The Harbinger Issue 3

HARBINGER

3

ISSUE

THE

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS

10/5/15

A

DEADLY DUO

The combination of prescription drugs and alcohol poses dangers for high school students

Page 7

INSIDE:

CONFEDERATE FLAG DEBATE PAGE 5

“NARCOS” REVIEW PAGE 20

DUAL REVIEW OF “THE BEAST” PAGE 24

2

Supporting SOUTH Votes for: 9 Against: 2 The Harbinger believes that in lieu of the recent suicidal events, East should put aside the South rivalry for the time being

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e saw it happen last year with two girls at Olathe Northwest. We witnessed the devastation from the outside looking in. We talked about suicide prevention and spread awareness, but we were just one school district seeing another in pain.

But this year, the suicide happened at Shawnee Mission South, just one day before the South versus East football game. While it wasn’t highly publicized, the general public seemed to be aware of what had happened. This one was closer to home. But at that time, the rivalry between the our schools were at its peak, and we didn’t know how to proceed.

And that’s where the problem lies. As South’s rival, we still aren’t sure how to react to the news.

Should we attempt to continue the rivalry as usual whenever we’re competing with them? Or simply

dial back the insults and the “South still sucks” chants at upcoming sporting events? Or maybe we should tone down the bitter rivalry for the time being – we could think about people other than ourselves, and in doing this, realize that South needs our help more than we need to put them down.

The Harbinger chooses the latter. We believe that the rivalry needs to be put on pause and saved for a later date. Whether it be over social media, faceto-face with South students or from one student section to the other, to perpetuate this rivalry is insensitive during a time of such pain.

The entire district, meaning all five high schools, must come together to educate and counsel their students through the aftermath of a student’s suicide. As a district, we need to step up and work to prevent this reoccurring problem.

Three years ago this Nov., senior Tyler Rathbun died. One of our own passed away, and the effects were reverberated through East, Prairie Village and the entire school district. Had South (or any other school) thrown any insult at us at the time, we would have seen it as disgustingly disrespectful.

So treat South as we, the Shawnee Mission East Lancers, would like to be treated if our community was in shock. Hold back from the taunts over Twitter, abstain from the insulting chants, catch yourself before you change the South Rocks to say SME. Instead, be educated and understanding in your treatment of our rival school. East must be supportive.

We can do this through words of hope over social media and refraining from the rivalry in this time of devastation. This will show the maturity that East students truly possess.

Harbinger Staff: Fall 2015 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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NEWS in BRIEF he Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 10-4 on Sept. 24.

They now stand first in the American League Central.

This win puts them enough ahead of the Minnesota Twins to promise them a spot in the 2015 playoffs.

The Royals haven’t achieved the American League Central victory in three decades.

With the return of many core players like Hosmer, Cain, Perez and others, the Royals worked all season to get back to the World Series, which is only a few wins away.

Some East families have been waiting for the postseason since the home opening game in April.

Brad Kuhlman, father of junior Katie Kuhlman, is a Royals season ticket holder. He has already bought playoff tickets for himself and his family plus

T

A

mong German car company Vo l k s w a g e n ’ s 16 car models, there were about 11 million diesel cars sold in the past six years.

Owners of different diesels including the Jetta, Jetta TDI and Beetle payed for a fuel efficient, high gas mileage car. Those owners were blindsided when Volkswagen announced that it had faked emission tests to put the cars on the market.

In a study, Commission’s Joint Research Center discovered that these cars were able to get around these tests by installing “defeat devices.” These devices would deactivate emission control systems in testing and reduce the effectiveness of the systems on the actual road.

The cars ended up sending out 40 times more pollutants than advertised,

two extra.

Season ticket holders have the first pick at seats for home postseason games. However, even paying for a full season will still cost $565 for a World Series ticket.

“I think it’s a little unfair that we have to pay so much for post season tickets,” Katie said. “We should definitely get some discounts.”

She plans on going to the American League division games with her mom and two of her siblings because her dad will be out of town.

Katie and her family, along with many other East students and families are tweeting, buying tickets and buying T-shirts.

October is here and the anticipation for the playoffs are as high as ever.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Michael Meng, father of senior Lance and sophomore Ava Meng, owns the Jetta TDI. Despite the cheating around the tests, he likes the car and said he doesn’t plan on doing anything about it until Volkswagen reaches out to him.

“I am more disappointed [with Volkswagen] than anything,” Meng said. “I really like the car and I drive a lot so I thought it would be perfect for my situation.”

Meng wants to keep his car because of how easy it drives, but he will openly look for something new that they release.

According to The New York Times, Volkswagen’s whole scandal will cost them about $7.3 billion.

Syrian War Creates Refugee Records

HUMANS OF SM

EAST

An exhaustive catalog of the brilliant, quirky and multifaceted students of Shawnee Mission East

countries have offered little help to Germany who has been harboring so many people from the European humanitarian crisis.

“I don’t think it’s fair that one country should be responsible for all of these refugees,” Hanna Issawi, mother of freshman Hanny and alumni Danya, said. “Other countries have to help. It is a humanitarian crisis, those people are refugees not immigrants.”

The Issawis originated from Syria. Having family that lives and has fled from there, they feel a personal connection to this crisis.

With the civil war not slowing down, fleeing Syrians look to varying countries for help. Germany is making a statement to other European countries. They need help harboring so many refugees.

Sophomore

he Syrian Civil War is forcing about 3 million refugees into neighboring countries. Germany, along with Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands have recently set border restrictions on the number of refugees that they will welcome this year.

The war and restrictions have forced many Syrians who can’t afford to leave into concentration camps. The most widely known camp, Zaatari in Jordan, holds many financially struggling families attempting to flee the war.

But the restrictions create a problem for those who can afford to leave the camps — where they are going to stay.

Typically, Germany would be one of the first places refugees would look to for a home because of job availability and rich economy. But the recent restrictions have changed that.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was responsible for the border restriction laws. She feels as though other

Gracie Crabtree

T

Volkswagon Scandal Comes to Light

Royals Hope for Playoffs

A BREAKDOWN OF SCHOOL, LOCAL AND WORLDWIDE NEWS

3

Top: Seniors Alex Glazier, Davis Finke, George Colby, Andrew Stottle, Elizabeth Shook, Kyle Baker and Lauren Blackburn cheer into the camera at the Sept. 25 game against West. Photo by Ellie Thoma Middle: Junior varsity cross country girls motivate each other before the start of their race Sept. 19 at Baldwin Invitational. Photo by Morgan Browning Bottom: Freshman Jackson Althouse drinks his waterbottle at the freshmen team game against Northwest Sept. 16 Photo by Abby Blake

What confidence/familiarity level do you want to be at by senior year?

“Well I just hope that I believe in myself, that kind of confidence. Because I usually have [a] positive attitude. I always believe in other people and what they do. But sometimes everything gets harder and I just crash down, like no. And [Coach Tricia Beaham is] like ‘just believe in yourself you can do it. Just take small steps.’ Trying to believe in myself would be a good thing.”

Follow @humansofsmeast on Instagram or check out smeharbinger.net for more

* 129 juniors were surveyed **58 seniors were surveyed

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Considering that the 2016 Presidential candidates have stepped up their games a year early, why shouldn’t we? Take a look at how East’s student voters plan to contribute to the election.

34%

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art byYashi Wang

NUMBER OF STUDENTS ATTENDING EAST

number of students if every classroom was filled throughout the day BUILDING CAPACITY: 2,159 approximate

2000 1900 1800

100 STUDENT INCREASE

DOWN

A 2014 demographic study predicted East attendance to reach a high of 1,752 students for the 2023-2024 school year— a value almost met this year.

After a few years of ‘student deficit’, a sudden rise in East’s population can finally set some supporters of boundary changes at ease. Students themselves are facing the increased traffic throughout the school and increased class sizes— the building, the staff, and even student body diversity have not kept up with the school population increase. member 2015 1tostaff18 students

2006 1tostaff19.5member students

1700 1600

vs.

‘10-‘11 ‘11-‘12 ‘12-‘13 ‘13-‘14 ‘14-‘15 ‘15-‘16

SCHOOL YEAR

‘23-’24

5

Heritage vs

Hatred written by Robbie Veglahn photo illustration by Haley Bell

School controversies involving the confederate flag spark discussion from students and faculty and East

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enior Drake Yost flew down 75th street in the passenger seat of his friend’s 2008 green Honda Civic. The boys received a number of dirty looks, including a two minute stare down from a silver minivan at a red light, but Yost couldn’t care less. As he pulled up to the intersection of Mission and 75th, he checked the rearview mirror and saw three things.

1) The horrified double take of a Lululemon clad jogger.

2) A thumbs-up from the driver of a beat up Chevy pickup.

3) The Confederate battle flag billowing from the back of his friend’s Honda.

“We just did it as kind of a joke, but at the same time it was to make a point,” Yost said. “As U.S. citizens we had every right to fly it, and to me that’s exactly what the flag represents.”

For years the American people have been divided over the issue of the Confederate flag. Supporters, like Yost and sophomore Christopher Patrick, argue that it represents the history and heritage of the South, as well as a symbol of freedom and first amendment rights.

The controversy resurfaced last June when the Confederate battle flag was removed from the South Carolina state capitol after flying for over 50 years. Then again on Sept. 17, when Christianburg High school in Virginia suspended 23 students for wearing and refusing to remove Confederate flags. And Monday, Sept. 28, when Rockmart High School in Georgia went into lockdown after a sophomore was beat up for wearing a backpack emblazoned with the flag.

According to Principal John McKinney, East has a policy that deals

with the Confederate flag’s place in school. Students are allowed to wear the flag or fly it on school property, but if it inhibits other students’ ability to learn, it must be taken down.

For many, like social studies teacher David Muhammad and sophomore Christopher Justice, the flag represents negative connotations of hatred, oppression and violence.

“No matter how I or anyone else feels about it, people have every single right to fly the flag on their own private property,” Justice said. “No one is trying to take that away. But it has absolutely no place in public places like schools and state capitol buildings.”

Justice feels that flying the flag on any federally funded property is ridiculous.

He believes African Americans should not be forced to pay taxes that fund buildings that fly the Confederate flag.

“You wouldn’t make a Jew pay taxes to fund ‘Adolf Hitler Elementary’ or to fly the Nazi flag on buildings that are paid for by taxes, so why should African Americans be forced to do essentially the same thing?” Justice said.

Patrick supports the flag’s history, and is tired of what he believes to be the “misconceptions” about the Confederate flag.

“What people don’t understand is that the flag and the Confederacy aren’t about racism or even about slavery,” Patrick said. “The flag represents state rights, freedom and secession. And I don’t think there’s anything more American than that.”

To Patrick, the flag also commemorates the lives of the those who died on both sides of the Civil war, including Patrick’s ancestors, who

fought for the South.

Because of this, Patrick believes that when the flag is flown on government property, it honors those who died.

Patrick disagrees with the removal of the flag in South Carolina.

“It just feels like [“liberals”] are trying to strip us of our history,” Patrick said.

“I mean that flag had been up there for 54 years, and it’s there because it commemorates everyone who died for their heritage and their values. We can’t just forget that part of our history.”

According to Muhammad, it’s a futile argument to try and negate the fact that people fought and died for what they believed, and that it’s an integral part of American history. But Muhammad believes that the some who fly the flag use heritage and history as an excuse to start arguments.

“If a kid feels like they want to respect the memory of family member who fought and died for their beliefs, I feel like that’s a pretty valid argument,” Muhammad said. “But when a person flies the flag to either prove a point or just to stir up some controversy, that’s when I begin to have a problem.”

Supporters like Patrick and Yost understand that the flag does offend some people, yet believe that the opinions of others shouldn’t affect their right to free speech. But Muhammad believes it is important to acknowledge people’s’ perceptions and to respect their point of view.

“If you wave it or fly it, you have to understand the offense and effects it’s going to have on a lot of people,” Muhammad said. “And you’re going to have to deal with the ramifications of those actions.”

Christianburg vs East

Demographics from East compared to Christianburg high school’s, where students were punished for wearing Confederate flags

8.8%

Black Students

1.2%

37%

Economically Disadvantaged

10%

16%

Students who participated in AP exams

45%

46%

Students who failed state math test

7%

6%

Students who are advanced in math and reading

67%

information courtesy of usnews.com

6

D E N R O ING P

POLITICS

written by Olivia Faverau art by Catherine Brown

that concerns politics and allows for students to speak freely.

White accepted their proposal, and became the sponsor.

White believes that by having political clubs where students exercise the First Amendment, it honors those who protect our nation. He views it as a celebration of American democracy.

“We are living in America, a nation that promotes conversation through the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution,” White said. “We should feel comfortable in sharing our views, and clubs offer such a support system for students.”

The girls also emphasize that the club isn’t just for democrats. In fact, the club’s mission statement includes no mention of the democratic party in order to reflect this idea of keeping the club open to all political parties.

“The club’s name is more encompassing of what our beliefs are,” Vaughters said. “Our goal is not necessarily just to harbor democratic views and liberal views, but to provide a club where everyone can discuss their own ideas regardless.”

Serving now as the representative body of the East democratic party and counterpart to the Young Republicans Club, the girls want to make it clear that they don’t desire to compete.

Match the democratic candidate to their quote

photos by Tribune News Service quotes from politifact.com

“African Americans are twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police.”

Says the “cascading effects” of climate change contributed to the rise of ISIS. “Under Republicans, recessions happen four times as frequently as under Democrats.”

“I don’t own a single stock or bond... I have no savings account.”

Martin O’Malley

Hillary Clinton

Joe Biden

WHO SAID WHAT?

Neither YRC leader senior Baker Stradinger or Housh believe there is any animosity between the two clubs. White believes that through discussion or debates, the two clubs can help cultivate an understanding between the liberal and conservative mindsets of the members.

“If we could get both clubs together, it could show our politicians how we should actually work as a nation,” White said. “We may not agree with everything and that’s fine, but we are Americans and we should be able to talk and share our ideas, to not just tolerate one another but understand one another.”

Both clubs have shown interest in debating with one another, and while Stradinger does admit that in-the-moment tension may arise during a debate, he believes that it wouldn’t foster friction between the clubs.

“The only way we can advance our knowledge base is to listen to the ideas we may not agree with,” White said. ”I believe we should be willing to be disturbed.”

The only thing the three leaders have left to do is to pick snacks that will entice members to come to their first meeting in White’s room, 313.

Bernie Sanders

uniors Maddie Housh, Ellie Cook and Emma Vaughters brainstorm potential discussion topics like campaign strategies and guest speakers with anticipation for their recently approved Young Democrats Club. As they prepare for their first meeting on Oct. 12, the girls finalize their mission statement: ‘We encourage students to be politically active and aware.’

“We just want to create an environment where people come and learn and feel like they can express their beliefs,” Vaughters said.

The idea of the club started last year as a joke in the form of a group chat titled ‘YDC,’ a democratic alternative for the Young Republicans Club. It was a place where Cook, Housh and Vaughters felt they could share their political opinions or vent about their beliefs without being judged. After a while, they started to wonder if anyone else shared the same views they did, and wanted to be able to talk about them in a discussion-based club.

With no idea of how to make a club, or even who would want to sponsor it, the girls turned to the sponsor of the YRC, social studies teacher David Muhammad. He suggested that they ask social studies teacher, Curtis White. Muhammad thought White would be open to sponsoring a club, especially one

ANSWER KEY:

J

After the creation of Young Republicans Club, three students decide to form Young Democrats Club, which allows people to freely express their political beliefs

7

PILLS and PARTYING Mixing prescription drugs with alcohol in order to get a high is a threat to high school students’ health

written by Will Clough “Caution: May cause dizziness or disturbed vision.

Alcohol may intensify this effect. Use caution when operating a car or dangerous machinery.”

That’s the label on many medication bottles. The pharmacists make it straightforward: prescription drugs are dangerous, alcohol makes them more dangerous. This label is meant as a warning to keep patients safe and aware of the potential dangers that medication can have.

But some high school students read this label differently.

They see it as an invitation.

“Attention: May cause dizziness or disturbed vision.

Alcohol may intensify this effect. Use together for a better time.”

The recreational use of prescription medication has been a national health problem for years. Misuse of these drugs has shown to be extremely dangerous and often life threatening, sometimes leading to increased chances of stroke, heart attack and in many cases, can lead to addiction.

Yet, some students are choosing to make themselves susceptible to these risks. At many parties it’s not rare to see alcohol, senior Julia Miller* says, but what’s becoming more popular, is the use of drugs in conjunction with alcohol.

“To a lot of people, it’s really appealing [to take Adderall, or other medication] because they like to party with it,” Miller said. “They really enjoy [using] it with alcohol because it goes right to your system and helps with staying up longer.”

To these people, this feeling is better than just drinking, and it’s different than getting high. Different drugs have different effects when mixed with alcohol, but most target a person’s tolerance to alcohol.

Adderall, which is commonly used recreationally due to its high availability to high school students, is one drug that

Pill Breakdown What alcohol does: “Alcohol dissolves the coating around pills...[and] causes the chemicals in the medication to be released all at one time”

increases this tolerance. Adderall is a stimulant used to treat ADHD and works by increasing the amount of dopamine in the brain. When higher levels of dopamine are present, the person is able to stay more alert, avoiding the drowsiness that usually comes with drunkenness.

“When you take [Adderall] you can either stay up a lot longer or black out right away... Over the summer, if I wanted to take Adderall at a party to stay up, I would snort it because it would go to my system really fast.”

According to Miller, it’s not uncommon for various stimulants (like Adderall, Vyvanse, or Xanax) or even opiate based painkillers (like Oxycontin or Hydrocodone) to be passed around.

Add alcohol to the mixture and the risks increase.

According to the University of Notre Dame’s McDonald Center for Student Wellbeing, alcohol dissolves the coating around pills that allows them to be dispersed slowly and evenly over a period of time. Without that coating, the alcohol causes the chemicals in the medication to be released all at one time. For the students drinking, this may seem like an exciting detail, but in reality it can have disastrous results.

“Just because they’re made in a lab doesn’t mean they’re safe for consumption,” East Guidance Counselor Becky Wiseman said. “Understanding in the long term how those drugs can affect your life is important to note.”

While drugs like Adderall may keep students from feeling the symptoms of being drunk, their bodies are still being exposed to alcohol. They continue to stay alert until they reach their limit and lose motor functions and eventually consciousness - known as “blacking out”.

Dr. Chris Petrey, a fellow in Infectious Diseases at the University of Kansas Hospital, works closely with patients who have both opiate medication and alcohol addictions.

Prescription drug usage can: increased chance of stroke leads to addiction increased chance of having a heart attack

Adderall

*Name changed to protect identity photo illustration Callie McPhail He says that things can be the most dangerous for drug users after they pass out.

“Oftentimes, when you get too drunk, you vomit,” Petrey said. “Now, let’s say you had also just shot up a fix of heroin.

Well, the heroin has you pretty close to being unconscious, but you now vomit. You can’t protect your airway, so the vomit goes down into your lungs, then you suffocate and die.”

This kind of activity can also pose other serious threats to students’ health. When Adderall and alcohol are ingested at the same time, they can cause increased heart rate, high blood pressure and irregular heartbeat, according to healthline.com. In addition, a person won’t be aware of how much alcohol they’ve ingested and are more susceptible to threats like alcohol poisoning.

In addition to health threats, the abuse of unprescribed medication poses serious behavioral problems, including increased risk of addiction.

“At least 75 percent of the patients that I treat for opiate addiction tell me that they got started in their teens,” Petrey said.

Wiseman worries that students who become accustomed to this behavior at parties may find it harder to resist it in the regular world. Once a student becomes consumed by a drug addiction, she says, it affects every aspect of their life: school, relationships and personal feelings.

“These are the times in life when teenagers are supposed to learn how to cope with the world around them,” Wiseman said. “If you’re high, you’re not learning those coping skills.”

These risks - addiction, health problems and altered relationships - all stem from the combination of two serious substances. Both Wiseman and Petrey agree that when students like Miller ignore the facts, figures and

High Blood Pressure Increased Heart Rate

alcohol

Irregular Heartbeat information courtesy of healthline.com

A MindFull of

Meditation

opinion by Michael Kraske

W

Meditation helps a student deal with a multitude of stresses

photo by Annie Lomsheck

ith my back against my pillow, I lean against my wall. Ready to meditate, I spread my legs out straight on my bed, press play and close my eyes. My daily meditation exercise has begun.

In through your nose... Out through your mouth. Deep breath. One. Deep breath. Two. The deep voice, marked by a heavy British accent, belongs to the guided meditation program “Headspace” founder Andy Puddicombe. The voice calms me and signals my mind that it’s time to relax. My daily guided meditation exercise has begun.

As I continue this exercise all the way up to the count of ten, I become relaxed.

All the stress of the day evaporates. My

Four Benefits of Meditation Be happier

1

9

constantly-running mind becomes empty as I focus only on my breath.

After my 20-minute exercise ends, I feel refreshed. I feel focused. I feel ready to take on whatever the rest of the day may bring.

Headspace is a guided mediation program, where Puddicombe walks through a series of daily 10-20 minute exercises, dealing primarily with your breathing.

I discovered meditation as a freshman, when my brother introduced me. When he first told me about it, I laughed. Meditation? What am I, some Buddhist monk?

But after he convinced me to give it a try, I discovered that meditation is much more than that.

Meditation provides its user with a long list of physical and mental benefits.

2

Get more sleep

According to artofliving.org, some of the main benefits include an increased attention span, better sleep, improved general functioning of the brain, lightened mood, decreased stress, aging and a greater appreciation for life.

The benefits go on and on, but these are the ones that have personally affected me the most.

Now ask yourself: does any of this appeal to you? Of course it does. Everyone could use better sleep, less stress or better focus.

Sure, you’re probably busy with all that you do outside of school or work, but I promise you, finding 20 minutes a day is very possible and very worth it.

When I first read about these benefits

4

Better focus

of meditation, it seemed kind of unreal, but when they started becoming a reality for me, it was an incredible feeling. Simply focusing on your breathing and stepping back to just relax daily should be something everybody does.

I’m a guy who deals with a lot of stress, and meditation has helped me tremendously. I’m telling you, give it a try. Every single person at this school and on this planet could benefit greatly from meditating. So after you finish reading this, do yourself a favor. Take a seat on a comfortable chair, go online to Headspace.com and try the free trial. You won’t regret it.

3

Stronger appreciation for life

10

ARE Y U BRANDED?

photos by Hannah McPhail written by Ellie Mitchell

Focusing on brands causes high school students to be materialistic when they should be worried about more important things

Lily Pulitzer shirt

iPhone 6

Kate Spade purse

Lululemon leggings Tory Burch sandals

answer key:

1. phone-aholic

Ray Ban sunglasses

QUIZ YOURSELF are you a phone-aholic?

If you are on a hike are you more concerned with...

1. finding service for your phone 2. getting exercise and taking in fresh air 3. taking a picture of the view

At a concert, are you most likely...

1. take Snap Chat stories 2. sing and dance to every song 3. edit pictures you took before the concert started

Walking in the halls do you...

1. text people 2. talk to the people around you 3. mindlessly stare at the phone out of habit 3. mild phone-aholic 2. not a phone-aholic

BRAND DIAGRAM

S

porting KC forward Dom valuing the person. We are too caught Dwyer sprints down the field. up in materialistic items to realize that.

As he gets closer to the goal, According to Ed Diener, a University he cranks his leg back, and of Illinois psychology professor shoots. Goal! I’m ready to celebrate and happiness expert, on www. with the thousands of other fans, but as pursuitofhappiness.org , “those who I turn around to high-five all the people value material success more than they in my section all I see is a bunch of so- value happiness are likely to experience called “fans” who should be celebrating almost as many negative moods as the goal, but instead consumed in their positive moods, whereas those who phones. value happiness over material success That’s the problem with today’s are likely to experience considerably generation. No one seems to be paying more pleasant moods and emotions attention to their surroundings. It than unpleasant moods and emotions.” seems we have lost touch with the truly People spend their effort pursuing important things in life, like sitting brand name items, thinking that will down and eating dinner with family. bring them happiness, but that will We no longer have time to sit down and never be the case. What they don’t call our grandparents on the phone to realize is if they put away their phones check in on them. We are so busy paying and don’t pay attention to social media, attention to texting and refreshing our they will be much happier. We should Instagram feed that there never seems be talking to each other face-to-face, not to be a time to through a screen. read that book People have you started four People need to realize it doesn’t make started to lose months ago. you more of a person to have a certain the real effective Phones ways to achieve logo on the clothing you wear. aren’t the only happiness.

— said junior Ellie Mitchell In this day in issue with what people tend to age, it’s hard not value by today’s standards. to be invested in your phone. That’s We, as high school students, think how most information is spread. If we that people form opinions based on take a step back and realize how much what we wear and how much stuff we life passes by when we are on our have, but is that really the case? phones, our perspectives could change.

I walk down the hall and spot the It seems that people today are Diamond Jacquard Space Dye Black focused on all the wrong things. Not Slate Lululemon leggings that I have only are people spending too much been begging my mom to buy. The time on their phones, but they are too only issue is that they are $98. I stand concerned with materialistic items like back and think to myself, “are leggings the brand on their shirt. People need that are $98 really worth it?” to realize it doesn’t make you more of No one should care about the brand a person to have a certain logo on the of leggings they wear. The only thing clothing you wear. that changes the price of leggings is You can’t wear happiness nor can the logo on the back of the waistband. you text it to your friend, so take a The brand of leggings or having the minute, set your phone down and pay latest iPhone isn’t what matters in attention to the world around you. life. What matters is being happy and

11

O R E F T S A M THE

MANIPULATION opinion by Davis Finke

Life is made easier when using the skills of persuasion and charm

I

logged into my Skyward and anxiously waited for my grades to load. I had just taken my AP Economics final, knowing I needed at least an 85 percent to secure an A in the class. My teacher still hadn’t put the grade in. I felt like my entire life was riding on this one grade. I needed an A not only to give me a perfect grade card, but to get the prize money my father had promised me. I clicked refresh again, and my fate appeared on the screen. It turned out to be an 84 percent, leaving me at an 89.4 for the semester.

My insides felt hot and I wanted to scream, but instead, I decided I would try to change my fortune. I composed myself and figured I’d pay a visit to my teacher the next morning to have a talk with her.

In preparation, I sat down at my kitchen table and developed a plan. I knew my teacher was very proud of her kids’ success, so I’d try to use that to my advantage. I also knew she genuinely wanted each of her students to succeed

HISTORY’S MEMORABLE MANIPULATORS Scheming, charming, and manipulating for personal gain has been a way of life for many throughout history. These famous figures are some of the most memorable examples.

pictures courtesy of dailymail.co.uk, tripod.com and design.caltech.edu information courtesy of vinh.co and businessinsider.com

in life. Almost everyday, she would remind us how badly she wanted us to make money in life and have great jobs; I’d use that on her, too. My main goal was to persuade her into moving my grade up to an A, and I would use my sweet talk and persuasion skills to do it.

I walked into her classroom early the next morning, and she immediately shut me down. Without saying a single word she said there would be no grade changes. However, I had planned for this. I started in with all the basic pleas, like ‘I’ve tried so hard this year’ and ‘I really deserve this.’ Her response was “make a time machine and try again.” I thought hard, and delivered a line that I knew would change her mind. I asked her if her kids would be successful had their teachers been so hard on them. She finally saw my reasoning and told me she would see what she could do.

Later that same day a nice 89.5 percent appeared on my Skyward account. The next day I enjoyed playing some FIFA that I bought with my reward money.

That day, I began to realize I could achieve things through persuasion. With the right skill set and practice, my goals would be attainable by using sweet talk to my advantage.

Pablo Escobar

*see page 20 for Narcos review* Escobar was a notorious Colombian drug lord who supplied about 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the US in the early 90’s. He was not only the wealthiest criminal in history, but also a member or Congress and a Presidential candidate.

School became easier. Things like getting out of chores became easier. And most importantly, getting money became easier.

High schoolers need many things, including money. We go out to lunch with friends, we go to movies and we constantly need gas. I understand getting a job could help with all this, but why not get a decent amount of cash without having to work for more than an hour? For the past few years, whenever I’ve been in need of a quick Benjamin, I would just call my parents’ friend Bob, who is always willing to spare some cash.

Sometimes he would say he doesn’t need any help, but I would just simply say ‘Bob, don’t you remember when you were in high school and you needed some money?’ One hour and a few watered plants later, I had a fresh hundred dollar bill in my hand.

For the rest of my life, I can live with the comfort of knowing that no matter what situation I find myself in, I can smooth talk my way out of it. Not only do these skills help with everyday tasks, but it can help me find success in life. Whether I’m trying to get a new job, or trying to get a promotion, being able to talk will play a key part.

Dona Marina

Kim Jong Un

One of history’s little known woman orators, La Malinche was an Aztec woman who was first the slave, then the lover, confidante and translator of Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conqueror of Mexico in 1525. Her knowledge of many languages helped her rise to power.

Kim Jong Un, known as a “God King” to the people of North Korea, was officially declared the supreme leader following his father’s death in 2011. Un has convinced North Korean people that other countries are evil, and North Korea is the greatest in politics, sports, intelligence and power.

Niccolò Machiavelli

Machiavelli wrote “The Prince”, considered the first work of political science, in 1531. In this book, he gives advice on how to get ahead--in politics, business and life. The examples he gives aren’t exactly agreeable, including the idea to “treat people well... or completely destroy them.”

13

TAKING THE REINS Junior Kate Higgins is shaped through her love for riding horses and competing in horse shows

photos by Ellie Thoma

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Kate rides Stuart around the stable at the farm in Lees Summit. The Higgins go visit Stuart every weekend. They also spend every summer there.

written by Ali Lee

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Kate prepares Stuart for riding by putting on his saddle and preparing the reins.

S

he and her horse, Stuart, galloped across the arena at of her life. the American Royal. Junior Kate Higgins flashed a “The fact that Kate learned how to win and lose gracefully smile to her parents as she clutched his harness, quiv- at an early age has helped her become the person she is today,” ering with anticipation for her placement. Squeezing hard, she Christy said. listened to the announcer call out the names of ribbon winRiding a horse is different than any other sport; it takes the ners. Her mind jumped from thought to thought. Had she rid- patience to create a bond with a horse before winning any ribden well enough? bons. The ability to understand this is the difference between When she was six, Kate begged her parents to let her take becoming a great rider and becoming a mediocre rider. riding lessons. Every time she would get the chance, she would Three years after getting her horse, it went blind in one eye ask them over and over until her parents finally gave in. They and was unable to compete. The family had to give her away to knew she was serious and they also knew she wasn’t going to a small rescue farm. stop asking. There was no looking back after that. That was 11 By the time she got Lovett, her third horse, Kate had beyears ago, and she’s been riding ever since. Now, Kate rides in come more experienced with riding. She was winning more the top youth age division in Kansas. ribbons and she had gained more control of her performance.

She started taking lessons once a Although, Kate admits it wasn’t easy. week, and two years later she received “Honestly that horse was a nighther first horse: brown and white spotted mare to work with,” said Kate. “He The fact that Kate learned how and “sweet as can be,” Kate recollects. It had serious ADHD.” to win and lose gracefully at an early age has helped her become was with this horse that Kate first startLovett’s behavior got to be too the person she is today ed to compete. She began only showing much and Kate had to find a new — said Christy Higgins horse, one that was easier to work the horse by walking alongside it, as she was too young to compete while actualwith. That’s when she found Elmer, ly riding the horse. a horse they rescued from a man who named him after glue.

Her mom, Christy, remembers Kate sitting on her horse at Elmer was a sweet horse and much easier to ride, according her first American Royal when she was only 10-years-old. She to Kate. She enjoyed him so much and they were finally conhad been placed in the top 15 riders. Only 10 received a ribbon. necting after a year of having him. Unexpectedly, he fell to the Kate sat in the middle of the arena on her horse, smiling and ground in pain while he was alone in his stall. clapping as every single ribbon winner was announced while With a severely injured leg, Kate knew things didn’t look the other riders just listened for their name. good. She pulled out folding chairs and her and her dad sat “You don’t see many riders do that,” Christy said. “She still quietly all night watching and caring for Elmer. There was the does that to this day.” occasional neigh from a horse in a neighboring stall, but other She sat in the middle of the arena listening to hear if her than that, it was quiet. Elmer laid there miserably; they both name would be called. Her eyes lit up and her cheeks reddened knew Elmer would have to be put down. as her name was announced for third place in her English class, It wasn’t long after that she found Stuart, and he has been or when you ride around in circles on an English saddle, bridle riding with Kate for nearly a year. He has a great temperament, and clothes. She also won the overall high point winner in the and Kate knew they would be compatible to ride from the benovice division at the same competition. Kate has come from ginning. While she hasn’t won any blue ribbons with Stuart, just walking in circles with her horse to riding in the highest Kate knows they will get to that point. Until then, third place is youth competition group. Since she has been involved in the enough, especially when it’s out of 60 competitors. riding so heavily for so long, it has lead her to becoming vice Seven years and four horses later, Kate still competes. She president of the 4-H Silver Spurs Club, where she coordinates wins ribbons frequently and has improved significantly since events such as stalling at the state fair. her first lesson 11 years ago. The most important thing she has With this responsibility and her riding experience, Kate gained from riding, however, is her personality. She is seen has not only become a better rider, she has become a better by her peers as hardworking, responsible and selfless. At this person. The morals she has learned through riding early on point in her career, Kate has accomplished more than most at have helped her apply this selflessness to every other aspect her age.

14

VALIDATINGTHEIR LGBTQ+ Lancers speak out about their sexuality to the unaware student body *The names in this article have been changed to protect the identities of those who shared in this article.*

J

unior *Sydney Jones compares her struggle with her gender identification to the need for water.

The goal, for He’s to be called She’s and Him to be called Her, to not think twice about these pronouns, just like people don’t think twice about drinking water.

Jones, born a male, never knew the possibility of being a different gender growing up. But after meeting openly transgender people freshman year, she realized she was supposed to be a girl.

Even though she had accepted herself, her parents hadn’t. At home, her parents enter her room happy, see something feminine, and grow angry, telling Jones she can’t be a girl.

“The first time [my parents] were exposed to it was when I had a friend who was trans and I had to make them call him a boy,” Jones said. ”They need some more time to get used to the idea, the way they grew up is going to make it difficult for them to understand.”

Because her parents prohibit an outwardly feminine appearance, Jones has had difficulty with people acknowledging her gender.

“I recognize that it’s harder for people to see me as a girl because I don’t dress like a girl,” Jones said. “I think it’s important to recognize gender still, because I know a lot of people that identify as a different gender from how they appear. I always see them as the gender they identify and it’s really

photo by Joeseph Cline

important for people to try.” misconceptions about her sexuality, While Jones is sure of her identity as a sophomore Jill Mohler* has also had people female, freshman *Maggie Turner, who was be confused over her bisexuality. Mohler born a female, questions her gender and is religious and has had people tell her shows how this is okay. Not everyone is able she can’t be religious and bisexual. She to have a gut feeling, and it’s okay to take has also had boys in her biology class pull time to figure out what is right for you. up the online Bible and show her quotes “Before, [gender] was commonly known that say being gay is a sin. Mohler doesn’t as male, female, whatever genitals match,” understand how being LGBTQ+ could be a Turner said. “But [now] it’s different for a sin in Gods eyes, because she thinks religion lot of people, and when you pay attention to is about love, not putting others down. that, you may realize Another someone’s gender may sexuality people be different from what “It’s less of like a ‘I don’t feel like I’m a get confused you thought it was.” girl’, and more something else. I just about is asexual, don’t see the point of gender in the the opposite of While Turner is first place.” still figuring out her pansxual, when gender, Senior Erin — said senior Erin Green there is no sexual Green* doesn’t identify attraction. Green, as any gender, or is non-binary. who’s gender is non binary, identifies her “It’s less of like a, ‘I don’t feel like I’m a sexuality as asexual. She helped describe girl’, and more like something else,” Green the four different types of attractions; sexual, said. “I just don’t see the point of gender in romantic, sensual, aesthetic. Asexual only the first place.” deals with not having a sexual attraction.

While Green doesn’t see the point “Sexual is self explanatory. Romantic is of gender, Jones who is transgender, is wanting to date a person, and whatever your also pansexual which means her sexual idea of dating is. Romantic may entail a lot attraction has nothing to do with gender. of romantic coded things such as kissing, Her pansexuality attributes to her sexuality, or however far you want to go,” Green not her gender, because gender and said. “Sensual is wanting to cuddle with sexuality are two different things. She this person or feeling emotionally close to portrayed that not only do people have someone. Aesthetic is liking how a person misconceptions about gender, they also get looks.” confused about sexuality.

“You don’t really hear about asexuals, Similar to Jones receiving you hear lesbian, gay, bi but you don’t hear

written by Sean Overton

about pansexual, asexual, demi-sexual or polysexual,” Green said. “I told one person I didn’t feel like having sex and they went, ‘Oh my gosh are you like a robot?’”

One thing that really helped Green was finding other people at school who identified as asexual and seeing people come out in the media. Green said that knowing she was not alone helped, since she is surrounded by people who are straight and cisgender, which means identifying as the gender you were assigned at birth.

Even though there are misconceptions about gender and sexualities at East, Gay Straight Alliance president Chloe Neighbor, advises training yourself to use gender neutral pronouns if you are confused what to call someone, until you hear them refer to themselves as something else.

“If you do ask don’t single a single person out, because that can make someone really anxious,” Neighbor said.

“Do it in the right environment. In GSA we always ask people’s pronouns when doing introductions. It makes it easier for everyone so they don’t have to mess anyone’s up.”

Neighbor introduces a nonconfrontational way to confirm pronouns as, ‘hey I want to make sure I am using the right pronouns for you is that ok? The more people are informed about different sexualities and gender, and the more they work to be understanding, the stronger the East community will be.

15

Royal Feast written by Chase Tetrick photo by Abby Blake

ABOVE

Will Benjamin takes a bite out of a barbecue sandwhich while testing different sauces.

1 Smokin’ Hoggz 1st Place

Smokin’ Hoggz

2 Dr. Nordy’s 2nd Place

Dr. Nordy’s

More of a smokey flavor

More of a bland taste

Spicier

Too sweet

Taste is more savory

Perfect amount of spice

While the American Royal barbecue contest changes setting, East parents and students prepare to judge and compete

“

Third place goes to Meat Mitch, second to Dr. Nordy’s and the award for Best Barbecue Sauce goes to Smokin’ Hoggz.”

The American Royal is one of the largest corporations in America centered around all things “country.” Each year, they host livestock auctions, animal competitions, a rodeo and, of course, the American Royal Barbecue.

The Barbecue has been the world’s largest barbecue for several years now. It is, and has always been, centered at the home of the American Royal, Kemper Arena. With such a large field of competitors that is ever growing, the Royal was forced to make changes to both expand and enhance the barbecue experience.

Some changes the Royal is making this year include moving locations from Kemper Arena to Arrowhead Stadium, hiring Big and Rich to play live at the barbecue and increasing the number of teams from 550 to a little over 600.

Mitch Benjamin, father of sophomore Will Benjamin, and his team, Meat Mitch, have been competing for going on twelve years now and have made a tradition out of it. The team begins their set up on Wednesday as the fences and tents are being set up and continues this on Thursday.

Each year the Barbecue hosts a large party Friday night where all the teams get together, listen to some country music and hang out with not only their team but other competitors as well. Then the contestants head down Saturday morning and start smoking up their meat. Will, along with members of Meat Mitch, create some of the best barbecue to enter the competition each year.

The American Royal Barbecue decided that with the additional 70 teams, a larger venue was needed.

“We had heard a lot of complaints about how cramped it was on the grilling floor and with the addition of 70 or so teams this year we figured it we needed to expand,” Manager of the American Royal Barbecue Kim Palmer said. “We looked at our options and decided that Arrowhead Stadium would be a perfect fit.”

Changing the venue was a big decision and thus made big waves in the barbecue community. People sent in their thoughts to the Board of Directors, both good and bad.

“I am a big fan of the move to Arrowhead.” Mitch said. “It enables the event to grow, provides easier access to get in and out of the venue and brings an

entire new level of excitement and focus to the event.

Meat Mitch is expected to do very well at the competition on Oct. 3. Best known for their chicken, Meat Mitch has also been working on their BBQ sauce, which has been moving up in the rankings.

“They usually place in the top five for their chicken each year,” Will said, “and last year their sauce took home 3rd out of the 500-ish teams, which is pretty impressive.”

Meat Mitch’s fate, along with the other 600 competitors, comes down to the judges, which is where senior Hannah Ream comes in. This will be Ream’s second year as a judge along with her dad, uncle and grandpa judging as well.

“I grew up going to the Barbecue with my family and watched them judge some of the best BBQ in America, counting down the days till my 16th birthday when I could join them,” Ream said. “I signed up last year and took a class. This will be my second year as a judge and I am so excited.”

The judging aspect of the barbecue is taken very seriously. The judges are required to take a six hour course as part of their initiation and must follow strict rules.

“We all lineup at the beginning of the day and file into [Arrowhead Club Level], where we sit down on a bunch of long tables and wait,” Ream said. “They separate us from our family, so we don’t share our thoughts and if we talk to another judge we are asked to leave the floor.”

The barbecue is split into five categories: chicken, pork, beef, ribs and sauce. Each judge is responsible for grading at least part of every category. The food is brought to the judges in a white styrofoam container with no name or markings on it at all.

“They don’t put any names on the containers so that the judges can’t play favorites,” Ream said.

“We are given five-ish containers, eat a part of each of them and then grade them. We do this for each category.”

At the end of the day Saturday, the results are calculated and the leaders are announced at a big party.

“Saturday night we host a big party at Arrowhead for all the teams. There are fireworks and a band, Big and Rich this year, plays and we induct six new people into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame,” Palmer said. “It’s a great, loud, fun way to end the weekend and make sure everyone is excited to come back and compete the following year.”

16

17 MASON LIEB

NICK ALEXANDER

[Autotech is] a nice environment to hang out if there’s not a project for you to work on.. Everyone has that common interest of cars and then you get the chance to work on stuff and relax. It’s not very intense like “You have to do this and this.”

You just kinda move at your own pace.

IIII I

II

Mind

Working on the 944 right now, when we’re done with that, that’s going to be the biggest accomplishment that we’ve done so far.

III

drive

JOEY ELIFRITS The best memory I guess I could say I had was that I helped with leading the Cayman’s new clutch. So me and Mr. Gay spent and hour just leading that. So I got to sit inside the Cayman and I pretty much knew how it felt because it was built to be a track car. So that was pretty cool.

S Seniors in Autotech 2 get the opportunity to work on and learn from a multitude of cars including their own

written by Tommy Sherk photos by Katie Lamar

enior Coleman Harkey rests his head under the steering wheel of the Porsche 944. He reaches up into the guts of the stripped-down car, pulls out a mess of wires and hands them off to senior Mason Lieb. Lieb returns to his nest of colored wires on the concrete floor, sits and begins untangling. Next to him, senior Nick Alexander takes a break from rewiring the car, and sits down on a removed car seat.

In Autotech 2, cars are everywhere and everything. Even the bathroom pass is made from welded gears and bolts. All of the students in the class are senior boys who have taken the required Automotive Essentials, and have shown interest in taking Autotech 2 and 3, which as Autotech teacher Brian Gay explains, is the same class in different semesters.

The Autotech room is roughly the size of two normal classrooms, and usually hosts three cars at a time, as well as is home to the permanent resident, a VW van. In his eight years of teaching at East, Gay has made it a priority to ensure that the three car spaces were continually occupied by a variety of

cars. One way he does this is by allowing students from the class to bring in their personal cars, as well as operate on staff members’ cars and even his own Porsche Carrera from time to time.

“This is [the students’] shop, so it’s my job to keep it running. It’s their job to want to work,” Gay said. “The first step in that is to get their buy-in. So their cars are first priority.”

Any car they bring in is turned into a project for the class. Most often, the cars require basic maintenance like changing oil, fixing brakes or rotating tires . But usually each car comes with a different process. Gay finds that a student usually knows how to perform an oil change on one car, but will be completely lost on the next. Because of the cycling of the cars, Gay believes the class is constantly learning.

“We pull this car in, and we’ve got a laundry list of crap on it, none of which the kids have ever done,” Gay said. “Fine. That’s what we’re here for.”

Autotech classes follow a curriculum that emphasizes that kids become skilled

at certain common maintenance projects.

But because the cars brought in often have unfamiliar problems, the students, in turn, constantly have to learn new solutions.

Senior Joey Elifrits dealt with his car’s thermostat housing, intending on it being a four hour job. After unforeseen problems and losing a chunk of his finger, his job ended up taking three days. Yet, Elifrits finished the project and plans to take on the next problems that his car will throw at him.

“I’m going to buy new calipers and bleeder valves,” Elifrits said. “We might just have to change the bleeder valves but that’s not a likely option. We’re probably going to have to do two new calipers on the front brakes, so that’s going to be a fun job.”

If the cars aren’t in the Autotech room for maintenance, they’re being upgraded.

The Porsche 944 was recently brought to the class by a former student with one request — to make it a race car. To do this, Harkey, Lieb and Alexander are currently stripping down the Porsche 944 of all its “luxuries” in order to make it weigh as little as possible.

Along with stripping it, the boys are tasked

with painting the interior and rewiring the car, a complicated and time-consuming process.

One of the class’s biggest upcoming projects will be working on senior Mark Ward’s BMW, completely replacing suspension and brakes. Because of the complexity of the project and how unfamiliar the students are with the process, the project will take several weeks, according to Gay. Because students will be working on the car, the process will take much longer than it would in an autobody shop.

“It’s not because it’s cheap, it’s because he loves playing with cars,” Gay said. “Mark, like most of these guys, walk in and want to get their hands on cars. You can’t train that out of somebody, or train that into them.

It’s inherent — enjoying working with your hands.”

Although the boys will graduate and leave behind the Autotech shop, they’ll be driving home in their own future projects.

18

Better Together

Freshman Meave McKinney and Principal John McKinney start their day off walking into Shawnee Mission East together, for Meave it’s school, but for McKinney it’s another day on the job photos by Ava Simonsen

written by Annie Jones

A

t 7 a.m. sharp every morning, freshman Maeve McKinney and her dad walk through the doors of East. They are welcomed with a warm hello and wave from the new security guard at the entrance of the school.

The McKinney’s, also joined by Maeve’s friend, freshman Gwenith Yoemans, get to work immediately, studying and working on projects at the round table next to Principal McKinney’s desk.

“It’s pretty normal, I just tag along with my dad but once I get into the school,” McKinney said, “He’s my principal and I’m a student of East.”

Principal McKinney starts preparations for the day just forty minutes before the first bell rings. He anticipates the arrival of 1,800 teenagers, huffing out hot coffee breath and offering up large smiles as they walk into school.

This is the start to a normal day for this father-daughter team. Instead of parting ways in the early morning before work and school, they stay together for the whole day at the same place — East.

After each bell rings and students scramble out of their classrooms, Maeve and her father pass each other in the hall, glimpsing and giving a casual head nod to one another and occasionally offering a quiet “hi”. They see each other at assemblies, in the same classrooms, in the lunchroom, the main office and pretty much anywhere around the school.

“It’s such a unique thing, really,” McKinney said. “You don’t usually get to

Q & A with John and Maeve Mckinney

spend the day with your kid at their school, and I’m so thankful for that.”

Whenever Maeve does get the chance to see her dad, she stealthily observes him and his body language and facial expressions to get some insight of how his day was going for the sake of the rest of her family. She can easily sense if he had maybe spilt his coffee or dealt with a stressful issue earlier in the day.

“I’ll usually send my family a quick text to tell them what kind of a mood my dad is in, that way they know if they should mess with him or not when we get home,” Maeve said.

The two believe that they hold the most fun situation, sharing something that other families don’t get to share with each other: the privilege to spend more time together throughout Maeve’s four years in high school.

“You wouldn’t think so, but it’s actually kind of fun to get to see my dad at school everyday,” Maeve said.

During lunch, Meave often gathers a group of her friends to feast in the office conference room, instead of the lunchroom where the rest of the student body eats.

McKinney and her friends gossip over their sack lunches, and are often joined by their principal.

“Nothing is awkward with Maeve and her friends,” Principal McKinney said. “I have known them since they were little, coaching their sports teams and driving them to practices.”

The only issue faced with having this

rare privilege is Maeve being treated different at school by people who know she is the principal’s daughter. Maeve doesn’t worry much about this, and only focuses on the fact that her teachers and other faculty know her better than they would have without her being Principal McKinney’s daughter.

“I definitely think I get the same treatment as other students, but here people actually know how to pronounce my name, which is nice,” Maeve said.

The experience that Maeve and Principal McKinney share is a unique one, and although it changes Maeve’s high school experience, it allows them to cherish the time they have together. This, in turn, brings them progressively closer in their relationship.

In a few years, another daughter of McKinney’s will be coming through the doors of East with him at 7 a.m. every morning. She will hear her dad’s voice during the announcements and quietly acknowledge him in the halls with a slight but somewhat awkward wave.

In four short years, Maeve will leave East and won’t be able to give her dad that daily head nod in the hallway anymore, or sit in the freshmen section at pep assemblies as she watches her dad scream for the Lancers.

“I know someday she’s going to go, so I have to enjoy the time that we have together and continue to make her days with me at East wonderful,” McKinney said.

above

All smiles from Principal John McKinney and daughter Maeve Mckinney.

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Every morning the McKinney’s walk into school together around 7:15 am.

Q- What is your favorite thing about going to

Q-What is a favorite moment that you have

school/work together?

A- (McKinney) For me it’s just a really unique privledge to be able to see my kid while I’m at work because most parents arn’t able to do that.

Instead of saying “see you tonight” I get to say “Let’s go to school.”

(Maeve) I get to see him a lot now, I used to not be able to see him because of work and my after-school activites.

together?

A- (McKinney) We try to go to North Carolina every summer. I love just being on the beach with my wife and kids.

(Maeve) Going to North Carolina is one of my favorite moments too. Watching my dad boogie board is funny because he never fails to hurt himself.

NUTS ABOUT NARCOS

20

New Netflix series, “Narcos”, is full of entertainment

DAISY’S RATING

(out of 5

) photo illustration by Allison Stockwell

ER E

H STA RT

Your go-to after school activity is...

The hypnotizing Spanish music began to play, white powdery cocaine puffed across the screen and a real photo of the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar appeared, surrounded by his crew of bikers. Stacks of money dropped in slow motion on top of one another, and faded into an infographic map of Columbia. It was just the intro, and Netflix’s original show “Narcos” already caught my interest.

“Narcos” has found its home on the ‘most popular’ section of Netflix since its debut in late August. The show follows the formation of the Colombian drug trade in the 80’s, highlighting Escobar’s operation of the billion dollar drug trafficking industry and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) pursuits to catch him. Throughout the show, Escobar is paralleled by a DEA agent, who serves as the narrator.

Over the course of the 10, 50 minute episodes, I grew to appreciate the perceptive style of the show. Unlike a documentary, the show’s fictional aspect let me see so many different sides of Escobar: his thought process, his relationship with his family and the ruthless outlaw he was.

The DEA agent as the narrator was helpful and intriguing, because it gave information that the dialogue didn’t provide.

The show constantly reminds the viewer the reality of the plot, by incorporating evidence, adding in real video footage and photos of both Pablo Escobar and the DEA agent. The show seemed to stick closely to real life events, but managed to keep me as entertained as “Gossip Girl” could.

The editing of the show was as well crafted as the plot. I noticed that the intense scenes of killing, arguing and

smuggling had a dark color theme and close-up, detailed shots. Yet, during family scenes and celebratory moments, the color scheme would include bright colors and broader shots. This is the sort of attention to detail that is carried through the entire series, an element that separates “Narcos” from mediocre television shows.

Throughout the episodes, I found myself rooting for Escobar. This obviously made me feel somewhat uncomfortable, as I was basically siding with the man who made pregnant women swallow cocaine tablets to transport the drug and paid people for each policeman they killed. The same man that shamelessly blackmailed government officials. Escobar was not my usual protagonist.

The actor succeeded at creating an unpredictable portrayal of Escobar, always keeping me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know more. It made kicking back in my living room to watch the next episode (or three) so much more enjoyable.

If you like documentaries, thrillers and dramatic plot twists, this is the show for you.

I know it’s the show for me because I love the how planned and detailed every part is, from the combination of narration and fictional elements, to the angles and editing in the filming.

With detailed images of cocaine labs and public officials turning a blind eye to trafficking, every minute of the show is simply brilliant.

When I hit episode ten, I was almost hesitant to watch it, knowing that it would be the last one...for now. Narcos is in the process of making a second season to elaborate on the fantastic story of Escobar’s Empire. The anticipation of waiting for season two to come out is as difficult as it is for the DEA to catch Escobar.

NETFLIX You would describe your personality as...

Nannying until dinner time

Pranking your siblings Hanging out with friends

freaking hilarious

A group of postcollege friends who go through mayhem together in the heart of New York City

ns

a

st w

I ju

u rer tch

creative and colorful

the “bad egg”

YES

Do you watch any live TV?

What channel do you usually watch?

FRIENDS

co

ok

I only watch after I finish my homework

NO

AB C

ing

ch

an

ne

l

THE OFFICE

A satirical documentary of office members

sporty things

What is your favorite activity to do with your friends?

watch TV

arts and crafts

How addicted to Netflix are you?

I live vicariously through Netflix characters!!!

NARCOS

Read the review at the top

A cupcake competition where four contestants compete for $10,000

CUPCAKE WARS

F

21

SWIFTTAKEOVER

written by Anna Kanaley photos courtesy of MTC Campus

Taylor Swift concert leaves a lasting impression that people can’t “shake off”

I

sat through the school day, tapping my foot with anticipation for what that night would bring: flashing lights, sparkling dresses and red lips. I was about to spend my night with Taylor Swift and 12,999 other people.

Taylor performed Monday, Sept. 21 and Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the Sprint Center for her 1989 tour, completely selling out both nights, of course. After her last tour in Kansas City, it wasn’t an option to not go. Luckily, my family managed to score a few tickets, and I got to bring a friend to share the amazing moment.

I arrived at the Sprint Center at 7:10 p.m and quickly found suite 23B, allowing myself 30 minutes to make sure I wouldn’t miss the opening act, folk/pop artist Vance Joy. To add to the amazingness of the night, I shared the suite with the woman responsible for bringing Taylor to Kansas City. I made sure I told her how grateful I was to be there.

When the arena went dark, the crowd hushed for a split second and then there was an uproar of excited screams. We were ready for Taylor.

But when she started belting out her first few lyrics, something happened that really surprised me. The bracelet each audience member, including myself, had received, lit up. Which meant the entire Sprint Center lit up. Throughout the concert, the bracelets flashed in different colors to the beat of each song. At first, I was startled, but then I saw the entire crowd begin to glow in blue, red, green and white. I was part of the set.

Besides the light from the crowd, street lamps and busy street noises filled the stage: it had to be her song, “Welcome to New York.” In each show of the tour, Taylor dedicates a different song to each crowd, which she performs completely solo. For this concert, Taylor decided to perform “You Belong

With Me” because she wanted to play a song that everyone knew.

To keep the surprises rolling, Taylor chooses a different surprise guest for each show. Monday night, Taylor’s guest was country singer Dierks Bentley. I’d never heard of the song they performed, “Every Mile a Memory,” and was pretty letdown. I was expecting someone cooler, like Tech 9 or Selena Gomez.

But the concert and its pizazz went on. Out of her nine different costumes, all of the outfits consisted of sparkles

Crowd Favorites 40% from the 1989 Tour 1 According to a poll of East students who attended the concert

We Are Never Getting Back Together

and/or light up dresses. I wanted to raid her closet, especially for her sparkly silver short dress.

Most of the concert’s songs were from 1989, Taylor’s newest album, but Taylor made sure to include five of her old songs that the crowd knew by heart: “You Belong Like Me,” “Love Story,” “Enchanted,” “We Are Never Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble”. Everyone in my suite, including me, was singing and dancing to all of these classics.

Taylor sang very well overall, and it even seemed like, at some parts, she almost came to tears because she was so happy.

My absolute favorite part of the concert was Taylor’s badass version of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Decked out in her black leather jumpsuit, she played her electric guitar and sang with a kind of edginess that isn’t usually found in her music. It showed a different side of Taylor that the crowd seemed to love.

In between songs, Taylor familiarized herself with the crowd by telling us her experiences with love and heartbreak. She told us if we were heartbroken to not let that bad experience to keep us from opening up to people in the future. While some of her speeches were cliche, most of the crowd found it inspiring.

By the time she said goodnight, my eardrums were pounding and my eyes were drooping. But I definitely wasn’t sick of Taylor. During the car ride home, we blasted 1989 the whole drive back, partying like it was 1989. The concert will be hard to forget, especially since I still find the song “Wildest Dreams” playing in my head weeks later.

25%

2

Love Story

15%

20%

3

I Knew You Were Trouble

4

Shake It Off

22

PREVIEWING THE

Plaza Art Fair Mark Winter

As I approached a large corner tent, I was pulled in like a moth to a light bulb. It wasn’t because of the overwhelming, recycled scrap metal sculptures, or because of the dozens of people scattered around the work. I was intrigued by sculptor Mark Winter, the artist himself. He stood with a content, peaceful look on his face, gazing at the small honey bee dancing around his hand. He took the bee in his hand and let it crawl on up his arm until it flew away. This carefree, friendly nature is prominent in all of Winter’s sculptors.

To make his sculptures, he finds and takes old parts of metal and pieces them together to make a cohesive sculptor.

Out of all the unique art on display at the Plaza Art Fair, these four artists pieces of work stand out

Russel Grace and Angela Kullmann

When photographers Angela Kullmann and Russell Grace first started dating, they knew they would make a perfect pair. The two came together over their newlyfound love of infrared photography. Infrared photography is unique because it uses film or image sensors that are sensitive to infrared light, an invisible radiant energy that isn’t visible to humans.

“We took rolls of infrared film out [to shoot photos] and that’s what we did to have fun and bond,” Kullmann said.

“Now, it’s all we do.”

The resulting images have a distinctive surreal quality, with bold, contrasting black and whites that is created when foliage strongly reflects the infrared light, according to Kullmann.

From emotional horse portraits to melancholy war memorials to Americana modernized landscapes, the

Julie Seymour

Day after day, jeweler Julie Seymour sat quietly at her desk, filing away paperwork and watching goldsmiths deliver their jewelry to the high-end store she worked at. She eventually realized she was on the wrong side of the counter.

Little by little, she taught herself how to manipulate the gold and metals that she would later use for her delicate jewelry.

Using all-natural gemstones and high-carat gold, Seymour hand-fabricates all of her pieces. Fabricating requires ancient skills and technological advances to achieve a much higher level of craftsmanship. Seymour’s inspiration comes from both classic jewelry and ancient jewelry from 250 B.C. This year marked the five-year anniversary of Seymour coming to Kansas City for the fair. The perfect position of her products in delicate glass cases or dangling off steel

Different Lancers share their experiences at the art fair

written by Chloe Stanford

Winter gathers inspiration from music, dreams, other life experiences and art.

“I truly enjoy the freedom and creativity that being an artist brings,” Winter said. “I try not to overthink things when I work.”

Winter’s sculptures look like friendly robot characters out of a children’s book. The random pieces he makes them out of have no relation to each other, but the finished product fuses them together into one connected work of art.

Arabella Tattershell Sculptor Arabella Tattershall is a fashion designer, though she doesn’t use cotton, lace, mesh, or other fabric for her masterpieces. She imagines, creates and executes perfect dresses and torso sculptures, made entirely of steel.

Her “statements in metal” are fit for a princess, and the miniatures would be perfect outfits for Tinkerbell.

Tattershall’s sculptures come to life, using mostly leaves as the shapes, hammered and molded to create a female form. She produces each leaf individually, eventually morphing them together into the picture built in her mind.

She also combines her work with clay and hand-built birds that are companions to the dresses and torsos.

LANCER VOICE

For Tattershall, coming all of the way from Lafayette, Colo. was completely worth it. As she stood in the back of her tent with a slight smile, it was clear that she truly loves her profession.

Tattershall made my list of favorite artists at the show because of the intricacy of her dresses. It takes a creative genius to come up with the things she does, and her work inspires many of her customers and competitors to take risks and do what they love.

“I truly believe that we are born with gifts and it’s our job and work to discover what that is and pursue it,” Tattershall said. “I am very blessed to have found mine.” variety of depth and creativity made Grace and Kullmann my favorite photographers at the show.

“We have created a collection based on everything that inspires and excites us,” Kullmann said.

Their photo process incorporates the use of traditional equipment and techniques, while also applying modern materials and technologies.

I thought Kullman’s best pictures were the peaceful moments captured between two identical horses in a field. Their plainness and contrast made them particularly beautiful. The infrared gave the photographs a bold and stormy look, filling them with emotion.

“We like shooting a variety of things from different ends of the spectrum,” Kullmann said. “We just really enjoy things that truly express our light personalities.”

jewelry hangers drew in a constant flow of customers.

Of all of her pieces, Seymour’s favorite is her pair of moonstone earrings. Moonstone is characterized by an enchanting play of light and the shimmering blue and white that resembles a full moon in the middle of the night.

“I don’t get to wear them because they are for sale,” Seymour said. “Hopefully, a customer will enjoy and appreciate them one day as much as I do.”

I enjoyed Seymour’s jewelry so much because of the timeless beauty and amount of effort she puts into each and every piece. The solid gold and gemstones pieced together by a woman that is passionate about her profession makes the price well worth it.

I usually go down on Sundays and play at Potbelly’s and since the streets were crowded, I decided to just play on the sidewalk, which was a really good choice. It also was so much fun because people would stop and listen and talk to me. A girl even came up and started an impromptu duet.

— said senior Charlie Jensen

I loved the food trucks, even though I only bought sushi. They had amazing food there.

I loved the art too. I never really stopped at each booth to look at each individual piece, but I just loved looking around at all of the different artists. The music was also really enjoyable, I actually got up on the stage with a band at the end of the night.

— saids sophomor e Audrey Kessler

There was one artist that really caught my eye. I didn’t see the name, but they had little framed pictures made with needle and thread.

They were so detailed, you couldn’t help but walk up to get closer to look at all of the intricate pieces.

— saids senior Mary Booton

w

23

AN AN INSIDE LOOK Sculptors, artists and musicians flocked to the Plaza Art Fair to display their work photos by Abby Blake

1 above

Senior Charlie Jensen performed on the sidwalk at the art fair to showcase his music

1 Mark Winter 2 Arabella Tattershall 3 Julie Seymour

2

3

24

Braving the Depending on the person,the Beast provides two different experiences

photo by Kaitlyn Stratman

Scaredy-Cat written by Courtney McClelland Before My intense fear of scary things began as a little kid, when my dad forced me to watch Ghost-

busters and I couldn’t fall asleep for days. After the Ghostbusters incident, I began my lifelong boycott of scary movies. So as you can guess, my idea of a good time has never been wandering around an old, dark building with mysterious figures popping out from the shadows.

But yet there I stood, in line waiting for my turn to enter Kansas City’s “scariest haunted house”: The Beast. In line, I stood paralyzed as the infamous Rat Man stuffed rats into his mouth and handed one to Anna. She jumped at the opportunity, and held it so casually, that you would think she had done it before. The Rat Man symbolizes everything I hate about haunted houses, with his gory face paint and tattered costume, rats crawling out of his pockets and an undeniable odor of sewage. Not only was I welcomed by Rat Man, but while waiting in line, the beast himself, a seven-foot-tall green werewolf, spotted my fear and took advantage of it. He began circling around me, growling at me as I made a sad attempt to hide behind Anna, only to be greeted with laughter from her. I was beginning to question why I signed up for this.

During Regret washed over me as I walked into The Beast. Mysterious figures concealed with masks and face paint were jumping out all over the place. They would lurk inches away from me, as I did my best to hide behind Anna — with little success. She seemed to enjoy listening to my high - pitched screams and watching me fall over in fear.

As I entered the room where a chainsaw murderer awaited, I could hear faint screams ahead of me. I walked through the narrow passageway, with a railing on one side and a masked man holding a running chainsaw on the other. As I began to walk by, I felt the rubber chainsaw rub against my leg. I buckled over in fear. I had nowhere to go, the chainsaw lay between me and my only chance of freedom. I ran as fast as I could, but the chainsaw still caught me, causing me to stumble into Anna waiting on the other side. And then came the pinnacle of all haunted houses: a mock insane asylum full of blood and guts. While I knew these were all simply props, my imagination couldn’t help but wander to “what if”.

However, the worst had to be the strobe light illuminated room, filled with doors and different masked figures waiting behind each for you. Despite the room’s intended scare factor, Anna paused to celebrate how cool hitting the whip looked in the strobe light. But with my patience dwindling and my headache growing, I frantically scrambled to find the fastest possible exit. Only one more obstacle stood in my way: the exit.

After

I stood in the windowsill, looking three stories down at the trampoline that lay below me. I was about to jump. The grumpy employee told me I had five seconds to jump or I would have to take the stairs down to exit. Since I had made it this far through the haunted house, I was going to go out with a bang. Before I had too much more time to think, I stepped out from the window and prepared to plummet to my death. I hit the trampoline with such force, it felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. I not-so-gracefully rolled off the trampoline, where my feet finally touched the ground and I could breath fresh air again. I looked up and couldn’t believe I had just jumped from the side of a building; I felt like I should be a stunt double in the next Indiana Jones movie.

Walking back to the car, I was still fidgety, waiting for someone to jump out and scare me.

While I won’t deny that I had fun at the haunted houses, that fun came at a price: the nightmares I would be having later. Despite my complete fear of everything scary, I would consider it a must visit for anyone.

Thrill-Seeker written by Anna Dierks Before A squirming rat hung out of the Rat Man’s mouth as I clutched another in my hand. How

odd is it that this man is being paid to shove rodents in his mouth? As Courtney screamed and ran, I didn’t feel disturbed. We had only been in line long enough to encounter two of The Beast’s characters roaming around outside when I made my first “scary person” friendship. The alliance between me and the Rat Man was sealed when he patted my back and promised free tickets when I returned later in the “scaring season”. Honestly I think he just liked me because I was one of the few haunted house-goers that didn’t immediately run away from him.

A part of me finds it incredibly morbid to confess that I love being scared out of my mind and have a passion for haunted houses. I’ve claimed since the fourth grade that if I ever worked at Panera, my name tag would read “Hi, my name is Anna and my passion is HAUNTED HOUSES.” So naturally, when Courtney suggested we try something outside of our typical Friday “football game then Winstead’s hangout” routine, I immediately jumped to the perfect solution: taking on Kansas City’s “scariest haunted house,” The Beast.

During

“Five dollars if you get one of the actors to break character,” Courtney dared me.

The challenge was on. My friends were gripping each other’s shirts, arms and hair in terror as we ascended the grand staircase at the beginning of our tour. At the top of the stairs, I went for a fist bump with a woman dressed in black, tattered clothing and an unreasonable amount of black face paint. I attribute my failure to the fact that my whole train of friends was watching our interaction intently; surely the witch wouldn’t want to show weakness in front of a large group. I shrugged and moved on, my determination unwavering.

From then on, I figured holding up the back of the pack must be the way to go, hoping I’d get the most interaction with the characters from there. We passed through rooms of simple decor, sometimes just blank walls with a chair and character in the corner. Not knowing if the character was living or not, I pleaded for them to “hit the whip.” Most of the time I just walked away embarrassed, realizing that the slouching figure was really just a stuffed doll.

But, when we reached a strobe-light illuminated room with various doors and jokers running around, I made my first five dollars. This particular joker had scared Courtney so badly she nearly collapsed, so I tried again with a fist bump. He whispered to me that physical interaction wasn’t allowed, so we defaulted to an “air fist bump”. Throughout the rest of the night I collected two “air fist bumps,” one “air high five” and even got a blood covered butcher to sing Ellie Goulding’s “Lights,” but I’m not completely sure how that happened.

After

At the end of our venture through The Beast, we were given the option of “taking the jump” or walking down the stairs. I wasn’t sure what “taking the jump” meant, but I was more than ready to find out.

After turning a couple corners, we came to an open door with a wooden plank leading out twenty feet above the ground. The woman stationed near the door warned that we had five seconds to jump onto our butt or back after mounting the plank, or we’d have to take the stairs, but I was already out of the building. Landing on a giant blob filled with air, I scrambled to my left and waited for my friends to descend.

At this point, my adrenaline was still running high, so I rushed my friends off the blob and demanded we search around the block for more haunted house characters to befriend.

However, most of the group was over the whole “scary” thing, so I backed off and agreed to head home.

25

The South and East gymnastics teams set aside their rivalry to practice as one

the

written by Caleb Krakow photos by Hailey Hughes

S

enior Lucy Tubbert wasn’t aware of the bond she was going to create as she walked into her first practice at Shawnee Mission South. In all other sports, South is known as the enemy to East students, but for the past two years, the rivalry between East and South has been put aside for gymnastics. All eight of the East girls’ gymnastics team members travel to South every day after school to practice. The two teams practice together and share Jennie Terflinger as their head coach, and Bernadette Wagner is their assistant coach.

“Honestly, Wags is like our grandma and Jennie is like our mom. They are the sweetest people out there,” Tubbert said.

This is Terflinger’s second year coaching both the teams, and her tenth year overall coaching gymnastics. Terflinger has the two teams working and practicing together everyday.

“Its really weird that we have to drive out there every day, but South is very welcoming.

We’re all basically one big team,” sophomore Mya Hutcherson said.

Although they aren’t truly one big team, the members feel this way because they have

dinners and hang out together. Terflinger gave them the option to have team dinners separate at the beginning of the season, but the girls decided to have them combined.

“The girls are so nice to each other you’d think we are just one team,” Terflinger said. “If you walked into the gym you wouldn’t notice there are two schools, especially two rivalry schools.”

Last year, East had a great season, but this year East is missing two gymnasts, with sophomore Jesse Stint and junior Rachel Rodgers both out with ankle injuries. South has 12 team members opposed to East’s 8.

Because of how gymnastics is scored, South will automatically have a better overall team score, because the more players you have

the higher the team score will be. East is currently ranked sixth overall out of the 13 teams in the league, while South is ranked second. “[East’s] score isn’t really where it needs to be right now, but when [the injured girls] come back we will be a lot of stronger, ” Terflinger said.

As the coach for East and South, Terflinger finds it difficult to lead both teams during a meet, especially during a small meet of 3-5 schools. Terflinger has a hard time coaching both teams at once. Events often happen at the same time, so she misses watching her girls in some areas.

If you walked into the gym you wouldn’t notice there are two schools, especially two rivalry schools.

Larger meets, which are usually comprised of 8-10 schools, are a bit easier for Terflinger to manage. In a large meet, both the schools do the same events and don’t move on until everyone from East and South finishes the same event.

“Luckily I have a great assistant that has been coaching at Shawnee Mission Schools for 20-plus years,” Terflinger said, so we will split up and I will coach, say vault and balance beam, and my assistant Bernadette Wagner will take uneven bars and floor exercise.”

The two teams have come together, and for state, eight schools will qualify and three teams win it. With this setup, East and South could both win state. So, the two of them could both achieve their goals.

“Coach Terflinger has really brought our teams together,” Tubbert said. “We’ve created a bond that is almost unbreakable.”

— said head Coach Jennie Terflinger

Not an Average Team East

12 8 South

Statistics about East/South gymnastics team

2

injured

6

not injured

above

South gymnast, senior Tara Anderson, left, leans over to talk east gymnasts junior Kalin Lamus, middle, and senior Lucy Tubbert, right

# of South and East members on the team

# of injured and non-injured team mates

Strategy. Experience. Compassion.

Fighting for the injured and their families.

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Visit PottengerLaw.com or call 816-531-6006 today for a free consultation.

A FAMIL of

Football

Sophomore varsity football player Milton Braasch’s passion comes from his cousin’s love for sports written by Harrison Gooley

N

ew York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick Another benefit to having a pro cousin is Braasch is calling out audibles and watching the having the chance to meet big name players, who defense line up. Trash talk is flying back were once great players on their high school teams. and forth between linemen. He drops back in the “Because of the people I’ve met through Ryan that pocket with perfect steps, scanning the secondary for play in the NFL, I always assumed that they were on open receivers. He whips a tight spiral 20 yards, and Varsity as freshman, so I’d want to achieve what they the ball is caught by first grader Milton Braasch. achieved,” said Braasch. “It makes me want to work Now a sophomore, Braasch has grown up in a that much harder.” family situation that has given him a large advantage Having the ability to work with and watch in his football career: his cousin, Ryan Fitzpatrick, the someone who is playing at the top of their game gives starting quarterback for the New York Jets.

Braasch an even higher goal set for himself. Since Through the years, Braasch has been a smart, he was five years old, Braasch has been watching go-getting player in his cousin play in the NFL. He every sport he played, says Fitzpatrick’s success drives “Because of the people I’ve met through including soccer, himself to become a player who Ryan that play in the NFL, I always assumed could someday reach that level. lacrosse, basketball and that they were on Varsity as freshman, so I’d football. When a coach Braasch has utilized his want to achieve what they achieved,” needed something done, inspiration from the success

— said sophomore Milton Braasch of his cousin to strengthen his they would put him in to do the job right. This love for the game and better his was especially true when it came to football. His love motivation to become a top tier player. Going into his for the game, mixed with his strength, agility and freshman year, he was invited by Coach Delaney to aggressiveness created an excellent player. attend the varsity summer camps and play in summer “Milton definitely has a passion for the game,” said scrimmages. Once the season started, Braasch was Dick Hall, Braasch’s elementary school coach. “Even in a rotation for middle linebacker, and started on in flag football, he played like it was tackle. He was a special teams. very intense player.”

Going through his childhood and feasting his eyes The inspiration from his cousin’s success on the talent of his cousin, Braasch has emulated feeds Braasch’s desire to become a better player. the work ethic of Fitzpatrick. This season, Braasch For example, the weightlifting records set by the is the starting outside linebacker on varsity, along Fitzpatrick brothers gives him something to work with junior Eli McDonald. Every stop made and every towards and eventually beat. turnover forced, Braasch seems to be involved.

27 Fitzpatrick’s Career

college football for 1 Played Harvard University into the NFL by St. 2 Drafted Louis Rams in 2005 to the Cincinnati 3 Traded Bengals in 2007

by Buffalo Bills two 4 Drafted years later in 2009 2013, Fitzpatrick signed 5 Ina two year contract to the Tennessee Titans

by Texans to New 7 Traded York Jets in March 2015 a two year contract 6 Signed with Houston Texans in 2014

left

Sophomore Milton Braasch and his cousin, professional NFL player, Ryan Fitzpatrick

29

STAND

UP

and

Senior Luke Ehly

Q: How do you plan on making the student section different from last year?

A: “We definitely want to get the freshmen incorporated. We just want everyone to be cheering. Last year, a lot of the time the kids in the back weren’t saying anything, and we want to get everyone going.”

Q: If we were losing, what would you guys do to motivate the crowd and players?

A: “A lot of the time it’s harder to cheer when we are crushing teams. What do we have to cheer for? We already won the game. If we’re losing, unless it’s a “we’ve lost” losing, we’re going to be cheering even harder, because it will be fun that it’s a close game, and we’re trying to get back on track.”

Senior Henry Churchill

A

group of senior boys embrace their positions as the heads of East’s student section. These ‘Yell Leaders’ answer questions about they plan to make the student section the best East has ever seen.

Senior Andrew Stottle

Q: How do you plan to get the entire crowd involved?

A: “For some chants we go up to the freshmen and sophomores to tell them what to do. Some of us stand up in the freshmen section to help them get the message or else no one cheers. If they don’t, then the chants don’t always work out how people want them to.”

Senior George Colby Q: How would you react if you saw people disappointed?

A: “I feel like once people start getting disinterested, it usually happens when [East is] up by 40, you just kind of have to do a cheer like ‘roller coaster’ where everyone sees everyone doing something so they have to get involved. Or a cheer like ‘Do It,’ that’s a good one because you have to do it if you are a freshman or sophomore. That just encourages them to cheer. The juniors and seniors are fine and always are enthusiastic.”

Q: How do you get people into the game?

A: “I spread the word about the game.

During the first game I was kind of nervous about starting chants, but then I realized if you just go for it, then everyone else will start doing what you’re doing.”

Q: How do you come up with new cheers?

A: “We kind of just look at what some college student sections do. They are the ones who have really good cheers and we try to emulate what they do. Sometimes professional soccer teams come up with some really good cheers that we copy too.”

Senior Mark Ward

Q: What about your personality makes you a good leader?

A: “I think Luke Haverty’s year he ran the student section really well. He made it really rowdy and we all looked up to that. We all thought that, for all the football guys and basketball guys, we want the student section to be loud and make the game more fun for their experience. I play sports myself and I want the game to be more fun for [the players] so I try to get everyone riled up. That’s more my personality, I think it’s more fun when everyone is being loud and rowdy.”

written by Tyler Keys photos by Hailey Hughes

Senior Matthew Erdner

Q: Why do you think a big student section is important to the players?

A: “It really gets them fired up and makes them want to play that much harder for all the students that are there because they want the team to win.”

Senior Nick Mantel

Q: What is one game that sticks out to you from this year?

A: “The first game I went on top of Luke’s shoulders to do the ‘roller coaster’ chant. I thought that was pretty awesome to have about 500 kids do the exact same thing right behind you, it’s pretty fun.”

Q: What is your main goal in leading the games?

A: “Honestly we want to help out as much as we can. The football players already do their part, we kind of have to do our part to make sure that they perform to the best of their abilities.”

left

The Yell Leaders pose with their favorite chants, dressed in their favorite themes

31 E DI T ION

John Arnspiger Cross Country

Q: During the season do you try and eat anything special to help your performance?

Q: How do you specifically try and in-season for football?

A: In season, it’s more just like keeping your weight An inside look about what athletes eat written by Claire Potenger photos by Joeseph Cline

Peter Haynes Football

Q: Do you have any team dinner traditions?

A: Probably like 30 guys from the team, every

Thursday night go to Johnny’s because it’s buy one get one free burger night. So we have a bunch of the team meet up there, and pretty much the whole team orders Slim Wilsons which is the biggest burger they have.

Then sometimes you’ll order a side of wings to go with it and split it with someone. Then everyone gets a pink lemonaid because we are told not to have pop.

Q: You said you try and eat a lot, is it specifically carbs or protein or what?

A: I mean not really anything in particular, there

is definitely a focus on protein because that builds mass. Other than that not really, just whatever you can find.

you have to eat a lot more than you generally would outside of season because we do a lot of work at practice and in games, then also in weights class. I’d say trying to gain weight really as far as football goes is more out of season. Over the offseason a lot of the guys have to put on 15-20 lbs so they just eat a bunch of protein after weights. You’ll walk into the locker room after weights class and there will just be 10 different guys just dumping protein in blender bottles trying to eat as much as they can.

Q: You said you try and eat a lot, is it specifically carbs or protein or what?

A: I mean not really anything in particular, there

is definitely a focus on protein because that builds mass. Other than that not really, just whatever you can find.

Q: Do you drink protein after you work out?

A: For me I usually do protein bars. It depends on

what kind, like right now I am trying out a new kind, Pure Protein bars.

Q: What do you eat before games on Friday’s?

A: They bring Chick-Fil-A to school. Usually ev-

eryone eats it. You just get your food then go to the locker room then hang out for an hour and wait to leave for the game.

A: Usually throughout the week we just eat mas-

sive amounts of food and it doesn’t matter, because we burn so many calories running. I feel like I am a pretty hungry person in general also, I just like to eat.

Q: Is there anything else as a team you guys all eat?

A: There’s a lot of Clif Bars. Those are really good

for sustaining energy during a run. One thing we do during the season is also try and eat a balanced meal.

We try and get all the different types of protein, then on top of that all the different food categories. We just don’t worry about the quantity because we don’t gain weight that easily.

Q: What do you eat before the day of the race?

A: Well to avoid vomiting all I usually eat is honey and graham crackers. If I eat too much I would hurl, and honey is instant energy and doesn’t stay in your stomach.

Q: What do you usually eat after race day?

A: Oh I just pig out, my favorite thing to get is bar-

beque breakfast from RJ’s Bob-Be-Que Shack. I get the burnt ends on over easy eggs on toast, smothered in BBQ sauce.

Q: Do you have any team traditions, like team meals once a week?

A: We do carbo-loads every friday nights, which is

like a lot of bread and pasta and stuff. So last Friday, we went to Italian Delight as a team. I am not really sure why we do it but apparently it’s supposed to help you in your race the next day.

32

photo by Joseph Cline

photo by Hailey Hughes

photo by Hailey Hughes

left

above

Senior Robert Duff Looking up towards the mast, Duff waits holds the tension to for the wind to pick up the ropes for the jib, directing the sailboat towards the dock

smooth photo by Hailey Hughes

top

Duff sets up the mainsail before departing from the dock on a Hobie 33 sailboat

S ILING

bottom

Duff’s sailboat can be seen on the horizen of Perry Lake

Senior Robert Duff spends his weekends on Perry Lake where he works to master his sailing skills