the harbinger.
HER GUIDING LIGHT Senior Lucy Jones’ faith and youth group helped ease her transition of staying in Kansas City while her family moved to California
SHAWNEE MISSION EAST
7500 MISSION ROAD
PRAIRIE VILL AGE, KS 66208 N O V E M B E R 0 9, 2 0 2 0
VOLUME LXIII ISSUE 4
I felt that [my] youth group was something God had given me and that was so wonderful. That was just tying me here — this is something that I’ve been given and I want to walk that out to its entirety.
P10 OPINION
FREE TO BE FEMININE by pho e be he ndo n
P20
NASA NOVICE
P29
FE ATURE
by kelly murphy
SPORTS
HOME OF THE... CHIEFS?
by sa m f reu n d
02 | INSIDE COVER
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
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STO RIE S ARTIST OF THE WEEK
CHEM CLUB Scan to read Madeline Funkey’s story on East students’ online Chem club
Scan to read Allison Wilcox’s story on sophomore Kurt Freeman who produces and performs alternative music
V I D E OS
GA L L E R I E S
VOTING
BOYS SOCCER REGIONAL FINALS Scan to view Liv Olson’s video on a look at early voting with staffer Sarah Golder
CARTO O N | n atal i e sc h o l z
cover design by rose kanaley cover photo by trevor paulus
Scan to view Elise Madden’s shots of boys varsity soccer, who fell to SMW 0-1 in regional finals
PRINT EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley ONLINE EDITORS Riley Atkinson Lauren West ASST. PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Annabelle Moore ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood HEAD COPY EDITORS Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox PHOTO EDITORS Sarah Golder Trevor Paulus Julia Percy ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Noelle Griffin Elise Madden Megan Stopperan MOBILE MEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Megan Biles VIDEO EDITOR Lawder DeSantis ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Sydney Williams VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Roberto Galicia BROADCAST EDITORS Sam Freund Megan Stopperan ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Brett Pendland Liv Olson PHOTO MENTORS Taylor Keal Megan Biles Annakate Dilks MJ Wolf STAFF WRITERS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Campbell Wood Celia Condon Sophie Henschel Annabelle Moore Allison Wilcox Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Sydney Newton Ethan Enderle Lily Billingsley Kelly Murphy Elizabeth Mikkelson Tommy Paulus Sydney Decker Peyton Moore Lauren Dierks Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Cesca Stamati Winnie Wolf Madeline Funkey Grace Tucker Emma Brown Gibbs Morris
Ben Bradley Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Nora Lynn Mia Vogel Caroline Gould COPY EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Winnie Wolf Lily Billingsley Elizabeth Mikkelson Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Kelly Murphy EDITORIAL BOARD Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Lily Billingsley SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL PRINT Sydney Newton NEWS PRINT Lauren Dierks ONLINE Caroline Wood OPINION PRINT Elizabeth Mikkelson ONLINE Winnie Wolf FEATURE PRINT Grace Tucker ONLINE Lyda Cosgrove A&E PRINT Tommy Paulus ONLINE Kate Heitmann SPORTS PRINT Peyton Moore ONLINE Cesca Stamati PAGE DESIGNERS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Riley Atkinson Sophie Henschel Celia Condon Allison Wilcox Annabelle Moore
Elizabeth Mikkelson Lily Billingsley Lauren Dierks Sydney Newton Winnie Wolf Kate Heitmann Grace Allen Grace Tucker Cesca Stamati Peyton Moore Madeline Funkey Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Nora Lynn Caroline Gould ART EDITOR Celia Condon STAFF ARTISTS Natalie Scholz Sophie Henschel Mia Vogel Lauren Dierks Sophie Lindberg Maria Morrissey STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Emma Kate Squires Maggie Merckens Hadley Chapman Emily Pollock Maggie Klump Tristen Porter Rachel Bingham Molly Schumm Ella Hans Eva Berkley Macy Crosser Helen Rice Lily Mantel Sabrina Dean VIDEO STAFF Lawder DeSantis Sydney Williams Liv Olson Megan Stopperan Roberto Galicia Brett Pendland SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Annabelle Moore ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sophie Henschel SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Mia Vogel Sydney Decker Megan Biles Grace Tucker Julia Percy Celia Condon Lyda Cosgrove Kelly Murphy Grace Allen Anna Mitchell Liv Olson Paige Zadoo ADS MANAGER Caroline Wood CIRCULATION MANAGER Lyda Cosgrove SOCIAL CHAIRS Peyton Moore Tommy Paulus CONTEST COORDINATOR Celia Condon
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
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EDITORIAL | 03
LET’S FLIP HYBRID
W
Hybrid model learning is less effective for students than online, with several potentially more beneficial alternatives
alking into the half-empty, columbia blue halls covered with social distancing signs and directional arrows for the first time in six months excited many students who chose to attend in-person school. Even though we’re unable to offer a smile or hug to our now-masked teachers, that small sense of normalcy should have felt right — that is, until the lack of learning time we are now given is taken into consideration. By the time hybrid learning began, most students were finally settled into the online learning schedule. Some rolled out of bed and over to their computers right at 7:39 a.m., while others had a strict 6 a.m. schedule in place for personal success. Most importantly, students were in class five days a week and learning new material for five to six hours a day on a structured schedule. As soon as SMSD announced that high school students would return to campus with a hybrid-model schedule starting Monday, Oct. 26, it was undeniable that the first weeks back would be filled with uncertainty and confusion for students and teachers. But the current system isn’t making the cut for efficient learning, with students getting almost half the class time they would online and not being held accountable for material on their remote days. The hybrid system has students with last names A-Lamb attending school in-person on a block schedule Monday and Tuesday, and students with last names Lamc-Z attending class on Wednesday and Thursday. On the days each cohort — or last name group — isn’t there, they have “remote” classes. Friday classes are completely remote for all students. The problem is that this schedule only requires students to attend each class twice a week — leaving remote days completely up to the individual student to learn the material on their own and stay productive. Students are required to check into their seminar for five to 10 minutes via WebEx on the days they are online for attendance, but other than
F O R : 1 0 AGA I N ST: 2 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
that, the day is mostly up to them. Following the school’s recommendation, most teachers aren’t requiring students to join WebEx on the days they are remote. While a few classes do request students’ attendance on the days they’re remote, there are dozens more that don’t make up for the lack of time spent learning. Teachers have been told to post remote work for students on Canvas, but the tasks seem to consist of assignments the second half of the alphabet hasn’t been introduced to — forcing students to self-teach or fill out pointless busy work like six repetitive Anatomy worksheets or redundant review videos.
The current system isn’t making the cut for efficient learning, with students getting almost half the class time they would online As for the days students are in classes, teachers will likely use these days for assessments or labs to prevent cheating and dishonesty on the exams. The drawback? We don’t get to spend that valuable time in-person learning content and material to do well on those tests. While some standard-level classes have the flexibility to omit content from the curriculum they don’t have enough time to learn, AP or IB classes likely won’t get through all of the information to ensure students’ success on AP or IB exams. Those students don’t get any leeway, as they need to learn the information by the test date in May — if not in class, then on their own. Some AP teachers are assigning videos for the students to watch at home on top of class lectures and assignments in order to cover all material. Other teachers have opted for a flipped classroom approach to hybrid learning. In a flipped classroom, students
watch lectures for homework and complete assignments during online or in-person days, ensuring enough time for questions and hands-on learning. With very few options, this seems to be the best approach to hybrid learning that all teachers who are willing, and able, should take. Something else teachers can improve on is clarity in instruction on remote days. Logging onto Canvas and seeing a mere list of assignments is not how we are going to improve on the current learning situation. The district or school has the ability to standardize how teachers organize their Canvas page — especially where they post information for online students so that everyone knows where to look. The district also has the ability to make changes to its hybrid policy to make the schedule more effective. Attendance should still be mandatory on online days for students to WebEx into class in order to ensure students are getting as much learning time as possible, while still having responsibilities. No teacher, student or system will be completely flawless and effective amidst the current COVID-19 crisis, and no one person or board is to blame. But there needs to be change, and that can start with something as simple as teachers being more clear about instruction on remote days, or experimenting with a flipped classroom to ensure maximum learning time for all students. This system just isn’t cutting it— for both teachers and students. Understandably, the current conditions make inperson learning challenging in the first place, but only seeing teachers and learning content twice a week is an inferior alternative to at least having the consistency of learning remotely every day of the week. Although teachers, the school and the district have the chance to make the most of it with simple alternatives such as opting for a flipped classroom, enforcing mandatory attendance on remote days or even simply reorganizing Canvas to make remote instruction clear to make hybrid learning more effective.
ED I TO R I A L PO L I 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 | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
NEWS
by liv olson
LOCAL
HIGHLIGHTS
Catch up on school, local and national news
Overland Park to improve safety on Metcalf Ave.
IN THE COMING weeks, Overland Park is looking into adding safety measures across Metcalf Avenue between both 75th and 79th street. According to Fox 4 News, that stretch held a recent fatality this past summer — a hit-and-run in July — which put new urgency on finding a short-term solution for this busy stretch of road. “I want action towards a more walkable Metcalf,” City Council Member Logan Heley said in an interview with the Shawnee Mission Post. “But we need to make sure we’re doing it in the right way. I don’t want to see any half-funded or halfthought-out initiatives just to show we’re trying to do something.” In the same interview, Council Member Faris Farassati suggested that the city get pedestrian-friendly input from nearby residents before they move forward with
N AT I O N A L
A B O V E | Photo illustration of sophomore Libby McShane wearing an “I Voted” sticker after voting in the Shawnee Mission School District electon
EAST
SMSD holds a mock election for all students K-12
THE SHAWNEE MISSION School District (SMSD) held a virtual mock election for K-12 students between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2. Every student was allowed one vote that had to be submitted on campus. “Mock elections are a common way to teach about citizen rights and responsibilities,” Director of Curriculum Darren Dennis said. “I am a former social studies teacher, so I was thinking about how we could tie the election in with our curriculum when I put this together.” Due to COVID-19, the election was held electronically via E-voice voting — the website students submitted their ballots through. Each student ballot included voting options for the President, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Meant to simulate a real Kansas ballot, candidates from Republican, Democratic and
design by lauren dierks photo by julia percy
Libertarian parties were present for the races in which candidates were running. In order to mimic the national Electoral College system, SMSD assigned each school a proportion of the total number of electoral votes for a total of 527. Shawnee Mission East was given 31 electoral votes. Sophomore Libby McShane supports SMSD participating in another mock election in the future. “Not being able to vote in this election sucks because this is one of the most important elections that our nation has ever seen,” McShane said. “But [this mock election] encourages us to be able to exercise our right to vote, even though it doesn’t really count for anything. And especially for kids who’ve never thought of voting before, it plants a seed in something that will hopefully get bigger and grow by the next election.”
any decisions. “If the community strongly feels their safety is at risk, we should plan on fixing the problem with any amount of dollars,” Farassati said. East senior Thomas Voorhies feels that adding safety procedures — such as an additional stop light — would improve the walkability of the area. “It’s been a while since I’ve been a pedestrian, just walking around, but as someone who does go around in that area a lot, it’s very clear how that whole area is pretty outdated and very barebones compared to everything around us,” Voorhies said. “So I don’t know if I can say specifically what would be the ideal solution, it’s probably going to be a couple of years before we see anything massive, but I think [a stoplight] is a good place to start.”
CDC allows cruise ships to set sail on Nov. 1
ON OCT. 30, after months of restrictions, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that cruise ships will be allowed to set sail again — with strict safety protocols. This new order is called the Framework for Conditional Sailing, which senior Elisa Byer feels is a selfish and risky move. “I just think with the amount of cases that are in the world right now, especially in the United States, the last vacation someone needs to go on is a floating death trap like a cruise,” said Byer. The CDC reported that procedures will include extensive testing, quarantine measures and social distancing, however they have not disclosed whether or not masks will be mandated. According to the CDC, cruise ships will be required to restart operations in phases. The first phase will focus on ensuring that ship operators have enough substantial health and safety protocols to build the laboratory capacity needed to test future passengers. Later phases will involve simulated voyages, where volunteers will test out the safety procedures before passengers are allowed to board. Cruise ships will not be allowed to launch passenger operations until they meet all the requirements and are granted a COVID-19 sailing certificate from the CDC.
Once passengers are allowed to come on board, cruise ships will be required to provide testing of all passengers and crew — both on the day of departure and the day of arrival. Passengers who test positive for COVID-19 before the voyage will not be allowed on board. Those who test positive before disembarking will be required to be isolated from the rest of the passengers and crew and then transferred to a hospital on shore. All the remaining passengers and nonessential crew will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine. Most cruise companies — such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney — have canceled all U.S. cruises through the rest of the year despite the lift on the ban. However, American Cruise Lines is planning to reopen and set sail on Dec. 5. Cruises will not be allowed to exceed a seven-day trip. Because many cruise lines have reported major losses in revenue over the last seven months, the CDC reasoned that the benefits of the new framework outweigh the costs of not allowing cruise ships to sail. “This framework provides a pathway to resume safe and responsible sailing,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in a CDC media statement. “It will mitigate the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks on ships and prevent passengers and crew from seeding outbreaks at ports and in the communities where they live.”
M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R NOV. 12
GROUP PICTURE DAY
NOV. 19
PICTURE RETAKE DAY
NOV. 13
DEBATE TOURNAMENT
NOV. 23
FIRST DAY OF THANKSGIVING BRE AK
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by nora lynn photo by maggie merckens
SMSD
NEWS | 05
SMEF made a documentary, SMSD Strong, in place of their annual fundraising breakfast
TOG ETHER by mia vogel
T
he Shawnee Mission Education Foundation has created a documentary called SMSD Strong, a film that highlights the “grit” of the SMSD community during the pandemic, in place of their annual fundraising breakfast. A donation on the SMEF website prior to Nov. 3 was required to view the documentary. The documentary link was sent out at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 to those who donated, and they’ll have the option to watch the movie live or any time after. Just as in a normal year, the money raised will be reallocated into student programs such as Scholarship Shawnee Mission. The documentary will be released to the public sometime in the next few months after ticket buyers have been able to experience it. After debating whether or not the fundraising breakfast should be held in-person by the board, SMEF came to the decision that an in-person breakfast was not an option in late September. SMEF has hosted the breakfast for the past 30 years to raise funds for their programs for the upcoming school year. Typically, 1,200 community members would enjoy breakfast as they watched students and administrators present highlights of the past year and plans for the next, but this year’s fundraiser will honor a few selected educators, administrators and students throughout the documentary. “We’re taking 2020 as it comes and making adjustments to [our plans],” Executive Director for SMEF Kimberly Hinkle said. “You just kind of have to throw your hands up and go with it.” Hinkle and her team brainstormed several ideas for how to host the breakfast virtually, including a talk or gameshow format. Ultimately, they settled on a documentary. SMEF has collaborated with SMSD Communications Office for the past breakfasts, and this year they worked together on the documentary, which features an expansion of the videos about SMSD’s various initiatives that have been shown every year of the breakfast. Senior Lee Marshall was featured in the documentary after he led The Coffee Bean book project over the summer. The documentary team contacted Marshall, interviewed him and got some footage of him discussing the book — which is about a man going through tough times — with teachers during the pandemic. Marshall was also part of SMSD’s Leadership
T r a i n i n g Mission Program and co-hosted the breakfast last year. The documentary primarily focuses on students taking charge of their individual education through SMSD’s featured programs such as Scholarship and Leadership Shawnee Mission, as well as the district’s perseverance throughout the pandemic and their plan for the future. “With a district as big as ours with so many things going on, obviously we can’t hit on everything,” Hinkle said. “We just kind of picked a few stories that kind of highlight all of the great stuff in Shawnee Mission.” Since the SMSD Communications Office had already gotten footage of students prior to the decision to go virtual, stringing it together into a documentary was the last bridge to be crossed. The documentary team filmed in its subjects’ driveways and on project sites, so there was no extra cost to the district in the making of the movie. “This is a fundraiser, so anytime you can save money that’s a benefit that’s just more money we get to spend on Shawnee Mission students through our programs,” Hinkle said. Despite documentary sales, fundraising totals are expected to decrease this year as the district’s corporate partners are coping with COVID-19 related budget shortages, but a lot of generosity has been seen from the Shawnee Mission community, according to Hinkle. The fundraiser has been heavily advertised on social media and the trailer was released Monday, Oct. 26 and had 345 views as of Nov. 2. “[The documentary is] a stunning piece of cinema and story-telling,” former SMEF President Anthony Springfield said. Though the documentary is intended to draw in money, SMEF wants everyone in the Shawnee Mission community to have the opportunity to view the documentary, which is why they’re releasing it publicly in a couple months. “We want to make sure that it remains a fundraiser because it’s really important for our programs, but we also want the broader community to be able to see it at a later time,” Hinkle said.
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
TEACHER DEVELOPEMENT
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS & FAMILIES
WHERE DO THE SMEF FUNDS GO? L E F T | S en i or Lee Ma rsh a l l si ts rea d i n g the b ook “ The Cof fee Bea n” th a t he d i sscu sed w i th tea chers an d passed around to other students to read during quarintine.
06 | NEWS FEATURE
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
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WAV E T H E W H E AT GOODBYE Students and doctors share their take on the noticeable increase in food allergies and how processed foods play a role in this
by carol i ne goul d
A
s sophomore Bella Lynch scoops ice cream for her job at Pop Culture, she wishes she could taste a bite of the cookie dough ice cream that used to be one of her favorite treats. But because of the dairy intolerance she discovered at the beginning of this year, Lynch has to stick to the dairy-free options. As teenagers like Lynch grow up, they’re finding that issues such as Lactose Intolerance, Celiac disease and other food allergies are becoming more common and talked about. According to the Center for Disease Control, children in the United States between the ages of 10-17 have experienced a growth in allergies since 1997. Of these kids, 3.4% had an allergy to food in 1997-1999, which has grown to 11% of kids in 20152017. Dr. Christine Khong — a family medicine physician with AdventHealth Prairie Village — has also noticed that the rise in food allergies may be due to the increased discussion about them. “I think that food intolerance wasn’t a topic that was commonly discussed, so when people have a reaction to a food they end up avoiding it,” Khong said. “But it wasn’t until recently [that] it’s been a studied topic.” East nurse Stephanie Ptacek was “shocked” by how many students at East have anaphylactic — severe and life threatening — food allergies. She’s not sure what’s causing this increase, but considers a few theories. “I’m not sure why there are so many allergies, I mean there’s some different theories, like maybe the kids aren’t exposed to the allergens early enough,” Ptacek said. “Or maybe it is that it might have to do with genetically modified food.” Khong thinks that food engineering has become so advanced that companies try to use ingredients — such as high fructose corn syrup and chemicals — that make their food more profitable for them and affordable for consumers, and our bodies have a hard time recognizing those ingredients. “With processed foods, there’s a good number of preservatives and really not natural ingredients that can make our body, which is not designed to break those down, have poor reactions,” Khong said. After complaining of frequent stomach problems, Lynch came to the conclusion that these stomach aches were the outcomes of a dairy sensitivity. And after cutting back on her dairy intake just to be sure, this proved to be the cause. Lynch agrees that processed foods are a primary factor in the worsening of food allergies. She also thinks that these allergies and processed foods are impacting people as they grow up. “I definitely think that processed foods, especially for people with gluten sensitivities, have hormones in dairy products and plants,” Lynch said.
“It’s caused a lot of sensitivities to people as they’ve gotten older.” Junior Anna Stover has an anaphylactic allergy to fish, as well as an egg allergy and Celiac disease. She’s continued to develop new food allergies, as she was born Lactose intolerant and found out about her allergy to fish only three years ago. “I’ve developed them, and I still continue to develop food allergies, so I always have to be really careful about what I eat,” Stover said. People with severe allergies like Stover have to be conscious about everything food-related — from what she packs for lunch to whether or not she can pick up a Starbucks drink after school. “I have to make sure I have everything prepared because I can’t just get food from anywhere like most people can,” Stover said. “I have to be really careful of things as simple as cross-contamination, and so I have to research restaurants before I eat there because I have to make sure they have things like separate fryers and all that fun stuff.”
T H E STATS
4.8 million
THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN U N D E R 18 W I T H F O O D A L L E R G I E S I N 2018
1 I N 13 C H I L D R E N I N T H E U.S. A R E A F F E CT E D BY A L L E R G I E S “I definitely think that processed foods, especially for people with gluten sensitivities, have hormones in dairy products and plants. It’s caused a lot of sensitivities to people as they’ve gotten older.”
bella lynch | sophomore Like Ptacek mentioned, Stover is sure that processed foods have worsened her allergies. Since processed foods often contain soy, chemicals, high fructose corn syrup and other ingredients that aren’t meant for the body, they contribute to Stover’s reactions. “I 100% [agree that processed food worsen my allergies], ‘’ Stover said. “At least from my personal experiences, I know that my body becomes way more reactive and more inflamed when I eat processed foods.” Stover thinks that as she’s become older, she’s met more and more people with allergies like herself. “I would definitely say that I’ve noticed [the rise in allergies] at least a little bit,” Stover said. “When I went to elementary school, there were maybe two kids in the entire school who had it, so there’s just been more and more as I’ve gotten older.” There are theories as to why so many people develop allergies as they get older — whether that be children not being exposed to it at a young enough age or the rise of processed foods — but doctors and researchers have yet to confirm the exact cause. In the meantime, Ptacek encourages teenagers with allergies to be wary because as they get older, they’re less protected by their parents and at more of a risk to being exposed to their allergens.
FOODS THAT ACCOUNT FOR THE MOST SERIOUS ALLERGIC REACTIONS IN THE U.S.
1 MILK 2 EGGS 3 CRUSTACEAN 4 SHELLFISH 8% 7%
5 WHEAT 6 SOY 7 PEANUTS 8 TREE NUTS
PERCENT OF CHILDREN IN THE U.S. WITH FOOD ALLERGIES
6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0%
1997-1999 2000-2002 2012-2014 2015-2017 *data from the Center for Disease Control
design by grace allen illustration by maria morrissey
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
NEWS | 07
BYE BY E B L ACK FRIDAY Black Friday sales are moving towards extended periods of sales and larger pushes on online shopping due to COVID-19
B
by sophi e lind berg
lack Friday sales will be primarily online this year due to COVID-19 concerns, and many companies have extended their sales to a full week or a full month because of crowding concerns and overall safety precautions, such as Nordstrom, Target, Urban Outfitters, Walmart, Kohl’s and Best Buy have chosen this new approach. The Black Friday website — blackfriday.com — displays a number of popular Black Friday retail stores including Kohl’s, Target and Walmart, that have been discussing plans for in-person shoppers. The website states that 25 stores have recently decided to remain closed on Thanksgiving to limit the crowds, store hours have been shortened and many companies are moving to online shopping platforms. Kohl’s has decided to extend their sales days to a confidential number, according to local store manager, Ashley Downing. She believes spreading out the sales will reduce crowing and hopefully make shopping a more positive experience. Downing recognizes the loss of revenue over the past couple of months, hopeful that Black Friday will bump their projections up and give a boost to the declining company in the midst of a pandemic. “We’re still down 50% percent to last year, it’s still billions of dollars. So there’s no way to sugarcoat that and make it better. But online business is helping to subsidize that loss. Up until recently, we haven’t even been close to doing what we did last year,” Downing said. “But as of October, we are starting to match what we did last year. I think that their hope is not that we’ll make up the billions of dollars that we’re down as a company, but that we will continue to grow for this season.” Even with the precautions, Kohl’s — along will several other stores — is still on the fence about how in-person Black Friday shoppers will be handled in a safe way. There’s still questions about how many people will come to the store and how the sales will be distributed. “It really is, as far as we’re concerned, a guessing game of what it will look like. Probably anywhere between 25 and 40% of the projected sales that we’ll do will be a more ‘buy online, pick up in store,’” Downing said. “But that still leaves me with over $100,000 in my tiny little store that we’ll do in actual sales between 5am and midnight, which means we’ll be very, very packed. So I think we’re all just going to be in kind of a learning zone.” In a company call released to Fox News, Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette decided to implement curbside pickups, transition to online shopping and execute other undisclosed options because he believes the crowds are a risk during the pandemic and companies will be blamed if outbreaks occur. Kohl’s has also started curbside pickup and has invested more time and energy into the online sites, which has proved to be profitable to a certain extent. “I think, you know, at this point, all stores are over 100% up to last year,” Downing said. “So we’re doing double what we did last year already in all of our online businesses, and
we expect that that will even grow further than double than what we did last year.” According to Downing, the changes to Black Friday have both positive and negative effects. Kohl’s will be closed on Thanksgiving day, which is the day they normally bring in the most revenue. They predict revenue will fall, but Downing says the staff is working hard to make up for it. However, the changes will bring positive impacts such as extended sales and safer conditions. Several stores and shops in Missouri are limited to a certain number of customers in stores for the annual sales. CNN predicts that online shoppers will make up over 40% of Black Friday customers. Senior Katheryn Nachtigal, a self-proclaimed online shopper addict, feels the shift to online shopping for Black Friday is a good idea. “I think that I’ll definitely try to stick to online shopping during the Black Friday sales just because I have a longer period of time,” Nachtigal said. “I think that’ll help me a lot instead of just having a day of a week, I would definitely take more advantage of that.” For Nachtigal, the new ways — like the week-long extent and shift to online shopping — that have changed this year are more realistic for the holiday, and would be smart to keep for future years. “I think that [keeping the new shopping model] would probably be the smarter decision just because it does give people a better chance to try and buy all these things,” Nachtigal said. “And by then I’m sure it helps companies make a little bit more money. I think it just makes it more convenient for everyone.”
DO YOU SHOP ON BLACK FRIDAY Instagram poll of 256 votes
57%
SCAN ME | WEBSITE Scan to see what retail stores’ plans are for the upcoming Black Friday sale.
QU I CK FACTS: *information from muchneeded.com
40%
OF BLACK FRIDAY SALES WILL BE ONLINE
67%
OF ONLINE SHOPPERS ARE PREDICTED TO MAKE QUICK PURCHASES ON THEIR PHONES
$60 $11
BILLION WAS SPENT LAST YEAR ONLINE FOR BLACK FRIDAY BILLION DOLLARS WAS SPENT IN PERSON LAST YEAR A DECLINE OF 1.8% FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR
YES
43% NO Junior Isabella Marquez agrees with Nachtigal and thinks that online shopping is the safer option this year. She also understands the appeal of online shopping because of its accessibility. “I feel like just because online shopping has become so popular recently, you don’t have to leave your house, you can just access it from anywhere,” Marquez said. “I think that’s pretty respectable honestly just with everything going on, everyone’s just trying to stay safe.” Marquez feels that the decision to extend sales and added online shopping for Black Friday has been taken well by the general public. To Marquez, the Black Friday modifications are examples of the new age of the new age of online shopping that has been caused by the pandemic. “I honestly think it will because it’s becoming so much more popular recently.” Marquez said. “And it’s just so much easier to access from your house, so you can do it even from your bed. I think it definitely would be more popular in the years to come.”
LOCAL SALES: N O R DSTO M : 50% O F F I N STO R E S A N D O N L I N E F R O M N OV. 20D E C 1. U R B A N O U T F I T T E RS: B UY- O N E - G E T- O N E 50% OFF
08 | OPINION
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
OPINION
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O P I N I O N AT E D
HIGHLIGHTS
HAVE YOU NOTICED AN EFFORT RECENTLY BY ANY FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS TO REDUCE THEIR CARBON EMISSIONS? Instagram poll of 177 votes
10% YES
A look into student opinions and the opinion section
E L E C T I O N D AY: B Y T H E H O U R S LO N G VOT I N G L I N E S O N # E L E C T I O N DAY A R E N ’ T U N U S UA L O R N E C E SS A R I LY A S I G N O F S O M E T H I N G N E FA R I O U S. T H E Y ’ R E O F T E N T H E P R O D U C T O F S O M E T H I N G A S S I M P L E AS H E AV I E R-T H A N - E X P E C T E D T U R N O U T. A N E W FAC TO R T H I S Y E A R I S S O C I A L D I STA N C I N G M E A S U R E S T H E A SS O C I AT E D P R E SS | 1 1 / 3 / 2 0 | 9 : 31 A M
W H E N W E F I N D O U R WAY T H R O U G H TO DAY ’S C R I S E S. . . I H O P E W E W I L L D I S C OV E R O N T H E OT H E R S I D E N E W A L L I A N C E S A N D A C L E A R E R V I S I O N O F W H O W E A R E A N D W H O W E WA N T TO B E , W R I T E S @ K E N B U R N S CNN OPINION | 11/3/20 | 11:45 AM
U S PS D I S R E GA R DS C O U R T O R D E R TO C O N D U C T SW E E PS I N 1 2 P OSTA L D I ST R I C TS A F T E R M O R E T H A N 3 0 0,0 0 0 B A L LOTS C A N ’ T B E T R AC E D. T H E P OSTA L S E R V I C E S A I D I N ST E A D I T WO U L D ST I C K TO I TS OW N INSPECTION SCHEDULE T H E WAS H I N GTO N P OST | 1 1 / 3 / 2 0 | 5: 25 P M
A F T E R T H E E L E C T I O N , D I F F E R E N T A M E R I C A N S W I L L H AV E D I F F E R E N T P R I O R I T I E S. B U T P U R S U I N G T H E M E F F E C T I V E LY R E Q U I R E S S P E A K I N G L E SS A B O U T “ T H E M ” A N D M O R E A B O U T “ U S, ” W R I T E S Y U VA L L E V I N N E W YO R K T I M E S O P I N I O N | 1 1 / 3 / 2 0 | 8 : 2 2 P M
ST U D E N T VS. N AT I O N A L P O L L I N G DO YOU RECEIVE MOST OF YOUR NEWS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS?
43%
57%
NO YES
18%
90% NO WOULD YOU SAY THAT MOST TEENAGE PEER PRESSURE RESULTS IN A NEGATIVE OUTCOME? Instagram poll of 228 votes
62% YES 38% NO HAVE YOU HEARD OF TIK TOK’S “HOLY TRINITY”? Instagram poll of 148 votes
18% YES 82% NO
C ATC H U P O N T H I S W E E K ’S ONLINE OPINIONS SCAN ME | CELEBRITY PRIVILEGE OPINION Scan here to read junior Grace Allen’s online opinion on celebrity privilege and why the Kardashians’ shouldn’t be ignorant about COVID-19 concerns
SCAN ME | ELECTORAL COLLEGE OPINION Scan here to read senior Elizabeth Mikkelson’s online opinion explaining the Electoral College system and why it’s important in American democracy
SCAN ME | TRUE CRIME OPINION Scan here to read senior Lily Billingsley’s opinion on the ever-changing true crime genre in today’s society
82% KEEP UP WITH US
EAST *from an @smeharbinger Instagram poll of 204 votes
NATIONAL *from Pew Research Center
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THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by riley atkinson
OPINION | 09
POSIT IVE P E E R PRESSURE Although peer pressure is portrayed in a negative light, some types can be beneficial to growth
F
by anna mi tchel l
rom Mean Girls to High School Musical, our generation grew up watching movies filled with scenes depicting high school peer pressure. Friends convincing the main character to throw a huge rager while their parents are gone or even something as simple as getting pushed towards your crush. And now that we’re actually in high school surrounded by hundreds of new and different people, these movie scenes are feeling a little too familiar. Students’ behavior is largely influenced by what their peers are doing –– whether it’s appearance, interests, other friends, involvement or daily routines. But there’s negative and positive sides to that pressure. Back in the fourth grade, the store Ivivva, the young girl version of Lululemon, became the new “thing.” I remember begging my mom to buy me new tank tops and cute green and blue patterned shorts, not necessarily because I wanted them, but because I’d seen my friends wearing them. I felt the pressure that if I didn’t, I wouldn’t keep those friends. I didn’t wear that stuff anymore than my free Nike hammydown shorts, but I thought my world would end if I didn’t use that money from my lemonade stand to really feel “cool”. In our teen years, everyone wants to “fit in,” which can result in succumbing to peer pressure. Media portrayal and discussions in elementary school seem to focus on the
negative outcomes of peer pressure, but some peer pressure can actually be positive and encouraging, pushing you out of your comfort zone and meeting new people who don’t just consist in the same circle of friends. Usually when someone hears the phrase “peer pressure,” they immediately think of being pressured to try a puff of a cigarette or “just a sip” of vodka –– especially parents.
Media portrayal and discussions in elementary school seem to focus on the negative outcomes of peer pressure, but some peer pressure can actually be positive and encouraging. They picture their kid behind bars after warning them before heading over to a friends basement hangout “Don’t feel pressured to do anything, okay? I’ll come pick you up.” That’s the typical parent mindset. Yet parents and teenagers alike fail to recognize that some peer pressure is healthy and can push people toward positive growth. As I watched all three of my older siblings throughout their high school years get involved with the Student Council, SHARE, sports and other general activities within the
school, I knew I’d do the same once I got to East. When I saw my peers getting into sports and activities that they hadn’t even tried yet, I felt positively pressured to do the same –– adding onto that already developed watching my sisters and brother take on East. Getting involved helped me meet new people and figure out important skills, like kindness from participating in an all girls National Charity League or communication from screaming across the soccer field. Friend groups can even help shape one’s personality, as being surrounded by good behavior can influence someone to improve themselves. For example, if you see your friend walk into the cafeteria with someone new or go try out a new yoga class, over time you’ll be more inclined to mirror that behavior and do the same. I know I’ve been placed in bad situations involving peer pressure, but even uncomfortable experiences ultimately help me in a positive way. Sitting in the basement of my friend’s house in eighth grade I hear in my ear, “C’mon Anna just one hit.” I know I can make up my own mind, but what if I lose all my friends? I know my mom would be so upset with me, but whatever, right? Obviously, I have now realized that if I did or didn’t take one puff nothing would happen with my friends.
Just a simple “no thank you” is all that is needed, and if your friends don’t accept that, that is when it is time to take a step back from the negative peer pressure and reassess. Although, that is what peer pressure does. Makes you uncomfortable and overthink to the point where both outcomes are bad, but then you learn from it and know how to avoid those negative experiences and don’t feel the need to “be cool.” For me, seeing my peers’ fashion and what is classified as “in style” within our class or school influences my decisions as much as I wouldn’t like to admit it. Being around a group of people a good amount usually results in appropriating the same behaviors and similar situations, whether they be good or bad. It’s important to reflect on situations you’ve been in. If you look back and feel that your actions weren’t who you really are, you can work to change how you handled it and avoid getting into the same situation in the future. While peer pressure has its negative moments and can result in consequences, feeling a positive kind of pressure that forces you to step out of your comfort zone and somehow grow from that experience is something that can provide nothing but improvement.
wa nna com e stud y w i th us?
N O M O RE NEGATI VE S Anna’s tips for avoiding negative peer pressure
1 2 3
BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR VALUES CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES KNOW YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE
HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED PEER PRESSURE?
Instagram poll of 196 votes
4 5 6
NOTICE THE VALUES OF THOSE AROUND YOU
to d a y! co m e wi th !
yo u sh o u l d t r yo u t fo r ch ee r to o !
STAND UP FOR YOURSELF ASK FOR ADVICE FROM A TRUSTED ADULT
DO YOU FEEL THAT IT COULD BE POSITIVE IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES?
com e workou t wi th m e a n d my f ri e n ds !
come g ra b a sa la d w ith me !
Instagram poll of 196 votes
87% YES
78% YES 22% NO
i ’ m g o i n g to b i o cl u b
13% NO
yo u sh o u ld a p p ly to th is co lleg e with m e !
10 | OPINION
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by rose kanaley photos from IMDb
F R E E TO B E F E M I N I N E Society needs to ignore gender norms like the trending TikTok “trinity” of men does by rejecting toxic masculinity
A
by phoebe hendon
fter scrolling through countless comment sections of teenage boys on TikTok criticizing girls for what feels like their every move, I start to completely lose my hope for the males in my generation. But for myself and the rest of TikTok’s teenage girl user base, occasional glimmers of hope illuminate our feeds, namely celebrities Timothée Chalamet, Harry Styles and Matthew Gray Gubler. Dubbed TikTok’s “holy trinity,” these three celebs have saturated the social media feeds and stolen the hearts of girls from coast to coast, myself included. For many young girls, these men are worthy of devotion because they preach kindness and acceptance while embracing their feminine sides — and I can’t say I see the same from my male peers. In a society with harmful, longstanding gender roles that leave many young boys afraid to unapologetically be themselves, these male celebrities should serve as role models to both genders. Within the trinity, each man largely represents a certain desirable trait. Contrary to popular belief, these men aren’t just swooned over because of their looks, but their compassion, confidence and rejection of toxic masculinity. Harry is admired for his kindness and avante-garde fashion sense, Timothée for being lighthearted and sensitive and Matthew for his undying ability to crack jokes that light up whatever room he’s in. As a die-hard Harry fangirl, I’m drawn to him not on the basis of his musical talent alone, but because he makes love and acceptance the foundations of his platform. He even turned his signature mantra, “Treat People With Kindness,” into his official brand. Many admire his inclusion of
typically-feminine clothing and accessories — he rocks nail polish and jewelry on the daily, even adorning dresses and skirts for photoshoots and outings. Many of the trinity’s fangirls obsess over their personal favorite because they’re able to adopt these men as a celebrity safe haven. My best friend adores Matthew because of his contagious laugh and down-to-earth persona; another one of my friends loves watching Timothée’s interviews because his kind demeanor makes her feel as if she knows him personally. I look up to Harry Styles because his growth over the course of his decadelong career from being a shy teenager to a confident adult shows me the value in owning your identity.
Kindness and respect are values every single person — regardless of gender — should adopt, and I’m tired of having to console far too many of my female friends every time they’re ridiculed or put down by teenage boys for things that make them happy. So while fans of the trinity enjoy the art they make and their personalities, we idolize them on a deeper level because we rarely see these same qualities in our male peers. I’ll never forget the boys at our school who’ve made condescending implications about my sexuality on the days I prefer jeans over leggings, or the boys who call girls sluts and whores behind their backs. I can’t imagine Timothée Chalamet would ever make fun of a boy for having rainbow-colored hair, yet I constantly see guys my age ridicule
other boys with eccentric appearances. Kindness and respect are values every single person — regardless of gender — should adopt, and I’m tired of having to console far too many of my female friends every time they’re ridiculed or put down by teenage boys for things that make them happy. Now, I can’t group and critique all men together in confidence. I’m lucky enough to have amazing and incredible men in my life. Sure, only a few of them go so far as to wear rings, but my boyfriend let me paint his nails once and I’m consistently shown acceptance and support from my male friends. But it’s still disheartening when I hear a friend tell me a boy called her a slut for rejecting his advances or learning some of my peers reject their male friends for coming out as gay. Of course, when it comes to expression, there’s nothing wrong with having preferences. Not every guy digs gold jewelry and pink nails, but when boys feel they can’t try these things out — or even worse, when they put down those who do — a problem arises: toxic masculinity. It’s the stereotypes we hear all throughout our adolescence school — “boy’s don’t cry” or “boys can’t wear pink” — that lay the groundwork for toxic masculinity as our earliest associations of the do’s and don’ts of what it means to “be a man,” ultimately teaching most boys to distance themselves from these fabricated “don’ts.” According to psychologist Niobe Way, it’s not the fault of young men that they feel they have to repress emotions and shy away from stereotypically feminine things, but the way society conditions them. All adolescents are inherently expressive, sharing close, loving relationships and showing their emotions unabashedly. But as we grow older, boys are taught to shy away from these things under
the guise that as men, vulnerability makes you weak. Later in life, as expressions of raw emotion are more frequently associated with femininity, some men develop anti-femininity complexes, often believing that masculinity is synonymous with strength and vulnerability makes you weak. But in the past decade, the door for boys and men to get in touch with their “feminine sides” has become wider and wider. Fashion is becoming increasingly androgynous, with celebrities like those in the trinity breaking gendered “rules,” and feminist movements and psychologists alike opening conversations about the consequences of toxic masculinity. But it’s an ongoing process, largely because vulnerability is a tough place for anyone to put themselves in. Dr. Emma Seppälä, a psychology professor at Yale and Stanford, argues that regardless of gender, humans have a tendency to fear vulnerability because we worry expressing “who we really are” may drive those we care about away. The cure for toxic masculinity hangs on a societal switch to embracing our “social and emotional capacities and needs” and making sure both genders are equally encouraged to nurture these needs, according to Way. The truth is, allowing yourself to be vulnerable and embrace your authentic self takes courage and practice. So for the boys scared to tell that girl how they feel, wear that pink shirt to school or confidently jam to Taylor Swift in the car, know that the strength it takes to be vulnerable is just as masculine as playing sports or obsessing over cars. And if you ever find yourself needing some encouragement, take a note from the girls and look to your celebrity saviors, the TikTok holy trinity.
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by allison wilcox photo by rachel bingham
O
OPINION | 11
O
CANCELING
CARB
N
Staffer’s opinion on how more food chains should follow in Panera’s efforts to reduce carbon with their new “Cool Food” menu by sydney decker
IT’S OFFICIAL — PANERA is saving 2020, and not just because of their newly-released chipotle chicken avocado melt sandwich. Panera has always been ahead of the game when it comes to their menus. About 10 years ago they were the first mainstream food establishment to include calorie counts — and now they’ll be the first to include the amount of carbon dioxide that’s released when producing menu items. Other food chains should follow Panera in their conservation efforts and adapt this addition to their menus. The release of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and climate change — and I for one would like to live past 30, so I’m always looking out for what I can do to help the environment. It seems that Panera feels the same, as their new menu feature encourages attempting to reduce the carbon footprint we leave in our everyday lives — and that starts with monitoring the food we eat, as the process of producing and raising livestock, for example, contributes to 20-50% of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere, according to GreenEatz.com. The restaurant labels any product that’s made using less than 5.38 kg of CO2 as a “cool meal.” This range includes the most environmentally-friendly options they offer, including a Mediterranean bowl with 1.74 kg of carbon dioxide on the safer side and the Fuji Apple Salad with chicken that takes 4.48 kg of carbon dioxide per meal. Items on the menu that have the badge tend to include vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts or seeds. Foods that pose higher threats of CO2 emissions are meat, dairy or any food that is high in sugar. These foods require cultivation and processing, which emits an excessive amount of carbon dioxide. Straying away from foods like these would decrease your carbon footprint and would decrease the release of greenhouse gases — a step toward eliminating global warming. Understandably, if the food is already made and the damage has already been done, it may seem pointless to go out of your way to make a climate-conscious decision. Choosing to eat a salad for lunch won’t automatically benefit the environment. It’s important to keep the long-term impact in mind, spreading the word about what foods will help save the planet and the human race. Overtime, transitioning to a more plant-based, natural diet, the demand for highly processed foods will decrease and the production rate will begin to slow. Whenever I go to pick out what to eat, I always go for protein to sustain a relatively healthy diet. And by nature, I always tend to lean toward picking chicken or turkey. But it’s important to note the similar amount of protein you
CO
F
OD O
L O
can get from eggs, nuts and nut butters, grains, vegetables and more. If it wasn’t for Panera’s helpful badge reminding me to eat a “cool meal,” I wouldn’t think twice about what I order. When I told my family I wanted to eat less meat to help reduce air pollution, I was mocked and told that it simply wouldn’t make a difference, so I might as well not change anything about my diet. But the fact is, if everyone made an effort to be more environmentally aware, a meaningful difference could be made. It should be more widely-accepted to make conscious choices that would improve our environment and that these choices are not just for tree-huggers to use to guilt-trip those who live differently. Making smart choices about our planet doesn’t need to be a lifestyle or a personality trait — instead it should be a simple choice to consider when eating out. More food chains need to adapt this menu feature because even though restaurants will still have highly processed items, it will at least remind customers of the options they could be taking that would ultimately help themselves and the human race. I understand the choices will be tougher and the options won’t be as convenient, since I love a good cheeseburger or some Chickfil-A nuggets, but I sure wouldn’t mind eating less of those foods if that’s a necessary step to take in order to preserve our planet. I’d rather be selfless toward the environment and consume “cooler” foods than enjoy a cheeseburger knowing the damage it could cause. The key is balance. Whenever you can, go to Panera and enjoy a chicken-free caesar salad or some french onion soup, two meals produced with lower CO2 emissions. And every now and then treat yourself to a flatbread pizza or a chocolate chip cookie. Switching up your lifestyle and meal plan is hard, but if more restaurants would remind you which food choices are environmentally friendly, it would certainly make a significant impact and would work toward helping reduce carbon emissions. So for those trying to lessen their carbon footprint, let Panera help you put your money where your mouth is — quite literally. Besides, veggie wraps are better than steak sandwiches anyways.
MEAL
THE FOOTPRINT BEEF HIGH
CHEESE PORK POULTRY
A B O V E | The caesar salad without chicken featured on Panera’s Cool Food menu
COOL FOOD ME ALS Items on Panera’s “Cool Food” menu and the amount of Carbon per meal
TEN VEGETABLE SOUP 0.97 KG
MEDITERRANEAN BOW L 1. 74 KG
BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP 3. 6 4 KG
FUJI APPLE SALAD 4. 4 8 KG
CHIPOTLE CHICKEN AVOCADO MELT 5. 25 KG
Foods with high & low carbon footprints
FISH EGGS
NUTS SEEDS
GRAINS YOGURT
Information courtesy of Panera.com
FRUITS VEGETABLES LOW
12 | OPINION
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
STUDENT EXPERIENCES Students’ perspectives on how teachers have made them feel in the classroom
JAY HUTCHINSON Teachers always try to ask questions and they know you don’t know the answer so they try to embarrass you by asking. It makes me feel like I’m being belittled.
TYLER MOORE I asked my teacher for help on a math question and she destroyed me for even asking a question and not understanding the chapter. It made me feel pretty powerless and scared of her, like I can’t ask a question.
JULIA FILMORE Teachers will say things like ‘Always come to me’ and then you ask something and they say ‘I just went over that’ and make you feel dumb. Teachers expect us to go at a pace that they want, and not what we want sometimes.
GRACE’S TIPS
1 2
3
Ways that teachers can make the classroom environment feel more welcoming
be more understanding when students don’t understand the lesson don’t embarrass a students when they get a question wrong help students get better at the topics they struggle with
design by sydney newton illustrations by elizabeth mikkelson
TOX I C
T E AC H E R S Staffer explains her take on how students frequently feel put down by teacher comments
I
by grace tucker
’m sitting in class hoping my teacher doesn’t call on me to tell the class what kind of equation is shown on the board. It’s been forever since I learned the difference between quadratic and linear equations and I’m too busy scrambling down notes trying to remember. Right as my hand starts cramping from writing so much, I hear my teacher call my name. I sit there for a second, my blank mind trying to think of what the answer could be. I blurt out quadratic, seeing that word scribbled in my Unit 1 notes, and of course, I’m wrong. Already embarrassed that I couldn’t remember something as simple as addition in front of the whole class, my teacher’s response didn’t help me feel more confident in my math abilities. “If you don’t know the answer to a question like that, chances are you shouldn’t be in an honors class.” That’s just one example of discouragement I’ve received from my teachers. I know not all of them do it, and they might not mean it as harshly as it sounds, but it no doubt shifts my outlook on that class. When insulting comments are made that force me to doubt my intelligence, it takes away any motivation I had to try my best and understand the topic. I pushed myself to take a math class that I knew would be difficult — all I ask in return is motivation from my teachers. I can’t keep up with the difficulty of the class when I get shamed for asking what my teacher deems as a “stupid” question. And the teachers who embarrass you for asking questions are the same ones who say things like, “You can always come to me for anything” and, “I want to help you guys do well in the class.” These comments they make at the beginning of the year give me a false sense of security and lead me to ask questions during the first lesson, only to realize that they actually bash students who aren’t learning at the same level they expect them to. Instead of constant negativity and making students feel like an utter letdown, teachers should opt for positivity and constructive criticism. For example, when a student answers a question incorrectly, teachers could simply say, “It’s okay, everyone makes mistakes, but let’s work on that,” instead of knocking their students down. I know other students have experienced situations similar to mine where they’ve been shot down and called out. I’ve had classmates tell me about times where they were confused in
science class, and instead of positive feedback,, they get called disappointments, get told that they ‘should know that by now’ or simply receive an aggressive head shake from their teacher. Some might consider that motivation, but it just makes me want to give up. After being told I shouldn’t be in an honors class, I lost all faith in myself and immediately drafted an email to my counselor requesting to drop the class. I got the approval from my parents. Sent. The reason I enrolled in the challenging class was because I wanted to be the best version of myself and take on a new academic challenge. When my teacher said those discouraging words, I no longer wanted to push myself. These passive aggressive comments not only discourage me, but any motivation I had to actually challenge myself in school.
When insulting comments are made that force me to doubt my intelligence, it takes away any motivation I had to try my best and understand the topic. I pushed myself to take a math class that I knew would be difficult — all I ask in return is motivation from my teachers. That’s when I decided to listen to my teacher when she said that the honors class wasn’t for me — I took a step down. If teachers took a more positive route to letting their students know they messed up, less kids would be emailing their counselors trying to drop classes. Not only would students be pushing themselves harder academically, but it would create a better atmosphere for students to learn in where they feel comfortable asking questions. When I’m discouraged, I always want to take the easy way. I stop taking challenging classes, for it’ll be harder for me to answer questions wrong in front of my class. Not only that, but there will be less times I have to pause my teacher mid-lesson to tell her that I’m confused. The best learning environment is one where students and teachers are positive and lift one another up — not only will an environment like that improve high school experiences, but it will encourage stepping out of comfort zones in the future.
Chad Wood Broker Owner
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14 | FEATURES
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
FEATURE
design by grace tucker
F E AT U R E D A R T I S T KU R T FREEMAN
HIGHLIGHTS
Sophomore Kurt Freeman has used music as his creative outlet through writing, producing and performing songs
STUDENT LIFE
Students just finished their first week of hybrid learning
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN WRITING AND PRODUCING MUSIC? “When we got the iPads in 5th grade they had GarageBand on there and I would play around, triggering loops and stuff like that, just messing around with it and learning how to use it. Same thing when we had Macbooks in middle school I kind of moved up to that GarageBand and just have been using it since to throw together projects and everything. It just kind of turned into a regular thing I like to do for fun.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT MUSIC? “I love how you can express your feelings without having to get up in front of a bunch of people and make a speech. You can just put it through music with background tracks and make it something that somebody wants to listen to while they work or are just hanging out. I always try to think about that when I’m writing music — ’Could you listen to this while you’re doing something? Is it going to be something that they could focus on, but won’t distract them from doing something important?’”
WHERE DO YOU TYPICALLY WORK ON YOUR MUSIC? “I do pretty much everything in an office area in my house. I have pretty much written, recorded, produced, everything all in that one room on some equipment that I’ve acquired over the years. And then I just throw it all together on my Macbook on GarageBand.”
SCAN ME | SPOTIFY Scan to listen to Kurt Freeman’s original songs on Spotify
T O P | Freshmen Andres Driver holds a 30 second plank during boys weights. photo by taylor keal
A B O V E | Junior Maya Flynn uses a jeweler ’s saw to cut a pendant out of metal in jewelry class. photo by annakate dilks
A B O V E | Freshman Rhett Diefendorf examines a test tube during a biology lab. photo by hadley chapman
V I D E O F E AT U R E SCAN ME | A LOOK AT EARLY VOTING WITH SARAH GOLDER Follow along with Sarah Golder and her experience voting for the first time by olivia olson
HALLOWEEN RECAP Students found unconventional Halloween safely
ways
to
celebrate
HALLOWEEN GATHERING SOPHOMORE EVAN JANTSCH WENT TO TOP GOLF WITH HER BEST FRIENDS THEN WENT OUT TO DINNER TO HAVE AN OVERALL FUN NIGHT WHILE MAKING SURE TO STAY COVID SAFE.
STAY-AT-HOME HALLOWEEN FRESHMAN JACK JONES AND TWO OF HIS FRIENDS ALL HAD COVID SO THEY HUNGOUT JUST THE THREE OF THEM AND WALKED AROUND IN THE FRESH AIR
design by rose kanaley photo from willa ivancic & sawyer waterman
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
FEATURES | 15
ON THE ROAD
AGAIN
Follow up with two East alumni who are traveling across the country in a van they renovated into a home-onwheels
A
by sophie henschel
fter moving into an apartment together at the end of December 2019 and working 40 plus hours a week and saving for over a year, East alumni and couple Sawyer Waterman and Willa Ivancic were ready to take off in their 1986 Ford Econoline E-150. When the pandemic hit, their “Tour of America” trip was postponed — but now, four months into their journey, they’ve made it through the tough parts of living on the road while building their relationship. After testing positive for COVID-19 in mid-June, the recent high school graduates were kicked out of their apartment and quarantined on the floor of a vacant house on Troost, a property of Willa’s father’s. In the two weeks spent keeping their distance, Willa and Sawyer did mostly electrical work to their van, adding 200w solar panels, 1000w inverter and 250OAHH of lithium-ion batteries to wire together in one system — all things Sawyer learned from East Auto Technician teacher, Brian Gay. After working on the van for up to 11 hours a day, the couple set off on July fourth for Colorado, with no goodbyes to friends or family due to possibility of transmitting the virus. As Willa researched new places to stop in Colorado, Sawyer made his way down I-70, blasting Midnight Blue and Lucky Love. Arriving at their first location, Steamboat Springs, they used their Camp Hendium app to find the next location on their route, as well as asking people on the road for suggestions of where to head next. “We keep the [phone] numbers of people we meet and we check in, but I think we all understand that if we are not going the same route, we’re not going to see each other again,” Sawyer said. “I think that it’s just
kinda how it is.” However, they’ve had more abnormal interactions with other campers as opposed to the normal friendly greeting and recommendations. During their explorations, Sawyer and Willa decided to go off the grid up a random mountain, miles away from any town. There, they met a man named Allen, who became an on-the-road father figure to the couple for weeks — making meals for them, receiving meals from them and helping them with whatever they needed while staying on the mountain.
The hardest part about this is learning to live with someone nonstop, learning to be okay with the things that irk you about another person, and really learning how to communicate with each other.
willa ivancic | east alum However, their trip hasn’t been all happygo-lucky. In one incident, the couple had to call the cops on domestic abuse within neighboring vans as well as watching another van go up in 50-foot flames. By the end of their Colorado excursion, they’d hit nearly every major city they wanted to — Steamboat Springs, Rocky Mountain National Park, Denver, Boulder, Solverthron, Frisco, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction — staying in each spot for at least a week or two, and Buena Vista for nearly two months due to a cracked oil pan in their engine. While the couple spent lots of time saving money prior to the trip — Sawyer working multiple jobs throughout high school and Willa nannying and serving — dealing with everything from the cracked oil pan
to multiple van breakdowns caused further funding issues — not to mention the 10-milesper-gallon the van gets. Making money on the road is an obstacle for nearly everyone living this lifestyle, according to Willa. To get a job, they’d need an address. To get an address, they’d need to find someone willing to let them use their own or they’d need to purchase a P.O. box. But even if they do those things, they’d likely be moving onto their next location within two weeks of landing the job. But amid the financial fears and awkward interactions, the couple has been finding creative ways to make profits. “I’ve been wrapping rocks with wire and I’ve been making resin jewelry, so I’m finding all the like flowers around or dirt, flowers from everywhere we’ve been,” Willa said. “It’s really fun actually, I’m just examining the ground whenever we’re walking, and I pick up random flowers, and I’m like ‘ahh this might look good in a necklace!’” After wrapping up their time in Colorado, Sawyer and Willa are now settled in Southern Utah where they plan to explore the national parks. After Utah, their plan is to head to the Grand Canyon and later the Southern coast of California, where they’ll park the van, taking Sawyer’s Volkswagen sedan — which Willa went back to Kansas City to pick up during the two months in Buena Vista — back to Kansas City for the holidays. Following the holidays, they’ll head up the California coast and finish at Alaska, their peak and goal for their trip, by next summer — if the Canadian border opens up that is. According to Sawyer, through working towards personal growth and finding themselves on this trip, their relationship has grown tremendously. They’ve both had to learn how to be with each other more than even most married couples have to.
“The hardest part about this is learning to live with someone nonstop, learning to be okay with the things that irk you about another person, and really learning how to communicate with each other,” Willa said. “We’ve gotten so much better; we didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into, [living in an apartment] was actually extremely helpful because if we wouldn’t have done that, we probably would have broken up.” Although they’ve only made a dent in the overall plans for the trip, both Willa and Sawyer have experienced things they’ve never before — finding somewhere to use the restroom while isolated on a mountain is new to them both. “The most valuable takeaway is flexibility because so much stuff happens that is so unexpected that you have to kind of just jump into and you can’t really let them affect you,” Willa said. “Living this kind of life on your own without any real financial support from anyone, trying to pay for your own food, trying to figure out what the heck to do when your car breaks down or when you hit a bump and the oil pan’s leaking all over the place. You just can’t let stuff affect you. So much to the point of letting it destroy you because it will. It’s hard just being okay with letting stuff happen.” Sawyer has appreciated the existentialism of the experience. He feels smaller and smaller as he lays on a slab of dirt in front of the van staring up at the stars in Utah. “I know for sure that I don’t know who I am, and I think this gap year is kind of shaping me into the person that I might be,” Sawyer said. “Sometimes that can be really really hard and that’s the bad existential part is that you don’t know who you are, and then you’re looking to find that, and at the same time you just feel so small.”
16/17 | FEATURES
by campbell wood
SHE HAD TO STAY. When senior Lucy Jones’ parents told her they’d be moving out to California come June for her dad’s job opportunity, she immediately informed her church youth group, confessing how she wanted to stay in Kansas City, along with sharing her concerns on finding a place to stay and asking for their prayers. Choosing to be halfway across the country from her family was a big decision to make — she’d have to relocate during a pandemic and give up seeing her family in-person for months at a time, as well as adjust to the routines of a new home. But in the absence of her immediate family, the stability and support of her youth group served as a surrogate family. She knew they’d be there for her during this time. While the Brookside Christ Community Youth Group helped Lucy deepen her relationship with God through analyzing scripture and attending seasonal retreats, it was the relationship she’d built with the other group members that helped her during this transition. Whenever Lucy has a pressing issue on her mind, she confides in her youth group. Granted, her prayer requests are typically good-luck safety nets for upcoming tests — she never imagined she’d go to them asking for support in choosing to be 1,000 miles away from her family. The sense of community and support received from youth group gave Lucy and her parents confidence in knowing
1,400 mi LUCY IS LIVING OVER 1 , 4 0 0 M I L E S A W AY F R O M T H E R E S T O F H E R F A M I LY
she made the right decision, even if it was a hard one. To Lucy, having a close connection with God allows you to be more present in knowing He’s in control. Having this assurance and trust in God is something she’s valued since her Sunday school days when her parents laid the foundation of faith in her life, and the youth group’s in-depth bible study has helped her deepen that faith. She wasn’t ready to let that go — even if it meant spending senior year without her family. “When you find a community that really supports you in that sense, it’s just a lot easier to share what you believe in a loving and respectful way,” Lucy said.
Through months of prayer, she felt as though God called her to stay in Kansas City to finish off high school and make the most of her time left in the youth group before college. Her parents have witnessed firsthand how the youth group has impacted her life — giving her a community where she could openly discuss her relationship with God. Understanding that connection, it became clear — Lucy would stay in Kansas City while her family packed their bags for California. Lucy has always put God first. When she was little, weekly church services never felt like a chore, but rather an opportunity to grow in her faith. Her parents helped lay the foundation of religion in her life, listening to worship music in the car and praying with her every night before bed. As she got older, she longed for a community her age that did the same. Sophomore year she attended her first youth group meeting and had an immediate connection with the group. “I felt that [my] youth group was something God had given me and that was so wonderful,” Lucy said. “That was just tying me here — this is something that I’ve been given and I want to walk that out to its entirety.” Now, in her senior year, Lucy arrives at East 15 minutes early to do her daily devotionals, listen to instrumental worship music and pray — asking God what He wishes to place in her heart that day. “I think a lot of her peers and people younger than her look up to her and the relationship she has with God,” Lucy’s youth group leader Ashtyn Fair said. Despite being an introvert, the youth group has helped Lucy open up by seeing how others are able to freely share their own troubles and testimonies — something that’s given her more confidence in her relationship with Christ. A few weeks ago, she leaned on her youth group during the first meeting following her grandpa’s passing — there was only so much FaceTimes with her family could do, but she knows she’ll get to hug and grieve alongside them when they come back for the funeral. “I think a strong relationship with Christ, especially during a pandemic, has given [me] a lot of assurance,” Lucy said. “It’s so easy to be afraid, and with a pandemic like this, I definitely think those feelings of fear are valid. But knowing that I’m not in control and that I don’t have to be in control of that, cause Christ is there for me, just being able to know that is really great.”
Her parents took comfort in the idea that their daughter wouldn’t be completely alone — that she’d have another family of her own in Kansas City, the youth group. But nonetheless, leaving their child behind was tough. They understood her longing to stay in Kansas City since it was her senior year. With both parents having graduated from East themselves and already watching their two oldest children graduate from the school, they knew the significance of this moment for Lucy. They would’ve done the same thing if they were her, but at the same time, they’d have to give her up a year early — sacrificing their last remaining months with their daughter before college. “I miss just silly things like eating dinner and going for coffee,” her mom, Kim Jones, said. “We would do that a lot and go to places like Black Dog and Crow’s Coffee.” Even with missing the car rides to school and spontaneous coffee runs, Lucy’s parents know her decision to be apart from them
When you find a community that really supports you in that sense, it’s just a lot easier to share what you believe in a loving and respectful way.
lucy jones | senior makes the little moments they do get together even more special — moments the family was all too used to taking for granted. Her parents weren’t surprised by Lucy’s decision. She’s always had strength when it came to making tough decisions, according to her dad, Chris Jones. When she no longer wanted to play soccer — a sport she’d played for 12 years — she was straight forward in telling her parents that she was burnt out and didn’t enjoy it anymore, just like when she told her parents she didn’t want to move to California. “She has the character and the strength to make those decisions, versus saying, ‘Yeah, I’m just going to keep doing this because I know my parents want me to do this,’” Chris said. Her parents, who met in a youth group, believe Lucy’s strength comes from her faith, which has helped her to stay in Kansas City. “Even though she’s got a loving family to be with and they’re so welcoming, I think her
faith is what strengthens her and keeps her going, and just maturing and growing as an individual,” Kim said. Lucy knows her confidence in making the right decision came from God. Lucy believes that if God wanted her to stay, He would open the doors to make that happen — and He did. Her plan of finding someone to stay with slowly worked itself out to the point where she was able to stay — she knew God wanted her here. The Nyhus family, a fellow East and church family, took Lucy in. Hosting her for a year was a big favor to ask, making Lucy extra grateful when they volunteered — one of the doors God opened. Despite knowing the Nyhus family since grade school, Lucy was still nervous to be in a new home, not knowing where pots and plates were in the kitchen or when family dinners were scheduled. But through working on homework together and playing card games, Lucy’s transition into the Nyhus home has grown easier and she’s no longer uncomfortable to ask for help if she needs something. Adjusting to the Nyhus family has been easier than adjusting to not having her own family close by. They stay in contact with Lucy through frequent texts — she’ll send them pictures when she goes to the French Market because it reminds her of them, and they’ll hold daily phone calls to tell her about the new church they found in California — but it’s not the same. “[I’ve been] figuring out ways to keep myself busy so I’m not homesick in a way,” Lucy said. “Which is weird because I’m still technically at home, but your family is just such a big part of that feeling — when you’re with your family you feel at home.” It’s been five months. Other than a onetime visit from her dad and a few trips to see her older sister at the University of Kansas, Lucy won’t see her family until Thanksgiving. It’s been hard for her to face a pandemic without having her family to come home to, she misses their post-church lunches where they’d talk about the sermon and soak up the blessings God has given them — each other. “I’m not with my immediate family, but you’re always surrounded by the community of Christ and that’s so helpful for me,” Lucy said. “In every situation, you really aren’t alone and you have other people to rely on.”
design by catherine erickson photo by trevor paulus
FINDING ST R E N GT H THROUGH S CR I PT U R E Senior Lucy Jones found guidance in her faith to help her adjust to living in Kansas City with friends after her family moved to California
THE COMMUNITY The weekly schedule for meetings with the youth group that Lucy attends
6:30 - 7:00 HANG OUT WITH SNACK AND GAMES
7:00 - 7:30 MEET IN LARGE GROUPS FOR STUDENTS TO INTERACT WITH OTHER STUDENTS AND ADULT LEADERS
7:30 - 8:00 MEET IN SMALL GROUPS TO DISCUSS THE NIGHT’S MESSAGE
8:00 - 8:30 CLOSE THE NIGHT WITH WORSHIP
D A I LY D E VOT I O N
Lucy starts every day with a passage from Paul David Tripp’s “New Morning Mercies” daily devotional book
01 02 03 music
Lucy starts off by listening to instrumental *photo from goodreads.com worship music
devotion
scripture
the book contains 365 gospel centered devotions, or prayers
the book then suggests a scripture passage for further personal study
18 | FEATURES
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by madeline funkey photos by celia condon
With East debate online this year, the varsity team is challenging themselves this season for personal success to help prepare for the future of debate
I N PO L I CY by w inni e wolf
I
n the middle of a speech regarding the death penalty during a virtual debate tournament, varsity debate member junior Tongtong Yi was notified by the other team that his microphone wasn’t on. Yi was embarrassed at the time, but after completing four virtual debate tournaments, he’s getting used to the learning process and technology setbacks he’ll likely endure for the rest of the season. When the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) gave the green light on in-person activities back in September, debate opted to stay virtual. The returning varsity members weren’t surprised by this decision — they were all too accustomed to the traveling, intermixing of students and the pre and post-debate handshakes to know debate couldn’t happen in-person this year. “My partner Sam and I both think debating online is a lot easier because you really don’t have much else to focus on,” Yi said. “When you’re in a real tournament, you have travel time, hotels, waking up early, things like that. When you’re online, you go to your friend’s house, and it’s all a matter of doing your best.” Varsity debate member senior AnaSofia Lahovary completed a virtual debate
camp through the University of California, Berkeley this summer while her fellow varsity members, Yi and juniors Sam Huntley and Ibrahim Sufi, completed one with the University of Michigan to prepare for the upcoming season and adapt early to the online format. Each tournament is held on Zoom or Tabroom — a platform similar to Zoom that’s sponsored by the National Speech and Debate Association. Round times have been extended by 30 minutes to allow room for technology troubles and to keep the debate tournament as on track as possible, according to Lahovary. “[The connection issues] can be hard,” sophomore debater Gretchen Garbe said. “Sometimes parts of speeches are lost and it’s a lot harder to communicate with the other team. We try to problem solve when this happens because a lot of the judges are parents so they don’t always know what they’re doing.” During debate’s scheduled class hour, members of the debate board — including Yi, Lahovary and Sufi — take on the majority of the responsibility for teaching class and helping the novice and freshman debaters learn the basics of competing. “When we’re virtual, every debate member is combined on the Webex, it’s like 30 or 40
THE PROS & THE CONS TO ONLINE DEBATING
PROS
LESS STRESS DEBATING AT HOME DON’T HAVE TO DRESS UP GOING OUTSIDE BETWEEN ROUNDS
people,” Lahovary said. “I get the perspective of teachers when they are teaching because 90% of the kids have their camera off, and it’s harder for them to communicate with us. Teaching and getting kids to participate is a lot harder.” During hybrid, Lahovary takes the first half of the alphabet on Tuesday, and Yi and Sufi take the second half on Thursday. The board members alternate between giving [For the varsity debaters], the motivation this year is to get a bid and finally qualify. Even with being virtual for the season, I wouldn’t say anyone’s motivation this year has dipped, we all know what our goals are.
tongtong yi | junior
class presentations and splitting up to give individual presentations, all while taking questions from the new members. But, getting to know the new students has proven to be difficult, even as they reach the second quarter, according to Lahovary. The Tuesday work nights that were once a balance of social opportunities and learning as novices asked questions and got to know the advanced kids have now turned virtual, losing
the social aspect — with the exception of collaborating with their debate partners. “Our first-year members are a lot smaller of a class than we’ve had in past years,” Lahovary said. “Thankfully though, debate is easy to do, to a certain degree, online. So although not as many people signed up for it this year, we’re doing a good job at preserving through.” Along with helping the new debaters prepare for tournaments, the varsity debate team has been preparing for their virtual state tournament in early January. While the novice debaters compete in the Kansas State Debate Tournament, a non-competitive league, the Tournament of Champions (TOC) is a National Debate tournament that the East varsity debate members compete in where only the best teams in the country can qualify. In order to qualify, debaters must place high enough at select tournaments across the country. At the designated TOC-bid tournaments, debaters can receive a bid if they make it to the quarter finals, semi-finals or finals. “[For the varsity debaters], the motivation this year is to get a bid and finally qualify,” Yi said. “Even with being virtual for the season, I wouldn’t say anyone’s motivation this year has dipped, we all know what our goals are.”
UPCOMING VIRTUAL DEBATE TOURNAMENTS
NOV 13-14 NOV 20-22
CONS
TECH ISSUES LESS WIFI AVAILABILITY FEAR OF ACCIDENTAL MUTING DURING SPEECH
DEC
4-5
SHAWNEE MISSION EAST INVITATIONAL MILL VALLEY SHAWNEE MISSION WEST NOVICE TOPEKA MIEGE AQUINAS GLENBROOKS LAWRENCE KCKSNCFL
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by peyton moore art by celia condon
FEATURES | 19
THE BUSINESS
B LOW- U P
Three East moms turned their hobby into a full time balloon business, Jubilee Balloon Co., in the midst of the pandemic
W
by pai ge za doo
atching the news oversaturated with stories of murder hornets and the pandemic nightmare, the world was left in a pool of panic. But East parents Rachel Condon, Emily Penke and Liz Beedle had something positive going for them: balloons. As the pandemic still stretches on, these three moms have expanded into their new business: Jubilee Balloon Co. Once Penke discovered she had an interest in creating balloon bouquets and arches for her friends’ birthdays and events, she introduced the craft to her friends Beedle and Condon. Months went by as the group made balloon arches for events ranging from 6-year-old’s unicorn themed birthday parties to Mizzou football tailgates, with no thought of turning their hobby into a business. When Condon received a phone call requesting their balloons for a party, the group decided that making balloons could be something even bigger for them – a business. They spent an absurd amount of time working together to piece together a plan for their newfound idea of Jubilee Balloon Co. “Learning to manage and create our own business was our greatest challenge,” Condon said. “Learning all the ins and outs of having this company was something all of us spent our time getting down and mastering.” Moving at a fast speed building this business, they didn’t have time to assign specific roles. However, they all agreed that of the three women, Beedle mastered the organizational and coordinating aspects of the business side. This balloon business is unique to the Kansas City area since they use several different types of balloons, including foil and latex balloons of different shapes and sizes to create custom arrangements for a wide range of events, like birthdays and weddings. Despite the fact that building a new company and gathering customers was challenging during a pandemic,
BLOWN OUT OF
PROPORTION
The average amount of materials used on the basic 20-foot garland
SCAN ME | Instagram Scan to scroll through the Jubillee Balloon Co. Instagram
Penke feels they were lucky because the lockdown and social distancing requirements weren’t their biggest obstacles. “Honestly COVID-19 didn’t really affect the business — we really lucked out on that,” Penke said. “Creating these balloon pieces didn’t require close contact or any of that, which really allowed us to take off.” Not only are these women best friends and entrepreneurs, they’re also moms, wives and employees in other fields. Before venturing into balloons, Penke was — and still is — a photographer and eyewear sales rep. Beedle balances the balloon company with being an administrator at her church, Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. The women believe their children have taken after them in becoming balloon experts — but other than that, the women don’t see the business as a burden on their family like they initially expected. “Granted that our free time is dedicated to the business, our families didn’t see too much of a difference,” Penke said. “We included all of them in helping out with the business. They’ve always been a part of it too.” After starting their business in July, they’ve designed for 275 events in just four months. In this short amount of time, Jubilee Balloon Co has prospered quicker than the moms expected. “We’re already booking for grad parties,” Condon said. “It’s really exciting and shocking to see how fast this has taken off and how much business we’re getting. Since July we’ve worked on 275 events.” Sophomore Calleigh Nachtigal’s family hired Jubilee Balloon Co for her sisters “foco” — or fake homecoming — and was astonished at their ability to create the setup. The Nachtigal family appreciated the unique balloon arch display, especially due to the challenges of COVID-19 that affected their event. Nachtigal was not able to have an official homecoming for her Senior year, so adding the unique balloons gave the event a special touch, according
150
to the Nachtigal family. “It was such a different type of decoration that was so unique to me,” Nachtigal said. “I absolutely loved what they did. It was obvious they had a tight bond and built some of my favorite decorations I’ve ever seen and really made our event special.” All of the moms were in agreement that balloons and business have brought them closer together and they now know more about each other than they did before. “All of our free time is now spent with each other for the business,” Condon said. “Once we get a request we try and use all the free time we can to assess the event and plan everything out from figuring out what to make, how we are going to and what would look best.” Beedle, Condon and Penke have discussed their hopes of expanding their newfound hobby while continuing to stay an event-focused company in the future. If their success in the past few months is any reflection on their success for the future, these moms have no doubt they’ll be growing and continuing their unique balloon setups in no time. As their first public event, the moms recently opened a pop-up-shop in Corinth Square to use this opportunity to connect with the community and hit their target market. These women were in agreement having a pop-up-shop gave them the realization of how far their business has come. In a span of just a few months, Jubilee Balloon Co went from a hobby to a business, and now to doing pop-up shops and creating custom arrangements for events.
DESIGN CORNER
Some of the balloon creations by Jubilee Balloon Co. *pictures crom
BALLOONS
Jubilee Balloon Co’s Instagram
latex & specialty
1-3 HOURS
prepping balloons & setting up arch
1 SEMI TRUCK
transports balloons
BALLOON PICTURE BACKDROP CLUSTER
20 FOOT ARCH
W NASA
20 | FEATURES
NASA NOVICE
Senior Megan Collins interned with NASA over the summer and developed an automated sun visor using computer science
megan collins
WOMENINSTEM Collins hopes to pursue STEM in the future, and will be a minority in the field
27%
of workers in STEMqualified industries are women
women earn 19% less than men in STEM industries
19%
*information from catalyst.org
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020 by kelly murphy
design by catherine erickson photo by sarah golder
the safety of Earth — and someday space — hen senior Megan Collins clicked on the email vehicles. She automated electrochromic glass, from NASA in her inbox, she fully expected to a type of glass that changes between tinted read the opening sentence of a rejection letter, or not tinted when you apply a voltage to it, given the competitiveness of the program and using a Raspberry Pi microcontroller, which is her high hopes. So it took her by surprise when the email essentially a mini computer. read: Together, the whole system was a big grid On behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of electrochromic glass panels, with each (NASA), we are pleased to inform you that you have been selected one individually wired to the Raspberry Pi. for an internship at Marshall Space Flight Center. If the sun came through one of the panels, “I was so shocked, I really couldn’t believe it,” an individual panel could be dimmed while Collins said. “I just kind of sat there for a keeping the rest of the glass clear. while and stared at it and thought, ‘Wow, I “It was great because I had liberties as can’t believe my luck!’” to how I wanted to solve the problem,” The acceptance letter brought her Collins said. “When I would encounter closer to her dream of launching rockets a barrier, I had people I could turn to at NASA, rather than model rockets in who were experts in the field.” her backyard. Despite challenges due to Collins’ internship was originally COVID-19, she ultimately got the opportunity supposed to last for only 10 weeks. to prototype a NASA automated sun visor — However, she accepted a two-week extension a computer-automated visor that dims when the to continue making adjustments to the automated computer tells it to do so. sun visor to lessen the amount of data it had to process, But luck wasn’t the only factor in her acceptance — completing the project in August. Collins had been working towards one of those coveted “If anything, I think [my remote internship] benefited me 1,000 nationwide internship spots for years. She’d taken more because my skills in computer science were probably my three engineering classes at East, passed the required weakest link before this internship,” Collins said. “I feel like government background check and applied for every my skills have grown so much because of it.” NASA internship position available to high schoolers Collins grew up with the dream of working for NASA. this summer. When she was a few months old, Collins’ mom Kate Conrad Another factor was a connection she made at could tell that her daughter had a more analytical view of NASA before she applied — Engineer Paul Tatum. the world based on how mesmerized Collins was by the tree She had reached out to Tatum, not with the shadows on their front room window. intention of landing a job, but to ask questions and In contrast to her twin sister, Collins was much more learn from him. He then went on to urge her to interested in dinosaurs, “Star Wars” and Legos than apply for an internship. princesses and dolls. Whenever she’d accompany her mom on “He actually recommended that I go after paid business trips to the Air and Space Museum in Washington internships,” Collins said. “I was just thinking, D.C. or when they’d take family trips to the Cosmosphere ‘You know, I would pay to get to work for NASA.’” in Hutchinson, Collins excitedly engaged with the exhibits The initial internship plan was for Collins unlike her sister. to work as a lab assistant at Marshall Space “She always had an interest in numbers and being Flight Center in both a clean room and very precise with them,” Collins’ stepdad Andy Haun cryogenic chamber — a contaminant-free lab for said. “She wasn’t interested in just solving the math manufacturing sensitive equipment and a low problems, but also figuring out the best way to solve temperature testing environment. them.” But then, the pandemic struck. About a Jennifer Horn, Collins’ Honors Precalculus month after receiving her acceptance letter, teacher from last year, helped Collins with her she was informed by email that her original internship application by writing her a letter of internship had been canceled, and she’d been recommendation. According to Collins, Horn reassigned to a new project. challenged and supported her in a way that “I think I cried — yeah, I was really allowed her to do well in Pre-Calc, while bummed,” Collins said. “I was kind of scared It was great further developing her passion for math. too because the second project I was assigned “As quiet as [Collins] is, she took it upon because I had to was going to be a lot harder than the first herself to do this internship,” Horn said. liberties as to how one.” “Most kids that are a little on the shy side I wanted to solve As opposed to working on one of the probably wouldn’t even attempt it, which main mission projects, her new project was the problem. When makes you understand her passion for a remote New Technology Report (NTR), I would encounter a STEM and how much she wanted to get which required skills in an area she had involved in it.” barrier, I had peolittle experience with: computer science. Although the work she did for her ple I could turn to She’d now be working independently at internship was computer-based with who were experts in home to prototype a NASA employee’s Electrical Engineering, Collins aspires to idea for a new invention, which the field. pursue Aerospace Engineering at Georgia would eventually be reviewed Tech — and from there, NASA. megan collins | senior by NASA and potentially “We’ve been laughing because when she patented. got the internship, they welcomed her to the Collins worked on her NASA team,” Conrad said. “Prior to that, she NTR by developing really didn’t have a lot of work experience. She an automated sun was walking dogs. She’s gone from dog walker to visor to improve NASA intern, and she couldn’t be happier.”
HARBIE PHOTO CAN’T ATTEND THE GAME? WE GOT YOU COVERED. Scan the QR code below or go to harbiephoto.com to purchase photos from school events
22 | A&E
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by tommy paulus photos and information courtesy of Spotify, apple, Instagram and iBooks
A&E
HIGHLIGHTS
Catch up on what’s trending in the arts and entertainment world
TO P O F T H E CH A RTS MUSIC A L B U M | P OS I T I O N S
A L B U M | M I SS U N D E R STO O D
A R T I ST | A R I A N A G R A N D E
A R T I ST | Q U E E N N I A J A
R E C O M M E N DAT I O N | A Fun and exciting new album from Grande that will surely leave you satisfied after a couple of listens
R E C O M M E N DAT I O N | This album is full of both fast and slow jams that show her newfound confidence after surviving a hurtful relationship
PL AYLISTS N A M E | 9 0 s Po p H i ts ( Ea r l y 0 0’s )
N A M E | W I N T E R 2 01 7 C R E ATO R | E M M A F R A N C E S
C R E ATO R | R E D
R E C O M M E N DAT I O N | This playlist has a lot of slow and soft songs that match the winter mood
R E C O M M E N DAT I O N | This playlist is full of throwbacks that will always be good songs to fall back on
BEST DRESSED
B U N DY B O O K R E V I E W A review of “The Phantom Prince” by sophie henschel
I
f you’re searching to take your emotions on a roller coaster, diving into “The Phantom Prince” by Elizabeth Kendall — with a contribution from her daughter, Molly Kendall — would be perfect for you. Elizabeth writes about her six-year relationship with notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy. Every book and movie about Bundy’s murders such as “Extremely Wicked, Shocking and Vile” starring Zac Efron and “Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” are shocking, but this first-hand account adds even more chilling details. Elizabeth’s story was first told by director Joe Berlinger, who Elizabeth agreed to work with to produce the film “Extremely Wicked, Shocking and Vile,” where her experiences with Ted were played out by actors. While she does admit the film was done well, some scenes were cut out to fit the storyline. Because of this, Elizabeth wrote “The Phantom Prince” to share her detailed interactions with Bundy. The book starts when Elizabeth moves to Seattle in hopes of a better life for her and Molly. She meets Bundy at a bar and immediately hits it off with him, bringing him home that same night. From the dinner dates to nights at a ski lodge and Christmas mornings, the happy and domestic scenes of Bundy and Elizabeth’s relationship make it easy to momentarily forget the devastating
crimes Bundy committed. Despite his seemingly charming character, Elizabeth began gaining suspicion of Bundy. Between ghosting her for days, dodging marriage at all costs, having lovers in other states and matching every suspect description of recent kidnappings and murders in their area, Elizabeth grew skeptical — and I can’t blame her. I wanted to scream at her through the pages when I’d spot the biggest red flag in the history of red flags. I was eventually relieved when he was convicted as guilty of kidnapping — which by that point he had kidnapped and murdered numerous women — thinking she would finally lose her love for him. But the second he got out of jail, he came running back for her and she was left bamboozled yet again. Continuing with love letters back and forth from jail as Ted was released just to be sent back to jail, “The Phantom Prince” gives a 100% raw perspective of what a relationship with Ted was really like — manipulative. With the inclusion of a photo gallery of Bundy, I saw the interaction with Kendall’s daughter and Bundy’s uncomfortable-to-saythe-least hand placements on the child’s chest, which was incredibly disturbing. All in all, a great read, but do be ready for chills that shoot up your spine with the dramatic irony of knowing things poor Elizabeth didn’t.
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK
HALLOWEEN
RELEASE DATE: JAN 7, 2020
KENDALL JENNER
AS:
LIL NAS X
AS:
THE WEEKND
AS:
GENRE: BIOGRAPHY
PAGE COUNT: 226
PAMEL A ANDERSON
NICKI MINAJ
NUTTY PROFESSOR
FUN FACT: The original publishing year of the book was 1981. However, this new version has never before seen photos and new details from Elizabeth Kendall’s daughter, Molly Kendall.
design by lauren west photos courtesy IMDB
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
HAILEY BIEBER’S EGG & HONEY FACE MASK MODEL HAILEY BIEBER is all about the glow of her skin, according to her Instagram story in March. Bieber swears by a simple concoction of eggs and honey for a “dewy glow,” and finishing with a Vitamin C serum, minimally-fragranced moisturizer and diaper rash cream for acne-prone skin. I wasn’t quite brave enough to test out her diaper rash cream claims, but if it means I can achieve the same radiating skin as Hailey Bieber, I’ll brave up to withstand the sickening smell of raw egg. According to Bieber’s Instagram story, all I had to do was “take an egg, crack it into a bowl, add a little bit of honey, mix it together and put it on your face till it’s dry and wash off.” Getting this slimy solution on my face was harder than Bieber made it sound. I first tried scooping up the liquid, but it quickly slipped through my fingers before I had the chance to put it on my face. After that failure, I tried using a spoon and while I was able to pick up a little more of the mask, it dripped right off my face onto the floor, leaving even more of a mess. As a third attempt, I used an old makeup brush and sort of painted on the goop, which worked much better. With my hair under a shower cap from Kourtney’s avocado hair mask and slimy egg and honey on my face, I soaked up my somewhat relaxing but smelly spa day. Once the mask dried, I rinsed it off, leaving my face feeling sticky and a little tight. I wouldn’t exactly describe my skin as having a “dewy glow,” but maybe a little shinier than before. While it’s certainly important to keep it simple and avoid overloading your skin with extra ingredients and chemicals, I don’t think this mask did much other than leave me smelling like breakfast for the rest of the day.
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN’S AVOCADO HAIR MASK INSPIRED BY HER famous avocado smoothies and pudding, Kourtney Kardashian’s hairstylist, Andrew Fitzsimmons, created a nourishing hair mask out of avocados, olive oil, manuka honey and lemon juice. According to Fitzsimmons, avocado is a natural detangler along with lemon, which is an antibacterial ingredient and a soothing remedy for dandruff or other scalp issues. Olive oil makes for a perfect natural conditioner, as well as a protective layer from heat damage when straightening or curling hair. The process of creating the hair mask was pretty similar to whipping up a quick smoothie. I blended one and a half avocados and two tablespoons of olive oil and honey. Then I added the juice from half a lemon to finish it off, and my hair mask was complete. I slathered the chunky, baby food-looking mixture onto my dry hair and combed it through, then put it up in a shower cap to let it sit for 45 minutes. It’s not exactly ideal to work on a Precalculus review with the strong aromas of avocado and honey soaking into your scalp, but I powered through and was left with much softer hair than before. Did it work? Technically. Would I do it again? Probably not. It was nice having shinier hair for the next few days, but this wasn’t worth the odor and texture — not to mention my avocado chunk-clogged bathtub drain. Sorry Kourtney, but I think I’ll stick to eating my avocados — not mixing them in with my hair routine.
A&E | 23
HELP FROM HOLLYWOOD
Staffer reviews the hottest celeberty health hacks
by lyda cosgrove
I’M CONSTANTLY ON the lookout for cheap and natural ways to keep my skincare and beauty regime fresh, and celebrities always seem to have some new skincare formula they “just can’t live without.” And maybe they’re right to be so obsessed — who wouldn’t want Hailey Bieber’s stunning skin or Kourtney Kardashian’s shiny locks? Picking out a few ingredients from my pantry, I decided to treat myself to a DIY spa day — celebrity style.
SHAILENE WOODLEY’S CHARCOL TOOTHPASTE WHEN IT COMES to health and skincare, actress Shailene Woodley is known for keeping it as natural as possible. From collecting fresh spring water from nearby mountains every month, to supplying her groceries from a farm, as well as making her own body lotions, face oils and toothpaste — this girl really does it all. Ditching my usual Colgate for the day, I tried out Woodley’s unique clay-based toothpaste by using mineral-filled bentonite clay from Amazon, along with coconut water, baking soda for extra whitening and a few drops of peppermint essential oil, which Woodley recommends adding for flavor. I was a little apprehensive about how the dry clay would feel grinding in my mouth, and it certainly wasn’t the best feeling, along with the salty, yet somehow also sour, flavor. As for the results, I was not left feeling as clean or minty fresh as I do with my normal tube of Colgate. I had to rinse my mouth a total of four times to get out the fine grains of clay, and even after that, I could still feel chunks grinding in my molars. If I’m going to have the lasting feeling of clay in my teeth for the rest of the day, it better make my teeth sparkle — and this toothpaste most certainly did not.
PRIYANKA CHOPRA’S TUMERIC FACE MASK SINCE I’M NOW wearing a mask for seven hours a day at school and any other time I leave the house “mascne” — mask acne — breakouts have become a daily nuisance, so a revitalizing skin cleanse sounded exactly like what I needed. Actress and pageant winner Priyanka Chopra swears by an Ubtan face mask recipe passed down by her mother. Ubtan is a traditional Indian and Pakistani skincare mixture made of turmeric and other common pantry items, perfect for exfoliating dry skin and removing fine hairs. I whipped up the recipe’s combination of whole wheat flour, a few drops of lime juice, a pinch of turmeric and about a spoonful of plain yogurt to form a paste. Of all the products, this one was the least pungent. The doughy texture and cozy, homemade bread smell were pretty comforting. Once my 15-minute timer went off, I gently rubbed and rinsed off the now dry, crumbly mask, revealing big red blotches all over my face, along with a stinging, itchy sensation. Although I’m not sure if this was in reaction to the strong spice of turmeric or a mix of everything together, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone with sensitive skin.
24 | A&E
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by sophie henschel
by cesca stam at i
IN AN ELECTION year when politics have divided people more than ever, Saturday Night Live’s election skits bring humor to both candidates and
are bound to make you crack a smile regardless of your political stance. They definitely aren’t unbiased — the SNL cast makes it clear
that they don’t support Trump — but the sketches recognize and joke about each party’s faults, whether it’s Trump’s constant interruptions or Biden’s savvy
old grandpa demeanor. Here’s my review and a quick recap of some recent skits:
SN L
P O L I T I C A L PA R O D I E S
THIS SKIT MOCKS the two October town halls held in replacement of a second presidential debate — one on ABC for Biden and the other on NBC for Trump. Jim Carrey’s impression of Biden as a silly old grandpa was priceless. He entered the stage wearing sunglasses while pointing finger-guns at the crowd, all while dancing and saying things like “this is for the kids on TikTok.” Carrey portrayed Biden’s town hall as a warm discussion, showing him singing a happy love song with the audience and talking to them while painting in an imitation of Bob Ross. Carrey’s glued-
on impersonation of Biden’s face and execution of the candidate as someone’s old grandpa made this sketch a spot on exaggeration of what it felt like watching the real thing. Baldwin made his skit an accurate representation of Trump’s town hall, in which he ardently denied any knowledge of white supremacist groups and gave no straightforward answer to questions asked about COVID tests he’d taken. Baldwin showed how Trump made the interview almost impossible by dodging confrontational questions asked by host Savannah Guthrie, played by Kate McKinnon.
Most notably, the sketch even made a joke out of a woman in the audience behind Trump who nodded enthusiastically for the whole debate, exaggerating it hilariously by showing her twerking and even pulling out a blow horn. SNL compared Trump’s town hall to an aggressive MMA fight, especially in the skit of them battling it out in hand-to-hand combat, with Guthrie even throwing a folding chair at Trump. Guthrie’s assertive follow-up questions and comebacks made the real town hall feel more like a combative debate between Trump and Guthrie than an interview, so the scene wasn’t much of an exaggeration.
SKE TCH H IGHLIGHTS: FIRST DEBATE COLD OPEN | JUDGED ON A HUMOR BASIS
T H E H A R RY ST Y L E S C A M E O S E N ATO R H A R R I S SAY I N G T H E C O U N T RY N E E DS A “ WA P ” O R WO M A N AS P R E S I D E N T
SNL’S “FIRST DEBATE Cold Open” sketch mocks the shortcomings of both Trump and Biden — played by Alec Baldwin and Jim Carrey, respectively — in the disastrous first presidential debate. The video parodies the debate to depict what many Americans felt they’d viewed: a broadcasted fight between two children. I couldn’t help but think exaggerating the debate must’ve been difficult for SNL, since the real debate was so cringey and ridiculous that it felt like watching another of the late night talk show’s political sketches. The skit showed Trump not letting Biden get a word out during his rightful two minutes, making fun of Trump’s constant interruptions. Carrey hilariously exaggerated Biden’s wide smile and stiff expression during the debate — one that made him look straight out of anger management class, as joked about in the sketch.
For me, the highlight of the sketch was Biden pulling out a Harry Styles meditation tape to calm himself down. Obviously this didn’t happen in the actual debate, but it did capture how Biden at times seemed on the verge of exploding at Trump during the real thing. SNL also perfected the caricature of Donald Trump with his long list of complaints about everything from Biden’s son to the mayor of Moscow, often before Biden ever gets a chance to open his mouth. Neither candidate was able to get a clear, coherent thought out between arguing and insulting each other like a couple of little boys. Joe Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, played by SNL veteran Maya Rudolph, even had to step in, making Trump apologize to Biden and saying that what the country really needs is a “WAP” — woman as president. Couldn’t agree more, Kamala.
DUELING TOWN HALLS COLD OPEN | JUDGED ON A HUMOR BASIS
SKE TCH H I GH L I GH TS:
B I D E N PA I N T I N G A N D W E A R I N G A N A F R O L I K E H E WAS B O B R OSS SAVA N N A H G U T H R I E WAC K I N G TRUMP WITH A FOLDING CHAIR
SKE TCH H I GH L I GH TS: V P F LY D E PAT E C O L D OPEN | JUDGED ON A HUMOR BASIS
B I D E N T U R N I N G I N TO A F LY A N D T E L E P O RT I N G F R O M H IS H O U S E TO P E N C E ’S H E A D O N T H E D E B AT E
IN THE “VP Fly Debate Cold Open” sketch, SNL guest actors Maya Rudolph and Beck Bennett portray Kamala Harris and Mike Pence respectively in a hyperbolized version of the Vice Presidential debate. The sketch starts off with Pence doing a quick curtsy as he enters the stage, followed by Senator Harris’ grand entrance as she dances and sprays two cans of Lysol everywhere. The skit poked fun at Pence’s avoidance in answering questions, while he ignored the question of the 200,000 American COVIDrelated deaths under his coronavirus task force and instead talked about the greatness of Utah to stall. In a way, the avoidance holds true to his response in the real debate, where he discussed the vaccine development and even called Biden’s plan “plagiarism” for copying his and Trump’s — but not once did
he answer Susan Page’s actual question. Rudolph nailed Senator Harris’s response to Pence perfectly — as she said “Mr. Vice President I’m speaking” each time he tried to interrupt her. When she asked the American people how calm they were when they had no toilet paper during quarantine, I laughed even more than I did in the real debate when she questioned Biden in his and Trump’s hiding of the virus’ severity earlier this year. The best part of this skit had to be when Biden turned into a fly and teleported to the debate to sit on Pence’s head and Senator Harris pulled out a bowl of popcorn to enjoy the show. Rudolph pretty much carried the sketch in her performance of Senator Harris, but all of the SNL actors executed the 12-minute recap perfectly.
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by celia condon photo by annakate dilks
A&E | 25 L E F T | Senior Tommy Paulus and his friends watch the film “What Happened to Dujuan Armstrong?” by Lucas Guilkey.
The Grandest Show
A review of the Kansas City Underground Film Festival and a few of the films played by tommy p aul us
WHENEVER YOU ENVISION film festivals, the typical scene is grand, red-carpet displays in Southern California. But if that seems too far away and too extravagant, don’t worry — instead of booking a flight all the way to LA, you can take a 20-minute drive downtown for the Kansas City Underground Film Festival (KCUFF). From Oct. 15 through Oct. 31, the KCUFF has been holding screenings outdoors at the Film Row Screening area off of 18th and Wyandotte St. The set up was minimal but effective — a small projector sitting atop a plastic table that projected the movies onto the partially white painted exterior of a brick building. I heard about this film-viewing experience in the most underground way possible — word of mouth. Once I found
out about this place, I informed my friends, and we set out to become authentic partakers in Kansas City film culture. Upon arrival, we all packed our cars with folding chairs and bulky blankets because of the cold weather. The festival was held outside to follow COVID-19 guidelines. While the air was frosty, the films left us too engaged to notice our shivering bodies. The festival was originally going to be screened at the Westport Coffeehouse Theatre, but the Committee moved it to Film Row Area to follow COVID safety restrictions. We were told to place our chairs at least six feet from other patrons and advised to wear a mask until the screening started. Each film shown has its own stand-alone qualities, because the criteria for film submissions is non-existent.
SELA “DRINK” “SELA” WAS THE first film that was shown when I arrived at the festival — and what a knock-out it was. Based on true events, this South-African nonfictional short film follows a poor family of three young children dealing with their mother’s alcoholism and spiraling mental health. I’ve never really ventured outside the realm of English-speaking films, maybe a few Spanish or French, but never Afrikaans. It was a very new, yet exciting experience to be immersed in a language I have little knowledge of — with subtitles of course. Shot in a very raw and single-shot way, the film captured the confusion and inability of the young children’s minds to help their mother. The dialogue of the characters could be simple at times, but
that’s because the writers of this movie were no older than 15. Learning about the writers’ young ages added another layer to the film’s already complex emotions. The film managed to shine a light on how the unnatural passage of parental responsibilities onto a child can change a whole family dynamic. Throughout the film, the young children have to take their baby brother to school, pick up groceries and even make trips to the local bodega to buy beer for their mom, all things they should not have been doing at the age of nine. After the credits rolled, it was as if a heavy cloud was cast onto my heart. However, it left me with a better understanding of how addiction’s ugly claws tear through families in a South African lens.
According to the Festival Committee, there’s no restriction on what the movie has to offer, which means the film can be any genre and have a run time anywhere from three minutes to three hours. This was apparent in my attendance, as the first film showed was four minutes and the next one was 88. This unknown factor made me excited and anxious, as I literally didn’t know what came next. Each new film felt like opening up a random gift, but instead of it potentionally being a new electronic device or gift card, it was a movie with no censorship. While it’s no Cannes or Tribeca, the KCUFF has screened some of the most unique and interesting films that I have ever seen. Here are two of the Festivals Films that stuck out to me the most, which you can watch on the KCUFF Facebook.
WHAT HAPPENED TO DUJUAN ARMSTRONG AFTER “SELA,” THERE were a few very short films, which involved reciting poetry and storytelling through an almost impermeable wall of symbolism. But then another very impactful documentary came on — “What Happened to Dujuan Armstrong?” This 2018 film tells the emotional and true story of Mother Barbara Doss trying to seek justice for the unjust death of her son Dujuan Armstrong at the Santa Rita Jail. The movie shows the harsh reality of California’s corrupt prisons and their mishandling of inmates, something that is mind-blowingly common yet barely heard of. Armstrong was arrested for burglary and put on one month in custody and then the rest on weekends at the jail so he could support his family. One week he arrived on a Friday to serve his sentence, but he didn’t return. Throughout the movie, we watched his mother and family try to figure out what happened to him. They are told straight-
up lies, like the idea that he overdosed — even though there was no tangible way for him to be under the influence, because of a later revealed toxicology report — from the Sheriff offices and they are sent on a while goose chase to get closure. It was infuriating to see this mourning family get continually silenced and passed off by the Sheriffs. It took them 200 days of constant aggravation to get the usually easily accessible document — a death certificate, which clearly shows that the officers at the prison being responsible for his death. The sad truth about this documentary was that this was not a one-time occurrence in California, it’s a widespread problem across America. No matter your thoughts on current lawenforcement systems, this documentary is a must-watch. It shows the struggles families face due to systems that seem to be against them.
26 | PHOTOSTORY
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
design by photo editors
GUS’S GIV E S BACK Gus’s World Famous Fried chicken hosts senior Dom Zanone’s JDRF Fundraiser to raise money and awareness for type 1 diabetes research
RI GHT | Zanone prep ares to-go o rd ers during the f undraiser, where fif t y p ercent of pro ceeds go to the Juvenile D iabetes Research F o undat ion. photo by macy crosser
A BOVE | To ra ise a wa re n ess, th e Za n o n e’s handed out th e ir JDR F te a m t-sh ir ts re adi n g “Dom’s D re a m Te a m .” T h e e n tire sta f f al so wore th e t-sh ir ts d u rin g th e f u n d rai se r. Zanone exp la in s th a t, “we ca n’ t re a lly h ave the walk a t Arrow h e a d th is ye a r, so it was a really ea sy wa y to involve th e Ka n sa s C i t y com m u n it y w ith JDR F.” ph oto by mj wo l f R I G H T | S e n iors D om Za n on e a n d Har pe r Yingst ta lk a n d la u g h tog eth e r b eh i n d t he cou n te r w h e n th ey h a ve d ow n t i m e in bet we e n c u stom e rs. Za n on e sa ys, “ I t ’s been a b la st, es p e c ia lly d u rin g cov id . . . I t ’s an easy a n d f u n wa y to m a ke m on ey, an d hang ou t w ith f rie n d s a t th e sa m e t i m e. ” ph oto by trevor pa u l us
TOP | The Za none’s kept thei r J DRF mercha n d i se a nd tea m t-shi r ts on the p i ck u p coun ter for th ei r customers to ta ke a n d l ea ve a d on a ti on . ph oto by emmakate squ ires A B OV E | G u s’s Wor l d Fa mou s Fr i ed Ch i cken ow ners Steven Za none a nd J u l i e Za n on e ta l k to customers d u r i ng thei r fu nd ra i si ng event for thei r son , seni or Dom Za none. Mrs. Za none sa ys, “G u s’s i s su ch a fa mi l y or i ented b usi ness so i t wa s g ood for ou r cu stomers a nd ou r sta f f. It ma kes ou r sta f f seem more hu ma n to the customers, a n d ma kes customers feel l i ke they g et to kn ow the sta f f. ” ph oto by mj wo lf
design by peyton moore
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
SPORTS
HIGHLIGHTS
SPORTS | 27
P R OJ E C T E D P L AY E R S Athletes who are expected to do well in the winter season according to their coaches
BOYS BASKETBALL
Updates, polls and quotes about the sports season
J U ST STA R T I N G U P The girls basketball program hosted a shoot around to prepare for the winter season
W I L L TOW NS E N D se ni or positio n : cen ter
P R E STO N R E Y N O L DS se ni or positio n : fo rwa rd
BOYS SWIM AND RE W F E Y se ni or 10 0 m b rea stst ro ke 10 0 m f reest y l e
RIGHT | Teammates cheer on senior Megan Biles after she scores a knockout winning layup during the shoot around. photo by emily pollock
E VAN D E E DY juni or 10 0 m b rea stst ro ke
JA M E S S CH I P F E R juni or 10 0 m b a ckst ro ke 20 0 m i n d i v i d u a l m ed l ey
WRESTLING B R A DY FA N K H AU S E R juni or
state q u l i f i er
JA H I R CO N T R E R AS juni or
place d 3 rd i n sta te
E T H A N J E N K I NS O N sop hom ore state q u a l i f i er
WINTER POLLS Are you planning on trying out for a winter sport? Instagram poll of 361 votes ABOVE | S ophom ore Re ese Birc h g o es for a layup du rin g a d rill a t the f i rst girls shoot a rou n d . photo by hadley chapman R I G H T | Freshman Caroline Reiser shoots the ball from the three point line during a shooting drill. photo by hadley chapman
26% YES 74% NO Do you think winter sports should happen as cases rise? Instagram poll of 367 votes
33% YES 67% NO
28 | SPORTS
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
The Peters twins and the Highlighter Dragons after one of their Saturday games.
design by lily billingsley photo from ellie peters
PA S S I N G ON THEIR
G OA L S
Senior twins have transferred their love for soccer into coaching a third grade girls recreation soccer team
S
by lauren west
eniors Ava and Ellie Peters weren’t quite sure if they wanted to spend their 18th birthday at the Leawood Rec Soccer fields coaching the Highlighter Dragons — a third grade girls soccer team. But between their passing and positive attitude, the Highlighter Dragons scored their first — and only — win for that season, making it the highlight of their birthday celebration. For “Coach Ava” and “Coach Ellie,” winning soccer games was never the main goal for the Highlighter Dragon’s season. Instead, they focus on forming friendships and memories at Monday night practices and weekend games. The Peters’ began playing soccer when they were just four years old for “The Cheetah Girls” — a team coached by their dad and other parents at their local recreational soccer fields. The team’s main purpose was to learn soccer basics and make friends, according to Ava. As they grew older and were ready for a more competitive playing field, the girls moved into club soccer. For the twins, switching from rec soccer to competitive soccer in third grade brought a more serious aspect to the game. From being 45-minutes early for games to making sure they were wearing the correct uniforms, competitive soccer taught them the skills necessary to grow in the sport. Whether it was leading East’s JV soccer team their sophomore and junior years or coaching at the recreational level — no matter what team they’d played for or how competitive it was — the Peters loved the responsibility of contributing to their team while working together. “There are so many girls on the field that are all working towards the same goal,” Ellie said. “I think it is a really unifying sport, and I stuck with it because of all of the friends I made.” So when they put on their coaching whistles for a Saturday
6:00
Highlighter Dragons game, Ava and Ellie work together as coaches to help their team improve upon their skills — while making the most out of their social time, regardless of COVID setbacks. “Especially in a time like this, it’s really important for us as coaches to allow the girls to be social and relax and have fun,” Ava said. “There is so much seriousness in their world right now that I think a soccer team is a way for them to be kids again.”
1-6
THE HIGHLIGHTER DRAGONS’ RECORD FOR THIS SEASON
The first 10 minutes of practice always start off with stretching, as each girl shares something positive that happened to her over the weekend or that day. Next is a structured dribbling or shooting drill followed by a game of Sharks and Minnows or “the dance party game” — a game made up by the Peters where each teammate dribbles to the other side and does a dance. The last 20 minutes are spent scrimmaging. “When we don’t win they are still okay with it,” Highlighter Dragons player Lucy Even said. “[Coach Ava and Ellie] are just very encouraging and fun.” The Highlighter Dragons team is made up of 11 girls from Corinth Elementary. However, given how the coronavirus has switched up the school year, the team is made up of remote and hybrid students. The Peters try their best to make sure that girls who might be at opposite ends of the alphabet have the chance to work on passing drills or partner up during Sharks and Minnows.
When it comes to game days, the Peters don’t expect their girls to be at the field 45 minutes early in matching uniforms. According to Ellie, the team shows up minutes before kick off in their bright yellow jerseys with miss matched socks. Once everyone has made it to the game, Ellie will typically manage the field and assign players to positions, having girls rotate defense and offense in groups of three and selecting one girl to wear the “golden penny” as goalie. During the game, Ava will work with girls one-on-one and occasionally interrupt their chicken dance to let them know when the opposing team is coming down the field. Despite only winning one game, the Peters chime in with positive lines like “there are still 10 minutes left in the game” or “we’re doing great at passing!” “One time our goalie got scored on three times and one of our own players ran onto the field in the middle of the game and said, ‘Hey, we are having so much fun and that’s all that matters,’ Ellie said. “It was so sweet and so authentic.” Whether they were stressed about college applications or coronavirus, both Ellie and Ava looked forward to hearing about a teammate’s attempt at walking her tortoise on a leash during stretching sessions or smiling every time they are called “Coach Ava” and “Coach Ellie.” “They remind me of what it was like to be a kid playing soccer when I was that age,” Ava said. “It means a lot to me because soccer was so important to me, and it means a lot that I can be a part of that to them.” After wrapping up the fall season, the Peters are excited to return in the spring and coach the Highlighter Dragons, in more ways than just victory. “It feels like we are looking at ourselves 10 years ago, but now we are helping them create friendships and soccer memories that other people have helped create for us,” Ellie said.
A LOOK INTO PRACTICE
6:15
6:30
6:45
ST R E TC H
DRILLS
GAMES
SCRIMMAGE
The team normally spends the first 10 minutes of practices stretching and chatting about what everyone did over the weekend.
The Peters’ lead the girls in an offensive and defensive drill each week. Their drills work to prepare them for their game the coming weekend.
The team plays a different kind of soccer-related game each week, such as Sharks and Minnows or the “Dance Party Game.”
At the end of every practice, the girls split into two teams and scrimmage each other. This allows them to gain experience playing in a game setting.
design by celia condon
I
by sam freund
n the wake of a nation-wide social justice movement, sports franchises like the Cleveland Indians, the Washington Redskins and the Kansas City Chiefs have reconsidered the meaning and history behind their team names out of respect to the American Indian community. On Jul. 13, Dan Snyder — owner of the five time conference and three time Super Bowl Champion Washington Redskins — issued a press release announcing the retirement of the Redskins name and logo. The decision came shortly after the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor killings, which sparked a social justice movement causing many businesses, sports teams and other entities to reconsider their branding to achieve a more equal and just society — free of hate and division. The sudden but long awaited change prompted the Kansas City Chiefs to reflect and respond to the controversy about their name. The name ‘Chiefs’ was adopted in 1963, inspired by then-Kansas City Mayor Harold Roe Bartle, despite him not sharing any American Indian heritage. He was nicknamed “Chief” after becoming the chief area executive of the Boy Scouts at the time. On Aug. 20, the Chiefs released a statement outlining the continuing efforts the organization is taking part in to better understand the American Indian community, and the importance and value of their history and culture. In 2016, the Kansas City Chiefs collaborated with the American Indian Community Working Group to serve as a collective liaison with the Native community and as an advisor to the Chiefs to promote an awareness and understanding of Native cultures and tribes in the region. While the idea of moving away from the ‘Chiefs’ name was not part of the statement, the organization adopted new rules for the 2020 football season — a ban of wearing headdresses and American Indian themed face paint to games and events at Arrowhead Stadium. Mary Van Ryzin, a former East parent who is more than 50% American Indian, doesn’t believe the Chiefs need to change their name, but is not opposed to the possibility. “I’m truly not offended [by the Chief’s name] but if people want to change it, I’m okay with that too,” Van Ryzin said. “[Fans] can pay tribute to the Kansas City football team, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be [wearing] the headdresses. They don’t need that.”
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020 Nora Van Ryzin, Mary’s daughter who graduated from East in 2013, shares a similar view, but believes other people of American Indian descent could have different opinions. “I’m sure other indigenous people that aren’t [Chiefs] fans could have more of a different view than we do,” Nora said. Another tradition ingrained in the Kansas City Chiefs culture is the tomahawk chop, a ritual derived from a hypothetical Native American chopping down motion which is performed every time the Chiefs take the field. Along with “the chop” is the beating of the drum, which is played on the ‘Arrowhead Drum Deck’ before kickoff at every home game. Both of these traditions have been widely questioned because some believe they are insensitive to American Indians and the sacredness of their culture. 78% of East students believe the defending Super Bowl Champions should not change their name, according to an Instagram poll of 307 votes. Junior August Hyde favors the call for the franchise changing their name and has spoken to numerous indigenous people about this issue who feel the Chiefs are a misrepresentation of American Indian culture. “I’ve [heard Natives] say they feel like the way the issue is represented as keeping the tradition alive, but it is not interpreted that way by them,” Hyde said. Hyde also believes it is important to understand the history and value of Native Americans in the country, and the Kansas City Chiefs culture and tradition oversees that. “[The American Indian community] is made into a mascot, and feels very disrespectful and disregards all the history of violence between white people and indigenous people,” Hyde said. In the event of a name change, the Chiefs would have to do a complete rebranding and halt the production of team merchandise. This would hurt the organization financially according to Brian Johnston, the Kansas City Chiefs former Corporate Partnership Sales Manager of nine years. Johnston believes there won’t be a name change or rebrand, and the team’s impact on the American Indian community is rather positive. “The Chiefs have done an outstanding job with the Native American community,” Johnston said. “They have done a tremendous job reaching out to them and listening to their concerns and needs.” The Chiefs have numerous corporate sponsors that could potentially cut ties with the franchise if they don’t make a formal name change, which aligns with what FedEx, the stadium naming rights sponsor for the Redskins threatened. “I don’t think [the Chiefs] partners would have that much influence [on a name change],” Johnston said. “Although I’m sure the Chiefs would sit down and listen to them.” In regards to the certain measures the Chiefs have taken like banning headdresses and American Indian themed face paint, Johnston believes “It’s a step in the right direction.” While the long-term direction of the franchise remains unpredictable, the Kansas City community can expect to continue calling their home team the Chiefs for the foreseeable future.
SPORTS | 29
AND THE HOME OF THE...
CHIEFS? Kansas City Chiefs make modifications to stadium rules after pressure from community to honor Native American culture
OTHERS FOR CHANG E A list of a few other groups changing their associative names due to a lack of sensitivity
L AK E CALHOUN Was named for pro-slavery former Vice President John Calhoun, and changed to Bde Maka Ska (“White Earth Lake”)
B DE MAK A SK A REDSK INS The Washington Football Team changed their name from The Redskins because the name is a slur against Native Americans
WASHI NGTON L ADY ANT EB ELLUM The band now known as Lady A changed their name from Lady Antebellum because the name had a connotation to slavery
L ADY A
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
30 | SPORTS
WINTER SPORTS
design by annabelle moore photo by eva berkley
Winter sports prepare to commence against the Johnson County Health Department’s recommendation to suspend them
AR E BACK IN T HE GA M E by elizabeth mikkelson
T
A B O V E | Athletic Director Debbie Katzfey poses with the social distancing stick. Measuring six feet long, the stick aids social distancing at basketball games for the spectators.
hroughout the fall sports season, SMSD student athletes abided by COVID-19 safety precautions and learned what it meant to be an athlete during a nationwide pandemic. As winter sports are approaching, the district has made the decision to continue winter sports amid the pandemic, against the Johnson County Health Department’s recommendation. Fall sports lost a month of their season before they were cleared to begin — but only with the necessary precautions. The players followed regulations such as wearing a mask when not practicing and maintaining the standard six feet of distance when possible. East Athletic Director Debbie Katzfey worked alongside the district and coaches to coordinate the fall and soonto-begin winter seasons, while upholding precautionary guidelines. Katzfey says that the school and district are working together to try to move forward with fall and winter sports in a preventative manner. “We’re going to continue to have [sports] and we’re going to do it as safely as possible, try to encourage everybody to limit the mass gatherings,” Katzfey said. With all of the unknowns that were associated with fall sports occurring, it was considered a success that the district put them on with relatively few issues. “I was so incredibly proud and so incredibly impressed of how our student athletes and coaches safely COVIDmitigated each individual activity and sport,” Katzfey said. “I can tell it was so important for them to continue and move on and play each and every day.” While most fall sports remained safe throughout their seasons, a breakout of COVID-19 cases on the C and D soccer teams led the school to a temporary quarantine of the two teams, who scrimmaged each other before realizing one team was exposed. On Oct. 27, after most fall sports came to an end and winter sports were soon to begin, Johnson County Director of the Department of Health and Environment Sanmi Areola sent a letter to all superintendents in the area, giving a strong recommendation to suspend winter sports for the time being. In the letter, the JCDHE suggests that the spread is too difficult to mitigate among indoor sports with an abundance of physical contact. “JCDHE strongly recommend that you do not allow indoor sports or activities where mitigation techniques are not possible,” Areola stated in the letter. “The chances of widespread transmission in schools is higher if these indoor activities are performed.”
SCAN ME | LETTER Scan here to view the letter written by the Johnson County Health Department, advising high school winter sports to be suspended
PL AYE RS M U ST B E
I don’t think anybody in a million years in August thought we would be where we are today, that every single sport got to finish what they started
debbie katzfey | athletic director because of the successful protections of mask wearing and keeping distance from players and coaches put forth in the previous season. “I give total credit for winter sports happening to the student athletes and the coaches and the parents for what they did do in the fall,” Katzfey said. “Because we were able to make it through the fall, we’re moving on to the winter.” Throughout all of the challenges that presented themselves during the pandemic and quarantine, Katzfey and the district were able to provide a piece of normalcy that everyone had been lacking the past few months. “I don’t think anybody in a million years in August thought we would be where we are today, that every single sport got to finish what they started,” Katzfey said. “And I think that is a huge privilege.”
6 5
MASKED IF TH E SPORT IS
CL ASSIFIED AS A CON TACT SPORT PER KSHSA A
According to Katzfey, while the district seriously took the letter into consideration, it was ultimately a recommendation and was therefore not mandatory for each district to implement. “I know that letter has caused a lot of people to panic and to be very concerned,” Katzfey said. “It was a recommendation, [not] a requirement, so it does leave it up to each of the school districts to decide what they do or don’t do.” Although going against the county’s recommendation, SMSD remains committed to holding sports throughout this winter season, with extended regulations similar to the fall season. For most indoor sports, students are required to wear masks when going to and from their practice areas and when not actively practicing — similar to the setup of the fall season. Unlike most winter sports, for bowling, the players must wear a mask at all times, whether that be during breaks or while actively competing. In addition to bowling, winter sports such as basketball, swimming or wrestling are able to be played
4 3 2 1
SIX FEET APART IF AND WHEN
POSSIBLE, INCLUDING ON WATER BRE AKS AND DOWN TIME
B R INGING A ND D R INK ING OU T O F A PERSONAL WATER BOTTLE AT ALL TIMES
design by photo editors
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
PHOTOSTORY | 31
B OA R D U P F OR T H E B A LLOTS
As Biden and Trump supporters remain divided, the Kansas City community prepares for the results of the 2020 election
A B O V E | Deb a te tea ch er Trey Wi tt checks the el ectora l col l eg e resu l ts ma p d u r i ng h i s free p er i od a s el ecti on resul ts come i n . ph oto by trevo r pau lus
TOP LEFT | B iden su ppor ter stands on the side of M ill Creek Parkway ha nding out f ree B idenHa rris signs o n N ov. 4, before a presidential winner is determ ined. photo by sarah gold er
FAR LEFT | Ba l l ot d rop of f si g n sta nd s i n fron t of th e l i n e for th e p ol l s d u r i ng th e d a ys b efore the el ecti on . Ea r l y voti n g l i nes stretched l on g , w i th a con si sten t 1 -2 h ou r wa i t, a ccord i ng to a p ol l wor ker a t the Ar ts a nd H er i ta g e Cen ter. ph oto by sarah go lder ABOVE | Two co n st r u c t i o n wo r ke rs pu t u p pl y wo o d o n t h e Ke n dra S cott wi n dows t h e n i g h t befo re E l e c t i o n D ay. T h e bo ards we re pu t u p on a m aj o r i t y of j ewe l r y sto res al o n g t h e Pl aza a n d m aj o r c i t i es aro u n d t h e co u n t r y as a pre cauti on fo r possi bl e protests an d r i ot i n g. p h oto by sa b r i n a d ea n LEFT | B efo re o pe n i n g t h e po l l s at t h e F i rst B apt i st C h u rc h , po l l wo r ke rs set u p T h e E x press Vote m ac h i n e. p h oto by em m a ka te sq u i res
32 | ALT-COPY
THE HARBINGER | NOVEMBER 09, 2020
the harvest TRADER JOE’S:
Trader Joe’s is stocked with many must-try fall treats
by l auren d i erks N O MATTER WHAT time of year it is,
you can always count on Trader Joe’s to come through with the seasonal treats. Don’t be turned away by the long lines
and social distancing regulations because these fall treats will make the plight of this November feel more traditional.
THE MAPLE FLAVORS in this cereal taste like all the coziness of fall, even without the pumpkin flavoring, and pair perfectly with a morning cup of coffee. The sweetness of the maple clusters and corn flakes make it hard to not go back for seconds. It’s not the healthiest item you can find on the Trader Joe’s shelves — due to the 11 grams of sugar per serving — but makes the 40 degree weather and snow feel more like fall.
MAPLE PECAN CEREAL
CHOCOL ATE HUMMUS ALTHOUGH CHICKPEAS AND chocolate
are an unusual pairing, you won’t regret giving this snack a shot. Paired with apple slices or bananas, this perfect balance of chickpea and cocoa is sure to blow you away. The flavor of chickpeas was masked by the chocolate, giving the hummus a Nutella-esque taste — but without the extreme amounts of sugar. Trader Joe’s took a risk with this one, but it served them well. This is a definite add to any grocery list.
design by catherine erickson photos by megan biles
SPICED CHAI
IF YOU’RE LOOKING to branch out from your typical morning Starbucks pick-me-up, the chai tea concentrate is for you. Mixed with any type of milk, this tea can be served hot or over ice. The perfect ratio of cinnamon and nutmeg will have your mouth watering for more.
PUMPKIN BLONDIE BROWNIES THIS UNIQUE FLAVOR combination of pumpkin, chocolate and vanilla will keep you wanting more after each bite. The bread-like consistency and all-spice flavoring makes this sweet and savory treat perfect for indulging in on a chilly fall day.
FALLING LEAVES AND colder weather give everyone an excuse to implement pumpkin into anything and everything — and soup is no exception. This pumpkin bisque has a smooth and creamy consistency with hints of spices that complement the sweet pumpkin flavor. Sprinkle some roasted pumpkin seeds on top for an extra crunch.
PUMPKIN BISQUE