Windsock

Tennis Preview

Tuesday, March 11, the EMHS boys’ and girls’ tennis teams started their seasons with a bang; girls against Turner Ashby High School, 7-2 EMHS, and the boys in their first match against Fishburne Academy, score 9-0 EMHS.

“We felt really good after the scrimmage. [There were] a lot of good things,” said coaches Jennifer Young and Christie Osbourne. We “definitely need some practice but overall it went well,” agreed sophomore captain Katy Bergey. The EMHS girl’s tennis team graduated 6 out of 13 of its players last year after a very successful season, but both coaches and players feel confident of another good year to come.

“One of our goals is team bonding,” said Bergey, including a close relationship with coaches. Even though she just finished playing a winter basketball season with Young and Osbourne Bergey says that she “really loves it,” and states, “I’m really close to my coaches so I think that it’s great to be around them all the time."

"Fishburne is probably the weakest team that we play," said boys' coach Luke Schrock-Hurst, "we won all 9 matches. I think that we will be every bit as good as we were last year,” he continued. Unlike the girls, EMHS guys tennis only graduated two seniors last year, and don’t have as much ground to cover in terms of recovery.

"The EMHS tennis program is growing," said Schrock-Hurst, "We have JV coaches Steven Stauffer and  Nate Derstine for the first time this year who also happen to be alums and the number 2 and 3 on EMU’s tennis team." The JV team is unusually large this year with 12 teammates. “We decided not to cut anyone,” explained Schrock-Hurst.

EMHS girls lost a heartbreaker to Harrisonburg yesterday, 5-4, while the guys walloped Spotswood, 9-0.

Girls Roster                                               Guys Roster
Sr. Amy Leap*                                         Sr. Eric Broderson
Jr. Linda Lim                                             Sr. Lucas Schorock-Hurst
Jr. Bethany Gingrich                                  Jr. Vincent Morra
So. Katy Bergey*                                        Jr. Junsung Choi
So. Kate Miller                                            Fr. Christophe Langouet
So. Wonsun Seo                                          Fr. Nathaniel Morra
So. Bora Jung
Fr. Olivia Deputy

- Kara Lofton

Student Profile: Amber Hertzler

Amber Hartzler started dancing the summer between the ages of 7 and 8 in an effort to control her lifelong diabetes. The necessity to dance soon became pleasure as she discovered a passion that has now expanded to include forms of dance outside of ballet, such as jazz, tap, modern and “a little Irish step.”

Last year, Amber tore her ACL and meniscus in class while she was “doing a jump and I was trying to get my leg higher than I had before.” Unsure of what the problem was Amber waited two months before finally getting surgery in Richmond, Va, by a doctor who has worked with the Richmond Ballet.

“I dance [ballet] four days a week,” said Amber; plus jazz, tap or modern classes if she is taking any at the time. One of the four days is spent dancing as part of the senior company for her studio, the Rockingham Ballet Theater. Amber has always been part of the same studio and this past winter danced in the “Nutcracker” for the sixth time. In the past she has performed as a “snowflake, Arabian soloist and as a flower."

“I’m intending to at least minor in dance,” said Amber recently. “I really love the performance and just getting to express myself through my body without having to say anything.”  Though she would love to dance professionally some day, Amber said that her second job choice would be working as a math or sociology teacher if dancing doesn’t prove possible.

- Kara Lofton

"Affluenza" in Schools

Ironically, in a country where education is free and the citizens of the United States of America are provided with the opportunity to make use of their literary advantages, doing well in school has become something "uncool" for American youth. Steps such as the "No Child Left Behind" law have been taken to improve the American school system, but they ignore the role of students' attitude toward academic excellence. If students don't want to learn the maximum, they won't. The media, especially advertisements, are a subtle, but important, contributing factor to this anti-intellectual trend.

Most Hollywood movies portray schools in which the pursuit of excellence is left to the "nerds." The popular students are the handsome athletes, girls with phenomenal physical features, and the comedians. This is not to say that attractive athletes, girls who are pretty, and people who have the ability to make others laugh are always bad students - nor are they always portrayed this way - but 90 percent of the time this is the way these groups of students are seen in the popular movies for teenagers that are coming out regularly in theaters. To name a few: Accepted, a comedy about a high school burnout who fabricates his own college when he finds out he has been rejected from all of the schools he applied to; The Perfect Score, a movie about six high school students who steal the answers to the SAT so they can get into the school they want; Mean Girls, a movie about a girl who moved back to the U.S. after growing up in Africa and who tries to fit in by doing whatever it takes, even if it means failing calculus on purpose so she can get the guy she thinks is cute to tutor her. Doing well academically in school is not part of theme of these movies, if the subject of class work comes up at all among scenes of high school students skipping class and engaging in harmful behaviors such as drinking, partaking in casual sex and disrespecting their parents and teachers.   

America is falling prey to a disease called "Affluenza" in a 2001 book. It is a disease where people, in particular children, are brainwashed by constant advertising on the TV, in their schools and even on the sides of their buses. Cuts in funding for public schools force the administration to turn to agencies outside of the government for much needed money. As a result, places like the hallways of Colorado Springs high school boast posters proclaiming "satisfy your hunger for higher education with Snickers" and "M&Ms are better than straight A's." The irony is that the very snacks that are promoted through commercial advertising are the ones that health classes warn against.

As a result of "affluenza," school is no longer a place to learn, to increase knowledge, but a place that serves as a springboard for later positions of power and success in the affluenza-dominated world. The belittleing of learning begins with our President, who was recently quoted as saying "I delegate to good people. I always tell Condi Rice, "I want to remind you, Madam Secretary, who has the Ph.D. and who was a C student. And I want to remind you who the adviser is and who the president is." A man who should be a role model for America's youth and inspire them to take interest in schooling will allow them to become "the future leaders of America" is in fact displaying his own ignorance the entire nation. Between negative messages thrown at teenagers by the media and poor role models from the leaders of our country, it is no wonder that schools have trouble enticing their students into learning for learning's sake. There is no point in excelling and getting an A if they run  the risk of being labeled a "nerd" for trying and have the potential to rise to President on merely a C.

- Kara Lofton (This article was originally published in the Daily News Record)

EMHS Soccer Moves On to Final Four

EMHS SOCCER FIELDS- November 5, 2007, EMHS dominated the lower ranked team of Potomac School in the quarter final of the VISSA state tournament. Senior striker Mitchell Leap led the Flames to victory by scoring two out of the three goals that made up the 3-1 win. Daude Teel slipped the second goal by the keeper with 21 minutes left in the first half.

Our motto is "Positive talk breeds intensity," said Dillon Brunk, the Flames keeper. However, he added, I "didn't think that we would get the chance to go to Richmond." EMHS has a team smaller in its stature this year after losing big players such as defenders James Lofton and Julian Sider. "The size matter really made a difference," said Brunk.

The Flames graduated 5 seniors in spring 2007 and will graduate eight more at the end of this school year. A Junior, "Ryan Eshleman came up huge this year," said senior Austin Shank when asked about the younger students who have stepped up to fill the void. Matt Blauch, Daude Teel and Diogo Durante are the starting underclassmen who have also been part of the starting lineup for the 2007 season.

Unlike Friday, the Flames came out with intensity and focus. Their passes were crisp and purposeful which contributed to the first two goals that occurred within 9 minutes of each other. Halfway through the first half though, Brunk came out hard for a one on one play and fouled the striker who was opposing him. Potomac was awarded a penalty kick in the box and put it away, closing the score to the tight 2-1 halftime tally.

At the final whistle, cheers erupted from the sidelines where avid Flames fans watched the action. As is tradition, the boys jogged backwards to the midfield where they turned around to receive the applause that waited for them there.

The fourth ranked Flames will play the number one seed, Flint Hill School, on Wednesday, November 7th at the Sports Backers Stadium for the semi-final match.

- Kara Lofton (Pictures by Shawn Green)

 

Boys Hope to Transform Shaky Start

The boys started out looking sluggish and sloppy on the soccer field last Friday, giving up possession and making Paul VI look better than they were. The game ended in the surprisingly close score of 1-0 in favor of EMHS. The last time EMHS played Paul VI was two years ago in the 2005 season, when they killed them 4-1. (To the left: the team thanking the fans for their support)

The sidelines of the soccer field were packed Friday with dozens of students, recent alumni and adults who turned out to watch EMHS play Paul VI in the first round of the tournament. "It was rough, we stared out slow," said senior Austin Shank. It wasn't until midway through the second half that things started to pick up for the Flames when Mitchell Leap scored an unassisted goal with 22 minutes and 48 seconds left.

Part of the problem was "getting rid of the nerves for States," said Austin. In the next round EMHS will play Potomac School on Monday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. at home.

According to senior Bryce Shenk, "Everybody is excited and ready to play." After a light practice this Saturday, Bryce felt the team was "back into our groove" after Friday's disappointing performance.

We've "got to be able to knock it around," said Austin. "It isn't going to be a walk in the park."

- Kara Lofton

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

Sophomore Day Out!

Rappahannock, VA: Sixty-one EMHS sophomores unloaded off buses at Windy Hill Farm to begin the annual sophomore day out. After a quick bathroom break the group gathered together for devotions, led by the class officers. The students then broke for games of their choosing such as volleyball, football, board games and canoeing on the large lake that was part of the farm.

Though activities were set up for individuals to participate in, the organizers of the event decided to keep the day as informal as possible and let games progress as long as interest held. This was a welcome reprieve for many students from the normal highly scheduled day, many even commenting that this was what made everything all the more enjoyable.

EMHS provided a packed lunch to students who had previously signed up for the standard bagged lunch: sandwich, apple, carrots and potato chips, while other students brought their own. For a special treat Kline's ice cream was hauled from Harrisonburg along with fudge, sprinkles and chocolate chips so the students had the opportunity to design a sumptuous ice cream sundae.

When asked what their favorite part of the day was sophomores seemed to be mostly of the same mind. "Getting off the canoe and jumping in the water," said Diogo Durante. "When we went canoeing," said Matthew Blauch. "The lake," answered Kaitlin Stauffer. "Yeah, the lake," agreed Lucy Baker, "and the ice cream, yeah, the ice cream was good."

For this writer, the best part was being back on my grandmother's farm on a beautiful fall day where I was born exactly 16 years earlier.

- Kara Lofton

Anyone really think they're going in?

Ted and Lee: The Show Must Go On

September 18, 2007: Ted Swartz and Canadian actor Jason Hildebrand, backed by local musician Trent Wagler, delivered a moving and humorous performance of “Fish Eyes” to several hundred receptive people at Eastern Mennonite High School. Until last spring Swartz was part of a well-known duo, Ted and Lee. Swartz’s partner and close friend of twenty years, Lee Eshleman, took his own life last May after a long-fought battle with depression.

“Lee hid his illness pretty well,” said Swartz (left, with Curt Cloninger), in an interview this week. “Lee would say that he was being the best he could be onstage.”

“The shows (without Eshleman) developed until I felt good about them,” said Swartz earlier this week. “The challenge was waiting for the other guys to develop their roles.” Swartz and Eshleman performed mostly religious comedies, delighting their Bible-literate audiences with a new twist on scripture and giving them permission to laugh affectionately at well known stories.

November, 1987: Ted Swartz planned to perform some short comedy pieces for a conference retreat before moving his young family to Harrisonburg, Virginia, in hopes of attending Eastern Mennonite University’s seminary. He intended to go into ministry. Several days before the conference, his weekend partner became unable to go. Faced with this dilemma, Swartz followed former university president Joe Lapp’s recommendation and asked Eshleman, a stranger at the time, to serve as a replacement. The weekend was a success. Though this was not the beginning of the partnership, it was the beginning of their friendship.

Returning to the present, “this past week was good,” said Sue Swartz, Ted’s wife and a teacher at
Eastern Mennonite High School, “I miss Lee, but I need to look at the shows they did as different.”

Overall I feel very positive about the direction,” she added. As good as the new team was, some audience members commented on there being a void where tall, goofy, talented Eshleman used to be. Yet, Sue noted that each actor brings something of himself into the roles and they will be portrayed quite differently depending on who plays them. She feels they will take on new life.

“One time this weird guy wanted to know how much they made,” began a memory of John Leonard, a tall, solidly built Eastern Mennonite High School English teacher who was a close friend to the duo. Smiling slightly he continued: “The guy kept bothering them about it and was becoming pretty agitated, so they put me in front of them to help protect them.” He laughed at the recollection. Since Ted & Lee were a tall pair, it seems unlikely that they would need too much protection.

Ted & Lee were under contract to film thirty two stories with Abington Press, a United Methodist publishing house, when Eshleman died. The publishers “didn’t rally have a choice (on continuing the project), they had so much time invested,” said Ted. He chose some of his many acting friends, often met on the road, to work with him on this major filming project— “people that I knew well. I thought it was important the wake of Lee’s death to be working with people that I knew.”

Leonard has known Ted and Sue Swartz since his childhood and was the ring bearer as a six-year-old at their wedding thirty-one years ago. As an adult Leonard spent free time back stage helping out with the Ted & Lee production. He usually traveled with them about once a year, calling himself “the Roadie.”

“Lee had us laughing pretty much nonstop,” Leonard notes, while reminiscing over the trips. “For some of their shows it was helpful to have someone along who knew the show. I did whatever needed to be done, lights, videotape, drive, etc.”

“Lee was much more cautious (than Ted),” said Sue. Lee was reluctant to start big projects like the recent filming turned out to be. During the interview, Ted mentioned that he always wanted Trent to do the music for the “Fish Eyes” show but that Lee thought it would be too much work. After Lee’s death, Ted was able to incorporate Trent’s music into the performance but, Lee was right, it was a lot of work.

“I think that Ted & Lee’s great gift was their ability to humanize the stories that we all revere in the Bible,” said Bonnie Lofton, who saw the production of “Fish Eyes” recently. “This gift has been preserved in the new production I saw. At times I laughed uproariously. I did notice, though, that the acting team enveloped Ted in hugs at intermission. This transition must be really hard for Ted to make.”

- Kara Lofton (picture courtesy of Ted Swartz)

Three National Merit Semi-Finalists Announced

Three EMHS seniors-Tucker Wheatley, Lucas Shrock-Hurst and Dustin Crummett-made it to the semifinals of an academic competition called the National Merit Scholarship Program, ranking among only 16,000 semifinalists out of an estimated 1.4 million juniors, sophomores and freshmen who took the PSAT in spring 2007. This means that these three students are among the top 1% of all the students who took the PSAT [in the spring]; they are now eligible to reach the "finalist" stage, where scholarship money is dispersed. (Picture above: Lucas)

According to a press release by the National Merit Scholarship Program they said. "To become a finalist a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high-school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the standards earlier academic performance. The semifinalist and a school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student's self descriptive essay and information on the semifinalist's participation and leadership in the school and community activities.(Right: Tucker)

In the past ten years there have been eight semifinalists at EMHS, or an average of less than one per year. The previous honorees have entered fields as diverse as a Harvard PhD student and a Mennonite Mutual Aid Representative. Getting this far "gives me more confidence to apply to more competitive colleges," said Tucker, who is looking at serious musical schools such as NY, Carnegie Mellon and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. At this point he hopes to major in vocal performance with a focus in musical theater. The other two honorees are less certain about their future fields of study. Lucas is considering a stint in the mission field while Dustin said he was looking at UVA and majoring in either social studies or literature. (Left: Dustin)

Flames Consume Covenant

The Flames dominated the varsity soccer game against Covenant yesterday afternoon, jump starting the season with a 6-0 victory.

"We dominated the whole time," said forward Mitchell Leap. "We're solid in all the positions." As a sign of the depth of the team, two of the six goals were scored by Sophomore Daude Teel, one of which was a beautiful diving header. The other goals were scored by Senior Mitchell Leap (2), Sophomore Matt Blauch (1), and Senior Kevin Chico (1).

Last season, EMHS played against Covenant three times, beating them each time. One of the three games had the same score as yesterday's match, while the other two were more narrow wins, 1-0 and 3-0.

Among other essential players, the team graduated defender Julian Sider. They seem to have done a good job replacing him though for the defense is solid in their 3-5-2 formation made up of Sophomore Matt Blauch, Junior Ryan Eshleman and Senior Brad Gunden. When asked how the defense performed, Mitchell Leap responded, "They played very well together. Covenant really didn't have any chances because our defense was solid."

Starting in the middle was Sophomore Diogo Durante, Senior Kevin Chico and Senior Bryce Shank. On the left wing was Senior Zach Stolzfus and the right was occupied by Senior Matt Zook. In the top two positions were Seniors Mitchell Leap and Lucas Shrock-Hurst.

A surprising number of fans turned out for the Flames' opening match. Soccer always has a slightly better turnout than the other sports because there is no football team at this small school, so going to the soccer games is the "thing to do."

The next home game for the EMHS Flames is on Tuesday, September 4th, at 4:30pm against Grace Christian school.

- Kara Lofton

Uberfan Steven                                   The Team at halftime

(Photos by Ashton Pease)

To see the Daily News Record story on the game, click here.