the harbinger. S H AW N E E M I S S I O N E A S T 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 OCTOBER 18, 2021 VOLUME LXVII ISSUE 4
NOT A
The East dress code is vague, leaving it up for teachers’ and students’ interpretation, which can cause students to be called out and feel uncomfortable
DISTRACTION.
02 INSIDE COVER
staff list
PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Sydney Newton ONLINE EDITORS Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood ASST. PRINT EDITORS Peyton Moore Cesca Stamati ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Lyda Cosgrove Kate Heitmann HEAD COPY EDITOR Campbell Wood PHOTO EDITORS Elise Madden Maggie Merckens ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Rachel Bingham Macy Crosser Hadley Chapman VIDEO EDITOR Roberto Galicia ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Maggie Klumpp PHOTO MENTORS Emily Pollock Grace Allen Lily Mantel MJ Wolf STAFF WRITERS Caroline Wood Madeline Funkey Anna Mitchell Christian Gooley Caroline Gould Mia Vogel Paige Zadoo
Greyson Imm Sophie Lindberg Ben Bradley Nora Lynn Katie Murphy Luke Beil Maggie Kissick Emma Krause COPY EDITORS Sydney Newton Celia Condon Campbell Wood Sophie Henschel Peyton Moore Cesca Stamati Kate Heitmann Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Caroline Gould Greyson Imm Nora Lynn EDITORIAL BOARD Sydney Newton Celia Condon Campbell Wood Sophie Henschel Peyton Moore Cesca Stamati Kate Heitmann Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Madeline Funkey Nora Lynn SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL PRINT Madeline Funkey NEWS PRINT Caroline Gould ONLINE Kate Heitmann OPINION
THE HARBINGER
design by peyton moore cover design by sydney newton
PRINT Sophie Lindberg ONLINE Mia Vogel FEATURE PRINT Anna Mitchell ONLINE Greyson Imm A&E PRINT Nora Lynn ONLINE Paige Zadoo SPORTS PRINT Caroline Wood ONLINE Ben Bradley PAGE DESIGNERS Anna Mitchell Katie Murphy Madeline Funkey Christian Gooley Caroline Wood Bridget Connelly Luke Beil Emma Krause ART EDITOR Natalie Scholz ASS. ART EDITOR Nora Lynn STAFF ARTISTS Celia Condon Sophie Henschel Sophie Lindberg Christian Gooley Bridget Connelly Marissa Liberda STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Audrey Condon Charlotte Emley
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Elle Siegel Jill Rice Julia Filmore Kate Beaulieu Maggie Klumpp Riley Eck Sabrina Dean Tristen Porter VIDEO STAFF Roberto Galacia Maggie Klumpp PODCAST EDITOR Ben Bradley SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Celia Condon Sophie Henschel ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Mia Vogel Paige Zadoo SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Madeline Funkey Campbell Wood Christian Gooley Grace Allen Paige Zadoo Sophie Lindberg Ben Bradley Peyton Moore Lyda Cosgrove Nora Lynn Marissa Liberda Bridget Connelly ADS MANAGER Greyson Imm CONTEST COORDINATOR Peyton Moore CIRCULATION MANAGER Maggie Klumpp
political cartoon by bridget connelly
online preview
FOLLOW SMEHARBINGER SMEHARBINGER
photo by rachel bingham
PEP ASSEMBLY GALLERY Scan to view the gallery t h e p e p a s s e m b ly h e l d outside on Oct. 5.
HOCO CROWNING GALLERY Scan to view the gallery of t h e va rs i t y fo ot b a l l and homecoming c ro w n i n g g a l l e r y by R i l ey E c k .
THEHARBINGER
EDITORIAL 03
OCTOBER 18, 2021 design by madeline funkey cartoon by natalie scholz
CONTROVERSIAL CONVERSATIONS Schools, starting at elementary school level, shouldn’t stray away from having hard conversations because it causes people to lack awareness in the future
A
LL OF ELEMENTARY school we celebrated Columbus Day, but never learned the history behind it. The only Jewish tradition we heard about was spinning a dreidel. We never talked about why our school had such little diversity and we never learned who J.C. Nichols really was. These conversations were intentionally overlooked. What started off as an attempt for elementary schools to put everyone on the same level racially, religiously and economically has become a system that’s denied students of their individual identity and created a stigma and sense of ignorance around our differences. Because we lacked conversations in elementary school that would’ve built us a base understanding, teens are struggling to grasp the idea of inclusion after being exposed to high school. Students think it’s okay to shout barbaric comments at opposing teams during football games or share hateful posts on social media making inhumane jokes. When they’re chanting, posting or commenting, students don’t think about the kid that sits next to them in math class that has to hear their race, religion, sexuality, abilities, mental illness, socioeconomic state, facial anomalies — their identity — insulted. It isn’t just disgusting and sad that East is getting this reputation at football games or even being associated with the word racist, it’s shameful. Elementary and middle schools shouldn’t stray away from having these tough but necessary conversations, stopping students from learning that it’s unacceptable to make insensitive remarks in the future. We simply lack awareness. It’s unacceptable that only now at the age of 16 are students beginning to learn about mental health and being kind to themselves. And they aren’t even learning this in school. Students have been forced to gain these lessons through social media. We should already understand that love is love and
F O R : 1 1 AGA I N ST : 0 The members of the editorial board who agree with the viewpoint of the editorial are represented by for, and those who disagree with the viewpoint are represented by against.
people can identify however they choose. We should already know that some of our classmates fast throughout school days for their religion. This all should’ve been understood long before high school. It’s true that, a greater social awareness comes with age, but it’s important for these conversations to begin when we’re young enough to establish a consciousness for sensitive topics. Why are we taught to shy away from controversial conversations that would teach us lessons we’ll eventually need to know? Since we aren’t taught these things by educated adults, we’re forced to learn them from less informed teens. A main topic students are lacking education on is religion. From kindergarten to senior year in public school, we adopted a new name for our two-week winter break, “Christmas Break,” but have never been taught the ideology behind Kwanzaa or Hanukkah. Public schools attempt to keep all religions on the same level, but by not discussing religions in class, it’s only segregated students instead of celebrating our differences. Silence doesn’t show equality. As kids, we should’ve learned about a variety of religions and to embrace diverse backgrounds and to love people for who they are. Our teachers and adult figures should’ve broken down stigmas around mental health, eliminated derogatory statements and banished hurtful social media behavior before eighth grade. Talking about it in schools would give students the opportunity to foster peaceful discussions, rather than bringing out arguments into the real world. Yes, we were taught to include, but on a small scale. We learned to let everyone play tag on the playground and allow everyone’s thoughts to be represented in the group project, but inclusion is so far beyond that. We should’ve learned the importance of inclusion throughout life — not just on the playground. This school year, we’ve seen a shift in the right direction of the student section behavior, according to Pep Club sponsor Shannon Nolan, but a single East student can ruin it by shouting slurs, derogatory remarks or inappropriate commentary at the opponent’s players.
East is full of allies — teachers and students who are there to hear your specific struggles and help encourage others to hear you and your story. But there’s still a gap between what’s happening in the student section and throughout social media and actually knowing about it. Students need to take steps to further educate themselves about diversity and inclusion. One way to do this is through the RACE project, one of many groups at East that discuss inclusion and educates East on recent social events that some students might not hear about in their communities. Their goal as a student-run organization is to create a culture of inclusion. By engaging in and fostering these conversations, people could have better awareness about the impact of their words — preventing further altercations in the hallways or in the student sections. English teacher and RACE project sponsor Samantha Feinberg explains that the RACE project and CORE (previously known as KickBack) have started a project that will include an event similar to The Care Fair that will occur during session B of WIN time. Organized inclusion — driven groups such as Gay Straight Alliance, Jewish Student Union, LGBTQ+ Club, and Pep Club will set up a space where students can share their experiences of exclusion that other East students may be blind to. It’s not that nothing is being done. Some elementary schools are beginning to implement diversity education for young students. In recent years, Prairie Elementary has implemented the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging training for staff. They’ve also started showing Kansas City local Jen Greenstreet’s “Just Like Me” films to celebrate differences in all forms. By representing topics like food allergies, anxiety, diabetes awareness, down syndrome and more, these films are made to make every student feel seen. These are steps in the right direction, and should be continued throughout the district. The school system needs to do better with actually discussing these hard topics with young kids to help them navigate tough conversations of today instead of glossing over them just to avoid conflict.
E D I TO R I AL P O L IC Y The Harbinger is a student run publication. Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion. The content and opinions of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quotes material may be confirmed with the sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content thought letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 413B or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com.
04 NEWS
THE HARBINGER
design by caroline gould
by paige zadoo
NEWS IN BRIEF Catch up on school, local and national news
EAST
Voter registration happened Oct. 12 in the cafeteria
EAST HELD A voter registration on Oct.
12 in the school cafeteria during lunch. This event was organized by the Shawnee Mission East Young Democrats Club. Anyone who who would be 18 by election day was provided with a voterregistration form and then instructed to text it to a county-approved number for finalization. Having voter registration at East made the process much easier for students, according to senior Maeve McGrath.
LOCAL
“A lot of kids aren’t really sure how to register and think it’s more complicated than it really is,” McGrath said. “Having it at East made it super easy and being able to register with your friends made it fun.” A total of 15 seniors registered, a successful number for the Youth Democrats Club as they were expecting 6-7 registrations according to club leader and senior Emma Kate Squires. “Our main reason for holding it at East was to ensure that the younger
generation is able to vote,” Squires said. In the beginning of 2020, Kansas attempted to pass several laws tightening voting requirements. Pushing away the youth population from wanting to and trying to vote. However, in December of 2020 the Supreme Court ruled Kansas’ attempt as unconstitutional. “There was a new law passed last year that made [voting registration] more difficult,” Squires said. “But that was just a motivating reason for us to do [registration at East].”
A LOT O F k i d s a re n ’ t re a l ly s u re h o w t o re g i st e r a n d t h i n k i t ’s m o re c o m p l i c a t e d t h a n i t re a l ly i s .
MAEVE MCGRATH SENIOR Allowing voter registration somewhere as convenient as East helped reassure the younger generation, according to Squires.
Ward Parkway Lanes was attacked by a shooter on Oct. 3
THREE PEOPLE WERE shot outside
Ward Parkway Lanes, located at 89th and State Line Rd., on Oct. 3 Police were called to the scene at 11:15 p.m. and three people were taken to the hospital. One man is currently on life support, the other is in critical condition while the woman is facing non-lifethreatening injuries. The shooter remains unidentified. The East Unified Bowling team practices there on Monday and
Wednesdays. Despite the shooting happening on a Sunday, the bowling team continued to practice the day after. Unified Bowling Coach Sheryl Kaplan feels uneasy that it happened so close to where the team bowls. “Luckily we got to go on with practicing and our normal routine there,” Kaplan said. “But it’s our neighborhood bowling alley. It was scary how close this was to our community.” Ward Parkway Lanes is only three miles, a nine minute drive, away from
NATIONAL BIOPHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY MERCK went to the Food and Drug
Administration seeking emergent authorization of their new antiviral COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir, on Oct. 11. Merck made this request after their phase-three clinical trial showed results that reduced infected patients chances of hospitalization by 50%. This is the first pill that would be used to treat those actively infected with COVID-19. “I hope this could be an additional layer of protection for [high risk families at East] who are unable to receive the
East. With such close proximity, this shooting has hit hard for some, specifically for a group of East students who work there, including senior Jaidyn Glover. “I had a bunch of friends that go to East text me after the shooting saying they had heard the gunshots go off from their homes,” Glover said. According to East senior and employee Brady Fankhauser, this was a targeted shooting, and since then Ward Parkway Lanes has increased their number of cops
located at the building for security. “[KCPD] hasn’t identified the shooter yet but they know it was a targeted attack,” Fankhauser said. “[The victims] had driven from somewhere else to the bowling alley and were followed by their shooter to the lanes.” KCPD is still looking for the shooter as of Oct. 13 and hoping to have more answers soon.
A COVID-19 antiviral pill may soon be FDA approved
COVID vaccine for medical reasons,” East Nurse Stephanie Ptacek said. “I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to using this medication once approved by the FDA.” This pill is an extra protectant for those infected with COVID-19 that will stop the replication of the virus once taking the pill, according to Merck’s clinical trials. “It’s reassuring that we are working on more [solutions] to prevent further cases and deaths,” senior Bella Wolfe, who has an autoimmune disease making
her high risk for COVID-19, said. “Being high-risk, it’s reassuring to know that’s their goal.”
I HOPE THIS could be an a d d i t i o n a l l a ye r of p rot e c t i o n fo r [ h i g h r i s k fa m i l i e s a t E a st ] w h o a re u n a b l e t o re c e i ve t h e C OV I D va c c i n e fo r m e d i c a l re a s o n s
STEPHANIE PTACEK EAST NURSE
The federal government has placed an order of around 1.7 million rounds of the antiviral pill from Merck. If granted authorization, the federal government will distribute those rounds to pharmacies in hopes of decreasing hospitalization and deaths from COVID-19. This pill will help save lives, according to Dr. Celine Gounder, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at NYU School of Medicine.
NEWS 05
OCTOBER 18, 2021
design by madeline funkey photo by audrey condon
MASKING
MADE
An update on how SMSD and other schools in the area are handling masks in school
OPTIONAL?
PROS
CONS
Positives of wearing a mask
Negatives of wearing a mask
prevent the spread of the virus whether people have symptoms or not
covering the lower of the face reduces ability to communicate, interpret and mimic expressions positive emotions can become less recognizable, leaving negative heightened bonding between students and teachers is limited
While the virus is airborne the masks block you from infection Masks are a cheap and easy way to implement and supervise infection rates *info from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
art by natalie scholtz
by b en bradley
A
LTHOUGH JOHNSON COUNTY still requires masks, local schools have lifted their own mandate, including Bishop Miege and St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas hasn’t required the use of masks for the entirety of the year and Miege decided to make masks optional on Sept. 20. At the beginning of August, SMSD decided to follow Johnson County’s mask mandate and required masks for the school year to limit exposure while still allowing in-person learning. According to East’s nurse Stephanie Ptacek, transmission of the COVID- 19 virus in the community is still high enough in enclosed areas with large amounts of people like a school building, so masks are still highly recommended by the US Federal Drug Association. “The real question is, if there’s no mask, is there no school?” Ptacek said. “If we want to keep being able to do all of the things we are doing, we have to do them with masks.” The decision isn’t up to East, since it’s decided by the entire district administration. Even if East is to have herd immunity, the district won’t lift masks from an individual school until the whole district is given the signal to do so. “I will say that we have tested a lot of kids in the past few weeks to a month,” Ptacek said. “We have sent a lot of them home for symptoms, but they have all tested negative, which is pretty reassuring.” While most East students wear their masks according to guidelines, some students have been excused from wearing a mask in school if they have a doctor’s note. East student *Catherine Simpson received a note from her
doctor excusing her from wearing her mask due to the fact that she can’t breathe when she is wearing it. “My doctor finds it more important to my mental health that I’m staying focused in school,” Simpson said. “I can’t get anything done when I constantly feel like I can’t breathe.” They have to take a note to Ptacek that gives them a legitimate excuse for not wearing a mask in school, such as anxiety and depression inflicted from the mask. But even if it is approved by the nurse, a teacher in a specific classroom still has to approve the notion.
T H E R E A L Q U E S T I O N i s , i f t h e re ’s n o m a s k , i s t h e re n o s c h o o l ? P t a c e k I f w e w a nt t o ke e p b e i n g a b l e t o d o a l l of t h e t h i n g s w e a re d o i n g , w e h a ve t o d o t h e m with masks.
STEPHANIE PTACEK SCHOOL NURSE “Obviously I understand if there are medical issues that require you not to wear a mask,” East teacher Carolyn Bossoung said. “But, I personally feel the most comfortable wearing a mask and would wear one even if it wasn’t required.” East principal Jason Peres is in full support of the guidelines the district enforces on East. His outlook on the best way to keep students safe and in school is by upholding the mandate. Peres is still trying to implement school spirit at East,
but plans to do so accordingly and safe. That starts with pep rallies. Instead of having the recommended “grade meeting” in a gymnasium, they are conducting pep rallies outside. “We have to improvise on getting the whole school together,” Peres said. “There is no mandate outside, by having the pep rally on the field we are doing the same things in a safer way.” The high school level is not using contact tracing, or at least not at the level that they previously were. Last year, students were assigned seats for the year and when a student tested positive, the students who had sat nearby would have to quarantine as well. This year, if a certain classroom sparks notice in having a higher number of cases, the health department can send home an entire class. “Since all students had the opportunity to have been vaccinated, we expect that most of them have,” Ptacek said. “If there was an outbreak, there would be much more hesitation to send the entire school home.” While East is a part of a district, schools like Meige and Aquinas are both Catholic private schools, meaning that they have more free will to make their own decisions when it comes to guidelines on mandates. If East were to make masks optional anytime soon, then it would have to be enforced in all district schools. “I don’t think that masks will be lifted at school until the elementary level can get the vaccine,” Ptacek said. “The little kids are still getting sick and the district can’t risk that.”
06 NEWS
THE HARBINGER
design by mia vogel photo by emily pollock
READY FOR RENOVATION Gender-neutral bathrooms, locker removal and collaborative spaces are renovations coming to East next school year
by cesc a stamati
T
HE ADDITION OF two gender-neutral bathrooms, additional seating areas in place of lockers, a new event space, and collaborative spaces are part of a new plan to reconstruct East by the 2022-23 school year. The plan was passed October 2020 as part of a $264 million bond issued by SMSD to schools around the district, with $4.5 million allocated to East for the reconstruction. According to Principal Jason Peres, construction will begin around February or March of 2022 and is expected to conclude before the beginning of next school year. While construction of the new event space will begin in the spring and continue through summer, most of the collaborative spaces won’t begin construction until the summer. The East Renovations Committee is currently planning the renovations with the goal of finalizing their plans by the end of first semester. According to Peres, the Committee meets every couple of weeks to go over the plans, and has discussed the need to have as large an event space as possible to host faculty meetings or combined classes. The committee has planned the renovations with the help of the Building Leadership Team — a group of building administrators and teachers from each department that collaborate to improve school functionality. After taking the plans to the committee and receiving feedback, Peres then reached out to Incite Design Studio, the construction company being used for the renovations. Among the renovations is the addition of
two gender-neutral bathrooms in the building. One will be accessible for the first and second floor, whereas the other will be for the third, fourth and fifth floors. According to Peres, each facility will have a sink area and an enclosed bathroom space for anyone to use.
W E H AV E A L L t h i s l o c ke r s p a c e in our school that i s n ot u t i l i ze d fo r a ny t h i n g , s o w e w o u l d l i ke t o t h e n re m ove t h a t a n d u t i l i ze t h a t s p a c e .
JASON PERES PRINCIPAL “It’s important for every kid to come here and feel safe and comfortable in our building and we do have kids here that just aren’t comfortable going to a boys-only or a girlsonly restroom, and so this would be a safe place for them to go,” Peres said. “Everybody’s entitled to go to the restroom and wash their hands. We want every kid to feel good about being here, and that’s just part of the way we do that.” Collaborative areas for students around the school are also a part of the plan, including seating areas placed on the walls after the removal of lockers from some floors. Additionally, certain areas of open space in the building, like near the center stairwell, will be encased with glass walls and filled
with movable furniture for more work spaces. The purpose of the seating areas are to provide students with a place to work with a partner in the hallway or take a test that they were absent for, away from distractions, according to Peres. “For whatever reason, lockers are becoming a thing of the past that kids no longer utilize,” Peres said. “We have all this locker space in our school that is not utilized for anything, so we would like to then remove that and utilize that space.” The event space, which is planned to be where the current outdoor science spaces are, may be used for professional learning, guest speakers, combining classrooms or banquet spaces, according to Peres. The outdoor space for the science department will be pushed back from its current location to fit the new addition. “Envision one large open space that we can do whatever we want in and then envision a smaller space that can be utilized as classroom spaces, but we’re going to have retractable walls in there,” Peres said. Physics teacher and Building Leadership Team member Miles Martin believes that the space will be helpful for the science department. “There has been some talk about some science teachers who have multiple lectures and say, ‘why don’t we just get together and lecture in a bigger area,’ but there’s no space for that,” Martin said. “So [combined lectures are] one possibility.” Along with restroom and locker upgrades,
another possible improvement includes the addition of elevators by the north ramp so that the ramps will be compliant with the American Disabilities Act for students with mobility issues, according to Peres. Peres says the Building Leadership Team has been almost unanimous in agreeing on these building improvements. However, the need for more classrooms rather than an event space was also discussed by the team. Many teachers, including Pre-Calculus teacher and committee member Jennifer Horn, have to work in multiple classrooms throughout the day. While Horn says the space could be useful for faculty meetings, which currently take place either in the cafeteria or auditorium, new classrooms are a necessity for teachers in every department. “I think it’s hard, because we need both [new classrooms and an event space], and if we’re going to keep growing, two classrooms doesn’t really make a big difference,” Horn said. “We need 10 classrooms. Right now, we have two [teachers] in our department that have to share, and one that travels and doesn’t have his own room.” While the committee is still in the early stages of planning and don’t know how much they’ll accomplish with the bond, Peres hopes to use the budget on as many improvements as possible. “We’ll first do the new [event space] and then we’ll see how much that costs and then with what’s left over, we’ll do everything else,” he said.
- build multi-purpose space - remove lockers from some floors - install hallway seating - build gender neutral restrooms R E S T R O O M R E N O VAT I O N A n i l lustra ti on of g en de r n e u t ral bat h ro o m s af te r re n ovat i o n s
OCTOBER 18, 2021 design by elise madden
PHOTOSTORY 07
BANDING TOGETHER
The marching band and varsity Lancer Dancers performed in the dirstrict marching showcase alongside the other Shawnee Mission schools on Oct. 4. A B O V E Junior A d ya B u rd i c k perfor m s a lo n g s i d e the ba n d d u r i n g t h e end of m ove m e nt t wo . “I am really excited to see the other bands perform this Saturday and see all the different flags that colorguard has,” Burdick said. PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE EMELY R I G H T Senior Ab i g a i l G i l m o re plays t h e t r u m p et as s h e m ove s to her n ex t s p ot o n th e f i e ld d u r i n g the p e r fo r m a n c e . It wa s re a l ly f u n gett i n g to s e e a l l the oth e r b a n d s a n d how we a l l s u p p o r t eachot h e r , ” G i l m o re sa i d . “ E ve r yo n e wo u ld sta n d u p and ch e e r w h e n t h e previo u s b a n d we nt of f . ” PHOTO BY RILEY ECK
A B O V E Sophomore Henry Stratemeier, junior Wyatt Oligmueller and junior Tyler Kirchhoff play their instruments in the front line of the performance alongside the dancers. PHOTO BY RILEY ECK L E F T Prior to the field show performance, junior Avery Guck stands in her starting position . PHOTO BY RILEY ECK
R I G H T Senior Lillian Rogers stands on the side line while the band is on deck to preform, as she is watching Shawnee Mission West perform their field dan ce. PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE EMLEY
SCAN ME • PHOTO Use this QR code to p u rc h a s e p h ot o s f ro m t h i s eve nt on Harbie P h ot o
08 OPINION
THE HARBINGER
design by sophie lindberg
OPINION
HIGHLIGHTS A look into student opinions and the opinion section
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY VS.
A comparison and head-to-head of the national holidays I T S E E M S A S t h o u g h C o l u m b u s D a y i s a g o o d re p re s e nt a t i o n of h o w w e c e l e b ra t e a n d e d u c a t e e a c h o t h e r . We c e l e b ra t e p e o p l e fo r t h e i r a c c o m p l i s h m e nt s a n d t e n d t o i g n o re t h e n e g a t i ve t h i n g s t h a t t h ey m a y h a ve c a u s e d . I n d i g e n o u s p e o p l e i n g e n e ra l h a ve s u c h a l a c k of p ro p e r re p re s e n t a t i o n a n d e d u c a t i o n i n o u r s c h o o l sy st e m t h a t t h ey a re of t e n ove r l o o ke d a n d i n st e a d w e p ra i s e individual p e o p l e . I n s t e a d of fo c u s i n g o n t h e m e r i t s of w h o l e c o m m u n i t i e s a n d g ro u p s of p e o p l e , w e a re of t e n fo c u s e d u p o n i n d i v i d u a l p e o p l e a n d i d o l i ze t h e m .
MARK RUFFALO
10/11/21
A M A N I N N O RWAY J U S T K I L L E D A B U N C H O F P E O P L E W I T H A B OW
C R I M I N A L W H O C O M M I T S T H E AC T !
LAUREN BOEBERT
10/13/21
S T R O N G , C O U R AG E O U S , A M A Z I N G : S O M E O F T H E WO R D S I S E E U S E D TO D E S C R I B E # G A B B Y P E T I TO ’ S FA M I LY. I S P E N T T I M E W I T H T H E M T H I S W E E K E N D, I N C L U D I N G T H E I R V I S I T TO T H E M E M O R I A L I N N O RT H P O RT. W H AT YO U ’ V E A L L S A I D I S S O A B U N DA N T LY T R U E , A N D T H E N S O M E . I N C R E D I B LY S P E C I A L .
J.B. BIUNNO
10/11/21
JUNIOR
A BRIEF HISTORY
Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1937, established under Franklin Roosevelt
Indigenous Peoples’ Day was first brought forth in 1977 at a UN Conference
Some states have adopted Indigenous Peoples’ day as an official holiday
B iden is the first president to recognize Oct. 11, 2021 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in a proclamation signed on Oct. 8, 2021, though it cannot be a fixed federal holiday until congressional approval
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S T U D E N T
b e c a u s e , t h e m a n d i d fo r m a l ly d i s c ove r A m e r i c a … ye s h e d i d s o m e u n d e s i ra b l e t h i n g s a s w e l l , b u t i f yo u l o o k t h ro u g h o u t h i st o r y , c o l o n i za t i o n of a ny k i n d h a s n eve r re a l ly b e e n “ t a m e ” either.
T A K E S
JUNIOR
I F O R O N E b e l i eve t h a t C o l u m b u s D a y s h o u l d b e c e l e b ra t e d
TOMMY MARX
L E T ’ S S TA N D I N S O L I DA R I T Y W I T H I N D I G E N O U S P E O P L E S ’ C L I M AT E L E A D E R S H I P. W E M U S T C A L L O N O U R L E A D E R S TO R E C O G N I Z E T H E S OV E R E I G N T Y O F I N D I G E N O U S P E O P L E S A N D E N D F O S S I L F U E L E X PA N S I O N O N C E A N D F O R A L L .
A N D A R ROW. N O RWAY H A S S O M E O F T H E S T R I C T E S T G U N L AW S A RO U N D, Y E T M A S S K I L L I N G S S T I L L O C C U R . L I B E R A L S N E E D TO U N D E R S TA N D I T I S N OT T H E G U N — I T I S T H E
COLUMBUS DAY
KURT FREEMAN
T HIS WEE K Opinionated tweets from this week IN TWEETS
East students’ thoughts relating to this issue’s opinion section DO YOU ALIGN MORE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY OR COLUMBUS DAY? * I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 2 07 vo t e s
I.P.D
75%
C.D.
25%
DO YOU THINK MARIJUANA SHOULD BE LEGALIZED IN THE US? * I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 27 7 vo t e s
YES
90%
NO
10%
ARE CONSPIRACY THEORIES HARMFUL? * I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 1 3 0 vo t e s
YES
90%
NO
10%
OCTOBER 18, 2021
design by nora lynn photos by grace allen and from mctcampus.com
LET’S GET THE
G RA SS
Marijuana should be legalized and decriminalized because it will help the US with revenue and can be used for medical issues
OPINION 09 EAST COMMUNITY
OPINIONS
*names changed to protect identity
TONY WOOLEN EAST SRO AGAINST LEGALIZATION
by emma kra u s e
K
currently in the process of discussing the legalization of marijuana, and the discussion should lean in favor of it. Kansas is an agricultural state, as pointed out by Legislator Brandon Woodard. If marijuana is the new cash crop, we should legalize and allow our farmers to benefit from its production. The legalization of marijuana would generate revenue for Kansas farmers. The money can fund public schools, higher education and other state services, which would help the earnings shortfall from COVID-19. The legalization of marijuana would not only substantially increase state revenue, but the country’s as a whole. Marijuana dispensaries are already scattered around the states where it’s legal, and they bring in funds for the state. If they were made legal in Kansas, along with every state, the tax rate — which would be similar to the tax on cigarettes now — on them would bring in large sums for federal funds. ANSAS
LEGISLATORS
ARE
IN THE FUTURE, I hope all states will m a ke m a r i j u a n a l e g a l — b u t i t s h o u l d b e a t t h e i r o w n p a c e . I d e a l ly by t h e n ex t fe w d e c a d e s a l l s t a t e s w o u l d ’ ve l e g a l i ze d m a r i j u a n a . The average tax rate among states for cigarettes is $1.70 per pack. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal and state taxes on cigarettes contribute to 44.3% of the retail price. Adding a heavy tax rate to marijuana will put money back into the government that can be used to fix any economic problems or overall issues. A bill should most definitely be created to legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes, but there need to be restrictions that come with it. The first restriction would come with age. Recreational marijuana should be open to anyone over 21, and medical marijuana should be available to everyone. If you’re 18 or younger, you should be required to have a parent or guardian’s approval. Another important restriction for the recreational aspect is setting limits on the amount a person can buy. When recreational marijuana is sold, a single-purchase limit needs to be set — in other words, you can’t buy too much at one time. Obviously someone could go
back and buy more a day later, but if it’s sold to people 21 years or older, they can make their own decisions for what they want to buy and put into their bodies. In the future, I hope all states will make marijuana legal — but it should be at their own pace. Ideally by the next few decades all states would’ve legalized marijuana. There are already 19 states that have passed bills and they have shown no major issues with it. In fact, rates of prescription painkiller overdose death were approximately 25 percent lower in states that had a medical marijuana law. Not only have they had no issues, but there’s also been many benefits. It’s extremely important that marijuana is made legal for medicinal purposes. A 2019 study found that 62% of people who use medical marijuana do so to treat chronic pain. Chronic pain is a common issue and in 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report estimating that 50 million Americans (just over 20%) have a form of chronic pain. Along with this, a recent study published by Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine found that states where marijuana is legal for managing chronic pain have significantly fewer deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses yearly. Even states in which marijuana is illegal, people still find ways to purchase it. When purchased illegally, no one can be sure of what could be laced into it, and could end up in the hospital. American Addiction Centers stated marijuana can be laced with a variety of psychoactive drugs. So by making it legal, people will know what they are getting, preventing people from ingesting an unsafe drug or having a bad medical reaction. A big part of the hesitation to legalize marijuana is the criminal aspect, but marijuana should not only be legalized, but decriminalized as well. Anyone who’s been incarcerated for marijuana usage violations should be pardoned, besides any case where it was sold illegally or used while driving. If it’s decriminalized, it would still be illegal to drive under the influence of it, like any other drug or substance. While legalizing marijuana is a risk, I think it’s a risk that Kansas needs to take and eventually the United States as a whole. The various benefits that making marijuana legal have statistically shown proof that we absolutely should legalize it.
I ’ M R E A L I S T I C B E C AU S E w e ’ re s u p p o s e d t o ref l e c t t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d i t s e e m s l i ke t h e c o m m u n i t y w a ve i s l i ke m o re a n d m o re t o w a rd s b e i n g p ro a n d i t ’s eve nt u a l ly g o n n a , g et h e re . I t h i n k i t ’s g o i n g t o g et l e g a l i ze d , b u t I ’ m a g a i n st , b e c a u s e I ’ ve s e e n s o m a ny c a s e s ove r t h e ye a rs w h e re s o m e b o d y e i t h e r u s e s a n d ra c k s o r u s e s a n d t h e n t h a t ’s l i ke a g a t e w a y t o h a rd e r st u f f .
SETH MEYER EAST SRO AGAINST LEGALIZATION T H E R E ’ S T WO S I D E S of i t fo r m e , t h e re ’s t h e p e rs o n a l s i d e a n d t h e re ’s t h e j o b s i d e . O bv i o u s ly r i g ht n o w w h e re w e st a n d i n l a w e nfo rc e m e n t i s t h a t m a r i j u a n a i s i l l e g a l i n Ka n s a s , w h et h e r i t b e m e d i c i n a l o r re c re a t i o n a l u s e . B e c a u s e of w h a t I d o , I c a n ’ t n e c e s s a r i ly b e fo r t h e l e g a l i za t i o n of m a r i j u a n a , a n d I c a n ’ t re a l ly t h ro w my p e rs o n a l o p i n i o n i nt o t h a t . We h a ve t o g o of f of i s w h a t t h e st a t e t e l l s u s , a n d t h a t ’s k i n d of w h e re w e ’ re st u c k a t .
*SARAH BELLVIEW EAST STUDENT
FOR LEG ALIZ ATIO N I T H I N K [ I T w o u l d b e ] re a l ly b e n ef i c i a l t o t h e c o u nt r y t o h a ve l e g a l i ze d . I t w o u l d o p e n u p t h e j a i l s b e c a u s e t h e re ’s s o m a ny p e o p l e w ro n g ly i n p r i s o n fo r l i ke a g ra m of w e e d w h e n t h e re a re s e r i a l k i l l e rs o n t h e l o o s e .
10 OPINION
THE HARBINGER
design by cesca stamati photos by hadley chapman by gi bbs m o r r i s
T
CONSPIRACY
CRISIS Conspiracy theories are harmful to the public as they spread dangerous misinformation
HARMFUL CONSPIRACIES Read the story to find out why these conspiracy theories are dangerous
the COVID-19 vaccine is a “toxic nanoparticle weapon system” created by the government birds are drones used by the government to spy on people
school shooters are actors hired to promote a liberal agenda
OPEN AT YOUR OWN RISK SCAN ME • WEBSITE I f yo u ’ re c u r i o u s , h e re ’s t h e website that was taped up i n t h e w a l l of t h e D e nve r I nt e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t — b u t b e w a re , t h e w e b s i t e s h a re s fa ke news.
POLL:
62%
Do you believe in any conspiracy theories? An Instagram poll of 216 students
32%
HE LAST THING I expected to see taped deadcenter inside a bathroom stall in the The last thing I expected to see taped dead-center inside a bathroom stall in the Denver International Airport was a square piece of paper with a QR code and the words “Forbidden Info” scrawled in red pen. With nothing better to do and a burning sense of curiosity setting in after a two-hour flight, I took out my phone and scanned the code. When the headline “VAXSSASSINATION” appeared on my screen, I chuckled at the idea that vaccine assassinations could ever be a thing and the placement of the code, because of course the forbidden info had to be kept in an airport bathroom stall. Naturally, I read the entire conspiracy article that detailed how globalists tricked millions of people into exterminating themselves with COVID-19 vaccines. According to the article, the spike protein found in the COVID-19 virus is actually a “toxic nanoparticle weapon system” that was used to start the pandemic and injected in our vaccines. It even claims that officials censor any vaccine-related deaths by paying off hospitals around the world to keep this “scamdemic” going. In short, it was just another half-hearted attempt to scare people into avoiding the vaccine for whatever personal reason the article’s author had. The information itself should’ve been the scariest part of it all – I mean it was written to intentionally terrify whoever read it. But the scariest part to me was that this article may have actually worked. It’s possible that there could be dozens of people who genuinely believe all the information found in the article, and decided to actively avoid vaccines. This is just one example — there’s thousand of theories based on untrue facts and uneducated assumptions, which can create a sense of paranoia and false beliefs for those with impressionable minds. Sure, there are harmless theories or movements that have some comedic value behind it. For example, the Birds Aren’t Real movement — which claims that birds are drones created by the government to spy on people — sparked a traveling tour by college student theory starter Peter McIndoe who, to this day, insists that it’s no joke. However, while it’s funny to a certain extent, the claim is so fickle and humorous that people generally don’t take them to an extreme extent. Most just show up to the rallies to say they went or because they think it’s one massive joke, leading to the movement’s traction fizzling out. At that point, it isn’t even a theory – it’s just a big joke to the public. But even so, events like this are what end up endangering the public because of misguided support and actions caused by overwhelming paranoia — all of which could’ve been avoided if the conspiracy theory hadn’t been started in the first place.
One false narrative placed into the mind of a susceptible individual can spell disaster for the public and to me that’s way too dangerous of a concept. From emotional harassment of shooting victims to motivating someone into becoming a shooter themselves, conspiracy theories control the notion of paranoia and are detrimental to society as a whole, sometimes taking lives in the process. The more I dove into the idea that conspiracy theories can be dangerous, the more I realized that there are always at least a few genuine followers, and there’s almost always at least one person who believes in whatever false ideology they’ve found. But these theories can cause real damage if they gain enough traction. For example, people truly believe that the victims of various school shootings — like Stoneman Douglas or Sandy Hook — are crisis actors paid to push some form of liberal gun control agenda. Not only does this cause even more emotional damage to the victims and their families, but it also stunts important gun control reform that could potentially prevent further shootings. As if it wasn’t enough that these people were traumatized by a school shooting, they also have to deal with comments that the shooters were paid actors.
T H E I N F O R M AT I O N I T S E L F s h o u l d ’ ve b e e n t h e s c a r i e st p a r t of i t a l l – I m e a n i t w a s w r i tt e n t o i nt e nt i o n a l ly t e r r i f y w h o eve r re a d i t This is when a conspiracy theory turns from an opinion — something protected by the freedom of speech — to a genuine tool of delusion and turmoil. The worst part is that the more unknown conspiracies have been the cause of horrible acts committed by those who believe in said theories. One such event that immediately comes to mind is the Las Vegas shooting when Stephen Paddock open fired on a music festival, killing 59 people – which he attributes to a government conspiracy theory. Paddock’s already precarious mental state was further thrown into a downward spiral by a conspiracy theory that claimed the government surveys people and uses this information to illegally take away guns, supposedly leaving the public defenseless against the government’s control. The paranoia caused by this theory prompted him to stockpile weapons and ammunition that was used later during the shooting. He was even quoted saying, “Somebody has to wake up the American public and get them to arm themselves, sometimes sacrifices have to be made.” Three weeks later, the delusion he was living in pushed him to commit this horrendous crime. If I ever have the luxury of stumbling upon another QR code providing more forbidden information, I won’t be leaving that bathroom stall until I have flushed it down the toilet.
FEATURE 11
OCTOBER 18, 2021 design by anna mitchell
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS mug
FRESHMAN
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY TO GET TRICK-ORTREATING AND WHY? “My favorite candy trick or treating is probably king size cookies and
GEORGE HARTMAN
cream
chocolate
bars
because
Halloween is pretty much the only time I get them and they are delicious.
WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU SHOULD STOP TRICK OR TREATING? WHY? “I feel like maybe when you get to middle school because that’s when
AU ST I N MERCHANT
you start hanging out with your friends more and go to Halloween parties instead.
DO YOU OR YOUR FAMILY HAVE CERTAIN TRADITIONS OR DECORATIONS FOR HALLOWEEN? “We have a tradition of going to my
LIBBY MCSHANE
aunts house and instead of giving out candy we give out hot dogs. It’s always super funny to see all the kids be very confused when a hot dog is handed to them.
mug
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD COSTUME? “My favorite then was Tinkerbell or
SENIOR
BRE LEDBETTER
Dorthy but now looking back I went as a creepy doll or scarecrow thing, I don’t really know what it was but I would say that now.
A look at East’s first pep club assembly this year in preparation for Homecoming
SOME PEP IN OUR STEP
L A N C E R S F T. HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES
A few of the Lancers responses to questions about their Halloween traditions, festivities and spirit over the years
S e n i o rs Tyler Moore, Zach Oroark, Tommy Moreland and Finn S u l l i va n run across the student section with flags before the pe p as s emb ly b eg in s. PHOTO BY RACHEL BINGHAM
S e n i o r Evan Broaddus bangs his drum for the East Viking ch ant durin g th e p ep a ssemb ly on O ct. 5. PHOTO BY ELISE MADDEN
S o p h o m ore Teddy Courville jumps up and down as the H o m e co min g p ep a ssemb ly b eg in s. PHOTO BY RACHEL BINGHAM
12 FEATURE
C
USTODIAN PRICE WRIGHT had been at East for six years when Julie Paradise, the social skills teacher in 2014, approached him with an idea: building an East coffee shop on the fourth floor. She had the perfect spot — the room in between the math and social skills classrooms. Price is always happy to help with random odd jobs around the school, so she knew he was the perfect man for the job. Price’s response? “Man, that’s a storage closet you guys got.” But he said yes. In two weeks and with no allotted money from the school, Price cleaned out the closet, called an electrician to install lights and smoothed out the walls. He chose a black paint — white seemed too risky with coffee stains — and built the coffee counter with scrap wood. It took him 50 hours — and all he ever received in return was a $25 dollar Outback Steakhouse coupon from the office.
I T ’ S A S K I L L t h a t G o d g a ve m e , a n d I j u s t n e e d i t . A n d I l ove i t . I l ove c u tt i n g t h a t w o o d . I l ove t h e s m e l l of t h e wood.
PRICE WRIGHT
CUSTODIAN
Why did he do it? That answer is easy: for the students. Building the coffee shop was ultimately worth it because of the joy he knew it would bring to students — he even still helps repair it today. It wasn’t a part of his job. But Price doesn’t do things to help students because it’s his job. He just enjoys the ways the school lets him utilize his passion and background in carpentry to help students and faculty. “I just like to see the kids going in and you can see the happy expression on their faces,” Price said. “You can see the freshmen coming up like, ‘Man we got a coffee shop, what’s up with that man?’ I’m like ‘Yeah, all that coffee for you!’ I’m happy to see the kids happy.” Price’s background in carpentry comes long before he built the coffee shop, and began helping with various carpentry projects throughout the school. He can’t remember a time in his life where he didn’t have sawdust stuck to his work clothes. His grandpa was a carpenter. His dad
THE HARBINGER
design by peyton moore
was a carpenter. Even his three sons are all carpenters. Price spent his high school summers working for his dad, so when he turned 19, signing up for carpentry school was an easy choice. Even now, Price still thinks of his father when he’s dusting off the top of the East coffee shop counter. But Price wouldn’t have imagined that it’s a skill that not just helps him, but also allows him to help others. “It’s a skill that God gave me, and I just need it,” Price said. “And I love it. I love cutting that wood. I love the smell of the wood.” As the first licensed carpenter ever in the district, Price knew it was something he wanted to continue. But now, he’s found a new use for it: encouraging others to pursue it. Price teaches carpentry twice a month at Penn Valley community college. And at East, his favorite place in the school is the woodshop room, which he visits at least every other day to sand wood for various places in the school such as the coffee shop, check out the machines and motivate the students in the class. Even if he’s simply standing there, it’s his favorite environment to be in. “I’ve told [woodshop teacher Sheban] Scott, ‘Man, if you wasn’t here, I’d probably apply for this job,’” Price said. “The kids here are working on some nice projects. It’s good because it gives them a second education that they need. I just kind of like to encourage them on things that they are doing.” Most of Price’s work for the school is done behind the scenes, according to coffee shop coordinator Amanda Doane. He comes in every day to check in on the shop, repairing the locks on the fridge or touching up chipped paint, along with checking in on different broken parts within the school. Just last month, he built a second coffee cart for students to bring coffee to teachers around the school. “I don’t know how we would function without him,” Doane said. “He does so much. We would have broken items. I have no idea how we could repair things. It just
wouldn’t be as nice.” Associate Principal Dr. Susan Leonard sees it too. Leonard thinks that Price’s impact comes down to the little things. She sees his ability to listen and actually help people, from fixing jammed lockers to painting a wall in her office to checking in with students he’s connected with — all of which he does not for the recognition, but to be a helping hand. “He embodies the culture of East,” Leonard said. “He’s friendly. He’s approachable. He could just do his job and not really interact with students. But instead, he wants to know about kids. His approachability is what makes him special.” Price has had several jobs, from an elementary teacher to daycare worker — East is the first place he’s stayed at for longer than five years. At each one, he’s found a way to continue carpentry, remodeling kitchens on the side or making cabinets for his company. Each job has been different, but they all share one theme: all have involved kids. Price feels grateful that the coffee shop has not only given kids the opportunity to have a place to go in the morning, but has also left its workers with skills they’ll use in the real world. Price thinks kids have impressionable minds, so he likes being able to put the good lessons in their heads. “I try to leave a lesson to the kids that you can do whatever you want with this world,” Price said. “Whatever you want in this world, you can do it. I hope I leave students with that legacy.”
PRICE’S PROJECTS COFFEE CART the second coffee cart Price has made for the coffee shop
SKATEBOARD sells skateboards as a side business
A
THAT CARES
Custodian Price Wright uses his passion for carpentry to help students at East
FEATURE 13
OCTOBER 18, 2021 design by katie murphy
THE MODERN DAY TATTOO Perpetua is a recently opened permanent jewelry company owned by local moms, and they focus on creating sustainable and memorable jewelry
BRACELET
BREAKDOWN
by celia condon
I
N APRIL, KANSAS City parent Tracy Powell browsed
online boutiques and stores with the hopes of finding a memorable gift for a friend of hers. She stumbled across Catbird, a permanent jewelry company located in New York City. Looking at the handmade, dainty silver and gold bracelets and necklaces, she thought, I could totally do that myself. Permanent, or “forever,” jewelry are sustainable jewelry pieces that are welded together to stay on a person’s body forever, unless wanted removed sooner. Tracy had been casually looking for jobs and business ideas, and after Catbird inspired her, she got to work researching what kind of materials and training she would need. “Literally that night I came up with a name, Perpetua, I designed a logo and created an Instagram page,” Tracy said. “Then, I bought a welder and started taking welding classes.”
forever jewelery
w e l d e d o n , s u s t a i n a b l e j e w e l e r y p i e c e s t h a t st a y o n i n d ef i n i t e ly
After a few successful welding classes, Tracy had lunch with two friends, Kansas City parent Paige Beck and East parent Jennifer Ecton. They were immediately hooked on the idea, and Tracy slowly began teaching the two how to weld. After researching metals and techniques, the three decided to offer gold, rose gold and occasionally silver pieces as either a bracelet, necklace or anklet, all ranging from $80 to $200. One of the most important aspects of Perpetua to the three moms was creating good-quality, long-lasting pieces. To them, the idea is perfect for people who love to wear jewelry all the time, and are interested in wearing simple, stackable pieces that hold memories. “We were really interested in how sustainable it could be,” Jennifer said. “Everything is so throwaway [now], and we thought it was such a great idea to do something that lives on you for as long as you want.” After months of research, they officially opened Perpetua in May. At first, the pieces were offered by appointment only from Tracy’s home. Soon after, Perpetua began to offer pop-ups, parties and events. They still offer by-appointment, at-home welding as well. Perpetua typically pops-up at birthday parties, graduation parties and weddings. However, one that they specifically enjoy attending is mother-daughter events.
“We get a lot of women who are like, ‘Oh, my daughter’s going off to college,’ or ‘I want to do something special with my daughter that they’ll remember,’” Jennifer said. “It’s kind of the modern version of matching tattoos.” Jennifer’s daughters and East freshmen Charlotte and Adelaide Ecton look forward to getting a matching piece with their mom eventually, to represent a special memory, such as their involvement all together with the National Charity League. “I could see it being something special for us to do in the future,” Adelaide said. “Maybe for when we get inducted into NCL at the ceremony, that could mark a great memory.” While Perpetua has met their goal of hosting one popup a week regularly since opening, the three owners still struggle with aspects of business-owning, specifically marketing. Tracy, Paige and Jennifer reach many groups through their community involvement, such as NCL and their kids’ sports and clubs. Still, they struggle with getting a name out to the public, especially when it comes to explaining an idea so new. “You have to put yourself out there when you explain the idea to someone,” Tracy said. “And you have to risk rejection. People think, ‘Oh, no, I don’t have time for that,’ or ‘I’m not really interested in that.’ And while it is such a cool concept, and everybody who’s done it loves it, it’s just hard getting it out there, and getting people to see the value in it and to commit.” Besides marketing-related struggles, the Perpetua owners have had to work with COVID-19 rules and regulations. But so far, it hasn’t turned out to be a huge problem for them. When they opened in May, COVID-19 cases were at an all-time low since March of 2020, and it made for a clean start, according to Beck. All three owners are vaccinated and wear masks when hosting pop-ups at parties if they can’t hold them outside. Tracy doesn’t plan on franchising Perpetua anytime in the near future, but has hopes to expand the staff size as the brand grows. This could mean teaching a new group of women to weld and run pop-ups in new locations, or creating a larger online platform with more jewelry customization options. But for now, the women are sticking to what they know, which is classic, timeless and simple everlasting jewelry: the modern-day tattoo.
Perpetua offers many jewelery options, each priced differently depending on material type and amount used
BRACELETS
$85-120 NECKLACES
~$200 CHARMS
~$20 *specific pricing by consultation
SUPER MOMS The business owners from left to right (Tracy Powell, Paige Beck, and Jennifer Ecton) hold up their logo PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACY POWELL
14 FEATURE
DON’T MIND MY
Students and teachers view East’s Dress Code as unclear, and believe girls are often sin
by lyda c osgrove
S
*Inst
ra
m
p o l l of 2 3
7
ag
EEKING MODIFICATIONS TO outdated and unfair dress codes, student-led protests have rippled across the country along with discussions rising in the East community. While some believe dress codes are unjust and limiting to self-expression, others view the dress code as inadequate in enforcing any regulations at all. East’s current dress code, adopted Nov. 24, 2014, is found under the “Student Dress and Personal Appearance” section of the SME Code of Conduct. Chains, clothing depicting gangs, illegal substances or alcoholic beverages are among the attire explicitly prohibited in the document. Most predominately stated is the guideline that clothing must be “considered learning outfits” and “conducive to learning.” Regulations like shorts length and tank top strap width are left unspecified. Although it’s advised to not appear “vulgar” or “indecent,” it’s never told what exactly this implies, leaving it up to the discretion of each teacher. S o w h a t
72%
qualifies as a “learning outfit”? With no specification of what this really means, students find themselves unsure of what may be perceived as appropriate or not, leaving it up for interpretation, which can cause awkward situations. In an Instagram poll of 192 East students and community members, 78% consider East’s dress code to be an unclear gray area with a fine line between enforcing school professionalism and inappropriately targeting students. Senior Estelle Gordon is familiar with the uncomfortable situations dress codes can create for students. Sitting in class wearing a button-down blouse with the top two buttons left open, Gorden noticed her eighth grade male teacher had been giving her up-anddown glances throughout the entirety of the class period. When she went up to ask him a question about the assignment, the looks intensified. “Isn’t that top a little low?” the teacher said. Instantly flustered by the comment, Gordon managed to apologize and rush back to her desk, buttoning her blouse to the top. What she thought to be a “learning outfit” caused her to be called out in front of the class, and was the first experience that brought her attention to the flaws and vagueness of East’s dress code rules. “School is supposed to be a safe space, and I think that’s the most uncomfortable I’ve ever felt,” Gordon said. “I was so distraught and so uncomfortable. It just really bothered me because I felt like I was being looked at in [the] wrong way.” Senior Lilly Rogers dealt with a similar situation at Indian Hills Middle School, when called out by her principal in the hallway for an exposed bra strap while wearing an IHMS Knights tank top — provided by the school itself. “It was just weird having my principal come up to me [to say something] like, ‘your bra strap’s showing,’ and I was like 12,” Rogers said. Though the current dress code makes it unclear as to when staff members c a n
BELIEVE THE DRESS
CODE IS UNCLEAR
94%
*Instagram poll of 320
THINK THE DRESS CODE TARGETS WOMEN
actually cite a violation for students, it’s t comments and stares that create more of a di than any outfit, according to Gordon. “That stuff is insanely creepy, and honestly talking about ‘learning environments,’ [those co disrupt mine,” Gordon said. Concerns about exposed midriffs, should cleavage are generally geared towards feminine causing 94% of students, teachers and paren Instagram poll of 271 votes, both male and fe agree that girls tend to be targeted more by dr regulations. The SMSD dress code doesn’t directly call gender against the other, but it can be implied tha parts reference women, according to senior Bel She recently experienced an uncomfortable di with an East teacher and has since been mot research and find flaws within East’s dress c single out women over men. One section focuse “learning outfits” must be different from “eveni or an outfit worn to an “exercise class.” However, Wolfe points out that on game days sports teams, male students wear suits and outf to what they’d wear to a school dance, or an “ event. But if the girls were to follow, it could po be handled differently. “You’re not going to just point out a guy for w suit or for wearing shorts and a T-shirt,” Wolfe s the minute a girl puts on a tight dress or maybe a you’re going to exercise class, they will.” Wolfe believes the root of all dress code issu idea that bodies are inherently sexual and dis something that shouldn’t be ingrained in the high schoolers. According to Wolfe, it’s impo students to be taught that a body is normal and and shouldn’t be considered a distraction. “If we didn’t consider students’ bodies to inherently sexual, there won’t be a dress code there won’t be an issue,” Wolfe said. “An everyd of clothing shouldn’t be [distracting.] You shoul to control your opinions and thoughts about wearing and keep them to yourself. I think that hard — there’s no boundary to where this ends.” Wolfe thinks it shouldn’t matter what a teac or anyone else thinks of a student’s clothing. I comfortable and confident, no one should have to say about it. Wolfe explains that high school already face daily judgments and body consciou which are only worsened by concern about how perceive them. “To have to come into school and also be about [what I’m wearing], not only just by m but teachers who are going to be judging me o thoughts on what I’m wearing is just exhausting said. Choir director Ken Foley has had outspoken a discussions with his students about his opinion
Y SHOULDERS
OCTOBER 18, 2O21 design by celia condon
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dress code and how it’s handled at East. While Foley agrees that school should be a safe place allowing for freedom of expression, he believes the need for guidelines to maintain respect and a sense of professionalism in the school environment outweigh the relaxed attitude East has towards enforcing the dress code. “I think we’re just sort of getting numb to what we see all the time,” Foley said. “I think some things for school should be a little bit more appropriate. I know it’s a really tough issue, it’s a gray area right now.” Though Assistant Principal Susan Leonard encourages teachers to address clothing concerns one-on-one with their students, if there’s something they perceive too big of a problem or distraction, they are to send that student to the office where administrators will then decide if the outfit violates the code in place. And according to Foley, nothing is done most of the time. “I can tell you what most teachers feel is like the administration isn’t doing it,” Foley said. “It’s not really up to us to police how we feel about it, but they’re not really enforcing it... we could send someone to the office and say ‘Hey they’re dressing inappropriately,’ but they’re just gonna come right back and say ‘Well no, we don’t feel that they are.’” Science teacher Susan Hallstrom believes the school’s dress code and its enforcement are inadequate, and has almost given up on addressing violations herself. Due to the non-confrontational and hesitant approach taken by the vague code, Hallstrom believes it’s completely ineffective.
S C H O O L I S S U P P O S E D t o b e a s a fe s p a c e , a n d I t h i n k t h a t ’s t h e m o s t u n c o m fo r t a b l e I ’ ve eve r fe lt . I w a s s o d i s t ra u g ht a n d i t j u s t re a l ly b o t h e re d m e b e c a u s e I fe lt l i ke I w a s b e i n g l o o ke d a t i n [ t h e ] w ro n g w a y .
ESTELLE GORDON
SENIOR
“The district’s published dress code is so inadequate that, unless you’re wearing pot leaves or tequila shirts, there’s not much that’s out of bounds,” Hallstrom said. “They’ve made an ‘anything goes’ policy. Nothing will be done, there’s no consequences. Even if it’s making me uncomfortable, there’s nothing I can do. There’s a level of what is appropriate and what’s not, and I don’t think we should be afraid to say what that is.” Foley also points out that as fashion trends change, so do the issues that arise with them. When he began teaching in the early ’90s, men with low pants used to get dress coded, while girls “conservatively” dressed in baggier, modest clothing had no problems. As trends shifted into the later ’90s with low-waisted pants and exposed midriffs, it was women who dealt with more dress code citations. As self-expression, individualism and feminism have become more important and prominent in society,
teachers have seen an increase in more experimental and revealing clothing. “It’s just more of a sort of a freer time when people wear whatever they want and they don’t want to be told that it’s inappropriate,” Foley said. “I don’t know what’s appropriate. I know what I think is appropriate, but I’m not in charge. To be honest, I think the definition in the dress code is vague on purpose. It’s hard to sort of put it into a defined thing: learning outfit. I’m glad I don’t have to write policy because it’s really hard to go black and white.” The process of establishing a dress code is far from simple, according to Principal Jason Peres. Being district policy, it isn’t necessarily up to the individual school’s discretion how the dress code is handled. Changing it would require approval from the SMSD Board of Education, so updates are only made every few years. However, Leonard and Peres both balance acknowledging the dress code while still encouraging students to express themselves without feeling they’re viewed as a negative distraction. “It’s always really bothered me because the language around it is always somehow ‘you are a distraction’ because of how much skin you’re showing,” Leonard said. “That said, I think there’s a place for a conversation, woman to woman, to say, ‘Listen, fair or unfair, these are the judgments someone might make about your outfit today.’ It’s important how you present yourself, but it’s such a tricky line because, I’m sorry that people judge your appearance, but I also know it’s true that they judge you by your appearance. We’ve got to teach that skill of knowing how to dress the part when it requires it.” Debates continue over whether the importance of professionalism and modest clothing should valued over individualism and personal, or vice versa. However, students and teachers alike agree that if there’s going to be a dress code in place, it needs to be strictly defined and strictly enforced to remove doubt of what is and isn’t considered “a learning outfit,” and discrimination between genders and situations. “It’s a double standard that’s enforced in society,” Wolfe said. “We come to school, which is supposed to be a safe place, somewhere to learn, somewhere to become a better person, and it’s still being shoved into our heads. You can’t pick and choose. You can’t tell one person something’s okay and another [it’s not.]”
WHEN ASKED
“88.7% HAVE YOU BEEN DRESS CODED?
WHO RESPONDED YES
WERE GIRLS.
16 FEATURE
THE HARBINGER
ROMANIAN
design by sophie lindberg art by natalie scholz
AMALIA’S RECIPE
R OOTS
How junior Alex Meiners takes pride in his family’s Romanian heritage and culture that they hold onto in daily life by nora lynn ALKING AROUND ROMANIAN cities, junior Alex Meiners blends in. Not a single Romanian citizen would have guessed that this kid from the United States — with more than the typical knowledge of Romanian cities — was a tourist and not a full Romanian. Alex has never kept his Romanian descent a secret, always being proud to tell whoever would listen about his family’s heritage. Even though they live halfway around the world from their home country, the Meiners family still brings little pieces of Romania to their day-to-day lives. For dinner, Alex’s mother Amalia Meiners cooks Romanian dishes, including cabbage rolls, chicken dumpling soup and mamaliga, and Alex’s music of choice is often ’80s and ’90s Romanian rock or pop. “My culture is a big part of who I am,” Alex said. “There’s very few Romanians [here] and because of that, I don’t get to speak [Romanian] a lot outside from my mom. We don’t get to celebrate the culture as much. We don’t have that [prominent of a community], and so we have to fight to keep our culture alive here in America.” After his family brought Alex’s greatgrandmother Buni to the U.S., she nannied him throughout his childhood, so as a kid, he had to accommodate to her being monolingual and learn the Romanian language. On Nov. 1-2 each year, the Meiners celebrate the Romanian Day of the Dead by visiting Buni’s graveside, who passed away when Alex was 8. They lay candles and flowers by her grave. “It was kind of a traumatic event because the last thing that she did [was] she came into
W
my room and she actually held me cause I was asleep,” Alex said. “She held me and then she started to pass away. She had a heart attack.” Though the loss of Buni was difficult, Alex’s love for his culture grew stronger. Much of his time goes into research on Romanian cities and life. “He’s really knowledgeable, he reads a lot,” Amalia said. “And actually, when I took them to all those medieval cities, he had so much knowledge that it actually impressed the people in that country, in that city. You hear him talking in Paris [and] was the same way. Everybody was like, ‘Are you French?’ He loves it and he’s very proud.” His friends are often confused when sitting in the car with Alex and his mother and trying to follow their conversations that switch from English to Romanian. “He talks about [being Romanian] literally 24-7, he never stops,” Alex’s friend and junior Gigi Smith said. “Every single day there’s something new I learn, or he says some word in another language that I don’t know.” At school, many of Alex’s art projects have featured Romanian culture and Romanian Orthodox symbols. He talks about his mother often and takes pride in Amalia’s story of coming to America after living in a communist country during a rebellion at 16 years old. Amalia came to the U.S. from Romania when she was 25 with $20 in her pocket and a one-
The process of making Amalia’s cabbage rolls, a traditional Romanian food
STEAM CABBAGE IN WATER, SALT, & DILL SAUTE ONIONS IN OLIVE OIL, THEN ADD WATER AND RICE TO THE MIX AND SIMMER ADD GROUND BEEF SEASONED WITH SALT, PEPPER, PAPRIKA, DILL & TOMATO PASTE year-old daughter back in Romania — Alex’s older half-sister and East alum Denisa Butas — who didn’t come to America until she was 3. Struggling while living out of other’s basements and re-watching “The Little Mermaid” to learn English, Amalia met Alex’s father at the grocery store and he was the one who helped her bring Denisa to the U.S. as a citizen. Alex grew up hearing story after story about his great-grandmother’s beloved orchard that was once filled with grapes, peaches and apples in her home in the village of Rascruci — nothing that compared to the state of ruin that he was looking at through a window on his trip to Romania. Alex and his family returned from their twoand-a-half-week long trip on Oct. 6. It had been a dream of his family — especially for Alex and his mother — to visit the birthplace of their heritage for as long as they can remember. Back when Buni was still living in Romania, her stepfather kicked her out of the house she owned and sold it to a procurer for a bottle of vodka — all of which happened over 15 years ago. And after a three-year legal battle to regain their land ending in 2019, they were finally able to travel to Romania. What used to be a beautifully soulful place had become a ghost of itself — the broken windows and weeding vegetation growing from cracks in the ground had gone untouched for a decade and a half. Alex’s eyes filled with tears when he saw the condition of his family’s land. As he turned to his mother standing beside him, he saw that her eyes were wet too. Though he’d never before visited the house, Alex felt a deep connection to his great-grandmother and her
CUT CABBAGE LEAVES IN HALF, CUTTING OFF THE VEIN OF THE LEAF, AND ROLL THE MIXTURE INTO THE CABBAGE COOK HOWEVER YOU LIKE, AND THEN ENJOY WITH SOUR CREAM AND SOURDOUGH BREAD
home — a home he’s heard countless stories about. “It was nostalgic,” Amalia said. “I look at the house where I grew up when I was a kid, but it looks like that. I mean, in my memory it is still the same house, [but] it was very different. It was like visiting somebody else’s house, like you’ve never seen before.” Many of Amalia’s old things didn’t even come to the U.S., but Alex and his family are still receiving old family heirlooms from different relatives and friends in Romania, like turquoise earrings and head scarfs. Included in that list was a pristine, stained glass vase belonging to Alex’s grandmother that he shattered by accident when he was 4 years old. Though he was reprimanded then, it’s now a running joke for the family. These physical memories serve as a close connection for Alex and his family, but nothing is as special as his real life connections with his family members. “At the end of the day, everything fades away,” Alex said. “[We’re] going to turn to ash one of these days and dust and everything we hold dear is going to go away and it’s better to hold close family connections and memories. It holds more importance than any family heirloom, doesn’t matter if it’s like the hope diamond or something, family is really important.”
6966 Mission Rd Prairie Vilage, KS 66208
HARBIE HARBIE PHOTO PHOTO
Forgot your camera? We didn’t. Scan the QR code provided or go to harbiephoto.com to view and purchase photos from everything Shawnee Mission East — games, meets, concerts, and more!
18 A&E
THE HARBINGER
design by nora lynn photos from spotify and imdb
A&E HIGHLIGHTS Catch up on what’s trending in the arts and entertainment world
RECENT RELEASES MUSIC
PODCASTS A L BUM | WORKING FOR THE KNIFE
P OD CA ST | R EV EL AT IONS
A R T I ST | M I T S K I
R U N T IM E | 4 0 M I N
R E L E A S E DAT E | O CT 0 5
Mitski’s newest single compliments her previous work and addresses her her time away from the spotlight with metaphors relating to despair.
SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS
A n a c c o u nt by j o u r n a l i st Jennings B row n f ro m h i s t i m e st u d y i n g t h e F e l lows h i p of F r i e n d s , a n e l i te s p i r i t u a l g ro u p — some say a doomsday c u lt — a n d t h e i r d a r k s e c ret s .
A L BUM | LIFE O F A DO N
P OD CA ST | P R I N C E S S O F S OU T H B EACH
A RTI ST | DO N TO LIVER
R U N T IM E | 15 M IN
RELEA SE DATE | O CT 08
A sto r y of t w i n s i ste rs s e p a ra te d at birth, d e st i n e d to l i ve d i f fe re nt l i fe st y le s . W h e n o n e i s k i l le d i n a n a c c i d e nt , M a r í a m u st u n d e r ta ke h e r r i c h s i ste r ’s i d e nt i t y i n a fa m i ly t h a t i s n ’ t q u i te wh a t i t s eems .
A punchy and soulful rap album that features Travis Scott and Kali Uchis along with detail and directness in its s ongs .
SPOOKY
Playlists that will get you in the mood for a festive Halloween
P LAYLI ST N AM E | HALLOW E E N R UN T I M E | 4 H R 5 6 M I N
P LAYLI ST N AM E | I N D I E H A L LOW E E N R UN T I M E | 2 HR
favorite movies to watch HARBINGER’S FAVORITE Our during the Halloween season
HALLOWEEN MOVIES MOVIES SOPHIE LINDBERG JUNIOR MOVIE:
GIBBS MORRIS SENIOR MOVIE:
CHILDREN OF THE CORN
THE THING (2011)
RUN TIME:
1 HR 43 MIN
RUN TIME:
fied of that movie, and when she played it for my sister and I, we made fun of her for being so scared of a movie with terrible special effects.
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
RUN TIME: 1 HR 16 MIN
1 HR 32 MIN
MY MOM GREW up terri-
CAROLINE GOULD JUNIOR MOVIE: THE
IT HAS REALLY grotesque
I LOVE THE movie since
body horror and it’s just a very unsettling movie because at any point it could be anyone in the group who could be the monster. It’s like Among Us in real life.
I used to watch it all the time as a kid. Now, It’s really nostalgic for me to go back and watch it. Also I’m a big Tim Burton fan.
A&E 19
OCTOBER 18, 2021 design by celia condon
DOGS SCREAM
FOR ICE CREAM
Mixed Mutt Creamery located in the Crossroads offers dog-safe treats for your furry friends by maggie kissick
I
T’S SAFE TO say that nothing cures my bad days
better than spending time with my greyhound, Holly. I love taking her to Starbucks to treat her to a pup cup or bringing her along when I make a late night trip to Andy’s Frozen Custard. I decided that the best way to celebrate the end of first quarter was treating Holly and myself to an ice cream run. But instead of doing our typical drive-thru experience, I decided to go a place that had treats for both of us. After hearing about Mixed Mutt Creamery, an artisan ice cream shop that makes treats for dogs and their owners, I grabbed Holly and headed to the Crossroads. The walls of the store were stacked with tons of dog goodies, from treats to chew toys. Holly yanked me with her, stopping to sniff every last corner. I had to pull her away from the prepackaged goodies to get to what we truly came for: the ice cream. When I first looked at the freezers, I couldn’t tell which ice cream was for dogs and which was for myself. But after seeing flavor names like “Pawsitively Pumpkin” and “Barking Maple Bacon” inside of one freezer, I got the difference. I picked out two ice creams for Holly, along with some pineapple upside down ice cream and a Shatto ice cream sandwich for myself.
I S AW H O L LY ’ S c l a s s i c “ p u p py d o g eye s ” a n d re a l i ze d i t w a s p ro b a b ly t i m e t o l e t h e r t r y h e r i c e c re a m . Opening up “Beer, Cheese & B a c o n , ” I g a g g e d f ro m t h e smell. After much anticipation and more sniffing from Holly, it was time to dig in. The dog ice cream was basically frozen solid when I opened the container, so I took a minute to let it thaw out. I decided to first try my Shatto ice cream sandwich. I love anything strawberry flavored, so two soft vanilla cookies filled with strawberry ice cream sounded like a perfect fit for me. Just two bites in, I realized I made the right call. The strong strawberry flavor was balanced out with the vanilla cookies. The ice cream sandwich was the perfect size and not too overwhelming — allowing me to finish all of it without any melting or stomachaches.
When I saw Holly begging for a bite of my ice cream, I realized it was probably time to let her try her own. I tried my best to pick out flavors that Holly would like. From the times I’ve snuck her strawberries under the kitchen table, I’ve discovered she’s not the biggest fan of fruit. That said, I figured it would be best to stay away from flavors like “Blueberry Yum Yum.” After much contemplating, I decided on “Beer, Cheese & Bacon” and “Barking in the City.” I immediately gagged at the smell of “Beer, Cheese & Bacon.” But after seeing Holly’s tail wagging, I put the smell of cheese and dog food aside and set the ice cream down for her to try. Eyes wide and mouth drooling, she dug right in, taking advantage of every last bite. Reading the container, I saw things like “No dyes,” “No dairy” and “All natural ingredients.” I was happy to see that this sweet treat wouldn’t upset her stomach later on. While she was eating, I switched to my pineapple upside down ice cream. I immediately loved the strong pineapple flavor. However, it didn’t pair well with the chocolate chips that were hidden throughout the ice cream and I got sick of the flavor pretty quickly. Since they only sell human ice cream in pints, it left me perplexed wondering how I was supposed to be able to down it all on my own — needless to say I had leftovers to share with my parents. This ice cream would probably be best if you brought a few others to share. As Holly continued to eat her ice cream, I figured it was time to switch it up. I let her try “Barking in the City,” a vanilla-like base infused with bacon. This one definitely had a more pleasant smell, but Holly wasn’t a big fan. She was more hesitant to try it — taking only a few bites before heading back to the “Beer, Cheese & Bacon.” The dog ice cream seemed to be the perfect size — not too big, but definitely a step up from the whipped cream in a plastic cup that I normally treat her to at Starbucks. However, getting two ice creams definitely seemed like overkill because Holly only ended up finishing one of the flavors. Despite the far drive, Holly and I definitely had an enjoyable outing. It was the perfect way to treat ourselves on a “doggie date” and I could definitely see us making another trip back here in the future.
A B O V E Maggie and her dog, H o l ly , e njoy many sweet treats d u r i n g t heir visit to Mixed Mutt C re a mery at 2001 Walnut St Kansas City, MO 64111 PHOTOS BY ELLE SIEGEL
P U P - F R IE N D LY
Ingredients are carefully selected to make sure the pup’s treat will leave them feeling happy and satisfied
I C E CREAM IS:
LACTO S E a nd W H E AT f ree
CO NTAI NS NO:
SCAN ME
PRESERVATIV ES or
DY E S
WEBSITE
20 A&E
THE HARBINGER
design by caroline wood photos by riley eck
CR EEPY COSME TIC S Staffer tries three different makeup looks to prepare for spooky season
by an n a mitch e ll
B
Y NO MEANS would I say that I’m an awful
makeup artist, but I’m never the friend that other girls ask to blend their eyeshadow or foundation while getting ready for a dance. Despite my lack of talent, each October I check the YouTube trending sections to see which new creepy
C lown
I WATCHED THIS video two or three times to make sure I had all the right products — red eyeshadow, eyeliner and bronzer — and thought this would be my best one out of all three because it looked the most doable. I was sadly mistaken. The artist, Hannah Renee, has a well-regarded reputation with 546K subscribers as a makeup artist in the world of YouTube beauty. Although she was easy to follow, and was clear in her instructions, my
Halloween makeup tutorials are blowing up on social media. This year, I decided to test my creative side and try some of the looks I’m always so in awe of. Countless YouTube videos popped up with Halloween makeup looks, so it was hard to choose the best to do. However, the word “simple” in my search
lack of skills left me looking like a toddler who broke into my mom’s makeup drawer. I did the eyeshadow first. It was the easiest task and something I knew I could at least partially complete. I initially had zero confidence when picking up my eyeliner, but went for it anyway. This is where things really went downhill — just what I was scared of. My eyeliner looked like I had a hand spasm while drawing over my eyelid — which if you didn’t know, isn’t the goal. I sure looked like clownish at the end, but not in a glam and cutesy way Hannah did.
Spider
THE NEXT LOOK I did focused more on the eyes. It included a bold spider web with eyeshadow and more eyeliner. This seemed like a fun Halloween-themed look and something that was achievable — at least hopefully. This video from Beauty Bay didn’t include clearly laid out instructions like the previous one. There was no talking or explanation, but
Skull
MY THIRD AND final look was definitely the most fun and honestly my best work out of all three — which was probably due to its purposefully messy vibe. The look required some light powder, bronzer, brown and black eyeshadow and an eyeliner pencil for the little skull details. This video by Tiani Nicole was well-filmed, walking me through every step and making sure I was on
Although it had nothing to do with the tutorial itself and everything to do with my lack of makeup skills, this simplistic design was by far the most challenging — definitely not for a beginner.
SCAN ME • VIDEO S c a n fo r c l o w n m a ke u p t u t o r i a l by H a n n a h Re n e e
more of an expectation to follow along as the video progressed. This intimidated me at first, but was actually easier to follow than I anticipated. Knowing the only two supplies I really needed to use were orange eyeshadow and eyeliner gave me some hope. After what felt like a pound of orange eye shadow was on my lid, I was once again met with my enemy: eyeliner. The spider web drawn onto my eye and cheek turned out better than expected, but the eyeliner — per usual
the path to perfecting the skull look — okay maybe a little imperfectly — but regardless, I felt good about this one. Starting with light powder to give my face a deathly appearance, I then placed bronzer all over to accentuate my dimensions and make it look like I truly came straight out of a coffin — or at least that was the goal. Lastly, I used the eyeliner pencil to add the details of the skeleton nose and teeth, finalizing the look. I ended up looking honestly pretty similar to Tiani
bar helped narrow it down to tutorials I thought I’d actually be able to follow. I chose the three that looked the easiest — and the hardest for me to mess up. The three that stuck out to me were an easy last-minute clown look, spiderinspired look and simple skeleton makeup.
— was a little messy. I liked this makeup a lot — mostly because it redeemed a smidge of my makeup guru confidence — but it was also more fun to do and no doubt looked better than my clown attempt my first look.
SCAN ME • VIDEO S c a n fo r s p i d e r w e b m a ke u p t u t o r i a l , c re a t e d by Yo u t u b e r Beauty Bay.
Nicole to my absolute best ability. While I wouldn’t necessarily say it was perfect, it topped my other two attempts and was the most fun to complete for some preHalloween hype.
SCAN ME • VIDEO S c a n fo r s k u l l m a ke u p t u t o r i a l f ro m T i a n i N i c o l e
A&E 21
OCTOBER 18, 2021
RENAISSANCE RENDEZVOUS
design by luke beil
A review of the atmosphere and some of the treats at the Bonner Springs Renaissance Festival
ABOVE T h e Re n a i s s a n c e F e st i va l i s h e ld outside of t h e A z u ra A m p h i t h e a te r lo c a te d a t 633 N 103 rd St re et i n B o n n e r S p r i n g s , Ka n s a s . P H OTO B Y K AT E H E I T M A N N
by caro l i ne go uld FTER A LONG year of sitting through online AP
A
European History and being stuck inside, the idea of a Renaissance festival filled with reenactors and medieval shops sounded like a great way to put all of that Renaissance era knowledge to use. This wasn’t my first time visiting, as I visited a few years ago when 13-year-old me and some friends decided to go to the Disney World of Bonner Springs, Kan.. My anxious self walked around, my head hurting from darting side to side just because of how much there is to see. The same went for this time around, when I decided to give it another go after leaving as a flustered, muddy mess last time. My mom was sure to warn me to “be careful” after she heard of events such as {} and {} from the Bonner Springs’ Chief of Police. It was a cloudy, drizzly Sunday. I couldn’t tell if the murky air we had to peer through while walking among Renaissance architecture was dust from the dirt trail or from the many jester-dressed smokers. The festival was filled with people dressed in Renaissance peasantry attire. I instantly understood why my mom was adamant in warning my friend and I to “stay together” and to not go anywhere without people around. While there were plenty of families there and young kids with dragon face paint running away from their parents, it wasn’t necessarily the most family-friendly event, as adults were already hammered by 3 p.m. and the smell of burnt cigars lingering over our noses. But we continued on, passing by Renaissance comedy acts on every corner and shops selling crystals, jewelry and fashion. A zipliner even zoomed right above the festival-goers’ heads wearing crowns and knight helmets. There were other shops including “restaurants,” which were uniquely decorated food stands that each sold the same menu. One of the main attractions of the festival were the famous turkey legs. Even though they smelled good, it wasn’t enough to tempt my semivegetarian self, or to wait in the longest lines I’ve ever seen — which was easily an hour wait. Scattered amongst the food and merchandise vendors were plenty of games and rides, which were stationed throughout the fair. There were carnival games such as ring toss, swing rides, a pretty lowquality maze and even a camel carrying around kids on its back — all of course were Renaissance-themed.
I may have just gone in skeptical, but I started to get annoyed with the extreme overpricing of everything. I understand that it’s how these places make a profit, but $5 to throw three tomatoes at someone’s face plus the $23 admission fee was too much out of my hardearned babysitting money. You’re just paying to spend more money. We did stop by some of the free-to-watch comedy and magic acts, which weren’t necessarily funny or magical. The Renaissance humor was crude, and the magic was just the “magician” doing wand tricks with the 3-year-old guest on-stage. The funniest part to me was giant posters on the backdrop with the acts’ Venmo QR codes, basically shoved in your face As we made our way around the giant loop that was the festival, I started to pay more attention to the festival-goers’ costumes. I expected the typical peasant, royalty and knight attire, but there were a surplus of fairies, gnomes and people wearing nothing but simply a harness and shorts, which I don’t associate with this time period at all.
W E E N D E D U P st o p p i n g by a s h o p s e l l i n g c r y st a l s . M y a d m i ra t i o n fo r a ny t h i n g s h i ny a n d s p a r k ly p e a ke d , a n d I h a d n ’ t ex p e c t e d t o s e e a ny s p i r i t u a l - t y p e i t e m s t h e re . We ended up stopping by a shop selling crystals. My admiration for anything shiny and sparkly peaked, and I hadn’t expected to see any spiritual-type items there. While I didn’t end up spending any money besides the $23 entrance fee, I did appreciate these types of jewel-filled stores that lined the dirt path. Over time, the festival has been bent into what people want it to be: a chance to wear whatever cosplay they want — and I mean whatever — and feast on some turkey legs. I like the idea of a Renaissance fair to celebrate the art, literature and music that’s strongly intertwined with the time-period, but I just don’t like this one specifically. It strays away from the artistic works of Leonardo da Vinci and is more geared toward giving Kansas guys with beer bellies a day to thrive. I’m glad I gave the festival a second chance. But a third? I’m not so sure.
CARO’S TIPS
After a full festival trip, Caroline wishes she would have known a few more things in advance
BRING CASH EXTRA SHOES BRING A MASK MOST THINGS COST MONEY, AND ONLY A FEW STANDS ACCEPT CARD
THE AREA IS DUSTY AND SOMETIMES MUDDY
THERE ARE STRONG FUMES THAT COULD AFFECT PEOPLE SENSITIVE TO SMELLS
22 LOCAL LANCER
THE HARBINGER
design by celia condon
KELSEY WHAT’S YOUR NAME, AND WHY IS IT YOUR NAME? My name is Kelsey Stroud. My mom really liked my name and she kind of got free reign over what I was named. Her opinion was stronger than my dads. IF YOU WERE A DOG, WHAT BREED WOULD YOU BE? Oh my gosh. Maybe a Corgi. They seem like they have a lot of fun and they also seem kind of lazy, and I think I relate to both of those things. ARE YOU AN EARLY BIRD, OR A NIGHT OWL? Definitely a night owl. The night’s just so peaceful. No one can bother me. I write really well at night. I just like write for fun. Journal and stuff like that. WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT NOT VERY MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU? I love sharing this one with people, so it’s something some people know, but that thing people can do when they stick out their tongue, and curl it into three pieces? It’s like the shape of a Clover? I can do that. I also play the ukulele. I taught myself how to play in sixth grade. WHAT IS A FASHION TREND THAT YOU HATE? I don’t like when girls put tall Nike socks over their leggings in the winter, or how boys put them over their sweatpants. I think it looks silly and I wish people would get over that trend.
SPORTS 23
OCTOBER 18, 2021
design by caroline wood photos by macy crosser
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS Galleries, results from recent games and Fantasy Football Trades
FA N TASY F LI PPI N G SULLIVAN | Deebo Samuel (19) and Tee Higgins (5) SENIOR JACKSON MOULIN SENIOR FINN SULLIVAN
Mid-season trades made by Fantasy Football team members
A B O V E L E F T T h e va rs i t y fo ot b a l l p la ye rs i n t h e sta n d s h o ld t h e i r h a n d s u p a s t h ey wa i t fo r s o p h o m o re A n n a A lexa n d e r to s e r ve t h e b a l l i nto p la y .
FRESHMAN CHARLIE JOHNSON
WOOD | Dak Prescott (4) and Julio Jones (11)
A B O V E J u n i o r Ava M c D o n a ld c e le b ra te s a f te r s u c c e s s f u l ly spiking the ball, winning the p o i nt .
I C H O S E TO
do it because I need a wide JOHNSON | re c i eve r a n d Calvin Ridley (81) Julio Jones was n ot t h e b e st a n d h u r t , a n d I I d i d n ’ t n e e d D a k P re s c ott b e c a u s e h e w a s my b a c k - u p
L E F T S o p h o m o re Sy lv i a B u n d e h i g h - f i ve s h e r te a m m a te s a f te r w i n n i n g a p o i nt i n t h e f i rst s et .
HOW ARE THEY DOING?
MOULIN | AJ Brown (11)
FRESHMAN ANDERSON WOOD
WOOD FRESHMAN *NFL photos from MCT Campus
Results of recent competitions and overall standings for East fall sports
FOOTBALL
SOCCER
VO L L E Y B A L L
GY M N A ST I C S
TEAM
VA R S I T Y
JV
FRESHMAN
VA R S I T Y
JV
VA R S I T Y
JV
VA R S I T Y
DAT E
O CT. 7
O CT.
O CT. 6
O CT. 7
O CT. 9
O CT. 1 2
O CT. 1 2
O CT. 5
OPPONENT
ON
ON
ON
ONW
ON
M U LT I P L E
OE
M U LT I P L E
SCORE
14-56
36-14
0-56
1-0
1-0
0-2
2-1
97.7
RECORD
2-4
3-3
4-2
8-0-3
10-1-0
14-14
7-15
10th
TENNIS
GOLF
*info from athletes
CROSS COUNTRY
TEAM
VA R S I T Y
JV
STAT E T E A M ( va r s i t y )
STAT E T E A M
JV
VA R S I T Y
JV & C-TEAM
DAT E
O CT. 1 1
O CT. 1 1
O CT. 8 - 9
O CT. 4
S E P T. 2 3
O CT. 2
O CT. 9
MEET
REGIONALS
REGIONALS
REGIONALS
S U N F LOW E R
S U N F LOW E R
CHILI-PEPPER
B I L LY M I L L S
P L AC E M E N T
1 st : 4 , 2 n d : 3 , 3 rd : 1 1 st : 4 , 2 n d : 1
1st
1st
3 rd
B : 27t h / 6 0 G : 2 2 n d / 5 0
B: 5th/5 G: 4th/5
RANKING
2nd
N/A
N/A
N/A
B : 7t h G : 5 t h
B : 7t h G : 5 t h
1 st
24 SPORTS
THE HARBINGER
design by sydney newton photos by rachel bingham
HYPE WITH THE HAZARDS Juniors form their own recreational volleyball team, Stage Hazards, over quarantine to improve their volleyball skills in a fun way by g reyson imm
THE LEGACY Some of the teams rituals before games
BLAST MUSIC PLAY AMONG US CARPOOL TOGETHER SCAN ME • VIDEO S c a n h e re t o v i e w a hy p e v i d e o of t h e S t a g e H a za rd s c l u b vo l l ey b a l l team
among their peers. Then they registered the team officially with Johnson County Parks and Recreation and recruited more of their friends to join the team. Now, it consists of nine players, two coaches and a posse of dedicated cheerleaders. The team has become notorious in the Johnson County volleyball scene that some spectators and members of other teams often approach the self-proclaimed “better players” — which is their nickname for themselves — when they catch sight of the Comic-Sans-emblazoned bright orange jerseys featuring the image of Wii Sports’ Matt Wuhu on the front.
H Y P E I S A b i g p a r t of o u r t e a m . B a ñ o , s c re a m i n g a n d m u s i c . We h a ve c h e e r l e a d e rs , w e d o a p re g a m e c a r p o o l w h e re w e d r i ve 9 0 m i l e s p e r h o u r a n d w e b l a s t m u s i c .
LOUIS PROSSER-GEBHARDT JUNIOR “Last season, the team on the other court next to us wanted to come take pictures with us because we were energetic,” Ben said. Besides the unique jersey design, The Stage Hazards also showcase their original sense of humor and personality through their very name. “In our first season playing as a team together, we would always hit the ball off the ceiling because we would always hit it too hard and it would come back down and we could never get to it,” F i n n ia n said. “We we re
always yelling ‘bro, what are these stage hazards?’” Junior Ava McDonald, another member of The Stage Hazards, shared that her favorite team tradition is their postgame ritual of going to Sheridan’s after a win, but Finnian then commented that they’ve only been to Sheridan’s once — a testament to their current win-loss record. Reinforced by the team’s happy-go-lucky attitude towards winning and their previous win-loss records, the players don’t judge themselves or each other too harshly for losing. According to the general consensus of the team, they view it as a way to have fun and play volleyball — which is how it started in the first place. “I think our mindset is that if we win, we’re [playing] amazing,” Ava said. “And if we lose, oh well. Honestly, we don’t really go into the games expecting more than to have fun.” Between their pre-game hype sessions, the endless list of shared inside jokes and the actual playing of volleyball itself, The Stage Hazards set themselves apart from other teams. “I think our team dynamic is really good, because if the [morale] goes down, we’re gonna lose,” Ava said. “If there’s no energy, we’re gonna lose. That’s what happens, you get creamed.” The next season of rec volleyball is coming up soon for The Stage Hazards, early registration for the league began two weeks ago, and the team will start competing in early December. The players are hoping for an undefeated season — a lofty goal that they continue to work toward in their semi-weekly practices. The hope is for their fans to witness another season of the fabled Stage Hazards, chaos and all.
IN THE PAST A look at the teams last two seasons
2019
HAKING THE LIGHT blue Port-a-Potty and jumping so high that their heads brushed the ceiling — and yelling so loudly that they drew attention from the curious onlooker — juniors Luke Fisher, Louis Prosser-Gebhardt, Graham Squires, Finnian Higgins, Tyler Kirchoff, Aidan Stidham and Ben Rodriguez knew only one way to celebrate their 6-0 set that day. Baño. “Hype is a big part of our team,” Louis said. “Baño, screaming and music. We have cheerleaders, we do a pregame carpool where we drive 90 miles per hour down Shawnee Mission Parkway and we blast music.” Baño, a widely-known East tradition which involves chanting “baño” repeatedly while jumping around in a bathroom, is just one example of a crazy antic done by The Stage Hazards, a co-ed club volleyball team consisting of nine juniors. The tight-knit crew had a surplus of funny memories — all documented on video — from the time that Finnian fell and the rest of the team dramatically performed CPR on him during a set or the many instances of Louis tearing his tights. The long list of shenanigans might sound like pure mischief, but they think it just brings them closer and allows them to work better as a team. The Stage Hazards got its start in the summer of 2020 as an outlet for Luke, Finnian, Alex and Graham to get a break from the monotonous routine of quarantine by doing something they loved — playing volleyball with friends. “[Luke] would play at Prairie [Elementary] a lot, just hitting the ball to himself — grinding every day after school,” Louis said. Over time, the boys grew better better at volleyball and the sport picked up more interest
8 WINS 12 LOSSES
2020
S
14 WINS 4 LOSSES
WHERE? AKUN FEILDHOUSE
SPORTS 25
OCTOBER 18, 2021 design by campbell wood
CURING &
East Athletic Trainer Dakota GelsheimerOrlando helps injured athletes as well as serves as a companion for students to confide in
CONFIDING by christian gooley
A
S SOON AS athletic trainer Dakota GelsheimerOrlando arrives at East she headset to nurse Stephanie Ptacek’s office around 11 a.m, she begins her hour-long routine of working with athletes through stretching exercises and mini workouts. After reporting any injuries from games or practices the night prior that morning to Ptacek, she then moves on to the office to talk with the Student Resource Officers about any possible issues with athletes abusing drugs or substances, as well as the past day’s appointments and reports. Her next stop is administration, where she’ll check in for upcoming sports events and any possible conflicts so she can determine which event event she’ll be needed at most. This process takes around an hour for Dakota, but that’s just the beginning of her daily duties. She’ll then head into her office where she works on reports and emails until practices begin. When it comes to the flexibility of Dakota’s day, everything depends on where she wants to be and where she feels most needed. Though she typically ends up with the football team she’s always ready to head to another practice when her services are needed.
I F I E V E R h a d a ro u g h day or just needed someone to talk to, I a lw a y s k n e w I c o u l d g o t o D a ko t a ’s ro o m a n d s h e w o u l d b e t h e re fo r m e .
ELLA BUNDE
SENIOR
“Every single time a girl has ever had even a minor injury at volleyball, she was there so fast and was so prepared and ready to go,” senior and varsity volleyball player Ella Bunde said. Dakota’s office has become more than just a place to fill up water or get tape. According to Ella, it’s a place where student athletes can be themselves and bond with their teammates. On a typical day, you can find at least 10 kids in her room laughing, ranting and getting assistance — whether it be physical or emotional support — up until 2:40 p.m. every school day. “If I ever had a rough day or just needed someone
to talk to, I always knew I could go to Dakota’s room and she would be there for me,” Ella said. Dakota feels that her job works equally with both the mental and physical health of athletes. To her, one of the biggest signs of a mentally exhausted student is one that will fake an injury, or exaggerate the sevrity of one. “It is my job to treat injuries and I would never not look at a kid if they say they are hurt, but I have done this long enough to know the difference,” Dakota said. “There’s a bigger meaning behind faking an injury then just wanting to be able to say they hurt.” Dakota sees all types of reasons for faking an injury. A student could be pushed too hard during practices or seek attention they don’t receive at home — the list goes on, and she sees it all the time. Her job is to make sure every athlete’s bones and muscles are okay — but more importantly that their brains and their hearts are okay. Dakota has been recognized this year by the school for her excellent work with an increase in funding. In previous years, she had a mere $2,000 to cover supplies for the year, leaving her with a lack of athletic tape and ice packs for the student athletes. This increase in funding opens the opportunity to treat every student with the highest quality of care. “A lot of the time I used to run out of tape or any other supplies and I had to start trading supplies with other athletic trainers for boxes of tape or for a pair of crutches,” Dakota said. According to Dakota, she’s never requested more money for her program. She always just made it work with what she was given, no matter how bad it got — but always kept her students as her top priority. She also is always working with injuried athletes personally and making sure they are doing okay. Recently senior varsity football player Brady Aebersold injured his ankle during practice and, as always she was right there for him and has been since he got hurt. Before this happened Dakota meant a lot to Brady but this really showed him how much she cares about every individual student’s health. “She is always checking in on me and making sure that everything is going ok and she also has just been a great friend while struggling with having to sit out,” Brady said.
ABOVE East Athletic Trainer Dakota Gelsheimer-Orlando wraps junior Caroline Gorman’s ankle. PHOTO BY TRISTEN PORTER
DAKOTA AS A...
The roles Dakota plays to senior Jamisen Ferren who’s worked around Dakota for four years as football manager F R I E N D S h e ’s g re a t a t g i v i n g a d v i c e , eve n i f i t ’s n ot re l a t e d t o h e r j o b . S h e d o e s a l ot o u t s i d e of h e r j o b t h a t s h e d o e s n ’ t g et a l ot of c re d i t fo r — b e i n g t h e re fo r st u d e n t s , p u tt i n g i n t h e ex t ra t i m e , u s i n g h e r o w n m o n ey fo r l i ke s p e c i f i c st u d e nt s i f t h ey n e e d a s p e c i f i c t h i n g s .
R O L E M O D E L W h e n I e nt e re d h i g h s c h o o l , I w a s ve r y q u i et , I ke pt t o my s e lf . . . s h e i n s p i re d m e t o a d vo c a t e fo r my s e lf , b e p ro a c t i ve , g et i nvo lve d .
26 FEATURE
THE HARBINGER
by b ridget connelly *a d d ition al reportin g by syd n ey n ewton a n d ca mpbel l wo o d
THE EAST STATE tennis team is going to state this year, after winning first the past two years. The team consists of senior Bridget Epstein, juniors Bryson Langford, Greta Stechschulte and Katie Schmidt and sophomores Abigail Long and Katie Murphy. Throughout the season so far, the team has competed in tournaments in anticipation of state, even placing first at the Sunflower League tournament on Oct. 4. Doubles teams Langford and Stechschulte placed first, while Long and Schmidt placed second. In the singles match-ups, Murphy placed second and Epstein placed third. B E C AU S E L A S T Y E A R , I w a s t h e re a s a f re s h m a n and to go back and walk a ro u n d t h e s a m e g i r l s , i t s re a l ly f u n to do it twice.
ABIGAIL LONG SOPHOMORE “I am honestly really excited,” Long said. “Because last year, I was there as a freshman and to go back and walk around the same girls, it’s really fun to do it twice.” The team has two-hour practices each day, where they focus on the skills they need for state during their practice, from their serving skills to their volleys, all to prepare for their biggest match of the year.
Stechschulte and Langford have placed first at state in doubles every year they’ve been at East so far, and are hoping to carry on the tradition as upperclassmen. “[Winning the past two years] make us a little bit nervous but excited to have such an opportunity to go three in a row which we’re hoping to do,” Langford said. Langford and Stechschulte have been training for state by playing against Long and Schmidt in scrimmage doubles matches to mimic the competitive atmosphere. Team members take yearround lessons outside of East at places like Overland Park Racquet Club to further improve their skills. The lessons consist of basic conditioning like running and scrimmaging. “We all have individual goals in what we need to work on but for Greta and I specifically, it’s our aggressiveness at the net when we’re playing doubles, so our volleys and overheads,” Langford said. The girls are excited to play at state again this year, and ready to show their skill and hopefully add a trophy to East’s trophy case, according to Long.
design by kate heitmann photo by kate beaulieu
v
T H E ROAD TO STAT E
GIRLS TE NNI S
The girls golf and tennis teams have qualified for state and are preparing by team bonding and more drills
AFTER PLACING FIRST in state the
past two years, the girls golf team is heading back this to state this year, which will take place on Oct. 18 and 19 in Emporia, Kan. The competing team consists of freshmen Ingrid Blacketer and Faith Grecian, sophomores Maren Adams, Sofia Wehner and Maggie Leonard and senior Tess Roman. The team will arrive at the competition on Oct. 16, where they’ll play practice rounds and have a team dinner before the actual competition. The two day tournament will consist of 18 holes. With three-hour practices four days a week at various clubs depending on the day, the girls feel prepared to compete, according to Blacketer. But as with any big match, the pressure is always on. “I’m honestly nervous,” Adams said.
GIRLS GOLF
F re s h m a n I n g r i d B la c kete r , s o p h o m o re s M a re n a d a m s , S of i a W h e n e r , and Maggie L e n o n a rd wa ve g o o d bye a s t h ey h e a d of f to sta te
O U R T E A M U S re a l ly c l o s e t h i s ye a r , I t ’s a l ot l e s s st re s s f u l b e c a u s e w e ’ re t h e u n d e rd o g . E ve r yo n e i s f r i e n d s w i t h eve r yo n e . We h a ve a g ro u p c h a t a n d w e t ex t i n i t eve r y d a y , a l l t h e t i m e . I t ’s re a l ly g o o d .
TESS ROMAN
SENIOR
“But I’m okay with it because usually the nerves make me play better.” Along with practices, coach Dave Hanson provided each of them with personalized advice, which vary from how to perfect their swing to how to
mentally prepare for the big match. Although Hanson plays the role of coach on the green, he’s also become a mentor to the girls — always working to create a safe space for the girls to be themselves. Hanson asks the girls about their feelings and listens when they need it. He’s always ready with snack bags of sandwiches, fruit and chips in case any of them need an energy boost. This year, senior Tess Roman is the only returning member on the state team, with it being all other five players first time on varsity. Even so, Roman has full confidence that her team members will do well at state. “Everyone is pretty excited,” senior Tess Roman said. “Since the rest of the team is new, I bet everyone else on the team will be pretty nervous. But I think they’ll handle it well.” The girls golf team brought home the state trophy in 2019 and 2020, so the pressure is higher this year, according to Blacketer. The team is the underdog this year, according to Roman, but that lessens the stress on the team. Roman, along with her team, is excited to go to state because of the close bond her team has formed. While they are excited to grow their skills at state, they are also excited to grow their friendship even more. “Our team is really close this year,” Roman said. “It’s a lot less stressful because we’re the underdog. Everyone is friends with everyone. We have a group chat and we text in it every day, all the time. It’s really good.”
PHOTOSTORY 27
OCTOBER 18, 2021
design by maggie merckens
Pågë STAGE
FROM TO
Students in the Rep Theatre Class adapted children’s books into three-minute plays L E F T Junior Kurt Freeman introduces his Children’s Book stage adaptation titled “The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo.” “The most challenging part of it all would definitely be making it all work with the limited time that we were provided to create our shows and also balance learning our parts in each others’ shows,” Freeman said. PHOTO BY TRISTEN PORTER A B O V E Junior L i b by McShane and A a ro n Cameron perform i n t h e Children’s Show “ M a x and Ruby.” “Max a n d I were going on a n e g g hunt,” McShane s a i d . “And I was starti n g to this was like the f i rst egg finding mo m e nt . So like, we just ha d o u r conversation abou t t h e chocolate chicken , a n d we’re like running to g o find e g g s . ” PHOTO BY SABRINA DEAN
SCAN ME PHOTOS
Use this QR code to p u rc h a s e p h ot o s f ro m t h i s eve nt on Harbie P h ot o
A B O V E J u n i o r N o ra A lfe r m a n p la ys i n “ T h e D u m b B u n n i e s g o to t h e Zo o ” a s t h e c h i ld a t t h e zo o . PHOTO BY TRISTEN PORTER
A B O V E J u n i o r L i b by M c S h a n e a n d Aaron Cameron are on an egg hunt while they p e r fo r m i n t h e s h ow “ M a x a n d R u by ,” written by junior Gretchen Garbe. McShane’s fa vo r i te t h i n g a b o u t p e r fo r m i n g i s “ embodyin g a dif ferent person .” PHOTO BY SABRINA DEAN
Pumpkin
28 ALT COPY
Party AS THE LEAVES have turned burnt orange and the air has gotten crisp, I’ve come to the realization that I haven’t carved pumpkins since elementary school — a tradition
I decided to bring back. I invited some friends over to rekindle this childhood tradition, and quickly felt the nostalgia that comes with the smell of those gooey pumpkin guts.
TO PREPARE FOR my guests, I threw some pre-packaged cookie dough on a sheet pan and tossed them in the oven. While they baked to a golden brown, I grabbed a large pot and set it over medium heat. I poured in two jugs of Louisburg Cidermill apple cider, and waited for it to simmer. Next, I began creating the charcuterie board. I set to work organizing my honeyed walnuts, dark chocolate
Morgan
& Sophie
THE PUMPKINS: M IK E WA Z OWS K I U P SID E D OWN B AT IN SID E JOK E CLASSIC JACKOLANTE RN
The steps to a perfect fall pumpkin carving party to throw this year with family and friends
T HE P RE PAR AT I O N S
F IN AL R E SULT S:
1
THE HARBINGER
copy by sophie henschel photos by maggie klumpp
almonds, salamis, prosciutto and of course all types of cheese. As I looked down at a beautiful plate filled with meats, cheeses, crackers and snacks, I knew I was almost ready to go. I prepared my backyard for seven teenage girls to carve their pumpkins with unique designs. I set out the pumpkins, carving tools and plenty of trashbags to prepare for them.
Ashley
THE CARVING SNACKS : WA R M A P P L E C I D ER CHA R CU TE R IE A B O V E S e n i o r A s h ley Garverick m a r ve ls a t t h e p u m p k in guts she h a s j u st r i p p e d o u t .
2
FRESH BAKED COOK IE S
TH E CA RVING AS MY GUESTS arrived, grabbing their plates of snacks and mugs of warm cider, we headed out back to begin the carving. First came the pumpkin assignments. While some paired up, others rode solo with their carvings. Next came the brainstorms and beginnings. As everyone flipped through Pinterest to find the cutest,
Sydney
& Evelyn
funniest or spookiest designs (depending on their personal objectives), the giggles and excitement began to rise. Finally, the carving process began after the guests gutted the pumpkins for preparation. As everyone carved while simultaneously trying to hide their designs from their neighbors, the feeling of fall set in for everyone.
Sadie
& Hayley