DHS Green Pride November 2019

Volume 49

Issue 2

November 2019

the green pride

Find out more about the construction happening around De Soto. page 11-13 November 2019 / dhsnews.org

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5 News

Page 5: Seniors discuss what service project or job shadow they participated in Pages 11-13: How De Soto has industrialized and the city’s plan for the future Page 4: Mispagel explains the process of screen printing clothing

Opinion

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Page 10: Why De Soto High School should act on climate change

Feature

Page 3: DHS introduces new exchange student from Ecuador Page 14: Students discuss their different Friendsgiving traditions Page 15: DHS students and staff express what they are thankful for Page 16: Wildcats celebrate Alice in Wonderland homecoming

Sports

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Page 8: Girls’ tennis coach undergoes major surgery during the season Page 9: DHS football team goes into postseason with an undefeated record

Arts and Entertainment

Page 6: Freshmen Anna D’Andrea gets a lead role for the fall musical, Annie

Meet the staff:

How is this possible?:

Kansas Senate Bill 62 guarantees the same rights for student journalists as are given to professionals. These Camryn Robbinson rights include, but are not limited to, all First Amendment Hayley Moss rights, including the right of freedom of expression, insoMaggie Kroeger far as published items may not contain libelous, slanderSection Editors ous or obscene statements, may not incite or promote Erin Pickert illegal conduct and may not cause a substantial disrupLauren Stanton tion to normal school activity. This bill does not allow the Lynlee Hutchison adviser, administrators or any other faculty to censor the Ella Fixsen paper in any way.

Hunter Finerty

Editors-in-Chief

Staff Reporters

Abby Knuth Abby Campbell Sam Goins Jack McCracken Natalie Nusz Deleana Marquiz Ethan Ferguson Kennedy Ebberts Chase Culver

Do you have something to say to the student body? If so, you can type up 300-500 words of your thoughts and we’d love to publish it. If that’s too complicated, just join the staff! You can drop it in the tips box in Mr. Sullivan’s room or email one of our editors at greenpride.hayley@ gmail.com , greenpride.camryn@gmail.com or greenpride.maggie@gmail.com.

Spencer Burch Kyle Ahaus

recent industrialization of De Soto. Flip to pages 1113 to read more about the new add ons in town. For more information on climate change and how to live an eco-friendly life, flip to page 10.

Video Journalists

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Letters to the Editors:

The Green Pride / November 2019

On the cover: Senior Sydney D’Andrea illustrates the

Page Design by Camryn Robbinson

FEATURE

The adventures of

Mya Mya & & Alejandro Alejandro ELLA FIXSEN & ABBY CAMPBELL news editor & staff reporter

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s De Soto High School continues to grow, more new faces are welcomed to the school each and every year. Foreign exchange student Alejandro Heredia, who is one of these new faces, started his school year at DHS with little knowledge of what to expect.

Heredia has been staying with DHS senior Mya Conley, who wasn’t exactly expecting a sudden new houseguest, but she has definitely benefited from Heredia’s presence in her life.

“My dad was talking about having a foreign exchange student next year when I go to college because we would have extra room,” Conley said. “Ms. O’Neil told me that there was a kid looking for a new home, and my mom saw a post on Facebook about it.”

Heredia, who’s original housing plans were altered, could not be happier about the Conleys’ warm welcome.

“I had to move and Mya found me,” Heredia said. “I enjoy her and her family. They are very cool.”

Heredia has moved from Quito, the capital of Ecuador, to the small town of De Soto, and is working on adjusting to life in rural United States.

“I wanted to study in the United States because it was something new for me. I wanted to learn about the culture over here,” Heredia said.

“I was assigned to Kansas through the program I entered. I didn’t get to choose, but I was excited when I

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found out I was coming to Kansas.”

As expected, Heredia faced challenges with the language barrier when first moving to the US, but has since made immense progress in his ability to communicate with his peers.

“The first challenge was speaking because my brain was thinking in Spanish and I needed to speak English, but I think I am doing it alright,” Heredia said.

“ I had to move and Mya found me, ”

- Alejandro Heredia

Although Heredia is far away from home, he has been able to easily stay in touch with his family, and seems to have stepped over the hurdle of homesickness quite effortlessly.

“I will eventually miss my family, but I can reach out to them. We talk by phone,” Heredia said.

As Heredia has observed, there are big differences between schools in Ecuador and schools in the United States.

“You guys have lots of space, and in Ecuador they give us classes,” Heredia

said. “All of the seniors are in the same classes, you don’t get to choose.”

Heredia has enjoyed the ability to select classes at DHS, and has chosen to participate in courses based on his personal interests, including weights, English, Anatomy, Business Essentials, Political Participation and Pre-Calculus. Heredia has also made the decision to join several sports teams at DHS, which he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do at his previous school.

“He’s playing a lot of sports. He’s doing wrestling and they don’t have that in Ecuador,” Conley said.

Another contrast to life in Ecuador is the scenery and environment around De Soto being a generally small town.

“You have a combination of forest and city. We only have city. You have wildlife and trees and all kinds of nature. It is really interesting to see,” Heredia said. “I like the atmosphere a lot.

It is very friendly and welcoming.”

Although Heredia’s arrival has accounted for major changes in both his and Conley’s lives, the two are constantly learning from one another.

“He’s been learning a lot about American culture, so we have been learning a lot about his culture as well,” Conley said.

Both Conley and Heredia will continue their senior years at DHS, remembering Heredia’s experience in the United States for many years to come.

November 2019 / dhsnews.org

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NEWS

Screen PRINTING

Students express their creativity in Emerging Technology class

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creen printing is a method of creating personalized items such as T-shirts and posters. De Soto High School art teacher Tim Mispagel utilizes this process to create such merchandise for DHS. Most of the T-shirts currently being sold at DHS are made by Mispagel’s Emerging Technology class. Emerging technology is a relatively new class at DHS with an open curriculum that encourages creativity and hands-on work.

Students enrolled in this class are usually experienced or interested in using Adobe programs such as Illustrator, or enjoy working hands on with the screen printing process.

“Getting things lined up on the computer or getting things lined up on press takes a lot of skill,” Mispagel said.

The process of screen printing begins with a vector design created in Adobe Illustrator. Vector designs are graphics that use lines and curves rather than pixels. Using these types of designs provides the ability to resize the image and easily place it on T-shirts, posters and more.

After the design is perfected, it is printed on a thin, clear film and covered in a light-sensitive material called emulsion. The film is then compressed and exposed to light in a light exposure unit.

From there, the exposed film is put onto a press, where the design is put onto the garment. Unfortunately for Mispagel, that is where a lot of mistakes are made within the process.

“Each time you print a garment, each color you have to check and make sure everything is lined up the way it should be, otherwise you are going to make a mistake,” Mispagel said.

Mispagel’s screen printing setup

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NATALIE NUSZ & ETHAN FERGUSON staff reporters

Senior Sydney D’Andrea prepares design to be screen printed. Photo by Ethan Ferguson

isn’t the most expensive nor is it “state of the art,” but his classes continue to print numerous unique shirts for DHS. Last year, Mispagel estimated that the emerging tech students printed about 1,000 T-shirts.

Screen printing can be a lucrative business opportunity in the future for students interested in graphic design.

Senior Lane Hileman has been in Emerging Technology since the class was created and will take her skills into consideration past high school.

“I feel like for a summer job or an internship just to get experience is something I’d definitely have an interest in,” Hileman said.

Mispagel encourages his students to have a positive outlook and growth mindset while working on assignments. He tries to make assignments that are encouraging to the students.

“I wanted students to make a text or font-based design that has a positive message ... those will be worn to school and will spread the positive message,” Mispagel said. “I think there is enough negative things going on in the world and any bit of happiness or joy that can

The Green Pride / November 2019

be spread, we should spread it.”

In the future, Mispagel hopes to have his class working alongside wheelchair bound students to learn new life skills. His vision for the class is to establish an outreach into the outside community.

The students enjoy Mispagel’s projects and have a passion for screen printing. Not only do they enjoy the process, but have fun seeing their finished products as well.

“I like being able to do it [screen printing] and see the outcome of all the work I put in,” Hileman said.

The teaching style of Mispagel is one that not only emphasizes problem solving, but also makes kids excited about coming to school. By being a positive role model, Mispagel wants to encourage the students to make mistakes and grow.

“I’m a really positive person by nature and it’s really easy to get caught up with stress and anxiety in a school setting,” Mispagel said.

Mispagels’ teaching style and positive attitude encourages students’ creativity and screen printing skills.

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NEWS

Schoolwide service day ABBY KNUTH staff reporter e Soto High School students had the opportunity to participate in a school-wide service day on Oct. 24.

Freshman and sophomores took the PreACT, half of the junior class went to the Kansas City World War I Museum or went on a college visit, and seniors had the option between job shadowing, going on a college visit, community service or having a study hall.

“The reason why we had that specific day was because all freshmen and sophomores were taking the PreACT, and we wanted teachers throughout the building to proctor the test,” DHS counselor Chrissy Johns said. “In addition, we knew that if we could get our juniors out of the building with WW1 and college visits, then we could get seniors out through a service day, a college visit or a career exploration day.”

Senior Issa Sullivan utilized the opportunity to job shadow an orthopedic physician assistant during the week at a hospital in Ottawa.

“At hospitals, days can be different during weekends and weekdays.

If I had shadowed a physician assistant during the weekend, the experience could have been completely different,” Sullivan said.

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A group of seniors spend time with elementary students during recess after organizing and cleaning the Makerspace at Starside Elementary on Oct. 24, 2019.

Wildcat Photo

Page Design by Lauren Stanton

Some students have a specific idea of what they want to study in college but don’t always know the details of exactly what a career entails. This process helped students discover what they want to pursue after getting a real-life experience.

“My experience was very good.

The physician assistant was really nice and so was the faculty. Shadowing helped me to see what they really do during the day. I got a first-hand perspective, and it helped me realize how interested I am in the career now,” Sullivan said.

To determine where the junior class would attend their visit, a survey was administered for students to choose among seven schools. Most got their first or second choice.

“Our whole idea with that was to just get everyone on a college visit.

Not everyone got their first choice, but a lot of students got their second choice. It was just an idea of what college life is like, and how it is different from high school,” Johns said.

Junior Jillian Schnieders had the opportunity to visit University of Kansas and has been interested in the University for awhile.

“I went to University of Kansas for my college visit. KU interests me because it is close to home, and it is an overall great school academically and athletically,” Schnieders said.

Going on a college visit during the school day helps students to get a realistic feel for the campus and everything that it offers.

“One thing that stood out the most to me is how beautiful KU’s campus was.

It was a lot prettier than I had originally expected. This college visit gave me a chance to get a head start on deciding where I want to go to college because I am a junior this year and it will make the college application process for next year easier,” Schnieders said. “The overall experience of my college visit was very good and I am super happy I got the opportunity to visit KU.” Planning for the future can be very important to students, and their teachers and counselors love being apart of that future success.

“We [counselors] work with kids on college admissions, counselors mainly but teachers talk to them also, it is nice to share that experience with them and help them discover scholarships,” Johns said.

A group of juniors visit the University of Kansas campus on Oct. 24, 2019. Wildcat Photo

November 2019 / dhsnews.org

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ARTS

Anna takes on Annie Freshman chosen to play lead role in fall musical

SAM GOINS & DELEANA MARQUEZ staff reporters

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his fall, De Soto High School put on Annie, although this year’s production was very different than most. The lead role was taken on by freshman Anna D’Andrea. D’Andrea, who found out she was going to be the lead while in the parking lot of De Soto Days, was ecstatic when she heard the news.

“They [her mom and sister] were screaming [and] saying, ‘Oh my gosh! You’re it! You’re Annie!’ And I started crying,” D’Andrea said.

Although she was happy she got the lead, D’Andrea would’ve been content to play any role, saying that it would’ve been fun as long as she was involved in the play.

Even though it was a hard role to play, theater director Sarah Cronkleton-Kidd has alluded to D’Andrea’s extraordinary ability to play the role they wanted for Annie.

“We chose Anna for Annie because she delivered the best audition for the role,” Cronkleton-Kidd said. “Her

singing and acting really went along with the vision we had for Annie.”

As far as the show goes, many cast members are happy with it.

“We chose Annie for the fall musical because we’re really working building up our program with shows that the community will love,” Cronkleton-Kidd said.

The cast made sure to put in the extra hours, practicing everyday after school until 5:30 p.m. Theater veteran and senior Cameron Allen feels that the rehearsal time paid off.

“It’s [Annie] a well known show,” Allen said. “Plus, with all the middle schoolers [playing orphans], we will have [had] a larger parent audience.”

Overall, everyone is satisfied with the effort and determination that everyone has put into the show, especially Cronkleton-Kidd.

“It’s a really fun experience to see how everything comes together and the joy and excitement the cast and crew get when seeing the final proj-

Anna D’Andrea, as Annie, sings track song, Maybe, in a radio show in Act II, Scene I of Annie during the Nov. 7 dress rehearsal. Photo by Deleana Marquez

ect,” Cronkleton-Kidd said. “I’m very grateful for my awesome cast. They’re truly amazing and I love every minute of working with them.”

Not only is everyone working hard to make sure that the show comes together, the cast shows their true colors behind the scenes.

“Off stage, all of the people in the cast are just really nice. They’ve been really welcoming. Some of them bought me dinner for my birthday,” D’Andrea said. “I’m really feeling welcomed into the cast, especially being a freshman that’s really great.”

Anna D’Andrea, along with orphan cast members, perform in Act I of Annie during the Nov. 7 dress rehearsal. Photo

by Deleana Marquez

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The Green Pride / November 2019

Page Design by Deleana Marquez & Sam Goins

YOUR AD HERE

Contact us if you would life YOUR ad here Advisor : Michael Sullivan 35000 W. 91st, De Soto, KS 60018 P : (913)-667-6250 F : (913)-667-6251 E : msullivan@usd232.org

www. dhsnews.org @dhs.greenpride @dhsgreenpride November 2019 / dhsnews.org

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SPORTS

s s e c c u S p U g n i v r Se OPPONENT: UNEXPECTED SURGERY

Wildcat tennis team overcomes head coach health challenges, ending successful season KENNEDY EBBERTS staff reporter or a majority of the De Soto Conference JV tournament and Re- team’s practices as well. Assistant girls’ tennis season, one of the gionals, which were both hosted at De coaches Steve Hudson and Michael biggest challenges for the team was Soto High School, as well as attend Sullivan had to cover coaching most the unexpected health issues that head the tennis State championships. practices and extra matches. coach Justin Hoffman has been facing.

“At State, I was pretty dizzy. But it “I think one of the hard things for Hoffman had successful brain sur- would’ve taken something serious for him [Hoffman] was just not being gery in the middle of September at the me not to attend,” Hoffman said. around the team,” Sullivan said. “He University of Kansas Medical Center This year, junior and varsity mem- is incredibly dedicated to his players, to remove a tumor. ber Hallie Scott qualified for State in and it was really hard for him not to “I had a vestibular schwanno- singles and junior Kylee Collins and be there for them as much as he would ma, which is a tumor that grows on freshman Emma Hellerich qualified in have liked, but he had to think about the vestibular nerve. It is one of two doubles. Scott placed 16th overall. his health first and foremost.” nerves that control balance. Hearing is “[State] was a great learning expeThe changes during practices have also affected, which was how the tu- rience,” Scott said. not slowed the team down though. mor was found at the beginning of the Hoffman was also able to attend the Hoffman is confident that next year summer,” Hoffman said.

UKC varsity tournament. It was the the team will do even better.

Hoffman came to several tourna- first official girls’ tennis conference “I have to believe that my health ments during his recovery but was title in school history. Individually, isn’t going to be an issue [next seanot always able to stay for the entirety senior Issa Sullivan claimed the UKC son],” Hoffman said. of the event. He still has trouble with singles title for the second straight Hoffman and the team have manhearing in his right ear, but the double year, with Scott finishing second. Col- aged to successfully overcome this vision Hoffman was experiencing in lins and Hellerich added individual roadblock and had an overall successthe beginning has disappeared. medals as well with a third-place fin- ful season. They are all hopeful for an Hoffman’s first tournament after ish in the doubles division. even better season next year. his surgery was at Lansing but he was “It was more of an expectation than “I am proud of all the players and unable to stay for long. He was later a surprise,” Hoffman said. how they have dealt with adversity able to help run the United Kansas Hoffman’s absence affected the this season,” Hoffman said.

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The Green Pride / November 2019

SPORTS

Domination NATION De Soto High School Wildcats have successful showing in undefeated football season

LYNLEE HUTCHISON news editor inishing the season first in the United Kansas Conference, the De Soto High School football team has placed themselves in a positive position moving forward into postseason competition.

“It feels really good. It’s a testament to the hard work of our coaches and our kids. We need to make the most of it and capitalize and make it a good run in these playoffs,” head coach Brian King said.

The team had high expectations for the turnout of the 2019 season.

“We knew before the season we had a good chance at doing this, being 8-0 going into the playoffs, so it’s really good to see it actually happen,” said junior free safety Austin Rosetta.

Practices are a set time for teams to come together and work on skills for a set amount of time. Players this year expressed how the attitude within their sessions have reflected in their play out on the field.

“I think we competed a lot more in practice which led to success in games,” junior quarterback Jackson Miller said. “The defense and offense had a little rivalry going, and [it led] to competing a lot.”

Football, with the season being spread out over such a long period of time, requires a certain amount of mental resilience and extended commitment to the group.

“They have been humble, they work hard and they respond to tough coaching at times, which is not always easy to do,” King said.

This drive is not only noticed by King but by assistant defensive coach Joel Thaemert as well.

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“They are willing to work and put in the time and grind like coach King says and do the things they need to do to be successful,” Thaemert said.

It is expected that these athletes do not stop their training after the season concludes and continue to better their overall strength.

“The huge thing is the weight room, not just in the summer, but lifting all offseason, keeping weights on the schedule year round,” King said.

As physically demanding and time consuming it is to train year round, the team would say it has paid off and has been reflected by their strong performance so far this season.

“It’s pretty satisfying when you work all offseason to have a positive outcome, and it does eventually come,” Rosetta said.

Not only have the players’ hard work and athleticism benefitted the outcome of this year’s season, but the bond the team has on and off the field plays a major role as well.

“This year we have had a lot more of a family aspect,” Rosetta said. “I feel like we all know each other very well this season, so it’s easy to play with each other and win.”

Leadership is another factor that plays a major role in the bonding of the team as a whole. Senior outside linebacker Mason Parrish explained that, without leadership, “you are not a team, you are just players.”

“With the leaders we have this year, a big senior group that has been very productive, it’s easy to learn from them and let them guide us along the way,” Rosetta said.

King, a leader over them all, is

Page Design by Hunter Finerty and Ella Fixsen

highly respected by the program.

“The guys really gravitate towards him, and he is a good man and the kids know it,” Thaemert said.

The Wildcats won the first two games of the State playoffs, making them Regional champions with a 10-0 record. They advanced to play rival Mill Valley on Friday, Nov. 15. Results were unavailable at press time.

With the postseason still underway, the Wildcats hope to show their full potential in the tournament, wrapping up another year of football.

November 2019 / dhsnews.org

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OPINION

The reality of climate change T

HAYLEY MOSS editor-in-chief

hus far in 2019, society has advanced artificial intelligence, shipped packages by drones and launched new space crafts. Yet as much as we know about our planet through our incredibly evolved technology, there are still people that believe climate change is a myth.

They believe it’s made up by leftwing masterminds wanting to destroy the U.S. economy and the freedom that comes with it. Unfortunately, however, climate change is real, and it’s not due to Earth’s climate patterns (think ice age) or any other factor not related to human activity.

How do we know this? According to NASA, the global temperature has risen, ice sheets have shrunk, sea levels have risen, extreme weather events have increased and the ocean has become more acidified.

NASA also claims that this is due to the greenhouse effect from an increase of certain gases—water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons—all of which have a direct link to human activity, such as deforestation, burning of fossil fuels and waste in landfills, among many others.

But no matter how much evidence is thrown at the public and no matter how many times Bill Nye has to have an angry outburst on the Internet, people choose to disregard climate change. People have chosen to focus on more “important” matters rather than the impending doom of our beloved planet Earth. However, it’s not too late (yet). Administration can still choose to make changes at DHS to help the environment: ultimately encouraging, empowering and educating students to advocate for change.

Many of the things the DHS ad-

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ministration can choose to do aren’t difficult. Eliminating extra paper and plastic waste throughout the school— especially in school lunches—would benefit the environment. The amount of brown paper towels that make up the waste from this school is abundant, creating a good opportunity to start a school-wide compost. Reducing the amount of unnecessary waste in the cafeteria, from plastic silverware and straws to the paper serving trays used for entree items, is needed for the school to become more eco-friendly.

Although these items are used to save time during lunch, reducing the utilization of them would increase sustainability within the school. The school would no longer have to purchase unnecessary paper and plastic items, and DHS would be reducing the majority of its waste.

Although eliminating these few items won’t have a drastic effect on the environment, it will teach students about the reality of climate change and empower them to advocate for change in the future. As students, it’s easy to place fault somewhere else because we don’t think that we will have much of an impact. This notion, however, has been shot down by the one and only G r e t a Thunberg.

Speaking at the 2019 United Nations Climate

The Green Pride / November 2019

Action Summit at 16 years old, Thunberg should be the type of person students at DHS look up to. The only difference between Thunberg and any other student is that she’s educated about climate change and has enough confidence and passion to act on it.

If students at DHS were empowered to educate themselves, whether it be about sustainable brands, future impacts of climate change or governmental policies, students could do more about climate change than just recycling could do.

Combatting climate change isn’t as complicated as it seems. Begin with the small things, like eliminating single-use plastic and other unnecessary waste and learning more about climate change and global warming. There are websites that promote sustainability, such as Certified B Corporation that rates companies on the morality and sustainability of their business practices. It’s easy to get educated about climate change with all of the resources available; what will be hard is living on an apocalyptic planet in the future if nothing is done. It can start with the administration at USD 232 and DHS.

Page Design by Camryn Robbinson

the

INDUSTRIAL

REVOLUTION OF DE SOTO, KANSAS Industry booms in De Soto, bringing new opportunities and challenges to town

ERIN PICKERT & LAUREN STANTON feature editor & arts and entertainment editor

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ooking around De Soto, there are a variety of new changes and businesses around the city.

In the past few years, the additions of Harps, Casey’s, Dollar General, K-Ten Apartments and many more establishments have brought a wide variety of change to the community.

All of these changes have had both positive and negative impacts on the community and De Soto High School.

Fast food chains such as McDonald’s and the incoming Burger King provide opportunities for high schoolers, in particular, in the De Soto area.

“It think it’s good. It brings more job opportunities for the teens. Because if

Page Design by Erin Pickert

we [teenagers] want a job, we have to drive out like 20 minutes to try and find one,” senior Arianna Carlos said.

The increase of businesses also affects teens in De Soto through sponsorships with the DHS athletic department.

“They’re [De Soto companies] a big reason we can pay to put programs together for our sports teams.

We are currently working with five different companies on a big main gym video board,” said DHS athletic director Ryan Johnson.

New businesses also make living in De Soto more convenient.

“It’s nice to be able to go to Harps on the way home and pick up some grocer-

ies,” said former De Soto resident and current DHS teacher Philip Kaul.

This convenience, as well as the school district, attracts many families to De Soto.

“De Soto is known for its incredible school district so lots of families move out to De Soto meaning that business will prosper due to the population increase,” sophomore Jacob Dority said.

The new businesses also improve De Soto and prepare it for the future.

“I think that anything that brings more business and people to our community is going to benefit us in the long term. Businesses will help De Soto be

November 2019 / dhsnews.org

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NEWS

To bring an insider view behind the scenes of De Soto’s growth, The Green Pride visited De Soto City Administrator Mike Brungardt.

“Mostly, I see my job as a liaison for the elected officials. We have a board of five city council members and a mayor who are elected by the population. My job is to kind of get their direction from a policy standpoint and help them through some tough decisions,” Brungardt said.

Because of Bungardt’s position, he was able to provide insight to the growth of businesses in growing cities.

“As the city grows and the need for more services arises, you’re going to have more business come in to fill that need. And that’s just kind of a natural cycle of growth,” Brungardt said.

Historically, the community has had mixed feelings about this growth.

Before the 2008 recession, a majority of De Soto residents were skeptical of big businesses building and wanted De Soto to remain a small town.

“During the recession, sales tax was way down and property values were declining. Actually, all of the city revenue streams were needed just to keep the streets open and plowed in the winter,” Brungardt said.

“The original slogan was ‘Building on Small Town Values,’ and some people think that means keeping De

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Soto small,” said life-long De Soto resident Ron Crow.

However, after the recession, this attitude about growth and economic development changed.

According to Brungardt, the attitude “did a complete 180” from the early 2000s to 2017.

There are various reasons as to why this shift occurred. One reason is that people began to want more resources accessible throughout the town.

“We’re lucky to be in a position where we can grow.”

City Administrator Mike Brungardt “I think people realized that if you want the amenities— if you want Burger King, if you want a grocery store— then you’re going to have to have growth to support that,” Brungardt said. “If the town is not growing, you’re dying. We’re lucky to be in a position where we can grow. So really, the community is generally very positive about growth.”

In addition to industrial growth, residential growth has also taken place within the last few years.

“In 2017, we decided to promote residential growth. So for our building permits, we were averaging four or five building permits a year during the recession, zero coming out of it. This year, we’re on pace to issue about 40

The Green Pride / November 2019

building permits,” Brungardt said.

Now that the city has devoted time to focus on residential growth, its next task is promoting commercial growth.

One big aspect of this includes revitalizing the Sunflower Ammunition Plant.

“There’s been cleaning up and some environmental remediation.

We’re coming to a time now where we’re no longer talking about decades in the future, but we’re talking about several years in the future so that some of that will be ready for development.

It’s a big priority for us because we think that’s a logical extension of the city,” Brungardt said.

Also on the city of De Soto strategic plan are improvements to De Soto Parks and Recreation. The current plan, most recently updated and published in February 2018, lays out the areas of focus for the City of De Soto and how they plan to expand and improve upon its infrastructure, amenities, and much more.

“We did a parks and recreation master plan last year and that had a list of a bunch of improvements. We’re likely going to be going up to the voters for a referendum to spend about $3 million on parks improvements and a third of that on trails and recreation paths throughout the city,” Brungardt said.

The many improvements and expansion projects, such as the new trails and new businesses, come with public opinion. The new businesses have had a largely positive effect.

One benefit is that these businesses provide vital resources to improve the infrastructure of De Soto.

“They [the businesses] bring in tax money so they impact the city and we can build better streets and better infrastructure such as sewers and wa-

NEWS

terways,” Crow said.

Yet, waterways and infrastructure have become a hot topic of conversation amongst De Soto residents.

For example, the idea of a sand pit across the Kansas River has brought about discussion. The sand pit is regarding a business that wants to uptake the sand and take it elsewhere for profit. This would mean trucks would be driving through surrounding towns and carrying sand.

Regarding the sand pit, “We [De Soto] also had some water wells on the north side of the river. So we’re a little concerned with groundwater, but we’ve expressed those concerns to Leavenworth County and they’ve kind of included them,” Brungardt said.

The installment of new businesses, rather, has been the focus of the De Soto City government in recent years.

New businesses, particularly Burger King, show promise for a continual pattern of new additions to De Soto.

However, with the growth of fast

“We’re coming to a

time now where we’re no longer talking about decades in the future, but we’re talking about several years in the future.”

City Administrator Mike Brungardt food chains, it is also important to preserve De Soto’s local restaurants.

“The only possible downside I can see is you want the locally-owned peo-

ple to be able to stay competitive so you want places like KJ’s not to be crowded out by a large chain,” Kaul said.

The city of De Soto has recognized this potential downfall.

“Downtown is where it is important. We’re not going to have the retail traffic there all the time. So you need some of the more niche uses. KJ’s Pizza is awesome and Wanda’s is great, too. We really have an emphasis on revitalizing downtown and making sure the businesses that are there stay there,” Brungardt said.

There are also environmental downsides to a growing and developing city.

According to DHS science teacher Kylee Sharp “habitat destruction and potential water pollution” are the two most common environmental issues that could ensue.

However, in order to alleviate the city’s environmental footprint, there are a variety of policies and actions that can be implemented.

“If they [the city] create greenspaces and green corridors, keep trees along creeks and streams, keep nice sidewalks with trees that line them and not clear everything, then that will be a really great way to minimize their own impacts,” Sharp suggested.

Sharp believes it is possible for De Soto to exhibit this sustainable growth.

“It would be awesome to see De Soto grow as a kind of model for what future growth could look like with a walkable city, lots of nice sidewalks, lots of connected areas, bike lanes, greenspaces and parks. I would love to see De Soto be a model for that kind of development,” Sharp said.

Overall, the general opinion of those in De Soto seems to be of a positive outlook for the future. The boom-

Page Design by Camryn Robbinson and Erin Pickert

ing growth of De Soto shows promise for the future inhabitants of the town.

“I think that anytime you have a community that is growing you just set a positive outlook. The reason that it’s growing is because people want to be here and want to be a part of this community,” Kaul said. “It all says a positive thing about the work that our community members are doing and our school is doing. It’s an attractive place to live and people want to be here.”

November 2019 / dhsnews.org

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Friendsgiving:

FEATURE

Students celebrate Thanksgiving with one another by hosting annual "Friendsgivings"

MAGGIE KROEGER editor in chief

A group of DHS students poses for a group picture after eating their Friendsgiving dinner in 2018. Photo courtesy of Ella Boxx

F

riendsgiving is traced back as early as 2007, showing up on social media sites such as Twitter. Although it began as an alternative to Thanksgiving for people who chose to celebrate with friends rather than family, it is now a type of second Thanksgiving. But Friendsgiving usually isn’t a paper plate, folding table, informal type of affair. Friendsgiving are typically organized, decorated and appropriately celebrated.

Friends all go around the dining table and say what they are thankful for, stuff themselves with turkey, go back for pie despite their fullness and just enjoy each other’s company. For busy high school students, it can be refreshing and fulfilling to slow down for a minute and appreciate the people that are around them.

Junior Ella Boxx enjoys this aspect of coming together during a time of year where business is heavy.

“My favorite part of Friendsgiving is getting to sit at the same table with all of my friends. It makes me realize how thankful and blessed I am to have such an amazing group of friends,” Boxx said. “It’s also nice because we can bring everyone together, which is

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hard since all of us are so busy.”

Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve are usually popular events that friends spend together, but senior Corinne Daise enjoys being able to spend another holiday with her friends and make new traditions.

“I love getting to have a holiday with my friends that in the past I normally wouldn’t,” Daise said. “And even though it’s cheesy, we all say what we’re thankful for, which is really meaningful because we aren’t usually as serious or thankful in that way.”

Senior Colton Jones also enjoys the thankful atmosphere that comes with a Friendsgiving.

“They’ve [Friendsgivings] always been fun because you just get to sit back and get together with your closest friends and be able to have a good time without worrying about anything else,” Jones explained. “I love how everyone is really appreciated and how thankful we are for one another.”

Boxx hosted her own Friendsgiving last year, having a sort of open house to welcome anyone that wanted to join.

“Last year, I had about 20 of my friends over for Friendsgiving. I invited all of my friends, and also told them

The Green Pride / November 2019

that they could bring whoever with them, whether that be a boyfriend, girlfriend or friend. In my opinion, everyone should be welcome at a Friendsgiving,” Boxx said. “We all ate pasta as a main dish and everyone brough sides along with it, and then we got to eat together and take pictures.”

For Daise, Friendsgiving has the same effect as a real Thanksgiving dinner, and enjoys getting to spend that kind of holiday with her friends.

“Dressing up and taking pictures is also a really fun part because it makes it feel like a real Thanksgiving dinner,” Daise explained. “Last year, we went to our friend’s house and everyone brought a side dish, and we got to have a turkey and just hang out together.”

Page Design by Maggie Kroeger

What is DHS thankful for? for thankful r e p u s ’m I ess of my the kindn ers and the ch fellow tea of my stu positivity rs. dents. - M g in Sinclair-K

Page Design by Maggie Kroeger

My parents and all of their hardwork to give me endless opportunities. -Lynlee Hutchison, junior

My friends and family, but most importantly Mr. Hessong. - Maddie Beal, senior

November 2019 / dhsnews.org

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PHOTO ESSAY

Homecoming Week 2019 1

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The Green Pride / November 2019

1. A group of sophomores throw candy off of

the sophomore class float during the Homecoming parade on Oct 16. Wildcat Photo 2. The student section cheers on the football team during the Homecoming football game on Oct 18. Wildcat Photo 3. A group of seniors celebrate a touchdown during the Powder Puff football game on Oct 16.

Wildcat Photo 4. Sophomores Lillie Sullivan, Maggie Smith, Amy Rocha, and Kennedy Pickert pose for a picture at the Homecoming dance on Oct 19.

Wildcat Photo 5. Seniors Erin Pickert and Chase Culver smile for a picture after being coronated as Homecoming Queen and King. Wildcat Photo

Page Design by Maggie Kroeger