The Harbinger 19-20: Issue 8 by The Harbinger

the harbinger. S H AW N E E M I S S I O N E A S T 7 5 00 M I S S I O N ROA D P R A I RI E V I L L AG E , KS 6 6 2 08 DEC. 16, 2019 VO LU M E L X I I ISSUE 8

MOVING STARTS ON PAGE 13

IN REVIEW

OPINION

NEWS

FEATURE

NEWS

02 | INSIDE COVER

design by | catherine erickson cover design by | lila tulp

DECADE

STARTS ON PAGE 13

CARTOON | RIVER HENNICK

IN REVIEW OPINION NEWS FEATURE NEWS

O N L I N E PA C K A G E

DECADE IN REVIEW Continue reading about the expanded decade special section

IN FOCUS | PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

L E F T The Men’s Choir performs their choreographed dances while singing ”Little Saint Nick” at the choir holiday concert. photo by | annakate dilks BELOW Juniors Lauren Dierks and Claire Baker and anatomy teacher Erica Jablonski look towards another group who announced they found a part of an eye attached to the sheep brain during the sheep dissection lab photo by | taylor keal

STAFF LIST 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 HEAD COPY EDITORS Carolyn Popper Jackie Cameron ASST. HEAD COPY EDITOR Natasha Thomas PHOTO EDITORS Aislinn Menke Ty Browning Kate Nixon ASST. PHOTO EDITORS

Sarah Golder Trevor Paulus Julia Percy MOBILE MEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Elle Karras VIDEO EDITORS Maggie Schutt Ryan Gossick ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Lawder DeSantis VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Sydney Williams BROADCAST EDITORS Alex Dinyer Lucia Barraza ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Sophie Henschel PHOTO MENTORS Taylor Keal Megan Biles Megan Stopperan STAFF WRITERS

Natasha Thomas Ben Henschel Caroline Chisholm Lily Billingsley Lauren Dierks Lydia Underwood Thomas Paulus Campbell Wood Sydney Decker Rose Kanaley Allison Wilcox Lilah Faye Gabby Caponecchi Brynn Winkler Lauren West Jackie Cameron Kelly Murphy Maddox Mogenson Winnie Wolf Jilli Foley Lila Tulp Catherine Erickson Lucia Barraza Carolyn Popper Sydney Newton Celia Condon

Elizabeth Mikkelson Sophie Henschel Annabelle Moore Anna Stover Sarah Bledsoe Emma Brown COPY EDITORS Lila Tulp Carolyn Popper Caroline Chisholm Ben Henschel Jackie Cameron Natasha Thomas Catherine Erickson Lauren West Lydia Underwood Brynn Winkler Allison Wilcox Rose Kanaley Lily Billingsley Riley Atkinson Maddox Mogenson Campbell Wood Lucia Barraza Sarah Bledsoe EDITORIAL BOARD

Lila Tulp Carolyn Popper Caroline Chisholm Ben Henschel Jackie Cameron Natasha Thomas Catherine Erickson Lauren West Rose Kanaley Riley Atkinson Lilah Faye Brynn Winkler SECTION EDITORS EASTIPEDIA ONLINE Annabelle Moore EDITORIAL PRINT Lilah Faye NEWS PRINT Alison Wilcox ONLINE Brynn Winkler OPINION PRINT Maddox Mogenson PRINT Annabelle Moore

ONLINE Sophie Henschel ONLINE Gabby Caponecchi FEATURE PRINT Natasha Thomas ONLINE Lily Billingsley A&E PRINT Lauren Dierks ONLINE Thomas Paulus SPORTS PRINT Sarah Bledsoe ONLINE Lucia Barraza PAGE DESIGNERS Natasha Thomas Caroline Chisholm Carolyn Popper Lily Billingsley Lauren Dierks Lydia Underwood Thomas Paulus Rose Kanaley Allison Wilcox Lilah Faye

Brynn Winkler Lauren West Jackie Cameron Kelly Murphy Maddox Mogenson Jilli Foley Lila Tulp Catherine Erickson Sydney Newton Celia Condon Elizabeth Mikkelson Sophie Henschel Sarah Bledsoe STAFF ARTISTS River Hennick Lilah Powlas STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Reilly Moreland Annakate Dilks Noelle Griffin Hadley Hyatt Phoebe Hendon Bella Wolfe Elise Madden Grace Allen

Morgan Woods Lucy Kostner MULTIMEDIA STAFF Olivia Olson Natalie Scholz Lawder Desantis Evelyn Roesner Ryan Gossick Maggie Schutt Max Patterson Alex Dinyer Sydney Williams Ally Talge PODCAST EDITOR Sydney Williams ADS MANAGER Sydney Newton CIRCULATION MANAGERS Campbell Wood Anna Stover SOCIAL CHAIR Lila Tulp SOCIAL CHAIR Catherine Erickson

EDITORIAL | 03

design by | tommy paulus cartoon by | river hennick

FOR: 8 AGAI N ST: 3 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

TOO COOL

FO R CON SEQ U EN C ES Teens are too obsessed with wanting to be cool, leading them to ignore consequences and become uninformed about drawbacks of fake IDs

“W

hat year were you born?” Shit. What was the year again? You had memorized the date over and over, but all of a sudden it’s gone. “Uh.. 1998” Did he notice the hesitation? The middle-aged man behind the counter gives your ID a second glance, smirks and says your total — it’s $19.50. You hand over your cash (your friends will Venmo you later), grab the case of lime-flavored White Claws and speed-walk out of the store. Thank God they didn’t notice you were wearing your Lancer tennis sweatshirt. Thank God they didn’t ask for your address. Thank God your fake ID says you’re 22. Fake IDs are illegal — that much is obvious. But a study done in the journal “Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research” reported that students used a fake ID 25% of the time they drank alcohol before they turned 21. For many teens, the thought of being able to provide the alcohol for a party and be deemed “cool” takes priority over any worrying thoughts about what would happen if you get caught. Ordering a mango margarita on the rocks at dinner becomes the norm and providing a few Bud Light cases for the WPA afterparty beer pong games is a breeze.

But the ice the buyer’s skating on is thinner — and the consequences more severe — than they probably ever consider it to be. Part of the issue stems from being misinformed — with examples like “McLovin,” possessing a fake ID seems like the norm, especially if a dorky kid like McLovin can score one. But it shouldn’t be. There’s jailtime, misdemeanor charges, large fines and the potential to lose your actual driver’s license — definitely not worth the extra Truly’s you picked up for spring break. Teenagers choose to ignore the consequences because the quick errand is too normalized — getting caught is slipping further and further from a realistic circumstance. If they have their “new” birthday memorized, dress like a 22 year old and the fake scans like a normal card, there’s no reason to worry. Wrong. In 2017 alone, the governor of New York revealed they arrested over 840 people who had attempted to use a fake ID to purchase alcohol. In Kansas, the punishment can include up to a $2,500 fine, a year in a prison or 100 hours of community service. So while you’re sinking the ping pong ball into the last red solo cup of Natty Light that you bought, remember: there are no drinking games in prison. In other states, like Illinois and Florida, owning a fake ID is a felony. You’re not going

to get grounded, you’re going to face similar consequences as someone who robbed a house or stole a car. Illinois’ punishment for possessing a fake is one year in jail and a fine of up to $250,000. You could go to a four-year college three times with that money. Being convicted isn’t typical, especially if it’s your first offense. Once charged, you still have to be convicted and typically sentences are lessened. However, the slip-up will still make an appearance on your record — schools and future employers will be able to see it. Who’s going to get the job — the 19-year-old caught with a fake ID or the one who didn’t go for the extra bottle of Smirnoff? You’re going to have to Uber to your interview, too — losing your driver’s license is another side effect of being caught with a fake ID. Rolling up to the party with a newly purchased bottle of Svedka might seem cool, but asking your mom for a ride to a friend’s as an 18-year-old is not. The process of actually getting a fake ID typically results from peer pressure — all your friends go in on someone’s order and it would look lame to not join. Plus, you don’t want to miss out on nights going out, using your fake to get into bars or restaurants that would rather look the other way than lose business. Unfortunately, FOMO overrides potential jail time.

Seeing your friends go pub crawling while you hang out at home with your apple juice is a sure fire way to make people question your social status, something all teenagers fret about. Going out and using your fake projects the “cool” image you’re going for. According to Northwestern Business Review, the lower price range for a fake is about $100. That’s two pairs of camo leggings or a Patagonia jacket. The money dedicated to creating a false identity could be money used for something not illegal — is it really worth it? There are other ways to have fun in high school and your first years of college that don’t involve using your fake to get into a club. There’s basketball games, art fairs, you name it. Your nightlife doesn’t have to depend on alcohol. The drinking scene only gets more intense in college — but no less illegal. Most universities have rules in place when students are reported to have a fake ID. According to a Maryland criminal lawyer, students may face suspension or be forced to attend an alcohol education class. Just because half of the student population can legally drink doesn’t mean colleges condone underage drinking or accept it as the norm. So when you’re at the fork in the road — to buy or not to buy — take heed in the fact that

04 | NEWS

NEWS

design by | lauren dierks photos by | elise madden by elizabeth mikkelson

HIGHLIGHTS Catch up on news around the school, the state and the nation

EAST

Junior SHARE chairs run Christmas service project

THE ANGEL TREE Project, a student volunteer opportunity through the SHARE program, began again this year on Nov. 22. The seasonal project is run by four juniors and gives students the opportunity to give back to the community and donate Christmas gifts to children in need. Students were encouraged throughout the project to take a slip of paper from a Christmas tree in the office that listed a specific child’s name, their age and what gift they wanted for Christmas. Once the students brought the gifts on Dec. 9 and 10, they were then sent to the parents of the child, who were responsible for wrapping the presents, in order to have the parents be directly involved in the process. Juniors Zoe Hartman, Lucy Hartman,

LOC A L

Rose Kanaley and Sydney Herpich became involved in this project when the SHARE Execs asked them to help. By the end of the first week, the girls noticed that the slips of paper were starting to get taken from the tree. According to Herpich, there were about 30 slips taken just within the first few days, with about 60 taken overall as of Dec. 6. “Everyone usually likes to give back during the holiday season,” Herpich said. “People at East get [the opportunity] to feel like they are helping someone.” They were asked to participate in it due to their previous work with last year’s Salvation Army bell ringing, which they were also involved in last year as Share Chairs for the organization.

Mely’s Yogurt and Ice cream sold to new owner

MELY BALLARD, THE creator and owner of Mely’s Yogurt and Ice Cream in Corinth Square for 34 years, has announced her retirement and new ownership of the store. Her official last day will be Dec. 31, with new business owners planning to take over on Jan. 1 of the new year with their own ice cream shop. After the store gets closed for good, she will be beginning her new company called “Mely’s Sweets and Treats,” where she will be making peanut brittle and gingerbread houses seasonally, taking orders from the comfort of her own home. Ballard, recent Prairie Village Community Spirit Award winner, has shown her commitment and hard work throughout the years with her store’s influence on the people in Prairie Village from generations

upon generations of committed customers. According to Ballard, she has always felt close to the residents and customers in the city. She recalls that the kids that came to her shop when it first opened are now bringing in their own kids to share that same experience they once had as children themselves. “I’m serving the fourth generation, so the kids that started to come here when I just opened up [are] coming back,” Ballard said. Though her physical shop is closing, this chapter in Ballard’s life is not completely finished. Although she agrees it is time for this part of her life to come to an end, she knows it will be bittersweet when the moment finally comes.

N A T I O N A L Tesla releases Electric Cybertruck

F A R A B O V E Juniors Sydney Herpich, Rose Kanaley, Zoe Hartman and Lucy Hartman gather gifts from East students to give to children in need. A B O V E Mely’s Yogurt and Ice Cream shop located in Corinth Square will have a new owner after Mely Ballard retires.

M ARK YO U R C AL E N DA R F I NA LS W E E K | DEC . 1 6 - DEC . 2 0 F I RST DAY O F W IN T E R BREA K | DEC . 2 1 WI N T E R P E P AS S E M B LY | JA N. 9

THE NEW TESLA Electric Cybertruck has been unveiled by the company with new, unique features and a price tag of $39,900 for the cheapest version available. Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, according to Forbes, held a presentation on Nov. 14 announcing the company’s newest creation that has been in the works since 2012. While it is now available for pre-order, the car’s release date will officially be in the fall of 2021 with production beginning in late 2022. According to an article from Business Insider, Musk has said there have already been 250,000 pre-orders for Tesla’s futuristic pickup truck. The electric car takes on a trapezoidal shape with no separate distinction of the trunk to the actual car. It is made out of

a protective stainless steel exterior — the same material used for spacecrafts — for the purpose of durability and preservation. However, in the now wellrecognized video of Musk showing the “indestructibility” of the car, the test did not go as planned, with the windows leaving a noticeable crack after a test ball was thrown at it. “I think that they’re trying to be innovative in the wrong way,” junior Reilly Kenney said. “It seems like [they’re] trying to have the same technology with a different, crazy weird car.” According to CNN, while the base version for the truck starts at $39,900, the highest price goes up to around $77,000 with more features, including the option of the vehicle’s “self-driving” function.

NEWS | 05

design by | allison wilcox photos by | elle karras & elise madden

I love serving the community and the neighborhood. Our brand tag says we’re the place that people come to plan, celebrate and enjoy life so it’s like throwing a party for the neighborhood all day everyday.”

FOO’S

FABULOUS CAFE

jeff stottle | owner

After impacting the SME community for 13 years, Foo’s Fabulous Frozen Custard is closing its Ranch Mart location

by catherine erickson oo’s Fabulous Café, located in the Ranch Mart Shopping Center, is scheduled to close Dec. 24 after 13 years of business and serving the community through sponsoring church and school events, specifically within the SMSD community. Owner Jeff Stottle said he initially chose to buy the Ranch Mart space because of its location in Leawood and proximity to local schools, including East. Stottle said he was promised that the shopping center would be remodeled within the year, but 13 years later the remodels are yet to break ground as plans were continuously pushed back. “If this was a vibrant shopping center like Corinth and had been remodeled, we would have made money for the last 12 years,” Stottle said. “As it’s been now, we’ve just been hanging on and doing our best.” Ranch Mart Shopping Center developer Cadence Commercial Real Estate got a remodel approved this year, which will be partially funded by a 1% community improvement district sales tax. According to Stottle, Cadence Real Estate leased the cafe to a national tenant and offered Foo’s a 1,054 square foot space within the projected remodel plans. But due

to the smaller space, low street visibility and lack of curb-side parking, Stottle declined and decided to close on Christmas Eve. The closing date was chosen to give college students a chance to come back during their Winter break and eat at Foo’s one last time according to Stottle. Because of their involvement within the schools and churches in the community, Stottle believes the cafe has managed to impact many lives. “When we opened up here we had two primary goals,” Stottle said. “The first goal was to run a profitable operation and provide for my family and my investors. A very close second to that was to be a servant leader in the community. So we have worked our tails off to be part of the schools and churches in the community.” To fulfill Stottle’s second goal of being a community leader, Foo’s supported nearby churches, and opened the shop an hour early on Friday mornings to give two Bible study groups a place to meet before going to work. Foo’s donated money, ice cream and event space to different organizations as well as donated to football coupon fundraisers, donated ice cream to football and dance events and sponsored multiple 5K runs within the SMSD schools.

“They donated coffee and other supplies for our pancake breakfast,” East dance team coach Bubba Close said. “They’ve been big supporters of ours.” Foo’s also employed students from local high schools, including around 50 East students throughout the years. “They come to work at our store when they’re 15, 16 years old, and they’ve never had a job before; they don’t even know which end of the broom to hold,” Stottle said. “I give them as much accountability and responsibility as they can handle, so, when they graduate from high school and go on to college, they’re so mature. That’s been the biggest blessing for me.” East junior and Foo’s employee Ava Deschaine says she will miss the other high school employees that she has gotten close to over the past year and a half of working. “I was pretty sad [when I found out it’s closing], it’s a really fun job and I’m friends with all of the people I work with,” Deschaine said. “We always look forward to when all the graduated people come back over breaks and we all hang out.” Due to Foo’s close proximity to Corinth Elementary School, the cafe frequently supported Corinth through sponsoring the fun run, the Dragon Dash, as well as hosting First

Tuesdays. First Tuesdays is an event at Foo’s on the first Tuesday of every month where Corinth art teacher Kim Bogart hangs up students’ art from three different classes, and by the end of the year each student has their artwork hung up at least once. The event brought in not only students, but families to view the artwork and eat custard. “[Students] bring moms and dads mostly and show them their artwork and get their pictures taken with their artwork cause they’re always proud,” Bogart said. “Usually kindergarten, first and second graders, 15 out of a class of 25 will all go and then they’ll have ice cream with their friends.” Bogart hopes to find a new location for First Tuesdays after Foo’s closes. Stottle said that the cafe is busier than usual since the closing announcement on Facebook on Dec. 3, and Deschaine said she will pick up extra shifts to make up for the increase in customers. “We probably should have announced we were closing years ago,” Stottle said. “We’ve been so busy that I haven’t even been able to leave the shop and customers are coming in crying.”

FABULOUS MEMORIES Students reflect on what they enjoyed at Foo’s TO ENJOY

TO STUDY

TO WORK

My mom would take me to Foo’s to see the artwork from elementary school and we’d also go after going to Ceramic Cafe

I like that Foo’s is very quiet but is still somewhere other than my house [to study]

claire mcphail | junior

It’s like a home-grown shop, our customers are people from around the area. That’s the reason I wanted to work there

chloe sowden | senior

chris alka | sophomore

06 | NEWS

design by | maddox mogenson

F U L L C OV E R AG E Many self-care and beauty products contain hidden chemicals with long-term and sometimes harmful effects

CHEMICALS

PRODUCTS TO WATCH FOR

- Jeffree Star Conspiracy Palette - Cetaphil Face Wash - Too Faced Foundation - Glossier Skincare Products

by lauren west

study released in November by George Mason University revealed that popular makeup and skincare products contain four dangerous chemicals — paraben, paraben metabolites, BPA and UV filters. Companies like Glossier and Covergirl contain chemicals that are linked to future infertility and damaged skincare, according to Dr. Anna Pollack at George Mason University. An article by fashionlaw. com claims teenagers in America spent an average of $368 on skincare and makeup in the past year. Dr. Pollack conducted a study of 143 women who were 18 to 44 years old. After collecting urine samples, she searched for environmental chemicals — parabens, antimicrobial preservatives, benzophenones and UV filters. She concluded that the low level exposure to a mixture of chemicals found in makeup and skincare products ben•zo•phe•none

a wh i te so l i d t h a t i s so lu ble in organ ic so l ve nts w i d e l y u se d a s a bu ild in g bloc k i n org a n i c c h e m i st r y

may affect female reproductive hormone levels and UV filters that are associated with a decrease in reproductive hormones, decreasing a women’s chance of having children. Paraben, the common chemical found in major liquid makeup products, is a chemical

used to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and mold. While makeup brands use it with the intent of protecting its users, the same chemical used in a bottle of Coke could be found in $40 Too Faced foundation.

What we should take away from this study is that we may need to be careful about the chemicals in the beauty and personal care products we use.

anna pollack | doctor Not only liquid makeup is dangerous to the skin, but popular skincare brands like Cetaphil and Aveeno contain similar parabens found in foundations and concealers. According to Teenshealth.com eight out of 10 teenagers have acne. When teenagers have acne-prone skin and apply products with parabens and UV filters, they are increasing their exposure to these chemicals, according to Pollack. When YouTubers Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson released their Conspiracy palette on Nov. 1, junior Stella McKinney left her fourth hour to buy it online. “I really trusted [the palette] because I’ve been following Jeffree for a long time

CHEMICAL CATALOG

PARABEN

[on YouTube] and his video series was wellmade,” McKinney said. “Most of the shades were fine but two of them, the purple and blue, made my eyelids swell and itch. It was annoying because each palette was $30 and I bought two.” Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson’s palette contains Ethylhexylglycerin — a preservative similar to parabens that protect makeup from molding. According to Janet Nudelman, director of program and policy at Breast Cancer Fund, claimed that the problem with ethanolamines is that they can be contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals called nitrosamines. While this chemical may not have been what directly effected McKinney’s eyes, Star’s palette contains chemicals that are harmful to its users in the long run. “I feel like buying makeup online is a luck-thing,” McKinney said. “I was going to get the big size palette, but if they also have problems I’m not going to spend $60 on that.” Purchasing higher-end brands like Too Faced and Fenty may include less harsh chemicals compared to drug store brands. But not every teenager has $368 to spend on makeup a year — let alone expensive, “paraben free” makeup. Junior Amanda Collins spends her free time doing different glam makeup looks for her Instagram. When told about the parabens and harsh chemicals found in

these popular products, Collins advised to always use the healthier products. “If you get makeup that lasts longer you will be stuck with horrible makeup on your face for a long time,” Collins said. “One thing you could always do is get a setting spray or powder which helps to make your makeup last longer.” Pollack isn’t reprimanding teenagers to stop using makeup, but to simply watch how much of the harsh products they are frequently using. Splurging on a nicer quality of liquid makeup that may be “paraben-free” leads to better skin care now and in the future. “What we should take away from this study is that we may need to be careful about the chemicals in the beauty and personal care products we use,” Pollack said in an

SHOP SAFE | FENTY Scan this QR code to shop Fenty Beauty’s luxury beauty products

article for George Mason University. “We have early indicators that chemicals such as parabens may increase estrogen levels. If this finding is confirmed by additional research, it could have implications for estrogen dependent diseases such as breast cancer.”

Some of the harmful chemicals found in products and their effects

Known to disrupt hormone function

Used as coating material for plastics

Linked to increased rink of breast cancer

May interfere with healthy human development

Linked to reproductive toxicity

BISPHENOL A

May be linked to diabetes

NEWS | 07

design by | lauren west

Prairie Village issues bonds to raise money for a new public works facility

L E F T The current public works facility that will be torn down in 2020 so the new one can be built. photo by | julia percy

by emma brown

ccording to Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson, construction for the new Prairie Village Works Facility, located near the Somerset and Mission intersection will begin in July 2020, to be completed by the end of 2020. The existing building by Highlawn Montessori school will be torn down and the new building will be built on that lot. The new building will store salt for the roads, snow plows, road materials and a gas station for facility trucks. The tear down will include a full update of the building, adding features including solar panels, high efficiency heating and cooling systems and more environmentally sustainable features. “We got a dependent consultant to come in and evaluate the structural

integrity of these buildings,” Mikkelson said. “Some of the ones we are replacing are in poor conditions which means there is just a matter of time before they become unusable...it’s time for them to be replaced.”

We have anticipated the possibility that the city will grow in population and perhaps density.

eric mikkelson | mayor The building will be built to have energy efficiency and be able to last through floods and harsh winters. It will be designed to be environmentally friendly with solar panels that last fifty plus years, according to Mikkelson. “We have anticipated the possibility that the city will grow in population and

perhaps density,” Mikkelson said. “If we needed to add some staff in the future we will be able to do that.” According to Mikkelson, City Council has known that these changes would have to be made — with some of the existing buildings being more than 50 years old. The current buildings are not up to code and are in need of repair, according to Public Works Administrator Keith Bredehoeft. “The council allowed us to go through a process of possibly determining what could be done,” Bredehoeft said. “Through that process we have approved a project to remove two of our buildings and put one building back.” Bredehoeft said the building will have enough space for the public works staff as well as crew members and their equipment. The building should also contain enough office space to even move some staff in the

2 01 8 SAT I S FAC T I O N W I T H M A I N T E N A N C E

1% 34% 39%

54%

49%

6% CLEANLINESS OF STREETS AND PUBLIC AREA

36%

32% 12%

In the 2018 citizen of Prairie Village survey, locals answered various questions regarding the Prarie Village community, specifically what they wanted fixed

ACCESSIBILITY OF STREETS, SIDEWALKS AND BUILDINGS

MAINTENANCE OF CITY BUILDINGS

56%

city hall building down to this facility. The council has approved a bond finance and will borrow money from investors to pay for the construction and pay it off over a span of thirty years. A bid of nearly 10-million dollars was approved purchasing bonds which is the amount the council is asking for to cover all the renovations. According to Mikkelson, the community of Prairie Village will benefit from having a safe and functional public works facility. The staff will be working in better conditions, resulting in better repair work. For example, snow plowing will be maintained and functional at higher levels with better gas and oil station as well as indoor storage. This $10 million project is expected to be finished by the end of 2020, although some of the building’s facilities may not be finished before the goal.

46%

satisfied citizens

34% 6%

11%

very satisfied citizens

30% 20%

neutral citizens dissatisfied citizens

SNOW REMOVAL ON NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS

*information courtesy of ETC Institute

08 | OPINION

design by | sophie henschel photos by | morgan woods

your weird opinions East students have a variety of opinionated students — here’s Charlotte Hawes, Pacey Salzman and Ajay Lohr’s odd takes

by celia condon

PAC E Y S A L Z M A N

C H A R LOTT E H AW E S

A JAY LO H R

SMALL FOODS

TEETH MOLDING

D O GS

AFTER WALKING INTO the dance team room every morning, I always look at the ‘Meet the Team’ poster hung up on the wall. I’ve already read each dancer’s fact under their portrait multiple times — it’s a routine now. But senior Pacey Salzman’s ‘I’m scared of small, round foods’ is always one I’ve wanted to know more about. “I’m not really scared of them, but I really hate seeing them,” Salzman said. The discomfort around small round foods comes from then-six-year-old Pacey’s bad dinner experience with a prime example of a small and round food — green olives. While green olives were already a food she already wasn’t fond of, the longliving ‘fear’ came after her sister got sick from eating too many. Out of every small and round food item she could think of, Salzman finally narrowed it down to the worst of the worst. The word ‘grapes’ came out with a shudder and grimace. “The small roundness combined with grapes,” Salzman said, “It just grosses me out.” When I tried to understand Salzman’s hate for small round foods, I assumed this just meant things like grapes and olives. I imagined peas, blueberries, tomatoes — anything edible that forms a round shape. Which is why balled melon tripped me up. “Regular melon is fine, but if it’s balled I won’t eat it,” Salzman said. “Cherry tomatoes: I’ll eat them if they’re cut in half, but I won’t eat them whole.” Once again I was left fascinated, wondering if I’ll ever feel uncomfortable around small round food — or maybe big square food? I mean, you never know when your sister will throw up her meal and fuel a new phobia.

BRACES WERE ONE of the worst things to curse my middle school years. Every few months at my ortho check-up, the pastel-blue-dressed assistant would pull out the thing that still makes me shudder when I close my eyes — the tooth mold tray. An experience worse than death. For people fortunate enough to never have braces, tooth molds are an impression tray filled with a gummy substance that surrounds your teeth and hardens after a few minutes, leaving a replica of your teeth’s shape and alignment. Sophomore Charlotte Hawes is on the side of the teeth molding argument that I will never get behind. “Everyone I talk to says, ‘Oh my gosh, I hate when the orthodontist does that,’” Hawes said, “But I like it.” After hearing that Hawes enjoyed the teeth mold, I couldn’t help but tell everyone I knew. Every person reacted with the same dropped jaw — just like those memories of the assistant saying “open up.” For me, the worst part is the last few seconds of the experience, when the gooey substance has hardened and it’s time for the mold to come off. When the hygienist would begin to loosen the tray, I’d always be scared that my teeth were being pulled out. But for Hawes, it’s the best part. “It’s such a weird sensation but my teeth feel so good after,” Hawes said. How she can possibly enjoy an experience that haunts my dreams will forever baffle me, but hey — to each their own.

EVERY SUNDAY, I take my little sister to Petland to get our puppy fix. Since I can’t have a dog because my dad is allergic (thanks a lot), I’m jealous of pretty much everyone who does. So when I began to think of out-of-left-field opinions, the first — and definitely most bizarre — one I could think of was having a problem with puppies. And my culprit came to me after Ajay Lohr answered Mrs. DiGirolamo’s question of the day. His answer left me desperate to know how someone could possibly dislike the cute fur-balls that I enjoy so much. Lohr is visually impaired, which leads many people to believe that he would use a dog as an extra pair of eyes. But Lohr never has and doesn’t plan on it. “They’re always going to be in need of attention,” Lohr said. I have always had the urge to hug every dog I see. They’re furry, soft and so darn cute. It’s just too hard to walk away: which makes me exhibit A of what Lohr dislikes about the furry friends. “You could pet a dog for twenty-five minutes,” Lohr said. “But the second you walk away they’ll be upset.” He had a good point there. But if I’m honest, I don’t plan on denying the next puppy I see of hours on end of pets and hugs.

WEIRD

Last year when I was babysitting, I had seen it on a Youtube video and the kids were asleep and they had peanut butter and pickles so I said ‘why not go for it.’

sydney beck | sophomore

PINEAPPLE & NUTELLA PICKLES & RANCH

FOOD CO M B OS

PEANUT BUTTER & PICKLES

AND

SRIRACHA & MAC N CHEESE

CO F F E E & YO G U RT My friends and I were getting breakfast one day and we were just messing around with food on the table and that’s when we first put coffee in yogurt.

kurt freeman | freshman

C H E E Z I TS I N P B & J BREAD & V8 JUICE GREEN BEANS & KETCHUP

OPINION | 09

design by | caroline chisholm

B L A M EIT ON

THE BOOGIE

sydney newton

was ready to go to bed dressed in my favorite fuzzy sweatshirt and gray sweatpants, sporting unbrushed hair — my signature look. Having taken my sleeping gummies 30 minutes prior, I was slowly dozing off. That’s when the text rolled in. “Guys, WPA is in less than two months!” I felt angry. Irritated. But more than both of those, l felt stressed. Stressed because I knew instead of staring at Quizlet, I would be spending several hours scrolling through the 243 pages of dresses on Revolve and Free People to find the “perfect” dress. Stressed because I would have to schedule yet another hair appointment. Stressed because I knew I would have to ask another one of my friends to do my makeup for me (yeah, no matter how many YouTube tutorials I watch, I still can’t bronze my face without looking like a clown). But most importantly, I was stressed because my friends were going to drag me to another timeconsuming, pointless, dreadful school dance. School dances are something that I dread every year because it involves one thing I can’t stand: dressing up. As a five year old, I threw a temper tantrum every time my mom tried to put me in a dress and screamed whenever I saw anything that looked like a bow. I’m an oversized sweatshirt kind of person. So while everyone is breaking out their tightest dresses and four-inch heels, I’ll be struggling to curl my hair and walk in one and a half inch heels — my personal record height. Just because I hate putting in hours of effort only to look nice for four hours doesn’t mean I’m any less “girly.” I shouldn’t have to deal with confusion from my mom when I ask her to help me find a dress or the awkward questioning when I tell people I don’t want to go to WPA. I shouldn’t have to deal with judgmental looks when people find out I’ve never done my own makeup or the ceaseless questions asking why I wouldn’t like to. “Sydney, how can you hate finding dresses?” “You have to wear mascara!” “Sometimes I swear you’re more of a guy then a girl.” “Did you even brush your hair today?” These are all things I hear on the daily. Dances should be about having fun with your best friends and making amazing memories. Instead, it’s almost a competition over who looks the best and who has the prettiest dress. Girls spend tons of money and time to look their best, fixing their flaws in order to impress people — something that is considered “ladylike.” In my opinion, being a girl should be about being yourself. It should be about being able to act and dress how you want. It’s perfectly fine to love hair and makeup, but it shouldn’t be defined by how many hours you spend doing it the day of a dance. And as a

matter of fact, I find that I’m perfectly happy spending five minutes on makeup and having someone else do my hair — and that doesn’t make me any less “girly.” I’d much rather catch up on “Love Island” in my basement wearing a hoodie than sit in a too-tight dress at a fancy dinner, trying not to smudge my lip gloss on my dinner roll. Why would I spend hundreds of dollars on an outfit just to go to a dance in the same place that I eat lunch? The same place that I spend all of my week trying to get away from? I know that these problems aren’t crisis-inducing, but it’s unnecessary and annoying to add this drama onto nights when I should be focused on Chem labs and vocab quizzes. Dressing up has become something that a lot of girls feel like they are expected to do, part of which is because we started wearing makeup before we hit middle school. In a survey conducted by PR News, 58% of girls responded saying they wear makeup. Out of those girls, 65% stated that they started between the ages of 8-13.

Dances should be about having fun with your best friends and making amazing memories. Instead, it’s almost a competition over who looks the best and who has the prettiest dress.

sydney newton | sophomore And that’s the problem. Since so many girls start wearing makeup so young, they feel obligated to wear it during high school — especially at dances. It’s turned into an expectation at this point, one that even I feel compelled to comply with — the exact reason why I’ve worn mascara three times and three times only. Now, I’m not saying that dances are pointless for everyone — I just think that they aren’t my thing, and that they don’t have to be. For me, wearing makeup feels like hiding a part of who I am. Wearing a dress feels like dressing up like someone who isn’t me. The planning before the dance causes nothing but drama, and actually getting asked by your date induces personal stress that shouldn’t need to be there. And yes, I can get past the primping to have fun with my friends — but I should be allowed to do that in my own way. High school girl culture shouldn’t be pushed to make everyone feel like they have to love dressing up. I don’t think I’m ever going to truly like dances, but I’m going to go and make the best out of them — and at the end of the day, I’ve decided that’s my goal.

Staffer doesn’t think she needs to dress up for dances in order to feel girly and enjoy the night

WAYS TO

MAKE

A DA N C E

FUN!

WEAR SHORT HEELS To avoid cramped feet, wear short heels to make walking around all night easier and more comfortable. You can even bring a pair of sneakers to the dance to slip on while you bust a move.

TAKE A GOOD FRIEND Whether it’s a date or just for fun, take your BFF to the dance to make the experience more memorable and comfortable. You’ll be laughing for the next week about what funny thing they did while walking into the dance.

LET YOUR FRIENDS HANDLE THE PLANNING Organizing the dinner, party bus, pictures and after party can be a headache. Allocating the planning to friends will take the stress off.

BORROW A DRESS Sifting through Revolve’s thousands of dresses can be time consuming and headache inducing, so try borrowing a dress from a friend to save your energy for your practices after school.

DON’T FORGET TO DANCE The dance is called a dance for a reason. Get in the middle of the circle and break it down. It will relieve stress and take the pressure off having small talk with your lab partner.

10 | OPINION

by sophie henschel

flipped my alarm off with an even heavier sigh than normal. It was Nov. 20, 2016 — National Kick A Ginger Day. The day I dreaded every year. This wretched holiday happened to fall on the day of my very first East football game in seventh grade. I walked up the bleachers — I’d only gotten three kicks so far — and was beginning to think the holiday had been forgotten. That is, until I looked up the bleacher steps to see five of my older brother’s best friends. Shooting my eyes downward, I clutched my Vera Bradley bag tightly against my bright pink Vineyard Vines T-shirt and made a beeline for the girls I’d met that day in my performance class. Pretending that I didn’t exist gave me no protection. I turn around to see them all there next to me yelling, “Hey did you guys know it was Kick A Ginger Day!?” Next thing I know I’m being fake-kicked from every direction. At first it was fun and games — then all hell broke loose when two other red-heads walked up the bleachers. The three gingers were suddenly surrounded by a sea of immune blondes and brunettes pretending to beat us up. Great start to my

I AM A A person’s hair color is no excuse for being a jerk

design by | lilah faye photos by | trevor paulus

seventh-grade year! Being a ginger can be hard, especially when you’re easily embarrassed — the jokes can be flat out rude sometimes and it only gets worse when everyone turns their attention to you, waiting for a reaction even though it’s happened a million times. The jokes hurt less now that I’ve grown up a bit, and my sense of humor has matured so I can laugh with them instead of letting it get in my feels. I’m not here to act like it’s some kind of hard, horrible life. Yes, I do get the “No, you can’t even say anything cause you’re a ginger,” or the passive-aggressive “At least I’m not a ginger” often. Most of the time I shake off the jokes and often find genuine humor in how unoriginal people can be. Watching my eighth grade Spanish sub come up with as many bland ginger jokes as he can — thinking of course he’s an original stand-up comedian — was probably one of the highlights of that class. This time, the whole class was laughing with me at the amount of ways he was trying to relate the lesson back to the fact that I have red hair, instead of laughing at me. “So basically class, you conjugate the -ar verbs by switching the endings with the -ir verbs... like the way Miss Henschel here

switches souls with people.” The whole class bursts out in laughter. These are the times that the jokes don’t really affect me because the true joke lies in the inability this sub had to deliver and original punchline. I mean really, does he

Being a ginger can be hard especially when you’re easily embarrassed — the jokes can be flat out rude sometimes and it only gets worse when everyone turns their attention to you waiting for a reaction even though it’s happened a million times.

sophie henschel | sophomore seriously think he’s being clever? One of the first times people were laughing with me about the ginger jokes, opposed to at me. I’ll always have to deal with the discomfort of a 50-year-old man in the line at Target giving me a little “You’re up, red!” and proceeding to laugh as though he’s just cracked the worlds funniest joke. Do these people really think they are

the first to tell me I look like Strawberry Shortcake or Max from Stranger Things? I assure you, it’s not. A person’s hair color is no excuse for being a straight-up jerk. The quirky little ginger jokes that people try to crack are fine, we all get it, you’re just trying to be funny. But when you start to say that I’m less smart or shouldn’t be picked for something because of my hair color? That’s taking it a little far. But I can’t imagine not being called out on a daily basis just trying to run through Starbucks for my iced latte. While there’s always the people thinking they’re hilarious by calling me “red” or “ginge,” I often get very nice compliments — mostly from sweet old ladies. I’m sure you all know her — the fun lady that works at Hen House in the Village with the white hair and bright purple lipstick. She’s complimented my hair every time I’ve come in for probably the past seven years. While I don’t think she actually realizes I’m the same person every time, that almost makes it more special. That makes up for enough of the gettingold ginger jokes in my book.

GINGER National Kick A Ginger Day is the scariest day of the year, without a doubt. And last week, on a random day, I was counting how many times I was called leprechaun and it was 11.

kasey nelson | sophomore

I don’t see why [being called a ginger] would be offensive, but I think people think it’s offensive just because it’s abnormal.

lauren brock | sophomore

the main day is Kick a Ginger Day, this year I did get a kick down the stairs as a joke, it hurt but you know what can you do about it? Nothing, so...

anna heide | sophomore

Some people bully me and they’re like ‘you’re such a strawberry blonde.’ And then other people be like ‘you’re a frickin redhead.’ The confusion of everyone else confuses me. Get on the same page and then give me your opinion.

sean paddack | senior

I get called ginger a lot, or they say that I suck souls, or that I’m not important.

haley wohler | junior

2816 W. 47th Avenue Kansas City, KS 66103

Creating Peace of Mind Serving Your Investment Needs

Satu Stechschulte, CFA Kristin Patterson

w e o h r t l d m o r yo f a e t h ic

l gl o b a l gi f ts

Bryant Barnes Stuart Berkley, CFA Andrew Muther Peter Greig, CFA Jeff Ream, CFP® Matt Montgomery, CFA

25% OFF

One iteM

fciadvisors.com 800-615-2536

7947 Santa Fe Dr Mon–Wed, Fri 10–6, Thu 10–8, Sat 9–5, Sun 12–4 913-642-8368 tenthousandvillages.com/overlandpark

1004311

Offer valid at Ten Thousand Villages Overland Park until 12/31/19. Artisans have been paid in full. Not valid with other offers or discounts, purchase of gift cards or Bunyaad Rugs. One coupon per customer.

SKILLS WITH SILKS 12 | PHOTOSTORY

design by | kate nixon

On Friday night, sophomore Maya Flynn and junior Kai Achen performed at Learning2Flyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holiday party. Flynn and Achen both instruct classes at Learning2Fly, an Ariel fitness studio in Mission. Through taking summer camp classes at the studio, Flynn and Achen both eventually started taking classes regularly. Now, several years after starting, both help out around the studio with classes and parties.

A B O V E Achen does the splits from a double foot lock. photo by | sarah golder BOTTOM MIDDLE Achen bows after finishing his performance. photo by | sarah golder

F A R A B O V E Hanging above the crowd, Achen does a hip key. photo by | megan stopperan A B O V E Achen looks up as he climbs the silk. photo by | kate nixon

L E F T Flynn looks to her friend while hanging from a hammock. photo by | kate nixon

THEN MOVING FROM

RECAP OPINION NEWS FEATURE NEWS

SCAN ME!

NOW

R EA D M O R E O N T H E CO N T I N U E D S EC T I O N ONLINE

pages 13-18 special section design by | lila tulp

copy by | brynn winkler

14 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N | A & E

R E V I E IN K E S H A T I KTO K RIHANNA

WE FOUND LOVE

CARLY RAE JEPSON

CALL ME MAYBE

RO B I N T H I C K E

BLURRED LINES

HAPPY

BRUNO MARS

CHAINSMOKERS

CLOSER

JUSTIN BIEBER

DESPACITO

PHARRELL WILLIAMS

UPTOWN FUNK

DRAKE

GOD’S PLAN

LIL NAS X & BILLY RAY

OLD TOWN ROAD

SCAN ME | PLAYLIST

Scan this QR code to listen to a playlist of the top songs of the deacde on Spotify *information courtesy of billboard

FRANK OCEAN BLONDE | 2016 After nearly four years of silence following his 2012 Grammy-Award winning album “Channel Orange,” Frank Ocean finally debuted ‘Blonde” in 2016. Ocean ingeniously incorporated psychedelic pop components, soulful influence and a hip hop beat into an unorthodox R&B album I can listen to on repeat. Romance is a main theme in the album, as many songs convey his complex emotions surrounding the topic. Versatile and introspective, “Blonde” is still one of the only albums that can keep me up at night wrapping my head around the lyrics, but also have me jamming in the car on the way home from school.

ATHLE I SUR E *photos courtesy of revolve My favori te t rend of t he decade, ath leisure, makes it socially acceptable for me to spor t l eggi ngs, sneakers an d a sweatsh ir t almost every day. Th an ks to at hl ei sure — or cas ual cl ot hi ng desig n ed to be suitable both for exercise an d everyday wear — I can al so h ead straight from sch ool to th e gym with out an out fi t change. “MOM ” J EA N S These st ra i g ht - l e g g e d, h i g h wa ste d j e a n s wi t h a re l axe d fit were n oto ri o us l y un co o l i n t h e e a rl y 2000s, a n d t h us du bbe d t h e “m o m” j e a n s. A m i d- 2000s s h i ft i n a t t i t ude made i t fa s h i o n a b l e fo r m o de l s a n d i n fl ue n ce rs to s p o r t the lo o k — a n d t h ey ’re st i l l a p op ul a r c h o i ce to day. EAR LY 2000’S PREPPY Fl as hback to th e early 2000s wh en th e h alls of Indi an Hills Middle Sch ool were a sea of Ralph Lauren Pol os an d V in eyard V in es T- Sh ir ts. Th is tren d of th e Ivy League in spired style was evident from th e men’s khaki s to women’s pearl studs. CROP TOPS Though th ey came back in style aroun d 201 3, crop tops — wh eth er in th e form of a T- sh ir t, sweater, jacket or tan k top — are still a popular ch oice for women an d teen s today. “DAD ” SNEAKERS These ch un ky, double- sole sn eakers came into th e scene recently. F rom Balen ciaga to F ila an d Nike, many joked th at th ese “ugly” sh oes must h ave come from th eir dad’s closet.

SHOP ME | BRYNN’S PICKS Scan this QR code to be directed to the Revolve website to shop these looks

TAYLOR SWIFT REPUTATION | 2017 I love a good come back. So when my sister dragged me to my childhood favorite country singer-turned-pop-star’s newest stadium tour, I was impressed by Taylor Swift’s powerful performance and ability to own the narratives and rumors surrounding her personal life. Swift’s embrace of modern pop was fun and empowering rather than bland and predictable. From the sweet nostalgia of the slow “New Year’s Day” to the fierce anthem “Look What You Made Me Do,” Swift’s latest album was in my queue for weeks to come after that concert.

MOVIES OF THE DECADE 1 2 Y E A R S A S L AV E

Y EA R | 2 01 0

2 0 1 0 | I PA D 2 0 1 1 | R E B E C C A B L AC K 2 0 1 2 | W H I T N E Y H O U S T O N D E AT H | EBOLA

Y EA R | 2 01 4

2014

2 0 1 5 | C A I T LY N J E N N E R 2 0 1 6 | O LY M P I C S

| U N K N OW N

*photos & information courtesy of imdb

GET OUT

Y EA R | 2 01 5

BIRDMAN

2 0 1 3 | B O S T O N M A R AT H O N

2 01 7 | S O L A R EC L I PS E 2 01 8 | M EG H A N M A R K L E 2 01 9

SPOTLIGHT

Y EA R | 2 01 3

INCEPTION

WORDS OF THE DECADE

Y EA R | 2 01 7

MOONLIGHT

Y EA R | 2 01 6

*information courtesy of google analytics

BRYNN’S TOP

The arts and entertainment trends throughout the decade, from top Google searches to fashion fads

C LOT H E S O F T H E D EC A D E

S O U N D S O F T H E D EC A D E

A D EC A D E

GREEN BOOK

Y EA R | 2 01 8

BLACK PANTHER | 2018 Action-packed and geniously curated, “Black Panther” was the first Marvel experience to get me hooked on the rest of the Marvel Universe. Unlike other superhero films that are centered around a revolutionary technological revelation or a repetitive franchise storyline, “Black Panther” evokes a refreshing sense of wonder through the story of the mythical Wakanda and its leader T’Challa.

S P E C I A L S E C T I O N | O P I N I O N 15

by phoebe hendon got my period the summer going into seventh grade and I’ve been slightly bitter ever since. Not bitter in the way some boys like to insinuate girls are whenever they get “moody;” bitter because growing up as a girl means having to put up with things like periods, sexism and people who tell you none of these things are that bad. Over the past decade, I’ve done a lot of growing up. With all the good and the bad — from traveling across oceans to dying my hair bright red — there’s no way I’d be where I am today without the influence women have had on my life. The countless books I read all throughout elementary school with complex, independent female leads founded my values. The groundbreaking 2016 presidential election changed my life when I was in middle school and led me to an interest in politics. My trials and tribulations with mental health during high school and the subsequent support I’ve received from teachers and peers alike showed me that needing help doesn’t make you weak. For a long time, I was convinced being a girl meant I’d drawn the short straw in life. But through women in pop culture, politics and my personal life, I’ve been proven wrong. To them, I owe everything. We’ve been lucky enough to grow up in a generation where there’s a plethora of strong females to look up to, but their presence in Hollywood is still a relatively new development. Hermione Granger was my first ever hero, from the moment I first

read about the curly-haired bookworm with a penchant for adventure. Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior started rebellions. Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel refused to let anyone hold them back. Any badass girl with badass achievements had me hooked. Though, with every heroine I found amid the pages of books I’d read over and over again, I couldn’t stay buried in fiction forever. Real women around the globe have started revolutions that have more impact on our world than any fictional escapade of mine. It’s the activists and rule-breakers who’ve been most influential on my growth as a young woman. I started reading about women like Malala Yousafzai and Michelle Obama who were creating platforms for themselves to fight for issues they were passionate about. I saw in these women the same strength I saw in the fictional characters I grew up adoring. And almost instantly, I knew I wanted to be just like them — helping those who needed it the most in whatever way I could. Women like director Ava Duvernay and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who call out injustices in the world make me feel like I’m not confined to a life sentence of inferiority. But even so, there’s been moments where I’ve felt like all the work I’ve put in to establish a sense of security in myself has been completely useless. During the 2016 presidential election, I heard a man who wanted to lead the entire nation brag about his ability to grab women by the you-know-what and sexualize his own daughter. I watched as no one around

A D ECADE FOR

me seemed to care and thought the utopia of womanhood I’d dreamt of as a kid would never align with the reality in front of me. Looking back on it all now, I see how much I let men like this scare me. But throughout that election, I used the response of other women who worked twice as hard to combat this misogyny as a reminder that no one can dictate my worth — it’s completely up to me. On the morning of November 7th, 2016, I woke up and immediately typed “election” into Google. I soon found out what had happened. I knew — but I couldn’t believe it. I’ve never told anyone before, but I cried on my bedroom floor that morning. I was 13 and had no idea what the next four years would look like. At that moment, I was scared. But the feeling didn’t last forever. Whatever chip — or rather, brick — formed on my shoulder that day hasn’t left. I’m now shamelessly the girl who can manage to get into political debates in any room, the girl who uses Instagram to talk about issues most people scroll right past. I’m perfectly aware of it, but I don’t care. I’ve figured out that if I spend all my time thinking about what other people think of me instead of doing what fulfills me, I’ll miss out on the little things in my life that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Dancing like a maniac in my kitchen to the music I love. Painting my nails different colors in my bedroom with Lorde on repeat. Studying for tests at Panera with my best friends and saving pretty pictures to the Pinterest boards we have for each other. Watching “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” with my mom and falling to pieces about how much we love Peter Kavinsky.

But it’s the bigger moments I can’t wait to tell my own daughter about someday. Canvassing for Sharice Davids to be one of my representatives and watching her become one of the first Native American women in Congress, along with a record-

For a long time, I was convinced being a girl meant I’d drawn the short straw in life. But through women in pop culture, politics and my personal life, I’ve been proven wrong. To them, I owe everything.

phoebe hendon | staffer breaking number of females elected during 2018’s midterms. Training for months to finish my first 50-mile bike race and the feeling of sheer invincibility I had when I finished it. The pure joy I felt as a lifelong soccer nerd when Megan Rapinoe led the US Women’s National Team to win the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Far too many women know what’s it like to feel small at the hands of those who say we don’t deserve to take up space. But whenever I’ve felt like no amount of my effort will render any impact on the world, I look to the women who refuse to be made inferior and use their persistence to show me how to make my own strides. I don’t know what highs and lows are in store for the 2020s, but I do know one thing — no one gets to tell me who I’m supposed to be.

WOMEN

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WO M E N O F P H O E B E ’S L I F E T H RO U G H O U T T H E D EC A D E

Staffer reflects on the influence women have had on her personal growth within the past decade

SERENA WILLIAMS SERENA WILLIAMS HAS WORKED TIRELESSLY THROUGH HER ENTIRE CAREER TO CHANGE THE WAY WOMEN ARE SEEN IN SPORTS. HER ACTIVISM INSPIRED ME ALONG WITH MILLIONS OF YOUNG WOMEN TO DEMAND THE BEST FROM YOURSELF.

MICHELLE OBAMA FORMER FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA EMBODIES EVERYTHING I ASPIRE TO BE. HER PASSION FOR MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE SHOWS THROUGH BOTH HER ACTIONS AND ATTITUDE.

MY MOM MY MOM KARA HENDON HAS SUPPORTED ME IN EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. MOM, I LOVE YOU MORE THAN BEYONCÉ AND HARRY STYLES COMBINED.

RIHANNA NOT ONLY HAS RIHANNA HEAVILY INFLUENCED THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, BUT THE DEBUT OF HER FENTY MAKEUP LINE AND FENTY X SAVAGE LINGERIE CALLED FOR MORE DIVERSITY IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY.

16 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N | N E W S

S P E C I A L S E C T I O N | F E AT U R E 17

A D EC A DE L AC K I N G

REA L I T Y C hris Jones didn’t go to his son’s graduation ceremony for a lunar launch — but he got one. Just above the rafters at the Shawnee Mission North Stadium, it was there: the steep upcurve of a jetstream, just above the outline of the moon. Just a “weird image” that sparked symbolic interest — like his own son, launching into his future. So he wrote down a caption and posted it on Instagram, hoping it would strike emotions with others on the app, too. That’s what Instagram is for Jones and his family, consisting of two students at East and another two that have graduated. It’s a medium to share their heartfelt, often funny thoughts and moments that would otherwise remain captionless on their camera roll. But as the 2010s came and went — and the sweeping popularity of mobile media apps and social networks surged — East students have found themselves steeped in online cultures with ends that prove far more corrosive. Human interaction, according to senior Reilly Moreland, was traded for a system of photo-swaps and glittery post comments. People’s lives documented on Instagram proved to be a far cry from reality, said sophomore Luke Friskel, with fake captions and fabricated photos strewn across every feed. Everyone’s a critic, said junior Josie Lenger, and it leads to a deep sense of self-doubt and incentive to contribute to the excess of exaggerated content. And those who have joined in, to junior Paige Good, are fighting an addiction that increases by the day. Physical life has taken the back seat, they said — and reality is clouded with holier-than thou messages built on a media-driven bed of fiction. “My personality on social media, especially in the first half of the time I’ve been using it, it’s been stripped back,” Lenger said. “You see people and you’re like, ‘oh my god she looks good,’ and you try it. If it doesn’t work, you want to fix it however you can, and a lot of people

by ben henschel

shape themselves down in a fake way just because they think it’s worth it.” Instagram and Snapchat — mobile media apps that boast over 1.2 billion combined users — serve varying purposes. But according to Moreland, as norms develop and trends set, digressions

SCAN ME | MORE Scan this QR code to be directed to the online special section to read more updates on this story

from the most popular fads that showcase a person’s natural character are few and far between. The ways in which someone would normally act, according to Lenger, are brushed aside in favor of whatever approach is prevalent, like the endless stream of beach pictures over winter break or the wave of posts that clutter a post-school dance Sunday. Conclusive evidence on the effects ofmedia on the minds of youth remain to fully be seen, according to former President of the Kansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Dr. Dennis Cooley. But the tendency of students to sway with public opinion regardless of their own personal thought, he said, is present without a doubt. Lenger’s first few years on Instagram were built off of a perceived need to “fit an image,” with her pictures and captions aimed at matching the polished ones that filled her feed. She scrolled past summer pool pictures with paper-thin subjects in the summer of seventh grade, and felt compelled to photoshop her own. If she saw a pose she wanted to replicate but couldn’t, an app like Facetune could do it for her. It wasn’t until years later — after playing the pincushion at school, being told how strangely “different [she] looked in real life” and asked why she feels the need to edit photos — that she realized none of it was ever worth it, and all of it was gratuitous. “Editing the photos that much was

just never worth it, and it took me a bit to realize it, but it’s really the stupidest thing,” Lenger said. “It’s whatever I feel like now. They’re going to see me in person, why would I try so hard to fake that? A lot of people just don’t get it still.” Snapchat serves as a different, but equally contrived platform that takes people out of their real lives and emphasizes the false importance of their digital ones, according to East parent and former high school principal Vicky Griffin. Users are able to see their friends’ lives in real time, Griffin said — like on Snapmap, a feature of Snapchat that allows users to transmit their geolocation each time they use the app. And according to Griffin, when they see a group of their friends together from their phone screen, without an invitation themselves, it fuels feelings of self-doubt that aren’t easily mended. And in spite of the palpable risks surrounding the app, many students aren’t able to pinpoint why they use it in the first place. “I honestly don’t understand it at all, maybe it’s just the routine,” junior Paige Good, who downloaded Snapchat only recently due to her friends’ rare use of conventional texting, said. “That’s how people are communicating. It’s just really dumb and I thought I might start to understand it, but I still don’t.” “It’s more of a, ‘hey, I’m here’ thing than anything we should really be spending time on,” Moreland said. “And it’s so hard to get off of.” There is more to be lost from deleting apps like Snapchat and Instagram than you’d think, according to Lenger. She uses Snapchat mostly for her private story, which she’s come to value as a vessel for self-expression — and when she deleted it, there was a vacuum that sucked away her sense of connection to her friends. “Honestly, I wouldn’t want to admit it but those three weeks were pretty miserable,” Lenger said. “I would see the funniest picture, type it all out even

by carolyn popper

Students, others toe the line between truth and fabricated reality with increased use of social media

though I knew I couldn’t post it. I don’t know, I just felt empty because I couldn’t express myself. I had to start it again.” There’s danger in the amount that youth consume social media, Griffin said — life on social media is wiped clean of reality’s dirt, and personalities are split with every Snapchat sent and every picture edited. When Griffin was a high school principal, students used flip-phones for nothing more than the occasional call or text — there was interaction. Students learned fine motor and social skills by solving problems in person. If someone had a problem, they’d resolve it and meet in the middle with conversation. Now, what has changed to her is clear. “There’s none of it,” Griffin said. “The interaction is gone, and it’s not just kids. It’s everyone. The difference is that kids being born now and before, and even you guys, you’re born into it. These kids are born with a cell phone in their hands.” Social media’s influence won’t dwindle as society moves into the 2020’s, according to Moreland, and that’s why it’s more important than ever to be true to yourself on mobile media apps and put them away when they begin to pervade the truth, she said. And with the incremental surge

1.2

BILLION COMBINED USERS O N I N S TA G R A M & S N A P C H AT

of youth media use in and out of the classroom, Griffin said, the level of digital immersion and technologydriven anxiety to be seen in the future introduces problems that may never come with answers. “I’m really, really interested to see where this generation ends up later on,” Griffin said. “How many likes can I get? How many [Snapchat streaks] can I get? That’s what people are focusing on. Maybe that’s the way [society] is going. But I really hope it’s not.”

ast parents Mary Chris Blickhan and Tami Greenburg knew there was no blueprint for their marriage ceremony. Their marriage process had already gone atypically. In 2002, they exchanged rings in a church only accompanied by each other, the pastor and their one-year-old son, Ben. In 2014, they notified their closest friends to meet in Iowa, one of 32 states in which gay marriage was legal, for a quick wedding that would be held in the private room of a restaurant. They were back in Kansas City the next morning for their son’s soccer game. Three months later, a friend organized a ceremonial wedding celebration at the Firestone building in downtown Kansas City. It was the closest thing to a wedding they’d had yet. Invitations were sent out, inscribed with Ghandi’s ‘What barrier is there that love cannot break?,’ Mary Chris and Tami wore white and the minister married his first ever gay couple. “We have our marriage certificate framed on our office wall,” Tami said. “A lot of married couples don’t have that but we’re not taking this for granted.’” They remember the amount of guests who approached them at their reception — saying how powerful the ceremony was. They were told there was a deepness to their marriage that doesn’t come from a couple of 25-year-olds. The minister told them even on his last day alive, he would remember their wedding. But for most of their lives, Tami and Mary Chris were the first gay parents to do anything. When their nowsenior son Ben Blickhan was starting kindergarten, a Catholic school turned their family away for directly contradicting with Catholic teachings. When Mary Chris and Tami were going through the second parent adoption — the process that would give Mary Chris parental rights to their two sons, Ben and now-sophomore Alex, since Tami carried both biologically — the family court commissioner refused to hear their case. Had they come before the judge, he said he wouldn’t listen. Mary Chris, Tami and the family and friends who came along waited in the lobby as their attorney scrambled to find a judge who would listen. “The world was different then, and I think that’s difficult for current Shawnee Mission East students to understand, that the world was so different not that long ago,” Mary Chris said. Before they could go through with artificial insemination — birth by a sperm donor — a therapist had to approve and a doctor had to agree. It reminded them other parents didn’t need to go through half of the same steps to start a family. In 2012, Tami switched jobs from a national organization to a local one whose health care company refused to provide it to a non-legalized married couple.

After having stayed home with their two boys, Mary Chris went back to work solely for the purpose of acquiring health insurance for the family. Had they been a legally recognized married couple, insurance never would have been a problem. “It was frustrating to be discriminated against in that way,” Mary Chris said. “Because other families didn’t have to deal with that problem because their marriages were legal. Ours, there was no way of making it legal.” But they’ve never adopted a sense of victimhood around their relationship. Since they’ve felt overwhelmingly supported, they don’t give too much thought to the inconveniences — like avoiding saying the word ‘wife’ to strangers or pretending they were sisters on a family vacation to South Africa. They feel they stand as an example to humanize gay marriage to those who have only ever considered it a concept. “Over the years there’s been a number of people who would hypothetically say something like, ‘We totally don’t support gay marriage, but we love Tami and Mary Chris.’” Tami said. “I think that’s what changes people’s minds through history, you get to know the people and they’re not much different than you.” And they’re adamant about never having tried to change anybody’s opinion. They’re not militant, trying to live their lives and raise their children, in peaceful coexistence. “I really do think our relationship has become more common in the last decade,” Mary Chris said. “But the most important thing about our lives is our boys.” They put everything into raising their kids because in a two-mom household, there is nothing unintentional about bringing children into the family. No one gets accidentally pregnant in a gay family, Tami said. When they had their two boys, Mary Chris and Tami felt they had been a combination of brave and naive. They had no anticipation of all the problems that would come up but, neither does any parent, they reminded themselves. “It’s been the best journey of our lives being parents together,” Mary Chris said. In an attempt to be supportive, people had told the Tami and Mary Chris that it didn’t matter the boys wouldn’t have a dad. But according to Tami, it does matter. It matters because their family dynamic makes them who they are. Having a dad is not a requirement, nor necessarily a law. And she hopes Ben and Alex have benefitted by being in this family. “We’re trying to do our best, like all parents are trying to do their best. It’s just more complicated in our family,” Tami said. “It’s different. It’d be wrong to not describe it as different, but it’s good.”

A D EC A D E F I G H T I N G FO R

THE BLICKHANS

Tami Greenburg (left) and Mary Chris Blickhan (right) pose with their two sons, sophomore Alex and senior Ben photo by | kate nixon

RIGHTS

Thanks to being born just in time for a life of acceptance, gay couple is thankful for the life they’ve been given despite struggling through discrimination and obstacles

16 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N | N E W S

S P E C I A L S E C T I O N | F E AT U R E 17

A D EC A DE L AC K I N G

by ben henschel

SCAN ME | MORE Scan this QR code to be directed to the online special section to read more updates on this story

by carolyn popper

Students, others toe the line between truth and fabricated reality with increased use of social media

1.2

BILLION COMBINED USERS O N I N S TA G R A M & S N A P C H AT

A D EC A D E F I G H T I N G FO R

THE BLICKHANS

Tami Greenburg (left) and Mary Chris Blickhan (right) pose with their two sons, sophomore Alex and senior Ben photo by | kate nixon

RIGHTS

Thanks to being born just in time for a life of acceptance, gay couple is thankful for the life they’ve been given despite struggling through discrimination and obstacles

18 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N | N E W S

Three cultural aspects that Generation Z has influenced, improved and revamped throughout the past decade

A D EC A D E O F

T GEN

he transition from elementary school to middle school to high school moved from coloring pictures of dinosaurs to crafting four-page essays. Homework got harder, time commitments got longer and the road to college got more stressful. In order to maintain sanity and keep a healthy state of mind and body, self-care has become a necessity in the lives of people over the decade. Both mental and physical self-care are extremely vital in a productive and successful life, according to Forbes. Mental health awareness has grown immensely over the past decade. With stressors appearing everywhere in the

maddox mogenson

I M PAC T

EAST CO NTRI BU TI ON

East’s contribution through the past four years of the decade with activities in self-care, activism and individuality

THE CL I M AT E M ARC H | ACT IV IS M The Global Climate Strike allowed students a chance to speak up for a pressing issue in the upcoming election — climate change. Students from across the KC Metro met to protest in favor of the passing of the Green New Deal.

THE WO M EN ’S M ARC H | ACT IVIS M Every year, the Women’s March takes place in Kansas City, which is a protest open to citizens of the KC Metro. The march advocates for gender equality. Many East students have attended and rallied with the protesters over the years.

03 04

GSA CLUB | IN D IVID UA L IT Y The Gay-Straight Alliance is a club at East that allows members from every orientation of the LGBTQIA+ community to come together. The club allows every participant, regardless of gender or sexual preference, to be themselves and express who they are.

ZERO R EASO N S WHY | S EL F- CARE Zero Reasons Why is a Gen-Z-run group that advocates for suicide prevention and awareness. They focus on opening the discussion to spark change and to save lives of teenagers dealing with mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

rom climate strikes to gun control marches to antiabortion protests, this decade has become a time for people to speak up for what they believe in. Any issue — whether that be gender equality, LGBTQ+ issues or racism — can weave its way into daily conversations. Throughout the decade, people have become less and less afraid of advocating for what they think is right. Growing from 11 year olds yelling about sharing with a sibling to 18 year olds protesting in front of the Capitol Building in D.C., the PostMillennials are accustomed to using their voices. Unlike other decades, this one has come more with social, economical and environmental issues that haven’t gone ignored.

elf-expression and a stronger sense of self-purpose have evolved throughout the decade thanks to Gen Z. Instead of following in the past generations’ footsteps working towards the most plausible option for the future, this generation has learned to be focused on passion — they’ve found what they do best and use it to their advantage. Individuality is defined by distinguishing oneself from others because of a certain attribute or multiple attributes, which is hard

lives of today’s high-schoolers, a little mental break every once in a while can make or break an upcoming test or overwhelming college application. Apps like Calm and Headspace — both released in 2012 — facilitate the meditation and relaxation process. These programs were programmed to make self-care an easy part of a daily routine. Junior Zoey Lovern, an avid believer in self-care, thinks that self-care is essential in a positive lifestyle. “It’s important to focus on yourself for a good amount of the day,” Lovern said. “Or at least just check-in and make sure you’re doing alright.” And with suicide being the third leading cause of death in ages 1524, according to Stanford Children’s Health, self-care is becoming a normalized topic of conversation.

“It’s okay to talk about your depression,” Lovern said. “Being able to come forward about those mental problems is the first step in being able to take those self-care steps.” On the other side of self-care, working out and eating healthier foods have become a trend over the past decade. Restaurants and health bars like Eat Fit Go and 913 Nutrition have become staples in the Thursday morning late start routines of students. Senior George Morgan is a firm believer in physical self-care, and uses Instagram to share his physical selfcare progress. “Self-care is trying to be the best version of yourself,” Morgan said. “If you can be confident in your progress in the gym, or in whatever you’re doing, it’ll help you.”

Recently, issues have arisen on both sides of the political spectrum, calling for protests. One-sided and politically-fueled Instagram posts and Snapchat stories have become daily necessities for some people. And with that came the response from the other side, creating a sometimes heated, but healthy, conversation acting as a way to start discussions about beliefs. Over ten years, arguments during recess over whether or not someone got tagged have evolved into debates over politics that have informed Gen Z on the problems they’ll have to face when they are of voting age. Senior Mary McConville, an activist for the disabled community and climate change, believes that activism is an important tool for this generation to learn and use to their advantage.

“I think it’s important that we take it upon ourselves to take care of problems, especially considering the past few generations haven’t really done much to help,” McConville said. The Women’s March, Global Climate Strike and protest against the Westboro Baptist Church are some of many events that Gen Z has participated in and organized during this decade. Events like these bring together thousands of like-minded activists to work for a cause, creating a community of people who move towards change. Activism has become a major trend of the 2010’s — as simple as a retweet or as large as a rally with thousands of strikers.

to accomplish in a society where everyone seems to be the same. But in a world that constantly pushes people to be similar, with models that all look the same and expectations of what success looks like, this generation has begun to make sure each and every person stands out. Many members of Gen Z in the public eye — such as Billie Eilish and James Charles — have already made their mark on society at such young ages. Teenage celebrities not only are groundbreaking for being so successful at such a young age, but also because they inspire so many other young dreamers with high aspirations. By becoming so successful in their respective fields,

they give people the confidence to work on their own craft. Radiating individuality doesn’t mean winning a gold medal at The Olympics or getting a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, but instead doing everything possible to be the best you can be at what you love. Makeup artist and junior Amanda Collins believes that individuality is extremely important for building a future and being truly happy with where you are in life. “Doing what you want and doing what makes you happy is so important,” Collins said. “If you have something that you love to do, and no one else can do it like you, it makes you, you.”

FEATURES | 19

design by | sydney newton photo illustrations by | sarah golder

O N T H E ROA D TO

Junior Charlie Birt finds a passion for politics through Youth and Government and local campaigns

CO N G R E S S

by jilli foley

PAST C A M PA I G N S RODGER MARSHALL For this campaign, Birt makes phone calls, knocks on people doors, increase their social media presence, and fundraising. He is hoping to set up a high school and college student coalition.

K E V I N YO D E R While working for the campaign, Birt does everything that he does for the Rodger Marshall campaign, in addition to recruiting and leading a team of interns and marching in parades.

J A K E L AT U R N E R Birt joined this campaign after he was invited to by a coworker from the Yoder campaign. He was the first high school student to join the campaign, and led the student coalition, his biggest role yet.

hen his mom non-consensually signed him up for debate camp, then eighth-grader Charlie Birt never thought he would trade in his football cleats to veer onto a path filled with opinionated bills and political campaigns. A difficult interest to start learning about, but leading him to a passionate future for himself — a future in politics. After years of debate camps, campaign work and Youth and Government trips, Birt found a passion for politics as a non-eligible voter but educates his life towards leadership in his community. Birt has taken on the role of a political leader in the community through assuming the presidency of Young Republicans Club and is Youth Governor of Kansas in the mock parliament club, Youth and Government. Since that first debate camp, Birt’s interest in politics has escalated through modest conversations with more educated upperclassmen and friends. The weekly Taco Tuesdays in Young Republicans Club and Youth and Government Club meetings gave Birt an open environment to develop his political opinions. “They really encouraged me to get out in the open about politics because personally I got to create my own personal stances,” Birt said. Last fall, Birt was elected Youth Governor of Kansas which gave him the highest leadership role possible for his age. In September, all the Youth and Government clubs in Kansas traveled to Topeka for a convention where all members vote on positions. Through three years of dedication, he has worked up through the Youth and Governor parliament from a House Representative his freshman year to Youth Governor junior year. As Youth Governor, Birt will have the opportunity to review and sign active bills and represent the state of Kansas in a national convention March 2020 in Washington D.C . “Youth and Government has shown me a career path I wanted to take,” Birt said. “I really got a passion for representing my state but then also for government itself and the way it can help people and preserve a lot of the rights that are in your country.” Junior Anna Heide has looked up to Birt and his dedication to Youth and Government, which has taught her many concepts and processes within the government. “He’s the one that everyone looks up to because you can clearly tell he works harder than any of us in the program,” Heide said. “You just genuinely see that he is in his element.” Though the clubs have impacted Birt’s interactions with those of different political opinions, he greatly admires the influence from his own grandpa, Chuck Madden. “He really taught me how to be a gentleman in society thats strives not only to achieve success for yourself, but impact other people in a positive way,” Birt said. Conversing with his grandson about aviation and watching Fox News, Madden has not just seen Birt’s potential politically, but has watched him to grow into a caring person. “We talk about politics a little bit when he comes over, but he mostly comes to hang with his grandparents because we are very close,” Madden said. “He’s also one of

the only 16-year-old kids I’ve ever met to hug me in public.” To stay involved in politics, Birt started participating in different offices and campaigns to understand his future in politics. He’s spent hours making various phone calls and sitting on people’s porches discussing the politics and community changes. Birt has worked for over 20 campaigns for politicians including Kevin Yoder and Roger Marshall by helping with the social media, fundraising, and many office and community jobs that he learns during his high school career. “I love working in federal elections because I think that’s probably one of the most representative of our country and of our nation,” Birt said. “And that’s gotten me really passionate about it because we are creating a voice on the national scale for our community and states.” Birt’s political activity has impacted others as well. A firm handshake can kick start a deep and open conversation about blank with classmates or people at a campaign potluck. All throughout, Birt pushes himself to reach out to his community and listen to other’s beliefs and ideas to create a wider look on things.

I do my best to aim high towards my goals for the future. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would be a pretty cool house to be in”

charlie birt | junior “It’s great because I get to interact with so many people and hear their opinions and to represent them the best I can,” Birt said. “I do my best to know as many people as I can.” Although Birt is not eligible to vote, he focuses his extra time learning and being impacted by people around the community. His door-to-door campaigns for different politicians turn into 30-minute front porch conversations with all different people who have all different governmental views. “Something that I learned a lot [through] experiences is that leadership is personal, not positional,” Birt said. “You don’t have to be in a leadership position to do the best to influence and help out your community.” Birt has focused his mind and energy to forward his life in the political world and as many leadership opportunities he has time for. Being politically involved at 16 has brought Charlie to a significant understanding of his life. “Charlie has a lot of his own ideas and I encourage him by saying you gotta make up your own mind and find out the facts to vote for the best people,” Madden said. “He’s a great grandson and I’m extremely proud of who he’s become.” Birt will carry on his vision for himself and start planning for what is yet to come for his life in politics and for himself. “I do my best to aim high towards my goals for the future,” Birt said. “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would be a pretty cool house to be in.”

20 | FEATURES

design by | celia condon photos courtesy of | april crosser

D A N C I N G T H RO U G H T H E S N OW Freshman Macy Crosser takes on her fourth year in the Kansas City Ballet’s Nutcracker

L E F T Crosser performs in the 2018 Kansas City Ballet Nutcracker as a party girl. A B O V E Crosser dancing during the party scene in the KCB Nutcracker.

by campbell wood

n front of the candle-lit Christmas tree, her red-accented gold dress sways as the stage lights reflect its metallic shimmer. She literally sparkles as she sashays across the stage. She’s captivated when the toys come to life, in awe when Clara is given the iconic nutcracker and as she points her toe towards the audience and waits for the music’s cue to start dancing, one thing becomes evident — freshman Macy Crosser is living her dream. For four years now, Macy has appeared in Kansas City Ballet’s annual performance, “The Nutcracker,” and this year she is featured as a party girl and a matryoshka child. Despite burning through a pair of pointe shoes every three to four weeks and going to physical therapy for her strained hip flexor, the unparalleled passion that overcomes her when she’s practicing pirouettes or going through the ballet positions makes it all worth it. “I just love how graceful it is,” Macy said. “Once I joined ballet, I had already seen ‘The Nutcracker’ for many years, and just being able to dance like them and learn how to do what they’re doing — I really loved the gracefulness of it and how here to go SCAN ME | Scan straight to the Kansas City Ballet website to buy tickets.

pretty it was.” It’s the sophistication. The elegance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on pointe. The magic and voiceless grace that accompanies every step, sway, twirl and leap. To Macy, “The Nutcracker” is different from the loose freestyle of hip hop and the originality of contemporary — it’s perfection. Every movement, finger and expression has a

place. That’s why she loves it. She’s loved it since her mom first took her to see the show when she was five. Macy left the theatre with one response — “I’m going to be in ‘The Nutcracker’” — and she said it every year until her debut in sixth grade as a lamb. It’s surreal. Now she’s the one who has battled the rat king, watched Drosselmeyer make toys come to life and performed for Clara in the Land of Sweets. It’s the bubbly feeling of getting to live out her childhood dream. “I’ll see these little girls watching me and it just takes me back in time to when I was one of those little girls,” Macy said. “I just love being a role model to them.” Macy knows the importance of having someone to look up to — it’s a glimpse at what ballet looks like further down the road. When the shepherd dancers from the company guided her through her lamb choreography — her hops and tail wiggles — she experienced working with professionals first-hand. She saw their dedication and passion for the art, the peace and serenity they had in each stroke. “At such a young age, it was just cool to be with those people who are really inspired by dance and it was a good opportunity for me to be around them and see what they do,” Macy said. Macy is no stranger to ballet’s commitment — especially during nutcracker season. The weekend before “The Nutcracker’s” opening night, she spends 20 hours running through the show, squeezing in honors homework during car rides to and from rehearsals. “I think it’s such a commitment to be at the level that she’s at and to spend that many hours there,” Macy’s mom, April Crosser, said. “Which means less time doing things a lot of normal teenagers do on the weekends and in their free time. You know, she’s at the ballet, but she just she loves it so much that it’s worth it.” One of the biggest things April is proud

of Macy for is finding balance — making it work to do what she loves. And if anyone knows how much she loves performing in “The Nutcracker,” it’s her mom. Macy’s determination to make her role the best it can be is what leaves her mom smiling in the audience. She’s made their tradition even more special for April. She’s no longer going for the delicate dance or the symphonic music. She’s going for her daughter. And they celebrate her performance the same way each year — picking out a nutcracker as memorabilia for their nutcracker endeavors. On the bottom reads the year, and for the last four, Macy’s role in the show. The mantel above their fireplace is now decorated in nutcrackers full of nostalgic memories of their times at the show. She has a golfer, a shopper, ones that have hats with penguins and a snowman. Like snowflakes, no two are alike — especially the snowflake nutcracker. This year’s nutcracker? A soldier with a sword in hand and a red-buttoned, blue uniform coated with glitter to match his tall, rounded hat that’s pouring out a lion’s mane of white hair. It’s not another novelty item, it’s 10 years of tradition. “I love how I went with my mom every year as a tradition,” Macy said. “And I love the chance to be a part of other people’s traditions now. My Christmas holiday season would not be the same without it.” Macy doesn’t get nervous — just excited. It’s an antagonizing year-long wait for nutcracker season, but the moment she’s reunited with the stage, she’s back where she belongs. “I just see such joy,” April said. “She just has the hugest smile on her face when she’s on stage and she has just amazing stage presence to me. You can just tell she loves it so much when she’s on the stage and all the hours and all the things she’s given up are worth it because she’s getting to live out a dream of hers.”

PARTS FO R

PROGRESSIO N A breakdown of Crosser’s parts over the past years in the show.

TH GRADE DANCED AS A SHEEP IN THE 2016 NUTCRACKER

TH GRADE DANCED AS A SOLDIER IN THE 2017 NUTCRACKER

TH GRADE DANCED AS A PARTY GIRL IN THE 2018 NUTCRACKER

TH GRADE A PARTY GIRL AND SOLDIER THIS WINTER

DECEMBER

All the dates you can watch 6 Crosser in the show this winter. 8

7:30 PM

2 PM

10:30 AM

1 PM

5 PM

A&E | 21

design by | elizabeth mikkelson photos and information courtesy of | spotify, amazon, rolling stones and netflix

GETTING IN THE jHOLIDAY SPIRIT

A&E

HIGHLIGHTS

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

N E W LY R E L EAS E D CH RI STMAS ALBUMS O F 2019 S I N G E R | L EA M I C H E L L E

SINGER | IDINA MENZEL

S O N GS | 1 1

S O N GS | 1 8

T I T L E | C H R I ST M A S I N T H E CITY

T I T L E | C H R I ST M A S : A S E A S O N O F LOV E

Inspired by her fond memories of growing up in New York City, Lea has captured the unique magic of the city’s holiday spirit throughout the 11-track collection.

Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel has a career that traverses stage, film, television, and music and in time for the holidays she releases an album of traditional and brandnew songs.

S I N G E RS | J O N A S B ROT H E RS

S I N G E R | K AC E Y M U S G R AV E S

SONG | 1

S O N GS | 1 8

T I T L E | L I K E I T ’S C H R I ST M A S

T I T L E | T H E K AC E Y M USG R AV E S CHRIST M AS SHOW

Jonas Brothers are getting into the Christmas spirit with bubbly new song “Like It’s Christmas.” The boy band reunited earlier this year to also release the album Happiness Begins.

This holiday season, join Kacey Musgraves for The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show, a holiday variety show featuring new songs and timehonored classics.

K E L LY ’S TO P A L B U M P I C KS SIA

MICHAEL BUBLE

EVERYDAY IS CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS

#1 #1

PENTATONIX BEST OF PENTATONIX CHRISTMAS

Staffer’s top picks for her favorite Christmas albums over the years by kelly murphy

EVERY DECEMBER when I can’t drive down the street without seeing Christmas lights everywhere, I get as excited as a five-year-old for Christmas. But while a fiveyear-old might stay up all night waiting for Santa Claus to shimmy down the chimney,

I prefer to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and my favorite Christmas albums. Here’s my guide to the best Christmas albums to add to your secret Santa party playlists.

#1: MICHAEL BUBLE’S album, fittingly named “Christmas,” is my top pick. Bublé’s silky smooth voice sings 14 classic holiday songs and one original song, “Cold December Night,” which he co-wrote with Alan Chang and Bob Rock. Think of the same festive lyrics you’ve heard in every department store during December, but with a faster beat

and more brass instruments — that’s how Bublé puts his own spin on the classics. The moment I hear the violins at the start of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas,” I’m instantly brought back to hanging ornaments on my tree and decorating gingerbread houses by the fire. No album feels more like Christmas to me than Bublé’s.

#2: AFTER RECENTLY DISCOVERING the Sia’s 2017 album “Everyday is Christmas,” it quickly became my second favorite Christmas album. All 10 songs on the album are original songs co-written by Sia and Greg Kurstin, so it isn’t exactly a conventional Christmas album. I wouldn’t even know some of the songs were Christmas songs without closely listening to the lyrics, so don’t expect many sleigh bells ringing in the

instrumental. Many Christmas albums choose to focus on Santa bringing presents and everyone being merry, but Sia’s also touches on heavier subjects like loss in the song “Snowflake.” Even so, there are still plenty of upbeat songs with catchy melodies like “Santa’s Coming for Us” and “Candy Cane Lane.” Overall, the creativity and variety of the album will keep it as one of my favorites for years to come.

N E W LY R E L E A S E D C H R I S T M A S N E T F L I X S P EC I A L S

KELLY CLARKSON

The best-of album features four new songs, in addition to the quintet’s biggest and best-selling songs and collaborations from their past 4 holiday albums.

WRAPPED IN RED

The album will feature brand new instant classics such as the first single, “Underneath The Tree,” and title track, “Wrapped In Red.”

R AT E D | T V- P G

R AT E D | T V-1 4

ROTT E N TO M ATO | 3 8 %

ROTT E N TO M ATO | 7 5 %

G E N R E | H EA RT F E LT / W I T T Y

G E N R E | RO M A N C E

Congratulations for 25 Years From a single ATM in Hungary in the mid-90s to a global network that processed $115 billion in payments for customers in 165 countries in 2018, Euronet Worldwide has grown into a leading provider of financial services that drive the global economy. Congratulations to Michael J. Brown (Chairman, CEO & Founder) and Euronetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7,000 worldwide employees for 25 years of success!

9421MissionRd (913)383-3667 @foosfabulous Plan, Eat & Enjoy Life

A&E | 23

design by | annabelle moore photos by | taylor keal

Staffer reviews Old Overland Park Holiday Farmers Market

by rose kanaley

’d call myself a regular at the Old Overland Park Farmers Market. Saturday morning trips with my mom to grab a mango-on-a-stick or my favorite Ibis cranberry-nut bread with almond butter is a staple of my summer routine. So when I found out about their holiday farmers market, I immediately texted my friends to clear their schedule. To say the holiday market delivered would be an understatement. With over 50 different stands, there’s something for everyone — from your grandpa who loves flavored jams to your best friend’s little sister who collects tree ornaments. To be completely honest, I’m no holiday-season fanatic. I would never choose to listen to “Here Comes Santa Claus,” I dread searching for presents and the only time I watch Netflix Original Christmas movies is to laugh at how bad they are. Despite my lack of appreciation for the Christmas season, even I could enjoy the Yuletide vibes among the bright red poinsettias along the wall and Santa hat wine bottle toppers laying at the front table. My Scrooge spirit was left at the door as I walked in to the smell of fresh roasted nuts. The market had stands filling four rooms in the building, varying from Kombucha stations to succulent shops to crepemaking stations. And to my (happy) surprise, it was held inside Matt Ross Community Center with only a few stands outside — perfect for the 50-degree weather. Don’t worry if the holiday season is hurting your wallet, you can make $20 last a while; even the Kombucha and sugar scrub I bought were each under $4, so it’s okay to let your impulsivity take over just a little bit. And this place has the white elephant gifts covered — they had Lavender themed lip balm, lotion and sugar scrub (surprise, secret Santa). If you’re someone who is incapable of waking up before 10:30 a.m. on weekends, the timing of 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 7 gave just enough time to sleep in and still get there and look around without having to worry that everything will be gone. There were samples at almost every food stand — lucky for me, since I barely had enough in my bank account to buy coffee during second breakfast. The samples ranged from a sun butter

cookie to an all vegan and gluten-free bakery (that I had to pretend to like as the old woman watched me with a hopeful smile) to rubbed and smoked cheddar cheese samples. And I’m pretty sure they don’t limit the number of times you can grab a sample — considering I went back about five times. Although you should steer clear of the handcrafted Elderberry juice or anyone trying to convince you to sample it, even if they claim it will build your immune system, as it tastes like a more sour grape cough medicine. There’s also options like the carob brownie, which tastes almost like chocolate but a little less sweet so it’s not too rich of a brownie. I am by no means a health guru, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like Kombucha. After trying at least five samples I ended choosing the holiday special — a mix of the purple carrot and Chai, although every flavor tastes more or less the same to me. I’ll admit some may not deem me qualified to rate the farmers market as I’m not vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or any of the other diet-restricting labels and would probably have Freddy’s fries every day if I could, but I can still appreciate some aspects of the “granola girl” lifestyle. And the market isn’t only directed to this group, there’s something for everyone. As I kept making my way around the lines of tables, I probably picked up every succulent they had — there’s now four mini cactuses sitting on my desk — and couldn’t help but get excited for Christmas when I saw the decorated Christmas trees. The bright colors of Christmas I saw in everything from the handmade hats with a puff on top to the candy cane ornaments to the baked goods in a room with a fireplace in the back left me feeling, surprisingly, excited for the holiday season. The atmosphere could even double as the perfect holiday-themed date. If you’re looking for a fun holiday activity, I’d skip the caroling and pinecone bird-feeder building for a trip down to the holiday farmers market anyday.

R AT IBYN GS

5***** STARS

ROSE

ROASTED ALMONDS AND PECANS

L O V E AT F R O S T S I G H T

4.5 *****

S N OW J O K E

LAVENDER LOTION BALM

STARS

4 **** STARS

LAVENDER SUGAR SCRUB LOO K I N ’ P I N E

2.5 ***

OH, REINDEER

ELDERBERRY JUICE

STARS

MARKET Other upcoming holiday market dates

MADNESS

Lenexa Holiday Farmers Market

Dec. 21 The Roasterie Holiday Market

Dec. 21

design by | jilli foley photoscourtesy of | imbd

24 | A&E

ONE BIG Staffer reviews “Frozen 2,” but nothing can beat the original movie and other Disney classics

by | lucy kostner

s an avid Disney fan girl, I’ve binged more than my fair share of princess movies — a few of which still make my top movies list to this day. Naturally, when I heard rumors about one of our newest and favorite princess-sister duos coming out with a new movie, I had to go. “Frozen 2” released Nov. 22 brings back all our favorite stars from the original movie: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad and Jonathon Groff. The movie delivers yet another action-packed experience with love, sisters and adventures all within one hour and 43 minutes. The magic of Elsa’s powers, conflict between sisters and the secondary love story made my solo trip to the theater worth it. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t turn away from a sister feud, ice princess rom-com, but it takes a lot to impress someone who grew up with several timeless princesses such as Cinderella and the beloved Little Mermaid. “Frozen 2” in true “Frozen” fashion, starts out with a dramatic flashback scene with Elsa, Anna and their parents, who always seem to be hiding something about their past. Starting out the movie on a dramatic note had me immediately intrigued about what the rest of the sequel was going to be like. The movie revolves around our favorite Arendelle squad as they embark on a journey to the Enchanted Forest to find a hidden spirit. Elsa realizes that the adventurous, girl boss side of her we know and love can’t avoid the noise the spirit has been making. She decides to embark on a quest to find the spirit. Anna, being the protective sister she is, goes along with Elsa into the forest to uncover secrets from their past. Although the new story idea was clever, it didn’t quite captivate me like the first movie did. There were several ideas that weren’t wrapped up the way I had hoped. The ending left me confused with the love dynamic we get from Anna and Kristoff. There seemed to be an

FROZEN NIGHT unnecessary struggle between the two love birds, and why did they attempt to correlate symbols that didn’t have any relevance to each other’s meaning. I won’t spoil anything major, but why would fire relate with a chameleon? The film managed to keep its playful, loving essence, but in doing so they lost some of the action and the strong antagonist from the first — I don’t think rock giants or invisible spirits qualify as strong opponents. There needed to be more of a conflict for me to get deep into the plot like I did the last one. Although the new story idea was clever, it didn’t quite captivate me like the first movie did. There were several ideas that weren’t wrapped up the way I had hoped.

lucy kostner | sophomore The biggest letdown of all? The music. Everyone knows and loves the catchy songs from the charming original. Songs such as “Let It Go” and “Do You Want to Build A Snowman” are just two of the many “Frozen” songs that — even if afraid to admit — still remain on our playlist. I feel like I was singing along to the last verse of “Let It Go” along with the rest of the movie theatre, and I just didn’t get that “you go girl” vibe from any of the songs in the new film. As the movie theatre lights came on I thought there had to be something more, something I was missing. I never got the plot twist I was looking for. Although the new story idea was clever, it didn’t quite captivate me like the first movie did. The questions I have about the plot choices may never be answered, but I don’t regret paying for the $8 ticket. You can’t replace that nostalgic feeling you get after watching a Disney movie. Everyone can find joy in a Disney princess musical if you ask me.

W H AT 'S DIFFERENT

New features in the sequel give a new vibe of the story and plot line

C H A R AC T E RS New characters are introduced and give impacts towards the plot line plus new four-legged friends

O U T F I TS New outfits from the original movie are dramatically different and give a different feel of the characters

S E TT I N G The setting falls in the “enchanted forest” in the season of fall instead of the iconic frozen winter

MUSIC

New soundtrack is produced giving a stronger and more dramatic feel towards the characters

***

F R O Z E N 2 | 3 S TA R S

A&E | 25

design by | catherine erickson photos by | noelle griffin

M E R RY

Staffers review Pinterest Christmas DIYs for meaningful presents on a budget

INSMAS

SNOW GLOBE

LOOKING FOR A fun, at-home way to spice up your centerpiece at the dining table? This DIY snow globe is the perfect option. After a simple run to Hobby Lobby or Walmart to get a miniature toy Christmas tree and a Mason jar, start by gluing the tree to the inside of the Mason jar lid and fill the jar up with water. After the glue dries, screw your lid back on and give it a shake — you can even add other decorations like fake snow and glitter or add food coloring to the water for a creative touch.

d ste e gg or su ift f g

***

A B O V E Grace flips the DIY snowglobe so the trees face upwards.

M AT E R I A L S

1 2 3

SUGAR SCRUB

BROWNIE MIX

combine the dry ingredients of your favorite brownie mix

THE HOLIDAYS CAN be a stressful time for some, from searching for the perfect gift to powering through awkward family gatherings. But through it all, this Christmas sugar scrub is the perfect way to kick back and relax when you’re feeling overwhelmed. If you’re in need of a little pick-me-up, this is just for you. Combine sugar and coconut oil, mix it in a bowl and add something extra like peppermint extract or sprinkles. Mix it up and maybe save some for yourself before gifting it away!

MASON JAR

layer the brownie mix in a clean mason jar with a lid

DECORATIONS

***

tie with a ribbon and add stickers to decorate

***** su gg gif este F R t for d

IEN

SCAN ME | VIDEO A B O V E The DIY slipper gifts are filled with candy, face masks and other small gifts.

WHEN THE MOST wonderful time of the year rolls around, finding the perfect gift without breaking the bank requires some serious skill — especially on a babysitting budget. We’re here to give you a guide on how to make meaningful, inexpensive and Pinterest-inspired gifts. So without further ado, Welcome to Pinsmas.

*****

BROWNIE IN A JAR EVERYONE LOVES SWEETS during the holiday season, and if they don’t, they’ll be getting coal in their stocking. This DIY brownie mix-in-a-jar is easy to create and makes last-minute holiday party sweets a breeze. Start with a Mason jar, and add 3/4 cup cocoa powder,1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 1/3 cup flour, 1 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 cup chocolate chips into the jar. Layering them on top of each other creates a layered design on the outside of the jar. Simply finish the jar off with a festive label or ribbon so it looks like it came straight out of Santa’s workshop.

by ally talge and grace allen

Watch Grace and Ally attempt the DIYs

DIY SLIPPERS

NOTHING SAYS WINTER like cuddling up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa and a nice pair of comfy slippers — I mean seriously, who wouldn’t want that as a gift? But bland, plain slippers don’t impress anybody when it comes to gift exchanges like white elephant and secret Santa. DIY slippers pack a unique punch and are perfect for anyone you’d like to surprise, so grab a pair of slippers and some dollar-section goodies and fill them up with holiday cheer. The best part about this fun footwear is that you can personalize them to family and friends liking. Do they like self-care? Fill them up with face masks, makeup and lotion — finish it off with a ribbon and you’re good to go.

SCAN ME | PINTEREST BOARD Check out the Pinterest board of Grace and Ally’s favorite Christmas DIYs

26 |SPORTS

design by | lily billingsley

S P O RTS

HIGHLIGHTS

AT H L E T E ’ S TA K E HOW DOES YOUR TEAM TRAIN OVER WINTER BREAK?

b a s ket b a l l

AT O L AT H E E A S T

[For basketball} we kind of just carry on with practice as normal because we usually have a game at the beginning of January. We get a lot of days off but when we have practice we do a lot of game prep stuff. Last year over Winter Break we adopted a family to get Christmas presents for, so our whole team went to Target together and bought stuff for a family.

W R E S T L I N G | VA R S I T Y M E E T 1 2 / 2 0 - 1 2 / 2 1 A T

reese althouse | junior

Updates, schedules and quotes about the winter sport season

COMING UP THIS WEEK B O Y S B A S K E T B A L L | VA R S I T Y G A M E 1 2 / 2 0 AT O L AT H E E A S T VA R S I T Y T O U R N A M E N T 1 2 / 2 1 A T B L U E VA L L E Y N O R T H W E S T G I R L S B A S K E T B A L L | VA R S I T Y G A M E 1 2 / 2 0

B L U E VA L L E Y

swim & dive

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

JAN

S W I M & D I V E | Va r s i t y

L A N C E R DA N C E R S |

meet at Shawnee

Invitational at Lee

Mission School District

Summit North High

Aquatic Center

School

L E F T Junior Grace Falley performs the varsity Lancer Dancer halftime dance at halftime of the girls varsity basketball game against Blue Valley Northwest. .photo by | sarah golder

[For swim] it’s pretty much the time that we work the hardest. All of our practices are two hours and they’re extremely intense. After practices the team normally does bonding by going to get breakfast or lunch around practices. It helps our team get more focused and ready for the big meets after break.

rich wiggins | junior

STUDENT POLLS HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CUT FROM A SPORT AT EAST?| 270 VOTES

23% YES 77% NO IF SO, DID YOU TRY OUT FOR THE SPORT THE NEXT YEAR| 128 VOTES

17% YES 83% NO T O P | Freshman Ethan Jenkinson wrestles against a Blue Valley High School wrestler at a JV and varsity meet at East. photo by | megan stopperan L E F T | Senior Camryn Gossick goes to the basket for a layup in the varsity game against Blue Valley Northwest. East beat the Huskies 51-33. photo by | megan biles

SCAN ME | WEBSITE Go to the Harbinger website for winter sport photos, videos and updates

SPORTS | 27

design by | riley atkinson photos by | megan stopperan

COAC H E S ’ A DV I C E : Tips from Kelly and Jacobsen about continuing your love for a sport even after getting cut

JACO B S E N J a c o bse n b e l i eves t h a t i f a st u d e nt t r u l y l oves t h e s p o r t , t h ey c a n p l ay i t a nyw h e re.

K E L LY

Ke l l y wa nt s st u d e nt s to t r y o u t a fte r b e i n g c u t a n d a l ways s h a res sto r i es o f a t h l etes w h o d i d .

DIDN’T MAKE

THE CUT

KAT I E

DRAKE

SY D N E Y

R I EC K E R

Seniors and coaches give their perspective on cuts at SME

by lydia underwood

his year, there were 13 girls whose faces fell as they frantically searched through the list of players who had made a basketball team, only to find out they had been cut. Two years ago, senior Sidney Riecker was one of those girls — she had been cut from the basketball team after she had been playing ever since she could remember and had no idea what she would do next. But when senior Katie Drake was cut from the soccer program her sophomore year, she had a not-so-midlife crisis. She had been playing soccer since she was in kindergarten, been on a club team since sixth grade and played C-team for East during her freshman year. In the moment, she felt embarrassed and wasn’t sure what to do, but Drake quickly figured out her next move.

If you really love it and you have your mindset on it, you can always work hard during the off-season or join like a team and then try out the next year

sydney riecker | senior Because of the high number of club athletes coming into high school sports at East, tryouts are more competitive, resulting in more cuts. But, as Riecker and Drake have learned, they were able to make whatever decision is best for them, whether that be seeking feedback from the coaches or trying other things out. According to Riecker, although she had been playing basketball since elementary school, she felt that her heart not being in the sport anymore was one of the biggest

reasons she was cut. Both Drake and Riecker needed a change after being cut. While they still continue to do the sports they were cut from, they have each pushed themselves to try something new every year. Growing up, Drake had always been a perfectionist whether it was from making powerpoints for group projects just the way she wanted them or trying to be the best at everything she did — soccer being one of them. Being cut from the team broke the cycle of constantly needing to have everything together. “After that, I forced myself to do something I’d never done before,” Drake said. “That year I did track and designed for the yearbook and wrote a story. And then this year I joined video productions and I’m mediocre or bad at all of them...but it can still be fun.” Looking back, both Riecker and Drake agree that being cut from their sport was a learning experience for them and was ultimately for the better. Riecker was able to try out for tennis and bowling, while Drake became one of the photo editors for Hauberk. “During the spring that I didn’t play and the next fall, I got more into yearbook,” Drake said. “I knew at the beginning of junior year that I wanted to be [yearbook] photo editor, I just found things I was more interested in and I knew I wasn’t going to play soccer in college...it kind of seemed pointless [to try out again].” Basketball coach Drew Steffen has encouraged students to continue playing the sport even if they get cut, through club teams or at their own home for fun. Both he and soccer coach James Kelly recommend getting better in the off-season and trying out the following year, despite Drake and Riecker deciding not to try out again. “If you truly love playing basketball, you can play basketball,” Steffen said. “You can play at your house in

the winter, you can go to the gym and play. There’s plenty of opportunities to play basketball, you have to want to do it.” Each year at tryouts Kelly tries to share success stories of athletes who came back and made the team after being cut the previous year because he wants the players to know that getting cut is not the end of the world and that if they decide to try again, they can. “I like those stories because it shows determination,” Kelly said. “It shows the person’s work ethic [and that they’re] willing to take adversity into their personal life because obviously if they try it out and didn’t make it, you know, that’s hard.” When Drake was cut from the soccer team, she had to think about whether she was going to try out again next year and what she wanted to dedicate her time to. “You have to make a conscious choice of whether you’re willing to commit that kind of time,” Drake said. “I knew I wasn’t gonna play in college. Most of my friends weren’t going to play again and I just found other things that I liked doing better.” Both Kelly and Steffen agree on one thing — East sports are extremely competitive. A lot of high schoolers come in their freshman year having played a club sport since they were in elementary school. According to Riecker and Drake, if someone decided to not try out again, there are other options and ways to get involved at East. It opened their eyes to new experiences and wasn’t the end of the world. “If you really love it and you had your mindset on it, you can always work hard during the off-season or join like a team and then try out the next year,” Riecker said. “Or if that’s not what you want to do, you can always find another thing that you’re interested in because especially in our school, we have so many different things to try.”

28 | SPORTS

H ITTI N G THE

Junior Fiona Junger is dedicated to becoming the best competitive figure skater she can be before doing it recreationally in college

by winnie wolf

A B O V E Junior Fiona Junger practices her figure skating during her biweekly lessons with her instructor. photo by | reilly moreland

FIONA’S FAVORITES Shake It

Metro Station

Tongue Tied

Grouplove

Still into You

Paramore

Everybody Talks Make You Mine

Neon Trees PUBLIC

SCAN ME | PLAYLIST Scan this code to check out the rest of Fiona’s figure skating warmup playlist

unior Fiona Junger’s blood trickled down her hand as she skated off the ice, rubbing it off on her Lululemon shirt sleeve, she tried to ignore the Band-Aids being offered to her. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Junger said to coach Bonnie Wienberg, adrenaline still pumping. Junger had been attempting a haircutter — a spin in her program where she pulls the blade behind her head with her hand — but her tendency to lose her gloves left her hands exposed to the sharp blades on her skates. Coach Bonnie Wienberg recalls the bleeding hand story as just one of the many entertaining moments that come with coaching Junger at Kansas City Ice Center. “It’s funny because you can tell she really is dedicated and really wants to do the best she can when she’s skating,” Weinberg said. Born in Kansas City, Junger’s family moved to Canada when she was two years old. Junger started playing hockey like all of the little kids but she eventually traded in her hockey pads for sparkling dresses and took up ice skating a year later. When her family moved back to Kansas City when she was five, Junger decided to continue skating. Since then, it’s been the core focus in her life — with daily practices in preparation for about four skating competitions a year. Even though Junger is a member of the Kansas Figure Skating Club at KCIC, she competes individually at each competition. But when Junger was in middle school at Pembroke, she felt deprived of the team bonding and friendships her friends were experiencing and decided to quit ice skating to try out more team-oriented sports. “The individualism in skating is the reason I took a break in middle school,” Junger said. “I tried swim, dance, track and basketball because I wanted to be on a team where I could meet people and make friends.” But after Junger started to miss skating, she returned to KCIC in eighth grade to skate competitively. Her readjustment to the sport changed even more when Junger made the decision to transfer from Pembroke to East for her junior year. While transitioning from the private to public lifestyle and leaving her friends behind was hard on Junger, skating was her only constant. According to Junger, the small skating community and her friends she she had at KCIC made the move worth it, especially when she was able to spend more time at the rink due to the difference in East’s class scheduling. Junger’s friend, junior Cameron Hughes, met Junger at East this year. “I thought it was really cool when I found out she skates,” Hughes said. “I don’t know anyone who does it competitively so when Fiona showed us videos of her skating, I was like oh my gosh, she’s really good.” Junger’s schedule this year includes her alarm ringing at 5 a.m. every weekday so she can prepare herself for morning

ICE

design by | rose kanaley photo by | reilly moreland

practice on the ice from 6:15 to 7:45 — one of the differences in her new routine at East. Practice is followed by a day of school starting in second hour AP U.S. History and skating after school for an hour on Mondays and Fridays. “School work and skating is really hard because you want to stay up late to do your homework, Junger said. “But it’s also like, well I have to get up at five tomorrow so should I really stay up until 12 doing homework?” While practice at the rink means developing technical skills like tight aerodynamic positions, Tuesday through Thursday after school Junger can be found at AYC Health and Fitness doing high intensity interval training with Weinberg to train her heart rate. “I’m very proud of Fiona,” Weinberg said. “It’s been fun and rewarding to watch her work ethic develop and also her overall fitness levels increase and improve.” Because the ice skating competition season lasts from summer to fall, Junger is currently training and focusing on perfecting her short and long programs — the two different length routines Junger performs at competitions — to get as many points as possible from the judges. Even though Junger skates strong at competitions, according to Weinberg, her goal is for Junger to skate

The individualism in skating is the reason I took a break in middle school. I tried swim, dance, track and basketball because I wanted to be on a team where I could meet people and make friends

fiona junger | junior a clean and precise program in the Novice level for the upcoming season. To keep track of her personal progress, Junger created a skating account on Instagram to post videos and share with her friends and followers. “I’m not trying to become famous or anything,” Junger said. “I did it to have fun and watch myself skate so that way I can say this looks good or that looks bad.” Junger’s self motivation and determination brought her to pass Free Skate this year — a series of spins, jumps and turns ice skaters have to pass in front of judges — and have the national title of Free Skate Gold Medalist. If she passes next year for the last time, Junger will move up to the Junior level. The final step in skating is making it to the the Senior level — but the advanced group of Double Gold Medalists includes skaters who will be going to the Olympics. “I just want to be the best I can be now,” Junger said. “I tell myself that I only have one and a half years left because in college I’m going to be skating recreationally and I probably won’t have the time or resources to do it as much as I do now.”

SPORTS | 29

design by | natasha thomas photos by | julia percy

N OT W I T H EAST , B U T ST I L L

LANCERS

P H O T O Then junior Will Mohr turns to the team on the sideline and cheers after he scores from last year’s Varsity Lacrosse game against Pembroke Hill photo by | julia percy

Lancer Lacrosse team loses club sponsor, disaffiliating them with East by caroline chisholm

The boys’ Lancer lacrosse team, formerly an East club, is no longer affiliated with the school after losing their club sponsor David Muhammad and being unable to find a school employee willing to endorse their club. District rules require sponsors to attend every event, meeting and activity associated with the club. For the lacrosse team, this means all 24 games, daily spring practices and out of town tournaments to St. Louis and Wisconsin. Players attempted to recruit teachers to be their sponsor, such as marketing teacher Mercedes Rasmussen, but were turned down after requirements were reviewed because of the time commitment it would require. But, they will continue to look for a sponsor for future years. The lacrosse team will no longer be recognized by pep club and will not be allowed to have a Lancer Day float if they are still unable to find a sponsor by next August. While the players acknowledge that these are not major changes for their team, they are also disappointed to lose these perks. “It is a weird feeling not being associated with the school anymore,” Senior lacrosse player JJ Ruf said. “It is really unfortunate because [pep club] was a big way to get people to games by reaching out on pep club Twitter and at pep assemblies. We can’t do that anymore, so it will be a different demographic at the games. Muhammad, who no longer teaches in the district, thinks sponsoring the team is a double-edged sword. While the team achieves great success and camaraderie, they also face disciplinary problems like drinking at school

events and vaping in the locker room that can be hard to deal with. Muhammad considered quitting during his time as sponsor due to poor decision making by some team members, but continued because the teamwork on the field brings Lancer pride. “On one hand, they have become a really big part of our community and are very good,” Muhammad said. “Their games are exciting and they have a lot of community and parent support. That’s a fact, but also you can’t deny

It is a weird feeling not being associated with the school anymore.

jj ruf | senior that those boys turn up and go to parties. There is going to have to be a culture change on the team. Teachers don’t want to be associated with that if they are going to be a headache.” Muhammad wasn’t aware of the sponsor requirements when he was the sponsor, only attending games and meetings when he could. It is his assumption that the administration is being more strict on sponsor requirements this year due to the team’s past disciplinary problems. Athletic Director Debbie Katzfey denies that assumption, attributing the struggle to the time commitment it would take to be the lacrosse sponsor. Senior lacrosse player Will Mohr doesn’t think that lack of affiliation will affect the team or season. They will continue with the Lancer name and logo and still have the same players. He thinks that their successes will continue whether they have the support of the

school or not. “There really is no difference between being a club and not being a club,” Mohr said. “We still have our own club bylaws and our teams enforces the same rules that KSHAA would enforce. We still are going to be run the same way so nothing is going to change except for the status of being a club.” He also acknowledged that he understands the reputation that Lacrosse has at East. He knows there might be negative connotations with being their sponsor, but thinks the good outweighs the bad. Although they don’t have pep club’s endorsement, administration intends to continue to support the team by retweeting game times and sharing lacrosse accomplishments with their followers. The administration looks to support all student accomplishments, whether it is affiliated with East or not, according to Katzfey. “We are going to recognize our kids because kids are kids,” Katzfey said. “If you are a Lancer, you are a Lancer. As long as you are a student of ours, we are going to cheer you on and be happy for you and support you in everything you do.” For Head Coach Will Garrett, the change doesn’t mean much. He said the team’s dynamic and success will stay the same under the Lancer name. “We will still be practicing on the East field. We will still have Lancers across our chest,” Garrett said. “I think students will still come to our games. It really just was a technicality, in my opinion.”

WHAT DOE S NO SPONSOR MEAN? NO MORE P E P AS S E M B LY PA RT I C I PAT I O N

C A N ’ T H AV E A L A N C E R DAY F LOAT

EAST CLUB REQUIRE ME NTS to qualify as a club, extensive criteria must be met

- sponsor must be at all meetings and eve n t s - collecting and d i s p e r s i n g fu n d s i s c o n t r o l l e d by E a s t - a l l p o s t i n g s by t h e c l u b m u s t b e ST U C O a p p r ove d

notes toself.com

design by | kate nixon

OH T H E RE ’S N O P L AC E L I K E

PHOTOSTORY | 31 East hosts a holiday party for staff and their families with Santa visits and various holiday crafts including ornament making and gingerbread house decorating

EAST FO R T H E H OLI DAYS

FA R A B OV E Secretary Ashley Gordon works with her son Fox on making Christmas ornaments. photo by | elise madden A B OV E M I D D L E Science teacher Jennifer Davis’ son Culter poses for a picture on Santa’s lap. photo by | elise madden RIGHT Social Studies teacher Emily Fossoh’s son, Henry, plays with his grandfather at the holiday party. photo by | elise madden

TOP Identical twins Lily and Caty Krievins help their mom, business teacher Jessica Krievins, decorate their gingerbread house by placing peppermints and gumdrops on the roof. photo by | annakate dilks A B OV E Basketball coach Will Gordon holds his daughter Poppy while business teacher Amanda Doane talks to her. photo by | annakate dilks L E F T An example gingerbread house made by volunteers sits on the table of gingerbread house decorations. photo by | annakate dilks

32 | ALT COPY

design & story by | sarah bledsoe

1 0 T H I N GS

YO U TOTALLY

F O R GO T

T HE ROYAL WEDDING As I dragged my brother out of bed at 5 a.m. on April 29, 2011, I anxiously awaited watching Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton say “I do” in one of the most lavish weddings ever. The wedding was one of the biggest events of the year, with 22.8 million people tuned in to see the bride’s entrance. Flash-forward nine years and the television is instead focusing on the couples three beautiful babies — although the same cannot be said for William’s hair.

T HE END OF HAN NA H

No matter how many reruns of “Hannah Montana” I watch, it will never be the same after Miley Cyrus took off her wig for the last time in 2011. Even though it doesn’t seem that long ago, Miley has changed a lot since her Disney Channel days, let’s not forget the time she rode a wrecking ball half-naked, married and divorced Liam Hemsworth — a true tragedy — and is now dating Cody Simpson. But, no matter what, Hannah Montana’s last performance marked the end of childhood for a lot of us Gen Z babies.

SAM E-SEX M ARRIAGE

While I’m pretty sure everyone knows that same-sex marriage is legal in the U.S. it’s surprising how recently it was legalized. With the world becoming a vastly more accepting place, it’s shocking to think that only five years ago same-sex couples were not allowed to be legally married country-wide. So when the supreme court ruled on June 26, 2015 in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage a fundamental right, I know millions of people jumped for joy — myself included.

K I LLER CLOWNS

The great clown panic of 2016 swept through the nation, with a growing social media presence of clowns wandering around the world. What started in early January in the UK spread across the world. Creepy clowns were literally showing up and scaring young children — just furthering the irrational fear of clowns. The phenomenon spread all the way to East when the school went into lockdown after a social media outlet posted supposed sightings around our campus.

V I N E I S DEAD

With all the spin offs of Vine, Tik Tok and Music.ly being a few of them, it’s hard to believe the company that owned Vine went bankrupt and shut down in 2016. While this doesn’t mean you can’t still watch the best Vine compilations on Youtube on loop for 24 hours (not that I do that), the app will definitely go down in history as an amazing entertainment app for your daily fix of a potato flying around a room.

A list of the top 10 things from the decade that have been forgotten

HAR AM B E After a 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure, a zoo keeper shot and killed a 17-year-old gorilla out of fear for the boys’ life. The result was immediate public backlash towards this gorilla’s untimely demise — I mean come on even my dad cried at the video. Hashtags like #RIPHarambe, #Harambe and #shirtsoffforHarambe spread all throughout Twitter. The video of Harambe being shot and killed reached millions of views and stood as a representation of the cruel living environments zoo animals are put in — #Harambeforever.

F L AP PY B IR D

Does anyone else remember when people were buying and selling phones with Flappy Bird installed on them for thousands of dollars? Well it definitely happened back in 2014 when Flappy Bird was removed from the Apple Store because of the addictive nature it generated. The game’s sudden popularity and abrupt removal made phones with Flappy Bird sell for $10,000 on Ebay.

GA N G N A M ST Y L E

I’m pretty sure I could recite all the words to the “Gangnam Style” chorus right now. All because a man doing a horse-riding dance move created a worldwide phenomenon and a dance that will go down in history. When South Korean musician Psy released “Gangnam Style” in July 2012, the music video became an instant hit and was the first ever Youtube video to reach a billion views. “Gangnam Style” will forever be the anthem of 2012.

TOTA L SO L AR ECL IPSE

Whether you were sitting in science class or out for a walk, everyone and their cousins were carrying around Solar Eclipse glasses on Aug. 21, 2017 — well everyone except for Donald Trump. The Total Solar Eclipse is a rather rare sighting due to the fact that it only occurs when the moon blocks 100% of the solar disk — making the one in 2017 the first Total Solar Eclipse since 1918 — a once in a lifetime sighting.

T H E D R E SS

While a lot of social media trends bring the world together, they can also cause a major divide — even when the argument is simply the color of the dress. In February 2015, a dress originally posted on Tumblr became an internet craze. This argument over whether the dress was black and blue or white and gold lasted for weeks — I promise it’s blue and black.