April 2021

The

April 2021

Bell

Volume 97, Issue 7

Liberty High School lhsnews.net

Contents

Letter from the Editor

Staff

Editor-in-Chief & Ads Manager

Regan Johnston

Managing, Copy, & Spotlight Editor

Emma Stauffer

Online Manager & Indepth Editor

Paige Hodges

Opinion & A&E Editor News & Co-Sports Editor

Derek Katzer Caty Franklin

Asst. Copy, Features & Co-Sports Editor

Sarah Blankenship

Reporters Lejla Aganovic DJ Binns Lucas Kilgore Alex Klein

Ari Revella Lucia Umbreit Sadie Watkins

Photo Jay

Editor-in-Chief

Charlene Nguyen

Section Editor

Hattie Ludwig

Photographers Julissa Balderas Kendin Bittiker Richard Burns Chloe Gerardy Nicholas Dillon Kalea Faubion Katie Glasford Claire Hamilton Santana Hiatt Bianca Jackson JP Ngugi

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Brynna Namanny Brenna Oxley Collin Parker Dhanita Patel Henley Schmalz-Turner Erynn Sly Aidan Thieme Emra Tmusic Aidan Waggoner

As winter ends and spring begins, The Bell decided to look at all of the opportunities that spring brings for the students and staff of LHS. The weather gets warmer, the school year is coming to an end and everyone is looks forward to another summer.

The warmer weather allows for more outdoor activities, including sports made for thrill-seekers like motocross, skateboarding and roller skating (Page 6). After the dull monotony of winter, I’m sure students are excited to get back outside and test their limits.

Spring also brings with it more COVID-19 vaccine rollouts for the nation (Page 8). Just a year ago we went on Spring Break and didn’t come back, not sure what the future would look like. But now, with multiple vaccine locations available, people are provided with more hope than last spring.

Bathing suits and short sleeves will make an appearance as well, as the weather warms up. But some people do not have the confidence to wear more revealing clothing because of society’s expectations of what an ‘attractive’ or ‘normal’ body looks like.

The Bell decided to do some research to help fight the stigma of society’s body standards and promote body positivity (Pages 14-17).

The Bell’s leadership team decided to go their own way for the month of April, looking inwards and thinking about what was important to them while going forward into a new spring. Our Managing and Copy Editor gave us the idea to write about society’s beauty standards and gave her own take on the issue in regards to social media, and I thought about my love for animals and what I would tell all people who have or are considering getting a pet (Page 18). Our Online Manager and InDepth editor reflected on how she spent most of her life trying to please others and how she has made great progress on just doing what will make her happy, no matter what others think (Page 19).

The staff also decided to look at clothing trends: both what people wore during the winter and what people predict will be worn in the spring (Page 20).

The track team is especially excited for this spring. Due to COVID-19, they missed their last season and are ready to give it their all to make up for lost time (Page 24).

Lastly, spring brings with it the last 2020-2021 issue of The Bell, with its current staff. The May issue will have a new Editorin-Chief, a new Managing Editor, new Section Editors and new reporters. Though I will be sad to hand the paper off, I know that the new staff will do great things with it, and I look forward to seeing what they achieve.

On the Cover

Senior Kallie Shannon jumps over a hurdle at track practice on March 5. Shannon has done hurdles and triple jump throughout her four years on the team. “My favorite part about track is getting in shape and hanging out with my friends,” Shannon said.

Photo by Charlene Nguyen

Contents

Contents

Features

06

For the Thr¡ll of It

Reported by Derek Katzer

News

08

COVID-19 Vaccines: What Our Future Looks Like Reported by Ari Revella

06

Photo courtesy of Ben Ervie

Spotlights

10 11 12 10

Photo by Kendin Bittiker

13

Freshman Edric Binaji Reported by Alex Klein

Sophomore Jana Devaul Reported by Lucas Kilgore

Junior Alex Wexler Reported by Caty Franklin

Senior Mily Talati Reported by Lejla Aganovic Contents

lhsnews.net

3

Contact Us Design by Aryonna Straws

Want more stories? Check out The Bell’s website at lhsnews.net or scan the QR code below.

Liberty High School 200 Blue Jay Drive Liberty, MO 64068 Editor-in-Chief Regan Johnston (816) 448-1272

rjoh3357@lps53.org

Adviser Jamie Gumina (816) 736-5353

jamie.gumina@lps53.org

Twitter @TheLHSBell Online lhsnews.net

Questions, Comments or Concerns?

If you have questions, comments, concerns or a topic you want The Bell to respond to, write a letter to the Editor.

Your letter must be a maximum of 250 words and appropriate for an underage audience.

Writing a Letter to the Editor does not mean it is gaurenteed to be published.

Submit your letter to:

Opinion Editor

Derek Katzer dkat7119@lps53.org or

Editor-in-Chief

Regan Johnston rjoh3357@lps53.org

2021-2022 Full Week School Year

Many have wondered if school plans to go back to normal next year and it seems that is the plan.

Reported by DJ Binns

On August 21, the 2021-2022 school year starts for students in the Liberty Public School District. The official plan for this school year is to go back to the normal 5 day week average school days except for a one hour early release on Wednesdays moving forward.

“We hopefully plan for everything to go back to normal with our 5 day week schedules,” Head Principal Dr. April Adams said.

Since Clay County Health updated this year’s schedule to four days a week, starting Apr. 5, hope has been brought to schools concerning the next school year.

“There were five different scenarios that all schools around the United States planned for concerning the 2021 school year,” Adams said.

All were about students going back to school in different amounts of people and time. “We plan to either continue on this path of two days each amount of

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people or let different amounts of students return, depending on what events occur this year,” Adams said.

Freshmen Augustina Miles believes that people will return to school next year.

“I believe people will return to school, due to how tired they are being stuck in the house,” Miles said.

Adams also agrees to this, but for different reasons.

“I think everyone will go back,” Adams said. “People are missing out on so many fun things and opportunities they wish they had.”

This year has been difficult, people lost the structure they built around them. The big question is, would everyone be able to go back to that structure?

“I think it will go easily because we are used to it,” Adams said. “I believe everyone will be relieved when they get back the things they lost due to the pandemic.”

Contents

Photo by Emra Tmusic

Contents

InDepth

14

Do You Like What You See? Reported by Sadie Watkins

Opinion

18

Life is Ruff/ Social Media and Self-Esteem Opinions by Regan Johnston & Emma Stauffer

19

Boxed In

Opinion by Paige Hodges

14

Photo by Hattie Ludwig

A&E

20

Changing Seasons, Changing Trends

Reported by Sarah Blankenship

Sports

24 24

What Our Future Looks Like

Reported by Lucia Umbreit

Photo by Charlene Nguyen

Contents

lhsnews.net

5

Features

For the Thr¡ll of It

Students talk about their heart-pounding, extreme pastimes.

Reported by Derek Katzer

Design by Sarah Blankenship

A heart that won’t stop pounding. Sweaty hands that

won’t stop trembling. No amount of oxygen could fill the shortness of breath in the lungs. Most would identify these physical signs with the emotion that is fear. Some students identify these signs with a different emotion: thrill.

For these students, senior Ben Ervie, senior Aidan Thieme and junior Taylor Reed, simply playing on a field and having fun with their friends isn’t enough. They need an exuberantly thrilling experience and a chance to show off their skills and tricks.

Ben Ervie Photo courtsey of Ben Ervie

Motocross is a form of racing, done on off-road paths with motorcycles. Jumping in the

air, performing tricks, being the fastest one out there: these qualities attracted Ervie to the action sport of motocross.

“I’ve always had a love for jumping a dirt bike and flying in the air on a dirt bike, so I figured I would try it out again,” Ervie said. “I found a new love for it, so I decided I wanted to race at a high level.

What I like most about it is the competitive aspect. Pushing myself to be one of the fastest guys on the track and be the best.”

Ervie has motocrossed, at a high level, for four years now. Ervie has accomplished many achievements, such as getting top five in the C class at Arenacross and won multiple other races, but continues to work hard to achieve his dream of one day racing in Supercross.

“One of my personal goals is to make it to Supercross and go to a national race this summer and compete at the national level and win,” Ervie said. “Supercross is actually where you race motocross in a football stadium. That’s where the professionals race in the winter.

My goal for my career is to make it to that level when I’m older.”

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Features

Features

Taylor Reed Participating in action sports does not always mean scratches and bruises. Artistic

Photo courtesy of Taylor Reed

Top: Junior Taylor Reed competes at a roller skating competition. Left: Senior Ben Ervie clears through the air on his dirt bike. Bottom: Senior Aidan Thieme flies through the air at the skate park.

Aidan Thieme

skating emphasizes beauty and grace over speed and thrill, but still leaves the audience dazzled through spins, jumps and dance routines.

“It’s really pretty and very graceful,” Reed said. “A lot of sports are contact sports and you can get injured pretty bad.

[Artistic skating] is just different. Skating is something I’ve grown up with and it’s second nature, it’s something I love.”

Pushed on by her parents, Reed has been skating since she was nine months of age and started artistic skating two years ago. Since then, Reed has entered competitions for artistic skating through her club, the Kansas City Roller Skating Academy. Judges look at how well the skaters execute their steps, their form and how well they’re staying with the beat of the song.

“Last year, at the regional competition, I was in four events,” Reed said. “Every single event, I got first place.

First through third place qualify for nationals, so in all of my events I qualified to go to nationals. But, because of COVID, it got cancelled, so I didn’t get to go.”

It is unknown if artistic skating will have regionals or nationals this year due to COVID-19. The USA Roller Sports national championships are held in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“Another goal is sustaining it and doing roller blading later in life,” Reed said. “The oldest member of our club is, I believe, 83. I want to be that lady. I want to be showing my kids, showing my grandkids, getting them into it. It’s something I want to do my whole life. It’s something I love to do and it would keep me active.”

Skateboarding is an action sport that involves the riding of a skateboard to perform tricks, mostly performed on ramps. After being

inspired by some videos online, Thieme started his skateboarding journey.

“I like the freedom of it and how I can push myself to learn harder tricks,” Thieme said. “There’s no rules, so you can do whatever tricks off whatever obstacles: learning some ramp stuff, doing some grinds. It’s all about how you are feeling and if you can do it or not.”

Thieme does not see skateboarding as a simple recreational activity but as a means to get his name out into the world.

“I keep [skateboarding] because I want to go pro,” Thieme said.

“Just to progress more, it’s really fun for me. To go pro you have to make a video of all your best skate clips and send it to different companies. They can sponsor you and that would turn you pro. Or you can go to competitions to get your name in people’s mouths.”

At skateboard competitions, judges give a rating from zero to 100 to skaters after completing two to three single runs ranging from 45 to 60 seconds. Athletes are awarded points based on how well they perform their tricks.

“At the skate park I go to, they cut the metal coping on one of the ramps, and I like to launch out of it and try to do grab tricks,” Thieme said. “I also like to go out at the bank and do hip tricks.”

Photo courtesy of Aidan Thieme

Features

lhsnews.net

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News

COVID-19 Vaccines: What Our Future Looks Like Now with three companies making COVID-19 vaccines, what do these vaccines mean for our future?

Reported by Ari Revella

Design by Caty Franklin

lllThis school year has been rough for everyone. But if there’s one extraordinary moment to come out of the year, it’s a scientific breakthrough. When the COVID-19 pandemic became a serious threat to the world, scientists’ eyes were already set to end it. Many companies were already working on vaccines and ways to test people for COVID-19, and in record breaking times, they did just that. Now teachers, retail workers and restaurant workers are getting the shot throughout the end of March.

According to Nautilus, Pfizer only took nine months to develop the two-dose vaccine, which is 95% effective. Moderna quickly followed up with their own twodose vaccine a week later. And now with

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News

Photos by Richard Burns

the J&J vaccine joining the arsenal with as many as 24 million doses being shipped out by the end of March, it’s looking favorable for the United States down the road. Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines are both two dose shots that need to be taken three to four weeks apart, depending on which one you take, and the J&J vaccine is only one dose. While less effective than the previous two, only 66% effective, it’s more effective against the newer strands of COVID-19 as well as better prevents hospitalizations and deaths if you do get the virus.

Missouri is already buying J&J doses, allotting 50,000 doses in its first week.

According to FOX 2, “Johnson & Johnson is shipping its new single-dose vaccine across the country now, and Missouri should receive about 50,000 doses. This is in addition to the state’s normal allotment of the other vaccinations for the week.”

This has been the fastest vaccine to be produced before the mumps vaccine, which took four years. Even then, a normal vaccine typically takes 10-15 years to develop.

According to MedicalNewsToday, “Creating a vaccine in under 1 year is no small feat. While the coronavirus pandemic made a new normal of maskwearing and physical distancing, it also spurred global cooperation for vaccine research and distribution.”

With great opportunity comes great challenges, however. The vaccine rollouts are being handled by state governments.

With only 7.6% of the population fully vaccinated according to the CDC, people are questioning the priority list and who gets the vaccines first. Teachers have been

News

the most questioned-about group amongst states and doctors regarding when they should be vaccinated. ELA teacher Brenda Parker agrees with the priority list but thinks teachers need to be vaccinated eventually to teach successfully.

“Obviously, you need to vaccinate people of older age first because the chances of dying are greater for them,” Parker said, “The doctors, nurses, first responders, who are around COVID positive people more frequently should obviously be that next group, so teachers should be the next group, along with daycare workers and retail workers and fast-food workers.

There’s a large amount of people that fall into that category.”

As it stands, teachers are currently in phase 1b of the recommended priority list, under essential workers and alongside retail workers, food and agricultural workers and postal service workers. In Missouri, this phase is set to be eligible on March 15.

Junior Aiden Norris is worried about younger people with auto-immune disorders and other illnesses, and that they might have to wait longer to get the shot, like his younger brother.

“He could be stuck in the hospital for a month with a mild case of pneumonia, which is something that others can get over pretty easily,” Norris said.

There is no set recommendation from the CDC for younger people with auto-

immune disorders.

But as more and more people are vaccinated, this may not be an issue.

Regardless, that begs the question. how will school look? Theater teacher Katherine Gehrlein thinks that there might be some lasting effects from the pandemic on the normal school model.

“I think you’re going to see a lot more virtual offerings because we have the capability to do that, and I think you’re gonna see the way teachers teach change just because we have new ways to teach,” Gehrlein said.

However, Gehrlein believes that returning to full time school is what is best for both students and teachers.

“I am very excited to go back,” Gehrlein said, “I think our kids need it, I think our teachers need it. I think the way we go about that needs to be thought through, we’ve gone through a lot of different situations throughout the past year, so easing into that will be the best-case scenario, and letting our community know we support them.”

As students and teachers continue to work through the year, It seems like it will all end-- sometime. With these vaccines being shipped out now at a consistent rate, normalcy is just around the corner.

For more information on how to get vaccinated in the state of Missouri, visit covidvaccine.mo.gov.

Observational drawing teacher Mrs.Tammy Steele wears a mask with head loops, instead of ear loops, to prevent pain from behind her ears. These types of masks are important for working eight hours a day, five days a week. Graphic design teacher Ms. Andi Morris wears a plain gray mask while working at her desk. PPE is important in public settings to not only protect you, but those around you.

News

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9

Spotlight Freshman

Edric Binagi

Binagi finds his place in high school with basketball and academics.

Reported by Alex Klein Design by Emma Stauffer

Freshman Edric Binagi has been a self sufficient student and worked hard in basketball to get where he is today. He practices and does school work at home all of the time to maintain his basketball skills and grades. His peers and teachers have also noticed this attentiveness and dedication.

“I could always tell he’s one of the best listeners,” basketball coach Jason Maeder said. “You need to know that if you can remain teachable and coachable. You are going to go a long way in life.”

His friend and teammate freshman Zach Aganovic plays basketball with Binagi, whether it’s at their practices, workouts or at home. Aganovic enjoys their friendship and their fun moments together and recalls a specific instance that makes him laugh.

“He is a nice funny guy and he is a good friend,” Aganovic said. “We were playing basketball and we ran into each other and we laughed it off.”

He plays basketball with his dad often and trains with him because of his athletic background.

“I practiced with my dad a lot,” Binagi said. “He went to a D-2 school, so I practiced with him and also played basketball over the summer.”

Because basketball is so important to him, Binagi is loyal to his team and is friendly with everyone on it.

“Edric is just a genuine good friend to everybody,” Maeder said. “I don’t see him besides basketball or workouts, but there he’s always good with anyone on the team.”

They often play after school and work hard to go to workouts and just hang out as a team.

“He is the quiet leader on the court,”

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Photo by Kendin Bittiker

Maeder said. “He’s humble, he’s not a showboat, he’s very athletic, talented and certainly a team player.”

Binaji pulls really good grades and still maintains basketball practice times. The players on the team are very close and all but one freshman player are on A-day so it is fairly easy for Binaji to find rides and make friends with the other players.

Binaji’s older brother has mentored him through school and freshman year. Binaji participates in classes often and is very sociable.

“I think Binagi would be a great person for some student leadership positions,” Maeder said.

Being very excited for the rest of his years at high school and he plans on staying on the basketball team and maintaining his grades. Binaji looks forward to what high school could bring and looks up to his many inspirations who play in the pro’s and inspire him to be better at his sport.

Spotlight

Want to learn more about Liberty basketball?

Sophomore

Jana DeVaul

A look into DeVaul’s life and aspirations.

Reported by Lucas Kilgore

As her bow slides across the strings of the violin the music created inspires her about her future. Bright moments are ahead, very bright moments. This is the mentality that sticks with sophomore Jana DeVaul every single day. As an education finatic,

musician and hard worker, DeVaul has opportunities to look forward to in her high school, college and future career.

Devaul loves to help others, and before COVID-19, she would often volunteer at her church and teach young girls about the Bible. They would participate in activities like making crafts and interacting with the kids. This is something that has made a big impact on her life and plans for the future.

“I really love the interaction with the little girls I get to teach,” DeVaul said.

“They’re so amazing and they have so much energy.”

This fits in perfectly for her future career in teaching, specifically, third or fourth grade. But this isn’t just a dream; step by step this is becoming more and more of a reality.

“I applied to the teaching program at Northland Career Center in Platte City,” DeVaul said. “Fingers crossed that I will get into it next year.”

Spotlight

DeVaul wants to pursue her teaching passion at the same time as her passion for orchestra. She also helps teach young kids orchestra with Mrs. Anderson at Alexander Doniphan teaching the 5th grade orchestra.

“I would just show up and bring my violin with me, sit with the kids and play with them,” DeVaul said. “I love it, it’s just another thing I can do to help practice teaching.”

DeVaul is also an avid violinist who has been playing for quite some time as she started playing in the fifth grade.

“I am just in the school orchestra, but I take lessons outside of school,” DeVaul said. “I am in symphonic orchestra, which is the second level. You have a concert, then symphotic and then chamber.”

DeVaul’s teachers note that she is friendly, likeable and a great person who you can always count on. Her friends say the exact same thing.

“She’s a good friend because she cares for everyone,” junior Karlee Ensor said. “When she can tell that you are having a bad day, she always tries to make it better. I would say that she is very caring, understanding, a hard worker and just an optimistic person. I value that because to have a very optimistic and caring friend is great to have. It’s a great support system.”

Even her teachers admit how good of an educator she could be.

“She’d be a perfect teacher because she is really good at explaining,” theoretical chemistry teacher Jill Endaya said. “I turn to her sometimes to have her as a peer tutor because I trust 100% that she can explain what she is doing.”

Devaul has great people in her life who push her to be the best she can be.

“My family and my friends all push me and inspire me to be the best I can be and do everything I do,” DeVaul said. “My great grandfather, who passed away not too long ago, is someone who inspires me. I always wanted to play for him but I never got a chance to. That also inspires me because I know he’s up there somewhere and I know he can hear me. So I always try to do the best for him as well.”

DeVaul is committed and caring, not only towards herself but towards others.

She wants to succeed just as much as she plans to and this is evident from her daily actions, activities and the words of her peers.

“I think just that everyone should be able to follow their dreams,” DeVaul said. “Do what you want to do, especially in high school. Get it done now. Do what you love.”

Photo by Richard Burns

Spotlight

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Spotlight Junior

Alex Wexler Passionate, outgoing and persistent: Wexler is going places.

Reported by Caty Franklin Design by Emma Stauffer

Junior Alex Wexler is working to continue the activities he’s passionate about to help prepare himself for life and in college.

Wexler is involved in the Technology Student Association and National Honor Society to help build his leadership skills.

He also plays football and rugby for the school, adding a few more activities to his already busy schedule.

Although all of his activities take up most of his time, Wexler relies on his friends to help him balance everything and still have fun.

“I can get drowned in school, work, sports and things, but they allow me to loosen up a little bit and they support me in things I want to do,” Wexler said. “Most of my friends are passionate about the same things I’m passionate about too, so they’re partners with me in the things we do.”

STEM is an area of interest for Wexler, and he’s taken many computer and math classes over the years. His favorite class, this year, is AP Calculus AB, the first of two Calculus classes offered at LHS. Students need to take Algebra I & II, Geometry, and Precalculus before taking a Calculus class, meaning not many students make it to the high level class.

“Part of it is because I’m a big computer guy and I’ve already taken everything I can take, and I’m also a big math guy and it’s new and interesting,” Wexler said. “It’s something I’ve never seen before.”

Though he’s looking to go into something in the STEM field, such as engineering, chemistry, mathematics or technology, he doesn’t know exactly what his future holds.

“Right now, my biggest goal is just to find a college that I want to commit my next four years to and hopefully find a college that fits me,” Wexler said. “I also want to

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Photo by Santana Hiatt

further learn about what I’m passionate about and what I enjoy doing.”

Wexler’s teachers have helped him learn what he enjoys doing and what he wants to go into.

“I don’t think I can recall a time that Alex walked into my classroom without a smile on his face,” computer and business teacher Shannon Winkler said. “He seemed to always be in a good mood or at least have a positive attitude for the day. When a lot of the students I see on a daily basis are very quiet, introverted people, Alex’s openness and positivity were always something to look forward to.”

Wexler is grateful for the impact his teachers have had on his life because they have helped him find what he is passionate about.

“Most of the school subjects I’m interested in, it helps that I’ve had great teachers as well,” Wexler said. “Also, a lot of my good teachers, the ones I care about, help me with my procrastination.”

Many teens and high school students struggle with procrastination. Wexler views that as one of his biggest weaknesses, but he has many strengths as well.

Spotlight

“I’m willing to work hard when it comes to whatever I’m doing,” Wexler said. “Once I commit myself to working hard, that’s all I need. Along with that, I’m pretty organized, I like to keep things in check and I’m passionate. I don’t choose a bunch of things, but the things I’m interested in I am very interested in.”

Wexler views finding motivation as one of the most difficult aspects of a project, but once he begins he is willing to do what he needs to do to be successful.

As he begins to figure out what his future will look like, Wexler is sure to use his strengths and passions to be successful in anything he chooses to do.

“I don’t choose a bunch of things, but the things I’m interested in I am very interested in,” Wexler said.

Senior

Mily Talati

Talati desires to help others through her involvement in the community. ff

Reported by Lejla Aganovic

At any given point in time, one can find senior Mily Talati offering a helping hand towards others, whether it’s in school or in the community. Talati is involved in many different activities but never fails to put forth her best effort and leave a positive impact on those around her.

This year, Talati is the senior class

Secretary of the Student Council, a member of National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Key Club and LINK Crew. Although each of these associations require a tremendous amount of outside commitment, Talati’s tireless work ethic and dedication towards helping others allow her to persevere through hard times.

“It wasn’t just the National Honor Society that made service important to me,” Talati said. “I was really intrigued about what they do for the community. There are specific things that National Honor Society and Key Club get to participate in, and I thought that those were really cool and helpful for people. I’ve always been a service-minded person, and I do a lot of service through my temple and religion, so those were just other things to get involved in.”

Additionally, one of Talati’s friends, senior Laura Kallenbach, admires her willingness to help others and aspires to be more like her.

“I peer edited her scholarship essays, and I got to hear about all of the extra community service that she does for

Spotlight

her temple and with her other friends,” Kallenbach said. “She is one of the smartest, most eloquently spoken and considerate people on the planet. She would do anything for anybody. There’s not an ounce of toxicity in her, and she has a really good perspective on things.”

Furthermore, as a Hindu, Talati has always been devoted to volunteering and helping others in any way that she can.

Talati and the other members of her temple regularly help plan events, such as an annual community blood drive and a Walka-Thon to generate funds for the Cancer Society.

“In general, we help in any way we can, often in little ways around the community, like picking up trash around the area or shoveling peoples’ driveways.”

Not only is Talati committed to helping others, but she is also an ambitious student.

Talati is in math teacher Erin Ramsey’s AP Calculus BC class, who is appreciative of the consistent dedication, time and effort Talati puts into her schoolwork.

“Mily is a great student,” Ramsey said.

“She does all of her work on time and everything is high-caliber. She’s very organized and the kind of student that every teacher wants to have.”

Although Talati is able to maintain such a busy schedule, it does not come without its fair share of obstacles. Talati places much pressure on herself to earn good grades and participate in activities to get into a good college, which can cause her to get burnt out.

“Sometimes, I get burnt out really fast and I just want to sleep,” Talati said.

“But I know that when I have a setback, completely losing everything is not what I want with life, so that reminder helps me to overcome struggles.”

Talati applied to many local colleges, including the University of Kansas, Rockhurst University, UMKC and the University of Missouri. She also applied to Ivy League colleges, such as Harvard, Brown and Columbia, with the intent to major in Behavioral Neuroscience. Talati wants to learn more about how the brain works and why everyone is different, hoping to make a difference and continue to help those around her.

“I’m really interested in the way that the brain works and how someone who is considered ‘normal’ is still completely different than anyone else,” Talati said.

“Even if we all have a brain, it doesn’t work exactly the same in everyone.”

Photo courtesy of Mily Talati

Spotlight

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Taking the same group picture over and

over again because somebody isn’t satisfied with the way they look is sadly a common experience amongst teenagers, especially teenage girls.

According to DoSomething.org, over 60% of teenage girls, ages 15-17, avoid doing normal daily tasks when they feel bad about their looks such as going to the doctor or voicing their opinion. Shockingly, according to Dove, only 4% of women around the world even consider themselves beautiful. As for men, Healthline states that since 1997 male cosmetic surgery has gone up 325%.

As claimed by ReachOut..com, these insecurities can originate from a plethora of sources such as unsupportive parents, bad friends, stress, anxiety or bullying.

Mainly, the origin comes from unattainable beauty standards focused on both men and women. Whether it’s an hourglass figure or a perfect six-pack, it impacts the way almost everyone looks at their own body and it’s appears on all the media around us.

Beauty Standards Have Changed

Beauty standards morph as the media and popular culture changes. Today’s average teenagers’ parents grew up in the 80’s or 90’s. Since then the ‘perfect physique’ has changed. For women in the eighties the ideal body type was tall and thin, big hair and colorful eyeshadow, as shown on magazines such as Cosmopolitan.

This was also the decade when aerobic exercises and dieting rose in popularity.

ChemistClick claims that ‘pumping iron’ was popular amongst men and icons such as Arnold Schwarzenegger were looked up to for their huge muscles. Similarly in the 90s, the standard was extremely thin to the point where bone protrusions were glamourized.

Eurocentric beauty

standards were highly sought after, so the sharp jawline and very pointed faces were also a must-have and were commonly featured on magazines such as Seventeen and Vogue.In the 21st century the ideal body type in 2021 has drastically changed, what is wanted now for women is a small waist, large bottom and a large chest. As for men a tall, strong physique.

Social media is fake; “ it’s not really what is going on with other people. People put out what they want you to see.

”

- Freshman Nathan Middleton

Social Media Plays a Part

This is largely perpetuated by commonly used social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. According to many teenagers, social media is hard to avoid and therefore hard to avoid the repercussions of these standards.

“Now that you have social media and constantly in your face every single day, it definitely takes a toll on your mental health and it’s hard for people to pull away and take a break,” freshman Madigan Reynolds said. “You want people to think the best about you and social media is an active player in that.”

The use of social media has changed over the years. Some

teens noticed the difference in the types of people and content posted, such as pictures showing off looks or wealth.

“I don’t think it was ever intended to be like this, but that’s what it’s transformed into,” Reynolds said. “With a lot of social media ‘influencers’ it’s definitely turned into that,” Freshman Nathan Middleton agrees that the use has changed, and not for the best.

“I think a part of it is just growing up, but social media contributes to it,” Middleton said. “Social media is fake; it’s not really what is going on with other people. People put out what they want you to see.”

How it Plays on Mental Health

Mental health is in jeopardy, when it comes to these standards. General low self-esteem is common amongst avid social media users, according to ReachOut.com.

This can result in feeling unloved, not going for new opportunities, negative self talk and low levels of motivation.

For teenage girls, unattainable beauty standards can have several damaging impacts such as body dissatisfaction, GirlEmpowermentNetwork.org, when girls are exposed to unhealthy messages it is directly related to disordered eating

38

out of 78 LHS students say they are not happy with their bodies.

Freshman female

InDepth

lhsnews.net

15

Would you have cosmetic treatment to change the way you look?

“I definitely would not.”

“I have considered it.”

“I definitely would and plan to.”

“I have never even considered it.”

Can you describe a time you have felt self-conscious about your body or a physical trait?

“I used to have an eating disorder and really bad body dysmorphia, but I have made a full recovery & am more confident in myself than I ever been. It was absolutely horrible for about a year though, and it had been slowly getting worse for about a year before that.”

- Sophomore Female

“I constantly am self-conscious about every little thing that my body is doing and I’m constantly checking mirrors and my phone to see if I look acceptable by my standards.”

- Senior male

“About a year ago a guy said something that still to this day sticks with me. He said, “If you lost some weight you could be so hot.” It made me feel terrible and it’s something that plays through my head over and over again.”

Describe a comment someone made that made you feel insecure about your body.

“You should really consider eating less.”

Do you feel pressured by society to look a certain way?

“You looked flat in those leggings.”

“You would be so hot if you lost some weight.”

- Frehsman Female

“Gosh, your legs are kind of gross in that photo.”

“I don’t think it’s safe for you sit in anyones lap, might break their legs.”

“Yes” “No” “Maybe”

28 out of 78 students rate their self-esteem a five or below.

“I feel self-conscious when I look in the mirror.”

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April 2020

InDepth

- Senior female

to disordered eating such as binging, purging and restricting food in hopes of a thigh-gap or flat stomach. For girls, they often see women in social media with edited photos flaunting a beauty standard of the hourglass figure, white, tall and thin.

“You don’t see a lot of differences in body types or races. You kind of see the same type of person over and over again,” Reynolds said. “When you have that lack of representation, it also takes a toll on how you see yourself, even if you do look like the person. You are always going to be comparing yourself.

How Men Are Affected

There is a pressure to have a very muscular build called the “superhero effect” according to Healthline.

The New York Times stated that 40% of middle and high school boys have regularly exercised with a goal of gaining muscle mass and 38% have said to be taking protein supplements for the same reason.

It is not uncommon to see, on social media and on dating apps, men sadly lying about their height to attract women; this is because of the social stigma around shorter men. Not only this but often men have pressure to be very muscular.

According to Healthline this superhero effect, the effect of constantly seeing very muscular men in the media, sends the message that “to be brave, dependable and honorable, you need big muscles.”

In an article by Healthline, nutritionist who focuses on male body image Aaron Flores said, “These bodies are attainable for a small number of people — maybe half a percent of the male community. Yet they’re associated with the idea of masculinity —

the notion that as a man, I have to look a certain way, act a certain way.”

Making a Change

To erase social standards, social change is needed. Teacher Breanne Salzman works with young girls in a program called Girls on the Run at local middle and elementary schools. Salzman teaches young girls to appreciate who they are through lessons about self love. The year ends with a 5k run to show they can do anything.

“Not just who you are socially, academically and athletically,” Salzman said. “Owning our weaknesses and really teaching young girls to celebrate themselves. Because I think girls are told that if you’re confident or proud of yourself it’s cocky or self centered, but there’s a difference between being self centered or conceited and confident.”

The lessons Salzman helps lead are lessons she feels everyone can take some advice. Lessons such as these, starting from a young age and mixed with social media, can help put a stop to these crushing standards.

“We do different lessons and one of my favorites is called Press Pause,” Salzman said. “It’s basically a lesson where we tell girls that you might be on Instagram or Snapchat, and it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole. You see these girls with a thigh gap, and you think ‘why can’t I look that way.’ It’s just pressing pause and thinking ‘is this healthy?’ or ‘why are you doing this to yourself?”

Some group activities participants do together to lift each

other up as a community as well, similar to Press Pause.

“We just talked to the girls about picking their favorite feature, and we had other girls pick others favorite features,” Salzman said. “And sometimes what others think about you is beautiful, you don’t look in the mirror and see it.”

Not only small social change, but changing the way people interact with each other on a daily basis. The ways in which people talk to each other and complement each other can have a big impact on how they view themselves.

“Celebrating girls instead of for their appearance saying ‘you were amazing at soccer last week, so much a girl’s identity is their image and we are trained as a society to comment on a girl’s appearance but it’s not always appropriate.”

Generation Z has an opportunity to make powerful social change considering the amount of influence they have on social media. Making little changes such as changing how they compliment others is only a start, but soon the world could morph into a more accepting society.

“I am ashamed of my acne.”

- Junior Male InDepth

lhsnews.net

17

Opinion

Life is Ruff

Bare minimum care is not enough for a pet.

Editorial by Editor-in-Chief Regan Johnston There are a few things in the world that I try not to think about because I get super depressed when I do think about them: one being the way people treat their pets. As an owner of nine pets myself, I have a great deal of love for animals, and it hurts to think about their suffering.

For a long time, I thought that animal abuse was just physical abuse. The stuff you see in movies where the bad guy kicks the puppy or leaves them chained in a yard.

But recently, I realized, like with humans, there are multiple different types of abuse and not all of them are intentional.

Sometimes, the abuse looks like leaving your dog in a kennel for more than eight hours a day or overfeeding your cat.

While people are out, dogs are stuck at home, inside, with nothing but four walls and their own tails to chase. Dogs need as much outside time and exercise as humans.

I also see a lot of Instagram videos from The Dodo that feature overweight pets on their way to recovery. While those videos

Photo courtesy of Olivia Petersen

are incredibly cute and inspirational, they also make me really sad to see a pet struggle to even walk because of their weight. Pets can get that way because people are too busy to keep track of how

Social Media and Self-Esteem

Design by Derek Katzer

much they feed their pets.

I am not trying to make anyone feel bad or feel like they are a terrible pet owner.

All I want is give people more awareness of their pets and their needs.

My family does all that they can to support animals and to give as many of them a home as possible and we do our best to give them a great life. But even we had to learn these lessons along the way.

We had to learn about special diets, rearrange our schedules to take our dogs out and get exercise and cater to each individual pet’s special needs.

Even though it may be tough, if you’re going to own a pet, you have to be willing to put yourself in their shoes and think of their needs as well. After all, pets require just as much love and compromise as any human does. A good resource to help look after your pets is pets.webmd.com, a website that provides knowledge on understanding your pet’s needs and behavior.

Social media can be a bad influence on users’ self-esteem and body image.

Editorial by Managing Editor and Copy EditorEmma Stauffer According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 90% of teens, ages 13-17, have used social media.

I am a part of that statistic, having at least one form of social media since I was in grade 7. However, I have always been able to describe my relationship with social media as love-hate.

I have found social media to be a beneficial place in many instances, such as when I am able to connect with my cousins who live out of state, or watch videos of other people with similar views as myself.

However, it can also be a toxic and hateful environment. What you see on social media can be deceiving; a few pictures and captions are hardly representative of who a person is in the real world.. In a world of diet culture, unrealistic beauty standards and cyber bullying, we need to be lifting each other up in encouragement and support, not comparing ourselves to each other.

To me, at least, it sometimes feels like social media is a competition: who has the

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The Bell

April 2021

Photo by Charlene Nguyen

highest snap score, the most followers, the most likes and comments. This structure sets us up to compare ourselves to each other and attach our self-worth to the number of people who follow us or like our photos online. The truth is, I don’t think

Opinion

“likes” equals happiness.

According to a TruePic poll, 93% of the polled U.S. adults had posted edited photos on a website. By being exposed to so many edited photos portraying a more “perfect” or “ideal” person, we feel obligated to edit our own photos. Users’ self-esteem will plummet as they feel like they must submit to the crazy standards our society has established.

I have found it beneficial to limit my time on social media. The only account I have is Instagram, and although I use it from time to time to check in on my friends and family, I have tried to distance myself from the app recently, deciding to focus more on myself and my own well-being.

And honestly, I have found myself to be much happier. I was at first nervous that I would feel like I would be missing out, but I actually feel the opposite. I am free from the anxiety of social media and comparing myself to the photos I see.

Maybe one day I will actually be able to “delete” the toxic social media in my life.

Opinion

Boxed In

I used to feel like I was stuck in a box formed by others’.

Editorial by Online Manager and InDepth Editor Paige Hodges I used to have a jewelry box with a prima ballerina inside that would pop up and spin, on-pointe whenever someone would open the box. Growing up, I felt like I was her; always in a box, confined to others’ standards, waiting for someone to open up my box. I would change my vocabulary to match others’ lingo, wear whatever to “fit in,” tame my curls to “look the part” and disguise myself to ensure those around me were comfortable. I was just there to do a perfect spin anytime someone asked. I figured if those around me were always happy, they would have no time to recognize that I was trying to maintain a persona. I would never know if they could accept me or if I could even accept myself.

As I became older and moved through the middle school, I realized I couldn’t continue the act. I was too tired and it was becoming too difficult to constantly entertain, so I stashed the jewelry box away—literally. I began journaling, filling pages of notebooks with my thoughts.

g n i r p S a i v i Tr Who is the Roman goddess of spring?

always wanted to be.

Before I journaled, I believed I would never be able to speak up about how I felt without a comedic tone to suppress any controversy. I believed I was undeserving of the good in my life, unintelligent, needed to be what others wanted and overall just not enough. But I quickly began to prove myself wrong by addressing those negative narratives head-on. Reminding myself of the strengths I have through affirmations and surrounding myself with people living a life of positivity, helped reaffirm my worth. I joined my high school’s newspaper staff to use my writing as a platform for my voice and others. I also joined my school’s diversity council and currently serve on its leadership team to ensure everyone’s voice is heard. And I became a member of my school’s student council to be a part of important conversations. Now I understand I don’t have to diminish my voice to uplift others’ and I don’t have to please anyone but myself.

lllJournaling helped me make sense of the emotions, aspirations and thoughts that once seemed so unclear. It is what allowed me to embrace other avenues as outlets or opportunities to become the person I

2 4 5

What is the first day of spring called?

Who wrote the spring-inspired poem ‘Daffodils’?

April showers bring May _________.

6

3 Where in the world are cherry blossoms considered as a sign of the beginning of spring?

What is the name of the Indian festival of colors, which marks the beginning of spring?

Key: 1) Flora 2) Spring Equinox 3) Japan 4) William Wordsworth 5) Showers 6) Holi

1

Photo courtesy of Paige Hodges

Opinion

lhsnews.net

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A&E

changing

Trends changing

tops, bottoms, dresses and boots you’ll want to wear all spring.

Clothing trends at LHS change as the season turns into spring 20

The Bell

April 2021

A&E

Sarah Blankenship

Reported by

Derek Katzer

Design by

A&E Missouri weather allows for many trendy clothing options: long sleeve tops, layered outfits, mom jeans and boots for the cold winter weather. As the weather warms up, attire changes back to shorts, cropped tees, skirts, tank-tops and dresses. No matter the weather, vintage clothing such as old band shirts or older jeans caused a take over with thrift stores as a hotspot for teenagers to shop. With Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok sparking inspiration among the younger generation, there is an endless amount of outfits to choose. Take a look at what trends have taken over LHS.

Tops

Everyone has a different style and junior Mallory Chapman has taken note on how layering tops with long sleeves and t-shirts gives off a trendy street look.

“Layering is a huge trend for the winter months,” Chapman said. “Wearing a sweater with a collared shirt under it has grown in popularity or putting a fun turtleneck under a t-shirt to add a little something new and exciting to the outfit.”

Sophomore Grace Goodwin noticed that the student body’s style has changed more this year and puts a new spin on vintage– when clothes are older than 20 years.

“I think big [trends] are layers of different shirts,” Goodwin said. “Long sleeves under short sleeve graphic tees.

Also cropped sweaters with leggings.”

Jackets

Students wear jackets for more than simply staying warm, using them as stylish apparel.

“Big jackets have also become somewhat of a trend around the school,” Chapman said “Whether that jacket is leather, corduroy, or patchy it all adds more depth to an outfit that tends to draw people to the clothing that someone is wearing.”

Goodwin has a similar taste as Chapman, but with a cropped look. You can find these tops cheap at Target, SHEIN or you can find shirts at thrift stores and crop them yourself.

“For winter, I see leggings and sweats with a cuter tank top and maybe a cropped cardigan or jacket over top of it,” Goodwin said.”

Bottoms

This next trend is one everyone is participating in: jeans. With a variety of styles ranging from mom jeans, which are baggy, to ripped skinny jeans, jeans have come into the spotlight.

“I try to stay in with current trends while also staying true to my own personal style,” Goodwin said. “I love my mom jeans. They are by far my favorite pants to wear.”

Chapman has a similar take on the trends for straight leg jeans dominating around school.

“At school, I am starting to see less and less skinny jeans and more straight leg or mom cut jeans, which I love,” Chapman said. “I think they can make an outfit way more interesting than a skinny jean can without even putting in much effort.”

Jeans may be the most popular option for bottoms, but tights or leggings haven’t left the party yet. And matched with a nice boot can bring the outfit to a new level.

“The tights or nice jeans like skinny jeans with UGG Boots are what I see girls wearing in the winter,” sophomore Laci Jones said.

Shoes

Speaking of vintage, shoe brands like Doc Martens and Converse are making a comeback. They were last in style in the 90s.

“I adore my Doc Martens and pairing them with dresses or skirts along with jeans,” Chapman said.

Jones tends to take a more alternative look when it comes to her outfits.

Alternative was first described as an emo fashion, but now can be seen with a modern take as more of a street style.

“My favorite trend right now is more of that grunge look,” Jones said. “I usually wear jeans, a t-shirt and my Converse.”

Photo by Claire Hamilton

“I think big [trends] are layers of different shirts,” Goodwin said. “Long sleeves under short sleeve graphic tees.

Also cropped sweaters with leggings.”

Jewelry

This is the part of the outfit that shows a more personal side to the person. There’s chunky jewelry, simplistic jewelry and many options for layering. There are thick chain necklaces or simple chain necklaces with small charms.

“I love simplistic jewelry to compliment my outfits and to not to take them over,” Goodwin said.

In winter weather, it’s easiest to show off wearing multiple rings whether they’re stones or have modest designs. Being able to show off layered necklaces with a long sleeved shirt or turtleneck shows a modern way to display your style for everyone to see.

“I wear a ton of jewelry like rings and bracelets,” Chapman said. “There is also a trend of layering jewelry or just wearing a bunch of it. Between earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings there are a million different ways that you could incorporate jewelry into an outfit to make it more fun.”

Photo by Brynna Namanny

“Big jackets have also become somewhat of a trend around the school,” Chapman said. “Whether that jakcet is leather, corduroy, or patchy it all ads more depth to an outfit that tends to draw people to the clothing that someone is wearing.”

Photo by Bianca Jackson

“The tights or nice jeans like skinny jeans with UGG Boots are what I see girls wearing in the winter,” Jones said.

A&E

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21

A&E Tops

Dresses

With the weather warming up, options for layering will be limited. Instead, t-shirts and tank-tops will be the preferred top for the spring season.

“I feel like we will still be seeing the mom jean style with cropped tees and tanks for the spring,” Goodwin said.

It looks like cropped tops will be the hit for spring. With fingers crossed, it’ll be warm. You also find these cropped tops at Target, Forever 21, and SHEIN at a cheap price ranging from $5 to $25.

“I would say crop tops and leggings because they aren’t as heavy as a sweatshirt, and are going to be the spring trend,” freshman Annalise Vogelaar said.

Dresses are the item of clothing that can be dressed up or down to make it fancier or a lounge look and can be worn with sandals, sneakers or boots.

“Spring dresses would be what I would call ‘cottagecore’,” Jones said. “Which is more like the strawberry dress that was trending a lot.”

Chapman has a different vision for spring dresses with pairing a simple design dress with her favorite shoes.

“I really think pairing boots like a Doc Martens with a dress or a skirt has been growing in popularity,” Chapman said. “I adore my Doc Martens and pairing them with dresses.”

Bottoms

Shoes

Students will see the apparel trend move away from jeans and leggings. Now everyone has moved toward one trend that will be seen everywhere: skirts, short shirts, jean skirts, floral skirts or long skirts.

There are a variety of skirts that are trending right now that you see “For spring this year, I think there are a ton of new and fun things that can occur in clothing,” Chapman said. “Longer, flowy skirts paired with a chunker boot are coming into the spotlight.”

Shorts are also seeing a change within the trend culture. Short jean shorts were what used to be ‘in’, but now it’s being taken over by something different.

“Short shorts are also starting to fade out of popularity with a longer and looser fitting short to take its place,” Chapman said. “I also think that as we get into the warmer months new trends in clothing will pop up and catch on throughout the school.”

Photo by Bianca Jackson

“Spring dresses would be what I would call ‘cottagecore’,” Jones said.

Wearing Air Force Ones is the trend for every girl that wants a more basic look.

The benefit to wearing these shoes is that it goes with anything you wear.

“Sneakers such as Air Force Ones are still a huge trend around school and especially pairing those tennis shoes with a dress or skirt has become very popular around here,” Chapman said.

If you’re wanting to jump on these trends, start off creating an inspiration board with outfits you like. From there, find local stores in Liberty like Savers, Goodwill or Plato’s Closet for a cheap thrifted look and for a more expensive, but still trendy look, some options are Maurices, JCPenney or Kohl’s.

Photo by JP Ngugi

“I would say crop tops and leggings because they aren’t as heavy as a sweatshirt, and are going to be the spring trend,” Vogelaar said.

Photo by Brynna Namanny

“Longer, flowy skirts paired with a chunker boot are coming into the spotlight,” Chapman said. “Short shorts are also starting to fade out of popularity with a longer and looser fitting short to take its place.”

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April 2021

A&E

“Sneakers such as Air Force Ones are still a huge trend around school and especially pairing those tennis shoes with a dress or skirt has become very popular around here,” Chapman said.

“I adore my Doc Martens and pairing them with dresses,” Chapman said.”

W O R D U N S C R A M B L E

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sgnrip Key: 1) April 2) Daffodil 3) Easter eggs 4) Bunny 5) Showers 6) Umbrella 7) Spring

S P R I N G

Games

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23

Sports

13’6”

Homoly’s Highest Jump

12’6” LHS Women’s Pole Vault Record

Back on Track

Track and Field gears up for 2021 after losing their previous season.

Reported by Lucia Umbreit

Design by Caty Franklin

The Track and Field team is ready to hit the ground running after losing their last season to COVID-19. For the 230 student athletes involved, this season represents a chance to finally compete. It’s also a season of firsts, especially for sophomore Rachel Homoly, one of the highest ranked pole vaulters in the country, who is preparing for her first LHS season.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students went on spring break starting March 13, 2020 and never came back to school. By the time restrictions were put in place and spring sports canceled, there had already been three weeks of track and field practice.

Rachel Homoly Sophomore Rachel Homoly has broken the LHS women’s pole vault record of 12’ 6” unofficially and she looks forward to competing in the upcoming track season.

Photo by Nicholas Dillon

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April 2021

Sports

Photo by Santana Hiatt

Head Coach Dan Davies has coached track for 27 years and has never experienced anything like it.

“It was traumatic on the kids and it was traumatic on the coaching staff,” Davies said. “You’re just praying that we get through things this year and do things right and I think we have a good plan in place and will be able to do things the right way.”

The track season officially started on March 1, 2021, with 230 kids participating from LHS. This year, track won’t be exposed to as many other teams, to reduce the risk of COVID-19. The freshmen and JV students will have a chance to compete on Tuesdays and varsity will have meets on Fridays.

This way, there are only two meets a week whereas in past years there were three or

Photo by Charlene Nguyen

four, meaning reduced contact with each other to reduce outbreaks.

“Everybody just wants a chance to be able to compete. You can’t ask for anything more,” Davies said. “Just being there and celebrating their victories, every little bit that they gain, it’s going to be golden. I can’t wait to see that.”

For sophomores like Rachel Homoly, this season will be her first official season for LHS. Homoly has pole vaulted for four years outside of school at the club Just Vault, and is now ranked 9th in the nation.

“I love the adrenaline and the thrill that pole vault gives me and the risks involved,” Homoly said. “It’s not exactly a normal thing that very many people do.”

Homoly previously jumped 13’6” which tied the national sophomore record for high school girls and is the highest height any girl has cleared in Missouri. She jumped it on February 5, 2021, at the Just Vault Invitational in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.

This season, she’s focused on getting higher bars while also soaking in the team experience. It’s her first time vaulting in order to earn points for a team, something she looks forward to.

“I’m just really excited to wear the Liberty uniform and be part of the team,” Homoly said. “I feel like it’s so easy to get caught up in results and numbers and bars,

so I’ve really tried to change my mindset and be a lot more positive, especially with COVID-19.”

This doesn’t mean that Homoly doesn’t have big goals for her first season. Her goal is to vault 14 feet this season, only eight inches shy of the all-time girls pole vault record of 14’8” set by Chloe Cunliffe.

“To be a sophomore jumping 14 feet would be amazing,” Homoly said. “If I continue training and working hard I think it’s totally possible.”

Homoly has already broken the LHS girls pole vault record of 12’6” unofficially, however, to officially break the record she needs to jump that height at a meet.

“She has a bunch of State records that she’s going to get but she hasn’t had a chance to get because she hasn’t had a meet yet,” Davies said. “It’s going to be fun to see her compete.”

Overall, everyone involved with track is excited for the opportunities this season brings, including junior Reagan Manis, who runs the 400 and 800 meter. He says that losing the 2020 season meant losing an entire year of athletic development, something he says has been hard on all student athletes.

Sports

There are three different categories of track events: running, jumping and throwing.

“I’m just excited to even have a track season since last year we didn’t get one,” Manis said. “Track is my favorite thing that I do here at LHS, and with COVID-19 it’s nice to have something that’s just kind of a constant.”

Students will not be able to attend meets at the start of the season, however there’s a possibility that restrictions will be lowered as the season progresses.

If one thing is for sure in the year of COVID-19, it’s that this season has everyone back on track.

Photo by Charlene Nguyen

Freshman Paiton Hodges, sophomore Rachel Homoly, junior Jonathan Vu and other track team members practice for the upcoming track season on March 5, 2021 at the LHS track. Many members of the team are especially excited for this season because of the abrubt way the 2020 season ended due to COVID-19. “I’m just excited to even have a track season since last year we didn’t get one,” junior Reagan Manis said. “Track is my favorite thing that I do here at LHS, and with COVID-19 it’s nice to have something that’s just kind of a constant.”

Sports

lhsnews.net

25

Escape the April Showers

26

The Bell

April 2021

Games

Engineering Teacher

Gary Pierson

Reported by Lejla Aganovic

“

Design by Regan Johnston

Photo by Collin Parker

Sophomore Thomas Jayroe

I love Mr. Pierson. He’s great: very enthusiastic about teaching and helping us learn. We do a lot of big projects in the class, and it’s really cool because he will 3D print them so we can use what we’ve created.

”

“

Sophomore Ishveen Kaur

I think Mr. Pierson’s class is really fun and he’s always very helpful. We do a lot of projects, and he always gives very good advice and help for our future.

”

“

Senior Rebecca Floray

Mr. Pierson is a very kind and amazing teacher. He knows so much about what he teaches, and he really cares about his students. He’ll help you with anything you need. He’s always there to help you and answer questions about your projects.

”

27

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