The Harbinger 19-20: Issue 2

the harbinger.

S H AW N E E M I S S I O N E A S T 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 SEPT. 15, 2019 VOLUME LXII ISSUE 2

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Senior Emery Uhlig’s love for literature leads to creation of teenage book festival, “LItUp”

“ BY S I L E N T S H OW O F H A N D S , they christened him Peter Nimble, after a misremembered nursery rhyme. With his name —” SMACK. Six-year-old Emery Uhlig didn’t see the pole as she was walking — she was too focused on the horror of Peter having his eyes pecked out by crows in the book “Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes.” This wasn’t the first time she was dizzy after running into a pole or the last time a Toyota almost clipped her while her face was buried in a book.

Her mom and dad had even enforced a “no-reading-inthe-parking lot” policy.

READ MORE | 16-17

02 INSIDE COVER

cover design by caroline chisholm photos by aislinn menke

CARTOON | RIVER HENNICK

IN FOCUS | PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

A B O V E Seniors Cameron Scheck and Chistopher Short laugh during _____.

L E F T Sophomore Tess Roman works on a poster for the Girls’ Golf Lancer Day Float,

STAFF LIST PRINT EDITORS Lila Tulp Carolyn Popper Caroline Chisholm ONLINE EDITORS Ben Henschel Jackie Cameron ASST. PRINT EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Lauren West Riley Atkinson HEAD COPY EDITORS Carolyn Popper Jackie Cameron ASST. HEAD COPY EDITOR Natasha Thomas PHOTO EDITORS Aislinn Menke Ty Browning Kate Nixon

ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Sarah Golder Trevor Paulus Julia Percy MOBILE MEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Elle Karras VIDEO EDITORS Maggie Schutt Ryan Gossick ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Lawder DeSantis VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Sydney Williams BROADCAST EDITORS Alex Dinyer Lucia Barraza ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Sophie Henschel PHOTO MENTORS

Taylor Keal Megan Biles Megan Stopperan STAFF WRITERS Lauren Dierks Thomas Paulus Sydney Decker Lilah Faye Gabby Caponecchi Kelly Murphy Winnie Wolf Jilli Foley Sydney Newton Celia Condon Elizabeth Mikkelson Sophie Henschel Annabelle Moore Anna Stover Sarah Bledsoe Emma Brown COPY EDITORS Lila Tulp Carolyn Popper Caroline Chisholm

Ben Henschel Jackie Cameron Natasha Thomas Catherine Erickson Lauren West Lydia Underwood Brynn Winkler Allison Wilcox Rose Kanaley Lily Billingsley Riley Atkinson Maddox Mogenson Campbell Wood Lucia Barraza EDITORIAL BOARD Lila Tulp Carolyn Popper Caroline Chisholm Ben Henschel Jackie Cameron Natasha Thomas Catherine Erickson Lauren West Rose Kanaley

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Riley Atkinson Lilah Faye Brynn Winkler SECTION EDITORS EASTIPEDIA ONLINE Annabelle Moore EDITORIAL PRINT Lilah Faye NEWS PRINT Alison Wilcox ONLINE Brynn Winkler OPINION PRINT Maddox Mogenson ONLINE Sophie Henschel ONLINE Gabby Caponecchi FEATURE PRINT Natasha Thomas ONLINE Lily Billingsley A&E PRINT Lauren Dierks

ONLINE Thomas Paulus SPORTS PRINT Sarah Bledsoe ONLINE Lucia Barraza PAGE DESIGNERS Natasha Thomas Caroline Chisholm Carolyn Popper Lily Billingsley Lauren Dierks Lydia Underwood Thomas Paulus Rose Kanaley Allison Wilcox Lilah Faye Brynn Winkler Lauren West Jackie Cameron Kelly Murphy Maddox Mogenson Jilli Foley Lila Tulp Catherine Erickson

Sydney Newton Celia Condon Elizabeth Mikkelson Sophie Henschel Sarah Bledsoe STAFF ARTISTS River Hennick Lilah Faye Gabby Caponecchi STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Reilly Moreland Annakate Dilks Noelle Griffin Phoebe Hendon Bella Wolfe Elise Madden Grace Allen Morgan Woods Lucy Kostner MULTIMEDIA STAFF Olivia Olson Natalie Scholz Lawder Desantis

Evelyn Roesner Ryan Gossick Maggie Schutt Max Patterson Alex Dinyer Sydney Williams Ally Talge PODCAST EDITOR Sydney Williams ADS MANAGER Sydney Newton CIRCULATION MANAGERS Campbell Wood Anna Stover CONTEST COORDINATOR Catherine Erickson SOCIAL CHAIR Lila Tulp

STORIES Q&A WITH THE STUCO R E P R E S E N TAT I V E S

LISTEN TO THE VIRAL PODCAST E P I SO D E T WO

EDITORIAL | 03

design by | lilah faye

I HAVE WHAT IT TAKES.

FOR: 11 AGAINST: 0

THE IMPORTANCE OF

GRIT

Even after the countless hours poured into your GPA. or into being president of a club you might be missing something – GRIT.

EDITORIAL POLICY The Harbinger is a student-run publication. Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion.

The contents and views of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quoted material may be confirmed with sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content though letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 413B or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com

Y

es, staying up all night to finish your Extended Essay for IB is a reflection of your hard work and intelligence. Sure, throwing yourself into any and every extracurricular activity shows you are an “involved student.” However, when these things are combined to build your “Harvard-worthy portfolio”, you might be missing one thing — grit.

According to GoStrength.com, grit is a personality trait possessed by individuals who demonstrate passion and perseverance toward a goal despite being confronted by significant obstacles. The earlier our generation gets gritty, the higher we can raise the bar.

Grit is driving up to the school parking lot and working on homework because VPN doesn’t work at home. Grit is asking your soccer coach what you need to work on over the summer to come back prepared next season. Grit is being passionate about the essay you are writing for English class, so when you hit writer’s block you bounce back fast.

Grit is the happy medium between passion and hard work. Let’s say you’ve loved soccer since you were four years old: your dad was the coach and Dom Dwyer was your favorite Sporting KC player. You eventually moved up to the

club level and played for a few years. Then high school hits — a much more competitive field plus actual homework.

You played freshman year then realize it’s not what you want anymore. Biology tests are getting harder, the center forward is faster than you and there’s no spare time to practice juggling — so you quit.

When your passion leaves, your perseverance fades.

Coming from the generation that slams their fists onto the keyboard when the answer doesn’t auto-fill fast enough, delayed gratification isn’t a time-earned value. “[Generation Z] expects to be able to communicate quickly and easily through instant messaging, social networks and email,” says Information Age. “Compuware research found that 80% of today’s consumers expect a mobile application to transact in three seconds or less.”

Since our parents never had to grow up with struggles like tapping their phone twenty times when Safari won’t load, they have the patience needed to be successful. As teenagers, our attention span is only ten to 15 minutes long, according to InformED.com. The internet allows us to find what we want in the quick time we need it — but if we had to find information the old-fashioned way? That’d take grit.

Companies like Koru — who help select and develop talent into businesses say the number one characteristic in potential employees is grittiness.

In Psychologist Angela Duckworth’s book, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” she shares the type of questions companies should ask when looking for workers with grit. The number one question that should be asked is ‘what is one of your biggest failures?’ Most people tend to admit their mistake, but don’t share the most important part — how they learned from it.

It seems easy to tell yourself to persevere through tough obstacles. But what we fail to realize is “grit” won’t happen overnight — it’s a trait that must be practiced over and over.

Portfolios with great grades, masses of extracurriculars and service hours may get you into a great school, but understanding how to problem solve when faced with obstacles, small or large, will lead you to success postcollege.

The quicker students start practicing grit, the faster it turns into a habit. We can show the world that Shawnee Mission East students have a mix of everything. Intelligence, involvement and most importantly: grit.

04 | NEWS

NEWS

design by | allison wilcox photos by | morgan woods

by ally talge

HIGHLIGHTS Ca tc h u p o n n ew s a ro u n d t h e s c h o o l , t h e sta te a n d t h e n a t i o n

EAST

SHARE

IN THE PAST, the city panel of Kansas city has shut down the idea proposal of KC Pet Project (KCPP) taking over animal control. the proposal has been approved by the city council and KC Pet Project is planning on educating the community on pet ownership. The proposal is to help keep the community safe and the animals safe while still caring for the animals.

Junior Lilli Smith volunteers and helps KCPP by walking dogs that they have at the KCPP hospital for patients that have anxiety or need cheering up, she also helps walk the dogs at the Petco location of rescue animals. Smith believes in the past they weren’t prepared to take over such a big part of the community, but now with so many people helping she believes they will be able to manage the community’s concerns. Smith says, “I think they will

T O P Wayside Waifs is an animal protection organization that is home to many cats, always need more people helping because they get so many animals dogs and rabbots. Many of the animals are in for any given day but I think they have more staff now and are rescued like the cate above photo by | elle karras

prepared”.

KCPP spokesperson Tori Fugate mentioned in an interview with KSHB news, “We’re very excited for the opportunity to serve the residents of Kansas City by offering progressive animal field services. Our mission of the Animal Services Division is to create a safe and humane Kansas City by improving community services and efficiencies. We’re very excited to bring the best practices in this field to Kansas City.”

KCPP is continuing to progress its services into the community and find efficient ways to advance society and animal care.

N AT I O N A L

Cakes. Each ticket is $9, or if you bought it ahead of time it was $8.

Your ticket includes all you can eat pancakes, sausage, plenty of toppings, and your choice of coffee or juice. The Lancer Dancers also sell t-shirts for lancer day along with boutonnieres for homecoming. The Lancer day shirts are $20 and the boutonnieres are $15, with your choice of red or white.

Fundraising is a big part of school sports. They help the teams with the equipment required to play. Since the school does not pay for the sports teams and neither do the players, The teams find ways to fundraise to have all the necessities in order to play or continue the sport.

Hurricane Dorian

Three weeks ago hurricane Dorian formed in the Atlantic Ocean. Progressing over time, Dorian has pummeled the islands and states in the southeastern part of the US. Dorian caused many to leave behind houses and evacuate.

Senior Isabella Valez had a family of three evacuate from their home in Florida to her house. The family that stayed with Velez was one of her mom’s friends from high school and her two daughters, a sophomore and an eighth-grader. As the hurricane moved north and shifted its destruction to the Carolina’s, The family left Velez’s home last Wednesday.

The US Virgin Islands was first hit on August 28th, the hurricane left the Islands on August 31st. Over that time Dorian’s winds picked up from 105 to 140mph. Dorian originally planned to hit Puerto

RENOVATION SENSATION

Sept. 25

L O C A L Pet Project > Animal Control

RECENTLY, SPORTS TEAMS and clubs at East have begun fundraising to help their activities. SME volleyball did fundraising by selling gourmet popcorn to reach their goal. Each girl had the goal of selling 30 orders of popcorn equaling $20 a box.

Each volleyball team has 10-12 girls, if each team sold their goal there would be a fundraising average total of $1,320.

SME soccer has 4 teams each ranging from 17-22 players.

For the fundraising this year they continued with the new donation email system. Each boy collects 20 emails and submits them, each email that was submitted gets an email with a link attached to donate any amount they would like to. Along with the donation, there is also cookie dough. The boys go out and ask people to buy cookie dough, each costing $20. In a couple of weeks, the cookie dough would be delivered to their house.

Lancer Dancers have a different approach to fundraising, they sell tickets to a pancake breakfast, with the company Chris

M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R

Rico, but took a turn for the worse and moved to the unprepared US Virgin Islands. Devastating the Islands, Dorian is said to have caused between 1.5 and 3 billion dollars in damage.

Dorian was classified as a category 5 hurricane, that has the same level of destruction as hurricanes Katrina, Matthew, and Irma.

Hurricane Dorian had the maximum wind speed of 183 mph, while hurricane Katrina, on August 23rd, 2005, only reached 174mph. With the high wind speeds and rain, Hurricane Dorian is considered one of the biggest hurricanes ever.

HOMECOMING GAME

Sept. 27 HOMECOMING

Sept. 28

04 | NEWS

design by | allison wilcox photos by | morgan woods

NEWS

by ally talge

HIGHLIGHTS Ca tc h u p o n n ew s a ro u n d t h e s c h o o l , t h e sta te a n d t h e n a t i o n

N AT I O N A L

Hurricane Dorian threatens the coast

ON AUG. 29, Hurricane Dorian formed off the East coast of the US in the Atlantic Ocean. Dorian was classified as a category five hurricane, which is the same level of destruction as hurricanes Katrina, Matthew and Irma. Since its formation, Dorian has passed through islands and states in the southeastern part of the U.S., causing major structural damage and forcing at least 1 million civilians to evacuate their homes.

Dorian originally was expected to hit Puerto Rico, but took an unexpected turn, and moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands. During that time winds increased from 105 to 140 mph.

Dorian is said to have caused between 1.5 and 3 billion dollars in damage, there is said to be dozens of deaths.

Because of its heavy rain and 183 mph windspeed, Dorian is considered one of the strongest recorded hurricanes in history according to National Geographic.

Senior Isabella Velez had three family friends who had to evacuate their house in Florida and came to Kansas City to stay in her house. As the hurricane moved north and shifted its path to the coast off of the Carolinas’, they have since left Velez’s home.

Velez believes that the cities affected will be able to get back to normal, but thinks it will take a lot of time and effort to rebuild what was lost.

L O C A L KC Pet Project takes over KCMO animal control

T O P KC Pet Project is an animal protection organization, home to many animals like the cat above photo by | elle karras

MA R K YO U R C A L E N DA R R E N OVAT I O N S E N SAT I O N | S EPT. 8 H O M ECO M I N G GA M E | S EPT . 27

H O M ECO M I N G DA N C E | S EPT. 28 BRI E F Q U OT E I think [KC Pet Project] will always need more people helping because they get so many animals in for any given day but, I think they have more staff now and are prepared.

lilli smith | junior | local news brief

ON AUG. 29, KCMO City Council approved the proposal for KC Pet Project (KCPP) to take over the city’s Animal Control department.

The proposal has sparked up conversations about not having enough staff to take over animal control, but the city has finally approved KCPP’s proposal.

KCPP plans on educating the community on pet ownership, with progressive and lifesaving programs and promoting effective animal control policies.

“We’re very excited for the opportunity to serve the residents of Kansas City by offering progressive animal field services.” KCPP spokesperson Tori Fugate said in an interview with KSHB news. “Our mission of the Animal Services Division is to create a safe and humane Kansas City by improving community services and efficiencies. We’re very excited to bring the best practices in this field to Kansas City.”

Junior Lilli Smith volunteers and helps KCPP by walking service dogs from the hospital for patients that have anxiety or need cheering up. Smith believes in the past they weren’t prepared to take over such a big part of the community, but now with so many people helping she believes they will be able to manage the community’s concerns.

“I think they will always need more people helping because they get so many animals in for any given day but, I think they have more staff now and are prepared,” Smith said.

KCPP is still working on integrating the animal control sector, and continuing to follow their mission to find efficient ways to advance animal care in society.

EAST

Fall sports fundraise for their current seasons

SPORTS TEAMS AND CLUBS at East have started their fundraising campaigns for the fall season. SMSD does not provide funds for sports teams, so teams are responsible for creating the funds necessary for their sport.

Volleyball is selling gourmet popcorn this year. Each girl had the personal goal of selling 30 orders of popcorn with each box costing $20. There are four volleyball teams and each has around 11 girls, so if each team sold their goal, there would be a fundraising average total of $1,320.

In the past boys and girls soccer used to sell cookie dough, they are not selling it anymore due to the time that it takes to deliver and sell. Instead boys soccer is relying upon technology for fundraising — their individual goal is to collect 20 emails, that let people know they are collecting donations, and submit them to a website similar to GoFundMe. It shows how much they’ve personally raised and how much the group has raised. The website then sends a link to the email addresses that were submitted. Who can select how much they wish to donate. Most of the people that donate are relatives and family members.

The Lancer Dancers use Pancake Breakfast ticket sales for their fundraising in addition to selling Lancer Day t-shirts and boutonnières for the homecoming dance.

The Lancer Day shirts are $20 each and the boutonnieres for the homecoming dance are $15 each, with your choice of red or white. Fundraising helps pay for equipment, travel fees, transportation fees, uniforms and team dinners.

NEWS | 05

design by | catherine erickson photo courtesy of | SMSD

A L L A B OA R D

THE S.S. SCHOLARSHIP

Over 1,000 SMSD students have received scholarships through the Scholarship Shawnee Mission program launched on July 15

SCHOLARSHIP STATS The stats involving the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation’s new program, Scholarship Shawnee Mission Are you signed up for the Scholarship Shawnee Mission program | TAKEN FROM AN INSTAGRAM POLL OF 382 VOTES

84% NO 16% YES HAVE BE E N AWARDED IN SC H OLARSH IPS T HRO U GH T H E P ROG RAM

C U R R E N T LY OFFERING SC H OLARSH IPS TO ST U D E NTS IN T H E P ROG RAM A B O V E Jetzel Chavira and Tijesu Ono learn they earned scholarships through Scholarship Shawnee Mission as they stand on stage at the SMEF Fall Breakfast.

T

by campbell wood

he Shawnee Mission Education Foundation (SMEF) launched the new Scholarship Shawnee Mission program for the 2019-20 school year on July 15. As of Sept. 11, a collective $680,811,000 in scholarship offers have been awarded to over 1,000 Shawnee Mission students through the program.

Scholarship Shawnee Mission gives parents the choice to place their students into the program through Skyward. By doing so, the student’s test scores and grades are shared with the 27 colleges that currently partner with the program — most of them located in Kansas and Missouri. The colleges then decide which students will receive scholarships based on their own criteria for the information shared.

There is no application process to enter the program, parents simply answer whether or not they would like their child to be enrolled — their permission being the only requirement. Currently 89% of district students in grades 7-12 are in the program. However, they will only hand out scholarships to seniors this year. Underclassmen will remain in the program and have their grades and scores shared until they graduate unless requested to be removed.

SMEF announced the success of the program during their annual fall breakfast on Sept. 5. They recognized two seniors who received scholarships through the program — Jetzel Chavira from SM West totaled $710,430 from 18 different schools, and Tijesu Ono from SM North totaled $886,250 from 18 different schools as well.

“I’m grateful for the opportunities that they’ve opened for me,” Chavira said. “I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to do. But now I can explore my options and be more open about things career wise.”

1,598 Shawnee Mission seniors are currently signed up,

but not all have received scholarships. The seniors who did qualify for scholarship offers find out in October on their school’s selected visit date which has not yet been announced.

According to the SMEF Executive Director Kimberly Hinkle, the program is designed to “turn the tables” on the college admissions process. The program cultivates the idea that athletes are not the only students that can be recruited — any student can have colleges come to them.

This program could make the difference between some kids going to college, and not going to college at all.

chuck battey SMEF board member “We want colleges coming to [our students] saying, ‘We want you, here’s what we’re offering,’ and then our students get to decide where to go instead of the other way around,” Hinkle said.

Hinkle says the program is a unique concept to the nation, as not many districts have actively applied the idea. She believes the success behind Shawnee Mission’s approach comes from the amount of attention being put into it.

“It’s the only [program] we’ve heard [of] on this scale,” Hinkle said. “And our colleges are telling us the same thing, too.”

SMEF hired former KCK administrator Edward Marquez as the program officer for Scholarship Shawnee Mission.

He works full time as of July 1, arranging the data files of student information and communicating with colleges.

“[Marquez has] done a fantastic job,” SMEF board member Chuck Battey said. “He came out of the gates running. Just how quickly he was able to pull this thing together, he’s really only had three months to get this initial block of more than 25 colleges to agree to make these very specific donations or scholarship offers.”

Marquez shared his experience with the board last semester through explaining the scholarship program he set up with KCK on a smaller scale which he believed would also work well in Shawnee Mission. After the board agreed on the idea, they voted on setting aside enough of their reserves to cover the costs of having a full-time employee who can make sure the program is successful.

Battey says the program has provided the district with opportunities for students who may not be as affluent.

“I think we sometimes don’t realize that college is not affordable for many families, even in our own district,” Battey said. “This program could make the difference between some kids going to college, and not going to college at all.”

Looking forward, they want to expand to more colleges on a national level within the next few years and provide scholarship opportunities to students before their senior year as well. Hinkle says they also hope to bring in nontraditional college opportunities, such as going into trades or directly into the workforce, to reach out to students where college might not be part of their plan.

“The colleges see it is beneficial to be able to impact and recruit some students that might never have considered that college,” Hinkle said. “Our students will see the impact from maybe having options put in front of them that they hadn’t considered.”

06 | NEWS

design by | tommy paulus

INCLUSIVITY

by rose kanaley

A

SMSD hired its first inclusion coordinator to help cutlivate an accepting classroom

t the beginning of the school year, Dr. Tyrone Bates took on the new role of SMSD’s coordinator of diversity, equity and inclusion to promote a culture of acceptance and oversee the handling of diversity matters.

According to Dr. John McKinney, Director of Family and Student Services and Dr. Bates supervisor, the job was developed after the Board of Education worked on a plan to implement a district-wide diversity and inclusion program for the 4,000 employees and over 27,000 students. The district recognized a job was needed that would cover their plans to help make SMSD more culturally responsive and inclusive in its diversity.

Bates took on this role to work with the district’s inclusion plans and bring them to task.

“My role is one that’s evolving, being that it is the first in our district’s history; it’s ever changing,” Bates said. “So right now my focus is to make sure that our deep equity training is put together with fidelity.”

To work towards a better system of equity, Bates has worked with others to plan five training sessions with all the administrators, teachers and staff in the district to train them in matters of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The first of the five sessions will be held on Sept. 11 and 12 at the Indian Creek Technology Center. The training will consist of multi-interdisciplinary learning, such as audio, visual, lectures, story telling, interactives and group work.

According to McKinney, there weren’t any specific instances dealing with equity and treatment that led to the addition of this role, but rather a more broad need for a position dedicated to diversity matters.

“The superintendent has made a point on a number of occasions that our differences

TEAM PLAN POINTS The five strategies of SMSD in the Strategic Plan * courtesy of smsd.org

aren’t intended to divide us, they’re meant to bring us together,” McKinney said. “I would say it wasn’t any one or two things, it wasn’t that simple. It’s more about creating an overall culture of acceptance and valuing diversity for what it is.”

McKinney and Bates agreed that the root of the diversity, equity and inclusion problems in the district are all based around

Relationships are the key to every aspect of what we do, regardless of your role in the district

john mckinney relationships, as is the key to succeeding with students.

“My goal is that the students will feel a difference, that the students will notice that their teachers will have a little more confidence in breaking down barriers and having conversations that might’ve been difficult in the past because those conversations are the gateway to relationships,” Bates said.

Bates also contacted each Diversity and Inclusion Club in the district so they could connect and collaborate. According to club executive Olive Henry, this is the first time they’ve interacted with the other Diversity and Inclusion clubs in the district.

Henry also found these newly formed connections helpful because East has a different breakdown of diversity than the other schools in the district. The student body at East is 85% white, 7% hispanic and 2% black as opposed to the overall district’s 64% white, 19% hispanic and 9% black, according to SMSD’s Strategic Plan.

Henry looks forward to seeing a positive impact regarding what resources students have access to and their ability to have an advocate in the district.

We will guarantee relevant opportunities for learning

We will create an equal and inclusive culture

The Strategic Plan set by administration for 2019-24 has also influenced the work in diversity and inclusion, specifically referenced in the second strategy in the plan. It details the goal of “relentlessly [creating] a fully unified, equitable and inclusive culture” in the district.

The East Diversity and Inclusion Club, led by Samantha Feinberg and previous East teacher David Muhammad, has worked to create the job title for years according to Henry.

Prior to the addition of the training days, SMSD discussed their inclusion information during professional development days at individual schools. According to McKinney, this was problematic because there was no consistency among schools. Now with the addition of the equity program, the district will be able to set a structured policy for the pertinent subjects.

The training will be personalized to the needs of each school. Bates said he’s been taking principal-led walks through each school to learn about its culture so he can form a unique training course personalized to each building.

Through the training, Bates hopes that all students will be able to achieve more and feel at ease in their school.

“The ultimate outcome that we’re hoping to see is that all of our students, not just a certain group of our students, are able to achieve high academically,” Bates said. “So that we make sure all students have access to our curriculum, access to our districts building opportunities, not just a certain group.”

The training to achieve this outcome is a gradual process that Bates doesn’t believe will project their progress for years after the staff has been going through the training.

According to Bates, the class of 2032 will be the first grade to see the major impacts of his work because he expects it to take more

We will cultivate quality educators

exposure to the training and experiences.

As Bates advisor, McKinney feels he can help Bates’s understanding of the district after working in it for over 20 years — especially when it comes to what he considers the most important part of jobs in education: relationships.

“Relationships are the key to every aspect of what we do, regardless of your role in the district,” McKinney said. “Relationships are going to be the most important things that you can do.”

According to Henry, the District has not been shedding light on how the lack of equity and inclusion programs have impacted East and its students — and that the new title provides an avenue for that process.

“I think it’s really easy to treat all of these incidences like isolated incidences and not as pieces of a bigger picture,” Henry said. “Having somebody in a position with a title like diversity, equity and inclusion really makes that picture a reality. Those aren’t isolated instances, this is something that’s going on and something we need to address.”

According to Bates, SMSD hopes to establish an understanding between the students and staff so anyone in the district can be prepared to move on from East with open-minded perceptions of what the world looks like.

“The goal of our work around diversity, equity and inclusion is not training students for where they are, but rather where they’re going,” Bates said. “To ensure that students can go into the world and compete, go into the world and learn. And the world doesn’t look like Shawnee Mission East, the world is full of different experiences, different walks.”

We will design supportive systems

We will focus on state-ofthe-art facilities

NEWS | 07

design by | kelly murphy photos courtesy of | max thomas

GETTING THE CLIMATE UNDER CONTROL C

Climate Action KC works to reverse greenhouse gas effects in the Kansas City metro area

by

elizabeth mikkelson

limate Action KC hosted a Summit on Sept. 14 at Johnson County Community College.

Speakers came to inform those attending, especially the younger generation, about climate change and other environmental topics including waste, farming, and public health.

Some of the influential speakers present at the event included Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Kansas Representative Sharice Davids and internationally-known researcher on global warming solutions Paul Hawken. They discussed their local and national viewpoints on climate change and what we can do to benefit the ecosystem. The goal was to inform people about how they can make a difference in their everyday lives, for example, reducing waste and being more eco-friendly as a community.

Established by Roeland Park Mayor Mike Kelly and Shawnee Councilwoman Lindsey Constance in December 2018, Climate Action KC works to reverse greenhouse effects and ensure people are continuing to work on ways to reverse climate change.

Constance and Kelly founded it after researching statistics stating we have 11 years to significantly reduce global greenhouse emissions before it becomes irreversible.

The co-founders have hopes of protecting their children along with the next generation from this global crisis. Kelly, along with Constance, has a daughter as well which was also a big motivator for him.

The coalition itself is compiled of elected officials including local mayors, council members, professors, scientists, environmental specialists and residents who hold meetings and events to collaborate together.

They have already accomplished supporting wind energy at the state level, supporting the transition of municipalities to 100% carbon free energy, and strategically planting native grasses, all working towards cleaning the air and reducing greenhouse emissions. “[We are thinking of] those practical things that cities can do like the city of Prairie Village to reduce emissions — help draw down carbon from the atmosphere and still have co-benefits for the cities,” Constance said.

While their focus right now is Kansas-based change, they hope their impact will spread nationally and grow to spread a larger influence.

“The idea is for everyone wherever they are in life and whatever their job or role is, how can they

have a positive impact,” Constance said.

Constance had the intention that people would leave with a better understanding of the ecosystem around them and be inspired to make a change.

In December, Climate Action KC will be launching a climate action playbook with a structured guide for elected officials to find ideas they can implement to combat climate change.

They were also selected as one of four regions in the United States to do a greenhouse gas inventory and climate action plan with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) which will tentatively be completed in Sept. 2020.

Senior Margaret Veglahn supports Climate Action KC’s ideas in their goals for the Kansas City area and the fight for climate change. According to Veglahn, it’s difficult to make a global impact on climate change, making it important to have locally-focused groups.

100%

CARBON-FREE ENERGY

“Anything we can do to reduce our carbon footprint, especially as a local community, I think is really important,” Veglahn said. “Sometimes it feels really hopeless and it’s nice to have something to do and as long as enough people work together, [local actions] can make a significant impact even if it doesn’t feel like it”.

Junior Charlie Birt agrees the local organization is the best way to benefit the environment in the Kansas City area. “[Doing] what we personally can to benefit our environment [is important],” Birt said. “I think that’s a very big part of why America is so successful as a nation.”

According to Constance, they want to help people realize they can be leaders in the fight for climate change. Students should be thinking about what they can accomplish within their house or what they can do at school.

Climate KC hoped people leave the Summit with a better understanding of how they can help their environment by participating in even small acts like reducing daily waste that will make a difference in the long run.

“The goal is basically that everyone sees themselves as a leader in whatever capacity,” Constance said.

CLIMATE ACTION KC GOALS

1 2 3 4

DRAFT A REGIONAL CLIMATE ACTION PLAN

Kansas City was selected by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate Change and Action to recieve support for coalition members as they formulate a regional Climate Action Plan.

DEVELOP STATE LEGISLATIVE PLATFORMS In order to create climate action, they supported wind energy and energy fairness through policy advocacy at the state level.

CREATE A POLICY PLAYBOOK OF SOLUTIONS They partnered with over 25 KC metro cities in hopes that elected leaders will implement these solutions. They hope to transition municipalities to 100% carbon free energy.

FACILITATE A CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT This year’s summit will focus on solutions that effectively mitigate greenhouse emissions and share co-benefits that improve the quality of life for KC regional residents. *sidebar information courtesy of mkccac.org

08 OPINION

design by maddox moggenson

OPINION

HIGHLIGHTS A look into student opinions and the opinion section

THE WEEK IN 280 C H A R AC T E R S I N T RO D U C I N G T H E N E W T R I P L E - C A M E R A SYST E M O N T H E I P H O N E 1 1 P RO. P R E - O R D E R O N 9 .1 3 .

A P P L E | 0 9 / 1 0/ 1 9

L A N C E R D AY O P I N I O N S H OW DO YO U F E E L A BO UT L AN CE R DAY BEING ON A T HURSDAY ?

I am hoping that the teachers will be kind of a little more lenient with us for Friday due dates because Lancer Day is something that’s really important to the East community, and people shouldn’t have to sacrifice that experience because it’s on a Thursday.

olive henry | senior

A RE YOU EXC I T E D TO HAV E L ANC ER DAY O N YO UR BI RT HDAY?

OV E R N I G H T T E ST I N G O F # KC ST R E E TC A R 80 6 WA S A S U C C E S S . T H E T E A M C O N T I N U E S TO WO R K O N T H E L AT E ST ST R E E TC A R TO G E T I T R E A DY F O R R I D E R S H I P L AT E R T H I S M O N T H . @ KC M O @ R I D E KC T R A N S I T @ F TA _ D OT KC ST R E E TC A R | 0 9 / 1 1 / 1 9

“ I T ’S A N E W P RO B L E M I N T H E C O U N T RY ” : P R E S I D E N T D O N A L D T R U M P S A I D H E M I G H T S E E K TO B A N T H E S A L E O F N O N - TO B AC C O F L AVO R E D VA P I N G P RO D U C TS I N A N E F F O RT TO G E T YO U N G P EO P L E TO G I V E U P E - C I GA R E T T E S .

U SA TO DAY | 0 9 / 1 1 / 1 9

I think it’s actually so exciting because I love when people are happy on my birthday and everyone’s going to be happy that it’s Lancer Day.

elle vuillemin | junior

O P I N I O N AT E D THROWBACKS OR TOP HITS? | 257 VOTES

77% THROWBACKS

OPINION SNEAK PEEK PAGE 09

STAFFER DITCHES HER USUAL TITLE OF “OLD SOUL” AND TRIES OUT SOME POPULAR TRENDS by lydia underwood

23% HITS DOES INSTAGRAM CREATE UNREAL BODY STANDARDS? | 262 VOTES

83% TOTALLY 17% NOT REALLY IS SOCIAL MEDIA STRESSFUL OR RELAXING? | 262 VOTES

PAGE 10

59%

STRESSFUL

STAFFER HAS TIME TO REFLECT ON HERSELF WHILE HER SIBLINGS ARE AT COLLEGE

41%

NOT STRESSFUL

by sarah bledsoe

PAGE 11

AN IDEA OF UNREAL BODY STANDARDS IS DEVELOPING DUE TO EXCESSIVE PHOTO EDITING by gabby caponecchi

COLLEGE CLOSE TO HOME OR FAR AWAY? | 196 VOTES

35% CLOSE 65%

FAR

OPINION | 09

design by | caroline chisholm photos by | sarah golder photo illustration by | lilah faye by lydia underwood

T

hanks to my family members and close friends, I have been crowned with the title of “old soul.” Seriously, I constantly talk about how I was “born in the wrong generation,” obsess over the “Brady Bunch” and go to estate sales with my mom.

Tired of jokingly being called the “mom” by my friends when I leave my friend’s house before 11 p.m. because “I have a really early start tomorrow morning,” I set out on a journey to complete many firsts that I felt were typical GenZ things: listening to JuiceWRLD, trying kombucha and taking pictures just for Instagram.

Listening to rap (at least I think that’s JuiceWRLD’s genre) for the first time was a roller coaster — I have no desire to listen to his rap songs again, but his slower songs were something I could see myself playing while jamming out with my friends on a Saturday night with all the windows rolled down.

JuiceWRLD and Benny Blanco’s newest release, “Graduation,” was my first JuiceWRLD experience. And boy, was I appalled.

While I listened to Benny Blanco sing (or more like scream) the song, I couldn’t help but wonder if the beginning of the song was copyrighted — most of the lyrics were snactched right out of Vitamin C ’s classic, also named “Graduation.” Then JuiceWRLD started to rap. And things went from bad to worse. The words had no meaning, and I couldn’t understand anything he was saying.

Still hopeful, I listened to my friend’s recommendations, “Robbery” and “Lucid Dreams,” and much to my surprise, it wasn’t that bad. Even though he sounded like he had just run a marathon, I appreciated the emotional depth of the song as he sang about his breakup. The slower tempo of the songs made me believe it was something I might even listen to on the way to school every once in a while.

Now onto step two of my journey of trendiness — kombucha. Kombucha seems to be the staple drink in every teens’ lunch so I knew I would have to try it. Six dollars later I had two bottles of Health-Ade kombucha — Pomegranate and Cayenne Cleanse.

Before I took my first sip of pomegranate kombucha all I could think about was how it would wreck my digestive system. It smelled like cat pee mixed with apple juice so my expectations were low. But I persisted, and gulped down a sip. To my surprise, it tasted like nothing and burned my throat when I swallowed it.

The Cayenne Cleanse kombucha scared the living daylights out of me considering I think mild salsa is spicy. I couldn’t even imagine what cayenne kombucha that reeked of ginger would do to my insides. But wanting to get the full kombucha experience, I was able to hype myself up enough to take a sip. I was instantly slapped across the face with flavor — it burned like there were 100 mini fires in my stomach, and I loved it.

I only had one more step to complete my “trendy girl” experience — taking photos solely for the purpose of posting them on Instagram. I could only

imagine how awkward this would be because of my little-tono experience in having my photo taken. The last time I had an official photoshoot was taking family pictures when I was 8 years old, and now I practically run when I see a camera pointed at me.

I had to enlist a few friends to help me pick an outfit they deemed Insta-worthy — a jean skirt and crop top — and our location of a hill off of Jefferson and W. 17th St. in KCMO. I tried to do whatever poses were natural, standing while trying to “smolder,” and constantly asked my friends if I looked stupid or awkward.

After a while, I started to enjoy it. It was fun to wear something other than leggings and a sweatshirt and to mess around with my friends and take weird pictures. In a way it boosted my confidence and left me wondering why I hadn’t done this before.

Branching out was an uncomfortable, yet rewarding experience for me. I learned that trying new things can help you realize what you were missing before and that being trendy doesn’t have to be awkward — it’s fun. Discovering I don’t hate all rap music, kombucha isn’t poison and getting pictures taken of yourself can be a confidence-boosting activity.

What was most rewarding though, was being able to prove to my friends and myself that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

OUT WITH THE OLD Old soul staffer sets out on a journey to be trendy in the modern world

10 | OPINION

A FAMILY

design by | catherine erickson photos by | trevor paulus

The shift in a staffer’s family dynamic after sending her brother to college

FAREWELL T by sarah bledsoe

A B O V E Sarah FaceTimes her brother, Luke, who attends the University of Michigan.

STAYING CONNECTED

Sarah’s tips on how to stay connected with someone long-distance.

CARE PACKAGES I sent him a carepackage full of Nutter Butters which is his favorite treat. I hope to send more packages throughout the year too.

TEXTS Whenever Luke’s having a hard day I’ll send him a $5 Starbucks giftcard over iMessage so he can get his venti iced carmel latte with two shots of espresso.

FACETIME He’ll just call me in the depths of the evening at 1 a.m. and be like ‘What’s up?’

— um I’m sleeping...But then we’ll talk for a little and we usually do that every few nights.

he first thing that struck me was driving to the first day of school all by myself.

No first-day-of- school picture with Luke standing beside me a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt and a thumbs up, no extravagant pancake breakfast my dad always prepared for the four kids and no more last minute coffee run — just me standing alone while my mom teared up behind the camera.

Two weeks ago, my baby big brother (the younger of my two older brothers), Luke, drove 12 hours away to start his freshman year at the University of Michigan. Yes, maybe this left me with my own bathroom — which I’m not complaining about, but I’d rather have my best friend back home to calm me down after I total my car in the East parking lot and be my go-to for late night Starbucks runs.

But now that I’m alone, I realize that while my bond with Luke has offered me many great adventures, the safety blanket of having someone always there to pick me up when I’m down has left me feeling stranded in his absence. Now I wish I had seized the spotlight earlier in order to avoid such a harsh withdraw.

My once lively house is now filled with awkward silences and glances towards Luke’s chair at the dinner table while my parents wait for me to fill the gap in conversation. And it’s been hard to cope with his absence — Luke and I are the middle children of a six-person family and are pretty much inseparable.

Since we’re one grade apart, our shared high school years have given us plenty of common ground: debate, IB, East Fund and pretty much every other activity I am involved in. Luke was the person I told everything to and the one that helped me wipe away the tears caused by high school drama.

During my 17 years on this earth I have somehow hacked the system: I found what I thought to be a bulletproof plan of hiding in my brother’s shadow for my whole life. It’s been surprisingly easy considering the fact that my brothers have always been the golden boys — straight A’s, varsity debate and a pleasant attitude (most of the time). Their success allowed me to chill in the background while I spent my hours singlehandedly supporting the reality TV business.

But it’s hard to be in the shadow when there is no one standing in front of you. Ever since Luke made his speedy exit a month ago I’ve been stuck flailing while I try and balance school, my parents and spontaneous family outings I “can’t miss.

This means my mom is breathing down my neck about college admissions, and my absence

from Tuesday night dinner is VERY noticed.

Even when I am there my one word responses about my day as made the whole family miss Luke’s 20 minute debates with my dad about the importance of Dungeons and Dragons seem like a riveting conversation.

So while my brother is tailgating at Michigan football games, I’m left alone with just my dogs to distract me from my parents’ weekly skyward check-ins. Oh, and a 12-year-old sister, who is just starting those annoying teen years — I mean come on how many times can I tell her not to take my shoes. This makes me nostalgic for the days I had a built in buffer at home who could save me from my dad offering to drive me to school so we could “spend more time together.”

When I come home fired up about how the most incompetent drivers decided today was the day they were going to start following the speed limit, Luke isn’t there. And let me tell you, my sister and parents are poor substitutes — with their only advice being “be nice” when Luke would have backed me up.

This leaves me with my dad constantly asking who posted the funny Tweet I sent him or what my weekend plans are. And although my sister tries to help, her solutions for boy problems aren’t cutting it. Sure, there are texts and FaceTime, but there is nothing like my brother telling me to “leave him alone” in person.

I am in no way saying my relationship with my brother was perfect, we got in our fair share of fights: like when I was in love with his best friend (shoutout Jet) or when he constantly ignored my texts to pick me up from tennis practice freshman year. But at this point I am so desperate for one of his condescending hugs (for when he turns out to be right about something) that I would fly to Michigan myself, even to only see him for an hour.

I am still not exactly sure if I like receiving all my parents attention and praise — which is something I never thought I would say. With four kids my parent’s attention has, understandably, been stretched my entire life.

But now there’s only two kids left.

In my short period of isolation, I have even started counting the days in my planner until Luke comes home — 65 days to go, because if I have to listen to one more discussion over whether or not my sister can wear a crop top to middle school, I’ll lose my mind. So I guess my only hope now is that Luke transfers to KU next semester and drives home every weekend.

Well, that might be a little extreme, but I’m not sure how much longer I can keep dodging these family dinners.

OPINION | 11

design by | carolyn popper photo by | megan stopperan and elise madden by gabby caponecchi

A

A B O V E A side-by-side comparison of the non-edited and edited photo that Gabby posted to her Instagram.

CAN YOU SPOT THE

DIFFERENCES?

Staffer posts heavily-edited photo to her Instagram to analyze feedback from her followers

FACE T U NE B R EA KDOWN SO HAVE YOU USED IT?

ACCORDING TO YOU Instagram poll HAVE YOU EVER WHITENED YOUR TEETH USING FACETUNE? | 284 VOTES

65% NO

of 308 voters on Instagram

35% YES

33%

HAVE YOU EVER EDITED YOUR BODY TO APPEAR THINNER? | 259 VOTES

88% NO 12% YES

have used facetune

HAVE YOU EVER SMOOTHED YOUR SKIN TO APPEAR MORE CLEAR? | 242 VOTES

72% NO 28% YES

67 % have not used facetune

POPULAR FEATURES

smooth

whiten

reshape

RESHAPE is commonly used to make bodies appear thinner

fter seeing thousands of girls spend countless hours whitening their teeth and cinching their waists on FaceTune — a photo editing application — I think it needs to stop.

Two weeks ago, I decided to conduct a social study. On Sunday morning I woke up wanting to look better than usual. I brushed on some bronzer, blended my eyeshadow and swiped on some mascara. After finishing my natural makeup, I threw on a matching shirt and skirt set to finish the look and met up with my photographer.

After spending 30 minutes modeling in front of flowers and experimenting with poses, I was finally ready to edit. I downloaded FaceTune and started exploring the different editing tools. After spending an hour reshaping my waist to give it that “hourglass” figure, whitening my teeth and enlarging my chest, the picture was finally ready.

That next day, I uploaded the picture during first hour. To my surprise, however, there were no negative comments. Continuous likes and positive feedback came flowing in. My followers praised the post, commenting about how pretty I looked and how they loved my outfit. This made me pretty upset, seeing as the photo was so clearly edited — my left arm was significantly larger than my right, didn’t they notice? Girls were buying into my fake post and no one was seeing a problem with the edited picture.

So, I decided to ask a few friends what they saw wrong with the picture. For some it took a long time to realize the obvious teeth whitening and the not-soobvious cinched waist. But why?

Girls have normalized editing their pictures not only for Instagram, but for other social networking services as well. FaceTune and other apps have made it easy for girls to make their arms a little skinnier or their faces a little smoother and have it go unnoticed. Has our generation forgotten what an unedited teenage girl looks like? This awful trend must be put to a stop.

It has been embedded into every girls’ mind that they feel the need to silently compete with each other. Whether it’s getting 1,000 likes on a post or gaining more Instagram followers, we are always trying to be better than each other. I admit, I’m guilty of checking my phone to see how many likes I’ve gotten in the past 30 minutes. But the reality is...no one actually cares.

Spending hours altering your pictures is a waste of time. While you may think your picture is being meticulously viewed by hundreds of your classmates, in reality everyone is mindlessly scrolling through their feed, liking whatever post pops up next, never spending more than a moment on your post. Think of how long you spent analyzing and scrutinizing your picture, it’s unlikely anyone is spending half the time looking as you did. In the end, you’re only competing with yourself.

Let’s be honest — high school is tough. But you shouldn’t feel pressured to blend in. Even though it may seem like every girl is polishing their original photos, that doesn’t mean you should follow this trend.

One way to move forward is by deleting all your edited posts. By doing this, you are giving yourself a clear profile to work with. Go out for a photoshoot with your friends, snap a few pictures and post them to your Instagram, untouched. The cleansing of past photos can help regain your self confidence.

However, there’s an argument that girls should always feel confident. So if posting pictures of them using FaceTune does that, should it matter? The answer is yes. If girls want to feel good about themselves, they shouldn’t have to change the way they look so drastically.

The truth is that people are going to view you a certain way. It doesn’t matter how small your arms are, or how tucked your tummy is, their opinion of you isn’t going to change. By editing your pictures, you are saying it’s ok to change the way you look just to please other people. The person you should be pleasing is yourself.

It’s not entirely girls’ faults. From a young age we have been trained that a small stomach, small thighs and perky boobs screams beauty. Arthur Dave Barry wrote an article called “The Ugly Truth About Beauty” to determine why women naturally struggle with self confidence more than men.

Barry ultimately came to the conclusion that the beautiful Barbies girls play with, compared to the ugly action figures boys end up buying, plays a role.

However Mattel, the company that creates Barbies, have realized the unrealistic beauty standards their toys represent. Mattel instead of opened up Barbies to all ethnicities, showing beauty comes in multiple forms.

As a society we have put unbelievable pressure on young girls to look a certain way, act a certain way and think a certain way. But that is all changing now. We have plus size models, models of every race and even LGBTQ+ models. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and we don’t need to change the way we look.

Stop the change. Stop the editing. Stop the Photoshop.

12 | OPINION

R I F

D E

by br ynn winkler

A

s I came to terms with my baby brother starting his first day of kindergarten, I accepted the high probability of tears. But when they came, they weren’t sentimental or

nostalgic.

They were angry tears.

Behind my little brother posing for a picture in front of his new school stood the flagpole at half staff. As the country mourned the loss of nine innocent lives in Dayton, Ohio, I was now fearing for my brother’s on what should’ve been a joyous occasion for him.

For students in the Shawnee Mission School District, August means school supply shopping, ice cream socials and final days at the pool. But for people across the country, the risk of gun violence is higher than ever. Back-to-back-to-back shootings struck the U.S. in Kansas City, Dayton and El Paso, all on the first weekend of August.

53 Americans died in mass shootings in August alone this year — three more deaths than stars on that half staff flag. We can do better. But will our own government let us?

Common sense bills meant to lower gun violence deaths have been kept from a vote in the Senate since March. Our government is failing its most integral role: to protect us — and our little brothers.

Yes, the Trump administration issued a ban on bump-stock modifications for guns, the devices used in

P U

design by | lilah faye

– us t c e e rot i o l e n c p to nv ng m gu i l i fa fr o a re es – s on ke r m a l ove d w La ur do n a

the Las Vegas shooting that allowed for machine gunlike fire and death toll of 58. And the House passed two bills in February that would extend the background check period for gun purchases to ten days and require background checks on all private sales.

But both of these bills passed across party lines in a Democratic majority House — meaning most Democrats voted for it and most Republicans against. The Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019 only passed 228 to 198.

So, if the Senate ever stops tabling these bills and puts them to a vote, they’ll have a tough time making it past the Republican majority.

But this isn’t a blue or red issue. When it comes down to innocent lives being lost, it’s a matter of humanity, not political party.

There’s a cycle to these tragedies now. A mass shooting occurs. POTUS tweets his condolences to the victims of the attack. Flags are lowered to half staff. Democrats reiterate their position on stricter gun control laws and condemn the senseless act of violence.

And Republicans fire back at them for politicizing tragedy.

But how else should the public react when, as of Sept.

9, there had been more mass shootings than days in the year? Protest is needed, petitions are indispensable and calls to your Senator help — but gun control legislation is the only direct form of change.

Lawmakers owe it to Americans to put top donors’ influence aside and pass laws that will protect us. And

I’m not the only one that feels this way. According to a BBC survey, more Americans are dissatisfied with US gun laws than satisfied — 46% say they need to be stricter, while 39% say current laws are satisfactory and 8% want more lenient laws.

I remember when my perception of school became tainted with the fear of a gunman walking through our front doors. I was playing four square with my friends in fifth grade when someone brought up the front page story in the newspaper that morning — a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary.

After that we had a meeting as a class to ask our teacher questions and practice hiding in the corner with the lights off. Later, our school would be remodeled to be more in line with safety precautions in the event of a shooting. Now, when I’m huddled shoulder to shoulder during a drill in high school and an officer comes by to yank on our door, I think about my baby brother being introduced to the same regimented drill that’s become second nature to America’s youth.

I hope if these gun control bills ever come to vote in the senate, those elected officials think twice before shooting down a bill that supposedly violates their second amendment right — when in reality, they’re just reforming who has access to guns.

I hope they value my brother’s right to life more than their guns.

FEATURES | 13

design by | natasha thomas photos by | bella wolfe and morgan woods

F E AT U R E

HIGHLIGHTS B E L O W Sophomore Sydney Beck sweeps leaves and water out of the trailer being used for the sophomore class float photo by | morgan woods

T O P Sophomores Sydney Beck and Chris Alka add streamers to the side of the sophomore float to decorate it for the Lancer Day Parade. photo by | bella wolfe B O T T O M Sophomore Sadie McDonald writes a sign that says “Yee Haw Lancers” for the country themed sophomore float. photo by | bella wolfe

SEPT

SEPT

18 25

PTSA GENERAL MEETING 7 p.m. - East Library

RENOVATION SENSATION 10 a.m.

SEPT

M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R S

28

HOMECOMING DANCE

8-10 p.m. - East Cafeteria If bringing an outside guest, students will need to turn in a contract to the Main office by Sept. 27

F RO M ONLINE

R E N O VAT I O N S E N S AT I O N

Upcoming annual home tours and fundraising event, Renovation Sensation, will profit SHARE by kelly murphy

R

enovation Sensation is an annual homes tour that highlights five remodeled or newly built homes in the East community. It’s the largest fundraising event of the year for SHARE (Students Helping in Areas Related to Education) — East’s student led volunteer organization. This year’s Renovation Sensation will be on Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tour passes are $30 and can be purchased online, at Hen House or at Spruce Home.

According to 2019 Renovation Sensation co-chair Tracy Tetrick, around 800 people from the East community attend the one day event each year and it typically raises a net amount of $50,000.

Sponsors including Associated Plastic Surgeons, Bee Organized and The Clubhouse Experience donate money and all of the profits earned from the event’s ticket sales go towards SHARE. Each year, there’s a Patrons’ Party the night before the Renovation Sensation to thank the sponsors for their generosity.

Patrons’ Party Passes are $75 and can be purchased online up to Sept. 19.

“Honestly, we just feel lucky to be the beneficiaries of it,” SHARE co-coordinator Krissie Wiggins said. “Hopefully [sponsors and Renovation Sensation attendees] learn what SHARE is and does at SME and in the community because that’s why they’ll continue to support it.”

The cost of sustaining SHARE is not covered by the SMSD, so Renovation Sensation was started 15 years ago to fund the program.

Beginning in January, a board of East parents led by three cochairs, Tetrick, Kelly LeGard and Anne Epstein, planned the details of the event. The board decides which homes to feature on the tour, interviews the homeowners to gather information for the tour guides and markets the event to the East community.

“It’s a well oiled machine because we’ve been doing this for 15 years,” Tetrick said. “You get a couple of chairs and committee members involved and you’ve got the great community of Shawnee Mission East attending the function so it’s a win win for everybody.”

On the day of Renovation Sensation, people who are remodeling their homes, building a new home or interested in learning about the latest home design trends take a tour through each home lead by adult and student volunteers.

“These aren’t your typical home[s], like where you come to my house say, ‘Oh, I like your chair,’” SHARE co-coordinator and former Renovation Sensation board member Sheryl Kaplan said. “[In these homes,] everything is very beautiful and every detail is seen to.”

SCAN ME | CONTRACT Download the East Dance Contract for Outside Guests now!

14 | FEATURES

design by | caroline chisholm photo courtesy of | jay senter, shawnee mission post

EDUCATOR OF 40 YEARS PASSES AWAY

by ben henschel

F

ormer East teacher John Nickels passed away Monday, Sept. 10 after a stomach operation at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission.

His death came as a shock to all that knew him, according to social studies teacher and StuCo sponsor Brenda Fishman. There were no known health problems before he went in to AdventHealth on Sunday with stomach pains, which were later discovered to be fatal infections.

Nickels, who taught geography and social studies at Indian Hills and East for over four decades, was a staple for many during his teaching career, according to Fishman.

“He really was a big teddy bear, never married, never had kids,” Fishman said. “His students really were his kids.”

As of 2012, Nickels had taken his students on 55 overseas trips. Fishman attended 15 or so, she said. He’d do anything for his students, according to Fishman — and had traditions that captured the hearts of thousands of his students.

Nickels had postcards covering most of the blue, cinderblock walls in his classroom — but not from his trips. They were from trips that he’d inspired his students to go on after they’d left high school.

“Kids can look around and see the world, and if I want to tell them about a place, it’s up [on the wall] somewhere,” Nickels said in an interview with The Harbinger in 2011. “I just have to find it, which is kind of fun, to go on a search. Like a scavenger hunt.”

His trademark tradition were the freshman letters, Fishman said — the ones he’d have each freshman write at the end of the year regarding their experiences, hopes, desires and ambitions.

He wouldn’t simply give them to students after they graduated, she said. He held on to each letter and sent them ten years after they graduated to the listed home address of the student, regardless of where they’d ended up.

“He was such a bright spot. Still have my huge packet of letters he had friends and family of us young freshman Lancers write,” Amanda Allison, a former student of Nickels, said in a comment on The Harbinger’s Facebook post regarding his death.

“He collected and maintained those for decades and ensured...as seniors we all received these glorious envelopes full of love, memories and advice for our future selves.”

After retiring in 2013, Nickels loved simple things, Fishman said. He volunteered at the Great Plains SPCA. He enjoyed collecting — nothing in particular. He walked his dog, sat with the cats. He had 15 at one point, Kids can look around and see the world, and if I want to tell them about a place, it’s up [on the wall] somewhere. I just have to find it, which is kind of fun, to go on a search.

Like a scavenger hunt.

john nickels | educator according to Fishman.

“He was kind of an interesting character, and was very endearing and colorful,” Fishman said. “He really was a grown up kid.”

A celebration of life will be held for Nickels in the cafeteria on Friday at 6:30 to commemorate Nickels and his contributions to East and beyond.

SCAN ME | JOHN NICKELS OBITUARY Scan here to view John Nickels’ obituary.

Former East and Indian Hills teacher John Nickels passes away at 77

FEATURES | 15

design by | maddox mogenson photo courtesy of | maxwell braasch

REACHING THE

SUMMIT East alum saves up and trains for a trip to scale Mount Everest

by carolyn popper

A

s the clouds spread apart and revealed an almost picture perfect view of Mount Everest’s peak, East alum and 24 year old Maxwell Braasch stopped breathless. Not because of the hours of trekking or the forty pounds on his back, but because he was staring at what he had given up seven month’s worth of concerts, bar nights and uber rides for. For 20 minutes, he and his friend stared silently, feeling every incredible difference in his world, Braasch said.

“There’s a lot of world, you can read about it, look at pictures, but it’s nothing like being there,” Braasch said.

While he was hiking in the South of Chile last winter, Braasch ran into hikers from Germany who had just returned from Everest. The long haired and granola outdoorsmen couldn’t stop raving about the trek, and as soon as Braasch returned to the states he had made his decision to give up the next seven months to strict budgeting and training.

First he researched itineraries. Could he budget two weeks in Nepal as a full time medical student? Trekking trips are cheap — being outdoors all day negates the need for hotels, restaurants and excursions. But he would have to double his chart review work each day and get way ahead on research, adding an entire day’s work every three days.

When he’s home, he keeps his travel and work separate — trying not to let thoughts of international travel interrupt his work day. But when attendings make small talk in the OR, Braasch feels his face light up behind the surgical mask and he knows they love to hear about the Nepalese towns as

much as he loves to talk about them.

Braasch slowly started saving up for Nepal — but that meant no Lumineers or Coldplay concerts. No more random Amazon purchases or nights out at the bar. When he could buy an Uber to Westport, he walks the twenty minutes instead.

Braasch runs 40 to 50 miles — or the equivalent of two to three half marathons a week. And to train, he packs 40 or 50 pounds of bricks in a backpack and walks around outdoor trails for five hours. It’s nothing like ascending Everest, he says, but it’s an efficient way to get used to carrying the weight on his back for that much time.

On the plane, Braasch had a moment of hesitation, almost fear. With too much time to think, he can’t help but feel intimidated. Pumas, tigers, avalanches, rockslides, monsoons — anything can happen on these treks, he was told. He remembers how common is it for the mountain to shift just the tiniest bit, and an avalanche could wipe out him and his whole group. As the plane descends onto the most dangerous airstrip in the world in Lukla, he is reminded of the danger of his international trips.

But he imagines the sights. He imagines the pictures he’ll be able to capture and add to his Flickr album. Since he spent a summer studying HIV project research in South Africa, one of his biggest incentives for traveling has been his photography. His parents bought him a real camera, a Nikon d3400 — so he could capture photos that weren’t iPhone quality. Now he has albums packed with evidence of his trips to Panama, Haiti, South Africa and Nepal.

*Information on the worlds tallest

Even as a solo traveler, Braasch doesn’t feel alone.

Arriving at hostels, or pee houses, costing 2 to 3 US dollars per night, he recognizes all the other 20-somethings who are also traveling solo, wanting to experience the world just like him. He always chooses the option of rooming with 15 other people.

After two days of traveling without shower, Braasch remembers being invited to a rooftop bar upon arrival.

Within twenty minutes he was drinking beers with strangers and eating someone else’s dinner until 2 am. The next day he hiked with two people from the Netherlands, two from England, one from the Canary Islands, one from Egypt and two from India.

“A lot of people are traveling alone, but you’re not really alone,” Braasch said.

At the 17,500 foot peak of Mount Everest’s Southern base camp, Braasch remembers why he had tripled his load at work some weeks, spent Sundays hauling bricks around an outdoor trail, and skipped concerts in Westport.

He knows this is the time in his life when he has the most opportunity. Once his residency begins, he’ll have too much responsibility — everyone tells him now is the time to explore the world.

“It’s a really big world and you can’t see it from Kansas,” Braasch said. “It’s a great place to live, but there’s no one place that someone should live their entire life.”

SUMMIT SPECS mountain 29,035 FEET TALL 9,159 SUCCESSFUL CLIMBS CALLED SAGARMATHA IN NEPALI

MEET THE

SPEAKERS

A look at two of the 15 guest speakers and performers making appearances at Uhlig’s LitUp 2019 book festival

JACQ U E L I N E WO O D S O N

T H E DAY YO U B EG I N | 2 01 8

Woodson is a best selling author of more than two dozen awardwinning books, a four-time Newberry Honor winner and three-time National Book Award finalist.

D AV I D M U H A M M A D

1 1 : 1 5 A L B U M | 2 01 8

Former East teacher, Muhammad, has released several hip-hop albums and performed at the LitUp festival. In addition to founding The Depot Academy, a non-profit music program, he just released his newest album, 11:15.

by jackie cameron

“B

y silent show of hands, they christened him Peter Nimble, after a misremembered nursery rhyme. With his name —” SMACK. Six-year-old Emery Uhlig didn’t see the pole as she was walking — she was too focused on the horror of Peter having his eyes pecked out by crows in the book, “Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes.” This wasn’t the first time she was dizzy after running into a pole or the last time a Toyota almost clipped her while her face was buried in a book. Her mom and dad had even enforced a “no-reading-in-the-parking lot” policy.

For now-senior Uhlig, this policy is still difficult to follow.

She believes reading allows people to experience things they wouldn’t normally be able to — traveling to fictional planets, meeting characters with stones for eyes or colonizing Mars.

This mindset and passion for reading is what led her to create “LitUp,” a book festival for teens.

The festival takes place at the Independence branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library and is an all-day event with workshops taught by professionals authors, poets and screenwriters. After meeting monthly for close to a year, the first “LitUp” festival took place on May 12, 2018, atrracting around 800 attendees. A second festival followed the next year on May 4, 2019, and a third one is scheduled for this spring on May 2.

As a kid, Uhlig found it easier to connect to characters in books than the people around her. From her spot on the bean bag under the staircase, she could admire Reynie’s decision making in “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and watch Hermoine deal with her feelings for Ron in “Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.”

Uhlig’s love for literature stems from her parent’s careers — her mom is a best-selling author and her dad is a former editor of the New York Times. According to her mom, Candice Millard, she and her husband wanted to instill a love for reading within their children, having them recognize it should be a privilege and a pleasure, not a punishment.

Her family has “reading dinners” where they skim text over tacos, and they spend the majority of their yearly three-week vacation to Spain reading. Depending on Uhlig’s Half Price Books gift card haul, she packs five to ten books, hoping they don’t make her bag exceed the 50 pound suitcase weight limit.

“I found it hard, in middle school and things, to meet other people who love books as much as I do,” Uhlig said. “[I wanted to] facilitate some of that meeting up for people who are struggling to find people like them.”

She wanted to provide the same experiences for fellow book lovers and, after noticing the lack of teenage-oriented book festivals, she decided to reach out to the Mid-Continent Public Library.

“Probably the most exciting thing about the festival is that it was conceived and thought of originally by a teenager,” Library Director and CEO Steve Potter said. “To this day, in terms of how it’s run, it’s still actually run and planned and managed mostly by teens.”

After the initial meeting between 14-year-old Uhlig and Potter to discuss her proposition, Potter quickly told his team they had to execute her vision. Potter felt the Uhlig “sealed the deal” when she told him it would take a year to plan — he expected a teenager to be thinking it could happen the next weekend and appreciated Uhlig’s recognition of the

commitment it would take.

In addition to workshops and book signings, there are keynote speakers like authors Gayle Forman and Jacqueline Woodson. According to Uhlig, the main goal of the festival is for teenagers to get feedback from authors about the writing process as well as inspiration. The majority of attendees are people who plan on pursuing literary-related careers.

While everyone else sits in classes, Uhlig floats around — sitting in on emptier workshops, hanging out with authors in the green room and making sure things are running smoothly.

Uhlig contacted local and national authors through email, beginning with how much she loves their work and stressing the importance of the festival. Almost all of the authors contacted agreed to the festival, which Uhlig thinks was partly because of her youth.

“The sooner you get feedback on your work, the sooner you can implement it and work on your skills...,” Uhlig said.

design by | lila tulp photos by | annakate dilks

I T ’S

FEATURES | 17

L I T E R AT U R E

Senior channels love of reading to create book festival specifically for teenagers known as “LitUp”

I definitely think it’s really important for teenagers to read. Especially because teenagers don’t have a huge view of the world yet.

emery uhlig | senior “It’s important for teenagers to feel like they are listened to by adults.”

According to Adib Khorram, an author who taught a workshop about ways authors can break “English rules” to create characters, one of the most important aspects of the event is showing teenagers there are books representing them and their experiences. In high school, Khorram was only exposed to older literature like “A Separate Peace” and “Of Mice and Men,” and never saw himself, an Iranian American, represented. He feels “LitUp” helps connect young audiences to books they can personally relate to, no matter who they are.

“I think this is an important outlet because you definitely give a diversity of options to different types of kids…,” author Aisha Sharif said. “There’s something for you bookworms out there, who if you love books, you’re not odd.”

Uhlig’s vision of “LitUp” expanding is coming true — Knoxville is hosting their own this October. The website offers “LitKits,” which include festival planning packets and “LitUp” swag. Sunglasses, notepads and coffee mugs are all included. Anyone interested in hosting their own festival can request a kit.

With her childhood steeped in the world of literature, she knows an incorporation of writing will find a place in her future — she especially likes short stories and draws inspiration from other authors in the sci-fi genre. Toni Morrison has a writing style that includes heavy descriptors and metaphors, a style Uhlig hopes to emulate. When she hits writer’s block or a swath of boredom, she looks to the small library in the backseat of her car for ideas.

“I definitely think it’s really important for teenagers to read,” Uhlig said. “Especially because teenagers don’t have a huge view of the world yet. By reading you can develop your opinions and ideas a little more before you get out into the real world.”

TH E BOOK

BREAKDOWN

What’s the go-to place to read?

QUIET PLACES The best spot to read is definitely somewhere where no one can find you, preferably a couch tucked away somewhere.

What are you reading now?

THREE CURRENT BOOKS Right now I’m reading “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “The Count of Monte Cristo”

by Alexandre Dumas and “Las Vegas” by Hunter Thompson What’s your favorite book and one recommendation you have for others?

MARTIAN CHRONICLES My favorite book is Sirens of Titans by Kurt Vonnegut, [and] I think everyone should read “The Matian Chronicles.”

MEET THE

SPEAKERS

A look at two of the 15 guest speakers and performers making appearances at Uhlig’s LitUp 2019 book festival

JACQ U E L I N E WO O D S O N

T H E DAY YO U B EG I N | 2 01 8

Woodson is a best selling author of more than two dozen awardwinning books, a four-time Newberry Honor winner and three-time National Book Award finalist.

D AV I D M U H A M M A D

1 1 : 1 5 A L B U M | 2 01 8

Former East teacher, Muhammad, has released several hip-hop albums and performed at the LitUp festival. In addition to founding The Depot Academy, a non-profit music program, he just released his newest album, 11:15.

by jackie cameron

“B

y silent show of hands, they christened him Peter Nimble, after a misremembered nursery rhyme. With his name —” SMACK. Six-year-old Emery Uhlig didn’t see the pole as she was walking — she was too focused on the horror of Peter having his eyes pecked out by crows in the book, “Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes.” This wasn’t the first time she was dizzy after running into a pole or the last time a Toyota almost clipped her while her face was buried in a book. Her mom and dad had even enforced a “no-reading-in-the-parking lot” policy.

For now-senior Uhlig, this policy is still difficult to follow.

She believes reading allows people to experience things they wouldn’t normally be able to — traveling to fictional planets, meeting characters with stones for eyes or colonizing Mars.

This mindset and passion for reading is what led her to create “LitUp,” a book festival for teens.

The festival takes place at the Independence branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library and is an all-day event with workshops taught by professionals authors, poets and screenwriters. After meeting monthly for close to a year, the first “LitUp” festival took place on May 12, 2018, atrracting around 800 attendees. A second festival followed the next year on May 4, 2019, and a third one is scheduled for this spring on May 2.

As a kid, Uhlig found it easier to connect to characters in books than the people around her. From her spot on the bean bag under the staircase, she could admire Reynie’s decision making in “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and watch Hermoine deal with her feelings for Ron in “Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.”

Uhlig’s love for literature stems from her parent’s careers — her mom is a best-selling author and her dad is a former editor of the New York Times. According to her mom, Candice Millard, she and her husband wanted to instill a love for reading within their children, having them recognize it should be a privilege and a pleasure, not a punishment.

Her family has “reading dinners” where they skim text over tacos, and they spend the majority of their yearly three-week vacation to Spain reading. Depending on Uhlig’s Half Price Books gift card haul, she packs five to ten books, hoping they don’t make her bag exceed the 50 pound suitcase weight limit.

“I found it hard, in middle school and things, to meet other people who love books as much as I do,” Uhlig said. “[I wanted to] facilitate some of that meeting up for people who are struggling to find people like them.”

She wanted to provide the same experiences for fellow book lovers and, after noticing the lack of teenage-oriented book festivals, she decided to reach out to the Mid-Continent Public Library.

“Probably the most exciting thing about the festival is that it was conceived and thought of originally by a teenager,” Library Director and CEO Steve Potter said. “To this day, in terms of how it’s run, it’s still actually run and planned and managed mostly by teens.”

After the initial meeting between 14-year-old Uhlig and Potter to discuss her proposition, Potter quickly told his team they had to execute her vision. Potter felt the Uhlig “sealed the deal” when she told him it would take a year to plan — he expected a teenager to be thinking it could happen the next weekend and appreciated Uhlig’s recognition of the

commitment it would take.

In addition to workshops and book signings, there are keynote speakers like authors Gayle Forman and Jacqueline Woodson. According to Uhlig, the main goal of the festival is for teenagers to get feedback from authors about the writing process as well as inspiration. The majority of attendees are people who plan on pursuing literary-related careers.

While everyone else sits in classes, Uhlig floats around — sitting in on emptier workshops, hanging out with authors in the green room and making sure things are running smoothly.

Uhlig contacted local and national authors through email, beginning with how much she loves their work and stressing the importance of the festival. Almost all of the authors contacted agreed to the festival, which Uhlig thinks was partly because of her youth.

“The sooner you get feedback on your work, the sooner you can implement it and work on your skills...,” Uhlig said.

I definitely think it’s really important for teenagers to read. Especially because teenagers don’t have a huge view of the world yet.

emery uhlig | senior “It’s important for teenagers to feel like they are listened to by adults.”

According to Adib Khorram, an author who taught a workshop about ways authors can break “English rules” to create characters, one of the most important aspects of the event is showing teenagers there are books representing them and their experiences. In high school, Khorram was only exposed to older literature like “A Separate Peace” and “Of Mice and Men,” and never saw himself, an Iranian American, represented. He feels “LitUp” helps connect young audiences to books they can personally relate to, no matter who they are.

“I think this is an important outlet because you definitely give a diversity of options to different types of kids…,” author Aisha Sharif said. “There’s something for you bookworms out there, who if you love books, you’re not odd.”

Uhlig’s vision of “LitUp” expanding is coming true — Knoxville is hosting their own this October. The website offers “LitKits,” which include festival planning packets and “LitUp” swag. Sunglasses, notepads and coffee mugs are all included. Anyone interested in hosting their own festival can request a kit.

With her childhood steeped in the world of literature, she knows an incorporation of writing will find a place in her future — she especially likes short stories and draws inspiration from other authors in the sci-fi genre. Toni Morrison has a writing style that includes heavy descriptors and metaphors, a style Uhlig hopes to emulate. When she hits writer’s block or a swath of boredom, she looks to the small library in the backseat of her car for ideas.

“I definitely think it’s really important for teenagers to read,” Uhlig said. “Especially because teenagers don’t have a huge view of the world yet. By reading you can develop your opinions and ideas a little more before you get out into the real world.”

design by | lila tulp photos by | annakate d

I T ’S

L

dilks

FEATURES | 17

I T E R AT U R E

Senior channels love of reading to create book festival specifically for teenagers known as “LitUp”

T H E BOO K

BREAKDOWN

What’s the go-to place to read?

QUIET PLACES The best spot to read is definitely somewhere where no one can find you, preferably a couch tucked away somewhere.

What are you reading now?

THREE CURRENT BOOKS Right now I’m reading “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “The Count of Monte Cristo”

by Alexandre Dumas and “Las Vegas” by Hunter Thompson What’s your favorite book and one recommendation you have for others?

MARTIAN CHRONICLES My favorite book is Sirens of Titans by Kurt Vonnegut, [and] I think everyone should read “The Matian Chronicles.”

Want to receive every issue of the Harbinger? Subscribe for mail delivery!

Email smeharbinger@gmail.com for more details.

2816 W. 47 th Avenue Kansas City, KS 66103

FEATURES | 19

design by | rose kanaley photos by | noelle griffin

YOG

INSTRUCTOR Sophomore Sam Stedry teaches yoga at Power Life Yoga in Corinth Square after attending classes there

I

by

winnie wolf

n a room full of nurses, teachers and nannies, sophomore Sam Stedry was the youngest by almost a decade. But the downward dogs and warrior poses among people twice his age were a part of the necessary training to receive yoga teacher certification.

After hearing of Power Life Yoga in Corinth Square through his mom and close friends, Stedry attended his first class there in July 2018 — Power Sculpt. Even though Stedry now regularly attends and teaches yoga to the kids at Power Life, he started his journey like anyone else — taking some infrequent classes to test the waters.

“I started off taking fitness classes, like Power Sculpt, which are actually super challenging,” Stedry said. “I would kind of stop going, then I would go back. I would say it took at least ten or 15 classes before I really started to get into it and love it.”

He was hooked. Stedry started paying for his own membership at Power Life so he could begin weekly classes that channeled the post-class zen feeling within him.

“The staff and the people I meet have affected me the most,” Stedry said. “That’s half the reason I go. Always saying hi,

From the get go, Sam was committed to his classes and his practice right away. He was always making it to his mat, trying out different classes and instructors. We have always seen the passion within him.

kelsey bonwell checking me in and caring about me and my day because they are the most genuine people ever.”

Last April, Stedry saw a Power Life Yoga Instagram post about an opening for kids’ yoga class teachers. With the experience of being a babysitter on the weekends, Stedry started looking into the opportunity.

After an all day Saturday and Sunday workshop, pages of notes, a reference packet and a detailed lesson plan, Stedry was ready, but terrified at the same time, for his first class.

What if the kids didn’t listen? What if I’m too nervous to teach them the lesson? What if I can’t figure out the lights or music in the room? These were all questions Stedry couldn’t help but wonder. But what he didn’t account for was no kids showing up at all.

“I woke up at seven a.m. that summer day, not sure if I was supposed to be nervous because it was just little kids,” Stedry said. “I walked into the studio, the on-call manager helped me set up my music and then I waited at the front desk for everyone

to come. But my day had the saddest ending, no one came.”

But Stedry left the studio feeling more confident and prepared for his next class — he was able to check people in and adjust the music properly now. And he wasn’t worried about the no-shows because it happened the week before too.

According to Stedry, kids are just unpredictable sometimes.

“I think he has become very driven since he began teaching classes,” sophomore and friend Estelle Gorden said. “Sam is so passionate about the things he loves and you can tell when he talks about teaching yoga that he loves it.”

Stedry is currently teaching every three Saturdays at Power Life in Town Center. The growing program gives him an average of about five kids a class, aged three to ten years old.

Unlike the sculpt, yoga and barre classes Stedry typically attended, his 45-minute kid classes included games that incorporate yoga poses and focused breathing.

According to Stedry, he makes his lessons the week leading to each class. Even though they can be time consuming, he loves the creativity that comes with making up themes for his classes — like circus, Disney, colors and travel — and creating games and simple yoga poses that correspond.

But since he’s only taught for a few months, Stedry is still working on the confidence that comes with managing classes and getting the kids to respect him.

“While some of them see me as their older brother who they can joke around with, I have surprisingly never had any bad kids or issues in class,” Stedry said.

Stedry is as busy as ever with his sophomore year classes, babysitting and working as a host after school at Johnny’s Tavern in Corinth Square — but his dedication to his yoga keeps him taking a variety of classes at Power Life nearly four times a week.

Sometimes this means pushing himself out of bed at five in the morning before school to take a class because he knew there wouldn’t be time after homework and work.

“From the get go, Sam was committed to his classes and his practice right away,” manager of Power Life in Corinth Square Kelsey Bonwell said. “He was always making it to his mat, trying out different classes and instructors. We have always seen the passion within him.”

Stedry hopes to take a Power Workshop at Power Life next year, a 200 hour course that would certify him to be an official yoga teacher for adults. In the far future, Stedry’s dream is to own a yoga studio in downtown Chicago.

T O P Sophomore Sam Stedry practices yoga poses that he teachers in classes at Power Life Yoga.

B O T T O M Stedry does a head stand at Power Life Yoga in Corinth Square.

***** P O W E R L I F E YO G A | 5 S TA R S 4145 | SOMERSET DR

GETTIN’ PEPPY 20 | PHOTOSTORY

The Lancers kicked off the start of fall sports with the first pep assembly of the year

TOP RIGHT As a boys soccer representative in the fall sports competition, senior Peter Kohring throws a football to freshman Rachel Bingham. “I was trying to catch a football with [...] the drunk goggles. It was really hard,” Kohring said. photo by | julia percy FA R R I G H T During the varsity cheer and varsity Lancer Dancer performance, junior Helen Sniezek does a kick-roll. photo by | julia percy LEFT MIDDLE Senior yell leader Walter Honnold runs through the gym holding an East flag at the beginning of the assembly. “I was just fired up, and I was thinking ‘don’t trip’ because that would suck,” Honnold said. photo by | trevor paulus BOTTOM MIDDLE Assistant principal Britt Haney rides a scooter as part of the fall sports competition. photo by | annakate dilks B E LOW Senior Lauren Decker performs with the varsity Lancer Dancers and varsity cheerleaders. “This year I’m really just trying to take in the moment because it’s senior year and I just want to enjoy every pep assembly,” Decker said. photo by | kate nixon

design by | kate nixon

A&E | 21

design by | lauren west photos courtesy of | itunes, ibooks & imdb

A&E

HIGHLIGHTS

LAWDER’S MOVIES Staffer reviews 30 watched this summer

The Harbinger hub for all things trending in the arts and entertainment world

E M E RY ’S B E S T R E A D S

* i n fo r m a t i o n c o u r tesy o f E m e r y U h l i g T H E S I R E N S O F T I TA N

THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES

AU T H O R | R AY B R A D B U RY

AU T H O R | K U RT VO N N EG U T PAG E S | 3 1 9

PAG E S | 2 2 2 A 1950 science fiction quick read about humans fleeing from earth and colonizing on Mars. Bradbury’s style is very descriptive, yet not too dense of a read.

An insanely strange book that includes the protagonist jumping back and forth through present and past moments as he tries to create his own religion.

S E E M O R E A B O U T E M E RY

LES MISÉRABLES

AU T H O R | V I C TO R H U G O

“ BY S I L E N T S H OW O F H A N D S , T H E Y C H R I ST E N E D HIM PETER NIMBLE, A F T E R A M I S R E M E M B E R E D N U R S E RY RHYME. WITH HIS NAME —” S M AC K .

PAG E S | 1 , 9 00 The 1862 translated English version of the book — not musical — where the author follows a prisoner on parole, as he runs from an inspector during the June Rebellion.

L AW D E R ’ S M O V I E P I C K S

READ MORE |16-17

* i n fo r m a t i o n c o u r tesy o f Lawd e r D e S a nt i s

LOC K , STOC K & T WO SMOKING BARRELS (1998)

HER(2013)

REBEL WITHOUT CAUSE (1955)

A

t the beginning of the summer, I — as the average 16-year-old does — made it my goal to watch 50 movies in the span of three months. But, as I quickly realized, that’s crazy. So I cut it to 30.

And I didn’t set out to do this without a purpose — to immerse myself in the vast world of cinema, watching films of varying genres, mediums and countries to further my knowledge as an aspiring filmmaker. This wasn’t just for fun, of course.

Now, with 30 movies attentively watched and analyzed, I’m giving you the five that hit me the hardest, most directly shifted my outlook towards film and inspired my own direction.

5. Brick (2005) “Brick” is the epitome of stylized filmmaking. Director Rian Johnson set out with the intention of telling a high school mystery story in the same style as the hardboiled detective pictures of the 1930s —

movies

he

and boy, does it deliver.

By taking the dialogue and atmosphere from detective films of the past and placing it in a modern setting, the film brings a level of novelty to a genre that’s normally absent in modern film.

“Brick” also has a breakneck pace that’s constantly moving through new plot points every few minutes,

SCAN ME | ONLINE Check out more of Lawder’s 30 Movies Review

which is exciting, but confusing.

The fast pace benefits the experience in a way, because when the clues finally come together, it makes it all the more impressive.

Rian Johnson had a clear vision of the film he wanted to make, and completely dedicated himself to making the performances, script and cinematography embody it.

TOP OF THE CHARTS W H O | P OST M A LO N E

TO P S O N G S U N F LOW E R R E L E A S E D AT E | S E P T . 6

****

| 4 STA R S

“ I t ’s fu n ny h ow t h e m ov i e a b o u t a g u y fa l l i n g i n l ove with his phone is one of the m os t h u m a n m ov i es I ’ ve eve r s ee n” .

*“A * *fa st*- * p a ce d

| 4 . 5 STA RS

comedy t h a t ’s m i xes c r u d e h u m o r, c l eve r w r i t i n g a n d u l t ra v i o l e n ce, c u l m i n a t i n g i n a n ex t re m e l y e nte r ta i n i n g ex p e r i e n ce.”

* *** “While it may

| 4 STA R S

b e s l i g ht l y o u td a te d , J a m es D e a n d e l i ve r s a n i n c re d i b l e p e r fo r m a n c e that e m o b d i es t h e t ro u b l es o f te e n p e t u l n ce. ”

THE SONG IS SO P OS I T I V E A N D U P L I F T I N G T H AT YO U C A N ” T B E S A D L I ST E N I N G TO I T P OST M A LO N E

22 | A&E

design by | tommy paulus photos by | kate nixon

T O P The enormous selection of “fresh off the department store” clothes available at the 1/2 of 1/2 store.

L E F T The store front of the 1/2 of 1/2 ware-house.

A review of the 1/2 of 1/2 – a resale warehouse that slashes prices to half or more

by celia condon

B

eing someone who has a drawer designated to XL t-shirts, and a closet filled with huge hoodies, any place I can find that sells both is a place I need in my life. After hearing about Half of Half, a resale store off I-35, I was pushing the speed limit the whole way there. With no idea what to expect, I pulled into the parking lot, and in front of me was a building big enough to be a storage warehouse. Little did I know it would be filled with so many diverse, trendy items.

I was greeted by bright fluorescent lights covering the ceiling, harshly shining down on the endless racks of clothing. The ever so popular “I Don’t Care” by Justin Bieber was playing quietly throughout the store — the kind of song you hum to as you shop. I only saw a handful of customers roaming through the aisles, leaving almost everything to me.

I can’t say that I know for a fact that an entire football field would fit inside the resale store, but it sure felt like one could.

First I made my way over to the t-shirt section.

Though ‘section’ might be an understatement considering I couldn’t see where the t-shirt racks ended. Looking through them, I found shirts of every color, style and theme, and I couldn’t help but think about how helpful this store might be when searching for a NASCAR themed outfit for this year’s homecoming afterparty.

Every aisle I wandered into was stocked with outfits and items for any occasion, season or style. I mean, if you’re in the market for Star Wars Stormtrooper slippers, a leather crop top with silver studs or even a curled wig, this is the place to look.

I couldn’t find a shirt priced over $16, and I only found one pair of jeans over $20 — and those were Levi’s. Even with the low prices, everything I found

was at minimum in decent condition. Rarely did I come across a rip or a stain.

While looking at the $5 holey, distressed band tees, I started to regret the who knows how many times I’ve handed over a 50 for a nearly identical t-shirt at Urban Outfitters.

Just when I thought I had covered the whole store, I noticed another doorway hiding in the white wall — the shoe section. The shoes were similar to the shirts in that the sheer amount of options was jaw dropping and, there was a pair for every occasion: red and silver Though

‘section’

might

be

AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE A comparison of regular vs. 1/2 of 1/2 store prices

WHITE CHAMPION HOODIE

rue21

an

$45

understatement considering I couldn’t see where the t-shirt racks ended

celia condon | sophmore bedazzled gogo boots for your next disco themed party, black slides for a lazy day and white sneakers to wear with anything.

Most pairs looked like they had been worn only once or twice, and a few looked like they had never come out of the shoe box — let alone walked around in.

The wall behind the shoe racks wasn’t visible as it was fully covered by a rack of neon multi-colored bikinis, and swim trunks, all shooting around $4.

When I got out of Half of Half I turned around to look it all over one more time, and this was when I realized the biggest flaw: one that it shares with Chickfil-A — it’s closed on Sundays.

I know that it won’t take much convincing to my friends that Half of Half is a place they’ll want to go — I’m not the only teenage girl who can appreciate a size XL sweatshirt that costs less than my lunch.

NIKE BLACK SWEATPANTS

kohl’s

$50

VS.

$12

VS.

$22

A&E | 23

design by | catherine erickson photos by | megan biles

A NEW V E G A N N I N G A staffer who is used to living off fast food tries Kansas City’s first all vegan cafe, the Littlest Bake Shop

Annabelle rates the four items she ordered out of five stars C H O C O L AT E C O O K I E DOUGH CUPCAKE

PEAR MUFFIN

| 1 STA R

| 4 . 5 STA R S

ALMOND MILK COFFEE

O AT M E A L C O O K I E

| 5 STA R S

| 5 STA R S

A B O V E A chalkboard sign outside of the Littlest Bake Shop located in Kansas City Missouri summarizes the menu.

by annabelle moore

T

he common reference of ‘having a sweet tooth’ has applied to me since before I learned how to spell my name. I’m a sucker for anything that screams junk food or chocolate — the processed sugars, carbs and calories are meaningless to me. Chick-Fil-A is it’s very own food group to me — and let me tell ya, I could live off of my venti Strawberry Açai refresher and bacon gouda sandwich.

But I stepped out of my comfort zone last weekend and tried something I never thought would satisfy my picky taste buds — an all vegan and gluten-free bakery.

It turns out I can enjoy healthy eating.

The Littlest Bake Shop was opened in Kansas City this summer by chef and cookbook author Iris Green. The bakery revamped

****

T H E L I T T L E S T B A K E S H O P | 4 S TA R S 645 | EAST 59TH STREET 1 0 0 % V E G A N | PA S T E R I E S A N D D R I N K S

the space to make it fit the name: cozy and welcoming.

Entering the coveted, pink and green, floral-filled bakery, I was nothing but skeptical of the all vegan food I was about to try.

It was adorable in every sense — the kind of place that made two hours of lounging in the bakery feel like two minutes. With “Pour Some Sugar on Me” playing quietly in the background, a greenery-filled outdoor patio, hanging lights and paper lanterns dangling, the treats were enjoyed in peace.

My elaborate order — which consisted of an iced coffee with almond milk and salted caramel syrup, an oatmeal cookie, a chocolate cookie dough cupcake and a pear muffin — taunted me from across the table.

I started with the iced coffee and was nothing but pleased.

It tasted like an iced mocha without the not-being-able-to-tellit’s-coffee-factor that quickly grosses me out. After drinking this sweet and light cup of brew, it’ll be hard to go back to regular coffee or 2% milk again.

Then I scarfed down the light n’ doughy oatmeal cookie that tasted something like a mix of sugar cookie dough and butter. I ate the whole thing so quickly, I can barely even recall how satisfied my taste buds were — I’m gonna go with a 10/10. Because of its yum-factor, the cookie left me wondering if this restaurant was even vegan at all.

Next I dug into the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake — satisfying to the eye and the stomach. It was the perfect balance of sweet, savory and chocolate that left me wanting another. The only downside was the cupcake’s frosting — it’s overwhelming

saltiness left me gritting my teeth.

Last I tried the pear muffin with vegan butter on the side. This one didn’t come close to matching the last three treats, both in looks and in taste. Its odd texture left me taking one bite and not

It adequately blends conventionally unhealthy treats with healthier, guiltfree ingredients — most of the time with little to no difference from the junk food it emulates.

annabelle moore going back. The vegan butter was a waste, as it tasted as bland as saltine crackers. Someone with an appetite for healthier foods may appreciate it more, but I wasn’t convinced.

Even with the pear muffin’s lack of substance, I was happily surprised by the quaint and colorful bakery. It blends conventionally unhealthy treats with healthier, guilt-free ingredients — most of the time with little-to-no difference from the junk food it emulates. The Littlest Bake Shop has a unique ability to make 100% vegan, gluten-free foods taste like anything but that, and it’s sure to please any customer seeking healthier options to guilty eats.

A&E | 24

design by | caroline chisholm

A N D YO U ’ R E WATC H I N G Disney’s new service, Disney+, will stream its big-budget movies and exclusive original shows

W H AT I S D I S N E Y +?

DISNEY+

W H AT ’S N E W O N D I S N E Y +?

Along with previously created content, these new works will be availble on Disney+

by | caroline chisholm

THE COMPANY BEHIND Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and animated classics like the Disney Princesses will launch its own digital streaming service, Disney+ (Disney Plus), on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

This $6.99-per-month subscription will stream expansive collections of work from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic as well as new and exclusive content. The service will include 25 original series, 500 films and 7,500 episodes of current and past TV shows, according to Disney. For high schoolers, this streaming service will be a blast from the past — with everything from “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” series to the “High School Musical” series.

At half-the-price of HBO Now and five dollars less than Netflix, Disney+ hopes to be a new competitor in the streaming world. And by the end of 2019, Disney plans on removing their productions from other streaming platforms in order to gain more traction on Disney+.

Disney has promised wide device support, saying the streaming service will support phones, tablets, computers, connected TVs and streaming media boxes. Following its U.S. debut, Disney+ plans to expand globally, with global distribution agreements to be in nearly all major regions of the world within the next two years, according to the Walt Disney Company.

SCAN ME | DISNEY+ Check out the Disney+ website to get more information about subscribing and available shows

L I Z Z I E M CG U I R E R E V I VA L

L A DY A N D T H E T R A M P

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

THIS IS WHAT EVERY 2000s girl’s dream is made of — a Lizzie McGuire Revival will be coming to Disney+. This new version catches up with Lizzie, played by original cast member and my third grade idol Hilary Duff. In the spinoff, Lizzie is about to turn 30, living her dream life in New York City — man and job included.

All 65 episodes of the original Lizzie McGuire show, as well as the 2003 movie, will be available to stream on Disney+ after the launch of the spinoff.

Disney has yet to announce a supporting cast or release date for new episodes of Lizzie McGuire.

DISNEY’S EXCITEMENT towards live action remakes is extending itself to yet another classic — Lady and the Tramp.

The live-action remake will be heading straight to Disney+, and will reportedly be on the streaming platform towards the end of the year. It joins the list of Disney remakes that never live up to the original, including “The Lion King”, “Aladdin” and “Dumbo.”

Unlike other revamps created using computer generated imagery, this live action remake will be filmed with real dogs — cue me obsessing over ittybitty faces. Voiced by Justin Theroux and Tessa Thompson, Lady and the Tramp will follow the original synopsis including the saucy spaghetti smooch.

CLASS IS BACK in session at East High. The 10-episode Disney+ original series follows a group of students as they prepare for opening night of their school’s first production of “HSM,” based off the movie from 15 years ago. The characters in the show will be auditioning for and playing iconic characters like Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez in their school’s musical production. Get ready to “Bop to the Top” with the new faces of High School Musical. .

W H AT I F

F ROZ E N 2

T H E M A N DA LO R I A N FOR ALL YOU REBELS out there, a new series is arriving from a galaxy far, far away. Disney is creating the first liveaction Star Wars series set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. The series follows a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic. The Mandalorian is one of four shows within the Star Wars franchise coming to the Disney streaming service, the others being Clone Wars and a prequel series to the 2016 Rogue One film.

K E E P U P DAT E D GO TO D I S N E Y P LU S . CO M

C L I C K K E E P U P DAT E D

“WHAT IF” WILL become the first animated series from Marvel Studios.

Each episode of the series will explore a pivotal moment from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and turn it on its head, leading the audience into uncharted territory, according to Disney.

The 23 episode series will have one episode for each movie created

by Marvel and will explore alternate outcomes that the movies original stories didn’t include. The brief sneak peak released at the Disney convention announcing Disney+ included Captain America as a zombie and the Black Panther making an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy.

ALTHOUGH THE HIGHLY anticipated sequel, Frozen 2, will first premiere in theatres before arriving at Disney+, Disney plans on releasing a documentary series showing behind the scenes creation and animation of Frozen 2. Spotlighting the hard work and creativity that goes into making one of the most highly anticipated Walt Disney Animation Studios features of all time, the documentary, according to Disney, will reveal all the secrets behind the newest ice-cold movie.

E N T E R YO U R E M A I L TO R EC E I V E N E W I N FO R M AT I O N

HOMES TOUR

Wednesday, September 25, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Tour Pass: $30

3700 W 64th St, Mission Hills

5208 W 68th St, Prairie Village

4916 W 65th St, Prairie Village

4604 W 87th Pl, Prairie Village

Please join us and be a part of this wonderful fundraiser for the Shawnee Mission East SHARE Program!

Looking for ways to connect with the SME Community?

8825 Aberdeen Dr, Leawood

BE A VOLUNTEER!

BE A GUEST!

We need dozens of volunteers to assist visitors through the homes on tour day, September 25, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Come tour our five featured remodeled or newly built homes showing the latest trends in home design and décor.

Please visit bit.ly/RenSenVolunteer to sign up online and view open shifts.

To buy tour passes visit bit.ly/Rensentourpass or visit one of our local outlets at Spruce Home or participating Hen Houses (Corinth, Fairway and Prairie Village).

Tickets will be available the day of the event at each tour home.

For more information, visit

SMEastSHARE.com

26 | SPORTS

design by | sarah bledsoe

S P O RTS

P L AY E R ’ S P O L L

HIGHLIGHTS

DO YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING A SPORTS GAME THIS SEASON | 298 VOTES

89% YES 11% NO

Sports updates, schedules and quotes going into the fall sports season

WHICH SPORT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAVE A BETTER RECORD THIS SEASON | 316 VOTES

M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R SEP

SEP

19

21

F O OT B A L L | Va r s i t y

T E N N I S | Va r s i t y

game vs. Olathe

District vs. SM North,

Nor thwest @ CBAC

S M N o r t h Wes t , S M

(College blvd Activities

S o u t h a n d S M Wes t

74% SOCCER 27%

FOOTBALL

ARE YOU PARTICIPATING IN A FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE? | 280 VOTES

70% YES

Complex)

30% NO

COMING UP THIS WEEK

AT H L E T E ’ S T A K E

C R O S S C O U N T R Y | J V / VA R S I T Y M E E T 0 9 / 2 1

DO YOU HAVE ANY PREDICTIONS FOR HOW YOUR SEASON WILL GO NOW THAT TRYOUTS HAVE ENDED?

F O O T B A L L | VA R S I T Y G A M E 0 9 / 1 9 G O L F | M O / K S VA R S I T Y I N V I T A T I O N A L 0 9 / 1 6 VA R S I T Y M A T C H 0 9 / 1 8 G Y M N A S T I C S | VA R S I T Y I N V I T A T I O N S 0 9 / 1 8 J V / VA R S I T Y M E E T 0 9 / 1 9

This volleyball season we have started out playing some tough teams. I think we have done really well, and we won our first game so that gives me some hope that we will continue to win throughout the season.

S O C C E R | VA R S I T Y G A M E 0 9 / 1 7 VA R S I T Y G A M E 0 9 / 1 9 T E N N I S | VA R S I T Y M A T C H 0 9 / 1 6 VA R S I T Y T O U R N A M E N T 0 9 / 1 7 VA R S I T Y M A T C H 0 9 / 1 7 VA R S I T Y M A T C H 0 9 / 1 9 VA R S I T Y D I S T R I C T 0 9 / 2 1 V O L L E Y B A L L | VA R S I T Y T R I A N G U L A R 0 9 / 1 7 VA R S I T Y T O U R N A M E N T 0 9 / 2 1

jenna thiemann | senior A B BY G O R M A N |SARAH GOLDER

[At] our first [gymnastics] meet all the teams in the state were there, and we got third so I would say our goal for how our season will go is to place in the top three at state.

brooklyn beck | senior

SCAN ME | VIDEO A fresh start for the soccer season during the JV and Varsity black and blue scrimmage by | sydney williams

T O P At the end of the pep assembly, cheer sings the school song. photo by | Julia Percy T O P R I G H T Junior Caden Nicholson defends the ball from West defender during the first half of the game. photo by | Elle Karras L E F T Senior Mkai Jantz attempts to catch a ball during a drill photo by | Noelle Griffin

Junior and freshmen sisters share their love for volleyball together on the Varsity team

by lily billingsley

W

SARAH

hether it was a third grade volleyball game at Okun Fieldhouse or a summer camp at Bishop Miege, Freshman Rachel Bingham was always at her older sister Sarah’s games, watching closely and keeping herself entertained by playing with Sarah’s coaches’ little kids. When the once-a-weekend games turned to weekend-long club tournaments, Rachel was still there watching — wanting more and more to slide on kneepads and get on the court herself.

When Sarah was 10 and began club volleyball, Rachel decided to try the sport for herself. Her mom put together a team, “Bumpin’ Bacon”, when she was eight and by the time she was 10, she was playing club volleyball for the same club Sarah played for — KC Power. Rachel’s days of sitting on the cold bleachers watching Sarah spike the ball over the net were over — she was now competing at matches and tournaments of her own. She and her sister’s weekends soon filled with tournaments in Denver or Minneapolis, and their weeknights with carpools to the Olathe Sports Complex.

As Sarah entered her freshman year at East, she began playing middle as the only freshman on the varsity Volleyball team. This year, Rachel is doing just the same, making her one of just two underclassmen on the team — and also the only freshman. That meant that she and Sarah would be sharing the court for the first time. The only place Rachel will be watching Sarah play this season is from the row behind her.

“It’s cool because this doesn’t happen very often,” Sarah said. “Normally there aren’t two sisters that play on the same team, at the same time, at the same level.”

Now that Rachel is playing on varsity alongside Sarah, the sisters spend every afternoon practicing together. Playing on the team together gives the sisters a common goal and forces them to work together, as well as giving them time together.

They talk about practice together and get food before games.

They don’t talk much at practice, but their family dinners have become dominated by Lancer volleyball talk. So far this season, volleyball is bringing the sisters closer together.

“My whole family is volleyball nerds, so at dinner, our conversation is about volleyball 75 percent of the time,” Sarah said. “It’s nice because [Rachel] has a much different

RACHEL

SARAH

STANDARDS

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

RACHEL

SPORTS | 27

SETTING

design by | lauren dierks photos by | ty browning

perspective on the game or practice than I do, because she’s a lot more positive than I am.”

Going into tryouts, Rachel knew that most of the players on the team were hitters, so she took lessons on how to play the back row position because that was what the team needed.

She was hoping to make varsity, but recognized there weren’t many spots open for new players since only two seniors were on the team last year.

“I kind of wanted to try out thinking I would make JV or varsity, just based on my abilities and other people’s,” Rachel said. “I really just didn’t know [what team I’d make] until they called me in and told me.”

The sisters’ parents are glad that both girls made the varsity team — and not just because they get a break from driving to two seperate games and practices.

“It has been the best thing ever for our family,” their mom Jen said. “We all get to go to the same place at the same time and cheer for or play for the same team.”

Although Sarah and Rachel are excited to both be playing at the varsity level together, they were sisters before teammates — and don’t always get along.

“There’s times when I get mad at her and I do sometimes say things but I try to keep it pretty mild,” Sarah said. “She’s playing well so there’s not that many times [where] I’m that angry. We get along most of the time, but it’s just sometimes I need someone to blame stuff on and I know she will be able to take it.”

The sisters will have family flying from across the country to watch them play together this year. Plus their grandmas can be found at every game, sporting a button with a Bingham sister’s picture on it on each side.

According to Jen, getting to share the court as two sisters playing on the same team, at the same level, at the same time, has brought Sarah and Rachel closer together in not only volleyball, but as sisters.

“I think it’s bringing them closer together as a family and as siblings,” Jen said. “They have someone else that they can talk to, process with, relate to, and discuss the team with.

It’s bringing them closer together and helping them bond as sisters.”

2011

2014

2017

began playing

started playing club

began playing for east

2013

2014

2019

began playing

started playing club

began playing for east

SPORTS | 29

design by | sydney newton photos courtesy of | NEGU

P L AY I N G F O R A

CAUSE East partners up with NEGU to raise money during the lancer day football game

N

by anna stover

ever Ever Give Up (NEGU), a foundation meant to brighten children with cancers’ days, is partnering with East to tell the story of Jessie Rees and raise money to produce Joy Jars for children suffering from cancer. The partnership began on Lancer Day during the parade and football game.

NEGU began with twelve-year-old Jessie Rees, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor on March 3, 2011. Rees’s unique treatment plan of 30 rounds of radiation and a daily dose of chemotherapy allowed her to go home every day from the hospital. Yet, Rees wanted to help the kids forced to stay at the hospital. Rees stuffed brown paper sacks with her own stuffed animals and toys, decorated them and delivered them to other kids in the hospital with cancer. The brown paper bags were then changed to plastic jars — now known as Joy Jars.

Playing catch, putting your arm around him, taking a little bit of the load off of him, letting him be a kid and not think about cancer. The ability to make a difference in one kid or multiple kids is well worth the time.”

justin hoover | football coach Joy Jars are made specifically for each age group and gender. For example, a Joy Jar meant for a baby could have a rattle or a waterproof bath book. For an older child, it could be a Rubik’s Cube or Earbuds. Rees had one rule — no cheesy toys. If it could be found in a happy meal at McDonalds, it wasn’t allowed.

Currently NEGU is doing a hand challenge — a social media campaign where participants write “I” on their right hand and “NEGU” on their left hand. Participants post a picture of it on their Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag “#I NEGU do you?” For every post, an anonymous donor donates $25 — the cost of a Joy Jar. The goal is 2,000 posts, to bring a total of $50,000 to make Joy Jars.

“It doesn’t matter who you are,” NEGU representative for the Lancer Day football game Maddie Dilfur said. “You could be grandma or Tom Brady — we just need the posts.”

The partnership between East and NEGU was

announced to the football players on Sept. 8. The organization showed the football players the video on the NEGU website explaining the goals of the organization.

The players were then given NEGU bracelets and asked to complete the hand challenge. Through each of their pledges to never ever give up, a child with cancer got a Joy Jar. “My grandma had cancer,” sophomore Kyler Haughton said. “It touched me on a personal level and it made me want to work harder to beat Lawrence on Lancer day.”

According to Junior Kaleb Hagg, the video helped some of the players imagine what the future would be like if a family member had to go through that.

“That stuff gets to my heart because I have little siblings,” said Hagg. “If that happened to them... I’d do anything for them.”

The hand challenge started in August and will go throughout September — a total of 46 days. The 46 days representing the 46 children diagnosed with cancer every day.

NEGU has been trying to form partnerships with all levels of sports: professional, college and high school.

Patrick Mahomes wore a NEGU bracelet on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Madden. Now, East football players will be wearing them. East head football coach, Justin Hoover, has been working with NEGU since 2013 when the foundation first started. Through NEGU, kids with cancer were able to practice with professional athletes.

According to Hoover, he learned the influence he could have in brightening the kid’s day.

“Playing catch, putting your arm around him, taking a little bit of the load off of him, letting him be a kid and not think about cancer,” Hoover said. “The ability to make a difference in one kid or multiple kids is well worth the time.”

The goal of the partnership is to help spread awareness.

Dilfur, the NEGU representative was at the Lancer Day game to help answer questions about the foundation and two flyers were put in the programs — one that told the reader about the organization and one about the hand challenge. According to Dilfur, anyone who is able to help should do so because Joy Jars help spread happiness.

A B O V E Delilah, a 5 year old girl fighting lukemia, recieves a joy jar for her birthday T O P Kaitlinn Sandeno Hogan and Allison Schmitt visit children’s hospitals and hand out joy jars

B EC AU S E O F U S

A breakdown of how the money raised for NEGU impacted the community in 2017

52,000 Joyjars were stuffed with toys, bracelets, and stickers to give to kids

425 Families were supported by Never Ever Give Up

1,600

Care centers were enaged, helping kids and families

$3.1wasmillion raised through fundraisers and partnerships like east’s

VOTE FOR S E N I O R M O S T L I K E LY SENIORS! CHECK YOUR EMAILS FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF SENIOR MOST LIKELYS! F O L L O W U S O N I N S TA G R A M @T H I S I S H A U B E R K U P D AT E S + V I D E O S + S N E A K P E E K S

design by | aislinn menke

MUSICAL REVUE

PHOTOSTORY | 31

The theatre and drama students rehearsed their group numbers and solos to prepare for the annual Musical Revue on Monday, Sept. 9

RIGHT Junior Caroline Kuhlman performs her solo during the first part of the revue.

“I love doing musical revue just because I get to be with such a unique set of people that I love being around,” Kuhlman said. photo by | aislinn menke

RIGHT MIDDLE Senior Janie Carr applies her stage makeup before the start of the rehearsal.

“For musical revue you just wear whatever you want so there’s not a lot of prep, but for musicals there’s big costumes and stuff,” Carr said. photo by | aislinn menke RIGHT BOTTOM Juniors Mazey Heim and Elinor Zugazagoitia do a handshake while wating in line for headshots to be taken. “It was exciting to get to know all the new people who are going to be in theater this year. I think I’ve gotten a lot closer with some people from musical review,” Zugazagoitia said. photo by | trevor paulus

T O P While playing “Blowing in the Wind” by Bob Dylan on their guitars, sophomores Ashlee Taylor, Brianna Ledbedder and Miles Lewandowski sing. “It took me the whole weekend to get it down because I haven’t played the guitar since June,” Taylor said. photo by | sarah golder L E F T Drama teacher Tom DeFeo checks the lighting during senior Margaret Veghlan’s cover of “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. “I really liked a lot of the group numbers, and I liked the senior song a lot. I feel like this year everyone worked really hard and [revue] pulled together really well,” Veghlan said. photo by | aislinn menke

L E F T Freshman Fritz Sullivan performs “Blackbird” by The Beatles on his guitar during the revue. “I liked performing that mellow of a song in front of a big audience. It’s so vulnerable and cool,” Sullivan said . photo by | annakate dilks

design by | lila tulp photos courtesy of | revolve styled by | annabelle moore

32 | ALT-COPY

FA L L I N G FO R I

FASHION SHOP | REVOLVE by

riley atkinson

Scan this QR code to be directed to revolve.com to shop these looks today

’ll admit it — I am absolutely done trying to style the same pair of vintage Levi jean shorts with a cute crop top. The 90 degree weather has lasted too long and I am ready for all things fall. Read below to see my top picks from Revolve:

OUTF IT #1 MY FASHION EXPERTISE is fueled by Vogue and Refinery 29 Snapchat stories — and according to them, color-blocking is making a comeback. This red, pink and blue slouchy sweater will stand out among the brown leaves.

Paired with slightly cropped jeans and white sneakers, it’s the perfect outfit for your comfortable yet trendy Monday look. And trust me, the added layers will keep you warm in the arctic English classrooms.

OUTF IT #2 I’M A HUGE ADVOCATE for pre-planning holiday outfits excessively early — and Thanksgiving dinner is always something I can’t wait to shop for. My Pinterest mood board this year has been filled with leather, cheetah print and gold.

I can already envision putting on this classic white sweater and black leather skirt. And the red docs will be the pop of color I need to complete the look.

OUTF IT #3 I USE FALL AS my excuse to lounge around eating pumpkin bread watching “Halloween Town” just about every Sunday of the season.

This brown hoodie is perfect to slide over my food belly and make me feel even cozier than the excessive amount of blankets on my bed could ever do. Cheetah print leggings are great for adding a touch of pizazz to the outfit.

And of course, slip-on white vans are a must-have if I ever decide to leave my bed.

OUTFIT #2 I CO N I C 8 B O OT | $ 1 4 0 P OS E I D O N S K I RT | $ 4 7

OU T F I T # 1

G E N I V I E S W E AT E R | $ 3 6

O U TF IT #3

CO LO R B LO C K C R E W | $ 8 8

M OV E M E N T R E Y E S | $ 4 9

5 01 S K I N N Y J E A N | $ 8 8

T EAGA N L EG G I N G | $ 8 4

2 7 9 0 P L AT F O R M | $ 80

S L I P - O N VA N S | $ 6 0