The Harbinger 19-20: Issue 12

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 M A R C H 0 9, 2 0 2 0 VOLUME LXII ISSUE 12

stomach

Rae Metabolism Drops quickly gained popularity in usage among teens, but FDA-unregulated diet and weight-loss products negatively affect the teens they’re marketed towards

0 2 | I N S I D E COV E R

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

TOP LEFT Senior Karina Branzaru looks at UMKC students’ photo exhibit during the Photography 2 students’ trip to the Linda Hall Library. photo by | sarah golder TOP RIGHT Juniors Violet Apodaca, Graham Billingsley, Wiley Acuff and Meg Carroll work on a project in their junior IB English class. photo by | annakate dilks BOTTOM RIGHT Junior Amanda Collins works on her project for painting class. photo by | hadley chapman

M E N TA L H EA LT H

Scan to read about the streaming sites that will be blocked on school computers next year by | caroline wood

Scan to read the different opinions on mental health in education from teachers, students, parents and professionals by | sophie henschel

S TA F F L I S T PRINT EDITORS Lila Tulp Carolyn Popper Caroline Chisholm ONLINE EDITORS Ben Henschel Jackie Cameron ASST. PRINT EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Lauren West Riley Atkinson ASST. DESIGN EDITORS Celia Condon Sarah Bledsoe HEAD COPY EDITORS Carolyn Popper Jackie Cameron ASST. HEAD COPY EDITOR Natasha Thomas PHOTO EDITORS Aislinn Menke Kate Nixon ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Sarah Golder Trevor Paulus Julia Percy VIDEO EDITORS Maggie Schutt Ryan Gossick Lawder DeSantis ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Sydney Williams BROADCAST EDITORS Alex Dinyer Lucia Barraza ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Natalie Scholz Megan Stopperan PHOTO MENTORS Noelle Griffin Megan Biles Megan Stopperan STAFF WRITERS Lyda Cosgrove Kaia Monaco Caroline Gould Caroline Wood Kate Heitmann

Cesca Stamati Lily Haw Grace Tucker Peyton Moore Kelly Murphy Jilli Foley Campbell Wood Winnie Wolf Sophie Henschel Brynn Winkler Elizabeth Mikkelson Tommy Paulus Lauren Dierks Sydney Newton Emma Brown Lily Billingsley Allison Wilcox Phoebe Hendon Grace Allen Annabelle Moore Lydia Underwood Maddox Mogenson Sydney Decker COPY EDITORS Ben Henschel Lila Tulp Carolyn Popper Jackie Cameron Caroline Chisholm Natasha Thomas Sarah Bledsoe Brynn Winkler Lydia Underwood Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Campbell Wood Lauren West Phoebe Hendon Jilli Foley Allison Wilcox Sydney Newton Riley Atkinson Lily Billingsley EDITORIAL BOARD Ben Henschel Brynn Winkler Caroline Chisholm Carolyn Popper Catherine Erickson Jackie Cameron Lauren West Lila Tulp Natasha Thomas Riley Atkinson River Hennick Rose Kanaley Tommy Paulus Phoebe Hendon Sarah Bledsoe

Lydia Underwood SECTION EDITORS EASTIPEDIA ONLINE Kelly Murphy EDITORIAL PRINT Tommy Paulus NEWS PRINT Sophie Henschel & Campbell Wood ONLINE Phoebe Hendon OPINION PRINT Annabelle Moore ONLINE Gabby Caponecchi FEATURES PRINT Sydney Newton Jilli Foley ONLINE Brynn Winkler A&E PRINT Elizabeth Mikkelson ONLINE Sydney Decker SPORTS PRINT Allison Wilcox ONLINE Lydia Underwood ADVISORS Lucia Barazza & Alex Dinyer PAGE DESIGNERS Caroline Gould Caroline Wood Kate Heitmann Cesca Stamati Lily Haw Grace Tucker Peyton Moore Kelly Murphy Jilli Foley Sophie Henschel Elizabeth Mikkelson Tommy Paulus Lauren Dierks Sydney Newton Emma Brown Lily Billingsley Allison Wilcox Grace Allen Annabelle Moore Maddox Mogenson STAFF ART EDITOR

River Hennick STAFF ARTISTS Sophie Henschel Gabby Caponecchi Lyda Cosgrove STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS MJ Wolf Maggie Merckens Emily Pollock Hadley Chapman Emma Kate Squires Maggie Klump Reily Moreland Elise Madden Taylor Keal AnnaKate Dilks Lucy Kostner VIDEO STAFF Olivia Olson Natalie Scholz Lawder Desantis Evelyn Roesner Ryan Gossick Maggie Schutt Sydney Williams Roberto Galacia PODCAST EDITOR Lydia Underwood Sophie Henschel SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Lilah Faye SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Annabelle Moore Maddox Mogenson SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Kaia Monaco Megan Stopperan Reilly Moreland Gabby Caponecchi ADS MANAGER Sydney Newton CIRCULATION MANAGERS Campbell Wood Anna Stover SOCIAL CHAIR Lila Tulp Reilly Moreland CONTEST COORDINATOR Catherine Erickson

EDITORIAL | 03

design by | sydney newton editorial illustration by | natalie scholz

Y

ou throw the box of granola bars in your basket, hoping it covers up what you really came to Target for: the Plan B pill. Once you ensure yourself no one can see the “emergency contraceptive” peeking out, you rush through Target’s selfcheckout and pray that your mom’s best friend or your English teacher doesn’t get a peek inside your grocery bag.

Your parents said you couldn’t go on birth control because that would mean you’re having sex. And they don’t like that idea. They’re sure that abstinence is the best form of birth control.

But here you are now, throwing the Plan B box in the parking lot trashcan so the evidence can’t be found at home.

The “best” form of birth control that parents and teachers try to prescribe to us is abstinence — it’s unrealistic. While it may come as a shock, yes, teens are having sex. And denying them access to safe forms of birth control is only hurting them.

For parents, yes, the idea of their children participating in a very adult activity may make them shift in their seat. But inhibiting the use of a product associated with sex doesn’t inhibit the act itself. Sorry mom and dad.

If teens have only ever heard adults preaching abstinence, they won’t know what to use or do to protect against pregnancy and STDs when they have sex for the first time. And according to Planned Parenthood, 55% of both males and females have had sex by age 18.

The conversation between a girl and her doctor to decide what form of birth control is right for her — whether that be the pill or some form of IUD — is an important one, and one that should be seen as a more realistic option than abstinence.

With only a semester worth of health class, and just one vague unit on sex education, it’s not only unrealistic to tell teens that abstaining from sex is the only way to avoid pregnancy — it’s ignorant.

Most students don’t even know basic birth control facts, like how melatonin cancels birth control pills. Making the conversation more open will decrease confusion about how birth control works, because the last thing teen girls need is to hear their know-it-all friend telling them how they think it works, despite that they’ve never received a real education on the subject. All teen girls have the right to know that some antibiotics make your birth control less effective, that abstinence and the pill aren’t the only options of birth control and that there are free options of birth control through Planned Parenthood.

At 16, teens are legally able to engage in sex, so they shouldn’t be shamed for it — and their health shouldn’t be put at risk just because parents won’t let them consider their options. When parents assume that keeping their daughter from going on birth control will keep her from having sex, they’re only putting her at risk.

Not only that, but the old-fashioned view of abstinence will even lead to opposite effects of what it’s trying to accomplish. It creates a sense of shame in teens for having or wanting to have sex. Teens then are more likely to abstain from getting birth control because they don’t want to go through it and be judged, leading to unsafe

sex.

No one wants to or should ever feel ashamed of acquiring birth control — otherwise, they’ll be more likely to ignore it completely and leave their preference in birth control out of the picture when having sex.

Teens are capable of making these decisions, so it’s important that they have access to information surrounding it. But even if teens decide to pursue their own information, SMSD limits that possibility.

With only a semester worth of health class, and just one vague unit on sex education, it’s not only unrealistic to tell teens that abstaining from sex is the only way to avoid pregnancy — it’s ignorant.

Even Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit organization providing sexual health care, is blocked on our school computers because it’s categorized under “sex education.” Red flag.

We shouldn’t be denied access to information that betters our understanding and education on sexual health. A majority of teens engaging in sexual activity aren’t looking to get pregnant.

Without teen access to information on safe sex and openness to conversation about it, the numbers of pregnancies will remain high.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2017, 194,377 babies were born to women ages 15 to 19 years old — a birth rate of 18.8% per 1000 women in the age group.

Open conversation regarding birth control may not have guaranteed that 100% of these women wouldn’t have gotten pregnant, but it would have at least significantly decreased this number and taught them they had options and nothing to be ashamed of.

According to CDC, a whopping 68% of teens don’t use birth control because they’re afraid their parents will find out. After a lifetime hearing that they shouldn’t be having sex, teens would rather opt to take the risk of unsafe sex than to tell their parents. And they’d have to risk unsafe sex — in Kansas, parental consent is required in Kansas for teens under 18 to buy contraceptives like pills, patches or IUDs. Even in doctors’ offices, teens don’t feel comfortable being honest. Sitting in the doctor’s office, the same unavoidable question always comes up.

“Are you sexually active?”

And with your mom sitting in the chair next to you and the doctor staring you down, you give the answer you know they want to hear.

“Umm... no.”

Because if they knew, they’d be disappointed.

So instead girls lie to their doctors in fear and can’t get the health care they need.

All teens need access to birth control in some form, but what matters most is people’s ability to communicate about it, because whether adults like it or not, teens are having sex.

THERE ARE OTHER

O P TI O N S

Abstinence is an unrealistic method of birth control for teens and adults should be more open to conversation about it

FOR: 11 AGAINST: 0 The individuals on the editorial board who agree with the viewpoint of the editorial are represented by for, and those that disagree with the viewpoint of the editorial are represented by against.

EDITORIAL POLICY 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 contents and views 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 quoted material may be confirmed with 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 though letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 413B or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com

04 | NEWS

NEWS

design by | sophie henschel

by jilli foley

THE OUTBREAK.

Local, national and international effects of the coronavirus as it spreads across the world

LOC A L E F F EC TS : SMSD district’s plans for possible outbreaks in the area SINCE MORE CITIES like San Diego and Chicago have been dealing with the latest outbreaks of the coronavirus, citizens have been stocking up on face masks and hand sanitizer to shield themselves from a possible outbreak in the East area.

In an email sent to the SMSD administration and staff, SMSD communications stated that a team of SMSD staff is working closely with the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) to provide updates through emails to the community. The goal is to make sure that if the virus reaches the nearby community, the district is prepared.

The district will be staying up-to-date with federal communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in addition to educating the community about it by informative emails to parents and staff.

Currently, the district isn’t panicking about the schools being infected from the low rates of severe infection towards younger people, but are proceeding to plan for the future if it were to come closer to the community.

East nurse Stephanie Ptacek says she hasn’t been informed of any specific procedures to follow if a student comes in with symptoms.

“Since the symptoms are much like the flu, I wouldn’t be able to determine unless I asked about travel history,” Ptecek said.

“So I would be really more suspicious of the flu.”

The SMSD District sent another email regarding the coronavirus, stating that as the coronavirus begins to spread into our

part of the country, teachers will instruct students who are anxious or scared to visit the nurse for assistance.

The on-going spread of this virus has canceled many student’s spring break trips internationally to less-infected locations inside the U.S. Additionally, East’s choir program is currently planning on taking 180 people to Austria, Hungary and Czech Republic, which has raised some health concerns from parents and kids.

“I’m worried that one of us is going to get it, which would probably result to all of us being quarantined,” junior Austin Housley said. “It makes me feel scared and uneducated if the worst were to happen.”

Right now the CDC has still permitted travel in those countries, but according to choir director Ken Foley, the school will continue contact with the CDC and their travel agency to determine if the countries are still safe to travel to. “[The CDC] could find it’s not as dangerous as they thought or that it could be everywhere making more of a chance of getting stuck [in quarantine] somewhere cause of travel restrictions,” Foley said.

As of right now, the CDC has stated the countries the choir trip will be going to are safe enough to not cancel. The district has set up a meeting for the students traveling to be educated on this virus, giving them packets of instructions and procedures for the trip.

Though the outbreak of the coronavirus has now spread to the U.S., districts like SMSD have been proactive with the preparation of the future.

= COUNT RIES WIT H CONFIRMED C ASES = COUNTRIES WITHOUT CONFIRMED CASES

N AT I O N A L E F F E C T S : Government plans for outbreaks across the U.S. THE GOVERNMENT IS taking precautions for this coronavirus epidemic to protect the economy and American citizens.

In a press conference president Donald Trump held on Feb. 29, he discussed the preparation for the coronavirus reaching the US. Trump stated the risk of outbreak for coronavirus in America remains low even with some cases already present.

As of March 4, over 50 and rising cases have been reported in different states including California, New York and Washington. The death toll in America has increased to 11 deaths due to the coronavirus and could rise every day.

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CASES CONFIRMED IN THE U.S.

Vice President Mike Pence said at the conference the CDC would be releasing new guidelines for quicker testing towards people who are displaying mild symptoms.

Many flights back to the U.S. have been canceled in order to prevent the coronavirus from getting to America.

The CDC warned U.S. citizens to prepare for

an outbreak of the virus, but Trump remarked on the situation as “very well under control in our country.” He believes the country has made an effective response from other countries issue that they will be ready to adapt if any outbreak spreads towards us.

Junior Kaleb Hagg believes that canceling travel plans to prevent a spreading of the virus is smart.

“I think it’s decreasing our chance of the outbreak because not many people want to go to where the coronavirus is to bring it back,” Hagg said.

At the meeting, Trump placed Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the federal response efforts and the country’s containment towards the predicted epidemic.

U.S. lawmakers reach a deal of 8.3 billon for an emergency coronavirus bill. The White House will use this to contain the virus and do medical research to help find ways to prevent it from getting worse.

Federal health officials and the CDC are ultimately preparing for a potential pandemic that could disrupt lives, and close schools, forcing people to stay home that could start an economic decline.

I N T E R N AT I O N A L E F F E C T S : International travel threats have been put in place due to the outbreak SINCE THE LAST week of February, the coronavirus has spread across the globe, infecting every continent except Antarctica.

81,000 CASES CONFIRMED G L O B A L LY

Within the past two weeks, the level of risk for the coronavirus within Europe has been raised from moderate to high, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The death toll around the world has swept past 3,000 and is continuing

to rise.

Its rapid spread pushed governments to introduce emergency measures like quarantine and reducing travel to prevent the progression of the epidemic by stopping travel in and out of certain countries including China and parts of Northern Italy.

With the concerns surrounding traveling to Europe, WorldStrides, a global travel agency, has developed plans of relocation to safer, secure places when traveling to European countries.

“With regards to the coronavirus, our team has diligently stayed alert of all updates and travel reports by the CDC and the World

Health Organization since the news broke out months ago,” head of WorldStrides Frank Davis said.

Over 50 years of travel, the agency has been through dilemma with illnesses like Ebola and other outbreaks conflicting with their tours and traveling groups. In the past month, they have dealt with groups traveling to China, which then immediately re-routed the group to a more safer itinerary — the same itinerary the East choir trip is going on on March 12th.

“The safety and well-being of our travelers are our highest priority,” Davis said.

“Therefore, we continuously monitor and research into any possible situation that could

affect our tours.”

Daily, the CDC informs their recommendations of travel between different countries. They use watch levels from practicing usual safety precautions when traveling to avoiding all essential travel to more infected countries.

Travel is still available mostly, but if the sickness keeps spreading unexpectedly, countries will go into quarantine until the virus is terminated. Most countries in Europe have seen some infection from the coronavirus, but they’re increasing research to slow down the spread until it gets out of control.

NEWS | 05

design by | caroline wood photo by | maggie merckens

The 21st annual Planet Comicon is coming to Kansas City on March 20, and two freshmen are preparing to attend it for the first time

COMICON’S K COMING TO C!

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by lyda cosgrove

he 21st annual Planet Comicon will be held March 20-22 at Bartle Hall.

Kansas City’s Comicon is the largest comic book and pop culture convention in the Midwest region, according to Planet Comicon’s website. The event started in 1999 as a small, one-day convention in Overland Park and has expanded into a three-day event attracting tens of thousands of fans from around the country. Genres explored at the event range from fantasy and sci-fi to superhero, television and film.

This year’s featured guests include cosplayers, voice actors and celebrities — with some being “Stranger Things” stars Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb Laughlin.

Planet Comicon tickets range in price from $22 for youth and $76 for adults to $210 for the “fast pass” — allowing superfans early access to autographs and photo-ops.

Comicon also secures discounted rates at various hotels surrounding Bartle Hall and the Kansas City Convention Center, along with free parking to allow

You don’t have to hide or pretend. You can just kinda be free and have fun... [without] anyone being like, ‘Oh she’s a little weird.

ayla ozkan | freshman guests a convenient and reasonably priced stay, according to Planet Comicon’s website.

Comicon offers a variety of activities for all ages and interests, including special effects workshops, mental health seminars, magic shows, celebrity meet and greets, sewing demonstrations and even a speed dating course. Fans can meet their favorite celebrities and participate in a variety of contests such as drone racing and a cosplay competition.

Freshmen Delaney McDermed and Ayla Ozkan are headed to their first Comicon this year, cosplaying two characters — Shallan and Kaladin — from their favorite book series, “The Stormlight Archive” by

Brandon Sanderson, which they first bonded over in eighth grade.

“I really, really love [Kaladin] and I feel like cosplaying is just sort of a way for me to show my love and appreciation for [him],” McDermed said.

In a community where cosplay isn’t necessarily the norm — often mocked on TikTok where the true art of creating costumes and developing characters is lost — Ozkan and McDermed are looking forward to being in an environment full of creativity and people with similar interests.

“You don’t have to hide or pretend,” Ozkan said.

“You can just kinda be free and have fun...[without] anyone being like, ‘Oh she’s a little weird.’”

McDermed agrees that out of Comicon’s many appealing attractions, the welcoming community that is free of judgement is the most exciting part of the convention.

“Comicon is kind of the stereotypical nerd thing, I guess,” McDermed said. “But you like what you like... and who cares right? At Comicon, you can go and not be judged.”

In addition to this year’s popular cosplay appeal, Comicon will be incorporating new activities, including an expansion of the e-gaming and tabletop games area.

“Each year we try to add new aspects to the show or to highlight a new focus,” Comicon Press Coordinator, Bill Watters said.

This year’s newly-improved Planet Entertainment Zone (PEZ) is where costumers, makers and roboticists are showcased and provide demonstrations. This year’s special guest for the PEZ is Adam Savage, one of the original two “Mythbusters” on the Discovery Channel show. Savage is expected to bring an increased focus on the people who are inspired by film, books, comics and TV, according to Watters.

In the meantime, East students and Kansas City comic fans will excitedly await the biggest local pop culture event in the Midwest.

“It’s really cool to be in a place where a bunch of people are interested in the same things that you are,” McDermed said. “I love cosplaying and dressing up and it’s just like that to a whole new level.”

Freshmen Ayla Ozkan and Delaney Mcdermed sit together while Ozkan is dressed in her costume for Comicon. photo by | maggie merckens

PLANET COMICON KC AT B A R T L E H A L L FRI. MAR. 20 | 1PM-8PM S AT . M A R . 2 1 | 1 0 A M - 7 P M S U N . M A R . 2 2 | 1 0A M - 5 P M

WHO’S COMING TO COMICON J O H N C L E E S E M O N T Y PY T H O N GA L E N M A R A Z ZO ST R A N G E R T H I N GS R A L P H M ACC H I O K A R AT E K I D C A L E B M C L AU G H L I N ST R A N G E R T H I N GS A DA M SAVAG E M Y T H BU ST E RS

06 | NEWS

design by | allison wilcox photos by | hadley chapman

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by kate heitmann

rairie Village is considering placing a ban on plastic bags distributed by businesses and requiring 10 cent fee on all paper bags. The idea behind the proposal is to promote the use of reusable bags and reduce the amount of single-use bags used in Prairie Village, according to Prairie Village Councilman Tucker Poling.

City council member Jori Nelson and Poling, along with the Prairie Village Environmental Committee, are still developing the proposal and hope to present it to the Prairie Village City Council in April. If the council approves it, the ban would take effect in about six months to a year following its approval.

Several stores in the Prairie Village area, such as Goodcents and Euston’s Hardware, are supportive of this plastic bag ban, believing that this is a step in the right direction, but still want to ensure their customer’s satisfaction.

“Once [the ban is] around for a few months and customers start understanding and getting used to those standards, they start figuring out ways around it by, you know, having canvas bags, not using a bag at all or whatever else they need to do,” manager of Euston Hardware Matt Cavanaugh said.

I mean whe n you look at these vide os and you see these animals and plastic waste, I think it’s re ally a s hame. Why do we even have to s pe nd money making these plastic bags anymo re?

tucker poling | city councilman

BY E - BY E B AG G I E S Prairie Village makes an attempt to ban plastic bags

BAG BA NS Laws that have been implemented to decrease the use of plastic

WASH INGTO N D. C. I M P L EM EN TED TA X ES & F EES O N P LASTIC BAGS

VERMONT

PL ACE D R ESTRI CTI O N S ON SI N G L E- USE STR AW S AN D P OLYSTREN E CON TAIN ERS

CALIFORNIA F I RST EN ACTE D A L EG I S L ATI O N BA N ON SI NGLE- USE P LASTIC BAGS AT L A RGE R ETAIL STOR ES

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STAT E S H AV E TA K E N AC T I O N TO P R E V E N T P L AST I C U S E

STAT E S H AVE BA NNED S IN GL E -U S E P L AST IC BAGS

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B I LLS R EGAR D IN G P L AST IC BAGS WE R E MAD E IN 2019

Nelson and Poling have been researching the best way to reduce the amount of plastic bags consumers use, by examining the effectiveness of a fee on paper and single-use plastic bags in other cities.

“What seemed to work best was some sort of combination of a ban and a fee because another approach some cities have taken is to charge a fee and basically charge a fee for single-use plastics,” Poling said. “Our research indicated that was not the most effective way, and there were also some legal barriers involved.”

Some largely populated cities, including New York City and Los Angeles, have banned plastic bags and imposed a five or 10 cent fee on all paper bags, according to the New York Times.

“Where we’re at now is what I and Councilman Nelson are asking is to start a community discussion about this,” Poling said. “Where it goes is very uncertain, because we want to be open to that public input from the residents and business owners,” According to Elaine Giessel, chair of the Kanza division of the Sierra Club, an environmental organization created 1892, the average life span of a plastic bag is 12 minutes — from the time groceries are placed into the plastic bag until the time they thrown away.

“Plastic bags can take up to 10,000 years to biodegrade, so when you have hundreds of thousands and even millions of plastic bags placed into the environment from Prairie Village alone, those are going to stay with us for at least ten thousand years,” Poling said.

Freshman Ella Rogers, who takes measures to be eco-friendly, is also supportive of the ban. Rogers believes plastic bags are not necessary and using canvas bags, let alone no bag, is better.

“I mean when you look at these videos and you see these animals and plastic waste, I think it’s really a shame,” Rogers said. “Why do we even have to spend money making these plastic bags anymore?”

However, a new bill, Bill 2625, was introduced to the Kansas Government on Feb. 11 to prevent cities from banning plastic bags. According to Giessel, this bill was created by lobbyists from the plastic industry. If this bill becomes a law, then Prairie Village City Council’s decision will be overridden.

Several states, including Missouri and Florida, have passed laws similar to this one, overriding plastic bag bans. “[If bill 2625 became a law, it] will completely end the discussion, which I think would be unfortunate because local communities can often be very valuable for being little test tubes for trying new ideas and new policies to see what works and what doesn’t,” Poling said.

NEWS | 07

design by | maddox mogenson

ST EP ON E RECOMMENDATIONS GO TO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

ST EP TWO APPROVALS GO TO CITY COUNCIL

ST EP TH REE STEPS ARE MADE TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH

RE A D TO E C T I O M M

THE PLAN

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TH E PEO PLE CHRI S NE WL I N CITY COUNCILMAN AND TASK FORCE CHAIR

SHE I L A A L BE RS ADVOCATE AND REPRESENTATIVE

FRA NK DONCHEZ POLICE CHIEF AND REPRESENTATIVE

The city of Overland Park is implementing a mental health task force to oversee the community’s overall mental health

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by caroline gould

ince unanimously approving the creation of a mental health task force in February, the Overland Park City Council has been in the process of appointing members.

The concept of the task force was originally brainstormed during a public safety meeting on Sept. 11. According to City Council Member Chris Newlin, it was created to better serve the community from a mental health perspective. The city had previously hired co-responders who went out on mental health calls, but felt the need to do more and help all people in the city with their mental health needs, which prompted the task force formation.

“What we were hearing was that not only does mental health affect the kids, which is one of the things we were focused on, it affects adults, and it affects the staff like police and firefighters,” Newlin said.

The task force’s main job is making budget recommendations — such as training budgets for first responders — to the public safety committee. They also work on hiring more people to help with mental health emergencies. Once approved by the committee, it will be passed on to the City Council. And according to Newlin, the goal is to better prepare the city for mental

health emergencies.

“Our immediate goal is finding solutions to the budget issues,” Newlin said. “Post that, we’re going to look at how we can get better training for staff members [of the task force], better training for police, better training for firefighters and how we can cope with mental health issues for our firefighters and our police because they see things everyday that take a toll on them mentally.”

What we were hearing was that not only does mental health affect the kids, which is one of the things we were focused on, it affects adults and it affects the staff like police and firefighters

chris newlin | city councilman The task force will consist of eleven community members who can apply online and then are appointed by the mayor, Carl Gerlach. Members include citizen advocates, mental health practitioners, legal advocates, business leaders, a member of the police force, a firefighter and a county

representative. Though anyone can apply, the task force is specifically looking for those with a background in medical, legal, business or advocacy fields, according to Newlin.

While the task force is primarily focused on putting together budget recommendations, schools in the area also see it as a way to improve the mental health of students.

According to Instructional Coach Kristoffer Barikmo, the task force provides instruction on what students need and acts as a source of advice for the district on what they can do better.

“I think that [the task force] is a great opportunity for [mental health] resources to become much more available in our school,” Barikmo said. “It’s not an issue that’s going to go away, it’s something that we can always do better at as a school community.”

Senior Harvey Ji thinks that with the number of teen suicides within the last few years, the government needs to provide more resources to better prevent it from happening. “[If suicide is happening], there needs to be some more support provided by the government for those families and those family friends,” Ji said.

Applications for potential members

of the task force can still be submitted through March 10, with the announcement of accepted members on April 6. As of now, the task force will have eleven members, but because of the number of capable people applying, there’s discussion of that amount being pushed to 13 to 15 members.

“We’re having so many great people [apply] that I don’t want to leave anybody off, which is actually the tough part,” Newlin said. “I have already 22 applicants out of what was going to be six available positions, so that’s a good thing.”

The task force’s first meeting is expected to be in the middle of April, with monthly meetings to discuss what changes can be made for 2021 and beyond.

“We’ll have a lot of work to do in those first two or three meetings to get done what we need to do for our first recommendations for budgets,” Newlin said.

SCAN ME | APPLY Scan to apply for Overland Park’s Mental Health Task Force on the city’s website

08 | OPINION

design by | annabelle moore

O PINION W

HIGHLIGHTS

A look into student opinions and the opinion section

SPRING BREAK OPINIONS DO YOU H AV E A N Y SP RIN G B R EAK T R AD I T I O N S ?

A couple years ago my dad started this tradition where he takes [my family] on a roadtrip somewhere in the Midwest. The first one was a Kansas roadtrip, and this year’s going to be a western Missouri roadtrip.

It started out because my older sister was going to Italy one year and he wanted us to do something. It was kind of ironic, like ‘you’re going to Italy, but we’re driving around Western Kansas and seeing a creepy sculpture garden.’ He told us it’s his way of convincing us to get out of the Midwest as soon as possible.

august hyde | sophomore

W HAT’S YO UR O P IN IO N O N S PRI NG B R EAK?

THE WEEK IN 280 C H A R AC T E R S T H E N E W CO RO N AV I R U S I S N OW I N AT L E A ST 7 5 CO U N T R I E S , T H E WO R L D H E A LT H O RGA N I Z AT I O N S AYS .

M O R E T H A N 9 4 ,0 0 0 C A S E S H AV E B E E N C O N F I R M E D WO R L DW I D E . D E S P I T E T H AT G ROW T H , T H E W H O D I R EC TO R - G E N E R A L S AYS : “ W E C A N P U S H T H I S V I R U S B AC K .”

NPR | 3/4/20 T H E TO K YO 2 0 2 0 O LY M P I C S C O U L D B E P OST P O N E D F RO M T H E S U M M E R U N T I L L AT E R I N T H E Y E A R , AC C O R D I N G TO JA PA N ’S O LY M P I C M I N I ST E R B EC AU S E O F T H E C O RO N AV I R U S .

B B C S P O RT | 3 / 3 / 2 0 “ I LO O K F O RWA R D TO A S E R I O U S D E B AT E O N T H E S E R I O U S I S S U E S FAC I N G T H I S C O U N T RY, ” B E R N I E S A N D E R S S AYS O F J O E B I D E N . “ I D O N OT WA N T T H I S C A M PA I G N TO D EG E N E R AT E I N TO A T R U M P - T Y P E E F F O RT W H E R E W E ’ R E AT TAC K I N G E AC H OT H E R , W H E R E I T ’S P E R S O N A L AT TAC KS , ” H E A D D S .

ABC NEWS POLITICS | 3/4/20

I like Spring Break because we don’t have to go to school and I get to go skiing with my family every year.

anabelle merchant | junior

O P I N I O N AT E D .

S TAY - C AT I O N A C T I V I T I E S TH INGS TO D O OV E R SP RIN G B R EAK I N KC ACCO R D I NG TO STUDENTS

p. 9 DO YOU THINK SCIENTISTS SHOULD CONTINUE RESEARCH ON CLONING?| 272 VOTES

34% NO 66% YES

WHAT | ICE CREA M BA E KC WHERE | INSIDE THE M A DE IN KC M A RKE TPLACE ON THE PLAZA

WHAT | THE BACHE LOR LIV E ON STAG E

p. 10 DO YOU THINK BEING A SOCIAL MEDIA OR YOUTUBE INFLUENCER IS A DESIRABLE AND ACCEPTABLE PROFESSION? | 259 VOTES

WHERE | A RV E ST BA NK THEATRE AT THE M I DLAND

41% NO

HOW MUCH | TICKE TS RA NGING FROM $38-175 PER PERSON

59%YES

WHAT | A FRE E WE E K OF CORE POWE R YOGA CLASSES WHERE | COUNTRY CLUB PLA ZA A ND HAWTHORNE PLAZA HOW MUCH | FRE E FOR THE FIRST WE E K

WHAT | CUBA N COOKI NG PA RTY WHER E | THE CULI NA RY CE NTE R OF KA NSAS CITY HOW MU CH | $5O PE R PE RSON

p. 11 DO YOU THINK DOGS HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE PEOPLE MORE WELL-ROUNDED? | 203 VOTES

%11 NO %89 YES

OPINION | 09

design by | riley atkinson photo by | julia percy

CUT THE E

by elizabeth mikkelson

C LO N N G Genetically modified genes aren’t ethical

T H E P ROC E S S ONE CELL GETS THE DESIRED GENE TA K E N O U T & T H E OT H E R C E L L G E T S T H E N U C L E U S TA K E N O U T THE NUCLEUS IS FUSED W I T H T H E D E N U C L E AT E D EGG C LO N E S W I T H T H E DESIRED GENES ARE FORMED

OV E R T H E Y E A R S

2018 2019 NOW

S C I E N T I S T S C LO N E D M O N K E Y S , W H I C H PAV E S T H E WAY F O R H U M A N S 4 2 ,0 0 0 - Y E A R - O L D F O A L WA S E X P E R I M E N T E D O N , S C I E N T I S T S WA N T TO C LO N E M A N Y D O C TO R S E X P E C T O R G A N C LO N I N G C O U L D B E RO U T I N E I N T H I S Y EA R

WA N T M O R E ?

SCAN ME | INFORMATION Scan this QR code to learn more about the scientific side of cloning and its effects

ver since I watched “Parent Trap” and “Twitches,” I’ve wanted a twin like I saw on the big screens — someone that likes online shopping as much as I do or who can relate to me when I say that I’m craving pizza at midnight. But now that cloning is becoming a reality in the current scientific research, I realize my dream of seeing double should never become a reality. Although switching classes is tempting, cloning isn’t an ethical solution.

Genetically modifying genes to make them suitable

Cloning has been tested and experimented on animals since the 1900’s, and the first successful mammal clone was Dolly the sheep in 1996. It worked because she survived from an implanted adult cell, whereas in animals before Dolly, the cloned cell didn’t survive. to someone else’s traits doesn’t seem sensical in today’s world, particularly when it comes to ethical values.

The thing that makes each person their own, is their unique traits and personality, which would no longer exist in the case of human cloning.

To recap a lesson in AP Biology 2, cloning an organism means removing the DNA (genetic material) out of one organism and implanting it into the egg cell of the desired clone. As the egg, implanted with DNA, becomes fertilized and developed, a replica organism is created.

Cloning has been tested and experimented on animals since the 1900’s, and the first successful mammal clone was Dolly the sheep in 1996. It worked because she survived from an implanted adult cell, whereas in animals before Dolly, the cloned cell didn’t survive.

Since then there have been many successful animal clonings, such as cows, sheep and dogs. Dolly’s triumph came after 277 attempts of nonsurviving organisms beforehand.

If there were this many deaths in animals, imagine the complications that could come from testing on humans.

There are specific state laws pertaining to human cloning and its restrictions when testing — California has a law that bans cloning for the intent of producing children, yet protects cloning experimentation for research purposes. This means that if a cloned human cell is produced, it would have to then be destroyed due to the reproduction law — defeating the purpose of the research even being done in the first place.

In Kansas there aren’t any laws that prohibit human cloning, meaning that anyone could experiment by any means they choose to —

whether that be a 5-year-old elementary student or a molecular biologist.

For many scientists, the point of creating these clones is to gain more of an understanding in the field and use it for medical purposes like creating organs to aid people in need of transplants. But at what cost? It could help people theoretically, but the risks are too great to complete the research necessary for it to work.

Just in 2018, the first cloned monkeys were successfully created by using the process of nuclear transfer.

The scary part is that human cloned cells have already been successfully created, but destroyed due to certain state laws. Experiments such as this are already being devised in the world and the idea that human clones may not be something just seen in movies, but in the near future is not so far fetched.

The idea of risking these failures and complications in humans is something that shouldn’t be attempted due to the undetermined repercussions like health defects, abnormalities and more. There is still a moral debate over if animal cloning is ethical, let alone the debate over cloning a person.

A specific quirk or trait that you imagine when you think about somebody would no longer be unique to them.

With humans, the process is much more complicated.

It’s one thing to attempt cloning on an innocent mouse, but cloning a human is just a disaster waiting to happen. The inconsistent complications, including organism possible deaths or mutations associated with cloning outweigh the possible benefits.

It is undeniable that humans will eventually achieve successful human cloning, but only after the right research and means of doing so are found. I don’t know about you, but until then, I don’t want to be seeing double anytime soon.

10 | OPINION

design by | natasha thomas photo illustration by | sarah golder

Today’s children idolize YouTubers, but internet fame takes more than a vlog camera and a dream

I

by lydia underwood

n kindergarten, I drew pictures of myself feeding dolphins and putting out fires — my indecisive self couldn’t decide if I wanted to be a dolphin trainer or firefighter when I grew up. But today, I watch 8 year olds renegade-ing in public or mimicking Jeffree Starr, trying to become their generation’s next famous social media influencer.

A survey conducted by LEGO in 2019 found that, out of 3,000 kids ages 8-12, one-third of them said they wanted to be YouTubers when they grew up.

Social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube perpetuate expectations among today’s youth that simply aren’t realistic. The videos that pop up on kids’ feeds typically have millions of views, because their algorithm boosts promotion for high-view videos, but that doesn’t mean your videos will gain the same popularity. I hate to break it to the 13-year-olds aspiring to make millions from subscriptions and likes, but not everyone can be internet famous — and getting there is a lot harder than it seems.

I’ll admit, I’ve uploaded a video on YouTube in idyllic effort to be launched into mega-fame. But I quickly realized

1/3 IN A 2019 SURVEY OF 3000 KIDS 1/3 OF THEM WANT TO BE YOUTUBERS WHEN THEY GROW UP

how hard it was, it was impossible to feel comfortable in front of the camera and the editing process was tedious and took my non-technological self two days.

Being an influencer — someone who has a hefty following on social media — is a job you never get time off from, one where

you’re constantly critiqued on your looks and actions. Trends dictate your life — if a half-shaved head was suddenly considered “cool,” you’d better pull out your razor and a camera to keep those likes coming.

For example, vlogger Eva Gutowski, aka mylifeaseva, went from posting high school advice to travel vlogs in the Maldives as she got older. But her videos now are barely cracking 500K views while her old videos from four years ago have 30 million or more.

Sure, you could get lucky and sign brand deals with clothing resale companies like Dote and get free to Fiji, but to sustain yourself through an internet profession, you have to make sure you’re constantly appeasing your followers. Kids look at TikTok stars like Charli D’amelio and think all she does is post a video and instantly make millions of dollars. They don’t realize the scrutiny she faces for merely wearing a Canadian tuxedo or cutting her hair — or how many people before her have tried to become TikTok famous and failed.

An analysis done by Mathias Bartl, a professor at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, showed that 96.5% of those trying to become YouTubers won’t make enough money off advertising to operate above the U.S. poverty line. But through pursuing a more secure career, such as nursing, you could make an average of $50,000 a year after 4 years of undergraduate college instead of barely enough to pay your apartment rent by editing videos that won’t be seen.

Emma Chamberlain, a popular 18-yearold YouTuber with 8.65 million subscribers, is among the top 3.5%. She’s currently sponsored by Louis Vuitton, who flew her to Paris Fashion Week, and was the February cover story for Cosmopolitan. But the clips of Emma trying fast food veggie burgers don’t show the 30 hours she spends editing

each video she posts, according to the New York Times.

The 40-70 hour workweek of a “normal” job might sound daunting, but I doubt Jeffree Starr, a popular make-up artist on YouTube, is chilling on the couch all day curled up by his dogs while trying to run 10 companies and keep his followers updated.

And with YouTube, your day-to-day plans are dictated by what your followers want to see. Everything has to be original and interesting — the pressure can make people go to extremes such as Jake Paul filming inside a suicide forest in Japan while making jokes.

If you do manage to build an audience and a following, you still probably won’t be making millions a month. Just because Shane Dawson is raking in $7.2 million a year doesn’t mean you will.

Out of the 31 million channels on YouTube in 2019, only around 16,000 had over one million subscribers, according to Tubics, a website that can analyze your YouTube channel.

Younger kids today are growing up believing they can be in the top 1% for making funny videos with the likes of Cody Ko and Miranda Sings. In reality, it takes hours of grueling editing and money to finance videos to be truly successful — but YouTube’s algorithm is making it seem achievable because the only videos on your homepage are created by people who have over a million subscribers.

Just getting to the point where you can make any money is super hard. When you reach over 100,000 subscribers, you finally get a YouTube partner manager to help grow your channel. According to Selfy, a website that helps you grow your business, you can’t make money off of a channel until you have 1,000 subscribers. But the amount of money you can make through advertising depends

on the kind of ads you’re able to feature and your viewers. To earn the most money, you want to have a high viewer engagement — the more interaction you get, the more money you’ll make.

It’s not surprising that the younger generation is becoming a massive army of YouTuber-wannabes — influencer’s lives are so alluring. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be rich and famous spending your days hanging out with David Dobrik at UCLA

THE ROA DBLOCKS

1,000 S U B S C R I B E R S B E F O R E YO U C A N M O N E T I Z E A YO U T U B E C H A N N E L

100,000 S U B S C R I B E R S B E F O R E YO U C A N W O R K W I T H PA R T N E R M A N A G E R S

frat parties instead of sitting in an office for eight hours every day?

Young kids need to become aware of the fact that social-media stardom isn’t as easy as influencers make it look. If they keep believing these unrealistic expectations, soon we’ll have a society full of people trying to make their morning oatmeal view-worthy instead of finding the cure for Alzheimer’s.

I don’t want to watch a ton of mini James Charles running around with cameras only to end up among the penniless majority, or famous and realizing that influencer life is harder than they thought. I want elementary schoolers to keep dreaming of being firefighters and dolphin trainers — not renegading to pay their bills.

OPINION | 11

design by | caroline chisholm photos courtesy of | sme journalism

A

fter having smoothie king accidentally poured down my shirt and girl problems eating my brain, all I wanted to do was scream in my pillow and be alone. And that’s exactly what I did. When I got home I tirelessly screamed into my pillow, but, no, I wasn’t alone. There he was, my dog, Louie, there to simmer all my problems away.

My mood immediately shifted from dark clouds, to sunlight. Louie, somehow, knows the best times to comfort me. His endless snuggles when I’m upset taught me that the even the small moments of love and friendship mean more than the hours of girl drama.

Even though he doesn’t know the inner workings of the mean girl’s brain and probably just thinks the smoothie on my pants smells good, Louie brings me the unconditional love I need after a long day.

Yes, he’s a dog, his snuggles return the positive vibes back into my system and give me motivation to study for my 200term Spanish quiz the next day.

Having a dog makes you a well-rounded person. It’s just the facts.

My small brown and white fluff of a dog has attacked me with love and life lessons since puberty hit. He’s gone through mani-pedis, clip-on bling and many kicking and screaming temper tantrums, but has always stuck by my side to help teach me the power of friendships.

Through many Barbie doll sharing battles and races around the playground, my dog, Louie, has been through it all and molded me into a more well-rounded person.

From millions of high pitched whimpers waiting for his mile walk, Louie teaches me patience and collectiveness. He will wait hours and hours just to spot my car pulling into the driveway. Just noticing me lets me know that the littlest things can help lift someone up — even if it’s just messing with Great Aunt Sally by feeding her gross broccoli mac n cheese under the table to him.

They may not slow down for you when they’re running through the neighborhood chasing a squirrel. They may even poop on the floor when you are discussing the latest drama in your friend group.

The bottom line is that your furry companion snuggles and reveals their puppy eyes to minimize the loneliness and depression caused by every friend group fight and the hours you spend crying over your English argumentative essay.

According to Help Guide, touching a loving animal can rapidly calm and soothe you when you’re stressed or anxious. The companionship of a pet can also ease loneliness.

Yes, some people aren’t dog people.

Some people like the stress relief of a cat who just sleeps the entire day or some like to watch fish swim around in the same

tank — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Although other pets can suffice, do you think an alarm-clock-chirping bird will give you more unconditional love than my cuddly, outgoing dog? No, so set the bird free and sleep for once.

Frankly, I think fish, cats, lizards and snakes are just more expensive versions of a pet rock. No other pet can mentally prepare you for the real world like a dog, especially Louie.

Not only can little (or big) Louie, Buddy, Milo, or Max can help you talk through the boggling mind of a teenage girl but, they can also teach you to live life positively.

According to The Washington Post, dog people, are slightly happier than those without any pets. The General Social Survey data show that dog owners, are more likely to be married and own their own homes than cat owners, both factors known to affect happiness and life satisfaction.

I understand that some, including my Cruella De Vil inspired neighbor, may classify themselves as non “pet people”.

But her unhappy and grumpy personality really gives me an understanding that pets can change you down no matter who you are — even the Cruella’s of the world.

And lastly, to my future boyfriend, if you do not appreciate me as much as my dog appreciates every moment of my presence, we’re over.

Just before opening the latest box of Girl Scout cookies and turning on Netflix, my yappy thunder rocket rejuvenates my physical health when he makes me walk him around the block — making sure to sniff every pine cone and pee on every tree.

Help Guide explains that most dogs are a great stimulus for healthy exercise, which can substantially boost your mood and ease depression. When I turn the ripe age of 90 I want my strong calcium built bones to have motivation to get up and move, and I know from experience, any dog will make me go out before and after the afternoon bingo match.

So those who are dedicated towards their activity rings on their Apple watch, a dog gifts you with the opportunity for those last hundred steps to close all three rings, plus you get to do it with your best (furry) friend.

But seriously, my dog is not just my best friend but my therapist, four-legged security guard and my biggest cheerleader.

By the looks of it, he really should have a million followers by now on his fan account considering he knows more about me than my own mother.

So next time you’re at the pet store deciding to take a big step for your life and enhance it with a little more excitement, go the dog-route and turn play time into a physics lesson — because that’s what Louie does for me.

THE

LO V I N G

LIFE OF

PETS

Owning a dog allows you to become a well-rounded person

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FEATURES | 13

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F E AT U R E

HIGHLIGHTS

G R E TA ST EC H S C H U LT E F EAT U R E D ARTIST

A D O N AT I N G H E A RT

Freshman Greta Stechschulte has been flipping and spinning from her gold silks in her front yard for three years. Stechschulte explains her

AERIALIST

balancing act between tennis and silks and the details behind the sport.

HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN SILKS TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NO IDEA WHAT IT IS? “When I say I do silks, most people say like, ‘what the heck is that?’ But I will just explain the people in the circus who flip off the fabric and then they usually understand. If that fails, I will just pull up a YouTube video.”

HOW SERIOUS DO YOU TAKE SILKS? “Not very serious, it is mostly a side activity I like to do when I’m not playing tennis.”

SILK SKILLS INVERSION A B O V E Junior Keaton Duckworth raises his hand above his heart to stop the blood flow in his arm. photo by | taylor keal

a basic stunt where you flip upside down

L E F T Junior Jane Ford talks to her friend as they give blood at the blood drive. photo by | taylor keal

a secure wrap around your foot that you can stand on and that can be the base for other tricks

C RO S S B AC K

A B O V E Junior Drew Parisi receives a medal for donating blood at the East Blood Drive on Feb. 29. photo by | taylor keal

from double footlocks, cross the silks behind your back, then invert or drop downward

MARCH-APRIL

U P C O M I N G S H A R E P RO J E C T S

9 15 4 TH

S M S D C l ot h i n g Ce nte r | 4. 3 0 - 7 p. m .

SCAN ME | SME SHARE Visit the SME SHARE website to find more volunteer opportunities in Kansas City

DO S ILKS AND TENNIS EVER INTERFERE? “Tennis comes first, so I usually do silks when I have extra time.

It’s a very good workout and works a lot of the muscles used in tennis, which is the reason my parents are semi-okay with me doing silks.”

WHAT IS YOU R FAVORITE PART ABOU T SILKS? “I think silks are very rewarding because skills can be very hard

TH

TH

FOOT LOC KS

KC Pet Project | 12 pm-3pm

to learn and you spend weeks and weeks preparing for a skill and when you can finally put everything together it feels like all your hard work paid off.”

SCAN ME FOR MORE ABOUT STECHSCHULTE Scan to read more about Stechschulte

P roj e ct L inu s | 1 0-1 1 : 3 0 p. m . a t S M E

and her experience with aerial silks

14 | FEATURES

design by | lila tulp photos by | elise madden

A CONVE RSAT IO N W I T H THE FRIEN DS Freshman Fritz Sullivan and Sophomore Toby Rodriguez create a podcast that forever changes their friendship

S

by annabelle moore itting on the space gray couch that wraps around the entirety of sophomore Toby Rodriguez’s basement, he and freshman Fritz Sullivan pull a narrow slip of construction paper out of a jar with the name of next week’s special guest on their podcast, “A Conversation With My Friend.”

Sullivan and Rodriguez have been co-hosts of their podcast since releasing the first episode on Spotify, Apple Music and several other streaming platforms in December 2019.

“Fritz and I’s podcast is basically what you would think: a conversation with my friend,” Rodriguez said. “That’s how it started. We were on a boat in New York getting ready to depart for a boat tour, saw a seagull and started talking about the seagull.”

Sullivan and Rodriguez ended up having a 15-minute conversation about that seagull — and the depth of it led them to debut their day-to-day conversations to the public eye, or ear.

At first, Sullivan and Rodriguez recorded their conversations merely for their own enjoyment, still calling it their podcast. But after nearly a year of keeping the recordings to themselves, Sullivan threw out the idea of publishing them. Rodriguez was in.

Sullivan and Rodriguez record and release a new episode of their podcast each week, featuring a randomly chosen guest who is the grabber of their show. Whenever someone asks Sullivan or Rodriguez to be on featured on the podcast, they place their name in a jar and from there it’s luck.

Conversation is their forte.

The episodes have a baseline structure and topical conversations, but Rodriguez says they never know what’s in store for each episode. The first episode touched on what unique animal coat they would each want to serve as a pillowcase, while last week the boys and their guest discussed

which they would prefer: Hinge or Tinder.

Some guests take the comedic route to answer the first ‘Random Q’ of the day Sullivan throws at them, or the rapid yes-or-no questions that both hosts ask. Rodriguez, Sullivan, and the guest of the week answer each question in all of the podcast segments.

“If grass on the world was hair, what color and texture of hair would it be?” Sullivan asked his guest.

“Straight and strawberry blonde,” sophomore Macy Cherra, their Feb. 23 guest, answered.

Closing the podcast, some guests take a more serious route on what the boys call guest space: a time for the guests to freely express anything they want, without Sullivan and Rodriguez drilling them with questions.

Sophomore Lillian Williams had the opportunity to be a guest on “A Conversation With My Friend,” and admired the structure of the podcast, along with the questions asked.

“We talked about what you would do if your tongue was the only thing you could use, we talked about lunchroom anxiety, our first days of middle school, our favorite things, cheer...,” Williams said.

It’s literally just a conversation — it just kind of goes on. And it’s really really fun. Toby and Fritz are a lot of fun to be with.”

From in-depth conversations about what color the grass on earth would be if it were hair to the topic of anxiety, Sullivan admires each of his guests for the unique stance they bring to each episode.

And for each of his guests, he finds out a handful of interesting facts he wouldn’t have otherwise known about.

“It’s always one of our friends that we have on [our podcast] which is why it’s called ‘A Conversation With My Friend,’” Sullivan said.

“They’re all good in different ways. [Rodriguez] and I also have episodes where it’s just me and him.

Those are also really fun because we get to divert

back to our ways before publishing them.”

Rodriguez still remembers the time before their podcast was offical when he and Fritz were 15 minutes into the recording and the two boys fell asleep — waking up to a five-hour voice memo full of snores and noises throughout the night.

Sullivan and Rodriguez value the casualness of their podcast.

“The sound quality of our podcast episodes isn’t the greatest, but it works,” Sullivan said. “We think that’s kind of the beauty of it. It’s a DIY type situation.”

It’s the nonchalance of “A Conversation With My Friend” that brings a sense of gratitude to both Sullivan and Rodriguez for their friendship.

Although Sullivan and Rodriguez have only known each other for a couple of years through StageRight Performing Arts, the two are inseparable. Their continual sarcasm, podcast meetings during 3rd lunch and references to “The Office” are what makes this friendship and podcast congeal.

“If I like one thing you can be damn sure that Toby likes the same thing,” Sullivan said. “We have a similar sense of humor. It’s actually kind of scary how similar we are.”

Sullivan is convinced he and Rodriguez have a sixth sense. In the midst of recording an episode they’ll fill in the blanks when one person doesn’t know what to say. “[When Rodriguez and I are] in the middle of the podcast and don’t want to communicate to each other out loud, but we’re thinking of what to ask next, we can look at each other and be like ‘yeah, yeah’ and know exactly what to do next,” Sullivan said. “I’ve learned that we know each other so well and we’ve spent so much time together that we know how each other works and we can go off of the vibe we give each other.”

Their friends and podcast guests notice it, too.

Sometimes while they’re recording, their guests

will question how the boys know what each other is thinking.

Sullivan believes that having a podcast has made him a better conversationalist and a pro-small talker, along with bringing him and Rodriguez’s friendship one step further.

While Sullivan handles the technical side of the podcast team, including uploading and editing the episodes to a podcast platform called Anchor (a distributor), Rodriguez handles the social media and promotional aspects of the team.

SCAN ME | PODCAST Scan this QR code to listen to all eight episodes of Fritz and Toby’s podcast on Spotify

From their Instagram, @aconvowithmyfriend, to Rodriguez posting announcements about their episodes on his Google Classroom’s, the boys promote their podcast in any way they can.

The Instagram account features Rodriguez putting up a daily post of what they call “A Conversation With My Friend Vocabulary,” featuring words the boys use in the episodes such as ‘der’ — or their go-to podcast beverage, hot apple cider — so their audience can always be up-to-date on their inside jokes used frequently throughout the podcast.

“We’re trying to steer away from this being just a thing for me and Toby, like just for us to think is funny and go more towards a thing for people to enjoy,” Sullivan said.

The two boys don’t see an end in sight for “A Conversation With My Friend.”

“As long as people listen, we will keep producing,” Rodriguez said. “And as long as people keep wanting to be our guests, we’ll take ‘em.”

FEATURES | 15

design by | cesca stamati photo courtesy of | samantha feinberg

R ACE

The members of Race Project KC get together on one of their field trips.

TO EQUA L I TY Schools are brought together through to spread awareness of how racism has played a part in the Kansas City’s culture

by winnie wolf

G

oing into the teacher book study sponsored

by Johnson County Public Libraries in the summer of 2015 for Tanner Colby’s book, “Some of My Best Friends are Black,” East teachers Samantha Feinberg and David Muhammad expected to leave the night with only a better perspective on segregation in Kansas City and its neighborhoods.

In addition to new insight, the teachers were also approached by Wyandotte High School teacher Tim Stauffer about connecting both sets of students to explore topics of local race and segregation — a student group that came to be known as Race Project KC. Now, Race Project KC includes a network of 15 schools across the KC metro area interested in connecting high school students together on field trips to explore how the demographics in Kansas City came to be.

Field trips start every year in January and occur monthly though April with a recurring group of 15 students per school attending the meetups. Some of this years include visits to the Bruce Watkins Cultural Center, JC Harmon High School, the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and the Dividing Lines Bus Tour around Kansas City.

When discussing the history behind local segregation and race issues in Kansas City, 1950s influencer J.C. Nichols is referenced for his ideas played with the racial covenants written into many deeds of Johnson County houses, shaping the percentages of black people that live here today.

According to East senior participant Kara Auvray, the authentic learning Race Project KC provides at each location has allowed her to learn about the demographics and experiences of the new friends she makes through touring their schools and creating genuine conversation that stemmed from small talk discussion questions about identity, personal experiences and local issues.

“You’d see much more diversity in the schools involved with Race Project KC than you would see at East,” Auvray said. “Which is one of the best parts of being able to meet these students. Wyandotte has a higher percentage of black students and JC Harmon High School has large numbers of black and Hispanic students.”

Each field trip offers fresh ways for the students to gain knowledge on historical and present day race issues and Kansas City segregation.

According to Feinberg, the itinerary for each trip

differs by location, depending on the focus of the trip.

Some are focused on personal differences between schools like racial diversity and experiences, while others look into personal segregation or public work from African American artists or authors.

The group starts with a get-to-know you icebreaker, followed by the showing of a piece of writing or art that is used as a prompt or discussion piece for small groups.

The main activity depends on the location for the day. For example, a trip to the Nelson would include touring the art and then making their own piece. The day ends with lunch and a debriefing reflections on the day.

Bu with Muhammad having left East last year, Feinberg now co-chaperones Race Project KC alongside East teacher Erica Jackson.

“I had heard about the work Race Project KC had done in the past,” Jackson said. “I knew Feinberg needed someone to help her. I like being someone who’s able to help students find the opportunity this program provides because it’s so valuable.”

For students like Auvray, Race Project KC has brought opportunities to student-lead projects that spread the name and purpose of Race Project KC. “On the last field trip in April of last year, I ended up working with a small group on a project to organize a First Friday event,” Auvray said. “It was to spread awareness of Kansas City racial issues while advocating for Race Project KC. Between all the planning, I was able to connect with a group of girls from an Olathe school that I still keep in contact with today.”

Once just an idea fostered by Feinberg and Muhammad, Race Project KC has gained so much interest locally that it is now funded by Johnson County Public Library.

The library has taken full control as directors of the program, with head manager Angel Tucker planning all of the field trips and taking care of funding.

But, Feinberg and Jackson, along with current members, still make it their job to recruit new members each year through the announcements and personally coming to those they think could be interested.

“As long as I’ve lived here, I’ve never really gotten answers as to why Kansas City is so segregated and why a lot of the demographics look the way they do,” Auvray said. “Through Race Project KC, we’ve been able to really engage with that history. I think that’s something really important.”

WH E R E TO NEX T KC Race Project’s next outings

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S C H OO L S I N EAST ’S CO H O RT W YA N D OTT E H I G H S C H OO L J C H A R M O N H I G H S C H OO L K AU F F M A N S C H OO L

16 | NEWS-FEATURE

raesing CONCERN *information courtesy of Whitney Harken

Rae Nutrition Facts Inside the key ingredients to Rae Metabolism Drops and their functions Raspberry Ketones | Supposedly causes fat within cells to be broken down more effectively and helps your body burn fast faster; claims to increase levels of adiponectin, a hormone that helps to regulate metabolism Taurine | Amino acid that naturally occurs in the body, involved in several of the body’s metabolic processes Caffeine | Stimulant; most widely consumed psychoactive drug Vegetable Glycerin | Holds the drops together Citric Acid | Occurs in the citric acid cycle, a part of metabolism in aerobic organisms Other Ways to Stay Healthy | Eat breakfast daily, cut down on caffeine, get exercise or get outside, pay attention to mental health, balance school work with social time, find people you can confide in

Unregulated by the FDA, Rae Metabolism Drops and other unhealthy ways to lose weight pose dangerous risks for teens

N

by phoebe hendon

on-medicinal wellness products aren’t new — they’ve existed in varied forms dating as far back as ancient Sumerians 5,000 years ago. But these products have seen a surge in popularity and media attention in recent years.

At first look, the concept isn’t harmful. But Rae, a women’s wellness company founded by two former Target executives, has shown the internet — and East students who’ve become hooked on their products — how the idyllic promises of corporations don’t always come to fruition. Even if you flavor them like raspberries.

(800) 931-2237

N a t i o n a l E a t i n g D i so rd e rs Association (N EDA) h ot l i n e

When Rae launched, creators Angela Tebbe and Eric Carl set out to create a series of wellness products for women to help them “feel [their] best all day, every day.” Their products, packaged in earth tones with buzz words like ‘rebalance,’ ‘vegan,’ ‘boost’ and ‘gluten-free’ claim to deliver results. But for one of Rae’s products in particular, their Raspberry Metabolism Drops, the legitimacy of results has been heavily debated.

In small print at the bottom of Rae’s website reads a disclaimer: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.” Without FDA approval, Rae’s claims to consumers about benefits mean nothing. These aren’t backed up by any doctor or professional — they come straight from companies like Rae and their marketing teams.

Rae offers a number of wellness products through their website and stores like Target and Walgreens, but their brand gained attention after videos teen girls posted on TikTok went viral, talking about the ‘metabolism booster’ in its beautifully-packaged bottle. The drops’ internet exposure was how most of its users came to hear of them, including senior Brooklyn Manning.

“I was at Target with my friend and she was like, ‘oh, I saw this TikTok trend, the Rae Metabolism Drops, we should probably go find some cause it’s skinny season’ and I was like, ‘well, yeah okay,’” Manning said. “It was kind of a bandwagon thing.”

East students who’ve used the drops generally had the same consensus — the drops can give the appearance of benefit, but they’re not a solution to those who wish to lose weight and have it last.

“If it does anything it takes the water weight out of you, which isn’t a real result,” junior and metabolism drop user Clara Von Drehle said.

Some even believe the drops might have more of a psychological effect than physical.

On the mornings Manning added the drops to her water, she believed she was doing something healthy, leading her to decisions

that carried throughout the day. When deciding on what to have for lunch, she’d opt for a salad over a burger, and when she had free time after school, she worked out instead of lounging in bed. “[Rae Metabolism Drops did] help me feel less bloated ... but partially I think it’s because I wasn’t all that hungry, honestly I think it was kind of like a placebo,” Manning said.

After the drops went viral, it didn’t take long for them to become sold out, both in outlets and on Rae’s website. Girls filmed TikToks of them going to local Targets in hopes of finding the drops only to leave empty-handed. When no one could find them on shelves, the buzz eventually quieted down. For a couple of weeks after the initial viral videos, the drops were impossible to find because demand was so high. The high demand had originally led to a mass assumption that the drops actually worked — but as some began to question what truly took them off shelves, the truth was revealed.

“A worker ... came and asked what I was looking for, and when I said the [Rae Metabolism Drops], the Target lady was like ‘yeah, they got recalled,’” TikTok user @ asiannalex said in a video she made, warning others who use the drops. The video, posted in late February, now has over 498k likes — more than any of the original videos promoting the drops with prasing captions like “perfect for shedding lbs fast” and “let’s get that spring break body!”

Rae had made a silent recall of their metabolism drops, pulling them from the shelves of stores and their website. In a statement released after Rae’s audience came to conclusions on what had actually happened to the drops, they wrote, “We became concerned when we started to notice a conversation emerge: teenage girls misusing the product alongside conversation about weight loss, at times using more than the recommended dose.”

At first glance, Rae’s statement reads like they were admitting their product could bring harm to users. But further in their statement, they continue to say there are “no safety concerns with any of [their] products whatsoever,” and that they chose to recall the drops “simply because [they] feel it’s the right thing to do as a company.”

Some have questioned whether the drops’ virality was organic or an intentional marketing ploy by Rae, but Rae’s PR team continues to reaffirm that not only are their products formulated for adult women, but also exclusively marketed towards adult women — meaning Rae had no connection with the videos, and never intended for the to drops to be in the hands of younger girls. Along with this, Rae has repeatedly argued that not only is their product completely safe to use, but that it works.

For teenagers, advertising and PR can distract from the potential harm FDAunregulated weight loss products inflict.

Brightly-colored boxes and tinted-pink bottles mask possible dangers of metabolism boosters — increased heart rate, high blood pressure, diarrhea, sleeplessness, liver damage and kidney problems, among other things, according to registered dietitian Sarah Grace Meckelberg.

But for some, warnings from those in the medical field like Meckelberg mean nothing — if anything, the threat of severe weight loss or other health issues only reinforces the idea that these products genuinely work. And the search for a satisfactory answer for simple weight loss doesn’t end with the recall of Rae’s drops. “[My friend and I] tried to find those Rae drops that everyone was getting, but we couldn’t find them. We bought these $10 apple cider vinegar diet pills instead,” an East student, who chose to remain anonymous, said.

“They work like a detox, and you’re supposed to take three, twice a day.”

The pills had little to no effect on their actual weight, according to the student, but they later remarked they bought the pills after feeling a need to lose weight for spring break.

Like Rae’s drops, the apple cider vinegar pills were also FDA-unapproved — but to those who crave quick fixes, legitimacy doesn’t always matter.

Businesses that sell weight loss products seem to have found their niche in marketing, not in making effective products. Does it truly matter if the juice cleanse plan that promises to help drop 10 lbs in a week works if the packaging looks pretty and the flavors taste nice? Does it make a difference to know the detox pills a famous YouTuber is advertising don’t work if she’s a size 0? Consumers become so desperate for quick fixes that they’ll believe almost anything they’re told.

“I think that for the last, like, 30 years, the diet industry has capitalized off of people’s insecurities,” Von Drehle said. “But what other multi-million dollar industry can you think of that has a 95% failure rate?”

In recent years, the diet industry has made efforts to rebrand itself. In 2018, Weight Watchers changed its name to WW and focuses more on overall wellness. NutriSystem, another dieting program, was acquired by Tivity Health in effort to become less associated with diet culture. The rebrand even extends to social media with the use of influencers promoting products on the behalf of brands who sponsor them.

“When [brands] have influencers who are super gorgeous and have a following ... promote [weight loss products] like FitTea — like the Kardashians do — and it’s all people are seeing in their feeds, they’re thinking, ‘oh, I should do this to be thinner, my body is not okay the way it is right now, and I should be changing that,’” Von Drehle said.

For teens, social media influencers cloud the distinction between reliable products and gimmicked cash-grabs. The detox tea

design by | lila tulp photo by | kate nixon you’re ordering with a promotion code from your favorite Victoria’s Secret model is just a laxative, and the cherry-flavored lollipops you bought after seeing Kim Kardashain promote them are just appetite suppressants. Products may catch teenagers’ eye with words like “natural” and “paraben-free,” but they’re all the same — either harmful to your health or ineffective.

Teen girls, including the East students who sought out Rae’s drops, scan isles of Target for products that may or may not force their bodies into molds they were never meant to fit — and often make decisions based on what product would look prettiest in the cabinets of their bathrooms. Producers know this, and are more than willing to take advantage of it.

In order for a product to be successful, it doesn’t matter what its ingredients are, but how it’s packaged and marketed to a target audience, according to eating disorder specialist Whitney Harken. Harken works with Resolve Counseling & Wellness, specializing in counseling adolescents and young adults with eating disorders and mental health problems.

Harken believes keeping any type of diet content out of the feeds of users under certain ages would be a good idea for platforms like Instagram. The constant exposure to a certain figure or body type and the praise those bodies receive can manipulate the standard for a good body in a young person’s mind. It’s this misconception that deters some young people from monitoring their holistic health and instead monitoring the calories they eat per day. “[Teens] need to open up their idea of what ‘health’ means. To be truly healthy, we need to look at the mind, body and soul — not just how much we’re exercising or what our weight is.” Harken said. “The truth is, when people say ‘I’m overweight,’ I always say ‘over what weight?’”

Harken also encourages teens who question whether their relationship with their body is healthy or if they struggle with disordered eating to open up conversation with their peers.

Though she kept her unhealthy eating habits to herself for years, junior Claire Perkins Rock — who used Rae’s Metabolism Drops before their recall — agrees with Harken.

“Everyone is going to support you and everyone is going through it and everyone has something to say, so open up about it and it gets a hell of a lot easier,” Perkins Rock said on the importance of opening dialogue about disordered eating and body dysmorphia. “And don’t use the drops.”

If teenagers want to play the numbers game, Perkins Rock and Harken agree that they should ask themselves how many hours of sleep they’re getting, how many meals they’re eating and how many times a week they’re doing something to relieve stress.

Investing themselves in the numbers on the scale or measuring their waist aren’t worth compromising the things in their life that give them joy and purpose.

18 | FEATURES

design by | rose kanaley photos by | maggie klumpp

Q U E S T A RO U N D T H E

WO R L D

M EET THE TEA M CH A RL I E BI RT fi rst ye ar par t i c i pant 2nd pl ace

KA RA AU V RAY

Four students expand their knowledge through participating in the Academic World Quest competition

S

by emma brown

enior Grant Colvin clicks through his World Oceans flashcards on Quizlet, starring each term he misses.

Colvin is working to memorize what he can from the preparation packet provided for the Academic World

Quest.

They are only given four months until the local competition where students compete to answer the most questions about eight topics — from South Korea to world oceans to space — and Colvin and his three teammates are trying to study as much as they can.

You just have to study as much as you can and hope that the 10 questions that they ask during the competition [are something] that you have read something about that.

kara auvray | senior The team was put together when Ms. Fishman was trying to find two juniors for last year. This year, the East team has seniors Grant Colvin and Kara Auvray and juniors Charlie Birt and Sophie Rice. The seniors are there to guide the juniors and help them prepare as much as possible — since they already have one year under their belt, they know the format of the competition.

“You just have to study as much as you can and hope that the 10 questions that they ask during the competition [are something] that you have read something about that,” Auvray said. “So it’s definitely nerve wrecking, because you are hoping that you have prepared enough.”

The random selection of topics — from global immigration to Germany — are split up into subtopics such as culture, religion and politics. They took the local competition test on Feb. 9 to qualify for nationals.

To qualify for nationals, they must place first place at the local competition. Nationals is held in D.C. and the top 200-300 students attend, but unfortunately East did not qualify this year.

At the competition, each team member is given a 10 page packet with 100 questions in multiple choice format. The questions are put up on the projector individually, with only 45 seconds to answer each one on a multiple choice paper shared between all four of them. Each team’s score is announced at the end of the competition. This year, East scored 67/100 — less than last year’s 73/100.

According to Colvin and Avuray, the competitiveness that arises is similar to a sports competition. Even though they study separately, they work together during the test — bringing them closer as a team.

“I really enjoy learning about the world,” Colvin said. “I have a map of the world up in my bedroom and it’s always been

super intriguing to me growing up in Kansas, and I don’t get to travel internationally a lot, but it’s still something that interests me and I’m mostly interested in politics so it goes hand in hand especially with the competitiveness.”

When Colvin went into the competition last year, he was nervous and didn’t have any idea what to expect. After learning more about the format at last year’s competition, he felt more confident going into the competition this year.

According to Colvin, him and Auvray spread out the studying over four months last year. However, he choose a shorter route this year — doing a 15 hour long study session just a few nights before the competition.

“This year there was a general sense of procrastination, and we got second place this year by one point out of 100 which is tragic,” Colvin said. “But last year we won by one point, so it’s kind of poetic in a way.”

Although they didn’t make it to D.C. this year, they still won prizes — Royals tickets and a $50 dollar gift card for answering the bonus questions correctly. For the bonus points they had to go through three tie breaker questions — one being “how many people are affected by coronavirus today?”

Knowing random knowledge has made them more willing to research any questions they have about the world, and continue to keep up with current events.

“I still remember facts that I studied last year like global immigration and the refugee crisis,” Colvin said. “Then this year, I studied topics like the oceans, so obviously things that have lots of implications today I can speak from a position of knowledge.”

The local competitions are held by International Relations of Kansas City, where each school in the KC metro area and parts of Lawrence are allowed to send in a team.

Last year, East attended nationals in D.C. and competed against students all over the country. According to Colvin, they

I just enjoy getting to learn about different topics that I probably have heard about briefly. But it really allows you to explore into different topics that you never would have really though about

kara auvray | senior didn’t think they had a huge chance of winning, so they focused on living in the moment — and not caring what the score turnout would be.

“I just enjoy getting to learn about different topics that I probably have heard about briefly,” Auvray said. “But it really allows you to explore into different topics that you never would have really thought about.”

se co nd ye ar par t i c i pant 2nd pl ace

SOP H I E RI CE fi rst ye ar par t i c i pant 2nd pl ace

G RA N T COLV I N se co nd ye ar par t i c i pant 2nd pl ace

WO R LD TO PI CS Different topics the students answered questions over at the Academic World Quest

Y EA RS 1. GA FETREMRATNHYE 30 WA L L 2. S O U T H KO R EA H I N A ’S B E LT A N D 3. CROA D I N I T I AT I V E 4. QATA R

G R AND PRI ZE What the team won from their win at the competition

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$ 5 0 V I SA G I F T C A R D ROYA L S T I C K E TS

PHOTOSTORY | 19

design by | kate nixon

ALL

DOLLED

UP A B O V E Junior Amanda Collins poses after putting the finishing touch on her masquerade mask inspired look.

“I’ve always been kind of into makeup and beauty stuff and I was just like,...’what if I just started doing makeup?’ [and] one day and I just kind of got hooked on it, you know,” Collins said. photo by | annakate dilks R I G H T Collins dips her brush in eyeshadow from the “Blue Blood” palette by Jeffree Star. photo by | kate nixon

R I G H T The masquerade mask Collins drew inspiration from sits on top of brushes while she completes her look. photo by | sarah golder

SCAN ME INSTA GRAM Scan here to see Amanda’s Instagram full of her other looks

Junior Amanda Collins finds passion in doing makeup as an artistic outlet

B E LOW Junior Amanda Collins poses after putting the finishing touch on her look, a masquerade mask the look was inspired by. photo by | annakate dilks L E F T Collins blends out the concealer under her eyebrows for a sharp finish. photo by | kate nixon

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REVIEWING A RECENT RELEASE

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HIGHLIGHTS

The Harbinger hub for all things trending in the arts and entertainment world

2 02 0 BOO KS TO C ATC H UP ON OVER S PRING BREAK TITLE | ONE OF US IS N EX T

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R E L EAS E DAT E | JA N 7

R E L E AS E DAT E | JA N 7

The highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling thriller everyone is talking about, One of Us Is Lying! There’s a new mystery to solve at Bayview High, and there’s a whole new set of rules.

Praised as “an intense rush of rebellion and romance” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Garber, this book is a dazzling, fun-filled romp.

R ECE N T N Y TIM ES B EST SELLERS T I T L E | Y E S N O M AY B E S O

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING I DELIA OWENS AMERICAN DIRT I JEANINE CUMMINS

R E L E AS E DAT E | F E B 4

GOLDEN IN DEATH I J.D. ROBB ONE MINUTE OUT I MARK GREANEY

This is a book about the power of love and resistance from New York Times bestselling authors Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed.

CHASING CASSANDRA I LISA KLEYPAS THE SILENT PATIENT I ALEX MICHAELIDES

SCAN ME | COMPLETE LIST Scan here to browse the New York Times Best Selling book list for your next pick

KAN SAS C ITY STAYCATION SP OTS POWER AND LIGHT DISTRICT

ESCAPE ROOM KC

POWER AND LIGHT I This game-day regular spot is an entertainment hub of the city with over 50 restaurants and shops ESCAPE ROOM KC I Whether it be with friends or family, Escape KC is a fun puzzle-solving challenge game NELSON ATKINS I While being a KC staple, this museum always has something for everyone to enjoy

SCAN ME | STORY Scan here to read senior Brynn

Staffer’s take on Netflix’s “All the Bright Places” by

sydney newton I’LL ADMIT IT. My so-called obsession with rom-coms has turned from healthy to concerning.

I spent days bawling over Noah and Ally’s relationship in “The Notebook” and drooling over Noah Flynn from “The Kissing Booth.”

No matter the rom-com, you can find me lying in bed enjoying every second of it (and fan-girling over the boys).

“All the Bright Places,” Netf lix’s newest original movie about two teenagers, immediately caught my eye — not to mention watching it meant I could put off my “Lord of The Flies” essay for another two hours.

The movie began with Violet Markey, the main female character, standing on the edge of a bridge contemplating suicide — not the type of beginning I’m used to. Right away I could tell this wouldn’t be one of the unrealistic, rainbow-filled rom-coms that I was accustomed to watching.

Violet stands there until Theodore Finch, the leading male, finds her while he’s on a jog and coaxes her down from the edge — quite the first impression.

From there, Theodore — or as the characters call him, Finch — convinces a reluctant Violet to work with him on a school project, where they have to visit and write about different “wonders” in Indiana.

The two travel all over Indiana — biking to the highest point in the state and visiting a tree where thousands of people have hung their shoes. On the ride back, they finally kiss, kickstarting the typical love story (and my happy tears).

The rest of the movie consists of them laughing and smiling the entire time — but they also argued.

*****

M O V I E | 4 S TA R S

Unlike the overly-happy, sunny rom-coms that I’ve grown to love, this rom-com was realistic and showed actual issues. Finch has a habit of disappearing for days anytime something goes wrong and not responding to anyone — even Violet. I found myself getting invested in all of their constant arguments, and praying for them to make up each time.

But in the end, they always made up — my favorite part of the movie.

And not only did they make up, their love grew stronger.

The movie was the story of two people who had issues going on, and worked through them together.

It made me feel angry, excited and sad all at once. It only fueled my rom-com addiction — I’ll be rewatching it until I can find my own Theodore Finch.

INS ID E TH E OPI N I ON S HAVE YOU WATCHED “ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES” ON NETFLIX? INSTAGRAM POLL | 216 VOTES

10% YES 90% NO IF SO, DID YOU ENJOY IT? INSTAGRAM POLL | 77 VOTES

21% YES

Winkler’s own experience exploring KC’s hidden highlights

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Y EL P HE L P

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FOR

Staffer reviews some of the lowest rated restaurants in KC on Yelp

SEARCH YELP FOR “restaurants in KC” and 20+ pages pop up — offering the highest rated dining from KCK to KCMO. But then there’s the places at the bottom of the list.

MA MA T I O’S |

What could they have possibly done to receive a one star rating? Just because the food was delivered half an hour late or the fries were crinkle cut, not waffle, doesn’t mean

*

THE TWO STAR AVERAGE rating bestowed upon Mama Tio’s Mexican food is far too generous — the only word I can use to describe this place is grungy.

From the sticky, crumb-ridden tables to the half-scavenged buffet in the corner, it’s a surprise the FDA hasn’t paid a visit to Mama Tio’s. Whoever designed the joint was either aiming to match the color palette of my refried beans or failing to match a typical bar and grill setting. And the haphazardly thrown Christmas lights around a sombrero doesn’t exactly scream Mexican food.

The neon Corona Beer signs on the walls didn’t really complement the llama piñatas either.

It was prime time for dinner rush at 6 p.m. and the restaurant was empty. Not a good sign. Add in the the dim-lighting and lackluster decor and I definitely wasn’t excited to order. Yelp user Staci R. declared their “cheese dip looked so disgusting and tasted like crap.” Obviously, I had to see if Staci R. was telling the truth. She absolutely was.

Resembling a melted yellow crayon, the queso

VERY OPINIONATED was jiggly and tasted like lukewarm nacho sauce you’d get at a baseball game in third grade rather than homemade queso. The consistency was similar to solid butter — not the creamy queso I was promised. Peppers (I hope) were lodged in the middle of the mixture and added no flavor, just texture. Yuck.

The queso was a one-dip-and-done experience and the complementary salsa tasted like the plastic dish it was served in. The only edible item was the beef taco, and even that was coated in too much cheese-from-a-Kraft-plastic-bag for my liking.

Mama Tio’s took $7.37 dollars — and some taste buds — that I’ll never get back. You shouldn’t have to worry about the possibility of food poisoning or munching on tacos that look like they were made by five year olds a t summer camp, so maybe make your Taco Tuesday plans elsewhere.

TA N N E R ’S BAR & G RI L L | TANNER’S BAR AND GRILL, actually brought my appetite back. The wide open space, stone columns and flat screens everywhere were reminiscent of a modern-day castle that serves crispy fries.

The chicken graphic with Kylie Jenner-esque lips on the menu practically forces you to try their “world famous chicken lips.” PSA: they’re not actual chicken lips — it’s just a different way of saying chicken tenders. Five (small) tenders and two dipping sauces for $8.49 seemed excessive considering you can get chicken tenders, mashed potatoes and mac n’ cheese from Hen House for $6.

Despite the price hangup, the tendies had a crispy exterior and juicy inside, perfect for pulling apart and dipping in the creamy buffalo sauce.

Fries as a side were an unexpected bonus — even

the place should be blacklisted. Read below to see if the lowest members on the totem pole lived down to their (low) expectations or if they should be given a second chance.

****

though Yelp user Charley B. said their fries looked “tough” and like “they’ve been covered in batter.”

The random, fried chunks of batter on the outside only increased the crunch and emphasized the soft inside, so they weren’t an issue (sorry Charley B).

I wasn’t worried about a rat running over my feet or the food making me sick — the wooden tables smelled like Lysol and the silverware was clean. Reviewed as “okay” and just a “lot of sour cream and shredded cheese,” the nachos were the only thing that embodied their unfavorable review. Plus they were cold, which isn’t appetizing when there’s meat involved.

Overall the clean atmosphere and spicy chicken “lips” exceeded the precautionary Yelp reviews — don’t believe everything you read online.

A few of the lowest Yelp reviews left for Mama Tio’s and Tanners Bar & Grill taylor w

*****

I do not know how this place is still open. Well actually I do, but I don’t want guys in zoot suits looking for me. Yeah this is what I call survival food, I wouldn’t even recommend to my worst enemy. For 3 years now the only thing the restaurant at this location has successfully done is disgust me. #trashfinest

stan u

*****

Terrible! Didn’t read reviews prior to going and was in a hurry.

Place is not very clean. Soured smell! Chip bar? What a joke!

mitch g

*****

Place was awful. Cockroaches were running around all over the floor. Didn’t even stay to order food because it was so bad. Go ahead and skip this place

ellyn h

*****

Today our order (only 3 other tables full in the whole restaurant) took about 35 min to come out. We ordered salads and sandwiches... One of the sandwiches came out with a long black hair in it and had to be returned.

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R ECO N N EC T I N G FAC E TO FAC E Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” shares the key components to human interaction — even after 80 years of print

“W by carolyn popper

hat’s this supposed to mean?” was my first thought after my dad handed me the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Was he trying to tell me something?

Whether he was implying I needed to make more friends or not, I eventually realized I needed this book — we all need it.

Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is the ultimate self-help book, and — unlike a slew of other options in the genre — does exactly what the title entails. But what makes this book stand out on the self-help shelf isn’t just its principles, but the fact that Carnegie wrote them over 80 years ago and they’re still applicable today.

The purpose of the book is to highlight the benefits personal interaction can have on your life.

Almost a century later, and Carnegie’s teachings have found their way to my hands as I work to achieve that more approachable and compassionate personality.

One thing Carnegie emphasizes is face-toface interaction — I learned the best way to start a conversation with someone is to ask about their interests. And to my experimentation, my English class small talk improved with my newly-found people skills.

His voice-packed writing style and wellrounded knowledge of human interaction makes his preachings more memorable than one would think, especially in a book genre where the climax finds itself in the phrase, “how to be a better you.”

The purpose of the book is to highlight the benefits personal interaction can have on your life.

campbell wood | sophomore Although today’s interactions are heavily dictated by technology, and Carnegie lived in a time when phones were anything but “smart,” his interpretation of interaction is still applicable today despite the technological advancements since it was published.

Though he had no knowledge of what was to come, Carnegie proves that interaction isn’t commenting on someone’s spring break post or

“friending” someone on Snapchat, but rather talking to that person in person — sincerely and with a smile.

Carnegie learned the importance of sincerity and personability as a farm boy from Missouri, where he found education in a one-room schoolhouse and harmony through in-person connections. He grew to develop a deeper liking for public speaking, which shines through in his opening letter to the reader, addressing his accountability by showcasing years of research, reading and interviews conducted to develop his principles.

The book covers four different areas of interaction: techniques in handling people, how to make people like you, how to get people to think your way and how to be a leader. Each section of the book is broken down into principles to make it easier to digest, some of which are likened to everyday tasks — Carnegie ties starting up conversations to fishing.

To put it in perspective, although one of Carnegie’s favorite foods is strawberries and cream, he knows that fish would much rather prefer worms. Same thing goes when fishing for friends, you have to use the proper bait — what they want to talk about.

His use of analogies was definitely the most engaging and comprehensible method he used when defining the principles, along with his brilliant anecdotes.

Carnegie reveals the mistakes and trials of nationally-recognized figures like Theodore Roosevelt — who he actually sat down and interviewed — and Abraham Lincoln. There’s something reassuring about Lincoln’s ability to apply these principles and go from being an utter jerk to one of the most beloved presidents of all time, that makes the book’s principles a much more achievable reality.

Just reading the book has made me instinctively better when it comes to lessons like remembering names, smiling and prioritizing relationships.

It felt good to put down my phone and learn how to talk all over again. So please, take a page out of Carnegie’s book, put down my story and talk to someone. It won’t hurt my feelings because Carnegie taught me how to deal with difficult people.

EX E M P L A RY EXC E R P TS Notable quotes Campbell picked from the novel

ANY FOOL CAN CRITICIZE, CONDEMN AND COMPLAIN — AND MOST FOOLS DO. BUT IT TAKES CHARACTER AND SELF-CONTROL TO BE UNDERSTANDING AND FORGIVING.

THAT IS WHY DOGS ARE SUCH A HIT. THEY ARE SO GLAD TO SEE US THAT THEY ALMOST JUMP OUT OF THEIR SKINS. SO NATURALLY, WE ARE GLAD TO SEE THEM.

YOUR SMILE BRIGHTENS THE LIVES OF ALL WHO SEE IT. TO SOMEONE WHO HAS SEEN A DOZEN PEOPLE FROWN, SCOWL OR TURN THEIR FACES AWAY, YOUR SMILE IS LIKE THE SUN BREAKING THROUGH THE CLOUDS. I HAD MADE MORE HEADWAY IN TWO HOURS BY BECOMING GENUINELY INTERESTED IN HIM AND HIS PROBLEMS THAN I COULD HAVE MADE IN TEN YEARS TRYING TO GET HIM INTERESTED IN MY PRODUCT.

design by | grace tucker photos by | megan stopperman

24 | A&E

CRAFT AWAY

THE by lily haw

Staffer tries a Kansas City crafting space for the first time

T O P Haw mixes colors of clay and marbles them for the bowl she is creating.

F I R S T Haw mixes paint in a cup to poor onto a canvas.

S E C O N D Haw and her friend, freshman Cate Holzbierlein, string lava beads onto elastic string to make a bracelet.

T H I R D Haw molds the clay into a bowl shape.

DURING THE ART class, I was never in love with the idea of following someone else’s directions. I was always into the doit-yourself kits and the at-your-own-pace projects, so the Create it Studio — and art studio where you can make crafts at your own pace following written instructions — sounded like a perfect way to make art.

The clean and well-organized building created a welcoming feel. The layout was very open and the walls were bright white with pops of colors from the stickers on the wall. The workers were sweet and helpful, but not in the invading-yourpersonal-space-the-whole-time type of way. The studio was set up so that you could easily grab the materials you needed and resume your craft without a hassle. The materials station was very open with clear labels everywhere. There were drawers and cabinets filled with art supplies. It felt like a ghost town because there were no other people there that day.

The worker on duty assured me they’re usually packed on other days — we went on a weekday afternoon.

The Create it Studio offer a project menu, which lists the available projects, along with their difficulty level and price. I skimmed the project menu for my options: wooden signs, paintings, yarn art, and more. Similar to a restaurant, the menu is split into three sections: appetizers, salads and entrees — the size of the project correlates to its name. The three appetizers are $38, salads range from $32-$48 and entrees vary from $32$50. My friend and I ended up choosing the three for $38 appetizer deal.

BRACELET

THE OUTCOME

MY FIRST “APPETIZER” was the lava bead bracelet. We grabbed 20 beads, ten inches of elastic string, scissors and bead glue. For this craft, I strung a series of glittery blue beads onto an elastic string, tied off the ends, and glued the tips so they wouldn’t fray. The simplicity of the craft eased my mind. By the third bead, I had forgotten all my worries of friend drama or some math assignments. Anyone looking for a simple task to busy your fingers, I recommend the appetizer.

THE POOR OUTCOME of the final craft was not Create it KC ’s fault— my unartistic nature just couldn’t hide behind the simple steps any longer The freedom of the studio gave leeway to make some mistakes,and I enjoyed the lack of hovering — I was only approached by a worker if I visibly looked like I needed help The directions were clear, but we just chose not to read through them all — we ignored the clear instruction to spray the glass bowl with Pam before using it to mold For this reason we started over, we fixed it and everything was back to normal.

The detailed instructions and satisfying end-products made Create it Studio worth it.

All my stress went away while I constructed bracelets, painted and sculpted. If you’re looking for a new birthday party spot or just a quick creativity study break, Create It KC is the place to go. The studio was a very unique and special experience, and would be a good fit for all ages. The price tag was a little much for craft-making, but the atmosphere of the place and the welcoming workers. If you want to get creative without an art instructor breathing all over your paint-pour, ditch the average art class for Create it Studio (just make sure you read the directions). After leaving Create it Kc, I felt relieved and less stressed. Next time you’re looking for something to do, stop

by Create it Kc for some therapeutic craftmaking.

BOWL AFTER WASHING ALL the paint off our hands, we decided to make a clay bowl for third and final craft. To create the bowl, we rolled out two ounces of colored clay and rolled and twisted it to generate a marbled effect. This is when my unartistic tendencies began to shine through.

PAINT POUR MY OTHER PROJECT, pour painting, didn’t involve actual painting with a brush like the name led me to believe — I mixed together different shades of blues, purples, whites and gray and poured it over a canvas to create a marble effect.

After pouring, the five-minute art project reminded me of an ocean tide and came out much better than I expected. The turnout was so impressive I hardly believed I did it. My talent did not match with the end product. I liked how unique it was and how everyone’s would look different depending on the amount and colors of paint.

SCAN ME | CRAFTS “Menu” of crafts you are able to create at the Create It Craft and DIY Studio

A&E | 25

design by | celia condon

IS LOVE BL IND? yes, it is Staffers share differing opinions on Netflix’s new show Love is Blind

by sarah bledsoe

YOU COULD CALL me a romantic. I mean, not the whole “Twilight,” myheart-beats-for-you type romantic — but definitely enough to dedicate every Monday night to “The Bachelor.” So, when Netflix released its own version of a matchmaking show, “Love is Blind,” the combination of my love for reality TV and my soft spot for sappy romance, I knew it would be my newest addiction.

The producers of “Love is Blind” came up with an experiment — their words, not mine — where single men and women can find lasting love. The only catch is they can’t see each other.

At all. They spend their time in “pods,” which are like mini-rooms separated by a foggy glass wall.

The first 10 days of the month-long experiment are dedicated to getting to know one another — some couples really took this to heart and used their time to get to know each other’s “souls” before they could rely on physical attraction. Once they found the one for them, someone proposes.

If the proposal is accepted, then — and only then — they can finally meet face-to-face and are whisked off to a beach paradise to further their... ahem, physical relationship, before they head to the altar.

Even as a fan of the show, I totally understand how ridiculous it sounds.

But I promise watching Barnett, the show’s playboy, juggle three girls and telling two of them he’s ready to propose, is too funny not to watch. But let’s compare it to my Monday night favorite, “The Bachelor,” where one man dates thirty different women and then picks a wife by the end of four weeks. And that’s not unrealistic? Yet when two people sit together for hours on end talking about their lives and fall in love, without making out every five minutes, it’s somehow “completely insane.”

Nay-sayers doubt the legitimacy of love found in only a month, but many of the participants seemed to genuinely connect with their future spouses. The show provides entertainment and is freaking hilarious to watch. Like the way Jessica, a contestant on the show,

not in the slightest by lila tulp

HI, ARE YOU OKAY? If you’ve read Sarah’s obsessive take on “Love is Blind,” and are already knee-deep into Lauren and Cameron’s relationship, I highly doubt you’re doing well.

I’m certainly not — sitting through 10 hours of people attempting to fall in love with someone they’ve never seen in person was a concept I couldn’t wrap my head around — and as a Bachelor-groupie, I’m surprised.

The premise of Netflix’s newest reality dating show — oh I’m sorry, social experiment — is simple: a potential couple spends 10 days chatting through isolated “pods” in which they’re separated by a wall communicating through conversation alone. They then meet for the first time on the day of their engagement and then finally, live together for a month before their wedding — yes, an actual wedding.

The shallow plotline alone should’ve turned me away from choosing to watch but instead, I abandoned the familiarity of my Netflix queue and laughed my way

was obviously repulsed every time her new fiancé, ten years her younger, went in for a kiss — I mean hey, not every couple can be a perfect match. But there are couples that have a bond so real it’s worth sitting through the inane mechanics of the show, like Lauren and her new boo-thang who just couldn’t get enough of each other.

The show provides a perfect balance between practicality and a good time.

Sure, you’ll have to stammer through the phone call to your mom explaining that you found your life partner in a blind dating experiment after five days. But these couples actually get to spend weeks together after before the wedding, even moving in together before they trade “I do’s.”

Even if you don’t love the idea of getting engaged in less than a week, “Love is Blind” provides ample entertainment — even for critics of the show. Whether you’re laughing at the contestants or with them, “Love is Blind” is the perfect reality TV show to binge on Netflix.

through the NINE freaking HOUR-long episodes of utter stupidity.

Now, if you’re as lost as I was, let’s start from the excruciating beginning. We start with an aerial view of Atlanta, a limo pulls up and our suitors arrive — but, to my disappointment, this isn’t a knock-off “Bachelor” episode.

D-list hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey who make their first, and what seems like their only, appearance explaining the insane rules of the show before setting our contestants free to trick themselves into faulty marriages. Don’t get me wrong, it would be nice to think that physical appearances aren’t a factor in relationships. But let’s be realistic.

The supposed heartfelt and true love show had me laughing at moments when the contestants were crying.

No, not because I have an ice-cold heart, but because watching these people pretend their communal love for Italian beef sandwiches is enough to consider spending the rest of their life together is comical.

I watched as playboy Barnett — I mean come on, he

N E W TO NETFLIX EPISODES | 10 I M D B R AT I N G | 6 / 1 0 SY N O P S I S |

Singles who wa n t t o b e l ove d fo r w h o t h ey a r e, r a t h e r t h a n w h a t t h ey l o o k l i ke, h a ve s i g n e d u p fo r a l e s s c o n ve n t i o n a l a p p r o a c h to m o d e r n d a t i n g .

exclusively goes by his last name — coaxed three women into falling for his somewhat bland personality and oldlady Jessica nearly puked at the looks of her new man, or boy if you will, given their 10-year age gap — as if we thought strong relationships would surface from intoxicated decisions made alone in a 10 by 10 room.

Hearing someone pop the question through a literal wall is nuts. It’s not practical or romantic and it’s hardly a hot-take — once the pod experiment evaporates, the show takes a sharp turn into “Married at First Sight” and “90Day Fiancé” territory.

Their days in Mexico living together before their wedding are wasted with drunk, irrational decisions.

Even if some of these marriages work out, saying yes to a proposal from someone you’ve never seen before is batshit crazy. And if any of these couples are an example of that, I can tell you — love is not blind.

COME VISIT 5813 johnson dr, mission, ks www. energi z i ngm i ssi o n.co m

SPORTS | 27

design by | allison wilcox

S P O RTS

HIGHLIGHTS

STUDENT POLLS DO YOU PLAN TO DO CROSSFIT AT 2020 WHEN IT REOPENS MARCH 6? | 194 VOTES

13% YES

Updates, schedules and quotes about the winter and spring sport seasons

87% NO

T RYO U T S W E E K : T H E N U M B E R S

ARE YOU AWARE THAT ESPORTS ARE COMPETED AT THE COLLEGIATE LEVEL? | 209 VOTES

Number of students trying out for each sport B OYS G O L F | 3 1 S T U D E N T S G I R L S L AC ROS S E | 6 3 ST U D E N TS B OYS L AC RO S S E | 6 5 S T U D E N T S GIRLS SOCCER | 63 STUDENTS B OYS T E N N I S | 8 3 S T U D E N T S BASEBALL | 86 STUDENTS SOFTBALL | 27 STUDENTS

M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R MARCH

MARCH

9

25

M E E T T H E COAC H E S N I G H T |

B OYS L AC RO S S E |

COME MEET SPRING SPORTS

VA R S I T Y G A M E @ S M

C OAC H E S @ 6 P. M . I N T H E

D I S T R I C T S TA D I U M

LEFT | Junior Charlie Sublette dribbles the ball in play during the Varsity game against Shawnee Mission North photo by | julia percy

39% YES 61% NO

AT H L E T E ’ S TA K E HOW WERE TRYOUTS THIS YEAR?

girls soccer I have been going to winter conditioning as much as my schedule allows. I also did a meet in January at KU with some track friends from East before our season starts to see how we are doing.

karoline nelson | senior

CAFETERIA

boys golf [I’ve been] going in and practicing after swim season for golf and getting prepared mentally knowing I have to do everything I can to make the team so that I know even if I don’t make it I did all I possibly could with the time I had to prepare.

alex schoofs | junior

SCAN ME | WEBSITE Go to the Harbinger website to view a gallery from the boys Varsity basketball game from March 3 against Olathe West F A R L E F T | Senior Jack Slaughter does a pre-game handshake with senior Ben Walburn after being announced in the lineup before the game. photo by | trevor paulus A B O V E | Junior Maisie Sheets hugs senior Josephine McCray on Senior night during halftime of the girls Varsity basketball game. photo by | julia percy L E F T | Sophomore Grayson Kerwin congratulates freshman goalie Tate Wynn after he started in the first East lacrosse season. photo by | noelle griffin

28 | SPORTS

V

ideo games first became a part of Evan Albano’s life when his dad brought home every 8-year-old’s dream gaming console — the Wii. He began playing through the worlds in Mario Bros. and competing in tennis and bowling on Wii Sports, whether it was alone or with his neighbors. Now a sophomore, he’s gone through three Wiis since then— with his current “man cave” featuring a Wii U, a XBox 1, a PS4, a PS3 and a Nintendo Switch.

According to Albano, he has spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on gaming, contributing to his collection of games, consoles and figurines.

He likes to keep his game room clean, with only a TV, couch, and his consoles — that means fewer distractions.

[Super Smash Bros.] means a lot to us... It was released on Dec. 7 of 2018, and since then we’ve played it. It’s a celebration of games in itself. That’s one of the only things we play in the Game Club, and I couldn’t be happier.

evan albano | sophomore He’s used these tools to become more competitive at Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, placing first in a tournament held by the robotics department and 25th at the Title Bout XIV Tournament held through Kansas City Esports Expo. He plans on competing in the next tournament held by robotics — to defend his first place title.

Fridays after school in Game Club, Albano is one of the 15 students that chuck their backpacks against the orchestra room walls and start to scream ‘Put me in coach’ as junior Page Frommelt selects different avatars on the Nintendo Switch. Diddycon, Luigi, Donkey Kong.

Albano almost always opts for Bowser. The music stands fold into makeshift tables to play the card game Magic, and the projector is pulled down for the main event — Super Smash Bros.

Game Club recently started up again after previous sponsor, physics teacher Mr. Southwick, left East last year. The club isn’t only for intense gamers like Albano — anyone is welcome to come, whether they only play video games at the meeting or have a Minecraft server open all seven hours of the day.

Albano competes in Super Smash Bros. tournaments within GameClub — he sometimes records videos of the matches, which feature occasional sabotage and lots of celebratory cheering. But according to Albano, the club isn’t just about bragging rights for winning first place in the latest tournament, it’s about meeting people who also spend their nights exploring games.

design by | carolyn popper story by | lily billingsley “[Super Smash Bros.] means a lot to us,” Albano said. “It was released on Dec. 7 of 2018, and since then we’ve played it. It’s a celebration of games in itself. That’s one of the only things we play in the Game Club, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Albano is working on getting his name — SuperSeven — well known in the gaming world, by playing competitively and having a singular name for all players to call him.

According to game club president junior Ethan Mara, Albano brings his competitive nature and knowledge to Game Club. He coaches the other members before tournaments, helping them with both handling the controller and handling the opponent.

“Fighting games, including Smash, are very intricate,” Albano said. “There are numerous techniques and details to master. Smash has over 70 characters, and each one is like a whole new ball game — you can’t play Pikachu the same way you play Mario, usually.”

But as he helps the other plays — Albano almost always comes out on top of the tournaments.

Albano knows all of Bowser’s attacks in the game through and through, and can name them all. He’s been playing the Smash series for years, and first became competitive about it in January 2019. According to Albano he’s gotten seven times better since then. And with colleges beginning to offer Esports as a varsity sport or major, Albano has the opportunity to not only continue with his passion, but also profit from it.

“I don’t know anything about colleges yet, but if I could apply to a college where they have Esports, I would love to do what I love as a legitimate career path,” Albano said. “There’s something here, definitely.”

Park University is one of the 170 schools that offers Esports as a varsity collegiate level team. And according to head coach Ashley Jones, it’s played just as competitively as any other sport the school offers. Although Esports is not a traditional sport, over $16 million is available in sports scholarships around the country and many teams train competitively.

Although Albano is interested in pursuing a career in gaming, he’s happy spending his Friday afternoons as Bowser and joking with other game club members about their place in the tournament. Albano isn’t exactly sure where gaming will take him, but right now he is content with where he is.

“We are pretty happy with where we are, we’ve got a lot of gifts and a lot of hope for the future, and that’s something we all like,” Albano said.

LIV E FO R TH E

GA M E

Sop hom ore Evan Alba no plays vide o gam es com peti tivel y and hop es to make a care er out of his pas sion

SPORTS | 29

design by | tommy paulus photos by | emily pollock and julia percy story by | gabby caponecchi

WINTER SPORTS RECAP A recap of the Lancers winter season

GIRLS BASKETBALL THE GIRLS VARSITY basketball team is currently ranked 64th in the state, after ending their season 14-11. While senior Sydney Crane said that the girls had been struggling with communication on the court, she believes they were playing better than they have in previous years.

“I don’t really think we are playing as a team,” Crane said. “And sometimes we lose the game before we even play it, [because of] who we are playing.”

Despite miscommunications, the girls were excited to beat Olathe West, the number one team in the league 52-40 on Feb. 25. This win was definitely the team’s proudest moment according to Crane, and put them in the right mindset going into playoffs.

The team went into playoffs with a three game winning streak, putting their record at 1410. However, they lost 21-38 to Olathe South in

their first game of substate on March 3, ending their season. Crane felt confident going into the game after her team’s previous wins, but the team’s 17 point loss came as a surprise to Crane.

When Coach Lauren Lawrence subbed in all the seniors for the last four minutes of the game, Crane knew it was their last time playing together. Crane described the seniors’ final moments on the court to be very emotional, due to the fact that everyone in that gym knew it would be their last game.

As for girls junior varsity, the team won twice as many games as they lost, with a winning record of 12-6.

This season, according to junior varsity player Maisie Sheets, was something to celebrate about, seeing as they beat their biggest opponent, Bishop Miege, by two points — which was impressive due to the fact that they had a height advantage over East players.

LADY LANCERS WINS | 10 LOSSES | 1 1

SWIMMING THIS YEAR BOYS swim placed third at state for the second year in a row. One of the highlights from the season included beating Blue Valley North, their biggest opponent.

Swim tryouts were in mid-November, with the season officially starting on Nov. 18. Since then, the boys team had been training and getting into shape to prepare for the state meet.

The first few weeks included the boys picking up their pace and progressing into harder sets. For the first two months, the swimmers were coached on proper race techniques and increased swim speed. According to sophomore Bo Kimmel, when January hit, the team went into overload — training harder to work towards the bigger meets.

On Feb. 2, the boys placed

191 STATE 2020 211 STATE 2019

BOYS BASKETBALL THE BOYS BASKETBALL team lost in the first round of KSHSAA 6A playoffs against Blue Valley on March 4, bringing their season to an end, 4048. According to coach Shawn Hair, the team had the inability to hit shots, but held the team to only 48 points, playing great defensively.

Hair found that the team had a lot of confidence going into state, especially after senior Nick Arensberg’s four buzzer beater shots, but last night he was challenged by Blue Valley’s aggressive players.

“It was just a physical game, there were a lot of fouls called,” Hair said.

“The players were really physical with him, and to Nick’s credit he handled it great.”

Even with the team’s stop-and-

LANCER BOYS

go season, their shooting percentage this season averaged 50-52%, but last night they made 15 of 41 shots from the court, averaging 36% — due to the fact that the team couldn’t make any three pointers.

As for junior varsity, junior Keaton Arnett believed that their overall season was not bad by any means, losing six out of 18 games, but expected the team to have better team chemistry. “[Having new players on the team] probably hurt the team a little bit, based on how we played together,” Arnett said. “We had turnovers because of it, and not knowing what someone was going to do.”

WINS | 1 1

LOSSES | 10

BOWLING second at the Sunflower League meet, the first time in 16 years that East didn’t place first.

League and state are the two biggest swim meets of the year, so a top-three placing at league provided a good outlook for the state meet according to Kimmel.

After their week-long taper — which is time spent recovering so the boys can regain their full energy before a big meet — the team was ready for state. Although they placed third for the second year in a row, they beat their biggest competitor, Blue Valley North, by just five points.

Overall the season was successful due to the entire team’s effort at state and the individual swimmers’ performances at the meets according to Kimmel.

I learned a lot about life and... made more friends with everyone!

bo kimmel | sophomore

GIRLS VARSITY BOWLING began the season with more losses than they’d liked, losing consistently to Shawnee Mission South, but were capable of beating them at regionals by 174 pins.

Senior Eva Hill, who bowled her first year on varsity for East, said that the team’s wins increased as the season progressed. Having never bowled before tryouts, Hill didn’t expect to make the team, but was pleasantly surprised when she heard she’d be bowling varsity.

“It’s been really nice, even as a senior,” Hill said. “I’ve gotten to

155 BOYS AVG. 125 GIRLS AVG.

meet new people and it’s something I wouldn’t have otherwise done.”

On Feb. 20, East competed against nine different schools at regionals, placing sixth overall. However, the team didn’t qualify for state, because they weren’t in the top three. Looking back at the season, Hill enjoyed all the funny timer pictures and messing around with her coach in addition to more serious moments including competing in regionals for the chance to going to state.

We love messing with the coach before and after the meets

eva hill | senior

30 | SPORTS

design by | grace allen photos by | noelle griffin

VISION 2020 fitness is reopening after 12 months of renovations with new classes on their schedule

F

by celia condon

or 12 months, houses on 73rd street have become accustomed to ear piercing hammer and drill noises — the sounds of 2020 FIT’s construction. 2020 FIT is a local gym and workout facility that offers a wide variety of classes, ranging from beginner to difficult.

The renovated facility opened on March 7, and celebrated with an opening party the

There was probably 30 guys in the one space. I felt bad being in other people’s way, so it’ll be nice with the new area

barrett mckee | sophomore night before.

The construction means East customers and other regulars were all using the original half of the gym, leaving them ready and waiting to get into the new side of 2020, whether it be for lacrosse training or their own personal workout classes.

Construction began with breaking ground on March 6, 2019, so the reopening party was filled with highly anticipated members.

Jon Rowley, Chief Fitness Officer and Certified Crossfit Trainer, was one of the biggest advocates for the new addition.

Rowley had a big part in the designing and

execution of the new space — working to ensure the weight rack layout and whiteboard placement left enough workout space.

“We sketched it out to be as big as it could possibly be,” Rowley said. “We made the building as big as the city would allow us.”

Not only does the building fill the entirety of its lot, but it’s doubled in size and is loaded with features, rooms and equipment for everyone, including a big enough space for East’s athletes to workout simultaneously with other 2020 members.

“When we have afternoon adult classes, they take up the whole gym,” Rowley said.

“Now we’ll be able to have five classes at once, and have more room for student athletes.”

Sophomore and varsity lacrosse player Barrett McKee is looking forward to training in the new space with his team.

“There was probably 30 guys in the one space,” McKee said. “I felt bad being in other people’s way, so it’ll be nice with the new area.”

The lacrosse team trains at 2020 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The boys can use the new equipment and space to further their conditioning difficulty level and individual strength, whether it be on the pull-up-bar, in the yoga room, or running laps around the big building.

Apart from the new student space, the top floor of the new building includes two rooms with the ability to host new yoga classes. These rooms are complete with matted floors and glass garage doors that open up to an outdoor balcony patio, which can also be used for yoga, working out and even as a pickleball court.

“When it starts getting nicer out we’ll open these [garage doors] up and have classes out here — basically do anything we want,” Rowley said.

2020 hired 3 Square Contracting for their renovation, and Josh Miller, 3 Square employee, was also influential in the design and construction. And while the building is everything Rowley and Miller could have imagined, they understand that no construction project this big goes on without some issues arising along the way.

“I wish I could say it was a piece of cake,” Miller said.

And although there were mishaps with electricity and materials, the building was right on target for its March 6 party, and March 7 reopening, where it opened to all the public.

As lacrosse season is beginning, the boys and girls of lacrosse-fit can look forward to a new and improved space for their conditioning and training.

2020 CL AS S E S: S W E AT | 1 1 9 m o .

COMMUNITY P RO G R A M M I N G EX P E RT COAC H I N G

F I T | 1 5 9 m o.

FREE CHILD CARE YO G A MOBILITY TRAINING S W I N G F I T | 1 9 9 m o.

30 MIN HIT CLASSES 1 ON 1 TRAINING WITH G UA R A N T E E D R E S U LT S F I T N E S S | 1 9 9 m o.

4 SESSION ON RAMP C ROS S F I T C L AS S E S BARBELL

PHOTOSTORY | 31

design by | aislinn menke

MARDI

The French 4 class celebrated Mardi Gras by having a crepe making day instead of doing other “traditional” Mardi Gras festivities LEFT Sophomores Maeve Linscott and Eva Kading laugh while their crepe cooks. “We were really bad at getting the crepe off [the crepe cooker],” Linscott said. photo by | aislinn menke FA R L E F T Juniors Lucy Jones and Cameron Hughes talk while making their crepes. “We had a Mardi Gras celebration [...] and we got to have the French exchange students come,” Cohen said. “{To make a crepe] you have to get the batter and pour it on a plate and then you take a hot pan thing and flip it upside down in the batter and then wait for it to cook.” photo by | aislinn menke

A B OV E Junior Nathan Whitaker plays a video game on his Nintendo Switch after eating his crepe. photo by | aislinn menke A B OV E M I D D L E Sophomores Eva Kading and Maeve Linscott flip a crepe onto their plate while French teacher Ms. Halksworth watches. “We put frosting on it [...] and strawberries [...] it was good,” Kading said. photo by | aislinn menke A B OV E A French student lifts up their crepe to flip it after it’s finished cooking. photo by | aislinn menke

LEFT Sophomore Eva Kading laughs at a classmate while eating her ice cream and crepe. photo by | sarah golder

32 | ALT-COPY

GOT IT IN THE

BAG

design & copy by | catherine erickson photos courtesy of | revolve & amazon by catherine erickson WHETHER YOU’RE HEADED to the slopes, the coast or overseas this Spring Break, you’ll want to bring a backpack or tote packed with vacation essentials. This is no simple packing list, but an informative “day pack” recommendation list. Below you will learn exactly what to pack for your respective vacation, so your 10 day break isn’t spent making to the store to pick up everything you forgot.

SCAN ME | SHOPPING Shop and find links to Catherine’s picks for what to pack in your Spring Break day pack.

THE

BEACH

IF YOU’RE LUCKY enough to escape Kansas’ cloudy spring and travel to the coast, carry this beachy Anica Bag from Revolve — spacious enough to hold all your essentials.

Pack this waterproof mascara for touch-ups throughout the day and to avoid runny raccoon-eye mascara while swimming in the ocean. And, as sunglasses are as much of a fashion statement as a necessity at the beach,

don’t forget to pack an extra pair in your bag so you’re never stuck without them. There’s no better way to relax than listening to music on the beach. With this waterproof Bluetooth speaker, you’ll have care-free music all beach day long. Lastly, these flowy cheetah print shorts work perfectly over your swimsuit on the way to the beach or while simply exploring the coastal town.

IF YOU’RE HEADED overseas, you better be ready to venture European streets all day. Keep these items in this beaded crossbody bag to be prepared for any surprises an international trip can deliver.

Not even Apple Weather can perfectly forecast Europe’s unpredictable weather. Pack this pink raincoat in case Mother Nature brings her

THE

MOUNTAINS THE RACE TO make the last lift of the day hits just as hard as a mountaintop burger — ­ minus the food prices. Here are the essentials to pack in your backpack to make the most out of both. A water bottle and SPF Chapstick are necessities while skiing to avoid altitude

sickness and wind burnt lips.

These mini boots will relieve the discomfort from torturous ski boots and the sunglasses will protect your eyes from the harsh sun glare from the mountain snow.

vengeance. Next, roam the backstreets of Europe in these crocodile style sneakers that combine fashion and comfort.

You never want to get lost in a foreign country with a dead phone and no Apple Maps to turn to, so be sure to carry a portable charger and outlet adapter for reliable power on the go.

EUROPE