The Harbinger Issue 3

the harbinger.

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD, PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 OCTOBER 1, 2018 VOLUME LXI ISSUE 3

Rather than safely coping with problems, some teenagers have turned to self-medicating through drugs and alcohol for an escape from mental and physical issues Read about it on pages 16-17

02 I N S I DE COVER

ONLINE

cover photo by luke hoffman cover design by grace padon

FOCUSING IN

What’s coming up this week on smeharbinger.net

ABOVE | Senior Davis Vaughn and juniors Will Green, Aidan Connelly and Ben Blickhan perform at the Musical Revue. photo by luke hoffman

R E D E S I G N E D. R EVAM P ED. REMODELED.

The new smeharbinger.net is live now on desktop

UPPER RIGHT | Sophomores Deirdre Poague and Laura Kidwell hold up signs for the Coalition bake sale. photo by megan stopperan RIGHT | Senior Lake Roberts turns on the torch before working in jewelry class. photo by julia percy

VIDEOS YAYA’ S A L PA C A FA R M by lauren west

Yaya’s alpaca farm is proving to be a popular tourist destination READ ABOUT IT: PAGE 24

T H E H A R R Y P OT T E R C L U B by maddox mogenson

Harry Potter Club, led by Aislinn Kinsella, is a place where Potterheads can bond over their love for the book and movie series

N A M E O F T H E GA M E : GA M I N G C LU B by sydney williams Gaming Club is a gathering of students with hopes to compete in a friendly way together through the playing of board games, video games and everything in between

GA L L E R I E S MORP by lucy morantz S M S O U T H F O OT B A L L G A M E by luke hoffman S M S O U T H S O C C E R GA M E by grace goldman

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S TA F F L I S T P R I N T E D I TO R S E m i l y Fey L i z z i e Ka h l e O N L I N E E D I TO R S Anna belle Cook W i l l Tu l p D E S I G N E D I TO R S L i l a Tu l p Grace Padon A S S T. P R I N T E D I TO R S Caroline Chisholm Carolyn Popper A S S T. O N L I N E E D I TO R S Jackie Cameron Ben Henschel H E A D C O P Y E D I TO R S E l i za b et h B a l l ew A l ex Fre e m a n P H OTO E D I TO R S Grace Goldman L u ke H o f f m a n Lucy Morantz MOBILE MEDIA E D I TO R S Lucy Hoffman B r o o k y l n Te r r i l l V I D E O E D I TO R D a lto n Re c k A S S T. P H OTO E D I TO R S Re i l l y M o re l a n d A i s l i n n M e n ke Ty B r o w n i n g P H OTO M E N TO R S Ally Griffth Ka t h e r i n e M c G i n n e s s A & E E D I TO R S Print Meg Thoma O n l i n e R i l e y At k i n s o n O P I N I O N E D I TO R Lucy Patterson S P R E A D E D I TO R G r a c i e Ko s t

E D I TO R I A L B OA R D Caroline Chisholm L i z z i e Ka h l e E m i l y Fey Carolyn Popper L i l a Tu l p E l i za b et h B a l l ew Anna belle Cook W i l l Tu l p Jackie Cameron Ben Henschel M a ya St ra t m a n Lucy Hoffman G r a c i e Ko s t A l ex Fre e m a n Lucy Patterson Av a J o h n s o n Grace Padon B r o o k l y n Te r r i l l N E W S E D I TO R S Print Natasha Thomas Online Julie Fromm Catherine Erickson S P O RT S E D I TO R S P r i n t L u c y Ke n d a l l Ly d i a U n d e r w o o d O n l i n e A l l i s o n Wi l cox E D I TO R I A L E D I TO R L i l a h Pow l a s F E AT U R E S E D I TO R S P r i n t Av a J o h n s o n Online Brynn Winkler Lucia Barraza WEBMASTER Julie Fromm M U LT I M E D I A S TA F F Rya n Gos s i c k M e g a n Fu n key L a u r e n We s t Eve l yn Ro es n e r Ra c h e l C u r r i e M a d d ox M o g e n s o n

PAG E D E S I G N E R S Brynn Winkler A l l i s o n Wi l cox L i b by H i s e R o s e Ka n a l e y L i l y B i l l i n g s l ey Ke l l y M u r p h y Chase Conderman S TA F F A R T I S T S L i l a h Pow l a s R i ve r H e n n i c k S TA F F W R I T E R S Miranda Hack M e g a n F u n ke y Liddy Sta llard R i l e y At k i n s o n L a u r e n We s t Scout Rice C O P Y E D I TO R S Anna belle Cook W i l l Tu l p Caroline Chisholm Lucy Patterson A l ex Fre e m a n E m i l y Fey L i z z i e Ka h l e L i l a Tu l p Meg Thoma G r a c i e Ko s t M a ya St ra t m a n E l i za b et h B a l l ew Jackie Cameron Ben Henschel Natasha Thomas Carolyn Popper A D S M A N AG E R Catherine Erickson SUBSCRIPTION M A N AG E R G r a c i e Ko s t

M O B I L E M E D I A S TA F F Lucia Barraza Maggie Schutt L u c y Ke n d a l l L a u r e n We s t Re i l l y M o re l a n d S M E P H OTO S E D I TO R Ka t h e r i n e M c G i n n e s s P H OTO G R A P H E R S H a d l ey H ya t t Ka t e N i x o n Julia Percy Sara h Golder Ta y l o r Ke a l Eve l yn Ro es n e r Megan Biles Megan Stopperan Au st i n H o u s l ey Tr e v o r P a u l u s Ca t h e r i n e E s rey A S S T. V I D E O E D I TO R Maggie Schutt VIDEO TRAINING E D I TO R La wd e r D es a nt i s A S S T. V I D E O T R A I N I N G E D I TO R Syd n ey Wi l l i a m s P O D C A S T E D I TO R Syd n ey Wi l l i a m s L I V E B R OA D C A S T E D I TO R S Ben Henschel Ly d i a U n d e r w o o d M e g a n Fu n key A S S T. B R OA D C A S T E D I TO R S Brynn Winkler Scout Rice Lucia Barraza

EDITORIAL

design by lilah powlas

TO O LITTLE

TO O L AT E The FDA should regulate the nicotine content in JUULs, not just market them as harmful to teens

editorial policy The Harbinger is a student-run publication.

Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion. The contents and views of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quoted material may be confirmed with sources.

The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter.

The Harbinger will not edit content though letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 521 or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com

03

for: 14 against: 4

T

he Federal Drug and Alcohol Administration (FDA) announced new efforts to curb e-cigarette use among teens on Sept. 12.

They plan on focusing on how the products are marketed, and who their true targets are. However, the effort is too little and too late.

The FDA ordered for JUUL and four other e-cigarette companies to submit plans within 60 days that will help discourage teens from using their products illegally. They are now required to ensure people are informed of the damage e-cigarettes can do and that the products aren’t being marketed toward young people. Rather than use an ad campaign as a scapegoat, the FDA needs to focus their efforts on regulating the amount of nicotine found in e-cigarettes.

Though originally marketed as an alternative for cigarettes, e-cigarettes have since proved addictive enough to gain popularity among teenagers. The wide variety of flavored “pods” and cheap access has made them the ideal choice.

E-cigarette use among teens has already reached epidemic levels according to the FDA. An entire generation of teenagers is addicted to nicotine and the “Don’t get Hacked by Vaping” posters and ads featuring degenerating, yellow teeth aren’t going to change that.

The FDA statement regarding their new plan devotes paragraphs to talking about how they are going to prevent teens from getting ahold of e-cigarettes and how they will “reverse these disturbing trends” through marketing tools and there’s only mention vague references to actual regulation of product ingredients in a single paragraph at the end.

The FDA is cracking down now because helping adults quit smoking “cannot come at the expense of hooking a whole generation of kids on to nicotine and eventually tobacco products.”

One problem though — we’re already hooked, and no ad campaign can solve that.

In order to actually make a difference, the FDA must take more concrete steps in regulating e-cigarette products. Under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, the FDA is able to regulate the content of nicotine in e-cigarettes. They can prevent widespread nicotine addiction from ever becoming a problem for future generations by regulating products — not by trying to scare teens away from them.

President of the American Cancer Society, Chris Hansen, said in a regards to the FDA announcement that “the FDA knows who the industry culprits are in this epidemic and as such should exercise its full regulatory authority over these products rather than allow the industry to voluntarily self-correct.”

In 2018, the FDA proposed lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes, and the same thing should be done with e-cigarettes. A single JUUL pod has the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes and a startup kit only costs $35 according to the company website. JUULs are easy to hide and easy to access — perfect for any high schooler wanting to get their fix.

In D.A.R.E, we weren’t warned about the dangers of JUULs. The “The Real Cost” ads that interrupted your playlist on Spotify didn’t scare people away from participating in illegal activities. These tactics didn’t work then and they aren’t going to work now.

If you attend SM East or any high school now, it’s not uncommon to see fellow students getting their nicotine fix in the bathroom or at Friday night football games with a JUUL. The modern issues we deal with on a daily basis can’t be addressed with methods used in the past. Scary slogans can only do so much to intimidate people.

They need to address the actual issue —

teens are already addicted to nicotine.

It’s time to play catch up, FDA, because you’re a few years late in preventing addiction among teens. Now you have to control it.

The government passed laws allowing the FDA to regulate tobacco products in 2009 for a reason. They should utilize that same power to make an impact on the JUUL market. Adjusting the marketing tactics used by companies won’t help the teens that are already addicted. The Boston Globe called it “the most widespread phenomenon you have never heard of” and the FDA needs to treat it as such — not just a teenage fad that will that can be fixed with few Instagram ads.

Their goal is to make them less appealing to children, but they should be focusing their resources on how to make them less harmful. JUULs have become synonymous with a party trick and aren’t taken seriously by teenagers.

However, JUULs and other e-cigarettes have been linked to cancer and conditions like popcorn lung, an irreversible condition that causes damage to your small airways, making it hard to breathe.

The American Lung Association called them “wolves in sheeps’ clothing”. They aren’t perceived as a threat to us like cigarettes are, but the damage they do is just as impactful. Yet, more than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students used an e-cigarette over a 30day period, according to a 2016 study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

JUULs are everywhere and have the ability to do significant damage to teenagers. This issue needs to be addressed aggressively and quickly.

The FDA needs to focus their efforts on regulating e-cigarettes and stopping this epidemic, not thinking of clever slogans to scare us.

04 NEWS

design by natasha thomas

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS by lucy kendall

PAGE DESIGNER

EAST Pop-up boutique to open October 4th A NEW LANCER BOUTIQUE pop-up shop will be open on Oct. 4 for the entire East community in preparation for homecoming, and all items are available for students to take home for free.

The boutique will be open right after school from 2:45 to 3:45 in the choir room, providing dresses, slacks, heels and dress shoes, and accessories such as ties and jewelry. Each of the items will be inspected before the opening of the shop to make sure they are clean and in good condition.

Students were encouraged to bring any new or gently worn formal wear to the choir room Sept. 25-28 to donate to the new Lancer Boutique pop-up shop.

Behind the idea is senior Reagan Smith, who is creating the pop-up shop with the help

of her mom and older sister to provide outfits for those in need for school dances.

“The purpose of the shop is to help people who don’t have clothes for school dances, whether it’s because they can’t find exactly what they’re looking for, they can’t afford to go all out, or they just need something last minute,” Smith said.

Smith hopes to open the pop-up shop before each of the formal dances, giving everyone a chance to find their perfect outfit.

“Dances are supposed to be fun and exciting but shopping for them can be really stressful and I think people feel out of the loop and like they can’t go to the dance because they don’t have anything to wear,” Smith said. “So hopefully this pop-up shop can prevent some of that.”

NATIONAL

Hurricane Florence among costliest hurricanes

HURRICANE FLORENCE, a long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that emerged off the west coast of Africa on Aug. 30, caused extensive destruction to North and South Carolina throughout the month of September, and has been ranked among the top 10 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history by CBS News.

While North and South Carolina are preparing for extreme flooding and potentially more forced evacuations, the states continue to take in the cost of this hurricane, already resulting in around $44 billion in damage.

The storm’s progression has proved Florence to be unpredictable.

Downgrading to a tropical storm on Sept. 7 and regaining hurricane status on Sept. 9, schools in North Carolina were forced to evacuate in preparation of excessive rain and flooding.

One of the many schools that encouraged students to evacuate was Elon University, where former East student and current college sophomore Ellie Cook attends.

“Elon told us we technically didn’t have to evacuate but I came home since we had Thursday, Friday and Monday cancelled,” Cook said. “We were told if the power went out, the people on campus would have to sleep in the student center.”

According to CBS News, authorities in Georgetown County, South Carolina said they have put as many as 8,000 people on alert for possible evacuations starting today in case of a “record event” of up to 10 feet worth of floodwaters this week.

“Our school has a Chaplain Fund which donates to students in need like this one,” Cook said. “It’s set up to help during situations like natural disasters, sudden illness or injury and food insecurity, and it’s an amazing fund.”

LOCAL New KU sexual assault training implemented FRATERNITIES AT THE University of Kansas are collaborating with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center, or SAPEC, to meet a new campus requirement to train members about witnessing and preventing sexual assault.

During the first weekend of classes, the fraternities went to “Jayhawks Give a Flock,” a training course where students were taught about the expected behaviors of potential perpetrators and victims, given suggestions for how to stop those events in their tracks and how to communicate someone post-incident and help them out in whatever way they may need it.

Since this training was introduced for the first time this year, former East student Reser Hall, a freshman and candidate at Sigma Nu,

has participated in the activities first-hand.

“The process all made sense and it was helpful to hear from professionals about what they would do in a situation,” Hall said. “Now it will be easier to provide support in the moment if something were to happen.”

According to the University Daily Kansan, Sony Heath, the prevention educator for SAPEC, stated that they will plan on continuing this training for the next three to five years, so that by the time each of the members graduate, they will have a better understanding of the prevalence of sexual assault today.

ABOVE |Two Newport, N.C. residents walk through waist deep water to take a look at their flooded home on Sept. 16, 2018. photo courtesy of MCT Campus

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Important events coming up in the SM East community

OCT

10

Early Release 1:10 p.m.

OCT

10

Senior Service Day

OCT

12

Homecoming Football Game 7 p.m.

IN 280 CHARACTERS

Tweets from the SM East community and around the world

OCT

13

Homecoming 8 p.m.

Georgetown, South Carolina, residents urged to evacuate ahead of historic flooding face waiting and uncertainty nearly two weeks after Hurricane Florence’s arrival

@CNN 9/26/18

NEWS

design by lauren west photos by ty browning

REQUEST DENIED

Administration denies the instatement of new clubs lacking purpose by will tulp

F

ONLINE EDITOR

ollowing the denial of several potential clubs by administration, students have felt that clubs have been under more scrutiny and are more difficult to start this year.

Hawaiian Shirt Club, founded by senior Will Thomas, was denied official approval last month, followed by the denial of Outdoor Club and Dance Party Club.

Principal Scott Sherman and athletic director Debbie Katzfey are in charge of reviewing club submission forms and signing off on them each year. They believe they are not actively trying to deny clubs, however.

“I firmly believe [everyone] needs to be involved in something in the school,” Sherman said. “I think there’s actually probably a club for everybody. So, there’s opportunities to do it, but we want to make sure that it has kind of a real purpose.”

Senior and would-be co-founder of Dance Party Club Sophie Lawrence argues that clubs should not require a very strong purpose as long as they bring people together and are logistically sound.

“I don’t think a club needs that strong of an importance, I think the highlight of a club is [to] incorporate people,” Lawrence said. “We already confirmed that we could use the dance team room, our sponsors were happy to do it [and] it wasn’t a very high, required club — it was once a month.

So, I don’t see why it couldn’t happen.”

Katzfey and Sherman are only aware of one true denial where a club was lacking purpose and not having substance for club

meetings — Hawaiian Shirt Club. They do not remember denying Dance Party Club, but do acknowledge that it was denied.

In case of a denial, Katzfey encourages students and sponsors to come in and speak with her and Sherman directly about their club for the highest chance of reapproval.

While Outdoor Club was initially denied under the impression that it was too similar to the already-established Environmental Club, sponsor Nate Southwick met with Katzfey to explain the difference in clubs and “refocus” their purpose.

I think there’s actually probably a club for everybody. So, there’s opportunities to do it, but we want to make sure that it has kind of a real purpose.

dr. sherman principal

“If clubs get denied, the avenue that I would say to take would be to do what Mr. Southwick did — which I commend him on — to come and say, ‘Why?’” Katzefy said.

According to senior and Outdoor Club co-founder Lucy Crum, the club is now reapplying and adding service hour opportunities to be approved, but she feels that they should not have needed to reapply in the first place.

“The more the merrier in my idea,” Crum said. “I feel like we were pretty clear in how we were different from other clubs and our main goal in starting this new one.”

Katzfey believes the main reason for denials are vague explanations for the club’s purpose — probably the reason for Dance Party Club’s denial and the same reason for the initial denial of the Outdoor Club, according to her. The form for filing a new club only has four lines to explain the club’s purpose, so she recommends students also come in to discuss their club with her and Sherman before it is reviewed.

“When [students] submit the forms and that’s all we get, we have to go on what they write,” Katzfey said. “If they don’t really give us an explanation as to what the point of that is or how it’s going to work… then we need more information. So, come in and share.”

According to Katzfey, the amount of new clubs this year has increased despite the denials. The total number of offered clubs currently stands at about 38, and Katzfey sees this as a reflection of the student body’s desire to “get involved.”

Additionally, she stated that there is no cap or limit to the amount of clubs able to be started.

“If there’s a legitimate rationale for why you want to start a new club and it’s not something that could be done within another club or an activity that could be brought into another club to enhance it… you know we’re going to approve it,” Katzfey said.

REJECTED CLUBS Clubs rejected by Admininistration

Hawaiian Shirt Club

Dancing Club

Outdoor Club

5

06 NEWS

design by lydia underwood

ZERO REASONS WHY Johnson County schools team up to fight teen suicide

by gracie kost

A

COPY EDITOR

ll six Johnson County school districts launched Zero Reasons Why, a suicide awareness campaign on Sept. 9.

Created collaboratively by the districts — Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley, De Soto, Gardner Edgerton, Olathe and Spring Hill — and Overflow Story Lab, the campaign serves to prevent teen suicide, and spark productive conversations between high schoolers to affirm that there are zero reasons why suicide is the right option.

Zero·Reasons·Why noun The campaign organizes, facilitates and supports students, parents, educators, and health providers, in implementing action plans, events, and outreach efforts.

The Zero Reasons Why campaign launched during National Suicide Awareness Week, which spanned Sept. 9-15, and will continue to be supported by the six districts throughout the 2018-2019 school year.

After several weeks of conversation, the districts came up with a plan to reverse the increasing rate of teen suicide in Johnson County through a mobilemedia campaign launch including testimonies, poems and informational videos. These will feature real-life stories of people from around the Johnson County area.

According to Johnson County Mental Health statistics, the rate of teen suicides in the county nearly doubled in the first six months of 2018. Overflow Story Lab came to the six superintendents offering to design the campaign.

Overflow is a Kansas City based company that finds creative approaches to distribute messages through technology. They put teams together to work with organizations looking to get a point across social media with interactive-based design concepts.

The name was chosen after a few weeks of conversation and is a play off of Netflix’s Original series “13 Reasons Why.” The campaign is designed to inform students, teachers and parents about suicide awareness.

“We want the campaign to be a teaching mechanism

ABOVE | Signs put up in the bathrooms share encouraging messages with the students. photo by lucy morantz ABOVE | Signs put up in the bathrooms by East social workers share encouraging messages with the students. photo by sarah golder

for everyone, whether it’s self-taught or used in classes,” Director of Public Affairs for Zero Reasons Why Steff Hedenkamp said. “We are reaching out to teachers, students, parents, health experts and faith leaders to lead the campaign and spread the word.”

No events have been planned for the campaign, but conversation has spread throughout the school districts. A brainstorm was held for the Zero Reasons Why committee and they came up with several ideas to ignite the campaign, including student-led rallies, pep assemblies and even cross-district meet-ups. The goal is to get people talking about suicide. Sometime in October, there will be a town hall meeting to give community members the opportunity to join the conversation on suicide and mental health.

Senior Jana Banerjea recently founded the Minding Your Mind club at East, which promotes mental health awareness and development. The club is meant to be a place where anyone and everyone is welcome to meet and discuss their feelings and concerns about mental health, whether it’s a personal question or simply further understanding.

Last week we made stickers about mental health awareness to hand out and ended up giving out over 800 stickers. We just have to give people the outlet to talk about these things and then they do. jana banerjea senior After hearing about the #ZeroReasonsWhy movement, she and other club members look forward to planning more events and eventually hope to work alongside the movement.

“Last week we made stickers about mental health awareness to hand out and ended up giving out over 800 stickers,” Banerjea said. “We just have to give people the outlet to talk about these things and then they do.”

Minding Your Mind plans to keep in touch with the leaders of Zero Reasons Why to come up with ways to promote awareness within East through events.

LANCER VOICE

Students give their opinion on how the #ZeroReasonsWhy campaign will impact teen suicide.

I think it will bring a lot of awareness to mental health. Just being able to start a conversation is the best way to bring awareness and take away the stigma around it. lilly taylor senior

I think its super important to start a diaglogue. If we don’t talk about it at all, nothing will change.

It’s important that the administration is trying to help create a defense. gabi talavera senior

I think it will make people stop and think about what kind of message we’re giving out to people who are considering suicide. jana banerjea senior

design by chase conderman

NEWS

SEAING NEW SEALIFE by lizzie kahle

T

CO-PRINT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

he After reviewing The Kansas City Zoo’s proposal for a $75 million aquarium project, the City Council’s Finance and Governance Committee approved a substitute financial resolution on Sept. 12.

According to the Kansas City Zoo’s website, the zoo has secured $22 million of private donations and a projected $40 million through 2022 in ticket sales for the aquarium’s budget.

In order for the council to pass the new financial resolution for the aquarium, the City Manager and the zoo’s Leadership Committee must come up with funding for the remaining $13 million of the budget.

This new financial plan must include all funding options – both private and public – and must be submitted in a Report to Council by Nov. 12.

According to Zoo Director Randy Wisthoff, the new aquarium is projected to add $14 million to the Kansas City economy per year. It will create approximately 100 jobs in order to support the new facility and its associated operations, as well as increase annual tourism.

Based on the aquarium’s potential economic benefit, City Council member Alissia Canady proposed to the council that the city should contribute the $7 million towards the aquarium.

“Contributing to the aquarium would be a great opportunity and investment for the city,” Canady said.

However, the $7 million for the aquarium would come from the general obligation bond package – a budget approved by Kansas City voters in April of 2017. GO Bonds are municipal bonds which provide a way for state and local governments to raise money for projects that may not generate a revenue stream directly. This budget originally called for spending $50 million over the next 20 years for city construction needs, which is the type of infrastructure GO Bonds are usually used for. However, funds have been used elsewhere.

The city has already pledged roughly $40 million of the alloted 50 for GO bond-funded building projects through 2023, including an animal shelter, the Kansas City Museum, renovations to City Hall and other projects.

In an article published by the Kansas City Star editorial board on Sept. 6, the board expressed the concern that if the council agrees to take another $7 million for the aquarium, the public buildings bond fund would be left with only $3 million after the aquarium’s completion date in 2022 – leaving the city essentially broke.

The board believes that using the $7 million for the aquarium would be a wrong use of taxpayers’ bond

The closest aquarium of similar size to the one proposed is 160 miles away.

*Information courtesy of kansascityzoo.org

The Kansas City Zoo proposed a $75 million aquarium project to City Council this month

out of a city budget.”

Yet Wisthoff is confident that the zoo will acquire the funding it needs for the revised financial plan to be approved by City Council. In addition to the aquarium bringing in economic benefit, it will also offer educational benefits. Aquarium-themed curriculum will also be incorporated into ZooEd, the zoo’s STEM-based, standards-aligned curriculum – which is free and reaches more than 23,000 students in the Kansas City area annually.

Both Wisthoff and Councilwoman Canady are confident that, if the zoo is able to provide an accurate revised financial plan on Nov. 12, the plans will be approved by City Council. Ultimately, the goal of the

We wa nt to b ri ng the experi ence of the ocea n to Kan sasa City residents wh o may n ever get the o p po r tu nity to see it fi rst-ha nd .

Randy Wisthoff Zoo Director funds, as they didn’t agree to this particular project when they were voting in 2017. Spending this money would increase skepticism among voters, making it harder to pass tax increases in the future.

Senior Addie Von Drehle, who frequently visited the Kansas City Zoo as a requirement for her environmental education class junior year, believes the new aquarium would draw a lot of attraction at first, but is the wrong use of taxpayer money.

“Anyone can say ‘this will bring in tourism and help the economy,’ but who really knows that? It’s a shot in the dark, really,” Von Drehle said. “We do know that things like homeless shelters and animal relief shelters help. I don’t think an aquarium should be taking money

P R O P O S E D AQ UA R I U M FAC TS * The closest ocean to KC is 13 hours away.

7

It willhold 750,000 gallons of saltwater and would open spring of 2022.

In 2017, more than 53,000 students visited the Zoo on free field trips.

new aquarium is to boost the economy, tourism and education.

“We want to bring the experience of the ocean to Kansas City residents who may never get the opportunity to see it first-hand,” Wisthoff said. “Building ocean awareness and engaging in ocean wildlife conservation would be a big part of the aquarium experience.”

BELOW | A map of the Kansas City Zoo. They have not yet decided on a location for the proposed aquarium, but it will be in the same vacinity as the current aquatic life.

08 O PI N I O N

design by lucy patterson

OPINION HIGHLIGHTS STAFF OPINION

AGREE TO DISAGREE

Below are polls that correspond to opinions written this issue We asked Instagram if they liked sparkling water, the results are below

YES

35%

NO

65%

*Taken from a poll of 708 people

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SARCASM?

We asked Instagram if they like watching vlogs, the results are below

YES Personally, I am a very sarcastic person. I got that from my dad. People don’t realize that 99% of the time I’m joking, so my issue with sarcasm is that sometimes it can be misinterpreted, but I keep using it because it’s my humor.

katherine mcginness senior

70%

NO

30%

*Taken from a poll of 716 people

We asked Twitter if they think self defense should be taught in school, the results are below

YES NO

74% 26%

*Taken from a poll of 726 people

TAKE OUR POLLS I think sarcasm can be funny in certain situations. I like to use sarcasm but I don’t like it when other people use it on me, because sometimes the meaning changes and is not intended.

trevor paulus sophomore

Follow us on our social media to participate in our polls

@smeharbie

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OPINION

design by elizabeth ballew

Scout Rice 1.1 M views

8:47

THE TEA ON VLOGS

“Vloggers” can seem like attention cravers at first, but they turn out to be normal people sharing their story through video

ABOVE| Senior Scout Rice mimics the clickbait style screen cap commonly found on YouTube. photo by megan biles

by scout rice

U

STAFF WRITER

ntil two weeks ago, my YouTube watch history consisted of Crash Courses, dance team videos and the occasional clothing DIY videos. Then I watched my first – yes, first – vlog.

I had no desire to waste time watching random people speak into a camera about makeup or shopping or spilling the “tea” from their lives.

But last week, I gave into society’s vlogging craze and spent my free time watching Emma Chamberlain, Olivia Jade and James Charles – all teenage vloggers, each with over 1.5 million subscribers.

I wanted to get to the bottom of the seemingly undeserved fan base for these random teenagers on YouTube and figure out for myself why people dedicated their time to watching their videos.

I had tried so hard to not succumb to the vlogging trend, but after watching multiple videos, I discovered that I had the wrong idea about the culture. I just assumed they were all conceited, overrated teenagers – boy, was I wrong.

During my first Emma Chamberlain vlog, I was not impressed. How does James Charles and the Dolan Twins turning her into an “LA girl” by buying a Gucci belt appeal to anyone? Not to mention the unrelatable fact that she is 17 and living in an LA apartment by herself and not going to school, and I had no idea why her life was like this.

But, for the sake of journalism and some clarification, I dedicated another

hour and a half watching five more of Chamberlain’s vlogs and much to my surprise, I discovered she cared about more than the number of subscribers she has or Gucci items she owns – she is a human, with emotions and problems.

While I was listening to Chamberlain’s story in her “why i left school,” I

I just assumed they were all conceited, overrated teenagers – boy, was I wrong.

scout rice senior

couldn’t imagine the amount of courage it took for her to publicly talk about her severe depression via YouTube.

Even though I throw around the idea of dropping out, I have no desire to actually follow through. Yet Emma’s conversation with a camera about her personal life made me feel like I was her best friend she was ranting to.

And that is when I found out makes vloggers famous – their relatability.

Watching James Charles’ vlogs, I realized why he chose to display his life to his 8.4 million followers.

He genuinely loves makeup and hair, and he is sharing that part of himself with the world – as cliche as that sounds – which is inspiring for people watching. Bonus for me, I finally figured out where the “sister”

references come from!

After this experience, I realized what I was missing out on for the past year and now I’m a sister subscriber to James Charles’ channel and will grab my own iced coffee for the next Emma Chamberlain Q&A. Even though many vloggers are relatable, there are a few significant exceptions to this rule. Namely beauty and lifestyle vlogger Olivia Jade.

I’d rather watch an hour long chemistry tutorial than another Olivia Jade video. I cannot relate to her rambling about a trip to Fiji she went on and I’m pretty sure I lost brain cells from listening to her. She went on and on about the trip event schedule, her makeup routine and screamed “hey” to the other vloggers that walk by while she is filming.

Also, her “sorry mom and dad” vlog where she confessed to sneaking out when she was 16 was her scouring for content and wasting my time telling a story that could be simplified and making it a five minute ordeal. Sorry Olivia, can’t relate to secretly leaving my house for an entire weekend to drive five hours to see my boyfriend.

While I don’t necessarily agree with all of the choices vloggers make, I will admit to binge-watching and YouTube searching for more.

Since I’ve become a vlog connoisseur, I decided I was looking at the vlogging culture in all the wrong ways. I was naive to not try and understand how relaxing it is to sit back and watch a human, not an actor on a TV show, simply speak.

SCOUT TUBE Vloggers Scout will continue to binge watch and those not worth the time

SUBSCRIPTIONS EMMA CHAMBERLAIN

JAMES CHARLES

WATCH NEVER OLIVIA JADE

LIKED VIDEOS EMMA CHAMBARLAIN Well this is embarrassing Cleaning up my appearance!! *shocking results The truth about coachcella (everyone else is lying to you)

JAMES CHARLES Best friends buy each other outfits ft.

Dolan twins and Emma Chamberlain

Full face using my mom’s makeup Singing my makeup routine

9

10 OPINION

currently by lucy hoffman

A

photo by julia percy design by lucy patterson

Self defense should be taught in high school gym classes to keep students safe

DEFENSELESS CO-MOBILE MEDIA EDITOR

s I was running down Mission Road at the start of my workout, I could barely conceal my smile — I was in my zone. My then-freshman self was overjoyed to finally be a part of the cross country team I had admired since elementary school. But then a blaring honk paired with a man in a truck staring at me snapped me out of my trance.

For most people, the scariest part of running is having their lungs burn from effort. For me, it’s getting abducted.

As a female, I get whistled or yelled at on almost every run I go on. I’ve even had cars flash on their turn signals to follow me as soon as they see me turn a corner, and we need universal self defense training in order to combat these potential dangers.

It’s a good start that the freshman girls are getting taught self defense during Senior Service day, but it needs to be available and mandatory for the whole student body, including boys.

TIPS FOR RUNNING SAFE Take a crowded path with lots of people Appear confident and keep your head up Bring backup (such as pepper spray) Try to run with a group of friends Tune into your surroudings *tips courtsey of dailyburn.com

Whistles aren’t harmless, either. In 2016, Vanessa Marcotte left for a run and never came back. In July, Mollie Tibbets was kidnapped and murdered while out on a jog by herself. Last month, Wendy Karina Martinez was stabbed and killed while on a quick run. Incidents like these stress the need for preparedness.

If I have to complete two gym classes before I can put on my cap and gown, I should at least be learning crucial — and potentially lifesaving — information during them. Instead of the second round of ultimate frisbee, why don’t we instead watch a video on the most critical points to land a punch? I get that I could do this on my own, but the school be more concerned about the safety of the student body instead of who can do the best forehand throw.

Not everyone would be able to take an individual class like I could. They are pricey, and some students wouldn’t have time after school, so having them during the day would alleviate these barriers.

To those who tell me to “run in a group”: I run in a group, but that doesn’t change the fact that when running, no one in the group carries their phone because of the lack of pockets. We couldn’t threaten to call 911 and we certainly couldn’t call fast enough to save us. I don’t have anything other than my tired body to protect myself, and I wouldn’t have much energy to run away quickly.

When I’m by myself, I always tell my family

when I leave and what my route is, but by the time my “safety group” could know something was wrong, I would likely be long gone. 74 percent of kidnapping victims are dead within three hours of the abduction, according to the FBI. Lack of safety on runs isn’t just an issue for women, but it does affect us at a higher rate. In a poll conducted by Runner’s World, 41 percent of women are more likely to choose a route where they feel like they won’t get harassed or leered at, compared to just 9 percent of men.

When running alone, I chose routes that stay close to my house, and loop around the same busy streets multiple times. It may be boring to run by CVS three times in one jog, but it’s worth the security of knowing I’m only a half mile from being able to call the police.

Instead of the second round of ultimate frisbee, why don’t we instead watch a video on the most critical points to land a punch?

lucy hoffman senior That “dance” unit in Foundations of P.E. where most people just end up clapping their hands to One Direction could easily be replaced with a karate demo because it’s a shame that “Miss Congeniality” taught me more about self defense than P.E. has.

If schools aren’t teaching self defense because of the cost, I’m sure parents would rather have their child prepared for a lifeor-death incident more than they would want another sports jersey. According to Thumbtack.com, each self defense class is about $30. $30 times seven coaches is $210: about the profits of an average bake sale. And I’ll gladly make all the cookies.

Even if most of the student body won’t be put in situations like the ones above, the classes would give many a safe outlet to relieve stress. Self defense and martial arts classes can actually decrease violence among adolescents and boost self esteem, according to a study from the Journal of Sports and Medicine Science.

I’d love to go on runs where the only thing I was worried about was how many miles were left, but that’s not realistic. Measures need to be taken to ensure that every excited freshman could feel safer than I did on their first run.

OPINION

design by caroline chisholm

by reilly moreland

I

STAFF WRITER

look down at my watch. It’s 5 a.m. on my first day traveling abroad for summer camp in Cape Tribulation, Australia, and after calculating some mental math, I have concluded that it’s 2 p.m. back in Kansas City.

That means my older brother is nannying, my little brother is playing a round of golf, my mom is needlepointing at her stitchers group, my dad just finished his lunch break and my dog is sitting home alone on the kitchen floor. The anxiety of being away from home for the first time sends me for a curveball. I’ve never been away from my family, and the realization finally hits: I won’t be able to speak to my family for the next three weeks.

The panic became so unbearable that I pounded on my trip leader’s hostel room door. When George, my trip leader, opened the door in a haze, I could barely speak.

The next hour was spent crying to George, going through stressrelieving exercises and walking around the group hostel. He taught me how to deal with the anxiety that comes with homesickness-focusing on my breath and squeezing my fingers to help bring my heart rate down.

I was given an incredible opportunity of traveling abroad to Australia over the summer. But I had never been away from my family for more than 48 hours.

Meaning no phone, no encouraging texts from my mom, and no more late night facetime calls with my friends for three weeks.

Instead of attending morning swim practice, getting a Vitality Bowl, and practically wasting the day away, I needed to get out of my comfort zone and try something completely new. When my family friend told me about how much I would love this trip and organization, I never even considered that my usually confident self would be homesick, let alone locking myself in a random bathroom for 30 minutes every time I felt the sting of missing my family. Even though I loved everything that we were doing, like ziplining, kayaking, and scuba

diving, it was a constant countdown to arriving home with my family.

The next three weeks were probably the most challenging weeks I have ever experienced. I tried to be an outgoing, positive person on the trip. But I missed the comfort of my own bed, wrapped up in a blanket, knowing my family was just downstairs was always pressing my mind.

With the constant bear hugs and late night evening circles from my campmates and counselor George, I was able to learn how to cope with my anxiety attacks during my time in Australia. When I was crying at my counselor’s hostel door at 5 in the morning, my other campmates seemed to take notice of the underlying problem and became more sympathetic to my feelings.

Without George going through breathing exercises and morning walks with me, and my camp friend, Sophie giving me constant reminders that I was going to be okay, I wouldn’t have been able to be myself on the trip.

I wouldn’t have laughed so hard if it weren’t for my friend Elizabeth from Mobile, Alabama, who would take off her scuba mask off in the middle of the ocean to laugh at something I did. Little moments like these made it easier for me to be comfortable with living in the moment. Without the constant check-ins and motivational speeches from my friend Charlie from Hamilton, Massachusetts, I wouldn’t have been able to open up to my group about my constant homesickness. And without the constant love and support from my whole group, my trip would’ve been a lot harder for me to open up about my anxiety.

Throughout my 21 days travelling abroad, I learned that although I missed my family like crazy, I was already building one in Australia with my Aussie pals. To the once in a lifetime people that I met who helped me get through some of the hardest weeks of my life: Let’s plan our reunion ASAP, okay? Okay.

REILLY AND THE ‘ROOS

11

Experiencing a new country and taking chances builds confidence with being independent

R E I L LY ’S FAVO R I T E S P OT S Northern Greenhouse Hostile

Great Barrier Reef

Sydney Opera House

TOP | Moreland posing on a ledge with the Sydney Opera House behind her. photo courtesy of reilly moreland MIDDLE LEFT | Moreland and a friend on a boat during an Austrailian sunset. photo courtesy of reilly moreland MIDDLE RIGHT| Moreland kayaking in the ocean during her trip. photo courtesy of reilly moreland BOTTOM| Moreland and her group from the three week trip. photo courtesy of reilly moreland

12

OPINION

photo illustration by grace goldman design by annabelle cook

HONEY, OF COURSE MY INTENTION WAS TO OFFEND YOU. Sarcasm is not as easily translated in written or virtual forms

by meg thoma

S

COPY EDITOR

crolling through my groupchat full of girl friends, I analyze each message and wrack my brain thinking of a way to piss everyone off — my specialty.

Text after text roll in, throwing out suggestions for our upcoming homecoming afterparty theme: Nascar! Casino! Ooh how about hoedown? This is my chance to display my inability to withhold a sarcastic comment.

“Construction site,” I throw out, assuming my friends will understand that this is just another one of my annoying fake suggestions.

But the likes roll in on the message signifying approval, and per usual, my sarcasm is not taken as sarcasm should be. But I go with it, and after a couple GroupMe polls consulting the boys, the idea was set. And I’ll now be dressed in a residential road-inspired bodycon dress on the night of senior homecoming.

Through my years of constant sarcastic banter, I have found myself defending my humor — or more precisely my dignity — over and over again. The world of sarcasm can be complicated when it comes to effectively getting points across and making sure that jokes don’t seem like utter ignorance.

And that is where the problem lies: sarcasm can be complicated, especially in text or written form.

And it’s not just my afterparty remarks that are taken with a grain of confusion.

On a much larger scale, this problem has been popping up with big name companies — the clothing brand REVOLVE. My question for them: what exactly did they think would happen when they plastered “being fat is not beautiful, it’s an excuse” on an exclusive new sweatshirt?

Would people take this statement lightly in a world that is currently trying to break down bulimia’s walls and put a ban on body-editing apps? Probably not.

In a statement two days later, REVOLVE posted on their Instagram opening with “We messed up big. We are SO SORRY for hurting and offending you.” Seriously, a fantastic attempt REVOLVE, but that’s not going to fix much. An apology, insta-style, wasn’t going to make up for the fact that you just exploited an entire movement.

They then explained that this sweatshirt was pure sarcasm and that it was meant to relay the message that “even the world’s most beautiful and successful women have been subject to hateful messages from internet bullying.” And I for one, self-deemed sarcasm queen, surely did not pick up what they were putting down.

See the problem?

Yes, they did apologize and ultimately meant no harm, but they left a scar on their brand and an uncertainty surrounding their ethics as a whole. Browsing through the comment section of the apology post, the

most popular ones consisted of phrases such as “unexplained campaign” and “there has never been any diversity in your models or clothes.”

Sarcasm’s mentality is this: I say one thing, but really I mean the exact opposite and I expect you to understand it. If you don’t, you might just end up hating me

S a rca sm’s m enta l ity is th is: I sa y o ne thi ng, bu t rea l ly I m ea n the exa ct o p posite an d I expect you to u nd erstan d it. If you d o n’t, you m i g ht just en d u p ha ti ng m e a s a person .

meg thoma senior

as a person.

Of course in modern day, we have chosen emojis that our generation has designated as “the emojis that you use when you are obviously being sarcastic over text,” but these don’t have a unanimous meaning for everyone. Though the sideways-cryinglaughing face might mean “totally joking about that” to me, my dad might take it as I literally think I am so funny.

If this is true, then how is one supposed to differentiate between what is sarcasm

and what is not? Well good question self, according to WikiHow, here are some answers: body language, tone of voice and facial expressions, just to name a few. And that’s where REVOLVE big time missed the point.

Notice that these “tips” for deciphering sarcasm only target verbal sarcasm, and nowhere in that list encompasses anything on how to decode written or online sarcasm.

So if I can’t even get my point across in a groupchat with all my best friends, then how is my mom supposed to know that I don’t actually want meatloaf for dinner and my “yes!!!” text actually means no.

Sarcasm, as lame as it may sound, is like a sport to me, but you have to learn the rules before you can really play with it. So for now, I’ll stick to displaying my uncalled for sense of humor in verbal forms of attack and rethink my next sarcastic text message. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not really wanting 4,000 plus hate comments left on my apology post.

Though the best kind of humor in my book may always be sarcasm, the work of art is much better utilized by stand up comedians than Twitter’s humor accounts.

Not only does a mistranslated sarcastic joke become misunderstood, but un-funny. And that, would just be tragic.

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14 FEATURES

design by ava johnson

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

T E AC H E R F E AT U R E How do you feel about Oct. 10 being a test day for Juniors?

I think it is valuable because [students] get an opportunity to take the practice exam and actually see what it’s like.

S T U D E N T S S AY :

What are you looking forward to most about homecoming?

stephen laird teacher I am looking forward to hanging out with my friends and going out to a good dinner at Mission Hills Country Club. Oh, and the after party is always fun.

A RT I S T O F T H E W E E K

julian milton sophomore

LIZA SANBORN, SENIOR

Senior Liza Sanborn expresses her passion for art through four art classes she is currently taking

Q: WHAT IS YOUR ST YLE O F ART? A: I like to draw and I like photography, but I don’t have a certain “style.” I just kind of do what I like.

I am looking forward to adding a homecoming pep assembly this year because it will bring a light to the candidates, get everyone excited and hopefully boost ticket sa les.

hallie higgason senior

Q: DO YO U PREFER DRAWIN G O R PAIN T IN G? A: Drawing because you can manipulate the lines easier, but with painting you have to let it dry.

Q: HOW D O YO U LIKE AP ST UDIO ART 2D? A: AP is fun. You have a concentration and you make 10 pieces a year that are focused on the concentration. You can pick a technique, subject or idea. Over the summer, we had summer work and we had to come up with 5 ideas for [our concentration.]

UP IN THE CLUB

Q: HOW D O YO U SHARE YOUR ART? A: I am kind of one of those artists who isn’t super confident in their work, but I still enjoy doing it. So I don’t really share it with other people. [My art] is more personal.

L I Z A’S A RT

ABOVE | Juniors Katie Baxtly, Ben Hazlett and Addie Ferren laugh together during a dumpling party in Chinese Club. photo by sarah golder UPPER LEFT | Senior Stuart Hanson, co-president of feminist club, ask questions to HOR candidate Sharice Davids on behalf of the club. photo by luke hoffman BOTTOM LEFT | Senior Quin Napier flicks a thunderbird on an anhyzer on hole two. photo by ty browning

FAR LEFT | Photo taken on a film camera. photo by grace goldman LEFT | A collage made out of old magazines. photo by grace goldman

FEATURES

design by ava johnson photos courtesy aggie williams

CONFIDENCE THROUGH HER CHORDS by julie fromm

J

PAGE DESIGNER

unior Aggie Williams stood on stage with her new-found friends in front of hundreds of people, confidently belting her final song at the showcase at A Cappella Academy in Los Angeles, an exclusive singing intensive for teenagers. Once the song was over, Williams burst into happy tears, hugging her friends and basking in the joy of the past 10 days at the academy.

Williams participated in three singing intensives this summer to enrich her musicianship. Williams was one of 75 students accepted into the A Cappella Academy out of thousands of students that auditioned.

Through these camps, Williams not only gained new technique in her singing, but also found a new confidence in herself and in her singing.

“Before the camps I was not confident in my talent. I didn’t think people would want to listen to me sing,” Williams said.

“But after the camps, I realized that I am good enough, and these camps taught me so much about myself and who I really am.”

At the Academy, the students sang in small groups, while at the other two camps they were purely focusing on solos for each student and a Masterclass at the Broadway Artists Alliance. Throughout the week, Williams would work with her teachers to perfect her technique and work on the songs that she chose to sing at the showcase.

Williams also gained new friends at the Academy who helped her open up.

One of her closest friends, Carly Wood, a senior at the camp, quickly got to know and love Williams, and saw her grow as a person.

“Aggie had this really special energy that I felt the moment I met her,” Woods said. “She seemed really shy at first, but she totally became the leader [of our group] in a lot of ways. Throughout the whole thing she had this great energy, but she definitely grew into the full expression of who she is.”

Williams younger sister, freshman Lillian Williams, has been watching

15

Junior grows as a person through the singing summer intensives she attended

Williams sing since they were little, and saw her confidence shine through after attending these camps, in life and in singing. Lillian constantly texted Williams while she was at the camps, encouraging her to keep working on her technique and opening up to people.

“Aggie is a very shy person, very timid and always nervous, but after she went to these camps, her confidence really grew, and I saw that in her showcases that she did,” Lillian said. “She had a solo in one of her performances in front of thousands of people, and I didn’t think she’d be able to do it, but she pulled through.”

Her audition process for the Academy included sending in videos of her singing two songs of choice, and two songs that the academy required– “Georgia On My Mind” by Hoagy Carmichael and “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder. She also had to include a get-to-know-me video, and why she wanted to go to the camp.

“I recorded the videos at least 10 times, I just had to get it right,” Williams said. “I took the videos from different angles, I changed outfits, I did it all.”

The other two intensives that Williams participated in were Songbook Academy in Indiana and Broadway Artists Alliance in New York. Williams spent seven days at the Songbook Academy and six days at the Broadway Artists Alliance. At these camps, Williams spent time working on her technique and how to portray a song to an audience.

Back home, Williams had a solo in the Musical Review at East. She sang “Memory” from “Cats.” Because of the knowledge that she gained at the camps, she has a better understanding of how to act with the lyrics of a song, making her more confident while singing.

“I could not have done that song last year. Now that I have the training that I do now, I don’t just go on stage and sing a song,” said Williams. “It’s not just about singing a song on stage, it’s about what meaning you can give to the audience, and what meaning you can take away from it.”

AGGIE’S SUMMER DESTINATIONS 03.

01.

01. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 02. CARMEL, INDIANA 03. NEW YORK, NEW YORK

02.

TOP | Williams (far left) and her “group” spend a day on the beach. “It was the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Williams said.

LEFT | Williams and her friend Carly in Los Angeles, CA on their last day of camp.

On the last night, the campers pulled an all nighter. They took this photo when the sun came up.

RIGHT | WIlliams and a friend before they went on stage for the final showcase performance.

16

NEWS-FEATURE

#MEDI

Some teens turn first to drugs and alcohol to deal with lif

CO-DESIGN EDITOR by lila tulp *names changed to protect identity hen eighth grader Jane Thompson* tried to fix the pain from being bullied and her anxiety all by herself. Self-medicating with Amitriptyline, her prescribed migraine medicine, was the “simple” solution. But it only helped for an instant.

The pain never left her. It was everywhere, then it was nowhere.

The night before her heart stopped beating, Thompson was dressed in her My Chemical Romance themed costume at a Halloween party. To her friends, she seemed exactly like she always did. Normal.

But the next day, after a fight with her girlfriend, something in her mind “clicked.” Her depressive thoughts — caused by a chemical imbalance in her brain — came racing back. She sent her friends a vague “I’m sorry” text before downing 30 tablets of 50-milligram Amitriptyline — 29 more than her prescribed amount.

Defibrillators shocked her heart back to life after it stopped twice in the back of the ambulance as they drove to KU Medical Center. She was lying in a coma for 24 hours while the

T

ventilator breathed for her. When she woke up with doctors and family all around her, she returned to the world she tried desperately to get away from.

Three years later. A depression diagnosis.

A prescription for antidepressants. A therapist. A near death experience. She sees herself getting better.

But she’s still using opioids, nicotine and alcohol to numb her pain. *** The recent death of rapper Mac Miller on Sept. 7 and the July overdose of singer Demi Lovato has Twitter users calling drug and alcohol abuse corresponding to mental health the “invisible disease.”

Substance abuse through self medication — the act of using unprescribed drugs in an attempt to relieve pain or issues — affects 24.6 million Americans over the age of 12 per year who admit to using substances for self-help related reasons, making up nearly 9.4 percent of the population, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

In a poll taken by 232 East students, 48.3 percent replied that they had used drugs and alcohol before, and of that percentage, 23.7 percent have used substances to avoid or temporarily alleviate pain and other negative issues.

Self medication among teens ages 16 to 20 for mental and physical health

issues has spiked 8.3 percent since 2002, according to a 2017 annual report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Teenagers who suffer from undiagnosed depression or anxiety often reach for alcohol and drugs, as opposed to the alternative of practicing healthy coping mechanisms through professional help due to the belief that it’s a way to “escape,” according to family practitioner Dr. Laura Gaffney. Self-medicating issues span anywhere from taking opioids for situational-depression after being dumped, to smoking a joint for the occasional headache, to taking a Xanax to calm undiagnosed mental illnesses.

According to Clinical Addiction Counselor Dr. Amber Reed, rather than realizing their issues and addressing them in a healthy manner through a doctor’s visit or with coping mechanisms, teens turn to self medication — a solution which, may work at first, but eventually complicates the issues further, leading to long-term effects. When one sobers up or comes down from a high, their boredom returns, their depression continues to linger and their relationships are still in need of repair.

Continuing to use substances even though its causing health and relationship issues, using more of substance than you used to in order to get the same high

and not being able to quit after trying are all considered the warning signs of self medicating and when it’s time to seek help, according to Reed.

“Substance-using teenagers sometimes turn into substance-using adults who don’t know how to deal with their boss saying ‘no,’ their girlfriend feeling overwhelmed or the loss of their first dog,” Reed said.

“Instead of using the skills they could have gained during their teenage years, they use substances to numb it all out.”

According to family practitioner Laura Gaffney, the connection between alcohol and drugs corresponding to teenage health isn’t touched upon nearly enough. Once a using pattern begins, often innocently enough with occasional recreational use, the relationship between user and substance yields danger. The person is no longer downing the drink, now the drink is downing the person, and it takes the user becoming self aware to begin recovery. “[Self medicating] helped for a short period of time but only for a couple minutes, maybe a couple hours, then right back to feeling down,” Thompson said. “I still have my ups and downs and suicidal thoughts, but now I see a therapist every two weeks and we’re trying to figure out the right medication to regulate my use and those feelings.”

WHEN IS IT TIME TO SEEK HELP FOR SEL When more of the substance is required than used in past to feel effects

When even if

WHO DO I CON

DRUG ABUSE HOTL 1-877-978-2534

design by gracie kost

NEWS-FEATURE

ICATED

17

fe issues, leading to potentially dangerous consequences According to Reed, there are thousands of dangerous effects of using substances as a teenager. Some of the effects being the risk of overdose, impaired memory and becoming mentally, emotionally and physically addicted, resulting in the original issue to become worse like Thompson’s worsening depression.

Using drugs and alcohol as a teenager affects the developing brain, significantly altering the chemical makeup by flooding it with dopamine — a neurotransmitter, with chemicals responsible for sending signals in between the nerve cells of the brain, directly relating to addiction, a loss of motivation during everyday tasks at school and social activities and memory loss. Reed said.

Senior Steven Johnson* turned to self-medicating after his prescribed anxiety medicine, failed to fully relieve his anxiety. His use of recreational marijuana for his diagnosed anxiety significantly affected his memory. Simple things such as vocabulary terms and what he ate for breakfast slipped his mind as a result of his use. His “remedy” not only sometimes worsened his anxiety due to the effects of the unprescribed drugs, but intensified the sense of dependency as well.

“The issue comes from the dependency [we have from the drugs], it’s not just an

escapism, it’s like an elevation,” Johnson said. “You need to elevate yourself away from sobriety at all times because it just ‘makes things better,’ but eventually you get used to that and then you keep chasing something else and the problem never gets better.”

At first it started out as being something fun to do with friends in a basement, but then it became like a crutch, and now it’s not so much of a crutch as it is as a consciousness,

steven johnson* senior

Trying marijuana for the first time in eighth grade, Johnson started spending $60 a month on the drug, smoking with friends every couple of weeks. But after a hard break-up with his girlfriend, Johnson described his use of marijuana, LSD and Xanax as something his body relied on. He notes that he was high almost every day during the summer of

his junior year, smoking with friends, at work or alone to “put off dealing with problems” and to calm his diagnosed anxiety.

“At first it started out as being something fun to do with friends in a basement, but then it became like a crutch, and now it’s not so much of a crutch as it is as a consciousness,” Johnson said. “And usually what ends up being the worst highs is when you’re upset, I typically ended up feeling worse after, and more anxious. When I first started doing it it would instantly help out no matter what, but eventually you get used to it and you get caught in the crux.”

The components of marijuana, cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), typically distract people, causing the short-term memory abilities to be temporarily compromised, and often use of the drug increases the risk for an altered memory. Marijuana’s euphoric effect on the brain plays into distraction in its users, resulting in not only the distraction from personal issues, but temporary pain relief, according to Gaffney.

Sophomore George Sanders* uses unprescribed marijuana to aid his physical pain. Before going to bed, Sanders smokes to relieve a headache or the soreness in his legs from his practice earlier that

afternoon. Smoking puts an end to his leg pain, at least for a while, and helps him sleep.

“Three puffs of it and in like 10 minutes, I’m already feeling better,” Sanders said. “It’s not like I use it that often, and I definitely don’t consider myself addicted, but a little bit before bed relieves my pain and helps me sleep better.”

When alcohol or drugs are used as a “go-to” for tackling difficult moments — managing social or interpersonal anxiety and managing physical or emotional pain — an endless cycle is created, according to Gaffney. A cycle that, if not treated effectively, could lead to anything from strain on relationships, to depression, to memory loss, to near death.

“I think the first place to start [the recovery process] is by opening the conversation about using drugs and alcohol and having honest talks about why people self medicate,” Reed said.

“After people have the knowledge around substance abuse and the dangers of self-medication, it’s all about gaining coping skills and support.”

LF MEDICATION?

a continued use of substances f it’s causing health issues

NTACT FOR HELP?

LINE

When there is an attempt and failure to stop using certain drugs or other substances When the user recognizes substances as your only coping skill when you face issues in the life

NATIONAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE 1-800-662-4357

When the user is no longer finding joy in old pastimes information courtesy of dr. amber reed

ADDICTION AND ALCOHOL HOTLINE 1-877-978-2534

18 FEATURES by jackie cameron

T

design by lizzie kahle assistant online editor

hen four-year-old Morghan Golloher had the perfect recipe. One red food coloring bottle and two cups of cornstarch. The gory substance filled the entire plastic bag — to her it was

perfect.

After all, it was her own (fake) blood transfusion.

Before kindergarten had rolled around, Golloher was already attempting “blood transfusions” using homemade “blood”, fish tank tubing and a plastic bag.

The tubing acted as a filtration device for the blood while the Ziploc was a substitute for the usual blood bank bag. Golloher would do everything from taping toothpicks to a potential IV arm spot to mending her father’s scrapes with neosporin, all while wearing the white doctor jacket her mother, Michelle, had shortened to fit her toddler size.

After her mother saw the fake blood and plastic medical instruments, she was the first to ask the question: “How about medicine?”

Eleven years later, now sophomore Golloher is still following her lifelong dream of wearing that white jacket. With plans to become either a hematologistoncologist diagnosing blood cancers or a cardiothoracic surgeon inserting a heart valve, she wants to be ready.

Prepping now will ensure she can make it through 10 plus years of medical school where some students drop out, according to Golloher.

“If I educate myself with what the medical field entails and what the schooling entails then I will understand how to best go about it,” Golloher said.

As part of her preparation, Golloher is working to build up her volunteer portfolio. Weekends are spent baking rice krispie treats for the Coalition bake sale or leading an alumni tour at East. Through logging these

I tell her she’s capable of whatever her heart desires.

I encourage her to try new things and to make sure that she puts her best foot forward

michelle golloher mother

hours, Golloher hopes to gain exposure to all kinds of people. There will be patients in the future wanting to know everything about their upcoming surgery like where the incision will be or how long the recovery period is, and some who couldn’t care less. Luckily, she can rely upon the people skills she’s picked up from racial issue based discussion groups and Coalition fundraisers.

She’s been able to witness the importance of connecting with patients first hand by shadowing a local chiropractor and the first surgical assistant of the trauma unit at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. She’s seen how the physician is able to transform complex medical jargon into a context patients will understand — whether it’s listing off the effects of brain surgery or pointing out the organ just operated on. It’s a technique Golloher hopes to use when she’s talking to patients of her own. “[The personal interaction] is different than it is

THE FUTURE DR. GOLLOHER

Sophomore begins preparing for 10 years of medical school in order to achieve her dream of being a doctor

ABOVE | Sophomore Morgan Golloher puts supplies away in the chemistry room during fourth hour. photo by Megan Stopperan

with nurses where they’re constantly with the patient but [there’s] that small interaction with [the doctor] where they feel like they’ve found that ‘aha’ moment, like I get what’s going on,” Golloher said.

Over this past summer, Golloher attended the Ambassador Leaders Medical and Health Summit at Johns Hopkins, a medical camp that focuses on finding ways to balance a variety of patient personalities that one might encounter and speak in a manner that’s helpful to the patient. Lectures revolving around the morals of medicine placed an emphasis on how to relate with everyone. Golloher compares it to chess — you have to think several steps ahead and take in everyone’s viewpoints to better understand them.

“I think the most important values are ethics and morals.” Golloher said. “Even though your ethics and morals don’t necessarily align with the patient, you have to think, ‘What’s the best outcome? How am I going to help them to the best of my abilities without letting my own thoughts and beliefs get in the way?’”

Besides shadowing and the summer summit, Golloher has devoted three of her seven classes at East to medical skills – chemistry, biotechnology and EMC. EMC, or Exploring Medical Careers, teaches students how to become a professional in the medical world – from researching medical schools to how to prep for an interview according to Dr. Lee, the EMC teacher. While EMC fuels Golloher’s professional side, chemistry and biotechnology are enhancing her academic side.

And with plans to major in either neuroscience and

behaviors or biomedical engineering, these classes are necessary.

But without her parents giving her rides to Shawnee Mission Medical Center or paying for her airfare to Baltimore, Golloher wouldn’t be able to extend her medical abilities.

“I tell her she’s capable of whatever her heart desires. I encourage her to try new things and to make sure that she puts her best foot forward,” Michelle Golloher said.

While they’re providing rides, they’re also providing knowledge. Golloher’s father, Kerry, would sit with seventh grade Golloher at the kitchen table, working through a necessary component of medicine — math.

Kitchen table calculus lessons may come in handy when she needs to calculate the correct number of white blood cells in the future.

Golloher already has an idea of where she wants to go to school — all 10 plus years of it. There’s 3-4 years at Vanderbilt or Baylor, and an additional 4 years at either Harvard Medical School, the University of Maryland School of Medicine or Perelman School of Medicine followed by a residency. But all that time doesn’t scare Golloher since she considers school to be “a home away from home.”

By the time her schooling ends, hopefully her white jacket will be a perfect fit — no tailoring necessary.

FEATURES

design by jackie cameron

HERE | Freshman Evan Broaddus plays the drum during an early morning practice photo by evelyn roesner

HE’S GOT THE BEAT

Evan Broaddus’ passion for music paid off when he became the only freshman to make it on drumline

FAV S O N G S A look at Evan’s preferred drumline songs “WALK”

“TBOLT”

“MIRAGE”

by liddy stallard

“L

STAFF WRITER

eft. Right. Left. Right,” the drum majors called out trying to keep everyone on the right foot. Broaddus spent his first several practices adjusting to the weight of his new drum. With an aching back and sweaty face he walked each set of the show adjusting to the newness of marching band.

While Broaddus may be new to carrying a heavy pound drum on his shoulders, he is not new to memorizing sheet music or using a metronome to keep to the beat. Through years of drum lessons and participating in band at Indian Hills Middle School, Broaddus has earned himself the title of the only freshman on drumline.

As soon as Broaddus received the tryout packet for the East drumline, he immediately got to work on memorizing several of the warm ups the band use every morning along with a game cadence. With only three weeks before his tryout, he practiced every day by learning to play small parts of the music slowly until he could piece them all together and play the tempo up to speed.

Before the audition Broaddus and five other incoming 8th graders met with the current drumline to review before the audition. Broaddus was impressed with skill level of the drumline but also the sense of family that the group demonstrated. The session gave him an idea of what drumming techniques he had down and more importantly, things he needed to perfect before the audition. The sense of community he felt with the high schoolers made Broaddus realize that it was something he wanted to be a part of.

“They are all so close with each other,” Broaddus said. “It seemed to be a really great family.”

Broaddus’s love for music started at the age of four. He would spend hours with his mom listening to classics from Queen.

Listening to music quickly transitioned into playing, first with piano lessons at age four then percussion at age 11. He carried out his passion for music by joining the Corinth band when he was in fifth grade.

“Getting to play music after building a love for music just by listening to it has been really cool,” Broaddus said.

In seventh grade, Broaddus took on the challenge of learning to play the drums. No one else in the band played this instrument and he had the required piano background needed.

“I found that it is one of the the hardest instruments to master because of the sheer number of different band complex rhythms that can be put together” Broaddus said.

Before receiving his role on the Lancer

19

Band, Broaddus was used to practicing his music in a classroom with the occasional band concert. With the new role came more responsibility, he now is practicing on the football field every morning at 6:45 and performing the ten minute halftime show at football games every week.

“He’s always on the field before pretty much everyone else, he gets here super early,” senior drumline section leader Dakota Zugelder said. “He’s really committed.”

Outside of the daily practice at school Broaddus practices at home on his drum set.

He also meets with Leon A. Brady every Saturday for private lessons.

Broaddus’s effort hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Drumline section leaders, Zugelder and Madeline Dailey, observed his marching and musical abilities getting stronger. Proper marching techniques require Broaddus to stay on top of his toes and roll his feet heel toe with each step taken during the show, the goal being to keep your head from bouncing, which can be a challenge when you have

HIT PLAY: HE’S GOT THE BEAT Scan this QR code to watch Maggie Schutt’s video about Evan

a heavy bass drum hanging off your chest.

In addition, Broaddus’s music reading and tempo have improved because bass players must be counting at all times.

“He definitely fits in pretty well,” Zugelder said. “He’s getting used to things and getting used to the drumline shenanigans.”

Along with skill, Broaddus brings humor to the drumline. During sectionals, a designated time when each group of instruments meet together to review their specific parts, Zugelder often finds himself looking over to see Broaddus making funny faces at him, he can’t help but laugh.

“He shouts out random adlib stuff, like random things that shouldn’t be shouted out at that time, then everyone can’t help but laugh” Zugelder said.

The other drumline members tend to be tougher on Broaddus when he makes a mistake, but only to toughen him up and make sure he continues to grow as a musician.

“It’s worth it,” Broaddus said. “It’s like a really tight knit family.”

20 FEATURES

photos courtesy of alexandra drechsler design by emily fey

LEGACY ON TROOST

by catherine erickson

F

PAGE DESIGNER

ive days a week, Stanford gets on three different buses from Independence, Mo. to make his way to the KC Power and Light District where he sets up a cardboard sign and asks pedestrians for spare change. But before he can set up his sign, he stops by Thelma’s Kitchen, Kansas City’s first pay-what-you-can lunch cafe located at 31st and Troost. For Stanford, the restaurant is the only place he can receive a healthy meal — one that satisfies his dietary restrictions due to gout and one he can afford.

Father Justin Mathews, a minister in the Saint Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church, and his wife, Jodi Mathews, opened Thelma’s Kitchen with hopes of transforming Troost, as Mathews describes, from a “dividing line into a gathering place”.

The restaurant is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is located at 3101 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO., an area that is historically known as a racial buffer in Kansas City but has developed into an economic dividing line.

The suggested price for a large plate is $10 and $7 for a small. But If a customer cannot afford to pay that, the minimum cost is $2 or 30 minutes wiping down tables, clearing plates or serving food.

Before transitioning into the pay-whatyou-can system, the Mathews used to offer a free Friday night meal in the same building as Thelma’s, open to anyone.

“We missed an opportunity, doing everything for free, because we weren’t able to ask for help and have people share their own talents,” Mathews said. “On Thelma’s opening day I was explaining the new system to a customer and she said ‘You mean I can volunteer!’ and was so excited to help out to get lunch.”

Father Justin and Jodi Mathews began developing Thelma’s Kitchen in memory of Thelma Atschul, a mother figure throughout the community on Troost whom they met through her involvement in the Saint Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church.

Often having over 20 people living in her small apartment in the De LaSalle Apartment complex, Thelma offered the little money she had to support people living in poverty near Troost. She and her husband, Father Alexii Atschul, began their mission to provide food to the hungry by distributing bags of groceries to people along Troost.

After the Atschul couple’s program expanded, they opened Grace’s Kitchen, hoping to be able to serve more people. Their menu boasted “home cookin’” such as Thelma’s famous fried chicken and corn cakes.

After Thelma passed away in 2012, the

Kansas City couple has opened a cafe with the goal of turning Troost Ave. into a gathering place rather than a dividing line

Mathews family continued her legacy by naming the cafe after her and based it on their shared mission of merging east and west Troost into one community. “[Thelma’s Kitchen] helps further our mission to break down barriers — racial barriers, economic barriers — so that we’re getting people from all over to share resources, a meal, build a relationship, as a point of connection,” Mathews said.

Father Justin Mathews salvaged black walnut wood from a tree in his backyard and crafted it into two long community tables to allow customers to meet new people with varying backgrounds, or even just feel more comfortable around strangers.

“I’ve been down here before and seen people in suits sitting next to one of our regular volunteers who wears wrapped t-shirts on top of her head,” Mathews said. “Even if they’re not having a conversation, we’re bringing people from all different backgrounds together. It’s a starting point moving towards our mission.”

ABOVE | A view from outside of guests enjoying food and fellowship.

LEFT | Thelma’s Kitchen and Food Programs manager, Pam, making soup with the help of an intern.

99%

BOTTOM | The mural on the back wall of the cafe, symbolizing Matthew’s goal of making Thelma’s Kitchen a gathering place.

Of Thelm a ’s K itchen cu sto m ers l i ve below the pover ty l i ne

Aside from trying to unify east and west Troost, another mission of Thelma’s is helping people become more self-sufficient. Gabriel Rop, the Director of Programs and Operations at Thelma’s Kitchen, believes asking people who cannot pay for lunch to volunteer and earn their food advances this mission.

“Some tell you no one else would give them an opportunity to do something for themselves,” Rop said. “I’ve seen people feel empowered to stay sober because being here and meeting with people who are always positive gives them the hope and opportunity to stay sober.”

Although Thelma’s Kitchen has some employees, such as Mathews, Rop and chef Pamela Infranca, the cafe relies on a 90% volunteer staff.

Aside from those who volunteer in exchange for lunch, 16 different volunteers come in each day and work 90-minute shifts serving food or washing dishes.

The volunteers and kitchen provide more than just a meal for customers. For Stanford, Thelma’s Kitchen has been a way for him to meet and pray with others.

“I’ve had a lot of death in my family, a few weeks ago I lost my only brother I had left, and I am the only survivor out of nine brothers and five sisters,” Stanford said. “So I come here a lot and pray with this man I met at Thelma’s about my family and we are able to connect because he has also suffered through family deaths.”

THELMA’S REGULARS

Breaking down the diverse community of Thelma’s Kitchen

73%

african american white

22%

witness violence regularly victims of violence

59% 53%

kids living with a single parent *information courtesy of Reconciliation Services

82%

A&E

design by lila tulp

A&E HIGHLIGHTS

TRENDING TV T V S H OW : DY N A ST Y

W H E R E TO WATC H : NETFLIX OR THE CW

RUN TIME:

45-60 MINUTES

S U M M A RY :

T H E B L AC K K K L A N S M A N

Dynasty ,the 2018 spin-off of the 80’s show, is about the Carrington family who own the oil company Carrington-Atlantic. With their wealth comes many problems, gossip, and the breaking and making of relationships.

Review on Spike Lee’s movie telling the story of a black detective by carolyn popper

ASST. PRINT EDITOR

SPIKE LEE’S NEWEST film “Blackkklansman” shines a blaring, white-hot light on an incredulously disturbing side of American history. The film’s narrative centers around the true story of Ron Stallworth, a black detective in the 1970’s who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan. Lee combines horror, comedy and elements of documentary into this dramatization that earned itself the title of my new favorite movie for its blatant display of American cruelty.

The film begins with a slap-to-the-face hate monologue by suited white supremacist Dr. Beauregard, played by Alec Baldwin, warning the audience of the dangers of a mongrel nation. The shockingly racist manifesto set the tone of the dialogue I would hear throughout the movie. I had never heard so many slurs said out loud.

Uncomfortably, I kept glancing at my dad to see if I was in trouble, just for hearing the words.

Shock factor aside, the focus transitions to a groovy and afro-wearing Ron Stallworth, a black man interviewing for the position of a police officer.

The action begins when Ron calls the KKK contact information listed in the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. Over enunciating each syllable in an octave higher than his own, Ron exhales practically every slur for each race and religion — including his own. His coworkers slowly turn away from their coffee and cigarettes and instead focus on Ron. This is when I realized that Lee knows how to craft comedy out of a horrible story.

The whole audience cracked up as the detectives listened to their black coworker belt out how much he hates “black rats.”

It was ridiculous. A little disturbing, but ridiculous.

By the end of the phone call, a black man had become a member of the KKK. After Ron’s mistake of introducing his fake white supremacist persona as his own name, his partner Flip Zimmerman and Ron join together to permeate the KKK — Flip attends meetings and goes shooting with the clansmen (at targets resembling black

men running). Ron investigates over the phone by speaking with the local chapter president.

Through their assignment I met the characters that the hate monologue prepared me for. During a meeting, clansman’s wife serves the members biscuits in a floral apron, giddy when she says, “We’ve talked about killing n****** for so many years, and now it’s really happening!” It was so deceiving — her southern hospitality and warm smile seemed so comforting. But her charm was sparked by her excitement to murder.

Meanwhile, Ron connects with David Duke, the Grand Wizard of the KKK, still pertaining his white supremacist persona.

They throw back and forth prideful and boasting compliments, Ron buttering up Duke — “You are a true American hero.”

“Is there any other kind?”

“God bless white America.”

Though it wasn’t a thriller, I felt as if I was watching a horror movie — that same uneasy, stomach-in-my-throat feeling.

The only thought calming my stomach was knowing this period was over. No one seriously wants to bomb someone’s home just for being black. But this thought is exactly what Lee intends to debunk in his ending.

A scene of clansmen surrounding a burning cross faded out signifying the end of the movie. But I didn’t have much time to relax before realizing the movie wasn’t over yet. What looked like a hand held recording of modernly dressed protesters made me realize exactly what Lee was doing.

The protesters were not actors and the scene was not created. Instead, it was reallife footage of the Charlottesville rally in 2017. Another clip of protesters in a city street, holding neo-nazi flags. Another clip of an anti-racism protesters being killed during a violent rally. And finally, an upside down American flag fills the entire screen — a sign of distress. Lee conveys that this is not an old story of what America once was, but terrifyingly, still is.

21

photo courtesy of imdb

TO P O F T H E C H A RT S A RT I S T :

Q U OT E D :

LÉON

F O R YO U N O G O O D BY E S B O DY

“ WELCO M E BACK! SWED EN’S @ I TSL EO NL EO N R ET UR NS WI T H UP B EAT P O P ANT HEM , ‘ BA BY D O N’ T TAL K’ ” id ol a tor

A RT I S T :

Q U OT E D :

VA N C E J OY

T HANK YO U TO AL L O F YO U L I ST ENI NG AND TO M Y FANTAST I C T EAM .

P RO UD O F T HESE SO NGS XX M UCH LOVE . vance joy

NEW SONG: BABY D O N’T TALK

TO P S O N G S :

photos courtesy of spotify

ALBUM: N AT I O N O F T WO

TO P S O N G S : ALONE WITH YOU S AT U R DAY S U N WE’RE GOING HOME

B E S T B O O K S Books you can’t put down photos courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

AU T H O R :

CELESTE NG

PAG E C O U N T : 292

S U M M A RY :

When teenager Lydia Lee’s body is found in the lake, her family is left wondering whether they really knew her or if she was just good at keeping secrets.

4/5

B I L LY J O E L Review of Billy Joel’s concert by lucy morantz

STAFF WRITER

BILLY JOEL CAME TO KC Sept. 21 and performed the first concert hosted at Kauffman Stadium in 39 years.

I was only 100 yards away from the stage when he came on without an opening act — because who could ever deserve to open for the rock-n-roll legend.

I was surprised by how exhausted his voice sounded in comparison to his recordings from the ‘70s and ‘80s, but he still packed his show full of favorite hits like “Vienna” and “Only the Good Die Young.” Joel also performed some lesser-known “album tracks” like “Allentown,” and he even played a full cover of Otis Redding’s

“Respect” in tribute to Aretha Franklin.

His comical personality shined when taking short breaks after every few songs to joke about his old age, saying “I know what you’re thinking, ‘What the hell happened to him?’ Well, I got older, and I didn’t think I was going to look like Dr. Evil.”

The set list closed with Joel’s most recognizable song “Piano Man,” and as he walked off stage, the entire stadium was illuminated by phone flashlights in an attempt to get an encore. So, he came back on to end the incredible concert with “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Uptown Girl,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” and “You May be Right.”

22 A&E

design by caroline chisholm

TAKE YOUR PICK(Y) by alex freeman

CO-HEAD COPY EDITOR

PB&J FOR LUNCH. Pasta, no sauce, for dinner. My routinely childish diet has made one thing clear: I’m a picky eater Before going out for dinner, I stuff a handful of Tostitos in my mouth because who knows if i’ll be able to tolerate

ABOVE | BD’S Monogolian Grill incorperates a buffet that allows patrons to piece together their own bowl of stir fry. photo by catherine esrey

BD’s MONGOLIAN GRILL TRUST ME, I KNOW the term “Mongolian BBQ” sounds daunting. I don’t like American BBQ, so when I first heard about Mongolian BBQ, I was sure the additional “Mongolian” aspect would leave me feeling sick.

Instead it left me wanting seconds. Near Oak Park Mall, BD’s Mongolian Grill is a buffet-style restaurant that caters to each guest’s specific cravings — even if that’s just chicken and rice noodles.

At BD’s, you take your bowl to the buffet, where you then pick out ingredients for your own stir fry. The are multiple meats, seafoods, veggies and sauces to choose from. If you don’t trust yourself to choose toppings that go well together, BD’s provides recipe cards that explain possibilities for your bowl, from Everything Green, a vegetarian option, to Kids Teriyaki Chicken — a great way to order off the kids’ menu without getting sideeye from your server.

Once you’ve picked your ingredients, you take your bowl over to the grill and watch as chefs prepare your meal. They mix in the sauce you chose as they cook, and the Teriyaki sauce I chose gave my otherwise plain bowl of chicken, rice noodles, carrots and broccoli a tang of extra flavor.

BD’s Mongolian Grill gives you the opportunity to dine out with friends without hoping the waitress remembers you don’t want mushrooms, green beans and garlic in your stir fry — but if stir fry isn’t for you, they also have an unlimited soup and salad bar which you can use for $7.99. Although one bowl of stir fry for $14.49 may seem a bit pricey, you can stuff your bowl full with whatever you want, to make it worth the hefty check.

4.5/5

anything on the menu? If they don’t have a menu with dozens of options or don’t mind order modifications, all bets are off. I’ll either face the glare I receive from the server while ordering off the 12-and-under kids’ menu or just munch on the bread they bring to the table before the meal is served.

In my 17 years and counting of being a terribly picky

ABOVE | Bella Napoli features a deli in its resturaunt that serves turkey sandwiches. photo by catherine esrey

BELLA NAPOLI WHILE BELLA NAPOLI is just a quaint Italian restaurant from the outside, the inside contains one of its most valuable assets: the deli. Subway, Mr. Goodcents and Potbelly are all fine for picky eaters like me, but none compare to the sandwich or dining experience I had at Bella Napoli.

Located in the heart of the Brookside shops, Bella Napoli is just about as close as you you’ll get to authentic Italian at a reasonable price in KC, since it was opened by the son of a native Italian. Their Italian-style Margherita pizza has the perfect balance of cheese and sauce on the ever-so crispy crust at only $9, and their Pomodoro Pasta (aka noodles and tomato sauce) is perfect for picky eaters who love spaghetti, but can’t handle the mussels and eggplant they might find in another dish.

But their picky eater attraction lies in their sandwiches.

If tomato is too adventurous for you — as it is for me

RO O M 3 9 AH, BRUNCH. Every girl-group’s favorite meal and every picky eater’s nightmare — the mix of the sweet, fruity flavors and spicy tabasco sauce is just too overwhelming.

But Room 39 provides a breakfast-lunch safe haven for “foodies” with my specific tastes. Their picky eater’s appeal: their wide array of brunch options, ranging from the simple Granola and Yogurt to the more extravagant Seasonal Frittata, and they’re happy to let you make the meal the way you want it. The diverse menu with 14 different breakfast options and an additional 11 for lunch is sure to have something for everyone.

Since bread is my favorite food (it goes with everything, but it’s also delicious on its own), the Challah French Toast and Bacon sung my name. Of course, I asked for

Three resturaunts that cater to picky eaters and their preferences

eater, I’ve accumulated a small list of the places that suit my unique tastes. Here are a few of the rare restaurants where I can almost always find something I’m willing to eat, while also knowing that whoever I’m with will find something to enjoy as well — even if they don’t have the palate of a 6-year-old.

ABOVE | Room 39’s Challah French toast with breakfast potatoes, berry compote and without the usual bacon. photo by catherine esrey

5/5 — they can easily make a turkey and lettuce sandwich just as tasty as it is simple. Served on French bread, the fresh ingredients combined with the perfectly chewy baguette compelled me to finish the sandwich in one sitting. The whole thing. Half would have been fine, but this was exceptional.

If you’re adventurous enough to order off the ~adult~ menu, you can choose from one of the nine sandwiches they offer, all very affordable at either $8 or $9, but I think I’ll stick to creating my own sandwiches — Bella Napoli has always been happy to do special orders.

The only downside: their deli closes around 4 p.m. If you’re just in the mood for Italian, Bella Napoli can be your go-to all day, but if you’re just looking for one of their incredible sandwiches, you’ll have to make it a lunch date.

4/5 no bacon, please — it’s just pig fat — and with the berry compote on the side. See? Good for accommodations.

Although the wait was a bit long since it was a busy Saturday morning — it took us almost 30 minutes to get our food after ordering — it was worth it. For $12, I got two slices of fried Challah bread, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, a side of crispy potatoes and a metal cup of syrup to use as I pleased. The sweetness of the syrupy toast and the savoriness of the potatoes contrasted each other well, and the variety of flavors left me feeling like I had eaten a far more mixed meal than I actually had.

So the next time your group chat decides it’s time for a “brunch date,” you can assure them that Room 39 will have something delicious for even the most difficult eaters.

design by emily fey photos by taylor keal

A&E

DAZZLING DRINKS

Even though La Croix seems to have a cult following, it shouldn’t be the only sparkling water on your radar

by lucy patterson

S E C O N D

P L A C E

BUBLY

4.5/5

P R I C E 4 PAC K $ 3 . 6 4 B E S T F L AVO R A P P L E O N E WO R D Z I P P Y

P L A C E

LA CROIX 3.5/5

P R I C E 8 PAC K $ 3 . 6 9 B E S T F L AV O R PA S S I O N F R U I T O N E WO R D P L A I N

of soda. And it is completely free of the gross stomach burbling drinking a soda brings about.

You could say that sparkling water is my notso-guilty pleasure. Bad day? Sparkling water.

Good workout? Sparkling water. Celebratory dinner? Sparkling water.

So I set out to find the best sparkling water on the market (an excuse to waste time in Whole Foods and Target during the process).

some pretty pleasing carbonation. The water was just fizzy enough to tickle my taste buds, but not give an overwhelming tingly feeling.

As for flavor, Waterloo nails it. The grapefruit flavor was both sweet and tart and had just enough acidity to create a natural taste. It’s a true sparkling water, with less juice than Spindrift, but more flavor than La Croix.

Overall, this one’s a winner — not only for the Instagram-worthy font on the can but also for the authentic flavor.

THIS ONE HAD ME at hello — literally. The colorful pop-tab reading “hey u” was enough to convince me to take a sip, along with the big smiley face on the pink can.

Bubly is refreshing, plain and simple. The explosive bubbles and overall natural flavor (no artificial flavors or sweeteners) provide a nice way to cool off when your AC breaks — I would know from experience. Bubly has the perfect

AH, SPINDRIFT. I first found this brand on one of my aimless trips to Trader Joe’s. Naturally, I fell in love with everything from water-colored grapefruit art on the can and aesthetically pleasing packaging.

At first sip, Spindrift tastes more like juice than sparkling water because one-eighth of a grapefruit is squeezed into each can. However, the bubbles cancel out the overly flavorful “juice” and leave a sweet yet zippy aftertaste.

F O U R T H

COPY EDITOR

MY SODA DRINKING CAREER started and ended at 2 years old when my dad’s Sigma Chi fraternity brother taught me how to burp after drinking Sprite — gross. I’ve never finished a can of soda since, not a Coke, not a Dr. Pepper, not even a ginger ale for a stomach ache. But something about the click of a pop tab and the tingly feeling of bubbles excites me.

Enter sparkling water. This drink is perfect; just the right amount of bubbles and refreshment without the calories, sugar content and sodium

I HAVE TO ADMIT, I bought this can specifically for the reason that the name reminded me of the “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” cover of ABBA’s hit song “Waterloo.” I was hoping it would transport me to a little cafe in Paris, sitting across from the handsome, young Harry.

But I was pleasantly surprised by Waterloo’s kickin’ flavor.

This water is known for being “vapor-distilled” and “cold forced carbonated.” While I am still unsure what that means, I think it results in

F I R S T

P L A C E

WATERLOO 5/5

P R I C E 1 2 PA C K $ 5 . 9 9 B E S T F L AV O R G R A P E F R U I T O N E W O R D F L AV O R F U L

bubble-to-flavor ratio and the flavor tastes more fruity and crisp, compared to soda. While it is more bubbly than other brands (hence the name), it really helps to enhance the essence of the drink and make it pop — pun intended.

Although Bubly can be tricky to find, it’s on Amazon Prime and sold at Target — and is totally worth the hunt.

It gives all the vibes of a glass of lemonade or grapefruit juice without the sugar content — a major win in my book.

The only downside? Spindrift does contain calories and sugar compared to it’s zero cal competitors, but it’s worth it for the extra flavor.

However, the drink is still sodium free and doesn’t contain any added sugar — but what could be so bad about natural sugar anyway?

MY FRIENDS OFTEN send me memes making fun of my love for La Croix. Call me basic, but I almost bought one of the La Croix swimsuits that popped up on my Facebook feed this past summer. In fact, La Croix was my gateway sparkling water, my first love — Pamplemousse and I go way back.

But I have to admit, my loyalty is wavering.

I never thought I would say this but, I think I may have to agree with the tweets: La Croix

23

T H I R D

P L A C E

SPINDRIFT 4/5

P R I C E 1 6 PA C K $ 5 . 0 0 B E S T F L AV O R L E M O N O N E W O R D TA N GY

does lack flavor. While the drink has a solid ratio of bubbles to flavor, it lacks the punch of some of the other brands. It tastes more like actual water than flavored water.

Despite the lack of flavor, the abundance of choices and unique fruit flavor combinations like strawberry pineapple and peach pear make up for it. And overall, I will forever be a loyal La Croix lover.

24 A&E

design by meg thoma

‘PACA PALS

A review on Yaya’s Alpaca farm in Garden City, Missouri

by rose kanaley

I CHRISTMAS

FAITH

born a week before Christmas in 2017

one of the hungrier alpacas at the farm

very popular with the KLORI & female alpacas SWEETBABY JAMES

STAFF WRITER

’m a firm believer that alpacas don’t get the recognition they deserve — always outshined by their larger cousin, llamas.

Have you ever heard of a BuzzFeed article about alpacas? No, you haven’t. And let me tell you that I’ve never heard of a llama as sweet as any of the 30 alpacas I befriended at Yaya’s Alpaca Farm.

I had no idea what to expect during the 45-minute drive to the alpaca farm in Garden City, Mo. However, I knew that I was about to be surrounded by cuddly alpacas, so I didn’t think there was much of a chance of me being disappointed.

The moment I pet my first alpaca, I knew this place was something special.

I’m glad I decided to check out Yaya’s Alpaca Farm, it definitely didn’t disappoint. From “Memories Mountain,” the mini dirt mound the alpacas love to climb, to their adorable names like “Halo” and “Uncle Bob,” the farm had too many unique features to fall in love with. It was just after we pulled in that I made my first three alpaca friendships I’ll never forget.

I met Eddie, the prized alpaca of the farm with thick chocolate fur and an attitude. Then I was greeted by Einstein, their newborn alpaca with soft white fur and a smile you’ll never forget, spread ear to ear showcasing her lack of upper teeth. Lastly came Christmas, an adorable brown alpaca with splints on her front legs because of the disability she was born with.

Contrary to most zoos and farms I’ve been to, at Yaya’s we were actually encouraged to play with the animals. Farm owner Karl Blandin urged us to pet and even pick up the alpacas — although I only found myself strong enough to carry Einstein, as she weighed about 40 pounds. I got a glimpse of what having an alpaca as a pet would be while getting to feed and play with the alpacas.

Believe me when I say that alpaca fur is unlike any other animal’s — it’s softer and fluffier than even the microplush bed blankets at Target.

When we went to meet and feed the rest of the herd of alpacas, I could feel myself floating right up to heaven. I tried to feed as many as I could, worried I would annoy one and have to face being spit on aggressively or caught in the crossfire of two spitting on each other — the consequences I’d been warned of.

I ended up caught between a spitting war of two alpacas both wanting the food in my hand, but even their shameless saliva couldn’t make my experience on the farm any less enjoyable.

Just be careful when opening the fence to go over to the female alpacas side of the farm — Sweet Baby James has been known to sneak into the girls side at night.

Blandin bought seven alpacas about eight years ago as a way to cope with depression — something he never imagined he would find a career in. He now gives 90-minute tours of the farm every day with his girlfriend for $8 per person, an experience well worth the cost, as well as selling some of their alpacas (if you’re looking to buy one, they start at $800 and go up to the thousands). Just one look into those alpacas’ wide eyes and I forgot all about the Pre-Calc test I had to study for when I got home.

I had always thought alpacas were cute but it wasn’t until 323 pictures later that I realized how obsessed I was becoming over these adorable and surprisingly relatable animals.

Personally I relate to Kaycea, the supposed attention demanding and always hungry alpaca of the group.

I’ll never forget watching Einstein and Uncle Bob — the babies of the group — going headto-head as they played, running around the farm with their small heads pushing against

HIT PLAY: YAYA’S ALPACAS Scan this QR code to watch Lauren West’s video on Yaya’s Alpaca Farm.

each other. Baby alpacas are a lot more fun to watch and play with than human babies, if you can’t tell.

Leaving the alpacas to go back inside was hard, but there was more to the farm than just the alpacas. The farm also has a gift shop where they sell products all made from alpaca fiber; we even tried making our own colorful wool out of the fur, although I don’t think ours looks as well done as those made by Blandin and his girlfriend.

Unfortunately, my mom has refused to buy me an alpaca from the farm as a new pet (apparently I’m not being “realistic”), but you can definitely expect to find me back at Yaya’s Alpaca Farm to visit my new wooly friends.

The farm’s main purpose however is not just to sell alpacas and give tours. Blandin and his girlfriend pride themselves in helping anyone who comes in leave with a smile on their face, and I can assure you that I left with an abnormally large one on mine.

PHOTOSTORY

design by lucy morantz

25

LEFT | After all the colored fibers from the alpaca are straightened on the electric carder machine, sophomore Rose Kanaley rolls the fibers off the wheel with assistance from Karl Blandin, the farm owner and operator. “I would never have thought about what goes into making stuff like the socks or gloves,” Kanaley said. “But it’s coming from these two people and their farm and seeing how much work they’re putting into that was something I’d never have expected to see.” photo by lucy morantz BELOW | Junior Lila Tulp feeds Klori with leaves that Blandin picked off a tree branch after explaining that she is the hungriest of the female alpacas. “Playing with the alpacas was, no joke, one of the happiest moments of my life,” Tulp said. “Seeing like 30 of these fluffy animals come up to you and eat right out of your hand was amazing.” photo by lucy morantz

RIGHT | Blandin shows how yarn is spun after the roll of fibers are taken off the carding machine. photo by grace goldman

PACK OF ‘PACAS

Yaya’s Alpaca Farm offers visitors an opportunity to learn about alpacas, play with them and gain insight into the production of alpaca wool products

ABOVE | After Blandin poured alpaca food on top of the dirt mound and yelled out “Hungry on the Hill,” the alpacas gathered around to eat while seniors Grace Padon and Gracie Kost take a selfie with them. “I took about 300 pictures at Yaya’s because the alpacas were the strangest looking creatures but they were also so photogenic,” Padon said. photo by lucy morantz ABOVE | Blandin’s girlfriend, Kathy, feeds one of the two youngest alpacas, Einstein, while Blandin teaches the history of alpacas before taking visitors outside with the other 35 alpacas. photo by lucy morantz

ABOVE | After feeding an alpaca, senior Gracie Kost laughs at him. “They were just the funniest animals I’ve ever seen,” Kost said. “I couldn’t help but try to kiss them, not that they reciprocated it.” photo by grace goldman

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SPORTS

design by grace padon

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

ATHLETES’ TAKE ON GIRLS TENNIS

UP AND COMING Team

Date

Time

Opponent

Location

Tuesday Oct. 2

7 pm

SM South

SM South

Football

Friday Oct. 5

7 pm

Olathe North

ODAC

Girls Golf

Today Oct. 1

1 pm

Lawrence Free State

Lawrence Country Club

Girls Tennis

Thursday Oct. 4

3:30 pm

Blue Valley

Blue Valley HS

Gymnastics

Saturday Oct. 6

9 am

SM West

SM West

Volleyball

Tuesday

6 pm

SM North

SM North

Boys Soccer

Oct. 2

27

FAREWELL MEEKS Senior Zane Meeks announced his transfer to the Brewster Academy to join their basketball team on Sunday

I am transferring to @BrewsterHoops for my senior season. Thank you to all who have supported me!

zane meeks senior via twitter

Scan this QR code to watch staff videographers Megan Funkey and Rachel Currie’s video on Zane Meeks and his passion for basketball.

THROUGH THE LENS

ABOVE | Senior Chloe Wright cheers to the student section during the football game against SM Northwest. The Lancers won 37-7. photo by julia percy FAR RIGHT | Junior Emme Tucker serves the ball during a tennis match against Kansas City Christian. She won the match 8-4. photo by trevor paulus

ABOVE | Junior Jack Slaughter runs after the ball with the SM North goalie and player. The final score of the game was 4-0, the Lancers. photo by luke hoffman

[The tennis season] is going very well because we’ve won the majority of our matches and we beat the teams we thought we would have a tough competition against.

lauren sandow senior

ON BOYS SOCCER The [soccer] season has gone really well so far. We are winning [soccer games] but I think what’s most important is that we are really hitting our stride and playing well which will be crucial the rest of the season.

caden nicholson sophomore

ON VOLLEYBALL Everyone [on volleyball] is super comfortable with one another and we were all pretty fast friends off of the court which helped us build more trust in each other as we started playing.

mallory frank senior

28 SPORTS

design by allison wilcox

DANCING DAVIS

Senior with little dance experience replaces injured sophomore dancer in half time show

by riley atkinson

S

ONLINE SECTION EDITOR

urrounded by columbia blue-suited marching band members and Lancer Dancers, senior Davis Vaughn set his clarinet near the white football field sideline and switched from a stiff, systematic marching band member to an agile, free-flowing dancer.

While the crowd of East students rustled and cheered him on from the silver bleachers, Vaughn dipped and lifted senior Megan Wallstrom through their duet. They danced to a song called “Left My Baby” which is meant to show two people saying goodbye for the last time. People who hadn’t previously know Vaughn would never have imagined he had learned the emotional dance in less time than he spends at school each day.

It was only three days before that Thursday night football game that he found out his regular halftime march would also include a duet dance choreographed for a varsity Lancer Dancer. He filled in for the injured original dancer, Sophomore Oscar Miller.

Even though Vaughn forgot the order a couple times, his beaming face could be seen smiling up to the bleachers — showing the thrill he gets while performing in front of the crowd.

Previously, the spot was held by Miller, who has been practicing ballet for 12 years.

Shortly after his first and only time performing the dance, Miller dislocated his knee during ballet class and was deemed unable to continue dancing due to his thigh-high cast. Because of his charismatic personality, Vaughn was then asked to fill Miller’s shoes — even though he lacks the professional training and practice.

When deciding how to adjust the dance after Miller was injured, choreographer and Lancer Dancer coach Alexis Close remembered that Vaughn has performed in all the musicals throughout his years at East — including Cinderella, Seussical and Curtains — and would add entertainment value to the dance.

“Davis gives a dynamic performance on the stage and I’ve enjoyed working with him in the musicals in years past,” Close said. “He was so kind to fill in Oscar’s spot, and he’s fun to watch perform too.”

Getting pulled aside during band practice

by Close took Vaughn by surprise, but he was eager to step out of the usual marching line.

“My reaction was like a really nervous

but excited ‘of course I will’ because I know how good of a dancer Oscar is and I know I cannot fill his shoes so there was a mix of nervousness and excitement,” Vaughn said.

Miller has performed in nine “Nutcracker” productions, “Tom Sawyer,” “Alice In Wonderland,” and “Sleeping Beauty” with The Kansas City Ballet. Vaughn, on the other hand, has had no formal dance training. That is, unless you consider “foleyography” — the most basic form of choreography used in choir — formal. The extent of his dancing is a perfected jazz square. Most of the dancing

Davis gives a dynamic performance on the stage and I’ve enjoyed working with him in the musicals in years past. He was so kind to fill in Oscar’s spot, and he’s fun to watch perform too.

alexis close drill team coach

he does is just for fun and to make people laugh.

Even with the stress of having only three days to learn the dance, Vaughn maintained his easygoing attitude and practiced as much as he could. His duet partner — senior Megan Wallstrom — ran through the dance with Vaughn a couple mornings the week of the performance.

“He was very positive through it all and I was so impressed because I felt so bad for him getting thrown into this tough situation but he handled it really well,” Wallstrom said.

The possibility of students’ judgy eyes that may come from him not being the most graceful dancer doesn’t bother Vaughn. Although it will take a few more dips and lifts for him to perfect his inner dancer, grandejeté-ing across the field is something different than the marching he’s done the past few years and is fun for him. As of right now, he has the remainder of the season to practice and improve.

“You kind of just have to go with it and accept that you may have to embarrass yourself but that’s part of the fun of it,” Vaughn said. “Hopefully I’ll get better at the dances and it comes more naturally to me as I progress.”

ABOVE | Seniors Davis Vaughn and Megan Walstrom prepare for the half time performance at the football game. photo by katherine mcginness

DAVIS’S PERFORMANCE TIMELINE Freshman year: Performed in Cinderella Junior year: Performed in Curtains

OSCAR’S PERFORMANCE TIMELINE Began dancing at three years old

Performed in Nutcracker for nine consecutive years

SPORTS

design by lily billingsley

29

PASSION FOR PLAYING Mr. Foley channels his love of soccer through coaching his daughters and playing with local team

by kelly murphy

A

PAGE DESIGNER

s soon as the bell rings at 9:25 a.m. and mens’ choir is dismissed, choir teacher Ken Foley returns to the back double doors of Room 211 — waiting to welcome the ladies of womens’ choir with his signature routine: a handshake and a smile. This is his unique way of creating a teacher-to-student bond with each and every one of his 350 students.

Not only does Foley display his signature move in the choir room, but on the field as well, as he is an adult league recreational soccer player. After hours of standing in the center of the goalie box and after the last save has been made, Foley is back to shaking hands. No matter the outcome, Foley walks down the line of his opponents and shakes everyone’s hand — just like in his choir classes.

Every Wednesday and Friday night, his favorite nights of the week, he changes out of his t-shirt and pair of jeans into his signature worn out sweatshirt and sweatpants to play with “old guys who want to keep playing” according to Foley.

Although he played on a division one team at the University of Cincinnati, most of his competitive nature is gone.

Now, he plays for the love of the game on his recreational soccer team. While a loss when he was a UC Bearcat would have bothered him for days, now the disappointment lasts for “maybe a minute.”

Throughout his soccer career, Foley had one job on the field — don’t let the ball into the net. His teammates could always find him protecting the goal, and that’s still the case today. Since goalies are scarce, when Foley’s now teammate, Jason Ford, heard that Foley was a college goalie, he recruited him to join his men’s team. When Foley arrived for practice without any of the typical goalie attire, the players were skeptical about his skill level — until they started shooting on him.

“He showed up in an old sweatshirt and without any goalie gloves,” Ford

said. “He plays a lot better than he dresses.”

Foley has played on teams with players who range in experience from college athletes to adults who had never kicked a soccer ball in their life. He created friendships with teammates of all skill levels. Relationships like these and his friendship with Ford make sharing his success with the rest of the team that much better. One of his greatest achievements on the field occurred during college when he blocked some close goals and his team beat the #19 team in the country 1-0.

“The best moments I’ve had on the

made coaching a natural fit for him.

By coaching their teams, Foley got the opportunity to help them understand the game through his personal experience and teach them how to dribble, pass, and kick their best.

Even though he’s not one of Jilli’s official coaches anymore, he has taken on the role of a supportive parent and fan who gives her tips at her KC Athletico and varsity soccer games. Foley has helped motivate Jilli to continue lacing up her cleats and pulling up her socks — even when she didn’t feel like playing.

“There was one year where I was on the verge of quitting. It was his

“B ot h [of my d a u g hters] grew i nto lovi ng the ga m e w hi ch is great beca u se then I cou ld tel l them everythi ng I know a bou t it an d h elp t h e m love it even m o re.

ken foley teacher

field were when the team really came together and had a good win or just did something cool together,” Foley said.

Foley’s overwhelming passion for soccer has not only influenced his life but also his daughters’. Bria, a sophomore at the University of Nebraska, and Jilli, a sophomore here at East, both play. Since a young age, they watched Foley’s games and cheered him on after every blocked goal from the sidelines.

“Both [of my daughters] grew into loving the game which is great because then I could tell them everything I know about it and help them love it even more,” Foley said.

Besides showing them how to match pitch and read complicated lines of music, he’s been able to transfer his love for soccer to them as well. When his daughters were in elementary school, Foley happily volunteered to coach each of their grade’s recreational soccer teams. His love for teaching and soccer

ABOVE | Foley has been playing soccer his whole life and loves to share the sport with his family. photo by grace goldman

F O L E Y ’S PA S T TEAMS influence that pushed me to keep going and thankfully he did because now I love it,” Jilli said.

Whether Foley is passing around the soccer ball with Ford and his other teammates during an adult league game or preparing his kids for soccer tryouts, Foley’s passion for soccer is always fueled by a ball at his feet. Even though his passion for the game can sometimes lead to him to being critical of Jilli’s performance during a game, he still loves supporting her and seeing her enjoy the game.

Although Foley’s main priority is music, he loves the opportunity that soccer gives him to build friendships and work with his daughters. Ultimately, he’s just a self-proclaimed choir nerd with a lifelong passion for soccer.

“My goal is to play until I just can’t anymore because I know I will never get tired of it,” Foley said.

A timeline of the teams that Foley has played for

1971-1978

Chagrin Falls Highwaymen

1979-1983

Chagrin Falls High School Tigers

1983-1987

University of Cincinnati Bearcats

1987-1995

Orange Lions

1995- Present

Various Local Teams

30 SPORTS

design by will tulp photos courtesy of brenda sniezek

FROM CHIEFS TO “BIG CHIEF” East parent becomes a self-employed community relations director after working for the Chiefs

by libby hise

A

STAFF WRITER

s East parent Brenda Sniezek walked into Cheever’s Cafe in Oklahoma City, she asked where her client Paul George would be sitting. As soon as the two of them sat down together, they began catching up on life before they got down to business.

Just by hearing their conversation, you never would’ve guessed Sniezek was talking to a five-star NBA player from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After being unemployed for three years, Sniezek became a self-employed Community Relations Director who plans events for famous athletes. As of now, her clients include George, Cleveland Browns quarterback Travis J. Carrie and wide receiver Rod Streater.

While she has only held this job for six years, Sniezek isn’t new to this type of work. She used her 26 years of experience of working with the Kansas City Chiefs as a Community Relations

Director and applied it to her new freelance career. Her past connections with the Chiefs actually led her to her first client, Streater, a former Chiefs wide receiver. Now, working with only three clients, she is able to focus her mindset on tailoring the right solutions to their problems.

Sniezek became the first Community Relations Director for the Chiefs in 1985.

Being the first to fill this position, no one was there to teach her how to do her job or what she was trying to do, only what they were looking for in their job.

She learned most of her skills from her masters in business from KU and the feedback she received to accomplish the success she had during her time with the Chiefs.

Sniezek helped the Chiefs win more than three dozen national and local awards recognizing the players’ commitment to the community with her planning and putting together their events. She went from hosting golf and bowling tournaments to celebrity waiter night at local restaurants to raising millions of dollars through fundraisers and benefits for the Chiefs.

After nearly three decades of executing fundraisers for the Chiefs, Sniezek was let go after new management came in.

Sniezek’s kids grew up watching the Chiefs, rooting for their mom’s clients on national television. After she was let go, the significance of watching them play was not relevant anymore.

Her kids were huge Chiefs fans, whether it was having a watch party for Sunday night games or making sure they knew the name of every player, according to Sniezek’s daughter and sophomore Helen.

LEFT | Sniezek helped Will Shields win the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2003. She also helped Derrick Thomas win the award in 1993 as well as Brian Walters in 2009.

“I always looked forward to Sundays and I’d sometimes forget my mom didn’t work for the Chiefs, so when Sunday came around we tried to watch different teams play,” Helen said.

All five of Sniezek’s kids have attended at least one event a year with her new clients. According to Sniezek, the kids help with any of the easier tasks, like packaging party gifts at events.

They have all met the Chiefs players at the annual Christmas party, so Sniezek decided to introduce them to her three players once a year.

“My mom’s [new] clients were some of the nicest guys I’ve ever met,” Helen said. “I met Streater and Carrie different times before their games they played in Kansas City. They asked questions about my life and what I did since they already knew a lot about my mom. After those dinners, I could say if I met them now, they’d know my name and some general information about me.”

With her newer clients, she is responsible for the same thing she was for the Chiefs: planning events, dealing with player’s finances and managing their public image. Working self-employed gives her more leeway in the direction she wants to run their foundations without anyone holding her back.

Since each player she manages is different, being her own boss is beneficial to both her and the players.

She has learned from managing George, that he has a substantial contract that leaves him with little time to participate in community events. Sniezek likes to include George’s family in more events than she does with others because he cannot attend as many.

Sniezek is also able to connect with

ABOVE LEFT | Sniezek helps check in members of the Chiefs Women’s Organization for their breast cancer awareness campaign on gameday, givng custom jerseys to the women.

her clients on a more personal level, sitting down with them one-on-one to discuss their lives outside of their athletic careers about two times a year.

“Obviously I get nervous meeting Paul George, but with him as my client I try to make him feel as comfortable as possible,” Sniezek said. “I try to strictly talk about our lives, just catching up like normal people.”

She is able to plan charity events and fundraisers specifically tailored to their personal experiences from connecting with them. After George’s mother had a stroke, Sniezek helped him start Heart of the Matter, a foundation that supports cardiovascular health. Sniezek has successfully worked five years with Streater, Carrie and George selfemployed and is planning on working with them until retirement.

Even though managing Streater, Carrie and George by herself can be challenging, Sniezek is able to hire other people if she can’t hop on a plane right away. Recently she found a new person to work for her named Lea Edwards to run the events Sniezek has planned, and make sure everything goes smoothly.

Sniezek learned how to manage multiple peoples’ community services at once while she worked for the Chiefs.

The difference between 53 people and 3 people made her love her job even more.

What she specifically enjoyed about it, however, was that she was able do what she wanted to plan and organize without anyone holding her back.

“Both of these two jobs were frustrating just like any other job. With three of my own clients, I love getting to having more leeway in different directions I wanted to go into.” Sniezek said.

ABOVE RIGHT | Sniezek laughs with her coworker in her old office, with her walls covered in photos from the Chiefs community.

PHOTOSTORY

design by grace goldman

ONE WALK. MANY STORIES.

31

Students attend the annual JDRF One Walk on various teams to support finding a cure for Type One Diabetes

G O LO O K Scan this QR code to go to the JDRF One Walk website.

ABOVE | Ali from Q104 radio started the event by saying a few words. The goal of the JDRF One Walk is to “turn Type One into Type None”. There is currently no known cause or cure for Type One, so JDRF encourages everyone to donate to help find a cure. photo by grace goldman RIGHT | Sophomore Susie Green laughs with her friends as they wait for the walk to begin. “[I was most excited about] walking and supporting JDRF and my best friend, Sarah Golder, who has Type One diabetes,” Green said. photo by kate nixon

RIGHT | As a JDRF ambassador, senior Luke Hoffman stands up with the rest of the ambassadors on the stage. They hold up a “thank you” sign in response to the money that was raised.

“I was a little bit nervous at first just because I didn’t know that I’d be [standing up in front of the crowd] actually,” Hoffman said. photo by grace goldman FAR RIGHT | Sophomores Lucy Jones and Quincy Hepler lean on sophomore Brooke Blaire. “We were waiting for the JDRF walk to start, it was freezing so I let them lay their heads on me,” Blaire said. photo by megan stopperan

LEFT | Starting the walk, senior Luke Hoffman cuts the ribbon. “It was really cool, it was the first time I had ever gotten to do that. The reason I got to was because we raised the most money out of the new teams,” Hoffman said. photo by grace goldman

32 ALT COPY

photos courtesy of spotify design by carolyn popper

A fall playlist created by staffers’ favorite autumn songs by brynn winkler NOW THAT THE 21st night of September has come and gone, it’s officially appropriate to pumpkinspice those lattes and start planning your trip to the cider mill. Yes, it’s fall — and the Harbinger staff is ecstatic. That’s why we’ve assembled our perfect fall playlist, each song

SONG: BROOKSIDE ARTIST: CAPTIVA

ARTIST: YUNO

ARTIST: ED SHEERAN

maggie schutt

SONG: CHINATOWN ARTIST: WILD NOTHING

I like it because it talks about leaves and it’s fun to listen and drive around to when I’m drinking my chai tea latte.

lily billingsley

SONG: YOU’VE GOT ME ARTIST: GREETING COMMITTEE SONG: EASY The band graduated from Blue Valley high school a few years ago. They’re kind of like KC sweethearts.

dalton reck

SONG: DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALRIGHT

hand-picked by a staffer. Easily accessible on our Spotify (QR code below), this playlist is perfect for your early morning autumn walk or unwinding in a coffee shop with your friends after a long day — and every moment in between.

SONG: NO GOING BACK

SONG: AUTUMN LEAVES

It’s about Kansas City and it has a really good beat to it.

SECTION EDITOR

ARTIST: COMMODORES

It’s one of those songs that gives you chills when you listen to it

I think the title kind of embodies fall because it’s saying goodbye to summer and there’s no going back.

jackie cameron

lawder desantis

ARTIST: JOHNNY CASH

It’s the perfect song for putting on a sweater and drinking hot chocolate outside when it’s a chilly fall day.

aislinn menke

SONG: COOKS

Upbeat enough to cheer you up during your homework but slow enough to set the mood for a laid-back fall bonfire, this song has been finding its way onto several of my playlists lately.

brynn winkler

ARTIST: STILL WOOZY

Alexa, play Cooks. I say that so much I should probably make it an Amazon Alexa shortcut.

will tulp

H I T P L AY Scan this QR code to listen to the rest of the Harbinger staff’s fall playlist.

SONG: HEART’S CONTENT ARTIST: BRANDI CARLILE

Fall is my absolute favorite season and the tune of this song just reminds me of looking at the changing leaves and being excited for the upcoming months.

emily fey