Issue 11 Harbinger 2021

the harbinger.

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILL AGE, KS 66208 MARCH 08, 2021 VOLUME LXIII ISSUE 11

SCANNING FOR

Despite the legal and longterm consequences, the presence of fake ID’s in the student body has increased

SCAMMERS A LOOK

INSIDE

09 18 OPINION

Amidst the chaos of COVID-19, it’s important to find a positive outlook on the experiences we’ve had this year

FEATURE The Cronin family has found new ways to celebrate their Irish culture during the pandemic

31 PHOTO

“I was mind blown by what we could do as sophomores during the fire schooling and the things we get to mess around with almost every day.”

jayden schuessler | sophomore

02 | INSIDE COVER

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

ONLINE

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PREVIEW

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STORIE S SENDING RELIEF

NADIYA BAKES Scan to read Kate Heitmann’s review of Nadiya Bakes, a cheerful new-toNeflix baking show

Scan to read Cesca Stamati’s news story, covering the House of Representatives passing Biden’s pandemic aid package to the Senate

GA L L E R I E S BOYS JV BASKETBALL Scan to view Lily Mantel’s gallery of the boys JV basketball, who defeat Lawrence 48-46

L ANCER DANCER HALFTIME SHOW

This is for February 15th...

Scan to view Macy Crosser ’s gallery of the JV Lancer Dancers’ halftime show

STA F F L IST PRINT EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley ONLINE EDITORS Riley Atkinson Lauren West ASST. PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sydney Newton 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 Sydney Williams VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Roberto Galicia BROADCAST EDITORS Megan Stopperan ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Liv Olson Natalie Scholz PHOTO MENTORS Taylor Keal Megan Biles Annakate Dilks MJ Wolf Emma Kate Squires STAFF WRITERS Sophie Lindberg Madeline Funkey Elizabeth Mikkelson Lauren Dierks Cesca Stamati Lily Billingsley Caroline Gould Peyton Moore Mia Vogel Lyda Cosgrove Kelly Murphy

Anna Mitchell Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Caroline Wood Ethan Enderle Ben Bradley Paige Zadoo Tommy Paulus Emma Brown Nora Lynn Greyson Imm August Hyde Christian Gooley Liv Olson Winnie Wolf COPY EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sydney Newton Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Winnie Wolf Kelly Murphy

Caroline Wood Lyda Cosgrove Kate Heitmann Caroline Gould Lily Billingsley EDITORIAL BOARD Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sydney Newton Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Lily Billingsley Lauren Dierks SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL PRINT Lauren Dierks NEWS PRINT Caroline Wood ONLINE Lyda Cosgrove OPINION

PRINT Lily Billingsley ONLINE Grace Allen FEATURE PRINT Peyton Moore ONLINE Caroline Gould A&E PRINT Tommy Paulus ONLINE Kate Heitmann SPORTS PRINT Cesca Stamati ONLINE Anna Mitchell DESIGNER EDITORS Tommy Paulus Elizabeth Mikkelson PAGE DESIGNERS Annakate Dilks Maggie Merckens Cesca Stamati Lily Billingsley Caroline Gould Peyton Moore

Mia Vogel Lyda Cosgrove Anna Mitchell Madeline Funkey Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Caroline Wood Nora Lynn Sophie Lindberg August Hyde Christian Gooley ART EDITOR Celia Condon ASS. ART EDITOR Sophie Henschel Natalie Scholz STAFF ARTISTS Sophie Lindberg Lauren Dierks Nora Lynn Christian Gooley STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Ella Hans Emily Pollock Hadley Chapman Jill Rice Lily Mantel Maggie Merckens

Molly Schumm Rachel Bingham Sabrina Dean Tristen Porter Macy Crosser Maggie Klump Charlotte Emely Kate Beaulieu Amina Sankpill VIDEO STAFF Lawder DeSantis Sydney Williams Liv Olson Roberto Galicia Marin Bryant SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Annabelle Moore ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sophie Henschel Celia Condon Liv Olson SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Lauren Dierks Mia Vogel Kelly Murphy Grace Allen Ethan Enderlie

Paige Zadoo Lauren West Riley Atkinson Rose Kanaley Lyda Cosgrove Maggie Merckens Nora Lynn Sophie Lindberg Madeline Funkey ADS MANAGER Caroline Wood CIRCULATION MANAGER Lyda Cosgrove COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Anna Mitchell CONTEST COORDINATOR Celia Condon

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by lauren dierks illustration by sophie henschel

R EROUTING REPUTATIONS

EDITORIAL | 03

This school is THE hotspot for white rich kids who spend their free time being hospitalized for binge drinking. On Friday nights you can find most of them in the basement of a 5 million dollar house drinking cheap vodka supplied by their parents. A walk through the halls will give you a clear view of at least 50 practically-bare *sses in tight Lululemon leggings and adidas stan smith’s. Walk out to the parking lot and you’ll spot rovers, benzes, audis, and of course the occasional volvo belonging to one of the less fortunate. There are some smart kids here, but most just rely on their parents’ money to get them through life.

Uban Dictionary User | Yola10928

Just because East has a snobby rich kid stereotype doesn’t mean that students have to accept it

J

ust because East has the snobby rich kid reputation doesn’t mean we have to go along with it and accept it.

We can be the ones to change the direction of that narrative and show that your high school does not determine who you are as a person Conversations with strangers often fall upon the go-to small-talk topic: school. A simple answer for most, but for East students it comes with a little more hesitation. The reactions that follow the words “I go to Shawnee Mission East” are rarely positive.

An uncomfortable glance to the floor and slight nod of the head follow as if those three words explain everything anyone will ever need to know about your personality and who you are as a person.

Surrounding schools and the general public immediately correlate “Shawnee Mission East” with privilege, preppiness and self-absorbance. It’s unfortunate that all East students are grouped in with the stereotypes of attending our school, often feeling ashamed to admit they come from the arrogant central of Prairie Village.

We all know the everlasting stereotype of East, defined on Urban Dictionary as “The preppiest public school in the midwest” and “THE hotspot for white rich kids to spend their free time being hospitalized for binge

drinking.”

That’s not to say that every East student is a self-absorbed, spoiled rich kid. But even students who don’t fit the preppy standard and spend countless hours working towards achievements are often discredited and told they “just rely on their parents’ money to get them through life.”

According to an Instagram poll of 248 votes, 88% of students are aware of East’s reputation. But we tend to simply accept it and laugh along every time someone mentions the excessive amount of Lululemon leggings in the hallways and Jeep Wranglers flying through the parking lot. Whether you have materialistic items or not, it’s important for students to realize that what you have and how you act are two different things — just because you go to East doesn’t mean you have to be East.

Your high school does not determine your personality nor entitle you to treat others a certain way. You don’t have to laugh along and say “Yeah, East is crazy-privileged and full of snobs, that’s just the way it is.” Even though this generalization certainly has an ounce of truth, we’re all ultimately in control of how we define ourselves, and it doesn’t have to stay like that forever. It’s crucial to realize that by sitting and playing along with the long-thought idea of East and its

F O R : 1 1 AGA I N ST: 1 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.

entitlement, it’s remaining unchanged.

You can be the one to begin changing that narrative. You can be the one to go out of your way to show that East does have accepting and kind people. Treat everyone you meet with equal respect and shake off the ego that comes with being from Shawnee Mission East.

When listening to the stories of students from other schools who have been harassed in the East bathrooms at basketball games and the extra precautions students of color take when coming into East “territory,” it’s impossible to try to defend East students’ actions, and it’s clear we need to make changes.

While it’s out of students’ hands to increase diversity numbers, the East community should be actively making efforts to be more inclusive of all races within the school.

With a 15% minority enrollment as of 2020, East tends to argue that “it’s not our fault” that we have the least diverse school in the district. While it’s out of students’ hands to increase diversity numbers, the East

community should be actively making efforts to be more inclusive of all races within the school. So yes, the demographics may be uncontrollable, but the way we act and treat others is completely in our control.

While we are the driving force of making a change to our reputation, this change cannot be one-sided either. Surrounding schools and communities also need to open their minds to see the good that does exist in East, instead of holding on to the age-old stories about what people have done in the past. However, it still takes more than just a few compassionate and kind students. If we change our collective actions as a whole, our student body and surrounding areas will be able to view us that way too.

East may always be filled with highly privileged teenagers met with a culture shock when they eventually leave their Prairie Village bubble, but East doesn’t have to forever be the school that’s met with an eye roll or a sharp inhale holding back criticism.

Students should be able to proudly say that they go to Shawnee Mission East, but that pride can only come once humility is proven, and we show that we are accepting and willing to change the reputation that East is home to “the biggest douchebags in the Kansas City Metro area.”

E D I TO R I A L PO LI CY The Harbinger is a student run publication.

Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion. The content and opinions of the Harbinger do not represent the student body,

faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quotes material may be confirmed with the sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but

not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content thought letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 413B or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com.

04 | NEWS

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

NEWS

HIGHLIGHTS Catch up on school, local and national news

by etha n end erle

LOCAL

COVID-19 positivity rate is at its lowest since June 2020

THE COVID-19 POSITIVITY rate in Johnson County has fallen to below five percent for the first time since June 2020.

The county is seeing an average of 65 new cases a day — and that number is declining.

This is in harsh contrast to the last outbreak after the winter holiday season, which had an positivity rate of 14 percent, with an average of 400 to 500 new cases a day.

According to the Johnson County Health Department and Environment Coronavirus Dashboard, the decrease in COVID-19 transmission is caused by increased efforts by the residents of the county to quarantine and uses of mitigating measures such as mask wearing and social distancing.

Those efforts are aided by the vaccine rollout in the county. As of Feb. 24, 67,500 total doses have been administered in Johnson County and 22,941 people have received their second dose.

The decreased positivity rate coupled with the vaccine rollout has prompted local leaders to start relieving some restrictions, including those for bars and schools.

Johnson County, Wyandotte County and Jackson County, released a joint statement on Feb. 25 discussing their plan to ease restrictions while maintaining consistency within the region.

“Harmonizing our COVID rules regarding bar and restaurant closing times makes life simpler for businesses and residents,” the statement read. “We are encouraged by the progress our region is making in fighting the virus, but we also know the fight is not over, and people need to continue to wear masks, social distance and get vaccinated.”

In the Feb. 25 Board of County Commissioners meeting, JCDHE Director Dr.

Sanmi Areola advised residents to continue using mitigating measure to keep the positivity rate low and to prevent the new strains of COVID-19 from becoming more dominant.

“Masks work,” Areola said. “Wear a cloth face covering when in a community setting, especially in situations where you may be near people.”

EAST

design by caroline wood photo by macy crosser

Full in-person will boost performing arts department

WITH THE DISTRICT moving to a full inperson learning style on March 22, groups such as the band, orchestra and choir will have more effective in-class rehearsals and playing time.

Sports and extracurriculars are able to practice and meet after school, similar to how they would without COVID-19 restrictions. However, the band, orchestra and choir rely on in-class playing and rehearsals.

Many feel that full in-person learning will help boost the productivity of these groups, including senior band student Mac Muehlberger.

“If we are all in the band room at once, there is balance with each instrument section and it will give us an opportunity to work on the musicality aspect of performing,” Muehlberger said. “This is definitely help the band prepare for its

upcoming concert.”

This learning style will allow students — except those who opted to stay remote in August — in these groups to meet together without being split up based on last names. It will also double in-class rehearsal times from what they currently are.

Along with increased productivity, Muehlberger feels that the slight feeling of normalcy can increase the morale of these groups.

“There is really something special about being in a room with a bunch of people and creating this gigantic sound that binds everyone together,” Muehlberger said. “The sound of a full ensemble is a magical one, and it will make players want to sound better in order to contribute to that magic.”

U P C O M I N G T H E AT E R P E R F O R M A N C E S MARCH 19 DESPERATE SITUATIONS FREQUENT FRIDAY

MARCH 24, 25, 26 GODSPELL MUSICAL

APRIL 23 GLORIA MUNDI FREQUENT FRIDAY

N A T I O N A L NASA successfully lands Perseverance Rover

A B OV E | Restaurants and bars in the Prairie Village area are opening to more people due to the decrease in COVID cases.

M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R MARCH 9

TRIVIA NIGHT

MARCH 19

NO SCHOOL

MARCH 20

PICKLE BALL TOURNAMENT

AFTER TRAVELING 293 mill After traveling 293 million miles at a speed of 24,600 miles per hour, the Mars Perseverance Rover successfully touched down on the Red Planet’s surface on Feb. 18.

According to NASA’s description of the mission, landing on Mars is a very quick but daunting task. Once the spacecraft has entered the atmosphere, it takes about seven minutes to reach the surface of Mars. NASA has dubbed this journey the “seven minutes of terror.”

It takes a radio signal from Mars 12 minutes to reach Earth, requiring the rover to land itself with no help or commands from Jet Propulsion Laboratories. Because of the signal delay, the rover was on the surface of Mars for five minutes before NASA received the “touchdown successful” signal.

This historic mission has sparked excitement among many, including

freshman Ayden Beveridge. Too young to fully remember the Curiosity Rover — which landed on Mars in 2012 — Beveridge was excited to watch this historic mission.

“I had watched many videos beforehand about [how] high-stakes the mission was,” Beveridge said. “It was cool to watch it successfully land with no problems.”

The mission of the Perseverance Rover is to search for signs of possible ancient microbial life. This will help NASA discover the past habitability of Mars, and if it could be habitable by humans someday in the future.

Along with looking for past life, Perseverance will be testing oxygen production using the martian atmosphere, as well as collecting and packaging soil samples — which will be left behind for a future mission to collect and return to Earth.

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by campbell wood photo from smsd

NEWS | 05

SU P E R SUCCESS R SMSD’s new superintendent’s history with the district made her a unique and qualified candidate

by nora l ynn

you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, they made me who I am today.’”

While the past two superintendents were hires from outside the district, the Board of Education chose to narrow this year’s superintendent search to only current SMSD employees. According to Board of Education President Heather Ousley, this provided a reliable pool of potential candidates, as superintendent positions are open across the nation due to COVID-19 and national superintendent applicants are limited.

Additionally, this ensured future focus on the district’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan — a plan Hubbard was a co-leader in creating that outlines objectives and goals for the district, including encouraging students to learn resilience and competence. The plan is currently on year three of five and it works to lead students to future success in college and careers. “[The strategic plan is] some accountability at that decision making level, at the district level,” National Education Association President and East teacher Linda Sieck said. “[It makes us ask,] ‘Hey, are we just changing for change sake or are we making this change because it’ll be more impactful or help us meet the goals that the strategic plan has laid out for us?’”

Though the SMSD Watchdogs’ Twitter account — a profile that has “kept an eye” on the district since 2016 — expressed worry that an inside hire would hinder the district’s ability to move forward with new ideas, Sieck explains that previous superintendents have implemented multiple new initiatives that created a “whiplash” of changes for teachers.

Sticking to the current strategic plan provides an opportunity for a stable transition between superintendents.

According to Sieck and Hubbard, a pressing issue that needs to be discussed and solved is the long-term effects of the

S

MSD Deputy Superintendent Dr. Michelle Hubbard will succeed Dr. Mike Fulton as the district’s new superintendent on July 1.

As a mother of three Northwest alumni and two Northwest seniors, Hubbard has been a SMSD parent for the last 17 years and an employee in the district for the last six.

Since SMSD spreads across 14 different cities, Hubbard feels her previous involvement in the district gives her a headstart in familiarizing herself with the multitude of different cultures and communities surrounding the district’s feeding patterns and schools. feed•er pa•ttern

t h e o rg a n i za ti o n of whic h p ri m a r y sc h o o l s “ feed ” i n to se co nd a r y sc ho o ls

“[It’s] quite an undertaking if you’re coming in from the outside and know that each feeder pattern brings something very different,” Hubbard said. “The Lancer Day Parade looks very different [from] the Shawnee Mission South homecoming parade, so just knowing those cultures and knowing those feeder patterns, I don’t have to take time to learn that, I can hit the ground running knowing the culture.”

Hubbard believes understanding the community and building relationships within the SMSD community is of high importance.

She also believes that while academic achievement is a top priority, it cannot be accomplished without teachers and students forming meaningful relationships.

“The heart of any school improvement is around the people,” Hubbard said. “Programs don’t save kids, programs don’t improve kids.

New ideas and innovations don’t improve kids. It’s the people. There are teachers all the way back to your elementary school that

H U B BA R D’S H ISTO RY Turner School District assistant principal

Timeline of Michelle Hubbard’s careers in education

Turner School District associate superintendent

4 years 6 years Turner School District principal

pandemic on academic achievement and the social and emotional health of students.

On March 2, the new SMSD CARES team — named after the CARES funds designated for COVID-19 relief — made up of volunteer teachers and staff that Hubbard facilitates met for the first time to discuss developing ways to support students academically, socially and emotionally using the $11 million in CARES funds the district has received from the U.S government. “[Dr. Hubbard] is beginning to do the work to create a three-year plan to look at [that] data and put tutoring, extra learning and support systems in place to personalize instruction for students to meet them where they’re at and to get them caught up,” Ousley said. “We do not want our students to be in a situation where they have missed out on reaching their full potential because of a global pandemic.”

SMSD is analyzing student grades to understand which classes and subjects most students are struggling in to understand where gaps are forming in student success.

For example, after analyzing the number of As and Bs and of Ds and Fs, more gaps have been found in mathematics than in English Language Arts. Data is continuing to be collected as standardized tests are scheduled, including the Kansas State Assessment which will be given some time before the end of April.

Possible forms of student support could include summer or after school programs or hiring additional teachers. The plan the CARES team creates will be presented to the Board of Education in April.

“I don’t know what that team is going to come up with. I think it’s highly likely some stuff around credit recovery, but tutoring is just an example,” Hubbard said. “That’s why we have teachers that are in schools every day [on the CARES team] because they really

SMSD associate superintendent

7 years 1 year

6 years Turner School District superintendent

are the experts and kind of the boots on the ground.”

In addition to Hubbard’s work with the CARES team, she was a member of the team that was organized to create SMSD’s online principal and support staff. Hubbard held the priority role in the creation of the district’s online learning model and produced two master schedules for secondary schools.

According to the Shawnee Mission Post, Hubbard made inappropriate comments about the different learning models in a Snapchat video last year, Ousley assures that she feels that Hubbard wasn’t attempting to make virtual learning out as a lesser option or undermine her own work. Ousley was more so impressed and appreciative of Hubbard’s willingness to take responsibility and apologize.

“I think that it is a rare circumstance when you can have someone in leadership who was willing to say, ‘This was not this was not what I intended, I’m going to own it and I’m going to apologize,’” Ousley said.

Ousley explained that the apology wasn’t something that was asked of Hubbard, but something she volunteered to do herself and explained that she felt it was a testament to Hubbard’s ability to handle negative attention on social media.

“I think that Dr. Hubbard has a strength of character and an indomitable will and that if anyone can lead this district, Dr. Hubbard absolutely has a wonderful opportunity to do so,” Ousley said.

06 | NEWS

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by elizabeth mikkelson and tommy paulus photo by dow tate

DIRECT I NG TH E DISTR I CT SMSD is now offering COVID vaccinations to district employees

T

by phoebe hendon

he Shawnee Mission School District is offering vaccinations to district employees following Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s Feb. 17 announcement that teachers and administrators would be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination rollouts.

SMSD was one of many districts in Johnson Country that partnered with the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment to develop a vaccine distribution plan for staff. The plan was based around dispelling vaccination doses through a priority system, according to SMSD Director of Health Services Shelby Rebeck.

The plan states healthcare workers within the district, such as nurses, would receive shots first, followed by staff members who worked closely with students in both classroom and lunchroom settings, where staff members 65 and older would receive initial priority.

Currently, the district’s website features a COVID-19 vaccination Google Form where teachers and staff who express interest in receiving a vaccination can sign-up for a slot.

The district has opened vaccination clinics for K-12 employees at several locations across the county, including the Arts and Heritage Center in Overland Park, Olathe Northwest High School and the Hilltop Conference Center in Blue Valley. Another clinic will open at the Center for Academic Achievement in upcoming weeks.

East nurse Stephanie Ptacek sent numerous emails to building employees, informing them when vaccinations would become available and reminding people to

keep an eye out for sign-ups. History teacher Robert Bickers received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccination at the Hill Top Conference Center after closely following administrative updates and instructions on vaccination signups.

“I got about four emails in two days all saying to ‘watch out for the [sign-up] emails because they’re coming, please respond as soon as you get yours,’” Bickers said.

“About 12 hours later, I got a notice saying, ‘Saturday’s the day, please choose the time’ ...

I think the [district] did a pretty good job of keeping us informed and then moving quickly once [doses] were available. I was very pleased with that.”

While Bickers feels the district’s responses to the pandemic early in 2020 weren’t perfect, he thinks they’ve been incredibly efficient in their efforts to quickly immunize employees.

He saw many of his fellow East teachers on the Saturday he received his first shot, and has already been set up with an appointment to receive his second dosage.

“We anticipate being completely done vaccinating staff, Dose 1 & 2 [sic], around April 1,” Rebeck said in an email. “This depends on JCDHE receiving enough [vaccines] from the [Kansas Department of Health and Education.]”

Following the announcement that secondary school students would return fully in-person by April from both the Olathe and Blue Valley School Districts, SMSD announced students would return to a fulltime in-person schedule beginning Monday, March 22. Even though Johnson County is remaining under coronavirus restrictions,

GOV. KELLEY’S PHASES

1

ST

Care facility residents, healthcare workers, critical workers

2

ND

Rebeck emphasizes the district’s commitment to safety throughout the pandemic amid mixed responses to returning fully in-person.

“Whether vaccinated or not, continued adherence to mitigating measures (masking, social distancing as much as possible, staying home when ill, cohorting, hand hygiene) [sic] is necessary for full in-person school to be successful,” Rebeck said in an email. “We have had very low rates of transmission in classrooms.”

I want teachers to be protected and feel more secure while they work, to not only protect themselves, but also others.

larkin brundidge | eighth grader The district has made no official declaration that all teachers and administrative employees must receive a vaccine, though they require students to receive certain vaccinations for diseases such as Polio and Hepatitis A in order to attend school. Their website states students, as well as teachers, can be medically or religiously exempt from immunization, however, their policy is that these exempt students “may not be allowed to attend school if there is an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease for which they are not immunized.”

According to Bickers, there has been some concern among building employees surrounding the new mRNA technology

the vaccine utilizes, but has not heard of any teachers who plan to outright refuse a vaccination, nor did he report feeling any adverse side effects after receiving the vaccine. He believes that most of the building will have received at least their first immunization shot by the return to full-time in-person learning.

Indian Hills eighth grader Larkin Brundige is passionate that all teachers receive vaccinations. Her mother is a teacher at Visitation Day School, a private school outside of the district currently open at full capacity. Brundige has observed how stressful the school environment can be for teachers who haven’t received the vaccine, and is grateful SMSD has been making teacher immunizations a priority.

“Teachers are at school all through the week to make sure we’re successfully learning and risking themselves first-hand — they’re incredible,” Brundige said. “...We’re going back full-time this month, that’s a lot of kids in one area; it makes me nervous just thinking about it. I want teachers to be protected and feel more secure while they work, to not only protect themselves but also others.”

Currently, as per COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization information located on the JCHDE’s website, the vast majority of East students fall in the fifth and final stage of vaccination releases, which are anticipated to come in the summer months. According to Rebeck, SMSD will continue to work with JCDHE and Children’s Mercy Hospital to coordinate a plan to vaccinate students as doses become available.

Kansas’s phases for the vaccine distribution

People aged 65+, highcontact critical workers

3

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Aged 16-64 with severe medical risks, other critical workers

4

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Aged 16-64 with other medical risks

5

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Rest of population 16+, children, all unvaccinated persons from previous phases

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by allison wilcox photos by sabrina dean

NEWS | 07

SME STUCO PRESENTS

TRIVIA NIGHT StuCo will hold Trivia Night on March 9 as their first in-person event of the year

by rose kanal ey

STUCO’S ANNUAL TRIVIA Night will be held on March 9 at 6:30 p.m. in East’s fifth floor classrooms as their first in-person event of the school year.

Earlier this year the 26 members of StuCo held virtual events like Bingo Night, but seeing everyone in-person at the annual Trivia Night will be an exciting experience for StuCo, according to Student Body President and senior Sophie Rice. They’ve tried to keep the student body engaged throughout the year by putting up holiday decorations and promoting at-home spirit weeks, but this will be the first time they host an event in-person.

Senior Isa Rogler has participated in the event for three years, always with Psychology teacher Brett Kramer as the sponsor for their team: the “Junction City Boiz.” Rogler is looking forward to the event, and the renewed sense of normalcy that the event will provide.

“The thing I’m most looking forward to is just having an event at the school that’s inperson with different groups of people,” Rogler said. “I’m also really excited just to see the team again. It’s fun to do trivia, but I think what I enjoy more is getting hyped up with the team, making up chants, dressing up and seeing everybody else dress up — just enjoying the whole atmosphere of the event.”

The event, typically held in the cafeteria, has been moved to the fifth floor, where each team will be in a separate classroom while on

a Webex with the rest of the teams to compete.

There are eight rounds of 10 questions — each team will fill out forms with their answers that will be collected by StuCo members and checked for accuracy.

Although Trivia Night this year has modifications like moving teams to separate classrooms, no longer serving food or drinks and announcing updates on answers over the intercom, Rice feels it will remain an enjoyable experience.

While students and StuCo members like Rice are disappointed they can’t hold all the events and projects the way they would in a normal year, missing out on things like the Lancer Day speech and setting up for dances, they’re excited to finally hold a StuCo event in-person.

“I’m really excited because last year when I ran for this position, I didn’t really plan for a pandemic,” Rice said. “The things [StuCo execs] traditionally do were canceled, and a lot of the events that you look forward to like the dances or graduation, nobody really knows what’s happening with them. So it’s nice to be able to do something.”

StuCo has attempted to hold in-person events and activities before, like a Bingo Night and live streaming the crowning of homecoming and sweetheart royalty, but the SMSD administration vetoed their ideas due to COVID, leaving Rice and other StuCo members especially excited to find out Trivia Night passed the guidelines.

With the option to register five students and one teacher per team, the signup for Trivia Night was a Google Form located on the StuCo Instagram, @sme_stuco. The cost for registration is $25 per team. Similar to previous years, the

M EET T H E T E A MS TEAM BOSSUNG

winning team gets half of the money collected, and the other half goes to the charity of their choice. As of March 3, nine teams are signed up for Trivia Night.

StuCo has tried to keep as much going while virtual as possible, like holding class officer elections and handing out candy to teachers and students, and are glad to be able to provide the in-person event to students and teachers alike, according to StuCo sponsor Hannah Pence.

The thing I’m most looking forward to is just having an event at the school that’s in-person with like different groups of people.

isa rogler | senior “There’s several teachers that really enjoy it,” Pence said. “It’s just another fun way to interact with students. I’m involved in StuCo and Link Crew, so I can interact with students outside the classroom. But if you don’t do a lot of that, it’s nice to be able to see them in a different environment and let them see you in a different environment.”

Rogler agrees and sees the event as a great way to form a bond with teachers outside of the classroom.

“It causes a closeness that you can’t really get just in a typical classroom,” Rogler said. “This way, we’re all together on a team. We’re all on the same level. And I feel like that brings a whole different dynamic of almost more of a friendship than just a teacher and student relationship. So

I think it definitely brings us closer to whatever teacher you work with because you’re just communicating more with them as a person instead of them as a teacher.”

Rice is excited to be able to provide a fun opportunity for the student body and teachers, especially during the pandemic.

“I just hope that people who do [sign up] have fun,” Rice said. “I think we all kind of deserve it this year.”

Although this is the first in-person event taking place for StuCo, Rice and Pence are hopeful there are many more to come. There are no set plans currently, but StuCo is hoping to hold an outdoor dog trot event on the track and find smaller ways to engage the student body like providing treats for a sporting event or setting up competitions with other SMSD schools.

Until then, Pence and StuCo members hope to provide an event students and teachers can all enjoy.

“It’s neat because it’s something totally different than dances or the can drive that we do,” Pence said. “And it’s truly for fun. Yes, we end up giving some money to charity out of it, but that’s just kind of a bonus. It brings a different crowd of students. I like that it gets a teacher involved with them. And just harmless good fun is nice.”

A few of the teams competing in Trivia night

TEAM HALLSTROM

TEAM KRAMER

FRESHMEN

SOPHOMORES

SENIORS

maddy angel emma krause nora hill jack kessler ira finkelston

sabrina dean ava cooper julia griggs tatum aikin anohita paul

isa rogler abby karges alec reed jake reed haley wohler

FAVORITE TRIVIA CATEGORY: SCIENCE

FAVORITE TRIVIA CATEGORY: SCIENCE

FAVORITE TRIVIA CATEGORY: SPORTS

08 | OPINION

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

OPINION

HIGHLIGHTS

design by lily billingsley

TA K E O U R P O L LS @smeharbinger

Follow us on social media to participate in the polls

@smeharbinger

@smeharbie

A look into student opinions and the opinion section

ST U D E N T TA K E S

THIS WEEK IN TWEETS

BY M AY T H E U. S. I S E X P E C T E D TO H AV E E N O U G H VAC C I N E S F O R E V E R YO N E .

PRESIDENT BIDEN SHOULD ASS U R E A M E R I C A N S T H AT I T I S I N

C AS E S A R E WAY D OW N . B U T T H E Y ’ R E ST I L L V E R Y H I G H , A N D I N A T E N U O U S P L AT E A U. E N D I N G P R E C A U T I O N S N OW

T H E I R I N T E R E ST, F O R R E AS O N S O F M O R A L I T Y, C O M M O N S E N S E A N D N AT I O N A L I N T E R E ST, TO

I S L I K E E N T E R I N G T H E L A ST M I L E S O F A M A R AT H O N A N D TA K I N G O F F YO U R S H O E S A N D E AT I N G S E V E R A L H OT D O GS.

B E AT T H E F O R E F R O N T O F T H E G LO B A L WA R AGA I N ST T H E C O R O N AV I R U S.

T H E AT L A N T I C | 3 / 02 / 2 1

NYT OPINION| 3/02/21

BACHELOR BRE AKDOWN Students’ opinions on the upcoming finale of The Bachelor

HAVE YOU LEARNED TO BE MORE ADAPTABLE DUE TO THE PANDEMIC? Instagram poll of 274 votes

84% 16% NO DO YOU THINK THAT TRIGGER WARNINGS ARE NECESSARY BEFORE POSTS THAT ADDRESS SENSITIVE TOPICS? Instagram poll of 290 votes

67%

35%

65%

YES

YES

33% NO DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS RUDE TO NOT FOLLOW A PEER BACK ON INSTAGRAM? Instagram poll of 306 votes

O F ST U D E N TS WATC H T H E B AC H E LO R

O F ST U D E N T V I E W E RS T H I N K R AC H A E L W I L L W I N

Instagram poll of 239 votes

Poll of 18 votes

37% YES 63% NO

S P R I N G B R E A K D E ST I N AT I O NS CA B O SA N LU CAS I’m going to Mexico and I’m really excited because it’s one thing that feels like a real senior event. We’re going to be super careful traveling and taking all of the right quarantine measures but I’m confident in the measures being taken.

brooke blair | senior

VIRGINIA I’m excited to go to Richmond because I get to see my sister since they don’t have spring break this year. I’m also visiting a couple colleges nearby even though they don’t have tours.

max patterson | junior

F LO R I DA I’m going to Seaside because my family and I were going to Mexico but that was canceled because of COVID and such.

I’m excited to be somewhere I’ve been many times but have it be different this year.

grace falley | senior

design by elizabeth mikkelson

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

PA N D E M I C I N

OPINION | 09

Amidst the chaos of COVID-19, it’s important to find a positive outlook on the experiences we’ve had this year

PERSPECTIVE by riley a tkinson

I

’ve heard the words “I’m so sorry you’re missing out on so much” more times than I can count.

Yes, I know I didn’t get a junior prom and won’t get a senior one, crowd-filled football games were nonexistent and the iconic Lancer Day Parade was a definite cancel — there’s no need to remind me of how I lived through the pandemic in what’s supposed to be the best years of my life. But despite everything I’ve missed out on, it’s important to recognize the positive lessons I’ve learned throughout the craziness.

It’s nearing a year since the original stay-at-home order was set in place, and as I reflect on the time period that started with so many who-knows-what-to-do situations, I realize I’ve learned not only how to deal with disappointment, but how to adapt.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way calling the pandemic a good thing. The millions who are sick and dying should never be overlooked and its intense impact isn’t something to ignore. But what has stemmed from this experience is a communal opportunity to learn, and it’s especially important to look for these positives when COVID-19 has left us with so much disappointment.

Quarantine struck me with months of something I wasn’t used to — I was forced to slow down.

Last February, I never strayed from my rigid schedule. I had my life planned down to the minute, and I never went a day without being surrounded by people. But for the first time in my life, everything was put on pause. Even though it took a few breakdowns and hours of staring at my ceiling, I learned the first life lesson only a few weeks in: I had to be okay with doing nothing.

I’m used to everyone around me following a “go-go-go” mindset, and I know I’ll experience that even more when I start college in the fall. Before quarantine, I would’ve been sucked into that fast-paced lifestyle and I’d feel drained constantly. But now, I understand the importance of slowing down.

Spending months at home left me realizing how often I would skip out on self-care or a mental health break to take on another project or extracurricular — I now know it’s okay to tell myself, “Hey, you’ve had a stressful week, it’s okay to take a breather.”

I’ve become practically immune to those “your event is canceled” texts. I had to say goodbye to swim season, the international marketing competition, my summer mission trip — the list is neverending.

While those cancelations could easily be looked at as disappointing, they helped me learn to not sulk in the sadness — a skill that are crucial to survive rough patches later in life.

And although I would’ve loved to parade down Mission Rd. for my final Lancer Day and cheer with my class at pep rallies, I learned to value other things like spending time with family and going for walks. The adaptive mindset I developed helped me survive this year — I always found something new to get excited about, even if that was as silly as scribbling in my coloring book.

While I previously curled up in a blanket to cry over disappointments, I now resort to the routine I learned this year to make myself feel better: roll out my yoga mat for a quick workout, take a nice long shower and allow myself some time to watch Outer Banks or TikTok. I learned that sometimes when I’m sad I need to put my work on pause — that Stats assignment can wait.

Sure, my personal routine might not work for everyone, but from what I’ve heard, most people found their own way to cope in the past year. Whether it was journaling, talking to a therapist or playing with their puppy, everyone discovered ways to take care of themselves.

If you’re counting down the days until we are back to “normal,” I hate to break it to you, but this pandemic isn’t going to be the only negative experience in your life.

Problems are going to come up. You’re going to be let down.

I don’t think I’m only speaking for myself when I say I’m grateful for the development of a little “feel better” routine.

My newfound skill of slowing down will be one of the most valuable tools for the upcoming stressful chapters in my life.

Even though it took a few breakdowns and hours of staring at my ceiling, I learned the first life lesson only a few weeks in: I had to be okay with doing nothing.

And I’m gonna need you to pat yourself on the back for surviving this school year — that was adaptability at its finest. Whether it was the headache-inducing technical difficulties or the learning curves that came with Webex, I can’t deny that this school year challenged me more than ever before. But guess what happened? We all figured it out.

Yeah, you could occasionally see tears well up in teachers’ eyes as they hopelessly tried to fix the breakout rooms, and there were times when fully-grown teenagers almost chucked their laptops across the room when their lecture video wouldn’t load. But the school year is nearing an end and we’ve all adapted to the more-than-unusual circumstances.

The way Canvas is organized used to be a major source of stress — now it’s second nature. You could’ve caught me crying while reading over the weekly assignments at the beginning of hybrid — but sure enough, I learned how to time manage during my online days and I checked everything off my to-do list.

No matter what field I go into, there will be a new version of “technical difficulties.” Whether I have to navigate a whole new city or my boss throws a confusing software into the mix, I’m going to feel up to the challenge. We all will.

It was a sucky year. There’s no fancy word for it. But myself, and many of my friends, have learned more lessons than ever before. As awful as it was, this unimaginable year prepared me for life.

POSITIVE LESSONS

LEARNING how to deal with dissappointment

#1

#2

ADAPTING to difficult situations

#3

LEARNING how to take a break and SLOW DOWN

the NUMBERS

28.8M 517K total US cases

total US deaths

*as of March 3

SCAN ME | TWITTER Scan here to go to the CDC’s twitter home page to stay up to date on all COVID information

“The first day of March brought a wave of reopen ings and liftings of pandemic restrictions, signs that more Americans were tentatively emerging from months of isolation.” the new york times

10 | OPINION

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by sydney newton photo by tristan porter

STAT U S - FAC T I O N We should break our social media etiquette rules and stop judging others for how they use social media

by lau ren west

“OPEN MY SNAPCHAT” is a phrase I hear from my friends almost everyday, and I’m sick of it.

Two years ago, Snapchat was my world. I spent at least an hour everyday responding to Snapchats from friends and classmates with a picture of my face. That’s it. Just a picture of my blank face.

Snapchat has become less of a communication tool and more of a task I feel I have to keep up with throughout the day, or people will think I’m rude. I’ll go days where I don’t Snapchat someone back and when I finally get around to it, I feel stupid sending yet another picture of my forehead back to them — but it’s better than them thinking I don’t like them, right?

Wrong.

Social media should be used how you — and only you — want it to be used. We are all capable of controlling what we post and what we say, but what we can’t control is what other people do. If you’re posting just for other people to comment, like and share you’re posting for others, not yourself.

When it comes to ignoring follow requests, leaving someone on opened or forgetting to respond to my friend’s TikTok they sent me on iMessage, it’s hard to keep up with Gen Z’s “social media etiquette” rules.

If you’re wondering what I mean by this so-called etiquette, I’m referring to the unspoken guidelines our generation has created when it comes to social media — and I think they are insanely unrealistic.

If someone requests to follow me on Instagram and I don’t want to follow them back because I don’t know them — or really for any other reason — that doesn’t make me a rude person. Why should I be expected to follow you back on social media when we don’t even acknowledge one another in hallways at school?

Social media should be used how you — and only you — want to use it. We’re all capable of controlling what we post and what we say, but what we can’t control is what other people do. So what if your friend didn’t comment “so cute girly” on your Instagram post? So what if you repost birthday shoutouts on your story? If you’re posting just for other people to comment, like and share, you’re posting for others, not yourself.

And that’s the problem. According to AddictionCenter. com, people talk about themselves around 30-40% of the time in person. Yet on social media, people talk about themselves 80% of the time. Everytime we receive a notification of positive feedback, our brain releases dopamine causing a happy sensation. People become so obsessed with how others perceive them on social media that simple things like not liking a post or unfollowing a mutual friend are perceived as targeting.

The positive feeling associated with social media is what I believe leads to this “unspoken etiquette.” When someone gets a rush of happiness as a result of a comment, they only want more comments.

This c a n

become addicting, leading people to criticize others for using social media in a way that they don’t feel is “right.” People then develop social media pet peeves such as getting left on open or that emojis are only for moms and “weird” people. social media etiquette rules

t h e u n sp oken g u i d el i n es ou r g en era t i on h a s crea ted w h en i t comes to soci a l med i a

And when we judge one another based on how we use our social media, it creates a toxic environment. Currently teens make fun of a peer for “trying hard” on the latest TikTok dance, yet it’s considered kind to leave comments on a post of someone you’ve never even met. These unspoken rules of social media create unrealistic standards and unnecessary negative energy.

So how do we get rid of our social media etiquette? We can start by adjusting our mindsets. Next time you find yourself feeling down because someone sent you yet another Snapchat photo of their forehead, don’t jump to the conclusion that they don’t like you.

I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t an easy mindset to have. As someone who cares a lot about what people think of me, I fall down a self-conscious spiral when I don’t follow them back, or if I leave their text message on “read.” The last thing I want to do is want hurt people’s feelings, but I also don’t want to put so much effort into social media apps that I’m left feeling drained.

If we stop and ask ourselves ‘does this affect me?’ or ‘is this harmful to anyone else?’ when we feel we’re judging someone off their social media behavior, more often than not the answer will be no. Gen Z, I’m tired of our confusing social media norms, and the only people who can stop it is us.

THE RULES

THE STATS

The unspoken rules that social media has created

A look into students opinions on different social media etiquette rules

NEVER USE EMOJIS SERIOUSLY COMMENT ON YOUR FRIENDS POSTS DON’T LEAVE SOMEONE ON OPEN

32% 35%

THINK ITS WEIRD TO USE EMOJIS SERIOUSLY

THINK ITS RUDE TO NOT FOLLOW A PEER BACK

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by madeline funkey photo by hadley chapman

W RNINGS WARRANTED Trigger warnings are essential so that survivors aren’t re-traumatized whenever they go on social media platforms

OPINION | 11

TRIGGER WARNINGS Platforms that do and don’t provide trigger warnings

DON’T

DO

SCHOOL NEWS TV SHOWS

53% YES 47% NO

TIK TOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER

DO YOU FIND TRIGGER WARNINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO BE HELPFUL?

*Information from an Instagram poll of 240

CONTENT WARNING: THIS IMAGE MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME AUDIENCES

67% YES 33% NO

ARE TRIGGER WARNINGS NECESSARY FOR CONTENT ADDRESSING SENSITIVE TOPICS?

*Information from an Instagram poll of 237

CAUTION!

A

by mia vogel s the discussion around mental health becomes less stigmatized, healthy communication and openness around mental health struggles are seen frequently on social platforms.

One of the most popular, yet controversial, aids for trauma survivors are the “content/ trigger warnings” on social media — when users introduce their possibly-triggering posts with some sort of warning message.

Social media platforms like Twitter have methods of filtering or muting certain words or tags, whereas others, such as TikTok and Instagram, don’t. Therefore, it’s the users’ responsibility to give content warnings to their followers.

It’s important to talk about sensitive issues and spread awareness of current events, such as the destruction of the climate or police brutality, but it’s crucial to bear in mind how the discussion might impact viewers.

For instance, many trauma survivors have begun opening up about their experiences,

CAUTION!

CAUTION!

such as physical or sexual abuse, often in great detail on social media. Raising awareness and combating the stigma can be very empowering and provide allies for fellow survivors.

However, these accounts can also trigger and re-traumatize survivors to hear or see specific experiences that are similar to their own. This is where user-provided content warnings should be implemented.

It’s helpful to know when to avoid posts that could possibly bring those [eating disorder] thoughts into my head.

meredith byrd | sophomore Sophomore Meredith Byrd, who’s currently in recovery from an eating disorder, feels that people should deeply consider what they post when addressing triggering subjects.

“It’s helpful to know when to avoid posts

CAUTION!

that could possibly bring those [eating disorder] thoughts into my head,” Byrd said.

Some argue that it’s not their job to “coddle” people and that there are no “trigger warnings” in real life. While it’s true that there are no “trigger warnings” in the real world, refusing to take others’ trauma into consideration shows a clear disdain for survivors. You’ve decided that the ability for others to opt-out of posts that remind them of their traumatic experience isn’t something that matters to you.

Others may bring up exposure therapy, which is where people confront their trauma in a controlled clinical setting, in their reasoning not to bother with content warnings. While controlled exposure therapy can be an effective way to recover from trauma, it’s not the role of anyone other than the survivor to make the decision to engage in said therapy.

For those wondering about how to properly provide content warnings, the first step is to determine if what you’re posting about could be traumatic to experience — see posts that have already been reported and flagged on Instagram

CAUTION! for reference. If yes, the next step is to determine how to provide a proper warning.

Most trigger warnings are provided in a caption or text box. They can also be put in the first slide of an Instagram post or written over a black screen before any images are shown in a video to allow time to pause and swipe along.

It’s also crucial to be specific in the sensitivity warning about what the video may address so that the user can make an informed decision on whether to watch or scroll on. For example, “This post has discussions of X,” or “Graphic depiction of Y,” instead of simply, “This post may be triggering.”

It would help people recovering from trauma if they are in control of what they view on social media and have the ability to filter out certain sensitive content.

There’s been immense progress in destigmatizing the discussion around mental health which is a testament to the unprecedented levels of communication via social media. However, we continue to struggle with empathy and posting with the perspective of survivors in mind.

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THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by peyton moore

FEATURE

HIGHLIGHTS

F I N A L LY H A N D S - O N

FEATURES | 13

?

FORBIDDEN

‘S

Students left this poll question to be asked of teachers in an Instagram questionnaire

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO BE A TE ACHER?

Students finally get to experience hands-on science labs and woodshop projects

“I love the light bulb “To make a positive

“To share my passion

moment when you difference.”

for music and help

can see the material

young

click

and

in

someone’s

brain. I like having an

opportunity

people develop

find their

own passions.”

to

see that daily.”

KRISTA LIND SPANISH

ALEX TOEPFER BAND

BRIAN GAY AUTO TECH.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST MEMORY FROM YOUR YE ARS TE ACHING AT E AST? “Too

many,

from

greeting

kids

between 7:30-7:35 a.m., to graduation and prom...looking forward to March

BRENDA FISHMAN SOCIAL STUDIES

22 — that may be the best.”

“I think my best memories have to do with students finding success when they were unsure of whether they would. I love the fact that I get to meet young people where they are,

ADAM FINKELSTON ART

see them grow as people, watch them become more confident and comfortable with themselves.”

F A R A B O V E | Science teacher Steven Appier ’s AP Chemistry 2 class gathers around him while he lights a mixture of iron oxide and aluminum on fire during their thermite lab. photo by taylor keal

A B O V E | Sophomore Chase Hamilton finishes sanding his cutting board in woodworking class. photo by hadley chapman

A B O V E | Seniors Isabel Crowfoot and Krista Heinz search for mammoth hair in the microscope during their AP Forensics 2 hair lab. photo by taylor keal

“Hearing back from students who have graduated about how they’re still using skills they learned from my

ROBERT BICKERS ECONOMICS

classes.”

THE POLL

HAVE YOU EVER DISAGREED WITH SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TAUGHT? “Any

A poll question a student asked teachers in an Instagram questionnaire

DO YOU THINK STUDENTS USE MENTAL HEALTH AS AN EXCUSE OR DO YOU BELIEVE THEM?

91%

no, I believe students when they say they need to focus on their mental health

9%

yes, I believe students often use mental health as an excuse

*12 teachers responded to the questionnaire

time

I

have

to

give

a

standardized test in class (MAP, state assessment, etc). Other times too. I usually don't teach things if

34% NO

I think it is out of alignment with what is best for students.”

66% YES

SAMANTHA FEINBERG

ENGLISH

“Some content that I teach I do not believe is necessary in becoming a functioning member of society.”

SHANNON NOL AN SOCIAL STUDIES

F OREFROM NSI CS 14 | FEATURES

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

AFAR

Seniors work to finish off their forensics careers strong despite COVID-19 restrictions resulting in all-virtual tournaments

S

by grace al l en

etting up her MacBook and whipping out research-covered posters, senior Lily Utt eagerly starts her routine to film a 10-minute oratory video submission for this week’s forensics tournament.

Each one of Utt’s videos starts the same: her name, the date, the specific tournament she’s submitting to and her event. She then goes on to do the same performance she does every week, with only slight tweaks that she’s worked on the week prior to making the video.

The video submissions are part of forensics tournaments, due to an all virtual year because of COVID-19. As they deal with the variety of differences this year, competitors like Utt have learned to adapt and continue the success of past years.

The beginning routine in the videos has been set in place to make sure they’re as original as possible and that submissions are up to date. Some events require students to only submit videos, but others require students to be live on a Zoom call.

This season consists of 10 tournaments — beginning in January and ending in April.

At each tournament, the top-placed students advance to finals, where students perform their events live for the judges via Zoom. If they place high enough in the tournaments,

they then qualify for state, which will take place in May. There are a variety of events in forensics from impromptu to informative speeches — some performed individually and some in pairs. For most tournaments, the events are split between Friday and Saturday — Friday being the debate events and Saturday the performance and interpretational events.

In a normal year, students would give their speeches and performances in front of judges at an all-day, in-person tournament.

And when they weren’t preparing, they were meeting competitors from other schools.

The new setup for forensics this year has made it a mostly individual process, but the team has found ways to stay connected and keep each other motivated during class, doing things such as breakout rooms with first-year students and brainstorms for fresh ideas.

Utt feels that it’s been very hard for first year students to pick up forensics in any year, but especially this one, and tries to lend a helping hand to them whenever possible.

“I give them my number and let them know that anytime, even if it’s at midnight, they can reach out to me if they’re stressed out about forensics or need help with a piece, I’m always going to be there,” Utt said.

“Having someone they can turn to since we are all virtual is really important.”

design by august hyde

Senior Reilly Kenney agrees with Utt that the first year in forensics can easily be the hardest because of how daunting the first couple of tournaments can be. With all of the new rules and terminology needed for the tournaments, it can be a lot to take in.

“The number one thing about forensics is you just have to throw yourself into it and learn as you go and mess up,” Kenney said.

“My first tournament there were so many rules and I was a mess, but I ended up getting in second place.”

The number one thing about forensics is you just have to throw yourself into it and learn as you go.

reilly kenny | senior Meeting and collaborating with students from other schools is what Kenney misses the most about forensics this year. However, being able to watch other students perform has inspired him to learn new ways to convey his event to the judges like how to switch from character to character when performing.

Senior Sophie Rice feels that forensics allows students to really express themselves,

since each team member gets to decide on three events to compete in. Topics are chosen in advance, giving students time to research — one thing that stayed consistent this year.

Although the students perform the same topic per event weekly, the repetition gives them an opportunity to polish their speeches and improve their skills, according to Utt. In the past, what has helped them improve the most is being able to bounce ideas off of one another and get input from people from other schools, but because of COVID-19 they only have each other to brainstorm with.

The East students overcome this by making Flipgrid videos to film their performances — the students can navigate to their team members videos and they can all make comments to give each other feedback.

For the seniors, forensics is something they have dedicated most of their high school career to, so even though it is hard to push themselves in the all-virtual tournaments, they do their best to stay competitive, according to Utt. “I don’t want to waste all of that time I spent working and getting better my first three years just to drop the ball senior year,” Utt said. “I want to be able to be proud of myself for finishing strong and staying motivated.”

design by annabelle moore photos by rachel bingham

FEATURES | 15

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

CURATED C LLECTORS Students at East share their differing interests and what their collections mean to them

BRO OKE SENI O R

CO LLECTS CHRISTM AS BELLS AND M USIC BOXES

by l auren dierks AT THE BEGINNING of

every Christmas season, senior Brooke Blair pulls out her collection of music boxes — antique trinkets that wind up and play a song. It had become a tradition for Blair and her grandma to scour antique shops and find the perfect addition to her personalized Christmas decor.

Blair’s grandma, Kathy Waller, gave each of her grandchildren the opportunity to decide what they wanted to collect at a young age. Straying away from her twin sister who chose Christmas ornaments, Blair found herself drawn to music boxes instead.

EJ

SENI O R

CO LLECTS SCREWS AND BO LTS

THEN-SEVENTH-GRADER

Although the tradition ended when she was 16, the stopping age her grandma chose for all her grandchildren, Blair now has 15 music boxes to put on display in her future home. For Christmases until then, the music boxes are exhibited in her dad’s office for Blair and her family to admire.

“I love the fun she got out of finally making the decision as to which one she wanted because there are some wonderful Christmas music boxes out there,” Waller said. “I think it’s important for a child to decide what they want to collect rather than

me to decide what they should collect.”

The majority of Blair’s collection only makes an appearance during December, but she keeps a few of her less Christmas-themed boxes in her room. A gold ferris wheel music box serves to keep her collection and family memories fresh in her mind year-round.

“I don’t know a ton of people that have a collection just because we have technology and they think having something tangible is not as important,” Blair said. “I’m just going to look back and remember all of the fun times that are associated with them.”

R AN DOM LOCATIONS SU CH AS SCHOOL

screw she found on the floor of the hallway during passing period, senior EJ Padgett unknowingly started the beginning of a now increasingly-large collection.

Although loose screws are not the typical collector’s item, Padgett picks up each screw she finds to serve as a reminder of where she was and who she was with.

After finding her first screw at East freshman year, she brought it home and placed it in a jar in her room. The jar slowly started to fill as she began to notice screws everywhere — from the band room to downtown Kansas City.

SOPHOMORE

A N T I Q U E STO R E S

FINDS HER COLLECTIONS AT:

SITTING IN CLASS fiddling with a loose

LOU IS

FINDS HER COLLECTIONS AT:

CO LLECTS FUNKO POP FIGURINES

Louis ProsserGebhardt was making his way through the aisles of a comic book shop when a display of Funko Pop figurines caught his attention.

Scanning the display, he picked up an X-Files Fox Mulder funko and has been collecting figurines of various characters ever since.

Now a sophomore, he has enough Funko Pop boxes to reach his ceiling and form several stacks around his room. Among the stacks are characters from his favorite bands, TV shows, video games and movies

“I have a lot of weird ones — a bunch from school — but my favorite one is a huge one that I found down at a train track that’s half a foot long,” Padgett said.

Although some may overlook the jar of nuts and bolts on her bookshelf, Padgett is able to recall where she’s acquired a majority of them based on their color, rustiness and size — including the ones her friends and family have given her. Her younger sister and freshman Lida Padgett always keeps an eye out for screws to add to the assortment.

“Anytime that I find an odd screw anywhere I’m going I’ll pick it up and carry it around until I see her again and can give

it to her,” Lida said. “And [her collection] is just slowly getting bigger and bigger so it’s really funny.”

While Padgett is quick to use her collection as a fun fact and funny story in an ice-breaker activity, it also serves as a constant reminder of time spent with friends and places she’s been.

“I think that people have kind of lost that appreciation for random little things,” Padgett said. “They think, ‘Oh that’s stupid, why would you do that,’ and I’m like, ‘Of course it’s stupid to collect screws,’ but I think it’s fun because it reminds me of all the places I’ve been.”

FINDS HIS COLLECTIONS AT:

COMIC BOOK STORES throughout the years.

“Some of them show what I was into when I was younger,” Prosser-Gebhardt said. “I have Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance, and I have a lot from ‘Pokémon’ and ‘The Walking Dead.’ I think it kind of grew with me.”

Each character has an intricate backstory based on the TV show or move they came from and can even increase in value over time. He bought a Funko from one of his favorite anime shows “Sword Art Online”

for $12 a few years ago and it’s now worth upwards of $300.

Although Funko Pop characters are an upgrade from the “Pokémon” card collection he had when he was younger, his “Pokémon” phase is what inspired him to start collecting.

The figures now serve as a symbol of his personality.

“I think they look cool and they’re fun to have around,” Prosser-Gebhardt said. “It kind of shows what I like, you know?”

IDENTIFICATION

16/17 | NEWS

INFILTRATION Fake IDs have become normalized among teenagers, despite the possible legal consequences

THE PREVALENCE

32%

72%

USAGE RATES

How often people with fake IDs use them 1-2 times a year

once every few months

2 0% 2 4%

2-3 times a month

1+ times a week

of poll voters have used a fake ID

2 0%

of poll voters don’t believe people think about the consequences when buying a fake ID *from an Instagram poll of 290 votes

3 6% 11%

*information from American Addiction Centers

*from an Instagram poll of 291 votes

4 5%

of alcohol consumed in the U.S. is consumed by people ages 12-20

got a fake ID by paying someone to make it *information from American Addiction Centers

*information from American Addiction Centers

THE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES

*information from I.D. Checking Center

CLASS B MISDEMEANOR

LEVEL 8 FELONY

LEVEL 5 FELONY

Minors charged with a first time offense

Possessing any personal identity information for another person with intent to gain benefit

If the crime results in a monetary loss that is greater than $100,000

at least 100 hours of community service a fine between $200 and $500

a jail sentence between 7-23 hours fines up to $100,000

fines of up to $300,000

design by catherine erickson photo by julia percy

*names changed to protect identities

by sydney newton

A

s the weekend approached, senior Ava Nelson* had one goal in mind — buying one bottle of Mango Rum and one bottle of Pink Whitney.

After shuffling through the student ID and drivers license in her wallet, Nelson reached for her fake ID, double checking it featured her 1999 birthdate. Taking one last glance around her car to make sure her Lancer spirit wear couldn’t be seen from the window, she headed into the liquor store.

Noticing an employee following her, she immediately grabbed the cheapest bottles she could find and hurriedly walked to the front counter, keeping her head down and repeating her fake birthday and address in her head.

Sliding her fake ID across the counter, the worker realized her young age from her small eyes and instantly took her ID — she was caught. She left immediately, knowing she still had her second fake to use.

“I wasn’t expecting to get caught,” Nelson said. “It was a really good fake. I had used it so many times. Honestly, I’m still not scared about getting caught, but I just don’t want to have to buy another fake because it takes a while to come in and it’s expensive.”

As spring break and college approach, Nelson has noticed an increase people getting fakes at East. In a poll of 291 Instagram votes, 33% stated they had used a fake ID before. In another poll of 290 votes, 72% stated they don’t think people consider the consequences when buying a fake ID. Nelson feels people aren’t scared of getting caught because of how foolproof teenagers believe fake IDs have become — most look almost identical to a real ID. With technology that allows fake IDs to scan, Nelson thinks most places can’t catch them. She just had an unlucky experience.

However, these “unlucky experiences” can lead to legal consequences. In Kansas, minors caught using a fake ID to illegally obtain alcohol are charged with a Class B misdemeanor — the second lowest level misdemeanor — which can include penalties of up to 100 hours of community service and a fine between $200 and $500, which goes on your permanent record if you’re over 18. If the fake ID uses a fake name, it additionally classifies as identity theft, and penalities can include a jail sentence between seven to 23 months and fines up to $100,000.

The Prairie Village Police Department did not have a record of the number of fake IDs cases reported in the area.

SRO Seth Meyer, who’s worked with the Prairie Village police department for 16 years, has seen how little students care about the consequences since most bars and liquor stores only confiscate the IDs themselves, leaving the police uninvolved.

“There’s fake IDs everywhere,” Meyer said.

“You know it, and I know it. [Students] just don’t care, honestly. Their ultimate goal of getting a fake ID is to go to bars or go hang out at clubs or go buy alcohol. They know that they’re less likely to get caught.”

Senior Rachel Smith*, who has purchased group orders of fake IDs in the past through a website, believes the influx in fake IDs is due to lack of fear of the consequences, since most people, like Nelson, receive minor punishment.

Now 18, Smith doesn’t believe the legal risk of placing orders is worth it anymore, but still gets asked if she is at east three times a month — a number that has significantly increased in the last month because of college and senior spring break approaching.

According to a study done by Alcohol Rehab Guide, 80% of college students consume alcohol to some degree, with 50% of students engaging in binge drinking. Having a fake ID is common for college students, according to Meyer, so they can get into bars with age limits of 21 and buy alcohol. A large portion of East seniors have one or plan on purchasing one, according to Smith, who gets asked to purchase fakes for college.

College is the biggest drinking period in your life, according to Smith, and getting into bars is a large part of that. Smith and her friends feel it’s easier to get a fake ID in high school so they can go into college ready to go out. And without a fake ID, she’s heard it’s

East parent and criminal defense attorney Lindsey Erickson has seen cases involving fake IDs with charges ranging from diversion — a system of doing community service to get charges off your record — to several years of jail time. According to Erickson, the severity of the charges can depend on the person’s age, criminal history, the number of charges associated with the case and the jurisdiction of the case.

Erickson feels the use of fake IDs has become prevalent, and minors don’t realize how easy it is to get caught. The ways of getting caught range from undercover cops in liquor stores to car searches, and she thinks getting charged is more common and frequent than people realize.

“A lot of minors are pretty cavalier about it, and think it’s no big deal,” Erickson said.

“People are fixated on ‘Everybody does it. It’s no big deal.’ And the thing is, everybody doesn’t do it. And it is a huge deal if you get caught. So you have to decide, is it worth the risk?”

Not only have high schoolers become casual about having a fake, but Smith thinks that having one has become a normal part of having fun on the weekends, especially for seniors.

At the start, you’re scared that there’s undercover cops in the store or the restaurant, you’re scared that the waitress is gonna take it away. There’s always those risks. But I feel like more and more once you keep using it at certain places, certain restaurants, you’ll get more and more comfortable with it and you won’t really consider the risks that you did at the beginning.

rachel smith* | senior harder to have a night out, especially at schools that revolve around bars.

“A fake is kind of an essential for college,” Smith said. “It’s easier for people who have fakes to get alcohol or go out and drink, go to the bars. I think people fear being [left out of] a group of people on a night out if they don’t have one.”

Since the new international CDC travel guidelines require a negative COVID test to re-enter the United States plus a week-long quarantine, most seniors are traveling within the U.S. for spring break. The drinking age is 18 in places like Mexico and the Bahamas, so a fake is needed to drink during spring break this year. This makes obtaining a fake ID more common this year than before, according to senior Gracie Andrews*, who plans to get a fake in the spring for her Florida spring break trip.

“Right now is the perfect time to get one,” Andrews said. “It’s right around that time where everybody’s not going to be relying on you to get [alcohol], but it’s just enough time where you can use it a few times and practice before you go to college. It won’t be an old picture. Everybody knows how to do it, what websites and what people go through now.

There’s more people who know what they’re talking about.”

“We do more stuff revolving around having fakes than we do not having fakes,” Smith said. “It’s been a huge part of our senior year, especially with this weird situation going, that everyone has been thinking about other distractions and what they can do to have fun.

A fake gets them excited for college and relaxed when going out.”

The presence of fakes comes long before senior year, according to Andrews. She believes the presence of fake IDs has increased in every grade because of how common underage drinking has become.

“Slowly but surely, the age when people start doing illegal things has been going down,” Andrews said. “When we were in middle school, the big thing was vaping, and that was the only thing that was going on. Now, middle schoolers are getting wasted on the weekends.”

Sophomore Parker Ross* got her fake when she was 15 — making her seven years younger than the age on her ID and one of the first in her grade to get one. She’s used to getting comments like ‘You look so young’ and ‘How old are you’ from the store workers, normally bringing a friend in her car to the liquor store to warn her if an adult she knows is outside the store.

Using it around once a week, Ross worries about facing severe consequences if someone

finds her wallet or the police walk in, but has gotten used to the routine of using her fake.

For her, the benefits of getting a fake at such a young age outweighed the risks of getting caught because of the security of buying her own drinks and not having to rely on other people for alcohol.

“Knowing that I could see what I was getting for myself was important,” Ross said.

“Who knows if people were putting things in my drinks? I don’t know, just little things as simple as that made it worth it. There wasn’t really any huge factors other than just I thought it’d be more convenient.”

After getting stopped by a cop when buying alcohol at a concert, senior Noah Gray* saw a glimpse into these consequences. Not expecting to get caught because of how well-made his fake was, Gray feels lucky that his fake only got taken away rather than facing legal consequences, and thinks it was a learning experience.

Even though he purchased another fake a few months later, Gray decided to stop using it because he didn’t want to make the same mistake again — the risk wasn’t worth it. With a majority of his friends having a fake ID, Gray thinks people aren’t worried about the consequences because only a cop can tell the difference, but believes people should be more careful.

“No matter how invincible you think you are or however much you don’t think you will get in trouble, you still can always get in trouble no matter what,” Gray said. “It’s important to remember that.”

Smith feels people consider the consequences when first getting a fake, but disregard them after using it because of how easy and simple the process of using it becomes — some people even become “regulars” at liquor and vape stores, where the workers know them by name.

“At the start, you’re scared that there’s undercover cops in the store or the restaurant, you’re scared that the waitress is gonna take it away,” Smith said. “There’s always those risks.

But I feel like more and more once you keep using it at certain places, certain restaurants, you’ll get more and more comfortable with it and you won’t really consider the risks that you did at the beginning. Even though they’re literally still the same risks you still have.”

The risks can be more long-term than legal.

Several job and college applications ask for prior criminal history, even down to a speeding ticket, according to Erickson. Having a fake ID or identity theft charge against you puts you at a disadvantage, making it harder to get a job in the future.

“The decisions you make today can haunt you for a lifetime,” Erickson said. “When you’re 16 or 17 or 18, you’re just thinking, ‘I just want to get some beer for tonight.’ I don’t think you’re thinking about fast forwarding to five or six or 10 years later when you’re filling out an application. It’s a concern about instant gratification, about how am I going to have fun tonight, rather than thinking forward.”

18 | FEATURES

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

DO THE

CHANCE TO DANCE

SHAMROCK

Where to take Irish dance classes in Kansas City

SHAKE

10820 W. 64th St. Shawnee, KS

DRISCOLL SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCE 6001 Johnson Dr. Mission, KS.

O’RIADA MANNING ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCE

LE ARN THE TERMS Different types of Irish dancing and their counts

REEL lively dance performed in soft shoes 1-2-3-4 count rhythm

HORNPIPE energetic dance performed in hard shoes 1-2-3 count rhythm *information from world irish dance association

design by rose kanaley photos by trevor paulus

by anna m i tche l l

T

he sound of tap shoes clicking together and the smell of Irish stew filled the air of Browne’s Irish Marketplace as sophomore Mary Cronin finished her first Irish meal of the day. People gathered around her, getting ready to watch a day full of dances and celebrate the Irish culture over Labor Day weekend for the Irish Fest.

Mary, along with her family, look forward to another big Irish celebration, St. Patrick’s Day. This year, they won’t be able to celebrate the same way, but the tradition still remains an important part of their family.

Mary went to her first Irish Fest when she was only 12 days old. From there, she volunteered at an Irish dance fest five years later and started classes, which has now become a major part of her life — keeping her family’s Irish culture alive.

“At Irish Fest, there was a teacher picking people from the crowd to teach them how to Irish dance, and me and my sister went up there,” Mary said. “I really liked it, so from there they signed me up from classes and I’ve been doing it since.”

Both of Mary’s parents, Jennie and Shaun, are around 50% Irish and have always enjoyed celebrating their heritage with their parents.

While Jennie never really got to go to parades as a young girl, she had big Irish dinners and wanted to continue that tradition with her own children.

Irish dancing was a new endeavor for the family of four, but they were open to letting the girls try it out, especially since it involves a culture they enjoy so much.

“I have always supported them dancing,” Jennie said. “I ask them every year if they still want to dance or try something else because all I want is for them to enjoy it and be happy.”

During a normal year, both Mary and her sister Bridget jig for 15-20 performances , along with performing in three parades for an ocean of green people that are there to celebrate.

The long days of dancing are normally followed by an Irish dinner typically hosted at the Mary’s home, with friends and family gathered around the table to eat corn beef and cabbage — a traditional Irish dish.

This year’s parades and events are extremely limited, so the Cronin family has had to adapt their usual festivities.

Because of their passionate heritage, they’re used to celebrating year-round even if it’s not an elaborate event — whether that be eating traditional Irish dishes at family dinner or going to their weekly Irish dance practice.

“You know, we aren’t just Irish on St. Patrick’s Day,” Jennie said. “We can still celebrate and enjoy it just as much, even though it is not the same.”

Although they have to be masked up and they don’t get to spot their parents in the huge crowd, the Cronin girls rekindle their St. Patrick’s Day spirit without letting the pandemic get in the way.

This year their studio, Driscoll School of Irish Dance, is professionally filming and selling recordings of each tirelessly practiced dance to those who still want to experience the lucky spirit, COVID-19-safe style.

Their dance teacher of 11 years, Brigid Driscoll, has known the Cronin family since she opened the Driscoll School of Irish Dance in 2010. She wants the dancers to be able to celebrate as much as possible during the pandemic, even if that means celebrating remotely.

“We still wanted to do some performances this

The Cronin family’s celebration of St. Patrick’s Day has changed this year, but the traditions and passion remain

year,” Driscoll said. “Irish dancing is usually super social, so it is disappointing they have to miss those interactions but I’m very proud of them for sticking through the pandemic and even seeing everyone’s faces on a screen made it feel a little like normal.”

Mary and her sister lace up their hard shoes and begin warming up for daily practice on their hand-built stage in their basement.

The two girls have been learning their solos since the beginning of the year just like they do each year. They’ve already memorized the group dances from past years, but still practice to ensure they perfect each step and hop.

Instead of their usual large performances,

You know we aren’t just Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. We can still celebrate and enjoy it just as much even though it’s not the same.

jennie cronin | east parent they have the chance to perform one show at their mom’s office in addition to their filmed performance. Although it isn’t a normal St. Patrick’s Day for the Cronin family, they will take any kind of celebration they can get.

Cronin is thankful her royal blue dress and curly blonde wig will still be seen by someone, but they’re trying to find a few more places to rekindle the tradition they’ve had for the past 11 years.

This year the Cronins will still have a family dinner, only this time, they won’t have to bring more chairs in for the dining room. They don’t get to cram around the table and mingle with people from all over the neighborhood and beyond, but their tradition carries on—pandemic or not.

“Me and my family have always just been 100% in with it,” Mary said. “[My parents] really do support me and my sister as long as we are happy doing it.”

design by christian gooley photo by ella hans

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

FEATURES | 19

TELL ME A STORY Sophomore Sneha Thomas starts a SHARE volunteer program where high schoolers record themselves reading books for elementary students to listen to

Sophomore Kate Whitefield poses with one Thomas poses with one of the ofbooks the books recorded for project. her project. recorded for her photo by ella hans

by caroline gould

S

ophomore Sneha Thomas has always been a creative person, leaning toward writing and drawing to express her creativity. Since the pandemic has taken away creative, hands-on interactions for a lot of younger kids, Thomas set up a way for elementary schoolers to still experience storytelling through an online story time.

Inspired by her eight year old sister who’d picked up reading for the first time during the pandemic, Thomas realized how important it is that kids are still reading when they can’t go to school and interact with other kids due to the pandemic.

Thomas started “Elementary School Online Story Time,” a volunteer project through East’s SHARE program at the beginning of the school year. The idea came to her after

realizing how elementary schoolers’ educations — especially when it comes to learning how to read — have been strained due to the pandemic.

“During this pandemic, kids aren’t as interactive as usual and parents are working from home, and they have to deal with their kids a lot, so a way to keep them busy would be for them to listen to online story time,” Thomas said.

Through her project, high school students can pick up their favorite childhood story — or any picture book from East’s library — and record themselves reading. The videos are then sent to the librarian at Tomahawk Elementary School, who posts the videos on their library’s Canvas page.

“The librarian at Tomahawk has emailed me to tell me that everything’s going great,

and that the kids are watching the videos that she’s been posting,” Thomas said. “She’s also created a little template, that kids can just click on so they can easily watch the videos.”

To make the project as simple and accessible for volunteers as possible, Sneha’s only criteria is for volunteers to show their faces and have an optimistic attitude when reading.

“Since most children’s books are picture books, they would have to show the pictures of the storybook, and I said that I would prefer if they could show face in the video because it’s just more fun if you can see the reader,” Thomas said.

Sophomore Kate Whitefield, who’s submitted a video of herself reading, enjoyed the project, as it reminded her of when she was able to read to the kids at her elementary school when she was in fourth grade.

“I got to pick out a couple of books, and with that I tried to make sure that it wouldn’t be too long [of a book] to where the video would get long and the kids would get bored, and I wanted it to have pictures and [for it] to be something that they may have not heard of before,” Whitefield said.

According to SHARE co-coordinator Sheryl Kaplan, Thomas created and led her project entirely on her own. She only needed guidance with fine-tuning her idea, as her original plan involved working directly with students — which isn’t possible with the current COVID-19 restrictions in place.

“I know that she’s really being persistent,” Kaplan said. “I think she had a little bit of a hard time getting people to do it at first, and then we posted a flyer that she had come with on social media for her, but she’s really handled everything.”

Though the school year has come with unprecedented circumstances, Thomas hasn’t let distance stop her from moving forward

with her project and actively promoting her project through flyers and social media, making it a unique volunteering opportunity to go with a unique year.

“It’s just one of those projects that’s showing how we’ve had to adapt the school year with COVID and remote and everything, and just that if you think outside the box of just being hands on and being there you can come up with a lot of ideas,” Kaplan said.

Thomas will continue to accept videos until at least the end of the school year, and calls for anyone who wants a quick and easy way to get involved with volunteering to record a short video.

“If kids don’t feel like reading books themselves, and if parents don’t feel like reading it for them, or they don’t know how, there’s some videos that kids can click on that volunteers read to them,” Thomas said.

“All they have to do is find a book that they like and click on a video and watch it.”

STEPS TO A VIDEO STEP 1 Contact librarian or Thomas to find which book to read

STEP 2 Record a video: Camera’s on, voices to match characters, optimistic and outgoing attitude

STEP 3 Submit videos to Thomas

20 | PHOTOSTORY

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by julia percy

BRINGING BACK

Before the boys’ varsity basketball game, Band and Cheer host a Pep Rally in front of the gym entrance for the team to walk through

THE PEP

A B O V E | Senior Mac Muehlberger stands on the gym entrance steps and conducts the band as the boys’ varsity basketball team was walking in. photo by trevor paulus

A B O V E | Junior Ce lia Condon runs arou n d the pep rally with th e Ea st flag. Condon sa id , “ It was fun to finally b e surrounded by sc h ool spirit again, it m a d e me feel like I was in th e student sect ion aga in .” photo by sarah golder

FAR LEFT | The cheerleaders perform at the pep rally, welcoming the team into the gym. Cheerleader and senior Meredith McGannon, said, “just cheer and band preformed and some of pep club came to support, so not that many people but it was still uplifting.” photo by sarah golder A B O V E | Junior Will McCleland walks through the tunnel formed by the pep club. Mcclelland says, “it was really cool to see people get together and support the team and school again after such a weird year ”. photo by maggie klumpp LEFT | Senior Allison Gibson reads sheet music and plays “Go Big Blue” on the clarinet. photo by sarah golder

SCAN ME | HARBIE PHOTO Use this QR code to purchase photos from the Pep Rally

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by tommy paulus photos from of apple, IMDb and netflix

A&E

A&E | 21

Catch up on what’s trending in the arts and entertainment world

HIGHLIGHTS

TO P O F T H E CH A RTS MUSIC

RECENT RELEASES PODCASTS

ALBUM | LITTLE OBLIVIONS

SERIES SERIES:

P O D C A ST | T H E M OT H

IT’S A SIN

A R T I ST | J U L I E N B A K E R

RUN TIME | ~40 MIN

R E L E A S E DAT E | F E B 26

The Moth show format is a fish-out-of-water style show. A person in a room full of strangers, telling them stories about their lives. It’s a new and interesting take on podcasts.

Little Oblivions is the third full-length studio album from rising indie star Julien Baker. The songs are a quaint mix of raw vocals and soothing backtracks.

GENRE: DRAMA

RUN TIME: ~45 MIN

SUMMARY: This series follows a group of gay adults who are struggling to live during the AIDS crisis in the ‘80s. It’s both light in comedy and heavy in its truthfulness to the time.

A L B U M | A N OV E R V I E W I N P H E N O M E N A L N AT U R E

P O D C A ST | W H Y YO U DAT E M E

ARTIST | CASSANDRA J E N K I N S

RUN TIME | ~1 HR

R E L E A S E DAT E | F E B 1 9

This show follows selfproclaimed single-guru Nicole Byer’s stories of bad dates and even worse parters. Byer has a multitude of guests on every episode.

This album doesn’t follow the usual guidelines of an LP. This album is full of coastal drum beats and direct quotes of people sharing their experiences.

WO N ’ T

SERIES: THE HUNTER’S ANTHOLOGY

GENRE: CRIME FICTION

RUN TIME: ~54 MIN

SUMMARY: This series follows a demon hunter who peers into the souls of five NYC citizens.

G O L D E N G LO B E W I N N E R S

MOVIE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TV SERIES As: Princess Diana

MOVIE As: Moira O’Hara In: Schitt’s Creek

In: The Crown

BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY

GENRE: DOCUMENTARY

RUN TIME:

EMMA CORRIN

CATHERINE O’HARA

2 HR 30 MIN

SUMMARY: This movie follows the life of

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TV SERIES

established popstar Billie Eilish. The

As: Prince Charles

As: Ted Lasso

In: The Crown

In: Ted Lasso

movie does not sugarcoat Eilish’s life as a star and is open about her struggles with mental illness. *read a full review of the documentary on page 22

JOSH O’CONNOR

JASON SUDEIKIS

22 | A&E

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

BILLIE UNBLURRED

by sophie l i ndberg

A

s someone who’s followed Billie Eilish since her 2016 single “Six Feet Under” came out, my adoration for her was reignited with her documentary “The World’s a Little Blurry,” directed by R.J. Cutler available on Apple T V+.

The film follows the young star from the beginning of her rise to fame, starting in 2018 and going up to when Eilish swept five categories in the 2020 Grammys. The viewer gets to see the young, depressed teenager turn into the lively and flourishing person that she is now, and how she copes with not only the stresses of fame, but simply being a teenager as well. Reliving her journey to fame only deepened my love and respect for Eilish and her everyday lifestyle.

The title, “The World’s a Little Blurry,” captures the crucial time period Eilish experiences as a teenager who tried to figure out life when nothing was clear.

My theory regarding the title is that the lyric “the world’s a little blurry” — taken from Eilish’s song “ilomilo” — is due to the subject matter of the song. It describes loving someone that you want to protect at all costs, but you can’t anymore.

As I found out in the documentary, Eilish had a secret relationship with a rapper named 7: AMP, or “Q” as she refers to him. Learning of the nature of their relationship, I can

guess that “ilomilo” is about Q. Q’s role in the film is very significant, revealing that he was a key part of Eilish’s life, as he appears in almost every scene in the first half of the film. This new insight on her life gave the documentary the intrigue that it needed, and Q was incorporated into the main storyline exceptionally. Every scene subtly hinted towards Q in a very indirect way, weaving him into the storyline without the audience realizing it.

I greatly appreciate the transparency of the film — I saw her say she wants to jump off of a bridge at 16, then just a few years later, she wins five Grammys and is the happiest she’s ever been.

Eilish’s freedom is a focus point that shows up periodically as well, like when she learned to drive and eventually got her license. In a scene that shows her driving on her own for the first time, I got to hear a speech from her father Patrick O’Connell as she pulls out of the driveway of her small Los Angeles home. This scene was beautiful — O’Connell talked about learning to let go and letting his kid have her freedom, even if it was difficult and intimidating. The two perspectives of this moment added depth to the documentary.

TIMELINE OF FAME 2015

“O CE A N E YE S” RE L E ASE D TO SOUNDC LOU D

2016

SI G N ED TO A RECO RD L A BEL

design by cesca stamati image from IMDb

A review of Billie Eilish’s documentary “The World’s a Little Blurry” that gives a look into Eilish’s life and struggle with mental health

Following Eilish on her emotional journey, you get to see the personal moments between her and those closest to her.

Watching her gush over Orlando Bloom after meeting him at Coachella gave me a sense of what a friendship between myself and Eilish would look like as I got to see her in moments where she doen’t feel like a celebrity. Being that connected with someone through a screen is amazing, which I credit to the unique and rhythmic storytelling of the documentary. The scenes flowed into one another flawlessly, but none of them were directly connected in any way besides the chronological order it was filmed in.

I greatly appreciate the transparency of the film — I saw her say she wants to jump off of a bridge at 16, then just a few years later, she wins five Grammys and is the happiest she’s ever been. It’s crazy to me that Eilish has come from such a low place that you wouldn’t think that she’s the same person.

This documentary captured that perfectly.

One of the most moving parts was a bit into the second half, when she is about to perform for her New York City show — arguably one of the most memorable concerts she’s ever had because of her performance of “i love you.” She gets choked up on the lines because she had just broken up with Q. While many had already seen this concert clip online, the layers behind it through the explanation of her breakup in the documentary brought new meaning to the

heartbreaking scene.

This movie brought a whole new level of connection aside from her music, and made me proud of Eilish, even just as a fan on the outside. I admit, for the last half of the movie, I was sobbing my eyes out practically the whole time due to the immense growth she made in those years. I saw moments that I remember were captured and put on social media, but what was really happening was never known until this documentary came out.

I find that this documentary is very different from others of its kind. It follows a teen girl thrown into the spotlight. The subject matter is direct and straight to the point, and the scenes that they selected make you feel like you’re right there with her, not just watching a premade movie. Nothing about it’s flashy, everything is very authentic and almost has a homemade feel to it.

Not only capturing this beautiful piece of art, but making it public for the whole world to see and judge was a courageous move. Even Eilish said herself in the live preview of the documentary that she didn’t want most of the scenes shown in the final cut of the film to be released for the whole world to see. She had to overcome her fears and be vulnerable, and I’m so glad that she did, because this is by far one of my favorite movies. Even if you aren’t a die-hard fan, this documentary is absolutely worth watching.

A timeline of Billie Eilish’s career since her first hit single

2017

R E LE ASE D SEC O ND MAJ O R SI NGLE “ BE LLYAC HE ”

2018

SOLD O UT

WE NT O N F I RST GLO B AL TOUR “WHE RE ’S M Y M I ND”

2019

WENT ON TOUR A ND RELE ASED A NEW A LBUM

2020 WON FIVE GRA MMY AWA RDS

design by lily billingsley photos by noelle griffin

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

VEGAN VENTURE

A review of living vegan for a week by sop hi e henschel

G

oing vegan. I swore I’d never do it. I love my chicken nuggets, my morning bacon and eggs and my vanilla sweet cream cold brews way too much to give them all up. However, after researching how a vegan lifestyle lowers your chances of heart failure, (possibly) some cancers and has environmental benefits, I decided I would at least try it out for a week.

I began my vegan journey by heading to the first place that came to mind: Trader Joe’s. With its vegan mac ‘n’ cheese, rice pasta, plantain chips and huge assortment of fruits and veggies, it became this week’s holy grail.

Out of all the goodies I snagged at Trader Joe’s, the vegan mac ‘n’ cheese and coconutmilk-based chocolate ice cream were by far my favorites. While I was there, I also picked up some items like firm tofu, plant-based burgers and more almonds than I’ve consumed in the past five years.

The pre-made vegan meals required less than 10 minutes of prep time and nothing other than a microwave, making these meals a convenient option to grab throughout the week. Speaking of convenience — fast food: a vegan obstacle that proved to be more difficult to navigate than I imagined. To my surprise, most of my main fast food chains offer zero vegan options, and upon research, I was stuck with only Burger King and Taco Bell.

9.6 M

NUMBER OF AMERICANS THAT ARE VEGAN

At Burger King, I got the Impossible Burger, which I realized had non-vegan mayonnaise on the bun after I’d eaten three bites. I stripped everything from the burger to try the patty alone and it was honestly tasteless — I’ll stick with the Trader Joe’s plant-based burger.

At Taco Bell, I went for a bean burrito with no cheese, and a side of nacho fries — without the nacho cheese dipping sauce. They offer plenty of vegan options, but I chose to take off the sour cream and cheese, along with replacing the meat with beans in order to make my burrito qualify as vegan. The nacho fries brought a refreshingly familiar flavor of my normal food routine, but the bean burrito was not my favorite — even adding

salsa didn’t make it better. This meal definitely had me missing my typical chicken and cheese enchiladas.

While I loved digging into the pre-made vegan options, I realized how hard this challenge truly was when I started making my own meals.

I turned to TikTokers @iamtabithabrown and @ plantyou for recipes and advice. I made every type of meal, from chicken fingers out of tofu — which was maybe a five out of 10 at best — to vegan brownies, but found myself constantly whipping up a chickpea pasta dish in a vegan vodka pasta sauce, which quickly became my favorite.

A&E | 23

VEGAN BROWNIES THE STEPS COMBINE FLAX SEEDS AND BREWED COFFEE MELT CHOCOLATE AND SET ASIDE WHISK TOGETHER COCONUT SUGAR AND DAIRY-FREE BUTTER ADD VANILLA EXTRACT, CHOCOLATE AND COFFEE MIXTURE SIFT BAKING POWDER, FLOUR AND BAKING POWDER INTO BATTER BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 30-35 MINUTES SCAN ME | RECIPE Scan for the full brownie recipe that Sophie used

New challenges were presented every day, from not being able to eat the same dinners as my family to not being able to grab food with my friends.

Found on @plantyou’s page, the recipe contained Banza chickpea pasta, tomato paste, coconut cream, spinach, vodka and lots of spices.

It tasted almost identical to a classic penne vodka, and the prep and cooking time only took 20 minutes.

New challenges were presented every day, from not being able to eat the same dinners as my family to not being able to grab food with my friends as much as I normally would. But overall, I found the vegan lifestyle to be pretty worth it — despite it being hard to see my parents dive into a steak dinner or go out for ice cream throughout the week.

As I got to the second or third day of my vegan week, I noticed changes in how my mind and body were feeling. I felt significantly more energized, no guilt about anything I was eating and much less bloated. Overall, I felt healthier and happier.

Since I’m lactose intolerant — despite cheating almost daily and accepting the tummy aches — cutting out the dairy in all shapes and forms definitely had me feeling better physically.

Even though this was meant to be a weeklong test run of veganism for me, I think this is something I’ll continue long-term. I can’t promise I won’t reach for a slice of pizza when I’m out with friends, however I think the (mostly) vegan lifestyle is just right for me.

B R OW N I E S | 5 STARS

DROP THE DAIRY

Some of Sophie’s favorite vegan snacks

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 4 STARS

$ $4.99 FOR ONE BAG @ AVAILABLE AT WHOLE FOODS DAIRY-FREE ICE CREAM 4 STARS

$ $5.00 FOR ONE BAG @ AVAILABLE AT TRADER JOE’S VEGAN MAC & CHEESE 3 STARS

$ $4.79 FOR A 20 OZ CONTAINER @ AVAILABLE AT TRADER JOE’S

24 | A&E

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by celia condon photos by annakate dilks

crumbly cravings

by annabelle moore

EVER SINCE CRUMBL Cookies came to Kansas City on Feb. 6, the endless stream of Instagram and Snapchat stories dubbing them “the best cookies ever” made me ready to splurge.

Turning right into the parking lot at 6780 W 135th St., I was skeptical about the chain cookies I was about to try. I’ve always been the type of person to prefer a homemade cookie recipe over overpriced, gourmet treats, and honestly, Crumbl proved my point exactly.

According to their website, the idea behind Crumbl “started with one big dream, two crazy cousins and the perfect combination of flour, sugar and chocolate chips.” Crumbl originated in 2017 in Logan, Utah and since has since expanded to over 100 locations across the country.

Crumbl has a rotating menu, so if one week’s array of garnished cookies doesn’t look appealing to your taste buds, the next week will bring something new. That said, two fan favorites — the warm Milk Chocolate Chip cookie and Chilled

hip ec t a ol

Sugar cookie — are staples on the menu that will always be available.

Whether you want a late night snack or afternoon treat, Crumbl offers delivery — from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to midnight on weekends — curbside pickup, catering and shipping. And aside from the cookies, they also sell half-pints of ice cream and beverages such as milk and “Crumbl Water,” which really is just normal water with a Crumbl logo on it.

Upon my arrival, the line outside of Crumbl wrapped all the way around the cement pillars and down to Kyoto steakhouse.

Luckily, my friend who tagged along was a self-proclaimed “Crumbl-expert” and told me the line would undoubtedly be long, and that ordering on their mobile app would be a lot more convenient.

Earlier that day, I scheduled a curbside cookie pickup time of 2:30 p.m. — ordering a box of four cookies for $11.98. I waited a good 15 extra minutes for one of the workers in a black, Crumbl-logoed apron to come out and bring me my warm treats, not to mention the line of cars behind me that was practically stringing out to 135th street.

It was hectic to say the least, but when the warm cookies were brought out to my car in a nicely packaged pink box, all of my

Crumbl has three Kansas locations:

ry

rt pta o p

straw be r

crumbl milk ch oc

o

at ent m rt

cooki e

as s

A review of Crumbl Cookies, a well-known dessert spot new to the Kansas City area with a unique business model

frustration and impatience was put at ease through the smell of warm, melting cookies awaiting my devour.

The first cookie I taste tested was a Strawberry Poptart cookie. Filled with a strawberry, sugary filling and topped with a vanilla glaze frosting and sprinkles — the cookie satisfied both my Poptart and cookie cravings. It was thicker than what you would expect from a Poptart, but was the perfect texture of dough and sweetness. When warmed up, magic happened.

The next cookie I tried was one of their staple cookies, the Milk Chocolate Chip. This cookie was a balanced mix of sweet, savory and salty. It contained a doughy and soft texture, though it was pretty dense. If you like a classic cookie where you know what you’re going to get, this cookie is definitely for you. Although I will say, it didn’t quite do the trick for me as it was super thick and a lot to digest.

The Pink Velvet cookie was my third pick.

This cookie lived up to the “Crumbl” name as is fell apart in my hands, making a mess all over my lap and car mat. This treat was a lot sweeter than the previous two cookies, and almost made my stomach hurt. If you like a sweeter treat, though, this cookie will satisfy you.

T h e last Crumbl treat I ordered was another staple menu item, the Chilled Sugar cookie. This cookie resembled the Pink Velvet in more ways than one, with its overpowering sweetness and tendency to fall apart at your grip. I’m not one to usually order a frosted cookie as my first-pick dessert, but it was exactly what you would expect of a frosted cookie: a round and soft cookie with light pink sugary frosting. The texture was more dry than the first two I tried, and definitely wasn’t my favorite cookie.

Although Crumbl cookie offered some satisfaction to my tummy with the Strawberry Poptart cookie, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the 25-minute drive and hassle for what I got.

The cookies really did “Crumbl” in my hands and provided a messy cleanup and upset stomach. Their idea is genius: delivering cookies late-night to eager snackers, but for what it was worth, I probably would stick to the cheaper pack of dough I can bake in my own home.

flavor flip

Crumbl releases a new set of flavors each week: here’s this week’s

6780 W 135th St. Overland Park, Kansas 66223 2564 N Greenwich Rd. Suite 500, Wichita, Kansas 67226 1918 N Rock Rd. #700 Derby, Kansas 67027

lemon glaze A warm lemon sugar cookie topped with lemon glaze and a slice of lemon

chocolate cupcake A warm sugar cookie topped with fudge frosting and chocolate sprinkles

reese’s pieces A warm peanut butter cookie with Reese’s pieces candies

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by catherine erickson photos by emma kate squires

A&E | 25

SEASONAL SUPPLEMENTS Three products that are meant to combat the effects of seasonal depression, tested out

by liv olson AFTER LOGGING AN average of 15 hours a day on my MacBook

and being forced inside by the freezing-enough-to-shut-downTexas temperatures, I hadn’t seen the sun in weeks. I felt exhausted. Drained. Sluggish. Unmotivated.

When cloudy-grey weather becomes the norm, I find myself with less energy and less motivation to get anything done — this year more than usual (thanks ‘rona).

Recently, I found this lack of motivation and sluggish mood might be due to seasonal depression, a type of depression associated with changes in the season, typically hitting people hardest in the fall and winter.

Feeling relieved that I wasn’t the only one experiencing this, I decided to test out a few products to help me combat my seasonal depression.

NATURAL DAYLIGHT

$35.99

The setup was quite simple. All I had to do was screw the lightbulb into an already existing lamp at my workspace and let it work its magic while I sat on Webex.

I will say that the natural light the lightbulb gave off was much more flattering on Webex than my regular lightbulb. My skin wasn’t discolored purple, and my raccoon eyes were less noticeable.

As the week went on, I wasn’t sure if the changes in my mood were from the lamp or from the actual sun, which had inconveniently decided to show its face during the one week that I didn’t need it. But I did find myself having more energy. When I had my lamp plugged in next to me, my eyes didn’t struggle to stay open while I was on Webex. Overall, I’m excited to keep using this product on future cloudy days.

GOOGLE’S MOST RECOMMENDED product for combating seasonal depression was a light therapy box. Professionals recommend at least 30 minutes of exposure to a light therapy box every day if you experience symptoms of seasonal depression.

The light from a therapy box simulates natural sunlight and comes in different wavelengths, stimulating your body’s circadian rhythms and suppressing the release of melatonin — a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness that makes you sleepy.

As someone who likes to regularly curl up like a cat and lay in the warm sun flowing in through my dining room windows, I was most excited for this product. However, I don’t have much extra room at my workspace to accommodate for a light therapy box, so instead I purchased a natural daylight therapy lightbulb from Amazon that did the same thing — and was much cheaper.

DAWN SIMUL ATOR APP I SWEAR BY my blackout curtains. They’re the secret to sleeping in on the weekends or getting in a good afternoon nap. But since I’m not required to log into Webex during my at-home days, my blackout curtains make it too tempting to just fall back asleep in the morning. So my first order of business in combating seasonal depression was to find a product that would motivate me to get out of bed: the dawn simulator.

Dawn simulators are alarm clocks that mimic how the sun rises in the morning. Instead of waking you up with loud beeping, they simulate natural light that gradually increases in intensity and regulates your circadian rhythm — the 24-hour internal clock in our brain that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness.

I chose to use a dawn simulator app called Awake. It’s

$13.99 TYPICALLY, THE SUN is humans’ main source of Vitamin D, but the cloudy Kansas skies cause me to skip out on that crucial nutrient. To fix this, the next product I tried was Vitamin D supplements.

Vitamin D3 is the active form of Vitamin D the body produces when exposed to sunlight. Missing out on the recommended daily dose of Vitamin D can lead to a depressed mood.

So I paid a visit to my local Walgreens in search of the “sunshine vitamin.” To satisfy my inner child, I purchased the gummy version of the supplements from Nature Made. They

FREE extremely simple to set up and use. The opening screen has a button that says “set sunrise,” and once you click it, you are able to set the alarm for when you want the ‘sun’ to ‘rise.’

In order for the app to work, you must keep your phone on all night — something I didn’t realize the first night. But once I got it to work, I was pleasantly surprised by its effectiveness.

My phone screen did gradually light up, allowing me to naturally wake up at the desired time. I actually felt more awake than I do on a typical day and didn’t even try to fall back asleep — instead, I got up and started my schoolwork earlier than I normally would.

While the app did its job, I would recommend you invest in a real dawn simulator alarm clock or at least an app that doesn’t require you to leave your phone open all night.

VITAMIN D3

came in strawberry, peach and mango flavors with 90 gummies.

I was excited to try them, as they looked just like DOTS candy gumdrops. While they’re harder to chew, the fruity flavor won me over — especially the mango.

As I continued to take the supplements throughout the week, I didn’t notice a significant change in my energy levels.

I can say, however, that the Vitamin D supplements gave me something to look forward to every morning — I was excited and motivated to wake up and take them instead of rolling over and trying to fall back asleep.

WAGSTAFF CARTMELL

&

EXPERTS IN HIGH STAKES LITIGATION CALL: (816) 701-1100 | EMAIL: RECEPTION@WCLLP.COM

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by cesca stamati

SPORTS | 27

SPORTS

HIGHLIGHTS

A LOOK INTO SPRING SPORTS

Updates and schedules about the spring sports season

H OW T H E S P R I N G S E A S O N W I L L B E DIFFERENT FOR THESE SPORTS

B OYS G O L F LIMITED TOURNAMENTS AND PRACTICES, ONLY FIVE PLAYERS PER TOURNAMENT

T R ACK & F I E L D ATHLETES WARM-UP AND PRACTICE ONLY WITH THEIR EVENT GROUP, FEWER TEAMS ALLOWED AT MEETS AND LARGE MEETS CANCELED

B OYS T E N N I S PLAYERS SOCIAL DISTANCE DURING PRACTICE, GROUPS OF PLAYERS SHARE DIFFERENT BALL HOPPERS

TO P L E F T | S e n i o r Lu c y H ar t m an do dges a defe n de r i n a dr i l l du r i n g l ac rosse t r yo u ts. photo by emily pollock A B OV E | Senior Addie Dunbar looks for a pass during the 3 v. 2 drill for lacrosse tryouts. photo by emily pollock L E F T | Girls lacross coach Joe Pindell talks to the junior and senior girls about the next drill in lacrosse tryouts. photo by emily pollock

G I R L S S O CCE R PLAYERS PRACTICE AND PLAY WITH MASKS ON, CANNOT HUDDLE TOGETHER AT THE END OF GAMES AND PRACTICES

GIRLS SWIM CO MIN G UP T HIS MONTH A few important sporting events in the future

MA RCH

13

M ARC H

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B OYS B A K S E T B A L L

B O Y S G O L F | VA R S I T Y

| VA R S I T Y S T A T E

I N V I TAT I O N A L @

CHAMPIONSHIP @ TBA

SHOAL CREEK GOLF COURSE

ARE YOU TRYING OUT FOR A SPRING SPORT? Instagram poll of 269 votes

47% YES 53% NO SCAN ME | TRYOUT SCHEDULE Scan the QR code to view the tryout schedule for spring sports

SHORTER PRACTICE, SWIMMERS TRY OUT IN TWO SEPARATE GROUPS

SCAN ME | GALLERY Scan the QR code to access the gallery from the girls varsity basketball game against Olathe South on Feb. 26

28 | SPORTS

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by kate heitmann photos by charlotte emley & mj wolf

One year after the initial lockdown, sophomores have had to adapt after losing their freshman season of spring activities by ben b ra dl ey

“THERE’S GOING TO be a two-week spring break,” was spread amongst group chats only a few days after spring activities had begun. What seemed like exciting news at the time turned into a loss of the then-freshmen’s first spring sport seasons.

Though the news was devastating, it also brought new opportunities over the never-ending quarantine. Some students dedicated that time to practice in hopes to improve for their — hopefully — full-length season this year.

G IRLS SOCCE R AFTER MAKING THE varsity soccer team last year as freshmen, now-sophomores Cate Holzbeierlein and Ashley Koch are going into the spring with high hopes of a complete season with their team.

“I am super excited to actually meet and get to know my teammates,” Holzbeierlein said. “And play an actual season.”

Even though she was disappointed to lose her freshman season, Holzbeierlein didn’t stop working through quarantine and into the summer. She began practicing on her own with a small group of players, eventually going back to her club team that she plays with year-round.

While she normally plays center back, Holzbeierlein took this time to adapt and play new positions on the team. Whether her teammates were out for injuries or exposures, she was able to fill in for them. She hopes it will be a useful skill for this season at East.

Jumping right into club soccer, Koch was ready to keep active and fit for upcoming season. According to Koch, the pandemic wasn’t much of an issue while playing for her club team. However, there were smaller restrictions, such as less traveling with her team and mask wearing.

Koch’s biggest concern heading into the season is still COVID. She fears how easy it is for a team to get quarantined and with East going back fully in-person, the chances of getting it might be higher.

“I don’t want to start playing on the team and then have a repeat of last year where we are suddenly all out again,” Koch said.

Finally, a year after they read the first varsity roster, they are going to be able to put on their Lancer soccer socks and lace their cleats.

BASEBALL SOPHOMORE LUC PRENDIVILLE felt like a freshman again heading into the baseball’s pre-season conditioning. He’d been through this part before — including the daily workouts and trips to the batting cage — but had only experienced a week of actual practice with the team.

“It’s almost like I am trying out for the first time,” Prendiville said. “The coach didn’t really get to see us play last year and he doesn’t have a good grasp of what type of players we are.”

With a limited number of spots this year, sophomores like Prendiville have just as much of a chance to make it as the freshmen.

Both sophomore Cade Austin and Prendiville played on their club teams over quarantine and the East off-season to work toward this year.

“I played in the fall, practiced with my team in the winter and have been doing morning weights at East,” Prendiville said. “I was really just trying to do as much as I could.”

Austin feels as though there isn’t that much of a difference between this year and last year, so he felt prepared heading into tryouts.

“Obviously I still get nervous,” Austin said.

“But I am just trying to focus on this year and making a team.”

THE ATER WHEN GOING INTO theater this year, neither sophomores Caroline Kanaley or Delaney McDermed expected rehearsing to be as difficult as it was — masks and distancing have forced them to adapt to the challenge of reading actors’ emotions.

“In a way the masks are kind of nice because we have learned to use body language,” Kanaley said. “It’s been hard sometimes, but I think it will help us in the future.”

Kanaley looked forward to Friday every week last year, as she would wait in line at The Little Theatre entrance for Frequent Fridays. Frequent Fridays are a thing of the past this year, with only two being put on virtually so far.

“This year has definitely put a huge strain on theater,” Kanaley said. “It’s really hard to do theater from a Webex meeting.”

Without being fully in-person, there hasn’t been much activity in the theater program.

Students have to attend the class in-person in order to participate, which leads to challenges of students feeling uncomfortable with the risks.

“It’s been really hard to do what I love,” McDermed said. “There haven’t been many productions, and the ones we have had were online.”

The theater program put on their fall play “Animal Farm” virtually this year, where students faced the challenge of portraying their character over a screen.

McDermed and Kanaley are hoping for

a normal spring play this year, but understand that it’s unlikely. Even though there will most likely be a production, a live audience will be lacking.

“I heard that after the play the cast usually celebrates by going to IHOP late after cleaning up,” Kanaley said.

“It’s sad that I won’t get to experience that until probably my junior year.”

SCAN ME | STORY Scan to read about the experiences of sophomores in Latin and on the golf team with COVID-19, one year after lockdown

design by riley atkinson

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2020

SPORTS | 29

GROWING THROUGH ROWING Junior Ella Heide rows competitively and is working to commit for college soon

by e lizabeth mikkelson

T

here’s nothing more exhilarating for junior Ella Heide than using her last ounce of energy to make one more paddle, passing the boat next to hers and finally knowing that the countless nights spent at home on the rowing machine paid off.

Heide has always been surrounded by rowing, as both of her parents were part of a recreational rowing team in the past — this made having a rowing machine in their home a necessity. It wasn’t until sophomore year that Heide’s mom suggested she join a local rowing club.

Heide’s success in other sports such as volleyball and basketball led her mom to believe she would be able to pick up the sport quickly. “[My parents] thought it was a lot of fun, and then my mom was like ‘you’re tall, you’d be good at it,’ so it was kind of floating around that maybe I should try it,” Heide said.

After not having a fall sport her sophomore year, Heide’s training at the Kansas City Boat Club (KCBC) began during the fall athletic season. Her free time allowed her to take the next step and begin competitively training through erging — rowing on a machine that measures work exerted.

Although only starting a little over a year ago, Heide ergometer

A row i ng m a chi n e th a t c lose l y a p p roxi m a tes the a c t ua l row i ng m oti o n, know n a s a n “e rg” by rowe rs.

has talked with universities and plans to commit to a college for rowing next year — a goal she hopes to reach by continuing her two-hour practices four times a week as well as rowing competitions.

“It’s mostly steady state rowing but sometimes [my coach] will have us do technique or do a couple sprint pieces, but we usually just row up and turn around,” Heide said.

The main factor that most prestigious colleges look at when scouting rowers is the 2,000 meter (about one and a quarter mile) time, which according to Heide, is around seven and a half minutes for the D1 schools in the northeast that she’s hoping will recruit her.

Heide is confident that she’ll be able to reach that approximate seven-and-a-half minute benchmark by the end of spring season.

“My time’s at just under eight minutes right now, so hopefully by the end of the school year I’ll get it in good shape to get recruited,” Heide said.

Many of Heide’s club practices revolve around aiming to lower the amount of time it takes to row 2,000 meters.

This is done by improving her strokes, along with strengthening her overall form and approach to result in the most effective and efficient time. In addition to practices, Heide spends time at home rowing on her personal machine to help her drop time.

Also playing on the East JV basketball team, Heide

has struggled to make time to keep up with training while balancing other academic and extracurricular pursuits.

“It’s obviously hectic playing basketball, so I fall in and out of consistency with being able to erg six days a week, but I’m trying to get [my time] down,” Heide said.

Heide’s coach at KCBC Phil Donnellan has seen the work she puts in and out of practice. Donnellan helps her with techniques and form during practice in order to help her improve her time and prepare her for the college scouting process.

“Ella picked it up pretty well, pretty quickly and progressed well technique-wise,” Donnellan said. “Ella started as a sophomore [and] that’s plenty early enough to row in college.”

Along with the support of her coach, Heide’s family has played an important role in her commitment to rowing. Heide’s sister and East senior Anna Heide has witnessed Ella’s dedication and drive toward the sport throughout the past year.

“She’s been working really hard, there are times when she’s like rowing until midnight repeatedly to try and get that time,” Anna said.

“She’s a lot more motivated than I ever really could’ve expected her to be.”

In addition to seeing her sister’s practices and training through the winter and spring season, Anna also describes her sister’s effort during lockdown, when she was unable to row on the water.

“It was a big part of her quarantine as well because since we couldn’t go anywhere she was on the rowing machine like every day,” Anna said.

She’s been working really hard, there are times when she’s like rowing until midnight repeatedly to try and get that time. She’s a lot more motivated than I ever could’ve expected her to be.

B E L O W | Heide and her team racing in the Frostbite Regatta in November 2019. They were in the mixed gender quad race and they got second place. photo from ella heide

P R A C T I C E B R E A K D OW N

The most important items to bring to practice and their schedule

WATER BOTTLE

L AYERS

rowers sho uld b r ing a f ull b ottle of wa ter ever y p ra ctice

la yers a nd a ra in shell wo r k well fo r inclement wea ther

MON, WED, THURS

SATURDAY

5 : 3 0 -7: 3 0 p. m .

10-12 a.m.

R OW I N G T E R M S The most common terms in competitive rowing

anna heide | senior Despite the season being altered and adjusting to training methods, Heide always looks forward to her time on the water and the experiences she’s had with the team.

“It’s calming when you’re on the water just doing the same thing over and over,” Heide said.

“If we row far enough one direction, we can see the Kansas City skyline, [so] it’s just little things like that.”

COXSWAIN perso n w ho steers the sh ell a nd is o n -the-wa ter co ach fo r the crew

BOW

OAR

SWING

the fo rwa rd used to d r ive the ha rd -to sectio n of the b o a t fo r- d ef ine feeling the b o a t & ward: rowers w hen nea r the f irst p a r t d o not use p erfect synof the b o a t p a d d les chro niza tio n to cross the of motio n f inish line o ccurs in the shell

*information from kcboatclub.com

30 | SPORTS

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by caroline wood photo by emily pollock

Dance Fit Flow brings fun styles of dance to Kansas City in an inclusive setting by pai ge za doo

A

s Beyonce’s “Love On Top” blared throughout the studio, senior Reilly Kenney could barely hear his own heartbeat in the Intermediate to Advanced Hip Hop/Jazz class in full swing.

The balance of dance steps and workout routines left Kenney eager to return.

Kenney works out at Dance Fit Flow: a workout studio founded by former NFL Cheerleaders Kerri Pomerenke and Lauren Boyd. The idea of the class is to combine the fun of dancing with the benefits of working out. Missing their days as members of the team, the two women decided to build a challenging, unique dance-based company that brings a positive vibe to the Kansas City workout community, according to General Manager Natalie Wolfe.

“They’re two very best friends who wanted to create a studio where people could come with all different types and levels of dance skills looking to be able to get a good workout while dancing and having a blast with no judgment or any of that,” Wolfe said. “We have an understood mission statement throughout our company and classes that we’re leading a movement for those to keep their passion for dance alive.”

The studio, classes and instructors all together create a unique way to work out and feel good about yourself, according to Kenney.

“The environment was really positive and encouraging, I didn’t feel bad about not being able to follow along to the dance as well as the others,” Kenney said. “All in all, it was a great way to break a sweat while forgetting that you’re even working out.”

The studio has three different categories of classes: Dance Choreography, Dance Fitness

and Purely Fitness workout classes. For Kenney, the wide range of workout options makes it easy to find the perfect class.

When participating in dance choreography classes, the participants are taught dance steps and routines from a range of dance styles including ballet, hip hop, contemporary and jazz.

The goal of the classes is to balance conventional workouts and dance combinations in order to get people’s heart rates up, according to Wolfe. Regardless of whether you’re an experienced dancer, fitness classes like barre and sculpt offer a less dance-focused alternative.

We have an understood mission statement throughout our company and classes that we’re leading a movement for those to keep their passion for dance alive.

natalie wolfe | general manager “These classes are for people who can have little to no dance training but can still dip their toe into the water,” Instructor Topher Benjamin said. “My goal is to be inclusive and make everyone feel comfortable like they can move freely in a safe environment, I don’t create dance steps or routines that are solely for advanced dancers in a beginner, open level class. I create my dance combinations and routines so everyone can enjoy them.”

Instructors follow a Dance-Fit-Flow formula that correlates with the style they’re doing — whether that be a hip hop or yoga class — to ensure consistency and keep classes

A B O V E | Sophomore Francesca Stamati toured Dance Fit Flow and saw how the colorful, light-filled studio represents the brand.

interesting.

The formula begins with introductions or icebreakers that lead into a warm-up such as stretching or cardio. The main portion of the class is designed by instructors in their own unique way but still adheres to the specific type of class like a new dance routine in a choreography class or barre lesson in a barre class. And they end with cheering for each other while cooling down.

“We don’t want our clients to feel like they are just taking the same classes,” Wolfe said.

“But we want everyone to try and achieve the same concepts we try to teach.”

However, Dance Fit Flow does have an age restriction of 18 and up unless you’re an experienced dancer. Sophomore Sofia Blades, who has been dancing for the past several years, has attended these classes at Dance Fit Flow and has found their classes to be exciting and challenging.

“The owners created the studio and classes this way so adults can have an outlet with no fear of judgment,” Wolfe said. “This company is built around the fact that people who want to dance or had a background in it or simply just want to workout in enjoyment can experience all of that.”

Blades feels that Dance Fit Flow perfectly combines the feeling of accomplishment after a workout with the feeling of joy while dancing. Located at 1700 Locust St in Downtown KC, Blades recommends any East student or parent to try it out.

“They have some of the coolest and most unique classes I’ve ever taken,” Blades said. “It’s a really empowering and exciting environment.”

SCAN ME | WEBSITE Scan the QR code to go to Dance Fit Flow’s website where you can see their upcoming classes

LO CATIO N | 1700 Locu st Street, S u ite 300 Kan sas Cit y, MO 6 4108

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by sarah golder

PHOTOSTORY | 31

RESPONDERS IN TRAINING

East students attending Project Blue Eagle, a specialty program at the Career and Technical Center, spend school days training to be future first responders R I G H T | With the help of teacher Ed Morrison and a classmate, sophomore Jayden Schuessler helps raise a fire extinguisher up to his teammates above. photo by annakate dilks

ABOVE | Sophomore Jayden Schuessler practices tying a Clove Hitch knot around a water hose while a firefighter from the Lenexa Search and Rescue Canine Unit supervises. Schuessler didn’t know what he wanted to do before finding the program during his freshman orientation last year: “I was mind blown by what we could do as sophomores during the fire schooling and the things we get to mess around with almost every day.” photo by annakate dilks

LEFT | Senior Calvin Stry practices tying a Water Knot around a Smoke Ejector Fan. Stry and the other students practiced tying knots on various items including ladders, hoses and halligan bars for the hands-on portion of their class. photo by annakate dilks

RIGHT | After filling a fire extinguisher up with water and equalizing the air pressure, sophomore Ryder Ingram (left) and another classmate empty the extinguisher before testing them on fire. photo by elise madden RIGHT | One of the Blue Eagle program instructors sets an empty trash can on fire before his students take turns testing different fire extinguishers. photo by elise madden

32 | ALT-COPY

THE HARBINGER | MARCH 08, 2021

design by tommy paulus

A FRIE NDLY SUGGESTION

A look at the new and revised versions of quarantine trends as we approach the one year anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown

by peyton moore

THE CREATIVE

THE FOODIE OLD RECIPE:

OLD ACTIVITY:

SCAN ME | RECIPE

BANANA BRE AD

JOURNALING

Scan to view a step-by-step description of how to make seitan chicken

NEW ACTIVITY:

NEW ACTIVITY: BURN AFTER WRITING IF OUR SIX-MONTH

summer had you venting in your personal journal about childhood memories or any recent drama like I did, you will love “Burn After Writing.” This guided journal features prompts about everything from your intentions for life to some questionable “would you rathers?” Check i t out anytime you’re feeling uninspired.

SCAN ME | WEBSITE Scan to view “Burn After Writing” on Amazon

SEITAN CHICKEN JUST RECENTLY BLOWN

up on TikTok, Seitan Chicken is a dish made solely from wheat gluten. It may feel like a science project, but when combining flour and liquid this nutritious and vegan chicken substitute will form in a matter of minutes.

THE EXERCISER OLD ACTIVITY: CHLOE TING WORKOUT

NEW ACTIVITY: SWE AT THEORY CL ASS FOUNDATIONS: PURIFICATION

REL AXATION

MOOD

T H E T V WATCH E R OLD SHOW: OUTER BANKS NEW SHOW: MURDER ON MIDDLE BEACH IF YOU KEEP

finding the cast of “Outer Banks” on your Instagram explore page, take a second to watch the mysterious fourpart documentary “Murder on Middle Beach”. The documentary follows the murder case of Barbara Hamburg and is directed by her son, Madison Hamburg. This true story, available on

ADDING ITS OWN

twist on yoga, Sweat Theory is an infrared sauna yoga studio offering hour-long yoga workouts. The vigorous classes will leave you drenched in sweat, but they’ll give you clear skin, a boosted mood, improved circulation and a killer workout. Although it’s located fairly far away in the heart of the Crossroads at 170 E 19th St KCMO, 64108, the intense workout will make your trip worth it.