Eagan Independent - October 2011

Eagan IndependentVolume 7, Issue 1 Eagan High School | 4185 Braddock Trail | Eagan, MN 55123 October 11, 2011

Fall play: The Rainmaker

Self discovery in love, action

The Rainmaker features (left to right): senior Dan Britt as Sheriff Thomas, senior David Newhall as Noah Curry, senior Connor Swanson as File, senior Maddie Sachs as Lizzy Curry, junior Justin Wirsbinski as Starbuck, senior Brennan Spicer as Jimmy Curry, and senior Alex Granquist as H.C. Curry. Tickets went on sale yesterday for the October 14, 15, & 16 shows and cost $5 for students.

By LaureL ScottStaff Writer

This year’s fall play, The Rainmaker, is a classic drama that includes elements of romance, comedy, and action. Shows run at 4 pm on October 14th, 7 pm on October 15 and 2 pm on October 16. The play follows the life of Lizzie Curry, played by senior Maddie Sachs, a lonely woman whose life is changed with the arrival of a con man who promises to make it rain. Set in a drought-ridden rural town in the Midwest during the Depression era, the play tells the story of the transformation of the life of the unmarried Lizzie Curry. Lizzie keeps house for her father and two brothers on the family cattle ranch. As their farm languishes under the devastating drought, Lizzie’s family worries more about her marriage prospects than about their dying cattle. Mrs. Owzarek, who is direct-ing the play, explains that the drought is a metaphor for the things that are missing in Lizzie’s life. “The symbolism is that there’s a drought going on in Lizzie Curry’s life,” says Mrs. Owzarek. “She thinks that she’s plain, that she’s not beautiful, and she’s really having a hard time with the

expectations of women in that society and who she is as a person.” She adds, “She’s not afraid to be outspoken and to speak her mind, and she really detests all the airs that some of the girls put on in her town in order to catch a man. She doesn’t want to play that game.” However, the arrival of a charming con man named Starbuck, played by junior Justin Wirsbinski, who prom-ises to bring rain to the town in exchange for $100, sets off a series of events that enables Lizzie to see herself in a new light. According to Ms. Owza-rek, the main theme of the play is that “one’s beauty comes from within. Starbuck is the one who helps [Lizzie] see that. And the irony is that even though he’s a con man and a liar, he speaks the truth about people. He can see who people really are, and he sees who Lizzie is and helps her find herself.” With a cast of only seven actors, The Rainmaker is one of the smallest cast productions that Eagan Theatre has done in years. The cast is com-prised of Sachs, Wirsbinski, senior Alex Granquist as H.C. Curry (Lizzie’s father), senior Brennan Spicer as Lizzie’s brother Jimmy, senior David Newhall as Lizzie’s brother

Noah, senior Connor Swan-son as town deputy File, and senior Dan Britt as the town sheriff. Senior Lauren Shiltz is stage manager of the play. Having a smaller cast gives the actors a chance to develop their characters more fully, which comes with benefits and drawbacks. Wirsbinski says of his character, “He’s a character that you like from the get-go. I’m used to play-ing people that you’re really uncertain about, and then by the end the idea is that you like him after he’s proved his worth. I think this guy is almost the flip of that...You like him, you don’t like him, and then you see that he’s not as bad as you might have thought.” He adds, “I think I’ll figure it out eventually, but it’s really, really difficult.” Maddie Sachs also com-mented on Lizzie’s character, “There’s a lot of conflict that she has within herself and with a couple of the other characters. So what I like about her are her transitions throughout the show and how she ends up working everything out and making peace with herself.” All of the actors are veterans to school theatre productions with the excep-tion of Alex Granquist. Mrs. Owzarek describes Granquist as “a really delightful sur-

prise in the audition process,” and says that it’s exciting to see him take off as a rookie. Granquist jokingly describes his main challenge with his character, Lizzie’s father, be-ing “playing a character who is significantly older than everyone else when I have a baby body and baby face.” The Rainmaker will contain elements of both action and romance, and “there’s a broad range of people who will en-joy it,” says Wirsbinski. Mrs. Owzarek states that the fight coordinator who taught the sword-fighting in last year’s play, Cyrano de Bergerac, will be returning to teach sev-eral of the characters how to throw punches. Spicer’s char-acter, in particular, is involved in many fights. Spicer de-scribes his character, Jimmy, as “really stupid… I’m naïve, I’m gullible, I’m adorable… [and] I’m kind of a bully.” On the other end of the spectrum, The Rainmaker will be a romantic play, with one of Lizzie’s romantic interests being the town deputy, File. Swanson says, “We have this really awkward scene where we’re realizing that we both… have feelings for each other. But it’s very subtle, very childish, and very awkward.” Tickets for The Rainmaker went on sale yesterday and are $5 for students.

EHS Beats Conference in MCA Scores, Top 10 in StateDistrict Best on ACTBy aLanna theLenNews Editor

Eagan earned the highest scores in science, reading, and math for the MCA tests in the South Suburban conference for 2011. In addition, students who took the ACT over the past year received an average score of 25 for the first time in District 196 history. But it doesn’t stop there: Eagan is also ranked as a top ten school in the state of Minne-sota for its MCA scores. According to Mr. Thomp-son, testing coordinator, the high MCA scores impact multiple areas for the school. “We have virtually nobody that is going to go to Eagan that doesn’t go to Eagan. We don’t have a lot of kids that open enroll to Eastview or Rosemount or anywhere else,” he said. The number of students who open enroll here from other surrounding districts is much higher than it is in nearby schools. More students equals more teachers. For every thirty additional students, another teacher is needed. This helps with class sizes as well. Mr. Thompson believes that the high scores can be attributed to a change in teacher mindset as well as an increased focus on preparing students to do well on these tests. “When I first came here fifteen years ago, it was really a culture where you could be a good teacher even if your kids weren’t learning any-thing. I don’t think that’s the case anymore. I think teachers recognize, ‘If my kids aren’t learning, I’m not doing a good job. I need to figure out how to change what I’m do-ing.’ ”In addition, teachers are more focused on trying to hit targets when teaching with information that they know will be covered on the ACT or MCA tests. Even more, imme-diately before the MCA tests, teachers will help prepare students. “Science teachers do quite a bit of practicing just prior to the test to get them ready. Math teachers spend time now doing practice for the MCA test in 11th grade. In fact they had the whole 11th grade last year go into com-puter labs and do a practice test.”

Flex Days on New Schedule

By aLanna theLenNews Editor

Flex Days have been re-placed with Flex Day. The program, in its third year, has undergone major revision. Classes are no longer blocked for two days. Instead, CAT time moved to the begin-

ning of the school day and the rest of the periods are short-ened. In addition to remedia-tion and enrichment oppor-tunities, students may also now be referred to Principals Academy where they must do their missing work. Perhaps the most exciting change is the ability for ju-

niors and seniors who do not have enrichment or remedia-tion to stay home until 8:20. “I think it’s a great change,” says science teacher Ms. Catchpool. “The kids will be less tired, the teachers will be less tired. I think it makes more sense, but I don’t know how it’s going to work yet.”

EdITOrIalEagan Independent | Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Staff*

Editors in Chief Molly MartinezCameron VanDyke

News EditorAlanna Thelen

Features EditorGrace Ablan

Sports EditorKenzie MarklandBailey Hennen

Photography Editor Michelle Metcalfe

Staff WritersAnnika GrasslLaura HarfordBailey HennenAbby JohnsonLaurel ScottShelley Sibley

AdviserSara Stensaas

*New 2010-2011 staff mem-bers start as of the Novem-ber issue. A full staff list will be posted from then on.

The Eagan Independent is a monthly publication produced by Eagan High School students from all grade levels in a cocurricular setting.

We are committed to provid-ing a limited open forum within the community of Eagan High School - one in which opinions, discussion and input are always wel-comed and encouraged.

Comments, questions, thoughts and ideas may be addressed to:

Eagan Independent4185 Braddock TrailEagan, MN 55123

or e-mailed to:[email protected]

Letters to the editor must be signed by the author and be 500 words or less. Letters to the editor submitted that are more than 500 words may be edited by the staff. Letters may also require editing if they contain false or libelous statements.

Editorial policies and content decisions are made by the editorial board. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writer and/or the Eagan In-dependent staff and are not necesssarily the opinons of the adviser, administration, students, faculty or Indepen-dent School District 196.

Editorial Policy

Do you ever feel like there is no possible way to get ev-erything done? Have you ever had a mini mental breakdown when your weekly “to do list” gets longer and longer…and longer? Have you won-dered if you will ever get an adequate amount of sleep again? With massive amounts of homework, studying for tests, writing college essays, applying for scholarships, and more, it often seems impos-sible to get everything done. After all, we also have sports, jobs, extracurricular activities, and volunteering to worry about. Oh, and don’t forget to find time to spend with your family and friends, and maybe sleep every once and a while too. Many high school stu-dents face the issue of time management. In order to keep our sanity and succeed in high school, as well as in the future, using time effec-tively is key. Luckily, there are several tips to improve time management skills, increase productivity, and reduce stress. According to the Mayo Clinic, effective time manage-ment will not only help you get more done each day, but it can improve your quality of life as well. Doctors at Mayo recommend setting several small, reachable goals in order to become good at managing your time.

First, try to plan out each day. Making a to-do list can be beneficial; it may seem endlessly long at first, but just remember to take one day at a time. To-do lists can also help you visualize what needs to be done in a given time frame. Planning out tasks for each day, as well as deciding when you are going to work on them, can help to avoid scheduling conflicts. Following that, prioritize your tasks. By doing so, you will be more likely to spend time on those tasks that are the most important and de-serve the most attention. This will also ensure that you are putting energy into the most important things. While you are prioritizing the essential tasks, you should also make a conscience effort to say no to nonessential tasks. These can be things such as perfect-ing finishing touches on a project or maybe watching the newest episode of Jersey Shore. It is important to be able to distinguish between things that absolutely have to be done and things that aren’t completely necessary. Adding sparkles and glitter to your science project may seem important at one time, but be realistic: it is definitely not going to make the difference between an “A” and a “B.” Next, take the time and care to do a quality job. The only thing worse than feeling like you are spending a lot of

time on something is doing it wrong or carelessly the first time, and then having to do it all over again. This results in more time spent in the end, and a very frustrated student. Another tip that some of you may find very helpful is to break big, time-consuming tasks into smaller ones. Take big projects as an example. Most of us leave big projects until one or two days before they are due, and then we cram to finish them in time. The end product is once again lower quality work and more stress. If large tasks are bro-ken down into smaller pieces, you will most likely be more motivated to work harder on it each time, and it won’t seem like such a long process in the end. Adding to that, I think we can all agree that the hardest part of any dreaded task is getting the motivation to sit down and actually start it. For those tasks that keep get-ting put off (such as college applications!), try again to try to work on it even for just ten minutes each day. It will even-tually get done; it just has to be started first! One tip that I know I could get better at is taking a break when needed, especially when studying for a big test. After a certain amount of time, when your brain gets tired and bored, it doesn’t absorb information as well as it does when you are more fo-

cused. Continuing to study may be pointless after a certain point, so make sure to make the best use of your time by taking breaks to refresh your brain. Even if it means going on a walk, taking a shower, eating some food, or working on some-thing else. Finally, limit distractions. As hard as it is, hide your cell phone, stay away from Fa-cebook, and turn off the T.V. Lock yourself in your room with a closed door if you have to. Certain tasks may end up taking twice as long to complete if you are constantly being disturbed or distracted. In my opinion, the ultimate key to time management is discipline. If you become disciplined enough to actu-ally do the things you say you will, especially when it comes to setting goals and meeting guidelines, everything else will become easier. Every-thing will get done eventu-ally, and though it may take a lot of hard work and maybe a few social sacrifices here and there, the end result will hopefully be success.

When time is of the essenceBy Cameron VanDykeEditor in Chief

Image courtesy of awarenessoftheheart.com

Sometimes great literature wins awards and sometimes a movie gets its due respect. But, more often than not, a book becomes successful and popular based only on the fact that it received an award. However, I believe it should be the other way around. The number of awards a story wins should not be the de-terminant of how successful it is or help someone decide their opinion on it. If someone doesn’t like an award-win-ning book, then it makes no difference what it won! Recently I read an award-winning book, and although it was well written, I did not believe it was worthy of an award. It seemed that the popular opinion of my class was that it was good, but only for the reason that they thought it was supposed to be. Too bad it was incredibly boring, and too bad that there was no concrete explanation for why the piece of literature won an award. Frankly I felt the story was boring and wordy. I was also confused on whether the author’s goal was to share his experience or randomly pack as many meta-

ments such as, “Did you hear that new Wiz Khalifa song…I liked it better before it went mainstream,” and comments like, “All Time Low was so much better before they sold out and became popular.” Granted, that second state-ment is true, there should be no standard of media mea-surement. Having a difference of opinion is what makes Eagan High School so great, so when did it become acceptable to justify your opinions based on someone else’s? Not only does pushing your opinion on someone make you harder to respect, but it is also insignifi-cant. Not very many people will change their opinion over it. Take Mrs. Strait for example, who, despite the popular distaste for Leif Enger’s Peace like a River in the freshmen class, still appreci-ates the book. “[The English department] chose to have the students read Peace like a River not because of the awards it has won, but because we be-lieve, and still believe, that it is a good book.” That criterion for determining reading selec-tion is commendable. The fact that they also let your opinion be voiced without trying to

Setting the standard on media hypephors, allusions, and images into the story as humanly pos-sible. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn are all classic books, but why are they classics? Somehow having stood the test of time doesn’t quite explain it enough. Eagan High School librarian Mrs. Nagel elabo-rates a little more: “A classic is a book that has an element that every generation can relate to.” Understandably high school students may find it a little difficult to relate to The Scarlet Letter’s infidelity or Frankenstein’s monstros-ity. Perhaps Mark Twain said it better: “A classic is a book that everyone wants to have read, but no one wants to read.” Unfortunately the same can be said for music. Perhaps you choose what music you listen to depending on what’s playing on the radio, or what iTunes recommends. Maybe you decide your playlist based on what music your friends listen to. Today under-ground music is the new fad. It is not uncommon to hear the halls littered with state-

By Molly Martinez Editor in Chief

change it with explanations such as “because it won awards” says a lot about the integrity of Eagan. Peace like a River received awards such as the ALA Alex award and the Independent publisher award. Alex awards are given to adult novels that appeal to teens, and both awards are based on reader’s opinions. If you choose to determine the literature you read based on the books decorations, then I recom-mend looking for awards that are determined by the readers themselves instead of awards that are given based on fixed and outdated criteria. I’m talking to you, Newbery Medal!

Eagan Independent | Tuesday, October 11, 2011 3

A new school year brings a wave of new cultures as six foreign exchange stu-dents started school at Eagan this fall. Though they have only been here for about a month, the students are quickly assimilating into American culture and life at Eagan. Se-nior Max Turnstedt comes from a town two hours outside of Malmo, Sweden of roughly 2,000 resi-dents. “This is very big for me,” he says in regards to moving to Eagan. He decided to come to the United States for the first time because, “It seemed like a really awesome experi-ence.” In addition, he hopes to develop his character during his yearlong stay. So far, he has especially enjoyed playing for the EHS boys’ varsity soccer team. “It’s just a great spirit here and I think

it’s just awesome.” Edward Liu is an 11th grader who comes to the Unit-ed States from Jiax-ing, China. He hopes to make progress in communi-cation here at Eagan. “I’m looking forward to [making] a lot of friends here and [going] around and [see-ing] new things.” So far, he has especially enjoyed taking dance and art classes at EHS. Laura Dauster, a junior from Bremen in northern Germany, says, “[I’d] like to learn the language bet-ter and to learn something about new culture,” When reflecting on her decision to study abroad for a year, she explains differ-ences with schools in Germany and the United

States. “We don’t have prom or homecoming. And we just have one classroom and the teachers change.” Katherine Zhu comes from Qingdao on the east coast of China, and she is a senior at Eagan this year. “There is a chance at my school and it is for going to America to study for a whole year, learn Ameri-can culture, and share the Chinese culture with American people,” she says. One major difference be-tween the Chinese and American ways of life is with the structure of the school day. “In Chinese high school we need to go to school at 7:00 and go back home at 6:30, and we have ten minutes between classes. We have activities in class but most prefer to use the time to study,” she explains. Though she misses Chinese food, she loves all-American pizza and hamburgers. In

addition, she is getting in-volved in school by helping with the Mandarin Chinese classes. A 10th grader from Frank-furt, Germany, Florian Pom-merening, is more familiar with the United States. He has to the country mul-tiple times, includ-ing trips to New York City, Wash-ing-ton D.C, and Florida. He wanted to come and study because, “My mom and my brother were in the United States and they liked it so much. So, I decided to do the same thing.” Though he finds the culture in America to be very similar, he is hoping to learn the language as well as make new friends. The highlights of his stay include going to a Twins game with his host brother and bringing his host brother to Marquette. “That was fun,” he recalls. Sibilla Mei is a senior from Civitanova, on the east coast of Italy. She chose to come to

Students from four countries adjust to American life at EHSBy aLanna theLenNews Editor

Photo by Rachel Larson


Photo by Michelle Metcalfe

Photo by Haley Davis


Laura MillerBy annika GraSSLNews Writer

Laura Miller died on June 14, 2011. She was a sophomore last year. Laura will be remembered as friendly and easy-going. She loved to have fun and hang out with friends as much as she loved to be alone with a good book. Knitting and cro-cheting something (usually in purple, her favorite color) was also a favorite hobby of Laura’s. As her family stated, “It’s hard to put into words what losing our beloved daughter (and sister) feels like. Our grief is deep, as I’m sure it is for many of her friends. We hope that people can learn from her com-passionate spirit, and her dedication to learn new things. She is missed dearly by all of us.” “She was an awesome friend and someone I could confide everything in” explains junior Sami Chase. When hanging out with her friends her favorite things to do were play-ing video games, walk through the woods, rave, go to McDonald’s, and playing “A Boy and His Blobs” on the Wii. Her love for fun was shown every Friday in Mr. Schuldte’s art class where Friday Hats were a reoc-curring trend. Her tight knit group of friends thought of Laura as a kind, loving person who was also a talented art-ist. Laura left the impression on her friends that she was always there to support them, even in death her

friends are still trying to make her proud. In the words of one of her friends who still think of her as being on a long vacation, Taylor Lund explains “I have wanted to make her proud of me ever since I found out she died. I miss her so much and hope she is proud of me for keeping her memory alive through my ability to stay strong” “Once when Laura and I were on a Biology project where we had to take pictures of animals, we were driving and she saw a duck in the middle of the road and slammed on the brakes to take a picture of it,” says Patrick Hancock. Laura loved music. One of her favorite bands was Skrillex. “She once made me download the chicken dance, the hokey pokey, and the Ma-carena because she liked those songs and absurd instrumental music” says close friend, junior Samantha Hoss. Many continue to mourn the loss of Laura, each in their own way.

the United States because of the great opportu-nities the occasion presented. “I want to learn Eng-lish,” she explained. “I want to see how is Ameri-can life, because in one year you can figure out.” She explains how the American and Italian lifestyles are very different. From everything being “big” here to taking your shoes off when enter-ing other people’s homes, she finds many contrasts to life back in Civitanova. She has noted visiting St. Paul, attending a Twins game, and going to the cabin with her host family as fun experi-ences she has already had in Minnesota so far. All of the exchange stu-dents will be staying for the remainder of the year. If you are interested in hosting an exchange student in the fu-ture, contact the counseling office.

Conor SmithBy Laura harfordNews Writer

Conor Smith passed away on Au-gust 26, 2011 after a four-year battle with leukemia at the age of fifteen. He was a freshman last year. As his family told the Star Tri-bune, “We always said he was an old soul,” said his father, Tim Smith. “He always took care of the little kids and the people who needed help. He bonded with the elderly. ... He was an amazing fighter who didn’t ever let [the cancer] get the best of him. He stayed true to who he was -- a caring, giving person who worried about others first.” Conor loved to play basketball, read, and loved football as an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers. Conor also loved animals and had wanted to be a vet. His friends say they will remember him for his kindness and spirit. Many EHS staff members and students came to visit and support Conor during his final stay in the hospital. According Coach Wardell, the athletic director at Dakota Hills who knew Conor from middle school, Conor had a positive attitude about life and always had spirit. Coach Wardell recalls one time when Conor was sitting outside of the office at Dakota Hills Middle School with another student who was injured. Connor was cheering the boy up,

telling him everything would be fine despite the fact that Conor had much more than a broken bone. “But it never broke his spirit,” his father said. “He always liked to have fun. ... He had a dry, sarcastic humor. He would roll his eyes or say a couple of words that would put you in your place.” Connor Smith was 11 years old when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2007 and was also diagnosed with leukemia shortly thereafter. An ATV accident on July 3, 2011 compli-cated treatment, and confined Conor to the hospital for the remainder of the summer. Conor passed away on August 26, 2011 after fighting a four and a half-year battle with leukemia.

Photo By Michelle Metcalf

FEaTurESEagan Independent | Tuesday October 11, 2011

WORD IN THE HALLS:I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

“I was a Youth Ambassador, so I was trav-eling all summer long. I went to Washing-ton D.C. twice, Italy, and Paraguay. I had

the experience of a lifetime. It was amazing to try new things and experience things

that were so foreign to me.” -Casey Casella - 12 (Right)

“I went to Rosebud, which is an Indian res-ervation in South Dakota. And then I went to North Carolina for a family vacation. Overall,

it was a fantastic summer!” -Nicole Moran - 11 (Below)

“I went to school in Germany for three weeks, and after that my host brother

came back here to live with me for three weeks.”

-Billy Thomas - 12 (Left)

“I didn’t go anywhere this summer. I would have liked to spend more time with my

friends. Yeah, I just stayed home, played video games, and had people over.”

-Kevin Clough - 10 (Right)

“I went to the Wisconsin Dells with my neighbors, played volleyball, and was in-

volved in ES4.” -Alex Putman - 9 (Below)

By Abby JohnsonFeatures Writer

Time for a ChangeBy Abby Johnson

Features Writer

A few weeks ago I was helping out at my friend’s fashion show down-town. I couldn’t help but notice how different everyone dressed from those at Eagan. Ugg boots had been replaced with vintage Doc Martens and Christian Louboutin’s. Eagan PIT shirts were traded in for the latest pieces from Topshop and Romwe. Ultimately, they put forth a genuine effort to dress up. After seeing a man donning a Robert Smith (lead singer of The Cure) hairstyle, black skinny jeans, a pastel blue cardigan paired with a sea foam green bowtie, and leather oxfords, I couldn’t help but wonder why people at school didn’t dress like this. I understand that no one feels motivated to get dressed up at six in the morning, but that doesn’t mean we should dress like we just rolled out of bed. Think about life after college: would your boss re-ally approve of you wearing baggy sweatpants, Uggs, and a Senior Girls shirt day after day? Probably not. What we wear today sets the precedent for our style in the years to come. Sure, comfort may trump originality during seven-hour school days, but we’re only making the future transition harder. It may be easier to wear what we feel good in rather than something that

requires a lot of planning or preparation, but I urge you to think otherwise. Looking sloppy may make people think that you’re too lazy to make an effort. And you most certainly don’t want to come across as lazy, now do you? I’m not saying that you need to wear ten-inch Al-exander McQueen armadillo stilettos or a Chanel suit, but you should try to look pre-sentable. Ditch the leggings, jeggings, Ed Hardy shirts, and baggy clothing. Spend a little less time applying your bronzer and Bath and Body Works perfume, and focus on dressing better. If you’re hav-ing trouble coming up with

New School Year, New Jazz Band

By Grace AblanFeatures Editor

Every year we an-ticipate the EHS Jazz I per-formance at ENCORE! that makes us want tap our feet along to the beat. The smooth sounds of the jazz band fill the auditorium with excite-ment, giving the audience the true big band experience. With the new school year comes a new jazz band with different members and unique talents. This year’s jazz en-semble auditions took place

on October 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th after school. Stu-dents in ninth through twelfth grade who are members of the band program were invited to audition for one of the four main jazz band sections: trumpet, saxophone, trombone, and rhythm. Each student was asked to come prepared with the audition music and was encouraged to improvise over their music during certain measures. The band program offers three different jazz en-sembles that fit varying levels of commitment, ability, and interest. Jazz I is directed by Mr. Miska. This group shares the ENCORE! stage annually, in addition to performing at several other jazz festivals and concerts throughout the school year with the other jazz ensembles. Jazz II will be directed by Mr. Benson, who is new to the EHS band program this year, and Jazz III will be co-directed by both

Mr. Miska and Mr. Benson. Senior Britta Johnson was a member of last year’s Jazz I. She plays the saxo-phone and is often featured on the flute. She said that her favorite memory of perform-ing with the jazz band was, “Going to the Eau Claire Jazz Festival and winning first place. Everyone in jazz band is really great and we are all good friends. That trip brought us even closer together.” When asked what he was most looking forward to in jazz band this year, director Mr. Miska stated, “You never know who is going to audi-tion. You never know how the band is going to turn out. You never know who is going to step up and fill the shoes vacated by someone who has graduated. Every year is totally different, and that is exciting!”

Photo courtesy of Mark Eliason Photography

an outfit, go on Lookbook.nu or read Nylon for inspira-tion. Most importantly, plan your outfit for the next day right before you go to bed, then you won’t be tempted to pick out the same old comfy clothes in the morning. Not only is it a huge confidence booster to look put together, but I can guarantee that you’ll receive dozens of compli-ments from your friends. Students of Eagan High School: It’s time to start dressing up.

Photo courtesy of comparestoreprices.co.uk

Eagan Independent | Tuesday, October 11, 2011 5

Let’s meet some new teachers!BY ANNIKA GRASSLStaff Writer Mr. VanDyne

Mr. VanDyne graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in physical education. He began his teaching career at Pin-

ewood Elementary for three years. Mr. Vandyne taught for five years at Black Hawk Middle School. He has coached girls swimming for 15

years. Mr. Vandyne says that he loves Eagan High School’s, “Great staff

and kids.”

Mr. Krantz received his teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin Stout

as well as a Masters degree from St. Mary’s university. He has been teach-ing for a total of 13 years, 12 of which

at Rosemount Middle School. At Eagan, “The kids and teachers are kind, respect-ful, nice, and the staff is professional and

very kind.” Mr. Krantz enjoys golfing, and coaching baseball and football in the

summer.

Mr. Krantz

Ms. McDonoughn has been an art teacher for the past 12 years. Prior to that, she was a commercial art director and graphic

designer for many years. She changed careers because of her pas-sion for teaching art. Ms. McDonoughn received an Art teaching

degree from Mankato State University and a Masters Degree from St. Mary’s University. She also recently completed the

required coursework at Concordia University needed to become a reading specialist. Ms. McDonoughn said of Eagan High School that it is, “Made up of a great bunch of talented kids… I want to be known for uncovering and nurturing the artist in all of us.”

Ms. McDonoughn

Ms. Olsen has been teaching in the district for eleven years, nine as an

English teacher and speech coach at Eastview. Her devotion is evident: “I love the school spirit from everyone and how kind the students are and I love how every adult in the build-ing work to help students who are

very interesting people. I also really like how proud everyone is to be

associated with Eagan High School.” When asked what she is known for,

she laughed and explained, “My students used to make fun of me for

saying ‘faboo,’ making up words, and talking with my hands. Now I think kids know me for my Budha board, Weather’s candy, and stories about

my dog Moose. It’s kind of early but I hope that’s what I’m known for.”

Ms. Olsen

The Saturday before home-coming week was the day of the coronation ceremony for the Class of 2012 Homecom-ing Court. The ceremony took place in the auditorium at 7:00 pm, where an excited crowd of friends and family arrived to witness the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen. Surrounded by clouds of blue, green, and silver bal-loons, advisors Ms. Blundell and Mr. Kovach presided over the coronation. They welcomed the audience to the ceremony, introduced the candidates, and concluded the coronation after the crown-ing of this year’s Homecom-ing king and queen, Alanna Stangl and Joyal Varghese. Mr. Kovach encouraged students to celebrate home-coming week as the ceremony began. “You should come out and support all of your peers

during homecoming week and the weeks to follow as we look ahead to tourney season. Show your school spirit, have fun with your friends, and celebrate all you’ve accom-plished,” he said. Two student performances preceded the introduction of the candi-dates. Lucas Peterson and Maddie Sachs performed “Mine,” by Taylor Swift, and Paige Schornak played piano and sang “The Rose,” by Pat Benatar. Following these perfor-mances, the homecoming court was introduced. The entire court consisted of Alissa Anker, Nate Bonshire,

Kendyl Folska, Alex Gran-quist, Rachel Gagne, Randy Krypel, Haley Jameson, Joe Machacek, Lisa Katz, Chris Murphy, Katie Reinarts, Mack Nelson, Sarah Schuetz, Lucas

Peterson, Jennifer Schuldt, Jack Soshnik-Tanquist, Alanna Stangl, David Stevens, Leah Westlund, and Joyal Varghese.

The candidates entered the auditorium in pairs and took their seats onstage as Mrs. Blundell and Mr. Kovach read short statements describing each person’s life, activities,

interests, and favorite memories of Eagan. Sev-eral times this brought laughter from the audience, particularly when Alex Granquist’s hobbies – which included

long walks on the beach – were read. Alissa Anker’s favorite thing about being a senior, which was “wearing sweats every day and not caring about it,” brought cheers and applause.Following the introduc-

tion were two more student performances. Grace Ablan and Mitch Johnson performed “Falling Slowly,” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and David Newhall and Chris Brown performed “Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight,” by Amos Lee. For the coronation, the 2010 Homecoming King and Queen, Georgie Krall and Jadee White, came onstage. For the crowning of the King, White held the crown over the head of each candidate before finally crowning Varghese Homecoming King. Krall did the same, crowning Stangl Queen. As the audience cheered, the two ascended to the King and Queen’s seats onstage, and the ceremony concluded with the final per-formance of Aly Gates play-ing piano and singing “You and I,” by Lady Gaga. After the ceremony, the homecoming court remained onstage for pictures.

Homecoming Week: Eagan Pride BY LAUREL SCOTTStaff Writer

Ms. Xia

Photo courtesy of Mark Eliason Photography






New mandarin Chinese teacher Ms. Xia is adapting well to life at Eagan. She is cur-

rently majoring in cultural communications and a foreign language. It is a testament to Eagan that Ms. Xia loves her new job. “The climate

is great,” Ms. Xia exclaims, “and the students really have a willingness to learn, they want

to learn!” Chinese culture is new to Eagan this year and Ms. Xia is definitely a enthusiastic and qualified teacher to begin this new experience.

Eagan Independent | Tuesday, October 11, 2011

TWENTY QUESTIONSFEATURING: ADAM STROMME

By Cameron VanDykeEditor-in-Chief

1. If you could be any Disney Princess, who would you be and why?- Jasmine, because she’s beautiful.

2. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?- Germany, because I have rela-tives there.

3. What is your favorite color?- I like red.

4. If someone made a movie of your life, who would you want to play you and why?- Tom Hanks, because he reminds me of Forrest Gump.

5. What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?- Cookies and Cream. Definitely.

6. If you showed up to school naked and had to explain your-self with one sentence, what would you say?- I was running late…?

7. How is the world going to end?- Robots.

8. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?- Too many for me to find out.

9. If you could speak with any accent, which one would you choose and why?- British accent, because it could make me sound even more formal.

10. If you could switch places with any EHS teacher, who would you choose and why?- Mr. Copeland because then I’d get to be the master of time, space, and dimension.

11. Team Edward or Team Jacob?- Who?

12. What is your biggest pet peeve?- When people say “like” excessively.

13. If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?- Retire, then go into the stock market

14. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring one thing, what would you bring?- My iPod.

15. Sparkles or neon?- Neon

16. If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?- A tiger, because they are rare and exotic.

17. What is your favorite song?- Heavy Artillery by Excision and Downlink

18. What is your favorite quote?- “That which we do not learn from the past, we are deemed to repeat.”

19. What is your favorite season?- Winter, because it’s my birthday and Christmas and New Year’s Eve and New Years Day and my Grandma’s birthday.

20. Pepsi or Coke?- Coke.

Photo courtesy of Kenzie Markland

Wildcats Bar and

GrillBy Grace AblanFeatures Editor

Located in a strip mall on Yankee Doodle in Eagan is a new restaurant that dons the name of our own school mascot: Wildcats Bar and Grill. Any Eagan High School Wildcat fan can feel right at home with the kelly green and royal blue color scheme and team jerseys displayed proudly on the walls. In ad-dition to showing EHS pride in the name, Wildcats donates two dollars to the high school from every sale of the signa-ture PIT burger. Upon entering the res-taurant after a Friday night Wildcat football win, I was welcomed by a waiter who inquired about the final score of the game. It was clear to me right away that Wildcats Bar and Grill provides a friendly and familiar atmosphere as owner George Dahmah made his way around the restaurant

greeting all of his customers, most of them by name. Opening last December, Wildcats Bar and Grill of-fers a unique combination of American and Mediter-ranean food. Dahmah was raised in Syria and shares his family recipes that highlight the Mediterranean section of the menu. From burgers and wings to kabobs and mous-saka, the Wildcats menu truly has something for everyone. After spending a few minutes looking over the extensive menu, I decided to order the Wildcat wings. This new spin on traditional wings combines both buffalo and ranch sauce into one for a

tasty sweet and spicy combi-nation. I also ordered a side of French fries, which were crispy and served generously. Wildcats Bar and Grill is open Monday through Thurs-day 10 AM to 1 AM, Friday and Saturday 10 AM to 2 AM, and Sunday 11 AM to 12 AM. The delicious and affordable food paired with the fun and family-friendly atmosphere earns this new Eagan gem 5 out of 5 stars.

Photo courtesy of wildcatsbarandgrilleagan.com

The HelpBy Shelley Sibley

Features Writer

In the 1960’s, Jacksonville, Mississippi was no place for equal rights. In The Help, directed by Tate Taylor, Eugenia “Skeeter” George, played by Emma Stone, is a young woman right out of college who moves back to her home in Jacksonville. Right away, it is obvious that there is something different about her compared to her friends. She is not your typi-cal 60’s girl. Her friends, Hilly Holbrook, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, and Eliza-beth Leefot, played by Ahna O’Reilly, have maids Aibileen Clark, played by Viola Davis, and Minny Jackson, Octavia Spencer, who are treated as if lower than Hilly and Eliza-beth. Eugenia sees this and, thinking about how unfair it is, decides to write a book from the view of “the help,” her maids. Aibileen and

Minny are hesitant at first but eventually see where Eugenia is coming from.The Help, based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, focuses on the racial issues between white and black Americans in the 1960’s. This movie ac-curately depicts how white people mistreated the black people back then and how African-Americans reacted to the “separate but equal” laws of the time. In the movie, Hilly Holbrook attempts to make it a law that black maids in the town are to have their own separate bathroom from the main house instead of being al-lowed to use the bathroom that their white employers use. Tate Taylor did an excel-lent job balancing the hu-morous points in the movie with the sad moments. I found myself laughing so hard that I cried during the funny scenes. The character development is very good. It

is easy to distinguish char-acter personalities early on in the film in who is for and who is against equal rights. This substantial character development leads to great understanding of the plot and the struggles of this period in time. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Image courtesy of csmonitor.com

Dinner & A Movie

Image courtesy of impawards.com

Image courtsy of roadfood.com

Image courtesy of inarkansas.com

6

SpOrTSEagan Independent | Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Athlete of the MonthBy Kenzie MarklandSports Editor

Sophomore Taylr McNeil has been playing volleyball since fifth grade, and she has always been a standout, playing varsity since eighth grade. Throughout her career, she has won many awards including All State, All Tour-nament, National Freshman, and she is a two-time Player of the Week for Kare 11. This year Taylr transferred to Eagan from Lakeville North, and she has been very successful thus far. “I love it here; my teammates are great and I love my coach,” she admitted. She has ma-jorly contributed to Eagan’s varsity team, leading them to big wins against rivals Lakev-ille North and Bloomington Jefferson. So far this year, she has already beaten her record of twenty-seven kills in one game, making her new record a stunning twenty-nine. Taylr is 6’1” and can jump extremely high, making her fearful to opponents on the court. Taylr’s incredible skills are extremely evident to all, including college recruiters; as a sophomore, Taylr has already verbally commit-ted to play volleyball for the University of Minnesota.

By Molly MartinezEditor-in-chief

Hot off two consecutive wins, the football team has finally found their stride. Our Wildcats devoured the Apple Valley Eagles 41-0 for their first win of the season and shortly after crushed the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars to chalk up another victory with a final score of 55-7. Wildcat fans mourned the valiant loss to Eastview (the school without a city) in a heartbreaking game that ended in overtime. “It was a very tough game,” coach

Sutton admits, “It was a great football game.” Eagan fought hard to tie the game at 28-28 and then went on to score a touchdown in overtime. Eastview struggled two gain points back, but ended up scoring the touchdown and squeaked in a two-point con-version. With a final score of 36-35 Eastview, the Wildcats were still able to represent the pride of the Pit. The Pit brought fear into

the eyes of the Eagles in the game against Apple Val-ley. Donning black, the Pit cheered Eagan on to touch-down after touchdown after touchdown. At half time, Eagan lit up the night in neon apparel, and senior Mike Busch lit up the field as he earned his career high 95 rushing yards. Fireworks commemorated the second win of the season. Playing Bloomington Jef-ferson in the Homecoming game, Eagan went on to own the night. Setting the pace with back-to-back touch-downs by senior captain and

start-ing

quarterback Drew Bauer, Eagan took an early lead

and never gave it back. Bauer finished the game with 12 carries totaling 168 yards. The best thing about this year’s team is “their willingness to work hard,” emphasizes coach Sutton. “We’ve already seen a lot of game to game improvement.”

By Kenzie MarklandSports Editor

Boys Soccer has a promis-ing team to go to state, and they hope to win a title this year. Currently the boys are ranked sixth in the confer-ence with nine wins, two ties, and three losses. They have two games left in the regular season to get their record up so it reflects the team’s skill ability. Each game that they have played has been close, and each player has put in his greatest effort. Captain and three-year varsity player, Ty-ler Burger, said, “We could go to state; everybody is working very hard to get there.” The boys’ team has been working on improving with every game and as their record shows, they have been

doing just so. Coach Virgin stated, “We want to go back to state, the last time we were there was 2005 and I believe we have the team that can lead us there.” Out of twenty years, the boys have been in the top ten teams for seventeen of them, and the last five years have been amazing. The team is strong with seniors; currently, ten

seniors start each game. Senior A.J. Albers is the top scorer for the team with twelve goals while juniors Wyatt Wagner and Juan Sjoberg have five goals each. Senior Max Turnstedt is leading the team with eight assists. In the

game against Burnsville, Max scored a fifty-five yard goal in double over time with


The girls’ soccer team has been showing their impres-sive skills through each and every game this season, making everyone believe that they will go to state this year. With a record of eleven wins, one tie, and two losses they have a chance of winning the conference. Currently, the team is ranked fifth in the

conference but has plenty of time to work their way up to the number one position. In regards to those two losses, Coach Mark Obarski said, “We played well as a team and worked hard unfortu-nately the score board did not show that.” Four-year varsity member Kristen Knutson said, “We have made it to state for the past two years and we have the team that can make it to state again.” Kristen current-ly has a goal against average of ninety-six percent, which is the highest in her goalie career.

With a team of twenty players, fourteen of them are seniors; next year will be the time for underclassmen to step up. Freshman Rachel Wall took the lead this year as she moved up to Varsity from the 9A team. She is now playing as a starting forward for most games. Besides Ra-chel, Junior Marissa Ganske is currently leading the team with seven goals. Senior Ellie Schroer said, “Our defense is

all se-

niors but the underclassmen can [still] do great.” This year’s team has been very successful and has had many exciting games this year. With only two losses, the anticipation makes every game more exciting to see which players affect the game. “The best game of this season was the Duluth east game when we won two to one.” Knutson said. With lots of success thus far, these soccer girls will continue to work their hardest in high hopes to win state.


Cage the Jaguars! Girls soccer Deter-mined to Win State

Photo by Rachel Larsen



To Close to Call for Boys Soccer


forty seconds left to win the game. This has been the high-

light of the season for many players. “It felt really good to score and to win the game,” contested Turnstedt. With so many players leaving next year, Coach Virgin has already made some serious goals for next season’s team.

“I want to be top ten and continue the excellence, and

I plan on going to state next year as well.”

Eagan Independent | Tuesday, October 11, 20118

By Bailey HennenSports Writer

The girls swim team has had a good year so far with a record four wins and two losses. They ended up with a first place finish at the Packer Invite and a sixth place finish at the Univer-sity of North Dakota Invite. Senior Leah Rolfzen said, “Even though we won the UND invite, my favorite part was bond-ing with my team on the bus ride.” Senior captains Katie Eh-rlich, Ashley Gaertner, Kenzie Hel-ler and Ra-chel Gagne excelled in lead-ing the team to victories against Kennedy, Burnsville, and Jefferson. Each meet has consisted of Eagan dominat-ing the other teams with their swimming abilities. Unfor-tunately, the girls did lose

to Eastview and Moorhead, making their record slightly less than perfect Although new to teaching

at Eagan, Mr. Vandyne has been the girls swim coach for fifteen years. Vandyne

has lead the team

in many trips to state, and the girls have definitely im-proved over the years. Senior captain Ashley Gaertner said, “We love all of our coaches because they push us to our


The volleyball team has been off to a great start this year, showing everybody that they are some serious com-petition. Currently the girls are ranked number one in the conference with fourteen game wins, no ties, and three game losses. With a killer record comes a killer coach.

Ms. Gillen came back to coach after a three year break. Three-year varsity player and captain Sarah Linder said, “I like her as a coach. She helped with my Junior Olym-pic team so it’s nice having her as a coach again.” Along with having Ms. Gillen back, the girls have the skill this year to play very aggressively. Coach Gillen has many goals for the team. She stated, “I just wanted to win a lot of games, and as

our record shows, we have a really good start on this.” The girls recently beat the rival Lakeville North, who is second in the conference. Sophomore Taylr McNeil transferred from Lakeville North at the beginning of this school year, so this was a game the girls were all antici-pating before the season even started. Despite the fire alarm go-ing off during the game and the chants from the Lakev-ille side, Eagan’s team kept levelheaded enough to pull out a win. Two-year varsity player and captain Sarah Schuetz said, “We need to keep our levelheadedness so we can continue our good work.” With state approaching in November, all attention will be shifted to the volleyball team. “It is not an individual game, it is a team effort, and everyone has been working as a team,” Coach Gillen

said. According to the new coach, one thing that has im-proved over the season is the level of defense. With three games left in the season sup-porters are already looking forward to next year. “I hope we stay competitive and stay on top of the conference,” says Gillen.

By Cameron VanDykeEditor-in-chief

Mallory Weggemann, a 2007 Eagan graduate, won an ESPY award on June 24, 2011 for Best Female Athlete with a Disability. ESPY stands for Excellence in Sports Perfor-mance Yearly, and awards are given annually by ESPN. Winners are chosen based on fan voting, and this year at the Paralympic Commit-tee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Eind-hoven, Netherlands, Mallory won eight gold medals and one silver medal, setting nine new world records in the pro-cess. In June, the fans decided

that Mallory’s performance at the International World Championships was worthy of an award. Weggemann gradu-ated from Eagan in 2007, and has been an avid swim-mer since she was seven. In January 2008, as a senior in high school, Mallory began to complain of terrible back pains. She went to the doctor to get an epidural injection to help treat the pains, but unfortunately, she suffered severe complications from the procedure. On January 21st, 2008, she was paralyzed from the waist down and was told that she would live in a

wheelchair for the rest of her life. However, this did not prevent Mallory from doing what she loved. Even though it was a great challenge for her to get back in the pool after her injury, Weggemenn was dedicated to her sport and determined to gain the strength to swim again. Mal-lory has touched the hearts of millions and inspired count-less people, showing that al-though what happened to her was extremely unfortunate, she has been able to put it be-hind her and overcome many obstacles and challenges. Through endless hard work and motivation, Mallory has become an unbelievable swimmer and is now a mem-ber of the U.S. Paralympics National Team. She is ranked number one in the world in six of the seven Paralympic events, and she holds thirty-three American records and fifteen world records. In 2009 and 2010, she was named USA Swimming Disabled Swimmer of the Year and is currently training for the 2012 Paralympic games in London. Sometimes, a time of

struggle or misfortune can bring forth skills, talents, or benefits that may not have ever been uncovered other-wise. Mallory was a wonder-ful swimmer even before her injury, but she really has become a stronger person through adversity. Although the medical error was ex-tremely tragic and unfortu-

highest potential.” With nine seniors, the team is going to lose some talented girls next year. Regarding the seniors who

will be leav-ing next year, Coach Vandyne commented, “The other girls will have some big shoes to fill.” However, there is a still lot of talent on the team.

Junior Nicole Stevens has been to state

the past two years and will make her third trip this year. Stevens has been on var-sity since she was an eighth grader. Vandyne says that his goal for the team this year is to get as many girls to the state tournament as he can, and to hopefully have them winning as much as possible as well. When asked about goals for next year he implied that he would rather focus on this season and live in the moment. “Next year is next year, I don’t really look to the future and set goals for it.”

Image courtesy of www.minnesota.twins.mlb.com

Swimming has High Hopes for State

Weggemann wins ESPY in Los Angelesnate, Mallory has touched the hearts of millions, received countless amazing opportuni-ties, broken an unbelievable amount of records, and won many awards. She has been a victim of adversity, suc-cessfully bringing forth the strength to achieve despite her disability.

Image courtesy of swimmingworldmagazine.com


New coach, new team



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Eagan Independent - October 2011