Spreads

07 Snapshot your life

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Left: Junior Michelle Parsons cracks up during the cheerleaders vs. drill team basketball game at the can drive assembly, which the drill team lost. “It was brutal. The cheerleaders really wanted to win,” Parsons said. “I got tripped and had to go out.” Photo by Karen Boomer. Junior Sam Slosburg performs as Crow in “Wild Oats.” “‘Wild Oats’ was the most fun I’ve had working on a show,” Slosburg said. “Everybody was really good together and the accents were really funny.” Photo by Hannah Brewer. Senior Abbey Bavley cracks up as she watches auditions for “The Odd Couple.” “With such a small cast it ended up being an amazingly hysterical show,” Bavley said. Photo by Hannah Brewer. Junior Andrew Pennington leaps over a hurdle in track practice. “I had fun working with the other kids on the team,” Pennington said. “We do hard workouts at practice that aren’t very fun, but it pays off in the meets.” Photo by Kelsey Brown. Senior Ashlan Fischer calls to people to get them to sign up for her project at the Share Fair. Photo by Abba Goehausen. Senior Sara Steinwart cheers at the Rockhurst basketball game. “We got there really early to get in the front row but we had to make people move,” Steinwart said. “It was cool to be really close to the game.” Photo by Samantha Ludington. Below: Sophomore Tommy Gray impersonates a piano teacher at a Forensics tournament. “I like that Forensics is something you can devote your time to and feel a sense of personal accomplishment,” Gray said. “I like fooling people and making them laugh.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

Snapshot Shawnee Mission East High School

7500 Mission Road Prairie Village, KS 66208

Phone 913 993 6688 Volume 49 Enrollment 1945 www.smsd.org Hauberk 2007

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Left: Outside his workroom, senior Paul Akers uses fire to mold metal into a belt buckle. Photo by Samantha Ludington. During the boys Varsity basketball game against Shawnee Mission West, seniors Andrew Faerber, Andrew Barnert and Lane Sturgeon cheer from the stands. The team went on to win 41-28. Photo by Tayler Philips. Sophomore Rikki Eyman rolls clay during Ceramics to create a vase. Photo by Katie Woods. Sophomore Chad Allen swims the free style during swimming practice. Photo by Karen Boomer. Emptying her paint pan, junior Maia Schall cleans up after working on the junior float for the Lancer Day parade. The float had a “Toy Story� theme. Photo

by Karen Boomer. During the Little Lancer Cheer clinic, senior Abbey Blick spins an elementary school girl around in circles. Photo by Jenny Howard. Below: Bending over a trash can, seniors Bailey Thomas, Betsey Jenson, Molly Emert and Christy Beeder swallow their Happy Meal Shake given to them during Singled Out. The money raised went to the StuCo can drive. Photo by Sarah Andrews. Right: During the Cross Country car wash, sophomore Patrick Mayfield scrubs the rims on an Audi. Photo by Katie Woods.

your life

Before standing on the track, looking at all of your future classmates during Lancer Launch. Before staring at your closet, agonizing over the perfect outfit and finding shoes you can walk down the ramp in. Before making the perfect mix on your iPod to get you through your first English paper. Before school night curfews, alarm clocks and fifty minute class periods. Before pep assemblies, Lancer Day floats and new football uniforms.

The year is a blank slate, waiting for us to fill it with our moments. The memories of late night play practice, chemistry labs and book reports. That snapshots have yet to be taken.

Snapshot The year is about to begin.

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Striking a pose, senior Jessica Melvin finishes her drill team dance to, “Keep it Up” during the first pep assembly of the year. “[It] was so exciting because we all play off each other’s energy,” Melvin said. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

Senior Taylor Cantril laughs after Senior Peter Reiz blacks out during his time trial run. “[cross country] is an outlet for my more competitive side. It gives our group of guys a chance to hang out after school,” Reiz said.

Photo by Karen Boomer.

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During one of the first practices of the year, freshman Katy Kettler attempts to perfect her splits on the balance beam. “I like the beam because you don’t run out of steam. It’s scary but it’s also fun. You can keep the thought of winning in your head,” Kettler said. Photo by Jessica Sweeney.

Seniors Lily Carpenter and Grant Sharp spin pottery during their ceramics class. “It was my second time taking the class, I loved it because it was a chance to get my hands dirty,” Carpenter said. Photo by Jessica Sweeney.

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Falling into a hug, seniors Anna Zeiger and Betsey Morris enjoy their down time in their fifth hour STUCO class. “We set the backbone for the different activities that are going on, but the best time is when we don’t have anything going on, and we get to play Scrabble and stuff,” Morris said. Photo by Hannah Brewer.

Representing the Winters family, Mr. John Goodman gives a speech at Paige Winters’ Memorial. His daughter, Anne Goodman, attended the ceremony. “Paige was like my sister and she and my dad always had a really joking relationship so it was weird watching him talk about her in such a different way,” Goodman said. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

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Junior Catherine Ward cheers on her team during their team games softball game. “It was nice having a break and being outside and doing something other than sitting in class,” Ward said. Photo by Abba Goehausen.

Senior Frances Lafferty cuts out paper for posters during the first StuCo poster party of the year at Bailey and Kirby Thomas’ house.

“It’s always a mess. Glitter always goes everywhere and we have to put down newspapers but they’re always fun,” Lafferty said. Photo by Paige Ledbetter.

your fresh start.

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During the football Black and Blue game, junior Matt Baker listens as Coach John Stonner reflects on the game. “It was a shock to be on the varsity level. The games play a lot faster and everyone is more skilled. If you make a mistake, everyone knows about it,” Baker said. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

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During after school volleyball practice, seniors Tiffani Burch, Emily Watkins and junior Kasey Sauls take a break on the sidelines. “We always talk and laugh about what happens in games. We have so many inside jokes,” Sauls said. Photo by Katie Woods.

Studying her reflection in a mirror, sophomore Joan Turner prepares to draw her self-portrait in her second hour drawing class taught by Mr.Filbeck. This was their second project in the class, and they were challenged to draw a detailed picture. Later on in the semester, students repeated the project with pastels and watercolors. Photo by Jessica Sweeney.

Snapshot August “I came home from Germany. Living in a different country for a month changes your perspective and coming back was a little strange.” senior Perry Gross Aug 4, 2006

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Aug 7, 2006 “I went to this amazing summer camp which was a great way to end summer and start a new year as a sophomore.� sophomore Lauren Gruenebaum

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It amazes me how many people say hello to me or smile at me in the halls. It’s such a warm community.

Dr. Susan Swift

your principal

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She always keeps a small Her favorite hobby is She loves to travel; she can of bug spray in her to curl up with a book even lived in England for car during the summer She is a reformed runner two years time (it hurts her knees, but she While in college, she She admits that asking her about still runs on treadmills) watched “Thoroughly her grandkids is a guaranteed Modern Millie” in way to get her talking theaters five times

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“I was on the reality show ‘Endurance: High Sierras.’ I loved it, I mean you’re on TV. I made the best friends of my life.” freshman Max MacFarland Aug 9, 2006

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Dr. Swift experiences her first time as a principal, second time as Lancer

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19 years old Aug 10, 2006 “During Lancer Launch, I was practicing opening my locker and then my best friend locked me in it.” freshman Alexa Schnieders

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It was the first day of high school, and freshmen spilled through the doors. Marked by varying looks of confusion and nerves, each scrambled to find his or her friends, not to mention their homeroom. Dr. Susan Swift was quite familiar with this first day feeling of exhilaration and apprehension. She too had experienced her first day at Shawnee Mission East as a freshman. This time, however, she had to prepare to do her first day of high school all over again, this time as the principal.

Just like a freshman, Swift woke up extra early on her first day back in high school. She specifically picked out her outfit, a navy blue suit, before heading to school. Swift was feeling nervous and excited as she prepared for the first day, but most of all, she was ready to be back.

“I was like, okay, finally school is starting,” Swift said.

Previously working in Blue Valley’s district office as the assistant superintendent, Swift decided she was ready to be working with kids again. This had been something she loved, but couldn’t do as a district officer.

“I decided it was time to come back to where I was having the most fun,” Swift said.

However, Swift admitted that it was the number of kids that she found the most difficult about East because of her personality as a nurturer.

“I like to know people’s names, what grades they are in, what activities they do,” Swift said, “and with nearly 2,000 students, that’s daunting,” However, getting to know the kids and their families was also what Swift looked forward to most about her position at East.

“I’m looking forward to the things we can do together,” Swift said.

When she accepted the principal position, Swift returned to her own alma mater, where the senior class gift that she and the rest of her Student Council had chosen still hung: the clock in the main entrance. Swift immediately noticed that it was 20 minutes off, but was nevertheless happy to see that it was still there. She took care to make sure that it correctly kept time.

On the first day of school, Swift focused on becoming refamiliar with everything in the school and getting to know the people.

She took special care to stop by nearly every classroom, and specifically paid attention to the school’s entrances. She watched the students enter the building and tried to get a feel for the routine of the school.

“It amazes me how many people say hello to me or smile at me in the halls . It’s such a warm community,” Swift said, “and really and truly, what makes this community are the people who are in it.” Story by Maureen Orth

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Dr. Swift Snapshot

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Junior Kathryne Munsch holds a little girl from an orphanage in the Dominican with juniors Jack Peterson and Erin Aitkin. “They all wanted to be held,” Munsch said. “Even though we couldn’t speak the same language, we interacted just through playing.” Photo courtesy of Adrienne Wood.

your summer trip

Right: Junior Erin Aitkin works with concrete while building a latrine in the Dominican. “The best part was interacting with the same kids every day,” Aitkin said.

“Not only were we building something for them, we were forming relationships with them.” Photo courtesy of Adrienne Wood.

sophomore Mave O’Conner: Ireland•

•freshman Anna Petro: Germany junior Karen Boomer: Italy•

•senior Carrie Paulette: Honduras •senior Alex Hodges: Kenya

junior Zach Zwibelman: Australia•

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Snapshot August “[The IEOP charity book fair] was absolutely amazing, we sold alot of books, but it killed my back.” junior Carly Putnam

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Globe

TROTTERS

Design by Brooke Stanley

Group trips explore, create, and offer aid in different parts of the world

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

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After a long day of hard work in the field trying to earn money for their families, kids living in the Dominican Republic gathered at the town baseball field to play, to laugh, and to have fun - an opportunity they did not often receive.

Over Spring Break the Village Presbyterian Youth Group spent ten days entertaining the children and doing medical work in various little towns in the Dominican Republic. The people of the towns filed into lines and waited for their examination. The medical work the students offered included recording weight and age, taking blood pressure and giving the people de-worming medicine.

“We not only did the medical work,” junior Jack Peterson said. “We also tried to talk to people, take the load off and help them enjoy life.”

For Peterson, the trip opened his eyes and made him more aware of how well off he and his family were.

“It made me appreciate what I have a lot more,” Peterson said. “Just seeing how they appreciate what little they have so much more than any of us do here.”

Coming home was hard. For many, it was good to be reunited with their families, but for Peterson, it was a surreal feeling.

“It was so much fun to interact with the kids,” Peterson said. “I wanted to stay there and watch them grow up. I knew once I left, I wouldn’t be able to see that.”

NEW ORLEANS Senior Rachel Cope sat amidst the Village Presbyterian high school Youth Group. Looking out the window of the bus to New Orleans, Cope caught sight of the wreckage in the distance. Soon everyone saw and the whole bus became silent.

“It was just unbelievable,” Cope said. “I couldn’t believe that all this damage could happen in our country.”

In the ninth ward, a low elevation area for low-income houses, most of the damage was caused by water. Black mold covered everything in sight. In preparation for gutting a house, students searched through closets finding molded schoolwork, papers and shoes.

“I could see the water lines on all the houses from where water had been sitting for months,” Cope said.

In Biloxi, however, most of the damage was caused by wind. Pieces of houses covered the city ground. The wind even carried away a whole house, leaving only the stairs standing isolated in an empty lot.

One week later, it was time to head home. Many felt a great sense of accomplishment, which, according to Cope was perfectly legitimate. However, Cope and a few others didn’t want to leave the job unfinished. Cope felt guilty.

“I felt selfish, leaving a city so in need of us and going home to a completely furnished house,” Cope said.

A house gutted by the New Orleans volunteer group. “Before this trip, I felt like the problems in New Orleans were over with,” sophomore Alexx Abreu said. “Now I realize these people still need our help.” Photo courtesy of Taylor Cantril.

A castle the Nickels’ trip visited in Japan. “The shrines and castles were amazing,” sophomore Kate Collison said. “They’ve been there for thousands of years.” Photo courtesy of Emily Francis.

JAPAN The energy of the crowd buzzed through the baseball stadium as the giant bass drum introduced the traditional mid-game show. After the participants took their places in the middle of the field, they blew up balloons and simultaneously released them into the sky, creating high-pitched screams. Underneath the falling snow of deflated white balloons, students on the Nickels’ trip danced amidst the baseball-worshipping locals of Japan.

On their trip, the students passed through Tokyo, Kyoto, and Takayama, where they visited the Imperial Palace, Buddhist shrines, and the Tokyo and Kyoto Towers. The group of 35 students also visited the Nara Deer Park, where they fed the people-friendly animals.

Led by their tour guide Rocky, they discovered and experienced the basic cultural differences between America and Japan.

“The people are calmer and more into tradition and culture,” sophomore Emily Brandmeyer said. “They have this greater respect for themselves, the people around them and their country as a whole.”

NEW YORK It was almost time. The Blue Knights Jazz Band members paced anxiously in the waiting room. Only a single wall separated them from the spotlight. At last the time came. With emotions flowing, each musician took their place on the stage. Instruments to the ready, they knew that this was their chance to shine.

Every year, the Blue Knights sent in a recording of three songs to the Essentially Ellington Jazz Fest. The group hadn’t been accepted since the year 2001, and none of them expected the chance to ever go again. But this year, things were different.

After intense practice everyday at school, and hours of practice at home, the Blue Knights members were prepared to leave on May 17 for their four-day trip to N.Y.C. While there, they competed against 14 other high school bands. They performed three pieces before the judges: “Idiom 59 Part II,” “Across the Track Blues” and “Stompy Jones.” Mr. Harrison tried to warn them of the high level performance that they would face.

“It was nothing like I expected,” senior Quin Jackson said. “I mean, I was told it was high, but the level of musicianship was amazing. Some bands were just really, really good - that’s the only way to put it.”

Though they didn’t place in the top three, they arrived home with smiles on their faces. Mr. Harrison was proud of their performance, and to them, being chosen as one of the top 15 jazz bands in the U.S. was an accomplishment in itself. Stories by Andrea Tudhope

Aug 12, 2006 “The time trials were a great way for all of the freshman to get a feel for cross country. Everyone was looking forward to the season together.” freshman Will Penner

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Summer Trips Snapshot

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B senior Abbey Blick fainted during her first tournament

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senior Kathleen Bole can do 220 ups in a row

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senior Olivia Curran took up tennis two weeks before senior try outs

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senior Meg Fracol started playing tennis in 8th grade with her father for fun

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senior Tess Hedrick threw up on court in 4th grade

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senior Mallory Kornhaus favorite player is Andy Rodick

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senior Danielle Larrabee and her family competitve tennis

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senior Alex Lee didn’t start playing until she was 12 years old

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senior Courtney Newell met best friend playing tennis in second grade

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senior Melissa Powell met best friend playing tennis in second grade

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senior Jessica Wochner has been on Varsity all 4 years

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After coming out second in state, the new year challenges players to work hard.

senior Emily Darling had same doubles partner all four years

senior Ellie Weed worked at a tennis store year round

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senior Lindy Cope favorite place to play is Maples, Flordia

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Far Above: Junior Rachel Mayfield and Senior Olivia Curran celebrate after winning two matches in a row at the Blazer Inventational. “Rachel and I are really competitive during matches, but we always joke and give each other high-fives,” Curran said. Photo by Molly Oeffner. Above: Freshman Nikki Reber sets up to return a ball during a hot August practice. “I’ve never played on a team before, I’ve just always done singles. It really helps when you have a team to support you,” Reber said. photo by Rachel Clarke.

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The excitement was in the air as the girls took the court on the first day of try-outs. While they warmed up with forehands, backhands, serves, and volleys they talked about the season ahead. They got to know the new players on the team, and discussed the idea of going all the way to state.

Coming off a year of placing second in State, the younger girls looked forward to the challenge of this season. Without several players from the previous season, the girls would be needed to take the team all the way.

The season focused on reconfiguring the ladder and redistributing the team’s effort to reflect on individual strengths and weaknesses. The coaches wanted to make sure everyone was placed based on their skill level for the fall season rather than the year before.

“Usually everyone kind of knows where they stand,” senior Abbey Blick said. “This year we came out and the first day of practice we had to play each other in challenge matches.”

Even once the ladder was tentatively set, there was still room for change. The girls had an opportunity to challenge those placed above them and to allow the coaches to change their rankings.

“Every year the ladder is a work in progress,” Coach Sue Chipman said. “We just want to make sure we have the girls right by the end. That way the top six will have ample opportunity for a record to get the best seed in league.”

The team was looking forward to improving their game as a whole. But there was always the goal of getting all the way to state and upholding the reputation that the team had built in the past few years.

“The main goal is just to keep making the team better.” sophomore Paige Anderson said. “Improving consistency and hard work to take the team to State again.”

The beginning of the season was centered on getting the year started and rebuilding the team. But as the season went on, the focus changed to reaching the goal of placing first in State.

With a team composed of many sophomores and freshmen, work could also be done to improve the team for the next seasons.

“We’re working towards the long term.” junior Emily Whitney said. “Whatever is best for the younger girls will be continued.” story by Jennifer Latshaw

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Snapshot August “At my first soccer game of the season, I wiffed the ball when I was shooting and the ball was just sitting on the goal line. My coach just rolled his eyes at me.” sophomore Grace Haun Aug 12, 2006

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Senior Lindy Cope returns a hit at the Blazers Inventational.

“I like tennis because it’s so much more laid back then all the other sports I play,” Cope said. Photo by Rachel Clarke.

photos by St efanie Enge r

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3 Left: Senior Tess Hedrick returns a serve during a match. Competition this year was tough, especially against Shawnee Mission West. “There was a German exchange student from West this year. I lost to her and that got me out at qualifier’s so I couldn’t go to State this year,” Hedrick said. photo by Stephanie Enger. Right: Junior Emily Cray, Seniors Danielle Larrabee and Kathleen Bole work on homework before practice. photo by Rachel Clarke.

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junior Emily Whitney

a towel sunscreen make-up a pencil and pen hair rubber bands

“The first day of soccer tryouts was pretty nerve racking because it was my first time trying out for a high school sport.” freshman Mac Tamblyn

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Girl’s Tennis Snapshot

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Junior Kirby Thomas smiles in relief as her fellow StuCo members catch her falling backward in a team activity at TimberRidge. “It was the scariest thing,” Thomas said. “But TimberRidge was a great icebreaker. It brought all the new and old people together.” Photo by Karen Boomer

your StuCo changes Voice box

Can drive assembly

A suggestion box in the main hall offered students the opportunity to share their opinions and ideas with StuCo.

StuCo brought back an assembly with a performance from The Case and a rolling can race to excite the students about donating.

Photo by Paige Ledbetter

Photo by Paige Ledbetter

Poster party StuCo members created eyecatching posters ahead of time to get the students more interested in attending events.

Photo by Hannah Gillaspie

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Snapshot August “We did our dance that we had won awards for at camp, and were really excited to show the school. You know when the crowd likes it because they cheer.” junior Dylan Roth Aug 17, 2006

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hearing every hearing every voice

VOICE Design by Brooke Stanley

StuCo uses students’ opinions to improve dances and other events In pain, junior Alex Eisenach finishes his team’s TimberRidge challenge by getting off a log. “I was the last one who had to get up on this pole and slide across, so there was no one to help me up,” Eisenach said. “It hurt for obvious reasons since I’m a guy.” Photo by Paige Ledbetter.

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Far above: Juniors David Isenberg, Drew Popplewell and Sylvia Shank and sophomore Jennifer Latshaw laugh at a joke during a Wednesday morning StuCo meeting. “We always get fresh donuts for mornings,” Shank said. “Only the best!” Photo by Whitney Van Way. Above: Senior Betsy Morris climbs over a log for a challenge at TimberRidge. “TimberRidge was a good way to get to know all the freshman that we will be working with,” Morris said. Photo by Kelsey Brown. Left: Seniors Nathan Yaffe and Annie Krieg cook for the senior barbeque, sponsored by StuCo. “A truck from Two Guys and a Grill came and we helped them set up the grills and cook,” Yaffe said. “It was a great spirit activity.” Photo by Paige Ledbetter.

2006

Desks screeched and squealed above the din of students joking and talking through mouthfuls of doughnuts. The white board at the front of the room proclaimed “It’s go time,” “Can’t be beat,” and “PartAY!!!” in big, colorful lettering. Student Council was poised for one of the first meetings of the year.

After a moment or two of commotion, executive president senior Tyler Enders called for order. Today’s task would be picking a theme for homecoming.

“I’m always down for a Nemo theme, or like, Star-Wars,” executive secretary senior Betsy Morris said as she added her ideas to the white board.

Though all the themes had strong advocates, Wild Wild East and Lancers in Wonderland among the most popular, the final verdict was Saturday Night Fever.

Homecoming and other annual events would be business as usual: graduation, Lancer Day, WPA, plus a slew of tailgates and fundraisers.

Still, in the new year there were new challenges as well as a host of fresh ideas. One new idea was the Voice Box, a place where students could share complaints and ideas with their representatives. A particular point of concern was song selection at dances, which had often failed to please students in the past.

One of the most significant goals for Student Council was to increase event awareness and participation and get students excited with a fresh addition to the school calendar - the return of the can drive assembly.

Student band The Case played a set. Freshman Jack Logan, sophomore David Spero, junior Drew Popplewell and senior Ellie Weed raced across the gym in rolling cans.

StuCo had an advantage in that both Enders and executive vice president senior Anna Zeiger were returning for their second year on the exec board and knew what it would take to get things done effectively.

“We learned what worked and how soon to start planning certain events from experience,” Zeiger said. “We won’t have that transition time this year.”

To accomplish all they needed to do, StuCo first had to learn how to work as a cohesive unit, while also learning individual leadership abilities. The National Association of Student Council conference tried to instill these skills in the group, as did a leadership camp in Tahoe and a group excursion to TimberRidge. “[Tahoe] taught us how to work better as a whole and how to listen to people’s ideas,” sophomore secretary Paige Cornwell said.

Stuco was united by all this and by the fact they had a strong rallying point from which to spring in Enders and Zeiger.

“I actually ran against one Exec and lost,” Senior Vice President Nathan Yaffe said, “but I think Tyler and Anna have a lot of experience working through the system. They’re probably two of the most school spirited leaders we’ve had in a long time.” Story by Gale Harrington

Aug 26, 2006 “[The Brewgrass concert] was fun because I got to go to see a bunch of awesome bands, and got to hang out with my friends.” senior Derek Martin

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Student Council Snapshot

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One Stroke at a Time

Design by Megan Collins

After last year’s success, the Girls Golf team tries to continue with the help of six new freshman

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Senior Ellie Leek watches other teammates at the Sunflower Hill Regionals Tournament, that she, junior Catherine Ward, and senior Abby Gloe qualified for. “We lost by a couple of points to South, Leek said. “I worked hard this year but there really wasn’t any pressure so I just had fun with it.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

Homecoming was the topic of discussion in senior Ellie Leek’s red Ford Explorer as she drove freshmen Caroline Sheridan, Erika Davee, and Margaret Brill to golf practice.

Endless questions, covering dates for the dance, dress options, hair and makeup, filled the car as they reached a McDonalds drive-thru. Leek treated the younger girls to ice cream, and it wasn’t long before they reached the golf course where they would spend the next two hours putting, chipping, and driving in preparation for tournaments in the upcoming season.

The successes from the previous year, including being crowned League champions and competing at State, gave the SME girl’s golf team increased expectations for the season. Coaches Ermanno Ritschl and Tim Burkindine scheduled four practices a week, Monday through Thursday, at courses including Indian Hills, Milburn, Kansas City, and Ironhorse to get the team back into shape.

“Right now we are really working on skills and trying to gain strength,” Leek said. “So if we hit a bad shot, we’ll rehit it, and we’ll work on the types of shots that we might come across during tournaments.”

Along with putting, chipping, and driving, team dynamics were an important factor in a successful season, so it took the whole team’s efforts to give them a chance to compete.

“It’s really a group thing, because you need more than one really good score,” junior Catherine Ward said. “Everyone has to play well.”

With that in mind, all returning players made an effort to welcome the seven new freshmen to the team. The

golfers were excited to see so many new girls interested to play, and through team dinner bonding, many rides to practices, and help with acquainting the new girls to tournaments, they formed what they hoped would be a close and competitive team.

The help given to the new golfers came into play when the JV team had an 18-hole tournament in Gardner, Kansas. Freshman Caitlin Benson shot an 88 and freshman Kristina Genton shot a 90, scores that resulted in 6th and 8th places overall.

At another 18-hole tournament at Eagle Bend in Lawrence, the two freshmen shot the leading scores for the SME Varsity team when Benson played an 84 and Genton an 86, closely followed by Ward’s 91, Leek’s 93, and senior Abby Gloe’s 95.

“I had never played eighteen holes before, so it was really amazing to do so well my first time,” Benson said. “I always put pressure on myself to do well, so I’m going to keep practicing and working with the coaches to improve my swing. I never want to stop until I think I’ve done my best.”

The girls rarely missed a practice in their quest for another League championship, and with many tournaments to play, there were plenty of opportunities to improve.

“For all of us seniors, it’s our last year so we want to step up and [win League] again. We’re going to work really hard and help each other out at practices. Like if a ball gets stuck behind a tree, we work together to get it out. The team is looking great, and I’m really looking forward to this year.” Story by Alexandria Norton

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Snapshot August “I called my girlfriend and she said she was going to Anne Goodman’s because of what happened to Paige [Winters]. It is something I will never forget.” junior William Tschudy Aug 27, 2006

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Below: Seniors Annie Brill and Ellie Leek walk along to the next hole during Golf practice. “I probably wouldn’t have made it through the season without friends like Ellie. We always practiced together, usually all of the seniors were in the same group during practice which made us work harder. Photo by Taylor Gudgel.

senior Annie Brill played on the team with her sister Margaret

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Far left: Senior Abby Gloe checks the sky during an ominous storm at the Sunflower Hills Regionals Tournament.” After I got to the third hole, it was just total downpour,” Gloe said. Photo by Rachel Clarke. Left: Kaitlin Benson swings at hole three of the Eagle Bend Golf Tournament,” When I played it was freezing cold and windy, and I had to wear a million layers of clothing because the weather was so bad towards the end of the season.” Benson said.

Photo by Jennifer Jacobson.

senior Abby Gloe played varisty all for years and qualified for State 2 years in a row

•

senior Caroline Jones plays Junior Golf at Mission Hills every summer

•

senior Lora Joyce had to drop out of a tournament due to a shoulder injury from swimming in 5th grade

•

senior Ellie Leek started playing in 1st grade, and has played every summer since

your first year freshman Margret Brill

“ “ “

Playing on a team is different because we had to practice everyday and when your not on a team you can practice on your own time. At practice you have to play 9 holes, but when your playing by yourself you can only play 5 and quit if your having a bad day.

freshman Clair Finke

” ”

I’ve never played on a team before. It’s different because everyone’s score counts towards the team, so you have to work hard for the team and not just yourself. Though I had to practice alot more, I got to meet alot of new people from other schools.

freshman Caroline Sheridan

Senior Caroline Jones uses her golf club to stretch during a practice. “We start out by doing putting drills for twenty minutes while everyone arrives.

Then we work on sandshots, putting and chipping,” Jones said. Photo by Taylor Gudgel.

Before this year I just played around, and I really liked the change from just playing by myself to playing on a team. I was able to go to alot of invitationals and meet alot of new people interested in a sport that isn’t that popular. I went into golf with one of my best friends, Erica which helped, but my coaches and teammates were helpful and open to helping freshman deal with missing school so much school.

Aug 29, 2006 “I started an improv club after seeing a show in Chicago as a fun way to do something with people in IB.” junior Eric Hamilton

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”

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Girl’s Golf Snapshot

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For an outsider looking in, we might look the same, but one look inside our crowded hallways show that the students are as diverse as they are numerous. Some are tailored in khaki shorts; others tread down the hall, frayed jeans following. Collars stand straight up, and graphic tees provide momentary entertainment. Your style isn’t just whatever you throw on, your clothing makes a statement about who you are.

different textures,

colors, and styles

tie us together...

Photos by Annie Krieg. Photo illustration by Kelsey Brown.

dry-clean only

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Design by Christy Beeder

16

Snapshot August “During the championship softball game in team games, I slid into home and didn’t notice how deep I scraped my leg until later that night.” senior Dillion Watson

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Lily Carpenter, Cara Rivers, Mike Perry, Emily Hackworth, Matt Baker, Jessica Chao, Alicia Anderson, Harrison Wendlandt, Taylor Newman, Gretchen Hummel, Josh Barlow.

who you are

who you are

Aug 31, 2006 “I was screaming to my friend about my intense dislike for a certain teacher, and then I looked up and that very teacher was staring at me.” sophomore Kate Sachse

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diamonds are a girl’s best friend

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18 143.

Snapshot.

Snapshot August September “We moved back into our house after it burned down. It was amazing that it was finally all done.� senior Eric Waldon Sept 1, 2006

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9.1

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9.27

Holding a teddy bear against her ear, senior Rachel Sixta gets a “phone call” from God. She starred in Karl Weideranders rendition of “Dr. Fritz.” “We didn’t focus at all until the day of the show, but luckily it turned out great. I really loved getting to know Karl, he’s got great wit,” Sixta said. Photo by Whitney VanWay.

September. 15

Dressed in a cowboy hat and boots, senior Abby Gloe joins the Heralders in the front row of the varsity football game against Shawnee Mission West. “[Dressing up] was spontaneous and fun and a way for us to show our school spirit,” Gloe said. Photo by Paige Ledbetter.

During the varsity football game, junior Amy Coffman, senior Cole Spickler and junior Graham Nelson salute the crowd before the band’s performance. “It tells the audience, ‘here’s our band’, shows our appreciation and says, ‘it’s show time,’” Spickler said. Photo Hannah Brewer.

September. 2

September.22

Covered in soap, freshman Dylan Crandall gives freshman Lois Wetzel a hug during the cross country car wash. “It was really fun, really soapy and I know we made a lot of money so it was definitely worth getting wet,” Crandall said. Photo by Jessica Sweeney.

September. 6

Modeling his project in 3-D, senior Corbin King builds the structure of his beach house for his CAD project. “I wanted to do a beach house because I thought it would be cool to be able to create the sand and waves and I thought it would be more challenging,” King said. Photo by Annie Krieg.

During the annual SHARE Fair, junior Lauren Cody hosts the Special Children’s Center Booth. “Getting to follow up on the kids and see how they grow is my favorite part of SHARE. I’ve only been doing Children’s Center for two years but they’ve already changed so much,” Cody said. Photo by Annie Krieg.

September. 25

September. 12

September. 27

Sophomore Noah Quillec and junior Stuart Jones help sophomore Jack Brugger off the field during their game against Shawnee Mission West. “We worked really well as a team, we always looked out for each other,” Quillec said. Photo by Whitney VanWay.

The week before Lancer Day, senior Alex Marquez works on the senior float. “I had to salvage the pipes from a local home depot. It felt good being a part of something big,” Marquez said. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

Joining students around the flag pole in the spirit circle, junior Chris Anderson prays during “See you at the Pole,” a national day of prayer for students. “I love praying with other people and I wanted to make a difference in our school. It’s a great way to spread our faith.”

Anderson said. Photo by Katie Woods.

September. 30

September

your spirit.

Moments before homecoming, senior Elizabeth Allen-Cannon tries on her Betsy Johnson homecoming dress. “It was the third dance that I wore the dress to because it was pretty expensive, but I liked it so much that it was worth it,” Allen-Cannon said. Photo by Rachel Young .

Senior Ashlan Fischer cheers with other members of the cheerleading squad during senior John Brickson’s speech at the pep rally on Lancer Day. “It was a lot of fun making the cheerleading float and coming up with our theme, “16 Candles,” because there are 16 seniors on the squad this year,” Fischer said. Photo

by Hannah Brewer.

Sept 6, 2006 “It was fun being really energetic and dressing crazy for the SHARE Fair for the first time.” junior Alyssa Murfey

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September Division Snapshot

2/9/07 6:17:09 PM

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Above far left: Freshman Mary Galvin laughs as she walked down Mission Road with the cheerleading float. “Lancer Day was crazy,” Galvin said. “It was everything I thought it would be.” Photo by Annie Krieg. Above left: Senior Rachel Sixta waves, dressed as Austin Powers for the drill team float.

“All of the girls wanted to be Go-Go girls,” Sixta said. “No one wanted to be the only boy on the float, but I didn’t have a problem with it.” Photo by Annie Krieg. Above: Seniors Clare Jordan and Erin Morissey paint the senior float.

“The float was a fun thing to do with your whole class,” Morissey said. “It was the last chance to do something like that.” Photo by Samantha Ludington

your float Sophomorefloat:

“

Soph Wars

We wanted to do a movie that most people know. We were fighting with lightsabers during the parade.

”

sophomore Carly Haflich Photo by Sarah Andrews Above: Junior Annie Richmond dressed as a cowgirl for the “Toy Story” junior float. “Working on the float was a good way to branch out,” Richmond said. “I like Lancer Day better than in the past because I felt more involved.” Photo by Stefanie Enger. Left: Seniors Emily Darling and Bri Arensberg shriek during the Lancer Day parade, dressed for the “Animal House” senior float. “We wanted to do a toga theme,” Arensberg said. “It’s more about the togas than the movie.” Photo by Karen Boomer

Drill team float: International Dancers of Mystery We chose “Austin Powers” because we wanted to do something fun and out there. It seemed pretty creative.

“

”

junior Meg Sterchi

Photo by Paige Ledbetter

Theater float:

“

Jurassic Park

I was a “patron,” so during the parade I was supposed to run around and be bloody and be afraid of the dinosaurs.

Photo by Taylor Phillips

”

junior Anne Hundley

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Snapshot September

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Senior John Brickson makes a speech to the cheering crowd at Lancer Day. “I was trying to get the school pumped up for Lancer Day,” Brickson said.

“But once I got up there my speech was pretty much just to the seniors.” Photo by Hannah Brewer.

Below right: Junior Allegra Hall laughs, sporting a mustache. “My friend painted my face, but I was like ‘It’s Lancer Day,’ so I left it on,” Hall said. Photo

by Annie Krieg

BLOCKBUSTERS Underclassmen submit a Lancer Day float for the second time in 15 years

0

It was 9 p.m. the night before Lancer Day. Sophomores Jessie Light, Lindsey Goins, Carly Haflich, and Paige Cornwell were spending the night at Cornwell’s house to protect the sophomore float, “Soph Wars.” It was only the second time that underclassmen had submitted a float in 15 years, and the girls were worried that upperclassmen would vandalize their float.

“Omigod!” Light and Goins heard Haflich scream from the garage.

They rushed in to see the sight of the finished spaceship float, a Beetle with attached cardboard wings, still safe.

“We were really nervous that someone was going to come and sabotage the float, and were all intense about it and hid our float,” Haflich said.

In the week leading up to Lancer Day, the sophomores who were building the float kept hearing rumors that it would be sabotaged.

“We heard that there was someone who had a paintball gun and was going to randomly start shooting us during the parade,” Haflich said.

“We realized that you couldn’t pull that off without getting in trouble, though.”

Several upperclassmen were upset when last year’s freshmen submitted a float. As sophomores, they built a float again, and so did the new freshman class.

“It doesn’t matter that upperclassmen have traditionally been the only ones to build floats,” freshman class president Jack Logan said.

“We’re a part of the school and have every right to a float.”

The freshman planned on an elaborate “Willy Wonka” float with an arch, a chocolate fountain, and candy barrels.

“To be quite honest, it ended up being kind of stinky,” freshman Lois Wetzel said. “But we were proud because it was the first real freshman float in a long time.

Like the sophomores, the freshman kept their float well-hidden. In the end, nothing happened to either underclassman float. The senior class was less fortunate.

“About an hour before the parade some juniors slashed the tires on our trailer,” senior Carolyn Gray said.

The trailer was brought to Gray’s house in the middle of the morning on Lancer Day, after being kept at senior Andrew Dicarlo’s house the night before. The senior class had used an approach of separating, keeping most of their “Animal House” float at Gray’s house, while they stayed at Dicarlo’s house to protect the trailer and throw any possible saboteurs off the trail.

Everything worked out in the end though.

“Luckily we had someone who had another trailer and we moved it all on really quick,” Gray said. “All the stuff that we had planned didn’t fit though, because it was a smaller trailer, and it didn’t look as good.”

Even though the seniors lost the coveted title of best overall float to the “International Dancers of Mystery” Varsity drill team float, senior Will Becker acknowledged the seniors as being the ones who overcame the most adversity in his speak to the crowd. Story by Jennifer Latshaw

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face to Todd Perrin

Thomas Likins

Nola Eickhoff

Mike Webb

these are the stories... behind the people cleaning your school and serving your lunch

your

numbers

1500

students served

48

pizzas ordered daily

50

paper towels cases used a month

12

hours a week a custodian isn’t at school

22

C

Design by Christy Beeder

Custodian Michael Webb had played the guitar since he was 12 years old. With inspiration from rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty and ZZ Top, Webb’s childhood hobby developed into a life-long passion.

He joined his first classic rock group, Cooper Street Band, in 1977. With the merger of this band, Webb was reunited with some of the guys he played with years before in their high school band, Nothin’ Fancy.

“Cooper Street Band was probably my favorite,” Webb said. “I enjoyed the camaraderie of the guys in the band.”

Over the past 30 years, Webb was in several different rock bands: Early Warning, Turning Coins, Power Play and more. From

high school reunions to bars on Saturday nights, the performance Webb remembers most was playing with Cooper Street Band as one of the opening acts for a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute concert. When problems arose and another opening group couldn’t make it, Webb and his band took the stage and played for the rest of the night.

“The crowd was so responsive,” Webb said. “It was a good night all around.”

The 1970’s not only inspired Webb’s musical taste but also his fashion sense: he still sports a mullet.

“My kids tell me I am stuck in the 70’s,” Webb said. “I’ve seen a lot of fads come and go, I just don’t change.”

Snapshot September “On my birthday, my friends woke me up and took me to Starbucks. They came into my bathroom screaming with a poster.” sophomore Taylor Twibell

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Sept 13, 2006

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o face Don Post

H

JoAnne Estrada

“Hey there lady!” Anna Paredes said to sophomore Hilary Surface. “Thank you very much…have a good one!” It was another hectic Monday in the East cafeteria and all four lunch lines piled up. Loud and anxious students shouted out to their friends, cut in line, scanned their cards and dug into their fries and jell-o. In the midst of all the chaos, Paredes made sure to acknowledge students as day-by-day they passed through her line.

Paredes never finished high school. She never got the chance to hold a diploma in her hands.

“I think it is very important for kids to stay in school,” Paredes said, as her eyes filled with tears. “So many don’t. I didn’t- I am just glad my daughter did.”

Her daughter Angelica planned to attend KU or Emporia State after her two years at Johnson County Community College.

“She is such a determined girl,” Paredes proudly said. “Going to be a teacher, too.”

When Angelica was a fifth grade student at Apache Elementary, she brought home a letter from the school asking parents for their help on the district culinary staff.

“I never thought I would be working in the

Anna Paredes

kitchen,” Paredes said. “To tell you the truth, I had never even baked bread before.”

But for the past five and a half years, Paredes spent her days learning to master new conceptshow to bake bread and how to work the register.

She developed relationships and memories with students and co-workers that she will never forget. If a student walked up with the hint of a bad day on their face, Paredes listened. If a student passed through her line for the first time, Paredes talked. She loved talking to the kids- finding out about their lives, who they were and what they did.

The worst thing about her job was getting attached to the students over the years, and then being forced to say good-bye to the graduating seniors.

“I think about the kids I haven’t seen in a while a lot,” Paredes said. “I think about what they could be doing right now.”

There was one senior that Paredes knew she would miss: John Jandl. During second lunch on December 16, 2005, junior Jandl walked into the kitchen just as the lines died down. He casually asked Paredes to come out the door into the lunchroom.

Sept 26, 2006 “This was my first year on [StuCo], so it was cool meeting all the people I wanted to meet at TimberRidge.” junior Sophie Unterman

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Cheryl Ford

Photos by Kelsey Brown

“I thought maybe he had a problem with his ID card or was running short on money,” Paredes said.

Little did she know, Jandl had told every single student in the cafeteria that it was Paredes’ birthday, and just as she stepped out of the kitchen, the whole cafeteria joined in to sing her “Happy Birthday.”

“I had a little cry,” Paredes admitted. “I had never expected that to happen.”

Jandl was unaware of how much this simple gesture meant to her, for no more than a few months before, her father passed away. Paredes and her father had developed a close relationship over the years, and as can be imagined, it was hard to see him go.

“I was just kind of down that day,” Paredes said. “I was still thinking about my dad, but that was just what I needed to cheer me up.”

Just as the kids loved her, she loved them, and for her that was what her job was all about.

“I like seeing the kids I know, meeting the kids I don’t,” Paredes said. “I like my job a lot. I think it’s enjoyable, but that’s just me.” Stories by Andrea Tudhope

23

Lunchroom & Custodial Staff Snapshot

1/25/07 5:01:22 PM

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Tiffani Burch

#4 recieved a 85% scholarship playing for Southwest Minnesota State University

•

senior Taylor Heinlein #15 missed a season due to back problem

•

senior Caroline Wardlow #1 once served 21 pts against Olathe North

•

senior Emily Watkins #23 started East as a hitter but switched to Defensive Specialist

S

after adjusting to a new coach, new teammates,

and a new year, the volleyball team is

ettingup

24

Snapshot September

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Far Above: Juniors Alex Surface and Leah Mauer both attempt to hit a ball at the same time at a match against Lawrence Free State. “This year we are on a whole different level. Everyones on the top of their game. Our skill level is so high,” Surface said. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

Above: Seniors Taylor Heinlein, Caroline Wardlow, and Tiffani Burch, sophomore Sydney Danner, and junior Alex Surface cheer after Shawnee Mission South scores a point. “We always cheer for the other team after they score a point,” Wardlow said. “It screws them up and gets our momentum up.” Photo by Kelsey Brown.

“I thought [the band uniforms] made me look like a guy... it was ok because [the other school’s] uniforms were absolutely hideous.” sophomore Elizabeth McDonald Sept 18, 2006

1/24/07 8:53:32 PM

Far Right: Senior Emily Watkins bumps a ball at practice. Photo

by Jenny Howard. Middle: Junior Elon Zora, awaiting to be subbed in during a match, is outraged at a ref’s call. “I get angry at unfair calls, ref’s seem one-sided alot.”

Photo by Hannah Brewer. Right: Junior Leah Mauer attempts to spike the ball against Lawrence Free State on senior night. “This year is a lot different from last year; last year we did a lot more team stuff and this year it’s more individual.” Photo by Paige Ledbetter. Right Below: The varsity team huddles beofore a match against Olathe North. Photo by Frances Lafferty.

your coach Coach Dowis

players express their opinions on their new coach

“ ” “”

He doesn’t play favorites. Like, he didn’t have the varsity team set until after try-outs when he saw everyone. So it made it possible for younger players to make varsity.

junior Ali Reber

The coaching style is different. Scott came in and kept old traditions but brought new ones in. He brought us up physically. Terry did more mental work.

junior Alex Surface

S

Six girls gazed skywards, mouths open, arms outstretched, crouched low to the ground. Waiting. Suspended. With a “thwack” they sprang to life, moving around one another seamlessly, getting into the frantic rhythm of the game. They talked on the court, yelling and gesturing, cheering each other on. They knew exactly where their teammates would be. The point ended and the Lancer varsity volleyball team ran to the center of the court: jumping, clapping, punching the air.

“Here we go, here we go!” junior Kasey Sauls yelled out to her teammates.

Last year the Lancer volleyball team was the surprise of the season. Having no seniors on varsity was a drawback for the group but they managed to come away with a winning (289) record. For the 2006-2007 school year, however, Shawnee Mission East entered the season with high expectations.

They began the season ranked second in the state in their 6A classification.

Players who had spoken to friends on other teams knew that other schools definitely saw East as tough competition.

“This year we came out and teams were nervous to play us,” Varsity senior Tiffani Burch said. “They were itching in their seats like ‘I don’t wanna play Shawnee Mission East.’”

One of the biggest advantages the team had over others was that it had lost only two senior members. The players already knew how to communicate efficiently despite the large range of personalities. They knew they could count on

the older girls to be loud and intense while the newcomers were more laid back. Two freshman, Kareen Schwartze and Adrianna Mauer, were on the team and gained the respect of other Varsity players.

“I know what it’s like for them since I was a freshman last year,” Danner said. “They work their hearts out. They don’t seem like freshmen because their skill level is so much higher.”

Another first year member was new head coach Scott Dowis, who introduced a new style of coaching. The team focused more on group drills this year, where as in the past they had done mostly individual skill work.

“We have this one drill where you have to win 3 out of 5 points,” Danner said. “Everyone works really hard at it because the losers have to run lines.”

Difficult or not, the running and intense two and a half hour practices paid off. The Lancer volleyball team filed into a queue, high-fiveing their opponents, Shawnee Mission South, thanking them for the competition. But it wasn’t time to go home just yet – it was a quad night and they had a few more matches to go before they could call it a day. The rush of a win still apparent on their faces, the team turned their attention to their next challengers. Talking and pointing, they watched for weaknesses and strengths, learning their game to hopefully lock in yet another decisive victory. Story by Gale Harrington

Sept 19, 2006 “We beat South [at soccer] in double overtime... it’s the second straight year that we’ve won in overtime and it just shows all the work we put in.” senior Alex LaPrade

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25

Volleyball Snapshot

1/24/07 8:53:37 PM

Sexy Back Shout Sweet Home Alabama I Will Survive YMCA Electric Slide Get Low Bless the Broken Road Hollaback Girl Ye

Sophomores Alexandria Norton and Libby Jandl crack up as they hang decorations for the homecoming dance. “We came in Friday and got the lights out and the electrical cords and cut the paper, and Saturday we hung everything up,” Jandl said. Photo by Paige Ledbetter.

your homecoming schedule 3:00 Hair appointment 4:00 Grab a HiHat coffee 4:30 Get dressed 6:00 Pictures 7:00 Dinner at M&S Grill 8:45 Arrive at dance 10:00 After-party

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junior Emelie Gaughan

10:00 JV Football Game 5:30 Get dressed 5:45 Pick up corsage 6:00 Pictures 7:00 Dinner at M&S Grill 8:45 Arrive at dance 10:00 After-party

junior Josh Bellner

Snapshot September “I found out I made the show, ‘Wild Oats’, as a freshman and I was psyched.” freshman Kaevan Tovokolinia

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Sept 22,2006

1/24/07 8:30:06 PM

nights

Design by Brooke Stanley

Girls and guys prepare to dance the night away

A

After a 7 a.m. wake up call and a quick coffee and croissant breakfast in Chicago, sophomore Patrick Mayfield packed into a bus with the rest of the varsity cross country team. Although it was homecoming day, the team headed off to a full morning of races including Mayfield’s 5k, and when they were finished, the team once again crowded onto the bus. They had a 3:45 p.m. departure from the Chicago airport. A quick hour and a half later, the plane was in Kansas City.

Carry-on bags in hand, Mayfield went straight to his car for the 45-minute drive home. About 20 minutes remained until he had to be ready. He jumped into the shower and quickly dressed. Right on time, he ran out the door and drove to Homecoming pictures at sophomore Abby Weltner’s house.

Although his day was rushed, Mayfield prepared himself for the 20 minutes he had to dress and drive to his pictures.

“I set out all my stuff [clothes] before I left, because I knew I would be rushed when I got home,” Mayfield said. “Girls take a lot more time than guys. All I have to do is shower and put my suit on.”

Meanwhile, Mayfield’s homecoming date, sophomore Jane Mahoney, was preparing for the dance in a more relaxed manner. Although she too was on cross country, her JV team didn’t travel to Chicago. With plenty of time to prepare, Mahoney started the process early by driving to Rose Nails in Fairway for her 9:30 a.m. appointment. A “Blenders” pit stop followed, and she was careful not to ruin her newly reddened nails when picking up Mayfield’s white boutonniere at Village Floral. After a last minute shopping spree at Urban Outfitters the day before, Mahoney had a new white tank top with a heart decal to pack into her after-party bag along with a pair of American Eagle jeans.

Not only did Mahoney buy a last minute after-party outfit, but she also made a last minute dress change.

“I thought my dress was kind of plain the day before,” Mahoney said. “So I had my mom add a black satin ribbon around my high waist to give it a little more detail.”

At 1 p.m., she hopped into the shower.

“I was really excited the whole day, and it was calm and laid back.” Mahoney said. “I knew everything I needed to have for the dance, the after-party, and the sleepover after.”

By 3:30 p.m., she and sophomore Elizabeth Braeuel were ready for Mahoney’s step-mom to fix their hair and do their make-up. Mahoney’s head was covered in strawberry-red curls when she finally left at 5:30 p.m. for Weltner’s house.

“Girls definitely care more about how they look, and they have more work to do to get ready,” Mahoney said. “We have to get our hair ready and do make-up, pick out a good dress, and sometimes go tanning too.”

When Mayfield and Weltner’s date, sophomore John Reene, arrived at pictures, the two girls were upstairs making finishing touch-ups on their curls and make-up. The dates walked to the back porch to chat with all of the parents about the upcoming night, and the two girls came outside ten minutes later.

Weltner’s and Mahoney’s parents along with Reene’s mom and Mayfield’s dad gathered to take pictures, and they all laughed when Mahoney couldn’t pin Mayfield’s boutonniere and Mrs. Weltner had to assist her.

The four sophomores stood together when the parents took out the cameras. Weltner’s dog, Britain, chased squirrels around the back yard as Weltner’s sister Sarah joined the parents. Full days of traveling and primping were over, and the night was beginning as they smiled for the flashes of the cameras. Story

by Alexandria Norton

Far above: Seniors Olivia Curran and Alex Hodges slow-dance during homecoming. “The dance was great,” Curran said. “I loved being a senior and being with all my friends.” Photo by Paige Ledbetter. Senior Bailey Thomas and her dad smile as Thomas is announced as Homecoming Queen. “All of a sudden I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’” Thomas said. “I think my dad was more excited than I was.” Photo by Samantha Ludington.

Sept 26,2006 “My best friend came all the way from Colorado to go with me to Homecoming. It made my year.” sophomore Cari Chestnut

26-27 Homecoming 27

Left: Seniors Abbey Blick and Briana Arensberg chat after finding out that they are homecoming candidates. “It was really surreal.

They woke me up banging pots and pans together,” Blick said. “It was such an honor that I didn’t know what to think.” Photo by Hannah Brewer.

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Homecoming Snapshot

1/24/07 8:30:13 PM

R

eachingfor the

Century Design by Sam Benson

A young team strives to beat past seasons with more gymnasts and more points

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cKayla

an M Freshm

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Salsa music blasted over the boom box repeatedly for one minute and 30 seconds as a gymnast worked on her floor routine. Sophomore Elizabeth Beck perfected a trick on the uneven bars under Coach Colburn’s close watch as freshman Lexi Mische described her black homecoming dress to other team members and bounced energetically on a springboard.

She was practicing her mount onto the high beam. It was the last 20 minutes of a demanding practice, but the energy in the team wasn’t lacking; they were having too much fun together.

Fun on the team was matched with hours of hard work as the gymnasts arrived in the little gym at 3:10 p.m. to stretch and work on individual skills, receiving critique from Coach King and Coach Colburn.

This was followed by at least 30 minutes of conditioning including an exhausting “power pack” of conditioning exercises which included push-ups on medicine balls and abdominal work-outs. This hard work soon paid off at the East Invitational when the team placed 10th out of 14 teams, with sophomore Elizabeth Beck finishing 10th out of 80. After finishing 13th and 14th for the past several years, when the team saw the scores posted on the gym wall, they started laughing and hugging on the mats where they had watched the meet.

“It was really exciting because it was one of the first years we’ve done really well at our own competition,” Lohmeyer said.

The team hoped to keep improving as the year progresses, one of their goals including hitting the “century mark”, or 100 points.

“The past several years we’ve only been able to hit 90 points and this year we’re trying to hit 100 because we have a bigger team,” Lohmeyer said. “Coach has a rule to ‘stay motivated’ and we’re trying to stick to that this year.”

An already large team was joined this year by four additional girls from Shawnee Mission North who practiced with the East team. Without a coach at North, the girls came to East everyday to use the gym. The teams, however, worked together to improve.

“They’ve blended right in….you could say it motivated us

your tumbling

[to work harder],” Coach Colburn said. “It’s neat to see North and East getting along so well.”

Having the North girls there gave both teams an opportunity for improvement.

“We bonded like we were on a big team,” Beck said. “We critique each other all the time.”

However, at events, the two teams still competed separately. Due to the diminishing number of gymnastics teams in high schools, the quantity of teams at events is important for whether the school district drops the program. This has been a concern for the last four or five years and increased this year when the district lost two coaches. Many teams had to combine with other schools in order to be coached.

“It’s actually fun to see our competition,” junior Candyze Harris said. “That way we know where we need to work harder.”

With so many freshmen and no seniors on the team this year, the upperclassmen tried to remove all clique boundaries in practice and bond with the team. Bonding activities included a team dinner before their first meet at sophomore Rikki Eymann’s house. The team feasted on nearly every kind of Pizza Hut Pizza on the menu before heading out to Eymann’s backyard to jump on the trampoline and examine the dead mouse in her pool.

“We try to keep everyone involved with everything like including them in conditioning and team dinners,” Harris said.

“This way we can get to know each other better.”

On Friday, September 22, the gymnastics team tumbled across the gym at the pep assembly while “SOS” by Rhianna pounded through the gym.

“Everyone loves pep assemblies because it gives us a chance to show off,” Lohmeyer said.

It was a year of new things for the gymnastics team - new freshman, new teammates, new placement at the East Invitational, and new leotards.

“It’s really exciting because they have had the old leotards for 12 years,” Lohmeyer laughed. Story by Maureen Orth

Top gymnasts perform different techniques

1.

McKayla Smith, freshman Back Walkover a back handspring in slow motion performed on floor and balance beam

Rikki Eymann, sophomore Back Layout Stepout an airborn somersault with straight legs with the feet landing at different times performed on the floor

2.

Grace Gillaspie, freshman Aerial a cartwheel without hands performed on the floor or balance beam

3.

Katy Kettler, freshman Back Tuck a backwards somersault in the air performed on floor, balance beam and as a popular dismount from the balance beam

4.

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Snapshot September “For my birthday my friends decorated the Theory of Knowledge room with balloons and posters and brought me a chocolate cake.” junior Emily Patton Sept 27, 2006

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1/25/07 8:47:57 AM

Above: Junior Candyze Harris and freshman Amanda Pierce laugh as they wait at a meet.

All-around gymnasts (those who participate in every event) spend about five minutes competing and almost two hours waiting.

Photo by Melissa Blessen. Left: Sophomore Rikki Eymann flips high above the mat at a pep assembly as the crowd screams, impressed by Eymann’s back layout stepout.

“Everybody loves pep assemblies because we can show off and have fun. And this year, we got new leotards the day before.”

Eymann said. Photo by Hannah Brewer.

Far left: Freshman Katy Kettler spots freshman Tess Duncan in a backbend at a daily two and a half hour practice. Photo by Rachel Clarke. Middle: Freshmen Katy Kettler, Leia Swanson, and Amanda Pierce walk across the gym during a handstand contest.

Handstand contests and balance beam wars are just a few of the fun things gymnasts do to practice their skills. Photo by Sarah Andrews. Left: Freshman Chandra Swanson ends her tumbling pass with with a spectacular straddle jump at the Regional competition, in which East placed fifth.

Sophomore Elizabeth Beck advanced to the State competition, participating in every event. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

Sept 27, 2006 “I first hung out with Alicia Anderson and we’ve been dating ever since.” junior Dalton Ballard

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29

Gymnastics Snapshot

1/25/07 8:48:09 AM

Right: Seniors Foster Tidwell, Taylor Cantril, Weston Anderson, and Annie Krieg listen at a meeting in early September. “I like that this group gives me the opportunity to learn without a grade attached,” Krieg said. Photo by Whitney Van Way.

Seniors spend Saturdays extending their study of Dante Alighieri’s ‘Divine Comedy’

T

Top: English teacher Michael Pulsinelli laughs with a group of seniors after dinner at Freestate Brewery in Lawrence. “Kids don’t understand that we do more than discuss literature, we actually have a lot of fun laughing together,” senior Christy Beeder said. Above: English teacher Kelly Fast reads a passage to the group. Group members took turns writing pre-meeting notes so that everyone got experience generating discussion. Photos by Annie Krieg.

The members of Dante Club began to trickle in at 7 pm, chatting while they stretched out on sofas and pulled up chairs for their friends who had just arrived. By 7:15, nine of them were there, eating homemade chocolate chip cookies and sipping water bottles that had been sitting out on the kitchen table.

The room became quiet as they flipped open their books, “The Divine Comedy.” A discussion began on the symbolism of a man in Hell who put most of his weight on his clay leg when he had an iron one. Did it represent civilization’s decay, with its flimsy base? Or was it representative of humanity’s growth, built from the Earth?

This is Dante Club, referring to the renowned writer of the 13th Century, Dante Alighieri.

The discussion was barely into swing when an energetic member leaned forward to interrupt.

“I have a great idea for fundraising,” she said. “We can have a Dante mixer!” “And then tell the freshman we do it every year!” another added.

“And we can divide it into the nine circles!”

Soon, the room had dissolved into laughter over a joke only Dante fans would understand.

This two-year-old book club was a reaction by English teachers Kelly Fast and Michael Pulsinelli to what they saw as a flaw in the educational system.

“More and more students said that school had become a game,” Fast said.

“They were in it to get a grade. It’s an educational system that encourages cutting corners.”

So Fast and Pulsinelli decided to try something new; to read for reading’s sake. Fast’s sponsored trip to two Italian cities for six weeks to study Dante set the plan in motion. He wanted to share what he learned with senior students, because there wouldn’t be time to teach it during class.

“It’s hard to say if Dante’s my favorite author,” Fast said, “But if you were only going to read one book, “The Divine

Design by Christy Beeder

Comedy” would be it. It talks about morality, politics, and issues that are really human. The question that he tries to answer is ‘What does it mean to be a rational individual in a world that doesn’t really have answers?’”

The Club’s meetings at members’ houses added to the relaxed atmosphere during discussions.

“I like how the discussion has no pressure on you,” senior Samantha Ellerbeck said. “You can just listen to people, or input your ideas, but there’s no pressure.”

While the discussions were stressfree, members were still expected to give lots of time and energy to the club.

The new set of Dante Club members began reading “The Aeneid” by Virgil and “Confessions” by St. Augustine last May to prepare for “The Divine Comedy.” They all helped plan fundraisers and meetings, and alternated writing discussion questions. With a goal of traveling to Italy to retrace Fast’s steps over the summer, the club needed all the members involved in fundraising events that it could get.

The weekly meetings lasted two hours and were packed with in-depth discussion of five cantos, during which they analyzed the symbolism of characters, like The Old Man of Crete, that were in Hell. Another major focus was their webpage, which was constantly updated and improved so that national grant committees that might have been viewing it would see that they were a legitimate, organized group.

In the future, Fast and Pulsinelli said they might try to switch it up a little, and possibly read “Canterbury Tales” or something by Shakespeare. But this year, they’ve received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from students and parents on “Divine Comedy.”

“It’s great to be around students who care about literature and who want to read,” Fast said. “I think it’s really outstanding that they give their time to this. I really admire them.” story by Leah Pickett

Above: Seniors Weston Anderson, Jimmy Allen, and Taylor Cantril walk in Lawrence on their way to dinner with Professor of Classics at Kansas University, Stanely Lombardo. Lombardo agreed to meet with the group because he was in the process of translating the Inferno himself. “I thought it was really interesting to see how he was dealing with the difficulties of translating Italian to English, and how sometimes the meaning was really lost in translation,” Anderson said.

Photo by Annie Krieg.

weekends with

30

Snapshot September “A guy was pulling on my shoulder [at the Loyola Invitational], heated words were exchanged, and then he sucker punched me in the stomach.” senior Sam Bennett Sept 30, 2006

30-31DanteClub.indd 30

1/25/07 3:06:34 PM

h

t 30, 2006

your

interest

“

I like to read about historical characters that we have already learned about. I like seeing them in another context.

”

senior Anee Sophia-Jackson

“

Reading Dante excited me because of all the pop culture references, but I would have joined the group pretty much for any classical literature book.

”

senior Duncan Renfrow-Symon

“

”

Dante Club is everything that is rewarding about being a teacher, and completely affirms my confidence about the future.

English teacher, Michael Pulsinelli

dante

Above: A bust of the author Dante Alighieri. The bust comes every week with the students to their meetings.

Left: “The Divine Comedy is a living work, it’s pertinant today and it’s also a classic, and I think books like those are rare,” senior Jimmy Allen said. Both Allen and senior Weston Anderson read in the car on their way to Lawrence, doing last minute preparation for discussion.

These seniors still managed to prepare for Dante Club even though balancing school work was sometimes challenging. Photo by Annie Krieg.

Sept 30, 2006 “Instead of going to Homecoming, my friends and I went to laser tag. We had an amazing time.” sophomore Kate Collison

30-31DanteClub.indd 31

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Dante Club Snapshot

1/25/07 3:06:49 PM

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Snapshot October “I did an album cover project in Commercial Art that turned out really well. It helped me decide what I wanted to do for a career.” senior Nick Boehm

32-33 October division.indd 32

Oct 11, 2006

3/27/07 10:40:37 AM

10.5

10.13

10.17

10.18 October. 19

10.19

10.25

10.20

10.27

10.29

October

your costumes.

During the senior night football half time show, junior Eli Kaldahl raises his drum sticks in the air as senior Scott Montana plays his drums from behind. “The idea started as just a joke when he and I were just messing around before one of our drumline sectionals. Some other people on the line just saw us doing it and was like we have to do that for a show, so he and I worked on it. I really didn’t know how the crowd was going to respond to it but they seemed to like it,” Kaldahl said. Photo

by Hannah Brewer.

10.23

During the Varsity soccer senior night game against Shawnee Mission North, junior Emily Anderson holds up a sign for her boyfriend, Jeremy Wolff. “He came up with the phrase, so I thought it would be funny if I made him a sign without him knowing,” Anderson said. “I brought it to every game.” Photo by Melissa Blessen.

October. 5

October. 20

During her fifth hour independent study, senior Lindy Cope works on her painting project. She got her inspiration for the painting from a picture she took of a flower in Naples, Florida specifically for the project. “I took painting last year and I really liked it so I took independent study because I wanted to have more freedom on my subject matter,” Cope said. Photo by Stefanie Enger.

Playing the part of Mr. Howell, junior Dane Callstrom stars in Avery Fischgrund’s rendition of Gilligans Island. “I really loved the Hamlet scenes because Abby McCrummen and I played off each other really well. It was fun to be so over the top and animated,” Callstrom said. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

October. 13

October. 23

Holding up a T-shirt at the annual SHARE garage sale, junior Jennifer Hodgson decides on her purchases. “The garage sale was fun because my friends and I would laugh at the unique outfits and try them on,” Hodgson said. Photo by Molly Oeffner.

Volunteering with the “Down’s Syndrome Project”, junior Abby Bauer plays with a twoyear-old girl at the Down’s Syndrome Guild offices. “I chose to work with the Down’s Syndrome kids because my 11-year-old cousin has it and she is so much fun to be around,” Bauer said. “They are just like every other kid.”

Photo by Hannah Gillaspie.

October. 17

October. 25

Senior Sarah Meeder and Junior Erin Aitken rest on the sidelines during the Lancer Band Festival after their drill team performance.

“We practiced every morning at 7 a.m. with the band. Its a lot of hard work and slow, cold, and muddy mornings on the practice field but performing is really fun,” Meeder said. Photo

by Annie Krieg.

Junior Kirby Thomas records measurements using a force table during the Equilibrium lab in physics class. “The directions were pretty set in stone. It’s cool because the answers check, you are given the answers first and then have to physically find the match,” Thomas said. Photo by Stefanie Enger.

October. 18

October. 27

During the October concert in the East auditorium, senior Quin Jackson plays his saxophone as part of the Blue Knights jazz band. It was their first performance of the year. “You never know what to expect for the first concert because you’re just getting to know the band again, you have to get a feel for what the band is going to be like,” Jackson said. Photo

by Hannah Gillaspie.

With a snake wrapped around his arm, senior Danny Lawrence learns about the different animals in the classroom during Enviromental Systems. “When we have time in class we’re allowed to hold the animals and it’s fun to have them around and learn about them,” Lawrence said. Photo by Karen Boomer.

October. 29 Senior Jeff Straub shows off his carved pumpkin during senior Holly Worthy’s BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) Party. “The party got everyone in the spirit of the season by getting them to carve pumpkins. Although there were a lot of cool looking ones, mine was the best,” Straub said. Photo by Annie Krieg.

Oct 11, 2006 “Basketball conditioning was horrible. It was so bad it made me want to quit.” sophomore Winn Clark

32-33 October division.indd 33

33

October Division Snapshot

3/27/07 10:40:48 AM

Left: Juniors Brooke Stanley and Paige Smith collapse while playing Molster at Mole Day. “Molster was hilarious because everyone was falling all over each other,” Stanley said. “I lost badly because someone fell on me.” Photo by Samantha Ludington. Middle: Senior Meg Fracol participates in a dance at Mole Day. “We decided to dress up crazily, so I just found an old wig in my basement,” Fracol said.

“This year we decided to have a DJ, Irving Cedillo, so we had a dance contest where we decided to do the Molecarena and the Mole-Slide.” Photo by Whitney Van Way. Right: Senior Jessica Wochner adds the final touches to the element signs spelling out the names of Mole Day games.

Photo by Whitney Van Way

6.022x1023

RETURN

OF

THE

OLE Design by Megan Collins

After a year long hiatus, Mr. Appier resumes the tradition of Mole Day

A your games

“ ” “ ” “ ”

Molster

Even a simple game of twister takes on a new life on Mole Day. The Chem kids were cracking up when they figured out that it spelled Molester.

senior Jeff Straub

Molecarana

We started out playing the Macarena, but we only played that once because you can only stand that for so long. I danced the entire hour and it was great because it was chemistry-themed so no one really cared if I danced like an idiot.

senior Bailey Armstrong

Molesical Chairs

I have no idea about moles or Mole Day or anything. I just showed up because it seemed like fun. I had fun and I even won the first round.

senior Brian Goldman

Mole Day Activities

A custodian reached toward the ceiling from a ladder, ripping down long pink and yellow tatters of crepe paper. Chem 2 IB students circled the cafeteria floor, picking up pieces of food and ripped napkins with their hands. Juniors Emmy Hartman and Alyssa Schwarzenberger unfolded tables pushed against a railing. Senior Patti Blair hurriedly moved box after box of Einstein Bros. bagels onto a cart to wheel up to the science department.

“Oh, my gosh. We have so much leftover food,” she murmured.

Mole Day, which brought students to school at 6:02 a.m. to celebrate an important chemistry concept, was over. Hundreds of students in turquoise “Shake Your Molasses!” shirts vanished from the cafeteria, collecting backpacks from a pile by the doors and rushing to find friends before first hour.

For chemistry teacher Steve Appier, the letdown after the party was also a welcome relief. Because Appier’s students were in charge of Mole Day, it was extremely stressful for him.

“I’m the main overseer,” Appier said. “If there’s a problem, I have to deal with it.”

Appier had been in charge of Mole Day since it came to East in 1995, his first year here. Chemistry 2 students were required to develop a project first semester. Student Michael Sturgis asked to arrange a Mole Day for his project after hearing about Mole Days at other schools. East’s first Mole Day gathered in the Little Theater and watched “Discovering Chemistry” videos.

Since then, Mole Day occurred every year, and the event gradually expanded to a huge celebration with T-shirts, food, and games in the cafeteria.

Because of the stress involved, Appier and fellow chem teacher Cole Ogden tried to cancel Mole Day permanently, but continued the holiday when their

classes protested. The only year East did not celebrate Mole Day was 2005. With six classes to teach instead of a hall duty for one period, and the large size of all of these classes, Appier was swamped enough to call off Mole Day that year.

“And trust me, I got crap for it,” Appier said.

“From students, and from parents. That tells you how big it is.”

Managing Mole Day was traditionally the project of Appier’s IB class, a small group of second year chemistry students. Pulling off a fun Mole Day counted as a grade for them. But there was more to its importance than that.

“Students want Mole Day because it’s an event,” Appier said. “Why do students camp out in front of Chick-fil-A in the freezing cold? It’s not really for that chicken sandwich.”

Feeling guilty every day for calling off Mole Day and almost giving in to the pressure to have the celebration, Appier promised his 2005 class that if there was Mole Day in 2006, they could be involved in the preparations.

In a disorganized after-school meeting, the current Chem 2 IB students and many from the previous year originally met to organize the affair. From there the students split into different committees such as Food, Media, and Decorations. To begin with, the coordination between the two classes was less than superb.

“I was very concerned about how the two groups would blend,” Appier said. “But when push came to shove and it became about Mole Day itself, it worked out.”

If required to teach six classes again, Appier said he would again cancel Mole Day. But for the present, the holiday prevailed as part of the chemistry experience. Story by Brooke Stanley

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Snapshot October “Knowing what schools I was looking at [during College Clinic] made it easy to find everything during the chaos. It would have been overwhelming.” junior Jamie Nelson Oct 11, 2006

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2/8/07 3:01:43 PM

I pledge allegiance to the mole, to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and to the atomic mass for which it stands, one number, most divisible, with atoms and molecules for all.

Junior Natalie Eisenach hangs a Power Rangers pinata from the ceiling with the help of junior Patrick Kennedy. “Everyone was divided into different committees with different jobs and stations.

The decorations people picked out the pinatas and just added stuff to them to make them Mole-themed,” Eisenach said. Photo

by Karen Boomer

E

Far Left: Junior Alex Stehl checks in with Mr. Appier at the beginning of Mole Day to receive extra credit in Chemistry. Left: Junior Alyssa Schwarzenberger tears down the Pin the Nose on Avogadro game after the end of Mole Day. “Mole Day was awesome. I think the ‘Electron Slide’ was the best game because it was the most popular and everyone could participate,” Schwarzenberger said. Photos by Samantha Ludington.

Oct 12, 2006 “I joined Model UN because it was fun last year. I had Cuba, and we wanted to try to get other countries to let us into theirs and make them communist.” junior Curtis Bryant

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Mole Day Snapshot

2/8/07 3:02:08 PM

r Krivena

Senior Pete

• Senior • Varsity Team

rd Brad Crawfo

gton

mantha Ludin

Photos by Sa

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Snapshot October “I started playing soccer with All-American Indoor Sports. We play every Tuesday and don’t practice.” senior Adam Barlow Oct 15, 2006

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2/8/07 3:04:48 PM

Below: Senior John Jandl runs down the field as he looks up to pass. “Every once in a while I’ll get [a breakaway]. It doesn’t happen much because I play at the very back, but when I do, it’s fun to finally get up to that part of the field,” Jandl said. Photo by Samantha Ludington Right: Sophomore Matt Hill heads a ball at a C team soccer game. “The game against Shawnee Mission South was pretty intense,” Hill said. “Scoring a hat trick (3 goals in a row) was the best part for me.” Photo by Taylor Gudgel Far Below: Senior Peyton Warwick looks down the field while his teammates watch in the distance. Photo by Samantha Ludington

your

goalie

“

”

senior Peyton Warwick

T

They started playing soccer before they even knew how to

They were hunting for soccer scholarships and devoting over time, they watched game videos and bonded with teammates, found time to be with their friends and attempted to fit their schoolwork into their schedule.

These were the four captains of varsity boys’ soccer: Peyton

So off the field, the captains focused on team bonding, since

Warwick, Alex LaPrade, Brad Crawford and John Jandl. They

it was the first year on varsity for the majority of the team. There

were voted in by the other players at the beginning of the season,

were only six returning varsity players out of the 22 players on

and after an announcement at practice, their jobs began.

the team.

“The senior class last year had one of the best groups of

They revived a tradition that had been started by the last

talent we’ve had at East,” LaPrade said. “It was a lot to follow,

year’s captains, and began meeting to watch game videos, play

and we weren’t sure how it would turn out.”

poker and most often, play the Xbox game “Halo”.

But they beat all of the other Shawnee Mission schools,

“The seniors started that last year because we were having

including a big win over Shawnee Mission South in double over

some problems with people getting in trouble,” LaPrade said.

time. It was clear that the captains were doing their jobs.

“So they started that as a way to keep them out of trouble.”

“We’re responsible for getting the team ready to go before a

Instead of ending up at big parties, they were playing 4 V 4

game,” Crawford said. “We keep everyone under control on the

games of Halo, and competing in FIFA. By midseason, the team

field and make sure everyone has a positive attitude.”

that had started disconnected had meshed into a cohesive

team mates,” Warwick said. “Sometimes they don’t feel like you should be talking to them like that.”

team.

“Every game the chemistry gets better,” Warwick said. “At the beginning, our biggest weakness was team camaraderie. We

“It’s hard to lead a group of kids and talk superior to other

•

senior John Jandl’s teammates call him Condaleeza Rice

•

senior Alex Jones won the “Esprit de Corps” award for the most team spirit

•

•

ten hours each week to playing soccer. During their down

it hard to coach their peers.

•

senior Tyler Enders Plays over ten hours a week during the season

senior Peter Krivena decided to play soccer because his dad enjoyed playing

read, and by sophomore year, they were on the varsity team.

other seniors on the team, the captains sometimes could find

•

senior Brad Crawford wears Adidas “Copa” black and white soccer shoes

I have two older brothers who both played forward and I’d always play goalie for them.

I like goalie because they’re usually assigned the captain position because they’re leaders in the back.

Leadership wasn’t always easy: with a new team and 13

senior Andrew Block kickslips back to his feet after a fall

started off really slow, but we’ve had big wins, and we’ve really started to click. We trust each other’s ability.”

The team’s chemistry helped them in moving up from the fifth seed to the third seed in ranking, improving their chances of making it to state.

“We’re playing a lot better as a team than we have in the last three years,” Crawford said. “We all get along with each other.

No one has a big ego. We all respect each other and work hard.”

Story by Leah Pickett

Four senior captains

work to bring

quad a young team

together.

Below: “The varsity team runs through a balloon arch before Senior Night,” Crawford said. “[Having a senior night] was a good feeling because it was all about us, the seniors, and we finally got a chance to show what we’d worked up to. We all came together.”

Photo by Paige Ledbetter

senior James Kurz’s favorite goalie gloves are his black and white Reushce gloves

•

senior Alex LaPrade always wears a sweatband to practice and games

•

senior Ronan McGhie’s first soccer team was called The Sharks

•

senior Elliott Pattison listens to country music before every game

•

senior Adam Reimer was inspired by his sister to play soccer

•

senior Jack Stelzer’s favorite pro team is Manchester United

•

senior Peyton Warwick always carries Ibuprofen in his soccer bag

Design by Christy Beeder

Oct 16, 2006 I had my 17th birthday. It was so fun. I got presents and saw an R rated movie.” junior Anna Oman

36-37 squad.indd 37

37

Boys Soccer Snapshot

2/8/07 3:04:52 PM

Junior Ruth Stark examines a sweater as she sets up one of numerous tables at the garage sale, many of which were bare by the end of the sale. “It was so nice to see someone buy a brand new pair of pants that were originally $40 and get them for just $3,” Stark said. Photo by Annie Kreig.

treasure from trash to

Design by Sam Benson

SHARE members sort through piles of donated items to raise money for projects

L

Top: Junior Hallie McCormick models a motorcylce helmet as she sets up the gym before the sale. Volunteers tried on anything from funky sweaters to oversized shoes. Photo by Sarah Andrews. Above: Junior Jenny Hodgson refolds T-shirts after the morning rush during the Saturday garage sale. “Sometimes we would only get one shoe or really weird pants that you wouldn’t think anyone would wear,” Hodgson said. Photo by Molly Oeffner.

38

Snapshot October

38-39 Garage Sale.indd 38

Long tables piled high with everything from men’s clothing to kitchen wear lined the SME gym. Senior Abigail Harlan rolled around on a small skateboard while junior Erin Aitken refolded linens. An elderly woman examined rows of denim as sophomore Jessie Light showed off her new two -dollar sparkly pink tank top to sophomore Ali Fisher. It was 8 a.m. in the morning, but excitement and energy filled the air. It was the SHARE garage sale.

“It’s really cool to see people come in and buy what they normally wouldn’t be able to afford, and then we get to turn around and use the money we make to help people,” junior Missy Titus, a chair of the sale said.

Three drop off days led up to the successful sale.

“It’s four Saturdays of work, but it’s worth it because not only do we make a difference in people’s lives, we benefit SHARE and help people get rid of things they don’t want,” senior SHARE exec Peter Spitsonogle said.

Volunteers for the sale included other SHARE chairs, student volunteers, and the boy’s varsity soccer team, who helped unload the boxes the day before the sale instead of having practice. Even during these long set up days however, the volunteers found ways to have fun.

“Whenever we found something crazy we had to try it on,” sophomore Alexi Brown said. “By the end of the day I was wearing a life jacket, a sailor hat, and a ‘Barbie’ pink plastic hair bow-which I actually bought. I can’t wait to wear it to Morp.”

The volunteers also had fun laughing at some of the crazy things people donated to the sale.

“Someone donated a foot spa that still had crusty stuff in the bottom. It was gross,” senior chair Ellie Weed laughed.

“We also got a toilet, which we threw out of course,” senior Kortney Jones added.

All the money made from the sale, on average $5,000, went back into SHARE and

was used for projects like Habitat for Humanity and Birthday Parties. The reason for the sale’s four years of continued success?

The bargains. $3.00 bought a pair of adult jeans, while $2.00 could buy a t-shirt. $1.00 purchased one of many DVD’s, shoes, purses, or sheets and as little as $0.50 bought a paper back book or a coffee cup. These prices brought in particularly avid shoppers who lined up outside the gym as early as 7 a.m., though the sale didn’t even begin until 8 a.m.

“There was a lady that had a huge stroller full of anything from clothes to books and hats plus a huge wicker basket and yellow trash bag full,” junior Lucy Pratley said. “It was crazy!”

One great deal Pratley saw was a pair of brand new kids’ Levi’s jeans that still had the tags and sold for $3. A 100 percent wool ‘Brook’s Brothers’ suit was on sale for $5.

The bargains continued when the annual bag sale began. For the bag sale, shoppers purchased a kitchen -sized bag for $2 or a trash bag for $4. After that, anything they could fit into the bags was theirs. All leftover items were donated to charities. An addition to the sale this year was a holding area, where the shoppers were able to leave things on hold for up to 30 minutes. These 30 minutes often provided entertainment for the chairs.

“A lot of people plug in the TV’s, you know, to see if they work,” senior chair Ellie Weed said, “but this one guy plugged it in just stood there, watching TV, for like 30 minutes!”

The garage sale was a memorable experience for all involved. Whether the memories were dressing up in wild donations or finding that perfect pink tank top for $2.00, everything benefited SHARE. “It’s really fun to work with people you like while doing this project. Plus it’s great to know that every dollar we make is going back to SHARE,” Weed said. Story by Maureen Orth.

Oct 18, 2006Auld “The coffee shop opened. It was really cool, I loved the barstools and the checkered pattern on the floor.” senior Megan

3/13/07 4:31:11 PM

Senior Kortney Jones laughs as junior Rachel Mayfield tips her cowboy hat, one of many treasures she found during set-up. “People put their boxers in and obviously we didn’t want to use a guy’s underwear, but otherwise it was pretty normal this year,” Jones said.

Photo by Annie Krieg.

your findings

What did you buy at the garage sale?

“ ” “ “ ” ” I bought this really cool stuffed animal; it was a singing potato!

Sophomore Jessie Light

There was a bunch of bath robes and we were all trying them on and taking pictures. Setting up was so much fun.

My dad bought this stuffed animal that records your voice. I got a lot of T-shirts and there was a lot of good vintage stuff.

Junior Erin Aitken

Senior Tess Hedrick

Above: Junior Emily Cray sorts through donations as she sits amid a pile of shoes during a Saturday early morning drop-off. “I found these really cool wedges with blue and green swirls that I wore to MORP. I definitely wouldn’t wear them anywhere else,” Cray laughed. Photo by Molly Oeffner.

Oct 21, 2006 “During the cross country regionals, we painted ourselves blue, black and white and ran around in the rain. It was freezing and extreemly muddy.” junior Allison Hemer

38-39 Garage Sale.indd 39

39

Garage Sale Snapshot

3/13/07 4:31:27 PM

A

senior Bailey Armstrong 20:49 Topeka 2006

• senior Fabuab Baur 23:50 Metro 2006 • senior Ben Belz 20:39 Metro 2004 •

senior Sam Bennet 17:33 Loyla 2004

•

senior Patti Blair 17:02 League 2005

•

senior Jordan Botts 20:28 SM North 2006

•

senior Taylor Cantril 17:06 SM West 2006

•

senior Eric Chapman 21:27 Rim Rock 2005

•

senior Cole Easterday 20:36 Metro 2006

•

senior Carolyn Freeman 20:23 League 2004

•

senior Alex Hodges 20:11 Chicago 2005

•

senior Claire Hollenbeck 16:52 Regionals 2003

•

senior Robin Kresinszky 17:43 SM West 2006

•

senior Frances Lafferty 19:15 Baldwin 2006

•

senior Samantha Ludington 20:25 SM West 2003

• senior Karoline Malde 18:24 SM West 2006

your favorite route

“

The fart-licks because you start at a steady pace and then go at a fast pace for 30 seconds and then slow down, I like it because its easy at the beginning you so can handle it when it gets rough. junior Lauren Cantril

“

”

We run five miles North, around Indian Hills, I like [running] it because its so familiar because we run it the most and there aren’t a lot of hills.

40

”

sophomore Patrick Mayfield

ring side by side du m ddy Rich run ning with tea rmick and Ma run Co Mc are y u lle yo Ke nior eer you sier when Far Above: Se l back they ch nk its a lot ea fal thi to “I rt et. sta er me u yo Karen Boom the Baldwin tivates you, if id. Photo by e it really mo McCormick sa and Sam Reisz mates becaus y,” ra, erg ma en Na my Mc osts r isz, Ben to be a senio on. It really bo ntril, Peter Re “It was great niors Taylor Ca with the g time trials.

Above Left: Se to finish durin sense of unity a rs ne lish run tab er es wait for oth really get to because you at time trials Annie Krieg said. Photo by team,” Cantril

Snapshot October “I was the mole [on Mole Day]. My costume was sweaty but no one knew who I was, so I danced crazy and messed around.” junior Brad Crist Oct 23, 2006

40-41crosscountry.indd 40

2/7/07 7:43:10 PM

Sophomore Brian Simps on Photo by Photo by Fra Hannah Brew nces Lafferty er • Freshma • Junior Zach n Mallory Kir Zwibelman Ph by oto by Katie Woods

A

start Design by Bailey Atkinson

U

Above: Junior Keaton Carter runs at an STA meet with team mates. Keaton ended with a time of 26:02. “Racing against team mates makes me a more aggressive runner because you know the person you are running against, it also gives you someone to talk to,” Carter said. Photo by Frances Lafferty

•

•

senior John McNeely 19:46 Metro 2006

•

up to three, five and six miles. At the end of the season, Chesbrough’s best 4K was 16:56, compared to over 18 minutes when she started on C-Team. She had never expected to run so well.

“But it’s not really that unusual to have freshman on varsity,” Chesbrough said.“Freshman year is the best year for most people.”

Yet freshman Taylor Haviland was the only freshman on boys’ varsity.

Though all his teammates were older, “It’s like being with my freshman friends,” Haviland said.

“I’m used to the guys; it’s pretty normal.”

Haviland was disappointed with his 8th place for East in the 5K at Rim Rock, the League Championship and last meet.

“I could have run faster and a little stronger,” Haviland said. “I hit a couple hills harder than I should have.”

But overall, Haviland improved more than he had expected during the season.

“I don’t think I’ve reached my potential yet,” Haviland said. “I feel that I get faster at every meet.”

For these three freshmen, making Varsity early was an opportunity to improve and expect to continue improving.

“I’m a lot more competitive now,” Kirby said.

“My legs are stronger.”

Before the Greg Wilson, Kirby warmed up alone. She ran about one fourth of a mile and stretched, telling herself it was O.K. to do poorly.

She was just a freshman.

“I started running because I was good at the mile in elementary,” Kirby said. “I didn’t care when I started. Now I care a lot.” Story by Brooke Stanley

Oct 26, 2006 My car battery died. I remember because I failed an English quiz that day too.” senior Liz Raynolds

40-41crosscountry.indd 41

•

senior Kelley McCormick 16:48 Regionals 2003 senior Ben McNamara 19:46 Metro 2006

Varsity freshmen work hard to get ahead for the future

Uncomfortable, freshman Mallory Kirby noticed how tight her top was. Half of her stomach was showing. She felt like the shirt was sucking in. Her light shorts were cut open at the sides, making them even shorter. She couldn’t stop shaking, and it wasn’t just because her uniform seemed small. From the starting line the track at JCCC looked flat. It was a little hot but there was no wind; it was good weather to run.

To one side of Kirby were her varsity teammates. Sophomore Allie Marquis told Kirby to relax, but get out fast when the race started.

The coaches walked the starting line, giving advice to the runners. Kirby noticed the members of another team standing to her other side.

“They looked really fierce,” Kirby said. “I was so nervous.”

It was the Greg Wilson Classic, Kirby’s first race on East’s cross country team. She didn’t expect to do well, but came out of the race ahead of East’s other top runners, placing 11th. Joining the varsity team, Kirby had the fastest times for a girl at East. Her best 4k or 2.4 mile time was 16:11, and her 5k or 3.1 mile was 19:51.

“Being on varsity scared me at first,” Kirby said. “I thought the girls would be disappointed that I was taking their spots. But they all told me not to worry about it.”

Other freshmen on girls’ varsity included Leah Chesbrough, who started the season on C-Team but worked her way up.

“I wasn’t a good runner when the season started,” Chesbrough said. “C-Team was all I expected.”

But throughout the season, Chesbrough grew faster. At first she would go out for about two miles, walking partway, and gradually worked

senior Kristin Marquis 17:25 League 2005

senior Betsy Morris 17:54 SM West 2006 • senior Tyler Perkins 20:35 Metro 2006

• senior Ali Reierson 16:39 SM West 2006 •

senior Peter Reisz 16:34 Regionals 2005

•

senior Sam Reisz 18:30 Metro 2004

•

senior Tad Sigman 28:10 SM West 2005

•

senior Kristin Simpson 16:58 SM North 2006

•

senior Cole Spickler 20:57 League 2006

•

senior Quinn Stauffer 17:35 Aquinas 2006

•

senior Bo Steadman 19:30 Metro 2004

•

senior Foster Tidwell 19:23 Aquinas 2006

•

senior Hawa Whalen 21:28 SM West 2005

•

senior Joe Wheeler 21:45 SM West 2005

•

senior Katie Woods 17:33 SM West 2005

41

Cross Country Snapshot

2/7/07 7:43:24 PM

blend.

A Design by Christy Beeder

Whether

painting,

grinding, or selling,

students help

to launch

the coffee shop

Above: Sophomore Alexi Brown laughs as she sips a cup of coffee.

“I think the picture on the wall is cool because it incorporates the Lancer, our mascot, and also has coffee in there. It [the picture] brings those two together and shows how this is unique to East.”

Brown said. Photo by Annie Krieg

A line of students trailed out of the crowded coffee shop.

Four girls chatted outside the door with their four steaming cups of Vermont maple nut coffee. Students crowded the black bar for their free honey, packets of sweetener or hot water for their hot chocolates. One student and teacher sat at a circular blue and black table. Holding a pencil, the teacher traced the edges of first a square, then a triangle.

She was tutoring the girl in angles. A few teachers stood in line and waited patiently for their turn. It was 7:15 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, and Columbia Brew Black and White was swamped.

“There’s something for everyone in here,” supervisor Julie Paradise said. “We want this to be a place where teachers can have meetings, parents can visit, and StuCo can meet.”

Paradise, along with Mrs. Broadwater sponsored and helped supervise the shop with seniors Ben McNamara, Kristin Simpson, and Alex LaPrade. Mrs. Broadwater suggested it serve as the DECA project for the three marketing seniors, who jumped at the opportunity to work with the Special Education students that were involved with the coffee shop.

“The idea was to give them a place to integrate in with the rest of the students,” Simpson said. “They get so excited when a big group of kids come in and they can say ‘hi’. It’s given them a real sense of place in the school.”

Along with helping the Special Education students, the coffee shop worked to be self-sustaining, making sure it was giving back some of its profits to the school. The shop donated coffee to a local KVC children’s organization, and they also supported the StuCo can drive with 200 cans made off of “Cans for Coffee”. Every student who brought two cans to the coffee shop received a free coffee, a trade that students obviously enjoyed.

The three seniors dedicated themselves to the shop and came to school early to work Tuesdays through Fridays at 6:45a.m. After being trained by The Roasterie, the seniors switched off making The Roasterie-donated coffee and setting out The Roasterie-embellished cups and lids. During hours one, two and three, two students from Special Education worked at a time, exchanging hugs and high-fives with the seniors upon arrival. Relationships between the workers formed.

“Everyone has really bonded,” Simpson said. “On Mondays, we talk about how our weekends were and what we are looking forward to after school. Stuff that anyone would talk about. The shop is supporting the school, but it’s also supporting the students.”

Not only did the seniors and the students bond at school, but also a SHARE project called Pack-of-Pals met outside of school. Bowling trips and dinners allowed all of the students to create friendships.

“At bowling when they get a strike, they are so excited about it,” Simpson said. “It’s great to see them open up and see their personalities come out.”

The project had opportunities for both and seniors and the Special Education workers.

“It’s a really good experience for us,” LaPrade said. “We can get rid of the stereotypes about the Special Ed. kids and give them hands-on experience in the work force for after high school.”

The shop had support from both students and teachers alike, and without all of the contributions, the development wouldn’t have been possible.

“We were so lucky that so many people were good with this idea,” Paradise said. “Dr. Cocolis and Dr. Swift think it’s a great idea. We are opening small, but already it has taken on a life of its own.” Story by Alexandria Norton

42

Snapshot October “I hosted the International Exchange Student Halloween party at my house. We carved pumpkins and many students dressed up.” junior Kelly Womack Oct 27, 2006

42-43finalblend.indd 42

2/8/07 3:22:26 PM

&

columbia brew,

black white

Beginning in August, Columbia Brew Black and White has been a school wide effort. Both art and woodshop students worked inside and outside of class to construct a bench and create logos for the shop. In Late September, kids in special education took a field trip to The Roasterie to observe how the beans were air roasted. Accompaning them were seniors Ben McNamera, Alex LaPrade, and Kristin Simpson. The three were nominated by their marketing teacher to head the project. “All three of us are interested in business, and this combined with getting to spend time with the kids has been well worth it.” Simpson said.

Above: Seniors Jack Ditch and Junior Andy Loethen get a drink out of the refrigerator. Both enjoy working in the coffee shop. “I like working in the coffee shop because it’s a new experience for me and I get to learn how a business works,” Ditch said. “My favorite job was serving the customers,” Loethen adds. Photo by Melissa Blessen

Top: Junior Tony Rubaie supervises the coffee pot. “I am the server and it is my job to give [the customers] hot water, coffee, and frappuccinos.” Rubaie said. Photo by Annie Krieg Above: Senior Roman Tubbs gives change to junior Kelly Womack. Workers in the coffee shop are responsible for serving customers, handeling the register, and replenishing coffee.

Photo by Melissa Blessen

Above: Freshman Jennifer O’Brien pours coffee during her morning visit to the coffee shop. Three flavors are always available: decaf, the flavor of the month and Lancer Blend which is specially brewed by The Roasterie for East. Photo by Melissa Blessen

Oct 28, 2006 “I visited Ole Miss. I went to “The Grove” which is their famous tailgate before and after games. I’m probably going to school there.” senior Caroline Jones

42-43finalblend.indd 43

43

Coffee Shop Snapshot

2/8/07 3:22:50 PM

R

Senior An

drew Ba rn

ett Phot o by Kels ey Brow

n• Junior

Terrance

Thomas

Photo by

Hannah

Brewer•J unior Fo

rrest Mill er Ph

oto by H an

nah Gillas

pie

ushing to

victory

Returning players adjust to underclassman on and off the field

R

Running sprints, reviewing plays, and watching film. On the field, the team had been one unit, acting together to form a team that, after the loss of key senior players, had struggled to be worthy of the name they had made for themselves.

“When we lost some of the guys, it made an impact on how we played,” senior Dillon Goins said. “The seniors had to really step it up.”

Goins and fellow seniors John Brickson, Alex Myers and Andrew Barnert were only a few to help lead the predominantly junior team.

“We try and show the rest of the team what’s what,” Brickson said.

“This year we have a few more sophomores than we’re used to, so it’s an adjustment.”

“I kind of try and step back,” junior Matt Baker said. “It’s really the seniors season and the rest of us are just there as background, to make sure that they have a good year.”

Keeping the team together had been up to the senior class. Lots of the guys had played together since elementary school, a fact that helped them stay tied to their goals.

“The time that we’ve all spent together- just playing with each other for so long is just a special bond, like brotherhood,” Barnert said. “And

that bond has just helped us to not give up on what we were fighting for and to just keep going.”

With practices every day after school, the players had run up and down hills, jogged for miles and had made sure they were ready for their season.

“Practice was intense this year,” Myers said. “We always run a lot, lift weights and make sure we’re in shape. But this year conditioning started earlier in the summer and earlier in the day. We were always up at school- reviewing plays, running drills, that sort of thing.

Playing their last game against Lawrence Free-State, the 20-9 loss had been emotional but had only shown the work the team had put in.

“It was a big drain for the seniors. Our high school careers are done. Now that we’re never going to play together, it’s going to be hard,” Barnert said. “We went in to the game knowing that we could win or if we didn’t win that we could give them a run for their money and the fact that we gave Lawrence the toughest fight of their season was a good feeling, but it still didn’t make up for the fact that we lost.”

Story by Emma Collins

Below: The Varsity Football players huddle together after the Black and Blue game. Photo by Kelsey Brown

44

Snapshot October “I took the ACT for the first time. It was really long and boring.” senior Will Becker Oct 28, 2006

44-45 football.indd 44

2/8/07 2:56:12 PM

Below Left: Junior Forrest Miller launches a football against the SM North defense. This was Miller’s first year playing as the starting varsity quarterback. “It was really hard playing with a new set of guys,” Miller said. “Free State was the hardest for us to play against.” Photo by Kelsey Brown Below Center: Senior Drew Robinson stretches at the start of a game against Leavenworth. East ended the game with a victory. Photo by Kelsey Brown. Below Left: The varsity sideline cheers after a touchdown during the overtime victory against rivals Shawnee Mission North. East defeated North 21-14, keeping the Nut Cup for the second season in a row. Photo by Kelsey Brown

senior Robbie Fitzwater #3 Scout team running back

•

senior Jason Honore #4 Out senior year due to an MCL sprain senior Alex Marquez #5 Started playing freshman year, didn’t start until senior year

• •

senior John Brickson #9 Started as QB freshman year

•

senior Thomas Klein #12 Started playing freshman year because his best friend wanted to

•

senior Corbin Burright #15 Varsity year was the first time playing in the starting line-up

•

senior Tyler Parman #18 Didn’t play junior year

•

senior Colin Hertel #20 Never missed a summer weight session all four years

•

senior Kevin Warnecke #42 Started playing junior year after breaking his leg in soccer

•

senior Dillion Goins #53 Led team with 107 tackles this year

•

senior Justin Bellner #54 Has been injuried every year

•

senior Drew Robinson #60 Started every game

Left: Sophomore Marcus Webb rushes down the field in hopes of a touchdown against Olathe South’s strong defense. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

Above: Senior Robbie Fitzwater is tackled by Shawnee Mission South’s linebacker Danny Weigel. “We had a really hard schedule this year and Forrest [Miller] really stepped up, he’s the calmest player on the field at any time,” said Fitzwater. Photo by Hannah Brewer

•

senior Tom Watson #61 Wears two different pair of socks a game

•

senior Grant Sharp #63 Dad played on the Philadelphia Eagles

•

senior Alex O’Neill #65 Second lightest varsity player

•

senior Alex Myers #66 Started playing in 4th grade because his friend’s father was coach

your injuries

injury:Torn ACL and MCL

“ “ ” “ ”

•

In the sixth game I retore my ACL, it was the first JV game I played since I was moved down when Terrance [Thomas] came back.

senior Spencer Yohn #69 Out senior year due to an MCL and ACL tears

”

•

Sophomore Eric Ellwood

senior Travis Wiedenkeller #76 Got four concussions junior and senior year

injury: Trampled by players

•

I was standing on the sidelines and I couldn’t see anything, then all of a sudden some players fell on me and someone hit my leg and I fell on my head.

senior Andrew Barnet #79 Played on varsity for three years

•

Junior Maddy Stock

senior Errick Schmidt #82 Only injury playing is a broken finger

injury: Torn ACL and MCL

ick drink nsen grab a qu l and Stuart Je is one of n Chris Herte y North. Chris lle Va e Blu Above: Freshme st again mpetition co me od ga go JV s y wa dd oto during a mu JV this year. “It Hertel said. Ph who played on uldn’t handle,” two freshman anything I co lly rea t sn wa but it er

by Karen Boom

senior Bobby Miller #88 Caught field goal kick and ran in for a touchdown

Senior Colin Hertel

Oct 30, 2006 “We played the senior boys in wiffleball and we won by default so we went on to play the sophomore girls in an intense match.” junior Jaclyn Haith

44-45 football.indd 45

•

I hurt my knee at football practice. I got tackled and it just sort of buckled in. I was out all season.

45

Football Snapshot

2/8/07 2:56:24 PM

Junior Kristen Altoro and senior Joe Wheeler audition for senior Reina Murphy’s show, “Plaza Suite.” “I didn’t make it, but I just look at it as an opportunity to try out for the next one,” Altoro said. “If I make it, it’s such a rush because I’ll get to meet people and learn more about theater.” Photo by Kelsey Brown

Far above: Junior Lindsay Vanatta shushes sophomore Darci O’Brien during “An Afternoon of Beckett.” “We had been talking about Beckett in Rep Theater and he’s just a really cool playwright,” Vanatta said. “So I tried out.” Above: Junior Matthew Pope waits while his makeup is applied for “Gilligan’s Island,” in which he played Herald Hecuba. “In one part of the show, I put on a one-man musical,” Pope said. “I was just running off-stage, stripping off clothes and putting them back on.” Photos by Kelsey Brown

“Porch” Hannah Jorgensen • “Dr Fritz” Karl Wiederaenders • “Gilligan’s Island” Avery Fischgrund • “An Afternoon of Beckett” Rebecca Mosley • “The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year” Jessica Gillis • “For Whom the Southern Bell Tolls” Abbey Bavley • “That 70’s Show” Keri O’Brien • “Plaza Suite” Reina Murphy • “Bang Bang, You’re Dead” Kelsey Lehman

your show

An Afternoon of Beckett

“

How did you choose the play?

senior Rebecca Mosley

46

I wanted the new theater classes to experience Absurdism because it’s something completely different. It’s not funny or a musical. It’s very, very serious.

”

Dr Fritz

“ senior Karl Wiederaenders

Snapshot October “I wore a foil hat and bracelet and then finally got the yummy burrito, so it was worth it in the end.” junior Allison Humer

46-47 Frequent Fridays 46

I chose a show by David Ives, my favorite playwright. It was very wellreceived - one of those oddities in which everything goes according to plan.

”

Oct 31, 2006

2/7/07 5:22:19 PM

JorSenior Hannah in “For gensen performs ern uth Whom The So n HolsBell Tolls.” “Jorda erveninger started hyp sen said. tilating,” Jorgen so hard “I was laughing and took to cover it up his face his paper bag to breathe.” to help him l English Photo by Rache

Sophomore Maureen Orth plays Mary Ann in “Gilligan’s Island.” “Frequent Fridays are a really good way to earn Thespian points and get involved in theater,” Orth said. Photo

by Annie Krieg

the

Above: Senior Avery Fischgrund laughs as she watches her Frequent Friday rehearsed. “I originally said I was going to do ‘Gilligan’s Island’ as a joke,” Fischgrund said. “But it stuck in my mind.” Photo by Annie Krieg. Above right: Junior Michael Lebowitz performs as the Reader in “An Afternoon of Beckett,” a series of three bizarre shows by one of the few playwrights to ever win a Nobel Prize. “Beckett pieces really leave themselves open to interpretation,” Lebowitz said. “That’s the beauty of theater.” Photo by Kelsey Brown

SHOW

must go on Design by Brooke Stanley

Advanced Rep students direct their own Frequent Friday shows

I

At the back of the Little Theater, the theme La Habanera from “Carmen” plunked away on the piano. With a great deal of flair, legging-clad Hamlet leaped out from behind the side curtain onto the sparsely decorated stage, black crushed velvet cape flapping. Strutting, twirling, prancing about the stage, the famous character pondered “to be or not to be” aloud to the familiar tune.

The play, however, was not the work of a long dead French composer. It wasn’t some warped version of Shakespeare either. Downstage right of the dancing Hamlet was the rest of the cast. They wore a captain’s hat and pillow gut, pearls and long white gloves, pink rhinestone stilettos and a scarlet wig. A shiny plastic tiki idol glared down from the wall above their heads. Just another typical Frequent Friday rehearsal.

The play was episode number 72 of Gilligan’s Island, in which the hapless castaways put on a musical, “Hamlet,” to impress stranded producer Harold Hecuba. The show was directed by senior Avery Fischgrund. It was one of several rehearsals that week and not everything was going perfectly smoothly. A few lines were still shaky and the logistics of the scene changes weren’t yet seamless.

“For goodness sakes, people,” Fischgrund said. “Get it together!”

There were only two days before the performance, and the pressure was on. The actors and director already had an idea of how the play would go. It was scheduled to begin right after school, so everyone would have to come straight from their seventh hours. Unlike performers in the main school productions, participants in Frequent Fridays had minutes, not hours, to prepare.

“It’s run, makeup, costumes, breathe, stage,” Fischgrund said.

Frequent Fridays were typically humorous, one-act plays directed by students in the Advanced Reparatory class. Though in the past they had occurred most Fridays, this year there were only nine students enrolled in the class, which meant far fewer plays. Still, Frequent Fridays were an opportunity for students passionate about drama to get experience and have fun.

“I love being on stage,” senior Hannah Jorgensen said. “The audience is dark and all you can see is the stage lights. I love the feeling of putting all your energy into being another person.”

Long before they could get to the stage, however, the Advanced Rep students had to select their piece. Students had plenty of resources between the script library and the guidance of Mr. Cappello and Mr. DeFeo, but sometimes inspiration came from less expected places.

“Last year we were talking about slapstick in class and watched the episode of Gilligan’s Island,” Fischgrund said. “At first I laughed about how I should do it for my Frequent Friday piece, but later I was like ‘Yeah, I should do this for my Frequent Friday piece!’”

With her selection made, Fischgrund moved on to perhaps the least pleasant part of the process - choosing who to put in her play and who to cut.

“Casting is hard,” Fischgrund said. “It’s hard for the student not to get in and just as hard for the director to say no.”

Still, she knew exactly what she was looking for in the auditions- movement, voice and character development. Since the selection was a musical there was one more thing - they had to be able to carry a tune. Hopefuls had to sing “Happy Birthday” as part of their audition to prove they had the total package.

Fischgrund, Jorgensen, and other directors then had to work with their cast for the next few weeks of rehearsal, a task easier said than done.

“They don’t listen,” Jorgensen said. “But you don’t want to be some kind of dictator.”

Despite the conflict sometimes caused, there were perks in having a director the same age as the actors, too. Freshman Phoebe Unterman certainly knew the advantages and disadvantages since she had been one of the two girls cast in Jorgensen’s production of “Porch.” Such a small cast meant the actors and director would be working even more closely than they would in a normal production.

“I like having a student director,” Unterman said. “They are really easy to talk to.”

Between juggling rehearsals, performances, school, and other activities, Frequent Fridays added up to a lot of work for Advanced Reperatory students.

“If anybody thinks theater is an easy course, they are so wrong,” Fischgrund said. Story by Gale Harrington

Oct 31, 2006 “Mr. Pulsinelli dressing up as a Jedi knight was memorable just because he pretty much wears the same thing every other day.” sophomore Andrea Brown

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Frequent Fridays Snapshot

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November.

your turkey dinner

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Senior Joe Wheeler prepares to throw senior Hannah Jorgensen into a dramatic dip during “Wild Oats” play cuts. “Our two characters were a lot alike - both airheaded,” Wheeler said. “It was lots of fun making complete butts of ourselves.” Photo by Rachel Clarke.

Junior Dane Callstrom plays the lead, Jack Rov er. “I felt a lot more resp Manson and junior Mat onsibility to take it to thew Pope twirl in the the next level with this preshow • Senior Rac and Emma Austenfeld. show,” Callstrom said hel Sixta, playing Kate “The characters in this . “There’s so much ridin , kicks pistols from the show were easy to play sophomore Christina g on your performanc hands of the Nefarious because they have suc Beynon perform as barm e.” • Sophomore Alison Female Outlaws, play h huge personalities,” aids in the preshow • Meaghered by sophomore Ally Sixta said. “When I was Junior Michael Lebowit McCarthy and juniors stressed, I could just z, playing Smooth, drop Maggie Blake escape to being Kate s his jaw in shock as Call .”

• Jun ior strom laughs at him.

Michelle Parsons and Photos by Katie Woods.

50

Snapshot November “I got a speeding ticket and I cried but he wouldn’t let me out of it.” junior Tayler Phillips Nov 6, 2006

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SCENES

behind the

Design by Brooke Stanley

The cast of “Wild Oats” prepares make-up, costumes and creativity for the show

I

It was three hours before Friday night’s performance of “Wild Oats.” The theme song of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” blasted from a radio in the hallway. Junior Michael Lebowitz scrunched up his face as he bent over, playing air guitar. Crew members and actors gathered around dancing and singing. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t know the words.

Everyone was on a sugar-high from homemade brownies, cookies, Pixie Sticks and Kit-Kat Bars. A lot of the sweets came from a secret pal.

Each year, the actors and techies were assigned a “secret pal” to discretely exchange gifts and brief notes with. The gifts were always exciting and unexpected. Freshman Xach Millbern got a toilet scrubber and kitty litter, and sophomore Kathryn Rush got a Stink Blaster Series II. “I bought toiletries last night for my secret pal,” junior Lindsay Vanatta said with a laugh.

Soon the radio was moved to the make-up room, and with it flocked the students. Faces were plastered with foundation, liquid eye shadow, lipstick and blush. Two wall-length mirrors were propped up on four chairs. In front of them sat the brave actors who decided to cake on the make-up on their own. Junior Matthew Pope, with teal and bright-purple eye shadow, touched up his blush as he handed sophomore Christina Beynon foundation to put on his back.

“Oh my gosh…” Beynon said.

“I know, I told you it was dark,” Pope said.

Just outside the makeup room, Wild Oats posters lined the hallway from the girls’ bathroom to room 219. They were filled with messages. “Howdy you were an awesome old lady! Peace out!” wrote Rush on sophomore Olivia Sieck’s. On freshman Kaevan Tavakolinia’s, junior Lexie Burgers wrote, “I woke up just to sign your poster.”

After eating dinner from Arby’s, Wendy’s and Taco Bell, and powdering their faces, the actors gathered in the choir room and counted down to 6:30, 30 minutes before show time.

“Lion!” student director senior Avery Fischgrund shouted, standing in the center of the actors. The actors responded by roaring and snarling. Then Fischgrund shouted “Lemon!” to which they sucked their lips together, squinted their eyes and puckered their faces. After shouting these two things back-to-back for a few minutes, Fischgrund incorporated ‘kitty,’ ‘bear,’ ‘alien,’ ‘teacher,’ ‘angry,’ and ‘sad,’ once in a while bringing lion or lemon back in.

All of the actors concentrated and focused on each word that Fischgrund shouted, until she shouted ‘silent’ and sophomore Jordan Holsinger, having missed the command, blabbered “What?” The whole room broke into laughter.

Even after triangle breathing and chanting “aaa, eee, iii, ooo, uuu, and sometimes yyy”, Fischgrund couldn’t seem to bring them into focus. At this point, Mr. Capello intervened. Frankly, he was concerned.

“Thursday night you have the opening night, and Saturday you have the emotion,” Mr. Capello said. “Friday night is notoriously the night that it’s lost.”

But it turned out he had no need to be concerned at all. That Friday night, the actors and techies seemed more prepared than ever. They put on a show that drew laughter from each person of the audience and left a smile on each face.

They did it - they conquered the Friday night curse. Story by Andrea Tudhope

youraudition How did you prepare?

“

I ate heathy that day so I wouldn’t faint on stage. Then I said my monologue backwards - the last sentence first, then second to last.

”

sophomore Ally McCarthy

photo by Stefanie Enger

“ ”

Right: Sophomore Allison Meagher-Manson snaps a picture of senior Rachel Sixta in a dressing room. “Everyone is so tired during play week,” Sixta said. “We goof off to keep each other going.” Photo

by Melissa Blessen. Below: Senior Abbey Bavley licks pie off her face, with junior Emma Austenfeld and sophomore Ally McCarthy behind her. “I got my character when I got my costume,” Bavley said.

“When you’re wearing this pink, sequined Barbie prom dress, you know who you’re supposed to be.” Photo by Tayler Philips.

I polished my monologue and did my best. I got the teachers to laugh; I was really confident and I think they liked that.

sophomore Jessie Light

photo by Stefanie Enger

“ ”

It takes a lot of work to memorize your monologue and get it to the point where you like it. You have to put in hand movements and really bring the character alive.

Nov 7, 2006 “I was happy with the outcome of the election because it showed the country was ready for a new direction.” senior Kristin Simpson

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junior Serena Verden

photo by Paige Ledbetter

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S E G A P E INSIDE TH Design by Megan Collins

and Abby Fritts

Whether writing, designing, or photographing ublications

te to create p dents collabora

photo by Kelsey Brown

Journalism stu

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Snapshot November “We had basketball tryouts and three-hour long practices.� junior Kelsey Whitaker Nov 16, 2006

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your numbers

1875

number of yearbooks ordered

2200

newspapers ordered each issue

24

number of pages each newspaper issue

ous

the notori

s t h g i n e t la

T

The bell signaling the end of first lunch was ringing as junior Bailey Atkinson entered room 520. Before even stopping to put down her backpack, she headed over to the infamous list lined with two columns of names, scanning for any new developments. After a couple minutes of intense studying she headed back to her computer, whispering to sophomore Paige Ledbetter. Senior Melissa Blessen has been crossed off the list.

Eighty-six staff members prepared over the summer for the upcoming year. Together, they worked through stressful deadline nights and produced three nationally award-winning publications. But right then, all that mattered was that out of the 86 journalism staff members, only one would survive. It was secretive planning and intense strategy. Outwit, outlast, outplay. It was journalism assassins 2006.

Each willing journalist was given the name of a Hauberk or Harbinger member to “assassinate,” or shoot with a water gun, and alliances in “Jsassins” were broken as quickly as they formed.

Senior Daniel Heady betrayed longtime friend Nathan Yaffee while out to lunch at Mr. Goodcents and assassinated him with a water bottle.

Sophomore Gale Harrington assassinated the unsuspecting sophomore designer Sam Benson at soccer practice. Benson dejectedly crossed her name off the list the next day. Atkinson wondered if she would be next.

“I get so paranoid,” Atkinson said. “My mom asks me to do things like walk my dog, and I’ll do it - but I always take my water gun with me.”

Staff members of both newspaper and yearbook also had fun together over the summer at a journalism convention in Dallas.

“Dallas is probably one of my favorite

Left: Junior Sylvia Shank and senior Katie Jones discuss the new Gwen Stefani album that was shipped to the Harbinger prior to its release date for their review. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

Above: Senior Christy Beeder helps sophomore Emma Collins choose pictures for the senior section. “Half the fun of journalism is bouncing ideas off of each other. The room is always lively,” Beeder said. Photo by Rachel Clarke.

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school days to work on the yearbook

conventions,” senior Harbinger editor Amanda Allison said. “New members come never having even touched InDesign and leave with design awards. Everyone comes back so excited for the year to start.”

When the year does finally start, each Harbinger staff member gets asked one very important question - which teacher at East would they want to back them in a knife fight - and have fun listening to the answers.

“I said Boley this year,” Allison said. “Last year a staff artist drew a picture of him totally pumped up with huge biceps in his army gear - I thought he looked like he could take anyone.”

Being on either staff meant a lot of commitment for the students. Extra hours were put in at the notorious “late nights” held every other Wednesday for newspaper, and on Tuesdays for the yearbook staff.

“People work in the beginning,” sophomore Harbinger news editor Paige Cornwell said. “We start getting loopy around 5:30 though, there’s a lot of craziness. When it gets late you work hardest because you just want to go home, but it’s fun.”

When the publications finally came out, East students excitedly shuffled through the paper or yearbook, looking for pictures of themselves or a quote from a friend. The staff members, however, got a much better reward.

“It’s so much cooler to have your name attached to something in the book [Hauberk] than just a picture of you on one page,” senior photo editor Kelsey Brown said. “The first thing everyone does is flip to the index to see what pages they are on, but I was like ‘I did this.’” Story

by Maureen Orth

the nat

ional

awards

Far above: After learning that the Harbinger had one Pacemaker, senior editor Amanda Allison calls the previous editor, Annie Furhman, to give the good news. Above: Journalism students hold up their awards at the National Journalism Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. “It was really surreal that we had won. That award was based on what we had been working on for the past year and the fact it was national competition made it even more amazing,” junior Ruth Stark said. Photos

by Katie Woods.

Far Left: During fifth hour yearbook class, senior Abby Fritts looks at senior Annie Krieg’s pictures on her camera. “It’s satisfying when a photographer’s vision meets the editor’s approval. It means that all of your hard work paid off,” Krieg said. Photo by Rachel Clarke. Center: During a photo critique, journalism adviser Dow Tate gives his opinion on junior Hannah Brewer’s photographs. “At first it is really intimidating, but he always gives you really good advice and improves your work,” Brewer said.

Photo by Annie Krieg. Left: A journalism student corrects a spread.

Photo by Hannah Brewer

Nov 16, 2006 “I found out I got into DePauw and I was ecstatic because it came a week earlier than I expected and it meant that my college process was over.” senior Ellie Weed

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Journalism Snapshot

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one mework at ly with his ho academical helps Zach t er n’ re lliv we Do rsen said e kids succeed,” er: Junior Ka e. “Since some of th to nt d ce te e iva ov ot tary. Ab n scienc more m me to lear they were ood Elemen ey play a ga st their sweet tooth; ol at Briarw after scho ju candy as th ed an ith m w th r, e am or de oh m ra M -g quenched she tutors my, a third the candy problem as Straub rewards Tom . However, ugh math nior Jeff s or Sprees rough a to Se rt : th ht Ta s t rk rig ee e wo eers. Abov n Clayton recieved Sw Junior Elle ARE volunt a test, they Above left: ns run by SH y. If they did well on ring sessio nd to ca tu e e th us of d to we decide r. motivated, efanie Enge otos by St Straub. Ph

S

BRIARWOOD TUTORING

Senior SHARE Chair Jeff Straub sat at Briarwood Elementary School, tutoring grade school student Tommy in reading. It was Straub’s tenth session with Tommy, the last reading session of the year. As the hour and a half came to an end, Tommy turned to Straub and said, “I wish you were my brother.”

Meanwhile, junior Karsen Dolliver sat with her own Briarwood student, third grader Zach. As her lesson began, Zach ran to where Dolliver sat, anticipating their upcoming reading practice.

“Every week when I came in, he’d come over and say ‘hi’ to me,” Dolliver said. “I think he started looking forward to me coming; if I missed one [session] he’d always notice and ask me about it the next time.”

With these new, developing relationships, tutoring for the Briarwood students’ reading became more effective.

“I think if they get to know you, they start looking forward to being with you,” Dolliver said. “They’ll try instead of their parents just making them come.”

These relationships progressed through the fall reading sessions, and mathematics sessions followed in the winter. During the math tutoring, the Briarwood students took regular tests to measure their progress. By the end of the winter sessions, every student had improved.

“They’re so happy when they improve, you can just tell by their reactions,” Straub said. “They love to show their teachers. When they improve, you feel a lot better that you’re actually helping someone.”

J

PACK OF PALS

Junior Rachel Mayfield helped Hazel to her room on one of her numerous trips to Brighton Gardens. Unlike Mayfield’s usual visits to Brighton, however, this was a special occasion: Hazel’s 97th birthday.

With a birthday bash planned only for her close friends and family, Hazel asked Mayfield to help her choose an outfit for the big night. As they looked, Hazel pulled out an invitation to the private party and gave it to Mayfield. After weeks of regular visits, Mayfield had become one of Hazel’s closest friends.

Due to routine visitors from East, including SHARE Chairs Mayfield and junior Ruth Stark, close connections between students and senior residents progressed through the year.

“I didn’t expect to get as attached as I am; I never expected first name basis with any of these people,” Stark said. “Now I’m showing my homecoming pictures, sharing my life story with them.”

With so much to look forward to, both Mayfield and Stark tried to visit at least once a week. While some days they might paint the ladies’ nails, other days they might help with Bingo or play cards with some of their close Brighton friends.

“It’s kind of funny because there’s a different activity you have with each of them,” Mayfield said. “Like Bill, he’s amazing at gin rummy. He plays Go Fish with me, but he whops everyone he plays every time.”

Although Mayfield and Stark visited regularly, others involved in the project went on their own, whenever they had a block of time to fill in their schedules.

“I feel like this project is a little more open to anyone who wants to go who has time in their schedule,” Stark said. “It’s not a big production. You can go for three minutes, you can go for three hours; you just go when you can, when you think you’re going to help.”

your activities Truth or

Dare

Locks of

Love

Heart

Strings

SHARE Projects

Students participate in a wide variety of projects and challenge others to join. One project includes designing and decorating apartments for a battered women’s shelter.

junior Drew Kane

Girls with long hair donate ten inches of their own hair to the organization.

Locks of Love then makes the hair into wigs for children with cancer.

sophomore Tucker Nelson Volunteers help mentally disabled adults learn job skills. They accompany the adults to the gym and “goody deliveries,” opportunities to sell products to big companies.

junior Tayler Philips

Above: Senior Kristin Simpson and sophomore Robert Kimmel laugh as they make goody bags for the seniors at Brighton Gardens to give to their grandchildren. “We were putting together Christmas packages to let the residents of Brighton Gardens know there were people in the community who cared about them,” Simpson said. Photo by Hannah Gillaspie.

54

Snapshot November “I went laser taging with the theater kids and it was amazing.” sophomore Sarah Pavlu Nov 17, 2006

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Lending

Helping Hand a

Design by Sam Benson

Helping the community gives

East Students

a chance to improve

the lives of others

Above: Seniors Abby McCrummen and Jessica Melvin hold a baby girl with Down Syndrome, a disease which affects 1 in every 1000 babies. “Jessica [Melvin] asked me to do it once, but I ended up loving it so much that now I do it on a regular basis,” said McCrummen. Right: Junior Abby Bauer helps a toddler girl with her new glasses, a present brought by the SHARE volunteers. Photos by Hannah Gillaspie.

DOWN SYNDROME

S

Smiles filled the faces of the children as they reached for cookies and juice boxes. Some played catch while some watched “Charlotte’s Web” playing on the television. The kids exchanged hugs with the visiting SHARE volunteers.

This was the Life Dynamics Center.

Once a month, Down Syndrome, a SHARE project chaired by seniors Jessica Melvin and Kelsey Brown, visited Life Dynamics Center where they played with kids diagnosed with the condition. Melvin was a third year chair, iinvolved because a member of her own family, her six year old brother Jack, was born with Down Syndrome. Although Jack was a bit slower at learning to walk and talk, his family spent time helping him with his communication.

“When he was a baby, we did sign language with him for simple words like ‘food’ or ‘mom’,” Melvin said. “Now when he doesn’t say the right word, we’ll correct him.”

Along with volunteering at Jack’s school, Melvin decided to chair Down Syndrome as a way of leading a group that she could appreciate and relate to.

“People with Down Syndrome have a different perspective than we do, and they enjoy the little things in life,” Melvin said. “When it’s Christmas or his [Jack’s] birthday, he gets so excited with one gift. Where most other kids

would be like ‘OK, on to the next one,’ he enjoys and appreciates it.”

When visiting the Life Dynamics Center, the East students involved in this project, including senior Abby McCrummen, were welcomed back with hugs from some of the kids who often played at the Center.

“They are very affectionate, and they really like interaction,” McCrummen said. “They like us to read to them or just sit and talk to them.”

With ages varying from around one to eight, the kids were involved in a number of different activities during the two hours that the three or four SHARE volunteers visited the Center.

“Sometimes they are sad that their moms dropped them off, so we have to cheer them up by getting them involved in some kind of game,” Melvin said.

Ranging from monkey in the middle to playing with blocks, the games always succeeded in putting smiles on the children’s faces.

Although the timing of the project was inconvenient for some East students, including McCrummen, they always enjoyed helping the kids whenever they could.

“Once I’m there, I forget all about the homework I need to be doing because I have so much fun playing with the kids,” McCrummen said. “They’re just so great to be around.” Stories by Alexandria Norton

Nov 20, 2006 “I went skiing for the first time. I was surprised how easy it was,the only time I fell was when I tripped over my little brother.” senior Carlee Fessler

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SHARE Snapshot

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a c mism t h Design by Brooke Stanley

Students find old clothes in preparation for a night of crazy dance moves at Morp

M

Morp posters pinned to bulletin boards covered hallways, staircases and classrooms. A long ‘MORP’ banner hung across the main staircase. Similar to Homecoming, Morp preperations entailed numerous posters and constant announcements all saying November 3rd, SME gym, $10 per ticket!’. As StuCo continued to advertise for the upcoming dance, only a week away, a drastic conflict arose. Both StuCo and gymnastics planned to use the gym the night of Friday, November 3.

While StuCo spent numerous hours holding “poster parties” and hand making tickets, the gymnastics team planned as well, but for their state meet instead. In hasty response, StuCo moved the dance to Saturday, November 4, the next night.

“The date change definitely threw people off,” senior Ellie Weed said. “But it had people talking about it [Morp], so it actually worked out really well.”

Warning students about the time change while also encouraging them to go, StuCo members went to school Friday before the dance dressed in crazy Morp attire. High ponytails emerged as old dance costumes from years past resurfaced in a frenzy of clashing colors. Striped leggings peeked from under ballerina tutus, and multi-colored boas and Mardi Gras beads circled girls’necks.

“Everyone was like, ‘Wow, nice outfit’. I walked into school with Betsy Morris or I would’ve felt like a total idiot,” Weed said with a laugh. “I especially [got looks] from freshmen who didn’t know about it.”

Also, orange ‘I’m going’ t-shirts covered nearly every StuCo member: another effort to prepare East students.

“I’d just randomly get a ‘Where are you going?’ in the hallway,” senior Frances Lafferty said. “It would take me a minute to understand what they were asking, but it was really helpful to tell everyone the time change.”

By wearing these t-shirts, making multiple announcements on the intercom, and dressing up for school, StuCo informed all East students about the time change. All of their efforts throughout the dance preparations aimed to raise money for the school’s main beneficiary, Johnson County Christmas Bureau.

“It’s a really good cause, and you can see that they [profits] are going to people in your area,” Weed said. “They [Johnson County Christmas Bureau] don’t just want 18 billion cans of food, so they ask for money to buy other things they need.”

With Johnson County Christmas Bureau to think about, StuCo spent many hours preparing for Morp. Gym set up, however, offered a chance to relax. The main Morp decorations, toilet paper and glow sticks, took only around 3 hours to set up, replacing the usual all day detailed gym set-up of Homecoming.

Not only did set-up change, but neatly coifed hair was replaced by teased and high ponytailed locks. Dates were no longer an issue, dressing took only minutes, and long dresses were replaced by funky, clashing layers.

“I looked around my house and picked up just whatever I saw,” freshman Lauren Reynolds said. “It was pretty last-minute, and that was so much easier and laid-back [than Homecoming].”

StuCo members also looked for tops to wear with their outfits to replace their previously fashioned ‘I’m going’ t-shirts.

“I wore a sweater I found when I was working at the Share Garage Sale,” Weed said. “I was looking at it like ‘when in God’s name would someone ever wear that?...Oh Morp!’”

This crazy apparel contributed to the relaxed atmosphere, and after the dance ended, money was counted. Through all of StuCo’s efforts and the appealing atmosphere, profits actually increased from previous years.

“It was fun to just go crazy the whole night and not really care what you looked like,” freshman Haley Dalgleish said. “I danced for like three hours straight; I was seriously sore the next day.” Story by Alexandria Norton

Far above: Senior Emily Riley applies eye makeup for Morp. “I picked out a dress that I hadn’t worn and some other funky clothes that mismatched, and put lots of sparkly eyeshadow on,” Riley said. “I love how Morp gives everyone a chance to let go and have fun.” Photo by Whitney Van Way. Above: Senior Carly Beck laughs, helping clean up after Morp. “It was so fun,” Beck said. “Everyone was really into dancing, which is how it should be at all the school dances.” Photo by Rachel Wooldridge.

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“I couldn’t eat food on Thanksgiving because I got my tonsils out.” junior Alison Sayler Nov 23, 2006

2/22/07 6:54:37 PM

Senior Mary Coulson spins with a roll of toilet paper during Morp set-up. “We were just kind of goofing around and playing with toilet paper,” Coulson said. “The only part that was stressful was that we had to string the fishing line through the glowsticks three times because the fishing line kept breaking.” Photo by Whitney Van Way

your look

What did you wear to Morp?

•Blue fishnets •Bikini top •Diamond tiara •Black boa •Pink and green heels •My sister’s bumblebee costume from Halloween •Scarf with telephone print

junior Claire Marston

photo by Sarah Andrews

Whi photo by

•Pink fishnets •Ballerina dress •Crown •Vest •Knee socks •Skirt •Pants on my arms •Mismatching high heels tney Van

Way

freshman Phoebe Unterman

photo by Stefanie Enger

your photo

What was your Morp experience? Seniors Claire Ryan, Briana Arensberg, and Charlotte Kerr took this photo before Morp dance. “We have all these old dance costumes and we bring them to one house. We let the boys use them too, and it’s really funny because they’re in spandex,” Arensberg said. Photo courtesy of Briana Arensberg.

Nov 23, 2006 “We went tailgating at the Chiefs game and deep fried turkey. I didn’t eat it but it was really fun being in the crowd.” junior Sarah Elizabeth McCandless

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Morp Snapshot

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yes, we

can Design by Christy Beeder

StuCo members rally to get students involved in an enthusiatic campaign to exceed last year’s goal

Above: History teacher, Mrs. Arndt-Helegesen proudly represents the staff in her typically spirited manner. Photo by Taylor Gudgel.

Top: Senior Ellie Weed, freshman Jack Logan, and sophomore David Spero sprint across the gym during the class can race. Logan, the freshman underdog, took the victory. “The win felt ‘mmm ‘mmm good,” Logan said. Photo by Karen Boomer. Above: Seniors Betsy Morris and Anna Zeiger embrace during the assembly. This newly added event was a collaborative attempt by StuCo to raise awareness and interest in the can drive.

Photo by Annie Krieg.

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Snapshot November “At Thanksgiving dinner, I ate six servings of mashed potatoes. I ate myself sick but I didn’t care because I’m Irish and I could live on potatoes.” junior Adrienne Wood Nov 23, 2006

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battle itout &

drill team cheerleaders your basket

Right: Junior Meg Sterchi laughs with teammate senior Rachel Sixta on the sideline. “I guess the whole school thought we [the drill team] were going to win but the cheerleaders just really brought it,” Sterchi said.

Left Bottom: The Varsity drill team gets ready for the game by singing their traditional chant. Photos by Karen Boomer. Left Top: Senior Dani Larrabee relived some of her own memories playing basketball when she was younger.

“I’m kind of short so it brought back memories of me jumping around, making a fool of myself,” Larrabee said. Even after the cheerleaders victory, all the girls decided the game was all in good fun. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

“

I didn’t think I was going to make one, I just kinda threw it up there and was like ‘Oh, maybe I should have played baskeball in high school.’ No, it was fun, well funny if anything.

”

senior Betsy Jensen

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It was the first can drive assembly ever.

Two thousand students cheered as their class representatives rolled down the basketball court in cardboard tubes decorated to look like canned food. On the sidelines, the Drill Team and Cheerleading squad waited to reclaim the court to continue their basketball game. The four canrollers finally reached the finish line, and when Drew Popplewell was declared the winner, the crowd went wild. The can drive was fully under way.

“A bunch of people didn’t even know that the can drive was going on last year,” StuCo treasurer Bailey Thomas said. “So the can drive rally will help advertise it, and publicize the whole thing.”

This year, the can drive was different, and the can drive rally wasn’t the only sign. In order to raise even more funds for cans, StuCo “canned” peoples’ yards- a takeoff from the popular fundraiser of flamingo-ing. People paid to have

a yard full of cardboard cutout “cans” removed from their yards. Coaches circulated through the stands during the can drive rally asking for money; whoever collected the least would get a pie in the face. Morp remained the biggest fundraiser, and the over $7500 raised from the dance was used to buy more cans.

“With disasters like Hurricane Katrina this year, there are a lot more people in need,” StuCo president Tyler Enders said. “I wanted to make it extremely successful this year.”

The goal for cans almost doubled. Last year, 58,000 cans were collected; this year, the goal was 100,000. Ten thousand cans were collected at school, and students donated money equivalent to 50,000 cans, with each dollar raised counting for five cans.

“I think there’s a good chance that we’ll get really close,” Enders said. “I think it’ll be the most successful can drive yet.”

seniors get

All cans that are collected will go directly to the Johnson County Christmas Bureau, which is a store that provides food to low-income families for free.

“I’ve gone to the Johnson County Christmas Bureau, and helped families shop and take them around, and it’s very rewarding,” Enders said. “It’s a great way to directly affect your community.”

Over 10,000 families utilize the service, and one-third of the cans in the store come from the Shawnee Mission School District.

Within the District, intense competition encourages even more can donations. East’s rivalry with Shawnee Mission South remains one of the main motivating factors in our can drive.

“But even if we don’t beat South, it helps the community a ton,” Thomas said. “Just the fact that we’re doing it is great.” Story by Leah Pickett.

singled

out

your

blind dates

eir final re for th ert prepa l. Emert dem E ly ol ea M Happy M mas and ilkshake ailey Tho ed McDonald’s ould be like a m urger eniors B b Above: S drinking a blend , “I thought it w unks of cheese ds. e, thinking being ch to by Katie Woo as challeng up w e ed d sh it en what id. Pho scribes , but then gged,” Emert sa to drink g, I ga and easy isgustin d so as and it w

Top: Senior John Carr fills out a questionnaire that compared contestants’ and dates’ common interests. “I wanted to win, but I guess we just weren’t compatible,” Carr said.

Above: Senior Peter Spitsnogle wins the date after successfully blowing a bubble with the gum he dug out of an ice cream pie using only his face.

Photos by Annie Krieg.

“

We were going to go on a double date with Bailey and Alex but I never really got my date’s phone number. I think it was just fun, there wasn’t any science to it, it wasn’t love at first sight.

”

”

senior Bailey Thomas

senior Peter Spitsnogle

Nov 25, 2006 “My kitchen oven exploded and made a small fire in my kitchen.” junior Drew Popplewell

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“

Well, the blind date wasn’t really a blind date because everyone knew who he [Alex Hilton] was, and the date didn’t really happen, so really it was all just for a great cause.

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Can Drive Snapshot

2/23/07 7:58:36 AM

above: Juniors Brittany Barnds and Alicia Anderson laugh during their first DECA competition of the year at Blue Valley Northwest on January 18th. “I was really nervous and didn’t know what to expect. We were assigned to a test room or a role play room.

We had some time to prepare so it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Then we took our tests; mine was about my topic, buying and merchandising.” Barnds said. Photo by Rachel Clarke.

your spirit wear

competitions

your

Marketing classes design, print and sell all types of spirit wear. They market these products to students and parents at Meet the Coach nights, games and outside the cafeteria.

. “Instead of going sit down for a DECA competition by junior Chris Segal’s tie before they the competition,” Bauer said. Photo Above: Junior Abby Bauer adjusts for elf yours re prepa to tests stay in and take out on Thursdays to sell, you can Rachel Clarke.

Marketing students take time off to travel

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Jabbing and dodging fiercely, Superman attacked Darth Vader, his light saber clashing with that of his new and unexpected nemesis. The comic book convention was in full swing just outside the hotel where East Marketing students would be spending most of their winter break. Nestled in the heart of downtown New York City, the hotel was right in the middle of all the action, just steps away from times square.

“The hotel was, like, really gross,” senior Briana Arensberg said. “But that’s just kind of how New York is.”

The trip was open to Marketing Two students only, seniors who had already paid their dues in Marketing One. They learned all the basics of appealing to possible customers, designing storefronts, and completing other simple tasks.

Marketing Two was a more involved, demanding class. These experienced students were expected to do things like create their own projects and write a 30-page paper. The trip to New York was teacher Mercedes Rasmussen’s way of rewarding the students who had stayed on another year while providing a unique setting for learning.

“Mercedes is an amazing leader,” Arensberg said. “She’s very open to any type of learner. You don’t have to be incredibly smart to do well in her class. If you work hard you can excel.”

The trip focused on visiting business hot spots like Wall Street to get a taste of how business operates in the real world. Still, during their stay, the two classes managed to find plenty of time to go to popular tourist attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, and do other fun things like shop and be on TRL. When they weren’t just hitting the pavement, the classes traveled by subway, a whole new experience for many of the Kansas natives.

“Once, a bunch of the girls were walking down the street and we saw Kendra from Laguna Beach,” Arensburg said. “She’s not that famous but we acted like she was the most famous person in the world. We were all freaking out and calling our friends. We probably looked like complete idiots.” Story by Gale Harrington

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your

New York trip

Marketing 2 trip to New seniors pose in fr ont of th York. “TR e Incredib it was the L was so le Hulk w much fun most teen hile sightbecause of Carolin -oriented se I actually e Gray. thing we watch the eing on their did,” seni show a lo or Molly t Rice said . Photo co and urtesy

Snapshot November “I went parasailing in Hawaii. It was very calm, but at the same time completely hard-core.” sophomore Alex Haynes

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Nov 27, 2007

2/23/07 2:53:09 PM

m ney

playing with

Design by Bailey Atkinson

Below: Sophomores Wraye Sewell, Jacey Gorman and Grant Morris and juniors Jordan Evans and Jennifer Sunderland brainstorm slogan ideas for their popcorn product. “First we wanted to do a ‘Fantastic Four’ T-shirt of the four main sports at East, but we found out a couple weeks in that our competition was doing something similar,” Morris said. Right: Senior Chase London, sophomore John Rowley, and junior Jane Blakely work on company finances during class. Photo by Paige Ledbetter.

Economic students sell their products for education and profit

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Checking stocks, marketing, designing a logo for a start up company. You might think the kids in economics were all gunning to be the next big business tycoon. Yet while some like sophomore Evan Anderson wanted to pursue a career in business, others had different goals, such as sophomore Lexi Bellum and senior Taylor Hinson.

Bellum was interested in photojournalism while Hinson looked forward to one day being an airline pilot. Still others were undecided about their futures, drawn to the class by sheer curiosity.

“I just wanted to make a product and make money,” sophomore Evan Anderson said.

Economics, taught by Jim Ricker and Rebecca Murphy, was a semester course that taught kids the basics of running a business by means of forming a class company. Everyone had about a week and a half to come up with a design to present to the class, which would then vote on a product to produce. In Ricker’s second hour, some products were rejected right away: a Lancer megaphone and a pair of girly running shorts were among the first to be shot down.

The class’ final pick was the sixth man jersey.

“At first I was unenthusiastic,” sophomore Jordan Holsinger said. “I’m not that into sports and I’ve never been to a basketball game, but the rest of the class was like ‘omigosh, that’s the most ingenious idea!’”

The basic idea for the shirt, designed by senior Spencer Shoemaker, was that there are five basketball players on the court,

Nov 30, 2006 “I went sledding with my sister. I stood on my sled and got stuck at the bottom of the hill and went flying through the air.” junior Lia Hardy

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yourmoney

plus the Lancer fan who makes six. The sixth man T-shirt was often seen at colleges, but rarely at high schools. Other Econ classes had opted to sell products including popcorn and a mug for the coffee shop, but second hour wasn’t the only class who had come up with a shirt idea.

“There’s definitely competition between classes since two classes are doing a basketball shirt. Everyone wants to have their shirt look the best and get their product in first,” Lang said.

Since Econ was mainly a student controlled class, many kids were drawn to its fun and relaxed atmosphere. Students constantly talked, threw out ideas and played team building games (code for downloading Mario Party on their computers) so things often got more than a little hectic in the classroom.

“One time, we were throwing staples at this one kid, not me of course, and he started tweaking out,” Holsinger said. “They thought it was hilarious but he didn’t think it was that funny so they stopped.”

Of course, Econ wasn’t all fun and games. Students learned many useful entrepreneurial skills in Econ, but most agreed on what was the most valuable- people skills.

“I’ve learned about dealing with people,” Hinson said. “Motivating them to work hard and achieve because we all want to make as much money as possible.” Story by Gale Harrington

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Marketing and Economics Snapshot

2/23/07 2:53:12 PM

62

Snapshot December “We had two snowdays and they were alot of fun and it culminated in a victory of SMS.” junior Sam Watson

62-63DECEMBER 62

Dec 2, 2006

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Senior Carolyn Freeman takes a break and rests on a popcorn tin while selling for the orchestra fundraiser to raise money for their trip to Boston. “I sold a lot of cookie dough to people from my church and around my neighborhood. People were really willing to buy and I made over half my trip money,” Freeman said. Photo by Taylor Gudgel.

December. 4

December. 11

Elementary school friends, juniors Anna Oman and Emily Darrington walk down to the junior lot after school. “She doesn’t have a car so I give her a ride home everyday. It’s a good chance for us to catch up since we don’t see each other much during the day,” Darrington said. Photo by Karen Boomer.

Freshman Jack Logan takes notes during Mr. John Nickels’ lecture in his sixth hour world geography class. “The class is really difficult and he works hard to challenge us but I know in the long run it will pay off,” Logan said. Photo by Whitney Van Way.

December. 5

December. 12

Junior Emmy Hartman runs down the court during the Lady Lancers first game of the season against SMNW. “The first game is never one of the best games because it’s usually a building game,” Hartman said. “It wasn’t until after Christmas that we really stepped it up and we beat SMNW the second time we played them.” Photo by Samantha Ludington.

During third hour English, senior Carlie Copeland watches as her Franklin Center kid plays with his new toy. Each classroom was responsible for buying presents, decorating the room and bringing food for children who couldn’t afford Christmas for themselves.

Photo by Whitney Van Way.

December. 6

December. 13

Writing her name on the back of her poster, Paige Anderson turns in her Caesar project during Mr. Kelly Fast’s English 10 Honors class. “It was a ton of hard work but it was worth it to get out of the discussion and tests and into the actual piece itself,” Anderson said. Photo by Annie Krieg.

During second lunch, junior Grant Morris takes candy orders from students at the student store. “It’s a really nice break in the day and there is always a ton of people there so you can just go and hang out,” Morris said.

Photo by Stefanie Enger.

December. 7

December. 14

Working in the photography room after school, senior Jayne Shelton put the finishing touches on her hat for the Hats for Hope charity auction.“It was really fun to lap around and come back to my hat and check on it and see people bid on it. I was expecting to get $15 and I got $35 for it,” Shelton said. Photo

by Whitney Van Way.

December

your first break.

Dressed in colorful track suits, senior Grant Sharp cheers on the boys basketball team during the HyVee shootout. “We found these track suits in the womens section of a thrift store and we thought it would be cool to wear them to games,” Sharp said. Photo by Kelsey Stabenow.

December. 17

During the powder puff football game, junior Terrance Thomas and senior Dylan Goins carry senior Alex Kelley off the field. “I rolled my ankle and I stepped on the side of a hole and my foot just went down into it,” Kelley said.

“I left after that, I was so mad that I couldn’t play.” Photo by Samantha Ludington.

Senior Alex Hodges taunts sophomore Meg Shackleford after school by the senior lot. “She had to stay there and wait for a ride while I got to go home. I felt like giving her a hard time about it,” Hodges said. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

Dec 4, 2006 “I placed in my first varsity swim meet. I was stoked.” sophomore Jon Reene

62-63DECEMBER 63

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December Division Snapshot

3/30/07 4:35:15 PM

Senior Sheridan Crowley knits carefully as she works on her hat in art teacher Cortney Sivewright’s room. “It was maroon colored with a multi-colored band,” Crowley said. “It was [senior] Charlotte Kerr’s idea.” Photo by Whitney Van Way.

Senior Katie Jones models Hat #67 on the runway. “On the way out, my balloon got caught on the next girl’s and we got stuck,” Jones said. “It was kind of embarrassing, but other than that it was fun.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

y Thomas’ hat design. “I’m to model, wearing senior Baile Junior Maia Schall waits in line ning of the year, I signed ed NAHS committees at the begin decid we when so on, fashi into Kelsey Brown. by Photo said. ll Scha ,” show fashion up for Hats for Hope and the

your hat Where did you get the idea?

“

“

On ‘Laguna Beach’ there’s this guy who designed trucker hats and layered fabric on the front. I used that idea and just picked out clearance fabrics.

”

I’d seen headbands with ribbon material were a trend, so I made one myself. I really liked the colors and the polka dot theme.

junior Melanie Shoemaker

photo by Sarah Andrews

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Snapshot December

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”

senior Becca Cahill

photo by Sarah Andrews

“I went to Chicago and met Oprah. It was great,” junior Reagan Fromm Dec 5, 2006

3/12/07 4:57:33 PM

PARaDE hat

Design by Brooke Stanley

photo by Sarah Andrews

National Art Honor Society donates to the American Cancer Society through Hats for Hope

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Cortney Sivewright’s art room was littered with members of NAHS, each with a different piece in front of them. A student painted a top hat. A sparkly princess crown sat on an empty stool.

A pair of fuzzy earmuffs lay on the table.

NAHS member sophomore Tommy Gray sat on the edge of his stool and looked at the project before him. It was finally done.

After weeks of spending every waking moment working on this, it was finished. A brightly colored headband sat before him, glistening with the multicolored glass beads he had sewn on by hand.

Despite his sore and worn hands, he knew this was just a small part of an even bigger reward.

“I worked around the clock to finish this,” Gray said. “Making a piece for the auction made me feel like I was actually a part of something.”

The NAHS members were all hard at work preparing for Hats for Hope. Hats for Hope was a hat auction to help raise money for the American Cancer Association. Senior Charlotte Kerr pitched the idea to Sivewright, the NAHS sponsor.

“The whole process was kind of a spin off,” Kerr said. At the age of four, Kerr was diagnosed with cancer. “When you go through chemo you lose your hair. That’s why I thought it would be cool to make hats,” Kerr said.

The cancer was gone within a year, but the memories she carried with her didn’t go away.

“It’s kinda like even though you get better, it’s never out of my life,” said Kerr. Her freshman year, Kerr knew she wanted to do something to give back and volunteer to work with cancer patients. “Having cancer inspired me to do something on my own.

I loved fashion design and I thought maybe I could just incorporate the two.”

She came up with the idea of having a fashion show, where different NAHS members would model the hats or headwear they made and the hats would be auctioned off.

At the beginning of September, the planning began. Seniors Megan Ellis and Jessica Chao, fashion show chairs, and Kerr were in charge of finding a location to host the event, food, live music, and just putting all the pieces together. Expecting only to sell a few hats, the members were thrilled with the successful results.

400 guests showed up at the Overland Park Convention Center eager to support and bid on one of the 133 handcrafted hats made my NAHS’s members.

“We had never done anything like this before, and we had no idea what the results were going to be. We were just going to go out and do the best we could, and just hope for the best,” Ellis said.

Hats for Hope raised nearly $12,000.

“It was ridiculously past any expectations we had,” Ellis said.

“I just thought it was so much fun. I actually felt like I was really making a difference.”

The patients weren’t the only ones who benefited from the fundraiser. They appreciated the proceeds and the students appreciated the opportunity to give back.

“What NAHS did for the American Cancer Association was just a really great idea, and I’m so glad I got to help out,” Gray said. “Even though my hat only sold for $10, I still felt like I had really helped make a difference.” Story by Meghan Benson.

Above: Senior Kathleen Bole is surrounded by the balloons used to number each hat.

“Hats for Hope is one of our main projects for NAHS,” Bole said. “I thought it went really well - we raised a lot of money for the American Cancer Society.” Photo

by Hannah Gillaspie. Right: Senior Megan Ellis works on her pink-lined cowgirl hat.

“Hats for Hope was a lot of work, but I got to know a lot about NAHS,” Ellis said.

“It was very rewarding.” Photo by Karen Boomer. Far right: Sophomore Tommy Gray cuts a thread as he sews beads onto a headband. “Over the summer I volunteered at Maddie Rhoades and we made button bracelets,” Gray said.

“That’s where I got the idea.” Photo

by Whitney Van Way.

Dec 8, 2006 “I moved from Wyandotte County because I moved in with my grandma. East is a lot bigger than my old school.” freshman Lauren McCune

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Hats for Hope Snapshot

3/12/07 4:57:40 PM

Penguins and prep time

Above: Freshman Nathan Goldman gets his first taste of debate as he finishes his research before a tournament.

“I thought the penguins were a little weird when I walked in the first day, but I think I’ve gotten a lot better at arguing because of the class anyway,” Goldman said. Photo by Stefanie Enger.

Design by Sam Benson

Students spend countless hours in the penguin-covered debate room

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The world is flat. Volunteering will cause nuclear war.

Dehumanization is the fifth horseman of the apocalypse. The human race should be killed in order to save the aliens before we destroy the universe. In their three and four respective years of debate, junior Kate O’Neill and senior Sean Kennedy had heard a lot of crazy arguments.

They’d seen people sing and dance, rap, and even hold silent protests at debate tournaments. But then again, debate wasn’t the average high school course, and debaters readily admitted they were anything but average high school kids.

“You definitely have to be like, insane,” O’Neill said, describing the makeup of a good debater. “You have to be able to think on your feet and use logic skills. You need to work with little bitty details and still be able to see the big picture.”

Walking into the penguin-covered debate room, a non-debater probably would have had no idea what was going on. Unlike in novice debate, there were no worksheets, no lectures and very little structure.

The advanced debaters already knew what they were doing. Their study was self-directed, which meant much of the time in class was spent tackling the mountains of homework AP/IB debaters faced.

“One kid is studying physics in the corner,” O’Neill said. “Two are probably arguing about politics. Another kid is going on and on about metaphysics when he really has no idea what he’s talking about.

Then there’s Sean Kennedy talking about the imperialistic effects on capitalistic something none of the rest of us can follow.”

Though the class itself was laid back, debaters were by no means

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getting off easy. The hard-core advanced debaters spent countless hours in the debate room after school and at home preparing for debate.

“I think the standing record is staying after until 2:00 a.m. and getting back to school at 7:00 a.m.,” O’Neill said. “That’s when you end up just sleeping in the middle of the hallway.”

“I probably work on debate for two to three hours a night,” senior Sean Kennedy said. “I don’t do much homework so that frees up a lot of time. I might work seven or eight hours before a big competition.”

For many students, the decision to try debate at East stemmed from experiences with debate in middle school SEEK classes.

“Debate in middle school is totally different,” O’Neill said. “But it gave you an idea about research and arguing both sides of a case.”

Before students could be let loose to debate on their own they first had to expand on these basic concepts in novice debate. Only then could they join the ranks of the advanced debaters, most of whom readily joked about the realities and stereotypes about debaters.

“Debaters are weird,” sophomore Yidi Cao said, laughing at herself and her debater friends. “We have some fairly scandalous stories and random inside jokes that people who don’t debate wouldn’t think were funny.”

“A lot of debaters are incredibly opinionated,” Kennedy said.

“They’re very willing to voice their ideas. That’s probably the nicest way to put it.” Story by Gale Harrington

“I was at school until 10:30 p.m. for a deadline on my birthday and when I got home my parents were asleep. It was really very sad.” junior Laura Nelson Dec 13, 2006

3/14/07 4:48:14 PM

Below: Senior Sean Kennedy rubs his face in stress as he waits for the results of the state debate tournament. “I debated with Danny Mapes, and we did pretty well. We didn’t start out as strong as we usually do, but East ended up having a team in the quarterfinals,” Kennedy said. Photo by Melissa Blessen.

Above center: Freshman Ryan Fager scans the results sheet as he checks to see if he advanced to the next round. Photo by Melissa Blessen. Above right: Freshman Mackenzie Wylie reads her first speech as a novice debater. “I think debate really helps you if you are scared of public speaking. I know I learned a lot of tips,” Wylie said. Photo by Whitney Van Way. Left: Juniors Brad Crist and Danny Mapes and senior Sean Kennedy research a new debate topic as they prepare for the upcoming season. “We spend a lot of time on laptops. Most of our time is taken up with research,” Mapes said.

Photo by Sarah Andrews.

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yourjuniorfilebox Kate O’Neill

evidence cards

3

to use in your speech

candy to ease your hunger during the six hour tournaments

TIME magazine

4 5

to use in your rebuttal

shoes

to change into after wearing high heels

old pizza crust

from a late night in the debate room

Above: Junior Vaughn English organizes his filebox as he prepares for a debate tournament first semester. “We basically keep these things called ‘cards’ in there - they’re just pieces of paper that have our evidence and reasons for our arguments,” said English. Photo by Stefanie Enger.

Dec 16, 2006 “My sister came home from KU for Holiday Break. It was really exciting because I haven’t seen her in a while and we are really close.” junior Amy Gairns

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Debate Snapshot

3/14/07 4:48:34 PM

wrapping Design by Brooke Stanley

Left: Junior Amy Gairns watches Muna Cromer unwrap a present in Cortney Sivewright’s third hour painting class.

“She was very energetic - she loved to get up and dance,” Gairns said. “It was great to see her appreciate what we did so much.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

up

The holidays and the end of the semester are ushered in by parties thrown for the Franklin Center kids

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“Sleigh Bells” played on the classroom stereo as 2-year-old Muna Cromer stepped through the door, wide-eyed, clutching the hand of volunteer junior Amy Gairns. Mrs. Sivewright’s painting class immediately surrounded her, offering her donuts shaped like snowmen, Sun Chips and apple cider.

Her mother and her Franklin Center teacher wore Santa hats and followed close behind, assuring Muna that they were “right here” when she looked overwhelmed. Soon, Muna was perched on one of the large wooden art tables, pulling pink tissue paper out of a bag, until she found her gift – a Dora the Explorer book. After two ribbons from the package had been tied in bows around her pigtails, she began to read.

In the hallway, students worked to assemble a track for toy cars for another Franklin Center child, and a girl tried out her new bike and shiny purple helmet for the first time. Everywhere the smell of food and the sounds of holiday music filled the halls.

Every year, children who attended the Franklin Center daycare in downtown Kansas City visited classrooms in East for a day. The project was organized by the Spanish National Honor Society in the early 1980s. The project grew from a few Franklin Center children visiting one or two classrooms to school-wide participation.

The Franklin Center kids usually had low income parents who worked during the day, and needed a place for their kids to go after school, while some of the other children came from difficult situations such as foster care or abusive homes. Guardians signed their kids up for the program. Before the children visited East, SNHS members went to the Franklin Center to meet the kids, and put together a Christmas wishlist.

These wishlists, as well as the kids’ favorite colors

and foods, were written on posters given to each class.

“I worry sometimes that the parents are a little embarrassed that [they] can’t get these things themselves,” Franklin Center Officer senior Patti Blair said. “But every parent I’ve talked to is so grateful and happy that someone else is willing and excited to get these gifts for their child.”

Students in most third hour classes collected money to buy the children some of the gifts on their Christmas list – some to open at East, and some to save for later. Sometimes the kids asked for bikes, dolls or toys. They might want books or DVDs. But students also bought shirts, pants, shoes and coats to take care of the kids’ basic needs.

“Their maturity levels are so different from other kids,” SNHS president senior Brian Goldman said. “Some of them have been through a lot.”

Little Muna walked around the room, giving hugs to students and playing with her new toy butterfly. Her mom had to tell her more than once that it was time to go before she acquiesced. Her mom helped her blow kisses to the class, and thanked them for all that they had done. And then she walked out, leaving the now quiet classroom filled with empty donut boxes, half-drunken bottles of soda and a pile of used wrapping paper.

It was over... until next year, when new children would have their first Franklin Center Christmas at East. New children to cluster in the library before being led to their classrooms, to shyly step into the class filled with teenagers, and to try out their new toys in the hallways.

“I think [the goal is] to make people realize that affluence isn’t typical,” Blair said. “And also just to give people who may not have it Christmas fun for a day.” Story by Leah Pickett

Above: Seniors Bo Steadman, Whitney Van Way and Foster Tidwell watch their child fire discs from a Power Rangers toy. “It was voice activated and he would always shout “Fire!” into it,” Steadman said. “It was the toy he gravitated to.” Photo by Samantha Ludington. Far left: Juniors Emily Anderson, Anne Goodman, and Paige Brulatour help Gabriel Anthony Valdina open his presents. “At the end of the day he started attacking people,” Brulatour said. “He crawled all over the place, then yelled ‘Rarr’ and jumped out at you.” Photo

by Sarah Andrews. Left: Junior Elise Shea plays a hand game with Lawanna Davis. “She was really shy, so we tried not to crowd her,” Shea said. “But I showed her how to ride her bike and she warmed up to everyone after that.”

Photo by Karen Boomer.

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Snapshot December

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“I was driving down the street and someone hit me from the side and totaled my car. My parents didn’t believe me.” senior Edwin Recinos Dec 16, 2006

3/12/07 4:54:17 PM

your shopping list What did you buy for your Franklin Center child?

•Strawberry Shortcake bike •Puzzles& books •Target-brand boots •Toy guitar •Writable-erasable doll •Toy food •Clothes

freshman Mary Kate McCandless •Razor scooter •Batman car •Spiderman web spray with mask •Other Spiderman toys •Lots of superhero stuff •Clothes

sophomore Emily Brandmeyer

Photo by Annie Krieg photo What did you buy for your Franklin Center child?

by Annie Krieg

Above: Senior Sarah Allen shows Diamond Miller photos of them on her camera. “Ms. Bonjour asked us to bring in cameras, and she took a liking to mine,” Allen said. “She was taking pictures of people all hour.” Photo by Samantha Ludington.

Abby Gloe tries to interest her Franklin Center and dancing Elmo. Photo by Stefanie Enger • Senior child play with a new Two-year-old Nicholas Perez plays with a singing ry teacher Cole Ogdon watches his Franklin Center Chemist • Andrews Sarah by Photo cookies. down child in a toy as he wolfs Blessen. grins as she tries out her new bike. Photo by Melissa Davis Lawanna • Brewer Hannah by Photo easel. magnetic

Dec 16, 2006 “My mom said if I didn’t study for finals and pass them then she wouldn’t give me any presents for Christmas so I had no choice but to study.” junior Grant Gray

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Franklin Center Snapshot

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O

Senior Rachel Kaegi is announced before the tip-off of a victorious game against Shawnee Mission Northwest. “It’s really fun to be announced before games because you get to hear your name and it makes you ready to play,” said Kaegi. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

one shot

one goal

ne team

Design by Bailey Atkinson

Returning players continue to grow together on and off the court

ylon John Junior Ta

son •

i• hel Kaeg enior Rac e Ward• S in er h at C Junior

y Kelsey Photos b

Brown

B

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Breakaway lay-ups, swished free-throws, stolen passes, ruthless defense: all factors in the SME girls’ basketball victory over Lawrence Free State on January 22. Only at halftime the score had been tied 33-33, but with a quick lay-up by junior Meredith Walrafen, the team gained an immediate lead that lasted most of the second half. A final free-throw made by junior Kelsey Whitaker with nearly 30 seconds to go upped the final score to 49-39, Lancers.

“Yes!” junior Emmy Hartman yelled, as the buzzer signaled the end of the game. All of the Lancers joined in a team huddle, shouting and cheering about their victory.

This was the beginning of a winning streak that would, with a few exceptions, last until the sub-state championship.

“It was a really big game for us because it was a big upset,” junior Taylon Johnson said. “It showed us that we could win several of our next games that we weren’t supposed to win either.”

During the Free State game and all their games leading up to sub-state, the girls played with intense energy and ruthless defense, trying to overcome their disadvantage as an overall “short” team.

“Every person on our team is really tough,” junior Meredith Walrafen said. “We’ll get on the floor and get up in your face. One of our philosophies is if we can get the ball away from the other team, we won’t have to guard the big people.”

The girls also needed to be quick to compete with the many teams with 6’2” and 6’3” girls. So how did they prepare? Lots and lots of running. The “KU Drill” definitely helped to get the girls in shape. Extreme hustling helped the players score lay ups, but if they didn’t make 100 shots as a team by the end of the drill, more sprinting was in store afterwards.

“I don’t like the running, but it’s a good workout… sometimes,” sophomore Libby Jandl said.

While various drills on the court helped the girls with individual speed, the drills, along with the weekly team dinner, also helped them connect as a team.

“We have great team chemistry,” Jandl said. “Our team

goes out to eat a lot just during Christmas break, basically every day, just for fun. I don’t think we’ve ever had any fights.”

Combining tough practices with loud, energetic pumpup music, the girls were ready to compete. An exciting two point defeat of Emporia marked the beginning of their season, and although a few lost games followed, including a 34-50 loss to Shawnee Mission South, the Lawrence Free State game put the girls back on track.

Their success was definitely unexpected. Going into the season, a group of coaches met to rank the Sunflower League teams, and East was placed eighth. By the end of the season, however, East tied for second. Following their initial 30-37 loss to SMNW at the beginning of the season, East came back and beat them 58-44 later in the year. Also, East beat their rival West twice before sub-state, winning 45-35 on January 4 and 55-48 later that month.

“We play with those [SMW] girls outside of season,” Johnson said. “The fact that we know them makes it even more of a rivalry.”

East played SMN in their first sub-state game and won 43-32, an initial win that hadn’t been accomplished for at least the past two years. For the sub-state championship game, East once again played West.

East was down 19-24 at half. Though they fought hard to come back, the team couldn’t make up those lost points.

They lost a final score of 36-51, putting an end to their season.

“It was a really sad game,” Johnson said. “We really thought we could do it, really thought we could beat West.

I haven’t been able to sleep, playing the game over in my head.”

The end to their season definitely brought tears, but the success of their 15-7 record, the most games won in a season in 17 years, helped to ease the tension.

“Being in the sub state championship will help us next year,” Johnson said. “We’ll know how to handle the nerves, and, hopefully, we can pick up where we left off.” Story by Alexandria Norton

Snapshot December “The powderpuff game was out of control and I flipped over Alex Surface like a pancake.” senior Lane Sturgen

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Dec 17, 2006

3/13/07 4:46:24 PM

your technique

Pump Fake A pump fake is when you act like you are going to shoot but you don’t because it throws off the defense. I usually use it once every game.

“ sophomore Kit Andresen

Players explain their favorite moves to use during a game

”

Spin Move A spin move works really well because I can get past people easier than just dribbling past someone.

“ junior Hilary Borgmier

”

Left: Juniors Emmy Hartman, Meredith Walrafen and freshman Janna Graf are outraged by a bad play executed

by East. “We had a very poor game against Lawerence.

We ended up losing against a team that we should’ve beat. In the fourth quarter we ended up coming back, but not enough to win,” said Hartman.

Photo by Melissa Blessen.

senior Rachel Kaegi #25 uses a lot of hairspray before each game

•

senior Abby Jennings #51 always yells “123” in the chant before each game

Above left: Senior Rachel Kaegi attempts a right-handed lay-up against Olathe East. The Lady Lancers finished the game with a victory. Photo by Kelsey Brown. Above right: Junior Catherine Ward dribbles past a Shawnee Mission Northwest player as she drives to the basket. East beat their rivals with a 14 point spread. “Since Rhoades has been here we’ve never beaten them before so it was really exciting for him and us when we finally did,” Ward said. Photo by Samantha Ludington. Right: Sophomore Libby Jandl pivots around the Shawnee Mission South defense.

“Shawnee Mission South is probably our biggest rival; we played against them in two games this year. I think it might come between us and them for who will be number one for sub-state,” said Jandl. Photo by Hannah Gillaspie.

Dec 21, 2006 “It was the first day of winter break. I spent the night out watching a movie and didn’t have to worry about being home.” senior Peter Helmuth

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Girl’s Basketball Snapshot

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Below: Senior Abbey Bavley unwraps scented bath soaps during the theater holiday party. “Theater being like our third family, we decided to have a non-denominational white elephant party,” Bavley said. Left: Senior Hannah Jorgensen laughs at “Studs in Spurs,” a half-naked cowboy calendar that became the hit of the party. Far Below Left: Freshman Jake Davidson unwraps his first gift. “One of the gifts that I got was chocolate covered Rice Krispie treats that I shared with everyone,” Davidson said. Far Below Right: Sophomore Maureen Orth opens an ear keychain. “It kind of creeped me out actually,” Orth said.

Photos by Hannah Brewer.

countdown to 2007

what are you looking forward to?

5

“My sister’s graduation, her room will make a great annex.”

-freshman Harper Coulson

4

“The 5th Harry Potter movie. I don’t read the books, so the movie is always exciting because I never know what’s going to happen.”

-sophomore Holly Glynn

3

“The choir trip, it’s my first time in New York and I can’t wait to see the city and spend time with everyone in choir.”

- junior Stephen Gaughan

2

“The Dante Club Italy trip. We have been reading Dante for a year and it’s a great group of people. It’s going to be and amazing experience.”

-senior Emmi Scott

1

“Freedom, because I get to move out of my house and be on my own.”

-senior Derek Martin

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Snapshot December “On Christmas Day I moved into our newly renovated house and it was the best present ever.” junior Taylor Newman Dec 25, 2006

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3/13/07 11:15:08 AM

holiday

students find creative ways to celebrate their

Design by Christy Beeder

Lucy O’Connor

Nearly 40 10th grade girls mingled in sophomore Lucy O’Connor’s basement, laughing and chatting about anything but school. A sense of relief that winter break was here hung in the air while wreathes and twinkle lights decorated the walls. Empty cookie platters lined the table, covered in a festive red tablecloth, sprinkled with crumbs. Finals were over, cookies were eaten, and friends were gathered. It was Lucy O’Connor’s 7th annual cookie exchange.

“Its like, come here, bring your cookies, and if you want the good cookies, get here early,” O’Connor said. “But besides the cookies, it’s fun to have an excuse to see people outside of school that you don’t see very often.”

O’Connor and her mom got the idea to do a cookie exchange from her aunt who had done it for years and told her how fun it was. It started out with O’Connor inviting the whole grade from her elementary school, Highlands, when she was in fourth grade.

“It gets bigger and bigger as I meet more and more people,” O’Connor said. “In high school there are so many more people, but it’s fun to invite a ton of people and see people talking who might not talk at school.”

Though the people invited changed every year, the routine never did.

Around seven o’clock people began arriving with a dozen cookies, mingling and laughing and eating snacks like sandwiches, chips and dip.

“Towards the end, there’s a mad rush to get the good cookies so that you don’t get the hard, week-old ones, but I love the idea that people made them,” O’Connor said. “I’m usually the one who has the cookies still in the Hen House box. Its fun to see who which people just go to the store and which ones spend hours decorating.”

O’Connor planned to continue the cookie exchange for as long as she could, and loved the idea of old friends still getting together annually for the cookie exchange.“Its just fun to have something special to do every year,” O’Connor said.

“If it keeps going as long as I want it to, it will be really fun to come back from college and go to the cookie exchange. Plus, I’m a die-hard snicker doodle fan.”

your

quirky traditions

“Every Cinco de Mayo we jump into our swimming pool regardless of how cold it is.”

David Isenberg

Photo illustration by Katie Woods.

Christmas decorations adorned junior David Isenberg’s aunt’s house. Moving reindeer sat outside along with sparkling holiday lights as his family gathered inside exchanging gifts secret-Santa style. However, they didn’t call it secret Santa, they called it Hanukah Harry, and they weren’t celebrating Christmas, they were celebrating the festival of lights.

“Every year one of the nights of Hanukah we go to my aunt’s house to exchange gifts,” Isenberg said. “They put up Christmas decorations because they think it’s a secular holidays.

They go all out, it’s actually really tacky.”

The other seven nights of Hanukah, the Isenberg’s spend time together as a family, dedicating at least 30 minutes each night to Hanukah, despite their busy schedules.

“It’s nice to get away from studying for finals and spend time with my family,” Isenberg said. “We light a menorah from Israel. It’s my dad’s and it’s really cool looking.”

After lighting the menorah they say prayers and open presents, following the tradition of one present a night for the eight nights “We always say the same prayers,” Isenberg said. “They’re the prayers my dad has been saying forever. But at my aunt’s house we gather around and sing Daiyanu. It’s really funny because we cannot sing.”

Every year, Isenberg also hears the traditional story of the Maccabee’s vs. Syrians and eats his mom’s latkes. His presents usually consist of one thing he really wants, the rest practical gifts and things he needs.“ Hanukah wasn’t really a big deal for Jews until Christmas,” Isenberg said. “but I like that it’s spread out over eight nights because then it’s not a lot of momentum built up to one morning. The day after Christmas it’s really depressing, but the day after Hanukah its like, ‘oh, ok, no more candle lighting.’ ” Stories by Maureen Orth.

-junior Matt Meinken

“On Abraham Lincoln’s birthday we have a “Lincoln Log” for dessert and on George Washington’s birthday we have cherry pie.”

-freshman Holly Lafferty

Right: Junior Jack Peterson builds a gingerbread house with his youth group at Colonial Church. The houses were donated to homebound elderly members of the church for the holidays.

“It was fun and competitive, and we got to take home the extra candy,” Peterson said. Middle: Senior Ingvil Tolas concentrates on icing her house. “My partner and I made a Norway vs. Sweden house. We basically covered it in white icing and made one side Norwegian colors and the other Swedish,” Tolas said. Far Right: Freshman Holly Lafferty reaches for candy, however not for decorating her house. “We ate everything as we built our gingerbread house,” Lafferty said. “Our gumdrop chimney continuously fell down, it was very frustrating.” Photos by Frances Lafferty.

Dec 26, 2006 “I went skiing and landed a 360. It was a break from reality.” junior Niles Jeran

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Holiday Traditions Snapshot

3/13/07 11:15:24 AM

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Snapshot January

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“I was flying home from Phoenix, Arizona from a tennis tournament. I didn’t win anything but I still got to visit colleges.” sophomore Chris Fotopoulos Jan 1, 2006

4/4/07 10:58:13 AM

1.8

1.9

1 1.12

1.16

January. 17

1.17

1.26

1.20

1.29

1.31

1.25

Sophomores Alex Olson, Mike Kim and Jim Frederick slid down the ice patch beside the trailers after school. “It was just a winter wonderland outside and we felt like goofing off. It just seemed like something fun to do with the first snow,” Frederick said. Photo by Patrick Mayfield.

January. 8

January. 20

Sophomore Mallory Gasaway follows along as Mrs. King leads her aerobics class in punches. “Its pretty hard core. Mrs King makes it tough but it’s a really good workout.

We switch off every day from kickboxing, abs and weights,” Gasaway said. Photo Rachel Clarke.

Using a hair dryer, senior Sam Morse dries his cylinder project during ceramics class.

“We had to wrap clay around a cylinder and make a pot. I put a handle and lid on mine. You are pretty much free to do what you want with your projects,” Morse said. Photo by Katie Woods.

January. 9

January. 25

During the Varsity basketball game against Lawrence, senior Rachel Young plays the french horn with the Little Lancer Band. “Kids from middle school come and play with us,” Young said. “We worked with them beforehand and had dinner with them. It was a lot of fun.” Photo by Mackenzie Wylie.

Stopping by the nomination booth by the senior doors, senior Steph Bruner selects her choices for sweetheart king and queen. “I first chose my good friends and then people who I think do a lot with the school and who are genuinely nice people,” Bruner said. Photo by Sarah Andrews.

January. 12

January. 26

Sophomores Jane Mahoney and Kit Andreson grab a drink after their game against Lawrence Free State. “We had to play harder during this game than any other, because the team was very aggressive,” Andreson said.

Photo by Rachel English.

After discovering that he was nominated for sweetheart king, senior Erik Barrow joins his fellow nominees at McDonalds for breakfast.

“I was pretty surprised about it. They came over in my room and screamed and banged pots and pans when I was still asleep,” Barrow said. He was crowned sweetheart king a week later. Photo by Annie Krieg.

January. 16

January. 29

During the swim meet against BV North, sophomore Spencer Sherard swims the 100 breast stroke. It was the only meet that they lost the entire season. “It was really close and we were bummed about it, but at the same time we knew that we had to do really well at state,” Sherard said. Photo by Whitney Van Way.

While in the apartment of Vittorio Vidal, junior Erin Aitken, playing Charity Valentine, calls her girlfriends on the phone. She [Charity] is really outside of the box and really bubbly,” Aitken said. “It was kind of a challenge because I had to use a ton of energy all the time but she was a really fun character to play.” Photo by Hannah Brewer.

January. 31

January your victory.

Sitting on the bench during the Rockhurst basketball game, sophomore Marcus Webb checks the scoreboard. “It was exciting watching everyone and Bryan Nelson’s dunk was awesome. I just cheered on my teammates and joked around hoping that Coach Hair wouldn’t see us,” Webb said. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

During her sixth hour environmental education class, junior Kylie Brewer teaches an elementary school student about sharks. “The fish talk can be hard because a lot of kids think that it’s boring because they don’t get to hold any animals,” Brewer said. “So we use some cool props to make it more interesting like the sharks jaw.” Photo by Paige Ledbetter.

Jan 5, 2006 “It was me and my friends first girls night out. We went to a spa party and then out to dinner.” senior Taja Louren

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January Division Snapshot

4/4/07 10:58:20 AM

Below: Junior Ryan Wendorff tries to stand on his knees to get back to his base. Wrestling is usually an all-day event. “We weigh in at East at 6:30 a.m. and then go out and eat and get rehydrated. Then we go to where the meet is and change and warm up and wrestle,” Wendorff said. Photo by Karen Boomer.

Seni

W

eighing in

F

Design by Bailey Atkinson

Wrestlers from all different backgrounds meet on the mats as a team

Family and friends talked and milled around the busy gymnasium.

Wrestlers warmed up with their teams as they studied their opponents. Jumping up and down and listening to music, they did whatever they had to stay loose. Focused. They had weighed in earlier that morning and they knew without a doubt they were in for a long day. Their day was full of 6 minute bursts of intensity interspersed with two to three hours of inactivity as they tried to work their way through the tournament bracket. Down on the mats, the guys in the first weight class were going head to head. Take down – two points.

Rebirth – another two points. Three second nearfall – three points.

Pin – it was all over.

For the each of the captains of the East wrestling team the road to success was different. For senior Drew Robinson, wrestling was a family tradition.

“I actually started wrestling in fourth grade,” Robinson said. “My dad wrestled in high school and so did my brother.”

Senior Jonathan Carr, on the other hand, stumbled upon a love of wrestling by chance.

“I tried out for the musical my freshman year,” Carr said. “One of my friends, [senior] Cole Johnson, said that if I got cut I should go out for wrestling. I didn’t make the musical, so I said, ‘Ok, I’ll try this wrestling sport.’ I loved it.”

Though their backgrounds were different, both captains shared a common objective.

“My goal for myself is to win state,” Robinson said. “I’m always pushing toward that.”

While wrestling was a team sport, individual competition was key.

The wrestlers were competing for the team and scoring points for the team, but they also knew they were trying to win a personal victory.

“It’s a combat sport,” junior Andrew Collingwood said. “No one can mess you up. [If you mess up], it’s all your fault. That’s what sets wrestling apart.”

Both individually and as a team, the 2006-2007 season was one of the most successful if not the most successful in East’s wrestling history. East placed in every tournament they competed at and were ranked all year, thanks to many strong competitors.

“This season has been going great,” Carr said. “It’s the best season we’ve ever had. It’s really exciting to be captain.”

Most on the team agreed that the secret to victory was work ethic, work ethic, work ethic. Running, bear downs, push-ups, stretches, warm ups, and drilling were all incorporated into the wrestling work out. Then there were the mountain climbers, mat slaps, sprawls, and of course live wrestling. Not to mention many did all of this while dieting and working to maintain their weight class.

“Wrestling conditioning is harder than any other sport, I’d say,” Collingwood said.

When it came down to team goals, winning regionals and league were definite possibilities. Placing high at state, maybe even winning, was within reach.

“We just want to work hard as a team on and off the mats,” Collingwood said. “If we do that, the stats will work themselves out.”

Story by Gale Harrington.

76

Snapshot January “I got my digital SLR camera, which is really exciting because I’m very passionate about photography and I’ve wanted one for a really long time.” junior Julia Kaufman Jan 5, 2007

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nior Joey Lutz

ior

binson and jun

Senior Drew Ro

Johnson • Ju shman Tanner Matt Baker • Fre

y Brown.

Photos by Kelse

Below: Senior Cole Johnson finishes league in first place in the weight class of 152 lbs. He wrestled competitors from SM Northwest, Leavenworth, and SM South, winning by 5-2 against SM South. “Last year I got fifth at league so first was pretty good this year,” Johnson said. “It was the second tournament I won this year so I that made it even better.” Photo by Kelsey Brown.

senior Bryson Burroughs injured an opponents ankle

•

senior John Carr separated a rib in 2005

•

senior Cole Johnson got kicked off team junior year over winter break

•

senior TJ McManus gained 80 pounds to make weight class

•

senior Drew Robinson Dad and older brother were both high school wrestlers

your routine

What do you do to prepare for a match?

“ ” “ ” “ ” I mix honey and syrup and drink it before a match. I started it this year after talking to some All American wrestlers [Eric Arkin and Joe Johnston] who gave me ideas; this one just stuck.

freshman Tanner Johnson

Before every match I drink a whole bottle of water. I can’t wrestle without doing it because otherwise my throat gets really dry.

junior Matt Baker

Top: Senior John Carr executes a high crotch move against a Shawnee Mission Northwest wrestler on senior night. “My best memory this year was when we won Kansas Duals because it was our first win as a team,” Carr said. Photo by Kelsey Brown. Middle: At a meet against Shawnee Mission Northwest, junior Andrew Collingwood works to pin his opponent while trying to stay off the mat himself. “You’re pinned when your scapula is on the ground for a few seconds. To get out of a pin, you usually do a bridge move and flip over on your stomach or just do whatever you can to get out of it,” Collingwood said. Photo by Kelsey Brown. Above: Coach Ufford congratulates junior Matt Baker after a match that qualified him for state. Matt finished state in third place. “I was really down because I was afraid I might not make it to state, because I lost in the quarter final against Dusty Elliot from Goddard,” Baker said. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

I have the same royal blue nylon shorts that I’ve worn every tournament since eighth grade, but I always wash them.

Jan 12, 2007 “We came up to the library instead of eating in the cafeteria the day they wouldn’t let us go out to lunch because of the weather.” senior Natalie Clark

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senior Drew Robinson

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Wrestling Snapshot

3/16/07 8:11:53 AM

swing swing it don’t

mean a thing

if it ain’t

got that

Design by Brooke Stanley

Students learn to swing dance at Louis & Company Dance Studio and Swing Club

J

Above: Juniors Zach Zwibelman and Lindsay Vanatta dance East Coast swing, reflected in the mirrors at Louis & Company. At swing nights mostly big band swing music was played, but there were also hip-hop songs for dancing West Coast, and a little bit of salsa. “Swing nights are totally awesome,” Zwibelman said. “It’s a great way to hang out with your friends – keeps you out of trouble.” Right: Junior Alyssa Schwarzenberger and Mark Helwege perform the Pretzel at Swing Club. Started

by Schwarzenberger and several other East students, Swing Club met on Wednesdays in the cafeteria after school. Helwege, a Swingster who taught lessons at Louis & Company, came to help teach. “Having Mark there has really helped with the lessons, because he obviously knows a lot more than any of us,” Schwarzenberger said. “He’s always there to tell us what we’re doing right or wrong.” Photos by Hannah Brewer.

78

Junior Michael Lebovitz sat nervously inside Louis and Company Dance Studio with his friend sophomore Emmett Starky after three hours of swing dancing tryouts.

Arriving at 2 p.m., Lebovitz and Starky had warmed up to a panel of four judges, including owner Louis Bar. By 5 p.m., the judges had left to deliberate. Out of 24 contestants, only a few would become the new members of the top swing dancing group at Louis and Company, the Swingsters.

As the tryouts ended, contestants looked for the list displaying the order in which they would see the judges. Lebovitz was third. After half an hour, it was his turn.

“It was the longest 30 minutes of my life,” Lebovitz said. “Me and Emmett could barely dance with everyone when we were waiting. It was so nerve-wracking.”

Lebovitz stepped into Bar’s office and waited for the news, hoping it would be positive. It was; Lebovitz was a Swingster.

“I just sat back and relaxed for the first time in the day,” Lebovitz said. “I couldn’t even talk for a minute.”

Finally, the nerves subsided, and Lebovitz could focus on his next challenge: learning all of the new dances.

“I have about six or seven routines I still have to learn,” Lebovitz said. “I definitely still have my work cut out for me.”

While Louis and Company becomes like a second home for Lebovitz, the studio was also a popular hang-out spot for many other East students, including Starky. Although he didn’t become a Swingster, that didn’t stop him from continuing his regular visits on Saturday nights.

Starky usually arrived at 7:15 p.m. for a more advanced West Coast lesson which included slower swing steps, stayed for the 8:15 p.m. basic step lesson and remained finally for the open dance at 9:15 p.m. Starky learned something new during each lesson, and the open dancing gave him a chance to loosen up and show off his moves.

“For me, this is my first priority on Saturday nights,” Starky said. “I don’t know how you could not come every week. It’s just so much fun, and it’s sort of a chance to forget about everything else for a few hours on a Saturday night.”

Another dedicated Louis and Company attendee was sophomore Michelle Braslavsky. Unlike Starky, she had been dancing since fifth grade, when she began ballroom lessons. Involved in competitions and private lessons once a week, Braslavsky got a chance to relax at the 9:15 p.m. open dance.

“It’s cool to see my friends actually go [on Saturdays], because before, I was the only person my age,” Braslavsky said. “It’s just more about having fun and not intense practice.”

Everyone was welcome to join, and this open attitude came into play at one of the first swing nights Starky attended.

“There’s this thing called the jam where one couple at a time will go out and do crazy awesome things,” Starky said.

During the jam, everyone circled around the dance floor, clapping, and watched one couple at a time performing aerials – any swing moves where the girl’s feet leave the ground. The Swingsters performed a different routine of aerials every Saturday, always to the song “Sing Sing Sing.” Sometimes brave dancers who were not Swingsters, such as Starky, jumped in.

“The first time I did it with my partner, [junior] Charlotte [Parish], it was really, really, really, bad, but everyone was clapping for us,” Starky said.

Also popular were the 8:15 p.m. lessons. With some regulars, some beginners and constant rotations, dancers met new people with various levels of experience.

“I went all alone my first time and ended up meeting a lot of people,” sophomore Carrie Chestnut said. “It wasn’t awkward at all; it was totally comfortable. It’s always fun to dance with someone who’s new because you can teach them new things.”

Another weekly participant, junior Alyssa Schwarzenberger, came up with the idea of starting a swing dancing club at SME. Starky and junior Mattie Haynes decided to search for a sponsor with Schwarzenberger, and they finally came to chemistry teacher Cole Ogdon.

With Ogdon’s agreement, many East students supported the idea of meeting with their fellow swing dancers more than just once a week.

“We meet in the cafeteria and rock our faces off,” Starky said. “It’s another chance to dance but also to involve others in it. I feel like I’m giving something back, teaching new people.” Story by Alexandria Norton

Snapshot January “I filled Easter eggs with candy and put them all over Steven Van Auken’s yard. One egg said “You’re egg-zactly who I want to go to WPA with.” junior Karsen Dolliver

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Jan 14, 2007

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Senior Quin Jackson dips his girlfriend Michelle Sprehe (‘06) during a lesson at Louis & Company. The Swingsters usually teach the basic step, turns, the Charleston, and other swing moves such as how to dip. “The first time I went there I had no idea what I was doing,” Jackson said. “The lessons are really helpful to get your feet wet so you’re actually able to do something.” Photo by Hannah Gillaspie. Left: Swingsters teach an East Coast lesson at Louis & Company. These Saturday night lessons start at 8:15 p.m. and continue until about 9:15 p.m., when open dancing begins. Photo by Hannah Brewer.

Far left: Senior Lauren Dunn dances with a partner she met at Louis & Company, which offers open dancing on Saturdays until midnight. “It’s great how you can dance with anyone there, because everyone’s trying to learn,” Dunn said. “I’m not a very good dancer, so the instruction at the beginning really helps.” Photo by Hannah Gillaspie. Left: Swing Club sponsor Cole Ogdon performs the Charleston line dance with club members. Following the shouts of caller Mark Helwege, dancers performed a variety of Charleston moves simultaneously. “The Charleston is one of the most energetic things we’ve been doing after school,” Ogdon said. “The great thing about it is that everyone can do it, you don’t need a partner, and it’s different every time.” Photo by Hannah Brewer.

swing how-tos

To learn a basic turn, start out facing your partner and holding hands.

Guy: Rock back on your left foot .

Girl: Rock back on your right foot.

1

Photos by Hannah Brewer.

“

2

Guy: Rock forward on your right foot and let go with your left hand.

Girl: Rock on your left foot.

Guy: Step to the side on your left foot & move your right arm in a circular motion to turn your partner.

Girl: Step forward, under the guy’s right arm, with your right foot, turning toward your left.

3 ,4

Guy: Step to the side on your right foot.

Girl: Step on your left as you finish turning.

End facing your parner & hold both hands.

5,6 ”

The first time I went to a lesson, I was late and they were halfway through teaching it. I sucked. junior Lindsay Vanatta

Jan 14, 2007 “I got snowed in at Westside High School in Omaha with debate.” junior Patrick Kennedy

78-79Swing dancing 79

79

Swing Dancing Snapshot

3/15/07 6:25:18 PM

AutoCAD students spend time

drafting

theirfutures Design by Christy Beeder

F

First, they learned how to take basic shapes and split them into plane views. Then, they learned how to animate objects, design floor plans, and develop a digital walk-through of a computer-generated structure. They talk about raytracing, radiocity, UV mapping, and the object linotype scale.

Doesn’t sound like your language? Then you must not be in Auto CAD. Auto CAD (named for the computer program that they use, Auto Computer Aided Design) was a four-year program that incorporates computers into engineering and architecture.

“I like that it’s really independent and you work on your own time and make your own decisions,” said Matt Steadman, a fourth year Auto CAD student. “It’s pretty non-traditional.”

Students got their start in the class by reading online tutorials – stepby-step instructions on how to use the complicated computer software.

During their third year in the class, the fourth years in the combo classes helped them learn even more. A textbook and individual teacher instruction filled in the rest, and everything else was essentially “guess and check,” Steadman said.

But with small classes of about 15, students often collaborated to help solve problems or bounce ideas off each other. There was a diverse mix of interests, because Auto CAD attracted all types of students. There were those interested in animating cars or planes, constructing buildings, or designing houses with furniture. And there were sometimes big differences between the students interested in engineering and those interested in architecture.

“A lot of the people that are more analytical tend to do objects,” Steadman said. “The people that are more creative and interested in architecture tend to do houses, but that’s not always true.”

Auto CAD students routinely sent their projects to the Research and Development Forum, or R&D. But while other schools were still building houses with wood and gluing on tiny green bushes, East’s projects were entirely computer generated.

“Only a handful of schools in the U.S. are doing what we do,” Auto CAD teacher Lonnie Stephenson said. “We have great technology. We’re trying to keep up with what the engineers and architects now are doing, and they tell us that they’re all using computer software.”

The Auto CAD program started in 1999 when Stephenson began teaching at East. As a former teacher in Missouri, he found more support and better resources here, which contributed to the high level at which the

classes operated. A panel of architects and engineers advised the entire Shawnee Mission School District on curriculum, and the state also closely regulated what was taught. They were held to a rigid high standard of curriculum that did not change unless updated. “[Our program] is more advanced because it’s been going for so long that the knowledge is compounded each year,” Steadman said.

Stephenson kept old Architectural Digest and Popular Mechanics magazines in the classroom for students to look at and get ideas from.

Other students brought in their own books about house design to get inspiration for everything from kitchen stoves to front doors.

For many students in Auto CAD, this wasn’t just a fun elective to fill up the day.

Some students planned to attend top computer design programs, and many continued on to become engineers and architects. With rapidly advancing technology, graduates of Auto CAD sometimes had more computer design skills than current engineers, which put them in high demand.

“This technology is so new,” Stephenson said. “It just wasn’t around when [current engineers] were in school.”

But before they graduated and continued on to become successful engineers, architects, or computer designers, Auto CAD students first had to finish their animated house. Or football stadium. Or fighter jet, electric guitar, or dump truck.

“Sometimes a year just isn’t enough time to finish it,” Steadman said.

Some students worked with computerized blueprints, others calculated the dimensions of the vehicles they were building, and a class of 13 congregated around one student’s flatscreen computer monitor to try to help, while others flipped through design books and computer manuals.

“That’s so modern,” one student said, pointing to a picture in a house book.

“That’s not modern, it’s industrial,” said another. “Some of these houses are pretty cool, but they’re too sanitary. They’re too perfect.”

The class worked on for a little while longer, and Mr. Stephenson got up from his desk and sat down at an empty computer. Soon, the first few bars of reggae filled the classroom.

“It’s Friday and it’s freezing out,” Stephenson said to the class. “It’s gotta be Bob Marley.” Story by Leah Pickett.

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Snapshot January “I drove to the McPherson Tournament with Alex Huebner, Brad Crawford, Alex Jones and Andrew Block. Lets just say we had a good time.” senior John Jandl Jan 19, 2007

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Juniors Zach Williams, Andrew Tisdale, and Ryan Clark prepare their projects for the R&D Forum, an annual showcase of exceptional academic and elective work.

AutoCAD students enjoy working on their projects for showcases like this, or in preparation for future careers. “It’s a four year program that helps better my chance of getting into engineering school, but it’s also a fun class. Mr. Stevenson is really chill, and we always listen to music,” Tisdale said. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

g a bike, and to figure out how to model it. “I’m drawin Junior Zach Zwibelman works with a gear Zwibelman said. Photo by Kelsey Brown. nge,” challe the is er togeth fit and right look

getting everything to

your project What have you been working on all year?

Far above: Senior Bryson Burroughs works on his project. “I like to build, and I like to see that people can live in the things I designed. I think that’s really cool,” Burroughs said. Photo

by Rachel Clarke. Above: Seniors Taylor Cantril, James Badgerow, and Corbin King laugh as they discuss Badgerow and Cantril’s R&D Forum project, modeling the New York Apple store. “We were trying to come up with a clever name for the store. Our ideas involved ‘taking a bite out of an apple,’ but bite would be spelled byte,” Badgerow said. Photo by Whitney Van Way.

“

I’m doing a rowhouse. It’s a four story building that looks like something you would see in downtown Amsterdam or New York, but mine has a modern twist.

”

“

Last year I won a Grand Award at the R&D Forum for my model of my room.

This year I hope to do well again with my 3D animation of a pool table.

senior Bo Steadman

Jan 19, 2007 “We were playing SMN and I got pushed down and fell on my wrist and fractured it. I was frusterated that I couldn’t play.” freshman Lauren Dodd

80-81 autocad2 81

”

senior Matt Mullett

81

Auto CAD Snapshot

3/16/07 5:25:50 PM

Smiles all Design by Stefanie Enger

I

Far Left: Seniors Kelsey Evinger, Abby Law and Beckie Warren pose for a TV camera at the early morning pep assembly. “It was really fun because it showed the rivalry between East and South. We could see South on the TV screens, everyone was really spirited,” Law said.

Photo by Abba Goehausen.

Middle Left: Junior Kirby Thomas performs at a pep assembly. “Pep assemblies are my favorite part about cheering, I like the nervous feeling I get before performing, it’s like a nervous excited,” Thomas said. Photo

by Sarah Andrews. Middle Left Below: Coach Hair’s daughter cheers along with the Varsity squad during the boy’s basketball game against SM North. Photo by Kelsey Brown. Left: Senior Bailey Thomas practices a stunt before a football game.

“Stunting is really fun, but it can be dangerous,” Thomas said. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

Cheerleaders always find a way to get the crowd pumped up

It was the Girls Varsity basketball game on January 9, 2007. In the stands, elementary and middle school students sat, cheering on the Lancers and clapping along with the band. At halftime, the kindergartners filed onto the courts, the Little Lancer Cheerleaders were about to perform. Finally, with nervous smiles and expectant faces, they looked up to the SME cheerleaders and yelled.

“HEY LANCERS!” “They’re so cute,” senior Kelby Polfer said. “It’s nice to be a role model for someone. We’re not doing anything incredible, but they think it’s so wonderful. It makes it worth it.”

On Saturday January 6, the Little Lancers had spent an afternoon with SME cheerleaders, learning jumps, cheers, chants, and watching the different squads perform stunts and routines. Then, at the girl’s basketball game, they showed off what they had learned.

“Little Lancers introduces the girls to cheerleading so that they know what its like and whether they want to try it in high school.” senior Ashlan Fischer said.

What was it like? Besides balancing cheer practice once a week, usually for two hours, the team members also had cheer at two games a week. However, nobody minded the time commitment. With good leadership and 16 seniors on the team, working together was fun.

However, having so many seniors sometimes made team work tricky.

“It can be very difficult to have so many seniors because we all have an opinion on everything,” Polfer said.

“But with 16 seniors there’s a bond that we haven’t had before. It’s like freshman squad all over again.”

The team was led by co-captains Fischer and Polfer in their third year on the varsity squad.

“We have such good communication with each oth-

er,” Polfer said. “We’ve been on the same squad all four years, so we know each other and how to work with each other. Ashlan is really good with the organizational side of being a captain and I’m good with choreography.”

It was important that the team got along so well to efficiently accomplish pep assembly dance routines and learn new stunts. This year, the captains let all of the seniors help make up the pep assembly dances.

For the first time this year, the sophomore squad attended the Olathe East cheer festival in November.

Because the sophomores had fewer games than JV or Varsity, they were the only squad with enough time to compete. However, the team members still had to spend hours before and after school preparing.

“It was nerve racking to perform,” Sophomore Ally McCarthy said. “I could hear my heart beat the whole time. We had to focus on performing and making the vowel shapes with our mouths, but it was exciting at the same time because it was just about our team.”

The team practiced before school at 6 a.m. to learn their dance to “SOS”. The East sophomores were the only Shawnee Mission cheerleading squad at the competition. Together, the unusually small team of 12 made history and received a one ranking.

“Sophomore is a building year,” sophomore squad co-captain Katie Bartow said. “So all the exposure to performing we can get is a good thing.”

Between the “Hey Lancers” cheer and enthusiastic performances, the cheerleaders always found a way to get the crowd pumped up.

“Even though it would be fun to watch the game in the stands as a fan,” Fischer said, “I think it’s more fun to be a part of something that gets the student body involved. I wouldn’t trade it.” Story by Maureen Orth

82

Snapshot January “It was a big surprise to wake up and get a phone call saying I had been nominated for Sweetheart Queen. It was just so unexpected.” senior Melissa Melling Jan 26, 2007

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3/16/07 7:59:32 AM

Far Below: The Varsity squad performs a pom cheer during a pep assembly. “This year we had 22 girls on the squad, so we had to redo the formation of the ‘E’. It is sometimes hard to coordinate, but it is so fun having more girls on the squad,” said Blick.

Photo by Samantha Ludington. Below: Senior Nikki Harper smiles to a friend in the crowd. “My favorite part about cheerleading and pep assemblies is performing and getting the crowd excited and positive,” said Harper. Photo by Hannah Brewer.

ten Sophomores Kris

to a Goehausen Pho Reynolds and Abb

by Stefanie Enger.

m Photo by

Junior Reagan From

on.

Samantha Ludingt

Junior Haley Harlan

Photo by Stefanie

Enger.

your cheer

What are they saying? Students try to repeat a popular cheer.

“

One, we are the lancers two, a little bit louder three, I still can’t hear you four, more more more.

“

One, we are the lancers two, we are the blue three, you can not beat us, because we are so cool.

freshman Andrew Dexter

”

” “ ”

One, we are the lancers two, we are good dancers three, we like to cheer four, we’re here to stay.

senior Peter Goehausen

Jan 27, 2007 “I only wore a T-shirt to school and it was about a 10 degree wind chill.” senior Evan Leifer

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83

Cheerleading Snapshot

3/16/07 7:59:52 AM

doubletake Design by Brooke Stanley

from

bellbottoms

slacks.... your teachers then &now to

2007

Photo by Melissa Blessen.

Photo by Annie Krieg.

heintz

Chuck Crawford.

Photo courtesy of

•KU basketball fan • Eats salad & veggies • Listens to M. Ward, the Decemberists & Wilco • Reads classics like “The Grapes of Wrath” and “House of the Spirits” • Teaches math

chuck

then crawford

ool

sch Crawford in high

• Loved woodshop class • Enjoyed sports, but wasn’t good at most of them • Played on the golf team • Played sousaphone and sang in choir and madrigal group • Wanted to be an architect • Loved rock and roll

now

Photo by Melissa Blessen.

84-85Teachers Then & Now 84

now

nica

z.

Snapshot January

• Arkansas basketball fan (hated KU) • Wouldn’t eat “green things” • Listened to Queen, Michael Jackson & Prince • Read “The Shining” & other mysteries • Was math club secretary

Fast and her daughter Vero

Crawford with his silver jewelry

84

molly fast

then

Fast and her brother

y of Tom Heint Photo courtes

1971

tom

flash back

Your teachers in high school and now.

Photo courtesy of Molly Fast.

A

As a sophomore at Shawnee Mission South, biology teacher Tom Heintz started working at the Amoco Service Station at 95th and Nall. He continued working at various stations on into college, and his experiences at both the service stations and K-State University were memorable, but it was the people he met that were unforgettable.

His hours at the service station weren’t spent standing at the cash register, punching in numbers, nor were they spent just watching a machine wash a car. It was just Heintz and his coworkers with rubber gloves and shammies washing, lubricating, scraping windshields, and checking car tires. Heintz worked hard doing what today would be considered detailing. However, not everyone worked as hard as Heintz. The most interesting person he met in his six years at the Amoco at 95th and Nall was his coworker, Charlie Garcia. Garcia hated cold weather.

“In the winter, we normally scraped off the windshield while the customer filled their car with gas,” Heintz said. “But Charlie’s personal technique was amazing.”

According to Heintz, Garcia strolled out and took a good look at the car. After a very close inspection of the car, he made his way around to the driver’s side, knocked on the window and had a light conversation with the driver. After running inside to grab some equipment, he came back out, handed the ice scraper to the driver and wished him luck.

“He had a few carefully chosen labels for people that I’m sure the Hauberk wouldn’t print,” Heintz said with a laugh.

Heintz continued his service work at three different stations on and off through college. Though Garcia was someone that Heintz would never forget, his advisor at K-State, Dr. Stephen Fretwell, was simply inspirational.

Fretwell was not any regular, simply-sign-the-admission-card advisor. He talked to the students about what they were taking and why. Because of his interest in biomathematics, according to Heintz, Fretwell could basically graph your life.

“He was an old codger, but in fact, he was probably the youngest professor in the biology division [at KSU] and probably the smartest man I’ve ever met,” Heintz said.

Though Fretwell was a science professor, he encouraged a variety of courses.

Besides enforcing students to take hard sciences – chemistry, biology, and physics – he also strongly recommended that they enroll in English and literature, soft science and exercise classes.

“I give him credit for my education being so well-rounded,” Heintz said. “I had plenty of biology, but I had a lot of other stuff too that I probably wouldn’t have taken otherwise, like Humanities, Urban Sociology and Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence.”

It was actually through his Psychology class sophomore year that he became interested in the educational process. His original plans were to become a limnologist, a fisheries biologist, but Fretwell opened Heintz’s mind and was indirectly the reason Heintz became a biology teacher. He also was part of what made college so enjoyable to Heintz.

“I always told people that if I could have found a way to get paid for going to college, I never would have left,” Heintz said. Story by Andrea Tudhope

• Remodels his house often & watches HGTV • Loves working with kids • Expresses self by making silver jewelry, which has been sold at Ralph Lauren in New York and at a South Carolina gallery • Does architectural drawings as a hobby • Likes Oldies; dislikes rap

“I found out that my boyfriend was going to be in the army for five months. I know our relationship will continue but it’s still hard.” junior Nadvish Whitely Jan. 30, 2007

3/15/07 6:34:07 PM

2007

English teacher Donna Skates and her granddaughter Lily play Lily’s favorite game, tea party. “Miss Lily is sort of like the girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead,” Skates said. “‘When she is good, she is very, very good, but when she is bad, she is horrid.’”

Photo by Annie Krieg.

Photo courtesy of Donna Skates.

1962 your reading list Donna Skates recommends:

• Stones from the River Ursula Hegi • The Known World Edward P. Jones • Atonement Ian McEwan • Song of Solomon Toni Morrison • In the Lake of the Woods Tim O’Brien • The God of Small Things Arundhatt Roy

donna

W

With her mother having dropped out of school in fifth grade after both of her parents passed away, her father as a math teacher, and the two of them having terrible grammar, Donna Skates did not see English as a future profession.

Growing up, she was just as interested in math as English, if not more so. Her dad, Lawrence Hunt, taught math at NE Junior High and Bingham Junior High. After graduating from high school, Skates planned to follow in her father’s footsteps and study math. But as it turned out, she was only a math major for one day.

“I walked in on the first day as the only girl in an all guy class,” she said. “All the men carried briefcases in their hands and slide rulers attached to their belts.

Those were enough to scare anyone away.”

After her short experience as a math major, Skates turned to French. She studied it for a few years at Sorbonne in Paris. Skates thought she was doing well until a guest speaker from France came to give a lecture.

“I could only understand at most every other word she said,” Skates said.

It was at this point that Skates finally found her passion. Once she discovered it, she knew it was right.

“I loved English from the beginning once I started it in college,” she said. “It was sort of like this beautiful Christmas box that had never been opened.”

Through this newfound love of English, Skates discovered a love of reading. She began to indulge herself in the classics. During her junior year, she took an 18th Century Novels course in which she studied novels unfamiliar to most, like “Expedition of Humphrey

Jan. 30, 2007 “After a basketball game we went sledding down the hill by the senior lot.” sophomore Alexx Abbreu

84-85Teachers Then & Now 85

skates

Clinker” and “Castle of Otranto.” However, those were just assignments. It wasn’t until Henry Fielding’s “Tom Jones” that she began reading more than what she was assigned. “[Tom Jones] was such an interesting character,” Skates said with a smile. “He was one of those characters that everybody thought was a bad boy, but he was really good at heart. I guess I’ve always really liked bad boys.”

Skates’ English major led her to become the English 12 AP teacher and Writer’s Workshop teacher at East. Once she started teaching, contemporary literature became more appealing to her. She enjoyed seeing what new authors came up with. She was a very competitive reader. She was always fighting with her friends and co-teachers, Mary Ann Bowen and Judy Barnes, to get a hold of and read the newest book.

“I’ll watch any crummy television show, but I am a snob about reading,” Skates said.

Though she could not accredit her parents with inspiring her ardor for English and literature, there was one person in her life whom she could thank for it: her twelfth grade English teacher Mr. Stafford. It was through driving his senior North East High students to memorize their infinitives and impressing all the fine points of grammar in their minds that he inspired one student more than he would ever know.

“I always wanted to thank him because he was the one who started my love of language,” Skates said. “He is probably the reason I am an English teacher.” Story

by Andrea Tudhope

85

Teacher Then & Now Snapshot

3/15/07 6:34:14 PM

“

It’s really nothing

photo by Kelsey Brown

86

Snapshot January

86-87rotc.indd 86

like what people

”

think it is

freshman Phil Roach

“I had to ice off my car without any gloves. It was freezing.” sophomore Stephanie Tharp Jan. 30, 2007

3/17/07 9:52:05 AM

Junior Cameran Franklin leads a group of ROTC members in the morning routine.

“Morning practices were really early but sometimes they were kind of fun,” said Franklin. Photo by Taylor Gudgel.

few

rotc .

Proud

the

the

Design by Sam Benson

Members of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps speak out about what really happens in the program

R

ROTC. “It’s just a ghetto group of Goths.”

“I’ve heard they practice with handguns and paintball guns.”

“They have to have shiny boots and perfectly creased clothes.”

“Someone told me they had to stand up for like seven hours straight on a bus.”

“They’re like those army kids who are going to be in the navy or army or something.”

Is any of this true? Some is and some isn’t, but most of it is gossip. Rumors. Misconceptions.

ROTC is not what you think it is.

Reserve Officers Training Corps. An all year class, ROTC took up two hours of the school day but only counted for one credit hour. ROTC lost many students who felt it wasn’t worth it to lose a credit hour. But the students who remained involved obviously were in it by choice, and the idea of losing a credit hour wasn’t of great concern.

“It’s my favorite class,” freshman Phil Roach said. “The discipline is good. The leadership is good. I love it.”

ROTC was divided into teams. One team, drill team, was a group of students who woke up each morning around four o’clock in order to be at Shawnee Mission West by six. Drill team was just like a regular school sport. There were both freshman and varsity teams, and there were state and national competitions. The varsity team marched with rifles, while the freshman team practiced marching and stepping.

Junior Cameran Franklin was a member of the p.t. team, or the physical training team, in which the students did sit-ups, push-ups and ran long distances. In her sophomore gym class, Franklin’s scores on the physical fitness test

were well above most of the girls in her class. Sergeant Major Eldridge personally asked her, based on her impressive score and the lack of female ROTC members, to join the p.t. team in going to nationals.

“It’s really nothing like what people think it is,” Roach said.

ROTC wasn’t just made up of one group of people, it was a group of mixed people from all different social groups.

“Preps, jocks, goths, skaters- you name it, we’ve got it,” Roach said.

In reality, there were no handguns. At practices, they had a licensed instructor, a shooting range, protection gear and Airsoft guns.

“Everything is legal,” Roach said. “And the sergeant is really strict during this activity. If you screw up once, you’re out.”

It was true that in order to get a good grade, it was required that their belt, shoes and medals be shined, and that the creases in their uniforms were just right.

When they did stand for an elongated period of time, it was never more than an hour and a half, during which they often stood in formation for regular inspections.

“It’s not as hard as it is made out to be, and it’s great whether you’re going to be in the military or not,” Roach said.

One thing that many ROTC students agreed on was the lack of pressure to pursue a military career they felt from the sergeants.

“It’s a really good opportunity to see if you are into that kind of military stuff,” Franklin said.

“They’re not trying to recruit you. They don’t really care what you do, they just support you either way.” Story by Andrea Tudhope

NJROTC

What you didn’t know about • college program is highly competitive

• graduates can pursure opportunites in Army, Air Force, Army Reserve, Navy, and Marine Corps

your uniform

Senior Nate Miller leads a group of ROTC members in the morning routine. Although rifles are the defining image of the ROTC program, only varsity members of the drill team practice with them. “Waking up at 5 a.m. in the morning for drill team may not be fun but the practice pays off when awarded trophies at drill competitions,” said Miller. Photos by Rachel Clarke.

What does every piece represent?

BARS represent rank J-BAR stands for Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps RIBBONS awards for physical fitness, volunteering, and leadership COMMANDER RIBBONS show unit commanders of varsity drill team

• Texas A&M, Norwich University, North Georgia College, North Carolina State, University of Oregon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology • available locally at Kansas State, Pittsburg State, and the University of Kansas

ANCHOR worn on all combination covers

• scholarships can range from $4,000 - $68,000 • available in over 600 colleges nationwide

Jan. 31, 2007 “I went to the Missouri Natural Resources Conference. I spoke about quail habitat management and learned alot about conservation.” sophomore Dylan Lehrbaum

86-87rotc.indd 87

87

ROTC Snapshot

3/17/07 9:52:09 AM

2.5

2 2.10

2.8

2.15

February. 16

2.16

2.26

2.28

2.25

2.21

2.27

Standing in a circle around choir teacher Tracy Resseguie, junior Thomas Henry stands next to senior Laura Joyce as Chambers rehearses. “We have normal formations for when we rehearse but sometimes we mix it up and create a circle with all 24 of us,” Henry said. Photo by Hannah Gillaspie.

February. 5

February. 21

Filling her plate, senior Patti Blair takes her share during the annual Discrete Math cake day. “We had a lot of different kinds of cake,” Blair said. “It was really quiet because everyone had their mouths full.” Photo by Kelsey Brown.

Sitting in her clothing class, sophomore Sally Holmes embellishes a cross-stitch project for her friend sophomore Ali Ellerbeck, a temporary exchange student in Chile. “It’s a glimmering unicorn standing on a cliff with the words ‘Velocity Wings’ stitched in Spanish,” Holmes said. “Ali and I have this inside joke about unicorns.” Photo by Rachel English.

February. 8

February. 25

Freshman Amanda Privitera stretches during soccer conditioning after school. “It helped me get in a lot better shape.” Privitera said.

“A lot of my friends were doing it so I enjoyed it but I also just though that it was something that I needed to do.” Photo by Karen Boomer.

After winning state wrestling, senior John Carr pounds fists with team manager senior Amy Pollard. “I couldn’t stop smiling,” Carr said. “I had worked for it for four years and at that moment it felt like it had payed off.” Photo

by Kelsey Brown.

February. 10

February. 26

Freshmen Kelsey Summers, Dawn Selder and Dara Slemp dance during WPA. “It was a pretty big group and most of us went without dates,” Summers said. “We all had fun doing the Cha- Cha Slide.” Photo by Sarah Andrews.

While singing karaoke, senior Katy Renfrow befriends kids at the annual Downs Syndrome Dance. “Some of the kids were really timid and shy but they were having a great time,” Renfrow said. “I think it was good for them and the ones that were timid broke out of their shell.” Photo by Molly Oeffner.

February. 15

February. 27

Sitting in the hallway, senior Corbin Burright focuses on his vanishing points project. “I like being out of the art room and out in the school,” Burright said. “[The project] was difficult but it was cool when it was done.” Photo

by Samantha Ludington.

Taking a break from the usual routine, junior Adrienne Wood runs through a parachute during dance class. “We put squishy balls in the middle and bounce them and make tents and go under,” Wood said. “We acted pretty childish but it’s really fun.” Photo by Sarah Andrews.

February. 28

February

your sweetheart.

Flashing his student ID at the ticket counter, senior Brad Crawford prepares to enter the sub-state semi-final basketball game against Shawnee Mission North. “I was actually really sick so I had to sit with my mom,” Crawford said. “But a lot of my good friends are on the team so I had to come out and support.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

Getting ready to squat, senior Sara Steinwart loads a weight on the bar. “[Weights] isn’t really that bad,” Steinwart said. “There’s not a huge difference between that and playing softball and I definitely notice a huge difference when I’m not in Weights class.” Photo

by Katie Woods.

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Snapshot February “It was absolutely freezing. I practically cried walking from the sophomore lot.” sophomore Christina Beynol

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Feb 1, 2007

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Feb 2, 2007 “It was opening night for Sweet Charity. I was so excited that it was my second musical at East and we worked really hard.” sophomore Katie Bartow

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V

After winning their

third state championship

the boys swim and dive team

prove to have

water in their

senior Andrew Block listens to his iPod to get focused before a meet

• senior

J

Ross Cannady has never used a swim cap

eins

Just minutes before the 200 freestyle, sophomore Chad Allen listened to Kashmir by Led Zeppelin on his iPod. Taking his place in Lane Eight, he glanced down the line and noticed that his competition was stiff. But the lyrics of Kashmir looped over and over in his head. He and his fellow swimmers were ready to swim. They were ready to crush their opponents. They were ready to take state.

The first meet of the season was the Olathe East Invitational, and at that point the things were already looking up.

Talent was revealed in both old and new members of the team. Walker placed third in the 200 and fourth in the 500.

Another first year swimmer, freshman Hunter Stevenson, swam the 200 relay, the 50 free-style and the 100 free-style.

They lost the 200 relay for the first time in three years and Stevenson missed getting state by one second on the 50 and the 100 free styles.

“A lot of sophomores and freshman are stepping up,” senior Luke Tanner said.

“Walker and Stevenson both made state this year. Chad Allen and [sophomore] Spencer Sherard made state at their second events. It’s huge when you have underclassmen stepping up and contributing to the team’s success.”

Among the many reasons for swim team victories, one was the commitment and hard work of the managers – senior Bailey Armstrong and freshmen Mary Tanner and Lexi Mische. They recorded time trials, took down the swimmers’ splits and dealt with paperwork and checks. All three girls were swimmers as well.

“I work at it, but I don’t think there is a comparison between my brother and I in swimming,” Mary said. “He’s much better than I will ever be.”

•

senior George Hart has used the same type of goggles since he started swimming

•

senior Daniel Heady despite not qualifying for state led his swim lane at practice

•

senior Johnny McGuire only person at east who swims and dives

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senior Mike Perry listens to same song before every race; song changes every year

•

senior Mike Stalzer became a sprinter last two years

•

senior Luke Tanner 4 state records in 100 free at 45.30 seconds

•

senior Casey Williams won heat in the 50 meter free

Design by Bailey Atkinson

Mary enjoyed spending extra time with Luke after school at practice. But mostly she enjoyed hanging out with the swim team and listening to coach Wiley Wright’s jokes and the nicknames he gave certain swimmers. His nickname for junior George Hart was Tater Salad because he thought Hart looked like Ron White from the Blue-Collar Comedy Tour.

“A lot of the other coaches are so serious, but Wiley never gets in your face, or yells at you to work harder,” Walker said. “He tells a lot of jokes to keep the practice light-hearted. He has a great sense of humor.”

Wright’s methods of coaching seemed to be successful. Early on in the season, Tanner and many others believed that the group effort would yet again bring enormous success and allow them to continue the winning streak that began when Tanner was a sophomore. As the season progressed, the team experienced their first loss at a dual meet in four years to Blue Valley North. But that loss didn’t stop them.

Even though there were many fewer seniors and many more juniors, sophomores and freshmen, early in the season, Tanner was optimistic. He saw the lack of experience as a potential step toward improvement for the team as a whole. But it was more than just the effort of the team as a whole that led them to win state.

“It was the relays that did the most work for us as a whole, but Luke got Swimmer of the State Meet for the second year in a row and he broke the 200 free-style time with a 1:40,” Allen said. “He is probably the reason we were able to take state this year.” Story by Andrea Tudhope.

Far above: Juniors Brogan Runion, Jack Stalder, Brad Crist and Levi Mesche and senior Luke Tanner pose underwater during practice. Photo by Annie Krieg. Above: Senior Luke Tanner finishes 100 free at state. His time was 45.3 in the 100 free, around two seconds faster then his time before going to state. “Winning state affected me because it ranked me within the top swimmers of my age group,” Tanner said. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

90

Snapshot February “Unfortunately I had to work on my birthday. Then I went out to dinner with my family and I didn’t get a big party because of WPA.” junior Mary Ruth Hopkins Feb 6, 2007

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Left: Senior Andrew Block sets up for a dive on senior night against Shawnee Mission Northwest. He finished in first place among the divers that night. Later in the season he finished state in fifth place. Photo by Whitney Van Way.

Senior Andrew Bloc fiers. Photos by

k • Junior Brog an Runion • St ate Quali

Samantha Ludin gton.

your swim bag

What do you carry in your swim bag?

12 3 4

towels cherrios

swimsuits goggles

junior Brad Crist m the best I ever had preparing for state. “I swa s breast stroke at practice, nds in 100 back stroke Senior Mike Stalzer swim ore state I swam 57.33 seco “Bef . said zer Stal ,” of time at state; I dropped a lot

by Annie Krieg. to 55.76 seconds.” Photo and at state I got down

Feb 10, 2007 “We went in a big group for WPA to Lydia’s and our waiter cracked jokes the whole time. It was hilarious.” freshman Sally Schoenfeld

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mangos

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Boys’ Swim and Dive Snapshot

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The hostesses of the Fandago Ballroom pose before singing “Big Spender,” a sultry number addressed to their male clients. Photo by Hannah Brewer. Below right: Junior Erin Aitkin performs as the lead, Charity, singing her solo “If They Could See Me Now.” “It was a really, really fun song,” Aitken said. “It was really saucy.

I hadn’t done anything like that before, so it was a fun challenge.” Photo by Kelsey Brown.

It’s Saturday, Feb. 3. Do you know where

your stage manager is?

8:30 Wake up with head cold. at school. Drop stuff 11:00 Arrive off; start harassing people to see if their crews are there.

12:00 Devour Taco Bell for lunch. stage mopped. Check 12:30 Get in with student director and

junior Carly Putnam

crew chiefs.

12:45 Presetting – put everything on stage for opening.

1:30 House opens – I’m in the booth.

1:40 Make sure people are on headsets.

1:50 Get actors backstage & miked.

2:00 Showtime... then get ready again for the evening show.

92

Snapshot February “At WPA dinner, the music in the bathroom really made me want to dance.” junior Madison Stock

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Feb 10, 2007

4/3/07 10:53:19 AM

S

funlaughs GOOD TIMES Design by Brooke Stanley

Left: Senior Kelsey Lehman applies eyeshadow to junior Meg Sterchi. “I plan on going into film makeup, so doing makeup for shows is good practice,” Lehman said. “Makeup is just something I’ve always been good at.” Photo by Samantha Ludington.

After rocky rehearsals, the cast of the winter musical ‘Sweet Charity’ pulls together a stunning show

Splash! Miss Charity Valentine screamed as she lost her balance and fell headlong into the lake. While bystanders drew to the noise, she struggled to stay afloat and pulled her drenched body out of the water.

“You ever had one of those days?” Charity, played by junior Erin Aitken, asked the audience.

The cast and crew in the production of SME’s Sweet Charity had definitely had some of those days, and more than just a few.

“In rehearsal, it didn’t ever really go smoothly,” sophomore Katie Bartow said.

Throughout rehearsals, directors constantly prodded the cast for more energy and volume, especially in the show stopper “Rhythm of Life.” The song included the entire cast, both packed on the stage and in the aisles.

Those in the aisle were meant to create a “wall of sound” to envelop the audience, but with low volume during rehearsals, the song did not quite live up to expectations.

When opening night came around, both cast and crew waited nervously.

But from when the curtain opened on Thursday Feb. 1 until the final bows, performance was perfect.

What was it that made the show so successful? Adrenaline and lots and lots of practice.

“Every day on average, rehearsals went to 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. and there was a lot of memorizing outside of school, voice lessons and a couple of dance lessons a week,” Bartow said. “Only the people who really love doing it do it.”

Lead actors Aitken, Bartow and senior Kelby Polfer definitely loved doing it, as well as sophomore Johanna Cook, lead dancer in “Rich Man’s Frug.” It was a tough love, however, with ups and downs like missing out with friends to stay for a late rehearsal.

“School work was just so hard,” Cook said. “I was dealing with drill team too because we had a competition coming up, so I had to cut time back with all of my friends, and I didn’t get much sleep.”

The cast worked hard throughout rehearsals, but they also prepared themselves before going on stage to perform. Typical nervous jitters were handled a number of different ways, from deep breaths to “meditation”.

Aside from the obvious vocal warm ups, Bartow usually found an empty room, turned off all the lights, and listened to nothing to clear her mind and prepare to go on stage.

“I just think about who I am and what I’m doing here as my character,” Bartow said. “Before I go on, I’ll position myself as my character stands, so I’m in character every second that I can be.”

As well as mentally preparing to perform, the actors physically prepared with layers and layers of makeup for the stage. Although most scrubbed theirs off after a couple of washings, Aitken’s stayed on, throughout the four shows and time after as well.

“I had to get this heart tattoo on my arm and it was Sharpie,” Aitken said.

“Every night I had to go over it again. I think I had it on my arm for about two weeks.”

As the show began on Thursday and the nights to follow, the cast realized it was the actual performance that brought out the best in the actors.

With no longer just a few directors in the audience, the performances meant an auditorium crammed full of students, parents, and friends. Somehow, the actors managed to use this to their advantage.

“It’s hard to perform when there’s no response or reaction from anyone,” Aitken said. “Having somebody to perform for is what makes everything so worthwhile.”

Some of the results were disastrous.

“I completely lost huge chunks of my eyelashes because of all the makeup,” Bartow said with a laugh.

The overall experience, however, was exhilarating.

“It’s like hitting a note you can’t hit in practice, but you can in the real thing because of the thrill,” Bartow said. “It’s totally worth it.” Story by Alexandria Norton

Hannah Herman. Photo by Wheeler portrays Leek. w. Photo by Anna Brewer. • Senior Joe sho nah a Han ore by bef to p ly makeu plays Nikki. Pho Laura Kaufman app ore Senior Kelby Polfer hom sop and g Sterchi Brewer. • Junior Me

Feb 11, 2007 “Singing in Carnage Hall was very intimidating, but it was very exciting because we were the first high school choir to ever sing there.” senior Emily Hipps

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Winter Musical Snapshot

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Alex Si gel

Karoline Malde

O

Despite lifestyle changes exchange students embrace their year at East

On the first day of school, August 15, 2006, foreign exchange students Karoline Malde and Alex Siegel walked in through the south doors together.

First hour, they had band and they both played clarinet, so luckily, they didn’t have to face walking into a class of strangers alone. However, not only were the East students strangers to them, but coming from completely different worlds, they were strangers to each other.

Malde was from Oslo, Norway where she lived with her parents and her two brothers, Kristoffer and Benjamin. They lived only an hour away from the Nordefjell, where she, Kristoffer and many other local high school kids went snowboarding from December to the beginning of March. During the summer, they went to the Oslo Fjord, where they had barbecue on the beach and went sailing.

“It’s pretty nice to get in a big sailboat and just lay out there,” Malde said.

Siegel was from a small city near Frankfurt, Germany called Kreuzwertheim.

He was very involved in sports, playing tennis with his family at least twice a week, as well as playing soccer everyday at the TSV, the Gymnastics and Sports Club. In Germany, all boys who were out of school and over the age of 18 had to do either social service or military service. Before Maxi, Siegel’s older brother, became involved in the military service, Siegel and his family traveled all over Europe to places like Tuscany, Paris, Salzburg, Slovenia and Ulrich.

Each of these two foreign exchange students was assigned a host family. Malde’s assigned family was the Thiedes, while Siegel’s was the Creidenbergs.

“The Creidenbergs are very interested in sports,” Siegel said. “We do sports together and we watch sports together on TV.” They also ate dinner together everyday. Dinner at the Creidenbergs consisted of chicken, potatoes, pasta and salad. This meal was very similar to what Siegel ate at home in Germany. The only difference was that while dinner began at six o’clock in the United States, in Germany, it began at eight o’clock.

As in Germany, dinner in Norway was healthy and well-balanced. Lunch at Malde’s high-school, Lambertseter, was equally nutritious. They served fruit salads, ham salads and chicken salads, juices, carrot cake and sandwiches of all different kinds: shrimp, ham and cheese, egg, roast beef, smoked salmon.

Malde’s favorite was the chicken salad because it was always so fresh and

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Snapshot February

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Far Left: Senior Karoline Malde sits with her clarinet outside of her host family’s house. “I have been playing for five years. My whole family is musical and it was always something I wanted to do,” Malde said. Photo by Whitney Van Way. Left: Senior Alex Sigel poses with his racket during a break from practice with his coach at Homestead Country Club. “My favorite player is David Nalbandian from Argentina. I like his style, and I like his backhand,” Sigel said. Photo by Melissa Blessen.

the oil and vinegar dressing was amazing.

“I hate the smell in the East cafeteria,” Malde said. “That oil smell from the French fries, you know? In Norway, the cafeteria smelled like baked bread and vegetables – there were no French fries.”

She took a sack lunch of a sandwich, an apple, carrots and water to school every day, but it was still not the same as in Norway.

“I have gained some weight, as I think all exchange students have,” Malde said.

Siegel, however, was satisfied with the food selection. His school, DietrichBomhoeffer-Gymnasium, served an optional lunch at the end of the school day consisting of pizza, pasta, potatoes, candy and coke, very similar to East’s lunches. He was used to and satisfied with the food selection.

As for school itself, Siegel preferred school in Germany to school at East.

At his school, the students only took three to six tests per class, per year.

Also, teachers were a lot less strict about tardiness.

“If you are tardy in Germany, the teacher asks you where you’ve been, and you say ‘Oh, I was late, sorry,’ and they say ‘OK,’ ” Siegel said.

Students at Dietrich-Bomhoeffer-Gymnasium only took three to four classes, 90 minutes each, a day, and every day there were different classes.

Siegel liked the way this schedule allowed him more than one day to do homework. Malde’s school in Norway also had block scheduling. With the opportunity to do most of her homework at school, she only had one hour of homework to do at home.

“I have like three hours of homework now,” she said. “And AHAP is like one and one-half hours by itself.”

While both Malde and Siegel enjoyed the freedom in choosing their classes, Siegel didn’t like the lack of freedom outside of school.

“I liked to party in Germany better,” Siegel said. “Parents don’t care as much, police don’t care and nobody has a curfew. You can do what you want, drink alcohol, play loud music; the police aren’t going to show up.”

Despite the change from the lives they were used to, Malde and Siegel came to love their new lives in Kansas.

“School is not only school, but also the activities and clubs and everything that goes along with it. I like the whole thing because it is normal to me now,” Malde said. Story by Andrea Tudhope.

“It was my birthday. I had International Club in the morning and some people brought cake.” senior Alicia Piens Feb 14, 2007

4/5/07 12:53:02 PM

“ everything will belong in the past. ” You have to enjoy it while you can.

Before long,

your letters

Above: A postcard from Karoline Malde’s family in Norway.

Courtesy of Karoline Malde.

your pictures

‘What am I doing here? Why did I leave my wonderful life to lose myself here?’

‘What is the US history teacher talking about?’

‘Raaaa! I’m late again! It would be easier if those lockers weren’t so hard to open, and why is my schedule such that I am crossing the high school four times a day!’

The first football practice, ‘So how do we play this game?’

I will always remember Fabian, one of the German kids, and I being so lost in the middle of all those guys.

It’s like I’m becoming a baby again, imitating my parents’ behavior, but here, it’s my peers that I’m imitating. I felt like I had a big mountain to climb, and that whatever, happened I had to do it. Soon, I’ll be upon the mountain, looking at the United States society, saying ‘Oh, I know what you look like now.’

By and by things have changed. I got involved in theatre, and I met new people, who became my real friends because I spent hours working with them on stage. Speaking of friends, reminds me of the other exchange students. It’s always amazing to see when we talk to each other how comparable our lives are; same problems, same way of thinking. I feel like we are in the same boat, and that we share something fantastic, an adventure, an odyssey.

When I’m writing these lines, I’m thinking about the last step, maybe the hardest one; just when I have had time to get integrated, it will be time to leave. I tell myself, ‘Raph, it won’t happen again, you have to enjoy it the most you can. Before long, everything will belong to the past.’

At the same time, I’m honestly excited to go back home. A year feels like so long when I think about my family, my friends and all the people I left behind. Although, it feels so short when I think about what I discovered here and the people I met.

Everyday I have to tell myself, ‘Don’t live in the past, neither

in the future, because soon the present will be gone.’

Story courtesy of

..

Raphael Chikli

Clockwise: 1. Seniors Raphael Chikli, Johannes Schmidt, Marcelo Garcia, history teacher T. Michael Chaffee, and senior Michele Basili stop for a picture before the Lancer Day parade.

“We don’t do that kind of thing in Italy. We wore our T-shirts and got to walk behind the senior float, and it was really exciting,” Basili said. Photo courtesy of Michele Basili. 2. At one and half, Johannes Schmidt (right) and his twin brother Alex smile for the camera back home in Germany, in a small northern town, Balvia. Photo courtesy of Johannes Schmidt. 3. Senior Juliane Schulz, back home in Germany, smiles with her friend Johannes, who is living in Canada this year. “Even though this year doesn’t count for us at our school, and we have to make it up when we get back, it is worth it,” Schulz said. Photo courtesy of Juliane Schulz. 4. Seniors Robin Kresynski, Ellie Weed, and Alex Sigel smile during MORP. Photo courtesy of Ellie Weed.

5. Senior Nancy Abazza sculpts a pot with Mrs. Trewolla in her ceramics class. Photo courtesy of Nancy Abazza. 6. Michele Basili, Raphael Chiklii, Eric Chapman, Johannes Schmidt, Marcelo Garcia, and Fabian Baur pose for the camera at Michele’s birthday party in the fall. Photo courtesy of Fabian Baur.

Feb 14, 2007 “My boyfriend and I went out on a date and got Chinese food for Valentines Day.” senior Rachel Nortin

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ho elson. P ryan N

B Senior

gton.• a Ludin amanth to by S

L

Junior Tommy y.

Kenned

Photo Va ssen.• ssa Ble

by Meli

oto by am. Ph rsity te th Saman gton.

a Ludin

senior Colin Hertel #20 accidentally dislocated teammates finger

•

senior Ben McNamara #21 played every year on respective class team

•

senior Bobby Miller #24 wears tape on his wrists to look good on TV

•

senior Bryan Nelson #11 drinks creatine before every game

•

senior Reid Robson #15 takes salt tablets to prevent muscle cramps

•

senior Ross Simpson #13 eats a Mr. Goodcents sandwich before every game

•

senior Tom Watson #50 does “the shake,” before every shot

Right: Senior Tom Watson is fouled during a game against Shawnee Mission North. Watson scored 7 points of East’s 47. “I played really aggressive against North because the team was really struggling, so I just tried to knock down a few points,” said Watson. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

96

Snapshot February “My parents were proud of me because all of my teachers gave good reports.” junior Josh Dorrell

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Feb 15, 2007

4/3/07 5:05:56 PM

your game

Right: Sophomore Marcus Webb dribbles past Lawrence’s defense. Webb and other JV players got a chance to play due to a 53-33 lead against Lawrence.

“It felt good getting into the game, but I was hoping that I could have played a lot more on varsity this year. Next year I hope I will make an impact,” Webb said. Photo by Karen Boomer. Far Right: Senior Reid Robson struggles to get past the Rockhurst defense. East beat rival Rockhurst 50-38.

Photo by Samantha Ludington.

Players tell their favorite part of a basketball game

“ “

The environment because it is really cool to hear the crowd and go against them and try to make them shut up. Our fans is very supportive. They are definitely the sixth man and they have as much to do with us winning as the players do.

L

” ”

junior Quinn Conrad

After making a big play it’s fun to hear the crowd react to something that you did. But then when the other team makes a big play and their stands cheer it makes you want to play harder.

senior Bobby Miller

Left: Senior Ben McNamara and sophomore Winn Clark wait to be subbed into the game against Shawnee Mission West. East went on to beat West 5039. “Being subbed in effects how many points you score because you have less time in the game, but after being subbed in I play as hard as I would if I started the game,” said McNamara.

Photo by Samantha Ludington.

ightingup the scoreboard Design by Bailey Atkinson

After losing many talented players, a competitive team finishes the season with the best record in the school’s history

E

East didn’t know what to expect. Their all-time leading scorer had graduated, along with many other talented seniors. It seemed like the new seniors had hardly been seen on the court at all. But anyone who knew the team wasn’t surprised when, at their first game, the boys’ basketball team beat Shawnee Mission South by a staggering 30 points. Nor were they surprised when the team won a competitive tournament in McPherson, and went on to win game after game. The fans were wild, energetic, and completely in awe. It was clear that the basketball team, stepping out from under J.D. Christie’s shadow, was now even better than before.

The team dynamics and chemistry changed this year, which helped the team set the bar ever higher than last year.

“The shots are more spread out,” junior Michael McRoberts said.

“The team is a lot more balanced.”

The players were quick to talk about how they were a strong team because of their defensive skills, unselfish attitudes, and good relationships with the coaches. But long pauses followed questions about the team’s weakness.

“I really can’t think of any,” McRoberts said.

And this might have been halfway true. The team ended the season with only two losses, and most of the games were won by a comfortable margin. Only a fluke loss to Blue Valley West in the substate game prevented the team from continuing on to possibly win the state championship. Although this year’s team’s unexpected loss left players and fans upset, this wasn’t the last year East had a chance.

East’s newfound powerhouse basketball program had been built to

last.

The basketball program hadn’t ever been this strong, so its rise during the last two years might have seemed sudden. But this transition had been years in the making.

“Coach Hair had a lot to do with it,” sophomore Winn Clark said. “He came to East and had a bunch of camps, and he worked with younger kids to get them to like basketball and let it develop so it was a sport they all wanted to play.”

For the past 11 years, Hair has groomed the future East basketball stars in these camps, improving their skills from a young age and honing their interest. His positive attitude also draws players, and makes them want to play well for him. On the team, his demeanor has helped drive the players.

“He’s one of the hardest workers I know,” senior Colin Hertel said.

“Having that kind of a person around instills in players an attitude to work just as hard as he does.”

So they did. Every day, the team practiced for two or two and a half hours, running defensive, offensive, and shooting drills. They watched videos of their opponents for days before games and planned matchups and strategies for coping with their opponent’s specific plays.

The team members could all name numerous things that the team had improved on since last year, and could talk about their new teamwork and defensive skills and how they’re better than they’ve ever been. And they all attribute their success to one person in particular.

“As long as you have [Coach Hair] as a coach, I don’t think you can go wrong,” Hertel said. Story by Leah Pickett.

Feb 15, 2007 “For my birthday, I got a new car. It’s a red Jetta 2002. My old car is riding on in spirit now.” sophomore Laura Wetzel

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Boys Basketball Snapshot

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Jazz all that Design by Sam Benson

The Blue Knights and Blue Notes work hard to earn a trip to New York

T

The room was packed to capacity with nearly 500 people as the alto saxophone wailed out a solo. The notes blended perfectly into the jazzy melody of the rest of the band. It was East Jazz Night, the first time these notes had ever been played. It was here, at the actual performance, the soloist made them up off the top of his head. Improvisation was unique to jazz, and a skill few had mastered even among the talented musicians of the Blue Knights jazz band. Thinking on their feet, the players had to construct an intricate tapestry of music centered around predetermined chords.

Of course, improv. wasn’t the only difference between jazz band and concert band.

“The staple of jazz is swing,” senior saxophone player Quin Jackson said. “It’s looser than classical music which is more straight.”

Playing jazz required many small changes such as different mouthpieces for most of the band. One more noticeable difference was the size of the band, which was considerably smaller with only one person on each part.

“The atmosphere with fewer people is closer knit.

We’re better friends. We have more fun and joke around,” Jackson said. “It’s a more intimate environment to progress in your musicianship.”

Becoming a better musician was easier said than done. The beginning of every class period was invariably spent warming up, tuning instruments, and practicing scales. They practiced sight reading and rehearsed their music countless times to polish and work out rough spots. Nearly all the musicians took private lessons to improve outside of school and practiced their instruments daily. The jazz band was taught and conducted by Kim Harrison.

“Mr. Harrison can be intense at times, but he’s a really good teacher and a big reason for our success in the past,” said Jackson.

“He’s always pushing the groups. He’s definitely a positive influence.”

When jazz band wasn’t rehearsing for in-school concerts and events such as Jazz Night, the group was preparing music for competition. The band frequently traveled to compete at various colleges.

Jazz band had taken them from competitions in Winter Park, Colorado to the Essentially Ellington competition in New York.

“It’s definitely an accelerated program,” said Jackson. “We get a lot of feedback and get to play a large variety of music.”

Back at East Jazz Night, the Blue Notes and Blue Knights applauded as the middle school jazz bands finished playing. The players were reminded of just how far they had progressed. They had gone from middle school kids to members of one of the best high school jazz ensembles in the country. Story by Gale Harrington.

Far above: Junior Andrew Tisdale performs a solo on the trombone while using a plunger, one of many unique accessories students use to change the sound of their instruments. “I started to play trombone when I was little because I saw someone on TV with all the different types of things that go on the instrument.

I just thought it was cool,” Tisdale said. Photo by Molly Oeffner. Above: Juniors Vaughn English, Kelcei Glasgow, and Patrick Collins practice on their saxophones during class. “I think sax is the coolest instrument to perform because we get awesome solos,” Collins said. Photo by Mackenzie Wylie.

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Snapshot February “My mom and I flew to LA to look at the University of Southern California. We also saw Mischa Barton in her car.” junior Sylvia Shank Feb 16, 2007

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Below: Junior Matt Lane strums his guitar during a slow song at the October jazz concert.

“A lot of people don’t think of guitar when they think of jazz band, but it really adds something to the band,” Lane said. Photo by Hannah Gillaspie.

your instruments Mandible Güiro

Above left: Senior Quin Jackson plays the clarinet at the jazz band concert in October. Photo by Hannah Brewer.

Above right: Junior Zach Weaver plays the double bass, the biggest stringed instrument. “I started playing the bass when I was little because it looked cool, but now it’s a hobby that I really love,” Weaver said. Photo by Molly Oeffner. Above far right: Juniors Adam Robinson, Brent Parker, and Mark Bauer play their trumpets with the Blue Knights during fourth hour. “Everybody loves the trumpets because we’re so loud,” Parker said. Photo by Mackenzie Wylie.

• from Latin America • used by the Blue Man Group • makes a hollow rattling sound • metal teeth inside create distinct sound • from Puerto Rico • played with a stick called a “pua” • makes a rhythmic, rasping sound • usually played by the lead singer in the band

Congas

World instruments used in Jazz Band

• from Africa • as wide as 14 inches across • used in the Rumba style of dancing • common in religious festivals worldwide

Feb 17, 2007 “State swimming was cool because I got to see the team win and know that I was somewhat a part of it.” freshman Jack Logan

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your photos Whether you ate at home with paper plates or out at a five star restaurant, if you were on the sweetheart court or posing for pictures with your friends, everyone came together for WPA.

Right: Senior Elise Langtry dances with her boyfriend.

“My boyfriend came back for the dance. He’s in college so it was a special night,” Langtry said. Far right: Juniors Libby Nachman, Sophie Unterman, Brooke Stanley, Mary Ruth Hopkins and Alyssa Murfey link arms while waiting to hear the Sweetheart winners. “It was fun spending the evening with my friends and it was cool how everyone stopped dancing to see who won king. I was excited to hear who the king was,” Hopkins said.

Photos by Taylor Gudgel.

Choraliers celebrate WPA in NYC while others celebrate in KC

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For 108 Choraliers members, WPA was a little different this year. Instead of crowding into the starlit Shawnee Mission East gym, the world-renowned choir spent two hours on a cruise ship sailing out of Hudson Bay, New York. After a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall, they shed their Lancer blue robes for formal dresses or, as in senior Signy Gephardt’s case, just a nice pair of capris.

“We had the option of wearing dresses but they had to be shorter than our choir robes since we didn’t have time to run back to the hotel to change,” Gephardt said. “A lot of people just wore a really nice skirt or capris.”

February 10th, 2007 actually began at 5 a.m. for most girls as they donned their dresses and did their hair, both of which had to last the whole day. Although the cruise did not start until 5 p.m., the choir would be out touring the city from 6 a.m. until the big performance at Carnegie Hall. Although the singing was an unforgettable experience, the cruise was a perfect ending for senior Lora Joyce. Joyce was voted WPA “Sweet Apple” queen.

“Everyone was having so much fun that I kind of forgot about the nominations,” Joyce said. “When they announced my name I was so surprised! It was so loud that nobody really reacted when they called out my name. Once we all realized what was going on, all the nominees ran under a human tunnel to celebrate.”

The cruise wasn’t just about the king and queen crowning, however. As it sailed out of the bay, the ship passed right by the Statue of Liberty, causing everyone to rush to the top level.

“The view was amazing! It was freezing cold, though. No one could really stand up there for more than five minutes,” senior Casey Williams said.

Though the cruise ended at 7 p.m., the choir came back to the hotel for a two-hour “town meeting.” Each night the choir gathered in one of the hotel’s ballrooms to discuss what happened at the concert, how they sang, and just share memories.

“The whole trip was absolutely amazing,” Joyce said. “I don’t think there’s anything that could have made it any better.”

Back in Kansas, the annual Women Pay All dance was off

to a great start as limos and party buses unloaded in the Spirit Circle. Glistening dresses, high heels and giggles found their way to the dance floor while the girls’ dates took comfort in the fact that everything was under control.

“WPA is always great because you don’t have to plan anything,” junior Quinn Rodgers said. “I knew my date had it under control, but I still felt that I needed to help plan the after party or something.”

Just because the girls had the plans under control didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t rushing to get ready, however.

“I went to my friend’s soccer game earlier that day, and we went out to lunch afterward. We didn’t have hair appointments or anything, but when we looked at the clock and saw that it was almost four, we kind of freaked out a little,” sophomore Cari Chestnut said.

Chestnut wasn’t the only one in a rush. Recovering from a sprained ankle, freshman Sydney Henley had hoped it would be healed in time for WPA. When she tried on her heels a few hours before, however, she realized her ankle just wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“My mom and I ran around to, like, four stores,” Henley said, recalling the panic she felt that day. “We found really cute flats, but we couldn’t find them in my size! In the end I just borrowed a pair from my friend. I figured nobody would really be able to tell if they matched my dress at the dance.”

The situation was a little more serious for sophomore Grace Haun. After changing into her dress and heels for an early picture with her friend, Haun realized the zipper to her dress was caught.

“I tried to just pull it really hard, but when I heard a little ripping sound I decided I should probably stop,” Haun said.

“It took my friend twenty minutes to get it undone; that was probably one of the most nerve-wracking twenty minutes of my life!”

It was alright in the end, though, as Haun’s dress made it through a long night filled with a dinner at Figlio’s on the Plaza, a sweetheart dance at East and a short after party.

“Despite my minor wardrobe malfunction, I think this year’s WPA definitely beat out last year’s,” Haun said. “At least this year I had a date!” Story by Sam Benson.

Right: Freshman David Beeder helps at set up. “I slaved over a helium machine for ten minutes so I had to put them to good use,” Beeder said. “Everyone got a good laugh out of it.” Photo by Karen Boomer. Far Right: Senior Christy Beeder walks with her father after being announced the first attendant. “When you are standing up there, the last thing on your mind is actually winning,” Beeder said. I was overwhelmed and just honored to be standing with such sweet girls.” Photo by Samantha Ludington.

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Snapshot February “We started “Dante’s Inferno.” It was intimidating at first with its creepy cover.” sophomore Ellen Frizzell Feb 20, 2007

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Right: Senior Reina Murphy dances with her date, senior Brian Goldman. “Brian was a really great date, even though he was a little crazy.

He kept everyone in the group entertained and dancing,” Murphy said. Photos by Taylor Gudgel. Below: Junior Mallory Gasaway dances on a bus on the way to the dance. “The ride there is always the most fun. I danced more on the bus than at the dance,” Gasaway said. Photo provided by Katie Zimmer.

land or sea, SME or NYC,

wherever you are, Design by Stefanie Enger

a c n d e.

Feb 24, 2007 “I went to two surprise parties in one night. I had lifeguarding that day so I missed the first dinner surprise.” sophomore Abby Weltner

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Winter Musical Snapshot

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HUMAN ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY

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“OK, so Billy Bob is in the ghetto, at the local Krispy Kreme, and he gets shot,” said Nikki Bauer in her Human Anatomy and Physiology class, asking a typical question. “He starts bleeding profusely. Is his body experiencing a positive or negative feedback system?”

The anatomy students spent first semester learning about functions of the human body such as reactions and feedback systems. Covering everything from muscle groups to bones and diseases, memorizing so many terms was like learning a new language. However, with the help of Bauer and her infamous “ghetto questions,” the students really began to understand how the human body works.

“Learning all those terms gives you kind of a ‘know it all’ attitude,” senior Sam Lawler said. “It’s cool to be able to say ‘Oh, my deltoid tuberosity hurts.’”

However, on their first day back from winter break the students arrived at their Anatomy class feeling revived, rested, and refreshed, but something was different. There was no denying it. You could smell it in the air; it was dissection day. Bauer walked up to the front of the room, pulled out a plastic bag containing a dead cat and said, “So, who wants one?”

“It’s a whole different mentality,” senior Mary Coulson said. “At first it’s like, ‘That looks like my

cat at home, gross’, but then it isn’t really a cat any more – it’s your project, so you put on your gloves and stick your hand in.”

From the beginning of second semester to spring break, the class focused on cat dissection, spending the first three days solely on skinning the cat.

“I love dissecting and the precision, detail, and exploration of it all,” Bauer said. “The students display skills like attention to detail and finite movement that don’t come through in writing. It’s a more practical application.”

Instead of strictly scantron tests, the students had “practicals” and would enter class to find an open cat lying on each table, with pins in the muscles, or a pile of bones waiting for identification.

“I have an interest in medicine,” Lawler said.

“But that’s not why I took the class. My friends who had taken it said it was awesome. Plus I have a couple of cats, so I figured I’d take it for them too.”

Between the questions, dissection, and in-depth discussions, Human Anatomy and Physiology was a very hands on class – literally.

“The only gross part of dissection is the smell of the preservation fluids,” Coulson said. “But then we start in and we’re over it. It is almost comforting now.”

Above: Juniors Jane Blakeley and Drew Poppelwell and senior Kevin Warnecke tentatively begin their cat dissection, a project spread over several weeks, leaving the science wing smelling strongly of formaldehyde. “Sometimes it’s [emotionally] hard to dissect it, but after a while you realize just how cool all the anatomy is,” Blakeley said. Photo by Annie Krieg. Right: Junior Bisma Akhtar examines a slide through her telescope as she does a lab in Environmental Systems. Photo by Annie Krieg.

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS AP

A

Far above: Junior Gage Brummer pours a chemical into a test tube in his chemistry class. “We have to wear safety goggles a lot, but I don’t think anything really dangerous has ever happened,” Brummer said. Photo by Taylor Gudgel. Above: Senior Robert Gillespie records his data after completing the first part of his genetics project. Photo by Whitney Van Way. Right: Junior Mariella Kerr sets up her physics experiment while fighting the cold in the science wing. “We were doing an experiment to show how pulleys worked. It was interesting, but the slinky experiment was a lot more fun,” said Kerr. Photo by Molly Oeffner.

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At the beginning of the year, each Environmental Systems student logged onto a laptop and began an ecological footprint test. How many different chargers do you have?

How many gallons of water do you use per day? How many cars does your family own? The students weren’t only going to learn about different environments, they were going to learn how to protect them. Each student was on his or her way to becoming a smaller “ecological footprint”.

“Environmental Systems is keeping up in current events about the environment, what we are doing to it, and how to live in it effectively,” senior Carly Beck said. “It’s an overall shock to learn about how much damage has been done to Earth just in the last 200 years.”

Environmental Systems students spent units learning about everything from food cycles to the damages of over-fishing. After memorizing the ocean levels and many different ecological systems, the students tested different types of soil to figure out which type best endures Kansas City weather.

“It’s as easy or as hard as you want to make it,” Beck said.

“There are a lot of IB kids in our class who don’t want to take Chem 2 or Bio 2, but it is not an ‘easy’ class.”

To help the students better understand the lessons he taught, Jim Lockard showed videos on the subjects they were studying.

“I show the videos to grab their attention,” Lockard said.

“It illustrates things we can’t show any other way.”

The students got a better feel for the subjects they were discussing with hands on projects. During one experiment, each class grew protozoa and watched it grow under a microscope. During the unit on World Population, the students read obituaries from many years before in order to analyze changes in birth and death rates.

“He knows what stuff we are going to think is boring,” Beck said. “So he puts a different spin on it. Seeing things right under your eye instead of in a textbook is really cool.”

The students were actually able to apply everything they had learned.

“The first thing I want is for them to do well on either the AP or IB test,” Lockard said. “But hopefully that will in turn convert into them better citizens for the environment.”

“I had softball tryouts and I worked my butt off. The next day I was really sore and I couldn’t go down the stairs.” freshman Hannah Vaughn Feb 26, 2007

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Rocket Rocket Science Science it’s not

Design by Sam Benson

Upper level sciences classes have fun while preparing for AP and IB exams BIOLOGY 2 AP

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If you had entered the Biology 2 AP classroom on February 8, you would have found the students smashing bananas and discussing whether to create a 21st century remake of a Berkley movie on protein synthesis. Bio 2 AP was a college level class which alternated between notes, lectures, labs and discussions. However, what they discussed wasn’t always serious; sometimes it was whether to run around dressed as a part of a protein.

“Mr. Heintz is a very personal teacher,” senior Frances Lafferty said.

“It’s more fun and relaxed, plus with a smaller class you know everybody better.”

The course had to adhere to JCCC standards as well as the College Board’s. Tom Heintz taught what was intentionally a 180 hour course, and thus had to cover as much material in one year as most schools cover in two.

“It’s basically the same topics of Bio 1, but we get more in depth and down to the molecular aspects of it,” Lafferty said. “It’s not ‘Here’s a cycle’ anymore; it’s ‘Here’s why the cycle does this.’”

Bio 2 became a class in 1984, when Heintz decided to offer it. The first year he taught a class of only 13 students. This year the enrollment was nearly 60.

“The biggest difference between this course and other high school courses is how you make the grade,” Heintz said.“A big part of the maturity is spending time with the reading without having little worksheets. The grades are from tests and labs; there’s no third option.”

The labs that the students performed helped to clarify what they had taken notes over the night before, often putting the material right in front of them.

“We do the reading in the book and take notes, but when we do the lab I see how it all ties together. It makes even more sense,” Lafferty said.

“We did one lab where we smashed bananas and put them in salt water and hand soap solution. We could actually see the DNA and extract it.”

The class also spent time discussing controversial issues with the help of current information that was frequently updated, making the study of these subjects more pertinent to the students.

“You get into a lot of iffy subjects,” Lafferty said. “You are able to make an educated opinion on things like embryonic stem cells and evolution.

That’s something you can’t get by taking chemistry or physics.” Stories

by Maureen Orth.

your experiments

Favorite Science Projects

Chemistry 2 IB

“ ” “ ” “ ”

My friend accidentally poured too much liquid into a beaker and it started to bubble really bad. Luckily, we got it cleaned up pretty fast.

senior Patti Blair

Physics 2 AP

One time we were doing an experiment where we dropped heavy objects and my friend dropped a bowling ball on her foot.

senior Neill Campbell

Left: Junior Jeremy Williams examines the set-up of a lab during his Bio 2 AP class. “I think the coolest experiment was when we got to look at actual DNA,” Williams said. Photo by Rachel Clarke. Above: Senior Elise Langtry carefully adds liquid to a lab as senior Francis Lafferty watches the levels. “I never really thought we would do such intense experiments in biology, but we do some really cool stuff, actually,” Langtry said. Photo by Rachel Clarke.

Feb 27, 2007 “In jewelry I broke my saw blade while I was sawing out my necklace. I was so angry.” sophomore Darci O’ Brien

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Environmental Ed

Mammals are my favorite group; I love Mr. Rabbit. When we had to switch groups, I got the tarantula; I was really scared!

junior Sarah Simmons

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“Getting my braces off was a great feeling. It makes eating a lot easier.� sophomore Chase Lucas March 2, 2007

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Juniors Laura Nelson, Sylvia Shank and Adrienne Wood gather around a popcorn tin in the journalism room. “After being stuck in that room for so many hours we basically eat anything we can find,” Nelson said. “It’s what helps us get through it all.” Photo by Sarah Andrews.

March. 3

March. 8

Sitting on the sidelines, sophomores Ali Marquez and Paige Cannady and senior Rachel Kaegi play with each other’s hair during a Team Games soccer game. “It’s really nice having time with the girls in a class with almost all guys,” Kaegi said. Photo by Patrick Mayfield.

Dancing in dresses, freshmen Scott Rainen and Tim Shedor take a break during their “Great Expectations” play in English 9 Honors. “We got to use all of the costumes from the theater department and we were just messing around. It was a lot of fun,” Rainen said. Photo by Sarah Andrews.

March. 4

March. 12

During the DECA state competition, junior William Tschudy writes the names and competition times on name tags. “I think DECA’s a great learning experience,” Tschudy said.

“It opens your eyes to what the future holds.”

Photo by Sally Drape.

Junior Grace Petty types her english paper in the library. “We write a lot of papers and the library is a really good place to go when I need to get stuff done,” Petty said. Photo by Melissa Blessen.

March. 5

March. 13

During her seventh hour photography class, junior Jessica Bartlett attempts to give Mr. Filkelstine a high five. “He’s just really cool and he always tries to help you improve yourself,” Bartlett said. “He goes further than just the basics.” Photo by Sarah Andrews.

During a field trip to Leawood Park, senior Annie Krieg counts lichen on trees to determine if pollution had an effect on their growth.

“It was really fun to get out of school and take a field trip on such a beautiful day,” Krieg said. “But really the highlight was the car ride there.” Photo by Karen Boomer.

March. 6

March. 15

Draped in tulle, senior Katie Woods reads from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “I was the ghost of Hamlet’s father,” Woods said. “[Donna] Skates pulled out that nasty thing and put it on my head.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

Junior Harmony Hickman concentrates on her resonance lab in Physics. “It was kind of confusing but it was fun listening to the different frequencies,” Hickman said. Photo by Samantha Ludington.

March. 28

March

Junior Bill Opsahl focuses on his chess game in the library during his lunch period. “I play every lunch period and just bring my lunch in,” Opsahl said. “It’s really quiet and great chance to relax.” Photo by Melissa Blessen.

your break.

After winning state Catagories, junior Sam Watson celebrates by running through students’ arms. “When we get enough people to come they always go around and build a bridge for us to run through,” Watson said. Photo by Hannah Brewer.

March 2, 2007 “I saw a Frequent Friday for the first time and it was the most amazing thing I have ever laid my eyes on.” junior Anna Oman

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from

k-spec to nationals lancer dancers

OUT

walk it Design by Stefanie Enger

Lancer Dancers celebrate thier best year yet with a trip to Nationals

Far above: The varsity team performs at a pep assembly. “This year has been so much fun because we’ve really bonded as a team. We went to the lake at the beginning of the year and had lots of team dinners before games,” Melvin said. Photo by Samantha Ludington. Above: Junior Megan Dyer performs during a pep assembly. “I love pep assemblies because I get to perform in front of my class. JV is fun because I like getting to know all of the freshmen,” Dyer said. Photo by Hannah Brewer.

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The Shawnee Mission East Drill Team stood on the stage of the Hard Rock Café Ampetheater. It was the end of the national dance competition in Orlando, Florida, and the team had scored high enough to place as one of the top six teams. There were lots of cameras, and lots of lights. They had done well in their pom routine, and had even won an award in hip-hop dance; this was an outcome none of them had foreseen a few weeks earlier.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” Co-captain senior Molly Emert said. “We went in thinking we’d be the underdogs, and we were, but we really came through.”

The East Drill Team was the only team from Kansas to qualify for the national competition, and one of the few from the Midwest. Most teams came from the East Coast, West Coast, or Florida. This year, the dancers had progressed a lot in their skill, which allowed them to qualify for nationals for the first time ever.

“Over the past five years, I think the team’s really improved technique-wise,” Co-captain senior Meg Fracol said. “When we went to camp this summer the director told our coach that we’d really changed.”

East’s Drill Team got an extra boost from all the extra time and effort that the girls put in leading up to their tenure at East. Many had put in hours every day since early elementary school, and had continued to improve their dancing outside of school in competitive dance

companies. Ballet was also a popular class that girls took to improve their performance.

“Since a lot of girls take dance classes at night, we don’t have to work on technique as much in class,” Fracol said. “We can work on how to actually do the moves themselves, and less on technique.”

Their higher level of precision paid in other contests as well. The team received 10 awards at the Kansas Spectacular competition, with precision, technique, pom, and jazz numbering among them. They were also recognized as the team with the highest GPA, which is even more difficult to attain given that Drill Team members don’t receive any credit towards their GPA for their hour in Drill Team class.

After the Kansas Spectacular, the team set their sights on nationals in Orlando, and worked on incorporating aspects such as tumbling into the routines. The time spent working up to the competition was an intense bonding experience for the girls.

“It’s really nice to have a group of 20 girls who are all really close because we’re together every single morning for two hours, five days a week,” Emert said. “Everybody’s different and we have different groups of friends, but we’re all on the drill team so we’re all really close.” Story

by Leah Pickett.

“I went to the My Chemical Romance concert. The floor mosh pit was crazy.” junior Jessica Lohmeyer March 3, 2007

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Above: Junior Emily Cray practices a pom routine before a pep assembly. “Pom is fun because you get to be peppy and smiley. It is a lot of hard work, so you’re always tired at the end,” Cray said. Photo by Samantha Ludington. Left: Junior Michelle Parsons performs a hip hop routine at a pep assembly. “My nerves turn into excitement before performing in front of the whole school. We work hard everyday in class so it’s fun to show off when we get the chance,” Parsons said. Photo by Frances Lafferty.

Far left: Senior Natashia Howell performs a camp dance at a pep assembly.

“My favorite part about performing is hearing the crowd cheering for us. It makes me feel that all of our hard work has paid off,” Howell said.

Photo by Hannah Gillaspie.

Left: Junior Paige Brulatour performs a flag routine during halftime at a football game. “Flag is really fun because you get to know all of the band members and the performances are low pressure,” Brulatour said. Photo

by Whitney Van Way.

your nationals

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girls on the team place in hip-hop at nationals place pom at nationals

6

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highest GPA at k-spec

March 3, 2007 “I qualified for state in mock-trial which was really exciting. Unfortunately we won’t actually be able to go.” junior Danielle Lipsman

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Sophomore Megan Alley stood under the tepid shower water in the girl’s locker room after another freezing cold swimming day in her Team Games class. Goosebumps stood up on her skin as she scrubbed the chlorine out of her dripping wet hair. She turned off the shower head, its pressure barely strong enough to rinse out her shampoo and conditioner, and headed to the hand dryers, where she attempted to dry her hair before the end of sixth hour bell rang.

It was another frigid day in the water, but for Alley, it was all worth it.

“The other day, I straightened my hair for school and I was like, ‘OK, I’m not going to get my hair wet’, and what is the first thing the boys do? Splash the girls,” Alley said. “But I absolutely love that class. It’s like have fun, do whatever, and hang out with a bunch of people, not just girls.”

Whether playing water polo or soccer, Team Games students loved the class.

Since the class was an elective, the ones who did sign up were motivated, both to play the wide variety of sports and to compete.

“Most people who wanted to take the class are pretty athletic and competitive,” junior Andrew Pennington said. “There were some pretty competitive guys who were throwing themselves on the floor during volleyball to make a save or something.”

Along with incredible competition, the class included a range of different sports, from basketball and volleyball to the popular Ultimate Frisbee.

“You get to play sports that you usually wouldn’t play, and during Ultimate it’s a chance to get outside during the school day,” Pennington said. “It [the class] is a legend.”

Team Games

Senior Ben McNamara rushes for the soccer ball during an indoor game in Team Games. “It gets pretty intense. We actually have a couple of Varsity soccer players in our class, so there is a high competition level,” McNamara said. “It’s really fun getting to play against guys and girls of that caliber.” Photo by Paige Ledbetter.

Art by Ren Li.

Students change up their school days with fun and creative electives Design by Brooke Stanley

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Discrete Math

The students sat at their desks, all looking at the rectangular table in front of the room. Six cakes sat on the table with a variety of icing and flavors. One cake, held up by rainbow-colored sticks, was shaped like a building, layered with stacks of multicolored levels. Another was a set of three circle-shaped cakes, with icing painted for features of the cooks who made them.

The Discrete Math class couldn’t just eat the cakes, however. In groups, the students had to split the cake according to fair division, one of the processes learned for dividing objects equally.

“I made the cake that was eight layers tall and held up by sticks,” senior Tess Hedrick said. “It was really gross looking, but everyone really liked it.”

Other than Cake Day, the class was filled with group discussions and activities. On the first day of class, all the students met in groups to work on teamwork. They stood in a circle, grabbed hands with the person across from them and tried to untangle themselves. This activ-

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Junior Lauren Omana takes a piece of a “Sweet Charity” cake during Discrete Math’s Cake Day. Before Cake Day, students do problems on fair division. Then they bake and bring in different cakes to divide among their classmates. Photo by Karen Boomer.

ity was meant to show the students that everyone had to participate to get results.

Most of what the students learned throughout the semesterlong course was not only important for the class, but could be used in everyday life as well. One such chapter was about group ranking methods and how to fairly judge an election.

To show the students how to use group ranking methods, teacher Hannah Pence introduced another popular day to the class – soda day. After holding an in-class vote of drink preferences, they came to a decision using the method, and Pence treated all the students to the top drinks.

Though the class had many memorable days, Cake Day was among the most popular.

“It was definitely the best day of the entire class,” sophomore Paige C. Anderson said. “We had about six cakes in a small class so we all got pretty big pieces; I was surprised that Mrs. Pence was able to tie all of the math into everything we did.”

“It was our first lacrosse game. We crushed Olathe East 13-2. Afterwards, I went to Sonic with a teammate.” junior Alex Huddleston March 9, 2007

4/6/07 5:45:51 PM

Sophomore Paige Kuklenski files a project in sixth hour jewelry. She made earrings, necklaces, and lots of rings.

“I liked rings a lot because it’s easy to incorporate different designs,” Kuklenski said. “Jewelry is a really unique class. It’s an opportunity you probably won’t get anywhere else.” Photo

by Abba Goehausen.

It was the third week of class, and the jewelry students were on their own. After teacher Chuck Crawford spent the first two weeks explaining how to make rings, necklaces and other projects, he set the students loose. Although they had to check their initial design ideas with him, the rest of the time they were free to work at their own pace.

Some students sat drawing their pieces while others were already at work, sawing designs into what would later become wearable jewelry. After this, students would solder metal onto their carvings, one of the skills learned in the first few weeks of class. Unlike Art Foundations, the students worked independently, free to pursue their own ideas and designs.

“If you want help you can always go up to his [Crawford’s] desk,” senior Melissa Powell said, “but he lets you make the designs that you want to do.”

Along with freedom in designing, the students also had the opportunity to finish other schoolwork for a portion of the hour. Crawford allowed the students 15 minutes during class

for homework, as long as they took their projects home and worked on them for an equal amount of time.

Although this freedom was usually used responsibly, students got a little out of hand. At times, some listened to music, talked on cell-phones or even threw clay into each other’s hair.

“One guy in my class had a bag one day and poured all this wax in it and just mixed it around,” sophomore Melissa McKittrick said. “He went through about ten wax rings because he kept messing them up.”

For the most part, however, students stayed on task and worked towards deadlines. Some even stayed after school, up to the week of finals, to finish all their projects. It was only during the end that all the projects were worth all the work.

“You just have to follow the projects through to the end,” Ernst said. “During the middle it’s all rough and scratched, but once it’s shined it looks really good.” Stories by Alexandria Norton.

Watercolor

Ceramics

“

“

It’s a really fun, relaxing class. Paint is a good medium because you can manipulate it however you want. I’ve taken oil painting too, and watercolor is a lot more loose, with flowing lines.

”

I like working with my hands, but I can’t draw very well. Working things out helps me visualize them. This is my third time taking ceramics so I’m doing independent study, so I can pretty much do anything I want. It’s awesome.

senior Lily Carpenter

r

Photo by Paige Ledbette

”

senior Darcy Letourneau Photo by Paige Led

better

March 9, 2007 “I threw all of my money into college basketball pools. Ruling out 12-5 upsets and a Georgetown loss. ” junior Michael Dodd

108-109 Favorite Electives2.indd109 109

first hour second hour third hour fourth hour fifth hour sixth hour seventh hour first hour second hour third hour fourth

I

Jewelry

schedule?

what’s on your

109

Favorite Electives Snapshot

4/6/07 5:45:56 PM

R

Top: Coach Jamie Kelly talks to his JV team during practice. “Our team is doing well so far. Our coach is very inspirational,” junior Alicia Anderson said. Photo by Whitney Van Way

eadyto

run

Many returning Varsity players promises a successful season

B

senior Carolyn Gray #13 Won a juggling contest with a broken foot.

•

senior Lindy Cope #17 Broke her arm in the middle of a game.

•

senior Olivia Curran #10 Played in the 3-day game against OE.

•

senior Blair Slapper #8 Scored against St. Theresa’s last year.

•

senior Abby Jennings #18 Scored the winning goal at regionals last season.

•

senior Tess Hedrick Goalie Loves 1v1 plays in goal.

•

senior Briana Arensberg #6 Called Coach Lindsey Maratha instead of Marla.

Far Above: Junior Laura Immenschuh guards the ball from sophomore Paige Cannaday during the black and blue game. “The black and blue game is really exciting, it is always intense because you want to play hard against people you know,” Immenschuh said. Above: Senior Carolyn Gray slide tackles junior Mary Newman during the black and blue game. “The black and blue game is fun because it is the first game and we get to put everything together,” Gray said. Photos by Abba Goehausen.

“BEEP!” screeched the electronic timer in the middle of the East tennis courts, eliminating yet more girls from the race. Half-relieved, half-disappointed and completely exhausted, the prospective soccer players went to sit on the sideline with the others who had been beaten by the beep. The beep test was just one of many trials the girls trying out for East Soccer would have to overcome in the following week if they wanted to make the team. The objective was simple – make it to the other side of the court before the timer went off. With each level, the girls became more fatigued and the times tougher. The beep test was difficult but doable for the athletes in excellent shape, but the physical exertion proved too much for some.

“We originally started tryouts with 90 girls,” senior Varsity member Lindy Cope said. “Some quit, though, so we ended up with 79 trying out. It was still the most in our league.”

The varsity girls soccer team was coached by Ricker and Lindsay, a slight change from the previous year when Lindsay had been head coach for JV. Still, the transition was seamless, especially for the girls who had worked their way up through JV. “Our head coach, Ricker, is intense, but he likes to joke around with us,” Cope said. “He always points out any mistakes and helps us fix them.”

Once the coaches had a chance to assess the condition of their players, tryouts progressed to include scrimmages, drilling, and of course, more running- more or less what the girls would have to do at every 2 hr. practice for the rest of the season.

“It kind of depends,” senior Varsity player Emily Anderson said about the intensity level at practices. “If we’ve been playing well we do a lot of drills. If we’ve been doing badly, we run a lot.”

The threat of running pushed everyone to do well, especially at the first game of the year, the annual Black and Blue game, where C and D teams would play each other and Varsity and JV would face off.

“It’s pretty intense,” Cope said. “Varsity wants to prove they deserve their spot and JV is really motivated to beat Varsity.”

Both teams were supercharged before the game, knowing that their pride was on the line.

“It’s really exciting getting ready to play,” Anderson said. “The energy is indescribable.”

Though a little healthy competition was promoted between the teams, the group was still very close. The girls did everything from going bowling to grabbing lunch together to build the relationships essential to being able to work together well.

“The best part of soccer is the people,” Anderson said. “You get to find a group of girls that you wouldn’t get to know otherwise.”

Still, many of the girls had been playing together for quite a while – Varsity had the distinct advantage of having 11 returning players. The season was set up for victory, especially considering the team was coming off winning regionals the previous year.

“Last year we did really well- we lost to West, but they went on to get 2nd in State,” Cope said. “Everyone has really high expectations.” Story by Gale Harrington.

110

Snapshot March “K-State didn’t make it into the NCAA tournament. It crushed my world when I was watching the selection show.” junior Laura Immenschuh March 11, 2007

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4/9/07 3:12:15 PM

Juniors Mary Ne wman and Taylon Joh nson • Senio r Lindy Cope Ph otos by Whitn ey Van Way • Fre shman Anna Sw anson Photo by Annie Krieg Below: Freshman Annie Bennett listens to Coach Jim Ricker during their game against BV Northwest. Photo by Annie Krieg. Far Below: Seniors Olivia Curran, Lindy Cope and Briana Arensberg stretch before practice. “Our senior class is really close, we started the blue clan last year. Before games, all of the seniors put blue tape around our wrists for good luck,” Curran said. Photo by Whitney Van Way.

Above: Junior Sarah Jones attempts to get the ball from senior Blair Slapper during the black and blue game. “I always put on my right shin guard before the left one. I don’t know why, it is just a superstition ,” Slapper said. Photo by Whitney Van Way.

your team bonding

“

Team bonding is really important. It dictates how you play on the field. When you mesh off the field, you will mesh on the field. We always have such a great time together. There is always giggling.

”

senior Briana Arensberg

tie-dye

The Varsity team met at senior Carolyn Gray’s house to tye-dye team T-shirts. The shirts were white and tie-dyed with blue and black. Next, they decorated them with puff paint.

dodgeball

On a Friday night, Varsity got together to play dodgeball. They picked teams, including the JV and Varsity coaches. For the final game, the seniors played the rest of the team and got ‘slaughtered’.

sleepover

The Varsity team met at senior Briana Arensberg’s house for a sleepover. They ate tons of junk food and played games like Truth or Dare and Ten Fingers. Then they had a dance party.

March 13, 2007 “It’s an exciting day because I am signing Manhattan Christian college to play soccer.” senior Adam Reimer

110-111 soccer.indd 111

111

Girls Soccer Snapshot

4/9/07 3:12:22 PM

Sophomores John Adams and Shane Harris and junior Chris Segall take a breather at practice. “I play offense because defense is harder for me; plus I get to hit a lot of people on offense,” Harris said. “I like to feel the rush of adrenaline when I shoot the ball.” Photo by Hannah Brewer.

{team} building the

e. “I got into laball during practic and der watches the before high school yed pla Senior Mike Alexan o wh s die really physia couple bud just like that it’s a crosse because of “I d. sai der xan team,” Ale wer. wanted to start a to by Hannah Bre of hard hitting.” Pho cal sport with a lot

Design by Sam Benson

Right: Senior Colin Hayes looks down the field as he waits to receive the ball from a teammate.

“I like lacrosse because it’s a little different and takes a different set of skills,” Hayes said. “You get to run but you also get to hit people; you’re still playing a contact sport.” Photo by Samantha Ludington. Right middle: The lacrosse players knock their sticks together before breaking from a huddle. Photo by Hannah Brewer. Far right: Junior Andrew Lee and senior Alex LaPrade mark each other at a practice drill early in the season.

“We run three laps and do line drills at the beginning of every practice. Then we do other drills, and at the end we run sprints or do an Indian run,” Lee said. “The practices are more serious this year than last year.” Photo by Hannah Brewer.

112

Snapshot March “When I lost the [StuCo] election I learned a little more about myself.” sophomore Tommy Gray

112-113 lacrosse6.indd 6

March 14, 2007

4/6/07 6:08:40 PM

your offense

The 1-3-2 Motion Offense

As lacrosse

grows in popularity,

The favorite play of the lacrosse team, this offense creates chaos for the defense as the offense works the ball down the center of field.

players focus

1A

2A

on developing teamwork.

A

As a freshman, Dillon Simmons saw a game of lacrosse on TV while watching with some of his friends. After playing soccer during the fall, football during the winter and basketball on his own time, it occurred to him that he needed a spring sport. So he signed up for a sport that combined all of his favorites: lacrosse.

“It looked fun and there are no try-outs,” sophomore Simmons said. “As long as you pay, you’ll play.”

The team of 30 boys practiced everyday after school for two to three hours at Porter Park. They started out running three laps around the park and then they stretched before splitting into three position-oriented groups. The groups were attack, midfield or “middie” and defense. There were about seven players who played attack, seven who played defense and 15 middies.

According to junior Andrew Lee, midfield had more people than the other positions because, based on the amount of running they did during games, they subbed a lot. Lee was a middie.

“Personally, I like that we get to use sticks and run around and hit people with them,” Lee said.

After stretching, the team did line drills in which they made three lines on opposite ends of the field and practiced catching and passing just to get warmed up before they split into groups.

In each group, the coach worked with the players on formations and keeping focused and being aware of what’s going on on the field. It was clear to everyone that the players this year were a lot more serious about succeeding. Many seniors

3A

4M

5M

who began freshman year, the first year for the lacrosse team, believed that in just three weeks of practice, the team made more progress than they had made in three years.

“Last year, it seemed like it wasn’t a priority to win or do well,” Simmons said. “This year we really upped the effort.”

Lee believed that the team became more serious because of the efforts of the seniors to step it up, the overall desire of the team to do well and the greater efforts of the coaches to improve the players.

“The new head coach is Dusty Kilgore,” Lee said. “I actually thought it was a joke at first, but that is actually his name.”

Kilgore was assistant coach last year, and another coach, Mark Grady, began coaching at the end of the season last year. The new coach this year was “Whitey”.

“We call him Whitey,” junior Ross Ringer said.

“No one really knows his name.”

Before letting the players leave for home, the coaches made them run at least a mile, either in sprints or Indian running, in which everyone ran in a single file line at a slow pace and the back of the line ran up to the front, continuing until the coaches let the players leave. Running at practice was the only thing Simmons disliked about lacrosse.

“It’s fast, it’s active and it has the physicality of football,” Simmons said. “It kind of combines all the best sports and puts them into one.”Story

by Andrea Tudhope.

6M

The play starts with two triangles of attackers and midfielders. The point is to create space for the player with the ball to run and pass.

1A

3A 2A 4M

5M

6M

While the attackers pass the ball among their triangle, the midfielders run to create space and confuse the defense.

1A

3A

2A

4M

5M

6M

Here the second attacker makes a run to give the first attacker a forward or backward pass. The sixth midfielder works in formation with the first attacker.

1A

2A

3A

4M

5M

6M

The play is complete as the triangles reach the goal. Each player checks to the ball, allowing several different options for scoring.

Above: Junior Andrew Lee and sophomore Josh Barlow scramble for the ball during practice. “In the past the practices were really easy. Our new coach is a lot more strict about conditioning,” Barlow said. “We’re more organized now, but we still haven’t won a game yet.” Photo by Samatha Ludington. Right: Using a lighter, senior Paul Akers cleans up the end of a loose string on his lacrosse stick in order to lace it back through the hole. “With that stick it happens a lot,” Akers said. “People rip it up taking shots. I’ve had it for two years.” Photo by Hannah Brewer.

March 17, 2007 “I visited Acoma Pueblas in New Mexico. It’s the oldest still inhabited ruins of Indians in America and it was really fascinating.” senior Johnny McGuire

112-113 lacrosse6.indd 7

113

Lacrosse Snapshot

4/6/07 6:08:51 PM

getting in,

moving ON Design by Christy Beeder

Photo by Taylor Gudgel.

T

Students reflect on their time at SME and prepare for graduation

The last English essay, the last noisy pep assembly, the last yearbook signing. In addition to conquering the SAT, slaving over senior papers, and resisting senioritis, seniors battled college applications, scholarship essays, and trying to decorate their dorm rooms. Years of hard work were coming to a close as students prepared for graduation.

“Being a senior hasn’t fully hit me yet, but I get a little dose of it every once in a while,” senior Abbey Bavley said. “Things like being in the “Wild Oats” senior picture and planning my graduation party make me go, ‘Whoa, wait, I’m not a senior yet!’”

Bavley split her college prep time between writing essays for private scholarships and surfing UrbanOutfitters.com for a cute bedspread to go in her dorm room at Cornell University.

“I write like, three essays a week, so I’m getting really good at it,” Bavley said. “But I’m still trying to find the perfect sheets with a high thread count.”

Bavley applied to six schools, which she narrowed down from a list of 20, before deciding to attend Cornell and major in theater.

“I thought I’d end up in a big city or Europe or someplace exciting, and I’m in a corn field basically. But I knew it was Cornell the minute I walked into their theater and my face lit up.”

Senior Allison Malia’s college hunt was made easy because of what she wanted to major in. Deciding between attending either Oklahoma State or Kansas State University, both of which offered her a full tuition scholarship, Malia eventually chose K-State because of their renowned veterinary program.

“K-State just was the right balance for me,” Malia said.

Taylor Cantril • Undecided

“It was far enough away for me to be independent but close enough that I could come home and do laundry.”

Because K-State did not require an application essay from Malia, she enjoyed being able to focus on surviving third quarter in senior IB. “All of my friends hate me,” Malia said. “They’ve been filling out tons of essays and trying to narrow down their choices.

One of my friends had a list of 32 colleges which she narrowed down to 16, then finally applied to eight.”

Sam Slosburg prepared to graduate this year as well, as a junior. Instead of scrambling to fill out college applications, Slosburg had to stress over making sure he had met all the course requirements to graduate early. Slosburg would take a year off to partake in a National Outdoor Leadership School course, NOLS, before heading off to college with the rest of his class.

“What it comes down to for me is appreciating the people,” Slosburg said. “It’s the people you are friends with at school, but maybe don’t really hang out with outside of school. I really won’t ever see them again, so I’m taking advantage of this year. I don’t really care about getting a ceremony.”

Bavley took advantage of her last year as a Lancer by relishing in all the little things like singing the school song at pep assemblies and her last rehearsals in the “freezing artic tundra,” as she called the Dan Zollars auditorium.

“I used to hate going to pep assemblies, but all of a sudden I realized these were going to be my last,” Bavley said. “So now I go crazy and belt out the school song in my one note vocal range – I’m really not a good singer.” Story by Maureen Orth.

Amanda Allison • Journalism Erik Deddens • Bass Performance Holly Worthy • Political Science

114

Snapshot March “I went to see “Phantom of the Opera” in NYC. It was really amazing. It’s the best musical of all time.” sophomore Katherine Rush March 23, 2007

114-115 Prep for Grad.indd 114

4/10/07 8:25:09 PM

Senior Liz Raynolds flips through a college guidebook to find out about different schools. “I really only seriously looked at KU. Everyone in my family has gone there,” Raynolds said. “I want to go to med school, so it just makes sense for financial reasons.” Photo

by Taylor Gudgel.

your summer

“

How will it complete high school for you?

Becca Cahill • Kinesiology

I’m going to Argentina with my best friends. It’s our senior year so this trip is kind of our last big thing, our last hurrah.

”

senior Whitney Van Way

Sam Bennett • Business

“

I’m going to Germany and Spain.

The trip kind of represents everything I believe about education – that it should be interactive, not just in the classroom.

Kristen Marquis • Health Science

March 24, 2007 “I saw the Ohio State vs. Memphis game in Texas. The fans were really into it and it was really exciting.” junior Chris Robles

114-115 Prep for Grad.indd 115

”

senior Foster Tidwell

Kathleen Bole • Architecture

115

Preparing for Graduation Snapshot

4/10/07 8:25:20 PM

senior Bailey Armstrong 800 m.

3:00 senior Sarah Allen javelin 78’0 senior Steph Bruner javelin 96’4 senior Andrew Langdon javelin 94’7 senior Frances Lafferty mile 6:24

• •

I

It was a Wednesday at the track and the air was buzzing with the excitement of competition. The first track meet of the season had begun. Under a tent not far from the events, athletes talked and laughed, trying to avoid the heat and the sun as much as possible.

It could be hours before their events were called, so they listened to music and cheered teammates to pass the down time.

“Track meets are really long,” varsity runner junior Lauren Cantril said. “It’s practically a whole day. There’s tons to watch – lots of events are going on at the same time.”

Bang! A shot rang out and eight runners sprang from the blocks – a good start was essential for the serious sprinters. The runners tore up the track as they sped down the straightaway and rounded the curve, arms and legs pumping furiously. At the end of the track they passed the pole vault, where vaulters were focused on their own event. They shot forword and planted the pole, just barely sailing over the standard.

This was what East track members had been working on for weeks. They’d spent hours everyday in an effort to get in shape, the coaches pushing them to their limits.

“The coaches have a lot of fun, but they’re definitely intense when they need to be,” Cantril said.

Running and drilling, the runners constantly drank water and Gatorade in an attempt to stay properly hydrated. With less than seconds between the top runners, everyone had to be at peak performance. No one was cut from track, but making varsity was no easy prospect.

“Varsity is pretty small, but track is huge. They don’t make cuts,” Cantril said. “It’s basically anyone who wants to run, although if you don’t show up I’m pretty sure they’d kick you off.”

Track drew many newcomers to the sport for just that reason; with no cuts it was the perfect opportunity to try out something new or crosstrain for other sports.

“I originally went out for track because I wanted to get in shape,” sophomore Taylor Harris said. “It was pretty hard core at first but that’s because I was really out of shape. I was definitely a little sore at the beginning, but now I’m getting used to it, so it isn’t that bad.”

Like many first year members of the track team, Harris spent the start of the season trying to find where exactly she fit on the team and what events she wanted to participate in.

“I really wanted to do pole vault,” Harris said. “I just thought it would be cool to fly for a second or two. I’ll probably try out the 100M and 200M too just to see how I like it.”

More experienced members of the team were there to lend the others a helping hand and lead by example.

“Omigosh, some of the people on varsity are really fast and amazing,” Harris said. “A few freshmen actually beat varsity people in time trials. It was really surprising.”

Even though the track team was huge, the bonds between runners were tight, especially between those who had participated in cross country together earlier in the year.

“The people on track are great – everyone’s so much fun,” Cantril said. “It really makes you want to run the best you can for them.” Story by Gale Harrington.

• • •

senior Claire Hollenbeck triple jump 29’5 long jump 15’2 high jump 5’0 senior Nate Miller pole vault 11’6 senior Carolyn Freeman mile 6:54 senior Becca Cahill shotput 26’9 discus 80’60 senior Cole Easterday 800M 2:30 senior Kristin Simpson 800M 2:24 senior Josh Lambkins long jump 17’ senior Peter Helmuth high jump 6’6 senior Elise Langtry 100 hurdles 17.3 300 hurdles 53.4 senior Taylor Cantril 800M 2:01 senior Bo Talley pole vault 11’0 senior Kevin Warnecke javelin 157’10 senior Katy Renfro long jump 15’2 senior Jack Stelzer 2 mile 10:20 senior Foster Tidwell 400 50.5 mile 4:34 senior Sam Bennett mile 4:41 senior Joey Soptic 4 x 800 2:09 400 53.0 senior Alex Hodges 200 50.9 400 22.7 senior Jack Cluen long jump 19’0 triple jump 38’8

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Below: Senior Tay lor Cantril starts the 4 x 800 race Aquinas and Sh against teams fro awnee Mission We m St. Thomas st. “Everytime I rying an Olymp run a relay, I pre ic torch instead tend like I’m car of a baton,” Cantr Far Below: Senio il said. Photo by r Elise Langtry Sarah Andrews. and junior Marie together. “Hurdles lla Kerr race thr are pretty much ough the hurdle the hardest thing do it, so it feels s good to accomplis in track and not many people h something tha Langtry said. Ph t many don’t wa oto by Whitney Van nt to try to do,” Way.

•

Throwing. Running. Jumping.

•

No matter the event, track members

trive for state

• •

•

Design by Bailey Atkinson

116

Snapshot March

116-117 track1.indd 116

“I’m going to visit University of Iowa because of their writing program and lovely pastoral views.” junior Carly Putnam March 27, 2007

4/7/07 9:16:14 AM

senior Dillion Goins discus 150’ shotput 48’ senior Kelley McCormick 4 x 800 2:27 4 x 400 61.0 senior Quinn Stauffer high jump 5’11 long 19’5 senior Fabian Baur javelin 86’9 senior Hannah Gillaspie pole vault 7’6 senior Peter Goehausen 800 2:13 400 55.0 senior Robbie Fitzwater mile 5:10 senior Anna Zeiger long jump 14’0 triple jump 30’4 senior Ross Cannady pole vault 12’6 senior Irving Cedillo 100 12:45 200 23:05 senior Tom Watson javelin 142’5 senior Andrew Barnert shotput 45’0 senior Jordan Botts long jump 20’9 triple jump 41’9 senior Ali Reirson mile 6:06 2 mile 13:24 senior Ted Cluen pole vault 10’0 senior Cole Spickler javelin 125’0 senior Courtney Newell pole vault 8’0 senior AC Maurin pole vault 11’0 senior Bailey Thomas 4 x 100 13.8 4 x 200 30.1 senior John McNeely javelin 120’0 senior Robin Kresinszky 800 1:07 400 50.0 senior Eric Chapman pole vaulting 13’0 senior Paul Mizik pole vaulting 10’6 senior Michele Basilici long jump 14’7

Senior AC Maurin pole vaults over the bar at the first track meet of the year. “I like pole vaulting because it is an individual sport. You compete against yourself instead of others,” Maurin said. Photo

by Annie Krieg.

•

•

• •

allory Kirb y. Photo by Sarah An drews. • Se Junior Ke nior Quinn lsey Whita Stauffer. ker. Photo Photo by

by Sarah Whitney Va Andrews. n Way. •

•

•

• • • • •

Freshman M

• • • • •

your comeback

last years letter winners return to make another impact

“ “ “

•

Lettering last year made me more confident and more driven to do better this year. I’m going to try to be a good role model for the freshmen. I hope this year we will have an even stronger season and make it to state again.

•

” ”

sophomore Paige Kuklenski

•

I hope to improve my sprinting time and I hope to drop a second off the 100 meter. Also, I am trying to improve my form. Our team looks really good this year and we have really fast freshmen that will help our team at regionals.

individual s more then citing,” ing in relay titive and ex “I like runn pe f. m of n co to e or ba hm the uc es m ss s it’ pa d on in Simps e people an Senior Krist t to know th use you ge events beca Photo by Annie Krieg. . id Simpson sa

junior Sylvia Shank

•

I just had surgery so I hope I do well this year.

So far I’m not doing as well as I wish. Since we lost Don Atkinson and John McCormick we might not do as well as last year, but hopefully we’ll still make it to state.

”

March 28, 2007 “The English Canto was so hard but once it was done I felt so good.” sophomore Melissa McKittrick

116-117 track1.indd 117

•

•

senior Peter Helmuth

•

117

Track Snapshot

4/7/07 9:16:24 AM

118

Snapshot April

118-119 April 118

“I visited Miami of Ohio. The campus was beautiful. I will probably end up going to school there.” senior Kelley McCormick April 1, 2007

4/17/07 4:54:05 PM

4 4.2

4.1

4.3

4.4

April. 5

4.6

4.5

4.9

4.8

4.14

April

your style.

Senior Abbey Bavley, playing the role of Olive, and Junior Courtney Pennington, playing the role of Florence, perform a typical fight in the spring play, “The Odd Couple.” “It was the scene right before the Spanish boys came over,” Pennington said.

“I was mad because I overcooked my chicken.” Photo by Sarah Andrews

4.7

Senior Emily Dix glazes her vase in Ceramics class. “I’m not very good at glazing but it’s fun to learn,” Dix said. A vase was one of the requirements that the students have for the class. Within the requirements students choose different projects to focus on during the semester class. Photo by Sarah Andrews.

April. 1

April. 6

Sitting around a fire, senior Tyler Enders enjoys the night before senior skip day. “Since a lot of us had to going to be at school the next day, I had a late night barbecue at my house,” Enders said. “All of the guys, except me, slept outside in a two-man tent.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

Senior Aishlinn O’Connor volunteers at the annual used book sale. “I was working at the concession stand, checking out books, and collecting donations to go towards technology for the library,” O’Connor said. “ I was doing it as an NHS project, and it was a lot of fun because many of my friends were there, both working and buying books.” Photo by Kelsey Brown.

April. 2

April. 7

Junior Drew Poppelwell films scenes for his film, “The Exterminator.” “It’s a spoof of ‘The Terminated.’ I filmed around school, my house and at the lake cabin,” Poppelwell said. “The school was the scene where the main character comes back from the future.” Photo by Hannah Brewer.

Junior Amy Gairns volunteers to present turtles at the Earth Fair to earn credit hours for Environmental Education. “We had Sulcata tortoises but the little kids liked the baby one the most,” Gairns said. “I loved to see the kids get excited to see the tortoises and learn about them.” Photo by Karen Boomer.

April. 3

April. 8

At Franklin Park, senior Drew Robinson passes the ball to a teammate during a rugby practice. “It basically has everything I like about sports. I get to tackle and hit people and run with the ball. It also has parts of wrestling in it, which makes it fun.” Photo by Kelsey Brown.

Senior Justin Bellner decorates a bunnyshaped cake for Easter with his cousin Tyler.

“We decorated the cake for about 15 minutes. We frosted the cake white, put Twizzlers on for the whiskers and used gumdrops for the eyes. He really seemed to have fun and thought it looked just like a bunny,” Bellner said. Photo by Hannah Brewer.

April. 4

April. 9

During halftime, freshman Becca Clay listens to coach Jim Ricker during the C-team soccer game against Blue Valley Northwest. “He was substituting for our main coach,” Clay said. “He was saying we needed to do more passes and work the ball down the field.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

Riding on a donkey, junior Gage Brummer volunteers to play Donkey Ball to raise money for StuCo. “The rules are the same but you don’t dribble,” Brummer said. “The donkeys are trained to play and you have to be in constant contact with them.” Photo by Karen Boomer.

April. 14

During the spring journalism convention in Denver, freshman Sam Logan sticks his head in the donation box at the Downtown Aquarium. “It was a lot of fun to see the weird fish.

The humpback chub has a lump on its head, it was amazing. I also touched a stingray and it freaked me out,” Logan said. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

April 1, 2007 “I was stressed out about my senior paper being due the next day, but it all worked out in the end.” senior Justin Bellner

118-119 April 119

119

April Division Snapshot

4/17/07 4:54:16 PM

senior David Justice #21 listens to “Enter Sand Man” by Metallica before every game

Right: Junior Daniel Altierri, winds up for a pitch against the Olathe East Falcons.

“I came in during the 6th inning because I’m a closing pitcher,” Altierri said. ”I let up one run but it wasn’t a big deal because we had such a big run cushion.” Photo by Hannah Gillaspie

•

senior Sam Speer #1 Drinks a full throttle REO speedwagon before every game

H

•

senior Taylor Klugman #31 Listens to Latin music before every game

•

senior Reid Robson #8 player for Sluggers and Barstormers

•

llaspie

senior Bryson Burroughs #16 Hit first home run on April 20, 2006

by Hannah Gi

•

Stehl • Photos

senior Tom Rzepka #7 tapes wrists before every game

•

Sophomore Au

stin Stehl •Jun

ior Jay Johnso

n• Junior Alex

senior Spencer Shoemaker #4 Has done the charts for the team for three years

your Walk up

“

How do you approach the plate?

When I get up to the plate, I try to get as relaxed as possible. Then I watch the pitcher for the release point of the ball and try to guess what pitch is coming.

Then hopefully I get a hit.

”

Junior Daniel Altierri

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“

When I bat i have to think about how I have to hit the ball, so all I can do is hit the ball. After that it’s all muscle memory and what happens, happens.

”

Senior Tom Rzekpta

“Today I got a new job and a new car. I was so excited. I really felt free.” sophomore Gina Legrotte Apr 1, 2007

4/12/07 10:20:34 PM

Root, root, root

for the...

H

ome team Left: While watching from the dug out, junior Adam Watson and senior Spencer Shoemaker keep track of the team’s runs. “Doing the charts at every game keeps me focused and I can keep track of my teammates’ progress,” Shoemaker said. Photo by Hannah Gillaspie.

S

Above: Junio r Adam Watso n practices his before the ga me against Ol pitching athe South. “T on the team he seniors this year are really guiding great season us to have a and they keep us positive an us give up, th d don’t let ey make us be lieve we can game,” Watso win every n said. Photo

by Hannah Gi llaspie.

Design by Bailey Atkinson and Maureen Orth

Baseball team works to build a legacy

Stepping up to the mound, sophomore Jeff Soptic is thinking about the game.

What pitch he’ll use, how fast it goes, if the batter will be able to hit it. But, in the back of his mind and the mind of every other East varsity player was one thought; the state championship.

For the past two years, the boys team made it to state with an ability that managed to outshine every other baseball team in East’s history. For the ’07 season, the players were focused on doing the exact same thing.

“When you go to state for two years, it’s a big deal,” junior Daniel Altierri said. “But, when you go for a third year in a row, it seems like the beginning of a legacy.”

Working to build that legacy, the team had made some key changes in the new season. Placing a former freshmen pitcher, Jeff Soptic, on the pitchers mound had been an adjustment.

“It’s different to have a sophomore starting pitcher,” Altierri said. “But, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s good to add some new blood to the varsity players.”

The move from freshmen team for the

’06 season to varsity for the ’07 season had come as a shock to Soptic.

“It was definitely a surprise,” Soptic said.

“To be moved up so fast can be hard,” Even as one of the youngest members of the team, Soptic still felt the pressure to set a good example for the lower-classes.

“One of the freshmen or sophomore short stops might look up to Reed [Robson],” Soptic said, “or one of the pitchers might look up to me.”

Working with the younger players, the team dveloped special bonds with the students who played the same positions.

“It’s easy to understand what the other players on the lower teams are going through,” senior Taylor Klugman said, “especially if they’re having the same issues you might have had a year or two before.”

Standing on the same East baseball diamond as every previous East team, the ‘07 players had hoped for a different outcome than most of them. They had hoped to cement their names into the history of pitchers, third-basemen and outfielders that had practiced where they had stood. Story by Emma Collins.

Apr 1, 2007 “For April Fool’s Day I set all the clocks in the house back one hour. I also baked a mud pie and gave it to my friend.” junior Bryan Gold

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Baseball Snapshot

4/12/07 10:20:37 PM

seeingdouble

Junior Courtney Pennington, playing the nervous neat-freak Florence, seats herself anxiously while entertaining Spanish guests Manolo and Jesús, played by seniors Nick Lundgren and Joe Wheeler. “It was so hard not to laugh at the boys’ lines,” Pennington said.

“You had to grimace to keep from smiling.” Photo by Sarah Andrews. Right: Pennington poses as Florence during her dinner date with Manolo and Jesús. Photo

by Hannah Brewer. Far right: Techies hold Rubik’s cubes, which they were obsessed with during this show. Junior Drew Hammond, who was able to do his Rubik’s cube even with one corner broken, taught the other techies how to do them. Photo by Hannah Brewer.

What’s the difference?

Original “The Odd Couple” • Two men: Felix & Oscar • Four male friends: Speed, Vinnie, Roy & Murray • The guys play poker • Felix & Oscar date two British sisters • Felix cooks a London broil

seeing

“The Odd Couple: Female Version” • Two women: Florence & Olive • Four female friends: Sylvie, Vera, Renee & Mickey • The girls play Trivial Pursuit • Florence & Olive date two Spanish brothers • Florence cooks a capon

odd

ckr the set ba tin board fo vy said. “Olto the bulle Le s t,” m en ite tm ns ar da Levy pi

by Sarah t a dirty ap at.” Photo Senior Aman al was to ge t to show th ically our go nted the se ground. “Bas wa we d pig an ive is just a Andrews.

that

not Juniors Maggie Blake and Emma Austenfeld, senior Abbey Bavley, junior Kristen Altoro, and freshman Kat Jaeger, in character, play a game of Trivial Pursuit. Photo

by Sarah Andrews.

Above: Junior Courtney Pennington applies her makeup before the Thursday show. “Backstage was great with such a girl-heavy cast,” Pennington said. Photo by Kelsey Brown.

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“I visited the KU campus. It was a little intimidating being an MU fan when they started chanting the ‘Rock Chalk Jayhawk’ song.” junior Jane Hawkins Apr 2, 2007

4/11/07 4:46:09 PM

Actors in the spring production

‘The Odd Couple: Female Version’

8

enjoy having an unusually small cast of eight Design by Andrea Tudhope and Brooke Stanley

W

What is the oldest vegetable known to man? How many times per year does a penguin have sex? What does “C” mean in Einstein’s theory of relativity “E=MC2”? Pea, once, and speed of light. In “The Odd Couple: Female Version,” the spring play, six girls got together to play Trivial Pursuit, gossip and discuss life, love and the pursuit of husbands.

“In the play, we are six girls who get together to hang out and play Trivial Pursuit and get away from our husbands,” junior Maggie Blake said. “So the four of us get together and work and run lines. It’s basically girl time all the time at rehearsal.”

The small cast of eight, six girls and two boys, worked together to master timing every punch line just right and making everything bigger while still keeping it control.

“It’s all about controlling,” senior Joe Wheeler said. “It’s more emphasis on us getting each line exactly right with timing. It’s an ensemble thing. With a small cast, we can count on each other.”

Brian Cappello spent the first week of rehearsal going over everyone’s lines and how they should be said. With such a hilarious Neil Simon play, timing had to be just right, a gradual increase to the joke.

“Cappello always makes a step ladder motion with his hand,” junior Courtney Pennington said. “It’s build, build, build, punch line, deflate.”

Each character in “The Odd Couple” had to be taken to the extreme. Cappello often reminded the actors, “If you think you’re doing it big, you’re not doing it big enough.”

“We discussed our characters in the beginning,” Blake said. “But Cappello basically said ,‘This is who you are – now run with it.’”

Pennington used aspects of her own life to develop her character, learning her lines by going over and over them in her room, saying them to herself.

“For my character, Flo, it’s taking aspects of my own personality like being super clean or dramatic and amping it way up,” Pennington said.

Unlike Pennington, who had to work on making her character bigger, Wheeler had to focus on keeping his in control.

“I’ve never done a Spanish character before,” Wheeler said. “I play over-the-top roles, but in this play I have to control myself and focus on making sure the line is said right.

Having Nick [Lundgren] as a friend makes it hard to focus sometimes because we laugh at each other, and that is bad.”

As the only two boys in the show, Wheeler and Lundgren often left the girls cracking up at their hysterical Spanish accents.

“The guys fit in. They’re like the little brothers who follow us around,” Blake said. “They’re really fun to work with.”

The small cast eventually got everything just right. The timing, the accents, the character, and the bonds they formed over four weeks of rehearsal came together to produce a side-splitting spring play.

“This character just came so much more naturally for me because we have all gotten so close,” junior Kristen Altoro said. “It just flows. It’s scripted girl talk.” Story by Maureen Orth.

Far above: Senior Abbey Bavley, playing the friendly flirt Olive, welcomes her Spanish neighbors Jesús and Manolo, played by seniors Joe Wheeler and Nick Lundgren, to her apartment. “Jesús was a relatively easy role because it was just slapstick,” Lundgren said. “The accent did make it a little difficult to enunciate so the audience could understand.” Photo by Paige Ledbetter. Above: Pennington runs from her friends, who are trying to seize her because they believe she is trying to commit suicide after being dumped by her husband Sydney. “It was easy to play off each other,” Pennington said. “The characters are so extreme that they happen naturally.” Photo by Kelsey Brown.

Right: Seniors Nick Lundgren and Joe Wheeler, playing Manolo and Jesús, explain a goofy Spanish saying to cheer up Florence.

“Most of the stuff I’ve done has been comedic, but not on such a grand scale,” Lundgren said. Photo by Paige Ledbetter. Far right: Senior Abbey Bavley and junior Courtney Pennington, playing Olive and Florence, argue about Olive’s sloppiness. “During the show I spilled pop on my arm and just started sucking it off because that seemed like what Olive would do,” Bavley said. “It’s not in my nature to be sticky-nasty, but you just have to start thinking like another person entirely.” Photo by Katie Woods.

Apr 2, 2007 “I’m excited to go to Loose Park and fly a kite and play Frisbee with some buds.” junior Gage Brummer

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Spring Play Snapshot

4/11/07 4:46:17 PM

U

Senior Ross

Simpson. • So

phomore Br

yan Parman

. • Sophomore

Sam Barker.

Ph

otos by Whitn ey

Van Way.

Right: Senior Ross Simpson chips the ball out of a sandtrap. “I hate being in the sandtrap. You just hope you can get it out and onto the green,” Simpson said. “I’d probably just get a pretty highlofted club and open the face a little bit, and swing through it.”

Photo by Whitney Van Way.

senior Mike Perry is the only third year member on the golf team

• senior Ross Simpson is a first-year member of the team

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“I went to the Eric Clapton concert. It was really chill. I had an awesome time.” senior Mike West Apr 2, 2007

4/12/07 5:22:46 PM

U

nder Par

Design by Emily Francis and Melanie Trost

Despite having only two seniors, boys golf works hard towards a successful season

J

Junior Tommy Kennedy stood anxiously among 23 other boys at Indian Hills Country Club. The day was windy and cold, hardly ideal weather for golf, especially the day of tryouts. With Kennedy were sophomore Chase Lucas, senior Mike Perry and junior Scott Willman, three returning varsity golfers. During tryouts, most of the boys seemed younger then usual. The lack of seniors scared some but with the harsh conditions, most of the boys chose to concentrate on keeping their hats on and their golf balls on the tees.

“There were so many good players going out this year,” Kennedy said. “I knew it was going to be a difficult next couple of days.”

Over the past few years East always had seniors leading the younger players to victories. However, this year there were only two seniors on the team: Perry, who was on varsity, and first time East player Ross Simpson.

“I don’t think the fact we have only two seniors will harm the team at all, because all the boys who made it this year were very involved with tournaments over the summer,” Lucas said.

Because of their closeness in age, the boys grew as a team and as friends, giving the team wonderful chemistry.

During practice the boys had more time to bond. They were separated into groups with similar skill levels in order to challenge each other. Every day the golf team had a two and half hour practice in which they golfed nine holes while

keeping score. After practice the boys turned in their scores to their coach.

“Turning in scores allows the coach to really see improvements in players and play everyone equally, based on how they do,” Willman said.

The improvement that the players hoped to make in practice this year would push them in the direction of League and possibly state. The whole team stayed positive throughout the year, never losing sight of League.

“I think we have a great chance to do well this year and all the younger players are so key because they push us older guys into trying harder and doing better,” Kennedy said.

With tryouts done and the golf team set, the boys had to prepare for a big year. With so many young players, the team had to push hard to prove they were all just as good as the older teams around them.

“I really want to step up and be a role model to younger guys so I can help improve others on the team,” Kennedy said. “I think by playing in longer tournaments I can help encourage others to step up their game.”

Even with the lack of senior role models to help lead the boys, the team remained positive, continuously pushing for a good season. With the recent wins, the new team appeared to have overcome the obstacles some thought they’d have trouble with. Story by Rachel Clarke.

Far above: Sophomore Scott Humphrey carries his bag down the green. “We have to carry [our bags] all the time, but it doesn’t bother me too much,” Humphrey said.

Above: Junior Tommy Kennedy rears back, about to whack the ball over the green at practice. “I usually use a 7-iron, but it depends on how far you want the ball to go,” Kennedy said. Photos by Paige Ledbetter.

your pre-swing routine Left: Sophomore Chase Lucas places his ball on the tee. Before swinging, he always placed a penny on the ground.

“It’s good luck; I always keep three pennies in my bag,” Lucas said.

Photo by Paige Ledbetter.

“

senior Mike Perry

I think about the putt before and try to block out everything else, not think about anything negative, and try to do what I do in practice.

”

junior Scott Willman

“

I usually take a couple of swings, line up with the ball and take the shot.

”

Apr 2, 2007 “For our Blue Moon audition, we did ‘Nowadays’ from ‘Chicago’ and we wore flapper outfits. We did really well.” sophomore Tricia Townsend

124-125 boys golf.indd 125

sophomore Chase Lucas

“

I always take two practice swings, then look up and visualize the shot.

”

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Boys’ Golf Snapshot

4/12/07 5:22:56 PM

Junior Melanie Shoemaker closely observes the notes as she plays her viola. “I played violin until this year. Mr. Lane came up to me and told me I had the skills to play viola. He asked me to switch and I actually like it a lot better,” Shoemaker said. “It’s a deeper tone and something new and different.” Photo by Frances Lafferty.

ty Senior Chris

126

Senior Neill es Lafferty. • oto by Franc Ph . tra es ch e concert or Lafferty. • Th o by Frances Beeder. Phot

Snapshot April

126-127 Orchestra 126

. nces Lafferty

oto by Fra Campbell. Ph

“I’m going to the Talib Kweli concert. I can’t wait. It’s going to be awesome.” junior Jackson Lueg Apr 3, 2007

4/13/07 4:28:01 PM

along ~tringing I Design by Christy Beeder and Alexandria Norton

Left: Freshman Hunter Stevenson plays his cello during the fall concert. “It’s different from middle school because we’re no longer the older group,” Stevenson said. “We’re in the bottom of the orchestra.

But we play more interesting music.” Photo by Frances Lafferty.

Orchestra students celebrate a successful year with their trip to Boston

It was the evening of the 2006 Shawnee Mission School District orchestra concert, and it was time for the last orchestra, Shawnee Mission East, to play. East was to play last, because no one ever wanted to follow them. The musicians didn’t disappoint; by the end of their performance of “The Firebird Suite,” by Stravinsky, the crowd was on its feet.

It’s this effect the orchestra has on a crowd that’s taking it to Boston to perform and has made it one of the best orchestras in Kansas.

The orchestra played some of the toughest music out there for orchestras, so getting to this point was never easy. “[Mr. Lane] pushes us hard and gives us difficult repertoire,” symphony orchestra member Senior Molly Werts said.

“We’re really disciplined,” symphony orchestra member Junior Megan Dyer said.

“It’s pretty serious, and we work really hard to get our pieces the best we can.”

With fifty players in the top orchestra, called symphony, there’s also competition between sections and players to do their best. Before each concert, students are motivated by the prospect of getting a higher chair, nearer to the front.

“Mr. Lane definitely tries to make it a little competitive,” Dyer said. “He’ll say, let’s listen to the violins, now cellos, or something.

He’ll see which section can play the music the best. It makes it more fun and makes you want to play better.”

In class they run through scales, practice dynamics, and coordinate their bow strokes.

They play classical pieces like “Eine Kleine ..

Nachtmusik” by Mozart, or Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances No. 1.”

“We try to concentrate on being really in tune with each other,” Werts said. “And we want to make it sound exciting. It’s more than just playing the notes. You want to bring out the emotions that the composer had in mind.”

By high-school, students usually buy their own instrument, instead of renting one, and often upgrade to a more expensive one.

Most orchestra members also take private lessons and many compete in competitions for All-District and All-State orchestra.

“You have to be hard-working to be an orchestra student because it’s such a frustrating thing to do,” Werts said. “No matter how good you are, it’s never easy. You just have to be really determined and focused.” Story by Leah Pickett.

Left: Senior cellists Max Clinkingbeard, Kate Adams and Anna Zeiger concentrate on their music during their winter concert. “Cello has that deep, rich tone that everybody seems to like,” Adams said. “It’s just kind of soothing. It makes me happy.” Photo by Hannah Gillaspie.

Above: Junior Jack Krieger and senior Carolyn Freeman perform with the Chamber orchestra at the annual Collage Concert. “I’ve been doing it for so long that even if I don’t know a song well I know I can make it anyway,” Freeman said.

Photo by Rachel Clarke.

Apr 5, 2007 “My family is going on a cruise for Easter. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” junior Jenn Sunderland

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Orchestra Snapshot

4/13/07 4:28:04 PM

A

cing

Photo by Annie Krieg. • Photo by Annie Krieg. • Photo by Sarah Andrews.

the competition Design by Gale Harrington and Emma Collins

Below: Sophomore Ross Wooten reaches for a backhand. “I hit my backhand with two hands because twice the hands equals twice the power,” Wooten said. Photo by Patrick Mayfield. Right: Sophomore John Kurtz tosses the ball for a serve. “I like to put a lot of spin on my serve to mess up my opponent,” Kurtz said. Photo by Patrick Mayfield.

your off-season

“ “

I play five or six days a week with kids from East and other schools. I usually play ten to twelve tournaments throughout the year.

” ”

junior Jack Peterson

During the summer I do group clinics and private lessons at Kansas City Country Club. During the season I only take private lessons because of the rules.

junior Thomas Henry

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Snapshot April

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Above: Senior Alex Siegel takes a break and watches his teammates at varsity practice. Photo by Annie Krieg. Right: Freshman David Henderson follows through on his forehand. “I try to focus on being very consistent and putting the ball in play.” Photo by Mackenzie Wylie.

“I have a track meet. I’m doing the 400 and the 4 by 4, because they are the events that I’m good at.” sophomore Elizabeth Braeuel Apr 5, 2007

4/12/07 6:20:34 PM

Left: Senior Sam Reisz draws back and hits a forehand at practice. “My forehand is my favorite shot. I win a lot of points by driving forehands down the line,” Reisz said.

Photo by Patrick Mayfield.

senior Ryan Surface is left handed

•

senior Jeff Straub “is the devil to [his] opponents”

•

senior Alex Siegel has trouble keeping his temper on the court

•

senior Sam Reisz enjoys playing doubles since it is with a partner

•

senior Jay Kombrink hits overheads from the baseline

•

senior Robbie Gillespie has broken about ten racquets

•

senior Spencer Doyle bounces the ball 3 times before each serve

•

Freshman Ca meron Roble s. Photo by Ma ckenzie Wylie Junior Jack Pe . • Freshman terson and se P.J. Guignon. nior Robbie Gil Photo by Annie lespie. Photo Krieg. •

by Whitney Va n Way.

senior Eric Waldon plays with a Dunlop tennis racquet

I

Tennis players learn to play with and against each other as they climb the ladder

It was the fifth game of the set and sophomore John Kurtz prepared to hit what he knew would be a winning serve. He tossed the tennis ball up in the air and swung his racket, releasing all of his energy into the ball. It sailed over the net and bounced in the corner of the left box. He watched the ball hit the ground and his opponent scramble to return it.

He was ready to win this point, but his opponent reached the ball and sliced it over the net with a swift backhand. Kurtz couldn’t return it; he was out of the zone. He knew right then that he was going to lose his first match of the season.

Kurtz had played tennis his whole life, but it wasn’t until freshman year that he became serious about tennis. He played off-season at Round Hill Country Club in the Junior Tennis League. Kurtz’s freshman year doubles partner, sophomore Ross Wooten, had also played his whole life, and he played at Carriage Club off-season.

“John is my favorite person to play with and against,” Wooten said. “I usually win when I play against him. We work really well as doubles partners.”

Kurtz and Wooten were the only two sophomores who were bumped up from JV last year to varsity this year. Both players felt that varsity was much more serious than JV last year.

•

senior Bryce Warnock plays his best near the end of matches

“Tennis is my favorite sport because it’s always entertaining,” Wooten said. “There’s never any down time. My whole family plays tennis so I’ve grown up in the tennis environment.”

Kurtz’s favorite shot was the regular backhand.

“It feels complete,” Kurtz said. “It is one movement and I can always feel good contact with the ball. It’s my most powerful shot.”

Wooten’s favorite shot was the cross-court forehand. Their favorite shots were actually very similar – Wooten was left-handed.

“It definitely helps because the opponents are used to hitting it to their opponent’s backhand and messing them up, but that is my forehand,” Wooten said.

After failing to return the ball in the fifth game of the set, Kurtz felt like giving up. But after his opponent won that game and they entered the sixth game, Kurtz knew he needed to pull himself together and try something different, and that is just what he did. Although Kurtz lost the match nine games to eleven, he turned it around in the middle and made it a game.

“Each new point is a new point,” Wooten said. “I don’t let any point that I missed before mess me up for my next point. That is my strategy to win.”

Story by Andrea Tudhope.

Apr 6, 2007 “I’m getting my car. It is a Chevy Malibu. My grandpa just died and I got it in his will.” sophomore Landon McDonald

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•

senior Tim Akhmedov can hit a serve over 120 miles per hour

•

senior Corbin Burright “lives and dies by his serve”

•

senior Corbin Calvert treats each point as if it is the first point of the game

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Boys Tennis Snapshot

4/12/07 6:20:39 PM

1

carpool

How many cars do you think park at Shawnee Mission East every day? Driving is one reason why the U.S. is the biggest petroleum consumer worldwide. Find a friend who lives nearby or on your way. You can not only save a parking spot, but cut your fuel use in half.

drink shade-grown coffee

Buying coffee grown on clear-cut land supports deforestation. Shade-grown coffee does not require clear-cutting, and due to the birds and insects which eat pests in a forest environment, it requires fewer pesticides and fertilizers. Most groceries and coffee shops have shade-grown coffee available.

2

3

wash & dry green

A lot of energy is wasted in the way clothes are cleaned and dried. You can reduce this waste by washing your clothes in several large loads instead of many smaller ones. Hang clothes which don’t need to go through the dryer on a clothesline.

leave that thermostat alone

4

The average American causes 25 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, mostly from at home. Keep your thermostat lower in the winter and higher in the summer. When you’re cold, put on a sweatshirt. When you’re hot, open a window or use a fan. “We turn our thermostat off when we go on vacation, because no one’s in the house, so there’s no point,” junior Claire Marston said.

use florescent light bulbs Compact florescent light bulbs are more expensive than common incandescent lights, but they use one-quarter the energy and last several years longer. They can be purchased almost anywhere where you buy other lightbulbs.

5

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Snapshot April

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turn off your electronics

6

Turn electronics off when you’re not using them in order to save energy. Plug your TV screen into an outlet that can be turned off with a light switch. Even when the TV is turned off, it can still drain power if the outlet is still providing power.

The same is true of phones, cameras and iPods which pull power from a charger continually. Unplug them when they are done charging.

reuse bags

Even if they are recyclable, many plastic bags end up in the garbage and can take 1,000 years to biodegrade.

Buy a reusable bag for groceries and take it with you every time you shop for food. You should also reuse plastic and paper bags. “I reuse lunch sacks,” senior Maggie Townsend said. “Usually they last about a week, but they get holes in them so I have to throw them away.”

7

8

Most recycling is available curbside, but curbside recycling collectors will not take glass and some other items. You can still recycle these items by taking them to community recycling centers. “We save everything and make a big trip every once in a while,” senior Lauren Proffer said. “We just figure it will help the world out a little bit.”

9

recycle... everything

Electrical production generates over 1.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

To conserve electricity, turn off lights when you leave the room or leave your house. “My dad’s an environmentalist, and he’s a big stickler about turning lights off,” senior Casey Williams said. “I think he’s right. Fifty years from now I don’t want my kids to live in a bad environment.”

turn off your lights

“I will be deciding on which fraternity I will be living in at K-State. I’ve been to a bunch of rush parties to help in deciding.” senior Paul Wiseman Apr 7, 2007

4/11/07 8:37:18 PM

15toways go

GREEN Design by Brooke Stanley and Andrea Tudhope

Want to help protect the environment?

Here are some ways to do it.

10

compost

Instead of throwing away food scraps, set up a compost heap in your backyard. Put banana peels, egg shells, moldy bread and other biodegradable scraps in a compost container. This will generate fertile soil for growing plants and reduce waste in landfills. Just don’t put meat in your compost, since this can cause health problems.

use mass transportation

Kansas City does not feature an extensive network of subways like New York or Washington D.C. But mass transportation is still available through bus systems. Also, support the idea of a light rail in K.C. Since it was voted on in November 2006, this issue has become less popular, but with public support it is still possible.

11 12

Want to save trees? Reduce the amount of paper you use by taking every opportunity to work online instead of on paper. Communicate with relatives by email, apply for college online and pay bills online.

use the internet

insulate your water heater

Buying vintage clothing doesn’t just give you a unique style. By reusing clothes, you avoid using energy to make and ship new clothes, thus reducing carbon emissions. “I like thrift clothes ‘cause they’re different. No one else is going to have it,” sophomore Grace Haun said. She shops at Uptown Monkey Bottoms, Reruns and Lulu’s.

14

shop at thrift stores

15

print on both sides of paper

Nine hundred million trees are cut down to make paper every year, and only half of this paper is recycled. Reduce your consumption by printing on both sides. “I wrote this really long outline for EHAP, so I printed it on front and back so I wouldn’t waste as much paper,” sophomore Amelia Murphy said. “It was three pages instead of six.”

Apr 8, 2007 “I am going out to lunch at the Bristol for Easter Sunday. They have the best biscuits and Belgian waffles.” junior Tayler Philips.

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13

Buy an insulated blanket to wrap around your water heater if it is more than five years old. Older water heaters don’t have internal insulation.

Insultating your water heater could save 250 lbs in carbon dioxide emissions annually.

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Environmental Issues Snapshot

4/11/07 8:37:22 PM

Right: Coach Horn talks to her team during a cold practice in March.

Photo by Whitney Van Way. Below: Senior Emily True looks to the umpire for the call after covering third base from a sliding opponent from Lawrence Free State.

“Free State had a big hitting game then, so there was a lot of action at third,” True said.

“Softball isn’t usually a contact sport, but there was a bit of collision there.” Photo

by Rachel Clarke.

Below: Senior Stacey Golub eyes the ball as she decides whether to swing or let it pass. “Batting isn’t that hard,” Golub said. “All that is required is good hand-eye coordination.” Photo by Melissa Blessen. Far below: Junior Paige Colburn prepares to throw a long ball back to the diamond after chasing a hit to the fence. “The intensity of the game makes me stay focused,” said Colburn.

Photo by Melissa Blessen. Right: Senior Sara Steinwart and juniors Lindsey Robinson and Paige Colburn laugh as they take a few minutes off practice to dance around home plate. “We always make practice fun; it just completes the game,” Robinson said.

Photo by Whitney Van Way.

Playing in the same season as girls soccer, the softball team finds it hard to deal with dwindling numbers at tryouts “Heart!”

The fuzzy bear with the red shirt? The brown bear with the tennis shoe? The pink bear set with a matching tutu? Senior varsity softball captains Emily True and Sara Steinwart, agonized over which bear to name team mascot. As they made their final decision, they picked out 12 red hearts, one for each member of the team to place inside the bear.

In the past, the team struggled to get along, which caused problems both on and off the field.

After only a few days of practice, it was easy to see that this year’s team, led mostly by seniors, would not that have that problem, “It’s really helped that we’ve all known each other,” Steinwart said. “ We’ve really been able to overcome some of the differences that the past teams have dealt with.

On a crisp Monday afternoon, all 12 members of the softball team met before practice, while Emily and Sara revealed the new mascot. Each player was given a chance to say a few words, and place their heart in the bear, appropriately named “Lancer.” As the girls passed the bear around, they knew that no matter how the season went, they had made one big improvement from the past.

For the past four years, the five senior girls played softball together. Before that, they played

against each other. Whether it was the Red-Hots, Xtreme, or the Lancers; they have grown as players together. True, who played third base, has become one of the few girls from East to continue playing in college. After being signed to Fort Scott Community College in the spring, she had even more motivation to continue playing well.

“It was a big deal to be on a team since I was younger than twelve. I have been working towards being signed and getting and scholarship since then,” True said.

Not only has the varsity team been focusing on unifying themselves and coming together as a supportive team, but they also had to assist the newcomers often. Since the Junior Varsity team consists of a lot of first year players, it has become the responsibility of the advanced players to guide the beginners.

During their first game of the season they played the strong competitor Shawnee Mission Northwest They were able to narrow the loss to 0-2 which was a large improvement from past years.

The team continued to focused on their main goal of unifying throughout the duration of the season.

“We always say heart in the huddle to remind ourselves to give it everything and play with our heart,” Steinwart said. Story by Megan Collins

your tryouts

Conditioning and first impressions

“

I never thought I would go out for softball because I have always played soccer.

At first I was intimidated by the girls’ skills, but I pulled my way onto a spot on J.V.

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“

“

Tryouts weren’t that hard after you got used to all of the running. All we do is running drills and weight lifting.

freshman Dana Meyer

”

I did as much as I could this year. It’s hard in the fact that it’s a lot of running, but it’s something you know you hav e to do.

sophomore Carly Haflich

”

“All my family will come over and we’ll have an Easter Egg hunt. It’s a fun way to celebrate.” Sophomore Emily Brandmeyer Apr 8, 2007

senior Alex Etherington

P

4/17/07 8:43:17 AM

senior Alex Etherington #17 loves the closeness of each team

•

senior Sara Corazzin #12 always has a positive attitude

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senior Sara Steinwart #2 thinks crossing bats means bad luck

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senior Stacey Golub #5 loves to hang out with teammates off the field

• senior Emily True #21 made up a chant that they do before, during and after games

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Sophomore Ca

rly Haflich. Ph oto by Rachel Clarke. • Junio Photo by Sally r Natalie Brad Drape. • Junio y, junior Katel r Sally Drape yn Brooks an and team. Ph d senior Emily oto by Rachel True.

Clarke.

Going for the

erfect Game Design by Sam Benson and Holly Harvey

Apr 14, 2007 “I’m really nervous about the ACT. I hope it isn’t as difficult as I expect it to be. My parents are pressuring me to do well.” junior Zach Jarchow

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S

mooth

Sailing Design by Bailey Atkinson and Maureen Orth

Girls swim team helps each other stay afloat

I

It was Friday morning on March 2 as the girls swim team gathered for practice. After completing a set of “dry land” warmups involving stretches, jumping jacks and leaps to get the girls ready for the water, they jumped in. It was 5:30 a.m. and time for Canadians.

“Canadians anytime are hard, but it was really hard in the morning,” freshman Alison Kirby said.

A “Canadian” is a workout involving swimming 100 yards in one minute and fifteen seconds, then slowly decreasing the amount of time to complete the 100 before starting over again. Other workouts were “Jenny sprints,” or 25 sprints with flippers, and “T20’s,” in which the swimmers would swim as hard as they could for 20 minutes and see how many reps they could complete.

“After practice, the best thing to do is swim down easily and let all of the lactate out of your muscles,” Kirby said. “It helps keep you from getting sore.”

To keep the girls from getting tired during practice, Coach Rob Cole cheered on the girls, often using an underwater microphone, and challenging them to race the person next to them. At meets, the girls kept each other pumped up by yelling for their teammates at the end of the lane, and doing group cheers. One cheer involved the girls dunking underwater and coming up to yell “S!”, then again for “M!” and “E!” before yelling and cheering all together.

“We always go to the end of the pool and yell,” senior captain Darcy Letourneau said. “You can hear that underwater and it keeps you going.”

To make meets even more fun, captains paired up “Swim

Buddies” who brought each other food at meets, such as Power Bars, Gatorade and candy. During the meets, however, each girl had her own way of staying focused.

“I listen to my iPod before my meet to get pumped up,” Kirby said. “Then on the block I clap my hands a certain number of times to calm me down, but in the water I don’t think about it, I just go.”

“I get the most nervous before I swim the 500, the longest meet,” senior captain Hailey Malone said. “But once I get in the water I just concentrate on keeping up with the person next to me. That’s how I motivate myself.”

After winning their first meet, the girls looked forward to the Sunflower League and State. Only team members who met state qualifying times got to go to state. To recognize qualifiers, Letourneau started a tradition of giving each girl a flower to carry around during the school day.

“The flower is just a way of saying, ‘Keep working and keep getting better; you’re doing great and we’re rooting for you,’”Letourneau said.

The team had fun together at meets cheering each other on, eating at team dinners, and helping each other survive the intense workouts. Incoming freshman got a chance to help out the whole team by successfully performing a “get out time.”

“For my get-out time I had to do a 100 freestyle in one minute,” Kirby said. “And if I did it, the whole team got out of a morning practice. It got really intense because everybody was counting on me and cheering on the edge of the pool – I got it.” Story by Maureen Orth.

Right: Freshman Amanda Pierce prepares to dive for coach Shelley King. “Diving is a lot of fun and I am learning a whole bunch,” Pierce said. “There really isn’t an outcast on the team – we’re all friends.” Photo by Whitney Van Way. Middle: Junior Audra Stalzer watches the clock to know when to kick off for her next set. “I do a lot of drylands before I swim and try to stay positive and motivated in the water,” Stalzer said. Photo

by Whitney Van Way. Far Right: Junior Kathryn Munsch sets up the lanes before practice.

“The freshman are supposed to set the lanes, but a lot of times we have to do it. Sometimes there isn’t a wrench and we have to tighten it with our hands,” Munsch said. Photo

by Whitney Van Way.

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“We have a really good set this year for jazz night. Everyone should come and hear the tunes.” senior Carlie Copeland Apr 15, 2007

4/12/07 7:51:21 PM

ay. • hitney Van W

by W tice. Photo Bags at prac Van Way. ffner. • Swim ey Oe tn ly hi ol W M oto by k. Photo By ison Kirby. Ph hitaker Sher Freshman Al Freshman W

Below: Sophomores Melissa McKittrick, Emily Brandmeyer, junior Annie Richmond, and freshman Katie Fay chant during a meet with the rest of the girls varsity swim team. “We go under the wate,r then come up and spell out the letters S-M-E. It really pumps everyone up and gets us energized,” Fay said. Photo by Hannah Gillaspie.

your preparation

senior Darcy Letourneau can swim 3/4 of PV pool underwater

Swimmers use unorthodox technics to better their time.

“

I used to be really into synchronized swimming and for that, you have to use a nose plug. So now when I swim, I always have to have one on, or it feels weird.

“

freshman Charlie Kline

Wearing two swimsuits at practice makes more drag in the water. It’s like when people run, they run faster with less clothing on. So when I swim with just one swimsuit, I go faster.

” “

”

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senior Haley Malone has swam year round since age 9

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senior Melissa Melling gone to state all four years

junior Annie Richmond

Junior Alex Surfa ce swims breast roke during the “Before I swim I go to my coach first week of pra ctice. and he puts on me advice, the my swim cap an n I listen to the d gives song “Our Lives” said. “I sing kin

by The Calling,” d of obnoxiousl Su y on the block rface Whitney Van Wa before I swim.” y.

Photo by

”

senior Ingval Tolas has swam in Norway since age 6

senior Darcy Letourneau

Apr 15, 2007 “My dad owns an off-roading parts company, so we are going off-roading in the mountains of California.” junior Caitlin Walsh.

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•

I don’t shave my legs until state. When I finally do shave it gets rid of dead skin and the hair. It makes me feel like I’m going faster.

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Girls’ Swimming Snapshot

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Above: Senior Jill Beyer prepares one of her models, senior Christy Beeder, by applying some last minute makeup. Left: Sophomore Lyndsey Seck has her hair teased to get ready for the runway. “It was pretty stressful,” Seck said. “My hair just wasn’t doing what I wanted it to.” Photos by Samantha Ludington.

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Snapshot April

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your

Modeling her own design, senior Amelia Teague walks down the runway in a plaid halter dress with tulle ruffle.

Photo by Hannah Brewer.

“We’re going to have an awesome jazz concert. We sent three of the songs to New York to be judged. It’s a tough program.” sophomore Jacob Hamilton Apr 15, 2007

4/12/07 8:48:25 PM

wn the runan struts do nr Kelsey Lehm Photo by Sama n.

Above: Senio sig de s es her own dr way wearing tha Ludington.

During the NAHS annual fashion show, designers and models compete to win one of the top three prizes.

Design by Emma Collins

Above: Shawnee Mission students, including sophomore Emmett Starky, model the student-designed garments. Photos by Hannah Brewer.

C

Cameras flashed. Gwen Steffani boomed over the loudspeakers. A murmur of approval swept through the crowd as one girl stepped onto the lit-up runway, the other models waiting nervously back stage for their turns. At that moment, however, all eyes were on senior Rachel Sixta.

“It was so petrifying that I didn’t make eye contact with anyone in the audience, “Sixta said. “I kind of numbly walked down and just focused on trying not to fall in my heels.”

It was the spring fashion show at Broadmoor Technical Center, and Sixta wore a short baby doll dress without straps, the color of lavender and gathered at the bust. Sixta modeled the dress for senior Jill Beyer, a skilled designer who made all her own dresses for school dances. The actual modeling was stressful enough, but designing and sewing the dress together was what really took time.

Sophomore Morgan Myers experienced both sides, designing and also modeling for the show. Her dress had a dark purple base color and a navy blue yoke, or neckline, with a diamond on the front. Myers spent three weeks working on her dress, at least an hour a day for the first two weeks. The last week, spring break, Myers gave up part of her break to work about two or three hours every day. She even hand-sewed the front of her dress.

Myers also designed a piece for a boy, a suit jacket. Her boyfriend, sophomore Emmett Starky, modeled it for her. Making two pieces gave Myers more practice in the potential careers she wished to pursue as an adult.

“I like doing art and being creative and I also like fashion and the basic industry,” Myers said. “At this point, I either want to be a fashion designer or own a boutique of some sort.”

While Myers took part in the fashion show for further experience, junior Maggie Blake designed purely for enjoyment. Although she spent many hours perfecting her yellow, polka-dotted sundress, her piece didn’t appear in the actual show.

“I’m in the spring play and I didn’t want to miss rehearsals, so I really just did it for fun this year,” Blake said. “I had my Aunt Kathy help me, because she does a lot of sewing and garment making.”

Unlike Blake, sophomore Libby Bash arrived early at 5:30 p.m. for the run-through. Bash wore a dress designed by sophomore Emma Collins, centered around Breast Cancer Awareness.

The dress had a black base and said “Support the Cause.”

The pumps were pink, with black breast cancer ribbons covering them. Even the headband was special, pink with black ribbons.

After all the work Collins put into the outfit, it was up to Bash to show it off.

“At first I was nervous because I thought I was going to mess up and Emma was particular about how she wanted me to walk and the dress to look,” Bash said. “But it ended up being really fun.”

After the fashion show ended, it was this dress that won the overall third place prize. Collins was the only SME prize winner, though Beyer, one of the many other skilled designers, spent hours designing and fitting her dress to her model, Sixta.

Though she didn’t win, she and Sixta thought it was the actual experience that really paid off.

“It’s really cool and kind of surreal, because when else are you going to get to walk down a line when its all on you and your designer can be proud of you?” Sixta said. “They really get to show off their work.” Story by Alexandria Norton.

your sketches Before constructing their dresses, designers sketch out their designs. Afterwards they start the long process of cutting fabric and patterns, stitching the garment and fitting their model. Sketches courtesy of junior Maggie Blake, senior Jill Beyer, sophomore Morgan Myers and senior Kelsey Lehman.

Apr 18, 2007 “It‘s my first state choir performance. My favorite song is“Who are the Brave” because it’s got a lot of meaning with the war.” sophomore John Hart

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Fashion Show Snapshot

4/12/07 8:49:09 PM

your Blue Moon

For the tenth anniversary of Blue Moon, the Choraliers sang every finale from the last nine years.

Choir alumni were invited back to watch the show. This was the program: RENT No Day But Today Lion King Can You Feel the Love Tonight Scarlet Pimpernel Into the Fire We Go Les Miserables Do You Hear the People Sing?

My Fair Lady I Could Have Danced Guys and Dolls Luck Be a Lady Thoroughly Modern Millie Thoroughly Modern Millie Wicked No One Mourns the Wicked Hairspray You Can’t Stop the Beat

Left: A parent videotapes the freshman choir at the winter concert. Below: Junior Thomas Henry sings during a choir class. “I really like that in choir there are so many people from all over the school,” Henry said.

“We all are involved in different activities, but we all come together for one common interest – choir.” Photos by Annie Krieg.

M

Left: Junior Jonathan Harms provides vocal percussion while senior Kate Adams plays the cello and senior Joe Wheeler plays the piano. They performed Wheeler’s original song, “My Kitty Cat.” “This year is the first year I really tried out for Blue Moon, and that was one of the three tryouts I did,” Harms said.

He accompanied junior Kristin Altoro in a song on guitar and sang a duet for his other two tryouts.

Photo by Katie Woods. Far above: Choraliers give each other a quick back massage before they begin singing during class. “It helps us get relaxed and in the mood for singing,” junior Jessica Lohmeyer said.

Photo by Karen Boomer. Above: Choir director Tracy Resseguie directs during their winter performance while they sing “Arise, Shine!” “Concerts are a chance to showcase our talents and see what other choirs are doing,” junior Kristen Altoro said. “We get to wear our blue robes and show our East pride.”

Photo by Katie Woods.

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“I have cheerleading tryouts. I really want to make captain so I’m getting ready for the next couple weeks.” junior Morgan Stock Apr 20, 2007

4/12/07 6:38:51 PM

Choraliers perform at their winter concert. “We performed ‘Arise, Shine!’ which Dan Forrest wrote for the Choraliers to sing at Carnagie Hall,” junior Meg Howland said. “It is neat to know people will see our school’s name on the music and will be singing it for years to come.” Photo by Katie Woods.

MOV NG

SCALE

upthe

Design by Stefanie Enger and Leah Pickett

Choir members improve each year as they advance in the program The quiet rumble of chatter and anticipation filled the auditorium as parents squinted to spot their children, students wished each other good luck and the final stragglers attempted to find one of the few seats left. At exactly 6:55 p.m., a few students exchanged hesitant glances and gave the signal. About 100 freshmen stood up in perfect unison. Not one chair rattled; they had practiced dozens of times to make sure of that. They filed quietly onto the stage in rows, trying not to focus on the sea of faces before them, but on this, their first choir concert.

In the audience, upperclassmen looked on, already seasoned veterans. Not long ago it had been them standing there. Now, they knew exactly what to expect. They would be there for hours, listening to the different ensembles before it was their turn to perform.

“The performances are fun,” junior Paige Colburn said. “I love to stand up there and sing. But they are really long.”

Despite the length of the performance, it was imperative that they put in everything they had when the time came and that they be completely professional for the duration of the concerts.

“If you talked or anything during a concert, it would probably get you kicked out or murdered or something,” sophomore Paige C. Anderson said.

Though these expectations were nothing new for the singers, with advancements in the program came new challenges each year. For the sophomores it was adjusting to being split by gender.

“I’m not a huge fan of all girls classes,” junior Kathleen Otsby, now a Choralier, said of her women’s choir experience. “It’s weird. Boys are the core of the choir. They really make or break the choir.”

The other test the sophomores faced at the end of the year was auditioning for the upper choir, Choraliers. The sophomores had good

reason for wanting to be in Choraliers – it was one of the best high school ensembles in the country. Consistently getting 1’s at state, being chosen to sing in at Carnegie Hall in New York and premiering pieces were only a few of its accomplishments. An integral part of the choir program at East was teacher and conductor Tracy Resseguie.

“Resseguie loves what he does,” Choralier junior Courtney Pennington said. “You can tell. He just pours all of himself into it.”

Knowing the level of skill in Choraliers heightened the pressure on auditioning sophomores.

“Everyone’s been thinking about auditions this year,” Anderson said. “Resseguie’s reactions are so important. Getting into Choraliers will decide if we’re taking choir next year or not for most of us. There’s just no way of knowing until Resseguie puts up that list and basically bolts from the room.”

After surviving auditions, the sophomores knew choir would become harder if they were to reach the level of their Choralier predecessors.

“The level of literature in Choraliers is much more difficult,” Pennington said. “There are more parts and tougher harmonies.”

Still, as the music got harder, the students loved it more and learned to appreciate it more.

“I used to hate classical music,” said Otsby. “Now I actually listen to it.”

When the singers looked back at their freshmen concert choir days, the improvement was evident.

“Our listening abilities are so much better,” Pennington said. “We’ve learned how to match pitch and find our tonal center.”

“Our vowels are way different now,” Otsby said. “We used to sound like little kids. Now we sound like adults.” Story by Gale Harrington.

Apr 20, 2007 “I am going to the Afroman concert in Lawrence. I’m so excited about it. It’s going to being great.” senior Ian McKay

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your reaction How do you feel about...

“

Darfur Countries have vowed that when genocide happened they would speak out against it, but that didn’t really happen with the Holocaust or genocide in Rwanda. Now with Sudan, people are still not doing anything about it. It’s pretty sad.

”

junior Tom Braslavsky

“

Changes in Congress It was just kind of inevitable because a lot of people were getting disillusioned with the war. It’s just a new group of people, and they’ll do some things differently, but it won’t change everything.

”

sophomore Andrea Brown

on of Suthe Darfur regi in de ci no ge rebelled to ars after the hnic Africans et 3, 0 Almost four ye 20 In d began still continued. d the Janjawee lle ca as ti ili dan began, it m b om village response, Ara aweed went fr nj Ja he T s. gain rights. In an ic ement in ing” of the Afr t denied involv en m rn ve go “ethnic cleans The ilitias also ng and killing. to Chad. The m in ad re sp to village, rapi ps m hom threatand refugee ca rs, many of w ke or w d the genocide, ai l na is year. ing internatio unresolved th d ne ai m re began attack n io and the situat ened to leave,

genocidueed in Darfur contin

In a show of grow ing AIDS awaren leased products ess, American co to fight AIDS on rporations rean unpreceden Apple Compute ted scale this ye r created a new ar.

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Ap ple donated $1 Fund to Fight AI 0 to the Globa DS. The Gap re l le as which part of pr ed (RED) produc oceeds would he t shirts, from lp to fight AIDS, tive women and going to HIV-pos children in Afric ia.

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Photo by Kelsey Brown.

IDS

Far above: These three soldiers from the rebel Sudan Liberation Army followed leader Abdul Wahid al-Nur, who rejected the peace agreement made for Sudan which the world hoped would end the genocide. Above: Refugee women from Darfur carry wood back to the camp in eastern Chad where they are living. Hundreds of refugees arrive each week. Photos by Shashank Bengali, courtesy of www.mctcampus.com.

140

Snapshot April “I’m going to see the Royals. I’m pumped for that. I hope it’s a great game.” junior Mady Stock

140-141 Current Events 140

Apr 20, 2007

4/11/07 8:42:56 PM

Frightening. Inspiring. Sad. the world affect the school year.

Neolithic village

were found near In a site called Du rrington Walls, ar chaeologists disc 4,600-year-old ru overed ins which appear ed to form the la lithic village foun rgest Neod in Britain. In Se ptember 2006, ei es were unearthe ght housd. This village w as located near Stonehenge site th e famous on Salisbury Plai n, which archaeol lieved was a relig og ists beious shrine for su n worship. The vi speculated to ha llage was ve been a dwellin g for either the ar Stonehenge or th chitects of e pilgrims to Ston ehenge.

Stonehenge

Hopeful. Events from all over

traces of a

Democrats f took control o

Congrart eNasncsy Pelosi became the first femalAte thSpeeasakemreoftimthe,e

Democ 4, 2007. tives on January ta en es pr Re e Senate. Demoof e Hous the House and th th bo of l ro nt co years. In the SenDemocrats took of the last twelve t os m r fo ity or in ader. Like Presicrats were the m e the majority le m ca be id Re y rr r cooperation ate, Democrat Ha asized the need fo ph em si lo Pe , sh partisanship. dent George W. Bu ocrats, rather than m De d an s an ic between Republ

won the Nobel M u h a m m a d Y u n us peace priz The No

e

bel Peace Prize for 2006 was awarded to Muhamm nus and the Grameen Ba ad Yunk of Bangladesh. Bang ladesh was one of the world’s most impo verished countries. Yunu s founded the Grameen Bank with $27 ou t of his pocket, and devel oped a revolutionary concept of awarding loans to the poor, regard less of their lack of financial security, in a ne w form of micro-econom ics. The bank especially sought to help women, who made up 97 % of its borrowers.

conducted a

North Korea

Far above: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi testifies to the House Science and Technology Committee hearing on climate change, Thursday, Feb. 8. Photo by Chuck Kennedy. Middle above: Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh was the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Grameen Bank and its founder Yunus split the prize for their efforts to pull people in Bangladesh out of poverty with micro-banking.

Photo by Balkis Press. Above: Mourners lay flowers at the base of a statue of late North Korean president Kim Il Sung, father of current president Kim Jong Il. Thousands of mourners come to the Mansudae Grand Monument in Pyongyang each day. Photo by Jim Gensheimer. Photos courtesy of www.mctcampus.com.

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In Octob rred three da r test. This occu ge North statement to ur ed its first nuclea al rm fo a on d cancel l agreed ament talks an Security Counci rm sa di in n ai es and ipate ag g the United Stat Korea to partic in ud cl in s, ie tr pan critious coun a, China and Ja the test. Numer re Ko h ut So s ighbor me. Stoof dangers to co North Korea’s ne al gn si a as w it d felt cized the test an anley.

St ke ries by Broo

Making Design by Andrea Tudhope and Brooke Stanley

Apr 21, 2007 “I’ve got volleyball regionals for the team I coach. It will be really great to travel with my girls and get the experience.” senior Amanda Hemmingson

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Current Events Snapshot

4/11/07 8:43:02 PM

5 Junior Andrew Pennington runs hurdles during a varsity track meet. “The best thing about being on track are the meets and being with other athletes on our team. The first meet of the year the Shawnee Mission East quad did really well on their events and every guy won their event,” Pennington said. Photo by Sarah Andrews.

Senior Joey Soptic

“Our band got to play at the pep assembly.

That was really fun because we got to play in front of the whole school. Tyler Enders asked us to do it at the last minute so we had to scramble to get our equipment up there. I think everyone enjoyed it though.” Photo by Whitney Van Way.

Junior Johnny Meara

Junior Hilary Borgmier

“At a Halloween party, Bradley Deer fell down the stairs in a Peter Pan outfit and landed on a cooler. His arm landed in the ice water. Everyone remembers that. It was the funniest thing that happened all year.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

“The most exciting thing that happened to me this year was making varsity swimming.

I’ve been working towards this since second grade and it’s finally paid off.” Photo by Kelsey Brown.

Senior Olivia Curran

Junior Andrew Tisdale

“We had an IB campout. Instead of skipping on senior skip day, we went to Tyler Ender’s house and went to school from there. It was fun because it was with people we don’t normally see outside of school. We built a campfire and cooked out.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

“During our first wiffle ball round, we won 54-22. I scored three goals and our entire team got three bannershots. We lost the second game, but if anything sticks out from this whole year, it’s definitely winning that first round.” Photo by Taylor Gudgel.

Sophomore David Riott

Freshman Hannah Mallen

“We had the Jazz Showcase and we played two sets of songs and Indian Hills and Mission Valley was there. Almost all of our mikes ended up not working and at one point there was a huge fuzzing noise.” Photo by Annie Krieg.

“I figured out that East isn’t as scary as it seems.

I thought it was going to be really big and it didn’t end up being as big and I thought the older kids would be mean and they werent. It’s totally different than what I thought.” Photo by Sarah Andrews.

Freshman Mackenzie Wylie

Junior Morgan Stock

“The first newspaper deadline night was my favorite memory of freshman year because I felt very involved with the newspaper and I thought it might be something I would do for the rest of my high school years.” Photo by Whitney Van Way.

“Making cheerleading again was great because the competition was pretty tough.

Camp this summer was really fun. We really got to bond and got to know each other and were able to see how we would be able to perform and work together.” Photo by Stefanie Enger.

Senior Abigail Harlan

“I was in a Frequent Friday, which was something completely new for me. It was great because it gave me a chance to get to know other people in different grades, which was really important to me this year.” Photo by Jenny Howard.

May

your favorite memories.

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5

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May Division Snapshot

4/16/07 5:48:42 PM