BRING ON THE BLOODStudents, teachers, and com-

munity members donated blood to help people in the

metropolitan area | 14

After not swimming during his junior year, Ryan Smith rejoins the swim team for his senior season | 19

TAKING THE PLUNGE

shawnee mission west | 8800 w. 85th st. vol. 48 | issue 4the epic

overland park, ks 66212 | november 20, 2009

After a heartbreaking loss to Blue Valley in the first round of the

playoffs, Fred Amstutz, senior, realized that he had played his last game on the football team

photo by alex burnett

endat journey’s

Dunkin Donuts opens their new location in Overland Park on 151st street. This is the first Dunkin Donuts to be located in the KC area. Crowds, estimated to be in the hundreds, lined up outside to get a taste of the new establishment. The store plans to be opened from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

weird news

{november-december}11.20.09 - 12.17.09

news in brief

9:30 p.m. - After game party

{new

s} snapshot An Alabama woman pleaded guilty and will spend five days in jail after letting her nine year old daughter ride atop her mini-van. The woman defended her side of the story by saying that the box would not fit in the vehicle so she put her daughter in the box on top of the van to weigh it down.

A Brazilian bricklayer was reported dead in a car accident then shocked everyone when he showed up alive to his own funeral. The man was wrongly identified and was actually spending the night at a truck stop with some friends over drinks and food. Police are still trying to identify the victim.

Police in Denver say a man stabbed himself to miss work that day. The man told police that three men attacked him late the past night and stabbed him numerous times. Police investigated and found evidence that the man did it him-self and later he confessed saying that he couldn’t stand his job

The S.A.I.L. program is coming back to West and will be held every Wednesday and Thursday from 2:45 to 3:30 in the library. Math, science, and english will be available Wednesdays. Engish, math, and so-cial studies will be available Thursdays. Ms. Duncan and Mr. Warner can be contacted for further information.

Facebook is said to be scamming mem-bers using mini-games such as Farmville and Mafia Wars. The games ask for your cell phone number and e-mail address as you get to more complex levels. Users that belong to fa-cebook that play the games have been charged extra money to their monthly phone bills. The process is being investigated and many users are requesting that the games be deleted.

Blue Valley Bank president, Bob Regnier, went above and beyond to get his employ-ees to donate to the United Way charity. Regnier vowed to stay on the roof of the bank until all 200 of his employees made a donation to the charity. He made his point and all of the employees made a donation and he received a special notice at the United Way ceremony.

The power and light district has recently taken some criticism from the human re-lations office after a report on race rela-tions. Security supposedly has been letting the rules slide for caucasian’s while enforcing them strictly for minorities. A report was filed that a group of white men were allowed in the district violating the dress code, but when a group of minorities walked in wearing the same thing they were denied entry.

A man protested by pouring a bucket of blood on himself to persuade the city to let the deer live in Shawnee Mission Park. The city has made it clear that the deer popu-lation in the park is too large and needs to de-crease. The deer are to be hunted and the meat will go to a food shelter. The man claimed the deer are an important piece of wildlife that deserve to live.

A Shawnee Mission School District teacher was fired for using inappropriate sexual comedy during a class and says he will fight for his job. The district is preparing to take the case to court after the teacher claims he was unjustly singled out and treated unfairly in the decision to fire him. The charges are mi-nor and mainly involving the district.

FBI agents were in for a surprise when they engaged in a gun battle with a wanted man at a local Subway sandwich shop. The man has been wanted for almost two months and FBI agents tracked him and took him into custody after a gun battle.

259:40 a.m. - Late start 11:45 p.m. - NHS meeting 3

7

A Florida man accused of killing another man said that he could not have committed the crime because he is too fat. He said that he did not have the energy to run up the staircase and shoot the man. He was found guilty and will serve 30 years to life in prison.

8 2:00 p.m. - StuCo meeting

8 7:00 p.m. - Choir concert

6:00 p.m. - Spotlighter meeting

5

15 7:00 p.m. - Band concert

5:00 p.m. - Future viking fun night

10 7:00 p.m. - Orchestra concert

20

by scott holm

2 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

Thanksgiving break begins

ALEX BURNETT

Alyssa Parsons, junior, stacks cans collected for the Student Council canned food drive in a box to be donated to the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. Parsons, along with Danny Sanchez, senior, are in charge of running the can drive as a part of the Student Council Executive Board. Every donation goes toward feeding the over 10,000 hungry people in the Johnson County area. Student Council has chosen the slogan of “Donate one, feed ten-thousand” to publicize their cause.

The read-in was originally brought into the seminars at West because of the declining interest

of students in reading. Over the past few years, student reading has decreased a great deal because of all of the new technol-ogy, such as iPODs. The general idea when read-in started was that it would not only encourage the students to read, but it would also increase reading ability and comprehension.

However, it was soon discovered that the read-in was not as popular as it was supposed to be.

“I think that they [the students] come in to seminar tired and just want a time to relax. Giving the students more things to do might be counterproductive,” Vadonna Berry, Spanish teacher said.

Many students feel that read-in is either entirely unnecessary or too long. Due to the widespread dislike, the administration has made a proposal.

“We were thinking about either getting rid of or shortening the read-in next year,” Dr. Charles McLean, principal said.

This proposal has been made so that students can have more freedom in their seminar classes. With less or no read-in, students will have more time to do home-work or travel to other classes to get things done. Also, the current read-in was not having as much of an impact as the admin-istrators expected. “[After we started read-in] we realized that read-in really doesn’t so much help kids read as make them read,” McLean said.

Although the proposal has been made, there are many things that the administra-tors must consider before finalizing their choice.

“One of the things we need to consider is the Freshman Mentor classes. We would have to make some changes to that as well if we decide to get rid of read-in,” McLean said.

Another thing to consider is that even though it is definitely unpopular, read-in has some good aspects as well.

“I think it is good to encourage read-ing. Reading helps you in your whole life whether it is helping you get a job or just helping you be a more educated person,” Berry said.

Because read-in has both bad and good aspects, many people have different opin-ions on whether read-in should be kept or not.

“Even though reading is definitely help-ful, it’s a little too long for me and the kids. I think shortening it would be a good idea,” Berry said.

“We [the administrators] need to take some time and discuss this issue before making any final decisions, but we don’t think the read-in is doing much good right now. If students want to give their input on this issue, they can feel free to e-mail us,” McLean said.

faces in the hallWhat was your favorite

recess activity? by katherine mcgowan

seniordylan johnston

juniorjohn ceballos

sophomore danielle neighbour

freshmannatalie vandeberghe

tag

kickball

tetherball

soccer

garlic

spongebob

fruity pebbles

froot loops

rugrats

guacamole spongebob

count chocula

pork

corn

rocko’s modern life

frosted flakes

What would be the grossest ice cream flavor?

What is your favorite Nickel-odeon show?

What is the best cereal?photos by sally carmichael

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 3

{new

s}

changessilentThe 30-minutes of read in at the beginning of seminar might be changing in the near future RAINE MCGUIRE

by alex leininger by alex leininger

Volunteering is not something that most teenagers think about on a day-to-day basis. Of course,

there are the required hours of community

service for National Honor Society and other various activities, but most students are more concerned about their own daily activities.

With the holidays coming up, some students are giving back through The Salvation Army. Alex Beemer and Kyle Pfautsch, seniors, are volunteer Santas for the Salvation Army.

“I have to stand outside in the cold, no texting or eating,” Pfautsch said. “But I’m in front of where I work, so I know everyone.”

The Salvation Army takes recruits for their annual Christmas charity. You will inevitably run across plenty of Santas during your holiday shopping endeavors. You can’t miss them because the volunteers are a dead give away in the traditional red suit and fake white beard. Along with the red kettles and familiar bells dinging, these Santas never fade from your memory. The donations from their efforts provide clothing, basic necessities, Christmas dinners, and toys for families in need. Other v o l u n t e e r s take the gifts, food and other supplies to the families’ h o m e s , n u r s i n g homes and hospitals.

There are many benefits to volunteering. You can meet new people and make important contacts for future jobs, learn and develop skills, get work experience, build self-confidence, meet new people, feel valued, show you care about your community, and make a difference in someone’s life.

“It feels good knowing it’s helping the less fortunate,” Pfautsch said.

For most students the most important part of volunteering for is how it will enhance your college applications and possibly help you get scholarships.

“I like helping people out and getting NHS hours,” Beemer said. “It also looks good for scholarships.”

Any sort of program to feed less fortunate is always a great way to volunteer. You can go through Meals on Wheels, which is geared towards elderly, or you can also volunteer at a soup kitchen;

you can learn a lot more about these through local charities or through the

United Way.

If you don’t have the time to get out and volunteer but still want to help out, there are plenty of ways to do that.

Children’s Mercy Hospital has a donation drive for the children who are hospital bound during the holidays. You can also create “Happy Holiday” cards to lift the children’s spirits.

If you are looking for an easy way to help out the school and surrounding communities, students can become a member of Join Active West Students (JAWS).

JAWS promotes a drug free lifestyle and has a strong community service proponent. The group organizes many of the school’s activities such as Red Ribbon Week, the coat drive and the dress drive and do work with the Johnson County Christmas Bureau.

Going on now are the Teddy Bear Drive and Project Warmth.

The Teddy Bear drive takes new and gently used stuffed bears. The new bears are taken to Children’s Mercy and the gently

used ones go to the Sunflower House, a shelter for abused children.

Project Warmth takes hats, scarves, coats, and other winter wear for

students.“They go to the

students in the school first, then we take them to the Shawnee Mission Closet for anyone to have,” Mary Lea Kieffer, social worker and JAWS sponsor, said.

“Organizing the coat and dress drives is my favorite,” Beemer said. “It directly helps kids in the school.”

The dress drive takes place during the spring, and students can donate old prom dresses for the kids that don’t have money to spend. This way they’re still able to participate in the school dances.

A great organization to go through, according to Kieffer, is the Volunteer Center of Johnson County.

“There is a feel good aspect when volunteering,” Kieffer said. “That’s the beauty, it’s easier to encourage students to keep going with it throughout their lives.”It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, you can always volunteer.“Get involved,” Beemer said. “There are plenty of things out there to do.”

by dani la londe

4 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

{Fea

ture

} happy to help outWith the holidays rolling in, so are the volunteer opportunities.

Alex Beemer, senior, and Kyle Pfautsch, se-nior are ready for the volunteering season. They both will be Santas for the Slavation Army.

There is a feel good aspect when volunteering. That’s the beauty, it’s easier to encourage students to keep going with it throughout their lives“ ”—Mary Lea Kieffer, social worker

and JAWS sponsor

davId howEll

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 5

{AD

S}

IMPORTSHOPPlease be

eco-friendly and recycle

the Epic.

Thank You

Would youlike to

advertise with the Epic?

If so, call913-993-7911

We would love your business!

Epic Staffeditor-in-chiefalex burnettphoto editorsally carmichaeldesign editorstuti desaicopy editorjessie hardestybusiness managercameron volkerasst. business managernoah hadennews editorscott holmfeatures editorslana fanousmichael higginssports editorsdanny neelydan premopinion editordani la londea&e editorelizabeth stephan

staff writersalison baileschris brownbrayden clarktimothy dodderidgeterri harveyandrew hoskinswhitney knightlyalex leiningercourtney lichtenbergermitch mansourkatherine mcgowantaylor neffconnor oberkrommatt smith

photographerspreston felgatedavid howellraine mcguirecord powell

cartoonistearvin chinchilla

adviseramy morgan

The “Epic” is the newsmagazine of Shawnee

Mission West, 8800 W. 85th St., Overland Park,

KS 66212. It is produced by a staff of high

school journalists dedicated to the principles

of journalism: to present facts and occurrences

truthfully and without bias. Articles of opinion

or analysis are labeled and do not necessarily

reflect the views of the staff and/or the pub-

lication.In accordance with Kansas law, the “Epic” staff

is entitled to freedom of the press. Neither the

West administration nor the SMSD are responsi-

ble for any article, advertisement, photograph,,

illustration or opinion piece in the “Epic”.

The “Epic” encourages letters to the editor, but

they must be signed and submitted to room 11.

The “Epic” is published bimonthly. It is printed

by the SMSD and is distributed free of charge

to students. For advertising information call

(913) 993-7911.

As the holiday season approaches we focus on those who are less fortunate and what we can do to help. We leave clothes in trash bags on our front porches. In the mall people volunteer to gift-wrap our purchases. StuCo even co-ordinates a blood drive donating to a different organization every year as well as the annual can drive. It’s great that everyone involves themselves in charities while getting into the holiday spirit. But why is it that we are more likely to lend a hand around the holidays?

Even though the holidays eventually come to an end, doesn’t mean the underprivileged no longer need our help.

There are plenty of people along with causes that are in need of help all year round.

Not to mention the various opportunities that you can involve yourself in. Soup kitchens, shelters and health fa-cilities-all of which encourage volunteers right here in your community. Volunteer Services such as: The United Way and The Salvation Army regularly accept donations of all sorts. The Ronald McDonald House is another common alterna-tive to support families with sick children.

So why not volunteer throughout the year? We challenge each and every one of you to venture out and contribute to the society. Not only will you feel good about yourself by giving back to the community, but it will also give us peace in mind that we can make a difference in the world.

Volunteer Cheer

6 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

{ED

ITO

RIA

L}

the drawing board:earvin chinchilla

by

Over the past few weeks I’ve realized that I don’t just go to Shawnee Mission West. No, I practically live here. In fact, during the school week I spend far more of my waking hours within these walls than within the walls of my own house. At one point I had even considered putting a bed in the back of the Epic room to save gas and driving time. But that’s a bit extreme. May-be just a small couch. Maybe not.

Of course, all of this extra time in this building is in no way wasted (i.e. destroying the bathrooms). Between all of these ac-tivities that keep me at school: Epic, Radio & T.V, StuCo, AP classes, and whatever else is on my résumé right now, there is hardly a spare moment.

However, this problem doesn’t only ap-ply to the hyper-overly-involved student, it is universal. At this time in our lives, we all have a million things going on at once, and it’s very easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out.

At times it feels like there are so many things to do, it’s impossible to do them all. For example, tonight I have to finish this column (which is my second one that i’ve written for this issue, after deeming my first one “too creepy to publish”...), write my story on page 9 (it’ll be good, make sure

to check it out!), finish a college essay, and read a book for english (this column has now become a to-do list).

The important thing to remember amongst all of the homework, the meet-ings, and stress is to take time every once in a while and stop what you’re doing to have fun.

Taking time to stop and have fun when stressed out is the greatest remedy. Forget

all of this “step back, take deep a few deep breaths, drink a cup of hot tea, count to ten and get back to work” junk, it’s not power-ful enough for the high octane, high stress, high school student .

And so, after dealing with the stresses of daily life, here are a few good ways to re-lieve some of the pressure with out break-ing out the old tea kettle:

Dig out an old video game system. Lame as that may or may not sound to you, it works. Super Nintendo, Sega, Playsta-tion, or my personal favorite and the best console of ALL TIME, the Nintendo 64 — they all work wonders.

Reconnect with old friends. This idea is more than just annoying box suggesting you post a comment on Johnny Whatshis-name’s wall on Facebook. It’s really easy to lose track of old friendships when you have so many things going on in your life, and now is the time to rekindle.

Color! Yes, color. Invest in a jumbo, 400+ page “dinosaur and friends” coloring book, kick back and relax. But try to stay inside the lines.

So even if you’re feeling overwhelmed to the point of wanting to become a recluse and move to the north pole, remember: save some time to have fun

Does anyone remember what holiday is between Halloween and Christmas?

You know, the one we celebrate for the Pilgrims that came over and were dy-ing off until the Native Americans helped them. In return we gave them disease and stuck them on reservations to run casinos for all eternity?

It is called Thanksgiving.How could anyone forget Squanto? My

mom can’t hear his name without tearing up.

Commercialism has taken over our lives. I watch TV and all I see are Christ-mas sales and commercials. November 1st a couple radio stations started playing Christmas music! I think the appropriate time to start playing music and showing commercials is December 1st. It’s not like anyone has to remind people to do their shopping, it’s not like they will forget.

Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday it is kind of like America wrapped up in a deep-fried turkey. Bringing together aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents to sit together on the couch watching the most American thing: football. Then while you’re being sucked into football the big shot corporations are squeezing in more Christmas commercials than the actual game. You will then feel like you HAVE to get all your shopping done the next day, that is if you haven’t fallen asleep on the couch.

Don’t succumb to the new American tradition of glossing over Thanksgiving. If Thanksgiving isn’t a big deal, why do we learn so much about it throughout our school years?

Okay, I’m not anti-Christmas or any-thing. I love it. It makes me think of deli-cious cookies, presents, getting off school, and finals. Why can’t Thanksgiving be as-sociated with all the same excitement and happiness that Christmas is? I will supply you with the answer; there is no gifting at Thanksgiving, unless you count bringing a casserole and deviled eggs to whoever is hosting dinner. The corporations can’t sell you food like they can material posses-sions. They can’t glorify it as well to make you think you have to have it.

Perhaps in the future we will be able to celebrate Thanksgiving as it should be, with patriotism and respect.

IMPORTANTTHINGSwithdani la londe

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 7

{OPIN

ION

}

save time for fun

a third-degree

by alex burnett

burn

by dani la londecommercialism: past, present and future

8 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

{opi

nio

n}

SunnySide Up

by stuti desai

by sally carmichael

I enjoy the cold. I enjoy walking out of my house in the morning wearing a cute scarf and enjoy having the crisp wind whipping my face. I enjoy driving to school with my butt warmers on and snowflakes falling on my windshield.

I LOVE the winter.But sadly, I feel as if my cold/snow

quota is not going to be filled this year. It is mid-November and the temperatures have not fallen below 50∞.

Let’s face it; we haven’t had a very good winter track record lately. There were no snow days last year, and maybe two less-than-mediocre snowfalls, at best.

The only white Christmas I remem-ber is from the Home Alone movies (how does he manage to almost get kidnapped on Christmas three times in a row? Why not Valentine’s Day?) And since we stu-dents are being deprived of a normal length winter break this year (it almost seems like a spring break in disguise), a few snow days would be nice.

Now, I know there are some winter-haters out there. Stepping in an angry puddle and walking around with your sock wet all day does stink, and there’s nothing worse then waking up late and rushing to your car just to realize that

you have to clean off two inches of the fluff before you can drive anywhere…but if you search deep down into the core of your being, you would know that there’s nothing more perfect than snow during the Christmas season.

I won’t go into the cheesy details, but if I did, roaring fires, hot chocolate, and Christmas lights would definitely be at the top of the list.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m a Christmas fanatic, but I will say that the Christmas lights at my house are al-ready up. I did them by myself this year, and they look great if I do say so. I love to walk around the plaza to look at all the lights and decorating the tree, but there’s nothing greater than a holiday snowfall.

Maybe it’s just the way that the world looks when it’s blanketed. It’s been years since I’ve seen a white Christmas, and it almost seems as if anything could happen if it should snow on the fateful day. Maybe money would grow on trees, world peace could be achieved, and I could get the exact amount of pesos I need for Spanish class. The possibilities seem endless.

That is why I’m sending a challenge to Santa Clause (does snowfall on Christmas fall into his jurisdiction?) and Mother Nature. Let it snow on Christ-mas Eve. Let children all over Kansas City wake up to a white Christmas.

If such a snow were to fall, I prom-ise there will be extra delicious cookies for you, my dear Santa, and for Mother Nature: I promise to hug a tree on Earth Day.

PLEASE let it snow let it snow let it snow

winter warfare

the Speculationsof a SeashoreShell Saleswoman

With our beloved and cherished Thanksgiv-ing Break only mere days away, I feel myself getting more and more into the holiday spirit (yeah.. my mind skips right over actual Thanks-giving). In fact, I am rarely ever not ready for Christmas – last year we didn’t take our Christ-mas tree down until Valentine’s Day and I swear one year we didn’t even bother taking the lights off our house at all. While this perpetual festive-ness at my house (laziness or getting the most out of it? You be the judge) may bring comfort and joy year round, this year commercialism is finally beginning to take a toll on me.

My first thank you shout out is directed at the Oak Park Mall – I actually do appreciate the tasteful decorations of wreaths and white lights. But as I was walking into the mall around 11AM to go to work (I work at Aldo, buy shoes from me!), I witnessed, and was almost taken out by, what I know will soon become a common occur-rence – An entire Christmas parade including caroling children, a biped cow in a Santa suit, and a man on stilts. While this may seem harm-less, I’m sorry to say it’s gotten worse. Recently the lady’s hairpiece stand right outside Aldo (yeah the shoe store - buy some from me) was re-placed with a “Flirty Apron” kiosk, and a few feet away currently stands the legendary “Mr. Fuzzy” booth (Mr. Fuzzy is essentially a pipe cleaner on a string that costs $15, please don’t be fooled). These elements alone make me want to weep.

In other recent encounters of Christmas star-ing me in the face, I was forced to face one of my ultimate fears – Entering Michaels after July 4. As I approached the arts and crafts supplier, I was faced with yet another obstruction – a Sal-vation Army bell ringer. After the uncomfortable exchange given as I approached the sliding doors, a gust of warm cinnamon scented air nearly knocked me over as I entered the building. Be-ing a little over a month away from Christmas, it should go without saying that Michaels can and WILL eat you alive if you’re not careful.

While I’ve managed to stay mostly composed so far, my true test will arrive in exactly one week from this very moment – Black Friday. Not only will I still be recuperating from my tofurkey binge from the day before, but I am also sched-uled to work ALL. DAY. LONG (if you haven’t started sobbing yet, this is your cue to do so). Just know that if this day should be my last, I will stand as a symbol of commercial Christmas martyrdom for generations to come.

Everyone has a story. This is the belief behind the series “300 words.” Each issue, a student is chosen at random and their story is told. In a short 300 words, the essence of a person is captured.300words.

by alex burnett

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 9

High school is scary, especially to 14 year old.When faced with the unknown that is 9th

through 12th grade in the public school system, it’s a natural response to look for help: some ad-vice, instruction, or guidance from above to aid the transition to the next stage in one’s life. Some will counsel the divine, some will counsel their parents, and others will seek out the counseling office itself.

For James Clayton, junior, freshman guidance from above came not from the divine, the pater-nal, or the office of counsel, but rather from an-other student. A student above him in grade: a senior.

Clayton had been acquainted with Jeff Schull, 2008 graduate, as a neighbor from down the street since 6th grade.

It began with a friendly gesture of the senior Schull offering rides to school to the freshman Clayton, and it developed into a lasting friendship in which Schull became a mentor to Clayton.

Through the relationship, Clayton gained in-sight, expectations, and comfort in entering high school. Schull also aided Clayton in the acquiring of his job at a carwash, access to otherwise upper-classmen exclusive poker parties, and gave him the desire to join the track team.

Schull made an enormous difference in the life of Clayton, and now Clayton is determined to do the same as was done to him. As an upperclass-man, Clayton has now taken it upon himself to extend his hand to an incoming freshman— who also happens to be a neighbor from down the street— and help guide him into high school, con-tinuing the chain.

Clayton hopes that through his pay-it-forward style system of mentoring that more upperclass-men will begin to help an underclassman find their way and help make the great leap from mid-dle school to high school not such a scary one.

GUIDANCE FROM ABOVE

Sally carmIchaEl

{AD

S}

10 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

Happy Hour! Every Day 2-4 P.M.

8905 Sant Fe DriveOverland Park, KS(913)-901-8511

Letters to the Editors are ac-cepted and en-couraged. We will print any signed letter.

They may be ed-ited for length

and clarity.

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 11

{FEATU

RE}

“I’ve enjoyed it here. Even though I have bad days here and there, I don’t let

them constitute a bad week and move on”

a day in the life of: a custodian

Often these elevators need to be reset by flipping a switch after crawling down underneath the system.

His routine stays mostly the same each day, usually reporting to rooms to clean or fix things.

“Pretty much the only thing that isn’t routine for me is getting calls from the radio,” West said.

West enters the tunnel system in the basement of the school about once a month to change the filters in the air conditioning system. Often the heating and air conditioning go out, and West fixes them, usually by swapping out the belts and filters.

Now and then West is called to clean up a “bathroom disaster” but usually he is given the job of replacing paper and emptying the trash. At night, all of the trash in the school is emptied and is compacted outside across from the tennis courts.

“The bathrooms aren’t as much of a mess as last year, but every once in a while, they can get pretty ugly,” West said, “After the story in the last issue of the Epic, one was messed up real bad.”

Despite having to clean and maintain most of the areas of the school, his job does have some advantages. Like most students at West, he gets to leave at 3:00 pm every day. He has to work during the summers and winters and on weekends, but he already has much experience.

West has been working as a janitor for 23 years, through three different schools, spending most of his time at Brookwood Elementary in Leawood, Kansas.

“I’ve enjoyed it here,” West said, “Even though I have bad days here and there, I don’t let them constitute a bad week and move on.”

He is sometimes called for atypical tasks. Even though these times can be gross, he loves working here and has fun chatting and socializing with the other janitors.

“I’m just here to enjoy my job and have fun,” West said.

Many students don’t understand or don’t know all of the things

that the school janitors do during the day. Their jobs may not be as boring as a person may think, more than just mopping and cleaning, and without janitors, schools would never be able to exist. The head custodian, Harold West, gives an insight on their jobs.

As the custodians arrive at school, which is usually between 6:00 and 6:30 am, they meet in their office, located behind the cafeteria. As they chat about news and pop culture, they get prepared to complete tasks given to them by teachers and other staff, often by a radio system. Once in a while, there is a spill that West needs to clean up or a student needing to open a locked door. The four janitors report to wherever they are sent by email or radio, and they help keep our school proper and clean.

After lunch is probably the busiest time for the custodians, where they take approximately one to two hours to clean up after the thousands of people who come and go throughout the cafeteria each day. Their jobs in the cafeteria are to clean the floor- by sweeping up all of the trash leftovers, and then cleaning it using large floor scrubbing machines.

Even though the custodians do work out and around the school, West spends the majority of his time in his office. He checks emails, is notified of school events, and is recommended work through a program called Main-tenance Web.

West doesn’t take very many sick days because of all of the paper work he is required to fill out everyday. He lives his life as a dedicated worker but also someone who likes to get out and do things. Despite spending so much time in his office, West likes being hands-on.

That is one of the reasons why he signed up to be a custthorized areas that most students don’t know about.

There are several elevators in school other than the foreign lan-guage hallway, helping the janitors get to and from the tunnel system in the basement.

Harold West gives a look at his routine as a school custodian while loving his job and having fun

by timothy dodderidge | photo by noah haden

Bristol Grill, on 5400 West 119th street, is an exceptional alternative to the aver-age Thanksgiving dinner. Every year they prepare a Thanksgiving feast, buffet style, which includes roasted tom turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, popcorn shrimp, varieties of salads, boiled spiced shrimp, and assorted dinner rolls and breads. For dessert they serve chocolate mousse, pump-kin pie, chocolate bread pudding, pecan pie, key lime tarts, carrot cake, cookies and brownies. The buffet is served from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., reservations are recommended and the price for adults is $26.95, children under 12 are $13.95, and children three and under are free.

Jacquille Hawkins, junior

“Skydiving with a turkey or swimming

with a walrus.”

Jordan Bain, seniorJosh McDougal, freshmanKristyn Steffens, sophomore

“Travel around Eu-rope and Asia.”

“Buy a private island for my friends.”

thanks,but no thanks... “Go on a picnic date

with a turkey and eat chicken.”

if you could do anything on thanksgiving, what would it be?

Thanksgiving tends to be a rath-er monotonous holiday filled with football games, visiting relatives and competing in eating the most turkey. It seems that everyone always has the same plans and no one is ever too excited to participate. But you don’t have to have the same ho-hum holi-day that everyone is a part of. From making turkey pots to skydiving, or a meatless feast the Epic explores the possibilities of an alternative Thanks-giving.

Unconventional alternatives for Thanksgiving ‘09 by terri harvey and elizabeth stephan | photos by cord powell

Could you ever imagine a Thanksgiv-ing without turkey? Well welcome to a vegetarian’s reality.

A common misconception of vegetar-ians is that they eat tofu in place of the turkey at Thanksgiving dinners, but most of the time they eat regular foods for their Thanksgiving feast excluding the meat.

“We [vegetarians] don’t just eat tofu for family meals,” Kayla Eddins, senior said.

Eddins was a vegetarian for 3 years, but is no longer due to many inconve-niences. Now that she is no longer a veg-etarian it is easier on her mom to cook meals, easier for her to eat when not at home, and healthier because she rarely ate full meals.

“I am looking forward to eating meat this year, my grandmother always buys ham, and it is my favorite,” Eddins said.

Ami Purohit and Nirali Patel, fresh-men, who are bound to vegetarianism by their Hindu beliefs don’t stick to the tra-ditional Thanksgiving foods.

“We eat food like spaghetti. Nothing traditional,” Patel said.

None of them feel like they are missing anything by not being able to eat turkey.

The different way people celebrate this holiday is just another reminder that everyone is not the same. The diversity of celebrations and traditions makes this holiday a memorable one for all.

Sometimes Thanksgiving with the family can get a little boring, and you may need an activity to keep all the little ones entertained and off your back. Here is a craft you may want to try.

You Will Need:- 3” clay pot- Feathers- Large pompom in red, orange, or yellow (for head)- Small foam triangle in orange or yellow (for beak)- Small red foam heart (for gobbler)- Tacky craft glue- 2 small wiggle eyes- Orange construction paper- Scissors

How to Make It:1. Glue eyes, gobbler, and beak to the pompom for the tur-

key’s face.

2. Glue feathers to the back of the pot, facing right side

up.

3. Glue pompom head to the edge of the pot di-

rectly across from

the feathers.

4. Cut out feet

from the orange

construction paper

and glue to the bottom

of the pot.

5. Now you can fill the

pot with small candies and

treats for the kids (and the

adults too)!

Vegetarian Special One Sweet Turkey

All around school people could be seen wearing “High School Hero” shirts and stickers ordering people to be nice to them. That’s because on November 11, students participated in the blood drive organized by Student Council and put on by Communi-ty Blood Center. About 212 people – includ-ing students, adults from school, the community, and walk-ins – signed up to donate.

“Every do-nor saves about three lives,” Geraldine Lon-don, a tech at Community Blood Center, said. This year 181 pints of blood were do-nated from our student donors.

Indicated by the Red Cross, every two sec-onds someone in America is in need of blood - requiring about 38,000 blood donations. Ap-proximately three out evey 100 people donate blood each year. Although the Community Blood Center does not serve hospitals through-out the United States like the American Red Cross, it serves all the Kansas City hospitals in the metro. Blood is needed for people who have cancer, blood disorders, sickle cell, anemia, and other illnesses.

According to Constance Benolkin, Student Council spon-sor, West has held a blood drive every year for more than ten years. In fact, until about three years ago (when district rules changed), each school in the Shawnee Mission School District was able to have two blood drives per year instead of just one.

Although the number of drives changed, the process did not.

When people sign up to donate, they are first given an appointment time. When they arrive at their appointment, participants must show a picture I.D. with their birth date on it. Then, they must fill out paper work and get their pulse and blood pressure taken before they can finally give blood. If they do not meet the requirements, they are sent back to class with a “thanks anyway!”

The one thing a person can absolutely control is their health and attitude.

“Eat a lot of food and drink a lot of water (beforehand),” Michael Garrett,

Student Council public relations committee co-chair and junior,

said. “Don’t psych yourself out, or else it will be harder to give

blood.” During or after the donating

process, it is common for donors to feel light-headed or faint. This is

because their blood sugar is now at a lower level than before (or

they just get weezy looking at the needle). That is why all donors are offered something to eat and drink afterwards. Giving blood takes about ten minutes, although it differs

from person to person, but the entire process

takes approximately one hour.According to Benol-

kin, donors are generally given cookies, granola bars, juices, and water. Some precautions after donating in-clude drink-ing plenty of liquids, not par ticipat-ing in any

s t re n u -ous exercise

for at least 24 hours, and no heavy

lifting for 12 hours. The blood drive went as

planned thanks to Garrett and Danny Neely, senior, who were the chairpersons of the pub-lic relations committee, as well as other StuCo members who volunteered their time.

“They both did an outstanding job by ensur-ing a smooth blood drive for 2009,” Benolkin said.

In order to put on such an event, a lot of preparation was needed.

“Danny Neely and I put the blood drive sign ups around school and gave them to the (Stu-dent Council) representatives to hand out,” Garrett said. “Then we made a master schedule of everyone donating and gave them passes to get out of class.” Along with recruiting people to sign up, the committee had to arrive at 6 A.M. on the day

of the blood drive in order to help Com-munity Blood Center set up and assist

throughout the day. In the end, the blood drive was a success.

“Thanks to the kids that donated blood,” London said. “You helped

save a life.”

by whitney knightly| courtney lichtenberger

14 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

{FEA

TURE

} bring on the bloodStudents, teachers, and community members donated blood to help people in the metropolitan area

davId HowEll

Tanner Ra-uter, senior,

volunteers to donate

some of his blood for the annual Blood

Drive. The Blood Drive is organized by

the Student Council and

put on by Community

Blood Center.

Must be 17 years or older

Must weigh 115 pounds

Must be free of the flu for at least 48 hours

Must be off antibiotics for 24 hours

requirementsfor donors

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 15

{AD

S}

3 1 2 88 2

6 5 7 95 8 24 2 3 5 7 9

9 4 69 8 5 3

4 98 6 2 4

sudoku

puzzle ? ?? ?

????

freeze frame

With practices just underway, a combination of conditioning and weight lifting has shaped the team with eagerness and dedication to getting back to where they finished last year, the state tournament. With even higher expectations than last year, they feel like they can even go further. One state qualifier, Ty Allen, feels they have the talent and depth to make it, despite the loss of one of their top wrestlers, Cannon Coker.

“We need to keep the same amount of focus and I think a lot of wrestlers have a chance at state this season,” Allen said.

Their practices started on Nov. 16 and run about three hours. According to Allen, practices vary through the entire season.

“At the beginning of the year,

practices consist of warm up and then mostly moves and match situations, and then at the end of the year, a lot of live wrestling takes place, which makes us improve,” Allen said.

Allen believes practices have played an enormous role in the success.

“I think what I have improved on most is my shooting moves rather just winning matches,” Allen said. “I think I’ve not only become better through practices but also more focused.”

The main goal of any high school wrestler is to win at state. Quali-fying is a respected achievement, but winning it all is the most honorable feat among wrestlers.

“My goal is to win state, and I think I have a decent shot, with my experience last year as a state qualifier and my improvement throughout the

whole off-season.” The state meet takes place

in Wichita and the Vikings look to be well represented once again.

The wrestling coaches, including Coach Red Corn, have been instrumental in helping them wrestle while on the floor and giving the wrestlers a challenge.

Allen feels the coaches are helpful, “I usually do live wrestling against them, and they’ve shown me techniques and look at wrestling with a different perspective.”

Am I pathetic? Or did anyone else get way too excited this Sunday when they saw that the Chiefs were up three points on a two-win team, whose first win came against the Chiefs earlier this year?

I mean, at one point the Raiders and Chiefs were a combined one-for-25 on third down conversions. As the third quarter came to a close, I pondered how truly sad the situation unfolding in front of me was. I saw Tom Cable and Todd Haley staring at each other over their clipboards, as if each was wondering how his team could possibly still be in a position to win. The game was like watching two 5 year olds hopped up on energy drinks, fighting each other with Sock’em Boppers for three hours. It was entertaining, but hardly a battle of skill.

Why write about this? It’s just another Chiefs game—granted they won—but this was just another inevitable error within this abysmal season. Did I say error? Yes, yes I did. The Chiefs have now moved themselves ahead of the Lions, Browns and Rams in the quest for draft position. What’s worse, we could still potentially win two more games, including one against arch-fantanking rival, Cleveland.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “fantanking” is a process that slowly evolves over time, and consists of a series of phases.

Phase 1. Your team begins to take a turn for the worse. Maybe your team drafts a receiver/defensive player for the fourth-straight year even though its formerly all-pro offensive line has completely disap-peared. You’ll know the signs when you see them.

Phase 2. Your team’s front office takes no steps to prevent phase 1.

Phase 3. You hire a new head coach.Phase 4. The next year, you hire a new head coach.Phase 5. The new new head coach and GM declare

the season to be a “rebuilding year.” As a fan, it’s hard to wait for your team’s five-year plan to kick into effect. I’m just not comfortable with the fact that I’m supposed to be paying off student loans by the time the Chiefs are good.

Phase 6. You accept that your team won’t be good, but continue to muddle along, picking out games on the schedule you think will be decided by less than two touchdowns.

Phase 7. You realize that a solid draft will do more for your team than the moral victory of putting a “St. Louis” in its place and begin rooting for your own team’s demise.

This outcome may seem treasonous at first. Root against my own team? Never! But after numerous losing seasons you’ll find that your only hope is to fantank along with the rest of us. So this Sunday when the Chiefs play the Steelers, break out the Black and Gold—heck, you already have the wardrobe.

team focusWrestling team gears up for a run at State as practice begins

the bestdansports columnperiod

by danny neely

Kyle Krammer and David Chew, seniors, struggle over a dodgeball at midcourt as the overtime game begins. Chew’s team, the Yezzur Spuds, ultimately triumphed, and with the victory advanced to the final of the tournament to be played at the January pep assembly.

fantanking

by connor oberkrom

FRED AMSTUTZ

16 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

{spo

rts}

DAVID HOWELL

Ty Allen, senior, bench presses during conditioning for the start of wrestling season.

Michael Higgins Mitch Mansour Danny Neely Lana Fanousco. feature editor sports editor

big game guaranteesThe Epic’s panel of experts predict the college football National Championship matchup and winner

Dan Premco. sports editor

the sports report

The 2009 three vs. three-basketball tournament, hosted by DECA was a great success. The money raised from the tournament goes toward paying for the organization’s trip to a DECA conference in Min-nesota in December. DECA sponsor, Scott Aldrich believes that there will be more tournaments in the future.

DECA went through a long process to set up and conduct the tournament around Student Council’s dodge ball tournament. DECA had reserved the gym-nasium for their basketball tournament, but shared the space with Stuco after to Stuco donated $500 to help them with the trip to Minnesota. DECA stu-dents made flyers to put up around the school. Once they had enough participants, Charlie Kelly, senior, carefully planned out the bracket for the three vs.-three tournaments.

“We raised a little over 250 dollars for the trip to Minnesota, which is good considering the dodge ball tournament was at the same time.” Charlie Kelly, se-nior, said.

The three vs. three-tournament cost $10 per per-son, and each game was 10 minutes long. Pool play games were played on November 9th and 10th, while on the 11th the finals were played. Most teams came in with strategies ranging from feeding it to the low post to lighting it up from behind the arc.

“Our game plan in the beginning was to light it up with three’s three points is more than two, so by that logic we should win.” Jake Vance, freshman, said.

Many teams came up short and will use the up-coming winter months to practice for the next tour-nament, whether it’s in the spring or next year.

Marketing organization uses sporting event to raise funds for national competition

DECA basketball tournamentby taylor neff

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 17

{SportS}

feature editor staff writerFlorida Vs. Texas

Cincinnati Vs. Alabama

TCU Vs.Texas

Texas Vs. Alabama

“Pead is going to run all over Bama.”

“Tebow is a man, enough said.”

“It will be a battle of the texans.”

“Iowa should be there but i’ll give Texas some credit they’re good.”

“Florida, although I hate them, they are just too good to be stopped.”

Flordia Vs. TCU

PRESTON FELGATE

Charlie Kelly, senior, both organized and played in this year’s tournament.

Stuc This

Team Ballers

Team Tired

Dominating the Floor

Team Ballers

Team Tired

Team BallersSemi-finals FinalsChampions

The semi-finals of the three on three tourna-ment came down to Stuc this, team Ballers, team tired, and Domi-nating the Floor. team Ballers and team tired moved on to the finals, in which team Ballers prevailed to win and become the tourna-ment champions.Bracket provided by Charlie Kelly

18 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

{spo

rts}powder power

by chris brown

Annual rivalry flares again this year with the powder puff football game between the junior and senior girls. After multiple fights and physical play, the game was eventually ended.

November 15th, a rainy, Sunday afternoon skir-mish matched the senior girls against the junior

girls. The annual rivalry between the seniors and juniors never fails to be competitive, full of tension, and even dangerous at times. The competition is tough, the play-ers, even tougher, but the game is all about having fun.

The junior team this year posed a strong threat to senior dominance in recent years. This year, the juniors were coached by Connor Askren and Drew Humphreys.

“We have had practices every Saturday and Sunday for the past two weeks,” stated junior and center line-backer Kayla Grodzicki. “We’ve worked on tackling drills and coming with up with our own specialized plays.”

Every year, each team creates a clever motto or phrase that they put on their own specialized t-shirts for game day.

“This year our motto was, “Check Out our Tight Ends!” Grodzicki said. “The seniors make fun of us for not eating lots of food at lunch, so we thought this would get back at them.”

Junior and fellow linebacker Sarah Fisher agreed.“It’s basically the opposite of what they say about us

so we think it’s clever.”In the past few years the intensity of the game has

been a key factor to the outcome. The rivalry between the two grade levels has at times, gotten to an extreme. However, that does not seem to be the case this year.

“We are all ok being friends with each other off the field,” Grodzicki stated. “Once the game starts we will be ready to play, but its all for fun.”

Who are the juniors matched up against this year? The 2010 senior class. A strong, determined team this year, the seniors will look to take revenge for their defeat last year. Senior linebacker Blair Konczal was excited for the game and a chance to beat the juniors.

“I’m really excited to play this year with all my friends,” Konczal said. “Id also like to make my coaches proud.”

The seniors were coached this year by Drew Thorn-ton and Fred Amstutz. Similar to the juniors, the seniors hosted numerous practices the past few weeks and were well prepared for the game Sunday. The senior’s motto this year was simple but effective.

“We Eat!” Konczal said. “It’s directed toward the ju-niors who don’t eat anything at lunch. Us seniors, on the other hand, chow down!”

The game didn’t disappoint. A cold, rainy afternoon was overshadowed by the tension on the field. Tempers flared as the rain continued to pour down, making a mess of the field and the players. The seniors went ahead with an early touchdown from running back Brooke Banning. Following a safety in the junior’s end zone, the seniors struck again with two scores from Ashly Clipston and Christina Szymkowski. The seniors won this years edi-tion of Powderpuff football by a score of 23-0.

Regardless of the outcome, the annual game contin-ues to be a staple of the junior, senior rivalry.

Megan Frohardt (left), Kayla Grodziki (middle) and Carly Cassidy (right), ju-niors, look on from the sideline as their team struggles to move the ball down the field. The juniors lost the game by a final score of 23-0, and both teams came away with a multitude of scrapes aand bruises.

MVP’s

PRESTON FELGATE

junior

senior Brooke Banning

“We dominated offensive-ly and defensively. The ju-niors didn’t even get past

midfield.”

runningback

Madison Crocker“One’s best success comes after one’s greatest dis-appointments. Since we lost so bad this year, we’ll come out next year and kick some butt.”

quarterback

taking the plunge

Ryan Smith rejoins the swim team for senior season

Stupid Jinxes

that’sdebatable

by dan prem

Well, all my smack talk and hype for my team has come to a close.

A devastating loss for the Iowa Hawkeyes puts them at 9-2, and destroys all hopes of mak-ing it to the Rose Bowl. I have one well thought-out idea on why the painful loss occurred. It involves two jinxes. The first jinx was my pre-vious column, where I talked about how good they were (not saying they aren’t now, they’re still dank) and how they were on the road to a national championship. I guess I should have written about dodgeball and how it’s biased, but that’s besides the point.

My second is the “Sports Illustrated” cover jinx. Everybody knows if a team makes it to the cover, something is bound to go wrong. Iowa was undefeated, then SI put them on the cover, and look what happens, they lose. Besides Iowa, numerous teams and athletes have suffered. The Cleveland Cavaliers were off to a great season and made it to the con-ference championship. The issue came out with LeBron on the cover, and they ended up losing the series 4-2. Other examples include Dee Brown from the Illinois basketball team, Ole Miss being ranked number four and los-ing to South Carolina, and Houston beat-ing Oklahoma State after a picture of OSU’s quarterback was on the cover.

After getting over the heartbreaking loss to Northwestern and Ohio State, getting trash talk from all my friends, and thinking about how I might have jinxed my own team, I came to realize there are a lot of sports jinxes out there.

A very commonly occurring jinx is the Madden cover jinx. I’ll start in 2004, when Mike Vick was on the cover of the game, but within days earning the cover Vick broke his leg in a preseason game. Donovan McNabb was on the cover in 2006, and, in week one

McNabb suffered a sports hernia and elected to have surgery, which ended his season. In 2008, Vince Young was on the cover, and, of course he was subject to injuries and troubled play. In this year’s version of the game, Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu are on the cover, so time will tell.

Jinxes like the Heisman winner jinx, the Bambino jinx, and the Hard Knox jinx, are just a part of sports nature and will continue to be for a

long time. And for me, I think I’ll hold off on writ-ing columns about my favorite teams that are doing

well, but maybe start writing columns about teams I dislike, trying to get them to lose. Remember, I have the power.

by brayden clark

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 19

{SPORTS}

To many people, swimming is a casual activity that one does over the summer. Going to the pool, lying on the side under the sun and relaxing can be categorized as a lazy day at the pool. To Ryan Smith a day at the pool is exactly the opposite of lazy.

“I train for two and a half hours every-day, five days a week,” Ryan Smith, senior said. “I start out by doing a dry land work-out, which mainly includes stretching and getting the body loose to be ready to get in water and avoid injuries. After, dry land I do two main sets in the water. I then do a FIP (fastest interval possible), which is 10X100’s. My fastest FIP time is 1 min-ute, 5 seconds. To finish I do a cool down lap.

Ryan started swimming when he was six years old. At first he started swim-ming as a way to stay active and have fun. After a few years, swimming developed into more of a passion, he decided to start swimming more competitively. He did this by joining the KC Blazers, a local club team, and a team he has been swimming with for the last seven years.

Ryan’s coach, while he was with the Blazers was Derek Shipp. Derek Shipp had a big impact on Ryan’s swimming career.

“He was my coach for seven years. He really helped me and inspired me tremen-dously. He always pushed me to do my best and get the best times I could get,” Smith said.

Through swimming with the Blazers, Smith had one of his most memorable moments swimming. It was a team trip to Plano, Texas. The meet in Texas is a prestigious swim meet, which only certain teams are able to participate in.

“It was my first team trip. For our team to be able to go to the meet, we had to get three “A” times,” Smith said. “My team did pretty good against the tough compe-

tition. It was a really good experience for my team and I. The meet allowed us to gain some key experience. We also had a lot of fun as a team.

Through swimming, Ryan has met many people who he has become friends with. One of those people is Kate Sny-der.

“I met Ryan a little over a year ago, we were teammates on the same club swimming team, and he was also the girls team manager last year,” Kate Sny-der, sophomore said.

Ryan has had many achievements in his swimming career. During his sopho-more year he was able to qualify for state and ended up placing 17th in the 500 freestyle at state.

“One of my best achievements be-sides finishing 17th at state is qualify-ing for sectionals. Sectionals is a highly competitive meet, it is right before ju-nior nationals so it is very hard to qual-ify for,” Smith said.

Ryan took a break from high school swimming during his junior year, but he is hopeful during his senior he can improve on his 17th place finish at state his sophomore year.

While Ryan is a really into swim-ming, that is not he’s only attribute, he also has a pretty good personality.

“When I first met Ryan, one qual-ity that stood out was his personality and how funny he was. He is one of the funniest people I know.” Snyder said.

Although it is Ryan’s senior year his swimming career will not be coming to an end after this, he is looking to swim competitively in college.

“I will be going to Missouri State, because it has a really good men’s program,” Smith said.

RAINE MCGUIRE

sudoku

answers? ?? ?

????

School Special!4 Hours

x6 passengers =$39 per person16408 West Locust St.

Olathe, Kansas913-706-0577

TheEpic

Next Issue:December 17

6900

Antioch Road

(913)-677-2176 WE SERVICE HONDA CARS

IMPORT SHOP

3 1 2 4 5 6 7 9 89 7 8 1 2 3 4 6 56 4 5 7 8 9 1 3 25 3 6 8 9 7 2 4 14 2 1 3 6 5 8 7 97 8 9 2 1 4 3 5 62 6 4 9 7 8 5 1 31 5 3 6 4 2 9 8 78 9 7 5 3 1 6 2 4

20 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

{AD

S}

by andrew hoskins and noah haden | photos by cord powell

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 21

{A&

E}

Everyone knows that Black Friday is one of the most hectic shop-

ping days of the year. Big crowds, early morning specials, and stressful decisions are enough to strike fear into the heart of any amateur shopper. We’ve collected some helpful tips and exclusive in-formation that will keep you one step ahead of the game this year.

The key to Black Friday shop-ping is to have a pre-planned strategy. Take it from an expert. Senior Melissa Murray, a seasoned shopper, has big plans for Black Friday this year.

“My strategy is to take no pris-oners. When I see what I want, I grab it, and I don’t let anyone get in my way.”

Murray will be spending Thanksgiving weekend in Minne-sota and plans to wake up at three to shop at the Mall of America, considered to be a Mecca among shoppers.

If electronics is your thing, you definitely want to make a stop at Best Buy. They are making large–

scale preparations and expecting huge crowds this year as a result of the deals that they are offering. Chris Ichrist, Geek Squad super-visor at the 95th and Quivira location, said that they have a very effective crowd-management system that has worked well in the past. The lines will be man-aged as effectively as possible, all merchandise will be conveniently placed, and they have trained the staff to be prepared for anything.

If Oak Park Mall is part of your plan, arrive early and expect enormous lines and crowds. Sean Phillips, Marketing Supervisor for Oak Park gave us some inside information. Department stores open at 5 am, followed at 7 by the rest of the mall. Door busters are offered at all stores before noon and coupon books are available free to those who ask at the infor-mation booth.

Black Friday may not be for everyone, but for those brave enough to shop, there are many opportunities to save a lot of money.

guide to black fridayHow to find great deals on the most chaotic shopping day of the year

Best Buy is offering some really special deals this year. The doors open officially at five am, but those who arrive at three

will be given a “door buster” ticket that will allow you to exclusive discounts on certain items. Other Items on sale include a Toshiba laptop and Canon three in one printer package for $229.

BEST BUY

Toys R Us is offering 65% off on many popular items including a Zune MP3 player, reduced from $200 to $80. Also, check the store’s website the night before because special deals that weren’t in the ad will be posted that evening only.

TOYS R’ US

Macy’s is going to be another hot spot this year. Doors open at five, but the lines are expected to be massive so arrive around 4:30. Employee

and previous Black Friday survivor Holly Ken-nedy gave us some inside info that you won’t find in ads. Prices are slashed on all men’s dress shirts and leather coats. Expect discounts on women’s wear as well.

MACY’S

Jedi knights, as we know them, have only been known to exist on the big screen in galaxies far, far away. A day in the typical Jedi life would involve fighting off thousands of clones or droids, practicing with your bright plasma-laser sword thing (they call them light sabers), and most likely rescuing a member of your crew from a hid-eous villain. However, director Grant Heslov had his own fantasy of these science-fiction heroes. Heslov’s Jedis practice their superpowers by…staring at goats?

In this fun, light-hearted drama, soldiers (or “Jedi Warriors” as they become known as), of the U.S. Army with psychic powers are trained under a program designed to find alternative war tech-niques. Their unit was founded by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) who had a vision during a near-death experience while fighting in the Vietnam War. The program, named New Earth Army, is accepted into the army and strives to find ways of peace within war. The soldiers ways of “keep-ing in shape” with their pyschic powers include such techniques like cloud bursting (breaking up clouds with their minds), attempting to walk through walls, and eventually staring at goats to stop their heart rates.

Before the information about this “Special Units” program is revealed to the audience, the movie begins with Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor; Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars 1-3) covering a story for his local newspaper in 2003. The assignment happens to be about a man who was involved in a special military pro-gram 20 years ago (yes, the New Earth Army). After covering this story, Wilton gathers the name of Lyn Cassady (George Clooney).

After a mid-life crisis involving his mari-tal and work lives, Wilton moves to Kuwait to cover more on the Iraq War and, luck have it, meets Cassady who takes him to Iraq for a mis-sion. The remaining time of the film covers the partner’s adventures they engage in, while re-discovering the New Earth Army’s roots.

Personally, I expected a better-developed plot than what the writer’s provided. Although the ending was disappointing , lacking intelli-gence and a “bang”, the cast is sure to spark your laughter throughout the movie. The Men Who Stare At Goats certainly won’t be nomi-nated for any Oscars, but will without doubt be a very popular rental when its release date comes around.

wale: attention deficitA rookie breaks through with a smash hit album

by mitch mansour

22 THE EPIC ISSUE 4

{a&

e}

the men who stare at goatsThough not quite the plot one would hope for, the force is strong with this cast of “jedi warriors”

Attention Deficit will be one of the most lyrically inclined albums to drop in 2009. Wale is a fresh breath to the hip-hop world. “Nobody pays attention and I’m trying to change it.” Wale said. This one of the reasons he named the album Attention Deficit. Wale claims the new album is a reference to a crumbling music industry that is producing weak and disposable songs.

Wale is one of the newest hip-hop sensations and at the top of the rookie class along with Drake and Kid Cudi. This D.C. rapper has appeared with Bun B, Gucci Mane, Marsha Ambrosius, Chrisette Mi-chele, Jazmine Sullivan, K’Naan and recruited Lady Gaga for his first single “Chillin.” The single was sup-posed to be a breakout like M.I.A.’s paper planes. He has had songs produced by hip hop heavyweights such as Mark Ronson, the Neptunes, Cool & Dre, and 9th Wonder. Other singles on the album include “World Tour,” with Jazmine Sullivan, which is featured in the video game NBA Live 10,

and “Pretty Girls,” featuring Gucci Mane. With 50 minutes, 14 tracks, and no skits by

just listening you can tell that Wale is prov-ing him self. Even people that don’t like the

album will have to admit that this is his best work and is fo-cused.

Wale is doing big things. With a song in a video game and doing performances all through out the MTV Music Video Awards, he’s stepping up. Wale has toured with Jay-Z and has collaborated with some of the biggest names in hip-hop. With plans to drop big hit singles with big names he will end 2009 on a good note. He only plans to contin-ue putting out good music and making major moves. Wale calls 2009 his year.

Wale is the next best thing and in this album he getting the word out. Attention Deficit is both Wale’s major label debut and his moment of truth. The Album has been anticipated for quit some time

and thankfully, it lives up to the hype.

by cameron volker

ISSUE 4 THE EPIC 23

{A&

E}by matt smith | photos by raine mcguire

doubletake

double

A&E IN KCthe best of local arts and entertainment

in the kansas city metro area

by sally carmichael

take

When I called the restaurant, the lady who answered was very nice. She had my order in in no time at all. The best part of the call was the end when the lady said, “See you [in] ten minutes.”

The lady who answered the phone here was equally as nice and the process was equally as speedy. Once again, I was pumped to hear, “See you in ten minutes.”

Service

TimelinessI arrived at the restaurant not knowing what to expect. It was the best feeling when I gave the cashier my name and my food was already ready.

Timeliness was a disappoint-ment here. When I arrived at the restaurant my food was not ready as it was at Rice House. I had to sit and wait for around five minutes.

TasteThe chicken was very tasty, but a little dry at times. The rice was perfect, as was the crab rangoon, which comes with a dinner meal. Overall, I was very with the qual-ity of the food.

The chicken here was awe-some. It was never dry and it was very tasty. The crab rangoons here were fantastic, and two came with a meal. A minus was if you wanted soda you could only get a can, not a fountain drink.

Cost

The Rice House offers a lot of op-tions, all for a very low price. The lunch menu ranges from $4-6. Dinner combos cost around $7 and specials go as high as $10.

Lunch menu here was $4.25. The Dinner combo cost $6.25 and special meals went up to $10 as well. A large variety of options are available here as well.

And the Winner is....BothOverall it is a draw. If you asked me which one to go to I would say whichever one you live closest to.

Electric Six - 11/21 @ 9pmRiot Room in KCMO, $12

Cursive, Cap Gun Coup - 11/24 @ 9pmThe Bottleneck in Lawrence, $12

The Cranberries - 11/29 @ 8pmMidland Theatre in KCMO, $35

The Swell Season - 11/30 @ 8pmUptown Theatre in KCMO, $20

Elton John, Billy Joel - 12/1 @ 7pmSprint Center in KCMO, $52

Spoon, The Bravery - 12/3 @ 6pmMidland Theatre in KCMO, $25

Megadeth, Suicide Silence - 12/5 @ 6pmUptown Theatre in KCMO, $40

Rick Springfield - 12/5 @ 8pmMidland Theatre in KCMO, $38

David Archuleta - 12/8 @ 7pmMidland Theatre in KCMO, $25

Underoath - 12/9 @ 7pmGranada in Lawrence, $12

Breaking Benjamin - 12/11 @ 8pmBeaumont Club in KCMO, $35

The Comedians from the popular show Chelsea Lately on the E! Channel bring a night of sheer entertainment for the Midland Theatre. Comedians Whitney Cummings, Josh Wolf, Sklar Brothers, Jo Koy, and Chuy share their standup in an evening that will leave the audi-

ence laughing.Midland Theatre in KCMO, $28

Comedians of Chelsea Lately | Nov. 27

This unique multi-media event features music from all six of John Williams’ Star

Wars scores, featuring a full symphony orchestra and choir, accompanied by

specially edited footage from the films. There is also an exhibit of costumes,

props, artifacts, and artwork.Sprint Center in KCMO, $35

First Fridays | Today Nov. 6

ARTS & THEATRE

CONCERT WATCH

ku basketball-kyle wright, sophomorefrienship bracelets-jessie sapenaro, junior

taco tuesday-becca schmidt, sophomore

christmas music-cara murray, seniorjunior year-allyson hall, junior

yell leading-jordan vandeberghe, junior

jamie hyneman mythbuster

14958 W 87th St Pwky Lenexa, KS 66215

7166 Renner Rd Shawnee, KS 66217

jed bair science teacher

Rice House Chen’s Kitchen

eastern cuisine showdown

Think you have what it takes to be a member of the Epic staff? Prove it! Below is a test de-

signed to recreate all of the challenges faced on a day-to-day basis by members of the Epic staff. Fill out the answer card, cut it out and return it to room 11 by december 7 to be entered in the contest to win a $20 Sonic gift card.

epicpart one

part two

part three

As a photographer on the Epic staff, part of your responsibilities include writing a caption for each of your pictures. Sometimes a picture will be taken that baffles even the photographer that took the picture and it is up to other staff members to create a cap-tion. Now it is up to you to create a caption for the picture on the left. It can be funny, serious, tragic or some mix between the three. Pictured are J Geracie and Seve Sites, freshmen.

caption writing

Editors of the Epic have the job of looking over the stories of writers and correcting them for grammar and clarity. The text on the right is part of a story in need of revision. Make the necessary corrections to make the story grammatically correct and concise and write them.

editing

story ideasAll members of the Epic staff are required to sub-

mit ideas for possible stories in the next issue. As the final part of the Epic Challenge, you must cre-ate a story idea that could be featured in the Epic. If we like it, it may be used in a future issue.

this year the tenis team went 6 and 0. They had 2 good players that did a great job by hitting the ball whenever it came to them and didnt not mouth off to the coach to much. what a relief!

After the turnament ended, the coach said “we did a very good job guys” and then walked over to the desk and sat down to finish his work. The coach is very happy about the teams results and thought the season was a total sucess. Good job guys!

answer cardcut this out and return to room 11 by december 7

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

Name

Grade

5th block class

challenge

the