News in Brief 2/6/12

Art department looks forward to guest speaker

Nicole Emanuel, an artist and curator who promotes local advocacy for the arts, will be visiting as a guest speaker in seminar sessions this Thursday. The art department tries to invite a practicing artist in to talk to the students periodically so that students can see what it’s like to make a living doing art. Photography teacher Adam Finkelston believes that it’s essential for student artists to talk to other artists- especially professional ones to find out how they work, what their work is about, and what drives them to make art. The art teachers hope that attending lectures like these will inspire students to go to lectures hosted by local museums like the Nelson-Atkins, Kemper, or Nerman Museums.

Mathletes prepare for national competition

The AMC math competition is a national honorary math competition that is held every year for the top students in the country. The test will be taken tomorrow from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in the cafeteria. It is a self-selection competition, meaning that the students are able to choose if they want to take it or not. Only the students that are in upper level math classes–Honors Algebra 2 and higher–are offered the opportunity. Generally, around 100 students take the test each year.

“Many colleges love to see the score you have achieved on this test,” math teacher Rick Royer said.

It is also a qualifying test for a series of tests that pick the true “elite” math students in the country and will end up picking the international competition team for the United States.

Student director works on her Abbot and Costello-inspired Frequent Friday

Friday, February 24th Alex Dressman’s Frequent Friday “That’s a Knee-Slapper” will be held at 3 p.m. in the Little Theater. Dressman’s original script is a compilation of seven different skits inspired by Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, and old Vaudeville skits.

“I just compiled this together because I love comedy, and so I put it together because its something I thought was different that no one has ever really done at East,” Dressman said. “I thought it was fun because it’s kind of like a Vaudeville variety show.”

The show is comprised of 11 boys and 2 girls. Dressman tried to get some kids involved that weren’t in theatre and hadn’t been in many productions before.

“I have a great cast; it’s been phenomenal,” Dressman said. “So far it’s just been fun getting to direct these kids. I love it.”

Man robs local Bank of America on State Line

The Bank of America at 7624 State Line Rd. was robbed last Monday at around 10:30 p.m. The robber arrived at the bank, immediately went to the teller, and threatened him. The teller cooperated and ended up giving the robber an unknown sum of money. Through descriptions given by onlookers, the police reported the suspect as a black male wearing thick glasses, a grey and white hat, a dark sweater with white stripes and dark pants. The incident is being inspected by the Prairie Village Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

East student remembered at memorial poker game

Brady Stanton, a graduate of Briarwood, Meadowbrook, and Shawnee Mission East passed away in 2006 after fighting an extreme case of pancreatic cancer. Stanton’s friends and family wanted to do something to honor him and raise money to find a cure for the disease that he passed from. Saturday, Feb. 4 marked the fifth annual “All In For A Cure, the Brady Stanton Memorial Texas Hold ‘Em Tourney.” The event raised money for the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Over the past five years, the event has raised more than $500,000 for pancreatic cancer research. The money is used by the Brady Stanton Pancreatic Cancer Fund to support clinical trials research at The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

Legislature proposes changes to food stamps program

A Kansas House Committee is reviewing one of the new policies regarding cutting food stamp benefits to native born children of illegal immigrants. On October 1st of this past year, a new Social Rehabilitation Service (SRS) policy changed the way that household incomes are calculated, in order to better decide the eligibility for food stamps. Because of this policy change, about 2,000 children have lost their food stamp benefits. The SRS reported that making this change would end this favorable program for families with illegal immigrants.