Windsock

Grizzled Elites Enjoy Break

Seniors were treated last week to a two day break from the rigors of fourth quarter school work, and it was greatly appreciated.  The first, Tuesday, was because of top performance in Christmas Fund Drive.  The second, Senior Skip Day, was a classic of the EMHS experience.  Always held as a gathering of the entire senior class at someone's house, this year it was held at a gorgeous cabin kindly lent by Kyle Smith and his family.  Although the day was cold and windy, it was an absolute blast.

From a beautiful view atop a mountain, the class enjoyed a grill for lunch, and was also treated to a beautiful and cozy interior where video games and just hanging out could be enjoyed.  Some of us enjoyed a game of throwing outside, while others simply relaxed in one of the last senior gatherings.  As time got on, some girls grabbed larping swords and chased Eric around all over the place in one of the most hilarious displays of… well, let's just say it was pretty awesome.  The whole class enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on how much we have been through together, and it was a wonderful time.  It was a treasure of a day, and, like the day off in school, well planned and executed by the school leadership.

- David Jost

Blitzkrieg Player Tops 1000!

Mitchell Leap, and the basketball team in general, have had a very rewarding season.  Indeed, Leap enjoyed the honor of topping one thousand points in his career at EMHS, becoming the first player to do so since Nathan Hartzler.  Neither is it hyperbole to describe him as a blitzkrieg; Mitchell and his speedy, offensive tactics (and point guard role) have made a fine contribution to EMHS's Varsity Basketball heritage, with a 14.3 scoring average per game over three years.  It was in his last season that he really shone, however.  Starting the season with 490 points, he and Travis Nyce were the strongly defensive team's main offensive scorers, and the 522 points Mitchell scored stand as a testament to their efficiency.  Mitchell is the ninth player to score 1000 at EMHS, with a total of 1012. 

Varsity Boys Basketball had an interesting time in general this winter.  Dillion Brunk was persuaded to join after seven games, adding manpower and talent that allowed an upsurge in game wins, including a powerful home triumph over Fishburne Military school (placed second in the conference), 85-57.  Mitchell commented that this was a really well played game, "One of the games of our lives."  In general, EMHS varsity performed quite well, finishing with a 12-13 record, a number that belies several dramatic victories. 

The team seems to have had a good season.  Coach Bechler noted that the team shifted very much towards a generally defensive strategy, leaving the offense mainly in the hands of Mitchell and Travis.  Mitchell commented as well that there were more offensive players last year, but that there was plenty of great defense this time around.  The team played very well together, with a great deal of cooperation and helping each other out, and a sense of unity seems to have pervaded the season.  With five seniors leaving next year, new personnel will need to be found.  No doubt it will be, and new heroes will take to the court!

- David Jost

Martha Chen, Visiting Chinese Teacher

At EMHS and similar Mennonite institutions, the international appeal and character of the Mennonite church has resulted in a remarkably varied collection of experiences.  These take various forms, ranging from faculty with long records of travel and service starting from the typical Mennonite background, but also with numerous international guests coming here.  Martha Chen is one such guest, who we had the pleasure of hearing in chapel recently, and who was happy to share about her life, and how she came to be here.

Martha was born in Bao Ding, in Hebei province, south of Beijing in 1952.  She was raised until the age of six by her grandmother in the countryside, after which she attended a boarding school for six more years.  She attended middle school for one year, however was interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, a total upsetting of Chinese culture imposed by its communist dictatorship starting in 1966.  Part of the utter chaos that followed was the collapse of the school system which, while originally novel for the former students (many of whom proceeded to thrash their former teachers), in fact crashed China.  For about three years, Martha would serve as a Red Guard, a communist enthusiast of a sort.  She saw chairman Mao twice around this time, and worked on a sort of commune in Inner Mongolia, a province that is essentially the eastern half of China's border with Mongolia.

In 1972, Martha returned to the city and worked in a factory until 1976.  She studied English for three years after Mao died in that year, and then taught it until 1984.  In September of 1985, she moved to Beijing and taught there until 1989.  She then moved on to a different college until her retirement last year, immediately after which she was requested by Meryl Byler of Mennonite Partners in China to come here.  She gladly obliged, and has been here ever since.

Martha has had a very positive experience since she arrived here.  She really enjoys Americans, and says that our environment is clean and our people friendly.  Because of experience with a much worse situation in China, the incredible blessings we have here are quite clear to her.  She appreciates the United States, and hopes for good relations between our two countries.

- David Jost

Touring Choir Auditions

Every year, juniors and seniors with an interest in choir may elect to audition for the school's touring choir.   Smaller than first semester's senior choir, touring choir provides many benefits, including a daily course, Sunday morning church hopping, and a trip, either within the United States or internationally on an alternating basis.   A smaller chamber choir is also selected largely based on sight reading ability. 

            The process is long and intense, including scored tests of sight reading ability, hearing notes in a chord, singing a song for a recorder that is anonymously heard by several judges, and various other tests of vocal musical ability.   The song, performed after Christmas break, is the same for all auditioning, though they sing their own voice part; all the rest of the audition is before break.

            The audition process itself is necessary; out of about sixty interested students, only forty will actually be able to participate.   When asked if he thought the results were reliable, Jay Hartzler, the EMHS choral director, said that he believed they were extremely accurate.  Even if numerous directors were brought in to judge the different parts, the choir composition in the end would still be about the same.  The reason the audition has to be completed after Christmas break is because it is simply too hard for Mr. Hartzler to do the entire process before break.

            Of course, the wait is very stressful.   With so much ambiguity (Mr. Hartzler's stated intention is for no one to really know how they did) it is difficult, even for seniors with considerable bonuses to their scores, to really know how the audition went.   Hopefully, the results will become clear soon after break ends, but until then, a great part of the junior and senior classes will be in suspense.

- David Jost

Carve an Empire of Blood and Steel: A Review

Over the last ten years, perhaps, video and computer gaming have moved somewhat into the cultural spotlight, with such games as World of Warcraft and Halo commanding large audiences and vast fan bases. it is easy to forget during countless Halo parties, World of Warcraft addiction, and Counter Strike games that a quite different and more sophisticated side exists to gaming. As the industry has grown, small companies with ingenious leadership and developers have created numerous gems, unnoticed by the general public, but truly rich for those fortunate enough to find them. An excellent example of such a game is Europa Eniversalis Three.

Crafted by a small Swedish company, Europa, and its sister games, Crusader Kings, Victoria, and Hearst of Iron each cover a significant period of human history. Each one is tremendously engaging, reminiscent of the more popular Shogun, Medieval, and Rome games, though much more sophisticated.  In addition to representing the entire world and every nation therein at any date between 1066 and 1964 in their proper locations and with their proper attributes, Paradox Interactive (the company responsible for these games) has developed complex economic, political, and military systems that keep almost everything within reason, a sort of Risk except with every aspect of technology and history incorporated. It is within this small genre that one finds Europa Universalis Three, or EU3.

Taking the years from 1453 to 1789 (to 1820 with the expansion game, allowing Napoleonic history changing) , EU3 presents any nation that existed in the world during that time to the player. This includes numerous European and Asian states, as well as a good many African and even a dozen or so Native American kingdoms and alliances. Incorporating for religion, culture, economics, population and war, EU3 provides a realistic view into the workings of human civilization during the crucial era in which the west rose, and a brilliant model with which that rise can be interfered with in any way the player chooses (to the extent of their and their nations abilities, that is). While fewer opportunities for interesting historical changes exist than in other games by the same developer (such as a Confederate win in the Civil war, a Nazi or Japanese dominated 1945, or an Islamic victory at Tours) one can, for example, lead the Aztecs or Inca to victory over the dastardly Spaniards, or build a new Byzantium over the losses of the Ottoman empire. Alternatively, one could develop a peaceful trading empire, or simply forget a diplomatic coalition of Africa, Europe, Asia or the Americas.

Of course, the strength of a game is the execution, and it is here that EU3 truly shines. While traveling through history a day at a time may seem tedious (though days go by faster than a second) one somehow always has something to do, and there are always plans to be laid and executed. Realism is respected, national resources are very seriously incorporated; there are no circumstances in which the Ethiopian sister nation of Funj could achieve global dominance. On the other hand , it could forge an African union behind Eastern Orthodoxy and simplistic warfare, a very challenging endeavor that would take many hours. Britain, on the other hand, can (and did) achieve hegemony over much if not most of the planet's surfaces. In the end, the capabilities of the player are well respected, but so are the conventions of history, and the resulting product plays out not unlike history itself, both in its explicability in hindsight and its unpredictability just looking a year ahead.

The benefits of such a game hardly need to be listed, although the difficulty and requirement for patience can be a deterrent. the knowlege of history, geography, culture, economics and mathematics (the useful kind) that develop from an investment such as EU3 are quite impressive. While the investment in time is admittedly greater than that necessary  to memorize the locations of modern countries, it is much more fun to conquer Hungary and Sweden in a game than to stare at a map studying, even if the representations of war are mild and appropriate. While EU3 is perhaps less valuable in this (very practical) regard than Hearst of Iron (the second world war) there are still benefits to be derived from knowing where historical nations were, particularly if one intends to ever be a junior, or even go to college! Needless to say, rich and well-developed games are a reward in their own right, however, and EU3 is strongly recommended, even if one is not seeking knowledge in one's games. - David Jost

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

Seniors Mobilize on Trip

Every year, the many seniors attending EMHS take a trip together to Washington, D.C.  Accompanied by a handful of faculty members, they tour the centers of our nation's government, engage in a variety of recreational activities, and generally spend three days in fellowship and relaxation.  The senior class of 2008 had an excellent trip, and its members will without a doubt remember the trip for some considerable time. 

While more laid back than any normal curricular activity, the senior trip is, in fact, a school function, with normal dress code enforced and a U.S. Government Class oriented schedule of touring and learning.  Despite this, there were clear differences from a normal field trip.  Students were given time frames virtually all of the time during which they could go virtually wherever they wanted, with faculty present but not being overly restrictive.  The activities were very interesting, ranging from watching our supreme court, to a sobering visit to the Holocaust and other museums, to hearing a brief word from our representative Goodlatte, though he unfortunately did the skedaddle without taking questions, keeping a few of us from inquiring as to his love (or the lack thereof) for our nation's children.

A healthy dose of recreation was also to be found.  From ice skating to loads of free time, there was plenty to do outside of the curricular component, with repeated informal hymn sings on one of the buses.  Commenting on the trip, Mr. Stutzman suggested that he was very impressed with how smoothly it went and how good the senior class was.  Despite a few health problems, the trip went generally without a hitch, and excellent weather made it a pleasant and comfortable experience.  Mr. Stutzman's claim that senior trips are remembered at class reunions for a long time to come seems almost guaranteed to come true, and the trip was quite enjoyable for the senior class as a whole.

- David Jost

Our author on the bus (Top picture taken by Hannah Beachey; bottom by Laura Anderson) 

LARPing Club Enters the Fray

                                     Freeman takes a whack at Ashton

The normal repertoire of EMHS clubs has been augmented this year with rather unique addition: LARPing club. While technically encompassing a variety of activities, LARPing at EMHS consists of friendly sparring with foam equipment. The roots of the club go back to last winter, when a handful of Nerds were inspired to create a group. While they received support among last year's seniors and a handful of other recruits in the spring, LARPing (Live Action Role-Playing) has truly only begun to blossom this year.

The first several meetings have included at minimum ten people, at maximum about twenty, with nearly thirty people signing up for the club. Interest has especially developed among sophomores, but has also engaged in all high-school grades. While potential exists for a conflict with the pacifistic ideology of the Mennonite Church, this has not become a problem, with a general perception among parents that is harmless fun, and with more than half the original members and many of the new ones Mennonite. While some of the members affectionately refer to the meetings as "violence," the team oriented and friendly environment ensures that competitive spirit and aggression are harnessed only for good sport.

The reception among interested persons has been good thus far. While any group can lose its support base, many repeat members have consistently demonstrated interest, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive in water break and post-meeting conversation. Considering the retention and continued interest of the original members (to quote Freeman Bendfeldt: "[LARPing] will be awesome today!") the club shows considerable promise for the future. Potential for a team-like participation in a several hundred person meeting, while not yet explored, should also present an interesting opportunity should the club continue its growth and success.

- David Jost (photo by Matt Layman)

Elite Runners Demonstrate Prowess

Despite an extremely limited team that even had to replace one of its members who was absent with freshman Andrew Yoder, the EMHS Cross Country team ran impressively at the EMHS Cross Country Invitational on Saturday. While the precise order of the seventeen teams involved is not yet clear, individual EMHS runners performed very well. Freshman Leah Moore, in her first race ever, ranked seventh in the 3.1 mile varsity race, and Aaron Zook finished eighth, with Matt Layman placing sixteenth; Matt and Aaron both had their best times for the event thus far. Eighth grader Kristi Miller placed eleventh in the two mile middle school competition. A former EMHS student of last year (Dan Nafziger) also placed third in the Varsity race. All this was accomplished despite a very limited pool of runners to draw from, with a desperate need for more, in comparison with much larger schools such as Harrisonburg High.

EMHS's Cross Country team also recognizes students for certain accomplishments at this very specific annual event, and several students performed well enough to warrant notice. Leah Moore joined the ranks  of under twenty four minute performers for varsity girls. Matthew Layman and Aaron Zook (for the second time) achieved an under twenty minute race, and performed very well. Kristi Miller ran her race in under sixteen minutes. Despite the considerable manpower deficiency, captain Aaron Zook and Maria Martin will surely lead their team to great victories, and, in the words of of junior James Souder, it will be "a pretty good season."

- David Jost (Photo by Matt Layman)