Issue 12

M A RC H 6 2 0 1 7 VO L. LI X ISSUE 12

10:15 Monday, March 6

THE HARBINGER

h

now

THE SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTION East follows the national trend of increased social media use in the classroom slide to page 16-17 for more

GOOGLE CLASSROOM

10 mins ago

New assignment posted in English Hour 5 Due Thursday

TWITTER

1 hour ago

New Tweet from @SMEoffice “Welcome to Spring SME Coaches & Student Athletes!”

> slide to read PEEK INSIDE: COALITION CONCERT PG. 5 GUIDE TO SLEEPING APPS PG. 21 TRAINER LEAVES PG. 29

2

EDITORIAL

HAR B I N G E R S TAF F L I S T S PRI N G 2 01 7 PRINT EDITORSIN-CHIEF Ellie Booton Will Clough Claire Pottenger ASSISTANT PRINT EDITORS Daisy Bolin Grace Chisholm

Betsy DeVos should not beIndian confirmed

by Senate for sake Native of public schools history and culture Shawnee Mission North’s mascot misrepresents American

F OR: 1 0

AGAI N S T: 2

T

he Indian has been the beloved mascot of Shawnee Mission North High School since its founding in 1922. Twenty-five years ago, the former chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma signed a resolution giving North permission to keep the Indian as their mascot. But after recent social media attention, the tribe’s current chief, Glenna Wallace, decided to pursue the redaction of the resolution.

After voicing her opinion of North’s mascot on Facebook, Lawrence High School senior Madison McKinney rolled in 376 likes and 504 shares. After playing a basketball game at North, she found the representation of the Indian to be disrespectful and insensitive.

“I dread playing here at Shawnee Mission North,” McKinney said in her post. “Having an ‘Indian’ as your mascot is bad enough, but to have your school call their values ‘tribal tenants,’ your band yell ‘Do it for your culture’ [...], and to do the tomahawk chop during the starting lineup... This is beyond disrespectful.”

LHS took action in response to the viral post by replacing all of the school mascot banners in their gym with new ones that bear the Sunflower League logo. East should take the same action to display our stance on the issue.

In an article by the Shawnee Mission

Post, Wallace explains that the depiction of North’s mascot does not accurately represent the Shawnee tribe. The image of North’s mascot depicts a Great Plains Indian, but the Shawnee tribe originally came from Ohio, making them Eastern Woodlands Indians. This key aspect of their history is dishonored by the inaccurate representation of the Indian mascot.

The North student body claims to proudly represent the cultural history of the Shawnee tribe – their band is even chants, “Do it for your culture” at basketball games. Yet this history is misrepresented in the image of their mascot.

The Harbinger supports this decision and believes that North’s use of the mascot does not showcase Native American history a respectful or representative way. It would be unheard of to have a black person, a Jewish person or an LGBTQ+ person as a mascot, because it is clear that an entire race, religion or group of people should not be reduced to a trivial costume. The same logic applies to having an Indian as a mascot.

Attempting to emulate the culture and history of Native Americans comes off as mocking and disrespectful. A school or a team is not a tribe. Therefore,

a school has no place attempting to take on the culture of a tribe through bearing images like a profile of a tribe chief or sacred eagle feathers.

The image of a chief in a headdress has become cartoonish, trite and demeaning.

Many ignorant, uninformed students are led to believe that all Native Americans wear feathered headdresses. But most people don’t know that each eagle feather on a headdress must be earned through some example of hard work or dedication.

By using an Indian as a school mascot, the headdress is represented as more of a costume than a symbol of achievement.

The offense taken by Native Americans is preventable by doing away with the Indian as North’s mascot. Some argue that doing so would be extremely expensive ­— all the banners, uniforms, signs, and spirit wear would need to be changed — or that it would upset devoted alumni. But, the benefits of honoring an oppressed culture outweigh the time, energy and money it would take to transition.

East should take action by not displaying the Indian mascot in our building, and SMSD should respectfully comply with the objections of the Shawnee tribe by considering a different mascot for North.

MORE MISREPRESENTATIONS Other sports teams with insensitive mascots

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

CLEVELAND INDIANS

ATLANTA BRAVES

ART & 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 SECTION EDITORS SPREAD- Katie Hise NEWS- Abby Walker and Kaleigh Koc SPORTS- Emily Fey, Reser Hall and Jet Semrick FEATURES- Ellie Mitchell and Brooklyn Terrill A&E- Sean Overton, Annabelle Cook and Pauline Shaver EDITORIAL- Will Tulp OPINION- Annie Jones, Gracie Kost and Liddy Stallard EASTIPEDIA- Scout Rice HUMANS OF SMEASTLucy Hoffman EDITORIAL BOARD Morgan Biles Daisy Bolin Ellie Booton Grace Chisholm Will Clough Ellie Cook Celia Hack Caroline Heitmann Courtney McClelland Claire Pottenger Robbie Veglahn Marti Fromm Reser Hall

COPY EDITORS Morgan Biles Daisy Bolin Ellie Booton Will Clough Ellie Cook Emily Fey Marti Fromm Harrison Gooley Celia Hack Reser Hall Caroline Heitmann Madeline Hlobik Anna Kanaley Lizzie Kahle Courtney McClelland Mac Newman Sean Overton Claire Pottenger Robbie Veglahn Abby Walker PAGE DESIGNERS Anna Dierks Elias Lowland Will Tulp Meg Thoma Katie Hise Gracie Kost Ava Johnson Annie Jones Carolyn Popper Sean Overton Lucy Patterson Lila Tulp Grace Padon Emily Fey Liddy Stallard Caroline Chisholm Sarah Wilcox Annabelle Cook Abby Walker Lizzie Kahle Emma Vaughters STAFF ARTISTS Will Tulp Maya Stratman ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Diana Percy Ellie Thoma MOBILE MEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Audrey Kesler SME PHOTOS EDITOR Carson Holtgraves PHOTOGRAPHERS Allison Stockwell Annie Lomshek Ava Simonsen Elizabeth Anderson Ellen Swanson Ty Browning Laini Reynolds Grace Goldman Izzy Zanone Katherine Odell Libby Wilson Maddie Smiley Charles Manne Morgan Plunkett Sophie Storbeck Lucy Morantz Katherine McGinness Luke Hoffman Reilly Moreland Audrey Kesler

WRITERS Gracie Kost Maya Stratman Elizabeth Ballew Kaleigh Koc Lucia Barraza Pauline Shaver Alex Freeman SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Annabelle Cook Grace Padon ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Lucy Hoffman SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Lucia Barraza Katherine McGinness Morgan Plunkett Alex Freeman Reilly Moreland ADS MANAGER Grace Chisholm BUSINESS MANAGER Caroline Chisholm CIRCULATION MANAGER Elizabeth Anderson SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Sarah Wilcox CONTEST COORDINATOR Daisy Bolin VIDEO EDITOR Diego Galicia ASSISTANT VIDEO EDITOR Nic Bruyere VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Cole Conderman INTERACTIVES EDITOR Will Tulp PODCAST EDITOR Reser Hall LIVE BROADCAST EDITORS Will Hembree Peyton Watts ANCHORS Avery Walker Peyton Watts MULTIMEDIA STAFF Drake Woods Avery Walker Will Tulp Nic Bruyere Sophie Storbeck Anna Dierks Peyton Watts Will Hembree

A breakdown of school, local and nationwide news

BY MAYA STRATMAN

EAST

SPRING SPORTS Take a look at when the first game for each spring sport will be

3/ 7 3/ 24

States to have budget deficiencies in 2018

Overland Park working for public safety

SPRING SPORT TRYOUTS started Feb. 27 and tryouts bring a new face in the athletic department after Ermanno Ritschl, East’s boys golf coach, retired. Evan Scobie will be coaching boys golf as a new springs sports coach.

Previously, Scobie taught at Pembroke Hill School and is now teaching golf for a living at Kansas City Country Club. He is also competing in the Midwest section of the Professional Golf Association, making him well-equipped with teaching skills and experience in boys golf.

Although a challenge for Scobie will be getting to know new faces and personalities, he said he’s looking forward to building relationships with the players and families this season, as well as being part of a team that has a reputation of a lot of success, having won state golf last year.

“It’s hard not to be excited about a team that’s such a good team,” Scobie said.

When they’re not competing, Scobie wants the golfers to serve as cheerleaders for their teammates. He also expresses how bringing the students confidence in this sport is crucial. Scobie is thrilled to be teaching a larger group of boys.

“I’m very excited [to be a lancer],” said Scobie. “Now that I’m at a bigger school [this is] where I want to be. [I want to be] around a competitive environment so I’m very excited.”

FIRSTS:

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Boys Golf gets new coach from KCCC

DURING HIS ANNUAL State of the City address on Feb. 22, Mayor Carl Gerlach of Overland Park shared his plan for neighborhood stabilization and public safety proposal.

Gerlach argued that “quality of place” was critical for keeping the neighborhoods in Overland Park strong. He said a new neighborhood rental registration and inspection program will launch in July. The program is directed at ensuring properties pass “good condition” inspection in order to make investment in the city more desirable.

Overland Park is aiming to have all residential properties registered with the city, along with being scheduled for exterior inspections within two years.

To aid in the public safety, the city is undertaking the task of incorporating 10 new police department positions.

“I’m all for more public safety,” Rebecca Legill, parent of sophomore Trinity Legill, said. “[In reference to government exterior inspections] unless I researched it thoroughly I’m not one to like the government telling me and my neighbors what to do. I do see how it could benefit on the national level and make business growth more viable.”

Legill continued to say how because of Overland Parks proximity to East and Prairie Village will benefit from anything Overland Park does.

Gerlach’s goal is to make Overland Park a more desirable place to live in the future.

BASEBALL GAME

Edmond Memorial HS

TRACK MEET SM East

3/ 25 3/ 28

FOR THE 2018 FISCAL YEAR, 24 states are predicted to have budget insufficiencies according to PBS and the National Association of State Budget Officers. This will affect education as budget cuts are being proposed.

Colleges would have to “largely fend for themselves” without increasing tuition, News-Leader reported.

For short term solutions, states are suggesting massive cuts to a few programs. Democratic Governor Daniel Malloy proposed a budget that includes about $200 million in new taxes and cutbacks on state employee labor costs in Connecticut. This would shift teacher pension costs to cities according to PBS news.

Kansas state officials have expected a budget shortfall of $346 million for this fiscal year. A proposal to increase income tax rates and eliminate controversial tax exemption was drafted to revive this situation.

But balancing the budget is said to require bigger steps by fiscal overseers. States are still struggling with federal spending cuts, PBs explains, which is putting pressure on state and local budgets.

“Congressional Republicans are outlining their own budget proposals that could drastically change how Congress allocates federal funds,” Frazee wrote.

SWIM MEET

3/ 30

TENNIS MATCH

3/ 30

SM Northwest

SM East

SOCCER GAME

SM North

SOFTBALL GAME

Maurer Field

( R I G H T ) Senior Stanley Morantz reaches for the ball during the South game | AUDREY KESLER

the

har

bin

S H AW 7500 N E E MIS Mission SIO N EA Rd, ST H Prairie IGH Village, SCH OOL KS 66208

ger

( B E L OW ) Mr. Appier helps warm up for the ping pong tournament against KCC | LIBBY WILSON

PHOTOS OF THE

WEEK

( A B OV E ) Junior Kirsten Erickson works on her lab for IB Chem | IZZY ZANONE

4

NEWS

STICKING to SENORITY

PHOTO MORGAN BROWNING

Senior class discusses a petition going against sophomores parking in the senior lot

T

BY MARTI FROMM

he senior class is discussing starting a petition to not allow sophomores to have access to parking passes due to the lack of spots for all seniors. The idea of a petition was provoked after the seniors felt like the amount of sophomores parking in the lot became out of control, senior Hope Hess said.

According to assistant principal Britton Haney, the problem began after about 40 seniors and 20 juniors did not buy passes at the start of the year, but the upperclassmen still park on campus anyway. The school has been selling passes to sophomores for the past two years, and 60 is the highest amount of unsold passes East has ever had.

Because there were so many leftover passes, administration sold the remaining 60 to sophomores – each for $30 per semester.

Therefore, the seniors that didn’t buy a pass for first semester have no alternate options on where to park because there are no remaining passes to buy. According to Haney, sophomores would not have the opportunity to buy a pass if all of the upperclassmen bought one.

“The seniors would like to think it is the sophomores’ faults for not being able to park in the senior lot, but it’s the class of 2017 who let the system down by trying to not buy a pass,” Haney said.

According to Hess, the main concern is that the sophomores are not respecting the privileges seniors have had in the past, such as parking closer to the main office. Aside from the past two years, students parked in their respective class lots – the same lots as they are now. Since most seniors have been

waiting to park in the lot for two years, they are frustrated that seniority has not carried over this year.

“It’s not fair because we had to park in the sophomore lot when we were their age,” Hess said. “I don’t care if you don’t want to walk that far. Seniors in high school shouldn’t be parking on Delmar Street.”

Haney said administration is trying their hardest to correct the issue by encouraging upperclassmen to buy passes, even if it’s just for a quarter or semester.

However, administration has also been consistent about giving tickets to those without a pass and emailing all students about the consequences of not following school policy – students without passes must park on Delmar Street or in the sophomore lot. However, students are still unhappy with

LANCER VOICE

Based on grade level, different students have different reactions to sophomores being able to buy parking passes at semester

SOPHOMORE HALLIE HIGGASON

The sophomore lot was filling up because freshman are all getting cars now and I got a parking pass so I could park in the [senior lot].”

the situation.

After senior Chloe Azorsky posted in the senior Facebook group on Feb. 21 about starting a petition, the Feb. 23 daily announcements were sent to all students – a portion of the email read, “those who cannot follow [the] policy will receive a parking ticket and in some cases other school consequences.”

Because of Haney’s email, Azorsky has decided to hold off on the petition for the time being. However, if she doesn’t see a change, she will decide if doing the petition is still necessary.

“The petition would be for the future seniors because it’s too late to kick the current sophomores out,” Azorsky said. “I want to see [administration] make an effort to fix the problem for the future to make [parking] fair.”

SENIOR MICK WIGGINS

[Sophomores] need to wait their turns to park in the senior lot. Otherwise, they are going to be complaining about the same thing when they are seniors and they aren’t going to have any right to complain about it.”

NEWS

5

PERFORMER

PROFILE

CONCERT for a

Caroline Blubaugh & Sam Fay

it was really nerve wracking waiting to get on and when we first got on stage, but as we got more comfortable performing, it was really fun and enjoyable

BY LUCIA BARRAZA

A

crowd of 70 students and adults gathered in the basement of Country Club Christian Church on Feb. 25th to listen to live music and raise money and awareness for Syrian refugee relief.

Just from the 70 attendees’ donations alone, $1,450 was raised.

Although the concert was supposed to be fun and entertaining, it had a serious mission. The concert’s main goal was to raise money to help children in Syria. Since war has destroyed the majority of Syria’s schools and hospitals, the money raised will help Syrian children get an education and medical care. Admission into the concert was free, but donations to support the refugees was strongly advised.

After the concert, all of the donated money was sent to the Syrian Relief and Development worldwide organization.

From there, the money will be used to

PHOTOS ELLIE THOMA

provide education, both online and in the classroom, to Syrian refugees who had to drop out of school due to war. Food and medical supplies will also be sent to areas of need in Syria.

Up until this year, the concert has supported the Love146 charity–an organization that helps sex trafficking victims. This year Coalition decided to go in a different direction and support the Syrian Relief and Development organization. “[Syrian Relief and Development] is very relevant right now and needs our attention,” Coalition board member Kirsten Erickson said.

The performances by 13 predominately East bands and solo acts, ranged from soft ukulele songs, sweet guitar-vocal duets, original pieces and even rap.

While a few of the bands had played at the Love Concert in the past, there was an

adult band, a band from Rockhurst High School and many other first-time performers this year. Three freshman acts performed as well including the opening act, a four-person boy band named Whiplash.

“We were nervous, but I just thought ‘We have to get up there and perform anyway so why be nervous,’” Whiplash lead singer Aidan Connelly said. “[We were also] joking around a lot beforehand [to calm our nerves].”

In the eyes of Coalition sponsor David Muhammad, the concert was a success. He believes the performances went smoothly; a large sum of money was raised and both the audience and the musicians had fun.

“It’s so easy to just do a fundraiser and just check it off,” Muhammad said. “But when you get an event that gets people feeling like they were actually a part of it [it’s so much better].”

Oliver Nichols

I really enjoyed playing and seeing all the different genres of music that came out and performed

Siddharth Choudhury

( A B OV E ) Senior Ava Jones watches the ( A B OV E ) Mr. Mu gives an impromptu stage with admiration. | ELLIE THOMA performance, reading a rap he had written on his phone. | ELLIE THOMA

( A B OV E ) As the crowd goes wild, junior Caroline Blubaugh laughs with relief after finishing her performance. | ELLIE THOMA

[The whole experience] was very awesome. My main goal was to hype up the crowd but I ended up getting more energized at the end of the performance.

see page 32 for more pictures from the concert

NEWS 72

6

FROM THE

GROUND UP 98

98

Overland Park hopes to build a new $27 million dollar complex by June 2018

72

98

BY LIZZIE KAHLE

T

he proposed 96-acre Olathe Soccer Complex is moving towards becoming a reality on March 7. After the Olathe Planning Commission unanimously voted “yes” to the development of the complex on Feb. 13, head developer Michael Christie will be asking the Olathe City Council to approve and provide funding for the $27 million project.

The new complex will consist of nine soccer fields, a three story 120-room hotel and 27,000 acres of retail space. The area will be located southwest of Ridgeview Road and K-10 highway.

If the proposal comes to pass, Christie’s project would add to the area’s supply of real estate developments anchored by outdoor soccer fields.

According to Pete Heaven, an attorney representing Christie, studies show that there is a need for more soccer fields in the area. Christie’s goal is with an access to more fields, it will inturn bring more skilled, year-round players to high schools, as well as an increase in property value and revenue for Olathe.

Though this new complex won’t directly affect the East soccer teams, many year-round club players that double as East players, as well as future players, will now have easier access to nicer and more playable fields.

This complex is similar to ones in Overland Park, Kansas City and Grandview, yet Christie is confident it will attract more than just soccer players. According to Heaven, the overall project is expected to draw more than 1.3 million visitors per year.

The new complex will be comparable to Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex near 135th street and Switzer, both being on 96 acres; however the Overland Park complex consists of 12 fields while the new one would only have nine. Yet, the adjoining retail space and hotel will make it unlike any complex

in the metro area.

Sophomore Charley Colby, a year-round club soccer player and varsity soccer player for East, believes this new complex will be beneficial to all club teams – especially for tournaments.

“With the hotel [at the complex], we wouldn’t have to travel to faraway places for tournaments,” Colby said. “Also, it’ll be nice to have turf fields, unlike [Heritage Soccer Park] where we usually play.”

Having a hotel along with the additional retail space in the complex will bring more tournaments to the area, making Olathe the next soccer “hub.” Heaven believes this new complex will be easy access for everyone, due to its location off of K-10.

He is confident that the council will choose to go forth on the project because the land is perfect for soccer.

“It’s partially the terrain,” Heaven said. “It’s a tough piece of property to develop in a commercial sense. Plus, you can see there are high power lines, which would discourage commercial development, yet are perfect for soccer and athletic fields.”

Developers are planning on asking the city for a combination of Tax Increment Financing and a Community Improvement District to help offset some of the costs by allowing developers to add sales tax within a development project. In Christie’s case, this means an additional one percent increase on local and state taxes to fund the project, with the expectation that the development will raise property value and bring revenue.

Tim Daneberg, a spokesman for the Olathe City Council, said in an interview with Fox4KC that any time CID and TIF are on the table, the council is “very, very careful...that there is a true and tangible return on any investment for [their] taxpayers, both in short and long-term.”

Though this will be the fifth soccer complex in the area,

CE I O V R NCE

LA

How would the new soccer complex benefit you and your team?

SOPHOMORE ZACH BASS

There will be more fields and better turf. The new complex would also bring in better competition from differnt states.

developers said two soccer clubs have already agreed to lease the fields if the project goes forward. Heartland Soccer Club, which has more than 30,000 kids enrolled, will rent the fields on weekends and manage the complex while Sporting Olathe Club will rent the fields during the week. This will prove to council members that though the cost for the project is high, it will be beneficial in many aspects.

Assuming the council grants approval, the developers plan to begin construction immediately and have the first soccer field ready to go in time for tournament play in June 2018.

NEW OP COMPLEX BY THE NUMBERS

8 9 96

RETAIL SHOPS TURF FIELDS ACRES AT THE NORTWEST CORNER OF 106TH AND K-10 HIGHWAY

120

ROOM HOTEL

FRESHMAN MARGARET NEWMAN

It will be easier for practices, especially for people who don’t live as close. If the weather is bad we would never have to cancel practice.

2017 schedule For more informations, visit www.lancerlacrosse.org

FRESHMAN

DATE

TIME

3/6

6:30 p.m.

3/22 7:00 p.m.

3/28 6:00 p.m.

FACILITY

Lee’s Summit North Blue Valley HS Rockhurst HS

4/8

12:30 p.m.

Ladue

4/8

4:00 p.m.

St. Louis Desmet

4/19 6:00 p.m.

Shawnee Mission East

4/27 6:00 p.m.

Shawnee Mission East

4/29 2:00 p.m.

Blue Valley HS

5/6

JV Tournament

TBD

OPPONENT DATE

LS North 3/8 3/25 3/28 BV JV 3/31 4/1 4/2 Rock Fresh.

4/6 4/10 Ladue 4/12 4/17 4/19 Desmet 4/22 4/24 Olathe East 4/27 4/28 4/29 Rock Fresh. 4/29 5/2 5/5 BV JV 5/11 5/17 TBD 5/19

TIME

6:15 p.m.

2:15 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

5:45 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

3:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

11:00 a.m.

1:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

TBD TBD TBD

FACILITY

type

OPPONENT

Shawnee Mission North Game Northland Shawnee Mission East Game Olathe East Blue Valley Highschool Game Blue Valley Shawnee Mission East Game BV West St. Louis University HS Game SLUH St. Louis Desmet Game Desmet Rockhurst HS Game Rockhurst Shawnee Mission North Game Mill Valley Shawnee Mission North Senior Night Blue Valley Shawnee Mission East Game LS West Shawnee Mission East Game LS North Rockhurts University Game St. Thomas Aquinas Shawnee Mission North Game SM South East Parking Lot Depart for Milwaukee Milwaukee Game Kettle Moraine Kettle Moraine H.S. Game Glenbrook North Kettle Moraine H.S. Game Hamilton SE ODAC Game Olathe South Pembroke Game Pembroke TBD Game Quarter Finals UMKC Game Semi-Finals UMKC Game LAKC Championship

DATE

JV SCHEDULE TIME

FACILITY

3/8

8:00 p.m. Shawnee Mission North

3/25

4:30 p.m. Shawnee Mission East

3/28

6:30 p.m.

4/1

4:00 p.m.

4/2 12:00 p.m.

Blue Valley HS SLUH

OPPONENT

Northland

Olathe East Blue Valley SLUH

St. Louis Desmet

Desmet Rockhurst

4/6

6:00 p.m.

Rockhurst HS

4/8

2:30 p.m.

Shawnee Mission East

4/10 8:00 p.m. Shawnee Mission North

LS West Mill Valley

4/12 8:00 p.m. Shawnee Mission North

BV North

4/18 6:15 p.m.

Shawnee Mission East

LS North

4/22 6:00 p.m.

Rockhurst University

Aquinas

4/24 8:00 p.m. Shawnee Mission North 4/25 6:15 p.m. Shawnee Mission East

SM South BV West

4/26 6:15 p.m. Shawnee Mission North Leavenworth 4/28 6:00 p.m.

5/2

8:00 p.m.

5/5

5:30 p.m.

5/6

TBD

Shawnee Mission East

Lawrence

ODAC

Olathe South

Pembroke

Pembroke

JV Tournament

TBD

With the prevalence of digital music outlets, radios have become outdated for millenials

RETIRING the

RADI I

’m dragging my backpack and half-made lunch to my car, hair yet to be brushed after rolling out of bed at 7:24 a.m.

I peel out of my driveway, speeding down my street to try to avoid an inevitable tardy. I’m late again, and as I snatch the tangled aux cord in my car I realize my phone is still on my bed.

Shoot.

I’m forced to push the dreaded FM Radio button and suffer through overplayed and irritating music. But before the obnoxious four-month-old Maroon 5 song plays, I sit through the muffled voices of radio hosts bantering about how well their maids make their beds.

In this moment there’s nothing I want more than for one of my 24 Spotify playlists to be roaring through the speakers in my car, but instead I’m stuck listening to “Closer” by the Chainsmokers on Mix 93.3. When I try to flip stations, the

same song is playing at the same time and I let out a grunt. I instinctively sing along, knowing every word because of the hundreds of times I’ve heard it by now. But for the entire seven minute drive to school, I sulk, anticipating the song to still be in my head during third hour.

It’s these mornings without my beloved, personalized music that I realize how irrelevant the radio is.

With all the new advancements in music streaming technology, many people are quick to assume that traditional radio is dying – and I can’t help but agree. Listeners are losing interest in the constant static and irritating commercials of the radio, and becoming more interested in the digital gadgets on our phones that adapt to our listening habits.

With the first radio broadcast in 1906, it seems about time for fresh ways of broadcasting music to emerge. And with its repetitive music choices, radio stations tend to support the

SME Says...

Do you listen to the radio on a daily basis?

Yes 41.6% 58.4% No

Do you listen to a music streaming service (i.e.

Spotify, Apple Music) on a daily basis?

Yes 95.5%

fact that they are indeed outdated.

I almost never consider reaching for the radio, only damning myself if absolutely necessary to avoid silence. And why would I, when I can hum along to any song I want from Spotify, Soundcloud or Apple Music?

At the end of 2016, the number of Spotify users came close to 100 million, according to the $400 million company.

Forty million of those users are paying subscribers like me who understand that investing in your music streaming service is well worth the $9.99.

By paying the small price each month, I can listen to my music uninterrupted by McDonald’s ads, download playlists to have with me anywhere I go and even get higher audio quality. Nothing close to anything the radio could ever offer me.

However, I won’t blame death of the radio all on my picky music ideals. I’d also point a finger or two at companies who refuse to use the radio as their source for ads, knowing that it won’t reach as many people as social media or television will.

In those scarce moments when I have little choice but to actually listen to the radio and an advertisement for Botox treatments starts, I immediately jump to the next channel in hopes of avoiding it. Dealing with this ad to song to as to song cycle becomes tiresome and definitely not worth the bitter mood it puts me in.

So, to me, the radio is pointless. Maybe those who adore sleep-inducing news, finance and podcast channels will disagree, but for fellow music lovers like me, online music streaming will forever be preferred.

Even though I’ve already been through three much loved aux cords — all retiring after extensive use and fraying wires — the freedom of hearing my own song choices blaring through my speakers will forever trump the infuriatingly impossible riddle of the day on 95.7 The Vibe.

*Based on a poll sent out to the student body composed of 189 responses

No 4.5%

Which do you prefer listening to: the radio, or your personal music?

Personal music 94.9%

Radio 5.1%

OPINION

9

JANE’S COMPLAIN C A M PAIG N

Jane Elliot, the inventor of the “blue eyes brown eyes” experiment visited East to educate students on racism, however her condescending presence overtook the power of the message and failed to reach students positively

BY RESER HALL

“I

will offend all of you in these first five minutes of my presentation,” activist Jane Elliott bellowed as she began the second session of the all-school assembly.

Elliott’s presentation was planned to be an informative assembly about the impact of racism in today’s society and her famed “blue eyes brown eyes” experiment.

Instead, the white haired, 83-yearold ended up briefly touching on her revolutionary experiment and instead decided to go on tangents about the current political landscape. She didn’t end up presenting solutions or help the racism problem in our school. Elliott made the problem worse and divided the student body even more.

When I first heard that Jane Elliott was coming to East, I was intrigued. She is a former teacher that proved that bias could be created almost instantly through the “blue eyes brown eyes” experiment. I had never heard her ideas about today’s racism in our nation, and I was excited to hear what solutions she would propose.

I picked up on two major highlights as a white conservative male in the audience during her inflammatory presentation.

First, she stated that we were witnessing the Hitlerization of America and second, she stated that if she were a little bit taller she would cut down half of the Republican party.

These were two moments in the assembly that caused me to cringe. Why

do you have to bring politics into this? All it did was take away from Elliott’s message and make people angry who initially came into the auditorium with an open mind.

I am so sick of the childish comparison between Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler.

I want to make something very clear –– Donald Trump is not Adolf Hitler, nor is he a Nazi. The fact that they are even compared is just another narrative created by the left to delegitimize the Trump presidency.

Elliott’s comparisons don’t add up between Trump and Hitler. After all, Trump supports pro-Israel policies, such

Imagine if a conservative speaker said the same things about Democrats; Hillary Clinton herself would be outside picketing Shawnee Mission East in support for her fellow Democrats.

RESER HALL JUNIOR

as promoting Israel’s protection against their enemies that surround them, while Hitler tried to exterminate and rid Europe of all Jewish people. The comparisons are sickening and take the shock value out of the Holocaust. Normalizing calling people who differ in opinion Nazis because they don’t agree with you should never happen due to the seriousness of the issue.

That being said, there is no Hitlerization of America, and there will never be. This is guaranteed through the checks and balances of our political system.

How Elliott’s presentation turned into a political rant targeting not only President Trump, but Republicans in general can be blamed on one thing: the lack of a script.

Instead of coming to the presentation prepared, Elliott came and said what was on her mind which ended up consisting of mostly hate towards the Republican party.

I understand that Elliott is not an accurate representation for what most of the left believes in, but, to get on stage and advocate for the death of people because they differ in political beliefs was mindboggling. I understand there are people on either side of the political spectrum that don’t represent their party well, but this took it to a new level. Imagine if a conservative speaker said the same things about Democrats; Hillary Clinton herself would be outside picketing East in support for her fellow Democrats.

Racism is a complex issue and will require a complex solution to go along with it. Presenting a rational speech with actual solutions is the first step. Spewing rhetoric about how we are watching the Hitlerization of our nation or how Elliott would cut down half of the Republican party is not the answer. People on both sides will probably agree when I say it was inappropriate to bring politics into the discussion. Elliott’s goal heading into the assembly was to make the audience question themselves about racism, but none of the questions that I had leaving the auditorium that morning had anything to do with racism.

PHOTOS DOW TATE PHOTO MORGAN BROWNING

Do you feel that Jane Elliot’s visit will help decrease the amount of racism at East?

8.8%

YES NO MAYBE

49.3% 42%

1 in 4 students felt personally offended by Jane Elliot’s speech

95.7% students felt that Jane Elliot brought her own political views into her speech *out of 467 poll participants

10

PHOTO ESSAY ( L E F T ) As the nurse inserts the needle, junior Henry Meeds cringes at the piercing pain in his arm. “I went in thinking I’ll just get this done with, but once I saw the nurse start to put the needle into my skin I had to look away,” Meeds said. | ANNIE LOMSHEK ( B E L OW ) Following the nurse’s directions, senior Liam George presses a cloth against his arm while holding it in the air in order to stop his bleeding. After his arm was bandaged, George was instructed to stand up and hold still for a minute because the nurse was worried his height might cause him to pass out. | CARSON HOLTGRAVES

giving

BLOOD to give BACK

Students volunteered and donated blood at the community blood drive held in the cafeteria on Feb. 18.

( A B OV E ) Senior Diego Galicia lies down after giving blood to avoid passing out.

About six minutes into giving blood, Galicia started to feel lightheaded because he hadn’t eaten before donating. “I regret not eating breakfast that day, but I don’t regret saving those lives,” Galicia said. | CARSON HOLTGRAVES

( A B OV E ) Seniors Haley Lynch and Bria Foley volunteer as bed buddies and talk to a donor as she gives blood. Bed buddies were used to distract the donors from the needle in their arm. “People will give blood faster if they aren’t thinking about it,” Foley said. “Sometimes if they are thinking about the needle, the blood will come out slower.” | HALEY BELL ( L E F T ) While most people can’t look at the arm the needle was stuck in, senior Will Seitz takes photos while his blood is being drawn and sends them to his friends. “I don’t really get queasy around blood,” Seitz said. | HALEY BELL

OPINION

BY CELIA HACK

T

11

A CITY DIVIDED

Neighborhoods’ racist past needs to be understood to change future

here is a certain beauty in the symmetry of suburbia.

I personally saw it as a child growing up in Fairway, maybe around 9 years old. I would ride my bike under the crystal green leaves of the oak trees that lined my street precisely, two in each lawn. I imagined them as knights, standing just so and holding their swordlike branches above my head to welcome me home. The ranch houses were castles that lined the street, and their lengthy lawns, setting the houses far back from the curb, were like moats. This was the beauty I saw.

Of course, it was a beauty understood as a 9-yearold, a beauty that a child had concocted out of ignorance and limited exposure. I grasped it like a lollipop between sticky fingers – this perfect world was mine, and I was reluctant to let it go.

Yet I did, but only after I took the time to discover why I needed to. As I looked further into the history of Kansas City and the neighborhood I live in, it became clear that my suburbia did not arise from barbecues and friendly neighbors. Its history, and the history of a few other notable neighborhoods around Shawnee Mission East, is racist and ugly. And though I can’t take responsibility for what occurred, I need to understand this past to prevent myself from ever holding the same racial prejudices my neighborhood was founded upon.

My mom showed me that my own home’s deed, signed in 1939, reads to this day that “None of the lots shown on said plat shall be conveyed, leased or given to, and no building erected thereon shall be used, owned or occupied by any person not of the white race.” While that policy is no longer legally enforceable, no one has taken the time to get the words removed from the deed, either. That’s why this all applies to me. It’s the history of where I live, and if I want the future of my neighborhood to be different than it’s past, I need to understand it.

On the surface, J.C. Nichols was the nationallyesteemed developer of the Plaza, Prairie Village Shops and most suburbs around those landmarks in the 1920s.

However, according to Tanner Colby, author of “Some of My Best Friends Are Black,” Nichols used manipulative, racist tactics to convince white homeowners that they should live in suburbs, with the right type of people – wealthy, white and opposed to integration — because blacks were the root of the problems in the crumbling cities. His number one motto, Planning for Permanence, promised that his homes’ property values would never deteriorate because of this.

Pre-Nichols Kansas City was a relatively integrated place. According to Frank Gotham, author of “Race, Real Estate, and Uneven Development: The Kansas City Experience,” the average black resident in Kansas City in 1900 lived in an area that was 13 percent black – not 100 percent. So when Nichols introduced racial

covenants to his suburbs, the change impacted Kansas City drastically — I still see the effect in my nearly-allwhite neighborhood today.

In 1909, Nichols added the phrase “None of the said land may be conveyed to, used, owned, or occupied by negroes as owners or tenants” to the deed of each home he sold, according to Colby. This was a real estate covenant, or restriction, put in place by his private company but backed by law if it needed to be enforced.

Those covenants were so permanent that they lasted 25 years before they expired. On top of that, the ones in Mission Hills were self-renewing, meaning they would exist eternally unless a group of homeowners got together to put a stop to them.

In 1948, covenants were officially declared unenforceable in a court of law by the Supreme Court.

That didn’t stop the permanence Nichols had planned for, though. I know that because I can look at the demographics of Prairie Village, Mission Hills and Fairway and still see almost no integration.

Prairie Village? According to 2015 census data, it’s 94 percent white. Mission Hills? 95 percent. And Fairway is 97 percent. Then, take a look at a map around Troost portraying racial populations. Using census data from 2010, the west side of the map is overwhelmingly white, and the east is overwhelmingly black.

The racially-divided living areas that J.C. Nichols introduced to Kansas City 100 years ago are still in place today. We live in them, and we need to talk about them.

As the city diversified in the 1910s, Nichols began advertising to whites, subtly asking “Wouldn’t you and yours take pride in a home built in the Country Club District...where your children will get the benefit of an exclusive environment and the most desirable associations?” according to Colby.

That exclusive environment is where I grew up. To me, it was the land of Rhodadendron bushes in full bloom and lemonade stands sitting in vibrant green lawns in between those perfectly spaced, stately oaks.

But those trees were ordered to be planted that way by the same person who ordered a group of people to live in a different part of town because of their skin color. I guess Nichols thought if he had power over where trees could be planted, he had power over where people could live.

And that’s what my 9-year-old self didn’t see or understand — the ugliness and hate of my neighborhood’s history. Of course, it was hard to see, because it is rarely acknowledged or taught, despite the fact that its legacy persists to this day. All I can promise to do is educate myself and others, and never, ever let the ideology of racially segregated living rub off on me. I grew up surrounded by symmetry of trees and symmetry of race, and it forced me initially into ignorance. That’s why this needs to change.

NICHOLS’

NEIGHBORHOODS

1

Fairway, which opened for sale in 1940, was pushed to the consumer as “Kansas City’s fastest growing, closest in, new medium-priced homes community.” The homes, at the time, were advertised as accessible, both in their proximity to the city and in their pricing. The city was named after the golf course it was so close to.

2 Mission Hills, where construction begun around 1935, was Nichols’ crown jewel of the Country Club District. It was here he began making use of Homeowner’s Associations, with every member of the community becoming a member upon purchase.

The Homeowner’s Association helped to enforce all types of real estate covenants.

3 PHOTOS ELLEN SWANSON

Prairie Village was initially developed as a post-World War II suburb. Construction started in 1941. Its slogan initially was “Live Better for Less,” as Nichols priced these lots lower than his previous subdivisions. Nichols developed the Prairie Village shops between Mission Hills and Prairie Village as a “transition zone” between the larger homes that dominated Mission Hills and the “more closely set” homes of Prairie Village.

SOURCE: J.C. Nichols and the Shaping of Kansas City” by William S. Worley

12

OPINION

THE GO-TO

East students most-used news sources taken from a poll CNN 54.1% Kansas City Star 44.6% New York Times 41.8% Other

TTRUST RUST

MED A I

BY ALEX FREEMAN

THE EAST OPINION Do you rely on news media?

55% mostly Do you trust the Harbinger?

75.8% yes How much do you trust the news?

53.9% yes

*Poll out of 308 responses

FOX News Huffington Post USA Today MSNBC The Skimm

28.9% 28.6% 24.1% 23.1% 13.3% 2.4%

308 responses

Society should trust the media because it is important to our democracy

’ve done seven interviews in five days. I’ve been fed lies and I’ve factchecked every one of them. I have refused to go against Harbinger policy and show a congresswoman and a school administrator a draft of my article before publication. I was so scared to tell them “no” that I cried.

And I’m not even a professional journalist.

Journalists have to be fearless. They will slave away to develop their stories, write demanding articles and challenge their political superiors. They’re some of the hardest-working individuals I know.

They – we – do this because our desire for the truth dominates our sleep schedule.

An annual poll conducted by Gallup found that in 2016, only 32 percent of people have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in mass media. That means nearly three-fourths do not. This is down eight percent from 2015 and is the lowest percent in the poll’s history. This distrust of the press is very dangerous.

If people don’t trust professionals who have studied journalism and have written tens, hundreds, even thousands of articles publicizing the truth, then a vital defense against corruption will disappear. If it vanishes, it will eventually lead to severe censorship, the use of the press to disperse propaganda and perhaps the eradication of journalism as a whole.

Journalists are dedicated to searching for accurate information, even if it puts them in an uncomfortable situation. I won’t deny that there are articles that you find on social media that spread false

information — I saw an article a few months ago claiming that Obama was hiding the fact that he was dying — but there’s a difference between tabloids and highly reputable news sites. Today, people aren’t just doubting the tabloids – they’re doubting the entire press.

I know it’s easy to assume that Donald Trump is single-handedly responsible for this decline, but he isn’t. White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and radio host Alex Jones are some of the other most notable voices who have dismissed journalists. But Trump’s influence and notoriety make his attacks stand out.

Trump has dismissed the New York Times, CNN, NBCNews, ABC and CBS in just the last three weeks. This “fake news” phenomenon is grossly exaggerated by someone who holds the power to rationalize the American people.

To combat the lies that have appeared in the media recently, journalists are working harder than ever to ensure that we publish the truth. We do the research.

We use fact-checking sites like Snopes and Politifact. We conduct an absurd amount of interviews in order to get all sides of a story. And we’re not going to let anyone discredit us.

There’s a reason that freedom of the press is in the First Amendment. Since 1787, American leaders have recognized that the press is critical to maintain an uncorrupted democracy. Dedicated journalists are our society’s sole defense against the distribution of falsehoods.

Some of the most well-respected

journalists in the country, including New Yorker editor David Remnick, CNN president Jeff Zucker and Chairman of the Committee to Protect Journalists Sandra Mims Rowe, have all publicly acknowledged this issue. They’ve stated that news media is at risk, and journalists will need to work even harder to ensure that they’re not dismissed as “fake news.”

I worry that the distrust of mainstream news media will spill over to student news. I’m on the Harbinger staff because revealing the truth is important to me.

I’ll spend ten hours on interviews for a single story. I’ll spend even more time researching, and this doesn’t even include the time I spend writing. I want to do whatever I can to inform people of what’s actually happening in our community and the world at large. And I don’t want people to believe that I’m writing just to support my own agenda.

The goal of the vast majority of news writing is not to influence anyone’s beliefs; it’s to present all the facts so people can come to their own informed conclusions.

If people are only getting information from biased sources they won’t be able to see any issue from multiple sides.

Journalists focus on the whole truth.

I don’t want Trump — or anyone else — to convince people that what I’m committed to doing is spreading lies, when in fact, the opposite is true. I’m going to work even harder than I have been to combat that uninformed way of thinking. And journalists all over the country have already started fighting this battle with me.

OPINION

13

THE DECISION DILEMMA SAT

VO L L E Y B A L

C LU B S

SPORTS

SOCCER

PRINT ONLINE

DESIGNER

AC T MIZZOU

COLLEGE I ND I A N A S PA N I S H DECA

WRITER

HARBINGER

ELECTIVES CLASSES

H AU B E R K

REGULAR

Senior struggles with indecisiveness that affects all aspects of her life

A

BY CLAIRE POTTENGER

ccording to the famous Kubler-Ross model, there are five emotional stages a person needs to experience in order to come to terms with a serious illness or disease.

Stage one: denial. Stage two: anger. Stage three: bargaining. Stage four: depression.

Stage five: acceptance.

Hi, my name is Claire. I’m extremely indecisive, with a side of being overlyanalytical. And I need help.

Cue the support group monotone, “Hi Claire.”

My symptoms include: difficulty making decisions, changing my mind often, taking too many people’s opinions into account, anxiety when making fast decisions and being the designated “come back to me” person at the restaurant.

Okay yes, I’ll admit it. Being indecisive isn’t in the same realm as a serious disease or illness and it definitely isn’t terminal. But it has been something that has affected, and even hindered, my life at many points.

I’ve suffered from indecision since I was old enough to know the difference between “The Wiggles” and “Teletubbies.” As I’ve progressed through high school, I’ve been faced with more choices. And as the amount of decisions have grown, so has the importance of the decisions I make — which has also exponentially increased my stress level.

The fear of choosing the wrong decision

makes me consider every alternative and aggressively seek the opinion of anyone who will listen. I’m the friend that asks six different people if my Instagram caption is good or tries on five different outfits only to return to the first.

I make pros and cons lists for waking up for 6:30 a.m. or 6:35 a.m. Pro: Five more minutes to shower which means I can shave my legs and wear shorts which will be better if my fifth hour is hot. Con: Five less minutes of sleep which could make me more tired for my math test, which could make me fail, which would ruin my GPA. If I suggest a movie, I’ll immediately wonder if I should’ve suggested lunch, or bowling or any other possibility in the entire world than what I originally suggested.

So according to Kubler-Ross, if I can accept my problem does it mean I’m cured? Do I no longer have to worry about my severe case of ambivalence? Did I somehow skip all the steps and find myself somehow at acceptance’s door on a straight path to decisiveness?

No, there’s no way. Screw this KublerRoss person. . . Actually, yes! I’m totally not indecisive! Hoorah! Anxiety-free decision making for everyone. . . Wait no. Yeah. I’m definitely still indecisive.

I’m far from cured, but starting to accept and reflect on my ridiculous case of indecision has allowed me to make certain strides towards remission. I’ve started to try and remind myself

AP

PHOTO LIBBY WILSON

that one decision, no matter how big or small, isn’t going to ruin my life. And as long as you’re not harming others, the person’s opinion that matters most when making those decisions is your own.

People make decisions every day. I can’t count on one hand the number of choices I make and over-analyze before 12 p.m.: should I press snooze or get out of bed? Should I have eggs or yogurt? Jeans or leggings? Should I go out to lunch or stay at school?

And if you’re even slightly as indecisive or over-analytic as me, so many decisions are enough to make your stomach feel like it has its own personal acrobat team putting on a private show for your insides. But what’s important to recognize is that making a wrong choice here and there isn’t the equivalent to pushing the big red nuclear missile button on my life, even though it may seem sooo important in that moment.

There are so many decisions that I made in high school that I spent way too much time and energy stressing over.

How many honors classes should I take?

Should I tryout for soccer? Should I quit volleyball? Should I take the AP test? Will it be better to take the ACT or the SAT? Should I apply to this school? Where should I go to school? What should I major in?

So many of those decisions are a nightmare to make anyway. Then, add into the mix being an overthinker and you have the makings for

the next box-office horror film.

Almost every choice I made was weighed, over-thought, discussed with everyone in my life – much to their annoyance, decided and then changed again two minutes later.

What I’ve realized is that while those decisions affect my life for the time being, ultimately, you always have the power to change your mind and start again. Even if you’re far down a path, you can always turn around. I may or may not have stolen that from Oprah, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

As graduation approaches and I venture into a new chapter of my life where my world of daily decisions isn’t only going to grow, but the stakes are going to increase. Decisiveness and trusting myself will only become more crucial if I want to live my life with a relatively normal blood pressure.

And as I enter into adulthood, although I may never stop making pros and cons lists, once I make my decision I want to hold myself to not asking “what if.” I don’t want to constantly dwell, regret or panic that I did or said the wrong thing.

While there may not be an instantaneous antidote to indecisiveness, I need to trust myself and my decisions. I need to trust even if I made the “wrong” decision, it was the right decision for me, and everything is part of my destiny and path.

Or, at least I think so.

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B ABUDS Jaye Fire has formed a unique connection with her snakes over time

R'S E K A ET CAR E TO D I GU ES K A SN

1 2 3

There is a total of about 3,000 different breeds of snakes in the world, only 375 of them are venomous Most snakes prey on and consume rodents, insects and fish

On average, snakes range from 4 inches to up to 20 feet long

4

Generally, a snake will live about nine years, but may vary for different breeds

5

The average snake will shed it's skin two to three times per year, however young snakes can shed almost every two weeks

BY ANNABELLE COOK

S

ophomore Jaye Fire sits cross-legged on the floor of her loft with two glass snake tanks behind her, each with a pool of water and a small dome. Dharma, Fire’s four-and-a-half-foot long boa constrictor — the length of a fourth-grader — is wrapped around her neck, forming a long, scaly scarf.

She lifts Dharma up to her chin as if to give her a kiss.

“She’s a good girl. Aren’t you Dharma?” she coos with a laugh.

Bodhi, her one-eyed Ball Python, is making his way through a PVC pipe on the floor, which functions as a makeshift snake toy.

“Hi Bo Bo, wanna come over?” Bodhi eagerly slithers onto her knee, clinging to it for security.

These snakes are her everything. These snakes are her best friends.

After a trip to Mission Pet Mart to get food for her sister’s gecko a year ago, Fire felt an immediate connection with Dharma.

Her mom, who has a fear of snakes, refused to keep the snake in her home, so Fire called her dad begging to keep it at his house, saying she wouldn’t leave the store without her.

“The instant I held her I completely fell in love with her,” Fire said. “We’ve been inseparable ever since. She kind of treats me as her mom. Anytime she’s ever been scared of anything she immediately starts looking for me and tries to find me.”

However, Fire’s relationship with her snakes is more than just a friendship. Dharma and Bodhi help to calm her down when she is stressed or having a panic attack. Fire was diagnosed with anxiety two years ago and is often struck with these attacks while at school.

She’ll begin to hyperventilate and break into a sheer panic, pulling off her hoodie so that it doesn't restrict her breathing. Although medication is her primary form of treatment, her family had a therapy dog in training for her.

But now, Fire’s snakes have eliminated the need for the dog.

PHOTO BY REILLY MORELAND

Anytime she feels her anxiety coming on, whether it’s a stressful day in chemistry or a chaotic moment at home with her autistic brother and ADHD sister, Fire will run up to her bedroom and get her snakes out of their tanks, placing them on her checkered blue bedsheets. She can spend hours on her bed just holding Dharma and Bodhi and building playsets for them with furniture to slither around in.

“Ever since I’ve gotten snakes, my anxiety has gotten so much better,” Fire said. “They’re so relaxed, and they make you feel safe being around them. It’s like magic.”

This connection is one that has taken a year of handling and care to build up. Dharma used to not let Fire even touch her tail, but now she sticks her tongue out onto Fire’s cheek to give her a kiss, even letting Fire peck

We have a really weird close bond. She's my best friend Dharma is my best friend.

JAYE FIRE SOPHOMORE

her on the nose in exchange. Because of this, Fire was surprised when hearing from other snake-keepers that they don’t believe that this type of connection is possible nor do they take the time to create an emotional bond.

“Snakes are like any other animal,” Fire said. “They can recognize you, they learn your scent and they get to know different things about you.”

Bodhi is proof of this, showing that with enough attention and care, an animal can become emotionally attached to a person. After holding him at a pet shop, the snake lashed out at Fire and bit her. An employee told Fire and her family that the snake was labeled as “aggressive” and was scheduled to be eutha-

nized, so Fire became his savior and decided to buy him.

The instant she brought him home, Bodhi began exploring her bedroom and sticking his tongue out, a sign of happiness, similar to a dog wagging its tail. It took months to adapt Bodhi to his new conditions, but they’re now to the point where he’ll come to her for safety.

He has yet to lash out or bite her again.

Fire’s connection with Dharma and Bodhi has also helped people like her friends, parents, siblings and strangers get over their fear of snakes. Fire often goes out into Corinth Square with Dharma placed over her shoulders, where shop owners know them both by name.

Dharma will give kids kisses on the nose, let Fire show them her teeth and hold her face when they’re scared. According to Fire, reactions range from “Oh my God can I hold her?!” to “Get that disgusting thing away from me,” but it’s once people give her snake a chance that they begin to fall in love with Dharma.

“Everyone I’ve ever left her with has wanted a snake 10 minutes later. She’s like a long scaly dog,” Fire said. “She loves people. She won’t let me put her back in her cage because she just wants to be out all the time.”

Once Fire’s father, Brad Fire, got to know Bodhi and Dharma, he fell in love with them, and now even has a dream of someday owning a 16-foot Burmese python. Her snakes also have this effect on Fire’s friends, like sophomore Sydney Robbinson.

“I was terrified of them when I first met them,” Robbinson said. “[Dharma] is the first snake I’ve actually held without being scared.”

According to Fire, when people who have never touched a snake in their life hold her, they say they can sense that Dharma wants to be back with Fire. But even when Dharma is handed over to a stranger to hold, she always makes her way back to Fire’s shoulders.

“We have a really weird close bond,” Fire said. “She’s my best friend. Dharma is my best friend.”

16

SPREAD

BY YASH

O

Headlie Files

welcome to a

NEW AGE Teachers incorporate social media in classrooms through a variety of ways

n t Th In the pa 120-some wishing c remindin exams an The ac 50 accou from Clu when Pr opened account events an organizat In th accounts East athl Recently, social me and Insta to make a curriculum make sch Accord survey, a nationwid their job School D developm presentat develop a “I thin students outside engaged classroom cheerlead had creat and team much tha bad thing Amon teacher D the most In the pa begun to his stude feed inclu shoutouts students Race Proj Muham an educa Relations follow acc Twitter to frequent discussion Outsid

SPREAD

17

Sidebar Files

HI WANG

ne hundred forty characters a tweet. Eighteen tweets a day.

Thirty-six weeks a school year. ast week, @smeoffice has made thing tweets and retweets cheerleading luck at nationals, ng students to register for AP nd quoting Dr. Seuss. ccount is joined by more than unts for East organizations ub Hammock to Wrestling. But rincipal John McKinney first the school’s official Twitter in 2013 to celebrate student nd achievements, few other East tions had a social media account. he years that followed, more began to appear for various letic groups and organizations. teachers have begun to use edia platforms, especially Twitter agram, in the classroom setting announcements, supplement the m, show student work and even hool projects more enjoyable. ding to an EdWeek Market Brief about two out of three teachers de use social media as part of today. In the Shawnee Mission District, East staff’s professional ment meetings have included tions to encourage teachers to a positive social media presence. nk the theory is that the more see you engaging with them of the classroom, the more students will be inside the m,” said English teacher and ding coach Mallory Gaunce, who ted accounts for both her class m. “I don’t necessarily know how at’s true, but I don’t think it’s a g.” ng the East staff, social studies David Muhammad has one of t known social media presences. ast three or four years, he has o use media platforms to share ents’ activities. His Instagram udes everything from birthday s for students to videos of participating in discussions for ject KC. mmad also uses social media as ational device: in International s, he suggests that students counts like BBC and Reuters on o keep up with a stream of brief, news, which sometimes spark ns back in class. de of school, Muhammad spends

time promoting his music and following information through the Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts that he runs.

“It lets the kids see that you’re a human being and relatable,” Muhammad said.

Over the past years, Muhammad has become more aware of the problem of discerning between private and schoolrelated presence. This complication has driven some teachers he knows away from using social media, and some towards creating separate personal and schoolrelated accounts.

“Before, you have your private life, and you have your school life. I think that those lines are blurring rapidly because they want us teachers to be accessible at all times,” Muhammad said. “For me, my teacher life and my personal life are the same . . . what you see is what you get.”

Gaunce, whose social media use outside of school is limited to private communication with distant friends or following news on Twitter, faces a different challenge. She finds planning and running her Twitter accounts for school and cheerleading somewhat timeconsuming.

“It sounds silly to say that for social media you need to have a plan, but I do think for a teacher to use it effectively, you have to have a purpose, and I haven’t had enough time to really sit down and really hone in on what I wanted to put out there,” Gaunce said.

For Gaunce, gaps in consistency cause problems with assignment submissions.

Because of the time commitment, she has all but stopped running her English class Twitter this year, especially with the introduction of Google Classroom as another easy way to send out information after school.

However, she would like to return to Twitter in the future. Gaunce also sees potential in Google Threads for student discussion boards or Instagram as a gallery for student work.

“I think a lot of kids use Twitter but maybe aren’t checking it all the time, so maybe for updates, it’s not as beneficial.

But I do think [social media is] a great way to show the community what’s going on in the classroom,” Gaunce said.

Some teachers have taken this trend to another level by actually incorporating media platforms into their curriculum.

While designing a lesson plan for epic poem “Beowulf,” English teacher Amy Andersen borrowed a South teacher’s idea

to have students write tweets from the characters’ perspectives.

“The first thing that comes to mind is simply that it looked fun. It’s different,” Anderson said. “If I did Twitter reviews for all of my units, we’d probably get tired of it, but it’s something I don’t use for any other units. I thought it would be a fun way to spice things up.”

Students enjoyed Andersen’s effort to help them review the epic using something she hoped would be relatable to them. She had been worried that the idea was overdone and would bore them, and was surprised to find that using social media in these ways was not something students have often experienced before.

“If [the SME Office accounts] did anything, they showed that [media platforms] could be safe. I think there was a lot of apprehension,” McKinney said.

“What I try to do with my own staff is show them how to control it. You can put privacy settings on there that allow you to have greater control over who visits your site, who comments on your site.”

Several years after integration of MacBooks into SMSD schools, some teachers are still resisting the trend towards a dependency on technology, and now social media, in the classroom.

Social studies teacher Robert Bickers, known for a hard-line ‘no phones out’ policy, is one example of staff who still don’t feel comfortable using social media for classes due to personal privacy concerns and limited time. However, Bickers still doesn’t deny the social media trend’s potential benefits.

“It’s not a good thing and it’s not a bad thing. It’s just a thing. If used appropriately, I think it’s completely useful,” Bickers said. “I know having a homework assignment pop up for a student in a Twitter feed might just be the way they remember.”

At the very least, Bickers is comfortable with bringing tweets, posts and even memes from what he calls ‘the modernday primary source’ into the classroom as something to discuss and analyze.

“It’s inevitable. Social media is so ingrained in our personal lives,” said senior Meredith Finley, one of Andersen’s students who enjoyed their English project. “We don’t have to associate it with all negative things. You can put more education into social media if you put more social media into education.”

teachers killing the

INSTA GAME @sme_office 964 1,268 posts

followers

69

following

SME Administration Run by Principal McKinney

@thebrothanewz 993 2,216 2,207 posts

followers

following

David Abdullah Muhammad Run by social studies teacher Mr. Muhammad

teachers gaining

TWITTER FAME 54 TWEETS 2 FOLLOWING 55 FOLLOWERS

Mallory Gaunce

@gaunceenglish

Run by english teahcer Ms. Gaunce

546 TWEETS 86 FOLLOWING 15 FOLLOWERS

Robert Bickers

@mr_bickers

Run by social studies teacher Mr. Bickers

PHOTOS HALEY BELL & CARSON HOLTGRAVES

18

FEATURES

DIRECTING

BY BROOKLYN TERRILL

ON THE FIRST day of freshman year, current-senior Kylie Ledford walked into room 213 for her first audition for a Frequent Friday. The next day she found out she had been cast. Four years later and she still finds herself in room 213 almost everyday.

Being part of 14 shows at East throughout Senior caps off extensive East theatre career by high school has been a major influence on directing her Frequent Friday Ledford’s high school experience. When she entered into the program her freshman year there were 40 kids in Drama, the beginning theater class. However, this year in Advance Rep, there are only five. These five have become some of Ledford’s closest friends.

“We have grown closer and closer as the numbers have dwindled down,” Ledford said. “We have gotten to bond and make stupid inside jokes over all these shows we have done through these four years ( A B OV E ) Ledford together.” directs her cast at a East theater has not only built strong rehearsal. friendships in Advanced Rep, but in the | ELIZABETH ANDERSON cast of a show she wrote and is directing.

“The Scientific Method,” which takes the ( L E F T ) Ledford inputs stage March 3. It follows the main character, light and sound cues for her upcoming Kaia, as she travels through different times production. in her life in an attempt to fix her mistakes | ELIZABETH ANDERSON

MEETINGS

Sophomore Sophia Egan, who plays Kaia, has gotten close to Ledford over the course of several shows.

“In the theater community, you just end up being around the same people, so we have gotten close,” Egan said. “Before the show we would just say ‘Hi’ to each other, but now we talk a lot, and I have even learned that Kylie befriends reptiles easily.”

All of those hours in room 213 have accumulated in reaching the level theater teachers Brian Capello and Tom DeFeo look for in candidates for directing Frequent Fridays.

“The skills Kylie has learned over the last few years make her prepared to do a Frequent Friday,” said Capello. “She watches me and DeFeo, and she has paid very close attention to the all the aspects of theater.

That is the goal of anyone who does a Frequent Friday.”

Ledford has not just developed her performance skills from interaction with her instructors, but has also developed close personal ties to them as well.

“DeFeo is like my theater Dad,” Ledford said. “I have also gotten close to Cappy [Capello] as a person and a teacher. Both teachers I have gotten really close to and have good relationships with.“ Though she is leaving the Little Theater behind at the end of this school year, Ledford will be continuing her theater career in college. She changed her original plans from acting and commercial music to musical theater after closing her final musical as a Lancer. “”Seussical’ made me decide to change from what I was going to do and decide to do musical theatre in college instead,” Ledford said. “The program [at East] has helped me love theatre so much and has given me lots of lessons that have pushed me to want to go for it as a career.”

DIFFERENT

DIETS

A LOOK AT 3 DIFFERENT DIETS

without

MEATING

1 PALEO

Animal Activist Club provides students outlets to discuss animal rights

BY PAULINE SHAVER

AS SENIOR Ben Robinson and sophomore Audrey Helmuth sat around freshman Skyler Boschen’s kitchen table early this January, ideas bounced between the three founders of the Animal Activist Club too fast for Robinson to write down.

“We should have a vegan potluck!”

“Or make a recipe book!” A plate of vegan brownies lay unnoticed. Boschen had come up with an idea to start a club that advocated for animal rights, and Robinson and Helmuth were more than happy to join her in organizing it.

“I wanted to meet more people who loved animals and shared my same passion about veganism,” Boschen said.

“I felt the best way to do that was to get others to join this club and just to be able to talk about all these issues and just connect.”

Boschen created the Animal Activists Club along with Helmuth and Robinson in early 2017, with a goal to inform others about veganism and also create the community of people who follow a plant-based diet.

With about 10 members, the Animal Activists club meets every Monday in room 305 after school, discussing different goals they want to achieve. They plan on visiting an animal sanctuary, hosting a vegan potluck and even discussing a “Meatless Monday” with the school board.

“For a while [I] thought I was like the only vegan at our school,” Helmuth said.

“Then I learned about other people, and it’s kind of just like a little network for us.

It’s nice to have people who actually want to talk about it with you all the time.”

But the Animal Activists club is not exclusively for vegans. Anyone who has an interest in animal rights is encouraged to come and join in with the rest of the members.

Not wanting to turn any omnivores away, the decision to call the club the Animal Activists Club rather than the “Vegan Club” was a purposeful choice for the Boschen.

“People don’t really like the word vegan,” Helmuth said. “If you’re not a vegan, you assume you can’t come to

it. We want it to be for people who care about the same types of things, even if they’re not vegan.”

This club focuses on topics that Boschen, Helmuth and Robinson believe veganism impacts the most. In addition to making plans for the future and discussing animal rights, conversation in the club revolves around protecting the earth and maintaining a healthy diet as well. “[Veganism] is like a Swiss army knife for changing the world for the better,” Robinson said. “We’re all encompassing.

If you’re into environmental things, if you’re into health things, please come, we’d love to discuss this with you.”

With the community that the Animal Activists club is trying to build, they hope to inspire others to go vegan and help current vegans feel like they aren’t alone.

“I think it’s really important to have like-minded friends who are vegan,” Boschen said.“ Just being able to talk about your love for animals, it goes so deep. My vegan friendships are incredible.”

SUG AR

EAT

AVOID

Fruits, Vegetables, Meats

Grains, sugar, dairy, legumes

2 VEGAN EAT

AVOID

Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Nuts

Any product from animals

3 VEGETARIAN EAT Fruits, Vegetables, Beans, Nuts

AVOID

Animal products except for dairy

FEATURES

19

BY CAROLYN POPPER

Students who attend Village Presbyterian church feel rewarded after an alternative spring break trip

F FROM VILLAGE PRES. TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMY BARICKMAN

( A B OV E ) SM South alumnus Joe Stokes pours the cement frame of the multipurpose/cafeteria building one bucket of cement at a time. ( L E F T C E N T E R ) Some of the kids enrolled in Kilometer 6 school enjoy seeing their picture after classes are done. ( B O T T O M ) Senior Jack Barickman and sophomore Olivia Perry take a break from construction to play with one of the children in La Romana

ive days from spring break and students are eager to get away from long nights of cramming and sleep deprivation. Already preparing their beach playlists on Spotify and impulse shopping for bikinis and Ray Bans, students can practically smell the salty air of Seaside and Gulf Shores. However, for the Youth Group of Village Presbyterian, there’s more to the world than baking under the sun and beach photo-ops. They surrender their spring break of relaxation, unwinding and naps on the beach for physical labor and educating complete strangers while bonding with them. For almost 30 years, Village Pres. Youth Group has been completing mission work in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

In the current incarnation of the church, volunteers work on a three-project program throughout the week. The first and most concentrated volunteer project is the construction of a two-story school for grades K-5, which has been underway since 2004. The second project brings Village Pres. volunteers into English classrooms to help teach the language. As for the third project, Village Pres. partners with the Dominican Republic Medical Partnership to help in the bateys, which are sugarcane farming communities — and one of the most poverty-stricken parts of the Dominican.

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘What’s our long term goal?’” Youth Group leader Zach Walker said. “Putting a Band-Aid over the situation is not the goal of the mission work, but searching for solutions that will outlast a week’s worth of aid.

We call them ‘Educations Stations.’”

They may be up at 7 a.m., painting a school for seven hours while most of their friends are sleeping comfortably to the sounds of rolling waves. But all of the students who participated in the mission trip could agree on the life-changing lessons they learned from being placed in the unfamiliar surroundings of La Romana, Dominican Republic.

“The kids, they change your life,” sophomore Kennedy Krumm said. “They would just run up and hug you, and you’ve never met them before. There was the language barrier, but it didn’t make any difference.”

Krumm recounts the relationship that she built with a little girl who wore her hair twisted into braids that covered her head, tied off with white beads. Among the spirited kids who indulged in the attention of new friends, there was one girl named Isabella who wouldn’t speak. Krumm picked Isabella up, setting the skinny girl on her lap. After four hours, Isabella and Krumm were attached at the hip.

“When I had to leave, she cried and carried the chair that we sat in over her head,” Krumm said.

“There’s a picture of me and her that was taken, and I’ve kept it as my lockscreen for 11 months now. It makes me sad though, knowing that I’ll never see her again.”

Senior Parker Shirling felt enlightened by the connections he and his peers built with the locals, despite having to stumble over rough translations between English and Spanish. He and his friends spent their free time on a local beach, connecting with natives by something that broke language barriers.

“It wasn’t a pristine, sandy white beach of the resort, but rather it was open to everyone.”

Shirling said.

He and his friends engaged in a chicken fight in the ocean. As confusing as the mix of Creole, Spanish and English was, the evening was spent singing songs and trading jokes.

According to Shirling, it was like camp, but it was also like a day on the job. Girls traded in sandals for work boots and tanning oil for SPF 70, but the feeling of giving instead of splurging was rewarding enough. Some students who had never worked a day in their life took a swing at physical labor, which resulted in dripping sweat and breathless laughs. Junior Katherine Odell found herself carelessly dirty, covered in dust and concrete.

“I was joking with this local construction worker,” Odell said. “As I passed the bucket full of concrete, he joked with me and said he was going to take my shoes, because that’s apparently what some Dominicans do. It was just my favorite moment on the work site because you really got to know the locals down there.”

One Education Station the volunteers put together works with young moms who were never educated on which foods that carry certain nutrition. The station teaches about vitamins, nutrients and energy stored in the different food groups. At the end of the station, moms are asked to put together a healthy plate of food for their children, which they can then go home to cook.

East volunteers found themselves helping women older than them, with simple knowledge about nutrition that the high schoolers learned in elementary school. Just a minuscule difference like this allowed for the volunteers perspectives to change.

“I think any time you go on a trip when you’re with people for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you can’t help but get to know them really well,” Walker said. “One of my favorite things about going is you can’t hide who you are. You can’t help but grow closer together.”

20

FEATURES

A FEIN EDUCATION English teacher Samantha Feinberg uses anti-oppressive education in the classroom

BY ABBY WALKER

E

nglish teacher Samantha Feinberg opened her class to a discussion following acts of vandalism by a handful of South students. The offenders drew Swastikas and other vulgar images on the East shed by the football field.

“Anyone have any thoughts or want to talk about that?” Feinberg said.

She waits to see if anyone will want to speak up. The students talk about what they thought about the hate symbols and South rivalry, and when the conversation dwindles down, Feinberg asks again if anyone has anything else to say, waiting.

And then she waits just a minute longer to make sure even the shy girl in the back is satisfied with how the conversation ended.

Feinberg strives to make her students feel safe to voice their opinion in class so they can benefit the most from their time in her room. She uses the idea of antioppressive education to aid her in this.

Feinberg learned about anti-oppressive education while working as a research assistant when she attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Feinberg defines anti-oppressive education in two parts.

The first she describes as changing teaching practices so that they are equally accessible to all students, regardless of their background, disability, race or anything else that could hold them back.

The second Feinberg characterized as teaching kids the forces in society that work to help some students and disenfranchise others, so they can recognize the access that they have to education.

For Feinberg, being Jewish and partMexican sparked interest in the idea of nondiscrimination in the classroom. Up until fifth grade, she went to a predominantly white, private Jewish school. Her first year in public school, which was much more diverse, was with Mrs. Conley, an AfricanAmerican woman that wasn’t ashamed of her background. As Feinberg gathered articles on the subject while working as a research assistant, she read them all and became interested in the idea of how she could use that in her teaching.

“You won’t find a person better qualified to teach anti-oppressive thinking and incorporate it into the way she teaches as an English teacher,” principal John McKinney said.

Feinberg uses the idea of antioppression in education to help smooth the path to a healthy learning environment

in her class.

Starting on the first day in class each year, Feinberg forms through her speaking that everyone can be heard, diminishing the mindset that some people’s opinions are more important, and opening the door for difficult conversations that other teachers may not be willing to have.

Feinberg will take the time to get to know her students by asking about their weekend, their music choices or their art.

She is willing to sacrifice five minutes of notes for a longer class discussion.

The day after the 2016 presidential election, Feinberg knew her students would have an opinion on the outcome, so she devoted class time to let students to voice their opinions about their feelings towards the election. Conversations became serious, and in one of her classes, students cried. Following the controversial Jane Elliot presentation in February, she dedicated time in class for talking about it, too.

Feinberg doesn’t mediate these discussions. All she asks is that students aren’t critical of people, but rather of ideas.

She won’t push anyone change their mind or viewpoint, only that they consider the other side of an argument.

“You don’t feel like there’s pressure or you’re put on the spot or anything during discussions,” her student, senior Hayden Linscott said.

Although these are serious topics, Feinberg enjoys learning about the her students’ views in a way outside of their writing.

“I learned just how to have fun with kids and how many different kinds of kiddos there are out there in the world,” Feinberg said, “And we don’t always have time for that in school, and if you don’t make time for that, then [there are] a lot of missed opportunities.”

Although some teachers may be wary to hold such hot-button topic discussions, Feinberg trusts in both her students and her ability to be respectful and isn’t worried that any outcome will be bad, as it never has since she started her first year of teaching; she has never been called in by administration, students have never opted out or been disrespectful.

The first school she taught at in Madison, Wisc. was fairly diverse, according to Feinberg. So when Feinberg moved back to KC to work at Mission Valley

Middle School, a much less diverse school, she felt prepared to work for all types of students. She tried to carry over her work in anti-oppressive education when she moved back to KC, but felt ignored.

“I would try to insert my multicultural randomness from time to time, but nobody really cared,” Feinberg said.

Once she came to East five years ago though, she connected with David Muhammed, an African-American Muslim teacher at East.

Muhammed and Feinberg used to joke around with each other that neither of them had a place of belonging since she is a part-Mexican Jew and he’s a black Muslim. Their friendship formalized when Muhammed invited her to a teacher’s book study at Johnson County Libraries.

Soon, Wyandotte High School contacted them about doing work with diversity and inclusion and the two were eager to bring inclusion to East.

With support from McKinney, they formed the Diversity Inclusion Committee, which became a new outlet for Feinberg spread anti-oppressive education and multiculturalism at East.

“I believe in the power of education, but I first have to admit that there are barriers to equal access,” Feinberg said. “And to destroy those barriers you have to first account for those barriers and understand them.”

A GUIDE TO ANTI-OPPRESSIVE EDUCATION Feinberg’s Definition 1 Changing teaching practices to meet the need of every student 2 Teaching students forces and structures that challenge their way of thinking Center For Anti-Oppressive Education

( L E F T ) Mrs. Feinberg gets papers together before she distributes them to students after school. | MORGAN PLUNKETT

snooze I which

will lose?

iPHONE CLOCK BEDTIME

Different apps to improve sleeping patters prove to be better than others

BY LUCY KENDALL

’m a night owl by heart. I’ve mastered my night schedule perfectly: come home from track practice and crank out my Algebra 2, Chemistry and French homework, then hit the pillow around midnight or later.

Unlike my usual six hours of sleep each night, teenagers

WHEN I FIRST heard about the bedtime feature on the Clock app on iPhones, it seemed as though all of my sleep problems would disappear. Maybe it’s because I seem to be brainwashed by anything that Apple puts in front of my eyes, or maybe it’s because I heard about several students using this feature religiously with success.

However when I first used this bedtime app, I simply wasn’t satisfied or fascinated due to the lack of features. It is simply boring.

When opening the bedtime feature, there is a wheel with two sides: one for bedtime and one for waking up. To set the

intended times, I had to move either side of the wheel until it told me how much sleep I would be getting for the night.

While using this app, I set my alarm from 11:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., allowing myself seven hours and 30 minutes of sleep. And that is about all there is to it. It seems the best part of the app is spinning the wheel around to set the times.

Although this app does a bang-up job reminding me 15 minutes before I need to go to bed and telling me how many hours of sleep I get each night, I’d like to believe that I can count on my own from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

ALL I CAN SAY about Pillow is to not wait the whole five seconds for the app to download – it’s not worth your time.

For starters, the app icon is simply a purple pillow with some white dots and weird lines on the pillow. Not impressed. My blind grandma could easily design a better logo than that.

When opening the Pillow app, there is one long list of times to set what time I want to wake up. Once clicking start and setting my phone down for the night, it calculates how long my night of sleep was. I’d rather go to Target and purchase a real alarm clock instead of using this pointless app.

After using this app for one night and having the alarm wake me up, it was clear to me that this app was a waste of storage. Worst of all, the wake up alarm was possibly the most annoying noise I’ve ever heard. It sounded like someone was trying to serenade me with an untuned piano that never wanted to stop.

The intention of the wake up noise was to continually increase the volume of the song in order to wake me up, and I had no control over making it quieter. It made me want to take my phone and continuously hit myself in the head with it until it broke.

I wish I would’ve.

PILLOW

SLEEP CYCLE

WHEN MY PERSONAL alarm clock – my mom – blares at me in the morning telling me to get up, it’s always at the worst time. I feel superglued to my comforter and can’t. Get. Up. Sleep Cycle is the perfect escape from my blaring alarm clock which tracks sleep and wakes me up during light sleep.

This app uses sound analysis through the phone’s microphone to identify sleep states and wakes me up at the perfect time.

When choosing the desired wake up time, it leaves a 30-minute gap of time to wake me up between. If not satisfied by the wake up time, I can simply double tap my phone to snooze. It also doesn’t hurt that the wake up sound “warm breeze” makes me feel like I am sleeping on the beach with the sun hitting my skin.

Along with the alarm clock, there is a statistics option that analyzes my sleep patterns through movements and signals while sleeping. Based on the shape of the graph, it tells me whether my sleep was regular or irregular for that night.

Although it seems there is nothing negative to say about this effective app, it’s quite disappointing to see there are several premium extra features such as sleep trends and tracking my heart rate that calls for $29.99 a year in order to unlock them.

While I plan on continuing to use this app to regulate my proper sleep schedule, I do not plan on spending $30 for this app’s special features.

IF IT WEREN’T FOR the ads every 10 seconds about Home Accessibility Assessment and online clothing boutiques, I think I would really enjoy this app.

Sleep Better wakes me up within my customized wake up window and has options to enter my daily habits such as working out, having a stressful day or eating too late, to analyze what kind of sleep I am about to get for that night.

When I used this app, I had Spanish, English and Algebra 2 tests, so I clicked on the stressful day tab before I went to bed. Along with the alarm clock, there are several other tabs such as diary, statistics and insights.

Beneficial to tracking my sleep patterns, I like to see the

statistics and analysis behind my sleep. The statistics feature tracks how many nights I have used the app and provides me with my average sleep duration and the time sleeping as a percent.

Alarm settings let you change how loud or how softly your alarm goes off – which is a plus for me so that I don’t lose my mind. However, it also has several features that prompt me to go to the app store and purchase the full version for an extra $1.99, which I will not be paying for.

All in all, this app is very useful for an easy alarm clock as well as proper analysis on my night of sleep.

SLEEP BETTER-SLEEP CYCLE TRACKER

need between nine and nine-and-a-half hours of sleep, according to nationwidechildrens.org. In order to achieve a proper and healthy sleep schedule every night, I tested four apps to aid my effort in getting better sleep during the school year.

Features

reminder to go to bed alarm for morning connects to iphone Health app Bedtime:11:00 p.m.

Wake: 6:15 a.m.

7 hours and 15 minutes of sleep POOR

1.5/5

Features

Setting sleep goal sleep notes ability to connect to Apple Watch Bedtime:11:00 p.m.

Wake: 6:35 a.m.

7 hours and 35 minutes of sleep POOR

1/5

Features

sleep statistics wake up phase motion detection Bedtime:11:00 p.m.

Wake: Between 7:15 a.m. and 7:45 a.m.

8 hours and 59 minutes of sleep G R E AT

4.5/5

Features

sleep statistics sleep diary record daily habits Bedtime:11:00 p.m.

Wake: 6:35 a.m.

7 hours and 35 minutes of sleep AV E R AG E

3/5

22

FEATURES

WORKOUTS woat or goat?

Unconventional workouts prove to be flops for some but fun for others

vs

the athlete

BY MADELINE HLOBIK

I

try to do some form of exercise every day, except Sundays (my cheat day). I’m not the type of person who genuinely loves to workout — I’ve just grown more immune to frequent and painful workouts thanks to cross country and track. For me, running is the best way to get an intense workout

THE WORKOUT A combination of full-body aerobics performed on trampolines

I’M GOING TO be honest, a fifteen minute run around Porter Park can spike my heart rate, so the mere thought of an hour-long aerobics class on trampolines exhausts me. However, for the SkyFit class at Sky Zone, I walked out with no signs of sweat.

The concept of having a workout class on a trampoline seems like an enjoyable way to get cardio in — Sky Zone just executed the cardio aspect of this concept poorly. We never did more than 10 repetitions of any movement, and I never started feeling winded until the 10th repetition.

For the “peak” part of our workout, our instructor had us do jumps back and forth on the rows of trampolines with 10 mountain climbers at the end of each set. Even after this, I still didn’t feel winded. Typically, mountain climbers would kill me, but the trampolines

B E L O W AV E R AG E

the adventurer

BY MORGAN BILES

because it involves a high level of cardio.

However, running is also a workout that can easily become repetitive. In an attempt to find a workout that matches the intensity, yet surpasses the negative fun-level of running, I’ve tried out some of the lesser-known workout classes in KC.

M

y usual workout routine consists of the occasional guilt-induced crunches after eating too many chocolate chip cookies and running up to the fifth floor in a futile attempt to beat the bell before seminar starts every Thursday.

Needless to say, exercise and I don’t often get together.

SKYFIT SKYZONE

$

6495 Quivira Rd, Shawnee, KS 66216 (913) 213-5900

caused the movements to slow down — I felt like I was dragging my feet in wet cement. And no, that didn’t provide much of a leg workout, considering I was able to use the trampoline to spring off of.

If I got anything out of the workout class, it would be a minimal core workout. Trying to do bridges on a trampoline were harder than I anticipated because I had to use my core to stabilize myself on the bouncy surface. However, my core wasn’t sore the next day because we never did a substantial amount of repetitions.

Ultimately, I feel like I get more of a cardio workout in by just going to the open jump at Sky Zone. Sure, it was fun to experience a workout class on trampolines, but in the end, I walked out knowing that I burned nowhere near the 1,000 calories that their website promised.

2/5

In an attempt to find a form of fitness that doesn’t make me want to cry, I’ve tried cycling, cross country and barre. Each time I found myself dying of exhaustion and/or boredom mid-workout. This time I was hoping jumping on trampolines or swinging on trapezes would provide me with enough childhood nostalgia to sustain me through the workout.

WHEN MY FEET first pressed off the bouncy surface, I knew Skyfit was going to be different from classes I had taken in the past.

For one, the class was small, just seven people.

Secondly, the whole class, with the exception of a brief lunging session, took place on trampolines.

On their website, Skyzone advertises their Skyfit classes as burning up to 1,000 calories, which is kind of like brussel sprouts advertising themselves as delicious. Sure, it might be true for some, but for a majority of people — it’s just false advertising.

I did feel a little winded after we jumped laps around the trampoline court, but I quickly caught my breath as we moved into planks and sit-ups. I tend to take the easy way out when it comes to exercise, and even I felt that we weren’t doing enough reps. Our instructor told us to do 5, 10 or 15 of each, whatever we

GOOD

THE STATS price

low medium high

time

low medium high

intensity

low medium high

wanted. She didn’t want to push us, she said.

Granted, this was only the second Skyfit class she had taught, but isn’t being pushed the purpose of an exercise class?

At only $10 a class, Skyfit is less than half the price of most fitness classes and will leave you a lot less sore. The trampolines make the workout low impact, so it might be perfect if you are recovering from an injury or just beginning the process of getting into shape. It’s also cheaper than just going to Skyzone for free jump and avoids the crowds of children that normally swarm the trampoline gym.

Maybe it was the nostalgia, the endorphins, the limited effort or a combination of all three, but I did have fun at the class. Being on a trampoline made everything from crunches to jumping jacks much more exciting. A few times I almost forgot I was exercising — almost.

3.5/5

FEATURES THE WORKOUT

TRAPEZE LUCIA AERIAL

A technique-based trapeze class for beginners

MY KNUCKLES GO pale from my grip around the hanging bar, and my face turns pink from the blood rushing to my head. To add to my discomfort, the crevices of my knees are burning and my neck is awkwardly tensed up.

Going into the trapeze class at Lucia Aerial Performing Arts in Town Center, I thought it would just be an hour of swinging around on trapeze bars. However, this class required more strength than I anticipated and prohibited me from raising my arms past my elbows the next day.

For our warm up, our instructor had us hold the trapeze bar and shrug our shoulders 10 times. Unlike the SkyFit class, 10 repetitions here were enough for me to feel a burning sensation in my armpits.

Throughout the class, we learned specific techniques that were the basis of advanced trapeze stunts. Instead of being able to just

$

5001 W 117th St, Leawood, KS 66211 (913) 271-6918

monkey my legs around the trapeze bar and pull myself up, I had to extend my legs, slide my arms back and then throw myself forward.

I was nowhere near mastering the elegance that accompanies this move, yet I still felt my core and arms unconsciously clench as I tried them. Hopefully I wasn’t doing the exercises wrong, and this was a sign of strengthening some of my lesser-worked muscles.

Since a portion of this class was filled with watching the other two class members attempt tricks too, I wouldn’t consider this a super labor-intensive class. My heart rate never shot up, and the most pain I experienced was from my callouses when I gripped the bar too tight.

For a unique way to incorporate strength training into my day, I’d take another trapeze class. In the future though, I’d probably choose to save my $25 and go back to running.

O K AY

AFTER TAKING ONE trapeze class, I would definitely not consider myself qualified to join the circus, but I do think the post-class soreness should have qualified me for a deep tissue massage.

The class opened with stretches, pushups, planks and other moves similar to the ones done in a barre class – exercises that ended up being harder than the anything on the trapeze. Once our muscles were warmed up, we were ready to take on the trapeze.

One of our first trapeze moves was lifting our legs while hanging from the apparatus — think jack-knives but without the ground to rest on. Our instructor easily lifted her legs to a perfect 45º angle, meanwhile I could barely lift mine more than an inch off the ground and even then I could feel my abdominal muscles straining.

As we progressed into more difficult moves, the instructor gracefully flipped herself off the ground and hung upside down from the trapeze. I did a similar move on the monkey

2/5

THE STATS price

low medium high

time

low medium high

intensity

low medium high

bars all the time in elementary school, so it couldn’t be that hard right?

Wrong.

It took several attempts for my noodle-ish arms to flip my body up and over the trapeze.

I eventually got myself to the upside-down position, before quickly flipping, slipping and tripping back to the safety of the ground. My confidence on the trapeze grew as the class went on, and I’m sure that after a few more I would have gained some grace too.

Trapeze was one of the most fun fitness classes I have taken probably because it requires no cardio and plenty of time to recuperate while watching classmates take a swing at one of the two trapezes in the studio. Despite the down time, I do think it is an effective strength building class. However, commitment-phobes beware: the studio is designed for people looking to develop skills in aerial over time, not someone looking for a quick tone-up before spring break.

G R E AT

4.5/5

PUTTIN’ IN WORK SKYZONE

SKYZONE

LUCIA AERIAL

23

LUCIA AERIAL

LUCIA AERIAL

( A B OV E ) Morgan and Madeline try out workout classes at both Skyzone Trampoline Park and Lucia Aerial Performing Arts. | KAITLYN STRATMAN

24

FEATURES

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

CHRONOLOGY OF IMPORTANT TRIAL EVENTS 1 Nicole is killed by stabbing

2 Simpson is sent to jail for the charges

3 The sexual assault 911-call is released to the public

4 Simpson is found not guilty for the sexual assault charges

OJ ON TRIAL

L

BY GRACIE KOST

et me start by saying this is, hands down, the best show I have ever watched. Better than “Orange is the New Black." better than “Parks and Rec.," and yes, ladies, even better than “Gossip Girl.”

“The People V. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” by FX is a reenactment of the murder-mystery surrounding Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman which proved Simpson’s “innocence” in the case. The story is told from the defense and prosecutor’s point of view, so I got to see how each side handled the case.

I got a feel for the intensity and stress both sides were facing, from finding supportive evidence to deliberate death threats.

My average Netflix criteria would include drama, romance, high school – y’know, things I can relate to. I hardly enjoy crime shows or shows involving lawyers and all that adult talk, unless of course, it’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” But when I walked downstairs to my parents watching the OJ story and couldn’t divert my attention from it, I decided to give it a shot.

The storyline is constructed of ten episodes, about 45 minutes each. The plot isn’t strung out across seven seasons, which is nice for my fellow Netflix-bingers. Each episode was a whirlwind of intensity. I found myself clenched up several times in anticipation or anger. I found myself embarrassingly upset and angry at the fact he got away with it.

Three days later the final episode came to a close and my eyes glazed over in disbelief as I was catapulted into deep thought while “Ain’t No Sunshine” played and the credits rolled.

The only thought I had for the next thirty minutes was: How? How in the world did OJ ever get away with that? Why has he not been retried? He did it, there’s no way he didn’t. Following the show I indulged in my own string of research further into the case to see if anything was ever done about it, but nope. I was utterly appalled.

All of the evidence pointed to Simpson. To start, there were nine reports filed by Nicole, regarding him physically abusing her. Not to mention his blood and DNA were found all over the crime scene, and Nicole’s blood was all over Simpson’s infamous ‘white Bronco.’

The prosecutors set up an exact timeline pinning OJ down even more. However, there were racial issues between African Americans and the LA Police Department. This caused the court systems to be terrified of convicting a black man guilty of murder, in fear of riots. A few times I was forced to sit back and consider the racial factors, but it still just seemed wrong. There’s no other word for the verdict.

The show ran me through a roller coaster of emotions. It was definitely not something I could watch and still understand if I spaced off into Twitter-world. My full attention was dedicated to

Review over the OJ Simpson trials recreation on Netflix the murder mystery, knowing if I missed out on even one or two minutes I would miss an entirely vital scene.

However, between the black jury, all members chosen because of their positive history involving OJ Simpson, and the defense's bogus conspiracy theories, OJ walked charge-free less than a year later. When the verdict was released, chills ran through my body. I was struck with disbelief that somebody could be acquitted in such a blatantly guilty situation.

Usually when I lay in bed for three days straight binge-watching a show , I feel some pang of guilt. But this time I felt a low level of accomplishment, not only had I finished an entire “series,” but I was more educated on an adult topic. Straying from the stereotypical teenager shows was a nice getaway and eyeopening.

Straying from the stereotypical teenager shows was a nice getaway and eyeopening.

: THE ART OF DESIGN

I

A review over the new Netflix series, "Abstract: The Art of Design"

BY LUCY PATTERSON

don’t typically binge-watch the latest show, and the Netflix Originals have never really appealed to me, not for lack of quality, just because I generally don’t have time to watch TV. However, after seeing a trailer for Netflix’s newest original documentary, “Abstract: The Art of Design,” I was intrigued.

So instead of rewatching The Office, I decided to give “Abstract” a whirl.

After watching the first episode about Christoph Niemann, an illustrator, I was ready to give up. His voice was somewhat monotone and the dark northern European setting made me want to fall asleep, despite the sunny 60 degree weather outside my window.

But for the sake of journalism, I decided to press through. No pun intended.

The documentary series consists of eight

LUCY’S FAVORITE EPISODES

45 minute episodes, each following a different artist in a different field of design, ranging from photography to stage design to footwear.

Each artist tells a thought-provoking and inspirational story about their life and career that brings light to such an intricate career field. The artists thoroughly enjoy their work and it breaks down the creative process, making the series worth the watch, despite a lack of entertainment in the first episode.

The series focuses more on how design impacts our lives and less on what it takes to be an artist, which I enjoyed and felt was more relatable. For example, one episode follows Tinker Hatfield, a shoe designer for Nike.

Hatfield noticed that athletic shoes were not giving athletes enough mobility and were often too tight on feet. This lead him to the invention

footwear design Goes in depth on Tinker Hatfield's background in shoe design for brands like Nike

of the Nike EARL, or the self-lacing shoe. Take a basketball player, for instance. The shoe tightens as he runs down the court and goes up to shoot a basket. Then, as the player returns to the bench, the shoe automatically loosens, allowing an increase in blood flow to his feet.

As an athlete, I found this episode very informative on such an iconic brand and product.

However, because the subjects are artists not producers, the episodes can become lengthy and lack Oscar-worthy cinematography.

Another episode follows Ilse Crawford, an interior designer for IKEA. I find myself wanting to redecorate my room once a week and I could spend hours in IKEA, so I was looking forward to watching this episode.

Crawford uses the analogy of a chair to

automotive design

Focuses on Fiat Chryslers' head of design Ralph Gilles and how he is making a brighter future for the brand

convey how design works. She creates several versions of the same chair out of different materials to make sure everything is perfect for the consumer. From color, to back height, to armrest shape, the chair is remade until everything is just right and approved by a team of testers. And Crawford does this for every product she creates. I was exhausted just watching Crawford work through each step and finally achieve a final product.

After watching the series, I now have a newfound appreciation for design. What I once thought was as simple as drawing sketches, I now understand is rewarding and a growing industry. That being said, this is very much an educational documentary. So, if you’re looking for a feel-good show like The Office, then this is not for you.

interior design

Explains how interior designer Ilse Crawford creates spaces and objects that appeal to the senses

SPORTS ( T O P ) The Lancer Dancers and drumline finish performing their hiphop routine on Feb. 24 at the varsity basketball game against South. “In that moment I was extremely happy because the crowd just clearly loved the dance and everyone’s energy was so high,” senior and varsity captain Anna Dierks said. “There really aren’t a lot of better feelings than hitting an ending pose in front of a crowd that’s going crazy.” | MORGAN BROWNING

( B O T T O M ) The group rehearses their hip-hop routine early the morning of the varsity basketball games against South. “We were all super anxious and excited about the performance because the dance had been changed a ton since our last performances at competition,” Dierks said. “We didn’t know how the crowd would react to it because it is so different from anything we’d ever done.” | KAITLYN STRATMAN

I

FLASHBACK

For a senior class that has placed in the top ten of nationals all four years and won first place in jazz in 2013, the restrictions originally felt like a “death sentence.” But according to captain and senior Hayley Bell, the drumline allowed them to fit within the music restrictions without sacrificing quality, keeping their championship hopes alive.

Because of the high stakes, the team was very clear about the high level of expectations they had of the drumline according to Bell.

“We were pretty upfront about how hard this would be and that they would have to be all in,” Bell said. “But they have been absolutely amazing from day one.”

Senior and drumline captain Ian Longan was blown away by the amount of work put in by the “hardest-working team at East,”

Junior drill team member Catherine Watkins and senior drumline player Xan Denniston recount a favorite memory from after the performance at the South game on Feb. 24.

“

and was humbled to become a part of the team.

“For them to ask us to be a part of something like this is such a special thing,” Longan said. “The fact that they would allow us to be part of such an amazing team is so cool to me.”

After finding a composer to arrange an original piece for the drumline to perform, it took a full month of learning the music before even starting to rehearse with the team. Then Glover and her partner Terra Wells had to choreograph the dance, making sure to incorporate the drumline into the “forms.” And since December, the drumline has been right there at 7:00 every morning.

“There were some days, especially when we were first learning the dance, that they would spend a lot of time just being patient and waiting while we went through deep

“

BY ROBBIE VEGLAHN

CATHERINE WATKINS

After each performance, we have a dance party in the drill team room, but after the South game the room was locked. So we went outside with drum line and had a dance party with them. It was so much fun, and drum line played their cadence songs!

“

cleaning [of our routine],” Bell said. “They were so cooperative, and they rock for that.”

For the drumline, the biggest challenge wasn’t the time commitment – it was the fear of letting the drill team down.

According to Bell, the team has a good chance to place very well at nationals following topfive performances at local competitions and the uniqueness of their routine. But no matter the result, Longan feels all the work has been worth it.

“I was definitely nervous coming into it, because this was their whole thing and we didn’t want to ruin it for them,” Longan said. “But once we started to feel like one team, it all got so much easier.” *** It’s 24 to 29 at the start of the third quarter, and the Raiders looked to inbound the ball; but for just a few minutes the “dt/dl super team” didn’t care about the score.

Following their debut performance at halftime, the team rushed out of the double doors, adrenaline at an all time high.

“THAT WAS SO FREAKING COOL,” Longan shouts as they stream outside for the age-old drill team tradition: a post-dance dance party. But unable to get to their speaker in the dance room, they were once again forced to find a creative musical solution.

The thud of flipping bodies on the pavement is this time drowned out by the pop of snare drums and Logan’s cadence whistle. The ruffling costumes glisten with the dusting of snow coming down, and the team celebrates in the freezing cold – together.

“There are so many different worlds at East,” Longan said. “And I will always be grateful that I got to be a part of this one.”

“

&

dance DRUM

The collaboration between the drumline and the drill team this year has led to an unified group

t’s the morning of the South game, and the Lancer Dancers have been rehearsing for the debut of their new hip-hop piece in a silent gym. The thuds of flipping bodies and ruffling of costumes cut the quiet morning air, still an hour before the rest of the student body will be heading to class.

But then, the “music” arrives.

The next few minutes continue to go by in silence – save for a few instructions from Lancer Dancers head coach Bubba Close – as the new arrivals walk through their choreography on one side of the gym while the drill team goes through their toughest section on the other.

“Keep those elbows at 45 degree angles! Let’s put it together and run the whole thing.”

The half-asleep pack of girls shuffle back to their original form, panting as the drumline lugs their instruments to half-court. And as soon as the first cadence is called out, the two components come together for what choreographer Lexi Glover calls one of the most ground-breaking routines in East history. *** For the first time ever in competitions, the East drum line has collaborated with the drill team, and will be performing with them as their live music and as an integral part of the choreography for the NDA Championships.

In the wake of new NDA regulations that restrict the music choices for the national championships to a pre-approved list of music, Close and Glover were forced to get creative.

“After a lot of brainstorming, we thought [this year’s drill team] would be the perfect team to try something different with,” Glover said. “We haven’t seen this done ever before, or at least in a long, long time.”

25

XAN DENNISTON

We walked down to the dance room to play some music, [but] the dance room ended up being locked so we played in the hall.

That almost blew our eardrums out so we ran outside and played and danced to use up the adrenaline we had from the show.

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SPORTS A look at where each sport is in their respective seasons

BY ELIAS LOWLAND

36

SEASONS PHOTO CJ MANNE

REVIEW

BOWLING

BOYS’ BASKETBALL PHOTO MADDIE SMILEY

EAST CONCLUDED THEIR regular season with a 6267 senior night loss to South on Feb. 24. Going into the game, the Lancers maintained a six game winning streak.

“All we’re hoping is to make it to Wichita and make it as far as possible,” senior forward Liam George said. “[All the seniors] are going to play as hard as possible because we know every [game] from now on could be our last.”

The next game for East is the first round of the state playoffs, which begins on March 1, against North at East.

THE GIRLS’ AND BOYS’ bowling teams concluded their seasons at Sunflower League on Feb. 17. Both teams placed 11th as a team. Last year the boys’ team finished eighth, while the girls’ team placed 12th.

“I really enjoyed the experience and all the friends I made, so it is absolutely a hard goodbye,” senior captain Chase Tetrick said. “I will really miss just hanging out with my team and trying to get better every day.”

WRES LING PHOTO MORGAN BROWNING

PHOTO LIBBY WILSON

BOYS SWIM AND DIVE

THE BOYS’ SWIM and dive team won its third consecutive state championship on Feb. 16-18. East won with 394.5 points, defeating the second place finisher Blue Valley North by 112.5 points. The points scored by East were the second most scored ever in state history. East now holds the record for the most state championships in the state with 15.

“It’s the best feeling you could have [to win a championship senior year],” senior and varsity swimmer Joe McGuire said.

“Being on this team is such a bigger thing than winning titles, it was just a big family, and I loved it.”

FOUR WRESTLERS from East competed at the state championships: senior William Schmidt, juniors Clarence Miller and Will Knutson and sophomore Dane Erickson.

Schmidt made it to the quarterfinals but lost, and Erickson finished fourth. Miller and Knutson didn’t qualify to wrestle the final day. The wrestling team will retain half of their state team for next year.

“I’m really excited for our team next year,” Miller said.

“We have a lot of seniors coming in, and our team is looking excellent. My main goal is to place well at state next year.”

PHOTO DIANA PERCY

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

THE REGULAR GIRLS’ BASKETBALL season finished with a 53-49 win against SM South. The next game for the Lancers is the Sub-State tournament that begins on March 2 against SM Northwest.

“We dealt with quite a few injuries this year and had some players miss some games,” head coach Lauren Lawrence said.

“I am really excited about the future for our team because a lot of different players were able to get some quality experience this season.”

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SPORTS

F

BY GRACE CHISHOLM

29

Athletic Trainer Megan Burki reflects on her career at East as she starts a new job

or athletic trainer Megan Burki, Mondays in the fall meant tacos with the whole Delaney family – Dustin, Heidi, Hadley, Brynn. Tuesdays in the winter meant debating with senior Josie Clough over whether she’d tape her broken thumb or wear a splint. Every Friday night football game meant the sidelines of columbia blue, the stadium lights, hearing “God watch over SM East.”

Being part of a team. Being part of a family.

That’s what she’ll miss the most when she moves on from her two and a half year position at East to work as a clinical athletic trainer at KU Med’s Indian Creek campus.

She’ll leave behind memories she’s made with “her people,” and the feeling of being a part of the community she’s come to love.

To Burki, joking with Clough about the time Clough tried an “and-one” and fell on her face, or gushing with senior Zac Medley about “Narcos,” is just as important as taping up ankles and icing sore muscles.

Without personal relationships and trust between athletes and trainers, what’s the point, Burki said. “[Dustin] Delaney told me ‘these are the best kids. You will not work with better kids,’ and I was like ‘OK’,” Burki said. “But three weeks in I was like ‘you’re absolutely freakin’ right.’ It’s a weird monster, this school. But it works.”

A monster with more than 800 studentathletes was a drastic change from the 24-woman soccer team at the University of North Texas where she worked before coming here. When her sister who lives in the area had a baby, Burki realized how much she’d missed her family, so she moved back to her hometown to be an involved aunt.

Working for the University of Kansas

Health Systems, the healthcare provider for the SMSD, Burki didn’t have a choice of where she was placed. She’d never worked in a high school before. But thank God, she said, that she got to end up here.

It wasn’t until the middle of a sub-state football game in 2014 that she truly felt at home. She and head coach Delaney shared a hug in the middle of the swarm of white and columbia blue jerseys on the field, both screaming “yeah!” At that moment Burki knew she was a part of the East family.

“That was cool. I’ll give that to Dusty,” Burki said. “He’s the brother I never really wanted, but I love him. He’ll say the same thing about me.”

Dustin has grown close to Megan both professionally and personally. She plays with his kids and has watched their family dog.

According to him, she’s a trainer who’s got the kids’ best interest at heart.

“The kids love her, the coaches love her, the community loves her,” Delaney said.

“She’ll work whatever hours she needs to make sure the kids are taken care of, and she’s a valuable member of our staff.”

Like their coaches, Burki’s athletes have treasured having “Mom” here, though it’s hard to say whether they love her or her famous chocolate chip cookies more. The ice machine was always the perfect excuse for Clough to go into the trainer’s room, say hi to Burki and maybe steal a few Mike and Ikes or Hot Tamales from Burki’s secret stash.

Medley played the same prank on her for two weeks straight — making a snail out of their fist-bump — until she finally retaliated and “snailed” him back.

“I actually care,” Burki said. “At some point that’s a tangible thing.”

Her caring is important when her athletes aren’t healthy. Recovery is hard,

140

Burki said. It hurts. From working on range of motion to strengthening weak muscles, it takes effort on both sides. Every second of the work is worth it when she and her athletes see the results of their labor.

“That’s the best part of this job. You’re there at the worst times when they’ve just torn their ACL or everything hurts and they don’t know which side’s up,” Burki said. “Then you’re there at the best part when they feel better and they’re back doing what they want to do.”

Burki resigned from her position here in order to pursue a good opportunity, she said.

She won’t miss staying at school until 9 p.m. some nights. Or the weeks when there are games every day: baseball at 3 & 2 Stadium, softball at Maurer Field, soccer at SMSC, track, which is never at home. Or when it feels like every game in the winter is crammed into the same week.

She’ll miss the everyday contact with players.

Delaney’s promised her a spot on the sidelines next year, but it will be weird, she said. She won’t be an active part of the team like she is now.

She will miss “the crazy,” as she puts it.

“That was a huge part of my life,” Burki said. “High school sports, watching kids grow up. It’s sappy, but it’s true.”

CHARACTER CHARACTER FAREWELLS FAREWELLS

Sports teams say their goodbyes to Burki through Twitter

are going to miss you in the “We dugout! The boys will miss their

team Mom. Anyways good luck on your next chapter in life!!!

SMEbaseball @SMEbaseball

“

PHOTO GRACE GOLDMAN

we are going to miss you “Megan on the mat. Good luck on your new adventure!! “ SMEwrestling @smewrestling

are going to miss you so much, to see great people leave will be missed Megan! The “We “Hate “You Megan! Thank you for all you have our district. We u Trainer Soccer program wishes you done for Shawnee Mission East.“ Megan! Good luck!!! the best of luck in your new “ SME Girls Basketball Lancer Football adventure. “ @smegirlsbball @SME_Football Jamie Kelly @smesoccercoach

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A GUIDE TO YOUR

Staying in KC for Spring Break? Take this quiz to find the perfect activity for you

BY LUCY HOFFMAN

PLACE TO BE outdoors or indoors?

TOURIST ACTIVITY sightseeing or pool?

PLACE TO STAY hotel or cabin?

TRAVEL WITH alone or with family?

TRAVEL SNACK

granola bar or goldfish?

DREAM DESTINATION nyc, colorado, or california?

WAY TO PASS TIME gym or art?

TRANSPORTATION fly or drive?

GET SWEATING

DIY IT

GET OUTDOORS

Going on the same run can get tedious, so switch your old workout in favor of a new one!

Get cycling at Mojo or stretch out with Lucia Aerial classes, Either way you’ll have more fun spending your day exercising. If you need more motivation: it makes having dessert guilt free.

If your Pinterest needs to hit the “refresh” button, Brit+Co is a great website to score some new DIY style. With online calligraphy classes, or simple clothing hacks, their craft tutorials make it simple to pour some time into a project whether it be for five minutes or five days.

Staying inside all day can give you the blues, so exploring a park or finding a trail near you is a fun fix. If you want a more hands-on activity, plan a day-trip to the zoo. However, if you feel more like relaxing, grab a hammock and some friends to get your sunny day rolling!

GET INSPIRED If you don’t own a glue gun or scissors but still want to see some awesome creativity, shopping at Ampersand Design Studio may be for you. They sell brightly-colored accessories and designs for the inner artist in you.

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32

PHOTO ESSAY

4 ve

Lo

MARCH 6, 2017 ( B E LOW ) Juniors Sam Fay and Caroline Blubaugh performed “Duet Song”, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and “Hallelujah” in the later half of the concert. The two are dating and practice together for twice a week.

“It’s kind of tough to know when to actually spend time with each other and actually practice,” Fay said. | ELLIE THOMA

REFUGEES Students came together for Coalition’s seventh annual Love Concert to collect school supplies for KC for Refugees and raise $1,145.12 to benefit Syria Relief and Development ( A B OV E ) Senior Deegan Poores kicked off the hip hop performances with five original songs. “It was a lot of fun because I like to spread the enjoyment of performing with a lot of people,” Poores said. | GRACE GOLDMAN ( R I G H T ) Sophomore Iris Hyde performed her original

song “Sunscreen” and “Paul” by Big Thief. Hyde was more nervous than she expected to be. “Usually I perform in front of adults that I don’t know.” Hyde said. “Knowing that I see these people in the hallway made me kind of shaky onstage, which doesn’t usually happen.” | AUDREY KESLER ( FA R R I G H T ) Before going onstage to perform, juniors

Caroline Blubaugh and Sam Fay were told they could play a third song. As they performed “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley the crowd mimicked lighters by waving their cell phone flashlights. | ELLIE THOMA ( FA R L E F T ) Senior Emma Goode records her friends as they perform onstage. “I really love getting to support [the artists] because I really love music,” Goode said. “It’s cool to see people who are actually really talented at music and put almost all their time and effort into it get to do what they love and have people appreciate it.” | DIANA PERCY ( L E F T ) Teacher and Coalition sponsor David

Muhammad was called to the stage for an impromptu performance. “Since [the performance] was random, I don’t think I had time to get nervous before,” Muhammad said. “I think if it was a set thing, I might have been more nervous because I would’ve wanted everything to be perfect, but you can’t really go wrong when you don’t have a plan” | GRACE GOLDMAN