the harbinger. SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILL AGE, KS 66208 OCTOBER 12, 2020
COLORFUL
VOLUME LXIII ISSUE 2
CONNECTION Students in the special education program along with their families and the students in the social skills class are working to learn through remote school despite the challenges of online learning
02 | INSIDE COVER
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
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STORI E S AMONG US
VA BENE ITALIAN EATERY Scan to read Peyton Moore’s story on the new Italian Eatery in Corinth Square, replacing Urban Table.
Scan to read Ben Bradley’s review on the new game “Among Us” that seems to be taking over the East community.
V I D E OS
GA L L E R I E S
TENET IN THEATERS Scan to see staff member Lawder DeSantis review his experience seeing the new movie, Tenet, in theaters.
CARTO O N | n atal i e sc h o l z
cover illustration by sophie henschel
SENIOR NIGHT Scan to view Annakate Dilks’ and Trevor Paulus’s gallery of the girls varsity tennis senior night.
PRINT EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley ONLINE EDITORS Riley Atkinson Lauren West ASST. PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Annabelle Moore ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood HEAD COPY EDITORS Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox PHOTO EDITORS Sarah Golder Trevor Paulus Julia Percy ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Noelle Griffin Elise Madden Megan Stopperan MOBILE MEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Megan Biles VIDEO EDITOR Lawder DeSantis ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Sydney Williams VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Roberto Galicia BROADCAST EDITORS Sam Freund ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Brett Pendland Liv Olson Megan Stopperan PHOTO MENTORS Taylor Keal Megan Biles Annakate Dilks MJ Wolf STAFF WRITERS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Campbell Wood Celia Condon Sophie Henschel Annabelle Moore Allison Wilcox Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Sydney Newton Ethan Enderle Lily Billingsley Kelly Murphy Elizabeth Mikkelson Tommy Paulus Sydney Decker Peyton Moore Lauren Dierks Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Cesca Stamati Winnie Wolf Madeline Funkey Grace Tucker Emma Brown Gibbs Morris
Ben Bradley Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Nora Lynn Mia Vogel Caroline Gould COPY EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Winnie Wolf Lily Billingsley Elizabeth Mikkelson Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Kelly Murphy EDITORIAL BOARD Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Lily Billingsley SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL PRINT Sydney Newton NEWS PRINT Lauren Dierks ONLINE Caroline Wood OPINION PRINT Elizabeth Mikkelson ONLINE Winnie Wolf FEATURE PRINT Grace Tucker ONLINE Lyda Cosgrove A&E PRINT Tommy Paulus ONLINE Kate Heitmann SPORTS PRINT Peyton Moore ONLINE Cesca Stamati PAGE DESIGNERS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Riley Atkinson Sophie Henschel Celia Condon Allison Wilcox Annabelle Moore
Elizabeth Mikkelson Lily Billingsley Lauren Dierks Sydney Newton Winnie Wolf Kate Heitmann Grace Allen Grace Tucker Cesca Stamati Peyton Moore Madeline Funkey Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Nora Lynn Caroline Gould ART EDITOR Celia Condon STAFF ARTISTS Natalie Scholz Sophie Henschel Mia Vogel Lauren Dierks Sophie Lindberg Maria Morrissey STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Emma Kate Squires Maggie Merckens Hadley Chapman Emily Pollock Maggie Klump Tristen Porter Rachel Bingham Molly Schumm Ella Hans Eva Berkley Macy Crosser Helen Rice Lily Mantel Sabrina Dean VIDEO STAFF Lawder DeSantis Sydney Williams Liv Olson Megan Stopperan Roberto Galicia Brett Pendland SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Annabelle Moore ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sophie Henschel SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Mia Vogel Sydney Decker Megan Biles Grace Tucker Julia Percy Celia Condon Lyda Cosgrove Kelly Murphy Grace Allen Anna Mitchell Liv Olson Paige Zadoo ADS MANAGER Caroline Wood CIRCULATION MANAGER Lyda Cosgrove SOCIAL CHAIRS Peyton Moore Tommy Paulus CONTEST COORDINATOR Celia Condon
design by sydney newton illustration by natalie scholtz
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
EDITORIAL | 03
W W W. B LO C K E D.C O M SMSD’s restrictions are too heavy and leave students unable to use the MacBooks effectively
A
s you open your MacBook and scroll through the Canvas homepage, you see your latest AP Gov. assignment with a link to a YouTube video about the first presidential debate. But when you try to click on the link, the site goes dark grey and the alarming red bar pops up once again: blocked. The new restrictions on the school-issued MacBooks have been taken too far. It’s understandable to want to keep students from using their school computers to scroll through OnlyFans during class or look up porn, but with restrictions like verbatim searches and image censoring, the excessive blocking does more harm than good. Administration forgets that the sites students use to learn aren’t just Canvas and smsd.org — we need access to sites for online newspapers, college admissions and copy editing tools. Just because they aren’t built into SMSD’s criteria for what needs to be taught in a certain class doesn’t mean there isn’t educational value to them or that we shouldn’t be given access to the information. We still need these resources for research, whether for homework or staying informed. As teenagers, we already have access to and are exposed to “adult” things, whether that be from a conversation overheard in the Hen House line or somewhere down the Twitter rabbithole. Sure, it might not all be things schools would want us finding on their issued devices, but they can’t stop us from being exposed to these things outside of school. So, it only hurts the students when necessary sites are included in these broad restrictions. They may define sex education as “mature content,” but as high school students, we have the right to be exposed to that. If we’re not able to learn about it on the school computers that we’re supposed to be using to expand our knowledge, we’ll remain uneducated and continue to miss out on the reliable sources we should be looking to. In a year like 2020 with a never-ending stream of new
information regarding everything from the pandemic to the presidential election — especially as many seniors are preparing to vote — we have the right to access this information. And with the restrictions heightened heavily in a year like this, where students are completely virtual and relying so heavily on technology for their education, it really does limit our education. At a time when we can’t even freely ask teachers questions, we also can’t use outside websites to do the personal research for class because of these unnecessary restrictions. The district can’t assume we’ll have other places to access that information — not all students have other computers at home to look up the information that SMSD has deemed “inappropriate” to us. If we can’t keep ourselves educated on things from the most recent news updates surrounding Black Lives Matter to news images provided from sites like Shutterstock because the content is too “mature,” where are we supposed to access this information? As educators, it’s the district’s responsibility to give us the opportunity to learn about whatever matters we find pressing today, regardless of how it fits into their blocking criteria. And it’s not just the more mature content that’s blocked from us. Websites like smestudentstore.weebly.com, the student store’s url, were originally blocked, and still are for some — even though there’s no harmful content to it. Originally, you couldn’t even read the online upload of the print paper for The Harbinger on issuu.com, and you still can’t access many of the videos or ads — the site doesn’t feature nudity or drug use, so why is it blocked? Blocking Netflix during school hours so that students aren’t watching “How to Get Away With Murder” during their virtual physics class is one thing, but blocking any website categorized in a non-school-related manner takes it too far. If they don’t want us distracted during class, they can use the same format they use for Netflix, blocking the website until 4 p.m. so that students can’t access it during class.
Even the live streams of the SMSD board meetings are blocked, not allowing students to hear what’s being discussed because it’s categorized as “too mature,” even though the information being talked about is more relevant to them than the SMSD employees discussing it. Sure, some websites like NPR and a handful of college admission sites that were originally blocked have now been fixed, and students are glad the district is taking the time to fix these, but every day, new necessary sites that students depend on are discovered to be blocked, highlighting clear issues in the district’s restrictions criteria. The image censoring has also been taken too far. We can’t even find a picture of East when looking up Shawnee Mission East. They may be trying to censor inappropriate images, but in the process they’ve kept us from being able to see things that can help our understanding of classes like diagrams for biology concepts or different displays of graphs for statistics. It’s the exact precautions they’re taking to keep us more focused and present in school that are causing the most problems. Teachers who’ve posted links to articles they need to access for assignments are asking their class to access them from their phones. Students working on research projects are unable to access any of the information they need to complete the assignment because, even though they have no “inappropriate” content to them, they’re categorized that way due to the district’s severe restrictions. If SMSD gives us MacBooks with the intent of them being educational tools, they need to allow us to use them for actual education. The filtering of what information we can and can’t have access to doesn’t need to be removed, but adjustments need to be made. There’s nothing harmful to a high school student’s education about listening to music on Spotify or looking for breaking news on Twitter, and the district needs to acknowledge that.
E D I TO R I A L P O L I C Y The Harbinger is a student run publication. Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion. The content and opinions of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quotes material may be confirmed with the sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content thought letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 413B or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com
FO R: 1 2 AGAINST: 0 The members of the editorial board who agree with the viewpoint of the editorial are represented by for, and those who disagree with the viewpoint are represented by against
04 | NEWS
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by lauren dierks photos by taylor keal
NEWS
HIGHLIGHTS
Catch up on school, local and national news
LOCAL
Summer-Salt Ice Cream holds breast cancer fundraiser
by gra ce tuc ker
SUMMER-SALT ICE CREAM, an ice cream shop in Corinth Square, is hosting a fundraiser for Breast Cancer awareness on Oct. 13 from 3-9 p.m. East students who are employees at Summer Salt will be working during the fundraiser, such as sophomores Morgan Turpin, MJ Wolf, Graham Mosher, Meredith Byrd and Sarah McConwell. This fundraiser is happening in replacement of a SHARE bake sale that was canceled due to COVID-19. Wolf and Shutzler work at Summer Salt, and decided this event would be an fun alternative to the SHARE bake sale, which Wolf is a chair for. They spoke with their boss, who also thought it was a great idea and wanted to be a part of the fundraiser.
EAST
15% of the proceeds will go towards Breast Cancer Awareness, and everyone working the night of the fundraiser will be donating the money they would normally earn to the cause. That night, they’ll also be holding a raffle for a $50 gift card to Summer Salt, each ticket costing $1. “I’m excited that Summer Salt is going to be part of something that benefits others,” sophomore Meredith Byrd said. “I’m also glad that I get to be part of it as well.” Along with ice cream, they’ll be selling pink-themed baked goods, such as cupcakes and cake pops. They chose to have a certified baker make the treats instead of having the volunteers make them and not accepting donations to keep everything more sanitary and COVID-friendly.
Homecoming court has been announced
WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT of the 2020-2021 Homecoming candidates on Oct. 1, the queen, king and attendants will be announced during halftime at the varsity football game on Oct. 15. Though there will be a homecoming court, there will be no dance due to COVID protocols. The queen candidates are seniors Megan Biles, Sarah Bingham, Sydney Herpich, Logan Lowrey, Claire Perkins-Rock, Ellie Peters, Sophie Rice, Maisie Sheets and Elinor Zugazagoitia. The king candidates are Henry Bunte, Lawder DeSantis, Thomas Dreyer, Sullivan Goettsch, Raymond Hu, Reilly Kenney, William Lowry, Thomas Paulus and Trevor Paulus. For the crowning, the candidates will
all be socially distanced and masked. Only parents will be the additional fans able to attend, but there will be a livestream. “I was really excited when I first heard. It’s always exciting getting any award or honor, but I think they mean more when they come from your peers and friends.” Goettsch said. “It was also pretty cool because it’s one of those things that are always in movies or TV shows about high school, and now I get to experience it in a way.” The voting for king and queen will take place, virtually, on Oct. 12 and 13. “We’re just kind of trying to win every day,” Hoover said. “That’s kind of been our motto up to this point. Wednesday needs to be better than Tuesday.”
M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R OCT. 12
VARSITY GIRLS GOLF REGIONALS
OCT. 13
GYMNASTICS SENIOR NIGHT
OCT. 15
HOMECOMING CROWNING
A B OV E | Summer-Salt Ice Cream holds the breast cancer awareness fundraiser
N A T I O N A L Nobel Prize awarded for discovery of Hepatitis C THE 2020 NOBEL in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three scientists — Harvey J. Alter, Charles Rices and Michael Houghton — for discovering the Hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C is an infection caused by a virus that has negative impacts on the body, such as inflammation and liver defects. With more than 200,000 U.S. cases every year, the virus is spread by contact with contaminated blood. Alter is a senior investigator at the Clinical Center’s Department of Transfusion Medicine, Houghton is a Canada Excellence
K N OW T H E FAC TS HEPATITIS C
Research Chair in Virology and Rice is the Professor at the Rockefeller University, New York. From 2001 to 2018, Rice also was the Scientific and Executive Director at the Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, where he remains working today. According to ABC News, Alter, Houghton and Rice will share the $1 million cash reward. The scientists hope that this discovery will lead to a decrease in cases and lower the severity because it will now be caught sooner. Currently, there is no vaccine for the Hepatitis C virus, but the research in this field is still taking place.
*Information courtesy of Mayo Clinic
Damages the liver, causes inflammation and spreads from person to person easily Caused by contact of infected blood such as the sharing of unsterilized needles Used to require weekly injections and oral medications Symptoms include bleeding easily, bruising easily, fatigue and poor appetite
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by allison wilcox photo by eva berkley
NEWS | 05
H E L LO
H OTSPOTS SMSD makes the decision to fund service hotspots for low-income students to work A B O V E | A SME student works on their online school using a hotspot. photo by eva berkley
HONING IN ON
H OTS P OTS
All there is to know regarding the internet servers and statistics of the new hotspots
THE SERVERS IN SMSD
450 V ER I ZO N 50 SPR I N T
by mia vogel
T
o combat the ever-prevailing internet connection issues that have risen from online learning, the Shawnee Mission School District has commissioned around 500 portable WiFi hotspots in an effort to help students maintain secure network connectivity from their homes. These hotspots are the newest step in effort from SMSD to assist the 27,000 students in the district currently learning remotely – especially for students coming from low-income families. As of Oct. 5, 270 out of the 500 hotspots have been checked out by SMSD families. In order to apply for a WiFi hotspot, families must contact their principal and if they meet the criteria of having no internet access at home – not just wanting faster internet – they should receive their hotspot in 24 hours or less.
50 AT&T Lots of logistical and operational [additions have been implemented within SMSD schools] to make sure that the schools are ready to go when it’s safe for students to return.
BY T H E N U M B E RS
500 OU T O F 270 0 ST U D E N TS I N T H E D ISTR I CT A R E LEARNING WITH H OTSPOTS
18.5%
$ 282 , 20 0 O F $ 2 . 6 M I LLI ON IN DIST R I CT FU N D I N G IS G O I N G TOWA R DS HOTSPOTS
10.9%
christy ziegler | chief of student services The hotspots have been deemed a “temporary fix” for the atypical school year and will continue throughout remote-schooling and into a hybrid schedule. Families can check out these devices for a semester at a time, and it’s still being determined whether or not they’ll remain available during in-person school. Each hotspot comes with 30 gigabytes of data service per month, which can be extended to an additional 500 megabytes per day if a student or family requires more than the allotted amount per household. However, if the 500 megabytes are exceeded, the device will shut off for the rest of the day. Accessing non-school related sites such as streaming movies or gaming, eats up bandwidth quickly, which causes the devices to run out of megabytes. “As long as the hotspot is being used for schoolwork, students shouldn’t be exceeding their bandwidth,” Chief of Student Services Christy Ziegler said.
The district has received $2.6 million in federal funds to prepare schools for the hybrid model of learning – $282,000 of which will be spent on the 500 hotspots. The Student Services Department has used the rest for social distancing signage, plexiglass panels, personal protective equipment, additional cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer stations, air filters, air scrubbers and misters. “Lots of logistical and operational [additions have been implemented within SMSD schools] to make sure that the schools are ready to go when it’s safe for students to return,” Ziegler said. Hotspots cost the school district $90 each and the one-year-long unlimited data plan costs $470 per student, coming to a total of $560 a piece to ensure that there are no students deprived of the internet. The hotspots have been purchased through Kajeet – a company that specializes in school internet connectivity issues. Kajeet has worked with multiple districts in the Johnson County area. They’re also one of the only companies that have contracts with multiple data carriers such as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. When problems arise, the Kajeet management platform allows school administrators to go in and look at how the hotspot has been utilized and its bandwidth so that users can be advised on how they might need to change their behavior in order to get what they need out of their device. Out of the 500 total hotspots SMSD has purchased, 450 are provided by Verizon, 25 by AT&T and 25 from T-Mobile. The “default” carrier is Verizon and the AT&T and T-Mobile hotspots are reserved for cases where the Verizon hotspot is less effective. If an issue arises with the hotspot, students handle it just as they would when something goes wrong with other district-issued technology. A help desk request ticket is put in and someone from the technology department will look into the issue case-by-case. If a larger issue comes up with a hotspot, a new device will be put out as quickly as possible. Students are to contact the district about any absences or incomplete work the hotspot malfunction had caused. Pre-COVID-19, students who didn’t have internet connection at home could turn to a local Starbucks, a Public Library or even stay after school to get their work finished. But during the pandemic, some of these places pose a health risk, and kids can’t do their full school day there. The goal of the district funded WiFi hotspots initiative is to make the new normal a bit more attainable for those who’d otherwise be at a disadvantage.
06 | NEWS
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by rose kanaley
PA P E R SAC K Shawnee Mission School District provides all students with meals for the week
P I C K- U P
by sophie henschel
S ME AL BRE AKDOWN 14 1 2
MEALS PER WEEK ENTREE SIDES
620 M E A LS P R OV I D E D P E R 57,200 W E E K I N S M S D M E A LS P R OV I D E D E AC H W E E K AT E AST
B RE AKFAST
LU NCH
FRUIT
H A M B U R G E RS
F R E N C H TOAST
C H I C K E N N U G G E TS
PA N CA K E S
C H I C K E N SA N DW I C H
B IS C U I TS
PIZZA
PICK-UP TIME & LOCATION
E V E RY F R I DAY
7- 9 A . M .
M T W TH F S S
A L L 47 S MS D S C H O O LS E AST : O U TS I D E T H E C O U N S E L I N G C E N T E R
hawnee Mission Food Services Department is providing 14 free breakfast and lunch meals for all students weekly, whether enrolled in remote or in-person schooling, at all 47 Shawnee Mission schools. At East, the food hand-out occurs Friday mornings from 7-9 a.m. in front of the counseling center. The school lunches include everything a student would generally receive in their normal lunch — an entree and about two sides — but does not include separately purchased items like chips and cookies. According to Food Services Director Nancy Coughenour, SMSD has been providing 620 meals per week to East for its students, as well as roughly 57,200 individual meals each week to the entire district. All kitchens in the districts are open with the kitchen staff working to prepare the meals to send home. According to East kitchen staff director Linda Bricker, the meals take about 30-32 hours a week for the kitchen to prepare. All entrees are frozen in one bag, with dry foods and fresh sides packed in a separate bag to be refrigerated so they don’t go bad during the week. Students can take these frozen meals home and microwave them, pairing them with their refrigerated sides. Every student who attends will leave Friday morning with the same amount of food, if not more, than they would typically get from the school cafeteria in one week. Students don’t have to have been part of the free meals program in previous school years — any student can take these home for no cost. The only thing the students or guardians need is their student ID number to confirm they’re an SMSD student. “It’s pizza and chicken nuggets and hamburgers and chicken sandwiches and corn dogs — all the stuff that we serve on a regular basis,” Food Services Director Nancy Coughenour said. “They also have fruits and vegetables and milk, all that.” The meals also include breakfast items such as french toast, pancakes, biscuits and fruit. Any meal that would typically be served in the school will be provided frozen on Friday mornings. Students can pick up their meals at whichever Shawnee Mission School is most convenient for their family without a sign-up or application. For East, the kitchen manager and kitchen staff stand outside the counseling office, handing out the meals they have prepared and froze. Any student or their guardian can pick up the food from the preferred school. Meals for multiple students within the same family can all be picked up at once to provide
convenience for families. “I believe the meals are serving as a source of great relief for many families. In a time of so much unpredictability, having a consistent source of healthy food is very important,” Family and Student Services director John McKinney said. “Moreover, it gives families and school staff an opportunity to see each other, if only for a few minutes, and hopefully brings some semblance of normalcy during this unprecedented time.” If families’ schedules don’t line up with the pickup times, the school social workers make a caseby-case plan for how to get the meals to them. East social workers Emily MacNaughton and Elizabeth Kennedy typically step in if an East family has an issue to ensure they can get their meals if they can’t make it during the specific pick-up window. “Sometimes a parent’s work schedule might interfere, so that presents a little bit of a challenge, but we have not had to do a lot of that,” MacNaughton said. “I think parents have been really fortunate that it works with their schedule.”
In a time of so much unpredictability, having a consistent source of healthy food is very important.
john mckinney | family & student services director The same applies if a student’s schedule doesn’t line up. At the high school level, many students are coming to get their food for the week without a parent. If they have an interference like getting to class on time or not having transportation, the social workers will step in to organize a way to get the food to them. The funding for the meals has been provided by the United States Department of Agriculture to all public schools across the country. They haven’t released a specific funding limit, but they estimate the funds will run out around Christmas, according to Coughenour. When this happens, the meals will no longer be free, unless the family is already on the school’s confidential list due to their family income, and Food Services will then develop a new plan regarding getting the meals out to students.
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by catherine erickson illustrations by sophie henschel
NEWS | 07
POST D BATE POLLING The first of three presidential debates impacted East students’ views on the election by camp bell wood
A
n increase in uncertainty amongst East students arose regarding the political stability of the nation after the presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, held on Sept. 29. The two candidates were asked questions surrounding six topics relevant to current voter issues, including COVID-19 and racial inequality. The debate featured a number of interruptions and personal attacks from both sides, sparking tension both in the media and between the candidates. CNN reporter Jake Tapper summarized the 90-minute event as “a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck...it wasn’t even a debate. It was a disgrace.” However, to potentially soothe the distress caused by the first debate, Trump and Biden will reunite for two more debates on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22. According to the New York Times, national polls averaged Biden to have a seven-point lead over Trump before the debate. However, as of Oct. 7, Biden moved up to a nine-point lead. But how do those numbers stack up for East? In an Instagram poll of 323 responses, only 11% of East students said the debate affected their outlook on the election. When sophomore Bradley Walton described his reaction to the debate, one word came to mind: overwhelmed. “It didn’t feel like a debate that I’m used to watching,” Walton said. “It didn’t feel like it was two people giving their stances and discussing why they believed the other was wrong. It just felt like a very angry argument, and I just felt exhausted from watching all of that.” Regardless of political stance, the debate was eyeopening to Walton in terms of how aggressive the election is. Walton believes that this debate reflects how politics have changed since
the 2012 debates — more centered around attacking each other, rather than discussing policies. Senior Jack Haulmark assumed there’d be tension between Trump and Biden in the debate, but the degree to which they quarreled surprised him. Haulmark found it difficult to absorb any tactical information that would influence one’s opinion about the election. “I’d hoped that we’d learn more about what both candidates would do, get more specifics and that they’d get a bit more down into it,” Haulmark said. Having a dad who served as a representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, Haulmark has had his fair share of political debates during family dinners. To him, this debate
It’s baffling to me...Both of these people are full-grown men who are in politics — who have been in politics for a while — yet they’re acting like children.
libby mcshane | sophomore lacked in terms of concrete information about each candidate’s policies and plans. In concurrence, 79% of East students found the debate to be uninformative, according to an Instagram poll of 314 votes. With so many insults being thrown around, it was hard to catch the bits of truth, junior Maggie Nottberg said.
“I was kind of amused by it, then I got anxious about it and then I just became disappointed that this was the first debate and this is how it started and ended,” Nottberg said. “There was no up and down point, there wasn’t a point where you got information, it was all just a steady line of chaos.” In a New York Times article that fact-checked 35 of Trump’s claims in the debate and 12 of Biden’s, 33 of Trump’s claims and four of Biden’s were said to be misleading, exaggerated or false. “It’s baffling to me,” sophomore Libby McShane said. “These people are going to represent the United States no matter who wins. Both of these people are full-grown men who are in politics — who have been in politics for a while — yet they’re acting like children.” McShane has never considered herself politically involved — since she’s 16, she figured there wasn’t much use in investing her time until she could vote. She watched the debate in case it came up in debate class the next day, but her takeaway was more impactful than acquiring a few discussion points. “Our generation needs to learn about politics,” McShane said. “Since I’m not able to vote yet I think I need to speak out and influence people who can vote.” The debate pushed McShane to open up about her political beliefs on social media by finding the truth in various political claims. She’s now using the time before she’s 18 to inform others about what’s going on in the political world — fact and fiction. After watching the first debate, Haulmark is ready for the election to be over and to move on to the next stage of politics. He compares the anticipation of Nov. 3 to that of a splinter. “I remember when I was younger, when I had a splinter — I hated splinters — I just wanted it over with,” Haulmark said. “It’s kind of like that.”
TUNE IN
DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WAS INFORMATIONAL?
TO THE LAST DEBATES
Instagram poll of 314 votes
21% YES OCT
79% NO DID THE DEBATE CHANGE YOUR OUTLOOK ON THE ELECTION? Instagram poll of 323 votes
11% YES
BIDEN
TOSS- U P
ELECTORAL
ELECTORAL
281 86 163 VOT E S
89% NO
TRUMP
VOT E S
ELECTORAL
VOT E S
*election polling information courtesy of 270towin.com
15
OCT
22
MODERATOR
MODERATOR
STEVE SCULLY
KRISTEN WELKER
*all information is as of Oct. 7. Dates and polling are subject to change.
08 | OPINION
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
OPINION
design by elizabeth mikkelson
O P I N I O N AT E D
HIGHLIGHTS
DO YOU THINK CANCEL CULTURE IS A GOOD THING? Instagram poll of 189 votes
11% YES 89% NO
A look into student opinions and the opinion section
DO YOU THINK BILLIONAIRES SHOULD EXIST?
V I CE P R E S I D E N T I A L D E B AT E
Instagram poll of 309 votes
47% YES
HOW DO YOU HOPE THE SECOND PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WILL DIFFER FROM THE FIRST DEBATE? I’m hoping [the debate] returns to some kind of normalcy unlike the first presidential debate. I also hope it’s a lot more civil and I think it will be and that they focus a lot more on their future visions for the country.
nick hoffman | senior
53% NO IF YOU TOOK AN AP TEST LAST YEAR, DO YOU THINK YOUR SCORE ADEQUATELY REFLECTS YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT? Instagram poll of 174 votes
24% YES 76% NO
I hope that both of the candidates are more respectful and that the moderator will step in if the debate rules are being broken. And I really hope that actual ideas can be displayed instead of just talking over one another.
caroline kuhlman | senior
“ T H E R E A R E A LWAYS T H R E E M A I N G OA L S O F A N Y V I C E P R E S I D E N T I A L D E B AT E , ” W R I T E S @ A L I C E T W E E T . “ D O N O H A R M , R E I N F O RC E T H E TO P O F T H E T I C K E T , A N D PA S S T H E C O M M A N D E R I N C H I E F T E ST . ”
E L EC TO R A L VOT E S P O L L I N G
C N N O P I N I O N | 1 0/ 6 / 2 0
POPULAR VOTE ASIDE, WHO DO YOU THINK IS MORE LIKELY TO WIN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE NOMINEE?
P E RS P EC T I V E : I S AT I N T H E F RO N T ROW O F T H E D E B AT E . D I D T R U M P I N F EC T M E W I T H T H E C O RO N AV I R U S ? T H E WAS H I N GTO N P OST | 1 0/ 5 / 2 0
TRUMP BIDEN
61%
THIS WEEK IN TWEETS
10%
90%
39%
O N E L E S S O N W E S H O U L D L E A R N F RO M T H E T R U M P S ’ CO N T R AC T I N G T H E CO RO N AV I R U S , S AYS @ N I C K K R I STO F, I S T H AT R E F U S I N G TO W E A R M A S KS I S A N T I S O C I A L , T H E PA N D E M I C EQ U I VA L E N T O F D R I V I N G W H I L E D R U N K N E W YO R K T I M E S O P I N I O N | 1 0/ 3 / 2 0
EAST
*courtesy of @smeharbinger instagram poll
NATIONAL *courtesy of The Economist
C AT C H U P O N T H I S W E E K S O N L I N E O P I N I O N S SCAN ME | STORY This opinion, by Nora Lynn, is about how the fairness of our democracy is being compromised by hypocritical Republican senators
SCAN ME | STORY Scan here to read Madeline Funkey’s newest Q&A coverage over which online platform is preferred at East
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THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
REOPENING
OPINION | 09
As the 2020 presidential election approaches, two guest writers share their opinions on how they believe the economy should be reopened and what precautions should be put in place
by mac muehlb erger
TO MOST AMERICANS, it is clear that the economic downturn we are facing is linked to the pandemic. Unfortunately, it is still unclear to many Americans that before we reopen the economy, we must first deal with the pandemic. The quickest way we can get the economy up and running again is by dealing with the pandemic. The president refused to acknowledge that the COVID-19 presented a real national threat, and as a result the economy took a downturn. Though many states and companies took action to limit the spread, it was not enough to save the economy. The president’s actions allowed for unemployment to rise where it now stands at 7.9% according to Trading Economics. Even if we “reopen” the economy, it won’t necessarily give it the boost that it needs. According to Harvard Economist Raj Chetty, the sharpest drops in unemployment were actually workers in what he calls “rich ZIP codes.” That does not mean the rich lost their jobs, but that low-income workers in rich areas lost their jobs. According to Chetty, businesses in richer areas layed off nearly 70% of employees. Chetty claims that “reductions in spending by the rich have led to loss in jobs mostly for low-income individuals working in affluent areas.” The workers that are then laid off no longer have the option to buy goods, thus continuing to hurt the economy and spreading downturn to poorer areas where the pandemic hits hardest. People in low-income communities can not afford to work remotely. Chetty also compares two states: Minnesota and Wisconsin. Minnesota allowed reopening weeks before Wisconsin, but did not see any more of an economic boost. Chetty claims that “It’s because high-
income folks are able to work remotely, are choosing to self-isolate and are being cautious given health concerns. And unless you fundamentally address that concern, I think there’s limited capacity to restart the economy.” Furthermore, the government has not passed a stimulus package since March, and it did not do nearly enough to boost the economy. There needs to be another, stronger package. Small businesses are in dire need of money, or else they will continue to lay off employees. The American people need more stimulus checks. People renting homes o r apartments need rent forgiveness. According to The Nation, 2 3 million American renters face eviction. As Americans, we need to be supporting people like Joe Biden. Not only does he care about public health, but he also cares about the economic well being of the American people. Biden is in favor of setting up a national pandemic b o a r d , similar to Roosevelt’s War Production Board, that w o u l d ramp up testing. Joe Biden has also called for full use of the defense production act so that “so that the national supply of personal protective equipment exceeds demand and our stores and stockpiles,” according to his website. Joe Biden understands that before we can reopen the economy, we have to solve this national pandemic. That is something our current president does not understand.
M AC M UEHLB ERG ER , SENI OR by et han r i scoval l ez
WHEN CORONAVIRUS FIRST reached Johnson County, local governments took immediate action to prevent a possible tragedy. Statistical models warned of a possible surge of serious coronavirus cases that would overwhelm our health infrastructure and result in thousands of lives being lost. A stay at home order was put in place, and restrictions were made on a provisional basis. Six months later, workers are still wondering if we will ever be able to return to normal and begin the road to recovery. An argument common among those who maintain that more sections of the economy should be shut is that those who want to reopen simply want to “get a haircut,” or “sacrifice old people for the economy.” This one dimensional view is not only ignorant but also displays a false compassion for the public’s health. One big misconception is that of separating the economic prosperity of a nation from the social impact the prosperity (or lack thereof) has on its population. It is easy to view the unemployment rate and wage growth (or lack thereof) as simply numbers and statistics, but we must remember that behind these numbers are real people; they’re families, single mothers, and they’re our neighbors. In his 1982 study Corporate Flight, Dr. Barry Bluestone found that each 1% rise in unemployment can be attributed to 37,000 deaths. This is due to the rise in suicides, substance abuse,
alcoholism, and other health conditions brought on not only by poverty, but by the depression that often comes with it. Many studies have been done since Bluestone first published Corporate Flight, but it is generally accepted figure that each 1% rise in unemployment causes 10,000-40,000 deaths-- keep in mind that as of now, we are at 8% unemployment with the Federal Reserve warning of potentially “tragic” consequences if more stimulus is not provided. Regrettably, these are not just theoretical statistics. In July, CDC director Redfield stated, “We’re seeing far greater suicides now than we are deaths from Covid, We’re seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose [than from Covid].” With unemployment at around 10% in July and around 200,000 Covid deaths, it appears as if Bluestone’s projections related to unemployment caused deaths have come true. Perhaps scarier, though, is the realization that the suicides and deaths from drug overdoses are only short term deaths, and we have not even begun to experience the long term effect of economic catastrophe caused by a shut down, which, according to the Imperial College London, would have to last two years to be an effective remedy in the fight against Covid. We can see this routine around the world, when we shutdown, coronavirus cases will go down, as soon as we reopen, coronavirus cases shoot right back up again, and thus we lock ourselves in a never ending cycle of economic and social misery, resulting in far greater deaths than Covid would’ve ever caused, defeating the entire point of a lockdown in the first place. Now America needs relief, the politicians who put these rules in place now must cede power back to the people in hopes that an economic and social recovery can begin.
E T H A N R IS COVA L L E Z , SEN IO R
WH AT’S E ACH PARTY SAY ING? TH E BIDEN CAM PA I GN
*Information courtesy of promiseskept.com
“A m e r i c a n s d e s e r v e a P re s i d e n t w h o w i l l e n s u re t h a t re - o p e n i n g i s a s e f fe c t i v e a n d s a fe a s p o s s i b l e – p u tt i n g p e o p l e b a c k o n t h e p a y ro l l a s q u i c k l y a s p o ss i b l e a n d resto ri n g e con o m i c d em a nd a s fully as p o s s i b l e. ”
T H E T RU MP CA MPA I G N “ T h a n ks to t h e c o m m i t m e n t a n d s a c r i f i c e s o f A m e r i c a n s a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y, w e h a v e s e e n c r i t i c a l p r o g re s s i n f l a tt e n i n g t h e c u r v e. A l o n g te r m n a t i o n w i d e s h u td o w n i s n o t s u s ta i n a b l e a n d would inflict wide-rangin g h arm on t h e h ealt h an d wellbeing of our citizen s. ”
10 | OPINION
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
CANCEL THE
Cancel culture is an ineffective and harsh trend that should be stopped by cesca stamati
W
design by riley atkinson
CANCELED STARS Stars who have been canceled in the past
CULTURE
hen I need a break from Webex calls and my page long to-do list, social media becomes my safe place. But now, it seems like every time I open up TikTok or Twitter, there’s a new person getting canceled — and it’s getting exhausting. What started as a way of addressing unacceptable behavior has turned into a toxic environment of cyber bullying and hate comments known as “cancel culture.” Not only has cancel culture become ineffective, it’s shifted to bored teenagers taking out their anger on celebrities by targeting them under the guise of confronting them, giving themselves a sense of superiority in the process. Disconnected from reality and always plugged in to their phones, most Gen Z-ers seem to think that typing, “No *heart emoji,” or “she thought she did something,” in someone’s comment section is acceptable or doesn’t have a real impact on that person. Being so desensitized to this blatant bullying is not a quality for our generation to be proud of — it’s something we need to work on. Cancel culture has become increasingly popular and socially accepted that the line between education and shaming has been completely blurred — making people way too comfortable with writing and clicking like on hate comments. These commenters need to understand the difference between making someone a better person and outright bullying them. The other day, I saw a TikTok with over 200,000 likes saying to cancel Rihanna because she used a song in her Fenty show that was offensive to Muslims. In no way am I condoning this behavior — she and others need to be held accountable for their actions. But there is a difference between teaching someone a lesson so they can grow as a person and trying to destroy someone’s entire career and reputation to boost your own ego. Cancel culture makes teens and young adults think bullying someone online is acceptable. These hate comments end up improving the world one celeb at a time, right? Wrong. According to Clinical Professor of Communication at the University of Southern California, Karen North, cancel culture has been utilized by people online looking for a sense of community during quarantine. In an interview with Insider Magazine, North said that the “appeal of angry activities online is probably amplified by people’s frustration and misery in today’s environment.” Whether they’re aware of it or not, teens are using public figures as a common enemy to make them feel unified with other commenters and comment-likers — the evidence is in the hoards of social media users making hate comments on “canceled” stars’ posts, all with thousands of likes. “Digging around for clues about a celebrity’s life may give people a sense of accomplishment.” North said. “It can feel like celebrities aren’t human, and some
people may find comfort in realizing that celebrities are imperfect too.” Sometimes we think that these comments are harmless because celebrities are so “used to it.” But is this really the mentality that we want ours and future generations to have? What happened to empathy for other people? The name “public figure” reflects how people see these celebrities — emotionless “figures” — existing purely for people’s entertainment as well as their judgement. Putting these figures on a pedestal is the problem that causes our generation to be so judgy and hateful towards them. But they’re humans too, and nobody should ever get “used to” waking up to see hundreds of thousands of comments about how much people they have never even met hate them. It’s easy to look at a situation someone else is involved in and make judgments about it — regardless of if you actually know them or what really went down. But who are we to instantly villainize people we don’t even know over allegations that may or may not be true?
JAMES
CHARLES
YOUTUBER
Y E A R C A N C E L E D: 2 0 1 9 R E A S O N : TAT I W E ST B R O O K C R E AT E D A V I D E O S AY I N G S H E F E LT “ B E T R AY E D ” A F T E R H E P R O M OT E D H E R B R A N D ’S C O M P E T I TO R R E S U LT : FA N S C OV E R E D H I S S O C I A L M E D I A I N H A R S H C O M M E N T S U N T I L I T WA S C L E A R E D U P
ELLEN
DEGENERES T V S H OW H OST
What started as a way of addressing unacceptable behavior has turned into a toxic environment of cyber bullying and hate comments known as “cancel culture” Yes, sometimes there is evidence online — a tweet or video proof of decisions a celeb made that were undeniably wrong. But a majority of people have done something they’re not proud of, so it’s not fair to hold others to completely different standards of never messing up. What’s more important is having civil conversations to encourage growth and allowing people second chances to not make the same mistake again. Constructive comments that let the celebrity know they did something wrong in a civil way are better than these destructive, people-don’tchange ones. It’s also important to acknowledge the difference between making a silly mistake and growing from it, and intentionally doing something to hurt others and getting away with it. I’m not saying I’m against people being held accountable for their mistakes — I’m actually all for it. But sending someone death threats and hateful comments is not the way to make them a better person just because you think they “got too cocky” or that “fame changed them.” Rather than writing blatantly rude comments on that person’s posts, simply choose to stop watching their TikToks or encourage them peacefully to work on their issues. Unfollow them. Block them. But don’t take it upon yourself to go after that person and bully them into a fake apology that won’t promote genuine growth.
Y E A R C A N C E L E D: 2 0 2 0 R E A S O N : T H E R E H AV E B E E N S E V E R A L C L A I M S STAT I N G S H E T R E AT E D H E R E M P LOY E E S P O O R LY R E S U LT : FA N S I M M E D I AT E LY T U R N E D O N H E R A N D DISCREDITED HER CAREER
LIL
HUDDY T I K TO K E R
Y E A R C A N C E L E D: 2 0 2 0 R E A S O N : T H E R E W E R E R U M O R S T H AT H E C H E AT E D O N C H A R L I W I T H N E SS A R E S U LT : H I S T I K TO K C O M M E N T S W E R E F I L L E D W I T H C R U E L H AT E
design by madeline funkey photos by emily pollock
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
A P AWA R E N E S S by elizabeth mi kkel son
W
hile most underclassmen were sitting pretty with their frozen As or Bs in classes when quarantine hit, anyone taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes was anxiously awaiting their judgement period — the AP tests. Thanks to the College Board and their stark determination to keep AP exams afloat, my to-do list was filled every day through May with review sheets and practice quizzes galore. While we can all agree that the AP tests weren’t ideal last year, the College Board is offering a new component of helpful resources this year to help students feel more prepared — called AP Daily. This program includes a set of short videos on each topic in every AP class, provided by AP teachers daily. At the beginning of September, the videos became available — and let me just say — they would’ve been very useful leading up to exams last year. With all schooling still being virtual, it’s nice to know that I have that extra resource to look on if I need help, since I can’t exactly go in early to see a teacher these days. Last year’s AP classes were reminiscent of a “you’re on your own” type of mindset when it came to studying and preparation. Nothing against AP teachers who were trying their best to continue teaching the required AP curriculum, but it’s hard to say that anyone was prepared for the mess that was last year’s exams. Between internet connectivity issues, teaching methods and a large drop in student productivity, it definitely wasn’t what anybody imagined their AP experience to look like. With that considered, it’s safe to say that, as students, our test scores didn’t necessarily represent our actual knowledge on the subject, but rather our ability to self-study. Due to the lack of in-person preparations, one’s ability to self-study
was the driving factor between the students who got ones and those who were lucky enough to secure the almighty five. Taking those flaws into account, AP is making it a priority to implement protection and preparedness measures to ensure that each student has an equal opportunity to succeed. They are doing this by making ample resources available through the AP Daily program. I, for one, know that last year I was scared out of my mind that something as insufficient as a slight Wi-Fi issue could terminate my results — leading to a lack of college credit and possible thousands of dollars worth of scholarship money. I was lucky, though, unlike some people whose scores didn’t submit and ended up having to take the make-up test. In late May, there were multiple lawsuits against the College Board for this very reason, implying that they rushed this type of testing method that ended up hurting students more than providing them an effective testing environment. On the other hand, the benefit of this school year’s AP tests being seven months away, given the current state of our nation, is that the College Board has ample time — unlike last year — to prepare for a virtual assessment if necessary. Now that the pandemic has carried itself into the fall and we know what kind of situation we’re dealing with, we can be more prepared for the upcoming exams and can alter our studying strategies. This could include implementing the helpful resources that AP has provided specifically for this upcoming year. With AP Daily, everyone has access to additional resources. This gives students who wouldn’t otherwise have great resources, such as lower income students who may not have the financial means to hire a tutor or pay for prep books, a better chance of performing well. As of right now, all AP exams are scheduled for
OPINION | 11 While AP tests weren’t executed well last year, College Board is implementing resources to better prepare students for this year administration in an in-person testing environment. The College Board believes that an in-school environment better supports student’s interests and opportunities. Although being stuffed in the auditorium with 100 other people taking an AP test was not the ideal situation in years past, neither was my tiny bedroom desk, which was crammed with every little detail over the seven AP U.S. History units I needed to know.
Due to the lack of in-person preparations, one’s ability to self-study was the driving factor between the students who got ones and those who were lucky enough to secure the almighty five. I must admit though, the YouTube review videos that AP provided over pertinent subjects leading up to last year’s tests did come in handy during a late-night study session when I needed extra information on a certain topic. Hopefully by May of next year, the exam process will be foolproof to prepare students for their testing experience, using the AP Daily program, and will provide a smooth transition of test-taking.
A P SCORE b re a kd ow n
Percentage’s of what students scored a 5 on their exams in 2020, on left, and 2019 on right
A P U S H ISTO RY 13.3%
12.1%
M I CRO ECO N O M I CS 23.1%
22.2%
E N G L ISH 12.5% A B O V E | Photo portrays a student grabbing his head with frustration while taking an AP test. photo by emily pollock
10.1%
12 | OPINION by sophie l i ndberg
M
y personal anguish towards billionaires started when I was swiping through Instagram stories a few months back and came across a thread about why billionaires shouldn’t exist. I’m not going to say that billionaires don’t deserve the money they’ve made, but to have that much money and act the way they do is absurd — their meek donations, unethical business practices and capitalistic ideals need to be criticized by the public more often. I constantly hear the argument “Billionaires donate to charity! They help people!” And yes, some billionaires do donate to charity. A couple of years ago, Jeff Bezos donated approximately two billion dollars to fund nonprofit schools and homeless charities. Sounds like a lot, right? Wrong — Bezos has 175.3 billion dollars. To put this into perspective, you could buy my newly built Fairway house with Bezos’ net worth 218,750 times. That’s 18,000 more households than there are in Kansas City. Understanding that billions of dollars is an existential amount of money, one could see how it’s a little undermining to donate that small of a fraction of your wealth — especially when it’s often only for the good public image it comes with. “The Guardian” discusses how the housing crisis in San Francisco has been influenced by the massive amount of people involved in the tech industry. Because of the extensive income of the people working in Silicon Valley and the prices of real estate, the average residents that attempt to live in that economic climate suffer. Although Mark Zuckerberg donated $3.6 million to combat the dilemma, it almost seems like he’s trying to duct tape his public image together by donating, even though the problem was caused by his industry. If you look a little deeper you can see why people think the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative — a charity dedicated to technology, education and innovation — is a front for investments in companies and to make political donations. Most billionaires made their money from an idea that blew up — and today they make their living by becoming in charge of the entire operation, exploiting their workers and in some cases denying their rights. Take another look at Bezos. The workers are tracked, some locations have terrible working conditions and they’re expected to work every hour of their extensive shift. The people who are in charge of these companies should be spreading their wealth out among the employees that are barely scraping by. Also contributing to their immense wealth, the tax cuts in more recent years give billionaires more chances to grow. Billionaires pay less in taxes than everyone else, percentage-wise. Yes, they pay a lot of money because they have an inherently wealthier life, but if you compare the percentage of income tax between the social economic classes, you will see that the rich pay far less taxes than the typical American. Many democratic politicians say we should tax the rich and give it to the poor, which sounds like a great idea on paper, but that Robin-Hood method simply won’t work in our country due to our economic system. Capitalism runs off of jobs being available
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
therefore funding government procedures in result of having a strong economy. The rich in our country have obtained their wealth through business. If someone starts a company that takes off, they can gain profit and hire more employees. When you start to tax the owner more, the business is more likely to decline, leading to a possible shut down, less jobs and less money going into the government. An opposing argument to this viewpoint is that billionaires’ wealth “trickles down” to the working class, leading to more wealth distribution. For the past century, people have been debating whether or not the “trickle-down” economy truly works. The concept makes sense — the rich create innovation and lead the world to a brighter future while the employees earn some money from working with that innovation. Although, the money that does end up “trickling down” is unsubstantial, and when the rich are taxed less they tend to keep the money themselves, according to the blog Medium. The solution would likely be reliant on the president. For example, president Theodoore Roosevelt had very high tax rates, but this kept monopolies and the rich grounded, and they started to bounce right back after Reagan alleviated a large percent of taxes. The amount of billionaires we have in the U.S. has doubled since 2008, according to History A2Z. We could go back to some form of that system to achieve wealth distribution. You fix the source, you solve the problem. With all of this being said, I posed a question to myself — is there really such a thing as an ethical billionaire? To put it simply, no. People could say they’re good for the world and we wouldn’t be where we are without them — which is true, but I don’t think anyone has a solid argument besides that for why they’re ethical. To help you out, picture this: You’re the mother of four kids who’ve been up for hours with growling stomachs. You pull out the money you have been saving up for an apartment. You promised yourself you weren’t going to give in and buy more food because you were so close to getting that apartment. But, you realize that having food and water is more important, so you go buy your kids some granola bars and water. Now during those 60 minutes at the store, Bill Gates has made $6,000. If you were that person, the thought of Bill Gates making approximately $100 a second would enrage every bone in your body. The pure existence of billionaires in society is what creates a larger gap each year between lower and upper class America. There’s also the more heated topic of changing the economy. I’m not saying America should switch to communism, just take a smaller step to the other side — or even just the middle — of that spectrum. We should be raising the workers salary, provide childcare and increase healthcare for the lower class and quite obviously, break up the extreme wealth of the growing upper class. None of the ideas presented here are radical in any sense to a lot of people. I see it as almost common sense. With all of the chaos of this year, I think this topic connects to almost all of our problems.
design by grace allen
B U ST T H E
BI L L ION A IR ES Staffer believes billionaires should not exist because they don’t contribute enough of their wealth to society
THE FACTS: BEZOS EARNS APPROXIMATELY $2,500 PER SECOND
DRAKE COULD AFFORD TO CURE MALARIA WITH 10 YEARS OF HIS SALARY JEFF BEZOS COULD PAY SEATTLE’S HOMELESS TAX IN 3.5 HOURS
WAGSTAFF CARTMELL
&
EXPERTS IN HIGH STAKES LITIGATION CALL: (816) 701-1100 | EMAIL: RECEPTION@WCLLP.COM
Chad Wood Broker-Owner
913.908.7151 mobile cwood@woodrealtykc.com Residential and Investment Real Estate www.WoodRealtyKC.com
14 | FEATURES
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
FEATURE
HIGHLIGHTS
F E AT U R E D A R T I S T TAT E M O O DY
F U N T H I N G S TO D O I N T H E FA L L
M O O DY H AS A PA S S I O N F O R DOING SPORTS D R AW I N GS
A collage of what some East kids have been doing in the cooler weather
PLAYING IN THE LEAVES
design by grace tucker
DECORATING FOR HALLOWEEN WHEN DID YOU FIRST START DRAWING? “I kind of started drawing when I was young because both my parents are architects. My dad mainly introduced me to it, and since then I’ve sort of taken my own path.”
WHAT DO YOU DRAW AND WHY DO YOU LIKE IT? “I find drawing as a hobby and something I like to do when I’m bored. Normally, I do sports drawings, such as baseball, football and basketball. I’ve always been interested in shades and colors and how to make the things I draw even better.”
CUDDLING WITH PETS
COOKING
LEFT | Moody drew Patrick Mahomes after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl photo by mj wolf
ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS ph otos cour tesy of t y ne i dl e i n and cal l e i g h nacht i gal
V I D E O F E AT U R E S SCAN ME | GO DOWNTOWN Sophomore Peyton Moore shows what it’s like spending an afternoon downtown and how teenagers expand their bubble beyond the suburbs. by olivia olson
SCAN ME | SKATE IT WITH EFFORT Henry Cecil has grown to be numerous things: a drummer, diver and, most notably, a skater. According to Henry, skating is a hard task to master, requiring years of practice to become skillful. Henry highlights what it means to skate dangerously, but with effort. by roberto galicia
A B OV E | A drawing by Moody of Didi Gregorius, the shortstop for the New York Yankees. photo by mj wolf RIGHT | Moody drew Salvador Perez for his grandma, who is a big fan. photo by mj wolf
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by nora lynn
FEATURES | 15
Long -Distance Relationship
TO DO’s
DISTANCE
PRIORITIZE SCHEDULES Create a pattern of devoted time to each other by finding out when is the best time to converse in your schedules
Dating
GIFTS/REMINDERS Keep a physical item that reminds you of your commitment, like a gift or a piece of clothing
Couple feels quarantine prepared them for the 4,000 mile long distance relationship they’d endure this fall
COMMON GOAL Relationships can be more satisfying when they are equally understood to be either temporary or long term
BELIEVE IN IT Long-distance relationships often have better communication than close relationships
DON’T SPARE DETAILS Have detailed, high quality conversations about each other ’s daily lives to create a greater connection
Traveling During
COVID-19 MUST QUARANTINE 14 DAYS ONCE YOU REACH DESTINATION
LIMITED AVAILABLE FLIGHTS
COVID-19 PASSENGER LOCATOR FORM
by riley atkinson
A
s Barstow junior Oscar Stack packed up the last of his suitcases in August, East senior Halley Vogts hugged him tighter than she ever had before — her boyfriend was leaving for Ireland for the fall, and she didn’t know exactly when he’d be back. They both knew travelling 4,000 miles to see one another wasn’t an option, so scheduled FaceTime calls through the six-hour time difference had to do. But after starting their relationship in the midst of a pandemic, they were used to experiencing everything but the “norm.” “[Covid] was like a weird test,” Vogts said. “Like, ‘Okay, he’s gonna leave in a few weeks so you better get used to this.’” Stack has dual citizenship in the US and in Ireland, where his family is from, so he typically spends every school break across the Atlantic. But with the coronavirus cases raging through the U.S., he and his family were forced to stay in KC for the summer due to travel restrictions — which happened to be when he and Vogts began dating. Now that he’s able to travel back to Ireland with his dual citizenship, his family decided to live there for now as he does online school — but they feel as though the pandemic prepared them for the long distance. With movie theaters closed and restaurants shut down to strictly curbside pick-up during May and June, Vogts and Stack had an abnormal first-date stage. They masked up to sit on each other’s patios or take one of their dog’s for a walk down the block — but they never had to worry about the awkwardness, according to Vogts. “It was really nice honestly,” Vogts said. “With him I didn’t really have the chance to have awkward dates because there was no place to go on dates. It was always very natural.” As COVID cases continued to increase, they mastered the art of FaceTime, they’d go to Leawood Park to watch the stars and their new favorite pastime became picnics. Eventually their parents felt comfortable enough to let them in each other’s quarantine bubbles. “I feel like it was weirdly nice to be like,‘You’re the only person that I know I’m okay to be around,’” Vogts said. “‘Like I’m kissing you, you’re kissing me, we obviously both don’t have [the coronavirus]’ . . . It was just nice when I would go see him to just be like this is boyfriend time. Not really gonna talk about the pandemic, not gonna worry about it, not gonna think about how I can’t do anything now.” It wasn’t that they were ignorant towards the severity of
the pandemic, but they felt as though being with each other or FaceTiming could help lift the tension surrounding their everyday lives — the news that flashed terrifying facts about the chaos of 2020 felt like it almost disappeared when they were together. That feeling of relief carries into now, even though they’re 4,000 miles away. Yes, they have to coordinate FaceTimes — Stack occasionally stays awake until 4 a.m. to call Vogts after she gets off work at 10 p.m. — but they love that their connection has stayed consistent. Whether they need to rant about a sassy customer at work or the stress-inducing online classes, they can text each other throughout the day for moral support — a routine that started in the very beginning of quarantine.
With him I didn’t really have the chance to have awkward dates because there was no place to go on dates. It was always very natural.
halley vogts | senior “I just got used to FaceTiming once in a while, texting everyday, just kind of keeping in touch,” Stack said. “[We learned] how to keep up a relationship when you’re far away because it’s hard . . . I think the distance and not being able to see each other is what COVID prepared us for.” They’re not sure when Stack will be back — could be the end of October, could be January — it all depends on how the coronavirus cases change. But through the two months of long distance so far, they’ve found a routine of updating the other person a few times a day, without any pressure. It might be a quick “I love you” text or a picture of the wildlife on one of Stack’s hikes, but the little pieces of communication are helping them through. “It definitely is nice to have someone to just kinda forget about stuff with, even if it’s over the phone or texts,” Vogts said. “He could be like ‘Hey I saw this really cool bird today’ and I’m like ‘Wow that’s a really cool bird.’ I know it’s not for very long, but even that little tiny bit of normalcy is really nice and really refreshing.” And it’s the same type of communication they learned at the beginning of their relationship during quarantine — they’ve mastered the skill of feeling connected even if they aren’t together.
16 | NEWS-FE ATURE
MORE THAN A SCHOOL PAL Students in East’s special education program and their families have had to adjust to the online format of the social skills class and learn how to continue to develop connections with others while virtual
T H E DA I LY AG E N DA How a standard class period of virtual social skills is organized
The curriculum focuses on developing communication tactics to become better friends with people in and outside of the class LOGIN make small talk with the other students until everyone arrives QUESTION OF THE DAY get to know everyone in the class better by listening to each student answer the question CL ASS ACTIVITY common activities include discussing “The Friendship Path,” an outline explaining one’s relationship with others, and “What’s in Your Bag,” a long-term project where students showed 5 items important to them SPLIT INTO BRE AKOUT ROOMS role-play situations pertaining to the friendship path or simply chat and get to know everyone in the breakout room
THE F R I E N DS H I P PAT H The Friendship Path is an outline to help students in social skills grow and develop friendships. They are encouraged to use these skills to become more than just “school pals” with the other students in their classes, a challenge while school is virtual.
ST R A N G E R not necessarily someone who is bad, but be cautious around them
AQ UA I N TA N CE mutuals, you know each other by name
S CH O O L PA L a friend who is in your classes or lunch, but you do not see outside of school
FRIEND know one to three facts about the person and have met their parents
FA M I LY the people you live with and are related to
design by catherine erickson
by phoeb e hendon
A
fter spending the first month and a half of school sequestered in bedrooms and dining rooms, sitting in front of a screen for hours on end, most students have adjusted to their new schedule — logging onto Canvas in the morning and joining the first of many long calls for the day. But for sophomore Evie Rogers, who was born with Down Syndrome and is enrolled in East’s special education program, the absence of in-person connection due to COVID-19 has been a challenge that goes beyond simply missing school. Remote learning affects Evie’s ability to learn and practice crucial social skills, jeopardizes her family’s security in knowing their daughter is in a stimulating environment that attends to her personal needs and deprives student leaders in the social skills class of the chance to help facilitate relationships between the kids they work with. Getting sufficient and personalized virtual education has been a challenge for Evie according to her mother, Jill Rogers, who’s been balancing her role as a parent with a new responsibility as Evie’s at-home para. Jill spends her weekdays managing her other two children — a son in sixth grade and a daughter in eighth — while supervising Evie’s education. After the district left SMSD families in limbo for weeks as they plotted out their plan for the first semester of the 2020-21 school year, the announcement that students would begin the school year remotely came as a blow to Jill. “It’s what we expected based on the numbers… but I did have concerns about how it was gonna play out in the special-ed world,” Jill said. “What kind of support were we going to have? Was [Evie] gonna be able to [handle] being independent? Would she be able to handle a whole day on a screen?” After both Evie and Jill struggled with constant stress during the first two weeks of remote learning, Jill set up a meeting with the district’s special education coordinator, two East administrators, two of Evie’s special education
[Evie] is able to do small breakout room sessions in social skills, and that has helped reconnect her to her friendships from last year. It’s helped to build some new friendships this year, and that’s been really good for her.
jill rogers | parent teachers and her speech therapist. She decided her daughter needed some modifications to her original IEP, or individual education plan, that all students who meet the district’s disability criteria must have. Jill refused to settle for an online curriculum she knew wouldn’t meet her daughter’s personal needs, especially since the absence of in-person attendance limited Evie’s
exposure to real-world social situations, and felt she needed district support to ensure her daughter’s development wouldn’t suffer. “That in-person relationship piece is so important to Evie, that one-on-one, face-to-face,” Jill said. “She’s a shy kid, and when she loses that confidence and loses that community feeling, she can shut down, which makes virtual learning even harder.” In-person connections such as group work and job training are fundamental components to the program, so much so that nearly every aspect of many students’ days revolve around togetherness, according to senior Jack Hays, who works with the program as a leader in the social skills class. Luckily, the Rogers family feels that as weeks of online school have gone by, they’re found their groove — Jill helps Evie get on her classes and Evie bounces around her schedule, starting with modified ELA and math classes in the morning and ending with her gen-ed electives. But the highlight of her day comes during her fifth hour when she gets on Webex to chat with her friends in the social skills class where she gets the chance to practice the social skills she learns about with her special education teacher, Emily MacNaughton. “[Evie is] able to do small breakout room sessions in social skills, and that has helped reconnect her to her friendships from last year,” Jill said. “It’s helped to build some new friends this year, and that’s been really good for her.” Evie and her family aren’t alone in their journey to assimilate to changes induced by remote learning. For Hays, having been a student leader in social skills last year gives him the perspective to compare the in-person atmosphere of the program in-person with its new virtual setting. “With in-person, you can make friendships and it’s a lot easier to get to know everyone,” Hays said. “But [online school] is just hard on everyone, and you’re just not making those friendships and connections that you’d usually make.” According to Hays, while the social skills teachers typically work with students on building relationships, they’re now focusing on new challenges, such as online etiquette. “There’s some new things that everyone is getting used to, online social skills like waiting your turn to talk,” Hays said. “In class, you can have side conversations, but online it’s really hard because everyone’s on one [screen] just listening to the teacher.” Typically, as second quarter begins, Hays and other student leaders from social skills take students from the program on “stepping outs” — activities outside of school like getting ice cream, going to the movies, going bowling or playing games at a park. Though the threat of the coronavirus has put stepping outs on hold, Hays hopes students will be back at East full-time by second semester so these outings can resume. Not only does Hays love developing relationships with the students in the program through these activities, but also enjoys watching them foster relationships of their own with their peers. However, Hays observes it’s much more of
a challenge for students to form new bonds with potential friends through a screen. “A lot of the kids [in the special ed program] still have lots of connections from last year and still hang out with a bunch of [their friends],” Hays said. “But for the new freshmen, it’s difficult to make new connections over a computer.” Senior and student leader Ava Peters recounts these stepping outs, as well as creative projects, board games and daily group lunches, as the activities that make up her fondest memories with her friends from social skills. “We text each other all the time [about] how excited we are to go back to social skills,” Peters said. “We all miss it so much.” According to Peters, the concept of expected versus unexpected events has been a major talking point in social skills this year as expectations of normalcy shift and redefine themselves every day, according to Peters. While in the past the program instructed students about expectations as they relate to social and conversational skills, this year ,leaders in the social skills class have spent a lot of time working with students on the program on the bigger picture. They help students identify unexpected moments in their lives — like quarantine and virtual learning — and practice how to properly cope with and adapt to them.
There’s some new things that everyone is getting used to, online social skills like waiting your turn to talk. In class you can have side conversations, but online it’s really hard because everyone’s on one [screen] just listening to the teacher.
jack hays | senior Peters says that while every student is different and some have responded to the pandemic and other “unexpected” events better than others, everyone — gen-ed students and special-ed students alike — is struggling with the absence of in-person education. When Evie tells her mom she misses school, she’s not talking about walking through the halls of the building itself. In-person school allows her to build diverse connections and practice fundamental social skills. She misses the chance to connect with friends, old and new, the routines that define her day and the people that encourage her to step out of her comfort zone. But after SMSD announced modifications to their gating criteria that allows for students to return to East in-person through a hybrid plan as early as Oct. 26, Evie will get the chance to join her friends in the special education class for the first time in months — and she couldn’t be more excited.
18 | FEATURES
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by rose kanaley photo courtesy of kelby reck
S E W I N TO FAS H I O N Freshman Trey Hyde pursues fashion design interest through ambassador program at Rightfully Sewn
by winnie wol f
A
t seven years old, Trey Hyde could be found customizing tops, dresses or outfits for Barbies in his free time. Using old t-shirts, leftover scraps of fabric from his family or materials from a trip to Jo-Ann’s, Hyde would use the hand-sewing techniques he learned from his grandma to put the pieces together to the best of his young and non-advanced abilities. Now a freshman at East, Hyde has moved on from styling Barbies to designing clothes for adults and working as an ambassador for Rightfully Sewn, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating jobs and opportunities in the business of fashion. The heart of Rightfully Sewn lies in their seamstress training program, according to Rightfully Sewn founder and president Jennifer Lapka. Made for refugees, survivors of addiction and abuse and other individuals with employment obstacles, the program provides free education on seamstress basics. After 10 weeks in the program, participants can be placed into a job with a sewing operation, tailoring or with fashion designers. Hyde first heard about Rightfully Sewn’s mission in 2017 and decided to attend one of their seminars. The event piqued Hyde’s interest in the organization so greatly that he invited Lapka to come speak for a sixth grade English project — which would be the start of their friendship. “He was reaching out to me through my Instagram, via Rightfully Sewn’s Instagram, and he was emailing me,” Lapka said. “He just kept reaching out until he had a yes from me and I really admire that about him.” Hyde became involved with the organization when his parents put him in sewing and fashion design classes led by Rightfully Sewn. There, he worked under Lapka as a mentee and was eventually asked to become an official ambassador for the organization. “I recognized a bright, bright soul in him,” Lapka said. “He’s very caring and he’s fun to be around, but he is also exceptionally talented, creative and plugged into what’s happening in the fashion industry on a national level.” On a day-to-day basis, Hyde helps the organization make general decisions and promotes their seminars and projects on his Instagram as an ambassador. At Rightfully Sewn’s biannual Golden Galas — an event that recognizes and raises money for their resident designer — Hyde has spoken about his perspective on being a youth interested in fashion and participated in a takeover on Rightfully Sewn’s social media platforms to promote the gala. When Hyde is speaking at a Golden Gala or attending Kansas City Fashion Week, he uses the events as an outlet to get especially creative in designing and putting together his outfits. “Pinterest is something I draw a lot of inspiration from,” Hyde said. “I usually look up ‘New York street style’, ‘Tokyo street style’ or ‘pastel business.’ I like to look at what is trending, but make it different. I’m usually online shopping on ASOS or thrifting.” When Hyde chooses to make a garment from scratch, it
can take anywhere from days to months, depending on the time and motivation he has. Hyde typically hand sews and designs women’s wear or different pieces for Rightfully Sewn models, or to sell on his Depop account. According to East sophomore Gigi Smith, Hyde’s biggest strength in the fashion industry is his uniqueness and desire to dress in a way that stands out — even at school, where he once wore a matching bright pink suit and blazer in the seventh grade. Hyde hasn’t yet achieved his goal of hosting his own official fashion show yet, but models have worn his work as part of a show at Rightfully Sewn. Even with the majority of Hyde’s Rightfully Sewn work being put on hold due to the pandemic, Hyde has still been able to attend virtual meetings and recently helped with Rightfully Sewn’s annual seminar, where the organization interviews a corporation or brand to tell their story. The virtual seminar, held on Oct. 10, featured British artist and designer Patrick Church. Open to general admissions and discounted for students and teachers, the seminar featured a live Q&A session and a discussion by Church as he explained his life, art and brand. According to Lapka, the event was made possible because of Hyde and the relationship he made with Church in New York. In early 2020, Hyde reached out to Church on Instagram after seeing his work and asked him to make a custom pair of jeans. When Hyde took a trip to New York shortly after, he messaged Church again asking to visit his studio.
I recognized a bright, bright soul in him. He’s very caring and he’s fun to be around but he is also exceptionally talented, creative and plugged into what’s happening in the fashion industry on a national level.
jennifer lapka | rightfully sewn founder “I’ve always wanted to go to New York and this was the perfect opportunity while I was there,” Hyde said. “[Church] was very kind, he liked the idea to make me custom jeans and invited me to his studio. I was able to meet [Church], his husband and see his products while learning so much about him.” According to Hyde, one of the hardest parts about the fashion industry is the ability to get yourself out there and be noticed. While he uses his Instagram account to promote his own work and to post photos from fashion events, his biggest aid is being a part of Rightfully Sewn. “He’s really advanced as far as his interests go,” Lapka said. “What he did for Rightfully Sewn in getting Patrick Church to be a part of our seminar is a perfect example of [Hyde’s] passion and capability, and his love for people too.”
A B O V E | Trey Hyde poses in pants and blouse designed and sewn by himself. photo by kelby reck
FASH I O N SH OWS Fashion shows Hyde has attended KANSAS CITY FASHION WEEK FALL & WINTER SHOW WEST 18TH STREET FASHION SHOW MOLLY BALLOONS BALLOON FASHION SHOW RIGHTFULLY SEWN GOLDEN GALA
design by catherine erickson photo by trevor paulus
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
FEATURES | 19
TAKING PRECAUTIONS How to plan a mock homecoming that still follows CDC and local guidelines
GROUP
stick to a small group of your closest friends to decrease your exposure to different people
DINNER
consider an alternative dinner option, such as ordering take out for an outdoor picnic, to avoid confined spaces
M AS KS
mitigate the spread of the virus by wearing masks
A B O V E | S enior Haley Wohler takes a selfie outside of Brio on the plaza before her and her friends go to their fake homecoming dinner.
t
FAUX CO
A
by lauren di erks
s a year of lasts quickly turns into a year of losses, East seniors are improvising with their own versions of homecoming to make the most of the situation. GroupMe chats have been made to discuss a location for pictures, a dinner plan and a theme for an afterparty, checking off all the preparation needed for a homecoming night — without the dance itself. Senior Tess Miller was disappointed, though not surprised, that homecoming couldn’t happen this year. Miller and friends soon began discussing plans to have their own homecoming celebration to make up for it, which was dubbed with the name “foco” (fake homecoming). Keeping CDC’s coronavirus guidelines in mind, Miller and her friends limited their group to the five of them for pictures at the WWI memorial and Blue Sushi for dinner on the roof of a downtown office building. Upon finishing dinner, the group met up with a few more people that they had previously been exposed to for a small farm-themed afterparty, dressing in cowboy boots and bedazzled hats. Although their version of a “school” dance wasn’t typical, Miller found it more casual and relatively stress-free. “It was really easy because we didn’t have to be anywhere at a certain time – it was just our own schedule,” Miller said. Senior Sam Fountain and his homecoming group will be extra mindful of their health by taking each others’
Seniors plan fake homecomings, or “focos,” to make up for their final homecoming, which was canceled due to the coronavirus
temperatures before and after their foco celebration, and keeping their dinner, pictures and afterparty all outside. “Afterparties are usually in someone’s basement so it’s a whole different atmosphere when it’s outside and it probably won’t be the same at all,” Fountain said. “We’ll probably be around a fire and talking.” Although it will be different than past homecomings, Fountain is still appreciative of something to look forward to amidst the online school year. Like Fountain, senior Abby Carter is helping organize a
We wanted to find a replacement for the experience of the dance and dressing up. Just doing something different than sitting at home all day.
isa rogler | senior “foco” with her friends in hopes of gaining some normalcy from this year. They found it hard to settle on a date without there being an actual dance to base plans around, but once they all agreed on Oct. 17 and received approval from their parents, they were able to work on finalizing the details. “I feel like my parents are a lot more understanding about [the celebration] because it’s our last homecoming,” Carter
said. “And last year we didn’t get to have prom, so they are being pretty chill.” Carter and her group will take their pictures at the Nelson-Atkins Museum, grab dinner at a hibachi restaurant and a fire and ice themed after party. Not going to an actual in-person dance won’t take away from enjoying the night, according to Carter. “Every year we would only be at the dance for like 30 minutes anyways,” Carter said. “It was fun seeing people in all their dresses, but I’m not that upset about it.” Senior Isa Rogler is grateful to have a foco planned to pull her mind away from her ever-growing online assignments. “I think the main reason my friends and I planned [a homecoming] was just a way of making up for what we lost during [quarantine],” Rogler said. “We wanted to find a replacement for the experience of the dance and dressing up. Just doing something different than sitting at home all day.” Rogler and her group of eight went to dinner and took pictures at Brio on the Plaza followed by a tie-dye themed after party on Oct. 3. According to Rogler, she missed hitting the dance floor and seeing everyone dressed up, but the laidback night made the number one spot on her list of favorite homecomings. “I was looking forward to homecoming and doing something fun one last time, and when it got cancelled I was really upset,” Rogler said. “But we ended up making the most out of it which was a good choice in the end.”
20 | FEATURES
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by elizabeth mikkelson photo courtesy of dean wilhite
MOTO RCYCL E MENTALI TY
East teacher Dean Wilhite’s Harley Davidson motorcycle brings him both freedom and an escape from a society that is reliant on technology
by lauren west
I
n 2007, Financial Literacy teacher Dean Wilhite shredded the back tire of his Harley Davidson motorcycle when running over a nail from a construction zone in the middle of the Flint Hills. Unlike most people, Wilhite didn’t have a cellphone to call for help. Instead, he weighed his options: wait for the highway patrol to drive by or head to the nearest farmhouse to try and borrow a cell phone. After flagging down a U.S. Army truck patrolling the area, he caught a ride to Emporia, abandoning his Harley with nothing but a padlock secured to the front tire and trust in his theft insurance. Stories like these are common for Wilhite. For the past 40 years, he’s found freedom in traveling across North America on his Harley with nothing but a tent, a rollaway mattress, a spare change of clothes, a saddleback filled with tools and no form of communication. It wasn’t until this past year that Wilhite was gifted his first cell phone because his family members were concerned for his safety. Besides checking the weather app before hopping on his bike, Wilhite’s ZTE phone — a type of cell phone that is financially provided by the government — is something he barely devotes time to. “There is something to be said for face-to-face [conversations],” Wilhite said. “For years [cell phones] became ubiquitous, everybody including principals would ask me, ‘Do you really run around the country all over North America, without a cell phone? What if something happens to you?’ Well, things have been happening to me for years.” From getting stuck on his Harley during the 1993 great floods in Utah to partying with locals in Cripple Creek,
Colorado, Wilhite would much rather save money for trips than fork over the expenses that come along with owning a cell phone. “I see half the kids’ screens are cracked on a $600 phone,” Wilhite said. “Well I wouldn’t watch a T V set with a crack screen screen.” Despite Wilhite rarely using his cell phone, he still manages to stay up to date with trends and is well-versed in technology and mechanics because of his experience working on his motorcycle and getting his college degree in the Broadcast Journalism field. According to Wilhite, he was first hired at East to help with any issues involving VCRs and Apple II computers. Nine years later, he was encouraged by East’s former Athletic Director, Dr. Art NewComer, to get his teaching license. Wilhite began his first teaching job in 1994 — outside of the SMSD school district — teaching vocalist classes such as broadcast journalism and photography. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that SMSD called Wilhite and asked if he would return to the district as a teacher. Since he’s used to navigating through life without a cell phone, Wilhite doesn’t depend on his phone to keep up with trends. According to Wilhite, he’s an avid reader and stays up to date on Android, Apple and even TikTok. Whether he’s reading foreign news articles on his computer, tuning into Canadian radio stations or listening to channels he gets through his antenna-connected T V, Wilhite resorts to the “quaint” methods when getting his news. To students at East, Wilhite is known as the “motorcycle guy” because he rides his Harley to school whenever the weather permits. Paige Keedy, one of Wilhite’s financial
literacy students, appreciates the real world connections he makes in class about how he deals with finance. When it comes to planning trips on his Harley, Wilhite has to prepare in advance by running through questions in his head like how much money he can devote to the expedition, if his friends are going with, how much money they have and most importantly, the price of gas. Along with checking the weather app, Wilhite is thankful he no longer has to rely on his knowledge of highways during his trips. His MapQuest app helps set the course for his upcoming trips. The balance of a teacher’s schedule with summer vacation leaves plenty of time for Wilhite to plan his next adventures. “If you talk to anybody who is really into motorcycles the word you’ll hear from [them] is freedom,” Wilhite said. “[Riding motorcycles] is a gas... I’ve done things people can only dream of.” Wilhite is first to admit he’s old school — the phone numbers written on the back of his phone prove it. But the memories made traveling on his Harley don’t match what you
If you talk to anybody who is really into motorcycles the word you’ll hear from [them] is freedom.
dean wilhite | teacher get when staring at a cell phone. “If somehow [a cell phone] becomes indispensable to me, okay I might go out and buy one,” Wilhite said. “But I’m not there yet... I’ll probably ride [motorcycles] until I can’t get on them anymore.”
design by tommy paulus photos courtesy of iTunes, Spotif y and iBooks
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
A&E | 21
A&E
HIGHLIGHTS
Catch up on what’s trending in the arts and entertainment world
TO P O F T H E CH A RTS
RECENT RELEASES ALBUMS
PL AYLISTS
MOVIES MOVIE: TITLE | TICKETS D OW N FA L L
N A M E | FA L L I N ST R U M E N TA L C R E ATO R | n a o m i : )
A R T I ST K E L LY
|
TO
M AC H I N E
AMERICAN MURDER: THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR
MY
GENRE:
GUN
DOCUMENTARY
RUN TIME | 7HR 1MIN
RUN TIME:
R E L E A S E DAT E | S E P T. 2 5
The perfect playlist to put on when doing homework or simply enjoying the beauty of the autumn equinox.
1 HR 22 MIN
SUMMARY:
“A good chorus is a mighty thing, and 8-10 of them on one album can move mountains.” - Andrew Unterberger for Billboard
The film tells the story of the 2018 Watts family murders, which took place in Fredrick, Colorado.
T I T L E | N E C TA R
N A M E | Y2 K
MOVIE:
A R T I ST | J OJ I
C R E ATO R | m i a
THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME
R E L E A S E DAT E | S E P T. 2 5
R U N T I M E | 5 H R 53 M I N
GENRE: HORROR
“A record full of rich sounds and fleshed out influences that highlight how well R&B and alt-pop worlds have been colliding...” - Triple J
A time capsule back into the early 2000’s decked out it Britney, M.I.A., Nelly Furtado and more.
RUN TIME: 2 HR 18 MIN
SUMMARY: A young man is devoted to protecting his loved ones in a town full of corruption and sinister characters.
P L ACE S TO G O RECORD SHOPS
BOOKS
*Google Reviews
AUTHOR:
JOSEY RECORDS
BROTHERS MUSIC
MILLS RECORD CO
KCMO
MISSION
WESTPORT
4.7
5.0 5.0
4.7
5.0
5.0
JIA TOLENTINO
GENRE: NON-FICTION
PAGE COUNT: 400
SUMMARY: “A breakout writer at The New Yorker
examines the fractures at the center
VINYL HE AVEN OVERL AND PARK
4.8
5.0
REVOLUTION RECORDS DOWNTOWN
4.6
5.0
7TH HE AVEN KCMO
4.2 5.0
of contemporary culture.” - www.bookmards.review
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by celia condon
THE BEST
Cup O’ Joe
by lyda cosgrove
AS AN AVID latte drinker and homework-loaded high school student, stuck in my house for seven hours a day, what better place to knock out three more hours of homework than a coffee shop? There’s a multitude of coffee
A review of some of KC’s most renowned coffee shops
THE ROAST E R IE
variety of drinks and pastries, it’s certainly my idea of the perfect coffee shop. Finding a seat on a Wednesday afternoon was no problem, with nine outdoor tables as well as high top tables, couches and booths inside. The Roasterie exceeded my expectations with their safety precautions — every other table has a sign reading “Table Closed for Social Distancing” along with bright green tape lines leading up to the register to ensure
WHILE THIS IS more of a drive for students further South, the Roasterie is a must-try for coffee lovers looking for a COVID-friendly study environment. Being one of my all-time favorite coffee shops, I was more than happy to spend a few hours knocking out Pre-Calc worksheets and Sig Fig practice problems here. From the multitude of indoor and outdoor seating along with engaging baristas and
A&E | 26 shops within a five mile radius of East, and I tried out a few so you wouldn’t have to. I rated them out of five on a few different factors, including seating options, safety precautions regarding COVID and level of distraction.
the six-feet-apart guideline is followed at all times. I picked out a small outdoor table tucked away in the shade, every so often smiling at a passerby walking their dog. If you can ignore the distractions of occasional honking cars on Brookside Boulevard, you’ll have no problem getting caught up on all your homework while sipping on an outstanding iced latte, or other drink of your choice.
SCAN ME
Scan here to read Lyda’s fifth review of Homer ’s Coffeehouse
THE REVIEW OUTDOO R SE ATIN G YES COVID PRECAUTIO NS 5/5 DISTRACTIO N LEVEL 2 /5 SOCIAL DISTAN CIN G 5/5
HO M E R’S THE RE VI E W OU T D OO R SE ATI N G L I M I TE D COV I D P R ECAU TI O NS 4 / 5 DIST R ACT I ON LE VE L 1 / 5 SO CI A L D ISTA N CI N G 4 / 5
IN THE HEART of downtown Overland Park, Homer’s Coffeehouse is a cozy shop with a stage upfront that’s often used to host musicians and poetry nights. Although there were no performers on the rainy Sunday afternoon I spent there, I was still able to enjoy soft music humming from the shop’s speakers.
Similar to the Roasterie, I was impressed with their efforts to enforce a safe environment. As I walked in, most tables were accompanied by a sign that read “Please wait for this table to be cleaned.” All I had to do was ask a barista to wipe it down and I could enjoy my vanilla steamer while working on assignments — without stressing over germs
or bacteria left by previous customers. While they keep everything clean and have a large space allowing for adequate distance between customers, outdoor seating is limited to three small metal tables and there are no open windows conducive to air flow. So if an open-air option is important to you, I would give McClain’s Market a try.
MCL AIN’S M A R K E T IF YOU’RE FEELING a little extra hangry (hungry and angry) from never-ending essays and assignments, McClain’s Market will meet all of your hunger needs while giving you the perfect study environment. Off of Roe and 107th, it’s a little bit of a drive, but most definitely worth the extra mileage. Whether you like indoor seating, outdoor seating or something in between
— McLain’s Market has everything you need. I spent my Monday afternoon in their sun-filled outdoor “garage” — an open-air, plant-filled room separated from the rest of the cafe by a garage door. Complete with high top seating, several two-person tables and even a cushioned bench, you’d find me spending all my studying hours here if it weren’t
for the 20 minute drive. Not only did I feel comfortable sipping my latte mask-free, safely distanced and in fresh air, each table had its own hand sanitizer centerpiece as well. The only downside of McLain’s Market is that it’s near a highway and a busy intersection, but if the rush of traffic doesn’t bother you, you’ll feel right at home at McLain’s.
T H E REV I EW OUTDOOR SE ATING Y ES COVID P RECAUTIONS 4/5 DISTRACTION LEVEL 3/5 SOCIAL DISTANCING 5/5
THE F I L L I NG STATI O N TH E REVI EW OUT D OOR SE ATING L IMITE D COV ID P R ECAU TIONS 1/5 D IST R ACTION L E VE L 3/5 SOCIA L D ISTA NCING 2/5
RIGHT ACROSS THE street from Shawnee Mission North, The Filling Station is a hotspot for high schoolers — so be prepared for a crowd. My first venture to this coffee shop was on a Thursday afternoon. As I pulled into the small yet crowded parking lot, it was clear that everyone seemed to have the same idea as me. The indoor tables and high top counters were all occupied, and the customers were certainly not adhering to social distancing guidelines. I walked around to the back where three outdoor
tables were also crammed with study groups. I headed home, but was still determined to try out this high-ceiling, gas station-vibe coffee shop. So, I returned a few days later on a late Sunday afternoon. All of the seating was empty except for a few women out for coffee and a pair of dads stopping in after a run. I was able to completely spread out at the high top table, right next to a bright window — getting in my dose of Vitamin D for the day. For a solid hour and a half, I worked fairly distraction-free, excluding the temperature
situation. While I’m always grateful for some steady air circulation, especially during COVID times, the blasting AC had me shivering with goosebumps, which turned out to be a distracting factor while trying to finish my Chapter 14 outline for EHAP. If you’re looking to try out the Filling Station, you might want to come on a slow day and learn from my mistake — bring along your coziest hoodie and opt for the hot latte over iced.
design by lily billingsley photo by annakate dilks
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
A&E | 23
A metal laser-cut art piece Kelly found when randonatuing at Brookwood Elementary school reflects the colors of the sunset.
READY TO RAND NAUT Staffer tries randonauting, a “choose your own adventure” type app involving random locations
by kelly mur phy
AN ABANDONED FACTORY, a fire in the shape of a triangle, a suitcase full of human remains — these are just a few of the randonauting discoveries I’ve seen while scrolling through TikTok. Randonauting is a rising trend amongst teens that involves following randomly generated coordinates to specific locations as a way of exploring places you wouldn’t normally discover. Those who go randonauting, aka randonauts, receive their coordinates through apps. Apps like Randonautica allow randonauts to customize
their experience by making a number of decisions including the quantum point type, how far they’re willing to travel and the amount of locations they’ll visit. Having gone on plenty of aimless, socially distant walks, I was eager to spice things up — and randonauting seemed like the perfect expedition to get me out of my quarantine slump. It sounded like a good way to kick off spooky season, so I grabbed a friend and we became randonauts for the afternoon.
3 8 .93 9 0 8 0, - 9 4 . 6 2 2 3 7 0 A KEY ASPECT of randonauting is starting with a set intention or manifesting an idea which will supposedly influence your adventure’s outcome. To set our first intention, my friend and I thought about how we’d been flooded with assignments and due dates since school began. We envisioned a calm, stress-free place with waterfalls, fluffy clouds and shades of blue and purple. After our intent was set, the Randonaut Location Generator app gave us the coordinates 38.939080, -94.622370. Seconds later, I was backing out of my parking spot — just to hear my friend scream, “Stop!” I was on track to hit the car right behind me. Our quest to de-stress was off to a highly stressful start. Twenty minutes later, we arrived at our destination: a beige, ranch style Leawood home. To avoid looking like burglars scoping out their next home robbery, we parked and walked down the street’s cul-de-sac. We passed a bright blue Volkswagen beetle, pots of purple chrysanthemums
and a political sign that said “joy” — all of which fit our intention. At the end of the street, we found a Little Free Library. My inner-book-nerd was ecstatic. But when I peeked inside the glass doors, I found titles like “Deadline,” “A Time to Kill” and “The Midnight House.” We were left wondering what the ominous books meant as we continued down the street in the opposite direction. After wandering a few blocks from the original location, we stumbled upon a man-made lake surrounded by willow trees. The sunlight beautifully reflecting off the water left us in awe and was exactly what we had hoped to find. After going randonauting, people typically compare their original intent with the outcome of their adventure. Based on the peaceful imagery we found mixed with the more sinister symbolism, the meaning that we took away from this portion of our journey was that when we die we’ll be at peace, so death isn’t something we should be afraid of.
3 8 .9 4 0 9 4 8 , - 9 4 . 6 2 4 6 8 7 FOR OUR NEXT excursion, we set out with the intention of becoming more in touch with nature and animals. To mix things up, we opted for a different app, Randonauting Adventure, to receive our next set of coordinates — 38,940948, -94.624687. As we pulled into the parking lot at Brookwood Elementary School, I found myself hoping this trip wouldn’t be as freaky as the last. From there, we hesitantly made our way down a grassy hill to the playground. At first glance, Brookwood’s playground was a far cry from the natural scene we were hoping for. A neon green and yellow plastic jungle gym complete with slides and ladders sat atop a layer of artificial turf.
But right before we left the playground to explore the school, a brown blob in the distance caught my attention. A stag with cream-colored antlers and a white spot on his neck stared at us as we stood still, taking in the moment. Suddenly, a little boy chased the deer away, snapping us back to reality. We continued on, walking along the outside of the school where we discovered an abstract clock and a metal laser-cut phases of the moon art piece. Although it was a bit of a stretch, we decided that being led to an elementary school that was surrounded by timerelated pieces symbolized preparing to begin a new phase in our lives: adulthood.
IS IT WORTH IT? NOW THAT I’VE gone randonauting, I’d describe it as a real-life chooseyour-own-adventure game. There are some aspects of it that I’m skeptical of, like how randonauts claim that there’s science behind manifesting an idea and bringing it to life. I still don’t see how people could influence random outcomes with their mind. For my friend and I at least, randonauting was more about breaking
out of our Prairie Village bubble than forcing connections between the “signs” we found along the way. Randonauting allowed us to catch a break from our screens and explore the outdoors. We took in our surroundings with a new focused mindset — noticing every insect and gum wrapper. I’d recommend randonauting to anyone looking to become more spontaneous and reconnect with nature.
24 |A&E
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
AT WITS END A review of Netflix’s new movie, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”
T H E STA RS O F T H E M OV I E JESSIE BUCKLEY plays “young woman” also featured in Fargo, and Chernobly JESSE PLEMONS plays “jake” also featured in The Irishman, Breaking Bad, and Fargo TONI COLLETTE plays “mother” also featured in Knives Out, Little Miss Sunshine and Hereditary
design by kate heitmann photos cuortesy of IMDB
by tommy paulus
IT SEEMS LIKE Netflix is releasing new original content just about every day. I decided to take a stab in the dark at one from the endless cornucopia of films and landed on “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.” What swayed me to watch this artistic drama was the internet’s polarized reaction to the film. While many “I’M THINKING OF ENDING Things” has the foundation of an indie, dry, romantic drama. Our main protagonist is entitled “young woman” — we never learn her name — and she’s having trouble grappling with her desire to end her relationship with her boyfriend Jake, hence the title. Initially I assumed the film would fit the same cookie-cutter storyline as other romance movies, but the director decided to use this as his canvas for a seriously unusual plot. The first 30 minutes of the movie guides us through the young woman off on a trip to meet her slipping lovers’ parents — the classic go-to plot of a young lovers’ story. During this half an hour, my mind dozed off to think of what could happen next to advance the uncomfortable situation she was in. This was partly due to the long, almost cumbersome, scenes of the two in a bland car driving through a pale blizzard as they ramble about poetry — maybe I should’ve paid attention to my sophomore year poetry unit after all. For the rest of the movie, random and slightly offputting things occur at the parents’ house — their dog shakes itself off for a relatively longer time than most dogs do, the young woman receives random calls from an ominous man and random cut away scenes come in of a lonely high school janitor creepily staring at the students and performing mundane tasks. Each conversation the young woman has with her boyfriend and his parents became increasingly confusing. It’s like their conversations divulged into the language of the Sims game. From the dinner table talk about the woman’s study of quantum “psychics” to the mother congratulating her son on his immense knowledge on “geniuses” the dialogue resembled the regurgitation of Campbell’s alphabet soup. Now that I was engaged in the alluring yet confusing plot, I searched for a linear plot line. The parents started shifting through all ages in the course of a day — from bed-ridden to youthful — and there was eerie, symphonatic music overlaid on the young woman endlessly walking up and down the main staircase. I was slightly amused and extremely invested because it felt like a puzzle I had to solve. But, at some point the movie seemed to be a 1,000-piece puzzle with only 450 pieces in the box. I kept thinking these missing pieces had to be filled in with imaginative ideas or else the movie was a hodgepodge of theatre references and incoherent scenes cut together.
have called it artsy and deep, others have passed it off as pretentious and redundant. Like any other casual film watcher, I wanted to decide who was right in this feud. So, I buckled down and watched the movie that was — for lack of a better term — interesting. Staying with this movie takes a lot of focus to pick up on important lines of dialogue that are somewhat meaningful. It was hard for me to pick up clues of false realities and references to the future when they were lightly sprinkled in between pseudo-intellectual jargon over ganglia neurons and randomly interjected anecdotes about the main characters’ underwhelming science fair trophies. One of the most eye catching parts of this movie was the cinematography and colors used. Jake’s parents house was full of bright pinks and bright greens, which really help differentiate the moods of melancholy, unease and confusion in each scene of the movie. The scenes before entering the house were anxious and gloomy, resembled in the dark greys and white of the blizzard. However, in the house, the mood was more energized and frantic.
I was slightly amused and extremely invested because it felt like a puzzle I had to solve. But, at some point the movie seemed to be a 1,000-piece puzzle with only 450 pieces in the box.
tommy paulus | senior In between every important scene, there was a shift to long continuous shots of the couple driving through an endless blizzard. Bright lights and colors came with every new stop or destination. Sometimes it got monotonous seeing the two in the car, but it built up a slow-burn anticipation for the next mind — twisting scene. This was far from a traditional film, viewing experience and more of an installation at an art museum. The ideals of inciting incidents and climaxes didn’t apply to this movie. In the case of “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” I’m going to have to agree with the disinterested and confused viewers on Twitter — downplaying it as annoyingly pretentious. However, I can appreciate the boldness of this mindboggling movie. If you’re interested in decoding the deeper meaning of suicidal thoughts and psychosis in the janitor’s head, I’d definitely give it a try. But if you need an interesting movie for a casual viewing, I’d suggest you glady skip over this title.
OT H E R M OV I E S I N S P I R E D BY T H E B O O K “ TO A L L T H E B OYS I ’ V E LOV E D B E F O R E ” BY J E N N Y H A NS
“C R A Z Y R I C H AS I A NS” BY K E V I N K WA N
“ T H E M A RT I A N ” BY A N DY W E I R
“IT” BY ST E P H A N K I N G
design by lauren west photos by tristen porter
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
A&E | 25
ESCAPING REALITY by sydney decker
Staffer reviews classic books as an escape to our quarantine reality
AMIDST THE SPIKING COVID-19 cases, I wanted nothing more than to escape reality and forget where I was for a few chapters at a time. These books kept me distracted and transported me out of the present-day, even though I was just sitting in my backyard.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE JANE AUSTEN THE FRUSTRATING PURSUIT that took place in the novel “Pride and Prejudice” made it impossible to set down — and I certainly wanted to be lost in the book for as long as I could. “Pride and Prejudice” follows Lizzie, the daughter of a humble country man and sister to five, and Mr. Darcy, a wealthy, aristocratic landowner, and their pursuit of each other as they overcome their overbearing qualities — stated in the novel’s title. I immediately related to Elizabeth Bennett, or Lizzie, the main character — and feminist icon years ahead of her time. She knows her own worth, and when Mr. Darcy professes his love for her after treating her so coldly, she’s quick to reject him. In the chase, it’s debated whether or not Lizzie is right to be cautious and not give into Mr. Darcy’s romantics as she rejects him initially. Some may consider Lizzie to be harsh, but I saw her as strong and independent. I loved seeing author Jane Austen use Lizzie’s strength and independence to criticize the social standards and structure by having Lizzie constantly make fun of the higher class and the meaningless customs like dry small talk at sophisticated parties. The plot also focused on Lizzie’s sisters and followed their lives as they found their own love interests — whether it be a male suitor or a passion of interest, providing a balance between the main characters and the side characters that support them. I seriously recommend downloading the soundtrack to the film and playing it as you read — it provides the ultimate reading experience and truly does set you in 18th century England, while taking you out of the neverending nightmare that is the year 2020.
WALDEN
HENRY THOREAU WITH THE NEWS warning viewers about a new way the world is going to end every night — whether it be COVID, murder hornets, wildfires or political unrest, at times I feel like saying ‘sayonara’ and dropping off the face of the earth. But while I mean that figuratively, Henry David Thoreau meant it quite literally. While extreme, he did well to vouch for the importance of civilization, but also to deem one’s relationship with nature equally as important. In his novel “Walden,” Thoreau writes about how one must reconnect with nature after being so consumed with modern life. Published in 1854, the memoir/spiritual quest explores self discovery and independence, observes the importance of engaging with nature and mocks society using satire. I found myself nodding along as he criticized the blind respect given to elders, corrupt governments and the damaging materialistic values we’ve adopted. I found myself flipping back through each passage to make sure I fully grasped the mind-bending philosophies that Thoareau swore by, and I now find myself living by them everyday. Thoreau believes that as long as you live how you want, you can succeed. I respect Thoreau as a critically-acclaimed author, but I can’t ignore his narcissism and arrogance. He wasn’t all-knowing, but would attempt to convince readers that he always knew best and everyone else was living their lives wrong. Although critiques of Thoreau may be valid, the novel can still be appreciated on its own — even though his idea of living so minimally that you’re living in a tiny cabin you made yourself is a bit ridiculous. But this was all done to mock materialism and prove that you can live simply and be satisfied. Though he is mocking society and showing his disapproval of society, I have an appreciation and fascination for his commitment to living a self-sufficient life.
THE HEPTAMERON MARGUERITE DE NAVARRE THERE’S NOTHING WRONG with not knowing things — and I’m not talking about whether or not you know the quadratic formula by heart. Marguerite de Navarre’s belief that “there is nothing more foolish than a man who thinks he’s clever, and nothing more wise than the man that knows he is nothing,” is a philosophical ideal I never thought to analyze. But I think it’s important to seek out different moralistic values and truly examine the lives we live and the world we live in. “The Heptameron” is a book that includes a collection of 72 short stories. But the fables aren’t told plain and simply, which I found to be refreshing. They’re told through characters in the book who use storytelling as a way to pass time while stranded in a mountain range — which I would gladly take over being stuck in a country plagued by a pandemic. The book is organized based on the eight days the characters are stranded — each day there is a different theme with new stories to be told. Themes in the stories include love, lust, adultery, hypocrisy and greed, which allows for interesting debate amongst the characters to determine if they agree with the moral of the story. A particular story about a chivalrous knight caught my attention, posing the question, “Is it better to speak or die?” The purpose of the question is to ponder whether you should risk speaking your true thoughts and feelings with the possibility of being rejected, or if it would be better to keep those feelings to yourself to avoid possible humiliation. The characters’ disputes made the read captivating and kept my mind at work — I tried to understand and determine the hidden meanings, reading between the lines.
SYDNEY’S RATINGS
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26 | PHOTOSTORY
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by julia percy
ONE KICK WONDER
A group of juniors formed a recreational soccer team for a weekend activity
R I G H T | Junior Will McClelland volunteered himself to coach the team because he thought it would be fun and he knew he couldn’t make it to every game to play. “My favorite part about the team is hanging out as a team and getting dinner after,” McClelland said. photo by megan biles
T O P | Junior Lauren Brock was “trying to score and the guy on the other team tripped [her] and [she] think[s] it was the second time he had tripped [her] because [she] ha[s] all these bruises on [her] knees from it.” photo by megan biles ABOVE | The team m et in a h u d d le d u rin g ha l f ti m e to discuss stra te g ies for th e n ext half. T he coach, j u n ior Will M c Cle lla n d , ye lls at the team c la im in g th ey we re n’ t running enough. photo by sarah golder
A B O V E | Juniors Celia Condon and Lauren Brock reenact when a kid from the other team got hit in the face with a soccer ball. photo by taylor keal LEFT | After they formed their team named One Kick Wonder, the players gathered cleats and socks from when they played soccer in elementary school and middle school to play in. photo by sarah golder
27 | SPORTS
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
SPORTS
AT H L E T E S OF THE WEEK
HIGHLIGHTS
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE AT H L E T E G I V E N B Y T H E I R C O A C H
Updates, schedules and quotes about the sports season
COMING UP THIS WEEK OCT. 13 OCT. 15 OCT. 17
VARSITY GYMNASTIC MEET LOCATION: ICTC TIME: 6 P.M.
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL MATCH LOCATION: SION TIME: 6 P.M.
JV CROSS COUNTRY MEET LOCATION: ODAC TIME: 9 P.M.
M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R Important sporting events in the future OCT.
15
VA RSI T Y F O OT B A L L | H OM EC OM I N G GA M E AT SMS
design by peyton moore
VO L L E Y B A L L
ADDIE DUNBAR VA R S I T Y
OCT.
19
G I R LS G O L F | STATE C H A MPI ONSH IP AT H E SSTON
B E L O W | Senior Drew Parisi prepares to block an Olathe North forward from advancing towards East’s goal. photo by taylor keal
She has taken a big step forward in her senior year... I have been really impressed with her ability to adjust and consistency serving... She has proven to be a great teammate and leader for our underclassmen.
C O A C H : H E N TO N POSITION: OUTSIDE HITTER
SOCCER CA D E N N I CH O L S O N VA R S I T Y He is the lead goal scorer on our team. Caden has had a goal or an assist in all of our games so far. He is a great role model for all of my players and is the captain of the team.
C O A C H : K E L LY POSITION: MID-FIELD
C R OSS C O U N T RY
G R ACE M E Y E R VA R S I T Y
A B O V E | Senior Shannon Burns leaps for a volley during a doubles match against St. Teresa’s Academy, bringing the score to 7-0. Burns and senior Kelly Murphy won the match 8-0. photo by annakate dilks L E F T | Freshman Conor Folger leads the pack at the starting line of the JV cross country race at Frontier Middle School. After turning the corner where competitors may take masks off, Folger ’s mask remains on for the majority of the race. photo by eva berkly
She is talented & tenacious which is a recipe for success. She just finished 5th in the KC XC Classic on Saturday. It’s a huge meet with Missouri & Kansas schools. I firmly believe Grace will be on the podium at
COACH: BE AHAM POSITION: #1 GIRLS RUNNER
28 | SPORTS
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by sydney newton
squat-jumping
by a n n a m itc h ell
BACK INTO THINGS After students find a new love for working out over quarantine, they work it into their new daily routines
AS STUDENTS ZACK Sederquist, Jilli Foley and Meredith McGannon wake up to start their online school day and prepare a protein shake or smoothie bowl, they think back to where this health kick all started — COVID-19 lockdown. This lead students to create a different lifestyle than those who took lockdown as a time to lounge around and empty the pantry.
J i l l i Fo l ey SENIOR JILLI FOLEY woke up to the sound of her mom yelling her name, making sure she was up and running –– literally. Foley has always tried to find a good incentive for working out, but could never get a steady routine going. When she realized she was going to be trapped in her house all day, she figured going for a few jogs each morning and attempting Chloe Ting workouts wasn’t such a bad idea –– and neither did her mom. Foley credits her mom as her inspiration for finally starting the workout regimen that’s become daily for her. “My mom has always been someone who works out a lot,” Foley said. “I wouldn’t say she pushed me, but she for sure made me feel like I needed to go for a run or just move around.” Foley and her mom grew closer throughout lockdown as they bonded over 60-minute rigorous HIIT classes. Once gyms and classes slowly reopened, Foley didn’t hesitate to return to
Genesis –– the gym she calls home. Foley’s family also moved about 30 minutes across the Kansas-Missouri border to Lake Winnebago over the summer. Their heart rates were always high from bike rides, pickleball tournaments or just peaceful walks. She feels like exercising hasn’t only helped her maintain a healthy life, but has also benefited her mentally. “[Staying active] kind of clears my mind,” Foley said. “If I’m angry or sad, going for a jog makes me really think about the situation, and sitting in [my] bed all gloomy isn’t really going to help either.” Now that school has started, Foley hasn’t stopped the consistent exercise. She wakes up, makes a protein shake, completes her online classes and heads out for a run or a Genesis class. “Quarantine and lockdown were really good for me,” Foley said. “I just feel gross not working out everyday now and it’s honestly become a lifestyle.”
A B O V E | Senior Jilli Foley runs on the treadmill at Genesis Health Club. photo by mj wolf
Mered i th McGa n n o n SENIOR MEREDITH MCGANNON used the extra time on her hands to create an Instagram account (@carewithmere) to share her salmon dishes and smoothie bowls, along with her workout finds. “I really made it for my own personal fun,” McGannon said. “But now it makes me really happy people are actually using it and finding new places [to eat and workout] from my account.” McGannon created this fun account when she finally had run out of things to keep her busy. Moji Cycling, where McGannon works and spends hours a day at, had closed for lockdown, and COVID-19 had taken that away from her. A year and a half ago, McGannon decided to amp up her ABOVE | A salmon mezze bowl from Billies grocery, health habits with new workout routines and whipping up posted by senior Meredith Mcgannon on her healthy dishes. McGannon continued these habits during health Instagram. photo courtesy of @carewithmere lockdown by doing Fusion, Peloton and Powerlife online classes, as well as any Instagram livestream workouts she could find to
get her blood pumping. “I tried so many new things,” McGannon said. “My motivation and amount of working out pretty much stayed the same, but my way of working out obviously changed.” With online school, McGannon feels like getting up and moving is more important than ever. Not only does McGannon think that working out has helped her stay in shape and stay healthy, but helped her in a deeper way too. “In the mornings I just like getting my endorphins going and clearing my mind before I start the day,” McGannon said. “I honestly think it helps me become a better person in general.” Now that McGannon has returned to working the front desk at Mojo and can attend her sweat-filled Sculpt classes at Powerlife, she feels like life is a little bit more normal.
Za ch S ede rquist
THE ONLY EXERCISE sophomore Zach Sederquist got during the first two weeks of state lockdown was walking from his bed to the refrigerator. “I began to realize it was time to start working out,” Sederquist said. “I was so bored, so why not feel better about myself and be healthy.” Sederquist got up one morning at 7 a.m., made himself a strawberry-banana protein shake and did some weight lifting — eventually, this became a part of his daily routine. “Because of COVID-19 I had nothing else better to do, which honestly helped me take my working out to another level,” Sederquist said. Even though Sederquist had no idea how East sports
would look approaching August, he was motivated by the thought of having an advantage over other players in his three sports: swim, soccer and tennis. Now that sports are on, Sederquist makes it to morning weights at 7 a.m. and school practice after a long day of online school. He even adds a jog or a quick weights workout when he gets home from soccer if he’s feeling determined. “With this year being so different and almost unpredictable it’s hard to know really what to do and [how to] prepare for the upcoming seasons,” Sederquist said. “But I know that starting to workout during lockdown was a good idea because I think that now it has made this hard time just a little bit easier for me.”
A B O V E | Sophomore Zack Sederquist lifts weights as part of his 6 a.m. daily workout routine. photo by mj wolf
29 | SPORTS
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
COV I D
RECRUITMENT The basic diffrences of the recruitment process after covid
1 01
S C H O O LS A R E B R I N G I N G I N L E SS F U N DS D U E TO LOSS O F T I C K E T R E V E N U E W H I C H R E S U LTS I N L E SS S C H O L A R S H I PS
COLLEGES AREN’T OFFERING IN-PERSON GUIDED CAMPUS VISITS
EXTENDED DEAD PERIOD ME ANS COACHES AND POTENTIAL RECRUITS CAN’T HAVE IN-PERSON CONTACT
EXTENDED ELIGIBILITY WHAT DOES IT ME AN? ANY STUDENT ATHLETE THAT HAD A SEASON AFFECTED BY COVID IS ELIGIBLE FOR A FIFTH YEAR IN COLLEGE ALONG WITH ANOTHER SPORTS SEASON
BENEFITS COLLEGE SENIOR & JUNIOR
ATHLETES
EFFECTS INCOMING COLLEGE ATHLETES
EFFECTS ON I N CO M IN G STU D EN T AT HL E TE S
LESS
SCHOL ARSHIP MONEY AVAILIBLE
LESS
SCHOL ARSHIP SPOTS OPEN
CAN WE
design by peyton moore art by sophie henschel
High school athletes looking to pursue sports in college are struggling with the recruitment process due to corona virus
R ECRUI T?
by catherine erickson
T
he pandemic has made the college recruitment process for high school student-athletes exceedingly more difficult. With a limited amount of scholarships and the inability to meet with coaches or visit campuses in-person, athletes are struggling to connect with teams and receive offers to play sports in college. In March of 2020, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) granted an extra year of eligibility to all college studentathletes whose seasons were affected due to COVID-19. College athletes who were unable to complete their season in the spring are now allowed to play for a fifth year in college, causing the number of open spots for incoming recruits on collegiate teams to decrease. Senior varsity golfer Hanna Robinett experienced the effects of NCAA’s new rule after being turned down from schools due to extended eligibility of college seniors. “I reached out to Denver and Baylor and both replied with pretty much the same generic email: that they were not offering 2021 scholarships because of the shortage and that they’re already full,” Robinett said. “Some [schools] told me they’re not even recruiting 2021 graduates because of this extra year of eligibility.” The available scholarship budget for incoming recruits has been affected by extended eligibility. According to East’s Athletic Director Debbie Katzfey, college students who take advantage of NCAA’s new rule will be able to receive their same scholarship for their fifth year, leaving less money for new recruits. The extra year of eligibility isn’t the only factor affecting universities’ scholarship budget. With limited crowds at football games and other major sporting events, athletic departments at many colleges are not bringing in nearly as much money, according to Katzfey. “A lot of colleges rely on the gates and the revenue that comes from football,” Katzfey said. “With them having limited people in the stands, and for some universities, even no fans in the stands... the money’s not there.” This decrease in revenue for colleges caused several schools to cut programs that don’t bring in as much money. Dartmouth, for example, had to permanently eliminate five Division 1 varsity programs including men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s golf and men’s lightweight rowing, according to The Dartmouth, the school’s newspaper. Along with extended eligibility and less revenue leading to a shortage of scholarships, high school student-athletes are unable to meet with coaches or teams in-person and colleges aren’t offering in-person guided campus visits. This has forced prospective students to rely on virtual tours of the campus. “[Virtual tours are] definitely a disadvantage,” junior and varsity volleyball player Ella Bunde said. “You kind of have to make your decision, for some schools, if you want to still go without seeing campus, which is kind of risky...Some of mine have been doing Zoom calls, like FaceTimes around campus, so we can kind of see it, but it’s still not the real thing.”
In September, NCAA announced that they would be extending the dead period, a time when college coaches cannot have face-toface contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, until Jan. 1 due to coronavirus concerns. The dead period extension means that recruiters are unable to watch fall sport athletes play in-person. According to Katzfey, the Sunflower League is still allowing recruiters to attend games, but coaches affiliated with NCAA still cannot. As recruiters from the universities Bunde is pursuing will be unable to attend her games, Bunde created highlight reels to send to colleges to showcase her abilities. “We had to send them video, a lot of video, of us playing, since they didn’t get to see us live,” Bunde said. “It’s kind of hard to send full games...so you kind of have to pick and choose your highlights. And we had to make a lot more highlight videos than we normally do because they couldn’t physically see us play.” Robinett also sent short clips of her golf swing and form to coaches, but depended more on sending tournament scores to give coaches an idea of how she plays. “I rely on sending out scores,” Robinett said. “With golf, it’s unique because a coach can see your abilities without having to see you play a tournament. It always helps for them to be able to see you play a tournament. But I was able, for instance, to send a video of my swing, of me hitting multiple shots, to colleges and they’re able to kind of judge my ability from that video.” While it’s important for coaches to get a sense of how students play, students also need to build personal relationships with coaches and team members before being recruited. However, they must rely on Zoom calls because they’re unable to meet in-person. Bunde has been trying to connect with teams and coaches over Zoom, but has found it difficult to really get to know the people virtually. “I did game night with one of the teams, so I met all the players,” Bunde said. “It’s nice to meet everyone, but it’s still kind of hard over Zoom to, like, get a feel for the people and college volleyball-wise.” With the extension of the dead period and concerns of coronavirus, many recruiting events put on by colleges have been canceled. While these events are a good opportunity for coaches to see how potential recruits play, they’re also a chance to get to know a coach’s coaching style, according to Bunde. “Different coaches have a different coaching style, and that definitely comes across at [recruiting] camps,” Bunde said. “How they coach and the way they treat their player and think of their team and university is important to see in-person.” Aside from these obstacles, Katzfey is hopeful that all high school athletes who want to play in college will still have the opportunity to. “If we keep playing like we’re going right now, then I think that if [students] were going to get recruited, they would still get recruited,” Katzfey said. “I don’t think the really good athlete that wants to play at the next level is going to get overlooked because of the virus.”
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
30 | SPORTS
design by allison wilcox
NEVER-DIE
AT T I T U D E
Boys JV soccer coach Aaron Weissenfluh leaves at the beginning of fall season, but hopes to return next season
A B O V E | The 2019 boys JV soccer team during their yearbook photo. photo courtesy of Hauberk
by annabelle moore
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ook up when you get the ball, and position your body open to the field. Think one step quicker than the ball and know where to pass it next. Don’t get unnecessary yellow or red cards. Most importantly, know the value of hard work: if you put your effort into something, the reward will show. Every time junior Tate Nicholson steps onto the soccer field, the mantras former JV boys soccer Coach Aaron Weissenfluh instilled in him come to mind. The day before the first JV boys game of the season, Varsity Head Coach Jamie Kelly announced to the team that Weissenfluh wouldn’t be back to coach this year due to his new job at American Century Investments, and that Coach Elliott Pattison, who also coaches the girls JV team, would take over his position. Despite his new job, Weissenfluh was eager to make coaching work during his new office hours. But most days he ended up having to stay late to file paperwork, leaving him
[Weissenfluh] always makes jokes with the team and just provides a comfortable atmosphere for everyone while we’re playing soccer.
tate nicholson | junior unable to make practices and games. Nicholson and the rest of the team were disappointed to see their coach leave, but remained hopeful in the possibility that he can try to juggle soccer and work next season once he’s been at his new job longer. Without having Weissenfluh cheering them on from the sidelines, they’ve realized the impact Weissenfluh has made on the soccer program.
As the boys JV soccer coach for the past four years, Weissenfluh feels he’s never seen or been a part of such an intense, well-run program. Throughout his time coaching, he enjoyed seeing the continual support of the East community, as well as seeing his players grow from hardly being able to do a proper touch, to effortlessly dribbling across the field. After playing for Weissenfluh on the JV team for two years, Nicholson believes he’s the perfect JV coach because of his ability to develop players. He believes that Weissenfluh turned him from an average player to what Nicholson sees as a great player. “[Coach Weissenfluh] gets kids from all different skill gaps, and by the end of the year, he can make them into great players that can play for varsity and do well for varsity,” Nicholson said. “I feel like Coach Weissenfluh is really what East soccer is about — hard work and commitment. Because hard work and commitment will get you to where you want to be.” But as hard as Weissenfluh pushed his players on the field, Nicholson always appreciated his coach’s carefree demeanor, remarking on how he joked around with the players. “He always makes jokes with the team and just provides a comfortable atmosphere for everyone while we’re playing soccer,” Nicholson said. This year, Nicholson was looking forward to having Weissenfluh help him move up to varsity. But considering the circumstances don’t provide Nicholson more time with Weissenfluh, he’s grateful to have a replacement like Pattison — someone he can count on just as much as Weissenfluh. Coach Kelly will miss having Weissenfluh help him out on the sidelines of his varsity games, where he frequently saw varsity players go up to Weissenfluh for advice on the right move or consolation after a botched play. “They all still have that great relationship with [Weissenfluh] and still go to him to ask for help to make them a better player, and not just what Assistant Varsity Coach
’S H U L F N E S S I E W
CAREER
Williams and myself are trying to instruct,” Kelly said. “That speaks volumes to him, his character and how much the boys really love playing for him — that they’ll still go up to him.” Players throughout the entire program respect and apply Weissenfluh’s philosophy on coaching, not just because of his emphasis on practical drills and intense scrimmages, but his desire to make sure the players know they’re cared for. “The three things I would try to say everyday is that, ‘I appreciate you, I care about you and I believe in you,’” Weissenfluh said. “I know that’s a little odd for a coach to say that all the time, but when the players start seeing that you care about them as people and their growth and development, then they really give more than they ever thought they could.” His coaching style was made easy by what he calls the East trademark, or the “never-die attitude.” He sees it in his fellow coaches, fans and players. “Those stands are always full and those fans are so supportive — whether we won or lost, they never gave up,” Weissenfluh said. The two things Weissenfluh said he hopes the team and program will take away from his time at East are to believe in the program and the system Kelly has in place, and to focus on improving throughout the entire year. “Dayton Moore — who was the general manager of the Royals — said it best when he said, ‘Care about your teammates more than yourself,’” Weissenfluh said. “And if [the boys] can carry that on [without me there], then they can get through any bad time and do things on their own.” Weissenfluh said that he is hoping to return as a coach again next year once he can make more time in his work schedule. “[East soccer] is part of my fall and it’s not here now,” Weissenfluh said. “And things just don’t feel right, so I’m going to find a way [to come back]. As long as [Kelly] wants me back, I’m going to find a way.”
4 A breakdown of Coach Weissenfluh’s career as the JV soccer coach
JV
Y E A R S AS H E A D B OYS & G I R LS J V COACH
59 WINS 16 LOSSES 4 DRAWS
design by photo editors
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
PHOTOSTORY | 31
TIK TOK
TALENT...
Seniors and makeup enthusiasts Caroline Kuhlman and Stella Mckinney use the app Tik Tok to show their extreme makeup
RIGHT | Kuhlman molds horns out of tin foil, paper towels and liquid latex. After they dry, Kuhlman paints them with acrylic paint, applying them on her forehead with spirit gum glue. Kuhlman “watch[es] a lot of videos like James Charles, Jeffree Star... the typical YouTubers and they taught [her] a lot of techniques.” photo by sarah golder
SCAN ME | TIKTOK Watch Caroline’s most recent TikTok on this look.
SCAN ME | STORY Read Nora Lynn’s feature about their makeup success.
A B O V E | Kuhlman makes a TikTok with her newest look. Kuhlman “get[s] a lot of inspiration from...famous makeup artists that [she] like[s], and also some TikTok makeup artists.” photo by sarah golder LEFT | Mckinney’s finished look based off of the character Other Mother in the movie “Coraline.” photo courtesy of stella mckinney F A R L E F T | After struggling with anxiety throughout elementary and middle school, Kuhlman found the art of makeup provided her with a life-changing coping mechanism. “I use makeup as a sort of therapeutic technique... And I just I’ve found a lot of joy in not only like, boosting my confidence, because I obviously look better,” Kuhlman said. “It’s my creative outlet.” photo by sarah golder
SCAN ME | TIKTOK Watch Stella’s most recent TikTok on this look.
ABOVE | Mckinney sets up makeup across her desk, making sure her brushes are clean and the palettes she is going to use are ready before getting started. photo by sarah golder LEFT| Stella says she usually spends “two hours, two and a half hours ... [depending] on how fast [she goes]” on a big look like the one featured in her newest TikTok linked in the QR code above. photo by sarah golder
32 | ALT COPY
THE HARBINGER | OCTOBER 12, 2020
design by celia condon
iOS
A breakdown of the Apple’s new IOS 14 update that accidentally turned into a trend
by caro l i ne g o ul d
good morning 78%
M AKE IT YOUR OW N THERE ARE SO many different ways to switch up your phone with the new update. Although people have different preferences and organizational methods, when it comes to widgets there’s an option for everyone. For me, I don’t like my phone to be too cluttered, so I moved a few of my apps that I don’t use very
often into my app library. With fall approaching, I used browns, reds, oranges and pinks, along with some fall Pinterest photos to give my phone the Autumn spirit. Since I loved customizing my phone for the season, I’ll be changing up my home screen every chance I get — that is, when I’m not working on online school.
WI D G ETSMITH IN T R O STARTING WITH ‘WIDGETSMITH,’ you can use this app to add custom widgets to your home screen. When scrolling through the app, my excitement levels rose, as the app exceeded my expectations, and the design-loving me was obsessed with all the custom calendars and clocks, as well as photo options and sizes.
DO YOU LIKE IOS 14? Instagram poll of 174 votes
89% YES 11% NO
OCT.
TH E BASI C S TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR iPhone, there are a few steps you’ll need to take. First, update your phone to iOS 14. For customization you’ll need to download ‘Widgetsmith,’ free in the app store, and make sure that you still have ‘Shortcuts,’ which comes pre-installed on your phone.
10:30
LTE
12 MON
hello fall
TH E APP LE R ECA P IN SEPTEMBER, APPLE held its annual conference to announce their new products and features. While they announced a plethora of new technology such as new iPads and Apple Watches, the most anticipated was the free iOS 14 update, accessible to all iPhone users.
SH ORTCU T I N T R O ANOTHER NEW FEATURE is the ability to change app names and covers. You can do this by going into ‘Shortcuts’ and clicking the plus button in the top right corner followed by ‘add action.’ Then, click on ‘scripting,’ ‘open app’ and the ‘choose’ button will let you pick which app you’d like to switch up. After choosing the app, clicking the three dots in
the corner and pressing ‘add to home screen’ will allow you to name your shortcut and change the cover photo. The tedious part of having app covers is that every time you click on the app, it will redirect you to ‘Shortcuts’ before taking you to the app.
A N U P DAT E D T R E ND IMMEDIATELY AFTER APPLE announced that they would be releasing the iOS 14 update, the newest iPhone update, my TikTok For You page was flooded with everyone’s different home screen customizations, ranging anywhere from Pantone, to Club Penguin themes. People have either used the pre-made widgets that Apple provided, or added their own custom app covers and photos to match their aesthetic.