Issue 3 from the 2012-2013 Harbinger

PG 12-13 AN ANALYSIS OF POLITICAL TRENDS AT EAST

IF TI NG

G O T Y A W S I H G N I T F

EV EN TS

LO RY

Shawnee Mission East l 7500 Mission Road, PV KS, 66208 l October 22, 2012 l Issue 4 l www.smeharbinger.net

N ES I V I R RO D A F L A SENIOR ROLANDO

DRI

DR L NA O I S ES F O PR

written by Andrew McKittrick

photos by Jake Crandall

For a video and photo gallery of Alfaro, scan this code

Senior Rolando Alfaro sits on the metal stool, resting his feet on the rail.

His heather grey Polo sweatshirt zipped up.

Hair down to his eyebrows.

The air smells of a mixture of exhaust and motor oil.

And then he begins to talk.

There’s a hesitation between words, a repetition of syllables. A stutter. A stutter that he’s gradually overcoming.

“Uhm....so in a tandem battle there’s um there’s two runs,” Alfaro says. “You uhm lead one and then follow one. There’s four categories which you’re judged on which are line, angle, um speed and then um its... sty.. style.”

Alfaro doesn’t stutter when he’s racing.

On the track, he’s calm. On the track, he feels comfortable. * * * His Nissan 240sx sits idling on the track.

Alfaro takes deep breaths and taps his fingers on the Grip Royal wheel. He begins to slowly relax.

Then he drops the clutch, shifting from first to second gear. Then second to third.

His car springs forward, smoke pouring from the rear tires as he starts to throw his car into a drift. His rear wheels lose traction and spin freely while he turns the wheel. He maintains control and points his wheels at an obtuse angle to his car, a technique called counterlocking.

continued on pg 10

2 | NEWS

THE NEWS IN BRIEF

OCT. 22, 2012 written by Sophie Tulp

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH Breast Cancer Awareness Month, created over 25 years ago is a collaboration between a variety of public service and medical organizations working together to promote the search for a cure for breast cancer to help prevent the near 40,000 deaths projected for 2012 alone. More recently, a new emphasis has been put on raising awareness for the rare cases of breast cancer in men.

East sports have been honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month held every October. They have been rallying fans to show their support to find a cure by wearing their pink at games. Earlier this month soccer held its pink-out game, the members of the volleyball team have been wearing pink sweatbands on their arms and football had their own pink night last Friday Oct. 18.

Cheerleaders worked together to create a banner for the football team to run through displaying the breast cancer awareness logo, the pink ribbon, replacing the normal East logo for the football team to tear. The sign created by seven of the Varsity cheerleaders had the phrase “Tackle Breast Cancer” written across it.

“I think tackling breast cancer says it all,” varsity cheerleader Mackenzie Sweat. “Having the football players run through the sign is like they are ready to fight against cancer.”

QUICK UPDATE

Girl’s tennis wins state. See page 23 for more details. photo by AnnaMarie Oakley

The second presidential debate was held on October 16.

ARTS CAREER FAIR The art department at East will host its first Art Career Festival on Thursday Oct. 25. Registration will begin at 3:30 p.m. and the fair will be held from 4-6 p.m. in the main gym. No materials or pre-registration is necessary.

The festival is a forum for students to talk with professionals in the art industry from a variety of fields.

Eleven speakers, such as the Johnson County Arts Commissioner, professionals working at museums in their education, restoration and curating departments and gallery owners, are just a few of the presenters attending the fair to inform students. Students from Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO, Olathe, Blue Valley and private schools are invited to attend as well.

The Art Career Festival was made possible this year through planning by the recent two-year-old art booster club “Friends of Art,” as well as teachers in the art department and parents.

Students will visit a different speaker or group every 10 minutes or so, to create an environment unlike normal “open career fairs” so that the students and speakers are able to collaborate on a more personal, uninterrupted level. The coordinator of the fair, Adam Finkleston, believes that this kind of an art fair will expose students to a variety of different art fields and careers that they may not have known about or considered before the event.

SKY DIVER BREAKS RECORD Felix Baumgartner, a 43-year-old Austrian man, broke existing records for skydiving at the highest altitude and speed the world had known prior to that point on Sunday Oct. 14, 2012.

Baumgartner hit 833.9 mph at the height of his plummet. He dove from nearly 24 miles up, and gained enough speed to break the sound barrier in the atmosphere.

Although the procedure was carried out safely and, for the most part, smoothly, moments of concern were encountered along the way. One of the most daunting was the uncontrollable spiral Baumgartner was launched into only 90 seconds into his descent which could have caused unconsciousness or more severe complications. Somehow, Baumgartner managed to fight his way through the spin and landed successfully in a New Mexican Desert.

Baumgartner broke more than just the sound barrier during his free fall, but also his paralyzing claustrophobia that once stood in the way of accomplishing this historical dive. Baumgartner struggled with feeling trapped inside his special space suit, crucial to his survival during the plummet. He was able to overcome his stifling fear by consulting with a physiologist specializing in extreme sports.

After overcoming his phobia, Baumgartner was able to shatter the existing unofficial records for being the first person to reach supersonic speed without the aid of a spacecraft or aircraft, intriguing viewers worldwide as they witnessed him making history.

Girl’s golf wins state. See page 23 for more details.

photo by Marisa Walton

THE WEEK IN PHOTOS

Senior Tyler Rathbun celebrates after scoring a hat trick. photo by McKenzie Swanson

Senior Ryan Dugan plays guitar in the band Oranized Mess. photo by Connor Woodson

Juniors Sophie Quilec and LeeAnn Cole decorate pumpkins at NAHS. photo by Katie Sgori

NEWS | 3

GUNNING

for SAFETY

photo illustration by McKenzie Swanson

New amendment passed making it legal to openly carry weapons

written by Akshay Dinakar It is now legal to walk down an Overland Park street with a pistol strapped to your waist.

On Sept. 24, the Overland Park City Council passed a new amendment to a previous ordinance that allows legal gun owners to openly carry their weapons in public places as long as the gun is in a holster with the safety engaged and under complete control of the owner at all times.

Before the new law, open carrying of weapons was only legal for police officers, security guards and authorized military personnel.

The passing of this amendment means that someone can now walk into a mall, restaurant, park or apartment building with a gun as long as there isn’t a sign prohibiting weapons.

Elise White, an East mom and Overland Park resident, doesn’t think that the new law will greatly affect the safety of her child.

“I think if a situation were to arise where someone was hanging out and there was alcohol, and there [were] firearms, and there were other people, and they challenged each other, there could be trouble,” White said. “But in our normal day to day lives, I don’t think that situation would occur very often.”

Sophomore Becca Zeiger approves the new law because she believes that one should be able to see which people are carrying weapons in public.

“I’d rather see someone with a gun rather than get in a fight and then see that they had a gun,” Zeiger said.

Under the new law, guns are not allowed in schools, city-owned buildings and other places with signs prohibiting weapons.

“We must protect our community’s most important residents – our children,” Mayor Carl Gerlach of Overland Park said.

“Just as there are state laws prohibiting guns at schools and school sporting events, similar restrictions at our family attractions are needed.”

As part of Overland Park’s 2013 state legislative program, Gerlach plans to ask the legislature to create restrictions on open carry for the Overland Park Soccer Complex, the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead and the Overland Park Arboretum.

The movement for open carry in Kansas started when Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, filed a legal opinion at the urging of the Kansas Libertarian Party to the cities in Kansas suggesting that they change their laws to be uniform with the constitution.

After Wichita changed their ordinance to allow open carry in July, Overland Park decided to address the issue.

Under pressure from the Libertarian Party, 11 out of the 12 Overland Park council members voted in favor of change towards open carry. Some people believe that this was because the Libertarian Party was planning on breaking the law and challenging its constitutionality in court.

Because the Attorney General told them that it was a case they probably wouldn’t win, the council members may have believed that it would be a waste of city money defending the case.

Paul Lyons, the sole council member who voted against the amendment, had two reasons for doing so, one of them being that he thought that the law shouldn’t change just because the Attorney General had filed a legal opinion.

“His opinion really carried no more weight than any other attorney in the state,” Lyons said. “It’s really the courts that needed to adjudicate whether the ordinance was according to the laws of our

state or not.”

Secondly, Lyons felt that it was “simply not right” for someone to carry a handgun around the streets of Overland Park.

“Our city is listed as one of the safest cities in the United States,” Lyons said. “I believe that someone who openly carries a weapon is sending a message that I think is inappropriate, and that message is one that would make people feel uncomfortable, or one to intimidate people, and neither one of those is appropriate in Overland Park in my view.”

Junior Chandler Kline disagrees with Lyons, siding with the Libertarian Party in that every citizen has the right to bear arms.

“I mean, I feel like people should be allowed to carry a gun if they feel like they need it,” Kline said.

According to USA Carry, an online site dedicated to gun laws, people carrying concealed weapons must register for a permit as well as have specialized training.

However, by the rules of the Kansas State Legislature, no such training or license is required for open carry. Because training for open carry is not required, there is no way of knowing whether a person openly carrying a gun has loaded it or whether the person knows how to handle the gun.

“There is absolutely no control whatsoever that the state legislature provided to ensure that that person knows what they are doing,” Lyons said.

Although Lyons does not think the safety of the city will be greatly affected, he believes there are still some dangers.

“I don’t expect that we’re going to see a whole bunch of people walking the streets of Overland Park carrying weapons,” Lyons said. “But the fact that it’s now legal, to me, raises concerns that we could find ourselves in certain situations, and I’m talking about the police department. Where they may

A TIMELINE

of GUN CONTROL 1927 Congress passed a law that banned the mailing of concealable weapons.

1968 The Gun Control Act was passed. It regulated importing guns, expanded gun-dealer licensing and placed limitations on the selling of handguns.

1990 “Gun free school zones” are established, providing more specific penalties for those who violate this law.

2008 The Supreme Court ruled that Americans have a right to own guns for self-protection. This was the first conclusive interpretation of gun rights in history.

Information from usgovinfo.about.com and cbsnews.com

SAT Writing Holding You Down?

700 SAT Writing Writing…

www.

Money Back Guaranteed.

.org

NEWS | 5

LAYMAN’S GUIDE TO POLITICS ECONOMY THE ISSUE Unemployment fell significantly during the month of September, hitting 7.8 percent. That is the lowest it has been since 2009, but it has reached as high as 8.1 percent during Obama’s presidency.

The United States has seen 31 months of steady job growth, with the adding of 5.2 million jobs to the private sector.

At the beginning of the year Congress makes a budget, deciding what programs and services the federal government is going to fund that year. Since the federal government takes out bonds to finance this budget, it can’t always pay back the bonds right away.

This results in a deficit—the difference between what the federal government takes in and spends in a year.

In the last decade, the deficit numbers have run up accumulating in a $16 trillion in debt.

The Gross Domestic Product (the value of all the good and services the United States has produced per year) has been on a slow path of growth since January 2009 when President Obama took office. It has grown from -5.3 percent growth to 1.3 percent as of this October according to CNN. This growth is slower in comparison to growth after other previous recessions.

ROMNEY’S TAKE ON THE ISSUE Romney said during the first presidential debate in Denver that he “will eliminate all programs based on this test, if they don’t pass it — Is the program so critical it’s worth borrowing money from China to pay for it?

And if not, I’ll get rid of it.”

He also would try to increase international trade and domestic energy production. He says his plan will give more power to individual states.

OBAMA’S TAKE ON THE ISSUE Obama has created a plan for reducing the country’s debt by $4 trillion. His campaign website states that “he has proposed a new independent fund that will attract private dollars and issue loans for new construction projects based on: how badly are they needed, and how much good will they do for the economy.”

He would also increase taxes for anyone that makes over $1 million dollars a year, and make certain the upper class pays more in taxes than the middle class.

Left or right? Obama or Romney? Here is a quick breakdown of some of the vital issues being debated this fall. written by Morgan Krakow

ENERGY & THE ENVIRONMENT THE ISSUE Since 2008, the energy issues have shifted: there is less emphasis on what type of energy the United States uses (i.e., cleaner coal, wind turbines) and more discussion of how we get our energy. Both campaigns are proposing plans for more domestic sources for energy and oil, and less reliance on foreign energy and oil. They agree that with an unreliable Middle East and the cost of global oil on the rise, domestic oil is the most cost-effective and safe solution to the oil problem.

The campaigns differ on their views about the environment and how their plans would affect it. The items being debated are whether or not the incentive of domestic oil is better than its environmental consequences, and also how realistic energy independence truly is. Both campaigns have different ways of going about becoming self-sufficient in oil production.

ROMNEY’S TAKE ON THE ISSUE Romney stated that he would loosen environmental laws for oil companies; this would make oil companies better able to drill more on federal land and get results quicker. It would also make more incentives for domestic oil companies to seek out more oil on U.S. land.

According to the Romney campaign website, Romney’s energy plan will have the United States energy independent by 2020. The site goes onto state that he would have the government facilitating more privatesector energy technology development.

OBAMA’S TAKE ON THE ISSUE During Obama’s presidency domestic petroleum production has jumped 24 percent. Obama has pledged to keep supporting domestic energy if elected a second term. But here is where the two campaigns differ: Obama is still putting an emphasis on decreasing the demand for oil in the United States by backing cleaner technologies, in contrast to Romney’s emphasis on oil.

Obama would also eliminate tax breaks for the oil industry.

In his speech addressing the Democratic National Convention, Obama said that “climate change is not a hoax.”

EDUCATION THE ISSUE In 2012 alone, the United States saw large-scale teacher strikes, an eruption of debates over student loans and various attempts to reform the U.S. educational system as a whole.

The 2002 law No Child Left Behind made it so that the federal government played a larger role in states’ education and held states more accountable for students’ test scores. The law also stated that all students needed to be proficient on state assessments by the 2013-2014 school year. But as the deadline approaches, it has become clearer many schools will not be able to attain this proficiency level. Getting 100 percent of students proficient in all subjects seems very improbable to many administrators, states and teachers alike.

College has become increasingly more expensive and students are having to take out more loans to help pay for college. Even as the job market numbers become less grim, students graduating college are still apprehensive about trying to achieve successful careers and pay off their debts at the same time.

ROMNEY’S TAKE ON THE ISSUE On higher education, Governor Romney “will take the unprecedented step of tying federal funds directly to dramatic reforms that expand parental choice, invest in innovation, and reward teachers for their results instead of their tenure.” According to his campaign website.

Romney has not yet prescribed any ways to replace/ reform NCLB but believes states should have more education independence. He also wants the federal government to play a smaller role in the states’ education.

OBAMA’S TAKE ON THE ISSUE Obama has taken on the issue of getting young people into the colleges of their choice without having immense debt after their schooling. He says that he would try to make college more affordable and make sure students have the opportunities they want for college and their futures.

Regarding NCLB, Obama believes the law is too specific and thinks the states are making the curriculum easier to achieve better scores. Although he agrees that states should take full accountability in the performance of their students, he want states to have the choice to go about educating their students using their own means.

6 | EDITORIAL As a society we have come to base our view of intelligent high school students off of a basic penand-paper test. Students who receive higher scores on the SAT and the ACT are considered to be more intelligent and as a result are usually admitted to more selective schools than those who receive lower scores.

These standardized tests might be good indicators of who will do well within a school system, but they don’t necessarily predict one’s future success in life.

And yet, colleges continue to give considerable weight to test scores in their admissions process.

But these scores aren’t a good predictor of a student’s potential. Some students are just better test takers than others or have more preparation. Several SAT and ACT prep classes are offered from various companies and individual tutors in the area, giving affluent students a better chance to improve their scores. Some would argue that these students are buying a higher score.

Another way scores don’t accurately portray the natural capability of students is the fact that many take ADD/ADHD medication before their test.

According to a study done by The Partnership for a Drug-Free America found that 1 in 10 kids of the middle and high school age were using Adderall and Ritalin without a prescription. Although it is not proven that taking these drugs will increase a student’s score, the nature of the drug is to increase

EDITORIAL BOARD VOTES

FOR AGAINST ABSENT

10 1 1

alertness, concentration, and mental processing speed. For some students this is an easy alternative to preparation. Using medications that aren’t prescribed to them is a way of cheating the system.

In addition, these tests aren’t able to show some of the skills and character traits that are a key part to success. According to Bob Schaeffer of the National Center For Fair and Open Testing, creativity, perseverance, collaboration, vision and selfdiscipline are just a few basic qualities that are useful in the professional world that aren’t measured by these tests. A high test score tells you nothing about how a student will handle the vicissitudes of life or how well they will adapt to their surroundings.

Intangibles like perseverance and adaptability aren’t tested by the SAT or the ACT. Adaptability needs to be taught by hands-on experience, much of which we don’t necessarily get in high school.

Schools are used to testing because, even though it has never been proven to indicate real world success, it is an easy way for them to predict academic success. But asking schools to stop making SAT and ACT scores a part of college admissions would be absurd because of how much they are weighted in the admission process. Also, the testing business makes a lot of money and isn’t about to let schools reevaluate whether their tests effectively predict success in life or in college.

What universities can do is weigh the students’ academic track, such as what classes they took and how difficult they were, or what extra-curricular activities the student was involved in over their standardized test scores. Without these tests colleges could focus more on the student as an individual.

These things don’t necessarily predict how the student will do in college, but if the admissions would pay more attention to four years of hard work instead three hours of filling in bubbles, they might get more successful and well-rounded group of graduates.

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

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

STAFF 2012-2013

Jennifer Rorie Katie Knight Grace Heitmann Matt Hanson Julia Poe Kim Hoedel Duncan MacLachlan Sami Walter Staff Writers Julia Seiden Sophie Tulp Taylor Bell Nellie Whittaker Alex May Pauline Werener Caroline Kohring New Section Editor Sarah Berger News Page Editors Emily Perkins Rock Greta Nepstad Editorial Section Editor Jennifer Rorie Opinion Section Editor Kim Hoedel Opinion Page Editors Maggie McGannon Morgan Krakow

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

WORKING

HARD or

HARDLY

WORKING

Colleges put too much of an emphasis on tests and should focus more on the student as a whole. artwork by Akshay Dinakar

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

Jake Crandall Assistant Photo Editors Caroline Creidenberg Emma Robson Staff Photographers Katie Sgroi Annie Savage Connor Woodson Taylor Anderson Miranda Gibbs Megan Shirling Maddie Schoemann Molly Gasal Stefano Byer Maddie Connely Paloma Garcia Online Editors-in-Chief Sami Walter Duncan MacLachlan Assistant Online Editors Julia Poe Zoe Brian Head Copy Editors Jennifer Rorie Vanessa Daves Multimedia Editor Dalton Boehm Convergence Editor

Erin Reilly News Editor Pauline Werner Online Photo Editors Marisa Walton McKenzie Swanson Assistant Online Photo Editor AnnaMarie Oakley Video Editor Nathan Walker Live Broadcast Editor Connor Woodson Homegrown Editor Morgan Krakow A&E Editor Maggie McGannon Sports Section Editors Alex Goldman Mitch Kaskie Blogs Editor Susannah Mitchell Podcast Editor Thomas Allen Eastipedia Editor Taylor Bell Interactive Design Editor James Simmons

Mitch Kaskie Social Media Director Maddie Hise Webmaster Chris Denniston Live Broadcast Producers Grace Heitmann Chris Denniston Mitch Kaskie Connor Woodson Andrew McKittrick Thomas Allen Multimedia Staff Maxx Lamb Thomas Allen Chris Denniston Dalton Boehm Tessa Polaschek Nathan Walker Emily Perkins Rock Will Brownlee Miranda Gibbs Meghan Shirling Advisor Dow Tate

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

OPINION | 7

FAMILY MATTERS

Staffer examines the bonding she shares with her father written by Paige Hess

the gender

above art by Matti Crabtree

My dad loves baseball. His life, at one point, revolved around it. When I was in elementary school, we would play catch in the backyard almost every night, even in the fall until we froze. Now, I know what you are thinking. Looking at me now, I wouldn’t strike you as a softball stud. This was also a time where puberty left me with my diminutive 5’2’’ stature. So there was no way basketball could come into the picture either.

High school came around and my dad came to watch me at games. Except this time, I was cheerleading, not playing.

Athletics weren’t exactly my forte anymore. I was never really a stud when it came to sports once my elementary school-prime was over.

When I realized Varsity athletics wouldn’t be my way into college, I didn’t want to disappoint my dad. I thought the moment I stopped sports meant the moment we would stop bonding. It’s not that he was a mean, pushy kind of guy-nothing like that. He just loved sports. And the fact that I was the first girl born into the Hess family in 106 years didn’t help my case.

Without softball, I wondered how I, a teenage girl, was going to find common ground with my dad, a 40-something attorney.

Little did I know, communities stranded on islands with polar bears and zombies attacking all of the human race would become our commonalities on a weekly basis. *** My father grew up in Hawaii and lived there until he was in high school. It’s where he learned how to surf, to play sports, to talk. He knows the history

and the myths of the islands.

So, in 2004, when he heard that there was going to be a new show called “Lost” that would be filmed in Oahu, he was immediately reeled in. Together we watched the premiere of this show and became obsessed.

The randomness of the show and the thrill appealed to both of us, regardless of our generation gap. As we sat on our couch watching the survivors of flight 815, our new way of bonding began.

Throughout the show, there would be panoramic views of Oahu’s beauty. Whenever one of those panoramic shots was on the TV, he would immediately pause the show and say a random fact that he knew about whatever was on the such as “that is Mokulē’ia Beach, near the northwest tip of the island.”

He would follow up with an anecdote about how he surfed there once, or how his two older brothers forgot and left him there after a day at the beach.

Now, most kids wouldn’t be thrilled to listen to their parents talk about their childhood experiences, but for some reason, I love it. My dad’s stories are fascinating to me. It makes me feel closer to him, like I was there on the island with him.

Some may say my interest is just a product of Midwest syndrome, where I am just astonished by the life of anyone outside of our neighboring states. But I think there’s more to it than that.

As “Lost” ran its six-year course, I became lost as well. I needed a new show, one that I could continue to use as a bonding mechanism. So the fall after “Lost”

ended, we found our new show: the CBS remake of “Hawaii 5-0.”

In 2010, “Hawaii 5-0” premiered as a remake of the 1968 series. Both tell the story of Steve and Danny fighting crime for the greater good of Hawaii. Not only was it a riveting show, but it allowed us to keep our tradition running.

With this show, he could tell me more about his upbringing in Hawaii as well as stories about watching the old version of the with his pops. It made me feel like I was there watching Steve McGarrett, portrayed by the original Jack Lord, with the my dad instead of Alex O’Loughlin.

After eight years of rigorous TV watching schedules, we added two more to the list -- “Last Resort” and “The Walking Dead.” Although “Walking Dead” has absolutely nothing to do with Hawaii, considering it is about a zombie apocalypse, we still love to spend our Sunday nights religiously watching zombies eat peoples’ limbs right and left. Quality daddy-daughter time, right?

Maybe we just have similar taste. Maybe we’re just reaching to find a way to relate. Or maybe it’s one of the only ways dads and daughters can bond.

Despite the fact that I was the first girl to be born into the Hess family in 106 years, I am and will always be a daddy’s girl.

But let’s just say I’m pretty happy my brother Ryan was born. He took over my long time spot as MVP in the back yard.

And without that, I wouldn’t be spending my weeknights watching an array of TV shows with my dad. The only bad part is, I lost my shot at being in the WNBA.

DIVISION

the differences and similarities between art by James Simmons Paige and her father

Height: 5 foot 2 inches

Favorite Meal: teriyaki chicken, white rice and pineapple

Height: 6 foot 2 inches

Both have blue eyes

Favorite Meal: steak, baked potato and mushrooms

Favorite kind of ice cream: Mint chocolate chip

Phone: iPhone Phone: Blackberry Favorite sport to watch is basketball

TV shows: Modern Family, Walking Dead, Hawaii 5-0, Last Resort. Tosh.0

Favorite sport to watch is football

8 | OPINION

a case of

PICKY TASTE written by Chloe Stradinger

photo illistration by Emma Robson

I’m coming out of the pantry: I’m a chronically, obnoxiously picky eater. I scrape the sauce off my pizza, individually salt each chip at Mexican restaurants and examine the width of my noodles. I try to make myself look young at fancy restaurants as I charm waiters into ignoring the “12 and Under” label at the top of the kids’ menu. I never re-heat food, am particular about the temperature of my plain vanilla yogurt and will spit out an apple if it doesn’t have the right amount of crunch to it.

It hasn’t always been this way. As a 10-month-old, my adorable face was splashed across the Kansas City Star. In a photo illustration for a story, mini me happily ate cottage cheese and posed as the poster child for “Oh, Baby, It’s time to eat!”.

My claim to fame in the newspaper soon proved to be just a minute in the spotlight. As I grew up my eating habits quickly diminished, and soon was a much better example for “Oh, Baby, She won’t eat!”

As soon as my parents picked up on my eating habits, they tried to save me. They were adamant proponents of the “three more bites” rule and would patiently sit at the dinner table as they coached me on the plate. I made it miserable for them; I glared at miniscule bites of chicken, spit bits of spinach back onto my plate and dramatically plugged my nose while gagging on warm milk.

“She’ll grow out of it,” other moms told mine, and, “It’s just a phase.”

Turns out, a phase can last 17 years.

My taste buds aren’t the only factor in deciding if I’ll eat a food; it also has to pass my smell and texture

tests (and escape my OCD). Unappealing textures are the cause of years of spitting out bites onto napkins. I can’t eat potatoes (with the exception of really skinny french fries), tomatoes, blueberries (mushy), soups (too liquidy), tomato sauce, steak, raisins (dried up skin), chicken, apple sauce (baby food), pork, cottage cheese...the list goes on and on.

I’d easily be able to fit in the dietary norm with Buddy the Elf and his friends in the North Pole with their four major food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup. But I’m in America, where unfortunately it isn’t Christmas yearround, where our diet is supposed to have some rhyme or reason to it. Mine doesn’t.

As of now the meat in my diet consists of thinly sliced turkey (with the inedible brown edges picked off), well-done cheeseburgers (I’m terrified of undercooked meat) and burnt bacon. And P.F. Chang’s Sesame Chicken (the texture isn’t noticable because it’s smothered in sauce and crunchy stuff).

That’s it. Most of the time I just tell people I’m “sort of a vegetarian” so they leave me alone.

I love to eat fruit, but not like a normal person. I suck the juice out of orange slices — the flavor is delicious, but the pulpy texture is terrible. As a precaution against mushiness,

Picky eater discusses her ridiculous eating habits and learns to accept them as part of her unique character

DAILY MENU

each grape must be squeezed before being plopped into my mouth. I adore apples, Cheerios, Toast and Fruit but only eat about 3/5 of Cheerios substituable with chilled, each as I’m careful to avoid uncooked oatmeal. Toast, lightly each and every crook and charred served with fruit, highly cranny that could possibly inspected. be a dis-textured bruise. I Crackers also refuse any fruit that Served unaccompanied, ungarnished hasn’t been cut by a family and processed. Yum. member or friend. It may be OCD or sanitation issues Sandwhich, Chips and apple or craziness; probably all of A choice of pb&j, hold the “j” or turthe above. But I can’t help it. key and cheese with the brown turkey I’m surprisingly great at skin cut off. Chip to sandwhich ratio eating vegetables, as long as is essential, one chip per bite. Served they’re drenched in ranch with apple sliced and bruise-free. (and cut by a family member or friend). I have to get my Cereal nutrients from somewhere.

Marinated in organic whole milk till Anything I eat cooked, slightly soggy.

I like burnt. There’s less chance of food poisoning Noodles and less flavor — just how Angel hair, buttered and lightly saltI like it. That being said, ed. Accompanied by a side of Cibatta restaurants are a nightmare. bread, grilled asparagus blackened to I like everything I eat to be a crisp and berries. prepared in a specific way —if the vegetables are too Dessert thick, I won’t eat them. If Chocolate ice cream with frozen, the bread has weird seeds never fresh, m&m’s mixed in in it, I’ll pass. If the food is touching other food on the Apple or cereal plate, forget about it. On the rare occasions I order Rice Krispies topped with frozen, something off of the adult delicately analyzed rasberries. menu, I order it with a dozen specifications. Most of those get ignored, understandably, and I’m stuck with a meal eating two rolls and a spoonful of Jell-o as I absolutely cannot eat and feeling guilty a “Thanksgiving Feast,” and it’s sad that I about the poor, starving children in Africa. couldn’t eat anything on the Homecoming It’s embarrassing, really. I dread eating dinner menu so I ordered a steak and auctioned in public with people who don’t know my it off to the meat-head sitting next to me. eating habits — I either have to attempt to I’ve never grown out of my childish order off of the kids’ menu or order something picky eating habits. The real growing up was I end up flicking onto the floor. Either having to accept them for what they were way I’m painfully aware I seem immature and learning from it: how to politely dispose and ungrateful; It’s a lose-lose situation. of unappetizing food (feeding it to the dog, If I could choose my taste of course) and dealing with people who are buds, I’d gladly trade with appalled I won’t eat their dish (it’s not you, my dog. It’s un-American it’s me). Maybe those moms are right, and maybe I will grow out of it someday, but for now I’ll keep making dinners difficult and scraping the sauce off of my pizza.

6a.m.

11a.m.

12p.m.

4:30p.m.

5p.m.

8p.m.

10p.m.

written by Vanessa Daves Junior Elena Wickstrom could listen to her talk about it for days.

Elena loves to listen to her mom, Betsy, talk about her birthing center in Haiti. She’ll watch her mom tear up when she tells the story about how she decided to start Maison de Naissance. Or about the time a baby was born in the parking lot. Or about the time when the moving truck got stuck in the river near their property in Les Cayes.

“It inspires me to be passionate about something,” Elena said. *** After her first trip to Haiti, Betsy Wickstrom couldn’t shake that feeling that she needed to do something more. She needed to make a real difference. She spent a week in Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes giving out all the medicine she had to residents, but she knew most of it would only last for about a month.

There were women who needed her who weren’t getting the care they needed. Women were dying because they weren’t receiving prenatal care. Because of this, they were getting illnesses like eclampsia, a potentially fatal disease which causes women to have seizures or fall into a coma during their pregnancy. Babies were dying because their mothers were transmitting diseases like HIV/ AIDS. She could be the person to help them.

She could help make a hospital known for life, not death.

When she got home, she researched and found Michael Graves, a Orthodox Christian man who has a clinic, an orphanage and a school in Haiti. When Betsy returned to Haiti few months later, she brought a check she wrote out of her own personal savings that she kept in her pocket, nestled in her passport, where nobody else could find it.

When they reached Graves, she pulled out her check.

“Father Michael, I’ve really been praying about this and I think I need to help you financially,” Betsy said.

He stopped her and told her to put it away.

“That check will never get through the Haitian banking system,” he said. “It will take at least six months. Just wire it to me when you get home.”

So she put the check back into her passport for safekeeping. Later on, they were traveling around with their tour guide and he mentioned a piece of land across from a river.

In the previous owner’s will, he said that if someone would use the land for healthcare purposes, they could have it for free. The only money it would require was for the back taxes.

“And exactly how much would those back taxes be?” Betsy asked.

Their tour guide then named the exact amount on the check in her pocket.

“People talk about, you know, was that really a miracle or was it a coincidence?”

Betsy said. “Call it what you want. But when stuff like having him say the number on the checkbook in my pocket happens, that’s when I say it’s a miracle.”

Betsy gave him the check under the condition that when she returned in one year, everything would be ready to open.

“You think like such an American,” he told her. “That’s never going to happen.”

But when she returned one year later, she

was stacking the shelves of her new birthing center, Maison de Naissance. *** Maison de Naissance is eight years old now, and it has blossomed to a center that employs 40 staff members and treats over 3,000 patients a year. The Wickstroms refer to it as the baby of their family.

“Maison de Naissance is [Elena’s] little sister in the sense of how much energy I feel like I want to put into it and the strong feelings I have for wanting to see her work continue,” Betsy said.

And even though it’s a part of the family, it hasn’t been easy taking care of Maison de Naissance.

At the time when Maison de Naissance was starting, the two hospitals where Betsy worked were receiving renovations, including new furniture and equipment for delivery rooms. They were unable to put it into storage, so they donated it all to Betsy’s organization. A friend of a friend involved in a shipping company offered to have it all shipped to Port-au-Prince for free, and it felt like everything was easily coming together.

The day all of the equipment arrived, the river flooded.

“It was rainy season, and when it’s rainy season, there could be a pothole the size of [a bedroom] that can swallow the truck,” Betsy said. “Well, the truck got stuck.”

All of her neighbors within the community came out in the rain, formed a human chain and carried in the supplies a quarter of a mile to the building. It was an act that Betsy sees as symbolic of the spirit of the people she seeks to help.

“They’re just so generous and they have to be strong to live with that kind of poverty,” Betsy said. “You have to keep the sense of hope going and say, well, ok today’s not so good, tomorrow will be better. And that kind of an attitude then refreshes me as well, because every time I go and I think something bad has happened [and I ask myself] how are we going to get through this, they just look at me and smile and they say, ‘Look, here we still are.’”

Maison de Naissance opened September 2004, and their first baby was born in October.

Several years after it opened, they encountered yet another obstacle when a bolt of lightening struck the side of the building, creating a four foot hole in the wall and melting all the wiring. Unable to operate in the darkness, they used their makeshift ambulance, a Toyota Troop Carrier, to shine light inside the building so they could continue working.

“They had to do that for about six months until they could get a wiring team down there,” Betsy said. “But they managed to find a way, and they always do.” *** This summer, Elena wants to take some of her friends to Haiti and make memories of her own. The last time she went was several years ago, and she can’t wait to experience Haiti again.

“People are always like, ‘Wow, that’s awesome that you do all this stuff for Haiti,’” Elena said. “I’m just like, you have no idea what Haiti has done for me.”

Helping Haiti

FEATURE | 9

Junior Elena Wickstrom’s mother opened a birthing home for Haitian mothers

Below: The building of Maison de Naissance in Torbeck, Haiti. photo courtesy of by Maison de Naissance Foundation

Get to know

Maison de Naissance A modern, culturally appropriate maternity center delivering healthy mothers and healthy babies.

Maison de Naissance means “Home of Birth” in Haitian Creole, the native language of Haiti.

The house has delivered over 3,800 healthy babies, and conducted more than 75,000 consultations.

Since October 2004, Maison de Naissance has provided free maternal and infant health care services in rural Haiti to those who could not otherwise afford or access them. photos courtesy of the Wickstrom family

Haitian mothers enjoy their stay at Maison de Naissance before they give birth.

Elena in Haiti having a local Haitian drink.

“

10 | FEATURES

“

The exhaust made the car a bit louder but I wish it was a little louder still.

The seat holds you in place. It let’s you focus on driving instead of trying to get back in your seat.

”

G IN

H S

T IF Dntinued N LA co

O R R

OD R FA r

Tension slowly leaves his body, his mind focused on the feel of the car, balancing between throttle and brake.

He counterlocks his wheels, drifting around the track, trying to keep up with the car ahead of him.

Around him, other drivers are tense. Their hands tightly grip the wheel, sweat dripping down their foreheads. Their toes tapping floor panels as they wait to start.

Their muscles tighten.

For Alfaro, relaxing is one of the keys to his success on the race course.

“I’m usually more relaxed when I’m drifting than in person just conversation wise. [Being calm] allows you to think on your feet,” Alfaro said. “If you’re tense on your movements, they are a little slower and if you’re relaxed you’re just having fun with it.” * * * The love of drifting started with a video of Keiichi Tsuchiya, the Japanese creator of drift racing.

Alfaro sits on his couch with his laptop open. His sister’s friend who manufactured drift racing parts sits next to him. They watch Tsuchiya drifting around Willow Spring International Speedway in California.

O I N SE

275

current horsepower

AMATEUR

L

A N O I

S S E F

S

RO P IN

distance to Colorado to events

10 hours

Kansas City are more than just hobbies, they are practice for a future in drift racing and mechanical engineering. * * * He’s building his 240sx when he designs a part to move the rack over to avoid over cantering while drifting.

He designs another to allow the wheels to achieve more angle - a notch in the front bumper.

According to Alfaro, both could be simple bolt on kits available for most cars.

“In the long run I want to design parts for drift cars,” Rolando said. “Because when I was building my car I saw these opportunities for advancements in parts that no one has really played with and it’s just a matter or designing and then [research and designing] them. Plus I just need the means to do it, and mechanical engineering [degree] would do it.”

But Alfaro’s ultimate goal is to go pro in racing.

The first step to going pro is competing in Pro Am events.

As of now, Alfaro only participates in practice events, but he plans on attending at least one Pro Am event next season - where the cars are better, the competition is tougher and the prizes are bigger.

To receive his Pro Am license, Alfaro must place in the top four at a Pro Am event.

And Alfaro knows to go pro he’ll need more sponsors along with his current one, Achilles Tires.

Going pro costs thousands of dollars from the entry fees to car upgrades.

So Alfaro decided to email Achilles Tires. He sent videos and pictures of his drifting, letters about his car, future plans. All helping to explain his commitment. * * * Alfaro begins to check his email. He sees spam. And more spam.

And then he sees it.

From: Achilles Tires Subject: Sponsorship He knows that he’s just taken a giant step towards the future he’s dreamed of.

“I got the news [that I was accepted] a month ago,” Alfaro said. “I applied for their support program and they hit me back up. They were impressed by my build, commitment and age and that’s what got me the sponsorship.”

With the sponsorship, Alfaro is on his way to doing what he loves.

He’s working to get on the track as a pro.

The track where he’s calm.

The track where he doesn’t stutter.

S T N VE

E G IN

T

IF R D

And then he was hooked. He started searching for a 240sx.

Once he found one, he decided to buy it and then watch more instructional videos online.

And then he drifted for the first time.

He drops the emergency brake in his Miata, flooring the throttle into a turn. He’s feeling the connection between tires and pavement.

He can feel the comfort.

And from that point on, he works on his car, changing the stock motor for a Japan SR20 motor, rebuilding the suspension with parts from PBM among other companies and painting the car jet black.

And his favorite part of owning a shop and working on his own car? The ability to create parts no one else has.

“I’ve always had my own shop location,” Alfaro said. “I work on my cars and lately since I’m tied in with the [drifting] community so much I’ve just opened up to help people out and just have a place where you can hang out. A place to work on drift cars under no pressure.”

At his shop, Alfaro does more than just basic oil and tire changes, he does everything from wiring relocations to bolt-ons to a complete car builds.

Something that East Auto Tech teacher Brian Gay has never seen before.

“He’s running his own shop and doing great in school.

I’ve never had anyone pull this off like he’s doing,” Gay said.

But for Alfaro, the main draw of owning a shop is the skills of working on cars.

“What I like is that if I ever have a problem with my car, I have a place to go for free,” Alfaro said. “I don’t have to worry about paying someone to fix it for me. I also like that people rely on me to fix their cars. They ask me what I would do and that’s one of the things I like.”

For Alfaro, owning a shop and drift racing in

E RIV

Lm cove A O fro

E G

S R A

”

30 hours

across the Country

400

max horsepower

PROFESSIONAL

FEATURES | 11

written by Maggie McGannon

R

ows and rows of white bags line the shelves of The Monogram Shop’s backroom. These are the completed orders, and amongst them lay many familiar East names. A decade ago you wouldn’t have seen students in monogrammed rain boots, headbands and bags purchased from this store, but these items are hard to miss today walking down the hall today.

East parent and business owner Julie Granstaff always had a knack for creativity.

She knew that if she had a job she would want to start a business rather than working for someone else. Her dream was to start a monogram shop in Kansas City. Granstaff and her sister were inspired by the success of a similar store.

“A good friend of my sister’s owned a shop in St. Louis like this,” Granstaff said.

“They were having a lot of success so we went up there and looked at it and kept building on it.”

Granstaff and her sister visited many personalization stores across the country for business ideas. Some of these stores were located in Atlanta, St. Louis and Dallas. A store located in East Hampton, New York especially inspired their plans for the future.

Searching the market and observing other shops lasted three to four years. Finally Granstaff felt ready to test the market. At this point, Granstaff’s sister was no longer interested in being a co-business owner.

“Right before that year, it was kind of like do or die and ‘are you going to go for it or not?’,” Granstaff said. “She said I don’t think I want to go for it.”

Despite this setback, Granstaff still planned on following through. She began as a retailer at Holiday Mart, a Kansas City Junior League fundraiser. This was where she debuted her first line of products, which included personalized ornaments and stockings. She wanted to see how successful they could be during the holiday season. Granstaff purchased a monogram machine brandnew on eBay for $9,000 in order to make these products for the fundraiser.

In the beginning, news of the business spread by word of mouth. Granstaff describes herself as lucky because of how quickly the news of her business got around.

Once she had the attention of the public, she decided to move to a store. Working out of her house at the beginning was a challenge for her business and family. She claims her family was very patient through it all.

“Considering that my mom had to start somewhere, that had to be our house. For a while it was kinda like living in a store,” her son, junior Jackson said. “It was a sacrifice we were all willing to make, and it really wasn’t anything to complain about.”

She looked for space in Prairie Village, Corinth and Ranchmart, but finally decided on a space in Old Overland Park. The clean look of the store complemented her products well, and close parking provided for easy accessibility.

But expanding her business didn’t come without challenges; day to day business

M

T

S

THE MONOGRAM SHOP East mom starts successful shop that draws in local employees and business

MONOGRAMMED NECKLACE

MONOGRAMMED HEADBAND

“I got mine at the beginning of August.

It’s a brown tortoise shell with a gold chain and it has my monogram “AAM” on it. I love the necklace; I wore it all the time when I first got it.

“I like my momonogrammed headband because it’s personalized to me. I love wearing it when I play sports and around school, it’s really versatile.

- Senior Addie Anthony

- Junior Alex Maday

photos by Maddie Schoemann work, dealing with new vendors and the constant learning curve were always hard.

As popularity for the business increased, a second monogram machine was purchased. With increasing demand, it started to become a challenge to get orders finished in a timely manner during the busy seasons.

“We only have two machines in the back for monogramming so around rush, Christmas, and graduation, the orders get super backed up,” senior and employee Grace Cantril said. “People have to order several weeks ahead.”

Competition from other Kansas City stores hasn’t been a problem, but being the first store to get a particular product in the area is key. One way they ensure this is by traveling to Atlanta to work with vendors called temporaries where you get the newest products.

Throughout the years, the store’s popularity has continued to its rise. Within the

past year, the most popular products have been cut-out monogram necklaces and phone cases.

“We are now into our third year. So our year to date sales, when we start comparing them on the computer, are up anywhere from 50 percent on a month to 100 percent.

It is crazy,” Granstaff said. “Really when I did my business plan I thought maybe 20 percent.”

The small store became a challenge for space. An empty store had remained around the corner from the Monogram Shop since it was opened. Last year, the monogram shop purchased the empty space in order to expand their store, making it an L-shape. All the construction, painting, and flooring was done by Granstaff’s husband, Mike.

The next step into the future involves launching a website, something that hasn’t gone smoothly in the past.

“We hired some guys called The Tech

Guys. They took our money and they never delivered,” Granstaff said. “They have done it to several people and I think there are several people looking for this guy. He is pretty well hidden.”

Despite the loss of money, Granstaff describes this event as “a blessing in disguise.”

Since the additional online sales would add to the already full workload, she doesn’t think her company would have been able to handle it. Now, since the sales are more controllable, she wants to try to launch a site within the next 12 months.

Granstaff has a true passion for her business and sometimes wonders how it has come so far.

“I feel like it has succeeded beyond my belief and sometimes I don’t know what’s driving it so well, because at times I don’t feel like I have driven it so well it,” Grandstaff said. “I love it and all other aspects that it emcompasses.”

12 | SPREAD

SPREAD | 13

POLITICS&YOUNGPEOPLE

photos by Annie Savage

STUDENT VOICE

artwork by Andrew McKittrick

POLITICAL LINGO

A survey of 298 seniors was conducted on Oct. 11, during English classes over the issues of politics

Caucus

6

71%

ISS

S

TALKING POLITICS e is too

ink ther talk 41% th uc m h political or tw k-

on social ne ing sites r themed e d i s n m co es infor lv % 65 soen politics politicaolf ome n off getosrmatinoet nf er 69% ithe int

ONS

I PIN

O E R O

To view an interactive design on politics, use this QR code

d th o n s e o frehou govt th e b ld er ink 55% thin irthprovnme that s k c i n onhould taxe ontde t m p b s ro l or akeeoplee ra mo $2 w ise re 00 ho d a y ,00 ea 0 r

M

e t tht a th en ide ent e m ov d e r agovernld pror stu g hou y f f e n oe s one h s t o % 66 mloan e forlizatairriag ar ega m l ay g

71%

“I support Barack Obama, I have two bumper stickers and I have five posters in my room that show different minority groups for Obama”

UE

%

SENIOR BUCKY KESSINGER

“I have anti-Obama stickers one says ‘defend freedom, beat Obama’ and the other says ‘don’t tread on my gun rights’ and I just registered to vote.”

10%

4% 7%

“I’m for Obama, I try to voice my opinion when people talk about it and I used to have an Obama bumper sticker but then I crashed my car.”

SENIOR HELENA BUCHAMANN

8%

TO P

s thetuden n y ts issumbeview wei ue r o as gh ne the in o go c n 71% E vernumrreenwthat co n 7% Gay nomy t 4% Fore Marriage i 8% Envirogn Policy 10% Health nment Care

31

“We have a Romney sign in our front yard at home and I have a bumper sticker on my car.”

SENIOR SARAH LANGTRY

JUNIOR HUNTER REDMOND

How do you show your political support?

G ors arlde N I T of seyneiars-o to vote O V % 18- em planming 49 oinf tthhe unpco ctio 90% ele

S E T A D I CAND

of those votingr plan to vote foRyan e Romney/ 42% th ticket plan to vote for 43% the Obama/Biden ticket 5% “plan to vote Ot 10% are uher” ndecid ed

POLI 66%

TICA

L VIE

sid paree with nts thei on p r oliti cs

33% DEMOCRATIC

WS

24% INDEPENDENT

31%

REPUBLICAN

8% OTHER

An informal meeting of local party members to discuss candidates and choose delegates to the party’s convention.

Dark Horse A dark horse would be someone who is considered a long shot candidate.

Swing Vote

The undecided, usually independent, portion of the electorate that can “swing” the outcome of an election one way or the other.

Whistle-Stopping The practice of making speeches in many towns in a short time, often during a single day. Back in the day, Politicians would deliver a quick campaign speech, often from the back of the train, before heading to the next stop.

QUICK NUMBERS

Students were asked to weigh in on statements STRONGLY AGREE/AGREE NEUTRAL STRONGLY DISAGREE/DISAGREE

Less government is good government

33%

39%

28%

Taxes should be increased on people who make over $200,000 a year

55% 19%

26%

The U.S. should cut PBS spending from our budget

20%

43%

37%

12 | SPREAD

SPREAD | 13

POLITICS&YOUNGPEOPLE

photos by Annie Savage

STUDENT VOICE

artwork by Andrew McKittrick

POLITICAL LINGO

A survey of 298 seniors was conducted on Oct. 11, during English classes over the issues of politics

Caucus

6

71%

ISS

S

TALKING POLITICS e is too

ink ther talk 41% th uc m h political or tw k-

on social ne ing sites r themed e d i s n m co es infor lv % 65 soen politics politicaolf ome n off getosrmatinoet nf er 69% ithe int

ONS

I PIN

O E R O

To view an interactive design on politics, use this QR code

d th o n s e o frehou govt th e b ld er ink 55% thin irthprovnme that s k c i n onhould taxe ontde t m p b s ro l or akeeoplee ra mo $2 w ise re 00 ho d a y ,00 ea 0 r

M

e t tht a th en ide ent e m ov d e r agovernld pror stu g hou y f f e n oe s one h s t o % 66 mloan e forlizatairriag ar ega m l ay g

71%

“I support Barack Obama, I have two bumper stickers and I have five posters in my room that show different minority groups for Obama”

UE

%

SENIOR BUCKY KESSINGER

“I have anti-Obama stickers one says ‘defend freedom, beat Obama’ and the other says ‘don’t tread on my gun rights’ and I just registered to vote.”

10%

4% 7%

“I’m for Obama, I try to voice my opinion when people talk about it and I used to have an Obama bumper sticker but then I crashed my car.”

SENIOR HELENA BUCHAMANN

8%

TO P

s thetuden n y ts issumbeview wei ue r o as gh ne the in o go c n 71% E vernumrreenwthat co n 7% Gay nomy t 4% Fore Marriage i 8% Envirogn Policy 10% Health nment Care

31

“We have a Romney sign in our front yard at home and I have a bumper sticker on my car.”

SENIOR SARAH LANGTRY

JUNIOR HUNTER REDMOND

How do you show your political support?

G ors arlde N I T of seyneiars-o to vote O V % 18- em planming 49 oinf tthhe unpco ctio 90% ele

S E T A D I CAND

of those votingr plan to vote foRyan e Romney/ 42% th ticket plan to vote for 43% the Obama/Biden ticket 5% “plan to vote Ot 10% are uher” ndecid ed

POLI 66%

TICA

L VIE

sid paree with nts thei on p r oliti cs

33% DEMOCRATIC

WS

24% INDEPENDENT

31%

REPUBLICAN

8% OTHER

An informal meeting of local party members to discuss candidates and choose delegates to the party’s convention.

Dark Horse A dark horse would be someone who is considered a long shot candidate.

Swing Vote

The undecided, usually independent, portion of the electorate that can “swing” the outcome of an election one way or the other.

Whistle-Stopping The practice of making speeches in many towns in a short time, often during a single day. Back in the day, Politicians would deliver a quick campaign speech, often from the back of the train, before heading to the next stop.

QUICK NUMBERS

Students were asked to weigh in on statements STRONGLY AGREE/AGREE NEUTRAL STRONGLY DISAGREE/DISAGREE

Less government is good government

33%

39%

28%

Taxes should be increased on people who make over $200,000 a year

55% 19%

26%

The U.S. should cut PBS spending from our budget

20%

43%

37%

MIXED TH ME SO

14| MIXED

A ING

B UT BO

ST. FA AK RE

art by James Simmons

On-the-Go Recipes BANANA OATMEAL ZIPLOCK FREEZER CUPS WITH SMOOTHIE PACKS CHOCOLATE CHIPS

People who eat breakfast tend to be much more focused than those who do not.

ingredients • • • • • • •

3 mashed up bananas 1 cup vanilla almond milk 2 eggs 1 tablespoon baking powder 3 cups of Old Fashioned Oats 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 3 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips

• • • •

1 banana 1 cup of frozen fruit 2 cups of spinach 1 cup of milk

steps Preheat the oven to Peel the banana and 375 degrees. Mix mix with the frozen everything together fruit. In a blender, except the chocomix the spinach late chips, and let and milk together it sit. Spray the until the spinach is muffin pan or liners divided into very with a non-stick small pieces. Add spray (Pam). Stir you banana and the chocolate chips frozen fruit combo into the batter and and blend. divide the batter into 15 muffin cups until they’re almost filled. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges get golden brown and firm.

written by Greta Nepstad

MCDONALDS’ EGG MCMUFFIN

• • • • •

Eating breakfast makes you less likely to become irritable and have mood swings.

Breakfast is a necessary part in providing nutrition and substance to your body which in turn gives you plenty of energy to get through the day.

• • •

Eating a healthy breakfast has been proven to improve performance in school and work.

ingredients

1 egg 1 English muffin butter 1 slice of American cheese 1 slice of Canadian bacon 1 12”x12” sheet of wax paper non-stick cooking spray 1 egg ring

steps Pre-heat an electric griddle to 275. Toast your english muffin. Spray with Pam and crack egg into egg ring on the grill. Poke the yolk as it flows. Butter the English muffin and put American cheese on the bottom half. The egg whites should be firm after two or three minutes, but the yolk should still be a liquid. Remove the egg ring and leave the egg on the griddle. Turn the egg over, and lay Canadian bacon on the griddle. 30 seconds later, flip the bacon and remove the egg.

Place the egg on top of the cheese on the English muffin. Put the bacon on top of the egg, and cover with the other half of the English muffin.

Look on pages 12 and 13 for statistics about the upcoming election.

FORGET YOUR CAMERA? WE DIDN’T

2,200 2,200 HARBIE SPORTS

NALU-UKULELE.COM

11am-2pm Monday- Friday

WWW.SMEHARBINGER.NET/CATEGORY/SPORTS

BRINGING

WEEKLY POLLS TOP STORIES LIVE BROADWEEKLY TEAM UPDATES PHOTOS GAME PREVIEWS GAME WRAP-UPS SPORTING AND MORE

FOLLOW US @HarbieSports

members of the Prairie Village community

WILL READ THIS AD.

E-MAIL SMEHARBINGER@GMAIL.COM TO ADVERTISE

| 17 A&E| 17 A&E

Above: Ben Affleck, as CIA specialist Tony Mendez, walks through a crowded market with the American hostages posing as his film crew.

written by Matt Hanson

ARGO

Netflix

AUGUST 1941

staffer reviews the historical thriller

Ben Affleck is a man of many talents. In addition to his acting, he’s won an Oscar for screenwriting, produced and has mounted two critically-acclaimed directorial attempts in “Gone Baby Gone” (2007) and “The Town” (2010). But with the historical thriller “Argo”, Affleck cements his status as a talented director.

Set against the backdrop of the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, “Argo” is much more than a history lesson. It’s fast, surprisingly funny and legitimately thrilling. And it’s easily Affleck’s best movie yet.

In a terrifying opening scene, Affleck shows the taking of the American embassy in Tehran by a swarm of angry Iranian protesters, establishing both the intensity of the Iranians’ anti-American sentiment and the gravity of the American ambassadors’ situation. In the midst of the chaos, six embassy workers escape inconspicuously and find refuge at the Canadian ambassador’s house. “Argo” tells the little-known true story of the CIA’s attempted rescue of these Americans.

Affleck casts himself in the leading role as CIA extraction specialist Tony Mendez, who devises a hair-brained scheme to extract the six from Tehran under the guise of a Canadian film crew on a location scout. In order for his plan to work, Tony has to make his movie legitimate. To this end, he flies to Los Angeles, where he and a couple of Hollywood insiders (John Goodman and Alan Arkin) attempt to sell the town on a fake sci-fi movie, “Argo”.

The first half of “Argo” presents an interesting clash of cultures as Hollywood goes covert. Affleck and screenwriter Chris Terrio play up the humor of the scenario, with Goodman and Arkin delivering witty lines that are often laugh-out-loud funny. The humorous, light scenes in Hollywood are broken up by scenes of the grim situation in Tehran, which serve to remind us that “Argo” is no comedy.

Skip It

A LESSON IN IRAN

the history behind the Iranian Hostage Crisis

See It

In one particularly dramatic juxtaposition, Affleck cuts back and forth between a press conference for the movie and tense scenes from Iran which indicate that time is running out.

Once his plan is greenlit, Tony flies into Iran to put it into action, and “Argo” casts aside frivolity and humor for intensity and drama.

Affleck handles Tony’s introduction to Iran well, skillfully highlighting the immediate cultural differences and establishing the hostile climate in Tehran. In a series of shots, Affleck shows Iranians eating KFC, followed by a truck carrying armed militants and a man publicly hanged from a crane in broad daylight, symbolizing the Westernization of Iran and the subsequent resistance of its people to it. Affleck’s handling of Tony’s first drive into Iran sets the stakes high, and the rest of the movie carries a nervewracking intensity.

The second half of “Argo” was as suspenseful and thrilling as any movie I’ve seen recently. From the moment Tony lands in Tehran to the very end of his stay, it’s never clear that his plan will work. I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that I was actually at the edge of my seat, which is impressive considering I was sitting in one of Ward Parkway’s luxury recliners.

As good as “Argo” is cinematically, it works just as well as a history lesson. I went in knowing next to nothing about the Iranian hostage crisis, and I came out feeling like I have a pretty good understanding of it. Affleck and Terrio do a great job educating their audience on the situation, and it pays off.

With a better understanding of the hostage crisis and the reasons behind it, I was able to appreciate the seriousness of Tony’s predicament. Affleck and Terrio take the time to establish the parameters of the time period, and as a result the movie becomes more gripping and tense.

Midnight Premiere

JANUARY 1979

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, right, was overthrown by Iranians after speculation that his reign had too much involvement with the United States.

His rule also faced with reported corruption, oppression and brutality.

NOVEMBER 1979

52 Americans were held hostage in Iran for 444 days in a show of support for the Iranian Revolution. They were held in the Iranian embassy and various other locations until their release in January 1981.

Iranian ruler Reza Shah Pahlavi, left, was one of the first to attempt modernizing the country.

He was forced by Britain and the Soviet Union to abdicate his position, and was replaced by his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

JANUARY 1979

Demonstrations, like the one on the left, broke out to protest the exile of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Since he was being protected by the U.S., Iranians were unable to try their former leader for his crimes.

photos courtesy of www.collide.com and www.iranianhistory.pbworks.com

18 | A&E

ROSEMARY’S BABY-1968

THE WICKER MAN-1973

A young couple moves into a new apartment in New York City to try to start a family. However, their elderly neighbors seem obsessively invested in their newly conceived baby’s health and future. If childbirth didn’t frighten you before, it definitely will after you watch this.

Scariest Scene: The revelation of the true purpose of Rosemary’s baby is unsettling, but Rosemary’s reaction is downright disturbing.

This slow-building film centers around the disappearance of young Rowan Morrison on a secluded island of the coast of the UK. Strangely, many of the residents of the island don’t seem too worried about the missing girl, and are more interested in the future of the young officer searching for her. If this version’s too scary, the 2006 remake with Nicolas Cage is good for a laugh.

Scariest Scene: The end. I won’t spoil it.

SLOW BUILD, HORRIFYING ENDING SLOWBUILD, HORRIFYING ENDING

SUBTLE SCARES

WHICH SPEED DO YOU PREFER?

EDGE OF YOUR SEAT, IN YOUR FACE

WHAT KIND OF SCARES DO YOU LIKE?

PSYCHOLOGICAL

THE OMEN-1976 “The Omen” is a classic for the demonic horror genre, following an American ambassador who believes his son may be the spawn of Satan. You’ll think twice about babysitting the little boy down the street after viewing this film.

Scariest Scene: Damian’s governess gives him a special present at his birthday party.

DEMONIC

HORROR MOVIE

ALIEN-1979

“In space, no one can hear you scream.” The film’s tagline sums up the claustrophobic, isolated terror that made this film a horror classic among audiences. Don’t be deterred by film’s the slow introthe unexpected event that spurs the action of the film makes “Alien” worth the wait.

Scariest Scene: The moment the action picks up with the Nostromo crew’s first encounter with the result of the facehugger. I jump every time.

VISUALLY STRIKING

SHOWDOWN CHOOSE YOUR GENRE AND TAKE THIS QUIZ TO DETERMINE WHAT MOVIE YOU SHOULD WATCH ON HALLOWEEN

GHOULIES-1985

written by Erin Reilly

SUPERNATURAL

ALIENS

WITCHES

OTHER

SUSPIRIA-1977

In Dario Argento’s masterpiece, a young ballet dancer is admitted to a competitive dance academy. However, there seems to be a secret amongst the staff that’s making her fellow dancers disappear. This film, in true Italianhorror fashion, utilizes vibrant colors and lighting to make this terrifying story double as a work of art.

Scariest Scene: All of it.

SCARY BAD

CAN YOU HANDLE BLOOD?

ABSOLUTELY

EVIL DEAD-1981

Director Sam Raimi’s first successful film is still standing strong at 100 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes over 20 years after its release. This cult classic centers around a group of teens who camp out in a cabin while listening to a demonic voice on a tape recorder read passages from the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead). Evil spirits are released and the horror of seclusion and danger ensues.

Scariest Scene: In good 80s fashion, the gore effects of this movie are over the top and a bit kitschy, but it makes the film all the more fun.

“Ghoulies” is a horrifically funny romp, and arguably one of the best results of the homevideo horror movement in the 80s. Director Charles Band delivers a comical tale of Satanic worship and black magic.

Scariest Scene: The most memorable scene is more silly than scary, and features a ghoulie popping out of a toilet. In the most terrifying way, of course.

NO THANKS

Come in to purchse Halloween treats today!

20 | SPORTS

Reaching for Rio

Former East student has been training hard in Texas to qualify for the 2016 Olympics written by Julia Sieden

It was former East student Ellie Smart’s second or third time trying a back 2 1/2 Pike off the 10-meter platform for her olympic diving training; Smart had performed the dive successfully the first few times, and on the fourth time was doing well until the last step; She didn’t grab her hands to tighten up before hitting the water. Her hands smacked her face and caused her to split the skin under her eye, making the water around her diluted with blood.

Twelve stitches and three weeks of recovery time later, Smart was ready to begin her Junior Olympic training again--or so she thought.

Soon after her eye healed, she was ready to train again; but then came a whirlwind of illness and injury. She got a sinus infection which turned into mono for five weeks. This made it so she needed sinus surgery that required her to return to Kansas City.

All together, Smart was out of her training for three months following winter break of last year.

Before she got her injuries around winter break, Smart was beginning to perfect her dives that she needed to have to get into summer senior zone competitions— competitions with divers that are at the college level or higher. Despite her persistence, she didn’t accomplish learning all of the dives she wanted to for her competitions.

Smart was seriously considering packing up her bags and ending her training for the 2016 Olympics while going through all of her medical problems. When she was at her family home in Kansas City for visits, she would remember all of the “normal” high school activities she was missing like attending football games, hanging out with friends on the weekend and participating in school activities.

Smart never really felt in the loop of what was going on in her friend group involving gossip, school events and the day-to-day experiences of being an East kid. Even with all the good things that Kansas would bring, it was

still missing a training program that would send her to the 2016 Olympics.

“I just realized where I wanted to go in life wasn’t going to happen back home.” Smart said. “If I really wanted to have a shot at the next olympics and pursue my diving in that kind of way, I just really had to be in Texas and had to sacrifice those things that I loved from back home.”

Diving has been a part of Smart’s life since she was in middle school and was on dive team for country clubs around the area. When a few of her coaches told her she had potential once she began to make diving her main priority in 7th grade, Smart began to seriously think about training to become an olympian.

“When I was a little girl it was always my dream to go to the Olympics” Smart said Smart soon realized diving was what she loved and began to make diving a major part of her life. Then she joined the Junior Olympic program that is part of a club for Texas A&M in College Station, Texas the July after her freshman year. Smart has now been living a totally different life than she would have if she decided to stay in Kansas.

Last year, Smart lived in a house with three Chinese roommates and 13 total Chinese students in her building for an international program run by her school. Smart could only explain the experience as “miserable”.

“They would be cooking these gross things and it always smelled bad, they would be up stomping upstairs late at night.” Smart said, “They never really adjusted to the time change. It was miserable waking up and going to sleep to Chinese everyday.”

Now she lives in her own apartment with her golden doodle, Howard.

“It’s crazy; it’s a big change.” Smart said, “I didn’t think I would be living on my own at 16.” *** A typical day for Smart usually starts at 5:15 am when she heads out to do dryland training for an hour

and a half. She then goes to school for almost seven hours and at 2pm she begins cardio training for an hour.

She finally gets in the pool at 3 pm to practice her dives.

With training taking up six or more hours of her day, Smart is thankful to have friends on the same hectic schedule that she has. Last year, Smart spent most of her time hanging out with her coach’s daughter, Shelby Larue. This year, she also has Pheobe Lamay, a new diver in the “Junior Olympian” program. The three of them now spend a lot of time together in training or hanging out together when they have any free time.

“I definitely would have been back home if I didn’t have Shelby last year and then Phoebe in addition this year.”

Smart said. *** Watching the Summer Olympics this year was a different experience for Smart than most people; she knew nearly everyone who competed at the Olympic trials and everyone competing in the Olympics from the United States for diving from watching them train and even having a few train with her. Smart had also been training alongside one of the divers from Australia, Jaele Patrick. After watching her train and compete, and learning about the back injuries Patrick had to train though, she has become one of Smart’s favorite divers.

“It was really cool to watch her experience and see it first hand.” Smart said As of now, Smart’s training will continue on until the Olympic trials begin in the early summer of 2016.

Now that Smart has been recruited to join Texas A&M’s dive team for next year, all she can do is hope that she doesn’t get another setback from an injury or illness that would keep her from pursuing her dream.

“It’s definitely not easy and there will be a lot of bumps in the road, but hopefully enough hard work and dedication will pay off.” Smart said

photo courtesy of Ellie Smart

Smart Schedule

Sunday

5 a.m.Sleep 6 a.m.Sleep 8 a.m.Wake up Here is what a typical 2 p.m.Free time week looks like for the 3 p.m.Free time dynamic diver 7 p.m.Dinner, homework and sleep

Monday Wake up Land workout School Tutor Cardio & diving Dinner, homework and sleep

Tuesday Wake up Land workout School Tutor Cardio & diving Dinner, homework and sleep

Wednesday Thursday Wake up Land workout School Cardio Diving Dinner, homework and sleep

Wake up Land workout School Tutor Cardio & diving Dinner, homework and sleep

Friday Wake up Land workout School Cardio Diving Dinner, homework and sleep

Saturday Wake up Land workout Cardio and lunch Cardio Diving Dinner, homework and sleep

SPORTS | 21

THROWING

DIP

Surveys show using chewing tobacco is common at East among male athletes

written by Caroline Kohring photos by Emma Robson

Four baseball players cram into their car after beating Shawnee Mission West. On the way to Mi Ranchito to celebrate, the driver pulls a small, circular can out of a compartment in his car. He lifts the lid off and each passenger takes a tiny, brown pouch. The players stick their pouches between their lower lip and teeth so it rests on their gums. A strong minty flavor fills their mouths, along with another taste: the taste of tobacco. The familiar buzz sets in as they pull into the restaurant parking lot.

Chewing tobacco, more commonly referred to as “dip,” is ground smokeless tobacco processed into cans. Dip is illegal under the age of 18, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming commonly used among student athletes.

According to a recent survey of 81 male athletes from five of East’s junior varsity and varsity outdoor sports teams, 47 percent chew tobacco, which is 32 percentage points higher than the Center for Disease Control’s most recent national averages for students. The Harbinger’s poll revealed that 84 percent of the East athletes who dip do it at least once a week and 49 percent of those users admit to doing it daily.

Like its smokeable counterpart, chewing tobacco contains the drug nicotine, which causes addiction in users.

However, it’s not just the nicotine that draws the athletes in.

Senior baseball player Blake Jones* says he started dipping because all of his friends were doing it and it gives him a “buzz.” Senior soccer player Max Klein* agrees, and also says peer pressure is why it has become so common in athletes.

“When one teammate sees another one doing it they want to as well,” Klein said.

Of the 18 baseball players polled, 14 admitted to

the long-term effects of

chewing tobacco, a higher percentage than any of the other sports. Jones thinks that chewing tobacco is more common in baseball because all the professional baseball players do it and there’s also a lot of downtime in baseball, so it’s something for them to do.

Head baseball coach Jerrod Ryherd agrees that dipping is most common in baseball. He thinks it is something that comes along with the sport.

“It goes back to when baseball was first invented and being played,” Ryherd said. “Tobacco baseball cards were made to help sell tobacco products. It has unfortunately just been part of the baseball culture ever since.”

While the use of chewing tobacco was more widespread in baseball than all the other sports surveyed, it wasn’t the only sport where dipping was common. Members of other East teams also admitted to chewing tobacco. Of the 64 football, soccer, cross country and lacrosse athletes polled, 31 said they dip.

Junior lacrosse player Justin Ross* started dipping in eighth grade and says that it’s common on the varsity lacrosse team. Of the 19 lacrosse players polled, 11 chew tobacco. According to Ross, the majority of the varsity team even dips before games together.

“It doesn’t really affect your performance,” Ross said. “But it helps calm you down before a game.”

Klein also admitted that a few of the varsity soccer players have dipped before games together.

Both he and Ross say that their coaches don’t know about it.

While the results of the survey indicate that dipping is common in outdoor sports at East, not all East athletes do it. Sophomore baseball player Josh Zilner has been offered dip multiple times, but he always refuses.

“I just think it’s gross,” Zilner said.

“I’ve been influenced to do it, but I’ve never felt pressured.”

Seeing other teammates dip sometimes bothers Zilner, but he never says

CHEWING TOBACCO art by James Simmons

HINDERED SENSES Tobacco hinders a person’s ability to taste and smell

TOOTH DECAY/LOSS The grit and sand from chewing tobacco can wear away tooth enamel

THROAT CANCER

a swollen throat may cause food to get stuck in the esophagus, heartburn and swallowing

DISCOLORATION Stained teeth and bad breath are commonly found in smokeless tobacco users

information courtesy of: http://cancer.gov/ and http://www.quittobacco.com/facts/effects.htm

anything to them about it. Over time he’s grown used to it, but he never plans on doing it himself.

Of the East athletes that admitted to dipping daily, only 39 percent of the daily users surveyed consider themselves addicted. Ross takes a friend out to lunch every day so they can dip, but he still believes he isn’t addicted.

“I’m not really addicted because I could stop whenever I want,” Ross said.

According to social worker Mike Hanson, “I can stop whenever I want” is the most common thing addicts say about quitting. He says that for true addicts, it’s just not that easy.

“Although it takes awhile to develop a dependency, many users will still have a hard time quitting,” Hanson said. “A user starts to need it to feel good. They get used to the slight buzz, and they train their brain to accept that buzz. [Psychologically], kids develop these thought patterns where they believe it goes with sports, they think it’s the only way to relax and they think it makes them cool and independent. ” Jones, Klein and Ross all say that they plan to quit either before or after college. Ross previously stopped dipping for a year, but he picked up the habit again this year. Neither Klein nor Jones have ever tried to quit. Ryherd feels that high school athletes aren’t aware of how serious this addiction can be.

“The thing with kids is they want to do it because they think it looks cool to their buddies,” Ryherd said. “They say, ‘I will only do this for a few years and then I can stop when I want.’ The fact of the matter is most kids start out just like that--then they get older through college and want to stop using tobacco products and by this point they are now addicted and their body craves it and then it is extremely, extremely hard to stop. I have several friends that have tried stopping several times and just can’t kick the habit totally.”

According to the Center of Disease Control, smokeless tobacco is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes. It can be just as addictive and has harmful side effects. Smokeless tobacco contains 28 carcinogens, is associated with gum disease and can lead to nicotine addiction and dependence.

Since chewing tobacco is illegal if you are under the age of 18, SMSD has rules in place that have severe consequences for athletes that are caught using tobacco products. Ryherd believes that dipping is something the needs to be prevented. He takes violations to the tobacco policy seriously, and has and will punish an athlete if a violation occurs. He says he probably lost a state championship because he had to bench his best player.

“I know from talking to the individual he wished he would have made a better choice,” Ryherd said. “If you do it enough especially out in public someone is going to catch you.”

* names changed to protect identities

22 | SPORTS

CHASE TOP TO THE

A senior’s pursuit of his coaches goal record written by Jeri Freirich

photo by Marisa Walton

SENIOR TYLER RATHBUN

FAVORITE GOALS

1 Sophmore Year vs Olathe NW

“It’s most special to me because it was my first Varsity goal. I saw it bouncing outside the box and just cracked at it as hard as I could and it went in.”

2 Senior Year vs SM West

“Jackson [Stephens] sent in the cross, I took a couple touches, then I hit it. I ran off and everybody dogpiled on me.

It felt pretty nice to break the record and to share with coach and the team.”

3 Junior Year vs SM West

“We were trailing the entire game a man down and we were able to get it into overtime. The whole game I was telling Austin Wilcox he had my head making that same run and he finally found me and i put it around their goalie.”

Receiving a cross from a teammate, senior Tyler Rathbun takes a few touches on the ball and shoots it into the goal. He runs in front of the fans and his teammates jump on top of him as everyone chants his name. Coach Jamie Kelly watches from the sidelines as his team celebrates Rathbun’s breaking of his own single-season scoring record.

Rathbun first started playing soccer for Kelly when he joined the KC Strikers in fourth grade. Kelly saw how quickly he could pick up the game from the beginning, when he tended to score a majority of the goals for the team.

“From the very beginning I could tell Tyler always had a natural talent for soccer,” Kelly said. “His touch on the ball was always good, he was always quick and he easily picked up the skills.”

When Rathbun tried out for East his freshman year, Kelly put him on varsity. He didn’t score any goals his first season but during his second season, he scored his first high school goal by volleying the ball into the left corner of the goal.

“I’m never going to forget that goal,” Rathbun said. “It was my first goal in high school so it was pretty exciting to get that first one my sophomore year.”

According to Rathbun, he and Kelly have always had a strong relationship.

Rathbun sees Kelly as one of his role models because of the way he conducts himself and the way he conducts their team. Kelly isn’t just there to mentor him in soccer, he wants to be there to help him with college and other future plans.

“Hopefully, I have helped him grow as a player and as a person,” Kelly said.

“It makes me happy that he looks up to me and he can come to me for more personal stuff other than soccer.”

During Kelly’s senior year at East in 1993, he scored 17 goals, which broke the school record of scoring the most goals in one season. During that year, his team was a state contender.

“Our team lost in the Quarterfinals 3-2 against Olathe South,” Kelly said. “[Olathe South] played in the State Championship and got second place.”

Before this year, no one has come close to scoring as many goals as Kelly had that year. Once Rathbun had scored a total of 10 goals in the middle of the season, he thought he could have a chance of beating his coach’s record.

“Honestly, I thought someone would have broke it a long time ago,” Kelly said. “When I came back to

coach with Coach [Jim] Ricker, we thought there were a few players that would have come close but the closest they got was 15 goals.”

As Rathbun got closer to breaking the record, he started to feel a lot of pressure from everyone around the school. Rathbun is no stranger to pressure on the field, so he tries to avoid letting that get to him. He just works on focusing to get his job done well as a forward.

Before the game against SM West, Rathbun was tied with Kelly at 17 goals. Within the first 10 minutes of the game, senior Jackson Stephens crossed the ball to him, he took a few touches, and quickly shot the ball into the goal. Senior Jack Shook would tease Kelly about Rathbun breaking his record, but Kelly knew he would and was excited that one of his players was going to do that.

“Knowing that I have coached him all the way up to now makes it a really cool moment,” Kelly said. “I am excited he did it.”

The team has helped Rathbun break the record by assisting him with goals and keeping his head in the game.

Seniors Andrew Manalo, Luke Rice and Shook have been playing with Rathbun and for Kelly for many years, so they have seen his ability to score goals from the beginning of his career.

“To see a good friend break a record of someone that has coached me for most of my life was an amazing experience that most people don’t get to witness,” Shook said. “There isn’t anyone else that deserves it more than Rathbun did during our last season together.”

Even though Rathbun has achieved his goal of breaking the record of scoring the most goals, he is still looking forward to what the team can do with the rest of their season.

“I am mainly just focusing on the team winning the rest of the games,” Rathbun said. “One of my personal goals is to just get some more assists.”

Rathbun is still unsure about his plans for next year as far as soccer goes.

He is considering playing at UMKC because he knows the coach and would want to be able to start playing right away. According to Kelly, there are many schools that Rathbun could play at. He wants him to keep up with soccer because of his strong ability to play the game.

“I don’t think I could stay away from soccer,” Rathbun said. “I will definitely miss playing with Kelly and the rest of the team.”

photo provided by Jamie Kelly

COACH JAMIE KELLY

FAVORITE GOALS

1 Senior Year vs SM South

“After being down 3-0 at half, I had a goal and two assists to tie the game up. Then with about ten minutes left in the game, our right back played a ball over the top, and it took one bounce and I was able to hit it full stride on a half volley. It went up and dipped under the cross bar and we won 4-3. That game was my favorite high school game ever.”

2 Senior Year vs Olathe South

“We’re down 2-0 and there was a through ball over the top and I was able to get to it and I hit it off of a half volley and it went into the lower left corner and that totally got us going.

It was a really cool shot to hit, especially in a quarterfinal game when your season is coming to a close.”

SPORTS

SPORTS | 23

ROUND UP

photo by Jake Crandall

senior ELIZABETH WILCOX

a discussion with four-year varsity tennis member

Q: What do you think was your biggest

accomplishment over your four years of high school tennis?

A: “Being able to win state three times and twice as a team.”

Q: How is it playing with your sister?

A: “I liked it because we are really close and just

really good friends and so we will always be able to look back and remember and it will be a memory we will always have. I think that we just work well together and we understand each other better than most people because we are sisters and we practice together all of the time.”

Q: How was it competing against the other East doubles team in the finals?

A: “We practiced with them every single day up

until state. Both teams knew the other team’s strengths and weaknesses and that definitely had a factor in it. [My sister, Stephanie] and I performed really well during that match, so we ended up winning. It was definitely a little weird, but at the same time, we were glad that it was an all East final because it basically guaranteed us to win it.”

GOLF WINS STATE

Girls’ golf wins state for the first time in twenty-five years

GIRLS’ TENNIS REPEATS

Girls’ tennis wins state again for their second year in a row

A twenty-five year drought has come to an end. The girls’ golf team won the state championship for the first time since 1987.

The team came into the tournament with a new confidence after regionals. At regionals, the team took first place by 26 strokes over the defending state champions, Blue Valley North. Senior Anne Willman finished first with a score of 70 followed by junior Jessica Young who shot a 77.

The tournament also marked the team’s best score of the season (317).

“I felt like we could win state after regionals because I was playing better and the team put together some solid scores towards the end of the season,” junior Sophie Wetzler said.

The state tournament took place at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kan. The scores were relatively high. East was the only team that recorded all six scores under 100.

They were able to defeat Maize by five strokes.

Senior Anne Willman finished third and juniors Sophie Wetzler and Jessica Young finished 13th and tied for 16th respectively.

“Winning a state championship is a great way to end my senior year of high school golf,” Willman said. “It has been great getting to know everyone on the team and I can’t wait to see what they can do next season.”

Head tennis coach, Sue Chipman, ended her coaching career on a high note. The team won their fourteenth state title. This time, it was on their home courts. On Oct. 14 and 16, the tennis state championship took place at Harmon Park and the East tennis courts.

“For a school to have 14 [championships] over the years is pretty amazing,” Chipman said.

Sophomore Elizabeth Barnickel finished third in singles after losing to singles champion, Madeline Hill from Topeka Washburn Rural.

The two East doubles team met again after they competed against each other in the regional tournament.

“When that sort of thing happens, and this has happened before, you kind of relax and say, have a great match and you don’t coach and you just applaud the great points,” Chipman said. “It makes my job very easy.”

In the end, the doubles team made up of senior Elizabeth Wilcox and sophomore Stephanie Wilcox beat team junior Meredith Shackelford and freshman Aiden Epstein.

THE GOLF SCORES

THE TENNIS SCORES

Q: How do you think Coach Chipman has helped you over the four years you have played high school tennis?

A: “We have become really close. I feel like we

have a really close relationship. I think that she is a really wise woman. She knows a lot about the sport and high school and playing in high school.”

Q: What will you miss from high school tennis?

A: “I will miss all of the players on the team

because we have become really close over the season. I will also miss representing East and playing for the school.”

EAST

MAIZE

ST

ND

WASHBURN RURAL

12 3

343

STROKES

348 STROKES

350

RD

STROKES

EAST’S TOP SIX Anne Willman 78 13 th Sophie Wetzler 85 16th Jessica Young 89 23rd Kelley Tomlin 91 35th Alex Maday 98 35th Anne Foster 98

TIED FOR

TIED FOR TIED FOR TIED FOR TIED FOR

3 rd

EAST

BV WASHBURN NORTH RURAL

1 2 3 ST

51 POINTS

37 POINTS

ND

32 POINTS

RD

EAST TEAM RESULTS

Singles

Doubles

Elizabeth Barnickel 3rd Elizabeth & Stephanie Wilcox Rebecca Faulkner * * qualified, but did not place Aiden Epstein & 2nd Meredith Shackelford

24 | PHOTO ESSAY Left: “It was good playing the other double team from East,” Shackelford said. “We had an idea about how they were going to play, because we practiced against them everyday.” photo by Marisa Walton Below: Ready for a serve, Freshman Aidan Epstein stands alert. “This season the team did better then expected,” Epstein said. “It was really fun overall.” photo by Marisa Walton

Double

East double teams went head to head on Sunday Oct. 14, playing for the State title.

Prime Above: Sisters Stephanie and Elizabeth Wilcox high-five after scoring a point during the preliminary round. “We high-five after every point,” Stephanie said. “It gets us motivated for the next point.”

Far Left: Going in for a volley Senior Elizabeth Wilcox constrains on the ball. “As sisters we really know each other” Elizabeth said Left: During the final match vs. the other East team, Sophomore Stephanie Wilcox serves the ball. “We stayed focused throughout the year,” Stephanie said.

“And we did really well.”

photos by Jake Crandall

photos by Jake Crandall