By: Katie Haugen
It’s the time of the year when things get a little warmer and brighter, despite our ongoing snow.  Spring Break has come with a smile and for some people, adventures. Whether you’re soaking up the sun in Hawaii, skiing down the slopes in Colorado, or just at home for the break, it’s always easy to find enjoyment out of this time.  So take time to step outside, smell the newly blossomed flowers, and enrich in what spring has brought us.

by Lauren Bejot
If you’ve ever been in a class with senior Hannah Pahre, you might assume she has a career as a stand-up comedian.  While her jokes are always witty, she is planning to major in music education at Doane next year.
“I’ve always loved teaching,” said Pahre.  Being involved in Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, the show choir pit and the musical pit, Pahre keeps a busy schedule.  Despite the hours it requires, her interest in music never falters.
“It’s this whole other language,” said Pahre.  ”It moves people emotionally where other …

Photo and story by Nick Ryan
East High speech team coaches Michaela Schleicher, Matt Davis, and Dutch Fichthorn stand with the team’s most recent first place state trophy.  The coaches gathered in Mr. Davis’s room on Monday, March 29 for the weekly speech meeting and to celebrate East’s ninth consecutive state speech championship.

Photo and story by Kelsey Haugen
Junior Aaron Fast and senior Hannah Pahre practice playing their instruments after school.  They are preparing for the school musical, “All Shook Up.”  These students and others will be playing the music for the show, which premiers April 8.  Be sure to check it out!

Junior Devin Schell shows off his St. Patrick’s Day spirit with an impressive mohawk.  Other spirited Spartans included Penned Club members who sold and wrote limericks for the day.
Photo and story by: Laura Miller

Story by Ingrid Holmquist
Marketing, management and entrepreneurship is the basis of Lincoln East’s club, DECA.  Every year the state DECA organization elects a president to help run the program.  This year Easts’ very own, Madeline Ripa, is being nominated!

Ripa had to go through the detailed process of being eligible to even try for DECA president.  Her hard work will be put to the test next week at State, when the new Nebraska Deca president will be selected.
A few weeks before the actual screening process she had to write …

Story by Alex Lantz
Two years after he was found with a loaded 40-caliber semi-automatic gun on his tour bus, multi-million dollar rapper lil’ Wayne has been sentenced to one year in jail.  Wayne went to jail Monday, March 8 and could be released after eight months with good behavior.  Mr. Dwayne Carter is reportedly going to be treated as a normal inmate, however he will have escorts when he travels to places throughout the prison due to his high social status and fame.
Wayne commented on his sentence saying, “Everything happens …

Story by Amsley Senkbeil
With snow still on the ground and the temperature flatlined in Nebraska, many East High Students impatiently await the highly anticipated Spring Break coming up this weekend.
But where are the “hot spots” to go? We don’t just want to stay in boring old Nebraska.  Some students are getting ready to go on college visits while others are eager to get on that plane ride to an exotic island.
Sophomore Connor Cochran is getting anxious for his family vacation to the Bahamas which has been on the calendar for the past year.
“I …

By: Kathryn Dahl
Freak accidents happen more than expected, but if an animal kills a human being, should that be called an “accident?”
In cases where the attacked person had been harassing the animal, then the animal is right in attacking back. We need to learn wild animals can’t suddenly be tamed into pets for forms of entertainment. It takes time and love in order to train an animal, but you must remember that it will remain a wild animal.
In February, an Orca whale at Sea World killed her trainer in front …

Story by Sam Gentry
In case you may have forgotten, Ndamukong Suh was an unstoppable football force on the collegiate level.  He was disruptive, catastrophic, and, most of all, unblockable.  Teams altered their entire game plan just to make sure a boy named Suh wouldn’t shutdown their offense, to little success I might add.  He was a one-man wrecking crew against a dominate Texas team.
But two months of no football seems to have created a little amnesia for a few “experts” on this man’s dominating career because all of the sudden, …