The Harbinger 18-19 - Issue 2

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SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD, PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 SEPTEMBER 17, 2018 VOLUME LXI ISSUE 2

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Pediatricians, congressmen and students look toward the CAMRA Act to give them answers on the long-term effects of technology Read about it on page 16 - 17

02 I N S I DE COVER

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cover photo by grace goldman cover design by emily fey

FOCUSING IN

Here is what you should be looking forward to seeing this week on smeharbinger.net

S TO R I E S F I S H TA N K F U N D R A I S E R by libby hise

StuCo will hold a first hour competition as a fundraiser for the fish tank in the library

S H A K E S H AC K R E V I E W by annabelle cook

A review of the Plaza’s latest addition: Shake Shack, a burger and fry chain

ABOVE | Sophomore Elinor Zugazagoitia and freshman Christian Alldredge rehearse for Jackson Engel’s Frequent Friday in the Little Theatre. photo by rachel currie

JUUL NO MORE? by rose kanaley

The FDA announced they will give Juul Labs 60 days to prove they can keep their products out of the hands of minors

UPPER LEFT | Varsity Lancer Dancers pose at the end of their performance during the fall pep assembly. photo by grace goldman

VIDEOS

LEFT | Juniors Brigid Wentz and Walter Honnold pretend to apply makeup before the StuCo Retreat at the Broadmoor Technical Center. photo by luke hoffman

D I S C O V E R I N G D I S C G O L F I N KC by dalton reck

Over the past decade, Kansas has become a mecca in the disc golf world

EXPRESSION THROUGH MUSIC WITH CHRISTIAN ALLDREDGE by lawder desantis Ever since he was introduced to the Grateful Dead by his uncle, freshman Christian Alldredge has been profoundly interested in music and the way it can make you feel

S H A K I N G U P KC by ryan gossick

Kansas City’s first Shake Shack opened up on the Plaza Sept. 6

GA L L E R I E S O R C H E S T R A C A R WA S H by lucy morantz MUSICAL REVUE by luke hoffman MORP by grace goldman

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S TA F F L I S T P R I N T E D I TO R S E m i l y Fey L i z z i e Ka h l e O N L I N E E D I TO R S Anna belle Cook W i l l Tu l p D E S I G N E D I TO R S L i l a Tu l p Grace Padon A S S T . P R I N T E D I TO R S Caroline Chisholm Carolyn Popper A S S T . O N L I N E E D I TO R S Jackie Cameron Ben Henschel H E A D C O P Y E D I TO R S E l i za b et h B a l l ew A l ex Fre e m a n P H OTO E D I TO R S Grace Goldman L u ke H o f f m a n Lucy Morantz M O B I L E M E D I A E D I TO R S Lucy Hoffman B r o o k y l n Te r r i l l V I D E O E D I TO R D a lto n Re c k A S S T . P H OTO E D I TO R S Re i l l y M o re l a n d A i s l i n n M e n ke Ty B r o w n i n g P H OTO M E N TO R S Ally Griffth Ka t h e r i n e M c G i n n e s s A & E E D I TO R S Print Meg Thoma O n l i n e R i l e y At k i n s o n O P I N I O N E D I TO R Lucy Patterson S P R E A D E D I TO R G r a c i e Ko s t

E D I TO R I A L B OA R D Caroline Chisholm L i z z i e Ka h l e E m i l y Fey Carolyn Popper L i l a Tu l p Anna belle Cook W i l l Tu l p Jackie Cameron Ben Henschel M a ya St ra t m a n Lucy Hoffman G r a c i e Ko s t A l ex Fre e m a n Lucy Patterson Av a J o h n s o n Grace Padon B r o o k l y n Te r r i l l N E W S E D I TO R S Print Natasha Thomas Online Julie Fromm Catherine Erickson S P O RT S E D I TO R S P r i n t L u c y Ke n d a l l Ly d i a U n d e r w o o d O n l i n e A l l i s o n Wi l cox E D I TO R I A L E D I TO R Sara h Bledsoe F E AT U R E S E D I TO R S P r i n t Av a J o h n s o n Online Brynn Winkler Lucia Barraza WEBMASTER Julie Fromm M U LT I M E D I A S TA F F Rya n Gos s i c k M e g a n F u n ke y L a u r e n We s t Eve l yn Ro es n e r Ra c h e l C u r r i e M a d d ox M o g e n s o n

PA G E D E S I G N E R S Brynn Winkler A l l i s o n Wi l cox L i b by H i s e R o s e Ka n a l e y L i l y B i l l i n g s l ey Ke l l y M u r p h y Chase Conderman S TA F F A RT I S T L i l a h Pow l a s R i ve r H e n n i c k S TA F F W R I T E R S Miranda Hack M e g a n F u n ke y Liddy Sta llard R i l e y At k i n s o n L a u r e n We s t Scout Rice C O P Y E D I TO R S Anna belle Cook W i l l Tu l p Caroline Chisholm Lucy Patterson A l ex Fre e m a n E m i l y Fey L i z z i e Ka h l e L i l a Tu l p Meg Thoma G r a c i e Ko s t M a ya St ra t m a n E l i za b et h B a l l ew Jackie Cameron Ben Henschel Natasha Thomas Carolyn Popper A D S M A N AG E R Catherine Erickson SUBSCRIPTION M A N AG E R G r a c i e Ko s t

M O B I L E M E D I A S TA F F Lucia Barraza Maggie Schutt L u c y Ke n d a l l L a u r e n We s t Re i l l y M o re l a n d P H OTO G R A P H E R S H a d l ey H ya t t Ka t e N i x o n C a m i l l e Ta l k i n g t o n Julia Percy Sara h Golder Ta y l o r Ke a l Eve l yn Ro es n e r Megan Biles Megan Stopperan Au st i n H o u s l ey Tr e v o r P a u l u s Ca t h e r i n e E s rey AS ST. V I D EO E D I TO R Maggie Schutt VIDEO TRAINING E D I TO R La wd e r D es a nt i s AS ST. V I D EO T R A I N I N G E D I TO R Syd n ey Wi l l i a m s P O D C A S T E D I TO R Syd n ey Wi l l i a m s L I V E B ROA D CAST E D I TO R S Ben Henschel Ly d i a U n d e r w o o d M e g a n F u n ke y AS ST. B ROA D CAST E D I TO R S Brynn Winkler Scout Rice Lucia Barraza

EDITORIAL

design by sarah bledsoe

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KOBACH (DOESN’T) GIVE BACK Kris Kobach, Republican candidate for governor, has education policies that would be detrimental to Kansas public schools by brooklyn terill

CO-MOBILE MEDIA EDITOR

KRIS KOBACH,

the Republican candidate for Governor, wants to redirect education funding towards private schools, which would be detrimental to Kansas Public Schools. Kobach believes that the way to fix public education is by providing an alternative.

Under the leadership of former Governor Sam Brownback, the Kansas Public School system suffered through inadequate funding that was deemed unconstitutional by the Kansas Supreme Court. With the governor elections in November, Kansans need to look at Kobach’s plan and consider whether or not the person they are putting in power will help public education.

Kobach intends to assign school districts a letter grade based on standardized test scores. If a district moves up a letter grade the following year, employees from those schools will receive raises or bonuses. Students from school districts that receive an “F” will be given vouchers to go “wherever they want to go,” according to a statement made by Kobach.

Seems logical — students from lowscoring schools will get money to pursue education from somewhere that will better prepare them for the real world.

However, the faults in Kobach’s plan outway any benefit. His system favors high-income areas while putting low-income areas at a disadvantage — public schools wouldn’t be a viable option for students because they would be underfunded. A study by Stanford University analyzed test scores and median income and found that areas with

a higher average income scored higher.

Low-income schools that receive low-test scores consistently are set up to fail.

Standardized testing doesn’t look for confounding variables that affect scores — it just looks at the numerical value.

Employees and students from lowerincome schools would suffer, not due to a lack of effort, but the socioeconomic factors that play into standardized test scores outside of pure intelligence.

If parents don’t want their child to attend a private school and the public schools aren’t sufficient, there aren’t other options. Some might look to charter schools as another option. However, Kansas received an “F” when evaluated by the Center for Education Reform.

Public schools are funded by the state and should be an accountable option.

Families should not have to defer to private schools to ensure their children receive a quality education. Milwaukee, where the school choice movement started, has shown little improvement in test scores and has been in place for almost 20 years.

Deferring people to private schools brings up the issue that they aren’t held to state standards like public schools.

Private schools could deny student’s admission or kick them out if their grades don’t meet their standards because they don’t fall under government regulation.

Those who aren’t ideal could simply be removed. Special-needs students from low-income areas will not be guaranteed a quality education or even the opportunity for one. They might not be accepted into a private school. Every child should be guaranteed a quality education.

Fourteen different states, not including Kansas, have begun to offer vouchers

for outside education. Another Stanford University study concluded that there is no evidence supporting the idea these vouchers increase test scores. The same study found that risks and hidden fees incorporated into the programs make them unreliable.

In addition, vouchers won’t necessarily cover full tuition. The low-income families the voucher program aims to help are left in a position where they won’t necessarily be able to afford tuition for a private school and the public schools won’t be getting as much funding due to the low-test scores and losing students to private schools.

Private schools can be the right option for some people who want their child to have a religious or smaller-setting for education, but they aren’t the right or realistic choice for everyone. Eightytwo percent of private schools in Kansas are religiously affiliated. In rural Kansas, there are limited options when it comes to private education.

Out of the 238 private schools in Kansas, 122 reside in Johnson, Sedwick (Wichita area), and Shawnee (Topeka) counties according to the Private School Review. Additionally, the areas with the most private schools tend to be areas of higher income and higher population.

For low-income student rural areas of Kansas, there may not even be a private school in the county such as Allen county.

Instead of focusing on how to fix the fundamental problem, low test scores, Kobach is rewarding those who are already performing well on standardized testing and punishing those who don’t.

Most state constitutions, including Kansas’s, have a Blaine amendment which prohibits government money from the education budget funding private

for: 15 against: 0

schools. Putting a voucher program in place would go against the Kansas constitution prohibiting government funding for religious schools.

Public education is a vital part to building up strong communities.

School systems are primary attractors for families looking to move. Without strong schools, certain neighborhoods will suffer. This plan can do damage not only to the school system, but the areas

surrounding it.

Providing funds for public education is a good idea. Public schools are the cheapest and most convenient alternative for most people and they should be a strong one. Instead of moving the problem, undereducated students, to a private school, the government should focus on fixing the fundamental issues in public schools by providing them with the funding and resources to set students up for success.

editorial policy The Harbinger is a student-run publication.

Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion.

The contents and views of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or

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Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quoted material may be confirmed with sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content though letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 521 or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com

04 NEWS

design by natasha thomas

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS by sarah bledsoe

EAST

EDITORIAL EDITOR

Bake sale raises money for nonprofit

COALITION, A CHARITY organization at East that benefits world organizations, hosted a bake sale on Sept. 16 at Prairie Elementary School in order to raise money for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). RAICES is a not-for-profit organization that promotes justice by providing low-cost and free legal services to immigrant children, families, and other refugees in Central and South Texas.

Although RAICES has different subsections within its organization dealing with immigration, all donations from the bake sale will be focused on mothers and expecting mothers currently in jail. The money will help these mothers pay bail so they can leave jail and

care for their children. All costs for the baked good were donated.

Coalition board member and junior Olive Henry hopes the bake sale will encourage her fellow students to help others in need and stand up for what they believe in.

“This is a really good opportunity for people who don’t like the way things are to actually participate and make a change,” Henry said. “I hope everyone will see what good this organization and coalition do.”

Henry hopes the bake sale will help people realize what students can do right now to help those around them. Not just by showing their support in the bake sale, but at all the Coalition events throughout the year.

LOCAL Bill proposed to stop panhandling

NATIONAL Player fined after match

A KANSAS CITY councilwoman proposed legislation Aug. 24, that is intended to stop panhandling, or begging in the street, without violating the First Amendment freedom of expression. However, there have been roadblocks in figuring out the logistics of the proposed legislation in light of the First Amendment.

Councilwoman Teresa Loar introduced the legislation stating that pedestrians can only be on a median, traffic island, or non-sidewalk area near a highway for as long as it takes to cross the road safely.

Senior Anika Radadiya thinks the new legislation comes from a good place, but believes it will be hard for the legislation not to violate the First Amendment.

“It’s important to realize that there is an extent to panhandling that should be allowed,” Radadiya said.

“But [the legislation] is important for safety purpose for everyone involved.” If panhandling gets violent or dangerous for those involved, Radadiya believes there should be more regulations to benefit pedestrians and drivers.

Councilwoman Loar believes the legislation is important as the city continuously receives complaints about panhandlers making drivers uncomfortable and this is the first step to a solution.

So far, courts across the United States have dismissed laws banning panhandlers on the grounds that they violate free expression rights, according to the Kansas City Star. Due to national concerns about violating the First Amendment, the goal of the proposed is to work around these issues, and reconcile the important rights embodied in the First Amendment with the concerns and safety of citizens throughout the city. Right now, however, the solution remains elusive.

SERENA WILLIAMS WAS fined $17,000 during her final U.S. Open match against Nami Osaka on Sep. 8. The fines were a result of her altercations with the umpire as well as three separate court violations.

The official, Carlos Ramos, argued with Williams after charging Williams’s coach with coaching when he used hand motions to instruct her from the stands — a code violation — but something that routinely happens without incident according to Williams. This began to escalate tensions between Ramos and Williams and lead to numerous verbal attacks including Williams accusing the umpire of being a thief after giving her a 15 point disadvantage against Osaka. Then Williams proceeded to break her racket in anger, a third violation, which cost her an automatic game in Osaka’s favor.

Junior Lucy Brock, who watched the U.S. Open, believes that there should be consequences for violations, but there needs to be set regulations on the rules of conduct that aren’t just imposed on certain people because of the officials bias.

“It all just seems over the top considering that most of the violations were standard for high intensity tournaments,” Brock said. “A lot of that same conduct happens in men’s tennis and the repercussions seem a little skewed.”

After being booed by the crowd throughout the match, the final ended, and Osaka became the winner of the Women’s U.S. Open. Osaka ended the tournament saying “I know everyone was cheering for [Williams], I’m sorry it had to end like this. Thank you for watching the match.”

IN 280 CHARACTERS

Tweets from the SM East community and around the world

Today’s “Convos w/ Newz” looks at the discussion surrounding @serenawilliams.

Was she overreacting?

Was the punishment she was issued fair?

Is this all a sign of sexism in sports?

Does race play a role in the critique of Serena?

Keep it civil!!!

Facts!!!

@thebrothanewz 9/11/18

We cannot let this be who we are as a country.

We are taking disaster relief to fund the terrorizing of immigrant communities. #FamiliesBelongTogetherANDFree

@RAICESTEXAS 9/12/18

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Important events coming up in the SM East community

SEPT

20 21 27 28 SEPT

SEPT

SEPT

Musical Revue 7 pm

Musical Revue cont.

7 pm

Make-up picture day during school hours Morp 7 pm

NEWS

design by river hennick

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THE RETURN OF MORP Morp, an informal dance, will return to East on Sept. 28 after its two-year absence

S

by annabelle cook

CO-ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

tuCo will be hosting Morp, a schoolwide informal mixer, on Sept. 28 from 7-9 p.m. in the cafeteria. The neon-themed dance will cost $5 for presale tickets or $10 at the door with proceeds benefiting the Johnson County Christmas Bureau.

Morp, prom spelled backwards, last occurred in 2015 and differs from other dances in that students do not take dates and and opt for costumes over a suit and tie.

“The goal for Morp is not to come for 10 minutes and then leave to go to your afterparty like at homecoming,” senior class representative Liddy Stallard said. “Everyone should stay the whole time and dance.”

For Stallard and StuCo social chair Hannah Phillips, this year’s freshmen Link Crew dance gave a glimpse of the rave-like energy that Morp could bring. After the dance, Phillips texted in a Link Crew group chat to discuss how much fun the dance was and possibly reviving Morp.

“By the end of the night, everyone was dancing and having so much fun,” Phillips said. “We wanted the whole school to be able to experience that, not just freshmen and Link Leaders. We thought bringing back Morp would be a great way to do this.”

According to 2016-17 Student Body President Mazie Brooke, Morp’s reputation before she arrived at East was a “dance that had a large turnout, was laid back and people could just go with their friends in crazy clothes and have fun.”

Phillips believes the casual nature of Morp will draw more students to it.

“A lot of times for homecoming and WPA, people don’t even know the theme,” Phillips said.

“But this dance, people will be dressing for the theme. I think all of those things together will help with making everyone want to dance and want to be a part of the crowd.”

StuCo’s social committee is working to preserve old traditions, but create new ones as well, like using black lights to illuminate the crowd. According to StuCo sponsor Brenda

Fishman, Morp used to involve traditions such as decorating the cafeteria with toilet paper, going to Winstead’s beforehand, serving obscure foods such as Tang and marshmallows and “wearing their underwear on the outside of their clothes and coconut bras over their shirts.”

In the years leading up to Morp’s end, East’s football team fought its way to the postseason, extending games to November. This conflicted with the mixer, leading to a drop in attendance, according to Fishman.

The last Morp dance occurred the night of a Royals World Series game. According to Brooke, the low underclassmen turnout became the tipping point for ending Morp because they started to lose money instead of profit.

“It looked as if it had a shot because there was a decent amount of seniors who made appearances,” Brooke said. “That did not trend throughout all the grades though. The other execs and myself mentioned [continuing Morp] about once and it was clear it was not something we felt was worth the energy.”

Phillips and Stallard decided to take matters into their own hands. They brought the idea of reviving Morp to Fishman and her co-sponsor, Hannah Pence then attended a meeting on Aug. 27 with associate principal Britt Haney to approve the event.

Fishman believes it will be a “good option for those kids who don’t want to come to a formal dance with a date” and that its early end time provides students with the opportunity do so something afterwards if they desire.

While StuCo works on securing snacks, black lights, balloons, glow sticks and a DJ (East alumni Deegan Poores), students will also be preparing for the new addition to East’s social calendar.

Sophomore Claire McPhail says she and her friends plan on getting ready together and decorating themselves with glitter and paint to go with the neon theme.

“I’m excited for Morp because my friends and I had so much fun at the freshman mixer and being able to have the whole school do something together like this is really exciting,” McPhail said.

LANCER VOICE

TOP | Three years ago, a group of former students dance at Morp. photo courtesy of connor woodson BOTTOM | A former student turns to her friend, showing off her costume. photo courtesy of connor woodson

Opinions on Morp from students and teachers

I think it sounds fun. I would kinda get stressed out by all the preparation it takes for prom. It sounds more chill and laidback.

I am super stoked ‘cause I think that the lack of formality and theme is going to get everyone really excited.

It was popular and raised a lot of money for Johnson County Christmas Bureau, so i’m glad the students were interested in bringing the dance back.

logan miriani senior

lucy crum senior

brenda fishman teacher

06 NEWS

TAKING DOWN TAILGATES

The beginning of the Chiefs football season also brings the change to the policy of tailgating at the stadium

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by emily fey

CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

he Kansas City Chiefs will be hosting their first home game vs the San Francisco 49ers Sept. 23. As soon as Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker kicks off the ball at the start of the game, the Chiefs administration will work to clear the stadium parking lot of all tailgaters.

The Chiefs administration have decided to implement tighter tailgating restrictions for the 20182019 football season. After kickoff, security team members will go throughout the parking lot, asking people with tickets to enter the game, and telling fans without tickets to leave the premises.

Chiefs President Mark Donovan, who referred to the Chiefs as the “Kings of tailgating,” announced the policy change at the Chiefs Kickoff Luncheon Aug. 24. The administration was motivated to make this change after the release of the NFL’s best practices — a list of recommendations for teams to take into consideration for the next season. This year’s list included a line that may have a large effect on Chiefs fans: “Stop tailgating at kickoff.”

“We know our fans pretty well,” Donovan stated at the luncheon. “We know the importance of tailgating.

However, there are some really strong points [for the policy] on the safety and security standpoint.”

Senior Will Stapp tailgates before every Chiefs game he attends, and while he agrees that the rule could be helpful in controlling unruly fans, he questions if it is safe for some of the tailgaters without tickets to drive home right after kickoff.

“It is a good rule to have if you don’t want unwanted guests in the parking lot, but it can also bring up the question if you really want some of those tailgaters driving home at that instant,” Stapp said. “I think that could bring up some big problems as well.”

While the policy is officially set to be put into action sometime this season, Donovan and the rest of the Chiefs administrative team has stressed that the new rule will be slowly introduced to the fans. During the last preseason game at Arrowhead stadium on Aug. 30, the Chiefs administration said that the rule wasn’t executed at all. They did this in order to see how many fans tailgated without tickets and in turn estimate how many of their fans the policy would impact.

“It is definitely a change, but it is something we believe we are going to transition into,” Donovan stated. “We took a lot of time, we spent a lot of hours on the phone with the league to explain our position.

They understand it and we will transition through this and implement it with the next game and we will go throughout the season.”

During each game, the Chiefs typically hire around 12 officers from the KCMO Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department to manage security. According to Sergeant Jake Becchina, the officers at the stadium respond to an average of three

to five disturbances during a game and the same number after a game. These calls are most commonly for disorderly conduct.

Becchina is unsure if the new policy will do much to lower the number of disturbances that occur each game, due to the fact that most of the issues the officers attend to either happen in the game or in the parking lot after the game.

“I think it will be some time before we know what, if any, effect there will be, at least until next year,” Becchina said. “My hunch is that since there are not many issues in the parking lots during the game it may be hard to see an appreciable result, but time will tell.”

This is not the first time that the Chiefs have made major policy changes based on the NFL best practices. In previous years after the list has been released to the teams, the Chiefs have followed many of the recommendations given to them. They started only allowing clear bags or small clutches into the games, installed walk-through metal detectors, called magnetometers, at the stadium entrances and started their second perimeter which included hiring extra

photos by grace goldman design by ava johnson

CHIEFS TRADITIONS: Here is a look at some other traditions that Chiefs fans are known for.

RED FRIDAY

On Fridays during the Chiefs season, fans wear red in support of a tradition called “Red Friday.”

THE “TOMAHAWK CHOP”

AT A GLANCE: CHIEFS VS. 49ERS where: Arrowhead Stadium when: Sept. 23, 12 p.m. watch it: Fox News security staff positioned outside the stadium.

“Best practices are recommendations for us that they believe make the most sense for every organization in the NFL,” Donovan stated. “But every year we look at them and we say, ‘OK, how does this apply to us?’ We did that with the clear bag policy, we did that with our second perimeter, we did that with magnetometers, we did that with all the various recommendations that came to us.”

Sophomore Quinn Cosgrove has attended all eight Chiefs home games since he was three years old. Cosgrove, who finds his seats every game in the second row of the 50 yard line, finds the policy harsh towards the fan base.

“I think they should just let people have fun and do whatever,” Cosgrove said. “Should there be people monitoring, just occasionally going by and making sure that no one is dead? Sure. But I don’t think they should be kicking people out of the parking lot. I think it is a bit much.”

Not only does Cosgrove believe the policy is harsh, he is also worried that it could have a huge effect on the culture of Chiefs tailgating, which he recognizes is a definitive characteristic of Chiefs’ fans.

“I have been to different NFL games all over and I can tell you that tailgating at the Chiefs stadium is never going to be beaten,” Cosgrove said. “I don’t know if it is the fans or the food, but there is just something about it that makes it that much better.”

The “Tomahawk Chop” is a celebration that Chiefs fans use to get hyped up for the game.

It is a back and fourth arm movement and chant.

NATIONAL ANTHEM

At the end of the National Anthem, Chiefs fans yell “and the home of the... CHIEFS.”

news

design by riley atkinson

WESTPORT WORRY

LEFT | The streets of Westport at night. photo by ty browning

To prohibit previous safety violations including fatal shootings and muggings over the past few years, security changes will be made in Westport

THE BREAKDOWN Different aspects of the Westport Safety Firt security act

AFFECTED AREA

The area impacted by the new security measures

W by lila tulp

CO-DESIGN EDITOR

estport’s new security plan, which includes age-restricted areas and metal detectors, went into full effect on Sept. 7 to ensure public safety in the area. Westport officials stated that the restrictions and plans would be active from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday through Sunday in a press release on Aug. 31.

The enhanced security process will be routine for those who regularly attend events such as concerts and sporting events in the area, according to the Westport Safety First act. Patrons will be required to walk through a metal detector, empty their pockets and their bags or purses — which will be confiscated if larger than 8.5 inches by 11 inches by 6 inches — will be checked.

The recent weapon screenings come in response to the final 2017 KCPD annual report recording over 150 homicides in the downtown area in and around Westport.

The four mandatory security checkpoints will be located near the parking garages and other entrances at intersections Westport and Mill, Westport and Broadway, Pennsylvania and Archibald and on Pennsylvania Street.

Quinton Lucas, Kansas City mayoral

07

candidate and council member, tweeted Friday about the plan, stating that he supports the effort for public safety, but is unsure about the plan’s practicality.

“More than anything, I hope everybody can be safe during a night out. I’m not sure this is the way to do it but we’ll see how it works,” Lucas said in response to an article posted by the Kansas City Star about the act.

Critics have questioned the practicality of the plan due to the inclusion of a 19-page list of over 239 prohibited items, some of which include violins, balloons, stuffed animals and baby carriers.

If found with any of the items, security guards will do a further search and will confiscate the prohibited items. However, people are permitted to bring certain items on the list into the restricted areas if given special instructions from the on-duty security guards before entering.

“I think [the new screenings are] ridiculous,” senior Camille Vandergriff said. “I mean we do have to have this for our safety — we do have to be protected — but I think it will deter a lot of people, especially if you don’t want to go through the screening process where you can’t even bring mascara or like there has to be at least a 25 percent chance of rain in order to bring an umbrella, it’s just ridiculous.”

The KCMO City Council has been

cultivating the list and the plan for several years now. In December of 2017, the council began the plan after agreeing to instal sidewalks and block off certain streets in the district from cars to promote pedestrian safety.

And after a violence-free Labor Day weekend, residents are hopeful

I think it wi l l deter a lot of people, especia l ly if you don’t want to go throug h the screening process w here you ca n’t even b ri ng mascara or l i ke there has to be at least a 25 percent cha nce of ra i n i n o rd er to bring an umbrel la. It’s ri d i cu lou s.

camille vandergriff senior about results.

“I personally have never felt unsafe at Westport — that being said, I’m always very conscious to stay near my friends at all times — while I don’t feel unsafe, I’m certainly more aware of my surroundings,” East alumni and Westport resident Matt Terry said. “[The plan is] new and will have its kinks to work out, but overall I think it will make Westport a safer place for everyone.”

highlighted:

green dots:

marks the pedestrian only zone on Friday and Saturday nights 11 p.m.-3 a.m.

represent entries and checkpoints

PROHIBITED ITEMS

A list of odd items now prohibited in the westport area

GLOWSTICKS STUFFED ANIMALS MAGIC 8 BALL BALLOONS

BLANKETS COFFEE DUCT TAPE FLOWERS

READ IT Scan this QR code to read all the items prohibited in Westport.

08 O PI N I O N

design by grace padon

OPINION HIGHLIGHTS

I

by elizabeth ballew CO-HEAD COPY EDITOR raise my index and pointer fingers to my forehead. In the name of the Father, and of the … no. I stop myself.

I feel guilt. Not just any guilt, Catholic guilt — the feeling exclusive to the Catholic faith where even the act of stepping on someone’s shoe is tinged with guilt.

The strong morals I was brought up in taught me this. But now I feel guilty, and not for my innate feeling of guilt. I feel guilty to be a Catholic.

I used to take pride in the church and the cardinal virtues — prudence, temperance, fortitude, justice. Now I look at church and see

their new virtues — negligence, carelessness, cowardlinance, corruption — after being exposed to the sick web of cover ups and payoffs showcased in the movie “Spotlight.”

The 2015 biopic about the Boston Globe journalists uncovering the crimes of the church, publishing over 600 stories about it in 2002 alone, unsettled my my faith — the thing that had been my unquestioned rock all my life — and left me trying to place blame.

On the institution. On God. On the people. On myself.

I could never make the sign of the cross again.

There was no longer a guiltless prayer for me.

R E A D M O R E O N PA G E 1 1

AGREE TO DISAGREE

UNPOPULAR OPINION IS BACON OVERRATED?

It gives you protein to go throughout the day and stuff and it tastes really good no matter how you make it or where you go usually and you can have it with really anything, because it tastes so good.

will lowry sophomore

So first of all, it was like the mustache craze: Overrated! Like a short fad. I think bacon itself is just amazing, but we don’t need to have like bacon shampoo, bacon pillows and blankets. It’s like you’re trying to just milk the product for as much merchandise as you can get.

sydni william junior

Below are polls that correspond to opinions written this issue We asked Twitter if they viewed themselves as overly competitive, the results are below

YES NO

65%

Basically, my favorite animal is the pig and it’s been my favorite animal for like over 10 years and when I started loving that animal I just stopped eating bacon, because I just couldn’t do that to my favorite animal and I never really liked the taste to begin with.

35%

*Taken from a poll of 57 students

We asked Twitter if they fought with their siblings often, the results are below

YES

tera hawes senior

33%

NO

67%

*Taken from a poll of 36 students

We asked Twitter if they would replace advisory with seminar, the results are below

YES NO

89% 11%

*Taken from a poll of 71 students

TAKE OUR POLLS

Follow us on our social media to participate in our polls

@smeharbie

@smeharbinger

@smeharbinger

OPINION

design by rose kanaley

09

ABANDONING

ADVISORY Advisory should give students a chance to work on their homework rather than playing community-building games and activities

LEFT | Sophomore Lauren West sits in advisory working on homework while the students around her partake in the games. photo illustration by katherine mcginness

O

by lauren west

STAFF WRITER

nce the clunky laptop cases have been shut and Airplay has finally loaded, I slump into the back of my chair and prepare to ignore the explanation of today’s advisory topic.

Other students seem to follow suit as phones slide out of pockets. Students desperately try to avoid all participation in the “icebreaker” question assigned for the class. I can’t stop my eyes from flickering to the clock every minute, wanting to pull my hair out, because of the Sr2qr I know I could be doing.

The 25-minute period, also known as advisory, is crammed between first and third hour block periods.

Unlike the 50-minute seminars on Thursday — “dedicated to make-up work, test- taking, and seeking help from teachers, and working on homework”—advisory is devoted to “forming relationships” with peers and teachers, meeting with counselors and getting information about events around the school. And apparently it’s devoted to wasting my time.

Between chemistry and economics, I need all the homework time and teacher help I can get. According to the Harbinger Twitter poll of 71 students, 89 percent of students say they’d rather have seminar in place of advisory.

I am all for finding new friends to chat within the hall, and I agree in high school you could use a shove out of your small bubble, but I don’t think that learning my classmates’ nicknames will make me feel comfortable enough to go strike a conversation with one of them in the hall.

The “are you a mountain or beach person” questions that seem to take the whole class period, don’t engage

students in class. Psychologist Anton Villado says one of the ways to find success in icebreakers is modeling the behavior you want to portray. If the icebreaker you use is silly, you are setting up the following information to not being taken seriously.

That being said, the goal is not to ask hard-hitting questions. You have to find the happy medium between simple and serious. Nobody likes to talk in front of the whole class by themselves. If you make the topic too serious, that shuts students down, but if you make it too humorous students will tune out the minute you begin.

When we talk about whether our classmates would prefer dipping their fries in ketchup or milkshakes it doesn’t set the correct tone for the class. Finding that balanced topic such as when we talked about East’s community and how to improve it made students glance up from their lap where they were “definitely not” opening Snapchats.

In these lingering 25 minutes, I would find it more useful to finish my Algebra 2 worksheet or try to make a dent in my Chemistry homework, opposed to answering questions with my fellow sophomore peers who have a last name “w” through “z.”

Less homework is what I’m aiming for. The more time dedicated to school at school means more sleep. According to nationwidechildrens.org, high school students should be getting between nine and nine and a half hours of sleep, but the average teenager gets about seven hours of sleep. In my eyes, 25 extra minutes of sleep makes the difference. Class time shouldn’t be wasted on a room full of unengaged students trying to find trust in their classmates through a five-minute activity.

The Pomodoro technique, a renowned time-management tool, involves setting a timer for 25 minutes with no

LANCER VOICE

distractions— just work.

I am a procrastinator. The Pomodoro technique would bring success to students for completing the challenge and being productive. With our teenage attention span lasting only 10-15 minutes according to www.nationwidechildrens.org, working for 25 minutes is a doable task. This couldn’t happen during 50-minute seminar sessions. The Pomodoro technique would allow

I am all for finding new friends to chat within the hall, and I agree in high school you could use a shove out of your small bubble, but I don’t think that learning my classmates’ nicknames will make me feel comfortable enough to go strike a conversation with one of them in the hall.

lauren west sophomore me to zoom in and focus on one subject, that way I can feel like I actually know what I’m talking about when I answer review questions in Economics.

Not only is this beneficial for students, but I’m sure teachers aren’t above procrastination and would appreciate time to scramble to the copy room to get worksheets for their next class. Even though I live for watching Mr. Barkimo crack jokes in front of a green screen, it only holds my attention for seconds.

For the remainder of high school, we will stay in advisory class with the same 20 something classmates. My apologies to any of you if by the time we graduate I don’t remember if you are team ketchup or team milkshake.

Lancers share their opinions on the bonding games they play in advisory

I like how we play games and do team building activities because it’s a nice break in the day but on the other hand I wish I could sit and finish an assignment without being interrupted.

We can live near one another, but it takes time and investment to truly create a community. Students need brain breaks too, and playing games and having good conversation is a good place to start!

The activities are only as fun as you make them. If you get into them it’s especially fun to do with your friends it makes a good break in the day to relax and talk to your friends, especially after the long day.

MEGAN WALSTROM SENIOR

ALAINA SHELTON TEACHER

SARAH BINGHAM SOPHOMORE

10 OPINION

photos courtesy of the padon family design by lucy patterson

SEE YOU LATER, SIS.

TOP | Grace and Emma on Thanksgiving 2017.

MIDDLE TOP RIGHT | Grace and Emma share a hug at home.

MIDDLE TOP LEFT | Grace and Emma playing in the snow on a snow day.

MIDDLE BOTTOM RIGHT | Grace and Emma with popsicles after soccer.

MIDDLE BOTTOM LEFT | Grace holding Emma as a baby.

BOTTOM | Grace and Emma on a boat in the Bahamas.

Memories serve as a true example of a sisterhood bond that will last through college

I

by grace padon

CO-DESIGN EDITOR

t’s 2009 — third-grade me storms out of the kitchen to eat breakfast in the living room because I can’t stand the sound of my sister chomping down her oatmeal before school.

Flash forward 20 minutes later and we’re sharing a seat on Bus #152, playing Super Mario Bros. on our Nintendo DSs together like nothing ever happened.

Flash forward again to one year from now, where my life will be drastically different. I won’t be throwing fits during breakfast (I hope), I won’t be playing Super Mario Bros. on the school bus and I definitely won’t be sharing half my DNA with the girl down the hall.

And most importantly, the girl down the hall won’t be my sister.

Now, I am 18 and my sister is almost 15 and a half, and the realization of the dwindling amount of days we have left has started to sink in. As I try to drift off to sleep, questions like “Who will surprise me with a Strawberry Acai Lemonade from Starbucks when I’m in a bad mood?” and “Who will respond to every other thing I say with a ‘that’s what she said’ joke?” circle through my brain.

Sure, the thought of abandoning my best friend brings tears to my eyes, but we didn’t always see eye-to-eye — and not just because I’ve always been significantly taller. It all began when my sister’s terrible twos lasted until she was five, followed by my bossy big sister phase.

Don’t get me wrong, siblings are known for bickering and squabbling, but it’s never been a “Keeping Up With the Padons” situation for us. When we argue, it’s usually about who’s wearing whose new Lululemon shorts or about who has to park their car on the street or whose turn it is do the dishes — but at the end of the day, these disagreements have added up.

There’s been days on end where we’ve ignored each other for eating the last frozen pizza in the freezer, and looking back on it, it wasn’t worth it at all. That time could’ve been spent planning dream vacations with our future families and aimlessly wandering around Target, but was instead wasted by slamming doors and throwing around insults like candy at a parade.

Thankfully, as we’ve aged, our relationship is finally rounding out to be one of the best friendships I’ll ever know, full of late night Baskin Robbins runs and sharing headphones on plane rides to

Mexico.

After years of telling her which electives to stray away from and providing her Lancer Day outfits from my costume drawer, an unknown and unwanted feeling has started to fill the pit of my stomach.

While I’ll continue to baby her until I’m 90 and she is almost 87 and a half, I guess even the toddler who preferred wearing Band-Aids instead of clothes has to grow up some time (sorry for embarrassing you).

I never thought the girl who has a stuffed animal named Tuppy Turtle would ever teach me anything, but as it turns out, being so close with her has taught me more about life than anything else. She’s taught me how to forgive and forget, how to voice my opinion and most importantly, how to focus on the bigger picture. Even through the fights, my sister has always been there for me, through our parents’ divorce to arguments with friends and boyfriends.

Our two and a half year age difference doesn’t mean much to me anymore — it never really did. At the ages of five and almost 2 and a half, we would proudly march into our mom’s work Christmas party wearing matching red dresses. When I was in sixth grade, I got my ears pierced.

Two weeks later she was in the same chair at Claire’s getting her ears pierced too. I’ll become a college student in 11 months, and it’s nothing short of weird imagining living without the girl whose been by my side since the day she was born.

As the days pass, I’m mentally preparing to trade sister dates at Brio for Ramen noodles cooked in my dorm room when I start the college chapter of my life.

Although the 45-minute drive to KU isn’t long by any means, it’s a lot farther than on the other side of my bedroom wall.

So, to my little sis — let’s make the most of the time we have left together. Let’s not lose our minds when we’re wearing each others’ clothes. Let’s have last minute picnics and let’s drive around blasting Ke$ha. Let’s not fight about the dumb little things that won’t matter tomorrow. Let’s focus on the bigger picture of us growing up together while we still can.

As tears roll down my face as I’m typing this, I realize that mom was right when she told us to appreciate the time we have left together. And just so you know, my dorm in Lawrence will always have room for you, and I hope you’ll miss me more than my closet.

OPINON

design by lilah powlas

I

by elizabeth ballew

CO-HEAD COPY EDITOR

raise my index and pointer fingers to my forehead. In the name of the Father, and of the … no. I stop myself.

I feel guilt. Not just any guilt, Catholic guilt — the feeling exclusive to the Catholic faith where even the act of stepping on someone’s shoe is tinged with guilt.

The strong morals I was brought up in taught me this. But now I feel guilty, and not for my innate feeling of guilt. I feel guilty to be a Catholic.

I used to take pride in the church and the cardinal virtues — prudence, temperance, fortitude, justice. Now I look at church and see their new virtues — negligence, carelessness, cowardliness, corruption — after being exposed to the sick web of cover ups and payoffs showcased in the movie “Spotlight.”

The 2015 biopic about the Boston Globe journalists uncovering the crimes of the church, publishing over 600 stories about it in 2002 alone, unsettled my my faith — the thing that had been my unquestioned rock all my life — and left me trying to place blame. On the institution. On God. On the people. On myself.

I could never make the sign of the cross again. There was no longer a guiltless prayer for me.

Recently, my feelings of blame have resurfaced.

“Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all. For decades.”

This statement from the grand jury’s 1,356-page report summarizes the sex abuse in the church in Pennsylvania that came out Aug. 8, 2018.

1,000 identifiable victims. 301 priests. 70 years.

The word “rape” isn’t strong enough to show the damage.

Rape doesn’t disclose a 9-year-old boy having his mouth

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

purified with holy water after being forced to perform oral sex on a priest. Or a boy being forced to strip and pose naked like Christ on a cross and photographed. Or a victim being tied up and whipped by a priest with leather straps.

This is just the beginning.

As of Sept. 7, 2018, attorney generals and state prosecutors in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York have opened investigations into reviewing dioceses (a district of churches led by a bishop) for cases of sexual misconduct.

Even if any cases more horrific than those found in

Pennsylvania are uncovered, it won’t change the church for the better. Catholicism is more than a religion — it’s a culture. Although the leaders used to be known for promoting social change — like Óscar Romeo and advocating for the poor — like Mother Teresa, the leaders have tainted the institution by protecting the name of church before the the people who kneel before it.

This happened in Pennsylvania, but two of the 301 priests were in Kansas City dioceses for years. It can happen here. It can happen in any community.

PENNSYLVANIA SCANDAL

2002

2018 Allegations were brought up against the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.

This and other crises have prompted Pope Francis to schedule a bishop’s conference.

A team of five journalists investigated a pattern of systematic cover-up of sexual abuse by the Catholic Church in a series of published articles for the Boston Globe.

SPOTLIGHT (FILM) 2015 A faithful retelling of the Boston Globe investigation for the big screen. It received the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. image courtesy of imbd.com

The former Bishop of my old diocese covered up for a priest who had child pornogrpahy on his computers in 2012.

I shouldn’t have accepted “retirement” as the answer to why we stopped praying for him in church.

My parents wedding photos have been destroyed because their officiant was a child molestor.

I still can’t believe that one.

How can I sit in a pew and follow the Catholic policy of “pay, pray and obey” when I have no reason to trust the priest who I am supposed to confess my sins to?

I can pray directly to God, but what do I say?

Dear God, I’m angry at you.

Dear God, I feel lied to.

Dear God, what else don’t I know?

I’ve entered a new place of Catholic culture — a culture of confliction. A culture of giving a defensive answer when asked what religion I am. A culture of feeling shame to even be labeled “Catholic.” A culture where I constantly face the question: how can I still be Catholic?

The answer for other conflicted Catholics appears to be a rally for reform. But reform is no longer an option for me.

I don’t trust the church to reform itself — they had their chance. How could they continue to let a priest serve in the church who collected “trophies” like urine, pubic hair and menstrual blood? Or allow for a gang of priests to mark boys they favored with golden crosses to show they are easy victims?

If I can’t see the change happening, I can’t continue to follow the church.

I can’t change what’s happened.

It’s time I stop feeling guilty for the actions of the church.

More on the events and people referenced in this article

BOSTON GLOBE SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight

11

ÓSCAR ROMEO 1917-1980 Archbishop of San Salvador who spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture. He was given the title of Servant of God by Pope John Paul II.

MOTHER TERESA 1910-1997 Mother Teresa of Calcutta was an Albanian-Indian nun and missionary who served the poorest of the poor. She is recognized as a saint and was given the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.

BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE 2019 Following the crises in Pennsylvania and Germany during 2018, Pope Francis has called on the bishops’ conference presidents to meet from Feb. 21-24, 2019 to discuss a solution.

12

OPINION

design by scout rice

RUNNING FOR HERSELF

Senior enjoys exercising again while running c-team cross country

I

by miranda hack

STAFF WRITER

run a little under a nine minute mile. I still, as a senior in high school, can’t do a push up. Even in the peak of my athletic prowess, I could only bench press the light bar — which weighs a measly 15 pounds.

So I didn’t start running C-team cross country my senior year because I’m some sort of stellar runner — or even an outstanding athlete in general. From the time I slipped on a pink GABL jersey in the fourth grade, I’ve made up for what I lack in hand-eye coordination and physical ability with my seemingly endless stream of energy and some frantic arm-waving.

That same all-encompassing desire to win overtook my mind in every sport I tried.

That’s why I joined cross country: I wanted to get rid of it. *** It started my sophomore year, just before swim season. I had spent the last year at the bottom of the varsity team, and practically had a spot reserved at the back of the slowest lane, swimming at the feet of older, faster girls.

Desperate to improve, I threw myself into 10 hour practice weeks and preseason conditioning. It worked. By my sophomore year, I was swimming in the second-fastest lane, dropping time by the minute and qualifying for the state meet.

And in the midst of all that, I became convinced that swimming was my one chance to excel at something, my one chance to win.

For those three months, it didn’t matter if I had an asthma attack (twice), was projectile nervous-vomiting (once) or was temporarily blinded by my own tears welling up in my blue goggles (nine times).

I. Would. Not. Stop.

Exercising had become my fixation, a sort of sordid test to see how far I could push my body.

Either until I won, or until it broke.

May 20, 2017, prelims at the state meet. I finished swimming the most muscle-numbing 500 yards of my life, looked at the timer and promptly started crying.

Broadcasted in giant, red letters, there it was. 5:44.70. 11 seconds slower than I needed to make finals. Nearly 20 seconds slower than I had gone two weeks earlier.

Terrified that I had disappointed my entire team, I slung my limp body out of the pool, hobbled to the bathroom, and spent the next 15 minutes spending some quality time with the bottom of a toilet bowl.

I knew I had become overly competitive, but I didn’t realize the extent of it until after that race. I had somehow normalized the race-induced tears, the weekly mental breakdowns, the constant fear of not meeting expectations, into something that I considered rational.

But it wasn’t. And I was sick of it.

So just before my senior year, I decided to join a sport that couldn’t possibly get too competitive — C-team cross country.

But my first two days were hell. Legshaking, chest-aching torture. I was ready to quit after the second practice — until I was handed that fateful blue popsicle.

I ate it as I laid, legs pressed flush against the wall, on the dirty linoleum of the basement hallway. Lactic acid running through my muscles and artificially flavored blue raspberry popsicle juice running down my chin, I smiled.

So this is how exercise is supposed to make you feel.

Full. Deserving. In pain, but happy. Not the frustration and self-loathing that I had been struggling with for months.

I came back for a third practice.

In the four weeks that followed, running became a much needed relief from the pressure I had put on myself during swim.

When my black Sauconys pound into the sidewalk on the side of Mission Road, I’m not scared that I’m going to let the team down or worried that everyone else is better than me.

I can’t be.

I have to be focused on finishing, my mind trained on those two yellow poles at the entrance to the junior lot. I’m fixated on that god-awful hill that looms ahead of me, comforted only by the fact that my own nervous laughter and gasping breath is mirrored by the girls running next to me.

I had my first cross country race after a month of training. There were no tears, no almost-puking, no self-loathing — even when the runner on my back surged ahead of me at the very end.

I finished that race, my calves caked in mud and my ponytail slicked back with sweat, smiling.

ABOVE | Hack runs the warmup at practice. photo by luke hoffman

STRESS IN ATHLETICS FROM HELPFUL TO HARMFUL

Signals of too much stress in athletes

BEHAVIORAL

lethargy, inabWility to concentrate, change in eating habits

*information from the American Psychological Association

EMOTIONAL mood swings, outbursts, irritability

PHYSICAL

chronic stomach aches and headaches

FEATURES

design by grace padon

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

13

T E AC H E R F E AT U R E Can you tell when students use SparkNotes?

Yes, we can definitely tell. Everyone uses the exact same quotes, because they find them on the exact same sites and there’s no originality in the thinking [of the quotes].

S T U D E N T S S AY : What’s your favorite club?

melanie miller teacher I think Hawa iian Shir t Club is great because it’s super fun to show some spirit on the last day of the school week and wa lk the halls and see other guys participating by wearing Hawa iian shirts.

A RT I S T O F T H E W E E K

Junior Milla Hanova is in IB Art Portfolio and uses world topics as a source of inspiration for her artwork.

M I L L A H A N OVA , J U N I O R

connor sawalich senior

Q: WHAT IS YOUR STYLE OF ART? A: I try to do whatever I feel like doing. I don’t usually do 3D art but when it comes to 2D art, I don’t know if I have a style, because I like trying different things out. I’ve done abstract expressionism, painting and I’ve also done watercolor. But lately, it’s actually been political.

My favorite par t about Bollywood Dance Club is being a ble to dance with Aa kriti, who helped start the club, and being a ble to spread the cultural understanding of Bollywood dance.

Q: WOU L D YOU SAY POLITICS INSPIRES YOUR ART?

anika radadiya senior

A: I think recently it definitely has, because I think, especially international politics, are really interesting. It’s sad that some of the things that are happening in the world that aren’t so great are happening but I wanted to share my opinion on that.

UP IN THE CLUB

Q: D O YOU PREFER DRAWING OR PAINTING? A: I’ve been watercoloring since I was four and then drawing since I was two, so I love both of them. Recently though I’ve been trying to do more with acrylics and oils and colored pencils because I’m not as good at colored pencil as I’d like to be, but I feel like I’ve been getting better with that.

UPPER LEFT | Juniors Emory Apadoca and Olive Henry particpate in committe discussions while at the StuCo Retreat at the Broadmoor Technical Center. photo by luke hoffman UPPER RIGHT | Senior Reagan Smith leads a converstion at the first Minding Your Mind Club meeting in the art room. photo by julia percy

Q: HOW D O YOU SHARE YOUR ART? A: I do my best to share on Instagram. I used to have two seperate accounts, one for art and one for my main account, but I got tired of that because I felt like with two seperate accounts, I wasn’t as likely to post on my art account so I just started posting on my regular account (@dande.leo) which I think was good. I’m still working on some stuff so there will be more stuff up soon.

M I L L A’ S A RT

BOTTOM LEFT | Seniors Janice Jiang and Kara McCaskey and freshman Campbell Wood write inspirational notes during a Happy Club meeting. photo by luke hoffman

FAR LEFT | Garden Party Pt. 1, by junior Milla Hanova photo by lucy morantz LEFT | Garden Party Pt. 2, by junior Milla Hanova photo by lucy morantz

read more at smeharbinger.net

14 FEATURES

design by meg thoma

FAR LEFT | Seniors Max Nabazas swings a punch at senior Collin Hueser. photo by camille talkington

MIDDLE | Hueser fights back and blocks Nabazas’s punch in the same round. photo by camille talkington

LEFT | Nabazas dodges a punch from Senior Ben Jolles. photo by camille talkington

FIRST RULE OF FIGHT CLUB

FIGHT OR FLIGHT Official boxing rules compared to their “Fight Club” rules

Senior boys find a new hobby after starting a “fight club” on the tennis courts by maya stratman

T

COPY EDITOR

wenty minutes after school ends, seniors Collin Hueser and Max Nabazas slip their hands into their bulky black and white boxing gloves on the Harmon Park tennis courts. Senior Henry Leopold stands behind them, giving back rubs and pep talks while a crowd of five fellow-senior boys watch, leaning against the edge of the dark green courts. The oneminute round is about to start and Leopold reminds everyone of the one rule – “Don’t hit anyone in the crotch.”

The boys touch gloves and within the first few seconds, Nabazas gets in a straight shot to Hueser’s face, followed by an array of “ooohhhs” from the surrounding crowd – plus a few extra bystanders.

The blow to Hueser’s face was expected.

According to the poll sent out in the “Fight Club” GroupMe, the odds are stacked against him. Hueser had only two votes to Nabaza’s 50. The third and last round is closing out and Hueser, to the crowds surprise, has Nabazas backed into a corner thanks to a few solid hits. Nabazas throws off his gloves. That’s the match. Hueser for the upset.

A few weeks ago, a bet between Mikkelson and Hueser about who would win in a fight sparked the idea for the boy’s new hobby.

Or as they like to call it, ”Fight Club.”

So far there have only been three fights: Hueser vs. senior Jack Mikkelsen, Leopold vs. senior Ben Jolles and Hueser vs. Nabazas.

While some hits have ended in bloody noses and possible lost teeth, this club is centered around fighting friends – just for fun. They meet after school in the same tennis court for their short matches.

“It’s all for fun so [there are] no hard feelings at the end of the day, only respect after the fight from each fighter,” Mikkelson said.

The fun aspect is created on the belief that no one knows enough about boxing to

seriously hurt someone.

A typical fight consists of three oneminute rounds, full of unblocked faces and accidental air punches with the occasional solid hit. At the end of each round, the fighters retreat to their corners, huffing and puffing til the next round. Some boxing matches are completely abandoned and end in the tackling of their opponents.

Luckily for them, their opponents have the same level of insight. Leopold wasn’t worried about getting injured or being outmatched during his fight against Jolles because all members of the group are on a level playing field.

Even with their lack of experience, most of the boys know basic boxing rules to set the fight’s standard. Ultimately it is up to the audience, made up of random people who heard about the fight that day in the hallway, to decide who won. Since the boys are just doing it for a good time, winning isn’t that important during the fights.

In order to keep everything under control, they have agreed to follow basic boxing standards such only being able to attack with their hands and not being allowed to grab at people or throw them to the ground.

Leopold has had to step in to break off a fight a few times when they are at a standstill with two guys holding on for a long time in a hug-like stance, trying to get the upper hand. Even so, it has surprised both Hueser and Leopold to see how intense the fights can get – experienced or not.

“I wasn’t sure if it was going to be much of a fight, but [Hueser and Mikkelson] got in some good big shots,” said Leopold.

After one of those good shots, you can even hear the fighter who just delivered the blow say “hey, you good?” to make sure everyone was okay to continue. None of these fights are for the sole purpose of hurting each other according to Leopold, that is just a side effect of these matches.

“It sounds weird but it’s just like any other sport except it kinda hurts sometimes,”

Leopold said.

But it’s not only the fighters who experience the thrill of the fight. Some students like senior Andy Freshnock have heard about Fight Club through friends and just come to support or watch.

“I’m not a big fan of the fighting but it’s fun to watch other people do it,” Freshnock said.

During Hueser and Nabazas’s fight, advice was constantly coming their way from the sidelines in the form of “you had him stumbling” or “he’s not guarding at all.” The boys also help the fighters stay supported and hydrated by opening water bottles for the boxing boys when their gloves don’t allow them to do it themselves.

Now, fight club is growing. The GroupMe that started out with as few as 10 members now has over 120 – all waiting to either participate or watch the next fight.

While Mikkelson likes to see that they started something people want to continue, Jolles is not looking to get into fights with people who either have more experience or are less worried about keeping a friendly atmosphere.

According to Hueser, administration and the police will be having a meeting on Monday Sept. 1 in order to make sure students are being safe. This will entail a waiver signed and mandatory headgear.

Fight club used to be just another excuse for the boys to hangout and blow off some steam – not to prove anything.

Although the future of Fight Club is murky, the original six will always have their first few fights.

They know as soon as the third round is over, all fighting stops. Mikkelson calls to congratulate Hueser and Nabazas on a good fight. Red faced and breathing heavy, Hueser and Nabazas walk out together after their two round fight, complimenting each other on powerful hits and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the afternoon.

TECHNICAL REAL RULE: Can not hit opponent below the belt

FC RULE: Not allowed to hit with any other body part besides hands

ATTIRE REAL RULE: Must wear preapproved gloves and headwear

FC RULE: Usually will be wearing khakis and barefoot

LENGTH REAL RULE: Three rounds that are three minutes each per match

FC RULE: No set number of rounds lasting roughly one min and 30 sec each

LOCATION REAL RULE: Matches take place in a regulated ring *info courtesy of USA Boxing Official Rulebook

FC RULE: Matches take place at the tennis courts at Harmon Park

FEATURES

design by lucy hoffman

15

(SHER)MAN OF THE FAMILY Dr. Sherman’s life as a father has transferred over into his job as a principal

D

by lydia undewood

SECTION EDITOR

r. Sherman would run up and down the sidelines of the basketball court at his son Tanner’s game. He clapped his hands every time his son’s team made a basket and shouted “tall trees” from the sidelines to ensure they blocked the ball.

Sherman loved the competitive atmosphere that came with coaching softball, soccer and basketball. But most of all, he loved watching his kids compete.

Now that he’s the principal of East, he has 1,743 more kids to cheer for at sporting events, choir concerts, and plays, in addition to his own two children.

Before he was a principal, Sherman doubled as a coach and teacher at SM North when he became a father to his first-born son Tanner. Spending hours around his son Tanner and his daughter Addison helped him find his fathering style.

As a father, Sherman learned to juggle different personalities. Tanner always sticks to a routine, much like Sherman.

Addison is much more open to change and will go with the flow like Sherman’s wife, Shelley. The most difficult personality for him to relate to is a student who has a fixed mindset rather than an open and

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prairie village

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always went to their soccer, baseball, and basketball games. Now as a principal, he’s at East games, sitting in the auditorium cheering on the cast of the spring musical and the choir as he would his own kids’.

Sherman has realized how important close relationships are. The ones he has built with the Indian Hills kids in past grades have translated over to the students at East.

“It’s really neat to see how they were as seventh and eighth graders and how

It’s rea l ly neat to see how they were as seventh and eigth graders and how they are now.

dr. scott sherman principal want to know that he cares about the kids from football games to tests in class– because that is what he would want as a parent.

“The parents saw I cared about the kids in school, outside of school, and would take time on a Saturday to go watch them play,” Sherman said. “I think that helps, especially with the kids. I think they love seeing you outside of school.”

Sherman always tries to be seen out of the school to establish trust with the students and parents. With his family, he

shawnee mission north

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they are now,” said Sherman. “I’ve already know them to an extent, I already know their parents. It’s made it easier that I already have that relationship with many of the students.”

This time Sherman will run down the sidelines of the basketball court, but the stands are filled with lancer blue. He will clap his hands each time the team scores a basket, cheering for a team full of students he has known since middle school.

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shawnee mission south

Dr. Sherman was a counselor at South, and his favorite part was helping all the students get into colleges.

broadmoor

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Sherman was a principal at Broadmoor Technical Center and liked learning about all of the technology classes like networking and graphic design.

At North, Dr. Sherman was a business teacher and liked the learning curve of being a teacher.

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overland park

her how to advertise the event without breaking the district’s policies.

“He was all for it and I think if he could he would have been like ‘let’s go for it, let’s plaster posters up all over,’ Malik said. “I think he wants us to able to do what we want to have an impact.”

Sherman recognizes the importance of building relationships with his students and knows that having them with parents is crucial too. Sherman knows that parents

DR. SHERMAN’S CAREER MAP Dr. Sherman held positions at many different schools before East

merriam

1

dynamic personality– much like himself.

The dualities of Addison and Tanner’s personalities gives him experience he can apply when dealing with students.

“He has more of a routine but I go with the flow more,” Shelley said, looking at Sherman.

“I get set in my ways sometimes, if I get to school later than I planned, I feel a little messed up and off the entire day,” Sherman said.

One of the most important things to Sherman is having a good relationship with his children. He wants them to feel comfortable talking about their tough math test or if one of their friends left them out of a friends night out. His communication with his family has helped him grapple the chaos of communicating with middle and high schoolers.

“When Addison and Tanner were really young if they saw something on the news that was bad we would explain to them what that was about,” Sherman said.

“The key is establishing with them that they could come and talk to us about anything,” Shelley said.

Freshman Sasha Malik worked with Dr. Sherman last year to organize the walkout protesting for stricter gun control laws at Indian Hills. Malik noticed his approachability and willingness to help organize the walkout.

He walked through the timing and showed

4

Sherman’s favorite part of being a principal at Antioch was learning about how to handle middle schoolers.

hocker grove

Sherman was principal of Hocker when East Antioch closed, so he got to witness the merging of feeder schools.

indian hills

Sherman liked getting to be a part of Indian Hills when middle school sports were added.

16 NEWS design by lila tulp photo illustration by grace goldman

Tech Effects

what are the effects of technology what are the effects of technology on youth?

what are the effects of technology on attention span? what are the effects of technology on productivity?

How Does Technology Effect My Child?

N

QR What is the Act? SCAN THE QR CODE TO VIEW THE OFFICIAL CAMRA CONGRESS BILL

US Congress Bill ?

Does Tech Benefit Me

69.5%

OF EAST STUDENTS BELIEVE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON EDUCATION

Impact of Tech In School

2.8% 18.5% POSITIVE IMPACT 69.4% SUPER POSITIVE IMPACT 9.2%

SUPER NEGATIVE IMPACT NEGATIVE IMPACT

*244 East students were surveyed

$95 MILLION COULD BE PUT INTO RESEARCH OVER THE EFFECT SCREENS HAVE ON HEALTH AND OTHER POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS

Blue Light and My Teen

NEWS

The CAMRA Act would fund various studies that could give a better idea of how technology and media effect child development and growth

S

by ben henschel

CO-ASST ONLINE EDITOR

enior Emma Broaddus imagines herself at fifty. Her neck permanently hunched due to constantly looking down at her phone for the past thirty years. Her mind always cycling and wandering, never focusing.

Her sleep cycle in ruin due to a jumbled circadian rhythm.

At age 17, she’s concerned. Concerned enough to set her phone outside her door every time she enters her room — out of sight and out of mind. She’s concerned for her fifty-year-old self because no one can tell her with absolute certainty how to stay safe from the possibly damaging effects of her phone.

With how little is known about how technological devices actually affect children, pediatricians around the nation are concerned, too. A new Congress bill introduced on Aug. 27 could give the concerned nation answers.

The Children and Media Research Advancement Act, if passed, would grant the National Institute of Health $95 million over the following five years to study how technology and social media is affecting the development of infants, children and teens.

Students like Broaddus are taking precautions in fear of what they don’t know about technology’s effects — and according to pediatricians, it’s crucial to resolve the uncertainty.

Dr. Dennis Cooley, a pediatrician and Legislative Coordinator for the Kansas American Academy of Pediatrics, believes it’s time to gather research on the effects of these newer and more modern forms of technology. In a developing age of social media and widespread mobile devices, pediatricians like Cooley fear many negative effects — attention deficits, decreased social skills and depression among them.

“There are so many other new things right now that we really don’t have a lot of research on,” Cooley said. “How can I as a pediatrician advise parents on what to do with their kids on how they should be managing their technology? That’s why this bill is so important. We really need the data to draw accurate conclusions.”

Freshman Evan Broaddus supports the call for conclusive results. He shares many of his sister’s

WHAT IS THE CAMRA ACT? Supported by the National Institute of Health, the Children and Media Research Advancement Act would authorize funding to establish research on the effect of technology. concerns as well as her hallway cell phone policy, fearing that devices like his phone might begin to

manifest negative consequences.

“It could be like cigarettes in the ‘20s and ‘30s, no one really knew anything about it and thought they were fine,” Evan said. “And technology is starting to look like it may develop into something that hurts people. Maybe not as badly, but definitely in some way.”

Cooley explained how new findings would come in the form of longitudinal studies which provide more accurate data by monitoring effects over a period of months or years, not just days or weeks. The problem, however, lies in their cost. Money needed to conduct a longitudinal study usually isn’t available due to higher governmental priorities.

Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Michigan University who gave feedback to the writers of the CAMRA Act, mentioned one of the first and only multi-year longitudinal studies pertaining to new forms of media.

In the study, the Journal of American Medical Association concluded that high schoolers who frequently checked and posted on social media and the internet may be prone to developing subsequent ADHD symptoms.

Radesky believes funding through the CAMRA Act will lead to many more of these longitudinal studies, supplying data about what other threats social media could instill.

Junior Jack Friskel circumvents the negative sideeffects of social media by staying off of all platforms, with the the occasional Snapchat for communication.

“I’d rather talk to someone about what they did this weekend than spend time looking at pictures because it really does more harm than good,” Friskel said. “When we spend so much time developing our profiles on social media, we lose a lot of character.”

Friskel holds on to the face-to-face interactions that social media apps potentially take away. In his eyes, students who communicate more through their phones and less in person are losing vital social skills that could benefit them later in life.

“It all comes down, especially later on, to personal communication and having the social skills to interact with someone in person,” Friskel said. “In the end, a bill like this is only going to help people realize that.”

According to Radesky, claims like Friskel’s that advocate for less digital communication and more personal interaction are in line with pediatric consensus.

“Teens and humans as a whole are experiencedependent, and so the more practice you get at having a conversation, the better you get at helping someone through a difficult time or situation,” Radesky said.

“That leads to being able to solve social problems at a higher rate.”

To Cooley, the importance of in-person interactions during a young child’s upbringing are even more important than they are at a high school age. When a parent substitutes their own interactions with that

of a screen, children lose necessary development according to Cooley.

“You don’t want the screen to be the babysitter, because [the child] isn’t getting key benefits in their development that way,” Cooley said. “It shouldn’t be replacing face-to-face contact with adults, because that’s the way children learn best. Anything from reading a book with your mom to playing a game with your dad.”

Another possible concern to Radesky is media multitasking — the practice of engaging in one or more forms of media at the same time. It’s a topic that she believes needs more research because current evidence points to heavy media multitaskers silently shortening their attention spans as they do it, regardless of how easy the work is to manage.

Juniors Ellie Brown and Emma Burden both routinely watch Netflix on one side of their MacBook screen and study their vocabulary Quizlet on the other.

Senior Kevin Grinstead regularly watches YouTube on one side while doing Conjuguemos on the other.

me•di•a mul•ti•task•ing verb media multitasking involves using any media in conjunction with another.

Also referred to as “simultaneous media use”, or “multicommunicating”, this behavior has emerged as increasingly common, especially among younger media users.

However, the thought of a shortened attention span never crossed their minds.

“Ideas like [media multitasking] are what make this bill so important,” Radesky said. “There could be an endless supply of links that result in problems. We just don’t know them all yet.”

According to Cooley, the information that would come from the bill would be advantageous for all Americans regardless of their political stance. Due to the beneficial nature of the bill as a whole, Cooley feels it has a strong chance of being passed.

“Right now, it’s tough because when you ask us what are the effects of media on children and teens, we don’t know that,” Cooley said. “But this is something where everyone is aware of the potential problems, and we all want to find out what’s best to manage this.”

The CAMRA Act will be discussed further in Congress throughout the next year. If the bill successfully passes through the House and Senate, with President Trump signing it before the year passes, the funding will be set in motion.

17

18 FEATURES

design by carolyn popper

“W DRIVER by natasha thomas

SHE’S THE

Though she never saw herself as a bus driver, Darlene Kennedy of bus 157 loves her job because she is able to connect with the students on her route

TOP | Bus driver Darlene Kennedy smiles for a photo while waiting for East students to board the bus. photo by aislinn menke BOTTOM | While waiting for the students to board the bus, Kennedy smiles at students walking by the bus. photo by aislinn menke

NOT JUST THE

BUS DRIVER

said. “‘I know that.’”

Darlene didn’t dream of being a bus driver either. She used to sit behind the wheel of her bus and daydream about running her own restaurant — she could picture herself up early slicing bread for the sandwiches, and loved the idea of a life where she made her own rules at work. She only took the job driving school buses to be able to provide for her family and look after her kids.

Despite this, Darlene can’t stop saying how much she loves her job. Even though it was never Darlene’s image of a perfect future, 16 years of driving buses has made her realize she cares more about the kids she drives than her goals to own her own business.

Darlene’s occupation 16 years ago was nothing like driving buses: she had a management position at a printing company in Rhode Island called Times Square Printing.

One day while she was at work, her daughter fell down at the daycare she attended and cut her head open — neither Darlene nor her husband John Kennedy were notified. After the incident, Darlene and John didn’t want their kids in anyone else’s hands. Darlene decided she would trade her management position for bus driving — the shorter hours would allow her to spend more time with her family while still getting paid.

Darlene started her new job with First Student Bus Company in Rhode Island in 2002. She got certified in CPR, administration of Epi-Pens and handling blood borne illnesses to be prepared for her duties. Darlene took pride in doing her job well — she said “Hello” to every kid as they walked on the bus, and “Have a good day!” when they left. She was committed to keeping the kids safe and happy, but she mainly saw the job as a way to make ends meet.

On her 2:47 drop-off, she would think about the job she left behind, and picture her quickly flourishing new dream: owning her own restaurant. She would call it Brown Bag Lunch, and serve PB&J’s and turkey and cheese sandwiches — the types of things a mom like Darlene would make for her kids’ school lunches.

A few years later, she decided to start doing something about her dream. When she got home from her day of driving around students, she would give her kids a hug, kiss her husband on the cheek and spend the next few hours planning out her new business.

And the next day she would start over again. She had the usual inner debate on whether or not she should stop the kid that always made paper airplanes and flew them around the bus. She listened to the children belt out “We will rock you” and stomp their feet to the beat. And she always told them “Have a good day!” when they got off.

In a few months Darlene had a complete set of business plans, but something made her hesitate in launching her new company: John had found a job opportunity in Kansas working as a Warehouse Manager — if she didn’t start Brown Bag Lunch, her husband could have a better job with better pay.

The new job had been expected — he had been scoping out better opportunities for awhile. But what Darlene didn’t expect was how she felt about leaving her bus route: she had fallen in love with listening to the kids’ songs ring through the bus. She perked up whenever a student would ask her how her day was going. She felt responsible for making sure the kids knew that someone was happy to talk to them before they went home to their parents.

Darlene’s dream to run her own restaurant suddenly didn’t seem as important as getting to interact with the kids on the bus.

So in 2016 she dropped her restaurant plans and told John that she would move the 1500-plus miles to the KCMO area if she could keep driving. There she found a job at DS Bus Lines where she drives bus 157 for East and Indian Hills Middle School.

And though she misses her Rhode Island bus routes, she’s already found new kids to get to know on bus 157.

Now she’s making new memories, like when the whole bus screamed “Darlene’s our favorite bus driver!” or when eighth-grader Spencer Collins showed her a magic trick he learned at school that day.

To fulfill her passion for restaurant work, she also picked up a job at Great Harvest between her morning and afternoon drives, and she loves it because it’s a lot like what she had in mind for Brown Bag Lunch. She gets to prepare the food, be working in a fast-paced restaurant environment and every so often the kids from bus 157 come to visit her.

Sometimes when Darlene is making sandwiches at Great Harvest or waiting in the bus for the kids to get out of school, she thinks about her life in Rhode Island.

She thinks about what could have been had she given life to the plans she had spent so much time on years ago.

Then the first kid out of class hops on the bus and tells her “Hello!” and she knows she made the right choice.

Before becoming a bus driver for East, Darlene Kennedy worked in various locations

Bird Heaven Pet Shop At 13 years old, Kennedy worked her first job in a pet store

COPY EDITOR

hen kids are little, no one says ‘I wanna be a bus driver when I get older,’” Darlene Kennedy, the driver of bus 157 at SM East,

Great Harvest

Between morning and afternoon pickups, she volunteers at Great Harvest

Moss Printing

When she moved to Kansas City in 2016, she picked up a job at a printing shop on Nall Avenue

Sub City

In Rhode Island, she worked in a sub shop at 18 years old

FEATURES

design by caroline chisholm

19

MARCHING TALLER

ABOVE | Connor is able to be himself once he puts on the JROTC uniform. photos by katherine mcginness

Senior Connor Zaharko breaks out of his shell and gains social skills through Junior Navy Program

“F by lucia barazza

ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR

orward march!”“Forward march!”

Senior Connor Zaharko shouts to his cadets standing rigidly at attention in front of him, dressed in their formal khaki pants and navy blue uniforms. Connor pivots sharply to face the gym wall and begins to march, his platoon following in perfect unison behind him.

“Halt!”

Connor comes to a sharp stop and pivots to face the four judges inspecting his every move, and the audience of almost 100 people.

“Right shoulder arms!” Connor shouts, and the platoon follows, each cadet snapping their black performance rifle to their right shoulders in perfect harmony. As Connor, dressed in his officer “blues” uniform shouts out each command, the platoon follows without hesitation.

Two years ago, this scene could have looked very different. Two years ago Connor could barely get through a group English presentation. Two years ago Connor was the kid sitting in the back corner of the classroom, keeping to himself, avoiding the conversations of his classmates.

But then Connor joined the Junior Navy Reserve Officer Training Corp, or more commonly known as JROTC. When he was five-years-old, Connor was diagnosed with high functioning Asperger’s, a rare developmental disorder that makes social interaction and communication with others difficult. During the years before he joined ROTC, Connor’s symptoms of his Asperger’s, like blinking rapidly and slurring his words, were more apparent.

“It used to be a lot worse, I had like

no social skills whatsoever,” Connor said.

“When I was younger, about 10 years old, it was really hard. I just had trouble talking to people and had really low confidence.

It sucked.”

Before ROTC Connor hated running the cash register at work, he dreaded any type of presentation or performance assignment at school, and during social interaction he would display social ticks such as dragging his leg or shaking excessively. Even keeping eye contact was a struggle. “[Presentations were] fine when it was just practicing with a couple of friends but then when it actually came down to do it, I just freaked out,” Connor said. “I just couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t function, and I kind of just shut down because I didn’t know what to do.”

However, things began to change for Connor at the end of his sophomore year when he first spotted two students walking the halls at East–dressed in the same uniform he would wear two years later. Curious as to why they were dressed so formally, he approached them and discovered that they were a part of the ROTC program centered at SM West. After hearing the cadets’ experience with the program and the opportunities it opened up for them Connor decided to give ROTC a chance and joined at the beginning of his junior year, not knowing exactly what he was getting into.

The first time he walked into the Aux Gym at SM West for morning drill practice, he half-expected to see a pack of military G.I. jocks droppin’ 20 in front of a screaming drill sergeant–but that wasn’t the case, not at all. Instead Connor was met by not-so-scary, polite and knowledgeable Chief James Dusek and 48 other cadets involved in a program that would reshape his life over the course of the next year.

“That first experience was just interesting meeting everyone in the program and seeing how diverse it actually was, because I was kind of expecting the stereotypical ‘meat-head’ for everybody and it definitely was not like that,” Connor said, laughing.

After only being a part of ROTC for a little over a year Connor’s father, Justin Zaharko, has noticed a complete transformation in Connor’s lifestyle and personality.

Connor’s alarm clock settings have suddenly changed from 6:45 a.m. to 5 a.m. in order to make morning drill practice every day before class. Thursday late-start mornings previously devoted to sleeping in or playing Fallout 4 have turned into

every cadet attended practice and dressed appropriately at drill meet competitions, presenting a perfectly ironed uniform and evenly placed hat for the judges.

“He’s become a man, he treats everyone with the respect and dignity that they deserve and up to [the time he joined ROTC] I don’t think he knew what that was,” said Justin.

The kid who once struggled to hold a short conversation now had a literal army of friends standing behind him, bringing him further out of his shell.

“He used to be in a shell, more or less, and going to ROTC and becoming an officer on top of that has really brought him out of that shell and [affected] how he deals

what is JROTC? JROTC is a program offered at high schools that teaches student achievement, character, leadership and diversity. The U.S. Army works with high schools around the country to produce successful students, while fostering a more constructive and disciplined learning environment.

Officer meetings at the Big Biscuit to discuss upcoming drill meets or community service projects. And a once quiet and reserved Connor suddenly wouldn’t hesitate to carry someone’s grocery bags to their car if they looked in need of assistance.

The weekly platoon hangouts after color guard performances at football games have forced Connor to make conversation and be thrown into social situations that he used to avoid.

After his promotion to Inspection and Operations Officer halfway through his junior year, Connor was forced to grow even more out of his social norms. He suddenly became responsible for keeping the platoon updated on group events and ensuring

with people,” said Justin. “He’s more of a leader now, whereas before he was an absolute follower.”

After finding his niche in ROTC, Connor no longer fears running the cash register at work, and he can hold eye contact while making small talk with the kid sitting next to him in math class. Presentations are still challenging, but now manageable by thinking to himself, “I’ve led a ROTC platoon in a drill meet in front of almost 100 people, this is nothing in comparison” “I’m extremely proud of him,” said Justin. “It’s something that has completely changed him.”

20 PHOTOSTORY RIGHT | Senior pep club execs Hannah Phillips, Emily Cooper and Hallie Higgason lead a chant from the podium at the pep rally. “It was really powerful for me because I have always been the one standing in the crowd and looking up at that person,” Cooper said. “And so me being on that podium and leading all those chants and getting my family so excited for that day and sharing that passion was super cool.” photo by lucy morantz

design by lucy morantz

THE FIRST LAST AS A CLASS The senior class celebrated their last Lancer Day as highschoolers on Aug. 31

LEFT | During the parade from the SME parking lot to the Prairie Village Shopping Center, seniors Jana Banerjea and Mallory Frank yell the “Senior, Senior” chant. “It was our last Lancer Day so it was really nice to get ready with all of my friends and spend the whole day with them and cheer for the seniors because we are seniors now which is super awesome,” Frank said. photo by lucy morantz

RIGHT | Senior Jack Melvin watches in anticipation from the track as senior Parker Willis attempts to kick the extra point. “[My favorite part was that] I was on the football float,” Melvin said. photo by lucy morantz

LEFT | Senior boys take part in a long time East tradition, Club Baño, during the passing period between second and third hour in the fourth floor boys bathroom. “It was pretty fun, we got a chant saying ‘Free the boys’ going for about five minutes.” Senior Club Baño organizer Peter Grimm said. photo by luke hoffman

LEFT | Before the first varsity football game of the season vs. Gardner-Edgerton High School, senior Tyler Stottle hypes up the team. photo by luke hoffman

F U L L GA L L E RY Scan this QR code to view the entire photo gallery from Lancer Day

LEFT | Senior drum major Becker Truster directs the band as the Lancers score. “Watching the parade is awe inspiring,” Truster said. “It’s a mass production of people working together towards one thing.” photo by luke hoffman

A&E

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Financial planner Marty Byrde suddenly relocates his family from the Chicago suburbs to Osage Beach, a summer resort community in the Missouri Ozarks. After a money laundering scheme goes wrong, he must make amends to a drug cartel by setting up a bigger laundering operation in the Ozarks. photo courtesy of netflix

TO P O F T H E C H A RT S

C O N C E RT R E C A P

Taylor Swift’s Reputation Tour came to Kansas City on Sept. 7

A RT I S T :

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STAFF WRITER

I STOOD IN THE MIDDLE of Arrowhead stadium surrounded by 58,611 Taylor Swift fans who, just like me, were ecstatic to see her take the stage in KC for the first time in three years.

Around 8:30 p.m. the lights shut out and the intro to “...

Ready For It?” started blaring over the speaker. The crowd threw their arms in all different directions hoping they would be the first to see Taylor appear from the stage that had turned into an optical illusion covered with snakes, which

are Taylor’s new emblem.

Taylor started off by playing three songs from her new album, Reputation. She then threw it back a few years and sang a mashup of “Style,” “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” Taylor made everyone feel a part of the concert by moving throughout the stadium, casually walking through fans, giving out hugs and high fives and flying between the three stages. Taylor has six more shows in the U.S. and then she carries her tour over to the UK.

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H OT O R N OT

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Results from The Harbinger’s Twitter poll about movies East students are looking forward to

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22 A&E

design by julie fromm

NOT THAT INNOCENT

SNEAK PEAK

ABOVE | FBI Agent Campbell questions Phillips about his involvement in the murders.

ABOVE | FBI Agent Campbell, played by Joel McHale, questions a suspect about the murders.

ABOVE | Connie Edwards, played by Melissa McCarthy, and Phil Phillips, voiced by Brain Henson, sit outside of the airport after cracking the case of the Happytime Murders

W by megan funkey

ARNING: CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGES OF MUPPETS As the trailer for the movie “The Happytime Murders” came to an end, I attempted to make sense of what my eyes had just watched through the lit up screen of my phone. And to think I believed Oscar the Grouch was the worst Muppet... I was wrong. All of the sweet memories of Kermit the Frog’s familiar voice, ruined by this 2018 Sesame-Street-gone-wrong story of the new cast of the felted friends or should I say strangers.

With a 23 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I should’ve known what I was getting myself into.

Still, I had to see for myself who was committing the murders of the cast members of the old show “The Happy Time Gang.”

The rain was pouring down on a late Friday afternoon.

I began to worry that there would be no seats available due to the prime movie weather. As I walked into the Plaza theater, not a seat was taken. Then I remembered the 23 percent rating — no wonder I was about to receive a private screening of a two week old movie.

The film takes place in a world where Muppets are treated as second-class citizens. Muppet P.I. Phil Phillips (voiced by Bill Barretta) was the very first muppet cop, who soon became an ex-cop due to a disturbing incident in which Phillips missed a shot while his partner was being held at gunpoint.

Phillips is then found tangled up in a case with his ex-human-partner in crime Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy). The are forced to take on the case of the “Happy Time Gang.” Phillips and Edwards have to learn how to work together again in order to solve the bizarre case that involves strange scenes like visiting a strip club, snorting sugar, or going to the other side of town to the “fuzzies” neighborhood.

Forget the G-rated family friendly muppets you’re used to and let me introduce you to the not-so-friendly, not-so-innocent R-rated Muppets.

Director Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson, who has directed multiple muppet productions, has gone against his father’s legacy and changed the reputation of the felt puppets forever.

MEGAN’S LEAST FAVORITE SCENES

1

- FBI agent Cambell was insulting Edwards and Phillips - Phillips almost died by being sucked into an airplane propellor

STAFF WRITER

2

The “Happytime Murders” displays the Muppets in an inappropriate and nightmareinducing way

The majority of the movie contained foul language, multiple sex scenes, references to drugs and sexist and racist comments. This is not something you want to see, especially from Muppets. This movie was anything but funny. If for some reason you decide to go see it — which I would not advise — I would suggest not taking your 9-year-old sister (please protect her image of Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear) to see this film, unless you want to experience the most awkward situation of your life.

As the plot kept unraveling, I became more and more confused as to what was going on. The jokes in the R-rated mystery were so forced that they didn’t make sense. All I am going to say is I never want to see an octopus and cow Muppet in the back of a massage room again.

The main character is a blue puppet, which in the movie was made out to be a racial reference. There was awkward, racial puppet humor based on the color

HAPPYTIME MURDERS release: August 24th 2018 starring: Brian Henson and Melissa McCarthy megan’s rating: 2.5/5 of their felt, like when Phillip’s brother mentions how he had bleached his felt multiple times and a girl complimented him by saying he “looked better.” As if to say he was better off a different color.

The bulk of the production overshadowed the few genuinely funny scenes. The charisma between Edwards and Bubbles (Maya Rudolph), Phillip’s secretary, was amusing.

The amount of work put into the production with all the Muppets was impressive — one of the best parts of the movie was the credits when they showed the behind-the-scenes with all the puppeteers.

I should have known walking into an empty theater on a rainy day that the film would be a let down even if it was my very own private show. I would just like to thank the creators of this movie for changing my view on the innocent Muppets forever, and may my sweet memories of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy rest in peace.

Megan’s least favorite scenes from the movie - Dislikes the character overall - She framed Phillips - She was telling agent Cambell that Phillips was guilty when he was innocent

3

- Phillips was put in jail for something he didn’t do -He was beat up by other inmates

TV design by annabelle cook

THROW BACK

A&E

23

I plop down next to my not-so-miniature poodle on our brown living room couch, lifting my feet to rest on the ottoman. I change the channel to “Say Yes to the Dress.”

I hear my dad look up and say, “Not this.”

He thinks what I watch is not “educational” or “entertaining.” Sure, I’m not learning a thing. But entertaining? Tell me watching Kim cry about losing a diamond earring in the ocean of Bora Bora in “Keeping up with the Kardashians” isn’t entertaining.

My mom, however, usually watches the same shows

with me. She knows I’m referencing Big Brother when I mention the veto meeting. And I know she is referencing “Vanderpump Rules” when she tells me about Britney and Jax’s engagement.

But after hearing “You can go downstairs to watch that” from my dad one too many times I decided to investigate further into what he thought was ‘good television.’ I looked at what he watched at my age to see if he was being hypocritical towards me, and I watched my moms to see if I enjoyed them as much as we the shows we do now. I asked them what their favorite TV shows of their time were, and we came up with three that were and still are some of their favorites of their past.

M*A*S*H

CHEERS

THE LOVEBOAT

by caroline chisholm

ASST. PRINT EDITOR

M*A*S*H WAS ONE of my Dad’s favorite shows when he was a high schooler — and I’m convinced it still is. On the occasional Saturday morning, I’ll come downstairs around 7 a.m. to find my Dad holding his cup of coffee while sitting at his favorite spot in front of the TV. I look up from my fuzzy socks to see green tents in desert landscapes on the TV. Immediately, I know it is M*A*S*H, a comedy series about a medical unit during the Korean war, and roll my eyes. The war plot never interested me. I wasn’t invested in the characters.

I wasn’t really sure what time period it was supposed to be. And I didn’t even know that it was a comedy.

So I decided to see what entertained the young, and now grey haired Bill Chisholm. And I wish I had given it a chance earlier. I now laugh at the humor between main characters and surgeons Hawkeye Pierce and Captain John McIntyre as they wreak havoc with their practical jokes and drinking parties while the war booms around them that I didn’t understand before. Their insanity continues in the operating room when cutting off limbs and tying up arteries while holding completely off-topic conversations like about the ‘hot’ new nurse at the camp.

Ultimately, the characters in the show used humor to cope with the bloody Korean war and gruesome dead bodies coming into their operating room, which was a new and unique way of portraying war when the show started. It wasn’t just a hit with my dad, but with the world, earning itself awards including Primetime Emmys and Golden Globes.

If you have a sense of humor like my Dad, check out M*A*S*H on various channels of regular cable. I will definitely be joining my dad on the couch next time I walk downstairs to find him watching it.

R A DA R

Staffer watches her parents’ favorite sitcoms in their high school years

“SOMETIMES YOU WANT to go/Where everybody knows your name/And they’re always glad you came”– – Everyone sings along to that melody, but the majority of my generation doesn’t know where it comes from.

But ask almost anyone who grew up in parachute pants and they could tell you that it is the famous opening theme song for the 11-season series “Cheers.”

The cheesy but entertaining series is set in an iconic cherry brown wood bar. The bar, Cheers, is owned by main character Sam Malone, a former professional baseball player and now bartender. Alongside Malone is Diane Chambers, a headstrong and intelligent blonde who was forced to get a job at Cheers after her fiance left her in the pilot episode.

The two’s textbook friendship-turned-romance made me regret regret that my next door neighbor in 1st grade didn’t fall in love with me, and I can completely see why my mom enjoyed watching –– I’m sure she and all of her friends wished they could be in Diane’s shoes getting the attention of the hunky bartender. He gives off major season one Joey Tribbiani vibes from “Friends.”

But I also support my dad’s enjoyment of the lively bar for it’s supporting characters. Norm, the witty and married man who ends his days with a mug of beer at the bar, brightens up each episode with the cheers of “Norm!” from the cast each time he walks into the bar.

Through his bickering and joking with characters Carla and Coach, two employees at the bar, you get to see what the sassy, dynamic trio adds jabs and sarcasm to the comedy show.

I can honestly say I would watch all 275 episodes, and I completely approve of my parents for liking it as well.

Check it out on Netflix and you can sing along to the “Everybody knows your name” tune with your parents.

DIANE

APPARENTLY, IN THE ‘70S, the Pacific Princess cruise was the place to be. This corny — and when I say corny I mean deafening automated laugh tracks every five seconds corny. The show is so dumb and predictable from it’s ditsy crew members to their love matchmaking that it is somewhat entertaining. Each episode revolves around three love stories involving new guest stars every episode. The main idea is that no matter who you are, if you are on the Pacific Princess, you’re guaranteed to find a happy ending. Hence the name, The Love Boat.

But let me break down what happens every episode.

Basically, if you are a couple celebrating your anniversary with your significant other, you will get in a fight over something nonsensical. But because of the romantic and forgiving environment of the love boat, you will work it out by the end of the cruise. If you are single, one of the crew members will miraculously swoop in finding you the man or woman of your dreams.

You will almost never see Captain Stubing steering the boat and instead interacting with his crew and the passengers, so who knows how they get anywhere? And there will always be a practical joke pulled by the crew on each other each episode. The plot is repetitive. But it is fun to see what twists they throw in to their never changing plot.

However, the crew with their undying efforts to create love and their silly, crazy relationships between each other were the heartbeat of the show. A heartbeat that somehow lasted for an entire decade making the show one of the most watched and loved of it’s time.

So I guess the ‘70s loved it’s cheesiness (and after this, I now do too).

C A P TA I N ST U B I N G

24 A&E

design by catherine erickson

PUBS, PUPS AND PAPERBACKS A look at new restaurants in downtown Kansas City that combine food, drinks and activities

BAR K

LEFT Dogs play in the shallow 1 ft. dog pool at Bar K. photo by catherine esery

OUR DAILY NADA

LEFT Books found in Our Daily Nada’s bookshelves

by Jill Churchill sit beside a latte. photo by megan stopperan by catherine esery

AS SOON AS the door opened, my golden Labrador, Duke, bolted to the doors of Bar K. Tail wagging, we waited in line to check into Bar K, the off-leash dog park and bar located in the River Market.

On Saturdays for 45 minutes you and your dog can enjoy DOGA — yoga with dogs. The class is taught by a (human) yoga instructor. The admission fee is $15 dollars (dogs get in free).

Walking into the two-acre outdoor park, I was immediately greeted with welcome kisses from an array of dogs, ranging from great danes to bulldogs. After the dogs’ welcoming and obligatory butt-sniff, they moved deeper into the park.

The outdoor park was more of a playground than a park. There were rock climbing blocks, jungle gyms and an oversized game of Connect Four. For Duke, this was like going to Disney World for the first time. He couldn’t escape me fast enough — all I saw was his wagging tail as he ran away toward the other dogs to scope out the park.

Unlike most dogs, Duke resisted getting his hair wet in the shallow pool, gave the jungle gym a head tilt in confusion and joined a group of dogs rolling in the grass by the rock wall (yes, there was a rock wall).

Duke was most attracted to the picnic area— and it wasn’t the food that caught his eye. With multiple (human) friends to say “hi” to, Duke had found his place.

After Duke shed over everyone who pet him, we moved to the Purina adoption center where they were having DOGA. The dogs found a new chew toy in the form of the yoga mats and were more interested in getting in extra snuggle time with their owner than actually trying downward dog. It’s a lot harder

STAFF WRITER to balance in dancer’s pose when your dog won’t stop jumping on you.

After DOGA, Duke strategically picked a shady spot near the doggy water bowl where I left him for my own air-conditioned table in the Bar K bar. The Bar K bar, made out of 17 repurposed shipping containers, is colorful, modern and an overall welcoming atmosphere with an all over blue and orange scheme. Vibrant, lively photos of dogs hung around the walls creating a charming vibe. I tapped my foot to the beat of How To Save A Life by the Fray, played by a local guitarist on his electric piano.

After gulping down my complimentary virgin mimosa — my reward for being a DOGA participant— I grabbed the menu and glanced over all the local treats. I was curious to see the food for dogs menu that was on the table. I could imagine Duke’s mouth watering over dog treats such as Betty Rae’s ice cream and the Three Dog Bakery cookies compared to his usual cup of Iam’s dog food. I ordered myself a Meshuggah bagel with plain cream cheese, but it took 20 minutes to get back to me (longer than Einsteins), and cookies for Duke —sadly, they were out of Betty Rae’s.

Waiting for my bagel, I explored the two floors of the restaurant complete with an outdoor balcony, game room and puppy portraits. But even the little girl laughing and chasing her dog didn’t compare to when I spotted the special puppy section with two puppies playing on the turf grass — two chocolate labs.

When we left, I gave Duke his treats to help ease the pain of parting from his new favorite dog park and my new favorite Saturday activity: Bar K.

by ava johnson

EVERYONE NEEDS A place to escape

from their chemistry tests, babysitting jobs and parents asking about college applications. Our Daily Nada is my new place.

Our Daily Nada is a “boozy bookstore” with a full bar featuring wine, beer and artisan eats. Of course, for a 17-year-old like me it’s just a “bookstore” with artisan eats. Located on 304 Delaware, Our Daily Nada is tucked into a historical brick building with a white and grey striped awning covering patio sets for two.

The bookstore features a checkered tile bar at the front with tall black barstools, but if you don’t vibe with the bar scene, there are other seating options. Upon entering, you can choose from the plentiful amounts of cozy nooks and crannies, and take. them. over. There’s a green velvet couch at the front, two leather chairs immersed in the rows of bookshelves, or even a conference table for 6 to 10 people hidden in the back.

I chose one of the two person tables at the front and sat my backpack down on the wicker chair. I would’ve preferred the velvet couch or light pink armchair, but the bookstore had quite the Sunday afternoon crowd of hipsters and couples, so both were occupied.

I approached the bar and ordered the ham and gruyere toast with the blackberry compote on the side (I wasn’t sure about blackberries on ham) and an iced vanilla latte. These two items cost me $13.43, $8 for the toast and $4.25 for the vanilla latte (50 cents extra for the vanilla, which is a priceless addition to any coffee).

The latte was served in a clear glass

FEATURES EDITOR mug (not as Instagram worthy as I hoped), but had the perfect amount of ice cubes and vanilla syrup. Each sip had more flavor than the one before, with a pleasant surprise of cinnamon spices towards the bottom of the mug.

The latte cost me 53 cents less than it does at Starbucks, and it wasn’t a plastic cup overflowing with ice. Out the window, the streetcar swooped by every few minutes and pedestrians riding Bird Scooters passed by, making me feel as if I was Serena van der Woodsen enjoying a brunch in the Upper East Side.

When the toast was first sat in front of me, I had trouble actually finding it. The sourdough bread was piled so high with forest ham, gruyere cheese and arugula that I was starting to believe that they skipped the bread all together. The waitress warned me that ordering the blackberry compote on the side would make the toast bland, but it was nowhere near it. To my surprise, the toppings made it a challenge to eat it politely. But manners aside – it was the Beyoncé of the toast world.

Once my plate and mug were empty, I ventured into the rows of filled bookshelves.

Unlike your ordinary elementary school Dewey Decimal System, these bookshelves were separated by genre. Naturally, I found my way to the young adult shelf.

Despite the fact that the bookstore is a fraction the size of Barnes and Noble, it still manages to offer just as much variety.

I look forward to more afternoons spent at Our Daily Nada studying for exams and enjoying their coffee shop playlist filled with Vance Joy and the Lumineers.

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26 SPORTS

design by lila tulp

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS UP AND COMING Team Boys Soccer Girls Golf

Date

Time

Opponent

Location

Tomorrow Sept. 18

7 p.m.

Olathe North

ODAC

Tomorrow

2 p.m.

St. Teresa’s Acadmy

Swope Park Golf Course

Sept. 18

Girls Tennis

Today

Gymnasitcs

Thursday

Football Volleyball

WHAT’S NEW?

Sept. 17 Sept. 20

Friday Sept. 21

Tomorrow Sept. 18

Junction City, 3:30 p.m. Manhattan, SM South Lawrence, Lawrence 6 p.m.

Free State, SM Northwest, SM South 7 p.m.

SM Northwest 5 p.m.

Olathe Northwest, Olathe North

Harmon Park SM Northwest SM North Olathe Northwest

ATHLETES’ TAKE

27 28 29

Various student athletes play club sports during the offseason to prepare for their upcoming school seasons.

Coach Gibbs brings award system to the Girl’s Tennis team to increase competition among JV and Varsity players.

Freshman girl makes her way up to number one on the Varisty Golf team after only a few practices and meets.

[Being cross country captain] is fun because we kind of get to lead all the kids and get to interact with all the girls no matter what team they’re on, varsity, JV or C.

[My favorite part of playing JV tennis this season is] probably practicing every day and getting better and seeing improvement.

hazel eastlack senior

sophie sun junior

PHOTO FINISH

ABOVE | After freshman Tate Moody scores a touchdown, he celebrates with teammate Trace Houston. photo by trevor paulus ABOVE | After sophomore Will Lowry makes the game-winning RIGHT | Senior Mallory Frank practices serves during warmups before the varsity save in the first game of the KAMO tournament, the team game against Gardner-Edgerton High School. photo by reilly moreland rushes to him to celebrate the win. photo by lucy morantz

SPORTS

design by will tulp photos by lucy morantz

SEASON NEVER STOPS

CLUB BASKETBALL

EAST BASKETBALL

Players prioritize the sport

Some players play more for enjoyment

Practices are much more intense

Practices are not as difficult

Games are serious and quiet

Games are more exciting

then you’re not going to make it past the C-team [at East] unless you’re just amazing,” DeBey said. “You have to consistently play soccer year-round with high level people that constantly make you better.”

Constantly sharpening skills also plays a key role in sports like swimming — especially for varsity swimmer and senior Emma Broaddus. During her offseason, she races up and down the pool with the Blazers club team. Last year, Broaddus didn’t swim club as often as she had in previous years to make sure she stayed on top of her schoolwork since it was her first year as an IB student. This led to what she considered to be a drop in her performance.

“It’s important to be in the water and swim every day,” Broaddus said.

Yowell, Nelson, DeBey and Broaddus all agree that club is what gives them the push to perform at a higher athletic level for their school. However, that yearround commitment to their sport can make it tough to participate in other sports or activities that require attention after school.

Both DeBey and Nelson run for the JV cross country and track teams at East.

Student athletes play their main sports year-round by competing on club teams

On weekdays, DeBey has to miss his after-school cross country runs to be at his club soccer practice. He’d like to be a varsity runner, but being on JV soccer is important as well, so he’s forced to make a sacrifice.

On the other hand, Nelson makes both work. Cross country and soccer practices are back-to-back after school for her, so once cross country practice ends, she’s lacing up her cleats and heading to her club soccer practice.

Each athlete agrees that practicing for their sport during the offseason always proves helpful, and club teams can provide them with structured practices and games.

“For the first year you should definitely try high school sports because it’s just an amazing experience and I have loved every second of high school sports,” Nelson said. “But when choosing between club and high school, honestly I think they should do both because they’re such different experiences.”

CLUB SWIM

EAST SWIM

Events are picked by coach

Events often chosen by swimmers

Athletes swim 4-5 events each meet

Mostly one-day meets

Meets last 2-3 days

CLUB SOCCER

EAST SOCCER

Players do not get as close

Players get much closer

Culture of team is more serious

Culture of team is more fun

Team travels about every other week

Team travels only once to Iowa

CLUB SOCCER

EAST SOCCER

Athletes play with many new teammates

Most players know each other

Practice is only 3-4 times per week

Practice is every day

Games are during weekends

Games are during weekdays

Swimmers swim maximum 5 events

EMMA BROADDUS

JORDAN YOWELL

ot all student athletes always compete with the columbia blue, black or white on their backs.

Many athletes opt to play their sport for a club team — premier teams unaffiliated with any school — during offseasons instead to improve their skill and keep competing year-round.

From the first day of school to finals week in May, senior Jordan Yowell can be found shooting hoops on a basketball court. Her season goes beyond the winter months of girls basketball at East — the result of playing for her club team, Precision Athletics.

“Club has given me an edge in my past four years of playing,” Yowell said.

Club teams are unaffiliated with schools and require fee payment to

join and sustain a spot on the team.

Like school teams, however, tryouts are required. They often consist of players with a higher skill level than can be found in most high school teams according to athletes like Yowell. “[Club] is hard, it’s sped up, and they’re basically preparing you for college,” Yowell said. “If you want to be recruited, you should do club and the high travelling teams because that’s where you’re going to get seen.”

Although Yowell’s team doesn’t travel around the country, student athlete and junior Karoline Nelson’s club soccer team, KC Athletics, does. Nelson is also on the girls varsity team at East. The biggest difference between high school and club for her is the community.

“You get so close with the players... every week before the game we all have a buddy we give treats to and stuff. I think high school is way more fun,” Nelson said.

While Nelson enjoys playing soccer on the school team more, JV soccer player and sophomore Tyler DeBey prefers club because he sees it as a necessity for improvement.

“If you’re not doing club soccer,

TYLER DEBEY

STAFF WRITER

KAROLINE NELSON

N

by chase conderman

27

28 SPORTS

design by jackie cameron

CALL TO COMPETE Tennis staff hopes the introduction of weekly awards will spur competitveness

RIGHT | Girls tennis players rally wearing masks given by Coach GIbbs. photo by lucy morantz

WHAT’S IN THE AWARD a breakdown of each weekly award

“THE LUNCH BUCKET”

Presented to a player who gives extra effort on the court

“CHAOTIC DUO”

Awarded to a doubles duo that showcases positive skills

by libby hise

W

PAGE DESIGNER

hen tennis coach Andrew Gibbs announced senior Henry Leopold as the first-ever winner of the new “Lunch Bucket Award,” Leopold gave the ground a humble smile as his teammates cheered for his “well deserved award,” according to Gibbs.

The start of Monday practice before the warmups, The Lunch Bucket Award was given to Leopold for his tremendous effort into his doubles match.

PLAYER POV Do you think the weekly awards will increase the competitiveness of the tennis season?

YES NO

75% 25%

*20 out of the 34 V/JV players were surveyed

During a rally, Leopold’s opponent slammed a shot and the ball hit just a fraction of the line. He rushed towards the

ball from the end line. Just a second too late, Leopold missed the ball — but didn’t miss the black gated fence. Barrelling full force into the fence led to bruised glutes and shoots of pain down his leg, but he was still motivated enough to finish his match and play at practices.

The Lunch Bucket Award goes out to individuals like Leopold who show dedication and give 110 percent out on the courts, as Gibbs would say. Awards like these are presented every Monday at practice to the player who stands out the most to coaches, Andrew Gibbs, Frank Gagnon and Jed Blair.

After Gibbs noticed the boys working a bit harder after the award was given to Leopold, he decided to bring weekly awards to the girls tennis team this fall season. Gibbs’ goal was to increase the competitiveness throughout the season regardless of playing singles, doubles or for whatever team the player is on.

Sophomore Sophia Reicheter on the Blue team, one of the “C” teams, had never played tennis before trying out her freshman year. She originally joined the sport in order to play with her friends, but weekly awards helped her gain motivation.

“I usually mess around with my friends during practice,” Reicheter said. “An opportunity to have my coaches give me an award for showing more effort is an

awesome chance for me to try my hardest and become more excelled in the sport.”

Sophomore Caroline Eason has been on JV for two years and believes the incentive will ensure she is always on her best game whenever she is on the court.

Eason hopes the awards will start up as soon as possible.

Though varsity junior Elli Tucker hasn’t seen a lack of competitiveness with the team, she believes the awards will shine some light on the individuals working harder without recognition.

“There are always some who mess around more than others. I love the idea of awarding the hardest working ones,” Tucker said.

Along with the Lunch Bucket Award given to Leopold, another award was introduced to sophomores Hudson Mosher and Sam Freund. The title of “Chaotic Duo” came with a shiny, Nacho Libre-esque luchador masks for both boys. The pair won this award for the week because of their doubles-play together.

“We were able to return almost every ball back to our opponents,” Mosher said.

“We always gave each other advice and helped each other on the court, even though we only lost once.”

The Chaotic Duo was bestowed upon partners who improved each other’s performances. The Chaotic Duo and other

duos were encouraged to work harder after receiving a costume mask. Heading into the season, Gibbs is also starting the awards to encourage the girls to keep

PLAYER POV

Do you feel more motivated knowing there’s the prospect of winning a weekly award?

YES NO

65% 35%

*20 out of the 34 V/JV players were surveyed

giving their all.

According to Gibbs, the goal of these awards is the same it was for the boys — to decrease the relaxation and increase the competitiveness in practices and matches.

The coaches hope it will give players incentive to do whatever it takes to keep the ball in play, like Leopold, and always accept feedback like Mosher and Freund.

“The awards excited the boys and gave them the little push us coaches have been looking for. This is the goal for the girls this season,” Gibbs said.

SPORTS

design by kelly murphy

GOLF GAL

W by allison wilcox

ONLINE SECTION EDITOR

ith her eyes on the ball, freshman Tess Roman slowly brings her Callaway driver back and swiftly swings the club.

Her ball shoots through the air, surpassing the other varsity golfer’s drives by nearly 30 yards. Hitting the ball further than most girls isn’t unusual for Roman, especially since she’s been playing since kindergarten.

Ever since playing on the Warriors club team at Meadowbrook Golf Course in kindergarten, Roman has been nailing down everything from what clubs to use in order to turn her bogey into a par to what swing to use on hole #9 at Swope Park golf course.

Now ranked #27 in the 14-to-18-yearold golfers in the Kansas City Area by the Kansas Junior Golf Association, Roman is playing anywhere between the second and fourth spot in the SME girls golf varsity lineup.

SME girls golf coach Dave Hanson said Roman is possibly one of the top freshman golfers SME has ever had.

“She is a rare talent,” Hanson said. “[I] truly believe [she] will win at the highest levels in high school golf.”

Hanson also thinks that by gaining more competitive tournament experience Roman will compete and place well among some of the best high school golfers in the state.

Up until two years ago Roman was coached by her father, when she hired a certified coach with whom she has been working on her swing. In a week she practices anywhere from 6-12 hours, more if she can fit it into her schedule.

To prepare for her tournaments, Roman plans to practice in the winter at the Lady

29

Freshman’s commitment to golf prepares her for playing at the high school and hopefully college levels

Sykes driving range in Overland Park.

Roman has wanted to play Division 1 college golf all her life and is working towards her dream school of Stanford, which meets her requirements both in the classroom and on the course.

In order to measure up academically, Roman is enrolled in all honors core classes for her freshman year. And when she’s not spending hours at the driving range, she’s studying for her English vocabulary quiz or unit exam in biology over cells.

In order to fulfill her hopes of playing in college, Roman will be working to improve her ranking to top five by hopefully placing well and winning her tournaments at courses including Swope Park and Heart of America in the spring.

Roman practices alongside sophomore twins Hanna and Hope Robinett who think Roman is a strong player who will impact the team immensely both with her scores and competitive nature.

“She takes the game to heart for sure,” Hanna said. “You can tell when she’s playing she’s always really focused and thinks about every shot carefully.”

Roman has enjoyed the change of playing alongside teammates for her school.

“High school season is different because you’re not just playing for yourself,” Roman said. “You’re playing for your team too.”

Sports have always been a part of Roman’s life, whether she’s playing tennis at the Woodside courts or practicing softball at fields in Stillwell. While Roman is planning to participate in cross country, basketball, softball and track at East, the majority of her focus will be aimed at golf.

“It’s definitely her passion,” Hope said.

“She would rather be on the course than anywhere else.”

TESS ROMAN: A BREAKDOWN OF HER GAME Roman’s averages and favorites DRIVER DISTANCES average distance

FAVORITE COURSE:

“Pinehurst Golf Course is number 3 because it was super super nice and a really famous course so it was fun to be able to play it.”

longest distance ABOVE | Roman practices her swing to get ready for practice. photo by julia percy RIGHT | Roman and freshman Maeve Linscott talk while waiting to start putting. photo by julia percy

BEST SCORES

FAVORITE CLUB

18 holes

iron because it’s the club I practice with the most.”

76 33 9 holes

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PHOTOSTORY

design by luke hoffman

BELOW | Freshman Lindsay Brown walks with Emmett Freeman on their way from Westwood View Elementary School, whom she has babysat for about a year. “I pick him up from school, walk him home, and then help him with his homework,” Brown said. “[My favorite thing] is when he wants to play games.” photo by taylor keal BELOW | Junior Willa Ivancic laughs with SME sophomore Winny Wolf whom she is driving to Wolf’s dance practice. “[Because Winnie is a dancer,] we were looking through music for [her lyrical dance],” Ivancic said. “Winnie is awesome. When we get home she just goes upstairs and does her homework.” photo by grace goldman

31

ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING

Babysitting and nannying is a common after-school job for many Shawnee Mission East students

ABOVE | Senior Holly Frigon babysits a neighbor family, the Millers. Frigon has babysat for the family for a number of weeks now. “I was helping [Cooper] with his homework. He was rounding numbers and asking me about how to round when the number is bigger than 10,000,” Frigon said. photo by luke hoffman

ABOVE | Senior Holly Frigon gets her other babysitting kid, Chase, to login to Skyward. “I wanted to see if he had any missing assignments [before] he had to go to the tutor. [But] the wifi wasn’t working so we were a little bit frustrated about that,” Frigon said. photo by luke hoffman

ABOVE | Junior Eva Sidie helps five-year-old Blaire Hawk, whom she has babysat for since the beginnning of school. “We were making friendship bracelets together. My favorite part of [spending time with her] is going to parks together,” Sidie said. photo by rachel currie

32 ALT COPY

design by lizzie kahle by lily billingsley

STEM CLUB

JOIN

one monday a month room 300a FOR THOSE WHO want more than a

THE CLUB

STAFF WRITER

chemistry worksheet over acetic acids and a math quiz over SOH CAH TOA, join the science, technology, engineering and math club. The STEM club was created by juniors Gretchen Raedle and Pacey Salzman, and they plan on offering STEM related activities in Mrs. Davis’s room, 300A, one Monday per month.

Raedle and Salzman hope to educate members on STEM opportunities, such as careers ranging from a neurosurgeon at a research hospital to a data analyst on Wall Street. This will be accomplished through

having speakers from a wide range of STEM careers to inform the members on opportunities that come with STEM careers and how to get into them. The club will also conduct different projects and experiments such as building bridges and thickening liquids.

Raedle, who has a passion for both science and math, found that not many students know about the STEM field.

“It’s actually more interesting than people think. There are so many options for different ways to learn about [STEM] like through experiments, so I thought it would be cool if I created a club about it,” Raedle said.

INVESTMENT CLUB every wednesday room 314 IF YOU ALWAYS have the Apple Stocks

Explore three new clubs that are new to east this school year

app readily available on your phone, head over to room 314 every Wednesday after school for Investment Club. Here in Mr. Bicker’s room, who teaches macro/micro economics, you can join 25 plus students in playing the stock market game and learning how to manage money.

The club will also host discussions on the world of economics, from current stock savings to how to invest for your future.

Investment club is beginning its second year at East, led by seniors and co-presidents Tom

Joyce and Hank Breckenridge.

“Our school system doesn’t do a very good job of teaching kids how to manage money and how to effectively put yourself into the economics stock market in this world,” Joyce said.

The club is currently working on bringing in new members and creating more activities both inside and outside of East. In the upcoming meetings, Joyce and Breckenridge plan on watching “The Big Short” as a club and electing a Board of Directors to keep things organized.

MINDING YOUR MIND CLUB every friday room 204 JOIN MINDING YOUR Mind Club to help you balance the stress of a busy school year. Every Friday after school in room 204, Minding Your Mind has discussions about mental health, lead by co-founder senior Jana Banerjea.

Banerjea wants all club members to feel comfortable sharing their positive and negative experiences with mental health.

The club also will create projects to spread happiness throughout the school. From printing out 800 bright stickers for students

and staff to hanging colorful posters around the school, the club tries to insert happiness in everyone’s day.

Banerjea started Minding Your Mind Club because she feels no matter how educated or aware you are, there’s always something you can learn about mental health.

“A lot of people have to be better at being aware of mental health issues or just putting their best foot forward and being kind to everyone,” Banerjea said.