The Patriot Sept. 2016

THE

september

Patriot

The Highest Stakes Shawnee mission south 5800 W 107th St, Overland Park, KS 66207 (913) 993-7500

issue 1 VOL. 51

2016

On the Cover

photos by savannah morgan

Gun violence is an issue that affects the entire nation on multiple levels. Forty-one percent of U.S. households own at least one gun, making this a national conversation.

Contents News

A&E

Cover Story: Gun Control

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Staff Editorial

26

Fall Musical

Q&A w/ Emma Kate Stapp

22

The Debate: Gun Control

27

Upper Crust KC Calendar

International Travel

24

Cafeteria Food

28

First Friday

25

Doping

29

Who, What, Wear

30

Twitter Contest

Features

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15

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News to Know

4

Composting 10

5

Teachers

11

Photo Essay

6

Hoco

12

Injuries

8

Photo Essay 13

Staff

Opinion

Sports Practice Field

Playoff Changes 18

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Amelia Holcomb Editor-In-Chief Features Editor Sophia Belshe Assistant Editor-In-Chief Opinion Editor

Q&A w/ Patrick Wilkinson Bag

Tara Phillips A&E Editor

Avery Woods Copy Editor

Keeli Ward Sports Editor

Miah Clark Editorial Cartoonist Writer

Savannah Morgan Photo Editor

Lily Wagner Web Editor Infographics Editor

Mark Holland News Editor

Madison Holloway Ads Editor

Mission

Mara Baine Writer Hannah Underwood Writer

Mitch Brock Writer Faith Danaher Writer Evan Howell Writer

Tess Conley Writer Cassandra Awad Photographer Hannah Carter Photographer

Angela Machado Writer

Maxie Crimm Photographer

Jill Propst Writer

Kice Mansi Photographer

The Patriot is a news magazine that aims to objectively present topics affecting Shawnee Mission South High School, as well as connect with readers on issues concerning the student body. Staff members reserve the right to express their views in the Opinions section. These pieces are labeled and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff as a whole, except the Lead Editorial, which represents the views of the editors. Under the First Amendment and Kansas Law, The Patriot staff is entitled to freedom of the press and neither the school nor district is responsible for any content or coverage. The staff encourages letters to the editor, but they will only be published if signed. The editor-in-chief reserves the right to refuse or edit any letters for reasons of grammar, length and good taste.

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Table of Contents

By Jill Propst Writer

News to Know

Teachers Receive Grant

Earthquake Shakes Up KC

Last month, a grant was given to Shawnee Mission high school teachers to show appreciation. The Clay Blair Award granted the district $75,000 which will be divided amongst the five high schools. Ten teachers from each high school received $1,500. $1,000 will be in the form of a bonus, and the remaining $500 will be a grant to use for classroom purposes. Industrial Technology teacher Greg Thiel is thankful for the grant, but wishes that more teachers had benefited.

“I wish more teachers could have gotten it. There are so many good teachers in this building,” Thiel said.

Math teacher Jody Conley is grateful to be recognized.

“There is a really strong faculty here, and a lot of people are very worthy. It was nice to be chosen out of such a select group,” Conley said.

The other teachers who received the grant are Steve Adams, Travis Gatewood, Vince LaVergne, Steve Magee, Joel Rios, Leigh Rysko, Mark Swezey and J.J. Wannamaker.

On Sept. 3, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook Pawnee, Oklahoma. The earthquake was only about six kilometers deep, meaning that it was felt further away than deeper earthquakes. The quake was felt from Northern Texas to Nebraska in a total of seven states.

The awakening of the fault line is said to be caused by fracking.

Fracking is drilling into the earth and shooting high pressure water at rock to release natural gases.

This earthquake was the strongest ever in the state, surpassing the 5.6 magnitude earthquake in 2011. This happened at 7:02 a.m. Saturday, disturbing many people’s sleep on Labor Day weekend.

“I felt my bed move, but I honestly just thought it was my dog moving,” secretary Donna Callewaert said.

different categories were family fun and recreation opportunities, quality of health care and safety systems, quality of education and child care systems, affordability and socioeconomic environment.

Each category had different ways to calculate based on the types of activities related to them. Overland Park took the highest overall score, 77.16, along with the lowest percentage of poverty-stricken families. Overland Park is also the second most affordable city among the 150. The best family-friendly features in Overland Park include the Overland Park Arboretum, Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead and the Farmer’s Market. Kansas City was 61st on the list with a score of 54.52.

OP best U.S. city to raise family.

The financial site WalletHub released a study Sept. 7. They compared the 150 most populated cities in the U.S. and compared five family-friendly dynamics. The

Shout Out To Emma Kate Stapp

National Merit Semifinalist

The Patriot

All-American Rating from the National Scholastic Press Association

Heritage 2016

One of 25 Balfour yearbook covers to be featured on their Cover poster sent to over 5,000 schools

News

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New Composting Initiative Administrators initiate new composting plan in order to help the environment.

By Faith Danaher Writer tudents may have noticed some new changes in the lunchroom this school year. They have a few more steps when going through the line to throw away their lunch waste.

These small steps are making a big difference for the environment.

Associate Principal Nicholas Platko is working with Shawnee Mission South parent Joan Leavens to organize the composting program.

They decided to introduce the program this year to reduce the waste that the school sends to the landfills. The school district started a composting initiatives, so South decided to join in helping the environment as well.

“The first week of the program, out of all of the stuff that was going up through the front about 97-99 percent of the trash was being diverted,” Platko said.

According to Platko, only about three out of 105 pounds of waste was being sent to the landfills.

Custodian Tim Cable helps with the recycling and composting programs. His is the friendly face that students see when they walk through the line. He directs confused students to the correct waste receptacles for their trash, among other things.

“We’re not putting as much trash in the landfills, and that helps more than anything,” Cable said.

Cable’s job is to make sure that all the waste is correctly sorted because if plastic or trash gets composted it will not break down like the rest of the compost.

Students might have to make a few adjustments to accommodate for the new composting program.

“Some might see it as an inconvenience because it takes more

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Trash and food get sorted into compost, recycling and trash bins. After being sorted the compost is made into fertilizer and the trash is sent to landfills.

A student tosses his leftovers in the compost bin. South is recognized as the highest composting school in the district.

Photos by Kice Mansi

Tips for Composting Compost it!

• • •

All food Popsicle sticks Paper and cardboard

Trash it!

• • •

Plastic food & drink bags Condiment packs Straws

Recycle it!

• • •

Water bottles Cans Plastic silverware

time to sort out your trash, but in the long run it is a huge benefit for the environment,” sophomore Mia Neaderhiser said.

Neaderhiser thinks the composting program is a great addition to the school because it is helping the environment by keeping trash out of landfills.

Additionally, sophomore Alexis House had only positive things to say about the composting program.

“I think it’s for a good cause and I’m glad our school is trying to help,” House said. According to House, there are very few downfalls to the program. House is sometimes unsure of how to sort her trash, but the signs, along with Cable’s help, direct her.

Sophomore Carolyn Schneck agrees. She believes that the composting program is good for the environment, and she is proud to be helping protect the Earth.

“The only negative is that the line goes a little slower where you throw things away,” Schneck said.

The line moves slower because students do not always know which bin they should throw their lunchroom waste in. However, with time and the help of Cable, even this negative should not be a problem.

The environment is greatly benefited because a very small percentage of waste is sent to the landfills and most of it is composted or recycled.

New Teachers Welcomed 16 staff members join community Quotes gathered by Madison Holloway Ads Editor

The retiring teachers from last year got to sleep in on the first day of school, but in their place came a whole new batch of educators. Besides the teachers interviewed, other new staff members include SpEd LaAnne Fox, college advisor Ramsha Akhtar, counseling secretary Christie Ross, counselor Beau Gothier, post-high teacher Kari Sadler, and in-house substitute Bob Ray.

“There are some really good systems in place [and a] good sense of community. The teachers are happy, the students are happy.”

English teacher Alison Larimore

“I love the math department teachers and I love the kids… I went here [when I was in high school and] I’m excited to be back.”

Math teacher Andrea Dale

“Students are always… willing to help each other [and me. They are] very supportive and forgiving.”

Spanish teacher Yanira Reyes

“The kids are great.

For our homecoming parade, we used to decorate old cars. It turned out that the car we had decorated was actually a stolen car.”

Gifted teacher Terry Tinich

“I think there’s a lot of diversity here and students here are from all walks of life and way more diverse than where I came from.”

SpEd teacher Seth Peck

“[I enjoy] working with the kids and spending all day doing art.”

Art teacher Jill Oliver

“ [I enjoy] the positive culture and inclusiveness that the students and teachers bring.”

Math teacher Chris Bervert

“The faculty and the students are so great.

I love the positive environment and how the community gets so involved here at South.”

FACS teacher Rachel Neuman

“I like the community. I think the teachers really support each other.

They really look after new teachers.”

Science teacher Aaron Dean

“[I enjoy] getting to know a variety of different students and athletes, [there is] a lot of school spirit.”

Math teacher Tyler Rodden

News

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An Enchanted Homecoming Spirit week, assembly, game, crowning, dance coming next week.

By Mara Baine Writer Convertible tops down, wide smiles, candy being thrown and hands waving through the air.

Friday, Sept. 30, the second annual Homecoming parade, will travel down 107th to Lamar beginning at 10:30 a.m. The Homecoming festivities will also include crowning of the king and queen at the football game, the dance Saturday night and Spirit Week beginning Sept. 26. With all of these events coming up, it’s important to know what’s going on when and how people think about it.

Student Council Sponsor Cynthia Hartwell, and senior Anna Trofimoff, dance committee chair, are busy working hard to make sure things like the parade and the actual dance come together perfectly. The theme for Homecoming is enchanted forest.

Tickets for Homecoming cost $15 for one and $25 for two and will be sold Monday, Sept. 26 to Friday, Sept. 30. “...We are doing a lot of things to have it be a nature theme, but we are also going to have fun colors. I’m trying to do a lot of things with whites and stuff like that, I think it will be pretty,” Trofimoff said.

While Trofimoff is planning the social events, Hartwell focuses mainly on the business end.

“I think in general we feel a little overwhelmed, because there are a lot of moving pieces, and there are a lot of things that involve money, paying for things, which involves either getting a purchase order or getting the district purchasing card. It’s overwhelming because there is a lot to do, but exciting because it’s one of the biggest times of the year for this school,” Hartwell said.

Last year was South’s first annual Homecoming parade which Hartwell started.

“I do really like the parade, I think

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Homecoming candidates were announced Thursday, Sept 8. Front Row: Emma Elliott, Shelby Manford, Trisha Olson, Cosmina Backs, Olivia Love, Karynn Carroll, Molly Wiskur, Amelia Holcomb, Megan Berning Back Row: Kyle Ham, Tucker Barry, Anton Caruso, Zach Greer, Evan Offutt, Adam Bendrick, Ethan Iba, Josh Buss, Cameron Maxey. Homcoming Royalty will be announced before the football game next Friday.

photo by Kelsey Dunkin that’s really something South was missing, not that South was lacking from not having one. But I mean, I as a student, never had a Homecoming parade, and yet all other high schools in the area do a Homecoming parade, so for me at this point in time that’s my favorite, because it’s exciting and a fun way to kinda showcase what we have going on,” Hartwell said.

This year, South has five foreign exchange students, and none of them have a dance like Homecoming in their country.

“I think it’s going to be really nice. I have lots of apprehensions, I’m excited for many things but I’m also scared for many things, I don’t know how it’s going to be like, I feel not overwhelmed, but I feel like it is going to be amazing…” French foreign exchange student Juliet Nguyen said.

Most of the foreign exchange students feel the same about Homecoming: excited and nervous.

With all the events leading up to Homecoming the exchange students

are looking forward to events like the Homecoming football game, and Spirit Week.

“I think I’m most excited about the Spirit Week because it’s the week during which you see the school spirit, people proud of the colors of their high school and stuff like that, so I’m really excited about it and also about the [football] game, since we don’t have the same games in Morocco and the same sports,” Moroccan foreign exchange student Hiba Kondah said.

The foreign exchange students aren’t the only ones who will be attending Homecoming for the first time. Every year new freshmen roll in with different opinions, thoughts, and questions about Homecoming.

“I’m kind of nervous because it’s my first year, but I’ve heard it’s really fun as a freshman because it’s new and it’s definitely not like anything that you’ve done in middle school, and yeah, just excited for it,” freshman Caroline McCaffree said.

The Big Week Monday

Start of Spirit Week The themes are: America Tie Dye Dad Day Jerseys Green & Gold

Tuesday

Homecoming bonfire: 5:30-7:30

Friday

Assembly: 10 a.m.

Homecoming parade: 10:30 a.m.

Stadium Rally: 11.45 a.m.

Oktoberfest: 4 p.m.

Homecoming coronation: 6 p.m.

Homecoming football game: 7 p.m.

During last year’s Homecoming parade. the current juniors participated by holding a banner.

Photo By Isabel Hadley Many hours go into planning Homecoming. One group responsible for the planning is StuCo. Student body president Cynthia Romo gets ideas from other members in a meeting.

Photo By Hannah Carter

Saturday

Homecoming dance: 8 p.m.

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Rowdy Raiders Assembly

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The first assembly, Friday Sept. 2, featured sports teams, school spirit, fun and games.

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1. The varsity cheerleaders hoist senior

Trisha Olson into the air during the fall assembly performance. Olson has been a flyer since eighth grade. “I like flying because all eyes are on you and you feel like a feather,� Olson said.

2. KSMS hosted a real life Hungry Hungry Hippo game for the class volunteers to play. The sophomore duo won the competition.

3. Crowd Control members and seniors

Trevor Johnson and Kavin Cooper lead the seniors in the school chant. The seniors threw their fists in the air to celebrate being a raider for their final year at south.

4. Senior Cameron Maxey is held in the

air by his fellow varsity teammates at the 2016 fall assembly. The team performed a dance and struck a classic pose to finalize their routine.

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South’s New Turf Practice Fields

By Avery Woods Copy Editor

A new artificial practice field covers the old football practice field. Photo By Cassandra Awad

New artificial practice field will benefit sports teams.

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onstruction seems to be a familiar word at school these days – and it hasn’t stopped yet, with a new turf practice field being installed where two grass fields used to be. This field, formerly used by subvarsity teams and track and field, is now going to be a combined softball, football, and soccer field.

“It’s going to be great because it’s going to create a lot more space where sports can practice and where we don’t have to worry about mud,” Athletic Director John Johnson said.

Softball, soccer, football, track and field, and baseball will use this field, but so will band and Pacesetters. This will be the first time in South history that softball will be able to practice on campus, according to Principal Todd Dain. Soccer will also benefit from being able to practice on turf; the stadium field is normally taken by the football team, and the soccer team is forced to use part of the baseball field and the lower grass field off Lamar Street, behind the stadium. The soccer field for this new practice field will be the size of a regulation soccer field – it will be much wider, a luxury that not many schools have.

“The speed of play will be much faster,” sophomore Broc Pashia, member of the JV boys soccer team, said.

One of the only downfalls of this field is that it was supposed to be completed Aug. 1.

“The speed of play will be much faster.”

--sophomore Broc Pashia

“Every day beyond Aug. 1, we collect penalties from the contractor,” Dain said.

According to Johnson, sinkholes have appeared on the new field because of the amount of rain occurring lately. However, Dain says that the rain has been good for the field.

“As we are installing the practice facility, we can immediately identify where the drainage problems are, as opposed to a normal August, where it would be a 105 degrees and really dry,” Dain said. “We may not have been able to realize those drainage issues until next April when it starts to rain. Then they’d have to come back in and tear it all up.”

When the field is completed, boys soccer will use it for practice and games. JV football will use it for games – because it was supposed to be completed Aug. 1, JV home games were scheduled to use that field.

Several home JV games for multiple sports, including football, had to be moved to other schools’ facilities, such as Shawnee Mission Northwest, Trailwood, and Trailridge because the field has not been finished yet.

“We’re trying to utilize as many district resources as possible,” Dain said.

However, this practice field construction is only the first in a

series of improvements to the athletic facilities at South.

“Track and field will benefit greatly because we are putting in the new jump runways, and those are going to be state-of-the-art,” Dain said. “We are also putting in a tartan runway for our javelin, and a brand-new discus cage, discus sector, and shot put area down on the west field, west of the stadium, north of baseball.”

There are also plans to begin construction on the stadium, starting Sept. 20. These renovations will include a new press box, an elevator going to the press box, new concessions and bathrooms, and new facilities for track and field. The main gymnasium will also experience an upgrade. The scoreboards, banners, murals, and seating arrangements will be improved.

This practice field will help the school save money on fertilization and watering costs, now that the fields will be artificial. Another benefit is not as evident but will still show over time.

“Studies show that teams that practice on a turf surface won’t have to replace their uniforms as often. In other words, practice uniforms last longer when you practice on turf as opposed to practicing on grass,” Dain said.

So this new practice field is not just the first of many makeovers to the athletic facilities here at South – it will also benefit sports overall once it’s completed.

“We really hope that South stadium will be the premier destination in the Kansas City Metro area when it’s complete,” Dain said.

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Playoff Proposition This year’s football playoffs will be a bit different.

By Evan Howell Writer he 2016-2017 football season will not end in the usual, exciting rivalry match-up between Shawnee Mission East and Shawnee Mission South. This year, each team in the Sunflower League will be playing a team from Missouri, according to South’s football coach Brett Oberzan.

The playoff format has been altered this year, aiming for a more competitive playoff schedule. In years prior, teams have been divided into four districts. Each team ended the season with a round-robin style last four games against in-district teams.

After this, the top two finishers of each of the four districts move on to the playoffs.

This year, there is no longer a division in the districts. Instead, teams will play their eight-game regular season then be separated by east and west sections of the state. Now, the Kansas State High School Activities Association will be the board of people responsible for seeding the teams 1-16 on each in the east and the west.

This upcoming season will feature a guaranteed playoff spot for every team due to week nine no longer being a part of regular season, but rather the first week of playoffs.

Teams will be seeded based on their win percentage and tie-breakers being decided based on head-to-head Photos By Maxie Crimm Quotes gathered by angela Machado

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Junior Dottie Powell Volleyball “This year the team dynamic is better, everyone gets along and has fun.”

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At the end of the Green and Gold scrimmage, the varsity and JV teams raise their helmets after a team discussion.

Photo By Hannah Carter During the Green and Gold scrimmage, the varsity and JV teams warm up on one half of the field, while the freshmen team scrimmages on the other.

Photo By Hannah Carter

results, then by margin of victory. The team with the better seed will always be the home team.

The new playoff format has been slated for the next two seasons, then they will be reevaluated in order to choose whether it should have continued usage.

Not playing Shawnee Mission East in the season final does somewhat put a damper on the season, although Coach Oberzan believes this should only drive the players to play harder.

“My motivation for them, is if we play well enough as a team, we have a chance to play them in the playoffs,” Oberzan said.

The players were looking forward to playing Shawnee Mission East just as much as the students, coaches, and even parents.

“I hope we have the chance to play them in the playoffs. It kind of sucks that it’s our senior year. We wanted one last chance to beat them,” senior Kamau Kimaru said.

Athlete Snapshots

Senior Ethan Iba Boys Soccer “I like being a goalie because I get to use my hands and I trust my hands more than my feet.”

Sophomore Katie Shultz Girls Golf “The most diffuclt thing is dealing with a bad day becaiuse the score doesn’t match the player you are.”

Fall Sports Are Kicking Into Gear 1

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1. The varsity boys soccer team scrimmages against each other to practice their drills for the upcoming games.

3. Before a cross country meet, junior Saba Levendusky warms up with the rest of her competitors.

5. At the Green and Gold scrimmage senior Cody Corbin catches a toss from sophomore Jack Roberts.

Photo by Maxie crimm.

Photo By Kelsey Dunkin

Photo by hannah carter

2. While at practice, junior Kaylie Castille warms up at the driving range at St. Andrews golf course.

4. During their meet the Lady Raiders volleyball team gets together to have a team talk while facing Shawnee Mission Northwest.

6. Sophomore Hannah Carter secures her spot on the varsity gymnastics team by performing her beam routine.

Photo By Max Ramsey

Photo by Hannah carter

Photo by Maxie crimm.

7. Preparing for her meet, junior Cora Selzer practices her serve.

Photo by Jainei moore

See more sports stories and pictures at smsouthnews.com

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The students, sophomore Austin Conner, junior Kyle Divine, senior Brock Minton, junior Chris Wolfe, and junior Zack Montgomery have been injured in football this year. Their injuries vary in severity from out for a couple weeks to out the entire season. photo by hannah carter

Football Season Injuries

By Faith Danaher Writer

A multitude of injuries have the potential to hinder the season.

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ootball season has begun. The first practice was on Monday, Aug. 15, and the first game was on Friday, Sept. 2. Football injuries are a somewhat common occurrence, despite the precautions and preventative measures that are taken.

Senior football player Michael Carter was injured during summer training and is now unable to play for his senior season.

“I tore my achilles tendon. It was a complete tear. I had to have surgery on it,” Carter said.

Carter sustained his injury in a situation without any contact, and now he has to miss out on football season for his senior year.

“It was a huge disappointment because this is my senior season,” Carter said.

In addition to being his senior season, this was also supposed to be his redemption year. Carter broke his arm four games into his junior season, so he had been working hard during the offseason to prepare to return.

Players have had hip injuries, back injuries, and concussions. Junior football player Jackson Peters was

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injured during preseason training.

“I’ve got a stress fracture on the right and left sides of my lower spine in the lumbar region,” Peters said.

Peters broke his back while lifting weights during spring training. He was power cleaning when he put too much stress on his back causing it to fracture.

“It’s kind of frustrating after having trained through the winter and the spring,” Peters said.

Peters is disappointed about missing out on football season this year. However, he wants to take the time to allow his injury to heal so he does not miss out on his senior season. Peters has been doing physical therapy to speed up his recovery.

Junior Kyle Divine was also injured during offseason weights.

“I have a torn hip labrum, which is cartilage in my hip,” Divine said.

Divine tore his hip labrum during the football summer weights program. He received an MRI and may eventually need surgery to repair his hip.

“It sucks because it takes me out of other sports like wrestling and track, and I don’t get to play with my teammates anymore,” Divine said.

Divine tries to help the team from the sidelines by snapping balls, bringing the team water, or working the chain gang.

New athletic trainer Sarah Johnson has been busy treating the multitude

of injuries. She helps diagnose and treat the players that come into her office. Johnson goes to nearly every football practice and home game to treat any injuries.

“I’ve seen a variety of different injuries, lots of concussions and stress fractures,” Johnson said.

Johnson recommends lots of rest for concussions. Additionally she says preventative measures are important. According to Johnson, core strengthening is important in preventing injuries because every movement begins in the core.

“The nature of sports cause the injuries. Sports are rough and sometimes you get injured,” Johnson said.

Injuries are a part of sports and, unfortunately, they can occur anytime to anyone. Johnson suggests preventative medicine as a way to lessen the chance of being injured.

“In a game like that, you always have injuries, so you have to have the philosophy of ‘next man up has got to be ready to go’,” head football coach Brett Oberzan said.

With all the injuries this season, players have to be ready to go at any moment. Football is a rough sport, so injuries are a part of it.

Like Johnson said, preventative measures are important to keep players safe during their season.

By practicing and training during offseason, players are stronger, faster, and more prepared for their season.

Q&A With Senior

Patrick Wilkinson

Senior Patrick Wilkinson recently signed a contract to play with the Swope Park Rangers as an amateur soccer player.

By Tess Conley Writer Photos courtesy of Patrick Wilkinson How often do you usually practice?

Wilkinson premiering in his first Swope Park Rangers game.

What do you plan on doing after college?

Obviously, trying to become a professional soccer player and if that doesn’t work out, then just play it by ear.

I practice every day during the week, not during the weekends.

Did you ever think you would ever get to this point in your soccer career?

It was always a goal, but I never really thought I would get there.

Do you think SPR will affect or influence your college commitment?

No, I signed an academy contract, which means I’m still eligible for college and to play with the academy team. So I will still go to college and still play with the academy team once the season’s over.

While attempting to pass the ball to his teammate Wilkinson was being guarded by the opposing team.

What’s the most difficult part in managing school and soccer?

Has being part of a pro team changed your everyday life?

It’s actually easy for me because I’m only taking three classes so I can train in the morning, but definitely travel is hard with homework and stuff.

I have to think about what I eat and think about training the next morning and day to try and be on the roster to be one of the twenty players that go on trips and stuff.

Since you aren’t involved in school soccer, what things are you involved in school?

How long have you been playing soccer, and when did it start to become more intense?

I’m in KSMS so I’m out and around the school a lot, but that’s pretty much it.

I’ve playing soccer, well I’ve been kicking a ball since I was two or something, but it got pretty intense when I joined the Sporting Academy team in seventh grade, so that’s when it started to get pretty competitive.

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Athletic Bag Must-Haves by sophia belshe assistant editor-in-chief, opinion editor tara phillips a&e editor photo by kice mansi Collisions can be harmful, make sure you come prepared with your helmet.

Runners can be picky about their shoe brand. Make sure you’ve got a comfortable pair of kicks before practice.

No matter the sport, hydration and nutrition are a must. Keep that in mind before, during, and after practice.

Grab your ball and your cleats before you hit the practice field.

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For volleyball players, knee pads and athletic shoes are necessaties.

Grips protect hands from blisters on the uneven bars.

Come in swinging at the court with your ball and raquet.

The Highest Stakes Next fall will be the first school year that a student’s back to school list may include something in addtion to backpacks, notebooks, and RedBull: guns. By July 2017, Kansas universities must allow students to carry concealed firearms, in an effort to prevent school shootings and increase security. cover story by amelia holcomb editor-in-chief

Features

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urora. Newtown. Charleston. San Bernardino. Orlando. Even Overland Park. A hashtag starts trending, public figures offer their condolences and we wait for the next one. But the mass shootings that make national headlines only account for a fraction of overall gun violence deaths.

According to the Gun Violence control. criminal were to come in to a school Archive, in 2015 13,286 people were “With everything going on, I feel and attempt a shooting, that you killed by firearms, compared to like yeah, you can get a permit to get would have many more people the 475 deaths as a result of mass a gun, but then I also feel like there’s armed to stop it, which would be the shootings (a mass shooting is defined people that can just slide by that can best case scenario and is kind of the as a single shooting that kills or be killers,” Carballo said. “I feel like reason behind this policy, I believe,” injuries at least four people). Gun we should enforce more background Haskin said. injuries and deaths have become checks and just making sure that the Just this month, Sept. 11, two almost inevitable effects of the second person that’s getting a gun isn’t going separate Shawnee Good Samaritans amendment, which guarantees U.S. to use it for bad.” stopped an attack in a Wal-Mart citizens’ right to bear arms. To those This summer, Kansas became the parking lot by shooting and killing who haven’t lost a loved one to sixth state to pass a law that allows one of the attackers. Their actions gun violence, 13,286 is just another residents over the age of 21 to own prove that someone in the right place number and shootings are just and carry a concealed gun without a in the right time with a gun can stop another headline, but to senior Emily license or training. Last week, Sept. crime.

Carballo they mean much more.

14, Missouri passed similar legislation “I think [civilian gun ownership] Carballo remembers her middle with Senate Bill 656, making it is important because I think that school friend Miguel Garcia with a the seventh state with such laws. a person has a right to protect smile.

Missouri’s law will go into effect Oct. themselves and their families,” “He was such a funny guy, he 14. student resource officer Mike Brown was really uplifting said. and he was always But not everyone is “...Massive shootings could happen, convinced that more guns making people smile and laugh...” but arming everybody seems to be a more means more protection.

Carballo said.

“As somebody who has daily dangerous activity” Garcia’s life was a college freshman, I am cut short when he concerned not for my son’s - government teacher Tony Budetti was shot and killed safety as he goes to class in a drive by while everyday that there’s going to walking in Kansas be a massive shooting, I’m way City, Kan. He had recently transferred “I feel like [the law] is a step more concerned that the guy in his from Indian Woods to a KCK school. in the direction of honoring the business class forgot to put the safety He was 14 years old.

Constitution,” senior RJ Haskin said. on his gun and he drops his backpack “It was a tough loss when I found “I just feel like the Constitution, as the and the gun goes off. That’s what out about it, it affected a lot of governing document of the country, I’m concerned about,” government people,” Carballo said. “You don’t needs to be fully honored.” teacher Tony Budetti said. “...Massive know that these things can happen to Another similar piece of legislation shootings could happen, but arming anyone, you just see it on TV and you was also recently passed, which everybody seems to be a more daily don’t think it’s gonna to happen to requires Kansas colleges to allow dangerous activity.” anyone around you.” any person 21 years or older to carry Haskin plans to go to a Kansas The murder went unsolved, a legal gun on campus. The law will college next fall and will experience leaving Garcia’s friends and family go into effect July 2017, just in time the effects of the less restricted with questions and without closure. for this year’s high school graduating firearm regulation.

“It’s kind of devastating not being class. The bill was proposed in 2013 “I think the responsibility able to find someone. I feel like they as an effort to elicit bystander help someone would have as a gun owner deserve to be punished for what they to stop gunmen from firing in public, and carrier would be to know how did,” Carballo said. “They took an thus minimizing injuries and deaths. the gun functions and all of the safety innocent life away.”

In 2007, a Virginia Tech shooting left mechanisms (magazine release, Carballo’s experience with the 32 dead after a senior went on a killing trigger, etc.) and then the legal consequences of lax gun laws has rampage. inevitably shaped her opinion on gun “The theory is that if an armed

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By the numbers 10,844,792: firearms

manufactured annually in US

13,286: people killed in the US by firearms in 2015 (excluding suicides) Visitors to the school are greeted with a sign establishing the property as a gun-free zone. Universities have allowed students to conceal carry firearms, but any person carrying a weapon on high school grounds can be ticketed and fined by law enforcement. School shootings in recent years have increased the district’s security concerns. photos by savannah morgan

consequences for shooting someone, and knowing the right situation where it would be appropriate to pull a gun,” Haskin said. “...I feel like there’s going to be a lot of mishaps, but I think that eventually, hopefully in a small amount of years, people are gonna get into a rhythm, get everything sorted out, and there will be minimal problems.”

These mishaps, Budetti argues, are going to be frequent and unpredictable.

“We’re talking about young people who are stressed, who might come into conflict with another young person, and may or may not be experiencing things like alcohol for the first time away from home. All those people, poor decisions by young people with guns does not sound like a great environment on a college campus,” Budetti said. “The balance is hopefully nothing happens like the Virginia Tech thing, and if it does happen, well then there’s somebody there with a gun to counterbalance it. The other side of it is more people are going to have guns, individual skirmishes might happen where a disagreement is settled with a gun rather than another means, a less deadly means.”

The discussion of the appropriate scope of gun ownership laws and what they mean for Americans will undoubtedly continue, especially as election day nears.

At the heart of gun proponents’ actions is one concern: individual freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution.

“I believe that [being able to carry a gun] enables me to protect all the other amendments,” Haskin said.

“All the rights granted by the other amendments can be protected through the right granted by the second amendment.”

372: mass shootings in 2015 82: percentage of surveyed

Kansas Board of Regents employees who disapprove of the law allowing students to concealed carry on campus

41: percentage of U.S. households that own at least one gun

21: minimum age to carry a concealed firearm

16: percentage of surveyed Kansas

Board of Regents employees think the new law will decrease crime on campus

7: number of states that have

eliminated training or a license to carry a concealed firearm, including Kansas and Missouri

Statistics from BBC News, NPR and statistica.

Features

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Q

A & with

Emma Kate

Stapp

Most high schoolers think of summer as a time to sit back and relax, hang with their friends and enjoy the time away from school. But senior Emma Kate Stapp’s summer consisted of traveling 4,500 miles to experience a summer drastically different from most teenage girls through the volunteer program Amigos de las Americas.

BY ANGELA MACHADO, WRITER PHOTO BY CASSANDRA AWAD

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMMA KATE STAPP

Tell me about your Amigos experience.

I went to Matagalpa, Nicaragua for six weeks. It was great; I definitely improved my Spanish and I got to be a part of a host family. I was culturally immersed and it was just a really cool experience to see how other people live and be a part of it.

What was one thing that you didn’t expect from Nicaragua?

I didn’t know that they were going to be so interested in the Royals. They love baseball and they made fun of me a lot because the Royals were losing while I was there.

Why did you choose to do Amigos?

I thought that it would be an enriching experience and that I would get to learn a lot and also just have an opportunity to be a leader in a place different than my own community.

What is your favorite memory from your whole trip?

I loved being able to make tortillas with my mom every morning because we would just talk about everything and it was just super fun.

What kind of preparation is needed to travel to a different country?

A lot of packing, a bunch of shots and tests to make sure I was okay to go and just practicing Spanish to prepare for the cultural shock on both ends, because that was tough.

What was the hardest adjustment?

What was your favorite food? What are some popular foods?

My favorite food was definitely gallo pinto, it’s rice and beans combined and it’s really good. That’s one of the national dishes of Nicaragua. They also have nacatamales, and rice and beans always.

What are some major differences in the U.S. and Nicaragua besides the language?

I think that people are a lot more friendly in Nicaragua, at least where I was. When you pass someone on the street, you always say ‘Hi.’ When you meet someone, you always hug and kiss them. It’s a lot different than the cold atmosphere in the U.S.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced throughout the experience?

It was actually tough with my partners. I had two partners from the U.S. and it was tough because we had to rely on each other a lot since we were the only ones that could speak English to each other. It was just different because they were both from California so I learned to cooperate with different types of people.

Did you experience a culture shock or any problems when returning to the United States?

Definitely. The culture shock coming back was way worse than going there. It was just hard to come back and try to explain things to people especially when they’re kinda uninterested and just trying to get back into the groove of things after being gone.

Definitely being away from my family and friends was really tough, especially just not having anyone to talk to about stuff. It was difficult.

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On a mission trip to Ethiopia, sophomore Carolyn Shonkwiler helped those affected by prostitution. Her church worked with a charity to teach children and help women. photo courtesy of carolyn shonkwiler

Sophomore Manal Boullaouz and junior Samah Boullaouz traveled to Egypt for about 60 days over the summer.

photo courtesy of samah boullaouz

Negev, a desert in south Israel, was a stop on senior Stella Shapiro’s summer pilgrimage. photo courtesy of stella shapiro

Out &About

Overseas experiences shape summers.

by miah clark EDITORIAL CARTOONIST, WRITER From Africa to Asia, students of South have shared their stories of international summer travels. These trips, taken with churches or to visit family, were all to explore the world outside of the United States.

Sophomore Manal and junior Samah Boullaouz spent two months in Cairo out of the nine weeks in Egypt to visit their aunt.

“I loved the pyramids...” Samah said. “My favorite part was seeing all the stuff that you learned about in school.”

The last week of their trip was spent in Sharm el Sheikh, a city on the coast of the Red Sea. “That was my first time going to a clear water beach, and it was so pretty,” Manal said.

The two sisters, being Moroccan, were shocked by the differences between the Arab culture they’re familiar with and the culture of Egypt.

“Just from the two cities we went to, everything was so different,” Manal said. “I felt like we went to two different countries.”

Travel 1,371 miles and you’ll find sophomore Carolyn Shonkwiler in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she spent 10 days on a mission trip with nine other members of her church.

Shonkwiler’s church had paired up with Women at Risk International, a charity that works to create circles of protection around at-risk women all around the world.

“We went to help women in prostitution or who were working to get out of prostitution,” Shonkwiler said. “We

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were mainly helping their kids.”

At 8:30 every morning, Shonkwiler and her group would walk to the school of the kids they were helping, spending their day teaching and playing with underprivileged and non-English speaking children.

“When it was lunchtime one day, some of the kids had seen that we hadn’t gotten food yet, and so they were all offering us their food even though that was probably the only meal they were going to have all day,” Shonkwiler said. “It was really cool to see how generous they were, and how much they cared for other people. That’s not really something you see in America.”

Senior Stella Shapiro was 1,550 miles north in Israel with 42 other members of her youth group, United Synagogue Youth.

“Usually when you’re Jewish and have any sort of affiliation with a synagogue, you go to Israel when you are either a junior or a senior,” Shapiro said.

The first two weeks of the trip were spent in Berlin, Prague and around Poland, visiting Holocaust memorials.

“I felt like all we did there was look at cemeteries and concentration camps and a lot of old synagogues, but it was really good to see before we went to Israel,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro spent four weeks in Israel, experiencing the culture and peacefulness in cities including Jerusalem.

“Everyone kind of thinks it’s unsafe there because we hear all these terrible things about air strikes and terrorists, or how it’s not peaceful because of Arabs and Jews,” Shapiro said. “When you go there, you feel so safe.

People who live there are happy. I’d love to go back.”

Staff Editorial

Editorial Cartoon by Miah Clark

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t the start of the school year, administrators rolled out a new plan for the first 20 minutes of seminar, called advisory time.

Advisory is meant to give teachers an opportunity to get to know and mentor students, as well as open the floor for important conversations about a variety of topics. As great as all that sounds, the practical application thus far has been subpar.

Whether it’s topics that aren’t relevant, such as the review of the Google Suite, which most students have been using for multiple years, or students that aren’t engaging in conversations about important topics, like suicide awareness, advisory time would be better spent on other things.

For example, if a student wants help preparing for the math section of the ACT, that student is better off going to see their math teacher for specialized help than they are sitting through a PowerPoint about something they can likely learn on their own. The topics presented may be of use to some students, especially freshmen, but a more flexible,

individualized approach would better suit the upperclassmen who already have experience in high school.

Advisory also tends to eat into students’ work time during seminar.

Sure, there are an extra 10 minutes built into the schedule so that students only lose 10 minutes of study time, but many students are involved in after school activities and sports that can go well into the evening, and even more are taking honors or AP classes on top of it all, so for students that are bogged down with hours of homework every night and not very much time to do it, spending 20 minutes talking about something that only might be applicable to them feels like a waste of time.

Study halls have also been eliminated, so for students, seminar is really the only opportunity to work or get help from teachers during school. If the topics aren’t going to be meaningful, students are better off spending advisory time doing their own work.

Advisory would also be greatly improved if students had more say in what topics are covered. That way,

students would be more likely to engage in conversations that could actually be of use.

All of that being said, one positive coming out of the seminar changes has been the addition of more specialized seminar classes. Classes like the AP prep boot camp, where students can get help preparing for AP testing, and Writer’s Studio, where students can go to get writing advice from other students, serve as excellent resources for the student body.

Advisory was implemented with noble intentions. Giving students time to ask questions about things that might not otherwise be covered in everyday curriculum is by no means a bad idea, and there are clearly scenarios in which it could be helpful for students and teachers, but so far, the execution has not lived up to its full potential.

9/9 editors agree with the views expressed in this editorial

Opinion

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The

Debate Visit The Patriot Online at smsouthnews.com to vote in this month’s Debate poll. by lily wagner web editor, infographics editor photos by jillian mcclelland

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Yes:

t all public and private schools across the United States, as well as Shawnee Mission South, it is illegal to carry a firearm or even a replica of one. In the rest of United States, however, it is not.

The Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights ensures that American citizens have the rights to “keep and bear arms” in order to have a “well regulated militia.” The Bill of Rights was written in 1789 and ratified in 1791; at that point the United States was still the 13 original colonies, plus Vermont. The first gun with the capability of firing multiple shots without reloading was invented 44 years later and the first automatic gun was invented 101 years after the Bill of Rights was ratified.

So when the Second Amendment was being written, no one expected that just 225 years later any American citizen would be able to legally purchase a firearm capable of firing 950 shots in one minute.

Any person with an ounce of logic would wonder, “Why can anyone buy a weapon like that?” or, “Why are weapons like these even available to purchase?”

A common frame of mind is that guns like the AK-47 or AR-15 that are used in mass shootings were stolen by the shooter and that they couldn’t have passed a background check. Well, that’s just wrong; every firearm used by those who carried out the Orlando, Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Aurora, and Oregon shootings was purchased legally.

Maybe our background checks just aren’t strong enough.

The current background checks, that only apply to the public sale of firearms, don’t take mental health into consideration. In addition to that, private gun sales are going without any background checks.

These private gun sales make up 20 percent of total gun sales in the United States.

In order for the unnecessary shootings and violence to stop, the United States needs not only strengthened background checks, but to restrict what types of firearms can be sold; publicly or privately. Mental health needs to become a major part of background checks. In addition to this, military-grade weapons should be taken off the market for United States citizens or a shots per minute limit should be implemented.

Gun control can be a touchy subject, but if a 21st Century view is applied to the second amendment, a logical solution can and will be found to end the non-stop violence in the United States.

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Opinion

Is there a need for more gun control in the US?

No:

by mark holland news editor

O

n July 4, 1776, America declared its independence from Britain. The Founding Fathers then had to sit down and decide on what rights American citizens needed to have. And so, in the constitution, they listed guaranteed protections that made Americans feel free. One of these rights was the right to bear arms.

Over the past couple of decades, controversy has brewed over this right in light of the mass shootings that claimed the lives of many. The people of America feel the need to blame something for these horrific crimes. Unfortunately, the way America seems to be swaying now, people associate more blame to the guns that were used, rather than the people behind the guns.

People are afraid, and they have reason to be, because if gun freedoms continue to be restricted, American citizens may find themselves in more danger than when there were fewer restrictions. Not every person who picks up a gun plans on shooting someone. In fact, there are current laws in place that prevent people like that from ever legally laying hands on a gun. Most people who legally carry guns have proved themselves worthy of them.

For a lot of people, owning a gun makes them feel secure. If the right people are allowed to carry guns, then they can keep themselves and others safe in the event of a shooting. If someone tries to shoot up a mall, the threat could be easily stopped if some passerby who was allowed to carry a gun was able to stop him.

Gun laws will leave civilians defenseless in a situation such as this.

There are definitely people out there who should never be allowed to carry guns, but there is a system in place to prevent that. Many of these unworthy characters obtained their guns illegally, which is surprisingly easy to do. The Trace reports that tens of thousands of stolen guns entered the illegal market recently. It is also important to note that tightening gun control laws will never prevent the wrong people from getting guns. There is always a way to get around that system, and people have been doing it for decades. So why prevent people from having the necessities to feel safe in their own country?

It is definitely necessary to take precautions when selling guns, like cracking down on illegal gun sales or doing thorough security checks on people buying guns, but it is not necessary to say goodbye to citizen ownership of guns as a whole. Americans should have the right to bear arms so that they can feel secure.

Opinion

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Food for Thought

A review of a variety of foods from the cafeteria lunch line.

By tess conley writer s students, we just want good food for lunch while at school. Educators and country leaders just want us to eat healthy. Cooking for more than 1,000 students each day isn’t easy, but what can you really expect when getting your food? All cafeteria food is ordered from an SMSD warehouse and U.S. Foods, and the cafeteria staff works anywhere from eight hours to four hours a day to prepare our food. For four days I sampled cafeteria food to give you a rundown, and look at it from a different perspective. I normally bring my lunch every day, so I sacrificed my palate for you.

A

The first day of eating school food I got nachos, strawberries, carrots, and chocolate milk. Nachos are served everywhere: school, sporting events, concerts, and more. So, like typical nachos, our school’s were tortilla chips with cheese sauce. They weren’t unbearable, as long as you ignore the peculiar texture. For the fresh side of the meal the strawberries were decent, but some were a little mushy and the carrots were just that; carrots. To finish it all off, the chocolate milk was suitable, considering you can make it at home with chocolate syrup and milk. photos by kice mansi Day two, I was a little intimidated and so was my stomach. Much to my surprise, mozzarella sticks, a sugar cookie, steak fries, and apple juice didn’t throw me for too much of a loop. It’s kind of a known fact that the best thing that comes out of the school cafeteria is the mozzarella sticks, so those were pretty good. The sugar cookie was a cookie basically rolled in sugar, which the board of nutrition must think fixes the healthy lunch concept, but don’t get too excited about it. The steak fries weren’t exactly what you get at Freddy’s or Chick-fil-A, but they work. Finally, I drank apple juice, simply watered down apple juice.

For my third day of possibly ruining my appetite, I had chicken and waffles, fries, chocolate cake, and skim milk. The meat in the chicken wasn’t all that bad, but it tasted processed. The waffles looked normal, but oddly didn’t taste like anything. The fries were pretty good, but they didn’t have any seasoning; must be the low sodium idea. Chocolate cake isn’t too hard to make, and it wasn’t all that bad, except for the graininess. The skim milk was skim milk, ice cold and in a paper container.

For the fourth day, my meal consisted of spicy popcorn chicken, orange wedges, applesauce, and orange juice. The spicy popcorn chicken was one of the better entrées of the week. It was pretty good, spicy, but tasted processed. The orange wedges were actually really good, but how do you mess those up? The applesauce was an interesting experience. It was super sweet, and a little sloppy, but you could taste the apple in it. Finally, the orange juice might have been a little watered down, but was pretty good.

Throughout my week of cafeteria food, my favorite meal by far was the mozzarella sticks, a sugar cookie, steak fries, and apple juice. The mozzarella sticks were really good and cheesy, the sugar cookie was chewy, the steak fries had good flavor, and the apple juice was good. My cafeteria food experience wasn’t at all as horrendous as I expected it to be.

Besides, people eat this food every day for lunch, so evidently, it’s not that unbearable.

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Opinion

Doping: Not Dope

by Hannah Underwood writer

The rise in doping is nothing but a continuation of athletic dishonesty.

photo by kice mansi

Doping by the Numbers All 267 Russian athletes were banned from the Rio Paralympic Games 119 of 389 Russian athletes were banned by the IOC from the Rio Olympic Games 8 out of 127 Olympic doping cases from 1968-2010 were from the United States 3,667 athletes were tested by the IOC at the Beijing Olympic Games An estimated 5,000 drug tests happened at the London Olympic Games 61 or 70 Top 10 Tour de France finishers during the EPO Era were suspected dopers

T

his past summer was an Olympic year, a year that I had been anxiously awaiting for after seeing the success USA had in London 4 years ago. However, this year seemed different; in the months leading up to the event, the attention wasn’t on prospective gold medalists, but a Russian scandal.

Reports by the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed in July that a topsecret government-sponsored doping program was providing access to performance-enhancing drugs since the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and possibly before. The athletes were given special cocktails that mixed alcohol and steroids in order to speed up the process of absorption into the bloodstream.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) called the incident “a shocking and unprecedented attack on the integrity of sport,” and pledged to pursue “the toughest possible sanctions available against any individual or organization implicated.” This is ironic considering that a number of government officials associated with the program are members of the IOC. After meeting several times to discuss restrictions on Russian athletes from competing, the IOC announced that over half of all Russian athletes were excluded from the games. This statistic was dumbfounding.

One of the athletes not banned was Yulia Efimova, a champion breaststroker who has previously been caught using illegal substances. She was mocked for flashing her number one finger by American swimmer Lilly King, who gave a now infamous comment.

“You’re shaking your finger number one, but you’ve been caught for drug cheating. I’m just not a fan,” King said.

Although this scandal seemed to have rocked the worlds of many, this rise in doping was nothing new.

Most people know the story of Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France legend. He won the Tour de France seven years in a row from 1999-2005, dominating the field. However, he admitted to using illegal substances in 2013 after countless accusations, and was stripped of his Tour de France titles and Olympic bronze medal.

But, Armstrong defended himself by claiming that all elite cyclists were doping.

In an investigation of the top cyclists from 1998-2013 regarding the use of blood doping, Teddy Cutler of Sports Intelligence revealed that 12 of the Tour de France titles were given to confirmed dopers.

The point being, it is undeniable that the illegal use of steroids is prominent in elite sports today.

For me, as an avid sports fan and a participant myself, the doping scandals are disgusting. It is disgusting how deserving athletes, regardless of their nationality, who put in countless hours of training, can have their gold medals taken by athletes who see it necessary to cheat.

I have done sports all my life because there is no better feeling than knowing all the hard work paid off; all the early morning practices, sessions in the weight room, and little injuries were worth it. So to have my moment of glory taken away by someone who essentially took a Get Out of Jail Free card, given to them by the government no less, would be devastating to say the least.

If I were a pro athlete who 8-yearold boys idolized and I was proven guilty for doping, I would be mortified.

I know the pressure of being an elite athlete is exorbitant and shortcuts to get ahead are tempting. But they should consider those 8-year-old boys whose worlds will be rocked to find out that they don’t need to work hard to succeed; all they have to do is take one sip, one pill, one injection.

Opinion

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The cast of Les Misérables practices choreography for the song Master of the House. photo by Cassandra Awad

New Sound System Sets Stage for Les Misérables Installment of the new sound system opens doors for exceptional shows by jill propst writer

S

et with a new sound system, the South Theatre is ready to kick off their year.

The system, installed over the summer, provides the theatre with crisper sounds and clearer vocals.

Sound Crew Head Patrick McGary is excited for the improvements.

“It’s very expensive and very nice to have since we’ve been working with more inexpensive and more likely to break equipment,” McGary said.

The previous sound system was installed during the 2009-2010 season, with small replacements along the way to get by. Elements would often break suddenly, causing the crew to create ways to fix it as soon as they could.

The Shawnee Mission South Theatre will start their 2016-2017 season with the musical “Les Misérables”. The musical tells the story of Jean Valjean, a former convict trying to redeem himself. The story

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takes place in 19th century France, following the French Revolution.

“It’s an odd storyline because it focuses on so few people yet so many.

There are so many people during this time that would have had the same issues but they chose these specific people,” freshman Zoe Lanigan said.

“Les Misérables” is known for its serious content. This is because it is based on a real event and real actions, leading to a more serious tone.

“I love Les Mis because it’s one of the only musicals that’s actually made me think about things,” freshman Owen Russell said.

Senior Zach Greer is excited to play his dream role as Jean Valjean.

Greer has participated in many musicals throughout his high school years and looks back at his time in theatre as “incredible.” Greer has seen many examples of the welcoming community that is the South Theatre.

“It’s a welcoming place for all and it’s been awesome to see that,” Greer said.

He plans to pursue acting in

college and hopefully make a career out of it.

Zoe Lanigan is the only freshman girl in the show. Because of the many people auditioning, this made it harder to get a role. Although she is by herself in a sense, she is being treated just like everyone else.

“It’s very exciting just knowing that my chances were slim, but it’s still fun, it’s a great experience,” Lanigan said.

There was also a greater number of boys auditioning for this show than usual. “Les Misérables” is primarily male roles, meaning that more were needed. Theatre is often seen as more of a feminine activity, so the show is benefiting from greater diversity.

The show opens Oct.19 and runs through the 22. Admission is free with your student ID and $10 for adults and others.

The other shows being performed this season are “Miracle on 34th Street,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Peter and the Starcatcher.”

New Flavor, Old Downtown Upper Crust Pie Bakery in Downtown Overland brings a new flavor experience to the Kansas City area.

D

owntown Overland Park is home to one of the best pie bakeries in Kansas, The Upper Crust. From your average cherry pie, to something more interesting such as sour cream raisin meringue, this place has it all.

Those are just two of the 39 flavors offered at The Upper Crust. I tried six of the flavors: French Apple, Caramel Apple, Strawberry Rhubarb, Key Lime, Dixie and Chocolate Pecan.

My favorites were Dixie, a southern chocolate pecan pie, and Apple Caramel, which is like a caramel apple in a pie.

Their Dixie pie warms you right up with warm chocolate on the inside and crunchy nuts and pecans on top.

Their Caramel Apple pie is a sweet sensation that melts in your mouth with every bite. It has the perfect amount of caramel flavor and apple and is a must-try when you make a visit.

The bakery is full of novelty decorations that make it very colorful, warm and inviting on the inside. The appearance of the bakery reflects

in the service and staff with bright, cheery and helpful workers.

Not only do they make pie, but they also make baked goods such as shortbread, coconut macaroons, lemon sugar cookies and much more.

If you go in and don’t see the flavor you were hoping for, you can call and request a flavor to be in stock two days after the call has been made.

The store hours are Wednesday Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are located at 7943 Santa Fe Dr, Overland Park.

They have three different styles of pie that you can order. One of them is a normal sized pie, then slices, and finally Cutie Pies, which are mini pies that are a little bigger than your fist.

Each regular sized pie ranges from $23 to $28. Their slices are $5 each and their Cutie Pies range from $7 to $8.

Every third Friday of the month, Local Life, which is an event held in Downtown Overland Park, makes its way to The Upper Crust by having Pie Flights, which is a promotion of The Upper Crust. Starting at 5 to 8 p.m., you can get three select flavors of pie for

by mitch brock writer photo by maxie crimm

only $8. These flavors include Golden Apple Cream, Bumbleberry, Cherry, Chocolate Pecan, Coconut Custard and Peach. They also throw in a bonus pie flavor which is different every time the event is held. Examples are the Rhubarb Chess, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie, Caramel Apple and much more.

If you love dessert, but aren’t in the mood for cake, cookies, or candy, The Upper Crust is the place for you.

Ranking among the top pie bakeries in Kansas, it sure is a must if you’re a pie fan.

Kansas City Calendar S e p t.

23-25

S e p t.

24

Overland Park Fall Festival at

O c t.

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Plaza Art Fair at Country Club Plaza

Waterfire KC at Country Club Plaza

O c t.

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Third Thursdays at Nelson Atkins Museum of Art A&E

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Kansas City, I’m So In Love with First Fridays

Art vendors line the streets of Crossroads to sell their works and talk with people.

By Tara Phillips A&E Editor Photos by cass an dr a awa d

First Fridays promotes cultural events and local art.

F

rom art galleries, to street performers, to LuLu’s noodles, First Fridays is a hopping event down at the Crossroads of Kansas City.

Once a month at 5 p.m. Kansas City’s artists are given the chance to showcase their talents off to the community by providing an event centered around the arts.

As soon as you enter the Crossroads your ears are filled with live local music ranging in genre from street corner to street corner. Crowds of people shuffle through the sidewalks stopping to talk to art vendors and admire their works.

While walking you can stop to appreciate and take pictures at the well-known “Kansas City I’m So In Love Sign” that has recently become the buzz of photography in the area.

First Fridays is also known for its variety of restaurants that you can

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Performers showcase their talents on the crowded streets of the Crossroads.

stop into during your night of fun.

Some of the most well known stops in the area are LuLu’s Thai Noodle Shop, Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters, and

Grinder’s Pizza.

Art galleries are crowded shoulder to shoulder with people as they walk through gazing at paintings, sculptures, and photography. Most of the time you can find the artists themselves and talk to them about their works and inspirations.

Supporting local art is a major part of First Fridays mission in the community. In order to continue to reinforce the importance of shopping local, Crossroads started holding First Fridays. This event’s popularity has grown to become one of the city’s most lively and popular events.

The next First Fridays will be held Oct. 7 and is a great way to get involved in the community of Kansas City as well as support local music, art, and eateries.

W h o, W h a t, We a r Fashion trends are sweeping the nation. From man buns to thick-heeled shoes to ‘90s themed jackets, style is becoming more relevant and has created an outlet for expression for everyone.

By Tara Phillips A&E Editor

Amatista RodriguezRush wears a jean jacket embellished with buttons and patches.

Mena Haas wears a pair of thick-heeled shoes from Forever 21, a popular and inexpensive store.

Photo by Cassandra Awad

photo by Cassandra Awad

Steffen Seamon ties up his hair as he rocks the trendy man bun. photo by Cassandra Awad

A&E

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Students tweeted @SMSPatriot their “best Pokemon catch” senior Megan Jenkins senior Kelsey Karpowich @femkelsey 1st 2nd

Tw i t t e r C o n t e s t

3rd

4th

junior Carol-Ann Gibbs senior Isis Perez @IbEdkut @altheifonlys First Place in the Twitter Contest wins a $10 giftcard to QuikTrip Next issue’s Twitter theme will be “Who would you nominate for president?”

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A&E

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EDUCATION INSPIRES DREAMS. WE PROTECT THEM.

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Up and Coming:

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1. The varsity girls volleyball

team yells in joy after scoring the winning point in their first game of the Triangular match.

Photo by Hannah Carter

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2. Sophomore Hannah Carter

holds herself up over the beam.

She practices her beam routine for varsity gymnastics’ first meet of the year.

Photo by Maxie Crimm

3. Varsity football player Ciar-

on Willis catches the ball while warming up for the Green and Gold Scrimmage.

Photo by Hannah Carter

4. StuCo’s homecoming float

reminder hung in the hallway by the front entrance of the school. Float packets are due on September 19th, and the parade is on September 30th.

Photo by Maxie Crimm

5. The ensemble freezes in

their positions while the main characters continue moving around the stage during a rehearsal for Les Misérables.

Photo by Cassandra Awad