The Harbinger Issue 8 2020

the harbinger.

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILL AGE, KS 66208 J A N U A R Y 1 9, 2 0 2 1 VOLUME LXIII ISSUE 8

THOUGHTS

BEHIND THE

A LOOK INSIDE

P12 OPINION MEDITATION BRINGS MORE MINDFULNESS

P18

P23

FEATURES

REVIEW

RECENT GRAD FOLLOWS WITCHCRAFT

BEST SUSHI IN KANSAS CITY

LENS Students express concerns for those with mental illness or difficult living situations after SMSD administration released a statement requiring students to have cameras on during online school

02 | INSIDE COVER

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

ONLINE

PREVIEW

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STORIE S HARMON PARK UPGRADE

BOARD MEETING RECAP Scan to read Olivia Olson’s recap of the BOE meeting discuss plans for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine throughout the district

Scan to read about the Harmon Skate Park renewal and what skaters think of the project

V I D EO

GA L L E R I E S

HELL ON WHEEL

JV LANCER DANCERS Scan to view Maggie Klumpp’s gallery of a junior varsity Lancer Dancer practice

Scan to watch a video featuring Hell on Wheel, the unicycle gang of Shawnee Mission East by Lawder DeSantis

CARTO O N | n atal i e sc h o l z

D

cover design by rose kanaley cover photo by photo editors

STAFF LIST PRINT EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley ONLINE EDITORS Riley Atkinson Lauren West ASST. PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Annabelle Moore ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood HEAD COPY EDITORS Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox PHOTO EDITORS Sarah Golder Trevor Paulus Julia Percy ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Noelle Griffin Elise Madden Megan Stopperan MOBILE MEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Megan Biles VIDEO EDITOR Lawder DeSantis ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Sydney Williams VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Roberto Galicia BROADCAST EDITORS Sam Freund Megan Stopperan ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Brett Pendland Liv Olson PHOTO MENTORS Taylor Keal Megan Biles Annakate Dilks MJ Wolf STAFF WRITERS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Campbell Wood Celia Condon Sophie Henschel Annabelle Moore Allison Wilcox Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Sydney Newton Ethan Enderle Lily Billingsley Kelly Murphy Elizabeth Mikkelson Tommy Paulus Sydney Decker Peyton Moore Lauren Dierks Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Cesca Stamati Winnie Wolf Madeline Funkey Grace Tucker Emma Brown Gibbs Morris

Ben Bradley Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Nora Lynn Mia Vogel Caroline Gould COPY EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Winnie Wolf Lily Billingsley Elizabeth Mikkelson Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Kelly Murphy EDITORIAL BOARD Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Lily Billingsley SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL PRINT Sydney Newton NEWS PRINT Lauren Dierks ONLINE Caroline Wood OPINION PRINT Elizabeth Mikkelson ONLINE Winnie Wolf FEATURE PRINT Grace Tucker ONLINE Lyda Cosgrove A&E PRINT Tommy Paulus ONLINE Kate Heitmann SPORTS PRINT Peyton Moore ONLINE Cesca Stamati PAGE DESIGNERS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Riley Atkinson Sophie Henschel Celia Condon Allison Wilcox Annabelle Moore

Elizabeth Mikkelson Lily Billingsley Lauren Dierks Sydney Newton Winnie Wolf Kate Heitmann Grace Allen Grace Tucker Cesca Stamati Peyton Moore Madeline Funkey Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Nora Lynn Caroline Gould ART EDITOR Celia Condon STAFF ARTISTS Natalie Scholz Sophie Henschel Mia Vogel Lauren Dierks Sophie Lindberg Maria Morrissey STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Emma Kate Squires Maggie Merckens Hadley Chapman Emily Pollock Maggie Klump Tristen Porter Rachel Bingham Molly Schumm Ella Hans Eva Berkley Macy Crosser Helen Rice Lily Mantel Sabrina Dean VIDEO STAFF Lawder DeSantis Sydney Williams Liv Olson Megan Stopperan Roberto Galicia Brett Pendland SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Annabelle Moore ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sophie Henschel SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Mia Vogel Sydney Decker Megan Biles Grace Tucker Julia Percy Celia Condon Lyda Cosgrove Kelly Murphy Grace Allen Anna Mitchell Liv Olson Paige Zadoo ADS MANAGER Caroline Wood CIRCULATION MANAGER Lyda Cosgrove SOCIAL CHAIRS Peyton Moore Tommy Paulus CONTEST COORDINATOR Celia Condon

design by sydney newton illustration by natalie scholtz

I

t It’s your first day back at hybrid learning next semester, you walk into your new AP U.S. History classroom — with a teacher you don’t know — and they’re diving into WWI while your class was still learning about the Gilded Age last semester. You haven’t even finished your first day and you’re already a whole unit behind your classmates.

As if learning remotely wasn’t hard enough, we now stumble into second semester where about 90% of students, according to Associate Principal Britton Haney, have new core class teachers — damaging the already limited amount of connections students have in a virtual academic setting.

Yes, it’s typical for scheduling conflicts to occur in normal school years when a student switches hours during the semester, but with the limited numbers of hybrid classes and remote classes, the problem has become more prevalent when schedules are being put together. Why? To compensate for students’ desired electives. Electives already have limited time slots — something had to give: their teachers.

A student’s academic success relies on that teacher-student bond — a bond that isn’t built over one math unit but develops throughout the year.

It’s even harder to get to know a teacher via Webex, so switching things up just as we get comfortable washes away the minimal amounts of consistency students and teachers have going for them.

Forming a relationship with teachers is one of the most essential keys to academic performance.

According to edweek.org and a Review of Educational Research’s analysis on 46 studies, the students who have stronger relationships with their teachers tend to have better grades, attendance, participation and fewer disruptions.

And even when they added other external factors, such as family background, into the equation, these relationships were still the main difference in success.

A student’s academic success relies on that teacher-student bond — a bond that isn’t built over one math unit but develops throughout the year. It’s even harder to get to know a teacher via Webex, so switching things up just as we get comfortable washes away the minimal amounts of consistency students and teachers have going for them .

With second semester’s incoming changes, instead of continuing to build on these crucial relationships in-person finally, students have to hit the reset button.

While the counselors are doing everything they can to solve this scheduling Rubik’s Cube and avoid changing students’ teachers as much as possible, the struggle of students and teachers connecting is still neglected, making these switches the latest academic sinkhole for students.

Adjusting to a new teacher and teaching style

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021 isn’t as easy as it sounds — especially with a threeday turnaround after finals. If the school wants to see our virtual-school-infested grades improve, they need to dig at the deeper roots — communication.

The school continues to express through emails and announcements that they aren’t naive of the challenges that come with online learning, but actions speak louder than emails. Other than encouraging teachers of the same core class to work at an equal pace on the curriculum, nothing else has been done to alleviate the situation.

And it’s not just students affected by these schedule switch-ups. Teachers can spend weeks learning the names of around 150 students on a yearly basis. Now, they lose half their students and have to learn the names of a whole new group.

Students are already barely able to have one-onone conversations with their teachers, and now, they have to restart the process with part of their class.

Plus, taking on a new teacher makes it harder to catch up when using different teaching methods, not to mention trying to navigate their foreign Canvas page — stressful problems virtually or in-person. At this point in online school, it’s not just about a new teacher, but the difference in teaching methods that come with them. We organize our lives around a teacher’s planning methods of grading and lecturing in a class, and when that routine is flipped, we have to adapt to closed-note tests over open-book, or five homework assignments a week instead of three.

The truth is that adapted schedules become one more adjustment to our academic lives that us students have to cope with — and it’s not like we get a two-week winter break to gear-up for the new transition.

And to make it worse, students weren’t made aware if they were switching teachers. Schedules were released with less than two weeks left with no forewarning or reason of the alteration, adding to the worry that comes with the switch to hybrid.

With the little time students have to digest this, administrators need to make sure they’re providing safe and open-armed resources to help them if the transition becomes a greater struggle than anticipated.

Though teachers have as little say in these changes as students, they still need to assist in making this transition easier. If they haven’t already, they should discuss with their fellow coreclass teachers on how they’ve taught during the hybrid and remote learning phases. Students will need teachers’ help and understanding of their situation to make sure they learn the expectations and workflow of the class so they’re not stuck on a Pre-Calc assignment because they don’t know the teacher’s code to DeltaMath.

If teachers can promise us the empathy of making an effort, we promise to be extra patient as they learn how to pronounce our names — we might even ignore when they confuse us with our peer who looks a little bit similar through a Webex box.

Now is when we need to support students — and teachers — to help them make the adjustment easier so they can worry about bigger things than their first impression with their new chemistry teacher.

EDITORIAL | 03

TEACHER TURNABOUT The vast number of students switching core teachers at semester hurts student-teacher relationships during an already challenging academic year

F O R : 1 1 AGA I NST: 1 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.

E D I TORIAL 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 thought letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 413B or emailed to smeharbinger@ gmail.com.

04 | NEWS

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

NEWS

Catch up on school, local and national news

H I G H L I G H TS

A B O V E | Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock wave to supporters at a rally in Marietta, Georgia.

Georgia runoff Senate democratic Congress

GEORGIA’S NOV. 2020 Senate seat race, Democrat Jon Ossoff won by 1% against incumbent Republican David Perdue and Democrat Raphael Warnock won by 1.8% against incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler.

Since neither party won the majority vote during the initial election in November, a runoff election took place on Jan. 5, in which the two candidates with the most votes ran against each other a second time to decide the winner.

Upon being sworn in, Warnock will be the state’s first Black Senator. Both Ossoff and Warnock are the first Democratic Senators from Georgia since 2000.

These two Democratic additions have created an even split between the two parties in the Senate — 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. Left-leaning senators are expected to have a narrow majority ruling on

election

12 P.M., JAN. 20

WHO? BIDEN AND HARRIS

WHERE?

U.S. CAPITOL

*Information from usa.gov.org

WHY?

THE 20TH AMENDMENT

Teachers are given the freedom to choose how they will administer their finals this year

THE VARYING LEARNING from virtual school has resulted in leaving the orchestration of first semester’s finals up to each individual teacher rather than the customary.

They are able to choose the weight, format and length of their finals, causing drastic differences between classes’ end of the semester exams. Finals week, starting Tuesday, Jan. 19, will be completely virtual before students start back with hybrid learning Jan. 25.

Financial literacy teacher Kevin Wiesner believes since it isn’t a normal school year, students should not be expected to take a normal final.

“Last year, I did a cumulative multiple choice final that wrapped up everything,” Wiesner said. “This year, I wanted to do something different, and hopefully this is a little bit more flexible and not as strenuous.”

Wiesner will be closing out the semester by having his students write about what they’ve learned and how to apply those

lessons in the real world. He’s giving them a whole week to work on the assignment, so during finals week they can focus on their core class exams.

“My class is a lot of discussion, just getting the students to think and so there might not be as many of the terms and definitions as some of the other classes might have,” Wiesner said. “So I think [finals] are necessary, but some classes might need a little more emphasis on them than others.”

Although finals have been altered to accommodate students’ virtual learning transition, some students aren’t pleased with how they’re playing out this year.

Junior Finley Condon believes the modified finals won’t be an accurate depiction of her grades.

“Personally, I just feel unprepared a little bit,” Condon said. “I feel like finals this year don’t reflect how our year has gone especially since we’re at home, and there are students who have the ability to cheat.”

Blue Moose in Prairie Village announced they will stay

in

a

bills and issues, as democratic Vice PresidentElect Kamala Harris will be the tie-breaker.

East government teacher Ronald Stallard hopes the 50/50 tie will allow Congress to run smoothly again.

“They’re probably going to have to go back to negotiating and trying to make deals with people, so I think that’s going to better,” Stallard said. “With that narrow margin hopefully we’ll be able to go back to the way we used to do it.”

The new Democratic congress will likely aide Biden in enacting his 100-day plan.

This includes reversing Trump’s tax cuts, reentering the Paris Climate Accord and extending the Voting Rights Act. According to The New York Times, President Biden sees the large voter turnout and Democratic victories in Georgia as a sign that Americans want congressional action.

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION WHEN?

results

EAST

L O C A L open and renovate

by lauren di erks

N AT I O N A L

design by lauren dierks photo from mct campus

BLUE MOOSE BAR and Grill, located in Prairie Village shopping center, was set to close Jan. 1, but has since announced they will stay open.

The management previously decided to shutdown the restaurant due to “COVID related financial issues,” but garnered so many customers and an outpour of community support that they are continuing normal business. They also received aid from Paycheck Protection Program, a government program to provide loans and relief to small businesses. This loan will also allow the restaurant to start renovations in the spring.

General Manager Adam Thomas, who recently transferred from the Red Bridge shopping center location to the Prairie Village location, quickly saw the support from their customers in just the few weeks he had started.

“There was a lot of positive feedback from the community and it was very touching actually to witness it,” Thomas

said. “I didn’t witness a ton of it not being there the whole time, but it was very, very moving.”

Senior and Blue Moose employee Jess Pindell, who’s worked at Blue Moose for around seven months, quickly got a sense of the role the restaurant plays in Prairie Village after they announced their closing — the reason they were able to stay open during this trying time.

“There are a bunch of regulars that come in every day religiously and know all the employees, so you could say there is somewhat of a community within Blue Moose,” Pindell said.

In addition to staying open, customers can expect a facelift to the restaurant by next summer.

“I see the Blue Moose sort of reinventing itself, innovative menus, innovative patios, innovative interior, just taking it to a new level and modernizing it a little bit,” Thomas said.

A run-down of how the Presidential Inauguration will play out

JCCIC

A.K.A

OATH OF OFFICE

The Joint Congressional Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Responsible for planning and executing the ceremony

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by sophie henschel

T R A D I N G TA X E S F O R TO U C H U P S T

by syd ney decker

he Shawnee Mission School District proposed a $263 million bond that will fund renovating and rebuilding district buildings and hiring more staff.

The goal of the bonds, as stated on the SMSD website, is to have the district continue “to be ranked among the finest school districts in the nation employing exceptional educators who work in state-of-the-art facilities where learners achieve their full potential.”

Residents of the district will be voting on a new property tax that would be implemented in order to cover the cost of the 2021 bond with Tuesday, Jan. 26 being the last day to send in a mail-in ballot to vote on the bonds.

If the bond is passed, it would result in an annual $8 tax increase for owners of a home worth $100,000 or more. Even with this increase, SMSD would remain the district with the lowest mill levy in Johnson County, according to the SMSD website.

The bonds would primarily go toward rebuilding elementary schools and renovating middle schools, high schools and other district buildings such as the Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center and the Career and Tech Campus. The money would also be used for resolving mandatory maintenance issues such as HVAC repairs and roof upgrades for all facilities.

While these improvements will benefit the students by modernizing their work environment, by providing more learning resources such as computer labs, most of the maintenance is purely out of necessity as the SMSD buildings age.

“Shawnee Mission, because of its age, has a number of buildings that are 50 years old or older,” Superintendent Michael Fulton said during a panel Q&A. “And so with that we always have a lot of routine maintenance repair that has to go on with our buildings.”

Along with facility improvements and construction, a portion of the bond money will go toward hiring secondary teachers to alleviate the current teacher workloads. The goal of this is to

free up teachers’ time so they can better prepare more personalized learning plans for their students to get the most out of their education.

“It’s an exciting time and opportunity to meet the needs of our facilities, ongoing maintenance, to get new construction done — while also having a long term strategy... so teachers [will] have more time to work with students,” Fulton said. “[This will] help them put together their personalized learning plans that prepare them to be college and career ready and help them have the interpersonal skills that they need for life success.”

Last February, teachers and students protested, urging for a pay that fit the teacher workload after their demands for a five-hour daily class schedule were not met when contracts were renegotiated.

If these bonds pass, they will be given a more manageable workload.

The bond would allow teachers to have a five class teaching schedule as soon as next year and East facility improvements beginning in about two years.

“By hiring additional teachers at the secondary level, it would allow the district to adjust teacher’s schedules to a five out of seven period school day,” East Principal Dr. Scott Sherman said. “This will allow teachers more time to work with students to enhance learning.”

Dr. Sherman urges parents and students who have met the voting age requirement of 18 to vote in approval of the proposed bonds. If passed, he says, they’ll allow a better learning environment for all students within the district, while simultaneously bettering the community as a whole.

“A strong public school system increases property value and gives our children greater education, opportunities and experiences,” Dr. Sherman said.

“It is an investment in future success of the SME and SMSD students. It also allows us to recruit and employ the best teachers available and stay competitive with our neighboring district.”

More information about the voting process can be found at SMSD.org.

OTHER DISTR ICTWIDE UPGRADES maintenance of a t h letic fa cilit ie s class roo m & in f ra st ruc ture u p gra des

ADA upg rades/ additions

HVAC/ lig hting upg rades

NEWS | 05 SMSD bond proposal that is currently being voted on will increase property taxes to fund district-wide improvements

E AST FEEDER ARE A PROPOSAL TO M A H AW K E L E M E N TA RY S CH O O L

$25,0 0 0,0 0 0

re b u i l d a n d p l a yg ro u n d re n ewa l

W E ST WO O D V I E W E L E M E N TA RY S CH O O L

$23,0 0 0,0 0 0 re b u i l d a n d p l a yg ro u n d re n ewa l

I N D I A N H I L LS M I D D L E S CH O O L

$55,750,0 0 0 f u r n i t u re, rest ro o m s, re n ova t i o n

S H AW N E E M ISS I O N E AST H I G H S CH O O L

$55,750,0 0 0 f u r n i t u re, rest ro o m s, re n ova t i o n

H O R I ZO NS H I G H S CH O O L

$55,750,0 0 0 f u r n i t u re, rest ro o m s, re n ova t i o n

PROJECTED BOND BUDGET E A R LY C H I L D H O O D $3,000,000 TECHNOLOGY $5,000,000 SECURITY $ 9, 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 P L AYG R O U N D S $14,000,000 MAINTENANCE $53,000,000

secur it y a nd te c hnolog y upg rades

se c ure keyless e ntr y

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS $63,000,000 ELEMENTARY $122,500,000

06 | NEWS

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by sydney newton

LO O K I N G F O R

LEADERSHIP

The SMSD Board of Education is starting the hiring process for a new superintendent after superintendent Mike Fulton retired

A LOOK AT THE PAST A timeline of the past superintendents

2008

GENE JOHNSON Johnson stayed in the position for five years, retiring in 2013

JIM HINSON Retiring in 2017, Hinson remained superintendent for four years

2018

2013

MIKE FULTON As an out-of-district hire, Fulton served three years, and will retire on June 30, 2021

LAST WORDS

Part of Fulton’s letter to the Board announcing his retirement

To serve as superintendent has been an honor. Giving notice now allows time for you to plan a smooth transition in the superintendent position. The future is bright in the Shawnee Mission School District.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your superintendent.

mike fulton | superintendent

by catherine erickson

T

he Shawnee Mission School District Board of Education began the search for a new superintendent following current superintendent Dr. Mike Fulton’s retirement announcement, effective June 30, 2021, who served in the position for three years.

According to the BOE’s Chief Communications Officer David Smith, the Board does not have a specific timeline established for the hiring process, but will have a new superintendent in place by July 1, 2021.

The Board held an emergency meeting on Jan. 4 to inform the public that slight wording changes have been made to the superintendent’s position description and that all applications for qualified internal applicants will be due on Jan. 19. This means superintendent position will only be available to current SMSD employees — a change from the last superintendent job search which invited all applicants, including those who had not previously worked in the district, such as Fulton.

According to a statement released by BOE President Heather Ousley and Vice-President Dr. Mary Sinclair regarding why they opted to hire internally, the Board feels confident they have qualified internal candidates to serve as the next superintendent.

“The Board is seeking an experienced leader who appreciates our community and is committed to our District,” Ousley and Sinclair wrote in the statement.

“The Board believes this decision will provide continuity for the work currently being done, as well as stability moving forward, and is consistent with our commitment to providing advancement opportunities for our talented staff.”

However, East teacher and National Education Association-Shawnee Mission building representative Monique Goodeyon believes hiring an internal candidate will stunt the district’s ability to move forward with original ideas and elements, such as diversity, that outside hires would introduce.

“Dr. Fulton did not bring very many new district administrators in, so almost every district administrator that’s going to apply for this job was actually a [former Superintendent Jim] Hinson [hire],” Goodeyon said. “I’m concerned that if they were brought in by Hinson, it might be some of Dr. Hinson’s philosophies or priorities brought into place. I wish that they would have had a broader scope of applicants, just so that [we] don’t go backwards into the Hinson era.”

To assist them in the search, the BOE will hire search facilitator James Payne. A search facilitator is customary for the hiring process and was also used when the Board hired Fulton.

“Mr. Payne will provide a menu of options for us as we conduct the internal search, including conducting surveys and providing us the data on those surveys on attributes for superintendents and concerns of the community,” Ousley said in the Jan. 11 board meeting. “He’ll also be able to help us with conducting the interview process and keeping it separate from our own internal HR process to allow for a

more secure, impartial process.”

According to Smith, the search facilitator’s role is to organize the technical aspects and then the Board members will conduct the interviews, choose and inform a candidate, negotiate a contract and publicly announce the decision.

Smith believes the role of the search facilitator is crucial as it helps keep the procedure unbiased. “[The hiring process is] a confidential process, and if it’s being done by people within the district then it’s not confidential in the same way,” Smith said. “Everybody in this district is going to work for the person they hire, so it’d be kind of odd for somebody who’s going to work for that person to be responsible for that process.”

With Fulton serving three years, Hinson serving four years and the superintendent prior to Hinson, Gene Johnson, serving five years, Goodeyon is disappointed with the constant changes in leadership. She believes that the leaders are unable to fulfill their goals and maintain stable leadership when they serve shorter terms.

When [the superintendent] change[s], everything shifts underneath them.

Instead of, ‘Oh, we changed it, let’s work with it for a little bit,’ there was always something new they wanted us to do.

That got a little frustrating as a teacher because you didn’t even get a chance to really make the change...”

monique goodeyon | nea-sm representative “When [the superintendent] change[s], everything shifts underneath them,” Goodeyon said. “We have a new curriculum person and we had to do curriculum revision almost four years in a row. Instead of, ‘Oh, we changed it, let’s work with it for a little bit,’ there was always something new they wanted us to do. That got a little frustrating as a teacher because you didn’t even get a chance to really make the change before they said, ‘Oh, no, let’s try something different.’”

However, the Board hopes that by hiring an internal applicant, the new superintendent will be able to continue developing the Strategic Plan, the district’s initiative for each student to have a personalized learning plan to prepare them for college and careers.

“A fundamental part of Dr. Fulton’s legacy is his role in leading this community through the process of crafting a Strategic Plan, which provides clear direction for the future of the district,” Ousley wrote in a statement responding to Fulton’s retirement. “As we begin the third year of the Strategic Plan, we remain committed to the priorities articulated within it...Dr. Fulton has developed a strong leadership team, and we are confident in their ability to continue moving the work forward.”

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by allison wilcox

NEWS | 07

ERASING THE ARCTIC Human interactions are possibly contributing to the diminishing Arctic, and students are making attempts to stop this by sophi e lind berg

A

s President Trump continuously moved forward with oil drilling in the Arctic — such as the auction held on Jan. 6 to sell actric land to oil companies, members of the East community and the country as a whole are focusing on the effects of human intervention in an already unstable environment.

According to Climate.gov, polar caps have been melting at a continuous rate due to rising global temperatures. World Atlas states that 90% of the Earth’s warmth is absorbed by the ocean, which makes glaciers most susceptible to the effects of global warming.

The Artic has been affected more than the rest of the world, losing 50% of its ice in the past 50 years and 75% of its summer ice since the 70s, according to weforum.org. fracking

ex t ra cti n g o i l o r g a s fro m the gro und by i nj ecti ng l i q ui d a t h igh p ressure

East parent Chris Muehlberger is an Environmental Law professor at KU and an attorney for the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency.

Working with environmental scientists on a daily basis, he understands the magnitude of the issue and its effect on the Arctic and hopes others will make efforts to stop it as well “The Arctic poles are receiving the brunt of climate change at a more rapid pace than the rest of the planet,” Muehlberger said. “So that’s why you’re seeing higher temperatures

in the Arctic and the Antarctic, the melting of the ice caps, the breaking off of glaciers into the ocean and they’re an indicator of what’s to come for the rest of the planet.”

According to National Geographic, longterm regional effects of the Arctic warming could be changes in the marine food web, an increased mortality rate for seals and polar bears, disruption of the Arctic region’s Indigenous people, the loss of large amounts of fresh water and permanent damage to the Arctic region.

“The Arctic National Wildlife Preserve is one of the largest remaining natural habitats left on the planet, and it’s a very fragile ecosystem,” Muehlberger said. “I think it’s a mistake to go in there looking for fossil fuels, especially since the energy market is already moving in a different direction, renewable energies are much cheaper, and natural gas and fracking has made oil extraction less profitable.”

After the announcement of Trump’s plans to sell Arctic land for oil drilling back in Dec., huge social media revolts filled feeds — bringing the topic of oil drilling and melting of glaciers to the attention or many teens teens such as sophomore Sophie Shroyer, a member of the East Against Climate Change club.

“I see it all over TikTok, all over Instagram, it’s everywhere,” Shroyer said. “It’s really good that so many people are sharing and educating, because without people doing that, I would have never known.”

As the information gains traction across social media platforms, the public is looking to

a new administration to reverse the damaging changes of the Trump Administration.

Many students like senior and member of the Youth Against Climate Change Club Ana Sofia Lahovary are in support of the Biden administration’s plan to combat climate change in rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, implementing a new plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and making the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge permanently protected.

I think it’s a mistake to go in there looking for fossil fuels, especially since the energy market is already moving in a different direction, renewable energies are much cheaper, and natural gas and fracking has made oil extraction less profitable

chris muehlberger | environmental science professor According to Shroyer, when it comes to the causes of climate change, one cause seems to be discussed in the media and by the public more than others: large corporations.

“So much of the responsibility of the big corporations has been shifted onto the individual and the public as a way to divert the attention and make it seem like the people’s fault,” Shroyer said. “It’s not your fault the world works so you have to drive

HOW YOU CAN HELP DONATE

FUNDING RESEARCH WILL HELP SCIENTISTS UNDERSTAND THE ARCTIC’S FUTURE AND HOW TO PREPARE

your car to work every day, it’s the companies that are spewing oil and gas and totally disregarding the environment just to make a profit.”

Members of the East community hope that responsibility will be held to large corporations under a new administration.

“I think our government should put a lot of pressure on these corporations like other countries have, in order to not just be like performative,” Lahovary said. “Companies like Exxon Mobil, they’re very performative in their messages on the climate crisis. And I think our government needs to increase regulation on said corporations that are the biggest culprits of the climate crisis.”

Biden plans to put more accountability on public companies, requiring them to give information about greenhouse gas emissions, limiting emissions through vehicular transportation and preserve the existing Clean Air Act. On a personal scale, signing petitions is the most encouraged form of basic advocating — especially when the epicenter of the issue is geographically far from Kansas, according to Shroyer.

“I think petition signing is great. I mean, it’s quick, it’s simple, you can sign so many in such a small amount of time,” Shroyer said.

“It can only do so much, but it’s so much better than doing nothing, and it really puts into perspective how many collective voices care for an issue and it really gets the word out to leaders.”

THE STATS

REDUCE CARBON

REDUCING THE USE AND EMISSION OF FOSSIL FUELS IN EVERYDAY LIFE WITH REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS

252 BIL

TONS OF ICE PER YEAR LOST SINCE 2009

INCREASED RATE AS A RESULT OF: RISING SEA LEVELS OPENING NEW TRADE

GO GREEN

MAKE EFFORTS AT HOME TO REDUCE POLLUTION, CONSERVE RESOURCES, CONSERVE ENERGY AND REDUCE WASTE

RESEARCH

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE EFFECT ON THE ARCTIC TO SPREAD THE WORD TO OTHERS

39%

OF ARCTIC ICE HAS SHRUNK IN T H E PA ST 3 8 Y E A R S

SHIPPING ROUTES OIL DRILLING

Information courtesy of panda.org, worldwildlife.org & statista.org

08 | OPINION

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

OPINION

HIGHLIGHTS

A look into student opinions and the opinion section

THIS WEEK ON TWITTER

design by elizabeth mikkelson

THIS ISSUE’S ONLINE OPINIONS SCAN ME | RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THE SCREEN Scan here to read sophomore Nora Lynn’s opinion having to do with online relationships and their toxic effects of forming one through a social platform

SCAN ME | FRAGMENTS OF FANTASY W H E N A S K E D W H Y T H E C A P I TO L P O L I C E H A D N ’ T TA K E N M O R E AG G R E S S I V E AC T I O N O R C A L L E D I N BAC K U P M O R E Q U I C K LY, O N E S E N I O R O F F I C I A L R E S P O N D E D O N LY: “ T H AT ’S A G O O D Q U E ST I O N .”

Scan here to sophomore Mia Vogel’s opinion story where she attempts to recreate the fantasies of coming-of-age-media

WAS H I N GTO N P OST O P I N I O N S | 1 / 7 / 2 1

SCAN ME | CENSORING OR SILENCING T H E H O U S E BA R R E L E D FO RWA R D O N I TS E F FO RT TO R E M OV E P R E S I D E N T T R U M P F RO M O F F I C E , VOW I N G S W I F T AC T I O N O N I M P EAC H M E N T I F T H E V I C E P R E S I D E N T D O E S N OT AC T

Scan here to senior Ethan Enderle’s opinion about social media platforms, specifically Twitter, limiting the speech of political figures

T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S | 1 / 1 0/ 2 1

ST U D E N TS’ TA K E O N F I N A L S DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IMPEACHMENT TRIALS SHOULD PRECEDE EVEN WITH SUCH LITTLE TIME LEFT IN THE PRESIDENCY? Instagram poll of 290 votes

72% YES 28% NO IF SO, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE WILL BE ENOUGH TIME FOR THE IMPEACHMENT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Instagram poll of 278 votes

62% YES S E N . H AW L E Y I S U N D E R F I R E F RO M D E M O C R ATS A N D M E M B E RS O F H I S OW N PA RT Y A F T E R T H E R I OT AT T H E U S C A P I TO L

38% NO

N B C N E W S | 1 / 1 0/ 2 1

“A N EC E S SA RY STAT E O F E M E RG E N C Y D EC L A R AT I O N I S THE ANTITHESIS OF A “CHERISHED HALLMARK OF OUR D E M O C R AC Y, ” B U T “ N OT H I N G W I L L I M P E D E T H E P E AC E F U L T R A N S I T I O N O F A M E R I C A N P OW E R T H AT H A S B E E N S O C E N T R A L TO O U R D E M O C R AC Y,” SAYS R E T I R E D F B I AG E N T @ JA M E S AGAG L I A N O CNN OPINION | 1/13/21

TA K E O U R P O L LS @smeharbinger

Follow us on social media to participate in the polls

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design by kate heitmann

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

OPINION | 09

R E S LU T I O N POL LU T I N Making resolutions should not be put off until the New Year, and bettering yourself can happen anytime by anna mitchell

SMA RT:

Keep this acronym in mind to form a sustainable and achievable resolutions

SPECIFIC DO N’ T: Dri nk m o re wa te r D O: Dr i nk 6 4 f l oz e a c h d a y

MEASURABLE DO N’ T: L i mi t sc re e n t im e D O: L i mi t t i m e to 90 m in s/d a y

ACHIEVABLE

DO N’ T: Eat h e a lt hy eve r y d a y D O: Eat a he a lt hy lu n c h 5 x / we e k

RELEVANT DO N’ T: St ud y fo r a ll c la sses D O: St udy fo r d if f ic u lt c la sses

TIME-BOUND DO N’ T: Vo l un te e r m o re D O: Vo l unte e r t w ice by M a y

4 8% 30%

48% of Ea st St u d e n ts h a ve m a i n ta i n e d a New Ye a rs Resol u t i on throu g h ou t t h e ye a r.

30% of East Students made a New Years Resolution this year.

*according to an instagram poll

“5...4...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!” My friend immediately whispered to me, “You must hold me accountable to my goal of working out for 30 minutes each day”. Yet little did she know my goal of working out each day wasn’t a resolution for the New Year, but a goal that I had already set long before then.

Setting goals and wanting to achieve things is important all throughout life, but I don’t think it’s necessary to set unrealistic goals that’ll make you feel useless if they aren’t accomplished. At the prime age of eight my number one New Year’s resolution was to bring my soccer skills to another level and one day play in the women’s World Cup — while that’s possible, it was very unrealistic, and even more unrealistic for me now.

Making New Year’s resolutions has been a popular method for people to make changes in their lives, ranging from cutting out dairy from your diet to getting a 4.0 in school. People push things off, waiting for a new year to wipe the slate clean from last year’s old habits. I often hear “yeah I’ll do that in January” or “I’ll start on the first” — but there is no valid reason to wait for self-improvement until Jan. 1.

Though we all experienced growth in 2020, as the year came to a close, I knew I still wanted to improve myself — consistently working out, eating less fast food, better time management, and even keeping my room clean.

These are many things I want to do this year, but not just because the ball dropped in New York City or because I could finally flip to the January page in the calendar — I want to do this for myself. So instead of pushing back everything you need or want to do until the first day of the brand new year, just start whenever you are ready.

There’s no need to apply such pressure to one single day.

Sure, maybe you go a couple weeks with these resolutions — working out every day, choosing the salad over the Sonic stop, putting maximum effort into homework

assignments — but then they fall through due to laziness, stress or just feeling like those goals aren’t doing anything for you.

You’re left dismayed by the lack of lifeshattering results, and let your dreams fall to the back-burner where you’ll inevitably revisit them next new year, and repeat the same cycle.

Feeling like you failed your mission can be discouraging, sending you into a spiral of not wanting to improve or change anything at all. According to Inc.com, approximately 80% of people who make New Year’s resolutions have dropped them by the second week of February.

These are many things I want to do this year, but not just because the ball dropped in New York City or because I could finally flip to the January page in the calendar — I want to do this for myself.

Already feeling down and burnt out is a negative to your mental health, but the winter season further complicates things as many suffer from seasonal depression.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Seasonal depression is caused by a change in the season and makes your energy plummet.

This gives just another reason to push back those goals and get nothing done, once again disappointing yourself.

It’s understandable that when a year as tumultuous as 2020 ends, people will look to the new year with hope and as a time for change. But the pressure we put on ourselves to create a perfect life only allows stress to pile up. And after failing to complete that one thing you set your mind to, those high expectations of this being “your year” will come crashing down — but you have to remember completing those resolutions doesn’t dictate how your year is going to go, you do.

I’m all about goals and staying motivated, and I don’t necessarily hate New

Year’s resolutions, but they can become very unrealistic and make the start of a new year even tougher mentally if they don’t work out as planned.

I hear those around me committing to losing weight or eating healthy at the beginning of the year, but often don’t realize when the mentality becomes too consuming.

Some goals can create a sense of tunnel vision of wanting that goal to be completed immediately, becoming a toxic thought — especially with resolutions involving working out and food.

A study from Chron.com also showed that when setting aggressive goals that end up failing continuously, performance can actually decline. If you push yourself too quickly, you’re bound to give up, so just take those small goals a day at a time. And if you don’t feel like running on the treadmill or skipping the Chipotle stop, don’t beat yourself up about one cheat day.

New Year’s resolutions don’t need to be a dramatic shift in your life, but setting small, daily goals that you actually want to do can help you feel accomplished. I make my bed first thing when I wake up to feel that sense of productivity as early as possible, and it helps me not get back in bed and actually start my day. It’s a simple daily task, but it encourages me throughout the rest of the day.

Another way you can do this is focusing more on self-care or helping others — working on getting a full eight hours of sleep, spending at least 30 minutes outside every day, volunteering every week or month or even creating a gratitude journal.

While these little goals aren’t necessarily going to change your appearance or help you out with a workout routine, they’re examples of small things you can do to create a kind of to-do list and feel accomplished in a healthy way. And if your long-term goal is to be healthy, set little goals like going for a walk or eating a salad every once in a while — without the unrealistic pressure of a major lifestyle change, you’re much more likely to succeed and start 2021, or anyday, off on a great note.

10 | OPINION

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by lily billingsley photo by maggie klump

THE FIN L ST R AW

A B O V E | Elizabeth works on studying for finals after celebrating the new year.

Having finals after break leaves students at a disadvantage as they forgot material previously learned

by eliza beth mi kkel so n

W

hile I was more than happy to swap out stressful study sessions for Christmas tree decorating, the undeniably best part of winter break is normally taking a relieving deep breath knowing that finals are over. The refreshing sense of contentment during winter break is what makes first semester somewhat bearable.

This year during winter break, though, there wasn’t that same alleviating feeling of finishing finals and starting fresh in January — there was an underlying feeling of stress. I ate Christmas dinner and watched the New Year’s Eve ball drop with my dreaded Calculus final in the back of my mind, which loomed over me during the supposed break from school.

Since SMSD delayed the start of school until after Labor Day in early September, most events and plans later in the year shifted along with it, including finals week.

So instead of cramming tests in before winter break, they were pushed back until mid-January.

There’s no better way to ring in the new year than cramming four months of learning into one short week and pulling all-nighters in preparation for finals — right?

With the insurmountable pressure for most during the week of finals, students deserve more than just a weekend off once finals are completed to attempt to refresh and regain their mental health.

There was something satisfactory about having finals out of the way just in time to spend the holidays with family, knowing all of the hard work paid off and there would be time to recharge. This, among many other instances, is a facet I’ve taken for granted during COVID and have recently

come to realize how significant it was as a recovery period.

And to add onto the building stress, our usual 16-day break was shortened to less than two weeks because of the added school days leading up to Christmas. During the days I’d normally spend sleeping in until noon or watching movie marathons, I logged into 7:40 a.m. Webex meetings.

Although draining at the time, the only substantial break during the entire first semester was Thanksgiving — resulting in an uninterrupted school schedule.

This schedule from previous years allows students to build up their knowledge until mid-December. Throwing a week break into the mix, though, leads to an unnecessary period of forgetfulness before finals.

The extended finals not only make it harder to memorize the material, but take away a main motivating factor of the exams.

In previous years when finals took place in mid-December, the main driving force to finish strong in classes was knowing it would all be over in a few days, just in time to enjoy the holidays and take a break from staring at my MacBook for eight hours a day. This year, we merely get three days in between semesters. Without that motivator, I can imagine it’ll be harder for most students to stay incentivized without the driving reward of a well-deserved academic hiatus.

With these faults being said though, SMSD and each individual school is not to blame for this matter of concern. Although the decision to push back finals was unavoidable in regards to the initial late start to classes, the current solution does not align with students’ best interests, not to mention the strain being put on teachers as well.

The two weeks leading up to finals are too short to fit in another unit and too long to solely spend on review. I would much rather have undergone the short-term yearly stress of taking finals before holiday break than having them unnecessarily dragged on for this long.

The extended finals not only make it harder to memorize the material, but take away a main motivating factor of the exams.

Because of the lack of sufficient time dedicated to learning enough material throughout the year, teachers are left with two options: they can either greatly reduce the amount of content on the exam or they can go through with finals similar to last year. The second option, while less preferable, is especially stressful after taking weeks off prior to finals. In attempts to better this situation, teachers should be open to alternative ideas such as reducing the final’s weight in the class.

In AP or IB classes, this problem is especially exacerbated due to the end-ofyear exams that cover all material learned throughout the year. Due to this deadline, these teachers were forced to go through the material at a faster pace or cut out integral information.

Although I would have much rather spent the holiday season with school being the farthest from my mind, the harsh reality of finals is here and unavoidable — but hopefully teachers will show some grace and understand our struggle.

F INAL CHANG E S Different options that teachers can give as finals this year

END OF UNIT TEST SPECIAL ASSESSMENT FINAL PROJECT

Q&A WITH MR. HANEY Q: WHY ARE FINALS IN A DIFFERENT ORDER THIS YEAR? A: It’s all about providing

opportunities for kids to make up exams that they miss if they get sick. 7th hour is first so that when we get to 7th hour again later in the week, that hour can be used to make up any of the first three exams. Students will still go to class and check in, but the only ones who stay will be the ones who have to make something up.

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by riley atkinson

CHILDREN SHOULD SPEND NO MORE THAN AN HOUR A D AY I N F R O N T OF A SCREEN

I NSTANT

I NF LU E N C E Social media influencers and technology are causing kids to grow up too fast

PA R E N T S S H O U L D 12

KEEP MEAL TIMES, TIME IN THE CAR A N D B E DT I M E S TECH-FREE

INFLUENCERS SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS OF P OT E N T I A L LY N E G AT I V E INFLUENTIAL CONTENT

9

3 6

INTRODUCE DIGITA L TECH A FTER P RESCHOOL

1 P BS PARE N T GU I D E LI N E S

2

ACTIVATE PA RENTA L GUIDA NCE SCREENING

3

A P P LY SCREEN TIME BOUNDA RIES

Ideas for slowly introducing tech

1 / 2 of US teens said they believe they spend too much t ime on their phones

4

more than half of children under the age of 11 now own a smar tphone

SCRE E N I N G QU E ST I O NS routine and frequent use of mobile devices appears to be associated with behavioral problems

OPINION | 11

Questions for parents to consider while screening content

SCREEN THE CONTENT THEIR CHILDREN CONSUME

WHO CRE ATED THE CONTENT? WHAT DOES THE INFLU ENCER SAY? DOES THE INFLU ENCER HA D NEGATIVE REPU TATION? WHAT WAS THE OBJ ECTIVE BEHIND POSTING THE CONTENT?

*information from cune.edu

W

by caroline gould

hen I was little, having a babysitter meant drawing with chalk on the driveway and playing tag outside — indoors was the last place I wanted to be.

But now that I’m babysitting, kids never want to work on a puzzle or play basketball — they’d rather play Mario Kart or watch YouTube.

With kids nowadays getting phones and social media at an unprecedented early age, they seem to be growing up faster than ever. Whether that be through the more mature entertainment they’re consuming or the way they’re dressing and following trends, there’s an obvious difference between our generation and the generation of kids growing up now.

While elementary schoolers now spend their free time after school tagging ‘#ForYouPage’ on TikTok videos in the hopes of going viral, my friends and I spent weekday evenings climbing trees and playing capture the flag, without a care in the world for Snapchat or Instagram.

It’s disheartening to see young kids struggle with mental health issues and friend drama, while they should really only care about having fun and experiencing a stress-free childhood. They’re paying

too much attention to their appearance, trying to copy the influencers who’ve risen in fame over the past few years is stealing their childhood.

With kids nowadays getting phones and social media at an unprecedented early age, they seem to be growing up faster than ever TikTokers like Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae seem to have a fan base largely consisting of younger children — which D’Amelio has solidified by releasing a book geared towards elementary schoolers — while the content they’re promoting is geared toward older teenagers or even young adults, such as paid advertisements for makeup brands or making provocative TikTok dances to explicit songs.

Although influencers aren’t the sole reason kids are maturing too quickly, they should be more aware of the age range of their audience and monitor the content they produce to ensure a safer online environment for the kids watching.

Social media stars and TikTokers definitely aren’t always the best role models for younger kids, but parents are the ones who are able to most closely monitor what content their kids are consuming. I know nobody likes a helicopter parent, but it’s good for parents to at least keep an eye on the creators their children are following to ensure the content isn’t too mature their age.

Social media and pop culture shouldn’t have to be a place that’s family-friendly all the time, because it was never meant for 10-year-olds. Influencers and creators on platforms like YouTube and Instagram shouldn’t have to completely change their content to make it more kid-friendly when these creators are adults themselves.

Parents can prevent their elementary schoolers from watching and following people who aren’t age appropriate — maybe starting with not giving their child a phone in the first place so kids don’t feel as tied to a device at an early age, as their minds are still innocent and developing.

It’s understandable that parents are naturally protective over their children and want to easily get a hold of them through their phone, along with there being peer pressure among kids who

already have phones.

But, there are ways to place restrictions on certain apps and websites so kids can’t download social media without their parents’ permission. And there are versions of platforms, such as YouTube and Netflix, that filter the content so it’s kid-friendly.

While I would just get home from school and turn on cable TV, kids can now open up their iPads to a much larger variety of content, and there’s no complete way to change the fact that social media and technology will continue to evolve and reach younger ages.

In my eyes, the only solution is to keep kids away from social media until they’re of age, which on most platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat, is 13-years-old, according to their Terms of Service.

It’s sad to see a generation of computer games and cable TV slowly morph into a generation of young kids worrying about their makeup and social media followers — and it’s looking like the only way to prevent this is to have parents monitor more closely what kids are doing on their phones.

12 | OPINION

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by lily billingsley

MINDFUL & MOTIVATED Teenagers should meditate regularly as a way to reduce stress and increase mindfulness by cesca sti mati

W

hether your days have become so monotonous you’re beginning to feel zombie-like or you’re constantly on the go and never have time to catch your breath, it’s easy to switch into autopilot and lose awareness of life around you.

Mindfulness is the key piece of our day we end up forgoing in effort to fit in every hour of studying. The quick fix to find some mindfulness and connect back to reality? Meditation.

Don’t worry — I’m not talking about the kind of hippydippy meditation where you sit criss-cross applesauce and hum “OUMMM” for an hour straight. I’m talking about the real, mind-stimulating practice of relaxing your body, closing your eyes and opening your mind. The kind that can help you do better on tests, improve your quality of life and be fit into even the busiest of schedules. With the stress of life in a pandemic on top of the current challenges teenagers face, meditation is a tool teens should take advantage of.

It’s no secret that teenage stress has worsened compared to our parents’ generation as a direct result of social media. In a study by the Journal of Adolescence, social media use was linked to poor sleep quality as well as higher levels of anxiety and depression. Striving for the unreachable perfection advertised on Instagram can lead to added anxiety on top of what teens already face from the pressure to perform in school and sports.

While anxiety — social-media induced or not — can be treated through a number of ways such as prescribed medication and therapy, it can also be reduced by focusing on your well-being through meditation.

In eighth grade, I discovered meditation videos on YouTube and started practicing mindfulness as

THE TYPES Different types of meditation and their goals according to Headspace BODY SCAN: SYNCS THE BODY AND MIND NOTING: REMOVES DISTRACTIONS

a way to relieve stress. When I can’t stop thinking about that upcoming chemistry test or feel overwhelmed with loads of homework, I spend 20-or-so minutes focusing on my breathing and playing meditation music on YouTube to clear my head. Whether it’s listening to a guided meditation outside or simply playing some relaxing music and lying down with the lights off, meditating calms me down so I can face the situation without breaking under the stress.

“With 15 minutes of daily meditation for at least three weeks, the brain becomes more responsive and less reactive — which can be especially helpful to teens prone to anxiety or erratic behavior,” behavioral health therapist Jane Ehrman said in an interview with Cleveland Clinic.

Aside from fighting anxiety, meditating can also help students with academic performance and improving physical health. I find it easier to focus through hours of studying when I’ve taken a moment to clear my mind beforehand and my sleep tends to improve after a pre-bedtime meditation.

Meditating lifts my mood throughout the day and unscrambles my mind so that I am happier around family and friends. Those 10 minutes of calm make me more relaxed and focused, rather than frantic with my head all over the place.

It’s easy to brush off taking care of mental health due to a lack of time, but the great thing about meditating is that you can regulate how much time you dedicate to it. After three weeks of meditating for 15 minutes

four to five times a week, the brain will often start rewiring and responding to it, according to Ehrman. So, even if you only have time for a quick morning breathing exercise, you can still improve your well-being through meditation — and from my experience, the results of having better focus and relaxation are worth it.

With 15 minutes of daily meditation for at least three weeks, the brain becomes more responsive and less reactive — which can be especially helpful to teens prone to anxiety or erratic behavior.

jane ehrman | behavioral therapist So if you’re feeling stressed about anything from finals week to the move back to in-person school, you might want to weave a meditation session or two into your study time.

Plug in some headphones, relax your body and type “stressrelieving meditation” into your YouTube search bar. Aside from calming your nerves about the big test, it could help your focus and performance.

Everyone, especially us stressed-out teens, should pencil some time into our schedules to meditate, at least a few times a week. No matter what purpose you’re using it for, finding a moment to slow down in your day through meditation has short and long-term benefits for anyone who sets their mind to it.

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14 | FEATURES

FEATURE

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

HIGHLIGHTS

design by grace allen photos by macy crosser

HUMANS OF E AST

STUDENT LIFE

Senior Liam O’Sullivan is the president of Minding Your Mind club

East baseball players condition to prepare for their season

WHAT IS MINDING YOUR MIND CLUB? “What I like about this club is it’s a place to build connections with a couple new people and to have an extra person to talk to when you are down or having struggles with mental health in general. Whenever we meet, Elisa and I come up with a theme such as online school, the election and stuff like that. Elisa and I will guide the conversation by offering suggestions while everyone vents. It really is just a big conversation about having a healthy mental health.”

IF THE CLUB HAD A MISSION STATEMENT WHAT WOULD IT BE? “I’d say the mission would be to build a group of people to educate themselves and each other on the struggles of mental health, how to cope with it and to make some new friends and that’s about it.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT MINDING YOUR MIND CLUB? “My favorite part of the club was the second meeting specifically. There [were] so many people I have never talked to besides seeing them in the hallways. It was our first real conversation in the club and it was great to see everyone be so open and vulnerable with their own issues.”

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST TAKE AWAY FROM MINDING YOUR MIND CLUB? T O P | Sophomore Samson Eby pulls a resistance band when practicing.

“I have gotten some really great ideas on how to cope with mental health

A B O V E | Sophomore Will Fischer throws a baseball to a friend.

friends from the club and have learned how relatable these issues are.

A B O V E | Sophomore Samson Eby hits a baseball off the tee to practice.

and deal with my own. Alongside that, I have made a good amount of We really are all in the same boat together and I think realizing that made a world of a difference.”

F I N A L S W I T H C OV I D

FINAL SCHEDULE

How East students feel about finals being online this year

JAN 19

7TH HOUR FINAL

I feel like not being in the classroom for finals takes some stress off because at home it feels more casual and comfortable.

We haven’t been in person much this year so I feel like I haven’t learned as much as I normally would have which is challenging.

JAN 20

3 R D A N D 4T H H O U R F I N A L S

J A N 21

5 T H A N D 6T H H O U R F I N A L S

eva kading | junior

charlotte emley | sophomore

JAN 22

1ST AND 2ND HOUR FINALS

15 | FEATURES

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021 SCAN ME | INSTA

design by madeline funkey photo by megan biles illistration from kat ferry

SCAN ME | TIK TOK

Scan to see see Kat’s Instagram for her stop motion videos and designs.

Scan to see Kat’s Tik Tok’s displaying her work.

Freshman Kat Ferry makes stop motion and animation videos and posts them to social media, using her art to speak about important topics

KREATING A B O V E | Kat sketches out characters for a stop motion project on her iPad using an apple pen.

by lyda cosgrove

C

lassy...boujee...ratchet Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” lyrics were practically engrained in freshman Kat Ferry’s mind as she finished the final moves of Stallion’s viral TikTok dance.

For most other teens, the TikTok-ing process would end here to then be posted with hopes of making it onto the coveted “For You Page,” but Kat still had five to six more hours of work to complete her 15-second masterpiece. Sitting down at her desk, she graphically drew and animated a cartoon version of herself doing the dance routine.

As the boredom of quarantine came to a peak in late March, Kat found herself searching for something new to fulfill her time. After sketching out an avocado, slices of bread and a toaster, Kat decided to utilize her self-taught drawing and video skills to kickstart her latest artistic adventure: stop motion animation.

Whether she’s creating a stop motion on the making of avocado toast or a more impactful topic such as bringing awareness to climate change and Black Lives Matter, Kat finds inspiration in nearly everything.

“I don’t take a lot of time to brainstorm,” Kat said. “Usually my ideas just come to me, and then I really want to get started with whatever I’m doing.”

Kat picked up the tedious process of animation and editing software with no problem — sketching out her latest ideas on her iPad with an Apple Pen, editing clips together using Procreate and posting on her Instagram @kats_. kreations or TikTok @kat.ferry. With her passion and drive for art, it’s rare for Kat to give up on a project.

“When I start a project, I don’t stop

until I’m finished,” Kat said. “That could take five or six hours. Sometimes it takes a day or two.”

Within minutes of putting up a new TikTok or Instagram video, Kat’s feed is filled with supportive comments from friends and classmates.

“Usually a lot of people really enjoy what I make, which is my favorite part because it makes me feel like the hours I put into it were worth it,” Kat said.

Born into an artistic family of singers, dancers and painters, Kat’s abilities come naturally, and digital animation isn’t the only art form Kat enjoys. Inspired by her dad, John Ferry, a painting professor at the Kansas City Art Institute, Kat also makes custom paintings for friends and is currently in the process of starting a website where she can actively sell her paintings and broaden her audience.

“I don’t remember her not being [artistic],” John said. “I noticed early on. She’s always been very interested, and then I think as she’s gotten into animations, [she’s] been even more.”

Although the two work separately on their own projects, occasionally borrowing a canvas or brush set from time to time, Kat and John have bonded over their love for art, a bond that John believes will grow even more as she gets older.

“I hope she never gives it up, but that doesn’t mean she needs to go into a profession for it,” John said. “I just want her to get satisfaction from it and gain more confidence in herself.”

John notes his pride in Kat’s willingness to incorporate heavier and more political topics into her work. While she finds joy in her childlike creations, such as “Dibby Duck Cooking Adventures” claymation,

THE MOTIONS

she’s not afraid to speak out against racial injustice and emphasize the importance of social distancing amid the pandemic.

“She really has a big heart and doesn’t just say, ‘Oh here’s something cute I did,’” John said. “I think even more recently she’s started to take on more political issues and things affecting our times, and I’m really proud of her for being mature about her subject matter.”

Between droughts of artist’s block and the frustration of transforming the ideas in her head onto paper or the screen, Kat goes through periods of feeling uninspired. But Kat explained that starting with something small, like meeting up with friends to paint or draw, will always get her creative juices flowing again.

Usually a lot of people really enjoy what I make, which is my favorite part because it makes me feel like the hours I put into it were worth it.

kat ferry | freshman While art remains a hobby for Kat’s high school years, as she’s enrolled in Intro to Studio Art and Ceramics, she can certainly see herself becoming an art teacher or another art-related career in the future.

“I want to make sure I’m always doing my art, and I don’t lose it,” Kat said. “I want to be sure I’m always making time to do something artistic, even if it’s something small. I just don’t ever want to stop doing this.”

K AT ’S ST E P - BY-ST E P STO P M OT I O N brainstorm ideas pick a song / sound effects that go with the theme start drawing on iPad

K AT ’S CR E AT I V E S K I L LS painting

stop motion videos

claymation

16/17 | NEWS-FEATURE by celia condon

S

THE REQUIREMENT

tudents and Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) staff members knew the year would come with many WiFi and WebEx issues, but didn’t realize the bigger obstacle for students and teachers across the district: the lack of cameras being on in class.

According to Associate Principal Britton Haney, the administration wanted to make a change to meet the needs of the students and teachers. On Monday, Jan. 11, an email about a new camera requirement for the upcoming semester was sent out to the SMSD community.

“It has been hard to duplicate the true Lancer experience through a laptop, and it is even harder when students keep their cameras turned off while in Webex classroom meetings,” the email from East’s administration team read. “It is for these reasons that we must prioritize this component of our remote learning and so moving forward, our expectation is that cameras will be on when students are in class.”

According to Haney, the main goal of the requirement is to assist students and teachers — they’re hoping grades will improve and stronger student-teacher relationships can be developed.

However, the new requirement was met with mainly negative responses from students. According to a poll of 208 East students sent out via email, 3.3% of students are looking forward to the requirement, and think it’s fair, while 30.7% don’t mind it, and the remaining 66% believe it’s unfair.

Prior to this announcement, teachers were not allowed to require students to keep their cameras on during class, although many encouraged or required it for attendance.

This adjustment to remote learning has left students and parents concerned, especially those with difficult living situations that make virtual learning difficult as is.

Many teachers have expressed that they’ve grown tired of lecturing to classes filled with mainly gray boxes, the only reassurance that the students were present being names on the participation list and the handful who chose to leave their cameras on.

LW

After noticing on average student grades were lower than a normal school year, SMSD decided to implement the new required cameras policy, according to Haney.

“Normally, we have about 24 pages of students with D’s and F’s on regular,” Haney said. “We’re at 45 right now. And we are fully aware there’s some other factors involved with this. But we think one thing we can do as a building, is have students turn their cameras on in order to allow teachers to see if students are understanding through facial expressions.”

Students and teachers are unsure of how exactly the requirement will be enforced and believe that it will become more clear and established as time goes on.

“It’s really, to me, not gonna be too much different than our rights to tell you to put your phones away in our classroom,” Psychology teacher Brett Kramer said. “They are similar in a literal sense, no teacher can reach through your screen and turn your camera on. They can’t grab your phone from your hands without serious consequences.”

SM

YO U

M E N TA L H E A LT H E F F E C TS Sitting at her kitchen table at midnight on Wednesday morning, freshman Rachel Brewer* felt a knot form in her throat and her eyes well up with tears. The amount of homework she had due in less than eight hours was becoming unbearable. She knew in the morning her face would show signs of a stressful late night and heightened emotions.

“On a daily basis, I’m fine with having my camera on most of the time... but sometimes when I get really stressed out, [over grades] I’ll start crying, and tears will just fall down my face,” Brewer said. “I don’t want the whole class and teachers to see that. There have been times when I’ve turned off my camera to let my emotions out, and cried for a few minutes. I can’t imagine having my camera on while I’m sitting there crying.”

Brewer, along with many high school students, struggles with anxiety and poor mental health. Nearly one in three of all adolescents ages 13 to 18 experience an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health.

In a poll of 208 East students, 76.2% voted that emotions and mental health were

the main reason they wanted their camera to be optional. Brewer believes part of the issue is due to the fact that students are doing school in an un-school-like atmosphere.

“We should be in a school. But we have to be at home, and I think sometimes teachers can lose sight of how extremely difficult it is, especially for students who struggle with mental health,” Brewer said. “[Cameras] should be an option. It’s important that there’s an option because everyone is in a different situation.”

Along with mental health issues, students feel having their camera on acts as nothing more than a distraction from class.

“When you’re in a classroom, you’re not looking at other people in class, you’re looking straight ahead, or you can at least tell when other people can look at you,” senior Lincoln Rener said. “You’re not constantly staring at a mirror in a school setting... something [teachers] might not realize, especially about teenagers, is that we’re always self-conscious.”

Some students like senior Josie Lenger felt uncomfortable and anxious with the fact that their bedrooms will be shown

RA

I’m in my bed because I don’t have a desk, and my family is in the living room.

I don’t want people to see my room...my room is my space. ellie freeman | senior behind them, knowing a majority of their peers would have never seen their homes in a COVID and remote-school-free world.

“It feels like an invasion of privacy,” Lenger said. “Not everything in my room is on display for other people to see.”

Others agree that the new requirement feels invasive. Students don’t always have an option to be anywhere but their bedroom and students like senior Ellie Freeman feel that knowing some teachers get upset with students being in bed during class is just an addition to the increasing anxiety students have regarding online school.

“I’m in my bed because I don’t have a desk, and my family is in the living room,” Freeman said. “I don’t want people to see my room... my room is my space.”

THE OFF-CAMERA E

24

pages of failing students

4

MILE!

design by catherine erickson

art by natalie scholz

After the Shawnee Mission School District released a statement requiring all students to turn on their cameras during online classes, students express concern for those in difficult home situations or with mental illness

U ’ R E O N CA M E R A .

EFFECT

45

I M PAC T O F H O M E L I F E

According to some students like Freeman and Lenger, the most pressing issue is the population of the school district that doesn’t have an option to sit in a bedroom, office, kitchen or house of their own.

“On average, we have about 350 students per year who meet the criteria for homelessness under the federal law of McKinney-Vento,” District Social Worker David Aramovich said. “This law is a wider definition than that of HUD, (Housing and Urban Development,) to include families and students who are doubled-up, meaning that they are living with other friends or families mostly due to economic hardship. Essentially, those residing in nonpermanent housing.”

Students like Freeman feel the new requirement doesn’t tend to the population of students in the district who are homeless, have a challenging living or financial situation or are embarrassed by their workspace, as they might feel it is inferior to others in class.

In the poll of East students, 62.1% said that they perceive an embarrassment of workspace as a leading factor in kids with cameras off, and 14.7% said that they perceive homelessness as a leading factor. Kramer recognizes the issue the camera policy poses and the unlikeliness that every student will be able to have their camera on at all times.

“Even if there are no homeless people on my roster, that doesn’t mean that they [students in a lower socioeconomic class] can’t feel subjected to judgment from people who might be on the very high end of socioeconomic status,” Kramer said.

Administrators have advised students in abnormal situations to reach out to teachers, and

the number of students failing classes has almost doubled since classes moved from full in-person to online

84% Instagram poll of 411 votes

32%

let them know why they don’t have their camera on during class.

“We do have families and students that couch surf and live in their vehicles — fortunately, a low percent of our total population,” Aramovich said.

“We deal with things on a case by case basis and adjust according to the student’s needs.”

The students who deal with homelessness or workspace embarrassment may be given a pardon from the requirement after reaching out to teachers.

However, many see this as exploitation to those special-situation students. Freeman pointed out that it could now be assumed by peers that students who have their camera off are working through a tough living situation. Students like her want to avoid this singling out of themselves and others.

“I’ve had my own issues in the past with the school where I’ve had to get special accommodations,” Freeman said. “I was so embarrassed, I didn’t want people to know about it, and I felt like my teachers were looking down on me then.”

Along with circumstances including homelessness and unstable living conditions, students are concerned with other responsibilities that may make upholding the camera requirement more difficult.

Lenger lives in a household where her environment could cause distractions on a day to day basis, for herself and her classmates. With her stepmom taking online college courses around the clock, Lenger has taken on the job of caring for her 8-year-old twin sisters.

“I’m kind of like their mother-parent if that makes sense,” Lenger said. “Their classes end differently than mine, so I have a timer set up, and

RK

think it’s unfair to have a camera requirement during school

Survey of 211 students

they’ll come in ten minutes before, and they’ll be asking me ‘Is it time to go to class?’ I tell them, ‘No, it’s not time to go to class. I’ve had a few teachers talk to me about it because it is so constant... I have to end some classes early to go make them lunch, and make sure they have food before their class starts.”

The twins were supposed to begin in-personlearning during first semester, but due to the increase in COVID cases, have remained virtual.

Over the past few months, Lenger shared her household with her grandmother and 10 pets — all while the house was undergoing construction.

“I feel kind of embarrassed to have a halfcompleted wall in my background,” Lenger said. “It was hectic for a period of time, and of course with that many people online, it also led to connection issues. It’s hard.”

Her main concern is that she’ll draw attention to herself, as her workspace constantly has to be relocated, and she can’t be on camera completely focused at all times.

The SMSD administration team is also working to provide special accommodations for students with special situations, other than just allowing them to keep their cameras off.

“We will brainstorm and work with each student individually,” Haney said. “In order to help them come up with a way that will at least feel more positive and willing to get on camera with what’s going on. The main goal is to increase student engagement in the classroom, to find a way so that teachers can ensure that students are accounted for safe and doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”

50%

share a work environment with more than one person Instagram poll of 216 votes

are in a situation that makes it difficult to have cameras on at all times

18 | FEATURES

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by nora lynn photos by trevor paulus

S P EA LL ILT T L E S P I R I T UA L I T Y Spiritual witchcraft practice helps East alum Halley Vogts form a positive bond with the universe

V

by rose kanal ey

ogts sprinkled rose petals, incense ash, rose quartz and the ashes of a paper with a self-love symbol drawn on it into a brand-new mini jar she’d ordered off Amazon, and tucked it into the cubby under her window.

She made this spell jar — a physical form of the bond created through a spell — as an embodiment of self-love, something she makes about twice a month, each time trying to implement a new element of positivity into her life like stress relief or new connections.

Recent East graduate Halley Vogts is a witch. No, she doesn’t wear a pointy hat or ride a broom or turn people into frogs — although she’s heard the stereotype. She follows and practices witchcraft and Paganism, which, to her, represent a spirituality that brings powerful Pagan and feminist energy, and it has brought positive change into her life. The spell jars are just one piece of this.

Paganism is a religious movement incorporating beliefs or practices outside of the main world religions, in particular nature worship, and encourages practicers follow their own inspiration and beliefs.

Vogts likes to bring her spirituality into all aspects of her life, and tries to do something relating to it at least once a day.

Vogts considers witchcraft and Paganism a spirituality path for herself rather than a religion as she doesn’t follow any set of rules, and her practice can be something as simple as setting the intentions in her mind to feel free in the coming week, lighting incense in her room or opening one of her spell books and doing research.

“It’s more, at least for me, the sense of putting something out in the universe and striving for it,” Vogts said. “It’s not immediate, it’s not completely structured, but it helps at least with myself to put effort into something and feel like I’m trying to pursue a greater good.”

She sets her own intentions through manifestation and meditation, whether that means telling herself she’ll make more money in the coming week or writing out her hopes

for t h e week, and puts her beliefs of witchcraft’s moral into practice daily.

While Vogts has never been very religious, she has always been a spiritual person, believing people get back what they put into the universe.

The strong feminist energy coming from the abundance of women identifying with Paganism and pull of being a part of something bigger immediately attracted Vogts to this form of witchcraft. She had understood parts of witchcraft and the spirituality for most of her life, but in seeing the welcoming culture of it through the large representation

H A L L E Y ’S FAVO R I T E C RYSTA L of the LGBTQ+ community involved, she began doing more research.

“Anything is possible in the weird, weird universe that we live in,” Vogts said. “And just feeling like I’m part of something bigger, more connected with the universe is an amazing thing for me, and I love having that be a part of my life.”

Vogts still takes part in the more physical aspects of witchcraft, like collecting crystals and making spell jars. She stops by the top floor of White Light Bookstore often, her favorite spot to shop for crystals. There she looks through crystal digital cards, which show what each crystal represents so you can find one crystal to resonate with and buy — although she also likes to pick some simply because they’re pretty or make her feel good.

This practice isn’t just a hobby. It’s a spirituality that’s changed Vogts life.

“If I can’t look at myself in the mirror

that day or whatever’s going on, it helps me kind of think back,” Vogts said. “I’m just a body. It’s doing whatever it’s doing. It almost makes everything seem just a little bit simpler around me. If I’m having a really bad day, I guess it helps me get roots in with my life back again, like, ‘Hey, things will be fine. Mother Nature’s on my side.

Everything’s alright.’”

Vogt’s friends have noticed the positive changes spirituality has brought to her life as well.

Barstow junior Christian Aldredge has known Vogts for over four years, and he

R OS E Q UA R T Z SY M B O L I Z E S :

u n i v e r s a l l ov e harmony compasion

recognizes that Vogts’ new-found spirituality has clearly been a positive influence on Vogts’ life and confidence, even though they don’t talk about it very often.

“I remember, years ago, around this time, she would always wear her hair in that huge bun because she hated letting her hair down,” Aldredge said. “And I remember she was just trying all these different things to be like, ‘What do I like?’ ‘What do I like to look like?’

‘How do I present myself?’ And I think that she definitely found security in that portrayal of a Pagan witchcraft lady.”

The non-specific aspect of the spirituality is part of why she finds comfort in witchcraft.

Receiving a very vague description of upcoming change while reading her tarot cards, Vogts knows she could take that in 17 different ways — relationship-wise, healthwise or even mentality-wise. It’s up to her to select how she receives it and what she does

w i t h the information.

“There’s this really nice freedom that I feel, like you can get from getting a tarot reading, and it gives you a really vague description of whatever that card means,” Vogts said. “I just really love how silly and how big it can be because it gives me options to think about what is really affecting me and what I can really work on.”

Vogts finds her practice of these spiritual beliefs something of a private and personal place for self-growth. Still though, Vogts loves to talk about it with her friends and family as much as they’ll listen. She celebrates some Pagan holidays with them, such as Yule, a holiday to celebrate the Winter Solstice, and Samhain, a celebration of the end of harvest season and a day when the veil between the dead and living is very thin.

Vogts hasn’t found a large group of people with similar beliefs, but she has connected with junior Aina Lewis over their shared spirituality. Both, regardless of this remaining a more personal matter, found comfort in the close friendship and fostered more personal growth — Lewis can ask Vogts how she’s celebrating Yule, or where she goes to buy her favorite tourmaline crystals.

“I think that helps me, like, I am not alone in my beliefs,” Lewis said. “And that brings some sort of confidence with it.”

Regardless of one’s specific beliefs or path taken in witchcraft and Paganism, Vogts knows one thing — it’s a positive path.

“It’s very easy to be morbid, and think the universe is just a big, vast, endless thing in my life that has no meaning,” Vogts said. “So with witchcraft, I really love how accepting they are and how convenient but it’s almost in the sense of no matter what you come from, no matter what you do, there’s a way for you to be a part of it.”

design by photo editors

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2020

PHOTOSTORY | 19

L E F T | Halley Vogts stirs melted candle wax to transfer into a jar so she can reuse it. “Witchcraft is what you make of it,” Vogts says. “It can be so many different things, and thats why I love it. There is a lot of variety and for some people that doesn’t make it real. They are used to concrete forms of ideology but I love how versatile witchcraft is.” photo by trevor paulus BELOW | Vogts goes over the wheel of the year she drew in her self proclaimed, “Book of Witch Sh*t.”

Vogts says, “This is the wheel of the year. It’s a Pagan symbol for the different holidays and harvest festivals and I think its really interesting to research the different meanings of the holidays.” photo by trevor paulus

A B O V E | Senior Halley Vogts sifts through a basket of incense matches at White Light bookstore.

Vogts frequently shops here for items to add to her witchcraft collection. photo by trevor paulus ABOVE RIGHT | Halley Vogts talks about her fennel jar: “Something I really love that I have are these jars from Ikea that I fill with my herbs from my favorite apothecary shop.

I make a description for each jar.” photo by sabrina dean

L E F T | Halley Vogts lays three tarot cards on her floor while her dog sits on her bed. “For me Tarot is not the idea of predicting my future, its more for gaining a sense of what is happening in my life,” Vogts says. “People think its stupid because it can mean anything, but for me it helps give me insight.” photo by trevor paulus

SCAN ME | WEBSITE Learn more about different types of crystals and their spiratual meanings

20 | FEATURES

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by rose kanaley photo from wedfuly.com

A BUSINESS

East alum Caroline Creidenberg’s wedding business has moved to virtual weddings amidst COVID

PROPOS L by win ni e wolf

W

hen COVID-19 hit last March, it brought job loss, a stay-at-home order and a state of confusion for small businesses who felt as though they wouldn’t be able to get back on their feet — well, for everyone except East alum Caroline Creidenberg.

Creidenberg is the founder of Wedfuly, a company that hosts virtual weddings. The business came to life during the pandemic in a spur-of-the-moment decision to convert her company from a virtual wedding planner for in-person weddings — what Creidenberg now calls Wedfuly 1.0 — to one that hosts virtual weddings on Zoom.

“Our goal is to disrupt and flip the wedding industry as a whole, making it accessible to all, not just the wealthy,” Creidenberg said. “The average American wedding costs $30,000 — a professional virtual wedding with unlimited guests costs a fraction of that with Wedfuly.”

Wedfuly’s customer base stemmed from those who felt the wedding industry as a whole was not appealing to them, or they felt uncomfortable or unwelcome in the current wedding industry. As a team, Wedfuly had an “aha” moment when they realized virtual weddings weren’t going to just be a crutch for 2020 — they actually had a future in a nonpandemic world.

Wedfuly 1.0 was created in 2017 after Creidenberg graduated from the University of Denver and joined the wedding industry to be a part of a female-dominated field.

Creidenberg’s goal was to find alternative solutions to expensive wedding planners for people who wanted a non-traditional wedding.

Wedfuly 1.0 was essentially a virtual wedding planner, where couples would work, chat and plan their in-person weddings with their coordinators virtually through the Wedfuly website — but that was the problem.

“We honestly weren’t offering anything that was different enough,” Creidenberg said. “We were still competing with a lot of

different vendors and wedding coordinators, and we were only local to Denver. It was all online, but still very competitive, and we just weren’t offering anything earth shattering.”

When the pandemic hit two and a half years later, the all-online basis of Creidenberg’s company became an advantage.

Creidenberg pitched the idea of a Zoom wedding to her team, selling it as a happy moment in the midst of misery.

After reaching out to a friend at the New York Times, Creidenberg gained coverage on a Wedfuly press release by the New York Times, Brides Magazine and Vogue. This led Creidenberg and her team to fully transition away from Wedfuly 1.0 and focus on hosting virtual weddings.

“We just ran with virtual weddings, from there,” Creidenberg said. “We got an influx of signups before we’d even done our first wedding because people were signing up out of desperation. It was a slow transition to get off of Wedfuly 1.0, but we already had a lot of technology and knowledge of the industry, which helped the growth of 2.0.”

Each wedding gets two hours of air time and Wedfuly spends an hour preparing with the couple on the big day. With their 100% virtual team, the first 30 minutes are used to work with their on-site contact to set up phones, tripods, audio devices and angles. In the following 30 minutes before the wedding, the waiting room on Zoom is opened up and the couple can choose to play a video, music or entertain their guests with party games.

According to Creidenberg, the rest look just like a regular wedding ceremony. Wedfuly uses different camera angles for the aisle, vows and an overall frame — all of which are rotated between during the ceremony.

Couples can have anywhere from 10 to 100 people on-site, depending on whether or not the wedding is hybrid or supplemental to an on-site wedding.

“I’ve had the chance to go to a virtual wedding over Zoom with Wedfuly,” previous Wedfuly intern and former East student Catherine Esrey said. “They’re actually a really fun and innovative way to have a

COVID-safe wedding. It’s sad for those who planned their whole life around a big inperson wedding, but [virtual weddings] are definitely the best option right now.”

Because the whole wedding is recorded by Wedfuly, couples can choose to purchase a video package containing the whole ceremony or highlights, or a guest can buy a surprise video for the couple, according to a Wedfuly tech operative and East alum Ryan Gossick.

“I think we’ve been so successful because guests enjoy it so much,” Creidenberg said.

“When you hear virtual weddings, you think it will be lame, so right now the bar is really low, which works to our benefit. That’s kind of our secret sauce, we have hundreds of guests at each wedding and they are blown away by the experience.”

Right now, Creidenberg knows that Wedfuly is “Plan B” for many couples — it’s a last-minute backup to their real wedding.

But, she’s trying to push people through their social media and promotion to prioritize a virtual wedding as “Plan A,” rather than using it as a backup.

TIE THE KNOT A breakdown of the virtual wedding event

P R E PA R AT I O N set up technology zoom wa iting room is op ened 30 m inutes p rior

WEDDING cerem ony is held new lywed coup le ha s b r ief interm ission

R E C E PT I O N s p eeches a nd toa sts b rea k out room s tha t mimic a sea ting a r ra ngem ent

When you hear virtual weddings, you think it will be lame, so right now the bar is really low, which works to our benefit. That’s kind of our secret sauce, we have hundreds of guests at each wedding and they are blown away by the experience

caroline creidenberg | east alum “That’s the best part about all of this,” Creidenberg said. “We’ve been able to see this industry blossom into alternative wedding options. We’re unlocking the ability to celebrate a wedding and have that emotional celebration without wasting all of your money on one day — and I think the stress of that is something we’re going to be able to solve.”

GET HITCHED How the wedding planning process works with Wedfuly

1 2 3

book your date work with your wedding coordinator get hitched!

SCAN ME | WEBSITE Scan to see Creidenberg’s business, Wedfuly, and read articles in about the business in other publications

The Plaid Pen Personalized stationery www.theplaidpen.com

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EXPERTS IN HIGH STAKES LITIGATION CALL: (816) 701-1100 | EMAIL: RECEPTION@WCLLP.COM

22 | A&E

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

A&E

design by tommy paulus photos and information courtesy of spotif y apple music, IMDb and instagram

HIGHLIGHTS

Catch up on what’s trending in the arts and entertainment world

TO P O F T H E CH A RTS PL AYLIST

RECENT RELEASES PODCASTS

P L AY L I ST | 9 0’S R& B

MOVIES P O D C A ST AMERICA

C R E ATO R | ST E P H A N I E H O P E

|

POD

MOVIE:

S AV E

GREENLAND

GENRE:

RUN TIME | ~1HR 10MIN

RUN TIME | 16HR 16MIN

ACTION / DISASTER

A group of former presidential aides come together to cut through the chase of modern political discourse and what can be learned .

This playlist is chock-full of hits from the 90s era of RnB. It’s also full of some sleeper hits that may have not been blasted across the airwaves at the time.

RUN TIME: 2HR

RECOMMENDATION: This movie is a new take on the standard disaster film. It explores the panic of an American family’s escape from a comet hurdling to their demise.

P L AY L I ST | P O P D I S C O N U D I S C O 202 1

P O D C A ST | SW I TC H E D O N POP

C R E ATO R | R E M KO VA N

RUN TIME | ~45 MIN

RUN TIME | 3HR 3MIN

This podcast talks all things arts and culture with an emphasis on the monolith that is pop music and the industries that house it.

This playlist is a great mix of a growing genre of music, nu-disco, which is a perfect balance of the contemporary pop formula and the funky rifs of disco.

MOVIE: SOUL

GENRE: COMEDY / FAMILY

RUN TIME: 1 HR 47 MIN

RECOMMENDATION: This movie tackles the complex topic of death and the afterlife. While toying with this idea, the movie has a lot of comedic elements.

SLEEPER ARTISTS OF 2020 Some artists who have not gotten general recognition but are still worthy of a thorough listen

R I N A S A W AYA M A ALBUM: SAWAYAMA GENRE: NU-METAL/POP

YVES TUMOR ALBUM: HEAVEN TO A TORTURED MIND GENRE: ALTERNATIVE/RNB

“KicK i” is a heavily experimental album with metallic and static sounds peppering the Latin pop tommy externalpaulus of this album.

This album delivers 80’s synth in a nutshell. It bounces back and forth from Blondie-esque beats tommy paulus to modern pop flows.

“Heaven To A Tortured Mind” is a brilliant work that sounds like early 2000’s rap mixed with tommy modernpaulus indie rock

This album is such a refreshing work of art. It has a pop foundation but Rina uses it to play with tommy paulus metal and rock.

J E SSI E WA R E ALBUM: WHAT’S YOUR PLEASURE GENRE: SYNTHPOP

ARCA ALBUM: KICK I GENRE: REGGAETON/HYPERPOP

design by celia condon photos by elise madden

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

A&E | 23

LET T HE GOOD TIMES RO LL

A review of KC’s sushi joints, and the special items they have to offer

by mia vogel

I’M BY NO means a picky eater. My rule is that I’ll try anything once, including adventurous fish: squid, oysters, minnow shots — which I do not recommend by the way.

I’m a big fan of sushi, but a spicy tuna roll is about as bold

as my order gets when I don’t have the option to pick off my dinner-mates’ plates.

For months I’ve been hearing about new and trendy sushi places that alter the format of the ingredients, which meshed

POKE

WL O B

THE POKELOHA STOREFRONT on the corner of State Line Rd. and W. 89th St. — which was nondescript enough that it was hard to distinguish if it was the poke restaurant or a pet shop — held a scent akin to that of the supermarket produce aisle. The entire restaurant was covered in natural light, with pale wood accents and succulent plants scattered all around.

The ordering process was similar to Chipotle’s, where you can either order off the menu or order a custom bowl and watch them make it over the counter.

The staff was understanding and answered all of my clueless questions while making excellent recommendations.

I decided on the Aloha Bowl — which consisted of ahi tuna, salmon, cucumber, carrot, edamame, cilantro, spicy mayo, sweet shoyu, mango, seaweed salad, avocado, tempura flakes and sushi rice. It definitely was a major step up from my standard Monday lunch — Goldfish and perhaps a banana if I’m feeling healthy.

After taking my bowl from the end of the counter, I headed to one of the socially-distant tables and started in on my bowl.

There were luckily only five other people in the restaurant — including workers — at any given time because, as we all know, there’s nothing that can ruin a meal like pandemic anxiety.

I shook up my bowl, which seemed to include every color on the wheel with the bright green edamame, orange mango and fish in various shades of pink.

PO K E B OW L | 4 STA RS 8 827 | STAT E L I N E R D. K A N S A S C I T Y, M O | 6 4 1 1 4 Despite it being 34 degrees out, the combination of ahi tuna and mango had me dreaming of the beach with it’s tropical flavors.

I’d describe the poke bowl as if sushi and salad had a baby, which was a fun spin on traditional healthy food options to start the new year off right. I’d still prefer traditional rolls for the convenience of only eight pieces of sushi, but the bowl was a much more substantial meal.

SU

SHI

BU

R R I TO

N O. JUST, NO. I promise that I wanted to like this concept, and I went in with a completely open mind, but this sushi burrito was difficult to eat and overall missed the mark.

Burritos and sushi are two of my favorite foods, which is why I was excited to try this new and trendy hybrid. Despite its potential, this burrito simply wasn’t my style.

S U SH I BU R R I TO | 1 STA R 8 8 2 7 | S T. L I N E R D K A N S A S C I T Y, M O | 6 4 1 1 4 I returned to Pokeloha and ordered one of their signature sushi burritos — the Spicy Crunch burrito made with spicy salmon, crab meat, sweet onion, carrot, spicy mayo, sriracha, seaweed salad, masago, tempura flakes and wrapped in rice and seaweed.

Even though all sushi styles are comprised of essentially the same ingredients, after my first bite it became all too clear how important the arrangement of said ingredients is.

About halfway through the burrito, it began to fall apart in my hands and I could only get two of the nine ingredients in each bite.

I could do with a bit more spice, but the few bites that had a variety of ingredients provided a diverse flavor with a satisfying crunch.

Since the burrito is essentially one giant sushi roll, all of the gross-out parts of sushi were supersized — I’d take one bite of almost exclusively raw fish and then the next only carrots and seaweed.

I applaud the idea, but this was by far the worst out of the three styles.

well with my resolution of starting the year off with some healthy, adventurous eats.

CL ASSI C RO L L

YOU CAN NEVER go wrong with traditional sushi, especially at Sawa Sushi & Hibachi — my new favorite go-to.

Squished in-between Nall Hills Liquor and Pretzel Boy’s, this tiny hole-in-the-wall sushi joint serves some top-tier authentic Asian cuisine right on Nall Ave. Although it doesn’t look like much on the outside, the interior is decked out with plants, paintings, comfortable high-backed chairs and even a mural of two sumo wrestlers.

This is definitely more of a dinner place based on the lighting and style, but they’re open for dine-in or takeout six days a week for lunch and dinner.

After perusing their extensive menu, which spans from sushi to soba, I couldn’t help but pick one of my favorite rolls, the California Roll — it’s basic, I know.

Similar to how the first movie of the trilogy is always the best, the original sushi roll, which inspired poke bowls and sushi burritos, is the best of three.

First of all, this was by far the cheapest style at half the price of the bowl and burrito, which were each about $12.

CL ASSI C RO L L | 5 STA RS 9557 | NALL AVE. OV E R L A N D PA R K , KS | 6 6 2 0 7 The roll, chock full of crab, avocado and cucumber, made a cold and bitter January afternoon feel like a refreshing lunch on the beach during summertime. The roll was served on a sleek rectangle tray with a little soy sauce container, wasabi and ginger arranged delicately beside the sushi.

I also prefer these rolls because it allows me to govern the severity of flavor in the amount of soy sauce or wasabi on each roll.

Both the bowl and burrito were a bit too much food than necessary to satisfy my appetite, and no matter what anyone says, sushi does not make for good leftovers. An order of eight rolls left me full but not stuffed — and if it had been too much, the roll’s advantage is that it’s shareable.

24 | A&E

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

GOOD FOR THE

design by catherine erickson photo from IMDb

Pixar’s new animated movie “Soul” holds a deeper meaning that causes the viewer to ask philosophical questions about their own life

by kelly murphy

A

fter the latest Pixar movie “Soul” premiered via Disney+ on Dec. 25, my Twitter feed was filled with people claiming that the movie made them question their entire existence, leaving me skeptical. I thought it would be naive of me to believe that a Pixar movie could enlighten me with a new perspective on life — in addition to the mountain of used tissues I’ve come to expect.

Whatever the case, I got the chance to find out for myself when “Soul” became my family’s weekend movie night pick.

Following middle-school band teacher Joe Gardner’s (voiced by Jamie Foxx) big break at a famous jazz club, he falls down an uncovered manhole that inevitably sends him to “The Great Before” — a mystical place where the personality traits of new souls are formed before they’re sent to Earth.

Determined to return to his life which has just begun, Joe teams up with an unruly young soul named “S o u l” ta c kl e s th ese p h ilo 22 (voiced by Tina Fey) who believes so p h ic a l q u e st io n s living is overrated. By helping 22 find What comes herself, Joe soon discovers the answers after? to some of life’s most highly contested questions, including “What happens when What’s the point of being alive? you die?” and “What makes you who you are?”

After an unexpected and hilarious accident, Joe introduces 22 to some of life’s greatest joys Why do I exist? (and some of my personal favorites): pizza and music.

Although initially skeptical, 22 takes everything in from free lollipops at the barbershop to helicopter seeds spirling down towards the sidewalk with Buddy-the-Elf amazement. The duo balanced each other out perfectly with Joe acting as the mature, focused one and 22 being the easily distracted, Pixar has produced several movies that impulsive one. venture into the metaphysical realm Normally if you finish a movie with more questions than when you started, it’s a bad sign. But “Soul” proved to be a explores a detailed rare exception. Yes, I left with more questions than answers, vision of the afterlife but it wasn’t because of a confusing plot.

Instead, I was left s e l f- r e f l e c t i ng inquires about the as I flicked on the purpose of life

THE BIG QUEST IONS

INSIDE OUT PHILOS OPHIC AL

FILMS

INSI DE OUT COCO

ONWARD

ions depicts how emot in can affect people IN S ID E O U T different ways

lights with questions like, “What am I taking for granted?” and “Am I living my life to the fullest?”

— takeaways I never thought I’d get from a Pixar movie.

I found it refreshing to see this level of depth in a movie, especially an animated children’s one. The closest comparable Pixar film is “Inside Out,” which delves into human emotions and the mind. Although both movies are directed by Pete Docter and turn abstract concepts into colorful characters and selfsufficient worlds, “Soul” keeps the animation studio from treading in place by adding additional elements into the mix.

The first element being music; jazz musical themes are interwoven through the story arc — beginning with a middle school jazz backing track for Pixar’s iconic hopping-lamp intro.

The soundtrack integrates and helps shape the story, serving as a divider to differentiate between the physical and the abstract worlds. Upbeat jazz plays during chaotic chase sequences in New York, whereas bright electronic music captures Joe’s sense of wonderment in “The Great Before.”

Music also accompanies the movie’s villain, an accountant named Terry whose job is to count the souls who die and go to “The Great Beyond.”

Terry’s screen time is signaled with a Jeopardy-esque electronic tune.

Another element “Soul” highlights is Black culture, with Joe as Pixar’s first Black protagonist and the studio’s first Black co-director Kemp Powers.

This progress is both welcomed and essential due to Black stories being continually underrepresented onscreen. Without giving too much away, I was pleased to see that the Black characters in “Soul” didn’t display the all-too-common harmful stereotypes and one-dimensionality.

As much as I was captivated by the story, the only issue I had with “Soul” was its pacing. It felt as though the creative team wanted to include so much in the two-hour runtime that the storyline became rushed in the process. The fast-pace certainly kept my attention and kept me laughing as jokes were fired off, but the dialogue felt rushed at times, making it harder to follow.

If I had some trouble keeping up, I’m sure the target audience of eight-year-olds would get lost.

Sure, they might enjoy the butt jokes and eating unhealthy amounts of candy and popcorn, but I feel like the most interesting philosophical themes of the movie would go over their heads — especially at the end when there’s little dialogue.

Luckily, I picked up enough for the film to resonate deeply with me. As a senior making decisions that’ll affect the rest of my life, questioning my existence and purpose is a daily occurrence. “Soul” gave me the much-needed reassurance that life is what you make of it.

Despite the pacing issues, this lovable animated comedy ended on an inspirational note.

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by grace allen photos by rachel bingham

FRYING FF R R EE N N ZZ Y Y

As air fryers grow in popularity, staffer tries out a few recipes

BAKED APPL ES | 10 MY WHOLE FAMILY shuffled downstairs to peek at what I was baking while these apple snacks were in the air fryer — it filled my house with a warm apple pie smell.

This recipe only requires slicing an apple and mixing together the spiced oats mixture for the topping, so it’s perfect for a quick snack in between classes. The baked apples took the spot as my favorite recipe — the soft apple with the

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 C. GRANULATED SUGAR 1/3 C. COCOA POWDER 1/4 C. ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR 1/4 TSP. BAKING POWDER PINCH KOSHER SALT 1/4 C. BUTTER, MELTED 1/2 TSP. CINNAMON

by riley atkinson

HOLIDAY WISH LISTS around the nation featured the infamous air fryer, and now social media is booming with recipes to fry just about anything in the pantry. So if the mini-spaceship-shaped

INGREDIENTS: 2 APPLES

crunchy, honey-infused topping left my mouth watering for more.

Especially after the holidays when I have a sweet tooth solely for for apple pies and crisps, this is a great transition snack. And since there’s no crust, it’s much healthier than an apple treat while still tasting just as sweet — you can even count it as your apple-a-day.

1 TSP. BUTTER, MELTED 1/2 TSP. CINNAMON 1/3 C. OLD FASHIONED OATS 1 TBSP. BUTTER, MELTED 1 TBSP MABLE SYRUP 1 TSP. FLOUR 1/2 TSP. CINNAMON

15 MIN PREP TIME

recommended seven-minute cooking time, the top actually turned out crunchy, which balanced out the rich, gooey inside perfectly. If you try this one out though, I’d definitely recommend adding some vanilla ice cream or whipped topping — the rich chocolate can be a little overpowering.

EVERYTHING BAGEL| THE EVERYTHING BAGEL that came out of my air fryer looked so delicious that I googled if Einstein’s was hiring — I was impressed, to say the least.

This recipe required only eight ingredients, and is made with greek yogurt instead of yeast, which eliminates the time it takes for the dough to rise and cuts the cooking time from over an hour to 15 minutes. Not to mention the nonfat yogurt is much healthier and leaves you feeling less bloated — my New Year’s resolution of healthy

cooking device that can quickly create all sorts of crispy food found it’s spot on your kitchen counter this year, take some inspiration from one of the few recipes I tried out:

MIN PREP TIME

BROWNIE IN A MUG| WE’VE ALL SEEN the popular microwave mug brownies, but I wanted to test if the air fryer would step that simple recipe up to the next level.

After mixing the ingredients within 10 minutes, I realized this would be a dangerously perfect midnight snack.

Although I was stumped on whether or not the brownie had cooked all the way through in the

A&E | 25

30 MIN PREP TIME

eating is happy about that one. The air fryer made the bite-sized bagel the perfect level of crispiness, with a golden-brown outside and soft inside.

My only advice for these bagels is to watch the measurements carefully. I mistakenly mixed up the terms tablespoon and teaspoon, which left my bagels a little too salty for my liking — yeah, maybe I shouldn’t work at Einstein’s. Other than that, the texture was crispy and it had a flavorful savory taste.

INGREDIENTS:

1 C. FLOUR 2 1/4 TSP. BAKING POWDER 1/2 TSP. SALT 1/2 TSP. ONION POWDER 1/4 TSP. GARLIC POWDER 2 TBSP.SUNFLOWER SEEDS 1 C. PLAIN NONFAT YOGURT 1 EGG EVERYTHING SEASONING

NO PREP RECIPES: FFRRO OZZEEN NH HA ASSH HBBRRO OW WN NSS SADLY, SPEEDING DOWN State Line Rd. to grab a McDonald’s hashbrown isn’t possible during the online school morning routine of waking up 20 minutes before class. If you have frozen hashbrowns on hand, pop them in the air fryer while logging onto your Webex class for a crispy, delicious breakfast.

390 F FOR 9-10 MINUTES

MO ORREESS SSM THE EFFORT IT takes to start a fire in the chilly Kansas winter is too much for me, but microwave s’mores never get the crispy golden brown I desire. Air frying the graham cracker, marshmallow and Hershey’s chocolate together is the perfect solution — it tastes like it was held over the campfire for the perfect amount of time.

390 F FOR 5-7 MINUTES

FFRRO OZZEEN NO ORRA AN NG GEE CHICKEN YOU’LL BE SPOTTING me in the Trader Joe’s frozen aisle every weekend now — their orange chicken in the air fryer tastes like it’s straight out of the Bo Lings kitchen.

330 F FOR 10-11 MINUTES

26 | A&E

design by annabelle moore

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

SCHEDULE

Two polar opposite staffers swap online school morning routines for a day

SWITCH UP b

b

BELOW | Sophie Henschel “speed washes” her face before logging onto class. photo from sophie henschel

SCAN ME | VIDEO Scan to view the vlog Sophie and Sydney made while doing each other ’s routines

E ARLY BI R D b BE D H E A D

L AT E WA K E U P | 2 STARS

by so phi e he nschel

I

f you asked any of my friends to describe me, their first answer would be early bird.

Up at 5:45 a.m. each day for some quick yoga and a shower, I’m then able to get ready, drinking my morning cup of joe and finish up some homework before I sign on to my first hour class. To set a positive tone for the rest of my day, I hold my mornings near and dear to my heart. But today was different. Today I lived out the dreadful online school morning routine of Sydney Newton.

I’ll give it to her, she gets her full nine hours of sleep per night and still somehow manages to make it to her first hour in one piece after rolling out of bed at 7:35 a.m. — something I will never understand. I need an hour or two in the morning to mentally prepare myself to take in all the new information the school day TRYING SYDNEY’S ROUTINE will bring, but I guess that just isn’t a necessity

7:35 am

wake up call

for Syd, and probably most “normal” teenagers.

Setting my love of the mornings aside for a day. After hearing my alarm screeching in my ear at 7:35 a.m., I hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth before showing up to class in a hoodie and sweats. I signed onto my first hour class two minutes late, more flustered than I’ve ever felt.

Not a good way to start my morning.

About halfway through first hour is when I hit my hardest obstacle: coffee deprivation.

I’m an avid coffee drinker, so by this time of morning, I typically would’ve had at least one cup, if not two. Today I had to wait until my teacher stopped lecturing about industrialization to frantically run upstairs, snatch my favorite mug from the cabinet, pour what was left of the coffee pot and run back downstairs before I missed something.

speed-brush teeth and wash face

BE D HE AD b E A R LY BI R D

My constant desire to fall right back asleep — which was evident from the visible dark circles around my eyes — was tremendous.

I’m usually fully awake, ready to go and have already completed multiple tasks by the time I open my computer. But today, I felt like I was still in bed ready to slam snooze.

Although I have a negative opinion regarding this online-school lifestyle Sydney chooses to partake in, I will say that I have not been that well-rested in a while. I did feel like falling asleep all day, but I also was running on more than my normal five hours of sleep, which was a fairly nice change once I got out of that morning slump.

All in all, I’m very happy that this morning routine works for Sydney, but from here on out, I’ll stick to setting my alarms for 5:45 a.m.

quickly thrown on sweats and log on to class

E A R LY S TA R T | 3 S TA R S

by syd ney newton

S

ophie Henschel and I are complete opposites when it comes to mornings: I base mine off sleep, she bases hers off productivity. My morning routine consists of choosing the first sweatshirt I see in my closet and what I call speed-brushing my teeth, so I can soak up every last minute of my warm bed.

Sophie is a type-A kind of person. As the most organized person I know, she enjoys making homemade vanilla lattes and uses her planner religiously. She practices yoga regularly and makes to-do lists that she actually finishes — all before the sun rises. I decided to take a break from my normal nine hours of sleep and try out this morning routine Sophie swears by.

Putting aside my love for sleep, I set multiple alarms for Sophie’s regular 5:45 a.m. wakeup call — earlier than I’ve been awake all year — to start out my morning. I did a 45-minute virtual yoga class, showered, washed my face and got

5:45 am

wake up call

dressed for the day. Considering I normally attend online school still in my pajamas, this unusual start to my day woke me up and forced me into a productive mindset. For the first time in the history of my online school career, I was actually able to keep my eyes open during first hour.

The real challenge came when I had to do makeup. For me, makeup is strictly for dances, and I’ve never actually done a full face of makeup myself. Trying to complete my makeup like Sophie does, I was able to apply some concealer and borrow one of my mom’s powders, along with curling my eyelashes — mascara was too much of a challenge at the crack of dawn.

That said, it was a nice change to join class looking semi-presentable.

After making myself coffee and grabbing a cup of water, I finished my morning off by journaling, which was by far my favorite part of Sophie’s morning routine. I wrote down

45 min. yoga class

BELOW | Sydney Newton does her makeup before online class after a productive morning. photo from sydney newton

three wins from yesterday, three wins to strive for today, three things I’m grateful for, a daily affirmation and my to-do list for the day. The journaling started off my morning in a positive and thankful way, and the to-do list reaffirmed what I wanted to get accomplished.

The early morning wake up call kept me awake for my first two classes, which I did at my desk instead of my bed — a first for me — but the sleep deprivation hit me during third hour when I had to take my Calc test. I could barely keep my eyes open and couldn’t focus on any of the problems in front of me. The productive morning woke me up before school, but couldn’t keep me awake the whole day in the same way that my usual nine hours of sleep does.

Sure I felt very awake during first hour and accomplished more in the morning than I normally do all day, but I’ll stick to my 7:35 a.m. wake up calls over my afternoon slump.

TRYING SOPHIE’S ROUTINE

get dressed, do skin care & makeup

get coffee and journal

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by peyton moore photos by macy crosser art by nora lynn

SPORTS

SPORTS | 27

T H E U LT I M AT E LOS E R S

HIGHLIGHTS

Fantasy football losers’ punishments after losing the league

THE NEW DO

must get a full mullet

Updates, schedules and quotes about the sports season

must keep mullet for three weeks

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

23

BASKE T BA LL | VARSI T Y TOURN A M ENT AT ST. JAME S ACAD EM Y

JAN.

26

BOW LING | VA RSI T Y TOUR NAM E N T AT O L AT HE L A N E S

JAN.

28

SWI M | VA RSI T Y I N V I TAT I ON A L AT SMN W

ETHAN CURRAN L E F T | Sophomore Ben Slicker sprints down the court knocking down a defender as he passes. Rushing in the last few seconds of the game, the JV team beat Gardener 68-34.

B E L O W | To prevent their competitor from passing the ball, sophomore Blair Ptacek and junior Sam Bruso double team guard him.

4 wins 10 losses

Once I knew that I had to get the mullet I decided to make it a joke rather than being mad. My friend cut it and decided to add the lightning bolts. Honestly I thought I would hate it more than I do.

THE PERFORMER

must be a street performer must sit on the plaza for three hours will do various assigned tasks

My season was flaked by injuries so I kind of quit mid season and just gave up. I probably could have done better but after they told me I lost, it was over.

CLAY FAUGHT

1 win 12 losses

THE “TINTED” LOOK must get a spray tan

set up and paid for by other players can’t shower for 2-3 days

A B O V E | Pushing through the exhaustion near the end of the game, sophomore Spencer Blaketer drives into the lane faking out his competitor to score a layup.

SAM FOUNTAIN

1 win 12 losses

They said they wanted me to [get the spray tan] last weekend but now they decided to move it to the weekend right before we go back to hybrid. I don’t think I’m a fan of it but I guess I have no choice.

THE HARBINGER | JANRUARY 19, 2021

28 | SPORTS

COACHES’ CONCERN by lauren west

W

ith spring season tryouts set for the week of March 1, current sophomores, juniors and seniors are left with uncertainty following last year’s canceled season.

Because rosters and tryouts aren’t being taken into consideration from last spring, according to head soccer coach Jamie Kelly, no spot is guaranteed. While coaches look at the current freshman class, the lack of knowledge of last season’s team dynamic challenges them in their efforts to put together teams.

“Not only do we have freshmen that are new this year but the sophomores are still kinda new, so we have two sets of classes who are going through it at the same time,” Kelly said.

For athletes like junior Greer Hembree, the cancelation of last soccer season left her uncertain of what would come this year. As a freshman, Hembree was playing up on varsity, but come last year’s tryout, she was put on the JV roster.

“Personally I feel like I improved freshman year,” Hembree said. “We only got two weeks of practice [last season], and that didn’t get to show all our skills.

With tryouts I’m always a little bit nervous, but this year I feel a lot more confident because I’m an upperclassmen and I kinda have experience and I kinda know how it goes.”

Confused and upset about the team change at first, Hembree is headed into this year’s season with the hopes of claiming a varsity spot.

“We graduated with nine or 10 seniors last year, so there are nine or 10 girls that

are gonna move up. We’ve [also] got all these new freshmen we haven’t seen play before and have to see how their talent stacks up against everybody,” Kelly said.

“If you made a team last year, we aren’t going to guarantee you a spot either. You still have to go out and improve yourself.”

Without an underclassman season to show their skill, many returning players feel that they’re at a disadvantage. Senior and returning varsity lacrosse player Zak Beil can also attest to how important underclassmen years are when it comes to improving in your sport.

“Being on the [lacrosse] team my sophomore year, it was more me getting experience and building team chemistry,” Beil said. “How I looked upon [last year’s season ending] was I knew I’d at least have another year.”

Not only do we have freshmen that are new this year but the sophomores are still kinda new, se we have two sets of classes who are going through it at the same time.

jamie kelly | soccer coach Beil’s concern for the season isn’t about if he’ll make the team or what position he’ll end up playing, but how his teammates will adjust after losing the chance to bond last season, now that there are new sophomores and freshmen who need to adjust to the team dynamic.

Last year the boys said goodbye to some powerful seniors and a coach who took them all the way to the championships,

BASEB ALL Usually when you try out they take less people [from each grade], so if you made the team last year you could have not played and still not make the team this year. If you have a freshman and sophomore [trying out] at the same skill level, a freshmen would have more years to play in the program.

andrew west | sophomore

design by sophie henschel

Following the cancelation of 2020 spring sports, students share concerns about the upcoming season and coaches share what to expect for the tryouts

so they’ll have to put in work before the season in preparation according to Beil.

“In a normal year you’d kind of have an understanding of who is gonna be on varsity and who is gonna be on JV,” East’s new varsity lacrosse coach, Patrick Schmitt, said. “But with last year being canceled, there is a big stepping stone for those kids in development that missed out on a year and some of these freshmen have yet to put on any kind of jersey.”

Schimtt has been running optional practices held on Fridays to help prepare the boys for the season, and work around this disconnect from the loss of last season. “[The optional practice] is a chance to get guys’ touches on the stick and kinda get used to their teammates because with last season getting canceled, some of these sophomores have never played varsity before and now are expected to be leaders at a senior level, so I’m trying to bridge that gap as much as possible,” Schmitt said.

To prepare for tryouts, Schmitt recommends players join a workout program, work independently or watch film as the season approaches. Since he knows adjusting to the new team dynamic will take work, he encourages players to be as athletically prepared as possible.

According to Kelly, when East returns to hybrid learning on Jan. 26, Athletic Director Debbie Katzfey has okayed girls soccer to begin conditioning under COVID protocol. While most sports provide some type of pre-season training, you can find more specific information about pre-tryout information and conditioning on each individual spring sport’s Twitter account.

SPRING SPORT TWITTERS B oys La crosse : @SmeLa ncerLa x G irls La crosse : @SMg i rl sl a crosse G irls S occe r: @s mesoccercoa ch Tra ck a n d F ie ld : @coa chfossoh G irls Sw im a n d Dive : @s me_g i rl s_sw i m B ase b a ll: @SMEb a seb a l l S of tb a ll: @s mesof t b a l l B oys Te n n is: @s mea stenni s B oys g olf: @SMEBoys G ol f

SPR I N G SE ASO N CH A N G E S

L ACROSSE This year it almost is a fresh start in some ways for our team. It’s really easy to think ‘Oh we have a new coach who isn’t like our last coach,’ but when it comes down to it lax is a team sport and wherever the coach wants to put me is where I’ll play.

zach beil | senior

preseason conditioning to get ready for the season (optional) no spot from last year is guaranteed

A+

coaches will be more lenient on grades because of the challenges of online school

29 | SPORTS

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by lyda cosgrove art by sophie lindberg

RETURN OF THE CHIEFS KINGDOM Kansas City Chiefs and KC community prepare for playoffs season following the 2020 Super Bowl LIV win

A

by phoebe hendon

fter finishing their regular season with a 14-2 record, the Kansas City Chiefs are heading into a highly anticipated playoffs season following their Super Bowl LIV win in 2020.

Given the Chiefs’ success this season, expectations for their playoff games are high — and not just from local fans.

Because the Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers both finished their regular seasons ranked No. 1 in their conferences, they’re favored to face off in Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7, according to CBS Sports analysis.

More so, according to data collected by The Lines from sportsbooks including DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM, the Chiefs are predicted to take the Lombardi trophy.

Senior Libby Hise has watched the Chiefs closely this season, and while she feels confident in the team’s ability to dominate during the playoffs, she hopes the team won’t let overconfidence distract them as they prepare for their game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Jan. 17.

“With our bye week, obviously [the Chiefs] have a lot of time to rest and get ready for [playoffs], but I think that they’re going into it with probably a lot of confidence,” Hise said. “I have a lot of confidence that they will live up to their potential, but I just hope that they stay humble and they’re still going into it with a lot of energy and focus.”

Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins feels confident about the game, boldly stating he ‘wouldn’t go that far’ to call the Browns tough competition when responding to a fan on Twitter after the Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 10. Cleveland’s win solidified them as the Chiefs’ first opponent in the playoffs.

East alum Diego Galicia works with the team during their season as a photographer through the NFL’s Live Content Correspondent program.

According to Galicia, the Chiefs’ mindset throughout this season has been ‘Super Bowl or bust,’ highly influenced by last season’s win. Their performance has been motivated by a combination of confidence and level-headed playing, though coaches have reinforced that players shouldn’t

comfortably expect to win every game.

Supported by his constant close exposure to the team, Galicia recalls the Chiefs’ first loss of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders as a pivotal moment in the season. While the Chiefs are predicted to perform well in the playoffs, they’ve been criticized for their vulnerable defense, with the Kansas City Star attributing their week five loss to the Raiders’ offensive line’s ability to overcome a weaker Chiefs defense.

“That [game] was a real wakeup call for the team,” Galicia said. “They had to realize, ‘Ok, we’re not just gonna steamroll everybody.’”

In Galicia’s opinion, starting tight end Travis Kelce and Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy have been highly influential for the team this season, and he believes they’ll continue to make crucial contributions throughout the playoff games.

Kelce — who broke the NFL’s record

I have a lot of confidence that they will live up to their potential, but I just hope that they stay humble and they’re still going into it with a lot of energy and focus.

libby hise | senior for single-season receiving yards for a tight end this past season — isn’t the team’s only record-setting player who’s made their mark in the NFL this season. With only three seasons as a starter under his belt, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is easily the Chiefs’ most valuable asset — and universally adored player — with the stats to prove it.

Mahomes won an NFL MVP award in 2018 and the Super Bowl MVP award in 2020. He currently has the highest quarterback rating in the NFL, holds an NFL record for most passing yards per game in his career, as well as Chiefs franchise records for most touchdown passes in a season and most passing yards in a season, according to USA Today.

Social studies teacher Steve Klein has

followed the Chiefs his entire life and says he has never seen anyone like Mahomes. For years, he watched as the franchise went without, in his opinion, a transcendent quarterback.

But when Mahomes began to play as a starter in 2018 following Alex Smith’s transfer to Washington, Klein saw the start of something unprecedented. “[Mahomes has been] beyond what I could’ve imagined,” Klein said. “Given what he’s been able to do to and for this city, and that he seems to be such a high character individual — and obviously his exploits on the field are unmatched at his age — I’m just hoping to be along for the ride as long as it can last.”

Like Klein, Hise believes Mahomes will be the player to secure the Chiefs another Super Bowl win. But beyond keeping an eye on her favorite players and watching games at home with her family, Hise’s love for the Chiefs stems from the community it provides her with.

She’d been to several games last season and attended the city’s celebratory parade downtown to welcome the team back from Miami as they brought home a Super Bowl trophy for the first time in 50 years. “[The win] was satisfying and very empowering as a city. The Chiefs represent Kansas City, and it was very cool to see,” Hise said. “I went to multiple games last year and everybody’s just so happy, no matter what, you don’t even know a person at the game but you’re giving them high-fives ... you’re just happy to be a part of the city.”

Despite buying tickets to Tampa — where this year’s Super Bowl will be hosted — six months ago, Klein won’t be flying out to see the big game because of the ongoing pandemic. But he’s not too upset. The opportunity to even watch football is comfort given the hecticity of the past nine months, he said. Similarly, Hise recalls the elation she felt when the Chiefs took the trophy last year, and hopes she’ll get to rediscover that feeling with a Chiefs win on Feb. 7.

“When we won the Super Bowl, for the next few weeks, I was just so happy to be apart of the city who had the best football team in the country,” Hise said.

C H I E F S 2 020

S E A S O N STAT S

473

14

57

2

29.6

#1

TOTAL POINTS THIS SEASON

TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS

POINTS PER GAME ON AVERAGE

WINS

LOSSES

SEED IN THE AFC

*stats from ESPN

C H I E F S P L AYO F F S

H I STO R Y

1966

SUPER BOWL LOSS

1969

FIRST SUPER BOWL WIN

1993

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP LOSS

2O18 SEASON

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP LOSS

2019

SUPER BOWL WIN

SEASON

SEASON

SEASON

SEASON

30 | SPORTS

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

design by tommy paulus photos by julia percy

by sam f reund

A

ON THE (LAY) UP

Leadership and team comradery has helped the younger players create a winning culture for the basketball program

will townsend | senior

O N T H E S C O R E B OA R D “I can definitely see Dillon’s basketball career going past high school. I see him getting big minutes.”

POINTS AV E R AG E : 1 6 . 7

R E B O U N DS

“I think Emmett will be a captain next year. He’s a pure basketball player and can score at any part of the court.”

will townsend | senior

AV E R AG E : 4 . 7

ST E A L S AV E R AG E : 2 . 7

P O I N TS AV E R AG E : 1 1 . 7

A SS I STS AV E R AG E : 8 . 3

ST E A L S AV E R AG E : 1 . 3

#11

#03

DILLON MONG

EMMETT HILL

s AAfter the boys varsity basketball team navigated through a two week quarantine and a series of rescheduled games, they will soon face two of the top ranked teams in the Sunflower League in Lawrence Free State and Lawrence.

After finishing last season 12-11, the Lancers began their new season beating Louisburg and Olathe East — by an average of 30 points. The young talent on the team — who have earned a spot on varsity after a productive season on JV last year — creates hope for a more successful season this year.

Sophomore Dillon Mong and junior Emmett Hill are responsible for the majority of scoring in each game, along with packing the statline in other categories like steals, rebounds and assists. Hill averages 16.7 points per game and Mong is third in rebounds with 8.3 per game. Both now represent the future of a revamped basketball program at East.

“We are looking really solid right now, so it definitely gives us a good base for the future,” Hill said. “We have some good young talent, especially with Dillon starting as a sophomore.”

Having a supportive group of teammates since his freshman season has helped Mong alleviate some of the nervousness that comes with being the only underclassman starter.

“I learned a lot from all the upperclassmen last year, and now I kind of just became comfortable,” Mong said. “This year I didn’t really feel any pressure.”

According to Hill, the striking level of talent on the team is the leading reason for why the Lancers have started the season 4-1 as of Jan. 15, but a relentless attitude towards every practice is the top priority.

“I definitely would like to at least get to state,’’ Hill said. “I think we definitely have the talent for it, we just need to be able to bring it every day in practice and elevate our game.”

In the third game of the season, the Lancers lost 91-80 against Shawnee Mission Nortwest and the Cougar’s staggering scoring efficiency — along with Northwest junior point guard Demare Smith’s impressive performance created much needed room for improvement on defense.

Hill believes spending practices putting an emphasis on the basics — boxing out, getting defensive rebounds and watching backdoor cuts — will help the team improve their defensive performance.

The entire team makes an effort to foster a close relationship off the court, including going out to eat and staying connected through social media — which helped Mong adjust to the challenge of playing with a roster mostly comprised of seniors.

“We’re always joking around when we go

out, sometimes to the Big Biscuit,” Mong said. “Just after practice we have a good time, so it’s pretty much the same on the court.”

Hill also alluded to the importance of having fun with his teammates, and agrees the team’s close and causal dynamic has been a primary reason for their recent success.

“I just think we have a solid group of guys that are really close on and off the court, which really helps our chemistry and it affects our play on the court,” Hill said.

“That’s definitely something we bring to the table when we have that high-caliber state championship team, so the future’s bright for us.”

Since the off-season began in early March of last year, the seniors have had

We’re always joking around when we go out, sometimes to the Big Biscuit. Just after practice we have a good time, so it’s pretty much the same on the court.

dillon mong | sophomore ample time to connect with the returning underclassmen. The boys would get together and lift weights, play pickup at 68’s Inside Sports Training Facility, or just go out for dinner.

Mong believes spending countless hours in the gym working on all aspects of the game with former Lancer guard Nick Arensberg — who now plays at Rockhurst University — has helped him mature as a player. He also credits senior forward Will Townsend with helping him develop his game.

“I just push [Dillon] harder and harder in practice, and outside of practice when we’re lifting [weights] — making sure he gets every single rep done the way it’s supposed to be done,” Townsend said. “It’s also more than basketball you know… just hanging out off the court, we talk about the games and stuff like that.”

Hill also has built great relationships with his teammates, and now has taken a role as a team leader himself. Without the electric student section Hill is used to seeing in the stands, he mentioned how much more important it is to keep the team in good spirits.

“When your team has good chemistry you’re just going to keep the ball moving,” Hill said. “When everybody has good relations with each other and cracking jokes, that’s when you can really thrive as a team.”

design by sarah golder

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

IDIN GL ID IN G TO

PHOTOSTORY | 31

Members of the Carriage Club Ice Skating team practice for their annual Ice Show which is planned to take place in the last week of February

PERFECTION ON BELOW | The girls skate down the ice in a kickline while working on a part of their “Thriller ” routine at the end of their practice. photo by macy crosser

A B O V E | The team practices for their routine for their showcase, to the song “Thrille. Coach Wendy David says her favorite part of coaching the team is “the night of the show when it all comes together.” photo by sarah golder RIGHT | The country club’s entire ice skating team includes ages 4-18. The younger team members watch the high schoolers practicing their parts in the showcase. photo by macy crosser RIGHT | Coaches Marisa Callaway and Wendy David work with Caroline Webber, Audrey Erdman, Sabrina Allan and Meg Mooney to practice the choreography for their small group performance in the showcase. photo by sarah golder

A B O V E | The girls utilize a T-stop to get to the correct positions on the ice in their choreography. photo by sarah golder L E F T | Freshman Hallie O’Bryan skates into a circle in unison with the team during the middle of their performance. O’Bryan says her favorite part of being on the team is seeing all of her friends: “We’ve all been doing it together since we were little so it’s really fun to see everyone.” photo by macy crosser

32 | ALT-COPY

THE HARBINGER | JANUARY 19, 2021

the unofficial

2021 m u s t - d o’s

A list of new trends, movies, music, products and events that are in store for the new year

by annabelle moore

IT’S 2021. Finally, as some may call it, a year of fresh starts and new beginnings. Aside from the relief that it’s not 2020 anymore, there are so many things to look forward to in the new year. And I’ve created a list of them for your convenience.

get on top of the trends *images courtesy of revolve

ACCORDING TO REFINERY29, here are some of the newest expected style trends in 2021:

the tokyo olympics

the stats

205

july 23, 2021

countries

40

different venues

33

sports

IF YOU WEREN’T already aware, the Olympics are scheduled to take place in July of 2021. There will be several restrictions in place, including a ban on audiences, simplified events and limited activity of participants such as leaving the hotel, sightseeing or interacting with their global competitors.

Despite safety modifications, the event is still something the entire world can look forward to in hopes to bring back a hint of normalcy after a year of chaos.

modern movies realeases

predicted products

*images courtesy of IMDb

ALTHOUGH APPLE RECENTLY launched their new AirPods Max in December 2020, the company is said to be working on several new AirPod models for cheaper than the latest model.

According to Macworld, all indications are pointing to the new AirPods launch on March 16.

The Conjuring 3:

The Devil Made Me Do It release date: June 4, 2021 for scary movie junkies wanting more terrifying sequels, coming out on June 4 in theaters.

new year, new music

West Side Story

ACCORDING TO PITCHFORK, some of the most anticipated albums of 2021 should keep us on our toes in the coming months with releases from fan-favorite artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Adele, SZA, Drake, Lana Del Rey and Lorde.

shopping sustainably Shopping sustainably and locally in response to the hardship 2020 caused small businesses around the world

design by peyton moore

release date: June 4, 2021 for musical lovers and those needing a more modern take on the 1961 “West Side Story.”

fueding fandoms

Student’s votes on their favorite singer for

% 5 lana del

wide leg pants playful stripes Stripes on any garment to add joy to the new year

patchwork longer shorts (i.e. the revival of biker length shorts)

20%

ray

rihanna

*poll from 40 Instagram votes

Top Gun 2: Maverick release date: June 2, 2021

% 20 drake

Cinderella release date: February 5, 2021 For the rom-com lovers, a live-action teen remake of “Cinderella” is planned to drop on RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema and IMAX on Feb. 5, so grab your S.O. and check it out.

55%

frank ocean

leisure-work wear

Top Gun” fanatics can get a little more action in theaters on July 2.

sorbet The Sorbet color scheme is the New Neon

may 29

june 16

june 26

july 01

the return of the concerts *images courtesy of Spotify

GIVEN THAT 2020 wiped out an entire year of crowd-heavy events like concerts, music festivals and theater, we’re all missing live music. But if all goes as planned and the vaccine is properly distributed, 2021 should eventually see the return of musical artists back to KC.

Kenny Chesney Justin Bieber

arrowhead stadium t-mobile center

Tech N9ne

kansas city live!

Halsey

t-mobile center