vol. 21| issue 1

Meet the Staff: New Teachers to

Olathe East

Tips and Tricks for the new Freshmen

OurImpressions of

New MoviesPages 4 and 5 Pages 10 and 11 5

Check outpage 7The New and

Improved OE

Basketball Court

NewsCar Fire

New Teachers

R.I.P. Nate Trinkle

R.I.P. Teri Adhers

EntertainmentConcerts

Movie Reviews

Advertisement

Europe and Latin Trip

Spain Trip / Comic

In the Mix

Photostory

FEATURE/SpORTSWhat’s New

Sports Preview

Freshmen Guide

Recap Soccer / Softball

Recap Track / Bowling

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3By: Lauren Merino and Jordan Meier

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 & 5By Callie Boyce and Courtney Child

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6By Sean Murray and Katie Thompson

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6By: Jessica Goddard

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 By: Kellan Richards

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 & 9By: Matthew Gwin and Logan Brockschmidt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 & 11

By: Lauren Hart and Lauren Heinrich. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

By: Paige Schick . . . . . . . . . . . 13

By : Austin Porter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14By: Aaron Rhodes and Katie Thompson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

By: Joseph Bush and Jessica Goddard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17By: Brianne Grudek

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18By: Madaline Branstetter and Peter Hung

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19By: Joseph Bush

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20By: Kelsey Knecht and Sean Fiore

See page 3!

See page 9!

See page 18!

The four amigas Courtesy of Emily Harmsen

Riley Botz looking on Courtesy of Zach Neuman

Weh-ew weh-ew (sirens) Courtesy of Sean Murray

SEPTEMBER‘12 |03

NEWS Vol 21| Iss 01

Jordan Meier//Staff WriterLauren Merino//Staff Writer

His dad came and the two of them went and got a U-Haul truck, put jacks under where the wheels used to be, and were able to get the car up in the truck. It was sold for scrap metal, but “not enough for a new car,” he explained. He had owned the 2001 silver Saturn for almost a year. “She was my first car. Her name was Jenni-fer,” Kerry said. Currently, he is getting around on a bike and trying to find a job in order to pay for a new car. But, miraculously, he still has something that survived in the fire. “My girlfriend made me a little cardboard snow-man and put it on the dashboard. Everything else was pretty much destroyed but ironically the snow-man survived,” Hokanson said. Fortunately, no one was injured. Seemingly, even in the worst situation, something good can come out of a disaster.

When senior Kerry Hokanson went up to the school on August 8 to play basketball with a friend, he had no idea his day would go up in flames. In the middle of playing, the intercom announced that there was a silver Saturn on fire in the front parking lot. He knew it was his. Kerry ran outside as fast as possible. He found several people standing around the car, watching it burn. He then went back inside to get his phone so he could contact his parents. By the time the call was over, the fire department had arrived and extinguished the flames. They, along with everyone else, could not tell what the definite cause of the fire was. “I know that it started in the engine,” Kerry said. “I still don’t know what the exact cause was, but I’m pretty sure it must have been an electrical short.” He had been having difficulties with the car beforehand. So, rec-ognizably, he had been “waiting for it to die.”

Car catches on fire in Olathe East parking lot

“

“ She was my first car. Her name was Jennifer.

-Kerry Hokanson

Auto Inferno

Car Carnage Courtesy of Sean Murray

The Aftermath Courtesy of Sean Murray

Megan Dyer recently graduated from KU and believes her first year as a teacher will go well. She chose to teach high school students because high school was such a positive experience for her.

Rolling into her 20th year as a health teach-er, Kelly Byers continues to enjoy educating high school kids because of the teacher/stu-dent relationships that she builds. As a first-year PACE teacher, Byers looks forward to instructing students in this additional subject.

04 |THE HAWK’S EYE

NEWSAs the new school year begins, East welcomes thirteen new staff members.

Callie Boyce//Staff WriterCourtney Child//Staff Writer

Angela Fraher has been teaching for nine years and absolutely loves it. As to why she teaches, she responded, “I think I have the best job ever!” Be-fore moving to Kansas, Fraher lived in Iowa and London, England.

New cheerleading coach, Madison Parker, likes working with kids whose futures are around the corner. She en-joys watching the impact she has on her students. Her own struggles in math class inspired her to become a high school math teacher.

Stanford Spurlin feels excited to be back teaching Chemistry after 25 years of work-ing in the pharmaceutical industry. While working, he traveled overseas frequently and has even been to New Zealand. He will coach softball in the spring.

Jared Schelp, the new Resource teacher, will be coaching boy’s soccer in the fall. As for a little known fact about himself, Shelp remarks, “I am not a high school student at Olathe East.”

Kelly Byers Health/PACE

Megan Dyer

Math

All Photos Courtesy of Zack Neuman

Jared SchelpResource

Angela Fraher

Resource and Reading

Stanford Spurlin

General Chemistry

Madison Parker

Math

Fresh Faculty

All Photos Courtesy of Zack Neuman

SEPTEMBER ‘12 |05

NEWSVol 21| Iss 01

Sarah Talcott, a great cook and a dedi-cated parent, thoroughly enjoys instruct-ing parenting and baking class. Outside of school she loves to run. In fact, she has run two half-marathons in Kona, Hawaii.

Thea Britton likes teaching high school be-cause the kids understand her jokes. She loves giving help and support to students who need it. When she’s not teaching, she savors the time spent with her grandson.

Nancy Johns is Olathe East’s newest nurse, but she has been in the health care field for 20 years. She really en-joys her job because she loves to help people. One courageous thing Johns did was bungee-jump off of a bridge in New Zealand.

Though Dustin Cates is a rookie to East, he has been teaching for nine years. He loves music in general and the per-formance aspect of high school. Cates finds enjoyment in seeing the growth of kids throughout their high school ca-reers. He also has a baby boy who just turned one.

First-year teacher Laurence Woodruff is enthu-siastic about teaching high schoolers. In his free time, Woodruff enjoys doing Hapkido, a Korean martial art. One thing that few know about OE’s new Biology teacher is that he has never shaved his beard.

Olathe East’s new Speech Pathologist, Mel-anie Burris, is pleased to be a part of the Hawk Nation. Her son, Wesley, is a freshman here at East. Before working in the Olathe School District, Burris also worked as a ca-reer counselor for the Army.

Chemistry teacher Mr. Hutchinson received his masters at K-State University. During his leisure time, he likes going to the lake with his wife. Hutchinson has a deep passion for teaching chemistry- he even reads biochemistry textbooks for fun.

Thea BrittonAmerican History/AVID/

PACE

Nancy JohnsNurse

Laurence Woodruff

Biology

Jim Hutchinson

Chemistry

Melanie BurrisSpeech Pathology

Dustin CatesChoir

Sarah Talcott

Baking/Parenting/Human Services

SEPTEMBER ‘12 |07

FEATUREVol 21| Iss 01

What’s New?Highlighting the newest features to Olathe EastKellan Richards//Staff Writer

Olathe East’s gym floor has been renewed. With a new paint job and fresh design, the floor seems brand new. This summer the school district and Olathe East funded the refurbishing of the gym floor. On average

every ten years gym floors need to be repainted. This year Olathe east used the design of a local parent, whose résumé of past gym floors include Missouri State University and Florida University.

Another addition to the school this year is the Hawk’s Nest’s new monumental device - The Spirit Box. The idea of a vending machine in the commons was appealing to the Hawk’s Nest because of its potential to make sales anytime, thus no longer restrict-ing the Hawk’s Nest to its time during the fifth hour lunch period. Another benefit of having the spirit box

is its ability to take credit cards. This new benefit adds a layer of convenience to purchasing items from the Hawk’s Nest. Another interesting option of spirit box is the implementation of coupons. Coupons may be distributed during school events that can go towards purchasing something from the spirit box.

1As the new year begins, some parts of Olathe East have been renovated, some processes updated, and new technology added. Olathe East is boasting a new gym floor, a new tardy table process, and the Hawk’s Nest has reinvented the way it sells products.

As for the new Tardy Table system, Principal Dr. We-ber said “The new tardy system should make counting tardies easier for teachers, and ultimately minimize the time students are away from the classroom.” For now the Tardy Table is just pen and paper. Once fully operational in September, the completely elec-tronic system will allow ID cards to be scanned in order to give the student their tardy. The tardy policy is the same as last year, with the seventh cumulative tardy becoming a detention. Assigning detentions will also

become easier, as the system itself will count the num-ber of tardies given. When the seventh tardy has been issued, a detention slip will print along with the pass, thus eliminating the time that was previously needed to call the student down to the office to give them their detention. This electronic system will still allow an ad-minister overdrive for those students who have passes to excuse their tardy. Two tardy tables are available: one in the lower commons and one on the bridge.

3

2 Rest in Peace

Nate Trinkle8/10/94 - 7/14/12

Sean Murray//EditorKatie Thompson//Artist


NEWS

Jessica Goddard//Managing Editor

Rest in Peace

Terri Adhers4/13/48-7/12/12

As many students know, a member of the senior class had his life tragically cut short over the summer. Besides being widely known for his compassion, friendliness, and kindness, Nate Trinkle is remembered for many commend-able attributes. His dedication to the Olathe East football team, his focus on his studies, his role as a loving brother, and his life as a wonderful son are all reasons Nate will be deeply missed by the Olathe East community. T-shirts, wristbands, and more have been made to allow Nate’s legacy to live on.

Mrs Adhers and her children Courtesy of Jill Callhoun

Secretary Teri Adhers was well known for her kindness and ac-cepting personality. Over the summer Adhers lost her battle with a type of Mesothelioma more commonly known as lung cancer. Adhers suffered form Pleural Mesothelioma, which is a rare form of cancer. “Growing up my mom was the best!”, Said daughter Jill Cal-houn, who teaches business classes here at East. “She dedicated her life to my brother and me. We knew we were the center of her world.” This seems to be the case in all aspects of Adhers life. She and her husband would often check up on each other often during the day. She was also totally devoted to Olathe East and loved being a Hawk. A memorial service was held on July 18 at the United Method-ist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood. There was a huge response from East’s staff. Calhoun stated, “I was overwhelmed by the amount of love and support. I’ve never seen a group of people rally together to support each other the way East does.” Tom Barry, former principal spoke at her funeral. “I miss her dearly but truly appreciate all the love and support this staff has shown me,” said Calhoun.

To Nate, the dragonfly was, and always will be special.

SEPTEMBER ‘12 | 09

SPORTSVol 21| Iss 01

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY1.”Seniors Brenna McDannold, Riley Gay, and Jennifer Hale, junior Kelsey Quiring, and sophomore Natalie Kop-plin,” responded Coach Shanna Evans.2. “Come together as a team and do much better[than last year].3. “Shawnee Mission West and Blue Valley Northwest.”

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY1. “Seniors Elias Wade and Austin Matters, and juniors Nick Hinrichs and Shale Morris,” assistant coach Glenn Daniels said.2. “Constant Improvement.”3. “Shawnee Mission Northwest is a consistent power, [and so is] Lawrence Free State. We should be one of the powers.”

FOOTBALL1. “Our entire backfield is returning [with] seniors John Blazevic, Hayden Frazier, and Spencer Taylor. We also return seniors Matt Gorby, Ryan Woodson, and Zach Williams,” Coach Jeff Meyers responded.2. “Improve every day as a player, person, and student,” added Meyers.3. “Olathe South, Shawnee Mission West,Shawnee Mission East, and Lawrence.”

MEN’S SOCCER1. “Seniors Spencer Atkin, Austin Elliot, Brendan O’Keefe, and Alec Paden,” Coach Terry Hair said.2. “Practice hard, and implement it in games,” an-swered Hair.3. “Olathe South, Olathe Northwest, and Shawnee Mission East.”

WOMEN’S GOLF1.”Senior Abby Felter, juniors Genna Lind, Nicole Pickett, Tiffany Churchill, and sophomore Carolyn Schmidt,” Coach Kathy Lilley said.2.”We want to compete at a higher level,” stated Lilley.3. “Shawnee Mission East, Blue Valley North, and Olathe Northwest.”

The girls begin their runPhoto Courtesy of Shanna Evans

The boys dash toward the finishPhoto Courtesy of Shanna Evans

Nicole Pickett sinks a puttPhoto Courtesy of Matthew Gwin

Drake Robertson crosses the ball into the boxPhoto Courtesy of Zach Neuman

A player brings in a passPhoto Courtesy of Zach Neuman


SPORTS

Sights Set on StateEverything you need to know about 2012 fall sports at EastLogan Brockschmidt//Staff WriterMatthew Gwin//Staff Writer

QUESTIONS1. Who are some key returning starters?2. What are some less obvious goals for the season? (i.e. not ‘winning state’)3. Who will be your toughest opponents?

WOMEN’S TENNIS1. “Senior Hannah Heaton and junior Mollie Magee are the returning #1 doubles team and made an appearance at state last year. #1 singles player, sophomore Erica Chang, comes back after also qualifying for state last year,” Coach Jeff Hulse said.2. 'We want to get better every day in practice and make our teammates better. We also want to be top three in league and district, city champs of Olathe, and qualify for state,” stated Hulse.3. Shawnee Mission East and Blue Valley North both have excellent programs and are good every year. Mays and Washburn Rural will also be very good.”

Fall sports season has arrived, and Olathe East students are pumped to cheer on their Hawks to successful seasons.The Hawk’s Eye was lucky enough to speak with coaches of all eight fall sports teams.

GYMNASTICS1. “Seniors Mackenzie Hill, Allison Meads, and Ashley Kelly, junior Cassidy King, and sophomore Shannon Sewell,” Coach Julie Bayha said.2.”We want to perform consistently and add difficulty to our routines,” added Bayha.3. “Lawrence Free State.”

VOLLEYBALL1.”Seniors Megan Starling and Courtney Will, and sophomores Kelli Kallinoski, Lindsey Benson, and Marissa Round,” answered assistant coach Jen-nifer Rippee.2. “Sunflower League champs for the first time, over 30 wins, and stay focused in practice for every minute,” Rippee said.3. “Olathe South, Olathe Northwest, Lawrence Free State, and all the Blue Valley Schools.”

A player smashes a servePhoto Courtesy of Zach Neuman

The volleyball team practicesPhoto Courtesy of Zach Neuman

Gymnasts practice their routinesPhoto Courtesy of Zach Neuman


FEATURE

Freshmen Survival Guide

“ “ “I’ve met a lot of new people from other middle schools, and have become closer with people I never re-ally talked to.” -Anonymous

Hey Freshmen. Go home. Just kidding!!! You won’t have to if you read these nine tips to survive your 9th grade year here at Olathe East. If you follow these suggestions, your next four years of high school will be a breeze.

You can have common courtesy, but you really don’t need to apologize for bumping into someone or stepping on their foot unless this was intentional or you knocked someone down.

Keeping on the topic of walking, don’t walk at a snail’s pace in the hallway. If you walk too slowly, you may get run over. Everyone needs to get to places and no one wants to be late.

Bring a snack because you will get hungry. You may find it easier to concentrate if you have a full stomach. Check with your teacher before eating in class. Bring a water bottle too!

Put effort into your schoolwork. If you don’t give 110% all the time, you will make it more difficult on yourself and on your teachers. Your diligent work will pay off in the long run.

Please stay on your side of the hallway. It is difficult for others to walk through the halls if you are on the left side.

Know who your true friends are. People change, especially in high school. Don’t be afraid to do things by yourself.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You never know; someone probably has the same question as you.

Get involved in school activities. You can meet many of new friends by participating in sports or the many clubs available at East.

Last but not least, stay true to yourself. Stick up for yourself and for what you believe in.

Welcoming Freshmen Poster Courtesy of Dylan Klohr

First Day Activities Courtesy of Dylan Klohr

Lauren Hart//Staff WriterLauren Heinrich//Staff Writer

Hawk Leader Group Session Courtesy of Dylan Klohr

SEPTEMBER ‘12 |11


Most students remember their first year at Olathe East. Most people are intimidated by how massive East is. Trying to make new friends while keeping the old proves a challenge, but we made it. Some freshmen were asked about their first few days at East. Surprisingly, they all said they didn’t get lost. Below are questions and their responses:

Lauren Hart//Staff WriterLauren Heinrich//Staff Writer

Ask aFreshmen

What was the hardest adjustment into high school? “Not being able to see all my friends and not having any classes with them. Having to reintroduce myself was hard.” -Tristan Jordan “Just all the different things coming at you at once.” -Wade Rance “Carrying my backpack everywhere.” -Mitch Walden “All (of) the homework and how big the school is.” -Lesley Ramirez

Was East different than you thought it would be? “I always thought it would be more crowded than it actually is. I guess that’s just because we are just so spread out.” -Anonymous “I was surprised by how far apart all my classes are. I thought they’d be way closer to each other.” -Abbey Sigler “I thought it would be hard to get to my classes in only six minutes, but it really isn’t that hard.” -Sydney Spears

What are you looking forward to the most at East? “Being with a lot more people and making new friends.” -Mitch Walden “All of the activities. Getting involved here and having fun.” -Michael Meier “I was excited to come because of Andrew Kel-lison. I really missed him.” -Connor Davis “Marching band next year.” -Lesley Ramirez “I’m looking forward to cross country and acting.” -Wade Rance

Do you plan on getting involved in any sports or activities, and if so which ones? “Yeah I’m getting involved in choir, theater, and band.” -Michael Meier “Yes, cross country and acting, (and) running for stucco. (Vote Wade!) -Wade Rance “I already made the soccer team.” -Mitch Walden “Yes, baseball.” -Connor Davis “I go to AWAKE? every Tuesday and Friday morning. It’s awesome!” -Mattie Bell

Ms. Stiles, science teacher, and Mr. Thibodeau, history teacher, gave some tips for the freshmen to have a successful school year: “Keep your assignments organized and use your planner. Think about upcoming things and plan ahead.” -Ms. Stiles “Use (your) head. Think things through.” -Mr. Thibodeau

The years’ first assembly for spring sports gave East many reasons to celebrate. Softball head coach Jeff Hulse an-swered questions regarding the game.

Hawk’s Eye: What were you thinking when you found out that your opponent for state championship was Olathe South the only team that you had lost to all season?Hulse: “Grudge Match. It was a rival and it just made it more memorable when we won.” H.E.: What were you prepared for heading into the final game? Hulse: “We knew how we were going to pitch and we knew what to plan for defensively.” H.E.: Was there anything that surprised you about their strat-egy? Hulse: “Some surprises, but in the end we just outplayed them.” H.E.: What advantages did you have in the game? Hulse: “Best pitching in state and we definitely proved it.”

Dreams really do come true: just ask any one of the girls on the Olathe East State Champion Soccer team. With determination, dedication, and a little bit of luck, the OE

Varsity soccer team pulled off an undefeated season. Making the history books not only with a State Championship, but also with a number one National ranking. The girls’ head coach, Terry Hair, stated, “This was a very special group of focused and mature seniors, eight of which have been playing with Olathe East for three or four years. They had a great chemistry where they practiced hard and implemented that practice habit into games. Not only does it take physical ability out on the field, but this is a mental game as well. A coach can motivate his players but the will and de-sire has to come from within the player themselves.” Coach Hair also added, “The inner strength is where it comes from and that’s individual.” Some of the highlights of the season included the League Conference Championship, winning the Olathe Northwest Tournament and of course the State Champi-onship game that went into overtime. To achieve the results of this season, not only did it take tal-ent, but the girls needed motivation on and off the field. State team player Haley Hanson shared the strategy the girls used going into the state game. She said, “Our strategy was to go

out and play like we did every other game. We knew it was going to be a battle and that we had to just go out and play our hardest and never give up.” Senior Sarah Grace Nicholson explained about this year compared to last year, “The chemistry we had for each other was just incredible.“ Senior Lauren Zach added, “We did a lot of things outside practices and games together, and that definitely transferred onto the field.”

Lastly the season was summed up by Zach as she said, “I would just like to say to all of our coaches and fans thank you for supporting us and believing in us and it felt great to win a State Championship for our school!”


FEATURE

Dream SeasonBrianne Grudek//Staff Writer

And She Lines Up for the PitchThe softball team comes home with the winAustin Porter//Staff Writer

Girl’s 6A State Champs Courtesy of Phill Jorgenson

State victory Courtesy of Dylan Klohr

Highlights: “Great pitching by Samantha Olson and Jenni Brooks, stellar plays defensively, everybody came with a great attitude, and we just showed up in attack mode.” Congratulations to Coach Hulse and everyone on the soft-ball team. East can’t wait until next season.

SEPTEMBER ‘12 |13


Sprinting through StateGirls’ state track team takes home their fifth straight state title

O n May 25, the Olathe East girls’ track team began their journey to Wichita State University for another state title. Little did they know by the end of the meet

they would be standing on top of the podium once again as the Kansas State Champions for the fifth year in a row. The girls’ team also took home two individual state cham-

pions, including Jasmine Thomas in the 100-meter dash and Jenny Pinkston, Rebekah Raetzel, Valencia Hinton-Scott, and Kelsey Quiring in the 1600 meter relay, defending their title from last year. With the blend of great coaching and talented athletes, there was no doubt the team wouldn’t succeed. Head Coach Mike Wallace stated, “A lot of things make this team success-ful. Obviously the athletes that come out for track and field. They’re willing to do the work that’s asked, on top of being very talented. I think having a coaching staff that’s been to-gether as long as we have sure doesn’t hurt. But the bottom line is the kids and what they do to prepare and how they per-form. We’ve been lucky to have good kids.” Coach Wallace said it all. Hard work, dedication, and the drive to never give up have enabled this team to win for five straight years. They are currently tied for fourth for the most consecutive state wins. Coach Wallace has nothing but continued high hopes for the future. He stated, “I see no drop off. I see us continuing to be as successful as we have been.” With many team members returning and a whole new wave of freshmen coming in, the future looks bright. The new season will kick off in January and their journey towards state champions will begin once again.

Paige Schick//Staff Writer

Pin by PinA junior bowler makes his mark

Austin Porter//Staff Writer

During this past March junior Aaron Yuratovich proved his bowling skills by winning the state championship. But this isn’t the first time a Yuratovich has won. Aaron tells

all on how he got started and how he went on from his humble beginning. Aaron’s family got him started at age three and since then he has just kept at it. “Bowling has always been in the family; it’s the family sport,” Aaron stated. Not only Aaron, but also his older sister won a state championship when she was going to East. State tournament took place in Wichita in early March. Aaron competed against 77 opponents, and won with a total score of 735 consisting of three games with scores of 245, 243, and 247. After the second game Aaron wasn’t in the lead, but he kept his cool, did the math and played out every-thing he needed to do in his head. Then during the third and final game he took his lead and the win like a true bowler. But what does it take to be a true bowler? Aaron stated, “Full commitment, a lot of practice, and you can’t just do it half way, you have to give it 100%.” Congrats, Aaron and good luck in your bowling future.

Jasmine Thomas running the 200 meters Courtesy of Elias Wade

Aaron Yuratovich set to bowl Courtesy of Dylan Klohr


ENTERTAINMENT

Summerdaze Festival311, Slightly Stoopid and others bring summer to an endAaron Rhodes//Publicity Manager

The first weekend of the school year usually means doing homework, complaining to your friends about your class-es, and trying to get back to sleep at a reasonable time (for

a teenager) with summer already feeling long gone. For many August 18 was a final goodbye to summer and a celebration of it. Sandstone Amphitheater in Bonner Springs (now of-ficially known as Cricket Wireless Amphitheater) was host to the Summerdaze Festival. The lineup included lo-cal ska-punk band, Six Percent, local (and Internet fa-mous) rapper Mac Lethal, and reggae-rock bands SOJA, The Urge, Slightly Stoopid, and 311 (playing at Sand-stone for the 10th time, singer Nick Hexum mentioned). Six Percent entertained the fans that showed up as the gates opened, some fans settling down on blankets on the lawn, others standing down by the stage. Mac Lethal per-formed next as the rain began to come down. Some fans retreated to a group of trees to take shelter as Lethal play-fully taunted them. He goes on to perform many old tracks as well as a song off his new album and his “Cook With Me Now” pancake rap, that has had 25 million views on YouTube and gotten him attention from multiple record la-bels and sponsors (almost all of which he has turned down.) With the locals done and the fans soaked with rain, Vir-ginia roots-inspired reggae band, SOJA, took the stage as the rain continued to pour down. The band’s mel-low reggae tunes were a fitting soundtrack to the rain-storm the crowd received. Although only playing a hand-

ful of songs, a few ended up turning into eight-minute jam sessions including solos from every instrument. Next came by far the loudest band of the day, The Urge. Many older attendees were very excited, consid-ering the band was popular in the 90’s, just got back together last year, and haven’t played in Kansas City since. Their nearly hour-long set included a highlight of 311’s Nick Hexum singing “Jump Right In” with the band. San Diego’s Slightly Stoopid was the last band to play before 311. The band has roots in the early reggae-rock scene, having been given their first record deal by Sub-lime’s Bradley Nowell. Singers Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald began the first song by switching instruments (guitar and bass) to the surprise of many new fans and the excitement of many old ones. Both can play most of their songs on both instruments. The band played an hour long set and met with fans and signed autographs afterwards. Last and definitely not least, 311 walked onto the stage. They opened with the hit “Beautiful Disaster” and the crowd went crazy. The band played over 20 songs from their cata-log that goes back almost 20 years. The set includes radio hits like “Down” and “Sunset In July” as well as a Bad Brains cov-er and a bass solo from P-Nut. There was also the fan favorite “Applied Science” featuring Chad Sexton’s eight-minute drum solo. Overall, for the fans that endured the rain it was a night of outstanding music and a perfect way to end the summer.

Upcoming Concerts

Mac Miller - Uptown TheaterSeptember 21

Awolnation - Uptown TheaterSeptember 23

Justin Bieber - Sprint CenterOctober 26

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Sprint CenterOctober 27

Matt & Kim - Liberty HallNovember 3

Matisyahu - Uptown TheaterNovember 17To see more photos, check out McPansy Photography on Facebook

Nick Hexum of 311Photo courtesy Katie McPansy Grogan When couple Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim (Joel

Edgerton) Green are unable to have children, they mourn by dreaming up their perfect child, writing

their ideas, placing their ideas in a box and burying it in the garden. Then, the odd and somewhat magical appearance of a young boy, that is perfect for them, changes both their lives and the lives of the people in the town where they reside. “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is a touching heart felt family movie. Entertainment Weekly gave it a B- for its “soft hearted but mushy-brained” feel, most definitely a movie di-rected towards kids. It teaches life lessons about being kind to everyone you meet, and accept-ing others for their differences. Though it might be cheesy, let’s

face it we all need a feel good movie sometimes. This cute kids movie would be a fun movie to catch with your friends if you are in the mood for a sweet, adorable, geeky boy to steal you heart. Timothy Green is a touching kid full of joy and life. Everywhere he goes he changes, how people view their world and how they can improve their lives. He fearlessly handles everything and loves all he comes in contact with. It’s very touching to see how he views the world, and

you might leave with a new perspective on life. As a whole, the critics noted “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” was okay. The crit-ics did criticize that at times it was too senti-mental and sweet. The movie was a corny romp fit for the whole family, which is sure to have the more sappy souls in tears by the end. If you are in the mood for a good tear jerker, grab your Kleenexes, a shoul-der to cry on and go see The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

SEPTEMBER ‘9 |15

ENTERTAINMENTVol 21| Iss 01

The Odd Life of Timothy GreenHe’s a Force of Nature Jessica Goddard//Managing Editor

ParaNormanAn unusual film featuring an unusual boyJoseph Bush//Senior Staff Writer

P araNorman,” the latest film from Chris Butler, the art director famous for a unique style of stop-motion used in his previous films “Corpse Bride” and “Coraline,” is

the story of a boy who makes a long journey to find himself and face his fears. The plot focuses on Norman Babcock, a boy who can see the spirits of the dead in the living world. The inhabitants of his town, a small community with a witch-hunting history named Blithe Hollow, view him as being delusional and potentially dangerous. Norman has to go on a journey one night to save his small town from its tortured past. In “ParaNorman,” Butler makes use of a very similar animation style as he used in his past films, combining the usage of both stop-motion animation and computer-generated animation to produce a unique style of art that is not typical in current popular movies. The art and animation style helps to give “ParaNorman” an identity different from many other films, because the stop-motion animation creates an unnatural feel, making some of the unsettling parts of the film feel legitimately disturbing. This style works to create the feeling that the film needs.

Director Chris Butler also wrote “ParaNorman.” While it would makes sense to believe that the writing style of “ParaNorman” would be similar to the darkly humorous style of Butler’s previous films, this is not the case. “ParaNorman” seems to not know what kind of movie it wants to be. While it contains a number of genuinely frightening moments, and a very dramatic climax, the humor tends to lean more on the juvenile side. While the humor is inconsistent in quality, the writing is well done. “ParaNorman” is a very good film. The movie is entertaining, and the art style keeps the viewer interested. The humor may even generate a few cheap laughs now and then.

Movie Cover Courtesy of Google

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SEPTEMBER ‘12 |17

ENTERTAINMENTVol 21| Iss 01

The European ChallengeBrianne Grudek// Staff Writer

Does four European cities, a group of teenagers, and brave teachers sound like a European challenge? Every summer Josh Umphrey, history teacher, daringly takes

Olathe East students abroad for an adventure of a lifetime. Umphrey talked about why he would take students overseas. He said, “I never thought that I would go abroad with teenag-ers. I had kids ask me and ever since then that is what I have done.” The locations chosen for this past summer trip were London, Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona. Umphrey stated, “Language was not a barrier, except in Paris where the French are more reluctant to speak English. Another challenge was walking up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower and searching for jerseys in Ma-drid.” About 20 students went on this trip along with four chap-erones. Mike Stephens, another Olathe East history teacher, went along this year. Stephens said, “The best part is that what is learned in school, the students are able to see it in person.” Senior Mariah Adams stated, “My favorite parts of this trip were climbing the Eiffel tower, the beach in Barcelona, and just having free time to spend walking around shopping in Europe with my friends.” Senior Morgan McCartney added, “The trip was indescribable, amazing being able to be with my best friends while experiencing things I will never forget.” During the trip Umphrey had a game that he played with

the students. Every student received a bouncy ball as a sou-venir. Umphrey called his game the “bouncy ball challenge.” He explained it as this, “Each student bounces their ball off a landmark after I do, for example bounce the ball off of the Eiffel tower. This creates a great souvenir and memories for

the kids.” Next summer will be here soon and Umphrey, Stephens and their bouncy balls will be traveling again with students this time to Germa-ny, Pargue, Hungary and Austria. Special cites like Munich and Heidelberg also made the list. If that unforgettable ex-perience is on your bucket list, then stop by Umphrey’s room and have a chat. Only a $95 deposit secures your spot.

Multum in Parvo TempoLatin students do “much in little time.”

Brianne Grudek//Staff Writer

Europe has been busy this year welcoming many Olathe East Students with the French trip, Spain trip, Europe trip and also the Latin trip. Latin students accompanied by the

Latin teacher, Ms. Cummings, traveled in June to three classic cities in Europe: Paris, Barcelona and Rome. “The purpose of the trip was to visit places that we have read and discussed in

class all year so the students can see it for themselves,” stated Ms. Cummings. The entourage consisted of ten students and chaperones. In Paris and Rome, the students made their own schedule for the day. Students got a good taste in learning how to navigate the metro. Senior Melina Cope said, “My favorite thing about the trip was going to the Holy Family Church in Barcelona. It was amazing. I also liked riding the metros. It was an experience.” In Barcelona, a guide took everyone around pointing out places of interest. “Either the Eiffel Tower or the train ride from Paris to Barcelona was my favorite,” senior Sophia Miller add-ed. Ms. Cummings added, “Some of the students had taken both Latin and Spanish or Latin and French, but the language that was used the most on the trip was English.” Ms. Cummings enjoys traveling to Europe and taking stu-dents that are interested in different cultures. “The Latin trip is not an every year event, usually the trip comes around about every two years,” stated Ms. Cummings. For the freshman and sophomores who are looking for a language to take other then French and Spanish, Latin is the way to go. A future trip could be involved.

Latin Students in Europe Courtesy of Jeanne Cummings

Standing by Olympic rings Courtesy of Josh Umphrey


ENTERTAINMENT

¡Viajeros!Maddy Branstetter//Staff Writer

That moment when students realize that they’re applying what they’ve learned to reality, started to appreciate the world around them a little more, and made a memory they

know they will never forget, came true for many students this summer while in Spain. In June, 30 students from Spanish III, IV, and V took a trip spanning 10 days to Madrid, Seville, Cor-doba, Toledo, Granada, Barcelona, and Segovia. When their journey was over and they stepped off of their plane and onto their homeland, they carried back with them something they hadn’t left the states with—a higher appreciation for education, other cultures, and memories they will not soon forget. For Mrs. Valentine, who teaches Spanish III and Spanish IV and has taken many trips with her students over the years, the trips are, as she stated, “so rewarding… you get to see your students’ excitement when they see something that they’ve learned about, and then it’s right in front of them”. The trips also seem to have a lasting impact on the students that have been lucky enough to go. “I even have III former students in the district that used to be my students and now they’re Spanish teachers,” stated Valentine. While overseas, students grew not only to appreciate the culture of Spain, but each other as well. Senior Ryan Schools

stated that “People just seem friendlier—there’s lots of renew-able energy there as well.” Junior Jordan Wolfe explained how the cultures differed between Spain and the United States, “One thing that stood out over there was that no one drives cars. Gas is $8 a gallon there… They try to keep most people off the roads.”As the trip progressed, students bonded over their shared exploration of Spain. Junior Aren Utter stated, “My favorite memory of Spain, aside from the elegance and beauty of the physical country itself, was the friendship I found in everyone that accompanied me on the trip.” To sum up the Spain trip in one sentence, senior Ryan Schools described it best saying, “It was excellente.”

Peter Hung//EditorA Polish hawk visits his Eye Doctor

Spain travellers’ group photo Courtesy of Emily Harmsen

¡Travellers! - Ten days, thirty students, seven cities, and infinite memories

Let’s see where your vision is at now.

Can you read this starting from line one?

Read it? I know the guy....

a student run publication Olathe East High School14545 West 127th Street

Olathe, KS 66062

ADVISERKaren Bourland

EDITORSPeter Hung

Sean Murray

MANAGING EDITORJessica Goddard

GRAphIC EDITORZach Neuman

BUSINESS MANAGERSean Fiore

Aaron Yuratovich

phOTOGRAphERSKelsey Knecht

SENIOR STAFF WRITERSJoseph Bush

Brianne Grudek

pUBLICITY MANAGERAaron Rhodes

STAFF WRITERS Callie Boyce

Maddy BranstetterLogan Brockschmidt

Courtney ChildMatthew Gwin

Lauren HartLauren Heinrich

Jordan MeierLauren MerinoAustin Porter

Kellan RichardsPaige Schick

Katie Thompson

by theNumbers

Sept. 11th | Girls Tennis Home Match Vs. Olathe North

Sept. 18th | Boys’ Soccer vs. Olathe South at CBAC

Sept. 18th | District Men’s Choral Festival at OE Auditorium

Sept. 13th | Jostens Class Ring Collection in Lower Commons

dates to REMEMBER

Comic of the ISSUE

94Age of the oldest

person to ever earn a G.E.D.

78.8 MillionEstimated amount

of students enrolled in a school from

Kindergarten to College this fall

377 Years Age of the oldest public school in

the United States

100%Percentage of

public schools with internet access in

2012

50%Percentage of

public schools with internet access in

1995

Man’s thinking must not be subdued by his instruments.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

“ “by Lauren Merino

“Class Wars”

In th

e Mix

HAWKS EYE

This summer Kayla Bui spent two months in Vietnam, where she is originally from. Along with visiting family she went parasailing, spent time at the beach and went shop-ping. Kayla said, “I love it there!”

This summer Anna Elliot, Krista Valdez, and Yianni Vrentas went to a summer camp in Greece through their church. “I’ve been to lots of summer camps before, but this was different. I wasnt just learning about my culture, I was experiencing it. I was able to strengthen bonds with friends from home, and also open up to new people and befriend them on a whole new level” said Anna. “The friendships that I made will last a lifetime.”

Over the summer Drew White went to Los Angeles, California. Pictured here in Long Beach, he only had one thing to say about the trip, “It was a great experience.”

Summer Sun and Fun

It is the policy of Olathe USD 233 not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, national origin, sex, handicap, or disability in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Education Amend-ments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Inquiries regarding compliance with Title IX may be directed to Staff Counsel, 14160 Black Bob Road, Olathe, KS 66063-2000, phone (913) 780-7000. Inquiries regarding compliance with Section 504 may be directed to the Executive Director of Special Services at (913) 780-7024. Interested persons, including those with impaired vision or hearing, can also obtain information as to the existence and location of services, activities, and facilities that are accessible to, and usable by, disabled persons by calling the Executive Director of Special Services.

Photosto

ry

vol. 21| issue 1

Documents

new car

new teachers

car catches

sean fioresee page

senior kerry hokanson

jessica goddard

lauren hart

lauren heinrich