The Patriot

Who’s cheating, why, and is it a problem?

the

Patriot issue 2

volume 57

Shawnee Mission South High School | 913-993-7500 5800 W 107th St. Overland Park, KS. 66207.

Patriot

the

Table

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Issue 2 | Volume 57

Contents

KSMS

3 | Phatic Foundation

ONLINE

highlights

Classified staff and phatic language.

4 | Lunch Box Hero

The face behind the lunch counter.

6 | Clubs Guide

A guide to getting involved.

Senior Adivce. Reporter, Kareem Dadkhah.

7 | K’s Great Pumpkin Cookies A contemporary take on the classic cookie.

Volleyball

8 | Cheaters Sometimes Win

Checkout the 2022 Varsity Volleyball hype video. Made

by Lettie featherstone, Hannah Gibson and Maya Coppaken.

The whens, wheres and whys of cheating.

10 | Horror Through The Decades An analysis of the spooky genre over the years.

11 | Pumpkin Picks

Pep Club

Take a look into a spooktacular spice world.

Meet your 2022-2023 Pep Club Execs. Video created by Jake Wright and Melody Wasco.

12 | Fall Favorites

Debunking Freshman Fears.

Culture Editor, Ren Park.

Patriot staff share season favorites.

13 | Building Each Other Up A look into our unique gymantics team.

Boys Soccer

14 | Do You Really Believe

Check out the 2022 Varsity Boys Soccer Team. Video brought to you by Eliot Wagner, Megan Flint and Andrea Walters.

Are your sports opinions really your own?

15 | Pink Out

A Photostory recap of Footballs pink out night.

Girls Tennis

16 | October Crossword

Looking for a Job? Go to Counseling. Reporter, Greta Waller.

Watch the 2022 Girl Tennis hype video! Hype video made

by Mary Donovan, Luke Olson and Ian Wilkinson.

Staff Head Editors

Noel Mohamed | Editor-in-Chief Simon Cox | Assitant Editor-in-Chief

Management Editors

Fletcher Knowles | Head Copy Editor

Section Editors

Ren Park | Culture Editor

Reporters

Kareem Dadkhah Greta Waller Emmalee Rich Evan Dahlke Jameson Peeples

Photojournalists Julia Schnittker Gabbie Granoff

Adviser

Tucker Love

Mission Statement

T

he Patriot is a newspaper that aims to objectively present topics affecting Shawnee Mission South High School, as well as connect with readers on issues concerning the student body. Staff members reserve the right to express their views in the Opinion section. These pieces are labeled and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff as a whole, except the staff editorial, which represents the views of the editors. Under the First Amendement and Kansas law. That Patriot staff is entitled to freedom of the press and neither the school nor district is responsible for any content or coverage. The staff encourages letters to the editor; they will only be published if signed. The Editor-in-Chief reserve the right to refuse or edit any letters for grammar, length, and good taste.

2 TOC

Student peeks at cheat sheet as teacher is turned away. Photo illustration by Fletcher Knowles.

phatic FOUNDATION

Discussing classified staff at South, and the effect Phatic language has on our relationships with them.

story by simon cox

M

ost students eat lunch every day.

While many bring their lunch, even more buy one from the school. To get through either lunch line, you have to talk to at least one of the kitchen staff. Whether it’s the person handing you a slice of pizza, or the one at the register. But how many of us have ever struck up a conversation with them; asked how they were doing? How many of us even know their names?

I doubt you need me to tell you the answer.

I’m not saying you’re a horrible person for not getting to know the kitchen staff. I’m certainly no better than most. It’s always much easier to simply go through the motions when it comes to school. This is especially true when it comes to mundane tasks like the lunch line.

But I’m often surprised when I buy a school lunch at how few people even provide a simple thank you. It’s not uncommon to see someone not even acknowledge the cashier when they say “You’re good to go.” It seems to me like many students treat them like NPC’s. They’re simply doing their job because it’s their job.

But if they’re not NPC’s, why do they do what they do? If you take the time to get to know them, you’ll get that answer.

It’s not just the kitchen staff who are in this position.

Classified staff is the name given to staff who aren’t required to have some form of an education certificate. Some examples are

kitchen staff, attendance staff, office secretaries and building subs. All these positions are integral to South running smoothly.

Because nothing is inherently wrong with not getting to know staff, it’s easy to rationalize a curt hello or a phatic how are you.

Phatic expressions are phrases that serve just to maintain a social relationship.

Common American examples being “What’s up?” or “How’s it going?”. In America, if you walk up to someone and ask how it’s going, they’re likely not going to be honest with you. More likely they’ll respond with, “Good, how about you?”. Whereas in the UK if you were to ask someone “How’s it going?”, they’d think you were genuinely inquiring on the state of their life.

The word to focus on in that definition is ‘maintain’. When you stick to simple, phatic expressions to communicate with staff, you maintain a simple, phatic relationship. Again, there’s nothing objectively wrong with that.

We all have a lot going on in our lives, and you can’t have an in-depth conversation with everyone you come across in a day.

In American society, you’ll be left in the dust without phatic expressions. Who in the world has time to get to know every stranger in their life?

At the end of the day, nothing will happen if you continue treating the staff like robots. Most people won’t notice, and fewer

will think anything of it.

But think about all the friends you wouldn’t have if you never tried to get to know them. Is there really a difference?

Unfortunately these are all symptoms of a more foundational problem. Time.

This isn’t a school issue or a generational issue --it’s a societal issue. The “grindset”/ hustle-like mentality often seems to be the backbone of American society. It’s clear to anyone who isn’t brainwashed that most platonic relationships are seen as a secondary priority, along with health, happiness and other seemingly important parts of life.

Get good grades. No, great grades. A 4.0 gpa. Score high on the ACT, and get all these scholarships or else.

Or else go into debt before you’re 25.

There simply is no time allotted for relationships. You can make time, sure, but that’s time someone else is spending to get that full ride to Vanderbilt.

However, everyone has time to at least acknowledge the people working behind the scenes day in and day out to keep the school running.

So next time a kitchen staff member checks you out of the lunch line, or an attendance secretary stamps your late slip, the least you can do-- the least we all can do-- is look them in the eye and say thank you.

phatic language and its place in society

Phatic expressions are used in almost every country throughout the world, and most are different. In the UK for example, rather than “How’s it going?” they say, “Are you alright?” If you were to say “Are you alright?” in America, it would seem like you were genuinely concernced for the person. Phatic language itslef is not a problem; rather, it is a very useful tool.

However, I feel it is often overused. In a capitalist, hustle culture like ours where people feel bound to the fast lane, it’s easy to feel like any stop on our race to nowhere is a distraction or an obstacle. Phatic language enables that thinking and the behavior that comes with it.

3 Editorial

lunch box hero

Photos by Ellen Lundin

The name behind the face behind the counter story by ren park

aren Bond, kitchen manager, has

Kworked in the cafeteria since 2004.

She wakes up at 4:30 in the morning every day. At 5:30, she arrives at work and begins to prepare food for over 800 students. “ This really is my ideal job,” she said.

“I don’t have any aspirations to retire.

I don’t have any desire to go into a different position or field. This is where I like to be.”

Bond originally wanted to be a home economics teacher, but soon realized that she wasn’t the right fit for the job.

She worked as an administrative assistant until she fell into the food service industry at a friend’s hotdog and ice cream restaurant, Dips and Dogs, in downtown Overland Park. Whether it was fate or misfortune that led Dips and Dogs to close, it brought Bond to where

she is today.

It wasn’t clear what her responsibilities would be when Bond interviewed for the position. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she knew that she had an opportunity to work near her son and his friends.

Those familiar faces made her job more interesting every day.

Although Bond’s sons graduated more than ten years ago, her connections with them are one of her top priorities.

“My kids all live within ten minutes of us,” she said. “We get to see them quite a bit.”

Whether they’re playing frisbee in their backyard or putting together a jigsaw puzzle at the kitchen table, Bond spends time with her sons and her grandchildren almost every day.

“Our children are really our best friends,” she said.

4 Feature

The way Bond sees it, raising her sons to be respectful and successful is one of her greatest achievements.

“I’m very proud of how my children have turned out,” she said. “I have three boys. They’ve all grown to be wonderful young men that are very caring. When I saw them graduate from high school, it made me feel like I was a good person.”

Bond’s experience with leading started at a young age. She grew up on a farm, the oldest of three siblings. Some of her tasks included driving tractors, baling hay, and tending to the countless animals. Like her job in the cafeteria, she never knew what to expect from a day’s work.

“I think farming really helped me learn how to be the person I am,” she said.

“You dealt with changes every day.

There was never two days that were the

“

I don’t have any aspirations to retire...

This is where I like to be.

Karen Bond

same. You just woke up in the morning and found out what you needed to do, and if you needed to change that idea halfway through the day, then you made adjustments. I think that growing up on the farm has helped me understand that you deal with change every day, and that you have to be resilient and open to new ideas.”

The kitchen is always busy–with limited staff and seemingly unlimited responsibilities–but Bond still finds time to instill a welcoming environment full of collaboration. According to Norma Robertson, head baker, everything in the kitchen goes smoothly, largely due to Bond’s efforts. Everyone knows what

job they need to complete, which can often be several. Robertson said that after any member of staff finishes their tasks, they’ll help another member.

Despite staff shortages and ongoing supply issues, Bond’s ability to adapt ensures that every student has something available to them at lunchtime. If there’s an item that the kitchen can’t get, there will always be a similar substitute. Chips and Ice drinks might not be available some days, but students can always get a bottle of water.

“They just have to be patient with us going through the lines, because they are longer,” she said. “We have a great group of kids here, but there’s a few that

5 Feature

”

are difficult.”

Bond believes that even the most difficult students are all good at heart. She even sees herself in some of them.

“I see traits like mine in a lot of different people,” she said. “Unfortunately, because we have such a short time to see any student, it’s hard to get to know each one. And that’s kind of sad. I’d love to be able to get to know more kids.”

Clubs Guide A glimpse of four clubs to get involved with.

story by greta waller and emmalee rich

Inscriptions

Chat N’ View

Feminist Club

BSU

I

C

F

B

nscriptions is an art magazine that takes writing and physical art from students and the lit mag staff publish it toward the end of the school year.

Lit Mag meets every Wednesday in room 168.

Sophomore Erika Spencer is in charge of lit mag and would like more people to join the club.

“It’s really fun. I mean, especially if you like journalism, it’s a way to do it, but not joining a journalism class or your schedules already full,” Spencer said, “And we get a lot of freedom literally, because there’s not very many of us right now. So it’s like in yearbook, you have the editors and you kind of have to follow with what the editor says. But in lit mag, everyone’s kind of an editor. So it’s really good if you want to get something of your own out there.”

hat N View is a movie club where students vote on a movie and then they have a week to watch it. Then, at their next meeting they talk about it.

Chat N View meets every Monday in room 372. Senior Harper Pack is in charge of the club and enjoys the casual nature of the club.

“It’s really fun,”Pack Said.

“Especially for underclassmen, who don’t really know what to join or what to get involved in because it’s such a casual environment. And you can come and go. I mean I haven’t been to the meeting in like, three weeks, and some people will just show up. Other people will be there for one time, and then you ever see them again.”

eminist Club was started by seniors Gracie Peterman and Hadley Carson last year. The students in Fem club talk about intersectional issues and how they impact our community.

Fem Club meets every other Thursday in room 362.

Junior Noah Vacek is the treasurer and they want more people to join.

“It’s really a good way to get involved and make a change in the school, if that’s something that you’re interested in. We really focus more than some other clubs in doing something in the school more than just talking in the club,” Vacek said.

lack Student Union talks about certain issues going on with the black community, and they try to bring awareness to those issues.

“A lot of the history that we have is not put out to the public. So we’re really trying to just bring that up underneath the dirt and enlighten people about what’s really going on” senior Kieron Smith said.

BSU meets Thusdays before school during late start in room 221. Kieron Smith wants people to join.

“When I say Black Student Union, that doesn’t mean only black people can go. anybody’s allowed to come into our meetings and be part of the club. It’s just we mainly focus on our black issues in the black community, and try to be more awareness to that.” Smith said.

A poster encouraging students to join feminist club. Photo by Noel Mohamed.

Inscriptions literary magazines from 2021, 2021, and 2019. Photo by Greta Waller.

BSU executives for the 2022-2023 school year. Photo by Terelle Johnson..

Harper Pack...and?

Chat N’ View members Harper Pack and Ashley Ortiz-Portela. Photo by Grant Stolte.

See Athletic secretary Diane Johnson or Associate Principal Nancy Tynon for information on other South clubs— or starting a new one!

6

Feature

A contemporary take on the classic cookie. story by kareem dadkhah

I

f soft, sweet pumpkin flavor is something you enjoy, and if you’re looking for the perfect thing to snack on while watching your favorite halloween flicks, then look no further than Kareem’s Great Pumpkin Cookies. Light and fluffy with hints of walnut crunch, they are the epitome of autumn, a revamp of Libby’s Great Pumpkin Cookie from the 80s.

Ingredients:

Directions:

4 cups flour 2 cup quick or oldfashioned oats, uncooked 2 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cup butter, softened 2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla eztract 16 oz of pumpkin purre (from scratch) 1 cup of raisins 1 cup of walnuts Photo of 1986 Libby’s advertisement

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit - To begin, you want to cut your pumpkin into small pieces.

Then put a pot on medium-low heat. Steam the pumpkin pieces till soft, then blend them to a purre in your food processor.

- Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

-Cream butter; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy.

-Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Add in your rasisns and walnuts.

- For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet; spread into desired shape using a thin metal spatula.

- Bake at 350, 20-25 minutes, until cookies are firm and lightly browned. Finally, remove from cookie sheet and cool on racks.

Enjoy!

“

Many studies have suggested that eating more plant foods, such as pumpkin, decreases the risk of obesity and overall mortality. It can also help a person avoid diabetes and heart disease, promote a healthy complexion and hair, increase energy, and a healthy body mass index (BMI).

- Medical News Today

7

A&E

”

Cheaters sometimes win Why cheat, who cheats, and why we should even care. story by fletcher knowles

L

ife doesn’t stop for anyone. Students everywhere are constantly struggling to stay on top of their workload and sometimes they fall behind.

“I try my hardest but sometimes there’s just too much,” sophomore Emma Bowen said.

The constant stream of assignments and tests lead students to whatever is in their power to preserve their grade. This can result in a range of tactics from staying up until 2 AM to skipping class or even cheating.

“I’ve been one who writes things on my arms every once in a while. Just a quick equation or two”, senior Valerie Littejohn said.

Littlejohn is not alone in this. Many student has experienced cheating in one form or another. Forms can vary from writing on notecards and changing your home screen’s live photo to copying entire essays outside of class.

“In English [classes], we hear more about plagiarized essays either between peers, like one person does an essay and another turns it in or they just find something online and turn it in as their own”, English teacher Tierney Devins said.

Plagiarism, just like all cheating, requires secrecy. You can’t get away with cheating if your peers tell on you. But that doesn’t seem to be a problem.

“You don’t really gain much from [snitching],” junior Julian Headley said. “And if someone does cheat, you don’t know why they’re cheating. They might really need the grade.”

Everyone understands what someone is going through when they cheat. They know that someday they could be cheating and if they snitch now, they could and likely will get snitched on later.

“I feel like whatever that person wants to do, they can do it. It’s not really going to affect me. It’s not morally right. But people are just trying to do their best,” Littlejohn said.

Morality seems to play a large role in cheating. In a 2012 study, Josephson Institute of Ethics found that although 50 percent of high school students admit to cheating, 93 percent of students feel “satisfied with their own ethics and character”. This seems to imply that cheating is only done out of necessity.

However, sometimes students cheat because they would rather just not do the hard work, leading many teachers and students to be apprehensive about cheating in any form.

Instead of letting it slide, they offer other incentives to not cheat like retakes and talking to the students directly after a bad test.

“Let’s talk about why you got that zero. Do you need to come in and make up this test with me? Do you need to retake it? Do you need a different setting? For me the zero is more of a wake up call,” Devins said.

With all of these measures in place many believe that cheating is never necessary. But as long as there are teachers that give assignments, there will be students that cheat. The only question is if it is necessary.

8 Feature

n.

9 Feature

through the decades

An analysis of the spooky genre over the years. story by kareem dadkhah

T

here’s a lot of debate when it comes to what is considered “horror”. Discourse on what movies should be considered part of the genre, but for the sake of analysis, let’s break down the word “horror.” The official definition of horror is: an intense feeling of fear, shock or disgust.

Ghost and monster stories have been a part of mythology and literature for ages, but the horror film genre didn’t really start being established in America until about the 1920s.

Titles like “Dracula” in 1931 by Universal Studios were highly well received and are now seen as “classics” in the world of horror.

After the critical and commercial success of “Dracula”, Universal released “Frankenstein” later that year. Universal Studios went on to become one of the trailblazers for early horror cinema.

1910-20s - Horror in the first decade of the twentieth century tended to be centered around ghosts, the devil and skeletons. This can be observed in the films of Walter R. Booth, a magician who used trick photography to make the impossible possible. Some of his popular films include “The Sorcerer’s Scissors”, “When the Devil Drives” and “The Airstrip Destroyer.” Toward the end of this period, the films shifted from comedic to more serious. For example D. W. Griffith’s “The Sealed Room”, a film that tells the tale of two unfaithful lovers being bricked off in a room left to suffocate.

1930-40s - During this era of horror films filmmakers in the west looked to cashout on film adaptations of gothic literature. Universal Studios ushered in an age of big budget monster movies. After the horror tropes began to be repackaged and sold to the point of parody, films started to focus more on mood and suspense, with lower budgets and production value. “Cat People”, a 1942 film about an American man who marries a Serbian woman who is terrified that she will turn into the cat person of her homeland’s fables exemplified this focus.

1950-60s - By this time, the world had seen first hand the catastrophic power of atomic weaponry. The tensions of the Cold War hinted at the extinction of the human race and fear manifested in the horror movies at the time, focusing on atomic monsters, aliens and experiments gone wrong: “The Creeping Unknown” 1955. By the ’60s we started to see our first slashers, as the genre

yet again stepped away from its previous trends. These new films were far more gruesome and sexual than anything that had been seen before. One of the most popular was the 1960 classic Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, not only considered one of the best horror films, but one of the best films, it was nominated for four academy awards, which was groundbreaking for the genre. “Night of the Living Dead” and “Rosemary’s Baby” were also very critical for the evolution horror during this time, introducing flesh-eating zombies and the topic of satanism.

1970s - “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Halloween” would further popularize the slasher subgenre of horror, while “Jaws” would pave the way for a new type of animal horror. In 1976, the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel “Carrie”, would introduce a new wave of teen horror films. One trend from the 70s that would change film making as a business was young filmmakers making lowbudget horror films that would gross millions at the box office, big film studios were eager to emulate this technique.

1980s - Paramount pictures found just what they were looking for when they put out “Friday the 13th” in 1980, very similar to “Halloween” but with less story and more gore. This was the age of film franchises, horror icons like Jason Vorhees, Freddy Kreuger, and Michael Myers were born. Big studios would put out endless sequels to movies regardless of quality. Horror became even more of a money game.

1990s-2000s - After the 80s’ golden age of campy gore, horror started to become a little more self aware with smart films that acted as commentary on the already established genre. For example “Scream” the iconic ghost-faced slasher series. There was also a new wave of “found footage” horror movies, none more well known than “The Blair Witch Project” a flim about three film students that vanished after traveling into a Maryland forest to make a documentary about the local witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.

This article was written with information gathered from “One Hundred Years of Cinema” and IMDb.

14 A&E

KAREEM’S TOP PICKS

PUMPKIN PICKS

Take a look into the spooktacular pumpkin spice world story by Jameson Peeples

SCOOTER’S Latte

STARBUCKS Latte

Muffin

I tried the pumpkin spice latte and the pumpkin spice muffin with cream cheese frosting from starbucks and this is my brutally honest review. I think the pumpkin spice latte was actually one of the worst pumpkin spiced drinks that i’ve tried. The reason was because they pulled the shot wrong. The coffee was very bitter to the point that it was hard to drink but it would be good if you want it to last the whole day. The other thing that got me about the pumpkin spiced latte was that you couldn’t taste any of the pumpkin flavoring or any nutmeg flavor because the coffee was so overpowering. 1.5/5

Now if you want a really good pumpkin spiced muffin please go to starbucks. This was one of the best muffins I’ve ever had in my life. I got mine warmed up and it tastes like it just got out of the oven. The thing that really sold me on this muffin was the cream cheese center because it was creamy and rich but not too rich. It just really went well with the pumpkin spiced muffin and if you like a nice little crunch on your muffin they put pumpkin seeds on top too. 5/5

This was the absolute best pumpkin latte that I tasted. They actually pulled the shot by hand and not some machine that can’t even pull a good shot of coffee.

The coffee stood out in a great way. It was smooth and rich and it was so easy to drink, unlike Starbucks. The coffee was a blend of multiple spices including nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and so much more. This was amazing and it didn’t take long to get my stuff. I will most differently be going back to Scooters to get this again. 5/5

DUNKIN Latte

This was one of my favorite pumpkin spiced latte because the coffee was there but it wasn’t super overpowering.

The pulled the hot perfectly and it was rich and creamy.

The pumpkin flavoring was there and they put nutmeg and cinnamon on top of the whipped cream which gave it a nice little touch. Overall this was a really good pumpkin latte and it wasn’t too expensive. 4/5

Muffin

The pumpkin and caramel muffin was strange because of the caramel. The muffin was hot but the caramel was as hard as a rock. Honestly I have no idea how you can mess something up so simple.

This was one of the worst muffins I’ve ever had.

Please save your money and go over to Starbucks or Scooters for a better muffin. This muffin was so bad that if I could give it negative stars I would but I can’t. 0.5/5

11 Feature

Muffin

The muffin was interesting to say the least. It was another caramel and pumpkin muffin. This time the caramel melted on top of the muffin and it was warm and gooey.

The biggest downfall of it being warmed up was that it stuck to the bag and I lost a lot of my muffin to the paper bag. That’s fine though.

It wasn’t as good as Starbucks but not as bad as Dunkin. Overall the muffin was warm, gooey, and all I wanted from a muffin. 4/5

FALL favorites Patriot staff share favorite media for the season. story by noel mohamed

PODCASTS

MUSIC

Artist

What is it?

Donovan

Jeremey and Gage, two political “gurus”, discuss the weekly news and give a leftist point of view on recent events.

Name

Season of the Witch

Release date

Run time

August 1966

1 hour and 30 minutes

Honorable Mentions “Never Gonna Be Alone” Jacob Collier “Juice Wrld DID” DJ Khaled

What is it?

Join Rhett and Link, hosts of popular Youtube show Good Mythical Morning and authors of New York Times bestselling, in a wekkly conversation.

Artist

“Close Your Eyes” The Backseat Lovers

Name

“Step On Me” The Cardigans

The Weekened Out of Time

Release date Januray 6, 2022

Run time

1 hour and 30 minutes

“Cannon Beach” David Kushner

FALL MOVIES Our favorite movies to watch during the fall season.

Why this movie?

Why this show?

S

I

ummerween episode from Gravity Falls is easily my favorite halloween movie. It is so goofy and fun instead of jumpscares and murder.”

Fletcher Knowles Senior and head copy editor

t’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, is my favorite movie. I know it makes me sound like a kindergartener, but it never gets old. The soundtrack is the epitome of fall.”

Greta Waller

Junior and reporter

12 A&E

Why this movie?

C

oco is a fall movie, stop arguing, you sound stupid.”

Simon Cox Junior and assitant editor-in-chief

BUILDING each other

UP

small gymnastics team with unique practice situation thrives on connection. story by greta waller

I Sitting on the sidelines, senior Zaria Redick and freshman McKenzie Arnold cheer for their fellow gymnasts. Photo

by Gabbie Granoff.

Practicing on floor, freshman Stella Segura completes a roundoff-backhandspring-stepout. Photo by Nina Nordstrom.

by the NUMBERS 68,797 girls in competitive artistic gymnastics in the US

16,232 high school gymnasts

in the US 14 schools with gymnastics programs in Kansas

5 school districts with gymnastics programs in Kansas

t’s 3:15 pm. Girls file into the gym, tugging at their ponytails and passing around snacks. They wriggle off shoes and socks as a line forms for their warm up. In between skips and sashays, there is chatter about football games and giggles over boys.

Coach Braxton Quell takes his place in front of the team. “Let’s stretch,” he says.

Quell coaches pole vault during track season, but during fall, he is the head coach of three Shawnee Mission gymnastics teams: South, East and West. They all practice together at South after school.

Together, these schools make up over 20% of the 14 high school gymnastics programs across the state. “[Kansas high school gymnastics] is dwindling,” Quell said. “It is dying and very much on its last leg.”

The program’s uncertain future is largely a result of low participation.

Many gymnasts compete on club teams that practice year-round and don’t want to interrupt their club seasons by joining a high school team. The lack of gymnasts interested in high school competition led the Shawnee Mission and Lawrence School Districts to consider cutting gymnastics from their budgets in 2017 and 2021, respectively.

“West counts as a team with one athlete,” Quell said. “East is our largest team this year—they have 11

13 | Sports

athletes. That’s pretty big.”

South has three gymnasts: senior Zaria Redick and freshmen McKenzie Arnold and Stella Segura. Each has a different level of experience.

Redick was a complete beginner her freshman year, while Arnold enters her rookie season with some familiarity from recreational gymnastics. Segura began competitive gymnastics at age six and excelled at the club level before joining the high school team this year.

“I’m still getting used to the scoring,” Segura said, “but practices are a lot easier in high school.”

Because gymnastics requires specific expertise and costly equipment, schools have to share coaches and practice facilities. They still compete as separate teams, but practicing with gymnasts from East and West has given South gymnasts a unique bond.

“It feels like we’re one team,” Arnold said. “At my first meet, I wasn’t sure what line to stand in so I almost joined East’s!”

The limited size of the sport fosters an uplifting culture at competitions. Although they line up separately, Shawnee Mission gymnasts have no hesitation cheering for girls from a number of other schools.

“Even though we compete against them, it’s really not about us,” Redick said. “It’s not about who’s better; it’s about building each other up.”

do you really believe?

Discussing inherited sports beliefs.

story by evan dahlke

W

hen talking about sports, there comes a saying when someone says, “Is that really your favorite team?”

Perhaps you were persuaded without you even knowing.

Where someone may have grown up in a household where a parent or grandparent had been an avid fan of the Kansas Jayhawks, to wonder does that necessarily mean that that a person growing up will have an altered opinion and or view on the Missouri Mizzou Tigers? They may be influenced to dislike the Mizzou Tigers only because they grew up in a household where they were influenced to believe that.

For people who have lived in a household where their parents have been fans. Two prime examples, fans who grew up in different households, different atmospheres, share what it means to be a fan.

“Yeah I’ve disliked the Jayhawks most of my life…”

Lauren Giuliani states. When asked if she would ever like the Jayhawks her answer was, “probably no”.

Lauren Giuliani who has been a Mizzou fan her whole life said. Where Mizzou fans come Jayhawk fans, when asked about his family “...but like for the Boston Celtics, my dad was always a fan of them, and I grew to become a fan of them too, just from watching the videos and plays and stuff that he recommended me to watch.” His thoughts on being a Jayhawks fan started mostly because he lives in Kansas and not Missouri, that was a key factor.

Logan Holopirek stands for a photograph, wearing his jayhakws shirt.

Photo by Evan Dahlke

“I kind of like the Jayhawks overall most because I live in Kansas.”

When asked if he would still root for a team like K-State, “should I say no? They’re KU’s rivals so I wouldn’t root for them.”

In sports or even broader topics there comes when there is a middle ground between two sides.

Lucy Hillestad, who has more of a neutral view on the matter, “I’m kind of neutral, i’m not really like either team over the other…” She said, some people may have grown up in a household with no sports outlook, so naturally, no real opinion on a sports team can be developed.

Moreover this adds to the concept of growing up in a household with parents believing one thing can lead to not having a broad outlook later because of subconscious bias. Bias towards a specfic team.

K U

V.S. M

Lauren Giuliani stands for a portrait photograph.

Photo by Evan Dahlke

14 | Sports Feature

U

P NK OUT! October 6 football game ends in 58-6 loss.

PHOTO STORY BY EVAN DAHLKE

Junior Grace Flynn and Junior Kam Wright hyping it up on the sidelines.

Photo by Gabbie Granoff

Senior Monte Hale bringing the pressure on defense.

Photo by Gabbie Granoff Sophomore Cole Dyer running a route as the play develops.

Photo by Gabbie Granoff

South cheer leaders hyping up the crowd at the football game.

Photo by Gabbie Granoff

15 Photo Story

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