Windsock

The End of the Line for Varsity Basketball

The evening of February 24 marked the end of the 2009 basketball season for both varsity boys and girls. Both teams were set to play a game where, in the event of a win, they would move on towards a championship, in the event of a loss, the close of the season. 

The girls played against a nemisis several years in the making. VES, or Virginia Episcopal School, knocked the Varsity team out of their chance as BRC, Blue Ridge Conference,  finalists last year as well. The team is made up of very skilled, unusually tall girls. 

Our varsity team didn't back down, though they had been beaten earlier in this season. At the end of the first half the girls were down only by five points. Then, after a strong third quarter, they managed a one point lead. Fourth quarter, however, brought VES to the lead. In order to keep time from wasting away EMHS was forced to foul and stop the clock. These fouls put VES at the freethrow line where they landed a few more baskets. The end score was 40-29.

 The girls were ranked number eleven in the state, and though they had beaten both teams ahead of them in state rankings, they are not moving forward into the state rounds. Their final record is 10-12.

The boys varsity also had a difficult matchup as they took on Fishburne. The team from Fishburne has generally been a tall, well built team, and this year wasn't an exception. The guys also played very well and kept up with their opponents. At the end of first quarter the score was 8-7 with the Flames leading. By second quarter though, Fishburne had begun to build a lead; they were up 16-14.

Though the Flames played evenly and used excellent defensive skills, Fishburne came away with a 42-49 win. 

The varsity boys are also at the end of their season, though they should not be disappointed with the loss to Fishburne. They played well as a team, especially as a defensive unit. Their final record is 8-15.

- Jenn Leaman 

Four Accepted into Honors Program

Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) Honors weekend took place over the weekend of February 6 and 7th. It was a time for prospective EMU Honors students to get a feel for the campus and the students. 

The EMU Honors program provides scholarships to prospective students who show significant determination and integrity. The program accepts 12 incoming freshman who have obtained a 1350 SAT score, or a 30 ACT score, and have maintained a 3.5 GPA or higher. 

To apply for the program applicants must enter two essays, proof of academic achievements, and to continue to show involvement in the school, church, and community.  They must also include two references. 

There were four EMHS students who applied for the program; Meg Smeltzer, James Souder, Ryan Eshleman, and Vincent Morra, and all four were accepted into the program. Of the 12 accepted 10 receive half-scholarships, and 2 receive a full scholarship. Meg, Vincent, and James all recieved the half-scholarships while Ryan was awarded the full scholarship.

Before being accepted, each had to attend Honors Weekend. The weekend began on Friday, and students were encouraged to attend classes and meet with professors. That night there was a informational meeting and dinner where applicants ate with current students and professors. 

Applicants were encouraged to spend the night in order to get a feel for the "dorm life", so after the dinner they had free time to get to know their hosts and attend the Friday night activities. "I personally thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with the students, spending time in the doorm rooms, getting a first-hand account of what life at EMU is really like," remarked Vincent Morra, a current EMHS senior. 

In future years, those accepted into the program will be enrolled in an extra-honors level course, taught by EMU's most accomplished professors. They will also attend honors gatherings, be a part of a mentoring program with other honor students, and develop their world views. If each student maintains a 3.5 GPA their scholarships will be renewed for the upcoming year. 

Some advice for upcoming seniors considering the Honors Program is to be selfconfident through the entire process. "I tried to be as real a person as I could. The Honors program is not looking for cookie-cutter personalities. They are looking for real people who have real questions," expained senior James Souder. Another important choice is that of taking both the SAT and the ACT. "While you might struggle on one of these two tests, the other one could easily be different," said Vincent. 

For those who are interested in the program there are details on <http://www.emu.edu/academics/honors/> and continue to put effort into schoolwork, and be committed in the community and the church.

- Jenn Leaman

Spiritual Renewal Week at EMS

After such great feedback on the choice to show a movie, Amazing Grace, for spring Spiritual Renewal Week last year, Chapel Planning Committee chose to take that same approach this year. Last week, the students and faculty at EMHS enjoyed the film The Ultimate Gift.

“Everyone that we talked to seemed to feel that watching a movie and analyzing its themes was very meaningful and held people's attention,” Olivia Deputy, a member of CPC explains.

The Ultimate Gift was selected out of a number of suggestions. Other options included Simon Birch and End of the Spear, both of which were eliminated because of inappropriate and/or violent content that probably wouldn’t have been suitable for chapel.

The Ultimate Gift wasn’t a brand new movie to many of the students, but CPC figured that if they would show the movie in sections, about thirty minutes every day, and review and reflect at the beginning of chapel each day, the messages that the movie portrays would become more meaningful. Each day, someone would address the student body, go over however many of the twelve gifts leading up to “the ultimate gift” had been shown so far on Jason Steven’s quest for his inheritance, and also note which gifts would be showed in that day’s segment so they could look out for them.

“[The Ultimate Gift] was more relevant to us this year because Jason was closer to our age,” Liz Marin, a junior commented. “He had realistic obstacles.”

Just like last year, the students and faculty responded positively to the showing of another movie. Some people even confessed that they cried at certain parts or that they saw people around them crying.

“It is really meaningful to me how Jason connects with Emily,” Olivia Deputy added. "She is the first person that [Jason] chooses to put before himself. I don't know if he would have succeeded in his quest for the inheritance if he didn't meet Alexia and Emily.”

“It's easier to focus on the message in a movie than to focus on a speaker's message for spiritual renewal week,” Hannah Bendfeldt added.

The twelve gifts that Jason received from his grandfather were the gift of work, problems, friends, giving, gratitude, family, learning, money, laughter, the gift of a day, dreams, and love.

“I could related to some of the gifts [Jason] received,” Kaitlin Torres said. “I liked how they didn’t tell you what the ultimate gift was so you could believe what you wanted it to be. I thought that it was the gift of forgiveness and understanding, or the gift of a bigger heart.”

- Gennie Kirk

The Seniors Prepare for the Play

Who would have thought that Jesus’ life would take place in Georgia in the form of a musical? The senior play “The Cotton Patch Gospel” retells the story of Jesus’ life as told by Matthew. It is placed in the 1900s, and filled with Southern accents.

Matthew, Jesus, and John the Baptist are the main roles in the play. Ryan Eshleman plays the part of Jesus and James Souder, Meg Smeltzer, and Sara Lin Yoder play the narrator, Matthew. The part of John the Baptist has not been cast yet. There aren’t enough actors to fill every part, so many of the seniors have to play more than one character. Disciples and other minor characters help with the stage presence.

Practice has been going on for two weeks and directed by Sue and Ted Swartz. Choir director Jay Hartzler has been helping with the music this week and it will be combined with the acting next week. The strengths of the performers are that they are musically talented, but they don’t feel there are many weaknesses other than putting on Southern accents. Time is also an issue since the performances will be during Senior Parent Weekend, March 19th through the 20th, but participants such as Meg Smeltzer think it will be fine. Jenn Leaman admitted, “We definitely have a lot of work to do and only a small amount of time to get it done. So we're working pretty hard.” Lines have to be memorized by Wednesday of next week so they are “jumping right in,” according to Nels Akerson. Jenn praised the cast by saying that they are “a very dramatic and musical class,” and she feels that it will be a great show.

-Hannah Bendfeldt

A Composting Update

Living in a time of global “climate change” and “green” awareness, composting is becoming a more popular way to help take care of planet earth, and EMHS has been taking part in this since the beginning of the current school year. Shelly Thomas, a professor of an environmental science class at EMU, came to John Hoover, the EMHS environmental science teacher, to look into the possibility of getting EMHS composting using the resources available at EMU. Hoover became excited about this project, and it was up and running fairly soon into the first semester.

This composting project depends on the work of the entire school. It starts with students and faculty leaving all food waste and napkins to be composted on their lunch trays instead of putting them into the trashcans. Next, the dining hall workers collect these waste materials and keep them for the environmental science class. Then, every other day, weather permitting, a pair of environmental science students leaves Mr. Hoover’s class to take the compost up to EMU. Along with this transportation the students also keep records, included the weight of the waste. Everett Brubaker, a junior and a member of the environmental science class, said, “This makes me think about how much waste every one of us produces. A lot of this waste is either thrown into a giant pit in the ground or burned and then thrown into a pit. A very major percentage of this trash can be composted and/or recycled.” He continued to say that, “I really hope people realize that when they turn on their disposal a fair amount of their garbage goes straight down to the Chesapeake.”

The records that are being kept with the composting, along with simply being interesting could be used valuably also. Dining hall workers could see which meals produce the most waste, and students could see how much of a difference not finishing your plate makes. Also, Mr. Hoover said, “It gives us an understanding of how much food waste is being produced by this school, so if we were ever interested in reducing that…we have that data.”

According to the information that has already been collected EMHS produces an average food waste of 34 lbs a day. Over the span of one school year this adds up 6,200 lbs, or over 3 tons of waste.

Composting will continue to be a long-term project for Mr. Hoover’s classes. “We need to be stewards of God’s creation, so this is something that I take very seriously, and I’m going to try to encourage it with the kids,” he stated. The composting for this semester was on hold so far because of the cold temperatures; however, it is scheduled to start up again this week.

Mr. Hoover is interested in making EMHS a more environmentally aware school in other areas also. Other projects that are on his mind include minimizing EMHS’s energy use and starting a school garden.

- Melissa Jantzi

To see the excel spreadsheet of the composting records, click here: Composting data.

Flames Rip Holy Cross

Feburary 17, 2009: an ugly day for Holy Cross basketball.  After four quarters the score was Eastern Mennonite High School 66 and Holy Cross 28.  The only disappointing part of the night for the Flames was the subpar fan turnout on “Pack the Gym Night.”  The SCO planned a whiteout; it was more like a flurry.  During warm ups Holy Cross didn’t seem focused or ready.  In contrast the Flames were relaxed and confident.  This was evident from the time the game started.

The game was scoreless until 5:50 when senior Ryan Eshleman sank a baseline jumper.  That opened the floodgates for EMHS, as soon after that Holy Cross fouled Matt Blauch, a junior, and Ryan; which only added to the lead.  Holy Cross didn’t score until two minutes to go in the first quarter.  Immediately after their basket, sophomore Parker Leap answered with a three.  A minute when Holy Cross was looking better later Ryan Eshleman brilliantly read a pass, intercepted it and took it all to way to the basket.  The score after one quarter was EMHS 15 Holy Cross 4.

The second quarter was more of the same; the Flames opened with a quick two points and kept rolling. There was one bright moment for Holy Cross, #12 a sophomore, dribbled around several EMHS players for a layup.  But whenever Holy Cross seemed to gain some momentum back EMHS would stifle their attempt.  With one minute to go in the half sophomore Mark Mast hit a three.  Only 20 seconds later Parker Leap added another three points.    That made the halftime score 42-14.  The leading scorers in the first half were Ryan Eshleman, 12, Brandon Wenger, 11, and Parker Leap, 9.

The Flames started out the third quarter slow.  After three minutes the score was 46-17.  With 4:40 left in the third, a Holy Cross player became frustrated.  While Blauch was trying to get open, the Holy Cross player was holding him.  Then the player blocked Jeremy Sauder, hard.  Fortunately for them, the referees made the right call.  Towards the end of the third quarter, EMHS controlled the tempo of the game.  After lots of controlled passing sophomore Connor Wolfe had a good drive to the basket to end the third quarter.  This made the score 55-21.

February 17, 2009; a good day for EMHS basketball. The Flames played a great game and got a well deserved win.

- Zander Pellegrino

College Choices: Huge Decisions Made by Young People

April 1st is only six weeks away, and along with being April Fool’s Day it is also the day that many colleges notify high school students of whether or not they have been accepted to their school. Although college may seem like a distant matter for many middle and high school students, it’s approaching faster than one might think. Tina Glanzer, a guidance counselor at EMHS, said, “I wish people would start thinking earlier about what the options are, and discussing them with their families. High school goes by really, really fast.” 

There are many factors that decide where a student decides to go to college, and unfortunately a huge one is money. The tuition cost and the amount that schools are offering in scholarships can greatly affect a student’s choice. Other relevant issues include personal family values, majors that are offered, and a college’s social scene. “People have all kinds of different experiences at exactly the same school,” said Glanzer, so clearly, knowing one’s own personality is the largest piece of making a good college choice.

EMHS alumni have in the past had a pattern of attending Mennonite colleges. Approximately 40-60% of EMHS students end up at EMU, Goshen, Hesston, or others. According to Glanzer, “They came to EMHS because they valued that and that value stays with them.”

Now, especially because of the economy, students are looking more at public colleges in the state and community colleges, such as Blue Ride Community College. Virginia has a large variety of successful public colleges, and the discount in tuition is very appealing.

Glanzer encourages all EMHS students to take full advantage of the resources that are available for those preparing to choose a college. “I wish people would use the resources out there like the college fair to start ‘shopping’ earlier.”

- Melissa Janzi

**Ed note: click EMHS Alumni Colleges to see the list of colleges that have accepted EMHS grads in the last six years. It's impressive! (It's a WORD document)**

Abe Lincoln Week at EMHS

Who was Abraham Lincoln?  Some know him as the tall guy in the stovepipe hat, but most remember him for emancipating the slaves.  Able to see both of these characteristics in Honest Abe is Elwood Yoder, an Eastern Mennonite High School history teacher. 

Each year, Mr. Yoder (pictured above, with Windsock editor Rose Jantzi) likes to emphasize some part of history to his students that may stick out more than, and outlast the rest of what they learn in class.  Celebrating Lincoln's 200th  birthday is mainly about Lincoln, he says, but it is also to raise interest in the study of history, to “generate interest in what I teach.”  Something he feels is especially important about Lincoln is the fact that he saved the union. Mr. Yoder wonders if EMHS would have been what it is today had the Confederacy prevailed.

On Monday, Mr. Yoder and Mrs. Shannon Roth, did a chapel on why Abraham Lincoln is important to the history of our country, as well as things about him they personally believe are good to know.  Before the chapel began, slides with information about people closely associated with Lincoln, put together by Mr. Yoder's U.S. History class, were shown to introduce students to the theme of the week.   The same U.S. History class prepared 8 different posters for the halls up to the lunch room highlighting important events and people from Lincoln's life.  From Monday on, students learned information about Lincoln in the classroom as well as in a special assembly presented before lunch on Thursday by Dr. Philip Stone.  On the twelfth of February, the day Abraham Lincoln turned 200, students enjoyed birthday cake from the dining hall served by Mr. Yoder, dressed as Abe himself.

Dr. Philip Stone, president of Bridgewater College, is a widely respected Lincoln scholar.  Each year, he holds a service at the Lincoln Cemetery near Linville, Virginia, to honor the great man who freed the slaves and saved the union.  In the EMHS assembly, he commented that the weather has never ceased to be bad, a “curse from Stonewall Jackson,” he joked.  The service has been held every year on February 12, at two o'clock in the afternoon, “rain or shine, sleet or snow,” says Mr. Yoder, for the past thirty-four years.  Dr. Stone is the only representative of the Commonwealth on the National Lincoln Bicentennial Committee.

Mr. Yoder considers himself a Lincoln “enthusiast,” feeling several connections and similarities to the sixteenth president.  One of the strongest ways Mr. Yoder feels a tie to Lincoln is in their age.  During the most difficult moments in the White House, he was the same age Mr. Yoder is now.  Mr. Yoder ponders, “Would I be up to that kind of challenge?”  Although age is the biggest way he identifies with Lincoln, Mr. Yoder believes they would have had similar personalities: both being introspective, and introverted.  Mr. Yoder sees Abraham Lincoln as a truly great man:  “We need mentors. We need people in our lives who we can look up to, living, and living in the past...Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln...”

- Malinda Bender

 

Lady Flames Batter East Hardy

 At 7:35 on February 12, 2009 the EMHS girls had their tip off against the East Hardy Cougars, from West Virginia. After the ball was tipped around a few times an East Hardy player finally grabbed hold and the game began. 

The teams seemed fairly evenly matched, and the Flames were looking forward to a close game.
“They beat us last time, but we played terribly,” said senior Lucy Showalter. Another aspect that helped the Flames was that Caroline Miller, a returning player, is back on the floor now after returning from her job as a page in Washington D.C. 

East Hardy put the first points on the board, but EMHS followed soon after when Katy Bergey was fouled and made her two foul shots. Throughout the first quarter the Flames continued to take a more convincing lead by keeping their defense strong, and making good passes to the inside of the key. At the end of first quarter EMHS was up by 10, with a score of 18 – 8.

Second quarter began more slowly; it wasn’t until two minutes in that either team scored.  The Flames had lost their momentum and the Cougars maximized on that, and began their comeback. In general, the second quarter was very frenzied, as the Flames struggled to once again find their "niche." Third quarter again brought more intensity, though not as much as the beginning of the game. The Flames had lost their frantic attitude and played with more composure, though the game continued to be back and forth. As the quarter wound down EMHS began to gain more momentum, and with two seconds left senior Emily Hollen shot and made a three pointer, giving the Flames a more convincing lead.

The fourth quarter started strongly and continued to stay strong for EMHS. East Hardy became frazzled as EMHS gained more of a lead. The Flames took this as an opportunity to play “their” game, and began running the floor and making steals. The referees also chose this time to begin calling multiple fouls, which frustrated the girls, and dragged out the game. EMHS continued to keep their composure, however, and were rewarded with a win.

The final score was 53 – 45

Scoring:

Anna Berkshire – 2
Carly Kraybill – 4
Emily Hollen – 5
Jordan Burns – 11
Katy Bergey – 15
Lucy Showalter - 16

- Jenn Leaman

Eisley: A Music Review

“He was throwing grain into the ground below, ground below with dreary circles of his arm, going slow, very slow, his cap pulled down ‘round his ears to hide the smile and watery tears…”

So begins track one (‘Memories’) of twelve from Room Noises, the debut album of one of my favorite bands of all time, Eisley.

Eisley, an indie rock band, is comprised of five members of the DuPree family from Tyler, Texas: four siblings and a cousin. Chauntelle plays guitar and does some backup vocals, Weston is the drummer, Garron plays bass, and Sherri and Stacy are the two lead vocalists. They both play guitar as well and Stacy plays the keyboard.

Eisley’s unmistakable trait is their hauntingly beautiful vocals and ethereal harmonies. My mom is on the verge of forbidding me from playing Eisley in the car because “Those girls lull me to sleep,” she claims.

“I really like the 'unordinary' sound that they have to them,” Kelsey Blosser from the sophomore class commented. “Most modern vocalists are beginning to sound a lot alike, but the girls in Eisley have very distinct voices. The harmony is amazing and really adds to the songs.”

Melissa Jantzi, also a sophomore, described their sound as “refreshing.”

“Their voices seem almost effortless as they clearly and beautifully let their verses flow into choruses and really feel their melodies and lyrics,” she explained.

Another unique attribute: Eisley’s bizarre, but beautiful, lyrics (e.g. “I cut the moon in half and stuck a piece to my hair. It made the back of my head glow golden yellow.”).

“[The lyrics] take some thinking to actually understand them, and they aren't cliché songs. They are intriguing and really catchy to sing along to!”

I have never come across anyone who doesn’t like Eisley. They either know them and adore them, or have never heard of them. Give them a listen if you haven’t already! Just a few of my favorite songs include ‘Golly Sandra’, ‘Brightly Wound’, ‘Come Clean’, ‘Invasion’, and ‘Many Funerals’.

Eisley has released two CDs, Room Noises and Combinations, from Reprise Records, as well as several EPs.

- Gennie Kirk