Messenger Vol. 117 issue 3 by The Messenger

WICHITA HIGH SCHOOL EAST

October 15, 2009 VOLUME 117, ISSUE 3

MESSENGER 2301 E. DOUGLAS AVE., WICHITA, KS 67211 // EHSMESSENGER.COM

LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEWS - 5 TEACHERS AGREE TO NEW CONTRACT - 6 HOMECOMING - 7 BEST WAR MOVIES - 8-9

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October 15, 2009

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120 N. Hillside www.nuDuboutique.com Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

End of first quarter No school - Oct. 16-19

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ENTERTAINMENT

October 15, 2009

dynamic

G N I N I D

S POPULAR LOCAL RESTAURANT OFFER DELICIOUS FOOD

SEVERAL

Location 1720 E. Douglas (Directly west of East)

Donut Whole

Price Single donuts range from $1.25 to $1.75 Regular Coffee - $1.50 Verdict All they have to eat is cake donuts, but at least they have a huge variety. Examples include Vegan, Triple Chocolate and Coconut donuts. The restaurant has decent coffee and many different types of drinks. Open 24/7.

Sport Burger

hese locally owned restaurants are all good for a quick lunch or dinner. The Donut Whole and Let’s Be Frank are newly created “scene” places with unique menus, created primarily for the late night crowd. “Let’s Be Frank is really unique. Most of their menu sounds weird but it’s actually really good,” Erika Patrick, soph., said. The regular cheeseburger at Sport Burger is arguably the best dollar that can be spent. “Sport Burger is really good,” Emily Ivy, jr., said. “They have the best hamburgers and amazing fries.:” Margaritas is one of the fastest sit down restaurants and can be good for formal and informal occasions. “I really like Margaritas,” Desiree Parmely, fr., said. “Their food is good and the service is always fast.”

Let’s Be Frank Location 134 N. Hillside (North of the intersection of Douglas and Hillside) Price Cheeseburger - 99¢ Giant Cheeseburger - $2.69 Verdict The lunch line can get long quickly, so be sure to get out of the parking lot quickly in order to go at lunch. Credit cards are not accepted. The Giant Cheeseburger is only marginally larger than the regular; opt for two regulars rather than one Giant (and save 69¢ in the process). Location 2425 E. Douglas (Just east of the intersection of Douglas and Grove)

Location 3109 E. Douglas (East of Hillside on Douglas)

Margaritas

Price Dinners range from $7.49 to $9.99

Price Classic Dog - $2.49 Pizza Dog - $4.29 Caviar Dog - $39.99 Verdict The huge variety of hot dogs means almost anyone can enjoy Let’s Be Frank. Service is a little slow, so try and get there early if you’re planning to eat hot dogs for lunch or dinner . The hot dogs themselves are good, but it is the toppings which make them come to life. Let’s Be Frank is open late on Friday and Saturday nights. It is a “scene” place that delivers ﬁne food.

Verdict All meals are served with chips and salsa. Service is incredibly fast, food comes within ﬁve minutes when not busy. The food is good and comes at a decent price.

JOHN CAMENZIND, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EVAN GOTTSTINE, REPORTER

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EDITORIAL

October 15, 2009

Letter to the Editors HANS WIDENER, HISTORY INSTRUCTOR

n response to the Editorial, “Electing representatives like Tiahrt reﬂects poorly on state”, I ﬁnd it interesting that people will call Tiahrt racist while ignoring the importance of his point— that if we make abortions publicly cheap and available, we will not know the potential greatness that could have been achieved by countless numbers of fetuses who are aborted every year—and no doubt that number would increase. Tiahrt is inherently acknowledging the great achievements of Obama and Marshall, yet that is being overlooked. Calling Tiahrt racist is an example of an ad hominem argument, which is a fallacy in logic that says if you can’t refute a person’s argument, attack the person. According to this bill, public tax money could be used to fund abortions. One argument of those who are pro-choice against making abortion illegal is that those who are pro-life would be forcing their beliefs upon those who think it should be legal. Well, if I am pro-life and you tell me that my tax money will be used to fund abortions, effectually, you are forcing your beliefs upon me. To me, the right to an abortion gives this message: You do not have to take personal responsibility for your actions. We live in a culture where it is increasingly acceptable to use the government as a crutch and void ourselves of any personal responsibility. Additionally, while I understand health care is expensive and very important, allowing the government to do this would unnecessarily increase their power, while diminishing our ability to pursue free-enterprise systems. Understand that pursuing equality (not equal opportunity) will ultimately diminish the freedoms you and I are able to enjoy today. Our nation’s prosperity is diminishing, and it will continue to do so until we infuse honor, character, and integrity back into our lives.

New teacher contract needs improvement A

fter months of contract dispute, USD 259 has reached an agreement with teachers for a two year contract. The district offered two contracts to the teachers. The teachers followed the recommendation of the United Teachers of Wichita, their union, and rejected the initial one year contract offer in August. The UTW recommended that teachers accept the district’s second offer, a two year contract. The teachers followed the lead of the UTW, as 76 percent of voters agreed to the contract. Even though a majority of teachers agreed to the contract, Larry Smith, Social Studies instructor, does not believe that means the contract is fair. “Teachers voted for this contract because they were afraid that another rejection would lead to a punitive unilateral contract and that the public would not understand the reasons for rejection,” Smith said. Two major points of contention in the contract were at the core of the dispute between the teachers and the district. The first of these is the freezing of track movement, which means that teachers will not be compensated for recently continued education. For example, under the 2008-2009 contract, a teacher with five years of experience and a bachelors degree made $41,650 while a teacher with five years of

JEREMY KOEHLER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF experience and a masters degree made $45,191. The fact that they have spent time away from their families and thousands of dollars on a degree that they will not be ﬁnancially compensated for angers many teachers. “I do believe that some teachers will leave the district, because other districts are paying for those things that we have frozen,” Smith said. “Teachers need to make a living, just like anyone else. They have families to feed, and they are going to go where they are appreciated.” The other point of contention was, surprisingly enough, not over salary. The dispute was over inservice days and PLC (Professional Learning Community) time, which take place every Wednesday morning before school at schools across the district. The schedule for the 2009-2010 school year contains six district in-service days. While the amount of PLC days will be cut in half for the 2010-2011 school year, only one in-service day

is being eliminated. Smith, and many other teachers said that district in-service days are misused. “Most of what we do is the same stuff we’ve done for 25 or 30 years, just re-hashed and given a new name,” Smith said. “In our last Social Studies in-service, we spent most of our time analyzing a video that is used in education colleges for new teachers. It was a waste of time. Think of how much more education of students could be accomplished with just ﬁve more teaching days.” Even though an agreement has been reached, it does not seem to be in the best interest of teachers, or more importantly students. The one in-service day that is being eliminated is not turned into a teaching day, but a day off for teachers. It seems that in-service days should be turned into school days, giving students and teachers a week more in the classroom over the course of the school year. While a new contract will not be possible for another two years, it is not too early to begin discussions. Without a promise from USD 259 to meet teachers’ needs, tension will increase, and the district will lose many experienced and welleducated teachers.

Frivolous spending unnecessarily increases federal deﬁcit

“W

e are out of money.” The president said so himself. And if we do not have money, we cannot spend it- or should not, anyway. Especially not on such trivial projects as skate park “facelifts.” It is no surprise the U.S. will face the largest percentage of capital shortfall since WWII, spending $3.7 trillion and taking in only $2.1 trillion by the end of the year. So, congratulations. As a U.S. citizen, your share of the national debt is only $40,000. In attempt to pacify the situation, this year’s $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act supplies project funding far too generously. Road signs, costing $300 each, sit at construction sites in order to inform motorists what projects are backed by the stimulus package. (We are talking $150,000 in Illinois road signs alone.) The National Institute of Health is providing Yale University with $680,000 in order to study the effectiveness of diet and exercise at reducing obesity. And get this- Washington, NC uses its stimulus funds in order to

BRAE MINER

REPORTER pay for the salary of its “projectfunding manager.” His job? To secure more stimulus funds. The growing deﬁcit is not considered to be a vital concern. Consumers spend less because the

Lavish Spending Projects • Yale and the University of Connecticut are receiving $850,000 “to study how paying attention improves the performance of difﬁcult tasks” • $160 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for National and Comunity service • 10,000 dead people will receive Social Security checks • Despite a law prohiting spending federal funds on local zoos, $11.4 of the Smithsonian’s $25 million will go to the National Zoo and its research center

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government acquires a portion of their money and routinely pours it into the economy for them. This money, used in order to promote current commercial spending, housing improvements, and more loans, will not generate forthcoming wealth but instead amplify interest dues. As we cannot meet loan payments and interest rates swell, investment dwindles, thus further slowing down the economy. This is not to say that all forms of deficit spending are bad. When 15 percent of the population can’t afford medical insurance, we’ve got a problem. Spending money in order to renovate the health care system can be afforded; $75 million for “smoking cessation activities” cannot. Money would be better off in taxpayers’ pockets than in Uncle Sam’s. In order to defer future deficit spending, the stipulations of such prominent fiscal bills cannot be overlooked any longer. Moreover, Washington, D.C. needs to manifest budgeting responsibility in order to maintain politcal leadership and salvage the economy.

FEATURE

October 15, 2009

a night among stars Homecoming festivities attract large crowds, despite surprisingly cold, winter-like weather

merman, jr. dance Audra Bryant, jr., and Alasyn Zim LEY MATTHEWS, ASH .” Face er “Pok a’s GaG to Lady HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

espite quite cold weather, fans turned out to see the football team march out on to the field Oct. 9 for the fall homecoming football game against West at Carpenter Stadium. With a football record of 1-4, loyal fans hoped for a win against West. Fortunately, East won the game with a score of 34-7. “I think we did a good job working together this game,” Tyler O’Quinn, sr., said. Departing from the usual pom pon and marching band performance, the halftime show honored East’s 11 National Merit semi-finalists, showering them with flowers and congratulations. The halftime show also included the coronation of the fall homecoming queen, Khanh Nguyen, sr. “I heard my name announced yet it really didn’t really hit me until my partner, Tyler, and all my other friends on court told me I won,” Nguyen said. “The cold no longer phased me after the whole adrenaline rush and excitement of winning kicked in. I feel really honored and thankful for this awesome opportunity.”

JENICE DUONG, WEBMASTER

With anticipation stirring the 32 degree air, students waited in long lines for entrance into the homecoming dance, Oct. 10 at Beech Activity Center. With a theme of “A Night Among Stars,” Beech Activity Center sparkled with decorations provided by Student Council. With classics such as the Cha Cha Slide and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” attendees could not help dancing. However, dancing ceased for the king coronation. “I was really excited to be crowned king, but I was surprised because I thought (Hai-) Tommy (Nguyen) would win,” O’Quinn said. Although homecoming brimmed with excitement for these two seniors, all good things must come to an end. “I can’t believe it’s been four years now, Nguyen said. “My high school experience went by quick and I’m having a great time, but I still can’t wait to walk with all my friends across that stage at graduation.”

Tracey Sealy, jr., shows off her dance moves at the “A Night Among Stars” themed fall homecomin g. JENICE DUONG, WEBMAST ER

es, Sachin Pendse, Demonstrating his wild dance mov CE DUONG, WEBfr., lures in curious onlookers. JENI MASTER

Fall homecoming candidates pose at the dance, Oct. 10 at Beech Activity Center. Front row: seniors Eva Anderson, Amanda Britt, Victoria Woods, Tyler O’Quinn, Khanh Nguyen, Alexandria Gates, Giovanni Poland. Back row: seniors Hai-Tommy Nguyen, Erick Heiman, Evan Hernandez, Omar Abu-Sherbi, Daniel Gao. ASHLEY MATTHEWS, HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

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FEATURE

duck and Cover ‘Messenger’ staff selects top contemporary war movies

Saving Private Ryan

Full Metal Jacket

War is one of the most gruesome examples of human evil. Only killing, slaughtering, and pain comes from these conﬂicts. And Hollywood has been making money off it for years.

‘Full Metal Jacket’ includes many scenes of great tension. The oldest movie on the list is a well known two part story following the exploits of new recruits in the Marine Corps in their training for the ﬁrst part of the movie and their actual participation in the Vietnam War. The movie is narrated by a private and then sergeant James “Joker” Davis (played

by Matthew Modine) who witnesses to the changes and personalities of his comrades and the brutality of the Vietnam War. The ﬁlm, directed by Stanley Kubrick, was nominated for a Golden Globe with best supporting actor R. Lee Ermey, and also won and was nominated for other awards.

Widely considered to the perfect account of World War II, director Stephen Spielberg pulls no punches with “Saving Private

The title of best movie is often debated. Out of the thousands that exist, “the Messenger” delivers an opinion on which ones are the greatest.

Apocalypse Now

October 15, 2009

Ryan,” thrusting the viewer into intense ﬁre ﬁghts and clearly conveying the horror of the DDay invasion.

Sheen rises from the mist in the Oscar winning Vietnam War classic.

When the three brothers of Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) are killed in action, and Ryan himself goes missing in a

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather”), “Apocalypse Now” shows the gritty underbelly of the Vietnam war and the mental toll it took on soldiers. U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) returns for his second tour of duty to hunt down Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who had gone insane and led his cult-like unit deep into neighboring Cambodia. Coppola’s masterpiece showed that not all war was glory and machismo, and could take soldiers to a dark and savage state of mind.

botched air drop, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) is sent to retrieve Ryan and send him home. With cameos by Paul Giamatti, Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Ted Danson and Nathan Fillion, this ﬁlm was quick to win ﬁve Oscars and an additional 52 awards. “Saving Private Ryan is hands down the best shooting movie there is,” said Evan Johnson, jr. “The backgrounds pretty realistic. They didn’t sugarcoat anything.”

The landing on the beaches of Normandy would soon erupt in to a full scale conﬂict.

October 15, 2009

slow motion scenes of violence and gore. It may also be notable that this movie contains multitudes of sexual content, so unlike the other movies on the list, this movie may not be favorable for those who are easily offended by sexual scenes. Though 300 may not be a contemporary war movie like the others listed, its sheer popularity and general favor earn it a place among them. “It’s really bloody and violent.” said Joey Smith, soph. “It tells a good story based on about how 300 men defended their country.”

King Leonidas (Gerald Butler) prepares to attack the Persian invaders.

“Pearl Harbor” recounts the hardships during and after the Japanese attack.

Straying from the traditional historical war story line, Michael Bay’s 2001 adaptation of the Japanese attack in Hawaii, “Pearl Harbor” gives a depiction of the Japanese invasion in U.S. waters through a combination of action and romance. “Pearl Harbor” partially centers around a romance between pilot Rafe McCawley (Ben Afﬂeck) and love interest/nurse Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale) as McCawley is transferred to the U.S. Navy base of Pearl Harbor only a short while before the attack. Both action and romance are sure to please as Pearl Harbor unfolds into the dramatic experience that past war veterans uphold it to be, though it might also be worth noting that many historical aspects of this movie are completely wrong.

One of the more known movies of the oppression shown during World War II, “Schindler’s List” shows the struggle of refugees rather than taking the conflict to the front lines. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film depicts unsuccessful businessman Oskar Schindler’s (Liam Neeson) efforts to defend and shroud Polish Jews from the marching and ever-present German military. “It accurately depicted the situation of the Jews during World War II,” Jack Freeman, fr., said. The film received seven Oscars and over 60 other awards, and can often be found near the top of countless “Top 100 Movies of All Time” lists, including IMDB.com and the American Film Institute.

Schindler’s List

Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and (Sgt. Donny Donowitz) Eli Roth take part in a grusome scene. havoc to the Nazi Regime, one “Once upon a time... in by the actual group of the InNazi-occupied France.” glourious Basterds including The opening lines of this First Lieutenant Aldo Raine summer’s hit World War II (Brad Pitt) Staff Sergeant film, “Inglourious Basterds,” Donny Donowitz, known as make it apparent that it the “Bear Jew” (Eli Roth) and will not be like the intense another by French theatre conflicts that Hollywood has owner Shosanna Dreyfus previously portrayed. Instead, (Mélanie Laurent). Eventually “Inglourious Basterds” takes these plots come together for a more humorous approach to an explosive ending that some the second World War. may find a bit incorrect to say Directed by Quentin Taranthe least. tino, the movie centers around two plots formed to bring

Pearl Harbor

Inglorious Basterds

300

“This is Sparta!” The catchphrases from the 2007 hit “300” rang out in the ears of viewers and has seemed to become one of pop culture’s most famous lines, used in both internet pictures and questionable spoofs. Not at all surprising, “300” is said to be one of the best actions movies of the 21st Century so far. Directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Frank Miller, “300” chronicles the efforts of a group of Spartan soldiers led by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) against the Persian army that is soon to plague their civilization. There is sure to be something for the warmonger in everyone with plenty of

FEATURE

“Schindler’s List” is one of the best accounts of World War II Nazi campaigns.

For Glory

Out of 200 East High students polled, almost half said that their favorite movie which is set before World War I was ‘300.’

100 86 80

40 26

300

The Patriot

Gladiator

Braveheart

Troy

Other

IAN BAILEY, REPORTER COLIN WHITE, REPORTER PHOTOS FROM MOVIEWEB.COM

October 15, 2009

Halloween Superstitions •

•

Looking into a candle’s ﬂame on Halloween makes it possible to see into the future. If a girl carries a lamp to a spring of water on Halloween, she can see her future husband’s reﬂection.

•

The spirit of a dead loved one might watch you in the form of a spider on Halloween.

•

To meet a witch, put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards.

•

In Britain, people use nuts as magic charms because some believe the devil was a nut gatherer.

•

Someone born on Halloween is able to both see and talk to spirits and ghosts.

•

A bat ﬂying around a house three times is considered to be an omen of death.

FEATURE

FEST

T H G RI G

oing to haunted houses has become a tradition for people of every age to uphold every year in Wichita. Every haunted house has something special that attracts

visitors, gains sponsors, and elicits screams, one monster at a time. Although the staff only visited three of them, many more exist across Wichita and surrounding areas.

Field of Screams • 4055 N. Tyler Rd. Field of Screams is one of Wichita’s most popular haunted attractions, and after visiting, it is easy to see why. The ﬁeld has several thousand visitors each week. This can make standing in line to enter a process that can take several hours. Luckily for the people who wait in line, the ﬁelds do not disap-

point. While they change up the maze every year, this time, Field of Screams is taking a different approach. They have added a new attraction called Clown Town in addition to The Prophecy, their normal maze. Clown Town is the must-see attraction. A combination of indoor

and outdoor mazes, creepy carnival music, and, of course, clowns, make the attraction scary enough that it is not recommended for young children. The scares are well worth the price and time. Tickets are available for $14 per ﬁeld and $20 for both.

The Haunted Island • 3022 S. McLean Blvd. The Haunted Island at Watson Park offers scares, screams, and complimentary beads. The island features two parts: Ravenwood Manor, and the newest attraction, the Garden of Evil. Ravenwood Manor uses lightning fast strobes to get customers lost on this path through the woods, encountering monsters at

almost every turn and falling onto the ground every now and then for only $14 at the gate. The path is relatively long so everyone is sure to get their money’s worth. For $8, The Garden of Evil is signiﬁcantly shorter and features several child actors. This would be better for a person that gets scared easily and only wants

The Asylum • 8025 E. Douglas

JESSICA THOMAS, REPORTER ASHLEY MATTHEWS, REPORTER KIERSTIN McMICHAEL, REPORTER

Each location spends weeks on end preparing scenery and training actors to be as creepy as possible to provide the best spook around, and most of them succeed.

One of the newest haunted houses is “The Asylum.” The Haunted House is a short walk through, which features creatures that do not make sense with the title of the attraction. The theme should center around patients that have lost their mind, but one of the creatures the haunted house features

Clowns, dead or alive, are everywhere in this year’s Field of Screams. JESSICA THOMAS, REPORTER

is a werewolf. “The Asylum” also introduces a man with a chain saw, making the visitor wonder where the real scare factor will make the heart jump. The strobe lights while going down the stairs could also cause someone to fall. At a cost of $20, the buyer will be disappointed. Some of the equipment had not arrived

“Fast Pass” buyers at Field of Screams get to ride this hearse to the ﬁelds. JESSICA THOMAS, REPORTER

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to stay in the woods for a few minutes at the most. Getting in should not be a problem, seeing as the line is usually very short. The wait is not very long and the prices are considerably cheap compared to some other locations. Ravenwood Manor was worth the money, but the Garden of Evil is not as highly recommended.

the first week “The Asylum” was opened and the haunted house needs more actors to be able to experience a racing heart. Wait a few more weeks or until next year if the opportunity comes to visit “The Ayslum.” Bring five cans of food, which will benefit the Food Bank, and recieve a $5 discount.

Haunted Island uses many actors like this one intent on scaring visitors. KIERSTIN McMICHAEL, REPORTER

of the

FEATURE

October 15, 2009

 SPEAK OUT

Students choose favorite snack foods T

But with this variety comes debate, as we found out. Students were more than willing to defend their favorite treat. According to our poll, candy was the favorite snack of students. While arguably not the best snack, it was without question the most popular among students. Candy was followed by fruit, Cheez Itz, cookies and Chex Mix. While we have declared candy as the best snack of East High, the subject will, no doubt, be debated for centuries to come.

he best snack food: always debated but never agreed upon. Everyone has a favorite snack; however, our goal was to ﬁnd the “best” snack, at least according to East High students. We have deﬁned a snack as a portable, sharable, snackable treat, so foods such as burgers or tacos were not accepted. Snacking is common place at East, whether it is in the halls or in the classroom. Along with this snacking obsession comes a wide variety of snack preferences, which ranged from pickles to churros.

SPEAK OUT

What is your favorite snack food?

“Teddy Grahams. They’re chubby chocolate chip bears. They’re glazed and delicious, you can eat a thousand and not get tired of them.” Evan Johnson, jr.

“Ice cream, because it’s nice and creamy. It’s always cold. I like vanilla bean the most because vanilla is my favorite.” Tori Taylor, jr.

“Soft pretzels, they’re not too hard and don’t crunch on my sensitive teeth. They’re great with salt.” Domonick Venskus, sr.

snack

serving size

calories

carbohydrates

sugar

pretzels

1 oz.

107

22.2 grams

.6 grams

popcorn

1 oz.

107

21.8 grams

N/A

chips

1 bag

1217

120 grams

N/A

oreos

3 cookies

200

17.75 grams

1 cup

899

99.8 grams

86.5 grams

1 pickle

3 grams

1 gram

Number of students

pickles

Aces’ Favorite Snacks

Jared Jamis, jr. pours the last of his Lays crumbs into his mouth during passing period. EMMA GILLESPIE, REPORTER

10 EMMA GILLESPIE, REPORTER COURTNEY LIEBST, YEARBOOK 1 DONALD PEPOON, REPORTER

5 Fruit

Chex Candy Mix

“Ramen noodles. It’s noodly and has a unique ﬂavor” Jesse Perry, soph. “Ice cream, because ice cream is my favorite sweet.” Trevel Jackson, fr.

“Hot Fries, because they are crunchy and taste like fries. They are hot and delicious.” Benjamin Phan, fr.

“Star Burst, because they’re good and juicy.” Eduardo Lopez, jr. “Famous Amos, I like the chocolate.” Karen Montes, sr.

Nutrition Facts

chocolate

What is your favorite snack food?

Cheez Itz Cookies

Snacks

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“Doritos because I like the nacho cheese.” Isaiah Carter, fr. “Hummus and pita chips because they’re awesome. Hummus is yummy. It’s not the average snack, and it’s healthy.” Courtney Sargent, sr.

“S’mores Pop-Tarts, they’re quick and easy. They’re more chocolatey compared to other Pop-Tarts.” Demira Perkins, soph.

“Cheese Chex Mix, they’re better than the normal ones and are extremely addicting.” Kelly Redler, jr.

Come out and support your school at the East vs. Heights game Oct. 16, sponsored by INTRUST Bank. Be one of the first 300 fans and get a free commemorative T-shirt from INTRUST Bank.

OPEN A FREE CHECKING ACCOUNT WITH INTRUST BANK, and we’ll credit your account $25 just for joining our team. As a member of our squad, you’ll receive all the same perks as your teammates – like no minimum monthly balance, no monthly service charge, a free Visa® check card with rewards and free online banking. So enter our draft by rushing to your nearest INTRUST Bank branch today. *Offer expires 11/30/09. To receive this offer, you must be a new personal checking account customer who has not had ownership of an INTRUST checking account in the last 12 months. Bonus will be provided at time of account opening and will be reported to the IRS as income. Account requires a $100 minimum deposit. Offer not valid with any other promotional offer. Other restrictions may apply. Member FDIC

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9/28/09 3:55:37 PM

October 15, 2009 SPORTS Football coach encourages players to focus on schoolwork AARON HEIL T

he football team sends its players to go talk to their teachers about schoolwork every Thursday before they go practice. “If you’re behind, you have time outside of school to go to your teachers and see what they need,” NCAA Division I Requirement Scale GPA ACT Score SAT Score 4.0 37 400 3.75 37 400 3.5 39 420 3.25 46 490 3.0 52 620 2.75 59 720 2.5 68 820 2.25 77 920 2.0 86 1010

Chaquil Reed, sr., said. During much of the week, the players are at practice and do not have as much time to talk to their teachers as other students. These Thursday meetings allow athletes to make up lost time in class and talk to their teachers about problems they have in class. This will be the second year that the team has been meeting out of class with their teachers. Head coach Brian Byers started the program to get the athletes more focused on their grades and to provide more time for the athletes to catch up with their schoolwork. “It’s an opportunity to get them to get extra help,” Byers said.

Some of these athletes look toward playing time in college. To continue their careers, they will need to graduate with an acceptable GPA. The NCAA Division requires at least a 2.00 to compete. The athletes themselves believe the additional time is beneﬁcial. “It’s helpful,” Reed said. “If you missed a day or a test it’s a good time to make that up.” “It’s very necessary,” Demetrius Johnson-Reed, sr., said. “He (Byers) sends us to our teachers so we can check our grades and missing work.” With 24 credits needed to graduate, it is imperative that students maintain their grades

REPORTER and not fail classes. Athletes may have the potential to play in college sports, but ﬁrst they need good grades. Missing vital tests or assignments severely affects athletes’ grades. They need time to recover lost class time. With his Thursday meetings, Byers sets a precedent that reminds students that school comes before football.

Increased training, team unity makes cross country team hopeful to qualify for state

he boys and girls cross country teams hope to qualify for state this season. To do this, the team has set many goals, both personal and as a team. “My biggest personal goal is to make State,” Kristen Lumpkins, soph., said. “I also would like to place under 57th at state because I want to improve on my place from last year.” To accomplish this goal, Lumpkins will need to run well at Regionals, Oct. 24. The top 10 individuals will advance to State, along with the top three girls and boys varsity teams. “We are hoping that both teams will make it to State and ﬁnish in the top 2 of the city,” Darham Rogers, assistant coach, said. In order to qualify for state, the team has increased their training this season. “Our athletes have done a tremendous job of working through

a very rigorous training program that we have set up for them,” Rogers said. “It’s unlike what we have done in past years and it takes a lot of hard work and discipline. Our athletes are required more than other sports to have a lifestyle change, meaning they have to get a certain amount of sleep and eat a certain kind of food.” The team has also taken steps to improve their mental attitude during races by running in packs. This ensures that the runners will always have a team member to work with and push off of. “We have worked all year on maintaining contact with other groups of our runners,” Rogers said. “We very rarely see an East High runner all by themselves.” Due to pack running, discipline, and training through out the season, coaches and runners believe that the team will do well at Regionals,

and possibly advance to State. “Overall, the team has worked harder this year at practices and at the meets,” Lumpkins said. “I think we have a good chance of making State.” However, qualifying for State is not the only aspect of cross country that the runners ﬁnd important. “My favorite part about cross country is how close the team is,” Carlin Greene, fr., said. “This is my ﬁrst year, but I can already see how connected everyone is.” Christian Kaufman, sr., agrees with Greene, and believes that the friendships make running more enjoyable. “Its nice to talk to everyone and get to know them outside of cross country,” Kaufman said. “We do a lot of different things like team dinners and playing other sports like frisbee and volleyball.”

LAUREN GRABER, REPORTER

Kristen Lumpkins, soph., and Carlin Greene, fr., run together at the Southeast Invitational, Sept 19. DARYAN COLLING, PHOTOGRAPHER

Submissions wanted

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FEATURE

October 15, 2009

1 2

1) New small gym, swimming pool

bond issue

update

2) New child day care facili-

ties

3) Current west gym becomes new theater

4) New turf and track for football field not all about sports Sports are the first thing that comes to mind regarding the Bond Issue. While a significant portion of Bond Issue funds will undoubtedly be used for the development of athletic facilities, other departments will benefit as well. Changes include new band, orchestra and choir rooms, a new theater, garages for Driver’s Education vehicles and new facilities for the child day care units to the west of the building.

TIMELINE of EVENTS 2009-2010: • track • football ﬁeld • garage units 2010-2011: • updated tennis courts • updated auditorium • small gym/pool 2011-2012: • theater • band/orchestra & choir units

“I’m not mad or anything about not being able to experience all the changes because my sister and cousin will still be at East so I’ll still beneﬁt from it.” Asia Moore, sr.

Construction to end in 2012 Ken Thiessen, principal, was interviewed about the Bond Issue and the changes which will affect East High within the next few years.

Projects confirmed: The initial plan is that we are getting a new band and orchestra and choir area which will include office space for the teachers, an ensemble room and storage space. Right now tentatively it will be in the west building, connected to the west gym. The new theatre will be built for fall productions with about 600 seats. It will house all musical and drama performances and all essential elements for a production. Timetable: The project will be completed three years from now by the (school) year 2012-2013. By the time our current freshmen are seniors, the Bond Issue will be finished. Current sophomores will see the new swimming pool. Construction progress: It’s all going well. One of the struggles we had is the budgetary expenditures that we didn’t anticipate. The area with the west gym has manual utility lines where the gym is supposed to be built and must be removed before construction. Anticipation: Three things: Having the new theater, having the new

pool and having the new gym in close proximity to the current one. Spending: It’s important to note that there is a difference between Bond Issue money and capital outlay. Capital outlay is used for construction and goes towards renovation and upkeep. We get capital outlay from the state each year, whether or not a Bond Issue is in place. The Bond Issue money is being used for changes that capital outlay won’t cover. The Bond Issue allowed for other things to be paid for. Athletics: The ﬁrst thing is, when the Bond was in conversation, everything was laid out and open for talk. During the last Bond project, no money was spend on athletics. Additional money must now go to athletic purposes. For this project, we examined our needs. We needed the pool, auditorium, and a new small gym.

HALEY SHELTON, PHOTOGRAPHER

“Our old track was concrete so we weren’t able to wear spikes so with a new track we can wear spikes and get the feel for how it feels to run with spikes. It helps our morale.” David Perales, sr. “The turf ﬁeld helps the practices because we don’t have to trip over grass. It’s a lot cleaner, stuff doesn’t get muddy, it’s a lot better, and there are fewer bugs.” Garret Gates, fr. “It will be an honor to be a senior and have all the changes but it’s not fair to only experience all the changes for one year.” Jessica Sennett, fr.

Beneﬁt to students: From an athletic standpoint, everything will be used during a school day. The new tennis courts won’t only be for the tennis team. We want to include them in our curriculums. The turf will be used for multiple purposes.

“It helps us take care of the cars. Prior to the garages we had to store the cars outside which left them vulnerable to the weather.” Greg Gegen, Drivers Ed instructor.

Beneﬁt to academics: The average classroom will remain the same.

SALMAN HUSAIN, REPORTER

ASHLEY MATTHEWS, HEAD PHOTAGRAPHER

speakout

ASHLEY MATTHEWS, HEAD PHOTAGRAPHER

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VIOLETTA LOPEZ, REPORTER

ASHLEY MATTHEWS, HEAD PHOTAGRAPHER

1. Track construction in the summer 2. The new football ﬁeld is laid out 3. Garage units for use by Driver’s Ed vehicles during summer construction 4. Track development almost completed