Issue 6 2016-2017

NOV. 1 4 , 2 0 1 6 VO L. LI X

the harbinger

ISSUE 6

S H AW N E E M I S S I O N E A S T H I G H S C H O O L 7500 Mission Rd, Prairie Village, KS 66208

a

LIFE well lived

Senior Sean McMahill and his family cherish final moments with their late father PAGE 15/16

LOCAL ELECTION WINNERS: PAGE 4/5 ACCEPTING INTROVERSION: PAGE 10 SENIOR TO ATTEND ART SCHOOL: PAGE 15

2

EDITORIAL

IGNORANCE ISN’T BLISS 11

S

0

FOR

ixty-eight percent of Americans own a smartphone, 84 percent own a computer and 87 percent have access to the internet. Virtually anyone can now share or like any thought, tweet or post any website with no restrictions. We live in a time when the ability to access information is easier than tying your shoe – our lives are inundated with information.

But with the rise of information, there is simultaneously a rise of false information in the media. Websites that mix fact and fiction, add bias and even sometimes omit facts entirely, have made fake news a regular staple in social media.

The Harbinger feels people who spread false information are even worse than the people who create false websites. Especially as the

generation that most frequently uses social networking and the Internet, we need to hold ourselves more accountable for preventing the spread of fiction. It’s a person’s responsibility as an internet user to be more diligent with fact-checking to avoid contributing to the culture of misinformation.

Even major media sources have fallen prey to the trend. Recently Fox news anchor Sean Hannity claimed that President Obama had scrubbed his Twitter account of any support of Hillary Clinton. The news came from a website called “Your News Wire,” then spread through social media and other websites. The information ended up being completely false, and Hannity had broadcasted it to millions of viewers. Hannity is a highly reputable news figure, and he didn’t take the necessary steps

AGAINST

ASSISTANT PRINT EDITORS Daisy Bolin Grace Chisholm DESIGN EDITORS Anna McClelland Yashi Wang HEAD COPY EDITORS Caroline Heitmann Robbie Veglahn PHOTO EDITORS Haley Bell Morgan Browning Kaitlyn Stratman ONLINE EDITORS-INCHIEF Ellie Cook Celia Hack ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITORS Morgan Biles Anna Kanaley MOBILE MEDIA & MARKETING EDITORS Marti Fromm Courtney McClelland SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Annabelle Cook Grace Padon SECTION EDITORS SPREAD- Katie Hise

NEWS- Emily Fey and Kaleigh Koc SPORTS- Seamus Carroll, Reser Hall & Jet Semrick FEATURES- Ellie Mitchell & Brooklyn Terrill A&E- Annahelle Cook & Sean Overton EDITORIAL- Abby Walker OPINION- Annie Jones & Gracie Kost EASTIPEDIA- Monty Lyddon EDITORIAL BOARD Abby Walker Morgan Biles Daisy Bolin Ellie Booton Will Clough Ellie Cook Celia Hack Caroline Heitmann Claire Pottenger Robbie Veglahn Courtney McClelland COPY EDITORS Morgan Biles Daisy Bolin Ellie Booton Will Clough Ellie Cook Emily Fey Marti Fromm Celia Hack Caroline Heitmann Madeline Hlobik Anna Kanaley Courtney McClelland Mac Newman Sean Overton Claire Pottenger Robbie Veglahn Abby Walker

WRITERS Porter Carroll Seamus Carroll Harrison Gooley Ava Johnson Lizzie Kahle Gracie Kost Caleb Krakow Ali Lee Elias Lowland Courtney McClelland Mac Newman Grace Padon Lucy Patterson Scout Rice Jet Semrick Pauline Shaver Liddy Stallard Maya Stratman Meg Thoma Brooklyn Terrill Will Tulp Emma Vaughters Robbie Veglahn Sarah Wilcox

PAGE DESIGNERS Porter Carroll Ava Johnson Lizzie Kahle Caleb Krakow Elias Lowland Courtney McClelland Mac Newman Grace Padon Lucy Patterson Scout Rice Jet Semrick Meg Thoma Brooklyn Terrill Will Tulp Emma Vaughters Robbie Veglahn Sarah Wilcox STAFF ARTISTS Will Tulp Maya Stratman

sources.

People need to be more critical when evaluating news sources and posts instead of blindly assuming they are legitimate.

Information is powerful, even when it’s false – and that’s why people need to be careful.

It prevents us from the truth and shelters us from views that challenge our own.

Setting that higher precedent of being critical of news sources, fact checking and not posting things simply because they agree with your opinion is only going to propel our nation forward. We shouldn’t live in a shadow of ignorance simply because we are misusing the resources at our disposal. The rise of misinformation needs to end here, and it begins by stopping the spread of fiction and focusing on the sharing of fact.

to vet the information. He was careless and jumped on the story, causing him to spread misinformation further.

Many people see a headline or a subhead that aligns with their views, stop there and press share. People are more concerned with reinforcing their own beliefs and biases, rather than learning or reading the facts. This is exactly the behavior that The Harbinger feels needs to be broken.

The publishing of slanted, exaggerated, and/or false news is not a new concept. But social media, and the increasing amount of people obtaining their news from social media, has made it more difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. The problem is then made worse by readers’ lack of attempting to distinguish between illegitimate and legitimate

THE HARBINGER 2016-2017 STAFF LIST

PRINT EDITORS-INCHIEF Ellie Booton Will Clough Claire Pottenger

Our generation needs to pay attention to the information they absorb and be diligent in fact checking what they read

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Diana Percy Ellie Thoma SME PHOTOS EDITOR Carson Holtgraves PHOTOGRAPHERS Elizabeth Anderson Grace Goldman Audrey Kesler Annie Lomshek Caroline Mills Katherine O’Dell Morgan Plunkett Maddie Smiley Kayla Starns Ellen Swanson Libby Wilson Izzy Zanone Sophie Storbeck Allison Stockwell ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Parker Gordon

CIRCULATION MANAGER Elizabeth Anderson SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Sarah Wilcox CONTEST COORDINATOR Courtney McClelland VIDEO EDITOR Diego Galicia ASSISTANT VIDEO EDITOR Nic Bruyere VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Will Hembree INTERACTIVES EDITOR Will Tulp PODCAST EDITOR Reser Hall

SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Sam Brown Lucy Hoffman Monty Lyddon Liddy Stallard Emma Vaughters

BROADCAST EDITORS Seamus Carroll Will Hembree

ADS & BUSINESS MANAGER Grace Chisholm

MULTIMEDIA STAFF Nic Bruyere Anna Dierks Will Hembree Thomas Murguia Peyton Watts Avery Walker

ASSISTANT ADS MANAGER Lucy Kendall

ANCHOR Peyton Watts

5

TIPS FOR

DETECTING FAKE SITES

1

If it’s a news story, check for a mention of the National Report.

No mention could mean that the information is probably false

2

If a clear author isn’t listed at the top, it is probably fake as the author doesn’t want to be help accountable for the information

3

If there is a clear pattern of bad grammar and/or typos, the is probably not admissible or trustworthy

4

If the website does not attribute information or cite sources, it most likely isn’t real and doesn’t have reliable information

5

If you are unsure of the reliability of a website, use snopes.com, urbanlegends.com or a similar site to check the story Information courtesy of snopes.com

PH T S OF THE WEEK Explaining the past two weeks at East with just a few photos

BY LIZZIE KAHLE

east

Athletes officially sign wtih colleges

Last Wednesday, eight senior students signed with colleges to further their sports careers.

Zeb Vermillion signed for baseball at University of Arkansas, and Luke Anderson signed for baseball as well at University of Missouri. For volleyball, Emma Henderson signed at Central Connecticut, Sarah Maddox at Mississippi State and Ally Offerdahl at Central Missouri. Elizabeth Braly signed with Kansas State for rowing and Brooklyn Walters signed with Fort Scott Community college for softball. Last but not least, Crissie Bloomquist signed for swimming at

local

Kansas University.

Henderson committed to the University of Central Connecticut her junior year, after debating between University of Southern Illinois and Belmont. She was surrounded by her friends and family Wednesday as she made her decision.

“I have been wanting to play [in college] since 7th grade,” Henderson said. “This was kind of like the final step in my journey. Making it official was very exciting.”

Four Kansas judges face possible removal

Four Kansas Supreme Court justices are facing a campaign to oust them based on past high court rulings overturning death sentences. Chief Justice Lawton Nuss and Justices Carol Beier, Dan Biles and Marla Luckert will face a statewide yes-or-no vote on whether they stay on the court for another six years.

According to kansansforfaircourts.org, in 2013, Governor Sam Brownback changed the way judges and justices were chosen to give him more influence. This way, he could pack the courts with his supporters more loyal to a political ideology

national

than to the Constitution and the law.

The court’s critics are particularly upset about July 2014 rulings overturning death sentences for Jonathan and Reginald Carr. They are also upset about three instances this past year where death sentences were overturned.

Kansas reinstated capital punishment in 1994 but no one has been executed since, with the state Supreme Court overturning death sentences seven times in 20 years. Five of those decisions were later reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court, including the Carr rulings.

Saying goodbye to Vine

Vine, an app for letting people share six second videos that has been popular since 2013, will be deleted off the app store in the upcoming months. Before its launch in 2013, Twitter bought Vine in 2012 for $30 million, seeing it as a way to mimic Twitter’s short-form text posts.

One of Vine’s main features, loop, was the way a Vine endlessly rewound itself after completing – like a GIF with audio. Features like these are what sparked Vine’s mass popularity for allowing people to be creative in a short amount of time. Yet, Vine couldn’t compete against other rising apps like Instagram and Snapchat.

Instagram used to allow for 15 second videos, eventually bumping it up to a more flexible 60 seconds earlier this year. Vines didn’t break the six second barrier until earlier this year, and its extended

videos never caught on. According to appadvice. com, Instagram brought attention that Vine found difficult to match. Marketers began shifting their money away from Vine and stars followed.

This past summer, Vine executives began to leave the company because they saw it in turmoil. Twitter explored selling the app, but they never found a buyer. What stemmed the lack of vision for the app was the loss of leadership it faced this summer. In consequence, this left Vine users upset about the ending of the app.

“I feel like I’m losing my memories from when I was young,” sophomore Hallie Higgason said.

“It was so fun to make them when I was in middle school and now, they are all going to disappear.”

( L E F T ) Senior Rebecca sheridan helps a student with her reading through the cadet teaching program at Belinder Elementary. | AUDREY KESLER ( A B OV E ) Senior Ramie Churchill puggs clay during a ceramics class to complete her project. | MORGAN BROWNING

( A B OV E ) Sophomore Addie Von Drehle struggles to swallow a sip of cold tomato juice. | AUDREY KESLER

vanishing With the loss of the famous six-second videos, here’s a look at the very top of Vine

King Bach

MOST POPULAR VINER FOLLOWERS: 11.3 MILLION

MOST LOOPED VINE @ArsenalTerje LOOPS: 725,000,000 LIKES: 62.7K SHARES: 18.6K Vine shot during a soccer game where you can hear a bomb going off near the Stade de France in Paris

4

NEWS

your

67 st

3

25 21 19 7

95 st

state line rd metcalf ave.

The results are in – read below to find out what your state politicians plan to do

BY CELIA HACK

KEVIN YODER

u.s. congress

dist. 3

WITH THE MOTTO “Working for Kansas,” Republican Kevin Yoder has represented the Third Congressional District, which includes Johnson County, for six years now. This election gave him the opportunity to do that for two more years.

In his three terms as congressman, Yoder has sponsored nineteen pieces of legislation. These include the Termination of Lifelong Pensions for Congress Act and the Congressional Pay Reduction Act, which were both aimed at balancing the U.S. budget. He has also passed a bill in the House which recognizes the importance of cancer research.

Junior Matthew McGannon works for Yoder’s campaign and, as a Republican, has

always supported Yoder.

“I like that he protects the constitution,” McGannon said. “I respect the fact that

I like that he protects the constitution. I respect the fact that Yoder honors his commitment to all the veterans and seniors MATTHEW MCGANNON JUNIOR

Yoder honors his commitment to all the veterans and seniors that fought in the war.”

Senior Eric Blom does not support

Yoder. He finds his ethics questionable and believes Yoder’s opponent, Sidie, would have been a better fit for the office.

“There was an ethics investigation against [Yoder] because of payday loan donations,” Blom said. “He voted to loosen restrictions on the industry after he got campaign donations from a lot of the members involved.”

According to yoder.house.gov, Yoder’s goals are based around balancing the U.S. budget, growing the economy and investing in and supporting local control of public education. Another one of his intentions is to end ISIS and terrorism. | PHOTO COURTESY MCT CAMPUS

BARBARA BOLLIER

state senator

dist. 7

REPUBLICAN BARBARA BOLLIER has served for four years as the Republican Representative of the seventh district of Kansas. This year, she won senator of the Seventh district, which runs from Westwood into Leawood.

Her biggest platform is changing the current budget and tax system, which is broken, according to Bollier. This would allow public schools to be fully funded. She is also working on expanding Medicaid and reforming the KanCare system, which is Kansas’ way of providing health care.

“I’ve read every school funding formula in the country and looked at all of them, to say ‘What’s different? What’s the same? What

seems to work? Why?’” Bollier said. “So, I’m ready to move forward. I’m talking to school board members, I’m talking to people, I’m talking to teachers.”

While she is not working on a school funding formula by herself, she has discussed it with fellow legislatures and plans on participating in the process of creating one.

Bollier wants to increase the actual base state aid per pupil, which is the amount of money allotted to each student.

“The thing that I really hope is that we aren’t continuing to call this K through 12 funding, but include early childhood, so that this is a comprehensive plan,” Bollier said.

“Kindergarten would not be considered a half but a whole.”

Bollier’s moderacy as a Republican was the selling point for senior Lilly Lyddon when deciding between her and her opponent, Democrat Megan England.

“I voted for Bollier because while she’s Republican, she’s very moderate,” senior Lilly Lyddon said. “When you have a moderate, the liberal ideas that are important to me are still going to be represented and looked at, but I think the Republican side are going to be more willing to work with Bollier.” | PHOTO COURTESY BARBARA BOLLIER

NEWS

5

STEPHANIE CLAYTON

state rep. dist. 19

state rep.

state rep.

THROUGHOUT THE PAST four years, Republican and state representative Stephanie Clayton has helped to introduce the Kansas Transparency Act, which allows for audio broadcasts of legislative committee meetings. She also attempted to create a “law enforcement mutual aid region,” according to her bill, which would allow law enforcement officers on one side of the Kansas-Missouri state line to respond to critical incidents on the other side of the state line.

Now, Clayton will serve two more years as the state representative of the Nineteenth district, which runs from 83rd to past 95th and State Line to Metcalf.

The Mainstream Coalition, a nonpartisan group that promotes moderate politics in

Kansas, chose to endorse Clayton through a related team called the MainPAC. “The PAC endorses what we call ‘friendly

She has one of the best voting records. [She also] is pro-transparency in Kansas government WILL BLEDSOE ALUMNUS

incumbents,’” Mainstream board member and East parent Lisa Veglahn said. “So Stephanie [Clayton] has a proven track record

of her work matching what Mainstream uses as our values and the issues we prioritize.”

Mainstream supports moderate candidates who will fight for separation of church and state, fiscal responsibility and, most appropriately for Clayton, an adequately funded public education system.

“Stephanie [Clayton] has been actively shown in her work around education issues,” Veglahn said.

East graduate and past Mainstream Coalition intern Will Bledsoe voted for Clayton.

“She has one of the best voting records,” Bledsoe said. “[She also] is pro-transparency in Kansas government and tweets about every single session that she’s a part of.” | PHOTO COURTESY STEPHANIE CLAYTON

JERRY STOGSDILL Others encouraged Stogsdill to run for the position because they knew of this background, as well as his passion for maintaining excellent public schools.

“I’m sick of seeing our public schools being attacked right and left from Topeka,” Stogsdill said. “Same way with our universities. I’ve run across four families in the last two weeks that told me they could not afford to send their kids back to college this year. Two from KU, two from K-State.”

Because of this, increasing funding for public education is what he plans on looking at first when he gets to Topeka. He plans on putting the 330,000 LLCs — businesses — that Brownback decided to stop taxing back

on the tax rolls.

“That was the big ‘Brownback Experiment’ – take those companies off the tax rolls,” Stogsdill said. “In his opinion, then, companies would just flock to Kansas, and they would produce in his words ‘100,000 new jobs.’ Well, nobody’s flocking to Kansas. We’re going to have to put those companies back on the tax roll.”

dist. 21

DEMOCRAT JERRY STOGSDILL taught in the Shawnee Mission School District for eleven years as a teacher. He served three terms as the NEA (National Education Association) president while teaching at the K-State education department. Then he became president of the Trade Association for all high tech industries in Kansas and Missouri.

Now, he will be serving as the TwentyFirst district’s state representative, serving squarely within the East district between State Line and Metcalf and 67th and 83rd.

“I’m really the only candidate running that has expertise in [school finance and economic development],” Stogsdill said.

“I favor a funding formula that accounts for the actual student population in our districts across the state,” Rooker said.

“And [one that] provides funding that will help with the extra needs that certain student populations bring – kids that are learning the English language, kids with special needs, gifted kids.”

Senior Jessie Peterson voted for Rooker because of her focus on education.

“She’s really focused on the education side of it; she started out as a Shawnee Mission School District mom,” Peterson said. “It was really neat for me how much she prioritized education and ignoring the party boundaries to make sure education is

still a priority is really important for me.”

Rooker is excited to see the changes that the new election cycle will bring to the makeup of the legislature.

“I’m very optimistic that we have enough new membership and pragmatic people interested in restoring the appropriate process, involving public comments and leadership that allows for full debate on the issues,” Rooker said.

dist. 25

REPUBLICAN MELISSA ROOKER has focused on education since she entered office as the state representative of the Twenty-fifth district in 2013. “[My focus on education] pre-dates my election to office,” Rooker said.

She was recently elected to serve again as representative, and she’ll continue to attempt to allow for more funding to Kansas public schools. Along with this, she also will focus on reforming the state’s financial plan, which will allow for more money to public schools. Right now, the school funding formula does not account for differing numbers of students in a district.

| PHOTO COURTESY JERRY STOGSDILL

MELISSA ROOKER

| PHOTO COURTESY MELISSA ROOKER

6

NEWS

DISTRICT NEWS SMSD decides to keep the gymnastics program for another year and to change school schedules for next semester

D

BACK FOR ANOTHER ROUND

BY LUCY KENDALL

PHOTO ANNIE LOMSHEK

ue to low numbers for gymnastics teams districtwide, the SMSD came close to canceling the program for the 2017-18 school year.

The gymnastics teams from around the district came together at Shawnee Mission West for a clinic open to elementary school through middle school students on Oct. 29.

The purpose of the clinic was to have enough participants to prove to the district that the program should continue to be a sport in high school.

Due to the high participation in the clinic, the district has decided to keep the program for the 201718 school year. As families and gymnasts came together in an effort to save their favored sport in high school, the district recognized the impact of the sport, and realized it was worth saving for the time being.

When deciding whether or not to keep the sport in previous years, the district looked at the numbers of

BY BROOKLYN TERRILL

S

MSD is introducing changes to the high school schedule for the upcoming semester in order to create time for professional development.

Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays will continue to be seven period days. Wednesdays and Thursdays will be block with 85-minute classes. The 20 minutes usually spent at the beginning of Thursday’s seminar for LINK crew activities will fall on Wednesdays after first hour. Thursdays will begin at 8:50 a.m., and there will be a 50-minute seminar between second and fourth hour.

The 75-minute period before school on Thursdays will be used for meetings between teachers of the same subject.

“Teachers will use this time

7

Regular day, 50 min. class

MON

to work together,” director of secondary administration, Dr. Joe Gilhaus, said. “This will overall create stronger curriculum and end up benefiting student grades.”

English teacher, Kristen Anderson, is looking forward to having time to create stronger lessons for her students. The English department is planning on using this time to go over essays to common methods for grading papers.

“For the past few years, the district has encouraged us and told us teachers that we should do common assessments and teach the same skills,” Anderson said. “If you are expecting for us to teach in unison, we need that time to plan.”

She also sees some downsides.

For example, trying to finish long

make-up tests during a shorter seminar.

Students who ride the bus also have problems with the new schedule because they will still come to school at the same time due to conflicts with the bus schedule at Indian Hills. Each high school will have a designated area for bus riders until they are allowed to head to class or see a teacher.

“I don’t really think it’s fair to have all of the students who ride the bus arrive at school at the normal time,” bus rider and sophomore Ella Stotts said. “I think the bus company should work around Indian Hill’s bus schedule.”

Though people such as Stotts find these changes inconvenient, SMSD believes the positive change will outweigh the problems.

SECOND SEMESTER SCHEDULE

7

Regular day, 50 min. class

TUES

O

E

WED

THURS

Block day, 85 min.

Late start at 8:50 & class & “activity time” 50 min. seminar

participants in the program, losing quality coaches and lack of schools offering gymnastics programs in the state of Kansas.

Olathe initially brought up the discussion of canceling their program this year. Since the state requires at least eight high schools to have programs, it brought up the discussion of Shawnee Mission to cancel their programs as well.

“I believe the intent was never to eliminate the program based on not wanting the program,” East athletic director Debbie Katzfey said. “They know that the kids that are gymnasts are very passionate about being gymnasts, and they love the sport.”

Once the gymnastics program was threatened to get cut for the next school year, the team reflected on past and future years at East.

“I felt extremely sad because it was such a big part of my high school life,” senior Kalin Lamus said.

“It was something I always looked forward to every year going into the school year from summer.”

While the seniors reminisced on their time on their gymnastics team, the underclassmen felt dismal that their time on the team could be cut short.

“I was really disappointed because I had a good experience with it my first year,” freshman Brooklyn Beck said. “I was super upset that I wouldn’t be able to continue with it.”

The day after the clinic, gymnastic coach Jennifer Terflinger tweeted out on the SME Gymnastics account, “Thanks to all the support and help from everyone, gymnastics has been saved as a sport in high school!”

After the 2017-18 school year, the district will decide if they need to revisit canceling the program if the number of participants remains the same.

SCHEDULE SWITCH

7

Regular day, 50 min. class

FRI

PHOTO CAROLINE MILLS

Creating Peace of Mind Serving Your Investment Needs

Satu Stechschulte, CFA Kristin Patterson Bryant Barnes Stuart Berkley, CFA Andrew Muther Peter Greig, CFA

fciadvisors.com 800-615-2536

with positivity & strength After a long battle with anorexia, positivity and strength prevail and recovery is reached

BY EMMA VAUGHTERS

M

y large blue eyes burned from exhaustion, yet I lay wide awake. Attempting to distract myself, I ran my hand back and forth over my concave torso. I could trace two large hip-bones projecting through my paper-thin skin on either side – but this mindless motion couldn’t help me fall asleep, nor could it divert from my intense hunger.

Pangs from my hollow stomach were a constant reminder of the food I had eaten the day before: 24 pieces of organic peanut butter cereal for breakfast.

M i x e d vegetables with exactly o n e tablespoon of low-fat soy sauce, an apple and exactly 22 Goldfish

crackers for lunch. Five cups of air-popped popcorn for a snack.

And for dinner, a piece of chicken the size of my palm and a serving of broccoli. This was all I had consumed that entire day, and my 100-pound body wouldn’t let me forget it. But in my mind, those 735 calories were still 735 calories too many.

My body was craving nourishment, sure. But my mind was craving control.

I was suffering from a case of anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Anorexia can spawn from a variety of issues, and no two people have the same experience. In my experience, I felt an overwhelming need for control when I thought I had none.

From freshman to senior year, this disorder consumed every moment of my fragile life, taking away who I truly was and leaving me a hollow shell. I was empty for so long. But through self-acceptance, intuitive eating and forgiveness, I have moved on. One-fourth of the way into my senior year, I am brimming.

My eating disorder no longer has control; I do.

Though I rule my life now, freshman year was the opposite. I had just transferred from SMSD to an all-girls’ Catholic school.

Optimism was key for my transition into a school where I knew nobody, but I was overconfident. I expected to make friends immediately, and when I didn’t, it really made me question myself. Was I not outgoing enough? Was I not funny enough?

Not skinny enough?

The urge to change myself infiltrated every inch of my body and mind, flooding me with the idea that anything but me would suffice. About a month into freshman year, change felt like my only option. I couldn’t control how other people treated me, but I could control myself. Making the intense effort to lose weight seemed like the perfect outlet. I was the only one who could decide what food to consume and how much of it.

I could develop the willpower to exercise for hours a day. It was a foolproof way to gain power when I felt powerless. Most importantly, these habits couldn’t control me back – or so I thought.

What I didn’t realize was that I was never in control. In fact, my eating disorder dominated every aspect of my life.

No added sugar. No food with over three grams of fat. No restaurants. And, most importantly, 1,200 calories was my daily maximum. These regulations weren’t just guidelines, they became my entire life: every waking moment was spent thinking about food. I constantly counted down the minutes to when my next meal would be, a meal that I had carefully pre-calculated the calorie count for. I thought about how I would make up for each calorie consumed by going to the gym and exercising until I didn’t have a drop of energy left in my frail body.

After only a couple of weeks, pounds dropped drastically, but I was still unhappy. My discontent began to protrude more than my collarbone and ribcage, which were clearly visible through my St. Teresa’s uniform shirts.

These habits isolated me. Almost every weekend, I found myself alone and unhappy, curled up in my bed, praying for the hours to pass by so that I could eat again. All I had was my own thoughts. I became so wrapped up in them that I started to believe my rigid routine would consume my life until I couldn’t take another bite of food. I believed that I would never have friends, never be happy, never be free from my eating disorder’s tight grasp.

Near the end of my freshman year, my disorder was deteriorating me, from the inside out, and I knew it – the problem was that I didn’t want to fix it. Fixing myself would mean reversing all of the tireless effort I had put into losing weight and keeping my rigid lifestyle. And I wasn’t prepared for the willpower it took to accept that I needed help.

I started to see doctors, therapists and nutritionists. I read hundreds of books and articles, desperate to find the answers that would set me free from my disorder. These resources were all helpful, but one day, after three years, I made a life-changing realization. No expert in the world could fix me if I wasn’t willing to fix me. And it was this raw realization that set me free.

Recovery started with my mind. If I was going to stop the problem at its source, I needed to have a healthy relationship with my body and appearance – the negativity had to stop.

Social media played a big part in my recovery. I followed Instagram accounts that promote body positivity. Instead of the endless stream of skinny that I had previously been seeing, I was introduced to a virtual world of acceptance. I also ended all talk about body shape and size. It soon dawned on me that it was not my business if so-and-so had gained a few pounds; I stopped endlessly envying the girl whose abs were tighter than the parking spaces at East. And, most importantly, I learned to accept all bodies as the way they are: beautiful.

Once I was able to accept everyone else as beautiful, I began to accept myself. Instead of hyperfocusing on my body, I focused on my intelligence, my love, my positivity; parts of me that could make a real impact in the world. I ultimately understood that I am so much more than my appearance.

With my new understanding, I had no reason to hold onto what was hurting me the most. I let go of the negative thoughts about food. I let go of the pain that they caused me. I am proud to say that I let go of my eating disorder.

There are days when I relapse. I’ll feel guilty about eating too much, or feel good about eating too little. But the difference between then and now is that I’m the one to make the decisions that are best for my body, decisions that keep me healthy in more ways than one. I’m leading the strong and positive life that I’ve always wanted, never forgetting my difficult past, but making the conscious decision to never let it negatively affect me again.

OPINION

PUTTING THE HOLIDAYS ON

HEAD

to

9

HEAD

CER VOICE

LAN

While Christmas music has its merits, playing it before Thanksgiving detracts from other fall holidays and makes Christmas less meaningful even go trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

Halloween decorations should be taken down within a week after Halloween and then Thanksgiving decorations can go up.

Black Friday is the day that I, the Grinch of my family, will allow them to break out the holiday themed hand towels, get up on a ladder to put up the Christmas lights or hang up the Christmas calendar countdown.

Each holiday needs to stay in its own

There are three distinct holidays in the last three months of the year, but too often they wrongly get crossed over and confused with each other

month to give it justice. Even though I’ll probably yell at you if you celebrate a holiday too early, when the time is right, I love them.

I love Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the time when 20 members of my extended family congregate at my dad’s house to share the day. Despite the ever-present “what are you doing with your life” talks, I love every second of it. The air is crisp enough to break out your favorite sweater and the leaves outside my bedroom window turn shades of yellow and orange. Mixing Christmas festivities just doesn’t work with the atmosphere that Thanksgiving has.

I idle as long as possible, cherishing these

WORST JINGLE JAMS

ing m e

ROCKI

N

S

an

y no

rate: 8

rate: 6

RO

D T HE C H R UN I

T TREE AS

WI N

TA BAB AN

SM

an

ing m e

ter

y no

Abby rates three of her least favorite Christmas songs with her “Annoying Meter” from one to ten*

Y

ND LA

rate: 5

ONDE RW R E T

ter

ing m e

ter

y no

moments, waiting to celebrate Christmas until I’ve properly soaked up the time with my family.

People too often overlook Thanksgiving and jump right to Christmas, already eager to open up stockings and presents under the tree on Christmas morning, when Thanksgiving is something in itself to savor.

Impatience and excitement have pushed the holidays to start weeks in advance, and end abruptly.

Christmas lovers need to wait to listen to holiday music until it actually feels like Christmas. I have nothing against Rudolph or the Grandma that got run over by a reindeer, but it needs to wait until Black Friday. Holiday music makes you want to cuddle up with the fire blazing and hot chocolate in hand, but who wants to do that when it’s 60 degrees and sunny out?

In September, I rushed to turn off the radio in my car because 93.3 started playing “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” I know that there’s no music for Thanksgiving to keep you patient until you can shamelessly listen to Mariah Carey. There’s no Thanksgiving movies to spend your Sundays watching before Santa Claus is shown on TV, but with some selfcontrol you can resist the indulgence that awaits during the holidays out of respect for the other holidays that also only come around once a year.

Maybe I seem like a Grinch, or maybe you agree with me, but either way all I ask is that you restrain from ruining my day via Christmas music in November. No matter how great the Christmas song, let’s leave it for December.

A

F

our weeks ago I got into an argument with someone who walked into class blasting “Jingle Bells.”

Hearing such upbeat and cheerful music so early in the year ruined my day. We argued back and forth, and eventually came to the agreement that neither of us would change our minds.

The countdown to Christmas begins too early. I am with those that believe that the countdown shouldn’t commence until December. You shouldn’t break out Michael Bublé’s Christmas album until it freezes – no matter how smooth his voice may be.

I believe that Christmas shouldn’t be celebrated until the night of Thanksgiving at the earliest, preferably Black Friday. But before you start calling me a heartless wretch or a Scrooge, or purposely play annoying Christmas music around me, I have my reasons.

There are three distinct holidays in the last three months of the year, but too often they wrongly get crossed over and confused with each other. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are too different to bleed together in the middle. Christmas celebration should be on its own in December. The holidays should be significant time with family, and drawing them out for three months defeats the purpose.

I cringe and bolt when I see trees and holiday decorations in Target before people

an

BY ABBY WALKER

Two students have different opinions on when Christmas music should be played

JUNIOR JACK WORKMAN Don’t get me wrong I like Christmas music, but before Thanksgiving’s too soon. If people have already been listening to the music before Thanksgiving, they just kind of skip Thanksgiving altogether.”

SENIOR GRACE JONES To be honest I started making a Christmas music playlist the day after Halloween ended. That’s as long as I’ll wait before I start getting into the Christmas spirit.”

*ten being the most annoying

10

OPINION

MORE THAN A WALLFLOWER

In a society that praises being extroverted, a sense of self is found in accepting being an introvert

BY PAULINE SHAVER

E

very Christmas, my family reminisces about the memories connected to each of our ornaments as we unpack them for the season. But there is one that I always dread taking out of the newspaper and bubble wrapfilled boxes. It’s a sparkly wooden snowflake with a picture of my pigtailed and preschool self, bawling my eyes out.

It seems strange that this would even be on a decoration, but for some reason my teacher thought it would be a good idea to go around on the first day of school and take all of our pictures. The other children, seemingly already acquainted with one another, probably received photos of their laughing selves running around with new playmates. I, on the other hand, was somehow the only one who seemed uncomfortable with strangers. So there I stood, in the back corner of the classroom, crying and clutching my naked baby doll.

It’s always been like this. I’m the last one to feel comfortable in social situations and the worst one at introductions. It’s not that I’m absolutely terrible at holding a conversation.

I’ve always preferred talking to a few people who I’m comfortable with, rather than throwing myself into conversation with a lot

PHOTO MORGAN PLUNKETT

of strangers, which often results in unease and embarrassment.

I’m an introvert. Despite what many people think, it’s different from being shy. According to Susan Cain, author of the book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” a shy person fears social judgment, while an introvert is someone who receives their energy from low stimulation settings.

This can be anything from alone time to conversation with few select people. This is the opposite of an extrovert, who craves high stimulation settings, like crowded parties or lively conversation.

Though I’d always noticed that I’m much more quiet and reserved around people I’m not completely comfortable with, it never really bothered me – until my Westwood View bubble popped.

In my transition from elementary school to Indian Hills Middle School, I started to notice and resent my introverted qualities. While others seemed to meet and befriend a new person every time we sat down at our evergrowing lunch table, I craved time with only my close companions and books.

Cliques that I didn’t know how to be apart

of began to form along the lengthier and louder halls, and I couldn’t help but wonder why I couldn’t be as likable or people-oriented as everyone around me seemed to be.

When I went to others for advice on my sinking confidence, I was told things like ‘just put yourself out there’ and ‘you need to be more outgoing.’

This caused an unhealthy pattern of self loathing and doubt. The more I tried to reach out, the more I seemed to fall short. I couldn’t strut up to a group of strangers and strike up an interesting conversation. I struggled to be the person I felt like I needed to be.

I began to realize that who I am isn’t going to change, despite how much I felt like it needed to. I’m always going to need alone time to re-energize, and I’m always going to be more inhibited than the person I wanted to be.

Ironically, the more I accepted that I was less sociable than others, the more I met people around whom I didn’t feel the need to pretend.

They understand if I decline to accompany them on a Friday night out or if I need time to self-reflect.

What I know now, and what more people need to realize, is that introversion isn’t

something that a person can or should change.

Everyone is different, whether they are quiet or loud, lively or thoughtful.

I wish I understood this in middle school, or when I was crying in the back corner of my preschool classroom. It would have made being confident and happy so much easier for me, when back then it seemed impossible.

While part of this self-acceptance needed to come from a personal place, I couldn’t help but question the lack of encouragement from others directing me towards embracing myself.

The general advice I received was simply to be more extroverted, as if that is how every confident and happy person is.

What everyone struggling with confidence about their personality needs to know, and what I continue to remind myself, is that selflove is about acceptance, not change. All of the amazing things that introverts can be by far outweigh the social behaviors that people falsely label as negative.

So I will continue to disappear behind my Harry Potter books whenever I get a chance – and encourage others to embrace their personality, too.

BEST TRAITS OF INTROVERTS

( G O O D L I S T E N E R S ) Since introverts are prone to being more introspective, they are open to listening to others ideas

( O B S E R VA N T ) Introverts take time to look at the big picture, and are detail oriented, making them good observers

( C R E AT I V E ) Since introverts get energy from alone time, this helps them spark new ideas

( S T U D I O U S ) Introverts are intensely interested in the fields they care about and want to learn everything Information courtesy of lifehack.com

The score you need The score for the school you need The score you for thewant school you need The score you for thewant school you need The score you for thewant school you need you for thewant school you want

®

FREE PRACTICE TESTS WITH ONE-ON-ONE SCORE REVIEWS. ® WEEKLY ACT AND®SAT

The 14th Annual Gift Gallery is held on Saturday, November 12th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 9401 Mission Rd., Leawood, KS (Curé of Ars Catholic School). New this year - "Mornings with Mimosas" Early access shopping from 7:30 to 9:00 with a $10 donation. This one-of-akind shopping event brings together over 40 artisans and vendors selling unique items that are perfect for gifts, your home, and yourself. Gift Gallery is hosted by the Curé of Ars Mothers of Young Children in partnership with Country Club Bank. Admission is $5 at the door, and proceeds benefit various local children’s charities and scholarships.

Visit www.giftgallerykc.com for more information.

®

913.322.3400 GetSmarterPrep.com

913.322.3400 GetSmarterPrep.com

NEW LOCATION ® 5920 NALL AVE, STE 300 MISSION, KS 66202 913.279.0059 GETSMARTERPREP.COM

913.322.3400

ROSE 913.322.3400 NAILS GetSmarterPrep.com

WWW.ROSENAILSINKC.COM 913-383-8288

GetSmarterPrep.com

913.322.3400 GetSmarterPrep.com

Spa Pedicure $24 Manicure $13 Gel Color Manicure $28 Pink and White Fill $32 Acrylic Full Set $25

PIZZA BY THE SLICE! Monday - Friday 11am-2pm

Strategy. Experience. Compassion.

Fighting for the injured and their families.

• Motor Vehicle & Truck Accidents • Construction Accidents • Workers’ Compensation

Visit PottengerLaw.com or call 816-531-6006 today for a free consultation.

HISE / LOWRY GROUP http://pwa.ml.com/HISELOWRY

12

PHOTO ESSAY

just short of

STATE The varsity boys' soccer team finished their season 4th place in the state ( A B OV E ) Junior Nick Gasperi stretches to prepare for the Washburn Rural penalty kick in the final minutes of Saturday's game. "You have to make yourself look as big as you can," Gasperi said. "You take up more of the goal and distract [the kicker] a bit." | MORGAN BROWNING ( R I G H T ) Junior Tommy Nelson makes the assist for senior Clayton Phillips' goal. | MORGAN BROWNING

( A B OV E ) The Washburn Rural goalie shoves senior Stanley Morantz to the ground after Morantz out jumped him and got a head on the ball. A foul was called on Morantz. "I was a little bitter about [the foul]," Morantz said. "It was near the end of the game and we needed a goal so I was pretty mad." | HALEY BELL ( B E L OW ) As the team left the parking lot, the vans drove through a parentmade sign which said "Finish it. State 2016". | HALEY BELL

( A B OV E ) Because of the three hour drive to Wichita, the East fan section was sparsely populated. “I rode down to the game because me and a lot of my friends tried to make it to evey game this year, and I think we only missed two,” senior Chace Prothe said. “We have a lot of friends on the team and we want to go out and support them.” | HALEY BELL ( R I G H T ) Senior and team captain Oliver Bihuniak heads the ball to clear it from his opponent. | KAITLYN STRATMAN

PHOTO ESSAY

weekend recap

13

The varsity boys’ soccer team lost to Dodge City in the semifinal game on Nov. 4. Dodge City took an early lead which they maintained throughout the game. The final score was 2-0. On Nov. 5, the team played Washburn Rural in the State Consolation game.

The score remained close after the Lancers secured the first goal of the game, and Washburn did not take the lead until the final 17 minutes of the game.

Losing 4-3, the Lancers took fourth place in the state.

( A B OV E ) Junior Sam Ragland cries after Coach Kelly’s final speech to the team. | MORGAN BROWNING ( B E L OW ) The senior boys at the front of the student section are upset after Dodge City’s second goal. | HALEY BELL

( A B OV E ) Junior Collyn Lowry walks off the field after the Lancers’ 2-0 loss to Dodge City. “We spent the whole [second half] trying to fight back. It wasn’t until Dodge City fans started chanting ‘I believe we just won’ that it hit me that we weren’t going to win. I was extremely dissappointed, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for the seniors since it was their second to last game." | HALEY BELL ( B E L OW ) Senior Clayton Phillips reacts to the referee’s call in the second half of the State Consolation game . | KAITLYN STRATMAN

( A B OV E ) Coach Kelly and the players on the bench react as the last shot on goal barely misses in the final minutes of the game. “We were extemely close to tying it up,” Kelly said. “We maybe even had our hands in the air to celebrate, and then we realized [the shot] didn’t quite go in. The summation of the last 20 minutes of the game, thinking ‘we had already scored three [goals], we’re going to get another one, we’ll get this tied up and then maybe get the game winner,' but it just didn’t quite happen.’” | HALEY BELL ( R I G H T ) Seniors Oliver Bihuniak and Clayton Phillips embrace after their last game together. “I realized that it was the last time I was going to get to play with [Clayton],” Bihuniak said. “He’s one of my friends, and I was sad for him as well because he’s not playing club soccer anymore so that was probably his last time playing soccer.” | MORGAN BROWNING

What is seasonal affective disorder?

Defintion

A type of depression that occurs during the same season each year

S

Despite suffering from seasonal affective disorder, Joyce Martinez tries to remember the light

BY MAYA STRATMAN

* name changed to protect identity he twisted her ring once, twice, three times around her October. Martinez has made steps in talking about how she feels middle finger and looked around. to her friend instead of keeping it bottled up. She has brought it “I’m sorry — what was the question?” she asked. up more and has been willing to talk about it openly with close “How is seasonal depression affecting your everyday life and friends. school?” I asked.

Martinez’s opal and silver ring, that she is always found She let out a short, quiet and almost sad laugh. wearing, is symbol for having those important people in her life “Well, for starters, I can’t find the motivation to focus or that she can open up and talk to. concentrate,” she said.

“Someone very special gave it to me. It’s a constant reminder Student Joyce Martinez* has S.A.D, or seasonal affective for me that someone is there for me,” Martinez said. “Someone I disorder. According to therapist Amy Sandy, seasonal affective can share my writings with and someone who will just listen and disorder is a form of depression based on a specific season or time be there for me. It’s a very different feeling. I use to only tell my of year. For Martinez, it means having many emotions running paper and since nobody knew no one could help.” through her uncontrollably all at once. This dismal feeling starts In August, when it was warm and sunny out, Martinez could when the weather changes during the winter. Martinez feels get up at six and not feel a pull beckoning her back to bed. so many sentiments they cancel each other Martinez would have time to put makeup on, out so she feels nothing. She can go eat and finish some homework from the throughout her day without thinking night before. about anything.

But that isn’t the case in the winter It’s frustrating because a lot of “I just feel numb,” Martinez months. Every morning the alarm people don’t understand and said. “When I cry it’s a good goes off at 6:15 a.m. Martinez hits realize it’s a serious mental feeling, like I’m finally feeling snooze. It goes off again at 6:30 a.m. illness and it hurts everyday something.” and Martinez is still not ready to get S.A.D. is something she has up. On good days she can pull herself JOYCE MARTINEZ been fighting from a young age. out of bed by 6:45 a.m. Most days she Therapist Amy Sandy knows how will finally get up at 7:15 a.m. valid these emotions people with “I’ll just grab whatever I see and put it seasonal depression are experiencing. on . . . I wear my Birks just because I don’t “What they are feeling is very real to them and they need want to have to try to find two match sock,” Martinez said. people to understand what they are going through,” Sandy By 7:40 a.m. she’s already had to overcome a major obstacle said. “At the very least listen [to people going through seasonal in her day – getting out of bed. Then school isn’t much better. depression] about what’s bothering them.”

Trying to focus gets much harder for Martinez when the dull Martinez begins to experience seasonal depression around feeling outside starts to reflect how she feels. She experiences the holidays. Since the loss of her father, which can be a difficulty in finding motivation to pay attention. common cause of S.A.D., Martinez has acknowledged her form “It’s frustrating because a lot of people don’t understand of depression. Sandy explains that in the holiday season, it and realize it’s a serious mental illness and it hurts everyday,” reminds people of hard times or family they don’t have.

Martinez said. “They don’t understand my focus is hard to keep The loss of Martinez’s father is a contributing aspect to her and that I have no motivation to do anything.” type of depression, but not the source. When the sun is less She also knows she’s more irritable with people. Martinez prevalent, her mood becomes darker. Her mother had noticed doesn’t feel the desire to linger in the halls and talk to people. the seasonal aspect of her depression before Martinez’s father’s It’s a sick kind of feeling, she explains, and as much as she death. Martinez’s mom believed that she shared the seasonal hates it, there doesn’t seem like an easy way to get around it. affect gene with her dad and her uncle.

Because it’s cold and gloomy outside, she says she feels cold and “When we set the clocks back and our days get shorter, I gloomy inside. During these winter months, when Martinez is noticed Joyce is more agitated. It hits about mid-October,” her depressed, the condition doesn’t feel temporary. Like the winter mom said. “[She shows] Less interest in getting things done and season, for Martinez it seems to last for forever. more need to want to stay in bed. Then in about March or April Martinez got the ring this summer. A representation of I noticed an increase in her getting around and doing things.” everything good. Now Martinez will keep that close to her as Martinez’s mom isn’t the only one who has seen her shift a gentle reminder that with the gloom, darkness, and coldness, in mood throughout winter months. One of her close friends winter brings not only outside, but within her too, there is a sees Martinez staying in more. She has also noticed Martinez light. having to work harder to keep her grades up, starting the end of

Symptoms social isolation gaining weight

tiredness despite sleeping often eating more and craving carbohydrates irritability, anxiousness, mood swings

Z

Z..

What causes SAD? Experts aren't sure what causes SAD, but the lack of sunlight is a common theory Upseting your "biological clock," which controls your sleep-wake pattern and other circadian rhythms Cause problems with serotonin, a brain chemical that affects mood

What can help

self care, such as physical activity behavioral therapy light therapy exposure to a bright light that mimics natural light medication or anti-depressant

FEATURES

15

PAINTING HIS OWN PATH

Senior pursues art school rather than traditional four-year university

BY ELIAS LOWLAND

S

(PHOTOS) Phillips finalizes drawings and paintings featuring his major themes of mathematics and faith for his application portfolio “Cosahedrons are the most perfect shapes in the world,” Phillips said. | ANNIE LOMSHEK

enior Clayton Phillips finishes his sketch, a series of three dimensional pentagons with light radiating from the center, then crushes it into a ball. He tosses it next to the mound of other crumpled papers and begins his next piece.

After deciding to apply to art school, Clayton will forgo the traditional post-high school route of attending a four-year college or university.

Clayton grappled with the decision to go to a four-year university and major in Fine Arts, or take a chance and attend art school. If he had chosen a traditional university, Clayton would have had to wait two years before declaring his major in Fine Arts.

“After doing some research, and really looking into it, I knew [a four-year college] would not be the right route for me,” Clayton said. “I want to be all in and not be wasting time doing other stuff when I could be in the studio working on and developing my art.”

In contrast to traditional colleges, art schools would be almost exclusively related to art. Most art schools have a calendar that consists of two-thirds studio classes and one-third liberal arts classes- which are more traditional core subjects. The schools Clayton has applied to are the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Savannah College of Art and Design and the Kansas City Art Institute.

Clayton will have to submit his Common Application, similar to most schools, along with a portfolio of his work which according to Clayton, should have a fluid theme throughout. Clayton’ focus for his portfolio is mathematics, faith and the correlation and relationship between the two. Clayton uses geometric shapes and designs to conceptualize mathematics while using light as a common symbol for faith and religion.

“I’ve been really into labyrinths, which kind of symbolize life as a fluid movement, in and out of the world,” Clayton said in a previous interview with the Harbinger. “I’ve really been looking at a lot of symbols of spirituality coinciding with the natural world.”

He uses painting and drawing to explain and demonstrate the bridge between the natural world and the spiritual world. When Clayton explained his focus to his teacher, AP/ IB Studio teacher Adam Finkelston, he saw a level of maturity in Clayton that he previously didn’t see. Finkelston believes that the two topics Clayton chose come with a challenge of physically describing two very complex, psychological topics.

“It’s especially mature to be able to visualize [mathematics and faith] because that's not really something that’s easy to talk about,” Finkelston said. “But if you visualize it, it makes it easier to talk about.”

Clayton has been driven as an artist since he decided it was what he wanted to be in grade school. He was first exposed to art while taking classes at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art as a young kid in elementary school.

“He has always loved to create art and has a deep love of art museums,” his mother, Amy Phillips said. “In grade school, we'd go to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the guards would have to ask us to leave because they were closing.”

Since his first class at the Nelson, his passion towards art has continued to grow.

From making pinch pots in kindergarten to creating elaborate abstract designs that take a week to complete, Clayton has excelled throughout his artistic career. Influence from teachers and classes taken outside of school has allowed him to continue his affinity for art.

As has grown, Clayton has begun to see more and more of a future in his art. Instead of trying to sell paintings, he wants to use his passion to design for companies or museums.

“From the outside it looks like I’m trying to sell paintings and get in a gallery and I would be a starving artist or whatever that crap is,” Clayton said. “These days it’s a lot different. The art scene is very different, it’s been modernized and there [are] tons of opportunities for artists.”

Clayton doesn’t want live under the stigma of a struggling artist. He chose art school because he wants to work in a studio or museum, using his artistic ideas and creativity as an outlet for more possible forms of art.

“Almost every moment of your day, you will be influenced by art and design,” Amy said.

“Think about it. In this ever-changing digital world, many companies are looking toward the creative and artistic design candidates, as well as the traditional business candidates.”

Clayton isn’t worried about what the future holds, whether he is a successful independent artist or a designer for a company, but he knows art school is the route that will open opportunities for him to succeed later in life.

“I believe to have a passion in life is a gift, whether it is music, art, sports etc,” Amy said.

“But to have the ability to also do those things well is and honor and has a responsibility to do your best. And that is what Clayton has always done.”

16

SPREAD

SPREAD

BY DAISY BOLIN AND MORGAN BILES

S

enior Sean McMahill’s arms wrap around his dad Jeff’s broad shoulders. Sitting on the edge of the king-sized bed, Sean’s toes grip the beige carpet, and his fingers fidget as tears glide down his cheeks. His head sinks into his dad’s chest as the room silences.

Next to them in the bed is Jeff’s wife Annie and two of his daughters, Danielle and Madeline.

Circling his bed are twelve folding chairs. On this day, the chairs held co-workers and family members. Some days they held friends from elementary school and other days he was surrounded by members of the Lancer football team. Light spills into the room, illuminating the turquoise walls that surround the people Jeff impacted as a father, husband, friend, co-worker and coach.

These people in Jeff’s bedroom and visitors to follow make up Jeff’s “team.” They were on the sidelines of his life, filling his last moments with stories of losing kids at the park, jokes about his co-worker Chris Jones being home-schooled and debates over who is responsible for Sean’s fishing skills. In the midst of laughter, for just a few seconds, everyone forgets the reason they were there in the first place.

When Jeff was diagnosed on Feb. 27 with stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer affecting white blood cells, he was scared – but not that scared, he said. The doctors told him the odds were on his side. They told him it would be chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant and then it would be over.

But on Oct. 25, doctors told Jeff they had done everything they could to help him and estimated he had about a month left – two weeks later he was admitted to hospice. Jeff took his last breath at 6:55 a.m. on Thurs.

Nov. 10.

This bedroom was a microcosm of Jeff’s life. His family, who sits as close to him as possible, was with him since he first noticed a lump on his left shoulder. His friends who sit around him came from as far as Hawaii to be at his side through his battle.

The ACE bandage crossing Jeff’s left shoulder sticks out just above his Adidas shirt. White gauze wraps his elbow with a small tube sticking out; these pieces became part of him over the past ten months and defined every day after.

Cancer meant no more Royals games. No more hours of fishing with Sean. No more playing catch outside and, most devastatingly, no more watching Sean on the field for Lancer football games.

“There are a million regrets [like] ‘I wish I hadn’t picked on that kid in 3rd grade,’” Jeff said.

“What about that kid at work?” Chris quickly retorts. The room bursts into a flood of laughter as Jeff smiles, lightly shaking his head.

Jeff’s mom, Susan Bates, leans over to one of his co-workers with a teary-eyed smile.

“This is what goes on all day.”

One chair empties as his boss, Dom Schilt, gets up to catch a plane back to Chicago; the room settles from laughter into silence. It’s quiet enough to hear the sharp breath both Jeff and his boss take in with a tight hug.

“There hasn’t been a lot of sadness in the room until they come and go,” Jeff said. “When they come it’s ‘thank you for being here, I love you’ and when they go, it’s ‘I love you a lot I really appreciate you being here’ – there’s no goodbye.”

Sitting in the fourth folding chair from the door is one of Jeff’s best friends and co-workers, Dave Templeman. Dave presses his index finger and thumb into his eyes, pulling crinkles onto his forehead. Raw emotion replaces his usual humorous quips as he says what he will remember about Jeff.

“I hope I have enough strength in my body that you are carrying in your pinky because it’s just humbling; it’s inspirational,” Dave said. “That’s what’s going to carry us all through this. You know I love you, Jeff.”

A floral tissue box is handed around the circle of co-workers and

( L E F T ) Jeff’s wife squeezes his hand while talking about what the next few weeks will look like for their family.

( L E F T ) Sean and Jeff laugh as a friend across the room makes a joke.

Senior’s dad spent the last few weeks of his life surrounded by friends and family, offering him support and love

friends. Some wipe their eyes, some dab their noses and others just grip the tissue as if it’s Jeff’s hand they’ll never let go of.

ESPN flashes on the TV behind everyone in the room. Just after glancing at the latest scores, Jeff squeezes his eyes shut as he takes a sip of water from his Royals mug to wash down a pill the size of a baby aspirin.

“They guessed my chemotherapy would be done by September and the first thing I thought was ‘When’s the Rockhurst game?’” Jeff said.

Jeff never missed one of Sean’s games. Baseball. Basketball. Football.

From the day Jeff taught him to throw a ball to the time he watched his son take the field as a varsity athlete, he was at the sidelines as both a parent and a coach. He sported Columbia blue Lancer gear beginning when Sean was a third grade cornerback.

In mid-September, Coach Dustin Delaney asked Jeff to speak to the football team at their weekly motivational meetings. Jeff spoke about cancer, strength and teamwork to the once baby-faced third graders he coached years ago. These now-bearded senior boys, who tackle 300 lbs opponents every Friday night, began to cry because the reality of the loss looming before them wasn’t something they knew how to tackle.

“On the days he felt like giving up, [when] he couldn’t get out of bed or walk, he had his team behind him,” senior Nigil Houston said. “He told us that if you can’t do it for yourself just know you always have a team. And if you can’t push yourself, your team will always push you.”

When they heard that Jeff wasn’t getting better, they decided to spend one Saturday morning raking the McMahill’s yard. Before going outside, they each walked down to the basement, where Jeff was watching his beloved K-State Wildcats play Iowa State. Jeff was waiting for each one with a hug and something special to say and in what is typical Jeff McMahill style, he even did that for the ones he never coached.

Since his diagnosis, Jeff’s team was behind him, pushing him and supporting him. Friends set up a meal train supplying mounds of chili, enchilada casseroles and vegetables. Visitors stopped in and out beginning at 10 a.m. with berry Slurpees or a Dairy Queen peanut buster parfait, Jeff’s favorites. Sean shaved his head in solidarity and when Jeff could hardly lift his wrist to read his watch, his wife Annie was there to lift it for him.

PHOTOS MORGAN BROWNING

The seats in the room remain full. When one person leaves, someone else enters. When Jeff felt his thoughts drift into the reason everyone was there, someone would squeeze his shoulder. When the conversation got too sad for too long, Jeff or Dave would lighten the mood with a joke.

At the sound of approaching footsteps on the carpeted stairs, Jeff turns his head asking where his wife is. Thinking, he twists his silver wedding ring. Annie sits back down next to him as she wraps her hands around his.

Jeff wanted to spend his last few weeks waking up every morning to Annie’s luminous smile. He wanted his children to take turns laying on his chest while he played with their hair just like he did when they were two years old. He wanted all of the chairs to be filled– and they were.

Even when the chairs fold up and Jeff isn’t there to crack a joke, the McMahills know– it was a life well-lived.

( L E F T ) Jeff’s mother sits around his bed amongst other friends and family, crying as he tells a story about his childhood.

( L E F T ) Jeff’s mother-in-law and fatherin-law stand and watch as friends in the room tell stories about Jeff.

16

SPREAD

SPREAD

BY DAISY BOLIN AND MORGAN BILES

S

enior Sean McMahill’s arms wrap around his dad Jeff’s broad shoulders. Sitting on the edge of the king-sized bed, Sean’s toes grip the beige carpet, and his fingers fidget as tears glide down his cheeks. His head sinks into his dad’s chest as the room silences.

Next to them in the bed is Jeff’s wife Annie and two of his daughters, Danielle and Madeline.

Circling his bed are twelve folding chairs. On this day, the chairs held co-workers and family members. Some days they held friends from elementary school and other days he was surrounded by members of the Lancer football team. Light spills into the room, illuminating the turquoise walls that surround the people Jeff impacted as a father, husband, friend, co-worker and coach.

These people in Jeff’s bedroom and visitors to follow make up Jeff’s “team.” They were on the sidelines of his life, filling his last moments with stories of losing kids at the park, jokes about his co-worker Chris Jones being home-schooled and debates over who is responsible for Sean’s fishing skills. In the midst of laughter, for just a few seconds, everyone forgets the reason they were there in the first place.

When Jeff was diagnosed on Feb. 27 with stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer affecting white blood cells, he was scared – but not that scared, he said. The doctors told him the odds were on his side. They told him it would be chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant and then it would be over.

But on Oct. 25, doctors told Jeff they had done everything they could to help him and estimated he had about a month left – two weeks later he was admitted to hospice. Jeff took his last breath at 6:55 a.m. on Thurs.

Nov. 10.

This bedroom was a microcosm of Jeff’s life. His family, who sits as close to him as possible, was with him since he first noticed a lump on his left shoulder. His friends who sit around him came from as far as Hawaii to be at his side through his battle.

The ACE bandage crossing Jeff’s left shoulder sticks out just above his Adidas shirt. White gauze wraps his elbow with a small tube sticking out; these pieces became part of him over the past ten months and defined every day after.

Cancer meant no more Royals games. No more hours of fishing with Sean. No more playing catch outside and, most devastatingly, no more watching Sean on the field for Lancer football games.

“There are a million regrets [like] ‘I wish I hadn’t picked on that kid in 3rd grade,’” Jeff said.

“What about that kid at work?” Chris quickly retorts. The room bursts into a flood of laughter as Jeff smiles, lightly shaking his head.

Jeff’s mom, Susan Bates, leans over to one of his co-workers with a teary-eyed smile.

“This is what goes on all day.”

One chair empties as his boss, Dom Schilt, gets up to catch a plane back to Chicago; the room settles from laughter into silence. It’s quiet enough to hear the sharp breath both Jeff and his boss take in with a tight hug.

“There hasn’t been a lot of sadness in the room until they come and go,” Jeff said. “When they come it’s ‘thank you for being here, I love you’ and when they go, it’s ‘I love you a lot I really appreciate you being here’ – there’s no goodbye.”

Sitting in the fourth folding chair from the door is one of Jeff’s best friends and co-workers, Dave Templeman. Dave presses his index finger and thumb into his eyes, pulling crinkles onto his forehead. Raw emotion replaces his usual humorous quips as he says what he will remember about Jeff.

“I hope I have enough strength in my body that you are carrying in your pinky because it’s just humbling; it’s inspirational,” Dave said. “That’s what’s going to carry us all through this. You know I love you, Jeff.”

A floral tissue box is handed around the circle of co-workers and

( L E F T ) Jeff’s wife squeezes his hand while talking about what the next few weeks will look like for their family.

( L E F T ) Sean and Jeff laugh as a friend across the room makes a joke.

Senior’s dad spent the last few weeks of his life surrounded by friends and family, offering him support and love

friends. Some wipe their eyes, some dab their noses and others just grip the tissue as if it’s Jeff’s hand they’ll never let go of.

ESPN flashes on the TV behind everyone in the room. Just after glancing at the latest scores, Jeff squeezes his eyes shut as he takes a sip of water from his Royals mug to wash down a pill the size of a baby aspirin.

“They guessed my chemotherapy would be done by September and the first thing I thought was ‘When’s the Rockhurst game?’” Jeff said.

Jeff never missed one of Sean’s games. Baseball. Basketball. Football.

From the day Jeff taught him to throw a ball to the time he watched his son take the field as a varsity athlete, he was at the sidelines as both a parent and a coach. He sported Columbia blue Lancer gear beginning when Sean was a third grade cornerback.

In mid-September, Coach Dustin Delaney asked Jeff to speak to the football team at their weekly motivational meetings. Jeff spoke about cancer, strength and teamwork to the once baby-faced third graders he coached years ago. These now-bearded senior boys, who tackle 300 lbs opponents every Friday night, began to cry because the reality of the loss looming before them wasn’t something they knew how to tackle.

“On the days he felt like giving up, [when] he couldn’t get out of bed or walk, he had his team behind him,” senior Nigil Houston said. “He told us that if you can’t do it for yourself just know you always have a team. And if you can’t push yourself, your team will always push you.”

When they heard that Jeff wasn’t getting better, they decided to spend one Saturday morning raking the McMahill’s yard. Before going outside, they each walked down to the basement, where Jeff was watching his beloved K-State Wildcats play Iowa State. Jeff was waiting for each one with a hug and something special to say and in what is typical Jeff McMahill style, he even did that for the ones he never coached.

Since his diagnosis, Jeff’s team was behind him, pushing him and supporting him. Friends set up a meal train supplying mounds of chili, enchilada casseroles and vegetables. Visitors stopped in and out beginning at 10 a.m. with berry Slurpees or a Dairy Queen peanut buster parfait, Jeff’s favorites. Sean shaved his head in solidarity and when Jeff could hardly lift his wrist to read his watch, his wife Annie was there to lift it for him.

PHOTOS MORGAN BROWNING

The seats in the room remain full. When one person leaves, someone else enters. When Jeff felt his thoughts drift into the reason everyone was there, someone would squeeze his shoulder. When the conversation got too sad for too long, Jeff or Dave would lighten the mood with a joke.

At the sound of approaching footsteps on the carpeted stairs, Jeff turns his head asking where his wife is. Thinking, he twists his silver wedding ring. Annie sits back down next to him as she wraps her hands around his.

Jeff wanted to spend his last few weeks waking up every morning to Annie’s luminous smile. He wanted his children to take turns laying on his chest while he played with their hair just like he did when they were two years old. He wanted all of the chairs to be filled– and they were.

Even when the chairs fold up and Jeff isn’t there to crack a joke, the McMahills know– it was a life well-lived.

( L E F T ) Jeff’s mother sits around his bed amongst other friends and family, crying as he tells a story about his childhood.

( L E F T ) Jeff’s mother-in-law and fatherin-law stand and watch as friends in the room tell stories about Jeff.

18

FEATURES PHOTOS DIANA PERCY

CONNOR DUGAN sophomore

KIRA SCHOCKE sophomore cymbals

bass drum

SID CHOUDHURY junior

IAN LONGAN senior

bass drum

snare drum

GRACE LYBARGER senior

MIKEY MCFARLIN senior

bass drum

BANDED TOGETHER

MADI DAILEY sophomore

T

he clock ticks away to end the second quarter. The students sit in the stands. The football players unbuckle their helmets and head to the locker room. The parents leave to get midgame concessions. But the drumline sets up, takes a deep breath, replays the beats in their head and assembles into formation.

Starting with “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West, the drumline goes through their new 2016 medley, separate from the rest of the band. The show is complete with smoke, upside-down drummers and a mash-up of different Kanye West songs. In the midst of this music, snare drummer and senior Deegan Poores raps the Kanye songs, his look complete with a “Yeezy 2020” sweatshirt.

Poores, along with these 13 other fellow percussionists, performed their Kanye medley at halftime of the football games on Oct. 28 and Nov. 4. These 14 percussionists make up the drumline at East consisting of snare drummers, bass drummers, quint players, cymbalists among others.

For Poores, these performances are a chance to get recognition for all of the arrangements he has worked on the past year. They also allow him to come together with these different people to do what they all enjoy: percussion.

“We’re all different,” drumline section leader and senior Ian Longan said. “Some of us are a little introverted, but when we are performing, we are all having fun so it blends together really well.”

A special quality of drumline is that so far, it has been mostly student run, according to band instructor and percussion specialist Dr. Jeff Hewitt.

This allows the kids to create an original piece of

work together.

Dr. Hewitt did not have much to do with their most recent Kanye halftime performance, which is typical for a drumline performance. This performance was so unique and fun, according to junior Hazel Hitchcock, because it was just about completely student organized and led.

“It was so fun,” Hitchcock said. “The whole crowd got into it and we were all singing along to the lyrics with Deegan. It was so energetic and fun and it just pumped up the student section.”

Poores did a majority of the work that went into the drumline’s most recent Kanye medley, accord-

We’re all different. Some of us are a little introverted, but when we are performing, we are all having fun so it blends together really well.

IAN LONGAN SENIOR

ing to Longan. Poores wrote all of the music and arrangements for the different percussion parts. “[The show was] different for me than for everybody else,” Poores said. “Because for me, at least this year, it was like my baby.”

Although Deegan was humble about his work and didn’t make it too big a deal, Longan said it was amazing for him to take charge of and put his time into. By doing all of the preparation, he saved the rest of the drumline that pre-work time which

JAIRYN RICHARDS junior

pit

pit

SAM SKOLOFF sophomore

OLIVER NICHOLS junior

pit

Students from different backgrounds unite to create a cohesive drumline

BY KATIE HISE

quint

could then go into improving the rest of the show.

Arranging the music was the first step in preparing the show.

Then came the producing and practicing part.

For the next week, Poores and the rest of the drumline spent their seminars, before and after school and just about any chance they got in order to perfect the music.

They then went into trying out various formations and any sort of drum stick flips or other movements that would get the crowd fired up. And finally the drumline came together at halftime.

Performing this show was the pinnacle of all of their work. They transitioned from “Black Skinhead” to “Heartless,” continuing to stay in sync and keeping their rhythm. With each new song and flip of a drum stick, the drumline succeeded their goal: getting the student section cheering and hyped up.

They successfully completed their halftime show. No one fell when playing upside down off of another member’s shoulders and the smoke perfectly framed the group. No one tripped when switching formations. No one dropped a drumstick.

As the players file back onto the field to stretch and the student section begins to rise, the drumline can high-five each other and celebrate together. They are just a bunch of students from different backgrounds united to do something they could be proud of.

quint

DEEGAN POORES senior

snare drum

not pictured

NATALIE CAMERON junior bass drum

not pictured

XAN DENNISTON senior snare drum

not pictured

JASON RHOADS senior snare drum

FEATURES

19

S T O RY TELLING

East alumnus and “Naked and Afraid” executive producer David Story follows passion for film formed at East

BY ROBBIE VEGLAHN

D

ust flew behind Prairie Elementary school, as two boys clawed and slugged at each other.

The year was 1981, and Stephen Bergman’s white boot-cut jeans turned a scarlet red. David Story looked down at his hand, and saw blood – real blood – gushing from his gash onto Bergman’s pants. But he never stopped fighting.

This fight scene was the climax of a dystopian fantasy movie, one of many short films shot on Super 8 millimeter film by high school friends David Story, Mike Allen, Stephen Bergman, and Robert Dorrell. But none of them ever had quite the commitment that Story did.

“Dave took it very seriously which is why, today, he’s in some god-forsaken jungle in Ecuador encountering unknown-to-humans fungi and borderline malaria while [filming] nekkid people slowly starving to death,” Allen said. “And why I’m enjoying warm cider by the fire here in crisp Connecticut.”

Class of ‘81 alumnus David Story has turned a passion for film formed at East into a successful career as an executive producer at Renegade 83, a production company based out of Los Angeles.

He is currently living his dream, shooting his third season as executive producer of the awardwinning docu-reality show “Naked and Afraid XL,” but he has not forgotten the lessons he learned during his time at East.

After playing for his 2-7 Lancer football team, Story spent his Friday nights going to double features like “Apocalypse Now” and “Raging Bull” at the run-down Fairway movie house, bringing movie reviews with him to read. While this helped foster his passion for cinema, Story attributes his biggest lessons learned at East to the fact that he was able to take this passion inside the classroom as well.

No matter what the subject, Story would find ways to use movies and film in his classes, and was constantly encouraged to do so by his teachers.

“He had a passion for learning, was never afraid to speak his mind and wanted to know everything I knew,” said former East mass media teacher Max Brown. “He was one of those

students who after my 42 years in teaching, that stand out in my memory and whom I thought at the time would find his way to success somewhere.”

Whether it was Brown teaching him how to craft cinema, English teacher Everett Rees challenging him to incorporate stronger writing into his films or journalism teacher Robert Dylan pushing him to solve all his problems creatively, Story feels that this encouragement from East teachers is what got him to where he is today.

“If I’d been a lawyer, I probably would’ve had a lot more money and been a lot more ‘comfortable’ in my life right now,” Story said. “But at East, they made you think outside the box, which is why I ended up where I did.”

After graduating from East, Story enrolled at Dartmouth college, graduating with a dual degree in Film studies and a Bachelor’s degree in English. He then attended University of Southern California where he got his masters in Cinema-Television.

At USC, Story learned to not only perfect his craft, but found what his craft really was – storytelling. He focused primarily on script writing, and hoped to get a job as a writer after graduating. But, like many success stories, his plans changed.

“I ended up getting a job with the guy who [produced] ‘Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’,” Story said. “He was doing mostly documentaries at the time, and I just found more work in the non-fiction side of things, and from there I just worked my way up.”

He started as a researcher, gathering info for film and TV shows. Soon he moved up to writer, then producer, where his early work included biopics and documentary shows like “Behind the Music.” He thrived at building stories from old interviews, archived news clips and conducting his own new interviews.

But when the Discovery Channel came to Renegade 83 with a premise for an innovative new survival show, Story faced a new challenge – figuring out how to bring his passion for storytelling and writing to an unscripted reality

show.

“I’ve learned that if you can figure out how to tell a story in those other genres, you can eventually figure out how to tell a story in the reality genre,” Story said. “And it’s been very gratifying that my brand of storytelling has seemed to strike a chord.”

“Naked and Afraid XL,” which follows 12 survivors dropped into the wilderness left to survive with no clothes or provisions for 40 days and 40 nights, has received unprecedented reaction for a reality TV program.

In its first season, it received the highest rating of all new cable television shows, averaging 3.7 million viewers. It was even parodied on “Saturday Night Live,” forty years after Story and his friends stayed up late watching the original episode.

Now, in production of its third season, the show has already notched three Realscreen Awards and two Emmy nominations. Story attributes much of this success to the compelling human nature of the show, especially compared to many other shows in genre.

“Some of those reality shows are, you know, ‘I hope they like my cupcake’,” Story said. “This one is ‘I hope they live.’”

Despite his “high-falutin” status and accolades, Story has not forgotten his Kansas City roots. Since moving to Los Angeles, he has produced two of his proudest films about back home – “Play On” and the ‘bro-tastic’ award winning flick “Into Thick Air”, which follows Story and six of his closest friends from East as they scale the “seven summits of the Midwest”.

Story may not be cutting Super 8 millimeter film with his “movie-ola” machine on his kitchen table anymore, but the lessons he learned about storytelling during his years at East still transfer to his work today.

“I still remember and use things I learned from Mr. Dylan in high school that most people didn’t learn until college,” Story said. “I would definitely credit East as an incubator for anybody that wanted to be creative and take a different approach to something.”

( A B OV E ) Story and his crew film a time-lapse of the sun setting over the Orinoco River in Colombia

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID STORY

( A B OV E ) Story poses with men from the Colombian military during a shoot in the Colombian jungle in 2015

( A B OV E ) Story and crew members in a boat after a day of filming

( A B OV E ) Story paddles as a cameraman films while shooting an episode of Naked and Afraid

GO EAST! A perfect way to wrap up for game day events.

2816 W. 47TH AVE. – KC, KS 66103 www.gusfriedchicken.com

Online 25% discount code:

EASTFAN25

@gusfriedchickenkc #gusfriedchickenkc

913.232.7091

WWW.MERSEA.COM

OTHER WORKS BY NOAH HAWLEY

A review on the book “Before the Fall” by Noah Hawley

N

oah Hawley writes a thrilling, actionpacked novel about 11 people–10 aristocrats and one unfortunate painter–whose worlds literally crash and burn after a fatal plane falls from the sky and into the middle of the ocean.

Not being able to put “Before the Fall” down left me with 60 pages of AHAP reading and an english essay at 1 a.m.

The story takes place on a foggy night on a chartered plane traveling from Martha’s Vineyard to New York. After I was introduced to the pilot and flight attendant, I met one of the other passengers who would soon be my favorite character in any book I’ve ever read: David Bateman. Ladies, if you’re looking to marry rich to Mr. Tall and Handsome, he’s your man. This multimillionaire media magnate is the man who chartered the jet and brought along his down-toearth wife Maggie, daughter Rachel and son JJ. Reading about the Bateman’s and their life of affluence made me want to skip to the part of my life that includes a gorgeous husband, Pampers model-worthy children and a mansion.

Fifty pages in, I was expecting to hear about the sophisticated and souped-up conversations of business deals and how the gin in the martini was the finest liquor money could buy before the plane plummeted into oblivion.

At first I wanted to hear more about the passengers’ lives

Testing the

BY SARAH WILCOX

I

n the last few years, we have seen unforgettable animated movies that appeal to audiences of all ages. For example, “Frozen” and “Inside Out” are two of my all-time favorite movies that kids love but also left adults in tears.

I hoped DreamWorks’ newest film “Trolls” was as entertaining as those. The movie was successful in creating fun, colorful characters, but not much more than that.

After 30 minutes I got over the mesmerizing colors, and realized that the movie lacked a unique plot. I had looked forward to one of Dreamworks’ memorable animation movies, like “Shrek,” but was disappointed to discover that the story line emulated many other children’s movie. Even so, the trolls are absolutely adorable; each has a neon body with a tower of fluffy hair. They all have unique looks, just like their enemies, the Bergens.

of aristocracy; however, Hawley took me in a different direction, and surprisingly I was happy he did. After only 18 minutes of being in the air, the plane descended right out of the sky and into the water below. After the crash, the focus was the investigation which consisted of federal officials trying to find the survivors and where the plane fell. The description of how fast the plane fell put me on the plane, and I looked down to small bumps lathering my arms.

Lastly, I met Scott Burroughs. Burroughs is a recovering alcoholic and struggling artist who is just trying to find his purpose in life. He reminded me of Serena from Gossip Girl – you want to like her, but you just can’t. The first question I asked myself after I read about him was ‘why is this man among successful businessmen and their families on a chartered jet?’

The tone Hawley uses when he describes the flames and debris surrounding the survivors sounded like that cliché plane crash book; however, the personality he gave each character came out during the panic of the crash, and that’s what made the situation intriguing.

Hawley does an impeccable job of describing his characters through their actions during the book. He also takes you through a plot that is typically cliché, and he turns it into a shocking thriller that I can assure will give

THE GOOD FATHER

THE PUNCH A NOVEL

you a fear of flying–in a good way.

GWEN STEFANI

A review on the new animated DreamWorks’ film “Trolls” that came to theaters November 4th The Bergens are ogre-like characters that reminded me of monsters from the movie “Halloweentown.” Once a year on “Trollstice,” the miserable Bergens get the chance to be happy by eating a troll.

The story follows Princess Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick), the future queen troll. She decides to rescue her fellow troll friends after they were captured by the Bergens. Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake), doesn’t appreciate Poppy’s spirit, but joins her along the journey.

After singing and dancing her way through life, Princess Poppy soon learned that the world is not all cupcakes and rainbows.

The movie put me in a good mood, but wasn’t memorable. I was also expecting to leave with a message, something a little deeper than where happiness comes from. Spoiler Alert, it comes from inside.

Life changing, I know.

Kids may be intrigued by the bright colors, but anyone over the age of 10 will not be fooled.

OTHER PEOPLES WEDDINGS

Kendrick and Timberlake’s singing was one redeeming quality of the movie. I can’t deny I found myself humming along to the music, especially Timberlake’s hit, “Can’t Stop the Feeling.”

The songs will not reach the popularity of the Frozen soundtrack, but it was definitely one of my favorite movie albums.

“Trolls” is a basic animated movie, perfect for little siblings or kids you babysit.

Even though I could predict the ending from 30 minutes in, maybe they won’t.

ANNA KENDRICK

the voices behind the trolls

RUSSELL BRAND

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

22

A&E

I

BY RESER HALL

’m going to start off by saying that I am obsessed with sushi and for a landlocked city, the sushi scene in Kansas City is surprisingly strong. I tried to sample three different restaurants based on price to see if the best sushi was

SAKURA

SAKURA WAS SWAMPED for an outof-the-way sushi place. From the sushi bar, you could hear the cheers at the back of the restaurant as the hibachi chefs were shooting flames into the air. I was tempted by the tantalizing smell of the hibachi, but I came for the sushi.

I sat by myself at the sushi bar, which features a mechanical train going around the bar carrying small plates of sushi. Any of those plates can get grabbed by anyone with no need to order anything, which is the setup I favor because people have more options to experiment. My waiter informed me of their pricing system, which is based off two plate colors – the blue plate being $2.60 while the green plate is $3.05. The price is based on what type of sushi is on the plate. As the headlights of the train rounded the corner of the bar for the first time, I became excited.

During my trip to Sakura, I grabbed three types of plates off the train. I grabbed a blue plate of tuna nigiri, which is sliced raw meat over rice. I also grabbed a green plate of daikon radish topped by beef sashimi, which

GOOD

is thinly sliced raw meat, with a jalapeño slice and a tempura shrimp roll. My favorite of the three was the beef sashimi plate. The soft piece of beef sashimi combined with the spicy jalapeño slice made for a sharp aftertaste which was spicy but not overwhelming.

The other two rolls were average at best, but just didn’t do it for me. The tuna nigiri plate tasted mediocre but it had an awkward, soft texture that is not normal for sushi. As for the fried tempura shrimp roll, it had some appealing features but overall wasn’t tasty.

Typically I like anything that is tempurafried, but the fried batter of the shrimp just distracted from the unseasoned shrimp, which caused the whole roll to be a little off.

My experience at Sakura was highlighted by average sushi and the mechanical train.

For the little amount of money spent, you get solid sushi, but nothing special. Sakura would be a good place for families with young kids to introduce sushi to them because of the train and the cheap prices. However, this is not a place for sushi snobs.

3/5

BOB WASABI KITCHEN

ALTHOUGH I SPENT a good 20 minutes looking for a parking place, I was seated at Bob Wasabi Kitchen within two minutes of arriving. Those 22 minutes were well worth it because the sushi was fantastic. Bob Wasabi is a traditional sushi place fused with a modern dining establishment. Classic American 60’s music played in the background while waiters hustled by. All of the chairs and tables had a vibrant style, in addition to the presentation of the food.

I had no problems at Bob Wasabi whatsoever. In fact, I had the best sushi roll I have ever eaten in my life, which was the TNT roll. The TNT roll is a tempura-fried roll with spicy tuna, hamachi and salmon, topped with spicy mayo, sriracha and spicy chili sauce. Imagine sriracha sauce without as much kick mixed with the sweet taste of chili sauce for a second. This combination was a perfect compliment to the roll, but didn’t overwhelm the flavor of the fish. Some things are so good that you find yourself thinking about it a week later, and the TNT roll is that good.

The other two rolls that I ordered didn’t

G R E AT

C‘s SUPREME MAX MADAY NEEDS TWEEZERS

also the most expensive sushi. In my life, I have seen that the more expensive food is typically better, and this principle applies to sushi. Bob Wasabi hurt my wallet the most but treated my stomach the best out of the three restaurants.

disappoint either. I also tried the tuna nigiri, which was tremendous. The fish was fresh, and was seasoned just enough to separate it from normal nigiri. It was far superior to the nigiri at Sakura.

The last thing I ordered was called hamachi kama, which is broiled yellowtail collar. I went off script a little bit and ordered this non-sushi dish. It was awesome and showed the all around quality of the menu.

Even though they are known as a sushi place, they can also make other dishes just as well.

The meat of the dish fell right off the bone and melted right in my mouth.

All of the dishes at Bob Wasabi Kitchen impressed me, and I would go back in an instant. The ticket price here was north of $50, but the sushi was well worth the cost.

Bob Wasabi Kitchen is the best sushi place in Kansas City as far as I am concerned. If you are a sushi snob and haven’t gone to Bob Wasabi Kitchen, it should be at the top of your list. Overall, Bob Wasabi hurt my wallet the most but treated my stomach the best out of the three restaurants.

5/5

S SHI

Sushi restaurants in KC prove that better quality comes with a higher price

JUN’S RESTAURANT

DESPITE ITS PLAIN LOOK from the outside, Jun’s was far from a hole-in-thewall quality sushi place. As I walked in, I was seated in less than a minute, which is always nice. I wandered past the sushi bar where the chefs were cranking out roll after roll.

The dim lighting and soft music added to the overall ambiance as calm and soothing, perfect for a nice meal of sushi.

I decided on three choices, which were the crazy roll, the dynamite roll and the hamachi roll. These caught my eye because hamachi, which is yellowtail, is one of my favorite fish and because I love when tempura is incorporated into sushi.

After about 15 minutes, all the rolls came out at once packed onto one plate with all the rolls smashed up against each other. My favorite of the three rolls that I ordered was the dynamite roll. It’s a tempura-fried, three fish blend of yellowtail, salmon and tuna that mixed very well with the spicy sauce it is served with. The sauce lived up to its name but was not overwhelming with the taste

GOOD

of the fried fish perfectly balancing it. The initial bite was a pleasant mix of crunch and spice, which made it my favorite.

The other two rolls that I ordered were average. The hamachi roll, which consisted of yellowtail wrapped in rice, tasted boring to be frank. The crazy roll, which had a tempurafried shrimp tail, spicy tuna all wrapped in a dull pink piece of soy paper. While the crazy roll was tasty, it was outshined by the dynamite roll. The crazy roll had the best appearance though, considering that some of its ingredients were piling out of the top of it, including the fried shrimp tail.

Jun’s left me with a with a full stomach and a happy mood. It was priced very fairly ($21 for 20 pieces) and for the most part I liked their sushi. This is the place for people new to sushi to experiment with what they like and don’t like as far as sushi goes. I would suggest Jun’s to anyone looking for a solid sushi place, but isn’t willing to pay the big bucks.

4/5 ( L E F T ) A Nigiri roll from Sakura consists of raw tuna on top of white rice.

ELIZABETH ANDERSON ( B E L OW L E F T ) Jun’s Dynamite Roll is a spicy combination of four different fish.

ELIZABETH ANDERSON ( B E L OW ) Bob Wasabi Kitchen’s specialty, the TNT roll.

ELIZABETH ANDERSON

FEATURES

Peanut butter donut with Reese’s peanut butter cups and a chocolate drizzle

DONUTS Donutology, a new restaurant in Westport, is drawing attention for customizable donuts with unique toppings, icings and sauces

23

Glazed white cake donut with M&Ms

Butter cream donut with rainbow sprinkles and a raspberry drizzle

BY MADELINE HLOBIK

BACKGROUND RESEARCH

A new donut shop, “Donutology,” opened up in Westport.

Unlike other donut shops, Donutology allows you to customize your own donuts, and embodies a science-y theme, hence the name “Donutology.”

RESEARCH QUESTION

Does a self-engineered donut ruin the classic glazed or chocolate-sprinkled donut?

HYPOTHESIS

If I order donuts with toppings such as Oreos and peanut butter cups, the flavors will be excessive, making Donutology an inadequate donut shop.

MATERIALS Gold cake donuts Various toppings ranging from Froot Loops to M&M’S Tubs of different flavored icings

PROCEDURE Pick up an order slip from the front of the shop that shows all the possible combinations of donuts you can make. Bubble in the type of donut, icing, toppings and drizzles you prefer. Walk through the assembly line, observing how carefully the workers dip the donuts in buckets of icing and place on toppings. Finally, approach the cash register where an enthusiastic employee will charge you $4.88 for six donuts.

RESULTS

The final products of the donuts were presented in a white cardboard basket. I know I can devour three donuts the size of my face– so at first glance I thought the donuts the size of my palm were too small. Buried under frosting and toppings though, the donuts must’ve miraculously grown because I was stuffed by the time I left.

After a thorough study of the donuts, I found that the interior was fluffy, but not as moist as my typical Krispy Kreme.

However, the presentation of the donuts did surpass that of Dunkin Donuts.

The drizzles zig-zagged perfectly across the donuts, and the toppings were placed neatly in the center of the donut, causing some hesitancy to dig in. But that hesitancy dissolved when a doughy aroma of warm pancake batter rose from the donuts.

Maybe it was the fact that the icing tasted most similar to my regular Boston cream filled Krispy Kreme donut, but the buttercream with rainbow sprinkles and raspberry drizzle proved to be my favorite. The drizzle made the donut fruity, and tasted like jelly donut filling; however, the buttercream contrasted the fruitiness with its rich, whipped cream flavor.

Despite the unusual toppings, the other donuts still won me over. Smelling like a melted Hershey’s bar, the chocolate icing was rich, and the crunchy Oreos showcased the smoothness of the chocolate icing. However, the tower of Oreo crumbles and

wet icing made this donut one that was not ideal for a messy eater like myself.

The peanut butter icing tasted just as predicted – it had a sugary, peanut butter tang, but held a thinner density than actual peanut butter, making it suitable for a donut glaze.

The source of error fell on my part for having such a peanut butter enamor. Due to the size of the donut and the amount of peanut butter ingredients, all that could be tasted was the peanut butter cups. The donut was enjoyable, but when craving something more simple, this would not be the best combination.

Based on my research, Donutology would be an ideal spot for an after-school snack or late-night dessert. The upbeat background music along with the orange and black colored walls complement its lively atmosphere. To contrast the walls, lightbulbs hanging from red and blue wires added a modern vibe.

Clear volumetric flasks filled with Fruity Pebbles, M&M’S and Butterfinger crumbles line the window, and Donutology’s back wall is complete with outer space-esque objects, giving it a distinct trademark.

CONCLUSION

This experiment proved my hypothesis false. Though bizarre sounding at first, obscure toppings, such as Oreo crumbles add to the delectable taste of donuts and aren’t too overwhelming.

With the unique atmosphere and fresh concept, Donutology exceeded my expectations.

VERDICT DONUTOLOGY casual $

$$

medium $$$

Chocolate donut with Oreos and a chocolate drizzle

formal

$$$$

1009 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111 www.donutology.com

Donutology

The concept of Donutology combines candy, science and donuts. Although candy stuffed donuts wouldn’t be ideal for breakfast, Donutology would be perfect for an after-school snack.

4 / 5 S TAR S ( L E F T ) A display of donut toppings line the wall where customers wait to order their food. | CAROLINE MILLS PHOTOS CAROLINE MILLS

24

A&E

EVERYTHING ABOUT

PRAIRIEFIRE What to do and where to go at Prairiefire Overland Park

BY ANNABELLE COOK

A

lthough it’s only a block long, the Prairiefire Shopping Center in Overland Park packs in a variety of adorable boutiques, appetizing eateries, a bowling alley, movie theater and of course, the shopping center’s

crown jewel: their natural history museum. Whether you’re a shopaholic hunting for the perfect KC tee or a history buff wanting to learn more about an extinct species, you’ll discover something for you at Prairiefire.

COCO BOLOS GRILL & CANTINA Coco Bolos puts a vibrant and upbeat flair on authentic Mexican dining, ranging from spicy breakfast burritos to toasted queso dip. Wood paneling and

Coco Bolos Wood-Fired Grill & Cantina

www.cocoboloskc.com PRICE RANGE

$

$$

$$$

a roaring fireplace in the middle of the room contrast the bright colored lights and graffiti murals painted on the walls, adding to the lively atmosphere.

$$$$

ROCK & BREWS RESTAURANT www.rockandbrews.com PRICE RANGE

$

$$

$$$

rockandbrewsop $$$$

Newport Grill Overland Park

www.newportgrillkc.com $

$$

$$$

$$$$

www.grimaldispizzeria.com $

$$

$$$

www.decadentdesertbar.com

grimaldispizzeria

$$$$

rosy color scheme and elegant crystal chandelier, makes you feel like you’re dining at a Parisian café.

decadentcoffeeanddesserts

Decadent Desert Bar PRICE RANGE

$

$$

$$$

$$$$

THRESHING BEE BOUTIQUE Just a flight of stairs above Post Edit boutique, Threshing Bee features a combination of unique and trendy clothing pieces. A full glass wall PRICE RANGE

$

$$

completes the boutique, giving an aerial look out at the rest of the shopping center.

threshingbee

$$$

Threshing Bee

$$$$

ANAPHORA www.shopanaphora.com

GRIMALDI’S PIZZARIA PRICE RANGE

Decadent is a posh bakery with a plethora of enticing desserts, from s’mores dip to homemade Twinkies.

Its glamorous atmosphere, with a

www.threshingbee.com

NEWPORT GRILL PRICE RANGE

DECADENT DESERT BAR

PRICE RANGE

$

$$

$$$

shopanaphora

Shop Anaphora

$$$$

POST/EDIT www.shoppostedit.com PRICE RANGE

$

$$

$$$

shoppostedit

Post / Edit

$$$$

CINETOPIA The comfort of your living room meets a high-tech movie theater inside Cinetopia. This theater offers a luxurious and immersive experience with it’s

www.cinetopia.com PRICE RANGE

$

$$

cinetopia $$$

comfy couch-style seating options and extreme HD screens, turning your basic movie night into an upscale cinematic experience.

Cinetopia Overland Park 18

$$$$

www.museumatpf.com PRICE RANGE

$

$$

$$$

other ancient species feels less like sitting in a science classroom, and more like a field trip from “The Magic School Bus.”

Museum at PrairieFire $$$$

Even if you’re not the athletic type, Pinstripes Bowling Alley is the perfect place for a night of a little friendly competition. Pinstripes packs a bowling alley and bocce ball courts into its

upscale, elegant space. An indoor and outdoor restaurant also accompanies these, perfect for when that lane-side hunger strikes.

www.pinstripes.com pinstripesbbb Pinstripes (Overland Park, KS)

MUSEUM AT PRAIRIEFIRE Transport yourself 243 million years into the past at Prairiefire’s natural history museum With their variety of interactive exhibits, learning about dinosaurs and

PINSTRIPES BOWLING ALLIE

PRICE RANGE

$

$$

$$$

$$$$

THE ART FACTORY www.theartfactorykc.com The Art Factory PRICE RANGE

$

$$

$$$

$$$$

A&E

25

135th ST.

POST/EDIT

THRESHING BEE GRIMALDI’S PIZZARIA

THE ART FACTORY

NEWPORT GRILL

COCO BOLOS GRILL & CANTINA

PR AI R IEFI R E

MUSEUM AT PRAIRIEFIRE

NALL AVE.

ANAPHORA

DECADENT

PINSTRIPES BOWLING ALLIE

OUTLOOK ST.

ROCK & BREWS

CINETOPIA

W 136th TER.

( B E L OW ) Toasted queso dip, spicy salsa and chips at Coco Bolos | KATHERINE ODELL ( FA R B E L OW ) The Threshing Bee logo above the check out desk | ELLEN SWANSON ( L E F T ) A tower of chocolate cupcakes at Decadent Desert Bar | ELLEN SWANSON

( A B OV E ) The balcony outside of the Cinetopia movie theater | KATHERINE ODELL ( L E F T ) The mirrored facade of the Museum at PrairieFire | KATHERINE ODELL

FORGETCAMERA? your

WE DIDN’T www.smephotos.com

H

Q Something Different This Holiday Another season of holiday parties is just ahead. Do something different. Cater Q39’s chef-driven, competition-winning barbeque for your next event. Selections like hickory-smoked brisket, smoked and grilled honey-glazed chicken and apple-brined pulled pork are made fresh daily in Q39’s open scratch kitchen and delivered straight to you.

Call 816-255-3753 ((ext. 3) or visit Q39KC.COM to book your event today.

92.1%

ONE vs.

MANY

BY LUCY PATTERSON

Do you think there are benefits to only playing one sport?

NO

7.9%

YES

36.3%

31.6%

25.8%

54% 28.5%

16%

NONE

How many sports do you play at East?

1.5%

One sport athletes: when did you start playing one sport?

17-18

TWO

6.3%

15-16

sport for 10 or 11 months out of a year - before the age of 12.

“It’s really a shame,” Latz said. “Especially when it’s coaches forcing kids to quit multiple sports to focus on one.”

Although Linscott’s coaches did want her to quit basketball, the demand of her rigorous classes also played a large role in her decision.

“My grades definitely suffered during basketball season,” said Linscott. “I would drop classes to play more sports if I could, but unfortunately, that’s not an option.”

As for the effects of specializing, studies are clear that athletes are more likely to become injured the earlier they specialize, according to Latz. Specifically with swimming, Latz commonly sees women swimmers who develop major shoulder injuries from overuse and repetition of the same motion.

“Going from one sport to another to another is a far safer thing to do than specializing,” Latz said. “But, if you have to specialize, the best thing to do is take some time to let your body rest and recover.”

Linscott is taking steps to prevent injury, including doing strength training with a trainer and stretching often. As for burning out, Linscott doesn’t see that happening in the future.

“With my coach, we train ultra short, so we don’t ever do any long or boring sets, which keeps the practice interesting,” Linscott said.

“Plus, I love my teammates. We spend so much time together that we are one big family, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.”

ONE

which is typically more intense than school or recreation teams.

“It’s important for athletes to play multiple sports to develop proper muscle and bone structure,” Latz said. “It’s also important for athletes to take time off and rest to prevent injury.”

However, girls’ swim coach Rob Cole supports athletes who play one sport.

“First, kids try many sports growing up, and they get to the point when they need to focus on one sport to play in college and get scholarships,” Cole said. “For [Linscott], she needed to make a commitment to swimming, instead of spreading herself out, in hopes of a scholarship.”

Latz has been in the practice for twenty years. Just in that time, he has seen the onesport phenomena take action, and athletes drop from multiple sports to one.

East parent Bill Aliber played three sports as a kid: hockey, lacrosse and football. He then went on to play lacrosse and football at Brown University, a feat almost unheard of even in that time, at the collegiate.

“When I was a kid, everyone played two or more sports [at the high school level],” Aliber said. “However, there were not very many folks that played two sports [at Brown],” In fact, I can only think of a handful that I knew, even in that time where multi sport athletes were much more common than they are today.”

A study published by the NCAA in April 2016 revealed that 90 percent of athletes surveyed started specializing - playing one

12-14

unior Emma Linscott pushes off the final wall of her race. Using all her energy to sprint to the finish, Linscott thrusts both of her hands onto the black touch pad, finishing her 100 yard butterfly. After taking a few short breaths, she turns her head to look at the scoreboard.

Her face falls. She has missed her Junior National cut by just 0.3 of a second.

After this race, Linscott knew that she had to make a change for her upcoming junior year if she wanted to sign to swim at a college.

During basketball season, Linscott could only train for swimming three days a week, putting her behind other recruits. Although she looked up to her teammates and Coach Lauren Lawrence, Linscott knew the right choice was to quit basketball to focus on swimming.

“I love basketball,” Linscott. “I love playing and having the crowd cheer for you. I love the team aspect and my teammates. We were all so close. But, I knew that I wanted to swim in college, as opposed to basketball.”

Many young athletes go through the same struggle Linscott faced. According to Dr. Kevin Latz, Children’s Mercy Sports Medicine Chief, athletes are now choosing to focus on one sport as opposed to older generations where many people played two or more sports.

This trend in one sport specialization has caused Children’s Mercy to see an increase in overuse injuries, especially in women.

In addition to injury, playing one sport can lead to burnout and minimal rest periods, especially when playing at the club level,

THREE OR MORE

J

The next generation of athletes seems to be more one-sport focused

UNDER 12

FOR

OPTING

PHOTO IZZY ZANONE

A poll was sent to all students at East about one-sport athletes. 194 people responded.

28

SPORTS

SPORTS A Preview of the 2016-2017 Winter Sports Season

BY SEAMUS CARROL PHOTOS ELLIE THOMA

GIRLS BASKETBALL GAME PLAN

36

WRESTLING

QUINCY BAIR SENIOR

“We are hoping that we are a lot better than last year, we made a lot of improvements last year but we want even more, and to improve our record. We are looking for a lot of underclassmen who can come on the team and bring some. We are out of our bigs, right now it’s just me and Katie Hise.

We would like a winning season this year and to make it past the first sub-state game.

We had fall conditioning two times a week, to get back in shape. Sometimes we get the shooting machine out and just shoot.

BOYS BASKETBALL

BOWLING

“Even though we lost a big chunk of seniors we will be pretty good this year because the guys that are playing varsity are pretty close with each other. We have a good chance to win a lot of games this year. We can make it to Wichita and win our sub-state and see what happens. Last year [the Sunflower League] was really senior dominated so there is going to be a lot of new faces. That will give us a good chance to play pretty well.

TYLER CUNNINGHAM JUNIOR

“Coming off back to back state titles we are looking for a chance to get a three-peat.

Which has only happened a few times in East history. The top swimmers are senior Hayden Linscott and junior Aidan Hailbrook.

All the kids on varsity have been swimming year-round with different club teams like Swim Academy and Blazers. We want to try and go undefeated in meets this year. There is good competition with Blue Valley North and Lawrence Free State and we want to win our 14th straight league title”

GAME PLAN

CHASE TETRICK SENIOR

“We lost a couple seniors last year but it will still be a lot of fun.

It’s a different sport than East is normally accustomed to. Our team expectation is there is going to be a lot of new people trying out which will be good to fill in some of the gaps that were left last year and there will be a couple returning. All in all it should be a good year. East is generally not as good at bowling as other schools, we are not as competitive about it so we definitely make it fun when we can, but we also kind of like winning. So it’s a mix of both. [Senior] Emma Chalk and I are returning varsity this year so we will both be captains. Last year we made it to state and placed seventh, before that we made it to state and placed ninth.

JACK SCHOEMEN JUNIOR

GAME PLAN

JOHN GORMAN SENIOR

We won districts last year as well as regionals and we expect to the same this year and do a lot better at state, send more people to state than we did last year. I think Coach Goodson will be a very good coach. He was our JV coach last year and he did wondrous things for our JV team. We have coach Delaney and coach Ufford as our two JV coaches so that will definitely put a spin on this.

The whole atmosphere will be a lot different because last year our coach was really laid back, he just wasn’t really organized and didn’t teach us a lot of new stuff we wanted to use. Goodson is more of a get in get out, learn your stuff, and improve upon it guy. I think with Ufford and Delaney will also see an increase of numbers. The Schmidt twins our two seniors, William was in the 170 weight class and placed sixth overall in state and Isaac at 185 weight class placed third in state.

GAME PLAN

SWIMMING

GAME PLAN

State Results

Cross Country Boys - 9th at State Girls - 4th at Regionals Volleyball 3rd at state Girl’s Tennis 2nd place at state in Topeka

Football Won Regionals Nov. 4 against Gardner Edgerton 35-34 Boys Soccer 4th place lost againts WaRu 4-3

SPECIAL

SPORTS

B

BY GRACE CHISHOLM

S

ND S

enior Ruth Fox was drained. After cheering at the football game the night before, she wasn’t sprinting back and forth across the court like she usually does. She wasn’t launching the basketball towards the net as she would at any other Special Olympics tournament.

But halfway through the championship game at Shawnee Mission West on Nov. 5, Ruth’s spark returned.

She squeezed junior Libby Frye into a tight hug. Then, she and Frye were hand-in-hand.

“Come on, Ruth! We’ve got to go play!”

The pair, athlete and unified partner, ran back and forth across the court with hands locked as they continued to battle against Blue Valley North. The Shawnee Mission East team took second place that tournament – an accomplishment sophomore Mary Brazeal called her favorite moment of year.

Senior project co-chair Mick Wiggins has seen moments like these since the beginning of the program last year – hands intertwined, constant high-fives, bright smiles.

“I know [the Special Olympic athletes] so well know that I can tell when [sophomore] Jack Melvin is upset even if he’s trying to hide it,” Mick said. “It’s just like with any of your other friends. You develop that bond, that relationship, and a disability is not going to stand in the way of that friendship.”

At the same time special education athletes are learning new skills such as dribbling a basketball or kicking a soccer ball, regular education volunteers are receiving just as positive a learning experience, according to Mick.

Volunteers say they benefit from the friendships formed even more so than the special education students. These friendships have revealed both the similarities between the athletes and unified partners and the

Special Olympics proves to be beneficial to not only special needs students, but to their volunteers as well

( R I G H T ) Junior Jackson Schultz dribbles the ball towards making a shot

unique personalities of the athletes.

Senior project co-chair Kendall Dunbar realized how similar she and her Special Olympics teammates were when Ruth, Mary and junior Hannah McConville planned to walk to TCBY together one day after school before heading to the football game that night. It was the exact same thing Dunbar would do with any of her other friends, she said.

“Sometimes it felt that [the athletes and I] were different in age,” Kendall said. “I didn’t know that they do the exact same things as [other high schoolers do]. They just do it a little differently. They really are the same as [everyone else is].”

At first, she didn’t understand her Special Olympics friends the way she does now. She didn’t know that Jack’s favorite pre-tournament music is Bruno Mars, or that she can always go to junior Jackson Schultz about the latest KU basketball update – he knows almost every current statistic of his favorite team.

At the start of the program, Kendall and Mick were unsure how to act: it was their first experience interacting with special education students one-on-one. Over time, it became easier, as they learned more and more about their teammates’ personalities.

There are still some barriers to understanding each other – sometimes Ruth barks instead of talking, and Hannah doesn’t talk much at all. But they know now that Jack needs a good old-fashioned pep talk to flip his mood, and Mary is a hard worker who’ll shoot hoops with her dad every day after school to prepare for the next game.

Whether in the middle of a stop-and-go scrimmage or a passing drill during their hour-long seminar practice, the athletes enjoy themselves. Having fun sometimes steers them off track during practice, like when Jack and Jackson grab basketballs instead of practicing bocce

ball.

“It’s exciting when you get to play instead of just staring at [sports on] the TV,” Jackson said.

More than a few funny moments have been shared, from seeing Hannah chase after her unified partner who “had her nose,” to watching Jackson roll around on the floor at their last tournament in order to the get the and-one.

But when game time arrives, each player does their part. For Jackson, that means leading the team in scoring by making layups. For Mary, it’s passing the ball to her teammates so they can shoot.

“I’ve seen sides of the kids that I’ve never seen before when they’re out there,” Mick said. “They really do get competitive. Playing sports really brings out the best in them and their greatest qualities.”

Though some athletes thrive on the competition, the focus is not on the scores according to Tom Schultz, Jackson’s dad. Rather, the program emphasizes the invaluable skills that the kids like Jackson are learning.

Jackson practices responsibility, ensuring he’s on-time to practice with his jersey and shoes ready, and leadership, by passing the ball to someone else on the team if he’s just scored himself.

“The project leaders know that some kids are there to compete and others are there for a social time,” Tom said.

“They do a great job balancing that.”

Whether they’re there for the competition or social opportunity, each athlete has formed a bond with their unified partners. Mick can’t count the number of times he’s heard “When’s our next tournament?” Kendall expects hugs from Jack whenever she sees him in the hallway and from Ruth outside the coffee shop in the morning.

“When we see the smiles on the kids’ faces it makes us happy too,” Mick said. “We’re giving them something they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do and that gives us a sense of accomplishment and happiness.” ( FA R L E F T ) Junior Libby Frye gives Sophomore Jack Melvin defense pointers. ( L E F T ) Junior Hannah McConville and Mary Brazeal share laughs on the sidelines.

PHOTOS AVA SIMENSON

29

913-648-5526 4801 W. 110th St., Ste. 200, OP, KS 66211 Specializing in Retirement Plans, Employee Benefit Programs, Personal Planning & Investments

www.taxfavoredbenefits.com

ACT 14953 W. 101st Terrace Lenexa, Kansas 66215 (913) 492-1337 • Fax (913) 492-1392

BUY ONE GET ONE 1/2 OFF BUY ONEofGET 1/2value OFF one drink equalONE or lesser one drink of equal or lesser value

SPORTS

31

SEASON IN PREVIEW Through stronger offense and upperclassman leadership, the girls basketball team has high hopes for the 2016-17 season

T

BY ANNA MCLELLAND

he girls varsity basketball team is looking to improve last season’s 4-16 record through an upgraded offense and stronger senior leadership.

“I don’t think our record was completely telling of our season [last year],” head coach Lauren Lawrence said.

“We were relatively close in every game, and many games came down to just a few points.”

According to Lawrence, last year, the team found themselves repeatedly winning at the half, but then choking in the third and fourth quarters. With that in mind, the team has made it their goal to play through all four quarters.

They plan to do this by maximizing their speed and agility and making up for their lack of height. This year, the team has lost most of their 5’8’’ and above players, which has resulted in them changing their offense.

“We’re short, little girls,” senior and returning captain Josie Clough, standing at 5’3’’, said.

To make up for their lack of height, the team hopes to perfect their small ball – working the ball to the inside and

making sure they keep the ball in motion. them better prepare new underclassmen.

However, changing their offense is not Clough is expecting a strong turnout the only way the team hopes to improve. from underclassmen at tryouts this By implementing weekly awards, year, including a talented freshman Lawrence hopes this will motivate girls class. Lawrence is also excited about to work harder. Every week the girls will the competitiveness that the skilled vote for the “nail” and the “glue.” The nail freshman will bring, urging girls to be will represent the hardest worker, while competitive and set strong goals for the glue will represent the teammate themselves. who is encouraging and Lawrence is uplifting. excited for the “Our aim quality of “Our aim is for the is for the this year’s upperclassmen to lead in both of upperclassmen team. She these manners..by implementing to lead in both of anticipates this, it will help develop leaders these manners,” that junior aside from just on-court ability.”

Lawrence said.

Katie Hise LAUREN LAWRENCE “And I think by has stepped HEAD COACH implementing this, up to varsity it will help develop level this year. leaders aside from just on-court ability.”

“She is a competitor,” Lawrence said.

Last year, the team had only two “And we could always count on her to seniors, as opposed to their five returning bring some energy to the floor.” seniors this year. Of the five seniors this Despite returning from an ACL year, two are returning captains: Josie injury last year, Haverty is at her prime.

Clough and Kyle Haverty. Because this is Haverty averaged 15 points per game the pair’s second year as captains, they last year, one of East’s highest varsity are hoping that their experience will help averages.

KYLE

JOSIE

CLOUGH

“I think as a junior [Haverty] had just scratched the surface with her potential,” Lawrence said. “She is very offensiveminded and I think she will be looking to make the people around her better.”

Everyone on the team has a goal to improve their record from last year.

According to Clough, they’re hungry.

They want to prove to themselves and to everyone else that they can win, that they’re more than just “short, little girls” that everyone is expecting to beat.

“It’s been pretty tough having so many losing streaks in the past three years,” Clough said. “But this year, I know we’ve got the talent athletically to change that.”

With their first game on Dec. 3, the team has already begun preparation in the weight room. Since Labor Day, they’ve been working out, along with having forty-five minute meetings every Tuesday and Thursday after school.

“We are already in preparation mode for our first tip-off,” Lawrence said.

HAVERTY

SEN OR LEADERS Seniors Josie Clough and Kyle Haverty’s stats from last season

7.4 Highest Points 28 in a Game:

Points Per Game:

Number of Years on Varsity: PHOTOS HALEY BELL

3

15.3 Highest Points in a Game: 34

Points Per Game:

Number of Years on Varsity:

4

As the football season draws to a close, take a look at a typical game day through the eyes of the marching band and drill team leaders

JESSIE PETERSON

marching band drum major

5:50

Go through morning routine and pack a backpack with game day ESSENTIALS

plenty of clothespins

a water bottle

a marching hat plume

snacks to last a whole day

several pairs of black socks

In my sophomore year, we were about to walk onto the field at the K-State [marching] festival when the seam down the side of Bella’s pants just came right open. I only had two clothespins so we stuck one on the leg and one on the waist and pretended like it was fine... so now I make sure I have plenty in case something like that happens.

6:40

Arrive at school after picking up band friends for carpooling; go onto the football field and pull out the drum major podiums

7:00

Start counting latecomers as tardy — the rehearsal lasts until end of first hour

3:0O

Head to part-time job immediately after school, transfering merchandise between locations for Shop Beautiful, a group of stores owned by a neighbor

Sometimes I stop by Goodcents, but most of the time I just snack on trail mix. Some people might notice that I show up to school with a big bag of trail mix and that’s my diet for the entire day. It just gets worse on game days when I don’t get to go home for dinner.

CALL TIME

5:15

Check that everyone is signed up for a bus Make sure that everyone has their uniforms on Check everyone else’s black socks and hand out extra pairs Make an announcement about the four unclaimed hats in her locker

5:45

OPT.

Take role and load up the buses to head to the stadium After unloading at the stadium, tell the band where to sit Move the band to somewhere else that they are supposed to sit Move again once the percussion gets there and are in the wrong spot Move a third time when Mr. Toepfer tells me that we’re in the wrong spot Move the tubas sitting in the back two extra times

6:45

Go down to track behind goal posts to form an ‘E’ with the band and march around the back of the field to prepare for the pre-game show

6:52

Wait for announcer Steve Klein to introduce the band, then march onto the field, playing the national anthem and school song; do a cadence to the side of the field; play the fight song again when the football team comes on

7:00

KICKOFF

For most of the game, it’s a mix of pretending like I know football and getting yelled at by boys who sort of know football (but not as well as they think they do). It’s been a weird experience this year because I actually have to know more about... different kinds of plays with different lengths of time, so that I can decide the different songs to play during that.

8 minutes to halftime

Get ready to go down to the field for the halftime show third quarter begins Take a break to grab food and hang out with members fourth quarter begins Return to playing pep music for fourth quarter end of the game Perform the fight song and the school song after a win

10:15

10:45

Load up the buses and return to East

finally home eat an apple for dinner before bed

Her physical role is to keep tempo and lead the band through their show and pep music for the game, but Peterson has realized that

keeping morale up and keeping people involved and excited about band even as the marching season starts to drag on and on.

BY YASHI WANG

H AY L E Y B E L L

drill team co-captain

6:00

Go through morning routine and put on drill uniform for the school day

6:30

Leave for early rehearsal with marching band every seven period and odd day

7:00

Rehearse outdoors with band starting from late July, even before school starts Now rehearsing indoors as marching season ends and nationals approach

2:40

Load cars with props right after school on halftime show days

Captains and officers each usually get a flag bag or poms or ‘magic carpets’ this year. It sucks because the flags take like ten minutes to carry out to your car, and you have to put all of your seats down and just smash them in there.

3:00

Pick up kids for nannying after school and stay with the kids until 5 p.m.; get ready at their house: hair and makeup to avoid wash out by the stadium lights tight high ponytail with lots of hairspray & gel

stage makeup: winged eyeliner, mascara, tons of blush & bronzer

and the infamous ‘rum raisin’ lipstick

5:00

Usually eat a team dinner at someone’s house, either homecooked or catered: pizza or Chipotle or just something “not too heavy to dance on”

6:15

Need to be at stadium, ready to go out for the preshow with the marching band

7:00

KICKOFF

first & second quarter during second quarter

Dance in the stands and do cadences Head to stadium bathrooms to change

If you’ve ever tried to go to the bathrooms while we’re in there...

I’m so sorry. We’re everywhere.” during halftime

Perform show with band, then change back into uniform

Luckily these past two years we’ve gotten to get out onto the tracks... Prior to my junior year, it had been all cadences in the stands, little pom motions we do every time the band plays.

Now we’ve made up new sideline dances that are really cool, like what collegiate dance teams and most high school dance teams in the area get to perform at football games.”

10:00

Pack up props and head home

get home 10:30

grab food shower pass out

Q&A

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE ON THE TEAM?

I’d say all the seniors are sort of like team moms.

Anna and I are definitely the voices of reason — there are points when you have to be very authoritative and crack down on [the dancers]. I know drill team is fun, we have such a fun time as friends together, but sometimes it’s hard to balance the work with it.”

...YOUR DYNAMIC WITH CO-CAPTAIN ANNA?

SUNDAY Write an in-depth weekly text with co-captain Anna Dierks on which days have early rehearsals, what things to bring, what clothes to wear on certain days.

You definitely have to step back and think about what did they do five years ago when phones weren’t as mobile as they are.

I think Anna’s definitely more organized. Schedulewise she knows what’s going on in the school; she has a lot of connections with people so she gets a lot of the administrative things down, and I think I’m more organized in the classroom setting, getting things done, leading warm ups, etc.

...MOST CHALLENGING PART OF LEADERSHIP?

[Staying on task] or just not knowing the answer sucks. Especially in the dance community, you have to know the counts for everything, and you’re kind of expected to be perfect and know what’s going on at every point in time. Sometimes you have to step back and have a little bit of humility and say ‘I don’t know, you should ask someone who is better at those turns’.