Issue 12

the harbinger.

*NAMES WITHHELD Students used new app Yik Yak to hide their identities and create 48 hours of bullying WRITTEN BY JULIA POE STORY ON PAGE 10 at East and surrounding areas

PHOTOS BY MADDIE SCHOEMANN AND MCKENZIE SWANSON

PAGE 21

Teacher makes U.S. karate team

Shawnee Mission East l 7500 Mission Road, PV KS, 66208 l March 3, 2014 l Issue 12 l www.smeharbinger.net

editorial.

WHAT’S IN YOUR KITCHEN?

EATING THE UNKOWN

information courtesy of CNN.com and phys.org

CORN

More research should be done to investigate genetically modified food

the harbinger staff ‘13-’14

CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Andrew McKittrick Katie Knight ASSISTANT EDITORS Morgan Krakow Sophie Tulp HEAD COPY EDITOR Sarah Berger ASSISTANT HEAD COPY EDITOR Pauline Werner ART & DESIGN EDITOR Miranda Gibbs ART & DESIGN ASSISTANT EDITOR Phoebe Aguiar NEWS SECTION EDITOR Greta Nepstad NEWS PAGE DESIGNERS Mike Thibodeau Lauren Brown SPREAD EDITOR Caroline Kohring FEATURES SECTION EDITOR

enough research to conclude that GMOs are completely harmless to humans and their health.

On the other hand, health website NaturalSociety named Monsanto the Worst Company of 2011 for “threatening both human health and the environment.”

In a study done by Elsevier (a reproductive toxicology journal), traces of Monsanto’s pesticides were found in the blood of 93 percent of pregnant women in Canada, therefore reaching their unborn children. Monsanto claims their chemicals are fully digestible and will easily pass through the body without causing any harm, so there shouldn’t be any of their chemicals found in our blood based off their claims.

Right now, nobody can come to a conclusion. There is evidence in favor of both sides, and there are heated debates across the world on this topic. It’s impossible to prove anything at this point in time because GMOs are relatively new. We can’t say GMOs are harmless, but we also can’t say that they’re dangerous. Just because GMOs don’t seem to have any immediate effects, we can’t just assume that there aren’t any long-term effects, either.

Meanwhile, there is one thing we can be sure about: Monsanto isn’t a trustworthy company. Even if GMOs turn out to be safe, we might want to watch them a little bit more closely.

Grant is now head of the Food and Drug Association (FDA), and essentially writes his own laws. Monsanto also created saccharine — also known as artificial sweetener — which, according to online diet journal Fitday, has been linked to bladder cancer. Monsanto has even engineered their seeds to self destruct after one season of growing, forcing farmers to purchase new seeds every single year and increasing their profit. They are also currently paying millions of dollars to take down Proposition 37 in California, which aims to require companies to clearly label the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their food. Unhealthy or not, Monsanto is putting in a lot of effort to keep

Genetically modified dairy could be a cause of certain milk-related allergies.

MILK

Maddie Hise

Sean Overton

FEATURES PAGE DESIGNERS Sydney Lowe Pauline Werner

PHOTO EDITORS McKenzie Swanson Maddie Schoemann

COPY EDITORS Mike Thibodeau Clara Ma Andrew McKittrick Morgan Krakow Sarah Berger Sophie Tulp Katie Knight Pauline Werner Caroline Kohring Julia Poe Susannah Mitchell Greta Nepstad

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Annie Savage Tessa Polaschek

FREELANCE PAGE DESIGNERS Grace Heitmann Will Oakley

A&E PAGE DESIGNERS Audrey Danciger Leah Pack

STAFF WRITERS Madison Hyatt Ellis Nepstad Michael Kraske Hannah Coleman Sophie Storbeck Ellie Booton

SPORTS SECTION EDITOR Will Oakley

OPINION SECTION EDITOR Morgan Twibell OPINION PAGE DESIGNERS Nellie Whittaker Aidan Epstein A&E SECTION EDITOR Phoebe Aguiar

SPORTS PAGE DESIGNERS Tommy Sherk John Foster

FREELANCE PAGE DESIGNERS Grace Heitmann Ali Lee

88% of corn produced in the U.S. has been genetically modified.

SOY BEANS 148 million acres of genetically modified soy were grown in 2006.

CEREAL

This breakfast food contains sugar and corn, likely to be genetically modified.

their GMO-rich foods a secret.

So instead of arguing about who is REALLY right, why don’t we do more research and find out what is actually going on? It might a good idea to figure out how these new GMOs are affecting us before we continue to scarf down all of our food.

FOR-9 AGAINST-1 ABSENT-3

VOTES

Chances are, whatever you have eaten today — whether it was a bowl of Cheerios or corn tortilla chips — contains ingredients that have been genetically engineered by one of the world’s many corporate farming companies. Companies like Bayer Cropscience, Dow Agrosciences and the biggest contributor of all of them: Monsanto.

Before our country allows the continued growth of genetically modified organism (GMO) companies like Monsanto, we must gather our time and resources to further research the effects of crops loaded with GMOs on our health.

In the past five years, there has been a moderate amount of research done worldwide by various companies and journals. The problem is that there don’t seem to be any clear, conclusive reports. So we don’t really know whether that bowl of cereal you ate this morning is safe or not.

Monsanto genetically alters a wide assortment of food — most significantly corn and soybeans — in order to increase their crop yield and thereby increase their profit, no matter the price. According to Forbes, Monsanto controls 90 percent of the soybean crop and 80 percent of the corn crop in the United States. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that in the past two years, Monsanto has turned over an 87 percent profit gain. Clearly, they’ve gained a monumental amount of power in the past decade. Too much power.

Monsanto has taken over the United States’ agricultural world and is continuing to grow in power as more and more European countries allow Monsanto to come in and insert foreign DNA into their crops. Over the past few decades, the number of crops that are considered genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been growing as well.

The little research that has been done on Monsanto and its crops has yielded wildly unclear results. One study will declare all GMOs safe for human consumption, and another will say that they are the demise of our species.

Monsanto Chief Executive Hugh Grant told WSJ in an interview of his certainty that GMOs are undoubtedly safe.

He says that Europe’s newly-created Food Standards Agency has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and condcted

ADS MANAGER Sophie Tulp

ONLINE HOMEGROWN EDITOR Hannah Coleman ONLINE OPINION EDITOR Claire Sullivan

ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Grace Heitmann Neely Atha ONLINE A&E EDITOR Callie McPhail Julia Poe Audrey Danciger Kylie Relihan ONLINE ASSISTANT EDITOR Annika Sink John Foster ONLINE SPORTS SECTION EDITORS Taylor Anderson Michael Kraske Katie Lamar ONLINE HEAD COPY EDITORS Will Oakley Paloma Garcia Susannah Mitchell James Wooldrige Clara Ma VIDEO EDITORS Tessa Polaschek Sophie Mitchell Abby Hans Annie Foster Katie Roe ONLINE ASSISTANT HEAD COPY EDITOR Lauren Brown PODCAST & RADIO EDITOR EDITORIAL BOARD ONLINE PHOTO EDITOR Leah O’Connor Andrew McKittrick Marisa Walton Katie Knight EASTIPEDIA EDITOR Morgan Krakow Maxx Lamb Sarah Berger ONLINE ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Hailey Hughes Lauren Brown Callie McPhail INTERACTIVE EDITOR Susannah Mitchell Mike Thibodeau Morgan Twibell ONLINE CONVERGENCE EDITOR Sophie Tulp Audrey Danciger HEAD WEBMASTER Julia Poe Jack Stevens Grace Heitmann ONLINE NEWS EDITOR Mike Thibodeau Ellie Booton ASSISTANT WEBMASTERS Pauline Werner Jacob Milgrim John Foster

Tommy Sherk LIVE BROADCAST EDITORS Jack Stevens Andrew McKittrick BROADCAST TEAM Daniel Rinner MULTIMEDIA STAFF Jack Stevens Sophie Mitchell Matthew Bruyere Annie Foster Georgia DuBois Abby Hans Leah O’Connor TWEETMASTER Jacob Milgrim ONLINE BLOGGERS Corinne Stratton Katharine Swindells Brian Philipps Gaby Azorsky Scotty Burford

The Harbinger is a student-run publication. The contents and views are produced solely by the staff and do not represent the Shawnee Mission School District, East faculty or school administration. Letters to the editor may be sent to room 521 or smeharbinger@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel and mechanics and accepted or rejected at the editors’ discretion.

ADVISER Dow Tate

PV police crack down on East students

JOHN FOSTER Juniors Derek Steirt and Charlie Drape rapduring the Love 146 concert. For more pictures, go to page 32.

}

Kansas law enforcement agencies are launching a two-week campaign to help make sure student drivers and passengers are using their seat belts. The state-mandated program is an initiative to try and educate the public about the importance of properly using seat belts.

Police officers can stop anyone — including students — at certain checkpoints to look for seat belt usage, or also in combination with other traffic violations. Seat belt violations became primary violations of the law in recent years, meaning anyone can be pulled over for not having a seatbelt on, without being pulled over for any other reason first.

However, although it is a seat belt enforcement initiative this month, Student Resource Officer Joel Porter says that if an officer pulls you over for a seat belt check and notices other violations, you can be cited for those as well.

Although Porter does not know if the initiative was in response to a particular event, he says it could be a precaution for upcoming spring breaks.

“My guess is that [the state] did it leading up to spring break, as kind of a reminder,” Porter said. “During that week off, [we want to make sure] people are still being safe and wearing their seatbelt in their vehicles.”

Porter also noted that of the 31 teen deaths from vehicle accidents in Kansas in the past year, 75 percent involved juveniles that were “improperly restrained” by seat belts.

East hires new IB coordinator

Rebecca Murphy, IB coordinator of nine years and economics teacher announced that she will be retiring from both positions after over 30 years of teaching in the district.

For the 2014-2015 school year, math teacher Monique Goodeyon will replace Murphy as IB coordinator. She will complete tasks such as training teachers, managing curriculum and acting as a scheduling counselor to IB diploma candidate students.

After Murphy informed principal John McKinney of her decision to retire, he sent out an email to the faculty, looking for qualified applicants interested in taking the position. After interviewing potential candidates for the position, Goodeyon was selected.

Murphy says that she decided to retire due to her weekly commute between homes in Arizona and Kansas, wanting to spend more time with her family. But, she says she will miss her “dream” job that is being both an IB coordinator and educator.

“It is with great reluctance that I leave a job that I love in a community that I embrace,” Murphy said. “To leave a job you...feel passionate about...[is difficult]. But I automatically knew that there would be someone to put a fresh set of eyes on the job and do well with it.”

MCKENZIE SWANSON The varsity Lancer Dancers perform to Arizona adopts bill similar to Kansas bill Beyonce’s “I Was Here” during the boy’s basketball game against Leavenworth. The Arizona Senate passed Senate Bill 1062 in a 17-13 decision. The bill, known by Lancers won 69-65. many of its opposers as “anti-gay” legislation, was passed on Feb. 20. The bill broad-

MADDIE SCHOEMANN Junior Mitch Kerr cheers on his teammates during State swimming. For the full story, go to page 27.

ens the definition of who is protected against being sued for denying service to certain groups of people, including the LGBT community based on religious beliefs.

Bill 1062 is similar to the one that the Kansas Senate killed last week, following heavy opposition. Like the Arizona bill, it would have allowed business owners to deny service to gay and lesbian customers if they were acting on their religious beliefs.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer faces pressure from opponents and colleagues including former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who urged Brewer to veto the bill.

The bill expands upon other religious freedom legislation, allowing “any individual, association, partnership, corporation, church, religious assembly or institution or other business organization” to deny a person service, based on religious rights.

Supporters of the bill have not identified a specific instance that would have prompted the bill, but they believe it will protect Arizona citizens people from being forced to act contrary to their religious beliefs.

A BREAKDOWN

teenagers and

CAR ACCIDENTS a

of d

e us

eath amo ng

13% homicide other 15% accidents

13% suicide

s

s teen .S. tU

MARISA WALTON During the girl’s basketball game against Leavenworth, junior Emma Braasch drives the ball past her defender. Lancers lost 19-40.

WRITTEN BY SOPHIE TULP ART BY GRETA NEPSTAD

c

F E I R B NEWS IN

news.

lead ing

A week in photos

33% car accidents

5% cancer

Distractions are the number one cause for car accidents.

Distractions such as...

38% of the distractions causing car accidents is texting

15 people die each day from texting and driving

20% emotional state 19% having friends in the car 14% talking on the phone 7% eating or drinking

4% listening to music Texting while driving involves three forms of distractions

1

eyes off road

2 hands off wheel 3 mind off driving

50% of the teenagers who die in car accidents were not wearing their seat belts seat belts reduce the risk of death

seat belts reduce the risk of injury

45%

50%

WE NEED YOUR BOOKS!

* THE USED BOOK SALE

ry na Dictio

The Hunger Games

Grapes of Wrath

Catcher in the Rye

e r G e Th

y b s t a at G

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harry Potter

The Scarlet Letter

*

Pride and Prejudice

Of Mice and Men

The Bo

ok Thie f

Hey Lancers and members of the Prairie Village community, we need your new and gently used book donations for the annual used book sale! Please drop donations off in the main office or library at East by April 5th . Questions? Call Kathi Knop: 913-993-6617

College Transfers

Multiple East alumni transfer colleges after their freshman year

WRITTEN BY NELLIE WHITTAKER

E

arly spring is the time for college-bound high school seniors to start deciding which college they will attend in the fall. The deadline observed by most colleges for committing to attend the following year is May 1. The permanence of their decision is emphasized during the application process.

For senior Jamie Maddox, who recently decided to go to the University of Kansas (KU), that idea made the decision very stressful. After considering several other schools and factors like cost, location and the academics the schools had to offer, Maddox still isn’t positive she made the perfect choice.

“I am still not confident in my choice because I feel like I did not research other schools as much as I should have,” Maddox said. “I’m not sure if a big school like KU will be a good fit for me or if I would fit better at a small liberal arts school.”

These days, transferring is one solution for students who don’t end up liking their colleges. East counselors agree that growing numbers of college students are transferring to different schools for their sophomore year. It is now easier to switch schools, according to counselor Don Baker. For example, Johnson County Community College makes it simple for students to transfer credits by providing them with charts that tell which of their credits will transfer to schools like KU and K-State.

Students generally make the decision to transfer either because they don’t fit in well at the school or because the school doesn’t offer the majors they decide on.

Last year, former East student and college freshman Helena Buchmann had weekly meetings with her parents about what she was looking for in a college as she went through the application process. However, she found it difficult to know what type of college would be right for her.

“How was I supposed to know if I wanted to go to a small school or a medium school or a giant school?” Buchmann said. “Unless you really know [what you’re looking for in a college], you just don’t know.”

Of the five universities Buchmann was considering, she

was able to eliminate three based on the cost and atmosphere of those schools. She was left deciding between KU and Loyola University in New Orleans. She knew that many of her classmates would be at KU, and looking for a fresh start, Buchmann chose Loyola instead.

“I figured New Orleans would be cooler than Lawrence, and I was tired of making pro-con lists,” Buchmann said. “I just went with it.”

Having never visited the campus before she attended orientation, Buchmann loved the atmosphere and dorms at the school. The school seemed very welcoming and fun, and she liked that roller skating was incorporated as a part of orientation. But when classes started, she began to feel overwhelmed and homesick.

“My first week at school was miserable,” Buchmann said “The sparkle of the school was rapidly fading, and I was able to see the real issues that I just hadn’t even considered when making my decision. You don’t really know a lot of things until you get there.”

Buchmann realized that certain factors like the size, student life and academic variety at Loyola weren’t working for her. This was because there wasn’t a lot happening on the small campus. For example, since there were no sorority houses on campus, she had to drive to older members’ houses for sorority events.

Buchmann experienced her first of several anxiety attacks one morning following a rough night. She was brushing her teeth when suddenly she couldn’t hear anything going on around her, like the showers running or the other girls talking.

Her vision blurred to the point that she couldn’t see herself in the mirror. Buchmann walked back to her room and laid down on her bed to calm down.

“I don’t know what triggered [the panic attack], but I think it’s because I was so stressed about being unhappy that it just made my body freak out,” Buchmann said.

After having another anxiety attack while trying to navigate the city, Buchmann talked it over with her parents and her boyfriend and decided that it would be best for her to consider other college options for her second semester.

Another former East student who has decided to transfer to a different college is Jenna Engleken, a freshman at KU. Engleken had decided to go to KU because it was closest to home. But when she arrived, she quickly became overwhelmed by the size of the school, and the program she wanted for

news.

physical therapy wasn’t offered.

Engleken wanted to get her degree in three years rather than four, but KU didn’t offer a program for that. She did some research and found that Clarkson College in Omaha, Nebraska, had a three-year program, and she has decided to attend the school her sophomore year.

For Buchmann, having to reapply to a college she had already gotten into was less of a hassle than she expected. The main drawback, she said, was the $30 application fee that she had to pay again to KU. Looking back, Buchmann wishes she had done more thorough research before she decided on Loyola. She also regrets comparing the prestige of universities she was considering to the prestige of schools her classmates were going to. As an International Baccalaureate student, she was surrounded by classmates who were going to schools like Vanderbilt and the University of Edinburgh, and she didn’t want to settle on KU. “I got so caught up in thinking about where I would actually get in that I really didn’t think about what I would actually like,” Buchmann said. “So I was way too concentrated on where I would measure up against these geniuses, rather than thinking about what would make me happy.”

Buchmann advises seniors to consider what matters most to them in looking for the “perfect college,” and put their own opinions first. She adds that they should do something about it if they aren’t happy.

“The goal should be finding the perfect college for you, but you’re not necessarily going to find it immediately,” Buchmann said. “I think if you’re unhappy and you have valid reasons to be unhappy with your situation, you should go for it.”

The Top Three Schools the Most Students Transferred to in 2012

University of Central Florida

Arizona State University

Transfers: 6,776 Acceptance Rate: 87.6%

Transfers: 6,324 Acceptance Rate: 60.9%

ART BY MIKE THIBODEAU

2

1

3

California State University - Northridge Transfers: 4,962 Acceptance Rate: 47.7%

news.

“QUOTED ”

ART BY KATIE KNIGHT

Get up to date on what people in the news talked about this February

EXPLAINED:

“I don’t plan to leave

WRITTEN BY PHOEBE AGUIAR

-Meryl Davis

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled his the country. I don’t home in Kiev, Ukraine, after riots and protests between anti-government groups and police threatened plan to resign. I am the his safety. Since November, anti-government groups legitimate President.” have been protesting in response to the legislation that choose Russia over the European Union and the apparent abuse of Presidential Powers. In the week of Feb. 18 violent and widespread protest erupted in Kiev. The recent violent protests have resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries. After losing control, Yanukovych left his estate in Kiev and is said to be in an Eastern region of Ukraine that is strongly influenced by Russia. Yanukovych was ousted as president and the Ukrainian government is planning on holding election in May to elect a president. Yanukovych will not recognize the termination of his presidency and is calling it a coup d’etat.

-Viktor Yanukovych

EXPLAINED:

Hailey Owens, 10, was abducted on Tuesday, Feb. 18, on her walk home from school in Springfield, MO. The original police report stated that Owens was pulled into a gold pick-up truck around 5 p.m. walking home. An Amber Alert was issued and news spread quickly because the use of smart phones to send out alerts to phones within a certain radius that included the Kansas City area. Her body was found by police in the basement of Craig Michael Wood, a physical education and paraprofessional in the Pleasant View School District. On Wednesday Feb. 19, Wood was arrested for first degree murder when he returned to his home. He has pleaded not guilty in the kidnapping and murder of Owens. Police are unclear on the motive for the crimes but are continuing the investigation. The Owens family has held candlelight vigils and walks in the days following the kidnapping and the discovery of her body.

EXPLAINED:

HIGHLIGHTS AT&T

4:32 Wednesday, February 21

!

of the month

The last member of the VonTrap family dies

AMBER Alert now

Springfield, MO AMBER Alert: LIC/ 1YS454 (MO) 2008 Gold Ford Ranger slide to unlock

EXPLAINED:

“Are you holding back “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart poked from punching the s*** fun at the bill proposed to the Kansas State Legislature that would allow parents to use out of your children bemore forceful corporal punishment. In a segcause you fear legal rement of his Feb. 20 show titled “The State; percussions? Well, fear Meth Labs of Democracy”. Currently, in no more...”

Kansas, parents and legal guardians are able to spank children but the adult cannot leave a bruise or it is considered abuse. The new bill would have allowed for punishment to be strong enough to create redness or bruising. It would have also allowed a legal guardian or parent to give other adults, like school officials, the ability to use corporal punishment as way a to punish children, including high school students over the age of 18. This was not the only the piece of legislation that Stewart featured in his segment; he also mentioned the bill would have made it legal in Kansas for private and government employees to deny service to gays. Neither of these bills passed.

“We had known each other casually before we skated together. As casually as 8 year olds can know each other. We had the casual playdate every once in a while.”

OSU basketball player is suspended for three games for shoving a fan

OKLAHOMA

STATE

33

-Jon Stewart

Jimmy Fallon takes over NBC’s Late Night with Jay Leno

INFORMATION COURTESY OF: CNN & INFOPLEASE PHOTOS COURTESY OF MCTCAMPUS

Ice dancers Charlie White and Meryl Davis claimed the first ice dancing gold for the United States and set the highest recorded score in Ice Dance. They beat out training partners and Vancouver gold medalists, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. White and David also received a bronze medal in the Figure Skating Team event, where they won the Ice Dance portion of the competition. White and Davis were not the only athletes to win first ever medals for the United States; athletes won their first ever medals in the new events that were included in the Sochi games: Women and Men’s Ski and Snowboard Slopestyle, and Ski Half Pipe. The US ended decades-long medal droughts in Bobsled, Skeleton and Alpine Skiing. The United States finished second in the medal count, five behind Russia, with 28 medals, including nine golds, seven silver and 12 bronze.

EXPLAINED: The Houston Texans will receive the first pick in the 2014 NFL draft and former Texas A&M quarterback, Johnny Manziel, also known as Mr. Football, voiced his desire to be the number one pick of the 2014 NFL draft.

The Heisman Trophy winner was the starting quarterback for Texas A&M for his two seasons with the school, with 37 touchdowns and 379 yards his final season. Manziel had been at the NFL Scouting Combined event, that took place before the draft to evaluate the athleticism and abilities of potential draft picks. Manziel was in the top five quarterbacks in all of the disciplines at the Combine. He will have another chance to show his abilities March 27 where he be evaluated on his passing abilities. The NFL draft is not until May 8, when the Texans will make their final decision.

“It would be the worst decision they’ve ever made. I’d be in the same division playing against them twice a year.”

-Johnny Manziel

GOURMET, AND GOING TO STAY THAT WAY CAFE & BAR

PIZZA

Village Shopping Center 6921 Tomahawk Road Prairie Village, KS 66208

913-262-6226 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily KRISTINE HUGHES BRAND PARTNER NERIUM AD Real Science, Real Results GUARENTEED www.kristinehughes.nerium.com 913-706-1705

Address: 6955 Tomahawk Rd, Prairie Village, KS 66208 Phone: (913) 262-6737 Hours: Monday- Friday 8am - 9pm Saturday 8am - 6pm Sunday 8am- 5pm

It’s about time we met.

Best Company To Work For -Ingram’s Magazine

“Completely Free” Checking and Online Banking Leawood - 3510 West 95th Street - (913) 341-1144 Overland Park - 10700 Nall Avenue - (913) 905-2100 Stop by for free ice cream on Fridays! Like us on Facebook!

www.bankofkc.com

Minimum deposit to open is $50. No minimum balance required on checking accounts, except Investment Checking, which has a $2,500 minimum balance required. $10 monthly service charge with Fresh Start Checking.

Your Hands And Feet Deserve To Look Their Best!

High School Students Only

Acrylic Full Set w/ White Tips

Manicure

only $26

only $13

Acrylic Only

Not Valid With Any Other Offer. Exp 11/30/13 Not Valid With Any Other Offer. Exp 11/30/13

Spa Pedicure

ROSE NAILS 4175 somerset drive prairie village, ks 66208 913.383.8288

HOURS : mon-fri 9:30am-8pm

sat 9:30am-7pm sun Noon-5pm

only $23

Gel Polish Manicure Shellac, Axxium, Gelish

only $27

Not Valid With Any Other Offer. Exp 11/30/13 Not Valid With Any Other Offer. Exp 11/30/13

Fill In

only $16 Acrylic Only

Pink and White Solar Nails Back Fill New Set

$32 $40

Not Valid With Any Other Offer. Exp 11/30/13 Not Valid With Any Other Offer. Exp 11/30/13

walk in or appointments welcome. all equipment sanitized. gift certificates available

Shawnee Mission East - Class of 2014

After Graduation Party

We count on the SM East Community for donations for the After Grad Party! Below are the levels suggested per class, but any donations would be greatly appreciated! __ $20.00 FRESHMAN FAMILIES __ $30.00 SOPHOMORE FAMILIES __ $40.00 JUNIOR FAMILIES __ $50.00 SENIOR FAMILIES __ OTHER DONATION

You may either pay online at https://smepta.wufoo.com/forms/after-graduation-party/ or mail your donation to: Mary Shirling, 2701 W. 68th St. Mission Hills, KS 66208 (Please make all checks payable to Shawnee Mission East PTA) We are also looking for items to place in our Senior Raffle and would appreciate any donation.

Traditionally these items are $50.00 value or up (tickets, gift cards, electronics, sports related or dorm room items, etc.) All raffle donations may be sent and/or dropped off to: Tracy Tetrick, 5810 Windsor Drive, Fairway, Kansas 66205

SPEEDING TICKET? TRUMAN TICKETS

FOR A SPEEDY RESOLUTION

Truman Tickets Law

816-471-1114 Choice of lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements.

Licensed in Missouri and Kansas.

Next Generation Advocacy

news.

Kansas House bill 2453 has caused an outbreak on social media

WRITTEN BY MORGAN KRAKOW

The recent controversy over Kansas’s House Bill 2453, or The Religious Freedoms Act, had students and citizens alike voicing their opinions over social media. They were sharing petitions and sending links to write senators, all on the web. The outcry brought to light a new trend among young people: social advocacy via the internet. It rallied more support and reached more people around the globe and within East.

The proposed bill that passed with a 72-49 vote in the Kansas House on Wednesday Feb. 13 was created in order to better protect the rights of business owners and individuals to refuse service to same-sex couples under the justification of religious freedom. For example, if a same-sex couple wanted to purchase flowers for their wedding, a florist with opposing religious beliefs could refuse his or her service without the fear of being sued. Opponents of the bill fired back that it was discriminatory in nature and unnecessary to pass.

The bill reached national headlines including the pages of the New York Times and primetime minutes on CNN, before it was slated to become law. But as reaction to the bill became more heated as speculation grew, the Kansas Senate halted passing the bill, citing that they did not have a majority to try to pass it into law.

University of Kansas Journalism school professor, Douglas Ward said that this bill especially seemed to draw reaction on the Internet. Because of its controversial nature and applicability to young people, Douglas added, it was not surprising that it blew up on Twitter and Facebook as well.

“Younger people tend to be far more tolerant of different lifestyles than older people are,” Ward said.

“And younger people likewise are more likely to use social media.”

Like other groups of young people, students at Shawnee Mission

East also took to Internet advocacy.

Junior Kaedyn Diaz, President of the Gay-Straight Alliance Club at East, was active over Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr during the controversy.

He realized that many of his followers and the people he was following had been misinformed about parts of the bill, so he tried understanding different opinions on the bill through his posts and tweets. He would then follow up to the replies and help them better understand the terms with the correct information. “[I] see how people react to certain things, like ‘what do you feel about this bill being passed?’ and then see how they think about it and if they have been misinformed.” Diaz said.

Thomas Witt, executive director of the main lobbyist group against the bill, Equality Kansas, has also had to deal with misinformation. He said a consequence of the Internet is that stories, articles and petitions can get passed around and shared without any true evidence or trustworthy sources behind them.

“Nothing spreads as fast as bad information through Facebook or Twitter,” Witt said.

According to Witt, although social media seemed effective at spreading awareness about the bill, mainstream media such as newspapers in Topeka and Kansas City were able to draw attention to the subject before it exploded on the internet.

Ward teaches his journalism students to use social media as another tool to monitor what people are talking about, as well as a way to publish their own articles. They can use it to not only generate story ideas, but also to get feedback their pieces. According to him, the printed newspaper and social networks feed off of each other. While the mainstream media was the catalyst to getting people’s reaction about the bill, the outcry on social media fueled even

more news coverage of it.

Although this conversation penetrated both mainstream and social media fields, it was not the first one to do so. Emotionally-charged issues, according to Ward, have created firestorms all over the globe. He said that very generation of young people rallies for change, and the goals are usually similar, but today’s youth are able to reach far more people through the Internet than any generation in the past. Using the Arab Spring and other uprisings as an example, Ward said that social media has become a key tool for young people.

“Social media allows people to reach out and connect and say ‘hey, look what’s going on’ and ‘we need to do something about it.’” Ward said.

Connection, junior Evan Rose said, is one of the main reasons social media has been able to make such a big impact on him and his peers.

Instead of sitting down to read the paper, he uses Twitter to catch quick headlines and better understand certain current events. He likes that it is fast, and more personal because he is able to directly follow journalists and news agencies, getting to-the-minute updates.

“I think [the Internet] stimulates interest in political affairs more so than newspapers,” Rose said. “Because it’s something people use and get on every day and allows them to connect with their world so I would say it’s crucial and very important.”

Both Rose and Diaz see social media playing a dominant role in the future of young people. According to them, their generation is already better informed and more tolerant of other lifestyles than generations preceding them.

“Social media is definitely something that provides a voice for young people,” Rose said. “And in that way I would say that I have more of an effect as a kid nowadays than I would have fifty years ago.”

How Other Countries Get the Word Out

ZELLO

A walkie talky- like app Used by Ukranians to organize their protests.

Weibo

A Twitter-inspired app that was used in China when Twitter was banned It was recently used to spread around word of the “bird-flu” in China. It was anounced on Weibo that around 16,000 diseased dead pigs had floated down a river that provides water to much of Shanghai.

SMS System in Saudi Arabia In Saudi Arabia, Officials shoot out a text to a Women’s husband if they see a female traveling abroad alone.

NAMELESS GAMES

news.

Yik Yak creates a new form of anonymous cyberbullying WRITTEN BY JULIA POE

*names have been changed to protect identity

It started as a joke between friends.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, sophomore Joseph Harris* and ten of his friends downloaded Yik Yak, an app that allowed the boys to post anonymously to other users in a five-mile radius.

They were unaware of the growing audience of students who were also downloading the app. Two days later, over 500 estimated students at East, Rockhurst and Pembroke Hill were using it.

The posts on Yik Yak ranged from crude to cruel. They attacked the sexuality, clothing, weight, social standing, race and socioeconomic status of students in all grades, and at rapid speed.

On the morning of Thursday, Feb. 13 -- the peak of the app’s usage -- the Yik Yak feed was being updated at a rate of three posts a minute.

“We never took it as something that would get so horrible,” Harris said. “No one was safe from it. Just whoever popped into their mind, that’s who people typed about.”

The overnight obsession with Yik Yak ended as quickly as it started. By Saturday, warnings from the administration and a counteracting stream of compliments from the anonymous Twitter account @SMEPositweets and @SMELove had helped to drop the rate to five Yik Yak posts a day.

Yet for 48 hours, Yik Yak had dominated the conversations of East students, teachers and administrators. It made an impact to both students and faculty, because it illustrated what the future of cyberbullying could look like.

According to teen therapist Kathy Calvert, this form of bullying doesn’t play by the rules. It’s impossible to trace, impossible to tell who is saying what. And although teen therapists such as Calvert agree that it wreaks havoc on the self-image and social stability of teenagers, anonymous social media remains enticing to bullies.

“Lots of these posts were aimed at girls like [me] who people thought could take it, but a lot of them couldn’t,” sophomore Lauren Blackburn said. “They called me chunky [on Yik Yak], and that’s a part of myself that I’ve never been completely comfortable with. It makes you fear what other people think of you. You don’t just forget that.”

Calvert attributes the attraction of — and obsession with — Yik Yak to the need to fit in. The app’s day of fame was fueled by a psychological mindset called “groupthink.”

When teenagers fall into groupthink, they are empowered by the behavior of their peers. The urge to be recognized — even anonymously through likes — becomes a true obsession, and Calvert said that East students were driven by the urge to be recognized as part of the Yik Yak movement.

“You can see whole groups of people just feed off of each other,” Calvert said. “They’re not thinking about how those words, those insults could hurt someone. They’re thinking about how many likes they can get [on Yik Yak], how much this will help them be like everyone else.”

This creates a pack mentality. Students focus on pleasing and imitating others. At the same time, Calvert says, they will attempt to outdo one another, posting increasingly cruel insults.

“I would just make fun of one particular person, because

they were going after me,” sophomore Brady Sanders* said.

“One post I did [about him] got 66 likes. He would just get embarrassed and he would post more and more stuff. It was hard to stop because we were all doing it.”

Despite the brevity of Yik Yak’s fame at East, sociology teacher Vicki Arndt-Helgeson and Calvert both believe that the damage done during those two days could be more detrimental than most of the bullies understand. Although it had negative consequences on Yik Yak, groupthink would later work in reverse when anonymous Twitter accounts fought back with compliments.

Cyberbullying is a unique form of bullying, according to Arndt-Helgesen because it is permanent. Victims who kept screenshots of posts about themselves could revisit the insult, prolonging their embarrassment. This was a major concern of senior Jordan Hall, who spoke out against Yik Yak to the freshman choir and was the first student to ask Positweets to take action.

“People would send each other screenshots of it. They would try to laugh it off,” Hall said. “But it wasn’t funny, and everyone knew it. When you’re bullied, you sit and you just replay it over and over again, and there’s no escape from that.”

To add to that embarrassment, cyberbullying occurs in a public forum. With over 500 students in the five-mile radius using the app at its peak, victims were surrounded by hundreds of anonymous bystanders. Calvert believes this could threaten the relationships between students.

“You don’t know who attacked you, but you also don’t know who just stood by and saw all of the nasty things that were said about you,” Calvert said. “It makes you wonder how people truly perceive you, how they define you.”

Before Yik Yak, principal John McKinney knew exactly how to enforce the East bullying policy. A first offense resulted in a stern discussion. Following offenses resulted in escalating punishments, ranging from detentions to in-school or out-of-school suspensions. Punishing behavior on Yik Yak was different.

After having a steady stream of students request confidential meetings to discuss Yik Yak on Thursday, McKinney downloaded the app, aiming to find a way to stem the tide. He watched as the feed refreshed itself, stuffed with insults and attacks on students.

After hours of watching, McKinney could only make guesses. He had no way to catch perpetrators.

The anonymity kept McKinney’s involvement to a minimum. Hosting a faculty meeting to warn against Yik Yak and making an all-school announcement at the end of school on Friday was all that McKinney could do.

“I could watch and monitor what was happening, but there was very little that the administration could do,” McKinney said. “I had students coming in and telling me that they weren’t involved, but there was no way for us to find out who was actually involved. We had to leave it to the students to handle.”

The shift against Yik Yak also began on anonymous social media. Groupthink worked in reverse when the anonymous Twitter account @SMEPositweets began to tweet positive

compliments on Thursday night.

The change from bullying was started by senior Ezequiel Cole* and junior Alex Bryant*, who run the account. The account’s purpose since it began three years ago was to tweet “mildly nice things” about East students and faculty, but it had been inactive for 83 days before Yik Yak hit East.

On Thursday night, the account sent out a tweet: Yik Yak? More like Yick YUCK! DM us with some HAPPY things you would like us to tweet out! #downwithbullies Within the next four hours, the account received more than 50 direct messages that included positive messages about students.

“I just immediately got like 30 messages, some from the same people,” Cole said. “I was just tweeting so much. I wish we could spread it out but sometimes it’s nice to do it all at once.”

For junior Maria Dunn, the positive change was encouraging to see. She had downloaded Yik Yak during lunch on Thursday, hoping that posting compliments would slow the rapid flow of insults and attacks. But after 15 minutes, she was feeling overwhelmed.

“There was just such a steady stream of negative stuff that it just overpowered anything we tried to say,” Dunn said. “I deleted it when I realized that I couldn’t make a dent in it.”

Dunn’s approach didn’t work, but it wasn’t because East was unwilling to change — Calvert believes it was because she lacked a following. This is what gave Positweets the ability to overpower Yik Yak. Each tweet was receiving anywhere from five to 50 favorites.

For students like Harris, who was originally a bully on Yik Yak, Positweets made being nice popular.

The same night that Positweets began to tweet compliments, the anonymous Twitter account @SMELove was created by James Murphy*. @SMELove was made to work alongside Positweets by tweeting compliments about students, continuing to feed the popularity of kindness.

“I thought we needed a little bit of redemption after all the Yik Yak drama,” Murphy said in a direct message. “We unified over hatred. These people getting their feelings hurt didn’t deserve it, and when you can’t confront the issue it’s even harder.”

Once the majority opinion turned against Yik Yak, Calvert believes that groupthink kicked in again, pressuring students to delete the app and discourage its usage.

In the end, the phenomenon lasted a total of two days.

Now, Yik Yak is hardly used by East students, with less than 10 posts a day. However, @SMEPositweets and @SMELove continue to update their accounts on a daily basis.

McKinney has applauded the student body on its quick reaction to the bullying on Yik Yak, attributing the social change to the school’s positive atmosphere. Calvert, however, sees this type of drama as a typical pattern in the behavior of teens, which was heightened by the anonymity.

“It doesn’t reflect anything positive or negative about East,” Calvert said. “It shows that these are teenagers, they are human, they are going to react to their surroundings and imitate whatever everyone else is.”

opinion.

shattering a chance at life Unborn children should be given the chance to live; it is a mother’s duty to allow her baby this right

“Unplanned pregnancy”: a term constantly thrown in my face whenever my eyes wander outside of the passenger seat’s window on I-35. Blown up signs promoting abortion clinics stand out at me from the safety of my mother’s car. This was the first time it really struck me that there are an opinion of ELLIE BOOTON actual clinics held for women to kill their soon-to-be child. I felt nauseous. How could a woman end a life of a person they’d never even laid eyes on? Every one of the 1.06 million women who aborted their child had their reasons, but a human being’s right to live should override them all.

She was too young to support a child...she had no other choice...

Oh but she did. She could’ve bore her baby daughter to let her see the light of day. She could’ve brought up the next Eleanor Roosevelt, Madonna or J.K. Rowling. She could’ve watched her daughter take her first steps, heard her say “mama” for the first time or watched as her butterfly backpack practically swallowed her whole as she walked into her first day of preschool. She could’ve loved that baby more than anything else in the world.

Abortion disgusts me. It’s cutting off the life of a human being who hasn’t been given a chance to open their eyes, it’s killing an innocent unborn and it’s murdering a baby daughter.

Countless men and women would be more than willing to raise this woman’s child when she wouldn’t, so she should at least give her child the chance at living a normal life and put her up for adoption.

Anytime I hear a story of a woman aborting her twins or a college student choosing to end the life of her baby, my mind immediately jumps to what I would say. “You got yourself into this situation, and now you have the responsibility of raising a child. It’s time for you to grow a pair of lady balls and provide for your baby.”

He left her...and she couldn’t have raised a baby alone.

I beg to differ. Yes — yes she could’ve. Even when her friends and family are no longer a resource, it’s not impossible. Alone or surrounded, she cannot half-ass the care she gives for her baby.

There will be sacrifices. That New Year’s party she was excited for?

CELEBRITIES ADVOCATING FROM EXPERIENCE These celebrities impacted their industries, but their parents considered aborting them at one point, eventually choosing life instead. Now the celebrities speak out for pro-life. photos courtesy of MCT Campus

She’s not going.

Might as well get rid of the crop-tops now and stop kidding herself. She shouldn’t plan on going out on dates, unless he doesn’t mind taking shifts cleaning dirty diapers all night. She shouldn’t expect to get into Harvard; education is no longer at the top of her priorities.

Think about it like this: she’s the mama bear, and her baby is her cub.

She constantly watches over that cub and keeps her out of harm’s way. She devotes herself to the cub, and she hunts for her dinner and teaches her to be patient. Because in the end, she’ll learn from her mama bear, so she will have to sharpen her claws and set that example.

She was raped sir — it wasn’t her fault. She was so young...

I cannot begin to express how unforgivable rape is; it’s twisted and outright unacceptable. In that very unfortunate situation that that girl is going to give birth to a bad man’s daughter -- her job is now to prove something.

She should prove something to him, prove something to the world and prove something to herself.

She should keep this baby of hers. She should name her Hope and raise her with integrity and strength. Teach her to always say please and thank you, to fold her napkin in her lap and to hold the door for strangers.

She should prove to him that she’s stronger than he could’ve ever imagined, and that although it may seem like nothing to him, it’s her life that he’s messing with. And nobody messes with her.

She’ll prove to the world that she isn’t a victim, but a survivor.

And lastly, she’ll prove to herself that she can persevere, and that those mugs with “Number One Mom” on them? Yeah, those were made for her.

In the end, everything goes back to the simple idea of cause and effect.

Actions will always be followed with reactions- whether those be positive or negative. Women will have to be prepared to face whatever music is thrown at them and take on challenges valiantly, but most of all, a woman should choose life for her baby and treat her as gift and not a burden.

MUSICIAN NICK CANNON

ATHLETE TIM TEBOW

Tim Tebow’s mother, Pam is a pro-life advocate, telling the story of her doctor’s advise to abort her unborn child, or risk dying. But, Pam said she “trusted in God” to spare the life of herself and her son Tim. information courtesy of priestsforlife.org and christianpost.org

Nick Cannon’s mother considered abortion after getting pregnant at 17. His song “Can I Live” is said to be inspired by her decision of choosing life for him instead.

MICHAEL J. STEIERT, D.D.S. LLC General Dentistry MISSION BANK BUILDING 8201 MISSION ROAD, SUITE 231 PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 (913) 432-2525

I

need to rejuvenate

M-F 6 am - 2 pm Sat. 7 am- 11am Closed Sundays and Holidays 5606B Johnson Dr., Mission, KS 66202 (one block west of Nall) 913-671-8290

SHINE spa

Whether rejuventating alone or celebrating with friends, Shine Spa in historic Westport is the place to feel your best...with a little extra shine!

Massage, Skin Care, and Beauty

GET 10% OFF WITH THIS AD 4141 PENNSYLVANIA • 816.531.8600 • WWW.SHINESPAKC.COM FRESH...FUN...FABULOUS

opinion.

CREATING our own

IMPRINT

A viral blog about our generation being the new hippies causes a stir among teens

R

arely do I take the time to scroll through my Facebook feed, but while bored and looking for something to an opinion of do I opened up the app LEAH PACK and stumbled across an article being shared left and right. At first sight of the article titled, “Could it be?

Millennials Are the New Generation of Hippies, But with Better Weed”. Fascinated by the idea of it, I kept reading Lauren Martin’s article, but she failed to convince me by the end. Plus, hipsters are not hippies!

To start, what is a hippie? We recognize hippies based on their long, free-flowing hair, Volkswagen vans, drug consumption and Woodstock; everything the media has taught us to think about hippies. We fail to recognize that the hippies created the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organization, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters’s Acid Tests and Yippies. Even though our generation may like to think we are hippies by mimicking their style and attempting to make a difference in the world we are still very much different.

One of Martin’s main arguments is drug use. For one, I think there is an obvious difference in the way drugs are used today compared to then. Yes, our generation has access to marijuana, LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs, but we now use these knowing that there are health risks.

Second, I would like to think that our generation has, and will, accomplish goals greater than legalizing marijuana (which, let’s be honest, probably has a ways to go before the drug is completely legal). It’s hard to compare the results of the hippie’s protest to end segregation to our progress with legalizing marijuana.

The media encourages us to associate drugs with the ‘60s. There is no arguing that drugs were extremely prevalent then, but hippies weren’t just doing drugs for no reason. They were brought up in a time where drug use was encouraged. Drugs were thought to heal all illnesses and were not seen as harmful. The drugs they used made them feel better, encouraged creativity, allowed them to overcome societal norms and gain different perspectives. At a time when the negative side ef-

fects were unknown, who would say no to that?

Now let’s talk about music. The many great artists who became popular in the ‘60s are still listened to today. Being familiar with that music is something to be proud of, but who are we to compare Carol King to Lana Del Ray? That’s not all; Martin had the nerve to compare Woodstock to popular music festivals now such as Coachella, Burning Man and Bonnaroo. The events are in no way alike. Woodstock was a free event that brought together over half a million people to see 32 acts including Jimmy Hendrix, the Grateful Dead and other up and coming artists of the time. That cannot be put in the same category as the musical festivals today which are basically just large scale advertisements for the companies sponsoring them. Not to mention, the tickets are barely affordable and many of the people aren’t there for the music. The festival-goers often times only care to show off their newest “festival-attire,” try some new drugs and tell people they went (see Jimmy Kimmel’s interview with Coachella attendees). For those people who attend because they truly love the music, you should be able to agree with these observations.

I would like to take the time to stand up for the baby boomers, the original hippies. Martin chooses to describe them now as “straight-laced, stubborn, narrowminded and seemingly unhappy,” but let’s keep in mind that we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.

Rather than hating on our parents and all their friends we should be praising them for the technology, arts and other discoveries that are used every day. It’s true, we may be pursuing careers they had never even thought of and chasing after dreams that may seem unimportant or unrealistic to them, but remember they were doing the same thing when they were our age. Yes, we want nothing more than to defy our parents and prove them wrong, but name one generation of teens who doesn’t.

There may be some similarities between the hippie generation and the millennials, but we are not here to follow their act. We fight for gay rights, listen to indie rock, take selfies, develop new careers and push to save our environment. There’s no telling what else our generation will accomplish. We are not the new generation of hippies, we are a generation of our own.

opinion.

almost SEEING

DOUBLE

Reflecting on what life would’ve been like with her unborn twin AN OPINION OF AUDREY DANCIGER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ABBY HANS I was supposed to be a twin.

Two high-maintenance bundles of joy were supposed to come into the world at 12:35 p.m. on Nov. 9, 1996. My parents were supposed to enroll two six-year-olds in taekwondo, who would eventually quit because they only had enough patience to make it to their orange belt. There were supposed to be two Dancigers struggling to get through their junior year of IB right now. But for these instances, there was only one.

When my mom was pregnant with me, she had her second miscarriage. Of course, only one of the fetuses died, otherwise I wouldn’t be here writing this right now.

Don’t worry, it’s never been the whole sityou-down, big reveal type of thing; we’re pretty casual about it in my family. We’ve always looked at the miscarriage in a positive way because it means the baby was unhealthy and would have probably come into the world either in constant pain or unable to function normally.

Still, I often find myself imagining what it would be like if there were two of me.

I know that just because you have the same DNA as someone it doesn’t make you perfect copies of each other. There’s no tell-

ing if my twin and I would have the same personalities, let alone similar ones. Some things about us would be analogous while others would be polar opposite.

But what if we really were the exact same?

To think that there would be another person out there who thinks, looks and acts the exact same as I do is, well, weird. Two people that laugh too hard and loudly at everything. Two people that have to have two pieces of gum at a time because one isn’t enough. Two people that can’t stand when things aren’t organized, but won’t take five minutes to pick their clothes up off the floor. And all under one roof? The thought makes me feel bad for my parents.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about myself as a twin is competition, which should give you some indication of my vying nature. I don’t like to lose, give up, or admit I’m wrong, so pitting two of me against each other would inevitably end in a third world war.

On the other hand, pair us up and we’d be unstoppable. Seriously, no debate team in the country could touch us. Even if our arguments didn’t make sense we would rant long enough and loud enough that the oth-

THE VANISHING TWIN VANISHING TWIN SYNDROME when one twin fetus disappears from the womb during pregnancy, resulting in a normal singleton pregnancy.

INFORMATION COURTESY OF MULTIPLES.ABOUT.COM

er team would eventually just give up out of pure mental debilitation.

I like to maintain a high level of organization in my life; it keeps me sane and relatively focused. My room, however, is the only exception to this. Looking around I can only see a few spots of carpet where there aren’t piles of books, bags, blankets and clothes. But put two of me in here and there won’t even be a carpet to see anymore.

There would be schedules and to-do lists all over the place, with good intentions of keeping my twin and myself on task. However, these would only get lost, mixed up with others and we would likely spend too much time looking for them to actually accomplish anything. We’d probably just end up fighting about whose list was whose and which schedules allowed for the most productivity.

I also have a nasty habit of thinking I’m a lot funnier than I am. This often leads to a lot of awkward moments where I’m laughing at myself while everyone else in the room awkwardly chuckles so I don’t feel bad. Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, we’ve all been there. The only difference is, this is normal for me. Twice the amount of me, twice the amount of bad

jokes and twice the amount of references people don’t understand. But at least my twin and I would have each other as an audience.

Up until now, I’ve made it sound like having two of me around would be hell for anyone who happened upon the two of us.

I’ll admit there would be two times the loud, two times the stubborn and two times the micro-management everywhere we went, but I’d really like to think that the world wouldn’t be worse off with two of me in it.

I try to see the good in people and I’ll gladly go on a compliment rant for anyone who needs a little pick-me-up. I’ll go on a walk with you if it’s nice out and I’ll bake for you when it’s an I-need-sugar-cookies-now kind of day. Doubling all of that couldn’t really be such a bad thing, right?

Though I’ve got my quirks and my downfalls, I’d like to think that if there were two of me, maybe we’d bring out the best in each other. We’d get each other in line when one of us was being too stubborn and there would be a lot more cookies everywhere we went. But, while having a twin would be interesting(to say the least), I’m perfectly happy being the only me around.

but only 1 IN 70

ARE BORN AS A TWIN

3 IN 1000

1 IN 8

PEOPLE START OUT AS A TWIN

ARE THE AVERAGE AMERICAN’S CHANCES OF HAVING TWINS

features.

Passionate for Pottery

East, the ceramics room became her second home. She has taken the ceramics class a total of eight times, and is currently taking it twice day, and even going in before or after school to work sometimes even 30-45 minutes.

As Anna became more comfortable with our conversation, her shoulders became slightly more relaxed. It was hard to keep up with the motion of her hands.

Each transition she took, something new and completely unexpected happened to Senior Anna Karnowski is passionate about the clay. ceramics and strives to open her own studio Gesturing to the walls adorned with art, she says, “Everything has an influence WRITTEN BY HANNAH COLEMAN on what you do, even if you don’t really rePHOTO BY KATIE LAMAR alize it. I find myself getting inspiration from things in nature that I see; I will draw trees and stuff like that, and even the textures are related to things that I see. A lot of my stuff has weird lines on it, and you see lines everywhere, so literally just everything influences that.”

The blob changes form many times, moving in an up and alking into down sort of rhythm, her deft movements making the craft the ceramics room is like stepping through look incredibly easy. a painting. It’s hardly a room at all. Instead, the scene is The practice and time Anna has put into her work hasn’t much harder to take in all at once, much harder to appreci- come without difficulty. She has to work with all four of the ate from far away. The finer, minute details are more promi- elements: earth, air, fire, water. Each element that is essential nent: the staggered breathing of someone in complete fo- to the process of her art could betray her. cus, or the discouraged grunt of a slip of the hand.

She has had to learn how to become a precise scientist.

Walking further into the room, it seemed as though my But these difficulties are what make her character. Tilting very presence caused a misstep in the rhythm of steady her head to the side, pausing slightly she finds the right slapping noises against the clay, and consistent buzzing of words to describe the nature of ceramics. pottery wheels. It was as if the body of students as a whole “In ceramics you have to get really messy and dirty, could sense this unconforming presence, changing the dy- and it takes a little more muscle power as opposed to namic throughout the room and slowing the flow of noise. drawing or painting,” she says. “I think it has given me Senior Anna Karnowski stood with dripping wet hands, more of a sense of discipline than I expected to gain. clad in a mustard yellow sweatshirt, masked by a formerly- Granted I love it, so that’s probably the reason why black apron now covered in lumpy, gray clay.

I’m in here all of the time. But I have to do things at a She walked towards the hallway so her quiet voice could certain time, and I have to be on time or else the whole be heard over the high-pitched drilling noises of room 207. thing is ruined and I have to mix the glazes properly, It was easy to watch Anna intently with unprecedented etc. And that applies sort of in a big way to the future interest as she sat with her legs around the pottery wheel, when you have a job. It’s been a big learning experihunched over her work, both her wrists cradling the spin- ence for me.” ning blob that was fast becoming a new shape. Easily maPart of Anna’s learning experience has been her nipulating the clay, she touched her finger to the top of ability to recognize the temperamentally of the art. the spinning, sleek brown object, and the sides of the clay For Anna there is a great difficulty in putting what peeled down. she pictures in her head, and making it happen on the “I began when I was eight or nine. I made really small wheel. things that were cracked and too thin in places,” she says.

“It’s frustrating,” she says. “But that being said, She thought she would hate ceramics; her mom signed overcoming that, it’s more rewarding when someher up for a class in the fourth grade, but contrary to what thing turns out well.” she expected, she immediately felt a connection with the Clay splatters onto the black apron that fragile craft. covers her Fort Hayes State sweatshirt, “The best thing about [ceramics] is being able to use wearing the name of her home to be. something you make,” she says. “You get more of a connec- There she will continue to elaborate on tion with a piece of artwork when you can hold it and use it.” what she has already done and major She began pondering her early years, her head tilted to in ceramics. the side, as she explained how he had continued to take ce“I would definitely love to have a ramics classes at the Kansas City Clay Guild, making sig- studio space and just sell stuff for a livnificant progress in her technique and skills. ing,” she says. “I feel it would be really “I think I have a good sense of what the clay can and can- difficult to do that, but I would love it.” not handle, which probably does come with a lot of practice, After 20 minutes, the shapeless but I feel like I picked it up a lot more quickly,” she says. blob, transient in form, had molded This natural, innate ability Anna possesses has led her into a perfectly shaped mug. She to take ceramics whenever possible, and when she got to sculpted the clay with her bare hands,

W

her fingerprints engraved into her work. The clay is a part of her DNA, and she is a part of it. The lines of her fingerprints are woven into the very element of earth. In a way, she and the clay have worked together to shape her own life, each and every minute she spends at the wheel.

Anna’s connection with ceramics isn’t a superficial thing, instead, it is very real, and it grows with each failure, each broken and cracked piece. It doesn’t wreck her, and it never will.

She was furious last week when her bowl cracked in half in the kiln; she was frustrated when her flower pot looked nothing like what she wanted. In spite of her many failures, she hasn’t quit. And there’s a reason. And to her, a mug is not just a mug. It is an exact replica of her very emotions.

The way she felt that day, bright in spirit, calmed in body; the mug reflected that. Curved handle, the sides not rigid or straight, her mug was an emotion. It’s not just a tangible thing you can feel. Clay is her element, body and soul. “[Ceramics] is kind of like when you hear a really great song that you love and it just kind of melts everything away in that moment,” she says. “I think that’s probably the biggest part of it for me. I mean art in general is kind of an emotional thing, and I feel like it sort of should be. But looking back at my stuff and when I made it, it’s like a timeline of my emotional story. It’s really weird how it’s subconsciously connected.”

spread.

W

in the

LAB

The amount of women in STEM fields is not able to keep up with an increase of available jobs WRITTEN BY SARAH BERGER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANNIE SAVAGE

hen senior Jordan Mason was younger she was always stuck between ‘the pink aisle’ and ‘the boy aisle’ at Target.

It was always a question between pink, sparkles and Barbies or blue, construction and Kinetix.

For Mason the answer was simple: Kinetix.

The multi-colored, plastic, interlocking rods of Kinetix gave her the chance to create and build, something she would much rather do than play house with dolls like the rest of her friends. The toys allowed her to use her mind to create a finished product. But when Mason created buildings and structures with her Kinetix, she wasn’t just building; she was learning the basic principles of engineering by using reason to create stable structures.

Years later, Mason’s Kinetix have changed into equations, and her interest in toys has grown into an interest in the field of chemical engineering. As a woman, she will be a minority in this field; according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, just 17.7 percent of chemical engineers are women.

According to KC STEM Alliance director Laura Loyacono, in Kansas City 20,000 new science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs will be created in the next 10 years. Currently there are not enough students, specifically girls, to fill these new jobs. Part of this problem can be attributed to the lack of women and students from the urban core going into STEM fields.

In 2013, the National Girls Collaborative Project’s State of Women and Girls in STEM study found that women made up 26 percent of the workforce in technological and mathematical science jobs. The gender gap was larger in the engineering field as a whole where women made up 13 percent of the overall workforce.

“We can’t go out and just grab the same types of kids that have been interested in engineering before,” Loyacono said. “Demographically it won’t work. We need more girls. It’s not just because it’s nice to [include girls]. It’s because there won’t be enough people to fill those jobs if we leave out entire sections of our community.”

One of the reasons Loyacono believes girls aren’t as prominent in STEM fields is the fact that many girls in the media or on T.V. shows create a false stereotype by writing math off as ‘not their thing’. According to Loyacono, this representation isn’t true, but it is damaging because she says it leads to a larger number of girls tending to believe they aren’t good at math.

The U.S. Department of Education Gender Equity in Education survey shows nationally boys have consistently outnumbered girls in AP mathematics (calculus and statistics) courses since 2000.

Mason says she has also seen a lower enrollment of girls in higher level science courses at East. Last year she thought more girls in her IB class chose to take Biology II rather than Chem 2 which has closer ties with math. Out of the eight boys in the senior IB class, five of them chose to take Chem 2 while the majority of the girls chose to take Bio 2 last year.

“People seem to assume chemistry is a lot harder,” Mason said. “Guys tend to be more towards that mathematical stuff. Engineering has been such a male-dominated thing for so long that it seems like something a guy would do.”

Junior Bethany Wiles, who wants to go into the computer science, also sees a gender gap in higher level math and science classes. Wiles doesn’t know any other girls that are interested in the computer science field. She thinks the lack of other women in these fields often scares girls away from these classes. This happened to her when she chose to switch from Industrial Technology to choir in eighth grade because she was the only girl enrolled in the class.

A study done by the National Science Foundation showed that the number of women earning bachelor’s degrees in computer sciences has been declining. In 1986, 35.8 percent of the computer science bachelor’s degrees earned were awarded to women. In 2006, this number declined to 20.5 percent.

According to Wiles, the image of the nerdy guy sitting in his basement coding has contributed to this stereotype. To Wiles coding doesn’t

fit with this image, in fact it’s the opposite. For her coding is creative and works as a tool to make peoples’ lives easier.

“You hear someone wants to go into computers and you wouldn’t necessarily think it’s a creative business,” Wiles said. “It really is. You can kind of do whatever you want and there’s so many different languages.

The possibilities are endless, really.”

Making peoples’ lives better is what draws women into STEM careers, says Loyacono. One of the ways she sees STEM becoming more popular among women is the appeal helping people through new inventions or innovations.

“Girls are more attracted to people-related professions, and they’re motivated not the same way boys are,” Loyacono said. “[Money] is important to [girls], but not as important as what is that I’m going to be able to do. How can I help people? How am I going to be able to change the world?”

Loyacono predicts that the gender gap in the STEM field will close in the future. But changes will have to be made before this can happen.

She suggests that colleges and STEM employers need to not focus on how money much girls can make, but rather the impact their can make on the people around them. Another change in the STEM industry that Loyacono sees necessary is the deliberate outreach to girls.

Different women such as Laura Kaeppeler, Miss America 2012 and Anna Maria Chavez, the CEO of the Girls Scouts of America, have spoken out and encouraged more girls to get involved in STEM. Organizations in the Kansas City area, like The KC STEM Alliance, also reach out to girls in hopes of getting girls in the local area involved in STEM fields.

Because of the larger public acceptance and outreach, Mason also thinks the gender gap in STEM fields will start to decrease.

“Girls can do the same things [as boys],” Mason said. “Girls can do math, girls can do science. I like science and I’m going to take math classes. I’m going to be an engineer if I want to.”

women in

spread.

S T E M

by the numbers

1 in every 7 engineers is female U.S. Department of Commerce

Women earn

57%

Women earn

&

50%

ngcproject.org

of bachelor’s degrees in all fields

of bachelor’s degrees in science & engineering

Percentage of men & women in the workforce

53%

Men in the workforce

47%

Women in the workforce

“GIRLS CAN DO MATH, GIRLS CAN DO SCIENCE. I LIKE SCIENCE AND I’M GOING TO TAKE MATH CLASSES. I’M GOING TO BE AN ENGINEER IF I WANT TO.” —senior Jordan Mason

vs.

Men in the science & engineering workforce

73% Women in the science & engineering workforce

27% ngcproject.org

the following percentages inngcproject.org each field are women

53%

51%

social sciences

biological & medical sciences

26% computer & mathematical sciences

13% engineering

spread.

W

in the

LAB

The amount of women in STEM fields is not able to keep up with an increase of available jobs WRITTEN BY SARAH BERGER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANNIE SAVAGE

hen senior Jordan Mason was younger she was always stuck between ‘the pink aisle’ and ‘the boy aisle’ at Target.

It was always a question between pink, sparkles and Barbies or blue, construction and Kinetix.

For Mason the answer was simple: Kinetix.

The multi-colored, plastic, interlocking rods of Kinetix gave her the chance to create and build, something she would much rather do than play house with dolls like the rest of her friends. The toys allowed her to use her mind to create a finished product. But when Mason created buildings and structures with her Kinetix, she wasn’t just building; she was learning the basic principles of engineering by using reason to create stable structures.

Years later, Mason’s Kinetix have changed into equations, and her interest in toys has grown into an interest in the field of chemical engineering. As a woman, she will be a minority in this field; according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, just 17.7 percent of chemical engineers are women.

According to KC STEM Alliance director Laura Loyacono, in Kansas City 20,000 new science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs will be created in the next 10 years. Currently there are not enough students, specifically girls, to fill these new jobs. Part of this problem can be attributed to the lack of women and students from the urban core going into STEM fields.

In 2013, the National Girls Collaborative Project’s State of Women and Girls in STEM study found that women made up 26 percent of the workforce in technological and mathematical science jobs. The gender gap was larger in the engineering field as a whole where women made up 13 percent of the overall workforce.

“We can’t go out and just grab the same types of kids that have been interested in engineering before,” Loyacono said. “Demographically it won’t work. We need more girls. It’s not just because it’s nice to [include girls]. It’s because there won’t be enough people to fill those jobs if we leave out entire sections of our community.”

One of the reasons Loyacono believes girls aren’t as prominent in STEM fields is the fact that many girls in the media or on T.V. shows create a false stereotype by writing math off as ‘not their thing’. According to Loyacono, this representation isn’t true, but it is damaging because she says it leads to a larger number of girls tending to believe they aren’t good at math.

The U.S. Department of Education Gender Equity in Education survey shows nationally boys have consistently outnumbered girls in AP mathematics (calculus and statistics) courses since 2000.

Mason says she has also seen a lower enrollment of girls in higher level science courses at East. Last year she thought more girls in her IB class chose to take Biology II rather than Chem 2 which has closer ties with math. Out of the eight boys in the senior IB class, five of them chose to take Chem 2 while the majority of the girls chose to take Bio 2 last year.

“People seem to assume chemistry is a lot harder,” Mason said. “Guys tend to be more towards that mathematical stuff. Engineering has been such a male-dominated thing for so long that it seems like something a guy would do.”

Junior Bethany Wiles, who wants to go into the computer science, also sees a gender gap in higher level math and science classes. Wiles doesn’t know any other girls that are interested in the computer science field. She thinks the lack of other women in these fields often scares girls away from these classes. This happened to her when she chose to switch from Industrial Technology to choir in eighth grade because she was the only girl enrolled in the class.

A study done by the National Science Foundation showed that the number of women earning bachelor’s degrees in computer sciences has been declining. In 1986, 35.8 percent of the computer science bachelor’s degrees earned were awarded to women. In 2006, this number declined to 20.5 percent.

According to Wiles, the image of the nerdy guy sitting in his basement coding has contributed to this stereotype. To Wiles coding doesn’t

fit with this image, in fact it’s the opposite. For her coding is creative and works as a tool to make peoples’ lives easier.

“You hear someone wants to go into computers and you wouldn’t necessarily think it’s a creative business,” Wiles said. “It really is. You can kind of do whatever you want and there’s so many different languages.

The possibilities are endless, really.”

Making peoples’ lives better is what draws women into STEM careers, says Loyacono. One of the ways she sees STEM becoming more popular among women is the appeal helping people through new inventions or innovations.

“Girls are more attracted to people-related professions, and they’re motivated not the same way boys are,” Loyacono said. “[Money] is important to [girls], but not as important as what is that I’m going to be able to do. How can I help people? How am I going to be able to change the world?”

Loyacono predicts that the gender gap in the STEM field will close in the future. But changes will have to be made before this can happen.

She suggests that colleges and STEM employers need to not focus on how money much girls can make, but rather the impact their can make on the people around them. Another change in the STEM industry that Loyacono sees necessary is the deliberate outreach to girls.

Different women such as Laura Kaeppeler, Miss America 2012 and Anna Maria Chavez, the CEO of the Girls Scouts of America, have spoken out and encouraged more girls to get involved in STEM. Organizations in the Kansas City area, like The KC STEM Alliance, also reach out to girls in hopes of getting girls in the local area involved in STEM fields.

Because of the larger public acceptance and outreach, Mason also thinks the gender gap in STEM fields will start to decrease.

“Girls can do the same things [as boys],” Mason said. “Girls can do math, girls can do science. I like science and I’m going to take math classes. I’m going to be an engineer if I want to.”

women in

spread.

S T E M

by the numbers

1 in every 7 engineers is female U.S. Department of Commerce

Women earn

57%

Women earn

&

50%

ngcproject.org

of bachelor’s degrees in all fields

of bachelor’s degrees in science & engineering

Percentage of men & women in the workforce

53%

Men in the workforce

47%

Women in the workforce

“GIRLS CAN DO MATH, GIRLS CAN DO SCIENCE. I LIKE SCIENCE AND I’M GOING TO TAKE MATH CLASSES. I’M GOING TO BE AN ENGINEER IF I WANT TO.” —senior Jordan Mason

vs.

Men in the science & engineering workforce

73% Women in the science & engineering workforce

27% ngcproject.org

the following percentages inngcproject.org each field are women

53%

51%

social sciences

biological & medical sciences

26% computer & mathematical sciences

13% engineering

features.

shift in

SECURITY

SUPERVISION

BUS

Overland Park Police Chief, John Douglass, will become the SMSD head of security beginning in May

DOUGLASS’S CHANGES IN POSITION OVER THE YEARS

FEB. 1973

Douglass joins the OP police department as a patrol officer.

WRITTEN BY ANDREW MCKITTRICK PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES WOOLDRIGE AND ANDREW MCKITTRICK

C

urrent Overland Park Police Chief “We are in the people business and in the of respect,” East SRO David Parker said. “...His and future Shawnee Mission people business, relationships are everything,” experience shows him that he without quesSchool District (SMSD) head of East principal John McKinney said. “But when tion has the best intentions for the safety and security John Douglass was on a fishing trip you are working in a business where there are security of the school district. with fellow police officers in the Ozarks when people and people are your main priority like This closesness with his officers is somehe found out about the Coleducation, having those re- thing that Douglass is looking forward to. umbine school shooting. lationships. Being able to “We will be smaller and it will allow me to He was watching TV dur- The threat had totally draw on those relationships have more direct involvement,” Douglass said. ing his lunch break when migrated and changed. and raw on the experiences “...[Lt. Beck] is still there and has been superthe shooting appeared on And that has continued that he’s had over the past vising that unit so he will report to me. I won’t the news. And from the mo- to evolve since Colum41 years is huge and will have necessarily the same kind of personnel ment it happened, he knew bine. only help our cause to keep issues that I have had.” school security would nevstudents safe.”

Although active shooters make the news, er be the same.

Over his years on the Douglass isn’t just concerned about that asThe police officers at force, Douglass has seen pect of security. The day-to-day threats will be Columbine were waiting and attempting to sweeping changes. In 1986, the Overland what he focuses on. From tornados, to domesnegotiate with the shooter. According to Dou- Park Police Department had one computer to tic violence, to workplace violence, Douglass glass, these shooters were simply out to kill work on research. He will be working within will be working with the administration to people, not get something from officers. This school district with 8,000 form strategies. As Dougmeant that their old tactics had to change to high schoolers, each havlass and McKinney work I think it will help meet the evolving threat. ing their own laptop. When together, they will be workhim a lot just number “The threat had totally migrated and he first started, Overland ing to improve the safety of one as a team memchanged,” Douglass said. “And that has con- Park was a suburb of 70,000 students, something that ber from the other tinued to evolve since Columbine and there is people but it has grown to McKinney considers his a whole science of school active shooters and over 180,000. biggest responsibility. chiefs and sheriffs in a whole strategy that goes with that. It conJust as the city of Over“The main reason we the area he’s going to tinues that way because there are individuals land Park has grown, so has are here is to get you graduhave a lot of respect. who are willing to forfeit their lives in the pur- the police department. As ated and moved on but all suit of this nefarious activity.”

Chief of Police, he was in of that stuff means nothing Chief Douglass will be bringing 41 years charge of close to 250 staffif our students aren’t safe,” of police experience to the Shawnee Mission ers but when he comes to SMSD, he will have McKinney said. “...I want the number one priSchool District when he begins his new job 25 subordinates. This will allow Douglass to ority, the number one thing that that adminon May 1. Douglass has worked in every de- take a more hands on approach with school istrator wakes up in the morning and thinks partment of the Overland Park Police Depart- security and the officers in charge. is school safety. That’s the key to the whole ment. From being a standard patrol officer to “I think it will help him a lot just number thing.” commanding a staff to becoming the Chief of one as a team member from the other chiefs Police in 1995. and sheriffs in the area he’s going to have a lot

JOHN DOUGLASS

MAR. 1996

Appointed chief of OP police department.

MAY 2014

Will become director of safety and security for SMSD.

David Parker

features.

Fashion Club

Film Club

“Catch Me If You Can” plays at Film Club on the projector in Nathan Southwicks science classroom. Film Club President, Junior Lizzy Hall and Vice President, junior Janet Fields stand in front of the screen, sarcastically talking to each other about how there is a great turn out when clearly they are the only two who showed up today.

“Its really just Janet and I now and we’re competing with other clubs that meet on Fridays now,” Hall said. “We are thinking about having less meetings” The club was started two years ago and was primarily run by upperclassmen, Hall was the only underclassmen member so when the seniors graduated she “inherited” the club and Janet became her VP. They share the responsibility of making posters and getting the word out that they meet every Friday.

The meetings are spent watching popular movies and discussing the cultural significance. For instance, when watching “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” the club discussed how it has stayed popular even after so many years of its release date. When

the club watched “The Help,” they talked about things happening during the time period of the movie that related to what they were studying in U.S. History class.

Last year, Film Club had more avid members that would go to the meetings every week. Since a lot of the main participants graduated, attendance has been hurting.

“We’re really trying to encourage our friends to come,” Hall said. “I mean everyone is welcome and we have really good popcorn” Film Club has decided not to have any more meetings until fourth quarter in the hopes that they will be able to publicize and advertise it more, since they have dwindled down to about one or two people showing up to meetings when they used to have over twice that. The club is hoping that by waiting until fourth quarter to meet again, attendance will increase.

QU

Photo Club Juniors Chloie Costello and Kendall Dunn started the district’s first-ever photo club this year. The two are both passionate about photography, so at the end of the summer they decided they wanted to start a club for students who share their passion.

At meetings, which are every other Monday in room 204, members first discuss the photos they submitted for that week’s theme contest. Then, they participate in photo-related activities that differ each meeting.

“Every two weeks we have a different theme,” Costello said. “We have those two weeks to take pictures, then everyone submits their photos for the theme and we vote [at the meeting]. We discuss the pictures, too.”

Costello said themes have ranged from fall, to morality, to anything beginning with the prefix “re-”. After the contest, the club will do activities such as working with

Senior Gaby Azorsky loves fashion.

Unfortunately, when she was a freshman she felt like something was missing from the Clubs list at East. Something that she enjoyed, fashion. So this year, she decided to start East’s very own Fashion Club.

“The whole point is to learn about fashion,” Azorsky said. “There was no place like that for me and I like that I’ve made a place like that for people.”

Fashion Club has had five meetings so far this year. Azorsky plans out a different activity for each of the meetings.

In November, they talked about winter trends, and at the next meeting they will be talking about spring trends. The past two meetings have been spent discussing red carpet styles from the Grammy’s and the Golden Globes.

Azorsky wants to make it known that ‘for those of you who love fashion but aren’t artistically gifted -- NO FEAR -- you do not have to make anything in

S B U L C Y K IR e of th e m o ws ast o kno lubs at E t t e G c E LL OLIN ntric ecce N BY CAR AN TWIBE IL

A TE RG WRIT ING & MO LIE MCPH L KOHR OS BY CA HISE DDIE A PHOT M BY ART

Photoshop or developing film.

“One week, we worked with sienna types,” Costello said. “Which is this paper you put a special chemical on and it reacts with sunlight.”

According to Costello, there is a consistent group of about 15 students who attend photo club.

“Sometimes, our friends will come randomly,” Costello said. “That’s always fun.”

Junior Andrew Hartnett aim his camera

this club.’

“We do a lot of stuff on Pinterest and Tumblr,” Azorsky said. “I think social media has a really big part in the fashion industry, so incorporating all of that is definitely important.”

There are usually ten to twelve people who show up to meetings which Azorsky thinks is great but she would love to have more. Fashion Club meets in room 517 every other Wednesday, and snacks are provided.

As for next year when Azorsky has graduated, she hopes the club will continue.

“It doesn’t have to be an upperclassmen [who takes over the club] it could be a sophomore,” Azorsky said. “It doesn’t take a lot of effort but you have to want to put in the effort.”

bck u Clmo m a H

C l u b Hammock was formed during a casual conversation over lunch during yearbook club pictures day. Junior Maria Dunn and her friends were talking about all of the different clubs at East and how ridiculous some of them are. During this conversation, Senior Hayden Wylie piped up and suggested they start a club for people who love to hammock.

Dunn loved this idea, and decided they would call it “Club Hammock”. She immediately jumped into planning. In her 4th hour gym class, she recruited sophomore Kathryn Jones and senior Utsa Ramaswami to be the club’s executives with her.

“They love hammocking too,” Dunn said.

“So they were, of course, like ‘let’s do it’. We started advertising it through Instagram and Twitter.”

The three girls got a club form from the office, and then asked Susan Hallstrom, Jones’ chemistry teacher, to be their sponsor.

The first club meeting was held after school on Feb. 21. Twenty students that showed up packed up their hammocks, and walked to Harmon Park. There they found a

cluster of trees where students could hang their hammocks. “[At Club Hammock], we had Kool-Aid Jammers and pretzels and just chilled out,” Dunn said. “It was super relaxing. It was a pretty incredible environment because since anyone and everyone is welcomed, lots of different people showed up and everybody got the chance to make new friends in a non-stressful, friendly place. I want it to be a place where anyone can come to without judgement and just have a really good time, and it seems like that’s what it is becoming!”

The club meets after school every Friday, and remember -- it’s B.Y.O.H.

Sophomore Olivia Seabaugh tries to get in her hammock

JCCC Honors: Dig deeper. Aim higher.

“The Honors program enhances your college education and provides opportunities to gain hands-on experience in areas of interest.”

Amanda, JCCC Honors student and Gardner Edgerton High School graduate Johnson County Community College’s Honors Program stimulates and challenges academically talented students. An Honors application is required for admission. For more information, call Pat Decker at 913-469-8500, ext. 2512, or visit www.jccc.edu/honors

features.

KICKING OFF ACAREER Social studies teacher David Muhammad qualifies for the U.S. Karate Team after several tries, a result of perseverance and hard work WRITTEN BY MICHAEL KRASKE

above: Muhammad trains at his father Rudolph Muhammad’s karate dojo six times a week and has been doing so since he was a little boy

PHOTO BY TESSA POLASCHEK

He had to call his wife. His coaches were there, they already knew. But there was one thing that social studies teacher David Muhammad had to do when he stepped off the mat at the United States Karate Team trials in Chicago: he had to call his wife.

After Muhammad won three out of his four matches, he knew he had taken second place. He also knew that the competitors who take first and second make the U.S. Karate Team. So going into the championship match, Muhammad already knew he had made the team.

When Muhammad called her and told her he had made the team, his wife, Aisha Sharif, didn’t believe him. Not because she thought Muhammad couldn’t have done it, but because he had tried three times prior to this, and didn’t make the team each time.

In Chicago, Muhammad beat his first three opponents, securing his spot on the team before losing in the finals. But that didn’t matter, because the top two fighters in each division moved on to make the U.S. team.

“When I won my third match, I was really relieved because this was my fourth time trying out,” Muhammad said.

“I was really relaxed, and it felt really good to finally achieve it.”

Only the athlete who comes in first at the U.S. team trials gets their flight paid for. Because of Muhammad’s second place finish at the U.S. Karate Team trials, he has to pay for his flight himself. With a baby on the way and living off a teacher salary, Muhammad needs help raising the money.

He is asking for some help raising money to go to the competitions. Using Twitter and Facebook, Muhammad has reached out to friends and family to help him live his dream of competing in karate in a higher level. He is asking for donations to help him with all three trips, which will each cost him about $2,500.

“If anyone wants to donate or knows people who would be willing to donate, it’s greatly appreciated,” Muhammad said. “So far the response has been really great, and I really appreciate everybody that has helped.”

Muhammad hasn’t always found success in sports. He was cut from his high school basketball team. When he

played basketball in college, he was constantly on the bench.

Now that Muhammad has made the U.S. Karate Team, he feels like a real athlete.

“You look on TV at people who are getting paid to be athletes; you watch the Olympics and you’re like ‘oh man those guys are amazing’,” Muhammad said. “Now I feel like I’m a true athlete, like when I put that USA jacket on, people will look at me like I’m a true athlete.”

Muhammad has been doing karate as long as he can remember. At the age of three, Muhammad started karate at his father’s dojo. David’s father, Rudolph Muhammad, has been Muhammad’s coach ever since.

To this day, Muhammad trains in karate and taekwondo at his dad’s dojo in Kansas City, Mo., six times a week. Along with training, he also teaches youth karate classes just as often. The combination of teaching karate and training often does not allow him to get home from work and the dojo until 9 p.m., meaning he’s out of his house for around 14 hours almost every day.

Although Muhammad already spends a lot of time away from home, soon he will be spending even more time away.

Muhammad leaves for Venezuela in early May for the Pan American Championships. This will be difficult for Muhammad because he will depart around two weeks after his first child is born.

“I’m still going to go, just because this is my dream, and it could help me with my future of doing karate professionally,” Muhammad said. “[Having the baby] is definitely going to change my training, but you deal with things as they come, that’s life.”

Muhammad’s first tournament as a member of the US team will be held in March. He will be competing against Canada and Mexico, meaning his karate and social studies classes will both have substitute teachers during this time.

If he wins in Canada, he gets to compete in the Pan American Championships, which are organized by the International Olympic Committee each year.

Before he made the U.S. Karate Team, Muhammad met Hanshi Cyrus Madani, the head of the International Martial Arts Association (IMA), about three years ago. Through

talking to Muhammad, Madani found out Muhammad did not have a teacher to train him specifically in sport karate.

The only difference between regular karate and sport karate is in the technique. Although Muhammad’s father trains him, he does not train him in sport karate, which is what Muhammad competes in.

“He did not have a teacher in sport karate, but he wanted to learn sport karate,” Madani said. “I see therefore that he is eager to learn. Also I am Muslim like he is, so it’s like a brotherhood.”

Now, around once a month, Muhammad travels to Colorado to train with Madani. Because Madani has been a referee for 50 years, he is able to show Muhammad the best way to score points through moves and techniques he has picked up in his career. When he is not training with Madani, Muhammad trains with his father — doing cardio workouts, lifting weights and practicing basic karate skills like punches and high kicks. He also emails videos of his workouts to Madani. After watching these videos, Madani will text Muhammad and critique things like his form, and try to perfect them along with the other workouts he is doing.

According to Madani, Muhammad has greatly improved in the past few years, enough so that he has transitioned from not making the US team several times, to actually succeeding and reaching his goal of making the team.

“I’ve noticed a lot that has changed,” Madani said. “He’s very motivated. He has been doing heavy workouts so he can have enough endurance to make it through each match.

He’s trained almost every day and has been working very hard.”

According to Rudolph, Muhammad’s success is also his success. Rudolph says it has been Muhammad’s dream since he started doing karate at the age of three to make the US team.

“He has fulfilled his lifelong dream,” Rudolph Muhammad said. “As a kid he used to talk about doing what he’s doing now, so to see him do that is very rewarding to me as his father and as his coach since he was a little boy.”

a&e.

The skull cut-out shirt is for those who are more meticulous and don’t mind spending the extra time to make each cut. This shirt is also for those who want a simpler T-shirt, since there are less steps. The materials needed are white-out, a solid black shirt and scissors. Unless you have the anatomy of a skull memorized, I suggest googling pictures of a skull so you know what is going to be painted.

Take the white-out and paint the initial shapes of the eyes, nose and teeth of the skull onto the back of your black

SKULL CUT-OUT materials:

45-60 minutes

• solid black T-shirt • scissors • white-out • picture of a skull

T-shirt. Once the white-out has dried, you’re ready for the final step. Start cutting out the areas that have been outlined in white-out. It’s OK if the lines aren’t cut exactly. If all the white-out isn’t removed, the shirt will just need a short trip to the sink to wash off any excess.

Once everything outlined has been cut, it’s time to wear your bold, skull shirt. If you are more of a scandalous person, go ahead and wear it with no shirt underneath, but to play it safe it can be worn with a simple white tank or bandeau.

It’s 6 p.m. Friday night, and you’re at your house, too tired to hang out with friends. At first instinct you want to open Netflix and continue your Breaking Bad marathon, but no — this night will be different. It is time to do something productive with your Friday — something crafty.

A lot of the east student body probably spends more time picking their nose than on arts and crafts. However, making DIY T-shirts has the flexibility to be a craft for the most talented art student, or simple enough for just your average, not so artsy, shmeast kid.

There are plenty of T-shirt designs that can be made at home, but here are two simple ones that might suit you. If you are really in the crafty mood, maybe try them both.

WRITTEN BY SEAN OVERTON PHOTOS BY KATIE ROE

materials: • blank T-shirt • colored pencil/ washable marker • fabric markers

DRAW YOUR OWN

For those people who do have some drawing ability the “draw your own design,” Tshirt may come easy. It gives you the freedom to make it as intricate and detailed as you want to make it. The only materials needed for this creation are a dark colored pencil/pen and fabric markers.

First thing to do is rummage around and find a blank T-shirt, preferably a lighter color. Next, if you’re feeling really creative, you can try to free-hand the design. For a first timer, I suggest searching through design websites such

as Tumblr and Pinterest for simple designs or pictures for inspiration.

Once an ideal design has been found, it is good to make a sketch of the design using a dark colored pencil or washable marker -- that way, mess-ups can be fixed. When the first design is finished, go over the initial sketch with your choice of fabric marker, which can be found at almost any craft store. Once the first sketch is complete, go over it with the fabric marker for the final design, let it dry and put on your sweet, new shirt.

30 minutes

WANT MORE? GO TO SMEHARBINGER.NET FOR MORE A THIRD DIY SHIRT

a&e.

“Ideas worth spreading,” TED’s (Technology Entertainment Design) motto, perfectly describes what its recorded talks do. At different TED conventions, both national and local, entertainers and professionals give talks about a variety of subjects to an audience. The point of these talks is to inspire and spread innovative ideas about anything and everything; each talk is recorded Seventeen-year-old Sam Berns begins Several years ago, Kenyan native Kakenya Ntai- and posted online and on Netflix for the world to see. TED Talks give us his TED Talk by explaining the extremely ya did what few others have done for an education: all a new perspective, new thoughts and ideas we might not have had rare illness he was diagnosed with as a before. It’s important to think and consider our surroundings, and she underwent genital mutilation, the extremely toddler. Berns has progeria, a disorder that painful female form of circumcision, so that her causes his body to age extremely quickly. The TED Talks gives us the ability to do that much more easily. Of father would let her go to high school. From talk then shifts to Berns detailing how he course, even a short guide to the best TED Talks doesn’t then on she went to college in the U.S. and lives a happy life, even with his limitations. do them justice, as there’s too many to watch eventually started a school for the girls in He tries to live in the moment and make the and so many different ways to her native village. Ntaiya speaks about the best of his situation. He adapts to the hardbe inspired. power of education; she sacrificed part

A GIRL WHO DEMANDED SCHOOL

of herself so that a new generation of girls could easily have what she didn’t: choices. In the US we’ve made a lot of strides in women’s rights, so it’s difficult to imagine the kind of pain a woman in Kenya like Ntaiya had to go through to be able to achieve her dream of becoming a teacher, and then opening a school. Ntaiya states that education is a gift, a treasure. And even though the education system may be flawed, learning is invaluable. Especially when high schoolers today take education for granted, Ntaiya can inspire in us a new appreciation of what we have.

TEACH EVERY CHILD ABOUT FOOD

According to chef Jamie Oliver in his 2010 TED Talk, Americans are digging themselves into a hole. Obesity kills four Americans every 18 minutes and continually shortens the average American’s life expectancy. The point of his speech is that although Americans are facing a huge problem, it can be solved starting with children. Oliver talks about how nutrition in schools isn’t as good as it could be. Children have a hard time even telling apart turnips and potatoes. At one point in the talk, Oliver dumped an entire wheelbarrow of sugar cubes onto the TED stage to represent the amount of sugar kids will drink from milk cartons in just five years. It was shocking; it’s hard to imagine how much sugar, saturated fat and salt we consume until we see it dumped in front of us. The talk mentions Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move! campaign to end childhood obesity as part of the solution, but comes to the conclusion that we can still do so much better.

As cliched as it sounds, children and teenagers are the future. But we’re also the solution.

WRITTEN BY SUSANNAH MITCHELL PHOTOS COURTESY OF TED

MY PHILOSOPHY FOR A HAPPY LIFE

ships that come his way, even building a lightweight harness for his drum so that he could play with his school’s marching band. As someone whose illness limited him more than almost any boy his age, he gives a new perspective. If someone facing that many problems a day can still view life positively, then there’s no excuse for anyone else. Since his talk, Berns has passed away. But the message of his TED Talk and the message of his life remain: savor every day and appreciate the bigger picture, because life is all too transient.

Unders t a n d a b l y, this is the mostviewed TED Talk to date. In it, Sir Ken Robinson talks about how modern school systems -both in America and abroad -- are flawed. He says that schools nowadays have a hierarchy: math and science above everything, then social studies, language and finally arts. When schools focus on sciences and humanities and leave the arts for last, it staunches kids’ creativity and the ability to enjoy education. It’s easy to see why Robinson’s talk has over 10 million views. The issue he chose to speak about affects us all, whether we love writing or solving equations. The more we learn to hate school and zone out during class, the more we kill our ability to live up to our potential. Without equal focus on all subjects, children and teenagers lose hope and forget their dreams. Robinson inspires reform in a world where many kids aren’t interested in the subjects they’re learning about, but need creativity to thrive.

LL I S KITY L OO TIV H SC REA C

HOW I HELD MY BREATH FOR 17 MINUTES Magician David Blaine recently broke the world record for the longest time a human has held their breath -- 17 minutes. After spending months preparing to break the record, Blaine encountered numerous setbacks along the way. He did everything he could, from dropping 50 pounds to sleeping in a tent that simulated high altitudes. Blaine spent much of his talk detailing the impossible conditions he had to endure, but in the end he accomplished the feat. Spending months of your life in preparation for a feat that even doctors say is impossible can make whatever is going on in anyone’s life seem inconsequential. But everyone can relate to Blaine’s story; his talk is a tale of human perseverance. As humans we must test our limits and set impossible goals, because we never know what we can achieve.

We’re resilient and we are amazing, and limitations can’t hold us back.

a&e.

AZORSKY WRITTEN BY GABY GIBBS ART BY MIRANDA

W IE V E R P N IO H S A F SPRING

rfect tr “anatomy” of a pe s ve ha tus m + trends

t endy spring outfi

boxy crop top

floral graphic T-shirt

Bermuda shorts/ trousers

pastel tea length skirt/ trousers

flatforms

COLORS

TEXTURES

The color trends for this season are pastels with metallic accents. Although the Pantone color of the year is “Radiant Orchid,” blush pink is the highlighted color this season.

Blush pink was seen on every runway from casual to black-tie looks. It will be in every store, so you’ll have no problem finding the perfect piece for you. If you want to go all out, get a skirt, tunic top or pair of heels in blush pink. On the other hand if pink isn’t your color, try subtle pastel metallics instead such as a metallic clutch or piece of jewelry. Think British tea party, not your grandma’s living room. To shop for these styles, check out ASOS and J. Crew.

Textures are a major piece of the puzzle this season. Jeweled 3D embellishments, fringe and sheer mesh are simply fabulous. They are a great way to transition from our minimalistic winter into the bright summer. You can wear 3D embellishments on a daily basis, like with beads embellished on the collar or shoulders of a shirt. This season, fringe is less hippie and more high fashion, so think thinner fringe strands instead of thick. Fringe was featured on blouses, skirts and jackets on the runway, and wearing it on a jacket, skirt or dress is a great way to take it to the street. Lastly, sheer mesh is seen in mostly blouses, sweatshirt-shapes and tunics. The fabric is built for layering over other pieces, so take advantage of it.

To shop for these styles, check out Topshop and Forever XXI.

bright sneakers

PATTERNS This season pattern is a HUGE trend across the board. While girls have bright, pop-art-like graphics, boys are staying classic with small polka-dots and plaid. One thing that is consistent for everyone is floral! Bright floral graphics are the pattern for men and women, and are in all colors of the rainbow. The pattern is seen upfront and in the details: in graphic T’s, socks, dresses and bags. Floral is typically a spring/summer trend, but this time, it’s big. To shop for these styles, check out Target and ASOS.

Could it be any more simple? Blue is the color of the season for men. Like blush pink for the ladies, blue was seen on the runway and showcased a variety of silk suits and sporty parkas. So what will it be boys? Are you gonna rock a blue suit to Prom, or blue vans to Seaside? Either way you can make it yours by wearing it how you are most comfortable, so take advantage of it. To shop for these styles, check out Zara Men and Gap.

Textures are taking a backseat for boys this season. We’re focusing on sporty fabrics like synthetics and jersey. Replacing a cotton hoodie with an athletic windbreaker is an easy change, and a great addition to your wardrobe.

On the fancier side, silk is trending, but frankly it is unrealistic for high schoolers to be buying it. So, to shop for sporty styles, check out H&M and Target. To shop for silk, check out higher-end retailers like J. Crew and Brooks Brothers.

This season pattern is a HUGE trend across the board. While girls have bright, pop-art-like graphics, boys are staying classic with small polka-dots and plaid. One thing that is consistent for everyone is floral! Bright floral graphics are the pattern for men and women, and are in all colors of the rainbow. The pattern is seen upfront and in the details: in graphic T’s, socks, dresses and bags. Floral is typically a spring/summer trend, but this time, it’s big. To shop for these styles, check out Target and ASOS.

MUST-HAVES METALLIC CLUTCH

BIRKENSTOCKS

POLKA-DOT SOCKS WINDBREAKER

a&e.

STREAMING SUCCESS Reviews of three free music streaming apps

SPOTIFY

I haven’t really explored iTunes Radio as much as other music streaming services like Pandora and Spotify, mostly because I was afraid the radio would only be based on my old Hannah Montana albums-- luckily it wasn’t. iTunes Radio gives users the option to tune their stations to one of three options.

The hits station plays popular songs for any station you make, the discovery station plays lesser-known songs and the variety station is a mix between the two. While you’re playing a station at the top right corner of the screen there’s a button to buy the song playing. Although I haven’t actually bought music for years, it’s a nice aspect for easy access.

Across the top of the home screen there are featured stations consisting of Top 50 Pop/Rock/Country/Alternative etc. Although tempting, I don’t recommend listening to them unless you like overplayed, generic music like “Timber.” Instead, try making stations based on songs and artists.

Out of the three, I like the range of songs iTunes Radio plays better -- especially when on the ‘variety’ setting which features a mix of music that I both recognize and haven’t heard before. However, iTunes falls short of victory because it lacks the option to enjoy playlists that Spotify has.

Digital revenue increase in 2011

8% 12% Global download increase

WRITTEN BY SOPHIE STORBECK

PA N D O R A

I’ve been listening to Pandora for years. I still have the same account as I did when I was 10. I find Pandora’s layout the easiest to use out of all three. Until recently I was loyal to Pandora, but after venturing to different music sites I’ve decided that I’m not going back.

The only reason Pandora is still around is because of its age. Pandora is 12 years old, while Spotify is six and was only introduced to the United States in 2011. iTunes Radio is the newest, released in Oct. 2013. Pandora is most threatened by iTunes Radio; in October, after iTunes Radio was released, Pandora lost 2 million of its 16.8 million monthly visitors. iTunes and Spotify have more than 20 million songs, whereas Pandora has only 1 million. Even worse, Pandora’s sound quality is so bad that I can hear the difference compared to Spotify’s clearer music. Pandora’s only redeeming quality is that it costs only $3.99 -six dollars less than Spotify.

I am surprised to come to the realization that Pandora is the ultimate loser in the battle between radio services, falling behind in sound quality, number of songs and lack of unique features. These factors could ultimately be the downfall of Pandora.

i Tu n e s

Unlike its competitors, Spotify lets users create their own playlists and stations. Spotify also connects to Facebook so I can share my favorite tracks with my friends. I don’t use it to post, but I still think that it’s a useful tool. Spotify isn’t threatened by its competitors because it allows customers to choose the specific songs they want to play, which other services don’t do. However, Spotify runs on an installer and the paid version costs $9.99 a month to access certain features, like the ability to pick specific songs to play on mobile or to listen ad-free. Although it seems like a lot, I think that with the playlist feature makes it worth the price.

Recently, Spotify took a big step towards free streaming for smartphones. Before the update, users could only play computer-generated playlists that consisted of songs that sounded like the artist the user originally chose. Now, customers can play a list of songs sung by the chosen artist.

Even though it costs more than its competitors, it’s worth the money to use because it can make playlists and radios, it has better sound quality and more songs than other music streaming apps. So in the end, Spotify wins this competition based on the fact that it allows users create their own iTunes Library for free while giving them the option to make radio stations.

6%

performance rights

35%

from digital revenues

2%

synchronisation revenues

57%

4.3b 8.3b Download units sold

Music Industry Recording Revenue

from physical sales

Sales of top selling album*

*The top selling album was “21” by Adele

INFORMATION COURTESY OF IFPI.ORG

Swimming into

2ND

PHOTO BY MADDIE SCHOEMANN

photo essay.

On Feb. 22, SME Boys Swimming and Dive took second place at KSHSAA 6A Champs at the Hummer Sports Complex in Topeka, KS. The Lancers took second with 301 points to the BVN Mustangs with 312 points.

LEFT: Senior Zack Holbrook stands on the podium and accepts his first place medal. “I was really excited about the personal best in the 100 Free and my splits in the relays,” Holbrook said. “The team definitely stepped up and did way better than we were expected to do this year.”

ABOVE: Senior Andrew McKittrick swims the 200 Free. “Swimming at state was a great time,” McKittrick said. “It was my first time swimming finals which was amazing. I was happy with how the team did overall. ”

PHOTO BY MCKENZIE SWANSON PHOTO BY MCKENZIE SWANSON

ABOVE: The Shawnee Mission East fan section cheers loudly for their favorite swimmers, intensity increasing as the meet scores became closer.

RIGHT: Junior Mitch Kerr cheers on his teammate. “It was bittersweet not to swim the second day,” Kerr said.

“But cheering on the underclassman was incredible to say the least, we have a very bright future as a team.”

PHOTO BY MADDIE SCHOEMANN

200 Free

State Qualifiers Finals Results

Holbrook McKittrick Linscott Schmatz Hense, B. Nordby Hornung

13th McKittrick 15th Hense, B.

200 IM Schmatz McGuire

4th Schmatz 11th McGuire

50 Free

Holbrook Milledge Hornung Johnson 2nd Holbrook 7th Hornung 8th Milledge 15th Johnson

100 Fly

Longan Schmatz Hense, C. Lee 9th Longan 15th Hense, C.

PHOTO BY MADDIE SCHOEMANN

100 Free Holbrook Hornung Milledge Linscott 1st Holbrook 5th Hornung 11th Linscott 12th Milledge

100 Breast Schmatz Linscott Peters Hornung

3rd Schmatz 13th Peters

PHOTO BY JAMES WOOLDRIDGE

ABOVE : Junior Patrick Hornung pumps his fist as he sees his free relay time. “Before the race, we all gather behind our lane and get focused,” Hornung said. “We knew it was going to be special because it was our last race together, and we expected a close one.”

LEFT: Junior Benn Schmatz swims his final lap in the 100 Breast. “I was really pleased with my performances,” Schmatz said. “We overcame some long odds to get where we got, and second was quite an achievement.”

100 Back Longan Schmatz Hense, C. Hense, B.

11th Longan 12th Hense, C.

Relays

200 Medley 200 Free 400 Free 200M 6th SME 200F 1st SME 400F 2nd SME

Diving 500 Free 1 Mtr Arvesen Holbrook McGuire Kerr McKittrick Nordby

9th McGuire 15th Nordby

Carollo Sniezek Foster

4th Arvesen 7th Carollo 12th Foster 13th Sniezek

sports.

THE LAST SCHOOL PICKED

After 20 years, there is a chance that sports programs will be added back to the five SMSD middle schools WRITTEN BY ELLIS NEPSTAD For years, the Board of Education in the Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) has been interested in putting sports back into middle schools. If SMSD were to put sports back into middle schools, they would join the Olathe School District as well as the Blue Valley School District as districts that have junior high sports.

SMSD last had middle school sports in the mid 1980’s. According to Indian Hills Middle School principal Carla Allen, back in the 80’s the philosophy was against competition at a young age. As a result sports were taken out of district middle schools.

Now, over 20 years later, there is a chance to have middle school sports in the district junior high schools. The four sports in the proposed plan would include cross country, boys’ wrestling, girls’ volleyball and basketball. Soccer could potentially be added in the future.

The plan hasn’t been approved by the Board of Education yet, but if confirmed, this

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JORDAN HALL would change the sports season to allow high school coaches to coach the teams. The beginning coaches would be current middle and high school teachers.

The school teams would only play other middle schools in the district including Indian Hills, Indian Woods, Hocker Grove, Trailridge and Westridge. All five middle schools in the district would have no-cut tryouts and possibly have multiple teams, depending on the attendance at tryouts.

“Tryouts would just be to place [the players] on a team with students at a similar skill level,” Allen said. “[We would have] as many [teams] as we need to place all students who want to play.”

Playing together at a younger age could increase team chemistry before the athletes get to the high school level.

“If [you] look at the state champions for high schools something like 26 of the 30 state champions [of the four proposed sports] have

IT DOES MORE THAN MAKE YOU OUT OF BREATH Scientists have found that participating in a sport no longer just teaches hand-eye coordination, but instead can be beneficial to a student in the long run.

middle school sports,” varsity soccer coach Jamie Kelly said.

Having no-cut teams in middle school could increase the number of athletes attending high school sports tryouts in the future. “[For example] if you start running as a seventh or eighth grader I don’t know why you wouldn’t keep running,” Kelly said.

Along with organized and competitive sports, middle schools would also continue to play Intramural games. The Intramural games are large tournaments open to whoever wants to sign up. The winner of the school tournament represents the school in the district finals playing against the other school champions. Intramural games would not include sports in the proposed program. Basketball and volleyball are two Intramural sports that would be cut if the proposal is approved.

Intramurals include a range of sports from ping-pong to flag football. These sports are a less competitive way to stay active.

Regular physical activity has the ability to elongate a person’s life one to two more years.

Physical activity has the ability to increase a student’s attention span.

“[Intramurals] weren’t really organized, they were just do whatever you want sports,” sophomore Matthew Gaughn said. “They are good for the less competitive kids.”

All of the organized middle school sports teams would have regular daily practices at the middle schools, just like high school sports. Due to middle schools’ later start time of 8:45 a.m., the teams could possibly practice either before or after school. “[The players] will know what high school sports are all about before they get there,” sophomore volleyball coach Randi Williams said.

According to Allen, the goal of the potential program is to get kids involved during middle school which also contributes to school spirit, as well as better prepare the young athletes for the high school level.

82 percent of women CEOs played a sport while growing up.

INFORMATION COURTESY OF CDC.GOV AND FORBES.COM

WRITTEN BY AIDAN EPSTEIN PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MARISA WALTON

tri-ing

sports.

East students participate in triathlons throughout Kansas City

something new

While junior Maria Dunn was scrolling through her Pinterest feed, looking at food that is almost too appetizing, beautiful far away places and DIYs galore, she came upon an advertisement for the Win 4 KC triathlon. Her older sister, seeing this ad, too, and having previously participated in a triathlon before, looked at Maria and said “Let’s try this.”

Dunn, skeptical at first, clicked on the link and signed up with her sister.

The Win 4 KC triathlon is an all-women’s race that is dedicated to female empowerment, and is very well known in Kansas City and around the US. Other East students such as freshman Bria Foley have also participated in this race.

According to Dunn, Win 4 KC is not as competitive as other races due to the variety of athletes participating and all skill levels can sign up.

“Everyone in the race was super friendly, and during the race everyone was cheering each other on, which was fantastic,” Dunn said. “I just did the first one for fun and absolutely loved it, then I immediately signed up for a second one.”

After running alongside her sister in Win 4 KC, Maria recruited her friend, junior Millie Dinkel. Dinkel had come to support her at the Win 4 KC, and expressed some interest. Dinkel, like Dunn, was very skeptical of the physically demanding race at first. Despite her initial uncertainty, Dinkel eventually became Dunn’s new training buddy.

“I cheered on Maria the first time she did a triathlon,” Dinkel said, “and it inspired me to do the next one with her.”

Dunn says it’s always better to train with someone else

rather than having to go swim and bike by herself for the training season. To Dunn, a training buddy is a companion to strictly train with. During the race, the two split up and go at their own pace and then “party at the finish line”.

The duo trained for the Apple Triathlon in Manhattan, KS, then ran it together. This triathlon wasn’t for a particular cause, like female empowerment, but more just a physical race. Dunn says it was a lot different than the previous Win 4 KC triathlon because it was a lot more competitive and the racers were more serious.

When Dunn and Dinkel arrived, they bounced around, excited for the race at the starting line, looked to their competitors and tried to make conversation.

“I tried to wish people good luck before the race and was mostly ignored,” said Dunn.

Dunn could tell that most of the athletes had trained extremely hard for this race. However, she has her own way of preparing for them. Since Dunn is an avid runner, she doesn’t specifically “train” for the running segment of the race; instead she focuses all her training time to the other two thirds: swimming and biking.

For the swimming portion, she swims almost every night, except Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturdays she practices for the biking portion. She takes a 10-mile bike ride around Leawood Park and on the trails behind it.

“I had to get a triathlon special bike, which makes me hunch over when I ride it, but I’ve gotten used to it,” says Dunn.

It’s not the type of bike that kids ride over to their neighbor’s house. The handlebars and the seat are level while the tires are skinny. Dunn complains that when she goes over a bump, she feels like the tires are going

THE

The day before the race, Dunn drinks 15 Nalgene water bottles.

PREP

WORK

MARIA DUNN

15

to break.

Although she is a runner, the running portion of the triathlon is not her favorite. She likes the biking.

“The roads are very level and it’s effortless,” Dunn said.

“And since you just swam you just get to cool off,” she added. “Since the biking portion of the race could be anywhere from 10 to 15 miles, you’re alone most of the time and it’s very serene.”

The serene feeling compensates for the swimming portion where she says she frequently inhales lake water.

Even though the training is difficult, Dunn loves the adrenaline of the race and the accomplished feeling she has when she crosses the finish line.

She reminds herself of this accomplished feeling and keeps track of the triathlons she has run by saving her participation numbers — which are usually pinned to the athletes’ backs in the race — in a stack in her scrapbook.

On the back of her numbers she jots down her time, who she ran the race with, and the date of the event. She also will add a little note like “First Triathlon!”.

Triathlon season is in the spring, so Dunn hasn’t gotten another chance to do another triathlon since she participated in the Apple triathlon with Dinkel.

She is planning on adding four more participation numbers to the collection in her scrap book this season.

Her first one is the Win 4 KC in late June, and plans to sign up for three others between July, August and September. Until then, she will look at her numbers and remember that great, accomplished feeling to motivate her through her training.

Dunn wakes up at 4 a.m. the day of the race.

An hour before the race, Dunn stretches and runs a mile warm-up.

ART BY MADDIE HISE AND GRETA NEPSTAD

sports.

FUELING the FEUD

Staffer Will Oakley explains why East has fierce sports rivalies with other schools PHOTOS BY TAYLOR ANDERSON

Will somebody please tell me: why does Shawnee Mission South suck?

Why would I want to beat South more than any other team? What sets them apart from, say, Shawnee Mission Northwest?

Well, it just so happens that Shawnee Mission South is a rival of East, and Northwest is not. I think I can speak for much of the student body when I say that we would take joy in beating South in every sport, every year. And I’m sure I could speak for much of the South student body when I say they would enjoy beating us equally as much.

This is normal for a team to feel a great deal of pressure and hatred towards another team; there have been many legendary rivalries throughout sports history. Yankees vs. Red Socks. Duke vs. North Carolina. Oklahoma vs. Texas. Auburn vs. Alabama. Michigan vs. Ohio State. The list of teams that have harsh and classic rivalries could go on and on.

The students of Shawnee Mission East are no strangers to rivalries. Our list of classic enemies includes South, West, and Rockhurst. We feel ashamed if we lose to them, not only because it hurts our own pride, but also because it strengthens theirs.

When it comes down to why we hate these schools, East psychology teacher Kelli Kurle would believe that it is a combination of three things: First is similarity. It’s human nature to want to beat the people you are most familiar with. Familiarity breeds contempt in the sense that the more similar somebody is to you, the more you will notice something wrong with them.

One tends to notice the small differences with greater contempt rather than noticing the many similarities. This is true for our harsh rivalry with Rockhurst. One could argue that many guys at East are relatively the same type of person as those at Rockhurst; they live in the same place, go to the same parties, wear the same type of clothes, etc. Yet, because they are only slightly different than us, we look at them with much contempt.

Second is frequency. Although Saint Teresa’s Academy is also in close proximity to East, the Lady Lancers don’t play STA nearly enough in order for the matchup to be able to become a rivalry. In order for a true rivalry to develop, both teams must know in advance that they will be playing each other; they must know the game is coming. Take the KU vs. MU game for example. Now that Missouri moved to the SEC, the game doesn’t mean as much; the two teams don’t play each other every year, decreasing their hatred. In

WRITTEN BY WILL OAKLEY

five years, if the two teams played, the game would mean far less to the team and fans than it did five years ago.

The last combination is parity. In order for two teams to compete at a high level of intensity in every matchup, the two teams must be traditionally evenly matched. If Shawnee Mission North was halfway decent at any athletic activity, we may consider them to be just as much of a rivalry as South. But, unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) it’s not hard to beat the Indians in almost every sport, not leaving much room for “heated matchups.”

If two teams have built up these three qualities, they just may have caught themselves a case of the rivalries. And unfortunately, that sickness doesn’t go away lightly.

Traditions carry a rivalry through years and years of competition. The Oklahoma vs.

Texas game is held yearly at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, Texas - halfway turf for the two teams. After fifty years of this tradition, the area holds memories and deep rooted traditions for each fan and player. When stepping into that fair and smelling those fresh fried twinkies, one thinks about the last time OU won against Texas, and how good of a time it was. Then they wish for that trend to continue as one walks into the Cotton Bowl Arena.

Two years ago, Rockhurst came onto our own turf, at our own gym, and beat us. This year, the juniors and seniors that experienced that loss couldn’t help but remember that feeling of defeat as we waited outside in line in that bitter air. That same feeling crept back because of that familiar tradition, and fueled us to yell as loud as we possibly could inside the gym.

If you think about it, rivalries are just a logical extension of sports. When you train as hard as you can in order to have the best chances of winning, and so do your opponents, the two of you are bound to run into opposition.

When the two teams show up consistently with that spirit of great intensity, the game starts to harbor greater meanings. Any game can be a big deal, but a rivalry game is circled on the calendar with black ink.

I guess that’s why South still sucks...

ZACK HOLBROOK sports.

W E H E T E F K O E T E L H AT Q: How did you feel about how you did at state?

A: I was really happy with how I personally finished up the season. I was for sure the most fun I’ve had at a swim meet.

The team as a whole did so much better than we were expected to do. The season started off kind of rough but by the end everyone gave 110%.

SPORT Track and Field Girl’s Swim and Dive Baseball Boy’s Tennis Girl’s Soccer

PHOTO BY JAMES WOOLDRIDGE

Q: Was it bittersweet swimming in your last meet as a high school athlete?

A: Definitely. I was sad that it was my last ever high school meet and that I wouldn’t get a chance to be on the same team as those guys ever again. But it also meant that now I have college swim to look forward to.

OPPONENT Quad

DATE 4/1/14

LOCATION SM East

SM South SM Northwest BV North

4/5/14 4/3/14 4/8/14

SM South SM Northwest BV North

SM Northwest

3/28/14

3&2

Gardner Edgerton

3/29/14

Gardner Edgerton

Topeka

4/7/14

Topeka

SM South

4/8/14

SM East

SM North

3/27/14

SM North

LOOKING BACK SM WEST

34-31 W

BISHOP CARROLL

52-36 W

DERBY

53-50 W

Q: What are you looking forward to next year as a college swimmer?

A: I’m really hoping to be a contributing part to my team next year. My goal is to make the travel team and the relays next year at Iona.

GUNNAR ENGLUND

6 PPG

LAWRENCE FREE STATE 45-51 L ROCKHURST

39-38 W

OLATHE NORTH

40-51 L

OLATHE SOUTH

37-58 L

SM NORTHWEST

35-50 L

OLATHE NORTHWEST

51-40 W

LEAVENWORTH

62-37 W

LAWRENCE

69-65 W

LOOKING AHEAD SUB-STATE

3/6/14

SUB-STATE

3/8/14

QUARTER-FINALS

3/13/14

SEMI-FINALS

3/14/14

FINALS

3/15/14

LUCAS JONES

14 PPG

LEFT: Sophomore Charlie Jensen performs an original song on his acoustic guitar.

“At first I was kind a nervous because I had never played any of my original songs for anyone outside of my family but once I started playing it was really fun,” Jensen said.

photo essay.

PHOTO BY ANNIE SAVAGE

RIGHT: Junior Michael Moedritzer and Tyler Maxwell, known as The Nate Cameron Experience, sing Hey Ya! as a duet. “Tyler and I got together two or three times a week a few weeks before the concert (or just skipped and went to Chick-Fil-A),” Moedritzer said. “In the end we did a pretty good job.”

PHOTO BY ANNIE SAVAGE

PHOTO BY MAXX LAMB

ABOVE: Senior Peter Andresen and other concert attendees dance to A Gecko Named Terrance. “It was really fun listening and talking to all of the other bands,” Andresen said. “We had a f****** blast on stage, it was definitely the highlight of our week.”

6 4 1 E LOV

PHOTO BY CALLIE MCPHAIL

ABOVE: The Grey Notes get ready to perform one of their jazz pieces of

the night. The Love146 concert hosted a variety of music genres including alternative, pop and rap. The Grey Notes were the only jazz band to play at the concert.

Coalition’s annual Love 146 Concert took place at Village Presbyterian Church on Thursday, March 20. Love146 is a national foundation that works to end child trafficking and exploitation. The line up for the concert consisted of Snow Day in May, Henry Johnson, The Grey Notes, Charlie Jensen, Granada, The Nate Cameron Experience, Fresh The Plaza, Towshp, Peachy D and A Gecko Named Terrance. About 100 students and parents showed up to the event. SME Coalition collected over $1,000 all in the course of a few hours, all the money coming from donations from the concert attendees. All proceeds of the night were donated to the w foundation.

PHOTO BY ANNIE SAVAGE

PHOTO BY MAXX LAMB

ABOVE: Junior Breanna Rowe adjusts the sound board because of technical difficulties in between some of the first acts, leaving concert-goers with no live music. The problem was resolved quickly

LEFT: Junior Noah Marsh organizes the money donated at the concert. “We raised between $1,200-$1,300. Last year we raised just a hair less than $800, so we completely shocked ourselves with this amount. Everyone was so excited by the amount we raised during the concert,” Marsh said.

PHOTO BY MAXX LAMB

LEFT: Teacher and Coalition sponsor Mr. Muhammad takes the stage to rap. “I was supposed to rap with Peachy D but it didn’t workout, we never practiced. I just went up to the band Fresh the Plaza and I was like, ‘yo, I want you to do this’ and I just started rapping there on the spot,” Mr. Muhammad said.