following her education at SCC, she will attend UNL to receive her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, as well as minoring in photo journalism and language. Walter enjoyed talking with people and becoming an editor and helping others critique their work the most during her time on the Oracle, also “Becoming friends with Chynna and goofing off with her.”

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Faces

Our next featured senior, CJ Bates, is a contributing staff writer on the newspaper. “My favorite memory was seeing my first story being published,” said Bates. Her post-high school plans include furthering her education at UNL, majoring in Elementary education, and minoring in special education.

Sports writer Gage Pohlmeier plans on attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to study and major in sports media communications. After reminiscing over his time spent writing for the Oracle, his favorite memory was taking the group photo outside earlier this year.

Group photo pictured above. Photo by Luke Borgmann

The creator of “Bones” and “Buddies,” Nicholas Rippe is the Oracle’s Graphic Artist. After high school he plans to attend UNL to major in art. “My favorite memory was getting the second print done.”

“My favorite memory was seeing my first story being published.”

-CJ Bates Faces

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The Ole Razzle Dazzle!

Angel Trinh editor-in-chief

East’s Slam Poets --[Left to Right] Kim (10), Shealyn (11), Antonio (12), Jingming (9), Olivia (11), Alora (9), Simon (12), and Avery (10) -- sport their Finalists medallions after performing at the Louder Than A Bomb--Great Plains Finals on Tuesday, April 24th at the Holland Center in Omaha, NE. Photo by Angel Trinh.

East’s Slam Poetry team is back and better than ever. If you’re looking for a warm, welcoming environment full of laughter, courage, rhythm and phenomenal camaraderie, room 026 on Thursday afternoons is the place to be. This coterie of young writers has been meeting since the beginning of the year to celebrate their love for the craft of creative writing, but the students began earnest practices and rehearsals in October to prepare for the annual Midwest p o e t r y competition,

[Top to Bottom]: Shealyn presents her poem “Weeds.”

Simon, presents his poem “Down the Rabbit Hole.”

Jingming performs her poem “Silence” while Avery and Kim perform their duet piece, “The Test” all at the team’s second preliminary bout in the UNL Union.

Photos by Angel Trinh.

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Louder than a Bomb (LTAB)- Great Plains. The team placed first in their primary bouts in late March, reserving their spot in the LTAB Semifinals for the first time in East’s history.

enjoy performing because seeing the audience’s response to their work is encouraging. This year, they have had a strong focus on improving as poets, performers, and human beings.

East’s slam poets are Simon Nabb (12), Antonio Hamersky (12), Shealyn Warrick (11), Olivia Wirth (11), Kimberly Lambert (10), Avery Dutton (10), Alora Schneider (9), and Jingming Yu (9). They use their poems to express their emotions on topics such as standardized testing, society’s expectations, trauma, and isolation.

Team meetings and practices are used to discuss ways to improve the delivery of their poems for future bouts. They review some past outstanding performances done by other students from competing schools as well their own to find parts that could be strengthened. They have a plethora of strong poems to choose from so everyone felt confident about progressing in the competition.

“I like to research stereotypes,” said first-year member Schneider. “I want my poetry to send the message: ‘It’s okay to be yourself, especially when others are pushing their expectations on you.’”

With the help of poetry coaches Celine Haynes and Riley Westerholt from the Nebraska Writers’ Collective, the students created, memorized, and adroitly delivered a multitude of poems.

Many members have received more positive feedback on their individual poems than ever before.

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“We’ve been waiting for this [getting into semifinals] for three years,” said Warrick. “I’m done waiting.”

English and Creative Writing teacher Mr. Derek Funk has been working with these students for three years, being full sponsor for two. He’s been floored by the team’s growth and improvement from last year. “Our big goal this year was to advance to the semifinals [and] they have already done that in really impressive fashion,” he said. “Helping the team write poems, and being someone they can talk to about life’s difficulties and to be able to help them

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[Right] The team smiles widely after winning their semifinal bout.

[Directly below] Avery performs their poem “Welcome Mat.” [Below, right] Shealyn performs her poem “Weeds.”

Photos by Angel Trinh.

[Above left] Shealyn and Olivia perform their duet poem, “Heartburn” and [Above Right] Jingming performs her poem, “Silence” at the semifinal bout. Photos by Angel Trinh.

express themselves is an incredible feeling. I’m proud of every single one of my students, but the kids of the Slam team have a special place in my heart, because they’re all so brave. Just about every week I get to cry, either from laughter or from witnessing the courage of the kids I sponsor. “ East’s LTAB semifinal bout was held in Omaha at the Joslyn Art Center on April 16th. They skillfully placed first against Omaha South High School, Omaha North High School, and Schoo Middle School. The team has been more competitive than ever before, advancing to LTAB Finals in their first year of going to semifinals. On April 24th, they faced Omaha Westside High School, Omaha Northwest High School, and Lincoln High School. East placed fourth behind Westside with Omaha Northwest earning second and Lincoln High taking home the trophy for the third time.

Despite the low scores, it was not a loss.

At each bout, poets are reminded that the points are not the point. The point is poetry. Putting numbers to an art form has never been fair. East was already proud to qualify for finals.

Trophies are nice, but the greatest reward was being able to share

Faces

and hear poetry that evoked emotion and shared a story.

The competition is over for the year, but all performances can be viewed on Youtube on a channel called Louder Than a Bomb Great Plains.

There, you can find every poem from every single bout from the last seven years. They’re available so people can experience the power of poetry even if they aren’t able to physically attend the performances. Stay tuned next year for LTAB 2019!

[Below] Avery, Antonio, Kim, and Simon perform their group piece “How to make your Slam Coaches Cry: A guidebook.”

They ended up presenting three different group poems during the season: One at preliminaries, one at semifinals and another at Finals. Photo by Angel Trinh.

[Above Right to bottom left] Avery and Kim perform their poem “The Test.” Alora performs her poem “Periodically,” Shealyn presents her poem “Weeds,” and Olivia performs her piece, “The Day The Music Died,” all at the LTAB Finals. Photos

by Angel Trinh.

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atum Sesow was suggested as this edition’s featured artist. The Oracle staff had the privilege of interviewed the budding artist You mentioned you doodle, so is your art style more cartoonish or?

“I try to do both. I say it’s more cartoonish than anything- but when I paint with professional materials, I try to be more realistic.”

Art media style?

“I draw more- it’s less time consuming. But I like painting more. I like perfecting a finshed work.”

Is there a specific thing you enjoy drawing?

“I draw people alot. I’m best at drawing people. I also draw dogs alot; I have really cute dogs that serve as great models!”

What do you like about your artwork?

“I enjoy seeing the evolution of my work. When I look at my artwork I think it’s very ‘me’- I’m sure you can find things simliar -but I feel like every artist’s work is different and like a signature. When I look at other people’s artwork on the Internet, there’s not one thing that’s the same about every single one. It’s unqiue and personal.”

TATUM SESOW

Fun question, but what do you hope to improve on as an artist?

“I’m always finding little challenges to improve on. When I started to draw seriously I would go through periods where I was like: ‘Okay, so I’m going to focus on the human form. Or I need to make sure to draw men as not so feminine.’

Currently, I trying to draw people from different angles. Like hands, hands are really hard!”

Why do you draw? You said your mother was an artist, is that a motivation or is more of a stress reliever?

“There is a little bit of that [being a stress reliever], but it’s more of a thing I like to do with my time.

Something productive to do and be happy about, so I just don’t waste away watching TV. There’s something really self-fulfilling about seeing a whole sketchbook filled up!”

featured artist

Sesow utilized pens when creating this drawing. Smearing the ink to create a water, cloud-like effect.

devon walter focus editor

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knox FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER

DOWNING

devon walter focus editor

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For more of Knox Downing instagram @kxdown

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The Stars of Peter

eter and the Starcatcher debuted April 5-7. It provided the origin story of Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and many of the magical character of Neverland. All three nights were a huge success. Usually with musicals and plays, upperclassmen are given the lead roles. But the two main leads in Peter and the Starcatcher, Molly Aster and Peter Pan, were given to underclassmen, Erin Bell (10) and Hayden Rooney (9). The reason for this uncommon casting was because the characters of the play needed to look younger.

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Photo by Luke Borgmann

rin Bell has always loved performing.

She has fond memories of watching actors, wishing she was one of them.

She wanted to be admired by people. Bell has some performing experience. “I’ve been in a middle school musical in 8th grade at Lux and had a small role in the one act play this year.” She is also involved in show choir here at East. Auditions were in February and Bell decided to try for the lead. Bell added, “but I was willing to play any part.” She had a good feeling about the auditions and was so excited when she found out she had got the part.

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When she began auditions, Bell said, “The easiest part was showing up.” Erin Bell had been working hard to perfect her role. She explained how she struggled on memorizing her lines, blocking on stage, and balancing it with all her other school work and activities.

But one on the hardest things to nail for Bell were the kiss scenes with Peter. She recalled that she’s not much of an experienced kisser and felt awkward doing it the first few times.

Things she gained by doing this play are a british accent she’s proud of and becoming more confident. She was so excited for people to see the play because she believes that all the actors were casted perfectly.

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and the Starcatcher sarah winterbauer staff writer

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Similarly to Bell, there really is no easy part of being the lead of a play. “There is lots of big acting in the play,” Rooney said. All he wanted was for everything to be perfect. He talked about how it’s important to control your stress. Unlike Bell, he wasn’t as nervous for the kiss in the play. He told her, “You aren’t kissing Peter, Molly is.” His favorite parts of rehearsal were having a good time reading through the play with the cast and getting into character. Hayden recalled, “the play is very funny and everyone has a good time reading through it.” He also stated that being in the play has taught him a lot of information for future productions and projecting his voice.

Photo by Luke Borgmann

ayden Rooney hadn’t had a lot of previous performing experience. The one thing he could recall was being a part of a small one act production in middle school. As this is his first year in high school, Rooney told me, “I decided to go big or go home.”

So he auditioned for the lead. Hayden worked very hard and put in all his effort.

And because of that, he was casted as Peter Pan.

Both high school actors worked very hard during the whole process of producing Peter and the Starcatcher. The play brought tears to both the audience and the cast members on their last performance of the year. Although they were underclassmen, they performed just as well as any junior or senior. It’s obvious that the future of East’s theater department looks very bright.

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Melissa Walburn

East’s Theatre Director chynna burgess voices editor

photos by Luke Borgmann, Melissa Walburn “Walburn is what’s right for the East theatre department.

She gets us. She knows the East community, and what it means to be in East theatre. She constantly pushes us to be diligent and on-task in rehearsals, and she deals with so much of our drama and ridiculousness. I am so appreciative of Ms. Walburn and everything that she is. I’m excited to see what amazing things she brings the coming years!”Hailey Van Genderen (12)

“I think she is the new act in our theatre, and she’ll be here to finish and see us go to state. All the way until the curtain closes.” - Michael Frandolig (10)

“Mrs. Walburn is way more a cool big sister than teacher. She’s so chill, but is still super considerate. She’s dedicated. She also has an awesome style that makes each show she directs her own.”- Helena Muller (10) “Walburn waited at thespian festival to make sure I had a ride before leaving. It’s also really great when she makes jokes and it’s pretty fun.”Carlee Riddle (10)

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Melissa Walburn receiving the Outstanding Ensemble award for Crete at NHSTA last year

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ast High’s Theater has seemed to face the same problem for around seven years: a revolving door of directors. This problem has created the difficulty of laying down a solid foundation due to the different styles of directing. It seems this problem maybe finally going away with this year’s director Melissa Walburn.

What has the transition here been like?

The transition to East was a bit rough the first semester, but around Christmas I started to get into the swing of things. Going to a new school after a while at another is hard because you feel like a first year teacher all over again, and that is an overwhelming feeling. Every school has their own way of doing things and their own culture.

East is very different from my previous school in many ways, so it just took time to get used to all of it and feel like I knew what I was doing.

Are there things you miss?

The biggest thing I miss are the students at Crete. I worked there for six years, so all of the students in the theater department were all mine. They worked so hard and really loved the program we had built. I don’t have that type of relationship with students here yet, but in a few years, I’m sure it will feel the same way. It really takes four years for that switch to happen, for all of the students to have had only you as a director. I also miss knowing how to get things done. At Crete I knew who to talk to to get something I needed. Here I feel like I run around a lot to figure all that out. Like I said, I feel like I have a lot of that figured out now, but every day is something new.

Theatre background?

My theatre background is an odd mix. I majored in Music and English as an undergraduate and did plays in the theater department and then opera with the music department. I sang with Opera Omaha for three seasons before I started to teach full time, and this gave me a lot of great experience working with nationally known artists and directors. When I started teaching, I was asked to direct the One-Act, a task I agreed to with some trepidation. I read a lot of books on directing and talking with friends of mine who are directors in the area who helped me hone my craft. I continue to perform with the Lincoln Community Playhouse and Omni-Arts and see each performance experience for, me as both fun and educational. I love to bring in other directors to work with my students and continue to learn from those who know more than I do. I see myself as a young director who still has a lot to learn, but I feel like every show I direct gets better and better.

technical area. I’d like to create a program that has a reputation for high quality and creative productions and have students that leave the program with a solid foundation in theater and a love of their craft. High school theater is as much about learning about one’s self as it is about creating a production, so I hope students who go through the program leave with more confidence, skills, and friends than they had when they went in. Theater is a family/community activity that requires a lot of people to work together for a show to be produced successfully. I want to create a program that is open and welcoming to new people and one that works to create a positive experience for everyone involved.

What do you think of East’s everchanging directors?

It’s really hard for a program to grow without consistent leadership. The first year Crete entered Class A for One-Act we were against Lincoln East, as we were for many years after, so I’ve seen the different directors pop up over the years and always felt it was unfortunate. East has such a strong speech and music program that I knew the talent was here for a dynamic theater program as well. When I saw the job pop up last year, I felt like it was a sign for me to make the switch. I’ve lived in Lincoln for 15 years, but was driving to Crete. I wanted to move to LPS sooner rather than later, so when East had the position open, it was a fairly clear decision for me.

Are you guaranteed to stay for at least more than just next year?

I don’t plan on going anywhere, as long as the school will have me! I have really enjoyed my first year at East. The students, staff, and administration are all so positive and really care about creating a great environment for student growth and learning. I really love the English department and have grown a lot as a teacher through the help and collaboration this year. The administration is very supportive and encouraging of both me as a teacher and the theater program. There is so much room here for growth and change, and I am so excited to see what we can make happen in the next few years.

Any plans or shows to reveal for next year?

I tend to research shows for the next season over the summer, so I don’t have anything chosen for sure yet. We have a great group of both male and female actors right now, so I’ll be looking for shows that will highlight those strengths. I tend to go with one serious show and one comedy each year, plus the cabaret, which is a mixed bag. The Thespians choose the cabaret theme, so who knows what that will be. I’ll do a full season reveal in August--follow us on social media for the scoop!

What are your goals for East High’s Theatre for the future?

My hope for the future of East theater is that we are able to grow as a performing group. I’d like to bring more students into the theater program both on stage and in the

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Creating

Yourself

lilliana irvine staff writer

The beauty of the jouney and discovering one’s passions

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s the youth in our society, we are expected to have our lives planned out to the last detail. Where we are going to college, what we are majoring in, what we want to pursue as a career, and so many other lifechanging choices are pressured upon us when we don’t fully know who we are yet.

Though our parents and teachers may occasionally say we have all the time in the world and that it’s okay if we don’t have it all figured out yet, their actions show the opposite.

At this age, many of us are still in the process of forming who we are and discovering our passions. People approach me with the big question , “What do you plan to do in the future?” Of course, I stand there trying to make “I have no idea what I’m going to do with my life” sound sophisticated. In reality, I have only just begun to understand what I have deep passions for.

While I was at work one day, where many of the employees are in college, they emphasized how we don’t need to know what we are going to do with our entire lives yet. They went on to discuss how most of them have changed their majors more times than they can count. As I listened to what they were saying, I realized how I can learn about myself and adjust what actions I make that will affect the future as I discover new fields.

One major thing that we need to understand

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is that we do not need to know what our life is going to look like when we are only seventeen years old. The time we grow and discover the passions we have is a journey that we should embrace. If we do so, we can offer so much more to our society. If you don’t take time to find what you truly want to do in life, then you’ll land yourself in an occupation that you have no drive for. We’ve all had a teacher who didn’t like teaching, and that affected the class’s environment and was less effective than teachers who love to teach.

We also need to take care of our mental and physical selves; when we are overwhelmed with the pressure and stress that engulfs our daily lives, we often set those on the back burner. This can lead to severe depression and a very unhealthy lifestyle. I have watched all three of my siblings fall into this trap one time or another. Seeing them stay up into the early hours of the morning, only eating a small snack if eating at all, and barely going out because of the stress they feel showed me the intense consequences that these actions can have on one’s mind and body. Some ways that we can keep our minds healthy is to take some time to slow down, relax, and take a breath. This can help the weight of the stress not seem so heavy.

So as coming to this realization, I have decided that I am going to slow down and enjoy the amazing journey that will bring me to see who I am and who I want to become. So I urge you, take the steps needed to discover who you are and all you have to offer the world.

“The best time for new beginnings, is now”

-Unknown

Voices

commentary by jordan brandt

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nick rippe graphic artist

rotesting has worked for decades, centuries even, but it’s important as a protestor to think of how you come across. In all of the protests I’ve been a part of, we have said what we want. It hasn’t necessarily been about telling others what to think, but rather about proclaiming our own wants.

Meanwhile, the evangelical proclaimers (as they call themselves) down at the East High parking lot were more about telling us, the student body, the actions that we have to take.

In society, rapid changes have been unsuccessful throughout the years. Forcing your agenda upon somebody else, especially to hormonal, bossy, and rebellious teenagers is already risky business.

And I would argue that East is already a more conservative school, with a student body that generally believes in church and God. As serious as these proclaimers were, don’t you just have to laugh? I mean, really, every East High Spartan is on the ROOOADDDD TOOO DEESSTRRUCCTTTIOOON? I doubt it.

The world has survived for thousands of years with differences of religion, and we can coexist for eternity. Our differences make us unique and make us better people. I don’t want two grown men jeopardizing that.

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ournalistic Integrity

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chynna burgess voices editor

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ourth quarter, final edition, one last column. I became a member of the Oracle staff in my sophomore year, with my main drive being to make an impact. Chasing after a legacy, a need to start something new that this school would remember.

Words are powerful. That’s the first thing I’ll say. Being on staff, I’ve realized words can create controversy, they can form acceptance; words are double edged swords. The most important thing I’ve learned on staff is that my job as a journalist doesn’t mean favoring the perspective society wants to hear. I have found it a much more enriching -- as well as valuable --use of my time to hear and report on a view that the majority of us don’t agree with.

People are quick to call me a terrible writer or worse a terrible person for letting these views be heard.

I’m unapologetic with what I write, I pride myself on it. In a world that begs us to be open minded, I have found that understanding the opposing view is most successful way of being able to say why a perspective is “wrong”. Being able to logically explain why one disagrees is more appealing than droning on only using emotional tidbits to support the reasoning. Yet, it’s the emotional tidbits that stir us up; these are also the main factors in creating a conversation, or in most cases an argument. The conversations that occur forces us to confront the appeal to emotion with a concrete argument of facts.

I’m a straightforward person and facts are important to me. Facts are hard to argue with. In a society concerned with fake news, as well as one which

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consistently employs pathos, facts are necessary. It’s fair to say, not all opinions are rooted in actual facts. There are certain concepts that have an inability or a lack of information to be proven by fact. The opinions that form around these concepts are the ones that truly disengage us from each other. The most polarizing views are the ones without factual information available.

As a writer, as a journalist, it’s tough tackling these ideas. Someone is going to be upset, someone is going to feel validated, I as a writer have the ability to overall choose who. I’ve written articles which acknowledged an existence of multiple genders, but I’ve also written an article that turned its head to this viewpoint. As a journalist, I felt the importance of being impartial, and had an advantage of writing from a topic with an already informed opposing viewpoint. As a person, writing from these two perspectives only cemented my own ideology of what I believe in.

That’s what I love about journalism, the ever changing ebb and flow of information, ideas, and perspectives that I encounter. All in all I’ve grown as a person.

Last quarter, last edition, there’s my final column.

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“We need to show them that things need to change.”-Matt Salzman(11)

The “It’s not a thing I would do because I feel that schools are already safe enough the way they are.” -Zach Everts(11)

Walk

Spartans speak out on the walkout

“It’s a good way to show the democratic process and kids saying they are fed up with schools and how the government is handling these things”- Isa Bousson(11)

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“We are the voices that need to be heard.”

-Jaylynn Nothnagel(11)

Out

“I think that if students are going to participate that they need to actually know what they are walking out about and be informed.”-Anonymous

layout by lilliana irvine

“I think it is a really cool opportunity for students, and it also lets us stand together as a student body.”-Thea Jobst(11)

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“This is NOT a conversation for an educational space and, instead, it is begging to incite racial tensions within our school which is harmful to many people’s ability to learn.

This is not promoting a differing opinion, this is attacking a large portion of our students and this is bigotry.”- Sasha Belashchenko “I try to be an open-minded person, but when it comes to questions of respect and human dignity, we can’t ignore the fact that all opinions are not created equal. Bigotry is not based in logic. Bigotry is based upon feelings, shown by the poorly constructed arguments and confused defenses made by the person in this article.”- Madeline Schmit

“We should ask questions “Frankly, I’m not sure on about the effectiveness of faulty how to start this comment logic and why so many people other than by saying that I’m believe things that are not true. shocked. I’m shocked that But when it comes to somesaying that certain races are thing as basic as human dignity untrustworthy by nature and and respect, it should not be that LGBTQ people shouldn’t a question at all.”-Madeline be open about their sexuality Schmit are statements that the Oracle is willing to publish under the “To say that the people who guise of supporting a “devil’s hide behind the guise of advocate.”- Aaditya Rau chynna burgess voices editor to spread hate feminism

are the face of a movement disrespects all of the women and men who have been doing great things toward gender equality.”- Danny F

Growth

“However, when the official school paper publishes a line saying that people of certain races cannot be trusted, I cannot pretend that I am not a member of those races to certain people, and so I cannot pretend that my sense of security and safety in school can be maintained.”-Aaditya Rau

“ Instead of creating a legitimate, approachable viewpoint, readers were greeted with illegitimate assumptions about movements and the people in them, as well as goaded and insulted.”Danny F “PLEASE PLEASE do some research before publishing hateful opinions. This article had a lot of potential to spark conversation but instead was incredibly offensive to many many students and built more walls between people.”- Quinton Thomas

“The fact is that this article held the potential to open up our communication on controversial topics and allow for more open communication, but it was poorly executed and turned into little more an assault on the minorities of the school.”-Olivia Hutchison pg# 38

Static “If any conversation is being brought up, it is regressive and of zero importance because we’re essentially debating the inferiority of the people around us without even giving them an opportunity to join the debate.”-Sasha Belashchenko

“To play devil’s advocate (haha), I understand that the Oracle had good intentions. I think this article has the potential to spark a different debate than was originally intended. It asks the question, “what is the best way for us to spark discussions of real problems?”- Madeline Schmit “We all have the right to speak our mind. We all have a right to agree and disagree with others. The thing is, we need to do so in a respectful manner.

We need to promote unity not this.”- Lauren Porter Voices Voices

The Devil’s

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Advocate

or this final edition, I pushed to address my last editorial, “The Devil’s Advocate”. The responses from the article mostly expressed anger as well as dismay, but a few even voiced approval. The opinions expressed in the last editorial were difficult for many to rationalize, especially because they were deliberately unsupported by evidence. For the final edition, I sought out face-to-face feedback from our student body in an effort to see what could be learned from the students.

The views expressed in the article were racist, and it’s easy to tell someone they’re being too sensitive if they felt targeted or attacked. The views were homophobic, and the views were sexist. Telling someone they’re sensitive does not work if you aren’t in their shoes. The likeliness of the whole student body just being sensitive is unlikely. There is a reason the student body caused an uproar, and sensitivity isn’t one of them.

Minority groups had the harshest reaction, and these were the people I wanted to hear from. I wanted to hear about their experiences with discrimination, the reason the editorial bothered them, and most of all their stories.

My editorial team consisting of Oracle staff members Lilliana Irvine, Morgan Valley, and myself, went in search of a moment of growth.

Shruti Mishra is a senior here at East. She became very passionate about the Devil’s Advocate article fairly quickly. She wrote an essay (which can be read on our online edition). After reading her essay, I wanted to sit down with her and hear her story.

She explained that upon reading the piece she felt a sense of betrayal from the school and she explained how school is supposed to be the place that has students’ backs. Her obvious dismay at the article revolved around her own life experiences.

“It’s also kind of shocking because you like to think a lot of times the viewpoints that might be taken as bigoted are no longer present in the world,” says Mishra. “You like to think that when we’re having discussions about important topics, we’re on even playing fields.”

She stresses that keeping an idea of respect for one another when discussing topics, such as the one the original article held, is important.

“I think as soon as we’re arguing someone’s worth, or the worth of their identity, I think that fundamentally derails the conversation. It immediately places people on two different playing fields, and that’s no longer a debate,” she explained. “It’s a shouting match.”

Other students voiced this same idea when the article came out.

Mishra continued to explain how discussions that attack others

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I think as soon as we’re arguing someone’s worth, or the worth of their identity, I think that fundamentally derails the conversation.”

Shruti Mishra (above) is a senior at East. Mishra was quick to respond and point out the discrimination and bigoted views the article expressed.

have no ability to progress beyond the initial remark of bigotry. When asked about the idea of students being ‘too sensitive’, she responded, “I think the problem with that idea is that you’re dismissing an entire set of arguments on the idea that they’re not valid because people are sensitive. I think the concept of sensitivity is easy to say when a person has never faced that kind of discrimination.”

Mishra brought up her parents as an example, stating how they had been refused service before, as well as the all too well known challenges of being a female, and being catcalled at night downtown. She further explained those with experiences of discrimination are the ones that have the credibility to be able to point out the racism as well as sexism that still occurs today. By calling someone sensitive, these experiences become invalid, allowing further discrimination When asked about students at East who may agree with the article, she brought up a point that the article had intentionally left out namely facts and evidence, all good arguments that are worth discussing are based on these two things.

“I think they should pause and think about why they feel the way they do. Are there facts or substance to that argument?”

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For Mishra’s closing remarks she came back to the topic of sensitivity.

“Sensitivity is just another word for empathy.

Empathy tends to breed kindness and change.”

Another member of my team, Morgan Valley interviewed senior Emma Jewell.

Jewell when asked about the article and her overall feelings towards it, expressed the same sense of dismay as Mishra.

“I felt like it was a really hurtful article. The thing that frustrated me the most, beyond the fact it’s blatantly homophobic and racist, a lot of the arguments were unsupported and without evidence and seemed to be based in a lot of misconception.”

By preying on stereotypes and misconceptions, the editorial was able to use negative proponents of groups and use them as the face of the entire group. The harm in doing this is that most members of these groups are very much not the negative stereotypes. Jewell continued on how the article had an inability to create dialogue, being handicapped by the lack of differing viewpoints.

“

I felt like it was a really hurtful article. The thing that frustrated me the most, beyond the fact it’s blatantly homophobic and racist, a lot of the arguments were unsupported and without evidence and seemed to be based in a lot of misconception.”

Emma Jewell (above) is a senior at East. Her response to the article revolved around the idea of a one sided conversation with any support.

“Conversation between multiple people includes facts and multiple personal narratives and proper information. If it was an article that was supposed to create dialogue, there should’ve These opening remarks were the common sentiment been some actual dialogue with other people of the groups misof those who felt supportive of the piece. None of the represented in the piece.” three could point out a piece of the article they could disagree with. When asked ‘why?’, the common reJewell continued on when asked about the students who expressed sponse was that was just how they felt. agreement with the article.

“Views like this are put down a lot, right now especially.”

“It’s okay to agree as long as there’s a genuine dialogue and reach out of your comfort view, seeing the flaws in it. Static states of All three of the supporters grasped onto the idea of mind ought to be opportunities to think.” “sensitivity” being the reason why the student body was quick to lash out at the article.

Quickly we learned that facts were the best way to create dialogues, as well as the constant need for respect to all sides. Yet the “It wasn’t aimed at anyone in specific, and they shouldn’t most important way is to have all sides at the table. clump themselves in.” The supporters are ones that don’t fit into a minority group, and as Mishra points out may On the other side are those who were quick to support the article. not have the experiences to have the ability to not ‘clump I even had one contact me on social media, telling me how the themselves in’. Another student brought up the idea of article made them feel validated. victimization, honing in again on the sensitivity topic.

The student points out how, when it comes to topics I had the opportunity to sit down with three students, who all such as race, gender, and sexual orientation, it’s alasked to stay unnamed for their interviews. most impossible to not have an emotional reaction.

These are the three baselines for everyone, all three “I’m not homophobic, and I’m not racist, and that article wasn’t help form our identity, as well as our experiences, and either. And it really nicely laid out what I kind of think.” possibly the discrimination we may go through.

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For their closing remarks on the editorial they offered advice for those who may have been angered by the article.

“Take yourself out of it and then read it again.

Take all the feelings out. Slow down and try to understand it fully.”

My team and I were surprised to find this moment of growth. Arguments without respect, discussions without support, is exactly what allows bigotry to continuously drive. Ignorance and misconceptions of others experiences have the ability to eskew actual conversation. If we’re going to cover the important concepts, we’re going to do it -- as Mishra said -- on an even playing field.

I found it interesting how students at East took the editorial two very different ways. For the end of this editorial I wanted to show both sides the arguments they presented and their reactions. Maybe we could see a moment of growth, or maybe a moment of understanding.

One of the students I interviewed did this very thing.

“I had originally interpreted these views as kind of truthful. I can see, though, how this might feel like someone is being attacked.”

The student pondered that thought, and when the point that the article was devoid of facts came up the student searched through the article and was surprised to find none.

“I swore the first time I read this that there was statistics. Without any, it does read off as more of an unwarranted rant.”

For the closing remarks of the student, I asked them did they still agree with the article.

“I don’t think I can. I haven’t had experiences of discrimination, and you know you hear about it, but knowing that there are people that I personally know that goes through it is kind of eye opening. The article could be interpreted as such a personal attack on others, and it just seems toxic.”

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It seems that most everyone can agree on one thing: some gun control is a necessity to keep firearms out of the hands of those who would use them to harm the innocent. The following pages look at the gun control debate and stick to the idea that neither side is arguing for no gun control; the argument instead revolves around how much gun control is needed. There are people who should not own firearms, but along with that, there is a mass of misinformation surrounding firearms.

IDENTITY CRISIS chynna burgess voices editor

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upreme Court Cases and ederal Law

1886- Presser v. Illinois

Ruled that states have the right to regulate civilian firearms possession. Also rules states could not be so extensive with regulating that a militia could not exist.

1934- National Firearms Act

All automatic firearms, short-barreled rifeles, and shotguns must be registered as well as required to pay a tax

1939- United States v. Miller

Only allowed firearms that would be used in a militia to be legal. Outlawing automatic weapons.

1986- Firearms Owner’s Protection Act of 1968 Ruled it’s illegal to transfer or own machine guns after 1986

1993- Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act of 1993

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ebraska Laws

Must be 18 years of age to purchase a long gun Must be 21 years of age to purchase a handgun Handgun certificate, and concealed carry permit is required to purchase a handgun Open carry is permitted

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ackground Check

The background checks for the following, if any are found during the check, a person may not purchase the firearm.

Created the National Instant Criminal Background Check

Conviction of a crime that exceeds one year

2008- District of Columbia v Heller

Fugitives

First ruling that the second amendment applies to citizens. Meaning citizen’s have a right to bear arm, and if used for self defense is constitutionally protected.

2010- McDonald v. Chicago

Ruled weapons used for self defence/home defence is legal. State and federal government cannot infringe on the right to bear arms

2016- Caetano v. Massachusettes

Users of controlled substances, as well as those addicted to such substances Involuntarily committed to a mental institution, or those who have been declared mentally unfit Illegal immigrants Dishonorably discharged memmber of Armed Forces

Ruled the second amendment applies to weapons that were unavailable when the constitution was written

Those who have domestic protection orders against them

2016- Voisine v. United States

Conviction of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence

Upheld the law prohibiting those with misdeameanor domestic violence convictions from owning firearms

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Renouncement of U.S. Citizenship Indictment of a crime that imprisonment may exceed one year

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Pro

ore gun control, better regulations, with the task of keeping society safe. Those are the goals and motivation of those who support the idea of stronger gun restrictions.

The whole gun control as well as ownership issue stems from the vague second amendment. Stating, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This has been interpreted as both the idea of allowing the citizens of the United States to own guns, as well as the idea that only military and those part of law enforcement may be allowed . The second amendment being written in the late 1700s does not reflect the changing times, due to development of firearms and other weapons. The founding fathers of this nation could not have dreamed of semi automatic much less automatic rifles that inhabit the firearms stores of today. There is also the attachments to account for. Scopes, silencers, flash suppressors; all fairly unnecessary for home defence.

Another proponent of the debate is the need for better background checks. The background checks are set in place to keep firearms out of those who have been criminally charged. Background checks also inhibit those who are not mentally well.

A need for more intensive background checks has come to a forefront of this nation.

How else could gun control be more implemented? Gun amnesty is one that has been brought up, yet is tricky because of that second amendment.

Countries such as Australia have been brought up where gun amnesty had taken place. Strict laws giving their citizens the inability to open both automatic and semiautomatic firearms have seemingly lowered homicide rates in the country. Yet, of course correlation is not causation.

Gun amnesty is of course the most extreme version of gun control, while a more intensive background check is fairly moderate.

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Con

he gun control laws that are currently in place have worked for quite a while. The second amendment protects the right to own a gun, and this was officially deemed applicable to citizens as well as those in the military by the court case Mcdonald v. Chicago.

This case set the precedent for future cases surrounding the second amendment.

Another piece to consider is the lack of information, or worse yet, misinformation, that surrounds firearms. Many call out the use of AR weapons with the idea of these weapons being assault rifles, yet the now infamous AR actually stands for Armalite Rifles (Armalite being he company that originally made these firearms). There is also a common idea that automatic guns are legal to purchase, yet federal law has made automatic guns illegal.

Mentioning these facts may seem irrelevant, but it’s important because they have the power to change the perspective of how we look at guns. We need to be able to look at the facts that surround firearms in order to successfully make a decision on what, if any, bstacles we put in place for those who should not own a gun.

Gun training and safety are also a key point for those who oppose added regulations.

Proper gun training and safety could have the ability to drastically cut accidental shootings.

Along with added safety training would be an emphasis for better mental health services, with the main concern surrounding those who suffer from depression.

Most people who are pro gun are not against gun control. After all, the background checks that are in place have done their job fairly well. It’s fair to say that the gun isn’t the problem; the person is the problem, especially those who suffer from mental health issues. A focus on helping those who are not mentally well may do more than any regulating piece of legislation can.

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LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD

show tolerance where they show hate

value differences; seek compromise

respect others’ voice; talk amongst yourselves; don’t be afraid; be open to ideas; be passionate, not emotional

photgrapher: Devon Walter

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