The Harbinger Issue 11 2023-24

THE

harbinger...

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 FEBRUARY 20, 2024 VOLUME LXVI ISSUE 10

BUILDING

CHEMISTRY Chemistry teacher S teven

A p p i e r spent the last 2 9 years b u i l d ing excitement around s c i ence in and out of the c l assroom and is retiring t hi s May

A LOOK INSIDE:

page 6...

Students feel effects of local restaurants violating child labor laws

21...

Following the Chiefs’ Superbowl win, read about the best and worst commercials

25...

The varsity baseball team was first in class 6A pre-season rankings

02 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

THE HARBINGER

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de sig n b y ave r y an de rs o n

c o v e r d e s ig n b y b ri d ge t co n n e l l y c o v e r p h o to b y ri l ey s cot t

V i si t sm ehar b i nger. net to vi ew ad ditiona l storie s, ga lle rie s, podc a st s a nd v ide os

A curre n t e v e n t h a p p e n i n g i n Pa r k l a n d , F l o r i da, according to t h e ir s t u d e nt pu b l i c ati o n , Th e Eag l e Eye n ew spaper

Students at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have put together a Pen Pal Club in an attempt to revive more personal means of communication that don’t involve social media The Pen Pal Appreciation Club writes to people living in senior living homes and at local elementary schools as well as schools in different countries

SCAN ME WEBSITE Visit this link to view more stories from The Eagle Eye

ʼnőÁƅ ěĆʼnő PRINT EDITORS K atie Murphy Greyson Imm

THE EAGLE EYE Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

DESIGN EDITORS Veronica Mangine Bridget Connelly

ONLINE EDITORS

ASST. DESIGN EDITOR

HEAD COPY EDITORS

Bridget Connelly Maggie Kissick

Aanya Bansal Maggie Kissick Greyson Imm Aanya Bansal

K ai McPhail

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

ASST. PRINT EDITORS

ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

ASST. ONLINE EDITORS

ART EDITOR

Addie Moore Avery Anderson Connor Vogel Larkin Brundige

ASST. HEAD COPY EDITOR Ada Lillie Worthington

HEAD PHOTO EDITORS Riley Scott Liv Madden Kenna Harrington

VIDEO EDITORS Abby Lee Ryder Hendon

ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Caroline Martucci Clara Peters Amelie Wong

ASST. VIDEO EDITORS Mason Sajna Alex Sajna

Isabel Balsassaro Lyla Weeks

Bridget Connelly

ASST. ART EDITOR K ai McPhail

PODCAST EDITOR Emma Krause

PHOTO MENTORS

SCAN ME WEBSITE

a r t b y b e l l a b ro ce

Read an opinion on how digital cameras are better than iPhone photos, a recap of the boys varsity swim season and a review of the newly released show “Percy Jackson and the Olympiads”

ONLINE POST MANAGER Luciana Mendy

COPY EDITORS

K atie Murphy Greyson Imm Maggie Kissick Aanya Bansal Ada Lillie Worthington Addie Moore Emmerson Winfrey Libby Marsh David Allegri Sophia Brockmeier Larkin Brundige Lucy Wolf Connor Vogel Avery Anderson Luke Beil Neva Hudson Luciana Mendy

STAFF WRITERS

Mary Gagen Isabel Baldassaro Maggie Condon Christian Gooley Preston Hooker VIDEO MENTOR Lucy Stephens Preston Hooker Emma Krause PRINT SECTION EDITORS Lorelei Galles EDITORIAL | K ai McPhail Michael Yi NEWS | Sydney Eck Reese Dunham FEATURE | Sophia Brockmeier Mya Smith SPORTS | Libby Marsh Neil Williams OPINION | Isabel Baldassaro Carl Sutton A&E | Lucy Stephens Molly Miller Paige Bean Will Griffith Mason Sajna

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STAFF ARTISTS Larkin Brundige Lorelei Galles Zane Laing Julia Campbell Hallie O’Bryan Bella Broce Francesca Lorusso

PAGE DESIGNERS Emmerson Winfrey Zane Laing Lyla Weeks Clara Burdick Lorelei Galles Julia Campbell Bella Broce Francesca Lorusso Hallie O’Bryan

MULTIMEDIA STAFF Mary Gagen Luke Beil Paige Bean Ryan Dehan Mason Sajna Alex Sajna Emma Krause Preston Hooker Christian Gooley

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Alex Sajna Maggie Condon Lyla Weeks Molly Scott Francesca Lorusso Addie Clark K atie Cook Caroline Hoffman

;gZZg© g g H Z `'#H ͢ SME Harbinger

The Harbinger

smeharbinger

SM East Harbinger

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 content and opinions 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 quotes material may be confirmed with the 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 or mechanics. Letters should be sent to Room 400 or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com.

MEDIA W

;g ͢ ̩​̩ < Ha ͢ ̪ legislation protecting underage users on social m edi a pl a tform s

any existing legislation, each time a new law comes

or scrolling through an infinite sea

out, they find a way to circumvent it by adding a

of Young Sheldon clips, the same

small clause written in micro-text within the rest

platform fails to prevent spreading

of their terms and conditions that everyone reads word for word when downloading new apps. Like

content involving child abuse.

Despite growing concerns over the negative

how X has the rights to all content posted on the

impact of social media on youth mental health

platform and can make money without user consent

and well-being, platforms like X, Instagram and

permission.

Snapchat lack any structured regulation. With the

To address these shortcomings, it’s imperative

large role social media plays in our society today,

that policymakers prioritize the creation of stricter

there is an urgent need for the United States

social media regulations specifically tailored to

government to enact more robust legislation to

protect underage users.

social media such as anxiety, depression, and self-

dollar

harm.

40-year-old predators to interact with minors just raise

awareness

for

such

legislation, the U.S. Senate called a hearing with CEOs of the five biggest tech companies — Meta, Snap, Discord, X and TikTok — to appear at a hearing where Senator Ted Cruz accosted them for blatantly allowing content involving child-porn on their platforms.

Per usual, the billionaires just stood there, listening soullessly trying to feint empathy and all the while thinking about the next best way to sell $6.99 Temu knock-offs on their platform.

The one time I saw a drop of genuine sorrow for the CEOs was when relatives in the audience held up

corporations

get

away

with

+

allowing

because the website required them to click a button

“

“ensuring” that they were 18.

TO ADDRESS

these shortcomings, it’s imperative that policymakers prioritize the creation of stricter social media regulations specifically tailored to protect underage users.

pictures of their children who had taken their lives

One proposed bill that would establish some

because of social media. If seeing real people who

form of protection is the Kids Online Safety Act.

have had their families ruined because of underage

Currently on the floor of Congress, it would allow

social media use wasn’t enough to invoke change,

minors more data privacy, make companies have

then change might never be possible.

stricter content filters and also mitigate some of the

Thousands of people have had their lives ruined

addictive aspects of social media — implementing

because of a nude picture they didn’t mean to send.

time limits and disabling doom scrolling features

These kids weren’t aware of the inherent dangers

currently found on Instagram reels or YouTube

of the internet, but nonetheless, social media

Shorts.

platforms continue to allow underage nude pictures

Though

it

would

better

protect

children,

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wouldn’t want the

to be circulated or posted.

Existing legislation such as the Children’s Online

government breathing down his neck, selling user

Privacy Protection Act or the Children’s Internet

data to the highest bidder. Our Government may not

Protection Act “protects” kids by including a “You

like the lack of empathy and his unwillingness to

must be 18 to use this website”— which is far too

change, but they do like the 19 million dollars that

easy for kids to bypass with a simple click.

Meta spent on lobbying efforts, according to the

These laws were signed over two decades ago, and

Senate Office of Public Records.

current 13-year-olds could probably build a website

But it isn’t entirely Zuckerberg’s fault. Part of

faster than the senators who enacted this bill.

the problem is that there are bad people on the

Legislation like COPPA and CIPA

are meaningless

internet, and no matter how much legislation is

— it’s just there for multi-billion dollar companies

enacted, that won’t change. We can change how

to avoid getting blamed when a teenage user kills

minors use social media, and ensure that they’re

themself after an online interaction.

educated enough to do so.

Most of these companies completely disregard

18

According to the current legislation, billion-

protect underage users from harmful effects of

to

The members of the editorial board who agree with the viewpoint of the editorial are represented by for, and those who disagree with the viewpoint are represented by against.

There should be more

HILE CHATTING WITH friends,

Attempting

FEBRURARY 20, 2024 | 03

THE HARBINGER

de s ig n b y k a i m c p h a i l

FACE THE ;

S tat s about c hildren’s expos u re to s oc ia l media

20%

OF KIDS THINK THEIR PARENTS DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY DO ONLINE.

OF KIDS AND TEENS HAVE GIVEN OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION TO SOMEONE THEY DON’T KNOW.

81%

55%

OF ONLINE 9-17 YEAR OLDS SAY THEY’VE VISITED A SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORM IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS.

OF KIDS AND TEENS SAY THEY WOULD CHANGE THEIR ONLINE BEHAVIOR IF THEY KNEW THAT THEIR PARENTS WERE WATCHING THEM.

43%

S ta t s c ou r te s y of gu a rdc hild.c om

Briefs...

storie s b y greyson imm

04 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

d e s ig n b y s yd n ey e c k

smeharbinger.net/category/news

JUNIOR GRAHAM RIGSBY WON PTA ART COMPETITION AND IS CONTINUING TO STATE JUNIOR GRAHAM RIGSBY will compete in the

photo that he took while on a trip to visit his

state level of the PTA reflections contest in the

cousins in Uruguay last summer.

coming weeks after winning the SMSD regional contest.

As one of four winners in the photography

I just want to travel and be able to explore the

division contest, Rigsby received an award of

world and see different cultures and different

excellence at the Jan. 22 SMSD Board of Education

types of people.”

meeting. The contest included original works

Rigsby said that he was encouraged to enter

of art in the categories of dance choreography,

his photo by his mother and aunt who run the

film production, literature, music composition,

PTA reflections contests at Prairie and Belinder

photography and visual arts. Open to grades

Elementary schools. He’s grateful that his mom’s

pre-K to 12, 109 SMSD students entered with 22

involvement in reflections encouraged him, as

were being selected as finalists.

well as other students in all grade levels, to enter

“I did not expect to win at all,” Rigsby said. “I

T O P Junior Graham Rigsby ’s PTA Reflections contest-winning photograph.

“In my submission, I said that I wanted to travel more,” Rigsby said. “I’m hopeful because

lancer

minute

A vid e o s e r ie s h ig h lig h tin g p h o to s f ro m g a l l e r i e s a n d re c ap p in g re c e n t e ve n t s

in the contest.

knew I was going up against a lot of other people

“It’s really good to see reflections [entries],

who are really into photography, so it was pretty

especially in younger grades,” Rigsby said. “So

unexpected that I won.”

it’s nice that it’s getting such a young audience

When Rigsby heard this year’s prompt, “I am

THE

through my mom.”

HANGING UP LUNAR NEW YEAR POSTER

Hopeful Because...” he immediately thought of a

FIRST BLACK QUEER HISTORICAL ARCHIVE OPENS IN KC NEXT MONTH KANSAS CITY’S FIRST Black queer historical archive is opening on

Students in art teacher Adam Finkelston’s AP, IB and art portfolio

March 1. The project called {B/qKC} is an online database compiled by

classes visited the Charlotte Street Foundation last month to view the

local community organizer Nasir Montalvo and consists of longform

exhibit. IB art student and senior Abi Limbird says that she appreciated

articles, documents and other primary source materials relating to Black

seeing the archive materials and watching a video in the gallery to learn

queer history in Kansas City.

about local Black queer history.

“What’s important to me with the archive is to center stories and

“It definitely was intriguing and I learned a lot from the exhibit,”

people,” Montalvo said. “What I want to do is storytelling in a way

Limbird said. “I didn’t know about the rich culture and history of Black

that’s beautiful and intentional. If I can find ways to make the histories

pageantry in KC so that was an eye-opening experience.”

accessible while the people who have ‘donated’ to the archive get to keep their material, that’s what I want to do.”

Many of these physical exhibits will also be available to view in the

MR. CANSAS CANDIDATES WERE RELEASED

coming months at local cafes, bookstores and other arts organizations.

In addition to the online archive, Montalvo has been displaying some

“I hope that by widely sharing the [stories] of Black queer Kansas

of these materials in exhibition spaces around the city for the past year

Citians and what they’ve gone through, we can better understand how

as part of the project. One of these showings was in conjunction with

we need to organize as a city in order to support Black queer folk and

the “Miss/They Camaraderie” exhibit at the Charlotte Street Foundation

honestly, Kansas City overall,” Montalvo said.

addressing Black queer history in beauty pageantry.

THE SHARE BLOOD DRIVE ON FEB. 17 SUPPORTED THE RED CROSS

SHARE HOSTED THEIR annual blood drive on Saturday, Feb. 17 to aid

project, which consisted of a short, 7-question questionnaire and a cheek

the statewide emergency blood shortage.

swab to match potential donors over 18 with patients in need.

The American Red Cross declared a blood shortage emergency for Kansas in January, with the lowest amount of donations in 20 years. The

“It’s a very simple process,” Peters said. “It’s just a table [at the blood drive] and it takes 10 minutes to sign up. It makes a huge difference.”

standard for blood banks is to keep enough blood for three days. According

SHARE sponsors Erin Billingsley and Sheryl Kaplan are glad community

to SHARE chair and senior Eve Benditt, they are struggling to keep a one-

members are taking the first steps toward potentially saving a life through

day supply due to a lack of donations.

the blood drive and bone marrow donation. Billingsley says that once

“[Donating blood] is so much less scary than people think,” Benditt

someone donates, they’re more likely to be a future donor.

said. “We’re at a critical low of blood right now. So if you’ve never

“Once you get started, it becomes a habit and it’s not so scary anymore,”

donated, now is the perfect time because this problem is worse than it’s

Billingsley said. “It’s important to get kids interested in donating blood

ever been.”

because it’s something you can do from the age of 16 on. Hosting it at

For the first time in four years, there was also a table to register for bone marrow donation. SHARE chair and junior Clara Peters led this

school is a nice introduction for students to be able to see that they can do it, and it’s something that really makes a difference.”

DRINK FROM COFFEE SHOP’S NEW VALENTINE MENU

SCAN ME VIDEO Visit Instagram Reels to hear staffer Emma Krause discuss these events and see more photos

s tor y by ave ry anders o n

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 0 5

THE HARBINGER

d e si g n by jul i a camp bell p h o to s by mol l y mi l ler

LUNAR NEW YEAR

Ch i n e s e C lu b’s Lu n ar Ne w Ye ar c e l e b rati o n too k p l a ce f o r t he f i rst t i m e si nce COV I D o n Feb. 1 5

AFTER

annual

“We usually do meetings according to

Lunar New Year celebration due to COVID,

CANCELING

THE

different Chinese holidays,” Kloster said.

After canceling the annual Lunar New Year

“Earlier this year, our first meeting was

Students in the club also performed a lion

celebration due to COVID, Chinese Club

about the Mid-Autumn Festival where we had

dance and fan dance as further entertainment

hosted their first full celebration since 2020

traditional stuff like Chinese moon cakes.”

for attendees — both traditional dances

Their Lunar New Year celebration is the

on Feb. 15 in the cafeteria.

explain them as well as give out classic Chinese fortunes.

performed around Lunar New Year in China.

Chinese

biggest event of the year for Chinese club due

“Me and Finn Kloster are [reciting] a

teacher and club sponsor Hau-In Lau and other

to the historically large turnout. Keeping with

poem,” Chinese 3 student and junior Avery

members of the club pulled together a variety

the trend, they planned their celebration just

Williams said. “The poem is in Chinese.

of activities, decorations, food, games and

five days after the real holiday on Feb. 10 and

There’s going to be two poems, the one that

speakers to entertain and educate students

followed the layout of previous celebrations to

Finn and I are doing and the one that James

who attended the celebration, according to

ensure its success.

Quance is doing.”

Through

extensive

planning,

“It’s gonna be pretty similar [to the

Chinese Club secretary Finn Kloster.

To promote the revival of the celebration,

“Mrs. Lau [has been] super excited about

celebration before COVID],” Kloster said.

members

it,” Kloster said. “We started planning right

“There’s going to be a lot of people speaking

advertising the party as well as marketing it

when the semester began.”

and the same activities and we’re still going to

by word of mouth.

At each meeting, the club strives to teach attendees about various Chinese holidays

have the same food.”

of

the

club

put

up

WANT TO FIND YOUR CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL? SCAN THE QR

10%

OF EAST STUDENTS CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR *according to a poll of 117 students

posters

“We’ve been inviting people for a while and

With 2024 designated as the year of the

and incorporate traditional food such as

dragon,

dumplings along with activities like giving out

centered around dragons.

decorations

and

activities

were

I think I’ve managed to get a lot of people from our classes and clubs [to come],” Kloster said.

Members of the club hope to make this

fortunes into the itinerary. They work to make

In addition to Lau talking about her

celebration

knowledge about Chinese culture accessible

experiences with the holiday and her personal

students will look forward to, according to

an

annual

event

again

that

to everyone at East, according to Kloster.

connections to it, other speakers were also

Kloster.

brought in to read poems in Chinese and

The M u l t i c u l t u ra l S t u d e n t Unio n i s c u r re n t l y w o r k i n g on a B l a c k H i s to r y Mo n t h displa y to e d u c a te s t u d e n t s and ce le b ra te t h e m o n th OVER THE PAST few

BLACK HISTORY MONTH BOARD the

movement and people who have been

message to other parts of the school as

Multicultural Student Union has been

protesting for civil rights,” MSU president

well. Posters with quotes from different

planning and creating a billboard design

and senior John Mendy said.

inspirational figures can be found in

weeks,

for the fourth floor to celebrate Black

Pictures of the featured students and

History Month during seminar and in

influential figures will be accompanied

their free time.

by a short description of why they’re

we’re planning on moving throughout

places like the front office. “[This

is

more]

preliminary

but

decided

important to black history and any other

the school and putting up decorations,”

to mirror last year’s design — which

important facts or moments in their

Mendy said.

featured prominent black leaders and

life. They hope to keep them short but

important figures in Black history — but

informational, according to Mendy.

This

year,

members

have

Planning for the billboard began at the end of January and is set to be finished

with some slight alterations. The design

“We have some icons like Martin

mid-February, in time for students to

hopes to incorporate students from each

Luther King [and] Rosa Parks but we also

observe and learn from it during Black

grade level who’ve worked to promote

wanted to educate people [so we included

History

inclusivity at East.

others like] Coretta King, who was Martin

Despite the loss of the actual bulletin

Month

according

to

Mendy.

some

Luther’s wife,” Mendy said. “We also had

board during the painting of the fourth

of the Black students from East from

Stokely Carmichael, W.E.B. Dubois, who

floor, the Black History Month display

each class and then a couple of iconic

founded the NAACP, Claudette Colvin and

will still most likely be put up in the

historical figures as well as some lesser

then Tommie Smith and John Carlos.”

fourth floor hallway by the counselors’

“We’re

going

to

represent

known unsung heroes of the civil rights

During

this

planning,

the

T H E D I S P L A Y F E A T U R E S information about Tet, Vietnamese New Year, as well as Chinese New Year.

union

brainstormed the idea of spreading the

offices.

S T U D E N T S I N T H E Multicultural Student Union collatheborated to cut out each dragon scale by hand in celebration of the year of the dragon.

Lucky red “Li Xi” envelopes are taped on the sides as a traditional gift from elders to children.

06 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

THE HARBINGER

story b y l i bby marsh

d e s ig n b y mi c h a e l y i a r t b y grey s o n i mm

CL CKING IN BURNING OUT

A recent rise in child labor law violations impact s student and harms school per formance

REGULATIONS K a n s a s law s o n w o r k i n g h o u rs re stri ct i o n s f o r m i n o rs

S

TUDENTS HAVE FELT the effects of local restaurants

“Sometimes I just gave up on doing homework because I

workers, aligning with national trends of increasing

was so exhausted from work and I would be late [to school] a

child labor law violations in the past year.

bunch because it would be so hard waking up in the morning,”

According to the US Department of Labor, United States

WORKERS

businesses saw a 14% increase in child labor violations in 2023.

Work more than

Start work before

labor in order to meet demands because there are not enough

on a school day Work more than

or end work after

UNDER 16 CAN’T:

3 HOURS

18 HOURS

on a school week

7 a.m.

10 p.m.

the night before a school day

REALITY

R e sult s f ro m s urv e y s o f E a s t studen t s a n d te a c h e rs

37% of students reported being forced to work hours

LONGER THAN LEGALLY PERMITTED *according to an Instagram poll of 158 respondees

92%

of teachers believed these excessive hours

AFFECTED THEIR STUDENT’S PERFORMANCE *according to an Google Form survey of 20 teachers

week because it was so hard to wake up in the morning.

and fast food businesses taking advantage of teen

Kansas Senator Ethan Corson believes that this recent rise in violations is due to the lack of workers in the service industry and acknowledges its local effects.

“Folks are resorting to hiring, essentially, child or minor workers,” Corson said. “That is something that we as a state have been grappling with, and I know it’s somewhat nationwide. It is just the challenge of having enough workers to meet demand.”

The current national labor laws state that 14 and 15-yearolds cannot work more than three hours on a school night and eight hours on the weekends. Despite this, in an Instagram poll of 158 people, 37% responded that they had been forced to work

“

hours exceeding the legal limits.

FOLKS ARE

resorting to hiring, essentially, child or minor labor in order to meet demands because there are not enough workers.

ETH AN CORSON

KANSAS SENATOR

Ovitt said.

And this demanding — not to mention illegal — work schedule wasn’t by choice. “[My managers] told me I could only work from either 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. or 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and so I was expecting that

“

but they ended up having me close and I couldn’t get out of it,”

SOMETIMES I JUST gave

up on doing homework because I was so exhausted from work and I would be late [to school] a bunch.

RUBY OV I T T SOPHOMORE

Ovitt said. “When I asked they never did anything about it.”

Sophomore Julie Miller* has had similar experiences working

at a local business for four and a half hours on school nights as a 15-year-old.

“Obviously,

teenagers

need

decent

hours

of

sleep,”

Miller said. “It’s hard to go to a full day of school and then immediately go to work. Adults just go to work during the day, which I understand but, [students] have a full day and we’re still growing and developing.”

Miller attributes the rise in violations to the fact that many students, including her, don’t know the labor laws.

Twenty-three of the 25 teachers responded to a Google form

“I wasn’t really educated on the actual laws and so I had no

poll saying that they know of students who work more than

idea that you can’t work a certain amount of hours,” Miller.

three hours on a school day with 22 of them believing that these

“It’s the fact that people aren’t educated on [the laws]. I don’t

excessive hours affect school performance.

think they are really enforced.”

“Many students and their families along with the student’s bosses are aware of the labor laws,” one teacher wrote in

Despite these issues, there’s no movement in the legislature to prevent child labor law violations, according to Corson.

response to the poll. “It is a choice that they accept typically

Social Studies teacher Benjamin Hendricks has students that

once they begin receiving a paycheck until they cannot keep up

arrive to class late because of work. Some even end up falling

with school work.”

asleep during lessons. He believes the way to solve this is for

Sophomore Ruby Ovitt worked at Chick-fil-A starting at the

more resources to be put to investigate labor law violations.

beginning of this school year but quit in early December. Ovitt

However this raises the question of whether it’s worth it for

was 15 years old and working eight-hour shifts immediately

governments to spend more money on enforcing labor laws as

after school.

funds would be diverted from other programs.

“I would bring my work clothes to school and then right after school, I would rush to work and change in the bathroom,” Ovitt said. “I’d stay there sometimes until 11:30 [p.m.]”

Ovitt struggled to complete homework on time because of these late shifts and she was often tardy to class at least once a

Hendricks ultimately believes that it’s the role of the students to stand up for themselves.

“Students need to honestly assess whether or not it’s affecting their performance and speak up [and say] ‘Hey, I can only work 18 hours,’” Hendricks said.

stor y by mya smith

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 07

THE HARBINGER

d e si g n by l ucy st ephens p h o to s by cl ara pet ers

E

OUTSIDE THE LINES

S t udent s c ont inue to fac e issue s in t he parking lot due to la c k of s pa c e s a nd s till rec eiv e pa rking tic ket s

AST

STUDENTS

frustrated

with

HAVE the

According

become

increase

to

Barikmo,

the

best

case

scenario would be if East was able to build a

of

parking garage.

traffic and ticketing and the lack of

wake up early and you got to get to school

school is designed very poorly,” Lorenz said.

early.”

“They added a bunch of islands and took out

Senior Connor Bykowski, the head of the parliamentary committee — the board that

There’s been a recent increase in tickets

spots” Barikmo said “I’d love to build a

decides whether or not to approve the appeal

after administrators started checking the

parking garage because we’d have the ability

of the tickets — encourages students to

parking lot weekly or more according to

then to serve the amount of students that

contact the committee if they are struggling

Associate

need parking spaces.”

with tickets.

Principal

Kristoffer

Barikmo.

This has been especially prevalent among sophomores who use the lot off of 75th Street.

Barikmo walks around the parking lot at least once a week to make sure all of the students are parked in their approved spots.

However, students parking without a permit

63

has been an issue at East for years, according to Barikmo.

Senior

All students have the right to appeal their

%

ticket if they received one. In order to appeal

OF STUDENTS HAVE HAD N E G AT I V E E X P E R I E N C E S PA R K I N G , A C C O R D I N G T O A POLL OF 165 STUDENTS

Ayden

Beveridge-Calvin

parking. They made it so much harder to get

“

“I would love to be able to add more

parking during second semester.

you can either email Bykowski or scan a QR code that takes you to the appeal form after you submit the form you get an email

specifying the date/and time of the meeting.

also

“If you receive a parking ticket and believe

thinks that the parking system is flawed

that there is a valid reason you should not

out of the parking lot.”

TO PEOPLE

that are freshmen or sophomores, if you plan to drive to school, you’re doing that knowing that we can never guarantee you a place to park on or near campus.

KRIS TOFFER BARIKMO ASSOCIAT E PRINCIPAL

“[Parking has] always been a significant

since he wasn’t able to purchase a permit

be fined, then you should appeal,” Bykowksi

problem,” Barikmo said. “We’ve got 575

as an upperclassman because the school ran

said.“I cannot guarantee that the appeal will

South’s issues can’t be solved with policy,

parking spots and we’ve got far more than

out even though there were still spots open

go anywhere as the staff is very important to

but East senior Ayden Beveridge-Calvin has

575 people that have the ability to drive to

because he got his license in November and

the school and making sure that they have

ideas about how the East lot could improve,

school. So we’ll always have a major parking

was late to apply.

parking is very important to both the student

including more exits added to prevent traffic.

court, the administration and the student

Ideally, these exits would be by the Mission

body,”

road entrance/exit, making the entrance and

“I just had to park illegally when I was

issue on campus.”

According to sophomore Christian Shaw,

a junior because there were no spots and

sophomores are parking in the reserved

[administration] wouldn’t sell me a pass

According to Bykowski, one of the most

parking lots which causes a domino effect

even though there were 20 spots open at all

common reasons students appeal tickets is

of students with parking permits not finding

times,” Beveridge-Calvin said.

when they drive another vehicle that is not

Barikmo says that due to the limited

spots that are supposed to be guaranteed.

Shaw got a ticket for parking in the junior

number of spots, receiving a parking pass is

lot after being late to school and not being

for upperclassmen only because they are top

able to find a spot in the sophomore lot.

priority.

Shaw hopes that sophomores will be able to purchase passes next year.

“To

theirs and receive a ticket because they don’t have a pass.

East isn’t alone with parking issues as students at Shawnee Mission South

people

that

are

freshmen

or

complain

about

their

system

well. South senior Kara Lorenz

“I had to park there because I was 15

you’re doing that knowing that we can never

says their issues are more about

minutes late after I slid out on ice and

guarantee you a place to park on or near

the design of the parking lot.

stopped on a hill,” Shaw said.

campus,” Barikmo said. “You [have] got to

TICKET APPEALS

In fo rma t i o n re g a rdin g p a r k in g t ic ke t ap p ea l s IF YOU HAVE RECENLY RECIVED A PARKING TICKET, HAVE YOU APPEALED/ TRIED TO APPEAL YOUR TICKET * I n s t a g ra m p o l l o f 9 1 v o t e s

YES NO

11%

89%

as

sophomores, if you plan to drive to school,

“The

parking

lot

at

IF YOU GET A

my

parking ticket for parking somewhere in the lot and you feel like it’s a wrongful ticket and you don’t deserve it, then you have the right to CONNOR BYKOWSKI appeal to the appeal board.

SENIOR

exit two separate points.

Opinion

09 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

smeharbinger.net/opinion

d e s ig n b y i s a b e l b a l d a s s a ro a r t b y h a l l i e o’b r ya n a n d z a n e l a i n g

hot take

sto r y b y c l a ra p e t e rs

COMIC STRIP a r t b y zane laing

The Sup er B o w l hal ft i m e p er fo rma nc e wa s me dioc re c ompa re d to pre v iou s ye a rs

W ill p e o p le e v en n e e d a re as o n to l e ave th e ho use so o n?

AS THE FIRST HALF of the Super Bowl game

show as she and Usher performed “If I Ain’t Got

dragged on, I was eager for the parts of the

You,” but I wish she’d been in the show for at least

game I actually look forward to: commercials

one more song. Looking back on the 2023 Super

and the anticipated Halftime Show. But to my

Bowl Halftime performed by Rihanna, it feels like

disappointment,

I remember more of her iconic performance than I

Usher’s

performance

didn’t

do of Usher’s, which was just a week ago.

provide any of the relief I required.

Thanks for the Apple Vision Pro!

Usher performed 13 songs, only 3 of which I

Usher’s performance as a whole was impressive,

would consider sing-alongs. The only parts left for

but it didn’t make an impression on me as

me to enjoy during his 10 lesser known songs were

previous shows have. Usher really does have some

the visuals and choreography. The backup dancers

classic songs, like “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” and

wore outfits of all styles, ranging from magicians

“Somebody to Love,” but neither were played at

to sparkly jackets to dancers with feather fans

his show. I’d love to know who organized this

and roller skates. The variety of outfits was

show and decided to leave out his most beloved

entertaining at first, but I quickly lost interest as

songs. I was hoping for more with Usher’s Halftime

he played one unpopular song after the next. His

show and I wish his entire performance would’ve

set list of “Confessions Part II” and “U Got It Bad”

matched the energy of the show’s last two songs

had me impatiently tapping my knee and waiting

“Turn Down for What” and “Yeah!” I might even be

for the real football to resume — something I’m

walking away from it more impressed if his whole

not typically waiting for.

show had brought the energy level I expected going

Alicia Keys contributed some interest to the

this or that?

R ec en t In s ta g ram polls related to storie s i n t h is is s u e’s opinion section

trending topics

into it.

Po l l s a n d i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t c u r re n t tre nd i ng to p i c s i n m e d i a

DO YOU READ EVERYDAY? * I n s t a g ra m p o l l o f 2 62 v o t e s

34%

YES NO

66%

HAVE YOU SEEN AN AERIAL PERFORMANCE?

instagram reels

* I n s t a g ra m p o l l o f 1 7 9 v o t e s

YES NO

DO YOU WATCH INSTAGRAM REELS MORE THAN TIKTOK?

39% 61%

T h e f e a t u re i s s i m i l a r t o T i k To k , a n d s o m e s t u d e n t s a re b e g i n n i n g t o u s e R e e l s t o w a t c h s h o r t v i d e o s i n s t e a d o f T i k To k .

* I n s t a g ra m p o l l o f 2 6 6 v o t e s

52%

YES

48%

NO

TAKE OUR POLLS Follow the Harbinger on social media to participate in our polls @smeharbinger

@smeharbinger

@smeharbie

@smeharbingerr

DID YOU ATTEND A GALENTINES PARTY THIS YEAR?

galentines parties

S o m e f r i e n d g ro u p s h o s t e d " g a l e n t i n e s " d a y parties instead of going out to dinner with a s i g n i f i c a n t o t h e r.

* I n s t a g ra m p o l l o f 2 24 v o t e s

YES NO

44%

56%

s to r y by l orel e i g al le s d e si g n by g reyson i mm p h o to s by l i v madden

UP IN THE AIR THE HARBINGER

I

pe rse v e ra nc e

’VE ALWAYS BEEN a quitter. Ever since I was young I’d quit anything

enough for soccer, I began aerial classes at

to watch added way more stress. Since I

I wasn’t immediately perfect at. I’ve

Kansas City Aerial Arts at 11 years old. If a

auditioned two months after starting, I

quit cheer, dance and soccer because

professional at the art believed in me, it felt

didn’t have a lot of experience, but the

like it was at least worth a shot.

judges immediately noticed my potential

a studio in a grocery store as a 7-year old until my most recent big performance at Municipal arena with more than 8,000

and put me in the company.

lyra

From the moment I got scouted to join

Just the aspect of being on a team made me so proud and I felt a sense of

c i rc u l a r a p p a ra t u s h u n g f ro m t h e ceiling on which aerial artists perform skills on

belonging. This helped motivate me even more to continue gaining strength and aerial curriculum.

people watching, learning aerial skills —

The first move I learned was a crossback

I began to perform at parties and shows

transforming me from a quitter

straddle on the silks. It’s a move taught

locally, even choreographing my own acts. It

into someone who is tenacious

in the beginner class where you cross the

was scary but the more I practiced, I became

in all aspects of my life.

silks behind your back and do a straddle

less nervous to plan out sequences of moves

Doing the splits 20 feet above

upside down. While the blood was rushing

for hundreds of viewers. A skill I’ve learned

the ground on aerial fabrics and

to my head from the upside down position,

to apply to presentations in school and

dropping gracefully on the lyra

I noticed I had a feeling of success that I

public speaking.

hoop are tricks that only take

hadn’t ever felt with any other sport.

has

taught

me

perseverance

I’m

constantly

closing

my

eyes

and

seconds to perform but have

It’s a fairly easy skill, but the feeling of

picturing all the hard skills I might be able

taken me years of practice and

doing something so pretty after only a few

to do one day if I just keep trying. This has

stretching to perfect.

minutes of practice was unmatched. That’s

made me realize that even when aerial gets

the beauty of aerial: with practice you’ll

hard, I love it too much to quit.

The first time I heard about aerial arts was in the

improve

checkout aisle of Trader

move you’re trying to get.

and

eventually

accomplish

the

At my first public performance at East’s 2019 Prom, I felt butterflies churning in my

Joes, when a professional

Sure, I definitely started because of how

stomach and my heart thumping against

aerialist told my mom

easy it came to me physically but that isn’t

my chest. Despite this, I was still able to

that I would be a great

what I’ve come to love about it. Something

perform due to the time I’d spent preparing.

fit for the art after she

great about aerial is even the most simple

I was scared but I knew with the amount of

spotted

move can be beautiful to look at.

hours I’d spent working on my act I couldn’t

me

holding

on to the shopping

As I got older I soon found out that along

give up. As the crowd applauded my chest

cart in a backbend.

with the easy skills, there are also extremely

stand and pinwheels, I was happy that I

Since I was only

difficult moves like meathooks, which take

hadn’t quit.

my

mom

hours of practice to master. A meathook

decided

we

is when you shift all your body weight to

a Sunday afternoon learning how to do a

wait

one side, and hold yourself with one arm

tricky lyra move isn’t directly life-changing

enroll

upside down — no easy feat. I found myself

but I’ve applied my aerial attitude to other aspects of my life: difficult math problems, social situations and even my job.

7,

should to

Sure, maybe spending three hours on

me

until

I

frustrated when I realized the position my

was

older.

All

body was in was wrong. What kept me going

think

through hard moments like these was my

When things get hard, I think to myself,

about is how I

love for aerial and my newfound drive to

“If this was aerial Lorelei, she would keep

might

succeed.

trying.”

I

could

finally

find my hobby.

Despite

AERIAL BAG?

designed using Playbills from Lorelei’s instructor’s performances, this is where she keeps her sequence notes and act ideas

develops a sense of

fact that the other people auditioning had

until I started doing aerial arts.

NOTEBOOK

as an aerial ar tist

being a natural at dance or determined

I felt like I wasn’t good enough. That was,

WHAT’S IN MY

Tra ining a nd pe r forming

not

After two months, I joined the training company

—

a

company

for

completely from thinking of myself as a

looking for performance opportunities. To

quitter to someone who doesn’t give up

join you have to audition with a minute-

when things get hard.

long sequence and go through a number of strength and flexibility tests.

I performed a minute-long contortion

LEG WARMERS to keep certain parts of her body warm while doing strength and flexibility work

This motto has changed my mindset

students

sequence in front of all the other people

So to my fellow aerialists, but also those who prefer to stay on the ground: I hope you always remember the importance of a positive mindset and perseverance.

auditioning as well as the judges. The

KT TAPE for when her wrists need extra reinforcement due to the impact of aerial silks

STRETCHIING BAND stretches out her shoulders during warm ups to prevent injury

OPINION

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 11

B E L O W The board shows the lesson plan for each class throughout the week. “It’s almost like a community board where we can draw ideas on it,” sophomore Lorelei Galles said. photo by liv madden

L E F T Galles back-balances on the sling during her aerial practice. photo by liv madden

A B O V E Galles begins her practice by hanging in the scorpion position on the lyra hoop. photo by liv madden

M I D D L E This wall has all the different silks they use for classes. They recently switched from boxes to keep things more organized. photo by liv madden A B O V E Galles practices at the K ansas City Aerial Arts studio at 5001 W 117th St, Leawood, K ansas. photo by liv madden

SCAN ME GALLERY View and buy more photos from Galles’s aerial arts practice at smeharbinger.net

12 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

story b y ada l i l l i e wo r th i n g t o n

THE HARBINGER

d e s ig n b y ave ry a n d e rs o n p h o to s b y l y l a we e ks

NEW YEAR’S READING K eeping up with New Year’s

re solutions has proven to increase p ro d uct i vi t y and hap p i ne ss

1

2

KEEP IT UP! Make a schedule that incorporates your goal into your day

S

H Ha< g ΅ LEGGED in my bed on Dec. 29, 2023, I opened up a new note in my

Notes app and titled it “2024 New Year’s Resolutions.”

I clicked the bullet point button and started writing goals like I do every year, starting with the most daunting one: “Read everyday” I strived to relive

TO READ:

Bo o k s a n d b o o k s e r i e s A d a L i l l i e hope s to rea d t h i s ye a r

BETTER THAN THE MOVIES B y Lynn Pai nter

my bookworm days of binge reading the “Cam Jansen” books from elementary school, but I had no faith my high school self would be able to complete such a feat considering the only books I read last year were assigned by my English teachers.

Still, against my will, on Jan. 1 I picked up the book my mom gave

CHECK & MATE B y A li Haze l wood

me for Christmas — “Atomic Habits”

by James Clear, and turned to page 1.

After the first few days of squeezing in 15 minutes to

THE INHERITANCE GAMES B y Lynn B arne s SHADOW AND BONE B y Le igh Bardu go

read here and there, I couldn’t help but think this resolution would end up like my past resolutions

of

working

out

everyday or keeping my room clean that had only lasted one week due to my short-term attention span.

But reading is different. One week turned into two and then

3

Three strategie s for maintaining your new years re s ol ut i on s Do your resolution with a friend and keep each other accountable

three, and I kept it up.

Reward yourself for completing it each day

assigned reading until the last minute,

The constant repetition of reading

but with my new habit of reading

helped rekindle my love of books from

every day, I’ve been able to keep up

earlier in my youth. This routine not

with each assigned chapter without a

only made me feel studious, but it

problem.

increased my motivation and helped cure my procrastination.

Unlike the rest of my classmates, my smile didn’t immediately disappear

I’ve now read for 41 days straight

when my teacher assigned six chapters

and have finished five books off of my

to

personal shelf.

I didn’t feel the need to avoid eye

read

over

Superbowl

weekend.

Since developing my routine of

contact with my teacher or silently

reading before I turn out my lights

pray to not be called on during the

every night, I’ve found that I’m more

class discussion.

eager to get my homework done.

This confidence boost in and out

If I don’t doom-scroll on Instagram for

two

hours

and

actually

of the classroom has started my year

finish

off with actual progress, making me

my lengthy calculus homework, my

think: Maybe New Year’s resolutions

reward is reading 30 pages of “Five

do work.

Feet Apart.” If I give in to my bad

So if you’re looking to kick your

habit, I only get to read 10 pages. If I

procrastination habit, I have the best

told my sophomore self that I have the

piece of advice: pick up a book.

time and energy to read everyday and

I know reading isn’t exactly like

actually use it as a reward for myself,

binging your favorite TV show but after

she’d call the police for identity theft.

some practice, binging a TV show can

This action and reward system has

feel almost the exact same as getting

trained my brain to come home from

lost in a book — only you get smarter

school every day and buckle down to

while you do it.

complete all my homework so I can

You can even use your favorite TV

stretch out and end my day with my

shows as a way to find what genre

favorite

would suit your fancy. “Bridgerton?”

books

about

romance

and

fantasy.

Pick up a book from the romance

In addition, I feel actual happiness while

reading

the

adventures

of

Hazel and Gus from “The Fault in

section. “The Vampire Diaries?” Pick up a book from the fantasy section.

Your

4th

grade

library

teacher

Our Stars.” A drastic shift from my

wasn’t lying when she said there are

previous deadpan face while watching

endless possibilities when it comes

get-ready-with-me videos.

to books. It’s not too late to add

I’ve even started to like my English class-assigned

books,

like

“Just

Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson.

Normally, I’d wait to cram in the

to your New Year’s resolutions and join me in limitless productivity and entertainment.

de s ign by soph i a broc km ei er photos by ma g gie con d o n , caroline mar tucci, kat i e cook & a l ex s a jna

smeharbinger.net/category/feature

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 13

Feature

THIS ISSUE I N

photos

ANYTHING BUT

BORED

S tudent s who have unique hobbie s

KARA PARRETT | SOPHOMORE

A look inside student life at East in the past two weeks of school

“

I’M AN EAGLE Scout and work at a Boy Scout summer camp. I love the people and leading and teaching [younger kids].

I was the perfect age when they let girls into [Boy Scouts], and I feel like there’s always a place for somebody.

CHARLIE JOHNSON | JUNIOR

T O P Sophomore Shubra Durgavathi pours sodium nitrate into a spot plate as sophomore Ishaan Home observes.

Honors chemistry did a lab related to precipitation on Feb. 1. photo by caroline martucci

REVEALING

THE

UNTOLD Students share which individual they believe should have more coverage during Black History Month

B O T T O M K ansas City International Academy organization chair sophomore Luke Taylor packs a gift bag to go to KCIA for a Valentine’s Day event at KCIA. photo by alex sajna

J O W I L SO N -H EAD J U NIO R

“

MARSHA P. JOHNSON was a black trans woman that fought for gay liberation. As a queer person it’s really inspirational to see others stand up and be so brave at a dangerous time.

T O P Teacher Andrew Sandoy hands out an egg to junior Elizabeth Starr to prepare for part one of her Egg Drop Lab. photo by maggie condon

TAY LO R KING S E NIO R

“

BESSIE COLEMAN WAS the first black pilot and it shows that even when it’s probably not popular in the crowd it’s still important to do things you love.

“

I WAS SCROLLING through my Instagram feed and I saw this giant new Lego set that’s coming out and I was like ‘I need to get that like that.’ I spent three days building and ever since then it’s been like an addiction.

bessie coleman

first woman of African American and Native American descent to earn her pilot’s license in the U.S. Known for performing flying tricks, Coleman’s nickname was “Brave Bessie”

*according to National Women’s History Museum

THE HARBINGER

s to r y by addi e moo re d e si g n by kati e murphy

donut in

p h o to s by r i l ey scott

remark fr

was, The

Student C

him every

Althou

as a teach

along wit

Appier’s d

where ev

to weeken

he’s alwa sarcastic

“His r

said. “Che to learn a

Appier to school. I

where you

fun at yo

answer yo

Appier

most adv

is extend

including

Che m i s t r y te a c h e r S te v e n A p p i e r re f l e c t s on the past 2 9 years at East

A

p e n d i ng hi s ret i rem ent t hi s May FTER EIGHT ROUNDS of math and science-related questions,

board] all year.”

APPI-ERA students scream-arguing over a game of

Appier has spent the last 29 years at

Whack-A-Mole

“We love doing the chant,” AP Chem 2

student and junior Kelsey Stroud said. “It

East building excitement around science in

“This chemistry program here, you don’t

really helps you get your anxiety out before

and out of the classroom and making the

find that everywhere you go,” Bardwell

a test, and [Appier] gets really hype for it.”

notoriously challenging subject of chemistry

said. “[People] probably don’t realize what

Between lectures during lunch, pancake

Before the winners were even announced,

fun for students. Now, he has three months

a big deal this program is here. [Appier]

breakfasts

in

Appier’s

the Nobel Gases shot up from their seats

left to make more goofy memories before

built that.”

mornings

and

an

and

he retires.

the announcers began awards.

Third place... second place...

fir-

roared

with

pride

as

Chemistry

teacher Steven Appier triumphantly held a McDonald’s fry up in the air.

They had just become the 2023 Trivia Night champions.

Twenty-five years ago, after making

room

intense

on

Friday

amount

of

homework, AP Chem 2 takes up a lot of free

“I hope that my time here has meant

fun of the AP Calculus chant students recite

something. And that I’ve given something

before every test, one of the AP Chemistry 2

“Even though it’s the hardest class I’ve

back to the East community because I’ve

students decided to collaborate with Appier

ever taken, he makes it enjoyable for all

gained a lot by being here,” Appier said.

on an original chant for his class.

the students because he cares about the

Bardwell

Now, at the beginning of each year,

concepts that he’s teaching and makes

McDonald’s before the competition and one

says the academic rigor of the chemistry

Appier passes out a green sheet of paper

it really engaging,” former AP Chem 2

fry was accidentally left on the table.

department is one of a kind — thanks to

with the chant — requiring all of his AP

student, former cadet teacher for Appier

“Someone said ‘Oh my god! We have

Appier. Appier gets students involved in

Chem 2 students to memorize and recite it

and senior Autumn Sun said.

to save that fry. It’s our good luck fry,’”

chemistry with constant after-school help

in the halls while banging on the lockers

Appier said. “Nina Yun wrapped it up in

and quirky activities like Mole Day — a

before every test.

paper and it’s been sitting [on the bulletin

celebration where AP Chem 2 students run

the

team

members

ate

teacher

Jerrod

around in mole costumes and Chemistry 1

A p p i e r h a s ta u g h t , h i s f a v o r i te exp e r i m e n t s to r u n a n d w h a t h i s form er s t u d ent s a re d o i n g n o w

CLASSES

HIS

Le a rn a bo u t w h at c l a s s e s

- AP CHEMISTRY 2 - BIOLOGY - PHYSICAL SCIENCE - METEOROLOGY

“Redox, acids, bases rule, chemistry is SUPER COOL!!”

EXPERIMENTS

- TITRATIONS - SPECTROSCOPIES - REACTION LABS - ISOTOPE STUDIES

One

Wednesday

morning

last

year,

senior and AP Chem 2 student Anna Thelen went into Appier’s room to ask a question about a test later that day, with a glazed

During

special ed

Schaff com

cart, he tu

computer

behind hi typically when he

him jump

“[He d

Appier sa

because if

and chang

After g

bump from

Schaff a w

backgroun

Last y

had to go

demonstr

comforted

to use th

amount o

in the ye self-degr

“Don’t ta which im

Althou

STUDENTS

to learnin

- GETTING PHD AT YALE - IN DISEASE RESEARCH AND SUSTAINABILITY - STUDYING QUANTUM MECHANICS

struggling

HIS

of

HIS

Some

Chemistry

time, according to Stroud.

science de

effort he

“At th

a long tim

remember

and he w stay here

...

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 15

NEWS -FEATURE

n hand. After a classic sarcastic

so much to me.”

“Chemistry is a very intimidating class,”

rom Appier asking where his donut

He brought the idea of a professional

Appier said. “And if it’s funny and if they

elen now steals a donut from her

learning community from a school he taught

enjoy the class, then they don’t notice as

Council meeting and delivers it to

at in California. The chemistry department

much how hard it is.”

y Wednesday morning.

was the first to adopt this idea where the

ugh Thelen doesn’t have Appier

teachers

have

similar

teaching

styles

Chem 2, Sun didn’t know what “Account for

same

schedule,

her this year, she still visits daily,

and

making

each of the following observations” meant.

th Stroud and Chemistry 1 students.

the experience with different teachers as

She resorted to listing the answer without

desk after school has become a space

similar as possible so a specific teacher

any background or evidence — causing

verything from empirical formulas

doesn’t make-or-break a student’s year.

Appier to create a key with certain question

nd gossip can be discussed — and

The

words made just for Sun.

ays armed with a funny comment or

Bardwell and Honors Chemistry teacher

advice.

follow

S ome of Appier’s recent teaching moment s

Last year, during the Unit 3 exam in AP

the

chemistry

PLC

“

consists

of

Appier,

Susan Hallstrom.

room is always so packed,” Thelen

emistry is maybe the hardest subject nd you can tell that the kids rely on

o further their understanding after feel like he has the environment

u can come in, and he might poke

ou a little bit, but he will actually

our questions.”

r doesn’t joke around with just his

vanced students — his charisma

ded to people all over the school,

g the friends he’s made outside the

epartment.

“I just misread a lot of things,” Sun said.

“He would point it out in front of the whole

I HOPE THAT

my time here has meant something.

And that I’ve given something back to the East community because I’ve gained a lot by being here.

S TE V E N A PPI E R

class and be like ‘And for Autumn make sure you read this. Make sure you know this.’”

Although some might see this as being taunting, Sun was able to dish it right back to Appier, telling him he’s supposed to be teaching her these things.

Because of the challenge that comes with learning chemistry and the heavy workload, Appier will get angry emails from other teachers complaining about students doing

the workload, Appier sees the students’

“What we were able to do with Bardwell

ducation student and senior Patrick

and Hallstrom is maintain a level of rigor

ming down the hall with the coffee

and keep our program at the level that it was

“There are teachers who would kill to

urns his back to the door, shuts his

since it’s a constant battle for us,” Appier

be in a program like this,” Bardwell said.

r and waits for Schaff to come up

said. “And it’s nice to have the two of them

“Much less to build it.”

im and scare him. Though Appier

there on the same page.”

commitment to his class as a sign of the strength of the program.

Appier

has

made

sure

to

continue

pretends to be shocked, on days

Appier knows that every time he hears

teaching equilibrium and thermodynamics,

isn’t paying attention, Schaff can

footsteps coming out of the shared office

even as other Shawnee Mission High Schools

p out of his seat.

between his and Hallstrom’s classrooms

begin to water down the curriculum. Still, he

does scare me] from time to time,”

something is up. Hallstrom will walk to his

notes that the Honors Chemistry curriculum

aid. “And then I have to be careful

desk and start venting about her newest

today is the same as what the regular

f I have my MacBook open, he’ll try

Mole Day-related issue or will ask him to go

chemistry curriculum was 10 years ago and

ge the settings [on it].”

golfing with her.

wishes that would change.

getting a cup of coffee and a fist

In classic Appier fashion, every time

Even though students drop his classes,

m Schaff, Appier chuckles and calls

Hallstrom walks in during a class, he’s quick

he’s always proud to see former students

wizard every time he switches the

to joke and say “Nobody look but there’s a

succeeding — getting their Ph.D. at Yale

nd on his computer.

homeless person standing behind me” or if

in

year when junior Kelsey Stroud

a student asks him where Hallstrom is he

Einstein’s

o in after school to do the pipette

replies with “She’s probably sifting through

Mechanics.

ration lab for Chemistry 1, Appier

the trash can, she’ll eat anything.” in

this]

department,

environmental work

studies of

or

disproving

Quantum

“I believe that the people that will be we

most happy to see me go are the counselors,”

he tool to measure an accurate

spend a lot of our lives here in this building

Appier said. “Because the counselors are

working with kids,” Hallstrom said. “It’d

having to do extra work because of [the

ear that when they say something

probably be too much for me if we didn’t

amount of students] that drop chemistry.”

ading,

with

have the camaraderie that lets us do a little

As far as replacing Appier goes, Bardwell,

alk about my students like that”

friendly teasing and friendly competition to

Hallstrom and students express nervousness

mediately calms their self-doubt.

find some joy in our jobs.”

that the new teacher won’t have the same

responds

A B O V E Appier helps sophomore Kate Lucas light a Bunsen Burner during a Chemistry 1 lab. photo by addie moore

continuing

of solvent. His students learn early Appier

photo by addie moore

pressures from the administration to lighten

T E AC H E R

“[Teaching

A B O V E Appier tosses Hallstrom a roll of red label tape in the middle of talking through the homework answers from the day before.

chemistry homework in their classes. Amid

g third hour when Appier hears

d her as she cried over her inability

in his c u rre nt Che mistry c la sse s

ugh he can be strict when it comes

Bardwell and Appier have an equally close

ng, if a student is putting in the

relationship — spending their weekends

level of experience and skill.

“I think that East is losing a very

jumps at the opportunity to help.

doing kayak races together and taking the

important teacher,” Sun said. “He’s one of

he beginning of this year I was

occasional lake trip.

the core pieces to the science department

g to take tests and I would take

According to Appier, the interactions

and I think that [they’re] going to have a

me [to finish it],” Stroud said. “I

between the teachers serve the purpose of

tough time to recover after he’s not there to

r I was the last one there doing it

eliminating some of the fear that comes

teach AP Chem [2] anymore.”

was like ‘Hey, take your time, just

with learning a subject like chemistry with

until you finish.’ And that meant

ionic nomenclature and buffer calculations.

A B O V E Appier is shocked how loud the sound of him slapping the yardstick against his desk. photo by addie moore

16 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

story b y l u ke be i l

THE HARBINGER

d e s ig n b y l y l a we e k s p h o to s b y a l ex s a n j a

WATCHING

DAY IN THE LIFE AT

G RMIN

HIS FUTURE

A t ypical day in the life at Jolle s’s internship

S en ior L ia m J olle s i n te r n s a t t h e G a r m i n f a c i l i t y i n Ol at he in h ope s to p repa re f o r h i s f u tu re c a re e r i n techno l o gy

W

ALKING AROUND THE Country Club

said. “He contacted me every week as we

Plaza shopping with his friends, senior

trying to find out what the answer was so it really speaks

Liam Jolles heard his phone ringing.

to his diligence.”

Congratulations, we’re extremely happy to

offer you an internship here at Garmin.

After waiting eight months to hear back from Garmin about an internship, he stopped in front of the Lululemon store and screamed “Let’s go!” at the top of his lungs.

w e r e

Liam is now four weeks into his six month internship.

He works 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday — fitting perfectly with his reduced schedule since he doesn’t have a sixth or a seventh hour.

So far Liam has toured the building and seen the four

Garmin is a big time tech company started out of KC

different parts of the company including the Marine,

that specializes in sports watches and activity trackers for

Outdoor, Fitness and Aviation. He also got the opportunity

a variety of different sports like running, golf, cycling and

to shadow the many different positions employees have,

swimming.

like team leaders of different departments and managers

Liam has always been good at math and problem solving since he was a child. Combining that with his interest in computer science will help him get a head start in the professional world and allow him to learn more about how computer science is used in a professional

“

LEAVE SCHOOL

gar•min Te c h n o l o g y c o m p a n y t h a t p ro d u c e s a c t i v i t y t ra c ke r s a n d s p o r t s w a t c h e s

setting according to Liam.

THERE’S JUST SO

many possibilities with an internship like this.

LIAM JO L L ES SENIOR

of product support.

“We’ve had high up people in the company come and talk to the interns and the number one thing they told us to do was keep asking them questions,” Liam said. “So I’ve always got that in the back of my head.”

Liam realizes how important it is for someone his age to be working at a cutting edge corporation like Garmin, which is why he’s eager to learn everything there is to know about being in the tech industry.

“I feel like it was just a perfect opportunity for me,”

“I think it’s such an important opportunity for him,”

Liam said. “I get to work at a major tech company gaining

Liam’s mom Michelle Jolles said. “There’s only four

experience I need for the field I want to go into while also

students who get the internship he has so when you get

seeing if I enjoy it or not.”

that opportunity to learn with a company like that in your

Getting the internship was no easy task. When he first

potential field it’s really good.”

learned about Garmin’s internship at a job fair at the

Still waiting to hear from computer science schools

Center of Academic Achievement in April 2023. He gave

like UC San Diego and Cal Berkley, Liam believes the

them his resume and they stayed in touch, with Jolles

internship will give him a leg up in the real world

completing several small interviews in person and over the phone this summer.

However, Liam didn’t get a response on whether he got the internship for months.

Liam didn’t let that stop him from getting an answer,

ARRIVE AT GARMIN AND SET COMPUTER UP

“I could possibly be hired as a full time employee at Garmin after the internship ends,” Liam said. “Or I could go to college and someday have a job in cyber security or software engineering. There’s just so many possibilities with an internship like this.”

as he constantly called and emailed Garmin waiting for a response. It wasn’t until September that Liam and real world learning counselor James Dusek got together with Garmin to see if they had any interest in Liam.

“It’s definitely a testament to his dedication,” Dusek

SHADOW & LEARN ABOUT PRODUCTS

HAPPY HABITS

stor y by l ucy wolf

p h o to s co ur te s y of ke r r ie de an

PRINTING

PROCESS

Below a re f o u r o f Dean’s favorite

East alum K arrie Dean star ted Happy Habitat ,

blanke t s a n d t h e p roce ss she went

an eco-friendly blanket company, as an outlet

th rou g h to d e sig n ea c h o ne

PUZZLE

To design this blanket, Dean would move around little circles until it looked just right. She loves the simplicity of it.

fo r her creat i vi tit y

F

ROM DOODLING IN

coloring

to

classes

school,

United States due to the small distance. According to Karrie, if

had a knack for design. This hobby turned

the product is eco-friendly but

into a business when she started her own

is coming from halfway across

company — Happy Habitat.

the world, you’re defeating the

throughout

high

eco-friendly

blankets

that

Karrie

purpose because of the carbon emissions from planes.

Sophomore Phoebe Kaneda admires her mom constantly

from her previous job in advertising.

“I had a great [advertising] gig, I was

never seen before and is so proud of it.

chose

books as a child to taking art

started back in 2011 after getting laid off

up with this style of blanket that she has

specifically

East Alum Karrie Dean has always

knits

Dean worked with her knitters to come

she

manufacture the blankets in the

Happy Habitat is a company that hand-

TEXTURE

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 17

THE HARBINGER

de s i g n by cl ara burd ic k

working

on

Happy

Habitat

having fun and I worked at a really cool

and seeing the impact on the

place,” Karrie said. “I knew if I was going

community.

her blanket and realized she owned a Happy

to switch to something else, it needed to

“It’s weird because sometimes I’ll go to

be better, something really important and

someone’s house and I’ll realize they have a

special because we only live once.”

Happy Habitat blanket which is so funny,”

“

Karrie wanted to explore art in a less

Phoebe said.

traditional way, so she thought blankets would be a suitable creative medium.

At the time, Karrie was a new mom and

spent

lots

of

was

brainstorming

time

at

home.

She

possible

artistic

yet

functional products that she could create to

make people happy in their surroundings.

Eventually Karrie landed on eco-friendly blankets.

Before

realizing

blankets

were

her

BY LOOKING AT

with 14,000 followers.

Design Project Management class on Jan.

visual and tactile art pieces, Karrie knew

30 led by business teacher Jennifer Hair.

FELIX

they were the product she wanted to make.

Audience

“If you’re talking to a friend and you

sophomore Kara Parrett and junior Willa

throw them a blanket and they put it over

Cosgrove got to learn about what it takes

although its took her a year to design she

their lap, they instantly feel more at home,”

to start a business and hear about Karrie’s

Karrie said. “It’s like a cozy factor.”

company through a presentation.

members

like

sophomore

like

“She started off talking about East,

third-generation

college and getting a degree,” Parrett said.

sewing mill on the East coast and then

“Then she went through the fundamentals

manufactured. The eco-friendly blankets

of making her blankets, like using different

are made from pre-consumer fibers. When

color pallets and choosing the different

a shirt is made and they cut the shape, the

design work that’s going to be on them.”

to

a

scraps that fall to the floor are collected,

While sitting in the class and observing

color sorted and respun to make new yarns.

some of the blanket samples Karrie showed

While the

the

blankets

material is

that

important

into

during her presentation, Willa recognized

Karrie,

some of the designs and patterns. Later that

goes to

and

Even after being successful for 12 years, Karrie still worries about marketing and promotion

especially

with

the

increase

in cheap online products. Her Instagram account @happyhabitat sprung her business

“You really have to fight to be seen and if

with the dual function of the blankets, as

sent

fun

“The internet is jammed,” Karrie said.

SOPHOMORE

entrepreneuring knowledge to the Digital

Karrie,

really

comes out a lot. She seems like a very fun

KARA PARRET T

them on stationery and phone cases. But

by

is

the room,” Willa said. “By looking at the

person.”

Karrie presented Happy Habitat and her

The hand-stitched blankets are designed

blanket]

the blanket, I can see that [Dean’s] personality comes out a lot. She seems like a very fun person.”

a few of her own patterns and was putting

is really proud of how it turned out.

“[The

comfortable, and it’s a good accent in blanket I can see that [Karrie’s] personality

passion, Karrie had been experimenting with

This blanket is one of her favorites,

Habitat blanket.

day, Willa went home and checked the tag of

you’re not a player like Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn then you don’t get on the front of Google, unless you’re paying somebody to get that.”

Karrie’s

biggest

takeaway

from

her

journey with Happy Habitat is that people need you as much as you need them. Stores are always looking for new products to stock their shelves with and blankets are always in demand, and she’s partnered with places like West Elm. “PR people need a story and magazines need to talk about eco-friendly business or eco-friendly textiles,” Karrie said. “So when people say, ‘Why will anyone care about this?’ it’s like, ‘No, people need you as much as you need them.’”

18 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

THE HARBINGER

cop y b y l ar ki n br u n di ge

d e s ig n b y s o p h i a b ro c km e i e r p h o to s b y ke n n a h a rri n g t o n

SWANSON

S eni o r R ue S w anso n has a p assi o n f o r ar t and take s multiple ar t classe s at the same time

RECENT WORK

Prin t s t h a t R u e h a s m a d e i n h e r a r t clas s e s

WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM TAKING SO MANY ART CLASSES? You can make pretty images but when CLASSES RUE you add a deeper purpose to it and HAS TAKEN: make those choices deliberately, not Painting just because it’s pretty, but because it means something to you, that AP Studio can elevate your work.

Art 2D Mr. Fink is [always] saying the best art is art that you feel Art Portfolio you need to make.

WHAT DO YOU WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO LEARN FROM YOUR ART? I want them to walk away with something relatable. I want there to be something that you can see yourself in and you can apply it to something because I like it when I see art that I can see myself in, so hopefully there’s some relatability to it.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SOMEONE THAT IS INTERESTED IN PURSUING ART? It’s about how my dysfunctional childhood still affects me now. My fear is that I’ll either be abused again or an abuser. The poem continues that theme, the last line meaning I’m scared that I’ll find some kind of comfort in either situation.

Don’t think too hard about RUE’S TIPS FOR people’s opinions. I’m worried BEGINNERS: about how the people around Don’t think too me are gonna feel, but also hard about art you have to trust people’s opinions.

Don’t push them off. Listen to what Don’t worry about they’re saying, critiques are so imother people’s portant. So a mixture of don’t listen opinions to people’s opinions, but also listen to them. You have to find that balance.

Listen to

1

2 3 critiques

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Look out for these new releases coming to theaters

MOVIE PREMIERE ORDINARY ANGLES Release Date:

Feb. 23

Genre:

Drama

Running Time: 1 hr 56 mins

Starring:

Alan Ritchson, Hillary Swank, Amy Acker

MOVIE PREMIERE

BLACK-OWNED

Celebrate Black History Month by making a visit to these local black-owned restaurants

RUBY JEAN’S JUICERY

JUICERY AND SMOOTHIE RESTAURANT 301 E 51st St, Kansas City, MO 64112

GATES BAR-B-Q

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DUNE: PART TWO Release Date: Mar. 1

DISTRICT FISH & PASTA HOUSE SEAFOOD AND ITALIAN RESTAURANT 1664 E 63rd St., Kansas City, MO 64110

Genre:

Action, Adventure

Running Time: 2 hrs 46 mins

Starring:

Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson

UPCOMING

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I LIKED THE first [“Dune” movie] a lot and

I’m really looking forward to the second one mainly to see the actors perform again.

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$25 PER TEAM SCAN ME REGISTER Scan the QR code to register for SME trivia night on Feb. 28.

FEB29 LEAP DAY MAR02 DRAKE CONCERT @T- MOBILE CENTER

FEB21

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BRING TWO CANS TO GET INTO THE AUDITORIUM AND EXTRA TO VOTE FOR CANDIDATES

CANDIDATES INCLUDE:

MR. STUCO JACK KESSLER

MR. CHOIR SAM WILLIAMSON

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de s ign by ve ron i ca m angi ne

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 21

THE HARBINGER

p h o to s by ma so n s a jna

END ZONE AD ZONE

s to r y by co n n o r vo gel

to

INTRO

A re v i e w o f so m e o f t he co m m erci al s p l ay ed d ur i ng Sup er B owl LVIII

FOR ANY FOOTBALL haters, the most anticipated part of the Super

and networks alike — even in the age of streaming. While this year’s

Bowl each year isn’t the actual game — it’s the endless stream of

catalog of new oddball commercials may have been overshadowed by an

commercials in between plays.

overtime thriller and Chiefs victory, I decided to give my take on some of the best.

The Super Bowl holds the most coveted air time for advertisers

WORST OF ALL TIME

WHEN GETTING SETTLED into When getting settled into the couch in

“You can get shoes. And that’s it.”

preparation for the next six hours of football, I never imagined I would

How he was allowed to be on national television was a questionable

see Kanye West single handedly insult the entire marketing profession.

decision, and one that made fun of the hundreds of people who put

His $7 million ad — which he proudly announces cost $0 to actually

months of work into these commercials.

This single handedly made me hate him more than I already do. But

produce — embodies a poor home video where he rambles incessantly

Yeezy

like a maniac about YEEZY.COM. Filmed on his phone camera and shaking the whole time, what his purpose for doing such a stupid thing cannot be comprehended by us mortals.

SUITS IS THE obsession binge everyone found four years after the show actually ended. When the hit series came to Netflix last summer, it felt like any other viral fad that would dwindle after a week or two, but I

confusion. When

I finally typed the address on google, I

was surprised to

learn the website was even real.

MOST STAR-STUDDED

companies beauty products.

They are accompanied by Judge Judy, because honestly who else could make it more over-the-top? Everyone had fun in a nostalgia-dependent ad that focused more on cameos than the

was wrong.

Playing off of their success with a mock court between the

products —

the only response I get after watching it is

brand, barely even showing e.l.f.’s products.

show’s stars Ginna Torres and Rick Hoffman — who

Going into the Super Bowl, we had not one but two “Suits”

played Jessica Pearson and Louis Litt respectively

reunions to take advantage of people’s nostalgia. But, the e.l.f.

— highlight the advantages of cheap makeup. The

trial that had more in common with reality TV, than the original

two argue in e.l.f. court — which handles makeup

show.

related “cases” that, of course, are all their

I can say that they piqued my interest for their products in one of

defending their client with the benefits of the

several television reunions we saw during the game’s commercials that didn’t feel quite as cheesy as the others.

MOST SURPRISING

FOLLOWING AN UNDER-APPRECIATED campaign,

directors, in one of the most meta-ads of the event (sorry Deadpool)

CeraVe gave an ad to their “Creator” and actor Micheal

by making an ad for an ad about the ad. If that last sentence didn’t

Cera, who finally got the credit he deserved for a billion-dollar

CeraVe

e.l.f.

confuse you, congratulations.

product. After actually buying and handing out hundreds of bottles in

This was the only ad that took a swing at guerilla marketing, a

New York last week, this teaser finally shed light on some seriously

risky tactic in this fast-paced society where it can be scrolled by in

strange marketing collab for the two sides.

a second without another thought. But nonsensical nonsense with a

Unfortunately, none of that is true after watching the fever dream of a promo Cera created get rejected by the lotion’s board of

backbone in wordplay is a proven formula for these commercials, and I’m not complaining.

MOST SELF-DEPRECATING

PLAYING ON HIS Boston background and infallible friendship with Matt

But there has to be a line that an ad agency won’t cross, right? I was

Damon, actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon actually rap an original jingle

proven wrong while watching 30 seconds of a shameless tracksuit band

for Dunkin Donuts over a generic yet funky 80’s style beat. Nobody will

led by Affleck. Unfortunately, using celebrities in your commercial doesn’t

ever say it was good, but hey, we’re talking about it so there must be some

make it any less cringeworthy.

cultural impact.

For Dunkin Donuts, of course they are going to have Affleck rapping his

We all know celebrities were the backbone of this year’s broadcast,

heart out for the “DunKings” while Jennifer Lopez, Damon, Jack Harlow and

from Taylor Swift to Lebron James. When they weren’t filming football, the

even Tom Brady get helplessly embarrassed in the process — reminiscent

camera always found a familiar, famous face in the crowd.

of a poorly performed SoundCloud rapper concert.

Dunkin’

22 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

story b y kati e mu r phy

THE HARBINGER

d e s ig n b y b e l l a b ro ce p h o to s b y mo l l y s cot t

BEYOND BREAD

A l o c a l A s i a n bakery called Beyond Bread offers an impre ssive a s s o r tme n t o f C hi ne se, K o rean and m o re b aked go o d s GROWING Prairie

UP

Village,

IN

I’ve

89 12 W 95th S t . O v e rla nd Pa rk, KS , 662 12

Orange County, California. There, every street corner is lined with Asian bakeries.

only

This local business bakes its own sweet bread each morning along with an assortment of more than 20

the

magic

But now I don’t have to wait until vacation to enjoy

baked goods like milk bread and jelly rolls. Customers

bakery

snacks

authentic pastries since discovering Beyond Bread —

can grab a woven basket at the door and go through a

and cakes while visiting my

a local Asian bakery gem nestled between a Kung Fu

line to fill it with sweets to purchase.

Vietnamese grandparents in

dojo and a Cantonese restaurant on 95th and Antioch.

experienced of

Asian

snow WHITE TUCKED INTO A pastel pink wrapper

princess-like combination we all needed.

Overall, the snow white pastry is not too heavy and

and dusted in powdered sugar, the snow

The muted sweetness of the plain white sponge

white pastry is essentially a souffle crossed

cake pairs well with the cold, smooth ivory custard

with a vanilla chantilly cake — the Disney

filling that is similar to a homemade vanilla pudding.

french TOAST MAYBE

SEEING

of

room-

a pan at home — but I promise this Hong Kong-style

immediately, the owners recommend heating it up —

French

French toast is on-par, if not better.

either way, the bread is clearly fresh and much better

temperature

slices

toast

individually

into

The middle of each thick slice of bread is moist and

clear wrappers isn’t as enticing

cinnamon-y sandwiched between the crust and buttery

as seeing slices that come off

crispy golden brown edges. Though I tried this one

tucked

makes for a cute individual portion of cake.

than store-bought bread at home.

red bean BUN

I’VE HAD AT LEAST a dozen different

The individually wrapped pastry shines with egg

variations of the classic Japanese red

wash and a liberal sprinkling of dark sesame seeds

As someone who doesn’t typically like beans, this

bean bun pastry while visiting California,

that add crunch to the fluffy baked sweet bread bun.

melt-in-your-mouth red bean bun is definitely an

and Beyond Bread’s take on the treat doesn’t

Inside, a velvety red adzuki bean paste filling is

exception.

disappoint.

naturally sweet and nutty — almost like a subdued

tiger ROLL

chocolate — and I wish there was more of it.

THIS BRIGHT YELLOW rolled

Beyond Bakery’s chilled glass case. A small serving of

sweet than American yellow cake, making for a delicately

cake filled with sweet whipped

the cake with four fluffy hockey puck-sized sliced pieces

light and photogenic treat. The whipped filling is best

cream

costs only $3 — a very generous amount.

cold, making it taste almost like ice cream.

looks

animated

almost

pastry

emoji

like

an

behind

The swirled cake has a subtle sugary flavor but is less

hot DOG

BEYOND BREAD ALSO offers more savory

to shame, wrapped in milk bread and sprinkled

Two palm-sized hotdog rolls are $2, and these are

pastries like their miniature Chinese hot dog bun.

with asiago cheese baked to a crackle. The bread

seriously addictive without being overly salty.

These baby hot dogs put regular pigs in a blanket

is so soft that it is almost crushed when you pick it up and has a slightly sweet tinge.

EVEN IF YOU MISSED celebrating Lunar New Year on Feb. 10, it’s not too late to experience some traditional Asian cultures in our own city by filling a basket of affordable baked goods at Beyond Bread.

d e si g n by kenna harring t on

T h e t h e a t re d e p a r t m e n t pre f o r m e d t h e m u s i c a l , “ O n c e Up o n a Ma t t re ss ,” a p a ro d y o f “Pri n c e s s a n d t h e Pe a ,” o n Fe b.

8 , 9 an d 1 0

THE HARBINGER

FEBRURARY 20, 2023 | 23

Parody of the Pea SCAN ME PHOTO Scan to purchase photos from this event

T O P R I G H T Senior Audrey Apprill who portrays Queen Aggravain points her finger at a potential princess, expressing that the princess didn’t pass the test.

“I give them impossible tests that they can’t pass so they can’t marry the queen’s son,” Apprill said. photo by kenna harrington

TOP LEFT Junior Wyatt Moon who portrays Prince Dauntless backs away from the rest of the cast as they question when he’s going to get married. “[Portraying Prince Dauntless] felt natural to me,” Moon said.

“He’s a very silly character, so I really played up the comedy of it.” photo by kenna harrington

B O T T O M L E F T Once Upon A Mattress’s set design started in late November. Cast members said it took a lot of time to put everything up, even taking a ropes fly system to hang props up. The team also worked with costumes to incorporate fabrics into the set. photo by alex sajna

BOTTOM RIGHT Sophomore Brooks Hagedorn tapes a mic to Freshman Hailey Stuber. “ We’ve been prepping for months in advance and we label all the mic packs,” Hagedorn said.

“It’s a lot of labeling and then you have to program everything back to the board.” photo by kenna harrington

smeharbinger.net/category/sports

20

FEBRUARY

5:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

Varsity Basketball @ Olathe West

22

FEBRUARY

TBD

Wrestling St ate vs. Wichit a

...

23

FEBRUARY

ays lef

7

t

Sports

FEBRUARY 20, 2023 | 24

d

d e si g n by l i bby mars h

Ma r k y o ur calendars for the se

spring sports

begin

UPCOMING EVENTS

29

5:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

TBD

FEBRUARY

Va r s i t y B a s k e t b a l l @ S M S

Varsity Bowling State

L E F T Senior Brayden Roberts performs a reverse dive tuck during the final round of diving during the sunflower League Championships. The team placed first out of 13 teams with 4 7 7 points, nearly 200 points more than second place. photo by riley scott

season update

B O T T O M L E F T Freshman Emma Weidman jumps up in an attempt to block her opponent from catching a rebound. The freshman girls team defeated Olathe East 33-24. photo by addie clark

THE BOYS AND girls

B O T T O M R I G H T In the freshman A boys team game against Rockhurst Freshman Tommy Trucksess leans back to escape his defended and shoot the ball. The Lancers defeated Rockhurst 56-48. photo by addie clark

recently had their Sunflower League

An up date o f t h e b o w l i n g seaso n so f ar varsity

team to their dedication to training

bowling teams are preparing for

as

their regional meet on Feb. 20 and

coaches to improve their scores.

state on Feb. 29. The season started in the beginning of January and will

well

as

encouragement

from

SCAN ME WEBSITE

end in a couple of weeks. The team Meet on Feb. 8 where the boys took 10th place. Sophomore Mason

View galleries of bowling tournaments as well as other recent games

Meyers attribute the success of the

player review MASON MEY ER VARSITY GIRLS BOWLING

“

I’D SAY WE are pretty consistent and practicing and practicing together as a team. We would have like official practices, but we would also go to more Parkway lanes to practice on our own.

Meyers bowled a career high of

170 p o i n t s at the Sunflower League Championship, she bowled 3 S T R I K E S in a row

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 25

THE HARBINGER

stor y by ch ri sti an go o l ey

de s i g n by h al l i e o’bryan p h o tos by r yan de h a n

A HOME RUN TEAM A

The baseball team received the number one spot in 6A pre -se a son ra nkings

One of the four being Lawrence Free State,

we want to play the hardest schedule that is

School Baseball released their

that come out,” Gordon said. “The only

a game the team has circled after getting

why we have one of if not the hardest sched-

official pre-season rankings on

ranking that matters is the one that’s there,

defeated last year at state. They’ll also end

ules in the state,” Jones said. “This makes it

Jan. 26. East received the number

at the end of the season, and that’s how I

their season against St. Thomas Aquinas who

so every game, we’re going there and we’re

is currently ranked fifth in the state. A tough

prepared to fight and do everything we can

schedule is something that keeps the team

to win that game.”

“There’s a variety of different rankings

MYOSPORT KANSAS HIGH

one spot in 6A and the number four spot in

told them to approach it. It’s always nice to

Kansas. These high rankings add more pres-

be honored at the start, but really, it’s all

sure to the team coming off of back-to-back

about how you finish.”

For the past two years, the team has

first-round losses in the state tournament.

The ranking is based on multiple criteria

started slowly with losing streaks. Though

but what stands out the most is the number

they were able to work their way back at

of college commits on the team. Coming into

the end by winning regionals both seasons.

the 2024 season, the Lancers will have four

However, the state tournament was a road-

D1 commits, two JUCO commits and one D2

block for the team, losing in the first round

commit. Six of those seniors have had var-

to Blue Valley West in 2022 and Lawrence

sity experience and junior Colton Sims who

Free State in 2023. Senior Tennessee Base-

has started on varsity since his freshman

ball commit Jack Jones is hoping to make a

year. Senior Wes Lyerly is one of those play-

change in this upcoming season.

“Say there’s 100 days in the season, we

ers — committing to Indiana state.

The team was excited and honored to re-

want to only focus on day 1 right now, not

ceive the number-one spot but also realized

think about where we want to be on day

that it doesn’t mean anything if they don’t

100,” Jones said. “ We have to take it day by

stay focused on the day-to-day work and

day and not get ahead of ourselves and focus

succeed this season. Head Coach Will Gordon

on the game in front of us.”

has been instillingl into his players for years

East has a very competitive schedule for

that the only thing that matters is what hap-

this upcoming season, facing four of the

pens on the field.

top-ten opponents in their first ten games.

“

The team has hopes of getting to hold

motivated throughout the season.

the state trophy at the end of the year but

A LOT OF

the teams don’t have committed players. I don’t think being committed really matters in high school baseball.

We’re all just trying to play as a team and we all have the same goal of winning games and making it to state at the end of the year

always remembers that the only thing that matters is the present. Hoping to leave their mark at East but also be a team that is more than just a group of amazing baseball players.

“We won’t approach the season that much differently than we have in years past, we will just focus on the management of expectations,” Gordon said. “I really, try to emphasize just go out and play it one day at a time, play against the white ball every time it goes over the plate. It’s a new pitch, a new play, a new opportunity.”

W ES LYERLY PLAYER “We schedule in a certain way because

PREVIOUS RECORDS The te a m’s pa st se a son re c ords

COLLEGE COMMITS

S om e o f t h e v a rs i t y b a s e b a l l co m m it s a nd t h e i r s c h o o l s

202 3: 1 4 - 9- 0

2 02 1: 6- 1 2- 0

202 2 : 1 0- 1 3 - 0

2 019: 1 3 -7- 0

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE

INDIANA STATE

FARLEIGH DICKINSON

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

HUTCHISON CC

NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE

J AC K J O N ES

C O LT O N S I M S

WES LYE R LY LUKE HULL

JA KE MILLER

LUKE HULL

26 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

story b y re e se du n h am

THE HARBINGER

d e s ig n b y a d d i e m o o re p h o to b y a m e l i e wo n g

FRESH STATS

FRESH ON THE COURT Fre sh m a n S a m R odri guez i s t h e on l y fre sh m a n on the JV/ Varsit y basketball team this season

F

Info rma t i o n

a b o u t R o d ri g u ez ’s b a s ke t b a l l ca reer s o fa r

East

RESHMAN RODRIGUEZ

SAM

“[He goes to] Matt Ross and he just plays there for hours,”

was

Michelle said. “And whenever he would get the chance to continue

sitting

bench

practicing and shooting, he’d play in our backyard. He has taken

intently watching the

every opportunity he can to make himself into a better player.

versus

on

the

Rockhurst

varsity

Sam is known for his work ethic and diligence in the game,

student section erupted. We want

according to Oettmeier. Many of his teammates at East and

Sam! We want Sam! This was rare

MOKAN say that he has a great ability to stay positive and lift

because Sam is the shortest member

others up.

Even though he enjoys playing with older students, being the

of the team.

Shocked

27 POINTS IN HIS CAREERHIGH GAME

IHMS STARTER STARTED EVERY GAME IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

to

hear

his

name,

he

couldn’t help but grin, struggling to stay focused on the game — all his effort had paid off. “[I was] very, very shocked,” Sam said.

“There’s an expectation that I always have to perform at a high level,” Sam said. “Being the only freshman, there’s a lot of pressure that I have to deal with.”

Freshman Henry Barnett has also been playing with Sam since he joined MOKAN. He and Sam are very close teammates and work

happen to me.”

well together, according to Barnett.

As the only freshman on the JV/Varsity

“[Sam’s attitude is] very positive,” Barnett said. He tries to

basketball team in four years, Sam works

bring everybody up. Even if the team chemistry is down, he’s

to stay on top of his shooting and defense

always looking to bring somebody up.”

skills by going to school early to practice. He

Freshman Brooks Dillon has been playing with Sam for three

also goes to Matt Ross during the week to play

years since they met at MOKAN. Dillon has not only grown

pickup basketball with random players he finds

close to Sam as a teammate, but also as a friend. They work on

there. This contributed to him being able to get

basketball skills, but also watch scary movies together and hang

playing time in the Rockhurst varsity boys game.

out at school.

“I felt excited and privileged [to make the

“We watch a lot of movies,” Sam said. “We like to just hang

team] because not many freshmen get to play for

out and talk to each other, and [we] usually go on walks to the

the JV team at East, so I felt very special,” Sam said.

Village.”

Since he was 12 years old, Sam would watch East

Sam has developed strong relationships with the upperclassmen

basketball games in hopes of playing for the team

on the team to the extent that some seniors have offered him a

when he started high school. He knew that playing

ride home after practice. He enjoys spending time with the seniors

against Rockhurst was a big deal based on the ongoing

at practices, games and team dinners every Thursday night.

rivalry between the two schools. He felt valued that the coaches trusted him to play in such an important game.

His mom Michelle Rodriguez watched the game from

“It just represented who Sam is,” Michelle said.

“Everyone supporting him knowing that he is a genuinely

SO FAR THIS SEASON

to match the physical strength of his teammates.

got going I was amazed that it could really

hearing the chant.

4

only freshman on the team can be challenging because of the need

“I didn’t expect that to happen, but once it

the parents’ section and struggled to hold back tears after

PLAYED IN VARSITY GAMES

He’s just very dedicated to improving his game.”

basketball game when the entire

kind person, and he’s an extremely hardworking athlete.”

Sam has been playing basketball since first grade, but

“It’s

just

about

team

chemistry

and

building

that

[relationship],” Sam said. “That’s something I’ve worked on a lot this year.”

Sam’s favorite aspect of being on the team with upperclassmen is playing with a different age group than he usually does. He hopes to grow even closer to his teammates next year.

“I’m definitely going to keep in touch,” Sam said. “I’ll talk to them a lot, hang out with them over the summer, shoot with them and work out with them.”

started to take it seriously going into seventh grade when

Sam’s goals for the future are to finish out the season strong,

he joined MOKAN — a local club basketball program. He also

move up to varsity full-time as a sophomore, and hopefully

joined the Indian Hills Middle School team and started every

play basketball in college. He describes the sport as his safe

game, earning a career-high of 27 points in one game.

space. When he plays basketball he’s able to stop thinking about

Coach Ryan Oettmeier has noticed Sam’s early-morning

everything but the court.

shooting sessions and the hours spent training at Matt Ross.

“Basketball has always been a thing where when I play,

Oettmeier says that Sam’s footwork and shooting has improved

everything just goes away,” Sam said. “It’s something that I can

over the three months of the season.

really just focus on.”

s tor y by pre st on hooker

d e si g n by sydney ec k

p h o to s by caroline m ar t u cci & mar y g a gen

WRAPPING UP THE THE HARBINGER

S ta t i s t i c s a nd update s about bowling, w re s t l i n g and boys swim and dive as w i n ter sp o r t s seaso n w rap s up

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | 27

SEASON

BOYS SWIM AND DIVE

SUNFLOWER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS FIRST PLACE FINISHES:

1:27.95 200 YARD

FREESTYLE RELAY P. STECHSCHULTE

J. MCCLELLAND

C. BLAIR

J. CROSBY

476.55 4:50.64

DIVING

PETER STECHSCHULTE

500 YARD

FREESTYLE

JACK

MCCLELLAND

R I G H T Senior Mitchell Blair swims during Last Chance Swim Meet at Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center. photo by caroline martucci L E F T Senior Braydon Roberts dives during practice at the Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center. photo by caroline martucci A B O V E Sophomore Henry Saylor dives into the pool during Last Chance Swim Meet at Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center. photo by caroline martucci

BOWLING

“

WE ARE TRYING

to relive what we did last year and years prior with winning the state championship. There’s a lot of highs and lows this season.

L E F T Sophomore John Gagen wrestles during his match against Wellsville.

GUS VASOS

photo by mary gagen

SOPHOMORE

CHRISTIAN LAHEY

748 SERIES

SCHOOL RECORD

TH LEAGUE RESULT 10 SUNFLOWER

WRESTLING

“

A B O V E Sophomore Gus Vasos practices his form. photo by caroline martucci

WE HAVE A lot of underclassmen,

and only a couple seniors. So a lot of the older guys and girls take the underclassmen under their wing and we’re just making so much improvement.

J OH N G AG EN SOPHOMORE

55% OF VARSITY ARE U NDERCL A S S M EN

28 | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

meet your

-- S

THE HARBINGER

d e s ig n & c o p y b y ka i mc p h a i l p h o to s b y rya n d e h a n

NN

CAATE S I DA

D I D D

I SA AC DEAN

MR. FOOTBALL

s date

di can THOUGH SENIOR AND t ree h ean t g f a right tackle Issac Dean has o w s p nsa evie r a only played football for two p C A r. he M years, he’s honored and proud to be t r fo

When and where?

FEB. 21 @ 5:30 P.M.

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST AUDITORIUM TALENT SHOW OF MALE CANDIDATES REPRESENTING DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES

PROCEEDS GO TO ALL CANS ARE DONATED TO VETERAN’S COMMUNITY PROJECT

football, so it means a lot to step into a

football, but I also enjoy baking,” Dean

leadership position being so new on [the

said. “I’m at the CAA for half the [school]

team].”

day for the Bistro program. The hospitality

But this athlete isn’t all tough. When Dean

industry is something I’m really into.”

recognized by his team as “Mr. Football.”

isn’t tackling an opposing player, you can

Dean urges students to bring cans to

Football is one of Dean’s core passions,

find him pursuing his passion for baking.

commemorate East football — he believes

and he couldn’t be more excited to step on

He enjoys taking classes at the Center

this nomination belongs to the team as a

the stage and represent his sport.

of

whole.

specifically

the restaurant management classes and

“The goal is for people to come out, show

“There’s a lot of notable people I could

working at the Bistro — the CAA’s student-

support and bring in cans for the cause,”

think of to win a nomination. This is my

run restaurant.

Dean said. “My goal for this is to bring

f i r s t

year

playing

varsity

BE CK

ALSO HOPING TO win the blue ribbon for his talent and most cans donated is “Mr. Cross Country,” Beck Jones. Jones has been on the cross country team for one-and-a-half years now and has quickly become a runner to look out for on the track with an outdoor 4:52.73 “[It feels] awesome to be nominated,” Jones said. “It’s special to be a part of the cause. My

Bring at least one can to the East auditorium upon entry.

Achievement,

“It means a lot to me,” Dean said.

mile.

HOW TO VOTE

Academic

M SA

goal is to get out there and have fun.”

“I’m most likely going to play college

attention to the fundraiser.”

JONES

MR. CROSS COUNTRY

video games on occasion and working at the Fleet Feet running shoe store. Though he’s not always on the run, he finds ways to stay active, whether it be pressing controller buttons or selling shoes. Jones wants your vote to help show support for cross country and what running does for the students involved. “[Mr. Cansas is] going to be a blast, I’m happy to be selected along with a lot of my friends,” Jones said.

Outside of cross country, Jones likes playing

WILLIAMSON MR. CHOIR

MAKE

WAY

FOR

senior

Williamson,

your

candidate.

Williamson

involved

in

all

“Mr. things

Sam Choir”

TALENTSINGING

voice.

Williamson

loves

staying

been

active and going to the gym with

dancing,

friends. He pursues ways to express

has

singing and acting since he was just

his

a toddler. He emphasizes that when

through a multitude of hobbies.

you vote for him, you’re voting for

Cast your votes for your candidate with extra cans and enjoy the pageant.

there’s more to him than his angelic

creativity

and

artistic

skills

“I love to sing, dance, perform,

the choir as a whole.

play the guitar, anything where I’m

“It feels great to be able to represent

on the stage and performing I love

something that so many people can

[it],” Williamson said.

come together and collaborate as a

Williamson encourages people

community,” Williamson said. “To

to bring cans in honor of the choir

be the face of that is awesome.”

department to show support for the

Performing arts is what he spends most of his free time doing, but

talented voices of East.