messenger vol. 117 issue 3

MESSENGERWICHITA HIGH SCHOOL EAST

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

October 15, 2009VOLUME 117, ISSUE 3

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

3October 15, 2009ADVERTISEMENTS

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4October 15, 2009 ADVERTISEMENTS


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End of first quarterNo school - Oct. 16-19

5October 15, 2009ENTERTAINMENT


JOHN CAMENZIND, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFEVAN GOTTSTINE, REPORTER

Location134 N. Hillside (North of the inter-section of Douglas and Hillside)

PriceCheeseburger - 99¢Giant Cheeseburger - $2.69

VerdictThe 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 margin-ally larger than the regular; opt for two regulars rather than one Giant (and save 69¢ in the process).

dynamic

DININGSEVERAL POPULAR LOCAL RESTAURANTS OFFER DELICIOUS FOOD

Donut WholeLocation1720 E. Douglas (Directly west of East)

PriceSingle donuts range from $1.25 to $1.75Regular Coffee - $1.50

VerdictAll they have to eat is cake donuts, but at least they have a huge vari-ety. Examples include Vegan, Triple Chocolate and Coconut donuts. The restaurant has decent coffee and many different types of drinks. Open 24/7.

Location2425 E. Douglas (Just east of the intersection of Doug-las and Grove)

PriceClassic Dog - $2.49Pizza Dog - $4.29Caviar Dog - $39.99

VerdictThe 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.

Location3109 E. Douglas (East of Hillside on Douglas)

PriceDinners range from $7.49 to $9.99

VerdictAll 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.

These 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.”

Sport Burger

Margaritas

Let’s Be Frank

6October 15, 2009 EDITORIAL


“We 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 situa-tion, this year’s $787 billion Ameri-can 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 ef-fectiveness of diet and exercise at reducing obesity.

And get this- Washington, NC uses its stimulus funds in order to

pay for the salary of its “project-funding manager.” His job? To secure more stimulus funds.

The growing deficit is not considered to be a vital concern. Consumers spend less because the

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, hous-ing improvements, and more loans, will not generate forthcoming wealth but instead amplify inter-est 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.

After 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

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 in-service 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 well-educated teachers.

New teacher contract needs improvement

Frivolous spending unnecessarily increases federal deficit

Letter to the Editors

In response to the Edito-rial, “Electing represen-

tatives like Tiahrt reflects poorly on state”, I find it in-teresting 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 po-tential greatness that could have been achieved by count-less 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 per-sonal responsibility for your actions. We live in a culture where it is increasingly ac-ceptable to use the govern-ment as a crutch and void ourselves of any personal responsibility.

Additionally, while I understand health care is ex-pensive and very important, allowing the government to do this would unneces-sarily 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.

HANS WIDENER, HISTORY INSTRUCTOR

BRAE MINER

REPORTER

JEREMY KOEHLER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

• 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 Co- munity service • 10,000 dead people will receive Social Security checks

• Despite a law prohiting spending federal funds on local zoos, $11.4 of the Smith- sonian’s $25 million will go to the Na- tional Zoo and its research center

Lavish Spending Projects

7October 15, 2009FEATURE


Despite quite cold weather, fans turned out to see the football team march out

on to the field Oct. 9 for the fall homecom-ing football game against West at Carpen-ter 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 to-gether 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 flow-ers 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 opportu-nity.”

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.”

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

Audra Bryant, jr., and Alasyn Zimmerman, jr. dance

to Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face.” ASHLEY MATTHEWS,

HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Tracey Sealy, jr., shows off her dance moves at the “A Night Among Stars” themed fall homecoming. JENICE DUONG, WEBMASTER

Demonstrating his wild dance moves, Sachin Pendse,

fr., lures in curious onlookers. JENICE DUONG, WEB-

MASTER

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

JENICE DUONG, WEBMASTER

8October 15, 2009 FEATURE 9October 15, 2009FEATURE

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather”), “Apoca-lypse 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) re-turns 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.Ap

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lyp

se

No

w

‘Messenger’ staff selects top contemporary war movies

IAN BAILEY, REPORTER COLIN WHITE, REPORTER

PHOTOS FROM MOVIEWEB.COM

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

100

40

20

60

80

300 TroyGladiatorThe Patriot Braveheart Other

24 2222

86

2026

Full M

eta

l Ja

cket

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 Viet-nam War.

The film, directed by Stanley Kubrick, was nominated for a Golden Globe with best sup-porting actor R. Lee Ermey, and also won and was nomi-nated for other awards.

Pearl

Harb

or 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 un-folds 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.

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

Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and (Sgt. Donny Donowitz) Eli Roth take part in a grusome scene.

30

0

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

“Once upon a time... in Nazi-occupied France.”

The opening lines of this summer’s hit World War II film, “Inglourious Basterds,” make it apparent that it will not be like the intense conflicts that Hollywood has previously portrayed. Instead, “Inglourious Basterds” takes a more humorous approach to the second World War.

Directed by Quentin Taran-tino, the movie centers around two plots formed to bring

havoc to the Nazi Regime, one by the actual group of the In-glourious Basterds including First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) Staff Sergeant Donny Donowitz, known as the “Bear Jew” (Eli Roth) and another by French theatre owner Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent). Eventually these plots come together for an explosive ending that some may find a bit incorrect to say the least.

Inglo

rious

Bast

erd

s

Sch

indle

r’s

List

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

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 Ger-man military.

“It accurately depicted the situ-ation 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.

andCoverduckS

avin

g P

rivate

Ryan

Sheen rises from the mist in the Oscar win-ning Vietnam War classic.

‘Full Metal Jacket’ includes many scenes of great tension.

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

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

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

botched air drop, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) is sent to re-trieve Ryan and send him home. With cameos by Paul Giamatti,

Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Ted Danson and Na-than Fillion, this film was quick to win five Oscars and an addition-al 52 awards.

“Saving Private Ryan is hands down the best shoot-ing movie there is,” said Evan Johnson, jr. “The backgrounds pretty realis-tic. They didn’t sugarcoat any-thing.”

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.

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.

“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 pic-tures 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 war-monger in everyone with plenty of

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 favor-able 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.”

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

8October 15, 2009 FEATURE 9October 15, 2009FEATURE

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather”), “Apoca-lypse 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) re-turns 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.Ap

oca

lyp

se

No

w

‘Messenger’ staff selects top contemporary war movies

IAN BAILEY, REPORTER COLIN WHITE, REPORTER

PHOTOS FROM MOVIEWEB.COM

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

100

40

20

60

80

300 TroyGladiatorThe Patriot Braveheart Other

24 2222

86

2026

Full M

eta

l Ja

cket

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 Viet-nam War.

The film, directed by Stanley Kubrick, was nominated for a Golden Globe with best sup-porting actor R. Lee Ermey, and also won and was nomi-nated for other awards.

Pearl

Harb

or 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 un-folds 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.

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

Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and (Sgt. Donny Donowitz) Eli Roth take part in a grusome scene.

30

0

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

“Once upon a time... in Nazi-occupied France.”

The opening lines of this summer’s hit World War II film, “Inglourious Basterds,” make it apparent that it will not be like the intense conflicts that Hollywood has previously portrayed. Instead, “Inglourious Basterds” takes a more humorous approach to the second World War.

Directed by Quentin Taran-tino, the movie centers around two plots formed to bring

havoc to the Nazi Regime, one by the actual group of the In-glourious Basterds including First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) Staff Sergeant Donny Donowitz, known as the “Bear Jew” (Eli Roth) and another by French theatre owner Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent). Eventually these plots come together for an explosive ending that some may find a bit incorrect to say the least.

Inglo

rious

Bast

erd

s

Sch

indle

r’s

List

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

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 Ger-man military.

“It accurately depicted the situ-ation 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.

andCoverduck

Savin

g P

rivate

Ryan

Sheen rises from the mist in the Oscar win-ning Vietnam War classic.

‘Full Metal Jacket’ includes many scenes of great tension.

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

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

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

botched air drop, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) is sent to re-trieve Ryan and send him home. With cameos by Paul Giamatti,

Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Ted Danson and Na-than Fillion, this film was quick to win five Oscars and an addition-al 52 awards.

“Saving Private Ryan is hands down the best shoot-ing movie there is,” said Evan Johnson, jr. “The backgrounds pretty realis-tic. They didn’t sugarcoat any-thing.”

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.

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.

“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 pic-tures 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 war-monger in everyone with plenty of

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 favor-able 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.”

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

10October 15, 2009 FEATURE


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 Hallow-een, 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.

F E S TF RI G H T

Going 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. Al-though the staff only visited three of them, many more exist across Wichita and surrounding areas.

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.

Field of Screams • 4055 N. Tyler Rd.

The Haunted Island • 3022 S. McLean Blvd.

The Asylum • 8025 E. Douglas

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 light-ning fast strobes to get custom-ers 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

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.

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 carni-val 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.

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 crea-tures the haunted house features

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

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.

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

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

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

HalloweenSuperstitions

JESSICA THOMAS, REPORTERASHLEY MATTHEWS, REPORTER

KIERSTIN McMICHAEL, REPORTER

11October 15, 2009FEATURE


snack serving size calories carbohydrates sugarpretzels 1 oz. 107 22.2 grams .6 gramspopcorn 1 oz. 107 21.8 grams N/Achips 1 bag 1217 120 grams N/Aoreos 3 cookies 200 0 17.75 gramschocolate 1 cup 899 99.8 grams 86.5 gramspickles 1 pickle 12 3 grams 1 gram

Nutrition Facts

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

“Ice cream, because it’s nice and creamy. It’s al-ways cold. I like vanilla bean the most because vanilla is my favorite.”

Tori Taylor, jr.

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

of the

The 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.

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.

Fruit ChexMix

Candy Cheez Itz Cookies

20

15

10

5

Snacks

Num

ber o

f stu

dent

s Aces’ Favorite Snacks

Students choose favorite snack foods

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

SPEAK OUT

SPEAK OUTWhat 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.

What is your favorite snack food?

“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 deli-cious.”

Benjamin Phan, fr.

“Star Burst, because they’re good and juicy.”

Eduardo Lopez, jr.

“Famous Amos, I like the chocolate.”

Karen Montes, sr.

“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.

OPEN A FREE CHECK ING ACCOUNT W ITH 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.

intrustbank.com/studentMember FDIC

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

WichitaEasts 8x13.indd 1 9/28/09 3:55:37 PM

13October 15, 2009SPORTS


The 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,”

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

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.

Football coach encourages players to focus on schoolwork

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

The 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 South-east Invitational, Sept 19. DARYAN COLLING, PHOTOGRAPHER

ADS

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

AARON HEIL

REPORTER

Submissions wanted

The Literary Magazine Com-mittee is now receiving sub-missions for this year’s literary magazine. If you are interest-ed in submitting poems, short stories or art, send [email protected] submissions must include

• your name• The title of your submission• Your phone and email

address

The Literary Magazine Com-mittee meets on Wednes-days during lunch in room W226.

FEATURE


14October 15, 2009

SALMAN HUSAIN, REPORTER

1) New small gym, swim-ming pool

2) New child day care facili-ties

3) Current west gym be-comes new theater

4) New turf and track for football field

Ken Thiessen, principal, was inter-viewed 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 tentative-ly 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 ele-ments 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 capi-tal 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, ev-erything 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.

Benefit to students: From an ath-letic 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.

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

bond issue

Construction to end in 2012update

not all about sportsSports 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 facili-ties, other departments will benefit as well.

Changes include new band, orchestra and choir rooms, a new theater, garages for Driver’s Educa-tion vehicles and new facilities for the child day care units to the west of the building.

1. Track construction in the summer2. The new football field is laid out 3. Garage units for use by Driver’s Ed vehicles during sum-mer construction4. Track develop-ment almost completed

“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 chang-es but it’s not fair to only experience all the changes for one year.” Jessica Sennett, fr.

“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 instruc-tor.

HALEY SHELTON, PHOTOGRAPHER ASHLEY MATTHEWS, HEAD PHOTAGRAPHER

speakout“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.

TIMELINE of EVENTS

VIOLETTA LOPEZ, REPORTER

2009-2010: • track • football field • garage units2010-2011: • updated tennis courts • updated auditorium • small gym/pool2011-2012: • theater • band/orchestra & choir units

4

ASHLEY MATTHEWS, HEAD PHOTAGRAPHER ASHLEY MATTHEWS, HEAD PHOTAGRAPHER

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messenger vol. 117 issue 3

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