October 2015

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LE JOURNAL

ISSUE 2 VOLUME 34 October 2015

Immigration: Caught in a Current page 14-17

NEWS Homecoming Weekend

5

Nuclear Deal Divides Opinion, Drives Change 5

OPINION U.S. Needs Immigration Reform

6

The Skinny on Slim4Life

8

Kiss Cam Chaos

9

SPORTS 10

Champion of Character Selected

11

World Series

11

Cross Country Update

11

FEATURES Jason Ketter

12

Corrine Willems

18

Margaret Ruhlman

20

Karolina Rooney

22

COVER Immigration Struggles

14

A&E

2

Vikings: A New Album with a New Sound

24

Malala Inspires

25

A Hellish Haunting

26

LE JOURNAL October 2015

Ribbon Cutting Stuco president senior Emmie Gragg paraded down the track with Stormy, sophomore Melissa Hamilton, after the Board of Trustees ribbon cutting for the new field. See more

pictures, visit www.lejournallive.com.

LeJournal 2015-2016

Overrun Overcomes Ovarian Cancer

Le Journal is the official student publication of Notre Dame de Sion 10631 Wornall Road Kansas City, Missouri 64114

{

MEMBER

Missouri Interscholastic Press Association National Scholastic Press Association International Quill and Scroll Journalism Educators of Metropolitan Kansas City Missouri Journalism Education Association

CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Sophie Nedelco Ellie Schwartz

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Rachel Ergovich

WEBSITE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chioma Okuagu

WEB MANAGING EDITOR Alex D’Alesio

EDITORIAL EDITOR Abby Smith

A&E EDITOR

Chloe Barrett

SPORTS EDITOR Madison Heide

FEATURE EDITOR Natalie Sopyla

PHOTO EDITOR Laney Ulowetz

REPORTERS

Selena Hunter Tara Jungden Aubrey Makar Paige Dussold Natalie Williams Lily Coit Lucy Stofer Rachel Doctor Kate Noble Toni Mathis Clare Kimmis Taylor Spies Kathleen Watz

Le Journal accepts letters to the Editors in response to published articles. Letters must be signed, verified and no longer than 200 words.

Letters may be edited for length, grammar, spelling and content.

Letters will not be printed if content is obscene, invasive, encouraging disruption of school and/or is libelous.

September Issue Corrections The following names were spelled or attributed incorrectly: Senior Allie Cocks Sophomore Elise Bishop

}

THE EDITOR’S INK

L

ast weekend, I fell victim to the Basic Teenage Girl In Fall Syndrome.

Complete with fuzzy socks just drug out of storage, plum lipgloss and my first hot coffee of the year after months of drinking it iced, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. Yes, there’s a certain eye-roll from the barista that comes when I order pumpkin-spiced-anything and yes, it’s probably a little too warm to wear my favorite sweater, but I know I’m one of a million fall-lovers doing the exact same thing. That’s part of what makes this season my favorite: the fact that we share traditions (or our basic-ness), together.

As a sea of immigrants moves into the U.S. (page 14-17), they share in American traditions including the American dream but face outdated policies that make their naturalization nearly impossible (page 6). The American community is growing, and policy needs to catch up to that growth.

Sion is also building community by creating new traditions. October brought current students together with alumnae and for the first-ever Homecoming Weekend (page 5), and the admissions office has been working harder than ever to build the school community with new recruitment strategies (page 8). While I’m settling into my fall habits, they’re busy branching out.

Freshman Margaret Ruhlman proves that branching out can be life-changing after recently taking up Olympic weightlifting - and killing it (pages 20-21), and tech expert Jason Ketter continues even today to pursue music, his high school dream (pages 12-13). Pinterest may be the best source of inspiration for fall fashion and Halloween costumes, but nothing is more inspiring than seeing others pursue their passions.

Go get inspired this fall, Sion.

Embrace tradition, whether it’s a trip to the Louisburg Cider Mill with your friends (page 26) or hunting for antiques with your mom in the West Bottoms (page 25). This issue is full of inspiration that will cure even the worst case of Basic Teenage Girl In Fall Syndrome.

Sincerely, Sellie 2.0

Online This Month Food For Thought Watch the class skits and informational presentation created by junior Maddi McMaster.

Mulder Gives Sion Admissions a Makeover New Assistant Director of High School Admissions Katie Mulder restructured shadow visits.

Freshman Day of Service

The annual event introduces them to community service while tying in their own interests.

lejournallive.com lejournalsion lejournalsion

LE JOURNAL

October 2015

3

Sion French Exchange//

Two exchange students arrived last week from France. Sarah Pellé is staying with senior Natalie Sopyla, and Joséphine Breuleux is staying with senior Richelle Robinson. Pellé and Breuleux both attend the Sion school in Evry, a suburb of Paris.

Robinson and Sopyla both visited their exchange students in France this past summer.

Firefighting Tragedy//

Family members of firefighters Larry Leggio and John Mesh were invited onto the field at Kauffman Stadium as the crowd rose to applaud and to remember the fallen heroes who had lost their lives two nights before while on duty. Athletes and fans alike then offered a moment of silence to honor the firefighters on Oct. 14. Senior Sara Watkins, cousin of one of the firefighters working at the station of the fallen men, said, “All of the men and women at the station are working to come together to support each other and their families during this time of loss.”

Joe Biden //

After recent speculation about Vice President Joe Biden running for President in 2016, Biden cleared the air saying that he was indeed not running for presidency. On Oct. 21, Biden clarified that his family, having undergone the loss of his son, did not have the time to dedicate itself to a victorious presidential campaign. Despite his not running for the 2016 presidency, Biden said that he will not be silent during the upcoming election. “It was very disappointing because a two-person race between Clinton and Biden would have brought out the best in both candidates,” Personal Finance teacher Dennis Conaghan said.

National Merit //

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently recognized seniors Isadora Comens and Ellie Schwartz as Seminfinalists and seniors Lauren Dwyer, Camille Keane and Sarah Tritt as Commended Students in their annual competition. Students qualified based on their PSAT scores, and Comens and Schwartz will compete nationally for Finalist status and scholarships. (Dwyer, Tritt and Schwartz pictured, left to right)

4

WORLD WORLD

The United States and Russia Meet in Vienna

----------The United States and Russia plan to meet over Syria conflict for the first time since Russia began airstrikes against the opposition to Syrian President Bashar alAssad.

Hilary Clinton Defends Actions in Benghazi -----------

Clinton denfended herself against Republicans regarding her actions in Benghazi when four U.S. citizens were killed in a militant attack on the U.S. Diplomat compound.

U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq Joint Mission -----------

A U.S. soldier was killed in Iraq during a joint mission with Kurdish troops, the first American killed since the withdrawal in 2011.

SION SOCIAL MEDIA // MUST-FOLLOWS

NEWS IN BRIEF

sionsiren

sionhsministry

LeFlambeauYB Le_Flambeau_ Yearbook

TheSionStorm

sion_stuco nds_stuco

UPCOMING

& local

*Nov. 1

Day of the Dead Festival

*Through Nov. 7

The Edge of Hell

*Now Open

Da Vinci Exhibition

Nelson-Atkins Museum Tickets are $27

Union Station

*Nov. 21-29 Thanksgiving Break Gobble Gobble

*Dec. 5

Winter Formal

$25 per couple, $15 per person

NEWS

Nuclear Deal Divides Opinion, Drives Change The agreement, yet to be established, seeks to improve Iranian civilian life.

BY ALEX D’ALESIO WEB MANAGING EDITOR

During Homecoming festivities, a ribbon cutting ceremony marked the official opening of the new track and field. (Photo by Clare Kimmis)

Homecoming Weekend Welcomes All The first annual event for current to perform on the finished product,” sophomore students and alumnae spanned over drummer Emma Cosner said. “It was just pretty fun to see how Sion has changed since then.” three days filled with events.

Although the varsity field hockey game was rained out, the junior varsity team played its first full game on the new field.

“Everyone was extremely pumped up by Alumnae returned on the weekend of Oct. Homecoming Weekend because we were able to 15-17 for the first-ever “Homecoming Weekend,” celebrate the new field,” junior Lucy Cruciani but not in their old uniform skirts and polos. said. “We had a big crowd that we wanted to This year was the beginning of what will become perform a great game for, so the fans there were an annual tradition, one that will continue to definitely motivating.”

Inside the gym, volleyball matches and grow in attendance and importance.

“I hope it is the same tradition when current performances by the cheer and dance teams drew students are say, a sophomore in college, and can unprecedented crowds.

“A lot more people came to the game, and come back to Sion for a homecoming event like it was also fun showing this and it can continue to grow each year,” Co- “I hope it is the same tradition all of the alumni our dance,” senior dancer Athletic Director Kate when current students... Eva Bowles said.

Pilgreen said.

Kicking off the can come back to Sion for a “Along with dancing in the gym, just weekend, the opening of the athletic complex homecoming event like this.” seeing all the people was made official on -Co-Athletic Director Kate Pilgreen who took part in the whole Homecoming Oct. 15 by both a ribbon cutting ceremony as well as a blessing on the Weekend was exciting.”

The reunion was held at the high school on field. Preceding the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Campus Minister Stephanie Pino-Dressman led Friday night. Most of the attendees were those celebrating a milestone reunion year such as the a prayer over the new complex.

Head of School Chris Broderick, Board classes of ’65, ’85, and ’95, according to Golden. of Trustees president Anna Molle Stasi and Because the Royals were playing, the game was members of the Athletic Complex fundraising projected in the gym, and alums were able to committee cut the ribbon before Sion athletes look through old yearbooks and tour the campus.

Saturday’s events began with morning Mass walked the track to “christen” it, according to Director of Public Relations & Alumnae Affairs, followed by an Alumni Honors Luncheon. The luncheon recognized Alumnae Association Lauren Golden.

“Other schools have football as a centerpiece Board President Christine Hall Sirridge ’01 and to their Homecoming Weekend, but we don’t awarded this year’s Outstanding Alumna Award have that here,” Pilgreen said. ”I think the field to Dr. Diane Medved Harper ’76. Dr. Harper’s helps to allow Sion to come back to how other classmates presented her with the Diane Medved Harper Scholarship presented to a student from schools do homecoming.”

A parade of fall sport athletes led by the both the grade and high school.

“This honor, different from other honors, drumline was another highlight of the night.

“It was cool how the drumline played when comes from those who formed my spirit and soul we first broke ground a year ago, and now we got in the mold of Sion,” Harper said.

BY RACHEL DOCTOR REPORTER

Senate Democrats recently blocked a Republican attempt to terminate the Iran Nuclear Deal, virtually assuring the deal’s implementation.

Democrats filibustered a procedural vote that would have registered the formal disapproval of the deal.

Social Studies Department Chair Mary Murphy contests that Congress does not play a major role in this decision.

“This is an agreement, not a treaty; otherwise, [the president] would need Senate approval,” Murphy said.

“Congress really doesn’t have the power to do much about it.”

Although a major foreign policy victory for the Obama administration, this does not necessarily imply the end of debate.

According to theguardian. com, the senate voted 58-42, short of the required 60-vote threshold, failing to reach an up or down vote on the disapproval resolution.

The deal stipulates an agreement between Iran, the United States, Germany, Great Britain, China, Russia and France that reduces international economic

sanctions against Iran in exchange for Iran ending its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Murphy views the lifting of sanctions as a just solution to the unfair treatment of ordinary Iranians.

“A strong argument for [the deal] is that these economic sanctions were hurting ordinary Iranians and were more likely to radicalize them and create more unrest than actually stopping Iranians from pursuing whatever negative interests they had,” Murphy said.

According to usatoday. com, Republican opponents of the deal argue that the lifting of sanctions will grant Iran more money, allowing them to fund terrorism around the world, in turn making peace less likely.

This marks a major division in the viewpoints of the two major-party affiliations.

However, Murphy doubts that this will have a substantial impact on the 2016 election.

“I don’t see things happening fast enough to have the Republicans’ worries play out before the election,” Murphy said. “Of course, it depends on who the nominees are and how they address it.”

She also noted that it may play into the Republican attack on Hillary Clinton in her role as secretary of state.

LE JOURNAL October 2015

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OPINION

U.S. Needs Immigration The U.S. is in desperate need of immigration refrom, and cooperation from the government is vital to make that happen.

THIS EDITORIAL REFLECTS THE VIEW OF THE LE JOURNAL STAFF. TWENTY-THREE OUT OF 23 VOTED IN SUPPORT OF THIS VIEW

The United States has been a home of dreamers for the past two centuries, full of varying nationalities from across the globe creating a “melting pot.” Immigrants wanting to be a part of this blend of cultures come to the U.S. hoping to fulfill their dreams or escape from a harsh reality.

It is through these wide eyed and eager dreamers that our country blossoms and is set apart from the rest.

But today’s immigration policies need dramatic changes.

Immigrants enter into the U.S. with the idea of a better life, opportunity, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. Today, it is difficult for immigrants to live that out. Today’s immigration policies are unorganized and ineffective.

Problems can range from archaic immigration laws to the government’s insufficient attempts at reform, according to the Immigration Policy Center. The ranges of these problems only cause distress and outrage among immigrants and activists which doesn’t help solve this prevalent issue. This petty arguing only results in prolonging an issue that needs to be dealt with immediately.

Today’s immigration revolves around the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which

provided the foundation for our current immigration policy. Altered slightly in 1996, the policy is broken up into four categories as stated by the Immigration Policy Center; family-based immigration, employment-based immigration, humanitarian-based immigration, and others.

One would think that most immigrants would fit into one of these categories and be able to immigrate legally. However, with many requirements, restrictions and regulations, it is much more complex than that.

Although these laws may not appear like it at first they are severely outdated. The country we were economically, politically, and in terms of

“unreasonable” for today’s growing economy and the growing population of undocumented immigrants.

Because today’s policies are based on the economy and labor demand of yesterday, insufficient number of visas are delivered to bring high-skilled workers to the U.S. Public Religion Research Institute performed a poll in June 2014 with results showing 62 percent of Americans support the idea of undocumented immigrants becoming citizens by way of an immigration bill. With America’s eye carefully watching what decision will be made next, steps towards a solution have been made but not executed.

In 2013, a bipartisan immigration reform bill passed through the Senate but was never passed through the House of Representatives. The Center for American Progress said that this bill had undocumented immigrants on a 13year path to citizenship, given a green card to the millions of people who have been approved and are waiting so they can be reunited with their family, increased border security, and simply updated the immigration system among other things.

Despite the bipartisan bill’s inability to be passed fully, this proves that Americans and some politicians are ready to take action; all that is needed is a strong push to get there.

However, that push doesn’t seem to be on all politicians’ agendas. The current immigration policies have been like this for too long and it seems unreasonable for the government to have not made a decision yet.

Change is needed.

Change is needed now. labor at the time these laws were passed is not like the country we are today. These immigration laws haven’t been changed to fit today’s economic and labor life.

The Immigration Policy Center points out that if one doesn’t “fit” into the four categories of immigration, as previously stated, they are not able to migrate to the U.S. But, those who do fit into the system wait years upon years to receive a visa.

Visa Now Global Immigration reports that over four million foreign citizens are awaiting the arrival of their green card in order to permanently live in the U.S. The Open Society Foundation describes today’s limits on green card availability as

Immigration By the Numbers Of the foreign-born population in the U.S., more than half are homeowners.

40.7 million foreign-born people lived in the U.S. in 2012.

If undocumented immigrants were granted citizenship, this would add an average of 159,000 more jobs per year.

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LE JOURNAL October 2015

If immigration reform were passed, the federal budget deficit would decrease.

Allowing legal status and citizenship to undocumented immigrants would expand economic growth.

62 percent of undocumented immigrants have been living in the U.S. 10 years or longer.

OPINION

Reform The primary source of inefficiency to solve this problem is lack of government infrastructure. This delay has thus turned into states using “enforcement-only” strategies where states pass harsh immigration laws hoping to find unauthorized immigrants. The result of those “enforcement-only” policies impair immigrant’s human rights and cost our country billions of dollars.

This has also resulted in the largest unauthorized population in the history of the US, all according to Immigration Policy Center.

“Common-sense reform would restore public faith in the system and level the playing field for all Americans, while supercharging the economic benefits from our immigrant population,” Center for American Progress said.

With the documented struggles and the government’s ineffective policies, it is imperative that the discussion remain open so that this national and personal issue can be solved effectively. Having a voice in this debate isn’t only important for Americans but for immigrants.

The nation needs immigration policies that relate to the difficult hardships immigrants undergo in order to live in the U.S. Solving the main problem of today’s immigration policy and its outdated structure requires the simple act of updating it to today’s standards.

It is essential to remember that the U.S. was built upon the values of freedom and opportunity and that our nation is a home of innumerable immigrants. The U.S. can’t be the nation it truly wishes to be if it doesn’t make a difference through immigration. Change is needed. Change is needed now.

Permitting citizenship for undocumented immigrants would provide a net of $606.4 billion to Social Security over the next 36 years.

Today’s immigrants come from more diverse home countries than those of 50 years ago.

(All statistics from Center for American Progress)

Voters of all ages, many young, surround Democratic presidential nominee Bernie Sanders. (Photo via MCT Campus)

Millenials Hold Power Now is the time for young voters to wake up to politics as 2016 presidential candidates address issues, campaign with millenials in mind.

BY ELLIE SCHWARTZ CO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Millennials. Sigh. Or at least that’s how many react towards the youngest generation, one supposedly obsessed with technology and themselves. Approaching the 2016 presidential election however, candidates can’t afford to push the new generation aside. Instead, they have already started catering to the 74 million young voters that will play a major role in next November’s showdown.

Research suggests young people are less likely to identify with a party and trust the political system after growing up in a divided government with more gridlock than policy passed in Congress, according to the Wall Street Journal. Because millennials are less likely to align with a party, candidates cannot automatically count on their vote and are forced to earn it. In short, a young voter’s voice matters more than ever.

As candidates and parties build their platforms, some of the biggest issues speak directly to young voters. With college prices and student indebtedness at record highs, many candidates are directly addressing student loans. Hillary Clinton advocates for federal aid to refinance student debt, and gaining candidate Bernie Sanders proposes tuition-free college.

On the Republican side, Marco Rubio wants students to pair up with private investors and pay off their loans as a portion of their income, and Donald Trump wants to keep the government from making profit off of student loans, according to MarketWatch.

The result of 2016 will follow millennials beyond the next four years through the Supreme Court appointments to come. With three justices approaching retirement, whoever wins in November will fill their seats with justices that they agree with, and those justices will likely vote on major issues such as abortion, voting rights and affirmative action in the upcoming years, according to CNN. Because Supreme Court appointments last the lifetime of the appointee, those justices will mold the country as young voters age.

Candidates are clearly campaigning with young voters in mind.

Clinton recently sat down with millennial icon Lena Dunham to talk feminism and police brutality in a casual setting and asked voters to describe their student debt “in three emojis or less” on her twitter.

Trump regularly calls Kanye West a good friend, according to thehill. com. 2016 has already been deemed “The Snapchat Election” with the app designing ways for users to connect with candidates and learn about politics, according to Time.

Even if young voters yawn initially at the thought of the Iran nuclear deal or the Supreme Court, now is the time to snap into the reality of 2016. Candidates are paying attention to millennials, so millennials hold some power. Staying informed, volunteering for campaigns and registering before voting day are all ways they can and should wield this influence.

By maintaining the trend of independent instead of party affiliation, young voters have the opportunity to make this election more about policy and less about partisanship. 2016 is the time to add “politically active” to the millennial stereotype.

LE JOURNAL October 2015

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OPINION

New Shadowing Program Steps into the Light Improvements to the visit day schedule give a better sense of what life at Sion is like.

BY NATALIE WILLIAMS REPORTER

8

The new shadowing program implemented this year provides potential students with a deeper understanding of the Sion experience.

Unlike previous years when shadows would simply follow their host from class to class, they are now given a more personal experience that allows them to learn more about the school. The program is already well received, and according to the poll taken by the shadows, they are on average 20 percent more likely to apply after shadowing than they were before.

It is clear that the new program is very effective and beneficial.

As shadows enter the school, they are not only greeted with the welcoming smiles of students and faculty, they are also given iPads to keep up with the electronic atmosphere of the classroom. The iPads help contribute to the school’s new hightech image and give shadows an inside look at how technology is used in the classroom.

The shadows gather after fifth hour and are greeted with snacks, music and a t-shirt while they meet with a panel of Student Ambassadors and watch a hype video prepared for them. After the video they can ask any questions they have and learn more about academics, sports programs, the fine arts department, and other aspects that interest them.

The purpose of shadowing has always been to let potential students spend a day learning about the school and decide if it’s the place for them.

This new program takes this to a whole new level. Those who prefer the old shadowing program feel that the shadows being removed from the classroom doesn’t give an accurate representation of daily life. However, the shadows now have both the basic experience of a real classroom setting with the added opportunity to learn everything they’ve been wondering about. This program fully represents Sion’s ability to go above and beyond through the personal attention given to every student.

LE JOURNAL October 2015

(Illustration by Siren student senior Emily Carter)

The Skinny on Slim4Life Advertisement invites children as young as 10 to join the weight loss program along with parents.

BY CHLOE BARRETT A&E EDITOR

“Kids join free with parent enrollment!” Want to appeal to a parent?

Include their child. Promotional offers involving free membership to children when their parents join are common at gyms, and many restaurants offer a night of free kids’ meals when parents order their own meals.

But that ad was for Slim4Life, a weight loss program with locations in Missouri, Kansas and Texas.

Slim4Life’s advertisement, meant to entice, instead raises a question: How young is too young to diet?

Kids, under most circumstances, should not be dieting.

Childhood dieting causes vitamin and nutritional deficiencies, leading to physical problems such as stunted growth and delayed puberty. Because children are growing, they should not diet based on cutting calories and should instead eat a balanced diet to be sure they are getting all the necessary nutrients, according to kidshealth.org.

Slim4life is not alone in appealing to children. So does Weight Watchers, but kids under 16 require a doctor’s referral to join.

Jenny Craig has an age minimum of 13 and

Nutrisystem has a minimum of 18. Slim4Life’s minimum age is especially young at 10 years old.

According to a study published by the International Journal of Eating Disorders, dieting appeals to young girls in order to improve their self worth. Their mothers are strong influences in this, as children whose mothers diet are more likely to diet themselves. If a mother joins a weight loss program that encourages her child to join, children will see this and will perceive it negatively.

These negative perceptions make it more likely for children to diet, leading to issues such as depression, body image issues, eating disorders and issues with weight control and unhealthy dieting, according to Huffington Post.

In order to prevent unhealthy and dangerous eating habits, children need to learn healthy eating habits that they can then carry with them into adulthood. Healthy eating habits are necessary in maintaining a healthy weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kids who need to lose weight should do so under a doctor’s direction and should see a dietitian to ensure that they are receiving all the necessary nutrition they need in order to grow while still cutting calories.

Slim4life’s marketing tool is not enticing; it is endangering. Its age minimum is much too young and needs to be raised to 16 or 18 like other weight loss programs in order encourage healthy eating habits in children.

OPINION

Kiss Cam Chaos Mets fans in uproar about homophobic kiss cam prank.

BY LUCY STOFER REPORTER

Dave and Robin Griffith, from Portland, Oregon, visit the makeshift memorial to pay their respects to the Umpqua Community College shooting victims, in Roseburg, Oregon, on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. (Photo by MCT campus)

Oregon Shooting Raises Topic of Reform Shooting in Roseburg sparks much-needed gun control debate across country.

BY AUBREY MAKAR A&E COLUMNIST

Currently in the United States it feels like no days pass without a gun-related incident. This year alone, there have been over 41,000 shootings and 10,000 deaths in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Ironically, the National Rifle Association continues to push the idea that the media needs to honor the victims and families with time to grieve before discussing the problems associated with gun control. But shootings seem to happen every day, and as a result, there is no time left to discuss these issues.

On Oct. 2 in Roseburg, Oregon, Chris Harper-Mercer entered Umpqua Community College and proceeded to shoot and kill 10 victims, leaving at least seven others injured in his wake. He had six guns that he brought to his college and seven at home. All 13 of his guns were seized after the ordeal.

In an interview with CNN, Ian Mercer, the father of the shooter said that the fact that Mercer was able to get so many guns is horrific.

If he hadn’t been able to get 13 guns, it might not have happened. He then highlighted that this doesn’t happen in other countries as consistently as in the United States.

Mere talk about reform will not bring the

victims back to their families; only the act of making new gun regulations will help ease the irpain so it won’t happen to anyone else.

Shootings are incredibly common in today’s news. Because people feel the need to honor the victims before discussing the issue, nothing substantial passes to stop it. It has been a major issue for a long time, and after the Oregon Shooting, President Barack Obama made a statement to the press about gun control and the need to be stricter for the safety of the country.

Recently there was nearly a shooting because a student was allowed to carry a concealed weapon on campus. Far from a defensive reaction, he pulled his gun because the cafeteria ran out of macaroni and cheese that he wanted for lunch. After he pulled out his gun because of the lack of macaroni on his plate, it should have been apparent that things needed to change.

Every time that a shooting takes place in the U.S., politicians and the public rally behind the cry for justice of the victims but fail to realize the real problem. There is a clear correlation between the lack of gun control in the U.S. and the number of gun related crimes. In other countries where there are strict gun regulations, there are far fewer shootings, according to the Huffington Post.

How many times will people have to be killed because of the loosely structured gun laws? When will the American people realize that something needs to change? When the second amendment says that you can have a gun, it doesn’t mean that you should have an assault rifle on you in the cafeteria.

This year in the United States over 41,433 shootings have occurred taking 10,448 lives.

(Illustration by Aubrey Makar)

One outraged Mets fan’s persistent tweets to the team went unheard for months, but are now finally eliciting an outcome. According to CNN. com, lifelong Mets fan Etan Bednarsh continually noticed players from the opposing team jokingly being put into the heart-shaped frame for the kiss cam on the jumbotron. This “joke” was for the sole purpose of evoking laughter from the crowd. Bednarsh consistently tweeted the official Mets account every time he witnessed this with no response for months.

“Putting two men together on the kiss cam isn’t a punchline. I want to keep coming to games.

Please stop doing this,” Bednarsh tweeted.

The Mets recently released a statement discussing the issue and their wrong doing.

“We have, on occasion, included players from opposing teams in our popular in-game kiss cam feature,” the organization said in a statement to HuffPost Live. “While intended to be lighthearted, we unintentionally offended some. We apologize for doing so and no longer will include players in the feature. Our organization is wholly supportive of fostering an inclusive and respectful environment at games.”

Since the Kiss Cam is meant to be a fun tradition when attending a sporting event, the significant effect that this fun pastime is able to create isn’t often thought about or discussed.

Los Angeles natives Steven Simone-Friedland and his husband, Rick Simone-Friedland attended a Dodger’s game earlier this year and got much more from the game than just a souvenir ball.

According to Simone-Friedland, they were approached by the camera crew sometime in the 3rd inning asking if they wanted to be a part of the kiss cam segment.

“They came up to us and asked if it was something that we would want to do and we said yes before thinking about the ramifications of it,” Simone-Friedland said.

Almost a full inning went by from the time that they agreed to the time that the kiss actually happened, giving them time to think about what could happen afterwards. Simone-Friedland said that when they saw their faces appear on the screen they decided to have fun with it. The crowd roared with claps and cheers when they kissed, and they had the loudest fans by far.

“It was such a non-issue. The normalcy of it is what struck me the most,” Simone-Friedland said.

According to Simone-Friedland, the fact that no one said anything afterwards said more than if everyone came up and made comments to them.

Everyone went on with the game like normal and didn’t dwell on the kiss.

“The ball park should be a fun place. It shouldn’t be somewhere that makes you feel uncomfortable or that people are making fun of you,” Simone-Friedland said.

LE JOURNAL October 2015

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Overrun Overcomes Ovarian Cancer The Overland Park race raised patients of patients], advocating for $35,000 with 1100 race participants.

Cannova hopes to surpass this in the awareness and funds to them.”

The Overrun 5K run/walk or one most recent race. discover a cure for the lesser There are plenty of opportunities mile walk that took place Oct. 25 in known cancer.

BY ALEX D’ALESIO WEB MANAGING EDITOR

Though the pink ribbon insignia can be easily identified as the emblem representing Breast Cancer awareness, few realize that the emblem representative of ovarian cancer is a teal ribbon.

Founder of The Overrun Ovarian Cancer Fund Kelly Cannova said that emphasizing this teal color has been an integral part of spreading awareness of this cancer, since fewer people are familiar with ovarian cancer.

“Fewer people have ovarian cancer, but it is more deadly,” Cannova said. “It’s important to spread the word and have somebody else, besides [the

South Creek Office Park serves as a major factor in the search for better treatment and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer.

“The National Cancer Institute does not fund a lot of ovarian cancer Research, so they really rely on our money for help,” Cannova said.

Cannova started the organization in 2012 with Sion mother Kristi O’Keefe after learning that her mother and O’Keefe’s sister were diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.

“Breast cancer receives so much awareness, so they wanted to create an organization that gives awareness to ovarian cancer,” senior Kate O’Keefe said. “They donate to the [University of Kansas] Cancer Center for research.”

In 2014, the organization raised

to get involved with the organization ranging from participating in the race to volunteering at the event. O’Keefe has volunteered all four years.

“I’ve worked the kid’s tent, handing out beads and little tattoos,” O’Keefe said. “I’ve also worked as course monitor, which is when you have a cowbell and are cheering on the runners as the go and directing them.”

Volunteer opportunities include packet pickup crew, course monitor, finish line food crew, kids tent crew, recycling crew and water station.

Senior Jordan Hermes has volunteered since her freshman year. “[The race] is important because there are always women who have beaten [ovarian cancer] that attend, and showing our support and

Varsity Homecoming Game Rained Out

STATE RESULTS FALL SPORTS 10

LE JOURNAL September 2015

Although JV lost, that didn’t seem to take away from the excitement of playing on the new field.

“It was fun to play on the field because it was nice to see all the hard work and effort put into the field come to life,” junior Maddie Marquardt said. “It was cool to play in front of the alumnae because they got to see how Sion has progressed and evolved.”

TENNIS

2nd Place Team

Margo Gerke - 6th Catherine Henne and Lanie Jones- 9th

GOLF 10th as a team

FIELD HOCKEY GOLF

junior Elizabeth Jackoboice said.

Senior Maddie Kahl scored the first goal in the varsity game but the lead diminished quickly as Pembroke made a speedy comeback and scored.

The JV girls, who played first, lost 0-6.

The JV game began with Pembroke making three consecutive goals in two minutes. Eventually they scored three more.

SOFTBALL

Freshman Rose Crowe fights for possession during the first JV game on the new field. (Photo by Sophie Nedeldo)

VOLLEYBALL TENNIS

BY CLAIRE KIMMIS REPORTER

The first varsity game of Homecoming week began, filled with tension and a chance of rain as the field hockey team played Pembroke Hill for the third time this season.

It was the first home game on Sion’s new field, and excitement filled the stands.

The game ended with a 1-1 tie when the game was called a rainout at the beginning of the second half.

“It was an honor to play on the field in front of the alumnae even if the varsity game did get rained out,”

{ CAPTAIN COMMENTS }

CROSS COUNTRY

First field hockey home game finished in 1-1 tie with Pembroke Hill after the game is called for rain.

celebrating that for them is always a good way to make a difference,” Hermes said. “It would also be neat if Sion got a team together because you can sign up as groups.”

According to cancer.org, women have a 1 in 8 risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in comparison to a 1 in 75 risk of an ovarian cancer diagnosis.

However, post-diagnosis, ovarian cancer patients face a 66 percent death rate, while breast cancer patients face a 17 percent death rate.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are very subtle, according to Cannova. Signs people can look for include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, feeling full quickly after eating, difficulty eating and urinary frequency.

The general rule is to monitor any symptom that persists longer than two weeks.

“We made it to sectionals, so hopefully we’ll do well and some of us can make it to State.” -senior Lauren Blando

“We got a lot more opportunities to invite out-of-town teams because of our new field and got to play an out-of-town team on senior night.”- senior Abbey Valentine “We were an underdog the entire season and got to State as a team. It was the best team chemistry I’ve ever experienced.”

-senior Anna Ciani “It turned out to be a good season, and we improved so much as a team even though we didn’t win a lot of games” -senior Beth Borgmeyer “It wasn’t a shock that we went to state, but it was really empowering that all of our hard work paid off”- senior Devon Graham “This is probably the best season we’ve had in my four years here. All the girls have gotten a lot better, and no one gives up in games.” -senior Lauren Dwyer

SPORTS

Get the Facts: World Series

‘85

1 2 3 4 5

year the ROYALS last won the World Series

‘86

year the METS last won the World Series

The two teams aren’t familiar with each other and have never played against one another in the postseason. With a history of only NINE games, the Royals have faced NO OTHER TEAM less times than the Mets.

AR

ESCOB

2

Escobar leads the postseason with 17 hits

MURPHY

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Murphy has a post-season record six game home run streak

Infielders Alcides Escobar and Daniel Murphy won their division MVP

Kansas City boasted an MLB-high seven All-Stars and did their part in securing home field advantage.

Number of Mets All-Star players? One.

The only player in the postseason to have played for both teams is Royals pitcher Chris Young

N Y

YOUNG

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The Royals are the eighth team in history to return to the Fall Classic a season after losing it in Game Seven. Of the previous seven, five went on to win the title.

Information from mlb.com Illustration by Aubrey Makar

Cross Country Succeeds at Districts Varsity Cross Country advances to sectionals despite season struggles.

BY CHLOE BARRETT REPORTER

Varsity Cross Country placed fourth in districts Oct. 24, advancing them to sectionals at Kearney Oct. 31.

To go to State as a team, varsity will need to again place in the top four in sectionals.

The top 30 runners in the race can go to State as individuals.

In preparation for districts, Varsity Cross Country ran their first race with a full team of seven runners after struggling with this throughout the season.

“We just have not had depth at the Varsity level,” Head Coach Reynold

Photo by Selena Hunter

Middleton said.

After graduating four of the top seven runners, varsity has not had seven girls ready to compete at the varsity level for every race, leading to inconsistencies in their top seven this year.

“Last year, we had 12 girls who were kind of varsity runners. They all trained together and worked together, and then any given week seven of the 12 would run the race,” Middleton said.

This year there are not as many runners at that level, so most of the year varsity has competed without a full top seven.

However, there are many good freshmen on the team this year, including two who have been running varsity.

“This will be good for the future,” Middleton said.

New Sports Award Honors Senior’s Sportsmanship The first athlete of the month, part of Sion’s new Champion of Character program, was chosen and acknowledged during first quarter Grande Assemble.

BY TAYLOR SPIES REPORTER

Senior Lauren Dwyer was the first winner of the Champion of Character Award, also known as the athlete of the month. The Champions of Character Program is new to Sion this year, introduced by Physical Education teacher Kate Pilgreen.

“I had no idea. I was shocked when Pilgreen announced me,” Dwyer said. She explained that she plays both school and club volleyball and although she plays the sport often, she didn’t expect to be chosen for an award.

The athlete of the month will be chosen from one sport after being nominated by coaches. The award is given to a person who demonstrates exemplary characteristics which reflect the five core values. This student will be recognized in school announcements, mentioned in the Wednesday Weekly and given an award and certificate at a pep assembly.

The process of introducing this program began with the parents, Pilgreen said. At an athletics meeting a presentation was given, explaining the core values and how the program benefits parents, athletes and coaches. The next step was to start using the program in all of the sports.

Pilgreen said it’s extremely important, especially in high school, to make sports about more than just winning.

Champions of Character promotes positive values on and off the court for players of all ages “It allows our kids to think outside of winning state championships,” Pilgreen said,.

The five core values are used to help foster athletes into becoming better people, according to Pilgreen. The core values, explained on the Champions of Character website are integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsman leadership and servant leadership.

“I was really humbled by the fact that they thought I was deserving of the award,” Dwyer said.

Go to lejournallive.com to watch a video covering Varsity Volleyball’s senior night victory.

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Ketter Uncovered Dual Campus Director of Technology Jason Ketter’s lifelong musical aspirations take shape as the construction of his recording studio wraps up.

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BY TARA JUNGDEN REPORTER

ix MacBook Airs line the tabletop. He shuffles from one end Jim Ketter, during construction and nearly killed him. The staircase to the other squinting at the screens and hurriedly clicking, crushed the entire right side of his body. completing the process of downloading software on the new “He’s actually recuperated shockingly well,” Ketter said. “It was debate laptops. pretty much a miracle. He was bleeding internally for about a month, Tasks like this seem trivial with years of technological experience and he went through ridiculous amounts of blood, but he came from DeVry University and traveling the world with NASA’s Space around and he’s doing great.”

Science Education Center under his belt. He is more than qualified As this long, hard, 12-year-process begins to yield visible results, to solve just about any technological request or problem Sion could Jason’s wife, Traci Ketter, said the project’s completion is something ever have. But computer repair is far from the leading component in they’ve all been looking forward to. his life.

“It will be very exciting when it’s done as it seems like whenever Known last year as the new guy with a baby strapped to his we got over one mountain, there was another one right there ready back, much about Director of Technology Jason Ketter was a for us to climb,” Traci said. “[However,] I am very excited...It has been mystery to students and remains so despite his ever growing presence Jason’s dream since he was in high school.” in classrooms as Wifi disconnects, Between working full-time at desktops fail, and smartboards refuse “We had all taken this hiatus to get Sion, playing music, spending time to turn on. married and have kids, but we’re with the family, and assisting in the Growing up in a small town studio’s construction, there’s hardly a in Ashlyn, Missouri, Ketter’s main starting to play again. So I have this, free moment in Ketter’s life. source of entertainment was music. ‘Dad band’ now.”

“It’s definitely stressful at times...

He and his brother started a band -Jason Ketter, Director of Technology But as far as spending time with the in high school and loved making family, we want our kids to grow up music so much that they decided they understanding the value of hard work, and taking joy in working wanted to start their own record label. Come time for university, his hard, so we’ve kind of combined hobby work, playing music, and brother went to William Jewell College to cover the business side of quality family time,” Traci said. music making while Jason attended DeVry University to be able to As for his own music, Ketter has recently started playing again. take care of the technical spectrum.

“We [previous band members and himself] had all taken this “We were gonna start a record label because we were really hiatus to get married and have kids, but we’re starting to play again. disappointed in the [Christian] music industry at that time. We really So I have this, ‘Dad Band,’ now,” Ketter said. thought we were gonna make it big...We wanted to make a label that Ketter’s new house has a sound proofed room in the basement was really about the music,” Ketter said. for his drum set, so he and his band can rehearse there without Believe it or not, Ketter is still fighting for his dream, pushing disturbing his family. through the long hours of his full-time, dual campus job and raising “We’ve kind of changed up our music style. We’re going more three young children at home. folkish; more Americano; kind of old timey which is fun,” Ketter said.

“We’re almost done with our recording studio. It’s an old ice Between music, education, and family, the elements in Ketter’s house building, and we’ve passed all of our city inspections. We’re hectic life are always shifting. However, the chaos is not necessarily currently hanging dry wall so it’ll be done here in the next couple a bad thing. months. I’m pretty excited,” Ketter said of the 12 year project.

“Jason and I will always be those people who are doing the work Despite the project’s satisfactory outcome, the process has had of about 10 people; it’s just our nature,” Traci said. “I wouldn’t have it its setbacks. Last August a staircase in the studio fell on Jason’s dad, any other way.”

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(Photo by Tara Jungden) LE JOURNAL October 2015

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COVER STORY

Caught in Current STORY AND DESIGN BY REPORTERS PAIGE DUSSOLD AND KATE NOBLE AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SOPHIE NEDELCO

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COVER STORY

the S

Six hundred thousand migrants have risked their lives to cross European Union borders within the last year, according to the International Organization for Migration. Forced to flee the rough waters of civil war and religious persecution, they take any possible route: by boat, by foot, by plane. Belongings are left behind, and the hope for their family’s future is taken with them.

But migrants’ struggles don’t stop when they reach the border. They and thousands of other migrants still on the way are all vying for the same thing: a new home. But, multiple countries’ actions and failure to follow EU-wide policies has left the migrants’ drowning in their search for a better life.

Similarly, the U.S. has been caught in the immigration current as waves of people have made the journey to the U.S. over the last decade. The debate over policy and the status of undocumented immigrants continues to progress with the upcoming election.

Story continued on page 16

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COVER STORY Story continued from page 15

word for the raw flurries: la nieve. This weather becoming to European unity.

Hesitation surrounding the acceptance of was foreign to 19-year-old Camila Fonseca*. The refugees may be the result of the tension built city was foreign, the language was foreign, the Hundreds of thousands of the migrants around the economic climate. According to loneliness was foreign. are refugees seeking asylum to escape countries The Economist, the unemployment rate for EU “It was a new life without a familiar struck by ongoing violence, human rights abuse countries hovers around 10 percent, with some environment,” Fonseca said. and poverty such as But, the new life was already worth it. After countries such as Greece Syria, Afghanistan, “My parents came to America because six months of staying in Kansas City with a tourist closer to 20 percent. they wanted their children to have a Eritrea and Kosovo, The United States has visa, Fonseca’s three jobs had paid off her parents’ better life than they did, they didn’t as reported by the also created a plan to accept rising debt back in Mexico. want them to struggle. Ethiopia’s British Broadcasting government is very corrupt.” -senior “I lived in a very critical economic situation. the migrants. According to Mena Biralign Corporation. Syria the New York Times, the The Mexican peso was devalued, and the dollar has contributed the amount of refugees that was valued six times more. My parents had a debt majority of migrants and according to The New the United States takes in annually, 70,000, will of $30,000 Mexican pesos, and it rose to $90,000,” York Times, almost 12 million Syrians have fled increase to 100,000 by the year 2017.

Fonseca said. “My dad wanted to commit suicide from the country within the past four and a half According to theology teacher Jessica Hull, so that my mom could collect his life insurance.” years.

Although she had relieved her family’s the increased quota will be beneficial, but there is The number of migrants within Europe has room for the United States to do more. debt, other issues still remained at home in Mexico, increased so dramatically that the European Union including the funding “ U n f o r t u n a t e l y, “My mom chose to move to America has passed a plan for distributing them equally since [Sept. 11, 2001], of her sister’s education. because she wanted to give us among European countries. Migration hotspots in people have this fear that So, similar to 40 percent the best life possible and the best Europe include Italy and Greece, and according to if you let people in from education we could get. Italy is a lovely of all undocumented country, but she knew we could get The New York Times, the plan includes relocating the Middle East, they’re immigrants in the United more opportunities in America.” -junior 120,000 migrants from those two countries to going to be Al Qaeda or States, according to a Jessica Nicolosi others throughout the continent. Alongside the they’re going to be ISIS, 2013 Wall Street Journal European Union’s plan, according to The Telegraph, but these are other human beings who have lost article, she overstayed her visa.

Germany intends to let in 1.5 million immigrants everything and had to leave their homes,” Hull said.

“I wanted to see my parents happy without into the country this year, double the projected “Pope Francis said that every parish, every religious worries and with an economic solution that would amount. community, every Catholic give them a better life,” Fonseca said. “To give them Many countries institution in Europe should a little of what they had given me.”

“They came from Guatemala. My in Europe are According to Spanish teacher Leah Lafaver, take in a refugee family. So dad came when he was about 16. He introducing border was really young when he came here if we did that in the United many Latin Americans like Fonseca are seeking because America offers jobs and a patrol in attempt to States too, think of all the the “American dream,” and the proximity as well as better life. My mom came when she regulate the flow of thousands of families that we loose immigration policies make the United States was 17.” -senior Lisbeth Juarez-Lopez migrants coming in. a prime destination for illegal immigration. can help.”

Countries including “There’s a lot of turmoil in the politics, in the Hungary and Croatia have even gone as far as society. There’s a lot of poverty, violence, and drug threatening to close their borders to migrants The United States trafficking that some of these [Latin American] altogether. According to The Guardian, the closure countries are ruled by,” LaFaver said. “Especially of Hungary’s southern Serbian border caused a The crystal flakes drifted down and landed with political upheaval, when you’re talking about domino effect of chaos among Hungary and West gently, stinging her hands. Her previously drooping overthrowing governments and revolutions, it can Balkan countries, forcing the European Union eyelids stiffened against the frosty 1998 March be a very unstable environment.” to remind the countries of the threat they are air. Her breath clouded as she spoke the Spanish But relief from their situation is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain legally.

Immigrants from Latin America face a long process of obtaining legal papers, often lasting years.

According to the Washington Post, 2016 Presidential Candidates’ Views On Immigration the wait to become a citizen can Jim Webb Ben Carson be up to 25 years. Many facets of a Thinks we should secure all borders using Supports a path to citizenship for illegal person’s life can dictate the amount smart technology and adress issues immigrants already in the United States of time they wait for legal entry firmly and consistently. after the border is secure. such as their country of emigration and family connections.

“Nobody should have to wait Hillary Clinton 18 years to come from Mexico, Marco Rubio Wants to offer a path to citizenship for Supports a path to citizenship for illegal and if we put that kind of a burden the illegal immigrants already in the immigrants already in the United States, on people, they’re going to come United States. and the United States should recquire anyway. They’re just not going to background checks to become a citzen. come legally,” theology teacher Bonnie Haghirian said. “And none of us would be willing to wait 18 Donald Trump Bernie Sanders Supports the construction of a wall Thinks that illegal immigrants in United years for anything.” across southern border with strict States shouldn’t be thrown out and is According to US Customs and enforcement. against a border fence.

Border Control, undocumented immigrants face a perilous journey through the desert filled with gang violence, sexual assault, abduction

Europe

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COVER STORY

What’s the difference?

VISA vs. GREEN CARD [permit]

[temporary pass] Immigrant Visa mostly petition-based longer wait time than non-immigrant visas

Non-immigrant Visa issued for a specific amount of time

able to work carriers have all the rights of citizens except the right to vote, serve on juries and receive funding for college

types include student, tourist, work and exchange and a lack of basic needs when crossing the border of deportation causes of a feeling of fear and immigration bills have failed to find their way into the US. If discovered, they risk detention and instability that haunts her constantly. through the joint houses. According to Sara deportation.

“It is as if one is in a jail of gold,” Fonseca said. McElmurry, the Assistant Director of Immigration “Crossing Mexico, “You apparently have it all, at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the lack “My parents wanted to better their not knowing the place, but the moment arrives, of initiative surrounding immigration can be due lives. They wanted more opportunities not knowing the cities, to the decline in Democrats’ level of concern for and new experiences. They have and we have to return and taught me that immigration is okay we won’t be able to have it is difficult because the issues and the divisions grown within the because you always have to strive for you come in a strange anything. Not only does Republican party itself. something better in life.”-sophomore country, and you don’t [deportation] involve “It’s become a cultural issue as much as a Angela Sandoval know what they have splitting a family, but also policy issue,” U.S. History teacher Kristin Pennock there,” Ricky Juarez, father of senior Lisbeth destroying the innocence of children who don’t said. “Going back to the idea that embracing the Juarez-Lopez, said. “You are going to risk running understand because their parents have to leave other versus rejecting the other, seeing immigrants into the authorities and thieves, whatever you find even if they have not done wrong to anyone.” as a welcome addition to the ongoing story of in the way.”

Fifty-nine percent of America versus seeing “[My dad is a dual citizen [of France].

Sion parent and immigration lawyer Teodoro Americans believe passing immigrants as a threat So am I and my sister and my brother.”

Garcia recently visited a detention center for legislation that addresses to America. I think - junior Zoé Trouvé women and children in Dilley, Texas. According unauthorized immigration is democrats are on one to Garcia, the only group benefiting from these important, according to a July side of that and some centers is the Correction Corporation of America 2014 poll conducted by CBS independents and that deals privately with jails and prisons.

News. republicans are on the other side.”

“These women and children pose no threat “There are about 12 million people that are in But, until the U.S. and the world catch up to the national security of the U.S., and it costs the United States now that are undocumented so with the trend and recognize the underlying American taxpayers they’ve come here without problems driving immigration and the obstacles “My dad is a doctor and grew up in permission $400 per day for each or they’ve that immigrants face, the current will continue to Germany. He did his residency at the woman and child to be overstayed their visas. And sweep us away.

Mayo Clinic, and he met my mom incarcerated,” Garcia “People can go two ways,” LaFaver said. “They there. They stayed here so he became for many of those people, a citizen. He has dual citizenship.” said. “I was disgusted they didn’t follow a legal path can reach out and understand or they can be afraid -freshman Cecilia Mohácsi and embarrassed that we because there’s not one open and reject. allow this to happen in to them,” Hull said. our country. We should be more welcoming to Although undocumented immigration is at *Camila Fonseca is a pseudonym of a local high school women and children fleeing persecution from the the forefront of American minds, it has failed to parent. atrocities in their countries.” find it’s way to the top of congress’. Since President According to Fonseca, the threat Obama entered office in 2009, all bipartisan

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FEATURES

Shaped by the Storm The 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina brings back memories for junior Corrinne Willems and her father who escaped the storm’s wrath, but not its effects.

T

BY ABBY SMITH EDITORIAL EDITOR

hunder rolls through the air and shakes the rain-drenched earth while bolts of lightning regularly pierce the torrential rainfall in the otherwise dark sky. Small rivers form and rush down sides of streets as the draining systems struggle to keep up.

Sitting in her room, she is caught in a flashback to her childhood and the storms that once threatened her life along with her father’s. She jerks herself back to reality and shoves headphones in her ears to try to drown out the noise and slow her pounding heart.

For junior Corrinne Willems, thunderstorms create a sense of panic, reminding her of the hurricane that drove her from her home ten years ago this August. Just as it did for the thousands of other individuals living on the southern coast that year, Hurricane Katrina changed Willems’ life forever.

According to livescience.com, Hurricane Katrina was one of the most destructive storms to ever hit the United States and by far the most costly with an estimated $108 billion in damage. The category-five storm caused almost 2,000 deaths and left over a million homeless along the Gulf Coast.

While New Orleans is the most highly-publicized city affected, Katrina brought major damage to all of southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi.

Willems had been living with her father in Long Beach, Mississippi, for around a year when the storm struck their city. Their apartment was only a few minutes walk from the ocean.

“I had basically nothing with me when I left Mississippi,” Willems said.

To escape the hurricane, Willems traveled with a classmate to Tennessee where she was picked up by two aunts that she had never met before and taken to Kansas City. Even though the whole situation was rather abrupt and confusing for five-year-old Willems, she was used to adapting. Before Mississippi, Willems had lived in Texas and Louisiana and had originally been born in Kansas City.

Willems was basically adopted into her aunt’s family for the next month and started attending a new school. Willem’s father, Don Willems, had stayed behind in Mississippi due to his involvement with civil defense and ongoing work at the airport.

He survived Katrina’s massive storm but not without fearing his life.

“Each time the winds picked up even more,

Hurricane Katrina destroyed homes, churches and roads alike in Long Beach, Mississippi, and nearby towns. The Willems’s apartment complex was a part of this devestation. (Photos submitted

by Don Willems)

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I feared I would never see my daughter again. I honestly thought [I was] going to die in that house that day,” Willem’s father said.

Meanwhile in Kansas City, Willems didn’t know what to think. Because her birth mother had left her and her father earlier in her life, the permanence of her father’s kiss goodbye was unknown in her young mind.

“At this point my biological mother was already gone, so in my five-year-old mind, I rationalized that my dad wasn’t coming back, just like my mom had never come back,” Willems said.

Willems and her father were no stranger to storms, even before Hurricane Katrina. In the short time living in Mississippi, she and her father experienced the effects of Hurricane Ivan and several other tropical storms. The two had a close call with a tornado touchdown that same year as well. However none of these prepared them for the full-scale destruction Katrina would bring. Willem’s young age for all of these encounters saved her in a way. Only now looking back on it does she realize how scary it all was.

“We were under mandatory evacuation on at least three occasions even before Katrina. We felt like we kind of became experts on hurricanes,” Willem’s father said. “It wasn’t true by the way. We were far from experts.”

The chaos of her childhood has definitely played a part in who Willems is today. She has a knack for finding ways to adjust to almost any situation, good or bad. Her eagerness to talk and communicate with others at school is sharply contrasted with the quiet, creative side she shows at home, pursuing her passion of writing. Willems mostly writes works of fiction but enjoys proofreading other people’s stories as well. At times she reads up to 100,000 thousand words per day.

“I love writing because I don’t have to think about it; it just comes naturally,” Willems said.

The strong relationships formed with her aunt and father during the crazier years now serve as a reminder for what she went through and what she has been able to get out of it.

“My dad and I are extremely close. It was just him and me for nine years,” Willems said. “I feel like with all the stuff we’ve gone through, we have to stick together because we are all that we’ve ever had.”

FEATURES

Junior Corrinne Willems laughs as her father, Don Willems, jokes around.

(Photo by Abby Smith) LE JOURNAL October 2015

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Freshman Margaret Ruhlman works out everyday after school at Bootcamp Fitness in Prairie Village, Kansas, to prepare for her weightlifting competitions. (Photo by Rachel Ergovich)

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FEATURES

Raising the Bar

Freshman Margaret Ruhlman dedicates her time to the relatively unknown sport of Olympic-style weightlifting.

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BY RACHEL ERGOVICH PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

he bell rings at 3:10. It’s the end of the school day. She darts out of under division and received the award for best lifter.

“When I went to her first meet, she just crushed everyone out there,” Ianni her classroom and into the New Grande Salle where she is greeted by a semi-circle of cars. She disappears into her mom’s car and speeds said. “She was so pumped up.”

Ruhlman works out every day after school and uses weekends as rest days. away. Only she isn’t going home. She’s going to Bootcamp Fitness to But more goes into a workout than just lifting weights. She begins each practice practice Olympic-style weightlifting.

Freshman Margaret Ruhlman was first introduced to Olympic-style with 15 minutes of warmups, including sprints and cardio. On Mondays, weightlifting after her friend, freshman Isabelle Ianni, took her to a CrossFit Wednesdays and Fridays Ruhlman only does lifting. She works on perfecting the techniques of both snatch and clean and session. Ruhlman liked their CrossFit session jerk.Tuesdays and Thursdays consist solely of so much that she began attending classes conditioning, including sprints, hills, pull ups twice a week. After a few weeks her CrossFit and push ups. instructor suggested that she try Olympic-style weightlifting. From there she fell in love.

Weightlifting is the center of Ruhlman’s life. She feels like it has made her more athletic, “I like the adrenaline,” Ruhlman said. and she even said that she annoys her family by “Once you start pulling on the bar, you have to commit to it. There’s just something about it.”

- freshman Isabelle Ianni constant talking about it at home. She doesn’t let weightlifting distract her from school, however.

Olympic-style weightlifting is a discipline of weightlifting used in the Olympics in which an athlete attempts a single lift When she’s at school that’s all she focuses on, but as soon as she leaves, she of a barbell. Competitions consist of two main lifts: snatch and clean and jerk. allows weightlifting to enter her mind.

While Ruhlman doesn’t envision herself pursuing weightlifting as a career, The goal of the snatch lift is for the lifter to raise the barbell from the ground to overhead in one motion, while the goal of clean and jerk is to bring the barbell she anticipates it being a big part of her life for a long time. One of her ultimate to the chin and from there to lift it overhead. dreams is to qualify for the Olympics. It’s a goal her coach has been training Even though Olympic-style weightlifting is the only style of weightlifting her to achieve.

“I knew if she joined weightlifting, it would be something that, once she in the Olympics, it is still relatively unknown. Ruhlman said that at her last competition there were only about 15 people within her age division. While got the technique down, she would be good at,” Ianni said. “If she continues to she’s only lifted in one competition so far, she took first place in the 14 and put in the work, she can go really far.”

“When I went to her first meet, she just crushed everyone out there.”

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FEATURES

Karolína Rooney,

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FEATURES

, Culturally Divided Sophomore finds balance and comfort in her life by embracing both her native Czech culture and her American culture.

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ooking back, she sees her parents and brother trailing closely behind. Slightly panting, they continue upwards, their feet crunching under rocks and grassland that is native to the Czech Republic. They reach an outlook and stop to admire the vast landscape of the country. The family is at an elevation of 5,259 feet on the top of Sněžka. They have reached the highest point of sophomore Karolína Rooney’s homeland.

Every summer, she and her family leave Kansas City and return to the Czech Republic for three weeks to visit her grandmother and extended family. Although the atmosphere is different from Kansas City, she feels right at home.

By now, Rooney is used to biking around the towns and trailing through the forests, visiting the castle ruins and experiencing the bustle of Prague.

“It’s funny because when we go people always think we are tourists until we respond to them in Czech,” Rooney said. “They are always surprised.”

Rooney was born in the Czech Republic, and her mother is a citizen of the country. Although

BY MADISON HEIDE SPORTS EDITOR

she left the Czech Republic when she was only a year old, she continues to embrace Czech culture in America. She speaks Czech at home and eats their traditional meals, her favorite being potato dumplings, pork and red cabbage.

“My family really tries to balance both cultures to experience everything,” Rooney said.

A 13 plus hour flight from Kansas City to the Czech Republic leaves Rooney feeling homesick when she isn’t there.

“Sometimes I wish I lived there, just because of all the fond memories I have,” Rooney said.

She hates being so far away from her extended family. Rooney tries to keep up with them through Skype at least once a month. The visits to the Czech Republic are much anticipated in her family.

“There is a seven hour time difference, so sometimes it is difficult to talk to them.” Rooney said. “The other difficult thing is planning time for travel, because we really have to manage our summers schedules around the trip.”

Rooney always eagerly awaits being able to immerse herself in the slower pace of life, listening

to old family stories and taking walks in the forest outside her grandmother’s house. Located about two hours outside of Prague, the countryside is what Rooney says is indescribable.

“It’s like coming home.” Rooney said.

To Rooney, home is both places. Her nationality is American and Czech.

“I am American in the sense that I live here,” Rooney said, “but people here know something is different about me, and there is.”

At school, her classmates don’t immediately recognize her for her place of birth. Some see the accent over her name, but few know her origin.

“It’s not something you would notice about her right away,” sophomore Reagan Amato said, “But it makes her the person she is.”

She looks out across the long ridges of the Krkonoše mountain range. High up on Sněžka, she sees far into her homeland. Surrounded by family, she realizes what a blessing it has been growing up in the different cultures. She has found her stability and balance within both. And from her viewpoint, it couldn’t get much better.

Above left: Sophomore Karolína Rooney and her mother Jana Rooney stop while walking in Rokytnice nad Jizerou last summer. Above middle: Rooney, age 4, has visited The Czech Republic every year from birth. “One year we went for Christmas, but usually we go in the summer,” Rooney said. Above right: Rooney stands on the top of Sněžka after hiking with her family. (Photos submitted by Karolína Rooney). Left page: Sophomore Karolína Rooney loves the calm atmosphere found in the Czech Republic. “It’s just so different from America,” Rooney said. (Photo by Madison Heide).

LE JOURNAL Octber 2015

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“Vikings” Ushers in a New Sound A new album allows New Politics to establish their sound across several genres.

BY KATHLEEN WATZ REPORTER

New Politics, a band originally from Denmark, released their third album “Vikings” on Aug. 14.

This new album combines the music styles from their first two albums, helping the band find their unique sound.

This new, experimental album is a fresh style that appeals to a variety

of different audiences.

“Vikings” is their most appealing album so far.

On iTunes, “Vikings” is not confined to one genre.

The genres in the description include Alternative, Rock, Indie Rock and Electronic.

From rock to Indie pop, every song is a new experience that does not disappoint, such as the unique sound of “West End Kids.” The Rock sound of “Everywhere I Go” makes someone want to get up and dance around the room blasting the song while “Pretend We’re in a Movie” brings a smile to the face and a desire to enjoy life.

Other songs such as “Lovers in a Song” give off a mellow vibe.

According to axs.com, the band is excited to share their newly discovered sound with fans on their “Everywhere I Go” tour.

Their tour began Oct. 14 and runs until mid-

December. Fans should be excited to see them because this is a big tour, totalling over 25 shows. Plus they will play the songs from their new album.

And on Oct. 30, New Politics will be singing in Kansas City at 96.5 the Buzz’s Halloweenie Roast.

While the lyrics to some of their songs sporadically contain explicit words, the overall message is to have fun and that is exactly what the band has been doing throughout the albummaking process.

In an interview with All Access, the band insisted that their fans should have

fun with their music and not to take life too seriously, especially when attending their shows.

This album has elements everyone can relate to and enjoy. “Vikings” is well worth $7.99 on iTunes.

This music will get you up and dancing and have you crying the next minute.

The mix of emotions on this album allows their audience to incorporate the songs and lyrics into their own lives, making their music seem more authentic than ever before.

“The Martian” movie, starring Matt Damon, brings humor and stunning cinematography to fantasy. Read Taylor Spies’ full review on lejournallive.com.

(Photo Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox)

Don’t Miss It: Upcoming Concerts Nov. 8: AWOLNATION

Arvest Bank Theater at the Midland

Nov. 12: Young the Giant Liberty Hall

Nov. 19: Dustin Lynch

Arvest Bank Theater at the Midland

Nov. 20: The Chainsmokers Liberty Hall

Nov. 29: Lights and the Mowgli’s Arvest Bank Theater at the Midland

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LE JOURNAL October 2015

High Hopes Fall Flat on “1989” Cover David Ryan Adams deserves only one star for originality and one for picking a great album to cover

BY TONI MATHIS REPORTER

David Ryan Adams, an American singer, dropped his “1989” Taylor Swift cover album on Sept. 21 for $9.99.

In the beginning week, the cover was already number nine on iTunes, right behind Swift’s “1989” at number eight. It was expected to launch past her album any day.

However, his cover does not deserve to be past Swift’s or even to be in the top 10.

And it didn’t. After almost a month, Adams’s cover plummetted to number 27 while Swift’s slid up to seven.

Hearing a male 40 year old sing your favorite 25-year-old female’s pop songs is a new, unpleasant experience. Even though they are all the same songs, Adam’s are completely different from Swift’s. The entire album is only his voice and his guitar. It sounds like a slow karaoke night. He could have a more astonishing voice, but it does not fit the music. The acoustic guitar makes the songs calm, and his voice will put you to sleep.

Adams transformed Swift’s masterpiece into a

catastrophe. His voice stays steady and low pitched in the 50 minutes of the 13 songs. His two most popular songs are “Bad Blood” and “Style”. The iTunes album may label the cover under the rock genre, but I label it alternative country.

It is alright to do a cover of a song but not the entire album. That is lazy.

He needs to start writing his own wpieces.

Do not buy the album cover, it is just a waste of your money.

Aubrey’s Kansas City Adventures Discover the new through the old in the historic West Bottoms.

BY AUBREY MAKAR A&E COLUMNIST

West of Downtown Kansas City, underneath the I-670 highway lies the West Bottoms. It is an industrial area by downtown Kansas City, Missouri, at the junction of the Missouri River and the Kansas River.

The buildings and streets have been worn through the years and the somewhat crumbling foundations emits the effect of a truly vintage area.

Every first weekend of the month, antique shops set up in the old buildings to share their findings with

the city.

The historic buildings scattered throughout the West Bottoms show the progression of the city through the decrepit foundations of the individually unique architecture.

Even on the days when the antique collection is not showing, there is plenty to explore of the West Bottoms from restaurants to other shopping experiences.

My mom is usually the one to take me to the West Bottoms on the first weekend of the month to check out the new features of the shops.

Our favorite is Bella Patina because my mom’s friend is one of the owners of the shop. But there are a lot of other good shops including Good JuJu and Stuffology.

The antique shops have a lot of diverse items, from Kansas City themed shirts displaying the Royals

to a rustic gun that we can only hope hasn’t actually killed anyone.

My last trip I was able to find an antique eye chart that I immediately hung up in my room. It continues to remind me that I should be wearing my glasses more than I usually do.

Stepping inside each of the shops is a different experience except for one common thread; that distinct smell of entering “grandma’s house.” Many of the shops have multiple floors, and use up every inch of floor space that they can. It becomes a treasure hunt to discover the best things to add to your own collection of findings.

Antique hunting sounds like something your grandma might try to trick you into doing with her, but the shops in the West Bottoms have a unique and appealing allure to them.

The assortment of small treasures make it worth the trip.

(Photos by Aubrey Makar) And it’s not just antiques that are sold in the West Bottoms. Many local artists sell their work at the Kansas City-themed shops. All around there is a lot of Kansas City pride, and that’s another one of the reasons that I love the West Bottoms.

Even if it isn’t the first weekend of the month, the West Bottoms will not disappoint.

West Bottoms Musts: Go on Saturday for food trucks Get there early for free parking Bring a big car for furniture finds

Malala Movie Inspires Through Relatable Stories

“He Named Me Malala” presents a down-to-earth child.

Guggenheim chooses not to place as much emphasis on her view of accomplished activist.

BY NATALIE SOPYLA FEATURES EDITOR

While describing how hard her new school in England is, Malala Yousafzai removes a folder from her bookshelf to prove it. She sheepishly shows a recent physics test to the camera, pointing out the grade: 67 percent. Even Malala Yousafzai isn’t perfect.

It is these mundane moments that give “He Named Me Malala” a sentimental quality, allowing the extraordinary star to become more accessible to viewers. This film is a must see for anyone who has ever complained about going to school. It will immediately put things into perspective for those who take their education for granted.

The documentary, directed by Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth,” “Waiting for Superman”), presents a look at the life and work of now 18-year-old Yousafzai following her attack by the Taliban in October of 2012. It isn’t a biography in the traditional sense, as the only images we see from Yousafzai’s early life are from a few family photographs and old television clips of teenage Malala speaking.

Yet the places where the movie was lacking in biographical footage were filled with animated sketches. These animations provided a look at the life of the family in Pakistan’s Swat Valley under Taliban rule, through the simple and colorful viewpoint of a young

attack, but rather Malala’s seemingly predestined path of advocacy.

What is most emphasized is how Malala’s name, given to her by her father, originates from the story of a Pashtun girl who rallies the despondent armies of Afghanistan and leads them in an attack on the British forces, only to die on the battlefield. Malala credits her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, a teacher and fellow advocate for education, for fostering her own love for education. Their fierce loyalty and love for each other is seen in various tender moments throughout the film, another aspect that makes the life of Malala seem much more relatable to viewers.

“He Named Me Malala” is an inspiring look at Malala’s life from a more relaxed, less stifled perspective. While the sequence of events is somewhat scattered and not always in chronological order, it is not hard to follow the story. In fact, her life story isn’t important for biographical purposes; it is more important for the reason that it brought Malala to where she is today, and is why Malala advocates for girls’ education. The moments when Malala is seen at home teasing her brothers and teaching her father how to use Twitter give the film a down-to-earth quality that will appeal to almost any viewer. This film will make viewers regret any time they ever took their schooling for granted.

// ENCOURAGING

BET YOU

DIDN’T KNOW...

Malala first thought the Taliban looked like vampires from Twilight, one of her favorite books at the time.

A

+

Malala retook a test 3 times to prove her father, the owner of her school, didn’t favor her.

(Info via salon.com and picture via MCT Campus)

LE JOURNAL October 2015

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A Hellish Haunting The haunted houses in Kansas City’s West Bottoms District are now open for their 41st season and are as scary as ever.

BY LANEY ULOWETZ PHOTO EDITOR

I feel my stomach drop to the gravel as I slide out of the car. The door slams shut behind me and I look up, surrounded by rundown buildings and darkness. An eerie howling tumbles towards me, carried by the wind. I listen carefully and slowly wander past a corner when suddenly, I sense something. I feel someone, or something, following me. I quicken my pace and hear a pit-pat pit-pat speed up in rhythm behind me. My stomach turns to knots and a panic arises inside of me when I hear a muffled snarl that can only be found in my worst nightmares. The Beast is following me. And I would do anything to get to Hell already.

Entering into their 41st season, the haunted houses located in Kansas City’s West Bottoms District are infamous for providing nights filled with exhilarating terror. Open Thursday through Saturday from 7:30 p.m. until Hell freezes over (11:30 p.m.), as well as the Sundays of Nov. 1, 6 and 7, these annual attractions draw in crowds ready for a fright.

There is a peculiar man staring me down when I reach the steps of The Edge of Hell. I take a closer look and notice a rat squirming in his clenched mouth.

Disgusted, I hurry through the doorway and immediately gravitate towards the only noticeable source of light in the room - the ticket booth. While I nervously stand waiting for my turn, I hear a high, shrill whisper in my ear “LOOK! Look

at these!” I jump and turn around to see a girl’s dark, mysterious face glaring back at me. She holds up what appears to be spiders just below my nose and I scramble to get away. My heart is already beating out of my chest and I have yet to ascend up the long flight of stairs into the gloomy twilight that is The Edge of Hell.

Finally, I reach the lady at the ticket booth and breathe a sigh of relief because she in fact looks like a human.

The woman informs me that a single ticket for The Edge of Hell is priced (Photo by Aubrey Makar) at $27 or a discount is available with haunt combination tickets. We do our exchange and she cackles as I cautiously turn around to make sure I am not being followed.

I glance at the pack of middle schoolers waiting to enter next to me and am oddly comforted by their childish and awkward aura. I laugh at myself for being so easily jolted. If they can do it, so can I. I stand at the foot of the sinister stairs and peer upwards into the unknown.

I swallow hard and think this will be fun. This will be fun. This will be FUN with every step. I reach the top and turn towards the darkness. Loud noises of crashing and screams fill my ears. No going back now.

I could tell you about the adventure that awaits at the top of those stairs, but you’ll have to go find out for yourself. Enter into the blackness that is The Edge of Hell if you dare. And let the fun begin.

THRILLING //

Fun Fall Finds

Louisburg Cider Mill Louisburg is home to one of the top 10 Cider Mills in America that has everything from farm animals to a corn maze and pumpkin patch. Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday -Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Johnson Farms

This pumpkin farm is filled with pig races, pumpkin cannon launches, a pumpkin chomping dinosaur, delicious fall treats and more. Open noon to 6 p.m. Monday Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday - Sunday.

Dunn’s Cider Mill Well-known in the Belton community for its locally made apple cider and donuts, Dunn’s has a lot to offer including apple butter and mulling spices.

Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday - Sunday.

(Photos by Laney Ulowetz)

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LE JOURNAL October 2015

Caramel Apples Are A Tasty Fall Treat A treat so good, it’s scary. These caramel apples are easy to make and even easier to gobble up.

Ingredients: 5 Honeycrisp Apples 1 bag of Kraft caramels 5 popsicle sticks White chocolate Sprinkles.

Instructions: 1. Remove the stem from each apple and put a popsicle stick in the middle.

2. Place caramels in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes.

3. Roll each apple into the caramels and allow to set on a pan lined with wax paper or parchment paper.

4. Melt white chocolate by microwaving for 2 minutes.

5. Decorate the apples with the white chocolate and the sprinkles.

(Photo by Sophie Nedelco)

Throwback

Starbucks Unveils New Fall Drink

BY TAYLOR SPIES REPORTER Starbucks recently released a brand new flavor of frappuccino - toasted graham.

This refreshing coffee blend was inspired by s’mores made at bonfires on chilly autumn nights.

Complimenting the ever popular pumpkin spice latte, the toasted graham cracker flavor is a mix of steamed milk, cream and coffee, topped with copious amounts of whipped cream and a sprinkling of graham cracker crumbs.

The drink is extremely sweet, great for those who only like a hint of coffee flavor. It is a lot like the s’mores flavored coffee, popular during the summer months.

A grande sized toasted graham frappuccino is a hefty 400 calories, although not much more than the 310 pumpkin spice frappaccino. (Photo by Taylor Spies)

Favorite FALL

LIBATIONS

HALLOWEEN MOVIES

Le Journal Surveyed the Student Body to find what girls wanted to watch this weekend.

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Halloween Town (1998)

After learning she is a witch, a girl helps save a town full of other supernatural creatures.

Twitches (2005)

Two teen witches who were separated at birth must use their powers to save the world in which they were born, where their birth mother still lives.

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966)

The Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween while Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Three witch sisters are resurrected in Salem Massachusetts on Halloween night and two teenagers must end their reign.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn’t quite understand the concept.

Le Journal polled over 150 students to find their top Starbucks go-to fall flavor

1. Hot Chocolate 2. White Chocolate Mocha 3. Pumpkin Spice Latte 4. Salted Caramel Mocha 5. Caramel Macchiato 6. Salted Caramel Frappaccino LE JOURNAL Ocober 2015

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Food For Thought Skits Sion students gathered to kick off the annual Food for Thought drive with the skits performed by Student Council. The nonperishable food drive ends on Nov. 6 and benefits Redemportist Social Services.

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1. Senior Kate O’Keefe was the Shark in the senior skit. “I didn’t know I was the shark until that day, but I wanted to watch the skit, so I sat in the stands in my shark costume. When I ran out into the skit I just improvised,” Okeefe said.

2.Senior Daria Kinchelow played the part of theology teacher Paul Kramshuster. “I love Kram and he’s my idol. I think he’s the funniest teacher.

He said I was the best Kram anyone’s ever played,” Kinchelow said.

3. Juniors Claire Raulston and Elsa Brundige dance to “Low.” “The skits are always something we look forward to. It’s so much fun to brainstorm ideas and see what the other grades come up with,” Raulston said.

4. Sophomores Maddie Young and Mandy Mayer laugh at the end of their pageant skit. “I think the skits really get everyone pumped for Food for Thought and are the perfect way to kickoff this event,” Young said.

5. Freshman Gabrielle Grimaldi and Ava Rawson pose as Channing Tatum and Barbie. “I thought that the skits were a really fun way to get the school aware of Food for Thought, and I thought it was a lot of fun,” Grimaldi said.

(Photos by Laney Ulowetz)

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October 2015

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