Windsock

Students From Abroad

This year, EMHS, a school not known for its racial diversity, has gathered a total of 11 international students (including students returning from past years), nine of whom have Korean origins. One of the Koreans, a senior named James Park, said that one of the hardest adjustments for him was moving from the large city of Seoul to a city in northern Idaho that is about the same size as Harrisonburg. “I couldn’t walk to shops to get candy bars. I did not have internet access [The lack of internet access is an issue considering South Korea has the highest percentage of people using high speed internet in the world]. I had to drive 35 minutes to get to school, while in Korea I walked to school five minutes away. It was like learning everything over."

School in particular has been a major adjustment for our Korean students. In Korea, pupils attend classes six days a week from 8:00 in the morning till 4:30in the afternoon with class periods of 50 minutes in length and only a 10 minute break in between subjects. Like some elementary schools in the United States, the students stay in a classroom filled with 30 to 35 pupils while the teachers move from room to room to teach their context area. Being successful in school is assumed and all students must stay after the regulated day for a study hall until 10 or 11 at night. If the vigorous education does not seem to be enough of an incentive to do well, “many teachers in middle school and high school hit their students if they don’t get good grades on tests,” admitted Park. “I miss my family definitely, Korean food, the high technology and big city,” wrote Park in a recent email. “I miss food, family, friends, and [public] transportation,” said Wonsun Seo, a sophomore.

Transportation by itself has been hard for the Korean students— most of whom come from large cities—  to easily adapt to. Now some have to contend with long car rides to school— like Park’s experience in Idaho—and are faced with being dependant on their host families and friends to reach their desired destination. “We have really nice public transportation,” sophomore Seo stated, longingly.

“The things I don’t really miss are a bad environment and SAT studying,” wrote Park , who spent the previous summer in Korea studying for the SAT after spending the past three years in the United States. “In Korea it is hard to play with older people than me,” claimed Seo. Like many countries with deep traditions, Korean culture has in place a respect taboo which makes it hard for generations or even grades to breach the gap and make friends with people who are older or younger than they are. Here at EMHS, our international students have the opportunity to develop friendships with whomever they please and enrich the schools community with greater understanding of a different culture and its young people.

- Kara Lofton

Volleyball Flames in Blue Ridge Tournament

Match 1: EMHS Flames vs. North Cross Raiders

The Flames took an early lead in the first game on Saturday, quickly rising 6-3 over the visiting Raiders. Backed by an enthusiastic bench and a fired up crowd, seniors Hannah Eberly and Kendra Miller led EMHS in a stunning performance. The Flames' ability to judge whether or not a ball would land in bounds seemed to play a significant role in their win. The Flames showed a great balance between finesse and power. That balance, one remembers, is what won the game, and eventually the match, for Eastern Mennonite.

It was in the second game that North Cross's offense truly showed up. After jumping ahead 1-4 early, the Raiders maintained control of the pace until late in the game, when the Flames grabbed onto Malia Hostetter's coattail and let her strong serve close the gap. A tap over the net from Hannah Eberly, and the fans were up off their feet and screaming. the Flames took their second game 28-26.

After breaking free from an early  5-5 deadlock, Kendra Miller smacked a standing spike over the net, meeting no resistance and falling dead to the floor, bringing 9-8 to 10-8. It was then that freshman Leah Jacobs started playing her best. It was also then that the left-corner guys started hollering "Leah time!" whenever she got near the ball. After Jacobs killed a well-placed set to bring about a 24-22 game point, Eberly popped an uncontested feint set over the net for the win.

Match 2: EMHS Flames vs. LCA Bulldogs

After a few JV games were played, EMHS's varsity took on LCA in the semi-finals. the bleachers were packed, the lights were bright; it was a great day for volleyball. EMHS won the coin toss and took the first serve. After a few rallies across the net, the Bulldogs blocked at the net and the ball fell to the floor. The proud LCA fans whooped and hollered, even at this; the first point. after going up an early 3-1,  the Bulldogs would continue to dominate the game, eventually winning it 24-16 after a well-placed jump-serve from Courtney Cooper.

Game two was a disaster. We started off playing poorly, showed brief glimpses of brilliance around the middle of the game, and ended the game in the former style. A brief EMHS run was not enough to suffice for such a gap in scores. It's not so much that the Flames were out-matched, but that they were just having an off game. The Bulldogs won 25-9.

In game three, EMHS really gave LCA a run for its money. They battled for every point, routinely hitting the floor and running far out of bounds trying to keep their championship hopes alive. As freshman Middle-Hitter Leah Jacobs put it,  "I think we really came together and found out how to play well as a team. We were able to get a lot of the balls up and then do something productive with them." LCA went on to beat Grace in the final.

- Mikey Cranston

Grizzled Veterans Impart Stories

Just started last year, a new tradition has emerged at EMHS.  As part of their Kingdom Living course, EMHS seniors will perform a sort of rite of passing, consisting of a presentation of how they have developed over their high school years.  Quite obviously, this is very much open to interpretation, and the assignment, while encouraging the students to pick up on a particular theme, is open ended.   
    Students are encouraged to present, outside of school hours, to their family, friends, and possibly church mentors a summary of how they have developed spiritually, as well as academically and personally.  Elwood Yoder, Kingdom Living teacher and major advocate of the project, believes that it is an excellent way for students to share their broad experiences and shape a twenty minute presentation to reflect the range of the high school experience.  Coming from a variety of backgrounds and spending varying periods of time at EMHS, every class should be able to field a variety of speakers and fascinating presentations.   
    Though only kicked off last year, Senior Presentations, as they are known, seem to have garnered considerable support and foundation.  Last year's class presentations revolved around such varied topics as singing, running, relationships, and the seniors of 2006 seem to have appreciated the assignment, though there were problems of accessibility during school hours.  Warmly received by the community and faculty, EMHS can anticipate an even better show this year, with more accessible time frames for the presentations and full class participation.      

- David Jost

Soccer Flames Stunned

There was complete silence in the crowd after Hargrave's soccer team scored the winning goal in the game on Tuesday, leaving the score at 2-1 in double overtime. The Flames had been pressing Hargrave hard, keeping the ball on Hargrave's side of the field for most of the game. However, the only goal scored was by accident, a pass across the field that turned into a surprise goal in overtime. Hargrave soon tied it up, and pushed the game into double overtime. Still, hopes were high, and several near misses by the Flames had everyone thinking of a Flames victory. However, a defensive mixup saw the ball rolling into the Flames' goal.

This puts EMHS out of the VIC tournament in the quarterfinals, a major upset considering how highly favored the soccer team was. Still, the season is not over, and the team is getting ready for the state tournament coming up soon. Hopefully they will be able to make a better showing there than at this game.

- Joe Phillips

7th Grade Update: Week 8

Welcome to the eighth 7th Grade Update. Thursday ends the quarter and parallel reading charts were due on Monday. Last week was homecoming week. On Thursday, several students dressed up for Formal Day nd on Friday everyone wore their blue and gold clothing for Spirit Day. Friday ended in a school spirit assemble in which all sports teams and the musical was recognized. The hall winners were also announced. 7th grade received 5th place.

Testing day was on Wednesday, October 17. We had to take tests about Math and English. We finished them up on Thursday. In English, we completed vocabulary unit 3. In Math, we continue to discuss exponents. In music, we had a guest speaker that is a composer. He played a few of his songs on the piano. In physical education, we have been playing soccer. In social studies, we have been learning about Ancient Greece and had a test on it this week. In science, we have been discussing bacteria and the six kingdoms. We will have a science test on Thursday. Wednesday, October 24 is a performance day for us.

Ensemble will be performing three songs on the bass, drums and guitar and drama will be performing the play Scheherazade, starring Hannah Pellegrino as the title character. Parents were invited to come see these events.

- Jack Cline

Music Review: Ollabelle

It can be easy to forget that there is such a variety of music out in our world that, like a hidden treasure, is waiting to be found. As put by Miles Davis, "Good music is good no matter what kind of music it is." I believe that the musical group Ollabelle can easily fit into the category of good music.

Ollabelle is a five-person New York-based band that celebrates rural American roots music. This group first came together because of their love for music. All five of the members come from different geographic locations, ranging from Sydney, Australia, to Canada. One aspect of their music that I admire is that none of their songs sound the same. Sometimes I find myself listening to what seems to be the same melodic tune by an artist, but with Ollabelle that is not the case. Their music ranges between a mix of electric blues, gospel, bluegrass, and country genres.

In their self titled album Ollabelle, quite a few of their songs have a Christian slant to them. This made me wonder if they consider themselves a Christian group. In one of their latest blog entries on their myspace page, they said that they are not a predominantly Christian group. They went on to say that in saying that Ollabelle is not a Christian group does not mean there are not individuals in their band who would consider themselves Christian. Rather, they had never intended to be a Christian band.

Ever since the first time I had listened to the music of Ollabelle, I found myself instantly interested in listening to their songs again and again. I have never heard a group that has a style similar to Ollabelle, making their music new and exciting for me to listen to. But no matter how much I praise the music of Ollabelle, the only way for you to truly understand the beauty of this group is to listen to them for yourselves. So I encourage you to take the time to listen to the unique sounds of Ollabelle.

- Rose Jantzi

To see the album and listen to parts of songs on amazon, click here.

Here is a clip of Ollabelle performing "Get Back Temptation" live:

Class Officers Chosen

Every year students are elected to hold positions as Class Officers or SCO Representatives in high school. These students are expected to make decisions involving anything from socials to graduation invitations. Traditionally, five students are chosen from each class by their classmates to hold office.

The class offices are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, SCO Representative and, in the senior class, business manager. This past election was unique due to the fact that six students were selected for positions in both the senior and junior class.

In the senior class Kendra Miller was selected as president, with Katie Sacra as her vice president. Ellie Fisher was elected to be the class secretary and Kyle Smith was chosen as the class treasurer. Martin Revercomb was chosen to be the business manager of the senior class.

The responsibilities of the senior class officers will continue even after graduation, unlike the other class officers in the younger grades. They must plan class reunions every five years and make sure that people can come, which can be a time-consuming process.

In the junior class there were actually two presidents chosen, Aaron Zook and Vincent Morra (pictured above), who are now in power as co-presidents. Brook Hostetter was chosen as vice president, Hannah Cranston as secretary, Helen Furry as treasurer and Annie Brunk as SCO representative.

The sophomore class had an average election with only one president chosen, Kara Lofton. Ashton Pease was selected as the vice president, Kaitlyn Revercomb as the secretary, Jenny Sacra as the treasurer and Emily Anderson as the SCO representative.

In the freshman class Zander Pellegrino was chosen as the president, with Malinda Bender as vice president, Keven Leaman as secretary, Olivia Deputy as treasurer and Patrick Scruggs as the SCO representative.   

– Freeman Bendfeldt (Photo by Annie Brunk)

Journey to China

      Elwood Yoder spent three weeks teaching English in central China this summer. From July 9th to the first of August the EMHS Social Studies and Bible teacher was part of a five member Partners in Missions, or PIM, team, a program under Virginia Mennonite Missions (VMM). The team spent three weeks in the city of Nanchong in central China, teaching English to middle and high school aged students at the Nanchong Christian Church, a non-denominational Protestant church who had invited VMM to send such a group. In the words of Mr. Yoder, "It's best to go in mission work when you're invited."

          When approached by a VMM representative last winter Mr. Yoder had initially decided against going on the team. However, when approached a second time in January, he gave the opportunity further thought. After consultation with his wife, Joy, and a member of his congregation with previous experience in China, he chose to join the group. "Based on [June Lantz's] experience and my wife's response I decided to go."

           The express purpose of the trip was to teach English and build relationships while restraining the direction evangelism (insofar as those aren't a part of evangelism). Mennonite Partners in China, an organization that coordinates many such visits, works only with registered churches, those officially recognized by the Chinese government. On that note, Mr. Yoder said, "We operated without fear of government control, I wouldn't have been afraid if Hu Jintao [President of China] walked into my classroom because we were there as English teachers." He added, "We're not there to violate government guidelines."

            Mr. Yoder described Nanchong Christian Church as similar in physical size to Harrisonburg Mennonite Church, but with far more people. The church has both male and female pastors, whose preaching he described as "dynamic... they weren't afraid of a thirty minute sermon." In 2004, the EMHS Touring Choir visited the same church during their tour in China.

            At this point VMM is planning a similar trip next summer, though Mr. Yoder will probably not go again. When pondering over the experience, Mr. Yoder reflected, "Missions needs to be partnership," an idea he further describes in an article he wrote for Connections, a publication of Virginia Mennonite Conference.

- Nathan Hershberger (Pictures courtesy of Elwood Yoder)

7th Grade Update: Week 7

This week in math we are talking about exponents.  In science, we finished our plants and animals project.  They looked to be well done and were all different!  We are continuing to read Words By Heart in English class.  In band, we are going to Pennsylvania for a concert on October 26.  In choir, we are composing songs for Mr. Hartzler.

Did you know that two 7th graders are involved in the musical?  I get to help with sound and my friend, Matt Lind, is in the cast!  My dad is the rehearsal accompanist.  Please mark your calendars and come see the show (the first two weekends in November).

-Alex Clemens

Homecoming Weekend

The SCO's plans for this week have all led to a big homecoming weekend. A number of events are scheduled for this weekend, October 19-21, to honor EMHS alumni.

On Friday at 8:30 in the morning there will be a golf tournament with ten teams competing, and a Founder's Day Banquet at 6:30 in the evening. The banquet will be in recognition of George R. Brunk III for the Founder's Lifetime Service Award. From 1977 to 1999 he was a dean at EMS, no, not Eastern Mennonite School but Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

On Saturday, Robin Zook will organize a home coming road race at the EMU track, 8:30 in the morning. Facility tours are being held ever 30 minutes from 12-2 pm on Saturday, and sporting events from 1-5pm, with a reception for Jim Rush at 6:15 in the EMHS commons. Jim Rush just retired this year after teaching US Government at EMHS for 40 years. Saturday will conclude with a Homecoming Concert at the EMHS auditorium at 7:30, which Mr. Hartzler and the senior chorus have been working hard to get ready for.

Finally, on Sunday there will be a worship service at 10:00 in the morning honoring Lawrence E. Ressler, the 2007 EMHS alumnus of the year, "For 35 years of serving God's kingdom through Christian social work, teacher and administration."

A full list of homecoming weekend events can be found at emhs.net under "Homecoming 2007 Information"
An article on Jim Rush can be found here. More information on Lawrence E. Ressler can be found here.

- Eric Broderson