Issue 2

MISS TEEN EARNS HER CROWNLauren Rellihan, junior, rises

to the top in her first pageant experience as she takes the

crown | 3

Swine flu has some students and staff on the edge after the recent breakout| 11

SWINE FLU STRIKES SMSD

shawnee mission west | 8800 w. 85th st. vol. 48 | issue 2the epic

overland park, ks 66212 | october 15, 2009

goodteam

chemistryThe science department won the award for

best faculty float for the second time in four years with their “Bellagio Fountain” float

photo by sally carmichael

28 Shawnee Mission students have been recognized as National Merit Semifinal-ists after taking the PSAT. The students from West include, Leigha Empson, Rebecca Martin, Emily Miller, and Daniel Neely.

weird news

{oct. - nov.}10.15.09 - 11.6.09

news in brief

8:00 p.m. - Lip Sync

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s} snapshotA Connecticut man was charged with assault and a traffic violation after arguing the right-of-way over a four-year old on a tricycle. The man was in-line skating through the bike lane until he came across a child on a tricycle in his way. He was reported to have assaulted the girl as he passed by her. Police say that she did have the right-of-way.

The Massachusetts court system sentenced a man to 18 months in prison for using a pellet gun to steal a hot dog. The man approached a woman sitting on a park bench and demanded her hot dog. The woman refused until he re-vealed his pellet gun. He was caught near by eating the hot dog in his car.

A small Bangladesh town witnessed a man taking care of the rat problem they have been having in a huge way. Nearly 83,000 rats were killed by one man who claimed he could solve the town’s rat problem. The government granted him a 32 inch television as a reward.

The FCCLA members attended a District E leadership retreat in which they par-ticipated in leadership activities, learned about FCCLA networking, and planned future events. FCCLA stands for Family, Ca-reer and Community, Leadership of America and is a nationally recognized club throughout many schools, not only in the Shawnee Mis-sion school district but all over the country.

Students showed their spirit early Fri-day morning at 5 a.m. by participating in KMBC TV news’ Match-up Mania. Pep club sponsors, band, football team, students and staff all packed the gymnasium to be shown on the news against Shawnee Mission South students to see who had the most school spir-it. Hot dogs and soda were being sold along with t-shirts for students.

The 47th annual college clinic will be held at Shawnee Mission East. The clinic pres-ents a great oppurtunity for students and parents to get important information regard-ing colleges. There are over 100 universities participating in this event, all with a table or room giving presentations and all the infor-mation you will need.

There have been rumors throughout the hallways regarding changes in the block scheduling. Staff meetings have been held around the district to try to have all the Shawnee Mission schools on the same block scheduling system. This could possibly include changing the Friday schedule to Mondays or changing from six minute passing periods to five. The changes are said to be minor.

The district budget has caused a seri-ous problem for all the Shawnee Mission schools this year and is on track to con-tinue next year. There is a predicted 20 mil-lion dollar budget cut coming to the district next year. This will cause a decrease in teach-ers and an increase in the number of students in classes. The district had to cut some ath-letic coaches this year as a result of previous budget cuts.

KCTV 5 is looking at possibly nominating an organization at West such as band, choir, journalism, or dance for their Cool Skool Program. The program recognizes the organization by putting them on the news and documeting how they do what they do. Keep up the good work West.

The debate team was recognized as be-ing in the top 5% of the National Foren-sic League. Mr. King, Ms. Patch, and Ms. Miller are to be congratulated for their coach-ing. This is just one of the many prestigious awards won by the team.

169:40 a.m. - Late start 209:30 p.m. - After game party 23

29

A massive 1,400 pound bull escaped from a New Jersey slaughter house and led police on a 10 block chase. The bull was taken to the slaughter house be-cause it was too rowdy for its owner. After escaping, the bull was lassoed and taken back to the slaughter house.

30 No School - parent/teacher confer ences

2 7:00 p.m. - Fall academic awards program

7:00 p.m. - Fall play “Wait until dark”

27

5 1:45 p.m. - NHS meeting

1:45 p.m. - FMP meeting

3 2:00 p.m. - StuCo meeting

Brooke Katterhenry and Jenn Stanley, juniors, help decorate for the homecoming dance, hosted by Student Council. This year’s theme was “Viva Las Vegas” and featured a lighted archway, a fountain, and many other decorations assembled by members of StuCo. Students met after school to decorate for three days last week, and also worked on Saturday morning before the dance to ensure that this year’s event was a success.

15

by scott holm

2 THE EPIC ISSUE 2

No School - end of quarter

ALEX BURNETT

faces in the hallWhat is your favorite Halloween monster?

by dani la londe

seniorkwang hyun

juniorjessica shoemacher

sophomore jade bogart

freshmanchris linner

The Grinch

Dracula

Casper

Mummy

Lemonheads

Last House on the Left

Awesome

Exciting

Hostile 2

Twix Prom Night

Cool

Swedish Fish

Kit Kat

Casper

Scary

What is yout favorite candy? What is your favorite scary movie?

Halloween is ?photos by preston felgate

miss teen earns her crown

Lauren Rellihan, junior, was named Miss Teen Kansas International this past February.

Rellihan got involved in Miss Teen Kan-sas International to challenge herself. She wanted something new to try and found out about the pageant through the announce-ments at school. This is her first pageant, so this was a new experience to her.

“This pageant is a little different,” Rel-lihan said. “There was no state pageant. I got interviewed by the pageant director and through that interview I was given the title of Miss Teen Kansas International.”

After earning the title, Rellihan has made seven appearances so far and has many more until she gives away her crown.

“I was invited to make an appearance for the American Heart Association. I would participate in fashion shows and model make up, and the proceeds from these events would go to foundations such as Go Red for Women,” Rellihan said.

She got the chance to work with a former Miss Teen Kansas, who helped coach Relli-han on interviewing skills and how to walk.

“The Miss Teen International pageant is based on a platform, something you speak on,” said Rellihan. “My platform was inter-national adoption.”

The national pageant was held in Chi-cago. Rellihan stayed there for a week and participated in community projects such as Navy Pure and the Boys and Girls Club of America.

“I got to meet a lot of girls nationwide and became friends with them,” Rellihan said. “It was a great experience to give back to the community and help out organiza-

tions.”Participating in a pageant seems like a

fun thing to do, but there are some chal-lenges involved.

“It was difficult to find sponsors to help pay for my trip to Chicago,” Rellihan said. “It was also challenging to write my plat-form and speak about it.”

“I encouraged Lauren to be herself and enjoy everything throughout the whole ex-perience,” said Karen Rellihan, Rellihan’s mom who helped her prepare for the pag-eant. “My favorite part of the pageant was getting to see everything finally come together and watch her perform on stage. I am proud of her for her hard work.”

Although Rellihan did not win the national pag-eant, she came back with a great experience.

“My favorite part about doing this pageant was performing on stage,” said Rellihan. “It is exciting to know that I won the Kan-sas International title without any experience at all. It is really cool to know that I am someone younger girls look up to.”

Rellihan gives away her crown in March to the next Miss Teen Kansas International. She plans to compete for the title of Miss Kansas in the future.

Lauren Rellihan, junior, rises to the top in her first pageant experience as she takes the crown by courtney lichtenberger

ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 3

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PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMIE HUNDERTMARK

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} excellence in the detailsThe interpersonal skills class has helped one sophmore become more social.

“The partners give them good role models, as well as a connection with someone they normally wouldn’t associate with. It

makes them feel a little closer to West,” Duncan said. This year, Marshall’s cadet partner is Claire Boyts, junior.

“I think Sam and I are a good match because we’re both quieter, so I can relate to her. When we play games in the big group, I ask her ahead of time what she wants to do so when she’s called on she’s not as

surprised or nervous,” Boyts said.Underneath her quiet, introverted shell,

Marshall is funny and likeable.“She’s very shy and very quiet around other

people; she just doesn’t approach people. But if someone talks to her first, she can be a real chatterbox,” Cora Marshall said.

Sweet, polite, hardworking- each of Mar-shall’s qualities represent her well-rounded and kind character.

“She’s never had any problems with other kids; she likes everybody. She definitely doesn’t judge others,” Cora Marshall said.

Since she was first enrolled in interpersonal skills, Marshall has started to open up to others.

She is now better acquainted with her classmates and feels comfortable around more people.

“She was really quiet at the beginning of the year and didn’t really talk to anyone in the class, but now she’s improving a lot,” Boyts said. “When we went to PowerPlay, she won a huge orange mon-key from the crane game and was thrilled the rest of the day. On the bus she could hardly stop talking.”

According to Duncan, Marshall becomes more extroverted when she has something to add to the conversation.

“She’s starting to volunteer more when we bring up something that interests her, like High School Musical,” Duncan said.

The class has really helped Marshall to express herself. Thanks to her teachers and classmates, Marshall has begun to warm up to

her peers and everyone in the community.

Once in a while, everyone feels shy and self-conscious, like when attending a new school or going to the coolest party of the year. For sophomore Samantha Marshall, inhibition was just part of her personality. Or at least until the middle of last year when Saman-tha’s mother, Cora Marshall, got a phone call from a teacher in the Special Education department.

“One of the teachers called me at work,” Cora Marshall said. “They wanted to recommend a class that would help Samantha socialize.”

Marshall was then enrolled in a course that could really change her life.

“I didn’t really know about the class (before). Mrs. Bandel told me about it and it was some-thing I wanted to do,” Marshall said.

Through the doors of room 105 lies an entirely different schooling environ-ment. Its home to the inter-personal skills class, taught my Ann Duncan, special education department chair.

“Our main focus is to work on social skills- teach-ing the kids to interact with each other as well as other people,” Duncan said.

Typically, the students in the skills class are regular students that have had social issues in the past.

“The class is good for any student we feel has a need to work on peer interactions- kids that are shy or have trouble making friends,” Duncan said.

In the skills class, students practice using tactics that others take for granted, like how to read and express body language, or how to order food at a restaurant.

“Some Fridays, we do an exercise where we give a scenario and ask the students how they would deal with that situa-tion. Then we help them figure out the best way,” Duncan said.

The two teachers make the lessons fun with games, like role-playing and charades, and taking a class field trip every quarter.

Monday through Thursday, the interpersonal skills class combines with Melanie Bandel’s cadet teaching class.

Each student from the skills class is assigned a cadet as a partner.

Marshall and cadet partner, Boyts play the card game Apples to Apples as part of the Cadet Teaching program.

by alison bailes | photos by preston felgate

ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 5

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(913)-677-2176 WE SERVICE HONDA CARS

IMPORTSHOPPlease be

eco-friendly and recycle

the Epic.

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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 stephanbackpage editorkatie prather

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.

From the ages of three to 13, trick or treating was the thing to do on Halloween. Whether it’s collecting a pillowcase full of candy, or just staying out a bit later with friends, most of us loved Halloween.

Now we are in high school and the question arises: Do we con-tinue trick or treating?

That can be answered with another question: Why stop? As the big day comes closer and closer you are probably being

told how ridiculous trick or treating is at this age, but it’s entirely up to you whether you believe this junk.

The last time we checked, you only get to be a kid once. How many times have you heard adults say they wish they were kids again? Sure, you can wish you were off in the workforce, making yourself some cash, or you can have a little fun.

In case you have not realized, after high school some serious ex-pectations are going to be placed on you, and things like trick or treating will never be an option. In other words, take advantage of these precious years and do what you want to do. It doesn’t have to be trick or treating, just get yourself involved in some childish activities once in awhile.

So this October 31 open the closet, take out your old Power Rangers costume, and put your maturity in its place. Because in about ten years this kind of stuff, won’t be nearly as fun as it is now, and the last thing you want to do is not have taken advantage of all these opportuni-ties to have a little fun.

You now have sixteen days to make the call, and we certainly hope you choose to have a little fun. Who knows, it could be a life chang-ing decision. Because this is just not about Halloween night, but it repre-sents the rest of your childhood no matter how much of it you have left.

You will always have enough time to be Mr. or Mrs. Mature when you head back to school.

NEVER TOO OLD

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Smells like team spirit?

the drawing board:earvin chinchilla

by

Before I begin, let me provide you with some background information that I used to form this argument:

The average hippopotamus weighs be-•tween 7000-10000 lbs and often mea-sure around 25 ft longHippopotamuses primarily eat mam-•mals of a smaller stature (hamsters, prairie dogs, porcupines, humans, etc.)The average hippo sheds its skin twice •during each trimesterThe modern day “Hippo” was not •known as its own animal until 1529. Prior to that year they were thought of as extremely uninteresting dino-saurs

That’s all pretty interesting isn’t it? In

fact, if you feel like you’ve learned something so far from this column, go ahead and throw your hands up into the air and let out a big “Wooooooooooo!”

Ok, put your hands down.So far, the only truth in this column has

been in the title.The point of this all is that anyone can say

anything at anytime, truthful or not, and por-tray it as fact.

This notion is even more deadly when it’s a person in the media or a position of power, as they have the ability to reach a large number

of people at once. For example, if the editor of your school

paper started spreading false information about large amphibious mammals, a large majority of his audience would blindly accept what he has to say and take every word as law (not that this is necessarily a bad thing…).

Anyone in a position of power or control over the media can really say anything they want and portray it as fact. Personal opinions and biases can often play a large part in the spread of false information as well. For ex-ample: I have a strong bias toward lying to the entire student body about hippos.

And while spreading rumors, lies, or gener-ally uninformed facts is the fault of the per-son spreading it, and people really ought to be more responsible than that, it is up to the listener to not believe everything they hear.

Of course this is much easier said than done.

I too was guilty of believing some of the hearsay that goes around on a daily basis.

It was sophomore year and I was but a gull-ible tenth grader.

One of my big bad upperclassman friends thought it would be funny to tell me that sophomores are only allowed to use one bath-room in the entire school.

I believed everything that he told me, and so I was now restricted to using only the bath-room by the woods and metals rooms.

For half of the year I was forced to sprint full speed to the bathroom and then to my fourth block class to avoid being late.

Luckily, I was only late a few times and only pee’d my pants seven times.

No wait, that’s not true either. See what I’m talking about? False information -- I did it twice in one column!

...I’ve lost all credibility for the rest of the year.

The important topic on my mind is team spirit or school spirit.

I’ve always heard people say that the students at West are known for their school spirit but isn’t it the same for most other schools? Everyone wears the spirit wear, attends the games and thinks they cheer the loudest – we all do the same thing.

I don’t see as much spirit as people seem to let on. No one is walking around wearing a sand-wich board that says “Go Vi-kings!”

So I’ve thought up a list of ways to take our school spirit to the extreme but just short of any-thing illegal.

First- Everyone shaves their heads but leaves patches of hair in the back shaped as the letters SMW. It would be a sort of pledge saying I devote my whole being to my wonderful school. It may sound like a cult thing but it’s not, it’s just devotion.

Second- Everyone gets Viking tattoos. I’m not talking tempo-rary, I’m talking permanent inked on, the real deal. Perhaps the fore-head would be a good place, it is the first thing people see.

Third- We breed a massive group of carrier pigeons that will fly around with messeges on rib-bons for everyone to see. Some-one may be sitting in traffic next thing they know a pigeon is fly-ing by their window with a rib-bon that says “Go West Vikings” or something like that. They say, “Hey, that spectacular flying crea-ture supports the Vikings, I will too.”

Don’t get me wrong I am not trying to mock school spirit, al-though most people who know me probably think I am. All I am try-ing to say is that after our triumph of spirit over South it is time to take it to the next level.

I hope you take these extreme measures into consideration.

IMPORTANTTHINGSwithdani la londe

ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 7

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this column is not about hippos

a third-degree

by alex burnettburn

by dani la londe

It’s the middle of October which means only one thing is on everyone’s mind: Christmas.

Never is it too early for those compulsive money-bearing grandmas to start buying their annual abundance of under-quality electronics, fake snow and tacky wrapping paper.

But while every store is taken over by preparations for the upcoming winter season, I’m focused on a holiday within a practical amount of time.

Halloween is often over-looked as teenagers outgrow the typical tradi-tions of trick-or-treating from door to door and spending endless hours convincing your older brother to swap you Milk Duds for the sacred Sour Patch Kids.

I blame this downfall of interest on teens’ inability to find a good costume.

But why make this process more difficult than it needs to be?

While you could put a sheet over your head and call it quits, try and out-do your deprived imagination by thinking of something new. Running around with an eye-patch (or two?) and calling yourself a pirate is NOT original. At the same time, don’t be one of those people who thinks their costume is a lot funnier than it really is.

My suggestion: a Nascar driver. Did you know if you search Nascar

on Ebay you get 29,860 results while searching Jesus only gets you 27,315? It appears Nascar is more marketable than Jesus himself, so you’re a sure win at costume parties. Plus, all you’d need is a fake, over-the-top mustache and sunglasses to take over the remainder of your face.

So this year, don’t let Halloween be left for kids who can’t tie their own shoes.

Even if you do feel a bit old to run from house to house awkwardly beg-ging strangers for candy, get together with your friends and do something to celebrate such an underrated holiday.

For once, don’t take October 1 as 85 days till Christmas. Resist the plastic snowmen and aluminum trees for a few more weeks, and enjoy the wonderful festivities of fall.

8 THE EPIC ISSUE 2

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Some time ago, I had the scariest moment of my life and “looked” death straight in the face. And since Halloween is fast approaching, there isn’t a more perfect time for a horror story.

It all started StuCo election week, which began relatively normally. I woke up late, forgot to eat breakfast, you know, the usual. But then I walked into school through those big doors, near the band and choir rooms, and I saw hundreds of papers taped up on the walls. Just millions and millions of posters with pictures of peppy underclassmen gunning to win a spot on their student government execu-tive boards.

Now this is all fine and dandy, but for a person that is deathly afraid of getting a paper cut in the eyeball, this was like walk-ing into a lion’s den with 10 very hungry lions and absolutely no defense. It was terrifying.

After I got over the initial shock of the sheer amount of danger put up on the walls of our school, I started to create a defense. Really, there were only three op-tions that I could think of:

Number 1, just drop out of school completely. With senior year almost a quarter of the way over, there’s no way I couldn’t get a high paying, money in the bank job right?

Number 2, I could close either my left or right eye depending on which side of the hallway I was walking and make it look like I was just casually winking at every person I passed.

Or Number 3, buy a pair of pool gog-gles and strap them across my forehead for a week.

After much consideration and thought, I decided that Number 2 was the best op-tion, as it did not require me dropping out of school or spending any money. The rest of the day passed as smoothly as any bad day could, with me putting my absolutely brilliant plan in action.

The bottom line is I didn’t face my fear (as bizarre of a fear as it is). I found a way to get around it, which gets rid of the problem for now, but what will happen when there is no other way but to come face the problem head on?

There is no better time to face a fear than Halloween, the helm of all things scary and evil. So do something different, something that scares you, something you wouldn’t do on a traditional Hal-loween. Make this October 31, 2009 one to remember. Except for me, I will not be seen within an inch of a piece of paper with eyeballs present, especially if they are mine.

Ghosts, Jujubes and… Christmas Trees?

the scariest moment of my entire life

by katherine mcgowan

CARTOON BY DANI LA LONDE

etcetera, etc.

etcetera,

Upby stuti desai

side sunny

Fluorescent light glistens on the rush of bustling doctors, nurses, patients cascading past him. He is lost for a moment; lost amongst the piercing

scent of medical disinfectant and the repetitive squeal of the lone gimpy wheel on a passing gurney.

The young doctor glances down at his watch – he’s late for an appointment, but it doesn’t matter. He briefly for-gets how he has gotten to where he is today. The count-less hours spent cramming for his MCAT, the miniscule amount of sleep during his residency, the mounting ex-penses of medical school – all out the window. And then it comes rushing back.

For Issachar “Issy” Lee, failure was never an option.After his father left when he was six, this motivation

began to develop. His mother, Angelia Lee, was forced to work multiple jobs while trying to raise Issy and his older sisters, Shalom and Ashyah.

After the struggles his mother faced – including com-ing from a troubled home herself – she succeeded in cre-ating a good life for Issy. She became the central figure in his life, and because of her, he cannot fail. Letting her down became his biggest fear.

In the end, providing a good life for his mother and the rest of his family will make it all worth it. Whatever the cost, Issy will succeed in his quest to attend medical school at the University of Kansas, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college.

“Every day is another chance to prove myself to my-self,” Issy said. “To be the best that I can be… to prove I can do this.”

And while he may still be a high school sophomore with a long road ahead of him, his goal is in sight, and you can bet that he will do anything to achieve it.

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

AGAINST ALL ODDS

ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 9Sally carmIchaEl

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326 South Kansas AvenueOlathe, KS 66061(913)-645-6211

ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 11

{FEATU

RE}The H1N1 influenza virus, which is commonly known as swine flu, is a new flu strain. This influenza virus that emerged in 2008 has quickly spread to most parts of the

world, and in 28 U.S. states including Kansas,the virsus status is widespread. Although West had zero cases of swine flu in 2008, this fall we have had a number of confirmed cases. The flu has had suc-cess in affecting more people, not because the virus is more serious than the regular flu but because there are few people who have built up immunity against this strain of flu.

“The symptoms of H1N1 flu are coughing, high fever, nausea and other upper respiratory symptoms,” Wanda Vaughn, nurse, said.

The symptoms of swine flu do not differ very much from the nor-mal flu, which makes it hard to distinguish between the two. Some of the students that have contracted the influenza have noticed similar symptoms.

“My symptoms were a high fever and cough, my case wasn’t as serious so I was able to be somewhat active,” Madison Crocker, junior, said.

Doctors test for swine flu the same way they test for the normal flu. The doctor does a painless nasal swab, which they send to a lab to test whether one has the flu. Infected people can expect to be rid of the symptoms in about a week.

“There are many ways to try to prevent yourself from getting swine flu,” Vaughn said. “Most of them are just simple hygiene prin-ciples like good hand washing, limiting body contact (hugging and hand shakes), resting, gargling with warm water and salt, and eating well. Also staying home when your sick is a very good way to limit the spreading of the virus.,”

The main treatment right now is antiviral medicines that will treat and prevent the influenza. In mid- November Shawnee Mission School District is join-ing together with the Johnson

County Health depart-ment to host H1N1

vaccine treatment. “There will be a

vaccine, but we can’t expect it to be dis-tributed until mid- October at the ear-liest and January

being

the latest,” Vaughn said. When the vaccine is distributed, it can be expected that the overall number of cases will decrease and the symptoms will not be as bad.

There is no way of knowing what swine flu will do next, as viruses can evolve quite quickly.

“Definitely a pandemic, it won’t affect people like it did in Mexico but it is still very contagious. Everyone is hoping that it will not modify or mutate, which would make the virus harder to treat,” Vaughn said.

As the flu continues people are continually becoming more aware of hygiene and conscientious of germs. More and more people are going to the doctor due to H1N1. The public concern is growing, 45% of people said they were very worried, 34% said they are not too worried about the disease, and 21% said they are not worried at all.

“After having swine flu, I am cognizant and aware of germs and hygiene, I think it is very important to wash hands and have good health hygiene habits,” Crocker said.

“My biggest fear concerning the virus is that we will have 50 or 60 teachers out,” Dr. McLean, principle, said. “In that situation I would have to go to Dr. Gene Johnson and propose closing the school.”

While West has had a relatively normal attendance rate, which is at 5% to 6% of students being absent per day, preventions still need to be taken.

“We have been very lucky compared to other schools, some schools have had very high numbers of students being absent,” McLean said.

“Best thing to do right now is to follow the prevention signs and to stay home if you’re sick.” McLean said.

swine flu strikes shawnee missionSwine flu has some students and staff on the edge after the recent breakout

by brayden clark| alex leininger

Regular Flu vs. Swine Flu

regularsw

ine

Kills about 30,000 people per year•

Does not receive much media-hype•

Considered a simple illness•

Can be cured by going •to the local phar-macy and purchasing TAMA-FLU

Has killed just over 1000 total•

Recieves an incredible amount of •

media-hype

Considered a pandemic•

RAINE MCGUIRE

Jeepers CreepersHaunted places, ghosts, and a real life experience; every-thing you never wanted to know and more...

Myrtles Plantation (St. Francisville, Louisiana):

The plantation was built over 200 years ago on an ancient Indi-an burial ground. Supposedly there have been sightings of 12-15 ghosts, including slaves, children, and murder victims. One legend is of a slave named Chloe, who was the owner’s mis-tress. She poisoned a cake and nursed them back to health in order to gain the trust of the family. She ended up killing all but the father. Chloe ran away and stayed with other slaves, who did not want to be punished for hiding her so they hanged her from a tree and threw her into the Mississippi.Some say they have seen the ghost of an African American woman on the plantation.

Ogg Road (Shawnee, KS):Story: Supposedly a teenage boy hung himself from a tree on the road. His brother found him and hanged himself, as well. Sometimes, if you walk down the road at night, you can see the brothers hanging from the trees and hear strange noises.

Personal Experience: At first, we couldn’t find the road because it is almost hidden amongst the towering trees along the main road (Midland). We started screaming even before we turned onto it because the road was pitch black and the sign looked like a “Do Not Enter” sign (even though it just said Ogg Road). Creepy name right? When we finally got the guts to drive on the road, we noticed there was only one house at the entrance. Could it be the home of the suicidal brothers? The road curved with absolutely no warning, no light could penetrate through the tunnel of trees, and there was only room on the road for one car. There were two basic fears we had. Number one, a man in a giant truck would turn the corner (coming from the opposite side) forcing us off the road into the unknown. Number two, a ghostly appariation would be hanging from a tree as we rounded a corner. Luckily, neither of these two events occured and we escaped with our lives. Admittedly we were slightly traumatized by the experience.

by whitney knightly and elizabeth stephan

Myrtle Plantation, in the daytime. The house is

supposed to be haunted by many spirits who

have died suspicious deaths.

Stull Cemetery, possibly the most haunted place in Kansas. The entrance to Ogg Road, much scarier in the dark. We

promise.

cord powell

Jackson Park (Atchison, KS): A teenage girl named “Molly” was left in the park after she and her boyfriend got into a fight driving home from their prom. The next day, her body was found hanging from a tree. It was never determined whether it was murder or suicide. She can be heard moaning and screaming at night.Alternate story: “Molly” was an African American woman who was killed by a white mob many years ago. Some have claimed seeing a figure hanging from a tree where she was allegedly discovered.

Stull Cemetery Stull, KS):Often referred to as one of the seven “Gateways to Hell,” this cemetery is located in front of an abandoned church and is home to the devil’s dead wife and son. Every Halloween and spring equinox he comes back to visit them. Allegedly, people have been pushed into the abandoned church by winds, heard screams, and felt cold hands. It is so “evil” that Pope John Paul II re-portedly refused to fly over Kansas on his way to an appearance in Colorado. Also, when it rains, the church – which does not have a roof – does not become damp on the inside.

Worlds of Fun(Kansas City, Missouri):A 12-year-old girl was riding on the Timberwolf roller coaster when she and a friend decided to switch seats. Unfortunately, she was the only one who stood up to switch and fell to her death. It is said that if you sit in her seat, you will see her trying to unbuckle her seatbelt.

A new fad has developed among stu-dents - smoking K2.

K2 is a special blend of exotic botanicals and plant extracts that if smoked, gives a feeling comparable to marijuana.

While K2 has been around for several years, the smoke-able blend of incense has just recently found its way into the halls at school.

According to SMSD Police Officer Philip Lofflin, K2 has similar properties to that of Marijuana.

The biggest difference between K2 and marijuana is that K2 is completely legal, for those 18 years of age or older. K2 is legal because it does not contain Tetrahydrocan-nabinol (THC), the chemical in marijuana that gives the user the euphoric feeling.

“They [K2 and marijuana] are similar in most ways, the only real difference is the taste.” Jamie Bond*, senior, said.

The main smokers of this herb are students who have smoked marijuana in the past and are now on diversion or proba-tion.

Although many are concerned at the rise in K2 usage and the dangers that could be involved with smoking it, K2 smoke is actually not as harmful to the body as ciga-rette or marijuana

smoke.“I think it’s risky for anyone to intro-

duce a foreign or unknown substance without knowing the long term effects,” Lofflin said.

“Well any type of smoke you put in your body is bad, but K2 isn’t terrible. It’s worth it.” Bond said.

While the physical harms of smoking K2 do not apply, any reckless behavior caused from the high could lead to legal issues.

“What we do know is that persons who use K2 will not come back with a clean drug screening if they are tested. It will give abnormal results,” Lofflin said.

There are four main types of K2- Stan-dard, Citron, Blonde, and Summit. Each kind of K2 has a unique taste. For instance the Citron has a citrus or fruity taste.

The different kinds go from lowest strength to highest strength, as well as less expensive to more expensive. K2 is sold in prepackaged 3-gram bags that go for anywhere from $15 for a bag of Standard to $30 for a bag of Summit.

A common place to buy K2 is at a small hole-in-the-wall hippy store in Lawrence. It is also notmal for users to buy K2 through

the internet. There are several websites which K2 may be obtained from.

“I go to (store name) at least once a week.” Susan Smith*, senior, said. “I don’t see why smoking is bad. It’s just a recreational activity, like drinking alcohol, and alcohol is legal.”

The similarities between marijuana and K2 are so close that many smokers find it hard to understand why K2 is legal and marijuana isn’t.

“Maybe its because K2 only lasts

45 minutes.” Smith said. “But besides that it’s basically the same, you just get hungry, happy, and sleepy.”

In fact, K2

makes you so sleepy that doctors some-times prescribe it as a cure for insomnia, a disease that disrupts a persons sleep.

“I’ll smoke it, and then get the best sleep of my life 20 minutes later.” Smith said. “It’s really relaxing.”

While marijuana is still illegal in Kansas, it seems like some students have stumbled upon a substitute for marijuana while they wait for legalization.

“I’m sure the Kansas Legislature and other lawmakers will be looking at the effects of K2 and making it illegal in the future,” Lofflin said.

14 THE EPIC ISSUE 2

{FEA

TURE

} k2: the new marijuanaStudents have begun smoking this blend of legal herbs in place of

traditional marijuana.

by katie prather, stuti desai, lana fanous and jessie hardesty| photos by cord powell | *Names in this story have been changed to protect identities

What’s in k2?

1. Canavalia Rosea (Beach/Bay Bean): a

vine plant found in tropical and subtropi-

cal beach dunes.

2. Clematis Vitalbla (Evergreen Clematis):

a climbing shrub found in mid-European

mountainsides.

3. Nelumbo Nucifera (Lily/Lotus): flower-

ing lotus plant found in India.

4. Heimia Salicifolia (Sinicuichi): a leafy

plant with yellow flowers native to the

America’s.

5. Leonurus Sibiricus (Honeyweed): a tall

thin plant with purple buds from Central

and Southwest Asia.

6. Ledum Palustre (Wild Rosemary): a flow-

ering plant that grows in most areas. A typical package of K2 consists of a variety of different herbs that, when smoked, create a high similar to that of marijuana. However, K2 does not contain THC and is legal while marijuana does and is illegal.

K2 comes in four different varieties: Stan-dard, Citron, Blonde and Summit, with Sum-mit being the most expensive and costing around $30 per bag of 4 oz.

4 8 7 27 9 2 1

3 66 9 4

8 7 9 5 6 31 3 7

8 33 5 4 6

1 4 6 9

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puzzle ? ?? ?

????

ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 15

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freeze frame

Victor the Viking is both the mascot and a symbol of Shawnee Mission West. In order to prepare for sporting events, he works just as hard, if not harder than the athletes.

Some say that athletes are made in the off season. This is just as true for mascots. It’s their time to get better.

“The off season is crucial to us Vikings. All throughout the summer, we put ourselves through intense workouts,” Victor the Viking said.

The workout usually incorporates the couch and the television remote; Doritos and soda pop are included here. Victor tries to keep his weight up to be a jolly figure, like Santa Claus. Hair braiding is also a staple of his summer condi-tioning program.

Due to such a long layoff between seasons, Victor has found a way to keep in touch with the sports and improve his knowledge of them at the same time. He plays Madden football and NBA Live to exercise two major muscles: the thumbs and the brain.

Victor likes to get a sweat going before game time. This is to get his muscles warmed up and prevents injuries.

“To mentally prepare for games, I listen to some jams to get psyched.

The music of Barry Manilow does the trick. I like to watch 300 and Brave-heart—anything involving ferocious warriors,” Victor said.

Many people aren’t cut out for a summer like this, but Victor has several reasons for sticking it out. Among these are dominating other mascots, personal glory and following in the footsteps of his role model Big Jay, the Kansas University mascot.

“I’m a Viking. Look at some of the other mascots in the district: A raider, a knight, and a bird on fire? You see this bod? This a threat to other mascots out there… I’m better than ever this season,” Victor said.

Victor believes he brings a lot to the table in terms of contributing to the teams’ success.

“I offer a great work ethic, love for the game, and knowledge of sports.

Unfortunately, due to district rules, I can’t

bring my battle axe to games,” Victor said.

Victor is passionate about this year and he has nothing but high expecta-tions for the upcoming year.

“With the commitments of myself and our athletes here at West, I say we win state in every sport, no questions asked,” Victor said.

There is a dichotomy in sports that has become ever more prevalent to me in recent years: the contrast between that which is expected, and that which actually occurs.

Fans love to make predictions about which players will succeed in a given game, or which team will win a championship. We do this in each issue of the Epic with the “big game guarantees” section. The entire fantasy football genre is based on this idea of never knowing what will actually happen until it does.

Through revenue sharing and salary caps, leagues like the NFL have developed well-balanced divisions and somewhat even competition. The parity between teams offers fans more intriguing match ups, because any team could beat any other team any week (except the Lions, no wait, the Rams? Chiefs maybe? They’re all equally bad now, so I guess that proves my point.)

ESPN has built an entire media conglomerate around sports and their outcomes. Journalists get paid to follow teams around and write about every single detail surrounding the players. Anchors are on salary to introduce breaking sports news as if it were a national incidence. Iranian weapons talks take a back seat to news that Brian Westbrook is injured yet again, and that all fantasy owners should beware (my first pick has been less than stellar thus far).

We have “experts” and “analysts” who comment on sports and give their opinions. I’m not sure how they obtained such unwavering credibility. Their predictions are based on less science and technol-ogies than those of weathermen, and yet we don’t make conversation about how sports casters are always getting it wrong. I have just as good a chance at telling you the outcome of a game as the next person. And yet somehow these sportseorologists—we’ll give them this title to make their profession seem more legitimate—are constantly being supplied to fans by sports networks.

There are no limits to the measures people will take to anticipate the future. Las Vegas sets betting odds based on formulas which factor in everything from the coach’s favorite color to what the point guard had for lunch.

Teams even keep statisticians on staff to devise equations that will tell general managers which players are under performing. Scouts follow kids around throughout their high school career, specu-lating, hoping maybe they’ve found the next LeBron. But in reality, they can never be sure.

No matter how many statistics we review, how many experts we listen to, anything is still possible during any given game.

And that’s what makes sports worth watching.

the workoutDo you have what it takes to be a mascot?

the bestdansports columnperiod

by danny neely

Poising herself for a return, Natalie Harding, sophomore, focuses on the incoming tennis ball. Over the course of the season, Harding went on to become one of the top players on the team and enjoyed success in competition this year.

something worth watching

by matt smith

DAVID HOWELL

PRESON FELGATE

16 THE EPIC ISSUE 2

{spo

rts}

Victor poses by his role model, Big Jay, of the Kansas Jayhawks.

CORD POWELL

Matt Smith Noah Haden Preston Felgate Courtney Lichtenbergerstaff writer photographer

big game guaranteesThe Epic’s panel of experts predict the World Series Champion for the 2009 season (picks made prior to start of playoffs)

Alex Burnetteditor in chief

the sports report

The girls tennis team returns with a balance between up-per-class and underclassmen. The Vikings lost a few senior players and are in a rebuilding phase. Natalie Harding, sopho-more, rose to number one on the team, while Emily Wiesen, senior, and Jenna Spencer, junior, played well in doubles matches and might have a chance to go to state. The varsity squad was 5-6-5 through the end September.

First year head coach Paige Seleveter was expecting more

out of her team than just winning. “Expectations were just to be able to work together as a

team and to play hard no matter if we win or lose. We’ve defi-nitely been successful in that,” Seleveter said.

The JV team was also dominant throughout the season with a 66-36 overall record through the end of September. With the season coming to an early close, the state matches will be played on October 17.

The Vikings return without graduates Travis Boyett or Tay-lor Nall, but the cross-country team still looks to compete in the Sunflower League. On the boys’ side, 14 seniors graduated last year and only two varsity runners return. Despite losing so many seniors, head coach Jeff Onnen believes the future is bright.

“We’re very young, but we’ve had guys without much expe-rience jump in and fill their shoes,” said Onnen, “In the long run, those guys will really help us out in the coming years.”

Senior Garrett McPherson leads the pack with a team-best 17:04 5K. Sophomores Jonah Heng and Ryan Lansdon have also posted reputable times. Heng ran a personal best of 17:07 at the Community America Invitational in Baldwin, KS. He also placed first at the John Amos Classic.

The girls team is also young, but talent has already emerged. Freshman Alli Cash ran a school-record for a 4K with a time of 15:52 at Baldwin. The JV girls team has also taken first place in three meets this year.

The season culminates with the league meet on October 17 and the regional meet on October 24.

As the fall season winds down, teams head into league and regional competition

girls tennis

cross-country

by tim dodderidge

Jonah Heng and Ryan Lansdon, sophomores, go on a longa distance run on the “Broadmoor route.” The cross country team has begun tapering (shorten-ing) workouts in preparation for the regional and state meets.

DAVID HOWELL

ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 17

{SportS}

staff writerasst. business manager

NYY vs. PHI NYY vs. LAD NYY vs. LAD NYY vs. STL LAA vs. STL7 games 5 games 6 games 6 games 5 games

“Yankees are on fire, after a decade they are going to win.”

“Manny and his flow-ing locks will bring the team to victory.”

“Yankees will win but the royals are still the best because of Greinke. He’s a stud.”

“Jeter will come up big for game seven in November.”

“Cardinals have had the best pitching and hitting all year and it will con-tinue in the playoffs.”

by chris brown

preparing for battleWith only one game per week, the football team has more time to prepare for its games than any other sports team. This has lead the team to develop a specific routine{S

PORT

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18 THE EPIC ISSUE 2

On Monday morning, the football team arrives early to watch films about their upcom-ing opponent. They study how the team moves, some of their plays, and get a general idea of how to counter them. After school, the team begins practice with a tackling circle, a drill designed to help each player work on their individual tackling ability. “The entire day focuses mainly on team tackling and making sure that our technique and form are correct,” said junior and current varsity football player Jordan Chapman.

Tuesday practice starts off with some special teams workouts. Special teams include the kicking and punting teams. Later, after a regular practice of tackling and working on offense and defense, the team does conditioning and running to stay in shape and prepare for their upcoming game.

On Wednesday, the team begins with sled workouts. Sleds are the large pad-ded, “Sled-Like” obstacles that multiple players push in order to get stronger and faster. After the sleds, the team moves to the chutes. Chutes are the large metal boxes that players are forced to run through while ducking under the metal bars. Finally, the team finishes up with team offense and defense drills to further hone their skills for the upcoming game.

On Thursday the team focuses on team offense and team defense drills that focus on particulars for the game the next day. These practices are usually short and not as physically demanding as those on other days of the week. The team is excited and ready to play the game the next day. “Practice is focused mainly on making sure our game plan is good for the next day,” Connor Askren, junior and current varsity football player, said.

Friday before school, the team watches more films, to finalize their plans for that evening’s game. There is no official practice on Friday because of the game that night. However, the team still meets and discusses plans and strategies for the upcoming game. Before the team gets on the busses to go to the stadium, they partake in an activity called Linking Up. They then have final team meetings and board the busses to their games.

monday

tuesday

wednesday

thursday

friday

makingthe

saveSenior goalie leads team with defensive prowess after 13 years of soccer experience

Being a goalie isn’t easy with the constant pressure, and teammates rely-ing on you as a last line of defense. It’s a tough task to hold back the opposing team from scoring goals. In spite of all this, cur-rent boys varsity goalie, Sean Walsh, has thrived in his first year of starting. Walsh feels like his team has made major im-provements from last year.

“I think we have improved a lot, this team this year is really working together especially later in the season when it mat-ters which is a good sign,” Walsh said.

The team is just one win away from last year’s total and still have six games left on the schedule.

Walsh’s soccer career began when he was just four years old, which was a key component for his success later on. He re-alized 13 years ago that soccer looked like an intriguing sport.

“I thought soccer looked really fun and it was a way to burn off energy and I start-ed to love it,” he said.

His decision to become a goalie was inspired by his sister’s team’s practices, where he would take part as the goalie.

Walsh now stands in front of that goal as the primary defender of the team.

“I am very happy right now where we stand I think we are continuing to im-prove and get a lot better before regionals approach,” Walsh said.

For a first year starter and two-year varsity player, he has really brought the team together and on the rise. Teammates

enjoy him on the team both as a player and a person.

“As a teammate he gives us good sup-port and gets a lot of shutouts and always a chance to win. He’s a great goalie and a great friend, and keeps us strong and helps us stay united,” Will Noonen, junior, said.

Even though this soccer season is Walsh’s first and only season as the var-sity-starting goalie, he thinks this season has been very significant and has had

some mem-orable mo-ments, “ I think my most memorable would have

to be beating out East this season in pen-alty kicks; it was very special because it was our first shutout of the year,” Walsh said. Walsh has been the shutout king with five in just eleven games.

Walsh has the team is on a hot streak and they have become a major threat with regionals around the cor-ner.

Walsh is a multi-sport athlete, and sometimes he has difficulty whether choosing golf or soccer as his prima-ry sport, but he still has a passion for soccer.

“I would have to say [I prefer] golf but just barely. I enjoy both of them very much,” Walsh said.

Walsh continues to work hard, and as a the position would sug-gest, he is a cornerstone of the team.

bench-clearing brawls

that’sdebatable

by dan prem

One of the greatest aspects of a player is their temper.

A temper brings out a player’s true game. The players that play angry and have that chip on their shoulder make spectacular plays and can change a loss into a win. When does the player cross the line? At what point does a cheap shot turn into a bench-clearing brawl?

I can always tell when something is about to start. I get the sense that sparks are about to flare, and now my $22 tickets have just be-come priceless.

My elementary school recess days at Christa Mcauliffe consisted of intense bas-ketball games on the blacktop. Classic fin-ishes to an average game included the young Matt Smith going to the nurses office, or the basketball being punted across the soc-cer field because of a bad call, or maybe we all just quit because the man-child Drew Humphreys dominated everybody. Nothing really mattered throughout the multitude of games we sweated out, because the next day we did it all over again.

Now, on a professional note. Whether it’s the NBA, MLB, NFL, or the NHL a fight is entertaining. It may be bad publicity, but it gets attention. It’s a lot more inter-esting then reading about another loss by the home team. I’ve seen numerous fights throughout my life; here is a list of the top 5 sports fights I’ve ever seen.

1. Pacers vs. Pistons brawl. An object from the stands was thrown at Ron Artest which led to a bench clearing brawl that started on the court and ended with the stands.

2. Zinedine Zidane vs Marco Mater-azzi World Cup 2006. In a 1-1 tie, Zidane was given a red card for head butting an Ital-ian defender and kicked out of the game and ended up loosing the game.

3. Pedro Martinez vs. Don Zimmer. The Yankees vs. Red Sox series’ are always classic, in this fight Boston’s pitcher Pedro Martinez threw 72-year old Yankee bench coach Don Zim-

mer during a bench-clearing melee in the ALCS.4. KU basketball vs. KU football. After two

of the best seasons each sport had ever had, tem-pers flared outside the student union between

the basketball and football team. Basketball point guard Tyshawn Taylor was treated in a hospital

with a broken finger.5. Knicks vs. Nuggets brawl. Carmelo An-

thony threw a sucker punch at Mardy Collins after he fouled J.R Smith. The teams were fined $500, 000

and received multiple player suspensions.

DAVID HOWELL

by connor oberkrom

ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 19

This team is really working together especially later in the season when it

matters which is a good sign“ ”—Sean Walsh, senior

{SPORTS}

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ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 21

a&

ewhat happens in vegas...Homecoming candidates share their views on the experience of being crowned as the homecoming court of 2009

Homecoming King and Queen Brad Foss and Blair Konczal, pose for pictures after being crowned. Foss was nominated by Baseball and Konczal by StuCo.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALYSSA PARSONS

Second attendant Emily Miller grins with excitement while waiting for the winners to be announced.

Kyle Neely beams at the crowd after being crowned second attendant.

The Homecoming 2009 Royalty were crowned on Friday, October 9 during the game against Lawrence. This year’s theme? Viva Las Vegas!

2nd Attendant - Emily Miller “It feels great and thanks to every-

one”

2nd Attendant - Kyle Neely“It was a lot of fun being apart of

the Top 12”

1st Attendant - Taylor Zing“It just feels dandy”

1st Attendant - Rob Guy“The best part of being first attendant was seeing my friends faces after my name was called and knowing how

excited they were”

Queen - Blair Konczal“I was really shocked and excited;

I didn’t expect to win”

King - Brad Foss“It was a pleasant surprise, I was happy to know all these people

voted for me”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALYSSA PARSONS

SALLY CARmICHAEL

22 THE EPIC ISSUE 2

{a&

e} a new vibeKid Cudi’s new album is the newest, most vibrant sound in hip-hop today

by andrew hoskins

undevelopment kills creativityWhile Zombieland provides fun and artistic filming, it fails to keep hopes alive

by cameron volker

There is no doubt that Ruben Fleischer, producer of MTV’s “Fantasy Factory”, knows how to create a fun piece of work for us all to enjoy. His direction in “Zom-bieland” had me impressed by his image of flesh-hungry zombies. Mr. Fleischer is safe in my book. However, the writers—not so much.

There’s a certain level that “butt-kicking” movies can reach without a good plot and dialogue. Take “G.I. Joe” for example. A movie with great special effects and fighting scenes, but also with poor, plain dialogue and nonsensical points to the plot. Why does Dennis Quad get shot in the chest, end up in a wheel chair, and then hours later is able to walk again? “Knowing is half the battle” which is why that movie only worked out for seven year olds.

Although “Zombieland” is a much better film than “G.I. Joe” it didn’t quite reach the level I wanted it to. It begins with one of the main characters, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), narrating the opening scene of him running away from flesh hungry zombies. While Columbus explains his rules of survival, you get the first exposure of the monsters, which is humorous. Preceding the opening scene was the beginning credits, which had impressive hyper slow motion scenes of humans being attacked by zombies.

However, the next 30 minutes are what bothered me the most. Columbus, the insecure, shy, funny teen, meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and teams up with the “lock and load” cowboy. On their journey east, Tallahassee insists on stopping at whatever grocery stores they can to find Twinkies. He wants to find and eat Twinkies so the world can feel innocent to him once again. The tough guy loves Twinkies. That’s funny and ironic… right?

While at a grocery store, the men get hijacked by two sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who steal their weapons and vehicle. Ten minutes after the sisters speed off, Tallahassee and Columbus find a big aban-doned Hummer with a pile of large weapons (wow, how fortunate). Somehow, they end up following the same road the sisters took, where the girls have set another trap, in which the guys end up being hijacked again. Guess what happens next? Correct, the four of them end up teaming up to create a mega zombie-bash-ing team.

The rest of the movie holds a couple of minor surprises, but nothing to make you jump out of your seat. Perhaps I might have seen all of the good reviews about the film and set my hopes too high, but I can’t stand a predictable and care-lessly developed plot. There’s a reason Columbus narrated throughout the whole movie—you wouldn’t have known what the group’s motive was for anything with

The new Kid Cudi CD, “ Man on the Moon, End of Day” offers listeners a truly awesome experience. The spacey and unique sound

Brooklyn, New York to pursue a musical career. He released A Kid Named Cudi in July 2008 through Plain Pat and Emily record-

of Kid Cudi’s music is at its best in this new installment of his work. Cudi offers a variety of both relaxing, chill songs and exhilarating, pump-up type music.

Kid Cudi’s fame and popularity has grown in the months since his first mixed tape, “A Kid Named Cudi.” “Man on the Moon, End of Day” is his official debut, and with it, he tops the charts and potentially rivals the new Jay-Z CD, “Blueprint 3.”

Kid Cudi’s rise to fame is a true underdog story if ever there was one. Born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi and raised by his poor mother the suburbs of Cleveland it would seem as if he really had no future. After dropping out of high school and later college, he moved to

ding studio. The mixtape caught the attention of Kanye West who helped him sign with GOOD Music later in 2008.

Surrounding the hit single, “Day and Nite,” the 15 tracks have virtually no weak points. Other hit tracks include the ever-popular “Soundtrack 2 my Life,” “Pursuit of Happiness,” and “Heart of a Lion,,” which Kid Cudi considers to be his personal anthem.

He seems to put more about his troubled personal life in this album in comparison to his older music. The complex story between the lines creates a very different, but new, feel. Cudi has created almost a whole new genre of rap and has

totally changed the face of hip-hop. The new, vibrant sound is well worth the $15.

-out it. “Zombieland” certainly isn’t a terrible movie, I would recommend seeing it. You’re sure to have fun with all the different zombie characters and Fleis-cher’s more than good filming techniques. Just make sure to turn your logic and reason off for an hour and a half.

ISSUE 2 THE EPIC 23

{A&

E}

¡viva mexico!a showdown between two mexican restaurants known for their taste

11855 W 95th Street Overland Park, KS 66214

7296 Floyd Street Shawnee Mission, KS 66214

Atmosphere

Taste

Service

Cost

And the Winner is... Torreador - Although the restaurant itself was somewhat shady, the food was by far tastier

by lana fanous | photos by raine mcguire

glee-maddie southwick, junior

harry potter books-sydney smith, senior

leggings as pants-bethany payne, sophomore

senior research papers-dylan koch, senior

snuggies-wesley throckmorton, sophomore

fezthat 70’s showemilio fajardo

junior

The restaurant was ornamented with lots of bright colors and festive decora-tions. It was also a pleasant surprise not to hear the cheesy Mariachi music that is standard in most Mexican restau-rants. Unlike most restaurants, I could actually hear myself talking; it was not loud or crowded.On the Border is well known for their queso dip. The cheese and salsa were tasty but hard to enjoy with the chips they provided. The chips tasted more like crackers and were somewhat bitter. The best part of the meal was the sopa-pilla, a doughy Mexican dessert. Other than the chips, I give two thumbs up to the food.The employees at On the Border were very kind and attentive. Our waitress continually filled up our drinks without having to ask. The menus were also viewer friendly and had indicators of spicy or healthy food. Our food was served in seven short minutes after ordering.The most expensive item on the menu was $14.49. The prices are very reason-able and affordable. They also had very large portions; I ordered an appetizer and took home a to go box with my din-ner for the next night.

Torreador is located in downtown Overland Park and is kind of hard to find. I was disappointed with the lack of Mexican authentic-ity booth seats were torn up and I questioned the cleanliness in Torreador.

Similar to many Mexican restau-rants they served chips and salsa before the meal. The chips were superior to the ones at On the Border, however the salsa was too plain for my liking. I ordered a soft taco and Spanish rice, both of which were delicious.

The waitress at Torreador seemed nice, but she wasn’t overly friendly. She filled up drinks like expected but didn’t hover like some waiters/waitresses. Our food was served quickly after ordering, but there were also very few people in the restaurant.

The food at Torreador was fairly cheap in price. You can order your main entrée, side and a drink for about $10. Like On the Border, portions were generous enough to fill your appetite.

the philadelphia eagles-dante hill, freshman

doubletake

double

A&E IN KCthe best of local arts and entertainment

in the kansas city metro area

by sally carmichael

Relient K - 10/15 @ 7pmBeaumont Club in KCMO, $18

Mutemath - 10/16 @ 7pmBeaumont Club in KCMO, $22

Blitzen Trapper, Wye Oak - 10/18 @ 9pmJackpot Music Hall in Lawrence $10

Say Anything, Eisley - 10/21 @ 7pmBeaumont Club in KCMO, $15

The Toasters - 10/21 @ 9pmThe Riot Room in KCMO, $12

Gogol Bordello - 10/24 @ 8pmLiberty hall in Lawrence, $25

Killswitch Engage - 10/24 @ 5pmThe Midland by AMC in KCMO, $35

Ben Folds - 10/26 @ 8pmLiberty Hall in Lawrence, $35

Dinosaur Jr. - 10/26 @ 8pmBeaumont Club in KCMO, $20

Forever the Sickest Kids, The Rocket Summer - 10/27 @ 7pm

Beaumont Club in KCMO, $14

Jet, A Flock of Seagulls - 10/28 @ 5pmBeaumont Club in KCMO, $5

Rob Thomas, OneRepublic, Carolina Liar - 10/29 @ 8pm

The Midland by AMC in KCMO, $30

Dave Bazan, Say Hi - 10/30 @ 10pmJackpot Music Hall in Lawrence, $10

Paramore - 11/4 @ 7pmUptown Theatre in KCMO, $30

CONCERT WATCH

ARTS AND THEATREAndy Warhol | Now - Jan. 10

Containing a total of 85 screen prints, the Andy Warhol exhibition is the

largest collection of Warhol’s work ever to be exhibited. Noteable pieces include his Marylin Monroe portrait

and Campbell’s soup cans.Union Station in Kansas City, $12

Spring Awakening | Oct. 12 - 18Currently on tour, Spring Awakening

makes a stop at the Kansas City Music Hall. The musical portrays the lives of teenagers in the late nineteenth

century dealing with puberty and the turmoil that comes along with it.

Music Hall in Kansas City, $25

wait until darkThe cast of the fall play “Wait Until Dark” has been rehearsing incessantly for their upcoming performance. Written by Frederick Knott, the play was also made into a movie starring Audrey Hepburn. When blind Susie Hendrix (played by Katie Barrett, senior) recieves a doll unknowingly that it’s concealing heroin, she is relenltlessly pursued by three thugs: Carlino, Mike, and Roat (played by freshman Parker Vowels, senior Seth Barrett, and senior David Gomez respectively) who want the doll for themselves.

(clockwise from top left) Susie (Katie) flinches in surprise as Mike (Seth) rips the phone from her hands and throws it to the floor. In one of the final scenes, Roat (Gomez) and Susie face off in complete darkness. Feeling uneasy as if she’s not alone, Susie reaches out into the unknown in front of her. Stage manager Peri Montgomery, senior, flips through her script, paying close at-tention to the actors movements.

PHOTOS BY SALLY CARMICHAEL