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NEWS
It runs in the
blood BY
Pamplet provided by the American Red Cross that was left on the cars of all seniors.
Qualifications to Donate You must be 17 years old or 16 with parental consent forms. To donate you have to weigh at least 110 pounds. You cannot have donated with in the last 56 days. According to the Red Cross healthy is defined as having no disease of the blood.
Tradition of the American Red Cross annual blood drive continues at East
»rachelbirkenmeier
Students fill the East gym, some munching away on cookies and sipping juice. Others are talking to their friends. But they all have one thing in common; they are here for a cause. The cause is the East annual Blood Drive, organized and run by SHARE execs and students. But the blood drive almost didn’t happen this year due to one of the rules laid out by the blood bank that helps support East in the blood drive, The Community Blood Center. The Community Blood Center does not allow anyone to donate blood while friends are around, because it can distract the person who is donating. “The Execs didn’t think this was the kind of experience that we wanted students to have,” said Blood Drive and SHARE sponsor Pat Kaufman. “Luckily, the Red Cross does not have the same policy and we were able to get a date from them to do a blood drive.” The Red Cross has been holding blood drives for 50 years, helping to donate blood to people in need. East, however, has been hosting a blood drive for over 15 years, happening two times annually, and with a turnout of 200 students donating each year “But the main goal of the blood drive is not
to raise as much blood as possible,” Kaufman said. “It’s to get students in the life long process of donating, by making their first experience good.” To give blood, students must first fill out a packet regarding information about themselves, which is kept confidential. This is to make sure it is safe for them to donate blood, and that they won’t pass on any harmful diseases.The whole process takes less than 10 minutes get the onepint of blood this is donated. Afterwards, students are given refreshments to help raise their blood sugar levels back to normal. The blood is then sent to a Red Cross Testing area to make sure it is safe to be used. Next, it is either destroyed if found not suitable for use, or sent out to hospitals to use for blood transfusions and other needs. According to bloodcenters.org, there are more than 4.5 million people needing blood transfusions each year in the United States, and one pint of blood can save three lives. The Blood Drive will be held on Tuesday in the East gym. To donate, make sure that you have filled out all the proper forms, and signed up for a donation time by today.
What does it require to
donate blood ? Tips for a Good Donation Experience 1 .Be sure to get plenty of rest the night before and avoid fatty foods that may through off the lipid test causing the blood you donated to be discarded. Also be sure to drink plenty of water and eat a good breakfast or lunch. 2. Wear a t-shirt, so that sleeves do not get in the way of the test. If afterwards it is recommended that if you feel light-headed, you should eat. 3. Avoid strenous activity afterwards for at least 5 hours and rehydrate. » http://www.givelife2.org
Opera hits a high note BY
» jordandietrich
The next time the curtain rises at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the audience will view something that hasn’t been seen for the past decade. Since 1998, the opera has not shown a world premiere. However, on May 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, the regional opera company will perform its thirdever world premiere, “John Brown.” The opera, consisting of spiritual hymns along with choral songs, was written by composer / librettist Kirke Mechem. He specifically selected the Lyric Opera for the premiere, which will be shown to the general public, including students. “The best thing [the Lyric Opera] offers is its location,” Shannon Sundberg, the Marketing and Communications Manager, said. “We have a lot of people interested in the subject matter since the opera is such a regional storyline. ‘John Brown’ is a great beginning play for high school students to see. They will be active participants in the opera because many of them will have previous knowledge about American history.” The performance, which is an American historical drama, is a story that focuses on the major events that involved John Brown, a white American abolitionist. The opera begins in 1955 and ends with John Brown’s role in Harpers Ferry in 1859. march With almost all of its storyline based on history, the
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» kelseybrown
The Steps to Donate
1. Register by filling out the necessary forms, that will ask for a health history and demographic, as well as give ID. 2. You have to give your health history as well as have your temperature, iron levels and pulse taken. 3. A staff member will insert a needle into a sterilized area of the arm. It takes 7-10 minutes to donate a bag of blood or one pint.
The Lyric Opera hopes to catch interest of high school students with their third-ever world premiere opera.
Lyric Opera hopes that it will catch the interests of high school students. At East, juniors can enroll into American History. Currently, the Lyric Opera offers 14 online lessons and additional resources for students that may be interested in seeing “John Brown.” Each lesson has a brief introduction, objectives, alignment of the lesson to Kansas and Missouri state standards, a materials list and a procedure for implementing the lesson. After each lesson, extension activities are offered to students, which are based on the viewer’s age. “If students would look at the lessons, I think they would be intrigued to see the opera,” Barbera Haviland, a member of the Board of Directors, said. “Students will realize that they may never have another chance to see a world-premiere event performed by world-class performers.” Since August, the Lyric Opera has sent letters to music, foreign and history teachers at area schools. They will begin promoting “John Brown” through free documentary showings and lectures presented free of charge by the Lyric Opera Guild. Essay contests have also been offered for middle school through senior students, which will conclude by March 14. “I think that reading an overview will help a lot,”
East senior Gwen Koch, who will play a “spirit” in “The Magic Flute,” another production shown at the Lyric Opera, said. “Usually, operas are complex and there are a lot of characters and subplots. Something that will give viewers information about the opera will really help them understand the opera.” In addition, the Lyric Opera offers a special ticket promotion to students. Student rush tickets are available for $10 (with valid ID, one ticket per ID) one hour prior to curtain at all performances. Students may buy one single ticket in advance at a 20 percent discount. These promotions will continue until the “John Brown” premiere. Despite these promotions, the Lyric Opera may be dealing with high school student stereotypes that would affect the popularity of opera. Some students term opera as “boring.” Nevertheless, the Lyric Opera believes that those stereotypes won’t affect its student audience. “Stereotypes about opera really depend on the interest that students have in drama,” Paula Winans, Lyric Opera’s Director of Education, said, “But the more students learn, the more they want to know. Once people have been exposed to it, they don’t see it as a stereotype anymore. They see it as a part of their life.”